A - Z Blogging Challenge 2023 - Reflection Post

And just like that, the month of April, and with that, the 2023 A - Z Challenge, is over and done. 26 letters, 26 posts, actually I even threw in a few bonus posts. 

I participated for the 9th time this year. What was my current A - Z Challenge all about? 

I figured people can relate to other people's mishaps. And I've had a few in my life, especially when on the road. That's why I told the stories of things that went wrong. At the end of this post, you will find short descriptions and links to each and every post, and I do hope if you missed some, you'll catch up this way.

So how did it go?

Just like every year, my goal was to have all my posts written, scheduled and ready to go by the end of March. In fact I started as early as never before, mapping out my posts, gathering ideas and research material, pretty much after A - Z 2022 was over. 

Guys, I am so proud to tell you: I did it! 26 posts, actually 30, ready to go!

Why 30? Parallel to the A- Z Blogging Challenge, I also participated in the Ultimate Blog Challenge where you're required to post every day, Sundays, too.

Unfortunately I didn't have as much time as I'd have wished to visit other blogs because my lovely coworker was finally able to take the trip she had booked for spring 2020, meaning - contrary to my blog's name - I had to work full time for the greater part of April.

I still spent enough time to reconnect with some familiar blogger friends:

• Every day, Barbie over at Crackerberries came up with a delicious recipe with which she planned on feeding the flock.
• Donna B. McNicol listet small delights, simple pleasures and significant memories to every letter of the alphabet.
• Once again, Janet at Janet Smiles invited us to explore San Francisco, her city, with us. This year her posts were about artsy light installations, the project called "Illuminate SF".

As for my UBC buddies, here's what they have been writing about:

• Kimberly's blog is called "Did you bring the Hummus?", and she writes about aspects of making this world a little better, one person at a time. 
• "The Martha Review" - Martha is probably the participant who's been doing the quarterly UBC the longest. Still she, and her adorable great-granddaughter Lia, manage to come up with recipes and activities every day.
• Elisa at "Life without a Manual" writes about the challenge to pack for a business trip and how to have coffee with friends if you work from home and have no vending machine encounters.
• Dominique at "Rebooted Mom MD", decided to shower us with tips and recommendations on how to age gracefully. Even though I'm only 29 *cough*, I thought there were valuable inputs. 
• Kebba at Happy Healthy Loving Life helps us to achieve well being, mentally and physically. Did you know this includes drinking coffee and enjoying chocolate without a guilty conscience?

As promised here's the overview if you'd like to check out my own posts:

Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

We kicked this blog marathon off with a trip to the wrong Airport

When Awards were presented at the Auditorium, of course, bouquets of flowers could not be far away, right? Gotta hand it to the lady who drank from the vase. You guessed right, that was me.

Thanks to a Basketball player who did not show up to claim his hotel room, we didn't have to stay over in our rental car.

If you're gonna get Cash make sure to actually tuck it in, or else be prepared for a bureaucratical marathon. 

Don't make the mistake I made by packing electronical Devices into the bag you're going to check in. You may end up not only missing your bag, but as it's finally found, your valuables may not.

Freeway Exits can be tricky. Especially in times before GPS, plus you're supposed to catch an international flight. 

You wouldn't have to worry to find the airport if you knew your Flight was canceled - however, in our case, not even the airport employees knew about it. 

How does running out of Gas in the middle of a desert sound? Fun, right?

What to do if you're Hormonal at the Hospital, and the baby shop messed up your crib order? Correct: you freak out!

Have you ever been Hit by a tire while driving on the freeway? We have.

An Intercontinental Incident taught me some things: A: on any given long-haul flight there's typically two doctors B: If you're a smoker with cardiac problems, there's a trick that helps 

There are so many items to pack if you're a hockey player. Hard to notice if one is missing. On this particular day my son found out he didn't have his Jockstrap half an hour before puck drop. 

As if locking your Keys in a car wasn't bad enough as such. Said car was a rental, the bags still in the locked trunk, and people needed to catch a flight. 

Postpone my final exam dates, find accomodation in a fully booked city, forget the hair dryer at home, worry about the alarm not going off, smelling like a spring roll and answering a tough question.... Just a few hurdles on my way to a diploma. When all was said and done, a Load fell from my shoulders.

First off: nobody had their wrong leg amputated. Still, my family was involved in two Medical mixups. One was actually quite flattering: I was mistaken for a doctor.

New Year's Eve and a Wedding, a combo that must make for a great celebration, right? This one had its ups and downs. The downs were quite low in my opinion. What do you think?

Have you ever watched a funny video where a girl takes off at the gas station - with the Nozzle still in the car? She must be really dumb, right? Well, maybe she's a new Mom with a very foggy brain. At least that's my excuse.

Organization - in this post I talked about a lunch I was supposed to order for our management team. The caterer noted the wrong date, so they didn't deliver, and I had to scramble. No pun intended. 

Due to poor Planning on my side - plus a delayed flight - time got super tight. Not only did I barely make it to class in time, I almost fell asleep, and when it got time to drive home, I was dangerously jet-lagged.

That moment the grocery delivery guy unloads the bags from his truck and you know "this is not my stuff" - happened to my coworker who certainly didn't order any Quinoa.

If you're going to collect Frequent Flyer Miles you need to Redeem them before they expire. Only in doing so you need to consider a few things. I had to learn the hard way.

This day there was a Super Salad on the menu. A sandwich, too - only it drowned. 

A Thief took the wallet out of my closed handbag, which was covered by my jacket. As this wasn't bad enough as such, it also happened abroad, and I needed to take my flight back. Tough luck if your picture ID was in the wallet. 

There is a plaque in every NYC cab that says a driver shall be courteous to passengers, must be able to speak and understand the English language and be familiar with the area - this did not seem to apply to our particular Taxi driver.

Traffic tickets happen - for the first time in my life, however, I did not have to pay it because it was totally Undeserved.

There is a life after the Vows, and this life may include losing your wedding ring...

Even if you may not worry about your own Weight, sometimes you get to worry about your bags' 

When we wanted to visit the X-Mas Village in Jefferson, NH, we fell victim to the American calendar format. 

Usually you get to visit National Parks wearing flip-flops. Well, not if you want to see Yucca Harrimaniae at Arches N.P. in Utah. 

As if regular Time Zones weren't hard enough to navigate, add Daylight Saving Time and its exceptions to the mix, and you're in trouble. 

That's a wrap, guys! 

Thank you so much for being part of my blogging journey throughout the alphabet. 

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