"much more incentive to trust than to fear"

i liked this.

watching espn

my new friend eustace

I recently finished reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the first time.

I've been trying to get all the way through this beast but haven't quite made it yet.

Four books down, three to go. I didn't get to read Prince Caspian before seeing the movie, so I wanted to be more proactive with Dawn Treader.

It was awesome. To the point where I kept thinking about the characters and story when I had to put the book down and go to work. The degree that I want to talk about a book while I am not reading it is how I know how much I like it. So I have to say I liked this one lots!

Now I am pumped to see two book-based movies this winter: Dawn Treader AND Harry Potter!

Snelling

To utilize our year of historical society membership, we hit up Fort Snelling a few weekends ago.

It was a pleasant day as we delved into our nerdy, history-fascinated mode.

(We also went to the Sibley house, which was neat, but the tour was lots of listening so it was a bit less fun than Fort Snelling where you can decide your own pace.)

Among our favorites at Fort Snelling were the baker, the carpenter, and the cooks.

I don't think we'll ever forget when we were sitting in a room checking out an archeology display, and a CANNON went off out in the courtyard. It was insanely loud. It took all three of us a moment to recover and be convinced we were safe.

Like a Bridge Over Minnehaha Creek

Here we are at the outset of a date-night adventure. Bert planned for us to canoe Minnehaha Creek in our new and sturdy-enough canoe, Tubby, and then partake in a pizzalicious dinner.

We started our trek near Lake Harriet.

(Ben, I will have you note, that I bought new sunglasses.)

It was like a magical world tucked right into our city. Kind of Terebithia-esque.

The bridges were many and varied.

There were also lots of fast-water/small-rapids areas, but obviously they could not be documented with the camera since we were focused on paddling during those times.

Though Bert's good looks can be distracting, these pictures are showing the varied bridge styles as we passed under them.

This one was holding up the new and improved 35W.

This bridge smiles.

A nice hat for our Civic.

What a fun adventure! Thanks for planning it Bert!

my man

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BERT!!!

You are 27 today.

Someday I bet we will think that was young. But for now I love watching you get older, wiser, more thoughtful, kind, caring, and fun! You are the best to be married to.

I love you!

families unite!

The annual Eikum-Wilson cabin weekend was last month. I am always so thankful for two wonderful families that enjoy spending time together and kicking back at the lake.

Thanks again for the amazing hospitality Mom and Dad!

Jonah and Miles were tubing champions.

Beth and I held down the hammock.

Way to go Jonah! (A big first-grader this year!)

Mom and Willa.

Ben made a guest appearance at the kid table.

Water-walking is our new group exercise. It's a fun challenge.

(Thanks to Maggie and Her-Name-Is-Gina!)

Again, Mom and Willa.

Dad and Bert, talking windsurfing.

Bert graduated into the diaper-looking hooking-in gear this summer.

It's so he can go even faster!

Dad and Bert, actually windsurfing. They looked great!

A quiet moment for Jill.

Beth and Miles. Buddies.

The short-lived dark hair of Beth.

I still thought it was pretty, but I like the fix even better.

A happily growing family. Next year, the grandpas will be fighting over baby-holding turns.

Good thing there will be two babies to tide them over.

(Not twins. Cousins.)

Until Next Year...

(Check out our new canoe! We named him Tubby. He was a steal.)

this is just cute.

When Oakley was little, she needed to be with us all the time. I was working on the computer for a while one day, and she wiggled her way into this tight spot. She hasn't done it since, but I still think it's cute.

She really slept in there.

These days she's more of a hyper-teenager-thrill-seeker kitty.

We still like her though.

[Minnesotans] Get Together!

A glimpse of the group this year.

(Not Pictured: Ben, Amy, Me, Baby Eikum)

Check out the amount of fried food being consumed!

Bert adored this deep friend cheeseburger.

I was not up to the challenge this year.

I happen to really like Alpacas, because:

1. They are very soft.

2. They remind me of The Emperor's New Groove, which makes me laugh.

3. They are cute.

4. They spit.

We visit this booth at the State Fair every year to say hello to these furry friends.

If you were a politician, I think we could get some miles out of this photo.

Mags. And guy we don't know in the red cut-off shirt, who looks like he has a secret.

Check out that crowd!

We learned our lesson about going the first Saturday this year.

Next year we will force ourselves to be patient, and perhaps even take work off to go on a weekday.

It got pretty difficult to traverse the main roads with these masses of people.

All in all, a great day at the fair!

Outdoor Endeavors

Our annual trip to the Boundary Waters was last month. We went with three other couples from church. I wasn't feeling great, so Bert graciously paddled our canoe mostly on his own and let me rest whenever needed. I was glad for the distraction of beautiful scenery, humorous and meaningful conversation, and tasty camping food.

A glimpse of our site from our tent pad:

I read to Bert one night while he fished.

I am a new fan of Sherlock Holmes. I laughed a lot reading this book.

Sarah and Nick Gibson

Becca and Eric Patenaude start dinner on the big cooking rock counter top.

The rain was welcome with Bert's trusty tarp rigged.

Waterfall Exploration.

Dairy Queen in Cloquet on the way home is a tradition.

Bert was pretty excited about his waffle bowl sundae.

So fun!