Engagement dinner party last fall with Andria's parents, and us. Ken Garbers is setting Danny straight - now that he knows his intentions!

Danny is showing his pearly whites?

Engaged! Yes - two in the same summer! Can we do it? Yes we can! The time is now short and Annie and Danny (as I have grown fond of saying) are getting married in a beautiful setting at Riverside Park in LaCrosse which is right next to the Mississippi river - outdoors. So please pray for good weather, yes we have a backup plan. The reception will be at the Radisson in the ballroom... can't wait!

Cute story - Danny (Paul) proposed on Grandad's bluff over looking the Mississippi River in LaCrosse. We are excited to have Andria as a part of our family!

This is the save the date that went out awhile back.

I will add Danny and Andria's next. We are down to dress alterations, music planning, order of service.... its getting close!

Engaged!

JJ and Briana are engaged! They were so cute during this process - JJ had to propose twice cause the first time Briana would not cooperate! He wanted to take her up to a bluff by Devils Lake in WI Dells and she was running late coming home from college - the sun was setting and it was getting dark - she was wearing flip flops and shorts. She did not want to climb the bluff. So like a trooper - JJ changed plans, cleaned up the rose petals, got the Build a bear dressed like a bride that said "Will you marry me" got his friend who was waiting at the top to guard the set up and to take pictures. Onto another day it would happen. And it did - a couple of days later he encouraged her to go to the Dells and climb the bluff! PS: She said yes!

Raccoons are not cute!

Okay, I know that a lot of you think of raccoons are these cute little masked guys. But they are not! They climb fences, even well built fences intended to keep the likes of them out! They will eat chickens... yes I know! First I think, okay - they can eat a chicken - I like them too. But they kill chickens for sport! Ripping off heads, leaving various parts of chickens laying around and not cleaning up after themselves. They are vicious, angry animals. Angry I say, cause why else would you be able to kill and mame seven to eight chickens in a matter of minutes? Twice! So now we carefully pack up the chickens we have left into the coop before nightfall (which means the sun has just barely hit the horizon. They are grateful for the protection of the coop. and so are we.

Canada June 2009

I cannot go to much longer without blogging about our recent June trip to Canada.... We allowed JJ to come along he is Briana's boyfriend of four years. JJ is a natural... everything. He plays basketball well, he can pick up just about any sport and do it well. Thats why we hate him. Otherwise, he is a kind and gentle soul... thats why we love him.

So- Craig and JJ go to Gander Mountain and get fishing poles etc. We had to explain things to him cause he did not have a lot of experience in the fishing department. But remember I said he was a natural at sports? Yeah, we get to Canada out on Sturgeon Lake (no, they do not have sturgeon in this lake??) JJ makes his first cast and there on the line, a tropy walleye! He prevailed at catching a lot of nice, nice fish this two weeks that we were there!~ what the heck.

The first week was cold and we did a lot of shivering on the boat. The fish were unpredictable, and all over the place. We would try to fish for Northern and caught lake trout, out for trout and caught walleye... very confusing. Thought we were going to starve to death, but thankfully Mom (me) came to the rescue with speghetti, and oher non-canada type meals.

The second week went much better, it warmed up, Danny the fisherman of the century arrived and we finally did the traditional "normal" Canada fishing trip! The lake trout were where God intended them to be so that we could catch them and have a proper fish boil. The walleye were where they were supposed to be, so that we could deep fry them back at the cabin. So- we had to actually manage our fish so that we would not waste any... now that is more like it.