We had a couple great trips this fall that I wanted to get recorded. The first was a trip out to Minnesota. Kurt had an interview with General Mills and our cousins out in Minneapolis so generously invited the kids and I to come along and stay with them while Kurt interviewed and then enjoy the weekend all together. When Amy (my cousin’s wife) picked me and the kids up in their new 12 passenger van—I knew it was going to be an awesome trip!!

One highlight was Sunday evening when the kids were dancing, laughing, and running around like a bunch of goofs while we watched “The Music Man.” They were all dressed in princess costumes, boys and girls alike and loving their time together. We also made it out on a fun seasonal trip to a local orchard, picked apples, ran through the corn maze and watched goats climbing on a barn roof. Saturday evening some of us went to the Mall of America. It was huge and amazing but it was still a mall. I just don’t love them, so we didn’t stay long.

I could absolutely live in Minnesota, but won’t be anytime soon as Kurt did not get the job offer—bummer. I was really excited for Kurt to work with a company that has filled my days with my favorite food--CEREAL, though my current favorite is still Honey Bunches of Oats which is a POST brand. I guess it was not meant to be.



Kurt wanted a record of all Owens hand me down miss matched clothes!

Our next trip was up to Ottawa Canada. We were up there visiting last fall and randomly ran into some friends at the famous Parliament building who had recently been engaged. This last trip we went up for their Wedding. It was an incredible experience for us. Our friends had a Jewish Wedding Ceremony, and I felt pleased that I got to be there with them. I (who don’t tear up easy) was tearing up as I saw Aaron walking down the isle. He is just such a great who married such a great girl/woman/young lady--nothing sounds quite right, and I’m always so happy when people make that choice to commit themselves to each other. These relationships can bring so much joy.

There were three wedding celebrations and they were all put together so well (this is a major understatement but I’m not a great writer). I showed up horribly under dressed to the first wedding dinner and because of that kind of drew a blank as I met my friend’s parents at the door, I managed a hello and stumbled through some kissing of the cheeks. It was the first time in a long time that I felt genuinely embarrassed. I found a corner and tried to compose myself then tried to forget about my clothes and have a good time with everyone. I think it would have worked if Owen wasn’t kind of a terror that night. 5 hours in the car that afternoon might have had sometime to do with his behavior and my poor choice of wardrobe.

The dancing after the wedding was definitely a highlight! The music was so lively the band played so well and I SOMEHOW even got Kurt out on the dance floor.

We stayed with some other friends of ours who used to be our “neighbors”(meaning only a 5-10 min Taxi ride) in Beijing, so it was great to catch up a bit and my friend really went above and beyond and offered to babysit our kids during the ceremony as well as host us for the weekend.

This is the First Events dinner--which I never got to taste because we left early, after Owen spilled a bowl of nuts and wouldn't stop climbing across all the chairs. :)