The Event ~ Philly and More. . .

For some reason I always wanted to go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.  I wouldn't consider myself a history buff, but there was a yearning to see a part of where America got it's start.   Now that I've been there, I am filled with desire to relearn history and filled with a greater appreciation of the forefathers who founded America.

Philadelphia was great.  It was interesting to see what I once studied in history books.  All kids should have an opportunity to see these tributes as they study American history.

However, the best part of our 10-day trip back east was the beautiful countryside, away from the traffic of the city.  We can drive and drive and drive through rural countrysides, but neither Tim nor I have a desire to be a part of big city traffic.

And travel the country roads we did!  We discovered Lancaster County - known for the 2nd largest Amish settlement in America.  Three days in that area was not long enough.

We had the privilege to have our own non-commercial tour of an Amish dairy farm, a personal buggy ride with Jake Esh, the farmer; and a personal invite into an Amish home for dinner.

I have much respect for the Amish community and their way of life.  They have hung unto their values and the simplicity and sacred things this country was founded on, and have not let technology steer them away from family, faith and lifestyle. I'm not saying I don't appreciate technology and progress that we have come to enjoy, but I do recognize that we have allowed the same to corrupt the home and family environment. 

We enjoyed browsing through a large farmers market in Ephrata.  The Amish baked goods were awesome and delicious.  Tim bought a new leather belt handmade by an Amish leather craftsman.

The food, especially in Pennsyalvania and Lancaster County, was the best.  The warm pretzels that were so popular, the famous whoopie pies, the shoo-fly pie, the huge smorgasboards in Pennsylvania Dutch country.    We stopped in  Dundalk, Maryland, east of Baltimore, just to eat at the Boulavard Diner which was featured in Guy Fieri's Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins.  I had to try the show's  featured sour beef and dumplings, and Tim went for the meatloaf tower!

Our most favorite eating place was the Historic City Tavern in Philadelphia where we enjoyed a great meal, new beers, and Martha Washington's famous chocolate dessert.  It is the same tavern that George Washington and other president's ate in, and the meals were all served by staff in period costume.

We also walked to Reading Terminal in Independence Square in Philly and orderd what was declared the best sandwich in America on a recent Food Channel sandwich contest.   Reading Terminal is a huge farmers market with eating counters where one can eat ANY ethnic food imaginable!  A great fun place to experience!

The countryside was dotted with covered bridges.  I wish we could have seen more than the 6-7 we came upon.  There is such an ambience about covered bridges.

We enjoyed a beautiful 66 mile scenic drive on Skyline Drive on the peaks of Shenendoah Mountains.  The day was 80 degrees, 35 mph, driving with the windows down and stopping at all the overlooks to take in the beauty of the Shenendoah Valley.

President Eisenhower's farm

We enjoyed a full day at Gettysburg where the Civil War was fought.  Again, history came to life, and I wish I remembered more from the history books.

Part of the battleground on which the Civil War was fought.



We enjoyed a tour of the Luray Caverns in Virginia, an underground cavaern of stalactite and stalagmite formations.

We visited the North shore of Chesapeak Bay

We enjoyed the wonderful musical theatrical production of Jonah while in Lancaster County.

It was a beautiful road trip, enjoying the fall colors at their peak!

We made it home one day before the historic Hurricane Sandy, the worst storm in the history of the US hit the very areas that we travelled through in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland.

It was a very eventful and relaxing trip.  I thought I could easily live  in Pennsylvania until I realized it still wasn't far enough from the eastern coast to avoid the effects of strong hurricanes.  I think I will live in western Nebraska for all the remaining days of my life.  But I want to enjoy many more roadtrips. . .

It was an eventful trip filled with many eventful memories!

The Event ~ Fall is in the Air!

My front yard in autumn.  How splendid!

Autumn is my favorite time of year ~ especially when the colors come out.  God's beautiful creations burst with reds, golds, orange.  Weather is mild, providing relief to the hot summer months, and teasing us with the promise of winter's rage to set in a few months from now.  

Autumn is an eventful time of year.  I feel so blessed to enjoy a scene like this through my front picture window!  Merle seems to enjoy it just as much! 

The Event ~ Dreamin'

More appropriately, I should title this "Nightmares".  I'm sure everyone has at one time or another wondered why they dream the things they dream?  Why certain people come in and out of our dreams?  People who are mere aquaintences, people who really have nothing to do with our own lives?  How do these people with such vivid clear faces enter into our dreams?  Why do dreams appear to be so real?  What triggers certain dreams?  Where do we find the answers to these questions?  Maybe a little research on line.

I had another tornado dream the other night.  This one was so real and so vivid, I awoke feeling like I knew exactly what it is like to be in a house blown away by a tornado and flying through the air.  My cat literally looked like it had been jolted by severe shocks of electricity.  What a sight!

I've had dreams (nightmares) of tornadoes several times in past years.  One time I remember I was trying to make friends with the tornado, talking to it through a basement window at a mechanics shop on mainstreet in Bayard!  The tornado had a face with eyes and a mouth and talked to me.

At a recent family gathering Alexis shared that she also dreams of tornados and our dreams are very similar. 

I also have recurring dreams of plane crashes.  I am never in the plane.  I am always on the ground watching a plane spin, fall and crash.  Often the big planes crash in fields close to our house.  I'm usually the one that calls 911.  Sometimes I help rescue survivors.  Sometimes they are really gory!  I'm not afraid of flying, but in reality, when a plane flys over, I keep my eye on it for a long time, making sure it doesn't go into a tailspin and lose altitude. 

I don't chew gum because I've had numerous dreams of not being able to get rid of the gum.  The gum never ends in my mouth and I'm digging all around the inside of my mouth with my fingers trying to get all the gum out of my mouth.  How can there be that much gum in my mouth?  It's really a yucky dream. 

Another recurring dream that I've had several times in the past but not in recent years is losing all my teeth ~ that my teeth would just start falling out for no reason.  I would feel something in my mouth and ~ oops ~ here's another tooth laying on my tongue.  They would just keep falling out, one at a time!

Of course there are always the dreams of being chased.  I think everyone has dreams of being chased, of having to run away from something, frantically.  Those can be really scary.

And then there are the really stupid dreams that put me in all kinds of weird places with all kinds of people from the past or people I don't even know.  When my kids are in my dreams, they are usually little kids again.    Some are just funny, some very weird, some very scary. 

Where does all this come from?  I guess I will have to do some research about dreams!

The Event ~ Puzzleing

Puzzleing - the act of putting puzzles together!

At family gatherings during my childhood years ~ and beyond ~ I remember there always was a puzzle in progress.  I spent many hours with cousins bent over a puzzle scattered on a table.  It was a social activity.

We still do that today, especially on the Corneliusen side of the family.  I recall the last three reunions of this family, there was always a puzzle or two or three in progress.  Family members would casually participate in the puzzle for minutes at a time or hours at a time.  One couldn't walk by without stopping to try and add one more piece to the puzzle.

This puzzle was put together at the 2012 reunion in Montana.  Working on the puzzle are Alexis, Connie, and Evelyn.

I have always enjoyed puzzles and occasionally would have one out to work on when family was around.  But I never had a good place to lay out a puzzle for an extended period of time.  And I didn't like having a wobbly card table taking up space.

At our last auction we worked, I bought a really nice drop leaf occasional table that looks nice wherever I put it.  With the leaves up, it's big enough for a puzzle.  Now I have a puzzle scattered out on it and enjoy spending a few moments here and there to connect a piece or two.  I find it a mental challenge as well.  It's a good brain activity.  Perhaps guests that come and go may also feel drawn into this activity.  How long will this eventful project take?  I thought this would probably take me several months to finish when I started it last week, but I only have about 40 pieces left to place.  I predict I will finish it tonite!

Then I will put it all back into the box and get out another one!  What an eventful challenge!

Finished first puzzle and then finished second puzzle.  It's an addicting event!       10/8/12

The Event ~ Gifting

I have three very small items (gifts) in my home that I have recently realized bring a smile to my face when I happenstance come face to face with them.  That said, I will elaborate a bit on  "gifting".

We gift to those we love, or friends we are close to, because we are following in the example of our Lord God who loved us so much he gave us His son as a gift to us. 

God gave us the gift of his Son that first Christmas; and people ever since have celebrated Christmas by giving people they love gifts at Christmas.  Even little children get caught up in the spirit of giving gifts to people in their family whom they love.   Children give simply and from their heart with enormous joy. 

OK, that said, back to my original train of thought. . . I have three specific items in my home today that could easily have been tossed out,  added to a garage sale box, or lost in the moves. However, these items have managed to stay the course and resurface from time to time and currently hold not only a safe place in my home, but also a special place in my heart.    They are just 3 crazy little things that have gained a spot of honor among my "treasures".

These items are gifts from my children in their younger years.  Two of the items were carefully selected for me for Christmas by Janel and Alexis when they went shopping with Dad at Western Auto store on main street Bayard years ago ~ they must have been maybe 6 and 4 years old ~ I don't even remember the year. But I do remember how pleased and proud they were of the gifts they each had selected. 

Through the years, they were probably packed away, lost, but always resurfaced.  I think its a miracle that I actually still have them.  Through the years I actually forgot who gave what.  I always remembered the majorette was from one of the girls, but which one?  And the lady pin cushion I had actually forgotten it was gifted at the same time as the majorette.  The majorette is in my display hutch with my Americana collection.  And the pin cushion is kept close at hand and in use in my sewing hutch.  But it wasn't until recently during a conversation with Alexis that she reminded me she gave me the pin cushion and Janel gave me the majorette and that they bought them at Western Auto when they went shopping with Dad.  I have no idea the course of our conversation to cause these items to surface in our discussion.  But her remembrance of the occasion, and jogging my memory has made me cherish these two items immensely.  My two special gifts from my two special girls! 

The third item is a special gift from my son.  The gift hangs on the wall amidst more Americana collections.  It is a counted cross stitch flag ~ an unfinished project ~ that Cash made about 1992-1993 when he was 11-12 years old. 

The country quilt shop had recently opened across the street and he went over and asked Donna Considine, the owner, if there was something he could make for his mom.   The counted cross stitch flag was the end result.  She showed him how, and Cash worked diligently on the project, but in the end didn't finish it, leaving it undone with a row of white stripes to finish.  The needle and white thread remains with the unfinished project.  I just placed the remaining thread in the shape of the USA around the flag and stuck the needle in the fabric.  Then I framed the piece.  It is a gift of Cash's love and diligent handiwork at a young age. 

Through the years I have received numerous gifts from my children and my husband.  Today I can't tell what they were and probably most of them I don't even have anymore.  I do know that they were always given out of love. 

I wish I would have kept a journal from the beginning of our married life noting simple little things like what we did each Christmas, the meaningful gifts we were blessed with, etc.  It would be fun to recollect some of those memories.

My grandfather kept a journal for many, many years.  Just a sentence to note something about each day.  Be it the weather, the amount he sold eggs for that day, the price of something he bought, etc.  I remember reading through some of its pages.  That journal still exists and is kept safely by some family member somewhere. 

It's not that we need to put alot of memory and importance on material possessions, but its the memories and love that are part of certain possessions that make them treasures.    And my pin cushion, my majorette, and my unfinished flag are three treasures that I cherish.  They are not tucked away.  They are placed prominently where I can daily enjoy, see and feel the love that was put into each gift.  They are events in my life, my past.  They are eventful memories. 

The Event ~ Worry

Worry is an event ~ an unpleasant event.  An unpleasant event that strips valuable time and resources from my day.  An unpleasant event that fills my head with negativity.  An unpleasant event that weighs heavily on me and creates an unnecessary burden for me to carry.  An unpleasant event that stirs trouble in my soul and mind.  An unpleasant event that causes me to want to be a control freak, which makes me an unpleasant person.   Worry can be a daily event that wears a person down. 

So why do I worry?    And what do I worry about? 

I think I worry most about my children.  Why?  Is it because I love them so much, I don't want them to suffer through trials,  and I only want absolutely the best and most perfect of life for them, and when it is anything less than that, I worry?  I worry about my husband ~ especially when he doesn't come home from the field or somewhere in the time frame that I expect him.  What bad thing has happened?
I worry about the future ~ I worry about the kind of society my grandkids will have to survive in (in a time when I will not even be around anymore!)  And I worry about their safety in a world filled with kidnappers and murders and drugs and peer pressure.   

STOP!  This is all useless negativity.  First of all, my children are all beautiful, well educated, capable, hard working, selfless, giving, thoughtful, and loving.  They can take care of themselves and only need my love, not my worry.  My husband is the best event that has ever happened to me, and the most meaninful daily event in my life.  God is in control of all of them, not me. 

So when I was reading my latest issue of Guideposts magazine, I was severely hit in the head when I read an "Upside Quote"  ~ "Worry is like praying for what you don't want!"   OMG  If all that "mind time" went into prayer instead of worry, my entire family would benefit.  That quote has stuck into my mind and nearly rid me of that wicked word, leaving a prevailing peace.

After all, comfort and prosperity have not enriched our lives as much as trials have, when I consider that trials draw us closer to God.  And as the song goes, "Just a Closer Walk with Thee,"  is what I most desire for those I love most.

It is my understanding that God will never leave us or forsake us and He will walk with us through the trial.  In the middle of our worst trials, we can hold onto God’s promise that He will always be there for us – even when He remains unseen and unfelt.  That promise is sure.  I expect God to remain with me and my family in any storm, lead us through it, and make us stronger and more faithful and better off because of it.

So my goal is to let go of worry and let God work according to His will in our lives.  Can I let go of all these pretentious fears?  I don't know.  But I'm not going to worry about it. . .  Just give God the glory for enriching my life through the family he has blessed me with. 

The Event ~ The Tree

This is a tree.  The reflections are the event. . .

When my Dad died in 1998 (14 years ago now, already), we came home from the funeral in Montana and found a small two-foot potted tree on our back steps.  The attached card reflected the tree was a gift from my work place, Farmers Irrigation District, in honor of my Dad.  In the years since, the tree has grown into a magnificent, stately, living memorial.  It's a beautiful tree, and everyday when walking past it, I think of my Dad.  If this tree were not here, my thoughts and reflections of life with Dad would be few and far between. I appreciate the significance of this tree and the memories within its branches!



The Event ~ Reaping the Red Beet Harvest

My little tiny small garden is producing a small harvest.  So far I have picked 3 huge cabbages, cucumbers to eat fresh, an abundance of zuchinni, of course, romaine lettuce, only 1 red tomatoe so far (lots of green ones show promise!), and a small harvest of red beets.

I like to raise red beets maybe every two-three years, because the only time we eat them is with hamburger pie, also known as Shepherd's Pie.  So hopefully one season's canned red beets will last at least two years.

Red beets are really easy to preserve.  After plucking from the garden, cut off the tops within 1" of the beet, hose down outside before taking to the kitchen, cook in boiling water till the peelings slip off, probably a good half hour, remove and submerge in cold water, slip off the peelings, cut off the tops and tails, quarter, and reheat thoroughly in water/vinegar/sugar/pickling spice as follows:

About 10 cups more or less quartered diced red beets
2 1/2 cups vinegar

2 1/2 cups water

3 cups sugar

2 Tble pickling spice tied in cheesecloth     

When tender and hot (30-30 mintues) pack into jars and seal!  Enjoy.

HAMBURGER PIE

1 lb hamburger browned with onion
Salt & pepper to taste
1 can french cut green beans, drained
1 can tomato soup

Mix all together, heat through.  Put into serving bowl.  Top with layer of mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over all. Heat in oven till cheese is melted.

Now I like to take my red beets and mash them right into my individual serving of hamburger pie!

An eating event to savor.  And a family favorite!

The Event ~ Two Weeks With Ben

It's always our pleasure to have one of our grandkids stay with us for an extended stay.  This time we have Ben for two weeks.  Not his first time to stay with us, as he has been here several times.  This time he was here during fair time.

We took him to his first rodeo.  He really liked the bull riders.  It was very touching when the rodeo started off with a somewhat long prayer directed to our heavenly Father, God the almighty,  praying for the safety and protection of the rodeo participants and the animals, asking in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  Wow, you don't hear that much in public anymore.  And then time to honor the military as well.  Those moments just send goose bumps throughout.

Another night we took him to the carnival, which he said was his first carnival, and let him do a few rides.  The carnival was packed with people which was a little surprising I thought.  It's nice to see people turn out and support a small town carnival once again. 

Ben and I also went to the fair parade in Mitchell.  We have lived here for 26 years, and I think this was the first fair parade I went too!  It was refreshing to see people turn out for a small hometown parade.  The candy that was thrown out was way more than I've seen at bigger parades.  Ben filled both big pant pockets and my purse with candy and shared with two little girls who were not big enough to quickly gather up hands full of candy.  The moms of the two little girls commented on what a nice boy he was and how nice of him to share his candy.   The first thing he did when we got home was divide it up into 7 little bags to share with his brothers and sisters!

We enjoyed time playing frisbee, which he was really good at.  Ben was excited to mow the lawn with the riding mower.  He got to do that twice and did a really nice job.  I just let him go round and round till he got it all, in slow gear of course.

BEn also helped me can cherries and peaches.  He took the stems off of 40 pounds of cherries, and he helped slip the peelings off  the peaches. 

He spent his days with Grandpa mostly, went swimming with a friend, and spent some time at Great Grandpa's house too.  His chores were to give the steers hay every morning and every night, which he did diligently.

Ben likes to help out,  But,  Ben is a real storyteller,  a bs-er to be exact!  He doesn't stop to think about what he says.  Much of what he says is not true.  I don't want to call him a "liar", but he has a habit of  exagerating  and "knowing all the answers".  He is just a kid who wants to know so much and be able to do it all, that he thinks he can do it all and he thinks he does know everything, and he doesn't think twice about saying so! Ben even admits he knows more than most people, and knows more than his Dad and Grandpa.   He loves to be helpful and gets a grin from ear to ear when given praise and recognition.  His words of appreciation, with a smile from ear to ear,  were repeated over and over again when we took him to the different events.  In the eyes of a young boy, he was thrilled and thankful to be taken to the carnival and the rodeo and the fair, and allowed to mow the lawn, etc.

He hurts when Grandpa teases him or makes fun of the way he talks.  Ben has an "r" speech impediment which drives Grandpa nuts.  But he probably got that from me, as I still have trouble with my "r" words. 

We worked on him not saying "cheater" everytime he didn't win at some silly little game we were playing, like who is first to buckle their seatbelt, but rather saying "good job. . . ".  He did a good job at that too!

Ben discovered he LOVES liver.  I fixed it one nite as "beef steak", and he thought it was awesome and begged to have it again the next nite.  So the second week I fixed it again.  He really wants me to take his Mom some of that meat and show her how to fix it!!  Ha-ha - that's funny!

Ben is a charming young man to be around.  We loved having him, as we do each of the kids.  Ben, we enjoyed having you and we love you and will miss you.  Someday when you are much older you will read this and get that big smile on your face!  Now I just have to get a picture of Ben and me together!

The Event ~ The Corneliusen Family Reunion III

July 1 - 4, 2012, Beartooth Mountain Ministries Camp, Montana

65-70 family members gathered together to enjoy three days of renewing family ties.  This is the third Corneliusen family reunion that I am aware of.  The first was 19 years ago in 1993 near the North entry of Yellowstone Park in Montana.  The second reunion was five years ago in 2007 in Scottsbluff, an event Tim and I hosted at Trails West Camp along the North Platte River right here in Scottsbluff.

And now the third reunion is history as well.  For those of us there, we all had a really great time.  For those family members who were not there, what a wonderful time you all missed out on.  The setting and scenery was beautiful, the food was delicious (alot of good cooks in this family), the activities fun. 

Kids and adults alike enjoyed horse back riding, zip lining, rock wall climbing, kayaking,   a horseshoe  tournament, lefsa making,  swimming, card games, reminiscing, and of course working on puzzles! 

It took us about a day and a half to complete this eagle puzzle.  A real challenge!

We enjoyed the opportunity to take granddaughter Mathilda with us.  She had so much fun.  She even climbed to the very top of this rock wall. . . .

Alexis' friend Val flew into Billings on Tuesday nite to join us briefly before heading out camping with Cash and Annie and Alexis on Wednesday morning.  It was exciting to finally meet this guy who Alexis is so happy to share her life with. 

Family Reunions are very special events and I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful extended family.  Till we meet again. . .