22 days and $2,200

I have met my minimum goal of $2,200 for the 3Day Breast Cancer Walk! Thank you so much to everyone who donated and if you haven't....It is not too late! Just click on the 3Day icon to the left and go to my personal page. There are only 22 days until we begin the 60 miles. We have been walking as much as our crazy lives allow us to- hoping that we can be prepared and reduce the amount of blisters that occur. I will post pictures after it is over. Thanks again for your support!

Kansas City

We drove to Kansas City for our summer vacation! The 6 hour drive took 7 1/2 hours on the way down...thank goodness for DVD players! I don't care who says we are spoiled! How did our parents do it without these modern conveniences? The gas prices conveniently went down right before we left to $3.76- yoohoo!

When we head back to Kansas City there are two main priorities. 1)Hang out with family and friends and 2)Eat at places that aren't in Minnesota. Spoiling the kids with fun activities is just a bonus! So we stayed with Jason's brother and wife, Brandon and Krisi. Which means that we spent quality time with Colin, our nephew. He is adorable and so laid back! He's already got a deep little voice that is so cute and although he hardly ever cries, when he does I have to almost laugh because it is so quiet! I am used to the toe-curling screeches that my children make!

Noah turned 7 the day we drove down- July 28th. I cannot believe my little boy is already 7! He was very excited to open his gifts which included a Nintendo Wii (this was a joint gift for him and Natalie), a basketball, a Razor scooter and helmet, and some Pokeman cards. Brandon and Krisi got him a new baseball glove. The reaction to the Wii was classic- uncontrolled screaming and a lot of jumping in the air was involved! (We got it on tape!) Needless to say- any waking moment that we weren't running around doing something else was spent creating Mii's and playing each other. It's fun for the whole family! There is a skate park not far from Brandon and Krisi's house so of course we spent some time there as well- going down ramps and attempting half-pipes! CRAZY! I think he had a great birthday!

Other fun adventures took place at CoCo Key waterpark in the Adams Mark Hotel, a Royals game, Science City in Union Station and Paradise Park to hit in the batting cages and ride some go carts. We also spent some time walking around our alma mater- CMSU- ok, I guess it is called UCM now- whatever. Jason and I felt like we had never left- the speech and hearing center is still there but the audiology program no longer exists. The airport looked the same and even some familiar names remain- including Lindbergh the cat!

Some great times and good stories were spent with the Gum, Hensley and Teichman families. All eight children ran around with endless energy as always! There was mention of another adult vacation possibly coming up with this group- I'm thinking....GOOD IDEA! When we all went to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2007 it was a vacation to remember! We also drove out to Richmond, MO to visit with the Morrills. The kids had fun playing out in the country- launching baking soda and vinegar rockets and swimming in the pool.

So, I am sure you are all dying to know what we ate that we cannot eat in Minnesota! First- Fazoli's- I know...not that exciting but, I love pasta and the breadsticks are so buttery and garlicy- yummy! There used to be one in West St. Paul which was about a 20 minute drive away- but it closed down. Next was Mr. Goodcents subs- there is not a sandwich place out there that makes bread as soft as they do! Smokehouse BBQ- because that is what you eat in Kansas City and Jason loves it! We don't have many options for BBQ- Famous Daves is about it and they don't have sliced meat just pulled- which Jason is not a fan of. 54th Street- I love the Gringo dip and chips! We also had Minsky's pizza and I think that is about it- at least those worth mentioning.

Speaking of pizza- we did try to go talk with our old boss from our Pizza Hut delivery days but unfortunately she wasn't in. Maybe next time?

We all had a great time! The ride home only took 7 hours. Thanks to everyone for putting us up and hanging out. We already miss all of you but hope to see you again soon! Maybe you should come to Minnesota and stay with us? You are always welcome!

Success!

Our Fundraiser at Sally's was a HUGE success! We raised over $1,100! THANK YOU to all of you who came out last Thursday, as well as all of you who have already donated, to help us achieve our fundraising goals! We have about 9 weeks now until we walk 60 miles in 3 days. We continue to train preparing our bodies, feet and minds for this great adventure! Thanks again- as I have said before- we couldn't do this without you!

3 Days- 60 Miles

On Sept 19-21, 2008 myself, along with 3 other co-workers, (team name- HEARS to Tata's- we had to have an audiology reference in there!) will be walking 60 miles in 3 days to help end Breast Cancer. I have been collecting donations since March and I happy to say that, because of all of you, I am very close to my $2,200. minimum requirement! Again, THANK YOU to all that have donated towards this very important cause! You guys are AWESOME! If you have not yet donated and would like to- just click on the icon to the left and it will take you right to my personal page. We are also having a fundraiser on July 17, 2008 at Sally's Saloon and Eatery (on Washington St. in Minneapolis) from 4-6pm. There will be raffle tickets to buy for a chance to win some great restaurant gift cards and other prizes. Bring friends if you'd like-the more the merrier. It should be a fun Happy Hour in support of the HEARS to Tata's team!

06-07-08 Introducing Valerie and Uriah Peterson

Valerie and Uriah got married this weekend! The day started with a powerful rain storm that passed quickly-however, there was a possibility of hail- so thankfully at the Plote house we have large garages to stash all the cars in. Somehow we got our minivan and Impala as well as my mom's Grand Prix all in one garage! Supposedly rain on the wedding day brings you wealth? Or is it good health? I never could keep all those saying straight!

We ended up taking the majority of pictures in mom and dad's backyard- which I think will look amazing! The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun out at Treasure Island Casino. It was a great day!

The kids were not in the wedding but we decided to get special little dresses for all the girls and the boys had a ties- clip-ons! They all looked so adorable.

Keokuk, IA

We spent Memorial Day Weekend in Keokuk, IA. Jason played in the Greg E. Kraus Memorial Golf Tournament and the kids and I spent some quality time in the hotel pool and visiting with good friends that no longer live close enough to us! (we miss you Kraus family!) There were garage bands on Friday night that were very fun to listen and watch the little kids dance to. Saturday there were 19 total children watching their fathers in the golf tournament and driving the staff at the country club crazy with cheetos and french fries on the floor and constant running around! There was music all night long and a great time was had by all. The 5 1/2 hour trip did get a little long for Savannah mostly- she is not as mesmerized by the DVD player yet- but overall was not too bad of a road trip.

Scars

At the ripe old age of 6 years and 10 months Noah now has another scar to show off! Wednesday at daycare, Noah was washing his hands at one of the old school sinks like in our elementary school days where you push the pedal with your foot and the water comes out like in a rainbow for many people to stand and wash their hands. Well, supposedly....another kid was splashing the water out of the sink onto the floor. Noah, unaware of this- finished washing his hands.... did a little spin on his heel- (because everybody does that when they wash their hands-right?) to get a paper towel and in the middle of the spin landed chin first on the tile floor. It left a good gash- enough that the pediatrician felt the "glue" they can use instead of stitches wouldn't work. After 4 shots of novacaine and 4 stitches- he stated he "wouldn't mind doing this again", because "it didn't really hurt!". Somehow, I think we will try to hold off on that one!