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.
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!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you – plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.
The future: Life growing inside a mother’s womb.
The following pictures were taken to chronicle the pregnancy of our daughter’s first child.
16 weeks
26 weeks
35 weeks
39 weeks
Claire
For Claire the potential for accomplishments are endless. Maybe she will cure cancer or end poverty. Perhaps, though, she will quietly work behind the scenes to make the world a better place.
In my world one love has a domino effect.
Matthew 22: 36-38 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”37 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment.
1 John 3:16a The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us.
Matthew 22: 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (represented by my beloved family)
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.
authors note: Photo cred for the crucifix belongs to me @terezpics. However, photo cred for the group photo of my family goes to KYon Photography. Check out more of her pictures on Facebook.
The Thinker – a sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917).
The original is in the Musee Rodin – Paris, France.
An imitation bookend is in my house in Texas.
Next……life imitates art.
Or maybe I just ‘think’ it does….
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/life-imitates-art/
Weekly Photo Challenge – Transitions.
Transitioning from ragamuffins to – phew that’s much better! – my son, Patrick and my dog, Lucy.
Going from shaggy headed to a buzz cut, my boy probably lost 5 pounds with that haircut.
My Westie is a pistol and she loves to do things her way. Rolling in the mud is a good day for her. Alas, in order to come back inside she had to have a big ole bath.
All cleaned up and looking good – both of them of such cuties!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/transition/
My grandson, Kolbe, provides a trio of characters to keep our days interesting.
Sometimes Batman is our fierce protector – after he finishes his breakfast.
Often, Captain America shows up to watch over all the children playing soccer.
But, then again, we all have those days when our dark side shows.
And, finally, a trio of Frozen characters. The cutest little girls in this whole big wide world. (I can say that because they are my granddaughters :))
I’m down 50 pounds from my heaviest weight. I am not the thinnest that I’ve ever been but these days, as a 50-something, I am trying to focus on being healthy as opposed to being skinny.
Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased with my progress.
At my heaviest I couldn’t run one minute without getting completely winded. Starting out slow and using a a couch-to-5K program I completed my first race six months after I began losing weight.
Then a Title Boxing Club opened in my hometown. I was invited to try a free class by a friend and I was hooked. The trainer pictured with me pushes me to try my hardest and do my best. As all the trainers do.
This past Saturday I participated in a 3 Hour Endurance Challenge. Our team of 5 ranged in age from 52 years-old to 14 years-old. We didn’t win but we got it done and had fun doing it. I am second from the right. The young man to my right is my 14 year-old son, Ben.
Losing 50 pounds before I turned 50 – Jubilance!
Keeping it off – Triumph!
Connecting with my son through working out – Joy & Pride!
Being physically healthy and fit – VICTORY!
<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/victory/”>Victory</a>
My Crazy Graced Life 