North Point Photography Session

  I had the opportunity to have an author photo shoot with North Point Photography a few weeks ago, and was very happy with how they turned out. These are some of my favorites, although I'm still not sure which one I'm most likely to use on the back of a book . . . so go ahead and tell me which one is your favorite! :)

SD re-cap

So, we had another awesome year at the SD homeschool convention!!! I didn't get a lot of pictures at the actual convention, but below, was our trip in a nutshell.

On the way to Sioux Falls, we drive by this Terry Redlin Art Center. I've driven by dozens of times, but never stopped, so this time, we stopped and had a great time! I wish we'd have had more time there.

I'm so blessed to have had these two with me!

I'd never been to Cracker Barrel, and since it was Jess's birthday, we met some cousins and went out for supper. Another great memory!

We're quite a pair!

And we had a coffee shop run . . . :):):) THANK YOU, Josh!

One night, after the convention, we went out in the rain to visit the falls.

It was neat to see it in the spring when it was running higher.

And what good is rain if you don't go jump in some puddles?

Another Thank You to my awesome team, for EVERYTHING they did and put up with. (Also, thank you for the pics!)

And that was my last convention for this year. From here on out, it's a mad rush of all the little things that add up over the summer to make a pile of work for the corn maze, farm, wedding planning, ministries, and anything else that comes our way.

What are my favorite three things about conventions?

1. Spending time with friends! I've had some really great, and much needed conversations with friends during conventions.

2. Visiting with other people. I'm an introvert when it comes to strangers, so the first initial greetings are hard for me, but once we get past that, I really enjoy the talking to people. I've heard some pretty cool stories through talking with attendees.

3. Interacting with other vendors. In a lot of ways, all of us vendors are like a big family. It's fun to get to know people, where they're fun, and getting to see them at multiple conventions. Sharing scissors, and comparing notes is a highlight!

South Dakota, Here I Come!

  This weekend is the South Dakota Homeschool Convention and I'm looking forward to another great year!

Pictures from Northland :)

So, we had a great team helping out at Northland!

Two guys in there? Seriously!? We went out for ice cream at this awesome little place and this was sitting outside.

We also got to visit this huge hotel resort on an island that used to be one of Al Capone's hideouts!

And what fun is it visiting a costume room if you don't try some stuff on?

I love the kitchen there!

Selfie time!

Oh yeah, and we did some work to. :) 

Northland Camp and A.C.E.

As many of you know, I've spent the last two summers working at Northland Bible Camp, and this summer I'll also be helping out for a few weeks.
  This past week and a half, I've been volunteering at Northland with an AWESOME group for the A.C.E. regional convention which I also competed in as a high-schooler. Which is why I'm late with this weeks post, because I've been out of town, and haven't had the greatest wifi connections.

 Over these two summers at Northland, I've seen God do things I would have never imagined possible.
I'll be honest, camp is hard. But I would NEVER trade the experiences I've had. For every dark night, there was a glorious sunrise. For every storm, there was a rainbow. And the darker the struggle, the more amazing the victory felt. I was able to watch God use our team of staff to lead people to Christ. I've had to leave my comfort zone, but it's ALWAYS been worth it.

Everyone should spend at least one summer working at a Bible camp. Now, I know that many of you are unable to commit for a summer of camp, and that's okay. I don't ever want to encourage you to be somewhere where God doesn't want you. If God doesn't want you at Northland, then I don't want you there either. But what I do want, is for you to pray for Northland. Pray that God will continue to bless the work there. Pray about becoming a summer staffer. There are always needs for maintenance help, kitchen help, counselors, housekeeping help, and many other areas. If you don't have plans for the summer, consider helping Northland. There will be tough days, days you feel like quitting, but you won't regret it. When you step out in faith, you'll see God doing things that you never imagined, and Northland is an AMAZING place to see God work.

Not only are the facilities amazing, the team is great to work with. Yes, the staff is human, and we make mistakes, there's going to be times when you get irritated, but God doesn't give us challenges without a reason. When you embrace the challenges, God can use them to change you to be more like Jesus.

Not only have these past two summers been the hardest and BEST summers of my life, I've grown closer to God because of them. I've gotten to do MANY cool things I'd never done before . . . like be in a dunk tank, belay, zipline, counsel, and dozens more fun things!

So, if you don't have plans this summer, pray about Northland. I'd love to see you there this summer!!!!!

  I know you've seen a lot of pictures from Northland in the past, but I just want to re-share a few.

We have AWESOME teams at Northland!!!!

 But the best part, is that we're really all part of one team. We're all there to glorify God, and every week at the testimony campfire, we can sit back and be amazed at what God has done through us, and at times, in spite of us.

And of course, there's always lots of fun work!

Wacky Wednesday is awesome, because not only is it fun, it's a neat way to get the 'non-participating' campers to relax around us, and be more open to listening to God's Word.

And the memories will last forever!

Come see me at Northland Camp!!!!!

2019 TRF Re-cap

So, the Thief River Falls Home Sport and Family Show finished up and I had a lot of fun! Thank you to everyone who stopped by! 

In one of the small towns between TRF and home, there's this airplane. It used to belong to the aviation department of a local college, but now, it's sitting, abandoned, and mostly gutted. So, we stopped to explore.

The wings have been cut off, but you can still climb them for a picture!

But it's scary sitting there when you're flying!

It was a slight challenge to maneuver over a pile of seats covered in bird and mouse evidence, but it was totally worth it to get into the tail of the plane!

THANK YOU, Jess, for the adventure!!!!! (even though I'm still awkwardly holding that pen.)

And we drove by this lonely soldier and thought we'd better give him some company! Yes, that's fresh snow. April blizzards freeze your gizzards as they say . . . or is it April showers bring snow plowers? Who knows, but it makes driving exciting! :) 

Next show? May 10-11 at the South Dakota Homeschool Convention!