On a much more positive note.

Sleepy travelers after sledding, skiing, fishing & riding the 4 wheeler at G & G Dan's!

I don't want to lead anyone astray in thinking I have mostly been having negative thoughts and my days are dark. I have not and they are not. Not by a long shot.

My "time off" has first and foremost emptied my brain of nearly all stress related to having a full time job with perks. The perks being a full time job with a bonus of extra extra large additional work and responsibilities. Any of you who are consider as being a "1" FTE know exactly what the heck I am talking about. One full time equivalent in education has actually become a 1.5 with the only saving grace being the wonderful, like- minded adults who fill each of our lives with comfort and understanding and support.

Connor just turned 7. Grace will be 5 in April :)

Jess & Matt's new kitchen!

Dan still calls her "Baby Grace".

The deck is large and plenty of back yard!

Split level... the basement is roughed up already. Good deal!

I have to put all of that aside with the exception of a few transitional detours and my life has other priorities. Like uh, me doing whatever I want , whenever I want and however I want. And I'll talk about that in a bit more detail another time but here is a family update:

Jess and Matt bought a house in Becker and are steeped in wedding planning. Jessica is happily back to school at Anoka Ramsey working on her PT assistant degree. Matt is now part owner in Shulte Transmission. Their biggest worry is figuring out how to keep Matt's bird dog, Bugsy, with them at the new house without a fence. Now instead of Matt and Jess sleeping between two houses poor Bugsy is!

Danielle and Zach are going to be back in the states soon and then may well be heading to Turkey to base the rest of their travels by using cheap(er) train transportation throughout Europe. Lord only knows where they will land and put roots down but in their happy & carefree state that is on the back burner and I say "good for them!".

Jamie has been working for nearly a month now. She is the director of a medical clinic based in a retirement community called Emerald Heights not far from their home. It's a bit more responsibility than she originally was seeking and for a bit less money than what she earned at the Mayo clinic but she likes it and that is what matters. She doesn't "have to work" and speaking from personal experience that will take a significant amount of edge off of any work- related stress.