September 29, 2007
Running Woman
Visiting Tami in New Hampshire was a blast. It was also very inspiring. She started running in the spring, and has completed 6 or 8 races now. I tried to start a few weeks ago, got two runs in and quit. Now since being back I've been working out nearly every day.
Feels good. Today I could tell a difference, the running came a little easier, my resting rate was 4 mph instead of 3 mph, and I made better time. I've run approximately 8 miles this week, which isn't alot, but its more than ZERO! Ahhh! Thanks Tami!
Off to camp, here's two recent layouts...
THis first one I did for a fellow Tallyscrapper as part of a challenge. It was fun to work with a bunch of teens!
September 25, 2007
Its not so much a reality check as a reality hip check.
This is the sort of post that kids grow up to need therapy over, so it will only remain up for a few days.
I had a ABFAB time in New England. The company was like coming home, the weather was perfection itself, the scenery was gorgeous, the sites were moving, the transit system is understandable and fast.
So it was a little hard adjusting, coming back from this:
.
.
.
.
.
.
To things like laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, and this:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yep, just went in to make that final trip to the can and this is what was awaiting me.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Good thing I always look inside before proceeding...those are a 7-year-old-who-sleep-walks' pajamas.
Sigh. We aren't in New Hampshire anymore folks!
September 19, 2007
Its the end of the world as we know it...
My brother bought this:
Yeah. Hope you have a bomb shelter.
Off to Boston, sorry for the no posty thingy. Busy, crazy. See YA!
Oh... and I just noticed...This is post number 500!!!!
September 11, 2007
At the Speed of Life
This is my sons foot after it was eaten by alkali based chemicals...
Yeah, you are right, I so wouldn't post that picture, because trust me, its GROSS! Jason had an industrial accident and he could star in his own horror story now. Thanks to a great friend who is a former ER doc, I'm calmer than I was. Aren't they cute? I saw Erin AND Jason for a few hours on Sunday and she promptly loaded my computer with a whole set of new pics. Nice girl!!!!
So today started out bright and early at 1am when the neighbors in the house on the hill behind my bedroom window had what I can only describe as a horror party. A VERY loud woman screamed and shrieked and sometimes cackled for about two hours starting at that late time. Woke me out of a sound, drug induced sleep. I went to the kitchen to get water for my head cold parched throat and the water in the fridge was warm. Very warm. Warmer then the unheated room was...hmm...
RIP 1985-2007
So we lost all of the food Scott bought at the grocery store the night before and the chili he took an hour to cook...It was about $75 worth of groceries lost. Which is really cheap when you figure that this is what we got for our seventy five bucks.
The freezer is twice as large and I think the baby is brand new! Now if we owned our own home we would have lost the groceries AND had to buy a new unit. So see? Such a deal!
So guess what else you get when you lose $75 in groceries, $40 of which you just bought that night?
A $40 gift certificate in the mail from your parents to here:
Yeah, so we ate like pigs tonight and the perfectly clean kitchen with its shiny new fridge didn't get messed up and I still can hardly breathe. So really everything worked out in the end...I think.
I did NOT get to go to Erin/Lance's house tonight to scrapbook with Erin (waaaa!) because I really couldn't afford the gas with the food loss and the tons of driving I still have coming up this week, but Jason did come over and get all of Erin's scrapbooking supplies and her table and chairs, which inspired me to clean Andrew's room (I don't have any idea what the connection is!?!?) and so the house looks marvelous and I miss Erin but maybe next week.
God really does provide in strange and mysterious ways.
And I got rid of ALOT of annoying condiments!
September 06, 2007
Feeling Grateful Today
I'm feeling very grateful today, to the point of tears really.
You hear stereotypes sometimes, and one I heard alot when I worked in insurance was about "those" New Englanders. They are crabby. Tight knit. Tough. Not friendly to outsiders. Harsh.
Well folks, it wasn't my experience in the 19 years I handled New England claims (I'm not saying that NO ONE was like that, but it wasn't everyone!) and it isn't my experience now.
You see, I'm going to New England in a few weeks an a handful of New Englanders are treating me like royalty and going out of their way to assure I have a great time and its just so touching. I'm gonna get to spend two days in CAMBRIDGE FOR FREE! I am getting tons of advice from the locals on what to see and do. Then I'm spending two days in New Hampshire! Plans to spend time in "the lake district" for free and stay at someone's guest house and have dinner cooked for me. Plans to spend time on the coast and visit some of the oldest sites in New England and walk the Atlantic coast. All dreams I have been brewing for years all coming true thanks to some pretty amazing people here in Minnesota and out on the coast of New Hampshire and Massachutsetts. So fortunate! A life so full of wonder and joy!
God brought two friends to mind today. These are special friends. In the case of one, I really have hardly spent any time with this beautiful couple. But it was love, pure love that needs nothing in return, at first meeting. They moved over the past weekend and I think God just wanted me to pray for them for peace, for safety and joy in their changing life. For a strong and fun marriage. Just praying for them put a smile on my face. Which is weird really because I don't get any or many tangible benefits out of our friendship. No freebies. Hardly any "face time". Not alot of interaction at all. And yet I feel richly blessed to pray for them. Strange. Cool.
The other couple was a close part of our life and is now thousands of miles away. I hardly ever write them. I hardly ever see them. But every once in a while, for no reason apparent to me, God puts them on my heart...and I pray, joyfully, not knowing or caring why, just happy to have them in my thoughts for a bit. They plan on staying where they are, so its not likely our friendship will net many more tangible benefits, but again I consider them close friends and love them with a pure love not needing reward or benefit other than just loving them.
And that all makes me feel grateful too. Which is all good, because earlier today I felt angry, and I like this change to gratitude! Its unexpected, undeserved and real.
Ahhhh!
Here are a few photos from the weekend. More to come later...
September 05, 2007
A few days back she turned five
She was born during the State Fair, so her actual birthday is something we rarely are around for. Her mom's water broke AT the fair, and they rushed off to have their beautiful baby girl. Now she is five and always brings a smile to your face. So full of life. So funny! So imaginative!
These are fullsized images so if you were, for example her mother, you could click on the image, then right click on the enlarged file, then save it to your harddrive!
On our way out of town we got to spend a few hours celebrating with her. My first scrapbook page since we went out of town:
September 01, 2007
Unfair! Post #5
Yeah, I'm about to walk out the door for vacation, and figured I better throw something up here so my four fans know I'm gone!
Here are some new pages, for those who don't see my stuff on TallyScrapper.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, we'll be at my parents new vacation home near Hinckley, MN. Walking, reading, relaxing, playing games...ahhh!!!
