Loye Family X-mas

Here is our self portrait from the Loye family x-mas. Back row is Jon, Susan (mama Loye) and Ed (papa Loye). Front row is Abra, Dylan (future brother-in-law), and Gretchen (Jon's sister). Somehow we kept the 3 crazy dogs from jumping on us or the camera.

First ski of the year!

The last 24 hours have given us almost 12" of snow. It would have been much to dangerous to drive all the way to work in Hastings! Instead, Jon, myself, and our friend Dag decided to drive across town and go x-country skiing. I forgot how hard it is to break trail! I can't wait for more hours on my skis and training for the Birkie.

A Wonderful Husband...

I am a lucky woman! Jon and his friend Chad spent many hours getting cruise control installed in my car. Jon's reward? Breakfast in bed!

The Sweetest Boys

Jace and Beau are the sons of my wonderful friend Rachel and her hubby Matt. They are the sweetest little boys and absolutely love my dog "Afton". Jace's way of showing love to "Afton" is to sit next to her and gently stroke her head or belly. Beau's version of lovin' is to tackle Aspen or come at her with a toy drill (check out the picture). Either way, Aspen is lucky to have these little guys in her life.

3rd annual wild game feed

Last month we put on our 3rd annual wild game feed in Duluth. This would not have been possible without our fantastic friends Leah and Jere who did at least 50% of the cooking AND hosted it at their home. The menu this year was the best so far:
BBQ Pheasant and gouda pizza
Venison Stew
Marinated duck breasts wrapped in bacon
Pheasants in a mushroom cream sauce
Grouse and woodcock
French wild turkey salad
Hopefully Jon will continue to have successful hunting seasons so we can do this in the future!


The Spread


Marinated duck breasts wrapped in bacon with a rhubard dipping sauce


BBQ pheasant and gouda pizza


Wild turkey salad

Gopher Football

Our friends Conor and Carrie invited us to a gopher football game in the new stadium on the U of M campus. The weather was cold but it was fun to be cheering for the gophers. Wow, is our team terrible! We could use a new coach, new quarterback, new offensive line...........at least the company was good.

Jon's birthday weekend

Jon turned 33 this Halloween. We decided to celebrate by going pheasant hunting in SW MN. We based ourselves out of Marshall, MN. There are many wildlife management areas within a short distance that are open to public hunting. Even though we weren't extremely successful (2 birds to be exact), we had a blast. The hunting was tough because the corn is still in the fields so the pheasants have lots of places to hide. According to Jon, "That's why it's called hunting and not shooting". Aspen was in a doggy heaven the whole weekend. Check out the pictures!

Duck Opener 2009

Duck opener was a blast. It's difficult for me to describe how special it was to hunt with my 88 year-old grandfather. He has made an enormous impact on my life. He was the person who first introduced me to the outdoors, encouraged me to go to forestry school, inspired me to get a graduate degree, and fostered my love of everything academic. I could write for hours about all the interesting things my grandfather has accomplished in his life...he was a professor for over 35 years at Gustavus Adolphus, he served in WWII with the marines, he translated the bible to German (just for fun!), he mastered the Internet while in his 80's, the list goes on. But that's not what this entry is about...it's about hunting! We weren't as successful as we would have liked. Jon shot 2 woodies and the rest of us were skunked. What we lacked in shooting, we made up for in good company. We played ladder golf, ate smoked pheasants, and told family hunting stories from the past. I hope to continue the tradition next year. I think the boys are okay with a girl coming back to the duck slew.

Athens, Greece

Well Greece was everything that I thought it would be. Really, really yummy food. Friendly folks. Chaotic streets. Outdoor restaurants. 5,000 years of history (!!). Beautiful, quaint islands. Laid back, low-stress lifestyle. Abundant art. Small orthodox churches on nearly every corner. Worry beads spinning in old men's hands. Cafes filled with patrons watching soccer matches. Check out the pictures above!

The Killing Season has begun!

In case some of you didn't notice, yesterday was the opening day for grouse hunting. This marks the beginning of what I affectionately refer to as "The Killing Season". It begins with grouse hunting, which turns into duck hunting, which turns into deer hunting, which turns into a 2nd round of grouse hunting in December. The Killing Season typically wraps up by Christmas. Many years ago, I decided that in order to see my husband during these 4 months, I would need to learn to hunt. Since then, I have successfully shot one grouse. Its really quite pathetic...the birds are lucky that I am holding a gun. This year something monumental will be taking place. I will be the first chica to hunt the duck opener on my uncle's hunting land near Mankato, MN. That's correct...never before has a female been invited for duck opener. I guess they don't have to worry about me shooting too many of their birds! This year, I will be introducing red wine and painted toe nails to the duck camp. I am most excited for hunting alongside my 88 year-old grandfather. He has been a duck hunter nearly all is life. Although he now needs a little help getting in the boat, he still makes it out every year and despite his poor eyesight, he shot a couple of ducks last year. I've got 2 weeks to sharpen my skills. Recently, I went out trap shooting with some of my Dad's buddies. I shot 50 rounds and probably hit 1/2 of them. Not to bad for a girl, huh?

Camping with the Christy's

I have been a very bad blogger lately. Summer has gone by in the flash. We've been able to have so many fun adventures with so many different people. I took my neice camping for the first time. It was not a huge success. We finally gave up at 1AM and drove back to my house so we could all get some sleep. We met up with Leah and Jere for some mountain biking on the CAMBA trails in Cable, WI. Lots of nice rides and great company. Most recently we went camping with Matt, Rachel, and their boys. Despite getting rained out the 2nd night, we made the most of it. The kids were great! Jace had fun fishing with Jon and Matt. Beau loved hiking with Rachel and I in his sling. Here are some pictures of the adventures.

Mountain biking out West

Jon and I had such a great trip out West. It seems like forever since we went riding out in the mountains. It holds a sappy place in our hearts because the first trip we ever took together was to mountain bike out west. We had only been dating a month. This trip we spent two days biking the Maah Daah Hey trail in Teddy Roosevelt National Park. Think way western North Dakota in the badlands. It was really hot and really pretty. We camped along the Missouri River and got up-close-and-personal with some bison in the park. Next it was off to Bozeman, MT. I love Bozeman. I could live there in a heartbeat. They have a great co-op, a huge outdoor scene, lots of coffee shops, lectures, weekly outdoor music, and 4 bike shops. Everything a good community should possess! We had planned to camp but ended up in a great little motel with a fabulous mountain view, small kitchen, patio for cooking, hot tub, recliner chair (very important after a long ride) and a comfy bed...all for $69/night. God Bless America!

Here are some highlights from Montana:
- Driving along the Gallatin River and recalling a rafting trip I did with my Dad back in high school
- Watching Jon round a corner and meet up with a grizzly bear
- Watching two 70 year old men on 4-wheelers scold Jon for not having a gun or bear spray to protect himself from the grizzly
- Biking through the Bridgers and stopping at a gorgeous mountain top meadow - see the picture above
- People watching at Thursday Nights on Main - Bozeman's weekly outdoor music festival
- Biking 3 hours and 3,000' up Gardner Mountain and the 30 minute ride down the mountain

The final leg of the trip was to visit some friends. We started by driving from Bozeman to Red Lodge. Rather than take the short route, we took the long route through Yellowstone National Park and over the Beartooth Pass. There is a reason it is called one of the most beautiful drives in the US...amazing! Yellowstone was like a mini wildlife safari. We saw a black bear, many bison, antelope, a wolf (!!!!), a black bear with 2 cubs, black-tailed deer, birds I can't identify, and lots of tourists. We stopped in Red Lodge to visit Jon's old boss. He and his wife have started a really successful gourmet cooking shop. We loaded up on imported Italian pasta and headed west to Sheridan, Wyoming. Sheridan is the home of our longtime friend Ryan. Jon, Ryan, and I have a special bond. We met Ryan in a restaurant in Peru while we were having breakfast in the winter of 2004. We immediately hit it off and traveled together 24/7 through Peru and Bolivia for the next 6 weeks. We haven't seen him since and it was a great reunion. We just picked up where we left off. I really wish he lived closer.

We had planned to drive to Rapid City and spend one night before making the final drive. Silly Abra didn't think about it being the 4th of July weekend and that Rapid City is a major tourist destination - think Black Hills, Sturgis, 4 presidents' faces on a cliff. So needless to say, all the hotels were booked. We learned that the back of the Rav4 makes a pretty decent bed in a pinch. Sorry it is such a long post...it was a really great trip.

Garden paradise

I'm so proud of my garden, considering this is just my second year. This is one of two gardens I planted this year. The strawberries are way in the back. The zucchini is in the center. The onions, carrots, and brussel sprouts are next to the zucchini. You can't see them because they were conquered about 2 weeks ago. In the foreground you can see my lettuce. Hooray for fresh and organic fruits and veggies!

4 Generations

Recently four generations got together for lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant in Faribault, MN. Here they are: Grandma and Grandpa Glass, Felicity, my sister Jessie, and my mom Cindy.

Lissy Lulu

My little niece Felicity seems to be getting smarter and more adorable by the day. This is a kid who can recite her ABC's, sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, count to 10, and remember events that happened months ago. And she is only 20 months! "Unca Jon" is a pretty important guy, far more important than the rest of us. My sister is going through a rough patch in her life, so she and Felicity are spending lots of time with us...we think we're pretty lucky.

Six Years and Still Going....

Jon and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary yesterday with a visit to the Pizza Farm. We heard about this place from a friend in Red Wing. It is an 80 acre organic farm located about 40 miles into rural Wisconsin. Each Tuesday evening they serve pizzas made in wood-fired brick ovens. All of the ingredients are grown on the organic farm. The meat comes from the animals they raise (we had the Happy Pig Pizza made with sausage). Even the crust is made from sustainably grown organic wheat that is stone ground on the farm. What a refreshing place! And a popular place...when we arrived around 6PM the wait for a pizza was already 2 hours. The farm provides the pizza and the guests provide everything else. People bring blankets, folding chairs, wine/beer, appetizers, etc. I saw one group of people who had a small folding table complete with candles and a flower vase centerpiece. After eating some yummy pizza we joined in a game of Kubb with some folks from Eau Claire. Kubb is a game that the Vikings played over 1000 years ago. The best way I can describe it is a combination of chess and bocci ball.
Here's to many more years of marriage bliss (is that too corny?)

5th Annual Spring Camping Trip

Crow Wing State Park was the destination for our 5th annual spring camping trip with the Flotten Wood family. Here are the highlights: watching Ben kill ticks with the Swiss Army multi-tool, biking 18 miles on the Paul Bunyan Trail, playing badminton with Alison, making pizzas, watching Ben do backflips in the hammock, enjoying Julie's french press, and being with great friends. I hope they will agree to join us for another year!