Thursday, July 16, 2020

Graduation Party Is On!!

Come Celebrate!

Hi friends and family,
We have decided to hold the long-postponed, long-awaited celebration for Grace's graduation! We'll gather out in front of our house next Thursday, July 23rd, from 6:30pm until 8:30 pm. We would love to see everyone. We welcome people to walk, bike or drive by for a quick hello!

Please wear a mask and we totally understand if you do not feel comfortable coming. If it rains, since we do not have options to meet indoors, please bring a rain jacket or umbrella.

Hope to see you out in front of our house (let us know if you need the address)!
- Dan, Laura, Grace and Theo

 

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Graduation Party Postponed - date TBD


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!).


Wednesday, January 1, 2020


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. 







 






We ended our trip in beautiful Lyon:



Visiting Andreas, my old friend from Peace Corps days

 More from Summer Larry Trip






 

More from Summer Visit from Johanssons


Ottertail fishing



MN State Fair - Barb Carlozzi joined us




Pork Sunglasses

And here's some additional moments with family, friends and colleagues:


1st College acceptance letter
Our Kenyan family Kurias
Twins Game!

Our cat - Tom (tired form visiting all our neighbors)

Emma and Theo at the State Fair



She's eligible to vote!
We love to take advantage of the great theater in the Twin Cities

Cousins:

Johansson Cousins
Hale cousins
Johansson-Engrav Cousins
Caitlin, Conrad and Vivi



We love frequent visits from Laura's niece Vivienne




Western-themed Homecoming


Ottertail Lake kids

Dear friends and mentor Judy and David Glaser

Colleagues Eva and Sam

Friends and neighbors Lynne and Linda

Colleagues Seva and Diana at a training in Idaho

Friends Nasra and Karla
Meet up with Peace Corps buddy Carlota

Muster the Courage to Speak UP!


Sailing on Ottertail