Our Silver Anniversary

August 10 was my birthday; August 12 was Abigail's birthday; and August 14 was Susan's and my silver anniversary. Yes, 25 years of marriage! To celebrate, our daughters were sneaky and turned the tables on their parents. Usually it's Susan and I who are keeping surprises from the girls--but this time, they planned and threw a surprise party for us! Here's how it happened:

On August 7, the girls brought Susan to my office so that we'd all be together when they gave Susan and me our anniversary gift: a collection of gift certificates for a weekend spent together out of town! We had been told ahead of time to clear our schedules for August 10 and 11, and this is why: they wanted to send us to Bismarck, ND for a special birthday/anniversary getaway.

On August 10, my birthday breakfast = Norwegian pancakes filled with fresh peaches and drizzled with maple syrup . . . and, of course, a side of bacon. Thank you, Susan!

We went out for dinner at El Sombrero in Dickinson. Then the girls sent us off to Bismarck. Well, first we stopped at Dunn Brothers in Dickinson, where a free coffee awaited me for my birthday. When we arrived in Bismarck, we stopped at Starbucks for another free birthday coffee. Then we checked into our room at the Wingate in north Bismarck, where the girls had reserved us a room. Super-friendly service at the front desk and a lovely room with a king-sized bed.

The girls had pre-paid for movie tickets and popcorn for us at the Grand, a movie theater complex in Bismarck. They also gave us gift cards to use for our meals. Still full from our dinner and two coffee shop stops, we opted for cocktails and an appetizer at the Red Lobster (which is near the Grand) in lieu of a full supper. Then we saw the movie Skyscraper starring Neve Campbell and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. A great action film!

On August 11, we started our day with breakfast at the hotel and then some shopping, getting a lot of bulletin board materials and posters for Susan's library for start-of-the-school-year decorating. We ate dinner at the Bistro, a terrific "American café" in Bismarck. Susan's lobster bisque was filled with huge chunks of lobster instead of the shreds of seafood in most lobster bisques.

Before we left, the girls made it very clear to us that we were to return to Dickinson at 4:15 P.M. Mountain time, no sooner or later. Their explanation was that Abigail, who is a resident assistant (R.A.) this year in the residence halls, had to be at R.A. training at the university most of the day but had a short time available at 4:15 P.M. to meet with us and hear stories about our trip to Bismarck. Riiiiiiight.

Okay, so Susan and I had some time to fill between dinner and our departure from Bismarck. We went to the ND State Capitol Complex and got a tour of the Capitol. It had been several years since either of us had gone on the official tour, and it was interesting to get to look around and hear stories about the building's history. (And the tour guide was a hoot!) This is a view of the chamber where the state House of Representatives meets.

And this is a view of the chamber for the state Senate.

And this is a view of the Capitol grounds, looking south from the observation deck on the 18th floor.

Another building on the Capitol Complex is the ND State Library Memorial Building. I asked the librarian to pose near the waterfall on the east side of the building.

Then we spent some time in the ND Heritage Center, which houses the State Historical Society and features several terrific exhibits--and a great gift store with a lot of ND products and books. By the way, the Capitol tour and admission to the Heritage Center both are free--so not only are they worth your time for the content they offer, but also the price is right!

We made another Starbucks stop on the way out of town (yes, one of our gift cards from the girls was for Starbucks) and made it back to Dickinson on time. As we neared town, I had Susan text Suzanna to say we had enjoyed ourselves so much that we were opting to spend another night in Bismarck. Suzanna's response: "Get here." That confirmed that something was up!

And when we drove up to our house, we saw a driveway and garage full of family, friends, and neighbors, all waiting for us to arrive for a party in our honor!

While we were in Bismarck, my sisters had come to Dickinson and helped the girls set up our garage and veranda for a surprise party. There were tables and chairs everywhere, all decorated and featuring photos of Susan and me. There were counters filled with food, and along one wall of the garage were several coolers with beverages of all kinds. There was a gift table with a guest book and a photo display, including our wedding scrapbook, and strings of lights adorned the walls of the garage. It was over 100° outside, but we stayed near the fans and kept hydrated and found the shade and enjoyed a lot of hugs, laughter, and visiting into the night. 

These three beauties decided they'd better throw us a 25th anniversary party because they had heard enough stories from me about how my sisters and I had done the same for our parents the summer before their 25th anniversary--and the girls took the hint! They did a great job keeping everything a secret and enlisting help from my sisters and others along the way. Susan and I still are learning the details of the girls' planning as we ask "How did you three manage to . . . ?" types of questions from day to day. How fun!

Others were taking photographs throughout the afternoon and evening, so I did not. I did ask people to share their photos with me. Until then, here's one photo that I did take: a look at the garage setup toward the end of the night. The only people left were Susan, the girls, and my family. We had just opened gifts and cards and were sitting on the driveway, enjoying the cooling temps and the glowing lights in the dark of nighttime. What a great weekend getaway ending with a terrific surprise party!

On August 12, we were able to go out for brunch with Abigail, the birthday girl, before she had to return to the university for more R.A. training and duties. Suzanna had to head back to her job at Badlands Ministries south of Medora, ND to help run one last camp for the summer, so she couldn't join us. Throughout the day we bid farewell to Dad, Sandy, and Kathy as each one headed back home; and the next day, Cathy left for home, too. Thank you all for spending the weekend with us and making our 25th anniversary party such a great celebration!

Family Reunion in a Day

We were up at 4:00 A.M. today in order to get to Fargo early enough to maximize our limited time there. We had to return again tonight due to our previously scheduled obligations in Dickinson tomorrow. However, we wanted a chance to see Susan's family, including her out-of-state sister and her family!

Cassie and her family live in Tennessee but were in Fargo for the weekend to participate in a friend's wedding. Susan, Hillary, and I headed east to spend some time there visiting. (Suzanna and Abigail couldn't join us because of their jobs at a summer Bible camp.)

Here is an infrequently gathered group: Nick (Susan's sister Cassie's husband), Roger (Susan's dad), Jerrett (Susan's brother), Cassie, Susan, and I.

After eating dinner together at Doolittles Woodfire Grill, we headed to the Holiday Inn, where everybody but us will spend the night . . . and where the kids spent most of the afternoon in the pool while the adults visited poolside. After some Happy Joe's pizza for supper, we said our goodbyes and hit the road for home. A short-but-sweet visit.

Cassie and Nick's kids, Marly and Davis, are so! danged! cute! and sweet! They spent a lot of time with their cousin Hillary, not only in the pool but also at the arcade games near the pool.

Such a handsome family! We surely wish that we all lived nearer one another--but it's terrific that, whenever we do get together, time doesn't seem to have passed. Well, except that our nephew and niece keep growing up!

90 Years of Ministry

Today Susan, Hillary, and I joined Suzanna and Abigail for an anniversary celebration at Badlands Ministries, the Bible camp that the girls have attended for years . . . and, more recently, at which they have been working.

It wasn't to celebrate our own wedding anniversary, mind you. That will happen next month. Instead, it was to celebrate Badlands Ministries' 90th anniversary!

There were activities all day for all ages. We arrived in time for the 4:00 P.M. worship celebration. Scripture readers and speakers included the bishop, the current and past directors of the Bible camp, and Suzanna! This year she is serving as the summer program director (and Abigail is a counselor). Suzanna presented a meaningful message with confidence and grace.

Later in the evening, many in attendance found Susan and me to tell us what a great job Suzanna had done. One couple read Suzanna's last name in the program and didn't recognize it--but they were sure that she must be a Gustafson (Susan's last name) because they thought Suzanna resembled Susan's dad's sisters Bonnie and Nancy!

During the service, we prayed for the staff of the Bible camp. There's Abigail, 11 people from the left. And there's Suzanna, two people farther on.

Afterward we enjoyed visiting with other members from our congregation and eating a delicious meal provided by Mulligan's Catering in Dickinson. We chose not to stay for the post-supper games, campfire, and s'mores because we need to get up so early in the morning. Check in tomorrow for all those details!

Norskis in the Park

Today our local Sons of Norway lodge (Hardanger Lodge) had a picnic at Optimist Park. 79°, sunny, slightly breezy . . . perfect weather!

They say that one ought to eat colorful foods to maximize nutrient intake. (Please overlook the sodium and sugar intake. And dessert isn't even pictured!)

Some lodge members played kubb before and after the meal. It's a yard game that originated with the Vikings, whose game pieces purportedly were the skulls of their enemies! Coincidentally, the U.S. National Kubb Championship is just today wrapping up in Eau Claire, WI. Maybe we'll qualify for next year's tourney.

Pretty in Pink

Recall the other day when we emptied Hillary's bedroom of all furniture, wall hangings, and other belongings so that it was back to an empty room, like when we moved into the house? That was in anticipation of the delivery of her new bedroom furniture, which we received yesterday, and which we assembled and set up today.

Many furniture companies sell very similar bedroom sets; but some of those companies manage to offer their own sets at much lower prices than their competitors do. They do so by delivering the furniture unassembled, requiring the buyer to put it together upon receiving it at his/her house. A cost-conscious buyer may buy such a furniture set thinking that the savings will be worth the work involved in assembly and setup.

They are not. The savings are not worth it. People: Buy preassembled furniture, delivered to your door complete and ready to use, no matter what the cost!

It took us all day to assemble Hillary's new bed, which included time to problem-solve for some broken and wrong pieces. The bed was manufactured in Malaysia--and, although the illustrations were helpful, the directions sounded like the writer might have created them first in the Malay language and then used Google Translate to come up with an English version.

Many parts of the bed could be attached with hardware and a hex key, provided. However, most parts of the bed required screws (provided) and, according to the instructions, "a screwdriver (not provided)." Also not provided: pre-drilled guide holes for the screws. Thank goodness I have a drill of my own, or we might still be on the floor of Hillary's room, screwdrivers dangling from our weak and bloody palms, the bed still mostly unassembled, its impenetrable wood lying unharmed in a stack against the wall.

After finishing the bed just before suppertime, it was a blessing to discover that Hillary's two new dressers came nearly fully assembled. We just had to attach the mirror to her long dresser. Other than that, it was a matter of opening the boxes, removing the dressers, and setting them in place.

After supper, Hillary started putting her clothes away in her new furniture and moving her other belongings back into the room. I snagged this video before she started that process:

Looks Like She's Moving Out

The last time Hillary's bedroom was this empty, we were moving into the house (2006) and had just painted her bedroom walls her favorite color.

On their 16th birthdays, Suzanna and Abigail each received a new bedroom set. Suzanna's castoffs went into Abigail's bedroom as an upgrade; and then those dressers and bed went into Hillary's bedroom when it was Abigail's turn for new furniture.

Hillary turned 16 last summer but, for numerous reasons, we only just this spring got around to ordering the bedroom set that she chose for her room. Also this spring, Suzanna moved into an apartment and needed a bed and a dresser--and took Hillary's, knowing that her littlest sister would soon be getting new ones of her own.

Since then, Hillary has been living like a nomad: sleeping sometimes in Abigail's bed, sometimes in Suzanna's (both of whom were living in the residence halls on campus during the school year and now at the Badlands Ministries Bible camp, where they work in the summer) . . . Hillary's clothes and other belongings strewn about four bedrooms (her own, of course--but also Abigail's and Suzanna's, as she has been a squatter in their rooms . . . as well as the guest bedroom, which is next to Hillary's own room and, thus, a convenient place for her to move boxes and stacks of clothes as she empties her bedroom in preparation for the arrival of her new furniture).

The new bedroom set is due to be delivered tomorrow--more photos to come.

Aune Family Reunion 2018

My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Aune. She and two of her sisters all had large families, meaning my dad had a lot of cousins on the Aune side, and I have a lot of second cousins, and my kids have a lot of third cousins!

Every since 1997, our Aune family members have been gathering for reunions every four years or so, each time a different branch of the family taking a turn to serve as hosts. The Wilsons (my grandma's sister Bea and her family) hosted the first one, followed by the Clarks (my grandma's sister June and her family), and then by the Mobergs (my grandma Olga and her family).

Up until this weekend, each family except the Mobergs had hosted two reunions--so it was our turn to step up and get the Aunes together again. And we chose to do it in Medora, ND! It doesn't have a particular meaning to our family--it's just a great tourism spot where we could do fun activities together in addition to visiting and eating.

Everybody got a bright green T-shirt to wear so that we could be identified as a group while out and about in Medora all weekend. On the front is this image of Yggdrasil, the tree of life from Norse mythology (the Aunes are a very Scandinavian bunch). At the trunk are my great-grandparents; and in the branches are my grandma and her siblings.

The Aunes are not particularly ranch-y/cowboy-ish people, although there are plenty of farmers and ranchers among us. This just seemed like a fitting image for the back of the T-shirts, considering the distinctive Old West flavor of Medora.

And here are a bunch of Aunes (in the bright green T-shirts) seated in the Burning Hills Amphitheater Friday evening, awaiting the start of the Medora Musical, our first reunion activity of the weekend. Just over 100 Aunes were able to attend the reunion festivities.

It just so happens that "family reunion" was a theme of this year's Medora Musical! How fitting.

Most of our activities yesterday and today were held in the Medora Community Center. Saturday started with early-morning golf at the acclaimed Bully Pulpit Golf Course before meeting at the community center for dinner at noon. In the afternoon, we had a scavenger hunt around town, requiring us to look for objects that had been hidden at various spots outdoors as well as for items on the shelves and walls of various shops around town. In the evening, we had supper at the community center followed by entertainment and games.

None of my grandma's generation are alive anymore. But here are "the Aune cousins": my dad (seated) and the other members of his generation who were able to attend. Three of my grandma Olga's children are still living: Alden (in the purple shirt), Rose (in the white sweater), and Arlo (my dad). Four of my great-aunt June's children attended: JoAnn (seated), Vickie (behind JoAnn), John (in the yellow hat), and Jay (next to John). None of my great-aunt Bea's children were able to attend this year.

Saturday night's entertainment included some games, such as competitive Nordic cross-country skiing (on felt-bottomed skis from one side of the community center to the other). Here are Hillary, Suzanna, and Abigail warming up to beat the team of Clarks getting ready behind them.

This morning some Aunes returned to the golf course before we all gathered for brunch in the community center and then said our goodbyes. And now we look forward to the next reunion!

Mystery Road Trip, Day 7

Today we drove 316 miles, heading east from Billings with stops at Pompey's Pillar National Monument east of town; at Miles City and Glendive, MT to see some local attractions there; at Beach, ND to watch an outdoor performance of a Shakespeare play; and finally back to Dickinson, ND.

Before the play, we ate supper at Buzzy's Cafe in Beach. Great "small-town cafe" type of cooking and friendly atmosphere.

On July 25, 1806, Captain William Clark carved his signature into the sandstone pillar at this site, a rock outcropping where he and his crew (from the Lewis & Clark Expedition) stopped. With him were his guide, Sacagawea, and her toddler son, nicknamed Pompey.

Looking down and northeast from the top of the pillar. You can see the Yellowstone River with the tree-covered hills on its north bank.

Gratuitous selfie with Pompey's Pillar over our left shoulders.

This to-scale metal sculpture of a Triceratops is in a public park near Hollecker Lake in Glendive and is named Glendisaurus after the town.

Our timing was great because Beach had booked a performance by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks for tonight. This summer the theatre troupe is traveling Montana (and border towns in neighboring states) and offering productions of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello and his comedy Love's Labour's Lost. Tonight's show happened to be Othello, and it was done so well! The actors, costumes, sets, and sounds were polished . . . and the weather couldn't have been better. It was a great ending to our mystery road trip vacation!

Here's an overview of our route for the seven-day mystery road trip. With our side trips through towns, to/from various sites, and backtracking through the national parks, it ended up being just over 2,000 miles of driving!

Mystery Road Trip, Day 6

Today we drove 271 miles: from West Yellowstone, MT, where we spent the night, back into Yellowstone National Park for more exploring; then out the northeast entrance/exit and onto the winding, treacherous Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, MT; and finally to Billings, MT, where we spent the night.

Today we dressed in red, white, and blue to celebrate Independence Day. We had a great steak supper at Outback Steakhouse in Billings and then capped off the day with a late-night viewing of the fireworks display in Castlerock Park.

There are so many otherworldly sights throughout Yellowstone . . . 

. . . including the sight of these otherworldly creatures today. Aaargh!!

Shenanigans with the panorama setting on my camera.

We paused while driving through Beartooth Pass to take a look at the snow-covered mountains and take in the cold air after having just driven out of temperatures in the 90s!

Looking down at that Beartooth Highway.