So many possibilities!

Earlier this afternoon, I said hasta luego (see you later) to my niece Kate. She is embarking on a 1-year adventure with the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program through the ELCA.

Kate will be working in México City at a women's center. She explained, "There, I may facilitate dance and creative writing, care for kids while mothers attend sessions at the center, and create workshops to present at public schools so that more people can learn about the services offered at the center. I know I am going to learn so much from the women at the center, and the many people I’ll meet in México City."

It was so nice for me that, as a stop on their way to drop off Kate for her week of training in Chicago before she flies off for a year in Mexico, the whole family stayed here with us to rest a bit and gear up for the hardest part... saying good-bye and letting each other go.

We had a wonderful visit... sharing laughs late last night, taking a walk in the forest preserve this morning where a game of frisbee/Monkey in the Middle broke out, sharing some techno tips and some packing techniques, enjoying a Swedish pancake breakfast and a Jimmy John's lunch together, and even starting Katie's own blog. As the two of us sat at my computer, I said something like "There are so many possibilities with a blog..." so Kate decided that should be the name: "So Many Possibilities!" I think it's the perfect title for her blog because it matches her outlook on life. We even found a perfect template that matches Kate's free spirit and passion for flowers.

Kate is a wonderful writer with a boundless creative spirit. So although I am going to miss her physical presence at family gatherings this coming year, I am very much anticipating following the chronicles of her experiences so far away.

To start off, she shared with me a few pages of inspirations that she's bringing along with her. Here are a few especially fitting ones for this day:

The nature of God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. - St. Augustine

I am not free unless my sister is free. - Audre Lorde

If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together. - Lila Watson

I will be keeping Kate and her family and all those she encounters this year in my prayers, and I ask that you do the same. The wonderful girl whom I have loved so dearly since the day she was born has matured into an inspiring young woman whom I greatly admire for being open to taking such a remarkable journey.

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

I love you, Kate! You are always in my heart!

Zip!

Here are some photos of our adventures last week on a zipline tour with friends in Door County, Wisconsin.


The bad news is I tried to upload a short self-video of my turn doing "The Vomit Comet," but am sad to report (although you may be relieved to find out) that the video would not upload to the blog.

The good news is that I will tell you all about it anyway! The shaky video started out with some goofy and unfortunate angles ("Hello, Cleavage!"), but it became pretty silly and not too vertigo-inspiring in the end.

Essentially, I got tossed off the edge of the precipice by two people who sent me spinning. I am here to tell you after two Vomit Comets that it was SO MUCH FUN to literally spin through the woods, and that I did not vomit nor end up in flames even once. But I was a little dizzy. So there you go.

Anyway, ziplining through the trees is quite a rush and is now one of our family's favorite things to do while on vacation in our favorite part of Wisconsin!


Alex takes off on The Vomit Comet!

Zip Daddy goes upside down!

The guides told us to give a yell when we were ready to go. "For Narnia!!!" was wildly popular. We also liked to give a shout-out to Little Orphan Annie in her scary chase scene: "PUNJAB -- HELP ME!!!"










But wait! There's more!

We liked the zips that we did with our friends so much that we signed up to do it again later in the week with our family.


Little did we know that some of them (names withheld to protect the acrophobic) were a bit more afraid of heights than we remembered. Uh oh.

But everyone bravely zipped along, and all's well that ends, well, with a ZIP (and/or a "death grip")! "Never fear, Punjab will catch you! Ah ha ha ha ha. Buddha says, 'A child without courage is like a night without stars!'"





An added bonus of this crazy experience is that now everyone (including the teacher among us) has a great inspiration for a personal essay for the first days of school, even if one or two of them are entitled, "The Day My [Sister/Aunt] Pushed Me Off the Top of a Tree!"

Escape

Escape the heat with some cool water, Lake Michigan's Green Bay.



Egg Harbor sunset




Peace



Deep, glassy water near Chambers Island




Happiness

Lily Lake, Colorado, 7 am, 8/6/09

Rising early to enjoy our last morning in Estes Park, Colorado.

Learning to row a boat.

Following where the ducks take us.

Sharing peaceful, joyful moments. Ahhhhh.

The makings of a very good day

Join me in following Alex's footsteps throughout August 5, 2009, as he demonstrates how to have one spectacular day!

First, get up early for a hike with your friends and family.







Ford a stream.








Recreate a scene from National Treasure 2.







Climb rocks.








Be awed by Alberta Falls.











Go all the way to the top!








Pose with your family to make your mom happy (and flash your best smile, which makes her extra happy!).









Next, venture out on a log into Bear Lake.







Then, ride horses with a real cowboy through an aspen tree forest.







Catch some air while learning to kick that horse into gear!







Pull around the lake, back to the ol' homestead.







Pose with the cowboy and all the guys to make your mom happy (again).






Get Pops to bait a hook for you at the trout farm.










Seconds later, catch a trout and pull it in!







Be proud of your fish.











Congratulate your fishing partner on a job well done (or at least very easily done!).






Get momentarily distracted chasing a yellow-bellied marmot. (It's at the base of the flagpole with the red banner.)






Watch with manly fascination as the trout you and your friends caught...






...get measured...








...and gutted.








Call over the dads to watch this with you.











Ignore the disgusted womenfolk nearby.








Read a few pages of your Harry Potter book on the way to your friends' cabin.






Play Ninja Arrow Crossing with your buddy.







Take a break from playing in the river to show off your catch again!








Try to be patient for dinner to be ready.







Sit down to savor the meal with Pops!







Dig in!











Decide and declare that your new favorite food is and forever will be fish!






Make up and play a goofy game that involves shooting pennies across the table and a lot of laughter.






Call over Pops to make the game even goofier and to throw in an end-of-the-day story.






Sleep tight with memories of the day's adventures.