Beauty

Heartbreak & Inspiration

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

This summer has been so weird…what’s new for 2020? It’s been the most heartbreaking summer of my life and also one of the most beautiful and inspiring.

I’ve been feeling a lot of guilt about not writing about the aforementioned heartbreak. And honestly, as I’m thinking through this right now, I’m realizing that there was more than just one big heartbreak. There was one that was acceptable to grieve in public and one that was very much reserved for only my most private moments.

Publicly, we put down our dog of 14 years at the beginning of July. The decision was made quickly, but the 2 days of waiting destroyed me over and over and over again. I’m grateful that it wasn’t traumatic for him; it was just time. He was a much dimmer version of himself and was obviously hiding a lot more pain than he wanted us to know about. His personality shone bright on his last day, though, which was bittersweet for me because I was so happy to see glimpses of my puppy again, but also didn’t want to say goodbye after that.

Cocoa, my best bud. 2005-2020

I feel like he deserves an entire post, but I’m also seeing the beauty lately in keeping things closer to home. I just finished a picture book with nearly 400 pictures of him (in chronological order, of course) that I know will be well worth the effort when I’m feeling nostalgic and want to remember the truest friend I’ve ever known. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to confide in friends, new and old, about this strange new world without my furry shadow’s constant companionship.

Which brings me to the private heartbreak I’ve been battling lately. (It kills me to know that I’ll be able to write more about this than my best friend dying, but I’m trying to work on acceptance.) I can’t get past the feeling of being a burden. I can’t generalize and say that this has been a problem all summer. June was amazing in that I felt so connected to all my people. That’s a very rare thing for me, but I felt so valued and loved and I’m wondering if maybe I got a little complacent? Things just felt so good that I may have put in less effort, leading me to July.

It wasn’t even like things changed because my dog died, it was literally like a switch flipped on July 1. I started feeling really insecure in my relationships again. I had plenty of feelings to share (enneagram 4) but didn’t feel like anyone would want to listen. Turns out July is still one of the busiest months of the year in the middle of a global pandemic. And guess who has never had a busy July in her life! And guess who really struggles with her feelings come July because she doesn’t want to bother her friends who are busy living! And guess who had real grief to work through and would’ve loved to have shared with someone!

Okay, enough with the guessing. It’s me and it sucked. This has always been a challenge for me, but it’s a different kind of challenge when I actually have people in my life who are willing and able to support me and I don’t believe them because of my past experiences. I was present for every group event, every video call, every Sunday service, but very rarely was I ever actually engaged in community. I am obviously very aware of the never-ending quality of my emotions. Happy, sad or the millions of variations between–they’re always all-consuming. I walked into these new relationships with the assumption that, like me, they had all grown weary of my ever-changing, all-consuming emotions. I didn’t give them the opportunity to prove me wrong. So I continued to withdraw.

Until I realized what was happening and started reaching out to my closest friends and apologizing. I, of course, was reassured that apologies weren’t necessary and that support is exactly what community is about. Naturally, I then swung 180 degrees and, without getting into details, things didn’t end up the way I expected.

This week I was left feeling uncertain. Something happened with a friend that opened my eyes to the reality of my situation. I feel like it can only change things for the better, but I also feel like a lot of hard work is going to be required to get there. Because July is so busy for so many people, everything was called off this week. And one more little thing: after hearing about multiple covid cases at my church and myself and my employer developing a few mild symptoms (hello 2 day week!), I became convinced that I had it. (I later tested negative.)

But, miraculously, if you were to ask me how my week was, I don’t think I’d hesitate in saying that it was the best one I’ve had in a long time. I kept thinking all week that it felt like a vacation! A vacation with friend drama, coming to terms with a hard reality and threat of covid? Best week in a long time? Yes!

Being a 4 on the enneagram, (everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I love the enneagram!) I put a high value on authenticity. Even though what happened with my friend wasn’t fun and some of the things that were said were hard to hear, it felt authentic. I think I handled it as well as I could have at that point and it ultimately really changed my perspective.

I had already decided that I needed a week off before things started getting canceled, so that actually felt really validating for me.

In all honesty, my “covid” symptoms were so mild and came and went so fast that I was never actually convinced that I had it. I knew that it was a definite possibility with cases being reported at my church and one of them hit a little close for comfort, so I decided to play it safe and get tested. I also live with my parents, who are both older than 65. One of them is much more concerned than the other, so I wanted to be able to provide some peace of mind.

But the bright side of having a 2-day week and no plans was that I now had an opportunity to focus on me. Self-care it up! Let myself just sit and admire a view. Or read a book. Or go to bed insanely early. Or stay up writing. Or leave my phone. Or finish a picture book to honor my best friend. Or do a crossword. And then a sudoku. Or go for a walk. And then another. Or do yoga. Or make an insanely delicious dinner that requires planning. And then do it again the next night. And then make apple pie for dessert. Or finally start watching the last season of “New Girl.” (All good things must come to an end. But, why?) Or walk around in amazement of God’s creation and try to capture it from every angle so it’s never forgotten.

Or sit on the porch at sunset and try your darnedest to forever attach this view to your new favorite song. (No, it’s definitely not Taylor Swift…it’s also definitely not named after my favorite month, which today just happens to be the first day of…)

I also happen to be reading “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. (Not done with it yet, but so far I highly recommend it!)

I had the same number of hours in this week as last and the one before that. The reason this week was so much better was because even though I had every excuse to make it a terrible week, I prioritized things that bring me joy. Because I labeled it a self-care week, I was more conscious of incorporating activities that fed my soul. Not to say that I didn’t have unpleasant moments, too–hello, covid test, fussy children and anxious parent.

July was mostly about pushing through. Pushing through hard situations and emotions and constantly putting myself out there (without actually putting myself out there) in pursuit of growth. This week was about being present. Plans went out the window and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make any plans moving forward, so I was forced to sit in the present and find the joy.

And as it turns out, I learned way more about myself by sitting in the present than I ever did in the pursuit of growth. Instead of constantly trying to find myself, I sat with myself and observed.

I have no idea what this month or week will bring, but as things inevitably return to “normal,” I’m going to try to spend more time observing than searching. If authenticity is the goal, how can I ever get there without observation?

Faith

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

My, my, my. How things have changed!

As I reread my last post, I realized that everything I was worried about has actually been a bonus during this–here it comes–unprecedented time.

Without a doubt, my lifegroup from church has been the biggest game changer during this time.

Just before everything shut down, the leaders of my group decided to start shaking things up with the hope of developing deeper bonds outside of our usual weekly meeting. Boys and girls split up for discussions and one night we completely ditched our usual routine and went out for milkshakes instead!

I had dinner with one of the leaders a few days after the milkshakes and that really solidified things in my mind. We got to know each other a little more and in so doing, I felt like I had really gained an ally in the group. I was assured that whatever I was comfortable with was enough. A lot of my fears and worries about the group were washed away that night.

Then the world started to change. And we were forced to adapt. We took it online (hey, zoom!) and got crazy about consistency. There were a few weeks when we wouldn’t have met in person, but decided that this was not a time to be taking breaks. We met earlier or for a shorter length of time if need be, but we’ve met every week.

There have been a few weeks of transition, in one way or another, that have triggered my anxiety and brought back a lot of the doubts I thought I had gotten over. There have also been a few weeks that I wish the call never ended.

But I can trace everything back to three things that made all the difference. At the beginning of this quarantine, I told myself that I wanted to make the most of it. I didn’t want to let it just slip by. I didn’t know exactly what that meant at the time, but looking back I can see that I eventually got there and made a lot more progress in the most important areas of my life than I ever would have without the quarantine.

It took me a few weeks, but I eventually realized that this was a perfect opportunity for me to get to know some of the girls from the group better in a way that was already much more comfortable to me: through a screen. That didn’t come through talking more during the zoom calls–I was assured many times that my quiet presence on the calls is important too. This came through texts and facetimes. Naturally, it didn’t always go the way I wanted, but, man, I wouldn’t change any of it. I love our little group and am so excited that there’s no end in sight!

The second thing that made all the difference was this. My church released a new album, Altars, a few weeks ago and it has made me so proud to call River Valley home! I, of course, recognized a few of the songs from worship, but the first listen through the whole album was definitely emotional. It’s been my go-to when I need a pick-me-up or when I need to sit in feelings I’ve been suppressing. It’s taken my faith to another level. I obviously recommend taking a listen!

Speaking of taking my faith to another level, the combination of Altars and the sweet girls I’ve been getting to know more deeply has shaken me. In a good way! I had never prayed with such frequency or intention. I had never noticed God in so many minute details. I had never actually wanted to read the Bible. I had never craved worship music so much or been less interested in popular music. Bottom line: I had never invited God into my daily life. But having those powerful influences in my life has completely changed me.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around all that has changed this year. I remember the beginning of this journey, almost 2 years ago, and feeling a little nudge to buy a devotional and not telling anyone about it for 6 months. Then I bought another one. Then I bought the first in a long line of Christian and/or personal development books. I started to share my journey with my best friend at the beginning of 2019, started therapy almost exactly one year ago, went to my church for the first time last August and lost what I thought was a lifelong friend about a month later.

Then things kicked into high gear. My faith got stronger with each month as I started to find my identity in the church community and in my daily life. I found my campus and my group. Then quarantine happened and became a natural transition point into a life I would’ve had no way of imagining a year ago.

I was looking through my prayer journal about a month ago and was able to directly trace back the nudges along the way to my strongest friendship in our group. There’s nothing quite like that. It was so crazy powerful to see that God put this person on my heart before I’d ever met her, lead me to where we are now and left breadcrumbs for me to look back on. I shared this with her and it led to the most honest and meaningful conversation I may have ever had. It makes me really emotional because I’ve never had a relationship with God so clearly at the center. I’ve never had a friend to share “faith updates” with. It’s never felt especially accepted, much less encouraged.

I never thought I’d be this person, but, you guys, God is good. He made the most of this quarantine for me.

He’s putting bigger things on my heart now and I can start to see the roadmap. I just need to keep moving forward and trust Him.

Looking Back Fondly

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

I had yet another amazing weekend! This summer seems to have been filled with amazing days, nights and weekends. I wonder why that is…could it be an outlook change?

The weekend started with a bang! I brought my best friend to the Taylor Swift concert in Minneapolis Friday night. It was my fifth TS concert, her fourth. We went to the first 3 together. She had lost interest after high school, but I remained a loyal Swiftie. I didn’t have to do much convincing to get her to go with me because the memories were already a part of our relationship. It would’ve felt wrong going with anyone else.

The thing about this concert, though, was that I felt like it was really aimed at the nostalgic fans who had been there since the beginning. So even though my BFF hadn’t listened to any of the current music, she was still able to sing along with a lot of the songs and we were still able to reminisce about the last time we’d heard the songs live.

I am not a dancer. (Probably for good reason.) But I was dancing and screaming and eating up all of “this is the best crowd” lines! I was so in the moment and I just couldn’t believe that that many people liked Taylor at least as much as I did. I’m surrounded by people who pride themselves on not liking mainstream music, so I often feel like a loser or a chump for liking it. So it was really, really nice to be surrounded by that many like-minded people.

But every song had a memory attached and that’s what really sent me over the top. This time I realized that she has memories attached to every song, too. I remember after seeing One Direction in Chicago years ago, I was really disappointed to realize that they were just 5 teenage boys. But every time I see Taylor Swift live, I’m so relieved to see that she’s just another twenty-something trying to figure everything out.

Okay, fangirling over. It was a magical night for me, but the best was yet to come.

Friday was also my brother’s fifth wedding anniversary and they threw a huge “dream reception” in the prettiest park around on Sunday. Family was trickling in all week, but our houseguests arrived Saturday. We brought them to a new little speakeasy in town (hello, girls’ nights!), got milkshakes at the cute, little 50s diner, took a little riverfront walk and picked up some gourmet popcorn before heading home. They joined us for church the next morning and we managed to fit in a little bit of shopping before party prep started. I love showing off our town and I love having the extended family around!

We got to the park hours before the party started to help with anything and everything. I was, of course, in charge of the kids (who hadn’t had naps…). It was really nice to have some quality time with them before the crowd came, though. I traded off kid duty with my dad and my sister-in-law’s mom all night so my brother and sister-in-law could enjoy their guests.

After getting family and group pictures, my brother gathered everyone together and thanked them for coming and being a part of their marriage. Then he said he wanted to thank a few people who they could not have lived without these past 5 years. Guess who the first thank you was…

Me.

He thanked me and his wife’s brother for always being willing to drop everything and help them with anything. And then he asked everyone to give us a round of applause.

I swear I almost cried.

Selfishly I’ve always really wanted that validation that they appreciate what I do. But getting it was just so much better than I ever imagined.

They both pulled me aside later and thanked me again for being such a big help.

Gah.

There are circumstances in our family’s history that have made our relationship awkward at times, but it felt so good to be so loved and appreciated by my brother. I realized that he’s not going anywhere. He’s not going to give up on me. And I’m not going to give up on him, either. We’ve got each other for life.

That was kind of the theme of the summer. I realized who was really there for me and who wasn’t. I really learned to appreciate who and what I have. I will always look back fondly at the summer of 2018.

But I’m so ready for fall!!

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24

All Our Love

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

I’m a year older today.

Yes, today was my birthday.

In a lot of ways I really do feel older. A lot of the situations I’m facing now are decidedly adult. I never fully understood the phrase hard choices until recently.

But I also don’t feel any different than I did 5 years ago.

The day felt much, much different, though, than last year.

Last year the day basically came and went. I wasn’t working, and my parents did go along with my wishes, but that’s all they did. Actually, it’s not fair to my dad to say they. He really tried to make the day special for me. My mom just went along. I never heard a “Happy Birthday!” from her, never got a card signed “Love, Mom and Dad.” My niece and nephew were also with us all day, so that’s a different dynamic all on its own. We did the birthday stuff, but it didn’t feel special.

This morning, on the other hand, I was greeted with smiling faces, “Happy Birthdays” and hugs. After completing my civic duty, I headed to my other kids’ house. I had to work today and we really didn’t do anything special, but I was greeted with more smiles and “Happy Birthdays,” and gifted some cupcakes and a sweet homemade card from the kids. Their parents wrote a nice thank you note on the back. That would’ve been enough, right? Around lunchtime the kids’ grandma stopped by with a card and gift. I mean.

After the youngest went down for her morning nap, I noticed a voicemail from my brother. They all sang to me and my niece, obviously a little bit confused, kept insisting that she wanted to talk to me.

I really wasn’t expecting anything at home. My parents were gone for the evening–having dinner with some of my mom’s siblings. I was looking forward to coming home to an empty house, maybe going for a walk and getting ready for the evening.

When I walked into the kitchen, I saw flowers and cards from my parents. All our love, Mom and Dad. Cue the tears.

I was touched, to say the least, but I had to get over it and get ready for dinner.

I went out for margaritas with one of my best friends in our little waterfront hometown. This was especially rewarding because, try as we might, we hadn’t seen each other in about 4 months and a lot had happened! It was so fun to catch up and just hang out! At some point during the meal I mentioned not being used to all the attention I was receiving and she just simply replied, “Well, we all love you.”

Quite a different experience from last year.

When I got home, I decided to enjoy the sunset and take my dog for a walk and as I was admiring the sky, I started reflecting on the day and, I’m serious, I literally felt a wave of gratitude just wash over me. All of these people took the time and effort to show me they care. I’m important, I matter to them. After having some rough years when it comes to that subject, it was overwhelming to come to that conclusion.

I thought about all of the times throughout the day I had said “Thank You.” And it struck me that I was in the moment and truly felt the gratitude as I said those words. Every time. But it felt bittersweet, because I can’t shake the feeling that things won’t be the same this time next year. Maybe that’s for the better, but I couldn’t let myself focus on that too long, because I wanted to soak up every last second of daylight. I couldn’t (and still can’t) let this day go.

I want to bottle it up for all those ordinary days. But while I still have the house to myself, I’m going to let myself bask in it. How many times in life do you feel truly special and completely loved? I think I owe it to myself to enjoy it.

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24

30 Years

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

I did a good thing today (yesterday for most of you reading this).

Tomorrow (today) is my parents’ 30th anniversary. They would have been happy to just let the day come and go without any kind of celebration. But I couldn’t let that happen. (I’m also the girl who wrote them a thank-you note and gave them a dinner out for my 20th birthday…)

So about two weeks ago I approached my dad with an idea for dinner out and a reservation at a swanky new hotel in town. He loved it and we decided to keep it a secret from my mom for as long as possible. The next step was getting my brother involved. He was all in.

Everything was set up; we just didn’t know how my mom was going to react to it all. We decided that it was necessary to tell her about the dinner last weekend, so she had time to warm up to the idea and so she wouldn’t plan something with someone else! But we managed to keep the hotel a secret until hours before we left.

We enjoyed an adults-only dinner in our favorite small town sipping manhattans, martinis and an old fashioned. They reminisced about the last 30 years, we cracked up talking about favorite TV shows, we shared stories about our two favorite children. We dropped them off at their hotel and the “kids” went off to get ice cream! It was an evening none of us will soon forget.

And it all started with my idea.

I mean, technically I know it all started with a blind date 31 years ago…but we wouldn’t have made those new memories tonight without my idea.

I’m letting myself bask in it tonight. We made them feel special. Appreciated. Valued. Loved. We wouldn’t be who we are without them and we needed to show them how much they mean to us.

Family can be a tricky thing. There are lots of downs, but there are also lots of ups. The really beautiful thing is that family is there for it all. We help each other through the difficult times so we can enjoy these times.

30 years ago, my parents made the crazy decision to be each other’s family, baggage and all. I am so thankful that I got to celebrate this amazing milestone with them and give them an evening to realize what a milestone it truly is.

I don’t want this night to end. I want to live in this feeling forever. At least we’ll have the memories and each other.

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24

Old Habits

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

Something miraculous happened today. Well, maybe not miraculous. But it was certainly a change for me.

I was faced with the triggering situation I’ve mentioned in other posts and I feel like I reverted back to old habits. (You know the saying!) I obsessed and felt guilty and ashamed of what I was doing.

But one thing changed.

I always end up going for a walk to try and clear my mind and when I reach a certain spot with my favorite view (I call it my mountaintop), I pause and let the emotions wash over me. Usually this ends with me clutching my phone to my chest while sobbing and feeling sorry for myself and trying to decide whether I want to burden a friend with my sob story.

But as I approached that spot today, the only way I can explain it is that it felt like I was revisiting the scene of a crime. Or the scene of a great tragedy. Things were visually very different–the big open field is starting to get developed–but it was more than that. It was that feeling a character in a suspense novel gets at the end of the story. You know, when they go back to the place where they had that really big fight and someone “accidentally” dies. (I’ve been reading a lot of those books lately…) It felt like a line was drawn. I looked around and had memories of those days, but this was a new beginning. Things were physically and emotionally very different. But also exactly the same.

As I approached the fence and started to let down my guard, I was startled by my gut reaction.

I prayed.

I actually prayed out loud for the strength and courage and confidence to get through this situation. I tried to contain sobs and admitted that I can’t do this alone and that I need help.

I was so humbled by the beauty in front of me. Yes, things were changing. There was the beginning of a road, a fire hydrant and construction trucks. But it was still the same view I’ve been admiring for years. The tall grasses still blew in the wind, the birds still flocked to the pond, the butterflies and dragonflies still floated through the grasses, the big, strong Oaks still rustled their leaves. Everything was the same and yet, everything was completely different.

I turned around, crouched down and completely lost it. The tears kept flowing as the prayer became internal.

Eventually the tears stopped and I felt the need to circle around, walk it off and return to the same spot. As I walked, I felt more and more at peace. Words and phrases kept popping up in my mind and by the time I got back to my “mountaintop” I knew what I wanted to say.

I did end up calling a friend, but not with my sob story. I explained that things have been different lately. Better. I told her I wanted to tell her more about it in person sometime soon.

I haven’t talked with anyone about my new-found faith. I’ve kept it to myself because I don’t want to be that Jesus freak. I haven’t told my parents because while they would appreciate that I’ve come around, I don’t think they would quite understand why I don’t agree with them on all aspects. We’ve also had cryptic conversations about faith being a personal thing that you don’t need to vocalize to others. My friends all grew up in a church–not necessarily mine–and it’s just never been a major talking point for us.

But I’m ready to share. I want to be able to talk about it with someone who might understand. So I called a friend whose family has gone to our church for more than 10 years. (In fact, I saw her at church this morning!) She grew up in a much more openly religious family, but we’ve never really talked about it.

This is a big step for me. I’m nervous, but I’m also excited. I’m mostly just relieved to finally let those old habits die.

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24

Right Now

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

You guys.

It’s been a week.

Oh, man.

Nothing big happened, but a whole lotta small things happened.

I had a whole post written up that I was going to publish last week, but (thankfully) when I went to hit “Publish” it was dinner time and I decided I’d read through it one more time before sending it out into the blogosphere.

It always bothers me that we don’t do anything special for summer holidays and my friends and their families do, but for some reason it hit me especially hard last weekend. I fleshed out my feelings about the subject in the almost-post and ended up actually expressing it (quite emotionally, I might add) to my parents at dinner. We finished dinner with the understanding that we would treat the weekend as a staycation.

Luckily, the weather helped us out. It was the hottest Memorial Day on record here and the high temperature never dipped below 90° for 6 days. It was too hot to do anything outside, so we spent most of the weekend in/by the pool, experimenting with Mai Tai recipes, making (and receiving) far too many sweet treats, catching up on The Crown, whipping up fancy brunches for friends (just call me Martha!) and falling in love with our hometown all over again. It may not have been the lake, but it was one of the best Memorial Day weekends I can remember.

By Tuesday, I was actually missing the kids. And this was the last week of “normal” scheduling before things start getting topsy turvy for the summer, so I was determined to take it all in and enjoy every minute.

Spoiler alert: not every minute was worth remembering. And it rained. Almost. Every. Day.

On top of that, I was feeling pretty sluggish and disappointed from all of the indulging I was doing over the weekend.

Lots of familiar thoughts started popping up and it was exhausting trying to quiet them.

But I did.

I dove headfirst into a new book, made exercise a priority again, started saying no to that second slice of cake (and banana bread and ice cream sandwich and cookie…), made a new get-up-and-go playlist and started looking at minutes and hours instead of days, weeks and months.

I’m realizing that while I’m a planner and actually enjoy planning out months at a time, it’s healthier for me to focus on right now. 

Right now my nephew is sleeping, my niece is playing Barbies, my dad is mowing the lawn and my mom is off to help a friend finish a big project. Yes, later today I will be tested. Chaos will ensue and I will probably lose my cool. Tears will be shed and food will be thrown.

But right now I’m sitting in the sun in my favorite spot with my favorite dog doing what I love. Enjoying the peace.

It may only last a few more minutes, but that’s all I need.

Right now everything is good.

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24

December?

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

Whoops.

I think I accidentally fast forwarded to December.

Allow me to explain: it’s the first snow of the season up here in Gray Duck country. End of explanation. It all spiraled from there.

Last night, in anticipation of the snow (and just the general transition to frigid temperatures), we (I) decided it was time to move the porch furniture inside for the season. That involved shifting a lot of furniture throughout the whole house. But I was determined to get it done because once everything was in its winter position, I could set up the newest addition to our Christmas decorations out on the porch: a giant (fake, obviously) Christmas tree!

20171026_185722.jpg

(Our last surviving pumpkin is sitting proudly next to the tree!)

This morning I woke up to snow flurries. The ground was still green, but the snow continued to pick up. It just started to taper now about 6 hours later. We now have a few inches of snow piled up on our deck!

20171027_130532.jpg

I wasn’t expecting to be so excited about it! Usually the first snow of the season is kind of depressing. Here we go again. But not this time! This time I was listening to Christmas music while getting ready, thinking about Christmas movies, Christmas cookies, Christmas cards, end of the year calendars, presents for the kidlets. And then I remembered it’s not even Halloween yet.

I don’t even care! I just went for a walk through the gorgeousness, again listening to Christmas music (what up, Mr. Bublé?!), and actually teared up at how incredible it all was.

My parents have been telling me that they’ve noticed something changing in me lately. They’ve seen how thankful I am for everything and how much I appreciate my life. That really struck me today. It’s been a perfect day so far, but it hasn’t been out of the ordinary at all. We usually have the kids on Fridays, but we got today off so I’ve been taking advantage of the free day.

I’ve been able to find something to be grateful for in every situation. And when I’m in that place, I feel it. Deeply.

Isn’t that what I said December (and Christmas) was all about?

But, wait. It’s still October! Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, and then Merry Christmas!

Screw it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24

Snow Day

~ Carrie ~ 2 Comments

It snowed today. And I was not smiling about it…until my plans were canceled and I didn’t have to go anywhere. Then it was beautiful!  It didn’t amount to much, but the ground and trees are white. It should–should–be gone by Sunday so we can have our annual Easter bonfire. But this is Minnesota, so you never know.

I hope the burning pile has a chance to dry out by Sunday!!
Just our luck. We start to bring out the lawn furniture and it snows.
We even put the pogo stick up for JuJu! Good thing we didn’t set up the zipline or hang her Easter swing!
He truly is a snowdog.
This tree has buds on it!! I hope they aren’t damaged because this has the prettiest blooms in the spring!
We put our Easter flag out and put our plywood bluebird up at the end of the driveway!
He’s missed being the star of the show! When that baby is around, there aren’t as many pictures taken of him, so he makes sure to ham it up when he has the chance!

Meanwhile, inside, JuJu was decorating for Easter, loving on her puppy, and eating a balanced meal of cake and pudding (she actually did have an extremely well balanced meal before earning her cake and pudding).

“Who’s on the back of the card, Juliana?” “COCOA!”

Poor Cocoa. He’s such a good puppy.

“Why is she doing this to me?!”
“Oh, well. Just tell me when it’s over.”

I guess it turned out to be a pretty good day! The snow won’t last and my sixty-degree days will be back before you know it!

Once again, I learned not to judge a day by its morning.

Wee Bit of Snow

~ Carrie ~ Leave a comment

We got a little bit of snow last week.

Just a little bit, though.

No, but seriously, it was the biggest storm of the season…and we only got about 5 inches. Which, growing up in a state where we could get a foot of snow overnight and still have to go to school, is really not a lot. The roads were a little more slick than usual and people momentarily forgot how to drive, but everything worked out. And now we have this beautiful new snow cover! (Our yard was starting to look green again!)

Cocoa was SO happy! I was working when the snow started and luckily, was able to leave early. When I got home, this guy ran to the door and begged to be let out! I went out with him to get some pictures and he was like a kid on the last day of school. He was free! He refused to come inside.

We also got this little one out in the snow! She was okay with walking on the driveway, but was very, very concerned about walking in the snow. We lured her out there with the promise of seeing her LLAMAS (she always screams that word). She even got to pet our friendliest llama, Millie. But then we tried to get her to play in the snow with us and that wasn’t as successful. My mom and I both wanted to sled down some of the snow piles, so we did it by ourselves, hoping she would think it looked fun. Well, she didn’t. But, I took her down with me anyways! She enjoyed Cocoa kissing her when we got to the bottom, but did not enjoy the rest of the process! (Two days later she wanted to sled down the snow piles!)

We checked out the snow sculptures at the Winter Carnival last weekend and Juliana’s highlight, and therefore our highlight, was running into this massive Great Dane! She expects every dog to be as friendly and cuddly as Cocoa, so she walked right up to it with an open mouth and outstretched arms, ready for a hug and a kiss. Luckily, this dog was very friendly. The owner even let J sit on the dog! Those were the biggest smiles of the day.

Living in Minnesota, we learn to live with, and thrive in, the snow. J definitely brought out my inner child and, even though she may not love it right now, has reminded me how much I love it! It’s fun to have these storms every now and then! But, I’m good with an early spring, too!

Screenshot 2016-01-18 14.26.24