Jed's Visit

My family knows it's hard for me to say goodbye when they leave after a visit, so Jed came to Minnesota only two days after Elisa left. He actually had his ticket first, but it feels like they planned it all for me. We had a great time, of course. Sarah and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on Thursday while Anna and Michael were in school. On Friday the weather was rainy and cold so it was a perfect Mall of America day. Sarah loved her time with just Mom and Jed. Jed alone is pretty great, but it doesn't hurt that he buys things like lunch and chocolate milkshakes, and her mom never does. I'm afraid our kids will be thoroughly spoiled after all of our fun company. On Saturday the rest of my jealous family got to play too, but the weather was too gray and cold to do all of the outside things we had planned. We went to the Cheesecake Factory (we called it a Mothers Day lunch) and Michael has claimed it as his new favorite restaurant, even though he was disappointed that it wasn't a true factory. Jed and I saw Iron Man II at the IMAX theatre while Travis stayed with the kids because we couldn't get a babysitter. Then Travis's pager beeped at 11:30 PM when he was staggering into bed. There was an eleven year-old with an open globe, and he was up all night sewing a boy's eye whose brother poked it with a stick. (Our kids never get to touch sticks.)Travis didn't get to go to church or the beautiful Walker Art Museum sculpture gardens, where we walked after church. It was Sunday, Jed's last day, and we finally had beautiful weather. I love spending with Jed, and I hope he finds his way to Ogden often!

Passed!

A little announcement for the family and friends who knew Travis had taken the written ophthalmology Boards in April. He passed! He was even pleased with his strong score, which is gravy, if you ask me. He has worked really hard his fellowship year, and I'm proud of him for studying as much as possible, which he didn't think was enough. In November he'll take his oral boards in San Francisco (another $1600 on the credit card) and then he'll be exam free for another ten years. Way to go sweetie!

Elisa's Visit

For her birthday, Elisa's sweet husband Matt bought her a plane ticket to visit us in Minnesota. We have had so much fun! We went to the Mall of America with all of the kids and actually went on a ride in the Nickelodeon amusement park and ate at Noodles & Co. (and maybe shopped a little while bribing the kids with the rides and food). We stayed up late talking with Travis, which was really fun because Travis wasn't on call and got to spend some time with Elisa too. We went window shopping at a lovely boutique mall, ate lunch at a couple of yummy restaurants called Burger Jones and Yum Bakery, and bought some treats and snacks at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, which are both within one mile of my house! We live in St. Louis Park, which is an idyllic suburb of Minneapolis. Travis's commute is only 12 minutes without traffic and without his walk from where he parks. We took several walks in the perfect spring weather and soaked up the charm of our lush, tree-lined neighborhood. Elisa stood guard while I cut branches from a bank of lilac bushes lining a nearby gas station. Lilac bushes line the freeways here. They are as numerous as dandelions, so I didn't think anyone would mind. Now every room in our house smells of lilacs.We also walked around Lake of the Isles, one of our favorite nearby lakes. Elisa took some great pictures, including the best family picture we have ever had since adding Sarah. Elisa even schlepped out her beautifying equipment and colored and cut my hair along with giving Michael and Anna much-needed cuts. I hadn't had a haircut in eleven months! I look and feel so much better. And my new poppy red glitter toenails are fabulous. Anna has red glitter toes too, and with Elisa's assistance, we learned about buying flip flops at Target to show off our new glitter toes. We had a ball! Thanks for the visit Elisa! I love you!