Whenever we take a trip out of state, the resulting stories have to be divided into more than one post so as not to cause you wonderful readers to glaze over halfway through reading a million (or two) words. Therefore, herewith is Post One.
The last time the three of us flew together was when Noah was born, seven years ago. Speaking of which, may we all just say, “Ahhhh” together.
We figured if we were going to fly we were going to need the prerequisite selfie to mark the event. So here are the Flying Smiths. (The family, not the trapeze act.)
Speaking of Flying Smiths, we sent this particular Smith into the Norfolk airport 15 minutes ahead of us. (While we parked the car.) Sarah hasn’t had as much solo flying experience as she would like so we thought it would be good practice for her to navigate the process on her own.
We had a layover in Chicago and while I was stretching my legs, I happened upon this box. I was so intrigued, I had to take a photo. When I looked up I noticed a woman beside me taking the same photo and wondering aloud the same thing I was, “What in the world?”
She and I discussed the meaning behind the mysterious box for a few moments but didn’t come up with an answer. I finally Googled it and found out that if you are going through security and forget you have marijuana in your pocket, you can just drop it in the box. I guess the amnesty part of it is that you won’t be charged with possession if you use the box.
There is always something new to learn.
We landed in Minneapolis and Sarah and I propped up with the luggage while Steve picked up our rental car.
Please take careful note of our perfectly matched, designer luggage. (I kid.)
The green suitcase is about 25 years old and everything else came from thrift stores. A shining example of luggage perfection, we are not. But hey. If they zip and they have wheels, that’s all we care about.
And for all of you who remind me to also get pictures of myself, here is one for you. (Thank you for those reminders, by the way.)
We stayed one night with my brother Tim, and his wife, Berit, in Minneapolis; they are always so much fun to hang out with. Tim grilled some of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten and we had a chance to catch up with them and their son, Andrew, who was a groomsman in his cousin’s wedding.
While we were at their house, I went out for one of my meandering jaunts. I happened across the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever seen and took one of the favorite photos I’ve ever taken.
This is the prequel to the favorite photo, a great illustration of how much photography is about perspective. While walking through this building, I idly noted the leaves on the floor and then I started thinking of what it would be like to look at the leaves from another angle.
Voila!
I’ll post more photos from that shoot in a future post.
Speaking of beautiful scenes, we got to spend some lovely outdoor time with my sister, Ruth, and her family.
There are few things I love any more than rural Wisconsin. Even though we were a week or two past the peak color, the area was still so lovely.
I especially love this one.
Two sisters and Sarah.
Sarah has only ever been to Ruth and Arnold’s in the summer so she enjoyed the entirely different feel of a nippy, fall day.
One cool thing that happened while we were there had its beginning a couple of weeks ago.
One of my faithful blog readers, Jenna Hoff, had posted on FB that she would like to send gifts to some senior citizens in memory of her beloved, late grandma. She asked if anyone knew of someone who would enjoy receiving something.
My mom has always loved opening boxes and presents so I messaged Jenna and told her about Mom. Jenna was so sweet and so delighted to put together a box. The cool thing is that the box and I just happened to arrive at the house on the same day so I got to be a part of seeing mom enjoy it.
Mom loves reading missionary books so Jenna sent one written by a friend’s grandpa.
If you’ll take note of the room divider behind mom–that’s where her little sleeping area is. Ruth had saved the runner from her daughter’s wedding and bought some inexpensive wooden sticks used for window dividers. She cut up the runner and created the divider for hardly any money at all.
Her creativity just amazes me. If you paid me a million dollars, I would never be able to create a room divider from scratch.
Ruth and her family are taking such wonderful care of mom; they are attentive and loving and see to her every need, just the way Debbie and Randy did for over ten years. Grateful for my mom; grateful for my sisters and their families.
Before I close, let me mention that this guy will be visiting the Flying Smiths for three days at the end of October.
Sarah is very much looking forward to spending time with Gage and showing him around the Outer Banks.
That’s it for now. We will fly back to NC (very) early Wednesday morning so we’ve got a few remaining days of memory-making and picture taking.
What about you?
Are you a matched luggage kind of person or do you use a mishmash like the Flying Smiths?
Do you feel like one of your gifts is creativity, like Ruth? What’s one of the favorite projects you’ve done?
Do you love fall the best, or does another season win first place?
So glad your travels were good. Being in Grand Forks, ND anytime we fly anywhere we have to go through MSP so I’m familiar with it. Last time I went somewhere was in September and it was so empty. Not the normal hustle and bustle.
I’m glad you had a good time and look forward to Part 2.
Krista,
Yes, it is weird to see airports so much emptier. That does make travel a little more pleasant, though.
Part 2 is coming right up! 🙂
Well, my luggage is a little of both. I have a matched carry-on and large suitcase (purple) but have another carryon that is teal. My laptop bag is black with colored polka dots.
I’m not real creative but I have other gifts that serve me well – counting offering on Monday for church and serving on the Finance Committee at church for three years ending last August.
The leaves pictures are gorgeous!
Phyllis,
Sounds like you bring lots of wonderful color with you when you travel. Love it!
Your gifts are so important and any church or organization would be thrilled to have you on board helping in those areas. I always have admired anyone who is good with finances and money; thanks for what you do.
Oh my word, if you meant flying home today, i hope you enjoyed our nice little snowstorm and didn’t have any issues getting back to Minneapolis! Safe travels!
Erin,
We actually got to Mpls. about 3 pm on Tuesday, when the storm was hitting its worst. We had to leave my brother’s house at 4:45 a.m. Wednesday for the airport; thankfully it didn’t freeze overnight so it was a pretty easy trip. Thankful for that.
It was exciting to see all the snow!
I’m so delighted to see that your precious mom is enjoying the little gifts! Since I cannot be buying my dear grandma a gift for her birthday next month, it really means a lot to me to give your mom a gift! Grandma Horne was such a giving person and she would have been so happy to see your mom getting a present on her birthday.
I am also so glad you are having such a wonderful visit in Wisconsin. That is interesting about the Cannabis Amnesty box. It’s also something you would never see now in Canada since it became legal 2 years ago. It’s not something I or most people I know would use, but a lot of people do and it is regulated similar to alcohol (i.e. legal to possess but you can still be charged with impaired driving if you use it and drive etc).
Sounds like you have a very exciting month.
Jenna,
We also put my puzzle together with mom while we were there. You couldn’t have picked a more perfect puzzle.
It was our privilege to remember and honor Grandma Horne (and your gift of giving) along with you.
We do not have matching luggage, and really don’t use luggage too often. Most of our vacations are in our RV, so no luggage needed! We did have to get a couple new suitcases a few years ago when our hand-me-downs finally fell apart. 🙂
I am not creative at all, but I can usually copy something I’ve seen and it doesn’t turn out too badly.
I love fall, and sure wish it would arrive in the south east soon! I’ve had about enough summery weather for this year. I also like winter in the south (no snow, but cooler temps), but have long outgrown snow unless I can look at it through a window. It is beautiful to look at, but so cold! 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Gayle,
RVing is such a fun way to travel and as you said, eliminates the need for luggage–matching or not.
Yeah, fall doesn’t seem to be too interested in us southerners right now. We left Minneapolis this morning at 34 degrees and arrived in Norfolk at 84 degrees!
The 5 inches of snow we got while we were up there was gorgeous but I was happy to be back in the sunny south.
Well, our luggage matches (we have two matched sets), but when we go somewhere that requires each of us to pack a big suitcase, then we have to take the big one from both sets. Hence, mismatched luggage. lol
I used to be way more creative than I am now. I think all the craziness of raising kids and working erased the creativeness from my brain. It got squeezed out by other more important stuff I guess.
I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite season….I love them all, even winter with it’s cold and snow. Hey, I’m a Colorado girl raised on snow and skiing. (smile) Our autumn has been really great so far and it’s been getting pretty chilly at night….turn on the furnace and throw an extra blanket on the bed!
Lee Anne,
So you have matching, mismatched luggage! Love that!
I admire people who love cold and snow. I’m a bit too wimpy to live in a snowy clime but it was so fun to have five inches while we were in Minnesota. Snow once or twice a year is just about right for me.
Enjoy what’s left of your autumn; what a great season!
My eyes would never glaze over from a very long post of yours 🙂 Your mom looks great and your sister has creativity that I could only dream of. So well done! I am a big fan of the way you composed that leaf picture, so beautiful. I am looking forward to hearing about Gage’s visit. Such fun times. I wish I was brave enough to travel like you all do, maybe one day soon. Also, mismatched luggage is our travel mode for sure. If it has a zipper, wheels and a handle, we are good to go.
Lesley,
What a sweet thing to say about your eye’s not glazing over at longish posts. Thanks for that.
Yes, we are definitely looking forward to Gage’s arrival in 10 days. He and Sarah have all sorts of fun sightseeing things planned.
Glad you enjoyed the leaf picture. It was definitely one of my favorites. Hugs to you and Sarah.
I love your photos….the one with the leaves is amazing. Your sister has a corgi? What is the corgi’s name?
Denise,
Ruth’s Corgi is named Cidel. (I think there is a Fiddler on the Roof reference there somewhere.) Such a sweet, patient, loving dog.
Thanks for the compliment on the leaves photo; I love that one, too!
Some more of my True Confessions: When my older son (now a psychiatrist, so I didn’t damage him too badly) was being courted by Michigan State, he was invited for a weekend of scholarship test, tours and tours and tours. We hadn’t been on vacation in years, so we were luggage deprived, but my son told me not to worry. Five minutes later he came out of his room with two brown Tops Super Market bags filled with a sample of clothing he would take to MI.
Creativity? No. My goal with any craft has always been to master the skill. Someone else has to give me ideas.
Jan,
I like the way your son thinks. Whatever is on hand (luggage-wise) will do just fine, thank you very much! That made me smile.
And how great to have a son who is a psychiatrist. I know you’re proud of all that he has accomplished–brown paper bags and all.
I definitely fall in the mishmash luggage category. I don’t travel nearly enough to justify spending big bucks on luggage. Fall is pretty close to the top of my list of favorites – there’s nothing like those first cool crisp days after a long, hot summer. And bright red and orange trees are something I really miss here in Texas (WV has an abundance, and all the pictures friends back home are posting make me homesick). But a fresh snowfall is probably at the very top of my favorites list – and it’s been probably 12 years or more since we got “real” snow here in the Dallas area. Dogwoods blooming in the spring in NC and Georgia are also at the top of my list. It must be comforting to know your mother has family taking care of her who love her as much as you do. I can’t wait to see the rest of your Wisconsin memories ( and Sarah & Gage’s adventures on the OBX)!! Have a wonderful week!!
Sue Ellen,
Yes, I agree. Fall is positively exhilarating. The cooler weather and the splashes of color make for a dizzying combination.
But as you said, dogwoods blooming in NC in the spring is pretty fabulous, too. I know there is good stuff to say about every season but I will still always love fall the most.
I haven’t been to TX in years; would love to pay it a visit again. Such a beautiful state!
Love the fall pictures, especially the one with the camera close to the ground. I do love the fall colors and we enjoy going up/down the river at the WI/MN border when the leaves are turning and eat lunch near the river.
Our luggage does not match either. Years ago I bought a large piece – red. Thought, this will be easy to recognize at the airport. Well, it was awhile before we flew anywhere and by then there were several red pieces of luggage. Had to use some ribbon on the handle so I would recognize mine. The picture of you with your piece – am thinking you don’t have any trouble seeing yours on the go-around.
I do enjoy doing fall foliage craft items, although, since I have enough for my house, am still making for a silent auction in November. One of my favorites I took to the silent auction was a mesh box, you have to put together (bought it at Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge, TN), decorated and with lights inside. It went for $115.00. This silent auction is part of the Christian luncheon I go to once a month. Stonecroft Ministries was started over 50 years ago. So the 2nd Thursday of every month is when we meet for a luncheon, have a special presentation and a speaker who will give her/his testimony (sometimes men are invited too). Every November is when we have our silent auction – bakery goods, crafts, jewelry, etc. is what we bring. A great time in the Lord.
Sharyn,
We crossed the WI/MN border twice while we were on our trip so I sort of know right where you are talking about.
Love the idea of a silent auction; such a fun place to find unique Christmas presents. And how amazing that you created something that went for $115!
I Google Stonecroft. Looks like a wonderful organization.
Wow, the Smiths were about an hour away from me while in MN. I have been enjoying the fall leaves here, my friend with a powerful blower bagged up 10 1/2 bags of leaves last week. I had a nice clean lawn for less than a day. Enjoy your stay!
Cindy,
We were in Roseville where my brother and sister-in-law live.
Sounds like you traded your leaves for snowflakes! Hopefully, it will melt away soon.
Hugs!