Minnestoa - Otters

Crochet Pinecones

Minnesota Moose

Seasons of Life

My father is always comparing the stages of life to seasons. For example, the time before I was married and had a child was the Spring of my life. Now that I have a the responsibilities of a child, husband and home, my life has journeyed into Summer. My parents claim they are in their Autumn and my grandparents in their Winter. This way of viewing life got me to thinking about relationships and roles that define these seasonal changes.

The passage of Spring to Summer in my life coincided with my changing role from single or newly wed to becoming a wife and mother. From being viewed not only as a child or girlfriend, but as an adult, at least to most eyes. For my parents the exit of Summer to the entrance of Autumn was defined by their children growing up. Their acts of getting married and having children of their own not only changed the roles between myself and them, but it create a new role, grandparents.

The further I contemplate how these life decisions not only effect current relationships, I realize how they cause us to step into new roles for ourselves. As I am adjusting to being called "Mom", a name when spoken causes me to look for my Mom, I realize I am adjusting to a new relationship; not only with my husband and son, but with my parents and in-laws as well. Becoming a Mom has made me realize that I must be assertive with all people, including both sets of parents when it comes to the welfare of my family. The responsibility of caring for not just myself, but to think about myself, my husband, son and dog as a unit and being responsible for making choices and decisions that effect us all and how we want to raise our son and function as a family. To no longer follow the rules and lifestyle that was established by our parents, but to decided our own lifestyle and rules for our family; to incorporate how my husband and I were both raised. What we want to keep the same and what we would like to do differently.

The balance in roles between being a child to my parents and becoming a parent myself is a juxtaposition in my reaction to situations which can be a constant struggle. I am assuming it is a the same for those who are just becoming grandparents, the leaving of Summer and entrance to Autumn. The necessity of letting go of making decisions for your own children, the stepping aside and letting them make decisions for their children, even when you do not agree, must be difficult.

As I journey through life via these seasonal changes, I hope experiences and time will assist in making these roles, old and new, more comfortable for all. Although I am reminded it is the struggle which makes life's blessings more rewarding.

Crochted Leaf Hand Bag

Crochet Snowflakes

University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Tin Man | Movie Review

Having spent my middle School years in Grand Raid, MN, I am very familiar with the 1939 version of the Wizard of Oz. Grand Rapids was the birth place of Judy Garland. The original yellow brick road from the movie is in the center of town. The coach the horse-of-a-different-color pulled Dorothy into the emerald city in is also housed in Grand Rapids.

I have watched the movie several times, it always appeared to whimsical and child like to me. While I have never read the book, becuase the movie didn't interest me enough  to do so, I imagined it was meant to be darker than it was portrayed.

Tin Man was a fantastic interpretation of L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz". It is an imaginative display of the original ideas of the Wizard. All the  main characters of the are still searching for the same things, but with more dimension and background story than the 1939 film provides. It is a Sci-Fi channel presentation, so look past some of the corniness that arises from time to time. The acting, unlike many reviews that I have read, was not that bad. The actors were able to capture an maintain their characters through out the entire series. The only exception to this was in the scarecrow's character called Glitch. In the first episode he is constantly repeating himself, then in the next couple episodes, he stops. I put that blame on the director and writers, not the actor.I am definitely planning on watching this again.

Minnesota Wolves

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Movie Review

While the director remained the same from The Order of the Phoenix, this film reflected the maturity of the book over the previous five. The book was dark with some lighter over tones and I was delighted that David Yates didn't maintain the same depth of whimsical fun as he did in the Order of the Phoenix. In addition, I originally thought the composer for the Half-Blood Prince score was different, but I was proven wrong. I really enjoyed that the composer, Nicholas Hopper, followed the director's lead in making the music for this film a bit darker and more serious than the previous ones. 

Other details that struck me in this film were when Luna Lovegood blinks with the lion head on, the lion blinks too. Not every time mind you, but often enough to make it hysterical. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, did an exceptional job with his character in this movie. It was easy to find yourself feeling a bit bad for him. That is was clear he was not an evil character by nature but by circumstance.

All in all, my husband and I agree this was a great movie. In fact, in my opinion, this film had the best score and was the best directed out of all the Harry Potter movies so far.

Make Way for Ducklings | Boston, MA

San Diego, CA

Cross-Stitched Snowman

Crocheted Falling Leaves

San Diego, CA

After spending Thanksgiving in the hospital with a neurological issue that is still undiagnosed, I have come to the realization that I must have a natural talent to live. Several doctors and neurologist have told me they are astounded, after looking at the MRI and CT Scans, that I can function and cope as well as I am.

So this blog is a celebration of life. I will write articles in response to issues or events when inspired. I will also showcase photography, art and other crafts I accomplish. While I used to work for award winning design and marketing studios and ran my own business, I am now happily employed by my 11 month old son.