99 CIVIC

Out with the old, in with the new! Or in our case, out with the new and in with the old. Yes, folks... we swapped our new car for a dependable 1999 Honda Civic. Tom & I think that the longevity of a Honda automobile is its most attractive attribute. We did our share of used car shopping. Private party, dealers, classifieds, you name it! All in all, I think we drove close to twenty cars and called on quite a few more. Tom was sure he would "just know" when he had driven the right one. Buying a car ought not be taken lightly since there are so many greenbacks involved! It was a lengthy process, but God had the right car waiting. She runs like a dream and the price tag is even nicer. And with only 100,000 miles, we figure we will be able to take more than a few road trips! (But we're still holding out for that Audi S4 Avant wagon when we have our millions)

Ian’s First Sauna

Friday, August 11th was a monumental day in our son's upbringing. He experienced a sauna for the first time. Not a subdued, lukewarm hotel sauna mind you. It was a stoking hot Finnish sauna! We prepared a little bathtub, scrubbed him clean and rinsed him off in the lake, just like all the grownups do! Keeping him on the ground kept the temperature low while the adults sit on the high bench, taking advantage of the billows of hot steam coming straight from the rocks on the wood stove. The Upper Peninsula has over 100,000 Finns, which makes up probably a fourth of the entire population, and is actually the highest concentration of Finnish people in the country. My mom grew up immersed in this culture! Ian's first sauna is especially memorable for me because I grew up taking them every summer at Helen Lake when we came to visit Grandma Pearl.

Jeremy Enigk

Even with recent cutbacks in the household budget (see Tom's blog), my husband still knows how to show a lady a good time. We dropped Ian off with Aunt Katie (his favorite Minnesota aunt) and he "kidnapped" me and took me to a live show. "No big deal," you may say, but if you are thinking that thought, I can tell you aren't a parent. It is a well-established fact that babies sleep... a lot. And typically, they go to bed rather early. So that means that mom & dad are home early most (if not every) night! Needless to say, my last concert was prior to mommyhood. So it was a blessed event! It's been awhile since I tolerated music at that decibel, as well. Thanks to Tom for taking me to the most amazing show ever! It's not every day we get to see Jeremy Enigk live. And if we can't see Sunny Day Real Estate, then this is the next best thing!!