We Dig Duluth (Canal Park, specifically)

For many reasons --

After May Term in 1993, I flew to Duluth, Minnesota to see a certain young man named Aaron. He and I had only dated a few times, but it sure felt like this might be "the one." He lived in Superior, Wisconsin and before I started traveling with a singing group from our college, I had to meet his family and see if this would be going anywhere.



Aaron's Mom picked me up at the airport and made me feel so welcome. We drove down the hill through Duluth which looks out over Lake Superior. This farm girl was pretty impressed.



Since then, I have a lot of great memories of the Canal Park area, which includes the lift bridge and the shops and restaurants in that same vicinity. It's got a funky, laid-back feeling that makes you want to just walk around all day and take your time. (Dan and Angie, don't you agree :)



Last Saturday, we drove to Superior and my in-laws graciously took care of our busy boys while we went on a date. And of course I had my camera...

I love it when Aaron humors me...

Thoughts from a MOP

MOPS. Not the kind being slowly replaced by Swiffers and other funky gadgets. Mothers of Preschoolers, an organization for the encouragement and spiritual refreshment of Mamas.

I used to think MOPS was a little cheesy. Looking from the outside in, I thought it appeared superficial and "girly" and wondered if I'd really feel comfortable there. Six years ago, I walked into my first MOPS meeting and found a few surprises. Sincerity. Grace. Laughter. And food. Mmmm, real good food. I was hooked.

Since then, I've been blessed to participate in MOPS groups in West Michigan, the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and now small-town Minnesota. Each one was so unique and I've learned more than I ever dreamed.

This year I am the Coordinator for the MOPS group I started attending last fall. No one is more surprised about this than I am! I've never been on a Steering Team for MOPS, much less the leader, but I am confident in The One who called me and that He will equip me for this challenge. I've received so much from MOPS these past few years and I'm more than happy to give back whatever I can.

I just got home a few hours ago from our planning retreat, and I am overwhelmed by the very evident work of God in this group. He is up to something good here, and I'm privileged to be a part of it.

The logo above is the theme for this year, "The HOME factor" and you can check out our website with the link to the left under "Take a Look."

The Buckeyes are Here!

We had been counting down the days till Grandpa and Grandma arrived! The RV from Ohio came in on a Friday afternoon and they stayed for the weekend.


I don't think my Mom is actually strangling my Dad in the picture...well, you never know!
Jonny cheeses it up with Grandpa

My Dad told some old stories to the boys. Their favorite seems to be the time our barn full of pigs caught on fire. They also like stories about when Dad had to give cows a big shot or help them give birth! Quite the education...

Writing Motherhood

I love this book.

It's called Writing Motherhood (www.writingmotherhood.com) by Lisa Garrigues and it's helped me find ways of remembering the daily diamonds and dust of mothering. Each chapter has a cool little homework assignment that I've been trying to do and I thought I'd share a little here...

Tonight I took a bike ride with my Gregory, who is brand-spanking new at being six years old. It was amazing.

Number one, I couldn't keep up with him. He is speed, as his favorite animated car, Lightning McQueen, would say. He talks "big-boy talk", not the silly talk of 4 or 5 year olds. And it was like watching the sun go down. If I turned away for just a minute, it changed again, then again.

We went under a bridge where he continued to impress me with his adept skill at skipping stones. When did he learn this? I think he thoroughly enjoyed astounding me and kept a look of manly pride on his flushed freckled face.

I don't dare blink. This is going to be quite a ride.

Summer Sanity

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with summer.

I love the wide, open spaces of summer days, the spontaneity of packing everyone in the van and heading to a park. But there are also the loooong days where you just don't know what to do next, or you've done everything already...and the clock moves something like this:

tick



tock



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tock


To take advantage of the cool temps we've been having, tonight we took the boys and one of Gregory's friends to a local fun place with kid-sized go-karts, bumper boats, and mini-golf. If you've never tried to get four small boys through a mini-golf course, you've not lived, my friend. My blogging friend, Heidi, would say it was quite similar to herding cats. An audio recording of me and my husband's directions to these boys would be quite hilarious...just glad we all survived.

yup, that's me

A quote I just had to keep -

"I like to touch nature with a long stick. Poke at it a little, until it moves. Then I run back inside." -- Cathy Zielske

worship wars

I hate being distracted during worship.

The brain is a constant battlefield of thoughts being fired left and right, cannons going off, grenades being thrown.

This morning, on worship team, I was wearing these heels from a wedding because they were the only summer shoes that really went with my dress. During the first service, I was okay, but starting to feel the pinch. By the second service, it felt like my feet were in a POW torture device where they squeeze off your toes one by one. Okay, that's pretty dramatic, but I'm trying to keep with the "battle" theme here.

I tried so hard to focus on the Lord, but once again, the flesh fought valiantly against the spirit.

Happy Birthday, America!

Cousins Hannah and Brett before the parade
Waiting for the candy -- and there was a TON of it
Uncle Sam - a parade tradition
Friends at the lake

Erica (front row left) is having her first baby this month! My sister in law, Syna, front row right

me, Cara in orange, Connie in brown

Gregory and Brett really tried to get up on skis, but it's still a challenge for them. Someday they'll be rippin' up the lake, that's for sure.

For our country's birthday Gregory really thought we should go outside and "sing to the world" as he put it.

Our day started with the big parade downtown - over 120 entries in this little town's parade!! Then we took short naps before heading to Uncle Chris' house for fun in the lake, food, and fireworks. I loved hearing Jonny's reactions - "oooh!" and "WOW" and "go, go, go!" with both fists in the air. Priceless.

Scenes from the Heartland

This is why I go to Ohio, even if I practically lose my mind in the airport with a 2 year old. Ohio is where it all started and it pulls me back time and time again...

Uncle Doug might be over 6 feet tall, but he's still a little boy :)

My Grandpa, who still calls me "darling"

Grandma (love to know what she's thinking here)
Family dinners - keep passin' the dishes or you get in trouble!

Relaxing in the back yard after a big meal -- this is what we do best.

Kelli, thanks for taking these pictures! Thank goodness I found my camera this week.

happy birthday

My baby boy is two! I miss that fuzzy little head.