Food and Flowers

     My "little" brother (as I like to refer to him) came to spend the weekend with us.  Stop one was the Sauk Rapids Food Fest.  Luckily, the rain held off, so we were able to attend and try lots of yummy foods.  As you can see below, I enjoyed my pork chop on a stick.

     After our bellies were full, we headed to Munsinger Gardens.  I thought that it might be a little too early with the late spring we had, so I wasn't holding out a lot of hope for their typical beauty.  We were pleasantly surprised!!  Here are a few photos to prove it!! :0)

Another Lunch Outing

My friend, Alisha, surprised me with a belated birthday lunch.  It was great to see her, Tammy, and Sandy!!
Good job taking the picture, Mason!! :)

Lake of the Isles

     For my birthday I was treated to a trip to the Cities with some friends from school.  Our friend, Judy (who just retired), planned this trip to Lake of the Isles on Wednesday.  We had a very nice three mile walk around the lake.  There are a variety of BEAUTIFUL houses along the path, so we pointed out our favorites and imagined what it would be like having a private gardener at your disposal!!

 A photo from the bridge

 If you look closely enough, you can spot a kayaker. :)

 Barb, Alison, April, Judy, and I stopped at the bridge for a photo op!!  

Thanks for taking the picture, Bailey!

 There were a lot of beautiful roses in bloom along the way. 

A surprise visitor stopped us...

     This lovely jogger ran along the side of us.  To our surprise, he said that he stopped us to say hi to three of his "old" English teachers.  We reminded him the proper term in this situation was former not old!!  Anyway, he had Alison in 7th grade, me in 8th grade, and Barb in 9th grade, so he asked us for a picture and then e-mailed it to us!! :) He is now a junior at the University of Minnesota and happened to be out on his daily run since he lives close to Lake of the Isles.

     Judy's next stop was for lunch at Burger Jones.  They have delicious hamburgers, and we indulged in the "not-so-good for you" trio of fries (sweet potato, Parmesan waffle fries, and the traditional fries).  What a yummy lunch!! :0) Thanks for a wonderful birthday, Judy and the others!!

Funny...

I just noticed that the date on my camera must be off one day 

because we went on my actual birthday, the 19th!!

Phase Three...Complete

     Yesterday our flooring was installed...yay!!  We absolutely love it, so now the "big three" are complete: cabinets, countertops, and flooring.  As Dani pointed out...now we need to "update" the light fixtures.  I can handle those little things.  I will just be glad to have my kitchen back!!  Darrell will work on the plumbing for the kitchen sink and dishwasher on his day off tomorrow (day 113 of the outage). ):  I will be able to cook again on Sunday, and then we head West on Thursday!! :)

     I will put my brother to work and have him help us with the trimwork tomorrow when he comes to visit. I am excited to have family from my side live closer to us!!  His pharmacy opens up in West Fargo on July 1, so he is coming to spend the weekend with us before he starts working 9-6 six days a week!!

     I had to laugh when my friend, Sheila, called to wish me a happy birthday.  When she asked how the kitchen remodeling was coming along, she commented that her recent remodel is the exact opposite of what we just did.  She and Sean got rid of their oak kitchen for a white kitchen.  I laughed and said good luck with the maintenance of keeping a white kitchen clean (especially with Kylie and Jackson)!!

Phase Two...Complete

Our granite tops and sink went in yesterday. :) Exciting!!  Next up...flooring!

Summer Fun

Recently we enjoyed our first lunch and a matinee of the summer.  

We all really liked The Great Gatsby.  :0)

Another enjoyable lunch with friends...this time at the Olive Garden

It was a beautiful day, so we soaked up the sun. :0)

Beth's Summer Kitchen

     My friend, Beth, had a nice gathering at her "summer kitchen" last week.  

Two of the highlights were the relaxing atmosphere right outside of her summer kitchen and mimosas. :0)

I love summer!!

Happy Father's Day!

Our priest read this poem this morning at mass, so I thought that I would share it. :)

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain, 

The majesty of a tree, 

The warmth of a summer sun, 

The calm of a quiet sea, 

The generous soul of nature, 

The comforting arm of night, 

The wisdom of the ages, 

The power of the eagle's flight, 

The joy of a morning in spring, 

The faith of a mustard seed, 

The patience of eternity, 

The depth of a family need, 

Then God combined these qualities, 

When there was nothing more to add, 

He knew His masterpiece was complete, 

And so, He called it ... Dad

 Happy Father's Day to my dad and my hubby!!

Painting...Complete

     Today was painting day.  The kitchen was painted a very pretty colored called Honey Caramel, and the hallway was painted a darker color called Unstained Tea.  Love them both!!

 Simona in action...

     Our former kitchen color was Midas Touch.  This one is a deeper/richer gold color. Our new granite countertops have specks of gold in them, so I am really excited to see what they'll look like next week!! :)

Phase One Complete

     Our kitchen remodel has been underway since this spring.  It wasn't supposed to coincide with Darrell's outage at work, but that is how it turned out.  ):  Today is day 103 of the outage; by far this is the longest outage that they've ever had.  It was scheduled to be 80 days (normally 35-40), so this has been quite a challenge to say the least.  Our new cabinetry is officially done, so that is exciting!! Painting is scheduled for later this week. Next up...granite countertops.  

 Before...

Now...

A Very Fun Wedding Cake!

     Here is a picture of the wedding cake of our friends, Glenn and Karen.  As it was the second marriage for both of them, and their kids are grown, it was very fitting!! Congrats!!

Cheers!!

Let summer begin!!!

More Pictures From My Surprise Visit

 SURPRISE!! 

 It was quite a surprise for my mom and dad to see me arrive last weekend!!

 My sister hadn't been to Cherry Berry yet, and one just opened in Billings, 

so we stopped for a quick treat on the way to get the balloons for Faith's party.  YUMMY!

Danny and Paige...so excited for their upcoming nuptials!!

 My brother, Dave, and his son, Jon

A big CONGRATS to Jon on his graduation from college and acceptance into 

Columbia University for medical school in August!! We are so proud of you!!

Enjoying family time at Faith's graduation breakfast...

My former principal (in Billings) is now the president of the Catholic school system in Billings.  We had a great time catching up!!  It was so nice to see him.

A new laptop for the graduate :)

Faith receiving her diploma from her high school principal

My nephew, Brandon, playing in the jazz band for the grad ceremony 

The happy grad with her family :0)