Day 4: Tonight I did the virtual walk for the Covenant Ability Network Twilight Trot & Sunset Stroll fundraiser while FaceTiming my sis, niece, & nephew. Grateful for places like CAN where people like Tim can live & thrive & for the awesome DSPs. He’s in the last photo in orange.

Day 5: The 1st question Jonathan asked me this morning is if I wanted to go for a drive to see the tiling project. Silly, uncaffeinated me didn’t ask any followup questions, like what we were driving. So many laughs trying not to spill coffee. I love moments like these!

Day 6: It has been an emotionally heavy weekend in the communities of Wood Lake and Cottonwood with the tragic firetruck accident on Friday night. Our family is not part of the ambulance or fire departments, but many of our friends are volunteers. At church this morning, many

Day 7: Fell asleep before finishing this last night. 🤭 On my way up to my AURI board retreat in Walker, MN, I stopped by Miles and Sarah Kuschel’s ranch. We stood in a pasture, saw some pretty cows, and had great conversations. I love that Farm Bureau brought us together many

Day 8: I went on a little scavanger hunt on my way home from the AURI board retreat. I enlisted the help of my sister, Pam, who was able to help me figure out a few locations. 😊 First stop: Fairview Cemetery in Willmar. There are 4500 graves, no online index, and no obvious

Day 9: I really was hoping to be able to see the northern lights tonight, and at first I was disappointed because we had a pretty solid cloud cover. But, I am also way behind on sleep. So I’m going to choose to be grateful for the clouds so I won’t stay up too late. 😀

Day 10: Laura gave me this pig watering can for Mother’s Day this year, and it makes me smile and think of her every time I use it. What fun gift have you received that makes you smile and think of the person who gave it to you?

Day 11: Had lunch with my friend, Karen at my favorite lunch/coffee spot in Marshall. Brought supper out to the combine and had Friday night pizza with my favorite guy. This week has been something, but seeing friends has been a balm for my soul.

Day 12: We finished soybean harvest on Saturday. I was in the house early enough, and had a post formulated…then I got asked a genealogy question by my sister. I finally went to bed at 2am. We found some crazy newspaper articles that contain the biggest mystery and NO WAY!

Day 13: Jonathan and I went to Worthington this afternoon to spend time with the kids. Lydia’s friend birthday party was yesterday, but we couldn’t make that, so we went today. Her actual birthday was in September, but it’s fun extending the joy! Lydia and I had a great

Day 14: I haven't taken nearly as many photos this year as I have in years past, and I'm feeling a bit bummed about the slump in creativity. Jonathan reminded me that tonight was the first super moon of the season, so I stepped outside to see whether the clouds had cleared. I

Day 15: Grateful for opportunities to learn about different areas of agriculture. It’s even better when you are learning with people you love to hang out with! Today we went to Sullivan Farms near Franklin to see sugar beet harvesting in action. It was so cool! Joe explained

Day 16: These two goofy goobers can drive me crazy one minute, then be sweet as pie the next. The two consistent things - they are always happy to see their people, and they cannot sit still long enough for a photo.

Day 17: Grateful for good weather the past couple weeks. Harvest has been humming along without the threat of snow, unlike this memory. Overall, can’t complain. 😄

Day 18: Thankful for good conversations with friends and family while we were all on the go today. It was a good reminder to check on your friends, especially those working long days In the fields. You never know who may need a mood boost.

Day 19: I was invited to attend the Cass County Farm Bureau annual meeting this evening, so I left my house at 1:45 in the afternoon, and got back home again at 12:06 am. 100% worth the drive to spend time with Farm Bureau members who are old friends, and now some new friends.

Day 20: It has been 20 days since we have had any measurable rain. In that time, we had temps as high as 91 and a lot of wind. Today I’m grateful for a little rain, and the beauty of a rainbow…God’s promise not to destroy the earth with another flood.

Day 21: 21 years ago today, our oldest daughter was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 13 years old. On the first anniversary of her diagnosis, we began a tradition of celebrating the good things from the past year. Our Celebration of Life recognitions look different now that

Days 22 & 23: It rained, which means time in the house to catch up on all the things that get neglected when everyone is putting in long days. Both Jonathan and I also took opportunities to rest. As difficult as it is to relax during busy periods, it is important that we do…even

Day 24: It was so good to see a bit of sunshine today! We got the corn test plot harvested, which was a good feeling. It takes a lot of time and attention to detail, so we have one recording data while the other one drives. I happen to think it is much more fun that way!