One in a Million

Happy Birthday to a young man who is indeed "One in a Million"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's to you, John...........................................

If I could have personally picked a man to marry my eldest daughter, I would have picked you, John. You are an amazing husband and I think that the thing that makes you the most amazing is the way you love DeAnn. Thank you!!

You are an amazing son-in-law, always willing to teach Dad the correct way to do things or are you just teaching him the safest way????

You are a loving father. I watch you with the kids, how you listen to them, how you treat them with respect, how you play with them, read to them and tease them. (Sorry about Kurt being in the picture - I didn't know how to cut him out.)

I hear people tell me that you're an amazing doctor - I always thought you should be a surgeon!!!

After all is said and done, I do believe that we'll keep you in the family just because you're YOU -- an amazing, wonderful, heaven-scent son.

We wish for you a beautiful, joy-filled year ahead. May you sieze each opportunity that God gives to you to love and encourage those around you. Our family has indeed been blessed!!!!

Love and Happy Birthday, Dear John

MOM & DAD

Our Busy Weekend

It was a busy Saturday around the Haan home yesterday. I cleaned the lower level in anticipation of our company arriving on Thursday. I know the bar stool was not ideal for my hydrangeas and I found this baker's rack downstairs. I think it looks a little better. Of course then I had to add some October decorations too. I know, DeAnn, it's a little too cluttered for you but I like it.

Then I worked on my front door. It went from white

to gray (they said red would cover gray better than white)

to terra-cotta red. I love it and it does "pop" the front entry just like they say on HGTV. Remember the black kitty-kat - it sat under our wood burning stove in N. St. Paul. Found it in the garage.

Notice also that we painted the front porch floor gray to go with the house - blends much better than the old brown stain.

Dad has been working on the deck to get it cleaned up and restained. He spent an entire day scrubbing it down. You can see the difference between the new stain and the scrubbed wood.

This was entirely his project. He did an amazing job and it looks wonderful. He went on to trim some branches on the trees - city said they were too low. I think the city needs to get a new tape measure, but dad went ahead and trimmed anyway. Also pruned all the shrubs and picked up the leaves. Now just has to deliver them to Dick's field.

Just wanted you all to know what a productive day we had. Then had a wonderful dinner with the newest addition to the family, his wife and our wonderful 10-yr old grandson. How I miss Chase. It was a little noisy at the steakhouse so it was difficult for me to listen to Kurt & Amy and still hear everything Chase had to tell me. However, he's coming on Wednesday night so I get to talk to him all day on Thursday.

Have a good week - it will be a grand one for me!!!

Love,

Gramma and MOM

Camping Catch-Up

This year I forgot to have a group picture taken of all of us; however dad did get this picture around the campfire. I guess it will just have to do. We had a good time visiting and eating and laughing and eating some more.

Isn't this the cutest little, emphasis on the little, camper you've ever seen. These are our friends, Rod & Bonnie Lofquist who used to live just down the street from us in Arizona. Rod made this camper last summer - the inside is 4'x8', just enough for two people to sleep in. The back lifts up and has a little camping kitchen in it. Inside is a place for a small television and a couple of shelves for books and two small cupboards for clothes. Bonnie said they put a screen tent up right next to the camper that has sides on it for dressing, etc.

Camping at Lake Elmo is always nice. We had a nice campsite with trees all around us so it was nice and private. Actually it's the same site we stayed at last year with DeAnn and the kids. It's close to the bathrooms. This year there were very few campers in the park so had it all to ourselves, for the most part.

I didn't take any pictures in Branson - brought the camera along but didn't even take it out of the car. All the pictures are "in our minds". We had a very good time and came home again to beautiful fall weather in South Dakota.

Time to get to work now - dad is cleaning the motorhome and scrubbing the deck so he can stain it. I'm just trying to go through paperwork and get my house ready for our company and finish up the work I have to do for Grandma's birthday.

Have a super week!!! Enjoy the outdoors while the weather lasts.

Love to all,

MOM and Gramma

Birthday Boy

I know this picture has nothing to do with the birthday boy but I spent some time visiting with this young lady on Saturday at her Grandmother's 90th birthday party. It was so fun connecting with her and Doug again.

One of my favorite people had his 50th birthday on Sunday. This was what he found when he got to work on Monday morning. His counterpart in Canton came up over the weekend and decorated for him. Can you believe that thing on his face - I think some people would even dare to call it a smile???!!!!!

No, it can't be - two pictures with a smile.

They also wrapped almost everything in his office with tin foil. He said it took him a couple hours to take everything down. Poor baby!! Notice however that they did not wrap Maggie & Ben's picture.

I took this picture at lunch on Sunday - we celebrated at the Brandon Steak House.

Sure wish he'd smile more often on pictures - he actually looks pretty handsome.

Have lots more pictures to share but that's it for tonight. Have a great week. We head out early tomorrow morning for Branson.

Love y'all bunches and bunches!!

MOM & Gramma