Springing into Summer

What is it about April and May that makes us crave the summery sunshine? Maybe it's the constant mood swings of Mother Nature, you know temperatures changing from 92° one day to 32° the next, or maybe it's because it's finally warm enough for bonfires and evenings relaxing on the deck. This "almost summer" is the perfect weather to get me in the mood for camping. ⛺️

Every spring we make big plans for camping and it never fails, we only end up following through on one or two trips each year. This is the exact reason we continue to hang on to our old, circa-1983 camper. It's big, dry, has tons of storage and fits our needs. It seems like every spring we get the itch to look at new campers and by mid-June we realize it's pointless. When you live half a mile from a lake, or in our case a big pond, why would you want to pack up and leave for the weekend? Speaking of lakes, when we moved to Minnesota we learned The Land of 10,000 Lakes should more accurately be called The Land of 10,000 Lakes, Ponds and Drainage Ditches. Every single body of water is referred to as a lake, don't get me wrong, we love our little lake. It's perfect for paddle boarding, tubing and playing on the Paradise Pad.  

Elsie loves the
paddle board

The dads frequently take
over the water mat. 😆

The last few summers we have spent our weekends on the lake as much as possible, but in May that water sure is chilly. This is likely why we camp a lot in the spring/early  summer and spend the rest of the summer on the lake. If we do go camping, there's a strong probability that it will rain most of the weekend. Our friends have come to terms with this fact and continue to camp with us, even if we bring 2" of rain and storms. Since we are already predicted for storms all weekend, we have decided to not camp this Memorial Day weekend. I know we'll miss it but I'm sure we'll find plenty of other things to do.

 

Our neighbor's wonderful view

A serious game of Kan Jam

Glow Bocce

In anticipation for the camping season, we opted to "pseudo camp" last weekend in our friends' backyard. We got together to celebrate a birthday and decided to play it safe so we brought the camper so the kids could go to bed when they wanted and we didn't  have to worry about driving home  late. The evening consisted of yard games, good food, drinks, a fire and night games. We played bean bags, Beersbee (Polish Horseshoes), Kan Jam, and Glow Bocce.  Check the Amazon links on the sides of the page if you are interested. Matt made our own set of Beersbee, but if you're not craft, they sell it pretty cheap on Amazon. We forgot to bring the yard dice or there might have been a game of Yard-zee or Farkle played, as well.

Bailey stands guard to
make sure the layers
stay in the fencing

After a night of typical camping like activities followed by an afternoon of golfing and more games, it was an early night for us all. When I got home from work the next day, Matt had given the chicks an opportunity to see what life is like outside their brooder. The broilers appeared to enjoy the space and they are big enough that most of them can't fit through the holes of the chain link fence. The layers, on the other hand, could run in and out of the holes freely as if they decided on their own to be free range. I'm just afraid the cats might think otherwise. 😼🐤 The goal for this coming weekend is to get their coop built, line the fence with hardware cloth to keep the layers in and any predators out and then move them out to their permanent home. I can't wait to get them out of the garage and away from the pine shavings. Those little buggers are constantly kicking the shavings into their water, making it a necessity to change it at least 3-4 times/day.


After the most beautiful few days, we spent Sunday afternoon doing what we love most. We enjoyed the day on the water. It was a cold day for the swimming kiddos but it didn't stop them from getting. We kicked off the season with the first, of many, Sunday Rumdays of the year relaxing in our friends' pontoon. Hopefully we can get our boat and pontoon de-winterized this weekend so it's ready for the next warm day. With only 4 days of school left, I look forward to a summer filled with ball games, lots of memories made, great times on the water and new adventures for our family. Summer hasn't even begun and the calendar is already full. 

What am I getting myself into?

Most of our acreage

Chickens...what? Are you serious? Ever since we bought our acreage, around four years ago, my husband has been talking about getting into livestock. You know, just because you have 5 1/2 acres, doesn't mean you have to use it. In addition to that, I'm not a farm girl. Sure, I grew up on my friends' farms and hung out at my parents' friends who had farms, but I didn't do daily animal chores or deal with the veterinary side of things so the idea of farm animals kind of freaks me out. My husband was the farthest thing from a farm boy, which is probably why he's all for the idea. When I think about getting chickens, I instantly assume that means I'll be doing the bulk of the chores, which doesn't sound like fun. Instead, I figure this is the perfect learning experience for our kids. Everyone keeps saying that chickens are the gateway animal and before we know it we'll have goats and cows and everything else. I may have to eat my words later, but NO THANK YOU.

Excitedly picking up
the chicks

So why did I finally agree to the idea of chickens? If you had any idea how many eggs we go through on the average week, you'd understand. I'm pretty sure my family would eat eggs every day if they took the time to make them. We are omelet, sunny side up, fried, hash (eggs, hash browns, peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc.), one-eyed jacks (aka-toad in the hole), hard boiled, soft boiled and egg bake eaters (say that in your best Bubba Gump voice). We didn't go out and order 15 egg layers because that sounds like a lot of egg collecting, but we did order 18 broilers for butchering and 7 layers. If we are lucky, we'll end up with about 20 chickens in the end because it's pretty common to lose a few when they're young.

To embark on this adventure, I've been doing lots of research in the best place possible (Pinterest!) because these are actual people who have failed and succeeded at raising chickens. What better source is there? I have seen some crazy chicken coops that look like something Ma and Pa Kettle would have had and I've come across some Taj Mahal coops that are bigger than my house. Let's just say this is our "trial" year so we won't be constructing anything too fancy. I'm lucky to have my extremely talented husband who will likely build something more elaborate and functional than I can dream up. I have also learned some great things from other chicken bloggers based on their trial and error, such as The Chicken Chick, Backyard Chickens or Hansen Woodland Farm. When I peruse Pinterest, the bulk of my pins and most informative articles are from these three sites. If you have any interest in procuring chickens in your future, check them out. They are a wealth of knowledge.

So as we excitedly awaited the arrival of our new flock, we planned and prepped accordingly. We set up a brooder in the garage (that's chicken talk for a small holding/warming area for baby chicks) consisting of totes, pine shavings, waterers, feeders and heat lamps. We have a few plan ideas for the coop, nesting boxes and a run but we won't have to worry about that for a few more weeks. Again, that Pinterest has some great ideas for cheap projects. Thanks to some friends we have old milk crates to use for nesting boxes and we have access to a lot of pallets for anything we can dream up.

Bailey is so curious

As far as the chicks, we ordered them from Krause's, a local farm supply store, who uses the Hoover Hatchery out of Rudd, IA. Jim Krause is another invaluable source who has provided us with a great amount of knowledge. Due to a back order last week, we were afraid we weren't going to get our chicks for two weeks, but we were pleased to receive the call we impatiently waited all week for, "Your chicks are in." After work/school Matt and Elsie picked them up and brought them home. They went directly into the brooder to warm up and get a drink. From all our reading we learned it was important to show them their water and make sure they were drinking. In our batch, only a couple needed to be encouraged, the rest flocked to the water and began drinking immediately. Not only were we excited to bring the chicks home, but Bailey was enamored with them. He spent all evening in the garage and had to be forced to come in the house to go to bed that night. 

Bailey won't leave their side

I can tell that this new endeavor is going to be a learning experience for all of us. The kids have been great about changing the food and water multiple times each day. Man those chicks can stir up a lot of mess in their brooders. This morning their watering dishes were so full of pine chips that they had absorbed all the water. Now I don't expect the kids to be as diligent about caring for them in a few weeks but so far, I am impressed. In addition, against our recommendations, Elsie has some creative names for the chicks such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Buffalo Wings, Wild Wings, Chicken Strips, Chicken Nuggets, Spots, and Fake Spots. Riley chimed in with a few of his own including Chicken Tenders and Jonathan (even though they are supposed to be all females).  

Gone too long...

Two and half years, seriously? I can't believe I haven't written in my blog for two and half years. I have one word to justify it all...student. I have been a full time student for the last two and a half years (not including the two and a half years of community college and other classes I took immediately before this program) in addition to all the other motherly duties, working full time and maintaining a busy household. Well, the last two and a half years (aka-hell) are finally over and I am counting down the days til I can say I'm done with classes and all I have left is my student teaching. How many, you ask?----- THREE!

Yes, I have only three days left! By 8pm Saturday night I will finally have a life outside of homework assignments, discussion posts and projects to complete. A life where I'm not logging into Bemidji State's website on a daily basis, a life where I don't have to wonder if my next professor is going to spend the semester coming up with a bunch of ridiculous busy work to do or hoops to jump through, and a life where I'm not confined to the office, or my preferred place of study, my bedroom. In case you didn't know, I'm a signicant sufferer of focus problems. Yep, focus is my weakness. I have no doubt in my mind where my son gets his focus problems from.  So for others who have similar problems and think, going back to school just isn't for them, trust me, if I can do it, so can you.

As a middle and high school student, I flew under the radar, just low enough that my grades weren't a concern (except maybe that one D+ I got, missing a C- by a tenth of a point). I was typically a B honor roll student but I honestly believe I just got lucky some of the time. This is why I didn't finish college the first time around. I struggled in school, I was a horrible test taker and I couldn't focus to save my life. Now, I've learned how to work with my weaknesses and find ways to stay focused. I use Spark on a daily basis to help me focus. What's Spark? An Advocare product that enhances mental energy and focus, better yet, it's sugar free and only 15 calories. If it wasn't for my Spark, I'd get brain fog instantly and spend all day avoiding my homework. My son is also a Spark drinker.

So why do I love Spark? I'm sure many of you are coffee drinkers and get your caffeine fix that way. However, Spark has over 20 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in addition to being chock full of amino acids. So now that I've plugged my Advocare business, something I've been a huge fan and user of for almost five years. I can also say that since I've been back in school, I've been on the A Honor Roll and will graduate with honors.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I promise there will be more exciting topics of discussion in the future like running, biking, Ragnar training, and I'm sure a lot about education and my student teaching. Now that I have time to breathe and not think about school (college) I'll be spending the rest of my life thinking about school (classroom), It's kinda funny how things work.

As long as I mentioned my training, I thought it would be good to have a little accountability check for myself. So far this month I have run 34 miles, that's 11 more miles than last month and no where near where I should be. I am going to shoot for 45-50 miles next month.

Thank God For Friends

One of many training runs

It's obviously not "news" that I'm running my first half-marathon, but it's definitely on the top of my brain right now. Seriously, from someone who was NEVER a runner and never going to be a runner, this is HUGE! I can't believe I'm doing it and it's less than 11 days away! So, why am I thanking God for friends? I would not be anywhere near ready for this if it weren't for friends, I never would've signed up if it weren't for friends telling me to, and I never would've considered the idea of running 13.1 miles if it weren't for watching friends do it (and then inspiring me!).

My always dependable running buddy, Bailey

I am now running distances that I never would have believed to be possible. I realize that many people in this world are runners and run A LOT, but I just ran my first 10 miler the other day and it felt awesome! Yes, I realize I'm behind my training schedule and I should be running longer distances, but I'm psyched enough with 10. No, I didn't run the whole thing "non-stop" and I'm okay with that. The point is, I set a new PR (runner's code for "personal record") for distance and I'm very pleased with that. I expected to be extremely sore afterwards but, to my own surprise, I wasn't. I was definitely tired though. I spent most of that day resting. I was so happy when Matt decided to postpone our trip to Mankato so I could spend the day on the couch, in my element, watching football. It's just too bad it was the Vikings' bye week.

October is breast cancer awareness month
get out and run for a loved one.

In addition to training "physically" for my race, I'm also training mentally and nutritionally. Running is absolutely a head game. No matter how hard you've trained or how far you've gone, your body can always go farther, it's your head that makes you stop. In my last few runs, I haven't given up "mentally" at all. I've set goals for my runs and achieved each of them, even surpassed some. In terms of nutrition, a friend mentioned doing the 24 Day Challenge again and both Matt and I jumped on board. Not only did we both need to cleanse again, but I figured it would be the perfect time to avoid unhealthy foods and focus on clean eating leading up to the race.

There have been a couple runs where I felt like I was running low on fuel but fortunately, I'd packed some healthy snacks to take with me. It was the best thing I've ever done. I've become a fan of my fuel belt, only for the long runs, but it sure has come in handy. Not only do I have water or another electrolyte enhanced drink, like Rehydrate  accessible, but I also pack fruit that is easy to pop in my mouth like grapes or a peeled Clementine. I've also read that peanut m&m's, granola or gummy bears are convenient foods to keep on hand. Many experienced runners use gels or specialty granola bars. Unfortunately I have not trained with these so I'm not going to switch anything up before my race as it can cause serious digestive/bowel issues while running. I'm not willing to try anything new right now so I'll just stick with my fruit.

One reason I run

So as I enter into my last full week of training, I will train smart, start to lay off the higher miles (after one more long run), and I will supply myself with the right fuel. As I run, I will remember the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, I will run in honor of those who can't-due to breast cancer (or any other cancers, diseases, ailments, etc.), I will remind myself that I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me and I will thank God for the friends and family who got me through this.

I have one last request to those friends, family and acquaintances- find a race and volunteer to help. There are so many great organizations out there that need helpers, and trust me, the runners wouldn't be able to do what they do without the hundreds of volunteers. Thank you in advance! And by the way, I'm sure the Mankato Marathon still needs help. Having volunteered last year, it gave me the bug to actually take part this year. ;)

Running

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, the end of summer got away from me way too fast. There are so many things I could write about to conclude my summer vacation, and maybe I'll do that in the future, but what I want to write about today is running. Why? Because I have seen so many changes in so many people's lives, thanks to running. It has sculpted and defined me (as well as many others I've met) in so many ways.

Let me start a few years back. I HATED RUNNING! I HATED it in elementary school because I was slow, I HATED it in junior high because I was lazy, I HATED it in high school because it was used to condition/punish us in sports (I realize now it wasn't meant to be punishment but that's not how I viewed it at the time). However, in all of these occurrences the only thing I knew and understood were fast twitch muscles. Sure, I'd heard of slow twitch muscles, which was clearly the only kind I had because I was slow, right? Well, yeah, kind of. Though that may not exactly be the reason but there is some truth to it. A few years ago when I was so unhappy with my appearance thanks to the extra 50lbs I was carrying around, I decided it was time to try running. Guess what? I HATED IT. I tried the Couch to 5k, and quit. I tried it again and again throughout the year, didn't stay with it once. Then I found Insanity. I LOVED IT. It truly is insane but I got great results. It boosted my cardiovascular health and I felt like I did back in high school sports.

After my cardio was better I tried Couch to 5k again and this time it worked, sort of. You see my problem was that I always got stuck around week 5 or 6 but since my cardio was in better shape I skipped the beginning and started at week 6. It was the best decision I ever made. Not only did I cruise through my first 5k a couple weeks later but I've been hooked ever since. Just me and my slow twitch muscles. Now sure, I've fallen off the wagon plenty of times and I hate the "dreadmill" so I don't do much running in the winter (that's when I find myself cussing out Shaun T. during a grueling Insanity workout). I've even taken lots of breaks this summer, for no good reason. My goal is to complete a half marathon, now how does one do this when they're inconsistent with their training? Easy, you set a low expectation. It may sound like a cop-out and that's okay. Not everyone can go out and run 13.1 miles any given day. My goal for my first one is to...finish! Yep, that's it. Sure, I have a "time" in mind that I'd like to finish it in but that's just a number in the back of my head. If I don't make it I'm not going to give up, maybe next time I'll do better. So in 6 weeks I'll be doing something I never would have given the slightest thought about a year ago.

As I write this, I'm mentally prepping myself for the Warrior Dash which we'll be doing in about 3 hours. We get asked lots of questions about why we do them, how do we train, do we ever get our clothes clean, etc? Why? Because they're fun! Come on, there are so many of you that loved playing in the mud as a kid and would get in trouble for it. I yell at my kids all the times for making a mess but this is the one time you can get dirty without reservations. Sure they're a test of endurance and they have some pretty fun obstacles but overall, it's just "clean" fun. ;)

Down and Dirty

In the last few years I've met many people whose lives have been changed by running and I applaud them for their hard work and dedication. Many of them have a similar story to my own. I have friends, family, acquaintances and strangers who I talk with about running on nearly a weekly basis. I never would have dreamed of having these conversations but it's become such an important part of my life. Now some of you may not believe it but I am not a die-hard runner, I'm very far from it. Everyday I could wake up and say, "Nah, I'm not gonna to run today," and be just fine with it.  Unfortunately that just makes the next run a little more difficult, which isn't a bad thing. It's a reminder to me that I need to be more consistent.

Consistency is my biggest problem which is going to make achieving my goal of running my half-marathon an extra difficult one. I'm happy running a couple days a week but I'm not happy about getting up at the crack of dawn to do it. Unfortunately, with the unseasonably hot weather we're having, it's my only option. Now I just have to get someone to help me be accountable with my training (I don't think Matt's going to be happy when I start waking him up to help me). I've been training off and on for a long time but it's time to really focus now. Thankfully my family will be great help through this process. The difficult part will be dividing my time and between family, work, school and all the kids' activities. I guess it's a good thing I know how to juggle. ;) So I guess to conclude my thoughts, wish me luck as I embark on this adventure.

Tough Times

As I watch the summer fly by and I'm enjoying "most" of the moments I have gotten to spend with the kids, I'm reminded (by tragic events) that I need to cherish the good times with the bad. Sure we've had plenty of sibling rivalries, selective listening and times when I have felt I've needed a timeout, but overall it's been a blessing to have had another summer where I've been fortunate enough to stay home with the kiddos (which is a huge shout out to Matt for making this possible). Sadly, it is a horrible event that has reminded me how important it is to cherish the good with the bad. A family in our school district unexpectedly lost a child to illness at the young age of twelve.

It is such an extremely difficult loss not only for the family but the classmates, faculty, team members, church family, and the list could go on and on. I know this from personal experience. Something that many of our Minnesota friends don't know is that I lost a sister at a very young age to a car accident. She was 15 and I was 10. As a high school sophomore, she went to homecoming in Emmetsburg (a neighboring town) with her boyfriend. After the dance they went for a drive around the countryside where the tragic event occurred. The car hit a bridge on an unlit gravel road and landed in a ditch about 6 feet deep. The accident resulted in a broken neck for Amy which killed her on impact (considering her tolerance for pain was about as good as an albino tolerates the sun, this was a blessing) and her boyfriend, Tom, suffered a dislocated hip, broken jaw and many bumps and bruises. 

People are quick to wonder if alcohol was involved but no, my sister Amy was the perfect example of a "good kid" who was involved in many extra curricular activities in our small town. She was extremely faithful, always rooted for the underdog and was a great example for the kids in our community. As a 10 year-old, it was pretty special to have an older sister who was a cheerleader, a lifeguard, and had lots of cool friends. So how did a 10 year-old, my 14 year-old sister (her best friend), our college-aged brother and my parents manage to deal with the loss of our "Pretty Pink Rose"? It was a challenge for everyone. She touched the lives of so many people from Bible camp, the dock boys up north, and to cousins from Michigan to California. The community took the loss equally hard. Amy was a favorite among teachers, staff, elementary students and classmates. Her goofiness and concern for others were some of the more memorable traits. The best way for me to work through the loss was to talk about her, and we did this a lot! We had an in-home counselor come to our house weekly and anyone that wanted to was able to come and talk about our memories of Amy. This brought many people together. We laughed and we cried, we learned things about her we never knew and we found that we could all rely on each other. Sometimes all it took was knowing that I could go find one of her friends to get a hug, any time I was having a rough day. 

I hope the Misgen family can find comfort in each other throughout these tough times. I hope the NRHEG 7th graders can seek each other out when they're having a rough day or if they just want to talk about Markus. I hope the faculty can do their best to provide direction and understanding to those impacted by his loss. Most of all, I hope that everyone who needs the help, is willing to ask for it, whether it's in the middle of class, during a football game or at the end of a crazy week. It's too easy to let the emotions fester and build-up resulting in a negative outburst of some sort. It is the responsibility  the adults, no matter how hard it is, to be an example for these kids. Ask them how they're doing or if they need to talk, show them that it's okay to cry and be emotional and listen to them, even if they're not saying what they really want (or need) to talk about. Be an ear, a shoulder and a support system.  Admit that it's one of the toughest things you've ever had to endure but realize that it's tough for everyone and do the best you can to get through those days. 

Amy (aka-G'town's Pretty Pink Rose) and Tom
September 28, 1990

Fourth of July "Stay-cation"

Initially we thought that it would be a little bit of a bummer not going back home for the 4th of July weekend since we're so used to spending that time at "The Lakes" (for you non-Iowan folks that's Okoboji, Spirit Lake, etc.).  Instead, we planned a camping trip with some friends up here and we were looking forward to trying out a new campground.  Well, plans changed and instead we ended up having a pseudo-camping trip or rather, "stay-cation". It was a GREAT (LONG) weekend, making memories, meeting new people, and attempting to re-live our bounce-back easy younger years. I would just like to say that we all learned we are not in our early twenties anymore. Ugh! I need a few days to catch up from my stay-cation. I guess that's a good sign. :)

 

Anyway, it started out on Monday with an unexpected but great trip to a lake house with some friends. The night consisted of hanging out in the jacuzzi, tubing and having a few drinks. The kids had a blast and asked repeatedly, "When do we get to go back?"  Matt and I greatly enjoyed the relaxing evening and we continue to be floored by how generous so many people are in this community. Wednesday night we met up with our pseudo-camping family and played at the beach and watched the fireworks on one of the small, local lakes. It was a nice change up to the typical firework show. It is put on by the families who live on the lake. They put their own money into purchasing their own fireworks and each take turns shooting theirs off. Though it doesn't go as smoothly as a normal show, it lasted a lot longer. This was late night number 2 for the week and we still had a long way to go.

 

On Thursday we met up with our camping family in Blooming Prairie for the 4th. They have a car show, tractor pulls, parade, vendors, etc. We caught the last few minutes of the car show, just in time to see a friend take 1st place in his class. We spent the rest of the day eating "fair food" and waiting for the parade to start. Ninety degrees feels a LOT hotter when you have no shade, zero breeze and trying to tough out an hour and a half long parade. Needless to say, the lake felt pretty darn good after that long day. Our plan was to swing by the lake house again for a little while, then head home, grill out and watch St. Olaf's fireworks from our deck. It's a good thing we're flexible, because once we were welcomed by their family, there was almost no way we were going to be able to leave without eating, taking part in their family time and letting all the kids play. Every time we tried to leave we heard, "No, there's so much food, you have to stay and eat!" :)  That part probably felt the most like being at home. Whenever my mom throws together a party, it's always filled with so much food that everyone invited could eat for at least 2-3 days. So after another late night (that's the third one in 4 days---it's getting ridiculous right?) we enjoyed sleeping in and having no agenda Friday, well at least not until that evening.

 

We took Friday to spend a little time together as a family. We loaded the bikes up and heading to the Blazing Star Trail in Albert Lea. Elsie is always so dramatic when it comes to biking. She can never keep up and she spends most of the time complaining about how hard it is. A picnic lunch, a nice cool breeze and a promise to swing by Walmart to get her a new helmet was enough to keep her semi-focused. Due to obligations that evening, we didn't ride very far, which was probably a good thing because another LATE night was about to occur. The long-time principal/wrestling coach of our high school retired this year so our school board president threw a huge party in his honor. The ladies danced the night away while the guys chatted it up and held their ground close to the beer tent. It was a gorgeous night and their backyard is right on the lake which made it even more beautiful (and walking distance was definitely a plus, too!)

 

On to Saturday, another day of perfect weather and our 5th day of being out and about. I'm not sure we're going to recover anytime soon. We had a birthday to celebrate and did so with gusto. Bean bags, a homemade slip-n-slide, bocce ball and ladder golf filled the afternoon. It's a miracle that none of the kids ended up with major injuries from the slip-n-slide but they had a blast. There were times when all 17 kids were on it and I'm so disappointed I didn't get any pictures throughout the day. We spent the night by the bonfire playing silly games, telling stories and cracking jokes. So in the end, it truly was like spending the entire week camping. We were barely home, spent all day going, going, going, met lots of new people and became more acquainted with others.

 

We are extremely blessed to have found such an awesome community and great people to spend our time with. We've had a few discussions lately about the variety of people that we have met and how each "group" has their own awesome traits. Everyone is fun in their own way and we wouldn't trade that for the world. We wish we had more time to spend with everyone and still manage to make time to get back home to catch up with family and friends there, too. Now that summer is nearly half over, it's time to slow down and not take these days for granted.