Playing dress-up

Gracia, Madison and Clare had a blast dressing up in some old fancy dresses at our neighbor, Heather's garage sale.

Maddy bought this beautiful teal lace prom dress for only $5...what a steal!! And it actually fits her!

Madison in my wedding dress. No, I didn't sell it at the garage sale...she was just begging to try on any fancy dress we could find!

Cub Scout Camp

Will and Bill went to Cub Scout camp in Elk River on July 8. Dane and James from his den went as well. They had a great time. Will's favorite things at camp were the archery and the BB guns...typical boy, I guess.

(check out those filthy feet!!)

All-School Reunion

We went back to Eureka, SD over the 4th of July weekend for the EHS All-School Reunion. It's hard to believe that it's been 18 years since high school!! My sisters Jill & Gina, and Jill's family were back from Seattle as well. We were there for 4 days and stayed busy the entire time...there were street dances, a variety show, an EHS Alumni program, tours of the school, class gatherings, kids activities, family get-togethers, a community picnic, a 4th of July parade, and fireworks over Lake Eureka. We had such a great time...there's nothing like a small town celebration!!

Class of 1988...standing on the Study Hall steps. There were 14 of the 24 graduates back in town for the reunion. It was so great to see everyone...it's been a LONG time! The school looked pretty much the same except for the computer room in the back of study hall and the cool mural painted in the tunnel.

Here's to the good ol'days!!

My "long-lost friend", Sandra. Or is is Saundra...or Sandy? Whatever it is...I miss her!!

Jill, Leif and Gina...I really miss them too! I haven't given up on persuading them to move back to the Minneapolis. Someday all my guilt trips and pouting will finally pay off...

Some people from '89 crashed our party! Being from a small town with very small class sizes allows you to develop really close friendships with students from other grades. In fact, almost everyone knows everyone else in a town like Eureka!

At our class gathering in the Legion basement. We had a blast looking through old pictures and yearbooks, and recalling fond memories...our class trip to Winnepeg (an EHS first and last!), "spook-hunting", flying chalk in Mr. Cooper's classes, and those really great hair styles and clothes!

I think that these non-EHS grads just couldn't keep up with the excitement. (Brian, Bill and Leif)

Dad and the grandkids...Campbelle, Madsion, Christian and Will.

The kids got a carriage ride from Pat and Cindy.

Will, Campbelle and Madison checking out the Firemen's raffle prize in the beer tent. Note the sign behind them...you can only get away with that in a small town!

Brother-in-laws, Bill and Leif

We had a family picnic at Grandma Alice and Grandpa Harvey's house. My aunt Debbie and her family from Bismarck, ND and my aunt Nancy from Veblen, SD were there too.

Waaay back in 1985, the Trojan girls basketball team won the District, and Region championships and placed 6th at State. It was great to see some teammates from back in the "glory days". We had an entry in the parade and our coach, Mr. Connell drove the truck.

My Dad's hobby...his 1965 Pontiac GTO.

Will and Madison made quite a haul of parade candy.

Getting cozy and watching a beautiful display of fireworks over Lake Eureka.

Another thing to cross off my "Life List"...

Last weekend Team Fight Like a Girl had their last fundraiser for the 2006 3-Day. It was a motorcycle run sponsored by Full Moon Saloon in Albertville. Bill and I, along with our friends, Cindy and Mike decided to take part in the festivities as well. Since Bill sold his Triumph last year, we rented a big Harley, fully equiped with a big comfy "back seat" with arm rests and a radio (yep, it was a "Barca-lounger-Bike", Gina).

There were about 40-50 motorcycles that did the run. About 75 miles in, and somewhere east of St Cloud, we got caught in a down-pour. We took a 45 minute break at a little bar along the road and waited for the storm to pass. As soon as the rain stopped for a bit, we made a break for it...we dried off our bikes, put on our rain-gear (well, except for poor Cindy), said farewell to the group, and headed back home.

Well...we got rained on, hailed on, and got looks of "amazement" from little kids in passing cars as they were saying to their parents, "Hey, look at that...those people are really, really wet!", but had a great time anyway!! I'm thankful to have made it home safely in one piece and thankful to have not needed to use my trauma nursing skills on that particular day. Now I can cross off "Do a motorcycle run in the rain" from my Life List.

I don't think it was quite like Sturgis...but it got pretty loud when everyone left!

Cindy and I went to the Full Moon Saloon early to help get people registered. We were both wearing our cute little pink "Fight Like a Girl" t-shirts. It didn't take us too long to realize we didn't fit in with the crowd too well...we didn't have black leather, unfortunatly left out chaps at home, and were actually going to wear helmets. So, we ditched of the pink. An interesting detail not shown in the picture is the back of the tank top that says "Scooters For Hooters". We sure fit the part now, don't we?!?

Cindy and Mike

Bill and Cindy


Looking ahead......and looking back.

Well...we returned the Harley, got back in our Toyota mini-van, and went home to pay the babysitter...

The Twins 8th Birthday!

Will & Madison celebrated their 8th birthday on June 3. We started the day out at the Applebee's Breakfast Fundraiser and then came back home for gifts, lunch and cake with Grandma Jan and Grandpa Bill, Grandpa Jerry and Marva, and Aunt Nicole and Finnegan.

The kids got lots of really cool stuff including an ant farm, a metal detector, a light saber, paint-a-bowl crafts, books, gift cards, MP3 players, and Heely's. WOW!

Lounging around after lunch. It was a beautiful day!

Nicole and Alien-Finn

Will and Madison each had a few friends for a Birthday Party at Space Aliens in Albertville followed by a sleep-over at our house. Left to right: Brett, Hailey, Anna, Cole and Jared. Madison and Will are the tall kids in the back!

It was a crazy dinner!


A UFO happened to land right when we were having the birthday party! A few of the kids didn't like him very much. It took poor Finn a while to relax after his space ship departed again...

...and then it was time to pick out the prizes.

Applebee's Breakfast Fundraiser

We held our third Breast Cancer 3-Day Fundraiser at Applebee's on Saturday morning, June 3. We had a blast making and serving breakfast for approximately 75-100 people. We made $750. Front row (left to right) Heather Gliaddon, Kelly VandenHoek, Dana Davis, Shirley VandenHoek, Mary Egbert. Back row (left to right) Cindy Schade, Mike Schade, Bill Gallagher, Amy Swanson, Erin Woodman, Krissi Johnson, Mary Poss, Tammy Gallagher, Dianna Gliaddon.

They actually let Mike and Bill run loose in the kitchen...scary!

Dad, Marva and the kids with their "waitress", Erin.

We all enjoyed a bite to eat ourselves after the fundraiser. What a great group of volunteers!

Neighborhood Kids

Last Day of School!

Will and Madison had their last day of school on Thursday, June 1. It's hard to believe that it's gone so fast!! Next year they'll be in second grade at Big Woods Elementary School.


This was their reaction to the question "So, what do you think about this being your last day of first grade?":

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

This weekend I had the pleasure of sharing a mystery bus ride with 51 other women on a "Girl's Fun Adventure" trip. The goal for the weekend was just to have fun, relax, be silly, bond with your girlfriends, and cross things off your "life-list".

It is a mystery because none of the participants know where they will be going or what they will be doing for the entire trip! We started out at 7:30 on Saturday morning in St. Cloud. Our first stop was in Cannon Falls at a winery to do some wine-sampling. From there we went to Northfield for lunch, a lesson in coffee, and some shopping. We then made our way to Wabasha where we checked into our hotel, changed clothes and headed out to a little cafe in town for "Happy Hour" with drinks, appetizers, and live music. We had dinner at an beautiful old bed & breakfast. From there, the bus took us back to the hotel, changed into our pajamas and funky flip-flops, and then got back on the bus again...at 10 pm! We were then driven up to a country club on the bluffs over-looking Wabasha to participate in a huge Bunko tournament! The day was exhausting and we were back in our hotel rooms by midnight.

On Sunday morning, our first stop was near Zumbrota at Minnesota's last remaining covered bridge. We were divided into 4 teams and instructed to make up a song and dance...to be judged on content, performance and execution! It was hilarious!! Next was brunch at a country club in Cannon Falls. We then went to a matinee performance of "Don't Dress for Dinner" at the Old Log Theater in Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka. On the way back to St. Cloud we had a "hat fashion show" displaying our scavenger hunt items that we had been searching for thoughout the trip. It's amazing how resourceful women can be!

The whole trip was such a blast...I'm looking forward to doing it again!

So...the things I can now cross off my "life-list" are:
1. Having a cocktail, in a bus, with 51 other women...at 7:45 AM!!
2. Identifying the difference between a cappucino and a latte...and even making my own.
3. Doing the chicken dance around the outside of a cafe...in broad daylight.
4. Playing Bunco in my PJ's...at a country club...at midnight.
5. Singing and dancing under a covered bridge.
6. Making a hat with items that included a bagel, a dollar, a mini-pad, and a stolen napkin.
7. Having a fantastic weekend with new friends and old friends...and making memories that will last a lifetime!