What I'm Into in May 2014

I'm following the lead of my daughter, Carrie, who wrote in her blog about what she's been into lately.
As I look back at the month of May, here's what I've been into:

1. Camping - this winter we picked up Mary Lou, our little vintage camper. We took her out for the first time to Moose Lake State Park and had a great weekend. I am excited to visit other state parks - what a wonderful state we have, full of beauty. There are 67 state parks - and we want to start exploring them. This spring we were looking for a pickup, and ended up buying one that comae with a Lance truck camper. So now we have two campers - choices for what kind of camping we want to do. We took the truck camper down to visit our kids last weekend, and camped out in their driveways. We brought our bedroom so they didn't have to give us theirs.
   
2. Flowers - I planted purple pansies in my flower box on the deck. I bought several hanging baskets and have them around the yard. I couldn't resist some multi-colored zinnias, so they're in a pot by the back door.
   
3. Fixer Uppers - it's a show on HGTV about Chip and Joanna Gaines, who help couples buy and fix up homes in Texas. Chip and Joanna are also in the process of fixing up their own home - a farmhouse on their own ranch - Magnolia Farms. I love how Chip and Joanna love their kids and involve them in the show. I also love Joanna's style of decorating - and wish they could come to MN and help me finish and decorate our home.
   
4. Books - I used to be a big reader, but when we moved up north I stopped reading for some reason. I think it was because my new job was so demanding that when I came home I was too tired to read. And there was so much to do around here: unpacking, sorting, finishing spaces, etc. It feels good to be reading again, even though I'm just reading light fiction.
   
5. Hockey - we have been watching some of the NHL playoff games. At first we were cheering for the MN Wild, but after they lost we found out that it's almost more fun to watch games when it doesn't matter so much to us which team wins. We are looking forward to the Stanley Cup match between LA and New York later this week.

What have you been into lately?

Happy Birthday to Us!

The month of March is full of birthdays for our family. We have 6 birthdays during the month. Wow!

So this weekend we spent some time together as a family. On Saturday Brenton and his family came over. We sure had fun playing with our grandchildren, and visiting with Brenton and Stephanie. Aaron stopped over for a couple of hours too. Carrie made cupcakes, and the kids helped to frost and decorate them.

Today Aaron and Jeff came over for lunch. Afterwards we spent the afternoon playing games. Aaron and Carrie played Mario on our Wii, while Jeff, Craig and I played Sequence. Then Jeff and Aaron teamed up to play Carrie and me in Sequence. They beat us 3 games to 2. After that we showed Jeff and Aaron our new Wii Fit games. We found out that Jeff has pretty good balance. He did well on the balance games. It was a fun afternoon.

So, happy birthday to my wonderful husband who makes me laugh, who makes me feel good about myself because he tells me how beautiful he thinks I am. He has such a good heart, and he works so hard to provide for our family.

Happy birthday to my daughter-in-law, Stephanie. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family. She loves to play games and is competitive, so she fits right in with the rest of us. She's the glue that keeps her family together, and she has a giving spirit.

Happy birthday to my youngest son, Jeff! He always has a smile and a hug for me. Jeff makes us all laugh. He's more laid back than his brothers, which sometimes frustrates them but he's always there if we need him.

Happy birthday to my sister-in-law, Hatsuyo. She and my brother live with their family in Japan. We are glad that they were not affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami. Hatsuyo is a hard worker, and takes such good care of her family. I enjoy each time she's come to visit us with Mark and the kids. I wish we lived closer so we could spend more time together.

Finally, happy birthday to Mardo - my future son-in-law. Mardo and Carrie are getting married in May. Mardo is a wonderful piano player. He has a heart for serving God, and he loves my daughter. What more could I ask for in a son-in-law?

If you've been counting, you'll realize that I said there were 6 March birthdays, but I've only listed 5 people.

That's because I started the month of celebrations. I'm the first March birthday :)

Memories

This weekend is the MN State Boy's High School Hockey Tournament, and it brings back such good memories for me.
Our 3 boys played hockey all through their growing up years. I can't tell you how many ice arenas I've been in, how many weekends were spent at tournaments, how many sticks/ skates, gloves, tape, pucks, etc we bought. the stuff wasn't important - it's the memories of being together, the lessons they learned from being part of a team, the friends they made...these are the important things.
I have several favorite memories from those years. One is going to bed listening to the sounds of the puck hitting the boards and the boys' voices as they played hockey on our backyard rink.
Another memory is of a game Brenton played in for Maple Grove High School when they beat Blaine and he got the tying goal and the winning goal. The TV announcer said, " Oh that Balvin!"
I have a memory of Aaron putting checking a guy right over the boards, and memories of Jeff being smaller than a lot of guys out there but skating through them to score a goal. So many memories of watching them play and enjoy the game.
The High School tournament brings back other memories - of watching all the games on TV with the boys. We would tape the games too, and the boys would have their friends over to watch and rewatch the games. I remember staying up until after 1 AM to watch Duluth East against Edina (oops! my son reminded me that it was actually Apple Valley- thanks, Brenton!) in a semi-final game that went into about 6 overtimes. When the boys were in high school they played varsity hockey, and so they had played games against some of the teams that ended up in the tournament. As hockey players they were allowed to miss school to attend the tournaments.
This weekend I'll probably be watching the games by myself (the boys might be watching in their own homes) - but in my mind those 3 little boys of mine that loved hockey so much will be sitting right beside me.

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my memory verse this week:
I Peter 5:10 "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

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36. Pink sunrise
37. A pheasant flying up out of the trees
38. Raspberry rhubarb pie
39. Size 8 pants that fit
40. The smell of blueberry muffins baking in the oven
41. Clearing off the top of my desk - it feels go to bring order out of chaos
42. Listening to my son preach a sermon at church, and online
43. A clean car ( is a happy car!)

Hockey Ends - for this season

Last night the Bethel Royals lost to St. Norbert's College 4-1 and their season comes to an end. I am sad that I was not at Green Bay to see the last game - although it sounds like Bethel did not play their best game of the year. I am sad that I have to wait until November to see Jeff play again - and that next year will be his last year at Bethel?
However, I am happy for the Bethel team, for the great successes they have experienced this year - beating St. Thomas 3 times in one year, ending the season in first place, winning the MIAC championship, beating River Falls, having such strong fan support at each game- home and away, and many other highlights. It was a great year!
I am especially tickled that the Topeka kids topped the team in points - Nick Miller, Steve Eastman, and Jeff. These three played hockey together for one year in Topeka, became great friends, and came back together after a year apart to play at Bethel. Congratulations, guys!

Congratulations To . . .

1. Jeff Balvin, Kent Bostrom, Neal Carlson, Aaron Damjanovich, Steve Eastman, and Nick Miller for been selected to the MIAC All-Conference Team for 2006-2007.


2. Aaron Damjanovch for making the All-Rookie team.


3. Dan Bonne, Jon Kramer, and Brad Peterson who got an honorable mention.


4. Ryan Adams, for making the all-sportsmanship team.


5. Coach Peter Aus, who was inducted last night into the MHCA (Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association) Hall of Fame.