more winter.

do you sense a theme here?!

:) happy week-before-the-week!

b

Learning to love again.

Woke up on this snowy Monday to another -9 degree day. The past week has kind of been full of those!

It's always a shock when winter is really, truly here. This year, I feel like it came a little earlier...the real stuff, I mean. I was walking outdoors a few times a week, then BAM. couch potatoness hit hard.

So yesterday, Lou and I went out in the single digits. My motivation for these outings (and hers) is generally that we also get to take pictures. I'm sure that makes us some kind of fitness rejects, because we stop often and behold. But whatever the reason, I feel 'healthier' after being out in the quiet and beauty and presence of God.

It's good :)

Hope you all are surviving in your own favorite ways!

beautiful.

what a wonderful fall it's been. yesterday, lou and i went for a walk in the woods at good earth state park. it's very peaceful there in autumn, and the clouds were just so beautiful. we were talking about how we make good travel companions, because we both like to stop a lot and take pictures. we also edit the photos almost right away when we get home, to see what we saw :) i guess that is the mark of a visual person. it's hard to know where to put things on the internet, though, because facebook friends generally don't care about your pretty photos, and you don't want to bomb your instagram friends with all kinds of stuff at once.

so, here you go, blog friends. a visual journey of my walk yesterday :) ha.

and of course, the obligatory pet shot...helping me to assemble my ikea storage boxes by testing them out from the inside :)

happy monday!

Seasonally challenged

Hi peeps!

Every day I wake up and think about blogging, and then my mind goes blank. I am not sure why, but it probably has something to do with my job. Helping others 'manage' their social media and online things has taken it's toll on my own poor sad little blog. BUT, I'm thankful for the years it's been here, mostly for you guys, but also that I've had the chance to practice my 'voice' for online. It has helped my job somewhat.

This has been a lovely fall, but sometimes I cannot believe it's fall. where did the time go? how did I become a 50 year old? when will it stop??????? ha ha. actually, not ready for it to stop.

I am determined to have a restfull holiday season. The crazy is already starting, and I find myself looking at the calendar scheduling into december. But for the most part, things are good and manageable. I am excited for putting up the christmas tree. I'm not even too sad about the forecast for snow today, although I did not get any leaves raked yet. I hope that is okay? Hmmmm. Maybe the leaves will just kind of dissolve :)

I still have been doing projects around the house. THIS winter, I vow to get all of the trim in this house painted. I have a photo shoot coming up in February, so there is a target goal to reach. I would have to seriously question buying a home where every single surface needs to be repainted again. Painting walls is so easy, but woodwork is a whole 'nuther level. I'd rather be doing something else, I guess :) It IS looking good.

i hope things are going well in your world, blog friends. I hope to see you a few more times before 2013 ends!

Hellooooooooooo from the east

I keep looking at the photos of all the snow in western SD, and trying to avoid the pics of all the dead animals that came with the blizzard, because it makes me very sad.

And yet, we are having a beautiful fall here in eastern SD, if not a DRYYYYYYY one. I wish we had even a little of that moisture, because things are really really drying up. It is scary and so hard on the trees and little animals. Sigh. Maybe next year will be better.

I have not been gettting out and about much, it's like I automatically holed up the minute the temps dipped. It's my goal to get outside this week while we have temps back in the 70s! whooo hoo!

in no particular order, here is what seems to be my October focus, according to the iphone. I hope your october is exactly what you were hoping for!

Pumpkin love...big, small, fake, whatever kind.

...decorating the mantel...I really need a fall garland of some sort!

leaves turning...

...and turning.

all kinds of soup. lots of it in the freezer for quick dinners.

sunshine! trying to capture and save it for later.

one quick road trip to ikea, with carey and her super-yukon. yes, the sectional sofa DID fit!

one little tomato trying to grow in the fall...a great illustration of hope!

a focus on women's ministry - my absolute favorite :)

quiet Monday

today was abnormally quiet on the back forty. couple of reasons.

#1 - the 'slowdown' of work is here again, and the phone/email have been silent. sigh. wish it was not so, but i am trying to find a bit of work, and realize that september is a gorgeous month to have 'off'

#2 - today, my 93 year old next door neighbor moved to an assisted living center. she never ever made even a PEEP of sound, but somehow, it's quieter without her here. she has lived on my block since 1950.

#3 - my head is really in the clouds. this past week, i made the trek 'home' several times for my dad, who had hip replacement surgery a week ago. on the way home, sometimes i take the back roads instead of the interstate, because it's a little more scenic and peaceful.

i miss my family. i miss that i lived most of my life far enough away from them that i don't see them that often. last night as i drove home, i wondered how it would have been different if i had stayed in brookings, closer to home. would i visit more often? would i still have strayed away? i know some people who talk to their parents every day! even from far away!

sigh. i have cried alot in this past week, thinking and pondering and wondering 'what if'...but you know what? it is good that i want to have more time with them, that this is just becoming not enough anymore. maybe it means i am finally appreciating what i have always had.

happy monday, all.

the next big thing....

...is not really new at all, but has kind of become new to THIS late adapter over the summer.

remember when rani started blogging, and all of the rest of you did not think you would like it?

now it's time to jump on board the instagram wagon.

seriously. even carey. that iphone of yours has a decent camera, and i can even hook you up with a couple of awesome apps. you. need. it.

ps. come on over and have a look at what i have been up to this summer! and you don't even have to read all my boring words anymore :)

www.instagram.com
user: bobbigaukel

:)

story of my life....

As we head into the final weekend of the summer, I find myself in the same position as much of the summer. My faithful co-worker at my side, working in the light of another beautiful day.

I'm not kidding when I say that I'm in the very best season of my life, it seems. Busy, but yet feeling at peace and 'in my zone' with God and his purpose for my life. I am juggling lots of things, but not trying so hard to control any of them, which is SO so rare for me.

I slip and fall often, but realize that getting back up is not as shameful as I used to think it was. Being human is a fact of life, and it's easier when we realize that sin is not to be avoided, but to be tackled daily. God is bigger.

I usually work from about 7am - 2pm. It sounds kind of slackerish, but really, my brain sort of quits after these hours. Sometimes, I go back in the evenings for a couple of hours if I need to finish things up for the next day. I love this rhythm.

After hours, I have time to spend with friends, to do community with my church, or to wander in my garden and relax. I water alot. I pull a few weeds. I sit and dream. Last night, I started to crochet again, getting into the routine of winter that is coming soon.

I also have a myriad of projects going on...new fence/landscaping in back yard, painting/cleaning/organizing in the basement, redoing the sunroom finally after 2 years of living here.

Speaking of, I am finally starting to think of this place as home. I still miss Mabel, to be honest. That home really WAS my dream love for a long time. I feel good about Fern, though, especially as I make some progress on updates, and as the neighborhood becomes not so foreign. I wish I had better relationships with my neighbors, but things are better. The 'drug house' in my back yard is quiet for the time being, since the death of one of the inhabitants in July. It's a sad feeling, to know that terribly lost young people are right next door. I have started to pray more for them, instead of only being irritated. That's a good thing.

So, I enter into this Labor Day weekend with great thanks. For this life I'm living, the easy and hard things, and the One who makes it all possible. I hope to spend some time this weekend in worship for all He has done.

Wishing you guys a great weekend, too!

fur baby

so, this week i'm cat/house sitting for some friends of friends.

hi, i'm tess.

it's always interesting to get to know a new cat. this one is giving me a run for my money.

mostly, she treats me like this.

every once in awhile, i get a bit of this.

she's adorable. she's 14 and in the midst of deciding that she doesn't want to eat, drink or move much. but every once in awhile, she gets a burst of energy and she reminds me of a kitten. i am texting these photos to her owner who is very worried.

i kind of love her. she reminds me of somebody i used to know :)

another night, another gathering

'hi nice lady'

'you're kind of amusing'

'in fact, i think i like you'

'oh wait. there's a bird'

'nope, not as good. how YOU doin'?'

Obviously this one is a lover.

candid

well, there is a reason I don't take many people pics (THESE were taken by friend rachelle, btw). those little buggers move FAST.

and ps. most of the above are not really into 'fancy' ice cream. but love hard-boiled eggs and rice :)))

ha ha. blessed beyond measure.

cute peeps

okay, so at least i remembered to snap a couple of pics. bad pics, but with such cute subject matter, it's still kind of good :)

if i had to describe this summer in one word, it would be 'relationship.' that's kind of a new one for me, eh? but as much as i've gone into the new, more social 'me' kind of kicking and screaming, i've really really been enjoying it.

last night was gardening night at the church garden. these are some of my helpers up above! we met this family thru our summer outreach - kid's camp - and my friend rachelle has continued the relationship. they have never gardened, and let me tell you, those two little girls are THE BOMB! they weeded more than the big people :)

afterward, we had frozen yogurt and conversation. mom is married, hubby works at night. she is going to start classes next week to learn more english. her 2 daughters speak VERY well, and she said they are actually 'teaching' her, too.

her mother and sisters live in her home country (um, i forgot to ask exactly what country that is) and so she is kind of lonely. rachelle and i are like 'aunts' and a small touch of family for her since hers is so far away.

on sunday, we'll be going over for a ramadan feast with them. very excited!!!! she is hungry to share her culture with us, and we are hungry to learn. muslims fast during ramadan from sunrise to sunset, so we'll meet later in the evening to eat.

i'm starting to wonder if maybe relationship trumps hermit-ness, you think?


:)