Birthday Thanks!

This past week I celebrated another birtday!  My actual birthday I had a large group at work so I wasn't up for much celebrating that night.  John took me out to LaCaretta's the local mexican restaurant for some jumbo margarits and guacamole.  mmm that was good.  Last night we went to Brandi and Todd's to celbrate with John's family.  Thank you to them for everything they did.  i got my favorite pizza (canadian bacon and pineapple) and they even got my my favorite dessert from my favorite restraurant.  Creme Brulee from the Cafe.  oh it was soooo good!  Here is a pic of me and the girls wearing our "birthday glasses"  Next week we get to celbrate their birthday!  Thank you everyone for making my birthday special! 

The Important Things

Life is short. We all know that. But what matters are the decisions you make knowing that life is short. John and I are about to make a major decision, mostly because of me. I want to make changes in my life so that I can focus on more of the "important things." One of those "important things" is spending time with my family. It is amazing every time that I am around any of our three nieces how much they have changed. Whether it has been two weeks or two months. I want to be around them more so I don't miss one of those changes, that I don't have to to hear about it as though it happened in the past. I want to be around them while they are still in that "phase". I want time so that we can play with them and have fun, spending a saturday afternoon together or having a sleepover.

What is a family? I have been told these past few years that once John and I have a family, I won't want to work as much so I better work more now so that I won't have to when I have a family. I believe I already to have a family. John and I have moms and dads, sisters and brothers, nieces, grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. And we have each other. We have a family and I want to be able to spend more tie with my family NOW. The day will come when not all of the members of our family will be there and I don't want to miss a minute of the time when they are here.

The important things also include our friends and thier families both in MN and Iowa as well as friends that we have throughout the country, and soon to be across the ocean. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in thier lives and I am looking forward to creating more memories with them. Change can be tough but not when it means spending more time on the "important things".

Last Day

Today is a very important day for someone very important in my life. Today is my mom's last chemo treatment!! The past few months has been a battle but the battle is almost over! This time around was a lot tougher than the last but she has shown how strong of a women she truly is and if she can go through this again, she can handle anything. I hope that when I face adversity I hope that I have as much strength as she has. Yay mom! You are almost done! We have been counting down this day since the day you were diagnosed.



There is someone else who should be celebrating today and that is my dad. His life too has also been turned upside down and I know it has not been easy for him. How could it be to see the woman you love going through this again.

We love you both and you are an example to us all!

Colorado!

This past week I went to Colorado for a conference for work. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful place to travel to if I have to travel for work. We went to YMCA of the Rockies-Estes Park Center. It was absolutely gorgeous. At the conference I got to meet some really great people and hear some really great programs. one of our keynotes was Sally Jewell, CEO of REI. She was so insipiring to listen to. She made everyone laugh and cry all within a few minutes. It was great! I took away a lot of great ideas that I am excited to implement in my own programs. While we were there it wasn't all work. Here are some photos that I took while out in the park!

Group Photo of the crew from Iowa.

View of the rockies!

When we arrived at the camp, we came across this huge elk!


I came across four more right later right outside the entrance to my lodge.


We tried to drive all the way to the top of the mountain but unfortunately, the pass was already closed due to the weather. They close it every year from October to April. This is the view from as far up as we could go. As far as I am concerned we were up far enough!

Go Twins!!!

Well it is official! The Minnesota Twins are heading to the playoffs. These past few weeks of twins baseball has been so exciting, starting with the sweep of the White Sox last week. John and I decided to splurge this season and purchase the sports pack on our Direct TV plan. Down here in Iowa we don't get Twins baseball on TV or the radio. It has been quite the season. Unfortunately we have only been to two games at Target Field this year. Well I have been to two at least. One game in April and one in May. Maybe I will get lucky and be able to go to the postseason. I signed up for the opportunity to get tickets but they do a drawing to determine who get to buy them. I am crossing my fingers! Now all they have to do it get the best record in the league and we have homefield advantage! Here's some pictures from the games.

Trailblazer Fire

On Friday, two other Y Camp staff and myself were traveling to Viroqua Wisconsin for a staff retreat. Just before crossing the border into Wisc. the car started to make a funny sound. Dave thought it sounded like a squeaky belt. We travel about 6 more mile to the town of Prairie Du Chien and stopped at Cabelas. We opened the hood and everything appeared normal. We left cabelas and on the way out of town had to go up a pretty steep hill. As we were going up the sound became worse and worse so once we reached the top of the hill we decided to turn around and head back to town to a mechanic. Well, we never made it back down in the car. In the matter of 30 seconds, all the lights on the dash lit up one by one, the car lost power and the next thing we know, a vehicle in the oncoming lane flashed its lights and layed on its horn. We pulled over, opened the doors to find smoke and flames coming from underneath the vehicle. We threw everything we could out of the vehicle and then watied for the fire department to arrive. They got there pretty quickly. In fact everything happened pretty quickly. Everyone and most of our belongings was safe. Like Dave says, it was just a car. Watch the video below to see the damage.

Y Camp through the seasons

It has been almost a year since John and I moved to Y Camp. Throughout the year we have had the opportunity to experience Y Camp through all seasons, each season bringing its own unique moments to appreciate. In the spring, Y Camp comes back to life. As the snow melts, you can hear it rushing through Lost Canyon Creek as it makes it way to the Des Moines River. Animals that took a winter vacation return back home, the birds are singing and the leaves begin to show signs of revival. The camp becomes buzzing with the sounds of excitement coming from the children who are visiting with thier schools as they discover the wonders of the natural world. As spring turns to summer, new changes take place. Staff begins to arriveas well as the thousands of children that attend summer camp each year. With the window wide open through the house, I can hear campers singing the songs that have been sung for decades, the splash of enjoyment coming from the pool, and the shrieks of laughter and chatter coming from the new Dahl Lodge. As summer comes to an end and autumn begins, there are new moments to enjoy. It is during this season that leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow, red, and orange which eventually fall to the ground. In the woods, you hear a rustling that is so loud that you think it must be a bear to find out it is just a small squirrel busy preparing for the cold weather ahead. It is no wonder fall is a popular time for groups to come to Y Camp to escape the business of daily life. The cold weather eventually arrives along with the snow. As I walk to work work after a fresh snowfall, it is not only my tracks that get left in the snow, there are the track of animals who like me call Y Camp thier home year round. The quiet and peacefulness of the valley allows me time to think. It is during this time that I have come to the conclusion that no matter what season it is, Y Camp truly is "The Closest Place to HEaven on EArth."