Home Again -- Again

Once again I find myself about to embark on a journey away from one place I consider home and towards another I consider home. I leave in about 45 minutes to head back to St Ignace, MI. Tomorrow I will drive from their, back to Columbus.

It has been a good trip, not to short like so many of them are. I have been here two weeks and it feels like it, yet I still do not want to leave in many regards. I will miss my family, of course, but also Duluth itself - the beauty that is Northern Minnesota. I have talked about it on this blog before. Ohio has its own beauty, in the words of my sister, a pastoral beauty - rolling hills and green pastures. Minnesota has a rugged beauty - crashing blue waves of Lake Superior, jagged rocks and cliffs on the Lake Shore, pine tree covered vistas. I will miss it when I cannot drive through it everyday. I always miss it.

Anyways, I will talk to you again in two days.

Country Roots

The Day after the wedding, Laurelyn and Josh got dressed up again and hopped on Joey Pony to get some of Laurelyn's "dream shots". I took around 100 pictures of it, and this video. Its not worth having the sound on - just wind and people talking in the background. But, its definitely worth seeing in my opinion.

Congratulations Josh and Laurelyn!!

Laurelyn and Josh, June 12th 2009


My toast to the happy couple, as given at the wedding:

Sometimes love is shy
Two blushing teenagers in a barn,
Together with friends on the farm,
Feeling an attraction unspoken,
From friendship, a romance awoken


Sometimes love is quiet,
A mischievous grin as plots are made,
Coming to each others aid,
A second drive by when one is required
Chatting on the phone, even when tired

Sometimes love is loyal
Whether it be moving out of state
Laughing at My Dog Skip on the first date
Putting up with dogs and horses
Or trying the food your S.O. endorses

Sometimes love is adventure
Driving to Santa Fe and back
Or Living in some run down shack
Going canoeing on your honeymoon
Come rain, high water or full out monsoon

Sometimes love is freedom
Learning to let go of control
Moving apart to pursue life's goals
Seperation makes the heart grow fonder
Knowing your be loved wherever you wander.

Sometimes love is celebration
A party together on the lake shore
Wild Thyme filling up the dance floor
Smiling together to see two lives wed
Remembering the past and looking ahead

Sometimes love is obvious
Laurelyn and Josh,
Its been obvious from the start
Though of two bodies, you share one heart
Wherever you go, whatever you do,
May life bring laughter and love to you two.

Cheers!

~ Written by Amanda

More Duluth Pictures

My brother Max and his GF Kelsey - looking to adventure out into the pastures.

My parents Newfoundland, Hope

Little Sister Michi grooms Margalo

Mich's BF Jake has been corrupted into doing horse stuff, of course. He grooms Squire.Max does a Wolverine impression... luckily he has finally gotten his hair cut since this picture was taken.

Dad

A different day of horses - Mom on Apollo and Mich on Margalo

I spent some quality time with the hammock.

After two beautiful weather days, in classic Duluth fashion, the temperature plummeted, rain started, and the win picked up. Big white caps roll in at Brighton Beach.

Snapped this picture of Mich in the back seat on our shopping trip.

The Drive

On the road with Grim.

We stayed in St. Ignace at a little locally owned hotel, of course right on the water because all of the St Ignace hotels are on the water. Here is Grim enjoying the view.



Day two. Look at those puppy dog eyes!!


A rest stop on the shore of Lake Superior.


Did I mention its a beautiful drive? I have a lot of pictures of the road and the view from the road, but this about sums it up as an average moment in the drive.

Home Again Home Again

Home to Duluth.. Home to Columbus. Looks like any direction I turn there is some form of home. That is both a good thing and a bad thing.

The drive from Columbus to Duluth with Grim went very well. She is a traveling super star. The motel in St Ignace was nice and the UP is gorgeous this time of year... ok. It is always gorgeous.

So now I am chillaxing in Duluth. There already is some wedding craziness going on, set down on top of the normal craziness that already exists. My brother, Max, is running around looking like Wolvering (serious hair cut is in order), and Michi (little sister) is busy with soccer and her boyfriend, who the whole family approves of at the moment, so that is good at least! Grim likes it here with her cousins (or would they be aunts and uncles?) - Hope and Daunte (my parent's dogs). She likes the horses. She likes being of leash. She likes more people around to pet her.

I have been horseback riding twice so far. Both times on Joey Pony. Horses can be fun, when not too much work is involved. LEK likes it when I ride with her so she does the work part. Joey has got to be one of the cutest horses on the planet. We also had an adventure yesterday with a "test run" of seeng if LEK could sit on a horse in her wedding dress. I have some great pictures of that that will be posted after the wedding.

Life is good here, as usual. DH is holding the fort down in Columbus, he comes in on Wednesday night.

TNBBC Spring Challenge

I mentioned before I was doing a reading challenge. It ended yesterday. I read 22 books for a total of 245 points. Completing the challenge would have been 550 points... so I did not quite make it to that but I reached my goal of 200. Here is my official participation certificate!


Onward to the summer challenge. Completely it would require something like 60 books.. I don't think I will make it but I will have fun trying!