Our Scottish Adventure in 5 Parts

I love airports. When I posted this sentiment recently on Facebook, a friend commented, “You’re being sarcastic, right?” I was not.

The energy and endless possibilities have always excited me. I typically arrive extremely early well before the suggested arrival time. I’d rather sit in an airport relaxing and enjoying a drink, or meal, depending on the time, while people watching than rush through security and get to the gate as my flight is boarding.

Our most recent adventure brought my excitement to new levels. Three years of planning our Scottish Adventure and constantly tweaking and updating our plans as pandemic shutdowns delayed us not once but twice had not dampened my anticipation but rather heightened it. When we finally arrived to gate E12 at Logan International Airport after a leisurely in-airport meal at Legal Seafoods, I was giddy and ready for our red-eye.

Maine and Scotland share a similar vibe: the mountains and the sea coming together. I felt very much at home in Scotland. But sadly, at least for my husband, the whisky is uniquely theirs.

I’ll be departing from my usual Maine centered posts for a bit as I document our recent travels around Scotland. The trip was worth the wait!

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#AtoZChallenge | N is for New Experiences and moving my bucket list virtual.

I’ve posted a few annual bucket lists to this blog in the past. However, I didn’t for 2020. I needed to step back and think about what my goals were around my bucket list as typically we’d only cross a few entries off each year. That didn’t make me happy. I’m the kind of person who gets giddy when she finishes a to-do list.

Maybe that was the problem. Had I set them up to be just another thing to cross off?

I’ve read the headlines telling us it is better to invest in experiences rather than things. That it will bring us more joy. I don’t need to be convinced. I definitely would pick an experience over a purchase any day.

Why do new experiences bring bliss into my life? Below are five reasons that I love new experiences:

People. Typically, new experiences involve other people. After years of believing myself to be an introvert, I read Quiet by Susan Cain and realized I’m actually a shy extrovert. Being around other people gives me energy. Often new experiences are something that I do with other people which makes it that much sweeter.

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10 Maine Adventures on My Bucket List for 2019

For the last few years I have been putting together an annual bucket list of things I want to do in Maine for the upcoming year. It’s a fun exercise that gets me thinking about the adventures that we want to have and the places we want to visit.

This past year was especially challenging and we actually got through only a couple of things on the list which does make me wonder if perhaps a bucket list is not the best approach but I’m going to give it one more shot.

Below is a list of ten things on my bucket list for the coming year. Many are ones we didn’t get to last year although I’ve added a few new ones into the mix. Here’s hoping we have better results this time around.

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10 Maine Adventures on My Bucket List for 2018

Last year I started a tradition of writing down a list of things I wanted to do in Maine for the upcoming year. While I only made it through some of my items from last year, I found it helpful to have the list as I planned out adventures during the year.

Below is my Bucket List for 2018. Some are holdovers from last year that I didn’t quite get to yet, but haven’t forgotten. Some are small things, others require more planning, but they are all adventures I hope to have this year.

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Hiking Maine | Following in the path of the Ultimate Maine Waterfalls Road Trip

We received the Massachusetts Atlas and Gazetteer as a wedding gift. We were living in Framingham, Massachusetts at the time. It sat within easy reach tucked into the slot behind the passenger seat of our car. We used it to guide us everywhere as we explored the state. It got so much use the corners were curled back in a permanent roll, and the cover eventually fell off. It served us well but was unceremoniously discarded when shinier, newer toys took over as a way to guide us on our travels.

We could have really used another Atlas on our recent outing to recreate The Ultimate Maine Waterfalls Road Trip which we had read about on the OnlyInYourState website. [Starin, Michelle. “The Ultimate Maine Waterfalls Road Trip Is Right Here – And You’ll Want To Do It.” February 8, 2016: OnlyInYourState.]

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