Happy Halloween from Dexter & Debra Morgan!

We love the Showtime series Dexter and I've always thought Tyge looks like Michael C. Hall (Dexter), so last year we dressed up as brother and sister team Dexter & Debra Morgan. Not many people at last year's party watched the show or knew who we were, so we went as the Morgans again to a few Halloween parties this past weekend to see if we could get more recognition. :)

Dexter Morgan

Tyge as Dexter (2010)

Debra Morgan

Us as the Morgan siblings in 2010

And again in 2011!

We had a nice weekend, albeit busy once again! We spent the entire day on Saturday putting away deck/screen porch furniture and sanding, priming, and painting our front door and spray painting all the knobs and outside 80's brass (now bronze!) fixtures. It was a loooong day but good to get done - I'll show pics once it's all dry. Saturday night came as a much needed break to celebrate Halloween at a few parties after a long day's work. First we stopped by Tyge's coworker Ann's place to say a quick hello and see their awesomely decorated house. Then we met the rest of our friends at the Shaffer house for their annual Halloween party! There were kiddos and adults (and dogs!) all having a great time there and it was so good to see that group, as we hadn't in awhile. We made a stop at Jimmy's on the way home to check out what the costumes were like this year, then called it a night. Yesterday was church, finishing the door (another 6 hours of it), then our favorite Sunday night event - DEXTER!

Tonight we'll hand out candy to the neighborhood kids, which is always a treat (trick or treat?) to see the cute costumes. Two years ago for our first Halloween in the neighborhood, we bought a case of king size Snickers bars from Costco to hand out and had almost no one come by the house because we had just moved in (that day in fact!). I'm going to be THAT neighbor this year and hand out Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, and Skittles. What can I say? I don't want the leftover chocolate in the house!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Labrashark!

Duuuh duh....Duuuuh duh...Duuuh duh....look out! It's Labrashark!

Miss Keely is thrilled with her Halloween costume this year (as most dogs in costume are)! When she was little we referred to her as the "labrashark" because her puppy teeth were so sharp and she would chew on anything she could get those teeth on - see?

Lookit how stinkin' cute she was as a puppy!!!

This costume was perfect for her! Behold, the Labrashark:

Help me - I'm being eaten by a shark!

Aren't you even a little bit concerned about this situation, Mom?

I am! Get this thing off me!

No, seriously. Get it off and stop taking pictures.

Fine, I will take matters into my own hands. Er, mouth.

Okay fine, one last picture...only cause I look so cute.

Okay, we're done now, ya hear?!

Thanks to Keely for being such a good girl during our little photo shoot. She makes the cutest shark I've ever seen, and she doesn't even actually bite anymore! :)

ME time

I got to go for a run tonight! I was home earlier than normal from work so strapped on my shoes, and Tyge, Keely and I headed out for a quick 2.5 mile spin around part of the lake. I'll be honest, I haven't run consistently since July (training for the 4th of July 10K) and haven't ran at ALL since the day I started miscarrying over a month ago. Anyway, I was afraid that I'd have to walk for part of the distance but I'm happy to report that I ran the whole 2.5 miles! (Okay fine, I walked for a tiny stretch up a big hill...) Bottom line is, my endurance isn't totally gone - hooray! I remember training so hard for the half marathon last September then taking a month off and being so disappointed when I was barely able to jump right back in with an easy 3 miler. However, I was just fine today! Thankfully, as I signed up for a Thanksgiving Day 5K - I was relieved that I won't be in over my head after taking such a long break. :)

Running does something like singing for me - it energizes me, makes me feel alive, is my ME time. Part of the reason I haven't run in so long is we've been so crazy busy with, well, life, that I haven't made time for ME. Running for me is like eating right and being in the Word - all things that take discipline but are SO worth the time and effort, are life giving and keep me balanced, keep me the best version of ME. Running is not only a way to keep the "fluff" at bay, but it's my stress relief, my anger management, my quiet time, my time with the Lord in prayer, my ME time.

I get discouraged that I'm not able to make time for a run as often as I'd like, because I don't get home from work until after 6, then wouldn't be home from a run until 7, then would make dinner and wouldn't eat until 8, and that just gets to be late...Plus now it's getting darker earlier so it's not even an option to run after work on a normal day! So on nights like tonight, I am so grateful I was able to fit a run in - the cool air and sunset over the lake were perfect running conditions and I loved every minute of it.

My goal is to make running more a part of my weekly fitness regime, once again. I'm doing the bootcamp 2-3 times per week, and would like to make time to run 1-2 times a week as well. So there you have it, goals set!

Speaking of bootcamp, I have to get up at 5:15 AM for it so goodnight!

Yup.

I need to remember this when I'm making excuses to not exercise!

3TT

I missed this last week - oops! Like I said, I may not get to it EVERY week, but here's today!

Three Things I'm Thankful For:
1. The weight lifted from having a clean house and no looming to-do list. Actually, I am just plan thankful for our HOUSE! I love our home and feel so comfortable in it. Having it sparkling clean just makes me enjoy it even more. :)


2. The ability to eat healthy - many people cannot afford to make healthy eating choices, as the $1 menu at McD's is cheaper than making a clean eating meal with veggies and protein at home. I am so grateful that Tyge and are blessed with finances that allow us to purchase and cook healthy food.



3. A night of margin tonight - nothing to do. Aaaaah. 

Three Things I'm Praying For:
1. Safety for all the hunters in the coming weekends - especially my husband! And Keely. :)


2. Ears to hear the new sermon series at Woodland Hills - Relatively Speaking - and the wisdom to act on the things we're learning about Kingdom principles as they relate to family.

3. Direction and open doors for Tyge on something that is important to him (and therefore me!).

With eyes on Him,
Kate

Get out of that pit!

You know when you're in a "pit" and the further down you go, the harder it is to climb out? It's like that for me anyway...always has been! Something will pile up and keep getting worse, and the prospect of getting out of it seems so daunting that doing nothing seems like a better idea. Until it gets really bad, then it must be dealt with. The best way is to just pray for motivation, dig in, and DO IT! The easiest thing for me to do is convince myself that I can "do it tomorrow", "start tomorrow", etc. The American way is procrastination, it seems!


I've been in some serious pits in my life in the past, and I'm thankful that these days my pits are a bit smaller, but nonetheless frustrating and serious for me. The two biggest pits I fall into consistently are keeping the house in order and keeping my weight off.


The first pit of a messy room/house/growing chores list is easy for me to excuse away or justify as "we're busy" (which we are, no doubt!) and things pile up. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but we have been gone so many weekends that my overnight bags from Garry cabin weekend (in, um, JULY) were still sitting packed in my closet. The house desperately needed a deep clean, my clothes needed to be picked up and the seasons changed out (that in itself is a huge undertaking for me!), and we just needed a few uninterrupted days to get it all done. Thankfully, we had that this weekend! Tyge and I made breakfast together on Saturday morning, made a to-do list and delegated who would do what chore. After a big "Go Team Clean!" we were off! We tirelessly worked from about 10 AM to 5 PM and got SO MUCH done - it was awesome! We played some rockin' music and together as a team knocked a lot off our list. We finished the rest after church on Sunday and collapsed in a pile on the couch just in time to reward ourselves and watch Dexter and Homeland. As we laid in bed last night (on clean sheets, in a clean room) it felt so good! I can't explain the weight lifted off my shoulders of having all that work done and having a clean house, a clean slate. I don't know why I can let it get so bad (being busy is not a good excuse) but I know I won't anymore. If I can just do a little bit each week it won't pile up! However, when it was as bad as it was (my house wasn't filthy or anything, it was mainly massive amounts of clothes shoved in my closet haha), the prospect of getting to the bottom of it was daunting - it seemed impossible at first, but once we dug in, we got it done.


The second and more reoccurring issue, body image/weight struggles, is something I've dealt with my entire life. I fluctuate weight more than anyone I know, and can gain or lose up to 5 pounds in one week! At 5'9'' tall I've had my lows (125 - in a bad relationship, not a healthy weight!), my highs (206) and my "happy weight" (155ish). I remember specific periods in my life by what I weighed, what clothes I wore, etc. The reason my closet is bulging is because I have sizes ranging from 6-16 - I can't get rid of the small clothes in case I lose the weight and I am afraid to get rid of the big clothes in case I need them again! Vicious cycle! Almost two years ago (February 2009) was when I hit my highest (206) and decided to do something serious about it. With my amazing husband's support and blessing, I joined Slimgenics and lost 50 pounds in a little over 5 months. I felt so good with the weight off that I reignited my love of running and ran my first half marathon in September! I do have a passion for healthy and clean eating and cooking, and love exercise, sometimes I just get busy, lazy, and don't stick with it. It's much quicker, easier, and instantly gratifying to eat pizza and sit on the couch rather than make a healthy meal and go for a run, but leaves me with a guilty feeling, a gutache, and two extra pounds on my hips. Why can't I remember that?!?!


Anyway, I was able to keep my weight off for that summer and fall, put some on again over the winter, and lost it all again for our anniversary trip last March. Since then however, I've put about 20 of those hard earned lost pounds back on. Talk about a yo-yo! As I would see the scale creep up into the single digits gained, it was easy to ignore or excuse away - I'll eat healthy tomorrow, I'll go for a run tomorrow, it's not thaaaat bad. However, now that I'm nearing the double digits of pounds away from my goal weight I can't stay in this pit any longer. All those cute clothes I hung up in my closet yesterday are tight and I'm not about to go buy bigger ones!!!! Getting the house cleaned and my closet cleared did something mentally for me - getting out of one pit helped jumpstart me to get out of another. I remember when I had the journey of losing 50 pounds ahead of me thinking what an insurmountable task it would be, but I did it. First was losing two pounds, then four, then 10, then 15, and so on, until I hit 50!!! And it's like that now - though I have about 20 to lose, I have to start with one. I have each new day, each new MEAL, to make a healthy choice. My body type isn't the one where I can eat whatever I want and not work out to maintain, I have to work at it! And because I was too busy, too overwhelmed, too unmotivated to work to maintain my weight this summer, I have to work extra hard to get out of the pit I'm in now and lose it again. I'm up to the challenge!


It's so incredible to me that when I'm in a pit, I forget to involve God to get my way out. I figure He doesn't care about something as trivial as my messy house or my weight struggles. I forget that He loves every part of me and my issues are His issues, my hurts are His hurts, no matter how big or small. I started praying for motivation a few weeks ago and He delivered! I'm going to continue to invite Him into my struggles, invite Him into the pits I'm in and ask for His help in getting out.


Something I love from Beth Moore's book, Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance, is how she explains that deliverance is for everyone - no matter how you got stuck, no matter how long you've been down, whether you think you deserve it or not, deliverance can begin this very day. Not tomorrow, but TODAY. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, that “Every one of us who authentically calls Jesus Lord has the right and power to be victorious.” Can I get an Amen?! :) When you find yourself in a pit, she suggests that to break the chain of distraction (my biggest one), addiction, and destruction, you should cry out, confess, and consent to the Lord.


Then, as Psalm 40:2 (NLT) says - He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.


So here I am - lifted out of the "messy house pit" and beginning to be lifted out of the "body weight pit". My feet are steadier than they were last week, and will be even steadier tomorrow, as long as I continue to ask Him for help!

THE Opener

Wow, this week has flown by! I have started this post many times as the content took place LAST weekend, but it's been a busy week...

Anyway, most everyone in my life knows that the third weekend of every October, I head to the Peterson family farm in Salem, SD for Pheasant Hunting Opener! It's a tradition that started with Grandpa Garry and the brothers, and ever since Aunt Cathy and Uncle Steve had the farm (as long as I can remember!) us grandkids have gone out to hunt. I remember walking through the fields as a young girl, tromping behind my dad yelling "up bird" while eating sunflower seeds. As I said in a previous post, it's not so much the hunting as it is the family get together and repeat of yearly traditions that I enjoy.

Of the 12 cousins, five of us are girls and we all started out walking with the group when we were young. Of us five, I was the only one who went through gun safety and got a licence as soon as I was old enough (age 12). I remember going to Fleet Farm with my dad and proudly picking out a youth model Remington 20 gauge pump - my first gun! I've hunted every single year since then (and now use Grandpa's old 12 gauge Remington automatic) and though I may not be a particularly great shot, I love every minute of being in the fields as one of the guys.

When I met Tyge I remember him being so impressed that I was a hunter and thought he was going to die when I took him to the farm for the first year. He fit right in and my cousins treated him like one of the family - it was awesome! From our first year hunting together (2007):

I've always been the only girl who hunts with the crew and am proud to represent! See group shot from 2008:

Last year was one of my favorite years because we had Keely girl and it was so fun to watch her hunt 'em up. She had an impressive water retrieve during one of the first passes and I was such a proud pet parent! Here's her and me with my dad in 2010:

This year however, I decided not to hunt with the guys. When we found out we were pregnant, we would have been almost 10 weeks at the opener, and planned to tell my family then. At the time, I made the decision to not hunt and to stay in the farmhouse with the ladies. Even after the miscarriage, I still decided not to hunt for a few reasons - mainly because I still wanted to stay in the farmhouse and chat with the ladies, I wanted to spend more time with Grandpa, and it's over $100 for an out of state licence - not worth the one day for me...

We got to Sioux Falls late on Friday night and started the weekend off in typical Garry fashion, at McNally's Irish Pub! It was so cool to walk in the door and see an huge table of Garrys - almost everyone was there! We shared a few drinks, many laughs, and told stories well into the night. Saturday, Tyge woke up and went to breakfast early with the hunters and I rode out to the farm with the ladies. It was so good to see everyone and get lots of love, support, and hugs. When the guys came in for the midday break, we stuffed ourselves with Cathy's famous brisket and Grandma's famous pie (yes, I had 2 slices) before they headed out again for the afternoon hunt.

The 2011 group - minus me, as wasn't there yet for picture time :(

 The farm house - so many of my memories are made here!

One of Uncle Steve's many farm machines - John Deere!

One of my favorite parts of hunting weekend - sitting in the machine shed for round 2 of beef brisket and pie after a long day's hunt, retelling the day's stories while having many laughs. And cold Bud Light, of course. :)

My two favorite hunters

Our family!

We spent the night at the farm and on Sunday Tyge hunted a different area of land while I spent the day back in Sioux Falls. I started by having lunch with Grandpa in the cafeteria where he lives. We had such an enjoyable two hour lunch and talked about everything and anything. I was asking how he was doing, if it was getting any easier living without Grandma, and he really put it into perspective by saying, "I have a choice in the matter - I can either be bitter and feel sorry for myself, or I can realize that I still have 5 kids, 12 grandkids and a handful of great grandkids to be thankful for and to live for". A wise man, indeed. We headed up to the apartment, which is still beautifully decorated by Grandma, and reminisced a little more. I could tell he was getting ready for a nap, so I took off and spent the rest of the day with one of my cousins wives and their kids. It was so fun "job shadowing" her as she called it, and I had a blast catching up with her and playing with her kiddos. Tyge came home from the hunt on Sunday (they limited out!) and I drove the exhausted hunters home.

I'll end with the below picture - at the end of the hunting day on Saturday, Aunt Cathy pointed out this gorgeous sunset and noted that it was from Grandma Garry who was smiling down on all us. It will be three years in November since she passed and I still miss her ever day, especially during hunting opener.

(I added the text and plan to send a print to Cathy as a thank you!)

I am the Face.

Everyone (unless you live under a rock) knows that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but most don't know that October is also Pregnancy/Infant Loss Awareness Month.


Specifically, October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, officially recognized in both the US and Canada. I'm not sure yet how Tyge and I will recognize and remember our loss, but since we'll be in the corn fields of South Dakota pheasant hunting with family I can imagine we'll take a quiet moment away and say a prayer of gratitude for the short time we had Petrie.

I found the some great information on Pregnancy/Infant Loss via the website I am the Face and thought I'd share. When I first found out about the miscarriage I did have some guilt and wondered if it was something I had done to cause it to happen. Of course, in my heart I knew then and fully realize now that's in NO way true. However, it's amazing to me what some people believe "causes" miscarriage - there are a lot of misconceptions out there that I'd like to help put to rest. Please take a moment and read below:
______________________________________________________________________

One out of every four women will experience the loss of a baby at some point in their lives. That’s right–25%! Pregnancy/infant loss is an issue that while very common, is rarely talked about. Because it’s become such a “hush-hush” and taboo topic, those who experience it are often left to grieve in silence, alone.

It’s time for things to change.

It’s time to open up the conversation, to get the dialogue started. It’s time for survivors (yes, we are all survivors!) to come together, raise our voices, and reach out to the others who are out there, thinking they are alone.

The first step in breaking the silence is often shattering stereotypes. Below are some myths and facts about pregnancy/infant loss:

Myth: Losing a baby is very uncommon; it won’t happen to me or someone I know.

Truth:

• 25-50% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage (pregnancy.org).
• Stillbirths (the death of a baby after 20 weeks gestation) occur in one in every 160 pregnancies–about 60 stillborn babies every single day (March of Dimes).
• Each year, in the US alone, about 20,000 babies die in their first month of life, many after being born prematurely (March of Dimes).
• SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants ages 1 month to 1 year.

Myth: Pregnancy/infant loss is something that happens to older moms, overweight moms, or moms with health issues.
Truth: “Baby loss” does not discriminate. Often, it’s young, perfectly healthy women who experience the loss of a baby. Click here to read real-life stories of loss, and you’ll see the faces of ALL kinds of women–young, old, black, white, thin, obese–pregnancy/infant loss can strike anyone.


Myth: Miscarriages and Stillbirths are usually caused by a lack of prenatal care or something else the mother did during her pregnancy.
Truth:

• Almost 100% of miscarriages could not have been prevented, with the majority being caused by chromosomal abnormalities.
• 25% of Stillbirths are caused by placental problems; 15% are caused by an infection; 2-4% are caused by umbilical cord problems, and 50% have no known cause of death whatsoever. While there are risk factors to be aware of (smoking, for instance), the overwhelming majority of stillbirths are completely out of the mother’s control.

Myth: A woman who has just lost a baby wants to forget it ever happened and move on with her life.
Truth: While this may be true for some, many are dying to talk about the child they lost, especially if it was a late-term pregnancy loss or infant loss. The chance to talk freely about their baby(ies), without feeling like they are making everyone uncomfortable, is something many, many women who have lost a baby wish for.
______________________________________________________________________

Truth: I am the one in four women who will experience pregnancy/infant loss. I am one of the 2,000 faces affected by pregnancy/infant loss everyday. Please go to http://www.iamtheface.org/ to show your support, join the movement, and to learn more about this incredibly common, yet incredibly taboo issue.

"Let music never die in me..."

This is a lyric from one of my favorite choir songs from high school, The Awakening. I remember singing it at our final concert senior year, tears welling in my eyes the entire song. The movement of the piece is so powerful and the words ring so true for most everyone, especial someone to whom music means so much.

My love for singing started at a young age when I got the "lead" role as Mother Nature in the 5th grade play - big time now! From there, I took voice lessons and was in involved in concert choir, chamber choir, music camps, All State Choirs, musical theater, basically anything I could get my - er, voice? - on. Since it wasn't my chosen major in college I sadly didn't do much singing in those years, other than karaoke. :) After college I would sing in weddings of friends or family whenever asked, and have done close to 30 to date - I love using my gift in that way! Aside from that (and still karaoke, of course) I haven't really used my voice in front of others or in a choral setting since high school.

I've always known that I loved singing, I've always recognized that it was a gift from God and NOT my own talent, but it wasn't until after those high school choral years that I realized it was my way of connecting with God. Those high school years were when I really honed my craft, thanks to my choir teacher and mentor Ms. Sagen. I learned to stretch my range, to read music, be on pitch, sing harmonies and melodies, proper breath support, all the technical parts of singing. I always sang with my heart and truly FELT the words of any piece I was singing. However, it wasn't until after high school that I began using my voice to worship Him and felt the difference between singing and worship. I suppose I went to youth group and sang the songs and had some Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman on cassette tape as a kid, but didn't connect the dots until a later age. I believe it was at a Vespers at Bethel college when visiting Betsy one weekend when I heard the songs so powerfully throughout the auditorium and sang my heart out. I was using my gift to praise the Giver of all and I realized it was my way of thanking Him. Some people pray, some journal, some fellowship, some dig into the Word and while I do all of the above, the way I worship the best and feel the closest to God is through music - through using my voice to honor and praise Him. 

Last night I was invited to be a part of the worship practice at church and I cannot begin to explain what an uplifting experience that was. Since college, I have been a part of various churches and always loved the worship part of the service best. When Tyge and I found a church that we went to regularly after getting engaged the first thing I wanted to do be a part of the worship team, using my voice and serving God in that way. My tryout process at that church was very disheartening to say the least and I began to get almost bitter towards the end of our time there. Looking back, I know that was Satan attacking me and trying to get be to believe lies that I wasn't good enough, but it was a hard experience all the same. I so badly desired to use my God given talents to praise Him, and though I tried more times than one, was never "accepted". Worship almost became hard for me to do - it's wrong and hard to explain, but that's how I felt at the time.

So when Tyge and I found our current church and started regularly attending, I again felt the nudge to try out for the worship team. This experience was night and day different and I felt a connection with the leader right away. As I said in my last 3TT post, I was put on a long term sub list (they don't just add new members right away) and invited to last night's practice - I was even already asked to sing this weekend, but can't - bummer! So last night I went to practice, having prepared the songs ahead of time, but not knowing what to expect. I was very excited but also nervous. Would I be invited to sing? Would I just watch? Would I remember how to read music? Would I forget how to harmonize? Would I know how to again follow a director in a group setting? I can say without hesitation, it all came back to me. Like that. I opened my mouth to sing the first worship song and my heart didn't stop smiling the entire practice. I felt so connected to God, so on fire for Him, so ALIVE. It was an experience that I am so grateful for and even if I don't get invited to sing at a Sunday service again anytime soon, it was so redeeming to know that I belong singing for Him, if that makes sense...

Since connecting my love for music with worshiping the One who created it in me, my love (for both!) has deepened even more. Any given song can move me to tears! Even watching the Sing Off I sometimes get emotional, just listening to the notes and way they fit together and they way it sounds. I can feel goose bumps all over my body when I hear an amazing performance, whether it be worship or otherwise. And sometimes when I'm singing my heart out praising Him, I get a hitch in my throat and can't continue. It's hard to put into words my love for music, but it's a deeply ingrained part of me. It has been for as long as I can remember, and I truly believe that music will never die in me - my spirit will forever sing.

Please watch!

The Awakening (as sung by the SWACDA Collegiate Honor Choir):

"I dreamed a dream, a silent dream of a land not far away ,where no bird sang, no steeples rang, and teardrops fell like rain. I dreamed a dream; a silent dream. I dreamed a dream of a land so filled with pride that every song, both weak and strong, withered and died. I dreamed a dream. No hallelujah; not one hosanna! No song of love, no lullaby. And no choir sang to change the world. No pipers played, no dancers twirled. I dreamed a dream; a silent dream. Awake, awake! Soli deo gloria! Awake, Awake! Awake my soul and sing, the time for praise has come. The silence of the night has passed, a new day has begun! Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Wherever emptiness is found let there be joy and glorious sound. Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Let all our voices join as one to praise the giver of the sun! Awake, awake! Let music live!"

Festively Fall

Even though the weather may not feel like a typical October just yet, the colors of the trees and smells in the air mean fall is here. This past weekend I also updated the house a bit to capture the season!

Our tree out front - beautiful!

 

The front entryway - I love the red tree reflection in the window

 

Close up

Dining room

 

Breakfast Nook - one of my favorite spots to drink coffee and watch the deer in the morning

Our apple tree in the backyard

 

Leaves falling in the backyard - can you spot Keely girl sniffing around?

Here she is!

As much as I love summer, I definetely love this time of year as well. All the beautiful colors, crisp air, apple cider and fresh apples, fall baking (pumpkin spice muffins) and cooking (roasted squash, stews, roast, mmm), fall boots, cute jackets, scarves, college football, everthing about it. Happy fall, all!

3TT

It's that time again - Three Things Tuesday!

Three Things I'm Thankful/Excited For:
1. Motivation! I signed up for a boot camp class 2-3 days a week at 5:45 AM (I know, right?! What was I thinking?!) and today was the first day. I. Am. Sore. As much as getting up at 5:15 sucked, it felt great to move and sweat again and I was home by 6:45 AM to make a healthy breakfast for myself and Tyge before work! It was a nice way to start the day, sitting in the "breakfast nook" together and I look forward to doing that more often.

2. Being invited to the worship team practice at Woodland Hills tomorrow night! A few weeks ago, I informally tried out for the worship team and was put on the sub list. They have four different rotating worship teams at WH that have had the same members for years so they don't just introduce new people right away, but put them on a sub list to start. I was already invited to sub next weekend but will be gone (so bummed!!!), although I am still attending the practice tomorrow night to meet everyone and see what it's all about. I can't wait!

3. Pheasant hunting opener in SD this weekend - it's not so much the actual hunting that I love, but it's like a family reunion! We don't get together for the big Garry Thanksgivings and Christmases like we used to, but hunting at the farm is still something almost everyone makes it back for. I am so excited to see all my Garry family, eat beef brisket and Grandma's famous rhubarb pie made with love by Aunt Cathy, have breakfast with Grandpa, chat with my aunts and gal cousins at the farm, walk the fields with the boys (though for the first year since I was 12, I don't think I'll get a hunting license this year as an out of state is pricey and not worth the one day for me), ride in the combine with Steve, watch Keely girl hunt 'em up, and enjoy many laughs with the whole family in the machine shed after a long day...


Three Things I'm Praying For:
1. Continued post surgery healing for Brian and strength and patience for Naomi - he seems to be recovering well but has a long way to go, and Naomi has her hands full with nursing him back to health all while watching a two year old and a newborn! I pray that he returns to "normal" soon so he can enjoy all the things he used to and thrive once again!!!

2. Motivation! HUGE answered prayer with the eating and workout motivation this week, but I need some motivation in the "getting things done around the house after a long 10 hour work day" area. Specifically picking up clothes in my closet and doing laundry...

3. A stronger desire to be in the Word and make it a as much a part of my daily routine as I do other things that aren't as life giving. 'Nuff said.

With eyes on Him,
Kate

Boating in October?

I love being spontaneous and with our busy schedule, Tyge and I don't get the chance to very often. I was leaving the house on Saturday morning for my hair cut and color appointment (done by the fabulous Katrina at Cole's Salon who also happens to be one of my best friends so catching up with her was nice as well!) and couldn't believe how nice it was outside! Once I got back home, our Saturday plans consisted of a to-do list a mile long, and hopefully that Saturday night date. Well, I called Tyge from the road remarking how nice it was outside and could we perhaps scrap the to-do list and take the boat out on the river instead? We hit many of the area lakes over the summer but never went out on any rivers, and Saturday was probably one of the last nice days of the year we could do that! Tyge happily agreed and had the boat all ready by the time I got home.

We took the scenic route into Stillwater and the leaves were absolutely beautiful! We easily found the public launch on the St. Croix and away we went. We headed away from Stillwater and slowly cruised down the river, gawking at the leaves and snapping some pictures.

Amazing fall colors - these pictures don't do it justice!

Keely girl loves the boat

My handsome (and goofy) driver :)

Halfway down our river ride, we found a little island where we docked the boat and let Keely swim. She LOVES fetching sticks and could have stayed in the water for hours. Luckily it was so warm out, we didn't mind!

Again, again!

Some cool action shots Tyge got - Running...

Galloping...

Leaping...

Sploosh - I'm in!

What a happy water dog!

The view from the island was also gorgeous

Cool bridge nearby

And then Keely spotted a mud puddle on the other side of the island - see the intrigue in her eyes?

Mud is as much fun as water!

Silly, dirty lab

Pretty girl

Another nice view from the island

 

A tank top in October - unheard of!

One last shot from the boat before we head back to shore

 

It was such an enjoyable, easy day out on the water that turned into a fantastic date for Tyge and me. I am so blessed to have a spontaneous husband who was willing to put off chores to have a little fun! I can't say for sure (if this weather keeps us anyway!) but I think this was our last day on the water for the year, and the memories of it will last me through the long winter to come.

Thank you God for warm and crisp fall weather, for all of your natural creation and it's beauty, for my incredible husband, my silly lab, and for a free Saturday in which to enjoy it all!