OMG

Oh my God! I forgot Meagan! I'm standing there drying my hair trying to make sure I didn't forget anyone and the mother of my first grandchild pops into my lame brain! How could I forget the women who supplied the troops with yummy caramel rolls, christmas treats from her cooking club, and her uterus to grow our very first grandbaby! She apologized when she was leaving for not being able to do much, but she is doing the most important job ever and we love her so very much. She is caring, sweet and a very loving wife to our son and I couldn't have picked a better match for him myself! Thank you for all you do! Love to you all, stay warm, Becky PS If I've forgotten anyone else, please forgive me. Old age is setting in very quickly in my head.

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz Oh What a Relief It Is!

Dear Family and Friends - I'm not sure I could have ever imagined what a release of feelings and emotions occurred after Greg and I sat down and talked about what has just happened. The feeling of relief and stress and the weight off our shoulders was complete when the sale was over, but what we were both surprised about was that neither of us teared up much during the day - watching the auction process - watching the machinery leave the yard - we both thought would be alot harder. I think that just proves that we were both so ready for this to happen. I much longer than Greg of course , but he was so ready too. Leading up to the day was so much work and worry about the timing of it mostly - we needed to get a certain figure out of it and did we do enough to make that happen?? Would people show up? Would the weather cooperate? Did the farmers have enough money to spend b/4 the end of the year? Would they just be looking for deals? So many questions. The Steffes were the best convincing us it was the right time and they were right. We exceeded our goals - some pieces went low, but then others went high to offset it. All in all we are so pleased with the outcome. Now we just wait and see - meet with our tax advisor - see how all this shakes out - and plan the rest of our lives. I can't wait to see where this all goes. I'd like to be able to post some pics of the day - but THANKFULLY Tim Keckler has all the pics! I was so relieved to see his camera around his neck that morning - I was going to try and take pics but no one does it like he does - and we saw some of those pics later that nite and they were great!! He will make us a DVD of all of them and we will cherish it forever. Thanks Tim!!!

Now - it's time for the thank you that I wanted to say to everyone that nite at the party, but couldn't get out without the "ugly cry face" - so here it goes. We can never thank our family enough for all the support that we have gotten over the years. First and most important - ANDREW - without him and his financial planning knowledge and support of his father's long decision process - I don't think this would have ever happened. He took us by the hand and made us believe that this was all possible and we can never thank him enough. Greg can now take the rest of his life and decide what he wants to do with it - without the stress of farming hanging on his shoulders. There will still be money decisions to be made of course - we can't just sit back and sip umbrella drinks on the beach - but he can decide what he wants to do to make him happy for the rest of his life. That in turn will lengthen his life and then also lengthen mine. I can't imagine my life without him, and I was always so worried that farming would kill him somehow - the stress, and the fact that he was always alone in a terribly dangerous job. Andrew will help us manage all of this (yes folks - he's very good at his job 701-361-0661) and we will rely on him for the rest of our lives!! Thank you our number one son. RUSS - After Brian died and the whole family was reeling - you stepped in and helped Greg with his last farming season. Both Russ and Andrew took time away from their full time jobs and helped Greg get the spring work done and then the harvest from hell that wouldn't end - they were both there through it all! Russ, Greg couldn't have done it without you there and we thank you so much. You are the best and we both love you (and your crazy sense of humor) very much! DAD (WAYNE) You were also there offering your help whenever necessary to run the tractor or whatever Greg needed you to do. When it came time to get ready for the sale, Greg never doubted that you would come out and help if he called and he knew he could count on you to do whatever job he gave you without complaint. Your advice, support, and love will always be remembered and appreciated. JENNIFER, MIKE, BILLIE, MARK, TIM, RICHARD, JOSH, DAVE, SHORTY, MOM when we called in the troops to work cleaning, polishing, vaccuming, picking up food, buying groceries, cooking, apple pie, meatballs, wings, cleaning up the shop afterwards, and general LOVE AND SUPPORT, we don't know how to say thank you for all you did. You are always there for us whatever we need and we love you all so so much. We have the best family in the world and feel like the luckiest people on earth right now. Thank you all.

More Prep Pictures

Cool Truck Huh??Andrew and Mark taking a break from the cold!

We are down to just the combine left to clean and shine - it is in the shop thawing out as I write this. Then...on Thursday the line up will begin and we will clean the shop up to get ready for the after party! The weather now sounds like a little snow and warmer temps. 25 maybe?? Really can't believe the day is almost here - we are so excited and anxious. Greg is really ready for the phone to stop ringing. It has been crazy ringing off the hook with questions! Well - thanks again everyone for all the help!! It is so much appreciated! Love to all. Becky

Prep Work & Counting Down the Days

Well - the work is continuing and things are getting closer to being ready. We had a crew of workers this past Saturday and things really came together! Dad, Tim Keckler, Billie and Mark, Andrew and Jennifer all came to help us polish and shine up the machinery. Yes it's true - if things are clean and polished up it looks like someone really cares for their equipment - inside and out - and things sell better. Most of the pieces are usually cleaner than most people keep them already, but Greg is a little OCD about these things, so clean we did! After getting done, Billie, Jenn and I would call over the Inspector General (Greg) to have our work inspected. We usually passed with flying colors and things really did look alot better after we got done. It was alot of work, and we can't thank everyone enough for all their hard work. We got to work inside, but the guys had the tough part working in the freezing cold! The sale day is projected to be about 10 degrees, but no wind and sunny. I guess we can hope for the best - but it is going to be cold!!! So this week will be spent finishing the combine, and the semi trailer - then on Thursday the line up will begin! It will be so exciting and emotional at the same time - I'm not sure how I will feel. And Greg - I know he's ready - but I also know what a life change this is for him....he's not just quitting a regular job - this has been his life. But we both know there are many exciting changes ahead for us. Now - let's pray for sun, no wind, and lots of anxious bidders! I will post some pics from the sale and the after party next week. Take care everyone!

IT'S OVER!!

The 2008 harvest is finally completed and we have to thank our wonderful son, Andrew - Greg's brother Russ - and my Dad Wayne. We couldn't have done it without them and we will be eternally grateful that they were there for us and we got the crop off. The corn ran like crazy and it took all of them to keep it away from the combine!! It was a great problem to have I guess! It takes a great weight off Greg's shoulders and now we can just concentrate on getting the rest of the machinery ready for the sale. This all really won't sink in until then - but we are so excited for the changes this will bring to our lives. It is all very exciting! I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving - we will be thanking God for all our blessings this year more than any other! Love to all, Becky

Rolling Rolling Rolling....

Yes Folks - the combines are rolling. Things are going well so far - the ground is now hard enough to be able to combine beans and Greg, Andrew, Russ and one of our new renters, David are combining like crazy! They start VERY early in the morning (actually Greg is just now getting out of bed the same time I do :) ) and get the filled trucks from the nite before in line at the elevator - and they start combining at sun up. They have actually been able to get in a couple long days so things are going good. Keep praying for NO SNOW and NO BREAKDOWNS. Greg says the trucks and combines make "funny" noises when it is this cold!! And with only 3 weeks until it is all on the auction block we don't need any repair bills!! Have a great weekend everyone - GO BISON!! And yes - I am still excited for the game even if it is "only" for the Dakota Marker.

The Harvest that Won't End!!

Yes, folks - Greg hasn't turned a wheel in the field for 6 weeks!! His decision to retire is looking better and better all the time! If only----he could get the crop off and the field work done!! He is so stressed - along with every other farmer in this area!!-- We have never seen such a wet fall! He has over 700 acres of beans and one 1/4 section of corn just sitting there getting wetter and wetter! He said now not only is the ground saturated, the beans inside the pods are frozen and hard as a rock so if it did freeze the ground enough to be able to travel across the fields, the beans are so frozen they would go right out the back of the combine!! Quite a mess! He feels bad too cause he would like to leave the ground in perfect condition for the Mueller brothers who are renting it next year, but there is no way that's going to happen now - they understand of course, but he still feels bad. He's a little OCD that way and wants everything to be perfect. The auction sale is 0ne month from today - and he has been working his tail off getting all the equipment cleaned and shined!! We have the cleanest augers in Cass County!! And everything else he is done using of course! The pressure washer has sure gotten a work out!! Keep praying for no snow and not to cold for that day, ok??

The guys have been hunting and even with all the crop in the fields they have done pretty good. They have shot 6 bucks and need 1 more and two does. They have had to work really hard to get them though - lots of walking the tree claims! They had some fun too - Andrew, Greg, Tim and Josh Keckler, Dave Behm, Audie -Shane and Brock Brorson - I'm pretty sure some beer was enjoyed by most of the crew!!

After a very nice baby shower for Meagan (she is the cutest pregnant lady ever!!) at her cousins house in Fargo Sat morning, I picked up my grandpuppy Briggs for a sleepover cause Jenn had some friends from the cities in town for a Keri Noble concert. He is such a cutie patootie - with his "sit tall" trick - you can't help but feed him!! On Sunday morning I headed to the lake for a "hunting weekend" of my own. I made a couple of different homemade soups for Meagan, Andrew and my grandson to be, watched a couple movies, did some shopping, had lunch with our real estate agent from DL, read two books, and just generally relaxed in front of the fireplace! It was wonderful - and even better since I took Monday off and had Tues (Veterans Day) as a holiday! Didn't have to even think about HSB for 4 days!!!!!!!! Excellent. A perfect weekend that stretched into the week! Doesn't get much better than that! Already looking forward to going back this weekend. Have a great weekend everyone!!

A New Chapter

A new chapter in our lives will officially begin on Dec 12th 2008. We have decided to have a farm machinery auction and Greg will officially retire from farming this year. His hope always was to retire by the time he was 55 - that will happen in 2009, but the death of his brother Brian earlier this year really set things into motion alot faster. Brian was our help on the farm and with him gone, the prospect of finding someone to help Greg on the farm was daunting. We relied on Andrew, Russ and Dad to get the harvest and field work done this year, (and its not done yet!) and we appreciated that so much - but that is certinaly not a long term solution. We are excited and nervous at the same time as to the changes it will bring, but know this is the right decision at the right time. Greg has rented the land to two young farmers from Hillsboro, and is really excited to do so. Since Andrew didn't want to farm - it is nice to know that we can help to get some younger guys started and at the same time get out of the stressful business of farming. Greg says it hasn't been "fun" for quite a few years with the stress of the marketing side of farming, and dealing with unpredictable mother nature. I have struggled for years with the weather related side - wondering how he could put so much time and energy into planning, planting, huge money outlay, and then sit back and let the weather take over. Something of which we have no control over. Not to mention the marketing side of it - also of which we have no control. It is crazy to me. But - Any way it's been a great life - a great way to raise kids - and we are just so fortunate now to be able to look forward to something new. Our dream to retire at the lake is a few years off as selling the farmstead is not in the picture yet - and I will be working full time for a while longer. I am hoping the next job I get will be in the DL area when we move there full time. For now I will hang out at HSB as long as I can stand it. Greg has a few ideas on how to stay busy - he had offers from everyone he contacted to rent the land to work for them - so that is an option - but he also has other ideas. He knows he is to young to just sit back and rest. So - that is our big news for now. We have lots of work to do between now and Dec 12th, getting everything all polished up and shiny -AND we would like to invite everyone we know to a big "Shop Party" after the sale - there will be some celebrating to do!!

Random Thoughts

Hi Everyone! I'm sitting at home today after a "procedure" I had done this morning. I'm 50 - you take a guess on what it was. But I have to report it was no big deal. Everyone was telling me horror stories, but it was a piece of cake and I am seriously feeling very "cleaned out" today. I feel so good I may do that clean out about once a month!! And it's a beautiful day to be home enjoying the weather and baking cookies for the harvesters! It's fall - the leaves are turning, nites colder, and Greg is harvesting beans finally. He found one field that the beans are ready and the ground is not "to soft". He's only had to go around a few holes but he said there are no beans there anyway.
This field is running about 30 bu so not to bad for all the rain we had this season. They are forecasting rain for Sunday and Monday, so not good news. It would be really nice if this harvest went as smoothly as the wheat harvest did, but so far, not so. Andrew is here helping and Russ is dumping trucks in-between working, so as you can tell the "help" problem has not been solved. We are so thankful for these two offering to fill in, but it is really not a solution. We can't keep taking them away from their jobs, and Greg tried to get someone to work, but it's almost an impossibilty! If you advertise in the Forum all you get is the guys who want to use you on their list for unemployment - they really don't want the job. And just putting the word out amoung other farmers has resulted in some calls but nothing worked out. This is quite a problem, so everyone pray for good weather, so we can get this crop off, ok?

Fall also brings our nephew, Elliott's soccer games. He starts for Fargo North and is the quickest player on the team. Now I don't know alot about soccer yet - in fact sometimes it drives me crazy cause they get so close to a goal and it just veers off, or someone steals the ball - oof - crazy game. Anyway, I think his speed is being wasted cause he plays mostly defense, but I am told, his speed is needed back there and he is great on defense. He is almost certain to be all conference or whatever kind of awards they give out now days. He's really fun to watch, and I bet all the HS girls agree with me too!!

You can also see that our Aunt Beverly was home for a visit last week. She came mostly to see her sister Gloria who is in Bethany Homes now, but we got her for one night for supper out at Russ and Janets and it was really great to see her! She is so much like Caroline, it feels like for just a while that Caroline is back with us, but also makes us realize how much we miss her. They both had and have a great love of life and we always laugh so much when Beverly is around - we just love her! Hopefully soon, we will have more time for travel and we can go see her and Jim in Washington - it sounds like they have a wonderful place and also have their motor home at a beautiful campground at a lake. She showed us some pics and it looked like a great place! Can't wait!

Things are going better at work. We are finally used to the new building and everyone has things figured out now - so my days are not so long anymore. Thank goodness. We have our grand opening next week so that should be fun. We are not just bank tellers lately - we are also tour guides. Everyone wants to see it which results in alot of extra traffic and and we have picked up a substantial number of new accounts. Things are going well. We are also answering alot of phone calls about this "banking crisis" we are all involved in. People really aren't all that worried around here they just have some questions. I think since almost everyone seems to think the crazy wanna-be vice president Ms Palin is the next best thing since sliced bread, I am going to start talking, winking, and acting like her. "Darn right Harwood State Bank is just fine - you betcha your FDIC insured money is safe - also you don't have to worry about a darn thing because also we are doin all we can to safeguard your money and also we didn't get involved the sub-prime mortgage thing. And you can be assured that even though Tom the President is a maverick, he will continue to make sure you can also trust your money is safe with us!! How's that sound - Think it will work?!?!? What a joke - that women is a disgrace to all women. Come on - how long will cute last?? God - hopefully everyone will come to their senses by Nov 4th!

It is Bison homecoming this Sat and since Greg is combining I get to take Dad as my date! Tonite before supper with Bil, Mark, and Mallory, I am going to Scheels to get him a new sweatshirt to wear. He has had the same Bison sweatshirt (hanging next to his Sioux sweatshirt) for quite a few years now and it is time for a new one for sure! It will be a fun game, and after having to keep my voice down at the bar for the last game (remember the old people giving us dirty looks) I can't wait to get there and scream my voice horse! I hope its a great game!! Go BISON!! Take care everyone - Becky

A Beautiful Day!

September 13th - The Kecker-Behm Wedding was a beautiful day and as you can see by the pictures I have included, the Bride and Groom were glowing! The weekend started at the rehearsal, and dinner at the Speak Easy. Greg and I were included because I was the "Wedding/Reception Assistant". I got a mention in the program, and got to wear a flower and everything!! It was so much fun! I would have done it even without a flower :) but I was so happy to wear one!! The way Jenn talks this will be the closest I get to planning a big wedding- so I enjoyed every minute of it. The planning was done way in advance by the very well organized Bride and her wonderful Mom. All I had to do was make sure the actions followed the plans! And I can proudly say everything went off without a hitch!! I do have to make special mention of the "star" of the show. Kristin and Dave had a rockstar ring bearer in their nephew and godson Kaeleb. He must have said "cheese" a hundred times if he said it once during the pictures, and he walked down that aisle like nobodys business (once the photographer got out of the way!) He is soooo cute! The wedding was beautiful, everyone looked great "in their new clothes" as Dave says, and the reception and dance was great too! The speeches were excellent Tim, Julie, Jenn, Dave, and Kristin (best man too - name escapes me) I don't know who you all did it without crying, but I was Very Very impressed!! I just can't say it enough - it was a perfect day!

It took this 50 year old woman about 2 days to recover from the fun we had at the dance and by Wednesday I felt better and couldn't wait to get to the lake! We hadn't been there for 2 weeks so I was missing it bad. I drove down and spent Wed thru Sunday there and had a ball. The weather was just like summer and there were no bugs so it was great! I mowed, read, relaxed. Even though I was driving back and forth to work, it was worth it. I just love it there so much. I call it "my happy place" and Greg just shakes his head at me. We took one last pontoon ride with Andrew and Meagan on Friday nite. It was actually hot out there at least until the sun went down. Just beautiful. On Sat Greg and I went to a bar with a big screen TV and watched at the Bison get beat - a terrible first half - no defense to stop the run - and 4 INTERCEPTIONS - hard to win many games that way!! Yikes - I hope this bye week does some good and the next home game I will be able to cheer like I want to. This table of old people kept looking at us funny - and asking the manager to turn the volume down. Geez - eat at home. Hee Hee. I hope I am never that way!!

I can report that our Grandson is growing like a weed and is as handsome as can be! Probably the cutest baby ever!! We saw the ultrasound pics in person and they are so cool! He looks like a real baby in there!! The parents to be are beaming now that they know for sure its a boy. I think the fathers don't really feel involved until they see pics like these. Meagan can feel him moving, but when Andrew saw him circling around in there I think it made a huge impact on him. He is already planning hunting, sports trips, nascar Sundays with the little guy I think!! It will be so neat to see our son as a father! He has had a great role model - so I'm sure he will follow in his Dads footsteps!

Take care all! Love, Becky

Pics from Last Weekend

Here are the pictures I promised - we had a wonderful weekend, except for the wind the weather was perfect! Hot and sunny - and all we had to do on the pontoon to avoid the wind was stay on the east side and south end and we could skirt around it. Andrew and Meagan's end of the lake was terrible!! Anyway - Dave and Kim came and we had alot of fun - we had a smorgasboard of frozen drinks - Kim mixed up one we called Labor Day Love Juice - with pineapple juice, peach schnapps, etc - sweet but yummy! Our fluffly grandpuppy came to visit and he and Riley are getting along better. The pics show them "playing" - Riley growling a bit and "chewing" on Briggs as they dance and roll around each other. Briggs was soaking wet when they were done, and sometimes even rolled over and played dead to rest! It was pretty funny. The girls went garage saleing on Sat and at one house at Melissa I found a twenty dollar life vest for the new baby. It goes up to 30 lbs and looked brand new. It is one of the neoprene ones so it looks really cool and the expectant parents seemed pretty pleased with it. I also found a cute unisex lake hat for the baby - reminds me of a Gilligan hat only print. Can't wait till next summer to see him or her in it! The pic of me peaking thru the railing on the boat is of course my trademark "dipping" procedure. We didn't spring for the portable bathroom when we bought the new boat so this is the next best thing - except for the last couple weekends when the water turned extremely cold!! A girl has to do what a girl has to do, right??

We stayed home this weekend to clean my nasty house - kinda let it slip this summer - eek! It is also BISON football tonite so we are meeting Dave and Kim for beer and appetizers before the 6pm game. Now that is getting closer to the time FB should be played. Hopefully the powers that be will someday realize that the ideal time for a FB game is about 3 or 4 pm. That way you can do something before and still be able to go out afterwards if you want to. GO BISON!!

Summer's Last Hurrah??

I surely hope not! Seems like it just started and the forecast for this weekend sounds great (except for the wind of course!). It better hold true!! And by the looks of the beans, the warm weather better hold out for quite a while - they need alot of time!! The wheat harvest went really good. The average bushel number was GREAT and the harvest only last about a week, so things went really smoothly. Thanks so much to our wonderful son, who stayed with us, worked at his real job in the mornings and then came and ran the grain cart for his Dad. It helps so much and he really is a farmer at heart so think he likes it alot.

The bank move is complete and we have been in there for two full weeks. The building is beautiful, and I love it, but getting used to all the changes has been hell. Maybe I'm to old for this change - I don't know - but this hasn't been as much fun as I was hoping it would be. For one thing Kathy and I have been putting in 10 to 12 hour days trying to keep everyone on track and get things running smoothly again, and I KNOW I am to old for that!! Boy am I tired at nite and my bad knee is killing me! The place is 2 1/2 times the size of the old one and the walking on all the ceramic tile is not great for the knee. Anyway - enough complaining - It is getting better and every day goes a little better. The 3 new part timers should know their stuff in a couple of weeks and then I can get back to my regular hours! I have racked up 4 1/2 days of comp time so far this year, which would be really great news IF I would ever see compensation for them or an offer to use them as vacation days! I'm sure that will never happen though. At this point even a thank you from management would be greatly appreciated!

I am writing this at my happy place with a beer by my side so all is well now. Dave and Kim Jones are coming for the Labor Day holiday which will make the weekend all the better and you can bet some pontoon time will be necessary. We also have Briggs visiting this weekend (he and Riley are actualy getting along better finally!) while Jenn, Mike and Jack are in South Dakota for a visit with his parents. They actually live in Arizona but are in the area for a visit and went to their home state of SD to visit some friends. We will meet them for the first time on Sunday or Monday so are very much looking forward to that! Jenn says they are great people and very easy going - not surprising since they raised such a great son!! I will post some pics from the weekend later. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend - stay safe - Love you all. Becky

Another wonderful weekend!

Yes folks, the summer is rolling right along - much to fast as everyone can agree. We had a beautiful weekend at the lake with some good friends along to keep us company. Bil and Mark had Tom and Pat McManus from the cities at the cabin and Dave, Kim, and their daughter Kate Jones came to visit us. Along with her dog Oden a black lab and hound dog mix who came to play with Riley and Briggs. They got along splendidly and chased after the ball like two good friends should. We even had a tandem poop in the tall grass that we were wishing we had a camera for. Kinda gross - but it made us all laugh! Briggs spent most of the time wishing I would let him off the chain so he could run too, but most of the time he would run straight to the mud side of the dock and the cute white puppy would be a smelly, ugly, mess!! I was a mean grandma and kept him by my side most of the weekend to keep him out of trouble! He is so cute and we did our duty and delivered him home, tired, cranky, and dirty! Watch out Andrew and Meagan - we will do the same with your baby except for the dirty part!!

We spent all day Saturday on the pontoon again, and it was a perfect day. Not to hot - no wind - and a mixture of our first Hop Skips of the season to make the day! It was hard to leave the water again, but Billie and Mark had planned this wonderful meal that we put together at our house. It was delicious as always!! A fire, star gazing, and listening to We Fest from afar rounded out the nite. Perfect. I, like all of you, wish summer would never end.

This week at work has consisted of packing and hauling boxes and boxes of "stuff" out of the old bank and into the new. This Friday at 10am the bank will close and the big push will begin. We have movers to haul the bigger furniture, and computer geeks hired to get all the computers moved, but it will still be and has been a huge undertaking. It will be so worth it when it is all done, but getting there is a long process. I have a hard time believing I had to haul bank record books from 1919 from one bank to another but my boss (my favorite person in the whole world right now - ha ha) says we need to. I tend to disagree. I'm surprised he hasn't fired me yet. I tend to get a little cranky when I'm hot and tired and I can't seem to keep my feelings to myself!! Probably waiting until the hard labor is done and then will fire my ass for insubordination. Oh well - could be the best thing that could happen to me maybe?!?!? Anyway - think of me this weekend when you are all enjoying your weekend. We will be working until we are ready to be up and running for business Monday morning at 7:00 AM. No matter how long that may take!! Tom says he will supply pizza and beer to make up for it. Big spender.

Congrats Beautiful Bachlorette Kristin!

Hi Everyone! This past weekend Jenn and I hosted a Brides Luncheon and Bachlorette party for Jenn's best friend Kristin Keckler. She has been a part of our lives since the Keckler's and us threw the kids together when they were babies, and has always felt like a second daughter to us. She is a kind and wonderful girl and we are so happy she has found a great guy like Dave to be happy with for the rest of her life! They are to marry on Sept 13th but before she can do that we had to party! We started at the Fireside for a brunch complete with Mimosas and salad, and a great video of Kristin and Jenn at their first t-ball game! The video made everyone laugh as much as I do everytime I view it! Then we went to the lake to enjoy the beautiful weather on the pontoon. It was great - as you can see. Briggs even went swimming as he never gets very far from his "mother"! The pic on the deck is of Kristin's bridemaids, including from left, April Brorson, Kari Wosick, (Kristin), maid of Honor Jenn, and Danelle Tate. Reluctantly we had to get off the pontoon to get all dolled up for the Limo that was picking us up at 6pm. We went bar hopping around the lakes area and everyone had a great time! There were three generations of Brorson's there with Jeanet (Kristin's grandma) and Julie (her Mom and my best friend) in attendance! It was great to see and Jeanet had no trouble keeping up! Just the opposite in fact - she put most of us younger ones to shame!! I HAD to play the Mother Hen at our last stop (The Hotel Shoreham) about 1:00 AM rounding everyone up. (The limo driver insisted we go home - huh 7 hours for the price of 6 - you have a problem with that?!?!?) It was quite a chore as the place was packed and just as two or three would board the bus - three or four more would disappear!! Whew - I managed with just a little pushiness (not being a bitch mind you - just forceful - Ha!) and we were home by 1:30 am. Wow - what a day! It was wonderful and I hope the beautiful Bride had a day/nite to remember! Lots of great stories to tell and re-tell! I dropped my camera while the bride to be was opening presents or I would have some great pics to share from the limo - maybe thats a good thing???

The next day the blurry eyed troops went home and I spent the day being a lazy bum - enjoying the weather again. It was such a nice day, but I was so tired I drove home fairly early afraid I would have a hard time keeping my eyes open later in the day! Great weekend - lots of fun! Have a great week everyone!

Vacation Report

Yes dear family and friends - today was back to work and the only saving grace is we have the new bank to look forward to or else I may have cried all the way to work!! We had a wonderful 4th and a great vacation at the lake! The 4th was so much fun with all the family around and the weather was perfect. Our weeks vacation started out rainy, but Greg caught some fish off the dock and Billie and I went to do a little shopping and lunch. We had a great day and a few purchaes were made! Billie had the week off too so we got to spend alot of time together - it was great! Tuesday we had the family over for supper and Greg cooked kabobs on the grill - Bil and I did the prep work and he got most of the credit. Usual. They were great non the less. Wednesday Greg graciously let me stay at the lake while he went to the farm to mow. (Thank you, Thank you!) I had the best day laying in the sun, reading, washing a few clothes and playing with Riley. It was marvelous and the best weather day we had! As you can see, we became "God Damn Tourists" on Thursday (which was also our 32nd anniversary) and went to Walker MN for Moondance Jam. We saw the biggest Muskie (hey kid, where's the big fish??) the ugliest Paul Bunyun, the town famous for the Taste of Dorset but there was absoultely nothing open or to see there, and basically the lakes area we never see because we rarely leave the DL area. We had a great time. We found a great little bar made out of a classic boat that was so cool. There was a roof over the middle and a patio around it. We are pretty sure it is a million dollar idea and we could call it Ivan's Boat Bar. (Greg's nickname in college) We are sure it would be a huge success, but we would need to open it on a beautiful island in the Carribean to make it work! Any interested investors our there?? Greg also taste tested a "loaded Corona". The waitress picked him - he took a drink from a regular Corona and then the bartender poured a shot of Bacardi Limone in the bottle. He said it was pretty good until it got warm and then not so good. He also reported he could feel it pretty strong after just one! Dangerous! We took a bus from the casino to the concert site. It was much smaller than We Fest, and we saw the bands: Hairball (interesting costumes, bad music) The Guess Who (excellent again - love their music) Sammy Hagar (by far the best showman and best music, excellent) Boz Scaggs (old, slow, and boring music) and Crosby, Stills, and Nash ( again, slow and boring, and by the time they played a song we liked it started to rain and we left) Many gallons of vodka and beer were consumed by the four of us and we poured ourselves into bed after a much needed supper break at about 1:30 AM. Whew! Friday was a resting day, and then Kim and Dave Jones came to visit. Dave just came home from a 5 1/2 month service in the army. It was great to see them both and we had a wonderful time! The weather on Saturday was horrible - the wind was crazy - we did some driving around and visiting cause it was just to crummy to be on the lake! They provided us with a great steak supper that evening! Our kids came over earlier too and surprised us with a beautiful anniversary present. Its a board picture that says Welcome to Munson Lake with a pic of an old fashioned boat and it also says "The Barkers" in the middle. It is so cool and I have wanted one ever since we moved in. They special ordered it and really surprised us with it!! Thanks Andrew, Jenn, Meagan, and Mike and Jack! We love it! The pic of Shannon is after her first day at the hospital in DL. She is doing a shadow/intern type thing. 3 weeks of it - and she is staying at our house while she is there. It was so fun to hear her stories and see her in her white coat. So cool and yet hard to believe our little Shannon is close to becoming a doctor!! Ok I'm sorry abut the screwy pic formation - I did this on my new laptop for the first time and am having trouble movin the pictures around. Getting tired now and have to go to bed!!

Well - that is the vacation report - hope you enjoy the pics! I am counting the days until we can go back to the lake! I never get tired of it! Take care everyone!