Isabel’s Journey - Because Life Ain’t Over Yet

This blogpost continues from my last post, where I am taking what I've learned from a Hollywood icon and reworking my life into something that I can find happiness in. My first takeaway was to let go of bad habits. So far, this has been going ok - I feel I need more time to reflect on the lasting effects this change will have. Here's my second take away from Dick Van Dyke's life: Go to the gym. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've talked about it before: I hate exercise. Physically exerting myself has never felt "good". I've done it before because you had to do it for school, or because I wanted to prove to people I was stronger than I looked. The only middle school year I attended (I lived in the UK during my 7th and 8th grade years, so technically, I only went to 6th grade), I actually had to bike to a neighborhood a couple blocks over from mine to attend the middle school I wanted. They had a great band program, and that was important to me. My parents for s...

Happy Holidays everyone, and Happy Birthday to Dick Van Dyke! The Hollywood legend turned 100 on December 13, 2025 - and his life story is one that I can take inspiration from on my life moving forward. ~~~~~~~ Dick Van Dyke is a phenomenal actor, comedian, singer, and dancer of the TV Golden Age, AND he's still up and about, making life his own, at 100 years old. How the heck does that man do it? I imagine how hard it must be to get up everyday, and make life happen when your body has other ideas. I struggle with mental issues - I can't imagine physical issues at this time. But as this man's birthday rolled around, I did some research to see how he keeps going, and let me tell you: the man has earned my respect when it comes to living life. ~~~ I looked up a few articles that talked about Dick's life; they're listed here as reference material: https://people.com/dick-van-dyke-made-it-100-by-giving-up-alcohol-and-cigarettes-11862068 https://www.today.com/health/agin...

I just had THE most significant rollercoaster-sequence of events of my life this past week, and surprisingly enough, it all followed a theme: First, I was out of town working on improving a Gulf Wars campsite. Gulf Wars is an SCA event out in Mississippi, with a dedicated site and assigned camping spots. Not all SCA sites/venues are rented on a yearly basis, so this site is very special. At our campsite, I helped my best friend with art to make the space pretty, assisted with building a structure, and hedged up an exposed side of the camp site. It took a lot of effort, but the company of friends who were there made it worthwhile. At meal times, we chatted and rested. And at night, my best friend and I worked on Bardic pieces. I was returning to my neck of the US on Friday so I could enter a local SCA Bardic competition, so it was wonderful to be able to sing songs I knew, and practice the piece I was entering. My friend was delighted with every song and new piece he had not heard yet, ...

My husband and I had a great time at our Kingdom's Coronation event about a month ago - It was kind of sad to see our King and his Queen step down, because I could see they loved their roles. They did a great job making  the populace feel seen, heard, and honored. And I know it will be a moment before this king rules again. Thankfully, I was able to give him a gift to show my admiration for him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was there when our recently stepped-down King won Crown Tournament last October - I had no idea who he was, or where he had been. And honestly, when I saw a stranger in the finals, I was nervous about it - I had no guarantee that our Kingdom would be taken care of by a man and his consort that I did not know. But then I was told he was a Mercenary - and he won. And before he took his crown, he was told he was required to give fealty. And he did with no hesitation. That moment is one of 3 SCA Dream moments for me. Dream moments are something every SCAdian looks for at event...