Daniel's Birthday

Yesterday was Daniel's 31st birthday. I've been planning for his birthday for a couple of weeks. My mom and I found a great picnic basket on sale while I was in Bemidji. It's a traditional looking basket with an insulated inner lining, which can be zipped closed. It also has a plastic place setting for four with plates, goblets and utinsels. I decided to take Daniel to the beach for a picnic to celebrate his birthday. I wanted to surprise him with the basket, since we like to go on picnics often. My parents shipped the basket to me and UPS confirmed that it would arrive before Wednesday. I spent much of the day baking Daniel's birthday cake and preparing chicken salad sandwiches and a pesto pasta salad for our picnic dinner. The whole time I was anxiously waiting for my package to arrive. I decided it would be good to have a plan B in case the basket didn't arrive in time, so I figured if it hadn't come by 5pm, I'd just use a cooler and give Daniel the basket when it came. Shortly after 4pm, the UPS truck stopped in front of our house! I was so happy it came in time! I quickly unpacked the basket from the box, washed the dishes, packed our dinner and loaded it into the trunk of the car. There was just one more glitch to the plan - it started to rain! The weatherman had said the rain wouldn't move in until after dark. How wrong they were! Daniel came home just then and I had to make a decision quickly. Do we wait and see if the rain stops? Or do I have to move to plan C? It looked like the rain wasn't going to stop so I changed plans. Again. So, while Daniel went to change clothes, I got the picnic basket and blanket out of the car and set up our picnic on the deck, out of the rain. Daniel and I really enjoyed the picnic, even though we weren't on the water's edge. And he was excited to have a real picnic basket.

Minnesota Trip: Part 2

While Daniel and I were in Minneapolis, we stayed with Daniel's brother, Jonathan, and his family. We enjoyed spending time with them and soaked in every moment with them as they will be leaving soon for the mission field. We went to our first Twins game in the new stadium and had a few family gatherings. I remained in Minneapolis a few days longer than Daniel and stayed with my cousins. I was also able to spend time with some of my friends. It was great to see everyone while we were home.

Minnesota Trip: Part 1

Daniel and I recently traveled to Minnesota to visit with family and friends. I was in Minnesota for two weeks, Daniel for five days. I flew into Minneapolis on Saturday, May 22nd. My sister, Tara, picked me up at the airport and drove me up to Bemidji. I had a wonderful time with my family! My mom let me borrow her car during my trip (thanks, Mom!), so I drove back to Minneapolis on Thursday to meet up with Daniel, who had flown in that morning. I made two stops on my way to visit friends. Here are a few pictures of my time "up north".