I'm Still Here.....

Well, rumor on the street is that some people are getting a little tired of looking at the big bowl of gummy bears from my last post and are ready for me to update. Honestly, it feels like just yesterday when I did that one.... (although the gummy bears are long gone......)

Things are getting pretty exciting around our house as we have less than 2 months until A and CB's wedding!!!! Lots to do and think about. We are all trying hard to not stress out! We want to keep the planning fun. So far, so good I think!!!

Speaking of weddings, we had the privilege of flying to San Diego this past weekend to share in the wedding of our dear friend's son. It was an outdoor wedding in the most beautiful setting. And the day was perfect in every respect. Steve had the honor of being a groomsman!








It was fun to be able to be there celebrating with our friends. Here are the parents and sister of the groom. I have to say, marriage is such an exciting way to add another beautiful daughter to the family and I know they are thrilled with their new daughter-in-love!














The groom is in the navy, and one of the traditions at a naval wedding is the arch of swords. After the couple is wed, they must pass through the swords. At each sword barrier, they are told 'KISS TO PASS' and they must kiss before the swords are lifted and they can pass through. At the last sword stop, the bride is gently swatted on the bottom with the sword as she passes as the officer says 'WELCOME TO THE NAVY'..... very cute.




Steve also got to pass under the arch of swords with not one, but TWO bridesmaids hanging one on each arm. I think it was his favorite part of the service!!!! (Although I think he was really hoping he would get to carry a sword....)









Congratulations to M & J!! Thanks for letting us be part of your special day.

















We had a little time for sightseeing while we were there. Went to La Jolla and enjoyed walking along the beach. Even got to see a Harbor Seal 'nursery'.... Lots of baby seals.










Spent some time on Coronado Island as well. Great view of San Diego from there.


















Found a favorite new coffee shop. Made a couple of visits.... (And may or may not have brought some home with me!!)
















I actually also added a 'Peets Coffee and Tea' mug to my collection. And, of course, a Starbucks City mug. (although I never actually drank coffee at Starbucks on this trip....). I LOVE collecting mugs when we travel. They are fun to display and make a great, inexpensive souvenir.








One of our adventures came in the form of new technology... The car we rented was electric and we were pretty clueless on even how to START the thing!!! (Especially when we first picked it up at midnight!) The guys especially seemed to enjoy gathering around and reading the manual and seeing what all it could do. Weird. I was glad to get home to our car that you actually used a key to start...





Sophie was glad to see us when we got home, but had a great time with the kids over the weekend. She has a new bed that she absolutely LOVES. She especially loves to be able to lay on it and have the window cracked so she can breathe in the fresh air and keep track of what is going on outside. I admit that she is hopelessly spoiled....







And now that the snow is gone and Spring is in the air, she and Steve have started running again. And they both lived happily ever after.....















Until Next Time.....

Life Goes On.....

First of all, let me say a big 'THANK YOU' for all of your kind comments; prayers and words of sympathy. They all mean so much. I am comforted most by knowing that it was time and that it was the best thing to do for Sumo.

I am also comforted by 3 pounds of gummy bears. That's right. 3 pounds. I didn't even know that they came in such large bags. Under normal circumstances, I would have resisted and bought the 2 ounce single serving size. But when one is shopping for 'comfort' food.. bigger is always better. I thought I would splurge on the 8 oz package. And then I saw the 3 pounder and in my emotional state I bought it. That's my story....




And, of course, there is Sophie.... She reminds us that life goes on. It's hard not to smile when she is around. I thought I would take you along on our walk this morning....

We head out behind the deck and in front of the treehouse....

















And under the evergreen, past the stone marking the final resting place of Nikko and Sumo.












Through the people gate on the west side of the barn....



















A mad dash though the small pasture to the gate that leads to the back field....












And then around and around a couple of times. Today the trees were covered in frost and when the sun hit them it looked like they were covered in diamonds. Absolutely beautiful! Quite a different landscape than where Steve and K will be in less than 24 hours. They are enroute as I write this to:












Haiti! They are embarking on a 10 day missions trip to a field hospital in Port au Prince. K has set up a blog and we are hoping that their 3G towers will be up and running so that she can blog and send pictures while they are there. Check it out at www.trinitytohaiti.com.




Off to have a few more gummy bears....

Until Next Time...

His Final Adventure...

It is with great sorrow that I write this post..... but I wanted to let you all know that at 9:30 this morning our precious Sumo took his final breath as we made that difficult decision that every pet owner has to make. I can honestly say, and I have never kept this a secret, that Sumo was by far my favorite. I was there when he was born 14 years ago and I knew right away we had to have him. (Even though it meant convincing Steve that 2 dogs really were better than one. It didn't take much convincing!!) And I was there this morning holding his sweet head and telling him how much we loved him as he took his final breath. Rest in peace my dear sweet Sumo.

And if you see Nikko, give her our love, and don't let her get you into too much trouble!!!

Until Next Time....

Haiti Bound...

A week from today, Steve and K will be bound for Haiti as part of a medical missions team from our church. It is an exciting opportunity to be a small part of bringing some relief to those who have been through so much. The needs are so great. One of the greatest challenges is trying to determine what to bring in the way of medical supplies.... K is going to photo journal the experience, and to be a general helper to the doctors and nurses.

As a 'filler' in the suitcases, the team is packing beanie babies to take to give to the children. I put a request out on Facebook, and the beanies have started to arrive in preparation for their one way trip to Haiti. This box arrived from my friend Karen!! Don't they look eager to continue their journey into the arms of a child.





I will keep you posted on the team's journey. K will be setting up a blog, and I will be sure and let you know how you can access it!

In the meantime, we continue to have one of the snowiest winters on record. I have to admit, there is a beauty to it, but I prefer the beauty of warm sunny skies and lush green grass. (This picture is taken looking over at our neighbors house...)







The snow has made it difficult for Sumo to get around. Every once in awhile he will still follow us out for a part of our walk. It is painful to watch him, but he has a determined spirit. Sophie, on the other hand, bounds effortlessly through the huge drifts. Aaah, youth!






Sumo is always up for a little pep talk and sometimes needs a little encouragement to finish the journey back home.









We had a wonderful weekend this past weekend, FULL of family and friends. All of the kids were home; Paul and Sheri were visiting from St. Louis and A's soon to be father in law was here. In the hustle and bustle the camera did not come out!!! (The one time I went to take a picture the batteries were completely dead!!) Suffice it to say we had a wonderful time!!

I have cast on a ballband bag as part of the Ravelympics on Ravelry. It is going to be a gray base with 3 colors of green gradually changing as they go up the bag. Never done it before, so we will see how it turns out. At this point the bag is going to be for me.. but I never seem to be able to hang on to something for long before it is 'perfect' for someone else....




Just finished a yummy lunch of Masaman curry.... K has introduced us to all kinds of different curry. I think this one is my favorite.... So simple. I do change the directions a bit on the can and use half coconut milk and half skim milk to keep the fat content down a bit...






A scoop of this over rice makes a very warm, yummy meal. My kind of 'comfort' food.










Off to work. A final glimpse of Sumo. He turns 14 in less than 2 weeks. He is feeling his age and ready for the winter to be over.









Until Next Time...

Not So Happy Toes....

When the kids were little, every time they were barefoot we would call their toes 'happy toes' because they didn't have to be cooped up in shoes and socks etc.. How they loved their happy toes!!

Two weeks ago, I had happy toes. Oh, they were so happy to be in the warmth of the sand and the sea.











Today it is a different story. My toes are about as cooped up as they can get! And they are not happy.... not happy Bob! A foot of snow in the last 24 hours has me donning the snowshoes to take out the one who DOES have happy toes.....








Sophie!!!! Oh how she LOVES the snow. She runs and leaps and buries her face and looks at me with such delight. Like I somehow provided this opportunity for her. If she only knew....









The past few weeks have been filled once again with 1040's; Schedules A; C; D etc.. Yes, tax season is upon us once again. I am only working part time this year (30 hours week) which is nice. Leaves some time for knitting and baking. (Still haven't figured out how to squeeze in cleaning and grocery shopping, but I'll get there!)

I made this tray of cookies and cake balls this past weekend for a Super Bowl Party. Wish my Vikings could have been playing, but it was not to be. These are K's recipes from her As You Wish baking business, which she has started up once again down at school. I miss having her at home, but am excited to see what this semester holds for her. Plus I am pretty good at coming up with reasons for going down to visit.....




Until Next Time....

A Week Ago Today.....

A week ago today I was somewhere warm and sunny. A lot changes in a week. Today it is cold; the snow is blowing; the schools are delayed and I am wondering why I got on that flight back.

I thought I would share a few of the hundreds of photos that we took.

It started with the three of us. We have been friends FOREVER. In fact, I met Renae (the one on the right) when I was 4 and Cheryl (on left) in early elementary school. We graduated from high school together; got married around the same time; had kids the same ages and always said that the first year that we were all empty-nesters we would take our husbands and the 6 of us would go on a trip. I guess I never really thought that this day would ever come! But this was the year, so we put our heads together and booked passage on....


The Independence of the Sea cruise ship bound for Belize; Costa Maya and Cozumel. We had an incredible trip with perfect weather every day. And as fun as the cruise was, the REAL highlight was being together with such dear friends and laughing until our sides hurt and we could laugh no more.





Our first port of call was Belize where we hopped on a water taxi and headed over to the island of Caye Caulker. This is probably one of the most laid back places I have been in my life. We had hired a guide to take us snorkeling and he pulled up in his boat just minutes after we got out of the water taxi.





We followed him down one of the few streets to his shop where he fit us with snorkeling gear and got us ready for our adventure out on the coral reef.










On the 25 minute ride to the reef we saw several dolphins swimming nearby. Very cool. And then we anchored and spotted our first shark. Nurse sharks populate the area and are supposedly afraid of man. At least that is what our guide assured us of!! By the end of our day, we had seen and been quite close to 10 sharks. I even jumped in to the water shortly after we stopped at our third snorkeling location so I could get closer to the shark. What is wrong with that picture??? Me who has an ENORMOUS fear of sharks!!



We also saw sea turtles; several kinds of sting rays; a moray eel and over 50 varieties of brightly colored fish. A huge WOW factor for me! And I think Steve loved it as well!!










We then hopped back on the tender back to the boat. (Ok, in reality, this was probably taken on the tender TO Belize for everyone looked a little water logged after the day snorkeling!!!) But you get the idea!!!










It was a great day swimming in the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze and the warmth of the sun on my face.
















The day in Costa Maya found us ziplining over the canopy of the forest. Unfortunately they wouldn't let us bring our cameras so I can't share much about that. It was a neat experience, but it was a very short ride with lots and lots of waiting time. Fortunately we were all together and made the most of it.

Our third port of call was Cozumel where we headed to a private beach for a lazy day of laying in the sun and boogie boarding. I think this is my new 'happy place' to go to when I need a mental escape!!









We all spent a little time trying to find the perfect wave. It eluded most of us. But fun to try!!












Mostly we lounged on the chairs and enjoyed unlimited food and drinks.












The guacamole was fantastic and I may or may not have eaten more than I should have of it!!












The days at sea on the boat were great as well. These ships have everything!!! Sitting on the upper deck and watching the activity in the pools below is great fun.










And when you get hungry.. it is not far to a nearby restaurant that serves everything from burgers and fries to prime rib and lobster!! Here we enjoy a burger, fries and malt from Johnny Rockets!









On the sports deck, one can rock climb; play miniature golf or ride the Flow rider! Us girls decided to give the flow rider a shot.









Here goes nothing... It was actually quite fun. And after getting the feel of it, I was actually able to get on my knees and let go of my hands and sit up. A wrong turn, however, and I found myself back up at the top in a crumpled heap laughing as I tried to regain my footing. Not easy with the current.







Steve pretty much was a master at it and was on his knees; doing rolls and looking pretty cool!!












And after a full day outside, we'd get ready and head down for a nice dinner and an evening of shows and lively conversation. (well..not always so lively.) Vacation can be exhausting!















But much too quickly, our trip was over and we were on a plane heading back to the snow and ice of Minnesota. Our plane landed at 3:20 on Saturday and we made a mad dash in an attempt to attend my nephews 4:00 wedding. We were too late for the wedding but enjoyed family and friends at the beautiful reception. Here I am with my mom.






Steve hangs out with my 4 brothers. 2nd one from the left is the proud father of the groom!!










And my parents win the 'anniversary' dance being the longest married couple in attendance. 57 years!!!! Way to go mom and dad!!















Congratulations Mike and Marie!!! Love you both!












And now back to reality.....



Until next time...