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 :)

Nexus Run: Northampton, MA (Day 1)

Coming to Northampton, MA, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I suppose I thought being near the congestion of Boston, it would be similar. I was wrong. From the artsy decor to the colonial era architecture, it is barely similar to the congestion you may expect in the New England corridor. Not to mention the green landscape.

For today's run, I found the Norwottuck Trail, which follows an old railroad trail, making it an easy, flat run.

Many surprises on this run, one of which reminded me of my niece, Hadley.  Does she know there is a town which shares her namesake?

However, the impressive find was one which crossed the Connecticut River, a bridge over 0.25 miles in length, made with railroad trusses. Incredible.

Now to rest after this long run, which beat the major rain.

Nexus Run: Sevilla, Spain (Day 3)

Today was hot.  Well, to this Minnesotan anyway, it was hot - 83 F. Despite this un-acclimated heat, I went out for a run - attempting 6 miles.  Here are some of the things I saw:

 And while not on the run, I had to include a few interesting shots as well, taken while out for dinner.  A few from the night view of the Sevilla Cathedral - which is where Christopher Columbus is buried, and according to Wikipedia, this is also the largest Cathedral around, and the third largest church on earth - who knew?

And now, as I prepare to depart from Sevilla, Spain tomorrow, I leave with a small, seemingly inconsequential photo which caused quite the uproar.  You see, today I needed a bandaid for a minor cut.  However, since we were in Sevilla, the owner was hesitant, as apparently this is the logo for the Barcelona Soccer Team.  Quite the ordeal to obtain the bandage.