What a difference a week makes!

It's April 26, and we are once again reminded of what spring in Minnesota sometimes involves. This week was wonderful, warm, a few thunderstorms. We saw our first lightning of the year, the grass was greening up nicely. This morning, Minnesota weather struck back. Yes... that's snow. In the end of April. It'll be back in th 60's by Tuesday.

A Fine Spring Day!

Today was gorgeous. April 20th was our first day above 70 degrees this year. It was lovely. The grass is quickly greening, and the wind was a nice breeze. We broke out Sophia's sand table, her wagon, and some outdoor toys. I watered the lawn and we took a walk around the neighborhood. It was so nice!

3/4 Minnesotan

Moving from California to Minnesota was a big change. It's been almost 3 years now, and there has been lots for us to adjust to. We went through our first winter and adjusted quickly. We knew we were becoming Minnesotan (again for Kimberly) when at the end of that first winter, we broke out the short sleeve shirts and shorts when the temp hit 35 degrees. I became a little more Minnesotan that second summer when i went fishing in somebody's boat for the first time. There is nothing quite like sitting on a bobbing boat on a glassy lake early in the morning when no one else is even up yet.
Our second winter out here, i think i became 1/2 Minnesotan when i went ice fishing in -15 degree weather in Northern Wisconsin with a bunch of guys from church. I loved it, and Kimberly was more than happy to see me becoming more of what she always expected I was, a Midwesterner at heart.
Today, i am officially 3/4 Minnesotan. I went with my brother-in-law Aaron and a bunch of guys from his Dad's church about an hour up the highway to go trap shooting. He gave me my own 12 gauge shotgun to shoot for the day. I was timid, as I've had pretty much zero experience with guns (aside from the 12 rounds i shot as a young boy scout with a 22 rifle 19 years ago). We shot at 5 different stations, 7 shots each station. I was a little leery about handling the gun at first, until i got a feel for it. Then I realized, as it turns out, that i was something of a natural. I hit no clay pigeons in the first 14 shots I took, but got progressively closer with each shot. They told me eventually I would just "feel" it. And, on shot 16, i found my sweet spot. I had a line of interested shooters behind me watching me shoot on station 3. After I finally got that first hit, i hit 12 straight clay pigeons, and 13 out of 15 total for that station. I thought maybe it was a fluke as we walked to the next station. But, I went 2 for 7 at the hardest station on the field, and 5 for 7 and 6 for 7, respectively, on the next station. Then, i won a prize for eliminating 30 other guys in 1 of 4 Annie Oakley shooting contests we had. I came in 2nd at another of the 4.
Boy did I have a great time. Kimberly said i can get my own gun as long as it stays locked away in the attic. I may even go hunting this fall with previously mentioned brother-in-law. Then, I guess I'll have to post that i am 100% Minnesotan. Until then, 3/4 Minnesotan feels pretty good.

It's been a Looooooooooooong Winter

Seriously, it's been really long. We had a couple inches of snow over the last couple days. Finally, the sun is out and the temp is near 50 degrees! In Minnesota, that is walking, jogging, dogwalking, and BBQ weather! I think this last storm was winter's last gasp. It looks to be in the mid 60's to 70 for the next week after tomorrow, which gets me excited about this:



which i took last year. It will soon be thunderstorm season, my favorite time of year!

Kids grow up so fast

Sophia went up to her room today and sat on her bed and listened to her radio. I peaked in on her and she let me take some pictures. She is such a ham. But man, is she growing up fast.