Happy Anniversay!

Happy 11th Anniversary

to

my Wonderful Husband!!!

It was a great day, full of memories!

It has been an exciting 11 years, full of all kinds of surprises!

I am looking forward to the next 11 years,

and whatever they may have in store for us!

I Love You!!!

Thursday Thought

"The best thing one can do when it's raining

is to let it rain."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Wordless Wednesday ~ We Love Our Cousin!

For more WW go here and here.

A Day at the North Shore.

What a week!!! We have been going non-stop since we go to Minnesota. It has been a bit on the cool and rainy side, but we have still managed to fit in most of the activities that we wanted to.

Last Thursday, we packed everyone up and took a drive up the North Shore of Lake Superior. We didn't really intend to, but we ended up going all the way to Grand Marais, MN. Grand Marais is a small town about 30 miles from the Canadian border. It is a really cute little resort town with a bunch of quaint little shops and great restaurants.

Here are the kids standing on the edge of Lake Superior. I never get tired of looking at this lake. Everywhere you look there is an other picturesque view. As you can see, it was a bit of a cold, windy day. But, lucky for us, it did not rain!

As we were walking around Grand Marais, we came across a donut shop (imagine that, 30 miles from Canada), that calls itself "The World's Best Donuts." Well, of course we had to stop in and try them, just to see if they really were the world's best. To our great surprise, they were! OMG, they were so soft, so full of flavor, and perfectly cooked. If I had not been stuffed to the brim from everything else that we had eaten that day, I would have had several of them myself. We will definitely be returning for more on our next trip to Grand Marais.

Outside the donut shop they had this cute picture spot. Of course we had to pose for a few shots at "The World's Best Donut" shop.

Our next stop, on our way back to Duluth, was a place called Tettegouche State Park. Now, of course I am not partial, being from Minnesota and all, but Minnesota has the best state parks in the whole country and Tettegouche is one of my favorites. It is another place where you can get view, after view, after view of Lake Superior. I could hike there all day. On this trip we only had a couple of hours, so we just hit the highlights.

This is a picture of Caitlyn at a place called "Shovel Point." Shovel Point is probably the most photographed spot in the park. We had to hike and climb about 150 steps to get there, but it was well worth it. I am already looking forward to our next trip back. I hope we can camp and spend a few days in the park in the near future.

Here is one more shot from shovel point. Even on a cold, cloudy day, it is one of my favorite places on earth.

After hiking at Tettegouche, we headed for one more "North Shore" landmark. In a town called Two Harbors there is a restaurant called "Betty's Pies." They have some of the best pie that you will ever taste. The restaurant was featured on one of the Food Network tv shows, and recognized for their pie.

So, as if we hadn't eaten enough bad things that day, we went in to Betty's Pies, had some dinner and topped it off with a piece of pie. I had Banana Cream....ahhhh....it was so good. I was so full by that point, but there was no way I was going to turn down a piece of pie.

After the pie, we all rolled ourselves into the car and made the 40 minute car ride back to Duluth. What a day, but I guess that is what vacations are for!!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Fun at the Lake

For more Wordless Wednesday go to

5 Minutes for Mom

&

Seven Clown Circus

Ugh! I Miss My Internet Connection!

I love being on vacation, and I have been looking forward to this for a long time. But...I really miss my Internet connection! Things being what they are, I currently find myself in a place where all I have is a (deep breath), dial-up connection.

So, I have all of these great pictures of the things that we have been doing, but I can't get them uploaded to blogger. Tomorrow I may find myself at Starbucks, just so that I can do a little blogging. I didn't realize how much I would miss my Internet connection.

A new addition to my ever growing wish list, is an air card for my computer. I never want to find myself in this predicament again.

So, for now, my blog posts may have to either wait until I can go to Starbucks, or they may have to be text only. ;-O What will I do without all of my pictures?

It's A Bird, It's A Plane...It's the Home of Superman!

Whew...Day one of our vacation is almost over. We were up at 3:00 am, in the car at 4:00 am and on the road. We drove from Orlando, FL to Metropolis, IL...that's about 800 miles and the halfway point of our journey.
Metropolis is a very small town on the southern boarder of Illinois. The claim-to-fame of this little town is that it is the "Home of Superman." There is Superman stuff everywhere, and of course the biggest attraction in town is a giant statue of Superman.
Well, our trip would just not be complete if we didn't get a look, and some pictures, of this wonder of the world.
So, here we are posing with Superman for a few memorable shots!













Tomorrow we will be up early to continue on our way. Who knows what wonders of the world we will come across next!!!

The Ones That Got Away

This summer BassPro Shop has been offering free kids events on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We have been trying to get to our local BassPro to check it out. Last Sunday we finally made it. The kids built and painted bird houses, CJ fished, and we had this crazy picture taken. I have to admit that I am not much of a BassPro shopper. Looking at hunting and fishing supplies is not really my thing. But, the kids had a good time and it was a new experience for all of us.

Just one more way to entertain the kids and it was all free!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Florida Sunset

For more Wordless Wednesday go to ~

5 Minutes for Mom

&

Seven Clown Circus

Question of the Week ~ 4th of July Edition

My 3 with decorated bikes for the 4th.

Multiples and More is hosting a question of the week blog carnival. The question...What is your favorite 4th of July memory?

Wow, there are so many. I love the 4th of July. Growing up in Minnesota summer is something that we looked forward to all winter long. My family always took summer vacations and it seemed like a lot of them were around the 4th of July. Some of my favorite memories are camping, spending time at a cabin, or hanging out at "The Lakes" in Minneapolis on the 4th. It is just such a laid back holiday with great weather, great food, and don't forget the fireworks!!!

Go to Multiples and More to read about more favorite 4th memories.

Happy Fourth of July!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that amony these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Take a minute to remember why we celebrate today.

Have a safe and Happy

4th of July!

Free Chocolate Friday!!!

It's Free Chocolate Friday. Register to receive a coupon for your favorite Mars brand at http://www.realchocolate.com/. Remember, the first 250,000 people to register will get a coupon by mail. Register fast!

Birthday Celebration

Where did the week go? Last Thursday was CJ's 10th Birthday. With all that has gone on between then and now, I am finally getting to writing about his birthday celebration. In my defense, I planned a birthday party, planned a Cub Scout camping trip, and finished one of the most challenging college classes that I have ever taken. All in the last week.


The birthday party consisted of all of CJ's favorite things. We went through a whole list of choices...a small party, a big kids party at Legoland, a night at a Disney resort, and finally...this is what he decided on.


The day started with picking up his best friend and heading out to "UNO Chicago Grill" for some pizza. Here is CJ and his "best bud" waiting for the pizza to come. It is so easy to have these two together. They keep each other occupied the whole time and are never any trouble. I LOVE it!

After lunch all of the kids posed for a picture outside of the restaurant. We were all full and had enough leftover pizza for two more meals.

Our next stop was one of CJ's favorites. Mini-golf at Disney's Fantasia Gardens. He never gets tired of playing mini-golf.

Before we went in to start the game, we found a table out front, and opened the presents. CJ got all kinds of good stuff. He was excited about all of the Star Wars and baseball stuff that he got. But then, what could be better for a 10 year old boy than Star Wars and baseball?

Next, it was time to play golf. There were six of us that day, so we broke up into two teams. The boys played together, and the girls played together. Everyone had a great time. I think most of us got at least one hole-in-one. It was a super hot day, so we were all thankful for the water hazards that Disney has built into the course.

Here is CJ lining up to tee off on one of the holes.

After golf, we headed to Downtown Disney to go to the Lego store. The boys were each given $10.00 to pick out a "party favor" at Legoland. They looked at everything, played around for a while, and this is what they finally decided on.

After a little more looking around at Downtown Disney, we headed home for cake and ice cream. I gave CJ the option of having ice cream at "Ghirardelli" and he choose store bought ice cream and homemade cake. What? Not me! I would have taken the Ghirardelli ice cream. I have to admit, he choose the cheaper option, and it was nice to save a little money.

I am not sure why he has this look on his face. The cake really wasn't that heavy. I guess it was just a bit of birthday drama on his part.

In the end, it was a great day! CJ got to do exactly what he wanted, and he got to spend a day with his best buddy. Everything a 10 year old could want!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Flower Girls

For more Wordless Wednesday's go to

5 Minutes for Mom

&

Seven Clown Circus