August 2013 Photo Dump

Just pictures & some brief descriptions… for those who like to see…

Jeff just had to try this...

Friends at our local Home Depot

Anniversary Dinner @ Meritage

A bush I liked, perhaps to add to my garden...

Date Night

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We had a friend visiting from New York, he's a big Mets fan so he came out for the Mets/Twins game… guess who won (hint, it wasn't our local boys)...

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I like my new DL better...

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Our Small Group doing a service project, loading up backpacks...

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Kim & Ben...

Jeff makes a new girlfriend… yes, its a grill… no, he didn't get it...

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Today, August 31st, we went for a walk & to lunch… the rest of these pictures are from our walk… Jeff is a very patient guy when it comes to me taking pictures :)

Jeff put down a quarter for scale & this guy just crawled right over…

Double-click pictures to enlarge & you'll see the waterfowl...

After lunch, Jeff decides to try something new...

It's a dessert Egg Roll (Strawberry Banana) which he said was "fudge-puppy-like",
he decided it was ok for him to have one since we'd skipped the State Fair this year.

What is that in the distance??

Turkeys!!

Back home, my Aster is blooming nicely (despite the bunnies trying to eat it to death)...

Considering some changes...

All along this blog was for the purpose of discovery… to discover the blessings in the everyday… to discover how I fit within God's purposes in this world… to appreciate the little things…

Lately all my blogging (I have 5) has become a bit of a burden, so I'm cutting back… does this mean this blog will go dormant?  Perhaps… I'm not 100% certain… but I'm sensing that it's time to back away & perhaps to let go…

Why do I feel this way?  Honestly, this blog takes a lot of time (even if it doesn't look like much) and it is time that could be spent in a more productive manner…  I also, on my recent Mission Trip to Ukraine, got the sense that my time spent on this blog is time God would rather I spend on more fruitful pursuits…  I could ignore my personal feelings, but when God leads I try very hard not to neglect His leading…

Are you curious about my Ukraine trip?  You can find photos here on this link to my Facebook album.

Even if this blog is discontinued the Dance continues...

And the Band Played On...

Mom left a couple days ago :(  and I just hadn't been up to blogging about the rest of her visit until now… when last I left off it was July 4th, mid day, and Mom & Jeff were putting together…

Jeff & Mom sitting on the table & chair set they put together… you can see the instructions taped to the siding...

Evening of July 4th found us at White Bear Lake, waiting for Jeff's concert to start. Marta was well rested by then...

Tim is relaxing… looking very much at home nestled in a pine tree :)

Our view of the lake...

Our view of the bandshell...

Our favorite band member, Jeff...

Later, when things were getting dark… band had been playing for a while by the time this photo was taken… wonderful as always & finished with Stars & Stripes Forever as the Fireworks started - Yes!!

Mom got a cute pair of Sandals while here, and kitty decided the box was hers...

I think she's a little annoyed that the camera disturbed her nap...

Mom playing some more with her new iPhone… by the time she left she was a pro!!

Saturday, the 6th, we went & played mini-golf… Mom got this close to the flag on her first shot on the last hole (shown getting ready for her 2nd shot)… almost a hole in one!!

We followed up mini-golf with lunch at Q Cumbers (wonderful salad bar) & later took Mom to Glockenspiel (a local German restaurant) for dinner.

Mom left on Monday… Oreo looks as bummed out as I feel… we miss her!!

Life is pretty much back to normal… we had a torrential downpour yesterday (once again I didn't need to water)...

I stopped by Ten Thousand Villages (my old haunt) while in the area yesterday, got to catch up a bit with Kathy (manager)… she gave me this nice selection of CDs to donate to our church's ESL Music Camps that will be taking place in Ukraine this summer - a sweet gift I'm certain the music teachers will really appreciate!!

Well, gotta go, gotta get ready to go for a get-together with our Small Group, we're doing a barbecue… and the band played on!!

Causing More Trouble...

Just kidding, of course… LOVE having my Mom here with us for an extended visit… here's what we've been up to the last few days….

On Monday we did some more running around, and in the afternoon Tim came by (he was on his way to D&D) and gave his Grandma some pointers on her iPhone.

Tim has always been so sweet with his Grandma!!

Monday night Mom treated Jeff & I to dinner at Red Lobster… she was craving Lobster, and who were we to deny her ;)

Tuesday Tim & Marta & Mom & I went on an Adventure!!  We went out into the Wilds of Wisconsin… ok, it's a farm in Wisconsin...

Why are all these people having picnics at this farm?  It's a farm that makes Pizza on Tuesday nights, fresh made pizza fired in wood-fired brick ovens right on sight… using ingredients right from the farm…

Though it's out in the boonies (no signs, you just have to "know") it is popular enough that you have to wait… we were order #141, we arrived about 45 minutes after they opened… mind you each order is typically multiple pizzas… so we had to wait only about 60 minutes for our 2 pizzas to appear… they disappeared much more quickly…  We had stopped at a local Pie Shop on the way in, so we had fresh pie for dessert… Fun & Yum!!


Wednesday found Mom & I sitting at the Mini dealer waiting for a Tire to be replaced… then going to one of my favorite Rock Shops to find a stone for a setting my Aunt Diane has requested.

Now it's Thursday, July 4th (can you tell by Mom's outfit), and we spent this morning at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis waiting to see Marta run by - she was in a 1/2 Marathon.

Our view from the bridge saw the Mill City Museum (broken building in the picture)...

And here comes Marta, we yelled & clapped and cheered her on… she's close to mile 13 of the 13+ miles in the 1/2 marathon…

There she goes, with a great big SMILE on her face… :)

Marta enjoying a rest in the shade and some treats at the Finish…

Love Marta's running shoes!!

Group pic with our hero Marta center-stage!

We'll catch back up with Tim & Marta again tonight… in the mean time we were hungry (we didn't have breakfast before we went to watch Marta) so we went to breakfast at Key's Cafe (love the place)...

I took this picture outside Key's to show the new necklace I finished last night… I wanted something festive for 4th of July...

Back home after breakfast, and I did some watering and plant tending… then decided I had earned a bit of a rest on the front porch… this is looking at the bird bath & feeders form the porch.

Looking out on the garden (a small portion) from the front porch…

I left Jeff & Mom out on the porch putting together a little table & chair set Jeff & I picked up at Fleet Farm, now I need to go get our early afternoon Supper ready since Jeff's band is playing the pre-fireworks show today in White Bear Lake… until next time!!