Fishing hooks and bikini lines

We have camping down to a science.  Well, other than organizing our meals to the day in individual packs, we got it.  Basically setting up in 1.5 hours, sleeping through the chorus of crows, fishing in the morning from 6:30 (if you can't sleep past the crows) until 8 and then 5 until 7:30 at night, sunbathing/swimming/applying sunscreen/hydrating, and then drinking/letting loose-r at night just enough to not ruin the next day.

A instructor was invited to the campsite to teach about paddleboarding.
I was going to buy a kayak,
I 'm not sure about that anymore... kinda liking the paddleboard better....Kya LOVED IT!

"Blue skies, nothing but blue skies, do I see...."

I love my sister... after 2 weeks on the road all the way to CA and back... one week later, she decides to jump in her car with the kids and head our way to stay overnight... just to be with me... I mean us. 

Beach umbrellas rock... water toys are pretty much useless when there
are fish to watch, feed and scare away.

Listening intently to a Cooper story

A Generation span

First day we got there... waiting patiently to swim...

....and fish

My Mom came with my sister and was able to kayak for the first time.

Watching the fish swim underneath

Marissa got a fever the morning and she was afraid she couldn't go... Jen couldn't do that to her.  We were all happy she could come... 

1st picture with the cousins .....

....last picture.

The adults took turns teaching cannon balls and diving.

I think that was the can opener

(In a child's, "I'm a man" voice...)  "Look Mom, my BIG muscles."

After seeing a 50 inch muskie swim past you and  almost catching a 30 inch  bass...
It's  okay to us adults.
To a child... every fish is a LUNKER!

"Kya! Did you see how BIG that thing is!  Kya did ya?"

Not liking the initial killing... knife through the head part.  By the way.. that's Ethan's morning
face, not being able to wake up slowly...not that he's feelin' a little sick from what's going on behind him... or is he?

Daddy Loon... the kids love catching fish and using them like grenades.  Once the fish hit the water, it stuns them a little.  The loons caught onto that and the kids were able to feed them about 8 until the campsite owner  came by while cleaning and did her usual buzz kill.  She was right... but by that time, she was just plain getting on our last nerves.

Loons usually hatch 2 eggs... the other egg was eaten by a muskrat... so the old-timers say.

Learning to fish...

Youngest and Oldest

Water, water everywhere...

I loooooove living next to water, visiting water and I love living in a lake town.  Wherever I go, needs to have some sort of natural water.  I tried living in South Bend, IN and HATED IT!!  The people were as dry as the area. 


I grew up next to a river which was my relaxing area, sanctuary, library... etc.  Now that I have grown up, the river has gotten bigger.  


I live next to the St. Croix River.  It's the largest part of the St. Croix River which is technically called St. Croix Lake.  It starts at Stillwater and ends at Prescott. 

Downtown Stillwater and the last year of the lift bridge - 4th of July 2012 at dusk.

We visited the Boom Site 
north of Stillwater and walked along 
the western shore of the St. Croix.  

 Cliffs of sandstone loom over our heads and in some areas, in miniature caves under the sandstone, are springs that flow into the St. Croix. They are wondrously cold.  


Before I could stop them, my children had taken a drink out of the spring and 24 hours later found out the water is okay for drinking.  But we're not going to do that anymore.  If I have my water tester along, we would know for sure... but it's not like that is a source of water for us.









During these intense heat days we walk or bike 4 blocks to the Lakeside Beach.  With the rains that fell on Duluth, we saw the river rise
2 days later and then watched it slowly fall within 10 days.  


The kiddos love it when the water is high because they are able to use a cement foundation a rental property is built on for a launching pad.

I couldn't quite get them all together

They couldn't get into the water fast enough

my reflexes were off... wayyyyy off.

Doesn't it make you want to jump right in with them??

Last time we were there, the river was at it's "summer height" and temperature.  The kids commented on how small the lake looked.  The distance to the buoys was cut in half.   However, since the water receded, we now can have access to the tiny springs in the beach. 

 Incidentally, with all the ice cold spring flowing into the river, the fluctuating temp of the river is between 77 and 84...  Hmmmm.... It feels wonderful, but how do the fish feel about it?  ...and what were those things floating on the water???  

USGS Current Conditions for St. Croix River

We found the sources of water and dug lakes and watched them fill up.  The boys then found the water spilled over so they dug another lake and connected it to the next one... until it turned into....

The lakes were constantly being changed into various different shapes and sizes.  Walls needed to be made, then destroyed.  Castle fortresses were made in the middle of the lakes and then collapsed because of the rising waters.  

I asked a life long St. Croix Beach resident what they loved most about the river.  I was expecting her to name any one of the sites along the river that she went to, or a camping area.  She answered with, "the smell of the river.. it's very distinct and no other river has this type of smell."  

I agreed with her wholeheartedly.  

The St. Croix does have a distinct smell.  I smelled it for the first time last year when the wind blew toward the west, which is very rare.  I loved  the smell but didn't know where it came from.  Later on in the week, we went swimming and I found the source.  I cannot describe it, but like she said, I've never smelled another river like this.  

Eyes to the front of the bus please....

Road trips are all about what you see, journaling, pictures and having a great time.  Looking out the car window whether you're driving or just a passenger holds many different perspectives.  


Driving has a narrow perspective as the focus is the road and half of your thoughts are of, hopefully, safety.  My thoughts are usually all over the place.. taking in the sites, stories I've heard of a particular place, memories from seeing one thing or another, conversations in the car... etc.  However, the driver usually sees attractions faster then the others.   This does not always include the wondrous.  


I've seen all kinds of roadkill.  Not the animals in themselves, but the way they've been sprayed against the ground.   My mind immediately goes to the most gruesome, because that's just how my mind works.  Thankfully I don't remember most of it, just that I couldn't believe how a car or truck could do that much damage.






I think back on some of the instances of my life that my mind instinctively closed itself off and protected my sanity, well, most of it.  I have come to the conclusion after all these years that there is a reason for everything.  It is such a cliche.  However, my observance has found years later I am still learning, shying away, taking in, using what has been put in front of me.


And then there's post-traumatic stress syndrome.  There is several periods of my life I do not remember and I don't think I would like to.  I am remembering as I mature and grow.  Memories pop up in situations that later, I now associate them with lesser traumatic situations.

I believe that God will help us to forget things, the memory of which would do us harm, or rather that He will enable us to remember only so much of them as will be for our good, and we, ourselves, not emotionally overwhelmed. The pain endured. The lesson learned. Let it now be forgotten! Face the future with courage, cheerfulness, and hope. Give God the chance and He will make you forget all that it would be harmful to remember. 
-W.E. (William Edwin) Sangster, Westminster Sermons

I had a discussion with a friend where I found out some information I was blinded to.  Days before I was thinking about this same person, wrestling with  memories and why they were pushing to the forefront of my mind.  After praying, I found I was to tell this person I loved them.  


Yikes... 


I knew I did because of the time we spent together.. but this was years later and we both were in relationships.   I knew it wasn't a relationship love... but a we're in God's family together love.  A tolerance, I will love you because God loves you love.  A forgiving love.  This message, knowing the intended person, if the timing was wrong, would take it wrong and the true meaning would be lost.  I again prayed that if I was to tell them this, the situation would present itself...

it did...


3 days later, we started chatting during a words with friends game and the conversation turned to where I found out some information I may have, in the past, slashed tires, called in a few favors and given some meaning to, "a woman hath no fury like a woman scorned".  


In this instance though, my mind immediately went to 3 days before and I relayed the message.  I could hear the sigh of relief from 1000 miles away.  I still had questions about the whole relationship, but those are just details and really don't need to be answered.  However, my grief and confusion about that particular encompassing relationship was validated which brought peace to both of us.  


I tell my kids to listen to my advice and suggestions because I have more miles under my belt, experienced more and that's why I'm so much taller than them... I can see farther.  (Although this logic of being taller was tried and crushed much to the disappointment of Thing 2).  Too big for your britches


I need to realize this of my own Father in heaven... 

Isaiah 55:8-9

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

 Jeremiah 33:3

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things,
which you do not know.'

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Stack of one pancake please...

My daughter has started to follow in my footsteps with the love of cooking.  She has made spaghetti, tuna salad and a cookie cake.  Not just once, but several times.


All VERY good.  And she knows it.


Now she is learning to follow recipes.  She did a very good job even when she had to cut all the amounts of ingredients in half.  She loves a high stack of pancakes, and a half recipe of these pancakes makes a stack of 5 size able fluffy pancakes. 


As I'm washing dishes, I start smelling a hot, burning, sugar smell you only get from pancakes.  I don't turn around and wait for her to ask for help.  With all of her projects, school and challenges she faces, she is also following this not so very good quality of mine.... not asking for help.


After about 5 minutes... in a very disappointed, frustrated, and dejected voice, "MOOOOM, these pancakes aren't turning oooouuuuut!"


Thus starts the lesson... and as I'm teaching her the lesson of added sugar in batter makes for increased toasty-ness  AND  patience makes for less gooey-ness   AND   less heat makes for that beautiful tan/brown-ness on either side of the pancake  AND  asking for help in the beginning give you a wonderful stack of 5 perfected, warm pancakes.


I realized, through all this, God was talking to me... AGAIN....


ASK... and I will help you.  SEEK and you will find perfection in HIM.  FIND and you will be comforted.... not with a stack of perfected, warm pancakes but something better....with his LOVE, GRACE and MERCY.

Are you going to cowgirl up, or lay there and bleed.

My son is all about instructions... He has a bin full of Lego, Bionicle, and any other toy instructions he has received in the last 3 years.   If he can't find the instructions he wants to build, he looks for them online.  I am even more amazed at how he can follow them.  He is a detail boy.
 However, he becomes FRUSTRATED when he gets at the end and things just don't fit together just right.  At those very rare times he needs my help, I find, usually, he has substituted a part that works, but makes the accessories inaccessible or off kilter... and when you are in battle and that trident/slasher/spear combination weapon cannot be grabbed quickly with that third claw/hand/appendage-type-thingy to make the kill shot. 

On a personal note, my own instructions have not been followed.  I find I throw away my own instructions or man up and say "I know myself, why do I need instructions?"  While God is laughing... I find myself doubting, double thinking my decisions and in the end throwing my confidence right out the window.  Nothing is worse than a person with no confidence.. we call those people spineless.

God gives us a gift and we sit there and say "I"ll take it from here",  "Why doesn't this work?", "Why is this happening?", "Why don't you care about me?", or "It's just not good enough".

A gift is put into our hands and  we don't know what it is.  We have lots of ideas about it.  We may or may not believe it is ours and not use it at all.  We use it for our own enjoyment.  It has a shelf life.  It has instructions. It can be put together as what we think it should look like, work like... but through all of our mutterings, questions, internal dialogue, we are getting the instructions right from the Creator, Engineer, Manufacturer.  Our own ideas may work... but we become frustrated time and time again, thinking, I'm not working hard enough, I don't have enough money, I don't have enough things, friends, etc, etc, etc.......

I am reminded of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.  She finds out she needs to trust in herself, know the gift she has all along and the shop comes to life with her own inner magic.

In Max Lucado's book, You are Mine, 'Everyone needed boxes and balls. They were the latest thing! Fancy balls. Colorful boxes. All the Wemmicks had them. All, that is, except Punchinello. Not wanting to be left out, he resolved to fit in. 

He would do whatever it took to have what others had. Eli, his maker, used the moment to remind Punchinello of this truth: "You are special, not because of what you have, but because "you are mine." Only when little Punch falls into the hands of his loving creator, Eli does he discover he is loved absolutely, positively just the way he is.'   




When we start painting, chiseling, covering, lying about who we are... we become victims.  People have pity on us for a while, but that hole becomes bigger and bigger and then swallows us.  Nip/Tuck

This gift is our career, our purpose, everything else are the accessories.

"You can never go beyond My Love and Care.  Remember that.  No evil can befall you.  Circumstances I bless and use must be the right ones for you.  But I know always that the first step is to lay your will before Me as an offering, ready that I shall do what is best, sure that, if you trust me, what I do for you will be best.  

Your second step is to be sure, and to tell me so, that I am Powerful enough to do everything ("The hearts of kings are in My rule and goverance"), that no miracle is impossilbe with me ("With God all thngs are possible" and I and My Father are one").
Then leave all with Me.  Glad to leave all your affairs in a Master Hand.  Sure of safety and protections.  Remember, you cannot see the future.  I can.  You could not bear it.  So only little by little can I reveal it to you.  Accept My Will and it will bring you joy."  

God Calling - June 29th, A.J. Russell

Trust is the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your way acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3: 5-6

Silver lining

This Memorial weekend I learned a very good lesson.  Hardships come not always as a consequence as some people think.  

That little boy who is hard to control teaches others 

tolerance, patience and love.  

That cousin or friend that has stage 3 lung cancer teaches us 

encouragement, selflessness and love.  

Those soldiers who have died in the war teaches us 

honor, respect and love.  

Help me to keep all my senses open and give me the 

wisdom to use it to your will, Lord. Amen.

We thought we were going to play at the park...
but there was a beach in the way.

Walking in the Memorial parade

Ice fishing in summer..appropriately dressed.

Another day, another adventure.

A garden

Wrong color, but it's a Jeep!

Blessings...

Many thanks Grandma Nelda for your love and a constant reminder soft words, smiles and amazing things do come in small packages.

One blessing becomes many in it's own season.

Knock, and it will be given to you...

Living on the corner of blessings and comfort.

I want to know what happened to the slide?  We want the slide back!!

It's not heavy, you're my brother

Tough, tough last week.  It started Sunday, just not feeling right.  The boys had the stomach flu which lasted 2 days.  It is so hard to see any of my kids sick.  Between my two boys, Mowgli got it the worst.  For a full day, Ethan regained his energy by doing Highlights, watching PBS, eating Saltines and drinking watered down apple juice.  Mowgli and I on the other hand were on the couch.  He would drink his water halfway and 15 -30 minutes later, puke it out.  At least his body demanded he keep drinking in spite of his heaving stomach.  Every time he would sleep, I would rush to get the household basics done.

By the time the end of the second day finished and tummies were healed, we were all ready to disappear into our own little corners or outside... anywhere but in the living room.


However, I still had this weight I just couldn't get past.  Was I getting the flu?  Is my Mom ok?  Is Jen ok?  Was Barrett's work getting to me?   Then I had my own temper tantrum.. about everything.  Mowgli took it in stride as he is used to me talking to myself.

I found out on Saturday 7 people needed to be desperately prayed for..and I was too busy to give everything  up to the Lord.

Worse... I added to it with my own temper tantrum.

Burdens in the Bible: Galatians 6:2 

Being a follower of Christ doesn't just mean having your own spiritual burden lifted from your shoulders by Christ. It means actively seeking out those who need help, and shouldering their burdens with them. Service to others is a critical part of the Christian faith. 

http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%206:2&version=NIV

Realizing this I was again reminded of the Navy Seals practice of carrying a water filled raft. Each have their own burden, but that burden makes the burden easier on the other soldiers.    Even though no one heard my outburst, I felt petty and childish.   Imagine me doing this among a bunch of Navy Seals.. 

However, my own burdens are not to be dismissed.  The Lord and I will work through them and in the future do my job well so as not to add to the water in the raft.

I  lift Mike, Jen, Mom, Kathy, Heather, Lisa and Lynn up to the Lord for his blessing and pray He protect them, guide them and heal them.  I pray the people that are with them gain wisdom, strenth and patience to comfort them.  In Jesus Name I pray.  Amen.

Broken glass day

Psalm 142

142 I cry out loud for help from the Lord.
    I beg out loud for mercy from the Lord.
² I pour out my concerns before God;
    I announce my distress to him.
³ When my spirit is weak inside me, you still know my way.
    But they’ve hidden a trap for me in the path I’m taking.
⁴ Look right beside me: See?
    No one pays attention to me.
There’s no escape for me.
    No one cares about my life.

⁵ I cry to you, Lord, for help.
    “You are my refuge,” I say.
    “You are all I have in the land of the living.”
⁶ Pay close attention to my shouting,
    because I’ve been brought down so low!
Deliver me from my oppressors
    because they’re stronger than me.
⁷ Get me out of this prison
    so I can give thanks to your name.
Then the righteous will gather all around me
    because of your good deeds to me.

Psalm 143

143 

Listen to my prayer, Lord!

    Because of your faithfulness, hear my requests for mercy!

    Because of your righteousness, answer me!

² 

Please don’t bring your servant to judgment,

    because no living thing is righteous before you.

³ 

The enemy is chasing me,^[a]

    crushing my life in the dirt,

        forcing me to live in the dark

            like those who’ve been dead forever.

⁴ 

My spirit is weak inside me—

    inside, my mind is numb.

⁵ 

I remember the days long past;

    I meditate on all your deeds;

    I contemplate your handiwork.

⁶ 

I stretch out my hands to you;

    my whole being is like dry dirt, thirsting for you.^[b] Selah

⁷ 

Answer me, Lord—and quickly! My breath is fading.

    Don’t hide your face from me

        or I’ll be like those going down to the pit!

⁸ 

Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time,

    because I trust you.

Show me the way I should go,

    because I offer my life up to you.

⁹ 

Deliver me from my enemies, Lord!

    I seek protection from you.^[c]

¹⁰ 

Teach me to do what pleases you,

    because you are my God.

Guide me by your good spirit

        into good land.

¹¹ 

Make me live again, Lord, for your name’s sake.

    Bring me out of distress because of your righteousness.

¹² 

Wipe out my enemies because of your faithful love.

    Destroy everyone who attacks me,

        because I am your servant.

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