Garrison Keillor's Poem: MN State Fair

You had a bratwurst and corn on the cob

A hot fudge sundae and a shish kebob

You got a bucket of cheese curds in your hand

And yet you're stopping at the hot dog stand

You had a taco four inches thick

And a deep-fried walleye on a stick

You better be careful with that Pronto Pup

'Cause what goes down might come back up -Garrison Keillor

This saying is on the back of a t-shirt that Rod bought there at the fair! SO Minnesotan!

Minnesota Trip 2007

We've made it back from the land of "yah, sure you bet'cha!"

We left Friday night, Aug 24th and drove to North Dakota where we stayed that next night. In the morning we drove into northern Minnesota to the town of Nisswa where we met up with Rod's mom, Carolyn and Rod's sister, Ramona and her son, Ronnie.

We stayed at "The Grand Lodge" in a cabin for four days/three nights. It had four bedrooms, had a kitchen, a pool table, and a foosball table. Since it was a resort, we got to do some fun things like: sign the kids up for kids club and take a pontoon boat out fishing. That was one of my highlight moments. I love being out on a boat! They also had a pool with a great waterslide right at the resort. So they kids did a lot of swimming. I think the kids swam almost everyday we were on vacation! At night, we played cards with the family. They taught me how to play Rummy 500. I won, of course :) This was a great time to reminsce about days gone by. I learned alot about Rod as a kid sitting at the table with his mom and sister at night. Things like who had a crush on him growing up and who he had a crush in on Kindergarten. I learned alot about Ramona and the fact that in the little towns of Milan and Montevideo.. that growing up there wasn't much else to do for the teenagers but drinking.. and that they could get a beer for I think it was .90. One night we had a campfire and roasted hotdogs and marshmellows.

We left the resort we went to Bloomington about 3 hours south. This is where we stayed for three nights at a Mariott. (It also had a pool!) We had sort of a relaxing day.

The day after we headed for the Minnesota State Fair. It's sort of a Pilgrammage, actually. This is where we met up with Rod's dad, Harland and his "friend" Linda. The MN state fair is It's not like our state fair. Everyone has great pride (to a point that's pretty cheesy) in their fair. Thousands of people go everyday. It's crazy. We don't go on weekends.. But what we do go for is family time and food. They have fun stuff for the kids to do like the Home Depot building area.. where the kids build something. Each of the kids came home the project they made. There's a parade.

But I think what Minnesotans really take pride in at their fair is their food. And boy is it good! I think you can get everything but ice cream deep fried on stick. And they have their famous Cheese Curds. Which I make fun of every year. I really had a good laugh at myself this time because I actually LIKED the cheese curds. Cough, cough, I guess they've grown on me. It used to be something that we got because Rod enjoyed it in his childhood. Yah, now I like them too. But boy, the price of them has increased since we were there last! I guess there's something going on with the price of cheese. They were $5 for a basket.

I recently lost my cell phone (before this trip) that had numbers and pictures etc on it. And that was not a fun experience for me. So when we were there at the Fair and we lost Josiah's backpack, I thought that there would be no chance of getting it back! After looking, we called lost and found, and someone had turned it in. I was so thankful. there was so much in that bag (everyone's stuff) that it really upset me that we had misplaced it. I couldn't believe that someone actually took the time to turn it in. I will definately pay that one forward!

The day after the fair went went to the Mall of America to go to Camp Snoopy. I guess they recently changed the name to "the park" at mall of america, because Nickolodeon bought the rights to it. But the locals still call it "Camp Snoopy". Ramona can get discounted arm bands through her work.. so that was really nice! Normally, it's just our family that goes to camp snoopy. But this time, our family, Ramona and Ronnie, Carolyn, Harland and Linda also came. It was so great to have everyone there! If we wanted to go on a big ride, someone took Julia. If Ramona didn't want to ride, we took Ronnie. That was a fun bonding day.

We rode from the time we got there until closing (except for a family dinner at Famous Daves, a great BBQ restaurant). Julia loves "horsies" so we ended the day on the carousel... I think we rode it 5 or 6 times right before closing. We didn't think there would be enough there for her to do, but at age 2, she LOVES rides. There was NO way we could have not let her ride, because she just enjoyed it too much! There's this one ride, the timberland twister, that's like a teacup ride on steroids (well a rollercoaster). It has to be my favorite. Josiah loves it when I go on stuff like that because I always Scream.. and he thinks that IS SO FUNNNY!

The next day we went back to the Mall and looked around a bit and went to Lego Land. We stayed at the mall a few hours and then headed to Mona's. It was about another 3 hours away.

We stayed 2.5 days at Monas. Saturday night Rod, Ramona, Carolyn and Harland played Buck (a complicated game that Jay and Faith would love). They must have stayed up til 3 am playing. Rod and Ramona had the best time.. they played against their parents. You would have thought those two were serious card players! They were so serious about beating their parents (but still weren't able to). Sunday we had a family get together. the adults played Buck. I think I got the jist of it, but they are all so competetive that I wouldn't dare play! We saw Aunts and Uncles and Cousins. It was a great time to catch up with everyone. Rod's cousin Stacey, who lives on the east coast was home, so we were able to see her too.

When at Mona's we stay at Mona's. And she's such a gracious host. She's really taught me alot about how to host people. It's really a gift that she has. She has a three bedroom place in a quad-plex that is really quite nice. It's big enough to where it doesn't feel particularly crowded.

But what I like best about it is, that when you get up in the morning you see them and when you head to bed at night you can say goodnight. And those moments, particularly at those times of the day.. are times that are talkable moments.. the moments where you say things that need to be said or things you want to say or things you should say. In those times, when things are settled down after a long day, it seems we learn the most about each other...

Overall it was a great trip. It was fun and we spend quality time with the family. Rod's brother, Paul and his wife, Debi, weren't able to come up this time.. So we missed seeing them. And we have a lot to be thankful for. The trip went well, the car ran fine, the A/C ran exceptionally well, the kids got along, the kids got along with Ronnie, Josiah's turned in back pack, Rod had time with his mom, time with his sister and some time with his dad, and we didn't have any doctor related health issues and we didn't even lose anything! Woohoo! Thanks Lord for another safely returned trip home!

Minnesota Aug/Sept 2007

We are getting ready for our trip to Minnesota. We are leaving on this Friday. (oh, the things I still need to do!!!) We were planning on leaving a day earlier, but with the reservations that Rod's sister Mona made... we need to be there one day later.

Mona is a travel consultant, planner for Schwans in Minnesota. She lives near their headquarters in Marshall, MN. That's where we usually go and stay (at her house). She's a trip planner... And when we visit, she takes the time off of work. So it's her vacation too. We often just let her know what we want to do while we are there, she puts in her things that she wants to do, and we have a fun family vacation! She often finds us our places to stay. Sometimes we get free hotels because of her connections.

This year we are going directly to the lodge, staying there for 3 days and then going on to the cities. We're going to take the kids to Camp Snoopy - the amusement park in the middle of Mall of America. Rods Mom, Mona, and Mona's son Ronnie Jr., are going to go with us to the Mall. So Rod's mom will probably watch Julia while the rest of us ride. It was a ton of fun when we were there last time. Maybe they'll have a new ride! I think all of us meet the height requirements... so we'll be good to go.

Then, after Camp Snoopy, we're going the next day to the Minnesota State Fair. Where we eat deep fried cheese, called Cheese Curds. Yah. Rod loves them. It must be a Minnasotan-I ate them when I was a kid-thing. His whole family loves them actually... The state fair isn't exactly like our state fair... it's about four times the size. It's a really big deal. It's one thing that Rod did as a kid that we can do with our family... so it's quite special. The whole family goes. We don't usually spend the whole day together with the family, but we go together and we do spend quite a bit of time together. We usually get some really fun pictures. If we have time (which I sort of doubt) we may go for two days.

The only serious plans we have after the Lodge is that we are going to have a family get together at Rod's aunt's house,near where Rod grew up. Rod's cousin Stacey and her husband will also be in town that week. So I believe that's going to be on Sunday, the 2nd. Usually this means that any family anywhere near there (or not) show up to visit. We usually have one of these family reunion type days each time we visit. This is where i've been able to meet Rod's extended family. It really helps me to feel more connected to the family.

We should be leaving Minnesota sometime the 3rd and be home sometime on the 4th. Just depends on where we stop and for how long. Rod really wants to go to Cabelas this year. Who knows, maybe we'll do it on the way... And if we drive through Mitchell, SD during the day this year, we'll probably stop at the Corn Palace... If I have sometime while travelling, I'll see if I can post some pictures... Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Maryland 2007

Well... we finally made it here. Gosh, I make that sound like it took us forever to get to Maryland. We left friday morning about 4:30 and arrived on sunday at 9 am... so we drove for about 50 hours. Yep,straight through. We were planning on getting here originally on Monday... but decided that we just didn't want to drag the drive out that long. Shannon and I had a ton of fun... well mostly. Montana of course seemed to take forever (yah, I knew it would, Rod and I have driven cross country to see family quite a few times...), the bit of Wyoming we went through with skiddish cell phone coverage, and then there's the trek through South Dakota... Somehow whenever we get to South Dakota, it's my turn... to drive at night through the flatlands that seem short on gas stations.. Indiana seemed to take awhile as well. Shannon pretty much drove during the day and me, the night owl drove through the night. Before yesterday, the furtherest east i've ever driven was Tennessee.. When we drove through Lolo, MT and I waved at you, Paul & Shari...

I tried to play my DS but playing diner dash in the car just wasn't working for me. Did listen to some music and I did watch a dvd.. bridget jones diary... I've never been a sunflower seed person like Rod is when he drives... but I have become one. I realized that the key to staying awake is really keeping my head busy... whether it be listening to music or chewing on sunflower seeds. You just can't be board and drive that far.

I was bummed that I didn't take many pictures along the way of our trip. With driving straight through, we didn't stop at many scenic places. McDonalds and Taco Bell and Gas stations in my opinion aren't really picture worthy....

So I'm here for a couple of days. At home the boys are in VBS at church. Mom's taking them a couple of nights and the day that Rod has off he'll take them. I can't believe i'm missing VBS! I've 'worked' it for the past three years....

When we got here it feels so East Coast. The houses, many of them have brick faces... which I've always loved... So many things here are different... But the heat is shocking.... you walk out of the house or get out of the AC'd car... and you get a blast of heat. It appears that most people spend their time indoors. Today is was 98 and tomorrow it's supposed to be 97. Thank the good Lord for Air Conditioning! Rod used to live out this way, before there was 'us' and i've teased him about why he ever moved west, it's beautiful here... and the way the houses are here it feels classic. He says he moved out here to meet me... awwww...

Funny being so close to the nations capital makes me feel somewhat patriotic. Seeing the signs etc... Normally, it's a place that's so far away, that you have no real reason to visit. And being here makes me want to come back, bring the kids, and see the sights.

It's peculiar to go somewhere without Rod. I know that Branden travels alot, but I don't go very many places without Rod. I really love to be with him... and it makes me sad when I have experiences that he is not a part of. It's a piece of me that is hard to share. You can't really share something that you haven't done... I can tell him about it, but it's just not the same! Miss you babe!

My brother Zane, when Josiah was a baby, found his birth mother. Since then he's been in touch with his birth siblings. He has 5 birth siblings.... And one of them, First Sargent Sam, lives about an hour from Zane and he was here when we arrived... So I got to meet the infamous Sam! I didn't know if I would ever get to meet his other siblings just because they live all over... and so it was an honor to meet him. And pretty crazy to see someone who looks so much like Zane. Up until now, I've never seen anyone that has his features... it was great! And then, because I'm a civilian... trying to figure out all what Sam actually does took me a bit. But he was very patient.... Thanks sam!

I fly out wednesday night... taking a red eye.... Funny, some days I so need a break from my kids... and then when i'm not with them I really miss them! I guess since i've been gone, Jaden and Jedediah have both moved up a level in swimming lessons and Josiah got his first trophy (3rd place) in BMX racing at Bakerview park... and Garrett got his first ever First place trophy (he's gotten others before) in BMX this last weekend as well... Usually i'm the one texting pictures to him to see at work while we are doing something cool... i'm not usually on the receiving end of those text pics!

Anyhoo... i'll let you know when I do get home... and maybe even post some pictures... Z

Key West 2007

Our trip to Florida was simply fabulous... We did some great touristy stuff on this trip.

We flew into West Palm Beach. Rented a car and drove to Key West. The drive was simply amazing. I had to almost kick myself to even realize we were actually there. It's hard to believe that there's somewhere so beautiful and it's in the US! There's such a contrast from here to there. I know, we have our own beauty here, but i've kinda gotten over it after 32 years!

We stopped in Miami. It was just a nice place to stop after being on the plane and being in the car for a bit. Got out and streached our legs. Walked the beach. That's where I think I broke the LCD screen on my camera... well, we figured out that at least the camera still works. And by the sheer quantity of pictures taken (aprox 600) on the trip, you could say that i've gotten used to using the site finder on my camera once again. Once things slow down i'll have to use the warranty I bought for it!

The drive to Key West was almost too much to take in. Hard to believe on one hand that people can live that far away from everything, but on the other hand, you know why... it's paradise on earth... well except for a few things anyway... Key West is VERY touristy. I guess I expected that... did our souvenir shopping... walked down the main drag. Speaking of "drag" well there's quite a bit of that there too. The local Drag Queen is the locals' nightly entertainer at one of the local bars... and was surprisingly good.

We noticed last year the Miami was heavy on gay/lesbian and heavy on the cuban feel. So we were anticipating that some this time around. Key West in comparison to Miami felt very 'white'. There weren't any cubans or anything. While at Fort Jefferson we learned alot about the Cubans and how they get here. I guess Fort Jefferson is one of the best places for them to land (less policing there)... and if they make it to land they get shipped to Miami. And once in Miami, we, as the nice people of America we are, give each and every one of the cubans that live here aprox $800 a month to live and get back on their feet with.. for the first year they are here. Shocking, huh?

So while in Key West we found a lovely beach, and walked hand in hand at sunset. Watched someone get married at sunset. breathtaking. Found the lighthouse that's basically in the middle of town. We love lighthouses and lighthouse history so that part of our trip was a treat.

We'd heard about a catamaran ride out to Fort Jefferson and weren't sure whether or not to go. Kinda pricy. Well, we did it anyway, and I can say it was the highlight of our trip... The fort was built on an island, an island considered back then to be in a stategic location. B'c to go through either waterway that's around that island, you had to pass by it. So it was built to patrol that section of the ocean. It was never used for what it was built. Park Rangers now live there b'c it's considered a national park. Funny, they live there for 8 days and go home for 3 or 4 and then they go back. Ferries, go back and forth daily for tours... We also snorkeled there... that was the most fish i've ever seen snorkelling... i'd recommend it!

After a couple of days in KW, we had to start heading north. Rod had to be back in Orlando on a certain day for his work function/recognition... (www.myspace.com/fox has a show called "drive" and in the beginning they have some of the great views of the florida keys.) We decided to stop in Cocoa Beach. There they have one of the best beaches I've ever been to. Key West didn't have the sound of the surf, b'c the water breaks in the ocean out on the reefs. In Cocoa Beach the water breaks at the shore. I'd like to take the kids back to Cocoa Beach. Aparently it's big in surfing, b'c they have two Huge surf shops.

Then on we went to Orlando.. and we stayed in quite a fancy hotel. One you'd never normally pay for. On verizon, of course. Rod had to "work" for a few hours the night we got there and a couple of hours the next day. So I spent as much time as I could next to the pool/hot tub. Even ordered pool food (which i've never done before). They had two waterslides, a heated pool, these four seater bikes that were fun to ride, hammocks, a manmade beach, and these tropical birds in the lobby. On the very last day, I fell asleep under an umbrella, and woke up sunburnt! Oops!

It was a very nice trip. I love getting away, but it's so hard to come home. The kids get frustrated b'c you've been gone.... Life and bills and day to day stuff comes back into focus. I had a hard time adjusting to coming home this time. But all and all, i'd do it all over again!