so what's yours?

let's talk fun stuff...like what's your secret talent? stupid party trick? weird quirk? (moles or body stuff can be kept to yourselves people...;)

my crazy weird quirk is i have a pretty damn accurate 'internal' clock.

i rarely, if ever, set an alarm to wake up. i just wake up when i know i need to.

work at 8am? body wakes up at 6:30.

run at 7am? eyes flutter open at 5:45.

wake up in the middle of the night cuz i can't sleep? odds are it's between 3 & 3:30. maybe 4.

don't need to be up for anything? up by 8am anyway, but we have 2 dogs who have to be fed so *their* internal clocks wake them up.

a month ago when friend Lisa and I were up north, randomly throughout the day we were curious about 'what time is it?'. It became a game by the end of the trip for Lisa to 'quiz' me and within 5 min or so every time i was on. "can you tell time by the sun???" she asked. well i guess so. I just have a 'time' thing.

care to share yours?
~jd

ps for dad & other country friends....the new boots don't match the new hat. need to shop more i guess :) i never thought i'd buy brown boots..but i'm pretty attached...

you find out who your friends are....

just like the song goes....

been a challenging few weeks especially.

so it's one day at a time i've decided. for now.

many challenges, nothing life or death, but i've been really sad. (family, don't worry. it's okay...life just has it's challenges sometimes)

i'm hoping this week goes muuuuuuuch better than last. but it's been day by day....get through one, hope for a better tomorrow....

a few updates:

*Mark & Rose are in France until later this week....a 6 day trip all for 2 gigs. Hey LW or SW....any cool conferences I can jet away to for work that match up to what Mark gets to do? ;)
probably not. darn.

*I have new cowboy boots that I am wishing went with everything professional i own to wear to work every day. Sadly, I'll have to wait until our once-a-year-yes-you-can-wear-jeans work day in November to wear them as an employee. :(

*Dogs are good. There have been some cooler nights in the past few weeks, meaning, yes, it's Jammie Time. If they don't wear their jammies and it's cold they get up during the night to nest nest nest nest nest nest, oh, and NEST, their blankets. SUPER annoying. Put the jammies on? they're much better...

*Cats are all just lovely. Ellie is the best at coming to see me at night, Lucy comes while I'm working on work stuff on the warm laptop. When she wanders up, I put the laptop aside and she takes residence in it's spot. purring away...

*I become an Iron Girl in one week. Run 2, bike 22, run 2. Get a medal. And celebrate with some great girls that night. I would absolutely suck living on a desert island by myself. I have to have my friends.

be well, stay warm (if you need that) and hope everyone has a good upcoming week...

short & sweet on words...many pics...

went away for the weekend with friend Lisa.

had an amazingly laid back time....

here's what we did.


started in ely. there appears to be a real fascination in the northern part of our state with pie.


first evening...45 min aftr arriving from ely on a rainy trip up 61...rain abated so firegirl could get to it. how perfect is it that sven & ole's delivers to the lakeside?? pretty awesome.


this includes fresh blueberry pie. freshly picked...right off the trails...


met this very personable painter & husband from duluth. enjoyed a wonderful shared campfire as well...


wandered the beach...(that tree in the foreground near the fire? i felt it needed dragging there to sustain our wood for a few days ;) some of the only working out I did all weekend...moving some trees...


thinking spot....


lisa enjoying a gorgeous sunday morning in the boat house and agreeing with me that we don't want to go home.


we're missing an angel i think...the harley guy who shot this said we had to pose like this :P


cedar enjoying her lake. she's one of 2 resident dogs at the cabins...


our private lunch spot on Iron Lake, about 30 miles up the Gunflint....yes, in the burned area. no moose this trip :(


this is where friend David and i got stuck in February in the snow. Next time we'll take my car.


we took this part of the SHT up the Kadunce River. It was so shallow I spent most of my time *in* the river taking pictures...


like this one...


this is the kadunce river trying to empty into the mother lake superior...late afternoon clouds reflecting on a gorgeous august afternoon...


these two....i tell you...


this cowgirl is done posting for today....later ya'll....