Janezic-Lestingi canoe trip of 2009

Okay. It took me a little while to get back to this task but I've finally posted a video of our canoeing adventure.

Considering Loon Lake is 150 ft. deep and the 20 mph wind gusts the vests were a necessity. Luckily the lifejackets ended up being decorative as nobody went overboard.

Next time we'll pack a couple of inflatables and drop in further down stream and enjoy the float to the dunes. A floating cooler would be helpful as well!

Martha's 90th

Martha's 90th
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

Click on the picture to see images from Martha's 90th birthday party. Somehow while we were all having fun I failed to take pictures of Martha with the family. Luckily we have the collective memory to look back upon so the photos are not really what matters.

Happy birthday grandma.

With love,
Your Family.

Beulah bike trail

Beulah bike trail
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

Mary Jo and I hit the bike trail into town. It's a former train bed that has been 'recovered' for multipurpose use. Mary Jo couldn't help but show her stuff after we encountered a couple of trailside motorcross riders.

Enjoy the ride!

Chubby Sammy

Chubby Sammy
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

We have a box of photos that really shouldn't see the light of day. Some of the photos apparently saw too much light as one roll is WAY overexposed. This photo was difficult to see in its original state. Here's the best I could do to salvage any image.

Damn I look young there.

Danpa hits the slides!

Danpa hits the slides!
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

After getting a short break to relax after the ride to Rockford, Dan gets his baptism and he's now a water park convert.

Welcome to fun!

The kids dial up the fun at Magic Waters

The kids dial up the fun at Magic Waters
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

After getting their feet wet the kids explored the big fun.

10 Years Old

Magic Waters
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

The boys had their birthday party out at Magic Waters Waterpark on Wednesday. After logging in 6 hours at the park the kids were wiped out! A great time was had by all (especially Uncle Dan).

Happy Birthday Boys!

Feet Meet 2009 - Race Results!

Feet Meet 2009
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

Here are the official results from Feet Meet 2009.

Some people ran than 5k but we opted for the more challenging 1 mile race.
(This post requires the reader to know that 5k is actually 3 x's farther than 1 mile)

While this may look like a photo of winners it was Lisa that captured third place (in her age bracket) at the 2009 installment of the Woodscreek feet meet. It should be noted that my time was a full minute faster than Lisa's but apparently old men are expected to run faster than old women. Go figure.

The way I see it the simple fact that we all actually ran the entire race makes us winners. Way to go Team Janezic.

Home Grown Entertainment

So for Christmas (actually just before Christmas) John got his first electic guitar. Notice that Jacob is playing the role of music stand.

Fast forward to April and it's possible to actually recognize songs... that is until the distortion is kicked up on the amp!

FYI - He usually plays with the amp set at '1' on a scale that goes up to '10'. No, we didn't spring for the Spinal Tap amplifier.

Keep up the good work John.

As for Jacob he's recently chosen to pursue percussion. This year's Christmas present will be ear plugs for mom and dad. :)

Pics from Lockwood

Here are some images from a home movie shot on Lockwood. Do these children in the '70's look like any children you've seen walking around lately? Thought so.

John and Martha looked dressed up enough that there must have been a big dance at the Slovene Center! You can almost hear the music. :)

Giddy up!

More rides on the horse. After watching dad mount and ride I can't help but feel a little sorry for the horse.

Walk down memory lane

Well maybe it's actually more like a trot down memory lane.
Certainly not a gallop.
Okay it's for sure a slow gait.

Enjoy!

Spring is in the air

Nothing like the fresh scent of spring air. The emerging flowers. The buds on the trees. The squirrels digging up their hidden treasures.

Six inches of fresh wet snow blanketing the ground. After all it is still March.

Crystal Mountain

John
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

Click the picture to see the action from Crystal Mountain. It was great to get away as a family and focus on the important stuff.

Thanks to Tim and MJ for letting us use their place for a little R&R.

Saturday, March 21

Lisa was awaken from her well earned sleep by the sounds from a passing plow. That's right. It snowed last night. Not much. Just enough to make the icy slopes look fluffy. Time for some breakfast and then it's off to the hills.

Also on today's schedule:
1. The boys want to go swimming.
2. There's an open house at the bungalows. (I'll be sure to keep Lisa away from the wine until after we walk through... no impulse buying on this trip!)
3. More skiing

Night Ski

After a dinner of chicken and potatoes the family hit the ice (I mean slopes) for some night skiing. Let's just say that our dinner plates weren't the only place where you could find potatoes ... lots of mashed potatoes at the bottoms of the runs. We had fun anyway. :)

Oh yeah. Big news! Lisa and Jacob hit their first blue run. Not by choice. They closed off everything but the black and blue runs during our final ride up the chairlift to the top of the mountain. Once you're at the top of the mountain there's only one way down. They did a great job. I survived as well.

Fighting For Space

Sometimes you have to elbow your way down the slopes. Not today.

Economic Stimulus Package

The Janezic family is doing its part to stimulate the economy. Luckily there aren't many others attempting to do the same thing as the lines at the lifts are non-existent. After hitting the slopes just after the 9:00 am opening it's about 1:30 pm and we're back at the cottage for a little refueling - both body and spirit.

I'd post pictures but we didn't take any today. We meant to but Lisa's camera is dead. I'll bring my camera and Flip out for the evening and night ski. Should be fun.

btw - Lisa wants to hit a blue slope before we leave Crystal Mountain. I'm thinking we should plan on that towards the end of our stay!

2009 Seusical

2009 Seusical
Originally uploaded by J-Travels

One more reason to make sure your cake decorator has graduated from school.

Besides the typo on the cookie the show was a hit. The boys not only did fantastic jobs in their roles as Who and Fish but they had fun while they were at it. We can't wait to see next year's production.

Great work boys!