A Year of Memories

In celebration of the fact that we have now been in Scotland for one year, here’ s a quick look back at the last twelve months of life at the Chino House.

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August

We moved to Scotland.

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September

My mom came and we discovered some castles and made a trip to Edinburgh.

Oh, and Taido and I went camping.

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October

I went to Dublin for TBEX and got to experience another, wilder side of Ireland.

Then we all went to the Lake District and fell head over heels just like Wordsworth.

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November

We discovered Glen Tanar on one of our many walking quests.

Mary Polly and I had a getaway weekend in Edinburgh where we saw the Christmas Market and took a side trip to Glencoe and Loch Ness.

Also, I made my first trip to London for World Travel Market.

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December

In December I decided to finally declare myself a writer and I wrote 12 Days of Stories.

Even better, my parents came to visit.

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January

I started #48walks, which made us get outside, even in winter.

I took Ben and Simon to Edinburgh to see The Lion King.

And I went to London for one night to attend a dinner for Out of Office Bloggers.

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February

I am not going to lie. I was really down in February, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I kept walking and telling stories. Also, we moved from our tiny flat to a house.

(Let’s go ahead and draw straws to see who’s going to visit me next February so as to avoid the sinking to the dark places, ok?)

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March

We went for more walks, along the coast and in the shire.

We had our first non-family visitor.

And we continued waiting patiently for spring.

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April

The kids had two weeks off from school in April. For the first week we along with Taido to Durham, England, where he was speaking at his first academic conference. We also explored North Yorkshire a bit.

Then my mother-in-law flew us all to Ireland for a week. We walked and walked. And it was all green and sunshine and wonderful grace.

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May

My sister came and walked St Cuthbert’s Way with me.

Simon and I went to Mauritius.

June

Mary Polly and I went to see One Direction in Edinburgh.

My friends, Kristie and Jermaine came to visit.

Taido went to Kenya.

My friend, Sarabeth and her daughter, Elizabeth came to visit.

Mary Polly and I went with them to Paris.

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July

My brother and sister-in-law (Peter and Whitney) + nephews came to visit! We had an incredible week in Scotland and then we went to London, Paris and Switzerland. (#CousinsTakeEurope)

After they went home, we stayed in Switzerland for three more weeks. It was bliss.

August

We made a long journey home through the EuroTunnel. We dropped Ben and Taido off at the airport in London so that they could head to Norway for Ben’s 13th. The rest of us took our time road tripping up the M6, with stops at BlogStock and the Lake District.

What a whirlwind!

When I look back over the year, I really cannot believe all that we have gotten to do and see. And on a tight budget to boot. My travel writing has opened up new worlds, literally and figuratively. I am ridiculously thankful.

I am hopeful that the next year will continue to bring all kinds of new adventures.

We already have a few up our sleeves.

I am going back to Arkansas next month to speak at Arkansas Women Bloggers University, which I am super excited about. Then when I come back to Aberdeen, I’ll have about a week before I hit the trail again with my friend, Diane and Macs Adventure. This time my family is going to come and hike with us for a couple of days in the middle of the Coast to Coast Walk. Before it’s over, we will walk the entire width of England and will log almost 200 miles. (In fact, considering my tendency to get lost, I feel fairly certain that we will pass the 200 mile mark before our two weeks is over.)

Then in October I will go back to TBEX, this time in Athens and with my friend Sarabeth who is speaking. November will be quiet, so hopefully I will finish the book I am writing. And in December we will all fly home for Christmas.

In 2015, a world of possibility and wonder awaits! I am going to keep walking in 2015, but I’m inviting you to come along with me. And not just on the internet but also in real life! (Subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to hear news about walking with me.)

Thank you so much for following along and walking with me this year. Every time you post a picture with #48walks or leave a comment or send me an email, it makes my day.

Here’s to another year of walking.  Into the dark, into the light and into the unknown.