tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62361852966955973592024-03-08T00:15:40.493-07:00Come what come mayThere really is no purpose to my blog, it's just for fun and doesn't aspire to any grandiose ideals. I'm just here to write down whatever comes to mind. The title of my blog is from Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' - Act I, scene iii - "Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day." ...Or if you will, "que sara sara" ~ whatever will be, will be...Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-69839835136925964162013-03-21T22:37:00.000-06:002013-03-21T22:37:00.543-06:00Thrive!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #833c11; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I wrote this in January, 2013 ~ </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So much of my life in recent years has been very good. We moved from the city to the mountains about a year and a half ago, making for some very significant lifestyle changes, which is tough, but you grow when you adapt to a new way of living. We’ve been blessed with a beautiful granddaughter, and are awaiting our second grandchild in April of 2013, and that is amazing! In other areas, like my weight, my energy levels, and my career, there has just been frustration and drought. I have waited, wondered, and even doubted if change would occur. This period of inactivity has given me a lot of time to sit back and really think about everything.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I started journaling a few years ago, and I have been learning how vital it is to ‘be still and know He is God’ (Psalm 46:10). He asked me if I trust Him, and I do. It has been a valuable time, and now I believe I am ready to move on. I am tired of living in the desert (figuratively speaking) and am very much ready for restoration, growth, and abundance. I am eager to grow, learn, see desires of my heart fulfilled, see dreams come true, and truly enjoy life. I know that He <i style="font-style: italic;">plants </i>and <i style="font-style: italic;">cultivates</i> desires in each of our hearts and He is more than happy to fulfill those desires. When he gives me dreams and desires, I believe He intends to fulfill them.<i style="font-style: italic;"> Which</i> of those dreams, I do not know, but I’m ready to discover what He has in store for me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What characteristics would I have to possess in order to lose weight, gain the energy to work or return to school (or both), plus take care of my home and family, as well as participate in various activities like cycling and hiking. I came up with the suggested list of 20 or so words. I won’t share those, but out of that 20, a few really jumped out at me:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- confidence</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- new</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- healthy</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- flourish</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- thrive</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I absolutely love the words flourish and thrive.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The definitions of these two words are almost identical, and they are synonyms for each other.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Flourish:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- to be in a vigourous state; thrive</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- to be successful; prosper</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thrive:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- to grow or develop vigorously; flourish</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- to prosper; be fortunate or successful</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Both signify growth, health, fullness, progress, strength, newness, abundance, etc. <i style="font-style: italic;">THIS</i> is who I want to become. I want to THRIVE!</span></div>
Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-87725598373610581062013-01-03T10:20:00.003-07:002013-03-21T22:46:48.810-06:00An experiment for 2013<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have done the whole resolution/goal thing for several years, and have not seen change or renewal in the practice of making resolutions. Therefore, I have decided I need to do something completely new and different. I am going to be joining in on the "My One Word" project (<a href="http://myoneword.org/">http://myoneword.org/</a>), which was started by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. The book they've written, "My One Word" just came out in December 2012 and I have just started reading that. I will choosing just one word, focusing on that word and seeing how God work through that one word to bring about change and renewal in my life. To allow Him to bring about His good plans for my life in the upcoming year. </div>
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This means ditching the laundry list of "to-do's" and "don't do's". I do still plan on making it to the gym, eating a healthy diet, looking for a job, etc., but my focus will not be on those things directly. The aim of the "My One Word" project is to "help you get in a specific position and remain there long enough - dependent on God - for some internal work to be done by Him". The change I want and need in my life is not change I can bring about myself. Only God can do that. By focusing on a word that represents a characteristic I want to see in my life, or the person I want to start becoming, the change will happen. </div>
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Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-59638608620466091812011-05-10T00:39:00.011-06:002011-08-15T10:44:06.996-06:00Moving to the mountains!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">A year ago, I would never have guessed that we'd be buying a home in the mountains. We are moving up over the Memorial Day weekend!<br />
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We started looking at homes up in the Evergreen/Conifer area late last summer. My husband has always wanted to live in the mountains, and he finally got me to feel enthusiastic about it as well. I was born and raised in Denver, and spent many happy hours hiking with my family in places like Rocky Mountain National Park (which has always been one of my favorite places), so I absolutely love the mountains better than anywhere else. I used to think that it would be more challenging, and more inconvenient to live out of the city, but I am now looking forward to life "up the hill". </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are so many ups and downs to house-hunting. You find a house you love, but the neighbor's yard looks like a dump. Then you find a house on a nice amount of acreage, but the home isn't nice (and you think of the years ahead working on it). Many variables exist in finding the right home - the right amount of the right kind of land, the right neighborhood, the size of the house, the layout of the house, etc. But it was pleasant to drive around up in the mountains during the fall, which is my favorite time of year...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">On the road near Conifer.</span></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We found a lovely home in November, right before Thanksgiving, which I loved immediately. It just felt like home the moment I walked in the door. I wanted to buy it immediately. My husband, on the other hand, wasn't as excited about it. So we kept looking...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We found another home we really liked and got fairly serious about it right around Christmastime. It was <i>almost</i> the right house (a bit small in some aspects and not the "perfect" layout), the property of 1.5 acres was beautiful with lovely aspen, and the neighborhood was great. The home sold before we could make a decision about making an offer, and I felt sad. It wasn't to be ours, so we kept looking....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We looked and looked, and nothing was right. In March, we went back to that home we'd walked through in November (the one I loved immediately!). I loved it even more the second time through. David, though still not loving it a lot, decided it was worth thinking about more seriously, but wanted to keep looking...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
In late March we walked through a home that we had found online and actually liked it quite a bit, but it really only had two bedrooms, and we wanted at least three (the listing said three, but the third was a small room under the roof with a slanted ceiling and no windows). The kitchen was gorgeous, but you can't buy a house based on the kitchen alone. It was also on property that sloped a lot, and had a rather steep driveway. We thought about it, but we just couldn't see how to deal with it's shortcomings. So ~ in April we finally walked through the other house for a third time. This time we took the whole family, and everyone loved it! David admitted that he was hooked on it, too, so we stopped looking and made an offer!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We love it, and it feels like home! It's a 4 bedroom home on 2 acres, has a lovely view, a beautiful deck and a sun room! It's convenient to Conifer, Evergreen, and the metro area. We are set to close on May 27 and start moving in on May 29!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUIipTMwC_g/TcIxxCXTcDI/AAAAAAAAGo4/tL27L9R5Zow/s1600/IMG_6941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUIipTMwC_g/TcIxxCXTcDI/AAAAAAAAGo4/tL27L9R5Zow/s640/IMG_6941.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffd966;">Our view, looking south from the deck. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-39279659345625433562011-04-28T00:43:00.002-06:002011-05-10T16:34:01.222-06:00Sadness...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">The end of April marks the six month date of losing our precious little pomeranian, Gidget. She became ill quite suddenly, and we were very sad at her passing. </div><div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">My sweet little girl. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We adopted her in 1999 from the veterinary clinic I was working at. She would have been 12 years old this month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div></div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-21237475006377238902011-01-18T11:21:00.001-07:002011-05-10T16:32:58.768-06:00Becoming a grandmother...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">...is the most wonderful thing in the world! Our sweet little granddaughter was born on January 17, 2011. She is amazing, of course! She is so tiny - weighing 6#, 4.5 oz. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-71591176166615058592010-10-10T13:59:00.005-06:002011-05-10T00:40:55.599-06:00Early Fall at Cherry Creek State Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">I love the arrival of fall. The cooler temperatures have finally come, and we most definitely we have nice chilly mornings and evenings. The cottonwoods along the creeks and lake-sides are starting to turn their glorious shades of gold and make a nice contrast to the browns of the meadows and the still-green leaves on some of the other trees. These photos are all taken at Cherry Creek State Park, which is surrounded by the metro Denver area. It's a favorite place to walk and get away from the busyness of city life. </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A beautiful day for sailing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-42266343186853622622010-09-27T18:32:00.000-06:002010-09-27T18:32:15.188-06:00More Colors of Autumn...Guanella Pass<div style="text-align: justify;">These photos are from our trip over Guanella pass in September of 2008. This is one of my very favorite drives any time of year - except winter! We usually start our drive up at Georgetown to go over the pass, coming down to meet US Highway 285 and back down to Denver.</div><div><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the top of Guanella Pass, and it is gorgeous up here! Looking towards the east you see Mt. Evans, Mt. Bierstadt and "The Sawtooth". We took a short hike down to the lake, but it was pretty chilly, so we didn't stay up here too long that day. It even looks cold in the photos!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After enjoying our chilly walk at the summit of the pass, we continued our drive down to 285 and back home ~ </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJt5COn6aBI/AAAAAAAAGEE/iR0iZs30xEk/s1600/IMG_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJt5COn6aBI/AAAAAAAAGEE/iR0iZs30xEk/s640/IMG_2692.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are even some pretty reds to enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-68370507990486416972010-09-24T14:51:00.002-06:002010-09-24T14:53:32.492-06:00Golden Gate Canyon State Park is Truly Golden!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJrNL0juDgI/AAAAAAAAGB8/Fk5x_d0p7I8/s1600/IMG_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJrNL0juDgI/AAAAAAAAGB8/Fk5x_d0p7I8/s640/IMG_0752.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJrODu3P8FI/AAAAAAAAGCs/Or0uY-ZEp6Q/s1600/IMG_0820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJrODu3P8FI/AAAAAAAAGCs/Or0uY-ZEp6Q/s640/IMG_0820.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJrOTzmVtdI/AAAAAAAAGC8/DJPho36WSgg/s1600/IMG_0830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJrOTzmVtdI/AAAAAAAAGC8/DJPho36WSgg/s640/IMG_0830.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a favorite, especially in summer and fall. These photos were taken September 2007. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-73803013999021882862010-09-22T19:05:00.025-06:002010-09-22T22:12:27.411-06:00Autumn in the Rockies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJp0tXuNcvI/AAAAAAAAF-U/YD545bndqes/s1600/orange+aspen+leaves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJp0tXuNcvI/AAAAAAAAF-U/YD545bndqes/s640/orange+aspen+leaves.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">This is my very favorite time of year. There is a briskness to the air, the leaves are changing, and there is just - something - that makes me feel comfortable and settled. The heat of summer is gone (although even last week here in Denver we had temperatures in the mid-90's!), and the cooler temperatures are making me feel less like I'm spending my days in an oven. I love looking forward to stews, pumpkin bread, and other fall dishes that seem very out of place in the heat of July and August. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love getting up to the mountains and seeing the aspen. We drove up this week and saw some gorgeous color in and around Conifer. Unfortunately, potential car trouble kept us from going all the way up to Kenosha Pass, but I am satisfied at what we saw, and I have enough photos from previous autumns to last a lifetime. Here are some that I took at Kenosha Pass in 2008:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqeYghmXDI/AAAAAAAAF-k/r2owvIBbF88/s1600/IMG_2711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqeYghmXDI/AAAAAAAAF-k/r2owvIBbF88/s640/IMG_2711.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">********************************<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">I love these aspen leaves. The trees were an assortment of colors that year - some were still green, while others had turned the usual brilliant autumn oranges and yellows. I thought it was fascinating to see all three in the individual leaves of this one tree ~ </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Here is a mountainside of mostly yellow aspen (I know this photo doesn't show it well, but the original shows a lot more yellow on the mountain).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqsbaZXMtI/AAAAAAAAGAE/R7XTLDPiBSk/s1600/IMG_2782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqsbaZXMtI/AAAAAAAAGAE/R7XTLDPiBSk/s640/IMG_2782.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I turned slightly and took the photo of this mountainside which is mostly green and has very little yellow yet. So different in the very same area ~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqgBsQThQI/AAAAAAAAF_M/8OO-8P_zphU/s1600/IMG_2783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqgBsQThQI/AAAAAAAAF_M/8OO-8P_zphU/s640/IMG_2783.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A beautiful stand of aspen ~ </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love paths, and often take many, many photos of paths and trails. I never tire of them ~ </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqfI7FgKuI/AAAAAAAAF_E/rSafcanEFeI/s1600/IMG_2829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqfI7FgKuI/AAAAAAAAF_E/rSafcanEFeI/s640/IMG_2829.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
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</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqhPvv-OzI/AAAAAAAAF_k/PF8YmR4AmvA/s1600/IMG_2786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqhPvv-OzI/AAAAAAAAF_k/PF8YmR4AmvA/s640/IMG_2786.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here's a pretty seed-head found along the trail. So delicate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqhbZiaxAI/AAAAAAAAF_s/ps71DiCz2lQ/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TJqhbZiaxAI/AAAAAAAAF_s/ps71DiCz2lQ/s640/IMG_2844.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">More autumn photos to come ~ </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-33674574247810929732010-06-26T08:22:00.015-06:002010-06-26T09:04:38.546-06:00Postcrossing ~ and "A Collection of Postcards" Blog<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">In August of 2009 I joined a site called Postcrossing ~ the postcard crossing project (</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><a href="http://postcrossing.com/">postcrossing.com</a>). <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The idea is simple: "<i>send a postcard and receive a postcard back from a random person somewhere in the world!”. </i>I thought that this was such a wonderful idea. It is not like writing a regular pen-pal as I had done in junior high, but still exchanging a little bit of myself and my home with others all over the world. I love being able to 'cross borders' to share a little bit of ourselves as friends, all without leaving home. By the way, I'm still in contact with two of my junior high pen-pals. One of them became such a close friend that she was my maid-of-honor in my wedding!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><i></i>I was eager to sign up (it's free to join!) and start sending out postcards. So I went out and bought some postcards and stamps, and sent out my first cards the day after my birthday (August 27) to Finland and Switzerland. Then I soon sent others to Florida, Germany, Canada, and New Zealand. When the cards you send out reach their destination and are registered by the person receiving them, then your name becomes eligible and someone can send a card to you. I received my first postcard on September 9, 2009, from Ohio, then another card on September 11 from the Netherlands. I received a total of eight postcards in September of 2009. So far I've sent out a total of 45 postcards and have received 33. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">To some this may seem a silly waste of time, but I've learned new things about a lot of places, been able to send personal greetings to 45 people in 16 different countries, and received 33 personally written cards in my mailbox. It's a good feeling! For me, it's nice because I'm not really a "people person". I do better with written words than in person, so it's a perfect hobby for me. </span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The longer I participate, the more fun it will be to see where I send the next one to, and even more fun to see where mine arrive from! There are "postcrossers" in a lot of countries. Sure, I will get a lot more from the US, Germany, China and the Netherlands as these countries have more participants, but I will be delighted if one shows up from Mongolia or Monaco, or perhaps Laos or El Salvador! I can't wait to see what arrives in my mailbox next...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I've just started a new blog to "show off" my collection of postcards: </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><a href="http://acollectionofpostcards.blogspot.com/">acollectionofpostcards.blogspot.com</a></span></div></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Here are just a few of my favorites (if you want to know more, you'll have to read the new blog):</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TCWUxbVsQFI/AAAAAAAAF0k/ftYz3VM5khw/s1600/%2313+Finnish+Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TCWUxbVsQFI/AAAAAAAAF0k/ftYz3VM5khw/s400/%2313+Finnish+Castle.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are many more to come! </div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-48233889525093117922010-06-04T12:18:00.026-06:002010-06-25T22:41:01.638-06:00If You Need Directions, Just Call Your Mother...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am a human search engine for my children (and often for my husband).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It started when we stopped using the actual yellow pages and started using the internet yellow pages. When we started looking up directions on Google Maps, we really got hooked and couldn’t go anywhere new without them. Now when my children are out and about, and need to find a place, they usually end up calling me and I hear that familiar request: “can you look up directions and/or a phone number for me?”. Recently I received a request from one daughter who was out with friends for dinner in Colorado Springs for movie times in Denver (which they never ended up going to, by the way). I even got a call from a friend of my daughter's once, trying to find the location to a conference up in Boulder. Luckily I was home, so I got on the computer and helped her find where she was going! Just add "search engine" to the list of all the jobs mom's do to come up with a new 21st century job description!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I usually have pretty good idea where I am going most of the time as I am a Denver native, but if I'm looking for some place new, it can be pretty sad. So much new growth, especially out in Aurora, makes it hard to find places sometimes, then Google comes in very handy! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TAmDu4owtgI/AAAAAAAAFv8/bK1sw1xV4u4/s1600/google+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/TAmDu4owtgI/AAAAAAAAFv8/bK1sw1xV4u4/s400/google+map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I do give better directions than this (usually)!</span>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-63184798387533168712009-11-23T22:53:00.023-07:002010-06-05T00:10:33.885-06:00The Night Fox<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Not long ago, a fox visited our yard. I was up about 2 am (unable to sleep). As I came out into the living room, I heard a metallic "clunk" from outside - the bunny was making her food bin hit against her cage. So I went over to the window to investigate, and saw that there was a fox on our back patio! Not any fox, but an incredibly bold one. He noticed movement at the window, looked up at me, and just stared at me. He finally decided I was not a threat, and went on to bother the bunny in her cage. This particular bunny is very bold. She did not realize that a serious predator was bothering her, and she was thumping her back feet at the fox, growling (yes, a cute bunny growl!), and banging her food bin. I opened the back door, and "yelled" at the fox (remember, it's 2 am), but he would NOT leave! I came out on the patio and he ran off into the grass. Then as soon as I went back in the house he came back onto the patio. I started throwing things at the fox, like a tennis ball that had been torn apart by the dogs. The fox liked the tennis ball - it took the ball out into the yard and "played" with it, sticking it's nose inside and tossing it up in the air. We played these games for quite awhile, and finally I had the brilliant idea of squirting water at him from a water bottle. I aimed for him, and hit him with a fine stream of water right between the eyes and he ran off into the yard again. He did not come back onto the patio again. I then went and slept on the sofa until David got up. The fox was back then, and on the patio bothering the bunny once more. David actually went out and chased the fox across the yard in his bathrobe!! The fox finally left, and we've not seen any sign of him since that night.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-69407443402105860652009-06-27T09:46:00.004-06:002010-09-23T14:53:09.133-06:00No More Goats in Our Park...<div style="text-align: justify;">The goats are gone. They've probably been moved to a different park, but we don't know. It seems rather empty at the park without them, not to mention that Charlie had become obsessed with them on our walks. We hope they return soon....</div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-13032695274924557432009-06-14T20:25:00.010-06:002009-06-17T14:38:29.958-06:00The Goats in Our Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/SjkTFT9DwjI/AAAAAAAAEyQ/cPi8v_rVxNg/s1600-h/Amy+with+the+goats.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vEXGKE63Y6s/SjkTFT9DwjI/AAAAAAAAEyQ/cPi8v_rVxNg/s320/Amy+with+the+goats.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348327014455820850" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="Trebuchet MS"font-family:";">We have goats in our park!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They stay all summer long, grazing as a means of natural weed control.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone loves stopping by the goat pen to pet and feed these cute critters – especially all of the children.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When the goats have grazed down an area, they are extremely eager to move on to the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This evening we witnessed what can happen when the goats get a little too eager to move on to fresh food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Somehow one of the bars in part of the fencing had bent back or down and the hole was just the right size for many of the goats to leave the pen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We saw just one or two goats outside the pen at first, then we noticed that many more goats were taking advantage of this opportunity for freedom – or more importantly – more grub!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We alerted the caretaker to the problem, and he set out to fix the situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He got the next pen readied for the goats, then had them all move over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When the group realized that new greenery awaited them, they moved in one large mass to the new pen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One little goat was still hanging around by the opposite side of the pen, being petted and fed, when it realized that it had been left behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everyone laughed as the poor little thing went running as fast as it’s legs could carry it to rejoin the herd. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6236185296695597359.post-47319012884382133892009-06-11T22:37:00.012-06:002011-05-10T00:16:17.052-06:00First Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">Why am I starting a blog? Why not? Actually, I was challenged to begin writing a blog by my daughters. I enjoy reading blogs by other family members (some of whom are very far away), and follow blogs from around the world. It's doubtful that I'll post any lofty thoughts or propose interesting questions or ideas for whomever happens to stop by; hence the title and description of my blog. </span></div></div>Janellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460780906528502160noreply@blogger.com2