How Life Changes...

Grandpa "Buck-9" and the boys with Curtis' first catch!
Curtis, "The Chicken," watching his fish being taken off the line and Johnny shaking it's fin!

It was less than three weeks ago that I was dreading saying my goodbyes, and heading back to Holland on an airplane until next Spring. Then, we got the good news, that we were staying in the States. As if life couldn't get any better...my sister Megan and her husband Kyle, bought a house 1.6miles from my house in MN! They close at the end of the month, if all goes well. Curtis will be sad to see them move out, as he just wants them to move in across the street! He thinks 1.6 miles is TOO FAR away! Funny, how we were suppose to be over 4,000 miles away.

Last week Erik was home on vacation for a week, and then headed back to Holland for five more weeks. Sometime near the end of August he'll be home for GOOD! I can't wait! We had a great week going to the Zoo, a small water park, the Mall of America, ect. We have a lot to take care of regarding the move....OK who am I kidding- ERIK has a lot to take care of. He did cross off a few items last week- one was buying a new/used car for himself. So, at least now he'll be able to get to work when he moves home!

One funny story from last week was our trip to the Minnesota Zoo. This was NOT funny at the time. The boys have been dying to get to the Zoo to see the new Grizzly Bear Exhibit. So, we headed up and got subs for lunch. We went outside to eat on a picnic table and there were dark clouds and thunder in the distance. Erik immediately looks at me and says, "It's far away, don't worry. Just sit and eat, and when it gets closer, we'll move in."

So, of course, I just shoved the sub down my throat as fast as I could to get back inside. We went inside near the dolphin exhibits to wait out the storm. After a while, the sky got unbelievably dark. The wind started whipping- garbage cans were blowing over, and planted plants were blowing by too. I started to get really nervous and tried calling my sister to see if there were any warnings out. (NO RECEPTION- OF COURSE!) I was like a mad woman trying to keep the kids near me- with hundreds of people around. Then, came the news- "They were evacuating the Zoo and everyone had to get to the underground tunnels because there was a tornado warning.

Now HUNDREDS of people are all pushing, in line, and trying to get to the shelter. I of course, wanted to get down in the tunnels INSTANTLY! Erik had other ideas. ("Mr. Laid Back") He said there was no way we were going in the tunnels with all those people and it being so hot and humid out. So, we started having a small argument. I was SURE if we didn't get to the tunnels, we would DIE. Erik said, he was NOT going with his pregnant wife and kids into the tunnels. So, we compromised and went into a brick theater in the inner part of the zoo and waited out the storm. Needless to say, we didn't die and survived the storm. We decided to leave the Zoo when we heard after the storm they had to make sure the exhibits were secure and were not putting animals back in. So, we headed home, and looked at the leaves, branches, and trees down from the storm. We'll have to head back another day when a tornado doesn't touch down in Dakota County! Welcome back to Minnesota!