July 2010 – by Irish

All I can think about when I hear of July is hotdogs, roasted marshmallows, and great happy hours around the bonfire! That is just what we are going to do. We are going on vacation to Crow Wing 11 in Northern Minnesota and our home will be our Dutch Star for a week! “Yes we are living in our Dutch Star full time… for a week.

The wind was gusting 25 to 35 miles an hour here today. I did try out our new paddle boat a little bit, but I have no good paddling pictures yet. I will take some on a calmer day.
My paddle boat is beautiful I named her buttercup!

I also had two green chairs on my list of wants even though they did not cost much money. It was a bit hard buying them. I do love them and they add a lot of color into the yard.

Since it was a vey hot windy day here on Crow Wing 11. Scott and I took it easy in the afternoon a pleasure we have not had much time for over the last few years on our lake lot.
Read Scott’s blog.
A Week at the Lake

We ended up our first day of vacation, with happy hour, and hamburgers on the grill.

Saturday 3rd
Another day hanging out at the lake. It was very hot and humid here in Minnesota again today. Scott did a littler reading, and cleaning up in our yard. We went out playing in the lake with our boat.
After happy hour Scott asked me out for a paddle boat date. Sorry to keep you waiting Scott, I was putting on my lipstick.

Off we go paddling. I hope my date does not notice that I don’t have my toenails manicured!

Another few days have flown by on this vacation at the lake. The entertainment for happy hour tonight was a robin washing up in my bird bath. One more glass of wine and that bird might be out on his neck and I will be in there, yes that is how good it look this hot and humid day.

Tuesday 6th
I just knew it, I knew this was going to happen, I was trying to keep all projects out of this vacation. I even tried to hide the tool box, but he found it today.

and a project.

We are having another great day in Northern Minnesota. We went to Brainerd Minnesota today, just to enjoy the culture.

What a beautiful morning! The yard looks so peaceful. I just had to take a picture of the the Garden House.

Thursday 8th
I just read lately that Bill Gates a person I greatly admire has hung up his golf clubs. Why? Bill explains you have to spend to much time at golfing to be any good at it. Also Larry King is going to leave his talk show of many years Why? to spend more time with his family. Well today I just hung up my water skies after 30 years of skiing, Why? So I can spend more time On Face book, Twitter, My Space, and Blogging. “ Just Joking” Read My Final Run
My final run around Crow 11 Thursday 8th July 2010

Tuesday 20th
Today was another day of change for me! One of the ladies I have car pooled with for two years retired. While I am happy for Karen to reach this special time in her life, I will miss her funny work stories. Congratulations Karen and the best wishes to you on your new activities!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, of this week Scott was in New York. He has just arrived home. We are having our usual return celebrations. A glass of wine and some take-out from our local oriental restaurant. No dishes tonight.
We spent the weekend up north at our lake lot. The weather was great! Scott had a big project to work on. He is waxing our coach. He only got half done before he got burned out. It will take another weekend to complete it. I am sure he will do a blog on it after he is done with it.

July 31th
I was up very early this last morning in July. I am working on cleaning up pictures in my computer. Now that I am a downsizing junkie, I just could not wait to get some of them cleaned out.
Then it was off to yoga, the library, happy hour and a movie. This evening will bring July to a close. Even though we have many exciting things to look forward to in August it is hard to close this July page of our life.
“Spend your life wisely”

“ My Final Run”

30 + years ago I met the man of my dreams. Well I should say I met a boy, who is the man of my dreams today. That boy I met loved to play in the water. Water skiing being one of his most favorite water sport at that time. He also was a barefoot water skier, I on the other had not even graduated out of the wadding pool.

Even though I knew I would never be a barefoot skier I at least wanted to learn to ski.
That is where this story begins.  Weekend after weekend all summer long Scott dragged me around the lake trying to help me become a water skier!
       
After a couple of years of almost drinking the lake dry, one day OMG!  She is up!


Finally I can say I am a water skier.



With the sun on my face, and the wind in my hair, I hung in there with the big guys for over 30 years as a water skier.




On Thursday the 8th of July 2010 it was a beautiful morning 80 degree with solid sunshine, no wind, and no other boats on the lake.

I said to Scott let’s go out water skiing. Scott said OK. What he did not know is that it would be my final run. Yes I had decided it was time to hang up my skies! Even good times have to come to and end, to make room for the new things that are waiting for you. Been there done that for thirty year. I had the wind in my hair the sun in my face and many, many beautiful weekend of fun in the water at the lake with friends!

My Final Run video

My Final Run photos

With a tear in my eye!

I would like to give a special thanks to Scott the boy turned man. You drove that boat tirelessly Scott for hours, picking me back up out of the water after I fell, and fell, and fell. You never gave up on me, You always encourage me, and in the end when I finally made it as a water skier! I will never forget seeing you jumping out of that boat with a big hug and kiss to welcome me to that beautiful world of water skiing!
  

 

June 2010 - by Irish

Beautiful June is here! June is the month when our trees gets their leaves back in full bloom, in Northern Minnesota.

I plan to spend as much time as I can enjoying their beauty! June is also officially summer month.

As a young girl I always wanted to live in a tree house, even though I have had a lot of dreams I have made come true that one never made it to the drawing board. Or maybe I just never owned the right tree for one.

I did find a little tree house the other day and I planted it in my big oak tree, even thought I will never live in it. It is as close to my dream as I will ever get! “Me thinks”.

Saturday 5th

I got up early to enjoy some beautiful early morning colors!

The sky over our apartment! at 5:30 in the morning.

The rainbow at the same time over Edina’s million dollar apartments looking the other way.

What a rainbow!

Then we got the rain. I love the rain drops!

Sunday 6th

Bright sunny, and beautiful Sunday Morning here in Edina Minnesota. I stayed in bed after sunrise! I am sure you are glad you do not have to see any more sky pictures today.

9:30 we went to yoga, then it was Bloody Mary time, and lunch. In the afternoon we went to Menard’s to do a little shopping for everyday stuff, and then to visit with family!

We had a great weekend, rain, sunshine, good food, good company, but I did miss my first family back in the old sod.

Thursday 10th

I was up early to catch a few minutes of a beautiful sky over Edina! Ok this is the last picture of the sky this month. “Me thinks”.

Friday the 11th

We are packed and ready to go up north to our lake lot. We have taken half a day off work so we can get to the lake in time for happy hour.

Saturday 12th

We bought a new electric fireplace for our garden house.

On a rainy cool Saturday night we had happy hour in the garden house enjoying our new fireplace.

Now get this, Scott had a few glasses of wine and decided he would entertain me. Should this man drink wine.. you decide?

Sunday 13th

We are back home in Edina after a fun weekend at Crow Wing 11.

Monday 14th

I just had to take a picture of the roses in front of our patio at our apartment they are beautiful!

Thursday 17th

WOW! what a fun day it was my 32 year anniversary working for this company. Scott took me out for lunch to celebrate my accomplishment!

I also was surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my coworkers. It was not the Company that made my day, it was my coworkers! Thanks everyone. You are.. along with my paycheck the only reason I have made it 32 Years.

Friday18th

Scott and I had the day off work today to go to the dentist in Mankato. After the dentist which went as good as going to the dentist can get we went to Scott’s home town in St James to visit with his mother and father to do some upkeep project on their home.

Read Scott’s blog on his project there. Great Sump-man!

Sunday morning we got served a great breakfast of fruit, and home made banana bread. I shouldn’t forget to mention Scott’s father’s Baileys Irish Cream for his coffee which I took advantage of.

“Happy Fathers day Neil”

With hugs and many thank you’s for helping with projects we are off, heading home to our apartment in Minneapolis to start another week of the boring grind of our day jobs.

Friday 24th

Scott and I only worked half a day today at our day jobs. WHOOT! WHOOT! We were leaving after work for a long weekend up north at our lake lot. We are getting everything ready for a weeks vacation we plan on spending there next week!

Saturday 25th

We woke up to a beautiful fog to start our weekend at the lake.

After a cup of coffee and an hour or two to enjoy our morning, something we cannot do when we have to go to our day jobs we went into the little town of Walker Minnesota to get a part that Scott had to have to repair our boat. After we got our part we did a little window shopping. I heard Scott saying I just have to have one. If you have been reading my blogs you know by now that I am into the clothing line of ” Life is Good”

Now Scott wants to have his own clothing line with the saying “Life is Crap” so you guessed it he bought a shirt!

for the first time in a long time Scott took some time out to do a little fishing on the end of his dock.

I am glad I was not hungry for fish today Scott! “Just joking”

After all that work fishing it was time for tea on the deck, an old Irish custom that I still enjoy!

Next job on Scotts list was to wash and wax our Jeep, another job he has not had time to do for a while.

So this brings us to the end of another month. What better way to end it than with a perfect man, having happy hour by our first perfect bonfire of the year 2010, many more happy hours Scott says!

“Spend Your Life Wisely”

May 2010 – by Irish

Saturday 1

May Day! It’s one of my favorites days of the year. I also got a special gift this year! May Day came on a weekend since I am still working a day job and off only on weekend. A Saturday May Day was a big lottery win for me! Happy May Day everyone!

Sunday 2nd

We started out our day enjoying breakfast in our place. Then it was off to yoga. After yoga over a bloody Mary we talk about our new goals and dreams for this next year in our life.

I told you in my April blog that I would update you on why we decided to work in our day jobs and rent a different apartment for another Year. Even though we have made our financial budget that we set seven years ago and we do have our Dutch Star almost ready to hit the road.

Bottom line we are just not ready yet, we are also not sure we have enough money saved to keep us in a comfortable manner for 30 something more years.

We also read a lot of blogs of people who have quite their jobs sold everything and took off in their motor homes. Most of those people will tell you to just do it you will never be sorry. But then again, so many of them turn into, in my books beggars. Come to my rally, click on this, click on that, buy my stuff, use my name just whatever gimmick they can use to get money to support what they call their great lifestyles. Well that is not us, even though we want to see and do everything that is out there to see and do. We even do not mind a little work camping or volunteering we just do not want to beg.

Why the new apartment? The old one we lived in was so old and dark it was also depressing. This one is new and bright it is a place we will enjoy coming home to after work.

Scott washed the Jeep today for the first time in our on site car wash. It works great and it’s free with our apartment. We can have a clean jeep for a year!!

We had a good week. A friend of mine came to visit me at my new apartment.We had a beer and a nice visit on my new deck and chairs!

I went to a boring work conventions with my dear husband Scott. I enjoyed it.

Visited a family member tonight Friday after work.

It has been raining the last few days and nights. I just love the rain!! I want to go jump in some of those rain puddles.

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness, has never danced in the rain.

Saturday 8th. Off to yoga!

Sunday 9th we went to St James Minnesota to spend the day with Scott mother and father for Mothers Day. We had a great time !! Scott's mother made us a great breakfast!

The rest of the morning Scott spent giving his mother digital camera, and computer lessons.

Tuesday 11th

“Margaret time” – update: Tonight I lit a good smelling candle and I soaked my tired body in a nice hot bath, in my brand new smelling bathroom.

Thursday 13th

Had a great week so far, worked on all of my goals and even made some progress on my health goal! Two nights without wine, wait the weekend is here.

We are off work Friday for a long weekend. We are going up to Northern Minnesota to get our Dutch Star out of its winter storage shed. We also have to get new tires on it. I will let you read Scott’s blog on our expensive weekend. The Coach gets out for Summer!

Saturday morning was beautiful! I was up early to take picture of our first beautiful sunrise over Crow Wing 11 in 2010.

After Scott and I had breakfast we went outside to start getting our yard mowed and dock in.

I worked on doing some more downsizing of stuff we have stored in our garden house, just in case we would ever need it. Now we know we will never need this great stuff again.

Off we go to town to donate our good stuff to a charity in Park Rapids. For a short while I felt a bit liberated. Hold on now! Then we went to our favorite fleet and farm store to get a very small part for Scott to finish up his busted well pipe.

There it was a riding lawn mower that we always wanted it was a very small Snapper mower. Within seconds we bought it. That new credit card we just got works great even in Northern Minnesota! After we got it home to our lake lot Scott tried it out.

Then I tried it out it worked great! Then we put it in our garage until next trip up North and our next mowing adventure. We will see if this was a mistake or a pleasure by the end of the summer.

Ok now… what should we do with that push mower that we spend so many year hating every time we tried to start it. We put it out on the side of the road with a free sign on it and guess what? The mower that we hated for so long became someone’s treasure within an hour, they even took the sign.

Friday 21

My goodness what a busy day at work today, but its over now. Scott started the weekend off by getting us a bottle of wine, oriental food and a beautiful plant to enjoy out on our deck for our Friday night. We made it another week time to party! Yes I know we make everything a party!

Saturday 22nd

We had a great Saturday! I said happy birthday to a friend, went to yoga, we walked to get groceries, walked to the library, and walked to Barnes and Noble so Scott could buy some work learning books It’s a place we can walk to for everything we want. I love it here.

Sunday 23rd

It started out a real fun Sunday morning, breakfast, reading some blogs on all the beauty sights here in Minnesota! The North shore There and Back and making it through another yoga class.

Now for they sad news.

My dear husband Scott has to go to New York for most of next week.Now I know many people would say how Exciting! New York! You see, he has been there many time and we are just not into the solo travel thing any more even for work, but it will have to be done every once in a while until the last curtain fall. Have a safe trip Scott!

Monday 24th

What a day! It’s 95degree here in beautiful Edina. On they way home from work one of my car pooling friends announced that she is retiring on the 30 July. I am so happy for Karen, because I know how hard it is to make that commitment!

Tuesday 25th

Scott my husband my friend has been in New York since Sunday.

Over the last few month you might have heard me say I thought the reason that I have so much trouble making my health goal was maybe my husbands Scott fault.

Well I am now going to confirm that yes indeed he is the bad boy of my health goal!

Since he left our apartment Sunday for New York I have not had one glass of wine and I have had some very healthy salads for supper.

Wednesday 26th

My great car pooling friend came to my apartment after work for a beer! Sonja is the reason I have been able to hold on to my job for as long as I have. Thank you Sonja for always being there for me you pink lady!

We brought May to a close with a three day weekend up in Northland Minnesota on our Lake lot in our Dutch Star. Did we have good Month of May?

This Picture says it all!!!

Read Scott’s Memorial weekend blog coming soon.