Today Is The Only Day You Know You Have

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day. "

(Alexander Woollcott)

So, don't forget to.............

LAUGH

DANCE

PLAY

ENJOY WHAT YOU EAT

BE SURPRISED BY SOMEONE OR SOMETHING

Nice To Be With You...All Of You...Part 3

Between the Minnesota Zoo, the Bob The Builder exhibit at the Children's Museum in St. Paul and Easter, we had so many memorable moments. When I look back through these pictures I am flooded with laughter and tears and smiles and sighs.

Nice To Be With You...All Of You...Part 2

When Joe was here one of his favorite times was going to Perkins Restaurant with my dad, age 94, and my daughter, Kara. You have to understand my Dad and his love of Perkins pancakes to appreciate this picture. I think my dad has eaten Perkins pancakes for ..... oh maybe ....... thirty years! Each time we go to Perkins, he orders the same thing...the buttermilk three with a side of bacon...four strips..not three strips..it has to be four strips, and he loves the apricot syrup. He has a ritual for eating his pancakes. You get a ball of butter with the pancakes. The entire ball of butter is saved for the last pancake and it is spread with care .. smoothly and evenly over the pancake..then he lifts the decanter of apricot syrup..and pours the syrup over the pancake...I am not saying drizzle..no..he pours the syrup generously and evenly over the pancake. He now has three beautiful layers to eat. Layer one is the pancake. Layer two is the evenly spread butter. Layer three is the layer of golden apricot syrup. By the time he is ready to take his first bite of his third pancake, everyone else at the table has been mesmerized.

Joe watched the drama of my dad eating pancakes and said, "There are just some people you enjoy watching them eat!"

Nice To Be With You...All Of You..Part 1

With Mother's Day approaching I am just that much more aware of how much I love my family. Joe's coming to America and meeting my family has stirred my heart to its very core. When Joe came to us he brought his heart and has gone home with ours. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I will be adding more pictures as the days go by. I love you all so very much!

The pictures are pictures of my family and Joe with my family. The first picture is at the airport the first night I picked Joe up.

The second picture was taken at Perkins Restaurant where we met my dad and my daughter, Kara.

The third picture is my grandson, Parker.

The fourth picture is Joe saying bye to my grandson, Derek.

The fifth picture is Joe talking to a special saleslady at Coldwater Creek, Mall of America by the name of Jane. (There is a story to this that I will tell sometime).

The sixth picture is Joe and Tom at the Mississippi River in Red Wing, MN.

The seventh picture is Sarah with Joe.

And, the eighth picture is Joe with my grandsons, Davey and Derek, and Tom and me.

I have so many beautiful pictures. These are just the start for what I hope will be a look into the beauty of my life the last two months.

Oh, Deer!

I walked upstairs from my computer two days ago and saw Tom standing at the kitchen window taking some pictures. Five deer were in our back yard. This is becoming a more and more common scene and one that never ceases to amaze and fascinate me. If you look closely you will see four deer standing and one deer lying down to the right.

When I look at this picture I feel calm and peace, and it silences my mind with its beauty. I got another quote in my email that explains the effect on me.

"True silence is the rest of the mind. It is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." (William Penn)

What A Difference A Month Makes

The two pictures below were taken one month apart almost to the day. Joe got in on the winter scene and missed the beginning of spring by one week. I can't believe the difference one month makes. I love Minnesota!

The pictures were taken from the same perspective. You can see in the winter scene the house to the right is barely visible. Before spring has turned into summer that same house will be barely visible again, but the next time it will be blocked because the trees will be full with glorious and lush green leaves. I love spring!

Can You Feel It?

This was so much fun! Joe pushed me on the swing till I was flying like the wind!

An Outdoor Birthday Party

An outdoor birthday party is really nice in the month of April in Minnesota. We all had so much fun being outside. We played on the swing and the slide and Davey discovered a ladybug on the slide and Joe took a picture of it. Once Derek woke up from his nap he got into the full swing of the party!

Let Him Eat Cake

Happy Birthday Derek! We love you! xoxo

What Is It About Swinging?

There is something about swinging. I don't know what it is, but I like it! There is something about going fast and high and feeling the wind in your hair. I suppose it is like flying. Sarah's family got a new Rainbow system just in time for Derek's two year old birthday party. While Derek napped, the rest of us played outside and had the time of our lives. Happy birthday Derek! I will post pictures of Derek's birthday party tomorrow.

Joe Touching The Mississippi River

The quote in between the pictures today is something I truly believe.

"Calmness is the cradle of power." (Josiah Gilbert Holland)

I love this quote. It came in my email this morning. It brings me calm simply to read it. The picture is of the Mississippi River at Colvill Park in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Into Every Life...........Something Must Waddle

I was looking out the upstairs bathroom window this afternoon, and took a double take! I said out loud, "What on earth is that in my back yard?" I snuck downstairs and got my camera and crouched low so my reflection wouldn't startle this bird and I was able to get these four pictures before it walked away. I thought it was a wild turkey and when I showed it to Joe, he looked it up. Sure enough, it seems a wild turkey waddled its way into my back yard today.

The funny thing is, Joe left to go back to Ireland last Monday, April 16. Since he left I have seen six deer loping across the back and then four deer standing in the back. Another day, I was sitting in my recliner using my laptop and a mallard duck came up and tapped on the basement window. And, today a wild turkey appears.

Joe, are you coming back to Minnesota as wild life?