We Locked Our Keys In The Van in the Middle of the Woods

We Locked Our Keys In The Van

Camping, Day 2

After a night of heavy rain drumming our tent, I woke to the sound of birds. Thankfully, we were nice and dry inside! I got out of bed before everyone else to capture some nature photography before breaking down the campsite. Cat joined me and we had fun capturing the world, damp and dew drop covered from the night before.

After Nate got up, we decided to see if our next campsite was available. We weren’t able to get all of the days at the same spot since everything was so booked. Usually, the whole north is mostly booked by the time spring rolls around. If we want to pick a good spot for an entire week next year, we might have to reserve our spot within the next few months.

Cat watched the little ones while we walked across the campgrounds to take a look. As we walked past, we noticed the people there were already packing up! Check out isn’t until 4, so we had time to pack up our stuff and get over there. However, we wanted to get settled in early so we could relax the rest of our day.

We packed up all of our stuff, putting all of the wet things in the back. I was going to walk over there with the kids since it was such a beautiful day, and the van was packed in almost every seat. Just as we were about to walk off, Nate shut the door, with the keys in the ignition and the van running. We locked our keys in the van.

Unfortunately, my purse was in the van. As were my keys. There was no way to get back in. Nate set off to find the campsite hosts to see if they could assist us. While we waited, I took the kids down to the lake to explore. I decided to take them over to our campsite to occupy them and give them a new place to explore. Then I walked all the way back to see how the van situation was going.

The campground hosts were there with Nate. They recommended calling the local police to come out and open it for free. Nate was worried we would run out of gas if we had to wait, so he called a local tow truck to do it instead. We ended up chatting while we waited. Our hosts were actually from a neighboring town to our hometown! I didn’t want to leave the kids unattended for too long, so I set off to our new site again. It turns out, it was $90.00 to unlock our door. Ouch. I think waiting for the police and buying a gas can might have been cheaper. Ah well, hindsight.

Once we got everything set up, we decided to check out the local town and also pick up some water. Ely wasn’t what I expected. I think I romantasized it, as I had the other towns on the drive up. It was a pretty typical small town. There was the main strip that went right through the center. The shops were all mostly Mom and Pop stores, but there were a few regulars near the outskirts, like Dairy Queen and Family Dollar. It was quite scenic from the top of the hill.

We didn’t stay too long, as we wanted to get back. The day had escaped us. We decided it would be good to start dinner early so we could get to bed at a decent time. The big girls and I played card games while Nate cooked chicken over the fire. Princess and I had gluten free grilled cheese. For dessert, we had the camping classic, smores. Our second day of camping was a lot of fun!

Have you had any mishaps while camping?

Check out our video of our day!

Continue on to day 3 of our camping trip!
https://cisforcomfort.com/checking-ely-minnesota/

Did you miss day 1? Read all about it here:

September 25, 2017October 26, 2017

If At First, You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again

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

After getting sick, we missed week 5 of our workout challenge. Rather than give up, I thought it would be best to try again. I’m using the old proverb, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I don’t like to give up. I’m the type of person who will tackle a goal over and over until it’s accomplished.

We set up a playdate with some friends at Schaar’s Bluff. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect, there were a few fluffy clouds in the sky and a mild breeze to cool us off. We enjoyed exploring the trails and seeing the wildlife.

We walked to the park to let the kids play for a little while. I think my favorite part about play dates is having another adult to talk to, for a little while. Being surrounded by children 24/7, it can get lonely. Usually, when Nate gets home he’s too tired to do much else except sleep.

I know that someday the time when my children are little and dependent on me will pass. Someday, I’ll miss these days terribly. Having a teenager, I already know how fast little ones can grow. So I’m soaking up as much time with my children as I can. Someday, I’ll have the rest of my life for adult talk.

Lately, Nate has been watching The Great British Baking Show. While I was on my walk, he was inspired to bake. He decided to make me a gift of a gluten free, corn free, chocolate cake.

While the cake was cooling, we made a trip to visit my Grandfather. He was doing amazingly well! Talking, wide awake and joking around. It made me so happy to see him so well!

After visiting Grandpa, we made a trip to Gander Mountain. They’re all closing and having sales as a result. We got some lures for fishing and a few new work shirts for Nate. Princess was especially fond of all of the lures. She picked out so many we had to put two-thirds back! She is really excited to try fishing!

After dinner, we gave our cake a try. It was so beautiful, I couldn’t wait to eat it. Before I even sat down, I took a bite and immediately turned around to hide my puckered lips. Nate asked me how it was. I think I gave him an “Mmmmm!” as I gulped down some water.

I waited for Nate to take a bite of his own before commenting. I laughed as he grimaced. He told me he thought he forgot the sugar. It wasn’t horrible, but the cocoa powder was really bitter without any sweetener. I can’t help but laugh at the memory. It was so sweet of him to make a cake.

Has a goal ever gotten away from you? Did you pick back up and continue?

Check out our video!

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Week 4, Day 4: Afton State Park
Next Week: Week 5, Day 2: Kawishiwi Falls

September 23, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 21: Simplicity

When I think of the word “simplicity” I think of nature. Nature is an incredibly complex system, but being outside, in the woods, is where I feel peace and quiet. When I am outside, surrounded by God’s creation, life seems simple, and less stressful.

I marvel at the diversity and beauty of all of the things growing and living in the woods. I like to stop and capture some of my favorite finds. Mostly, I photograph flowers. I also really love finding mushrooms and different types of moss.

Trees have always held a special place in my heart. There’s so much to love about them. They are the lungs of the Earth, cleaning our air. Some even look like lungs! They give shade on a hot summer day. Their leaves are beautiful and ever-changing. Watching them grow from buds in the spring, to big leaves in the summer and seeing the brilliance when they lose their green in autumn is a marvel to behold. Pine needles create a soft carpet underfoot when they shed or give a bit of color to a landscape in the winter. Even the bark of trees is a unique style for each tree.

When I came across this leaf in the woods, I was instantly stopped by its brilliance. The green popped out on the dark path. It was decorated with either drops of rain from the recent storm or morning dew.

Editing the image, I could imagine it as a large print on my wall. The image itself didn’t need editing as it was already beautiful, just as it was. However, I do take all of my images RAW, so I had to make a few adjustments before converting it to JPEG, as I do all of my images.

I hope you enjoy my leaf in its simple splendor! If you were to capture something simple this week, what would you choose?

Join us in the photography challenge! We’d love to see your images!
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Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 20: Favorite Color
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 22: Self Portrait
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September 22, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 20: Favorite Color

My favorite color is purple. It has been for as long as I can remember. I’ve had rotating secondary favorite colors as well. Pink, black, blue, green, deep turquoise blue, aqua blue. I love jewel-toned colors, bright colors, earthy colors. I love cream and brown in combination with any of my favorite colors.

Funnily enough, I also have a color that I extremely dislike, yellow. I’m not a fan. Yellow is one of those colors that make me grimace. Strange right? You’d think a color that seems sunshiney would be likable.

Now, I’m not going to go crazy and banish all yellow from my life. I just won’t go out of my way to purchase or create something yellow. Plus, yellow isn’t always awful, some flowers look lovely with a touch of yellow in their centers. Sunflowers are incredibly beautiful and they are very yellow. Yellow leaves in combination with reds, greens, and oranges in the fall are also pleasing to the eye.

When I was very young, I loved rainbows. My whole room was done in the Rainbow Bright theme. Color, and lots of it, was wonderful. So although I love purple as my favorite color, truly, I love a wide range of the whole rainbow. My house is filled with color. My wardrobe is organized by rainbow in my closet. Yes, I wear almost every color, except yellow!

Despite my love of a variety of colors, I always seem to pick purple flowers for my garden. When the garden center is having a sale, I can’t be as picky with what I end up with. By the time the sales roll around, most of the flowers have fallen off. This ends up being exciting for me, seeing what colors will bloom when my plants are nursed back to health.

This year I got a fantastic find with a lovely purple datura. I managed to get a large amount of purple alyssum, some more pastel, some a rich, darker purple. I also got pinkish purple petunias and dark purple salvia. Everything else was a surprise color.

It always amazes me how many different shades there are of one color. I love seeing all of the beautiful variations in flowers. I have only seen a small fraction of the flowers in the entire world! I would love to see them all! I can only imagine the joy that God had in making them. I feel so thankful that he created this beauty for us to enjoy.

What is your favorite color? Join us in the photography challenge! We’d love to see your images!
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Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 19: Jewelry
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 21: Simplicity
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September 7, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 19: Jewelry

I had an image in my head for the jewelry photography project. It was one of those projects where you need two people. I knew that a tripod would be difficult to get the angle I wanted and also to get myself into place if I were to do a self-portrait with a remote. Cat was sweet enough to help me.

My children don’t really wear jewelry, so it seemed practical that I use myself, since I enjoy wearing it on a regular basis. I’m not as comfortable in front of the camera as I am behind it, but I’m really pleased with the way the images turned out. My daughter is really becoming a great photographer.

I love wearing jewelry, I always have. I remember wearing beaded bracelets as a little girl, I even still have my favorite rainbow star beaded bracelet.

When I was about 4, I begged my Mom to get my ears pierced. She and my Grandmother brought me to a mall jewelry store in Minneapolis. They messed up my left ear and had to re-pierce it twice. Because of that, I will only bring my children to a professional piercer at a tattoo shop.

Unfortunately, I’m allergic to nickel. This means that I can only wear high-quality jewelry. I enjoy high-quality jewelry over cheap jewelry, so I’m not complaining about the upgrades. The downside is that chains and earrings are a bit more expensive to replace. I also can’t get jewelry on a whim if I find something cute at a craft show or on vacation.

I don’t own a lot of jewelry. I love necklaces for their convenience. Simple, elegant pieces make me happy. My Mom buys me a beautiful new necklace from Kay jewelry every year. I wear one almost every day.

I have a few bracelets. Funnily enough, I never grew out of my love for beaded bracelets. The bracelets I wear most often are plastic children’s bracelets. I have a favorite fluorite bracelet I got while on vacation on the north shore last year. I also couldn’t resist the bracelet I’m wearing in the images below. It is silver with stars. I got one for my daughter Cat and myself.

It was a beautiful day, so Cat and I decided to walk down to the river for our project. I love to spend alone time with each of my children. I try to give them each a little bit of alone time once a month. This breaks down to a once a week Mother/Child date with one of my children.

Looking for a location, I didn’t really see any place that jumped out at me as THE spot. As we started walking home, I thought we might take a different route and keep looking for a good location. In one spot, we found a cute painted rock that someone had left.

The spot I found was actually a place that might not appear to the naked eye as a great location. To me, it was perfect. If you look at the image below, you might see why some might rule it out. It’s in a parking lot without a lot of great visual appeal in the background. However, I loved the tall grasses bordering the parking lot. I knew that with the right angle, it would be exactly what I was looking for, and it was.

What is your favorite jewelry? Join us in the photography challenge! We’d love to see your images! You can post your image on our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/cisforcomfort/posts/1452792044806017
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Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 18: Spring Trees
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 20: Favorite Color

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September 5, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 18: Spring Trees

The spring trees challenge was a lot of fun to photograph. After choosing to photograph the same spot of trees for the winter, spring, summer and autumn challenge, I already knew where one of my locations was. As my main image for the challenge, I’m choosing some beautiful crab apple blossoms.

I’m always amazed at how fast the trees turn green. In what feels like a few days, the trees go from bare branches to tops full of leaves. Catching that moment when the trees are softly budding with baby leaves is a race against time. As soon as the surrounding hills took on a soft subtle green, I knew it was time to head out and start shooting.

All of the kids came with for this challenge. It was a lovely, warm Sunday, with a scattered sprinkling of rain showers throughout the day. After our meeting at the Kingdom Hall, we stopped by home to pick up our cameras. We took the scenic route to the park and enjoyed the lovely views of our changing world.

Mr. Awesome and Cupcake chose to wait in the car, but Princess hopped out with Cat and me. Princess is my little shadow, she follows me everywhere.

Cat’s Spring Trees

The following Sunday was a clear, warm, sunny day. We met some friends at the park for a walk. In just one week you could really see the difference in the trees. In the picture of the children below, the kids are walking toward the back of the trees from the previous week.

On our walk, we saw a kayaker in the river. We went down to our favorite spot where the children were able to wade and splash in the water. It was a beautiful, spring day.

What is your favorite thing about spring?

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 17: Light
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 19: Jewelry
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Join us for the photography challenge! We’d love to see your images!
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September 4, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 17: Light

I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the light photography project. I have seen beautiful images that others have taken of sparklers and I wanted to create an image of my own.

Ever since I was a little child, I have loved the glittery glow that sparklers give off. I can remember my parents giving me sparklers and the joy I had running around, waving them in trailing arcs, trying to make an M for Melissa or making stars or circles. I can remember being burned by the hot end and learning quickly to be careful, even after the light had gone out.

Cupcake, Mr. Awesome, and Princess joined me outside for this project. I lit sparklers for them as I snapped away at my own. After I was satisfied with my work, I continued to light them for the children and enjoyed watching them run happily around the yard. Even after being warned, poor Princess learned the hard way, just as I had, to be careful of the hot end after the light went out.

After all of the sparklers had been spent, we gathered up our mess and went in for bedtime. Hopefully, the children had smiles on their faces as they drifted off to sleep, imagining glowing sparkles and running through the warm summer air. I sat happily at my computer, editing my images and feeling content. I love that two dollars can easily buy a night of joy for our family.

What do you like to do with your sparklers?

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 16: Multiple
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 18: Spring Trees
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September 4, 2017July 3, 2018

52 Project, Week 16: Multiple

This multiple image has been something I have wanted to try for a long time. Creating a double exposure effect of a person and trees has always held a strange appeal for me. I’ve seen a lot of variations, but I wanted something that was unique and a bit different than what I had seen.

I feel that there is always something that is occupying our minds. We are longing for that hope which our future holds, whether near or far. We have little hopes and big hopes. Dreams don’t need to be rational to be longed for. Simply holding on to an idea of something that brings us joy is how we continue to move forward each day.

My daughter always says, whenever we see a particularly beautiful, deep grove of trees, “I want to live there.” My sweet Cupcake has heard me mention dreamily often that I want to move up north and live in the woods. Using her for this project was perfect. She’s dreaming of the deep woods.

I don’t know when our dream of living in the woods will come true. In my head, I have this beautiful image of paradise earth with trees that stretch on for miles. Till that day comes, we’ll happily enjoy camping up north and soaking in the fresh air of the many pines.

What is your vision of hope for the future?

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 15: Hobby
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 17: Light
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August 29, 2017August 29, 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days 2017
Every year we go to Hastings Rivertown Days. One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go to The Dime Carnival. The kids play games to their heart’s content and win tickets to pick out fun prizes.

Every year, it always seems as though it’s on one of the hottest days of summer. Since the carnival is in a parking lot, the heat is reflected up off the asphalt, making it feel even warmer. This year was no exception. Not about to let a little heat ruin our day, we enjoyed the carnival and hid out inside the prize area to cool off when needed.

Princess has always loved picking ducks in the duck pond. Mr. Awesome loves the jumpy house. Cupcake loves all the games. Cat is starting to get to an age where the carnival is too young for her. She loves helping the younger kids play the most.

After cooling off at home, we went to the library to drop off some books and pick up some more. As soon as I walked into the library, my eyes started itching. Cat said “Oh look Mom! A beautiful dog!” I turned to see a huge white dog near us walking across the library. It must have been a therapy dog. Unfortunately, because of my allergies, I left the building while the kids had fun picking out books with Dad. Outside I enjoyed photographing the library’s beautiful garden.

We stopped at Walmart for a few necessities and I got a contact case and solution so I could take out my contacts ASAP. My eyes were burning so much I could barely see. After I removed them, in the middle of the aisle at Walmart, I felt such relief. Although I was now blind. I had to hold Nate’s hand through the rest of our Walmart trip.

My vision is -8.50 for contacts. I’m not legally blind with my contacts (legally blind is a legal term used to sort out those who can apply for medical benefits. Anyone who can not see with corrective lenses after a certain point is considered legally blind. I am very thankful that corrective lenses work for me. I will never be able to have perfect vision even with them, but it’s still a blessing I am thankful for.). Without them, I am blind. I can’t see definition, I can only see basic blurry shapes. I can see colors, dark and light.

As you can tell from the image above, I can not see very well. We stopped to get the kids ice cream at our local dairy co op, then checked out the craft fair at the LeDuc mansion across the street. Since I couldn’t see, Nate took my hand and led me around. He described what was around us and what was in each booth we passed.

I heard a familiar voice call out to me. My friend’s Katie and Dusty from our Kingdom Hall were there! I got a chance to check out an amazing card booth with them. The cards opened up into intricate pop-up scenes all made of colorful paper. One was a ship, another a camera, others were scenes of various places around the world.

Although I am blind from a distance, I can see up close. I mean extremely up close. Whatever I’m looking at must be a couple of inches from my eye. What I do see from that close is detailed almost microscopically. I can see the tiny details that the normal eye can’t see.

With the cards, I could see the fiber of the paper, the tiny cuts and details. It was like stepping into a new world where fantasy and reality collide. I intended to go back and purchase some cards after I got my contacts in, but sadly that was the last day. Perhaps I’ll get the chance to see them again next year.

We purchased some sheets from a vendor and then went home to enjoy pizza and family night. Thankfully I was able to put in a fresh set of contacts to see. After that, we walked down to the river to enjoy the Hastings Rivertown Days fireworks. It was a busy and fun day.

Check out the video of our day!

August 28, 2017August 28, 2017

Oops, We Mixed Up the Date!

It was a hot Saturday as we drove a little over an hour to Community Park in St Francis, Minnesota. We drove up to meet my parents and sisters at the Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup.

There was a lot of major road construction along the way, and thankfully Nate was driving. I get anxiety driving in unknown places with a lot of traffic. Add detours to the mix and I might have gotten us lost.

As we neared the park, we saw a bus heading toward us. Nate asked me, “Is that them?” as he pulled the van over to the side of the road. The bus had slowed and turned onto a dirt road. The kids were hopping in their seats in excitement as we saw the Great American Farm Tour logo on the side.

We debated if that was the turn to the park, since we were so close, but decided it was a private farm. We thought they were perhaps running behind and had just gotten to their host’s house and they might be a bit late to the meetup.

The park was mostly empty when we got there. There were only 3 other cars in the parking lot. My parents greeted us and let us know that only two of the people were also waiting for the farm tour. I let them know that we had just seen the bus and perhaps they would be a little late. The children played at the park and I caught up with my parents.

As time wore on, I began to worry, was this the right park? Was this the right day? The other car waiting for the Rhodes left without saying anything. I began to look for the meetup information on my phone. My Dad was the one who let me know, but since I was behind in watching the farm tour, I personally hadn’t seen it yet.

It took awhile to find the info because I couldn’t figure out how to pull it up on my phone. I watched the youtube video to find out the date and I laughed when I realized we were indeed a day early. I could tell my Dad felt awful about it, but it honestly didn’t bother me. I called it our planning prep trip. Now we knew about the road construction and detours and we also knew exactly where the park was. Sunday, Nate would be a work and I would have to drive up instead. Plus, I got the joy of seeing my family two days in a row, a rare treat!

We hung out awhile longer, playing with the kids and enjoying our family time. Cat ended up going with my parents to spend a night at their farm.On the drive home, we stopped at Aldi’s for some snacks before dinner. It had been a fun day and we looked forward to returning to the park again on Sunday.

Have you ever gotten a date wrong that ended up being a blessing instead of a disappointment?

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