FInancial Advisor Extraordinaire

Maybe some of you wonder what life is like at my office each day (actually probably none of you do but I'm going to tell you anyways so listen up!). Last Wednesday I had a very important meeting (i.e. person who has a lot of $$) at 3pm. My fabulous assistant Julie had spent the better part of the morning preparing the paperwork for this meeting. Around 2:40pm I reached for my water glass and clumsily dumped its entire contents on my paperwork pile. In a panic, I grabbed the top few sheets and shook them off before the water soaked further through the 8" pile. Worriedly, I walked out to Julie's desk and asked her to re-print the damaged pages. Even before I finished my sentence, I noticed the printer repair man dissecting the innards of our printer. I guess the printer had s#*t the bed and he was trying to get it up and running. I convinced him to put the machine back together with lightening speed so that Julie could re-print the pages. Exasperated, I went back to my office and collapsed in my chair. Apparently, in my absence, the chair had neatly soaked up all the water as it ran off my desk. So now, I am soaked as well. Actually, my back and behind are soaked. So here I go off to my important meeting with a crinkled proposal and a half drenched business suit. Thank goodness Jon's photography business is doing well!

Mess of dogs

What happens when you combine 3 dogs who have been confined to a small space all day and who know they are about to go for a walk with a home that's 700 square feet and a bathroom under construction? Craziness. That's my friend Moriah in the picture trying to make Billy and Stella smile for the camera. As usual, Aspen is front and center.

Duluth Deep Freeze

Early December brought cold temperatures and one of those unique moments where the lake is actually warm. I love the steam off the lake this time of year. I wonder if this ship wasn't one of the last to come in to port this year. The cold also brought lots of frost to Jon's face this past weekend. We went skiing under the lights at Lester, or more accurately, under the lack of lights. I had read a trail report indicating that several lights were out. I didn't quite understand how exciting that would be until I was flying down the hill, trying to stay between the large, dark objects on either side of me while simultaneously wiping freezing sweat from my eyes. Like my old downhill ski coach used to tell me, "Abra, if you never fall it means you're not pushing yourself hard enough." Maybe he was right...

Peruvian Duds for Felicity

Several years ago I volunteered as an English teacher in a Peruvian village. For 3 months I stayed with the most wonderful host family and we have kept in contact since I left in 2004. When I told them that my sister was expecting a baby, they insisted on making some gifts for the new arrival. About 3 months into Jessie's pregnancy they asked if it was a boy or a girl. I told them it was still unknown. They were feeling pressed for time so I suggested they make something yellow or green so that it could be appropriate for either sex. What I didn't expect was 2 complete handmade outfits! Last week the package arrived filled with the most beautiful, handmade, traditional Peruvian clothes. These people practically live hand-to-mouth but have such giving hearts! Why is it that the ones who have the least so often give the most? I suppose we can all learn from their generosity. Thank you to the Sanabria family of Cochas Grande!

First snowfall of 2007!

Hooray! Winter is off to a good start. I just wanted to share some pictures of our snowy weekend grouse hunting and skiing at the golf course in Red Wing. Both were unsuccessful but it was so much fun to play in the white stuff!