Greetings

Would you like to come to the beach with me? It is a beautiful place, the way the waves roll, and not a single one is the same. If you sit on a beachy spot and a wave comes it is so strong! It can turn you around.

You could make a large sand castle with me, one with a flag and many windows.
We could bring a picnic to the beach and sit in white sand with a blanket laied out in front of me and you on the other side.
We could find shells and bring them home to decorate to remind us of our wonderful time at the beach.
It is very hot and sunny, so put on your sunscreen and wear your hat and glasses. I'll meet you there.   JUDE

One of our neighborhod beaches

wow! the first time at the beach is always the best.

Searching for Bicycles...

A true story...narrated by Leona.
Once there were 3 people who set off to town looking for a deal on bicycles. They pasted a big beach with white sand and weird trees with mysterious roots growing crazily amongst the sands. They took a stop at the local library in Ballina. Then their nanny came to help check out books, she took a long time.

Then we got a surprise! Our relative Maureen picked us up in her white car and took us to her house to view a potential bike for us, it fit mom the best. The bike is pink and we need to make sure the tires hold air. Then mommy took a ride to the Jack Ransom's cycle shop and the girls rode along the route. The store was a small shop on the corner. When we got to the shop we took the bike around back and discussed reasonable deals for rentals. The man was nice to his customers. Then we did research comparisons on new bike deals in the area. Maureen was great to drive us around everywhere. First we looked at Kmart and then we went to the Big W. We found new bikes at a good price. Then we walked to a cycle shop where a grumpy man with high prices was unwilling to negotiate. When we returned to the house we found out that nanny found a great bike for an awesome price and it would be ready soon. We walked a lot and had a great day, maybe next time we'll be pedaling on bicycles. That would be very nice. The end of my true story.   LEONA LEONA LEONA LEONA LEONA

A Day with Lola

Lola is a bright girl, age 5, she is very intelligent and lot's of fun! We waited in front of the hotel we were staying at. We were waiting for Lola. When they arrived Lola said first thing "hello my name is Lola, what's yours" if she was shy she did not show it. We introduced our selves and went to sit by the pool to talk. Then we all drove down to the Santa Monica Board walk. On the way Lola taut us how to play garbage truck even though there were none out. When we got to the board walk we got a funnel cake and Lola got a ice cream cone (vanilla). We saw many interesting things on our walk, at the end of the boardwalk there was a  man playing music we danced to the music. We also went swimming in the warm pool and then we went bowling. Lola was the big winner with a score of 103. WOW!! It was a very good day.                              The End                                    JUDE

We Are Here!!

Saftely arrived in Brisbane and took bus ride to Ballina yesterday. So much to take in and still recovering from slight lag and time change differences. Girls will write more very soon. Much love to all of you, I knew you'd appreciate an update.

Living it up

Just witnessed a bus of passengers from England doing the tourist routine in LA. They have been traveling the United states.Don't see that too much in Minnesota. I found some blissful moments last night as the girls swam and I got to have a cocktail poolside. Off today with some friends to catch up and then we hop the " nice little" flight to Brisbane. Living it up!!!

San Fran memories

We have immersed ourselves into some adventures geared towards our homeschooling. We visited the Marin headlands where the fog was thick and the wind was cold. And the following day we headed to Muir woods to discover nature and explore species of trees. If I can figure out how to attach the videos we will send you the reports from L&J.
Be sure to keep your eyes open for Oscar, our traveling companion. (Uncle Kevin said he must go and be a part of this trip). He will show up in various pictures. Can you find him?

Leslie's [ Theresa and Johnny's restaurant)

Yesterday we went to Leslie's restaurant we sat at the bar counter. I ordered a full stack of pancakes and a wood chip milkshake.The pancake's were as big as my head,and they were very absorbent, mom said I was making it sound like some kind of toilet paper. The milkshake was vanilla ice cream with chocolate wood chips mixed in, it was [ one of the] best milkshake on earth.         JUDE

swimming

I went swimming in my friends Chase and Colton's pool. I played pirates.I had fun . They have a flag in the pool.        LEONA LEONA LEONA LEONA LEONA 

It's here

Today is the day. The anxiety of the past several weeks has now changed from the stressors of getting things done to the thrill of the adventure mixed with the dread of leaving for so long. It's absolutely amazing how much we take for granted. making a huge change like this does make you sit back and evaluate your life and the people in it. This last week we buried my great aunt Charlotte. She was and is an everlasating blessing to my life and the lives of those around her. I look at times like this and think we should seize the day at all times, yet our lifestyles are so busy and compete for space and energy. I truly believe the beauty of the world lies in our loving relationships. So as my children and I set out on this adventure I want all you special people to know that you are a blessing and we will miss you through the miles. I know we will all come back changed people. I pray for gentle spiritual growth and a lifetime of great memories.

One last try

I can do this, look, I can fit. Now to figure out just how to zipper myself in. Do you think they will find me? Aw, shucks I forgot to pack some food reserves. This is gonna be a challenge!

Last weekend together

WOW. The weekend was a dash of shopping and fun times with our dear friends the Nehring's from Iowa. Now the great challenge of zipping the suitcases and preping for departure. Four days of school beginning and ending in the same week and our grand adventure starts next weekend. Are the grown ups allowed to get cold feet?