Just a quick update on where I’ve been…

I want to apologize for not reading and commenting on as many blogs as I usually do.  I have been so busy over the last few months, because both of my girls are getting married this year.  As a matter of fact, one just got married last month in California, and the other gets married next month in Florida.  And yes, they just had to get married and move to states, which are completely opposite of where I live!  Lol…

So I’m currently down in Florida this week, helping my daughter get everything planned for her wedding day.  I don’t know how much help I’ve really been, but I’m here nonetheless.

Yesterday was mostly picking out wedding decorations, and today she went out shopping for wedding attire for the men.  Tomorrow is meeting with the photographer, snapping a few pre-engagement photos, then ordering the cake, flowers, etc…..

I’m currently at our resort, making garland and bows.  It’s so much better if I just make the things she wants to use as decorations, and a whole lot cheaper too!

Florida is so nice this time of year, compared to the cool fall days in Wisconsin.  We leave here on Friday to head back, but it’s been a nice break for me, and fun spending some time with my daughter.  Hope everyone is having a good week!  ~M

 

Pure bliss and happiness, are closer than I once thought.

Well, today was a much better day.  I still don’t have a working cell phone, but I rather enjoyed unplugging for once and I think I accomplished a lot more because of it.  I’m still writing for Channillo, and so I added another chapter to my series today.  I’m up to 6 subscribers now!  Woo hoo!  Lol….  I know it doesn’t seem like much, but honestly… those 6 subscribers mean the world to me right now.  There’s just something about knowing that somebody, (anybody at all) is reading my very first book!  It tickles me to no end!  Yes, I’m smiling from ear to ear and doing the happy dance because of it.

Anyway, another thing that has me blissfully happy today, is the fact that I have been asked to start selling my poetry at one of our local shops downtown.  Today I was finally able to order most of the supplies that I will need.  I was able to find a ton of frames and mats on sale.  Now I just need to figure out how to personalize and decorate each one, to really make them stand out.  I’m just so excited to finally have the opportunity to move forward with selling some of my work.  I am no longer letting these opportunity’s pass me by.  It’s do or die time, and I need to be smart for once and take these God given opportunities that are finally crossing my path and just run with them. 

Things on the home front have been improving.  Hubby and I have really been working through some tough issues and I believe that we are finally making immense progress.  My future seems to be clearer than it has been in a long time, and we have even been talking about writing a book together.  Hubby’s a huge history buff and I’m not very good with remembering historical details as much as he is, so I think by combining my love for writing and his love of history, we may end up coming up with something pretty amazing.  He’s been jotting down some ideas, and I think after the first of the year, we will begin to have some time to really sit down and plan what we want to write about.

I was gone all last week, as my oldest daughter recently got married in California.  The ceremony was beautiful and each of them wrote their own vows to one another.  I feel truly blessed, knowing that my daughter was able to find such an amazing husband.  She is in good hands and I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that she will be well cared for.  They are both currently full-time missionary’s and seem excited to stay in the mission field. 

Now that I’m back in Wisconsin, I’m really missing the warm weather that we had out there.  Of course I don’t miss the constant traffic that we had to deal with and the fast pace of life that seems to be the norm out there.  After growing up in California, I vowed never to move back.   (And really how can you, when each house is a million dollars plus on average.)  I am still very much content in my choice to stay in the mid-west, where daily life is more relaxed, less expensive, and where I can actually breathe the air without coughing up a lung.

Today has been a wonderful day, I slept in late, ran errands, went to our church small group this evening, and then I came home and proceeded with the normal day to day stuff that I needed to catch up on.  I feel content and happy right now and since it’s getting late here, I should sign off.  So if you’re reading this, I really do hope that you have a wonderful God filled week, full of joy and happiness.  Much love, to all my faithful readers.  You guys are the best!  ~M  xoxo

 

Lake Superior & the Apostle Islands

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There are a few places I visited this past summer, which I have still not shared with any of you.  So today I have decided to show you what it was like to explore Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands.

IMG_2913Lake Superior is surrounded by three different states (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota) and Ontario, Canada as well.  Lake Superior is also the world’s largest freshwater lake and I was surprised by how large it really is.  In fact, when you are standing near the waters edge, it gives you the illusion that you are actually looking at an ocean instead of an actual lake.  The only difference was the lack of a sandy beach from where we were.

IMG_2945I recently learned that Lake Superior has over 400 islands.  The apostle islands are a group of 22 islands off the Bayfield peninsula in Northern Wisconsin, and this is where we decided to spend our first day.  We chose Madeline Island in particular for our first destination.  Madeline Island is located in the Chequamegon Bay area of Lake Superior. To get there, we had to drive to Bayfield, Wisconsin and then take a 2.5 mile ferry trip in order to reach the island.

IMG_3537We took our car with us on the ferry ride over and because of this, we were able to drive to the state park which is in more of a remote area of the island.  I was quite impressed by how serene it was there.  I felt as if I had stepped into another world, since there were hardly any other people around.   Don’t get me wrong though, there are still quite a few people that live on Madeline Island.  During the winter months, access to the ferry is impossible.  So I am not sure how people live there during the winter season.  I suppose all of their supplies must be flown in.  I could actually imagine myself living there someday.  I think it would be the perfect place to be flooded with inspiration.

IMG_3536After exploring Madeline Island, we made our way back to Bayfield, Wisconsin and found it to be quite a charming place.  The shops were bustling with tourists and there were quite a few places to eat.  As the sun began to set, there was a live concert down by the waters edge and everyone in the town seemed to converge upon the scene all at once.  Avoiding the crowds, we opted to eat at a restaurant in a less crowded area and the food was amazing!  After dinner, we walked around the town for a little while longer, just enjoying the sights and sounds of this amazing small town.  We stayed until most of the shops started to close.

IMG_3517On the way home, we pulled off the road into a viewing area and stepped out to look at the night sky.  We could clearly see the Milky Way.  It felt as if we could almost reach out and touch it.  Such a breathtaking sight, and then we witnessed a meteor shower as well.  The only disappointing part, was that we were not able to see the Northern Lights while we were there.  I have only seen them occur once in my life and so I had hoped for the opportunity to see them once again.  Oh well, it gives me another reason to go back again.  Here’s a poem I wrote, about my experience of seeing the northern lights for the first time.

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Sweet serenity here I come!

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Just wanted to let all of you know that I will be escaping the confines of my office for the next four days so that I can go play in the woods. I will catch up on reading your blogs and replying to all of your comments when I return. I have a few things scheduled to post while I’m away.

Have a great week everyone! ~M

Day 21 of our 21 day adventure

We are finally back home from a wonderful vacation. It only took us about 5 hours to get home today and the girls were excited to see us, our dogs included…

Here’s a collage of our overall vacation. We had a blast! Thanks for joining us along the way and hopefully it won’t be too long before we travel again.

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