PICTURES

Sorry Shripers-I didn't mean to exclude you from the lodging list. You, Breanna and Scanders will be at Angela's house.

I like alcohol...I plan to partake a fair amount this weekend. Bring it on, babe!

See ya'll Friday, whenever you get here!

e

So soon!

The first thing I need to say is that Scanders Anderson cracks me up. Period. :) As much as I also would LOVE to be a part of pregnancy and birth conversations, I too must request that at least SOME part of the weekend will be dedicated to discussions other than babies! :) I also want to make sure that I will have a place to stay (Scanders??) since I do not have children nor am I preggers. Do I belong anywhere?!?! HAHAHAHA JK..just as long as I have a roof over my head I am fine wherever there's room!! Oh, AND (this may be the most important thing I have to say!)..I'm just wondering what I should bring for alcohol since I think there are all of probably three or four of us who can partake in it!! :) I am putting myself in charge of picking it up, as long as those of you who would like to join in the alcoholic festivities tell me what you want to drink!!! So..let me know!! Also, there is a possibility I will be able to leave earlier on Friday..so I may be able to get into town around supper time, which would be even MORE fantastic! I am SO excited to see you all..you have no idea!!! Love you!! Sarah

Be not afraid...

Hey ladies! So, Scanders and I have done some pre-planning for this weekend. I think we'll have everyone with kiddos stay at my place, that way when we put them to bed...all us "big" girls can all be in the same place and hang out. This arrangement also gives the preggers good beds (by themselves!!!).

Here is my address so you can mapquest your way here...

1570 Eustis Street
Lauderdale, MN 55108

We've got food covered for Saturday-so you don't need to worry about any of that...if you want to bring something for snacks/treats...go for it-everything else is covered.

See you soon!

e

Mid-year Festival

I feel like we're having a mid-year F'n Festival - I like the idea. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you...it's sure to be a good time. Breanna and I were talking tonight and she asked me if she should bring anything. I think you should just bring yourselves, some sort of snack to share, and any special blankets and/or pillows you or your child needs in order to sleep. And call me selfish, but I have one request to make - can we not talk about pregnancy the whole weekend? Don't get me wrong, I want to hear about it, just not the whole weekend :)

Like Elizabeth, I can't believe it's the middle of the 5th week of classes. Unfortunately this means that I have to start thinking about the end of semester projects that will take more than a couple of weeks to accomplish. This week we had our internship applications due which seems really soon. There seems to be a step every month to go through until we are finally made aware of our placement in either March or April. Today I spoke with a pastor from the Phoenix area about his parish; they're looking for two interns there next year and their ministry sounded pretty appealing. Right now I'm hoping to go somewhere I will be able to put my Spanish to some use. The last couple of weekends I have attended some Spanish-speaking worship services which have been really good and last week I volunteered with an organization that makes Latino food and shares in conversation with whoever stops in. It's fun to meet some new people.

Can't wait to see all of you!!!!

So excited

Hi, ladies! So, I do very occasionally have access to the blog (ha ha, Elizabeth!) so I thought I'd write a quick post. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone next weekend! Addyson and I will there most of the weekend and are just going to leave for a few hours Saturday night to see some friends from PT school (who are definitely not cooler than all of you!). Sorry I don't have any pictures to post; I've stolen a few minutes from work to run to the library to check email and the blog and don't have any pictures of Addyson to post. Yes, I live in the technology dark ages. I do not have internet access at home and my employer has filtered almost every website except the Medicare one.

Anyways, just wanted to say "hi" and I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone next weekend!
Lindsey :)
p.s. I'm especially looking forward to sharing labor and delivery stories with Breanna! (Congratulations, by the way!)

Can't wait for next weekend...

Hello friends, okay business first!
Friday night Mandy is here around dinner time, Lindsey and Shripers will be arriving around 9pm.
Saturday we have all day to play around, meet up with Breanna. In the evening Lindsey will be leaving to hang out with her cooler-PT friends (she can't access the blog, so I'm speaking for her...which is dangerous!)
Sunday more play time!

Lodging-I have space at my place and Angela Noel has offered her house for the weekend! So no hotels, that's just silly. She and her hubby are out of town and they live minutes away from Luther. Scanders knows more about this lovely place.

I'm in my 5th week of school-how can that be? The weeks are pretty intense, so time is flying by! I now have 2 jobs-thank God! I'll be leading a Contemporary worship service at Mt. Zion in south Minneapolis. I think this will be a great church home for us-it reminds me a lot of Peace Lutheran in Fargo (where I worked in college). I also am teaching piano on Monday nights at a music studio in St. Paul...great little place, nice people.

We also haven't had the best health luck here-nothing big just a flu bug, then a cold and my back has been given me lots of problems (I sound like a pregnant lady...hahaha). This morning I literally crawled into Micaela's room because standing was not an option-thats the second time thats happened this month. Any suggesstions anyone?

Otherwise, not much to report. I see my Dad at least once a week, which has been nice. We hang out with my high school buds Brentie and Justin-which is also been really fun to re-connect with them more. Still working on finding that niche at Luther-seeing Sarah everyday is the biggest highlight :)

I just had a great-aunt pass away, my bros and I are doing the music for the funeral tomorrow morning. She and my Grandma (they were sisters) lived next door to each other their whole lives (until my Grandma died), so my aunt was always around. She and my uncle were marriend for 59 years! Crazy! She was 79 and died peacefully while taking a nap...unfortunelty its another reminder that there are VERY few on either side of my family that have made it past 80...I don't actually know of any. I talked with my uncle tonight (who is also 79) and he just kept saying "life is short...life is short" and then he said "isn't my wife beautiful?"

On that note, I should be studying for my Hebrew test, writing a paper and preparing my music for tomorrow...but writing to you all sounded like much more fun. Much love to you all...aren't my friends beautiful!

~elizabeth

Rain here, too

Hi ladies-

   I'm excited to see you all too!!  Julia and I will be able to be there either Friday night or Saturday early afternoon.  What do you think would be the best time?  Do we have any definite plans?  Where are we staying?  Are we slumber partying it?  Hoteling it?  Any ideas?  

    Things here are going pretty well.  We are FINALLY healthy after about a month of being deathly ill here with a horrid cold.  So now I feel "normal" but of course, my belly is beginning to make me supremely uncomfortable even when just sitting or standing.  Its fun.  :)  

    Breanna, I'm so excited for your maternity pants.  They are the most flattering, fun things to wear ever.  :)  Congratulations on joining the club! :)

     Okay, let me know what's up for next weekend.  I am game for anything!  

Love,

  Mandy

Rain, Rain, Rain...

Hello all,
I just heard from Missy and we are going to do dress shopping on Friday afternoon, and she would like to stay in the cities Friday night. So, I am available Saturday morning through Sunday. Where should I meet you all? I can't wait to see you then!

Is anyone going to Concordia Homecoming this weekend? I think Sarah and Elizabeth were planning on it. Are you still going? Are you going to the choir reunion? Sounds fun!

Last weekend, Sue came to visit and we had a very nice time buying some maternity pants. My jeans still fit me, it is just my dress pants have no room to stretch in anymore, and they are very uncomfortable. We also watched movies, relaxed, saw her college roomates, and ate. Good times.

Anything exciting going on in your life?
Can't wait to see you soon!

Breanna

I am SO there!

Hey lovely ladies! I am up for anything and everything as far as that weekend is concerned...I will be able to be in the Cities later Friday evening (I can leave Marshall after work around 530) and can stay through Sunday anytime! Let me know what I can to do help in preparation for our get-together. Seriously, I cannot WAIT to see you all. Love you, Sarah

PHEW!

I don't know if that subject is the right word to signify the relief I feel now that it is Friday! It was Homecoming week, and now it is OVER (as far as I am concerned...I got out of chaperoning the dance...YAY!!)
I picked up Laryssa from Perpich yesterday and my parents are coming tonight to hang out. They are leaving tomorrow, which is nice too because then we still have a weekend to enjoy.
I also think meeting sometime Saturday would be great and hanging out until Sunday late-morning. I am so excited to see you all.
Mandy....I am feeling better, but still not out of the woods. I am exhausted when I come home every night.
HAPPY WEEKEND!
Breanna

the weekend

Hi! 

   Julia and I can be there anytime from about 6:00 on Friday until lunchtime on Sunday.   

Sarah, I am so jealous that you were at that game!!  David was "watching" the game via the internet and couldn't sleep he was so excited. :)  Hopefully they can pull it off against the Royals!

Breanna-  How have you been feeling?  I've been thinking about you.  Sorry to hear about the boobs.  Just wait... :)

I have had the WORST cold of my life for like 2 weeks now.  I think I might go to the doctor if its not better by Monday.  I even had to miss 2 days of school last week which sucks because I only had 3 sick days left after I took them all for maternity leave.   Julia's birthday is on Sunday, so we have the Severtson clan coming for the weekend...resting won't really be an option.  Come on cold!  go away! :)

Anyway, can't wait to see you all!!

Love,  Mandy

"the" weekend

Hey ladies! I just went to a really awesome Twins game - they just pulled into first place for the division. Woohoo!!!!

Anyway, I'm available most anytime during the weekend of our extravaganza, but would propose gathering on Saturday, hanging out through the night and enjoying Sunday brunch. Just some thoughts. Can't wait!

our plans...

hey ladies,

I am free Oct. 17-21st (we have that Monday and Tuesday off). My family (daniel, katie and isaiah) will also be in town that weekend, so I just need to leave some time for them too. So-just let it be known what days you'll be in the Cities and I'll work around it! Thanks!

e

MEA plans

Hello ladies,
I am seriously excited about getting together over MEA. But, just a few questions...are we planning Friday night and Saturday night or just Saturday night? Just curious. As some of you may know, Missy (by bf from Walker) is getting married in June and she would like to do dress shopping over MEA. I think she will want to do Thursday or Friday- or I will nudge her in that direction. Gee, I can't wait to try on dresses with this body...not really bigger yet (except the boobs, which DO NOT NEED to be bigger). Oh well...
Happy first day of Fall!
Breanna

another baby...and it is a boy!

For those of you who do not have facebook (is that mandy only?)....Amy and Jake had their baby.

Benjamin Jacob Peterson
Born: September 15th, 2008 @ 1:14pm
7lbs. 10oz.
20in

Hello!

Well, I figured I had better join in on the action here pretty soon..I am getting left in the DUST with all of these posts and pics going up on the blog!! Craziness abounds (as always!) in my life, but it was nothing short of WONDERFUL to have a visit from Scanders, Elizabeth, and Micaela a couple of weekends ago, and a couple of weekends before that, I was able to make a trip up to Pelican Rapids (or should I say Erhard?!) to spend some time with our dear Amanda and her family.

I would also like to add to the CONGRATULATIONS to our mommies-to-be - how fun and exciting!

On that note, Scanders, I too will be happy to assist in bringing alcohol to our get-together..as both you and Elizabeth found out, I have become quite the professional drinker these past few weeks...hahahahaha! :)

Enjoy these pics of my friend visits - I CAN'T WAIT to see you all in just a few weeks!!!! Love you!
Shripes

October's going to be awesome

How delightful to see such great photos posted by Mandy and Julia when looking at the blog today. I'm excited for our time together in October - it will undoubtedly be a great time. Oh, and don't worry about who will provide the alcohol, I feel the call to fill that role. In fact I've already started with some beer in my fridge and tequila in my cabinet. Even when pregnant I think tequila would be good and yes, maybe even for the child. ;)

For those that haven't heard that much about Mexico, I thought I'd take a little bit of time to tell you about it. In a nutshell it was a phenomenal experience and gave me lots of things to think about in relation to what ministry I feel I being called to. While I learned more spanish and feel my comprehension is better than what it was, I also learned a lot about the culture, political, social, and economic state in the country and especially in Morelos and some of the other poorer states in the country. What's great about the type of learning that I experienced is that it is not just in the classroom but takes place by talking with the people and visiting homes and attending neighborhood meetings and parties. I've learned a lot about community and can't wait to implement that into my future ministry. In fact I felt more welcomed by the people I met in Mexico over some of the communities I've been involved with in my own culture. I've been back two weeks today and I'm feeling like I'm finally getting into the swing of things, whatever that means. Because truth be told I'm not the same as when I left and I don't think anyone is when they return from an immersion experience (which doesn't come exclusively from leaving the country). As I continue to process and discern I'm thankful for my community of friends. Elizabeth and I went to visit Schripes last weekend which was wonderful and tonight a little girl (Micaela) and her mommy came over with a banana bread to share - talk about community. Additionally, I look forward to October and our gathering - it's nice to be with people who understand who you are. Here are a few photos from my trip. Maybe when you come in a few weeks I'll actually have some developed.

Ha! Ha!

And Scanders was afriad our little blog was losing momentum-we're back with a vengance baby! Mandy-we have to get you some adult interaction...but those pics are crazy cute, especially the one with Julia kissing you!

YAY for October! So, we've got Scanders, the 2 pregger princesses, Shipers and Me! I'll give Lindsey a call and she if she can join us too! You could all come and camp out at Luther...I have two beds to offer (maybe for those carrying the little ones) and can round up some air mattresses easily. Scanders has an abundance of couches (he he he!!)...

Micaela and I have been having a lovely, quiet weekend. We walked around Como Lake this morning, hit up our favorite coffee joint...some ideas for when ya'll are here! Maybe we can find some pumpkin patches or other fall festivities! But who will provide all the alchohal now that Breanna is knocked up?!?! :) By the way, CONGRATULATIONS Breanna...I am SO EXCITED to watch you be a mom, you're going to be great!

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

e

MEA

Hello friends,
Thanks to Mandy, I am now not just nervous, but terrified! No, we are very excited...it happened a little faster than we assumed it would, but it turns out it will be good timing.
I would love to get together over MEA too. As for Homecoming, I don't know if I will be up for it. Riding in cars is not what I am good at right now. I get sick even more than normal car sickness...but, I can handle driving to the cities to see everyone. What should we do?
Hope everyone is doing well. Let's get something going for that weekend. I am hoping by then I feel like eating food again. Let's hope!
Love,
Breanna

Breanna's Future

Hi everyone! 

Well, it is Saturday, I'm exhausted and a little cooky.  Julia and I embarked on a project today just for you all.  :)  Its a little silly, but that's okay.  Julia was the photographer for a couple of these!  She's quite the helper.  Our project is entitled, "Breanna's Future-- the good the bad and the ugly."  or something like that. :)  he he   I'm in pregnancy humor here, bear with me. 

If I could get this to work, I would put little captions in for each picture...work with me here. :)

Photo #1:  Oh my gosh!  And you have three whole months left!  Yikes!

Photo #2:  "You need HOW MANY pillows to sleep?" 

Photo #3:  Where the hell did my bellybutton go?  

Photo #4:  The Hugs and...

Photo #5:  Kisses are worth all of the rest.

Anyway, we hope that you are all doing well!!  School is mostly good for me, although I SEVERELY miss my summer naps.  

We have had 4 nights in a row of dry UNDIES OVERNIGHT here in De Pere.  That's for Julia in case you were wondering.  We decided to leave the pullup buying in the dust when our last package ran out and so far, so good.  It is exciting.  A three month hiatus from diapers.  Wow.  

Nothing else is new other than I feel like a blimp, my back hurts, and my boobs are the size of watermelons, which for me is a new feeling.  I don't especially enjoy having them...I definitely miss my little B cups.  I fear they may never be the same.  

Well, CONGRATULATIONS to Breanna.  I am so excited to think that our baby will have a little companion just like Julia has Micaela.  So sweet.   We hope that you are feeling okay.  How is school going?  Have you told your students yet?  I bet they'll freak out!  

By the way, I am as of now totally game for a Cities' get-together the weekend of Oct. 17...anyone?  

BTW, I got a birth announcement for Miss Lillian (Lily) June Meidinger yesterday.  Born Aug. 12, cute as a button.  Maybe you got the same thing, but I just thought I'd pass on the info. in case.  

Okay.  Sorry if the bare belly pictures are a little much.  Like I said,  a little cooky here.

Love you!

Mandy

 

My Christmas List

So, if anyone wants to do any Christmas shopping for me, here are some things I will need...

A stroller
A crib
Diapers
Bottles
Booties
Blankets

If you don't plan on getting me a Christmas present, that is fine, but I will need these things by March 23rd, 2009.

SURPRISE!

Oh, by the way, you don't need to buy me presents...that was just a joke.

The Autumn leaves...

Hello my friends! Happy Autumn! So, I just had my 2nd day of classes at Luther-so far so good. I'm really pretty excited about all my classes (well, one is a little sketchy...but I'm being optimistic). Micaela is full time at daycare and LORD HELP ME is she a serious 2 year old! We have double the time-outs and tantrums then we ever had. She yells, hits, kicks, throws things-these are of course the ugliest moments. Her favorite phrase to yell at me when she's mad is "ITS NOT YOUR CHILD!" I have no idea where that came from. A classmate of mine (who has 20 years preschool experience) told me about this 1/2 year equilibrium and that had kids' half year their development takes a big swing in direction and they cope my freaking out. I like that theory b/c it means I'm not raising a spoiled little monster. :) Okaay, I'm painting an ugly picture, its not all bad. Today was actually a lovely day...yesterday not so much (My apologizes to Scanders who has witnesses a few melt-downs)

Scanders and I went to Marshall and saw Shripers and her AWESOME home! I say the next F'n festival is in Marshall!!! We talked a bit about an October gathering here in the Cities. Who's game?!?!?

Okay, I have to go write the first 7 letters of the Hebrew alphabet 77 times each. Much love to you all!

Elizabeth

here's the quilt :)

Another Girl!

Hi ladies! 

   I'm sorry I haven't written for awhile.  We've been home now for like 2 weeks and I have been busier and more tired than I thought I'd be! :)  I hope that all of you are doing well!!  Sarah, are you home from Mexico yet?  Was it great?? Did you have any adventures?  

   I have been meaning to write about our biggest news; our ultrasound last week revealed that we will be having another girl! :)  We are of course excited for Julia to have a little sister.  A boy would have been fun, too, but maybe we'll try one more time.  The verdict is still VERY out on that one.  :)

    Since we've been home, we have had many adventures.  Unpacking and re-organizing have taken up most of our time.  The baby's room was/is full of crap (and I mean crap) that has no home in our home. :)  We have been searching for and finally found a cute dresser on Craig's list (thanks Elizabeth!) so that our girl can have a place for clothes. :)  Our washer and dryer decided to tell us that they would really rather not be nice anymore, so we bought a new (scratch and dent model) washer and dryer.  FUN!  My parents, grandparents, and sister managed to make it out here for my birthday, so that was fun, although they were really only here for about a day and a half.  Still fun.   And then there's getting ready for school.  After a relatively relaxing summer, its been a little crazy getting back here! :)   I posted a TON of pictures on Julia's blog, so if you want to see some from Maine, check out severtsons.blogspot.com    

     I managed to make a quilt this summer!!  I am totally pumped that I actually finished it.  I made it for Anne, who is starting a new generation of Cobbers this fall.  I am excited to make another one, I think for Julia's bed, but we'll see how much time I find.   It felt good to do something fun for me. :)

     Julia is growing like a weed!!  I bought her some new shoes today because she only has one pair that fits her, and I had to get a size 7 1/2!!  CRAZY!   She has switched to the "threes" at day-care, and they focus on recognizing numbers, letters, shapes, etc.  Letters?!!  Is she that old already!  I'm a little freaked out but this, but we will go with it.  It can't hurt.  Her birthday is coming up in about a month, so that will be fun. She is already excited for it.  

     What is new with all of you?  its hard to believe that school is going to start and summer is almost over.  Wow.  Has anyone heard about Becca's new baby?  Name?  How about Amy?  Any other crazy news to report from the summer?  

      Well, I am going to try to get some laundry done this afternoon, so I'm going to get started on that.  Have a GREAT long weekend everyone!   I'll keep working on growing yet another female to add to our CRAZY estrogen-heavy group. :)

Love you guys! 

   Mandola

CPE is over

Today was the official last day of my CPE internship. I have a few revisions to make on my final written evaluation, but the official clock hours and other requirements have been completed. Now I have a couple days before Katherine and her parents move here. Next week I will spend a lot of time with them while writing another essay for the NW MN synod and then leaving for Mexico for 3 wks. I'm looking forward to heading to Mexico, but it's not without some nervousness. When I arrive in Mexico City I have to find a bus to Cuernavaca and once I get there, call my host family and figure out how to get a bus to their house. I'm sure it will all be fine and be an adventure, but sometimes I wish I were traveling with someone. Maybe on the next 'international' trip.

Today I had the pleasure of hanging out with Elizabeth and Miceala once again - oh is it so fun to have them close. When I move to my apartment in September, we were only be a parking lot away.

How are all you ladies doing?

I'm a student again!

Hello friends! I am writing to you from our new residence at Luther! We are all moved in and, with the exception of my room, our apartment is all set up. The rooms were all bigger than I remembered, so its been a nice space to spread out and claim as our own. The neighbors are all VERY nice (very diverse in our hallway especially) and all very married.:) I just have to put on my strong armor and be ready for questions like "Is you husband a student too?" which I've gotten a lot already.

Micaela likes her school-she is there 1/2 days now and will go full time in September. They do lots of sprinkler days and playing in the sandbox. If I'm not careful she'll run into the apartment, plop down on the couch and sand will spill from her pockets, shoes, cuffs...so we bath a lot. :) Oh-the daycare is also about 12 feet from our door, just down the hall...its awesome!

My class is good, I'm struggling a little bit to study as much as I should-and I can't really go to study sessions on a regular basis b/c of the girl. But, so far I feel like I'm not a total idiot. I'm told it gets harder in about a week-so I'll let you know then!

Other than that-I'm enjoying seeing Scander's beautiful face on a regular basis and reconnecting with some high school friends down here. Matthew gets married on the 26th, so family will start descending into the Cities in a week. We've explored Como Park and Zoo, the library and we visit the playground right outside our building almost every day.

Mandy, I hope you're having fun in Maine! Breanna, hope you're resisting the urge to think about school, Shripes, Lindsey-where the hell are ya? , Amanda-how was the 4th party? Sarah-hi!

Love you all!

Elizabeth

California...

Oh wow, we had a great time in California. But, we did drive there and have some interesting times in the van, like when we were in the California desert and there was a giant traffic jam and the van started overheating. So, we had to keep the doors open and turn off the AC and just enjoy the heat. FUN!
Then, on the way home, the AC went out all together, so we had a warm, sticky drive home. Ewwwwwwww.
But, we stopped in Las Vegas on our way and stayed there for a night. If anyone is wanting to take a trip to Vegas anytime soon, I would recommend that you NOT go in the summer. It was about 115 degrees there. I do not handle heat well. At least it was dry heat.
Then, we did get to see Hoover Dam, which Chris was very excited about.
Then, we headed to our rental beach house for the next four days in Oxnard, CA (about 40 min. away from LA). At our house, we drank A LOT and walked to the beach whenever we got warm. But, we had a huge deck to hang out on, so we did. It was a very nice temperature here, at night it was COLD! We had to go buy sweatpants for both Chris and me. We had a nice grill, so we did use that for dinner one night, and then used up all of our other grill food at about 1 in the morning a couple of other mornings when Chris wanted to grill food for a midnight snack. What a crazy guy.
On our way back to MN, we stopped in San Francisco and stayed with a high school classmate of theirs...we saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Muir Woods forest, and then stopped in wine country for a little while. We were going to camp in wine country, but since we already knew the AC wasn't going to make it, Chris did not sample wine and drove us all through the night. What a nice boy.
We had a great time....here are a few pictures....

The Festival

Hi ladies! Here are the photos of the 3rd annual F'n Festival from William O'Brien State Park and Stillwater, MN. Good times were had by all! Friday night, the festival participants were Elizabeth, Micaela, Sarah, and me. We had a great time sitting by the fire, enjoying s'mores and good conversation. As you can see, Micaela enjoyed the s'mores quite a bit. :)

After a good nights sleep in our oh-so-comfy tent that was erected by the wonder-women Sarah and Elizabeth, we had delicious oatmeal for breakfast and then enjoyed a peaceful morning walk along the St. Croix. It was very fun and good exercise. Then we took a drive into cute Stillwater for some exploring and a picnic near the motorcycle epicenter of Minnesota (apparently). We had a great time looking around, enjoying the shops, and again having good conversation. We stopped in Marine-on-St.-Croix for some delicious ice cream on our way back to camp, and then we all (except Micaela) enjoyed a little nap in what was no longer a tent but a sauna. :)

Breanna arrived around 6:00 or so, and we all got to enjoy a meal together, which was GREAT. Elizabeth planned all of our scrumptious meals, and they were delicious. Micaela zonked out during our meal preparation as you can also see in the pictures. Wouldn't it be great to be small again and just sleep wherever you want? :) After our filling meal, we bid goodbye to Elizabeth and Micaela. The three compadres left decided to go on the same hike of the morning, but now with the evening sky. It was great.

Upon returning from our nice hike, we played some cards and then built an AWESOME fire. About 2 milliseconds after the fire was roaring, we heard sirens (as in weather sirens) going off. Hmmm... We figured out soon enough that a short trip to the park's interpretative center was in order as a severe thunderstorm was on its way. We had to kill our roaring fire, but we got to play cards for about 1/2 hour in the shelter, so all fun was not lost. Elizabeth managed to run into a storm on her way home, too, and ended up staying in a hotel in St. Cloud, but only until 3:00 in the morning. I'm sure that she can share her story sometime. :) Ahh, the things people sacrifice to make it to and from the festival. :)

After a rainy and a little bit wet night of sleeping, we awoke EARLY to a cranky kid in the site next to us. We enjoyed the fire that we missed the night before, as well as some very nutritious breakfast s'mores. mmmm.

We got to meet Lindsey and the adorable Addyson in Stillwater for breakfast. We enjoyed a throughly artery-clogging but delicious meal together before we all headed back to our homes in all crazy parts of the region.

If Sarah were writing this, I'm sure you would find it all much for interesting. :) The festival, although small this year, was indeed a wonderful success. We all agreed that it is so refreshing to have great friends with whom no weird "small talk" is necessary. We can just jump right in like we're still living in close proximity to one another. This is a true blessing in life, and something we all should hold dear to our hearts.

I wish you all a great summer! I will try to check in as often as possible. I am not sure how much I will be able to post when we're in Maine, but I'll try if I get a chance at the humble Oakland Public Library. :) If anyone wants to send snail mail, our addy there is: 8 Goldenrod Lane, Sidney, ME 04330.

I love you all!!

Manders

Yay June!

Hey ladies...

First: The Camping. I am going to call and cancel one of the sites since its not looking like we need 2 sites. According to my calculations Scanders, Mandy and I will be there Friday night. Lindsey will visit on Saturday and then S, M, myself and Breanna will camp Saturday night. Correct?

Second: Micaela and I just got back from a trip to St. Louis. We met up with 2 girlfriends in St. Louis and we all witnessed our friend Jess (from Tacoma) get married! We took the train ALL day Thursday...the journey lasted 25 hours...5 hours longer then supposed to. Micaela was great on the train, the only bummer was in order for her to sleep well she took up both our seats and I spent quality time on the floor. But it was well worth it to have a sleeping child. I had a minor melt down when the taxi dropped us off at the wrong hotel at 2am, so we had to get another taxi to a hotel 20 minutes away. Then our hotel key didn't work and when I called the front desk he said we'd have to change rooms, I said, in my best peaceful and Christ-like voice "I will switch to the room right across the hall, but that's it! You come and fix this, I'm not hauling my child and our luggage another step!!!" Classy, right (it was 2:30am by this point and my arms were SO SORE from hauling our crap all over)

We slept, found our friend and saw the St. Louis Zoo..Micaela was excited, but equally scared of every animal. I made the mistake of wearing a dress and she tried to hide under my skirt with every new animal we saw. We saw the arch and other fun city sites. And the trip home was smooth sailing, timing was better and Micaela slept A LOT. Good times!

Now, I've started packing b/c we move in 1 month! AAAHHHHH! Enjoy the crazy picture of my child and nephew from my Dad's retirement party last weekend. Love you all!

friday doldrums

No Go....

Well ladies, I have decided that I am not going to be able to make it to the F-ing Festival. I just can't make it work - I can't travel that far with three toddlers! I'm sorry and I hope you thoroughly enjoy your time!

thinking caps on...it's a race!

So, I am getting my message ready for Baccalaureate next Wednesday, and they want me to come up with a hymn that goes with my message. I am basing my message on 1 Tim...Do not neglect the gift that is within you...so, I am telling them what gifts they have as a class and then telling them to use them in the future for good purposes. Let me know if you think of a great hymn that would go with that.
Ready........GO!
P.S. No word on the new job yet.
Love you, bye!

mandy...

I am posting on "little-miss preggers" behalf. Mandy will HOPEFULLY be camping Friday night and for sure Saturday night. Julia will probably not be on this little adventure so Mandy will actually be able to complete entire sentences and is very excited about that :)

So, if Scanders and Mandy can camp Friday night...I'm game. If not, I'll stay in the City Friday night and we can all meet up Saturday morning.

There is a small chance I may have to leave Saturday night-I'll check in with the powers that be (a.k.a my Pastor).

Saturday camping for me

Hello...
I will camp Saturday. P.S. I have an interview in Lake Crystal today (that is the town I live in)...how nice!

I would be able to camp Friday and Saturday, but won't camp Friday alone (yes, I'm scared of the dark). Its just a very long drive and a lot of work for one night camping.

I have an email from Amy saying she would try to make it.

That's the report from here...

Making a plan....

Ok, so I'm trying to get a plan here. That weekend is coming together for me! I'm off early Friday, so that stress is gone. Kevin didn't flinch when I told him I would be away for part of our anniversary, so that stress is gone. I have the entire following week off....so, if my kids don't sleep in tents, that stress is gone too! he he.... My biggest stress is getting the kids on Saturday....yikes! It looks like an hour and a half trip from St. Cloud to Stillwater, does that sound right? So, Elk River to St. Cloud, then to Stillwater - those of you from down there, what kind of a trip am I looking at here? Tell me to buck up and make my hubby give me money for gas! :) Anyway - who IS all going to camp for sure? Has anyone heard anything from Becca or Amy? Sarah A camping? Elizabeth, Mandy, Breanna? Can't wait to meet Addyson!!! Is anyone camping Friday night too, or just Saturday night? Keep me posted!

Procrastination

A quick weigh-in as I'm procrastinating on my papers: I can get my hands on two tents. One is my own (10x10) and the other is my mom's (a 2-rm cabin tent). I haven't asked her if I can use it, but I'm sure she'll say yes!

Amanda - Come!!! But, at the same time, don't give into the peer pressure if can't do it. You know your limits.

You can do it!

That's what Micaela says when we're biking up hill "You can do it! You can REALLY do it!" You can do it, Amanda! Elk River to Still Water is less than an hour...so not exactly across the state :) If I can help in anyway, I think Micaela will just be driving from EGF to Stillwater on Friday, so we can put extra kids in the car, caravan...whatever!

I have a tent (on order) that sleeps 4 people, if its nice I'm fine putting the kiddos in a tent and sleeping outside too. I might do some checking b/c wouldn't it be fun to rent a HUGE tent...I'll see how much that is! Might make putting kids to bed easier (or way harder).

This is coming up so soon...3 weeks! Micaela and I are going to St. Louis in 2 weeks for a friend's wedding, so I'll try to make sure we've got all the details taken care of prior to leaving.

YOU CAN DO IT EVERYONE!

Howdy

Amanda, you have to come! It is already going to be a sparse crowd I have a feeling. I do have a tent that my lovely bridesmaids purchased for me and Chris. I have not used it yet, but would be happy to bust it out for the festival. The only problem is, I don't know what times I will get there because I am going to the Guthrie that day.

As for how far ER is from SC, it is about a half an hour...not too bad. But, we are camping in Stillwater, right?

Well, on other notes...congrats on the new thing growing in your tummy, Mandy. I hope someone (Becca, Amy, Mandy) can produce a boy, that would be good. As for me, I am more in the Sarah and Sarah camp...not quite ready yet. But, I have been married for one whole year now!

A couple weeks ago, my brother graduated from Concordia and I got to see Elizabeth and Micaela....it was so fun! But, I still can't believe it has been 5 years. My first 8th graders are graduating in a matter of days. I am feeling old.

Keep the conversation going! See you all soon...that is actually really soon!

Struggling....

I'm struggling with scheduling the weekend of the festival....I have to work on Friday and I'm leaving early for this DAMN concert I have to chaperone my husband for. How far is Elk River from St. Cloud? Here's my hang up - I need to pick up my kids on Saturday morning before the festival, but really don't want to be driving all around the state that day. I also realized it's our anniversary that weekend...so, please talk me into coming anyway - I'm struggling with what to do. I want to do it all, just can't figure out how! What's the story with tents? Does anybody have tents or are we renting or what? We have a screen tent, but I wouldn't sleep in it!!! It keeps the mosquitos off your supper though.....oh, heck, I do want to come! I'm just a little nervous about camping in a tent with three kiddos. So - we'll keep in touch of course!

Green with Envy

Hello ladies! I must say that I am EXTREMELY green with envy at reading all of these posts regarding the F-ing Festival. How fun. And how absolutely depressing that I won't be able to be there. You all suck. (HAHA Just kidding! :)) Mandy - Congrats on the new little one on the way! Scanders - I'm still with ya in the "No Kids" stage, so have no fear! :) Seth and I do have some fun news, though -- WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is in Marshall and we close on the 30th of May. We are SO EXCITED. It is in the older part of town where there are big tall trees and nice neighborhoods and I have found out since we bought it that I already know some of our neighbors! We are, at long last, moving on to that next stage in our life -- being in debt for the next 30 years! :) HAHA - Seriously, we are super pumped. It will be great for us to be back in Marshall and we're looking forward to having our OWN HOME, our OWN LAWN, our OWN STUFF!! Anyway..I don't have much else to contribute, but I wanted to update all of you on the exciting news in our lives. I miss all of you and would love for you to come check out the house whenever you can - there will be TWO guest bedrooms (since there aren't any of our own kids around!) and there's even a second bathroom, although one of them will probably be designated the BOY bathroom for Seth. :) Anywho - I will stop blabbing..love you all and MISS YOU..Sarah

Yay!

I will book the sites tomorrow-for Friday and Saturday night? Who can be there when? I think Micaela can do Friday and Saturday...

I will then send an email out to all the address I have (the evil power of facebook makes it easy to contact the women we haven't heard too much from).

I will do some talking to some people at church, I think a couple large tents would be really fun, I found a small tent hard to put little ones to sleep...but yes, we can work on who will bring what later.

I'm excited...the 3rd annual festival is drawing near!!!!!

let it be...

Ok, the Backstrom's have a plan! Yahoo! We are heading down to Elk River Friday night for the concert and staying at a friends house in Elk River. Saturday morning, Kevin is going to ride back up north with another friend who lives north of us, and I'll stay in the Elk River area (after retrieving the kids from sis-in-law in St. Cloud) and camp with all ya-all! We would prefer not to haul the camper that far, considering Kevin would not be able to help with the tear down, so the problem is that we do not own a tent. But, those are details we can work out later. So, Elizabeth, I think you should book it. Would you agree it would be nice to have input from all those who have not inputted their inputs yet? But, I'm up for this latest plan! I'm sorry it didn't work out to be here - maybe some other time! We're always up for a hoe-down here! Or just some grilled pork chops! I'll keep checking here for updates!

input

I, too, looked a little bit at Lake Maria State Park...I'm not sure if they have sites which accomodate Rvs or not so we'd want to check that if Amanda were bringing her trailor. Oh and Amanda, nice try by trying to put me in charge via a blog entry. Unfortunately it's not going to happen this time because I've got five papers and a test left to do before the semester ends in a week and a half. :)

Mandy - CONGRATULATIONS!!! While I'm a little weirded out that so many of my friends have children, I do think it's wonderful. I told my mom and she was just as excited as I was!

An idea

Okay, I did some searching for places near Elk River-that seems like a nice central location, no one has to drive over 5 hours. Lake Maria State Park looks lovely and they have sites available for our weekend in June. Shall I book the sites? Here is some info about the Park...(in case you go searching and notice that they do have camper cabins for rent-I checked and they are booked for our weekend)

Address
11411 Clementa Ave NW
Monticello, MN 55362

Phone
(763) 878-2325 Business 1
(763) 878-2620 Fax

State Park offer backpack camping, cabins, group camp sites, hiking trails, horseback trails, picnicing, fishing, interpretive programs and displays.
Type of Accommodation
Camping, State Parks

Directions to Accommodation from Nearest Town/Intersection
From Monticello, CR 39 west to CR 111 to Park entrance. Follow State Park signs.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rates
Daily Camping Rates: $12

Additional Rate Info
Group camp $50/night or $3/camper - whichever is greater. Camper cabins $35.

Dates Year Round
Availability Reservations: www.stayatmnparks.com or 1-866-857-2757.

South it is!

Guess what - my dear husband, even after telling him of my plans for that weekend, has made more plans for me! We're going to Elk River on Friday for a David Allen Coe concert. (don't ask - I don't even know what he sings - but Kevin's in love!) So, perhaps a destination down there would work out better anyway! Our concert is on Friday night, and I don't think Kevin was too thrilled about rushing back up north Saturday morning - so, let's put Scanders in charge! he he.... We'll just make something work! Congratulations Mandy - I think you mentioned getting sick of sex anyway - and that's not good! :) We're very happy for you - a boy would be good! Wish we could hear from Breanna, Becca and Amy - HINT HINT. What is everyone's plan? We'll keep in touch! Love ya all!

Location, location, location

Hello friends!

1. CONGRATS to Mandy and David! I'm really hoping for a boy, we need some balance. Maybe I'll bring Isaiah to the festival just to spice up life :)

2. I think we should consider camping a littler farther south. I camped at Norway beach last summer and that was a nice spot. Maybe Scanders would have some good south ideas. Even if its without a camper, we're tough and can do it! Maybe we can even have a rain site just in case.

Thoughts?

Hang in there ladies-we'll get this figured out!

Elizabeth

December 8, 2008

Guess what? :) That little baby up there is 6 weeks, 3 days old, and as of today is 9 weeks old with a heartbeat of 170 beats per minute. Isn't that amazing? Oh yeah, and its in MY BELLY!!!

So sorry I haven't gotten back to you about this whole frolicking festival thing. Needless to say, I've been a bit exhausted at night, and that along with the nauseousness that worsens sometimes at night, I haven't been really up for sitting at the computer. TV and a couch is way less taxing. :) Here's my input... If I'm being totally honest, I'm not sure that I'll be able to make it all the way up to the northland for the festival. I love you all so dearly, but we have about three longish trips in the next month before we head out to that 1300 mile Maine drive, and with the price of gas, I'm not sure that we can hack it. I will do my best if camping up there works the best, and it sounds like we have a lot of great options to make it fun and comfortable up there... but I can't promise anything. I would be more likely to make an outing in the Cities, which cuts my drive in half, but I know adds immensely to the travels of some of the rest of you.
So, that is my input. Please take it with the knowledge that I want you all to do what is best for the WHOLE group, and I will work with what the decision is. OK? :)

I am buying time from "Daddy" right now who is giving Julia a bath after a really long day at work, so I'm going to head up and relieve him. I'll check back here as much as possible and I'll try to get back on any questions in a more timely manner. The nauseousness is easing a little bit, so that is helpful. I actually cleaned for the first time in about 5 weeks yesterday. Those of you who lived with me know that that is a crazy long time for me not to clean. And I didn't care one bit. :)

Anyway, I love you all!! My blessings on you making the festival decisions. You are wise and incredible. :)

Mandola and little one cooking inside. :) Maybe a boy for our estrogen-heavy group ?

5 years ago

Some of us graduated five years ago today. I never imagined I would be where I am today. If the past five years have gone this quickly, what does that say about the upcoming five years and beyond?

Camping Update

I called the state park yesterday, and the site that has electric hookup, there are 4 spots left, none of which are next to each other. I talked to the park ranger dude, and he said we can all hang out at one site during the day, but as far as sleeping, we have to split up and sleep with only 1 camper or 2 tents at each site. Not a huge deal. Otherwise, there's another site without electricity that is closer to the swimming beach that is wide open. We have a camper, and I think it'll be useful with or without electricity....

Another option - there's a little resort outside of Pelican called Leisure Lane that I'm going to check out! It's on Prairie Lake - a very kid friendly beach. I'm checking into things - MANDY, LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK?!?!?! I'll keep you posted!

Amen!

Let it be so...I think as soon as Mandy (the one who has to travel the farthest) give us her blessing on the location, you should book it Amanda. Either your house, or the camping site-I'm up for either (as we learned last year, we need no grand location to have a really good time).

Mandy-if you want us to go farther south-don't be afraid to say so.

And I hereby swear not to talk about children the whole time :)

Love you all!


Elizabeth

LET'S GO CAMPING!!!!!!

I want to go camping!!!!

I think Maplewood or Amanda's would be good and I think we should plan on the second week in June!!!

More thoughts....

After I posted the last little bit, I got to thinking - having it hear would be a lot easier, with all the little ones anyway - but I thought of some more amenities available here - we have the grill, screened in porch, hot showers, we could take the kids for a nature walk :) - just some thoughts. Camping does sound like fun too - I need YOUR FEEDBACK!

Are we camping or what?!?!?

So - word has it that the 2nd week in June is the weekend for the festival! How many are up for a little camping? I would be more than happy to line something up - and if it's near us, Kevin will help set up the camper and all that good stuff! I'm picturing all the ladies and lots of tots in Maplewood State Park. It's near Pelican, and it has TONS of walking trails, a nice swimming beach, playground equipment, etc. It would be a good spot for our group of people. I'm going to call today and see if anything is available for that weekend. I won't book it yet, but we should soon if it's something we want to do! The only negatives are that each vehicle would need a state park pass, and I'm not sure how much that costs, but it adds to the expense for the weekend of course. OR - we could set up the tents in my backyard! HA HA!! Just kidding! Or if camping is NOT what everyone wants to do, that is totally fine too - but Elizabeth is right, we need to get rolling! I would be happy to offer my home to guests too! We have a big yard, lots of room to run, giant swing set that Kevin built from High Line poles, we have a slip-n-slide, a little swimming pool, chickens for chasing and all sorts of fun stuff for the kids. So - what's the plan? Please give us feedback - or, Elizabeth and I will start making harassing phone calls! :) Talk to you all soon!