Kroeze Vacation '09

Still head over heels in love with him!

Brady & I double skiing

Getting ready to slalom

Cute!

The boys at the GoKart place

Aunt Tina feeding Karson

Uncle Brady feeding Karson

The whole Kroeze clan :)

"Sisters" :)

The 4 of us looking good.

Tina & Taylor just hanging out.

Brady slaloming, got up on the first try!

There is a hill from our cabin to down by the lake, there is this chair lift thing with a sign that says "able bodied people use stairs" I guess they weren't "able bodied" carrying that HUGE tube :)

The cabins we stayed in.

Gorgeous sunset. Simply beautiful.

Brady & Wade riding the "poparazzi"

Uncle Brady & "Tay Tay" :)

It's hard to believe that another annual vacation to Osakis, MN (near Alexandria) has come & gone. We stayed at Linwood Resort. This year was my 7th year of going on this vacation which is also hard to believe that it's been that many years already. That means I was 15 the first year I went along, crazy! I have been to 4 different resorts in the 7 years of going and every year is so much fun. This year we split up making meals for the week which turned out to work very well. Brady & I drove up on Tuesday as he had his class at USF Monday night and it was my weekend to work. We picked up Wade & Alissa in Okoboji as they were on a different vacation earlier that week. It was a lot of fun to ride up together with them. We took their Trailblazer and I don't think we had room for literally ONE more thing - it was packed to the top! The boys thought their golf clubs were a necessity...I guess I don't blame them.

We stayed in a cabin with Wes & Denise, Brent & Tracy and their two girls Taylor and Bailey, Nathan & Heather and their son Karson, and Wade & Alissa. The cabin has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms so we all fit! It was so much fun to spend time with family, especially our nieces and nephew. We spent time boating, laying out by the pool, eating, more eating :), sitting by campfires, etc. It's such a relaxing week and I feel blessed to be a part of the tradition. One of the highlights of the trip was sitting around a campfire until 2:30am and making a "prediction/goal list" for next year. I think it will be fun to look back next year at our "predictions/goals" and see if any come true. There is also talk of a talent show that could be happening next year, I'm sure it would be nothing short of hilarious! Another highlight was going to Alexandria and mini golfing, riding GoKarts, and my favorite part - getting Dairy Queen afterwards! One last highlight was spending time with our nieces Taylor (3) and Bailey (17months), and our new little nephew Karson (2 months) We thank God for a fun and safe vacation and hope to enjoy many many more!

Mr. & Mrs. D'Elia

Erin with her beautiful boy Cohen

Gorgeous

Such a happy couple

It's official - Matt & Erin tied the knot at a beautiful outdoor wedding in Omaha on July 11, 2009. Erin was a stunning bride, she is beautiful inside and out! Erin is my "double cousin" (her dad is my dad's brother and her mom is my mom's sister). So needless to say we get along great. Her husband Matt is such a great guy, he is hilarious and is the perfect match for a fireball like Erin :) There miracle son Cohen was there in his little tux and was looking adorable like always. Best wishes to Matt, Erin, and Cohen!

Meet our new nephew; Karson Allan

We love you so much already little buddy!

Such a natural :)

Uncle Brady meeting Karson

Aunt Tina meeting Karson, he's a peanut!

Nathan & Heather (Kroeze) Miller were blessed with the birth of a little boy on May 23, 2009. They named him Karson Allan, he was 5lb 10oz and 19 inches long. We went up to Marshall, MN to meet him for the first time while he was still in the hospital. He is absolutely adorable and we are so proud to be his aunt & uncle. We look forward to spoiling him :) We praise God for a healthy nephew.

Psalm 139:13-14 "For You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Mr. & Mrs. Bosma

Troy & Laura (Kurtzleben) Bosma got married on June 6, 2009. Laura and I have been friends growing up and I was the matron of honor in her wedding. Laura was a gorgeous bride and she was so calm! It was a beautiful and elegent day. Her colors were plum and sage green. I loved the hydrangea flowers that she picked for decorations. I'm so happy for Troy & Laura as they begin their lives as a married couple.

Happy 4th of July!

This has got to be the coolest/most rainy 4th of July I ever experienced. We had fun despite the weather! Brady and I visited and stayed with Troy & Laura Bosma in Spirit Lake for a night and enjoyed seeing there new house. We also celebrated Brady & Wade's 23rd birthday by eating at Braco on the lake with Kevin & Kim Bosma, Wade & Alissa Kroeze, and Ryan & Brittany Kiel. This is the 3rd year we have gone up to the lakes over the 4th and celebrated with these friends. My favorite part of the whole trip was watching the fireworks over the lake by Arnold's park, they were beautiful. We had a great time and look forward to continuing our annual 4th of July camping trip.

"Maya Mae"

So small when we first got her, 5lbs

She fit in a Christmas stocking

My blog wouldn't be complete if I didn't include some pictures of my favorite puppy! Maya was a suprise Christmas present to me from Brady and she is a cockapoo (cocker spaniel/miniature poodle mixture). If I had to describe Maya in one word I would use the word "bold". She is adorable which is lucky for her with how naughty she is. We recently re-carpeted our master bedroom, got our living room carpets cleaned, repaired the hallway carpet, replaced the stems on my glasses, and replaced multiple rugs all thanks to Maya :) I have never met a dog that likes to chew things more than Maya does - we have not found a toy that she doesn't chew through (and eat) and she goes through raw hide bones like it's her job! We are so happy she is now fully trained and doesn't have "accidents" anymore! I really do love her and now that we bought a kennel that she sleeps in at night and stays in if no one is home with her, she is doing much better. I guess she's been a good preparation for the day we will have kids as kids are also cute but naughty and are hard on your house! Maya has a sweet personality and I love the companionship she provides.

We bought a camper!

We are so excited that we bought our first camper. It's a '97 Jayco 12 ft pop-up. Brady and I bought it locally from a couple in Sioux Center. It is a great starter camper and we can't wait to use it. It was suprising to me how much space is actually in a pop-up camper, there is a king size bed on one side and a queen size bed on the other. The couch turns into a bed that would sleep 2 adults and the table folds into a bed that would fit one small adult or a child. It has a small sink/kitchen area, but the most important feature it has (well according to me) is.... AIR CONDITIONING!!!! This is quite the upgrade from our tent. We have made reservations for Labor Day and we are also going to be camping in Yankton to celebrate my Dad's upcoming 50th birthday.