Tag: #adventure

Time for presence…

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Recently, we went to Stuttgart, Arkansas for the World Duck Calling Championships. Did I know this existed previously? Not really. When our son got the chance to go and represent Montana did I block off my calendar and hit the road? Yep! Did I know what a champion duck caller should sound like? Nope.

If you know me at all, you know I’m a planner. I’m an actual planner as a job, but also a planner in general – family trips, events, graduations, showers, weddings – you name it, I love to plan it. But for this trip, there was a lot of unknowns. How early should we get there? Would he be hunting? Would we leave the town? What was there to do in the town? I wasn’t sure, and this trip was not about me, Cam or Myles – it was about Dallas. Our sole purpose was to be there to support him and watch him call on a World Champion Stage. So I tried my best to not plan. Of course I had to get a hotel, but the nicer one was booked so we ended up at the Days Inn. Since Stuttgart has 9,000 people, our choices were limited. Also needed a hotel in Memphis for a night because he flew in late. Traveling the week of Thanksgiving is the most expensive time to fly, so we flew him on Monday to Memphis and Myles on Wednesday into Little Rock. Flights? Check. Hotel? Check. Car gassed up? Check.

This was one of the very few times I’ve been on vacation and actually left my computer at home. I laid out exactly what was needed to cover for me while I was gone for 8 days. Lately I have been working weekends and nights also since I deal with international customers, so being gone from Sunday to the following Monday was a bigger challenge than normal. I was determined to make it work. It was Thanksgiving, my birthday and the World Duck Calling on my agenda. I didn’t even have hotels for our driving part of the trip! I knew we couldn’t do 16+ hrs driving in a day so we’d have to split it up. Both ways I reserved the hotel rooms the day of, from the car. Look at me being all spontaneous!

Dallas made it to Memphis late Monday, and we left on Tues to head to Stuttgart. First stop, the outdoor store, of course. We wandered around the store as he talked waders and duck calls and learned some tips from someone who had been in the championship before. I’m a little surprised they didn’t kick us out for loitering. Presence. That’s what I was there for. This was important for him, so I tried to observe and listen. We also got to visit the duck call shop who made his call. He learned some more tips.

Wednesday we visited the local museum, learned more about ducks and rice, found a Wal-Mart and had some great food (catfish, crawfish tails and duck gumbo). Cam and Dallas played a few rounds of pool on the pool tables with Sitka brand logo. Presence. Slow and unplanned, but the gears in his head were churning – how would he do? What could or should he change? One of the hardest things as a parent is when you cannot fix or help. I had no advice and my cheerleading just made it worse. Myles flight was also delayed Wednesday night so it was 2:30am when we got back to the hotel. Dallas had made it back not too much before we did (takes a lot of willpower to remain sober amongst drunk duck hunters).

Thursday was Thanksgiving & we were invited for prime rib. They said we could bring a side dish. Um, most everything is closed – even Wal-Mart. There was a Dollar General that was open so we went there and found enough ingredients to make a couple of “Minnesota salads” – cookie salad and cherry cracker salad (but also had to purchase bowls to put them in, spoons and can opener etc). The food was delicious and we watched football but didn’t know anyone. Dallas had met the Sitka rep when he was blowing out sprinklers in Bozeman, and that’s how we ended up at their Thanksgiving. Most everything was closed in town so we were thankful for the invite.

Friday morning, very early, he was able to go on the hunt of a lifetime. Duck hunting in Arkansas the week of World Duck Calling Championships & with a hunting brand he loves. They got some birds that were used for duck gumbo. It helps to have butcher shop experience! He had never hunted the swampy area before so it was a fun day. When he got back, I was expecting him to have a ton of pictures. He had one video and said that hunt was as for him – he didn’t need the pictures, he wanted to be present. While he was doing that, the three of us went to Little Rock and shopped a bit. Dallas called on Friday in the Last Chance competition to try and get some nerves out of the way. (It might have made it worse) We went to the caller’s BBQ supper, which was delicious but 1,000 miles out of my comfort zone. Luckily we had talked to some chamber folks earlier and they said we could all come with him since we were from so far away etc. My attempts to cheer him up failed, so I tried to just be present.

Saturday was the big day. It had been in the mid 50’s, but the weather turned colder and rainy. The temps in the low 40’s with the rain impacts the call and also the mindset. 62 contestants got ready for the World Stage. The judges cannot see the contestants so they don’t know who anyone is. They drew numbers for calling order. He drew #1. Being the first caller for your first time is the worst place to be. He tried his best but didn’t advance. He did meet a lot of new people, learned some tips, made connections and got to do his duck call on a stage that few get to stand on.

Sunday morning, we packed the 4 of us, all of the luggage and headed towards Memphis for them to fly back home. Cam and I made our way back on some icy roads, but we arrived back on Monday. I also don’t take many pictures, which is unusual for me. I have videos of his calling events and a couple of pictures from the trip. Even though the 4 of us were together, we only took one “family” picture in the Baskin Robins having ice cream for my birthday treat. I just wanted to be around my three favorite people. Presence.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading about our little journey to Arkansas and back. Peace be with you on your journey of enough. May you find time for presence in the season of presents.

Bday ice cream and our only family pictures
Saturdays World Campion Duck Calling Competition
Phot from Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce (Sat)

Ferris Bueller was right…

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Taggart Lake – Grand Tetons

Jackson Lake – Grand Tetons

I said I was going to write more, then life went at warp speed and suddenly it’s the middle of July! Things have been busy, but in a good way.

We had graduation parties for friends from his old school (we moved part way through 4th grade). It was great to catch up and see those little kids now as adults. It was the first place Cam became a Para. It was the place that held a fundraiser to help pay for my cancer treatment. It was our first all night Cancer Walk. The visit almost helped close that chapter, but left us wondering, “what if we would have stayed?” How would our lives be different? The school won’t be one we visit again, but it gave me a lump in my throat as the kids walked across the stage. We saw our old back yard, the willow tree that is now taller than the house, the garden that is no longer a garden, the fire pit that had everyone wondering as we built it , “what are they doing?” The house is no longer ours, but so many memories were shaped there. Memories each of us will cherish in our own way.

We had our own graduation party & ceremony. The prep for that was significant, but I’m glad I took some time off work since the ceremony was in the last day of school & the party was on the day after. We had a gorgeous day and amazing smoked brisket. We were thankful for family and friends who could stop by and celebrate. This class was over 320 kids, so I only knew a few of them – kids who were in the same sports or activities or groups. Since Myles was full time at the Tech school his senior year, many of his own classmates thought he was already gone. It was fun to go through all of the pictures, but hard to put them away again. Time for the next chapter though.

After graduation, I ended up getting run down and sick for a few days. This delayed our Farmer’s Market again. We went to some more grad parties in June. Then mid June, my nephew got married, so we went to Hecla, SD/Oakes, ND area and helped and celebrated with them. It was a beautiful ceremony and day. It was great to see so many family members. All of my mom’s siblings and most of their spouses were there. Catching up with cousins and aunts & uncles reminded me of the invisible safety net we have – all supporting each other, even though it’s not always visible. (also, I got my family picture, so I was happy!)

After the wedding, my sister came for a quick visit. Too cold for a river float at the time so we did some berry picking instead.

Then on to Harvey, ND for my father-in-law’s birthday. I won’t tell you his age since he didn’t want to make a big deal of it, but it was great to see them.

On the way home, we stopped at the lake where my side of the family was gathering. We took pontoon rides, jumped in the lake and enjoyed great food. My great nieces and nephews are getting bigger and we needed our annual “sisters at the lake” picture.

While we were there, I talked to Dallas who was telling me about his upcoming 4th of July weekend in the Tetons. I said that sounded like fun and we should go sometime. It’s about 6 hrs from Bozeman. He called me back later & said, “Why don’t you come this weekend? We have a camper you can stay in and I’m bringing my boat.” If you know me, you know my answer was a quick “yes!” So we skipped the big Farmer’s Market on 4th of July weekend and drove to WY instead. It was a long drive so we broke it up into 2 sections. The guys fly fished the Snake river, we hiked, went across Jenny Lake, rode on the boat on Jackson Lake, got caught in a downpour, went to an island, saw moose and deer & generally just disconnected. It was a great trip and they caught quite a bit of lake trout.

By the end of the trip, my social battery has been depleted, even though I was in the wilderness. The constant “going/doing/visiting” over the last 2 months had caught up with me. I love to travel and spend time with family, it was just more than this introvert was used to.

We did our first Farmer’s Market finally last weekend. The weather was great and it was nice that people had missed us being there.

Sunday, we did 130 jars of jam to help replenish our inventory and use up some fruit. As a reward for the hard work, we floated down the river nearby. It’s one of my favorite things to do. It was very crowded since it was 88 degrees, so it was a little less relaxing than normal, but still beautiful & still water.

So after all of that, are we staying home this weekend? Ha ha, nope. Also I have a work trip next week so I’ll be gone for most of the week. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?! It’s true. August will be here before we know it, and college will start for Myles. We have a significant anniversary coming up also. Plans for that are TBD depending on a few things.

Why am I sharing all of this? Because it’s a little out of my comfort zone & I want to share some ideas of places to go, but also share the pics if you can’t or don’t plan to ever travel there. Maybe someday I’ll be a travel blogger and travel around rating coffee shops and hiking trails and water features. Or, if this is my mid life crisis, I guess I’ll live to 104!

So in the words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And in the words of Aerosmith, “I don’t want to miss a thing!”

OOO…

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I’m going to attempt to be “OOO” = Out Of Office this weekend for the long weekend. Work has been crazy ever since I started my new job. Although it may seem like I’ve been on several adventures, work stress never leaves and I’m often online early mornings or later evenings. I’ve been in “fight or flight” mode since April. I’m pretty sure my cortisol levels are not healthy.

I really can’t believe that it’s the end of August. Our youngest started school on Monday at the Technical College, but it’s also his senior year in high school. We recently took a trip to MT to see our other son. We had a great time and quite a few unique experiences. This month has been filled with work, travel, canning, family surgery, more canning and more work. August will end with a trip to Seattle… without my computer!

Why Seattle? Why not?! We have not been there before, August is the least rainy month in Seattle, and if I don’t force myself to leave work behind, I might snap. We will do a quick 2 full days of tourist things and then fly back. Driving there is not on my bucket list and we are under time constraints. I have my notebook of ideas (no spreadsheets this time, uncle Brian), some suggestions from friends and the advice of strangers in a “Seattle tourism” Facebook group. Will I still worry about work? Probably. But I will not be checking emails or capacity charts or batch numbers for almost 4 days.

Life is short. You’ve seen the stories & heard about people who wait for retirement before they have their adventures only to get them cut short by health issues or other things. I’m not waiting. I’m having experiences while I can. I’m grabbing those 4 day weekends, skipping a farmers market or two and seeing something new. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I don’t currently have the mental capacity to work on my Copywriting dream or write my next book. I’m just trying to hang on. I’ve lost friends, had strained relationships and have not been kind to myself in the last few years. I’m not the same. I’ve shifted timelines but I don’t think I am done shifting yet. I feel like there is more. There is more to life than work and there are more changes to come.

Even though I haven’t written much in the last few months, life sure has been going at full speed. Tonight we did 32 jars of hot salsa and 35 jars of pickles (& I had an hour conference call). Sometime before Friday at noon, I’ll throw some things in a suitcase and call it good. If I forget something, Seattle has stores. For almost 4 days, I will be OOO. I’ll report back if you’d like to hear about it. Travel blogger is on my someday/wish list. I just don’t think people vacation hard like we do. We try to cram as much in as we can. Maybe there is a market for it though?? We’ll see.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. And yes, our journey will include coffee from the original Starbucks (even though we prefer our local coffee shop with my favorite barista).

I blinked again…

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Myles with Miles Axlerod cake (age 6)
Car show (18)

Our youngest son, Myles recently turned 18. The picture of him with the “Miles cake” from the Cars movie makes me smile. That grin is the best! This time for his birthday, we did some shopping (for suits of course), went to a casino, stopped at MN largest candy store and went to a car show. He starts his senior year in high school soon. Time is flying by. The next year will be filled with nostalgia, grad planning and senior year moments. It won’t be a “typical” senior year since most of his classes will be at the Technical College. He has a world full of options, more skills and talent that he realizes, and a smile that can brighten anyone’s day.

He’s embarking on a road trip soon with a fellow You Tube buddy. Am I nervous about them traveling alone? A little, but I’m more excited for them than anything. I hope that he’s picked up some tips from our previous trips. I hope he listens to his gut, keeps his phone charged and is aware of his surroundings. But mostly, I hope they have fun. I hope they create some core memories & have some amazing videos! They will learn through experience and have some great stories to tell.

I’m certainly not a parenting expert. I’ve made my share of mistakes and have some regrets. I’m thankful for the time spent together and memories made. Roots & wings, right? Boundaries, a safe space and the freedom to experience life. It must be a shocking transition to go from having too many rules to be an independent adult after graduation. I hope I’ve given them a balance.

I blinked again and he’s 18. He works at the coffee shop, has a YouTube channel (The Unspecified Show) & a podcast (Be Unspecified Podcast). He does not know what he wants to do after high school, and that’s ok. Honestly, he should just make something up. It’s really just a conversation starter – it’s not like people follow up with you later to see if you’ve done what you said. Nobody ever asked me if I was a physical therapist (original major in college). Even my degree isn’t related to what I do now.

Anyway, I hope they have a wonderful week long adventure. I can’t wait to hear about it. Peace be with you on your journey of enough. If you’re not able to go on an adventure of your own, check out their videos in a couple of weeks.

Experience sponge…

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It kind of looks like a computer screensaver, but it’s a photo I took at the New England Aquarium on our trip to Boston. The three of us did not press up to the glass like these starfish. I’m pretty sure too many kids had licked on it. Our trip to Boston was fun. We saw a lot of things, walked a lot of miles and needed a bunch of extra socks. The weather was great, aside from two downpours on Friday. We got completely drenched. Twice. I feel like “an experience sponge” as I tried to soak up the sights.

I’ve mentioned it before, but we don’t sit much or have downtime on our vacations. We try to see and do as much as we can. This time, we did all of the things on my list earlier than planned, so I had to quickly find some additional things to do. We walked 7-15 miles each day. We took the “hop on, hop off trolley,” the first day. It was a good way to see the city. They had a night tour, but that was pretty much the same route so it was a bit of a waste (but we did sit down). We saw many of the Freedom Trail stops. Some were interesting and others were quick visits and then on to something else. It was neat to see the USS Constitution. An amazing old ship with beautiful wood and really short ceilings & steep stairs. I imagined how sick I’d be to sleep in a hammock while on the water.

Boston Day 1. Tate bakery, Nero coffee, Trolley tour, freedom trail, USS Constitution, USS Cassin Young, Quincy Market, Bunker Hill, Faneuil Hall, Boston Tea Party tour, 🦞 seafood & “summer night trolley tour” Also drove by Fenway (country concert & lots of people.)

Boston Day 2. Continuation of the Freedom trail, 12-15 miles of walking, several inches of rain, 3 pair of socks each 😂. Went by Paul Revere house and statue, had Mike’s Pastry (thank you to those who recommended that – YUM!), saw the old North Church and Boston market- outdoor and indoor…. All before lunch. Boston Market was cool. Had some good coffee and got some treats for later. Poured rain, luckily we went in the correct door for the Massachusetts State house- the Hooker entrance 😂, it was very pretty inside. I took way more pictures of it than I thought I would. We walked through all of the Boston Public gardens (it’s free), but they didn’t have the swan boats running due to weather. Had lunch in Chinatown, it was very good. “Your cousin from Boston” Samuel Adams tour was 45 min. We took the orange subway there and back. We had beer, of course (not Myles), and also beer cheese pretzel and chips/beer cheese. We went back to Boston Market, went to little Italy/The North Side for a fish festival but it was raining again. Had gelato instead. It cleared up and we walked all along the pier & saw a double rainbow. Finished the day at Legal Seafood.

Boston day 3: New England Aquarium. The center was a large aquarium with lots of varieties of fish and turtles & rays etc. We petted some stingray. We got to see a feeding. Walked back to little Italy (which I guess is not called that – it’s called “The North Side.”) It was an amazing lunch – lobster ravioli was amazing! Then switched hotels so we walked a mile with luggage 😂 New hotel had us on the 13th floor, but we weren’t there long. Since we did the other things more quickly than planned, I added a last minute whale watching trip. I was nervous about the seasick possibility but it was good. 4 hour tour & saw lots of whales. Supper at Quincy Market. The market has a lot of shops and small food vendors. Had to get some clam chowder! (Chowder was great but the San Francisco bread bowls are better). Travel day the last day.

I feel like we did most of what I would have wanted to do. We didn’t see Harvard or Salem due to time and distance. We either walked, took an Uber or Subway instead of renting a car. That was great advice because traffic there is nuts and you have to pay to park everywhere. For now, we can cross Boston off the list and start thinking of where to go next.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. Returning home meant more pickles and salsa to process, so we won’t be traveling very far for a while. College classes have started for our junior in HS and regular HS classes start Tues. Life goes by quickly. Keep your eyes open.

Beans, clouds and tea parties?

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What do these things have in common? Boston, MA. I mean, there are clouds everywhere, but I’ll be flying in them today. Why Boston? Why not? It’s not super hot or cold and there is plenty to do. Plus, it’s someplace we haven’t been. There is a list of ideas for things to do, places to eat and only one reservation (aside from hotels). The weather looks great and I think our long weekend will be fun. Next week, our youngest son starts classes at the tech school with (junior year) high school classes starting after Labor Day.

With his high school and tech classes, Mama Mia musical practice and working part time, along with his You Tube channel (The Unspecified Show), this seemed like the best time to take a trip. I don’t have the facts, but I’m guessing that most people will not say, “I wish I would not have traveled so much,” looking back at their life. Maybe if they traveled for work and didn’t like it – but recreationally? Yeah, I’m not going to regret these little trips. And I’ll probably share pictures of our trip, because maybe you’ve never been to Boston and you’d like to see it. Maybe you have been, but it’s fun to see it from our point of view.

When we went to NYC, we shared lots of pictures because we packed a ton of stuff into our trip. But one of Cam’s friends said, “It’s fun to see it from a whole new perspective.” They lived in NYC, but hadn’t done some of the “tourist stuff,” and got some ideas of things they wanted to try.

Maybe someday we will take a trip to relax on a beach, but not yet. For now, we will pack our walking shoes and have our cameras ready.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. If you’re not able to travel in person, travel in your mind with a good book or a Discovery channel documentary.

Life is short, try something new…

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Last week, our son, Myles decided he wanted to go camping… alone. We live 5 minutes from the state park so it’s not like this was a long trip. He drove over and scoped out the spots that would be good for a tent. I reserved a tenting spot for him & made some suggestions on what to take. He packed the car with food, tent, supplies and was off on his adventure.

He has a You Tube channel, The Unspecified Show, and wanted to film for his channel. He’s just 16 (almost 17), but if you know him, you’d know he is an old soul and a responsible kid. He filmed many hours of video – setting up an 8 person tent alone, getting fire started and cooking meals, hiking, fishing and more. He came home briefly to download some of the video and free up space, but he solo camped for 3 days/2 nights. It even rained. Twice.

Part of his meal experimentation was using pie irons. He made a chocolate cherry pie (pictured) – he said it was delicious. He invited us over for one meal and we had tacos in the pie irons also. He made eggs and bacon on his own. I was so proud of him. It may seem strange, but it’s one of those moments when you realize your kids have been (mostly) paying attention. We’ve gone camping since Myles was a baby. We had the playpen in the tent and he would take naps in there. After a few very rainy, very cold tenting experiences, we switched to mainly staying in the state park camper cabins. That way, you can eat indoors and play cards if it rains. We cook all of our meals over the fire, but still bring a small cook stove for pancakes. Myles skipped the cook stove this time.

He posted “Day 1” on his channel. I encourage you to check it out. Day 2 and 3 will be coming out soon also, but he’s been working at the Deja Bleu coffee truck this week, so he’s been busy.

His brother, Dallas also tried something new recently. He decided to do “ranch bronc” riding at the rodeo in Bozeman. He said, “I’m only 20 once.” Yes, this is true, but I’d like you to see 21 also (ha ha). He got bucked off right away, but he’s going to try it again. We never had horses ourselves. He always wanted to rodeo when he was little, but it wasn’t an option really. When your son is 20 years old and 13 hours away from you, there isn’t much more you can do other than pray he makes it out of the arena in one piece. It’s either super brave or super crazy to try this. Maybe a little of both!

I’m wondering what I should try that’s new for me? I’m going to try self publishing a couple of books. That might be my “out of my comfort zone/new thing.” I’m sure there is more. What’s a bucket list item you’d suggest?

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. Enjoy your life, take the chances, ride the horse or go solo camping. You can do it, I believe in you.

The City that Never Sleeps?

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NYC from Staten Island Ferry

I took last week off from writing since we were traveling. What started out as a request to go to Scranton, PA (due to The Office TV show) turned into a trip to NYC. I’m not sure the city never sleeps, but they are pretty quiet before 6am. We went to MSP early due to snow & ice storms. We got delayed due to weather going out there, but we made it. Luckily I didn’t have reservations for anything the day we arrived. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza hotel near Times Square (thanks to IHG points!) It was a great location & allowed us to walk to most of the things we wanted to see. Our two Broadway shows happened to be next to & across the street from the hotel.

I chronicled our trip on Facebook. I felt a little bad about posting so many pics, but I knew my family would want to see what we were up to. Turns out that a friend from NYC liked to see it from a tourist perspective. One friend liked to see what tips we had for their upcoming trip. And, some liked to see it since they hadn’t been there before. Of course there are always comments of, “You sure do take a lot of trips,” but I’ve learned to not let that bother me as much. Time with kids at home goes quickly and it’s something you don’t get back. The trip was relatively inexpensive and we packed a TON of stuff into the time we were there.

Highlight of the trip? It’s hard to narrow down. Being on the Today show plaza, seeing the Tonight Show and Late Night in person, spending an afternoon in Chinatown & Little Italy with friends, doing a day trip to see all of the places referenced in The Office, freezing on the top deck of the bus tour, Broadway shows, and of course the food… hard to pick a favorite. My most favorite of all was getting to spend the time together. We navigated subways, taxis, Times Square, the Ferry and more. We went to a lighthouse museum and got a (long) personal tour from the light house museum guy. We didn’t get mugged or see rats (ha ha). It was cooler temps than we had planned, but we made it work. My husband, who is not a fan of musicals, was a good sport when we ended up in the FRONT ROW of the Chicago musical. We did a lot of walking, but I’m so glad we didn’t rent a car (other than the day trip to PA). I would not have liked to drive in the city and parking is expensive and tight. Plus, 20k steps per day burns off NYC cheesecake!

Since our youngest son modeled his show partly after Jimmy Fallon, it was cool to get to see it in person. The tickets to the shows are free, but they don’t release them until the month before. It’s quite a process of waiting to find out if you got tickets, then waiting to get checked in & waiting in the Peacock lounge before the show. Of course there are no pictures allowed in the studios, but they were much smaller in person than they seem on TV.

SNL tickets are more difficult to get, so we didn’t see it this time.

We (Cam) found the bridge from the movie Elf where they have a snowball fight in Central Park.

We didn’t take a horse/carriage ride, see the FAO toy store, the Intrepid or Botanical Gardens, but we did get to a lot of things on our list. It had been over 30 years since I was in NYC, and this was the first time for my husband & son. I was a little reluctant to go back, but I’m so glad we did. My feet were sore but my heart was full.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. Life is short, I took the trip & will continue to do so.

Lights, camera, action!

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This is our youngest son, Myles, as he prepared for his live show last Saturday. He started his YouTube show, “The Unspecified Show,” about a year ago. He wanted to do a live show with an audience for the one year anniversary. Of course he has help with some logistics, but he organized most of it on his own. My 16 year old son put on a comedy/variety show for around 120 people.

He wrote the jokes, planned the games, found the trivia, got the cast/crew he needed, promoted the event, ordered merchandise and more. To say I’m proud is an understatement. The show flowed smoothly. He even did a live call to wish his grandma a happy birthday. He modified “My Way,” and sang a finale song. He was hoping for a larger audience, but those who showed up had a good time. Some people in the audience were loud towards the end of the show, but kept his composure.

Some day he will look back at this event and say, “Remember when I did a live show?” He has big dreams. (I certainly wasn’t following my dreams at 16 years old.) Will he be the next Fallon? Who knows, but it’s not impossible. We are going to NYC soon, and hope to get in the audience of a few late shows. It will be neat to see how they run. We also will take in some Broadway shows and try to be on the Today show plaza (with Unspecified Show gear on!)

I’m thankful for the people who have encouraged and believed in him. I’m thankful to the people who helped with the show – before/during/after. I’m thankful for the people who watch the YouTube shows or listen to the podcasts. Having someone (other than mom) believe in you is powerful. I’ve had many people tell me that he will do great things. I agree. He already has, and that’s just the start.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. Never underestimate the power of believing in someone. Never underestimate what kids can do. Check out his YouTube channel “The Unspecified Show,” and the podcast on Spotify, “Be Unspecified” podcast. His YouTube channel has a replay of his live show. Enjoy!

Puppy dog eyes…

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Meet Penny. Our oldest son is home from Montana for a few days, and Penny came with. Since he is fishing with his buddy/buddies and dad, I’m dog-sitting. I’m not sure how to say “no” to actual puppy dog eyes.

I grew up on a farm on the edge of a small town. (Like literally on the edge – town was on one side of the road, and our farm was on the other). We had a few cattle and sheep, lots of “barn cats,” and one dog. He was a black and white Border Collie who was supposed to help with working livestock. We even took him to obedience school. Despite his breed and training, we had to put the dog away when we worked livestock. He was not helpful. He was a pet, but he didn’t spend time inside. This is my first experience with a dog in the house.

You may also know that we have a cat. The cat, Toothless, and the dog, Penny are not friends. If we keep them in separate areas, they are kind of ok. Until the cat forgets he’s not alone and starts meowing at the door, then the dog is on full alert. They think the other one’s food is much better and they are both used to being the only (& most important) pet.

Cat hiding under the tractor in the garage

So, Penny hung out with me today. She alerted me to the squirrels, the birds and the deer that were surely invading our yard. She cleaned up any crumbs on my kitchen floor, and she played a mean game of tug-of-war. Aside from working and making meals and treats for the guys, I made some homemade dog treats for Penny also. She approved.

It’s been a few years since I had little toddler eyes looking at me for treats. For a few days, I’ll have actual puppy dog eyes asking for treats. And in grandma fashion, I’ll probably say yes.

Peace be with you on your journey of enough. I’d better go work on my arm strength for more tug-of-war with the doggo.