LOVE

can't be stopped by an ocean. Laurenz and Irene's wedding is the best proof of that. Their wedding touched us as if we had been there. And in many ways, we were:

We received a package with all wedding decoration utensils. So pretty!

Before the ceremony began we had the great honor to chat with a stunningly beautiful bride...

...in a stunningly beautiful dress. Thank you so much for sharing these special minutes with us, Irene!

The vows - so moving, even in Minneapolis tears were shed.

Walk across the Danube bridge. We were there (thanks to Kobi and his iPhone) and didn't even have to walk.



We even had a late-night chat with the couple, family - well, the whole room, really, so we got to see many more beautiful people and ... beautiful rings!

Family picture - unfortunately blurred

Pictures for the wedding album ;-)




Our heartfelt congratulations to the happy couple! We loved your wonderful wedding. Thank you for letting us be part of it. May the memory of this day warm your hearts for years and years to come.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Our first independence day was as special as we had hoped. We got a taste of some U.S. American traditions but also did something rather unusual: We watched a soccer game. (Some Minnesotan team against a team from Edmonton, Canada.) Of course, Marko loved it! (Hanna did too, but she can't beat Marko's excitement about soccer.)

Tailgating - another first. Good food, good weather, good people.

"...and the home of the brave."

Musical support

Go boys!

The first goal - not for our team.

Booo!
(It all ended well though in a 1:1.)

The mayor's speech after the game

Waxing (moon)?

Finally fireworks! The mix of patriotic, random and really beautiful songs that accompanied the fireworks will probably remain a conversation piece for a while in our household. So will the concept of national pride and independence day celebrations. How interesting to experience all this! How fun to experience it with such a great group of people. Thanks, everyone!

HAPPY JULY 4!!

STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER

Let me take you down cause we're going to strawberry fields ... So we did. The fields were bursting with red deliciousness. What fun, especially with our wonderful, fun neighbors!








After all the picking, we took a well-deserved dive into the St. Croix river in Hudson, WI. That's how summer should be.


So there we were, 34 pounds/15 kilos of sweet red strawberries richer. After a little bit of stirring, Hanna went to bed. But Marko stayed up all night.


And the next day, Hanna woke up to find a great surprise:


Now we can look forward to a long winter of strawberries! :-)

SCARY FOR SOME

(like Hanna), fascinating for others (like Marko) but pretty for all: Minnesotan thunderstorms.

NO WORDS

except: BIG!

STARTALK

When a group of Chinese teachers gather to learn about how to integrate culture learning into their language classes, it must be Startalk time. Like last year, it was a highlight in Hanna's summer. Being a teacher rocks, even if you are 36 weeks pregnant.

Group work

Fieldtrip to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Are we wearing them out? Apparently it was not only exhausting for the instructors.


The instructional team

Thanks to everyone for a great summer institute!

HOT HOT HEAT

has arrived in the Twin Cities. The only reasonable thing to do is stay in airconditioned rooms and go swimming. Luckily it's easy to find a lake around here. Still one of our favorites: Lake Phalen.