The Taming of Big Bertha

This past weekend we went up north to spend some time at the lake with Steven's family. The 2 big kids decided they wanted to try tubing...but only if Grandpa tried it first to show them the ropes. Never being one to turn down a challenge, Grandpa obliged. Unfortunately, the old tube was no match for Grandpa or our little boat. The cleat ripped off on the first try, which left us scrambling to find a new tube on Saturday morning...Enter BIG BERTHA...

The ride home with Big Bertha was a trip in and of itself. I figured at any moment the little VW convertible was going to go airborne with this big thing attached to the roof, but alas, we did make it back safe and sound with all 4 wheels on the ground. In just a matter of minutes, Big Bertha was hooked on the boat and loaded with its first round of passengers... The first round of the taming went well...
Sis didn't want to get out of the tube.

Bertha...yes...camera...No.
The victims...er...passengers lined up for their shot
at taming the beast. Grandma hopped in with Sis.
It is hard to tell who is in charge here...


A quick passenger switch and Bertha is off for another run..

In the end, Bertha was not that intimidating. She just looks big.

The Mighty Zeus

I apologize up front for the images you are about to see....

We went Up North last weekend to stay at the huntin' shack on my in-laws property. Mighty Zeus spent the weekend running through the woods, up and down the river banks collecting sticks, grass, leaves and what ever else his velcro fur would pick up. His poor fur was matted beyond belief.

He went from this...

To this...

What you can't see in this picture is him shivering from being so cold!
The poor dog has been hiding out in his little den for the past few days. I know he is feeling a little...naked after his haircut. I know I'm not helping matters much, I pretty much giggle every time I look at him. Thankfully his hair will grow back. Hopefully he won't be emotionally scarred for life. You should have seen all the fun he had running around in the woods!

Good Friday, Great Friday!

Last Friday, Good Friday, Steven took the day off of work. We decided to go Up North for the day and just hang out...get away from the hustle and bustle of life. We got up kind of early and ate breakfast at Tony's on the way up. It was surprising to arrive at the "Huntin Shack" and see all of the snow on the ground...only 1 1/2 hours north!



We decided to pile into the Rhino and take a ride to the other side of the river and make sure the barn over there had not been disturbed. Unfortunately, we only make it just a few yards down the trail before we got really really stuck...




Stuck enough that Steven had to walk back and hop on the tractor. Don't worry...I stayed with the kids on the stuck Rhino while he went back for the tractor. This was actually after we pulled the Rhino out and got back to the Huntin Shack.



Our little Annie Oakley was anxious to shoot her new BB gun she got from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas. It was a little difficult for her to shoot at first...the stock was a little long for her. We ended up taking the stock right off the gun and she was hitting her target like a pro! Big Brother was putting some major hurts on the milk jug he was aiming at too.


Boogie just jumped around in the snow looking cute. You might have noticed that she has no hat or gloves on...don't worry, we were not out for very long. We had a nice toasty fire in the Huntin Shack.

Me...I took the opportunity to take some pictures. I guess if there was any good side to having all the snow up there, it made for some really cool pictures.





It was pretty awesome to photograph God's beautiful creation on one of the most precious days of the year...the day we celebrate Good Friday.
Good Friday? No...GREAT Friday!

Friendly Competition

I think "The Fever" has finally hit everyone in the house. One of the side effects of this fever is an increase in the flow of testosterone in the home. This said "Fever" has brought out a sense of competitiveness resulting in a contest of sorts.

The competitors....

Weighing in at an impressive....Naah, he'd kill me if I broadcasted his weight to the world...My handsome husband...yes, he is playing with the cat & no, the cat is not the other competitor, I had to recycle a photo from the other day. He hates it when I take his picture.

In the other corner we have Big Brother. He's been pulling back a bow for one season now. He
makes bales of straw all over the back yard quake with fear...The contest: Who can hold the bow back the longest.

Steven skillfully pulls back his bow...

Not to be outdone, Big Brother, too draws his bow. Notice the stern look of determination as he focuses in on a target...

Be Afraid...

So after a few minutes, fatigue and giggles set in.

C'mon Dad! My arm is killing me...

Is Big Brother losing his resolve and this contest?

Not this time! Just seconds after this shot, Dad got a cramp in his elbow and had to throw in the towel, leaving the big brother the winner of this contest!

I've Got it Bad!

Yep, I have to admit I've got it bad...I'm sick of being cooped up in the house while it is only 4 degrees outside. I'm sick of strep throat, walking pneumonia and ear infections. I know that only a few posts ago I was taking pictures of the snow and saying how lovely it is. It is still pretty, but I'd much rather see it on the news as it falls on a mountaintop in Alaska. Today I have spring fever. I miss the sunshine on my face and the feel of green grass on my toes. These are the things I LOVE about spring....

Tulips....

Swinging...

Bouncing...

Riding...

I just have to ask...what was that stupid groundhog thinking when he ordained more winter?

Beautiful White Blanket

I guess I am one of those crazy people who thinks if it is going to be cold, we may as well have a foot of snow on the ground. I love snow storms, expecially when we have a fire going, nowhere pressing to be and are all home together cozy in the house. Rarely does it happen that we are ALL cozy in the house. My husband LOVES to be out in the thick of things. The worse the roads are, the more he likes it. I guess I am a little like that too. I find it exhilarating to drive in the snow. I have no desire to drive on the ice, but snow really doesn't bother me. I don't know why...maybe it is that sense of adventure of battling the weather to get to where you are going. I think my favorite thing about a big snow storm is having school cancelled the night before. Just being able to go to bed with the knowledge that you don't have to get up.

I snapped a few pictures of the snow this morning before the sun was really out and brightening things up. I think the darkness gave these pictures an eerie feel. I'll either have to try fixing them and adding some brightness, or wait until it brightens up some more and take some new ones.

I love looking outside and seeing the snow stuck in the trees and a fresh blanket across the ground. John McMurray said that we got about 12 inches last night. I performed some non-scientific calculations and found totals on my deck around 7 inches and some parts of the yard at 10 inches. I'm sure if I traipsed farther, I might have found the 12 inch mark. One thing is for certain, we got A LOT of snow. I think it is so cool the way the snow just piles up on some surfaces, like our patio table. Though you can't really see it, the table reads 7" of fresh snow.

Here at a random spot in the yard we get a reading of 10 inches

A view of the back yard. I know, the pictures are dark, but I kind of like the eerie hue.

Here is the little tree in the front yard...

...and the pine trees in the front. They look absolutely beautiful with all of the snow piled on.

The cool thing about a snow day is the kids. They can't wait to get breakfast and get outside to play in the snow. Right now they are trying to make some "ice cream" or something with some of the fresh snow. I will have to take some pictures once they get out there. Have a blessed day!

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

On Monday of last week, Steven and I had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days. My in-laws had purchased a little get-away for us that included a 2 night hotel stay, 2 breakfasts, and dinner, not to mention easy access to snowmobile trails. We loaded up the sleds, packed our stuff and headed out to Cadillac. When we arrived on Monday it was a balmy 37 degrees and very nice outside. We decided it would be now or never to ride, so we donned our gear, hopped on the sled and rode off in search of gas. We got our gas, hopped on the trail and rode about a mile before turning around...the trails were past the point of snirt ( I really get a chuckle out of that word...snirt...never knew it was a word until we started checking on websites for snowmobile trail conditions. Snow + dirt = snirt.) They were completely muddy or would that make them smuddy? We had heard from the gas station attendant that the trails were perfect right up until about Sunday. She had said there was A LOT of snowmobilers over the weekend. We ended up going back to the hotel and put the sled back on the trailer. Later that afternoon, it started pouring. It is amazing how fast snow disappears in a downpour!

We were a little disappointed that the weather was not cooperating with us, but decided to make the best of our alone time together. We went to a movie in downtown Cadillac on Monday night. If you get a chance, you'll have to ask Steven what he feels are the 3 most important lessons he has learned about life.

Tuesday we decided to drive to Traverse City for the day. I believe it was actually in the 40's this day. Again, it was pouring later in the evening. Fortunately, the rain held off for most of the afternoon. Once we got to Traverse, we drove around and took in some of the sights. We were pretty surprised to see that Lake Michigan was not froze over. The Big Lake was spectacular on this day. I can't get enough of Lake Michigan. The sounds of the waves crashing in were mezmerizing.

We drove to the Mission Point Lighthouse. I love lighthouses. I am slowly starting to collect pictures of the various lighthouses I've seen over the years. I love the history behind them.

This one has been restored and is very nice on the inside. We peeked in the windows. I would gladly sign up and watch the light for them!

There was a nice walking path around the penninsula where the light house was situated. We walked awhile admiring God's creation. Even the trees that are dead seem to be full of life.

We came upon this really huge dog track...or was it a wolf...or a bear? It was really big. I was really scared...not really.

We walked the beach back to the lighthouse for what seemed like miles...Especially when you are wearing really big boots.

This concluded our little tour of Mission Point. From here, we went and had an early dinner so we could get back to Cadillac before the Blizzard hit. Yep, go figure, they were under winter storm and blizzard warnings on Tuesday night, you know, the night before we were supposed to leave? Somewhere in the middle of the night, we were hit with about 6 inches of snow and huge winds. The truck was completely frozen shut when Steven went out to start it in the morning. He reefed on it so hard he ended up breaking the handle. We left Cadillac at about 9:30 Wednesday morning and white-knuckled it pretty much to Gladwin, where the roads cleared right up and were perfect the rest of the way home.

We ended up having a great time together even though the trip wasn't exactly as planned. It was very nice to be able to have some down time and some alone time. That sure doesn't happen enough. I am thankful that God has brought such a great man into my life.