Week 39 of 52

                                                                                        

JOE'S RETIREMENT... 

 

            I never thought I would see the day when Joe would decide to retire...he has talked about it for the last two or three years...but this week after 44 years with the Toro Company he did it...It is official...Joe is retired...we spent a very emotional day with his Toro family as Joe calls his co workers...there was a luncheon at Toro and also a Happy Hour at a local bar...

 

 

                                                       Kris Lindstrom...Joe's boss

                                                   Kris makes a speech and presentation

                                                CEO Mike Hoffman...telling some stories

                                                Bob...Dennis...Courtney...Wendy

                            Don Masini flew in from Michigan to celebrate with Joe                          

                                        Don had some good stories from Wheelhorse days

                                          Don Masini...making another presentation to Joe

Mike Hoffman...retired CFO Steve Wolff...Mike Stuber

 

I didn't want to be too much in peoples faces with my camera so this is all I got...I didn't take any photos at the evening get together...

 

Now we move on to the next chapter in our book of life... 

Week 38 of 52

            SHORT AND SWEET...

            This week we have been doing some fall clean-up...emptying flower baskets...flower beds and window boxes...we are getting ready to leave for our vacation next weekend...who knows what the weather will be like when we come home after a month in Mexico...we are hoping it will still be mild enough to do more fall yard work but this is Minnesota after all...

            I have also decorated the house for Fall and Halloween...

                                                little guy leading up to the front door...

                                               front door step all decked out for fall...

Update....Week 37 of 52

 

        September 16th 2012...today I planted 90 tulip bulbs in one of our summertime projects...not that you can tell...but take my word for it...they are in there...

Friday May 17th 2013...here is a photo of the tulips blooming in the project from last years week 37 of 52...success..

 

 

Week 36 of 52

            This weekend found us in South Bend Indiana...we did something some of us had never done before...we went to a University of Notre Dame football game...I knew that Aaron had wanted to see a game for a long time but I didn't know how important it was to him...Aaron and his brother Adam were born in South Bend but we moved to Minnesota when Aaron was only two years old...every visit to South Bend we had to go walk the campus and visit the book store and get new tee-shirts...and on one visit we got to go into the stadium...

            Aaron told us that attending a Fighting Irish football game was right up in the top two things on his bucket list...and that he might cry...it was that emotional for him...I honestly thought it was a long way to go for a football game...

            We met up with Edwin and his friend and we did some tailgating...never tailgated before...that was a fun time time thanks to Edwin...Adam would have enjoyed this but he already had plans for this weekend and didn't travel with us...photos from this adventure are on FB...

            We went to watch the players walk from the library to the stadium...I took a few photos here...Aaron kept saying get this person...get that person...to me they were just a bunch of guys in suits...so I stopped taking photos and put my hand out like the rest of the crowd...the next thing I knew Owen Wilson was high fiveing me...yes that's right the actor Owen Wilson...Vince Vaughn was also there...when I looked through my photos I had one with the two of them on it...way in the background...I will have enlarge it...needless to say I was very happy at this time and was glad I had made the trip...don't know if it was the tailgating that had made me happy or Owen Wilson...

            It was good to see Notre Dame win...it made Aaron's first Fighting Irish game an experience to remember...I some how think this is not going to be his last game...

        

                                                   July 1999...Aaron...Joe...Adam...

                                                  A little boys' dream turns into.....

                                                       ....a young mans reality....

                                                 September 8th 2012...Aaron...Joe...

the now famous tickets...kept as souvenirs...

Week 35 of 52

            "You don't stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running"....a quote from the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall...

           I just finished reading 'Born to Run'...what an inspirational book...you don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book...I am by no means a runner...I would like to be a runner...but this old body of mine seems to think differently...as you know I started a Couch to 5k program a few weeks ago and sprained my ankle in week 2...here we are 4 weeks later and my ankle is beginning to feel normal again...

            For years I have wanted a treadmill...I used to run on one at the health club that we once belonged to a few years ago...so here it is Angelas' new toy...I must admit I am a little afraid of starting to run again...but this time I am going to take it very very slow...I think I pushed it too hard last time...what is the hurry...I have the rest of my life to become a runner...

                                          You are never to old to try something new...