A Park Merges Rich History With Green Design

5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 1, Day 5
Spring Lake Park, Schaar’s Bluff

Spring Lake Park is one of my favorite places to take walks with the family. The views are breathtaking, the trails are very well maintained and there are bonfire pits at several locations throughout the park.

Spring Lake Park has an interesting history. There are native american artifacts that show evidence of villages and campsites dating from 1000 B.C to A.D. 1400! In the 1930’s, a dam was built, flooding the river basin and spring lake merged to join the Mississippi. In more recent history, Schaar’s Bluff was a family farm that was eventually sold to Dakota County.

Since then, the park has been working on providing a place where visitors can learn about American Indian history. Nine years ago, the park opened Dakota County’s first net-zero-energy building. The Gathering Hall gets 90 percent of it’s energy from an onsite wind turbine. This spring, it opened it’s recently expanded trail to merge with the Mississippi River Trail.

We had originally planned on hiking a hidden trail we hadn’t previously explored. Upon arrival, we saw that the new trail had been completed. We were really excited to check it out.

We enjoyed seeing the beautiful prairie, full of wildflowers. As we progressed on the trail, we could see several newly planted oak trees and strips of wheat bordering the path. We took time to rest at the picnic tables overlooking the river and planned a future picnic. The kids enjoyed climbing the rocks in the newly carved limestone wall. The huge bridge crossing a ravine was an interesting design of plain lumber and rusted metal that made the kids question it’s age and safety. I assured them that it was new and probably quite safe.

I have a feeling that we’ll love visiting and walking the new trail just as much as we love the old ones. I really recommend this park for anyone interested. It’s great for biking, hiking, picnics, outdoor gatherings, photo shoots, weddings, playing at the park, and watching the sun set.

Have you ever visited Schaar’s Bluff? What is your favorite spot?

Main Park Info:
https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks/parksTrails/SpringLake/Pages/schaars-bluff-trailhead.aspx
https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks/parksTrails/SpringLake

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Day 4: Minnehaha Falls
Next Week: Week 2, Day 1: Workout At Home

April 13, 2017July 2, 2018

52 Project, Week 5: Warmth

When I think of warmth, I think of things that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. A nice roaring fire and a toasty oven give off some comfortable warmth that I love to lounge in front of. My favorite place to stay warm though, is my bed. I love my bed. My favorite time of day is bedtime, when I can crawl underneath my comforter and pull one of my favorite throw blankets up around me.

The air is usually cold in our house since we live in a historic, drafty old home in Minnesota. I’ll often have a few of my little ones crawl in bed with me, should I sneak up for a bit of quiet time during the day. We might quietly read together, watch the JW app on our Roku, talk about life, write or draw in our journals, or even just take a nap. I think that if my bed were big enough, all my children would happily sleep with me at night, just like when they were little.

I chose to photograph all of my children’s feet side by side. I used to kiss their toes as babies and marvel at how small they were. Now they are growing and so are their feet! Someday, each of their feet will be just as big as my own.

Do you love to snuggle with your wee ones in your bed? What do you think of when you hear the word, warmth?

Previous Week:52 Project, Week 4: Socks
Next Week:52 Project, Week 6: Hair
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January 9, 2017July 1, 2018

52 Project, Week 1: Bible

When I was younger, I used to choose resolutions for New Years. My family would stay up till midnight while making homemade pizza and playing games. We would also come up with a resolution. Normally I’d forget about my resolution within the first week. I’ve stopped celebrating New Years and making resolutions. I don’t feel I need to wait for the new year to start a great new goal. I can do that any time. I have, however, come up with a theme word and quote for the year.

This year, Cat helped me come up with our theme word. Our past words have been pretty simple, haha, literally. With four children, I found the need to simplify everything. In 2013, the goal was to simplify our schedule. After having been on bedrest for half of my pregnancy, I had already somewhat adjusted to doing less. Learning to minimize our schedule was still a balancing act for a while. 2014, I loved what simplifying our schedule did for our life. I wanted to continue focusing on that and and also simplify our routines and possessions. 2015 was a continuation of that. In 2016, I joined a Minimizing group on Facebook and began to make big changes in minimizing our belongings.

2017
Faith

For all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

2016
Minimize

It goes by in the blink of an eye.

2015
Simplify

Ohana means family — no one gets left behind, and no one is ever forgotten.

2014
Simplify

The Love of a Family is Life’s Greatest Blessing

2013
Simplify

The joys of a family of 6.

2012

It’s going to be a good year.

Although I want to continue to minimize our belongings this year, I felt the need for something different. 2017 seems to be a year of big change. Our local congregation moved and merged with Cottage Grove. January 1st was our first day at our new Kingdom Hall. Each of the kids has been adjusting to new schools. There are changes I want to make. The children have their own goals and struggles as well. I keep thinking to myself that I need to take a leap of faith, place my trust in God and everything will be all right.

I asked Cat what the word of the year should be and she said “Faith”. It’s perfect. Faith is what we need to get us through hard times. Faith is what we need every day. Faith lifts us up. For us, having the Bible is a great first photography project. It’s not one of our random words, it’s the perfect symbolism for our first week.

Next Week: 52 Project, Week 2: Cold
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January 18, 2016January 19, 2016

Scripture Memorization

Lately I’ve been working on memorizing my favorite scriptures. My good friend, who has been helping me with weekly bible studies for the last year, suggested index cards. Although the idea was a great one, with four kids, my flashcards often ended up scattered or lost. It was almost perfect timing that I received a great little leather notebook.

I first saw this notebook as an advertisement on Facebook for Wish.com. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted it. I have a great love for unique, antiquish (yes, I just made up a word) things. If it looks classy and old, my heart starts to pitter patter with happy thoughts. Maybe it’s my love for history, or perhaps a time when things were simpler, but there is a charm in mementos from yesteryear.

Once I opened my beautiful new book, I was struck by the instant idea about how great it would be to write my favorite scriptures in it. Truly, losing a book is much harder than losing index cards that can become scattered. I write a passage, or two, three, sometimes quite a few more, on the front page, highlighting each new verse with a little star. Snowflake? Asterisk? Whatever. Then on the back I write which book, chapter and verse(s).
Usually, I just love to read my favorite scriptures. I flip through my pages picking out the ones that bring me comfort depending on the situation. When the mood strikes, I’ll challenge myself to remember what book it is. I seem to have a harder time with numbers, not being a great number person, but with practice I’m slowly getting them memorized.
I recently ordered my daughter’s their own books so that they too can hopefully begin writing their favorite scriptures. I think it would be fun to challenge each other by reading out of each other’s books and quizzing one another.
So, if you are interested in my method to memorization, here is a detailed list of how I do it:
1.I placed colored, opaque, sticker tabs in the front of my bible
2.During bible study or meetings I highlight favorite verses.
3.If there is a long section I want to remember, I point the arrow to the right at the top and to the left at the bottom.
4.After the kids go to bed, or if they are quietly playing, I’ll gather my supplies. I grab my favorite pen, a BIC Crystal Ballpoint Pen, my book and my bible. I might make some coffee or tea. Then I cuddle up in one of my favorite spots with a favorite blanket. It’s all about comfort. 😉
5.I unbind my book to see where I’ve previously left off writing.
6.I open my bile to a scripture I’d like to write. I read the initial verse and also the surrounding verses to see what I’d like to write. Sometimes a single verse will suffice. Often I find the following 2 or 3 verses go along well with it and I want to include those too. If there are many, I might write the important verse larger and the accompanying ones in smaller print. I try to squeeze everything on one page, but there are times I’ve had to use two. Thankfully, the paper is unlined, so I can write without restriction.
7.I star/snowflake/asterisk the beginning of each verse.
7.On the back of the page, I write the book, chapter and verses. Sometimes I’ll put the main one at the top and the following verses down below. I haven’t decided if this is helpful or hindering yet. I’m starting to think I should just write it all in one spot.
8.Sometimes I’ll doodle a little scrolling along the main verse to separate it from the minor accompanying ones.
9.In free moments I read about 3-6 pages and quiz myself on the book’s name. If I have that memorized, I work on the chapter. If I also have that memorized, I work on the exact verse.
10.In moments of stress, I simply read through my favorites that touch my heart.

I find that doing this helps me to recall needed scriptures at times when they are most needed. If I am stressed, sometimes a soothing passage will pop into my head and help cam me. When I need to encourage my children, sometimes a related passage will help me, help them. If I have a friend in need, a certain verse can help me remember how to respond and help them in a delicate and thoughtful way.

What do you use to help you memorize scriptures? Are you going to, or have you tried my way? I’d love to hear your success stories!

July 21, 2015January 2, 2018

Wishing for Happiness

As a very young child, I would wish for different things, a fun new toy or a special treat was probably what made the top of the list. Life was simple and sweet. As the years wore on, I learned that life wasn’t quite so simple. I learned that living in this world could sometimes be very hard. People and animals were suffering and dying. Not all people were kind, compassionate and empathetic. And sadly enough, that there were horrors that were beyond the scope of a little girls imagination.

I remember coming home from elementary school one day, horrified that some day the Earth would end in a fiery ball called a red dwarf. I went to my Dad worried sick about all of the people that would die. My father tried to reassure me that it wouldn’t happen in my lifetime. The sun wouldn’t explode for a loooong time. Still, I worried about the people who would be alive when the sun engulfed the Earth.

I started to worry about everything. I would find hurt or dying animals and bring them home to save them. Often, saving them was beyond my skills and I would bury them in my yard. My pet cemetery grew blackberry bushes over it as a gift from my fallen friends.

I worried about the children in other countries who were dying from starvation and disease. I worried about people hurting and polluting the Earth, our home. I worried about the amount of salt we ate and the amount of coffee my Dad drank because my school told me they were bad for our health. I’d lie awake at night thinking about all of the horrible stories I’d read about concentration camps. I’d worry about strangers trying to kidnap me or get me to buy drugs.

Eventually, I started wishing on stars and birthday candles and certain times(12:34 and 11:11) for something other than treats and toys. I started wishing for happiness. I wanted to be happy. I was so sad and worried all the time that I was quite a serious child. I wanted the whole world to be happy. I wanted everyone to be safe and healthy, loved and happy.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized I had stopped wishing for happiness. It has been so long that I don’t even remember the last time I made a wish. Why? It’s because I AM happy. What a wonderful thing. So I came to this conclusion:

Happiness is the result of finding purpose in life.

I’ve spent most of my life wishing for happiness. It wasn’t until I stopped searching for happiness and focused on finding purpose that I realized I had also found happiness.

For me, my solution has been finding and getting to know God. My aspiration has been to learn as much as I can about God through the bible. I have been studying the bible for the past 5 years and doing weekly bible studies and going to Sundays services for the past few years. I have never in my life found anything else that gives me as much satisfaction, and purpose as this.

If you haven’t yet given the bible a chance, you might ask why? I honestly never used to give much thought to God and the bible. I thought God was like a Santa Claus for adults. I thought the bible was an old outdated book of stories, mere fantasy like fairy tales.

The idea that some benevolent, omnipotent spirit created the Earth seemed far-fetched to me. I had been taught evolution in school. The world taught me to scoff at the notion of believing in things I couldn’t see. I was extremely critical and predisposed to evidence-based facts.

In spite of this, I was searching. I wanted peace on Earth. I needed answers to fulfill my spiritual side. I researched peaceful religions and people who seemed to have answers. I wanted to find answers to the questions that seemed burned into my very being. Why are we here? What is our purpose in life? Why is there such evil in the world? I wanted to feel complete.

I liked to think of myself as open-minded and tolerant of all religions. Although all of the religions I researched had bits of wisdom, a lot of them had things I was skeptical about. I never felt fully committed and invested in them. In my search, I even tried reading the bible by myself once or twice. Unfortunately, it was all over my head. I gave up and didn’t bother to try again.

Then one day, a girl showed up at my door and asked how I was coping. At the time, I was dealing with a stressful situation. Wary of strangers, especially with the modern prejudices of strangers carrying bibles, I was polite but hesitant. Those I knew cracked jokes and told me what they would do if someone showed up at their door with a bible. They gave me advice on how to be rid of this “problem.”

I was unsure of what to think. I was curious about the literature left by this sweet girl and yet, everyone I knew made a mockery of such things. I must admit that I wasn’t ready to commit to anything more than friendly chit-chat. My sweet Jehovah’s Witness continued to stop by and bring me new magazines. She didn’t give up on me and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I have heard this quote that makes me think of my journey to find happiness. Why wish on stars when you can pray to the one who created them? I no longer wish for happiness on stars because I have a relationship with our heavenly father, Jehovah. Through him, I’ve found all the happiness I’ll ever need.

52 Project, Week 5: Warmth

52 Project, Week 1: Bible

2017 Faith

2016 Minimize

2015 Simplify

2014 Simplify

2013 Simplify