Let's Just Talk
I’m looking out over newly fallen white snow, listening to Classical music and sipping a homemade Chai latte (as of this writing). I’m also thinking about writing a new post. But what if we sat down and just talked today?
What are your plans for the coming year I’d ask and you’d tell me a variety of things, if I asked several of you, and then I’d tell you we have a few trips planned, a new grandbaby (#3) on the way and my *Grammy Group is starting it’s 4th year together!
We’d likely follow-up on each others plans, Lord willing, and you’d ask where we’re planning on going and I’d tell you the Dakota’s and the Northeast in two separate trips, that I still need to plan.
How do I plan the trips, you might ask? Well, I used to get out an atlas but now I mostly search for things on the internet, seeking out Tripadvisor reviews, referrals and most recently I’ll ask AI some specific questions and am shocked at how well it can synthesize data and plan a trip. Joel Salinas would be so proud of me!
I’ve shared before, my husband and I are on a quest to visit all 50 states and this year we hope to get to: North and South Dakota in the spring and Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, being our 45th state, in the fall! We are getting closer to our goal! If you know of some fantastic places to stay/see/eat in these states, then by all means, please let me know!
We love to travel, to see new places, meet new people, and try new food and experiences. Do you like to travel, I’d ask? You’d tell me your preferences and our conversation would turn to where to stay.
We’ll stay at various housing accommodations: hotels, VRBO and perhaps a Bed and Breakfast. We would camp some with our trailer but time limits us, so we’ll save “glamping” for a closer lake vacation in the summer.
Tripadvisor reviews have not let us down through the years and we’ve only had one negative VRBO experience. The place looked and sounded nice on the website but in person it was older and ran by an elderly person. The coffee pot was an old percolator coffee pot with a frayed cord, a scorpion (I kid you not!) was in the kitchen sink late our first night, sheets were musty and towels were as thin as my patience for this place! We checked out early the next morning requesting at least a partial refund, which we were thankfully granted.
Our conversation would probably continue with you telling me about your travel highs and lows and we’d dwell on the lows because, well, let’s be honest, they make for more lively, passionate and sometimes hilarious stories! And I’m here for it! Tell me your funny or nightmarish accommodations in the comments below and we’ll laugh or commiserate with you, whichever one is appropriate!
After that I’d tell you that God is blessing us with Grandbaby #3 by early summer and it’s going to be a BOY! And I’d gush and show you ultrasound pictures and then get out my phone to show you pictures of my other two adorable grandchildren because I’m a Mimi now and that’s simply what we do! You’d be kind and ooh and ahwww and show me pictures of your children or grandchildren and we’d ooh and ahwww some more and then we’d start to tell stories of how cute, sweet and precious children are and we may even tear up doing so or maybe that’s just me these days.
Then we’d decide it was time to go and we’d agree this was fun and we need to do it again soon. And I’d say, “Great, how about same time next week?”
You’d say, “Sounds great!”
Oh! One more thing I almost forgot to tell you, I’d say! On Tuesday morning my homeschool collaboration with the one and only Dr. Claire Honeycutt🕊️❤️ comes out and it’s one that I think you will find interesting as well as entertaining! I hope you will give it a listen!
Then, all too soon we’d hug and wave goodbye until my next post comes out and we can gather here and do this again! Not subscribed and want to join this sweet, supportive, Godly community? Then by all means, pull up a chair and sign up here. Already a subscriber, then please share this post or any of my posts that you feel would be encouraging or interesting to your friends.
THANK YOU for being here with me at The Pondering Scottie! It was an AMAZING 2025 with you all and I cannot wait to see what 2026 holds for each of us! Know this, whatever your circumstances, God is a faithful, loving God!
Happy New Year sweet friends,
Brooke
*Don’t know what a Grammy Group is, then please check out this post:
Oh my, Brooke, the way you write is tender, friendly, inviting, and so so lovely. Please, can we get coffee together!! This would be such a dream. I'd love to talk travel with you and gush on your grandbabies.
Life is so precious to have touch points and real conversations!
Well, since you asked, I have a funny now/ mortifing then travel story. I was wearing a one piece travel jumpsuit with wide legs. Literally upon landing 🛬 in Rome, said wide leg got caught in an escalator. As we were making our descent, my husband used hulk energy and ripped my pant leg free 🤣. Thank the Lord the escalator didn’t eat my entire jumpsuit!!!