mindaTHINK

Is this goodbye?

The other day when I was out walking this group of men ran past me.  They were new recruits for the Marines, and I quick snapped their photo as soon as I realized this.  Why?  Well because my son Jason has just signed up for the Army National Guard and has been doing a little running himself to get into shape for the start of basic training in October.

Yeah, looked like he was going to leave for three months of basic training right before his sisters wedding.  We were sad about that, but everyone wanted to be supportive of this decision he has made to work on his future.

Then he called me again today.  I had left him a message about babysitting on Sunday, taking his little brother out to a twins game so that Scott and I could head to Orchestra Hall and have a nice afternoon date together.  Turns out he can't babysit.  Until fall.  Because FRIDAY, yes, THIS FRIDAY he is flying to SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH to begin his training.  He'll graduate sometime in AUGUST.  This all came up today, so he has no details.  He won't have a cellphone for the first part of the training.  He will immediately be learning how to get by without cigarettes.  He may or may not have weekly access to email.  He doesn't have a mailing address yet.  He is busy between now and Friday getting ready to leave, so I won't be seeing him again...until AUGUST. 

I'm. not. ready.

Happy Birthday to...me?

Scott's birthday was on Monday.  I made his favorite cake (recipe to follow), made chicken curry for dinner, picked him up a couple of books that I knew he didn't have and would enjoy.  Andrew got him some Sea Monkeys (who's life is complete without sea monkeys?)  I took Andrew out for the afternoon so he'd have some quiet time to write or sleep or whatever.

Then on Tuesday he took Andrew out to the park to play in the creek.  I read and took a nap.  They came back just after I woke up, and came walking in with this:

I was SOOOO thrilled!  Many of you know that I rediscovered biking two summers ago when my friend Mike was in a biking accident that nearly took his life.  I have been borrowing Scott's bike because mine was so old and beat up we couldn't really recover it.  It was a bit too big for me and the brakes needed some work, but basically it worked fine for the type of biking I do.  With Scott trying to get more healthy we had been talking about replacing some parts on my bike to try to get it going again so we could all go biking together.

What a special treat to see them walk in the door with a brand new bike for me.  And they got a great price on it because it was on sale and Scott returned something that wasn't really working anyway.  We ate a hasty dinner and then we all set out on a nice little 5 mile bike ride.  It was very windy, but warm and beautiful, and I loved how easy the ride was thanks to this nice bike.  I never had to walk it at all!

Today I set out again on a 4 mile ride, while leaving Scott and Andrew at the archery range.  Its another gorgeous day here. 

Tomorrow we are off for 24 hours to Duluth for a little mini vacation.  We got a great deal on a hotel room at a waterpark and are meeting a couple friends up there.  Then Scott has the rest of the weekend off.  Woo hoo!

Happy Anniversary Baby

 

Saturday was our 12th anniversary. 

I love this man more than I ever imagined possible.  I'm comfortable with him in ways that surprise me.  I feel safer with him then I expected.  We really are the picture in the dictionary under the word compatible. 

So don't be the least alarmed when I say that I hope this marking of our 12th anniversary ends the hardest year we have had in those twelve years.  I have an imagination, so I can certainly think of how things could be worse, for one thing we could be on opposite sides of the battle, instead of fighting it shoulder to shoulder. 

But nonetheless, its been a difficult one, and we are both ready to move into a better place.  Ready to make number 13 our lucky number.

We had a nice weekend and we are celebrating more formally in a month when some of our problems are further along.

Happy Anniversary Baby, got you on my mind...

National Guard and my family

So when I wrote that odd post last night, which caused my best friend to wonder what was up and the man in question to fear for a stalker, I had something else on my mind.  (and I'm off to edit it to make more sense now, so if it makes sense now, that is why!)

So this is what I had on my mind...

Turns out this guy:

  yeah, the guy, not the blonde beauty, is joining the National Guard as we speak.  He'll stay overnight tonight at their recruitment hotel headquarters and tomorrow will go through a battery of tests to determine if he is fit to join.  I asked all the questions you are thinking right now and he had few answers.  I'm sure after this weekend he'll be in a better place to answer them.  So yeah, my 21 year old son is joining the army.  And I just don't know what to think.  I want to support him in his decisions.  I know he has struggled to find his way as an adult in this world.  I know God will take care of him no matter what.  But...well...I've had a little too much experience with the ANG to be excited for him.  So, I'm a bit muddled.  Be patient with me, I'll bounce back soon I'm sure. (and yes, that cute girl is my daughter, she uploaded some new pictures from last fall to my computer recently!)

She's 24 today.

Does it get any less shocking ever?

My Favorite Christmas Photo

Usually there is one.  A photo that speaks to me more than it might to others.  And this year is no exception.  As I shuffled through the lot of them I came across this one and knew it was IT.

You see my son, who is not allowed video games, or video game equipment stood mute when his grandmother pulled a Nintendo DS out of her Christmas stocking.  I love the look on his face. I love the look on hers.  I love the star from the tree that looks like its perched on his head.  Love it.  Makes me smile still.

Over Red River and through the....wasteland...

Did you know that the Red River flows the wrong way?  That it floods often?  That it will most likely be frozen when I cross it in the middle of the night tonight?

Just a little visual run through so you know what is up this weekend with me.

In a few hours

We leave this one, and

This one, who is having his first Thanksgiving at home after Iraq,

to visit this one:

The one reigning the little kid (my dad) in for the photo.  Hard to see her?

Its the well dressed lady in this photo.  The fine looking gentleman will be there in spirit I am sure, especially when we play games.  And when we eat!

Here is another glimpse at her:

Oh YEAH!  NOW you remember who I mean.  Now you are starting to worry about my safety!

Hopefully, we will be spending some time talking about these people, her family, who are nearly impossible to track on Ancestry.com and other heritage sites.

And these people? They are safely together with his parents in Texas, wrapping up the end of their home country visit before heading back to Uganda.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, remember the good, skip lightly over the troublesome and hold what you have left of your loved ones close.

Its the end of the world as we know it...

My brother bought this:

Yeah.  Hope you have a bomb shelter.

Off to Boston, sorry for the no posty thingy.  Busy, crazy.  See YA!

Oh... and I just noticed...This is post number 500!!!!

A few days back she turned five

She was born during the State Fair, so her actual birthday is something we rarely are around for.  Her mom's water broke AT the fair, and they rushed off to have their beautiful baby girl.  Now she is five and always brings a smile to your face.  So full of life.  So funny! So imaginative!

These are fullsized images so if you were, for example her mother, you could click on the image, then right click on the enlarged file, then save it to your harddrive!

On our way out of town we got to spend a few hours celebrating with her.  My first scrapbook page since we went out of town:

Since My Parents Don't Have a Blog...

...I'll share their exciting news here, so many of you know and love them like we do.

They bought a cabin!  They have been playing the last two summers at a place up near Hinckley where several of their friends have camper trailers on land in this special place called Pathfind Village St. Croix.  You can tell they really love it up there as they go back more and more often.

On Sunday they surprised us with the announcement that they'd bought a place of their own, complete with a GREAT scrapbook retreat center (its actually called a guest house, but mom knows a scrappers dream retreat when she sees one!)

They take possession in a couple of weeks and I think we get to go up and see it soon thereafter.  Very exciting for them as they start to head into their retirement years!

HERE is a link to Pathfinder Village's website, to illustrate what the community is like.