A Day at the MOA

I had promised the kids all summer a day at the Mall of America of JUST riding rides, since we usually only shop and eat there. As we were walking into the amusement park area, I had a "pirates of penzeance" moment when I saw this sign!!!! I am probably more excited than Casey, but I can't wait to take "Kit and Elizabeth" to get their hair done! Maybe I should work there.... hmmmm, don't think much $ would make it home....

Casey and Austin taking the WII Fit Family Challenge - there are always new things to explore and experience at the MoA.

Yes, all three kids were on all these rides - they are crazy. This "Mighty Axe" ride about did Nicole in though - she was screaming at Austin to hang on!

Silly Girls

As I was downloading my pics, I had a little surprise with these "self portraits" the girls took of themselves!

A Sweet Ride

Yesterday afternoon, Cary and I took a long awaited drive on the motorcycle. As we were driving through the winding country roads, I wished I had brought a camera, but also realized that the pictures would never capture the beauty. I'm not sure why everything is more vivid and natural when riding a motorcycle compared to the car, but the only reasons I could figure were 1: nobody can talk to me :) and 2: the sense of smell is heightened, and 3: my hands are holding onto my man :). I will always be a Florida girl at heart, but I have gained a deep love and appreciation for the northern beauty of Minnesota. We took some of our favorite back roads and also some new ones around 5:00 in the afternoon. The angle of the sun is already changing here so the shadows were long and lean. There is something so beautiful about hills and valleys bright with green grass reflecting the long shadows of the tall cottonwood trees. The sky was the bluest blue it can possibly be and everything was so green. There was a light wind and the leaves on the trees were flitting around. We passed over several creeks and rivers and you can hear the water rushing underneath and even smell the difference in the air when you pass over the water. The other scent strong in the air is that of the evergreens - pines and spruces. I never get tired of that freshness. There was a huge field of fully bloomed goldenrod and with the late afternoon sun, I thought of my photographer friends :) who would have loved to be clicking away in that field. On the side of the road out in the country, there was a grandpa who had set up a stand right out of his truck for his three little grandaughters to sell their "freshly picked wild blackberries and raspberries". Oh, how I wished for my camera at that moment. But even though i didn't have it, I have the peacefulness and appreciation for a nature that only a very creative God could be the author of.

My Football Player

Austin is starting his second year of playing football. He definitely has grown physically from last year and is enjoying that aspect this year on the field! So far, they've had only practices; games start in a few weeks. Once again, we are very happy with his coaches - they challenge the boys to leadership, respect and working as hard as they can.

The Broken Road

This summer has been a difficult one for our family. And the last week has been even more so. It has been a time of intervening and seeking truth. There is a great weight of trying to find the truth amid the fog and then making decisions that affect every person in our family. We have made progress in the last few days; there is peace amid the storm and pain; there is also hope mingled in with sadness and grief. I have been so impressed by God to battle for this precious child of mine, and then to release the great grip of control that I think I somehow have, and let Him do His work. Even when it doesn't seem so, He is in control, He knows where she is, He is working in her heart and also in mine. For those who have read The Shack, it reminds me of when Mack steps into the garden with Sarayu and Mack tells her that it looks like a mess to him. What does Sarayu say? "Thank you! What a wonderful compliment!" and then later also tells Mack "This garden is your soul. This mess is you! Together, you and I, we have been working with a purpose in your heart. And it is wild and beautiful and perfectly in process. To you it seems like a mess, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive - a living fractal." Well, in my eyes, this can look like the big mess that Mack sees. But I'm slowly seeing that it's really a beautiful garden in the making. It's a mosaic in process. But we (me) who are of the more "structured" kind, like it to be a neater process - orderly and sensible, a beginning and an end. The garden should look more like a well tended english garden. But God doesn't worry about that. He says "trust me - watch and you will see". But the process is difficult and sometimes sorrowful.



Once again, I realize that this tender loving God is at work, not only in my child's life, but also in mine. I never ever thought a mother's heart could ache this much without it being a death. It's easy to allow anger and hurt to reign and consume, but then He brings me back to what is real. I am learning (present tense) to lay down my shattered heart and step over it to get to hers. I am "learning" to redirect who I'm angry at for all this pain - the one who comes to steal life and freedom. "Be mad at the problem, not the person"- wise words to live in. I'm learning that many will offer conventional human wisdom, but that the voice of my God will lead to peace and love and grace. I have to be quiet and in the living word to recognize that voice. I'm learning to listen, even more so, to know how to love and forgive beyond my limited capability. I'm learning to accept that this will be a very long road (which goes back to the orderly issue) with many twists and turns and that my weariness or frustration will not serve me well on that road.


Our beautiful, tender hearted, confused, hurting daughter has made the courageous choice to seek help, so next week, we begin that part of the journey. On the very day that we were supposed to take her to college, we will instead be entering a new world to us - a center that offers treatment and healing. Please keep her and our family in your prayers.

A Day of Canoeing

While Casey is at camp, we took Austin canoeing about an hour north of us at Taylors Falls on the St. Croix River. It's one of our favorite places to canoe, and the weather was stunning! It was about 80 degrees and blue skies and we just enjoyed the day. We took Bella, who was sooooo good and she had a blast!

Here is one of many bald eagles we saw. This one (in the middle) was eating a clam or fish - it was hard to tell. They were soaring all around the bluffs.

Some turtles (just for you Hannah)

Early in the trip, Austin turned to Cary (who was paddling in the back of the canoe) and said "um, dad, there's a boat coming behind us". We turned around and couldn't believe this was the "boat"! We couldn't stop laughing!

This was a small creek that emptied into the river, and oh my, was it ever cold. If it had been early summer, we would've thought it was melting snow, but it's too late for that, so we think it was a spring. We tried to follow it, but the woods got too thick. My feet hurt so bad from the cold water!

There were mussels everywhere, and they are humongous!

Bella's Adventures!

This was after she went in the very very cold creek - I couldn't believe she followed us in it! She climbed back into the canoe and into the warm bag of towels.

Casey's at Camp

Casey is at camp this week with two friends, Kari and Kinsey. This is the same camp that Casey and Kari went to last year and had such a great time! They came home saying they wanted to be camp counselors when they were old enough. Here are a few pics I took (while Casey & Kari rolled their eyes - "no more pictures!").

Arriving at camp

The fun stuff on the lake, including canoeing, kayaking, tubing and fishing

But first, they must pass the dreaded swim test!

You know how Casey is . . . there was a plan as to where everything would go and how her bed would look.

The opening rally

Summer Fun

Yesterday we went to the "beach". That's what we Minnesotans call the river! It's called St. Croix Lake, but it's actually a river. We had a very relaxing day (which was desperately needed after teenage issues - ugh). It's one of our favorite summer things to do. We took a picnic lunch and my friend Sher and her daughter met up with us too. You get sand everywhere, so it's a little like the real beach in that sense, and you just come home feeling relaxed and sunshiny.

Yum yum! Our fave thing to take - fried chicken & watermelon (can ya tell I'm from the south?)

A sandcastle contest got started - girls against the boys - and Austin won with his dirtbike/hotel complex!

Girl Day

Casey and I had girl day today, as Austin is at a friend's cabin and daddy is flying. We rode our bikes to Subway (Casey's fave) and then over to our nail salon for some manis and pedis. This is our ultimate chick time and we love it. Casey is always very adventurous with her nail colors, and I am not, as hard as she tried to get me to paint my toes metallic blue! Her fingernails are a neon green! It was a very fun Saturday and we had yet another gorgeous day.