Category: Saturday Snapshots

 

Good morning.  Life as of late has been…

a learning experience.

I would like to say that it has been hard…. and that would be true… but I also have to admit that I am learning through this…. and growing through this… in positive ways.

One thing that has been made abundantly clear this past week is that I am not alone.  People everywhere are dealing with pain and while it is not the same as mine – it is just as real and just as painful to each person.

 

On a lighter note… I am having a pretty low key weekend here and loving it.  Yesterday, I didnt even leave the house.  Cleaned a little, slept a little, and caught up on some much needed down time after a fairly busy week and returning from Honduras last weekend. 

Today, for Saturday Snapshot I thought I would post a few more of the pics from my week in Honduras:

 

 

 

 

 

Alyce from At Home With Books hosts this meme.  Stop over and see what others are posting for Saturday Snapshots!

Good morning … 😀

If you have been around lately you may have heard my soft mumbles (maybe even some grumbles) that my book club is reading Pride and Prejudice for our annual October classic read.  For me, this is the first time reading it.  And with life being a little exceptionally busy lately as well as the draw of other books… book club is Tuesday evening and I am on page …

7.

I am hoping that it will come together this next couple days especially, but looking ta my lovely copy I have 375 pages to tackle…. if I could read this over the next three days I only need to read 125 pages a day…

say I can manage 3 hours a day for reading these next few days that is 41.6 pages per hour.

That’s 1.4 pages per minute….

😛

In other words…

I think I got this. 

My book club wears hats of the era for classic month… a few of us…. no names mentioned (to protect the goofy of course) go a bit farther and try to dress entirely around the theme of the book.  😛

 

In other news, it has been a couple of weeks since I have been able to participate in Alice’s Saturday Snapshot.  Time limitations, you name it, I just did not get it done.   I do however have a few pics from a recent event….

my hubby’s birthday.

In mid September we went out to eat with a few friends and celebrated Al’s birthday.  It was a pretty good time. 

 

 

 

It you would like to participate in the fun at Alyce’s At Home With Books, Saturday Snapshot, click on over and see what is happening!

I have to run… I have a small commitment this morning and then breakfast with College son who was in town for one day and heading back to Mankato this afternoon.

Oh!  Good morning!  😛

Sorry about that post title… I couldn’t resist….

hee hee

Oh and if you are a newbie to Book Journey and popped over because of the post title… welcome.  Coffee is on, help yourself.  😀

I am hoping most of you are familiar with Patrick Ness, author of the Chaos Walking series.  These books have pulled me fully into them.  When I read The Knife Of Never Letting Go, I could hardly put the book down.  Now I am making my way through The Ask and The Asking and finding it just as brilliant.  I can’t even put into words what this author has created within these pages… 

so to get to the point of the post title… at 7:00 pm last night (hey I know it was early… I am not proud! :razz:) I decided to go lay down and read since hubby and the new upstairs tv was bugging me (tv, not hubby) and I did not want to go downstairs.  Once in bed and covered with a warm blanky (yes Minnesota has turned cold on me), apparently I was a little too comfortable and by 7:30 I was asleep, book open and tucked under my hand. 

This all explains why at 5:00 am this morning I was wide awake, up and chatting on Twitter with COFFEE CUP, trying to pretend I was a sane person. 😀

As for today’s Saturday Snapshot *waves to the amazing Alyce from At Home With Books* you would think with all I have been up to lately I would have lots of pictures to choose from (Tailgate party on 9/11 for Fallen Firemen, two birthday parties, the North shore a few weeks back) but sadly… I do not.  However, I did go out to dinner with three of my friends this past week and our food looked so delicious I could not resist…. (kudos by the way to friends who understand when I whip my camera out to take pics of odd things like ummm… what we are about to eat.)

Ok if you think this food is making your mouth water… wait until I post my book club review later today with the food we served.  😛

Stop over to At Home With Books to add your own Saturday Snapshots to the group.  It is a lot of fun!

Finally before I go get ready to start my day I need to announce my final BBAW winner for yesterdays giveaway of The Night Circus!  Using random.org for yesterdays post comments our winner is:

Jeanne at Necromancy Never Pays

Jeanne, email me your address and I will have this shipped to you right away! 

Good morning and happy Saturday!  Another gorgeous day here in Minnesota… we have had low 80’s the past few days and looks like the weekend will stay true to that as well so as you can imagine…  I am smiling over here.  😀

A couple of evenings ago I went to my friend Cindy’s house in Motley with Sara and Heidi.  We had this in the planning for a while, she has a beautiful piece of property and is always doing new and creative things with her yard so it is fun to go and get ideas. 

Of course the day came for this to happen and it was all up in the air.  I had a crazy day at work, we were all trying to coordinate car pooling (it’s about a 25 minute drive), what time we could all leave…  suddenly it seemed like just “one more thing on the agenda”.

I told my hubby before I left that I wouldn’t be late, that I would rather just stay home but we had planned this so I was going.  I had laundry I should be working on, the yard needed mowing, and honestly… I was just tired. 😯

I pick up Heidi and Sara and we chat our way to Motley… catching up on each others lives since our last get together and as we near Cindy’s I can almost feel the stress melt away.

We sit around a fire and talk and laugh.  We eat amazing food (thanks for grilling Jeff!) and we pick apples from her trees, tour her latest creative decorating in her home, eat some more, and stay until it is so dark we are just shadow people sitting around a fire…

BUT  we are all smiling.

As we drive back to Brainerd, we actually had this discussion in the car about life being busy and we have to remember while it can be one more thing on the agenda…. its a good thing.  A really good thing. 

Friends.  Food.  Life. 

All good.

The moral of my story this morning (as I sit with COFFEE CUP at the kitchen table and count my blessings for having great friends) is that all of us need to make time for this kind of stuff.  Hanging out with friends, and just being…. not doing.  All that other life stuff…. can wait.

Have a super awesome day.  I am running around today picking up the last-minute things I need for tomorrows annual tailgate party.  We are having a fundraiser for a memorial for Fallen Minnesota Firemen and tieing that in with the memory of 9-11.

 

(Pictures are linked to Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot… which is a great weekly meme of the pictures of our lives…)

 

Good Morning!  😀

Coming in a little late but that is a good thing from this neck of the woods.  Hubby and I are currently in Finland, Minnesota at our cabin.  This is where he grew up.  It was originally supposed to be us and friends but they had to cancel and we decided to come up alone and enjoy the cabin.  We do not do this nearly enough….

 

I came up yesterday afternoon by jeep with the dogs, Elmo and Bailey.  Al (hubby) followed a couple of hours after by motorcycle so we could tool around over the weekend.  We have no internet service at the cabin (for that matter, no cell phone service either) so this morning I come to you live from a small cafe in Silver Bay Minnesota.  My destination was the Silver Bay Library but they are closed for the holiday weekend. 

I thought I would participate this morning in Saturday Snapshots by posting pics of the trip so far…. which mainly.. has been road trip….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wont be in “internet range” long.  I abandoned hubby who was still lounging around the TV when I left with the promise I would not be gong too long.  I still need to finish my review to go live here in a few hours as well.  We are planning a motor cycle ride this afternoon, maybe into Two Harbors or up towards Grand Marais.  Either way – looks to be a lovely start to the official end of summer. 

Oh – and yes I am reading – can you guess what it is?

My hint is:  “Sheep!  Sheep!”  😉

Good morning!  I am home… home at last 🙂 I am a little tired, a little whelmed, and I have a lot to do.  😀

This morning for the Saturday Snapshot, I thought I would share a little bit with you about the camp I was just at and what I did all week.  The camp was Camp Benedict.  It is the camp I ride the CBC ride I rode a few weeks ago for, and it is the camp organized by Connie, whose story I am writing. 

My reason for going to camp was to see Connie in action.  She has run this camp for 17 years for people and families who are touched by HIV/AIDS.   My attending, I felt was really going to help me see the world through Connie’s eyes…

and it really did.

When the board accepted me going last winter I was excited and then as it got closer… a little nervous.  I had an idea of what camp would be like and the people who attended.  Let me say this out loud – I was wrong. 

Camp was….

incredible. 

I arrived Monday afternoon and was settled into my room for the week. 

Everyone arrived by Monday late afternoon.  A bus brought people from all over Minnesota.  Connie provides the camp for free to the “campers” (as we are called all week long 😛 ).  She does not want the week to be a financial burden on anyone.

Monday evening we had about 200 pictures placed on the floor of the main lodge.  We were each asked to pick up two pictures that spoke to us.  I chose:

Then we each had to say our name, what the two pictures made us feel – and how we were feeling right now at the beginning of camp.  It was interesting that most of the people there were nervous, or unsure of what to expect.  The picture responses were amazing what people seen in them… responses ranged from feeling on inadequacy, to missing a parent or loved one, to feelings of despair, loneliness, imprisoned, to hopefulness, dreams…

by the end of the night… I was a mess between sweet bouts of laughter, to times of tears.  (I joked with one of the nurses that I thought I was bipolar…. laughing, than crying, than laughing again…. 😛 )

On Tuesday – a doctor Bill (I have his card somewhere) had a session on the pills that everyone is taking.  It was very interesting to hear about the different combinations, what they each do and changes to the combinations to work better for some people.  I think everyone got a lot out of this session including me. 

Afternoons are free time – there were opportunities to work on your Affirmation boxes (which I loved!),  an hour-long pontoon ride to a Dairy Queen, and horse back riding. 

The first afternoon I worked on my Affirmation box.  We were each asked to make these and then throughout the week we each put an affirmation in the others boxes of something we noticed in them…. (Ie.  we appreciated their honesty, they are strong, incredible speaker…)

On Wednesday morning – we had a fun morning session of Yoga and stretching on the ball.  Russ led this group and did an amazing job!

I love working out with the exercise ball and this was a lot of fun for everyone to try.  The group was taught that there are certain moves in Yoga that can actually increase your T cell count.

In the evenings we hung out and talked or there were group sessions.  On Wednesday evening I sat in on the women’s session which was amazing.  The women shared hurts and strengths – and some who felt isolated, now have found positive ways to move forward thanks to the friendships they built during the session.  I left this session completely drained.

The food?  Did I not mention the food yet (I should have took pictures!).  The food was so good!  My Fitness Pal diet was put on hold for the week…. but I am back on it now.  😀

Thursday another doctor spoke in the morning and was there mainly to answer questions about treatments, medications, etc…. I did not see all of her session as I went with Connie to watch her work with the teens who were there with their families where she did a skit of a person just diagnosed with AIDS and how heavy that can feel (she piled large books on her “patient”) as they learn how their life has just changed forever.  She ends this with asking the other teens what they can do to help take the “heaviness” off their friend…. IE.  being a good listener, reminding them they are loved, helping them…)

Thursday afternoon…. I went horse back riding.  😛

Thursday night we had a ceremony were we all lit a candle and said what we got out of camp.  Oh wow…. more tears…. after that a DJ came in and the kids got to do Karaoke. 

Friday morning we ate, packed up – and the bus came at 11:30 am.  to take everyone home.   The camp staff (which were AMAZING all week long) made a pyramid for when the bus drove out of the camp.  It was all pretty emotional… and I know I will never be the same from the experience. 

I think most of you know why I am working with Connie and the camp, but in the event that you do not – here is my recent post on that. 

Good morning!  😀

Yes I still exist!

I had two days this past week where I was actually too busy to post a Morning Meandering.  I LOVE to do the Morning Meanderings, so believe me it was painful to walk out the door without so much as opening Laptop… but it had to be done. 

Yesterday I left the house at 4:30 am to drive to Itasca State Park for the Tour De Pines.  A hilly little ride if you ask some of my friends who went along with me for the first time.  It’s a beautiful ride that spends the first hour actually riding through the park. 

I did not need that much time to get there for start at 7:30 am, but last year my friend Wendy and I got lost and did not get there until 9 so I was not taking any chances.  The other 6 friends I was riding with were camping in the park so they were already in the area. 

Turns… out I was the first one to the ride, getting there about 6:40 am… 😛  The ride crew laughed that I drove in from Brainerd and beat my friends to the ride who were staying maybe a mile away from the start up.  😀

At the first pit stop we had an opportunity to walk down a trail and see the largest Red Pine of the park.  Unfortunately it looks like the top had been hit bu lighting but still…. it was pretty big.  😀

So that is where I was yesterday.  We did the 50 mile route instead of the 75 as we had a little wind to deal with.  I came back home around 5 pm pretty tired and was in bed by 9:00. 

I am late for Alyce’s Saturday snapshot, but knew I had to post these yet this week because starting tomorrow I am at camp for the week working on Connie’s story and I should have some beautiful pics of camp.  (I will explain camp in the Monday What Are You reading post that will go up tonight.)

If you noticed a drought in book reviews here lately – you are right… there was one.  I seemed to be finishing nothing.  😛  Well… the drought is over.  I have three audio reviews to write, by the end of the day a fourth and two book reviews – possibly a third.  I just knew everything would finish at once 😀

Have a super day…. I have a crazy busy morning making sure the staff and leadership of where I work are ready for the staff retreat that they leave on tomorrow.  I would normally be going with them, but The Camp Benedict board of directors invited me to attend their camp before this one was on the books…. so I am not attending my Leadership one.  Later I think hubby and I are going for a motorcycle ride with friends, I may squeeze in a bike ride and I still need to finish mowing the lawn. 

2011 Bike Miles:  435

Good morning!  😀 

It’s a beautiful Saturday here in Central Minnesota… the kind that calls me outside to my bike.  I have the bike locked and loaded on the jeep for later today – but first I have a baby shower today and a house-warming.  Both early enough in the day so that I will still have later afternoon to ride a bit. 

I also wanted to remind everyone that today is the last day to register for BBAW.  I too have to do this today… it’s been crazy busy around here and as soon as I am done writing this post I am going to get busy on that as I think you need to set a little time aside to do it.  Be sure to read the Awards Process page  and then on to the registration page , you will need a Google account or your twitter ID to log in. 

Once logged in (I used my Twitter Id – it seamed easier)  I backed out, then went into that same page and now had a nominations link.  That is what I am working on now.

If you have not participated in BBAW before, I recommend you do.  It gives you an opportunity to recognize the blogs you love to read.  It really is fun and I love the community of book bloggers!  😀  Remember – today is the last day to register your blog and nominate. 

In other news… as I love to participate in Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot meme,  thought I would use a few pictures from Honduras since it looks like I may be leading a team there in November of this year.  Honduras is always an amazing experience, and a country that in many parts, is extremely poorish.

 

 

 

 

 

So that’s it for this morning… Have a great day!  😀

Today I am starting a two day ride for Camp Benedict, the ride I participate in for families infected of affected by AIDS/HIV.  We will start at 8 am this morning and bike 75 miles (with an option to do 100) to camp, then we get up Sunday morning and bike the 75 miles back to Brainerd. 

It’s a great ride and a wonderful team. 

For Saturday Snapshots (Check out Alyce’s blog, At Home With Books for more info) I thought I would post a few pics from last years ride…

See you all tomorrow afternoon 😀