Come What May (uanset hvad)

Dansk (english below):

Siden påske er tiden gået med hverdagsting og små gode oplevelser. Fx opdagede vi, at der skulle være en LEGO-messe (convention) her i Minneapolis. Hurtigt fik vi familien Kozlak (som også er LEGO-gale) med på ideen og billetterne blev bestilt. Messen var en blanding af udstillinger, fra både amatører og professionelle byggere, samt boder hvor man kunne købe både nyt og brugt LEGO. Der var masser at kigge på og tiden fløj derfor af sted. Til vores store overraskelse var der også en dreng fra Benjamins årgang på skolen, som udstillede hans kuglebane og promoverede hans youtube-kanal. Benjamin synes det var rigtig hyggeligt at snakke lidt med ham og se det han havde lavet - det var imponerende.

The Kozlaks and Madsens at the LEGO Brick Convention

So much to see, buy and want!!

Silas nyder stadig at hænge ud med sine venner. De har flere gange taget ud at fiske og hans smågruppe fra kirken har også være ude og spille ”Laser tag” sammen. Han er stadig ofte i Aktivitetscenteret (AC), efter skole, sammen med kammerater. I kirken er der også startet noget ”hygge” basketball op om tirsdagen, hvor de unge kan komme og spille og være sammen. Det er fedt at se ham danne disse relationer.

Vi havde i længe snakket om at vi skulle besøge familien i Winona igen. Denne gang blev det så i kombination med, at Eileen og Dave passede drengene så Mary og jeg kunne komme på date. Vi spiste frokost sammen og herefter tog vi afsted til byen La Crosse i Wisconsin, ca. 25 min. fra Winona, hvor vi havde booket et hotel. Vi brugte eftermiddagen på at gå ture både i naturen og ”down town”. Om aftenen var vi ude at spise og fandt også en lille bar der havde et ”Shuffleboard” - et ønske vi havde haft i længe. Næste morgen tog vi den med ro og efter ca. 24 timer var vi tilbage i Winona og kørte forholdsvis hurtigt tilbage mod Maple Plain så Silas kunne nå fodboldtræningen😊.   

Finally we found a Shuffleboard

Grandad bluffs i LaCrosse 

For ca. en uge siden rykkede Silas’ fodboldhold træningen udendørs og her op til weekenden blev første fodboldkamp spillet. De vandt kampen 3-2 så optimismen på holdet er tydelig at mærke. Silas blev valgt som anføre, så det er han meget stolt af og ved også, at der dermed følger et større ansvar. Den kommende uge byder på 2x træninger og 2x kampe samt en turnering i lørdag og søndag, så der begynder at være tryk på. For et par uger siden overvejede vi kortvarigt igen om Liam og Benjamin alligevel skulle have lov til også at spille, men vi endte med at holde fast ved vores beslutning, da vi ikke ønskede at den sidste tid udelukkende skulle fyldes med fodboldtræning og kampe - og med en uge som den kommende, så var det den helt rigtige beslutning. Det er svært at se, hvordan vi skulle få plads til at køre to mere til både træning og kampe. Så nu spiller vi fodbold i haven og har også taget med Silas til træning, hvor vi så har spillet på banerne ved siden af imens. De deltog også alle tre i en intern klubturnering, hvor de spille ”3 mod 3” på små mål.

Liam @ the 3v3 tournament

Benjamin @ the 3v3 tournament

Silas @ the 3v3 tournament

Silas as goalie and captain in the first game of the season

I forhold til Marys arbejdssituation, så var det ikke længe, at hun var tilbage i hendes oprindelige rolle som fast vikar. Efter ca. en uge blev hun spurgt om igen at tage det guitarhold på High School’en og koret i 5. klasse, som hun havde haft i de forgangne 3. måneder. Denne gang for resten af året samtidig med at hun også skulle varetage sin rolle som fast vikar. Efter noget snak frem og tilbage blev der fundet en løsning og Mary er glad for at kunne få lov til at færdiggøre noget af det hun startede op der efter juleferien.     

Og men hensyn til skolegang, så har der de seneste uger været MCA tests for Benjamin og Liam. Det er Minnesotas egne standardiserede tests som skal måle eleverne i læsning, matematik og science. På skolen fylder det rigtig meget både blandt elever og lærer. Det har givet en god anledning, herhjemme, til at snakke om forventninger, værdier og det at gøre sig umage. Der har også været udflugter (field trips). Benjamin har besøgt ”Fort Snelling” som bl.a. blev brugt under borgerkrigen (Civil war) og 2. verdenskrig. Liam besøgte ”Experimentariet” (The science museum). Begge gode oplevelser for dem begge.  Men ellers kan vi godt mærke, at nedtællingen til sommerferien for alvor er i gang. Skolen går på sommerferie d. 4. juni, så der er kun en måned tilbage i skolen!

Og det kan også mærkes generelt, at vi er ved at være mod slutningen af vores eventyr. Flere og flere ting lakker mod enden. I forrige uge sluttede bl.a. den ugentlige ”church dinner”, hvor vi på en særlig måde har lært folk fra menigheden at kende. Ting hjemme i Danmark begynder også at fylde mere og mere, bl.a. har vi haft en samtale med Sydvestjyllands Efterskole, hvor Silas skal gå til næste år, omkring opstarten osv. Begge disse ting, at ting lakker mod enden og at ting i Danmark begynder at fylde mere, bliver jo kun mere de kommende uger, men vi insisterer på primært at leve i nuet og blive ved med at skabe hverdagsoplevelser for hele familien, come what may.  

Last Handbell choir performance

Benjamin practicing for band 

Middel School Jazz Band concert

English (AI translated):

Since Easter, time has been filled with everyday things and small, wonderful experiences. For example, we discovered that a LEGO convention was coming to Minneapolis. We quickly got the Kozlak family (who are also LEGO-crazy) on board, and tickets were booked. The convention was a mix of exhibits from both amateur and professional builders, as well as stalls where you could buy both new and used LEGO. There was plenty to see, and time just flew by. Much to our surprise, a boy from Benjamin’s grade was there exhibiting his marble run and promoting his YouTube channel. Benjamin really enjoyed chatting with him and seeing what he had built—it was very impressive.

Silas is still enjoying hanging out with his friends. They’ve been out fishing several times, and his small group from church also went out to play laser tag together. He still spends a lot of time at the Activity Center (AC) after school with his buddies. At the church, they’ve also started "drop-in" basketball on Tuesdays where the youth can play and hang out. It’s great to see him forming these relationships.

We had been talking for a long time about visiting the family in Winona again. This time, we combined it with Eileen and Dave babysitting the boys so Mary and I could go on a date. We had lunch together, and then we headed to the city of La Crosse in Wisconsin, about 25 minutes from Winona, where we had booked a hotel. We spent the afternoon walking both in nature and downtown. In the evening, we went out for dinner and found a small bar that had a shuffleboard table—something we’ve wanted to try for a long time. The next morning, we took it easy, and after about 24 hours, we were back in Winona before heading home to Maple Plain fairly quickly so Silas could make it to soccer practice. 😊

About a week ago, Silas’ soccer team moved their practices outdoors, and this past weekend they played their first match. They won 3-2, so there’s a clear sense of optimism on the team. Silas was chosen as captain, which he is very proud of, and he knows that it comes with greater responsibility. This coming week includes two practices and two games, as well as a tournament on Saturday and Sunday, so things are starting to get busy. A couple of weeks ago, we briefly reconsidered whether Liam and Benjamin also should be allowed to play after all, but we ended up sticking to our decision. We didn’t want our remaining time here to be entirely filled with soccer practices and games—and with a week like the one coming up, it was definitely the right call. It’s hard to see how we would have found the time to drive two more kids to both practices and games. So instead, we play soccer in the yard and join Silas for his practices, where we play on the neighboring pitches in the meantime. All three of them also participated in an internal club tournament playing "3 vs 3" on small goals.

Regarding Mary’s work situation, she wasn't back in her original role as a permanent sub for long. After about a week, she was asked to once again take over the guitar class at the High School and the 5th-grade choir, which she had taught for the previous three months. This time it’s for the rest of the year, while also maintaining her role as a permanent sub. After some back and forth, a solution was found, and Mary is happy to be able to finish what she started after the Christmas break.

As for the boys' schooling, Benjamin and Liam have been taking the MCA tests over the past few weeks. These are Minnesota's standardized tests that measure students in reading, math, and science. They are a big deal at the school for both students and teachers. It provided a good opportunity at home to talk about expectations, values, and the importance of doing your best. There have also been field trips. Benjamin visited Fort Snelling, which was used during the Civil War and WWII, among other times. Liam visited the Science Museum. Both were great experiences for them.

Otherwise, we can really feel the countdown to summer break starting. School lets out on June 4th, so there’s only one month left! You can also feel generally that we are nearing the end of our adventure. More and more things are winding down. Last week, for instance, the weekly church dinner ended, which has been a special way for us to get to know the congregation. Things back in Denmark are also starting to take up more headspace; for example, we’ve had a conversation with Sydvestjyllands Efterskole, where Silas will be attending next year, about the start-up and so on. Both of these things—the fact that things are coming to an end here and that life in Denmark is starting to loom larger—will only increase in the coming weeks. But we are insisting on primarily living in the moment and continuing to create everyday experiences for the whole family, come what may.

Siden sidst.. (Since last time..)

Danish (english below):

Udover turen til Florida og Marys jobsituation (de sidste to blogindlæg), så er der selvfølgelig også sket mange andre ting den seneste tid - både stort og småt. For ca. en måned siden kom Grandpa og Lizzie hjem igen fra deres ferie i Arizona. Vi nyder igen at være tæt på dem og kunne komme forbi både til længere besøg, men også bare et lille hurtigt smut.

Mary fik koncertbilletter til ”The Deep Hits” Tour med Toby Mac, Jeremy Camp og Crowder - og jeg var så heldig at få lov til at komme med. Drengene passede sig selv derhjemme med film, pizza, popcorn og masser af slik, så alle var godt tilfredse med aftalen. Lige inden koncerten skulle gå i gang, fik vi pludselig øje på vores gode venner Anna og Jason og deres børn som, uden vi vidste det, havde siddepladser 4 rækker foran os - dejligt at se dem igen. Og faktisk besøgte vi dem i Forrest Lake nogle uger senere hvor vi bl.a. lærte et nyt familiefavorit spil ”Double Ditto”.  

Anna and Mary before the concert

On the way home we hit this years biggest blizard 

Lige op til Spring break fik vi muligheden for at prøve noget helt særligt. En familie (McCoy) fra menigheden inviterede os hjem til dem en eftermiddag for at deltage i og opleve ”Maple syrup’ing”. Dette havde været en tradition igennem generationer i deres familie, så det var noget særligt at få lov til at være en del af. Vi fik både lov til at prøve, se og smage, så vi fik den fulde oplevelse med. Men noget af det bedste ved det hele var tiden til bare at sidde og snakke og lege i skoven med hinanden. Nu her efterfølgende har vi så været så heldige at få lov til også at få en flaske af den færdigtappede syrup.. umm det er lækkert!

Group picture of most of the McCoys

Samme dag som vi kom hjem fra Florida kom vores rigtig gode venner fra Danmark, Janni og Thorkild, deres børn samt Jannis forældre på besøg hos os. De havde planlagt en 2-3 ugers tur til USA hvor 3 af dagene blev brugt her hos os i Minnesota. Det var fantastisk at være sammen igen og vi nød nogle rigtige hyggelige dage sammen.

Dinner at our home (14 people is a first)

LEGO time

Lots and lots of Ping Pong

Påskehare jagt i haven

Herefter stod den på Påske med gudstjeneste både fredag aften og søndag, 2x påskeægsjagt lørdag og lækker middag hos Grandpa og Lizzie søndag, hvor onkel Johnny også var med. Mange onsdage op til, havde både Mary og jeg hjulpet de andre frivillige med at ”pakke” de 10.000+ æg til den årlige påskeægsjagt som kirken arrangerer for byen, så det var dejligt at have mulighed for også at være med til selve jagten. Om eftermiddagen (lørdag) have vi besøg af The Ormans og her lavede vi endnu en, om end MEGET mindre, æggejagt. Det blev en hyggelig eftermiddag bl.a. med masser af bordtennis.

Easter Egg hunt - Maple Plain #1

Easter Egg hunt - Maple Plain #2

Easter Egg hunt - Maple Plain #3

Easter Breakfast at Church.

Happy Easter

At Lizzie's and Grandpa's. 

Op til ferien fik Silas slyngen af efter det brækkede kraveben, så da hverdagen så småt havde indfundet sig igen efter påsken, var det tid til at han kunne få indfriet en julegave - en tur til Top Golf. Jeg hentede ham direkte fra skole og så ellers afsted med os to. Det var rigtig sjovt at prøve og vi blev begge enige om, at det var noget vi skulle prøve sammen hele familien.  

Og når vi nu snakker om golf, så blev dette også ugen hvor jeg ENDELIG kunne komme på græs igen efter 5+ måneder. Det bliver en skøn tid vi går i møde også på den front. Den eneste ulempe ved det må være, at vi nu har mindre end 3 måneder tilbage, inden vi igen må sige farvel og turen går mod Danmark og vores ”virkelige hverdag”. Hvilket vi også glæder os til alle 5 - i forskellig grad på forskellige tidspunkter😊.  

English (AI translated):

In addition to the trip to Florida and Mary’s job situation (from the last two blog posts), many other things have been happening lately—both big and small. About a month ago, Grandpa and Lizzie returned from their vacation in Arizona. We are once again enjoying being close to them and being able to drop by for both long visits and quick catch-ups.

Mary got concert tickets for "The Deep Hits" Tour featuring TobyMac, Jeremy Camp, and Crowder—and I was lucky enough to tag along. The boys looked after themselves at home with movies, pizza, popcorn, and plenty of candy, so everyone was very happy with that arrangement. Just before the concert started, we suddenly spotted our good friends Anna and Jason and their children; without us knowing, they were sitting just four rows in front of us! It was wonderful to see them again. We actually visited them in Forest Lake a few weeks later, where we learned a new family favorite game called "Double Ditto."

Right before Spring Break, we had the opportunity to try something truly special. A family (the McCoys) from our congregation invited us to their home one afternoon to participate in and experience "Maple Syrup’ing." This has been a tradition in their family for generations, so it was special to be allowed to be a part of it. we got to try it, see the process, and taste it, giving us the full experience. But one of the best parts of it all was the time spent just sitting, talking, and playing in the woods together. Since then, we've been lucky enough to receive a bottle of the finished syrup... yum, it’s delicious!

The same day we returned from Florida, our very good friends from Denmark—Janni and Thorkild, their children, and Janni’s parents—came to visit us. They had planned a 2-3 week trip to the US, spending three of those days here with us in Minnesota. It was fantastic to be together again, and we enjoyed some really cozy days together.

After that, it was time for Easter, with church services both Friday evening and Sunday, two Easter egg hunts on Saturday, and a delicious dinner at Grandpa and Lizzie’s on Sunday, where Uncle Johnny also joined us. For many Wednesdays leading up to it, both Mary and I had helped other volunteers "pack" the 10,000+ eggs for the annual Easter egg hunt the church organizes for the town, so it was great to have the chance to be part of the actual hunt as well. On Saturday afternoon, the Ormans visited, and we held another—albeit MUCH smaller—egg hunt. It was a lovely afternoon, including plenty of table tennis.

Just before the holiday, Silas finally got his sling off after his broken collarbone. So, once daily life had settled back in after Easter, it was time for him to redeem a Christmas gift: a trip to Topgolf. I picked him up directly from school and off we went. It was a lot of fun to try, and we both agreed it’s something we should do again with the whole family.

And while we’re talking about golf, this was also the week where I FINALLY got back on the grass after 5+ months. We’re heading into a wonderful time on 그 front as well. The only downside is that we now have less than three months left before we have to say goodbye again and head back to Denmark and our "real everyday life." We are all five looking forward to that too—to varying degrees at different times! 😊

Florida here we come

Danish (English below):

Det kom ikke som nogen overraskelse, at efter 11 ugers skole siden juleferien, så blev der set meget frem til ”Spring Break”. Selvfølgelig fordi ferie altid er dejligt, men også fordi vi, siden efteråret, havde glædet os til endelig at skulle til Florida igen! Igen i år kunne vi fået lov til at låne lejligheden i Cocoa Beach - et fantastisk sted på Atlanterhavs-siden hvor vi har boet et par gange før. Vi havde planlagt det sådan, at vi skulle flyve til Sarasota (på vestsiden) tæt på hvor ”Great Grandma” (Mary’s Grandma) bor, for at besøge hende den første dag inden vi så kørte videre på tværs af Florida til Cocoa Beach. Men ulykkeligvis døde Grandma Peggy omkring 4 uger forinden. Hun var oppe i årene, så det var på sin vis naturligt nok, men selvfølgelig påvirkede det os alle. Vi har besøgt både hende og ”Great Grandpa” (da han levede) en del gange, så drengene kunne tydelig huske hende. Det gav os så anledning til at finde gamle billeder og videoer af dem fra tidligere ture dertil, hvilket var en skøn måde at mindes dem på.

Da vi så ikke skulle gøre dette stop kørte vi i stedet de ca. 3 timer direkte til Cocoa Beach.  På forhånd havde vi booket billetter til ”Kennedy Space Center” og ”Disney World” (drengenes julegave) og ellers var planen at bruge en masse tid ved poolen og stranden.

Disney World - Magic Kingdom

Vi havde forberedt os en del på denne dag, både i forhold til hvilken en af parkerne vi skulle besøge, nu vi kun skulle være der en dag, men også hvilke forlystelser vi kunne tænke os at prøve og derfra lavet en form for plan, præcis som alle ”eksperter” råder til.  Om vi holdt os til planen ved jeg ikke helt, men vi havde i hvert fald en fantastisk dag. For det meste gik vi sammen alle 5 men et par enkelte timer splittede vi op, så Silas og jeg kunne prøve den nyeste rutsjebane ”TRON”. Imens nød de andre bl.a. en god tur i ”It’s a small world after all”. Begge ting var et stort hit og af andre favoritter kan nævnes; Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (interaktivt comedy show), Mickey's PhilharMagic (3D show med masser af musik), Tomorrowland Speedway og selvfølgelig fyrværkeriet og de forskellige paraderne. Efter mere end 12 dejlige timer i parken var vi også alle klar på at tage hjem, da parken lukkede kl. 23.00.

Kennedy Space Center

I januar havde Liams klasse om emnet ”rummet”, så da Cocoa Beach kun ligger ca 15-20 min. fra Kennedy Space Center, var der ingen tvivl om, at vi selvfølgelig også skulle dertil. Det var selvsagt noget helt andet end Disney, men på trods af det, så havde vi også her en skøn dag hvor vi alle blev opslugt af storheden af universet og menneskets formåen. En af højdepunkterne for os alle var nok at se Artemis 2 stå klar på affyringsrampen - den skulle opsendes 2 dage efter vi fløj hjem.

We touched the moon

The had a part about the Artemis 2 mission

A look at Artemis 2 on the launch pad. 

Strand, pool og Cocoa Beach

Som sagt så var tiden ellers primært dedikeret til sol, strand og vand. Drengene var i poolen hver dag og vi havde også flere skønne dage ved stranden. På stranden nød vi især de høje bølger, Boogie Boarding og strandlege. Vi (Benjamin og jeg) ”oplevede” så desværre også, hvad en brandmand kan gøre hvis man kommer for tæt på. Det vil være noget vi begge - men nok specielt Benjamin husker i langtid. Det tog flere timer før der kom ro på systemerne igen og til trods for at citater som ”Jeg skal aldrig på den dumme strand igen” og ”Jeg skal aldrig ud og bade igen”, så var vi alle heldigvis klar til bølgerne igen dagen efter.

I løbet af ugen nåede vi også både at være på ”alligator-jagt” i Orlando Wetlands, spille minigolf og bare hygge med spil og film i lejligheden.

Close encounters with aligators

Nice walk in the wild life (Orlando Wetlands)

Sunrise from the balcony of the Condo

Out for "Coconut Shrimp" in memory of Great Grandma

Game night!!

We saw the BIG cruise ship we have "dreamed" off duing the endless commercial on TV

Så endnu engang svigtede Florida os ikke - vi havde en helt igennem fantastisk og tiltrængt ferie.

English (AI translated):

It came as no surprise that after 11 weeks of school since the Christmas break, "Spring Break" was highly anticipated. Obviously, because vacations are always lovely, but also because we had been looking forward to finally returning to Florida since the fall! Once again this year, we were lucky enough to borrow the Condo in Cocoa Beach—a fantastic spot on the Atlantic side where we’ve stayed a few times before.

We had planned to fly into Sarasota (on the west coast) near where "Great Grandma" (Mary’s Grandma) lived, to visit her on the first day before driving across Florida to Cocoa Beach. Sadly, Grandma Peggy passed away about four weeks prior. She was well up in years, so in a way, it was natural, but of course, it affected us all. We had visited both her and "Great Grandpa" (when he was alive) several times, so the boys remembered her clearly. This gave us an occasion to look through old photos and videos of them from previous trips, which was a wonderful way to remember them.

Since we no longer had to make that stop, we instead drove the roughly 3 hours directly to Cocoa Beach. We had pre-booked tickets for Kennedy Space Center and Disney World (the boys' Christmas present), and otherwise, the plan was to spend plenty of time by the pool and the beach.

Disney World - Magic Kingdom

We had prepared quite a bit for this day—both regarding which park to visit, since we were only there for one day, but also which rides we wanted to try. We created a sort of "game plan," exactly as all the experts advise. Whether we actually stuck to the plan, I’m not quite sure, but we certainly had a fantastic day.

For the most part, all five of us stayed together, but for a couple of hours, we split up so Silas and I could try the newest rollercoaster, "TRON." Meanwhile, the others enjoyed a classic trip through "It’s a Small World After All." Both were big hits! Other favorites included: Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (interactive comedy show), Mickey's PhilharMagic (3D show with lots of music), Tomorrowland Speedway, And, of course, the fireworks and the various parades.

After more than 12 wonderful hours in the park, we were all ready to head home when the park closed at 11:00 PM.

Kennedy Space Center

In January, Liam’s class studied "Space," so since Cocoa Beach is only about 15–20 minutes from Kennedy Space Center, there was no doubt we had to go. It was, obviously, a completely different experience than Disney, but despite that, we had a wonderful day where we were all absorbed by the vastness of the universe and human achievement. One of the highlights for all of us was seeing Artemis 2 standing ready on the launch pad—it was scheduled to launch just two days after we flew home.

Beach, Pool, and Cocoa Beach

As mentioned, the rest of our time was primarily dedicated to sun, sand, and water. The boys were in the pool every day, and we also had several beautiful days at the beach. We especially enjoyed the high waves, boogie boarding, and beach games.

Unfortunately, Benjamin and I "experienced" firsthand what a jellyfish can do if you get too close. It’s something both of us—but especially Benjamin—will remember for a long time. It took several hours for things to calm down again. Despite quotes like "I’m never going to that stupid beach again!" and "I’m never going swimming again!" we were all, luckily, ready for the waves again the very next day.

During the week, we also managed to go "alligator hunting" at Orlando Wetlands, play mini-golf, and just relax with games and movies in the apartment.

Once again, Florida did not disappoint—we had an absolutely fantastic and much-needed vacation.