Back in Minnesota

We're back in Minnesota and with our little kitten who isn't so little anymore. It has been so nice to see everyone that we've been missing. We are planning our new life here and it's been going smooth so far!

We got to get up north for the weekend. There is something about being at the cabin in northern Minnesota. It is like no place else and being away for a while makes me appreciate it even more.









A family of loons. They always kept the little one between them to protect him.

50 Years of Awesome/4th of July Party

This 4th of July, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of my family cabin. My grandparents, Micheal and Virginia Gooley, built this wonderful place in 1959 and it has been enjoyed and appreciated by so many people. My grandfather and his family and friends built the log cabin, pooling their strength and resources. So much love and care has been put into it through the years. My grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, cousins and now my nieces and nephews and cousins' children have all stayed here and felt the peace of the cabin and the lake. It's hard to describe just how much this place has meant to all of us. Our lives have been made better by having a home away from home to go to: a place where we can get to know each other better, to witness nature's soft touch, and to feel the love that our big family shares. We are all eternally grateful.

Here's the cabin before everyone arrived:
50 years of awesome!

Some overview shots of all the people that came to the big party! (click on photo to enlarge)

Chicken, anyone?? Watermelon? 14 different kinds of desserts? Yes, please!

We got matching t-shirts for the event. :) Here is me, my Godmother and Mom.


Karaoke time!
fishing. ;)


Here is my wonderful, loving Grandmother with one of the youngest additions to our family, sweet Sophia:



Now it's fireworks time!! :) What a show!

Thanks for a great celebration! :)

A little get-away

My sister, nieces and nephew took a trip up to our Grandma's cabin. It was great to be up there for a few days. It meant: spending time with family, no tv, bonfires every night, reading books, thinking of the possibilities, kayaking on the calmest of lakes, listening to what the loons have to say, looking at little things, treats, mini-golf, zorbas pizza, fresh air, sleeping well, dreaming, walks in the woods, memories, and feeling refreshed.










Ava is 4 weeks old and this was her first trip to the cabin. :) She's so cute and chubby. It was great to spend time with her.