BriAnne's First Day of her Senior Year

I was shopping with Bre yesterday and realized that it was the LAST time I had to get a kid ready for school. LAST TIME. Unreal. We had a great time, but...it's the last time (and grand kids don't count as that will be different). She left to start her first day as a Senior -- I can't even remember back that far! She is so excited. Tonight she leaves for MEPS and is enlisting in the Army National Guard. This is her as she got ready to leave for school today. It'll be a great year for her!

Troje Reunion & Camping Trip

Just back from an amazing 10 day vacation. The 7-10th of August were spent at Shades of Sherwood at Carl's family reunion. Despite one of his family members desperately trying to ruin the fun (the same one who tries to cause issues EVERY year), we DID have a fabulous time. There were lots of laughs, good food and great people to be with. Sonny and Emelia joined us too (which made it 1/2 complete for me ... missed David and Crysta though). Sunday we made a quick dash home and dropped off Bre (who didn't want to join us for the rest of the vacation). Carl, Greg, Liz and I headed to William O'Brien State Park on Sunday afternoon. The site was right near the river and gorgeous. The highlight was a 17 (yes, seventeen) mile canoe trip on Wednesday from Interstate to Wm O'Brien. The favorite part was when we hit a sand bar and actually had to portage (see the picture above). We laughed so much. Guess you had to be there to understand the humor we found in it. We were exhausted afterwards, but it was incredible. We decided that we were a little overaggressive (really?) and probably should have cut the miles in half. Needless to say, we all slept like babies that night! On Thursday we drove to Lake Wissota (which is about 30 miles from Eau Claire). Beautiful park, and the site was secluded, but nothing really compares to a Minnesota State Park for cleanliness and nice showers!!! We played a ton of cribbage, ate good food, walked some. Even did a little bit of exploring. It was a wonderful vacation! We're home now (Saturday afternoon). Getting things unpacked and I'm packing up again as I leave tomorrow for San Diego! Never dull!!!!

Lauryn's Second Birthday

Saturday (08/02) Carl and I picked up mom and Jacob and headed to Chris/Crystal's place to celebrate Lauryn's second birthday. Dad couldn't go because he was recovering from appendix surgery. It was a beautiful day. A few photos and a video is here for your enjoyment!!!

Bre's Senior Photos & Appendectomy

So, BriAnne and I went on a 4-1/2 hour adventure to get her senior pics done. It was a blast (as you can probably tell by the pics I've loaded). A week later, Bre had terrible right sided pain. When I did the rebound test on her, she about smacked me so I suspected appendicitis. Took her to Woodwinds and the Doctor didn't think it WAS her appendix since he'd never diagnosed a case in 2 hours. SO, thousands of dollars of tests and hours later; he let me know it WAS her appendix. By now it was midnight and the surgeon made us wait until 6 am to do the surgery. VERY long night. All went fine and within six days, she was back to "normal". OH, I also had spent 4 hours in the SAME ER with David/Crysta earlier in the day because David severely sprained his "good" foot and I was concerned it was broken. It wasn't, but I felt so bad for him because he could NOT walk...

Family Camping Trip

For the Fourth of July weekend, we went to Willow River State Park in Hudson WI. We arrived on Thursday and came home on Sunday afternoon. Greg, his girlfriend Liz, BriAnne, Bishop, Carl and I were there the entire time. On Saturday we were joined for the afternoon by Sonny/Emelia/Copper and we finally got to meet Liz's mom, Cheryl. Bishop enjoyed his first ever camping trip. He was very comfortable and behaved perfectly. I did miss Dakota, but know he was with us in spirit.



Activities:

Friday: Went on a hike to the Willow River Falls. They were spectacular. The hike there was about a mile. Carl struggled a little bit, but made it without incident. On the way back, we decided to take the "short cut" (or so we thought) back. The return trip was not only LONGER in distance, it was a very steep climb for a good portion of it. Carl was in a lot of pain afterwards!! We had lunch and then took out the canoe (Greg, Liz, Bre rented one). Did a little bit of fishing.



Saturday: Went to the beach with everyone and had a big steak dinner around 3:00. Our visitors left by 5:00 and since I taught Liz how to play cribbage on Friday, we played a couple of games. We played "I Spy" until dark and then were in bed by 11. Left around noon on Sunday.



NEXT TRIP: August 7-10 at Sherwood Forest Park (Carl's Family Reunion), August 10-14 at William O'Brien and August 14-17 at Wassica State Park (WI). LONG one!!!!

Our First Canoe-In Camping Trip

OK -- so.... after much anticipation, we finally took a 4-day weekend to get the canoe put to good use. We went to Scenic State Park in Northern Minnesota (255 miles from home). It was a gorgeous drive and time passed quickly. Carl and I LOVE long trips together as it's the only time we really have time to TALK uninterrupted! When we arrived, we loved the place and eagerly set out to set up camp. Now, this involved getting all the gear into the canoe and paddling across the water. After getting through the first hurdle of where to land, we set up camp. Three loons were nearby and gave us a beautiful concert. We played cribbage, ate a wonderful steak stir fry and had a grand time. The outside toilet was ... interesting. I took a photo of a very private moment for Carl and am sharing with your. I'm so bad. At about 2a.m., the storm came in and shook the ground. The mosquitos (millions of them) came shortly thereafter. The rain didn't stop and neither did the biting creatures. Carl does the cooking on these adventures and is making me breakfast in the first photo. Thank God he brought the screen tent!!! After a paddle back to the "mainland" and getting bit at least 100 times; and finding out that the weather was supposed to be stormy (some dangerous), we gave up and decided to head home. The 24 hours we spent was wonderful (well, most of it). LONG trip for a short stay, but HEY ... life is an adventure, right? Now, we're planning our August Boundary Waters trip which we're all excited about (Greg/Liz ... me-n-Carl). Next trip? July 4th weekend in Willow River State Park in Wisconsin -- taking the tent trailer!

BriAnne's Big Adventure

I took Bre with me to my recent business trip to The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island, SC. She had a GREAT time and was quite the young lady. She declared she wanted to stay there, but since the cost per night is over $600, she decided she couldn't afford it.