Faith-Filled Friday: Up North

Good morning Crushers!

I am about 8 hours away from hopping in a van and heading to my favorite place: Up North. I don't know if this is true for other states, but in Wisconsin many people have an "Up North". If you're from the southern part of the state, you might just head up to Lake Geneva or The Dells. You may head to Eau Claire, Wausau, Hurley, Antigo, Door County, Minocqua or Bayfield. Whatever your "Up North" is, I hope you enjoy it!

Earlier this week, I shared a few photos of our Up North. Isn't it gorgeous? Although I'm an extrovert and I "recharge" by being around other people, I love being a bit unreachable Up North. You can only use a cell phone if you lean against the southwest bedroom's wall by the window. There is no Internet unless you go into town and your cell phone really starts to kick in. There is no cable TV, and if there is a thunderstorm you can bet that the power will go out. I don't mind sitting at the end of the dock doing nothing.

To me, these are the quiet waters that King David wrote about in Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

I hope that everyone can find your own version of quiet waters, especially when you are busy or stressed out. It's the quiet times that can recharge even the most outgoing extrovert with prayer and peace.

Have a great weekend! You know I will be enjoying the dining experiences of supper clubs, fish fries and maybe even some really great BBQ ribs! Come back to see next week.

Virtual Running Date No. 20: life-size puzzles

Hello Crushers!

I am SO excited for this weekend because, if we were on a running date, I would tell you that we're going up north! This is my favorite place in the whole world (at least, so far). My grandparents bought a house on a lake in northern Wisconsin right before my big brother, who was the first grandbaby, was born. For over 30 years, our family has spent time fishing, swimming, hiking and enjoying everything that this part of our state has to offer.

Hiking

Biking

Fishing

Gorgeous clear lake!

How peaceful is that?

I'm so excited to go up there, disconnect and just enjoy some relaxation. Yes, I realize that biking, running, fishing, and doing projects isn't exactly relaxing in some people's minds, but it is for me! There are also nice restaurants to enjoy, fish to fry or broil and delicious cheese to snack on!

All we have to do is figure out how to get a patio set, a couch, a walker, two bikes, and four suitcases up there with us. My parents are taking my grandpa up and then Steve and I will be driving a rented UHaul van up to help haul all of this stuff. Fortunately, I love puzzles and stuffing a van full of furniture, boxes and other do-dads is like life-size Tetris (R)! 

When I used to work for a foundation that did charity run/walk events, we would have to load up a box truck full of t-shirt boxes, team stuff, registration bins, huge pallets of water and all sorts of things! Who was in charge of directing the packing? Me. Yup. I can also drive a 17-foot box truck and parallel park it. Impressed? Yeah, me neither... Ha!

If we were on a running date, I would tell you that this past weekend was full of moving furniture around and mentally placing all the pieces around so that it would fit. Thankfully, it all fit where it was supposed to go (eventually).

If we were on a running date, I would also tell you that I got to spend last Friday night at State Fair with Steve and my good friend, Ashley! Talk about a gigantic puzzle! I'm always impressed with the staff and how they fit every vendor, every cow, horse, pig, goat, and lamb and cream puff on a chunk of land in the middle of a city plus nearly a 100,000 people EVERY. DAY. for 11 days. We shared Real Wisconsin cheese curds, a bison sandwich with rosemary gravy (thanks Bison Producers of Wisconsin), a gyro (thanks Lamb Producers of Wisconsin) and an ice cream sundae (thanks FFA kids). So much food to enjoy and a Clydesdale hitch class show in the coliseum! What more could you want out of the Fair?

In addition to the moving and the Fair, I would tell you how my friend Katie got married as we jogged along on our virtual running date. She had perfect weather, a wonderful day, and a new last name. I don't think she could have smiled more! I think she'd also get a kick out of this crazy bunch who attended her wedding:

Photo booth shenanigans!

Hope you all had a great weekend! No recipes today, but I've got some enchiladas planned for later this week. Stay tuned!