The Smokies

We are finally back from our week long trip to the Smokies and Gatlinburg TN. It was a much needed relaxing vacation. The ONLY downside to the trip was that it rained almost every day. Oh well, more sleep time, right? You can look in the photo gallery for more px if you are interested.

Friday 4: We left Hancock at 4am to head to Champaign. We met Susan around 3 and she showed us around campus. I forgot the camera. Dad Mom Matt and Michelle met us at O'Charley's for supper. That is my absolute favorite restaurant and of course there are none in MN.

Saturday 5: We drove to Clarksville Tn to have lunch at my friend Tammy and husband Dave's house. He is an army lawyer at Ft. Campbell. They showed us around the fort, which was neat since I've never been to one. It basically was like a little town that was gated. We arrived in Gatlinburg at 11:00pm.

Sunday 6: We had a late church and then went to the Flea Market. We found a few bargains we couldn't pass up, and then went back to go swimming. Grace loved it as usual. She is always asking where her 'hwim huit' is.

Monday 7: We slept in today and went to Ripley's Aquarium in the afternoon. It was pouring buckets so this was a good place to go. Afterwards we walked a little of downtown Gatlinburg.

Tuesday 8: Rustin won us a ticket to Cirque de Chine at our resort's 'Get to Know You', so we went there in the afternoon. The morning was spent at another resort convincing a salesman we didn't want to buy a timeshare with him. Let's just say 'only 90 minutes' lasts 4 hours and free cash and restaurant gift certificates isn't always worth the time you have to spend warding off vultures. We learned our lesson in timeshares! The Cirque de Chine was very entertaining with the Chinese acrobats, drummers, and motorcyclists in a cage. Even Grace sat bug-eyed the entire time. Later that evening we were out walking around the resort when out of the corner of my eye I saw a bear walking by rooms. I freaked out and gave Rustin the camera. I took Grace back to the room all the while hearing "Where's the puppy Mom?" Nice puppy! We had been warned that bears like to stroll through the resort around dusk, and I'm kind of glad I safely witnessed it.

Wednesday 9: We devoted this day to the actual Great Smoky Mt. Nat'l Park. When my family came along time ago I remember it being very curvy and stomach unsettling. Unfortunately this hadn't changed. We hiked to Laurel Falls and very much enjoyed the views. We headed to Cherokee NC to the Indian reservation since it was raining. Grace enjoyed the Bear Zoo and we did a little window shopping. We headed back anticipating climbing to the top of Clingman's Dome. The turnoff to the dome is halfway between Cherokee and Gatlinburg and then you still have 7 miles of up-mountain driving. It was pouring so we debated going but decided to anyways. I decided it would've been a neat place to hike on a sunny day. Oh well.



In the evening we ate at a pizza joint with an arcade. Grace loved it. Rustin liked playing Deal or No Deal. After we played one round of golf.

Thursday 10: We went to play our other round of golf this morning. Here is Grace in her attire. She loves George as long as his leash is loose!

We walked the streets of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg one last time.

Friday 11: We left Gatlinburg at 4am again to head to Tremont. The trip was pretty uneventful and we picked up Susan in Champaign because her car was broke down. Bob and Jenny came out for supper and Eric and ReKeeta and Abbi came after work for the evening. We had a nice time visiting.

Saturday 12: We girls did a little shopping during the day, and then we visited the Grandparents in the afternoon and evening. Grace loves all of them but kind of gets confused when we say Grandma and Grandpa and my parents aren't there. We got to see Brett and Laura's new home that evening.

Sunday 13: Church was packed for a wedding in the morning. We said our goodbyes and left after lunch. We made it home in a record 10.5 hours since Grace was born at 10:30.

I was so excited because today I didn't have to get up and go to work. My summer, city job is through so I am now working 2.5 days a week. Hopefully I will be able to catch up on house work, or maybe a book or two!

It was good to get away. I came back refreshed and ready for fall to come. This is always an exciting time of year!

A Funny Feeling

On Sunday I was sitting at the lunch table eating away when Grace decided it was time to sit on my lap. She started to eat some grapes and cookies. All of a sudden my lap felt wet like I had urinated the wrong way. I was so taken aback at first and then it hit me Grace had peed through her diaper. After consulting with my neighbor that yes the spot was just on the front and not all the way through my legs to the back, I grabbed my shield and took her to the baby room for a changing. Of course her dress was spotless since she was sitting on me. I hurredly found Rustin eating and told him we'd meet him in the car. Needless to say we had afternoon service via the phone line. Grace's diaper usually lasts till after lunch, but I guess she had more drinks than usual.

Truckin' Around

Well... This is Rustin and his new truck. He loves his new job, and the pigs aren't as bad as he thought. (Thus far he has had no bad experiences either.) His major routes are to Storm Lake Iowa and Sioux Falls S. Dakota. Every three weeks he goes on a 2 day trip to Missouri. I am looking forward to an IL trip sometime. I am adjusting well to the new hours and quirks of the job. For some odd reason I thought he would be gone more than he is. Grace got to ride in the truck with him yesterday. She looked like she was having a blast.

Last weekend was the county fair. Grace and her friend Kylie went on all the 2 year old rides and had much fun. Once Grace found the horn on the cars, that's all we heard the rest of the ride. Grace Rustin and I went on the Ferris Wheel which I hadn't done in a long time. Grace didn't like it when the ride would stop so others could get on, so she tried climbing out of the cage once when we were at the top. Talk about being a nervous wreck. We enjoyed tasting all of the good fair food, and I personally am glad when it's over!

July

Wow! A month has flown by and I have failed to blog at all. Sorry to all you faithful readers. A lot has happened in this month also, so I'll try to keep it brief and to the point. (Sorry in advance if I happen to miss something important. I'm sure I'll be reminded.)

July 4 - Annual 4th of July celebration in Hancock - Grace and I rode with Rustin in the fire truck during the parade. Grace had much fun playing with cousin Abbi.

July 11 - Kerry, Kelly, Sam, and Allison came up for the GI Jr Fort Sam reunion. We visited the store, the dairies, and had a bonfire. Sam and Grace played well, but Grace picked on Allison most of the time.

The guys took a bike ride to Trico.

This is where Allison was most of the time to get away from that meanie!

We also attended Rustin's 10 year class reunion that weekend. It was a blast :( I didn't know anybody so an hour of 'reminiscing' was long enough for me.

July 18 - Susan and Matt came for a week long visit. I hope they had as much fun as we did. They did alot of watching Grace because I still had to work most days. She definitely enjoyed their company. She named them Wu and Bat. While they were here we went to Fargo to the Art Fair and shopping. We also took them tubing on a 70 degree day in a 60 degree lake. Needless to say I didn't get in the water. Grace loved it though. Thursday we started out for Chicago for Tim and Melissa's wedding.

July 25 - We had a blast at the wedding (Grace slept through it,) but not so much at the reception (she woke up and was in high gear.) We had a nice time seeing some family and extending the weekend with my family. We played Phase 10 (a Sally favorite) went to a place with mini golf, bumper boats, water wars (I got soaked) and an arcade. Rustin won over 800 tickets on his first coin in the slot of Trucker Dump. This traded in for a U of I basketball.

On the way home from the lake after tubing Grace saw her first irrigator. As she does with everything she asked what's that. Of course every field after that had an irrigator so we heard this the whole way home. I don't know what was funnier, hearing her say it or Matt's annoyance with her saying it so much. (Sorry for the dizzying end. I was trying to catch a px of the irrigator.)

July 29 - We are home and visitor free for about a month. Grace is getting back into her routine. Tomorrow is Rustin's last day at Trico. He is changing jobs to becoming a truck driver. He is hauling pigs for a guy in town. It is mostly day trips with a few night trips a month. Sometimes he wil be hauling to Peoria area so Grace and I will probably hitch a ride. We are excited for the new opportunity and praying the changes and adjustments go well. We know and are thankful that whatever happens God will provide.

PS - Grace's hair is finally coming in and is, I think, a cute little bob!

Oops!

There's a reason why I prune shrubs and not cut hair! I thought the back of Grace's hair was scraggly so I decided to trim it so it would grow evenly. Underneath it looks shaved, so people really think she's a boy. Hopefully a couple weeks/months will help it.

As you can see she doesn't care.

Grace is having fun with Kaitlyn, Candace, and Grant this summer. Her attitude is becoming more 2 year oldish. At least her please and thank-yous come out almost as much as the no's and mine's do.

Recently for the City we have been doing cleanup for the 4th. I'm guessing we'll be trimming branches next week. I take care of the flower pots on Main St. I love it: it brings back wonderful Slager/Avanti's memories. We just got a truckload in at the store, so we're back to busy- marking/stocking. We are trying a new thing of ordering blueberries and bing cherries. The first load arrives next Thursday so I'm anticipating chaos. People seem really excited that we are trying this. Hopefully they taste/look good or we'll never be able to do it again.

The weather is finally in the upper 80's and 90's. I love it!!! Everyone up here complains how hot it is, but I'll take this over snow any day!

West Bend

Rustin and I haven't been to West Bend since we've been married, so we decided to visit over Memorial Day weekend. It was a blast! I haven't stayed up that late talking for so many consecutive nights in a long time. We stayed with Carl and Sara Gerber on Saturday night. Grace got along great with their 3 kids, especially 2 year old Claire. (You can imagine how it was the majority of the time.) I just hope Grace doesn't get U's all the time on her Kindergarten report cards for 'plays well with others.'

Sunday evening we met some families at the Grotto park so the kids could play together. Grace slid down the slide most of the evening. Towards the end Rustin took her to the top of the Grotto. If you ever make it to West Bend I recommend stopping by the Grotto. It tells the story of Salvation through rock sculpture.

We stayed the night at Kent and Jolene Fehr's. Grace loved their slide and dog, but did not like her first introduction to pigs, even baby pigs. I guess some unknown creature squealing at you isn't the best for first time meetings. Grace loved playing with Monika. I think she scared the three boys with her expressiveness.

This Friday and Saturday we spent up at the lake. It was cold and windy so we didn't get on the lake like we'd hoped to, but we still had a nice time.

Little Blurps

Isn't this so nice? Grace gave me a Mother's Day kiss with me only asking once. She usually is very limited with her kisses. She was probably thinking, if I do this she'll leave me alone. We had many failed picture attempts previously.

This is a long overdue picture of April 9, 2009 the second Grand Opening. This is the front of the store, looking down main street. If you look three buildings down at the building with the white awning, this is where our old store was.

This summer looks to be hectic. On Mondays and Tuesdays I am working for the city again, helping out with cleanup and preparation for July 4th. So far I love it. They purchased a new tractor which I have gotten to experience using.

This weekend we are going to West Bend to visit old friends. It has been years since I or Rustin have been there and I am excited for the trip.