alex got to make his valentine’s box this weekend. figured we had the box, we had the motivation, so we got ‘er done.

he wanted it to be different…so we made a parade float and the theme is … a walk in love town where people share feelings. 

“ME” peeps…you so have to get a kick out of that. hmmm…sharing our feelings?  

THE GIRLS IN MY CIRCLE

When I was little,

I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,

And then I started to become a woman.

And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,

God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you’re going through things with your man..

Another friend is needed when you’re going through things with your mom.

Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.

Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.

One friend will say, ‘Let’s cry together,’

Another , ‘Let’s fight together,’

Another , ‘Let’s walk away together.’

One friend will meet your spiritual need,

Another your shoe fetish,

Another your love for movies,

Another will be with you in your season of confusion,

Another will be your clarifier,

Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,

On whatever the occasion,

On whatever the day,

Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,

 Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ..

Those are your best friends.

My first book by Patti Callahan Henry…and can i just say….she had me at “hello”. I mean, she just sucked me straight through the book in about 5 hours. I couldn’t stop. A wonderfully good book about sisters and friends….a must read. It’s like i’m reading stories with wisdom built in….and she carries you through to the end with such magic.

Pub. Date: June 2009, Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

In the small seaside town of Palmetto Beach, the Sheffield sisters – responsibly Riley, vivacious Maisy, and fun-loving Adalee – reunite to celebrate their mother’s birthday and try to save the family bookstore, which has long been a beloved gathering place in their tight-knit community. But June also marks the return of Mack Logan, who thirteen years ago was Riley’s best friend and Maisy’s teenage crush. His choice of Maisy over Riley during that pivotal summer destroyed the special closeness between the sisters, and sent their lives in very different directions.

Now Riley, a single mom who doubts any man will ever live up to the ideal Mack Logan, must work with her sisters while hiding a shattering secret about their mother. Maisy, a California designer, still blames Riley for ruining her one true love. And Adalee, a college coed, resents the family’s intrusion into her summer plans. When Mack arrives, all three sisters are forced to confront their long-held beliefs about the conflicts that tore them apart and the bonds of love and loyalty that still draw them together. Will they allow the past to define the future?

i love taking these kinds of tests. what kind of person are you? what kind of spiritual leader are you? what bible verse best describes you? what is your personalilty?  you fill out all the questions…picking the very best answer that you think is you. then when all is done you get a little message saying….joleyn took the “what is the symbol of your personality?” quiz and the result is bountiful basket. then i sit and read with hopeful anticipation that it is in fact about me and my personality. what i’m about, what i love, who i am at my inner most being.  it’s not set in stone, you aren’t meant to conform and never change,  to be that exact definition, but it is fun to just stop and see yourself through words and lines in a paragraph. just for fun….

You are very loved. Everyone finds you a welcoming, warm person. They look to you for advice and comfort, and someone to just have a good time with. Your personality is seen as cliche and average, but in truth, you have talents and skills and ideas that no one has thought of before.You are someone with style. You are good with colors, and you know how to color people’s worlds and minds to your way. You think new relationships are a coloring book, to fill them in with fulfilling conversations and meetings.You may seem nice and perfect and beautiful, you have a policy of “forgive but never forget”. You always remember your enemies if you have any, and you know where to steer. Sometimes, when you’re completely lost, you are dependent on friends for help. You hope they’ll be there for you, but sometimes you fear that they won’t be. That is something you are afraid of. You are ready to give, but you are also ready to accept. To many, it seems like you change your personality just for different people, but in fact, you are the one thing that’s not changing. Other people grow on you, and grow fond of you, not the other way around. You are always yourself, and you are definite.

on the flip side of the weekend….the mandan rebels had a great tourne in dickinson. wow, what a tourne to miss!!! by winning their first game against the williston oilers they were thrown into the upper gold bracket…but that didn’t stop them from winning their 2nd game against the Eliminators sending them right into the Championship game. In dads book… ry.guy had mvp for that game…with outstanding rebounding and 16 pts too! How exciting for these boys!! They played the beulah blue devils that game…losing…but hey! they got second place!! {Hey Rita …what do they feed those boys over there anyway…they were so big!! } all in all…great weekend for these kids….looks like they are starting to come together as a team.

this morning i’m wanting to go somewhere.somewhere far from snow and cold. trying to  remember past trips with my hubby. reminiscing about all the great times we had. time traveling back to the cool places we’ve visited. this pic was taken in san francisco. {i think of the movie ELF, everytime i say that anymore} i love the blues and how they contrast with the green grass in the back. warms my heart just looking at it.

i think one of my most favorite places in the world is cannon beach, or. i love the serenity of the ocean. i love the display of the ocean’s power. i love the smell of the ocean. i love the sounds crashing into it’s shore. i have to sleep with the window open anytime i’m near it. it brings me so close to God it seems. i think i could sit on it’s changing shore for hours…until it comes up to great me, then i have to get up and move back. it inspires me endlessly. i can go through old pictures forever and reminisce all it’s memories it shared with me. oh, how i love the ocean.

i love this picture i took on our last trip. i love how the footprints lead up to the rocks. i love the misty shadows on the horizon. i love the peacefullness it shares with me everytime i gaze into it. i think it’ll be wonderful to wake up every morning to it. i need help though. i’m going to make a big canvas for our bedroom, but not sure which to pick. can you help me?

so there you have it. four options. i can’t decide. neither could t.sr. so now i leave it in your hands…if you so choose to play along.

Breaking Free: The Journey, The Stories by Beth Moore leads you through a study of the Scriptures to discover the transforming power of Christian freedom. Based on Isaiah 61:1-4, this in-depth Bible study draws parallels between the captive Israelites and today’s believers. Beth uses Scripture to help identify spiritual strongholds in your life, no matter how big or small. She explains that anything that hinders us from the benefits of knowing God is bondage. Breaking Free is Beth’s life message that she wants to share with you.

View a sample session from the member book.

Tracy and I have been on several of these weekends. This is truly an amazing gift you can give your spouse. Think about it. Pray about it. Do it.

The next two marriage encounter weekends are scheduled. The first one is February 26-28, 2010…in Minot, ND at the International Inn.

The second in April 16-18, in Carrington, ND at the Chieftain Conference Center.

Contact:  Mark & Mary Jantzer at  jantzer@srt.com or call them at (701)852-6291.

You can visit the ND website too for more information on the weekend. http://www.ndwwme.org

working hard on his personal timeline. it was such a fun project to do together. he got to pick out 7 events in his lifetime that he thought were important. among the list….first tooth, his birthday, blowing up his first balloon, the fair, his first big pool, his first communion.

i love this. he got to design it, make it, paint it… in art. it goes perfectly in the living room!

the kids finally got out and enjoyed the warmth. snow was perfect for building snowman.

i found this little note from my peanut today.  oh how i heart this little one…to the moon and back i do. {sigh}

can’t get enough of the frosty forests in our front yard.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost