Exploring Minnesota: A Dam, A Zoo, and A Farm

Before school started we took an afternoon to visit the Coon Rapids Dam.  It was a nice place to hike and explore.

A couple of information centers lent themselves to learning about the Mississippi River and the wildlife that call it home.  Along the river were beautiful trails.

The kids loved throwing rocks and pebbles into the river. Erin showed them how to skip stones.  We walked on through a wooded area where we saw wild turkeys roam.  It was beautiful and peaceful along the river.

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We chose to surprise the kids with a secret destination day a few weeks ago.  We started the day the traditional way with doughnuts at a cozy little bakery.  Then we headed to the Minnesota Zoo.  The zoo did not have some of the traditional animals you may expect but they did have some unusual animals we'd never heard of before.

We really liked that they had an exhibit on Russia's coast.  It was done very well and it was fun for us since we have a special interest in Russia lately.

The zoo was not at all crowded and the weather was great for walking around all day.  The zoo had several indoor exhibits and we appreciated that each exhibit had several viewing areas and each was from a different angle.

 

 Many of the indoor exhibits had tunnels the kids could crawl through to get a closer look.  Since the zoo was not overly crowded on this fall day, they got to take full advantage of all of these neat peeks.

The farm area was a favorite of all three kids.  We saw a cow milking demonstration.  It was just like what I experienced growing up going to Grandpa's farm.  JD liked the chickens and rabbits.  There were lots of fun things for the kids to play on down in the farm area also.

 Our last stop at the zoo was an awesome play area.  Lots of fun things to climb on and play with in this back yard inspired play area.  They even had a fishing boat set on springs for the kids to "ride".

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This past weekend we went out to Fall Harvest.  A real working farm/ apple orchard/ pumpkin patch.  It is a free place to explore and the pumpkins were reasonably priced too.  They have lots of fun things set up for the kids to do.  They can "help" out around the farm by feeding the goats and picking eggs as well.

Our kids love to take full advantage of face cut out photo ops.  We limited them to these two.

 The corn bin was a big hit and since there was not a big crowd that day we let the kids play awhile in there.

 JD loved being in with the baby goats and cows.  It was nice that the farm let them get in and play with the animals.

 Several stacks of tires were another big hit for my kids.

The bigger goats liked the attention more than the baby ones did.

 For a very low price a wagon ride takes you out to the fields.  The tractor driver points out various crops along the way and everyone gets to pick a small gourd to take home and also pick an ear of popcorn.  The kids enjoyed walking through the cornfield to pick their ear of popcorn to take home.

These adventures are our last hurrah here in Minnesota.  It's been fun exploring the state.  We wish we could have done more.  Next we will be exploring our new Tri-State area or WII for short. :)

This Week In Moving: Hold The Phone!

Things are quickly falling into place.  Yesterday the phone would not stop ringing.  When it wasn't ringing, I was on it anyway calling out.  It was a good thing all in all.  We were approved for our new rental home and got a little knocked off the rent.  We are all scheduled and set with the moving company and they are estimating only one day to pack this time.  Erin's relocation package has been sent and accepted.  The school has been informed as to the boy's last day and the new school knows we are coming.  Comcast and trash pick-up are scheduled to stop at the end of the month.  Carpet cleaners are scheduled to arrive shortly after our belongings depart.  Hotels are booked for a couple of nights while we are in limbo.  We are on the right track now and going strong.

I spent some of today starting the cleaning process.  This house was icky when we moved in and I am determined to leave it in better shape than I found it, if only to insure maximum security deposit return.  I scrubbed spots of crayon and marker, that were here upon our arrival, off the basement walls.  We have begun taking pictures off the walls too and boy does the place look bare.

I am down to 3 packages of chicken, 3 packages of Italian sausage, 1 lb country sausage, and one package of 2 pork-chops. I don't think we'll have a problem eating up what we have before the move but boy will we be ready to pick up our 1/2 a beef after we move.  We've had nothing left but chicken and pork for awhile now.  We plan to make a trip down before the move and I should be able to move some cold food at that time.  That is a blessing.

We do hope to have time to visit with friends before we go.  We plan on leaving town on November 1st.  Until then I will enjoy the silent moments or take the phone off the hook.

This week in moving: let the countdown begin

Our tentative move date is somewhere between October 22nd and November 2nd which means that two to three weeks from today we will be in a packing/moving frenzy.  It is hard to prepare with so many unknowns but we are getting there.  It will be one month tomorrow that Erin accepted the position and the HR department has yet to let us know what will be covered as far as relocation so we are going ahead with the process somewhat blind.

This week is full of appointments.  The boys went to the dentist a couple weeks back.  I had moved up their appointments to get them in before we go.  JJ and I went yesterday and also picked up dental x-rays to take with us.  JR had an eye exam and we will be picking up those records to take with us as well.  On Wednesday JJ has one last check with her Orthopedic Doctor to see how her back is progressing.  We moved that appointment up a little too.  I hope we find good doctors after we move.

Yesterday we had an assessor from United Van Lines come look at our stuff to get a quote and today we have an appointment with Steven's Van Lines.  We will choose one after we get both quotes and the van line we choose will make a big impact on our move date.  We hope to get that all in line before the week is out.  I am tired of having to answer, "I don't know yet, I hope to know next week" to the question of, "when are you leaving?".

Erin began filling out our application to rent our first choice home.  I am excited that the owner has said she will let us put in a garden next spring.  I have not seen the home but Erin took lots of pictures and drew out a floor plan.  It is more house than we need but we are grateful to find something that will accommodate our growing family.

JD is home most of this week.  His class had a rather expensive three day field trip planned.  Since he is new at the school and will be moving soon, we didn't see the need for him to go.  He is playing with his sister and doing some home school work.

We are working on clearing out the big freezer.  I plan to move everything out of it this weekend and start it defrosting for the move.  We are also working on finishing up library books so we can turn them all in, pay any fines we have, and close up our accounts there.  We also need to take time to go in and vote since we will not have time to register in Illinois before election day.  (Our first choice home is just across the Mississippi in East Dubuque, Il.)

I have so much in my head that needs to be done but has to wait for one thing or another.  The last week or two will be a frenzy.  I am hoping JJ will be able to spend pack and load days with friends so she will not be underfoot.

Haven Shabbat

I'm sure some of our friends and family think we are a little odd.  That's okay.  Erin and I were both raised in Restoration Movement churches.  We are both Bible scholars in our own way. We both have a fascination with and respect for the Jewish heritage of our Christian faith.

So, two years ago we started celebrating Passover with our family.  We have a love for the symbolism involved and for the correlation between the Passover and Communion.  We love the opportunity to get a peek at the Last Supper of Christ.  We use the evening to teach our little ones about God saving His people in the Old Testament and fulfilling His rescue plan with the sacrifice of Jesus in the New Testament.  Oh, the parallels are many and deep and cut to the heart.

As we researched and planned our first Passover, we became interested in a Sabbath celebration.  I have taken awhile to start because it seemed so special and I wanted to get it perfect.  Eventually, like with Passover, I decided to just dive in and make it our own.  We wanted Sabbath to be a special time for our family to rest and reflect and just be.  We didn't want it to be a burden.  We don't want to have to decline an invitation elsewhere because we celebrate Sabbath.  The Sabbath was created for us, we were not created for the Sabbath after all.

We began with the beginning of the school year.  We plan to celebrate the first Friday evening of the month but to be flexible.  Sabbath is from sun down to sun down but we don't plan to do anything special on Saturday, at least not at this point.  I am sure that as we go along we will add to our celebration things that have meaning to us.  As we continue to learn and grow so will our Sabbath.

We celebrate with candles and bread and wine.  I set a pretty table.  We relax with a nice meal.  We bless our meal.  We pray together.  We talk together.  We end the evening with singing praises to our God.  It may not be a traditional Jewish Sabbath.  We are not bound by such traditions.

One of my favorite parts is that while I knead the bread I am to pray for my family.  I love taking the special time to pray for each individual.  It is such pretty bread and oh how yummy.  I believe we will be eating delicious Challah french toast on Sabbath weekends.

The best part is when Erin goes around and blesses each person in the family.  I love the candlelight, I love the bread, I love the wine, I love the atmosphere that it all creates.  I love praising Our God the King of the Universe together as a family.

So here we are, maybe a little odd.  We don't have a planned family game night or "family time" as some do.  We call it Sabbath.  Will we add other Jewish holidays to our family tradition?  I don't know.  I do have my eye on learning more about Purim.  I do so love learning about the Jewish faith.  The symbolism, the prayers, the loving dedication, it all warms my heart.

And...I want a shofar.  Call me crazy but I do.