Red, White, and Cute...Part 9!

Happy Independence Day!

These past months...it has been hard to see some of the things going on in our country. But every time I see it getting hard or confusing, I also see so many good people in our country stepping up and fighting for what they know is right. And I’m grateful for that.

The 4th of July on Timehop is one of the few days of the year where there are lots of pictures for this day for almost nine years in a row. Except for 2013. I was super pregnant then. And we were busy moving. And there were just no pictures beyond the obligatory 4th pic being taken.

So...I’ll repost what I did last year for my Callie 4th pictures:

That 2010 pic...her big head...I giggle every time!

And then Timehop helped me with the sister 4th pictures:

That pic from 4 years ago...2014...also makes me giggle every time!

And then we come to today! All decked out in our (Target) 4th of July best!

Have a great day!

Also, today seems like an appropriate day to share that Laura was able to get HAMILTON TICKETS! In October we’ll be seeing all the 1776 drama unfold on the stage and I’m SO EXCITED.

Timehop Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

I am always amazed at how sweet (and old) Kona looks when her pics pop up.

Kona was calmly interested in a turtle, Luna lost her mind over a TEENY TINY TREE FROG.

And finally, me and Chris!

Weekend Wrap-Up: The End of Crazy June Edition

Holy moly you guys. June 2018 was INSANE.

We ended the school year and immediately had a busy family wedding weekend. Then we had a dance recital weekend.  Then a family weekend in Iowa for Grammy’s memorial. Then the girls were up north for 4 days. And then this weekend: my long time dear friend Adrea got married near Turtle Lake, WI and I was part of her wedding as a reader!

So Chris and I were gone for the weekend for those festivities while the girls spent one night at G-ma and Pa’s house and one night at Boom’s (and they got to hang out with Auntie Mari, Auntie Yoda, and Lucy some too). They are so adaptable...thank goodness. But I think it is safe to say we are looking forward to a slower start to July.

 Here are some pictures from the weekend! We had the wedding rehearsal on Friday night. Adrea’s wedding was at her family cabin, and it was a lovely venue. The rehearsal was a relaxed and fun affair with her family.

On Saturday morning her friend Krista and I headed over to Adrea’s hotel to relax and hang out with her and her sister Liz while she got ready!

Later Chris and I got lunch at a little bar in Barron, WI...named Kate’s, which is appropriate because Adrea is the only person in my life who calls me Kate, and she always has. There were some pretty funny signs in the bar.

Then it was wedding time!  It was HOT, but so lovely.

The reception was at a banquet hall and most of us got EXTREMELY  sweaty dancing our hearts out on the dance floor. Adrea even got Chris on the dance floor a few times, which is VERY rare.


They had Jenga pieces on the table that we were to write messages on, so as you can see above, I put some words to live by on mine.

While we were gone, the girls had a blast with our wonderful family.

This afternoon we spent some time outside and snuggled up watching the Lynx game. 

Have a great 4th of July week! And thanks again to our awesome and amazing family who make fun weekends for me and Chris possible!

A Picture Update: Summer Week 3

Ahhhhh! How are we already 3 weeks into summer? I need to stop freaking about how fast it is going and just enjoy it as it comes. Easier said than done.

This was a big week! Callie and Maya spent Monday they Thursday up at the north shore with Auntie Cat, G-ma and Pa at a cute little cabin. They did lots of fun things by the water, on hikes, and at the cabin. Here are the pictures that G-ma sent!

Thanks SO much to Auntie Cat for planning the trip and fro her, G-ma and Pa for taking such good care of our girls and helping them to have a lovely and wonderful week!

While they were gone, I got a lot of one-on-one time with his crazy lunatic:

She was pretty much glued to me 24/7 and it was cute but a little annnoying. HA. 

I also had a lunch and a coffee date with a couple different friends.

Chris’ and my big adventure this week week was golfing (or in my case walking) at Hazeltine with Uncle Jim and Aunt Coco on Wednesday afternoon. It was a lovely day and a lot of fun to spend the afternoon on the golf course.

After the round, Uncle Larry and Aunt Mary met us for dinner.

After one run, two walks, and walking 18 holes, I racked up the steps.

The girls got back late afternoon on Thursday and I was so happy to have them back home!! They were happy to see us too. 


Have a great weekend!

Timehop Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! Here are my Timehops:

Silly girls in sunglasses!

Callie and her golfing sets go back a ways:

Sports camps: tennis and golf!

Maya at the library:

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Ottumwa Edition!

Hello! This weekend we traveled 5 hours south to Ottumwa, IA to celebrate the life of Grammy. It was so wonderful being with so many family members in a place that was so special to Grammy. She was always proud of being from southern Iowa!

We headed out around 12:30 on Friday and the girls were ready for a long car ride.

We made it to Ottumwa about 5:30. On Friday night we walked to a Mexican restaurant for dinner (though the girls got lifts from John and Jen)!

We had breakfast at the hotel on Saturday morning with Lucy!

We all met at the cemetery at 10am for a memorial service. Grammy’s urn was made by Jenny’s mom, Marti. Uncle Joe did the service. We sang hymns. The weather was lovely. It was a wonderful and personal way to say goodbye.

John was the lucky one who got to put the urn down in the hole. It was a really deep hole. We gathered around and even giggled a little bit because of how deep it was. But we were glad that it was a member of the family that got to put her in her final resting place.

Then we went to Hotel Ottumwa for a time of sharing, music family pictures, and lunch.

It was a wonderful morning remembering Grammy. In preparation for what we wanted to say about Grammy during the time of remembrance, my sisters and I looked at journals and emails from her from long ago.  I shared a few examples of her emails (from the spring of 2001 when I was ending my first year of college and she was getting ready to move to Loveland) that showed what a goofy and caring Grammy was. Here are a few examples:

*I will pass on a lovely saying= No truly advanced civilization would include panty hose. arf  Love, Grammy

*On my morning walk I received a daisy from a friend so I have a flower on my desk. I like it and I love you.  Grammy

*A typist i am not and don't pretend to be but i need to capitalize the I. Come on Carolyn get with the program.  Thanks for checking in. Love, Grammy

*The feng shui lady is coming Monday at six thirty and i think J and J are coming back for that.  I have an hour and a half appt. so I should learn something. Stay tuned. (spoiler alert, I found out a few emails later she was NOT impressed by the feng shui lady)

*To-night i am going to kick myself out of the house in order to go to the dance at the Sr. center. Much Love and confidence in you Grammy

(I must have been stressed out at the end of my semester, because her messages started getting more encouraging and supportive)

*Be good to yourself. Quote of the day=When down in the mouth remember Jonah-he came out all right. Peace!!  Love, Grammy

*SO looking forward to your visit to colorado, i know it seems like a long way away. we both have several rivers to cross, maybe even mountains before that and we will make it. Carry on sweetheart.  Love, Grammy

*This too shall pass as the good ole summer time rolls in yet we must live in the present. Boy do I ever have to listen to myself on that one.  Love, Grammy

On our way back to the hotel I bribed the girls to take a picture in front of this pretty brick wall.  There were some outtakes but I got a money shot too!

That afternoon the girls finally got to go swimming back at our hotel.

A little later, my mom and sisters and I drove around Ottumwa to all the spots Mom remembered going to whenever they visited Ottumwa.  We stopped at the drug store for an old fashioned limeade!

Yesterday evening we ended up going to a park, eating takeout at a brewery (where they liked us so much we got to name their new beer- Johnson Wheat!) and then going for ice cream.

This morning we got up and had breakfast (and did a little more swimming) before heading home.

I’m so grateful to have had this weekend to spend time with our Ekeberg/Johnson family and friends. They are a special group of people, from all over the country, who made the trip to honor and remember the life of Carolyn Ekeberg, my Grammy. 

I created a picture slideshow for the memorial that you can maybe/hopefully find by clicking here! (I have had a heckuva time trying to figure out how to share this, so I'm not sure if that link will actually work. You might have to type in your name, not sure).

But you can see some fun videos (Lucy almost walking!  Singing!) from the weekend by clicking here!

Another busy summer week starts!

59-Months-Old!

We are one month out from having a 5 year old!!! This set of pictures just about describes Maya to a tee.

Serious, goofy, sweet, sassy, and sometimes so tired because she doesn’t want to sleep. 

This girl is something else! And we love her!