Three weeks ago, I was given an opportunity to go back to Gettysburg, PA to spend the week with my dear friends, the Bishops and to listen to Dale Smelser speak at the congregation's annual bible forum. I cant say that I was too excited about hopping on a plane, but Im so thankful I did! I stayed on the Bishop farm and finally got to meet Laura and Catherine, as well as Caitlin who is staying with them for the summer...yay! It was such an uplifting week. I met great people from all over, including some fellow Wisconsinites (we had to go all the way to PA to meet each other:). It was also a joy to meet Dale Smelser and hear him speak about God and who He is. What a great uplifting week! Ill have to find a way to make this a regular thing.

It wasnt much longer after I got home (just 3 days) that I repacked for a roadtrip out to the west coast. I went with my brother and our friend, Maria. That was a whirlwind of a trip but we managed to survive and we saw a lot of this beautiful country. We started out Friday morning, and drove straight through on I-94 to Tacoma, WA detouring just a little to see the Grand Coulee Dam north of Spokane. There, we stayed a couple days with my cousin Kim and her husband Steve. We saw Seattle (cool city) and worshipped with an all black concregation (I was very impressed with the song leading). After our needed rest there,we continued south monday morning towards Oregon on I-5 and decided to take a trip to see Mt. St. Helens only to have to turn back half way because it was down pouring (what do you expect, we were in WA?) and we couldnt have seen a thing. Then we made our way to the coastal route 101 crossing into Oregon at Astoria (very quaint little seaside town...I think I could live here:) and ended up camping along the Pacific in Oswald West State Park. Tuesday morning we packed up and continued on the coast stopping at the Sea Lion Caves. We only saw 2 animals in the caves as the rest were out on the cliffs mating. What magnificant creatures! After all that fun, we ended up finding a sweet spot to camp just 60 miles north of California on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The next morning we hiked along the shore and saw some very interesting organisms including: gigantic seaweed (I think it was seaweed), gooey ducks, a starfish, algae, and assorted little crabs. After our stay there, we headed south to the Redwoods. We stopped at the Reddwood Natioanal Park and I couldnt believe my eyes. I had seen pictures of these giant trees but being face to trunk with one was unreal. I couldnt help but wonder what these trees had witnessed throughout history and how the landscape had changed around them. That night we camped in the Humboldt State forest on the Eel river. The water was great and felt especially refreshing after Maria and I took a jog through the Redwoods. After leaving our spot reluctantly, we got back in our car and drove on CA-1 to Fort Bragg where we stopped to play frisbee on the beach. We also decided to jump in the ocean and boy, was it cold! It was so addicting riding the waves and seeing how many times we could take having the monstrous waves crash into us before wed get swept up by the undercurrent. We stayed just outside of San Francisco and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to tour the city Friday morning. We could have stayed there all day but there was still a lot to see. We hopped on I-80 towards Nevada and stopped at Lake Tahoe before heading into Reno. We stopped to camp in the Ruby Mountains outside of Elko and it ended up being the coldest night of our trip (I thought itd be the other way around being in a desert and all:). Friday morning after hiking up the mountain, we crossed into Idaho and then into the beautiful state of Wyoming through Jackson and the Grand Tetons and Rockies through Thermopolis (city with the most hot springs in the US...smelled like sulfur). We could have stopped to camp but we thought we should all get back home to start being responsible again so we drove straight through the rest of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota to arrive in Hayward 4:00 Sunday afternoon. Phew!

Im very thankful we were kept safe the whole trip and there was no car trouble. What a beautiful creation we have! Im very blessed in how much I was able to travel but I think Ill stay home for a while and appreciate my home in the northwoods of WI. Just in case I have an itch to go somewhere again, though, where should it be?

Well Ive been home for almost a week and its proven to be more difficult to adjust to than I had originally anticipated. Dont get me wrong, its wonderful being back with my family, being back in my house, being surrounded by familiar things and being at the farm with my animals, but there is still a void there that wasnt there before. And it doesnt have to do with the beauty of the new places I was able to see. It has to do with the people I left behind. I was talking with my Grandpa today and he told me how he wants to get back to New Hampshire once more before he dies because part of him was left there years ago and also partly because his father was never able to see Washington state again after he had been there once as a young man and he always regretted it because he too had left something behind. This instantly saddened me because my Grandpa longed for just a place. See, my Grandpa is an Atheist and he does not understand the connection Christians have. I only hope that his heart is opened because after he dies, hes not going to think about the places he never saw again, hes going to spend an eternity thinking about the One person he denied, his Lord. Even if I never make it back to the East Coast or to PA to see all the wonderful people I spent time with and got to know and love, I will see you all again. That gives me such hope! This isnt my plan of course. I plan on coming back many times but just in case, we will be together again in a much better place. And that place is only special because it is the dwelling place of our Almighty Father and King. When I think of all the beautiful views Ive shared with brethren over the past year (the never ending caves in Kentucky, the great White Sands Missile Range of New Mexico, the desert valleys of Arizona, Boston & Providence, the beautiful shores of the Atlantic, Amish country in Lancaster and the beautiful orchards of Adams County) and how that beauty was magnified because of the people I shared it with, I get the chills thinking of how it will be magnified even more in Heaven because He is there. That in turn makes me mindful of how horrible Hell will be because not only is it the dwelling place of Satan but God will not be there, and how it is so important for us to stay on that straight and narrow path so that we dont end up in the wrong place.

Just when I think that time is slowing down some, it speeds right back up again! It feels like just moments ago I was pulling into the driveway at the farm after my time in KY and now here I am again, having to pack up for yet another adventure. I feel so blessed to be at a time in my life where I can travel and spend time with the different members of my spiritual family. I am so much looking forward to seeing all my friends out in RI and studying with them! I will miss home but I think its time to start another chapter of my life. I know that these next five months will go by just as fast or faster than the previous five so I want to enjoy every minute of my time out there. Until I see you all next weekend, have a blessed week and to all of those I wont see, may you be blessed until I do!

Okay so I called the Sawyer County pound yesterday and the woman had a report of a recovered hound in the Cable area (7 miles from Seeley in a different county) and the woman who found it kept it for a few days before turning it in to animal control. Keep in mind that I called 8 days after Sadie went missing (dumb idea) so she was probably on her last legs at the pound. I then called the Ashland county animal control lady and had to leave a message. Didnt hear anything all day so was starting to think the hound wasnt Sadie. Then I went out to an early birthday dinner with my friend (it was great by the way, thanks for asking) and when I came home Mom told me the lady called and that I had to drive up to Asland (1 hour away) today to pick up our hound, so it was her...yippee! My false birthday ended up being the best birthday Ive ever had...hehe! Everyone is very excited that she is safe, everyone except Pop that is because this has happened too many times with her. I asked him if he was glad I had called the pound and he said no. He was joking of course, but I wont be surprised if shes locked up in her kennel until the end of hunting season. So everyone can breathe easy, Sadie has returned!

Just wanted to give everyone a little update since my return from my sojourn down south:).

It feels great to be back in the Northwoods and the cold (never thought Id say that). I went to a bondfire the night I got back in Minneapolis and I was so chilled because I was acclimated to the south. I think it was in the upper 50s too...Im such a wimp now!

Ive been spending my weekends in Minneapolis partly because my brothers are there and partly because there is a wonderful congregation there. Also, I feel more comfortable with this congregation than the one in Hayward...which is very disheartening but my parents understand and are glad that I can spend time with the Minneapolis group.
During the week I am working for Mom and hanging out with a good high school friend of mine who is also trying to figure out what she wants to do...Im glad I have her around to hang out with. Im also waitressing at Mooselips on Friday nights. I like it because I have more spending money (not that I need to spend anymore than I already have...hehe).
Im so looking forward to my move to Rhode Island! I really cannot wait. Im glad Im home for the holidays, but it just doesnt seem like January will come fast enough. Im especially looking forward to all the bible studies. I know I will learn a lot from the brethren there. I dont know how long Ill stay...planning on until June for starters but I may go back in August again. If I love it as much as I think I will, I wont want to leave:).

Im staying up at the bunkhouse with all the animals minus two...
Sadie decided to take off again. She was gone when I came home:(. Shes been gone 8 days so it looks like either someone has her or she ran into the Seeley Hills wolf pack...hope its not the latter. Hopefully shell come back but if not she went out like she would have wanted and had a very full life. Also, Trillium was butchered yesterday. I was not there to see, but according to Pop everything went very smoothly. Looks like we'll be bringing beef and turkeys out to RI...mmmmmmmm.

Ok well my lunch break is over and if I dont hurry back to work I wont get any dinner tonight...hehe. Hope everyone is well!