Unofficial Grand Du Nord

Shawn, Nick and Paul have been biking the Grand Du Nord race the past couple years. We rent a house, the guys ride, the kids play, and the moms hang out. 

This year, the race was cancelled. We had to decide on May 4th if we were sticking with our May 22nd reservation. We were still on the stay at home order - meaning you could technically be fined and go to jail if you were pulled over for non-essential trips. Not that they would actually enforce it, but that just goes to show how on the fence we were about making the trip. 

We also had not been within 6' of anyone for months (per CDC recommendations). Most people wear masks if they go into a store. Some also wear gloves. So the thought of blending three families in one house almost felt unlawful. Actually, the rules 'relaxed' by Memorial Weekend and allowed groups to socialize (6' apart) in groups up to 10 people. So technically we were over by 2 [small] people.

But we kept our reservation. We drove the Jeep up to the North Shore. We let our kids play with the other kids. We hung out with and shared food with the other adults. 

It was amazing. It was so nice to feel normal again. They biked, we hiked, we skipped rocks, we had picnics and played yard games. All that good north shore stuff.

So glad we made the trip. We had a great time. And the guys put in their 100 miles in the saddle to earn their unofficial finisher shirts ;)

Wrangler

If you know me at all, you know I have wanted a Jeep Wrangler since I was about 15. And I have been talking about it ever since then. In high school, it was going to be a yellow Jeep Wrangler. In college, it was forest green Jeep Wrangler. As an adult, it was just 'give me any color, any year'!

When Ryder and Logan were toddlers, we went to a Jeep dealer with the intent to buy a four door Wrangler for our second car (we were a single car family / couple from 2004 until about 2013). The boys slept the whole time and we left with nothing but a brochure and crushed spirits. They are so expensive compared to the sedans we have owned. When the kids woke up, they were wondering where their Jeep was. I think they have wanted one ever since then, too.

Fast forward about 5 years to our rental car in Florida this past December. We all had a ton of fun in that car and actually found it to hold all of our gear nicely.

Then, about a week ago, Shawn was ready. He said he found one he wanted to look at (out of the blue to me) and was ready to 'test drive with his checkbook in hand.' We test drove one and bought it that same day.

It has only been about a week, but with everything closed, Jeep rides have been a fun 'activity' for the family :)

Covid 19 - 2020 | Update 1.0

I am losing track of time, but I believe we are entering our 10th week of quarantine due to the Coronavirus. Some days it's crazy, some days we're crushing it. In general, here are a few highlights:

1. Brecken has been wearing PJ's every day since March 16th. With all this chaos, we need to choose our battles and this is not one of them. Instead, we just call him PJ.
2. Ryder and Logan live on their trick scooters.
3. Boys started a YouTube channel to have a big project to focus on and distract them from the fact that they cannot really play with friends.
4. Ryder and Logan have slept in the same lofted twin bed together since March 16th.
5. I love having breakfast and lunch break with the family.
6. Mikayla watches the boys around 3 days a week. Fun for the kids and fun for us to see her so much.
7. We haven't really seen family or friends. Just neighbors outside from 6' away.
8. Ryder and Logan have become BFF's. They rarely fight and spend every minute together.

While the world has been cancelled, we are trying to enjoy this extra family time together.