Quist Family visit

For 10 wonderful days, we got to host the two cutest grandchildren, ever.  It is hard to recall all of the fun stuff we did, but I do know that we had a blast. Here is a sampling of some fun stuff ... in no particular order:

Using the Crow table and benches - 4th generation. 

Ice cream with Great Grandad.

George flew a model airplane. 

Vintage video games.

Chalk on the sidewalk.

Crafts.

Indoor tent.

Puzzles.

Oh yes, Samantha and Jake were here too but I didn't get a picture of the two of them.

Tony and Jamie have a baby

When in Colorado for Philipp's and Nica's wedding, we stopped by Denver's St. Joseph's Hospital NICU to meet Alex ... Tony's and Jamie's newborn son.

They will be dynamo parents. Actually, they already are.
Congratulations to Tony and Jamie.

Philipp and Nica get married

In 2005, we hosted a dazzling young German exchange student named Philipp Beiter. He was in his final semester at Topeka High School. It was the start of a lifetime connection.

Although he returned to Germany for his University studies, he came to visit in the summer of 2007...

and in the summer of 2008 ...

when his parents and brother joined us as well.

It was about this time that we proclaimed ourselves to be Philipp's American parents. His parents graciously acquiesced.

Of course, he was at Samantha's and Jake's wedding in the summer of 2010

where he served as Helen's escort into the ceremony. 

With Jonas and Samantha, we visited him in Paris in 2012 

where he was doing his internship at the OECD. 

Philipp visited us in 2013 when Ryan was living with us.

After he finished graduate school at the London School of Economics and Columbia University in 2014, he moved to Boulder. Then, in late 2014, he brought Nica for a visit. We could tell from the sparkle in his eye that Nica was special. From that point forward, it was no longer just Philipp, it was now Philipp AND Nica.

They came back for Halloween Weekend in 2015.

In 2016, along with Samantha and family, we met up with Philipp in Denver ...

and got to visit Philipp and Nica in Boulder - although I failed to get a picture. Suffice it to say that we were taking our "American Parent" role very seriously.

It was no surprise when Philipp and Nica decided to get married.

So, a couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Colorado to witness, and to be a part of, Phillip's marriage to Nica in the mountains and rustic settings of Pine, Colorado.

 I was honored when Philipp asked me to be a Groomsman. 

I was equally honored when he asked me to offer an after-dinner toast.

A giant Thank You to Phillip and Nica for allowing us to be a part of this special day.

An extra Thank You to Nica's wonderful family who was as gracious as Philipp's when we announced that we are a part of the Family Package.

 Oh yes ... Philipp and Nica are moving to Rome for a year. The adventure continues.

Brick sidewalk repair

Every 35 years or so, it is a good idea to level your old uneven brick sidewalks. Yep, the tree roots cause them to heave leaving dangerous tripping hazards. This is not a sexy or glamorous project, but one that needs to be done.

It goes like this ... pull up the bricks, cut out the roots, level the surface and replace the bricks.

This is a work in progress. 

As it ends up, it appears that I'm a couple of bricks short of a load ... if you know what I mean.

Father's Day - 2018

Thanks for being such a great Dad.

Arkansas golf trip

In late May to early June, six of us traveled to Bella Vista, Arkansas, for 5 days of good and bad golf ...

good and bad beer ...

good and bad food ...

good and bad nature ...

and spectacular friendship.

It was a blast.

Derek could not attend. We missed him. Bill too.

Dad turns 92

On May 5th, Dad celebrated his 92nd birthday. We enjoyed 3 days of celebration. There was his office lunch party on Friday.

A family dinner party on Saturday.

And a fun Sunday lunch followed by a cemetery visit.

Happy Birthday to Dad. Thanks for being such a great Dad and role model.