Minnesota countryside

It's been a busy first two weeks of school for Andy and I--in fact, it seems we rarely see each other anymore. We had a wonderful open house/party last weekend, which was a lovely way to celebrate both our house and the end of summer--thank you to everyone who came!

Since then, I've been busy doing research visits nearly every day. I've pretty much memorized the lovely Minnesota countryside through the middle of the state:

All the red stars are places I've been in the past week, and all the blue stars are places I'm going in the next two--that's a whole lot of hours in the car...often in the wee hours of the morning, which everyone knows is NOT my favorite time of day...

Andy has been busy with school and work, balancing three part-time jobs and taking a class at the seminary. With all the school and work, we haven't really had much to post about...but all is well over here in Gubbins-land, save for the cold Jess just gave Andy...and for the lack of sleep and lack of time together, that is!

Post for Ellie & Ben

This post is for Ellie and Ben, as I kept thinking that this experience just wasn't complete without a young child or two to shout out names of animals and sounds they make...so here's a brief tour of animals we saw at the "miracle of birth" building at the State Fair.

Ellie, your job is to tell us what animal it is, and/or if its a mama or a baby.

Ben, your job is to make the sound the animal makes (Ellie can probably help you with that).

(captions are provided to assist parents who may be too sleepy or distracted to properly identify the animals themselves...)

piglets (and part of mama pig)




chicks (under a red heat light, so they're not quite their characteristic yellow)




ducklings (so which is the ugly one?)




horse (mare, standing) and foal





sheep (ewes)



lambs

rainy day at the fair

Mom and Dad visited over Labor Day weekend, helping us with such enjoyable household tasks as picking out curtains and replacing a toilet! In addition, we took a little time away from the house to enjoy the State Fair and, unlike some people who left the fair when the downpour came, we left for the fair in the downpour. A wet, puddle-ful, lovely time was had by all.

waiting for the bus to take us to the fair



enjoying a brief respite from the rain (inside a building, that is)



Mom & Dad in front of the Midway (games & rides area)



Jessica and the "Jessica" variety of Dahlias, on display the day we were there--I can see the resemblance, can't you?



Mom has always loved a walk in the rain :)



Jessica, princess of the "impossible-to-lose" games, showing off her hard-earned prizes



view from atop the ferris wheel

Camping trip photos

Here are a few photos from our anniversary camping trip last weekend:

Jess and her pack (the light one)

preparing for the hike in



A beautiful view of the St. Croix

Andy, skipping rocks into the St. Croix

Jess, about to test out the tent

walking along the beach on one of our hikes



Andy's favorite camping activity