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| This reminded us of Versailles in Paris. |
At 8:00 am yesterday, I drove from the hotel to Greg’s house to pick up granddaughter Maisie for her special day. These days with the grandchildren, one-on-one, will continue through the upcoming four-plus weeks until it’s time for us to move along on July 7th.
We love being with our people..family…friends, and even those we don’t know, such as on this upcoming Friday night from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill at 220 Carlson Parkway, Plymouth, MN, where we’ll hold our first Meet & Greet for a few dozen of our Minnesota readers.
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| The colors are a feast for the eyes. |
If you haven’t RSVP’d, please do so now by email (link on the right side of our daily homepage). We’re already fully booked based on the accommodations but may have space for a few more if there are last-minute cancellations.
With the pace with family and friends at “full board,” we’re finding ourselves moving from one scenario to another at lightning speed. We flop into bed late at night and bolt upright early in the morning, ready to take on another busy and enjoyable day.
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| What a view! |
I told Tom this morning it’s not unlike being on a cruise (except that we’re with those we already know and love) when every moment of each day is occupied in pleasurable and meaningful activities. Who’s to complain about being tired when every day is memorable?
The rest? The traffic? The road construction? The long lines? And a sense of urgency in public venues that we haven’t experienced in a long, long time. The easy peasy laid back lifestyle awaits us for another day.
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| Garden statue. |
This is the here and now, and we’re gathering all of our tolerance and patience to live in this hustle and bustle lifestyle while spending these nine weeks, now almost down to seven weeks with four and a half weeks remaining in Minnesota and three weeks upcoming in Nevada.
For Tom, the traffic is his biggest frustration, a factor that he’s especially enjoyed living outside of the US. We rarely encounter traffic in any remote areas in which we’ve lived over these past several years. The pace is slow and uncluttered, the people in less of a hurry to move on to the next thing.
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| Unique pond configuration. |
However, in our usual manner, we adapt, as I find myself remembering my way around, the shortcuts, the times to shop, and to explore that enable me to avoid stressful situations. I’m holding up well to the pace, better than I ever expected I would.
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| This pond garnered a lot of attention at the Butchart Gardens. |
Tired? A little. But, more so, I’m feeling energized by the events stacked up, one after another, each presenting its array of new experiences we haven’t had in so long we can barely remember.
Over these past years, as we’ve watched time flash before our eyes, eluding a sense of anticipation or even boredom, we do not doubt that this time, like all others, will soon pass, leaving us with the memories we’ll always carry in our hearts well into the future.
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| It was a perfect cool sunny day. |
Ah, the present is excellent, the past is exceptional, and the future holds a compilation of who we’ve become in this process, in this life we’ve chosen, far beyond our wildest dreams.
Photo from one year ago today, June 7, 2016:
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| Most mornings in Bali, we’d see one of the local workers walking on the beach to a nearby temple with a platter of colorful flower offerings. At first, we thought she was bringing food to a neighbor, but when we asked Gede, he explained this ritual. For more details, please click here. |