Summer Vacation

The Ford family has had quite an exciting summer!  Here are some pictures and details of what we have been up to.

Mimi and Auntie Laura Visit

My little sister Laura is off to college, can you believe it?!  She will be attending a small university in Arizona to study forestry.  To celebrate the occasion and to help Laura move in, Mom and Laura embarked on a very long, but exciting, road trip from Vermont to Arizona.  Along the way they were able to stop in Chicago and meet Riley for the very first time.

We were also lucky enough to have one of Mom's long time friends from Colorado, Nancy Canty, stay with us one evening.  Nancy then hit the road with Mom and Laura back to Colorado.

Laura in Millennium Park

Auntie Laura and Riley

The Brown women and Riley at the Bookfield Zoo

Laura and Hayley at the Extreme Bug exhibit at the Zoo

Laura, Hayley Justin and Riley at Millennium Park

Mimi and Riley - Mom has the magic touch

Trip to Minnesota

The day Mom, Laura and Nancy left, Justin and I departed for a jaunt around Minnesota to visit friends and family.  We had a wonderful time visiting My Uncle Ed, Aunt Teddi and all my cousins and second cousins.  We also visited my friend Kate and her boyfriend Ryan, whom I met in Japan, and our friend Josh, who just bought a new house in Rodgers, MN.

My favorite thing in the Mall of America -
a ridiculously huge transformer made out of Legos

Aunt Teddi was a fabulous help with Riley

Justin's first trip on a ski-do, sitting behind my second cousin Joshua (Mary's son)

Look at those wind-blown locks - the aftermath of the ski-doo

The one day we picked to go to the lake the wind was bad and blew all the algae inland.  Apparently it was the worst anyone had seen all season...gross.  We had a fabulous time sitting outside the cabin and enjoying the beautiful weather anyway 

Mary's husband Ken has a whole kareoke setup, they call it Kenny-oke.  We had a blast

The ladies rocking Kenny-oke

Great Uncle Ed, Great and Teddi and little Riley

Julia (Mary's daughter) loved taking care of Riley and did a great job

We had so much fun staying in the Brown household

A DELICIOUS red wine, this vintage was made specifically for the 2007 US Open, available only to members of the Oakmont Country Club.  Uncle Ed had a friend who is a member, so he got a bottle and gave it to Diana.  We shared it one night over dinner - amazing.

Nothing but love for our family on our last nigh in MN