Where ya been?

Hmmm, where haven't we been is probably more of the discussion here! The Ribclan has been here, there and everywhere and overall, we've been having some good fun. We've also been learning some new skills, too. Since it's been so long since I've last posted, here are some highlights in no particular order:

* We attended Ann's college graduation party and had a blast meeting her boyfriend, mom and seeing where she lives. It was great to celebrate this accomplishment with her and, as always, the kids were thrilled to see her (and Kevin, too). She thoughtfully had "kid stuff" on hand (aka juice boxes, bubbles and sidewalk chalk) so even they could whoop it up. Ann is a fantastic person and we're really, really grateful to know her!


*After the party, we picked up Kdee's friend Ally and went up to Uncle Bart/Aunt Donna's cabin for the night. What a fun time! The biggest surprise to this adventure was that Kdee learned how to get up/ski without the training bars on her skiis, and I learned how to drop a ski and slalom ski on one (and let me tell you, quality waterskiis rock!). I'm thrilled Kdee is quickly learning this fun sport, and I'm pumped I can still learn some tricks in my 30's!!!

*On 8/13, I had dinner with my childhood friends--Lisa, Jacqueline & Angie. I really love getting together with this amazing group of women! We had some good laughs and got properly caught up on our busy lives. I love having friends who've known me since way back when!

*HSM2...if that doesn't mean anything to you, then I know you're not chatting with any young kids lately. High School Musical 2 premiered on the Disney channel on 8/17 and, like much of the nation, Kdee and I were glued to the TV. Kdee proclaimed that one of the characters (Chad) is "totally hot", but she seems more smitten with Troy. I'm not sure if these feelings run real deep (I believe my crush on Rick Springfield was way more intense!) and who knows if she really knows what she's saying...but funny! Overall, it was a good movie and we've been enjoying the soundtrack ever since. Kdee has a few HSM2 items for back to school, too--underwear, shirts, notebooks...oh, the beauty of marketing!

*On 8/18, we Ribclan members were on the road. ribB left for Chicago, for our future bro-in-law's bachelor party (in a snazzy rental car I might add!) and the kids/I went to LaX for my sis-in-law's bridal shower, then to Mad-town for a couple of visits. It was a 30-hour whirlwind of car time (much of it in rain)! ribB had a great time hanging out with Matt, his friends and Dad as they golfed and played cards in a cool downtown loft, stocked with all the usual party goods. For me, Chandra's shower was a great chance to celebrate with her as well. It was also awesome to see some of our family that we haven't seen in awhile. Thankfully the kids did well (Kdee played with her second cousin, Megan; little B napped--yes!). It was a very nice time! When the party was over, the kids/I traveled to Madison to stay with my friend Linnea & her family and then on Sunday morning we headed over to my friend Michelle's home for brunch with her family. It was a quick visit with everyone, but oh-so-nice to catch up. There's even more friends/family in Madison, and someday I'm going to plan for more time to "do it all!", but we made the most of the time we had. Fortunately, ribB was able to meet up with us at Michelle's home and we could follow each other back home (with a stop in Eau Claire to have dinner with ribB's parents and our nephew/nieces).

*Kdee wrapped up her summer care program "Backpackers" on Wednesday! I can't believe school is starting so soon. She is ready and excited for second grade. We celebrated the end of summer with a trek to the cabin for a "long" weekend (Wed night-Sun) and enjoyed some family time (ribB's parents, sister Christina and her children who were there until Thurs afternoon). We invited our nephew, Dylan, to hang out with us for the rest of our stay...Kdee was especially excited to have someone fun to play with! It was also a treat for us to have so much time with Dylan...he's a neat kid! We also had some time with Bart/Donna and family on Saturday, and ribB/Bart did some hunting prep on Sunday--so nice. Yes, ribB is super excited for hunting, especially after he/Bart have retrieved some impressive buck photos on their trail cameras. On Sunday we drove to Eau Claire to meet Grandpa Bill, who was taking the kids back to La Crosse. (Kdee is staying with Grandma/pa R. for the week, since she doesn't have daycare--we are hugely grateful!!!) On a funny side note, we had dinner with Grandpa before they left and Kdee announced to me that she "liked the looks" of our waiter. Oh my!!!

*Last night I had a blast--I made it to the great MN state get-together with my friend/co-worker, Heather! We enjoyed lots of treats (the deep friend pickles were a surprise favorite; the pronto pup remains the item I get first!), people watching and checking out all the fun stuff (world's largest pig, blue ribbon baked goods/can goods and educational items to name a few). I was seriously on cloud 9 the whole time--what a great time!