A Trip and Two Tests

Mikaela filled you in on two days of our trip last week, but we left on Tuesday and returned on Sunday. What else did we do besides wedding stuff? Here are a few more pictures from our whirlwind trip to Spokane and Idaho.

Vacation's all about sleeping in, right? These two guys definitely think so!

We were able to get together with a lot of Mama's family who live in Spokane.

From left to right is my Uncle Andy, Mama, Grandpa, Aunt Esther, and Aunt Carol. It had been awhile since we had seen them, so the family gathering over pizza and pop was quite fun!

Mikaela teaches little Jordan how to high-five. He loved it! He is our Uncle Andy's grandson, or our first cousin once removed...are you confused yet?

Aunt Esther shows off her tough side with Susanna! She just got a moped that gets a sweet 100 miles to the gallon!



While visiting Bobcha (our Polish Great-grandma on Dad's side),
our Great-uncle Anton came by.
I hadn't realized his hidden talent before, but we soon found ourselves in the presence of a
Yo-Yo Ma(ster)!





One problem: Susanna's yo-yo cost $1, and Uncle Anton is used to
$50 ones!



He still made that cheap yo-yo look pretty good with the machine gun, rock the cradle, and jail tricks among many others that I can't remember. And I have trouble getting the yo-yo up and down! (-:




Out of nowhere Bobcha gave this cute cookie jar to Jonah. Bobcha means "sweet old lady" in Polish, and that is what we have always called her. At 94 years old, Bobcha says she is ready for heaven, but we sure aren't ready for her to go!



As we chatted with Uncle Anton, Uncle Bob and Uncle Joe dropped by (along with Hank the weiner dog). These three men, along with my grandma, came over from Germany with Bobcha and Great-grandpa right after World War II. My Great-grandpa had been forced into Hitler's army, and their three boys had been forced into a Nazi institution. They have many stories to tell, and it is always fascinating to get together with them.

Strangely enough, we didn't really get any pictures of Grandma and Grandpa on my dad's side, although we stayed several nights with them. This picture is from when they were in Hawaii, though. They live on Couer d'Alene lake, and we always enjoy visiting them! Bonfires on the beach, a big breakfast on our last day, and walking by the beautiful lake are all highlights!

On the way home, we stopped at White's Pass, a ski resort, to have a picnic lunch. Everything was closed up for the year, but that didn't stop us from having a good snowball fight!

I was determined to get Anna!

Check out Jonah's expression at being hit by Dad!

"Snow in May! This is awesome! Now who's my next target?"

Melanie thinking, "Are we there yet?"

So that wraps up our trip. As soon as we got home, though Mikaela and I were plunged back into school. On Wednesday, we took our finals for the semester. This means that I can officially announce that we are done with school for the summer! In case you do not realize the significance of this important fact, we have not had a summer break for two or three years. This also means no more all-nighters of studying, more time with family, and a lot less deadlines!

I must admit, though, that I already have a to-do list long enough to keep me busy until next year. So enjoy your summer, and meanwhile I'm going to get started on that list!