Graduations

It is officially summer in Minnesota. Not because it is June 22nd. Not because of all-the-road-construction. Nope. It’s because of the humidity, the mosquitoes, and the numerous graduation parties.

Eight of us left the Twin Cities and traveled to St. Charles last weekend for Ashley’s grad party. Ashley is the beautiful daughter of my cousin Paul. My sister and her husband drove and my cousin Beth and her fiancé Robert rode with them. I had my daughter, my niece, and Beth’s daughter in my van. Yes, the music may have been loud, but we were rockin’!

We stayed in a charming motel in St. Charles called the White Valley Motel. The owners,Lee and Linda, live on-site and truly cater to you. For example, the Wi-Fi to the guest rooms wasn’t working. I administer a website for a bowfishing group and there were some problems with the site and I needed to work on it. Lee turned over his computer and internet access to me so I could fix the problem. Now that’s service. If you are ever in southern Minnesota, specifically around the Whitewater State Park area, I highly recommend staying with the folks at the White Valley Motel.

We drove around and looked at the town. I’m not sure if other families do this, but we do. We get it from our mom. We stopped in a few antique stores – I may have purchased a vintage pink Pyrex bowl for my collection. The next morning we ate breakfast at the Amish Market Square. I had my usual eggs, bacon, toast and maple syrup. My sister had their house special, French toast made with their own apple crunch bread. Delicious. The girls had fun in the buggy, although they couldn’t stop laughing so we could take a serious picture.

The graduation party was delightful. Their home and yard were so lovely. So much thought had been put into all the decorations – a true celebration of all Ashley’s accomplishments thus far. And the food?! To die for! Speaking of food, I still need that Teriyaki Meatball recipe, Auntie Diane! It was wonderful catching up with cousins I hadn’t seen in a few years. So wonderful, that my sister and I decided to plan an official Luta family reunion next summer! We can’t wait!

 

Paula