A visit from Grandma and Grandpa Newman...

Grandma and Grandpa came to Wisconsin for the first time to visit with us. Grandpa left this afternoon to go back to PA. Grandma is going to stay for another week. Here they are at the Onalaska Sunfish.
Part of their visit included a dinner cruise on the La Crosse Queen. We figured they would enjoy a night on the river as their birthday/anniversary/birthday present.
Ben, Karis and I had a picnic at the lock and dam while they were on their "cruise" on the Mississippi. Their boat was supposed to go through it, but a barge held it up. We're looking forward to another fun-filled week with grandma.

HOLLYWOOD!!!!!!

I had the pleasure of attending a cancer survivorship training in Los Angeles, California this past week. I went with my co-worker, Dena, who is a nurse. We learned a lot AND had a great time seeing the sights. California is an interesting place
For those of you who question my actually going to a conference... I really did go to learn something. This was one of the best presentations from a hospital in Atlanta, GA.
Okay, now it's time to have some fun. Dena's boyfriend, Andy, joined us for the weekend. He rented a blue Mustang convertible to show us around town.

We cruised around Hollywood,Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Long Beach.

We met some interesting characters in Hollywood.

This is Dena and me at the Pier on Venice Beach.

Wisconsin Dells

Ben and Karis headed for Wisconsin Dells Friday morning to see her friend Nicki and her family. Nicki's family came up from South Carolina this past week to spend time with their extended family. I joined them after work. Isn't it amazing that a best friend from South Carolina has family in the state where we now live? This picture was taken just after they saw each other for the first time in over 7 months. It's as if they never missed a beat!
This is Nicki with her sister, Lauren. Sad to say that we didn't get many pictures of the girls in the water. They were either blurred or too dark. We stayed at the Wilderness Resort... it has LOTS of indoor and outdoor water parks.
Nicki's family headed back to South Carolina this morning.

This picture was taken as Nicki's family was ready to get in their van.

We went back to the water parks for some more splashing and fun.

Wisonsin Dells has experienced a bad year. This is just an example of the financial strain... this area is usually a lake. The flooding caused the dam to wash out and now it's just a river. You probably saw the house falling into the river on the news. That is close to this spot.

Karis was so tired after playing at the water parks two days in a row. She covered herself up and took a short nap on the way home.

The basement bathroom renovations are done!

This is by far the biggest change we've made in this house! We actually took everything out and started with all new stuff. The walls were light green, along with lots of black mold on the floor, walls and fixtures.
The shower left a lot to be desired... it reminded us of some of the filthy campground showers we've seen over the years. Notice the "yuck" stains on the floor.
Our friend, Cory, who does this for a living, was a wonderful help. He built a wall to hold the new shower, and basically put up all new walls and ceiling. Since this house was left empty for quite a while, the plumbing from the upstairs bathroom sent some unwanted water through the light fixtures in this bathroom. What a mess...
The final product... a new bathroom! Yes, the bathroom is a bright orange, called mango twist! It's a warm color that wakes you up in the morning. The cabinet is made of maple with a saddle finish. The countertop is a sandstone with hints of orange and tan. The framed mirror really adds to the room.
The shower stall is a little bigger than the last one. It's still a little smaller than most. BUT, it's clean and it's OURS! The toilet... it's a toilet. Above the toilet is a 3-D metal flower decoration. You probably can't see it well, but the floor is light brown tile. We are very happy with our new bathroom.

It all started with a pile of wood...

This was it... the weekend we decided to build a playset for Karis.

Ben bought the plans and the wood. Now comes the fun part!

July 4th... the first thing complete. Ben was happy to have a roof.

This picture was taken half way through the day on July 5th. Karis was happy to have a structure to climb on.

July 6th... it's time to play. Notice that we still have to finish up the landscaping and move the playset around. However, we are happy to get this far in 3 days.

Another joyous moment... climbing up the playset. Ben and I really enjoyed building this thing together. Karis is enjoying it now that it's done!

Karis's 4 year old picture

I can't believe we forgot to put this picture on the blog! This is Karis's 4th birthday picture. We had to bribe her into going to have her picture taken. However, she totally hammed it up when she got in front of the camera. By the way, Happy 4th of July!

Flowers, flowers EVERYWHERE!

Check out some of the beautiful flowers that are growing in our yard!

These flowers are at the back of the house between the driveway and the walkway.

These flowers came over from our neighbor's yard.

These flowers are on the other side of the yard.

These roses are up against the back fence.

More flowers against the back fence.

We hope you enjoyed our flower show!

Eric and Linda had a cookout at their house Sunday afternoon. We thought you would enjoy seeing some of the people we hang out with these days. Glenn and Wendy are sitting down. Linda and Eric (senior pastor) are standing up.
Tim and Kim are in the black. They live a block away from us and Lilly, their daughter, is one of Karis's best buds. Carrie is also in the next picture...
Carrie and Mike are really cool. They live in Minnesota and commute to Wisconsin for work/church. On a side note, Mike is an archaeologist. Karis is fascinated with him since he tells her that he digs in the dirt for a living.
The highlight of the afternoon... a princess parade!

Hannah, Mya and Karis could not wait to show off their costumes.