Halloween approaches

Karl here...
Fall is in full swing, and the leaves have turned and fallen off the trees.  Temperatures have been all over the place, with some very cold mornings and some beautiful fall afternoons.  Nolan and Laura are getting set for celebrating Halloween.  We will be sure to post some pictures of the costumes.  As usual, I'm still thinking about what I should wear...

It has been a pretty hectic month.  I had an amazing visit back to Orlando for a Guest Relations Reunion.  Over 150 people registered for the event, coming from over 20 states and even 3 countries - including Japan and Italy!  So fun to reconnect with people that I worked with while a Disney Cast Member.

Nolan had a good fall break, spending lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa.  We are getting ourselves ready for the fact that colder weather is upon us, and planning on indoor events for the next several months.  Nolan is signed up for a season pass for Buck Hill, and we are going to get him his rental gear for the season.

Here are some pictures from my most recent trip to Disney:  Happy Fall!

Fall is here

Karl here...  I can't believe that October is here already.  September was a crazy month.  Nolan has had a good start to the school year.  It will be interesting to see what his parent-teacher conferences bring.  He has been doing well in his math homework, and spelling tests have been good as well.  Yesterday was his school pictures.  Here is a preview:

While Laura has not had to travel for a while (which has been wonderful), I had the opportunity to go to a training conference in Orlando.  The conference was okay, but it was really good to be back at Disney World for a couple days.  I got to stay at Disney's Saratoga Springs resort, which was a bit of a bus ride, but fun to be on Disney property.  Unfortunately the weather was a bit rainy, but I still got to enjoy the first day of Epcot's Food & Wine Festival - which started two weeks earlier this year.  It is really becoming a popular event!

On the plus side, I'm heading back down to Orlando for a reunion of Guest Relations cast members.  It will be interesting to reconnect with lots of people, and many of us are going to be playing in the parks for a day or two.  The actual reunion events are not on Disney property, as most of us are no longer cast members.

Fall is definitely here!  Cooler temperatures have landed.  While it is a nice change of pace, I'm not ready for winter yet.  Nolan and Laura are in full pre-Halloween prep, thinking about costumes and trying to decide on how to decorate the house.  It is fun to watch!

Queen Ave Block Party

Karl here:  One of the great traditions that goes back as far as I can remember is the Queen Avenue Block Party.  Always held the first Saturday after Labor Day, the block party is a great even that brings people from the block, and now the surrounding blocks, out to have fun and enjoy the fall weather.

Thankfully, my parents still live on Queen Ave, and each year it is great to be able to take Nolan over and enjoy biking on the street, fun games, a very interesting talent show, and sometimes even food - okay, lots of food.

In previous years, it was a tough decision to either attend the Burnsville Fire Muster, which celebrates Burnsville and brings fire trucks from lots of neighboring cities, or go to the block party.  This year, the block party won.

Nolan had a great time decorating his bike, being in the bike parade, the water balloon toss competition, and playing with some of the kids in the neighborhood.  It was a perfect fall day, and we had a great time.

Nolan is in 2nd Grade

Hey everyone, Karl here!

Well, fall has arrived and with that, Nolan has started 2nd Grade!  Wow, time flies!  There have been a few changes:  Nolan started public school, and is taking the bus both to and from school each day.  Pretty cool!

There were a few kinks on Tuesday with the bus...it drove past us (along with the other kids in the cul-de-sac) going in the wrong direction.  Last year, it apparently turned around and then picked up the kids.  Well, we waited around for about 15 minutes and realized that we needed to hustle to get the kids to school on time!  We all walked back to our houses, and started to climb into our car, and of course, then the bus shows back up!  A new driver + a new route = a few missed pick ups.

The afternoon was about the same that first day...Nolan was about 30 minutes past his scheduled drop-off time.  Laura was waiting...and while I'd like to say patiently, it wouldn't be entirely accurate.  :)  Even I was a bit worried, and I was still at work.  Of course, it was just Laura and I that were in a panic...  Nolan had a great first day!  Made some new friends, and had a good time in class.

Today, Wednesday, was a bit better.  They still run about 15 minutes late at drop-off, but pickup was on time.  Another good day for Nolan as well.  He has been happy with the school lunches, which is a good thing.  I was stuck in a rut making his lunches each morning.

We've finally figured out this Blog thing, and will try to update it more often now that we can log in successfully.  Thanks for being patient!

We're Back!

So, long story short, I lost my username then I couldn't find my password.  It was quite the ordeal.  But we are back now and better than ever!!  SO much has happened since I last blogged.  I turned 40 :(  So did Karl and Nolan is now 7.  Seriously where does the time go???  We added to the family, I finally got my girl...Sunny Madsen.  A beautiful two-year old with strawberry blonde hair (fur) and big brown eyes.

I finally changed jobs, I am now at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.  That change happened in May.  It's a long drive, 25 miles straight up and down 35W.  But, I get to be home every night and that's been wonderful.  I finished my second book, Amazon says it will be out October 27, and they know more than I do (sad, I know).  Check it out here...order several copies.  I am glad its over, I will not be writing another one.  It was an incredibly challenging thing to do, much more difficult than the first one.  I am not even sure it's that good, but it's done and that's something.

I know there's so much more that's happened since I last wrote, but I just can't think of it right now.  My hair isn't pink anymore, it's currently purple.  Who knows what it will be next month.  I will write down the user name and password and keep it somewhere safe and  I will continue to update more frequently.