Took this shot when we were down in Canal Park today to see the movie "Coraline". The line of white numbers attracted me first...I'm not sure what they're for. The William A. Irvin is a retired lake freighter which now serves as a museum. It houses one of the best museum tours I've ever done...a "must see" if you come to Duluth.
Mason's pants are all about 1/8 of an inch too short, so he refuses to wear any of them. I swear, I almost sent him to school today in pajamas...but he finally conceded and wore his brown jeans. A couple of weeks ago we ordered two pairs of Gap jeans online (our local store has closed, and the Gap sizing with the adjustable waist is necessary). Anyway, both pairs are two inches too long! "Too short", "too long", now we're looking for "just right". After school today, we ran to Old Navy (which also carries the adjustable waist). He tried on 7 pairs, and says this camo pair is "just right" (I'm a little worried for after the wash). We also found two pairs of jeans. Why is it so hard to buy clothing?
I think the Florida trip last week had me believing spring was right around the corner. We even had huge patches of grass in the yard and the birds are back! But reality is arriving as we speak. We're expecting up to 6 inches of snow. This plays out the same way almost every year. February 2nd, Groundhog's Day, everybody starts talking about spring. We get a little warmth, we're lulled into believing it's coming, and then BAM! Another storm blows through. Everyone knows MARCH is when the worst winter weather is set to arrive. I still remember seeing ice chunks floating in the Duluth harbor on Memorial Day weekend a few years back. So I need to just go put on another sweater, make some hot chocolate, and sit tight. This is going to be a while.
I used to say that every time I drove this stretch of road. I really never get tired of the view of the Lake. It looks different every day. I took this photo out of my sunroof, and although it appears I have crossed the center line, do not believe it. Really, it was the angle of the camera!
I'm STILL sorting through photos for my Library of Memories class. I seem to have more for 2004 than any other year (though there are certainly more photos hiding out in drawers and boxes, so that may change). What happened in '04? Calvin was in 3rd grade, and Mason was in preschool. It was our last full year in Marshfield, though we didn't know we were moving until early '05. I went to Utah with a bunch of great women on a whitewater rafting "trip-of-a-lifetime". In fact, I have about 100 photos from that trip stacked in a pile that's not even pictured in this photo! As a family, we visited Legoland in Carlsbad, California for the second time, and we wrapped up the exterior portion of our Michigan cabin. No wonder there were so many great shots!
I spent much of the day sorting photos for my Library of Memories class. I have two more big boxes like this one to go through, and a couple of drawers full of photos. I'm hoping to make serious progress tomorrow so I'm able to keep up with the class syllabus.
...sleeping in my own bed. We're back and plan to sleep 'til noon tomorrow (yeah, right).
You're never too old for Dumbo! This was Paul's first ride & Calvin hasn't done it since he was 4 years old.
Mason had a nice visit with Frontier Donald this morning. 
This is what it looks like when you're waiting for Hollywood Studios to open, and you're at the front of the line looking back. There were two other families from Minnesota within an arms reach of us. What are the odds? (paul would say about 100-percent)
We raced to the new Toy Story ride. It's the most popular new attraction at HS. We ended up being 8th in line to ride it. When we finished, the wait time was already at 70 minutes and the line for the fast passes was about a mile long. Once was enough.
Finally, we went back to Epcot to graze at lunctime. I had to post this shot of Calvin with the Greenest Green Tea I've ever seen. Delicious!
Too wiped out to arrange these in any particular order...
*Click the photo to make it larger. Doesn't everyone look happy?
Calvin, Mason & I rode Everest 6 times this morning. C&M even got to ride in the front seats once! (highly recommended). Paul made it through 4 trips on Everest. He knows his limits.
Mom & Mason sat out while Cal & Dad did the water ride. They were soaked! (note Mason's new watch, and new zebra necklace, purchased with his own money!)
Mason spotted the "artsy" shot of the day, and took this photo for the blog! Not bad, huh?
My favorite kids, Mason & Calvin in China.
My favorite "artsy" shot, in France (taken 2-14).
Today could be a turning point for me. Really. Today is the day I begin a 16 week organizational journey. Those of you who know me, know that I am challenged with organization of any kind. I love a good system. I'll try something for a few weeks with some success, but I always fall back to my old bad habits. I need THE system that works for me.
*Click the picture to make it bigger!
The boys are both home from school again today. The threat of an ice storm caused school officials to cancel classes both yesterday and today. Well, it's 36 degrees now, the ice has melted, and I think things will be "as usual" tomorrow.
It sure was fun to shoot!
I do some volunteering with the Young Survival Coalition group here in Duluth. For the past two years we've had scrapbooking events during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Dozens of companies donated their products for these events, and today we were able to host a sale with the leftovers. We raised more than two-thousand dollars today, and we couldn't be happier! We still have a lot leftover...but I think we sold about three-fourths of what we had.
I think I'm at Mt. Royal Fine Foods at least six times a week. Many times, I'm there twice or more in one day (I always seem to forget something). I LOVE my grocery store but I really HATE grocery shopping. I just don't like the pressure of coming up with something for dinner every night. Tonight we're doing Chicken Parmigiana and we MAY do some mozzarella marinara for appetizers. I realize that sounds pretty good, but would you believe we probably have this once a week? It's one of the only meals my whole family likes.
It's guitar lesson night...so let's play the drums! Both Cal & Mason have to sit down and play the electronic drum sets each time we head to Best Buy for lesson night. Cal says he's sticking with guitar...but I'm not sure I believe him.
Needed some color to brighten the day today...the old snow outside is looking a little drab. Not that I'm asking for more. Jimmy the Groundhog (the one I rely on) did not look favorably on winter! Six more weeks was not really what I had in mind. But really, isn't it ALWAYS six more weeks when you live in Northern Minnesota?
