Jay Cooke, Roots

I’ve been a discombobulated mess lately, so it was a huge breath of fresh air to step out of our car at Jay Cooke yesterday and into the woods. Immediately we drank in views of the swinging bridge, picnickers, trail runners, families, singles – people, various ages and abilities, out exploring Minnesota. The falls were…

Minnesota Girl in a Trump World

When you think of a “Minnesota Girl” what comes to mind? Not sure if it’s someone like me or not. What I’ve learned is that there are lot of diverse women in Minnesota. I’m not sure how many would claim their Minnesotan-ness as a big part of their identity. I do. Lately I’ve become increasingly and…

Rachel’s getting married

My sister Rachel is getting married in three weeks. She’s 33, is a gorgeous 5’11” brunette who finally found her manly man: Kyle. He hunts and sells land in northern Minnesota. They met on match two years ago. They’d both been in serious relationships and longed to find love, their person, and start a family.…

Traditions at Christmas, Part II

Here’s what we did for Christmas this year. Our first Christmas celebration was an early one in Duluth. Second weekend of the month, all the Goodspeeds over at my parents house. Almost all the Goodspeeds were there, except Rebekah in Australia, and Jake and Ruthann. Jake ended up in the hospital with heart problems. We…

Traditions, at Christmas

When I was a kid we had lots of traditions at Christmas. As a family we’d always pile into the car and drive out to the country to cut our own Christmas tree. I remember my dad in his Viking’s purple snowsuit laying on the ground sawing at the trunk. He’d be all underneath the…

Solstice

Brynn and Justin are asleep. Classical Christmas music is playing quietly in the kitchen. I’m thinking about the true meaning of Christmas. I’m searching for something to renew my sense of hope. That fundamentally, our world is a positive, safe, hope-filled place. I want to be able to teach this to Brynn. And because it’s true. Not…

First blog post

This is the excerpt for your very first post.