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40 questions for my 40th birthday

The big 4-0! This month, I turn 40 and I thought I'd interview myself as a special birthday post. While it does mean more wrinkles, the silver lining of turning 40 is that I now move into a new “Masters” age group (40-44 years) for running, triathlons, and swimming races! It also means I should probably go to the doctor as I’m due for my annual preventative exams, such as mammography, cholesterol and diabetes screening, and at 45 years, a colonoscopy, too. Where are you now? Sitting in my office on a desktop computer in our home in Duluth, MN. What is the date? December 3, 2023 What is the weather like? Chilly, snow flurries. Highs in the mid 30s, lows in the teens. No snow on the ground yet.   Why do you write?  I write to share with my close friends and family what our family is up to and how I'm feeling. Sadly, I haven't written nearly as much as I used to before we moved back "home" to Minnesota in 2017. I haven't feel the urgent need to keep our family up...

The (almost) perfect trip to Lake Polly in BWCA

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Lake Polly Trip Report Our third trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) was nearly perfect, except for one small thing. Small to us in the end since everyone was safe but nearly catastrophic, wait until you hear the tale. Want to hear why? Read on. We woke up a 6A.M. on a late August Sunday morning. There was a chill in the air as if fall was just around the corner. We packed our camping gear in seven packs the night before. That morning, we grabbed the food and loaded the car. We had 4 backpacking packs, 3 canoe "Duluth" (or Granite gear) packs, 2 small dry bags, 1 bear barrel, 1 large REI camp dreamer XL sleeping pad, as well as 5 lifejackets, 4 paddles, 3 fishing poles, 2 seat cushions, and 1 yellow tackle box.  I ran back inside the house to grab an extra hoodie sweatshirt that said, "Washington" in purple capital letters across the front. I bought it my first year in Seattle as an intern at the University of Washington but it was too big and ...

Happy 11th birthday!

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Birthday interview July 2023 1.      1.       What is your name? Theo 2.         How old are you?    10, turning 11 soon 3.         What is your favorite color?    Blue-green or green-blue - I cannot remember 4.         Favorite toy?    Lego and Nerf guns 5.         What is your favorite game?    Minecraft, Splendor, and Monopoly 6.         What is your favorite food?    Chicken, beef, pork and blueberries, basically meat and fruit 7.         What is your favorite dessert?    Strawberry shortcake and angel food cake 8.         What is your favorite sport?    Soccer 9.         Who are your favorite YouTub...