Spring Update!

Well it has been quite awhile since we updated the blog, but we are still here and well in Wisconsin!

Following our great California vacation in March, the next months were very busy. I started April with a business trip down to Florida where I gave a presentation about the project I am working on in Illinois (I can explain the project in a separate post) and then followed up the conference with the 8-hour Professional Engineering exam. I am very excited and relieved that all of the studying paid off and I passed the exam.

To celebrate... well not really... more because it was about time, we traded in the old Subaru Forester for a new Subaru Outback. The Forest was a great car that shared a lot of adventures with us, but was getting close to 200,000 miles and had a list of needed repairs. So we said our goodbyes and are enjoying our newer and larger Outback and are excited for all of the adventures we are going to have with it.

The last time with our Subaru Forester. It was a great car!

The new Outback!

While I was busy with work and studying, Diana was embracing her creative side making wall paintings for her friends expecting babies. She has a great skill and I know all of the gifts were very well received.

Artistic Diana!

Nautical Theme

Moving into May, we started off with another quick trip to Philadelphia for the Dad Vail Regatta to support Marquette and Delaware and to visit with college friends from the area.

The rest of the month was busy with work and activities around the house. We finished our projects in the back yard including some plants and a vegetable garden. We love having the finished back yard and are spending lots of time relaxing and eating out there. Cassie especially likes being able to hang out for hours at a time in the grass. We have also started the next project of finishing our basement to add a rec room, bedroom, and another full bathroom. Hopefully we will have that project done by the end of summer. We are doing all of the framing and finishing ourselves and hiring our the plumbing, electric, and HVAC.

Cassie helping to deconstruct our fire

Backyard flower garden

Spring Dinner!

Cassie and the vegetable garden. Looking forward to tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini!

Cassie just lounging in the yard

Two weeks ago we went out to Madison for our friends Joe and Nikki's wedding. It was a great reunion with Wisconsin friends who have moved away and Diana and I were in the wedding as a bridesmaid and groomsman. We started off the wedding day with the guys doing a trail run together while the girls stayed in Madison at the farmer's market and getting ready. The wedding itself was at the unique location of the Children's Museum. It was a great ceremony and reception and lots of exhibits to get distracted by. I will admit that at one point during the reception I did climb the jungle gym and go down the tube slide. We are now looking forward to our vacation at the end of June back to NY for a week.

Enjoying a night at the Wisconsin Union

Running into the finish with the groom to be

Matching Ties!

All the bridesmaids! Beautiful flowers from our garden.

Wedding Ceremony in the Children's Museum. The bouquets are peonies from our garden.