Andrew flew to Atlanta last week to produce the open for the Thrashers. Here you see him spritzing sweat onto Toby Enstrom. Tough job, right? ;-)9/18/2009
Where in the World was Andrew last week?
Andrew flew to Atlanta last week to produce the open for the Thrashers. Here you see him spritzing sweat onto Toby Enstrom. Tough job, right? ;-)
Finally Friday...
We made it through (or at least almost since it's still Friday morning) the first full week of our new fall schedule with both Ella and Lily in school. I think everyone is tired today. But we'll all get used to our new schedule.
And part of this new schedule is that Lily is at a Zoboomafoo class at the Outdoor Center on Friday mornings from 10-11:30. I have decided that I am going to use that time to sit here in a new coffee shop (JJ's Coffee and Wine Bar) that just popped up and devote this time to updating this blog. That way if I have a set time each week, at least you're guaranteed some sort of regular update! I'm behind probably about 8 posts already. So we'll be playing catch up for a bit (again) and I'll be spreading out the posts by pre-publishing them. So you may get some that pop-up every few days until I get caught up, if I ever get caught up.
So here we go......
And part of this new schedule is that Lily is at a Zoboomafoo class at the Outdoor Center on Friday mornings from 10-11:30. I have decided that I am going to use that time to sit here in a new coffee shop (JJ's Coffee and Wine Bar) that just popped up and devote this time to updating this blog. That way if I have a set time each week, at least you're guaranteed some sort of regular update! I'm behind probably about 8 posts already. So we'll be playing catch up for a bit (again) and I'll be spreading out the posts by pre-publishing them. So you may get some that pop-up every few days until I get caught up, if I ever get caught up.
So here we go......
9/14/2009
PGA Championship
Over a year ago, Andrew "volunteered" to be a marshal for the PGA Championship hosted in Chaska, MN at Hazeltine National Golf Club. I put volunteer in quotes because you actually have to pay to be a volunteer. But that covers your outfit and your front row seat for the action!
He worked Hole #1 for three days during the tournament week: Tuesday and Wednesday early morning, and Sunday mid-morning to late afternoon. I do believe he had the time of his life! He had front row seats to see all the great golfers tee-off or finish the hole out. He had people come up to him and ask him questions, most often "Where can I find Tiger?" He even had one guy come up to him and simply say, "Where is he?" Andrew, of course, knew he was talking about Tiger.
Andrew had passes for the girls and I to go visit the course for the practice round on Tuesday. We didn't see too many big-name golfers, but did see a few (Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry). We enjoyed shopping in the PGA shop and I think the girls had fun with the experience. Even at almost 4 years and 6 years, they seemed to appreciate it. They've seen enough golf on the television. They know Daddy really REALLY likes golf. They know Tiger Woods by his first and last name. So they kind of get it.
Here's a few pictures from our outing:
That would be Vijay Singh on the first tee (not sure what other golfers are with him).
Aren't they cute?!
Having a little lunch.
It's hard to tell from the photo, but that's Ella with Andrew. Lily of course wasn't feeling so photogenic at that moment.
Ella watching some golfers come up #18.
A photo of me and Ella...just to prove I was actually there that day. ;-)
A look down #18 fairway
And Kenny Perry walking by (in the white striped shirt) with the leader board in the background.
He worked Hole #1 for three days during the tournament week: Tuesday and Wednesday early morning, and Sunday mid-morning to late afternoon. I do believe he had the time of his life! He had front row seats to see all the great golfers tee-off or finish the hole out. He had people come up to him and ask him questions, most often "Where can I find Tiger?" He even had one guy come up to him and simply say, "Where is he?" Andrew, of course, knew he was talking about Tiger.
Andrew had passes for the girls and I to go visit the course for the practice round on Tuesday. We didn't see too many big-name golfers, but did see a few (Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry). We enjoyed shopping in the PGA shop and I think the girls had fun with the experience. Even at almost 4 years and 6 years, they seemed to appreciate it. They've seen enough golf on the television. They know Daddy really REALLY likes golf. They know Tiger Woods by his first and last name. So they kind of get it.
Here's a few pictures from our outing:
That would be Vijay Singh on the first tee (not sure what other golfers are with him).
Aren't they cute?!
Having a little lunch.
It's hard to tell from the photo, but that's Ella with Andrew. Lily of course wasn't feeling so photogenic at that moment.
Ella watching some golfers come up #18.
A photo of me and Ella...just to prove I was actually there that day. ;-)
A look down #18 fairway
And Kenny Perry walking by (in the white striped shirt) with the leader board in the background.
8/19/2009
A Trip to the Zoo!
We hadn't been to the zoo since last summer! At least that I can recall so I decided it was time to venture that way again. The girls and I got there around 10:30am on a Friday and walked through the ENTIRE place! Inside and out! It was so much fun, and the zoo had some new features making it even more exciting!They had a brand new play area called Woodland Adventure with a treehouse complete with a net to climb up and bridge over to a lighthouse and slide. There was a big spider web to climb on, a tunnel to walk though, and even a boat to "ride" and "fish" in. They had a couple cute little things for tiny tots as well.
This is Ella's impression of a Grizzly Bear. :-)
We also visited the Butterfly Garden that is only there in the summer months. We saw some gorgeous butterflies! The girls are at such a fun and curious age. There were cards when you walked in of all the butterflies you could find. Ella carried it around and they both studied it when we saw a butterfly to try and figure out which species it was. So fun to watch their little brains at work!
We also visited the Farm taking the horse-drawn wagon on the way there and the tractor driven wagon on the way back. Both were highlights for Ella and Lily. Ella loved petting and brushing the goats, while Lily was content to just stay outside and say hi (as was I). ;-) And we also got to see brand new baby pigs! They weren't even 24 hours old yet.
Another new feature, at least one I don't remember from before, is that you can feed giraffes now! Actually they have an African animal area with giraffes, zebras and ostriches. (Did they have that before...I don't remember giraffes and zebras before?)
All in all, a terrific perfect trip to the zoo! The girls were so well-behaved and didn't complain about the walking or getting tired at all. It was great! We didn't leave until 3pm or so!
8/18/2009
Happy Anniversary!!
Just wanted to post that today is our 8th Wedding Anniversary! Nothing too exciting planned for the day, Ella has her first soccer practice of the new season this evening. So that's on the agenda. But I don't plan to cook, not sure yet what we'll do. Andrew and I did have a very nice date night on August 8th though (maybe we'll just call that our anniversary dinner), while the girls were spending the night at my dad and Clare's. :-) We went to Santorini's for dinner--my favorite Greek restaurant here in Eden Prairie. And then headed over to the movie theater to see the new Harry Potter movie, which we both enjoyed quite a bit.
Happy Anniversary Andrew! Thanks for sticking with me (and putting up with me!) all these years (we're up to the 14th anniversary of our first date in September!) and for working so hard for me and the girls. You are a wonderful husband! Love you!!!
Happy Anniversary Andrew! Thanks for sticking with me (and putting up with me!) all these years (we're up to the 14th anniversary of our first date in September!) and for working so hard for me and the girls. You are a wonderful husband! Love you!!!
8/16/2009
The Great Outdoors
Has it really been that long since I updated? How the heck did I ever keep this thing updated at one point in time? Okay moving on...
We traveled north the third weekend in July to go camping for two nights. This year we tried out Spirit Mountain Campground just south of Duluth. The campground is very near a ski area and is located higher than the rest of the area. There were some great views right outside the campground!
We drove up north Friday afternoon and headed straight to Canal Park to eat yummy greasy food (mini donuts *my favorite!*, fried cheese curds, hot dogs for the girls as well as snow cones). Oh yeah, we were not planning on keeping a healthy diet on this trip. We also threw rocks into the water on the shoreline, saw the Aerial Bridge go up and down, and shopped in the little touristy shops. Then we headed to the campground to set up the tent and settle in.
I swear this little wagon has been here for YEARS, decades even. It was in the exact same spot when I was a kid.
Lily the rock conductor!
Andrew giving the Aerial Bridge a little help on its way up. :-)
We LOVED our campsite this year! It was in an absolutely perfect location. It backed up to the woods, was slightly higher than the campsites on either side, and there was a good amount of space between the sites. AND, it was close to the restroom, but not too close.
There were a few kids in the campsite next to us so Ella and Lily had a great time running around and playing with them until dinner time. We made pudgie pie grilled cheese and pizzas for dinner. Then s'mores and toasted marshmallows over the campfire.
We actually slept really well in our tent. We brought the aero-bed this year which helped immensely. We got up in the morning and cooked eggs and sausage for breakfast and then headed more north. We drove along the scenic route of the North Shore for an hour to Gooseberry Falls National Park.
I used to go to Gooseberry Falls every year with my dad when we would go camping. I was sooo excited to bring Andrew and the girls there. I have very distinct memories of this area. Okay, admittedly it's been probably more than 20 years since I've been there. But the whole area looked soooo different. There was a new visitor center and parking area (which actually reminded me of the parking/visitor area at Old Faithful in Yellowstone...much smaller, but very commercialized. I was so sad it wasn't so rustic and natural like it used to be.
We walked around by Middle and Lower Gooseberry Falls. This is awesome! You can walk right out to where the water is coming down because there are all kinds of boulders and rocks to step on. On warm days, you can wade in the water. The girls had a great time doing this and thought it was so fun to be right by the water.
I couldn't quite tell from their map where the old trail was located that my dad and I used to take. It appeared that we were going to have to take a paved trail there. WHAT?! No walking through nature, climbing over tree roots, and eating wild raspberries on the trail? How could it be?! But it turns out the original trail was still there, parts of it had been planked and whatnot, but it was there. We made it down the trail (about a mile) and ended up at Agate Beach on Lake Superior. This "beach" is all rocks. I used to love looking through the rocks as a kid, finding perfect agates to treasure.
I love this shot of me and Lily. :-)
We had the little digital camera with us too so Andrew had that one. It was nice because there are actually photos of me on the trip! This is Andrew's shot of me on the left and then the photo I was taking on the right. That's the Falls waaay in the background there. So you can see how much ground we had to cover to get from the Falls to the beach.
Ella entering the beach from the trail. And one of my favorite photos of Ella and Andrew from the trip.
After our hike and time on the beach, we headed back to Duluth for dinner at a restaurant in Canal Park and then back to the campsite to relax and have more s'mores and toasted marshmallows.
Sunday morning, we woke up and headed to Perkins for breakfast and then back to the campsite to pack up. We started south toward home stopping at Jay Cook State Park (another old stomping ground for me and my dad). We did this last year as well, and this year we had so much fun! The girls really enjoyed hiking through the woods. They wanted to keeping going, going, going. But they didn't quite realize however far we hiked out, we had to head back that far to get to the car.
After exploring Jay Cooke, we headed back home and crashed early for the night. It was such a fun experience for all of us! So nice to be away from everything (housework, job, television, computers, toys, etc). We had fun as a family and we told the girls some exciting news as well! First here's a picture for you:
The question Andrew poses in this photo will be answered sometime the end of January when we welcome the newest member of our family to the world! Many people who read this blog already know the great news, but I thought I should get it posted here to record it officially. :-) The girls were extremely excited that we were expecting another baby and still are. They bring the baby up all the time and cannot wait for "the baby to come out of Mommy's tummy after Christmas!" :-)
And as if that's not enough photos for you, here's a slideshow of a ton more:
We traveled north the third weekend in July to go camping for two nights. This year we tried out Spirit Mountain Campground just south of Duluth. The campground is very near a ski area and is located higher than the rest of the area. There were some great views right outside the campground!
We drove up north Friday afternoon and headed straight to Canal Park to eat yummy greasy food (mini donuts *my favorite!*, fried cheese curds, hot dogs for the girls as well as snow cones). Oh yeah, we were not planning on keeping a healthy diet on this trip. We also threw rocks into the water on the shoreline, saw the Aerial Bridge go up and down, and shopped in the little touristy shops. Then we headed to the campground to set up the tent and settle in.
I swear this little wagon has been here for YEARS, decades even. It was in the exact same spot when I was a kid.
Lily the rock conductor!
Andrew giving the Aerial Bridge a little help on its way up. :-)
We LOVED our campsite this year! It was in an absolutely perfect location. It backed up to the woods, was slightly higher than the campsites on either side, and there was a good amount of space between the sites. AND, it was close to the restroom, but not too close.
There were a few kids in the campsite next to us so Ella and Lily had a great time running around and playing with them until dinner time. We made pudgie pie grilled cheese and pizzas for dinner. Then s'mores and toasted marshmallows over the campfire.
We actually slept really well in our tent. We brought the aero-bed this year which helped immensely. We got up in the morning and cooked eggs and sausage for breakfast and then headed more north. We drove along the scenic route of the North Shore for an hour to Gooseberry Falls National Park.
I used to go to Gooseberry Falls every year with my dad when we would go camping. I was sooo excited to bring Andrew and the girls there. I have very distinct memories of this area. Okay, admittedly it's been probably more than 20 years since I've been there. But the whole area looked soooo different. There was a new visitor center and parking area (which actually reminded me of the parking/visitor area at Old Faithful in Yellowstone...much smaller, but very commercialized. I was so sad it wasn't so rustic and natural like it used to be.
We walked around by Middle and Lower Gooseberry Falls. This is awesome! You can walk right out to where the water is coming down because there are all kinds of boulders and rocks to step on. On warm days, you can wade in the water. The girls had a great time doing this and thought it was so fun to be right by the water.
I couldn't quite tell from their map where the old trail was located that my dad and I used to take. It appeared that we were going to have to take a paved trail there. WHAT?! No walking through nature, climbing over tree roots, and eating wild raspberries on the trail? How could it be?! But it turns out the original trail was still there, parts of it had been planked and whatnot, but it was there. We made it down the trail (about a mile) and ended up at Agate Beach on Lake Superior. This "beach" is all rocks. I used to love looking through the rocks as a kid, finding perfect agates to treasure.
I love this shot of me and Lily. :-)
We had the little digital camera with us too so Andrew had that one. It was nice because there are actually photos of me on the trip! This is Andrew's shot of me on the left and then the photo I was taking on the right. That's the Falls waaay in the background there. So you can see how much ground we had to cover to get from the Falls to the beach.
Ella entering the beach from the trail. And one of my favorite photos of Ella and Andrew from the trip.
After our hike and time on the beach, we headed back to Duluth for dinner at a restaurant in Canal Park and then back to the campsite to relax and have more s'mores and toasted marshmallows.
Sunday morning, we woke up and headed to Perkins for breakfast and then back to the campsite to pack up. We started south toward home stopping at Jay Cook State Park (another old stomping ground for me and my dad). We did this last year as well, and this year we had so much fun! The girls really enjoyed hiking through the woods. They wanted to keeping going, going, going. But they didn't quite realize however far we hiked out, we had to head back that far to get to the car.
After exploring Jay Cooke, we headed back home and crashed early for the night. It was such a fun experience for all of us! So nice to be away from everything (housework, job, television, computers, toys, etc). We had fun as a family and we told the girls some exciting news as well! First here's a picture for you:
The question Andrew poses in this photo will be answered sometime the end of January when we welcome the newest member of our family to the world! Many people who read this blog already know the great news, but I thought I should get it posted here to record it officially. :-) The girls were extremely excited that we were expecting another baby and still are. They bring the baby up all the time and cannot wait for "the baby to come out of Mommy's tummy after Christmas!" :-)
And as if that's not enough photos for you, here's a slideshow of a ton more:
Where in the World is Andrew?
Answer: Volunteering as Marshal on Hole #1 of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Here he is in his official uniform. He worked Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of the practice rounds and will work TODAY! So keep your eyes peeled if you're watching the broadcast between 10:15am and 2:45pm. You might catch a glimpse of him!He works with 20 other people at a time on the hole and they rotate positions from being at the tee to being at various ropes and other points on the hole.
The girls and I went out there with him on Tuesday afternoon. Hoping to get the blog updated again, maybe even this afternoon when the girls are at a birthday party!
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