There is a dusty, dirt road near my parents’ house that is the perfect road for a good run.

The grid of roads in this area are marked out in perfect 1 mile distances, making it easy to chart a path.

My running schedule has been sporadic so each time I put on my running shoes, I have to wonder how far I’ll go.

1 mile? 2 or 3? push for 4?

I gauge how I’m feeling, how much energy I have, how invested I need to be to get another mile logged.

The dirt road calls to me and challenges me to run. Run farther. Hit the next mile.

But I still wonder how far I’ll be able to go that day, that run.

Knowing the mental and physical challenges my body will face, I set out with my headphones playing, my watch counting and my heart willing.

As I cross the busy highway and start off on the dirt road, I feel good.

Ready. Let’s do this.

The wind is behind me, the sun is shining and I’m going strong.

Continue reading How Far I’ll Go at Our Goodwin Journey.

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As families who travel a lot, finding ways to remember the fun means finding some travel journal ideas.

Whether you homeschool on the go like we do sometimes or are going on vacation and want your kids to have a way to jot down the details and memories of their days, you need a format, a guide, a journal of sorts made just for travel.

Travel journal ideas that will spark their interest, build their creativity and give them a memorable way to keep track of each family journey.

Family travel journaling is something we’ve done on and off over the years.

Finding travel journal ideas is not always the easiest thing to do. And, making sure to have a journal on hand when you need it can also be challenging.

But it is worth it.

Kids Travel Books gives us a great reason for travel journaling and says, “The reason being, I concluded, is that when you read and write, your life is truly enriched. The more you read and write, the deeper your thoughts and the deeper your understanding of the world.

Continue reading Travel Journal Ideas for KIDS! With Printable Pages at Our Goodwin Journey.

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Feeling emotional can truly take you by surprise.

The moment you are sitting there and find yourself saying, “I don’t even know why I’m crying!”

Or, for me just yesterday, saying, “I didn’t mean to cry about this!”

Feeling emotional

It is just part of life.

It is an even bigger part of transition. Throw in multiple transitions in a few short years and you have feelings and emotions galore.

Expat, overseas, missionary life is complicated with how many feelings and emotions we can experience in a short amount of time, especially during transition.

There is a mental game that happens with going, with transition, with change.

A mental game so full of feeling emotional that there are times I don’t know how to even put into words the emotions building inside me.

Fear – This one is at the top. For me, it isn’t a “shaking in my boots” fear. It is a low, deep understanding that I have no control over what is coming. Fear of the unknown, fear of what I can’t see, fear of what we are facing…

Wonder – I sit in awe sometimes at what we are doing, how we are living, the things we see and experience.

Continue reading Feeling Emotional During Transition at Our Goodwin Journey.

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Are you ready to laugh and see some funny videos to help explain missionary life and overseas life?

You know when you see something funny and it really strikes you as true for some circumstance in your life?

That’s how this list came to be.

You see the video clip and you laugh and laugh and laugh because it really, really explains some vague aspect of something you are experiencing.

You see it and you must share it with someone.

Someone who gets it. Someone who might see it and laugh right along with you.

Someone who might need the stress relief of a good laugh.

Or even, share it with someone who might not know and this is a fun way to explain a part of your life that is otherwise unexplainable.

I put together this list of fun videos Life that I hope will spark that laugh for you.

Ready?

10 Funny Videos to Help Explain Missionary and Overseas Life

1} The Mouse – While we were raising support for the very first time, this commercial made me laugh.

Continue reading 10 Funny Videos to Help Explain Missionary Life at Our Goodwin Journey.

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