BLIMP

Tonight's Monday Night Football game was in Minneapolis. A blimp flew over the Metrodome (Who knows why? The stadium has a roof over it!). A few shots of the city from the blimp showed the area where we live. We were waving to all of you back home (Well, I was waving. Stacy was making snacks for our Wednesday night small group.). Stacy and I were bored, so we decided to go out and see if we could spot the blimp as it flew around the city. We spotted it, but it was nothing more than a little speck in the sky. We were disappointed and felt a little ridiculous. Oh well.

MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES

The dreaded "blog curse" has hit the Aaronimator blog. The blog has slipped to #497 on my priority list and has therefore not been updated in a few weeks. I offer my sincerest apologies. It's been a bit rough up here in the Twin Cities, and we're having a difficult time getting through this tough situation. We would appreciate your prayers. Thanks!

NICHOLAS & STEPHANIE GILMORE
October 7, 2006
by Stacy

My sister Stephanie and her fiancé Nicholas were married this past weekend. Aaron and I traveled home to be a part of the wedding festivities. What a beautiful wedding it was! I flew home Tuesday night and Aaron flew home Wednesday night on direct flights (to Springfield) from the Minneapolis airport. We were so happy to see our families and to see some familiar sights!

We were immediately thrust into wedding preparations. There were a lot of details to tend to and errands to run, from picking up the programs at the printers to taking the dresses to be steamed. There were also lots of fun things to do, like getting my nails done with Steph. I also got to see Steph and Nick’s cute apartment that they are still in the process of setting up. They are so excited about their first place.

Aaron got to host a “Bachelor Party” for Nick, which consisted of bowling and pizza. I hear everyone had a great time, especially the winners on the “old guys” team. Aaron described the mix of bowling and classical music over the alley’s PA as odd. I was very pleased to be able to attend a Bridal Shower for Stephy hosted by my aunts Mary Jane and Debbie at the John Wise Home in Joplin. It was very elegant, right down to the yummy petit fours, but I loved it most of all because it was the only shower of Stephy’s I’ve been able to attend. So the week was filled with special moments for both of us.

Finally, the wedding day came. My cousin Ashley and I had a good time getting our hair done with the other girls before the wedding, while Aaron was sent on some last minute errands. The wedding and reception went swimmingly. The music Nick arranged for the wedding was beautiful and all the guests seemed to enjoy the music, food, and company at the reception. The twinkle lights that Dad and Papa strung in the reception hall added a special touch. Aaron and I were especially excited to see his aunt Steph and Grandma Charlene, who is making a great recovery from back surgery, at the wedding and reception! Nick was very happy to get his dance with Grandma Charlene. I was also glad to chat with Terry Taylor about things back at North Middle School. I sure do miss my co-workers there. One of the highlights, besides getting a picture with Steph and Nick, was seeing my Mom and Dad dance to their song.

Sunday was a tough day. We ate lunch with all the parents and even got to see Nick and Steph for a bit before they drove down to Eureka Springs. Rick, Renee, and Camden took us to the airport in Springfield, and after many tearful goodbyes, we were back in the air headed towards Minneapolis. It was weird to go back to a normal routine here in Minneapolis today after such a beautiful and busy weekend. It is also especially strange to face the change in weather, from 80 and sunny in Joplin on Saturday to 40’s and snow flurries expected on Wednesday here in Minnesota. What a strange world. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful weekend celebrating with family and friends. Congrats to the Bride and Groom! I’ll try and post some pictures soon.

HOMECOMING

We'll be in Joplin this weekend for Nick and Stephanie's wedding. Looking forward to seeing everybody.

DAMON HUARD FOR PRESIDENT

Okay, maybe not, but he played really well today. The whole team did. The Chiefs destroyed the 49ers with a shutout for the re-vamped defense, 101 yards rushing for Larry Johnson, 4 positive turnovers, and over 200 yards for our backup quarterback. Unfortunately, we didn't get the game on TV, so we had to listen to it online. That's okay. Mitch Holtus and Lenny Dawson are the best play callers out there.

Final score: Chiefs 41 - 49ers 0

TWINS GAME

On Thursday night Stacy and I went to the Metrodome to watch the Minnesota Twins battle the Kansas City Royals. We had a great time! Kansas City lead the game 1-0 until the bottom of the ninth inning when Joe Mauer of the Twins smashed a homerun tying the game. In the tenth inning, with the bases loaded, the Twins won the game as the shortstop hit a single scoring the runner from third. The fans went nuts because the win tied the Twins for first place in the American League Central with the Detroit Tigers. The Metrodome was nice, but Stacy and I agreed Kauffman Stadium (Royals) and Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs) are much better venues.

Update: The Royals just swept the Tigers, and the Minnesota Twins beat the White Sox. The Twins win the American League Central!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHY

This is a (late) birthday wish for my sister, Stephanie, who just turned 23 on the 26th! Besides that, there are many exciting things happening in her life right now. She and Nicholas are getting married next Saturday. Aaron and I are very excited to be flying home next week to be a part of all the festivities. So, happy birthday and congratulations, Pooka! I love you.

COMMUNITY

by Stacy

Aaron and I had a great weekend. We have finally found a church where we feel very comfortable. It’s called Cross of Glory (gloryonline.org). We love the music and the preaching, but more importantly, we have found a community of believers. Every Sunday we’ve attended, people have gone out of their way to get to know us. Last night, we went to a barbecue with a bunch of other young couples from the church. Even though it rained the whole time, we played games inside and had a great time. Aaron and I met our first real friends here in Minnesota. We felt like we really belonged this morning when after service, some of our new friends brought others over to meet us. The best part is that we are officially enrolled in a small group that meets on Wednesday nights with several of the couples we met Saturday. We are so excited to be part of a family of believers here in Minnetonka. God has definitely affirmed to us that there is nowhere we can go that He is not.

I LOVE SATURDAYS!!!

I really can't tell you how much I love Saturdays. Saturday is my sleep-in day. The world needs more Saturdays.

MINNESOTA WETLANDS

It's been cold and rainy all week up here. It's really quite miserable. I promised in an earlier post that if I said something negative I would say something positive too. Give me a sec...um...okay, got it! At least Minnesota's grass is green and not brown like Missouri's.