Our Family Adventure: 2020

Hi everyone! As much as I would love to celebrate with you

all this Saturday, due to the current work for justice and out of respect for

George Floyd, we have decided to postpone my graduation party.

Because of what is going on in Minneapolis and across the country,

I feel that I cannot celebrate fully at this time.

In the meantime, I would just like to say thank

you for all of the support and encouragement over the years.

Like my neighbor Lynne said, "it takes a community."

I am so appreciative of my community.

P.s. We are not sure when the party will take place,

but stay tuned and we will let you know, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

We are sorry not to see everyone but hope everyone is staying safe.

Attached below is a copy of my graduation announcement

(in case your copy burned down with our local post office!).

Christmas 2019

Wishing all our friends and family a very happy 2020!

What a lovely year it has been, especially with opportunities to visit many of you! (see photos below)

Ultimate Players

Our lives are much as they were last year. Dan and Laura continue to love their work - Dan writing software for data scientists at Target Corp and Laura doing organization development consulting with lots of clients.

Grace is a senior at Washburn High School and seems to be enjoying her final year. She was captain of the ultimate frisbee team this fall, is on the Nordic ski team, plays flute, and does lots of volunteering and getting together with friends. Theo is a junior at Washburn HS and is splitting his time - taking some classes at the University of MN as well. He also played for the Ultimate team spring and fall, did club soccer, plays trumpet, and is on the Nordic
varsity team this winter.

Gracie's senior picture

Cassis, France

In addition to our everyday routines,

2019 marked a big year for us. We celebrated Dan and Laura turning 50, Grace 18 and Theo 16. We also celebrated Dan and Laura's 20th wedding anniversary.

One of our big highlights of the year was that we went to Netherlands, Belgium and France to visit dear friends and see the exciting Women's World Cup.

For their 20th wedding anniversary - Dan and Laura did a week-long bike trip in Provence, France (in 100+ temps).

And Grace and Theo had their own adventures in Brittany and Paris.

It was an amazing trip for all of us! (See more photos below)

Other highlights included:

We hosted Grace and Theo's Nicaraguan siblings for two weeks in January

We celebrated the high school graduations of our niece Olivia in DC and our nephew Connor in MN
Dan traveled to India with his job this fall. There he worked with his Target teammates in Bengaluru (Bangalore).
Laura traveled twice to the Democratic Republic of Congo with her work this spring

Connor's graduation

Dan's teammates take him go-carting in India

Looking out the hotel window in Kinshasha, DRC

Our team in Congo

More highlights:

We also celebrated our 50th birthdays with our friends from Carleton - the Larry's - and all their kids in Montana - which allowed us to visit Glacier National Park, and Yellowstone NP and Grand Tetons NP, and the Badlands NP on our way home

visiting cousin Liam at Princeton

We visited colleges and friends out east for spring break. Grace has been applying to several small liberal arts colleges out West, out East and in the Midwest for next year. All applications are due by January 15th and she'll will be making the decision by May 1st.

We loved times with family and friends- including best friends Sara and Annie's visit (the Chicas) this spring and the Johansson's visit this summer for Ottertail and the State Fair. And Christmas celebrations with the Hales, Rogers, Johanssons, and Princes.

Sara and Annie visit for Mother's Day

Johanssons visit the cabin

Golfing with grandpa

Xmas with Hales and Princes

Johansson siblings (missing Rob)

Xmas with the Rogers

Thanks Everyone. Happy New Year again. And we look forward to seeing you in 2020!

love, Laura, Dan, Grace and Theo

Our 2019 year in review by photos (for our family records):

Winter 2019:

More from our visit from our Nicaraguan exchange students. The rural community of San Carlos, Nicaragua (close the Leon) hosted Grace, Theo, and Laura (as a chaperone) along with 10 other youth in the summer of 2017. Because of political unrest and safety concerns, the Nicaraguan youth had to cancel their visit in the summer of 2018, but thankfully rescheduled for winter of 2019 - when they got to see a very different and very cold MN! It was everyone's first time to experience snow, skating, sledding, and MN hospitality.

Spring 2019:

Grace, Theo and Laura took a spring break trip out East to visit colleges and friends.

The Walzer Goldfeld crew in NYC

Andrea, Rose, and Xyla when we visited Philadelphia


Shannon and Amelia in Vermont

Grad school buddies Laurie and Jackie outside of Philadelphia

Prom 2019:

Summer 2019:

More from cousin Olivia's graduation

More photos from Netherlands, Belgium and France trip:

Netherlands with Kirsten, Alexander, and Mijla


we also toured Amsterdam for a day and night - including a the Van Gogh museum and late night canal tour

Belgium with Trui and Martine and good friends in Ingelmuster:

our receiving party!

France: biking in Provence, France

It was 114 degrees F when we arrived in Avignon, France! It continued to be hot, but it cooled a bit and okay to bike in the early hours of each day.

Provencial Rose was not to be missed

Such good food everywhere in France

Convent where we stayed one night

magical Cassis on the Sea

Kids Adventure

Kids did their own side trip to Rennes to visit Grace's host family, San Malo, and Paris.

Nice

We met up again in Nice to see the World Cup game and to meet up with Laura's nephew Liam (who was doing a summer internship in Germany with friends) and with Emma (Theo's girlfriend) and her family. Everyone went to the French Riviera and attended the 3rd place game between England and Sweden.