Roadtripping Through The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post, then hop over and leave a comment for the person linking before you. Or leave a comment for everyone if you've got the time.

As a reminder-I'm declaring next week Fall Break in the Hodgepodge so no Wednesday Hodgepodge on October 18th. The Hodgepodge will return the following week, October 25th. Thanks for understanding.

1. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your sense of direction? 1=can't find my way out of a paper bag and 10=if I've been somewhere once I can find it blindfolded ten years later.

When was the last time you looked at/used a map you could hold in your hand? (phones don't count!) 

back east, down south, out west, up north

Choose one of these directional expressions and tell us why you chose it.

I will rate myself a 5, but that might be generous. Hubs will say it is most definitely very generous. Oh well, it's my blog. We're going to be doing some driving out west and I ordered paper maps because I like to see the big picture. Also, I've read some travel forums that say cell service is spotty in places so having a map is a good idea. I love a map, but rely on GPS to get me anywhere. 

I'm from back east, live down south, am headed out west, and can't wait to see my favorite tiny human up north later this month. 

2. Did you do more talking or listening yesterday? Is that typical? Describe your yesterday in one word.

Yesterday was probably 50/50. Is that typical? Typically I think I lean more to the talking side of things, but I'm working on that. 

Yesterday (Monday) in one word? Productive

3. Time, money, water-power-resources, opportunity...which one on the list are you most guilty of wasting? What might you do to change that?

It's a toss up between time and opportunity. I think we're all guilty of wasting time now and then, but missed opportunity bugs me more. How often have I missed an opportunity because I'm wasting time? I've recently set some reasonable personal goals for myself in one area in particular that I'm hoping to improve. 

4. Did  your family take regular vacations when you were a kid? Tell us something you remember about a family roadtrip from your own childhood.

Not regular no. We always had a day or two at the shore in the summer, and we belonged to the swim club which is where my sister and I spent most afternoons. We always had a week or more at camp and that was a lot of fun. Some years we traveled out west as a family to visit grandparents in Colorado and New Mexico, and that felt like a vacation to us East Coasters. 

One road trip I remember from my childhood was taking my sister to college. We drove from NJ to TN and visited some other colleges along the way so my brother could tour and see if he might be interested in attending one of those. It might not sound like fun, but we had fun. The best part was I don't think my parents booked hotels ahead of time. We'd drive and decide where to stop and look for a hotel that way. And the criteria was always the same for us kids-what's the pool look like? 

5. If you could grow anything you wanted, what would you grow? Why?

Peonies. Because I love them. My next door neighbor in the UK grew peonies and had some very rare varieties. A stroll through his garden was such a treat. 

Actually I'd like a big English garden with peonies, lilacs, and other blooming things in shades of red, pink, peach, and purple. My English garden still ranks right up there as one of my favorite places on earth. I didn't plant it...just watched it grow and bloom and change and make me feel a whole lot of things that are hard to put into words. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

For anyone who relates to my answer in question #3 you might like a book I'm currently reading called Finish.  It's written by Jon Acuff and below the title is the tag line 'Give Yourself the Gift of Done' 

I'm about halfway through, and find myself nodding my head in agreement on nearly every page. He says the biggest obstacle to meeting a goal is not laziness, but perfectionism and boy do I understand that. This book is for chronic starters who want to become consistent finishers (anybody else raising their hand here?) and is full of strategies and practical advice, including specific actions to take listed at the end of each chapter. And he's funny too!