Our 2nd Foster Roxxy

Roxxy may be the cutest, sweetest dog ever. Our whole family (minus Ron/Dad) has fallen in love with her. She is a 4 month old puppy rescued from Missouri. The kids are doing such a great job taking care of her, including feeding her and cleaning up after her potty training accidents. Looks like we might only have Roxxy for a week or two...... But she has really touched a special spot in our hearts....

Presley Makes High School Hockey Team

Hockey season is upon us. Presley was supposed to play 15As this year, which is composed of 8th and 9th graders. Right before the hockey season, we received an email from the Varsity high school coach inviting Presley to try out for the high school team. This was a huge honor and special recognition yet we had very mixed emotions about the opportunity for various reasons and initially declined. However, after much discussion, Presley decided to give it a go. She had a strong tryout and was invited to join the team. This was a very special honor and we are so proud of her work ethic and maturity. Congrats Presley!

Varsity and JV Teams...


Individual Photo...


First Varsity Game...


First Varsity Shift...

Phi Mu Girls Weekend - Chicago

Mom was excited to travel to Chicago the weekend 11/10 to see her Phi Mu pals Ann Marie, Kate, Cyndy, Sharon, and Kendall. Kate was the catalyst behind the reunion and Trisha was excited to join. We had 2 great nights catching up - our first night at Kendall's place in the suburbs, night two downtown in Chicago, and Sunday morning watching football at a bar in Chicago. I am so thankful for these friendships that have transcended time and distance.

Friday night at Kendall's...


Saturday night at Cyndy's


Sunday brunch at O'Donovan's...

Celebrating Granny Kohls - 100 Years Young!

Our dear Great Granny Kohls died on October 24th after 97.5 years. She was the epitome of optimism and was the matriarch that kept our family together. She lived a full life, having a cookie and a beer every single night. While we are going to miss her dearly, I am so happy that she had the life that she did. She was active and mobile through her very last day. She never complained and "didn't have a pain in her body". She was always so thankful and appreciative of her family. Over the last year, she believed she was 98 years old and that this year was a special year because the next two birthdays would come together and would come very soon. Her daughter Carol died earlier this fall. We learned that Carol's ashes were buried on the afternoon October 23rd. Granny prepared for bed as usual that night and made her coffee for the next morning. But when she went to sleep, Carol's spirit must have called her as Granny died that night peacefully in her sleep.

Our family had a beautiful service for her in Red Wing with the extended family. We celebrated her 10 decades of life and enjoyed nice family time in a beautiful home on the Mississippi river. Her last dream was to get on the Smucker's jar to celebrate 100 years. She was right when she said that the last two birthdays come together and were coming very, very soon. Ron and I were excited to make her last wish come true with her picture on the Smucker's jar. We will miss you Granny! Hope they had a coldie waiting for you!

I took Granny shopping on October 12th (<2 weeks before she died). She was so happy to be stocking up for winter!

One of the 9 picture board celebrating her life...


Before the service...


Her family...


Her Smucker's jar...


Family time after service (Canyon and Presley giving each other foot massages)

Halloween 2017

The Pergandes enjoyed celebrating this year's Halloween season with several fun events including: an adult halloween party, a pumpkin carving contest with friends, and traditional trick or treating.

Mom and Dad's costumes.... "Identity Theft" and "No Looking Back"...


Excerpt from Cooper annual Halloween party...


Dinner and pumpkin carving contest with friends...


Presley as "It's Raining Men" for trick or treating...


The front of our house for Halloween (note the three story pumpkin)...

One More New Car for Pergandes

October was a big month for the Pergandes. In the search for safe and reliable vehicles for our growing "driving" family, we decided to trade-in Ron's truck. This was very hard for Ron because the truck holds a special place in Ron's heart. It was his Dad's truck and is very linked to Ron's brand. Very proud of Ron but also excited for him to have a new car (the Jeep Cherokee), something he hasn't had in over 20 years. Have included a picture of Ron's last night with his truck and our other new family vehicle (Mom will be driving this one). Excited about the Chevy Volt. It's a hybrid vehicle that has great safety ratings and great energy savings. Have driven >200 miles so far and only used .13 gallons of gas so far. Pretty cool!

MEA Weekend in Southern California

For MEA this year, we travelled to Southern California to see Grandpa and Grammie Liz and start our first college visits for Canyon to get a sense of what he likes. We visited Mom's alma mater (UCLA) and Aunt Jamie's alma mater (USC). We also visited Pomona College (one of the Clarement Colleges). We ran into other MN families that were also visiting for MEA weekend. Not sure if we honed in on any specific schools or characteristics but it was fun to start to get a sense of what this process might be like over the next two years.

At UCLA...


At USC...


On our visit, we were also fortunate to spend a bit of time with our good pals, the Grays. We stayed with them Friday night and then participated in the Walk Fundraiser for Club 21, something the Grays started over 7 years ago. So proud to see the amazing community and network they have built.

Ron with Estelle at the Walk...


Presley inspired us to hike to the Wisdom Tree in Griffith Park (the only touristy thing we had time for while in CA)...


On Saturday, all the cousins came over. Great night and great to spend time with family!


And no trip to California would be complete with out a trip to In & Out. This was our first "walk-up" In & Out...

NYC With Friends and Family

Ron traveled to NYC the weekend of October 14th to celebrate his longtime friend, Steve's 50th birthday. The birthday party was a surprise for Steve and a very special weekend for all. Grandma Harriet and Auntie also traveled to NYC for the event. It was a beautiful celebration planned by Steve's wife Alexia and included his dearest friends and family. Ron was invited to give a toast at the party. On Sunday, the celebration continued as Ron, Grandma Harriet, and Annie traveled out to Steve's place in Cutchogue, NY for more special time together!! Happy Birthday Steve!

End of Season Shoot Out

Presley's soccer team had an end of season tournament. During one of the first games of the tournament, the game ended in a shoot out. which is a big deal because Presley plays goalie. One of the parents captured some of the game's highlights on camera including Presley's game winning saves and the team celebration at the end of the game. Special photo credits to the Parker family!

Visit with Granny and Pergande New Car

Since Carol died, I have been trying to get down to see Granny every couple of weeks. This past trip, we enjoyed a nice lunch at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing and then I took her "stock-up" shopping at Target. Granny absolutely loves to shop and loved wandering the aisles. We definitely stocked up on supplies to keep her loaded up for awhile. Great visit!



Over the last few weeks, we discovered that Mom's car's transmission was dying. Ugh! On this last visit to Red Wing to see Granny, the car was shuttering so much that we realized we need to get a car sooner than later. I learned from Auntie that there are some great car deals going on this month as the new 2018s make their way on to dealers' showroom floors. So we decided to do some research and get new cars for both Ron and I this month (Ron's truck is over 14 years old). Knowing that we will have a new driver in the house in less than 6 months, we want to ensure that we have safe and reliable cars to drive. Well the first one is on the books. Got a great deal on a Jeep Cherokee and they gave me the maximum trade in price for the Buick (thank goodness they didn't test drive it).

Buddy Gets Adopted

Our first foster, Buddy, got adopted this past week for his forever home. He was such an awesome first dog for us to get to forster. Mom was an absolute puddle when he got picked up but we are happy knowing that he is going to a great family. I have included some pics from our short 3 week experience with him.

Buddie loved driving shotgun...


One of our many visits to Homeward Hills Park...


Getting cozy in Stanley's old bed...

Mom's last play date.

Fostering with Secondhand Hounds

The Pergandes have been looking for ways to give back and help others. We have decided to save some of our four-legged friends and foster them until they can find their forever home. Our first foster, Buddy (a 8 month mixed breed), arrived this past Saturday. While we are not very experienced, we are so lucky to have Buddy as our first foster. He is a super sweet puppy with a gentle soul. He loves tummy rubs and is super well behaved, already potty trained and crate trained after about 48 hours.

Picture from the shelter he was rescued from in Oklahoma...


Picture from Homeward Hills Park in our back yard...


Chilling in Stanley's old bed...

Homecoming 2017 - Sophomore Year

This was a big year for homecoming for the parents with the kids wanting more independence and us parents wanting to ensure some level of safety and controls. Canyon went to homecoming with a friend and a big group of kids, which included pictures at Arneson Park, dinner at Applebees, a bus ride, and a couple of afterparties. I think half of Eden Prairie was at the park for pictures (a little bit chaotic). Mom and Dad helped one of the parents hosting the after party. Overall, the night ended well and safe and I think Canyon had a great time as well. Here are a couple of pictures from the night.

Canyon and his date Grace...


With some of his hockey buddies...


With his baseball buddy Jack...


The crowd at Arneson Park...