Time to Update!!

Where to start!! It's been a busy summer so far, so my blogging skills have been slacking! In the past month, a lot has happened! We took a road trip on Friday to Pierre, which should've been a walk in park only driving 5.5 hrs vs 10 hrs to Buffalo, but with a busy bodied little boy, I was thankful to make it to Mitchell for a stretch break!! We got some fishing in while Grandpa Tom and Aunt Caitie watched Gunnar. Poor punkie, 4 teeth are trying to come through all at once-boo-so he will go from 7 teeth to 11 teeth, just like that! They are doing a number on his cute attitude, and all he wants is MAMA! It made for an interesting weekend, but we made it through! Saturday night we went to The Outpost for supper, one of our favs and a place I worked at Summer of 2003. Gunnar never slept more than a couple hours at a time-yippee-so that made for a crabby Mama and boy in the mornings, so Sunday we were supposed to go to church in Pierre, but that didn't happen. Instead we visited some friends that have 4 kids, which put me in my place-ha-and showed me that things could be a lot more chaotic than they are! ha ha. Sunday night we hosted a whole bunch of friends at Tom's new home. We grilled, had wonderful summer foods, drinks, and brownies! It was great getting to see all of our friends, and all at once! Gunnar had fun playing with younger kids too, which was fun to see him interact. Sunday night Tom, Cullen, and Nathan went fishing will Caitie, Gunnar, and I stayed home and hung out. It was nice to get to bond with my wonderful sisterinlaw! :)

After a long night of Gunnar not sleeping again, I was more than ready to hit the road on Monday. I decided to check my facebook with lack of anything else to do before Nathan woke up. Needless to say I got the shock of my life, the news of a very sad death, of a very amazing and close friend who was killed in a canoe accident Sunday afternoon. I screamed for Nathan and started crying, not knowing how or why this great person was taken from us. Andy Korth was one of the first people I had met in college. He was my comfort, and always made me laugh. I came to know him so well, and introduced Nathan to him. We all clicked so well, with hunting and fishing trips, and college stories being made often. He was outdoors as much as he could, had trained his dog as well as he could be trained, and lived his life for God. Oh the memories we have of our Andy Korth. His funeral is on Saturday, and in a way, Nathan and I came to the conclusion that we are ready for it, ready for closure. We know Andy is smiling up above, telling everyone to quit crying and start smiling. Amazing and one of a kind guy, that some day, we'll meet again.

On a happier note, my Mom's family is all coming to my parents for the 4th! We'll have my family from Texas, Cedar Rapids, and Pocahontas all here! VERY excited to see everyone, and for everyone to see Gunnar of course too! :) My little cousin Skye, is 3 years old, and I can't wait to see the fun they will have together! On Saturday morning is Andy's funeral in Nebraska, and then Saturday night is our neighbor's wedding, which we are all involved in! SO, a big and busy week is here already!

We've been doing a lot of riding as well! Today we'll be going over to the Hills, west of Galva, to sort and move cattle with the horses. My parents have always used four wheelers, and with us moving back and bringing the two ranch horses, I told everyone that we want Gunnar to grow up riding, so all the work, or most of the work, will be done with the horses. My Dad will have his four wheeler, but Evan, Nathan, and I, will be on horseback. Gunnar will be riding with my Dad until we find him a pony in a couple years. I'm excited to get the horses in some rougher terrain, and to clear my mind for a few hours, along with getting a lot of sun!

I've been slacking on taking pictures as well, so this post won't have any pics to look at! In the coming days we'll be snapping quite a few, so look for those to come!

Take nothing for granted, when someone close to you dies, you look at things in a different light, that's for sure! I've noticed kinder words, more kisses, and lots of "I love yous" between Nathan and I, it definitely shakes you up a bit!

Happy 4th of July, I hope this note finds everyone gearing up for a safe Holiday weekend!
Thanks for checking in!