New goals.
New dreams.
New ideas.
New plans.
Renewed optimism. To. Blog.
You readers faithfully keep popping back here to check if there is anything new and alas .... the slate is completely blank.
I really can't figure it out.
How the dickens can it be busier now than at most other points in my life?
How can there not be time to sit quietly and share what I'm up to?
Maybe because it is taking longer to get to things.
The many things I'm getting to are taking longer to get done.
I'm working more which is a huge time taker.
And we're out having fun.
Working hard so we can play hard.
Something like that.
So the new year comes with a goal to see if I can do this again.
If by the end of the year it hasn't worked out ... I'll bid this stage of my life goodbye and move on!
Did I say we've been playing?
I thought about trying to figure out how many air miles we logged this year collectively.
Sounds like way too much work.
It was many.
One of those very special weekends happened in October.
My dear dad turned 80 and we jetted off to Minnesota for the weekend.
(It happens to be a frequent destination for us by the way.)
After spending the night in the cities (surprise of red carpet treatment!!) we had breakfast in Howard Lake. Ran into someone we hadn't seen for years. Like many umpteen years! On to Litchfield to have coffee with Mummu and Pappa. Oh but these visits are precious. Often short but so precious.
Coffee was drank and we hit the road again. Next stop: Park Rapids to have a hospital visit with my dear godparents, Harry & Audrey. Harry was determined to get home in the next few days as he wanted to spend his 90th birthday at home! Can't blame him!
We spent the night in Menahga and then put some more miles on the next morning. Headed to my home stomping ground on the Iron Range.
This picture is sort of my life. The leaves in the southern part of the state were so awe inspiring that one couldn't do anything but look out the car window and soak it all in. The trees up north were a bit more bare ... but golden nonetheless with splashes of white whizzing by.
We combined a Haapaniemi reunion with dad's 80th birthday. There hasn't ever been such a reunion and it was fun to put pieces of the family tree together. Fun to see people I hadn't seen for a very long time. Fun to fill in the spaces with little known facts. Sadly, there were many missing. The ones that were there enjoyed reconnecting.
Our parents have honored each child's 40th birthday with 40 gifts. We sort of figured it would be fitting to celebrate this one with 80 gifts! Some useful, some edible, some cash etc. Was fun! Old friends and neighbors were invited to the birthday part of the bash. Oh my gosh! Time just marches on and we are so blessed to have people in every piece of our lives who are so dear.
We were trying to figure out where to spend Saturday nite as we had plans to be in Brainerd Sunday morning for yet another cake day! Jari found us a place at Rutger's Resort outside of Brainerd. Oh my goodness! Although it looks like it would be a little more populated than I'd prefer, it would be a fun place to hang in the summertime. And I was able to soak in even more time in the crisp air with color on the trees and littering the ground.
A stop at Costco and off to honor his special day with yet another group of dear friends! I'm telling you .. this turning 80 is big business!
A mad dash to the Minneapolis airport, ear buds in and ready to hit it again Monday morning.
You have no idea how thankful I am that we've been able to make this traveling business a part of our lives. Even if we aren't running to hot vacation spots ... we have been able to spend time with loved ones quite often lately. Means we are flat out on the couch and in bed by 9 on Monday nite following a crazy weekend, but it is so very worth it!
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