Trip to San Fran

Whenever possible, Wade and I try to get away for a night or two, just the two of us, for our anniversary.  A couple of times we've had a baby in tow, and a few times it hasn't worked out at all, but this year we made it happen--kid free--and even FLEW to our destination!  (Gotta love those flight benefits.)

I thought we were headed to Maine, but Wade surprised me and set things up for San Francisco instead.   We packed a fun whirlwind trip into two days and really made the most of it, despite record low temps in the low 50's!  We visited Fisherman's Wharf, walked Lombard Street, rode the trolley cars, and--our personal favorite--rode a tandem bike across the Golden Gate bridge!  We stayed in the historic Nob Hill Hotel and really enjoyed walking almost everywhere and enjoying the local culture.  (Lots to pray for here, folks!)  Even got hit up by the ACLU for money to support all kinds of things that break my heart and make my stomach turn...but that's another story.

A few pics...

14 years, and looking ahead to many more!

10th Year in Bemidji

(White Pines Resort on Turtle Lake, connected to Movil Lake)

Yes, I'm alive. No, not puking either. Not quite, anyway. (Thanks for checking, Lauralynn.) I didn't want to post on my blog that we'd be gone for a week in case some weirdo could track us down and rob all my valuable fake jewelry and huge money stash in the floor boards.

We just got back from our annual week up north in Bemidji, MN. For 10 years in a row now my parents have rented a cabin for all of us to spend a week together up at Movil Lake. My dad spent entire summers as a boy on this lake at his grandparents' cabin.


We had beautiful weather. There was lots of swimming and fishing, lots of eating, a little shopping, a Gilmore Girls marathon, and 3 dates for Wade. Wade took each of his girls on a special outing during the week. He and I went to our favorite Italian restaurant in Bemidji & then saw Batman (which rocked!) Abby & Daddy went out for coffee & a game of checkers, and Emily & Daddy bought tic tacs (Em's fave), gas station treats, and played at the park.



For our last night, we had a campfire with s'mores, my Dad & I played a little B-ball, and Wade and I played that game where you throw the ropes with the weighted thingies around goalpost looking things with 3 bars. (Anybody know what I'm talking about?)

It was a great week, but it's also great to be home. Let the laundry begin!

Twelve Years and Counting...

(This post is from yesterday.)

"I feel the wind in my face...see the blue in the sky...it's days like this I realize...It's good to be alive." Geoff Moore.

We try to get away for at least a night or so every year to celebrate our Anniversary. This year we got adventurous and decided to go 4-wheeling! Drove to Prairie Farm where Wade's folks live, parked our car, borrowed their ATV and leisurely made our way to Turtle Lake & the surrounding area. In total for both days, we covered 100 miles of rolling hills, quiet roads, farmland, wooded trails, and old railroad beds now converted to ATV paths. Saw a family of raccoons, a fox, a turtle, some black ravens, and some chipmunks. Wade saw some wood ticks, too. They seem to like him better than me.

We've got another tradition--Bed & Breakfasts. I think we've stayed in 10 or so total. Wade usually does the choosing and surprises me. This year he picked the Canyon Road Inn, in Turtle Lake, WI. We could 4-wheel right to it. A beautiful B&B on Skinaway Lake. We even had our own balcony with a gorgeous view of it. Kept our patio door open at night and went to sleep to the sound of the loons. Glorious.

Twelve years ago today (23rd) Wade and I were married at Faith Community Church in Hudson, where we've attended church now for the better part of 14 years! On our wedding night, we stayed at the Jefferson Day House--a B&B on 3rd Street right in Hudson. And so began the tradition.


Happy Anniversary Honey! I look forward to many more with you.

Our trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana

Disclaimer: this may be a long post. I want to record some of the details from our trip. Partly because I want my kids to have the memories recorded, and partly just because it's fun for me to write about. So bear with me. :)


The kids and I flew to Indiana last Saturday to visit my friend Danielle, and her girls, Ariana & Ivy. We met them when we were all living in South Bend. As many of you know, our 2&1/2 years in Indiana was largely a lonely time for me. But a year into our stay there, God provided Danielle--a true friend and sister in Christ. We met through the mom's group at our church in Granger, IN. We were both pregnant, and ended up having our babies (Nathan & Ivy) one day apart. :)

...So the kids and I flew standby through Wade's flight benefits, of course. Thankful to have that perk, but OHHHH can it be stressful. See Naomi's post to see what I mean. Then couple that with the fact that somebody somewhere screwed up & Nathan got taken off the list as an eligible family member--so they wouldn't let us list him for the flight. At all. We almost couldn't go & I almost had a nervous breakdown over it. Not really. OK, kind of. But literally, by the grace and favor of God we encountered some nice NW employees who pretty much tossed the rules aside for us and we made it!)

We spent 4 days together and some of the fun included: water balloon fights, playing dress up, hot fudge Sundaes at McDonalds, a trip to the (free) splash pad, (we really need some of those at the parks here) a visit to Chuck E. Cheese (thanks to Danielle's hubby, Manuel, who took the older ones there while the mommies and 2 little ones went out...intending to check out an old fashioned soda shop but ended up at Cebollas Mexican restaurant.) One day we tried to attend a program on animals at the library but found it full when we got there. Instead we checked out the Little House on the Prairie pilot movie and spent an afternoon snuggling on the couch. The girls were enthralled.

Let's see...one day we hired a babysitter and Danielle (& I) got a much needed break. We visited the Peony Tea House for a beautiful lunch & tea. (My first time at a tea room.) Though I may not decorate my own home with florals and lace, it was such a treat to be in the presence of such lovely and feminine surroundings. We each chose the chocolate decaf iced tea. I also requested sugar and cream for my iced tea. The owner thought this a bit odd, but soon tried it herself and decided she's going to make it a regular recommendation!

A couple photos from the Splash Pad:





During moments when we weren't tending to little ones, we even managed to get a bit of reading in...various excerpts from The Ministry of Motherhood, Elisabeth Elliot's Keep a Quiet Heart, and some fun stuff from Mrs. Dunwoody's Book of Excellent Housekeeping. (I don't think I have the title right...help me out Danielle.)

After the kiddos were in bed, we kept our tradition of watching as many episodes of Gilmore Girls as possible. And of course, we had to get Culver's (Heath concrete mixers are my weakness) during the show--just like old times.

Each of my 3 managed to injure themselves at least once on the trip:
Emily: twisted her ankle while jumping off a mattress. She was down & out for a day
Abby: climbed atop the freestanding porch swing, fell, and scraped her arm up good on the way down
Nathan: (He has two) dropped a toy cast iron pot lid on his face during a diaper change & bruised up his eye just a little. And at the park he climbed to the top of the climbing wall & fell on the way down. Face first. Scraped up his nose. (He looks cute, actually.) I also caught him trying to eat the wooden "pills" from the toy doctor kit. Close call.

Danielle, thanks again for your hospitality. I'm so glad we came. I loved seeing your home, observing how your girls have grown, and just getting extended time to hang out, talk, and pray together.

...I had been praying that we could really be a blessing and an encouragement to Danielle and her girlies, but I think they blessed us more! What a great trip, and a great start to summer vacation. :)

1st Ever Family Getaway

Yup. That's right. To Wade's and my knowledge, we have never taken a family vacation--even for a weekend--with just our family of 5. This past weekend marked our first. One night and 2 days at Wilderness Fellowship. We "camped" Little House on the Prairie style in a log cabin with no electricity (lanterns for light) and an outhouse for a bathroom. The kids loved sleeping in the loft--just like Mary and Laura. Abby admitted to being concerned that there would be no TV but was pleasantly surprised by how much fun she had. In her words, "I was afraid this was going to be the worstest day of my life, but it's not!" (By that, you'd never guess that we usually limit TV to an hour a day or less anyway.)

We all commented on how fun it was to spend this time together. We took a long hike through the mud, stomped in the puddles, played tether ball, read books, had family devotions, played card games, and had cookies and milk around the campfire. Emily also wanted me to mention that she started spelling words all on her own this weekend! We had brought small chalkboards just like the ones the kids on Little House used to do their homework on. Emily really went to town and was so proud to show us her work. (She was gearing up for Kindergarten round-up on Monday.) Way to go Em!

It was just nice to slow down and not have an agenda. Wade and I even got a nap or two. Probably the sweetest moment to me was when Wade was napping up in the loft by himself. As I was heading down the ladder, I witnessed little Nathan kneel down right beside Wade. He folded his hands, bowed his head and prayed, "Jeezus, tank You fo my Daddy." That is the first time I've ever heard Nathan pray without being prompted. Talk about melting my heart.

Thank You, Lord. We needed this weekend.