Joe and Patti's House

Our last stop on the way back to MN for the third and final time was at Joe and Patti's house in Michigan. It was a wonderful place to relax, enjoy my aunt and uncle's wonderful company, hear about their amazing trip to Alaska, and share some red wine. Joe also let us sit - and start - on his Harley---what can we say?!?

Kevin and Jessie Minerich

Welcoming Jessie to the Minerich clan was as easy as 1,2,3: A beautiful ceremony, a karoke machine, and being with family = a great time had by all! Grandma and Grandpa danced the night away.

Falling Water

Our journey out to PA afforded us the opportunity to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water in person. What an amazing architectural feat! It was built using four elements: stone, concrete, glass, and iron. He used cantilevers to suspend the summer home over the river that quickly plunges 30 feet downward.

Grandma Warner's House

Findlay, OH = Flag City

We had a great time visiting Grandma, learning about our family history, swimming in the backyard pool, and eating fresh corn on the cob!

Columbus, Ohio

We visited Aunt Annie in Columbus, OH, on our way to PA. The zoo there was exceptional and the tour of Ohio State was a must! Ben and Annie are standing at Mirror Lake where Phil and Gail used to meet on campus!!! He is also sitting on a stinky flower.

Rockford, IL

Our Midwestern tour began with a visit to Gary and Fran's house to see Peter. Fran's cooking was excellente, Gary's bean bagging abilities stellar, and Peter is -as always - stellar!

Happy 65th Birthday Mom!

Mary turned 65 on July 11th, so family and friends gathered together at the Christensen's to celebrate with lawn games, great food, and laughter.

Erin and Dan Swift

What a gorgeous day for a gorgeous couple! Erin and Dan were married in Austin, MN, and we all were together to celebrate their love for one another. Can't wait for little Swifts running around!

The St Louis Arch

We visited with the Meschke's and the Gooden's who gave us the royal treatment! We went downtown St. Louis and up, up, up the Arch in the little dryers - What an amazing view! They then took us out for ice cream and a tour of the countryside. Mark was feeling good, which made the trip extra special!!

The Cumberland Gap

We traveled through Ashville, the Smokey Mountains, and the Cumberland Gap to finaly arrive at my Aunt Dottie and Uncle Mark's house in Collinsville, Illinois. We stopped to admire the view many had marveled at before us including Daniel Boone, Davey Crocket, and Whit Whitaker.

Paul's Birthday

Our first stop on our Northern Bound Journey was Gretchen and Paul's new home. We were very excited to see the finished project in person and can proudly say we helped build the desks upstairs. (Such complimentary symmetry!) We went out to a fabulous Wine Bar in downtown Charleston to celebrate Paul's birthday that night after Paul blew out the candle on his Klondike Bar.