Smiling animals...semi-creepy, yet funny!

Enjoy these on your Tuesday...I sure did!!

Hah!

What does an Apple Orchard and a Spotted Cow have in common?

You can find both of them in WISCONSIN!  But we will get to that in a little bit...

Here's a shot of what we woke up to this morning...frost everywhere in our backyard! 

Jason and I headed East to Wisconsin this morning to get some Honeycrisp apples!  We came back with more than just that though.



Here is the mighty Mississippi!



We made it!  It was a pretty big orchard...here's a tip for visiting an orchard, pick your own!  It's cheaper, and fun!  We could have got a bag of pre-picked apples inside for $2 a pound, but we picked them off the tree for 75 cents a pound!  The same apple!  We were stoked to say the least!
 

We love this place!!

This tree was loaded with apples!  They were called the Empire apple, and we grabbed one to try...

The orchard had a spot where you could use a slingshot to launch an apple down the hill into a marked box...obviously the kids were LOVING this one...I chose not to embarras Jason by holding back from running up to the thing and launching 'em off! 

Just a picture perfect day!

Here is just a taste of what we got today...squeaky cheese curds, Spotted Cow beer (a Wisconsin brewed beer that is AWESOME!), Pumpkin butter (delish!), Spiced Apple Wine, and a little champagne!

AND APPLES!

We came home without going to Spook Cave and Gunder to get a Gunderburger.  We were to full from dinner at a nice little diner, and just didn't feel like going to Spook Cave, that just means we will have to come back soon!  So we headed home and came home to this little guy who wanted to go outside and have some fun.  Great trip!!

October Harvest

It's SATURDAY!  Today, I went to my aunt and uncle, Gerard and Anglea's house to bring the guys dinner.  My aunt Angela is fighting a cancer called Multiple Myeloma.  She is currently in Rochester, MN undergoing stem cell transplant.  Gerard is working towards getting the crops out of the field, so my dad and my dad's cousing Al Bohr got their combines rolling in the fields.  My brothers Scott, Andy, and Jacob were there to help.  Here's some pictures from our day.  Say a little prayer for my aunt and her family, they have been through a lot.
 


Here is my dad and brother Jacob with a wagon full of corn.



Dad on the wagon, I thought it was a cool shot!

Andy and Scott...check out Andy's sweet bibs.

Here comes the combine! 



The boys!  Dad, Andy, Scott, and Jacob is in the tractor. 



My uncle, Gerard, raises pumpkins and then sells them in the fall. 

My uncle Gerard getting his combine tuned up!

Here's the maple tree in our front yard, the top half is turning colors, but the bottom is still green!



Here's some pumpkins I bought from my uncle Gerard.



Greta came home with me and we watched movies and went to Dairy Treat to get a blizzard.

Here's another shot of our pumpkins in the front yard...fall is my favorite time of year!
Tommorow Jason and I are going to an orchard in Prairie Du Chien, Spook Cave, and maybe make a stop in Gunder to get a Gunderburger!   Stay tuned for a post about all of it in the next few days!



Why didn't I find these sooner?

So I just figured out how to put this on here... plan on seeing a LOT more of these yep...I love it! Heheheh!  They're sooo funny!!  <--Yep...it's a monkey! Enjoy your weekend!

The Freiberg's!

This wekeend Jason and I were part of our very good friends' wedding.  Chris and Jason have been friends for 15 some years, and I have known Brianna for 5 years.  Jason was an usher, and I was the personal attendant.  The couple got married in Meyer, IA and the reception was in Charles City, IA at the Elk's Lodge.  It was a great celebration, and we wish them nothing but the very best!  They are, as we speak, on their way to the Bahama's for a wonderful honeymoon!  Here's some pics to enjoy... 

Always say I love you...

As many of you know, I work at Nashua Monument Works selling cemetery memorials to those who have lost loved ones.  I never in a million years have ever thought I would work at a place like this, but here I am!  Today, I had a woman come in with her mother looking at stones.  The woman was looking for a stone for her and her late husband.  Her mother had told me over the phone that her daughter's husband had passed away, so they were starting to look.  This woman was almost in a daze.  She had a look on her face of grief to a degree I have NEVER seen.  She didn't cry, but she didn't smile either.  She brought along a photo of the family photo she wanted etched on the stone, a mom, a dad, and a son.  They looked so happy, it pained me to see her sitting in front of me with the exact opposite expression.  Sandness, emptiness, was all she had left.  My heart hurts to think about it.  I figured out after she had left that her husband had passed away last  week.

This job has taught me to live.  To live with all I have all the time.  To love those who mean so much to me with all my heart, and to tell them how much they mean to me.  To appreciate all that God has given to me.

Life is so short, so why hold grudges?  Why not say I love you?  Why not live in the moment...because in a split second, your life could change, live for today because you may never have tommorow.



I found this poem hanging up in the office I work in the first day I started...I think it's great....

HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR DASH

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth…

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;

The cars…the house…the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile…

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy’s being read

With your life’s actions to rehash…

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?

Welcome to Jamrock...

On Wednesday night, Jason and I went to a concert in Iowa City...I bought him tickets for his anniversary present!  We went to see Damian Marley and Nas perform at the Memorial Union on the University of Iowa's campus. 

It was a really good show...really good.  This was their last show of their tour, so I wouldn't have expected anything less!  The show started at 9:30pm and they didn't come out until after 10:30pm...we left at midnight and headed for home just as they were finishing the show.  Thursday was rough getting up, but totally worth it!  If you are interested in hearing some of their music, here is one of my favorite songs...Welcome to Jamrock...google it, itunes it, listen to it!  And I got to hear them play it LIVE!  It was great!