So, It's Been a While...

Erik's mom and my grandpa are recovering from their heart surgeries well. However, since being home from the hospital, my Grandpa is actually back at Abbott with some digestive problems. Please pray for him. I spoke to him on the phone and he was not having the best day. He's having problems eating anything at all.

In addition to keeping up with our families' surgeries, we have been pretty busy these past few weeks. We celebrated our anniversary at Bellenotte in Minneapolis (thanks to my co-worker, Scott!) We had a great meal. They even gave us a card and put heart shaped confetti on our table. After dinner, we picked out dessert at Byerly's and watched our wedding video and slide show. That has become our anniversary tradition. It is so fun to remember our wedding day and all the people who made it so special!

We went to the MN Wild game with Erik's cousin, Tim and fiance, Laura. Unfortunately they lost, but it was still fun to hang out.

Halloween was fun! Since we don't have trick-o-treaters at our apartment, we went to Bill & Carol's. Chef Caidron and Kayla the Skunk were very cute and enjoyed their candy! We enjoyed spending time with Bill & Carol.

On Nov. 1st, we visited Erik's mom in the hospital and we also went down to Owatonna to see my Grandpa. While we were there, we got to see our nephew. He's such a big boy! He's only two months old but looks like he's about six months old. He's smiling now. It was fun to see my family.

November 4th, we voted (of course) and also went over to Erik's parent's house to celebrate his dad's Birthday! Happy Birthday Randy!! Great cake Amy and KJ!! Erik's aunt, KJ, also came into town to help Sue and Randy as they both had surgery within a week of each other. Randy had knee surgery on the 6th.

We had dinner with Bob, Sara and Brad on Thursday at Red Robin (sorry no pictures) and Friday we had dinner with Shane & Kellie at Benihana.

Saturday was a big day for Erik and Shane! They ran the "First Annual Unofficial Surly Half Marathon!!" They did it in 2 hours and 15 mins (better than they had planned). Kellie, the boys, and I cheered for them along the way with hand made posters and sidewalk chalk. (sorry Eliot..he kind of got cut out of this picture) It was a very cold and wet day, but they did it!! After the half marathon, we lunch with Shane, Kellie, Kyertin and Eliot. The boys had fun with their apples!

We also got to see the Andersons on Saturday evening! It has been a while and it was fun to see Tony, Jess and Isaac. Isaac and I happened to match! We had dinner with them and we watched "Get Smart." It was fun to catch up with them.

Life seems busy right now....but I think that is probably a good thing. We're enjoying life and hope you are too!

Update

Just wanted to let you all know that Sue is doing pretty well. Doctors were saying that she is doing better than expected last night. Erik and I will be going to see her this afternoon. She is expected to remain in the hospital for another 5 days or so.

My grandpa is still at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He was rushed by ambulance yesterday evening with chest pain from the Owatonna ER. Jeff (my uncle) "made him" go to the emergency room in Owatonna. After an EKG and blood tests it was determined that there had been some heart damage in the past 48 hours. At 5:15, they sent him by ambulance (sirens and lights) to Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis. At about 11:00 last night, after continued intermittent tightness and pain, and another EKG and more blood tests, they took him for an angiogram. It was determined that two of the arteries where he had by-pass surgery 19 years ago were blocked and they proceeded to put in stints in both places. He was awake during the entire procedure and came back to his room after about 1 1/2 hours. He may go home today but probably tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers! It's been a bit of a crazy 24 hours! Please pray for continued healing for both Sue and my Grandpa. Thanks!

***Everyone is home and doing well! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!!

Please Pray for Sue & Grandpa Bob

Erik's mom, Sue, is having open heart (valve replacement) surgery right at this moment. Please pray or her and her recovery, as well as the surgeons, family and friends who care for her. This is a major surgery as her heart will be stopped and she will be placed on a bypass machine for most of the surgery. However, we have great trust in the medical advances, skilled surgeons and God's grace. Thank you for your prayers. We will put updates on this post as they come.

***Sue is out of surgery and everything went as expected. She is doing well. However, now my Grandpa (Bob) is being rushed by ambulance to Abbott Northwestern Hospital with chest pains! Please pray for him as well as Sue's recovery. Thank you!

2 Years Ago Today

Thank you to everyone who made our day so fantastic! There are so many people to thank!

Our Weekend

This has been a bit of a crazy time as we are getting ready to celebrate our two year anniversary at the same time as getting ready for Erik's Mom, Sue, to undergo heart valve replacement surgery. On Saturday we spent most of the day at Randy and Sue's house just spending time with them and enjoying their company & cupcakes :-). We also talked about Sue's surgery and what all will happen this week. Sue's heart valve replacement was originally scheduled for Tues (our anniversary), but now it will be Wednesday. Please keep her in your prayers on Wednesday and tomorrow, as she mentally and physically prepares.

On Saturday, we also went out to dinner with my parents. They wanted to take us out for our anniversary. It was very nice that they wanted to celebrate with us. We had a wonderful and filling meal at Buca di Beppo! (no we didn't have Linguine Frutti Di Mare, Dale & Bobby!) The only down side is that we gave up the opportunity to have Triple Dark Chocolate Cake for Cold Stone --but unfortunately Cold Stone in Lakeville had closed down! Oh well, our dinner was great!

Remembering Grandma

It was ten years ago this week that my grandmother passed away. Sometimes it seems like it was only yesterday that I got the call my junior year at Bethel. And it was just a week before that when I said good-bye to her for the last time. Neither her or I really knew what to say. Neither of us wanted to admit it would be the last time we'd speak to each other. She told me to do well in school and I told her that I loved her. I regret not telling her how much she means to me and how I love and respect her spirit and character. I still miss her deeply and think of her often.In the fall I think of her all the time. Whenever I hear a flock of geese honking as they fly overhead or see them in the grass, I think of Grandma Forbes. During the summers at our cabin, Grandma would sit in her chair in the front room. She had a goose that would come right up to the window as if it was coming just to visit her. It came back year after year, every summer. Then the day of her burial, right after we finished praying, two geese swooped down right over her casket and they were honking with all their might. It was as if they were coming to stay good-bye to their friend. Geese are not the most beautiful birds...but they bring wonderful memories to me.

Fall Weekend at the Cabin Part 2

Last weekend we didn't quite get everything finished at the cabin...we needed help! So, this weekend Rachel, Billy and Amy joined in the fun!! We raked leaves for most of the day on Saturday...and then we got the dock and boat lifts out of the water for the winter. Overall it wasn't too hard and it was nice to be outside enjoying the weather.

Rachel and I decided to jump into the pile of leaves!

Somehow it seemed like a much softer landing when I was a kid!We took the pontoon out for the last ride of the year. It was chilly and many of the leaves have fallen, but it was still beautiful...and we also had our personal photographer, Amy!!

And what boat ride is complete without a Molin Siblings Dance Party?!?
(nice shades Erik)

Meeting Friends....New and Old (and Erik's Running)

This week we had happy hour apps on two days.... great to meet with friends... not so great for the waistline! First we met up with Shayna and her boyfriend, Joel, on Tuesday. It was the first time that we had met Joel. It was fun to meet him and catch up with Shayna! I'm so happy for Shayna...Joel is a great guy! We met at 508 in Minneapolis. I totally recommend it! Fantastic happy hour apps and fun atmosphere!

Then, on Wednesday we met up with the newly-weds, Shane and Kellie, at the Uptown Old Chicago. It was fun to hang out with them for the first time since the wedding. They haven't changed! :) Erik and Shane are talking about running an 'unofficial marathon' in November! (I'll let Erik write about that)

***This is Erik. I guess I am going to write about my running, etc. Over the past 4 months I have been enjoying jogging and losing weight. In an effort to close down my jogging season, I will be attempting to run a marathon distance on Nov. 8, not an official marathon. The route is currently uncertain but I will most likely be jogging around the Minneapolis Lakes, Theodore Wirth Park, and Brooklyn Center and plan on finishing my "race" at the Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center. Shane has volunteered to run with me. I'm very excited to see how it turns out.

(These pictures are from running last weekend at the cabin)

Fall Weekend at the Cabin

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend at the cabin!

The whole drive up, all I could do was stare out at the trees and exclaim about how beautiful it was!

Saturday was fantastic! We slept in, enjoyed french toast with walnuts and then started our day. Erik went jogging and I road bike along side him. The fall colors were amazing! I wish it was always fall! I love the trees & weather! We saw an eagle on the way back to the cabin.

In the afternoon we (mainly Erik) helped his dad take out part of the dock and the jet-ski lift.

Sunday was a little more cloudy but it was still a nice day to be at the cabin. We helped Randy cheer the Packers on to victory! --I didn't have any fantasy players in that game, so I was able to just watch & enjoy.
FYI- I'm back up to 3rd place now :-)

Football Fixation!

This weekend has been filled with Football!! On Saturday we had the Fall Football Kickoff at Bethel. I worked at the event for most of the day. My job was to drive families around in a golf cart -which was a very fun job to have! The admissions event featured the big Bethel vs. St. Johns football game. We won the very exciting game 14-9. I was sitting behind President Jay Barnes and his wife, Barb, in the stands. To be honest, they were almost more fun to watch than the game. I think they were cheering harder than the students! And Barb gave Jay a hugest hug when St. Johns was not able to make it into the end zone in the final seconds and we won the game! It was so cute, it made me cry! St. Johns are our biggest rivals...it was great to have this win!
Then I Sunday, I spent most of the day on the couch (just like now) watching football, keeping track of my Fantasy Football picks this year. My team, Team Clog (it's a long story and really has nothing to do with the shoe/clog), was in first place until last week and I am currently hoping to keep second place. However, Drew Brees needs to work on his passes tonight! I still have hope at the half though. We'll see what happens. I will admit that Fantasy Football is taking over my life and emotions on Sundays and Mondays...but as my boss reminded me this morning, "the first step is admitting I have a problem."

***Well, I lost (by 10 pts) and I am now in 4th place. Bummer!