Where have we been?

Wow, it's been almost two months since we last put something on here. Tons going on, but nothing too exciting yet. Lately it has been stuff regarding the house, trying to get rid of all the 70's crap that still exists. But I think we finally got rid of it all. New carpeting, new paint, new floors, doors, trim... yep, it has been a busy time. Below are a few pics (before and after) of what we have been doing:

Living room before.....

Living room after....
The old brown kitchen......
The newer looking not brown kitchen....
Ahh, the old carpet in the dining room.....

The new dining room....

So, that is what we have been up to. Lame, I know, but hopefully it will pay off soon.

We also finally finished the plans for Europe, so we are all set. A huge sigh of relief!!!

Other than that.... softball starts soon and we will open the cabin in the next few weeks, so if anyone wants to join us, let us know.

Paradin' and partyin'

This last week was really uneventful. Work, sports... relaxing... that same old stuff. We did celebrate the best leap day ever by having dinner at Manny's! The best meal, probably ever (sorry Little Italy Lasagna place, you may have been beaten) had. Good wine, great filets, killer hash browns and loaded potatoes. A great night!

Saturday we spent the day roaming around Hugo, Lino, Blaine, and Vadnais looking at the Parade of Homes. Some nice places out there, too bad the prices still suck.

Saturday night was a night at the Red Dragon in Uptown. Alicia wanted to hit this place up, so we had Kevin, Jenny, and Joel join us. We started the night off right with some stiff drinks, and then hit up the 2 for 1s at another bar (can't remember the name for some reason).

Sunday, was a day of worship, and resting.

This week.... couple of meetings, and that's it.

Cabin plans have been put on hold for a bit. Pipe line is full right now.

Still kickin'

No, we haven't died, we are still around. Work has been busy for the both of us lately so we haven't really done much lately. We did get to go to Grand Slam in Burnsville for our friend's birthday last weekend. We have never felt so old! That place must be the high school hangout for Valley and Rosemount kids, they were everywhere! Ryan did set a course record for mini golf by getting an "incomplete" on the last hole. Who knew you can shoot a ball at the 18th hole, and have it end up 100 feet away in the opposite direction? We also tried out the laser tag game there. Needless to say the men won! :) The highlight (and lowlight) of the night was when out friend Cindy opened her car window to talk to us, and the window linkage broke causing the window to slide down into the car door. Normally not a huge deal, but the windchill that night was near -40, and they had to drive home to White Bear at midnight! Ouch!

Alicia has started her planning for the new kitchen. Similar layout, just gutting the cabinets and starting over. So this summer, we will spend a ton of time grilling outside!

The new cabin planning is still a work in progress. Who are we kidding? This will not be a cabin, this will be a second home. Ryan should have some designs done soon, and will post some sketches eventually. On a side note, to complete our game room we are looking for a pool table, shuffle board table, and pinball.... so any leads, let us know.

The cabin planning has been put off for a the kitchen plans, and the vacation plans.... back to Europe!

This one we took last time we were in Salzburg, Austria. Does this remind anyone of the Sound of Music?

And back to one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen, Bavaria! This pic we took on our honeymoon (almost 2 years ago already!) while at the Eagle's Nest. This time we plan on hiking and relaxing around the lake (konigsee) in the picture. Itinerary will be nailed down soon, but so far the highlights are: Normandy Beaches, Mont St. Michel, Lucerne, Berner Oberland area, moutain biking in the Swiss Alps, Schiltorn, Zurich, Alpine Road through Bavaria, Innsbruck, Berchtesgaten, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Melk, Vienna, and perhaps going to the place where Ryan's ancestors migrated from. Low lights... none, but this will not be a vacation, more a quest.

V-day this year will be busy. We have to pick up the family from the airport returning from the Caribbean. Ainsley, Ashley and Allison (well not really Allison) should have some good stories to share. And then hopefully off to dinner.

Friday is Alicia's mom's (double possesive) birthday, so a little party for her will be friday.

Saturday, anyone up for some killer Thai food? Found an awesome Thai place a few months ago, VERY good!

Sunday we are going to see Grandma Weiss for her birthday. The tough little cookie should be 80 years young this year. We should have some pics of the event.

Wow, it's a been while

Two months since our last post... we are very busy if you can't tell.... but a quick run down of what has happened recently....

12 bars of xmas - Joel Puts out the vibe

Xmas with the fams. We took the girls to the Mall of America for some rides and stuffed animals.

It was odd this year without Grandpa there to make everyone smile.

And we went back to wine country after Xmas. Thought we could get away from the winter chill, but no luck. 50 degrees, and overcast, but still a great time. We had to make one important stop of course....

Alicia standing in the spot where we got engaged (almost 2.5 years ago already!)

Alicia in front of some golden bridge, which is weird since the bridge is red. :)

Also, on the work front, Ryan got a "promotion". Basically it entails longer hours, better pay, and two peeps under him.

Cabin .... it's in the planning stage now. Sketches to follow someday soon.

Decemberfest!

Well, not much has happened since Thanksgiving. Obviously it was a tough time with Grandpa's passing, but we got through.

The snow has started to fall here. A few inches here, a few inches there and we are finally in our winter wonderland.

We did get a chance to take the Nieces out to the Mall of America for some shopping and rides. More rides though since the girls love them. For the record, I highly recommend all adults staying away from the the Race Car ride. Back wrenching turns are a blast!

Cutest moment was when Ashley wanted to go on the Merry Go round, but didn't want to ride the animals, so she just sat in the handicapped seat..... it was hilarious.

This week is the infamous 12 bars of christmas. Only 30 hours until it begins!!! About 1,000 people roaming the bars of Minneapolis trying (and suceeding) to get drunk. Great times are had by all.

Auf wiedersehen Opa!

Today is a sad day for the entire family. At Midnight, our Grandfather, Edmund Weiss passed away at age 86. He was truly a great man who would make a friend in everyroom he entered. He was always light hearted, and never missed a moment to make someone smile.

I have many great memories of him, and I will do my best to share a few...

Every Sunday when we would head to church, Grandpa would drive wearing his derby cap, and signing some song that never rang a bell with me, but Grandma would join in and sing the harmony.

Watching old school pro wrestling on the TV and after every absurd stunt hearing Grandpa say "Da Hell??"

Playing catch with Grandpa at Becky's graduation party. Even with an old arm that hadn't thrown for many years, he still did his best to muster up enough strength to throw a few times, and even show Becky how to throw a curveball. I never knew how much he liked baseball until that day.

and those are just a few of them....

Grandpa, you will be forever missed!

Nothing to report

The last two weeks have been relatively uneventful in our house. Working, cleaning, and a little interior renovations have been taking most of our time lately. Sad!

Last weekend we did get to make a trip to Alicia's 10 year reunion. Good times, too bad we left before the fight broke out! It was a shame to miss that!

On tap: More work at home
Getting Chicago plan finalized