Fargo Favorites #39

1. Health Care Reform

I grew up where the Major Health Care Company in the area had always been the same. I was born in an IHC Hospital, was always taken care of in IHC Hospitals/ InstaCares and even gave birth to my first & second child in an IHC Hospital. IHC (Intermountain Health Care) was started in 1975 and is still growing in Utah and Idaho areas today. Needless to say, it's been a bit of a shocker to have BOTH major Health Care Companies in Fargo completely change (one of them 2 times) into a completely different companies in less than 6 years.  I've learned a lot about letting the little things go when it comes to doctors and hospitals since we've come to Fargo.

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2. Empty Parking Lots

You know it's Summer here in Fargo when the best time to go grocery shopping or to the movies is Friday night or Saturday. Sometimes we have to do a double-take when we pull into a parking lot and are the only (or almost only) ones there. Everyone (and I mean almost everyone!!!) heads out to the "lake" for the weekend which leaves Fargo a bit of a GhostTown. But hey- since the Seamons are LakeHouse-less- it works out in our favor!!! LOL

3. Rummage Sales

Fargo is one of the best places in the United States to find great deals on second-hand stuff. Back home, we called them Garage Sales but here they are more often referred to as Rummage Sales. It's a serious business here, people! They start as soon as the snow melts and go til the first snowfall. Most of them run their sales on Thursday night, Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday. Seriously freaky!! But I do hear from those that are actually up before 10 am on Saturday that they find amazing deals!!!

4. Dandelion Fields
If I had been more motivated the last month this one would have been posted mid-May but I will mention it here. After the snow melted and things thawed enough to begin to grow, huge dandelion fields popped up everywhere!!! A little kid's paradise for picking flowers for Mommy!

5. Friendly People

Some may wonder why people live in Fargo (or any of North Dakota for that matter) at all. Believe me- I am one of those people thinking that! But I have to say that Fargo has some of the most friendliest people in the world. Such nice, hard-working, down-to-Earth people you'll ever meet. Fargonians are awesome!!!

What are YOU Grateful for this week?

Justice's Egg Drop

Oh, the things that are possible with a pair of pantyhose, a pair of baby rings, a box, and an egg!!! LOL

At Justice's Scout Day Camp this month, they were supposed to do an Egg Drop Experiment. So, Brett & Justice prepared something. Then, they didn't so it. Bummer! So they decided to put it to the test tonight.

3,2,1... Droooooooooooooooooooop! And guess what? The egg survived! Wahoo!

Backyard Swim

I know I have made it out to seem as if we never have good days in Fargo lately but there have been some WaterFun-worthy days here and there. Over the years, we have collected some fun stuff for the backyard and we are putting them to good use. We had the Larsens over today to play for a bit. The kids had a blast!

Also over the past week...

We finally broke out our slipNslide. We never even used it last year. Hopefully, we can get some really hot days so that everyone will want to try it. The water is way too cold for most of them to do it more than once or twice. 

Then...

My creative kids thought it would be fun to have a Water slide. They hauled the hose over, tied it up and Wheee! An instant waterslide! Unfortunately, the landing can be a little rough so it didn't last too long.

And...

This past week, our neighbors, the Rays have torn down the fence between us. Literally not figuratively! LOL [They are repairing the whole thing with new posts since part of it fell over after the last storm] So whenever either of our kids are outside- it turns into a bit of a Party!

Here's to more SUNny days ahead!

1st Pack Meeting

Justice had his 1st Scout Pack Meeting tonight! We were supposed to go swim and have dinner at Buffalo River but it rained so we went to the Church instead. Justice has worked hard and earned his Bobcat Award along with a few Belt loops this past month. Yeah! He got his awards, the scouts played with & popped balloons and there were friends and lots treats & pop. A Scout-perfect night!!!

Things Justice earned this time:

Way to go, Bobcat!!!

Blessings in Disguise

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops...
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise!

One of my favorite songs lately and which I hear EVERY time I get in the car is a song called Blessings by Laura Story. Obviously I haven't let it sink into my heart enough because today I really got the picture! I was taking Victoria to Safety Town and we were running late. (as usual)  It was downpouring rain!!! The kind where you look up to see if someone is above you with a bucket. Even running to the van, we got wet. As we approached Main, I remembered that I had forgotten my cell phone. Victoria thought we should go back and get it but we were already gonna be late. I told her we'd be fine for today. We'd only made it down two or three blocks just past Bonanzaville when something on the road made a terrible sound. What was it, you wonder? US! The van had a flat tire! You gotta be kidding me??????? Pouring rain, and remember... NO cell phone. Seriously? I decided that I at least had to get off Main. We pulled up to the next turn onto the frontage road. By then I thought, we have to try to make it to Bonanzaville and pray that they are open. We luckily made it to their parking lot and ran for the door. Soaked but so grateful that their door was unlocked, we went in. Needless to say, they were a bit shocked someone was there on a day like this. We used their phone to call Brett for our rescue. Thanks heavens he was in town! While we waited, the older gentleman working that day, visited with us and spoiled us with treats and souvenirs. Victoria and I got to spend some time together and talk about her concerns about Safety Town and going to school in the Fall. We had a great time! Brett did come, brought us the other car, and even stayed in the pouring rain to change the tire and get it fixed. Isn't he awesome!!!!?
The whole adventure was not exactly what was in our plans today! So why would I title this "blessings in disguise" and mention Laura Story's song?? Well, we certainly had raindrops today and there were certainly blessings in disguise!!! 1- We could have made it to the freeway before it went flat. Can you imagine? 2-Bonanzaville could have been closed and 3-Brett could have been out of town. BUT... we didn't, they weren't and he wasn't. How lucky are we!!!

So a few lessons I learned today...

1. Don't forget your cell phone! Especially when it's pouring rain!

2. Listen to your kids. They have things to say and are a lot smarter than we give them credit.

3. Hubby's are awesome! 'Nough said!

4. Take time to play in the rain. It's made up of the stuff that makes us clean anyways!

5. Be friendly with people. You might just make someone's day!

Green Thumb: Part 1

I have to admit I'm not too stoked about gardening this year. What is my problem?? Perhaps it's because the weather has been cold, wet and gloomy or I'm just whiny and have a bad attitude. Whatever the case may be, Brett & the kids have come to the "Green Thumb" Rescue. We have lots of fun things growing and I do love to see the growing progress so I will buck up and do what I do best... document!
I did however, buy flowers for the front flower bed. Granted--- I went to a Couponing Class and left the fam to plant them but I am taking a bit of credit as the supplier at least! So pretty! I love flowers! (One of these days I'm going to do a fancy ALL perennial garden so I can just sit back and watch it grow. Since I was a slacker, that'll happen another year I guess.)

Stay tuned for the green thumb talent our family possesses...

Father's Day Celebration

First, a shout out to all the amazing men who have touched our lives. Hope that you know how much we love you and that you have a terrific Father's Day!!

Second, Brett deserves the royal treatment way more than he gets so it makes me grateful that we have days like this. Today, the kids and I tried to make his day extra special cuz he deserves it!

First, we let him sleep in. At least as much as we could for a Sunday morning. Then we had got donuts & chocolate milk for breakfast. Turns out that plan didn't work out so well since the donuts sucked! Dang- sorry, Love! Liberty told him "Next year, we are making you a fancy home-made breakfast!" LOL

After Church (which by the way, he came back with all sorts of home-made gifts), we let him open gifts. The kids love to spoil their Daddy! They got him new slippers, a pair of shorts, and a Captain America T-shirt that he could wear for the day. We loved the card because it reminded us of Daddy's bedtime stories. Brett is always telling the kids stories about some little kids named Bonita, Guapo, Linda and Bella who are "so brave and so strong". They love his stories especially because they are about them!!! The card reads "Hey Daddy, because you're brave.. and strong and tough... and you're the BEST... at lots of stuff... Happy Daddy's Day!!" The kids added "We love you! All these things are true and you are the absoulute BEST! We love you! -The kids

Liberty requested to have a picture of them kissing him so she could make a last minute present. She made an adorable little memory book of things they love doing with their Dad. (It was so sweet! I'll make a post of how it looked soon.)

Dad played some games on the tramp with the kids. They love it when he plays anything with them! Then they all helped shuck corn. They have definitely learned how to be hard workers and helpers from their Daddy! Thanks guys!
Next, we let Daddy take a nap while we made a fancy dinner. We had some of Dad's favorite stuff- BBQ boneless ribs, real mashed potatoes & gravy, corn on the cob, a R,W&B fruit salad [strawberries, bananas & blueberries], and salad. Yummmy!
After our Sunday walk (another of Brett's favorite things), we had some mini- oreo cakes. We ate the entire star platter! So good!

Brett-

 Hope you know how fabulous you are! You work so hard for our family and keep us all together. Our life would be so boring without you! You are always making us laugh and keep us looking on the bright side of everything! You are so HOT! Thanks for being such a fabulous Daddy and Hubby! We love you! Happy Father's Day, Love!