Hunting Season With a Twist

      The past few weeks have been deer, hunting, season here in the Minnesota Northlands. I have friends who have been out sitting in trees, anxiously awaiting the appearance of the perfect specimen of future venison and antlers. Blaze orange and camouflage are totally in and the radio has discussed how very warm it is for the hunt.
      Here at the Williams' home, we've been doing a little hunting of our own...Of a slightly different variety. Mice! Once again the creepy little things have decided to move on in and torment me. I know that I am not alone in this hunt. Many of my friends know that the struggle is real as they are dealing with it in their own homes. In fact, I mentioned tonight that perhaps we should form a club and call ourselves The Sisterhood of the Great Mouse Hunters. I have a trapline throughout the house and have had considerable success, and yet they keep coming. Don't mess with me rodents, don't mess with me. Happy Hunting.

(Disclaimer, I did not use the muzzle loader on any mice. As much as I despise the critters, I like my cabinets more...)

"To live will be an awfully big adventure." ~Peter Pan

A Most Lovely Long Weekend

       It was MEA this week, meaning that I had Thursday and Friday off from school. Such a lovely long weekend. It has included breakfast out with My Love, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, visits with friends, quite a few movies, knitting, and butchering chickens.
      So far, one of the best parts of it was on Thursday. Last week I had my 20 week ultrasound, but Little Mr. Williams wasn't being cooperative and so they didn't get any good images of his heart. So, they called me back in. Since I was there anyway I asked the ultrasound tech if I could have any of the profile pictures she got since they didn't really get a good one last time. She got the required heart pictures and then just began taking fun pictures for me. Once again I was blown away to watch my little guy, in all his tiny perfection, wiggle and move. Such a miracle. He is pretty adorable if I do say so myself.

My personal favorite, sucking his thumb. 

 Snuggling with his hand up by his face

 Little toes

Little legs and feet

 Profile

And the weekend still has one day to go. HURRAY!!! Happy Saturday. 

"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results." ~Wade Boggs

Summer

I love summer. And you know what I think is the best part about it... All the little random things. Like having the truck break down at work and finding it so funny you can't do anything but laugh on the side of the road. Jumping into the swimming pool in your jeans at the end of a long hot day. Ice cream with your best friend. Funny tan lines that make you look ridiculous. Fireflies filling the fields with electricity. Sidewalk chalk. Ice cold lemonade. The list could go on and on. And you know what, I think that is the amazing thing about life. It is the little things that make us smile and that often leave the biggest marks in our hearts. So, I challenge you this summer to stop waiting for the big events, and to discover the joys of everyday life. You just never know what you might discover.

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "The smallest things take up the most room in your heart." --A.A Milne

Dandelions

I think that Peter Pan was on to something, he never wanted to grow up. So often we are in a rush to get somewhere: School, work, errands, we are always trying to get there. We are in a rush for time to pass, we just want to get through this week, this month, this year. And sometimes, we are in a rush to grow up. We think that when we grow up we will finally have life figured out. But that just isn't true. As life goes on I have come to realize that I will never have life figured out and you know what, that is okay. I think that when we grow up we loose something. Kids have the ability to trust without all the answers, they possess an unwavering faith, and joy that bubbles forth from deep within. Kids have the ability to enjoy the simple things in life and realize what is truly important. Just the other day my little sister came into the house with an armful of dandelions. She firmly announced that she was saving them from the lawn mower. You cannot help but smile at this and yet think about it, she took the time to save her favorite flowers from destruction when we as adults would look at them and see a bunch of weeds. When she looks at  dandelions she sees beauty, summer and a bouquet just waiting to  be enjoyed. So you know what I want in my life? I want to never grow up. I know that I will never be eight years old again, thats not how it works, but I do know that I can keep that childlike joy in my heart. I want to look at dandelions and see flowers, I want to laugh at the silly things, and I want to have that simple unwavering faith. I don't want to ever grow up.

"Life is too important to be taken seriously." --Oscar Wilde