Follow:
Topics:
Browsing Category:

At Home

    At Home  --  Inspire

    Charmed – Collecting Charms Around the World

    The World Traveling Charm Bracelet

    June 14, 2019
    by
    /
    Leave a Comment
    /
    4 Comments

    Location: USA

    Palm Tree Charm

    Palm Tree Dominican Republic

    I’ve had a lot of people asking about my world traveling charm bracelet lately because it’s been a long time since I have mentioned anything about it on my blog or social media.  So I thought today I would share a bit about this fascinating and growing collection of beauty, history and culture that I wear around my wrist.

    Kayak Charm

    Kayak Belize

    For those of you who may not know, I had the idea, just weeks before we headed out on the Grand Adventure for the first time in June 2016, to begin a travel charm bracelet.  I purchased a bracelet here in the USA and added my very first charm, an “L” for my first and last name (Laureen Lund).  Then we began our travels with our first stop in Hawaii where I added a silver sea turtle.

    Three years and dozens and dozens of countries and charms later, my charming souvenir is very precious to me with 56 charms.

    Collecting Charms Around the World

    Christ the Redeemer Brazil

    My preference is to buy a charm while in the country, but in Central America I really struggled to find any charms for sale anywhere.  I had purchased a Christ the Redeemer charm in Brazil and a lizard charm in Costa Rica and then after that the trail went cold.

    I was never able to find a charm in Panama, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala or Dominican Republic.

    So, before we returned to the USA I contacted my jeweler here in Gig

    El Salvador Charm

    Yoga symbol El Salvador

    Harbor and ordered charms that for me represented those countries I had visited. I had him add the charms to my bracelet after I arrived in the USA. Also, just like last summer, he took all the new charms from my past year of travel and soldered each to the bracelet so I won’t lose any.

    Collecting Charms Around the World

    Lizard Costa Rica

    I love this piece of jewelry that has so much meaning for me. In fact I love it so much I’ve decided to leave it here when we depart again in September.  I know I would be devastated if it were lost or stolen, so on round three of the Grand Adventure I will leave it behind, collecting the charms and adding them to the bracelet when I return.

    If you struggle to think of memorable, small and meaningful souvenirs to buy when you travel, consider collecting charms around the world.  I’m so glad a did.  It’s so charming.

    Thanks for your interest.  I hope to share the bracelet in person with some of you in the future.

     

    Please share our blog or pin it if you like what we offer here at My Fab Fifties Life.  Thank you for your support.

     

    Share:
    Leave a comment
    At Home  --  North America Travel

    Hello USA – Back Once Again

    Visiting the United States for Four Months

    May 10, 2019
    by
    /
    Leave a Comment
    /
    4 Comments

    Location: United States of America

    Our round two of the Grand Adventure has come to an end and we are returning to our home country of the United States for four months.  We head back out for round three in September.

    Meanwhile, dropping back in to the hectic and crazy USA is causing us some anxiety.  Living in the USA is

    My hometown of Gig Harbor

    fast-paced and a bit maniacal, and last summer we found our visit after 18 months away, a bit of a blow.  After living in places with no cars, no grocery stores, no English and sometimes no sanitary systems…arriving in the USA is both deja vu and a culture shock.

    We have grown accustomed to our travel way of life, amongst people who are different, cultures that are

    Our new Condo

    different, food that is different and language that is different. So adjusting back takes some effort when the USA seems a bit weird.  But I’m sure we will adjust.  It will be a relief to have Safeway, Target and a few other things like good gas prices, my hair dresser and my manicurist, a washer and dryer -things that seem such a luxury to us now.

    All that said we are looking forward to seeing our family.  And we are very excited to finally see the condo we bought last fall sight unseen.  This condo will serve as our home when we are in the USA for the foreseeable future as we continue to travel.  We are

    Seeing friends

    hopeful that it was a wise investment and are really looking forward to unpacking our things that have been in storage, some of them for nearly four years.

    We hope to have a bit slower pace this summer than last summer, when we tried to do and see too much.  Our priorities this summer are family, and working on the new condo.  Of course we hope to see some friends too and finding time to work out and get in shape is a goal.  Two short trips are in the works; Scottsdale Arizona and Big Fork Montana.  But other than that, we will stay close to Gig Harbor, family and our new condo.

    While in the USA we will still have a travel blog every Friday and a book review every Wednesday and I hope to post some blogs about the remodel of the condo.  We hope you will continue to follow and enjoy My Fab Fifties Life. We are so grateful to our faithful followers of our blog and our journey.

    Hanging out with family

    We depart the USA again on September 11th and you are invited to follow our round three as we head out for ten months with destinations that include China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia, Uganda, Israel, Cypress, Malta, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Czek Republic, Belarus, Lativia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Greenland.  Big plans.  We hope you follow along.

    Hey USA!  You look Fabulous!

     

     

    When you share our blog it helps build our audience.  Please Pinit or Share

     

    Share:
    Leave a comment
    At Home

    The Last Summer – Entertaining as we say Farewell

    July 26, 2015
    by
    /
    Leave a Comment
    /
    0 Comments

    As we wind down our time in our beautiful waterfront home we continue to take every opportunity to enjoy it and share it with people we know. We decided last spring, as part of our final summer at our beach house, to host a series of events through out the summer as a farewell gesture to Lund’s Beach. It was a great idea.

     

    Rather than holding one big party, our smaller beach dinner parties have given us an opportunity to bring together a variety of friends and family, many who don’t know each other, but they all have one thing in common. Us.

     

    As a hostess I prefer to entertain a group that is not so large as to make it difficult to mingle and talk to everyone. We have held several very large parties in the time we have lived here (our 25th wedding anniversary had 150 and a live band but I barely remember it because it was big and a lot of work)  all been fun, but not intimate.

     

    Our summer functions this year are anywhere from 8-24 people and I find that just the right size.

     

    My preference when entertaining is to have a sit down dinner, when possible. It’s not always possible, but it is always more intimate and a lovely way to linger and enjoy. When I do a sit down dinner I always do place cards. This way I can sit people next to each other who don’t know each other. Otherwise, everyone would huddle with those they know and are comfortable with and it would defeat my goal – gathering and enjoying and expanding friendships.

     

    So far this summer we have held four events with another one happening tomorrow. I expect to hold at least 2 and possible three more before the weather grows cool and the last summer is just a memory.

    Share:
    Leave a comment