Elin Stebbins Waldal's Blog

Do you enjoy walking barefoot? I know I do, yet, walking barefoot without protective footwear isn’t always feasible. I recently learned about Vivobarefoot, a leading global producer of barefoot shoes, from a friend, and from what I have learned about them, it seems to me these makers of soles actually have created a company that has […]

The post Barefoot Shoes with Soul appeared first on Beyond the Backyard Blues.

One of my earliest childhood memories finds me nestled in the back of a wood paneled station wagon with my brothers and sister, crocheted afghans pulled to our necks, eyes fixed on the ceiling of the car and little padding for our backs. Above us, centered in the beam cast from streetlights and traveling cars, our hand-shadow puppets danced across a stage until […]

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It’s an unseasonably cool day here in San Diego complete with much needed rain showers. It is also a day that lends itself to reminiscing about some of the wonderful places I have been this year, one such place, Flora Farm, is tucked in the foothills of the Sierra de Laguna Mountains located beyond the […]

The post Beyond the Beaches of Cabo appeared first on Beyond the Backyard Blues.

Two weeks ago I travelled to Cabo San Lucas with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Suzy. We have been by each others sides through thick and thin; between us there have been three weddings, one divorce, the births of five children, and over the years, we lost, then buried, each of our parents. When my husband Jimmy […]

The post 3 Reasons to Renew Your Wedding Vows appeared first on Elin Stebbins Waldal.

Winter, there’s something about the short days, coupled with a change in weather, that beg one to bundle up, eat comfort food and dream about the last place you visited that was warm, for this writer that place was Campeche, Mexico located in the Yucatan. My trip to Campeche was what I hope will be […]

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The alarm sounds, the mind wakes up and unless we are on vacation, our to-do list unfurls itself in our head. We roll out of bed, What do I have to do today?… The unfurled list follows us to the bathroom, joins us in the shower and then rides shotgun as we make our way through our day. […]

The post Make a Splash appeared first on Elin Stebbins Waldal.

Too old to climb stairs, mornings begin with a welcome sigh of relief from our dog, Chinook; she sleeps at the base of them on her bed, and although I pretend her eager tail wag is a euphoric response to my arrival downstairs, truth is, she is all about her empty bowls. First order of business […]

The post Empty Bowls appeared first on Elin Stebbins Waldal.

Last October I faced my decades-old fear of the ocean by simply getting wet. You know, the up to your knees kind of wet. I had reached a point in my life where I realized that only I could redefine what getting older meant to me and I was determined not to lead a life […]

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Dear 16 Year Old Me, Just you wait. Oh how I cringe when I hear those three words. I cringe because what is inferred is this: you don’t have a clue, you haven’t seen anything yet, because the life you have led thus far doesn’t measure up to what someone else has experienced. Truth is, […]

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The Kodak paper envelope, with its signature yellow color, is as familiar as my reflection once was. And I feel my heart sink, jut a little, when I realize there is not one picture of me in the 36 images from the developed role. It was 17 years ago. Other than I was the one […]

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