Our Family Adventure: Happy New Year- December 2018

Happy Holidays Everyone!

¡Felices Fiestas a Todos!

Hoping the end of 2018 finds you well. We are sending all of our friends and family warm greetings at this time of year. We had a wonderful year, much of it spending special times with many of you. In our daily lives, Dan continues to love his work at Target, writing software for big data scientists. Laura continues to do organization development and facilitation work and loves working with such an interesting and talented pool of clients. Grace is a junior and Theo is a sophmore at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. Both are doing great at school and balancing it with music, languages, sports, and friends.

We thought we would share some of our 2018 highlights in photos.

Big hugs from our family to yours!

Laura, Dan, Grace, and Theo

p.s. Please note Laura's e-mail change: laura.ann.johansson@gmail.com or info@laurajohansson.com

We had a magical Christmas and New Years in Mérida, Mexico

(the capital of the Yucatan State) with the Grandmas!!!

We came back to cold January winter in Minnesota. But we did lots of winter skiing for fun and for Washburn High School. These kids are in the second year of the Nordic ski team. They ski both classic and skate ski and do circles around their folks. Still they humored us with the annual Luminary Loppet ski around Lake of the Isles

We also got to join Larry for Larry Fest Yurt that included some skiing (and snow-shoeing) too in Northern Wisconsin. In fact the yurt was only accessible by ski or snowshoe. Thanks Larry!

We skied and snow-shoed out of the yurt one night to grab some warm food

In addition to Skiing - Grace and Theo were on the frisbee team this spring and both played soccer in the fall for Washburn High School. Go Millers!

We are lucky to be part of a great school community. Laura joined the Site Council this fall to help advocate for school funding at the state level.

First day of school this fall

Washburn's co-ed club frisbee team- Washburn Wolfpack

Frisbee buddies

Our Soccer players

Grace and her friend Margaret

Theo got a hat trick for his sister on her 17th birthday this fall!

Here are the kids at Homecoming this fall - out with friends..the dance had a space theme for seniors

La Croix cans out trick or treating!

Theo plays the trumpet in Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band.

Grace plays the flute in Wind Ensemble and piano at home.

Gracie was a junior election judge this November!

Spring Break took us in different directions. Dan, Theo and Laura visited Laura's dad, Chuck, and his wife Barb, in Ft. Myers Florida. They had a great visit - played pickle ball, golfed, etc.

and saw Laura's mentor and good friend, Judy, and her husband David, in Ft. Lauderdale.

I was so surprised when my ball landed right by the hole after one shot..not my usual experience despite great coaching from my dad.

With Judy Vogel and David Glaser

Dan and Theo got a little body surfing in on the Atlantic side

Meanwhile Grace headed to France with a group from her high school for a two week trip that included a family stay in Rennes. GH is becoming trilingual!

This spring, Grace, Laura and Grandma Mary were able to go to Washington DC to visit the Johansson family - Rob, Laura's brother and his wife, Siobhan, and their kids Liam and Olivia. They also got to see Liam and Olivia in a production of Mary Poppins. Later, Laura went back to see Liam graduate in June. Liam headed to Princeton in the fall.

Summer for us brings some of our favorite things: time at Ottertail Lake, reunions with friends and family, and the MN State Fair. When we are lucky - we get to combine all three of these!!

Sunrise on the lake

Opening weekend for the Princes, Hales, and Johansson over Memorial Weekend and Charlie's birthday - thanks for getting us to Zorbaz, Charlie.

a little frisbee golf with the Hale cousins

Vivienne Tiger got in on some Ottertail Lake action too!

Dan and his sister Debbie

Captain!

Tubing or waterskiing..that's always the dilemma

Mary and Norm joined us for some of the Marik reunion

Our favorite, long-time Ottertail neighbors, Ann and Bill King

Marik Reunion 2018-

Every three years we gather with Jackie's extended family at Ottertail Lake.

Since the tradition started back in 2003, we've had a remarkable 100% attendance!

The Marik Siblings - Jackie (Dan's Mom), Bob, and Lil

Our generation of cousins and spouses

The kids then

the kids now!

We got some more Larry Reunion time (Dan's buddies from Carleton and their families) at Ottertail Lake, in Phoenix for LarryFest West over President's Day weekend, and at Carleton College in the fall for physics professor Joel's retirement weekend.

Phoenix gathering

some sailing at Ottertail

Joel Fest

We also got to see the "Chicas", Laura's buddies from Oberlin.

Their families also joined us for an Ottertail Reunion and then on to the famous MN State Fair.

Annie and Sara had been hearing about this Fair for almost 30 years now!!!

Glad they finally made it.

Then we headed to the State Fair -

(yes, hopping in the car at 6:30am to get to the Fair back in the Twin Cities).

There we joined up with the rest of Laura's family, including Rob and Olivia from DC, for the favorite annual tradition.

The Belfast Cowboys

Dan's favorite band..

He's become an official "groupie" and you can find him most Tuesday nights cheering on the band.

College Visits-

Gracie started this summer -

Including a two-week environmental studies program at Smith College.

The best visits are when we got to visit cousins.

Grace at Smith College

Larry visits colleges - Amherst

Gracie and Grandma Mary tour the west coast...from Puget Sound to Harvey Mudd, whew!

University of Chicago

Northwestern University with the best tour guide ever - Thanks JJ

More Northwestern action - the marching band at TCF Stadium in the Twin Cities with the cousins

Thanks Serena for showing us Loyola!

The visit to Chicago gave us a chance to see Sara and family again and go see Hamilton!!!

Our New Kitchen!

After 20 years in this house, it was finally time to redo the kitchen.

We flipped all the cabinets to the other side, moved the doors and windows, got rid of the radiator and put in-floor heat in, and took out the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

It took about 3 months but it was worth it.

It makes the kitchen feel like the center of our home. We hope you'll come visit!