Travel Journal

Posted on June 22, 2021November 23, 2021 by Jenna

Summer means travel. But how do you make sure you don’t forget important details or items? How do you remember your amazing adventures?

Enter the EC petite travel journal!

Sure, we all think we will remember the fun adventure we just had but do we really? The small details start to fade as the months go by. You ask yourself, did we eat at that restaurant when we visited Philadelphia? Did we see that art at the Guggenheim?

With an EC travel journal, you can write down all the important details from flight info to packing lists to your daily expenses. Each petite travel journal can be filled with four, seven-day trips. If you take a trip a quarter one journal will cover your entire year!

What all is included you ask?

Each journal comes with a sticker sheet. Because who doesn’t like decorating with some flair! Each of the four sections starts with reservations and to-dos. You can fill in all the important info about your trip, plan what you need to do before leaving, and everything you need to pack. After that are the places to visit and the trip itinerary page. The places to visit have spots for landscapes, entertainment, shops, and restaurants where you can write in all your pre-trip researched spots to hit up! The itinerary has days 1-7 where you can write in your known (or ideal) plans for each day.

After that are seven pages for your daily adventures. There is a spot to record the weather, day of the week, today’s outfit, and any reservations. You can also write out what you will be seeing and track your meals. Then you have a spot for your favorite moment and space to write a little about your day. There is also a spot for an Instax-type photo (but I often use that as more writing space. And lastly, you can track your expenses.

At the back of the journal is a spot to record landmarks, entertainment, shops, and restaurants you didn’t get to but want to hit up next time. This is followed by four pages of dot-grid paper for any other notes, ideas, to-dos, whatever you might have.

Overall, the EC petite travel journal is a great size for tossing in your bag and writing a bit at the end of each day. You can throw on a pencil pouch* and have all you need to journal your trip together! If you want a little more room, you can use a planny pack* instead.

Interested in getting your own EC travel journal as the summer travel season starts? Use my affiliate link and head over to EC* to get your own!

Where are you traveling to this year?

*All links are affiliate links. They will not cost you anything additional. EC will pay me a small commission if you use my link.

Top Five Reasons to Head to a National Park

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Jenna

I love a good National Park. I have a goal to visit every single one, including National Monuments, Historical Parks, etc. There are 63 National Parks and a total of 423 National Sites. There is definitely one out there for everyone. It will be tough to visit all 63 and even hard to hit all 423 but I am determined.

But why you ask?

Why would someone want to spend all their vacation time and eventual retirement traveling the US, trying to visit every park, monument, and site?

Everyone could probably come up with their own reasons and we’d have as many reasons as National Parks. But since it’s just me over here I am going to give you my top five reasons to visit a National Park. Feel free to leave your reasons in the comments! I’d love to hear (read?) them!

My Top Five Reasons:

The scenery is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Seriously. Some places photos do not do them justice. You really need to see it for yourself. You also get to see a variety of ecosystems from an active volcano to a large hole in the desert to glaciers. Plus sometimes you get lucky and see the wild animals that inhabit the parks.
Activities! You get to be active. There’s a lot of walking and hiking to be done. Some parks have water activities such as kayaking or snorkeling.
It’s affordable family fun. You can get an annual pass for $80 and bring a carful of people to any and all of the parks! You can hit up all the parks in your state (or nearby) in one year and only costs you $80 plus gas, lodging, and food. And if you camp at or near the National Park? You got some cheap lodging and you can bring your own food!
You can learn about native plants and animals in the area. You can also learn some interesting scientific facts, like how hoodoos are formed. And you can learn about conservation and saving this ol’ ball we are flying around on because it’s the only one we got!
Lastly, you can relax in nature and improve your mental health. It’s proven that being out in nature can improve your mood, clear your head, and reduce stress.

So, get out there and explore the National Parks! Why would you want to head out to a National Park?

Helpful Links:

All National Parks https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/explore-parks/all-parks

National Park Systems https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm

Nature Makes You Happy https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

Time to Train!

Posted on June 1, 2021May 29, 2021 by Jenna

June is here which means I will be starting marathon training for virtual Boston.

May didn’t go as well as planned and I’ve definitely been struggling if I can really run a marathon. It’s the eternal struggle and I just need to put in the work and prove to myself that I can do this.

I mapped out all my marathon training from June through October in my planner. I did it all in pencil because plans change. My goal is to stick to the plan as close as possible, even if it sucks.

I have started cleaning up my diet. It helps. I know what I need to do but wasn’t actually doing it. So now I am focusing on fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I am trying to hit my calorie goal each day, not go over or under. I want to fuel my body.

I also have an idea in my head of the route I want to do. It’s hard to map out and get the mileage because parts of it are on trails or through neighborhood parks that mapmyrun and strava make it difficult to track. I am planning an out and back.

I need to work on a hydration and fueling plan as well. I have a general idea from past training and races. It will still be warm in October so water and sports drink will be needed. The problem is how do I carry everything? I will most likely be self-supported. If I have someone available that day, I’ve got places in mind that I can meet up and swap empty bottles for refills.

My goal is to break 5 hours.

Based on past races and my current paces it is totally do-able BUT (and there’s a couple of big but here LOL) 1) it’s virtual so I won’t have the energy and nerves like in-person races have and 2) the average high for October is about 90. So even if I start super early like I’m planning (HAHAHAAHA) it will get warm fast. Once the sun comes out, the heat will come. I will slow down and most likely need more walk breaks.

Please send me all your positive marathon vibes!

If you saw my latest YouTube video, you will know my confidence, self-esteem, whatever is shot right now. I’ve been struggling and my brain keeps telling me I can’t do this. I keep trying to tell it, yes I can. I just gotta put in the work. But my brain is not believing me.

What big goal are you working on right now? Do you have a plan in place? And if you do, do you have contingencies because we all know things never go as planned!

Cafe Noir – May

Posted on May 25, 2021June 16, 2022 by Jenna

Money Honey: A Simple 7-Step Guide for Getting Your Financial $hit Together by Rachel Richards

Summary:

A “tough love” guide to budgeting.

My Thoughts:

0/5 DNF

Ugh, this author tried so hard to be funny and snarky and it falls short in a book about money. She references Dave Ramsey and recommends his book. She makes it sound like if you don’t earn enough money, just make more! It’s easy! Ugh, could not finish.

The Amazon summary says “humor and sass”. Nope, it was not funny and did not come across as sass. It was snarky and insulting. Maybe some people like that but not for me. I have a budget and system I like but I always like to see if there is something new I could learn or a different way. This book was so bad I couldn’t get past the first chapter. If you need budgeting help, google the budget mom. Her budget by paycheck method is kind of what I was already doing and makes most sense to me.

Hansons Marathon Method by Luke Humphrey

Summary:

Tips and plans for running a marathon, from beginner to advanced.

My Thoughts:

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Overall this is an excellent book and I plan to implement many of the suggestions when I start training next month. It was very informative and tried to cover all levels of runners.

I knocked it down a half star because it spoke to brand new runners or runners who ran several marathons. I don’t really fit either category. I am definitely not a beginner and have trained for marathons but never ran one (long story – I’ll add links if I can find the old blogs). I feel I fall somewhere between the just finish plan and the beginner plan. I am going to go with the just finish plan and add in speed work because I know I can do 6 days of running with one speed workout without issue.

There is a lot of good information in the book, even if I need to adjust plans slightly for my level. I would recommend this book to those that want to run a marathon.

Edge of Valor (Edge of Collapse #7) by Kyla Stone

Summary:

The final book in the series. Will Fall Creek survive enemies from all directions? Will Liam and Hannah finally get together?

My Thoughts:

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

You will need to read the previous seven books. This is not a series that can stand on its own (not that it’s a bad thing). I thought the story wrapped up nicely. It did drag for the first half of the book. I feel the author was too descriptive about what the characters were wearing and carrying. I don’t need to know every time Liam appears which specific guns he’s carrying.

The Lighthouse Keeper by Cynthia Ellingsen

Summary:

Dawn Conners grew up with treasure hunter parents. She thought she wanted stability and predictable but when a news show tries to sully her great grandfather’s reputation she loses her job and her boyfriend.

She decides to throw caution to the wind and buys the lighthouse in Starlight Cove. She plans to remodel and resell it all while clearing her family’s name. Of course there are some bumps along the way and maybe even a new love interest.

My thoughts:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Sometimes you need a light, fast read and The LIghthouse Keeper delivers. The book is fairly formulaic but I found myself still rooting for Dawn to solve the mystery AND get/keep the love interest.

I believe thus book is considered a cozy mystery. There’s no real violence or gore. It has a little romance but nothing graphic. Sometimes you need that.

The only thing I didn’t like about the book was how much Kip, the love interest, glowered. I swear that was his only expression and the author decided not to run glower through the thesaurus to mix it up a bit.

The LIghthouse Keeper is the first in the Starlight Cove series. You do not need to read them in order. Each book focuses on different characters. I would recommend reading in order if possible because I read book 3 first so I kind of knew where Dawn would end up.

Planning and Mental Health

Posted on May 18, 2021May 13, 2022 by Jenna

Planning can help with mental health in a variety of ways.

Due to my ADHD, I tend to be very forgetful and it gets worse when I’m stressed. Instead of having 30 million tabs open in my head, I have 50 and they’re all spinning. Many tools are available to help calm my brain like sticky notes, notebooks, and planners (yes, more than one) to stay on top of everything and hope nothing slips through the cracks. It helps to write everything down and get it out of my head. It’s like one of the tabs stops spinning and closes. When I get overwhelmed, can review what needs to be done now and what can wait.

The first thing to do is prioritize daily tasks.

I know, I know. Your to-do list is a mile long. I get it, so is mine. But you can use your planner to prioritize which ones are most important. Because even though you think they are all priorities, some are higher on that list than others. No matter what planner you have you need to make it work for you. Whether you have a weekly or a daily, put your top priority first.

When I used a vertical planner, the top box was always my workout. In my hourly and daily duo, my workout goes at 6 am, even when that might not be the time I do it. I cover the time with a sticker. To me, my workout is a top priority. I want to make sure I get it done every day. Next, pick your next two priorities for the day. They may be different each day.

Prioritizing also helps on the hard days. If you only have the energy to do one thing, you can glance at your planner and know what you should do.

You can use your planner to track all kinds of things to help with mental health.

Many people will make mood trackers and color in how they felt each day. These work great on the monthly dashboard or a bujo. Others like to track habits that make them feel good or help their health like reading, creating, or tracking water intake.

Another way to use your planner? Goal setting.

Most planners have a dashboard you can use to write out your goals and the steps you need to take. Use your monthly calendar to determine “due dates” for reaching certain milestones with your goals. Then transfer the action steps and due dates to the weekly or daily pages. You can also use a bullet journal key to show which action steps or tasks you’ve completed, started, or are migrating to the next day or week.

We all know how our mental health can throw off our desire to reach a goal. So don’t forget to celebrate when you’ve met a milestone or a goal! You can make a fun spread on the day you reach your goal. Or plan a fun reward, like a new planner accessory, when you’ve achieved your goal. Celebrate the small achievements too. Because you worked hard and made progress and that is what is important!

How do you use your planner to help your mental health?

Shop this post. Affiliate link – I will receive a small commission
Products mentioned: EC Daily Duo, EC Petite Dot Grid Notebook

Want to talk all things planning and mental health? Join Runs on Planning today!

The Mighty Mighty Saguaro

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Jenna

Do saguaros count as trees? Asking for a friend…

May 16th is love a tree day but I want to talk about saguaros so I’m calling them trees. Cacti are a little harder to love than trees. Seriously, don’t try to hug a saguaro. Love them from a distance.

Saguaros are not endangered or threatened but they are protected. What does that mean? You better not be caught cutting one down unless you want to spend 25 years in prison. Vandalism and theft are also illegal. If you need to move a saguaro, you gotta get a permit.

We take our cacti seriously in Arizona.

Saguaros can live for 150-200 years. The average 40 feet in height. They are quite majestic to look at. It’s also fun to see how different they are all. Some have no arms, some have two. Some have several arms. And then there is the more rare crested saguaro.

Can you tell I love me some saguaro?

The biggest threat to saguaros is of course humans. As we build more and more they lose their land. The second biggest threat is climate change. Saguaros only grow in the very specific climate of Arizona. As Arizona becomes hotter and dryer, the saguaros will not be able to survive.

I hope we can get climate change under control to save the majestic saguaros.

Do you have a favorite cactus and why is it the saguaro? Totally kidding because I also love the prickly pear. But seriously, which cactus do you like the best?

Below are a few of the saguaro pictures I have taken over the years.

Celiac Disease and Mental Health

Posted on May 11, 2021August 23, 2022 by Jenna

May is Celiac Disease Month.

Celiac disease has over 300 symptoms and they aren’t all digestive-related. Symptoms can include depression, anxiety, and brain fog. Even once diagnosed and off the gluten, some mental health issues can continue.

Society, in the US, at least revolves around food.

You may not notice it when you can eat everything but once you have to remove a food due to celiac disease or an allergy, it’s obvious. We celebrate all events with food. We bring donuts or bagels to office meetings. We meet friends for dinner out.

When you have celiac disease it’s hard to go to these events. People expect you to eat. You can’t join in and you may have to explain over and over why you aren’t eating. And when people tell you their homemade item is gluten-free so you can eat it, you question it. Did they prep it correctly? Did they use a wooden spoon?

The struggle is real.

If you didn’t have anxiety before, you will probably develop it when trying to eat out! In the past few years, it has gotten easier to eat out as more and more places and people “get” celiac and learn what is gluten.

When first diagnosed, it can be hard. You get depressed thinking of all the foods you can no longer eat. All of the places and events you’ll miss out on. You might get depressed when friends and family don’t understand or forget that you need gluten-free.

You still worry. You still wonder if the new restaurant is safe. And what happens when old reliable glutens you? Can you ever go back? Can you trust them again? Anxiety kicks into high gear. Will it ever get easier? Then you start to worry, what if the waitstaff or chef doesn’t take me seriously? Because you’ve read the articles that chefs don’t always take the necessary precautions when they get allergy or celiac orders because that one guy last week said he was allergic then drank a beer.

But you suck it up because you know you can’t eat every meal at home. Well, you could but that would be boring and you’d never get to travel. You start to learn places that are safe. You start finding friends that will go out of their way to make sure you have something to eat.

You may never fully shake the anxiety of eating food you didn’t prepare but it does get better.

May is also mental health awareness month. Serendipity.

For more gluten-free content, head over to Instagram and follow me!

Celiac Disease and Mental Health

Posted on May 11, 2021May 7, 2021 by Jenna

May is Celiac Disease Month.

Celiac disease has over 300 symptoms and they aren’t all digestive related. Symptoms can include depression, anxiety, and brain fog. Even once diagnosed and off the gluten some mental health issues can continue.

Society, in the US, at least revolves around food.

You may not notice it when you can eat everything but once you have to remove a food due to celiac disease or an allergy, it’s obvious. We celebrate all events with food. We bring donuts or bagels to office meetings. We meet friends for dinner out.

When you have celiac disease it’s hard to go to these events. People expect you to eat. You can’t join in and you may have to explain over and over why you aren’t eating. And when people tell you their homemade item is gluten free so you can eat it, you question it. Did they prep it correctly? Did they use a wooden spoon?

The struggle is real.

If you didn’t have anxiety before, you will probably develop it when trying to eat out! In the past few years, it has gotten easier to eat out as more and more places and people “get” celiac and learn what is gluten.

When first diagnosed, it can be hard. You get depressed thinking of all the foods you can no longer eat. All of the places and events you’ll miss out on. You might get depressed when friends and family don’t understand or forget that you need gluten-free.

*Gluten free doesn’t mean boring or tasteless anymore*

You still worry. You still wonder if the new restaurant is safe. And what happens when old reliable glutens you? Can you ever go back? Can you trust them again? Anxiety kicks into high gear. Will it ever get easier? Then you start to worry, what if the waitstaff or chef doesn’t take me seriously? Because you’ve read the articles that chefs don’t always take the necessary precautions when they get allergy or celiac orders because that one guy last week said he was allergic then drank a beer.

But you suck it up because you know you can’t eat every meal at home. Well you could but that would be boring and you’d never get to travel. You start to learn places that are safe. You start finding friends that will go out of their way to make sure you have something to eat.

You may never fully shake the anxiety of eating food you didn’t prepare but it does get better.

May is also mental health awareness month. Serendipty.

For more gluten-free content, head over to Instagram and follow me!

Looking to the Night Sky

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Jenna

Do you ever step outside at night, look up to the stars, and just stare in wonder and awe?

There is something about the dark vastness that opens up your mind to the possibilities. What else, or who, is out there? When I was younger, I used to drive and find a spot to just sit and stare at the stars. Sometimes I’d even make up my own constellations. I love watching for falling stars, comets, and whatever else the night sends our way.

Living in the city means not getting to see the stars at their full potential. Sometimes it feels like you see a lot of stars but you are just getting a fraction of them. When you head outside the city or to a dark sky park, the night sky blows your mind.

The stars are bright and numerous. There appears to be no end to the galaxy. And you remember we are just a tiny part of that.

Life long learning is something we should all be challenging ourselves to do. One area of photography I want to get into is night sky photography. I’ve watched a few classes and read up on it but haven’t gotten much practice.

Of course, you can watch all the classes and read all the articles but the only way to learn and grow is to practice. It’s hard in the city and I don’t have the time (or energy) to be traveling to capture photos overnight. You know, that darn full time job gets in the way.

This summer though I have made a commitment to practice while we are on vacation! We will be in areas that I should not have an issue seeing all the stars.

Unless of course, it’s cloudy.

I have made a few attempts on previous vacations but nothing worth writing home about. See below image for example. Before we leave I plan to spend some time re-watching some classes and reviewing articles. I will make lots of notes to make sure I don’t forget anything while out there!

May has both the 4th of May (get it?) and National Space Day (May 7th) so it feels like the right time to talk about stars, space, and night photography.

Are you a fan of night sky photography? Do you want to see more of them from me?

Five Ideas for National Photography Month

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Jenna

May is National Photography Month!

And the best part? Everyone can celebrate! You don’t have to be a professional. You don’t need a fancy camera. You can use an old point and shoot or your phone. Have an instant camera? Grab that! There are no rules, no gatekeepers. You just have to love taking photos. And who doesn’t love taking photos? So get out there and have fun!

How can you celebrate National Photography Month?

Here are my top five ideas:

Try something new. Maybe you always take photos of your kids. Shake it up and do a self-portrait! Get a small phone tripod, grab something(s) that represent you (maybe a big mug of coffee or a glass of wine), and do a mini-photo shoot! Always use your cell phone? Get an instant camera (Kohl’s has a bundle for around $120). There are so many different ways to go with this prompt!
Print. I will always encourage you to print. Make a photo book from your last family vacation. You can get everyone involved in picking the photos and layout! I recommend MPix. They are the consumer side of the professional lab I use and make excellent products! Photo books start at $29.99 or you can make prints starting from 24 cents!
Find a new to you photographer. Go to the library and browse photo books to find someone you’ve never heard of. Search Instagram. Check out photo documentaries on Netflix or other streaming services. It’s always fun to “discover” someone.
Take a photo walk. I’ve even put together a little May Photo Hunt to give you some ideas! You can get the PDF here. Get the list then head out to take some photos! You can do this solo or grab some friends or family. Want to share your photos? Check out the pinned post on J Volden Photography Facebook page and join The Desert Adventurer group!
Share the love! Find photos or photographers you love and let them know! Tell your friends and family about your favorite photographers. Share their posts, pages, and groups. Photographers appreciate when you like, comment, share, and follow. It helps us. You don’t have to only buy to support your favorite photographers. Investing a little time to comment and share helps us reach new audiences.

What will you do this month to celebrate National Photography Day? Let me know in the comments! And it doesn’t have to be from this list, share your ideas!