My family

My family

Friday, August 30, 2013

Happy birthday, Mom!


What a wonderful gift to be able to spend your birthday with Jesus! :) 

For the woman who taught be to be independent and strong, to live life to the fullest, to thank God for each and every day, to treat others the way you want to be treated (but not to take any crap!) and to stand up for the underdog.......I wish you the happiest of birthdays. 

Thank you for being such a shining example of what a mom should be.  I am so lucky to have had you in my life. 

I found this video and it reminded me of Mom.....



Monday, August 26, 2013

Like riding a bike.....

 
The eagle has landed.......Denise is in Minnesota! :)  Because yesterday was such a beautiful day, we decided to ride our bikes around Lake Calhoun.  After our trek, we stopped for some well-deserved treats. 



 
I love this picture of us.  Even hot and sweaty, we had a great time! :)
 
 
So true.......even with a thousand miles between us, whenever we get together it seems like we haven't missed a beat.  I'm so happy to have you here, Dink!! :)


Friday, August 23, 2013

BFF

 
My bestie is coming to visit!! :)  Denise and I have been best friends since 2nd grade.  Through life's ups and downs, she has been right by my side.  I can't wait to see her!  :)


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Where Everyone Belongs

Delanie made it onto the WEB team at school! :)  WEB = Where Everyone Belongs.  It's a mentoring group made up of 9th graders that help the incoming 7th graders.  To be accepted into the program, you have to pass a pretty rigorous "audition" including a history of school participation, teacher recommendations, high academic standards, etc. 
 
 
Delanie was super excited to be a part of the team.  When we first moved to Minnesota before her 7th grade year, she spent one-on-one time with the WEB team during new student orientation.  She has looked forward to participating in the program ever since!
 
 
After she returned from her Summer visit in Texas, WEB was all she talked about.  The end of that vacation officially marked the "beginning of her Freshman year" as she put it.  She went through WEB training last week and this week was the actual orientation.  She has been on Cloud Nine!! :)
 
Another first........because she wanted a little more independence, she decided to ride her bike to and from school for the WEB sessions.  I have to admit I was a nervous mom but she did great!  The bike ride is about 45 minutes one-way (5.8 miles to be exact) but she pulled it off.  My baby is growing up!
 






Friday, August 16, 2013

Happiness

One of my favorite photos of my dad was taken this summer at Garrett's graduation.  This is the look of one proud PaPa!  :)


It does my heart good to see Dad smile like this.....especially during such a rough year.  I love you, Dad!!

Delanie's home!

Delanie is finally back from her Summer break in Texas.  It's so good to have her home!  Judging by her latest Instagram photos, it looks like she's happy to be back too.  :)
 
 



Thursday, August 15, 2013

Adults only

Jim and I drove about three hours north for our first ever vacation with just the two of us.  Every time we have traveled together in the past, it's been to visit family or taking the kiddos somewhere.  Don't get me wrong, those trips are so much fun but it was nice to get away and just be alone! :)

We stayed at a resort "up north" called Breezy Point.  Our condo was at the corner of Breezy Bay and Pelican Lake.  The views were amazing.....there was water everywhere you looked!

 
 
What made the trip so much sweeter was the fact that Jim didn't take his laptop.  This was another first.  He's usually checking emails or tending to business matters non-stop.  Not this weekend!  I had him all to myself!! :)
 
 
 
One of my favorite parts of the trip was paddle-boarding.  I was so nervous to try this but knew I would regret it if I didn't.  So here's the story:  I am TERRIFIED of lake water.  Actually, I'm afraid of any water I can't see under.  (You never know when something is going to get you!)  The odds of me taking a dip in the water were pretty high since this was my first time on the board.  This picture was my trek back to the shore.  Notice that I am completely dry.......no lake water for me!! :)

 
After the paddle-board adventure, we decided to rent jet skis.  This was serious fun!  I never worry about falling off when Jim has the wheel so it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride. 

 
Since we went mid-week, we pretty much had the resort to ourselves for the first few days.  There was a fire pit on the beach and each night Jim would build a fire so we could watch the sun set.  It was so romantic!  Let me tell you, that guy can build one heck of a fire......Texas-sized!  Jim is all about making anything he touches bigger and better.  Wait.....that didn't sound right.  (Yikes!)  One night we had a few visitors that wanted to make s'mores.  The mom was so sweet that she shared with Jim and I.  This was another first for me - I have never tried a s'more - but now I'm hooked!


 
The resort was so beautiful.  There was so much wildlife - geese, pelicans, woodpeckers, etc.  The landscaping was to-die-for!

 
We rented a pontoon for two days to go fishing.  We caught several fish but released them all.  As you can see, they were small enough to be used as bait. :)  It was overcast the first day of our boat ride so it got pretty chilly.  The second day was absolutely perfect......sunny and warm.  Jim now has boat-fever.  He's been researching jet-skis and boats since we got home. 



 
What a wonderful vacation!  Life can get so busy that it's nice to stop, look around and reconnect.  I can't wait to see where the next trip takes us!! :)

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Senior trip

How lucky is Garrett that his Senior trip was to the Cayman Islands?!?! 

Kevin and Brandi took Garrett, Delanie and Maci to the islands last week and they had a blast!  Here's a photo of G-man "playing" with the stingrays. 

 
Cutest couple ever....

 
Doesn't Delanie look so grown up?  She gets prettier and prettier every day.  :)