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	<title>From the Observation Deck</title>
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		<title>From the Observation Deck</title>
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		<item>
		<title>Chuckle, giggle, snort, hoot, snicker, cackle, chortle, guffaw, and oh yea, laugh.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2012/02/09/chuckle-giggle-snort-hoot-snicker-cackle-chortle-guffaw-and-oh-yea-laugh/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2012/02/09/chuckle-giggle-snort-hoot-snicker-cackle-chortle-guffaw-and-oh-yea-laugh/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:15:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[laughter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1555</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I’m in the mood to laugh. And I want to thank my many facebook friends for helping me in this simplistic goal of the moment. I also want to give a shout out to some new friends who are also enabling my favorite pastime. Laughter is so therapeutic. When you have lovely, charming, fun, joyful [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1555&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I’m in the mood to laugh. And I want to thank my many facebook friends for helping me in this simplistic goal of the moment. I also want to give a shout out to some new friends who are also enabling my favorite pastime.</p>
<p>Laughter is so therapeutic. When you have lovely, charming, fun, joyful people in your life it can lift you out of the darkest places and into a new world. The other night I got a wonderful gift from my two-year old neighbor. I was out walking Grendel and was feeling serious pain in my heel and knee and was ready to plop down and call it a day. As I saw some friends coming out of their home, their son was standing at the door, so I smiled and waved and said “Hi Nate!” I thought for sure he would turn on his heel and head for the hills since the last time I saw him I was pretending to be a monster and scared the living crap out of him. But instead of taking off or giving me a look that said, “Who are you again?” he smiled and yelled out, “HEY DAWN!”</p>
<p>Wow! I just love it! His dad and I laughed because we didn’t think he knew my name. Then the gift got bigger as his three-year old sister chimed in as well. Children are so cute, especially at that age. Hearing them call my name and say hi is just so sweet and charming—and it made me forget about my pain for awhile. Many of you who have children may understand what I’m saying, or maybe you’re wondering why I think it’s so special. I love kids—mainly because they don’t live with me and I can see them when they are acting cute and fun and leave when the crying starts. In any case, I am blessed to have a bunch of them living near me and saying hello when I need a good smile.</p>
<p>As for the grown up friends. I’d like to share some more funny photos I’ve copied from them and others around our lovely Internet. If it’s your photo and you haven’t gotten credit for it, let me know and I’ll make a note of it. Thanks for the laughs guys—keep ‘em coming so I can stop taking pain medication!</p>
<p> “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21</p>
<div id="attachment_1556" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/baby-adoption-funny.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1556" title="baby adoption funny" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/baby-adoption-funny.jpg?w=300&#038;h=263" alt="" width="300" height="263" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">I think my brother did this to me once.</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter"> </div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">
<dl class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/big-wheel-jump.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1557" title="big wheel jump" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/big-wheel-jump.jpg?w=300&#038;h=223" alt="" width="300" height="223" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">And I&#8217;m pretty sure my brother did this once as well.</dd>
</dl>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter"> </div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/baby/'>Baby</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/friends/'>Friends</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/laughter/'>laughter</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1555/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1555&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Grendel&#039;s Mother</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/baby-adoption-funny.jpg?w=300" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">baby adoption funny</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">big wheel jump</media:title>
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	</item>
		<item>
		<title>No offense God, but it’s Super Bowl Sunday.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2012/02/05/no-offense-god-but-its-super-bowl-sunday/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2012/02/05/no-offense-god-but-its-super-bowl-sunday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:51:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kindness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mark batterson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prayer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Super Bowl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Circle Maker]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://dawncrowe.wordpress.com/?p=1551</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, we Christians come in all shapes and sizes and are equally guilty of succumbing to the pressures and traditions of the secular world. While we do put God first on our list of priorities, that doesn’t mean we can’t rearrange a schedule or two to accommodate cultural traditions and special events. What I’m saying [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1551&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yes, we Christians come in all shapes and sizes and are equally guilty of succumbing to the pressures and traditions of the secular world. While we do put God first on our list of priorities, that doesn’t mean we can’t rearrange a schedule or two to accommodate cultural traditions and special events. What I’m saying is that we’ve decided to start our new small groups next week—when football season is over.</p>
<p>There’s going to be a lot of praying today—not just in church but on the ten yard line, before the extra-point kick, and for many, for the hangover cure on Monday morning.  At church we’ve been reading and studying a book written by our pastor, Mark Batterson called <a href="http://www.thecirclemaker.com/">The Circle Maker</a>. One of the recurring themes in the book is to pray big prayers.</p>
<p>For example, when your team is losing by 21 points and there is only a minute left on the clock and it seems completely impossible for you not to lose that ill-conceived bet you placed while the tailgating was in its early stages—that is the perfect time to pray for a win. Why? Because it’s the impossible situations—the miracles—that give glory to God. If it’s not a miracle, we tend to give the credit to coincidence or frankly ourselves. So in other words, go big or go home.</p>
<p>There are so many stories in the Bible about monumental miracles that God performed. It’s these seemingly hopeless situations (a band of three hundred men defeat an army of tens of thousands; the Jews’ triumphant victory of Jericho not via battering rams but by walking circles around the city; feeding 5,000 people from a few loaves of bread) that show just how glorious and wonderful God is and that He alone can make ANYTHING happen. It’s living with RAW DEPENDENCE on God that allows His work to be done.</p>
<p>Throughout the last few weeks in church, Pastor Mark had been sharing story after story of answered prayers. We know they were answered prayers and not coincidence because we mere mortals could not make them happen—only divine intervention delivered these miracles. I kept leaving the services with an overwhelming sense of joy. Story after story—on and on—it’s a true testament that God is at work with us everywhere all the time. It made me wish (and pray) that our news programs would someday turn into hour-long segments of testimonials of the miracles and answered prayers of God. Can you imagine how wonderful our world would be if we heard about these stories all the time? People would become hopeful instead of depressed. People everywhere would start praying and waiting patiently instead of living a life in want of instant gratification. I am confident that someday that is exactly how it will be. We may need to wait for the second coming, but it will happen. It just would be much cooler if it happened sooner. (Or is that instant gratification rearing its ugly head?)</p>
<p>I would very much like to hear your stories. Your answered prayers. Let’s start telling the world about them so we can give hope to others. I would also like to hear about your big prayers. I want to pray for you. I’m going to make a circle here on this blog. I’m praying that people like you will reply to these posts and share your stories and your prayer requests and then share them with your friends and family and your Twitter and Facebook followers and anyone else you come across. Let’s start the ball rolling right here. It’s GAME TIME people!</p>
<p>I’ll start and put myself out there in the hopes that others will follow.</p>
<p>Today I’m praying for:</p>
<p>Opportunities to travel the world to see the beauty that God has created. I pray that I can take stunning photographs and write about the experiences to share God’s glorious creation with others. I want to meet people and learn about their cultures, traditions, and beliefs and to educate and share those wonderful stories with others. And I want the courage and opportunity to share with the people I meet my testimony about how God has blessed me.</p>
<p>Healing—to be pain free from my joint and back injuries and to become fit and healthy enough to climb mountains and play sports again.</p>
<p>For legal help for a friend’s sister. For her to break free of an abusive relationship and get help in the form of physical healing, a job, and a new home.</p>
<p>My friend who is pregnant to be relieved of the physical suffering that comes from being pregnant and for a perfectly healthy baby who will one day come to know Jesus.</p>
<p>For the healing that needs to happen with family members.</p>
<p>To be filled with the fruit of the Spirit and emanate light, grace, and love so that those who meet me will see the joy and freedom that comes from accepting Jesus and putting your faith in God.</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/god/'>God</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/kindness/'>kindness</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/love/'>Love</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1551/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1551&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Grendel&#039;s Mother</media:title>
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	</item>
		<item>
		<title>A boring post with some funny stuff at the end.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2012/01/21/a-boring-post-with-some-funny-stuff-at-the-end/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2012/01/21/a-boring-post-with-some-funny-stuff-at-the-end/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:05:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[laughter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funny facebook jokes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1543</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So I&#8217;m on my way to my next life goal which is to get fit and healthy. I&#8217;m healing and exercising with the hope that in about a year I will have lost enough weight and will feel strong enough that I can celebrate with a trip to Peru. So that&#8217;s been keeping me busy. And [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1543&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So I&#8217;m on my way to my next life goal which is to get fit and healthy. I&#8217;m healing and exercising with the hope that in about a year I will have lost enough weight and will feel strong enough that I can celebrate with a trip to Peru. So that&#8217;s been keeping me busy. And I&#8217;ve also been writing a lot. Not here obviously because my blog posts have become as sporadic as as the number of snow storms we get here in DC which to my taste is not enough. Now don&#8217;t be a hater. Snow is pretty and yes, you can learn to drive in it so you won&#8217;t need to overstock your house with supplies at  the slightest hint of weather.</p>
<p>Okay, moving on. Seriously folks, I&#8217;m working on a book. Yes, you heard me. Or rather, yes, you READ that write. I mean right. Thank God for spell check. Out of all of His inventions, spell check is one of my favorites. Now if God could just gift someone with a talent that allows for a cheap robot to clean my bathrooms and the litter box, that would be awesome as well.</p>
<p>Still not moving on. I got nothing folks. I&#8217;m reading a book called the Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I&#8217;ll be blogging about that soon. Cool stuff. So far I&#8217;ve gotten the back story about a dude named Honi who drew a circle in the sand and prayed to God for rain. And God answered. I&#8217;ll be asking you for your stories—where you have seen God answering your prayers, so think about it and share it. We really shouldn&#8217;t be shy about sharing those beautiful stories of answered prayers. Or you can send me your prayers and I&#8217;ll add them to my journal of prayers. I&#8217;ve started one and I&#8217;m liking it a lot. </p>
<p>So to recap, I&#8217;ve been writing prayers. Writing a book. Wrote a bunch of holiday cards that took awhile. And not writing in this blog. But I have been collecting super funny photos from my facebook friends&#8217; posts. That&#8217;s really what I started out to do until you just let me blab on and on and on. Okay, so here are some of the most recent ones. Laughter. I think that is one of my all time favorite God blessings. Enjoy.</p>
<p><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/advice-by-john.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1546" title="advice by john" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/advice-by-john.jpg?w=300&#038;h=212" alt="" width="300" height="212" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/mobile-phone-texting-autocorrect-im-partial-to-i.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1545" title="mobile-phone-texting-autocorrect-im-partial-to-i" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/mobile-phone-texting-autocorrect-im-partial-to-i.jpg?w=300&#038;h=132" alt="" width="300" height="132" /></a></p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1544" title="cookie monster" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/cookie-monster.jpg?w=211&#038;h=300" alt="" width="211" height="300" /></p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/friends/'>Friends</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/god/'>God</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/laughter/'>laughter</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1543/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1543&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Grendel&#039;s Mother</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">advice by john</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">cookie monster</media:title>
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		<title>A video ho, ho, ho from dear ol&#8217; Santa.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/12/16/a-video-ho-ho-ho-from-dear-ol-santa/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/12/16/a-video-ho-ho-ho-from-dear-ol-santa/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:54:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1538</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oh my goodness, even Santa is going digital. What will those innovative, 21st century elves come up with next? If they lived in a capitalistic society like we do, they would have figured out how to monetize the YouTube channel greetings from Santa. Actually, it’s a Twitter and YouTube partnership. If you want to create [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1538&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size:small;">Oh my goodness, even Santa is going digital. What will those innovative, 21<sup>st</sup> century elves come up with next? If they lived in a capitalistic society like we do, they would have figured out how to monetize the YouTube channel greetings from Santa. Actually, it’s a Twitter and YouTube partnership.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">If you want to create a greeting for someone, just tweet #02Santa a message and he’ll deliver it via YouTube. Here is Santa’s message to my wonderful nieces and nephews and Grendel’s cousin, Scooby.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">Merry Christmas, HO, HO, HO!</span></p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://grendelsmom.com/2011/12/16/a-video-ho-ho-ho-from-dear-ol-santa/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/cli5OjDnM24/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
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		<title>The hells and loves of Christmas time.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/12/03/the-hells-and-loves-of-christmas-time/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/12/03/the-hells-and-loves-of-christmas-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:13:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kindness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shopping]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1529</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As usual, the Christmas season is bustling with activity. It started early this year because our team at work is providing Christmas gifts for a local family in need. This is something I cherish doing each year. I know we should be looking out for these families and children all year long, but at least [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1529&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As usual, the Christmas season is bustling with activity. It started early this year because our team at work is providing Christmas gifts for a local family in need. This is something I cherish doing each year. I know we should be looking out for these families and children all year long, but at least we can make some kids smile on the morning of Christmas. I can see their faces in my mind—eyes wide open and smiles from ear to ear. And the parents must have a tug on their hearts as they see their kids enjoying presents like other American kids.</p>
<p>So in order to get presents for these kids, I needed to go to Toys R Us before Thanksgiving. Holy hell. A Saturday afternoon spent at that place in the holiday season is my version of what eternity in hell would be like. And to make things fun, God had a great laugh by making me go back to exchange both the gifts I got—on two different occasions. But I’ll tell you. It didn’t take away one bit from the absolute joy it is to give a gift to someone else. Especially a kid in need.</p>
<p>My nieces then asked a huge favor from me. They wanted to go shopping on Black Friday. I told them they owed me big. That was the day we were supposed to sleep in (or fake it while Grandma finds a way to make enough noise to bring the entire house out of bed). But no. I went shopping. On Black Friday. Kill me now.</p>
<p>After that I was beginning to have enough (not completely but near enough) of the material side of Christmas. That night we went to Longwood Gardens to see the Christmas displays. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. It’s so beautiful and the horticulturists who work there are master artists. Not just the display of lights but the various trees and flowers as well as the gingerbread houses and trains—oh my, it&#8217;s just so incredibly fun and breathtaking. I was so inspired I went out and bought more crap to decorate my house. Okay, so I wasn’t quite done.</p>
<p>But now, today, after spending a really fun dinner last night with friends and their adorable three-year olds, I started really thinking about the advent. I listened to a sermon online tonight about God’s will and plan for us and how we need to be ready and open for opportunities and to always seek His council before making decisions. So now I’m inspired for the right things. God. And preparing for this season when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. I’m going to light my advent wreath candle tomorrow and say a prayer. Something like this (note, this is something I got online from <a href="http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/adx/adwreath.html">this Web site </a>and it’s by Victor Hoagland, C.P.—the beginning part, the other part is by God via the prophet Isaiah):</p>
<p>As our nights grow longer and our days grow short,<br />
we look on these earthly signs—light and green branches—<br />
and remember God&#8217;s promise to our world:<br />
Christ, our Light and our Hope, will come.<br />
Listen to the words of Isaiah the prophet:</p>
<p>The people that walked in darkness<br />
have seen a great light;<br />
on those who lived in a land as dark as death<br />
a light has dawned.<br />
You have increased their joy<br />
and given them gladness;<br />
They rejoice in your presence<br />
as those who rejoice at harvest,<br />
as warriors exult when dividing spoil. <cite>Is. 9:1-2</cite></p>
<p><em>Then all pray:</em></p>
<p>O God,<br />
rejoicing,<br />
we remember the promise of your Son.<br />
As the light from this candle,<br />
may the blessing of Christ come upon us,<br />
brightening our way<br />
and guiding us by his truth.<br />
May Christ our Savior bring life<br />
into the darkness of our world,<br />
and to us, as we wait for his coming.<br />
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen</p>
<p>So I thank you God for pressing upon my heart the true reason for Christmas. I pray for all of you reading this that you have a joyous Christmas filled with love and mercy and time spent with loved ones. Especially those wonderful children who bring so much joy to our life.</p>
<p>Now please don’t go without enjoying a little laugh from an old sitcom, Laverne and Shirley. This is Lenny and Squiggy singing a powerful message about the holiday!</p>
<span style="text-align:center; display: block;"><a href="http://grendelsmom.com/2011/12/03/the-hells-and-loves-of-christmas-time/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/Xvtn5NuYL-I/2.jpg" alt="" /></a></span>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/family/'>Family</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/friends/'>Friends</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/god/'>God</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/holiday/'>holiday</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/kindness/'>kindness</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/love/'>Love</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/uncategorized/'>Uncategorized</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1529/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1529&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>It&#8217;s not what you carve, but who you carve with.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:34:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pumpkin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1517</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When life gets busy I tend to ignore things I need to do. Like posting to this blog. I can’t seem to find time to write and do all the things I want to do. Having been on the losing side of the recession, I am always very grateful to be employed, but too much [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1517&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When life gets busy I tend to ignore things I need to do. Like posting to this blog. I can’t seem to find time to write and do all the things I want to do. Having been on the losing side of the recession, I am always very grateful to be employed, but too much of a good thing can have its downside. Like stress and fatigue. Add on to that physical therapy, doctor’s appointments, getting back into exercising, paying more attention to the Grendel dog who is showing his displeasure at being shunned by peeing in my basement, cleaning up after said incidents, and scrapbooking the past two and half years, and you’ve got reasons galore to not write on the blog.</p>
<p>I always say that people make priorities with their time. When you haven’t seen someone in awhile and you say you should get together (you know what I’m talking about), the truth is, you <em>can</em> see them—you just need to make it a priority. That’s not to say that all my wonderful friends are not priorities—they definitely get lots of “mind time”—that is I think of them often. And luckily I have been able to see some good friends recently—at the beach and up in Pennsylvania, here at home, and occasionally during the week. But I have to say that spending time with my family last weekend was a highlight. It was a cold, rainy day but we managed to have loads of fun. As much fun as I have with friends and co-workers, there was something really fun about our family time together. It’s precious and I thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on us. I’ve been thinking even more about that lately as several friends have lost loved ones in the past week or two.</p>
<p>One of the things I really like about my nieces and nephews is how they can enjoy time with us without having to play video games or spend a lot of money. We spent a small sum on some pumpkins and then the creativity of these junior artists took over as they carved their masterpieces. Each one of them had something funny and creative in mind for their Halloween projects. My little neighbor Cayden and his mama Tracie stopped by to help me carve my Cyclops pumpkin.</p>
<p>It’s the small things that count. The time spent with loved ones is precious. Through all the stress, the leg pain, the errands and chores, and travel for work, what I remember of this fall season are the days I’ve been able to spend with family and friends. A walk today with a friend, a block party, a weekend shopping with the girls, carving pumpkins, sitting on the sand getting the last of the summer rays—it’s been great.</p>
<p>Now that I’ve managed to get the neighborhood kids to toss my pumpkin in the woods (with great fanfare), it’s on to winter. What will the next adventure be? Don’t know yet but I’m sure something fun will happen with all these wonderful friends and family members!</p>
<p>I’m almost done scrapbooking, so maybe some interesting blog posts will crop up. Or maybe I need to get busy writing that novel. Or, maybe actually watching the dang Netflix video that’s been sitting on my TV for three weeks. Hmmm, so much to do, so little time. What’s keeping you busy these days? How do you decide what to do and what not to do? Anyone want to come clean my house? No? Okay, just come over and we’ll get started on the gingerbread house and holiday cookies! Happy fall!</p>

<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/cayden-and-cyclops/' title='Cayden and Cyclops'><img data-attachment-id='1518' data-orig-size='1080,720' data-liked='0'width="150" height="100" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/cayden-and-cyclops.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Cayden and Cyclops" title="Cayden and Cyclops" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/harmon-puts-finishing-touches-on-pumpkin/' title='Harmon puts finishing touches on pumpkin'><img data-attachment-id='1519' data-orig-size='720,1080' data-liked='0'width="100" height="150" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/harmon-puts-finishing-touches-on-pumpkin.jpg?w=100&#038;h=150" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Harmon puts finishing touches on his pumpkin eating pumpkin" title="Harmon puts finishing touches on pumpkin" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/jules-grandma-zenia-pick-pumpkins/' title='Jules, Grandma, Zenia pick pumpkins'><img data-attachment-id='1520' data-orig-size='1080,720' data-liked='0'width="150" height="100" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/jules-grandma-zenia-pick-pumpkins.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Jules, Grandma, Zenia pick some prickly pumpkins" title="Jules, Grandma, Zenia pick pumpkins" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/monster-pumpkins/' title='monster pumpkins'><img data-attachment-id='1521' data-orig-size='1080,720' data-liked='0'width="150" height="100" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/monster-pumpkins.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="monster pumpkins" title="monster pumpkins" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/t-picks-a-pumpkin/' title='T picks a pumpkin'><img data-attachment-id='1522' data-orig-size='1080,720' data-liked='0'width="150" height="100" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/t-picks-a-pumpkin.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Tyler picks a big pumpkin" title="T picks a pumpkin" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/tyler-pumpkin/' title='Tyler pumpkin'><img data-attachment-id='1523' data-orig-size='720,1080' data-liked='0'width="100" height="150" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/tyler-pumpkin.jpg?w=100&#038;h=150" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Tyler creates a snowman pumpkin with his spine showing" title="Tyler pumpkin" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/z-and-j-pumpkins/' title='Z and J pumpkins'><img data-attachment-id='1524' data-orig-size='1080,720' data-liked='0'width="150" height="100" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/z-and-j-pumpkins.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Julia and Zenia carve these creations with a free hand." title="Z and J pumpkins" /></a>
<a href='http://grendelsmom.com/2011/11/06/its-not-what-you-carve-but-who-you-carve-with/zenia-chases-the-rooster/' title='Zenia chases the rooster'><img data-attachment-id='1525' data-orig-size='1080,720' data-liked='0'width="150" height="100" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/zenia-chases-the-rooster.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Zenia chases the rooster" title="Zenia chases the rooster" /></a>

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			<media:title type="html">Cayden and Cyclops</media:title>
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		<media:content url="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/harmon-puts-finishing-touches-on-pumpkin.jpg?w=100" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Harmon puts finishing touches on pumpkin</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Jules, Grandma, Zenia pick pumpkins</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">monster pumpkins</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">T picks a pumpkin</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Tyler pumpkin</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Z and J pumpkins</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Zenia chases the rooster</media:title>
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		<title>My goal-less quest.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/09/25/my-goal-less-quest/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/09/25/my-goal-less-quest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:18:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bucket list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quest]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1513</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many people these days are making up their own bucket lists. I’ve been thinking about it more and more these days. And not because my body is falling apart (it is) or that my life is a wreck (it’s not). Maybe I see others doing more with their time, maybe I’ve just stopped wanting to [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1513&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Many people these days are making up their own bucket lists. I’ve been thinking about it more and more these days. And not because my body is falling apart (it is) or that my life is a wreck (it’s not). Maybe I see others doing more with their time, maybe I’ve just stopped wanting to dream so much and to just do more. Maybe it was watching that series Planet Earth with the jaw dropping scenes of the wonders all around us. Maybe it’s just time to take my own kind of walkabout. My quest does not have a goal, such as saving someone&#8217;s life, destroying a ring, or killing a monster named Grendel. It&#8217;s more about just experiencing the world and the people in it.</p>
<p>But of course we have to address the obstacles to living out the carefree lifestyle that exists in our dreams.</p>
<p>Money—or whatever is needed for those pesky plane tickets, hotel rooms, etc. Doing the backpack thing and staying in dirt-encrusted hostels is not for me. Maybe when I was in my early 20’s—but even then I needed to know that there was a safe room for me to lay my head at the end of the day. I’m not saying I won’t camp out or need a four-star hotel. I just want my 40-year old back to not be in a knot in the morning.</p>
<p>Time—those sweet precious vacation days we work so hard for can be few and far between for the normal American. The Europeans have it great. Having said that, I’m grateful for having a life where I do have time off and don’t have to work three jobs or 90 hours a week.</p>
<p>Travel companions—getting someone else to come along with you to share the experience makes exploring this world so much more fun and meaningful. Whether the travel companions be friends or family, it’s really important for me to go with people I can have fun with.</p>
<p>For the most part, these obstacles can be overcome. You may not have the money or time to travel far and wide but you can make smaller and more budget-friendly trips and experiences wherever you live. For me, well I’m going for broke. I spent several years saving every penny I earned, putting them away for a time when I could start going on some trips. At the very moment I was about to start spending it all, I was laid off. That money ended up coming in handy while I was out of work. God definitely was looking out for me. If I hadn’t saved during those preceding years, I would have been in serious trouble. I am so blessed and grateful that I was able to save at all. God is good and He provides in mysterious ways.</p>
<p>But now I have a job again and my outlook on life has changed a bit. Am I still a saver, planner, and overall worrier? Yup. But I’m not going to let opportunities pass me by. I’m going to explore this beautiful world God created. I’m going to learn about other cultures and deepen my knowledge of history, anthropology, geology, languages, geography, and foodology. I’m going to meet people who will share their traditions, legends, historic landmarks, grandmother’s recipes, and beliefs. I’m going to marvel at the heaven-reaching mountains, the deep blue oceans, the colorful plants, the sand-swept deserts, and the luscious green forests. And in between I sure wouldn’t mind spending some time relaxing in Bora Bora (you know the place where the huts sit on the water and you can jump into the clear blue water right from your bedroom? (That’s where a sugar daddy would come in very handy.)</p>
<p>So here is my so-called bucket list of places to visit. (The whole “What I want to do before I die” thing includes a heck of lot more than travel.) Anyway, I’m tired of the phrase “bucket list” and feel that a new name is in order. One of these maybe?</p>
<ul>
<li>Dawn’s Lambeth Walk. I did some research and the Lambeth Walk is a song from a musical about courage and acceptance that became a rallying cry for the Brits during the London bombing in World War II. It sounds kind of fun and cool. Look it up.</li>
<li>Tribal Wanderings. I’ll bring my culture and experiences to those around the world—and get a bit of other tribal customs in exchange.</li>
<li>Dawn to Dusk: Live the Path not Yet Taken. Ok, now I feel like I’m working on a brainstorm session for work—trying to come up with some random and witty theme.</li>
</ul>
<p>Okay, let’s call it: Dawn’s Day-Tripping Dreams. Something exciting to think about and something to try to attain. If you’re in my circle of family and friends and are interested in planning a trip to one of these places, give me a shout! Or, if you own a travel magazine or run a travel business and want someone to visit these places and write about them for you, also give me a shout!</p>
<p><strong>Dawn’s Day-Tripping Dreams</strong> (not in any specific order and subject to change)</p>
<ol>
<li>Peru (Machu Pichu and the Nazca lines)</li>
<li>The Holy Land (Israel)</li>
<li>Alaska (cruise around the glaciers, see the wilderness inland, Denali, etc.)</li>
<li>Italy (Rome, Venice, Sienna, tour the countryside, visit the Vatican)</li>
<li>African (Kenya and Tanzania) safari</li>
<li>Napa Valley (wine tours)</li>
<li>Australia (the reef, Sydney, the Aborigine land, Uluru, etc.)</li>
<li>New Zealand (see the mountains and majestic scenery)</li>
<li>Galapagos Islands</li>
<li>Brazil (Rio but also cruise the Amazon)</li>
<li>China (the Great Wall, the Terracotta army, etc.)</li>
<li>Russia (The beautiful onion domes, red square, Moscow, St. Petersburg)</li>
<li>Normandy (tour the WW II sites, see Mont Saint Michel)</li>
<li>Paris (been there but would go back again and again and again…)</li>
<li>Greece (Ancient historical sites, cruise on the gorgeous waters, etc.)</li>
<li>India</li>
<li>Montana (maybe some kind of dude ranch experience)</li>
<li>Upstate New York and Maine (in the fall for the turning of the leaves)</li>
</ol>
<p>I’ve been blessed to see so many places in my life and many of those places I’d love to visit again. France is a favorite and I would go back to see other parts of Egypt, Ireland, England, Canada, and various states in America. And of course I can’t go very long without visiting my Aunt and cousins in one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth—Walloon Lake, Michigan. There are some things you need to stick with and that’s one of them.</p>
<p>What’s on your dream list? Tell me and maybe we can talk about a little walk about.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Grendel&#039;s Mother</media:title>
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		<title>Dear marriage ref, thank you’s go a long way.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/08/30/dear-marriage-ref-thank-you%e2%80%99s-go-a-long-way/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/08/30/dear-marriage-ref-thank-you%e2%80%99s-go-a-long-way/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:35:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[manners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tv show]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[celebrity judges]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage ref]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thank you notes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1505</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ I used to really like this show on TV called the marriage ref. It consists of three celebrities and a host who discuss a couple’s argument, give their opinions about who is right, and then settle the argument between the couple. Last year the host made the final call and I have to say I [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1505&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"> </span>I used to really like this show on TV called the marriage ref. It consists of three celebrities and a host who discuss a couple’s argument, give their opinions about who is right, and then settle the argument between the couple. Last year the host made the final call and I have to say I think he did a pretty good job. This year however, the celebrities are voting and I’m not liking it as much. Celebrities in general are kind of crazy and their voting seems to be in line with that.</p>
<p>Let me give you an example of why I’m not happy with this show. The other week there were three couples on. One couple was fighting because the woman was buying so many clothes that the husband thought she was going overboard and didn’t need all those clothes. The woman admitted to changing a couple times a day and enjoying having hundreds of pairs of shoes, scarves, necklaces, etc. In fact she had so much jewelry it would take her several years to wear all of it (one item per day). I was shocked when the celebrities voted with her and against her husband. Seriously? She was way too overboard with the amount of things she was buying. Unbelievable.</p>
<p>But here is where it gets really bad. In the same segment, another wife and husband were fighting because the husband thought she was writing too many thank you notes. Ummm. I can’t believe this is even an argument. They interviewed the son of this couple who first of all is a kid (kids often exaggerate, hello) and obviously prompted to tell the camera how crazy his mom was so that there would be some drama in this episode. But of course the celebrities were too dumb to notice that. So they voted against her and for the husband.</p>
<p>Let’s recap. These judges voted in favor of a woman who was displaying materialistic, selfish behavior and against a woman who was displaying gracious, polite behavior. One was obsessed with herself and the other was making other people feel good.</p>
<p>So I’m done with this show. In addition, I don’t think it’s very nice to give the winner of the argument a billboard that says they were right that is posted in their hometown. I’m not married but I would not want to humiliate my spouse by rubbing his nose in it in such an obnoxious and public manner.</p>
<p>Shame on you TV producers. You turned a cute show into a pathetic display of how we allow out-of-touch celebrities and drama-seeking producers to shape our lives. If you agree with me then I would suggest you send a card to a friend or loved one for no reason—just make them feel good!</p>
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		<title>Ice bars and warm hearts in Oslo.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/08/15/ice-bars-and-warm-hearts-in-oslo/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/08/15/ice-bars-and-warm-hearts-in-oslo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:54:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oslo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viking ship museum]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://grendelsmom.com/?p=1492</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the last post in the Iceland / Norway trip series. On this last day of the trip we had too much to do and too little time to do it. But it was a beautiful day and we took advantage of it and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast before heading out. The hotel was [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1492&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size:small;">This is the last post in the Iceland / Norway trip series. On this last day of the trip we had too much to do and too little time to do it. But it was a beautiful day and we took advantage of it and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast before heading out. The hotel was located right in the heart of the city and very close to the harbor, palace, and according to the various cab drivers and hotel clerks we talked to, “the place where the officials, you know, talk about things.” I’m pretty sure they meant the parliament building, but their description worked, so yet another cross cultural exchange had proved successful. We walked up to the palace to have a quick look-see. Amy asked the palace guard about when the changing of the guard was going to take place and he actually answered her. It’s not like in England where they stand stone-faced. This guy smiled and chatted but he did keep his eye on the grounds at all times. After a few photo ops we continued down to the wharf to catch a boat ride.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">Amy and I took the hop on hop off boat over to the opera house while Butter and Jen took the ferry over to the island that hosted a number of museums. The opera house was an architectural wonder with numerous angles, windows, and other “cool” features making it quite interesting to explore. We walked up to the top where you can walk across the roof and back down again along the smooth slope of concrete. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">Next stop was the island with all the museums. It turned out to be a pretty decent sized area and Amy and I huffed it quite a ways to the Viking museum where we met up with Butter and Jen for awhile. I loved the Viking ship museum. It held a couple of ancient boats as well as some beautiful carvings, an old carved wagon, and a funeral tent (can’t remember exactly what it was called). I honestly wasn’t sure before I went in that I would really like it but I did. It’s very worth it if you ever visit Oslo. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">We then made our way over to the cultural museum. It was actually a very large site that had some collections inside a large building—my friends explored a photo exhibit there—as well as replicas of old Viking homes, churches, communities—you name it, scattered across many acres. They even had one section that was a replica of a more modern (but still colonial-type era) town. I fell in love with the Stave Church. It was truly magnificent. The shape and style was ornate, different, unusual, and filled with—of course—carvings. I can’t get enough of those, they are so beautifully done. There were some painted scenes inside the chapel and a number of crosses over the numerous gables and doors. A number of the houses throughout the museum site (as well as in other areas we explored) had grass growing on the roofs. I thought it interesting that we are now starting to go back to the days of the ancients. It’s considered very “green”—that is energy efficient and environmental friendly—to have grass growing on your roof. There are some corporations trying it out now. Must be something to it if the Vikings were doing it thousands of years ago. Along the paths I came across a group of young people in costume dancing some old jigs they used to do back in the day—that was a fun little treat. I ended the tour looking through some of the old houses they built. They were built up on foundations set at the corners (kind of like our beach houses on pilings but not that high). I guess the snow or floods made that necessary—who knows. But the homes were of course beautifully built. They didn’t just throw up some boards or mud, these people were architects.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">My legs were giving out so it was time to hop on the cheap boat back to the wharf. My friends explored some more museums and we met back at the hotel to go to dinner. What to have for dinner in Norway? Why Chinese of course. Yup, went to a fancy Chinese restaurant—very nice indeed and the food was absolutely yummy. It was expensive and spicy too, but the service was excellent and it was a very nice way to wrap up a trip. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">But we weren’t done yet. Nope. Amy and I had a mission. To visit the ice bar. The one in Iceland we were told was a dump, but this one was an offshoot of the famous ice hotel. They let people in every hour on the hour (the bartender needed a break to get out of the cold). So while we waited, we chatted up with Nikolas, my new favorite boyfriend who is now on top of the future ex Mr. Crowe list. He dressed us up in warm clothes and in we went. Lars—who also was making his way on to the favorite list—served us some quite yummy cocktails in glasses made entirely of ice. I would show you photos but it was so cold my camera froze and we only have fuzzy memories of that establishment. Seriously though, it’s an experience worth having if you get the chance. The entire place was made of ice—the booth, the bar, the glasses, the walls and floor—and it had fun etchings of things throughout. There were carvings in the walls and tables, handprints, and some things that got stuck in the ice. After last call was called, Amy and I were helped out of our jackets and boots by the darling Nikolas and headed back into the warm night of Oslo. We walked around a bit to get our last taste of the city, and headed back to the closet I called home for the night. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">I recommend both Norway and Iceland to everyone. In fact, I’d probably recommend going in two different trips and taking longer in each country. But that’s me and I typically like to get more immersed into the cultures I visit while there. I’m blessed and grateful for the opportunity to travel to these places with three wonderful friends who made the trip really fun. It was a 40<sup>th</sup> birthday trip for Jen and a 50<sup>th</sup> for Butter and Amy and I went along for the ride! Thanks ladies!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">If you have had your own adventures in these places and want to share, please do! Or if you are traveling there and want some more details or suggestions on things to do, not do, etc., just write a reply and I’ll get back to you. Again, my prayers go out to the victims of the attack on Oslo—just a week after our visit there. It was a shock to hear about that and having been through 9/11 in Washington, D.C. I can say it’s a scary, horrible thing to live through. God Bless you Norwegians and others who are healing from those wounds. Thanks for your hospitality and I hope to come visit you again.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<div id="attachment_1494" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1287.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1494" title="IMG_1287" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1287.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Amy and Jen pose with a palace guard in Oslo.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1495" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1302.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1495" title="IMG_1302" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1302.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">a glass viking ship outside the opera house in Oslo.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1496" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1309.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1496" title="IMG_1309" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1309.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Kids at play on the roof of the opera house in Oslo.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1497" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1318.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1497" title="IMG_1318" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1318.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Amy at the opera house in Oslo</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1499" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1360.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1499" title="IMG_1360" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1360.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A beautiful carved wagon from the viking ship museum.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1500" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1411.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1500" title="IMG_1411" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1411.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Stave Church at the Oslo cultural museum.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1501" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1383.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1501" title="IMG_1383" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1383.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Crosses on the Stave Church</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1502" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1416.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1502" title="IMG_1416" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1416.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">One of the viking houses in the cultural museum.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1503" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1758.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1503" title="IMG_1758" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1758.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Me in the big coat sitting on an ice bench at an ice table at the ice bar. Camera froze so photo is blurry.</p></div>
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<br />Filed under: <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/adventure/'>adventure</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/norway-2/'>Norway</a>, <a href='http://grendelsmom.com/category/travel/'>travel</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/dawncrowe.wordpress.com/1492/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1492&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Norway in a nutshell, a train, a bus, and a boat.</title>
		<link>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/08/09/norway-in-a-nutshell-a-train-a-bus-and-a-boat/</link>
		<comments>http://grendelsmom.com/2011/08/09/norway-in-a-nutshell-a-train-a-bus-and-a-boat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:56:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Grendel's Mother</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[As I continue the saga of the four American girls traveling through Iceland and Norway, we find ourselves with a short time to explore the beauty of the Norwegian countryside. The way we accomplished this was by taking the famous Norway in a Nutshell tour. This tour goes from Bergen to Oslo (or the other [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=grendelsmom.com&amp;blog=7494510&amp;post=1475&amp;subd=dawncrowe&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size:small;">As I continue the saga of the four American girls traveling through Iceland and Norway, we find ourselves with a short time to explore the beauty of the Norwegian countryside. The way we accomplished this was by taking the famous Norway in a Nutshell tour. This tour goes from Bergen to Oslo (or the other way, or a round trip if that’s what you want). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">First thing in the morning we hopped on the train out of Bergen. If you’re traveling this way you may want to consider going light on the luggage. Or finding a hot dude to travel with who can lug it around for you. But all was okay and there was plenty of room to store the bags and get great views of the fjords and mountains. At the quaint town of Voss, we changed over to a bus. They were short on busses but these Norwegians know how to move fast and a driver was found tout suite (yes, that’s French but it sounds better than “gang,” the Norwegian word for right away) and a bus showed up for the rest of us who were out-elbowed by the others. The bus drive to Gudvangan took us through some even more picturesque countryside. (I love saying Gudvangen, it’s fun and rolls off the tongue. You should try it.) The real fun was the harrowing sharp, hair-pin s-turns down the steep mountain side. At the bottom of the hill the driver told us to breathe and we all laughed because we actually were holding our breaths. Now off to catch the boat.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">Ahh, the boat. This was the part of Norway I was most looking forward to. The fjord tour. As we got onboard we walked through to the other end of the boat, up two flights of stairs and then back again to the other end of the boat to the only space that was left, this little corner in the back of the boat. I planted my butt down and Amy, Jen, and Butter found spaces along the bulk head. At first I was kind of upset that all these tourists had once again pushed their way onto the boat and grabbed all the nice seats up front. I was upset that is until the boat left the dock and then turned around! Poetic justice. We ended up having the absolute premier rock star positions on the entire boat. Our view was straight on unobstructed and it was truly magnificent. Mile after mile, we floated through the water that cut between steep cliffs hosting long, flowing waterfalls. Occasionally we saw houses and farms and wondered how they got their cable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">Some well-meaning but idiot tourists on our boat kept feeding the seagulls that were flying around us. While it did make for some nice photo ops, I vowed to stomp on the bird guy at the first sight of seagull poop. Some of these pushy tourists tried to worm their way into our space but we held tight to our real estate and got excellent photos during the entire three-hour cruise. Once we docked in Flam we had a couple of hours to eat, shop, and play. If you take this cruise/trip you can make plans to stop off overnight at any of these places and take extra fjord tours, or go hiking, or partake in some of the other activities available. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">The next segment had us back on the train and up, up, up the mountain. We stopped briefly at a waterfall. Suddenly, some Celtic-like music started blaring out of speakers somewhere and a woman appeared out of the remains of an old stone house. As she danced around the falls and house she seemed like some kind of witch. It was pretty cool. At the top of the mountain, I bought a $13 cup of beer while we waited for our next train on the Flam railway.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">The train from Flam took us by crystal clear waters that were formed from the blue and white glaciers dotting the landscape. We ended up going back and forth bus to train to bus to train to bus before arriving back in Oslo. It was a long day but a great way to see the Norwegian countryside if you don’t have time to really explore. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">After keeping Amy awake the night before we decided I should get my own room with sound-proof walls. I do believe that aside from those little sleeping holes they have in Tokyo, this was the most expensive square foot of sleeping space I’ve ever had the misfortune of staying in. Seriously, when I spend $250 on a hotel room, I’d like to be able to take a shower without bumping into the sink, be able to not have to hear a concert playing outside until 1 a.m., and be able to get out of bed without jamming my toes into the walls. But I will say that the concierge’s at the front desk were nice and just a little cute, so we had something good to say about the hotel. Breakfast was pretty good too. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small;">So that’s it for Norway in a Nutshell. One more day in the saga to talk about—so stay tuned!</span></p>
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<div id="attachment_1477" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0885.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1477" title="IMG_0885" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0885.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Near Voss on the Norway in a Nutshell tour.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1478" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0912.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1478" title="IMG_0912" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0912.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">One of the many lush waterfalls on the tour.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1479" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0926.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1479" title="IMG_0926" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0926.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The scary ride down the mountain.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1480" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0976-copy.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1480" title="IMG_0976 - Copy" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0976-copy.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Jen, Butter, and Amy get rock star parking on the fjord tour boat.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1481" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0991.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1481" title="IMG_0991" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0991.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Along the Gudvangen fjord tour.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1482" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0863-copy.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1482" title="IMG_0863 - Copy" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0863-copy.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">These guys followed us for awhile.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1483" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1070-copy.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1483" title="IMG_1070 - Copy" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1070-copy.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Another beautiful farm along the water.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1484" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1164.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1484" title="IMG_1164" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1164.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The dancing witch by the waterfall.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1485" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1206.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1485" title="IMG_1206" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1206.jpg?w=300&#038;h=196" alt="" width="300" height="196" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">This glacier flows down blue and white so clear and beautiful.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1486" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1205.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1486" title="IMG_1205" src="http://dawncrowe.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_1205.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">No words needed. On the Flam railway.</p></div>
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