I lost my Grandpa today. It is days like today that make living at a distance from my family really hard. I wish that I could have been there to give him one last hug. I wish that I could be there to support my parents. I wish that I could be there to grieve, but also celebrate the man that he was. 

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to say my "goodbyes" in April while visiting family. I am glad that I was able to see him mobile and smiling one last time. It doesn't make the loss easier, but I know that he is where he has wanted to be for some time ... with my Grandma.

My Grandpa was a wonderful man. One of the greatest lessons I learned from him is how to love my spouse with the deepest part of my being. My Grandpa LOVED my Grandma. Joy radiated from him when he was with her. They were true partners in life and enjoyed activities much more because they were together. I know that losing my Grandma was his greatest loss. Without her, life wasn't the same. Watching this kind of love instilled in me the importance of finding my best friend to travel with through life. I have my Grandpa to thank for this lesson. 

I love you and will miss you. 

My Mom and Nana came out to visit. My Nana was here for a week and my mom two weeks. We had a great time together. Our goal was to get the garden area cleared, but it rained most of the time they were here. Our summer has been slow to come here! We did get some yard work done, but we focused mostly on indoor projects. My Mom and I were able to build several bird houses and a screen for the air conditioner. I am really thrilled with how they turned out! The best part is that birds are actually using the houses! Woo hoo! 

Spring finally arrived. The boys have been skiing several times already. The dock is in and we are now waiting on the jet skis to arrive. We are loving little Hudsy (Ross and Heather's little guy). We had a great walk with him and his parents at the Arboretum. The tulips were in full bloom ... they are such happy flowers! I made a boat-gear holder for all of our boards out of pallets. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. Lucy loves playing with her friend Willow from next door. Willow is 13 lbs and about the size of Lucy's head, but they love chasing each other. 

I went to Seattle in April to visit friends and family. I had a great time and the weather was beautiful the whole time I was there. Lucy plays with her friends every chance she gets ... even though she is massive compared to them. The other morning prior to leaving for work, there were two massive white birds floating just off our dock. They were white pelicans. Beautiful! We had no idea that pelicans came to Lake Minnetonka. The one unfortunate thing about this spring so far ... Poison Oak. I have been slowly cleaning up our lakeshore. The previous owner has let the property grow at random for the last 15 years. At some point while cleaning up the shoreline, I ran into Poison Oak and have had a severe allergic reaction. I will only include one picture, but it is horrible. It is everywhere and is so painful. I would not wish this on anyone. I am on an oral steroid for the next 21 days. Craziness! We are looking into renting a goat to clean up the rest of the property ... no joke! They will eat everything!