Adam's Team Soccer Champions

Adam's soccer team had another great season this summer. This is the final year of the boys/girls mixed team. They were seeded 1st, so they had a 1st round bye. Second game - won 10-0. Championship game was a nail biter. The score was 1-1 with about 30 seconds to go. Adam took a shot at the goal from the outer box. The defender on the other team raised his hand and stopped it - penalty "hand ball". Adam had a penalty shot - just the goalie and him. He took his time and did a great shot to the right of the goalie out of his reach. Quite a finish that I'm sure we will all remember.

Jack Triathlon #2 7/15/09

Jack completed his 2nd triathlon in Chanhassen. He did an incredible job and was able to finish with his friends.

USA Cup Soccer Tournament 7/21/09 - 7/25/09

Adam played on a traveling soccer team this summer. The end of season brough the USA Cup Soccer Tournament. The Opening Ceremonies was a parade of athletes from all over the world. Adam was able to trade pins and received some from Brazil and Mexico. They won 1 game in the tournament and had a great time with the experience of playing international teams.

Adam and Jack Lake Nokomis Triathlon 7/18/09

Adam and Jack completed their 1st triathlon at the "Miracles for Mitch" - Lake Nokomis. It was a chilly 50 degree day. There were no complaints from them and they did AWESOME!

Adam completed a 200 yd swim, 6 mile cycling, and 1 mile run.
Jack completed a 100 yd swim, 3 mile cycling, and 1/2 mile run.

Life Time Fitness - Triathlon Relay 7/11/09

I joined two friends and completed the Life Time Fitness Triathlon - International Course. My friend, Mike, swam 1.5 kilometers, I cycled 40 kilometers, and my friend, Chrystal, ran 10 kilometers. We had a beautiful day for the event. Watching everyone compete makes me think about completing one on my own...maybe a short course with a short swim. I may need some swimming lessons first.


Chrystal's husband, Jim, completed the international course by himself.

Green Day Concert - 7/11/09

We went to see our family's favorite band - Green Day. We were AMAZED how good the concert sounded and how much energy was going through the Target Center. I would have to say that this was my FAVORITE concert I have seen.

Jack fell asleep after ~6 songs. :)

Jack's 9th Birthday

We celebrated Jack's birthday the traditional angel food cake.

Since we flew in the morning of his birthday, he had his breakfast in bed the next morning.



He has been asking me for 3 years to shave his head. I finally gave in. I figured that it was only hair and he could enjoy a shaved head for the summer. Many friends commented that he looked just like James.

Grand Total

Steps = 159,638
Miles = 37.9

Washington DC - Day 8

Relaxation Day

After a morning of swimming at the hotel, we decided to tour around Georgetown instead of doing any more site seeing in DC. We spent a few hours at Barnes & Noble (Adam's favorite shop). While walking along the streets, we noticed a line of women outside a shop. As we got closer, we saw that it was called "Georgetown Cupcake". We hopped on the bandwagon and stood in line for a 1/2 dozen cupcakes. We saved them for an after dinner treat back at the hotel.



More swimming, packing, and TV before an early bedtime. We had to get up at 4:30 AM to take a taxi to the airport in the morning.

Oh....the cupcakes were AWESOME! Our favorites - lemon and strawberry. We think our hometown "Cupcake" on University does just as well!

Washington DC - Day 7

Getting down to our last couple days in DC. We took the hotel's shuttle to the National Cathedral. Jack asked a great question to one of the guides - "What is the difference between Catholic and Episcopalian"? The guide simply said that they do not recognize the Pope as the head of the church. We were amazed at all of the chapel areas and stained glass.

From there, we walked to a metro stop to travel to Arlington National Cemetary. James purchased "Tourmobile" tickets so we could ride a little tram around to the special sites. We saw Taft's, the Kennedy's and Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. Just as the changing of the guard took place, we had a DOWNPOUR! We stood in the rain for over 20 minutes. Luckily, we had our newly purchased umbrellas. Thank you, James!

That afternoon we ate at a Mexican Cantina called Oyamel. We had YUMMY table side made guacamole and the BEST chips we have ever tasted.

We rode the metro out east to Maryland again. James' cousin, Carl, picked us up to take us "crab pickin". We had no idea what to expect. Carl drove us out to "Mike's Restaurant" and we sat outside on picnic tables on the dock. The waitress brough out a platter of crabs and mallets. What an adventure!! Jack liked cracking it more than eating. Adam estimates he ate 7.


Here comes the sad part of our vacation. I left my camera behind at the restaurant. I realized it was there a couple hours after we left. I called the restaurant and they said they would mail it home for me. Sadly, it hasn't arrived. I haven't had much luck getting in contact with the restaurant. I just keep praying every day that I will find it in my mail box.

Luckily, I had downloaded photos after Day 6. I'll add more photos if the camera arrives.

After dinner, we were driven into Annapolis by the Naval Academy. Carl then drove us back into Washington DC by the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. We just made the last "Circulator" bus back to our hotel.

Jack's steps: 27,100 = 6.4 miles

After the restaurant

Washington DC - Day 6

RAIN!

James ran to a store to get umbrellas for the day. Today was our day to visit all the memorials: Lincoln, Korean, Vietnam, WWII, FDR, and Jefferson. Even though we walked in pouring rain, it was amazing to see all of the memorials.


Then, we finally took the time to stand in line at the National Archives to view the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution. While we waited, James & Jack enjoyed a hot dog from a stand. Mmmmm...I passed on that one.

I really enjoyed the "BIG" exhibit. We got to see a large map of Gettysburg, Taft's bathtub, and a map of the POWs from Vietnam War.

We took a little adventure trip down to the wharf area to get some fried shrimp and fries. No tables, just a ledge to put the food on. I passed on that one, too. The boys ate more of the fries than they did the shrimp. There were other stands that sold live crabs and other catch of the day.

That night we relaxed at the hotel. We watched a new family favorite "Wipe Out". There is nothing like watching the boys gut bust laughing!!

Jack's steps: 35,358 = 8.4 miles

Washington DC - Day 5

Today was Bureau of Engraving and Printing. James woke up early and ran to the ticket booth for our tickets. We had some time before our tour, so we stopped in the United States Holocaust Memorial. Our visit was shortly after the shooting of the security guard, so there was plenty of security to help us feel safe.

The memorial had a nice children's exhibit "Daniel's Story" that gave a kids version of what happened during the holocaust. We wished we would have had some for more of the entire exhibit.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing tour was all about MONEY. We were shown each step of how they make money from the plain paper sheets to packing up the bills. We were amazed that each stack was $32 million dollars!! We had to have seen at least 10-20 stacks. Unfortunately, we could not take any photos in this building.

Lunch brought us to "Old Ebbits". We were told that this was a place not to miss. We sat in an indoor courtyard for lunch. I had the best veggie sandwich and Jack ordered ...can you guess....mac 'n cheese.

That evening, we rode the metro to the last stop east in Maryland. James' cousin, Carl, picked us up and drove ut to Baltimore for an Orioles v. Mets baseball game with cousins Janice, Shaw, and Jennifer. The Mets won 6-4.




Jack's steps: 19,350 = 4.6 miles

Washington DC - Day 4

James generously offered to go for a run in the morning to get in line for tickets for the Washington Monument. Luckily he was 2nd or 3rd in line. The person in front of him was a tour guide and took 30 tickets!

After he ran back to the hotel, we took the bus and walked to the White House. Unfortunately, we were not able to get tickets to go inside. Apparently those are VERY hard to get these days.



While walking to the Washington Monument for the tour, we took some fun photos.




Next for the day was a tour of the Capitol. We had arranged a tour through Congressman Erik Paulsen. We had two tour guides: Tim and Will. They took us all over the capitol. The boys even got to stand in the center of Washington DC.


While observing the House of Representatives in the gallery, we had to leave our backpacks and phones outside of the area. After we were done, James checked his messages and the Congressman's office called. He had just gotten back into town and he was wondering if the boys wanted to go on the house floor and help him vote. What a fun surprise! He took them on the floor and James & I viewed from the gallery. They each had a turn to put in his card and vote on two different items. We heard they could be seen on C-SPAN. A friend recorded it and is going to make a DVD for us. The boys also got to vote for other Congressman. They met representatives from Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Unfortunatly, we don't have any photos of this one.

We took our first train ride on the "Metro". We ate a light dinner and then made our second stop for gelato. YUM!!!!

Jack's steps: 32,500 - 7.7 miles

Washington DC - Day 3

Another adventure -
We took the bus into Georgetown and then walked to mass at the Church of the Epiphany. After we arrived, we found out that the mass would be said in Korean. Even though we didn't understand the language, we were able to follow along the mass. After mass, a nice woman invited us downstairs for refreshments.

We had brunch at a great little place in Georgetown - Cafe Bonaparte.


We rode the bus to the International Spy Museum. Jack loved his "new" identity and cover. Adam liked the "cloak and dagger" exhibit. We walked across the street for the National Portrait Gallery. Adam liked the JKF portrait and the sculpture of George Washington that looked like Julius Caesar. Jack liked the portrait of George W. Bush.

We talked around and found ourselves at Ford Theatre. We unknowingly snuck in at the end of a tour - we walked in the exit.

Dinner -
Barbecue at "Old Glory" - YUM!

After getting back to the hotel, James taught the boys how to do belly flops. All three of them had red chests.

Jack's steps: 15,000 = 3.6 miles

Washington DC - Day 2

Our first adventure of the day was when Jack locked himself in the bathroom. After the maintenance worker got him out, we found that the door lock was broken. :)

The hotel was on the Circulator bus route. James bought us each a bus pass for the week. There were several routes around Washington DC. We were able to go on and off the bus as needed.

First stop - Smithsonian Visitor's Center a the Smithsonian Castle. The boys were excited to see a prop from the Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.



Next stop - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Adam enjoyed the spacecraft and planes. Jack liked the planes. They bought a snack of a space ice cream sandwich.

For lunch, we decided to try something new at the National Museum of the American Indian. The boys LOVED the fry bread with honey and powdered sugar.



Next stop - Museum of American History

Adam loved all the "military things" and Jack liked the "war craft" and "Star Spangled Banner". They each got to stand at a podium and pretend to do an inauguration address: Adam - Ronald Reagan, Jack - JFK (of course).





We had heard about a burger place in Georgetown called "Five Guys Burgers & Fries". If you are a fan of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, this may be listed as a "dive". All the boys LOVED it.


HEAVEN IN A BOWL -
After dinner, we walked to a place called "Dolcezza" in Georgetown. We had never tried gelato. WOW! We were in LOVE! Jack - "the chocolate classiso is the best!"



We ended the day swimming at the hotel. WOW! I'm tired just typing what we did that day!

Jack brought a pedometer. Jack walked 30,330 steps. With his stride length - 7.2 miles.

Washington DC - Day 1

The Vettels needed a family vacation. We had decided to see the sites at Washington DC. After a 2+ hour delay at the airport, they held our connecting flight in Milwaukee and we made it to Washington DC around 10:30 PM. After negotiating a rate with the taxi driver, we made our way to the Holiday Inn in Georgetown. The hotel was pretty basic, but we were looking forward to seeing the sites the next day.

Duluth and Gooseberry Falls

Adam had a game scheduled for his traveling soccer team in Duluth on June 11. After my last meeting of the school year, I picked up the boys and we headed north. I decided to take them to Gooseberry Falls. I wish we would have had more time to explore.



We had a little bit of time before the 7pm game, so I showed them around Canal Park.

Jack's Spring Piano Recital

Jack performed "Midnight Horseman" in the spring piano recital. He received two metals - one for completing the year and one for participating in the state piano contest.

Minneapolis Marathon - 5K

James, Adam, and Jack ran in the Minneapolis Marathon's 5K today. The boys trained as part of the Shephard's Flock running grouop at school. Adam trained for the 5K and Jack trained for a mile run. Jack felt confident that he could run the 5K, so James ran with him.



Adam finished his race with a personal best 26 minutes, 35 seconds.



James and Jack finished their race in 30 minutes, 50 seconds. Jack had a great sprint at the end.



They celebrated the end of the race with bananas and cookies. I am SO proud of them!

Happy 1st Birthday, Lily!

Our family celebrated Lily's first birthday today. We made a dog food cake and put one treat in as a "candle". She got some new toys and has been playing with them all night. We were going to take her to the dog park, but it has been a rainy evening.

Dog Sitting with Libby

We were lucky enough to be asked to watch our friends dalmation, Libby, while her owners went for a family overnight stay during spring break. Our dog, Lily, and Libby played ALL day. The next day was a beautiful spring day. I spent the day outside with the dogs and watched them play.

Here is some video of the dogs playing tug of war:


Having Libby over was a great experience for our family. Our beagle, Lily, is our first family dog. Libby gave us a sense of what it would be like to have a bigger dog. Adam said, "I'd dog sit her again!". The evening after Libby left, Lily was SO tired she shook and couldn't move. It took her a good day to recover. :)

Prom 2009

James & I got invited to an adult prom. We had a great evening with a large group of friends (same friends that went to Mexico). The funny things is I got home around the same time as my senior prom and I had the same date!

Jack - Principal of the Day

Jack was Principal of the Day at St. VdP on Tuesday, March 31. His responsibilities included making the morning announcements, read to the 1st graders, serve lunch,and gave his class extra recess and treats. I think the highlight of his day was when he got to call his brother down to the principals office on his hands and knees (this was Principal O'Hara's idea).

End of Wrestling Season

Adam and Jack ended their wrestling season with St. Vincent de Paul the weekend of March 27-29. Jack was able to wrestle in the junior varisty tournament at St. Alphonsus. He placed 1st and received a blue ribbon. Everyone asks why he isn't smiling in the photo. Adam told him that wrestlers don't smile.



Adam placed 3rd at the varsity tournament. He had a tough second round match, but he gave everything he had on the mat.



What is next? Adam will be playing traveling soccer and Jack will be playing baseball.

Happy 40th James!

James turned 40 this year. We went on the big trip to Mexico (see below) to celebrate and then had our own family celebration at home. We had two angel food cakes. The first one was decorated with frosting by the boys and the second was baked into two loaves. James had his own and Adam and Jack shared a half. They rolled them into balls and ate them. I do have video, but I don't have it ready, yet. I'll attach it when I can.

James and I went out for a nice dinner the weekend after his birthday. One of my gifts for him was to tell him 40 things I love about James Vettel. It brought back a lot of good memories for us.

Auction for Education 2009

Well, we did it. We raised over $95,000 for St. Vincent de Paul Faith Formationa and Catholic School in Saturday, March 21, 2009. My co-chair, Mary, and I put in many hours along with our team of volunteers. We couldn't have done it without them! The costumes made the whole evening - Team USA hockey, mullets, rock stars, letterman's jackets, DEVO, Robert Palmer & girls, Madonna, and many more....

We look forward to next year - LUAU!

Auction for Education 2009

MySpace Countdown Clocks

Riviera Maya

Ahhhhh....vacation.

James and I were invited to join 19 other couples in Riviera Maya Mexico at the Barcelo Palace Resort. We struggled with the decision because of difficulty finding someone to care for our boys. In the end, we decided to ask a former child care provider from a day care center the boys used to attend. This is only the second time we had flown away from our boys.

Sunday -

We flew out of MSP. One of the couples made a BINGO card as a game for the trip. Once of the items was "Take a picture with a flight attendant". The flight attendants were gracious with having their photos taken. We arrived in Cancun in the afternoon and had a fun bus ride with 1/2 of the couples and a cooler of Corona.

The all-inclusive resort was BEAUTIFUL! Our room was amazing - overlooking the beach and ocean.

After we dropped off our bags, we met in the lobby bar to get to know everyone. The birthday girls (Kristi and Val) had care packages with cowboy hats. The hats turned out to be a great way to locate everyone.

Monday -

Beach day. Our group camped out on the beach and enjoyed the warm sun. That night, we enjoyed "The Jaguar" discotheque.

Tuesday -

Beach day. Much warmer day. We moved around a bit between the beach and the pools. That afternoon was a fun, crazy pool party.

Wednesday -

Shopping in Playa del Carmen. I enjoyed the bartering. We found soccer jerseys for the boys. Senor Frogs entertained us for the rest of the afternoon.

Thursday -

Tullum Xtreme Over the Edge (Guaranteed Safety Approved) :)

Here is a youtube video from the company:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJkWWypLz6I

Over half of the group loaded onto vans and went on an adventure excursion. We started off with the rappel. The area was very flat, so we climbed a tower and rappelled. I was hoping to drop faster, but they kept it very mild. It was still fun.

Then, we zip lined. There were three zip lines. The last one was over a minute long. Here is actual video fo James and I at the end of a zip line.

Next - cave snorkeling. OK, I have to admit that I'm a little claustrophobic. The guide's pep talk did not help much. The cave was inhabited by snakes and bats - two of my favorite animals! The water was frigid! I was doing fine enjoying the limestone formations below. No fish to see - just formations. Then, we had to go through a part that had stalactites hanging down close to my head. I did survive. I did it, but I don't think I would do it again.

Lunch was good. Nice spicy chicken.

We boarded the van again to head to Tullum. Our guide gave us a quick 20 minute story about the ruins and we were free to explore. One of the other participants told us that the beach at Tullum was ranked #4 on the best beaches of the world. It was BEAUTIFUL!

After the tour, we boarded the bus back to the resort. We headed into Playa del Carmen for Senor Frogs again with the whole group.

Friday -

I wanted to get every last minute of sun. I woke up early and after breakfast went to the beach.

I am SO thankful for being able to go on the trip and for all of the wonderful people that helped care for my boys - Christine, Colleen, and Tiffeny. THANK YOU!

I'm sure I'll have more to post when I see everyone else's photos.