Two River Float Trips

July 1978---July 2010

Platte River---Illinois River

not married to anybody---married to my best friend

walked to river from parking lot---bus ride to river from parking lot

Dan lost the car keys---Dan lost the air valve cover thingie

Karen found the car keys---Karen found the air valve cover thingie

tractor tire inner tube---rubber raft

got stuck on a sand bar---got caught in a log jam

supper around the campfire---supper at Pizza Hut

sang a camp song---sang a Christmas song

went home afterwards---went to watch bull riding afterwards

rode home in a Plymouth sedan---rode home in a Ford 350 pick-up truck

lots of friends and fun---lots of friends, family and fun

The Dictionary According to Daniel

The REAL reasons why it was Noah Webster who compiled the dictionary and not Daniel Webster or Daniel Nilson:

1-Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was too busy having a career as a politician (which included being a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State) when the dictionary was published in 1828.

2-Daniel Nilson was born 182 years too late and I just don't think he could have pulled it off...




Daniel's definitions:



bird-hollow boned creature

baby-small human that just got born

ice-a solid

sad-when you cry and your veins get purple

sugar-it makes your mouth hungry

autumn-hmm, I don't know

truth-the exact opposite of lying, something that really happened

face-something that has lips and eyes and nose and eyebrows

rest-sleep, where your stuffed animals are

bamboo-something that panda bears eat

bar-where people get beer and licorice

forest-place where bears and bunnies and tigers live and elephants, no, not elephants

old-you get wrinkled skin and white hair and you need glasses

defensing-what soldiers spend their time doing

cappucasino-where you go to drink coffee and lose money

stuffed animals-furry friends(don't ever call them stuffed animals because it hurts their feelings)

lamb-I don't know, I'm still thinking



(disclaimer-most of those definitions were from two years ago, just saying...)

Apparently I Have Photogenic Kidneys

(this may be old news for some of you)




<--------- Kidney beans...

(it seemed funny at the time)
(3:41 a.m.)






The CT scan showed no stones or masses or anything that shouldn't be there, so for that we are gratefully giving God the praise!


I haven't seen the actual scan myself yet...I expect to when I see the specialist early next month. I am just weird that way. I suppose I ought to be nicer to myself and say "curious"...

In The Woods...Wondering

The sounds of rushing water, insects whirring, birds chirping, and even the rooster who missed sunrise and is diligently making up for it now...I am delighting in each note of the music of nature.

The occasional sounds of civilization intrude upon this idyllic time but soon fade away, leaving me wondering...not so much why, but what: what's up with those medical test results, anyway? what exactly does it all mean? what am I supposed to be learning from this? what's next?

Earlier life experiences have already given me the answer to the question "why?" and the answer is bigger than me, bigger than us, bigger than the whole universe and I am too finite to understand the answer. So I don't really ask "why" any more.

And as I sit here, soaking up the green and gold of leaves and sunshine, weary with all the wondering, I decide that I don't even need to know "what" any more. What I really need is peace and God has promised that I might have peace "in Him" and not only peace but "perfect peace" as I trust in Him.

Trust---it seems so passive. But it is a verb, an action word (as I tell my kids) and so I purpose to begin my "trust walk" in this area of my life--trusting God, I will journey on, doing the next thing and the next and the next. I can hear the children back at the campsite and I decide that the "next thing" for me right now is to take them down to the stream so we can test out our homemade crawdad trap!

~These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. John 16:33

~Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Isaiah 16:3

Today I'm The One...September 29, 2010

...a busy weekday morning...getting laundry started...kids busy with their schoolwork...and the phone rings..."you need to go in for a CT scan of your kidneys"...the doctor can't/won't tell me much more...but she doesn't know I am Stephen's mom--Sarah's mom--Rachel's mom--Grace's mom--Michael's mom--Hannah's mom--Daniel's mom...and I'm the one who isn't supposed to get sick. So today I'm the one asking for prayer. I know there are those with far greater needs but the good thing about God is that He is not overwhelmed by our many petitions, whether weighty or trivial.




(note: this was originally a Facebook note from before I started this blog but I felt like I needed to include it here for the sake of clarity) (plus I'm into recycling...)

Music on the Mountain

Flashlights and lanterns in hand, we hike to the summit of Bigfoot Hill. Actually, I have no idea what the name of this little hill really is, that's just what I have called it for years---ever since we hiked up there one evening at twilight, hoping to see Bigfoot. He never appeared but the name stuck.

Tonight we are going to look at the stars and sing. There are practically a dozen of us trying to fit on the blanket; after a little rearranging and scooting, we are finally comfortable and all on there...mostly. Mr. P. begins to play his guitar. To my secret delight, one of the first songs he sings is "Grandma's Feather Bed." (how did he know?) Soon we begin singing praise songs, choruses and hymns. Often, Mr. B. starts singing and Mr. P. plays it by ear. Then, if we know it, we join in.

Sometimes a song is interrupted by cries of "Did you see that?" One meteor would have been enough excitement for me; all total, I think we saw 6 meteors, most of which were just quick little blips in the sky. Not everybody spotted a meteor each time; in fact, I only saw one, which I attribute to the fact that I was so caught up in the music...evidently, I can only use one sense at a time. (I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was wearing my reading glasses.)

Singing in the dark, nobody notices or cares if someone hits a wrong note or forgets the words. My youngest son burrows down in his sleeping bag and pretends to snore. I snuggle up to him and keep singing. Sometimes we sing without the guitar--it's a good thing we have Mr. B. to lead us and keep us in tune!

During a break in the singing, we marvel at the stars and point out constellations, planets and the Milky Way. Seldom have we seen so many stars!

Someone suggests a song and we begin again. It's a song I don't know and so I just listen, soaking in the warm fellowship, yet shivering a bit in the breeze. I am tempted to confiscate some body's sleeping bag but become distracted by the next song and Mrs. P's sweet voice harmonizing with her husband.

So many songs, so many sweet moments yet all too soon it is time to take the trek down the little mountain and back to the warmth of the fire. And guess who really did fall asleep in his sleeping bag?

My Thoughtful Spot

Sometimes under a tree in the woods, sometimes by the lake on a blanket, sometimes in the backyard on the swing, and sometimes at my own kitchen table--my thoughtful spot is anywhere I can grab a few minutes alone to reflect.

There are so many words inside me, just waiting to burst out! They crowd around and jostle each other in my brain until I get a chance to put pencil to paper so they can find their way out. Like little soldiers, sometimes they march out in an orderly fashion. Other times, they tumble out so quickly and so recklessly that it takes me some time to get them all lined up.

Once my thoughts have made the journey from my mind to my notebook, I visit them often, tweaking and rearranging until I can almost hear them protest.

But finally, I decide to embrace my new motto: "Done is better than perfect...plus it frees you up to do other stuff."

With a tiny bit of trepidation, I click on publish post and my blog is officially up!