Door County

We spent two glorious days in beautiful Door County ~ the thumb of Wisconsin.

We stayed at the AmericInn in Sturgeon Bay ~

and as you can see from the map ~ easy access to the entire peninsula.

The only thing better than Door County in October ~

is beautiful Door County October weather. And that we had!

And it doesn't hurt that you're traveling in the perfect pumpkin colored car to match the scenery. Our friend Ralph in Wausau let us use his car for the week. What a nice ride.

Peninsula State Park was breathtaking. The colors were maybe a few days beyond their peak, but we were thrilled to see so many brilliant colors considering a huge wind storm had blown through a couple weeks prior.

Peninsula State Park is 3,776 acres of pristine wooded bluffs and hiking trails 

and shorelines along the Green Bay.

Stunning views everywhere you looked.

Julie's is located near the entrance to Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek

and the pot roast dinner special was the best!

And yes, that lady climbed in that ginormous chair and had a heck of a time getting out. 

We headed back to Sturgeon Bay for the night

and then we were back on the road the next morning ~ to the tip of Door County ~

to board the 6 mile ferry ride to Washington Island.

This was the crazy road just before we got to Gills Rock.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for my Washington Island post.

oh my gosh ~ TWINS!

YES! emolyn & elsie's mommy & daddy are expecting TWINS!!

We're going to be Mimi & Pop Pop to GRANDBABY TWINS!!

Our son Shawn and his wife Nicole are pregnant with TWO BABIES!!

We've known about the babies since Sept. 23rd ~

but it wasn't until Nicole posted her ultrasound on facebook yesterday ~

and I finally saw the babies for myself ~ that it became real.

And I burst into tears. 

And I fell in love.

Lambeau Field

What an emotional day. Don’t laugh, but during our one hour tour of Lambeau Field, I got so emotional. You guys, if you’ve not been ~ you must! And the Packer Hall of Fame is sooo worth the time and money. Just seeing the Lombardi Trophy back in Green Bay was awesome! 

And thanks to my dear friend and devout Viking fan Don Nelsen, I wore the jersey he got me for my 50th birthday with my name on the back. Folks, that up there, is a moment I will never forget.

The Green Bay Packers are truly America’s team. No, really they are. The Packers are the only sports team owned by the fans. Their 92 year history is the best feel-good story in sports. And seriously, with a population of only 100,000 people! No way would the NFL let a city that small buy a franchise today. The Green Bay Packers paid $250 dollars to become a franchise. And the newest NFL team, the Houston Texans paid $800 million dollars! How crazy is that!

Just to be standing on that hallowed field while the Green Bay Packers 

are the reigning Super Bowl Champs ~ well, it doesn't get much better than that.

Ok, so maybe seeing an actual game someday would trump that :)

So anyway, here I sit hours later. This is my view along the banks of the Green Bay at Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. I have walked the rocky shores, hiked a trail and taken way too many pictures, while Randy naps in our pumpkin-colored car. And because I don’t want to forget this moment, I pulled out my laptop to pour out my thoughts.

I am filled with wonder at the beauty all around me ~ 

the crashing waves, the brilliant leaves, the cool breezes, the quiet calm.

We have two days on this peninsula of paradise with zero expectations...
 with very little on our agenda. 

Just blessings abounding at every bend and corner.

And I don't want to miss a single moment because of my plans, my agenda.

So I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow holds. I think it's going to be wonderful.

Autumn in Wausau

Randy & I are in Wausau, Wisconsin for the 10th Anniversary Benefit Concert, Dinner & Auction for Randlin Homes. My oldest and dearest friend Linda, who brought me out to Phoenix 34 years ago, started Randlin Homes with her husband Ralph. Randlin Homes are group homes for homeless vets in the Wausau area. The two Randlin Homes Thrift Stores fund a portion of the expenses and also enable those in recovery to volunteer at the Thrift Stores.

They named the ministry after Randy & I and we could not be more honored to celebrate in the success and expansion of Randlin Homes ~ we're talking 6 homes with 46 beds! Randlin Homes are making such a difference in the community and changing lives. And those lives are learning skills that free them to enter back into the community in health.

Linda & Ralph and Randy & I got up early Saturday morning to watch the sunrise and it turned into a 2 1/2 hour hike along the Wisconsin River. We had flown in the night before and were totally blown away by the colors that awaited us come daylight. I'm in heaven. No really, heaven has got to be fall in all its peakness glory.

So good to be reunited with my friend Linda, even though it had only been 6 months ago since we last saw each other ~ at the Hand in Hand Reunion. Some of you may remember reading the story about how two farm girls from Wisconsin ended up in Phx 34 years ago. For those of you that haven't, you can read it HERE.

I love pumpkins. I love the color pumpkin. And I love pumpkin colored cars. And that happens to be the color car we're driving to Door County this week. I'm thinking a pumpkin colored shirt is in my future.

I sure hope you'll check back for more of my Wisconsin posts. The concerts today went so well and we are humbled and overjoyed! We head out tomorrow morning to visit family and friends in the Appleton area ~ tour Lambeau Field in Green Bay ~ and two days in beautiful Door County. Good stuff coming!

Steve Jobs ~ Apple

 We entered the world of technology 21 years ago. It was 1990. Shawn was 8, Miranda 6 and Tyler was 1. Randy had been working a couple years as the janitor at our church while developing his own ministry ~ Randy Thompson Ministries.

Our dear friend David Chatburn had come along side Randy to assist in the business aspect of incorporating the ministry. David was a Mac user. So the data base and graphics he created were on a Mac.

We had been given an old MacIntosh the year before that was unable to run David's software. It was the premier Mac from 1984 ~ the one pictured here with Steve Jobs. Oh the hours I spent journaling my life, on what we affectionately called "the dinosaur".

Randy went full-time with RTM in 1990 and soon bought a new Mac that would allow him to run the data base software that David had created and to create his own graphics. 

So you see, we became Apple users out of necessity. But devoted Apple users for life ~ because they "just work". Come on, the very fact that we've never gotten a virus in all these years is pretty awesome.

I actually remember how excited my husband was when he told me that Steve Jobs was back with Apple... and especially when the iMac was finally unveiled in 1998. It was unlike anything we'd ever seen ~ cute, curvy and colorful. We immediately bought the blueberry one. And sure enough, the iMac singlehandedly turned Apple around. Thanks to Steve Jobs.

We soon outgrew the iMac and moved onto the eMac, then the G3, G4, G5 and then the Macbook Pro laptops ... but ever mindful that the one computer we would hang onto for future display would be that '98 iMac. And we did just that. Over the summer we dusted it off and put it on display ~ when we moved my husband's office down the hall and created his dream recording studio/ office.

Little did we know that months later, Steve Jobs, the creative genius behind this iconic piece of technology would leave this earth.

The very fact that I am sitting here, writing on my blog is a testament to Steve Jobs, who believed that every home would one day have a computer.

crowns, concerts & cardigans

Miss emolyn & Mimi

• I recently ingested a permanent crown worth lots of $$ ~ the dental assistant accidentally dropped it in my mouth, panicked and froze. When I asked what happened ~ it slid down my throat. After a couple hours of Xrays at Urgent Care to ensure it would pass ~ I was given the option of a new one or "retrieving" the old one in a couple days. Umm, no thank you, I'll take a new one.
• I'm all for recycling... but not something that has cycled through my body... if you know what I mean.
• Btw, they didn't charge for another one, nor Urgent Care.
• Randy & I leave for Wausau, Wisconsin on Friday to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Ranlin Homes with a benefit concert, dinner and Silent Auction. Ranlin Homes was named after Randy & I ~ so we're pretty excited to celebrate the success and expansion of this amazing ministry. 
• My friend Linda & I will be singing, along with Randy, and also Linda & her daughter Heather.

• Happy 1st Birthday to my granddaughter Elsie Lane! Omg, I love that bugabooski!
• Randy & I are spending two days in Door County while in Wisconsin. The colors will be at their peak and I'll be savoring every single second.
• The cooler weather will be a welcome change. 
• We're talking cardigans, hats and scarves and JEANS! I can hardly wait!
• Thanks to my high school friend Betsy's brother Peter, for giving me permission to use the image he captured last fall, for my latest blog banner. It's near where I grew up ~ in the Pigeon Falls area. I love it!

• Celebrating Nicole's 30th Birthday ~ that's emolyn & elsie's Mommy!

finding my fashion style

Yes, I'm in pursuit of my fashion style ~ and I have Pinterest to thank.
You see, clothes and fashion magazines have never been my thing. I am more about the art of repurposing, creating, designing and sewing. I know what looks good on others and what doesn't. But when it comes to me, I don't put a whole lot of thought and effort in that area.

And like many, I've made the mistake of being more about the deal rather than the actual purchase. And even though it may not go with a single thing in my closet... or it may be a dreadful color that washes me out... or it may be trendy and therefore already out of style... or it may mean that I need to lose weight in order for it to fit properly... or it may hang in my closet for years because I never do...

but by golly, it was a good deal!

Then it occurred to me... all my good deals would probably end up costing the amount of a few classic pieces that could be worn a myriad of ways, for a real long time.
But I didn't get that, for a real long time...

... till Pinterest came into my life... and I discovered my daughter's fashion board... and then I discovered that nothing in my closet fit me anymore... and I'm thinking gee, maybe I ought to explore my fashion style. So while my daughter was in Australia for 18 days, I spent hours-on-end pinning away. I could hardly wait for Miranda to come home and scrutinize my fashion board. Hey, it helps that she knows me well and I totally trust her.

You see, the goal of pinning my fashion style is not to go out and purchase those items... it is so I have a clear understanding and awareness of what I really like and don't like. And let me tell you, it has made shopping so much easier. I don't waste hours looking for deals only... but rather those things that I like only. Now don't get me wrong, I still love a good deal and quite frankly, I'm finding I can have both... thus my newly acquired title... that I wear ever so proudly. I'm Linda Thompson and I'm a frugal fashionista.

True story... on my first shopping trip with my daughter, I splurged and paid retail for that gold cardigan sweater at Target. It wasn't on sale. It wasn't on clearance. I paid the full $19.99! I had only done that one other time that I can remember... a Liberty of London dress at Target, shortly after they released the line two years ago, which was shortly after we had visited our daughter in London. I paid a full $24.99!

Of course everything else I bought on that first shopping trip (pictured above) was on clearance. Like I said, the consummate frugal fashionista!

Anyway, for those that are curious, check out my finding my fashion style Pinterest board... or all my Pinterest boards for that matter. Happy pinning!

thoughtful images

My Dad was so proud of the Blue Spruce tree he planted many years ago.
He always pointed it out when showing us his beautifully landscaped acreage next to the farm in Wisconsin. Well, much to my surprise and delight, there was a forest full of naturally growing Blue Spruce at the North Rim! And of course I thought of my Dad.

I love texture... in decorating, in fashion... in nature.

We had no sooner heated up a can of chicken noodle soup on our Coleman stove...

when the rains came and we had a front row seat to the best views in camp.

Mmm, one of those apples doesn't seem to fit quite right :)

We got little sneak peeks of the fall colors yet to come.

I was reminded that the best part of a road trip,
is that the trip back gives you a totally different slant, a whole new perspective...
than what you had already observed.

North Rim ~ Day 3

Well, the storm arrived in full-force... and the thunder did not disappoint.

We sat out on the porch of the General Store at the North Rim campgrounds,
enjoying the thunder, rain and our usual coffee & almond crunch Haagen Dazs bars, 

and meeting new friends from all over the world ~

London, Australia, France, Germany, Holland, Connecticut, Virginia and New Orleans.

When there was a break in the storm, we would make our way back to the edge of the Rim. 

Watching the clouds ebb and flow became almost hypnotic. 

I couldn't take my eyes off any given peak for a second without it changing dramatically.
Clic each pic for a bigger, better view.

The North Rim Lodge is such a beautiful building with spectacular views.

We are so thankful we spent every moment we could enjoying the canyon,
because on our last morning we awoke to a cloud covered canyon.
But who's complaining when you've had rain pelting on your van most of the night ~
the ultimate white noise!

Till next time ~ so long North Rim Canyon! (I know you're out there)
And sure enough, by the time we made our way through the National Park entrance ~
blue clear skies.

And just as we were leaving the North Rim National Park, we remembered that our friends Terry & Nancy told us to be sure and stop at Jacob Lake Inn (40 miles from the park entrance) for the best homemade cookies.
What a scrumptious ending to a stupendous adventure!
(I've always wanted to use that word :)
Thanks for coming along!

Angel's Window ~ Cape Royal

Next stop ~ Angel's Window 

I think the thing I could not get over was how remote and untouched the North Rim is.
And you have to want to be there. You're never just passing through so you can take a quick look. And it has not been commercialized in the least.

This was our first glimpse of Angel's Window from a roadside stop.

We kept meeting up with two gals from Holland every time we'd stop for photo ops.

We'd wonder how the views could get any better... and they would!

How cool is it that you can see the Colorado River through the arch window!

In minutes we'll be walking along the top of the Arch! 

And the views would be out of this world!

As we hiked along the edge of the canyon to the top of Arch Window, 

we could actually see the raging rapids of the Colorado River below.

We are now on top of Angel Arch! Breathtaking views.

And then we hiked another half a mile to Cape Royal Point ~

where the views far exceeded our expectations!

We were told earlier in the day to be sure and climb out from under the protective fences at Cape Royal and walk out on to even more dramatic view points. (at our own risk of course)

So we did, when we saw our new friend Michelle from Connecticut do just that.

Michelle has not only been to the North Rim 65 times over many years, but she has hiked hundreds of miles through every nook 'n cranny of the canyon. She knows every thing there is to know about the Grand Canyon. We felt like we had our own personal tour guide. She could point out the names of every peak and where the South Rim Village was and the weather conditions that were headed our way. She was not only a wealth of knowledge but quite the story-teller. And you know how I love a good story.

I was able to capture her at the very stick out we had just been to,

and I'm thinking, I must be crazy to have just walked out on to that very vista!

What we didn't know at this point in time is that a tornado warning had been issued in the area, and also a severe thunderstorm was headed our way. We could see the storm clouds building all around us... and well, come on folks, the thought of experiencing a thunderstorm at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was a super exciting added blessing to an already awesome day. So BRING IT ON!