When was the last time you took a trip? Maybe it was a visit to family in another city, an overseas adventure, or maybe it was packing the kids up to go to the grocery store. Some trips have a well-defined itinerary, maybe even a tour guide to keep you moving along. Or maybe you have a mental packing list to make it through ALDI (quarter, reusable bags, list, diapers, snacks, toys, phone, and other necessities). Other journies are unmapped, uncharted, with only a destination in mind. Does the idea of a new journey bring excitement, fear or a mix of both?

Some of the best vacations are the ones where there is breathing room for adventure. A rough schedule, but every minute is not planned. My husband and I snuck away to the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia last year, just the two of us. We soaked up beautiful vistas, mountaintops, stream beds, wild blueberry bushes, moss-covered rocks, bear, deer, waterfalls and more. We didn’t really know what we were getting in to – we planned in about a week or two before we went. But it was unforgettable. If we planned every detail of the trip, we would have missed being in the moment.

This blog is a new journey and one of those uncharted adventures. I really appreciate having a plan. I used lead corporate projects for a living – I HAD to have a plan, everything was mapped, budgeted, scheduled, risks identified, and if it wasn’t nailed down, we attempted to capture it! I’ve had my share of unexpected turns since my days working in project management and learning to let go of the plan is a blessing, but challenging.

Hidden Hemlock is a new journey and it’s been on my heart for a long time. I even started a blog 10 years ago while my first two were still toddlers. Since then, we’ve added a third child, lived through some middle school years, changed jobs, and journeyed in my faith. This little corner of the internet will hopefully be a place of rest, encouragement, equipment and community.

Please join me on this uncharted journey. I’m not quite sure where the path is taking us, but I know the best things in life are usually just around the corner, not able to be seen from the paved, mapped-out road.