The past few days have been amazing.  Spending time with family and friends, sharing laughter and stories... and eating way too much food :)  I seriously ate a minimal of 5 hours per day.  Breathing has become more difficult and I just got off the treadmill feeling like I just ran a marathon - only to see I barely made it 3 miles.  It was so worth it - the cookies, chip dip, a couple blue moons here and there...and Grandma's deviled eggs.

As I recover and work to gain back a normal breathing pattern - I have been busy sorting my old belongings (things I left at my parent's when I moved out...) and I am gearing up to move my classroom this week to our new location.  It is going to be busy - but a chance for so many new beginnings and an opportunity for my parents to gain some of their house back.  I may be a special type of hoarder - I keep everything at my parent's house, not mine :).  (Personally I think I am pretty smart.)  I will post some of the true treasures I have found along the way.  Biggs - Amy - Aubrey...You should be worried.  The pictures I have found are priceless.

Before I sign off here - I received one of the greatest gifts yesterday.  It is a picture that was taken this fall.  I was up helping celebrate a 60th birthday and I decided to head out on the dock and have my picture taken with Joe.  

There will be more Joe photos coming soon - for he made quite an appearance on Christmas Eve :).

Sending my love and hoping everyone had a great weekend.

Love - Rach

As the holiday season embraces us, I am beginning to realize some of my gifts just may be a little late.  I try to prep and think ahead - but before I know it the day is here.

Last year, I tried to venture out - to do my holiday shopping - and my attitude went south fast.  I didn't even make it through the first store and I decided Christmas shopping wasn't for me.  Upon leaving the store, I realized there was one last stop I could handle - Kwik Trip.  For those of you hate the crowds and busy stores, I recommend finding a small store that offers a selection of different items.  I was able to get gift cards, lottery tickets, candy and some other small treasures without a single hassle.  Thank you Kwik Trip for helping me out.

This year I have been struggling again.  Life gets busy, and truthfully many people do not need anything.  So I am putting my creativity to work and here is a list of some possible holiday gift ideas...

1.  Make a CD - Now that I know how to download music, I love sharing my favorite selections with others.  This is a gift that can keep on playing :).

2.  Re-gift something from your house.  Now when you doing this, make sure you are not re-gifting something the person gave you :)  Seriously - my family had this as a theme a few years back and it was a blast.  We all shopped within our own homes.  I ended up with a bowling ball and some other fine treasures.

3.  A Gift Card to a unique location.  Help others think outside the box and expand their horizon.  I am hoping Goodwill, Salvation Army, or Volunteer Services will be up to making gift cards for me.  (Shhhh - please don't tell my family what they will be getting.)

4.  Homemade items are always a hit in my book.  Since we were young, my mom has always made us a gift every year.  It is always my favorite and means a ton.  It can be simple - or complex... jam, a quilt, a card...

5.  Service coupons are always a way to go too.  Offer to help with a household project, babysit, give a massage...  The possibilities are endless.

(6.  Team Vogel Merchandise is always a sure thing too :) )

If you make it out to a store - or put your creativity to the test, most importantly, give your time.  Take a moment to tell others how much you love them, sit down and play a game with your younger cousins, say hi to your neighbor...take a moment for yourself too.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday full of laughter and love.

Love - Rach

Hoping everyone had a great weekend.  It is a busy time of year for all - planning holiday gatherings, shopping, finishing up the last fall project...For myself it is the busiest time of the year for sewing.

I knew I reached my breaking point when I woke up this morning and realized I was dreaming about making mittens.  I think this is a sign - too many have been made this year :)  

May you dream of this pair or...

...or this pair :).

Hoping your dreams are a bit more interesting.  Back to the sewing machine to finish off a few orders.

Sending my love and cheers to a fabulous week-
Rach

As I sit here this morning, reflecting on the weekend - I ask myself, "How can it be Monday already?"

Wednesday evening, I headed to the cities to have dinner with old friends and new.  Sushi is a favorite of mine - and Miss Betsy makes some of the best.  After having my share - it was off to bed for all of us...some had work in the morning and I had a plane to catch early.

I arrived in Charlotte, NC and was greeted by a sleeping young man (preschool can be hard) and Joe's sister at the airport.  We ventured to their house to get packed and head out to South Carolina.

Joe and I would make an annual trip to the Carolinas each year.  We loved spending time with family - and the beach was always a favorite of ours.  As we drove to Charleston / Folly Beach, my mind began to reflect on all the times we had, all the trips, all the memories...

I never know how I will respond to things - sometimes I lose it a little bit and have a tough time, other times I feel a sense of accomplishment, times I feel comfort.  The closer and closer we got - I felt complete comfort.  When I final made it to the beach, I felt complete peace.

A friend of mine had drawn my attention to a website called - www.dearphotograph.com.  It is a website where people take old photos, return to the photo, and then take a picture of the picture...(Check it out)  Sometimes I need to make a mission out of things that can be tough.  I thought it would be tough to return to the beach...so my mission was - take a run out to the lighthouse and recapture one of my favorite memories.

Sitting on the rocks, taking in the ocean - I could hear Joe's laughter, see his smile, imagine the joke he would be telling me...

The beach is my peace.

It was an amazing weekend, filled with great company, amazing food and beautiful weather.  Thank you to the Daley, McManus and Ramaker Families for sharing the weekend with me.

Words don't always do adventures justice...so to the pictures -

Before I sign off here and venture back to work - I would like to send a huge thank you the community that continues to live Joe's dream to Pay it Forward.

This past week, I was invited to the Winona Senior High School to receive this...

Pretty Amazing!  The students in the Service Learning Class raised funds for Team Vogel by selling merchandise and other fundraising efforts.  It is amazing to see Joe live on through others.