Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Minnesota Day 4: Skiing TWO days in a row!

We’ve never skied two days in a row—
Twice a trip, yes; but not in a row.
Let’s see if our stamina holds up!

We started the day on Ullr again

Riding the rather slow lift up

And skiing our favorite runs—
Steppes, Tony’s Tango, Big Bunny—
Back down
Eventually, Jack got brave and set off to scout out
Eagle Mountain, full of blues and blacks,
To see if it was a little friendlier than Moose.

When we met up to ride the gondola up Moose for lunch,
He was really excited for us to join him.

The top of Moose Mountain had some great views

It’s hard to see where the sky ends and Lake Superior begins

We headed back down to grab our skies

So we could go try out a new mountain
Eagle was fun—
We all mastered the blues.
But the wind was fierce.
Given that it was only 4 degrees without the wind,
Mom, Tuck, and Dad headed back to Ullr to ski less cold slopes

We skied until the sun set
And enjoyed every minute of it!

We were so busy skiing,
The only picture Mom got was the final run of the day
As Beck

And Wes
Soared down Lower Koo-Koo.

Our ski legs held up!
And Lutsen did not disappoint.

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Minnesota Day 3: Skiing in Lutsen…and NYE!

Mandy and Kurt mentioned some good skiing 
way up north in Minnesota—
So here we are at Lutsen Mountains, 
Ready to try them out!

We spent our morning on Ullr Mountain,
Getting our ski legs back under us on the greens and blues.
Dad, Jack, Wes and Beck headed to Moose Mountain
In the afternoon
To try out more blues…and maybe a black?
But they found that all the runs ended on moguls.
They weren’t up for moguls…
So they headed back to Ullr for some more practice. 

Meanwhile, Mom and Tucker took on some blues!
A first!

Can you see Beck and Jack at the top of the hill?
It’s the only skiing picture we got all day.


It was lovely to be back in the snow again!

It gets dark really early up here—
We were off the slopes at 4:00–
So we had a full evening to hang out
And celebrate New Year’s Eve!

We played some games

Watched Wicked

And waited for the New Year
Under our bargain NYE sign
(Note the lack of “H”)

Our first family selfie of the year!
Happy 2025!

 

Monday, December 30, 2024

Minnesota Day 2: Duluth to Lutsen

The fog lifted overnight 
And we can finally see the lake—
Lake Superior

Our plan for the day was to explore Duluth,
So exploring we will go!

We walked to the island the famed Ariel Lift Bridge connects 

It was pretty cool to see

We meandered into downtown
To visit the original Duluth Trading Company
And stopped for at Duluth Coffee as well for a warm up
(The maple latte was a hit)

We eventually hit the road,
Following Lake Superior waaaay up north

Stopping briefly at one of the many waterfalls along the way
(Waterfall chasing is a thing up here!)
FYI, without our boots and coats
We didn’t make it to Temperance Falls
But the river was good and icy

We stopped for our ski gear…

Admired the sunset during 
happy hour at North Shore Winery
Before hitting the hay a bit early…
Big fun planned for tomorrow…

 

Sunday, December 29, 2024

Return to Minnesota Day 1: A meet-up in Duluth

We drove most of the day
And through a lot of fog

In time to celebrate a birthday dinner for Cooper…
In Duluth!

They are headed home
Just as we’re headed for fun
A good kick-off to the week!

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

A Christmas Finale

There were lots more presents,
A lot of snuggling with Michelle’s new puppy Millie

Lots of BBQ
And cookies

And, of course,
The annual cousins’ picture

We forgot to take a group picture
Until after Grandma and Papa Kim left…
It was a very merry Christmas indeed!



 

A big Christmas reveal

After a big family breakfast

It’s time for big family presents!

A machete for Beck
(Thanks Uncle Kurt)

Nike gear for Tuck

A wrestling t-shirt for Pappo

And a Royal Carribean lego set for Jack

But then, a finale of a gift…
We all had a part to read

In the puzzle Mema had constructed

And then Thea told us to go upstairs

where we found this enormous box

Full of DISNEY balloons!

It’s true!
We’re headed back to Disney!

Another epic family adventure!

 

Santa (and Mom and Dad) outdid themselves again!

Don your Christmas jammies

It’s time to see what’s under the tree!

Santa left us a little bag…
With a weird key and lanyard inside…
With a note that led us to the garage…
WHAT?!!?! 
Thanks, Santa!
Anywhere we can ride a wave runner in December?

Mom and Dad did well too…

A bow for Wes

A percussion massager from his brothers

Lots of car accessories for Jack

We finally replaced Dad’s neon light

When the dust settled,
There was one package left…
With a puzzle that just said
“Trip!”
To be continued…