I knew it had been a long time since I posted, but woah! No postings since July, that's crazy!
Well, we had a crazy fun summer and I'm settling in for fall. Lots of projects, playing and time with friends and family. I hope to post some updates and maybe a photo montage soon.
Right now, it's almost 3:00am and I'm having trouble sleeping. Thought I'd do a quick post of 10 things I'm grateful for right now (in no particular order):
1. My wonderful husband.
2. Our beautiful little family.
3. My cozy, homey house.
4. The perspective, patience and peace that come (slowly) with age.
5. Fuzzy blankets and warm cups of tea.
6. The simplicity of my life.
7. The luxury of having "enough."
8. Living in a place with so much opportunity.
9. Curling up with a good book (or my kindle).
10. The ability to connect with others in so many ways - in person, facebook, blogs, skype, google, etc.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
My North Dakota Adventure
Recently I found myself in the woods near Bismarck, ND. You might be wondering, what was she doing in Bismarck, ND? Well, I was there for a high adventure youth summer program. And let me tell you, it was an adventure!
The first two days at this three day camp was a high and low ropes course called the “Circle of Courage” challenge course. This course is located just outside Bismarck, ND.
The morning we got there, the kids started arriving around 9:00 AM to check in. By 10:00 AM, we got all 20 girls checked in and settled. Then the facilitator (Adura) went over the “five finger contract” – the rules of our time there together. We always set ground rules at youth events, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen ground rules set in this way. Audra had the girls hold out their hands in front of them and told them this:
“Thumbs up!” Positive attitude
First finger extended, pointing – get all of the finger pointing out of the way, no blaming or finger pointing; take responsibility for your actions
Middle finger, don’t hold it up – no insults
Ring finger – symbolizes commitment, willingness to let things go and not hold grudges
Pinky finger, safety – most vulnerable finger
Amazing! An interactive, short and fun way to set ground rules with teenagers!
And that was not even the beginning of our adventure!
For the rest of the morning, Audra had the girls play games to get to know each other. Right before lunch, she split the group into two teams and handed each team a large rope with many knots in it. Each participant had to grab on to the ropes with both hands. The group had to work together to untie the ropes without letting go. It took them a long time – but it was amazing to see the teamwork.
After a lunch they headed over the low ropes course. When we go to the destination, we found four trees each spaced quite a few feet apart with a wire strung between them. The girls were challenged to get their entire group across the wire to the last tree with only 5 ground touches (as a group). They were given a large rope to use however they wanted and two hula hoops to use to create areas of “safety” where they could touch the ground without penalty.
It took them a long time but they figured it out. One kid climbed on the wire and walked to the first tree, taking the rope along with her and tying it to the tree. The participants used the rope to balance as they walked across the wire. Little by little, five kids made it on to the first wire. Then first girl again walked across to the second tree, taking the rope with her. This continued until the entire group made it across! It was so great to watch them, working together.
The next challenge was the high ropes course. The kids were challenged to climb a ladder in groups of two. The ladder was about four large rungs held together by rope – it swayed back and forth as the kids landed on each rung. Each participant was outfitted with safety gear. A helmet and a harness. When it was a pair’s turn, they were hooked into the safety ropes. It’s amazing what these kids can do, they were so brave! I heard one story about a participant getting to the top and cheering a reluctant friend on. She was telling her “Don’t look down – look at me! You can do it!” Amazing.
Unfortunately, I had to head back home before the end of the program, so this was the extent of my adventure. On day three, the girls hopped in canoes and floated down the Missouri river. Oh well, maybe next year!
The first two days at this three day camp was a high and low ropes course called the “Circle of Courage” challenge course. This course is located just outside Bismarck, ND.
The morning we got there, the kids started arriving around 9:00 AM to check in. By 10:00 AM, we got all 20 girls checked in and settled. Then the facilitator (Adura) went over the “five finger contract” – the rules of our time there together. We always set ground rules at youth events, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen ground rules set in this way. Audra had the girls hold out their hands in front of them and told them this:
“Thumbs up!” Positive attitude
First finger extended, pointing – get all of the finger pointing out of the way, no blaming or finger pointing; take responsibility for your actions
Middle finger, don’t hold it up – no insults
Ring finger – symbolizes commitment, willingness to let things go and not hold grudges
Pinky finger, safety – most vulnerable finger
Amazing! An interactive, short and fun way to set ground rules with teenagers!
And that was not even the beginning of our adventure!
For the rest of the morning, Audra had the girls play games to get to know each other. Right before lunch, she split the group into two teams and handed each team a large rope with many knots in it. Each participant had to grab on to the ropes with both hands. The group had to work together to untie the ropes without letting go. It took them a long time – but it was amazing to see the teamwork.
After a lunch they headed over the low ropes course. When we go to the destination, we found four trees each spaced quite a few feet apart with a wire strung between them. The girls were challenged to get their entire group across the wire to the last tree with only 5 ground touches (as a group). They were given a large rope to use however they wanted and two hula hoops to use to create areas of “safety” where they could touch the ground without penalty.
It took them a long time but they figured it out. One kid climbed on the wire and walked to the first tree, taking the rope along with her and tying it to the tree. The participants used the rope to balance as they walked across the wire. Little by little, five kids made it on to the first wire. Then first girl again walked across to the second tree, taking the rope with her. This continued until the entire group made it across! It was so great to watch them, working together.
The next challenge was the high ropes course. The kids were challenged to climb a ladder in groups of two. The ladder was about four large rungs held together by rope – it swayed back and forth as the kids landed on each rung. Each participant was outfitted with safety gear. A helmet and a harness. When it was a pair’s turn, they were hooked into the safety ropes. It’s amazing what these kids can do, they were so brave! I heard one story about a participant getting to the top and cheering a reluctant friend on. She was telling her “Don’t look down – look at me! You can do it!” Amazing.
Unfortunately, I had to head back home before the end of the program, so this was the extent of my adventure. On day three, the girls hopped in canoes and floated down the Missouri river. Oh well, maybe next year!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
A Home of Our Own
My husband, Parry, and I have searched for a home for more than six months. The objective of our search has changed along the way.
When we first started out, we wanted different things. Parry wanted a brand new home, something way out of our price range. I wanted an older home, a bargain that we could fix up. After touring many (many) houses with our realtor – we found middle ground. We developed a combined must have list for “our” house.
A couple of weeks ago Parry and I gave our realtor a long list of houses we’d like to tour. This was just before I was about to go out of town on a work trip. After touring several houses on the list, each of us had a favorite.
My favorite was an older two story. The exterior was white with pretty peach shutters on the upper windows. Gorgeous honey colored laminate flooring on the main level. A huge kitchen with brand new appliances, countertops and cabinets. Four bedrooms on the top level. A spacious dining room. The living room and the family room were connected with beautiful French doors. Light poured in from all of the windows. The back yard had ample space for our dogs to run around. The promise of a double car garage and installed central air was included in the asking price. This house was at the very top of our price range.
My first impression of Parry’s favorite was not great. (But keep in mind I still had the two story beauty on the brain.) The 1925 remodeled ranch had two bedrooms, living room, dining room and decent sized bathroom on the main level. The kitchen was just big enough for all of the appliances with a few cabinets squeezed in. In the lower level, a man was working on smoothing out the basement flooring – so we didn’t get a great look. Just enough of a peek to notice the laundry area and two semi-finished rooms. The backyard was mostly fenced in, a decent size. A screened in porch area was attached to the double car garage. (These were two of Parry’s favorite features.) This house was also at the very top of our price range.
While I was away on my work trip, Parry and I talked off and on via cell phone. We considered touring both houses again and deciding between the two. We debated looking for cheaper houses so that we could save money. Neither one of us could decide what to do.
After I came home last week, Parry and I drove past the two story beauty. We saw the beginnings of the double garage that was promised in the advertisement. That convinced Parry. He said to me “Let’s buy it!”. We asked our realtor to tour the two story house again, this time with my uncle an electrical contractor from Arizona who was in town for a visit.
While driving past the house the evening before we were going to look at it, my realtor called and said the dreaded words “sale pending”. It was already all but sold to someone else! My heart was broken!
We decided to look at the 1925 remodeled ranch again. When we looked at the home on Friday morning – it was like I was seeing a different house! This time I noticed the freshly painted plaster walls and the brand new carpeting throughout the home. The backyard looked perfect for our dogs and for cooking out on the grill. Since we had looked at it, the owners carpeted the basement room that was being worked on during our last tour. My uncle said it looked like “a nice little house”.
Off and on the rest of the day my husband and I kept saying to each other “should we buy it?”. On the way to my parents’ house, I stopped buy and picked up the house summary sheet to show my mom. When I looked at the price I thought it was a mistake. The house had been reduced by $4,000! That made it a done deal! We decided to put in an offer on the house.
As long as everything goes through as planned, Parry and I will be the proud owners of a 1925 remodeled ranch home by May 16th. All of the home tours, debating, and waiting have paid off. We are both extremely happy and excited. Moving day can’t come quick enough!
When we first started out, we wanted different things. Parry wanted a brand new home, something way out of our price range. I wanted an older home, a bargain that we could fix up. After touring many (many) houses with our realtor – we found middle ground. We developed a combined must have list for “our” house.
A couple of weeks ago Parry and I gave our realtor a long list of houses we’d like to tour. This was just before I was about to go out of town on a work trip. After touring several houses on the list, each of us had a favorite.
My favorite was an older two story. The exterior was white with pretty peach shutters on the upper windows. Gorgeous honey colored laminate flooring on the main level. A huge kitchen with brand new appliances, countertops and cabinets. Four bedrooms on the top level. A spacious dining room. The living room and the family room were connected with beautiful French doors. Light poured in from all of the windows. The back yard had ample space for our dogs to run around. The promise of a double car garage and installed central air was included in the asking price. This house was at the very top of our price range.
My first impression of Parry’s favorite was not great. (But keep in mind I still had the two story beauty on the brain.) The 1925 remodeled ranch had two bedrooms, living room, dining room and decent sized bathroom on the main level. The kitchen was just big enough for all of the appliances with a few cabinets squeezed in. In the lower level, a man was working on smoothing out the basement flooring – so we didn’t get a great look. Just enough of a peek to notice the laundry area and two semi-finished rooms. The backyard was mostly fenced in, a decent size. A screened in porch area was attached to the double car garage. (These were two of Parry’s favorite features.) This house was also at the very top of our price range.
While I was away on my work trip, Parry and I talked off and on via cell phone. We considered touring both houses again and deciding between the two. We debated looking for cheaper houses so that we could save money. Neither one of us could decide what to do.
After I came home last week, Parry and I drove past the two story beauty. We saw the beginnings of the double garage that was promised in the advertisement. That convinced Parry. He said to me “Let’s buy it!”. We asked our realtor to tour the two story house again, this time with my uncle an electrical contractor from Arizona who was in town for a visit.
While driving past the house the evening before we were going to look at it, my realtor called and said the dreaded words “sale pending”. It was already all but sold to someone else! My heart was broken!
We decided to look at the 1925 remodeled ranch again. When we looked at the home on Friday morning – it was like I was seeing a different house! This time I noticed the freshly painted plaster walls and the brand new carpeting throughout the home. The backyard looked perfect for our dogs and for cooking out on the grill. Since we had looked at it, the owners carpeted the basement room that was being worked on during our last tour. My uncle said it looked like “a nice little house”.
Off and on the rest of the day my husband and I kept saying to each other “should we buy it?”. On the way to my parents’ house, I stopped buy and picked up the house summary sheet to show my mom. When I looked at the price I thought it was a mistake. The house had been reduced by $4,000! That made it a done deal! We decided to put in an offer on the house.
As long as everything goes through as planned, Parry and I will be the proud owners of a 1925 remodeled ranch home by May 16th. All of the home tours, debating, and waiting have paid off. We are both extremely happy and excited. Moving day can’t come quick enough!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Christmas
I'd been finding it kind of difficult to get into the holiday spirit. Usually I love this time of year - I'll put up a tree the day after Thanksgiving, purchase gifts all month long. Why haven't I been able to get in the mood. Is it because my job was taking me away from home three nights a week? Is it because there were still so many loose ends from the wedding (thank you cards, gifts to find a spot to store, etc.) until last weekend? It could be any number of things - but I think it's one thing in particular.
This is the first year I'm spending as an "official" agnostic. I was having a hard time justifying the celebration of a holiday that is supposed to be based around religion. I really do love this time of year...the pretty decorations, getting together with family and friends, exchanging gifts to express your care for people, eating lots of delicious food...all of these things are awesome - but don't really seem to have a lot to do with religion. But how does one celebrate a holiday without subscribing to the religious nature of it & being a hypocrite?
My brain really started churning during a toastmasters meeting this week. One of the speakers brought a story about teaching children the meaning of Christmas. In the story, all of our current traditions were linked to the Christian faith in some way.
Well, I've been dong some research and it turns out that lots of different religions and cultures celebrate during this time of year. Many of the traditions that we now associate with Christmas have been adapted from other winter celebrations. So, it turns out I can celebrate right alongside with my religious friends and neighbors - just for different reasons.
I'm so happy that I can bake cookies, purchase gifts for loved ones, and decorate a tree to celebrate winter, family & friends, and life without feeling like a fraud!
This is the first year I'm spending as an "official" agnostic. I was having a hard time justifying the celebration of a holiday that is supposed to be based around religion. I really do love this time of year...the pretty decorations, getting together with family and friends, exchanging gifts to express your care for people, eating lots of delicious food...all of these things are awesome - but don't really seem to have a lot to do with religion. But how does one celebrate a holiday without subscribing to the religious nature of it & being a hypocrite?
My brain really started churning during a toastmasters meeting this week. One of the speakers brought a story about teaching children the meaning of Christmas. In the story, all of our current traditions were linked to the Christian faith in some way.
Well, I've been dong some research and it turns out that lots of different religions and cultures celebrate during this time of year. Many of the traditions that we now associate with Christmas have been adapted from other winter celebrations. So, it turns out I can celebrate right alongside with my religious friends and neighbors - just for different reasons.
I'm so happy that I can bake cookies, purchase gifts for loved ones, and decorate a tree to celebrate winter, family & friends, and life without feeling like a fraud!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Finally, after almost two months, Parry and I finished the Thank You notes from our wedding! And found spots for all of our gifts! Now we can start on the holiday gift shopping. Seriously, we haven't even started yet.
Parry and I are thoroughly enjoying married life...we'll have been married for two months this week. We survived Thanksgiving, juggling families and all. And we seem to have a pretty good plan in place for christmas.
A couple weeks ago, we received great news! We had been planning a New Years trip to Ohio to see the Matsons for a few days. (Chris and Aaron were matron of honor and best man at our wedding) Instead, the Matsons will be coming here to share a week and half with us! They were headed out here anyways so they decided to come a bit early. So, it will be like old times for a few days.
That's about all I have on my mind for now...think I'll get some online holiday shopping done.
Parry and I are thoroughly enjoying married life...we'll have been married for two months this week. We survived Thanksgiving, juggling families and all. And we seem to have a pretty good plan in place for christmas.
A couple weeks ago, we received great news! We had been planning a New Years trip to Ohio to see the Matsons for a few days. (Chris and Aaron were matron of honor and best man at our wedding) Instead, the Matsons will be coming here to share a week and half with us! They were headed out here anyways so they decided to come a bit early. So, it will be like old times for a few days.
That's about all I have on my mind for now...think I'll get some online holiday shopping done.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving, November 22nd. This year, Thanksgiving has an even deeper meaning than usual. Today is the second anniversary of the day my dear grandpa passed away.
Grandpa was my hero. He taught me so many things that have made me who I am today. He was my source of unconditional love.
After he was disagnosed with cancer, it was about a year before he was gone. He fought hard, he wasn't ready to go. He took every treatment the doctor's recommended, he still had a lot of life he wanted to live.
It was in September I think when Mom took my Grandpa and Grandma out fishing for the last time. Grandpa wasn't feeling too well and asked Mom to take him into the VA. He was admitted for some treatments.
At that time, I was working planning programs for kids. One program involved making teddy bears. The kids were given a star and I told them to make a wish and put the star inside the bear and someday it might come true. I took one of those wishing stars and made a wish that Grandpa would be home for Thanksgiving.
He spent about a month or so in the VA hospital before deciding to go to my mom's and receive hospice care. My cousin April and I were conviced he was getting better...we had no idea the cancer was waging war against his entire body. Grandpa didn't want anyone else to know...he only told my mom.
Well, Grandpa held out until two days before Thanksgiving. He died on a Tuesday. I was wrapping some stuff up at work preparing to spend the next couple of weeks helping Mom take care of Grandpa. I called Mom to let her know I was going to be a few minutes later than I had planned. She was upset, sobbing into the phone - I told her to hang in there. When I arrived at my parent's house, Grandpa was already gone. Mom met me at the door to tell me...she said I was a little too late.
I remember Grandpa's face looking so peaceful. His pain was finally gone.
The whole family on my mom's side came for the funeral. My uncles from Arizona and Washington came - we were all together. We all stayed in my parents' tiny little house, I don't know how we all crammed in there, but we did it. It felt like it did when I was little.
We spent Thanksgiving together, cooked the traditional dinner. It was just like old times.
Today, two years later, I will spend time with my sweet husband and my family at my brother's new home. I will think of my Grandpa while I peel potatoes with a vegetable peeler instead of a paring knife(something he used to tease me for) and when we sit down to eat because Grandpa loved to cook and to eat good food.
I'm wishing you all a Thanksgiving filled with good food, family and friends.
Grandpa was my hero. He taught me so many things that have made me who I am today. He was my source of unconditional love.
After he was disagnosed with cancer, it was about a year before he was gone. He fought hard, he wasn't ready to go. He took every treatment the doctor's recommended, he still had a lot of life he wanted to live.
It was in September I think when Mom took my Grandpa and Grandma out fishing for the last time. Grandpa wasn't feeling too well and asked Mom to take him into the VA. He was admitted for some treatments.
At that time, I was working planning programs for kids. One program involved making teddy bears. The kids were given a star and I told them to make a wish and put the star inside the bear and someday it might come true. I took one of those wishing stars and made a wish that Grandpa would be home for Thanksgiving.
He spent about a month or so in the VA hospital before deciding to go to my mom's and receive hospice care. My cousin April and I were conviced he was getting better...we had no idea the cancer was waging war against his entire body. Grandpa didn't want anyone else to know...he only told my mom.
Well, Grandpa held out until two days before Thanksgiving. He died on a Tuesday. I was wrapping some stuff up at work preparing to spend the next couple of weeks helping Mom take care of Grandpa. I called Mom to let her know I was going to be a few minutes later than I had planned. She was upset, sobbing into the phone - I told her to hang in there. When I arrived at my parent's house, Grandpa was already gone. Mom met me at the door to tell me...she said I was a little too late.
I remember Grandpa's face looking so peaceful. His pain was finally gone.
The whole family on my mom's side came for the funeral. My uncles from Arizona and Washington came - we were all together. We all stayed in my parents' tiny little house, I don't know how we all crammed in there, but we did it. It felt like it did when I was little.
We spent Thanksgiving together, cooked the traditional dinner. It was just like old times.
Today, two years later, I will spend time with my sweet husband and my family at my brother's new home. I will think of my Grandpa while I peel potatoes with a vegetable peeler instead of a paring knife(something he used to tease me for) and when we sit down to eat because Grandpa loved to cook and to eat good food.
I'm wishing you all a Thanksgiving filled with good food, family and friends.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
We Did It!
Well, we did it! We're married! Parry and I have been enjoying wedded bliss for almost a month now.
Thanks to the help of our friends and family, our wedding went off really well. We have never felt so special!
After the wedding, Parry and I took a honeymoon. We spent three days in St. Louis, some time in Springfield, Illinois (the land of Lincoln), and then headed back home to spend an evening with the Matsons in a little town just outside of the city. We even managed to squeeze in some time at the SPAM museum in Austin, MN! (We had been talking about going to the Spam museum for at least three years! what a fun visit)
I decided to start a new blog. I'll use this space to gush (and I'm sure vent) about newly married life. Right now all I can say is I never knew that marriage would be so wonderful! I figured we'd be pretty much the same as before (which was great). But I was wrong...there is something so enjoyable about knowing what my life is going to be like. There is no more wondering will I meet the right guy, will I get married, what will happen..because now I know that no matter what happens, everything will be okay because Parry and I will face life together as a team. Mushy, I know, but great!
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