Fall with the Casey's

Going to a Gopher football game is lots of fun, even though we didn't win. It was a beautiful fall day, we took the train and a shuttle bus, and ate at a Chinese place on campus before the game.


The Minneapolis skyline is a great view from our seats. We share season tickets with Paul's brothers, and we got the game with California in September, and Iowa on November 27! I'm sure we'll dress a bit differently at the next game.

Sometimes I just watch the jumbotron - I get a much better view of the action!


The band played oldies from the 60"s because they were honoring the 50th anniversary of when the Gophers last won a national championship. Hmmm - it may be another 50!


On Sunday, September 26 we all assembled at Jane and Chucks for the 4th Annual CBHC Family Golf Tournament. We began with Ted's Mancave brats - I had wild rice/cranberry flavored. There were lots of other choices - I couldn't try them all! Yum.

We had to watch the Vikings game before heading out to golf - plus, there were plenty of other things to munch on during the game. Yes - we won!


Teddy, Matthew, and I went out to play a little football game of our own. Matthew scored lots of touchdowns, but he always wanted to go back to the 50 yard line. Hut hut.



Charlie is a bit young for football. He DID have on football gear, but wiped it out before I got there to take a picture!

We headed to the golf course after the game. Charlie had the best seat in the house!


Next year he'll be swinging his own clubs:)





Sometimes he got to walk with dad, have his pants changed, or take time out for a snack!


The teams were: Corey and Chuck, Andy and I, Jenna and Charlie, and Jane and Paul. The Catlins couldn't stay for the golf - Teddy was on call, and Ted and Pat took Matthew home with them for the night and his normal Monday at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Nice hit, Jane. Her ball usually goes near mine, for some strange reason!


I did not use "the hammer" since we were playing a par three course. I didn't want to drive it past the green, you know!

Can you see where my ball went, Chuck?


Pushing the baby was a lot harder than pushing my clubs!


Yeah! Nobody is in the sand trap. We are SO good!

Jane and Paul tied Andy and I, so we played an extra hole and still tied. So ... we agreed to share the trophy and leave it at Jane's until next year.

We headed back to Jane and Chuck's for root beer floats and Maddox, the wolverine, arrived just in time! It was a beautiful day and those floats really hit the spot!

Last of the Summer Fun

We had a special night with Tessa and the Casey connections on August 15 to remember Paul's sister Julie. Tessa was a great hostess! Dryfry, the cat, even enjoyed the get-together!


It was a tad chilly out on the deck, but Roger and Elaine hung in there with the rest.



Paul and I had fun up at the lake with my friends from school. Joan and Tim have a cabin with all the trimmings - a pontoon, jetski, and floats. We ended up halfway down the lake and had to be rescued and towed back with the jetski.
An early morning breakfast pontoon ride always lets us have a chance to visit with the loons.
We went out to eat at a great Mexican restaurant, and passed Paul Bunyan on the way. Ice cream cones on the way back to the cabin topped off a great evening.


The last week of August saw us head for the Twins game, and I forgot my camera! That's a first. The skyline of Minneapolis is a beautiful sight from the stadium. We went with Joan and Tim, and the Twins won - hurrah!



I had Friday off from workshops, and we headed to the State Fair. I collect all the free bags and handouts at the Education Building, and visit the Augsburg booth every year.


It was a cool day, but improved as the afternoon wore on. There was quite a crowd by late afternoon.



We were there from 10:00 until about 8:00p.m. and enjoyed our favorite foods, the parade, food, brand new baby animals, food, people watching, and ... did I mention food? We always share each item, so feel like we are conserving calories:)

The second weekend in September, I organized a hiking trip on the Superior National Hiking Trail for the Women of Waterbrooke - W.O.W. Eleven of us were brave enough to give it a try.

Saturday was misty and had rained all night, so we were challenged with a bit of mud!



The new hiking boots got a good workout.

There was a marathon going on - some people going 26 miles, some 50, and some 100!!!!! They passed us up without even breathing hard. We did 6 miles and thought that was plenty! This guy did a marathon ... barefoot!

Lots of fun nature to look at on the trail.

Finally, a place to sit down!



The mushrooms were amazing - more varieties than I have ever seen before, and many different colors.

Yep - these are my new boots!

What a difference a day makes! We headed for the Temperence River Trail, and found it rocky and dry - hurrah!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

We hiked over Carlton Peak and had a great view from the top during our rest break:)

On the way home Alice, Sherry and I stopped at the cliffs at Palisade. They had never been up along the lake before, so it was an eye-opening experience. All in all, we we renewed by the glorious world God created, and the fellowship of Christian friends along the way. We encouraged each other through the difficult stretches of the hike, and will continue to do the same though life!

More Summer Fun

It's been a crazy last few weeks packed with fun events for the Caseys. First, Paul's cousins came to town from North Dakota. We had a get together at Mark and Karena's.

Here's Paul's aunt and cousin with her husband and youngest daughter.
These are the Caseys who could make it to the gathering.

Just the Minnesota connection.
We've had some weird weather this summer. This was taken off our deck one night.
This one was out the front. Those rays were really something!

I met Jenna, Charlie and Jane at the Minnesota Zoo one day. It's surprising what a two month old will be interested in. He really liked the fish and bright colors.

We went in the butterfly garden, and my batteries died. Of course, the charged up ones were in the car. I took some pictures on my camera phone, but they are impossible to get out of there!

New mama - NOT Jenna!

These are the weirdest seahorses I have ever seen!


Last weekend we took a quick roadtrip to Illinois for a surprise 40th birthday for my nephew Tom (who turns 40 next February). On the way we got in a few holes of golf, of course. We were at Mt. Frontenac down by Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River. I skied there way back in college with the Augsburg Ski Club. It is now a golf course, but they kept a chair lift for old times sake.
It just doesn't feel the same in the summer.


We stopped at Lock and Dam #9 to watch a tug boat push a load of 15 barges through the locks. It was really fascinating - and took about two hours! We were in no hurry on Friday, since Ted and Pat didn't want us to get to the motel TOO early and maybe run into Tom before the party on Saturday.

They had to split the barges because only 9 will fit in at a time. I was amazed that the driver could steer them in without crashing into the walls.
On Saturday morning, we visited this authentic Dutch windmill in Fulton where Tom and Kim live. It really grinds wheat, and you get a tour and can buy five different kinds of ground products there.

Then we headed over to watch Amariah while Kim went to pick up some things for the party. Tom was off shopping with Ted, Pat and Griffin. Amariah was napping when we got there, but she sure made friends quickly when she woke up and mom was gone!

Here's the birthday boy with plenty of candles on his cake. He was truly surprised!

Brothers Teddy and Tom, and...


...their boys. (Matthew belongs to Teddy, and Griffin belongs to Tom.)


Matthew had a blast at the party. Look, mom, I can fly!

Superman!

Can I do it again?

We played 9 holes of golf in Rochester on our way home Sunday night - our last chance to relax before ... VBS!!! I was directing, so we spent most of the next 4 days at church or preparing for things. We had a rainforest theme, and it was as steamy as the rainforest all four days!

The kids had a blast - especially on Wednesday night when we set up the waterslides on the jungle gym.
Now, one more week to relax - finally - and then back to school. Where did the summer go?