Why must we work so hard to keep ourselves so busy so much of the time?  We're already trying hard to NOT over schedule our kids, and they're only 8 and 5!  At the beginning of last summer, Jonah said to us at one point, "Why am I in so many camps?  This is summer, I need a break."  Needless to say, we're ensuring that we check with him first before scheduling camps for him this summer.  Smart kid.

I find it hard sometimes to feel like I have any time to do the things that I love the most, like taking pictures or getting out on my road bike for a ride.  We find that we need to actually schedule that time on our calendars, or it just won't happen.  It gets so much harder as the kids get older, involved in more things, and you're driving them everywhere.

I'm finding myself more introspective than usual after attending Anne's Grandma's funeral service last weekend, and putting together a slideshow/video for it and the reception.  I poured through thousands of my pictures last week to find all that I could of her.  Of course I put the video together at the 11th hour before our trip back home on Friday.

There can be such a business to our lives, that I end up forcing myself to slow down sometimes.  Seeing so many pictures of our kids when they were younger impressed upon me that time is indeed slowing down for no one.

I got a kick out of this photo I found - taken while we were visiting a farm celebration in Wisconsin last summer - the kids having a blast just jumping up and down - and Jonah's shirt quietly mocking the idea of being outside.  :)

Such an unusual name, such a beautiful place.  For those unfamiliar with Tettegouche, it is a State Park in Minnesota north of Duluth along Lake Superior.  I first visited Tettegouche on a solo journey in October, 2001, during a time of self inspection and reflection.  I took my very first digital camera with me, a Nikon Coolpix 2100, all 2.1 megapixels worth, and shot some pretty cool pictures of my adventures during a short visit during peak foliage season.

But the best thing about this park for me has been the trips that I've taken there with my dad and brothers.  We surprised my dad in October, 2006, and swept him away for a few days to go camp together.  We had such a great time that we've continued the annual father/son camping trip every year since, picking a different Minnesota State Park to visit each fall.  In 2010, we returned to Tettegouche for a second time, a little earlier in September, and were blown away again by the breathtaking views of the foliage and Lake Superior via the overlooks on our many hikes.

This fall, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our camping trips, we are returning once again to Tettegouche.  I can't wait to go back with my dad and brothers to Cabin B by the lake for some hiking, photography and Euchre games!

Today we lost one of Anne's grandmothers, Dorothy Furda, who passed away peacefully in her sleep early this morning.  The world was blessed to have her for 93 years.  She was a kind soul, and I was lucky enough to know her for nearly 28 years.  She will be missed dearly, but her legacy will live on in our memories and through her family.