The Alumni Dance

Well, as many of you may know Mark and I met through the St. Cloud Singles Club. I was secretary when he showed up for the first time at our monthly meeting. He says he noticed me right away. Later he showed up at Baker's Square where a group of us had gathered. I remember thinking he was a bit of a smart ass, but thought, 'Well, maybe he'll have some friends.' Little did I know back then.

So, it didn't take long before I was swept off my feet by Mark, who was funny, sweet and liked to buy jewelry and flowers. The two things I think every lady deserves. Besides that, he was kind, considerate and a good father to his children. Hard to believe two years have past since our wedding.

Just several weeks ago we were invited to the St. Cloud Singles Alumni Dance. Once a year they always invite back the couples who got married. It's always fun to see our friends back where we met and our relationship grew. We had a good time. They had hired BLT to play, one of the local bands we like. BLT is mostly country, but play a little rock and roll too.

Here are some pictures of some of our friends that also met throught the club and got married within the past couple of years. We wish them many more years of happiness.

These are some of our single friends. I still get to see many of the gals. Us married gals get together with some of the single gals for dinner once a month. it keeps us in touch.

These people were such an important part of our life, and it is important that we stay in touch. Sometimes life gets so busy, and we seem to run out of time. If we really try, we can find the time, and I will work hard to do that. Friends new or old, are a valuable commodity.

Laughter and Meeting The Man that Made Us Laugh

Well, this was the "Big Bill Engvall" weekend. Mark & I had gotten tickets for us and Jennifer & Josh to go see Bill at Grand Casino in Mille Lacs back in July. We were so excited, you see, we had FRONT ROW tickets, just slightly to the right of center stage. We had gotten our tickets nearly 2 months earlier and had also reserved two rooms. We all got up to the hotel around 4:00 pm, checked in and took the kids to the arcade and then went to eat at the prime rib buffet. It was good! After that, we took the kids to the pool.

At the pool, Jennifer and I nearly had a heart attack. All of a sudden, we didn't see Braiden. Jennifer started to walk around one side of the pool, and I the other. Then she asked Emma where he was and Emma said he went to the hot tub. Sure enough, there he was talking to some old guy. Well, the kids played in the pool for a little more and then we headed up to the room to get them ready for bed and the adults had a couple of drinks and got ready for the 9:00 show.

Well, let me tell you, the concert was so great! We laughed so hard. It's so great to laugh at someone telling jokes without using any profanity, just making fun of all the ordinary things that can happen to all of us. Of course Bill did some of his famous, "Here's your sign" jokes and before your knew it, and hour and a half had passed and it was all over. We went back upstairs to check on the kids, and have a drink before going back to the casino to play for a bit. As Jennifer & I walked into the casino, we walked right past Bill Engvall. Yep, we walked right past him, never said anything to him, just giggled like school girls. Jennifer really kicked herself that night and the next morning for not saying anything to Bill.

Well, Sunday we took the kids back to the arcade. Jennifer and Josh had gone to get a coffee, Shantel and her friend Katie were up in the room getting ready and Mark had headed to the bathroom. All of a sudden the fire alarm went off. I looked at the attendant in the arcade, she wasn't doing anything. No one was. I took the kids and starting walking towards the door and met their parents. Then Mark came up and I asked him if he had heard anything from Shantel, and just then my phone rang. They had come down and were just outside the arcade, so we all went out there to avoid the annoying fire alarm.

Well, we were standing there, when we look over and lo' and behold, there is Mark talking to Bill Engvall. So we all went over and got a few pictures taken. Jennifer was sure glad! Here are the pics of us with the funny man himself, Bill Engvall.

Here's one of Josh and one of Jennifer with Bill. She was a bit giggly.

Here's one of Mark and myself with Bill and one of Shantel with him. She had her eyes closed, but there weren't any retakes as the all clear was sounded and Bill headed back to his room. It was really nice of him to allow people to take pictures. So, the girls went up to finish getting ready, Mark checked us out of the hotel and we headed back for Sunday Brunch Buffet. Little need to eat anything else for rest of the day. Well, it was a great weekend, beautiful weather, fun times, laughter and a photo op we never expected.

If it's fall, It must be...........

Time for those fall tractor and threshing shows! Yes that's right. For the past two weekends, Mark has been at tractor shows. Over the weekend of the 8th, we went up to Dalton, Minnesota. It was an interesting weekend. Friday was a nice day, and then on Saturday it RAINED! We had purchased a portable DVD player on Friday, so on Saturday we sat in the Trailblazer watching a movie between customers. It did clear up for awhile during the BIG TRACTOR PARADE. Yes I said tractor parade. I am totally amazed by those tractor parades. It amazes me that a hundred years ago, before anyone had engineering degrees, that someone could create massive machines that ran on steam, were relatively quiet, and are still working today. Here are a few pictures of some of those tractors.

A couple of the big tractors. They are so amazing!

The John Deere really interested me. I had never seen a tractor with the wheels covered like that. This is a tractor that is used in the orchards. The wheels are covered so they won't damage any of the fruit. The Farmall is like the one my daddy had on the farm. I drove it in the fields during haying season. I pulled the wagon while my brother, Tom and his friend Larry loaded the hay bales. I rememeber my brother yelling at me, seems I didn't get close enough to the hay bales. I also remember popping the clutch and killing the engine. I didn't really like driving the tractor, I didn't think it was a very 'girly' thing to do at the time.

This past weekend, Mark was at the show in Albany, It was HUGE! So many people, and a big flea market. Mark did well both weekends. I think he drummed up a LOT of new business. That will keep him and Shaun busy for awhile! On Sunday, Josh and Jennifer came to Albany with Braiden and Emma. I have postings from last year when Mark & I had the kids for the weekend and brought them to the Albany Threshing Show. They really enjoyed it, so they came back again this year. They like watching the big tractors drive by.

A great way to spend a fall day, watching all the tractors go by!

Live Each Moment

Life can be short. We never know what is waiting for us around the next corner or over the next hill. Life should be lived to the fullest and along with that, we should always take time to appreciate those around us. Family and friends are two of the most valueable gifts we are given by God. As you all know, Minneapolis experienced a major tragedy a month ago with the collapse of the 35W bridge over the Mississippi. On Sunday, Mark and I drove down to the U of M, parked and walked over to the recently reopened 10th street bridge.

We stood and looked at massive concrete slabs, concrete pillars, and large steel frames that had been left in a heap of junk. The steel looked like those cheap clothes hangers you get from the drycleaner that can be twisted with ease by a 5 year old. One of the concrete pillars had been moved by the impact and the steel beams had dug a groove into the pillar. They had begun to remove some of the concrete, but you could still see evidence of where the cars had been by the bright pink spray paint. On the pieces remaining, you could still see the construction barrels that had closed off lanes and the sheets of plastic that covered the work the workers had been working on that day. You could even see the port-a-potty that sat between the two sections that was there for the workers. The pictures on the news do not compare with what you see when you stand before it. I am still amazed and thankful that the death count wasn't higher. It was eerie seeing the signs laying in the rubble and the twisted steel still in the river.

So, I want to share these pictures with you and ask you to never take a moment for granted. To remember to tell you spouse, children, parents, sibling, friends, coworkers or whoever how important they are to you, and that you love them everyday. That they all bring something special into your life and that you appreciate them all. Remember to take a little time to enjoy a sunset, or the pitter patter of rain, to take in the quiet moments when you can and to cherish the noise also. I ask you to remember that everything happens for a purpose.

If you happen to be reading this, that means you are special to me, either a friend or family. I want to let you know that you are important to me. My life is better because I have you in it.

Please remember those involved in this tragedy in your prayers.

At the Park with Nana

One nice evening in August, I took Braiden and Emma to the park. It was a beautiful evening.

Here are a couple more shots of the kids at the park. Afterwards we headed to the Dairy Queen.

Shantel & Sports

Well, it's now fall and that means volleyball time for Shantel. She was also busy this summer as she was on 2 softball leagues. One was in St. Cloud where the girls played twice a week. They really enjoyed that league and took second place. They really played well and it was fun watching the games. After the final game, some of us went to Applebee's to celebrate the season. Here's a picture of Shantel with a couple of her friends, Hannah & Kiara.

Mark at the Tractor Show

Over the weekend of August 10th, Mark went to Almelund for the annual tractor and threshing show. I went with him on Friday and Saturday. It was SO HOT on Friday! Saturday was a little better. Over all, Mark had a good show. I took some pictures of my honey in action and here they are.

Here's a picture of Mark with his display. As you can see, we did have a canopy to help keep us cool, but on Friday, there was little breeze and the humidity was as high as the temperature.

Here are a couple pictures of some of the carburetors, magnetos, and distributors Mark and his son Shaun have rebuilt. They look as good a new, don't they.

On Saturday night after we got back from the tractor show, storms were heading towards the Twin Cities. I got these pictures of the back sides of the thunder heads. They look so pretty with the setting sun reflecting off of them. They were really huge and went across the whole eastern sky.

Birthdays and Cake

As you may have noticed from my posts over this year, that I have taken up decorating birthday cakes again. That is something that I hadn't done since Jennifer was a little girl. I find that I am rally enjoying the task, and the frosting is much better than any store bought cake!

Well, earlier this month Mark's daughter and family were here from Michigan. Their birthdays had all occured earlier this year, so I thought I'd make a cake to celebrate all their birthdays. They were going to spend the night with us before heading back to Michigan, so that was the perfect time to have cake. They had seen the cake and it was sitting on the dining room table. Most of us were sitting in the kitchen talking when one of the kids came in and said, "Hey, who already had a piece of cake?" We were puzzled, nobody had cut a piece of cake yet.

We walked into the dining room, and noticed one corner of the cake had obviously been eaten, and it was pretty clear who the culprit was. It was Lady, their siberian husky dog. Guess she had a sweet tooth. Well, I didn't get a picture of the cake before Lady had a piece, so here is a picture after she helped herself. We all still had a pice, it was great!

My Gardens

As many may know, when I moved in with Mark, we created several new gardens. I think my favorite is our perenial garden, which after three summers is finally starting to fill out and take shape. I love the colors of the flowers in it. There seems to always be surprises as burst of color bloom out of the green plants. We plan to add a rocks around the edge. We are going to get the rocks from the farm where Mark grew up. That will be a nice touch, as some of the flowers I got from his sister Mary, originally came from their mother's garden. Here are a few pictures of the recent flowers blooming around our home.

A Weekend with the Grandkids

Well, as some of you may know, my teaching position is year round. We ended school last Wenesday, on July 25th. I now have about 4 1/2 weeks off. I met Jennifer in St. Cloud on Thursday and picked up Emma and Braiden I brought them back with me to spend a few days with their Nana & Mark, and to give Jennifer & Josh a weekend to themselves. We had fun. Of course Nana had to make her famous 'shakes' every day. We went to the zoo, the park, the county fair and did some projects at my house. On Saturday Sheena moved, so we babysat little Ella for the day.

That made Emma very happy. Ella was napping and Emma kept asking, "When is Ella going to get up?" She kept wanting to check on her. Finally, Ella woke up and we went outside to play for awhile. It was hot, but we found a place in the shade and had a great time.

We grilled out that night and had sweet corn. The kids had showers and off to bed. Now it's Sunday, and we're getting ready to meet their mom and dad in St. Cloud and return them. It was a fun weekend, one that I hope will build great memories for them.

MOA (MAll of America) Trip

A couple of weekends ago, we took a weekend off and headed to Bloomington. We began our day by touring the Mall of America. Mark had never been there. We had fun walking (and walking) as we tryied to see all levels. It's fun to check out some of the unique stores there. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which is must if you visit MOA. It is decorated like a rainforest complete with thunder and lightning and even rain! Here are a few of the pictures from the MOA.

Here are a couple of shots of Megan & Shantel one in front of the Rainforest Cafe and then a couple of them inside the Cafe. One with the famous Rainforest Frog. Aren't they cute? Another one of them at our booth 'striking a pose' in their new sungalsses.

We also visited Lego Land. Here's one of Mark and me in front of a giant shoe. Also have some granchildren that REALLY like Sponge Bob, so had to snap a picture of Sponge Bob made from Legos.

After the MOA we went the stay the the Grand Lodge which houses the Water Park of America. It was a fun and relaxing time. We floated around the lazy river, went down a couple of tube slides and then climbed ten stories to go down the family tube slide. On that one, four people get into a really large float with a floor in it and handles on the side. You sit on the floor and HANG ON! With a push we were off. We had watched the floats going down the very large tube, and it didn't look like they were going that fast, but riding in one is quite a different story. You go around the curves and slide up one side, down and up the other. I went down the whole thing backwards! It was a bit scary but we safely landed. It was fun.

Here are a couple of pictures of Megan and Shantel floating around the river.

The following morning we got up and went to IKEA. It was fun to walk around the showrooms. We bought a couple of things including a wine rack for the basement. All in all, it was a very fun weekend!