Merry and Bright

Photo 52, Week 51:  Merry and Bright

Do you see that?  My friend Carla knows me so well!  

She gave me chocolate from around the world.

Pretty sure nothing could have made me merrier,

and it certainly is bright!

How did you know that was this week's theme, Carla?
You must be an angel.  ;-)

I do love how festive things look at this time of year,

beginning at home…

and also out and about.

Not only the sights, but the sounds,

a perfect combination.

Lee and I slipped away to attend a sing along Handel's Messiah.

We've been to several over the years, and it takes my breath away every time.

This does too.  

(Next time, tripod.) 

(We were already running late.)

This, my friends, is a snow bank close up.

And then there is the mall version of merry and bright.

It lasted five minutes, but hey.

We stopped to see this on the way home.

We can see it from the highway every year.

There on the left is Ben.  With shorts on.

Because nothing says merry and bright

like a kid who is establishing his manhood

by weathering winter without wearing anything warm.

The Advent calendar reminds us that there is still a little time left

but as always there is much to do.

May your days be merry and bright.

May your Christmas be white if you want it to be.

May the inn of your heart

find room for Emmanuel,

God with us.

Picturesque

My friend Carla always takes me out for a day of birthday celebration. She is very sweet to welcome my camera along for the ride and wait patiently as I click away. This year we went to possibly the most picturesque little town ever. (Well except for maybe these.) So fun!

Christmas Village

I have a little Christmas village.

Just a few buildings, and a skating rink.

I haven't gotten it out yet.  But this was even better.

A trip back in time

to experience it myself.

My friend Carla went with me.

Nostalgia at its best.

Catching up with friends

 Back before school started

Bethany and I met my friend Melissa (aka in the comments as Melissa Mae)

and her adorable kids at the zoo.

It was so great to have a reason to get back over there and renew our membership!

Ben went over with me to see the sharks and the dolphins  a few days later.

A few weeks ago, I got to spend a fun day with my sweet friend Carla.
We get to go play at least twice a year.  

(Well, besides our our monthly craft days at church.) 

Once for my birthday and once for hers.

I was too busy shopping and talking for pictures, 

but when we split this malt and the straws were red,

I had to pull the camera out for a minute.

I'm so thankful for these friends.  We often don't get to stop long enough to talk when we see each other coming and going.  It can take weeks to pause and look back and savor special moments together...but their faithful presence (and that of others) in my life reminds me how blessed I am.   

Embracing Autumn

Summer is giving way to fall. There is no getting around it. 

I love summer, and even though fall is beautiful, it is hard to face the inevitable and let summer go. (Especially for us northerners.) 

So I did something crazy. I took a little trip to say goodbye to summer. The day I went to this little town with Carla (look closely at the photo below or click on it to find out where I was), I just knew I needed to go back with my camera before the flowers had frozen, but after the leaves started turning.  

This past week offered me the perfect day.

Goodbye summer...we'll miss you!  But there are leaves to be raked and jumped in, thanks to be given, celebrations to be had, snowmen to be built, seeds to be planted...well, really, you'll be back before we know it!

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you:  Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."  Romans 12: 1 (The Message)

Is there anything you need to let go?

Girl Time!

Today I had a very fun day with my friend Carla.  We headed down to a few quaint little towns along the river for lunch and shopping.  It was a misty sort of a day, but not cold or windy, so it was quite pleasant.

We had a very tasty lunch at this cute place, and discovered they had Bridgeman's ice cream. Peppermint bon bon no less!!

Then we went shopping in this beautiful town. They were having a diversity fair. The Germans had a booth, as well as the Sons of Norway, we were told.  Now that's diversity for ya! We didn't partake.

Look at this cool truck...

Wait a minute!  What's the name of the store behind it??  Yooouuu got it!  The Uffda Shop!

It was a visit back to my Scandihuvian (the Scandinavian word for Scandinavian) roots (rhymes with "foots") fer sure. They had a sweatshirt that I nearly had to buy.  It said, "What part of uffda do you not understand?"  HA!  It seriously made me want to come home and make some lefse.  One of these days I will, and I'll show you this scrumptious stuff.  Do not mistake it for anything made out of fish.  That would be lutefisk, and there is absolutely no connection between the two.  Trust me, I would not be making that stuff.  Uffda.

I couldn't resist taking a bunch of pictures of the town.   There were huge baskets and containers of petunias everywhere, and I loved the way the rain made the colors even more vivid.

Nothing like a little getaway to recharge your batteries, I say.  Thank God for good friends!