The Frooks-Brasers

A star is born!

2010-06-25T12:42:00.004-05:00

He finally made it! Liam Daniel Brooks was born on Saturday June 19 at 7:13 pm. He was 7 pounds 14.5 oz, 20.6 inches. Labor went very well, we had an outstanding doctor, resident, and nurses. Dr. Whitworth ran the half marathon in the morning and was at the hospital by 11 am! She is an amazing family practice doctor - I highly recommend going with a family practice doctor for anyone. They are far less likely to use a lot of interventions (even though we had quite a few) and less likely to turn to cesarean births. Our nurse during the delivery, Jennifer, was perfect, too. It was an experience I will always remember fondly. I wish all women had such great birth experiences, it makes me sad to know that some are a lot harder than mine.

We are getting used to life as parents. It's a big change! Nights are no longer for sleeping, that comes in short bits during the day. At this stage, if Liam is awake, he is feeding, otherwise he sleeps most of the time. He has gone on a few outings and done very well. He is the cutest baby I have ever seen, and unless everyone is lying to us, it sounds like a lot of people think he's pretty darn cute. Apparently he looks like Dan! Not a bad thing! He has spent this week getting to know his aunts and uncles and grandparents Bob and Mary. This weekend his Fraser grandparents and aunt are coming for a visit. It should be fun.

Enough chat, here are pictures!

The waiting game

2010-06-17T10:18:00.002-05:00

This is our little boy Liam. He was supposed to be here last week. This picture is from 9 weeks ago now! They told us back then that if he made it to his due date (now well past) he would be a 9 to 10 pounder! Mom was hoping he would make an early appearance or even an on time appearance, but no such luck. Those weight estimations can be wrong, though, and lets hope he's not quite that big. We've had rain and cool temperatures for the last week, so maybe he is just waiting for a warm sunny day to come out. Well, its sunny and supposed to get up to nearly 80 degrees today, buddy! Good day to come out and play.

skijoring with Billie!

2010-02-11T20:40:00.003-06:00

6 below this morning at Boulder Lake. Warm in the sun, though. Billie was on fire today, she just kept going and going. She usually doesn't pull me that much, but today she was definitely giving me an extra boost. So much fun.

Fungi in the forest

2009-09-01T17:10:00.004-05:00

We saw so many mushrooms in the Porkies, more than I have ever seen, and in many varieties. We tried to take pictures of the more memorable ones, here are some of them.

Phew!

2009-09-01T16:09:00.009-05:00

Wow, time has flown since our last post and a lot has happened!

First, I finished my program! August 1st was our "pinning ceremony". It was a jam packed weekend with Dan's mom and sister coming to Duluth, grad parties, the Brewhouse Tri on Sunday, and a baby shower thrown in there for fun.

Monday the 3rd I hit the road and went to Chicago for 4 days, which was a blast! I love that city. I got together with my girls Heather and Kerry. We did a lot of biking, drank some good beer, and enjoyed the hot weather. It was fun to talk, laugh, and be together again.

I got home on the 6th and on the 8th went to the Twin Cities until the 15th. I did a Kaplan board exam prep course with some other people from my program. I stayed with Maddie for a few days and with Nick and Louisa for the rest of the week. It was another really fun week. Class was pretty much every evening from 6 pm to 9:30 pm leaving lots of time for biking all over the metro area. There are spectacular bike trails and paths all over the twin cities and Nick and I explored a lot of them. Dan came down one night and he and my nursing school friends went to a Twins game.

Last week I took the dreaded board exam and passed! So now I am officially and unemployed RN... shouldn't I be getting a check or something? Ha, just kidding. I have been spending my days searching for and applying for jobs. I figure I have applied for over 70 jobs at this point and have not gotten one call. Its an ugly market right now.

Dan and I went to the Porcupine Mts in Michigan's UP last weekend to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, my finishing school/board exam, and Dan finishing at the Scenic!!! Thank god he is out of that place. He definitely stayed too long and should have quit being a manager there long ago. Its has been wonderful to spend time together, eat dinner together, and live a normal life! Our backpacking trip was wonderful, I wish we could have stayed longer. It was a nice way to enjoy a little bit of summer. He starts school at UWS tomorrow, so that should be something to stay tuned for.

Katie, Ellie, Sara, Audrey, Mo, Leanne

Chicago from the SAIC deck

new bridge going to SAIC modern wing (Heather's alma mater)

for Jolene, love Oprah

Heather and Kerry

the Hopleaf - lots of beers, good mussels and fries

Last time at the 'dome?

Jason, Ro, Jodie

Ellie, Kelsey

Two of my favorites from my childhood

Rainy start to the trip

packs up on the bear pole

Billie earns her keep

Lake of the Clouds - not as special as it was made out to be

Highest falls in the park

Stella checking out the edge of the cliff

Billie is so tired

Happy

Billie rolling around sans backpack

Mirror Lake

Presque River

The Big Lake

keep the faith

2009-07-17T12:09:00.009-05:00

Hi friends. Recently one of Dan's friends said that he was "losing faith" in our blog. I am sorry! I really have no good excuse except that our lives have been pretty boring for the last few months.

I went straight from Spring into Summer semester at school (literally, we started the summer semester the day after our last final exam from the Spring). Dan is working 2 jobs and continuing to heal from his surgery. I haven't been working as much this summer because of school.

Two weeks from today and I will be done! The month of July is spent in our capstone clinical - we do 130 hours with one or two preceptors. I am at SMDC on the pediatrics floor, or St. Mary's Children's Hospital, and I love it. I would absolutely love to find a job in peds, but at this point I will take anything I can get. I have applied for over 40 nursing jobs here and in North Carolina and not one hit yet. It's very frustrating. The reality of leaving Duluth is increasingly setting in. We don't want to leave yet, as we just refinanced our house. Hopefully we could rent it out, but that is sort of a hassle. So we have a lot of things to think about and decisions to make in the next few months.

As for fun, pretty much the only thing we have done was to go over to Bayfield and see the Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile at Big Top for my birthday. We're hoping to go backpacking at the end of August for our anniversary and maybe squeeze in a Twin's game sometime, too. I am pretty jealous of those of you that have been doing all of the normal summer things - going camping, hanging out at the lake, going to the beach, and just taking vacations in general. I really hope that once I get a job (positive thinking) we can start enjoying these things as well.

So, as usual, here are some photos from the last couple of months.

Dan's walleye

Flowers in the front of and around the house

Stella loves her frisbee

Evening at Park Point, or, as my two favorite Alaskans call it, Cabo San Duluth

View of a part of the Sea Caves on the South Shore of Lake Superior

Indigo Girls

Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls

snl

2009-05-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

signs of spring...

2009-05-08T08:58:00.005-05:00

Dan's birthday party. Lots of grilled meat, homemade bread, beer, friends, and cake.

More signs of spring...

muddy legs from trail running

fiddlehead ferns

the yellow tulip that grows from this crack in the driveway every year

could it be? leaves on the trees???

the girls getting their vitamin D

Dan's garden beginning in the basement

Vaca

2009-04-03T14:38:00.010-05:00

Soooo, this is only about a month overdue. We went on a much much much needed vacation March 6-13. We went to the Bay Islands in Honduras, specifically Utila and Roatan. It was wonderful. Roatan was a little more touristy than we usually prefer, but nothing like Cancun or other spring break hotspots.

Utila is more of a laid-back "backpackers" island. It was a fun vibe, very safe feeling, and relaxed. The only thing really lacking was a nice beach. I couldn't let go of wanting to go to a really nice beach so we ended up checking out Roatan, also, where we found beautiful beaches - more people and higher prices, too, but no bother. The worst part for me was finding out I get motion sick on choppy ferry rides - lets just say I took advantage of the barf bags they handed out. I have never been on a boat ride like these though, the sea was really rough for 3 of the 4 ferry rides we took, and I was not the only one getting sick. Anyway, small price to pay and I made up for loosing my breakfast by eating an extra ice cream cone when we got to Roatan.

Both islands are scuba diving havens, Utila especially was made up of dive shop after dive shop. Since most of the certification courses are about 4 days long and we didn't want to spend our vaca in class, we took the one day "discover scuba diving" class, which was a nice introduction. We had a really great instructor who put up with our beginners fear well. I thought I would be very comfortable scuba diving, since I spend a lot of time in the water as a swimmer. I found it to be really unnatural feeling, though, only mouth breathing and not coming up for air once in a while. Dan, too, took a while to get used to it, and he is not very comfortable at all in the water anyway, so he was really a champ. We finally got comfortable and were able to swim around a nice reef for awhile.

Since we got back life has been going absolutely non-stop bonkers. I honestly have not had time to spend posting on the blog, so I apologize but I can't say I will be much better in the next 4 months. On that note, I will be DONE with school in less than 4 months!!!! I think I will need another vacation soon after that. Enough typing, check out the photos...

View from the ferry dock in La Cieba

Feeling queasy

First meal on the island

Beach walk at dusk

Flowers along the main road in Utila

Hike across the island

At our hotel

Our awesome hotel in Utila

Goin' diving

Roatan...

our favorite eatery

one of many dogs, this one I gave some bread to and she followed us all morning. We named her fox-dog. She was really cute.

at the ferry dock on Roatan, there was another abandoned ship a little ways further out

Our last dinner in Honduras, sadly, at Pizza Hut

A little girl was having a bday party and there were little kids running around like crazy, then they brought out this Tinkerbell piñata and they whacked it for a good 15 minutes.

Total score - our flight from Honduras to Houston was only about half full and we nabbed a whole exit row for ourselves - check out that leg room! Poor Dan's knees are usually pressed against the seat in front of him.

Coat Of Many Colors

2009-04-02T17:45:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite Dolly song - I am not usually fond of covers, but this is awesome. Allison Kraus harmonizing gives me goosebumps.

eyes on the prize

2009-02-14T21:29:00.008-06:00

It's nights like tonight I start feeling sorry for myself. It's Valentine's Day. I haven't seen Dan hardly at all lately, he has been busy at work, getting ready for the big day today. Which is, of course, where he is tonight. I should be used to it; we have never had a Valentine's date ever. Then I start thinking about what a stupid holiday this is, just some arbitrary day with inflated expectations. I think a part of it is exhaustion, I have been working a lot lately and am getting into the real grind of school. I am (or should be) spending my Saturday night studying because I worked all day today and work all day tomorrow and I have a test on Monday! It was the same last weekend, no rest for the weary (I told you I'm feeling sorry for myself).

Anyway, in three weeks, we will be here:

The island of Utila, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras. Incredible scuba diving, white sand beaches, sunshine...aahhhhh. Three weeks, three weeks, three weeks...

Dan and I soon.

this skit just got a whole lot funnier

2009-02-11T23:55:00.000-06:00

I just like this

2009-02-03T23:05:00.001-06:00

band: low
song: breaker

See Poll ------------------->

2009-02-02T21:38:00.001-06:00

Vote!

cold smoke, MN style

2009-01-26T20:35:00.004-06:00

Dan and I getting our dork on, Bill Nye style. This was from nearly 2 weeks ago now, when we had our first "blast of arctic air" (as the weathermen say). We are in the midst of one again now, so it is still pertinent, although tomorrow it is going to get in the double digits above zero - tropical!

p.s. sorry for the sideways tilt at the beginning, I must have forgot that I was filming and not taking pictures. It was -15.8 for the record.

Grand Marais

2009-01-19T21:50:00.005-06:00

We went to Grand Marais for a mini-break the first week of January. We went snowshoeing on the Superior Hiking Trail and skiing along the Gunflint Trail, ate at Sven and Oles and Trail Center, soaked in the hot tub at our hotel and had a lovely, relaxing time.

Some picture from our snowshoe to the Kadunce river

Only a few shots from the Central Gunflint Trails, I think the camera battery died. These were beautiful trails and we were the only souls on them
(except for the Moose that had left tracks on part of the trail)

flour lake

Artist's point in winter

2009-01-19T21:04:00.006-06:00

break wall

part of the trail out to the point

the point, where we were married

ice covered slabs of rock and grey lake

our sawtooth mountains

bedroom

2009-01-19T20:56:00.005-06:00

before (smurf blue)

after

continued...

2009-01-05T21:36:00.005-06:00

I can't remember if I posted these last year when I found them on Youtube...

I'm not sure I was blogging back then. If I did, though, I think its worth another look, so bizarre yet so amusing.

Japanese 'workout' video?

2009-01-05T21:36:00.003-06:00

skijoring

2009-01-05T21:32:00.002-06:00

Sorry I am breathing so hard - really out of shape.

This is from our second day out - I was skiing with no poles and one bare hand. I regloved while filming - sorry if it's shaky. It was super cold out this day, I tried to film later but my camera was frozen!

oh lord

2009-01-04T18:26:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I really couldn't hear how loud I was singing, the music was really loud, so sorry about that. Try to focus instead on the dancing and Andy's appearance at the end!

party people

2009-01-04T13:51:00.005-06:00

A week ago today we had a bon voyage party for Andy, one of our good friends. He is going to Belize for a couple of months. It turned out to also be a Scenic Cafe reunion party - Steve and Leslie drove up from the cities to come. It was super fun and, of course, there was a dance party...

the whole gang

kate and leslie

andy

steve, chris, nate

kate and leslie

igo

meghan and april

lots of people, little house

steph and crystal

ben

billie slept on the coats on our bed

covet

2008-12-29T19:43:00.002-06:00

cov·et Pronunciation:\ˈkə-vət\ Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English coveiten, from Anglo-French coveiter, from Vulgar Latin *cupidietare, from Latin cupiditat-, cupiditas desire, from cupidus desirous, from cupere to desire Date: 14th century

transitive verb 1 : to wish for earnestly <covet an award>

(click on the pictures for descriptions)

Christmas

2008-12-26T15:25:00.004-06:00

I made coffee glazed doughnuts for Dan on Christmas morning.

We went to my mom and dad's for brunch. After we ate they played Silent Night, Mare on fiddle, Bob on harmonica.

After that, we went out on the river for a snowshoe.

There were tracks up to about this point of the river. For about 30 minutes after, we went through knee deep snow. It was hard work but very fun and such a beautiful day! Hopefully we burned off some of those doughnuts...

back at my parent's house.

Blizzard!

2008-12-26T15:19:00.002-06:00

sledding/skiing/shoveling party on our hill

We braved the weather and went for a blizzard hike with the dogs

whisker icicles

snow and ice

2008-12-26T15:09:00.002-06:00

Before

After

A few more inches

kitchen window icicles

funny

2008-12-20T22:42:00.002-06:00

Two blog posts about Customer comment cards from Whole Foods Market by blogger Alex Blagg.

One

Two

two more days

2008-12-15T14:58:00.005-06:00

Today was the first day of finals week. I could complain about several things that happened today but I am letting go of them and moving forward.

this is me thinking

Anyway, I just got to thinking. I began making a mental list of the things I plan on doing in my MONTH off of school. Some, no, Most are long overdue. They include, but are not limited to:

Get and decorate a Christmas tree
Reintroduce myself to my friends and family
Spend time with said friends and family
Make and send holiday greeting cards
Start Christmas shopping (don't tell me I only have 9 days from today to do this - I know!)
Get a haircut (all that time spent in class looking at my split ends....)
Log many kilometers on the ski trails and get into much better shape - Birkie in just over 2 months and I haven't been on my skis yet!!! Ack!
Get full nights' sleep
Update the blog more often
Clean my house (note that this is number 10).
Go grocery shopping
Reestablish a normal and healthy eating pattern (you know, breakfast, lunch, dinner, fruits and veggies, home cooked meals)

I'm sure I am forgetting things (oh yeah, like work). I'll keep you posted.

big hill, big snowplow

2008-12-08T11:40:00.002-06:00

Holy cow that's a big snowplow! You can hear me tell the dogs to get back inside the house at the end, I wouldn't want them to get run over by this thing.

first snow

2008-12-08T10:42:00.004-06:00

Finally we got some snow!!! Almost enough to ski on, we are supposed to get more soon so hopefully the trails will be covered and groomed in the next week. I put the dogs' christmas collars on and got them to pose for me. Vote on your favorite for the holiday card.

one

two

three

four

our hill

Snoop+Martha=awesome

2008-11-20T23:19:00.001-06:00

Halloween, hunting and hedgehogs

2008-11-12T17:38:00.007-06:00

Phew, I can't believe its been a MONTH since the last post. We were enjoying a lovely fall until about last weekend when we got our first snow and the temperature dropped. I am getting excited for snow as I signed up for the Birkie in February. Otherwise we are just plugging along, Dan has had a tiny bit more time off, since the high season ended in October. He has been out hunting and cleaning the house a lot. I, as usual, am trying to keep up and do well in school and working on the weekends.... Oh yeah, and training for the ski season!

Dan and his "crazy bat" pumpkin

my lil' ol pumpkin

Stella turned 4! Usually she gets a stuffed hedgehog but she had to settle for a chipmunk this year. She loves the soft, squeaky toys. She usually destroys them within a few days, which is why she only gets one a year. This time, though, she has been treating it very kindly and softly, it is still intact! I chalk it up to her maturity and wisdom.

Billie watching longingly.

Dan in hunting mode. Can you see him through the camoflage?

Dan and his hunting buddy Dan. I can't wait to see these two in 40 years. Will they look any different?

PR!

2008-10-12T14:07:00.006-05:00

Excitement of the weekend: running a half marathon in (personal) record time! I was hoping to beat my previous best time of 1 hour 52 minutes. My main goal was to get under 1 hour 50 minutes. My long term goal has been to get under 1 hour 45 minutes, which I did!!! I was really not expecting to. I was really only thinking about getting under 1:50, but once I started running and, at each mile realized that I was continuously doing 8 minute miles (or even slightly faster), I though "Oh my god, I might pull of the 1:45!" I tried not to get too excited though and didn't want to burn out too quickly and hit the wall. I started to tighten up a bit but was able to maintain the pace and finish in 1:44.58 (chip time).

Now I am thinking about doing a full! I would love to do it at the same race - the Whistlestop in Ashland, Wisconsin. The course is flat and absolutely beautiful - its a trail through tall trees that are bursting with color this time of year.

sarah palin remix

2008-10-12T00:40:00.002-05:00

Click here

kitchen projects

2008-10-05T18:59:00.006-05:00

The fruits of Dan's (and Ben's) labor: a new celing that replaced the 100 year old plaster with couple of big cracks. Now a tongue in groove pine celing. Lovely.

And my kitchen project: Apple pie with fresh picked apples....

Time, time, time

2008-10-05T18:09:00.004-05:00

As Bonnie so kindly reminded me, our blog is old old old. The reason is twofold: 1. not enough time because of school and work 2. nothing interesting going on because of school and work! In fact, as I update this blog I am also listening to a lecture and taking notes for my online pathophysiology class.

Fall IS here though, in all of its glory. We may be having an Indian summer - warmer than usual after the first frost and really great colors that seem to be lingering longer.

I started school a month ago. I am taking 21 credits, which means class Monday thru Friday at 8 am to noon or 2 everyday. Then its home for homework, online class, reading, studying, etc. Weekends are usually spent at Pizza Luce and trying to cram in more studying. Really a pretty lame existence. Last week I was in Ashland, Wisconsin for my first 30 hours of rural clinicals. It was fun, Ashland is a great little town. I am going there next weekend to run my favorite half marathon, the Whistlestop. Today I was in the twin cities for the Twin Cities 10 miler (a part of the Twin Cities Marathon).

Dan has been up to the usual stuff, working and grouse hunting at least every other morning. So far, only one bird.

On to the photo gallery:

Barack's important annoucement

2008-10-03T15:29:00.001-05:00

SNL

2008-09-14T08:26:00.001-05:00

labor day/anniversary

2008-09-10T17:20:00.007-05:00

We made it to our first year! It flew by. We spent the day over at Madeline Island where my parents had rented a cottage. It was beautiful and relaxing. Can't wait for year two!

Dan and Billie snoozen' on the way over

Highway 13

We stopped in Herbster for a potty break and found a really nice beach!

waiting for the ferry in Bayfield

View on the ferry from our car - LOTS of people

The other ferry going back to Bayfield

On the way to the island, lots of people out sailing

The year-round dock at the cottage

sunrise

Dan and his rocks

Dan and Bob

Bob, trying to avoid the "paparazzi"

Mare, post eggs and bacon.

classic republican BS

2008-09-04T16:11:00.002-05:00

August Mega post

2008-08-27T13:08:00.008-05:00

August in a nutshell....

Up North on the Gunflint Trail. Mo's classmate, Mat (in the hat) had us up to his parents "cabin" (log mansion) for a few days after finals. Dan and he and the other boys got to show their manliness.

Stella had competition for sticks and balls to fetch.

Stella guarding her favorite toy

Mo and dogs napping after fishing

Cassy and Doug's wedding in Lakeville

Cassy and Doug

Mo and Pirate man

Cassy and Mo

Dan giving me the look

Awwww......

And the big project done last week! New basement floor. Dan had a few days off and used nearly every hour to sand layers of paint, lay new concrete and tile the basement floor. The walls are still bright yellow, but it looks a lot better down there. We rearranged so the spare bed is moved upstairs for a proper spare bedroom and downstairs is a TV watching den.

New concrete

Tile glue

Mo helping out

Stella in the mess, enjoying the new floor

Preparing the second half, ugh. It took about 4 hours of sanding to get this half to look like this.

New setup! Billie testing out the new couch.

Upstairs spare bedroom. Don't mind the mess of schoolbooks on the desk. They will reopen next week.....

Dog days

2008-07-26T16:48:00.006-05:00

The month of July has basically gone by in the blink of an eye. We have both been really busy with work and me with school. Dan has had a few days off, he has gone fishing a couple of times, we have gone for a couple of bike rides together. I started clinicals in the hospital this month - every thursday and friday. Next week is my last week and I can not wait! I have been doing school monday through friday and then usually working both saturday and sunday at luce. It feels like a long time without much of a break. August is going to be sweet.

Anyway, here are some pictures of what we have been up to - that is, mostly hanging out at home with the dogs!

Mo and Stella

Billie at my feet

Stella and Billie

Stella

more Stella

Billie, with the look of regret in her eyes, from getting too close to a skunk!

Dan and Billie

Billie and Mo

Billie and my textbooks
They put her to sleep, too!

Large mouth bass courtesy of Dan

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies, courtesy of Mo

the irack

2008-07-13T23:31:00.001-05:00

My friend Kerry sent a link to this skit. I had actually seen this on some random Saturday night. It is one of the best Mad TV skits I've seen. So funny!

on assignment/virtual trail run

2008-07-04T20:04:00.009-05:00

This is something I have been wanting to do for awhile - bring a camera with me to Hartley field, where the dogs and I go about 3 days a week to run. It is heaven - a huge wilderness area within the city, and only a 5 minute run from our house. There are so many trails back there, but I usually end up doing to outer loop. It's so fun and challenging, time just flies by. The shade from the trees makes it bearable to run on hot summer days - sometimes it feels 10 degrees cooler in Hartley. And the dogs love to jump in the pond when we arrive and right before we leave. There is also a nice swimming hole at one point along the trail.
Anyway, the final motivation to document our typical run was brought by my friend Meghan, who is nearly done with a year in Antarctica. She loves Hartley as much as anyone else, and she asked me if I would take some pictures of the trails. She's running on a treadmill down there right now, since of course it's mid-winter in Antarctica. I hope these picture tide you over Meg, I can't wait to go running in Hartley with you when you guys return!

where we enter

pond

the pine tree cathedral

new signs! they changed the outer loop just a bit. This is the only signage on the trail.

big ferns

the swimming hole

bridge surrounded by forget-me-nots

one of the original bridges, I think

back in the pines

post-run swim

on the way out

trail to the street

One last hill! Minneapolis Avenue, thank goodness we are only halfway up.

For even more pictures from our run, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/Moriah3214/Hartley

birthday flowers

2008-07-04T18:03:00.005-05:00

Inside

From Grandma Gwen

From Dan

From Dan

Outside

birthday hike to ely's peak

2008-07-04T17:56:00.002-05:00

I love going to Ely's peak. It's a short drive but a lovely hike right in Duluth. We went there on my birthday, it was a beautiful day.

Stella, Mickey, Mo, Billie

grandma's marathon weekend

2008-06-27T18:06:00.002-05:00

Race Day

I ran the half marathon. Time was 1:53:07. Not bad, but I really want to break 1:50.

Race Night

And some dogs...

Billie eyeing a fly on the floor

And Mickey, staying with us once again, this time in heat with modified diapers on.

baby birdies

2008-06-18T22:46:00.004-05:00

As Dan was digging (see pictures below) he found this nest in a little tree next to our house. These little birds had just hatched. They thought I was their mom when I cleared the branches to snap these pictures. So cute!

Billie and Stella doing their best baby bird impressions.

Shot of the front garden. Bleeding hearts and nasturtiums in the foreground, blueberries in the background.

fixing a hole

2008-06-18T22:42:00.002-05:00

We have had a very minor problem with water in the basement over the past couple of years. The recent rains exasperated it, and Dan decided to do what the home inspector recommended - dig a ditch on the problem side of the house and put a drain system in. So he did. It was a process of digging, filling in with sand and pipe, and then covering with rock. Lets hope it works!

Mo

2008-06-18T22:26:00.001-05:00

So, this is going to get really old, but since school began, I have been buried in books, and its only going to get worse. So I apologize ahead of time for my groaning about studying and schoolwork etc that will probably continue for the next 14 months.

Sweet t-shirt from the superior trail races. I did the 25 K trail run. It was fun.

Lilly-of-the-Valley in the cute flower holder from Japan that my friend Katie gave to me.

My legs and feet after a brutal trail run in Hartley after many days of rain. It was more like swamp running.

Dan the breadbaker

2008-06-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

Dan has been trying (and succeeding) his hand at bread baking. It has been a delicious endeavor.

the girls

2008-06-18T22:15:00.002-05:00

spring backpacking

2008-05-23T08:46:00.008-05:00

We hit the road earlier this week, for a few days up the shore. Spring has been here for awhile, and its nice to see the early signs. There is a big difference even between Duluth and where we were, up near Lutsen and the Crosby-Manitou State Park. It was chilly the first day, but warmed up nicely later. It was nice and relaxing, before the busy summer begins.

Billie in her backpack.

Mo getting things ready.

Dan at the first campsite, getting ready for fishing.

Lookout on Lake Agnes, where we camped.

Dan overlooking the Poplar River

Mo and the dogs checking out the big tree

Dan and the dogs taking a snooze

Quadtree

Dan and Billie fishing

Minnesota state bird

Billie by the campfire

Full moon

Dan and Billie ready to hit the trail

Manitou River cascades

Bridge over Manitou

Cooling off by the water

Manitou bridge again

Crawfish

la primavera

2008-05-16T10:33:00.004-05:00

Finally, FINALLY, we think spring is here. After a couple of snowdays in April and lots of cold, gray days, the sun is now shining, the grass is green, the trees are budding, and I remember why I like living in Duluth.

Dan getting the garden ready

Dan harvesting ramps in the lot next to us.

Sunshine and green grass

Deck dining

mmmm, homemade nori rolls and vino

View from the top of our hill. Leaves on trees coming soon.

silly dogs

2008-05-16T10:18:00.004-05:00

Billie contemplating things

Billie with her stick

Stella

Billie a couple of weeks ago

Billie is ready for yoga.

Stella snuggled with Sophie when she slept over

Cute cousin Mickey.

Dan's birthday

2008-05-16T09:53:00.008-05:00

Dan's birthday cake.
I made cinnamon cake and then did a
chili-chocolate frosting. Muy rico!

The ladies, post meat fest - we grilled lamb,
brats, pork, chicken, and venison.

Chris and Nate gettin' down to Snoop.

Dan laughing at the silliness.

Gettin' down to Salt n Peppa

lazy

2008-04-25T14:05:00.004-05:00

So I have been a little neglecting towards the blog. I have also been forgetting to bring my camera with me and take pictures of anything but here is some of the excitement from the last month or so...

First up, our furry friend woke up early. This was about a month ago. We had had some late season snow, so we could see his tracks well.

The first sign of him. Notice paw prints all around. At first I thought the garbage can had been empty the night before.

Dan's hand and Bear's hand.

Dan's foot and Bear's foot.

Where he plopped down and ate the contents of our garbage. Note white plastic garbage bag and purple dog treats bag.

Another shot of his crash pad.

Here are some shots from the blizzard on April 11th. Not really too much snow, but super windy and hard to enjoy when you have spring fever...

Dan clearing the driveway

Billie rolling in the fresh snow

Stella and her ball

Our hiking trail

trail, cont.

theme song

2008-04-11T17:45:00.001-05:00

don't touch me

2008-04-10T09:09:00.001-05:00

Eric Cartman Interview On NPR

2008-04-09T23:19:00.001-05:00

Here it is!

cartman on NPR

2008-04-05T09:13:00.002-05:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89375695

I tried to embed this, but no luck. Funny story this morning about Cartman on NPR. This link will bring you to an interview with him.

ice caves (aka sea caves in summer)

2008-04-04T09:50:00.008-05:00

Nearly two weeks ago, Dan and I drove over to Wisconsin's south shore of Lake Superior to see the ice caves that everyone has been talking about. I finally posted the pictures. I am sure it was one of the last weeks you could/should be out on the ice. These caves are a popular kayaking destination in the summer; walking out there in the winter seemed a bit strange at first. Most of the actual caves were covered by ice. Both seasons they are spectacular.

stalactites/stalagmites

My favorite picture - chimney rock
pretty cool ice formations, too

frozen lake and blue sky

Tired Billie

spring break at the beach (in duluth)

2008-03-27T14:38:00.002-05:00

These are some pictures I have been meaning to post for awhile, but have had problems downloading them. Anyway, they are from a couple of weeks ago (when I was on spring break). Dan and I went to park point one afternoon and were so impressed with the ice formations that we returned the following morning with camera in hand.

This big tower of ice reminds me of the obelisques in 2001 : A Space Odyssey

once a year? I'd like that...

2008-03-23T10:46:00.004-05:00

dogs + 1

2008-03-17T09:10:00.003-05:00

Our dogs' cousin (my brother's dog) Mickey is staying at our house this week. She and Stella play non-stop until they are thoroughly exhausted. Here is a sampling (note: as I type they are at it again, and have been for about the last hour.) Note the slobber on Stella's head. Billie is not as into Mickey as Stella is. I think she is jealous that Stella has a new playmate.

Chicago

2008-03-17T08:40:00.003-05:00

Last week, we packed up the kids and headed down to Chicago. Dan's parents live in the suburbs, so we make a trip once in awhile. This time I was able to meet up with my friend Heather, who is a grad student at the Art Institute. We went to her studio, got some beer and pizza downtown, checked out her apartment and went out to dinner with Dan's family. After dinner we went to see a good friend of mine from high school, Adam Leblanc, and his band Sixteen candles. They were so much fun. They do all 80's covers and they are so good! It was a very fun trip.

Billie and Stella on the way down

Heather climbing her garden hose ladder.

side view of bike-powered kaleidoscope

front view of kaleidoscope

Adam singing

hawaii chair

2008-03-12T18:27:00.007-05:00

spider pig

2008-03-12T18:27:00.005-05:00

running ramblings

2008-03-11T17:41:00.003-05:00

Today was a BEeeeeautiful spring day in Duluth and I headed out for one of my first runs of the season (third, specifically.) I got into the half marathon in June and also signed up for a 25 K trail run in May, so I need to get into shape. Today's run took some time to get to, here is how the day started (note: I am on Spring Break and not usually this lazy!):
9 AM - woke up, saw the time, decided to get out of bed. ate some breakfast, got dressed.
10 AM- Dan and I and the dogs went back to park point, where we were yesterday afternoon. We wanted to go back and take pictures of the piles of ice.
11:20 Am- back home, Dan gets ready for work, I putz around
Noon - 1:45 PM - I waste time online, facebook, perez, look up marathon training plans and mark long runs on the calender. Listening to NPR the whole time. Have some snacks.
1:45 PM- give in to nagging tiredness and lay down on the couch with Billie. Nap until about 3.
3:15- get up, start thinking about going running. Charge ipod, get dressed, waste a little more time online.
4:30 - finally leave for the run...

As I run I think about how hard it is to get back into running. I usually take winters off, skiing, hiking, and swimming instead. I am generally "in shape" but my running muscles are not. Spring running for me means a loop on some back roads near my house, waiting for the snow to melt on the trails and then for them to dry up a bit. My knees have been giving me some trouble and they are a little painful, but not too bad. I get quite warm and end up taking off my jacket. My feet are wet from melting snow, slush, and puddles. I think about some of the women I know who have, in my opinion, overdone running so much that they now can barely walk. Both have hip problems. I hope I never get to that point. It seems so ironic, that by doing these 'healthy' behaviors a person can do more harm to their bodies than good. I guess it's yet another example of everything needing to be in moderation. I think about my goal for the half marathon, 1 hour 45 minutes or less. Its going to take some hard work. I think about my friends, Heather in chicago, Meghan in antarctica, Bonnie, Jolene, Kerry, Katie - how she says "running is meditation" - I agree. I also continue thinking about my favorite running song - those that I never skip, those that always put spring into my step :

Jacob's Ladder - Bruce Springsteen - the only Springsteen song I like
Lebanese Blonde - Theivary Corporation - reminds me of Spain, great running beat
Watching the Wheels - The Samples - an old John Lennon song
District Sleeps Alone/We will become silouhettes - Postal Service
What goes Around - JT - really good steady beat, keeps me movin
He Turned the Water into Wine -Johnny Cash - Live from Folsom, my fav JC song
Mushaboom/1234 - Feist - songs that remind me of being a little girl
San Fransisco Bay Blues - Eric Clapton - from Unplugged - I never get sick of this song, really upbeat
Subterranean Homesick Blues/It takes a lot to laugh...train to cry - Bob Dylan
Love you Madly/I will survive - Cake
Tonight the heartache's on me - Dixie Chicks- I never skip this song... its a good workout song!
Stay with me - Faces - I love the very begining guitar and Rod Stewart

leap day party

2008-03-03T12:09:00.003-06:00

Chris and Ben

The ladies

Abra, the birthday girl

The boys room

We had a party last Friday, the 29th of February. Food, friends, beer, wine, dogs, and music. We dug out the TLC, Salt N' Peppa, Michael Jackson, and others. Rick knew the words to every song! The rest of us just did some interpretive dancing.

2008-03-03T11:49:00.002-06:00

Rick, the farmer, gettin' down

Chris...

Chris and April

winter at the beach

2008-02-27T12:09:00.004-06:00

the dogs and I went down park point last week for a hike. It was lovely.

Gooseberry Ice climbing

2008-02-27T11:41:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from last Sunday - we went to Gooseberry falls with the UMD Outdoor Program to do some ice climbing. We were supposed to go a couple of weeks earlier, but it was canceled due to 40 below weather. Sunday was the exact opposite, it was in the mid-20s, sunny, and beautiful. We had a super fun time and plan to go next year!

Dan

Behind one of the waterfalls

the steeper climb

flowers in bloom, sunrises, and skiing

2008-02-20T10:34:00.005-06:00

First up, a winter sunrise from last week. About 7:20 am.

Last Friday skiing in Hartley. About 9:30 a.m. About -11 degrees F air temp, -25 or so with the windchill, plenty of sun. I intended to snap more photos, but couldn't stop moving and had too many pairs of gloves on to handle the camera. We only lasted about 30 minutes, but had fun, despite frozen hands and feet.

Ahhhh, and finally, the valentine's bouquet opens up and graces our winter days with beautiful color.

pink cake day

2008-02-20T08:49:00.004-06:00

A Valentine's Day tradition in my family, Waldorf Astoria (aka Red Velvet) cake with pink frosting and hersey's kisses around the edge. Mom used heart shaped pans and drizzeled hersey syrup around the edge, I improvised with ganache. I brought it to Dan at the Scenic on V-Day when he was slaving away.

This man needs to be President

2008-02-13T13:09:00.001-06:00

Our daily hike

2008-02-11T22:16:00.001-06:00

Since it warmed up a bit today (5 degrees above! and no wind!) we (the dogs and I) went out for a fairly common adventure - hiking in the "secret" trails behind our house. They (and I) never get tired of these trails; we rarely see anyone else, there are plenty of sticks to chew, an occasional deer to chase, and today, with the sun cutting shadows of the trees into the recently brightened snow, the chance to appreciate the beauty of a Minnesota winter day.

Stella doin' her roll

Dogs running down the trail

Sun and trees

Happy Billie in her element

Post-hike nap

Pottpouri

2008-02-11T21:19:00.003-06:00

Just like my favorite Jeopardy category, here is a good-smelling (you'll have to trust me on that one) blend of visual images. First up is Dan at Park Point - also known to some Alaskans as "Cabo San Duluth". It was anything but tropical yesterday - air temp was about -15 but the incessent wind made it feel about -40. It was brutal. We got out, looked at the lake, took a picture and ran back to the car. Then we went to DQ and got a blizzard - never too cold for ice cream!

Next up is our friend and jack-of-all-trades Ben. Here he is fixing his car (Meghan, this one is for you) that died when he was leaving our house the other day. Ben put Dan to work in our bathroom, telling him what to do and how to do it (and giving him the power tools to make it happen). I just liked his get-up. Lookin' good Ben.

And last, and anything but least, is the beautiful pre-Valentine's Day bouquet I came home to on Saturday. Dan got it for me at the shop (The Flowercart) my friend Jill owns just down the road. She is the best in town!

Dog days

2008-02-06T10:43:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone, things have improved since that last post - I've had some time to think about a lot of things and I am trying to have a good attitude about my life's direction.

On a lighter note, since we don't have babies and/or young children with milestones and other cute moments to watch, here is a sampling of daily life with two young dogs. There are plenty of toys around the house, but of course, they only want the one toy that the other has. This is how I get distracted while studying...

wrench

2008-02-02T10:03:00.000-06:00

Well, things have changed. I just found out that I did NOT get into the nursing program that starts this May. I am on the waiting list, so I guess there is a small chance, but I am not counting on it.

It sucks. I really thought I would just get in. I still do not quite understand why I didn't. I feel like I am now in a tailspin again, wondering what to do. Reapply for next year? Find a job (ha - in Duluth, good luck). Or look into something else - which I have already been doing. Now I am considering Med School, Vet School, or some other graduate program, either here or in the twin cities (where options abound). Whatever I do, its going to be a lot more work, more prereqs, applications, essays, MONEY, etc. Its hard to even think about right now, I feel like I have been working so hard and focused so much on this Nursing program and now I just feel deflated.

I know that when one door closes another opens. I know that things happen for a reason. I know that maybe there is something else out there for me. I know all of these things, but right now, I just feel crushed. I had all of these "plans" - stupid I know. I obviously got ahead of myself. So now what? I wish I knew.

We're havin' a heat wave

2008-01-30T11:49:00.001-06:00

That's right. 20 below. Windchill is about 40 below. It's cold.

We threw a pot of boiling water off the deck to see what would happen.

Bathroom work

2008-01-30T11:38:00.001-06:00

And here is what Dan has been up to - remodeling the bathroom. With a lot of guidance from our friend Ben Budd, Dan started working on the floor the other day, tiling under the sink and toilet and sanding the wood. Its looking pretty good!

Hangin' at home

2008-01-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

So here is what the dogs and I have been up to. Billie - looking out the window, wishing to go for a hike. Stella - chillin' on our bed. Me - studying.

Jazzing it up

2008-01-25T09:50:00.001-06:00

Alright, so I finally figured out how to add pictures and slideshows and all sorts of stuff! Today is the day they say its FINALLY going to warm up a bit and I am thinking about venturing out for a ski for the first time in like 2 weeks. All of this sitting around inside and eating has not helped with the getting back into shape thing. I have resolved to be more social this year and I am hoping to work on that this weekend - maybe a skating party? Or just a night out? Something, I have to get out! Dan and I are working at a catering event tomorrow night and Sunday I am volunteering at a ski race that the Duluth x-c ski club is putting on - I have been a club member for 3 years now, I figure its about time I get involved! My other goal of the weekend is to find a job. And do some homework. And do laundry and clean the house. Should be a good weekend.

2008-01-25T08:50:00.001-06:00

Finally Blogging

2008-01-21T08:25:00.001-06:00

So, this is our new blog, even though I, Moriah, will be the only one writing on it - that is unless Dan has some sort of love of technology epiphany and becomes as addicted to the computer as I am. Anyway, just another way to stay virtually in touch and share our daily excitement with ya'll. Enjoy!