Girls Getaway

This past weekend, I was able to get away for 24 hours with my girlfriends, Christa & Alexia.
I have to document this, because it was the first time I've been away overnight from Elise since she was born - and it was such a great refresher! We went out to dinner at Cantina Friday night, and our friend, Elizabeth, was also able to join us (sorry..I didn't get a pic with you, Elizabeth)
before we went on to Columbia, SC. Alexia's in-laws have a huge house, and were out of town, so we were able to relax there and chat until too late at night...but we didn't have any responsibilities the next morning, so it was great! We had a leisurely breakfast, and then did some of the normal "girly" sleepover things, like makeup and hair. We grabbed lunch at Five Guys and then went to the Fireproof at the theater. It was a great movie. Our afternoon quickly got away from us, and before we knew it, we were on the road home with DQ in our hands & our babies, husbands and responsibility waiting at our front door. It was a great time...and we really need to do this more often!

Extended Family

We were able to get together with our extended family on the Ratzlaff side while we were in MN. (Yeah, it was a very full, but fun trip.) We got a few snapshots of our immediate family, but there is someone with their eyes closed in each one...so I opted to put this on up, since I'm the culprit here.
My cousin, Cindi & her husband, Jeff hosted a family time at their home in Blaine & it was so nice to catch up with all of them. Many I haven't seen in years, since I've missed the last couple reunions.

Mom & Cindi

All the guys eating & visiting outside.
More eating and visiting inside...
"I like family gatherings!"

Josh & Debi Carlson's Wedding

We celebrated a wonderful weekend wedding with my sister, Debi & her new husband Josh, September 19-21st. They had the most beautiful weekend in Minneapolis for their nuptials.
In the picture above, we had a bride's luncheon at the Nicollet Island Inn. Then, a relaxed rehearsal barbeque dinner in their backyard. It was the first weekend everyone in my immediate family had been together in a couple years.
Debi, Lara Hunt & Jodi after getting their hair done at the salon.
Myself and mom getting "primped."
Ratzlaff family photo: Jodi, Curt, Dad, Debi, Josh, Mom & me.
Mom & Dad...last daughter married off.
"I really like weddings!"
Family photo. I'm so proud of John, he dressed & did Elise's hair for the big day, since I was part of the wedding party & was getting pictures done - he did a great job!
The reception was held on a boat - here's the happy couple.
Elise wanted to take part in driving the ship, too.
"I like riding down the Mississippi on a gorgeous fall evening in Minneapolis."
Mr. & Mrs. Carlson

Visit with Brandenburgs

Elise and I flew to MN on September 13th to spend a few days with her Oma & Opa Brandenburg, and cousin Ethan & aunt & uncle, Sara & Steve. We had just beautiful, blue skies and sunny, mild days during our stay. Sara & Ethan took us to a great little bookstore off of Grand Avenue, called the Red Balloon Bookshop where they had a story time for kids & everyone walked away with, of course, a red balloon. We lunched at Cafe' Latte' - a great deli/ dessert mecca that I visited often during college, and it was fun to be at our old stomping grounds again.
We were able to do a little shopping, and relaxing during our stay, and I also got to catch up with some of my college roommates, and old friends from our church there, too.
It's amazing how much things change, even subtly, over the years since we've moved away from Minneapolis...but it's still a great to place to visit, especially during this time of year.

Elise and Ethan

Oma with the grandkids

Opa with Elise

I have to laugh at Elise, because as time goes on, I'm beginning to see that she's definitely a girly-girl. One afternoon, Sara and I were using the foot spa, and she wanted to take a turn...and loved it! We could hardly get her out of it...and she knew to push the buttons to make it vibrate and bubble. Watch out, John. You might need to learn how to operate one of these some day.

Pretty toes!

15 Months Old

Elise is now 15 months old, and continues to grow and interact with us more and more.
At her doctor's visit on the 11th of September, she was 24.8 lbs & 32 inches tall.


One of her favorite things continues to be getting a balloon at the grocery store when we visit - which is actually quite often, so we have multiple, deflated, helium balloons during the course of a week or so....such is the life with a child!

Labor Day Weekend in Charlotte

This past weekend was good! Elise and I each took long naps after we arrived home on Saturday. She was a great little traveler - which makes it so much easier to take her by myself when we go.
We had a relaxing evening out to dinner at Olive Garden - and she was quite excited to hold the restaurant "pager" while we waited for our table.

Then, we got a little more ambitious on Monday! We built shelves in our backyard shed to increase our storage...and use our space more efficiently. It's hard to believe we've lived here in Charlotte for 5 years, and over that time it's easy to start to get things "cluttered" so I'm in a bit of an organizing phase right now, where I just want to know what we have and find a place for everything.

Elise got quite dirty helping outside in the shed - but she enjoyed exploring and we made it a family affair!

The rest of our visit to MN

Elise & I got back from our trip this past Saturday, and here's a quick recap of the week.
Mom and Dad brought down the horse that we all remember riding and bouncing on for hours as kids...and Elise loved it too! My dad also powder-coated the old metal crib we all used as infants, and it worked great for Elise to stretch out. She slept soundly, which is always a bonus when you're away from home.
We all traveled down to Okaboji, IA for a day trip & enjoyed beautiful weather & great food as we tried out a new restaurant, Braco! It was a Caribbean style place with great food & great atmosphere right off the lake.







We spent the evening with Josh & Debi before we took an early morning flight back to Charlotte, and had fun catching up with them. We'll be heading back to Minneapolis in just a couple weeks again for their wedding...so it was a nice chance to see them before all the activity starts.
It was a fun week - thanks Mom & Dad!