Adventures
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A Traveler’s Notes
I just got back from Northern Minnesota yesterday. It’s the umpteenth trip I’ve taken there, but it reminded me of a couple of important things to remember while traveling. It’s one thing to visit it’s another to live. I’ve mentioned it before but I’ve lived in a tourist destination. That being said when you are looking for a place to live don’t make whether its a famous destination or not affect your decision too much. So at the end of your trip know that its okay to miss the place you’ve been, but that there is probably drawbacks to living at the place your visiting. Plan out more than you’ll…
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That’s One Way to Get Cross Country
I spent the last half of the 90s living in Grand Marais, and as I’ve mentioned before on this blog my family regularly returns. One of the things I’ve done regularly up north is cross country skiing, the cousins would pass down equipment, or we’d borrow equipment from my grandparents lodge. I’ve never been stellar at it, but between being with family, exercising and the beautiful location, it’s a real treat. My family usually stays as a group to encourage each other and we discover new trails together. I like that its a good challenge. #crosscountry
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Let’s Play HOCKEY!
I never liked hockey as a kid – for a number of reasons, which I will explain. Now though It’s something I love, have fun with and am getting better at in general. Now, later in life hockey has come to be special to me, not beecause I was forced to like it, but because I tried it a few friends also love it, and when I got on the ice, I realized I wanted, and did have fun with it. Growing up I was on the ice nearly every year, and I could skate by early elementary, on used figure skates, that I wasn’t using correctly because I let my…
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A Tale of Two Cars
I’ve been driving cars since shortly after I got my permit at age 15. I bought my first car from my parents at age 18. I bought my second car about a year ago now when I was 21. Cars have always been my primary mode of transportation between errands with my mom, trips to my grandparents, and family road trips. So, find joy in the journey down the road. My first car was actually my parents’ car first. It was a 1998 Saturn SL1. They bought it used from a Saturn dealer when I was about 9 or 10. We took trips to grandparents but its notable adventures were…
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The Road to Emmaus is 55 MPH
I made a wonderful friend at camp while counseling. The bad news was we lived four hours away from each other. The good news is calling is easy. So for over a year we’ve been calling and texting. Plus, this past summer I was happy to get to her wedding. We had been trying to find other times to hang out and now its finally happened. So here’s to a wonderful weekend with my favorite Iowa native So what’s Emmaus you ask? Emmaus Bible College is the Plymouth brethren school in the town of Dubuque where my friend now lives with her husband. It’s named after a verse in the…
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The Last Time
Last night I drove past a hotel that my grandparents have stayed in for a while visiting my family and my cousins/aunts/uncles. It reminded me of the tradition we had of hanging out as a family at the hotel pool because my aunt worked there. It sounds funny, but we all really enjoyed hanging out there on various weekend evenings. We’d play pool games, race each other, and then jump in the hot tub when we got too cold. But then I was reminded that one time we left for the evening and haven’t returned since, and it might not work out to happen again. It made me think of…
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A Christian’s First Calling
Last weekend I went on a retreat with the youth group I volunteer with. Not only did the students get the chance to learn, so did I. Although the theme was Dominion and there was tons of medieval moments the speaker actually focused on sheep, and how as Christians, Christ is our shepherd. She talked about how Jesus protects and provides us, and how he provides life to the fullest. He also tears down lies to protect us. Trust in God instead of what you think you know. When our group got to discuss the speakers lesson as just our church youth group we got to have some great conversations.…
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Wear Your Memories on Your Sleeve
Or on your bed. I appreciate cleanliness and limiting the number of things any one person has but I do see the value in collections that have intrinsic value to the owner. Collections are something that is curated, it is unique to that person in some ways, or has specific value to a person. Decide on an item that you can find almost anywhere and can represent each adventure well, even if it means you have something lying around you’ll have a piece of each adventure that you can touch. For me growing up, it was primarily t-shirts. I bought one everywhere my family traveled and then was pleasantly surprised…
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Try Something New, Even if it Seems Daunting
I’ve found myself with the opportunity to try new and unique things, as partially evidenced by my unicycling and swing dance articles. Trying new things often means going out on our own to experience something new. It often means a little investment, even if just buying a ticket to attend a unique event. It also usually means were putting ourselves in a circumstance that people in our normal circles may not know much about. Going outside of the “normal” can be truly freeing, and wonderful though, it means we feel so satisfied when we’ve followed through with our intentions because we took the step ourselves. Your parents didn’t sign you…
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Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandpa, and Grandma’s We Go
Back in the 1990s, I lived in Grand Marais, Minnesota, a small town on the north shore of Lake Superior. But since our family moved to New Brighton during the summer of 2000, we’ve gotten numerous chances to visit the north shore where my grandparents have lived since the 1980s. I still love visiting my grandparents and the city of Grand Marais. I get to see family, familiar places, and amazing spaces. Yes, small towns are remote but each time our family finds new trails and adventures to take, we’ve even driven up to Canada for fun a couple of times. It’s consistently wonderful to see the beautiful nature on…
