Monday Musings

It has been so long since I wrote out my thoughts that many memories I had hoped to preserve are lost in the recesses of my mind. More times that I can count I've had great intentions of writing on a certain topic and then never have the time to do it. And now that I have carved out a few minutes, of course my mind would go blank. I can't remember what I wanted to say. Figures.

I was going to say something about the fact that I have 328 unread items in my Google Reader, something about how I've lost control of Twitter, and have to stop following so many people, something about the series I found at the library on Saturday, something about how I dropped Sam off for his first school friend birthday party over the weekend....oh wait! that I remember:

It was at McDonalds. The day after I watched Food, Inc. Nice. The McDonald's employee asked Sam if he wanted a hamburger, cheeseburger, or nuggets to eat. Of course he jumped at the cheeseburger since I only ever get hamburgers. She asked him what he wanted to drink and my little man said "water". OK, at least I haven't lost all my influence! I tucked a baggie with a couple of wipes into his pocket so he could wash his hands before he ate. He forgot to use them. He did eat apples instead of fries.

The McDonald's party was one of two parties we attended on Saturday. Thankfully both were local. PapaBear's cousin and his wife turned 50 this year and their children threw them a giant surprise party. 150 people were invited and nobody sent their regrets. It was packed in there! Julia fell asleep in my arms at 8pm. We're wild and crazy like that. Sam couldn't stop talking about the Olympic skiers he saw on the TV in the bar area. They go 60 miles an hour Mama! he exclaimed while we were visiting the ladies room. Mom - this isn't the men's room! I explained that there was no way I was sending my 5 year old into a bar men's room by himself and he quickly changed the topic back to the skier who crashed.
He had gone skiing earlier in the day and was so excited to tell me about the hills he went down. We don't have big hills in the park, but the ones we do have are plenty adventurous for him.

Speaking of Sam....he got to go ice fishing for the first time this season. He goes more for the treats Grandma sends with than for the act of fishing, but when it comes time to eat the fish, then he's 100% on board. He's his father's son. He loves to eat fish. Lake trout, salmon, walleye, sunfish....he loves it all. I think I see a trip to the Boundary Waters in the near future for him.

What else is happening in BearCountry? Well let's see....I took a weekend off for the first time in forever. I turned my computer off at 3pm on Friday afternoon and didn't log back on until I was done with a taste test I participated in this afternoon. You know when I was contemplating getting a smart phone and I wasn't sure if it would be a help or a hindrance? No doubt that it's a huge time saver. I can make sure I'm reading emails in a timely manner and can return the urgent ones on my phone. Not feeling the need to keep my computer running keeps me from getting sucked in.

The kids have been on their best behavior lately and I'm sure having an attentive mommy helps. We've been playing board games, restaurant, and hanging out with friends. We are still renting skis on the weekends and it looks like that won't be wrapping up any time soon. We get more skiers on one weekend this year than we did all of last winter. At this rate we'll be lucky to get a 4 week break before the camping season begins, but at least our friends and coworkers, Dennis, Maryann, Jo, and Howard will be here to lend a hand. It is such a blessing to know that the camp hosts from last year will be returning. We miss our summer family during the long cold winter months.

Speaking of family....our family has grown by one with the addition of a brother-in-law. PapaBear's sister got engaged this month and wedding plans are already under way. While weddings are always fun to plan - knowing that she's found 'the one' and will be settling down a mere five miles from us brings tears in my eyes just writing about it. Sam and Julia loved him from the get-go and don't see what all the wedding fuss is about. Little do they know that their wedding attire has already been the topic of of discussion on more than one occasion.

I'm about out of time and don't really feel I've gotten even half of the stuff tumbling around in my head out, but this is as good as it gets for now. Bible study starts in an hour and I have some more homework to finish up. (I'm meeting with some local women that met through Kristina to do Beth Moore's Fruit of the Spirit study.) I've really been blessed by the women in my life lately. Women who I cherish even if I haven't known them that long. Remember the dinner with girlfriends I tweeted about last week? Raw, funny, encouraging, real women who I admire and can't wait to see at our next gathering. Don Pablo's here we come! And then there are my friends Jenney and Susan. I can't think about girlfriends without their faces popping into my head. They listen when I need to vent. They email me when they haven't heard from me in a while. They encourage, they trust, they are my friends and I am blessed to have them in my life.

And there you have it - my Mundane Monday Musings. It's Life in BearCountry. It's full of coffee, work, play, job searching, pizza, movies, board games, laughter, skiing, co-sleeping, baking, sledding, & hustling to meet deadlines. One of these days I'll get caught up on my blog reading. I miss you all and hearing what's new in your corner of the world. Thank you for sticking with me while I do mostly photo posts and Alphabitty Moments. I did manage to get a post up on my Blog Book site if you are interested in seeing what a travel book looks like. I've also been cooking up an idea to host a digital scrapbooking gathering for those of you who would like to set a whole day aside to work on your scrapbooks and/or blog books. I am thinking of hosting it here at our CommunityRoom sometime after we are done renting skis for the year. Let me know if you are interested in such a get-together by leaving a comment on this post or emailing me directly. Another direction my brain is going is towards New York City - yes I'm considering going to BlogHer in August. I have proposed a Blog Book making seminar in the Geek Lab, but it requires enough votes in order to be asked to participate. If you are signed up for BlogHer would you consider logging in and voting for my room idea? I love teaching and sharing the {God given} talent I have with others and what a treat it would be to do it in NYC!

OK, Bible study awaits....

Have a great week everyone!