it's the little things

January

2012-02-08T14:57:00.005-06:00

Mom took Autumn and I to a cute tea shop in Carefree, AZ. We had a fun time trying to be fancy, even tho Autumn and I aren't quite the "fancy-nancy" type. A tea trip to Scotland wouldn't be turned down by us tho.
Speaking of Scotland, mom also took Autumn and I to a Robert Burns celebration - was fun for Autumn to get to see the Scottish Dancing and eat some traditional Scottish food and of course, listen to bagpipes!

Brendan and Alec have gotten a few golf games in together. Not as much as Brendan would like - poor guy has temptation staring him in the face EVERY day as he looks out over hole #9 from his office/bedroom window!

We spent a day in Scotsdale checking out that area and also took the kids to a Phoenix Coyote Hockey Game. Brendan and I have been enjoying running around our complex -- trying to at least keep a decent base of 20 miles in/wk.

Brendan & I went on a last minute wkend get-away to Vegas - stopped and checked out the Hoover Dam as well. We met up with some friends from Rochester for one night & part of the next day. I wasn't very impressed - guess it's neat to see, but once is enough for me. We found some really nice shopping away from the strip - so spent a good portion of one day away from the hustle and bustle.

The kids are doing great at school. We celebrated with a 50% party - they chose to go to Culvers with Grandma & Grandpa. They are looking forward to getting back into the regular public school system next year tho - they miss the socialization and we can totally understand that! They've been playing guitar quite a bit - so fun to hear them play & sing together (sometimes with Brendan & my dad as well!)

We bought a yoga DVD (physical exercise is lacking for our kids in AZ)and bought mats for our family. (guess I could mention, I could probably learn some yoga techniques to CHILL a bit...hard not to let my mind race with our uncertain lifestyle!) We've projected the dvd up on the wall and have spent a few nights doing yoga together. Ahhh...so that's the good news for January....we're still living, working, and most of all PLAYING together quite well after being together 24X7 for 5 months.

Arizona Happenings

2012-01-12T18:30:00.003-06:00

It's been over 2 months since I made a post. Guess I have some catching up to do!

In December we finally got to be the host (after so many months of being the guests) to Nate, Jana and Aurelia, who came to visit from Rochester! Was really fun to see them again. A couple highlights were a hike to the White Tank Mountains and The Phoenix Zoo.

We spent X-mas in Flagstaff - had a family day skiing and enjoyed being in Brendan's old stomping grounds (he went to NAU for one semester of college).

Something I'll remember about our 2011 New Years Eve in AZ, was waking up at 12:05am and hearing what sounded like many girls hooting and hollering. Here it was the coyotes howling like crazy in our backyard! We hear them quite often in the evening, but they must have been really worked up with all the new years partying as their howling was really loud! Different kind of 'noise maker' this year.

For New Years we went to Sedona, AZ. Had a fabulous time soaking in the beauty of the red rocks. We managed to fit a yoga class (first time), a trail run and "the best hike ever" (according to the kids) all in one day.

The kids LOVE going to Grandma and Grandpa's to play pickle-ball. They've become quite the players.

Home Sweet Home - pro tem

2011-12-12T17:31:00.005-06:00

My parents had been looking for a campground in the Phoenix area and we've done a fair amount of looking ourselves, but most everything is 55 and older -or doesn't accept children! So, being the FLEXIBLE people that we've become, we had to move on to plan B....

We started looking for rental homes and ended up getting a home on a golf course in Coyote Lakes Area in the city of Surprise. We're about 20 mins from my parents (not that far in miles, but there's a boat load of retired people down here and the traffic is bad!) Mom, if you're reading this, it's not that the retired people are bad drivers, it's just that's there's a lot of you! :)

The house is unfurnished, but thanks to my parents and the homeowners, we are pretty much set for furniture and accessories. It's amazing how much stuff we had in the camper and trailer too. It feels awesome to have more space, and the kids are excited to have the Wii hooked up. Now we can have company the next four months too!!!

We won't be able to save up like we had planned - and I'm going to have to curb the desire to buy for the house (how convenient it would be to buy new dishes now & acquire some new decor items!). Mom and I will just have to hit the estate sales!

Good-bye Napa, hello Arizona

2011-12-12T17:11:00.006-06:00

We couldn't leave Napa Area without visiting a recommended Bakery in Yountville- so we grabbed some goodies for breakfast! Yountville is a cute little town.

The only pic I have of our campground in Napa.

From Napa we drove down thru the San Joaquin Valley, which was an interesting drive thru farming country. We wished there would have been signs at all the fields so we would have known what all was being grown.

We drove around the outskirts of LA and on to Palm Springs and spent the night there. The next day we met up with my parents for lunch and eventually got settled in at campground on Lake Pleasant (about 1/2 hour North of Phoenix). We stayed a week here. It was a beautiful spot, but we didn't want to be so far out of town for the whole winter.

San Fran Pics - Day 2

2011-12-12T16:37:00.003-06:00

We learned why it's called the 'Fog City' ...driving across the bridge into town was really mystical.

On the ferry to Alchatraz

Coming from a couple who doesn't care for museum's very much, we found this super enjoyable and would highly recommend the audio tour. I actually wanted more time and the kids were just soaking it in.

I like that you can see his reflection in the window - don't you love my high-tech photography? We've looked at camera's numerous times, but can't make up our minds, so the cell-phone camera is documenting our trip.

Overall, we loved this city - glad we made time for it. The fresh clam chowder in a bread bowl was pretty good too!

In case some of you were reading a prior post about the man who would frighten the tourists - Here's 'the rest of the story'.
On this 2nd day in town, we were walking back to our car and Brendan was in the lead. A man sitting on the sidewalk jumped out from behind his branches and caught Brendan off guard. He leapt in the air and all of us about killed ourselves laughing. So, yes, I ended up having to go back on my words and 'gave the man some money" for scaring people. How dumb, yet how funny. Maybe you had to be there.

San Fransico - Day 2

2011-12-02T00:44:00.003-06:00

We took off a few hours early on Tuesday afternoon and headed back into San Fran for a tour of Alcatraz. We all loved it. Pictures coming soon.

Logging some phy ed hours...

2011-12-02T00:01:00.006-06:00

One evening we took the kids to the outdoor skating rink downtown Napa.

One afternoon we took the kids on a bike ride. There were some difficult areas and a lot of hills. Not sure if they'll take us up on our next off-road biking suggestion.

We went back another afternoon to the same park, but went on the steeper trails and hiked (where Brendan & I had ran on T-day). Unfortunately, I saw a sign posted at the entrance that said a mountain lion had recently been spotted in the area, so the kids and I weren't really into the hike. We sang songs to keep him away & kept asking when it was time to start going back down!

Napa Valley Wine Tour

2011-12-01T23:39:00.003-06:00

Saturday was another beautiful sunny day. We enjoyed the drive up the valley to the Sterling Vineyard. We went on a gondola ride up to the winery - figured it was a little something extra for the kids to enjoy.

San Francisco

2011-12-01T23:14:00.005-06:00

It's only an hour drive in to San Fran so we drove in for the day on Friday. We walked (and ran) from Pier 1 all the way to Pier 39 and then consumed way too many calories & grease for lunch (couldn't pass up fish and chips tho).
We continued walking down to the USS Pampanito Sub and took a tour of that. Neat to see, but I was getting sea sick after being in it for 2 minutes.
Some other things we saw: Sea Lions, 1st view of Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, drove on some steep streets, drove thru China town, stopped at a silver coin shop, saw the cable cars, and drove back home across the Golden Gate Bridge.

One other note, this was the first time I have ever seen men trying to make a buck by sitting on the sidewalk hiding behind some leafy branches they'd cut. They would pop out from behind and say "raaa" & scare the tourists. My first impression was "how dumb" As if I would pay someone after they've just scared me. Story to be continued.

NAPA VALLEY

2011-12-01T22:54:00.003-06:00

We arrived in Napa, the day before Thanksgiving. The campground is a Expo/Fairground Area - it's not fancy, but it's conveniently located & we could fit the rig in - so we took it!
Finding a Trader Joe's helped make our decision to eat in the camper for T-day ....that place is awesome for convenience and pretty decent on taste. We managed to do most of the fixins' after Brendan and I went on a 10k trail run turkey trot. It was pretty grueling and part of the time I had to walk because it was so steep. Overall, it was really enjoyable even tho I had a few grumpy/gasping for air moments of going up the trail.
After lunch we played some games and music and went for a drive. It was a great day -- it makes me happy to do things SIMPLY. A free, gorgeous run in nature, some games, some music and food. As dad would say "It just doesn't get any better". I did miss my extended family tho!

Entering California - (Red Bluff) Photos

2011-12-01T22:42:00.005-06:00

Ahh, Palm Trees!
We spent 3 days here at the Durango RV Resort

The lounge area where the kids and I did school and work. A welcome change from the cold, window-less trailer we've been holed up in the past month.

Bend Photos

2011-12-01T17:13:00.006-06:00

You can barely see the white covered mountain peaks coming down into the River/Old Mill District

We drove 30 mins up to Mt Bachelor - crazy how difference the conditions were!

Crown Villa RV Resort - a lovely spot amongst the tall Ponderosa pines. It had a couple nice lodge areas where the kids and I hung out to do school/work.

The trail along the river was awesome.

These little men are awesome too!

Bend, Oregon and Northern California!

2011-11-27T21:03:00.006-06:00

I can pretty much sum Bend up as the 'perfect little Athleta Magazine Town' that I had pictured in my head. I have heard so many people say they like Bend, so it was fun to finally see it for myself. Brendan has skied at Bend growing up (Mt Bachelor) so he wanted to make this a stop on our list of places to check out.

We had a wonderful time getting to know some friends of our friends and had some BEAUTIFUL runs/hikes on the trails. I think I could get hooked on trail running if I lived in Bend - such a difference from running on the streets or paved paths!

The campground in Bend had 2 fabulous lounges, so the kids and I would go up there and work at tables/couches. It was a GREAT change of scenery from the window-less, cold trailer!

One day we drove 30 mins up to the ski hill - I couldn't believe how much snow they had compared to the inch or so we had at the campground. The kids got all excited to ski, but they weren't predicted to open until around Thanksgiving.

Bend has great shopping districts, cozy, cute houses, an extremely active community and I love all of the architecture - they've done an amazing job to make the city look attractive. I'm pretty sure I could live here - I get the feeling it would possibly feel like you'd be 'on vacation' all the time. I like the size too - just a tad smaller than Rochester, MN.

We stayed in Bend just over a week. Brendan took a 1/2 day off on Monday (had to pick a nice, sunny, warm day as they had gotten some snow and we were worried about the roads) and we drove during the daylight all the way to Red Bluff, CA. Red Bluff had a really fancy campground that Brendan's folks had recommended to us. The kids and I were also able to do work/school in the lodge area here as well. It also was a welcome change of scenery...this time water fountains and palm trees! woot! it's warm here!

Catching Up...

2011-11-27T20:43:00.003-06:00

After we left Sandpoint, we took off for Canada again on Wednesday night. We stopped at Fairmont Hot Springs, BC to spend a few more nights with Brendan's parents in their condo, and then headed to Calgary, Alberta. Alec has informed us that if he "could go anywhere in the world, he would go to Fairmont". It is really pretty and cozy there. Brendan has vacationed their since he was a little boy, so it is a fun place for him to go back to as well.

We had supper with Brendan's cousins in Calgary and then went on to his Uncle's place for the night and next day - was really fun to help celebrate his 55th with 30 or so other family members.

We headed back thru the beautiful Rocky Mountains to BC and the next day we took Brendan's folk's out for a 45th Anniversary lunch before heading back to our camper in Post Falls Idaho.

We had the camper parked at some friends house, which was really nice so we didn't have to pay for parking it or worry about it. On Sunday, we took off for the 7 hour drive to Bend, OR --- after a few set-backs of a sick-child, a nail in the tire and a stiff head-wind we arrived to our new campground in the tall, Ponderosa Pines at 9pm. It was a busy, transfer-the-bags-from-one-room/house/camper-to-the next long weekend, but we're really glad we did it. It's not real often we get in on these Layden family events!

Random Note on Moving

2011-11-21T20:16:00.003-06:00

I found this picture going through my album tonight, and it made me smile. Back in July, this is what I came across in Autumn's room after she packed up her desk.

passing the 10 week mark!

2011-11-06T22:19:00.007-06:00

Our time in Coeur d'Alene (33 days) went super fast! We left for Sandpoint, ID last Wednesday and plan to be here a week. The RV park is pretty sparse. Not many people camping these days. On Friday we drove up to Fairmont Hot Springs, BC for the weekend to stay with Brendan's parent's in a condo. It was a beautiful, short 3 hour drive from here. After being 30 hours away from Wayne and Carol, a 3 hour drive seemed like a walk in the park !!!! Having TWO nights in our own room with a bed that doesn't move every time the kids roll over was quite a treat, and the kids enjoyed sleeping in a 'real' bed too (they sleep on the couches in the camper). Having a soak in the hot springs was an extra benefit. The kids had a great time getting better acquainted with their younger cousin Keely. Re-enforces why we want to be closer to Brendan's family.

--------
Last weekend we drove up here to Sandpoint from Coeurd'Alene (which is 45 mins North) and spent a few hours checking out the town (we liked it, that's why we're here for a week!).The pic at the very top shows what it looks like as you drive into Sandpoint, except this is only looking out one side...you have a lake and mts on the other side too.
Last Friday Night we drove to Libby, Mt and saw Dennis H at Gospel Mtg and spent the night with him at some friends. On Saturday we drove on to Kalispell, MT and met up with Kay & Gerry and they took us out to Glacier and showed us around Kalispell/Whitefish. We drove back to Coeurd'Alene late Saturday night and had lunch with friends & my long lost cousin and supper with other new friends. A FUN FULL Weekend!

Saturday Parties

2011-10-24T17:54:00.011-05:00

Who has time for those aforementioned Saturday hikes when there's parties to attend?
The first Saturday we got here, we went immediately to a Music/BBQ party with Brendan's brother and a table of their friends.

The 2nd Saturday, we got in on a Canadian Thanksgiving bash at Brendan's brothers house. A special Thanksgiving Play was put on by the kids.

The next Saturday Brendan was gone. The kids and I went to my nephew's soccer game, then to my niece's birthday party at the YMCA Climbing Wall.

and then to the pumpkin patch with several others.

My sister in law stood line line for 1 1/2 hours to get us 3 dozen fresh melt in your mouth pumpkin donuts!!

This past Friday night we were invited to an Outside Halloween Party - about 100 attendees. It was really fun. It didn't matter whether people had costumes on or not - we still didn't recognize most of them! Figured it would be pretty fitting to go as homeless people this year!

The license plate was "nohome4us"

Brendan's bro & kids
One of the host couples (the waldo's!)
and warning, the next one is pretty scary.

Some other things we've done:
--attended an awesome Local HS VB game (the first time my kids have ever gone to a VB game!)
--Girls night out with my SIL
--Cousin's sleepovers
--Meals with Grandpa & Grandma
--Mother/kids night out (our relationship has changed some with this whole on-line teaching thing...during the day I am a 'mean teacher', so it was high time to show the kids I can still be a fun mom!)
--Have met many neat people & shared special days!

We've pretty much not had an evening to just sit and relax until this past Saturday. Brendan & I spent 4 1/2 hours driving around the area & had a fancy supper at his brothers home. We turned down an invite to a hockey game & came home and went to bed at 8pm!

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

2011-10-13T23:04:00.004-05:00

Here's our new 'home' until the weather makes us leave for a warmer climate.
It's gorgeous here. Our campground is 1.4 miles from the Centennial Trail (I think it's about 40 miles long). We've managed to get out there a few times for a run/bike or combo. One night we even did a "Kayla Version Triathlon", which includes a hot-tub for the water part!

Bendan is away for a business trip, so my in-laws came to help me out and were able to park right beside us! Pretty cool that Grandma and Grandpa can live right beside us! Pretty strange that we both are living in an RV too. ha.

Last Saturday we did a 10-mile run along the edge of Lake Coeur d'Alene. It's a wide paved trail that goes beyond where the road ends. Incredible views make for a less painful run! I could get used to waking up to this every day!

Saturday Hikes

2011-10-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

So far we've spent every Saturday since we left Rochester going on a hike.

Roosevelt Park - Badlands

Table Rock - Boise, Idaho
It was 90+ degrees and pretty much no shade.

In hindsight, it's probably wasn't the best way to encourage our kids to hike, but we made it to the top!

View of Treasure Valley from Table Rock Hike - high desert area!

Sitting at the top of Table Rock

Sun Valley, Idaho Ski Hill (2 1/2 hours East of Boise)

Ponderosa State Park - McCall, Idaho (2 hours North of Boise)

Badger Mountain, Richland, WA (Tri-Cities)

Some friends took us on a great hike overlooking the Tri-Cities area before lunch at their home.

30 Days Mark

2011-09-24T11:35:00.003-05:00

Our next door neighbors to the East just celebrated being full-time RV'ers for 11 years and our neighbors to the West are on year 3. We just passed the 30 day mark! I've decided to create a "You know you're living in an RV When" list. We are just 'newbies' at this lifestyle, but a few months ago, I thought 30 days in an RV sounded like a really long time! Even after 30 days, life has changed.

You know you are living in an RV When:

You go to a hotel and you consider it a luxury to leave the water running the whole time you brush your teeth (and you now feel wasteful for doing that!)

You find yourself cleaning the cupboard doors once or twice a week. (I won't mention the frequency of this in my house.)

Last minute weekend get-away's are easy peasy. Each family member already has a compact travel cosmetic bag packed for showering in the campground & due to limited clothes, you just take whatever is clean.

When you go to a hotel, you covet the travel-sized cosmetics like never before.

Sun Valley, ID.....Does this feel right?

2011-09-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

Pretty much since we pulled out of Rochester, it's been a joke for a family member to say "does this feel right?" when we're crusin' in/thru a new area. When we pulled into our current campground, the kids both said "this feels right". The fact that it has a pool, recreation room and a waterpark across the way perhaps tainted that 'feeling'.

Now it's my turn.... "this felt right".

Arrived in Ketchum, ID Friday for supper at a great Italian place that Brendan had been to a couple years ago. (That time, he saw Arnold Schwarzenegger at a nearby table, but no celebrity spottings this time.)

Saturday we went on a great run right outside our hotel on a paved bike path at the bottom of the ski-hill that winds thru the surrounding towns. A sweet place for outdoor recreation and it's very quaint !

Gondola ride up Sun Valley Ski Area

We took the long way home on Saturday and drove further up the valley and came out on the other side to this view.

The ranchers were moving sheep way down there in the valley (hence the white blob in middle,left)

I never knew Idaho was so beautiful!

Now, back to reality...the price tag is just a tiny bit high in Sun Valley area -

but definitely a future vacation spot. Visit again? That certainly 'feels right' too! :)

A Day in the Life ....

2011-09-15T23:58:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at what the front of the trailer/office/school looks like. Alec and I sit at the double desk on the right side and Autumn has her own desk on the left. Brendan works in the motorhome because he is on the phone a lot & it would drive us nuts listening to his conference calls.
It's been hot! Like 90-94 degrees and no cloud in the sky hot!! The trailer gets pretty warm in the afternoon. (I might mention one more time that Brendan is in the RV with AC and the coffee maker!)

I can tell already that I'm going to love the weather out West. It's awesome to have no humidity & cool evenings & mornings!

Pretty much every store sells Boise State attire. We didn't have to buy school clothes this year, but we surprised the kids with new shirts - thought this would be an appropriate way to remember the first day of the 2011 school year in BOISE!!!

I snuck this picture of Autumn helping Alec with English. It was sweet - they were even sitting on the same chair.

Woot...another subject checked off the list!!

Yesterday I found this note that Autumn left Alec after they'd been working together the whole afternoon. Brendan was gone on a business trip to Atlanta and I didn't have time to help them all day, so I told them school would have to wait. Autumn really has been a help to me. She spent the afternoon with Alec and when they went outside to play football she placed this note on Alec's desk.

The first week and a half of school has been overwhelming - the school warned us it would be that way for the first month. We've had issues with the computers not working (can't open up certain documents, can't attend the on-line sessions because we don't have the correct programs, etc). We've gotten TONS of emails with schedules and instructions and then on top of this, trying to figure out how the lessons work for both kids. I know it will get better - it already has - I just have a hard time when things don't go smoothly right away. :) Thank goodness at least one parent has the 'my-blood-pressure-doesn't rise-no-matter-what gene' (not the mother). The latest hurdle is that the Head of MN schools called to tell us they are going to withdraw the kids from the K12 Mn Virtual Academy because MN has a law that you can't be gone from the state for an extended period of time. (Wish they would have told us that before!). We found out today that we can transfer to the K12 Idaho Virtual Academy (same curriculum). Now we have to prove that we are ID residents, but our bill from the campgrounds will meet that requirement. More paperwork ahead and not sure what will happen to the work the kids have already done the past 1 1/2 weeks, or if they'll be way behind in Idaho (they started a couple weeks earlier) but at least we found a better, more travel friendly solution! There were a few days this week when I wondered WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE WE THINKING trying to pull this off!?! I'm thankful the kids are handling it all very well. Can learn a lot from the nature of a child.

Learning about Grizzlies

2011-09-15T23:03:00.000-05:00

Brendan worked in the parking lot for most of the day, so the kids & I toured the Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone

Roll up my window

2011-09-15T22:46:00.000-05:00

2011-09-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

Old Faithful was good to us - we waited about 3 mins.

see the grizzly bear & her 2 cubs? and the wolf pack and ravens flying around out there?
.

(you can stop straining now- you can't see them)...This is how we got to see them! The wolf pack eventually chased the bears away. Very cool - I felt like National Geographic should have been there!

our camp spot near Mammoth Springs. A herd of elk came right thru our spot at night and woke me up. I had a hard time going to sleep after that - they made a very strange noise.

The Paint pots were also cool The ground was actually bubbling up mud.

Yellowstone

2011-09-14T23:54:00.004-05:00

Entering the Park on the North End

Norris Geyser Basin - super cool geothermal areas. This shows the temp of the water, by the color of the algae.

this is only just the beginning of the approaching bison encounter!!

First Stop: Bismarck, ND, Aug 27

2011-09-14T23:39:00.001-05:00

Thrilled is an understatement to be able to make a very last minute plan to see my forever friend Tania & her husband Willy and their new little sweetheart. I got some awesome pics of their family, but will just post this for now. LOVE this! We have been friends since we were babes, and now look at US and OUR BABES!!
It was Willy's bday so we celebrated by going out for lunch, got in some shopping & coffee & ended with a stroll down to the river on a gorgeous day.

they say a thought can lead to actions..

2011-09-06T22:54:00.002-05:00

lesson learned --- be careful what YOUR husband thinks! Putting our house on the market wasn't a huge deal - neither of us were attached to it and we had a "safe plan" to fall back on which was moving into my parents house across the street. Three months ago, we did not know that it would sell & we would be living in an RV out West. Not quite sure how it all happened, but pretty sure it was a thought that originated in my husband's mind. I've decided it's time to resurrect the blog to allow those of you who want to follow along on our pretty much fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants adventure!

some 'firsts' this past week .....

2009-08-13T23:36:00.015-05:00

GOLFING a REGULAR Course
He went out with dad and Grandpa for his first round on a regular 9-hole course. His prior experience was on a par 3 course in Canada.

MOWING....I guess he even did a good job!!! He LOVES going out with grandpa to the country!

MEETING my friend from Kindergarten's LITTLE BOY....

wow...I used to sit in this same room with my friend when we were younger than my children are now!! How can this be? Am I really this old?

a PIANO RECITAL (with 3 special awards...I might add!)

I think she looks like Auntie Rhonda!!!

KNEEBOARDINGI don't have any pictures, but Alec tried kneeboarding about 3 yrs ago and went a little ways and then wanted to get into the boat. Ever since then, we have tried and tried to get him to go and he won't budge. We went out to the lake the other night and he asked US if he could go!!! He did great...he was doing 180's (backwards) and going outside the wake on his first real ride!! Guess we won't be getting rid of the boat any time soon, as both kids have been asking when we are going to go again. Isn't it so fun to see your kids having fun?

These 'firsts' are moments I don't want to forget! Some of them brought tears to my eyes at the time.

"Thinking of you" Flowers

2009-05-02T11:47:00.002-05:00

Here's what my in-laws sent this week. It is simply gorgeous !!!

rollercoasters and such

2009-04-17T22:19:00.003-05:00

Since the funeral, Alec has been asking more questions about the bible. Autumn has been reading bible stories to Alec before they go to bed and before they get up. The other morning, I overheard Alec asking Autumn about heaven. He asked her if there would be toys. Autumn said it will be a great place and all we'll care about it being with God & Jesus. She was explaining how nice it will be, and then proceeded to tell him, "just like I was reading last Sunday morning about contentment, you don't come into this world with roller coasters and you won't go out of this world with roller coasters." (she'd been reading in I Tim 6:7...For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.) Nice added touch, to explain to a 7 yr old, huh? It was about 3 yrs ago that Alec had asked the same question, and she told him heaven would be like having all the macaroni and cheese he ever wanted. It's so neat to see their understanding grow....and to see her try to explain it so he will understand. the eyes of a child are truly precious.

Many little things = A very big thing

2009-04-15T00:11:00.004-05:00

Well, I started typing this post and realized, I just can't do it yet. A picture will have to suffice for now.

"Gram" - Irete Elizabeth Irvine.

Some day I hope to write how so many little things made you such a big part of my life.

We're Here.............

2009-04-01T23:27:00.003-05:00

hi- sorry I've been bad about updating the blog. i can't say that it's that we're super busy, more that I just am trying to cut back on computer time. also, the whole privacy thing kinda bothers me a bit.

i'll post some pictures soon. in the meantime, this is what we've pretty much been doing the past month. today I'm having one of those days when I wonder WHY we've committed to all the time and effort........

....but.....it does feel good to work towards a goal tho.

Other comings and goings the past few weeks

2009-01-03T12:47:00.003-06:00

We made another trip to the MOA for shopping and rides...checked out the new American Girl doll store too.

Alec and his tractor & grain cart. We've been putting a big puzzle together

and playing with legos and games in front of the fire on many eves. Good times.

We've discovered you can make pretty good 5 minute

chocolate cake in a cup! But,..no more til after Mexico for me (we'll see if I can

actually keep the resolution!)

A sledding party

We had a nice time and WAY t00 much food at a party at Jamin and Alyssa's.
Autumn and Alec loved Aaron and Lisa's dogs

One day we went to the Mall of America with some friends. It was our first time to visit Underwater World, and we all thought it was pretty cool.

Here the kids are trying to get up the nerve to touch the stingrays and sharks.

Walking in the tunnel surrounded by sharks and such...

cool stingray

saw fish

kids enjoying it...

Christmas Eve & Day

2009-01-03T12:11:00.002-06:00

We opened up the 'big' gift on Christmas Eve afternoon.....

The kids were just a wii bit excited !!

We headed out for the cities and spent X-mas eve night in a hotel. I brought the stockings along and layed them on the dresser beside the tv late that night. The next morning the kids immediately turned on the tv and didn't. even. notice. or think. about the stockings! ha. (That wasn't the way it was supposed to unfold in my 'perfect little pre-conceived christmas morning' picture in my mind.)

The next morning, we headed further north to Grandma's Nursing Home. We brought food in crock-pots and had dinner right in Grandma Irete's room.

Grandma requested blueberry pie, and here she is eating it with some of her meat (she saved it from the meal to eat with dessert...it was cute!).

Brendan and I like to joke about our one 'marriage issue', and that's that I like dessert RIGHT after the meal, and he likes to wait (that's just plain wrong in my books!). Was very glad to see that grandma doesn't like to wait for dessert either! Must be where I got it from! There's so many qualities I'd like to have from her. It was a wonderful day spent with a wonderful person. Thanks, Gram!

You might be a runner if.....

2008-12-10T16:41:00.002-06:00

You eat a bowl of oatmeal, 2 pieces of toast, 2 boiled eggs and a container of yogurt for breakfast and you’re still starving by 10:30 AM.
Your Atkins-dieting friends hate you.
You can say “easy 5 mile run” without cracking a smile.
You buy a house based on how close it is to your favorite running trails.
The messages on your phone all start with “you’re probably out running…”
You know what BodyGlide is and exactly where to use it.
One mile is a warm-up.
You gladly pay over $100 for running shoes but flinch at the thought of spending over $40 for other shoes.
You are always hungry.
You drive by a runner and wish you could trade places.
You know exactly how many miles are on your shoes, but have no clue how many miles before your car needs an oil change.
When you pack for a vacation you have a separate bag for running gear.
You plan your vacations around races or training runs.
You prefer to spend two hours running instead of wasting two hours watching a movie.
You know exactly how much time you need to down a bottle of water and “get rid of it” before you run.
You believe your shirt sleeve makes a great kleenex.

T-day and early X-mas

2008-12-08T18:37:00.002-06:00

annual turkey trot
after dinner musical entertainment

Cameron and Alec

Early x-mas supper and gift opening @ Grandma & Grandpa's before

they left for the winter.

why can't i be a size 8?

2008-12-03T21:57:00.003-06:00

this is the only size left on sale at anthropologie... i likey them.

Cuteness - Hope you get to spend time w/ those you love ToMorROW!

2008-11-26T12:02:00.003-06:00

fun days...

2008-11-18T23:12:00.006-06:00

all the Irvine cousins

Autumn & Rowan

Lunch @ 300 First - Rochester really has some fun new
restaurants. Of course, it was the company that made the occasion tho!

Shopping re-charge

Marty, me, Tani

Our mothers were friends as teenagers. Hence, we have

a pretty strong bond.

Tania said this was one of the best restaurant chocolate cakes, and I have

to agree!!

Marty (my sweet sis-in-law!)and I - all 3 of us shared this cake!

Lunch @ Chesters

Autumn and Rown - he LOVES books

Alec and Rown

Alec seemed so big when HE was the one reading the

book to someone else.

Rowan is the most mellow baby EveR. he's so sweet. We miss him

....but we'll see him in Mexico in 2 months!!! yeah!

Pirate Halloween Party

2008-11-18T22:38:00.004-06:00

Here's a few pics from Nate and Jana's Annual Halloween Party: more pics avail at http://www.millersmemos.blogspot.com/

Jam & Pumpkins (music jam that is!)

2008-10-23T17:18:00.004-05:00

A big turn-out at the music jam - lots of
talent! I brought my toe-tapping talent.

Painting Pumpkins

Trip to Apple Orchard

2008-10-23T17:09:00.007-05:00

I love these annual mom/child traditions!

I made this apple crisp from Barefoot Contessa - I recommend it if you want to try just a new flair on the traditional crisp. And with 1/2 lb of butter, how can it not be good?

and I KNOW I'm the mom, and these two are not such little pumpkins anymore, but how can you NOT want to squeeze them? (some days squeeze, some days pinch! ha!)

Autumn + Autumn

2008-10-23T17:01:00.003-05:00

The day after - Sunday Lunch

2008-10-15T23:11:00.003-05:00

Keeping true to my blog tradition, I'm posting out of order. Ruth made us yummy, fresh turkey sandwiches with all the fixins. Was very nice to see their cute, cozy home in the woods. You can see how pretty the yellow leaves are in the background. Fun to see an old friend and her sweet little baby!

Alec's' Photo Op

2008-10-15T23:02:00.002-05:00

Alec found himself a new pair of sunglasses in our boutique shopping trip. He's been wearing them rain or shine, inside or out.

The setting....

2008-10-15T22:56:00.002-05:00

Scenery wasn't too shabby for the 26.2 miles.

The day before the big day- All about food!

2008-10-15T22:44:00.006-05:00

We had great burgers for lunch in Bayfield - yum, protein! Mom and dad are all smiles -this is the FIRST Fall that they finally get to relax. Actually, it's the first Fall that Brendan & I haven't been involved in the farming operation since we've been married too.

Loading up on Carbs @ the Free Spaghetti and Fish Boil Supper

Race Day

2008-10-14T19:28:00.010-05:00

7:00am - we're ready to catch the bus!!
The weather couldn't have been better. It was about 45 degrees when we got up, but by the time we were done w/ the race it was about 65 degrees.

Dad ran the 10K and won 1st place in his age category! Maybe next year we can run this together?

Here we come....come on legs keep moving.

Our goal was to finish under 4 hours. We did it in 3:53.
I just saw on the records that I placed 5th in my age category. Now that's incentive
to try for a medal next year. Did I just say
next year AGAIN? Hmmm....I'm not committing yet.

The kids gave us roses.

THE ONLY THING BETTER THAN DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE, IS DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE!

Here we are in our "Finisher's Shirts/Jackets". We headed back up to the post-race party and Brendan got himself a big old hot-dog. NOT what I wanted after a race. I went for the DQ Blizzard, but unfortunately, my digestive track wasnt' quite ready for it...my organs needed a few hours to settle. I'll leave it at that.

Leef Peeping in Bayfield, Wis

2008-10-14T19:05:00.003-05:00

We took a road trip from Ashland to Bayfield.
The colors were incredible - very, very vibrant. It reminded me of out East. We had lunch and spent the afternoon walking/shopping....a fun place to go back to w/o the guys! They have some nice campgrounds and beach areas along Lake Superior.

Funkyness

2008-09-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

I'm in love with Violet Love. Sometimes I think I'm 20 again, but age is a state of mind, right? I love fun, unique things. Now if I could just have my own store and sell stuff like this! *dream.sigh*.

First and Fourth Grade - First Day

2008-09-04T22:58:00.003-05:00

We did the Kissing Hand again this year. Think we'll be able to do it every year....even when they leave for college!? Hope so!
So Friday is my FIRST day home (don't have to work) in 9 years without kids. waaah. I'm sad to think this era is over. Yippee. I get to have some days to myself again. Not sure I'll know what to do!

yikes...we COMmitted!

2008-09-04T22:42:00.003-05:00

This be what my feet look like. (almost)

This be what I do after Oct 11th!

We've decided to run the Whistlestop Marathon in Wis next month. We haven't really been planning/training for one, but I think we can do it, so we're going to give it a try. My dear husband has agreed to run with me, even tho he could run much faster. I just hope my feet can hold out. I'm excited!

Labor Day Wkend

2008-09-04T22:35:00.002-05:00

The wkend started out rather laborous....ran 20 miles w/ Nate and his marathon training class. Then we hit two potlucks, the pool and finally the lake on Monday.

Melanie skiing & the beach at Albert Lea.

Kellen was enjoying his cone on the way home!

Cousin's

2008-09-04T22:27:00.002-05:00

I've got our Spokane/Canada pics in the wrong order - not sure I've ever gotten it right yet!
Anyways, here's pics of our 1 1/2 weeks out West visiting family.

Alec and Madison

Hugs Good-bye! See you in Mexico!
Thanks for the good-time.

More fun times in Spokane

2008-09-04T22:13:00.003-05:00

We spent a morning at the Children's Museum. I love this picture of Alec looking over Victoria's shoulder. She might as well get used to having a man tell her how it's done! :)

This is my favorite picture of Victoria (and Madison). FANCY NANCY -- If you haven't read the book, you should...it's SOOO Victoria!

Hanging out at the park in Coeur d'alene.

The cousin's on Sunday AM.

My goofy husband.

Afternoon at the Park

2008-09-04T22:04:00.003-05:00

all 3 girls riding the merry go round at the park in Spokane

Brendan and Carson became good buddies.

Thank goodness Auntie Julie likes rides, our kids finally got to
go on some rides (other than an elevator !!)

Kent and family - a fun day!

British Columbia

2008-09-04T21:57:00.003-05:00

We got to see Uncle Bevan and Auntie Heather

We also got a meal in at the Blue Dog (a personal favorite)

After a quick visit to Canada, we headed back to Spokane, so Brendan and Kent
could play in a golf tourney.

son's of brothers.

British Columbia - Grandma & Grandpa's

2008-09-04T21:50:00.003-05:00

First stop....the hot springs pool for some POUTINE (fries w/ gravy...num!!)

Alec's first time going off the diving boards

Autumn on the high board

Ah, the view.

Trip to Spokane

2008-09-04T21:30:00.004-05:00

Alec spent a lot of time out on Uncle Kents putting greens!

We got together w/ a bunch of young families in Idaho

We stop;ed in Coeur d'alene in the afternoon on our way up to British Columbia....very pretty!

We also stopped in Kimberly and saw Ryan and Verena and Maylyn and their very cool new house. Sorry that I didn't get a pic of them....I was quite impressed with the concrete countertops and all the unique work they did!

Visit to see Grandma Irete & Aunt Nita & Uncle D

2008-09-04T21:21:00.004-05:00

Spent a nice afternoon at Grandma's nursing home having lunch and playing music.

Amanda's Grad and going away party

2008-09-04T21:11:00.002-05:00

Amanda received her Radiology Technician degree from Mayo. We had about 60 people here to help her celebrate and wish her well as she searches for a job.

Hubby Stuff

2008-08-29T00:36:00.004-05:00

Husband Tag

What is his name? Brendan

How long did you date? Spring '93 - Spring '95, with a little break in there somewhere.

How long have you been married? Just over 13 years

Who eats more sweets? No comparison. ME

Who said I love you first? I think he did. I was afraid of those words.

Who is taller? He is

Who is a better singer? No comparison. He is.

Who is smarter? He is. In college, we took a few courses together....he would cram for tests, I would have to prepare. He's good at remembering things he reads and hears, just not good at remembering names or dates. His mom always teases him that he didn't even know when summer holidays were until his later high school years. So, I help in this area...like helping him him remember my birthday and valentine's day. I remind him often of dates like that. :)

Who does the laundry? I do - not sure he's even touched the washing machine.

Who pays the bills? I do, but he categorizes it all on spreadsheets afterwards (sometimes MONTHS afterwards, but it eventually gets analyzed by my analytical hubby! ;)

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does. If we're away from home, he always picks the side with the alarm clock because he gets up early, i don't.

Who mows the lawn? He does…if he won the lottery he would quit his job and mow lawns for fun.

Who cooks dinner? I do. He grills and he will cook if I ask him to....I think he even enjoys it. I can probably count on one hand how often he's cooked the entire meal. Most of the time I feel it's my responsibility, if I'm at home.

Who drives? He does, even on long road trips I rarely drive.

Who is more stubborn? probably me, but don't tell him I said so.

Who kissed who first? don't know

Who asked who out? We were friends for so long, it just kind of evolved.

Who is more sensitive? Me hands down.

Who wears the pants? It's pretty neutral. Neither of us can make decisions anymore, but when we do we usually consult eachother. It's crazy how we've become so dependent !

Now you are all tagged! Copy and paste it to your blog!

I've been tagged..

2008-08-29T00:04:00.002-05:00

by Shelley
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. *Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I love to shop for clothes at second hand stores and boutique shops.

2. It annoys me if I don't get to drink the 'first drink' out of my can of pop.

3. I don't like clutter in my home....especially in my kitchen and family room.

4. I used to ride my 3 wheeler to my best friends house when I was in elementary school - it was 5 miles - I went on all the back country gravel roads. Did it alone. all the time. Whoa. times. have. changed.

5. I was in a car that was turning around on a gravel road, and the driver got too close to the edge and the car rolled over and ended up burning (passengers were ok). To this day I get sweaty palms while riding in a car that turns around.

6. I can't parallel park. I have learned to not even try it anymore, because the more I try, the worse it gets and then I get really really embarrassed. Not sure I can spell parralel either. Grew up on a farm, practically learned how to drive a car, tractor, motorbike before I went to school, but still haven't learned how to parallel park and still haven't quite figured out how to spell it.

7. I am continually amazed/amuzed at how our society is 'humanizing' pets. I believe pets should be pets.

random rambling

2008-08-12T23:21:00.005-05:00

** last Saturday morning brendan and I ran 16 miles with our friend Nate. It was one of the neatest experiences ever - a new record for brendan & I. I think a marathon should be in the works soon, but nothing planned. I look forward to our Saturday morning runs soooo much. Not sure if this is an indication that our life is too dull? maybe, but I think it's pretty cool that it's something we can do together!

**I haven't seen my kids for 12 hours and I'm missing them like CrAZy. They are spending a couple days with my parents, and then we will join up w/ them on Thursday.

** Our boarder is leaving this week. Amanda has been with us for 2 years. We have been spoiled - we've never had so many dates! She has been soooo sweet to our kids! She almost feels like family now, so it's hard to see her go, but we wish her all the best! We've had 4 other previous 'boarders' since we've been married. Even when we lived in NY, we had a boarder in his own apt downstairs!! It would be interesting to see how many yrs we HAVEN'T had someone living with us! I guess it's all been positive, or we wouldn't have kept doing it :)

** I'm having very strong guilty 'pangs' tonight. I got after Autumn for loosing her GOOD shoes (I was trying to pack this afternoon and we searched EVERYWHERE for her shoes and couldn' find them) and I also got after her for having bad manners at the table.) She ended up crying. Sometimes when I hear myself rant and rave I think 'get a hold of yourself'!! I don't want to be a mother who was known as yelling all the time, but I feel that's what I do a lot. Maybe it's a mother thing? In our case, Brendan doesn't deal with these things every day, so I find that he rarely gets after the kids, and I'm always the one who ends up "loosing it" and then I feel bad. Still, I wish I could handle these types of situations better. I don't want to be remembered as a nag or someone who demands perfection. argh....if only there was a manual for all of this! :)

** We're going to visit my 92 yr old Grandma this wkend. I'm very anxious to leave. She's an amazing person. Every time I talk to her she is positive and she ends up making me feel better! she's such an example of a content person who is living for things beyond this life.

** We have a trip planned to visit brendan's family in Spokane and British Columbia. We're anxious to see our nieces & nephews. Having family on the East Coast AND the west coast stinks. I'm all for living close to family. call me old fashioned, i don't care. By the way, I've already decided Autumn and Alec WILL live by us when they get older (ha) - and I'm going to pick who they marry, etc (double ha). ok, think it's time for me to go to bed :0)

Help...Comments

2008-08-07T21:18:00.003-05:00

Is anyone else getting bombarded with 'comments' from generic people/names? Grrr. How do I get rid of that? Do I need to change a setting somewhere so only comments that I approve are shown?

Summer Night

2008-08-07T21:05:00.004-05:00

Tuesday night we had some friends over for supper and then headed out to a hay field about 5 minutes out of town to watch the power-parachuters and ride 4-wheelers. I have to admit, this did kinda make me want to live in the country again. kinda. It's cute how the kids have paired up....Autumn and Kellen have become best buds. He told his mom "they named her autumn because she's awesome". she's such a tomboy.

Anniversary Party - FamILY style!

2008-08-07T20:58:00.005-05:00

For over a week, Autumn made plans to host a party for Brendan and I. She decorated her room in "tropical theme" and had an agenda planned out for the evening, including a menu of Oreo's and Milk. We played various games - the one pic shows us having to draw a lion. Guess no one really got hit with the artistic stick in the family. It was really sweet.

A day at the lake

2008-08-07T20:45:00.004-05:00

We found this great little breakfast place up in the cities - the kids thought the pancakes were pretty cool . Brendan and I just went back there for our anniversary this past Monday, but don't have pics of that. On Sunday eve, Brendan surprised me and took me to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and we spent the night in the cities and had the next day all to ourselves! I have never laughed and cried so hard during a single play. My eyes were still puffy the next morning. Maybe I was a bit emotional, I dunno. It was called married alive....very fitting for an anniversary.

The other pictures are from our day at the lake in Albert Lea with some friends from town - Alec goes to school with one of their boys. We had BEAUTIFUL weather. I'm sad to think these days are going to be over soon. But good memories were made!

Fun at the park

2008-08-07T20:33:00.004-05:00

We babysat Chloe one night, so we could get our dose of cute babyness, oh, and so her mom and dad could have a date too.

We've enjoyed a few nights at the Mayo Park listening to various bands. This night was Jimmy Wayne - he even played a few songs we recognized from the radio right now. We packed crackers & cheese and fruit and met up with some others. FuN. We're trying to convince Shane that Rochester isn't sooo bad! :)

Hubby's hobbies

2008-08-01T22:50:00.001-05:00

I've been discussing w/ brendan that we need to both get some more hobbies. A couple weeks ago he bought a mandolin and I'm so happy to see him playing it almost daily now! Last night he went power-parachuting with dad and 3 other guys. Now I'm wondering if I'll ever see my husband again.......hmmm, maybe no hobbies was a good thing...or he suggests I jump into the seat behind him and ride along?

It does look like fun! Look for the other chutes in the pics as well.

Inspire.

2008-07-22T22:40:00.001-05:00

I wanted to be you
Better.
More.
Until I learned
I am not alone.
Each of us is a
masterpiece.
Be Yourself.
Aspire. Be.
Create. Dream

Be Good To Mama

2008-07-22T22:34:00.003-05:00

I'll be your personal shopper for the night...here's another cute one.... be good to mama! :O)

Happy Mom

2008-07-22T22:20:00.003-05:00

I REALLY wish I could buy this for all of you "mom friends" out there. Our Rochester Athletic Club is selling them and I think I may have to buy one! Here's an on-line store that also sells them. Cheers to you happy moms!

Food - for thought and body

2008-07-16T13:59:00.002-05:00

Tried this recipe from a new cookbook....num! 5 years ago I probably wouldn't have liked a single ingredient in this guacamole salad

We had to introduce the grandparents to my fav dessert (chocolate molten cake).

Grandpa and Grandma read lots to the kids.

1/2 Marathon

2008-07-16T13:48:00.002-05:00

Saturday we ran our first 'official' half marathon. It was a memorial race for a wife of a former co-worker of ours that was murdered last year. I was so nervous about the weather, because Friday it was so humid I didn't even want to be outside, but Saturday morning was BEAUTIFUL. I actually had goose-bumps at the start of the race. It was a day I'll never forget. Brendan had a great race time - I was a bit slower than we had done practice runs at, but was happy to have finished since I didn't have my mp3 player and husband at my side to keep me going! I'm really not much of a goal setting person, but I must say, it's awfully fun to meet a goal and this could be catchy. Hmmm...time to set another one now?!

Loving summer

2008-07-16T13:39:00.003-05:00

This is where I've spent the afternoons during the kids' swimming lessons. Ahh...this is the life. Another diet coke please! (I'm not doing too bad on the diet coke - a few here and there won't hurt too much will it?)

Independence Day

2008-07-16T13:21:00.004-05:00

Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Carol came to visit for about 2 weeks! We managed to sneak in some play-time in between remodeling time! We spent the 4th at the lake. Grandma and the kids made 4th of July sugar cookies for the festivities. We watched the water-ski show from the boat, had a bbq supper@ the lake and then headed back into town for fireworks.

June Ladies Night

2008-06-27T14:20:00.004-05:00

I hosted ladies night, with the help of Amanda and Jennifer. It was a picnic-themed party. Everyone brought their own sandwich and I supplied the sides, drinks & dessert (more strawberry pie). Guests were to bring a summertime recipe and/or summertime entertaining tip. Jennifer made these **scrumptious** chocolate-covered strawberries, and Amanda helped with decorations and other time-consuming, but fun things such as cutting cheese into shapes. About 14 ladies attended (and one very, very sweet little bundle who liked to smell the flowers!). After everyone left, Amanda and I sat outside - the lights/candles/torches made it so pretty...and no bugs yet!

Some Summertime Activities

2008-06-27T13:41:00.010-05:00

It's been awhile since I've updated. Here's a snipet of our fun days the past month...

summer just wouldn't be summer without a trip to the strawberry patch!

18 pounds later....

And I've serioulsy lost count of how many strawberry pies later!

First afternoon at the lake....
Had to take this pic of Chris and Mary to remember the prior funny moment (although I know Mary won't forget it!). She was driving the jet-ski and had just returned to the dock, and the water patrolman pulled up behind her. He said, I thought you were maybe too young to be driving that (have to be 16?). Boy did that make her day! So, here's to our 'teenage-looking' friends :) They certainly have the energy of teenagers.

Sunday afternoon Race/Walk for Ronald McDonald House. Our first event where the whole family ran!!

Races/Long Jump for kids are held at the local track on Tuesday evenings....
(note the last minute advice from dad....and the little boy in the orange shorts and then the seriousness of the boy in the yellow...fun just to watch everyone!)

Cousin Beau joined us for a day at the pool and sand play area. Most afternoons have been spent here!!

Some Visitors..

2008-06-27T13:27:00.004-05:00

Connor's 14th Bday

Nice to have the Thompson family for a meal and afternoon of visiting. The kids had great fun playing together.

Aaron and Aimee stayed the wkend...

Autumn's bday

2008-06-27T13:12:00.002-05:00

Strawberry pie continues to be the choice of dessert....

For her party, Autumn wanted Maya and Oliva (friends from school) to sleepover.

The city slickers head to the farm

2008-06-02T23:35:00.005-05:00

yes, I'll admit it, I've turned into a city slicker. Having dunn brothers coffee 1/4 mile down the road is more appealing than well, having nothing in sight for miles like where we used to live! But, it is fun to take the kids OUT of the city. Some days I feel bad that they'll miss some of the country experiences I had, but I reassure myself that there's some good about the city too....
anyhoo....after getting to Mike & Deb's beautiful setting w/ a cabin in the woods behind their house and getting our tent up amongst the numerous other campers & tents, I promptly found my FIRST deer tick attached to my side. Alec wanted to sleep in the camper, so suddenly I decided I should sleep with him and let dad and Autumn bond in the tent :). Really, I just wanted to keep Alec company. Really.
We had great food. One interesting thing was individualized scrambled eggs (fresh from the farm I might add) done in a baggie in the deep fryer w/ all the fixings inside too. Also had fresh (deep fried) fish, chicken (from the farm), steak, rhubarb this and that, etc. oh, the pain. oh the calories. oh the tightness of my clothes. Some of the experiences we or the kids had: played softball, rode mules, went on a mule-drawn hayride, saw baby goats, petted baby kittens, llamas, made s'mores, sat around the campfire, played violin/guitar/sang. Part of me wishes I had a cabin 'away from the glamour of the city with a wood burner cook stove', but then that SECOND tick came. I'm a wimp. what did I just say!? I've got to face reality...I am NOT a serious back to nature girl, but very glad that others let us share in their unique, peaceful, simple-yet hardworking lifestyle for a few days out of the year! I hope my kids don't turn out too finicky (I tried to be tough about the ticks in front of them...)
Now, i must sign-off, I need to apply my fruit-scented, shimmery-sparkle body spritz and fluff my down comforter before I hit the hay!

At the Lake

2008-06-02T21:59:00.010-05:00

We stayed Sunday night w/ Sandy & Terry at their lake home.
In the picture below, Tyler is teaching Alec how to fish.
It was sooo stinkin cute to see the little guys waiting for
a bite.

But the ONLY Girl was the first one to catch something!

(this was her first ever)

Terry took us out for a cruise on the pontoon.

Sandy made a birthday cake for Autumn.

I've been wanting a camper really bad, but I've scratched that idea...decided I'll take a lake home instead! Doesn't hurt to dream right? Ahhh. Speaking of good things.....
Dad and I went for an awesome run while we were there. The setting: lake on one side, lush trees on the other, curvy, hilly road w/ lovely lakehomes. The smells: total FRESHNESS, lilacs scents incredible. But what made it even better: light rain (however by the end it was dark & thundering & lighting & downpouring & the others came looking for us), but we were on a HIGH. Runs like that are so so so worth it! As Lani would say: I heart Running in the rain. smile. double heart it.

Lilac Picture Tradition

2008-05-29T23:18:00.004-05:00

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them."
Richard L. Evans quotes

We cherish you Autumn (9) and Alec (6)!!

Mother's Day Wkend

2008-05-14T22:01:00.008-05:00

Friday my mom and I spent the whole day garage-saling
in a nice Msp suburb. We came home to a steak supper prepared by the guys! For lunch on Sunday, we went to the Chickadee Cottage/Tea House in Lake City, MN. It's one of my mom's favorite places. Later in the afternoon we took the kids out for a bike ride and Alec gave me a wonderful mother's day present...he rode w/o his training wheels. Grandpa had worked w/ him a couple times earlier in the week, but this was his first time with us. He was so proud (and so was I)...I started to cry....my little boy is growing up!

Autumn put on a puppet show with our new garage sale find - the puppet stage!

A fun-filled day!

Birthday's

2008-05-14T21:54:00.005-05:00

We drove up to Vic & Char's on Sunday afternoon to
celebrate my nephew, Jed's bday.

Uncle Derald and Aunt Nita came down for a long wkend and mom hosted a surprise 65th bday party for dad while they were here. Dad said it "couldn't have been better!" Several people brought their instruments - it was a great jam session.

Here's Dad & his new 'life is good' guitar shirt. He's SO into his guitar lately, and he's even gotten

Brendan playing again (YEAH)....I'm hoping for a serenade from him someday.........it's right up at the top on my romantic things list!

Wkend with Friends in Upstate NY

2008-05-05T21:40:00.007-05:00

We spent the first wkend in Albany with our good friends, the Howe's & Chappell's & Jacob's. Thanks to all for the effort you put forth to make the wkend happen! We had gorgeous weather - 85 degrees!! We packed a lunch & headed to a neat park/reserve for the day.

The Chappells, Howe's and all kiddos on Sunday.....

Crackerbarrel Sun Afternoon ... The Jacob's joined up with us too!

Check out Alec's expression...do you think he appreciated the birthday attention? Poor little guy, I thought he was going to cry.

We had such a great time being together - too bad it only happens once a year! We feel very fortunate that our paths crossed with you all.....

A busy week

2008-05-05T20:59:00.015-05:00

We had so much to do and see... I need a vacation from the vacation! We had fun going to our old stomping grounds.....one afternoon we went to Autumn's old school and visited with her Kindergarten teacher. Another day we went to her old classmates house for supper and got in on his baseball game that evening. We also had to get in a meal at our fav pizza restaurant, play at the old playground and drive by our old place. We got pretty sentimental about everything...."Oh, look, there's the old grocery store, the fruit farm, etc". Oh, 'twas fun to be back! The weather was incredible....every day was 75-85 degrees. Only thing I don't miss is the traffic. oh, and yes, we picked up our favorite cheesecake too. Funny how certain things become "our special" thing/place.

On Friday, Tim, Marty and mom joined up with us for the wkend. Wonderful to spend some time getting to know sweet, little Rowan. He warmed up to all of us - which was great, since we had such a short time! He has such a cute little smile, but I wasn't able to get a very good picture of it. He also has his own way of 'scooting' around....it's half crawl, half scoot, and boy can he motor!

DOUBLE DATE
Supper out at the Melting Pot with Tim and Marty. A very fun evening!!! The meal took about 3 hours - was a great evening of food, chatting and catching up! Thanks for letting us crash your first date away from Rowan :)

Saturday in NYC.... (YAY! GREEN TREES & FLOWERS!)

We took the train into the city and walked up 5th Ave to the American Girl Doll Store (Autumn found her bday presents!). We all had a very successful stop at FAO Schwartz and then headed for a stroll thru Central Park and of course....food....Starbucks, a little pizza joint, hot dog vendor, and mom and I found our FAVORITE fresh eclairs - it was well worth the walk to get them!

Sunday....after church, Victor and Pennie hosted a pot-luck for us (we miss you all), and then that evening we headed to the Harris's for supper. It was just like "old times"....we celebrated Alec, Autumn and Rowan's bday's!

Captain Alec's 6th Bday

2008-04-13T22:06:00.010-05:00

We celebrated Alec's birthday early - since we'll be in NY on his actual bday. He had some friends over this afternoon for a pirate party.

AAAR!

ahoy Matey!

Getting the loot after finding the TREASURE CHEST in the oven!

Alec told Amanda he wanted socks for his bday (as a joke), so she got him some (as a joke).

I love the next picture of him laughing - grandpa & grandma gave him a race car set and he had some great belly laughs learning how to use it. I love uninhibited laughs of a child!

Bowing out

2008-04-12T08:30:00.004-05:00

Snowing, feels like 18 and windy....eww... kinda bummed, but I'm NOT running a 20k in this! Brendan will have a big day none-the-less, he took off for Springfield, MO at 5AM to pick-up a new/used vehicle (16+ hours of driving).

9 days and counting.....

2008-04-08T22:07:00.002-05:00

There's over 150 starbucks in Manhattan....can't wait to grab a mocha frappuchino and lemon poundcake with brendan...it's a tradition that need not be broken!

...and I'm also excited for NYC cheese pizza, and freshly made eclairs...and a trip to S&S cheesecake (yes, we'll be bringing some back!)

oh, and very excited to see our friends and family too ;O) YIPPEE...did I say I'm excited?

The kids haven't been back since we left almost 2 years ago, and it's been exactly a year since I've been back. I love looking forward to trips....can't wait to see you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fools Five - year #2

2008-04-06T21:25:00.007-05:00

Me, Dad and Dan - before the race. (the Irvine's are teased about having 'chicken legs'...why didn't I get them?)

Our fan's.

Post race meal - big ole burger's.

Tonight I did some searching on the web to find out why I've had such achy/fatigued leg muscles for the past couple months....the diagnosis....a long list ranging from lack of calcium to leukemia. so out of desperation, i was finally moved to crack open the calcium pills mom bought me a couple years ago. maybe i should start thinking about taking better care of myself - dad told me on the way home "well, you are getting older". gulp. I'm very paranoid every time something out of the ordinary happens to my body.......and to top it off...today i noticed more gray hair and wow, where did all those wrinkles come from??.....can you tell i'm feeling old........only 6 days until the 20k.. aaaaaak!

Branson, MO

2008-03-25T16:51:00.003-05:00

Here's pics of our 5 day road-trip with the Craven Family to Branson, MO. The weather was great - 70 degrees and sunny! We haven't been to this area, so the 8 hour drive was enjoyable. We took in a few shows & enjoyed hanging out at the nice condo on the lake. Had a little Easter egg hunt at the condo and after church we ate lunch at Cracker Barrel - and then headed back to SNOWY MN.

Brendan's Bday Wkend

2008-03-25T16:28:00.009-05:00

A couple wkends ago we stayed w/ Dave, Jen and family. We had a fun time hanging out , playing rook & eating too much!!

Sunday night we celebrated Collin, Sara and Brendan's birthdays at Craven's.

Motivation

2008-03-13T17:46:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed having Angie and Jane here this week. Angie & I had fun finding some bargains and then she helped me make a skirt for Autumn. I actually got behind the sewing machine for about 5 minutes and finished it (gave Brendan quite the shock when he saw me sewing)!! Angie showed me how to thread my machine, and I took notes, so now maybe I can actually do this again...it was fun!

Here's a picture from when the Loyeks came over for raclette supper & hottub. Nice funny faces.

Temptation

2008-03-04T17:02:00.005-06:00

I had to order myself another one of these shirts (thanks to my hip, fashionable Canadian sis-in-law!). Guess it may appeal more to me, since I took a phonetics class in college, but I like them because they're different. Not quite sure how Lani is going to not buy any clothes for the year...I COULDN'T do it! This clothing line might not be so tempting for you, Lani, HOWEVER, I do have something to tempt you with (or any one else for that matter).....

Fetzer 20K

Brendan and I ran it last year and plan to again this year - it's a flat course, almost all on the paved trail along the river. I think Nate Miller may run it too. I'm feeling like I'm not in as good of shape as last year, so I'm thinking it would be fun to find someone(s) to run with me -instead of running it to beat my previous time (ok, I'm might be copping out Brendan!) - make it a fun run!? I'm thinking 8:30 -9 min miles. Any one care to join me? Tempting to anyone?? anyone?

Fools Five is coming up in less than a month too!

Ice-skating

2008-03-04T16:17:00.009-06:00

It was Brendan's month (Feb) to choose our 'family event'. We actually missed it by one day, and went to the local rec center on Mar 1st with the Loyek family & Amanda . We need to do this more often - the kids loved it - and they could use some more practice! Alec was Mr. Daredevil using the support - crutch thingy. Autumn managed to go on her own by the end, but did like the idea of padding her butt with something next time. It's her turn to choose the 'event' for March and I have a feeling we'll be back to the rec center!! My favorite part is the Dunn Brothers stop after the rink (kind of like going to the chalet while skiing). I do have some nostalgic feelings while on the ice tho' - have very good memories of skating at Bower Pond in Red Deer, AB while we were dating (one of these years I want to go back!). It was a romantic moment - when we actually held hands and skated together in the curvy, tree-lined pond to the music at dusk (somehow my lack of flowy words just doesn't create the pic I have in my head), but all I can say is that the chaotic rec center wasn't quite the same. However, I still did manage to steel a skate with my main squeeze!

My camera batteries died, so my picture selection isn't the best.

Taekwondo Ceremony

2008-03-04T16:00:00.004-06:00

The kids had their final Taekwondo class last night - they were quite hyped up to "test" and hopefully officially receive their orange belt for all of their hard work the past couple months. Brendan & I read the handout yesterday morning, and realized that there was an extra $40 fee for each child to test. Both kids have already decided they aren't going to continue taking classes....SOO, being the cheap parents that we are.....we convinced the kids to have our OWN **SPECIAL** testing here at home and skip out on the last class. They had to wait for their name to be called (from the panel of judges, of course)and then go thru the 2 sets of moves that they have learned. Brendan made up a spreadsheet (nothing else would be expected from a finance geek!) and officially printed out their scores. I'm happy to announce that they both received personalized, tailored and hand-crafted, orange belts! (oh, and some candy and money because I was feeling a tiny-bit guilty). All in all, a good (and did I mention cheap!?) time was had by all.

In this clip they're performing the first set of moves together

A fun wkend of family & friends

2008-02-25T21:21:00.012-06:00

We went to Tiffany and Dean's wedding in Mankato on Friday night. I feel old...I remember when she was born, and now she's a beautiful bride.

Dale and Sally

Looks like Martha's not the only one who see's fellow bloggers at weddings!

Saturday we spent a few hours with Great Grandma Irete in her cute room at the nursing home. She still loves to play games at 92!

We spent the night with Aunt Nita & Uncle Derald. The kids went snowmobiling (or 'snowblowing' if you ask Alec), they played games and enjoyed the special bedrooms that were waiting for them! And lastly, we got a quick visit in with Dave & Jen & family on our way home thru their area.