The Girls Who Could Fly

The first week in June we went to southern Minnesota for my dad's wedding. We stayed 2 nights in a local hotel not far from where the wedding was. One of the things that we have allowed the girls to do while we are at a hotel is jump from bed to bed. It is great way for them the burn off some pent up energy from sitting in the car for several hours. I always love the pictures that I get when they do this. Here are just a few of my favorites from this trip.

Let It Grow

Easter

Every year for Easter my mother-in-law makes cookies and dyes Easter eggs with the kids. It has been a tradition since Ada was old enough to sit up and hold the eggs. This year all of the fun was done at our house. My mother-in-law and her husband came up for the long weekend and we had so much fun and ate lots of cookies.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

But I wonder what April snow storms bring?

It was such a bummer to wake up on April 15 and see several inches of snow on the ground and news of possibly more. However, it was absolutely beautiful!

Swimming, Flooding, Baking and More

I have been a very bad blogger! I guess you could say I have had a bad case of bloggers block. So here I am to get a little caught up on things.

First, my new habit challenge. I am happy to say that now, just over 4 month in and well past my 66 day challenge, I am still exercising. Not every day but I do try to get in at least 3-5 days a week. I'm still not in love with exercising but I only kind of hate it now. However, I am in love with how I feel. I am amazed at how different I feel and that, truly, is what keeps me going. About 3 weeks into my challenge the snow plow went by and plowed our driveway shut with a 2 foot mound of heavy snow. I went out to help Kelly shovel so that we could get the cars in the driveway and was amazed at my stamina. In the past I would not have been able to shovel for more than 5 minutes. I was able to do almost half the driveway and even Kelly was shocked at how far I was throwing the snow.

Second, it is spring in Crookston which means flooding.
So far the water is going where it is supposed to. Every year the campground next to the river floods instead of the water coming into the neighborhoods along the river. It really seems to be a pretty neat set up.

Both of the girls had swimming in gym this year. I was pretty shocked being that they are both in elementary school, but they were so excited and loved it. They only allowed parents to be there for the kindergartners so I was not able to get pictures of Ada but I did get some of Emily.






Emily has always been my little helper. I never have to ask if she wants to help me with anything. One of her favorite things to help me with is baking. I don't bake very often so when I do I try and make sure that she has something to do.




On this afternoon we made chocolate chip banana bread. I did not get a picture of it after I baked it because it didn't last long enough.

One of my favorite things about spring is going to a scarp booking retreat with my sister. It is 3 days of scrap booking and making my sister laugh (one of my favorite things to do!). We stay up late, sleep in, go for walks and have such a good time. I love my sister so much and next to going on vacation with my husband and kids, this is one of the highlights of my year!

A Date With My Favorite 6 Year Old

About a month ago Ada was invited to a friends birthday party at the water park in Grand Forks so Emily and I decided to have a little girls day. First we played Wii and then went out for pizza and ice cream at Happy Joe's. It was so fun to just get to sit and listen/talk with her. Being the youngest and quite timid, she doesn't get to be the center of attention very often.

We've Got Mail

When I was a kid I loved getting mail. It didn't happen very often but I would get very excited when it did. As an adult, getting mail has lost it's spark. Usually it's bills or junk mail. Nothing too exciting. However, since moving to Crookston we have gotten several care packages from family and friends back in the cities. It is always so exciting to find a box at the front door and to see the look on the girls faces when they see that it is for them.

So, if I have not said so yet to the people who have sent us fun things, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

A New Habit

According to several websites on the internet it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit.

Here is what I am going to do and I am bringing all 6 of my followers with me. I am going to form a new habit. What is it? Exercise. Why? Because I want to be healthier and be a good example to my kids.

I have realized lately that exercise has to be a part of my life. Not just a quick month or two to lose a few pounds but an actual part. This means that I have to form a habit of exercising.

Here is my plan. I have committed myself to exercising 6 days a week for 30-40 minutes a day (the Department of Health and Human Services suggests 30 minutes a day) alternating strength and cardio. I hate exercise but I will do this for at least the 66 days that is the average to form a habit. I started on January 4 (no this is not a New Years resolution. I don't believe in them) and I will be checking in periodically on my blog to let you know how I am doing.

Here is what I have done so far. As of January 4th I have worked out 10 times and have done a total of 400 crunches. I have also gone from barley being able to do 3 or 4 push-ups to doing 9. I know that might not sound like much but for me it is huge.

So, wish me luck. Keep an eye out for my updates and send me a message every now and then to keep me going.

The Happiest Place On Earth

Taking a family vacation has always been very important to Kelly and I. Every year so far we have gone to Disney World and every year we have just as much fun. The kids love it and every year we have managed to see or learn something new.

One of my favorite things about vacation is eating out every day. This year we wanted to try all new restaurants. Thanks to the World Showcase at EPCOT we where even able to eat in different countries. We had Moroccan, French, African and Greek/American. We also ate at a few American restaurants that were wonderful.

The weather was a bit cool for Florida but it was still much warmer than Minnesota. The girls got their faces painted, we did a family caricature, saw all of the Disney Christmas lights and just had a really good time hanging out together.

Happy Anniversary Golft Terrace Motel

January 1 marks the 1 year anniversary of us taking over the motel. It has been a year of growing pains. Some good, some hard, some funny. We have grown so much in the last year as people and as a family.

One of the biggest things that I think we have learned is that no matter how we try and control things God is the one in charge. We can try and tell him how to run our lives, give him our opinion on what we think is best, but in the long run it is all up to Him.

We have been so blessed by this little motel over the last year and every month (even the slow months) it has met our needs. We have met some very interesting and fun people as well as been able to help a few people in need.

I am so looking forward to what God has planned for us and the motel in the next year.

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of some of the things that I have been thankful for this year.

I am thankful for (in no specific order):

A loving God who always knows what is best for us even when we think we do.
A motel that provides our family with everything we could ever need.
Kids that make me laugh every day.
A husband that gets my weird sense of humor.
A house that got re-sided and re-roofed right before we bought it.
Family that has supported our crazy adventure here in Crookston. Even if the support was after a bit of, "Huh? You're doing what?".
Kids who are very well behaved, smart, independent, creative, loving, funny, caring, generous. . . . . I could go on forever.
My dogs.
Plumbing that works and great water pressure in our old house.
A husband who can fix above said plumbing.
Radiators that keep our old house warm.
The snow falling outside right now (it is beautiful!).
Old friends, new friends, and future friends.
Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Light. I know that is a weird thing to be thankful for but I really am.
A dry basement.
Thunderstorms.
Faith. Without faith I would have nothing.

My Sister, My Therapist, My Friend

I have been blessed to have one of the most beautiful, talented, fun, caring sisters. If not for her advice to "stay calm" I would be in a hospital right now curled up in a ball crying (that's where her therapist side comes in).

My sister and I did not always get along. She was the older sister who I looked up to and wanted to be just like. I was the little sister who annoyed her by using the phone in her room and stealing her sweaters.

We only shared a room until I was 3 and then after that our parents made sure that we had our own space. However, when we had guests spend the night (grandparents or friends staying from out of town) then we were forced to share a room for the weekend. One of the things that my sister loved to do to me during our sleep overs was scare me. As soon as mom tucked us in and turned out the lights Missy would whisper, "Debbie, there's someone at the window." Now, had I thought for just a second I would realize that would not be possible. Our bedrooms were on the second floor. However, it scared me to death

Having our own rooms was very helpful in keeping the peace at our house. Unless Missy would come into my room. I was the youngest and quite territorial. When I would tell her to leave my room she would drop to the floor and say, "I can't move. You'll have to carry me out." Did I mention I am 6 years younger than her? Carrying her out was not an option at that age.

I don't know at what point we realized that we had much more in common than stealing clothes and trying to scare each other.

I am happy to say that today she is truly one of my best friends. She talked me through the first few days of being a new mom. She talked me through helping Ada deal with a bully on the bus in kindergarten. She let me know ahead of time that my kids were going to ask questions that I was not ready to answer and I just needed to stay calm. And it worked.

Have I Mentioned We Do Alot Of Laundry Here?

Well, the last few weeks here have been crazy busy! The harvest is done so all of the beet drivers are gone. We will now stop being full all week and begin our weekend hockey tournaments and traveling Canadians. Hopefully we will have some time to breath and do some maintenance on the motel and at home and I will have some more time to update my blog.

We are so thankful that we were so busy this summer and have had an amazing time learning the motel business. I was very skeptical when Kelly brought this whole crazy idea to me last year and I am so glad that I let him lead us here. We have met some very interesting and fun people and have experienced so many new things that we never would have before.

I am also so grateful to God for seeing us through this adventure. Without Him we would have never been able to do this.

Happy Birthday Chicken

Nine years ago today Ada made me a mommy for the first time. She is so much fun to have as a member of our family and I am so thankful for her and her humor.

Ada is always looking for an audience and has such an innocent take on life. I have started calling her our "free-range child" due to her free-spirit and crazy attitude. I love this little girl so much and can not wait to see what she comes up with in the next year.

Below are a couple of what I call "Ada-isms".

"When I grow up I want to be a single. I will not drive a car. I will ride my bike everywhere. Not because I care about the environment, just because bikes are cool."

The other day Ada's teacher was reprimanding a boy in class for goofing off. She then asked the rhetorical question, "who thinks he's funny?" Ada was the only one to raise her hand.

Radi Sugar Beet Harvest

This week Kelly was able to participate in one of the most touching things I have ever seen in my life.

Last month, just as the wheat harvest was ending, a local farmer died of cancer. He was only 36 years old and left behind a wife and three daughters.

The pre-pile for sugar beets starts several weeks before the actual sugar beet harvest. The farmers harvest several rows of beets around each field and bring them to the plant (the actual sugar beet harvest starts October 1). Each farmer has only 4-5 trucks to bring the beets to the plant and 1 lifter to get the beets from the ground to the truck. The pre-pile usually takes 3-4 days, depending on the weather. The entire Radi harvest was done in a matter of hours.

Below are some pictures that Kelly was able to take with his cell phone during the harvest and 2 links to local articles that have all the details and some pictures of the harvest. Grab a tissue, click on the link and be prepared to have a good cry.

http://www.crookstontimes.com/features/x191999923/Friends-family-and-farmers-rally-to-harvest-Radi-beets-in-a-few-hours

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/291900/

FOOD!

Most people who know me know that I love to eat. I mean LOVE to eat. Gooey, greasy, fatty foods. I don't care for veggies or fruit and have to force myself to eat them. I am always planning the next meal. If we go on a road trip I have to know when, where and how often we will be eating. If Kelly and I share a pizza I will eat half. Easy!

Now on the other hand, one thing that I don't like is getting my picture taken. There are very few pictures of me that I actually like and almost none that I love. The funny thing about these two things is that one of the few pictures I do like of me is of me, you guessed it, eating.

These pictures were taken by my sister when we were shooting a wedding together. She needed a model (and I use that term loosely) to help set up some shots. I was in the middle of eating and, of course, was not about to put down my food.

WHAT?! No Apple Orchards?

I was shocked when I found out that we do not have apple orchards up here. Something about the growing season being too short or something. I wasn't sure how I was going to get through the fall without my apple orchard and hay ride fix.

So, here is what we do in the Red River Valley in the fall. We visit the Polk County Museum and the Sugar Beet Museum. I didn't get my bag of apples but I did get a ride on a trailer pulled by a tractor (kind of like a hay ride) to watch a demonstration of beet harvesting. It actually was pretty cool.

Me, Kelly and the kids on the "Beet Harvest Demo Ride". No, Ada does not have allergies or anything. She was just being Ada.

At the Sugar Beet Museum they also had a threshing show. They had an old steam tractor that ran the thresher to demonstrate how they did it many years ago. I did not get any pictures of that but Emily was kind enough to give us a little demonstration of her own.