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| The two nice guys that changed my flat tire for me and refused to take any money for their help! |
After a great night's sleep at a hotel we were on the road again and cruising along for a few hours when I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed Steve had pulled to the side of the Interstate. I pulled over about a half mile up the road and decided I'd take the next exit and circle around to see what happened. As I was pulling back onto the Interstate I heard a loud sound and realized I had a flat tire! I limped off the freeway and to the next exit, which happily was very close! I pulled into a bar/restaurant and made a few phone calls. Mom and Steve had contacted a tow truck and we made plans for them to come to me in the two truck and then both go to get our cars fixed. I pulled all the luggage out of the very full trunk and got my baby tire out... and then stood there wondering what to do next! I didn't have to stand there alone for long though- two guys came over and offered their help. They worked hard to get the lug nuts off my tire and put my baby tire on for me. Meanwhile Brennan, Kate, and Zamboni watched from the backseat of the car. I tried to give the two guys $20.00 for their help but they refused to take any money. They were so nice! By the time the two truck came I was ready to follow it to get our cars fixed. Thank goodness for cell phones though- I don't think we would have found Mom and Steve without them! I got a new tire and they got a new alternator... four hours later we were back on the road. We were thankful that we could get both cars fixed and that it wasn't anything worse.
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| Three dogs, two kids, and three adults hanging out at Michel's Tires in Indiana. Four hours later and a new tire and alternator (and a little less money) and we were on the road again. |
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| Staying entertained at Michel's Tires. |
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| Hanging with the boys- Chris, Matt, and Brennan in Aurora, IL. |
We said goodbye to Mom and Steve near Chicago and traveled on to Aurora, Illinois, to stay with my best high school friend, Leah. I was so happy to see Colleen and Tracy too! We had a relaxing and fun night together!
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| "Where's Kate?" |
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| Kate and Brennan were super excited about this tiny bit of snow in Illinois! |
Dave was supposed to fly into Madison on the 22nd but got delayed leaving Raleigh which means he missed his connecting flight. He found a flight to Minneapolis instead so I headed out to meet him there.
Brennan and Kate were both so excited to get to Minnesota and see their cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents!
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| Ready to play outside... too bad there wasn't much snow. |
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| Three adorable princesses- Kate, Alyssa, and Brielle. |
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| Kate was so excited to have a sleepover with Brielle! We love her princess room! |
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| Heading to Olbrich Gardens in Madison, WI, with Norm and Wendy. |
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| Fun times with Uncle Norman (or as Kate calls him "Uncle Jorman") |
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| Aunt Wendy and Kate have matching hair! |
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| Brennan with Usher and Mila the dogs. |
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| Julianna and Kate |
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| Jan and Kathy |
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| Grandma Jan with her two grandsons. |
We had a great visit in Minneapolis and spent a lot of time with the cousins! We enjoyed dinner out with everyone, shopping at the Mall of America, hanging at the house, going to Christmas Eve service, and spending Christmas Eve at the Rischmiller's house (Dave's sister and family). Ted and Jan welcomed all four of our dogs and the six grandchildren (and all the noise) happily. We had so much fun!
We did stop at the Passolt's house for a little bit too. It's become a tradition to stop in and say hello during our stay in December. Kate was very happy to play with their youngest, Phoebe.
We left on the 25th to drive to Eagle River. I was very happy to hand over my car keys to Dave and let him drive for a little bit. LOL!
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| Kate and Sophia Between all the cousins I don't think Kate's feet touched the floor very often! |
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| Kate and Phoebe |
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| Kate liked this big dog- she thought it was like a sheep. |
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| Skating at the Depot in Minneapolis. Kate and I watched. |
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| Playing in the basement |
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| Six grandchildren and four grand dogs on the Ranheim side. (We missed Brennan in this picture though.) |
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| Zamboni was the most mature dog there! He was a great traveler and house guest at all the places we visited. :-) |
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| Ingrid, Erik, and Muffy (their new puppy). |
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| Santa ate the cookies, drank the milk, and ate a little of his orange. |
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| Santa came! Kate and Brennan slept until 9:00 AM though! |
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| Kate and Grandpa Ranheim. She called him into the room and said, "Grandpa- I like you!" |
It was down to just our family, Paul, and Ted and Jan by Christmas morning. We couldn't believe the kids slept until 
9:00 AM! They finally woke up to see if Santa had come!
9:00 AM! They finally woke up to see if Santa had come! 
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