The year has been filled with many joys. 

We kicked off the new year by spending a couple days cross country skiing around local state parks.

We made our annual treks to the Minnesota State Fair and the 8th Floor Holiday Display at Macy's in Minneapolis.

Erin continues to putter with indoor gardening and Tim has been honing his already-excellent cooking skills. 

We are blessed with loving families, wonderful friends, and rewarding work and we are grateful the many opportunities we had to travel. 

Life is good and we hope the same is true for you! If you find yourselves in Sioux Falls, please stop in for a visit!

We SPENT TIME IN NORTH CAROLINA & WASHINGTON D.C.weekends as add-Ons to work trips.  

North Carolina

We explored Asheville, NC and toured the Biltmore Estate and Blue Ridge Mountains.  Our trip in the mountains was cut short when the roads were closed due to frost on the road... for real.  

The other surprising highlight of the trip was the NASCAR museum in Charlotte, N.C. While waiting for her flight out, Erin skeptically checked out the museum and hasn't stopped raving about it since.

Washington D.C>

We played tourist to the fullest extent in D.C. and had the blisters on our feet to prove it. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the National Botanic Garden, however our visit was delayed a day due to an evacuation by the FBI Bomb Squad...for real. 

VISITORS FROM THE WEST

We were lucky enough to have visits to Sioux Falls by all of Tim's family. 

In May, Dan & Camille spent a long weekend with us and we enjoyed attending a Paul McCartney concert together. 

In July, Andy, Tawnya, Madelyn and James spent a few days in Sioux Falls.  James and Madelyn had a sleep over at our house, and we tested out our waffle making skills.  Turns out ours skills are pretty good.

LOTTA Larsens

The 4th of July included a Larsen reunion. We played yard games, enjoyed roasting marshmallows, and took pleasure in catching up with everyone. It had been far too long since we had all been together. 

Harvest

We spent a few weekend helping harvest corn. Erin stepped up her skills and learned how to empty the grain cart she had driven for so long. Meanwhile, Tim combined and climbed to the top of several grain bins to ensure they were ready to store corn. We are grateful Erin's mom and dad are willing to let us participate; it is a fun break from are usual work. 

Tim's Tomatoes

Tim took his tomato growing to a new level this year, crafting his own cages out of bamboo and spending countless hours pruning. As a result, he harvested a bumper crop of heirlooms, better boys, and grape tomatoes.

We enjoyed many Caprese salads over the summer, and look forward to the gallons of tomato sauce waiting for us in the freezer this winter. 

In June, Erin ran the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Trek Half Marathon in the Black Hills with a group of friends. She started training in February and was glad to be done running for awhile once the race was complete. 

Tim met up with his school friends in Colorado to hike Quandray Peak. They made it to the top this year and had a good weekend of catching up. 

Photo Credits: Mike Erickson

ARUBA

We spent a few days in Aruba in March where we spent a lot of time reading on the beach and playing in the water. We soaked up all of the sun we possibly could before returning for a few more weeks of winter. 

Kauai

In September, we traveled to Kauai. We snorkeled, hiked, and ate well. We celebrated our 2nd anniversary on a boat trip along the Napali Coast; the scenery was incredible. Throughout our time there, Tim swam behind a giant waterfall and Erin took a tumble on a muddy hike. We enjoyed fresh sushi everyday and snorkeled until our lips turned blue.