How does an Albino Peacock impress their colorful friends?

Answer: Serve them Schell Beer!
I saw this albino peacock at the Schell brewery in New Ulm. While we were there we had fun times and great beer! Adrian ought to have it's own brewery! Go to Schell's web site to learn more. A local asked me if we have Applebees in Adrian (like maybe it was just a Minnesota thing), I said yes and asked if their Appelbees sold Schell beer and the man said,"Oh, Yes! If they didn't they'd be driven right out of town!"
http://www.schellsbrewery.com/home.php

Taking our Girl to College

We had a good time taking Kadie to Martin Luther College. We made an adventure of it! First we visited Aunt Marlene who took us out for dinner at JJ Twiggs. We ate the best pizza!!! If your ever in the Lake Zurich area it's definitely worth seeking out!
Wisconsin is all about the cows and cheese. Who can turn down chocolate cheese? Yum! Yum! Wisconsin loves their cows so much that they make cow cookies to honor them.
This time around we stopped at the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is a noble river and worthy of American honor. It's easy to see how Twain was enchanted by her to the point that he spent nearly his whole life devoted to thought about how the river runs and life on the Mississippi.

Look UP!

No amount of "interference" can diminish this truth.
Rainbow's are quiet, beautiful, and attention getting like God's voice.

Grandma's Girl

Arianna and me goofing around over blueberry pancakes. We are best buddies, mostly because she "gets" me. I think she is going to be an athlete, and I think she may learn to love quirky things like her grandma does. She already loves one quirky thing, me.

Kathy!

Last weekend Randy and I visited my friend Kathy who I have known since seventh or eight grade. She lives on a lovely lake. This was my first time meeting her new boyfriend and seeing her lovely home. I should have taken more pictures of the gorgeous place. I about pooped my pants when I saw her kitchen counter. I dream about having a counter made of recycled glass and concrete. Kathy's recycled glass counter included ammonites! Too Cool for School!
Take notice of the grooviest bear cubs carved from a tree trunk. What a beautiful place.
Bad note: We had a delicious vegetarian meal. However, I had my first food reaction. It is impossible for me to know what I am allergic to because there were many new things there (she invited a slew of friends and there was so much to eat). At first I didn't know what was happening to me, but my throat started getting tight. I took a Benadryl and all was well. Freaky!

Summer Snapshots

1. Kadie being a "Marshall" at St. Stephen's Son Run.
2. Pizza from Lena's Sicilian restaurant. Randy and I went to Lena's for a romantic Italian dinner for two (it could have fed five). I love that the sauce was served on top of the pizza.
3. Gwen's giant birthday bench before I painted it neon lime green.
4. The new gadget at the meals on wheels. No more collecting food trays, now the meals are served in degradable trays that are sealed with a plastic film.
5. My buddy Diane helped me serve meals one day. Diane and I used to play church softball together. She was a much better player than me. We never spend much time together anymore since we have been so busy raising kids. Meals on Wheels was mighty fun to do together. Afterwards, we had a fine relaxing picnic lunch at the park.

Bad News

J and Joel's apartment building was destroyed by fire on Friday August 1, 2008. We've been thanking God today that they weren't home when the fire broke out. Still, it is all very sad as Joel lost everything with the exception of a few small items. Joel has been working on a manuscript and he is so grateful he backed it up in several places, because his flash drives and his desk top were destroyed.
Although,J's side of the building went undamaged the remaining structured has been deemed inhabitable, thus both families have been displaced. The Red Cross set up a school for the tenants to stay in, fortunately J and Joel's good friend Derrick has offered to house them until they get on their feet. Lawsuits are already in the works as one of the tenants works for a law firm. Faulty wiring seems to have been the cause.
Several firefighters were injured in the fire and two of the residents.

To see a news article and a photo go to http://www.wnbc.com/news/17067890/detail.html

also

http://www.abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6301974

So we had a close call. Our hearts are only shaken, J and Hitomi's hearts have a bruise they'll recover from, and Jenny and Joel's have a hairline fracture that will heal with time. TLC and prayer are the recommended therapies for all to achieve a complete recovery; so please keep us in your hearts to speed up the process.

Bead People

Last year during our trip to Kimmy's we stopped at the Salvation Army and I bought a nearly complete bead doll kit. Then Melissa bought me a kit for my birthday. So I had two kits and not too much enthusiasm to make any dolls until yesterday.
Maripat and Rosbud came over and we intended on blueberry picking, but we showed up a day early (it's a good idea to call ahead). We decided to take a little side trip and check out the new bead store in Tecumseh. At the store are the cutest bead heads and knowing I didn't have enough heads I bought a couple. MP bought Rosebud the turquoise colored kitty head.
We got back to the house and made these funny little bodies. MP's is on the left, Rosebud's is in the middle, and mine is one the right attached to my phone! Funny stuff, aye?