All Saints' Day Party at Church

 Blase's friend, Isaiah

Sewing for the Saints

 This is where I have been for the last 13 days.  A table full of material and NCIS on the Kindle to keep me company.

 A box of props and finished costumes!

 Here is a costume I threw together for my niece Lia.  She went as Saint Bernadette.

 St, Matthew (Brech) and the angel pictured with him (Kiara).

St. Helen (Brigid)

She picked this saint multiple times when we were looking through the saints book. 

 Saint Cecilia

The costume looks a lot better when it is adjusted correctly.

 St. Olaf (Stephen)

He made the ax by himself.

 St. Andrew (Rex)

 Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (Blase)

St. King David of Scotland (Cormac)

Double Trouble

Two someones cleared off the shelves.

 Two someones climbed in.

Two someones giving their momma lots of reasons to smile.

The Lord Knows

Early Sunday morning, and I mean early, I woke up a whole lot exhausted.  Dad and I were in the car by 4:30 AM and on our way to the airport.

 By 5:35 AM I was through security and waiting for the plane to board.

Completely bored, ready for a nap, and wishing I had taken the time to drink all the coffee BEFORE I went through security (who really needs the last third of a cup anyway?).

I sat next to an older couple travelling to one of the New England states to celebrate their twin grandsons' 16th (I think) birthday.  Then they were headed home to Atlanta.  They had been in Wyoming visiting cousins.  I didn't start talking to them until the plane began its descent into the Twin Cities.  I wish I had started speaking to them earlier.  Such nice people.

 It was as we were a few thousand feet up that I realized the last time I had flown out of Rapid City was seven years ago.  I was very pregnant with Brech.  I had just said goodbye to my family not expecting to see them again until Christmas time.  One month later we would find ourselves back in South Dakota for Mark's funeral.  That day, the day I flew last time, was the last day I would see Mark alive.  I would only wave to him as he sat in the pickup waiting to go to work.  If only I knew.

God knew.

God knew I would be sad.

God knew I would let the tears flow without reserve.

God knew I would remember the past.

(in case you haven't figured it out, I'm part elephant because an elephant never forgets)

God knew I would need to heal yet again.

God sent me one of the MOST beautiful mornings.

 I believe that where you find beauty you naturally heal.

 Look to nature and see the wondrous miracles God allows every day.

These miracles show that God is in control of everything.

He didn't just create that sunrise for me, yet it was very much only for me.

God loves me and He showed me that through a sunrise at the moment I needed beauty in my life.

My layover in the Twin Cities was less beautiful than the flight.

I picked a seat and plane watched for over an hour. 

 In that hour ten planes landed and

 twenty-one planes took off on that one runway.

 How many runways do they have anyway?  At least two that I counted.

 The sky seemed to get bluer and bluer the closer to Fargo we got.

Did you know that the flight from MSP to FAR is only 26 minutes from takeoff to landing?

That is only about 5 minutes longer than it takes to get from our house to the airport.

Insane.

Lovely western Minnesota!  

Hello Kristin and Mrs. NO!

I know you were down there somewhere.