Finally! Feeling Minnesota part 1

Although my mom mentioned the state bird was the mosquito and my ankles & feet got rather chewed, Minnesota felt really, really good.

My cousins - Marnie, Ken & Michelle are really fantastic people. When we grew up, we didn't get to spend all that much time together. That isn't my story to tell, though, sad as it is. Since I haven't really had a chance to get to know them as adults, this was a supreme opportunity to do just that.

I drove the 8 hours there. The kids were actually very, very good. I can't even express how impressed I was with them. On the way there they didn't really sleep much, even though we left at 4:30 in the morning. Less sleep than they're used to & they were still good (I know, enough - but it was so impressive!). A couple of times, Andy got a little pissy, mocky & whiny so, I threatened to put him in the trunk. It worked.

I saw more of the Wisconsin highways than I ever thought possible. Wisconsin seems never ending when you're driving from one end to the other.

Marnie is married to Gregg. They have 2 boys together and Marnie has 2 older girls, too. The kids are Amber 12, Alexis 11 (my namesake - not really, but I like to think of it that way), Reece 5 and Cameron (almost) 6 months.

Cameron was beautiful and the best baby ever! He was full of happiness & smiles. A wonderful disposition all around. I miss the mornings at Marnie's because ours were lit daily by his huge grins. Plus, I didn't have to make my own coffee! Thanks, Marnie!

Reece was a very shy boy at first. He warmed up to us pretty quickly & I think Andy had something to with that. Reece has adorable blonde curls & is very, very sweet. Sometimes you don't know what to expect bringing 2 kids personalities together. It can be total chaos or total bliss. Fortunately for us, Andy & Reece were attached at the hip & got along famously! Aside from one day when little sleep finally caught up to Andy, both boys disappeared together. It was almost like they weren't even there. You can't ask for a better situation there.

Alexis - ahhhh, Alexis. Microwave popcorn bags clearly tell us where to open them, but she just doesn't care (I dunno why that struck me so funny, but it really did). She is an unusual personality, but sooooo wickedly cool! I like her for her ability to be different & not care about what anyone else might think (or so it seems). She likes to do things against the grain already. She has an odd sense of humor, but it works for her. I'm not sure how she became the different girl she is, but I hope she never changes! I look forward to knowing her as time passes.

Now, Amber has a great sense of humor, too - it's just different than Alexis'. Amber was a little more shy in the beginning, not too long after we got there, she opened up. She & Alexis are both very inquisitive in a very non-intrusive way. Some kids that age seem bossy or over bearing, but Amber is neither of those. She's sweet & fun and I hope to watch her blossom into adulthood as well. According to what Marnie has with those two, I'm just glad I don't have to be there for the fighting. Heh.

Spending time with Marnie & Gregg was a lot of fun. I realized how much Marnie & I have in common & how similar our personalities are. She is a caring person and a great mom! Gregg was soft spoken & no matter how much the girls said he was crabby, I didn't see it - not once! Marnie & I got to catch up on many years, talked over many a ciggy outside on her patio and the weather was fantastic for Minnesota!

While we were there, we also had the pleasure of meeting Gregg's family. My brother was telling me long ago about the Minnesotan accents. I didn't get to hear it in it's glory until we got to the pool party. Remember the movie Fargo? Yeah - that accent, only not so pronounced. His family was very kind & seem like a fun group of people. The kids got to swim & had a blast! Especially Andy! This was his crabby day - but once he was in the pool, he forgot to complain for the rest of the night. The baby LOVED the pool! It was so cute & hilarious, the giggles that came from Cameron!

Part 2 - Ken & his family.