A few hours after departing Paisley Park, Susan told me she had a second, secret destination in store for me. Not only did she make sure my phone was fully charged, but she insisted I bring my GoPro camera with me too, as this was guaranteed to be the highlight of the trip. The gravel parking lot and tall, yellow silo connected to a long metal building did not reveal what was inside. It wasn’t until we approached the building that I saw a sign identifying the building as the “largest candy store in Minnesota.” The candy store is large… (read more)

On April 19, a freak hail storm pounded our property. We were not home at the time, but according to news broadcasts from that evening, the hail ranged from golf ball-sized to baseball-sized. We have been dealing with insurance claims and repairs ever since. The damage to our cars was obvious. The windshield on my car and Morgan’s old car, the one we’re trying to sell, were broken. Morgan’s old car, Morgan’s new car, and my car also received extensive hail damage to their bodies. Morgan’s new car and my car have full coverage, and the combined estimate to repair… (read more)

Over the years we have owned several types of tables. We’ve had coffee tables, dining room tables, end tables, and entryway tables. Over the past couple of years we’ve added a new table to our home: the Amazon Table. The Amazon Table sits about a foot away from the front door and has become the first stop for all Amazon packages. Even though we feel relatively safe living near the end of a cul-de-sac in a gated community, it’s still not a great idea to leave Amazon packages sitting outside on the front porch for days at a time. There… (read more)

On Mother’s Day weekend, we threw Morgan a graduation party at our house. Last Monday she took the last of her semester tests. Friday evening, Morgan attended her high school graduation before leaving for Project Graduation. On Saturday, Morgan zipped around town attending her friends’ graduation parties. And, just like that, she is done with high school. For several years now, Yukon High School has held their graduation ceremony outdoors in the high school’s football stadium. Back when Susan and I graduated, the ceremony has held indoors in the Fine Arts auditorium, and the 360(ish) graduating seniors were limited to… (read more)

Today, the website known as IFTTT (aka “If This Then That”) announced they will be greatly reducing functionality for free users (including the removal of access to all Twitter applets) at the end of the month. IFTTT currently has approximately 20 million users. I am one of them. As a kid, home automation seemed very futuristic. I always thought it would be cool if lights automatically turned on when I entered a room, or the stereo in my car automatically changed to my favorite radio station when I started the car. Those are examples of “if this, then that.” If… (read more)

Morgan’s high school career is coming to an end. On Friday, she — along with Susan, myself, and several of our family members — attended her Senior Farewell Band Banquet. Sunday, we had Morgan’s (pre)graduation gathering here at the house. The band banquet would not have been possible without Susan, who stepped in when asked to assist with planning the event and logistics, two of her strong points. Susan helped get items donated, plan parts of the event, and most importantly, wrangled up a bunch of volunteers to help with setting things up and breaking things down in a room… (read more)