What a day today has been. We started our day with a photo shoot at the local portrait studio. Adam had been all excited about going to see Thomas (the portrait studio just got a new Thomas background) all week. We get there and he wants nothing to do with Thomas, the studio, the photographer, or really even me. Soon enough, he came around and the photographer snapped some of the best shots of Adam ever. Two weeks and then you can see for yourself.
From there, we went to a late breakfast at Perkins. Yum. And then off to Papa's Pumpkin Patch down by the river. What fun that was! A couple hours later and we were all ready for a nap, so we left under one condition: Bring Grammy & Pops back to this autumn wonderland this week-end.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Monday, October 2, 2006
What is autumn?
Fall is here in full force. The trees are gold and chartreuse with flaming edges. The air is crisp and fresh. Having spent my entire life (except for Summer 1998 when I was at Oxford) in California, autumn is new to me. It is absolutely breathtaking! I think it might be my new favorite season! There are so many colors to see and the air is sweet with the scent of smoking chimneys. The weather is good too. Mostly the days have been in the 60s and low 70s and the chilly evenings reach the 40s. But, this past week-end was hot with temperatures in the mid-80s. In fact, on Sunday Bismarck was only 2 degrees cooler than Honolulu!
The big news of the week is Karianne bought a home last week. It's an adorable 1930s house on about five acres just nine miles from here. It is exactly what she was looking for and is absolutely adorable. She moves in at the end of October and we'll post pictures then too.
Things are going well here. We're putting final touches on the rooms and unpacking the unnecessary yet cherished items like books and collectables. My Avon business is picking up again and I've been busy with the leadership team. I joined MOPS two weeks ago and both Adam and I have made friends there. I'm starting to meet people and make friends which helps fill the void of friendships left behind. We had dinner with our pastor's family again last week and are really enjoying their friendship. Tonight we start Bible Study at their house and look forward to meeting other people from our church.
Uncle Wayne has been here since last Thursday and goes home today. It's been a lot of fun to have him here and show him our new life. We went up to the ranch (pictures coming) and picked apples from the trees on Friday. On Saturday, we went to the farm in Butte and had a picnic. We explored the old farmstead and I even found an old car sprocket. Grammy and Scott found remnants of the old outhouse and Uncle Wayne pushed a roll of hay. Sunday, they all went back to the ranch for some coke can hunting while Scott made preparations for a fish fry and I baked two more desserts from the apples we picked on Thursday.
At Baba's farm on Saturday, it was hard not to imagine Baba and her seven brothers and sisters playing and doing chores in the Dakota sun. The farm, only about eight miles from the town of Butte, has a tranquility to it. As a kid, it was just a water pump we had to pose next to before visiting the cousins up the road. But, the visits as an adult, and especially this last one, have made it sink in that this place is so much more than an obligatory photo op. It was here that 103 years ago my great-grandparents set down their roots after immigrating from Ukraine. And on this very stretch of land, they built their home in 1915. Perhaps because Scott and I have now planted our family roots here in ND the old water pump has taken on so much more meaning. Life is so, so much easier than it was in the early 20th century, but this is still the frontier.
Every day, I thank God for bringing me "home" to Bismarck.
The big news of the week is Karianne bought a home last week. It's an adorable 1930s house on about five acres just nine miles from here. It is exactly what she was looking for and is absolutely adorable. She moves in at the end of October and we'll post pictures then too.
Things are going well here. We're putting final touches on the rooms and unpacking the unnecessary yet cherished items like books and collectables. My Avon business is picking up again and I've been busy with the leadership team. I joined MOPS two weeks ago and both Adam and I have made friends there. I'm starting to meet people and make friends which helps fill the void of friendships left behind. We had dinner with our pastor's family again last week and are really enjoying their friendship. Tonight we start Bible Study at their house and look forward to meeting other people from our church.
Uncle Wayne has been here since last Thursday and goes home today. It's been a lot of fun to have him here and show him our new life. We went up to the ranch (pictures coming) and picked apples from the trees on Friday. On Saturday, we went to the farm in Butte and had a picnic. We explored the old farmstead and I even found an old car sprocket. Grammy and Scott found remnants of the old outhouse and Uncle Wayne pushed a roll of hay. Sunday, they all went back to the ranch for some coke can hunting while Scott made preparations for a fish fry and I baked two more desserts from the apples we picked on Thursday.
At Baba's farm on Saturday, it was hard not to imagine Baba and her seven brothers and sisters playing and doing chores in the Dakota sun. The farm, only about eight miles from the town of Butte, has a tranquility to it. As a kid, it was just a water pump we had to pose next to before visiting the cousins up the road. But, the visits as an adult, and especially this last one, have made it sink in that this place is so much more than an obligatory photo op. It was here that 103 years ago my great-grandparents set down their roots after immigrating from Ukraine. And on this very stretch of land, they built their home in 1915. Perhaps because Scott and I have now planted our family roots here in ND the old water pump has taken on so much more meaning. Life is so, so much easier than it was in the early 20th century, but this is still the frontier.
Every day, I thank God for bringing me "home" to Bismarck.
Saturday, September 9, 2006
Mourning into Dancing
Yesterday was a hard day for me as I impatiently waited for and worried about Scott's job interview. But I learned in my heart what I've always known in my head. At a moment when anxiety was choking me, I asked friends for prayer and what I got was so much more. I have the best friends in the world, whether they're in CA, NY, ND or somewhere else, I truly have wonderful friends. And, our God is able! Using the encouragement of my friends, He turned my worry to joyfulness.
Today is day two of the biggest rummage sale (i.e. garage sale) week-end of the year in Bismarck. We got a late start yesterday, but managed to score some blow mold Christmas decorations for only $8! Then, today, the Rose family was scouring sales from 7:30am until 1:30pm and made some awesome finds like the gas grill for $5! But, now we're exhausted.
All this came after a busy week of relaxation. Scott and Pops went fishing with some buddies to Devil's Lake. (hey Scott, why don't you update your blog and post some photos)
Meanwhile, Grammy, Adam, Buddy and I went on a shopping trip to Minneapolis. We spent 6.5 hours at the Mall of America on Wednesday before returning for dinner and another hour of shopping that night! We also visited "Auntie" Allison, "Baby Wyatt" and "Fox Dog" (aka Foxy Brown) while there.
Today is day two of the biggest rummage sale (i.e. garage sale) week-end of the year in Bismarck. We got a late start yesterday, but managed to score some blow mold Christmas decorations for only $8! Then, today, the Rose family was scouring sales from 7:30am until 1:30pm and made some awesome finds like the gas grill for $5! But, now we're exhausted.
All this came after a busy week of relaxation. Scott and Pops went fishing with some buddies to Devil's Lake. (hey Scott, why don't you update your blog and post some photos)
Meanwhile, Grammy, Adam, Buddy and I went on a shopping trip to Minneapolis. We spent 6.5 hours at the Mall of America on Wednesday before returning for dinner and another hour of shopping that night! We also visited "Auntie" Allison, "Baby Wyatt" and "Fox Dog" (aka Foxy Brown) while there.
Monday, September 4, 2006
Time to Shop
Wow. Two weeks have passed since my last entry and I can't even account for what happened. I think it went something like this: We went to Medora for Grammy's birthday and saw the Medora Musical. The amphitheatre is basically carved into the side of a butte in the Bad Lands and very picturesque. I had two Avon meetings and was asked to be one of three reps in our district of 450 to be on a special leadership team. Grammy and Pops house is in process with a huge foundation already poured. We also had a well put in at our house for our irrigation needs. The bummer was we had to uproot two trees so the multi-ton trucks could get into our backyard without breaking our driveway. Oh yeah, and I bought a car. It's a red Chevy Blazer and Adam calls it his truck. When we drove home in it, he kept saying, "This is fun, mommy." Yesterday we rode the Lewis & Clark Riverboat up the Missouri River.
Today, Grammy, Adam and I are off to Minneapolis to do some serious shopping and visit Allison and five-month-old Wyatt. I'm very excited to meet him and see Allison! Pops and Scott are on their way to Devils Lake with some buddies for a fishing trip. We'll all be back to Bismarck on Thursday night.
Autumn is pretty much here. The days stay in the low to mid 70s and the nights are down into the low 50s. Some trees around town have already started to turn yellow. The breeze continues to blow cool and we had our first northeasterly storm the other day. I took inventory of my closet and noted the severe lack of cold weather clothes. Oh well, guess that's why we're going to Minneapolis.
Today, Grammy, Adam and I are off to Minneapolis to do some serious shopping and visit Allison and five-month-old Wyatt. I'm very excited to meet him and see Allison! Pops and Scott are on their way to Devils Lake with some buddies for a fishing trip. We'll all be back to Bismarck on Thursday night.
Autumn is pretty much here. The days stay in the low to mid 70s and the nights are down into the low 50s. Some trees around town have already started to turn yellow. The breeze continues to blow cool and we had our first northeasterly storm the other day. I took inventory of my closet and noted the severe lack of cold weather clothes. Oh well, guess that's why we're going to Minneapolis.
Monday, August 21, 2006
First fall on its way
I'm a wee bit sore today from all the ATV riding I did the last two days. In fact, I can barely move my left wrist and my hip abductors would like to have a stern word with me. But, who cares, it was fun! Turns out you can catch some serious air if you ride that thing at full speed over a mound of dirt.
The early signs of autumn are swirling around us. The flax fields have turned amber and are waiting to be harvested. The fields of sunflowers are a butter yellow as they droop their heads and prepare to drop their seeds. One block away, the corn field has been cut down. The breeze that once blew warm and sticky is now cool and crisp. The outdoor community pools are closed for the summer and Bismarck kids go back to school on Thursday.
The early signs of autumn are swirling around us. The flax fields have turned amber and are waiting to be harvested. The fields of sunflowers are a butter yellow as they droop their heads and prepare to drop their seeds. One block away, the corn field has been cut down. The breeze that once blew warm and sticky is now cool and crisp. The outdoor community pools are closed for the summer and Bismarck kids go back to school on Thursday.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Summer Storms
Yesterday, we were greeted by a morning thunderstorm. The loud thunder pounded and boomed for about 20 minutes before the rain came. Then the rain and hail joined the show. But, by 9am, the sky was clear and sunny. We had more rain last night with drops as big as marbles. And, it's raining again now. Usually, I hate rain. But, these summer storms make me think of Hawai'i. It will be 90 degrees outside and then these giant drops of warm rain water start to fall. And, above all that, we're having a terrible drought as most of the plains states are and we can use every drop of rain God sends our way.
In other news, my bee sting was swollen and the size of a 3x5 card yesterday. Yuck-o. Today, it's about half that size but still very itchy. I'm staying doped up on Benadryl to stop from scratching, but then I'm like a zombie. You just can't win.
In other news, my bee sting was swollen and the size of a 3x5 card yesterday. Yuck-o. Today, it's about half that size but still very itchy. I'm staying doped up on Benadryl to stop from scratching, but then I'm like a zombie. You just can't win.
Monday, August 7, 2006
Aloha 'Oe
Hello from ND! Today, I made history. That's right. I was the first Wolfer/Rose to get a bee sting in ND. Woo hoo. Yippee. Hey, at least I'm not allergic like Pops and at least it wasn't Adam who got the first sting. And really, after a few minutes it's just an ugly little welt, it's nothing major. But, it's historical.
We planted the remaining 30 arborvitae trees today. Left to plant at our house are 5 crape myrtles, 10 lilacs, 6 snowball bushes, 4 knock-out roses, 1 maple, 1 ash and 1 crab apple. Compared to the 90 other trees and shrubs we've planted at our house, this should be a breeze. And don't even get me started about the other 40 shrubs left to plant at Grammy and Pops' place.
Scott, Grammy, Adam and I went to the Capitol A'Fair on Saturday, which is a pretty large craft fair held on the capitol grounds. It was a good diversion for me since I was homesick for the Aloha Festival. My former halau (hula group) always dances at the Aloha Festival and had we stayed in CA, I would have danced on Sunday. *sigh*
On Sunday, we took a trip down to Fort Yates and Prairie Knights Indian Casino. I played a whole $2.50 and lost it. Pops won $40. Sickening. We were home in time to watch BB7 and the first Raider pre-season game. I hung my Raider flag with pride. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm crazy. They're right. I have to tell you, fellow Raider fans, that Walters is our boy, the new QB did not impress me in the slightest. And, all those big names on first string better get their butts in gear because I thought first string looked pathetic. I still have a special place in my silver & black heart for Tui. Now I have 2 Tuis to watch. Okay, well, I better go do something productive.
We planted the remaining 30 arborvitae trees today. Left to plant at our house are 5 crape myrtles, 10 lilacs, 6 snowball bushes, 4 knock-out roses, 1 maple, 1 ash and 1 crab apple. Compared to the 90 other trees and shrubs we've planted at our house, this should be a breeze. And don't even get me started about the other 40 shrubs left to plant at Grammy and Pops' place.
Scott, Grammy, Adam and I went to the Capitol A'Fair on Saturday, which is a pretty large craft fair held on the capitol grounds. It was a good diversion for me since I was homesick for the Aloha Festival. My former halau (hula group) always dances at the Aloha Festival and had we stayed in CA, I would have danced on Sunday. *sigh*
On Sunday, we took a trip down to Fort Yates and Prairie Knights Indian Casino. I played a whole $2.50 and lost it. Pops won $40. Sickening. We were home in time to watch BB7 and the first Raider pre-season game. I hung my Raider flag with pride. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm crazy. They're right. I have to tell you, fellow Raider fans, that Walters is our boy, the new QB did not impress me in the slightest. And, all those big names on first string better get their butts in gear because I thought first string looked pathetic. I still have a special place in my silver & black heart for Tui. Now I have 2 Tuis to watch. Okay, well, I better go do something productive.
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