• Travel & Vacation: Midwest Dust Whirlwind

    Travel & Vacation - Kansas - Colorado - Road Trip - P1360786c

     Midwest Dust Whirlwind

    On one our road trips while in Kansas the girls saw their first Midwest Dust Whirlwind.  Some people also called them Dust Devils.  In the past few years Kansas has been pretty dry so sometimes when a farmer is working his field or something else is stirring up a large amount of dust you’ll see a dust whirlwind pop up.

    When the girls first saw it they thought it was a tornado.  It does look like a tornado touching down, but usually happens on a dry sunny day.  We were driving along Highway 34 West near Platner, Colorado when we saw this dust whirlwind.   Hopefully, the Midwest will start getting some nice rain soon so these dust devils will not be as common.  The Midwest is a large producer of crops for our nation and around the world.  We have a lot of farmers in our family from the Midwest who could use more rain for their crops.

    A dust whirlwind (or commonly referred to as a dust devil) is caused when a vortex forms from the dust that is being kicked up into the air.  The dust will often form a swirling column that reaches up vertically through the air.  The dust devils could last for several hours and can either be small or large enough for people to see for many miles.  They are typically harmless other than you can get dirt in your eyes and hit by small particles of dirt if you walk or drive through one.

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     Dust Devil off Highway 34 West!  Looks like a tornado, but it is made of dirt.

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     The farmer working his field is kicking up enough dirt to create this Dust Whirlwind that can be seen for miles.

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     It was amazing to watch the swirling column of dirt raising high up into the sky.

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a crazy week.  I spent some time in Kansas with my family helping Fall Harvest last week, however, I continued to have difficulties and pain with my back, neck, arm, and numbness in my hand so I came back home earlier than expected.  Jake picked me up from the airport and took me directly to the doctor.  After a couple more doctors visits they “think” it is a bulging, dislocated, or chipped disc in my neck along with strained/pulled muscles in my shoulder, and a pinched nerve.  They are hoping I will feel better with the current treatment soon otherwise the next step is a MRI and possible surgery.

    While away I did learn a lot.  My time in the Midwest made me appreciate my parents and many of my extended family members who are in the farming industry even more for all the hard work they do on the farm.  During Fall Harvest the days are long, very busy, and a lot of activities are going on simultaneously (harvest, drilling, hauling, prepping fields and meals, and so much more).   It takes a lot of coordination, communication, and skill to keep everything and everybody moving forward smoothly.  Plus, you have the weather that effects your days and activities too.

    I am thankful that I was able to pitch in a small way and learn a few new things as well.  I did manage to drive the tractor and grain cart a little bit and the track tractor for a few hours which is something I have never done before.  Thankfully, I managed to make some progress forward and didn’t break anything (when operating such big equipment like the tractors, trucks, combines, vehicles, and equipment during harvest it is one of my fears that I will break something which could be costly in time and finances).  I was super excited about helping my family with Fall Harvest, my biggest disappointment was that I had to come home early due to my health.  For some reason God wants me home during this time, but I continue to pray for safety for all my family members still working the long hours out in the fields, prepping meals, and traveling to deliver the crops during this very busy time.  I love my family dearly and truly wanted to be a blessing to them during this time.

    Praying that I heal quickly because after over two weeks of sleeping restlessly in a recliner, being in pain, and having the side effects from the medicines I am ready to be myself again (I think my family would really like that too).  With all that being said I have made adjustments with my schedule and hope to still accomplish many of my goals this week, but I want to be realistic as well with everything that is going on right now.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Mail at least one note to Jake and the girls – I took cards and stamps, but with the busy days, pain, and coming home early it didn’t get done
    2. Speak to my husband and kids at least once a day
    3. Send at least one Text, Picture, Instant Message, or Email a day to let them know I am thinking about them – my phone was not cooperating in KS, but I managed to IM at least once or twice a day
    4. Have Hangout chat with the entire family at least once this week – I did do one short video hangout chat with Jake and the girls one evening
    5. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
    6. Spend time with extended family – worked with them and went to the Country Harvest Pumpkin Patch with my parents, brother, and nephews on Sunday near Hastings, Nebraska

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t do so well keeping up with my water (one day I left my water in the pickup while I was in the tractor for several hours)
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – I was ahead with my plan before heading to KS so I remained caught up
    3. Exercise at least 5 times this week – ummmmm….no this one didn’t get done, I was moving around, but really only out of necessity not for exercise because moving was at times pretty painful

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. Keep up with my laundry
    2. Update Evernote with any home / yard / pets activities for Jake and the girls

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – there were some activities I let slide this past week, hoping to get caught back up soon
    3. Work completed for clients – still have a couple items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt (microwave and refrigerator) – working on it

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Pick another book to read to the kids (Jake is currently reading Last of the Mohicans to them)
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Ride Bikes with the kids
    8. Go for a Walk with the Kids
    9. Play a Game with the Kids
    10. Attend School Board Meeting
    11. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
    12. Plan Family Halloween Dinner & Celebration
    13. Orthodontic Appointment for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Exercise at least 5 times this week
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1” Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
    4. Clean out & Organize Refrigerator & Freezer
    5. Clean House (Focus – Basement Floors)
    6. Organize Chaos (Focus – Storage Room)
    7. Put Spring/Summer Clothes in the Attic
    8. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool taken down and put away)
    9. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat Food Bin & Make Homemade Treats with the kids for Skipper)
    10. Make 1 – Freeze 1 Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat and one to freeze for later)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Prep for our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Make an extra payment on Outstanding Debt
    5. Earn some Creative Cash
    6. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.