June 2014 - Big Head Todd and the Monsters

We started the workweek with a Neon Trees concert and ended it with a Big Head Todd and the Monsters concert at the Minnesota Zoo.  It was hot and humid but perfect weather for an outdoor summer concert in my favorite outdoor venue with both M and his brother Ray.

June 2014 - Father's Day

June 2014 - Rochester

The weekend after the MS150, I met my sister's family in Rochester for a baseball tournament weekend for my nephew Keith.  The day we got there was his 11th birthday, on Friday the 13th.  M went on a motorcycle trip to Wisconsin instead.

I had never been to Rochester before.  I don't know if I was necessarily missing anything but it was kinda fun to explore the city a bit.  

We went to my nephew's game on Friday night, his birthday and the weather was beautiful and perfect.  After the game, I went to my ex-something's house.  He's lived there for more than a handful of years.  I had seen him at my dad's benefit in September 2012 but before that, I hadn't seen him since hmmm....I'm not sure but I think summer of 2006. We hung out at his house, talking for hours. 

Colton 

He has a good eye.

He catches.

He scores runs.

He pitches and strikes out batters.  The pitcher on his team was giving up runs like crazy and they threw Keith in there to try and get them out of the inning.  He struck out 3 batters in a row.  

Saturday's weather was a little different.  Breezy, cloudy and chilly.  I didn't really bring the clothes for that.  Keith pitched again and did well.  We had a break in between morning and afternoon games and went to lunch.  Saturday's afternoon game was postponed until Sunday due to weather, mostly scary lightning and rain.

The most perfect bunt. 

He pitches like a pro.

Keith's team congratulating his pitching performance

The birthday card I made Keith.  It had Twins tickets in it for him and I to go to a game later in the month.

 

The family went swimming in the afternoon after lunch.  We went out to dinner to Newt's in the evening and went back to the hotel to play games.  I retired to my room around 10 pm and left in the morning before Keith's game.  On my way home, a bald eagle flew parallel with my car right when I got on Hwy 52.  

May 2014 - Special Heart's Ride

Our friends Sean and Beth lost their 18 year old son to a heart defect in January 2014.  On Saturday, May 31st, they hosted a ride in honor of him called the Joe Gillis Special Heart's Ride benefiting Camp Odayin, a camp for kids with heart disease. Joe went to the camp each year for many years and was looking forward to becoming a camp counselor in the year he passed but didn't get the chance.

The ride started at Bennett's in St. Paul which included a breakfast buffet.  M was one of the road captains for the day, which Sean graciously does for us each year on the Cherry Ride and we headed south through Hastings, getting a scheduled police escort through the city and reaching our first destination Dan's Bar and Grill in Hampton, where M one of one the raffles. We then rode to Steel Horse Saloon in Ellsworth, WI where I ended up winning the big pot of money in one of the raffles. We finished at Tavern on the Avenue where the fundraising continued with silent auctions, raffles and a band.  

The ride/benefit raised $7,500 for the Joe Gillis Memorial Fund at Camp Odayin and was an incredibly successful inaugural year.  Thank you Sean and Beth for including us for this special event.    

May 2014 - Mother's Day

I don't even remember what we did for Mother's Day, if anything but I went to my sister's, where my mom also moved to in April 2014 and we hung out for a little bit.

I made this for my mom.  It's a picture of Lichen Lake transferred onto a piece of wood and then I painted it gray to match my mom's room.  

March 2014 - Bachman's Ideas House

My mom, sister and I all completed our first set of seasons of the Bachman's Ideas House in 2013 and spring's ideas house was the start of our second year of visiting the house.  We went on March 27th, 2014 and I have to say the season I like best is spring for the ideas.  We have so much fun seeing how different and creative they are with the rooms each season.  It's like live Pinterest.