A trip to Shanghai provided many opportunities to see names in English and the character equivalents in Mandarin.
Our hotel in the Shanghai ‘suburb’ of Jiading
Ikea and Amway
Grocery items at the local Auchan (equivalent to Wal-Mart)
A wealth of western shopping opportunities in downtown Shanghai
A street sign on a side street
McDonald’s quarterpounder and KFC/Pizza Hut
A wonderful trip!
Sometimes the path is cold, cloudy, empty and feels lonely
Other times it is filled with sunshine, joy, chaos and love
Our path continues to grow with the addition of a new grandbaby
Without fail my Christmas tree invokes a sense of peace and relaxation. During this busy and hectic time of year I relish a quiet morning – or evening – spent gazing upon the colored lights and ornaments filled with memories. Today, the rain outside, the animals and the fireplace were an added bonus.
It’s not this time of year without the madness of the Black Friday frenzy. And, while I have, in past years, jumped on the bandwagon in search of savings, this year I had no desire to join the crowds.
However, I did feel the need to get outside and make the most of the sunshine and mild temperatures. With such good weather my daughter and I made a plan to visit dinosaurs and explore trails at The Heard Museum in McKinney, Texas.
Arriving earlier than the rest of the family I was able to get in two miles before we met up. I enjoyed the solitude in nature as I encountered fewer and fewer people the farther out I went.
The water, the turtles and our version of autumn
When they arrived I met them on the dinosaur trail, and as I came up behind the kids I was met with the wonderfully familiar sound of “NAAANNAA” as they caught sight of me.
Dinosaurs – oh my! Let’s take a a selfie.
As we wandered along we came across a trail that none of us had been on in a while and decided to follow it. Five year old Kolbe was convinced that this was the trail with the giant white sycamore and really wanted to find the tree. Despite the rain a few days ago everything had been relatively dry so we thought, “okay!”
It may have been a little muddy in a few spots.
We were thoroughly enjoying our hike when we came across areas that had obviously been flooded. Seeing a bridge which had been washed away from who-knows-where along with all of the piled up branches, trees and debris we commented on the damage.
See the bridge?
Walking a bit further we suddenly found the spot where the bridge had been. And, it was where we needed to cross. 
We wondered, “Should we turn around and retrace our steps or see if we can get across?”
Now let me set this scene for you. We were a party of seven. One Nana – that’s me, one daddy, one pregnant mommy, two school-age kids and two young-un’s.
The littlest ones
What the heck – it was time to be adventurous. If we fell in the water or slipped in the mud it wouldn’t be too bad. After all, it was 62 degrees with sunshine and no wind!
It’s an adventure payoff! We all got across and no one fell in!
Time for another selfie. Or two!
AND – we found the giant sycamore! More than 160 years old!
As we came to the end of the trail we realized we had been hiking a closed trail. Due to damage from flooding. Oops.
I don’t know what happened to the sign at the start of the trail, but our ‘adventures’ made a good day truly memorable.
At Mass the community atmosphere is warm and welcoming and it’s always good to see the House of God filled with people.
But, every once in a while I get the opportunity to walk into the sanctuary when no one else is around. The feeling I get at that moment is indescribable. Surrounded by beauty that is both simple and refined I am often overwhelmed by the gift of Jesus in my life. And, I am thankful for the quiet moment to enjoy His presence.
Taken on my IPhone I didn’t even realize the mirror of Christ was part of the baptismal font. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered ‘my’ clever skills.
I had heard stories of Minnesota mosquitos but, as our plane left Dallas and pointed north I forgot them.
My mom and I were going to the wedding of my niece, Kelli, and, once we landed – and the rain cleared out – we were left with weather perfected. Lows in the high-50’s and highs in the low 80’s and low humidity made for a wonderful, and much appreciated, break from the oppressive heat and high humidity we had been experiencing.
The wedding was beautiful and joyful – as weddings should be – and I loved watching as Kelli was happily wed to Erik. They – along with two year-old Jace, are good together and make a super sweet family.
Finding myself with free time the next day the cool morning beckoned me outside to do some exploring.
Elk River had lots of natural settings to enjoy and my soul was filled with appreciation for this little piece of heaven. An abundance of huge evergreens conjured up visions of Christmas trees covered in snow and laced with twinkling lights.
Quaint landscapes with red barns and the meandering Mississippi River invoked feelings of tranquility and peace.
But, relaxing landscapes and Christmas dreams aside, I wanted to do some hiking, and, lucky me, trails were easy to find. There was an abundance of choices, all within a 10 minute drive.
Looking at a map of the parks I settled on one described as “home to six miles of challenging trails through 80 acres of oak forest”
Perfect!
My exuberance apparently fogged my brain and in the excitement of my impending adventure I didn’t remember that Minnesota had received a lot of rain in the previous weeks.
And, I didn’t remember that bugs tend to be worse near bodies of water.
And, I didn’t remember that when you combine standing water – or streams or rivers or lakes – with a canopy of trees that mosquitoes tend to multiply exponentially.
And, I didn’t remember that, as a general rule, mosquitos LOVE me.
Most important…..I didn’t remember bug spray.
Can you tell what’s coming?
Yep, as I hiked into the forest I discovered there were plenty of those pesky parasites and each time I stopped moving they were determined to move in for the kill feast.
The hike was now forgotten and the race was on as I began running. They wanted to eat me alive? Well, first they were going to have to catch me! I foolishly felt sure I would win this contest.
Oh I was so wrong.
Each time I stopped I resembled a wild woman – waving my arms all around while slapping myself. Obviously, I wasn’t going to be stopping too often, or for very long, so checking my gps was going to be a challenge. As a result, I took a wrong turn and went deeper into the woods instead of out.
Forty-five minutes – and what felt like four thousand bites later, it was the pests who got the win. Dragging my sorry bit-up butt out of the forest I admitted defeat.
Mosquitoes – one, me – zero.
And, okay, let’s be real – four thousand might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Oh well. What’s an adventure without a little adversity? The wonderful time I had with family while enjoying beautiful sights and amazing temperatures made my potentially serious lapse in thinking a minor nuisance. Overall – I had fun and that was worth dealing with a few bug bites.
Minnesota….I still love you. I may have lost the race but the beauty of the area – and some Benadryl – made my not-so-clever choice well worth the aggravation.
This weeks photo challenge is Mornings.
Often I find a good morning will set the tone for the day and spectacular sunrises are always a good sign. Add in some critters and coffee and I’m reminded, once again, of how great God is.
Stunning Skies
Coffee and Flowers
Bird Watching
Sunrise With a Spider
Squirrel Antics
It’s a good morning!
Looking up to see Fahua Pagoda in the historical city of Jiading.
Originally constructed during the reign of Emperor Kaixi (1205-1207) during the Song Dynasty. Seven Stories tall it has wooden stairs to the top which gives a birds-eye view of the city.
At night the lights make it even more special.
This weeks photo challenge was depicting admiration for either a person or a place. After giving it a little thought I knew my choice had to be Pope Francis.
When he was elected on March 14, 2013 I had no idea who Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina was. But from the moment he stepped out onto that balcony in Vatican Square saying, “let’s always pray for ourselves, one for the other, let’s pray for the whole world, for a great brotherhood.” And, “please pray for me” I was enamored.
A beautiful spring day and, in the middle of a school break, my family and I had taken a daytrip to Downtown Dallas to see the brand new Klyde Warren Park when the announcement was made. It just so happens that the park is right down the street from Cathedral Guadalupe. As ‘pope watch’ notifications started jamming up my phone the bells at the cathedral began tolling. We left the park and went back to the church where news crews were arriving on the scene to talk to faithful Catholics in the area. As the bells kept up their ringing the church staff hung drapes to celebrate our new leadership. The excitement was palpable and intense. It was so much fun to be downtown with the bells and people – I’ll always remember that afternoon!
Last year, when he visited the U.S. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. 
Sitting at the doctor with my hurt son (turns out he ruptured ligaments in his foot – ouch) I watched his arrival on my phone and was hard-pressed not to jump up and down and call out updates. I came close to mortifying my 16 year-old who was terrified I would not actually be able to contain my enthusiasm.
Our church happened to be doing our annual fundraiser/carnival during the same time as his visit. We had a large cut-out of the Pope for photo ops. I may have looked for several opportunities to get my picture with ‘The Pope’.
I am a dork and I am okay with this because Pope Francis is wonderful.
He continues to encourage each of us to love and humbly serve one another. He is the living action – not just saying the words but setting the example everyday.
I admire him immensely.
My Crazy Graced Life 