Belated Blogging

The final weeks of 2009 were filled with such a flurry of activity I nearly forgot to write them into the Tales of E & C! So now, to fully end the 2009 chapter of our blog ...

We celebrated Evan's 26th Birthday on November 3rd with one of his favorite home-cooked dinners (Balsamic Chicken with peas and corn), funfetti cake, and a scavenger hunt that involved gathering clues via Video Chat, text message, and by deciphering many of Carolyn's encrypted and rhyming notes!

We were blessed to have some visitors to share our first Thanksgiving in our new house.

My parents and Kirsten flew out for a week-long stay and Karrin drove down from Wolf Ridge (about an hour north of Duluth) -- Sarah is overseas for the semester (I think she was in Hong Kong for T-day); We enjoyed a T-day run around Lake Harriet,

a tasty meal,

and a lot of Tim Tams (I'll have to link to a video of a TimTam Slam later).

Evan was able to drive down to be with his family for their noon meal and then gallop on back up here for our evening meal.

I sure think he had his fill of turkey by the end of the day!

We then were off to Green Lake in Spicer, MN to spend the weekend with some extended relatives. We enjoyed many silly games,

Zip-Zip-Bong

heads or tails

played ladder-toss

(Evan and my cousin Erin won!),

some of us went in the water! : O

Crazy Water-Nut Kirst!

While the rest of us stayed on land.

We enjoyed the peacefulness of Green Lake,

and we laughed,

and we laughed,

and we laughed.

Then began December, one of my favorite months of the year. Here are a few reasons why I consider this the Most Wonderful Time of the Year:

The second annual Pierson Cookie Bake was a success! Check out some of our goodies:

My 26th birthday was celebrated with some of my favorite things (and people!). Karrin was visiting as her flight to NJ was cancelled and delayed by a couple of days due to a big snow storm out east. We enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast of pumpkin waffles (I LOVE breakfast!), spent the day sending off Christmas cards and walking around the festive streets of Edina, then went out to dinner at The Good Earth before a little ice skating adventure at Centennial Lakes. Turns out it is pretty hard to skate on an un-groomed, natural outdoor rink!

And finally, one of my favorite places and mornings of the entire year ...

Christmas post to follow shortly -- I just have to process 200 photos first!

**Thanks to Kirst and Dadster for some of these photos -- I honestly can't remember which were mine!

Driving a Tractor 101

Tractor chairs and compartments aren't really designed for two people.

But we decided to try it out anyway! Actually, we've been riding double in the tractor since our dating days, only then it was Evan behind the wheel. For some reason we just love those tractor rides. E even said he had considered proposing out there! (I think he was joking?) Here's a peak at my first tractor driving experience! (I meant to include this with my previous post)

Here's the infamous manure-spreading duo: Our manly machine: Out in the field about to start spreading manure:

Watch these smart ladies ... I am always impressed at how they remember where to go: