I do not tell her about the last time I rode a horse (above). It was a cold, beautiful day; my horse was fantastic.

But afterward? I was motion sick. I curled up on the floor, embracing the lack of bumpity bump of a horse’s back.

Confessions of a Cowgirl #2:

You do not make a good cowgirl if you get horse sick.

More cowgirl confessions: #1.

Look straight ahead and say hello to flying over the tips some lower mountains and goodbye to mountain snow. We’re going to see if we can get a little lift and pop our plane higher into the sky. Hang on!

Whoosh!

I love doing that! You often see see birds soaring through these thermals in the spring and summer, too. It’s an easy and exhilarating way to get higher without exerting extra.

Now that we’ve got some altitude, let’s go look around some of the neighboring valleys.

If all the snow has left the mountains, where has it gone?

Hello to swelling, muddy rivers.

Hello to florescent, irrigated crops and lawns. Hello to earth in its natural, unirrigated state around here: brown.

And goodbye to all worry when we are in the sky. Martin and I cannot wait to take you up again.

What else did you see?

There is an incredible strength behind not-for-profit organizations, many of whom operate with the same life-enriching and life-embracing goals. When I opened Gadanke up to wholesale, there was no question about it. Gadanke journals would also be available at wholesale prices for not-for-profits.

I’m feeling very grateful that Gadanke recently joined a large group of Australian high schoolers on a mission trip to the Philippines. Here are some photos their coordinator sent me.

How have not-for-profit organizations enriched your life or challenged you to better the lives of others?

Her hand recorded what I’m sure her brain constantly told her was of no importance: her life. From her journal I knew hers was a quiet but hungrily alive life. [...] Those details from her diary lingered in my mind all afternoon.

Alexandra Johnson, journalist, describing the diary of Elizabeth Howe, one of the accused and executed in the Salem witch trials.

 What types of stories would you like to capture in the coming weeks? Here are some ideas I’ve pulled together to keep those stories coming. Enjoy!

1. Have your kids fill out this End of Year Reflection sheet when school gets out. They can fold it up and tuck it in an envelope decorated with something like “do not open until the year 2023″.
2. Add a blog post or article you’ve written to your journal.
3. Snap a photo of your morning transportation. Hole punch and add to your journal. On the back, write about how you get where you’re going. (Maybe even include the price of gas if you drive.)
4. Embellish your journal with the date? Yep. Day of the week stickers are awesome.
5. Rumi is one of the most inspiring poets, and this book of poems is breathtaking. He’ll make you think about and journal about everyday beauties.
6. Make a page that’s literally a brain dump (like this). Paste a picture of yourself on a page, then put pen to paper and don’t stop.

Share with us. When have you recently found yourself in perfect company? What did you do? What did you see?

Overall, I think many of us just walk away feeling deep gratitude for life’s goodness and the people in it.

I just journaled a list of good stuff in life. Try it! Here’s how.

Do you remember learning about gerunds. Those are the -ing verbs I used on this page. In my mind, I would think: I love…

And then I’d finish the sentence on my paper over and over.

Supplies used:

1. She journal
   
2. Yellow and turquoise German pens
3. Date stamper
4. Gold stars from office supply store
5. Yellow and pink stickers from old stash
6. “This is good stuff” carnival ticket

What are a few things that make you happy? Fill-in-the-blank: I love…

When I was in Germany in March, I went to the little locally owned office supply store near my German school. I bought half a dozen of my favorite colored pens. “You like these pens, don’t you?” the clerk asked me in German. She was a young woman with long straight hair.

“I do!” I told her. “I use them for everything.”

“Me too!” she said. She kept saying more, but the barrier of language and time have erased those details from my memory.

I walked out of that shop with a goal: I had to get these fabulous pens onto the shelves of Gadanke. I wanted you to have just as much fun with them as everyone in Germany seems to have!

Guess what I have for you now! You can find these pens at Gadanke right here.

I’ve been using these pens for the majority of my journal entries over the years. (The spread below is from a trip to Spain.) I hope you can capture just as many fun stories with them.

Which colors do you most like to write with?