Friday, September 3, 2010
Welcome Home Wachners!
Last week we had the pleasure of greeting our friends, Trent and Susan Wachner, who just arrived from China with their new little girl, Rachel. She's cute as a button. Oh how I love these airport arrivals - such a magical thing to see a family joined together for the first time.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Four Legged Friends
I have been working as a consultant for Woody's Pet Watch for quite some time (because having 3 dogs and a fish at home just isnt enough!) I am still enjoying it. Its very flexible and for the most part, the dogs are great. I have one doggie (Lily) that I walk every Tuesday/Thursday over the lunch hour - shes a real sweetie. I have others that I watch when their owners leave town. One of my favorite clients so far is Snickers - a German Shepard mix. He loves to chase tennis balls and cuddle up with me on the couch in the evenings (have I mentioned that I get paid for cuddling with dogs?!).
Here are some of my puppy clients:
Reina
Snickers
Remington
Beauregard
Lily
Anna
Koko
Duke
Last Gasp of Summer - Trip to Minnesota!
Last weekend we went on a quick weekend trip to Minnesota to visit the Dantzlers. They have a lovely condo on Lake Pepin at Lake City, which isn't too far from Rochester. The view from their living room window is stunning. We were able to catch up, introduce Alex, take the boat out for a spin, do some fishing, and eat some great food. My favorite was the Walleye Sandwich I had at Slippery's Tavern in Wabasha (from which the movie Grumpy Old Men was based). YUM YUM YUM. We had a table right on the Mississippi and sipped a beer while watching the boats go by. Doesn't get much better.
Its so fun to see friends and enjoy some time away from home. We wish we could have stayed longer, but had to get back to reality on Monday.
Welcome to Lake City - Birthplace of WATER SKIING. I am told there are numerous other cities that have also made this claim, but Lake City takes this very seriously! 
Tim and Alex on Matt's boat - the Orange Crush. A nice "retro" vessel with comfy orange seats for napping. Alex seemed to enjoy the ride, but he also didn't like the idea that he had to either sit down or be held the whole time. So, when he wasnt sleeping, he was screaming! 
Adam on the Mississippi. 
The boys fishing off the dock on Sunday morning. This is the view from the Dantzlers balcony, where I took the photo from. 
On Saturday, we took Danny and Cheryl Dantzler's boat out for a few miles on the lake and stopped at a restaurant on the other side (in Wisconsin) called the Pickle Factory. Where I, of course, had to eat some cheese curds (we were in Wisconsin, after all). When we got back to the boat to go, it wouldn't start so here we are chatting away waiting for the Lake City Marina guys to tow us back to Lake City! (Next photo). 
We think this is Adam's first fish ever. He wouldn't touch it, so Matt is helping him with his line. Adam was quite the fisherman and he stood there for about 2 hours casting and waiting. He caught quite a few! 
Feeding the ducks. 
First Day of First Grade 2010
Adam's first day was August 18th. No tears this year from either one of us (whew!). We were all ready for school to start. Adam was tired of hanging out with me all day and I was tired of hearing the same two words all the time .... "I'm Bored!". We had a fun summer, but its time for first grade!
Colorado Vacation!
First off, an apology to all you loyal readers (all 5 of you) who come here regularly expecting to see wonderful and exciting news from the Brown Family. Its not that we haven't had plenty to say, I've just been neglecting to say it. It was summer, school was out, we were busy, blah blah blah. I know, you don't want to hear it... and I don't really want to go backwards to fill you in. Suffice it to say that we had a GREAT summer. We are, however, very happy to get into the new routine of school and work. I am going to attempt to begin blogging more regularly and also to share more thoughts about stuff and things.... not just kids and babies. Please comment often so I know you are here, otherwise I might just get a little lazy again (I mean, busy) and stop blogging!
The highlight of our summer was our Colorado vacation. We drove to a little Mountain Lodge in Lyons, CO (20 miles outside of Estes) for a few days and then continued on to Dillon for a night. We swam, hiked in the Rocky Mountain National Park, got caught in the rain, rode a tram up the mountain, fed chipmunks, had picnics, sang happy birthday in the pool, met a wonderful family, saw wildlife, drove Fall River and Trailridge Road. So you can imagine how much fun we had. I also learned a few things.
1. Unplugging is good. We didn't have phone or internet at our lodge and we actually had conversations with one another. This may only happen once a year, but I am determined to keep this idea going.
2. Keep it simple. Pack less. Plan less. Go with the flow. The kids want to feed chipmunks, climb rocks and swim. They do not want to eat expensive meals, go on tours, view scenery, wait in lines and be entertained all the time.
3. Drive when the kids are sleeping. Enough said.
4. Pack lunches. I am proud to say that we didn't partake in anything that starts with "Mc" the entire time we were there. We saved money and fat cells.
5. If you are hiking in the mountains at 2pm you'd better have a rain poncho, even if its sunny with no clouds at 1:59pm.
6. Hotels are fun. The kids LOVE hotels. We should get one in Omaha sometime. The enjoyment the kids have would be the equivalent of me and Tim going to the Bahamas or someplace. They love jumping on the beds, screwing around with the TV, swimming, staying up late, leaving their trash for "someone else to clean" (although this also happens at home?).
Here is a link to some photos of the trip. There are so many, I thought it would be easier to post a link. They start out in Denver, where we stayed for a night on the way, then to Estes, Hiking, Going up Trailridge, Views of the incredible scenery and a tour of an old Gold Mine in Georgetown.
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