Surprise! It's your 16th birthday!

Stacked directly against our return for Perdido Key, our older kids, friends and relatives did a terrific job of getting things ready for Mariah's suprise 16th birthday celebration. Is was hectic, but it was an amazing event for her. In the morning she got her driver's license, and after a made-up trip to Target with mom, she returned to a house bursting with well wishers (forty-plus as best I could tell). She didn't have a clue and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Thank you to every one who came to wish her well, and a second thank you to all that helped with decorations, food and cake! A video highlight is posted below. Find additional photos posted here.

Beach, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Although the crew was smaller this year, we are once again thankful to spend some time on God's shoreline, Perdido Key. This was our 11th spring break in the area as best I can recall, and we were thankful to see that ill effects of last year's BP oil spill were no where to be found (although FEMA crews still regularly patrol the beaches). The area also seems to have now fully recovered from the devastating Hurricane Ivan of September 2004. Surpisingly, with spring break already concluded for regional universities, things were very quiet on the Key. No lines, sparse traffic, it was great! Best of all, record setting warmth greeted us every day but one, with sunny highs nearing 80 degrees day after day. Never seen such great weather. Thank you Lord. Nothing too exciting, but I've posted three short videos below. Find additional photos posted here.

State Champions!

Our Maranatha Christian Academy Mustangs pulled-off a historic tournament surge to win the Class A Minnesota State High School Girls Basketball Championship. It was a memory of a lifetime for these girls, Coach Hammond, his assistants and the entire Maranatha family. Cool thing, our Mariah is a student manager for the team, and she got to be a central part of this amazing ride. God was given the glory over, and over by this wonderful school that we call home. We are so proud of you!

MCA Winners! Final Seconds

Let’s do it again!

Every year I’m somewhat amazed at the continued interest in these old machines and the people that built them. Scorpion Homecoming started in 2005 on a bit of dare … would anybody even show-up? Well show-up they did, and here we are seven years after the fact, with no end in sight. Kudos to the wonderful people we’ve met along the way. Together, what was once lost, has now been found. Thank you!

Pop the question Jordon!

After many months of careful planning, our second son Jordon finally popped the question to his lovely girlfriend Ashton Elizabeth Terry. It took some doing. Ring paid-off: check. Everything set at Saint Paul’s romantic Rice Park: check. Brandon and Jenna devising a scheme to divert Ashton's attention: check. Only problem, a flat tire nearly made this the engagement that wasn’t. What a great memory, and what a beautiful setting. Oh, and she did indeed say yes. We are very proud of you both. An August 19, 2011 wedding is being planned.

2010 Year in review

Wow, this has come far too soon this year...but here we go. In 2010 I continued to consult with SunGard, where massive crisis-inspired regulatory changes are giving me more than enough to do. There have been many changes in my firm and industry, including some that have been incredibly stressful, but God was and is faithful. I am forever grateful for His protection. Starr remains part-time at Boger Dental. She is very active in local bible studies and should get the credit for pretty-much anything I have done, or the wonderful people my children have become. Brie and husband Michael are well. They live nearby and Michael’s outdoor servicing business (Greenline) is very busy. Recent heavy snows have been a blessing (at least for him - not so much for me). Brie is busy with a home-based business she is developing. Brandon and Jenna recently purchased their first home and are nicely settled-in for the holidays. He is a graphic designer (Harrison Collective) and she works as an event coordinator. Jordon remains at home and will be wrapping-up his associates degree in the coming months. His long-time girlfriend Ashton has been a real blessing to us this past year. Mariah is a sophomore at MCA and she has been very active in volleyball and is presently managing the girl’s basketball squad. She’s delightfully social and her school activities keep her (and us) hopping. We returned to Perdido Key, Florida for another spring break outing in March. It was a particular blessing to have so many of us there, including all the kids, their spouses, my parents, and Jenna’s folks as well. Let’s do it again! Oh, and the fishing was terrific. We also spent a lot of time up-north, both in Crosby and at the cabin (great times together with those wonderful Groves, Lyles, Weiers and Wiechmann's). In February we had our sixth annual Scorpion Homecoming (I can’t believe it’s been that long – thank you to all the wonderful volunteers). In July we returned to West Salem, Wisconsin for our annual camping trip with the Sharp family (you guys are simply wonderful). Brandon and Jenna joined-in this time, which was a real treat. A couple other items of note included an MCA progressive dinner, two trips to the state fair, a junket to Duluth, a few Twins games (nice ballpark, particularly those Kramarczuk brats), and our perennial trip to Holidazzle and the Orchestra Hall skating rink. The boys and I were hoping for a season full of Purple Pride football parties, but ... not so much. In August I suffered a serious cycling accident but am grateful it wasn’t worse. For the first time in over forty years, I wasn’t able to go deer hunting but four-months out, I can finally see the end of physical therapy and hope to be in ship-shape in time for spring break. Though many challenges remain in this world, and there are ample opportunities for fear and anxiety, I find myself more and more learning to trust God and let go of the cares that weigh us down. It is my prayer for 2011 that you will join me in these sentiments as well.

Shall we skate?

It's always a blessing to spend an evening with the Sharps for Holidazzle, boot skating at Orchestra Hall, and gifts and games back at the Grove.

Final recital?

Wow! After years and years of these events across four children, could this be the last one?

Slow!

Local government quickly responds to a safety concern. The broken bone byway now bares a warning to the naive, the uninformed, and the brittle-boned among us … caution to all ye brave enough to navigate this blind bend to pain. To their credit, the city also cut-back much of the undergrowth which obstructed the prior view.

Lake-side antics

Not much to say about these highlights of men at work.

Broken Bone Byway

Still trying to make some sense of it all. This seemingly tranquil bike trail did me in for the following reasons: I was unfamiliar with the path; I was moving; the hard-right turn is completely blind; the treated asphalt was wet and surprisingly slippery; and hard braking action (to handle the unexpected turn) slid my tires right out from under me. In an instant my middle-aged body was pounding the pavement with extreme malice. Shoulder dislocation and broken humerus in a heartbeat. Think I'm crazy? Uncoordinated? An acquaintance of ours took a similar spill and broke her pelvis only two hours later at this same spot.

Lisa Ling

Noted journalist Lisa Ling and her production crew spent two days in our home, filming for an upcoming documentary. You may have seen Lisa on Oprah, The View, National Geographic and most recently the new Oprah Winfrey Network.

Spring Break - 2010

We were saddened to once again bid goodbye to Perdido Key, our spring break refuge for nine years now (I think that's right - I'm starting to lose count). This year we were particularly excited to have Jim and Dee join us, along with our son-in-law and daughter-in-law ... thirteen people in total. What a crew! We are so grateful to have all the kids together. That's not so easy as they grow older. Kudos to my parents for once again being the boots-on-the-ground to make it all come together. We certainly beached, bummed and ate royal reds with the best of em. Good fishing, good weather and good food! Thank God for the beauty of this place and the wonderful family with whom we’ve been able to share it. Our first spring break here was in 1986. No kids, just a dog. Things have indeed changed. Thank you God for your goodness! You can find several related photos in my Picasa Album and a few video highlights immediately below (with more available through my YouTube Channel, look for "Spring Break - 2010").

Scorpions On Ice

For me, February has become synonymous with Scorpion Homecoming. Here we enjoy an iconic image of the firm's legendary 1969 line-up - just a few of the nearly 300 sleds in attendance. Thanks to all the wonderful family and friends who once again joined us for the festivities on beautiful Serpent Lake's west-end!