Surprise Birthday Trip to North Dakota - For my middle daughters birthday

For those of you that know me, and my lifestyle, WOW, that's about the best way to explain this.  Yes, this Florida boy made his way to Grand Forks, North Dakota in late January; usually the coldest time of the year.

And yes, it was cold, the wind blew, and there was snow on the ground.  I'm used to wind and a little chill in the air, but the only white stuff I'm accustomed to, is sand on the beach.

 
So Danielle (oldest daughter) and I had been planning our surprise birthday visit to Amanda's for at least 4 months; not sure how Amanda didn't find out, but she was surprised.

We arranged our flights to meet in Minneapolis, MN and fly into Grand Forks, ND together.  Casey, Amanda's husband picked us up and after making a couple stops in town we went home.  As we pulled in the driveway, Laura, Amanda's mom was leaving and turned around so she too could share on the surprise.

Saturday morning Casey and I suited up and went for a snowmobile ride.  Lucky for me, Casey is the same size I am or it would have been a weekend inside.

We spent about 5 hours running up and down the Red River, riding through the woods, and climbing a few hills.  The sled I was on is build more for cruising, while Casey has an ass-kicking sled that is lighter and the boy can make it move.

Danielle had arranged a surprise party with Amanda's local friends so Saturday was girls night out.  Casey joined them for dinner, then came home while the girls did whatever girls do.  Grandpa, well me and the boys had pizza, played, watched 'Thomas the train' movies, read books, and went to bed.

Sunday morning brought more opportunity to hit the snow and we did.  It started with Grayson (oldest grandson) and I playing on the pile of snow from the driveway.  Then Casey suited Grayson up with his safety gear and dragged him around in the snow.

And then, Casey and I hit the trails again.  This time, due to a strange noise in Casey's sled we were cut our riding to about an hour.  Well, the noise and with as many times as I got stuck yesterday we really didn't want to push, pull, or lift my sled anymore.

Okay, so a Florida boy can get along in the snow; but only for a short period of time.  But let's get back to reality, I'd much rather be like this...




Until next time,
Mike