What's Up Wednesday (October Edition)

Happy Wednesday friends! I am excited to link up with Mel, Shaeffer, and Shay for the "What's Up Wednesday" Link up! I have so enjoyed reading these ladies posts and am excited to join in! It is so fun to connect with so many other ladies who are doing this each month! If you would like to join in and have a blog, just answer the questions above!

What We're Eating this Week... 

So back in June I shared a post entitled "17 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar" and then honestly hardly used ACV at all this summer. I think after using it in detox baths (twice a day) and drinking up to 1 cup of it everyday for almost two years my body was done. With fall in full swing and the holiday season approaching, I have started to add this back in. There are so many important benefits of ACV (you can read 15 benefits of it HERE) and I want to add this back into my daily routine. 

And if you are considering eating tons of pumpkins this holiday season you may be as shocked as I was to learn how many health benefits that there are in pumpkins (and their seeds!) You can read my post about 9 benefits of eating pumpkins by clicking HERE about just a few of the amazing benefits from this food!

What I'm Reminiscing About... 

All things Disney Cruise related. I only have a couple of posts left to share from this amazing experience and in many ways I am delaying because it was such an incredible experience that I want to linger over all of the precious memories for as long as I can! If you want to read more about the experience you can find the following posts:

Atlantis and Aquaventure Port Excursion

Port of Nassau, Bahamas

Disney Dream Spectacular Shows

Disney Dream 6192 Stateroom Review

Disney Dream Ship Review

7 Tips for a Perfect Disney Dream Cruise Embarkation Experience

Boarding the Disney Dream

Boarding Outfit for Disney Cruise

 And guess what? Disney Cruise Line just announced their 2018 cruise iteniers! They look amazing! You can check out more about Disney Cruise by clicking HERE! 

What I'm Loving... 

Fall in upstate New York. It has been absolutely breathtaking this year (as evidenced by the tons of pictures that I have posted on my instagram feed *smiles*). Starting the fifth fall of this long journey has gently taught me so many different things, mostly about God and His love and knowing that He will have the best in mind. What a good and amazing God He is.

What I've Been Up To...

The last 14 days have literally been an extreme whirlwind of activity. Two weeks ago we attempted to finish packing up our cabin in the woods and moved an hour north to settle in with my grandmother for winter and spring so that I can continue to get treatments like we did last year. Two days later we traveled south for me to speak about marketing and promotion for Indie Authors. Two days after that on Monday, the 17th I was re-accessed as my medical team and I made the decision that I was going to try a 10 day trial run of intensive IV meds to see if my body could handle this treatment plan after the difficult last couple of months that I have had pain wise. At the same time last week I struggled with intense pain for a variety of reasons we started this 10 day trial run and continued to unpack for my grandmothers house as we also re-pack for our upcoming travel down to the south and out west for about 7 weeks. It has been an absolute whirlwind and unfortunately as of yesterday it looks like we are going to have to adjust the 10 day trial run. So I will have a few days off (hopefully no more than this) and then will restart a different trial run. As I say all of the time in this journey, it is literally #onedayatatime. 

What I'm Dreading... 

So let us be real. The trip home to the south... 20 hours in the car... yea... I am dreading it. I love road trips but 20 hours in the car is not something that I am looking forward to. Last year I wrote a travel post entitled 10 Tips and Tricks for Long Road Trips and I am going to try to practice some of those ideas! *hahaha*

What I'm Working on... 

As I shared last month, August was such a whirlwind of activity with the December Caravan Book Release. I have truly been so overwhelmed and blown away by the incredibly kind support and words about this book. Thank you again so much for all of your love about that project! (If you are interested in purchasing December Caravan you can find it where books are sold and on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. If you are interested in bulk/group discount orders you can find out more information HERE.) 

But as quickly as August and early September came and went I went right into finishing up final edits and things for my upcoming book release When Truth Refreshes. I share at the beginning of this month that I  started writing this specific book in December 2013 so the timing of the release date brings a smile to my face. At the time I was deeply struggling with loneliness and grief, fear, frustration, anger, hopefulness and hopelessness in addition to a myriad of other emotions when a stack of beautiful letters arrived at my front door from some former students. These letters (which I have carried with me in a special notebook and are tattered right now) spoke beautiful truth of God's love, His power to do the impossible, and His never ending mercies for each morning. This book is one of my most personal Lyme devotionals yet... walking through the vast array of emotions that can be experienced in the Lyme Disease Journey. You can read more about the story behind this book HERE. When Truth Refreshes will be released on December 27th- right in time for the new year! 

What I'm Excited About... 

The next two months are going to be a flurry of activities including my sisters wedding, an opportunity to write about a cruise that I am going on with my parents, the release of When Truth Refreshes, and visiting the set of my favorite TV show! AND... so very excited to share that I also will get to see and hang out with one of my best friends, Katie from Always, Katie. I CAN NOT WAIT. All of the fun and adventures (and continued treatment - not so fun!) will kick off this Saturday as we travel home to the south. I definitely covet prayers as there is so much going on and we appreciate prayers for safety and my health. 

What I'm Watching/Reading... 

Robin Jones Gunn Pic

So y'all know that I love the author Robin Jones Gunn and all of her different series. Some of my favorites of hers are The Christy Miller Series, The Sierra Jensen Series, The Katie Weldon Series, Christy & Todd the Married Years, and the Glenbrook Series (Okay, lets be honest ALL of Robin Jones Gunn books *smiles*) I shared in my post the 5 books that have impacted my life the most how when I was 13 years old I was handed my first of many books I would fall in love with from Robin Jones Gunn and haven't stopped reading them over the last 23 years. I have read, re-read, and re-read a thousand times the adventures of Robin's characters while I have been encouraged in my faith and strengthened and challenged to return to scripture. Robin takes what some might call ordinary characters and weaves a beautiful story line that challenges me to fall more in love with Jesus, to spend more time in scripture, and to love those that the Lord has placed in my life in big ways with lots of grace. Her characters are so memorable that you feel that you are reading about friends, but beyond her talent for writing is a woman who obviously loves the Lord and has changed countless lives, including mine. 

No matter your age- whether you are 13 years old to your early thirties (and beyond) you will love these books. Throughout the last few years of my health journey I have re-read these series and books thousands (literally!!) of times, have handed out countless copies to people on airplanes, in hospitals, and even once in a grocery store line. The beautiful way that Robin writes mimics the beautiful way that the Lord calls people to Himself- with lots of love, lots of grace, and lots of beauty. 

AND I am seriously so excited because Robin is about to release a new book in the Christy and Todd series and also has had one of her books made into a Hallmark Movie that premiers on November 13th! SO excited to watch that!! You can read more about her story of having her book made into a movie HERE. 

What I'm Listening to... 

I shared this last month, but it is still the same. A couple of years ago this song was on repeat every morning and I have had it back listening to it again almost every morning and evening. I definitely have used this as the prayer of my heart these past few weeks and this summer and plan to as we enter this fall. If you are tired and weary or feel like you have been forgotten by the Lord this song is for you. 

What I'm Wearing... 

Lots and lots of blanket scarves. I love scarves and the changing temperature gives me an extra excuse to use them! *smiles*

I would love to know your answers to these questions friends! Share your thoughts below in the comments!! *smiles* Happy Wednesday!