I spy the beach!

Congratulations Robby on serving 1/3 or your sentence in Afghanistan.  Let's get rid of that sand and bring on the water...sooner rather than later.  Miss you my love!!

Fun with my parents!

If you have ever spent time with the Balgaard's you know the it takes a lot of energy to keep up!  It must be in the blood to always be "on the go" and never waste a minute of time.  My parents came into town Friday evening and left this morning.  It was a lovely weekend and we fit a lot into a short amount of time with never a dull moment.  We camped at Snowflake both evenings, went garage saleing, drove up the shore, layed on the beach and did a patio tour.  Here is a little preview:

Cooking for one...

It's definitely an adjustment cooking for one and not two.  It's easy to get lazy and just eat carrots & ice cream for dinner instead of cooking myself something.  On our anniversary I decided to cook up something really yummy (just like if Robby was there) & have the rest of our anniversary wine! (P.S. that glass is hand blown by a local person that I found at an estate sale.... neat right?!?)  I made asparagus risotto with french bread and fresh parmesan cheese.  It was "Dan" devine!

Last night I made a caprese salad with fresh basil that I grew!  It was out of this world good.  I used the recipe from my lovely new Pioneer Woman cookbook (compliment of Mary Ida).

Home is wherever I'm with you!

Today i'm homesick... for my family, Ashby, Pelican Lake, The Balgaard Brothers, the Ashby 5K, the the roller pub crawl, the kiddie parade, the cute little parade with lots of tractors, the boat, Jill's Pioneer Woman creations, banana pancakes over the fire, the Ohren pontoon, base camp, the corvette, walking to town, coffee on the deck, church in the park,  Alli's quirky dog Indy, the road hunter, Lily's adventurous spirit, the trampoline, Belle, Gavin's sweet smile, the point, the farm, dad's manure spreader, the raspberries, Heidi's frozen drinks, mom's caramel rolls, the family softball game, Sam's Bloody Mary's, industrial park, the secret fishing spot, and even the slough and the grain bins, but mostly just my family.  I wish a private jet would pick me up and take me there... even if it was just for a few hours.  Ahhhhhh.... paradise.

One Year!

Happy 1st Anniversary to my kind, smart, giving & patient husband.  I love you & miss you terribly!!

I'm celebrating with an iced coffee & car load of Trader Joe's food to bring back to Duluth :) Yeah!

We went to the Zoo!

We had a lovely time at the Como Zoo today!!  It was really fun but VERY hot.  Lily's favorites were the giraffe and monkeys and Gavin loved the Tiger.

Lily & Gavin could be twins in the picture!!  It was hot - so sometimes it got a little tough.

 But most of the time they were very excited to see all of the animals.

Lily & Alli got a ride on the Merry-Go-Round.  It was so cute & great way to end a fun day at the zoo!!

The Nook

I'm spending the weekend in the cities with my family & we had to hit up the Nook for lunch today!  This was also on Diners, Dives & Drive-ins.... two dives in one week!  Uff da! There wasn't room at any tables so we all sat at the bar.  They are known for the "Juicy Lucy" stuffed cheese (fall off your chair) burger. Yum!

The BONUS about the nook is there is a totally old school bowling alley in basement so Lily & Gavin got to bowl while we waited for our food.  Of course, it was SO fun!

It's fun to bowl! :)

The Anchor

Carol, Nikki & I went to the Anchor to celebrate being extra healthy eaters the last few months.  Yep, we celebrated by eating big juicy fatty Anchor burgers!!  I had the olive burger, Carol had the cashew burger and nikki had the jalepeno burger... yum!  This burger dive was on Diners, Dives & Drive-ins so it has gotten really popular.  I had a burger, fries & beer for $7.50... what what.  You've just gotta splurge sometimes I guess. YUM!

... AND here is your Lake Superior shot of the day!!

(Just for you Robby because I know you miss it)

The sweetest Mary I know...

It's the best feeling when you walk up to the front door and there is a package waiting for you... and then you spot the colorful tape that only Mary Olson would wrap a package with.

What a sweet friend to think of us on our anniversary!  Jill introduced both Mary & I to The Pioneer Woman and now i'm crazy about her blog, cooking and her cute farm life.  I can't wait to cook up some recipes from this cookbook... especially the "knock you naked brownies".

 And of course the card is made of an old library card.  That is so "Mary" of you Mary and I love it!!

BIG NEWS!!!  

Mary arrives in DULUTH, MN in 42 days 12 hours 53 minutes and 27 seconds.

I can't wait. I can't wait.  I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait.

P.S. Hi Robby, I Miss You!

Up the shore..

We have been cycling up highway 61 a few times this summer and it is seriously incredible!  It has to be on the the most beautiful cycling routes in the country... and it's right out our back door!  I love it!  Last weekend we rode up to Two Harbors & back... about 50 miles.  We stopped for a bite to eat at a cute little cafe called Emily's lighthouse but the BEST place we stopped was the Great Lakes Candy Kitchen (yes Mary they have CHIPPERS!)... we had their hand dipped nutty ice-cream bars.  Oh my.  I did the route again today by myself just so I could get another ice-cream bar (I will not allow myself to drive there because i'm a chocoholic)... but it's not nearly as fun as it is riding with someone else.  I need a cycling buddy!

 And here is your Lake Superior Shot of the day!

Operation Enduring Freedom

He's off!  From Duluth, to Chicago, to Germany, to Turkey, to Krazkhstan to Afghanistan.... I'm not sure what day he will officially get there but he's hoping to at least get a quick stop in Germany for a German beer!  I helped him pack and literally had to jump on his bag to get it closed.  We made a spur of the moment trip to Target to pick up an I Pad so we can Skype when he is away.  I'm actually very relieved that he is gone so that now I can focus on him coming home instead of leaving.  I can't imagine having to deal with a longer deployment... so thankful it will be quick!  Keep praying for God to watch over him for a safe deployment, positive experience and that we can connect on a regular basis.  I'm so proud of him for being brave and willing to serve our country.

 Freshly shaved head... compliments of me :)

 70 days worth of combat stuff

Robby & Becky (this is who is deploying with

300 more airman will be leaving from the 148th Fighter Wing in August)