Yesterday we said goodbye to my Grandpa Scott (Ella's great-grandpa) during a beautiful, small ceremony near Sturgeon Lake. Grandpa was a great man who experienced a lot in his life. We'll surely miss him, but we'll always have amazing memories of our time together.
This picture was taken at a park in St Cloud nearly four years ago. These are most of my siblings and cousins on the Scott side. Aren't my grandparents adorable? I love them so much.
A few of my favorite memories of Grandpa Scott:
playing in the yard at the house where my dad grew up in Richfield
going to Twins games
his wave in the driveway every time we left his house
the doll house he made for Becky & I when we were little
riding in his big car on city streets
the penny m&m machine that was also a lamp
his pretend British accent before he'd kiss the back of my hand
his drawings
the Snow White & Nutcracker collections
fishing on the pontoon while eating Sun Chips & drinking root beer
Pass the Pigs
Thanksgiving dinner with the football game on
I'm going to keep adding to this list. It makes me happy to think of all the things we did together.
What a weekend! Grandma's Marathon celebrated their 35th year and nearly everyone in Duluth seemed to show up to cheer on the thousands of runners. It's always one of my favorite weekends of the year. Even when we have no idea what the weather will do, we're all ready to run - 5k, half marathon, and marathon along with the little kid races. So much fun!
Ella & I headed down to the running and health expo at the DECC the morning before the race.
After picking up my race packet and doing a little shopping, Ella prepped for the weekend with her race banana.
This is the fun magnet I found at the expo. Couldn't resist.
After a night of pouring rain, we woke up at 4:30am to yet more rain. After dropping Shauna at her shuttle for the half, I picked Jake up and headed to Canal Park to catch the train to the start. Seriously! A train to the start! This is the same train we rode the day of our wedding. Just adding to the good memories.
Yes, it was a bit of a bummer that it was still raining. Although it's better than crazy heat, which is often the case the day of Grandma's, rain isn't super exciting when anticipating a 26 mile run. I see that pouty face, Jake.
It was a pretty relaxing ride to Two Harbors. It took more time to get there than if we had taken a shuttle bus, but all we'd have done at the start was stand around. I think we'll opt for this every year.
Jake took a little snooze.
Would you believe that as soon as we stepped off the train, it stopped raining?!
The crazy duo prior to the big race.
While waiting in line to use one of the million porta-potties at the start, we ran into a couple friends, Jonne and his buddy. I knew this would make for a great start to the race. Seriously, those two with Jake make a hilarious group. Once we made it across the start line (8 minutes after the official start of the race - that's how many people run this thing), we were off!
I have to admit that there were a few scares with Jake's knee. In just the second mile, I thought we'd have to find a medical tent. Jesus heard my prayers, though, and Jake and I got to do our first run together. The miles passed...and passed...and passed. 26 miles is a long way! We finally reached the edge of Duluth at about mile 19, which has a tendency to make it feel like we're practically finished.
And then we DID finish!
I was quite pleased to have improved my time by just over ten minutes from last year's race. Final time: 4:43. I'll take that!
I've never understood why so many people want a beer post-race. Seriously? It's never looked good... Until this year. I don't know what changed. Maybe it was the chilly weather. (Probably not. I would have gone after a hot chocolate if that was the case.) Jake and I proudly took our free drink tickets to the beer tent and got our prize.
I admit...I only drank 1/4 of mine. Then it didn't taste good. I suppose I got it more for the experience. The real treat for finishing were cupcakes! My lovely friend, Miss Anna Plys, has recently started a cupcake shop out of Duluth. She's amazing. Truly. Here was her stand on the corner in Canal Park by Little Angie's. All those little flags on the top of the cakes said FINISHER. Cute.
Thank you, Grandma's Marathon, for another weekend of memories. We'll see what next year holds. Another 26.2 perhaps? I'm going to let another few days go by before making that decision. Besides, registration doesn't open until July 1. That and I've got a midnight 5k to prep for on Friday night.
This is fun video that was made by Carrie Tollefson, an Olympic runner. It gives a pretty good picture of the great weekend.
This week brought on the new adventure of swimming lessons! Miss Ella will be putting on her little pink swimming suit every afternoon this week and next and joining two other toddlers for a 30-minute splash session in the UMD pool. Ella is the youngest of the bunch but does a great job keeping up. You should see her kicks. They're beautiful. And her bubbles? Well, we're getting there. Maybe she'll figure it out by the end of the week. :)
She picked the headband on her own...and put it on.
Running down the hallway to her first lesson. She was so excited!
Post-lesson shivers. There are multiple lesson groups in the pool at the same time. It's really fun to see all the little kids in their swimming suits, wrapped in fuzzy towels.
Ah, warm and cozy after day one. Mama remembered the hat to cover the wet hair but forgot the leggings. Oops. Good thing it was warm outside.
It's about time for these girls to get ready for another swimming lesson. Yup, Mama is in the pool, too. Daddy joined us yesterday. That was great fun, except that Ella only wanted to pour water over Pete's head for a good part of the lesson.
At least we get to play in the agua! (That's what Ella calls all it. Her one Spanish word. Sometimes I feel bad for not teaching her more already.)
Esta bien, verdad? Tenemos tiempo a aprender mas este ano cuando ella tiene dos anos! Tal ves este es el tiempo perfecto! Deseo que tener mas oportunidades hablar espanol aqui en Duluth. No hay muchas personas quien puede hablar la idoma en este ciudad en el norte.
Any Spanish speakers? How was that? It's been a while. Betsy, don't grade too harshly. ;)
After months and months of thinking about opening an Etsy shop, I've finally done it! Ella K Designs is now on the board! I posted my first piece last night and will continue to post more through the next couple days. So far it's only coffee cozies, but I'll soon be adding some adorable baby bibs as well. I just have to find the time to take a few pictures of them. I also want one of Ella wearing a bib, which means she'll have to be in the mood to help the mama out.
a cozy made from a wool coat with an antique botton
My favorite part about the shop is that everything I'm selling is upcycled. What does that mean? Each piece is made from second-hand materials. I love to thrift shop and thought it would be fun to turn some great finds into totally new creations. I use everything from wool pants and summer jackets to table cloths and curtains.
It may seem obvious how I came up with the name for the shop. I was trying to create a name that I knew I wouldn't tire of after a few months. I think I'll be a fan of "Ella K" for a while. :)
I'll keep a side bar link to the shop on the blog so you can see my latest postings. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about what you see!
Last week, Ella & I spent two afternoons finishing our flower planting while Daddy worked on the lawn. We don't get many days like that when we're all working at the same time, so we really enjoyed it. Ella especially liked playing in the dirt. Are we surprised?
Pretty, pretty flowers! And a pretty girl.
At one point, Ella was digging through the soil bag and stumbled backward right into the flower pot! She wasn't very happy about it at first.
Her little bottom fit right inside the pot.
I couldn't help but laugh and laugh.
That's when she realized it probably wasn't such an awful thing to be stuck in a flower pot.
Many of you are aware of my dive into summer classes this week. After a lovely three-week break of doing nearly anything I wanted, I am back at it.
Two classes. Seven grad credits. Four weeks. (On top of this already busy schedule.)
Holy moly.
I'm thankful for grandparents who stay for a week to play with Ella while I'm in class. I'm thankful for an incredible husband who sends encouraging texts during class. (Remember? I sit in the back row. It's totally manageable.) I'm thankful for a cozy little Annex in the basement that is all my own. And I'm very thankful for the opportunity to study some really cool stuff.
Only one week of on-campus class. Then it's all online goodness for three more weeks. That equals nap time study sessions and coffee shop visits after the man of the house finishes work. And because I'm doing these two elective classes at one time this summer, I'll be absolutely free of any academic responsibility all next summer. Lovely.
I discovered an interesting thought as I sat in the grass during a class break on campus today. This may or may not make any sense to you, but it feels like it has a whole lot of meaning to me. I realized that, at age 29 and on my second round of degree-seeking status, I am now the person I dreamed of being when I was an undergrad student. I am only a small resemblance of the person I was ten years ago. I desired confidence and an ease of handling daily life. I desired clothes that fit right that maybe even had a hint of style. I desired afternoons sitting lazily in the grass outside campus buildings, eating a decently healthy, non-dining center meal, while listening to quality music and working through meaningful class assignments. I did those things today. I don't mean it in a stuck-up way at all. Not like an "I've made it. Look at me now" thing. It's just that, as I sat possessing so many of the qualities that I could only imagine ten years ago, I realized all of the amazing things God has done in me. I guess it took a moment like that, while sitting in the same place I used to sit between theatre classes, to recognize the journey of this life. I'm completely humbled and totally excited all at the same time.
And with that, I'm saying goodnight to Stacy Kent on Pandora, closing the computer, and heading to bed. The morning workout comes early.
Thirty years ago today, my parents stood at the front of a small church in Wadena, Minnesota and promised before God and one another that they would love and support each other through thick and thin. Thirty amazing, eventful, adventurous, trying, and joyful years. Not all of it has been a walk in the park, as no marriage ever is, but they have held to the promise they made and continue to believe in the unity that God created between them. It's beautiful and inspiring.
And what will they be doing for their anniversary? Taking this mama and her Ella to Colorado! What?! That's right, my friends, we get to accompany them on their special anniversary trip at the end of August. We're very much looking forward to it. Lots of hiking, shopping, swimming, and sight seeing. And I've promised that Ella and I will get away for a couple days to give them a little alone time. It only seems fair since it is their anniversary vacation, after all.
Thank you, Mom & Dad, for the example you've been in my marriage and for showing me what it means to truly love someone. I love you both!
This post has been brought to you during class. That's why it's beneficial to sit in the back row & get through assignments in a reasonable amount of time. :)
