North Shore 2011

My sister and her family came up to MN from Florida for a visit. Since they were in town, we decided to take a family trip up to the North Shore. We love staying at Superior Ridge and this year was no exception. It was just perfect there! Each family had their own room and two of the rooms had decks and kitchenettes.

Tim and I came up a day later than the rest of the family and when we arrived, everyone was heading to Carlton Peak to go hiking. Andrew and I needed naps from the long car ride, so we stayed back. Everyone had a great time on the hike, but they were all very tired when they got back.

Below, Melissa, Tracy and Laura get to rest after making it to the top of the peak!

Here is a view from the top of Carlton Peak! Just Beautiful!!
Andrew loved collecting rocks (it runs in the family). He had his pockets and hands full of rocks!

On Monday night, we drove up to Grand Marais for dinner. The kids (and adults) loved sitting on the beach throwing and skipping rocks in the water.

We ate supper at Sven & Ole's Pizza. Tim and I ordered the vegetarian pizza (aren't you proud of us, Wendy?? :o) and it was probably the best pizza I have ever eaten! If you are ever in Grand Marais, that is the pizza to get!!!

On Tuesday night, after the guys got back from a full day of fishing, we had the mandatory (because of popular demand) salmon dinner. Dan, my brother-in-law, has a special marinade that he uses on salmon, then he grills the fish on smoked pieces of wood and the flavor is out of this world! All the kids gobbled up their fish and I don't think there were any leftovers that night!

These pictures are a little out of order. These are the pictures of the guys BEFORE fishing. It was pretty rough for them on the water, lots of mosquitoes, and not many fish, so the AFTER picture is not available for viewing :o)

Gooseberry Falls is so beautiful and the kids had so much fun playing in the water!


Our last event before heading home was a family picnic by Lake Superior. We had such a wonderful time together and we are already planning next year's North Shore trip! I'm so thankful to the Lord for giving me such a wonderful family!

Trip to CA

I arrived in sunny California around 11pm in the evening (1am MN time). The weather was so wonderfully warm! It was what I had been looking forward to for weeks! My family picked me up at the airport and before arriving at our condo, they treated me to an In & Out burger - delicious - especially since I hadn't had dinner.

Above is a picture of our condo and below is a picture of the view we had from our deck.

For lunch the next day, we ate at a wonderful deli/bakery called "Shermans" I loved the signage they had around the place :o)





Just LOOK at that sandwich that Dan is holding. It is a Rueben with pastrami on it rather than corned beef. He let me take a bite and I can't remember when I've eaten a better sandwich! It was Incredible!

Next we headed to the Living Desert. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and when we arrived, I realized that there really is no way to KNOW what to expect until you have been there for yourself. It was a cross between a zoo, park and a museum.






After the Living Desert - where the temps reached over 90 degrees - compared to the 50 degree weather back home - it was time to go swimming. The place where we were staying had a pool for everyone to use. It was probably the nicest pool I have ever swam in! If only I could pack the pool and the weather in my suitcase and take it home with me...

My grandma celebrated her birthday while we were in CA, so we all went out to Tommy Bahama's restaurant to celebrate. It was a memorable night with good company, expensive food, lots of appetizers (we ordered at least 6 for our table), pigeons walking under our table, a bread basket that caught on fire, and a broken salt shaker. Yes, a very memorable night.




I posted the picture of the street sign because this street "El Paseo" pronounced "El Pass A O" is the main street where all the high-end stores are located. If you want good shopping, this is where it is at. Of course, Tim gave me a wad of cash before I left on the trip and he told me, "buy whatever you want, honey". Okay, wishful thinking... Just looking in the store windows told me that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.



While it was a wonderful trip and I absolutely LOVED the warm weather, I was really missing Tim. He did a great job taking care of Andrew. Unfortunately, Andrew got sick while I was gone, so Tim had to be a doctor as well as a Daddy for a couple of days.

I'm so thankful for family and the opportunity to go out to CA for a visit.

It's spring in our hearts!

Though weeks turn into months, winter seems to last forever in Minnesota. Listening to local weather, I learned that up to date this year was the 7th snowiest on record. We did get blanketed with the snow storms this year. However, we are comforted with signs of spring...

ROBINS!!!

Because the snow came so early and stayed this year, the ground did not freeze like it usually does. These red-breasted birds that usually appear in the spring are already searching the ground for worms. We hope that this is a sign of a mild March and an early spring.

Drew is 13 1/2 months and is sprouting up like a weed. He just cut his 7th tooth and is so close to walking that it could be any day now. He loves to tease, play games, and read books among many other things. Andrew is always moving, but we are making encouraging headway in teaching him "no touch" and "lie still". Below is a movie recorded tonight.

Mare is excited that it worked out coming up in March for her to join her grandparents and family for a couple days in Palm Springs, California. I will be watching Andrew while she is gone, which will be a good break for her. I know that this will be a special time with her family, so it was worth the expense.

My family is headed to Washington D. C. at the end of April and God graciously worked it out for me to join them for four days. I have never toured the Capital and since I love history, I am thrilled to go. Marilyn seems just as excited to have me go because she knows how much I enjoy history and politics. I am so thankful that God has allowed me this privilege. -Tim