Kevin was to give a small speech at a fundraiser for the camp he participates in every year. Kelly and I met Mom there and indulged in all the sweet goodies.

It was Midget's birthday at the Otter as well as Matt's last night as bartender, so I went down to see the peeps.

On a road trip to Wisconsin, we did the Leinie's Brewery tour. Afterwards, we went hunting for Sandy Creek beer which can only be found in Eau Claire county.

Since I threw no birthday party this year, Warr thought that wouldn't do. So with Toni's help, they threw a surprise birthday brunch for me a few weeks later. Twas really sweet of everyone. Thanks all. Best birthday ever!

Sarah started her birthday with a new guitar and after our friends showed up, we ended with a night of Rockband. And maybe a few cocktails. ;)

I only made to one day of CON this year, but had a blast anyway. Great costumes again and lots of fun at the Team Zissou's, (freshwater chapter), pool party.

My cousin and her husband from Florida spent a week in Minnesota. While in the cities, they met up with us for a Juicy Lucy at the 5-8 and then a few drinks at Nyes.

After building the new deck, the rear door sill needing replacing. I did the job with new treated lumber and plenty of liquid nail. No bugs or ice are getting in now!

Adam has a complete tattoo kit, but has only done some preliminary experimenting on himself. I became his first "victim" and had him tattoo Beartato on my arm.

I'd never attended before, so this year we made a point to see the parade and head down to Loring Park for the festivities.

It was Maizie's last day in Minnesota before leaving to Florida for the summer, so we went to the zoo and saw Shrek 4 in the I-Max along with all the critters they have there.

Kevin came down to visit before heading to Montana for the summer, so we had a few people over to grill brauts and enjoy the beautiful day.

I'd been thinking of adding a deck to the back of the place for a long time. I built this one in 3 days in the scorching heat. But it was a fun project!

Sarah's parents recently moved away from the city to their farm, we drove out to spend the day with them and enjoy the sunshine. Tractor rides and sprinkler fun and grilling burgers and beer.

Our friends, Sarah and James, tied the knot. They had a lovely wedding at the gardens near Lake Harriet and then a fun reception at Solera.

Kevin graduated from St. John's University this spring. I couldn't make it, so Dick took a few pics to share. Congrats, Kevin!

We took Maizie to the Springbrook Nature Reserve to meet a friend of hers from school and see the native wildlife they have there at feeding time.

Maizie's class put on a Spring concert at her school and she had the opening lines. After which the kids sang a medley of songs about what a box can be in your imagination.

Too much time had passed between our silly adventures - so we commonly hosted a S. Mpls-Uptown bar crawl amongst all of us that live here. Good times and good friends!

It was a beautiful sunny day out, so we had a picnic at Lake of the Isles and then took the pugs to the dog park.

Adam is attending the St. Paul College of Visual Arts and they had a student showing in their gallery of the semester's work. My parents and I stopped in to have a peek.

Maizie helped dye a few eggs and then had fun finding two dozen of them hidden around the backyard. Sid and Luis were good sports and wore bunny ears in exchange for a treat.

Sarah decided to try being a redhead for a while, so I took pics of the process and dyed my beard to match.

After sanding the last coat of mud, the drywall was ready for painting. Then some custom closet shelves and the new bedroom is complete!

In order to finish the drywall, Sarah and I had to move into the unfinished part of the basement. So I moved the dryer from across the room and rebuilt all the shelving units.

The Otter Stop Inn was generous enough to hold a private party for my Dad's memorial. My brother's were there and many friends to share support and have a good time.

Maizie made her own valentines for school this year with a kit from Grandma. I'm sure they were enjoyed even with the silly school numbering rules.

Ang and Betsy held their annual chili cookoff for the superbowl again. Although the Vikings didn't make it, we enjoyed ourselves anyway with chili, beer, and cigars.

Now that Maizie gets the upstairs bedroom, it's time to retire the movie lounge and turn it into another bedroom. My building motto: "Do it right, do it once."

This year, we didn't have a sled entered, but I did go to watch and see everyone else's creations. But after trying to wrangle two excited dogs and three wild kids, we cut it short and went back home after a few rides down the slopes nearby.