My Church

I don't go to church.  Have an opinion about that if you want.  My church is a quiet moment in nature a lot of times.  Sunrises, sunsets, northern lights, the lake, a trail in the woods.  Seeing those things and being near them lifts my spirits, makes me thankful for life, and clears my mind.

On Friday morning this week, this sunrise was my church.  With the great weather, I had wanted to catch a sunrise all week.  I was crabby and busy and thinking about a decision I would have to make soon.   By the end of Thursday I felt so frustrated, I decided to take Friday off to decompress.  After I dropped my son off at school, I saw that orange ball of fire coming up off the lake and knew God was calling me.  "Come to Jesus, girl."  I needed to be reminded that my life doesn't suck and things always work out.

 

Bike Riding at Lunch Down Memory Lane

 We've been having super weather for this time of year.  It feels like summer.  I rode my bike to work the other day...cuz I can!  It really feels like a second cup of coffee for me sometimes.  Everything is still pretty quiet that time of morning.

At lunchtime, I thought I would ride my bike down to the lake and just soak in awesomeness for an hour.  I sat on a bench and closed my eyes for a while.  Then I strolled down the beach.  I felt pretty blessed.

That particular space has a lot of memories for my family.  We'd take our kids there all the time when they were tater tots and we didn't have our own backyard.  I got a little sad looking at the playground.  You know that feeling as a parent when it feels sad, nostalgic but warm?  That was the one.

I remember when each my kids ran across the tops of the green tires by themselves for the first time, starting on the little ones and then trying the big ones.  My daughter loved to pushed insanely high and fast on the tire swing.  My son always running towards the beach to throw rocks in the water.  Why do those memories always evoke tears?  Are they tears of sadness or happiness?  Sadness because those days are gone and happiness because you were lucky to have them?  That's my guess.

Beerfest 2014

Last year was the first time I went to the local Beerfest.  Afterwards I had the strangest buzz.  So strange that when my husband asked me if I wanted to go again this year, I was not real excited.  But my sister-in-law needed a weekend away from home and wanted to drink beer so I said okay.

This year I plotted out my choices, staying away from all the hyped barrel-aged stuff.  Well, I did have one but I also managed to drink slow and sip some water now and again.  It worked out much better and we had a lot of fun.  The weather was perfect.  We drank beer, made fun of some people, laughed at ourselves and my husband got an autographed beer sign from the guys of Dark Horse Nation.

And we're off.  Nice photo bombers in the back.

Cheers to the lightweights in the chairs...one hour in.

Autographed sign..made hubby's day

Beer guzzling bunny band

Fat man on an apple swing

Last two tokens, baby.

Beach Bum

For the first time in nine years, I have taken vacation in August.  Like the middle of August.  It's so foreign to me.  In my previous job, we weren't allowed to take time off from mid-July through Labor Day because we were so busy.  I learned to just deal with it but in the back of my mind I always hated it.  It always felt like work stress kept me from enjoying half of my summer.  Our summer season up north is so short to begin with.

So when I started my new job, all I could think about was how different my summers were going to be.  I made sure to ask for time off both in July and August.  It has been wonderful.  Today, I went down to the beach at 10:30 in the morning...on a work day...in the middle of August.  So great!  I was alone, the water was calm, the sun was bright.  I had my favorite chair and a new book to read and I was in absolute heaven.

I am a beach bum.  Always have been.  I love sitting with my feet in the sand and reading.  And it's almost spiritual, the feeling of getting warmed up in the sun and then dunking in the ice cold water of the lake.  It recharges me.  It takes away stress and makes me feel like everything's going to be okay.