MN Magic

Having been unable to attend the wedding of Jeremy & Jodi Scholz (our very close family friend) this past March in Jamaica, I decided to take advantage of my employment status (or lack thereof) and take a trip to MN to join the in the celebration of their marriage.

My niece Sheena was kind enough to pick me up at the airport and drive me to the home of Steve & Kathy Scholz while on her lunch break. (Isn't it nice to not have to drive over an hour to an airport)! After a nice BBQ dinner, Kathy & I went for a 2 1/2 mile walk around their neighborhood. It was so nice seeing green and actually having people chat with you along the way.

On Thursday, my Aunt Ardy came to pick me up and we went back into Inver Grove Heights and had lunch with my cousins Sandy & Linda. Since it isn't often the 4 of us can get together, we took full advantage of the time....so much in fact, I think the waitress was ready to charge us rent we were there so long.

That evening, Jeremy & Jodi and their 2 dogs Bella (a yellow lab) & Zamboni (a Belgiun Malamut) arrived from Connecticut. What a house full since Steve & Kathy have Murphy, their dog. Poor Jodi, she was trying to study for her boards for vetrinary school with all the commotion going on.

Friday morning Kathy asked me if I would like to earn some money and help her while she did her second job of cleaning a mansion up on Summit Ave. in St. Paul. Thinking this would give us some good quality catch up time, I took her up on her offer. What a house! I was very nervous moving some of the artifacts to dust. After we completed the job, we went for lunch and a little shopping on Grand Ave. What a unique area of St. Paul. (This is where we stayed last year while in MN for Jackie's wedding)

In the evening, my niece Sheena, her husband Jake, and son Dylan picked me up and drove me out to my brother Mike's home for a BBQ. We were joined by my sister-in-laws parents, and her brother and sister-in-law. What a shock when I arrived and Mike and even gone to get a bottle of wine for me and borrowed a cork screw. Maybe there is hope for him yet!

The celebration festivities started on Saturday at a dinner hosted by Steve & Kathy for both of their families and Jodi's mom. It was so much fun getting to hear the stories from Kathy's sisters and their husbands about a week long trip they took into the boundry waters. This brought back many old memories of our days of portaging through their. I was also able to catch up with Steve's mom Laura, sister Mary, and Mary's husband Randy (who has been a friend from junior high days).

Sunday brought the actual celebration at Prior Lake. The weather could not have been nicer! After helping Kathy and Jodi's mom Sam put out decorations (and for those of you who know all of us, Steve says I don't have enough hot air)! There were so many of our old friends that I never get to see that I had such a great time just catching up with what has been happening.

Lonna, Steve, Me, Gus, Mary, Joe and Peggy

Jeremy and Kathleen dancing to an Irish dance