Minnesota Vacation in Reverse

So we left for Minnestoa to visit family on June 25th.  Our niece Kiley graduated and we wanted to attend her party.  But, I started loading the pictures from the end of the trip so we will just go in reverse!  Ha!

 

One of the things we wanted to do was look for land while we were up there.  One of our dreams is to build a cabin, over time it has morphed into a cottage, but you get the idea.

 So somewhere between Grand Rapids, MN (home of Judy Garland) and Virgina, MN we found this beauty.  So beautiful if this were the purchase year in the five year pland (1.5 years into the plan mind you) we would have purchased.  Crossing my fingers that it will still be there, but I'm not holding my breath!

 So what is the 5 year plan.  Kyle is ready to move home.  Or closer to home that it.  He wants 40 acres of property to have a self-sustaining mini farm.  I just like him so much I'm willing to go along for the ride.  I like the idea, but I also like to be able to travel, so we will see what we really end up with.  He is trying to brib the kids with land, so 40 is narrowing down to maybe a 20 and 2 tens...  It is beautiful country up there.  Maybe if we live there I will get to see my illusive moose and black bear in the wild....still working on those items for the bucket list.

 The last night up in family territory was Klayton's 27th birthday.  Holy cow, he was five when Kyle and I got married....time flys....

 I love Trisha's sign so much I took a picture so I can recreate it some time...we have enough wood sitting around here it shouldn't be a problem.

 Trisha tried so hard to get Klay to blow out the candles, and she ended up getting them for him on accident...hehehe!

Nicole is expecting her third child with Kaleb.  That will bring the grandkid talley up to 23 in November.  The kids are arguing about who will fill the quota ordered by Robin...I'm out.  After that ablasion a few years back, I'm toast!  Literally!

 Well the fun part about hangin' out with Robin is you never know what food adventure you'll get hornswaggled into.  When you have a big family cooking for several goes from easy to hard and 0.5 seconds....We endedn up making 5 large (ginormous) pizzas for the family, because that was a bit more thrifty on our pocketbooks.  They were very yummy.  I learned you need to put salt and sugar in your pizza dough...my recipe didn't call for them, but the crust was yummy.

 Kiley (in yellow) was the graduate we came to see and her mom Hope. 

 Some of the 22 almost 23 grands playing outside.  There is nothing better than cousin friends!

 This little guy, Briar; the last picture I got of just him was his birth announcement.  I took a single just to make into a wallet.

 Baby Kooper is such a snuggle bug and is so happy.  He is always similing.  If there was a guarantee that you'd get a baby like this, I would have ordered up a couple more, but alas, no guarantees.  I am glassesless, that story is for the next post.

Yum, the lovelies that Robin and I made.  Oh, so good.  What do you think Robin, Granny's Pizza, when you retire for some spending cash?!  :0)