Remembering Great Uncle Randy

My Great Uncle Randy passed away last week.  He's my grandma's younger brother and has long been one of my closest family members.  He was 7 years younger than my grandma, got married, and had kids later in life, so he always felt more like an regular uncle than a great one.  Here he is with my great aunt Glenda (left) and my Grandma Bette.  Glenda passed away in 2018.

The last picture I have is from our visit last summer.  He'd been battling cancer for several years, but was in great spirits and looking great when we saw him.

I took the trip down with my parents, which was a fun throwback to pre-married life.  We stopped at eh Windom Hy-Vee for some food and came across purple cauliflower.  I've been searching for it in the cities for Esme's birthday party without success.  Of course it would be in a tiny southern Minnesota store!

It was nice talking, just us. We got stuck by a train for about 10 minutes, but there was a gas station to wait at and I paced around to get some steps in.

We tried our best to find a twist cone on the way, but it wasn't in the cards.  We did find a flavor burst machine and that took some of the sting away.

We stayed at my grandma's house and got to compare her new Ford Ecosport to our Trax.  Made me want to go racing.

It was a really lovely service with full military honors. It was also nice spending some time with my grandma and being there for her during this time.

I stopped at the cute little store in town, curious about the "more."

I got some fudge and peanut clusters to take home to Jimmy.

One other fun nugget from the trip.  We stopped in Mankato for a bathroom break, but the bathroom was broken!  They had a port-a-potty out from for the guys and turned the men's room in to a women's room.

I am glad I was able to get the time off to celebrate Randy's life.  I'll miss the anticipation as he told a story, wondering when it was going to turn in to a joke.  Love you Randy!

Esme is 8!

Esme turned 8 on Sunday.  She was so excited to celebrate.  The first thing she did was go on Animal Crossing and see her birthday party. 

She requested waffles for breakfast then put on her custom shirt I made.

On the way home from church, we saw our dear friends (and birthday buddy) Chuck and Phyllis.  I was happy to be able to catch this moment.

She decided to have waffles again for lunch (you can do that on your birthday.). She also requested to help paint her birthday sign.  I can see this being a fun tradition moving forward.

My parents stopped by with ice cream and muffins for a mid-afternoon treat.

We finished the sign and tied it to the tree.

We finished the evening opening cards she'd received so far.

We are all looking forward to celebrating more on Saturday.

Mom's Night Out at The Lion King

I had an afternoon and evening out on Saturday.  I started with some thrifting, which I love to do, but don't always have time for.  I was specifically looking for a dress to wear to Jamarcus and Pauli's black tie wedding.  I found a great one at the second stop and wasn't sure what to do with all the time I gave myself.  I ended up at the Salvation Army store downtown.  I twas so great that I could take my time and really look through.  I got a couple outfits and some toys for the kids.  Most of the items are new with tags, many from Target.  I made my way to our favorite parking ramp and walked to Jimmy Johns for some dinner.  I arrived to the theater just as the doors were opening.

This lovely man was outside welcoming guests.

I have been waiting years to see this show.  I didn't realize how excited I was until I nearly started crying as it started.  It was even more than I'd imagined it could be.  I am looking forward to seeing more shows soon!

Beyond 100 Parks #129 - Queensland Park - Plymouth, MN

The kids came here with my mom once, but it hasn't been an official visit until now.

Key Features

Here is a look at the backside of the main structure. Sometimes it's hard to really imagine what's all there.

Esme has been loving bringing stuffies along. Today it was Rosie Reindeer.

Rosie even got a ride on the overhead glider.  Don't worry, she was ok.

It was a little tricky figuring out how everything connected, but we got it eventually.

This was a solid 8.

Paulifred's Bridal Shower

You may have already noticed we've had a crazy busy spring with all the posts I had in March.  The busyness continues and won't slow down until June, so hang on!  

I helped host a bridal shower for our associate pastor's fiance last weekend.  This party has been in the works for over a year and I couldn't believe how quickly it came. We had a team of three with Sherry on decor, Kim on food, and myself on games.

Sherry did an incredible job setting the space with a chandelier and hanging lights.

Kim, her husband Tony, and father-in-law David, among others, made  dozens of finger sandwiches, scones, and other delicious treats.

Jamarcus surprised Pauli with a money bouquet.  One of the funnest parts was having a great group of men serving all of the ladies.

We did a global wedding traditions game while eating, then moved to the sanctuary.  Sherry is also mom to one of the bridesmaids and has known Pauli a very long time.  She shared a beautiful message.

Next, Pauli came up to thank everyone for coming and offer a special tribute to her mom, Shirley.  Jamarcus curated a video for her as well.

The love, honor, and respect between these two is something I hope to have with Esme.

Jamarcus joined Pauli on stage for a nearly newlywed game.

We finished games by having Jamarcus try to guess which hands were Pauli's among her bridal party.  Pauli played a little trick and moved around to throw him off, but he found her eventually!

Congrats Pauli, we can't wait to party more in May!