A moment to pray...

Thursday is the United States National Day of Prayer. Maybe you think that God doesn't listen to you or care about you...then watch this. (Scroll down to watch the Smith family video. It's just over 20 minutes, but worth every second.) Or maybe you don't know how to pray...then go here. To find events in your area where you can be a part of a prayer community go here. Faith when life is easy and comfortable is not hard. But faith in God when things are hard or not going according to our plan is hard, that's why it's called faith.

some of my favorite photo ideas

I love looking back at some of my grandparents and parents old photos. The black and white adds a great flavor but I also love looking at the old houses, cars, and clothing. After I look at those old photos I am always re-inspired to change up the way I take pictures. Am I capturing life for my future child and grandchildren? Am I taking more than just "special occasion" pictures? What kinds of stories are my photos telling?

a tearful, moving tribute

I was going to post this yesterday and had it all set to go when I checked the blog of a friend and saw virtually the same post on her blog! I laughed and changed my mind. But, I really feel like I need to post this, even if Tina has virtually the same blog...

Angie and Todd Smith lost their baby girl just a few hours after she was born. They had found our during pregnancy that the little girl would not live after she was born. This is Angie's story about her daughter, Audrey Caroline. Today they have a song and slide show about her. Todd is a member of the Christian group Selah. If you have a moment, visit their blog, watch the slide show and pray for them. Oh, don't for the Kleenex.

Is the snow ever going to end??

I woke up today to fresh snow on the ground, on the deck, on the grill, everywhere! Ya, ya, I know, it's Minnesota, we are the icebox state and all the folks here know the phrase, "if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes it'll change." I'm still waiting! The wind is howling so hard outside that it's making the house shake, the Monster dog is begging to go outside and play and I am seriously thinking that hibernating in my quilting room might be the best idea for today! Hmmm, sitting at my sewing desk with my feet in the cozy lambswool rug piecing together strips of fabric for a quilt for my little brother...ya, I think that is the plan for the day. At least it keeps me inside!

Unmitigated Happiness is a Princess!

My niece, the Princess and my dog, the Monster. Just look at both of those faces. Sun shining down, a gentle breeze, warm, fuzzy hugs, a sucker in the mouth and eyes closed. Both of them are just soaking in the warmth and love...yep, that is the picture of pure, unmitigated, sheer happiness and joy.

Princess has a way of doing that to me. She is joy! Her hugs still the world around me and let me just soak in the moments of childhood purity, love and wonder. At the end of this post is a picture from K's and my wedding a few years ago, but this time I have my eyes closed to block out any distractions and just share her pure love and happiness of the moment. These are my two favorite photos of her. And believe me, there are TONS of photos taken of this child!


What is your pure happiness? What makes you shut your eyes and just soak it all up?



Psalm 98.4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Rainy Thursday...

What a great rainy day! A little cool, but still, perfect rain! I planted tons of grass seed yesterday thanks to the Yellow Monster tearing up the yard last fall. This is the perfect grass-growing-green rain! This week happens to be severe weather awareness week in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Since I work in the disaster restoration industry I have a heightened awareness of fires, tornadoes and storm damages. Take a minute to be sure you and your family are prepared by checking out this website. Disasters do happen, they happen when you least expect it.

For those of you who like to scrapbook or just looovvve your family photos…I keep my scrapbooks in waterproof-fireproof safes. Aside from Hubby and the pets they are the only things insurance cannot replace. It’s not a bad idea to keep DVDs of your photos or your scrapbooks somewhere very, very safe! And, if you do have a disaster and your scrapbooks get wet, put each of them in their own plastic bag and get them into a freezer immediately! The freezing will arrest further damage. Then e-mail me, I will provide guidance for free and let you know what steps to take to get them restored. By the way, freezing any document or photo is the best way to arrest damage if they get wet.

My favorite parts about NZ part 3 of 3

Okarito... A few days ago when I started this 3 part series I realized how ridiculious it was. Trying to capture five weeks in New Zealand in 3 blog entries!? Not even possible! New Zealand is approximately the same size as the US state of Colorado, at it's widest it is 175 miles wide. It is an amazing study in ecosystems and biomes! I explain it like this...God created the world and when he was done there were just little bits left of all the different parts. He smushed them together; the plains, rain forests, mountains, glaciers, bays, sounds and all. He called it New Zealand. Truly, this is the most amazing place on Earth. You can kayak in Milford Sound and later that day enjoy the glaciers. The next day you can tour a winery and sample the goods.

I don't know if it's possible to pick a favorite part of NZ. We met lots of folks from all over the country and every single person was so kind. The sights were stunning and (insert any positive adjective here). The food was sooooo tasty! I took over 4000 pictures on this holiday and my scrapbooks for this trip are a combined total of 5" thick! I really did love spending that whole time with Hubby. Having 5 weeks without cell phones, work, distractions was a treat. We talked, laughed, and just were. Like life at home there weren't any arguments or fights, we truly treasured that time together experiencing New Zealand to the max! After loving the time with K, I think my favorite places/parts of the trip were: Okarito Lagoon and the Angelus tramp (hike). Okarito is the sleepy village of 31 people and the sea pounding along the rocky beach just mesmerized me. It was my spiritual happy place!

The Mt. Angelus tramp was the last of our Active New Zealand group tour and a milestone in my life. With Ben as our guide, we made a 1.5 day tramp to the Mt. Angelus Hut. K and I dropped our 30 and 40 pound packs and took off for the geographical summit of Mt. Angelus, and additional 6km and an additional 435 meters of elevation to gain.

Mt. Angelus, the first mountain that I climbed, ever! From sea level to 2075 meters. I hiked up the whole mountain in one day, with a 30 pound pack on my back. I stood at the true summit of a real mountain! All around me in every direction was a mountain range and I was on top. I saw the tops of the mountains and the tops of the clouds. What a journey! The start to this "wee bit of a walk" was gorgeous with several little tarns dotting the way. K and I had some beautiful conversations along the way from the hut to the summit. We loved this place and the beauty and strength and remote protection of this area. Then suddenly, the tramp took an abrupt up and we were scrambling in a scree. A massive, sharp, medium-sized rock scree field stretched above us. It was as if the scree was natures way of protecting the summit from me. I hated the scree! You plant a foot and the hiking poles and everything under you gives way and slides backwards taking you with it. I was so discouraged, so out of breath, and so tired. I knew that if I didn't summit, that K wouldn't either. He would stay with me. I did not come to NZ to quit! This was K's dream trip...So, I started counting steps. My first goal was 50 steps. Once I reached 50 I would take a short rest and get my breath. After that once I got to 100 I could have a sip of water. At one of those short stops I turned around to see how far we had come and I got dizzy! For a second, I was sure that I was going back down head first. At some point in this climb I started thinking about my Mom. I just started having a conversation with her in my head...telling her how tired I was, how my emotions were just all racked up inside me, how much I wanted to do this for K...all of it. I remembered some of what she wrote in my scrapbook about my technical climb of Devil's Tower in Wyoming, USA. That was my first technical climb, and this, my first mountain summit was just so closely tied to that experience. Finally, K saw the rest of the group at the summit...I knew that I was going to make it! We took some pictures and I let a few tears fall to the ground. Tears of so many overwhelming feelings: fear, exhaustion. self-doubt, relief, shock. I whispered to everyone in our group that this was my first summit. Then I whispered into the wind so that it would carry to my Mom, "I made it!"

At dinner on the last day of our tour with the group I did something my Mom always does at the end of vacation. I asked everyone what their favorite part was. Ben our guide told the group that it was hearing that my first mountain summit was on Angelus and that he was a part of it. How amazing is that?

K's favorite part about NZ part 2 of 3

When I asked K last night what his favorite part of the whole NZ trip was, he quickly responded, "Spending five wonderful weeks with my wife!" Is he a smart man or what?! Ha! Finally I got him to name a second favorite...it was the first big hike we did with Active New Zealand tour. The Mueller Ridge. We spent the day tramping in the Sealy range with views of Mt. Cook, glaciers, rivers, vertical rock faces, amazing alpine vegetation and scree fields...what a day! We took a short break at Sealy Tarn looking quietly at Mt. Cook while we sipped water. Our guides made sure we knew what trail signs to look for on the way up and down. They checked in on us and answered any questions we had about the area. (That's Sealy Tarn below.)Once we made it to the ridge I stayed behind and took some pictures of the small avalanches we had been hearing while K jogged ahead to check out the Mueller Hut and refill our water bottles. I swear he is some sort of mountain goat-mutant! He can go faster on the vertical than most people can horizontally! The Mueller Hut is at 1800 meters altitude (5905 feet). Conversley, we live at 930 feet so it was a bit of an altitude-headache tramp for me.

Because the majority of the track is on rock and scree fields the trail markers are metal stakes pounded in at intervals, you can see them in the top picture. I am not the gifted alpine/vertical hiker that Hubby is so it was a tougher hike for me. I was just proud of myself for being able to do it and most importantly to do it along side K! This was one of the places in the world where all was right, K could almost 'hear' the rocks talking to him; it is a part of the Earth that moves his spirit.

One year ago today... (part 1 of 3)

Approaching the Tongariro Crossing on the North Island; taken one year ago today just after sunrise...it's early fall in New Zealand.

One year ago today the Hubby (K) and I were soaking up the last week of our five week adventure in New Zealand. We are quite convinced that New Zealand is the most beautiful place on this planet! You are most welcome to send us to your favorite place to compare! (hehehehe!)

The five weeks were spent like this: 2 weeks of an active tour with Active New Zealand then 3 weeks on our own. It was hard to sign up for a tour because we were afraid that we'd end up on a traditional tour (read: all bus with lots of 'mature' folks), but we did want to experience and become familiar with the country...after LOTS of research we chose Active New Zealand and they completely blew us away! We did the Rimu trip and we have never had such amazing holiday fun with a group as we did with them. Our guides were beyond fantastic and the food they prepared for us was delectable! We saw much of the South Island with them via hiking (tramping), kayaking, cycling, and a wee bit on the bus. We stayed at a sheep station (ranch) and were amazed by sights of Mt. Cook, rain forests, bug-free sunsets and the nicest folks in the world. Tomorrow I will tell you K's favorite part about New Zealand, besides traveling with his wife for five solid weeks without escape! Ha! If you have any questions about a trip to New Zealand, please don't hesitate to ask us! We loved every single second of our trip and look forward to doing it again someday.

This is lunch break at Abel Tasman National Park on the South Island. How could you not enjoy a cup of tea here?!

Becka's Baby Shower & Baby Bunnies

It was a perfect spring day! I went to a dear cousins baby shower and spent the whole 4 hours with my camera fixed to my face. I hope I got some shots that she will like. She's not a scrapbooker, yet, but there is hope! What a wonderfully loved child this will be too! She and J. are incredible people, I wish we could spend more time together. Both of them are able to light up any room that they are in with their cheery, positive energies, brilliant smiles and obvious love!

After the shower I returned home and happily did some yard work. It's always easy to do yard work on the first sunny, 70 degree day though, isn't it? The Hubby greeted me with news that we have 3 new bunnies taking up residence right next to the dog kennel. Not the brightest Momma Bunny. The three wee ones that we saw were too darn cute! Good thing I don't have a garden or I might not think they are so adorable. Hubby put down some boards and a landscaping block near where they are nesting, it lets the bunnies out, and more importantly keeps Monster Dog out! We don't think he'd kill them...on purpose. I for one didn't expect them to be THIS fearless! I kept whispering, "Get back lil' bunny, get back, I don't have a close up lens on! Back up!!!!"

I saw a funeral procession today...

I was on the road for work today when I saw a funeral procession. There was the hearse, a Cadillac, and only two cars in the procession. I have never seen such a short funeral procession in all my 30-some years. It really gave me pause. If I died today, who would go to my funeral? Have I touched the lives of those around me in a positive way? Have I shared God's love and message of forgiveness in the way I live? Or have I been harsh, witchy, and mean? Have I fought for possessions that I cannot take with me or have I given of my time and sacrificed?

The bible says in Proverbs 22.9 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Also, we all know this one: Luke 6.20 "Looking at his disciples, he said:"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." And in Matthew 5.16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Not that I want to be morbid, but think for a minute...what if you died today? Did you tell the people you love that you love them? Have you shown them that you love them? Have you been light to those in darkness?

Mud Puppy!

Here I thought we got a Yellow Lab & Chesapeake Retriever mix...from March-May it's more like Yellow and Chocolate Lab mix. The deck is free of snow, the pond in back is finally free of ice and we are outside playing without wearing gloves! Woohoo!

And the other real sign of spring? We took a tick off the Yellow Monster last week after a run in the park...time to get out the Frontline...(I think it was a regular wood tick, but it may have been a deer tick)

Below is the other furball sunning herself on the deck as she tries to bat at the Yellow Monster from 12 feet overhead. Check out that gorgeous blue sky! Mmmmm, that's nice!

What Gets You Fired Up?

**I took today's pics in October 2007 at a Minnesota fire department training burn. No one was hurt here, the property was designated to be burned for training purposes. **

A smoke detector can save your life, the lives of the people you love and live with (hopefully they are one in the same!) and of course, your property. There are lots 'o options when it comes to smoke detectors, you can get the battery operated ones at a local hardware store for less than $10. You can spend a little more cash and get some hardwired ones. And there are the smoke and carbon-monoxide combo detectors. Once we have munchkins in our house we will get voice recorded smoke detectors. Studies show that the ankle-biters in our lives have intense sleep patterns and they do not hear the screeching alarms of standard smoke detectors. The ankle-biters are more likely to hear the voice of Mom and Dad. You can record a message for the smoke detector in each kids' room (yes, one in each and every bedroom!) that says, "Jacob, this is Mom. Jacob, wake up, this is Mom, there is a fire. Get out of the house now. Jake, get out of the house, this is Mom." You can buy those smoke detectors here.

Are you afraid that you can't afford a smoke detector for every bedroom and for each level of the house? Chances are your local fire department will give you smoke detectors if you cannot afford them. Contact them...

See that? Down there? Once the training was done, the fire department let it burn...it took less than 5 minutes to get to this point. And the heat was crazy intense from where I was on the front lawn about 50 feet away...

ˈspȯi(-ə)ld,

"... to impair the disposition or character of by overindulgence or excessive praise b: to pamper excessively : coddleintransitive verb..." definition courtesy Merriam Webster online.


Ya, I am. I forgot the cord for my digital camera so I can't show you the happy, bright yellow daffodils, calla lily-type yellow flowers, yellow mums and yellow snapdragon springy arrangement that my hubby sent to me while I am on a business trip. The flowers that inspired me today...

When I was a kid there was NO way I would have defined me or my siblings as spoiled. We grew up in the 70's, a recession much tougher than this one, and longer too. We were working class poor I think. I don't really remember. Five years ago I would not have described our family as having been spoiled. But now, looking back from this vantage point...ya we were definitely spoiled! I have re-framed the entire definition and image of what spoiled is thanks to my hubby, K. He spoils my every single day. He tells me he loves me countless times each day. He sends me one-liner e-mails that simply say, " love you more". He hides cards in my scrapbooking totes. He leaves post-it notes on the kitchen counter saying he took the dog for a walk in the sleet while I was cozy in bed sleeping in. He heats up water for tea for me. He rubs my shoulders. He holds me extra long when he knows I have had a bad day. He falls asleep wrapped around me every night. He sends me a text message saying "love u." He is K, my love, my hubby of 2 years 8 months. Some people have said that this is just the "honeymoon phase" that he will stop. I really don't believe that. I have known K since 1990...the part of him that is observant, caring, selfless has always been there and is the fiber of his being to the core. Simply put he spoils me in the ways that matter.

It wasn't until I saw this that I realized that my parents did the same thing for us kids. Mom and Dad worked soooo hard! They never missed a parent teacher conference, a concert, a sport event, they were active in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, they took us camping, took us on LONG family road trips. Dad taught us all how to hunt, Mom taught us all how cook. (some of us never really got that part!) They both taught us how to love unconditionally and how to be partners, fantastic parents and a successful married couple. They taught us about God, about Jesus and heaven. They spoiled us with the stuff that mattered. My brother and sister are amazing parents for their children and I hear both of them echoing lessons learned from our parents.

So my goal in life is simple, spoil those around me and spoil K every day. Even if it's something out of my comfort zone, if it is something that I can do for him that would make him smile, isn't that worth it? I am going to try harder this summer to go mountain biking more with him. It's scary, I might fall, but then he can help me up! (and kiss the owies!) And, we are doing it together...Spoil him by going running in the park early Saturday and Sunday mornings instead of sleeping in...the simple things in life, the things that matter.




It feels good to see the people you love smile, it feels good to take care of them, it feels right to spoil them!

Virgin Post

I have fought this a little for awhile...I must be far too busy to have a blog. But my friend and "dealer" as my hubby K, so nicely puts it, has an amazing blog! She inspires me weekly, if not daily; not only as a scrapbooker but also as a woman of God. Her faith, dedication to the Lord and love for Christ and family is like a touchstone...full of peace and quiet and contentment.

I suppose I should welcome you to my blog, and I should also thank you for your patience as I grow with this new media. I have tons to learn, formatting, making things pretty and all sorts of good stuff!

I did start to give this whole blogging world some serious thought last week while I was shopping at Target. I saw this amazing little pair of asian inspired ballet flats! My first thought was not about cute they would be with some of my pants or tops, oh no. My first thought was, "Oh wow! If I had a blog, these shoes would be the theme of the blog today!" Ya, I knew then and there in aisle 12 at Target that I was in trouble. Why fight it? Here are the great new shoes! Naturally, they came home with me!

Oh the journey I have started here...