One of the ways to stay on top of your thoughts, ideas and creativity is – no surprise – through journaling and I got a really nice new book today from my mom…I can’t wait to use it.

Along with my new leather-bound, quote a day book, she found some really cool gifts in little shops here and there in her travels this year, (none from our BIG trip – we were there.) We shared our gifts from Ireland and Paris, right then and there in the food we enjoyed, the museums and cathedrals we visited. Plus the 2000+ photos we took memorialized the events from late May and early June. 

While traveling it is always a plan to try to find unique little tokens, jewelry or rarely seen items…of course today, many gifts did come from Target or other unmentionable places…BTW our son loves his RC Air Hogs Millennium Falcon – it is far cooler in person than it was on the YouTube video, too! 

On the more and more rare occasion, clever little spots share their artisan gifts like the silver plated cheese tags that used to be a fork, spoon or butter knife in someone’s dining room. Also, the handmade mermaid charm bracelet that our son said reminds him of the ones “all the girls wear at school and they’re like bells…you know they’re coming!”

This year, my mom found a spot in New Hampshire near my sister’s new home and discovered Anthropologie, too.

My greatest joys from today, however, come not from the baubles, the socks, the electronics we exchanged, but in the hours we all had together. Even better that it was a day filled with no stress, no need to be somewhere at a specific time – most likely a place at least one of us didn’t want to be.

As I go through these days, I am – happy to say – enjoying the journaling I do on this blog. I can’t help but find little bits of business concepts creeping into my mind as I go through each day…today was no exception but the holiday is stronger and more worthy of sharing. No worries…I’ll remember my idea…it’s in the book, maybe for tomorrow.

– Dawn aka Hat Girl