Saturday, January 04, 2014

A New Year and Trip Highlights

A Blessed New Year to everyone!

Are you looking forward to the possibilities of a new year? Are you facing changes that are exciting yet unsettling? Do you make plans and resolutions?

Like most, I like taking time to reflect and give thanks for the year that has past, and pray and think about the new year. I have relaxed a lot over the years about making tough resolutions and concrete plans, as they make me too stressed up and take the joy out of it! This year I found myself with this prayer and note to self in my journal:

Live in thankfulness and joy.
Remember how much we have been forgiven and given.
Live with simplicity, letting go of all unimportant details and opinions of others.
Find my hope and joy in my Saviour and Lord.
Be thankful for our leader, in my case, my husband who loves me much.
Don't pass on a spirit of nervousness to my children due to my worrying!
Pass on a Spirit of Joy and hence resilience instead.
Give of myself to others.
- 29 Dec 2013

Yes this is what I hope for myself this year, prayerfully, humbly, and trying not to let life overtake these intentions. And on New Year's day my bible reading brought me to 1 Kings, and I am again humbled and encouraged by Solomon's prayer that God will bring about by His own Hand what He has promised to us in His Word. What a promise to start the year with!

(credits: paint by Dawn by Design)

 How do you take stock and journal your new year reflections?


In December we had a dream come true :) 

Our family took our dream trip to London! In some way we have been planning for this for maybe ten years - waiting for the time when we think the boys are old enough and understand enough to appreciate the history, art, culture and all to make it worthwhile. And saving up for it. And now was the time.

As always, the best part and main reason for all our trips is how we get to spend 24 by 7 together for 2 weeks as a family. These shared experiences and memories are more than worth everything it took. To hear Ryan say 'that was epic' a few times a day and see Jared so happy and game for anything was so cool. We planned something for everyone and took the whole family along to each other's special interests places/events. We saw, did, learnt, experienced, soaked, absorbed, shared, so much! It was stressful at times too, getting lost, or plans gone awry, missing a train, which in the end was each an unforgettable adventure. Well, you get it, we are travel junkies, and we love it!

Project Life Trip Highlights

You may remember how I brought along journal cards to record each day on our trip last year, and slot them into PL album along with photos for each day - that was fun and super fast!

For London however, I knew there was no way I could squeeze my journaling for each day on a single journal card, so I went back to recording in a paper travel journal. What I planned before leaving, was to create a title card or Day Marker for each day while on the trip. I researched and found Rhonna Designs App: (yes, she has an app! Just perfect for digiscrappers, I think!)
After trying out a bit, I was quickly able to chose a photo for each day, and add in the day and place visited, as we travelled. Like this one for day 6

When we got home, I printed all the title cards for each day and a selection of photos. Then using a pack of stickers bought in London, simply decorated blank journal cards and jotted highlights of our trip by hand. Super fun and so quick too. And I do love how it looks into my PL!

Days 0 to 2
Days 3 to 9
Dasy 10 to 14
Days 15 to 16
(Credits: Word arts by One Little Bird, CD Mukosky, Karla Dudley)


Some extracts of the journalling:
Here is what we saw and did:
1. Sat in a London Cab!
2. Rode a classic Routemaster red double decker bus
3. Spent a fortune on the Tube !


6. Cruised down the Thames
7. Followed in the trail of a few good men: Admiral Nelson; Sir Winston Churchill.
8. Stood on the Greenwich Meridian Line!
10. Climbed to the top of the Dome of St Paul's Cathedral!


12. Overwhelmed by the artefacts at the British Museum - Rosetta Stone! Clocks!
13. Elated at the Comics store goods in store at the Forbidden Planet
14. Being the sleuths at Hint Hunt!


28. Touched and saw all the tanks the boys dreamt and read about in the Bovington Tank Museum
31. Took a wonderful, walking tour of fascinating, beautiful Bath
34. Got lost on the hills of Bath in Combe Down
42. In the stands of White Hart Lane for a 4-1 Spurs victory!
47. Laughed our way through the West End production of Monty Python's Spamalot


51. Admired the great man that was Winston Churchill and especially his wit and quotes at the Churchill Museum
53. Experienced the christmas throngs at Oxford Street
54. Shocked by the opulence at Harrods
55. Soaked up on the heroism and planes at the RAF museum
56. Last minute shopping at Covent Gardens
And this is what we call EPIC AWESOMENESS! 

I will still make my digital photobook for the trip, but it is again so good to have scrapped the highlights of this trip into my 2013 PL!

(I will be linking this post up at The Mom Creative's Project Life Tuesdays. It is a great place for much  PL inspiration)

Also I just took out my tablet and did this for my Project Life 2014 Cover Page. 
(still toying with more ideas!)

If you like it, you can download it here. The handwritten layer is separate from the rest so you can change the colors as you like.
Here's wishing you all the grand as well as everyday kind of wonderful for 2014!

12 comments:

  1. I love your prayer for this new year! I say amen. Again, thank you for sharing your life, your family, spiritual walk and relationship with Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ with us. You are always a bright spot in my day and I pray God blesses you all this year. Cannot believe how big the boys have gotten - crazy! Happy New Year!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Lynette, so nice to hear from you. Amen, indeed. A very happy and blessed new year to you too!

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  2. Looks like you had a wonderful time. I'm still working on trying out the Project Life, but somehow "life" seems to get in the way, LOL.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Tink! I can't seem to find your blog anymore? Yes PL needs some adjusting to at first, but now I find it the quickest and easiest way to document our days, especially when the boys hate taking pictures and I only get a snapshot here and there.:)

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  3. Looks like you had a wonderful trip! I just wanted to say Happy New Year and thank you for sharing your awesome templates. I have scrapped so many wonderful layouts with your templates. Here's to making more memories & preserving them in 2014!

    Melissa K.
    St. Augustine, FL USA :)

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  4. Thanks Melissa, so wonderful for me to know that! Yes, to making memories and preserving them in the new year!

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  5. Happy New Year, Yin. And an early Gong Xi Fa Cai! We lived in Norfolk, England for 7 years in the 80s, but our trips to London were the most wonderful times of our lives.
    Thanks for sharing your cover. Love it.

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    1. Gong Xi Fa Cai to you too! London is really an amazing city to visit indeed! Will be sharing more on 2014 PL after I complete my 2013 (!)

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  6. Can't wait to see the whole book! I'd love to visit London.

    I do have a question - on that last photo (with Parliament & Big Ben in the background) did you add the journaling yourself? If so, do you know the fonts. I really like them. And I love your journaling cards with the stickers. I'll have to check out Rhonna's app.

    Happy New Year!

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    Replies
    1. Happy New Year Jody! That was a word art by Karla Dudley that I used on that last photo. You can find it at her store at Pixels & Company - it's called Life Cards. I use it often in various comfigurations!

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  7. Will you only do PL in 2014? I hope you won't abandon the beautiful layouts you've done before.

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    Replies
    1. I will continue PL for the eveyday life photos as it is faster and easier but will definitely continue doing digital layouts for my travel photos!

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