"C" faves

It's Friday and time to look back on the week to find FIVE FAVES that left us feeling blessed.  We do this as a way to give thanks for those special things...big, small, eventful, uneventful but special.  Linking up with Susanne is what keeps us a community. 

• couple time:  this isn't a big thing but I just really loved running errands with Dave last Saturday. It was a cool, stormy kind of day so no going kayaking or hiking.....but those little errands we needed to check off our "to do" list was so much easier with both of us in the car.  I needed his strong muscles to carry the two birdfood bags (we have an outdoor feeder and it gets a LOT of various birds) and then we spent some time in the town library together.  I told him it felt like we were newlyweds again!!

Courtney is 23!

• Courtney's birthday: Our oldest girl (who is still looking for a job in her field of graphic design!!) had her 23rd birthday on Monday.  My how time flies.  I ordered the cake of her choice from one of our local bakeries that she likes and we "celebrated" on Sunday evening as Dave had to fly to Ohio on Monday for a business trip.  But Monday was special for her too as she had the day off from work at the craft store and I cooked her fave burrito dinner (her choice).  She loved the gift I got her.....1940s vintage ceramic Siamese cats (a pair of them). Her sister Claire surprised her with a book of Edgar Allen Poe stories that she had been wanting.  I think she had a great day and it is always a fave with me to see my daughters happy. 

15 foot waterfall on the trail to Broomstick Lake
12 July 2016

Broomstick Lake, Southern Adirondacks
this is the place where the filming of the
1936 "Last of the Mohicans" movie was done!

the trail into Broomstick Lake
Caroga Lake, NY

• Caroga hike: On Tuesday I had planned to go out to my sister Hope's place in the central NY woods to do an easy hike with her and then to visit our dad in the nursing home out there.  We had a lot of fun.  The hike itself was only 1.4 miles round trip and I was thankful for that as I've been going to my chiro for 2 weeks due to a back issue.  July 12 is also my spiritual birthday so this hike made that extra special to me.  We also both received the Adirondack 102 Club Challenge book which you can read about here. So we completed 2 towns in the challenge, getting signatures from 2 residents.  How fun that was explaining the challenge to those towns' residents!  We enjoyed some ice cream after the hike at one of our favorite ice cream stands and then went to visit Dad.  He is ok.  But it is sad to see him losing his memory like he is.  After the visit, we went out for a late lunch and then I had to drive home to eastern NY.  I really enjoyed this day away!

• cozy mornings:  For the last 2 weeks, I've had to get up early to make sure Claire (our 17 year old) makes it out the door at 7:30 for her volunteer work at the inner city VBS.  Once she leaves, I head for the deck to do my morning quiet time in the Word, pray, meditate, read a book, sip coffee...basically enjoying the summer weather.  My deck is especially cozy as it is small but I love how the morning glories are finally starting to climb (for some reason they are very slow this year and I have yet to see a bloom) and since I planted some wildflower seeds in the trestle box, they give this area a nice spot of color.  I love my cozy mornings!

• chiropractic visits:  oh boy.  For about a month now I have had on and off again low back pain going into my legs, hips and abdomen.  It had been about 2 years since my last bout of my degenerative disc disease and since it started while at work, I thought it was just from getting up and down on the floor with the kindergartners.  But after our Boston trip I decided to call the chiropractor and I'm glad I did!  He said I most likely had a pinched nerve in the hip area which was making all kinds of pain radiate.  After just 4 visits in the last 2 weeks, I'm much better with less pain every day.  I have a couple more times I'm planning on going then I will take a break.  The thing I am most thankful for is that our health coverage allows me to have 30 chiropractic visits per calendar year.  Thank You, God!!!

That pretty much sums up my week......

today I am taking my 8 year old niece (my youngest sister's girl) on 2 hikes...one is a woods hike to the oldest tree in NYS, and the other one is short mountain climb to a very pretty summit overlooking Paradox Lake in the Eastern Adirondacks.  Should be a fun day!

Have a restful weekend, everyone!