Girl's Day

Outdoor Adventures and Cooking with a Friend
=
Blessed!

So thankful that I took the time to hang out with my friend today!  It was a much needed time of  rest and refreshment.  We went for a walk to the local coffee shop called the Tarnished Halo and continued with a walk and talk around town.  We walked by a local kids swim meet, so that was neat!  Then, we took her paddle board over to the lake and I got to try it out.  YES, that's me in the picture!  Can you believe it!?  I am standing and balancing on the water!  How awesome and super peaceful.  We took turns while one was paddling around the other was on shore relaxing/reading.  When we finished paddle boarding, we made some lunch.  I brought a whole bunch of yummy garden veggies so we did quite a bit of slicing and dicing.  We made a salad and sautéed some veggies.  We made enough for her and her hubby to have for supper!  It was fun!

I left in what I thought was 'just in time' to beat those very dark clouds rolling in, but turns out about 5 miles out of town it came down hard.  It was a bit unnerving, but I prayed alot.  God eased my fears and we made it through nice and slow.  WOAH, thank you LORD!  By the time I got home, it was sunny and nice again!  All clear, all good!

After I got home, Heath suggested we run into town to look at refrigerators.  My man is awesome!  He had already done all the research in finding just what we needed.  Our current one sounds like a freight train right now.  It freezes my veggies on the top left hand shelf and melts my ice.  Who knows how much longer it might last, but I sure don't want to lose everything.  It was used when I got it and it has definitely served us well over the past several years!  We found one at Menard's and got it ordered.  It is the basic white, freezer on top just like we have now except it is shorter and wider allowing for more shelf space.  Heath is so SMART!  I LOVE HIM!

Farm Raised

Daily Devotion from Sarah Young Jesus Calling Enjoying Peace in His Presence
Me and God!  We got this!

(L-R:  Caprese salad with mozzy, fresh basil and a balsamic reduction ~ avocado toast with fresh watermelon radishes
and parsley ~ fresh grilled veggies with mushrooms. 

Back at the vet with the rest of the family for ear treatment.

I kind of really like food from farm to fork and everything in between!  It is such blessing planning, planting, growing,
watering, and weeding but also harvesting, cutting, chopping, creating, cooking, presenting, and sharing the food!  It's
all FUN and super REWARDING!
Note:  heart shaped sausages!  Have fun with it!

Life

Repurpose ~ Reuse

The ole' washpan on the left is from Garry and Barb's dump and the ole' canner on the right is my Grandma Lee's!  How incredibly special!  Really enjoying my herbs!

Lunchtime swim OUTDOORS!
1st one since moving back!

* Beauty ALL Around *

*Pausing* to capture a Moment like This!

Stunning, absolutely stunning!
Thank You God for *this* moment!

Moving

I took little Fuzzy to the doctor for his check up.  The vet was honestly surprised that he was still alive.  That was super encouraging news!  The vet was able to put some medicine in his ears to clean them of their ear mites and told me I could bring the others in for the same treatment.  She couldn't send it home because it was compounded.

Heath met me at the doctor and we headed out to Mitchell to help move the real Fuzz (Garry's sister) from the Mitchell Care Center into Heritage in Gering while she is still in the hospital.  We left the truck running the whole time we gathering Fuzz's belongings so that Fuzzy (the kitten) would stay cool.  He was so cute all curled up in the back on the floor, next to the air conditioner vent.  Super happy.  When we got to Heritage, we put him in the bed of the truck to get some fresh air.  On our way back to the truck to get more belongings, all we could see was his little silhouette up on the edge of the pickup bed!  DON'T JUMP little one!  He didn't thank goodness, he is still so small and frail.

Fuzz's new roommate in Gering is nice and she seems like she will be great to keep her company.  We got her clothes away, set up her cat and dog figurines on her shelf, and made her bed with her stuffed animals and blanket.  It's all ready for her when she get released from the hospital.  Her new HOME * SWEET * HOME!

This facility is absolutely amazing!  All the people we met are nice and the views of the Monument are stunning!  Their landscaping is beautiful and the location is great!  We think she will be very happy here and very well cared for!

Supper Club

I finished this book and I am so glad I read it!  It was an easy, conversational read -- just like you were visiting with a friend over some coffee.  One of the things that really struck me was the chapter called Porches as Alters.  Just talking about the good ole' fashioned (face-to-face) get togethers.  Like the good old days when phones and watches and social media weren't all competing for every waking moment of our time.  When we were not so focused on that instant reply or that worry that we might 'miss something' if we don't check it every five seconds.  Guilty!  Things don't have to be perfect, the house doesn't have to be spotless, the grass doesn't have to be ideally trimmed....just inviting people over to fellowship, laugh, eat, talk, work through troubling challenges that may be present in this season of life, have fun, let the inner you shine through, let go and let God.  REAL LIFE, REAL PEOPLE.  One of the things Jen also mentions in this book is her Supper Club.  The "rules" are listed below and it sounds so awesome!  Just getting together once a month and "doing life together."  Having that core group of friends is something that I was fortunate enough to grow up experiencing.  Our group acquired the name "COOP" which were all my mom and dad's friends who would gather for barn raisings and then food and fellowship.  Over the years, as we kids started coming along, we all became friends and are friends to this day.  This type of friendship and fellowship is so important and something that I so often find hard to make happen.  If we don't make it happen and be intentional with this fellowship, it will not happen.  So as hard as it may be to get a group of eight adults together all in one spot, all on one night, I don't want to give up!  The rewards will be worth it!  You never know, it may open the door to soooo much more -- including lifelong friendships with each other and our kids!

~ Supper Club ~

Day of Rest

We enjoyed a Sunday morning hot tub before church complete with tea and ice water!

Race Day

What?!  Race day already?  It seemed like so far in the future, them BAM, it's here.  Did I mention Heath and I stayed in the pickup in a little park last night in Loveland?!  I waited to long to find housing because I wasn't sure I'd be racing.  Turns out I waited a bit toooooo long.  One race more race in the books!  Always a story to go along with them!  This race was recommended to me by David and his dad when we visited with them back at Christmas.  (David is my swimming buddy from Texas whose family lives south of Fort Collins in Colorado)  The Loveland Lake to Lake Olympic distance tri was one to put on the calendar due to the absolute beauty.  So, I signed up.  This was waay before I knew that I would become sick.  So after my Mayo experience, I dropped from the Olympic distance down to the Sprint distance.  This was a hard decision, but a great one!  I was not ready for the Olympic distance plus I don't think I would have met my new friend, Liz, if I'd done the longer distance!

Pa came down the morning of to watch me race!
He's been waiting a while because last year in Texas
I was sick the day he came to watch me race.

Just do what you know!
* SWIM * BIKE * RUN *

My new friend, Liz!
Let's celebrate our accomplishment!
God has given us the ability to enjoy the great outdoors!

This beautiful woman is a sister in Christ and mother and wife and athlete and so much more!  We just barely got introduced to each other and then we were off to race.  After the race, I was able to catch up with her to get her contact info so we can stay connected!  She is amazing and I am so blessed to have met her and racked my bike next to hers for our race!  We did it!  Congrats girl on a great race!  Beautiful racing conditions ~ probably the best I have ever had!

Fresh herbs:  Basil - on the left, Sunflower microgreens - bottom left,
Parsley, Oregano, and Rosemary - right.

Homemade pizza (minus the store-bought crust).
(And rhubarb in the background ready to be frozen!)

Even after my race, I was able to keep
my muscles relaxed!

Celebration of Life

Mrs. Jean Armstrong passed away and today was her funeral.  Her girls are super supportive and have been by her side since her husband, Bob, passed just a few months ago.  Today, was a celebration of her life, but it was still hard.  So much life that can be lived no matter how many years God gives us.  We are to live them out as each will be our last.  What a different perspective we would have if we truly did this?

When we left the celebration, we were asked to take one of Jean's coloring pages.  She loved to color.  I did not know this about her.  The day she got diagnosed with the cancer, we were having a ladies luncheon over at Clara's.  I remember her calling to tell us that she was very sorry but she just wasn't feeling up to it right now.  We all totally understood.  What a blessing her life has been to so many, such an inspiration!  What a true testimony of God!

Beautiful clouds over our hay field reminded me of God's Glorious Presence is all around us, all of the time.  Taking the time to see the beauty in these things is something I am learning to appreciate.

These words are so familiar as Connie and I did the Beth Moore
Quest Bible study together last fall.  I have these words posted
around my house:  ASK, SEEK, KNOCK.  SO MUCH MORE!

This really struck me today while reading,
so I put it up on my prayer
wall as a reminder.

Another Day on the Farm

One of the older kittens by the wildflowers
Dad gave us.

Briggs, Scarlett, and Mya

Scarlett, Bill and Alicia's Golden Doodle, stayed with us while they went on a mini vacation!  She had a big culture shock I think while she was here.  We enjoyed her visit!

Fresh * Rhubarb

Fresh * Spinach

Encouragement from a Friend

So very grateful for friendships like this one!

Thank you

~ Morgan Cross ~

Hot Tub Delivery

It was fun getting to spend a little extra time with Mama today!  She changed her ticket from the shuttle to the new airline out of Scottsbluff so that bought us a little more time together!  I took her downtown and showed her TC & More while I went to visit another client downtown.  She totally liked their store and they treated her like royalty.  She got me a cute present from there including an Encouragement book, a Farm to Fork black flour sack towel, and a beautiful wooden cross to put in the house.

We ate at RUNZA (again - who's counting)!  CHEESEBURGER RUNZA = AWESOME!

Check out their
website!

Her Scottsbluff flight went smoothly and turns out she was on the same plane to Denver as Stephanie, Heath's cousin, who was headed back to Houston, Texas.  Ends up her flight from Denver to St. Louis, got canceled.  She had a great friend help her find a hotel and she checked in all safe and sound until the storms passed.  She will fly home tomorrow!  This is waaay better if you ask me because now she won't get into St. Louis after midnight and still have an hour and half drive home.  God is good all the time!  All the time, God is good!

Mama left just a bit too early.  Our hot tub came out today!  The hot tub team joined up with our electrician in creating our new country spa!  I just know that this was a great investment in our health and relaxation.  This will give us something to do together while relaxing!  Grateful for the ability to purchase this wonderful therapeutic spa!

Family in Town!

Fuzzy and Mama at the Vet

We has a litter of four male kittens who lost their mama.  They were the ones that our neighbors helped us with while I was away at Mayo.  Fuzzy (the only one with a name) was the worst of all of them with the kitty cold.  The vet didn't think he would make it, but gave us an antibiotic and eye cream for all of them and told us to come back in 7-10 days.  We will cross our fingers!

Beauty is ALL around us!

Bill, Alicia, and the kids stopped by on their way home from their visit to South Dakota.  They had a great time!  They even brought Scarlett over to play!

Family Fun Day at the Senkel Farms and HTK Farms

Shooting Clays with the Boys!
(Using Heath's new clay pigeon thrower!)
HTK Farms

Hot Chocolate with the Ladies!
HTK Farms 

Father ~ Son
Senkel Farms

*Sharing the Love*
Senkel Farms

Heath teaching Hunter ~ really having fun!

Father ~ Daughter
Senkel Farms

Family Fun at the Dump
Senkel Farms

Elijah's face says it all!
Senkel Farms

Hard day at the office.  These two were exhausted.  Great day had by ALL!
HTK and Senkel Farms

Garry and Barb's 50th Wedding Anniversary

Party day is finally here!  It seems like it has been in the works for such a long time!  So glad that all of the out of town guests made it safe and sound!  On our way out the door, we found our mama kitty in labor.  2 kittens out and more on the way!  I wonder how many she will have!?  Easy birthday to remember!  When I got home last night, I was soooo surprised that she was still pregnant, she looked as if she could pop at any given moment.

*C*E*L*E*B*R*A*T*I*O*N*

Beautiful ~ Bride

Once in a while, in an ordinary life, Love gives us a Fairy Tale.