My goodness I haven’t written on here in a while! It seems I’ve only shared on here “major” life events i.e. heart surgeries, medical procedures, meeting long, lost family, etc. I’ve shared our life events on other platforms, but, as of this moment, it feels good to just sit down and write in this space.

The Future

Big life change are coming my way soon. For those who don’t know, I’ll be retiring from Hexagon in September of this year. Most of my years living in California (since 89-90) have been spent working with many of these same people. Though the companies have changed, the friendships I’ve made with many of them have been a constant in my life.

A lot of information I read on work/life balance talk about keeping your work life and your personal life separate. I imagine that is possible in some work environments, but it simply hasn’t been the case for me. Maybe it’s my personality. In fact, I like that I’ve sort of grown up with the people I work with. We’ve seen each other through marriages, changing residences, illnesses, growing families, etc. We know each other’s spouses and families. In fact, one of the joys in my life is following many of the children of people I work with on social media. I love that simple way of keeping up in their lives and cheering them on. Especially since I’ve known most of them from the time they were born.

For better or worse, the current generation seems to switch jobs a lot more often than my generation did, and I imagine we switched even more than the generation before us. A sign of changing times.

As far as changing times and life changes, I feel I’m ready for this major one. I’ve had a job since I was 15 years old, so it will be interesting to actually not have one after September. I’m not definitive that I will never work again, but if I do work in the future, I feel like it will be something quite different than what I’ve spent the past decades doing. 

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a little anxiety about this change. I look at this anxiety as a “good” anxiety though. An exciting anxiety of possibility. Even the possibility of not a lot of change at all since I’ve only been working 2 days a week for the past few years.

I’ve given this decision a lot of thought and, if you asked Jimi, probably too much discussion. Once I made the decision and chose a date though, I’ve felt pretty sure of the choice.

Maybe I’ll get back to sharing more here. Maybe more art, more gardening, more bread baking, more photography, more bike adventures, more travel…maybe more all of it. I’ve learned in the past few years to appreciate every day because things will change quicker than we know it. So, maybe this blog will be focused on more gratitude. I love this blog. It’s been a fabulous place of expression and also a great tool for connection and, I hope to continue, albeit more frequently, sharing and connecting here.

So, here’s to the future! If anyone has any advice or ideas about moving into this phase of life, I’d love to hear them. I appreciate all those who have been here following along through the years, even when it’s been quite silent.

To the future!!

The post Here’s to the Future appeared first on Lita's World.

2 ½ years ago, my nephew Rob Hendricks was perusing Ancestry DNA and discovered a woman in our family tree who shared 27% of my DNA. After thorough consideration, we deduced that she could only be the daughter of my older brother Chuck, who died in a car accident in 1980.

Her name was listed as Cindi Q., and from her current age, we determined Chuck would have been 22 when she was born. I’m convinced Chuck didn’t know he had a daughter, because if he had known, I would have known—we were that close.

After much deliberation, I decided to contact Cindi Q. through the Ancestry DNA site. I wrote, “My name is Jim Hunter, and I believe I’m your uncle. You are the daughter of my deceased brother who never knew you were born. If you want to know more about your dad, uncle, aunt, cousins, and grandparents, I’m attaching a copy of my autobiography. I will respect your privacy and not contact you again unless you contact me.”

Within days, Cindi contacted me by email and then by phone. I discovered that she currently lived in Sandia Park, New Mexico, with Price, her husband of 35 years. She had two grown sons, Chancy and Pryor, who lived outside of their childhood home. But interestingly enough, for the first 20 years of her life, she never lived more than ten miles from my brother, her biological father. At age 20 she actually lived in Los Gatos, less than a mile from where Chuck and I once lived, and where Jen and I live today.

Cindi’s childhood isn’t mine to share other than to say it was challenging. The father listed on her birth certificate left when she was only a year old. Her mother was in and out of her life and she was raised primarily by her elderly grandparents. When Cindi was in her 20s, her mom died of cancer. She then contacted who she thought was her real father, who told her, “I’m not your dad.” Ever since that time, Cindi has been searching for her biological father, eventually completing a DNA test on Ancestry DNA. In my mind, she had a hole in her life, that she had to fill.

In addition to communicating with me, Cindi also reached out to Jen, my sister Holly, and her cousin Rob, who had originally found her on Ancestry DNA. We all agreed that we should get together someday and so this past April we finally made it happen.

Cindi found us a place on Airbnb almost next door to where she lives with Price. Jen and I drove down from Denver, where we were visiting Libby and her family, and Holly and her husband Ed drove up from Ft. Worth, Texas. Unfortunately, Rob and his family couldn’t come because of work commitments. Cindi’s sons Chancy, his girlfriend Kat, and Pryor traveled from their own homes to join in the remarkable reunion. Other than communicating with Cindy, no one on either side of our family had ever met one another. I think we were all apprehensive about how this was going to turn out. What would we do if these people turned out to be weirdos? Worse yet, what if we were the weirdos?

I’m happy to report that no one was weird, we all had a grand time and felt like we had known each other for years. It turned out that our two separate families shared many familiar characteristics and talents—too many, in fact, to list here.

Cindi and Price really laid out the red carpet for our visit. Their two-acre ranch was made for entertaining. They have a spacious house and kitchen and a huge dining room table where we all gathered for delicious family meals. Outdoors, they had numerous sitting areas, beautiful gardens, a waterfall, and lots of eccentric yard art. During the day we took hikes, rode bikes and visited local hot spots. At night, we had campfires around which Price and Chancy played their guitars and we soaked in hot tubs underneath spectacular starry skies.

Holly gave Cindi a pretty ring that was once my mother’s, along with a framed photo of Chuck that used to sit on my mom’s dresser. We gave her many pictures and personal mementos of him so she could better understand who he was. Holly and I were especially happy to finally meet the daughter of our beloved brother Chuck, but we were also sad that it had taken 57 years to do so. We all speculated how different it could have all been if we had known Cindi when she was born.

At that time, Holly was 12 and I was 17 and we were, of course, living at home. Our family would have wanted to bring Cindi into our lives. My mother, who lived for family, would have loved her like only a grandma could. My dad, an Army Officer (Reserve) and a professional Scouter would have acted on duty and honor and provided for his granddaughter. Holly would have gladly shared her bedroom with her niece and loved her like she was a little sister. More importantly, knowing that he had a daughter might have motivated Chuck to grow up, and likely he wouldn’t have been killed drinking and driving at 37 years old. But that was not to be. 

The good news is that Cindi, as resilient as she was, somehow found a way to turn her childhood trauma into pure gold. She is a happy and vibrant woman, a wonderful wife to Price, and a loving mother to her sons Chancy and Pryor. In short, she is a woman who transcended her circumstances and created the wonderful life she enjoys today.

This two-day “Unification Project” ended before we knew it. After a few tears and lots of hugs, we said our goodbyes and promised we’d all get together again. Jen and I drove back to Denver, Holly and Ed to Ft. Worth, Chancy and Pryor back to their homes. I felt so proud of all of us for making this entire experience so unforgettable.

What the future may hold, I can’t say, but I can tell you this: at long last Cindi now knows who her father was. She knows that he was a good person, too young to be a father, but someone who came from a close family that would have stepped up and been a family for her if we had only known. She also knows she now has a family that will always love her and be here for her in any way we can.

The post A Momentous Occasion appeared first on Lita's World.

I would venture to guess that most people that know him love him for various reasons. From being their favorite teacher, fun-loving surf buddy, exciting mountain-bike adventurer and just overall interested-in-your-life and caring friend. I love him also for exactly who he is at each and every moment in this life we get to share together.

I’m not claiming every single second we’ve been together has been perfect, but honestly, it’s what you focus on that becomes the most ‘real’. What I choose to focus on is that there has been no one else (other than my parents) who has loved me, encouraged me, supported me and made me feel like the most beautiful person in the universe. The love I give to Jimi is simply me trying to give back what I feel from him.

On this 15th of June, the start of his 75th year, I only wish for him to feel all the love I have for him along with the love others share for all he’s brought to our lives. I also wish for him to have good health, a calm spirit and to continue exploring the curiosity he brings to his friendships, his spiritual learning and the world around us.

I love you Jimi and couldn’t imagine going through this life without you.

Happy 75th birthday my love.
Jen

The post Happy 75th Birthday appeared first on Lita's World.

Through his friendship with Jimi, I am lucky to have had many years (about 30 now), following along on the creative endeavors Matt has undertaken. With his visits here at our home, in beautiful San Francisco and throughout California and when he’s been filming in Hawaii, our time with Matt has always been filled with a unique artistic energy. Creatively, he may be one of the most talented people I know – definitely one of the bests photographers I’ve been able to watch work.

I’m hoping he will follow up this book of surf writings with one about the adventures he has been on with his brother Sam and his many friends around the world. These stories should all be shared and told through Matt’s unique voice.

If you’d like to read this collection of surf stories from Matt, it can be purchased here:

Di Angelo Publications – In Deep: The Collected Surf Writings

The book is 500 pages and contains 60 stories from four decades worth of his surf writings. A wonderful book for Jimi to have to read through his recovery here at home. When he’s finished, I look forward to reading this collection of essays myself.

Let me know if you purchase the book and your thoughts on it when you’ve finished reading it.

The post In Deep: The Collected Surf Writings – Matt George appeared first on Lita's World.

Biggest Update – Open-Heart Chronicles

The one normal thing we’re not doing a lot of (and haven’t for a bit) is traveling. If you’re wondering why, well, my husband, Pops (a.k.a. Jimi), is about to go through open-heart surgery. I have a page dedicated to him, where he shares his Heart Chronicles, if you’d like to follow along and read more about the type of surgery he’s having.

It’s been a long, tedious process for him to get to this point, but hopefully it’ll be over with soon and, he will have a stronger heart to live another 26 years – at least until his hundredth birthday (his goals). He’s promised me this time together and, I intend to hold him to it.

Life’s Little Moments

While we’re waiting for this surgery to happen, we’re definitely trying to appreciate all of life’s little moments and the beauty around us daily.

These little moments include spending time with those close to us. I honestly don’t know how we’d be getting through this year without all the love and support from our family and friends.

The introvert that I am is very overwhelmed with all the messages and prayers from those near and far. All the loving and kind thoughts and actions mean the world to both of us.

It’s very easy to realize what is most important in life at times like these. I only hope we can keep our focus on these precious moments always.

I hope all reading this post have friends in their lives, like we do, showing them kindness and providing hugs when needed.

Even writing this has me feeling pretty emotional, so before I soak my keyboard with tears, I’d like all those dear to us to know how much gratitude and love I have for all of you.

Gratefully Yours, Jen (aka Lita)

The post Life – April 2023 appeared first on Lita's World.

There’s this thing in blogging about finding your niche. I created Lita’s World leaving all my options open. From vegan food recipes, green tips, photography, travel, Disney, etc. I just wasn’t able to settle on one thing to be my “niche”. If you scroll down the right side of my site to the “categories” block, you can click the pull-down menu to see all the category options I’ve covered.

Finding My Niche

I had a revelation as we were riding yesterday. At this point in time, I think my niche is bike riding and the sights we see and the fun we have along the way.

One of the things I LOVE the most about our rides is taking photos and videos and then pulling them together to share with others. Lately, I’ve been using the Relive App a ton! I love the mapping aspect using GIS through ESRI (making maps and using GIS is a lot of what I do at my “real” job). The details it gives us about our ride time, elevation and speed are just what this techie girl needs.

You can view these rides if you link to us on the Relive App, but I’ve also been adding them to our Vimeo Bike Riding showcase and recently adding them to our YouTube account. This way, anyone that wants to view our rides and share in the fun can do so on the platform they’re most comfortable with. If you choose YouTube, you can watch our trip videos too.

I enjoy watching our past videos to not only relive the trip, but to also see what I can improve upon video-making-wise. Keeping this sort of digital journal of our lives makes me so very happy.

Upcoming Trip

We’re about to head out on a road/bike adventure for a few weeks. While I’ll be sharing this trip on my Instagram, Snapchat (litasworldjen) and Facebook channels. I’m excited to get footage to create a longer “trip” video once we return. It’s been a while and my love for all the “techi-ness” of creation in that way is ready for the challenge. I’m also excited to use my drone to capture the beauty of where we’re going.

Bike Ride Video Links

Here are the direct links to our video channels if you’re interested in watching our previous antics.

YouTube Bike Videos

Vimeo Bike Videos

Relive App Link

Recent Ride

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, we took a Bay ride yesterday and here is that latest video:

Hope you enjoy our videos. Please share if you’re a rider too and any input on rides we should try.

Happy Fall!

The post Bike Riding Niche appeared first on Lita's World.

Please tell me how one goes to bed at night feeling just fine and wakes up the next morning feeling like spikes are being hammered into her back? And three days later as she feels like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel of pain, she wakes up in the middle of the night feeling like the above-mentioned spikes are now being drilled into her hips? The reality of getting older is so much fun, let me tell you. It does beat the alternative though.

All this along with Jimi being one month into recovery for his knee replacement and you can imagine how fun the Hunter household is right now!  Dance parties every night, let me tell you.

I’m hoping my current cocktail of ibuprofen, acetaminophen and CBD will get me feeling much better ASAP. I don’t do too well sitting still and relaxing. Hmmmm possibly that is the lesson in all of this for me.

Future Fun

We’re traveling in a little more than a month, which is motivation to heal and be ready for the adventure. Here’s a little video hint on where we’re heading back to:

Fun TV Series

Let’s discuss something more exciting now. This week, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite television shows from the past year. I watch a lot of series. I’ll share a few that I enjoyed from my watchlist. Some you may or may not have heard of. If there’s interest, I’ll share more shows to watch in the future. I won’t give away too much information on the shows listed below, so no fear of spoilers.

“The Bear” on Hulu is a recent binge watch that I wasn’t too sure of to start. I would say I did really enjoy it and “YES, Chef!” I would definitely recommend it. I love to cook, and I admit, I felt a bit of kitchen-inspiration watching this show. I’m also looking forward to Season 2.

I tend to like a lot of International (especially British and Norwegian) detective shows. The British actress Nicola Walker is one of my favorites. So, I was very happy to find and binge “Annika” on PBS Masterpiece. I watched it through my Masterpiece subscription on Amazon. If you also like detective shows, I think you’ll enjoy this one. I especially liked the way her character interacts with the viewer.

Not a new show, but highly recommended by our friend Dave, I one-thousandth percent (is that thing) enjoyed “Detectorists” on Amazon Prime. Trust me, stick with this one! The characters will consume you and you may even cry when the series ends as I did. Charming, sweet, well-written, safe for any age group and just an endearing show. I know I’ll be watching this series again.

Another one on Hulu, and recommended by my cousin Kim, I enjoyed season 1 of “Only Murders in the Building”. One of those shows you can have on and simply enjoy (and not have restless dreams later). Even though the title has “Murders” in it, I wouldn’t exactly call it that scary. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez keep you entertained with their story and characters. I’m ready to start season 2 now.

On AppleTV, Jimi and I both really enjoyed the two seasons of “Tehran”. What I love most about this thriller is how the action just keeps you on your toes at all moments. I’m not sure I’ve gotten that anxious watching a show in a long, long time.

Okay, last but definitely NOT least, I absolutely LOVE “Derry Girls” on Netflix. I will not admit to you how many times I’ve watched seasons 1 and 2 but let’s just say it’s more than five. AND since I did re-watch them this year, I feel safe putting them on this list. Season 3 has already been released in Europe. I hope it will be released here soon! Great 80’s humor, emotion and incredibly funny characters – in my opinion.

I’m pretty sure I’ve watched many of the very popular shows (i.e. Stranger Things, Ozark, Ted Lasso, etc.), but please send me comments below with any shows you recommend.

Currently, we’re ready to wind up the show “Black Bird” on AppleTV. Shockingly, it’s based on a true story. The character Larry has to be about the creepiest character written (and acted) that I’ve seen in quite some time. I feel like there’s a plot twist coming, but I wouldn’t give that away here if I knew.

That wraps up my second post of the year! Hope I can keep this writing trend going. I think I’ll change my “About Me” to include the words digital journal. I feel like that’s more where I’m leaning with this round of posts.

Hope you are all well. ‘Til next time….

The post A Bit of Reality and then Some Fun appeared first on Lita's World.

Blogging Again

I’ll admit, I’ve thought about getting back to the actual idea of writing often, but somehow it seems somewhat daunting to dive back in. I know I create this pressure in my mind as it really doesn’t take much to sit down and right/share my thoughts, ideas and inspirations. So, here I am in August of 2022 giving it a bit of a go. No guarantees as to what I might write about. I have no lofty goals except to possibly enjoy blogging again as I did when I started this site.

I’ll be starting off a bit slow here…not worrying too much about SEO (well, maybe a bit) and style and/or topics. I’m just going to blah, blah, blah hopefully once a week – not putting to much pressure on myself or anyone who chooses to read my words.

To start, well, all IS well and I’m grateful for that. Since I’ve been away from this site for over a year and a half, a lot has happened – even with the world shutting down and finally seeming to re-open. I’ll share a little of what we’ve been up to during this time. Mostly, I hope to show more of what’s happening now.

Home Life

Jimi and I are still happy here on our little bit of “shangri-la” at the base of the Santa Cruz mountains taking care of our homes, our 2 feral cats, and our gardens. He’s just had full knee replacement surgery, so we’ve been around the homestead here quite a bit lately. This means our home is quite an organized place right now. His healing is going well. We’re hoping to be back out on our e-mountain bikes again soon exploring, taking videos and photos as we go.

Here’s one of our favorite rides (pre-surgery) around San Francisco Bay.

I’ll share more videos we’ve made since I’ve last posted on this site in future posts. Most of these are made with the relive App and haven’t been shared on any of my social media sites.

Little Goodie

I’d also like to leave you with a link to a little goodie that I’ve been turned on to on Amazon – aka my best friend (yes, if you click the link, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases). I’m sharing this because it’s a recent WOW in my book! After years of trying many brands of lip balm, this nighttime lip mask seems to really be doing the trick.

Don’t worry, I won’t be bombarding you with product links. This may not seem relevant to this post, but as I was writing this, I realized I wasn’t biting my “peely” lips. So, that makes sharing this a relevant win in my book.

Welcome to anyone who is showing up here to follow my blogging posts to see what we’re up to. If you have any thoughts or just want to say ‘hi’, please leave a comment on this post. It will be great to re-connect and thanks for stopping by!

Okay, I’m ready to hit “post” and see what happens. So much has changed in WordPress since the last time I did this!

The post Surprise Blog Post Fun in 2022 appeared first on Lita's World.

Since last March, our lives have been mostly simple and quiet and, by default, pretty routine. With all the cooking I’ve been doing, all the photos I’ve been taking, and my constant search for creative projects, it should be easy for me to find content to share – I hope.

At the beginning of this month, I was motivated to do a project created by Kim Klassen in her creative Inner Circle Group to make my own unique 2021 Calendar. I admit, this past year, I’ve been mostly taking photos with my iPhone giving my Nikon quite the rest (unless I want to use my ultra zoom lense for a shot). Since my phone is almost always with me, that has worked out quite well for taking photos at any moment. I’ve been moved towards taking shots showing the beauty and textures in nature. I’m also working on playing with f-stops and light. I decided to create my first calendar with black and white photos. Here are some examples of photos I used for my 2021 calendar:

New Year – 2021 Calendar Inspiration Photos

These photos bring about a sense of calm to me. And if this is not the year for remaining calm, then I don’t know when that would be. If you’re looking for a positive, uplifting group of creative people, who also love all things techie, the Kim Klassen Inner Circle Group would be a great one to check out.

Other Creative Projects

Video Making

We’ve been doing a bit of video creation around here the past few months. Working with Jimi/Pops (my husband), we’ve put together YouTube videos of his (and our) e-mountain bike rides. He has become quite the director which leaves me to do the techie parts that I like best. Here’s an example of one of our recent videos:

Fun Painting Projects

I’m still always looking for a reason to paint something. Here is a recent creation I came up with to “spruce up” one of our plain wooden coasters.

I have 3 more blank coasters to add designs to and am thinking more farm animals may be needed.

That’s my quick New Year update and hopefully the beginning of a year of more posting. Sending out lots of love, peace and hope to everyone for a safe, healthy and happy 2021.

The post Happy New Year – 2021 appeared first on Lita's World.

Jimi’s Stories

Jimi (as I call him) has always given 100% to all that he does. Whether it’s the needs of his family, his work in the classroom, his efforts in a bike race, teaching or playing chess, etc. he’s always all in. So, it was no surprise that he would give his best to this project, too. I love how it also gave him the chance to honor special people in his life – his parents, sister, daughters and friends. I believe there is something for everyone to enjoy in this book – and possibly even some life lessons to take away with you and apply to your own world.

There are tales from his childhood and early family life, stories from his 36 years as an elementary school teacher, his various sports achievements and his travels throughout the world.

Links for More Jimi Info

If you’re interested in reading more about Jimi, check out the Pops link here on this blog. If you’re a former student and wish to re-live some past school days, his site MrHunter36.com is still alive and well.

How to read the book

Are you interested and intrigued enough to read the book? Here is a link to download a pdf version. There are 3 files of different sizes – the only difference in the files are the quality of the photos. Feel free to download a version and even share it with anyone you think would enjoy it.

Book Files Link

If you have any problem downloading a file, let me know and I’ll do my best to address the issue.

I’m curious, have you written a book about your life? Did you enjoy the process? I’m not sure what adventure is next for Jimi, but I do know he will pour his heart into it. He turns 72 next week and I’m hoping to have at least that many more years with him sharing life and making memories to create Stories From My Life – Part 2!

The post Jim Hunter Stories From My Life appeared first on Lita's World.

Lessons learned from Disney’s Aladdin

Some of the key lessons learned in Disney’s Aladdin would be:

• The importance of Family
• The importance of Friends
• The value and importance of Women
• How great it can feel to live with integrity (and it’s never too late)

Without giving too much of the movie away, as you should go see it yourself, here are the relationships to watch for these lessons.

The Importance of Family

The importance of family is shown in the movie with the relationship between Princess Jasmine and her Father, the Sultan.

The Importance of Friends

The importance of friends is best shown in the relationship between Aladdin and The Genie.

The Value and Importance of Women

The role of Princess Jasmine is such a strong, empowering role for women (and girls) to see. I may also be swayed as I believe the world might be a better place if run by women!

The Importance of Living with Integrity

The choice to live with integrity (and to value friendship) brings us to the happiest of conclusions in this movie.

I cried happy tears twice while watching this movie. Yes, I’m pretty much a happy crier at all things Disney. Just ask my cousins how much I hold it together riding the Frozen ride at Epcot when Elsa is singing! It brings me to tears every.single.time!

I hope you’ll check out Disney’s Aladdin. It opens this weekend in theaters everywhere! To follow along, check out the links below:

Aladdin on Facebook
Aladdin on Twitter
Aladdin on Instagram
Aladdin on YouTube

Oh, and did I mention the movie is absolutely beautiful too! Some scenes were shot in Jordan where “Lawrence of Arabia” was filmed – STUNNING!

Enjoy and please let me know if you go and what your thoughts are!

The post Lessons in Disney’s Aladdin appeared first on Lita's World.

Pops and I are getting ready to begin a new kind of traveling adventure for us – RV Travel. We’re preparing for an almost month-long RV Travel trip across the Northwest U.S. beginning in Denver, Colorado and ending up here back at home! We’re definitely newbies to RV travel, so I’ll be posting and sharing here what we think may work, what actually does work and probably a lot of what didn’t work for us.

I’m a planner and a list maker (and a worrier and over-thinker) so, of course, I’ve already begun lists for what we need to bring from home (mostly my gadgets and our clothing) and what we’ll need to buy (maps and groceries) to make this adventure fun and survivable.

RV Travel Essentials – Round 1

I’m a map addict (which is great since I do pretty much draw maps for a living) and have already purchased some Rand McNally maps from Amazon for the states we’ll be covering. The first map item I purchased is this Rand McNally 2020 Large Scale Atlas. Let’s call it my first present for our RV. I figure it will cover all the areas we may head to on this trip and on future trips in our RV Travels. It helps that the price is unbeatable too.

The second item I’m sure I’ll be happy to have purchased is the Skyroam Solis: Mobile WiFi Hotspot & Power Bank (also purchased on Amazon). This portable global hub should help ensure that we are connected to the internet world throughout our travels. Being connected should come in useful should we need to find restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, our next campsite and, of course, for posting our adventures along the way.

The third item I’ve purchased to keep this trip moving smoothly is the Garmin DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD Navigation System. Can you tell I have a bit of a phobia about not knowing where we will be at any given moment? Again, I purchased this item on Amazon. I purchased this item refurbished. While we’re at home, Jimi uses it in his car on a daily basis. The features I’ve seen him use, that I love, are knowing the speed limit and when you’re going over and, most importantly, making phone calls hands-free. It also offers free lifetime map updates and lifetime traffic updates.

Between these three items, we’re sure to know where we are, where we’d like to head and what to see along the way making this RV trip a lot less stressful for the planner in me. In my next post, I’ll share the apps I’ve downloaded (and purchased) that I hope will also aid us in having a smooth RV trip vacation.

The Amazon links in this post are Affiliate Links which means I will receive compensation if you use (click) them to purchase these items on Amazon. I will be greatly appreciative if you do!

The post A New Adventure – RV Travel appeared first on Lita's World.

This movie is a sequel to the original movie. You don’t have to see the original to see this one, but honestly, who hasn’t seen the original? And, if you haven’t, well, you should do yourself a favor and see that movie too!

Mary Poppins Stars

Emily Blunt is MARY POPPINS the incredibly perfect, beautiful, talented and creative nanny who you will fall in love with immediately. Her smile is everything!! The movie also stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep – basically, the talent is out-of-this-world in this movie.

More Movie Details

I loved the costumes, the choreography, the music and really the whole theme of this movie. As I’ve just turned 50, one of the things I’ve chosen to cherish about myself is the fact that I love anything imaginative (honestly, anything Disney) and I don’t intend on becoming old and stodgy anytime soon.

I choose to not be too set in my ways or locked into my opinions closing myself off to new, different and fun experiences. So, now that I am at this half-century mark, this movie reinforces these thoughts.

Fun and Following Along

If you’d like to stay a “kid-at-heart” forever with me, then see this movie and let me know what you think.

To follow all the movie information, see below:

Like MARY POPPINS RETURNS on Facebook
Follow Walt Disney Studios on Twitter 
Follow MARY POPPINS RETURNS on Instagram
Visit the official MARY POPPINS RETURNS website
MARY POPPINS RETURNS Coloring pages to download available here.

MARY POPPINS RETURNS is now playing in theatres everywhere! So, get out there and see it this holiday season!!

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Coast Views

Here are some of the views we enjoyed along the way.

There were a lot of surfers out enjoying the waves created by the south swell.

There were also a lot of sailboats in the water.

With the inland Bay Area being so warm yesterday, it’s no surprise that so many people headed to the coast for the all-natural air conditioning.

I know I’m so glad we did.

All photos taken with my iPhone and edited with love.

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Northern California Coast

This visit was quite a bit different. For one, we drove up together. For two, we came to celebrate the union of souls of two other people – Patrick & Jennie. She’s the daughter of our friend John. Basically, we came for a wedding.

 And what a beautiful wedding it was – let me show you:

Best wedding date!

So many friends, so much incredible food and, might I add, so much laughter!

And, did I tell you we got the cutest couple award (at least in my mind)?

Fabulous wedding and Huge Congratulations to Jennie & Patrick. I wish them a lifetime of love and laughter.

We did take some time to enjoy the Northern California coast, too!

By far, the best photo of the weekend has to be:

Hope you enjoyed my photos – all taken with my iPhone and edited with love!

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