It’s getting really close! My 50th birthday, that is. I’ll spare you the date, but it’s a week from this Sunday 🙂
So from here to then I think I’ll keep the blog posts a little more uplifting and light than they’ve been recently. I’ve been posting a series about getting through your personal struggles, but I think it’s time to put the sack cloth away and pull out the garments of rejoicing, don’t you?
Let’s party all week!
So I’m returning to my 50 Golden posts series from today through the big golden day. Enjoy!
50 Golden Places I’ve Been
These 50 golden destinations are in no particular order, of course. On any given day I can reminisce about any one of these with deep fondness. I was privileged to grow up in a home where my parents valued travel. We didn’t really travel internationally, but we saw as much of the United States as possible, reading all the signs and visiting all the museums along the way. For instance, we pulled a pop-up camper from Georgia to Nevada and up through South Dakota and back for four weeks one summer. We traveled, but we did it close to the ground, so to speak. And I can’t think of a better way to see the world!
But since then I’ve also had the blessing of being able to travel internationally a little, both in ministry and for fun. I’ve been some amazing places and I still have many more on my bucket list. Here are a few, 50 or so, of my favorite places, including those that are not so far away:
- New York City
- The Biltmore House, Asheville, NC
- Gettysburg, PA
- The St. Lawrence River, Canada
- Cannon Beach, OR
- Williamsburg, VA
- The Poconos, Pennsylvania
- Vermont
- Bird-in-Hand, PA (Amish country)
- Eureka Springs, AR
- Gruene, TX
- Brenham, TX
- Wimberly, TX
- Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada
- Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
- The Grand Canyon, AZ
- Pismo Beach, CA
- The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway
- The Appalachian Trail, sections in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
- Seagrove Beach, FL
- Mt. Rainier, WA
- Seattle, WA
- The Marietta Square, Marietta, GA
- Stone Mountain, Stone Mountain, GA
- Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
- Olathe/Overland Park, KS
- Sedona, AZ
- Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota
- San Diego, CA
- Charleston, SC
- Jekyll Island, GA
- St. Simons Island, GA
- Highway 1 coastline, CA
- Sevierville, TN
- Hiawasee, GA
- Grand Cayman Island
- Boston, MA
- Natchez, MS
- Kennebunkport, ME
- Mystic & Stonington, CT
- Newport, RI
- Okinawa, Japan
- Callaway Gardens, GA
- Berry College, Mt. Berry, GA
- Mt. Vernon, VA
- St. Augustine, FL
- Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Portland, OR
- Montreal, Canada
How cool to see San Diego on your list! Are you coming back soon to speak somewhere?
Happy Birthday to you! You'll love being 50, it's an excellent time to be here on this beautiful planet God blessed us with.
Cathy in San Diego!
Are you kidding me–you've never been to Chicago?! Because if you had, it would be placed at the top of your list, above NYC. You need to come here some day. It's gorgeous.
I'd put Switzerland on my bucket list if I were you. Amazing.
Shelly, your comment cracks me up because yes, I've been to Chicago, but only flying through. And both times were really bad experiences !! Not Chicago's fault at all, of course, just the airlines'. I did even spend one night in Chicago because my delayed plane from somewhere else (can't remember where now) caused me to miss my connection in Chicago. So I spent one night there with no clothes!
I would LOVE to go to Chicago. My parents went a couple of years ago and told me how very much they enjoyed it. They said they liked that it was a "walkable" city, which I always count as a plus, too. I'll put it and Switzerland on my bucket list!
I failed to mention a few great places I've since remembered: Leadville, Pagosa Springs, Boulder and Colorado Springs, CO. I can't believe I left the beautiful state of Colorado off my list altogether! Shame on me! I LOVE Colorado!