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

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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 my bicycle, and you’ll pass places like Jenness State Beach, Wallis Sands State Park and Rye Harbor State Park. It's beautiful on a blue-sky summer day. But watching the Atlantic come alive during a Nor'easter is an entirely different version of Rye and a surfers dream. 














A Little Ed Sheeran Throwback

The canceled concert had me laughing a little because this wouldn't have been my first Ed Sheeran encounter.

Years ago, during my radio days, Ed came into the station and I have photographic proof! Our paths crossed long before Solo on Purpose was even a thought.

So, of course, I had to dig out the photo.



Oddly enough, Ed Sheeran’s “Boat” felt like the unofficial soundtrack to a concert weekend that never happened. Waves, weather and all.



So what do you do when Mother Nature rearranges your plans?


Apparently, you finish a book.

Somewhere between the wind, the waves, and the kind of weather that makes you grateful for a warm place to land, I finished Watered & Whole: Study Guide & Leadership Companion, a project that grew from my original Watered & Whole Devotional into something I hope women could use together.

On our beach walks, Luke was on high alert, ears up, ready for action. Quite a change from sauntering around the 'hood chasing bunnies for fun. Back inside, though, he was completely unfazed by the change in plans. As long as there was a warm and comfy chair, something on TV and the possibility of food appearing (a bit of popcorn, say), his weekend was going exactly as scheduled.

He’s such a good boy, my sounding board, my sidekick and my protector.



 

I even tried making tofu scrambled “eggs” for the first time and, somewhat to my surprise, they were really good. Luke, naturally, remained available for quality-control purposes.




Sometimes a weekend doesn't have to go according to plan to turn out pretty darn good.

And just like that, somewhere between a Nor'easter, a canceled concert, beach walks with Luke and my first attempt at tofu scrambled “eggs,” another From Soil to Soul™ project made its way out into the world. 💧

Watered & Whole: Study Guide & Leadership Companion

Jackie Frary | Forward ThinKer Press


AVAILABLE NOW → Amazon

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