While Randy studies for National Boards (part 3), I figured I would finally download the camera and update the blog...

Our last Iowa summer is coming to close, not that there was much of a summer. Other than about 2 weeks of HOT, the weather was relatively cool and pleasant and I'm glad that I won't leave here with fresh memories of a sauna-like summer. We ended up having a lot of fun in August, with a tractor ride through the country followed by a game of horseshoes with some friends, finally seeing a River Bandits game (who?!?), and ending with a spectacular 4 days in Wisconsin. I have no pictures of the first few events, but we did get pictures of our Wisconsin adventures.

Our friend Jason is from a small town outside of Milwaukee and he invited us up for some fishing. We love fishing, but we've never experienced BIG lake fishing and Lake Michigan is HUGE! We left his dad's house around 2:30 am on Friday and were in the boat heading towards open water by around 3:30. Apparently, the fish stop biting after the sun comes up, so we had to get an early start. Have I ever told you that I'm not a morning person? Yeah, I was not too happy about the lack of sleep, but excited to bring in some fish so I didn't complain too much.

Jason had checked the wave report before we left, and we were supposed to have 2 to 3 foot rolling waves. We made it past the break and into open water and found out the wave report LIED! We were hitting 3 to 5 foot waves (and I swear there were some bigger that that) and feeling every one of them. After going almost a mile we were ready to set up rigs. Unfortunately, Caroline (Jason's girlfriend) ended up feeling very ill from the waves. Poor girl - she looked absolutely miserable. Needless to say, we turned around to take her back so she could nap in the truck, then we headed back out again. All that travel on the water was really freaky...the waves were high and the sky was pitch black so I had to turn around and watch the Milwaukee skyline. Well, we got back out to the spot, set up the rigs and ended up catching three 8 lb fish - two king salmon and one rainbow trout. The fish stopped biting and we were freezing, so we headed back in. We did end up going back out that evening and the waves were pretty much gone, but so were the bigger fish. We caught seven, two of which we lost and three we released since they were really small. We kept the only decent sized fish - two more 8 lb king salmon. We had to cut it short as we watched a storm roll in and we didn't want to be caught out on the water. We finished getting the boat secured and the fish cleaned as the rain hit - perfect timing.









That evening, while we were on the lake, another couple from Palmer arrived at Jason's. They ended up heading out fishing Saturday morning. We decided to sleep, especially since the wave report was for 3 to 5 foot waves (which meant they were probably bigger) and I had my fill of that adventure. They ended up not even getting a bite - the storm must have scared all the fish away. We spent the rest of the day at Cabella's and the guys were in heaven (and so was I since there was a sale and I can't resist a good sale!)

We ended our weekend with a trip to Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Randy's first MLB game and we had so much fun! What a great way to end our last summer in the midwest!

I finally took the time to charge my camera batteries and take pictures of my recent creations.

I will start with my new knitting endeavor...my first ever knitted item - a ripple shawl. At this point I am about halfway through and it is easy enjoyable TV knitting, AS LONG AS I keep the light on (ask me HOW I know...LOL). I love the spring color - hoping it will bring some sunshine into an otherwise dull winter.


Now to earlier projects...

I found a local bead shop and learned to make beaded jewelry (thanks Louise for telling me about this shop!!). This is my first bracelet:


I took a silversmithing class and learned to design and create a pendant in sterling silver. I actually did the design, set the stone and did all the silver soldering. I had sooo much fun...now I just need to get some supplies to keep this up!


I also took a chainmaille class and learned to weave wire rings. I LOVE this art and I adore my first bracelet made from sterling silver:


I love making chainmaille jewely, and REALLY love it in sterling silver...unfortunately it's too expensive to play with. So I switched to copper just to learn and play around with. These are some of my copper creations:

European 6-in-1 weave

Mobius Flower Chain

Double to Single Strand Byzantine Watch

Fine gauge Byzantine

Chunky gauge Byzantine

Half-Persian Weave (close-up)

Half-Persian Weave

Linda's Favorite - Japanese 12-in-1

That's all I have for now...I need to order more supplies for all the ideas in my head

Enjoy Life TODAY

I received this in an email from my sister (in-law) and thought I'd share...

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught

me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.. My odometer

rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument.? Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone..

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".

26. Always choose life.

27. Forgive everyone everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

32. Believe in miracles.

33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now..

35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

36. Your children get only one childhood.

37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere..

39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

41. The best is yet to come.

42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

43. Yield.

44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all lived by these rules! Enjoy life today!

So, what do you do when faced with disappointment? Apparently I start a new hobby. We were all set for a weekend of fishing on Lake Michigan with some friends (and I was REALLY looking forward to it) when Randy came down with a nasty bug Thursday night. I was hoping it was just a little cold...but NO - he ended up flat on his back on the couch with a fever all day Friday. So, needless to say we had to call our friends and back out of our trip at the last minute. I was bummed...although we will be going again in a few weeks. With a sick husband on the couch watching TV, I decided to learn to knit. Why? I still have unfinished projects in other mediums that are just sitting there taunting me. I find myself easily sucked in to trying to make pretty things, and my friend Jessi keeps posting about her knitting, so there I go teaching myself to knit. It's slow going really, but that's because I keep getting wrapped up looking at beautiful projects on ravelry.com. The other problem with a new hobby is the expense. I have the tools and supplies for my other hobbies, so why should I go out and buy more stuff? I practically had to hog-tie myself to the house to keep from going out to buy yarn...I have a whole tub of leftovers from crochet projects so I shouldn't buy more (at least until I know what I'm doing), right? Hopefully I will be able to make something that is not horrible and at least somewhat cute.

Summer Road Trip (part 2)

After recovering for five days at home, we hit the road again...this time to Denver. This was an even longer drive...12 hours, not including the necessary stops every 2 hours for the dog. After leaving in the pouring rain at 4 am, and driving with limited visibility (while pulling dad's dog trailer) for numerous hours, we finally made it to Denver. Oh what a beautiful place to be...the mountains were spectacular! I almost forgot just how much I miss seeing mountains, let alone hiking in them! After spending a couple of days driving around the area, and walking around in the mountains above Boulder as well as Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, we fell in love with the area and realized that this is where we want to be.

Up in the mountain above Boulder, CO.

Hiking outside of Colorado Springs - luckily we
didn't see or hear any mountain lions!

Randy's folks even made the trip over from Nevada to pick up the trailer, so we got the added bonus of spending some time with family. It was a wonderful time, even with problems at the hotel (lost our reservation, overbooked the folks' room, major water main break - no water for 12+ hours) and a minor fender bender (really, the car came out of nowhere!!!). Since we brought our golf clubs, we decided to cut our stay just a little short to make the trip home over two days instead of one...this allowed us to play 9 holes in Colorado AND Nebraska - what a great way to end the trip!

All in all, the road trips this summer have proved successful - we have decided to move to the Denver area in the spring! YAY - we finally made a decision! LOL I guess my question is this: Can we still be Cowboy fans in Bronco territory?!

Summer Road Trip (part 1)

Wow...the last couple of weeks have been crazy. Road trips are NOT a relaxing way to travel...I much prefer airplanes. The end of June began the road trip season with a drive to Columbus Ohio. In our research of places to move, Ohio kept appearing on the list. Not because it's somewhere we wanted to go, but business opportunities and demographics kept putting it on the list. So, when Randy's dad said he found a trailer he wanted in Ohio that was a perfect excuse for us to go and scope out the area. Columbus is an 8 hour drive - longer when you bring your dog and have to stop every 2 hours. We did get to stay and enjoy the area for one day, driving around town and spending time at the reservoir with Gunny. Columbus has a lot going for it and we were impressed with the area. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time to just relax - we had to head home the next day towing dad's trailer.

It's a Love / Hate Relationship

What a wonderful Saturday...the weather was beautiful, even with the hint of humidity in the air. We were so lucky to be able to spend the afternoon enjoying the outdoors together. We decided to play a round of golf and convinced some friends to come along. I really have a love-hate relationship with golf...really just with MY game of golf. I had fun spending time with Randy and our friends Sean and Angie, but I truly am HORRIBLE at golf. I was so bad today that I almost gave up after the first hole...I knew it was gonna be bad after it took ?? strokes to get to the green (it was so bad I won't even share the # LOL). But anyways, I pressed on and ended up having a great time, and even shot a couple GREAT shots, although they were very few and far between. I do find that my putts are much better than my drives - probably all the time I spent on the miniature golf course growing up. I'm looking forward to getting back out there, even if I do suck at the game.