My Word for 2020

If you have been following along for a while, you know that 2020 will mark year four of Maple Alps! I can hardly believe that my little corner of the internet has been here this long and I could have never imagined how it has grown and developed. This past year has proven a difficult one, but it was totally worth it.

Last year, my word was, “bold.” Boldness to try new things and taking risks. My word proved pretty relevant for my life, as boldness was definitely required of me. I moved to a new state, got a new job, added new resources to Maple Alps, and even started a new website! Phew. As a result, doors opened up that led to me choosing a word for 2019. Are you ready to find out what I chose?

Growth

“growth

1) the process of increasing in amount, value, or importance.

2) the process of developing physically, mentally, or spiritually.”

Just based on how last year went, and how this year is shaping up, I see a year of growth ahead of me. I see how I will be (and have been) pushed outside of my comfort zone and how God can use these circumstances to grow as a person and in faith.

I’m ready to embrace it all - hard lessons and all - and see what God has in store for me this next year!

Oh! And just as a fun fact: last January (and the year before that!) as well as this one, my word of the year has been formed while in transit in an airplane. In fact, I’m writing this while sitting in an airport. How’s that for patterns?

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Did you choose a word for 2020? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I’m currently sitting in my warm living room listening to the cold wind blow to and fro just outside the window, and waiting for the festivities to begin.

Thanksgiving itself never really meant much to me, since I’m Canadian and we never really celebrated it the same way growing up. I do, however, like the idea of having time to reflect and be thankful for all God has done for us throughout the year.

This year has been a wild ride, so I decided to reflect right here in front of the whole world what I am thankful for. ;-)

My husband. Who is incredible beyond words and understands my crazy.

Our home. That we didn’t think we were going to be able to get, but God is good!

Transition. That stretches us in ways we didn’t know we could be stretched, and grows us in amazing ways.

Astra. My favorite black cat child.

Friends. Ones I’ve had for longer, and the new ones I’ve been making lately.

Jesus. The ultimate gift and my ultimate friend.

All of you! Thank you readers, for making Maple Alps possible!

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What are you most thankful for this year?

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Teaching or Blogging?

Question: Do you want to keep teaching or is your goal to make your blog a full time job?

Well, at this time, I definitely don’t see me making blogging a full-time thing. I do love teaching. I’ve always wanted to teach, so as much of a headache as it is sometimes, it really is a dream come true to be able to do so now. 

Because of my husband’s work as a pastor, however, we are prone to move around every few years. In fact, if you’ve been following along on Instagram and if you subscribe to the Good Intentions Guide, you know that we recently made a transition. I have started a new position in this fall teaching middle school math, which really excites me since I do love math!

If in the case there is no school where we move, I would definitely consider switching to blogging full-time if I could or had to. Blogging is a really fun and a great creative outlet for me and I enjoy it (which is probably why I go through the effort to keep Maple Alps running during the school year). If the opportunity arose to blog full-time, I would seriously consider it, though I wouldn’t want my fun hobby to become stressful because of the pressure to make an income... 

I have actually recently begun to extend Maple Alps. Maple and Math will be a branch of Maple Alps launching completely very soon aimed towards intentional teachers!

One thing I try to live by in my life is always making sure that everything I do glorifies God. Whether that be teaching children or serving my blog audience, I want Him to be glorified first and foremost!

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Astra is Two!

It’s been a long while since Astra made an appearance on the blog, so we might as well share about her turning two! It is hard to believe that we’ve had her for so long and how much this little creature has stolen our hearts.

Seriously, it seems that every other sentence we say to each other starts out something like,

“Look at the cat!”

She is seriously the sweetest. So an ode to Astra, our two-year-old cat (she turned 2 last month), who always wants to be near us.

She also doesn’t mind posing for a photo every once in a while. Okay, maybe more than every once in a while because I'll admit right here that I was cleaning out my phone and I had over 400 pictures of this sweet kitty.

You know, people write up blog posts for their kiddos who have birthdays all the time. Our firstborn just happens to be a lovable, fluffy, black cat, and that is okay too, right? And we know she’s quite lovable because everyone we’ve had watch her absolutely loves her. She’s a sassy feline indeed.

She’s still as curious as when she came and makes us laugh with all of her antics.

I was reading an article a few months ago about how cats have the tendency to take on personality traits of their owners. I was a little skeptical about it, but after seeing what a drama queen our cat is, it’s probably not too far off from the truth. Hehe! She also loves naps, but I’m thinking that’s more of a cat thing ;-)

Fun story: Astra actually doesn’t mind driving in the car. We drove 14 hours to Maryland when we moved, and she slept on my lap the entire time.

So there you have it: a little life update on our sweet kitty. A little bigger than when you saw her for the first time. Did you know she twisted our arm to have her own Instagram account too? Check it out!

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Ten Things I've Learned from Travel

In case you haven't caught on yet, I love to travel. I started traveling when I was very young, so my parents installed that bug in me. I know I'm very privileged to have experienced so many different lands and cultures in my life, and each journey brings its own unique lesson - which I love. 

I've decided to share a few things I've learned from travel. Stay till the end and tell me something you've learned too! 

One.

Take the road less traveled, but find some time to see the touristy stuff as well (even if you don’t pay to go up a famous tower, you should at least catch a glimpse of it, or possibly pose in front of it for a cheesy picture).

Two.

Do your research before going to avoid unnecessary complications, but be open and flexible to doing last minute things that aren’t on your itinerary as well. Sometimes these situations make for the best memories.

Three.

Try and interact with locals as much as you can - you will gain insight and a rich experience from simple conversations and interactions - especially on a longer-term trip

Four.

Not knowing the language of a place should not under any circumstances hinder you from visiting!

Five.

Travel alone and travel with a friend. Both have rich rewards.

Six.

McDonald’s bathrooms (or WiFi) are not always as safe a haven as one might think, but each country’s McDonald’s definitely has a different flare. You should see the salads in Italy and the pies in China!

Seven.

Some places charge you to use the restroom, and in others? Well, it’s BYOTP (bring your own toilet paper). You might want to keep some change and TP in your pockets.

Eight.

Wear comfortable shoes, but bring cute ones too-you never know when you'll decide to pop by the opera after a day of walking the streets!

Nine.

Take lots of photos instead of buying useless souvenirs that will collect dust on your shelves (or take up space on your refridgerator). And on the topic of photos - choose only your favourites and ditch the rest. Try to be intentional about the shots you take, but at the same time, you can never take too many. Just choose the ones you decide to keep, frame, or put in a book wisely.

Ten.

Don’t stress too much about money. At the same time, be smart about it (save for your trip and don't spend it all on the first day!) and figure out your own priorities - don’t let someone make those priority lists for you because you may regret it.

ELEVEN.

I know I said I only had ten things I learned, but I think the most important thing that I’ve realized is that as much as it is thrilling to experience new things and explore new cultures, it’s so good to come home at the end of a trip.

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What are some things you've learned from travel? Do you love traveling as much as I do? I'd love to hear about it!

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