2,332 Miles…At Least

    This past weekend we did something that we haven’t done very often. We visited a place neither of us has been to. Growing up, my family did a lot of traveling, so Jesse always teases me about all the places I have already been. Well, I had never been to Philadelphia, PA.

    Jesse’s cousin, Ty, married Emily (now his cousin-in-law) on Sunday, July 4th. On Thursday evening we drove to Chicago to meet Larry & Cyndee (Jesse’s parents). On Friday we drove 13 hours to Willow Grove, PA. Saturday  morning we saw the sights of Philadelphia including the Liberty Bell, Liberty Hall (where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both signed), the LOVE statue, and the Reading Terminal for a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. The rehearsal dinner thrown by Jesse’s aunt Connie (Cyndee’s sister) and uncle Greg was Saturday night. Sunday was the wedding as well as a stop for some famous water ice. We drove back to Chicago on Monday and back to Eagan on Tueaday. Are you tired yet? We were! Jesse’s mom said her motto was, “Sleep when you get home!”

    I think I’m going to go take a nap…

      Superior Hiking Trail

      This past weekend we backpacked the Superior Hiking Trail along the North Shore of Minnesota. Our small group dubbed last summer’s trip the “Death March”, so this year we set out with more wisdom and a more realistic amount of miles to be hiked. We were joined by our great friends Ross and Megan Jahnke.  With pouring rain at the beginning of the trail Friday morning, we wondered about our sanity but decided to venture on anyway. Thankfully, the rain stopped in the early afternoon. It remained dry the rest of the weekend except the extreme muddiness of the trail (which in my clumsiness I fell in twice).  We hiked from Temperance River State Park to Lutsen (a total of 17.5 miles with 3 different mountain summit hikes). We climbed Britton Peak, Carlton Peak, Leveaux Mountain, Oberg Mountain, Moose Mountain, and Mystery Mountain. Our starting point was 600 feet and we reached a height of 1600 feet.

      Those are the facts of the trip. The things you can’t see in the pictures are the silly songs we created to distract our bodies from the pain, the extreme stink of three days without a shower, and the sense of pride and accomplishment you feel knowing you traveled so many miles with a 25-pound (or more)  pack on your back. The scenery was breath-taking and the company was a blast, but it is always good to be home…clean…eating real food…in a comfortable bed…with no bugs buzzing around your head…

      Click on a photo and scroll through…enjoy (and join us next time)!

        Summer At-A-Glance

        For Jesse and I, summer is the time for adventure. Without my full-time teaching job, Jesse uses many of his vacation days, and we hit the road. Here is a preview of our summer to come:

        1. Superior Hiking Trail

        2. Philedelphia, PA

        3. Neenah, WI

        4. Up North in Phelps, WI

        5. Menomonie, WI

        6. Camping (Interstate and Lake Wissota State Parks)

        7. Mexico!

        Stay tuned…

          Woman vs Nature: The War is On

          This year has been a beautiful spring/summer in Minnesota. There was only a threat of frost once, and the soil has quickly warmed to growing temperatures. Therefore, all of my vegetables have been growing at a rapid rate. On Monday night, I had a growing green bean plot with 12 plants. Tuesday morning I walked outside to find this:

          So frustrating!
          So sad!

          This year I finally grew wise and took care of the problem. Bunnies and deer, when you enter my yard looking for a midnight snack, this is what you will see:

          And this is what you will smell:

          The war is on!

          Now, hopefully, my green bean plants will grow again. Sigh.

            Missing In Action

            You may have been wondering where I have been for the last week. After the whirlwind trip to Indiana, this is what I looked like…

            After the whirlwind last day of school, this is what I look like…

            My co-workers and I were discussing how strange it is to be a teacher. The months of May and June are crazy. Suddenly, after the last day of school, you have nothing to do. It’s almost like a loss. Then I remember all the things I put off doing for the last 9 months and get started on my summer wish list…and I always have time to sit down and look through the information for next’s year’s students and dream of the year ahead.

              Open road tolling…

              This weekend we are again setting out in our trusty Toyota Camry for another adventure. We are headed to Lafayette, IN for my cousin Julie’s wedding. I have the perfect summer dress, shoes I borrowed from my co-worker Teresa, and pretty jewelry. Of course, a picture will follow.

              We are most excited, though, about being able to use our new I-PASS. We travel to Chicago and through the Chicago area frequently because Jesse’s mom lives there and my extended family is in IN. Now the easiest way to go is open road tolling. Every time we make the trip, I wish for an I-PASS, but we never travel during times when the customer service stations are open. After returning from my brother’s graduation, I finally remembered to order an I-PASS. Open road…here we come!

                The Rain Barrel

                Last summer I heard about the benefits of rain barrels. They reduce pollution, keep water away from the foundation of your house, reduce erosion, reduce city water use, and plants like untreated water better. I pitched the idea to Jesse, and he didn’t love it because all the rain barrels were ugly; the pretty ones were very expensive.

                This spring I saw an opportunity to make a rain barrel through Community Education. I jumped at it and even invited my co-worker Lauren to join me (her husband also thought rain barrels were cool). We “made” our barrels (the guy teaching the class was a little nervous about us using the power tools), but there were many more steps in the rain barrel process.

                The rain barrel needed painted to reduce algae inside the barrel. It needed raised up on level cinder blocks (Jesse checked it with a level), and the gutter needed re-routed.

                We finally had everything ready for last night’s rain. We didn’t get very much rain (0.38 inches total), so we didn’t know how full our 55-gallon rain barrel would be. To my excitement, it was FULL…all the way to the top. This morning I was able to water all of my plants using fresh rainwater.

                I could hardly contain my excitement!

                  God’s Handiwork…

                  Since owning a home, I have developed a love of gardening. The previous owner planted a perennial garden in the back. Sadly, she let it overgrow before we moved in in June. Thankfully, my sister-in-law Katie (6 months pregnant) came over and helped me restore it with much weeding and mulch.

                  Perennial Garden Before
                  Perennial Garden After

                  Then my mom gave me the geraniums she used at my brother’s rehearsal dinner. With advice from a co-worker, I was able to winter and re-plant those same geraniums for two years.

                  Next I decided to try vegetables. Jesse built me four raised vegetable beds that are 4 feet by 2 feet. I have grown green beans, tomatoes, peppers, basil, and strawberries. We love eating things we have grown ourselves.

                  Raised Vegetable Beds

                  I continue to be amazed at the beauty of the Earth and how fun it is to cultivate. This year I want to do a better job of bringing our outdoor gardens inside, so today I brought some flowers inside the house for us to enjoy.

                    Congratulations, Little Brother…

                    This weekend (like many for Jesse and I) we jumped in the car Friday evening and headed to Chicago. We laughed as we were stopped in a traffic jam entering the city at 11:30 pm. Chicago traffic is crazy!

                    The occasion for this visit was celebrating my brother’s graduation from Moody Bible Institute with a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Studies. Eric joined Jesse with a 5 year degree. 🙂 We had a great time seeing family and enjoying a celebratory meal at Fogo de Chao.

                    As you can see, I am a very proud big sister. Congratulations, Eric!

                      Grad School

                      In the fall of 2008, I began the adventure of a MS in Library Media Education. I have completed 27 credits and have 7 to finish this summer and coming fall.

                      When taking this on, I never realized how difficult and time-consuming it would be to work full-time and take classes “full-time”. This week I have a break before I start my next class on Monday. I have managed to read magazines, finish an entire book (just for fun), do laundry, make dinner, and watch tv. I am looking forward to the days when I can come home in the evenings and ONLY have those things to do. 🙂

                      Alas, my thesis awaits.