A Fresh Cup of Coffee

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

A Hodgepodge of Ups and Downs

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time pass quickly for you?

Usually it feels like time goes slowly when I'm looking forward to an upcoming trip and it seems like the day will never get here! And at the same time, in the last couple days before a vacation or big event, I feel like I don't have enough time to finish all the preparations I want to do! I also find that time goes by much quicker than I think when I am doing "just one more thing" before I move on to the next task. For instance, I have a bit of time built into my morning schedule to check email and make my daily to-do list, but when my 'time to leave' alarm goes off I almost always take what I think will be five minutes to just finish up something at my desk or find an address I need or whatever . . . but it's always ten minutes. Same thing when I lie down for a short nap or sit down to read for a few minutes. Those few minutes go by much too quickly so I keep going a couple minutes more and then a couple more after that.

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

I'm not really a beach person so I don't really have a favorite beach. We lived right across from the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ, so that's the beach I've spent the most time on, though not during the summer season! My favorite activity would just be walking on the beach or boardwalk, provided it's not crowded. My beach bag, assuming I have one at all, would probably have a good book in it, a bottle of water, and a towel or beach blanket. At least those would be the basics. I'd be wearing my sunglasses and a beach umbrella and beach chair wouldn't fit in the bag.

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting?

I'm kind of drawing a blank here. I guess there's often beaches in pirate themed books and movies, right? I loved the Pirates of the Caribbean. Wow, I don't do beach reads apparently. Haha.

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it?

Fried chicken or barbecue ribs. Both are so so good, but it is a pain to get all the meat off the bones and I always feel like I wind up greasy or sticky in the process. Worth it? Almost always - yes.

5. Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on?

I love roller coasters! It's been a minute since I've been at a theme park to ride them though. I think the last time was at Disney World in late 2018! My favorites at Disney World are: Expedition Everest (at Animal Kingdom); Rock 'n Roller Coaster (at Hollywood Studios); Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain (at Magic Kingdom); and Test Track (at EPCOT). I know they've added rides since I've been there too! It's been even longer since we were at Cedar Point but I loved the Raptor and Valravn. There are great coasters at Kings Dominion, Six Flags, Darien Lakes, and HersheyPark too, but I don't remember all the names of them. I love all the big coasters and thrill rides! I don't know if there's a "worst" roller coaster for me, as the rides I don't like are not coasters. Wooden roller coasters are so much fun, but they usually give a very rough and bumpy ride, and the seat backs tend to be low so those are the ones that leave me feeling like I've been knocked around and roughed up. Not a "worst" experience, but I know there's a price to pay for riding!

Rock 'n Roller Coaster

Expedition Everest

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm so late linking up again this week. It's been ups and downs here lately. On Saturday, we'd hoped to go to an airshow type event, and my husband had even talked me into going up in a hot air balloon (tethered) which would have taken me well out of my comfort zone. I'll gladly go on almost any thrill ride so long as I'm strapped in tight, but something open-feeling like a Ferris wheel or hot air balloon is terrifying to me. Unfortunately, bad weather cancelled the event and I had mixed feelings about it. We spent the afternoon with friends on Sunday so I was out almost all day. On Monday our chorus rehearsals resumed, and I went straight to chorus - well, to dinner with some chorus members, and then to the rehearsal - from work, so it was a looooooong day. I should have had lots of time on Tuesday evening to catch up some housework and prep my WQ and Hodgepodge posts, but I needed a breather and didn't get as much done as I'd hoped (see my answer to #1 above!). So I'm finally posting and linking up late at night, and I'm sure I will have to pay my visits to the other Hodgepodgers over the next day or two.

Speaking of roller coasters and adventures . . . the current Wednesday Quotes link-up theme is "Being Adventurous" and you can find it here: WQ - Choosing Adventure

What kind of ups and downs and adventures have you experienced lately? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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WQ - Choosing Adventure

No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time. ~Lewis Carroll

It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons. ~J.R.R. Tolkien

Not long ago, one of the questions in a Wednesday Hodgepodge was about how we define adventure. This is how I answered:

Doing something new that involves stepping out of a comfort zone or taking a risk. It's the things you see in wilderness survival stories, but I think that anything that stretches you or challenges you can be viewed as an adventure too. Going away to college, getting married, becoming a parent, launching a new career or venture, moving to a new place . . . all of these are adventures I've been on, and I think retirement is one of the adventures still awaiting me.

Also, it's much more positive to frame a big or scary change in your life as an "adventure" instead of a "crisis".

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. ~William Feather

We often compare life to a journey, so it follows that we can choose to find adventure as we travel. While it's probably not a good idea to constantly go from one dangerous or threatening situation to another, it's also boring and unhealthy to never try anything new. We must sometimes take risks in order to learn new things, meet the challenges of life, and achieve the goals we set for ourselves.

One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore. ~Andre Gide

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The great achievements of the past were the adventures of the past. Only the adventurous can understand the greatness of the past. ~Alfred North Whitehead

I don't want an uneventful and safe life, I prefer an adventurous one. ~Isabel Allende

My idea of what constitutes an adventure has changed over the years. When I was a kid, adventure seemed like something in storybooks or movies, and the adventures I actually went on were only epic in my imagination. Still, it was an adventure to explore interesting new places when my family went on vacation, to go to camp by myself for the first time, and even to learn new things at school. Even if I didn't recognize it at the time. As a teen and young adult the adventures included learning to drive, getting first jobs, making new friends, going away to college, and more. Not all of my adventures were wise choices, unfortunately, but they were learning experiences!

While at college, I began the adventure of a relationship with a young man that I eventually married. I went to live with his family for several months, and then once we were engaged, he moved with me back to my hometown and we planned our wedding. Getting married and striking out on our own was an adventure! Starting a family was definitely an adventure!

When we decided to put our names into the green card lottery, we were taking a chance on an adventure. My husband's name was drawn and thus began the adventure of finding a job in the USA and jumping through all the hoops of immigration. We moved across most of the continent and to a new country - that was an adventure! And more adventures followed as we added to our family, changed jobs, moved to a new state, homeschooled, traveled, found a new church, planted a church, and more. Many of the adventures we've had might not seem worthy of showing on a big screen or telling as a suspenseful novel that keeps you turning the pages. But they are adventures nonetheless.

Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to face many a danger, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle. ~Annie Besant

Life after 50 or 60 is itself another country, as different as adolescence is from childhood, or as adulthood is from adolescence - and just as adventurous. ~Gloria Steinem

What adventures have you been on in life? What adventures are you planning for the future? Leave a comment and let me know!

Life was a lot more adventurous before caller I.D. ~Mark Hart

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Wednesday Quotes is a bi-weekly opportunity for bloggers to share their writing, poetry, photos, or stories inspired by our theme. We've chosen the themes as a starting point for your creativity, and the only requirement is that your post include at least one related quote. Feel free to combine or "double-dip" with other writing or photo challenges as well. Of course, we'd appreciate a link back to us, if you'd be so kind. Add your link and please visit others and leave a comment! The link is open for two weeks.

Thanks to Marsha at Always Write for introducing us to the Wednesday Quotes challenge, and for passing the hosting duties along so we can continue sharing great quotes! Wednesday Quotes is co-hosted by Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Sadje at Keep It Alive.

Quoting reminds me there are other people in the world besides only me.

And other thoughts besides mine, and other ways of thinking.

~Gregory Maguire~

Wednesday Quotes 2025 Themes

January 8 - Planning Ahead/Setting Goals

January 22 - Winter Sleep

February 5 - Love Inspires Us

February 19 - Staying Balanced

March 5 - First Impressions

March 19 - Looking After Yourself

April 2 - Competition

April 16 - Spring Colours

April 30 - Morning Routines

May 14 - Memorable Vacations

May 28 - Telling Your Stories

June 11 - Summer Fun

June 25 - Patriotism

July 9 - Hobbies

July 23 - Being Adventurous

August 6 - Spirituality

August 20 - Writing Letters

September 3 - Chocolate

September 17 - Making and Keeping Promises

October 1 - Autumn/Another Spring

October 15 - Daily Bread

October 29 - Night Skies/Stargazing

November 12 - Good Manners

November 26 - Celebrating Holidays

December 10 - Winter Wonderland

December 24 - Holiday Memories

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Sunday, July 20, 2025

Scripture and a Snapshot - Our Refuge and Strength

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the LORD has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

~Psalm 46~

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Grace-Filled Moments

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Thursday, July 17, 2025

Everyday Images #66

Welcome to another installment of my challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I find that I notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases that I'm focusing on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week.

July Prompts - Everyday Images #66

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doorway (quarterly)

on my plate (quarterly)

on the road

glowing

hills

community

~~~~~

doorway (quarterly)

on my plate (quarterly) - not the best photo, but my daughter requested za'atar bread when we visited in Maryland, so I took along some bread dough and baked it for her.

on the road - even though we went on a long weekend road trip, I failed to take any decent photos while traveling. So here's a low quality photo of the fireworks our Maryland neighbors had on the Fourth. We literally stood on the road to watch.

glowing - we were in a pet shop with the kids and Aubrey wanted to look at the fish. Aren't these neon colored fish cool?

hills - there was a really pretty hazy sunset on the Fourth, but I just couldn't get a good photo. The Catoctin Mountains are silhouetted in the distance though, so I'm counting those as hills.

community - we went to the free family movie night at the New Albany amphitheater. Great turnout from the community! I included a couple of extra photos here so they'd be in context.

And a few bonus photos:

I wondered if the fireflies would show up in a photo - they don't really.

Another beautiful night for baseball.

On Sunday we went for a drive, starting to scout out which nearby town or neighborhood looks like a good possibility for us to move to next summer. We stopped at this cute little pub for our dinner and played with AI while we waited for our food.

We had a couple of beautiful evenings for walking at Taylor Farm Park.

I am sharing my photos every other Thursday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

Everyday Images will continue in 2025, every other Thursday, and the link-up is open for two weeks.

August Prompts - Everyday Images #67

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at home (monthly)

station

selfie (quarterly)

beginning and/or end

pebbles

scenery

~~~~~

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