The International Peace Garden

 Located near the geographical center of North America, the International Peace Gardens is is on the border between North Dakota and Manitoba. 

My pictures are out of order here… but on the drive out, we went by Lake Bronson. I grew up going to the Galilee Bible Camp facility on Lake Bronson so you can imagine my surprise when the lake was gone! Apparently, they drained it to replace the dam and it should be back in a few years. 

Then, on the drive home, we saw this bear just chilling in the ditch. 

The cafe at the Peace Gardens has several nods to Canada, including borscht, deep fried perogies, and multiple kinds of poutine!

The entire park had a line down the middle so we could wander between the US and Canada. 

It wasn’t in full bloom, because of the time of year, but it was still beautiful!!!

One of the most impressive parts, was the conservatory. With over 5,000 species of succulents and cacti from around the world, it was hard to believe this has been in our backyard for years and I hadn’t heard of it! 

We did a lot of hiking through the Turtle mountains, took a ton of nature pictures, and overall just enjoyed the beautiful day! 

It’s not often my sister and I have work off on the same day, so when we do, we make the most of it. And a 4 hour drive? That’s just part of the adventure! 

Memorial Day

 It's Memorial Day. The day that Ty Carson had to sing a solo in front of the town. This excerpt from Graveyard Bend sums up Memorial Day perfectly. It's a day to remember those who've died for our freedom, but most of all, to remember that Jesus also died and paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Excerpt from the book:

“Don’t you know anything?” Colton asked. “The Memorial Day festival has only been a tradition of Grandpa’s for the last thirty years!”

Uncle Wyatt nodded. “That’s right. Carl always invited the whole town out to the farm, we have a baseball game, and then we throw a little carnival for the town kids and different war vets share their stories. It’s a day of honoring and remembering the men and women who shed their blood to give us freedom.”

“Just like Jesus died to give us freedom!” Squirt piped up.

It Must be Spring!

The petunias are in! Every year, planting the petunias along the main highway in town seems to mark the beginning of spring. 

Once we plant, everyone else knows it’s time to plant their gardens as well! 

Now, it did sleet some while planting… or maybe it was snow? Freezing rain? Whatever it was, it was chilly! But all the more motivation to work faster! 

What a great crew!!!! I love working with these young people!

Making town more beautiful one flower at a time! 

 

Book Research!

For those of you who don’t know, I’m ALWAYS working on something… usually multiple somethings… ;)

But since I was in Duluth, I did some research on my next Christmas book that takes place in Duluth! 

I’m starting to wonder if Lake Superior is always foggy! 

If you’ve never climbed the Enger Tower, it’s totally worth the stop! Plus, you can see a lot from up there… including part of a golf course, and that could be significant… 

Bridgemans was also “for research”… ;D 

Southern style poutine is amazing! I think this northern girl still prefers the Canadian way of making it, but the southern version was worth trying! 

And of course… traveling with Priscilla for book research may involve stopping at a cemetery. 

The Bethany Cemetery is such a beautiful peaceful place, and had a lot of research material… 

 

Overlooked

 The MACHE homeschool convention was another amazing event this year!!!

I so enjoyed getting to meet Bridgette Cameron Ridenour, the author of Overlooked!!! 

You may know her brother Kirk Cameron, or her sister Candace Cameron Bure, but did you know Bridgette is an amazing author and speaker? 

What a blessing to meet this encouraging sweet lady! 

January/February Recap

 January/February has been a busy time filled with work, fun, and adventures.

Somehow, when I'm babysitting, I always end up with some crazy selfies with at least one of the kids!

And while you can't see it on the picture, we had a great time painting nails together!

Then, I got a new cart for book conventions, and it turns out it's pretty fun to surf around the house on it!

I got to go curling for the first time! For living in Minnesota all my life, with all my Canadian neighbors, you'd think I'd have played it before, but nope, it was my first time! No, I wasn't great at it, but it was a ton of fun! Definitely more fun to play than watch!

It was a learning curve, and my first few tries weren't phenomenal, but I got the hang of it faster than I thought I would. And I got a few cool bruises out of it too.

Then, one of my sisters-in-law sent me a recipe for homemade milk bubble tea.

Making the bubbles was way easier than I thought it would be, and I'm looking forward to making them again, and experimenting with different flavors.

I love our church, and how encouraging everyone is! Just this past week, I walked into the parking lot, and found this very creative bouquet that a talented crafter put together for me!

I went to the ND Homeschool convention, and loved getting to meet up with all my friends in Bismarck!

Turns out, the other day was National Minnesota Day! I didn't know this until one of my publishers did a highlight for their Minnesota Authors, and I saw this on their webpage!

RS. What do those letters mean?

A few weeks ago, at the ND homeschool convention, I had the opportunity to chat with a fan, who told me Freedom's Captive was her favorite book. That didn't surprise me, but what did surprise me, was when she pulled out her fancy custom made camera strap, and showed me the letters 'RS' embossed in the leather. Why? Why would she choose to use those letters?

In Freedom's Captive, those are the letters branded onto James's face to tell everyone he's a runaway slave.

In the book, James struggles with the shame of the letters branded onto his cheek. The shame of his past, the embarrassment of the stares, and the constant reminder of who he was.

But after he finds true freedom, and comes to know God's forgiveness, he chose to let the letters stand for something else.

Instead of being defined by being a runaway slave, he let the letters stand for his new identity. Redeemed Sinner. When the shame came back, he allowed the memories to remind him of what Christ had done in his life.

We all have shame in our lives. Most of us don't walk around with a brand on our cheek for the world to see, but we all have those little reminders in our lives. The reminders of the painful times. The reminders of our guilt. The reminders of who we used to be.

Instead of letting the past hold you back, choose to let those painful memories remind you of what God's done in your life, and where God's leading you.

I was so blessed to chat with this reader, and seeing that camera strap with the letters RS on it, from my book, was a reminder to me that the most painful things in life, often lead to our greatest potential. The Runaway Slave can become the Redeemed Sinner. Whatever shame or pain you're living with, choose to let those letters be a reminder of what Christ has, and is doing in your life.

And, I've been working with our church young people on a one-act-play. It's a little small for me, but I think this casket will be a great prop!

In other news, I've been busy with all the usual stuff. Taxes, a dentist appointment, making a will, writing, working at the coffee shop, and overall staying busy.

Coming up, I have a few things planned! 

May 2nd-3rd, I'll be in Sioux Falls, SD for the CHCSD convention.

May 16th-17th, I'll be in Duluth, MN for the MACHE convention.

So, book your calendars, and stop by!

Then, this week, I'm heading to Florida and Alabama for a writer's conference!

And there you have it, a brief recap of the past two months.

Christmas Movies Countdown to Christmas!

 On my Facebook page, I’m doing a 15 days till Christmas movie’s countdown! We’re on day thirteen, and so far, we have… 

15 - Sons of Mistletoe - A super fun family movie about a boys’ home. The craziness at the boys’ home reminds me of my Ty Carson books, and I love the many quotable lines! 

Then, number 14 - It Happened on 5th Avenue! What a plot!!! I love the epic characters and my memories of watching it for the first time at my sister’s boyfriend’s family Thanksgiving! It’s been a favorite ever since. 

Then, with 13 days till Christmas, we have Christmas at Plum  Creek! I remember watching this VHS at my Grandma’s house at Christmas and feeling like Mary when she couldn’t figure out what to get Pa for Christmas. But, like Ma said, if Christmas is special, it’s not because won’t be because of the gifts.