Time Delay

It's been awhile, over 3 months, since we last updated the blog.  Why?  So here is the scoop...

We've played hard.

Two kids in soccer, one in travel soccer, resulted in many afternoons on the soccer field.  We had a fabulous fall and it was a ton of fun to watch.

We also had some Halloween fun mixed in, with a Jellyfish and Shrunken doctor roaming about.

We've traveled hard.

Joe's work took him away more over the past few months than the entire year.  He went to such places as the Philippines, Uganda, and Haiti. So very blessed that he is able to work with Training Leaders International (TLI). If you want to know more about his journey, you can follow him here. I also traveled a bit for work, but not to any such exotic locations.

We've worked hard.

Actually, Joe has worked hard in particular.  Here is some of the work-in-progress for the finished basement he completed this fall.  We are LOVING the fireplace in this winter season....even as I write this....right by the fire.

And a little thing called school started....with our first introduction to Middle School...wow.

And we have been busy baking a Bun.

Likely the most obvious (and most exciting) reason for the decreased blog activity is our impending new addition to the family.  Coming late March/early April....

Hopefully not a such a long hiatus will occur next time, although with a little one on the way, there are no promises.  

Merry Christmas to all and a very Happy New Year!

2,552 Miles

The mighty Mississippi River begins in Minnesota and continues for 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. It's a Minnesota bucket-list item to see the beginning of this great river, so that is precisely where we headed.

Specifically, the Mississippi River begins at Lake Itasca, in the Itasca State Park.  And much to our surprise, the headwaters travel north-east for about 80 miles prior to running south.

The kids had a great time swimming in the lake, although they did compare it to a polar plunge. They also learned that while a paddle boat seems fun...it is work to get out into the middle of a big lake.

Also within the Itasca State Park are beautiful, tall white and red pines, as well as Aspen trees - they reminded us of the nostalgic perception of the "North".

Between hiking, swimming, and eating a lot of great, gooey camp food, we had a nice celebratory weekend to end the summer and kick off the fall.

2nd Tri

We live in an amazing community that sponsors a kids' triathlon.  Last year was a great experience for the oldest, so this year both were signed up.

In the beginning there were nerves, anxiety and general uneasiness, but then....fun.

I'm glad they are willing to try just about anything, this ability is giving both them and us memories and experiences we didn't realize possible. Maybe next time will be a true sprint tri with the oldest?  Time will only tell.

Going North

I love the North Shore. The beauty is majestic and humbling, even with a blue moon.

This year we experienced the Cascade River state park which was a lot of fun, and a lot of hiking.

Joe dared the kids to dunk their heads in the Lake Superior frigid water....they did, this is what Natalie thought of the experience:

Overall it was a great time to spend as a family.  I look forward to it every year.

Until next time....

Summer Fun

Our June and first part of July has been filled with Joy.  We had a fantastic trip to the east coast to see family and take a vacation in North Carolina.  We loved every minute.

The kids arrived 2 weeks before we did to enjoy time with both sets of grandparents. They were able to both have fun with family and enjoy some of the historic sites of Virginia.  You don't appreciate all of the history there until you no longer reside in the state.

After a brief stint of visiting family, although not everyone - we surely missed several we would've love to see if we had had the time, we traveled to Nags Head for a relaxing, fun, and overall enjoyable break at the beach.

We were able to go with Joe's family which was a blessing in so many ways - especially the opportunity for the kids to enjoy their cousins on the Norman side.

Some of us also ran a 5K, just to make the vacation interesting, and "healthy". It was fun and very hot.

Now we transition back to reality, thankful for the memories we were able to make, and thankful that the 25+ hour car drive is over :)