ICELAND BOUND

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

When you’re reading this, I’m going to be going through security at the airport.

Because…

I’M GOING TO ICELAND!! 

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I know, I know. Iceland is like, the place that everyone and their brother has been going in the last year. It has literally exploded in touristy popularity. So yeah, I’m jumping on the Nordic bandwagon and hitting the land of glaciers and vikings!

If you’re surprised that I’m going, well, join the club…because so am I.

This trip was actually a gift from my parents. My best friends in the world are going, and my parents wanted to give me this experience as a way to say thank you for the five months I spent at home helping my mom recover from her stroke back in December.

And honestly, I felt undeserving. I mean, I never made the decision to come home with the motive that I would “get” something out of it in return. I was helping my mom — my life line. My person. My best friend. — I never in a million years expected anything other than a hug. My parents are above and beyond generous, and so — I know they read every single one of my blogs — I just wanted to say, thank you. 🙂

Honestly, the time at home those five months was one of the most defining times of my life. I know technically, my mom was the one who was growing and blooming and getting her life back, but for me, that time was such a gift and growth period too: I was getting to be with my family. I was learning about who I was and what was important. And was being inspired every single day by the strength and courage my mom was showing, and the steadiness and faith my dad exuded.

That season was as much a gift to me as it was to them.

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But any who. Better quit now before I bust a pipe and unleash the water works up in here!

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This is going to sound silly, but one of the biggest things I’m looking forward to in Iceland is getting away from my smart phone.

Seriously, I’m so excited to just unplug and go explore some of God’s gorgeous landscape with friends who I’ve known since I was 3 years old.

I think we’ve gotten so used to the magnificence and beauty of the world around us, that we’ve forgotten that God made all of it.

Literally. Everything is a figment of His imagination. Created out of love. For you and me.

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The trees with their color-changing leaves. The flowers that scatter the mountain side. The birds with their whistling songs. And the waterfalls that majestically carve through stone.

All reflect His glory and creativity.

And all made to delight His children.

And if that doesn’t make you feel loved, I don’t know what will.

There’s so much negativity out there, that is constantly fed to us through our phones all day, every day.

I recently listened to a TED talk about how much we use our phones every day, and it said that we pick up our phones roughly 75-85 times per day.

And that sounded conservative to me. I mean, replying to comments alone is about double that.

But you think about what we’re being fed through our little pocket computers: Social media is just one giant comparison match. The news belches out tragedies and hyper-slanted fabrications of the truth. Celebrities are either feuding, flaunting, or filling our hearts with envy or lust. Even sporting events have become political and scandalous.

Sometimes, you just need to put the phone down, and take a walk in the wilderness.

Literally.

So that’s what I’m excited to do.
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And I can’t wait to share my adventures with you. (I’d love for you to follow along on Instagram! @beauty.beyond.bones ) I’m lugging my massive DSLR camera across the pond, so the pictures are going to be legit.

So Monday I’ll be tuning in from Iceland, and then THURSDAY the 31st IS MY BOOK LAUNCH!!!

Have a beautiful weekend, friends. And I’ll talk to you soon from the other side of the world!


Hugs and love,

Caralyn

Tell me: Where has been YOUR favorite destination!?

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beautybeyondbones

BBB: Because we're all recovering from something. // For speaking/business inquiries: beautybeyondbones@yahoo.com

273 thoughts on “ICELAND BOUND”

  2. Have fun. We have never been there, but maybe some day. Our favorite destination so far has been Nova Scotia. We felt as if we were back in the 1950’s with the overall friendliness of people. Drivers actually slowed down to let us merge!

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  6. So happy for you! Don’t know Instagram so when you back, maybe post a pic on here! What a wonderful opportunity. Don’t forget your flip flops, it’s summer there! Have fun…hug a penguin! You and your family will continue to be in my prayers! Travelin’ blessings!

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  12. I hope you have a wonderful time. I’m excited to hear about your book launch. I have no doubt that God will use it. Also, I wanted to say thank you for being a caregiver to your mother. That may sound funny, but I encounter so many hospice patients who have no caregiver in their last days. While it is challenging, it is also rewarding. I have parents who have several health issues, and I want to return the favor for all they poured into my life. I know you will have great things to share from this great experience.

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  13. Enjoy your impromptu (is this appropriate?! 😄) vacation and I’m sending you good vibes and prayers!!!! ☺️❤️ Also, congratulations for your (almost) launch!!!!

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  14. Have an ah-MAZE-ing time over there!! I’m headed over to Instagram right now to follow you (not much of an instagrammer, but I don’t want to miss your pics!). My fav destination has been Heidelberg, Germany, where I studied for a semester during my senior year in college. Spent Christmas with a German family. The whole experience was wonderful. ❤ Safe travels and soak it in GOOD!!

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    2. I almost went to Maui. That’s funny. I kept thinking it’s a plain ride away. Oh well. I like the border of Montana. Same animals and less people.

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  17. Have a wonderful trip! ( and if you rent a car, be sure to get gas). My friends came back this summer – like you say, everybody’s doing Iceland! – and mentioned they passed the “one’ station — and hours later were on fumes praying to Jesus to find another!! (a very amusing tale, I assure you!) You will NOT miss your phone

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  18. There’s some pretty odd museums there in Iceland. I agree the current state of the world is, unpalatable. My favorite place. Hm. Hmm. I like places I feel like I belong. Northern Hawaii or Montana.

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      1. My comic book might be done when your book comes out. I’ve been drawing for almost 3000 hours now. I don’t expect to retire from it. Haha It’s not in good taste.

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      9. My friend has these interesting piano pieces they sound a lot like John Cage. Anyways, he’s from Iceland and said he grew up listening to the sounds of the island. The way, all the elements dance with each other.

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      13. It’s a different time now. When everyone my age went to clubs and parties I went to war. I think, it’s where I became so serious.

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  19. Travel safely! Enjoy!

    My favorite destination… good question. There are a lot of places I’ve enjoyed visiting, for different reasons. The first one that came to mind, though, is a certain small city on the other side of the country from me, where I have some friends who are almost like family to me. The town itself has a lot of history and character, and a culture different from that out here in California, and the surrounding area is beautifully scenic, also in a different way from the beautiful California scenery I grew up with. I have been to this place five times between 2003 and 2013, more than any other place outside of the Pacific time zone, and I promised one of my people back there that I would come visit before the end of 2018.

    The sad part of this story is that the place I’m talking about is Charlottesville, Va. And now everyone associates it with what happened a couple weeks ago, highlighting off the ugliest aspects of our personalities that our country has to offer right now. I just hope that doesn’t overshadow the good memories I have of that part of the country.

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  21. Have a wonderful time, relax, enjoy. Take in the beauty of your surroundings and get to know the locals.
    New Zealand, Jersey off the coast of Normandy and Guatemala are among my favorite places. All so different in scenery and culture.

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  24. Wow! Sounds like a blast.

    I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I am so un-traveled. My first time out of the country was a year ago, in my 40s, and for work. I went to Madrid, Spain. I found that to be an unforgettable memory.

    I hope you have fun! 🙂

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  25. You never disappoint me! What a wonderful tribute to your parents, something you rarely see in this me first age. What a wonderful demonstration of family loyalty in your months spent with your mother. What a wonderful treat it was to discover there are people who are not fooled by the pseudo–science which promotes no God, a random mistake in the universal structure which made a world and out of the primeval slime we emerged. Really! The complexity of the universe and life screams at us there is intelligent design behind it all. And you confess to that belief. You are right up there at the top of people I admire for the positivity of your approach to life and willingness to state your belief in our sceptical world.:)

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  26. Iceland is going to have to watch out because all that light and love coming its way is going to MELT THE ICE!! LOLOL!! ❤ Ok, JK, the funny part is that you have Iceland and Greenland and each are more opposite of each other's names. Enjoy it!! My favorite places to go that I've actually been are NYC in areas that I like, such as El Barrio, The Finger Lakes especially Seneca Lake, Alexandria Bay (I love the view from the park looking across to Boldt Castle) and the beauty of Limekiln Lake in The Adirondacks. The coast of South Carolina is as beautiful as any other. Places I would LOVE to go include Florida again, and Puerto Rico. Sending hugs and love!! xoxoxoxoxo

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  38. Favorite destination: Alaska. Spent 3 months in the mountains helping at a Christian summer camp. I didn’t earn any money but the experience was worth it!

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  46. So glad you get this time away in such a magnificent place! Congrats on your book launch as well. God bless dear one. Looking forward to those Instagram photos!

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  47. For a little guy who’s only 5 foot 2 I’ve been all over the world some of the most bizarre countries I travel there either and books or in a plane. And yes sometimes a bus. I’ve been to Europe I’ve been to America. Perhaps one of the greatest trips I ever took happened in your home state where I flew home to be with friends for Easter. Yes I know the world is beautiful it’s landscape is great it scenery is magnificent but there’s nothing like being with God’s people even though I lost my passport on the airplane serves you right I flew with a Canadian company. I also suppose that I will buy your book when it comes out. I need your help though. I want the name of your publishers you can talk more to me when you get back for now please enjoy the ice cream and Iceland.

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  49. I am, to put it mildly, a little jealous. This is on my list of things to do. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your photos! Have a great trip.

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  50. Favorite destination hands down is Berlin. (To be fair, I’ve been out of the States exactly once, but still). It was also heartbreaking—I was there with a university group looking at human dignity in light of the Holocaust—and it realigned my world a little. It also showed me a new way of looking at God because I had to sit and consider harder questions/how to find God even in such devastating places. (Weirdly enough, it was kind of an extension of the questions/journey I’d been on since losing my dad, which is why I think it was so impactful).

    PS: I hope you get to see the Northern Lights. I hear they’re really beautiful there. 🙂

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