Gottcha!

Ah Ha!  Through a sneaky game of peek-a-boo with the camera constantly clicking we finally managed it - proof that Katie Snyder smiles - and when she does, watch out!!  She is just as cute as cute can be!  (Though she does manage to be cute, even without smiling - she is a baby after all!)  Thank goodness for digital cameras - we would have gone through lots of film otherwise!  

This morning we drove into Dubuque and parked near Bluff Street, where there are a number of fun shops and cafes.  One very unique thing that is there is the Fenelon Place Elevator.  Originally built in 1882 by Mr. J.K. Graves, it was a way he could quickly go up and down the steep bluff hill for his lunch hour.  It was rebuilt in 1977, and now the cable cars go up and down throughout the day.  So we rode up it, walked around the neighborhood at the top a bit, and then rode down.  Before heading out, we walked down Bluff Street a bit and stopped at the Calico Bean Market.  What a fun little shop!  All sorts of bulk spices, decorations, snack mixes, grains and pastas.  We found a number of culinary treasures, and the snack mix we picked out, the Cabin Crunch, is fantastic.  

Thanks, Angie - for entertaining us and for the fun visit!!

Fun with Friends...

We have been enjoying the fantastic weather down here in the Galena, IL/Dubuque, IA/Kieler, WI area while visiting Angie, Kurt & Katie. While Kurt was working today, Angie, Katie, Justin and I drove into Dubuque and hiked a trail in the Mines of Spain recreational area. Beautiful views of the Mississippi river valley, as well as the bluffs in the area.

Then we drove up to Potosi, WI to the newly completed restaurant, brewery and museum there. We had a delicious lunch and walked around a bit, and definitely had to get a picture in front of the World's Tallest Beer Bottle. Special.

Justin and I then walked around downtown Galena for a bit, picking up some items - namely Strawberry Rhubarb Butter from The Galena Canning Company - our favorite!

This evening we had a great meal with Angie, and then tried our hardest to get a picture of Katie smiling. She is bound and determined to immediately stop smiling just before the camera clicks!

I love crazy people

I love crazy people. Without crazy people, life would be pretty stinking boring. Just look at these pictures of a field between Kieler, WI and Galena, IL. It's just a normal cow pasture, but I can totally understand what went through the crazy guy's mind before this happened. "This field is missing something. It has cows and weeds, but it needs a little extra pizazz. I've got it: DINOSAURS! Dinosaurs are like khaki pants; they go with EVERYTHING! GERTRUDE! I gotta get me some metal so we can class up our cow field!"

Pop quiz: What sort of whistling sounds can a man covered in BBQ sauce make exactly? I definitely need a recording.

I'll give you one guess...

While this may be the Chinese Year of the Rat, I think I will remember it better as the Year of the Paint.  I have moved into the basement, where I am painting a little, dark, scary half bath that we never use (because of the aforementioned reasons).  As Travis will be moving in at the end of the month and we are giving him the basement room, we thought it would be nice if this bathroom was actually usable for him.  The previous owners had painted this bathroom a very dark maroon pink with dark teal trim (yes, it was as horrid as it sounds).  I managed to get two coats of primer (light tan) on the walls, trim, and door yesterday, and it will take another two coats of the final paint to really cover it all.  It is already a pretty substantial difference.  We are also replacing the tiny old mirror with a larger one, and the old dark wood toilet seat with a new white one.  I won't be able to finish it for a little while, as we are heading down to Galena, Il for the next two days to visit our good friend Angie, her husband Kurt, and new baby girl, Katie.  We are leaving in less than an hour!  

Golf on Friday

Yesterday Dad and I went golfing in Sheboygan Falls, at a course named The Bull. It's definitely one of my favorite courses (behind the Irish Course at Whistling Straits), so it was a treat to be able to play, especially when the weather cooperated. We ate at Firehouse Pizza in Sheboygan Falls on the way home.

Mmm...more bread...

What a great (and yummy!) surprise when I opened the mailbox this afternoon (well, besides the fact that there weren't ANY bills in there!) and found a small loaf of bread from our friends Luke and Becca!  The other day we were walking downtown and were right near the Student Impact office, and stopped in and were able to chat for a few minutes, as we hadn't seen them in some time.  They are diligently working to raise support in order to move to Duluth/Superior, where they have been assigned as staff workers with Campus Crusade for Christ.  They are such a fun couple, and have a great love of, and gift for working with college students.  We will miss them greatly, but wish them the best!

Justin and I drove up to Wausau earlier today and met my mom and sister Maria for lunch at City Grille.  We usually only see Maria at the holidays, as she lives out-of-state, but she is back home for a couple of weeks, so it was nice to catch up a bit.  And Mom had a gift certificate which covered all our meals, so it was a treat for all of us!

Found: Magic

Some poor fairy out there is missing her magic wand.  It can be found at SentryWorld, in the parking lot, in case you run into her.  It did not help Justin hit his driver any better, so we did not hold on to it.