Category Archives: Monday – Fun Day

3 Things: 10/8/12

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I needed a week long to recover from Reed’s Run.  I have a series of blogs that will be coming in the next few days sharing special memories from that weekend, but I have missed writing about things that I enjoy.  So now that Reed’s Run has come to a close, I am ready to share my weekly list of things that make me smile.

  1. Surprises – I had a big one at Reed’s Run which I will be sharing in a later blog, and I had one this summer.  On our return trip home from Florida our first night’s stop was actually at my grandmother’s house in Alabama.  When we arrived, there was a car in the driveway that I didn’t recognize.  If you grew up in the South, you know to read the license plates because it will tell you not only the state from which the car hails but also the county, designated by words or by a code number.  In this case, the car was from Fulton County, Georgia.  I knew in a heartbeat that could only mean one thing . . . my Uncle Rendell and my Aunt Margaret.  Knowing that my aunt was extremely ill with Stage 4 cancer, their presence was a gift incredible!  To know that I was loved that much to make a couple hour trip brought me to tears.  We had such a lovely visit catching up and seeing how my kids and their grandkids had grown.  It would be our last conversation because my aunt went home to Jesus at the beginning of September.  Even though it was our last visit here, she is just one of the many necks that I cannot wait to hug in heaven. Surprises that become cherished memories DEFINITELY make me smile.
  2. Impromptu Family/Friends Gatherings – The night before Reed’s Run we had an impromptu bonfire and birthday celebration for our September birthdays following the Lakeview football game.  We had a goofy sing-along naming off a bunch of names of ninth month celebrants followed by roasting s’mores in place of serving birthday cake.  The giggles and story-swapping only got better as the fire died down.  Sawyer had a great time meeting his “God-brother” for the first time and helping him to roast a marshmallow.  It wasn’t fancy nor was it gourmet – although we turned a few heads by following a Team Stevens time-honored tradition of using Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups instead of Hershey’s bars.  Even though the gathering lacked refinement, it definitely exuded magic.  The magic of life.  The magic of reconnecting.  The magic of celebrating.  The magic of the ordinary and the extraordinary thing called love.  That kind of magic will always make me smile.
  3. Amazing Friends – The week before Reed’s Run, I received a phone call from a dear friend who told me that she was praying for my Sunday.  It was a good thing that it was not a Skype conversation.  I stood mouth-apage with eyebrows raised in perplexity.  “Did she really think that the Run was Sunday?”  My silent indignation must have been perceivable through the phone line.  My friend further explained that she knew that Reed’s Run was probably the closest thing to a wedding that we would ever have for Reed.  She had been praying for me not to wake-up on Sunday and say disappointedly, “We went to all that work for that!”  I understood that sentiment of disappointment. She wanted us to wake up blessed and amazed.  (We did.) More importantly, this sweet lady wanted us to know that people were praying – even for things that we didn’t know.  Having friends that know your needs even before you know them is smile-worthy.

Feeling loved.  Being surprised, even when I knew I was  saying good-bye.  Having second mile friends.  Celebrating the little stuff.  All of it confirms something that I heard on the radio the other day.

The speaker said that we should all have “campaign signs” in our front yards that said that “God voted for me!”  My last few weeks have been a secure confirmation that the speaker spoke the truth!

Blessed and loved . . . and still smiling!

 

3 Things – 8/13/12

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I have had many things this last two weeks that have brought big smiles to me and my family; so, I’ve had a difficult time choosing how to narrow this down to just three items.  But I think that I have finally figured out which three I want to share.

1.  Revisiting the past – not all things bygone are worth a mention and no, not all of the things I remember growing up would bring a smile.  Think rainbow sweaters that go from sleeve to sleeve or pinning your blue jeans.  But on a road trip with some friends, I came face to face (well sort of) with an old love from my past.  Actually, my old friend was relegated to the top shelf in the convenience store cooler. You know the shelf where store-brand colas, Yoo-hoo’s, and that milk product that doesn’t actually need refrigeration sit.  There among the other “less popular” beverage choices sat a blast from my past – Pop Shoppe sodas.  I was immediately carried back to when my family first left the South and moved to Valley City, North Dakota where you could mix-n-match of case of sodas. Of course, now the pop has its own website www.popshoppe.com, unlike when our friendship began in the early 80’s. If you have a few minutes, check out the website and have yourself a chuckle at the humor found within.  I enjoyed every sip of my root beer thinking back to the days of playing balloon volleyball in the basement for hours on end.  With every memory that came flooding back from those days, my face was carrying a great big smile.

2. Visiting old friends– this is actually a play on words.  Last week I was able to return

Huck

(FINALLY) to my volunteer position at the Minneota Manor (nursing home) with my faithful sidekick, Huckleberry.  Actually, I am the sidekick (because he is much more popular there than I am) as Huck makes his rounds and visits his friends.  I love to see the spring in the old boy’s steps as soon as he sees me get out a bandanna scarf (of which he has quite a collection).  Huck has his favorite people and as soon as we arrive he has to go visit at least one of them. He has always been a special dog, but I think as he gets older he recognizes a kindred spirit when he sees one.  I am glad that Huck takes me along because there is one special grandpa there that has held my heart for a long time.  On his good days (when the dementia isn’t so bad), he recognizes me (or at least, Huck), and then even my heart smiles!

3. Taking a last minute vacation – last Friday, our family took a last minute vacation to go to the zoo and to go back-to-school (shudder) shopping.  We had made a promise to the smallest Stevens to let her see dolphins this summer.  Sadly, we learned that the dolphin bay at the zoo would be closing down soon due to lack of funding.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed the dolphins, but we relished our time with the dinosaurs’ exhibit.  Gladly, the dinosaurs were life-sized recreations that were robotic and somewhat interactive.  All of my kids have taken strolls through the “Land before Time” series, and we have shared a love of dinosaurs for many years.  I am certain this won’t be our last foray with dinosaurs (having dug for mammoths in South Dakota and visited Sue in Chicago’s Field Museum).  Somehow just being together sans technology (thank you Minnesota Zoo for having terrible cell phone coverage) was what this momma’s heart needed.  Watching our little Sally Gal have the same reactions to the dinosaurs that our once little red-head did at a similar dinosaur attraction brought tears to my eyes.  Knowing that that same red-head had to be looking on with pride from Heaven – definitely made me smile!

Whatever it is, BIG or small, find the things that make you smile!  It’s definitely worth it!

Monday – Funday 3 things for July 30, 2012

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I have had a week to once again think of all the things that make me smile.  Even in a world where turning on the evening news makes me want to cry and pray, I keep looking for the little things that bring me joy.

Not our actual camper but one very similar.
Photo credit RVs.com

1. Camping – We had the opportunity to go along with some friends on an annual camping weekend at Storybook Land in Aberdeen, SD.  If I were completely honest, I would admit that we almost backed out at the last minute.  This was not due to the company we would be keeping, but more a by-product of our frenetically paced life. In fact, I enjoy every moment we spend with these friends, and this trip was no exception.  We had a great time as a family just simply being present.  We did activities when we felt like it, or we just sat around and visited.  As we weren’t exactly roughing it, it was so much fun to eat like royalty with garden bounty. But of course, it would not be communal camping without nibbing at all the other family tables too.  Sometimes, I have non-camping friends who ask what exactly do we do while camping.  It a 3 word sentence answer: We have fun! This weekend was no exception. When you have 8 families with sixteen children ranging from 3 to 15, there is ALWAYS something that can be done.  Watching how all of the kids interacted was awe-inspiring; this included the teenagers making sure to hang out with the little ones.  Aside from just having quality family time, my most favorite moment came when the littlest among us learned how to “re-teach” Huck, his one and only trick.  After watching Daniel, S placed a treat on Huck’s nose, told him to wait, and finally gave the okay signal.  Huck, like a pro, caught the treat midfall.  S turned around and said with conviction, “I did that!”  Seeing a little boy’s eyes twinkle with the same sparkle Reed had when Huck first learned that trick gave me a warm heart and a few tears, but it was also worth a giant smile.

 

Avera St. Luke’s Hospital

2. Having a great sense of humor.  Since camping and fun are synonymous in our book, it must be said that you can sometimes have too much fun.  On Friday, one of our friends nearly sliced the tip of his finger off.  I served as ambulance driver and chauffeur.  Then during a rousing baseball game on Saturday featuring daddies versus kids, Sawyer had a mishap resulting in a sprained ankle. Since I already knew the route to the ER, a friend and I took Sawyer there for Saturday night’s festivities.  I hadn’t noticed the parking signs the night before but they stood out the second night.  The ER parking has beautiful sign pointing to a lot next to the helipad.  Now I am rephrasing this but there were then signs that said, “Park at your own risk, you are next to a helicopter landing site.”  I laughed aloud thinking that perhaps the hospital was “drumming” up business.  As Sawyer’s visit finished up, I got a giggle when the doctor told us that he was happy to help our merry band of travelers for a second day.  That was followed by, “If you so feel the need, we are open 24 hours a day.”  As I was standing next to the nurses’ station upon discharge, I asked if I could get a punch card for future visits.  When life hands you lemons, kick back with a great sense of humor and smile!

Courtesy of 4-H

3.  It’s fair time! Today was judging day for general fair projects for Lyon County 4-H.  It is so much fun to see all the 4-Hers hard work come to fruition with the incredible exhibits.  Seeing kids flit about from judge to judge in a synchronized dance makes me think of Lake Wobegon where all the kids are above-average.  (But in this case, it’s true; these kids amaze me with their creativity, hard work, and talent!)  It’s fun to eavesdrop as the kids (not my own) speak to the judge about their project. I adore watching the faces light up after the judge hands over a ribbon. As an educator, I am often dismayed when I overhear people making blanket statements about the lack of initiative or work ethic among today’s youth.  I am guessing that if those who make those comments came to the 4-H building, they would see kids passionate about learning and doing, and that definitely makes me smile.

Until next week, keep looking for the little things that make you smile!

Things that Make me Smile

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On our trip back from Florida, the kids and I listened to the first three books of my favorite book series – The Mitford Series by Jan Karon. It was fun to share my favorite characters with them, and the revisiting of “old friends” warmed my heart.  One of the things I had forgotten was how one of the characters, Cynthia Cavanaugh, is often asked by her husband, Father Tim, “What do you love?”.  Cynthia seems to always have a triple answer roll right off of her tongue.  I have always been enamored with her ability to find 3 things that she adores in the blink of an eye, and I have decided to follow in her footsteps by creating a new category for this blog.  It will be known as Monday – Fun Day where I will post things that make me smile.  This will be a hodge-podge of items; so, don’t expect a routine response (My fictional model never says the same three things in her responses either.)

So here goes on our maiden voyage:

1.  Unexpected visitors – Midweek, we saw a vehicle slow down and stop in our driveway.  Because of a crazy numbering system for our neighborhood, we seldom get too excited about a vehicle stopping by.  Because we both have house numbers of  206 on a weekly basis, we get our neighbors’ items which include things like mail, furniture, pizza, visitors, and flowers.  That last one really stunk because once I was having a bad day, and POOF! here came a dozen roses delivered to my door.  I opened the card to read, “I love you, Caroline.”  Bummer, dude!  But I digress . . . because this time it was an unexpected visit from friends who were between appointments in town.  It was wonderful!  We had a whole hour to visit, catch-up, and have some time together that we would have never had otherwise.  I am so thankful that one of her sons made the suggestion to stop by, because it made my day to see them.  I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such wonderful friends to share this journey, and that will always make me smile!

Not my actual garden

2.  If you follow my Kan-Do group on Facebook, you know that yesterday, I waxed poetically about zucchini and our harvest so far this year.  We have been enjoying zucchini in just about every fashion you can.  Since it is my favorite squash, I am trying all kinds of new recipes as well.  Think zucchini and smoked sausage saute as well as eggplant-zucchini bolognese.  Y-U-M-M-Y!  Every minute spent weeding and watering has been worth every every single bite!  My love of zucchini (and a good laugh) will carry into tomorrow’s blog. I think my love of gardening stems from the times spent with my parents and grandparents digging in the dirt, planting, tending, and finally harvesting.  Despite the dry and hot weather we have been experiencing, every new blossom in my garden reminds me that God still has a plan even in my small patch of ground, and that makes me smile.

3.  I am always amazed when someone thinks I have a good, creative project or idea, because truthfully, I read a lot.  I mean A LOT.  So many times, I have seen something in a book, blog, or magazine, and then I tweak it to fit my needs or desires.  I enjoy having eclectic tastes and striving to find something that stands out even if it is a small detail.  So when I ran across this blog entry, I knew that I would have to try it myself. http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/?s=mermaid+nails Even though I don’t believe I will become a mermaid anytime soon, I can at least pretend with some really fun nails.

Mermaid nails (Photo from Cupakes & Cashmere blog)

 

My first run at this style was for Erin and her friend, and they were adorable.  If you read the blog, you can certainly see how the sky (or the sea) would be the limit for the creative ways you could change this style.  After my trip to Florida, I realized how the Gulf of Mexico is etched deeply in my heart.  When I stand next to her, I realize how small I really am.  And yet, in my smallness, I know that God loves me B-I-G, and that too will always make me smile! I wish for you to find the the things that make you smile – on a daily basis.