The candle is burning down…it’s time for some reflection.

Last year I claimed the word “reduce” for my word of the year. I need to ponder my thoughts on my goals and expectations of that word.

• I have made a small dent in my art and sewing supplies over the course of the year.
• I’ve lost 9 inches across my body according to the measurements at Curves but only 1lb on the scale. I guess that proves that muscle weighs more than fat.
• I’m on the fence with reducing the “stuff” in our house. We’ve gotten rid of some but added others. I think it’s a wash.
• I continue to look for ways to reduce the chemical load in our house as well as reduce our waste. “Bigbox” mentality is hard to fight against while trying to stay budget friendly. I’d say we are definitely still a work in progress with this one.

Overall I feel positive about my goal “word” of the year. I think it helped me to have a self-commitment ideal in mind…not just some arbitrary goal that I set when I’m feeling big change is needed…then poop out a few weeks into it.  It could be said that “she’s got a lot of quit in her“.

All that’s left to do is kiss my sweetheart at midnight…or at least before bed since I’m sure I won’t last that long.

Have a safe and happy New Years Eve everyone!

So my neighbor calls me Saturday morning and asks me to go on an adventure. She also had invited another neighbor on her adventure west. Shockingly, both of us said yes with 45 minutes notice…grabbed our kids and left.

Here’s the back of the van after our travels…. back country gravel roads are very dry and dusty right now.

We drove about 2 hours west of here to her sisters farm. They were having an anniversary party and it’s always “the more, the merrier” for their huge family.

Shortly after we got there it was decided that a few of us should go visit a brand new winery about 5 miles away….more gravel roads…

I sampled this wine and decide to buy a bottle so Mr. G could enjoy it as well since he was off on his own adventure for the day in another direction.  It’s called Rockin’ Coyote after all the coyote in the area that come out to serinade each night.

All the kids had a blast running and jumping across round bails of hay that were neatly set in rows. There were a few mis-steps but no injuries…only laughs.

After the eating and running off the calories we went on a hayride.

A whole gaggle of kids and a handful of adults hopped on a hayrack behind this tractor driven by the eldest son of our hosts.

It honestly was the longest hayride I’ve ever been on…..

We travelled around a “section”….

Later we found out a “section” is about a 5 mile fun but dusty trip….

We saw lots of crops…some horses…and the MN River Valley just below this farm.

My 90-some yr old uncle lives about 12 miles upriver of here. Such a beautiful area….

On the way home I wanted to drive through the town my dad spent his early years in. I thought I’d be able to pick out my Grandpa’s church without a doubt.
Time has really aged it. It was kind of sad.
I didn’t even stop to take a picture myself because I was so sure I must be mistaken.
I was the last baby my Grandpa ever baptized…and also his last grandchild. I have the baptizmal bowl from the fount that we all were baptized from. It’s one of my treasures.

Here’s a photo I found on Flickr from 2009.

All in all it was a fun spur of the moment 250 mile roundtrip adventure!!! I wish we had time to do more since we were in that “neck of the woods”…or prairie as the case may have been but there is always next time….