#4 Triple
This image didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but we had put the tulips in a champagne flute in the window and the light was hitting them so cool, I just had to try. I do not post process anything at this point in my learning experience. So for anyone that is photosavvy… these are SOOC (straight out of camera).
-robin
#20 Ten Minutes Away
Progress is not always something easy to digest. These wind towers are being built roughly 10 minutes away from my Mom and Dad’s house. The same towers the Tivey family checks out from time to time.
Through Mom’s kitchen window, she now looks out to see a substation and power lines that were not there before. These towers appear on the horizon as you enter my home town. Here they look interesting, but a part of me misses seeing the wide open skyline of home.
Hi everyone….it’s Monday again!! Boy time flies! It was once again a nice relaxing weekend at our house. Amanda strolled in early Friday evening and hit the homework almost immediately and worked on it quite a bit Saturday also. Busy girl! I don’t envy her one bit!
Saturday the weather was yucky so Amanda decided we needed to make some homemade pretzels…we have been wanting to do this for years and just never seem to get it done. (Okay, so they weren’t completely homemade-we did make the dough in the bread machine…that is about as homemade as I get!) I am so glad she thought of it. We even got Mikey in on the action and I have to say they were pretty yummy!! We started to feel a little cooped up so decided to go on a drive. We just picked a road and headed out. It was fun and relaxing. Amanda headed out for the evening, so hubby and I decided to head down to Deadwood. We left home at about 8 Saturday night and got home about 4am. Yep, 4 am!! Gulp, I know! We tend to do that occasionally. We like to be there when there aren’t quite as many people and when you can actually find a machine to sit down and play. For some reason, the minute we get to Deadwood, I immediately relax. It is like a “mini-mini vacation!” Strange, I know… but it is. I can feel all my cares and concerns slipping away, I don’t watch the clock and I just simply live in the moment. (And the free diet coke and popcorn put the icing on the cake! HA! We won’t talk about the money we tend to lose!)
Sunday, needless to say, was a very nonproductive but absolutely wonderful vegging-and-hiney-on-the-couch sort of day! But, I did manage to make breakfast for everyone, which is a very rare occurrence around here. Mikey is the breakfast maker in the family, so I managed to get in a few “brownie points!”
Amanda headed back to Bismarck this morning and I admit I did sleep in a bit since I didn’t have Emma. I did manage to get moving and get my house picked up and at least surface-clean. Laundry has been going and I have managed to mark off a few things on my to-do list. I must admit, there is something almost therapeutic about my Mondays off. I love them. I am able to relax a bit on the weekend and then on Monday I get a chance to start the week right by getting myself a bit organized, I am able to kind-of-sort-of get the house back in order, and I get a little “me-time” and by Tuesday I am usually refreshed enough to start a new week.
I think we all need to feel that refreshed feeling sometimes and I think sometimes our bodies even try to tell us when it’s time to take a mini-mini vacation! (we just don’t always listen) We are so busy trying to accomplish everything we possibly can and I think we tend to get hooked on that adrenaline rush from the feeling of accomplishment. What we need to do is slow down and take some time to relax, regroup, and let ourselves just live in the moment and to realize we don’t need to constantly be doing “bigger and better things.” We can have some very special family moments just doing the simple things…like taking a drive and making pretzels 
~just me and that’s enough~jodi
Hi everyone…just your friendly little reminder that your teaser answers are due tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4 by 5pm MST. Please either leave a comment on the blog or send your answer to mjativey@ndsupernet.com
To refresh your memory, the teaser was:
Submit your answers in the comment section or email them to mjativey@ndsupernet.com by 5:00 p.m. MST on Tuesday, May 4, for your chance to win a prize. We have separate drawings for adults and kiddos, so get those kiddos involved!
Answers submitted via the comment section will not be published until after the deadline so that the answer is not given away.
Taken at my niece’s birthday party. I loved her cake. Jacki makes the coolest cakes every year. When I saw the cake, I knew this party would be a part of my 26 Things post.
Trevin Bracelets... Please post a comment if you wish to purchase.
Trevin Ficek is the son of Liza and Jeremy from Bowman. Trevin was born February 11th with bilateral vocal fold paralysis and has been in Rochester under the careful care of expert doctors. Trevin now has a trach tube and requires around the clock care and LOVE. Please refer to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/trevinficek for his full story.
Liza and Jeremy have a couple of important prayer requests. The first is for a MIRACLE and that Trevin’s vocal fold function will be fully restored and he will be able to breathe without the trach. Until then, the need is for nursing staff to help care for Trevin to be put in place so they can return to the southwest corner of ND to stay with Jeremy’s Grandma in Dickinson. If you know of anyone who is in the nursing profession in the Dickinson area have them contact the nursing agency that is taking Trevin’s case at 605-595-5018 (ask for Sheila).
Trevin Bracelets
The Speech Team at Bowman County High School is selling Trevin Bracelets (rubber baller bands) to raise money to help Jeremy and Liza defray medical costs. For me, the bracelet is more than just a way to raise money but more of a way to remind me to say prayers for Trevin throughout the day. When someone asks what the bracelet is for, I tell them about Trevin and tell them to say prayers for him too. If you would like a Trevin Bracelet please leave a comment below and I will get bracelets and we can mail them and deliver them as needed. The bracelets are selling for $2 each.
Trevin Medical Account Set Up
An account has been set up at Dakota Community Bank to help the Ficek family defray medical costs. You can make donations by contacting any of the branches of DCB. A list of locations can be found at https://www.dakotacommunitybank.com/about-us/locations.