Latest and Greatest Summer Happenings

July 15th. . . .My newphew Rob had his first experience with the Berlin fair on the West side of the state. He took two lambs for market and for showmanship, although the judge was into a different style of lamb altogether, he did fantastic for his first year, and gained a lot of experience, we as the family will have some yummy lamb for dinner in the next month or so. Before Rob's show, the other two kiddies got to ride a few rides at the fair and had tons of fun.

July 18th. . . . Ontonagon, Upper Peninsula http://www.ontonagon.net/
We traveled the 8 1/2 hours to the U.P. to spend a few days with the Upton Family. Elmer (Ned's) brother, his wife Jan, their son Brian and his wife Deena with their two kids Jason (6) and Alex (4). Jan and Elmer also have a daughter Diane, but she was unable to attend so she sent her two children Ryan (15) and Emily (13). Then of course there was our family, Lorraine and Loren, Rhonda and Matt and I. It was a beautiful drive up north, especially crossing the Mackinac Bridge, where we could see Lake Michigan on one side, and Lake Huron on the other, we were just in time to see the sun setting over Lake Michigan. When we arrived at 2 am we had a Montana beer waiting for us from Brian. The next few days were spend getting to know the family all over again. We went to the beautiful Porcupine Mountains, the Ontonagon Festival, and each night we had a fire on the beach.

July 24th. . . . Showtime for Dawn and Bob's wedding. A new venue to showoff, new logistics to follow, and a fairy tale dress! Logistics went pretty well, the venue was great, we learned some good do's and don'ts, and Dawn was gorgeous. Her dress was one of the prettiest I've ever seen, and she just sparkled. After the ceremony, it was time to enjoy the party from all the stress and anticipation of planning. Seth's band played some toe-tapping, folk music that everyone seemed to enjoy, and we all sailed away on our Corona ship to happy town. I must say today is the first day since the shin-dig that I am feeling 100% back to normal. Dawn's wedding was a very unique experience, and I was so honored to be a part of it.

July 26th. . . .Birthday party for Montana cousins Jason and Alex in St. Johns. More Upton fun, lots of good food, and entertainment between the young party attendees and the old-timers. Alex received a body paint kit, and makeup for her birthday and was such a good sharer, she painted all the guests, and the lucky ones got purple eyeshadow and blush!