A Nor’easter, a Canceled Ed Sheeran Concert, Doggy Time & a Finished Book

-
Image
  This was not how I expected the weekend to go. There was a Nor’easter rolling through Rye, New Hampshire . The wind was whipping sideways off the coast, the rain had settled in, and then came the notification: Ed Sheeran was canceled. Well. There went that plan. A Little About Rye If you’ve never been to Rye, it captures a beautiful stretch of New Hampshire’s very small but mighty Seacoast. The town has eight miles of coastline, the longest of any town in the state, with sandy beaches, rocky headlands, salt marshes and my favorite view toward the Isles of Shoals.  One of those special places is Awcomin Marsh , protected by the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire. And there’s history here, too. Odiorne Point was the site of the first permanent European settlement in what would become New Hampshire, established in 1623. Today, the area is home to Odiorne Point State Park and the Seacoast Science Center . Follow Route 1A along the coast, something I like to do on ...
Post a Comment

Bouncing Around Portugal

-

Bouncing Around Portugal

Portugal has a way of surprising you at every turn, castles, cathedrals, coastline, and history woven into every village and stone walkway. Here are a few snapshots from my journey, each one a reminder of how much beauty is packed into this country.




Cabo da Roca

Portugal’s westernmost point, and the most western part of Europe.
It’s said you must touch the monument to make it official, so of course… I did.



Turrets and Hidden Kitchens

The turrets on top of this home represent where the kitchens are located. Something about this house feels a little spicy, in the best way.



One of Many Forts

Portugal is full of forts, strong, weathered, and still standing like quiet guardians of the coastline.



Lisbon Cathedral

A breathtaking reminder that history here isn’t just remembered, it’s lived.



A Portuguese Palace

Grandeur, detail, and timeless architecture that makes you pause in awe.



Chapel of the Royal Palace

A sacred space filled with stillness and beauty.



Entryway to the Palace

This statue is said to represent the elements of the earth, or perhaps those who supported the ones who were out at sea.

Either way, it feels like a symbol of strength, grounding, and devotion.






View from the Palace Courtyard

Even the courtyard was impressive, and much larger than it appears in photos.





The Caves

A final reminder that Portugal’s magic isn’t only in its cities, it’s also carved into its coastline.


Love & Light

jMf


If this story resonated with you, you can explore more reflections on healing, growth, and faith in my book From Soil to Soul: Watered & Whole, available on Amazon.

If this resonated with you, I share more reflections on gut health, healing, and whole-person wellness at Forward ThinKer Wellness. Follow along or reach out directly at forwardthinkerwellness@gmail.com — I'd love to connect.










 

Comments

New comments are not allowed.

Popular posts from this blog

Nerve Damage Recovery: What No One Tells You About Healing

-
Image
A personal account of cold injury, nerve recovery, and learning to let the body lead. My first ski day of the season. The second run of the morning. And everything changed. It was around 19 degrees at the base, colder as the lift climbed higher. A typical New England winter day. Nothing I hadn't handled before. What I didn't account for was stillness. Unlike normal skiing, where your body is constantly generating heat through movement, I was suspended, unable to move, unable to warm myself. Prolonged exposure without movement is a completely different animal. Cold is cold. A mechanical failure left me stuck on that chairlift, in cold, wet conditions, for about two hours. By the time ski patrol reached me, I wasn't okay. At the time, I didn’t realize this would be my last full ski day... What surprised me What I didn't expect was that it didn't end when I was rescued. In the days that followed, my body was still processing what had happened. T...
Read more

Something is Coming — And I've Never Been More Ready

-
Image
  I have been sitting with this idea for a long time. Longer than I want to admit, actually. You know that feeling when something keeps coming back to you, in the quiet moments, on a long walk, in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday, and you realize it isn't going away because it isn't supposed to? That's been this. Many of you have followed my journey through healing, writing, wellness, faith, and travel. Along the way, I've discovered something powerful: sometimes the greatest growth happens when we step away from our routines long enough to hear ourselves again. That's why I'm excited to share that I am creating a series of retreat experiences designed to help others reconnect with what matters most. And I'm not doing it alone. I'm bringing Jackie Dufresne of Rooted Strength Yoga on board as my retreat partner. Jackie has been teaching yoga and Pilates since 2014, helping women build strength, confidence, balance, and well-being through acce...
Read more

Les Bassins de Lumières Bordeaux: Inside the Famous Digital Art Museum in France

-
Image
Les Bassins de Lumières in Bordeaux is a place where history and art collide in the most unforgettable way. Located in an old port district north of Bordeaux, this enormous building once served as a submarine base during World War II. It was originally built for Italian submarines, a massive structure designed to disappear from view. The scale of it is hard to comprehend until you’re standing inside. At its peak, 32 submarines could hide beneath the structure’s bomb-proof, iron-reinforced concrete roof , nearly nine feet thick. The space was built by an estimated 6,500 workers , many of whom were Spanish laborers, including Republican prisoners. The building itself was reinforced by 2,000 concrete piles driven deep into the ground, a reminder of both the engineering and the human cost behind its creation. Today, the building still feels cold, dark, damp, and water-filled. The air carries a heaviness. You can feel the magnitude of what once existed there, as if the walls never full...
Read more