"Spring" camping in Minnesota

Apparently, spring in our state now comes with a late April blizzard on the shores of Lake Mille Lacs. We set out on our 3rd annual Spring camping trip with Julie, Alison, Benjamin, and Cedar. This year we chose Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. After hearing the weather report, we decided to go with a camper cabin rather than tent. That turned out to be a wise move since Saturday morning there was 6" of new snow on the ground. The natural gas fireplace kept us warm as we played cards, read books, and told Ben stories. The picture I posted was an hour long hike in Saturday's blizzard. Thanks to Jules, Alison, and Benjamin for joining us...next year we're heading to Florida.

Adventures of Aspen the Dog

Aspen had a busy weekend. She spent Saturday playing with Jace. He spent some time touching (or hitting) her with a hockey stick and then laughing every time. Aspen tried to get some relief by going into Jace's tent. Jace found it so funny to see her behind the door. Then it was off to Billy and Stella's house (Moriah's dogs). After a ferocious greeting, Aspen wet herself at the doorstep. This has happened on every visit to Moriah's but will still laugh about it. After some intense playing and many trips to the backyard, Stella and Aspen curled up on the couch together. Such is a dog's life!

Gobble, Gobble

Being the wife of a hunter can be strange. Life is usually defined by hunting seasons. For example, "If our house hasn't sold by the end of turkey season, then I think we should consider lowering the price." Or, "Would you be upset if I drilled holes in the gunnel of the canoe?" "Why?", I asked. "So that I can attach a blind to it this fall for duck hunting?"
The next hunting season is wild turkey. This means that I am spending my evenings listening to Jon echo the clucks and calls of the turkeys on an instructional video. This is pretty manly stuff. If Jon can perfect the Hen call, then the Tom will surely come looking for his sweetheart. It's really not that different from human mating rituals. Strutting, calling, vying for the females...does this sound familiar to anyone? If Jon is lucky he will get a turkey during the 5-day Minnesota season and another turkey during the 5-day Wisconsin season. If he isn't lucky, he'll get to see some amazing sunsets in Minnesota's bluff country.

Family History

There comes a time when one should study their history, to know where they have roots. If history repeats itself or can teach us a lesson, maybe this exercise will give me a glimpse at my future. As some of you know, Jon and I are traveling to Norway and Denmark this summer with my parents. The main intent of the trip is to reconnect with our ancestors (that might be hard considering they are all dead). In all seriousness, we want to visit the areas where our ancestors were born. Last night I spent the evening reading some information that another family member compiled. I learned that my great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a man named Jakob Olsen (I told you I was a Scandinavian!) He was born in Saranen Norway, married a woman, had children, and the rest is history. To think that my life started with that union...its incredible! That is the furthest back I was able to go on my great-grandmothers side. I was surprised that I didn't have to go very far back in the family tree to find people born in Europe. My great-grandfather was born in Aalborg, Denmark. Unfortunately, I never met him because he died when I was -7 years old. Anyways, my point in writing this is that I could use some tips. If anyone is aware of any good and inexpensive Genealogy websites or services, post a comment and help a girl out. Thanks!