Adventuring with Karen

As an adult I think it is important to be well read and to be informed about many subjects. I also think it is a good idea to be well informed on credible sources. I taught college for many years and taught students how to find sources that were true and helpful. They were surprised when they were not allowed to use Wikipedia as a source since anyone can edit it.

I’d love to know more about mushroom identification. I mean you can eat anything once…don’t worry, I don’t eat mushrooms anyway so I won’t eat anything I am shooting pictures of. I’d love to be more informed on why being in nature makes me happy. I’d love to be more informed on new baking techniques.

I love to read so I like to think I am well read and well informed on many subjects and those I want to know more about, I read about.

Reading is one of the best ways to be informed…of course if you are reading this you are already on the right path!

Way back when I was finishing my Master’s degree I had to present a colloquium. I titled it “Music of the Soul”.  Music has been a constant melody throughout my life. So I think my life would be quite boring without it.

My undergraduate degree is in music education so I spent tons of time listening to, practicing, and performing music. But, music didn’t just start there. I sang in church choirs and started playing piano around 3rd grade. I wanted to play piano so bad but we didn’t have a lot of money and the lack of piano was a bit of a roadblock. My amazing mom found a cheap Casio keyboard and talked her way into some inexpensive lessons for me so that I could have that heart’s desire. I learned to read music and didn’t look back.

When I started 5th grade I transitioned to flute and played all the way through college and even taught lessons. My husband is a musician, his mom is a musician, our kids have played instruments and love music as well. So much so that we pay for Spotify without ads. 😂

If you don’t listen to music….you should. It will enhance your life in a way you wouldn’t believe!

I have been a people pleaser for a very long time.  I had serious anxiety in high school about choices I made almost to the point of paralysis. When my kids were little I worried about what others thought about my parenting and thought I was doing it wrong. I was embarrassed by unsolicited advice to lose weight immediately after giving birth.

A lesson I wish I had learned earlier is that what others think about me is not my business! I can live my life and I do not need to know if people are judging me or not. That is very freeing. That has led to me getting out as a hiking ambassador even though I am not a skinny minnie! It led to me homeschooling my son in high school because that is what he needed. It lets me live my life out loud without fear.

Don’t worry about what you think others think about you because they are probably not thinking about you as much as you think they are.

Creative

When I think about myself and words that describe me I know there are many different aspects to my life that may require different descriptors. How does one describe themselves with one word?

I have had to be, and wanted to be, creative over the years for lots of different reasons. When our kiddos were small money was tight and sometimes non-existent. During that time I found creative free ways to show our kids the world. The library is one of our favorite places to explore.

I have had many creative outlets over the years and hope to continue to be creative!

Jack of all Trades, Master of None….

I feel like I jump into a lot of things, get kind of good at them, and then stop before mastering anything.

My first and foremost go to, to share amazing news is to tell my hubs! He’s my person after all and I always want to share news with him first. Next up is my kiddos, family, friends, and then social media. 😉

Hobbies and activities are so much fun! I definitely have gone through spurts where I get hooked on something and then it peters out a bit.

I love photography and have even been paid to take photos before. I bought a light kit and have taken on lots of photo challenges over the years. The switch from film to digital was rocky and devastating when I deleted a whole file of photos of my baby son and couldn’t get them back. I upgraded my camera when my old one stopped working but the new one was heavier which made me not feel like carrying it as much. I was having some back issues at the time as well so that didn’t help. I still love taking photos all the time and my convenient pocket computer makes it possible but I haven’t pursued getting paid for it in a long time.

I also loved scrapbooking when my kids were little. Unfortunately all of my supplies are in a closet I can’t get to at the moment and I haven’t printed pictures in quite some time. But, if I were to plan a weekend I would still love to scrapbook!

At the moment hiking and reading are my favorite hobbies. I still like to bake as well but I don’t like the clean up. How about you?

I like candy a lot but different candy in different circumstances!

If it is Valentine’s or Christmas I love a box of See’s Candy with raspberry creme, scotchmallows, and milk butterscotch!

If I am on a road trip I like cold brew MnMS or red licorice.

If I’ve had a terrible day at work peanut butter cups are my go to.

If I am hiking I love trail mix with just a little chocolate in it.

When I was pregnant with my daughter I loved Milky Way Midnight.

I do not like candy with nuts. It’s a texture thing.