Homesick

I miss lounging in a beach chair with this as my view:

I miss breathtaking scenery that truly puts my life into focus:

I miss this look:

and this one too: 



A Rare Sighting

Skott driving a mini-van!

On our way to the Como Zoo and the only vehicle that would hold all of us at once.



I finally figured out how to get pictures off my iphone so here are more images from the Como Conservatory:

poisonous dart frog

It looks like someone drew on it with a crayon!

Mmmmm chocolate..... -or is it?

you know it's been too long

Geez, you know it's been too long since you've blogged when you can't even remember your password!  Yikes.  This semester has just been insanely busy.  I have one class that is completely kicking my butt, which makes everything else feel so overwhelming.  But, I am half way done with the semester and just weeks (36 days, not that I'm counting) away from graduation.

So I have started the job search.  Very scary to put yourself out there in this economy, but not quite as scary as this:

I was absolutely terrified.  The first day of Entomology lab we "had" to hold Madagascar hissing cockroaches. 
But anyways, I have been applying all over the country so we'll see what happens.  I just hope I am not out of work very long after school ends.

We have been enjoying an amazing fall.  They completed a really nice bike trail a short distance from our house.  Skott and I have been riding together a couple days a week.  We try to go around 16 miles or so.  Most days I try to ride to school as well.  But the last couple of weeks I have been running on very little sleep so I have slacking in the bicycle/exercise department.

Justine & Max, Carrie & boys, and Skott & I went to the Como Zoo and Conservatory in Minneapolis last weekend.  It was pretty amazing!



We were also able to go to Mason and Aundray's last football game.  It's easy to spot Mason, he is the tallest one out there (#68) and Aundray is to his right (#61).



Dad, Sherry, Carrie, and a very enthused Ray

I'll leave you with my favorite picture from the conservatory (good eye, Skott):





Family dinner, Part 2



"Bloody Handprints" gel clings on our back door



More pictures from family dinner last week at Carrie's:

Aundray

Max

Justine trying to lift giant pumpkin

Erika and Aundray

Mason

Aundray and Max

Can you see all three boys?



"Special" Sisters

This picture is from a couple months ago.  Carrie and I were at Kohl's trying to find sunglasses.  Who can resist a giant pink bow headband???


Carrie at family dinner last Sunday

How many forehead wrinkles can you count?

This is for you Amy!

getting ready for eyebrow waxing

This picture terrifies me

Family dinner was awesome!  Lots of laughs!  Lots of blackmail photos taken.  I will post more this weekend.

being silly

as normal as our family gets

Lovely fall

I just got back from my TWS (The Wildlife Society) Conference in Salt Lake City, UT.  It was an amazing trip.  I had lots of opportunities to attend workshops, job fairs, mentoring sessions, symposiums, mixers, etc -it was go, go, go from 8:30am until 8 or 9 at night. 

My mom and little brother Seth met me in Salt Lake on Saturday before the conference started.  It was SO FUN hanging out with them that day, even for just a short time.

When I arrived back home (at midnight), Skott was already at work but I found these throughout the house:

upstairs in office

in the bathroom

in the living room

on the dresser in the bedroom

on kitchen table

Skott went out to the park and collected a bunch of fall foliage, then came home and arranged them all!  I was so impressed!  (At first I thought he had bought them).  It was the sweetest thing.

Last week my Dad and Sherry got a new addition to their farm -a baby nubian goat.  Skott has never seen a baby goat before so we went out to visit.  I think it is about three days old in this picture.  It is so cute and will follow you around, trying to buck and run.

Feeding the new baby goat at SherDen Farm

you can see that the goat is barely bigger than the cat

Skott just completed this project refinishing a trunk for Carrie to use as a coffee table.  Unfortunately, we didn't get "before" picutres, but this truck was very rusty and painted black, with some silverish/grey paint on parts of it.... it was pretty rough.  I thought it turned out beautiful! 


 While I was in SLC, Skott attended Sherry's daughter's wedding up north near St Croix.  These are some beautiful shots he captured up there.  (There were many, many more but this post is already long). 




Brooke and Brandon

  These pictures were taken along Skott's bicycle route in Carson Park.

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable fall!