Birthday Fun!

We celebrated Paul's 3rd Birthday with a small party at Diane's...it was low-key but we really had a nice time! Paul waited very patiently to open his presents and to dive into his awesome train cake that Diane made. Can't believe my little guy has turned 3!!

Diane made this adorable train cake...it was a big hit!

Waiting patiently to grab a big bite...while wearing his new Davy Crockett coonskin cap from Grandpa Mike!

This dinosaur from Ann was a big hit...you really have to see this dinosaur in action to appreciate how impressive it is! "Monty" is an awesome gift!


Cool! A new pop-gun from Grandpa Mike to go with my new hat!

What a great birthday party! Thanks Grandma Diane for hosting such a fun evening! And thank you to Grandpa Mike/Ann and Great-Grandma Maxine and Great-Grandpa Rayno for the nice gifts and celebrating with me!

Germany Trip

We had such a FANTASTIC time on our trip to Germany! It was great to spend time with Jan, Susanne, and their wonderful little guy, Wito. I really enjoyed my first trip to Europe and I'm looking forward to returning in the future. Ryan is always excited to spend time with Jan and the two shared many stories and laughs...it's amazing how similar these two are and it's no wonder they have stayed close and in contact with each other!

Susanne and Jan have a neat apartment and really showered us with great food and hospitality. Susanne is a wonderful cook and I will definitely miss the fresh German bread! We were also able to spend a few days in Amsterdam which was a really neat AND unique city!

Our ten days were filled with fun and activities! Here are some of the highlights:

• Enjoying the different Christmas markets...great food and drink!
• Taking a boat tour down the Rhine River
• Touring the impressive Cologne Dome
• Visiting both Jan and Susanne's parents' and enjoying terrific German meals!
• Touring the Van Gogh museum (Amsterdam)
• Taking the Heineken Brewery tour (Amsterdam)
• Enjoying many laughs, stories, and the making of new memories!

I hope Jan, Susanne, and Wito will be able to come to the United States for a visit in the very near future and I hope to show them as great of time as I had in Germany! I included a few pictures but check out the video in the below post...it has most of the photos we took on our trip.

Germany Trip December 2009 at OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

No thanks, Mom. No spoon necessary...I'll just use these enormous tongs to eat my mashed potatoes. Umm, okay.

Happy Halloween!

We had a busy Halloween!
I'll let the pictures do the talking...we really had a GREAT day! We had a fun morning and went trick or treating in the late afternoon (after a necessary nap)! We made many stops and ended at Bob and Diane's. Diane was a really cool witch and unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures!

Marathon...done!

The marathon training is over! The race went pretty well and I'm happy with my results. It was definitely tough from mile 20 to the end but it was a "good" challenge! My marathon "gals" did great and I will miss visiting with them during our long runs...our MANY long runs! It was awesome feeling to complete the marathon after 18 weeks of training. I think I would probably do another marathon in the future but I'm ready to "hang up" my shoes for awhile!

Marathon gals hanging out at the Metrodome before the race....Katie, myself, Rosie, and Heidi

These girls were a crucial part of my training! I don't think I could have done all that training by myself!


Rosie is getting pumped before the race!

Megan snapped this picture after the race...I look exhausted but really I was just freezing and my legs were VERY sore! They continued to be sore for several days!!

What a guy! A nice surprise from Ryan when I got home after the race!


One last long run together before the big race...this was before our 20 miler in White Bear Lake a few weeks before the marathon. It was brutally humid and I'm so glad the marathon was cool, brisk, and perfect running weather!

Pics from Grammy

A few pictures my Mom took when she came for a visit in September...she has such nice camera and the pictures she takes are great! The toolkit from Lynne was (and still is) a huge hit! It's a pretty realistic toolkit from Black and Decker and definitely a favorite of Paul's. The safety googles are awesome...