Happy Birthday to a Gorgeous Gal!

Happy 27th birthday Lizzie!

Elizabeth at 17

Liz on her 26th birthday

Here's hoping you have a wonderful day... I wish I could be with you- but I'll owe you a lunch or a dinner sometime (maybe you and I should go to the Trempleau Hotel!).

~Becky

Happy Birthday Trav!

Trav is 26 today! I've known this guy now for 10 years :)
*Ice cream cake from DQ, which I have to admit was almost more for me than for him (or can I say, more for the baby?). I wanted to start celebrating at midnight last night, just so we could eat some (after seriously considering buying one of the little cupcakes to eat so I wouldn't have to wait even that long); but we ended up waiting until after grilling out for lunch. And was it ever the perfect day for grilling and ice cream cake. We were sweating buckets after working in the garden this morning.
Unfortunately Trav had to work today; but because of that he gets to have a second party with his parents at a later date, and he does prefer his mom's cake.
**Trav started the Trav-Daddy title, because of his email address. But Liz, who has always thought his email was funny, has also labeled some of the tomatoes she got from Trav, as being of the "Trav-Daddy" variety, because shes unsure of what kind they actually are (the labels disintegrated or something). I thought that was so cute, but obviously with becoming a real Daddy, at 26, it just seemed to fit.
***This is why, the motorcycle picture on the cake. This bike is currently in tip-top shape, new foot pegs, maintenanced, shined up, and all that.

Trav's pride and joy

And we were lucky enough to have our buddy G. stop by today for lunch. We hadn't seen him in a while, and he always pays for his meal with the stories he brings.

I had to throw this last picture in there from last weekend- we had a ginormous double rainbow- that was so big I couldn't hardly get half of it in one shot. Its a little hard to see the second part of it in the picture, but in real-life it was amazing. I actually can't remember the last time I had seen a rainbow before this, though I suppose it was probably last summer. Not something one thinks about until it happens. And it seems like everyone is always trying to take pictures of rainbows, I know I always do. But they just never turn out as good on film, as they are in real life. Its just one of those things.

~Becky

PS Trav got a video camera for his birthday. I'm thinking we're all going to get to see baby videos if I can figure out how to get them loaded to this site. He's definitely our official family videographer (at least between him, me and now the baby). But don't worry, we will not be giving viewings of Baby Lingen's birth; though I'm unsure at this point how I am going to persuade him not to shoot the event, having a new toy and all. I have seen some very tastefully shot live births on blogs, beautiful and touching and all that; not for me, though, I don't think. Unless he climbs in the tub with me, if I have a water birth. Then I might reconsider :)

A view from the Nebrodi

A view of the mountains where I stayed for a couple of days in Sicily. On the way we passed Mt. Etna (biggest active volcano in Europe)...it's big!

Garden update...

Multiplier onions

Zucchini blossom

Garden Overview

Travis "the Tomato" Lingen

Crazy big tomato plants at his back, and rather large and lustrous zucchini in front

~Becky

Baby in progress

Becky at 30 weeks.

Harvest Begins

Blackcap jam and cherry jam

Jam making in progress

Cherry jam, Cherry sauce and Brandied Cherries

Cherries on the tree before picking

The first of the perserving season strawberries!!!!!!!

Sharon Wiste aka Mom

Cheese Cheese Everywhere!

The picture I posted yesterday is from a little setup where they make "la provola" which is like provolone but with flavor! This picture is Franco, the cheese master mind at the agriturismo where I'm working.

Under the Sicilian Sun...

Less than 2 months now and I'll be heading back home sweet home to Minnesota! Love you all!