MN Move Update

LOTS of things have happened the last time we posted on August 18th! We have been back to MN looking for homes for the past month. After receiving a list of 250+ matches to our search criteria we whittled it down and physically toured 23 homes while our realtor toured others while we were in Chicago and sent us pictures. We put an offer on the one we really liked last weekend and the seller accepted (with a couple counter offers back and forth of course) on Tuesday morning! We had our inspection this morning and are on track to close on September 29th...one month from today! We are pretty excited to 1. move back to MN and 2. to have a house to move into! Our new home is a walk-out rambler with an all stone exterior that has a beautiful back yard overlooking rice creek in Fridley.

Here is the creek that flows through our back yard...



The other exciting tidbit of news we received just this afternoon is that Eme is able to transfer to our Mortenson office in Minneapolis in her same position as she had in Chicago! So that was nice to finally know that it will work for her to easily transfer within Mortenson. We both have enjoyed working at Mortenson and have been treated very well. And, I guess, they like us since they are willing and excited to have us transfer up here!

God is laying out our plans and taking care of all the details for us as we are making this transition back to MN. God is good! Thanks for all your prayers.

What's the Deal?

So some of you might be wondering a few things about Eme and me. First off, you're probably wondering why we haven't posted in a while. I realize we have a ridiculously popular reader following, but please bare with us...Second, you might be wondering where we are living. Thirdly, you may be curious as to what we have been up to and what our plans are. If none of these things crossed your mind about us then you're probably pretty normal. But, for those of you who are wondering...

Eme and I moved out of the house we were renting and are now living with friends. After a somewhat crazy summer (which isn't quite over), Eme and I have decided to move back to MN! Hmmm, you might be wondering why? North Park Seminary just wasn't right for me. I started taking a Greek course earlier this summer and it just wasn't right. There is WAY more to the story, but you'll have to ask us since it is really quite too long for this blog (although, historically, there have been some long entries). So we decided to try and transfer within Mortenson back to the headquarters located in Golden Valley, MN. Thankfully, there is a spot up there for me and Eme is in discussions with some directors and VP's up there regarding a position for her! There are a lot of uncertainties, but we do know our last day in Chicago will be September 26.

So there's the deal. We'll be back in town this weekend to meet with a few people in the Mpls. office, look at a couple homes, and to walk around the Minnesota State Fair.

Chicago Weekend

Jeff and Shelley decided to come down to visit us in Chicago and the following pictures show a quick glimpse of all the things we did.

The Grand Finale

Jeff and I turned back onto the Gunflint Trail and decided to head further into the deep north woods in hopes of finding a moose. Moose sightings are a somewhat rare occasion, especially right from the road. But we continued on anyway.

As the twilight hours disappeared it quickly became dark and we could see no further than our headlights to the front of us and could barely make out the woods to either side of us. We made it about 3/4 up the Gunflint and decided it was time to turn around as we still needed to find a camp sight for the night. A little foolish not having a camp sight until after dark, I know...but spontaneity was the theme for this trip.

As soon as we left Honeymoon Bluff I made sure to clutch the camera close in case our moose decided to make an appearance. About 2-3 miles south of the official Moose Viewing Area we saw an oncoming car's headlights. And then...THERE IT WAS. A cow moose decided to cross the road at the exact moment the oncoming car was passing by. Jeff slammed on his breaks as hard as he could and we both thought either the moose, that car, or our truck, or any combination of the three, were dead meat. It all happened so fast.

The moose, with her lanky legs, skedaddled to our side of the road and stopped on the shoulder. Meanwhile, I was trying to turn on the RIDICULOUSLY slow digital camera that I was clutching onto and Jeff came to a stop and turned slightly to shine the headlights directly on the majestic animal. It was SO amazing! For that split second time stood still. She had such deep brown fur with tall lanky legs. All three of us had a moment together. Then, as the camera FINALLY turned on I looked down...pulled the camera up...pushed the button...the moose crunched back into the woods...and the camera took the picture.






The red on the left is the side of Jeff's door panel. Well, we didn't get the picture...but seeing such a grand creature was a wonderful finale to our trip up north!

Don't worry though, I did snap a picture of one moose on the way back into Grand Marais.



We ended up striking out trying to find a camp sight so we kept driving and ended up back at Jeff's house at 3:00 am. What a trip!

Our second honeymoon (well first kind of...)

We finally arrived! After our bellies were full from a grandtabulous (yes I made that word up... but I like to do those kind of things) meal at our favorite eating establishment on the north shore north of tofte, we feared we had wasted too much time skipping stones on calm lake superior. Our ride up the gunflint was filled with anticipation and yet a sense of uneasiness was heavy in the truck as we wound our way deep into the wilderness. Each curve we would go around brought our fears one inch closer to reality as the sun was setting fast. Would we miss it? Would we drive all this way for nothing? Would we be wasting our time? Nonetheless, we continued northward, up the gunflint (my favorite road this side of the Mississippi in our great United States of America). Yes the sights were filled with grandeur- the deeper we drove into the wilderness the more it felt like home. Each curve in the road brought on a new sense of freshness in our blood. Both of us realized it had been too long since we had been "home" to this wonderful wilderness along the north shore in Minnesota. But I digress... We were frantically driving to get to a new destination- honeymoon bluff! I had wanted to hike the bluff for several years but it just has never worked out in my schedule to do so when I have been on one of my "home" visits to the gunflint. Finally, with great anticipation, we saw the sign for the road. With the sun seeming to set faster than anticipated, we nervously, yet anxiously turned down the road towards honeymoon bluff. The road seemed to wind around endlessly with each turn growing darker and darker. Both of us were quietly nervous that we might miss the whole purpose for going up on the hike- to watch the sun set. Finally coming around the last corner, we spied the parking lot. As I turned in I realized parking was going to be at a premium. Deciding there was no time to loose, and realizing everyone was there for the same reason we were, I decided to just park right next to the trailhead and block someone in. Afterall, we had to get to the top to see the sun set- which we feared had already been in progression for quite some time. After quickly hopping out of the truck and grabbing a pullover to help ward off the pesky mosquitoes I started bounding upward on the trek to see the sign... 1/2 mile! "1/2 mile! We don't have time for this" I shouted in despair. After not receiving any response, I turned around to find Jonathan... gone! Where did he go? We have to get up there! Finally, I spied him rambling out of from in front of the truck zipping his shorts up. "What are you doing?" I shouted! "We have to get up there! And what if someone would have come? You were right out in the open!" Nonetheless, we finally started our ascent which was titled "moderately difficult" on the map. Fear once again set in that we would miss the all-to-important reason we came to this special hideout... to watch the sunset. So I started bounding up the stairs with a renewed invigoration only to come to a slow moving group blocking the whole trail. As they slowly moved off to the side to let me by I looked back and to my despair could not see Jonathan anywhere! Where did he go? I thought to myself... we don't have time for this! I impatiently told the other group they could continue meandering as I had to wait for the other half of my party. Well, what seemed like minutes later, Jonathan finally appeared around the corner, huffing and puffing his way up the stairs asking "why are you in such a rush?" "We have to get to the top!" I cried out in despair... "let's go!" After reaching a fork in the trail, the slow group went off to the left because it was "easier"they said so I reasoned to the right would be the fastest option. Continuing to bound up the trail I came to what seemed like heaven- an overlook to end all overlooks for such a short hike! As I once again waited impatiently for my brother to come meandering up the trail I continued hiking in awe of what I was seeing. A spectacular view of Hungry Jack Lake with the sun... still quite high in the sky actually. Well, at least we made it, I thought- but Jonathan had a few other thoughts like "why did we have to rush up here so fast?" Nonetheless, we made it and it was time to explore. After seeing one of my school parents and one of my students (go figure!) we wound our way down to the other side of the cliff. Jonathan bound over the safety railing and enticed me to do the same. And we sprawled out on our stomachs overlooking this beautiful landscape on the very edge of a steep cliff! We sat there for what seemed like hours- soaking in all the beauty, watching the little fishing boats below that looked like ants moving around, and watching the sun go behind some clouds before preparing itself for its final descent into the earth for the night. It was an amazing time- just Jonathan and me... together... alone... on the most beautiful road this side of heaven... watching the sunset... together! What a dream come true! Well, the sun set, and the time came... we had to begin our descent down the mountain. After a quick first half descent we ran into a slow moving group. One of them looked back with a big grin on her face and said to Jonathan and me, "You two looked so cute up there together overlooking the edge of the cliff and watching the sunset!" What? So cute? Jonathan and I looked at each other with a look of dismay... what should I say? How should I respond? For what seemed like a very long awkward silence, I finally blurted out "Yeah just so our wives don't find out... they would have freaked out!" Her response was "Yeah- I was worried for them" and the mood was once again a little less tense. Finally, we rounded the last corner, got in the truck, and had to carefully maneuver around the many vehicles while people looked on, pointed, and laughed at the big truck awkwardly and desperately trying to get back out of the parking lot full of cars. As we finally pulled away, Jonathan and I turned to each other and grinned, for we knew we had just shared our best honemoon together.

Anticipation Over

We finally got into Grand Marais, parked the truck, and rounded the corner to...Sven and Ole's Pizza!!!



However, before we ate Jeff and I had to fulfill an agreement. Before heading up to the North Shore, Eme said I could eat at the world's best pizza place if Jeff and I both ate a slice for her and said "Boy, I wish Eme was here." So we did and the pizza was glorious!

Purple Beauties

While heading down the road, Jeff and I kept seeing these beautiful purple flowers. So we stopped at one point, snapped a picture, and said...

"These flowers are so beautiful, they remind us of our wives."

McDonald's - BWCA Style

One of the great things about the Boundary Waters is that you feel so free and uninhibited by rules. After climbing down Eagle and being quite sweaty and dirty, we wanted to wash up quick before heading into town for our long anticipated dinner.



We drove by this sign, backed up, and headed for the access point to take a quick bath. It felt great!

Eagle Mountain - The Descent

After enjoying a nice drink of water, a couple beef sticks, and a granola bar we headed back down the trail.

At one point there was a beaver dam (shown previously) with water flowing over it and a boardwalk to cross safely to the other side of the stream. Problem is, the stream was overflowing part of the boardwalk. So someone jerry rigged a few tree branches over the boardwalk to aid hikers across the other side. But these branches were very narrow, rolled easily, and were partially under water! Not safe, so say the least. Well, Jeff got a wet foot on the way up the mountain...and I got a wet half of my body on the way down.

Ugh. I had my path all planned out before I crossed this treacherous boardwalk. It all went awry about mid way through the underwater part and I slipped on the slick wood and fell, halfway, into the water. And, as I'm CLINGING on for dear life to the edge of the boardwalk trying not to get swept away in the raging current, Jeff asks "Are you ok?" (in the Bonkoski male fashion...the tone implies ("Are you ok after your strangely risky maneuver over the dangerously slippery boardwalk? I mean, I made it ok, but are you ok?") And then continues to dismount his backpack, search for his camera and snap a picture of my misfortune.

Eagle Mountain - The Summit

After a seemingly quick 3 mile hike up the mountain, we made it! The destination! The top! The vistas of the expansive Minnesota wilderness and Sawtooth Mountains was literally breath taking (as we were moving at a pretty good swift clip hiking up to the top)! We both quickly celebrated God's beautiful creation while soaking it all in. The only thing that could have made it better was if my Eme could have been there to experience it with me. However, this was a guys trip, so it was special in it's own right.


Enjoy the views...we sure did!



At 2,301 ft above sea level, Jeff and I were the tallest people in Minnesota!

The plaque, placed there in 1969, says something about Ulyses S. Grant II and some other guy explored this mountain in the late 1800's or early 1900's.

Eagle Mountain - The Journey

One of life's complicated issues I was pondering heavily last week dealt with the journey and destination. Eme asked me on the phone, as we were 400+ miles apart, "Do you like the journey? Or do you like getting to the destination?" Without hesitation I said, "I love the destination!"

So that got me to thinking about life, its journey and its destination. (I told you this was complicated stuff) This Eagle Mountain journey was especially significant for me in discovering and unlocking some of life's quandaries. More on that later...

Eagle Mountain - Base

It has been a dream of mine (and Jeff's) to hike up to the tallest point in Minnesota. So it was an obvious choice to make the trek on this trip. We were excited and our adrenaline was starting to flow as we looked at the map and took our first steps up the mountain...

Unsolved Mystery

So, on the way home from our last day of roofing last Thursday Jeff and I decided to take a quick trip up north along the north shore of beautiful Lake Superior. Our first night's stay was at the...strange...Indian Lake campground located about 20 miles northwest of Two Harbors. We set up camp at about 11:30 pm and woke up to find something weird. Have you ever seen a railroad coming out of a lake?? The campground had an eerie feeling to it and the rails just capped it off.

There are a lot of uncertainties in life, but Jeff and I are pretty sure we will never visit Indian Lake campground again.

Discovery

After Greek ended (for me) I decided to work with Tim Schneiderwind, who owns Aldgate Construction, and Jeff, who works construction during the summer. I spent the first week with Tim gutting and rehabbing an aging bathroom in a friends house. The second week I decided to take the Megabus to MN and help Jeff and his friend Brian roof a house.

Working was all good, but it was great to be with Tim, a friend, and Jeff, my brother. Over the past few weeks I was able to discover or uncover some of my desires, passions, and the way God has made me. More on that later...

One of the great things about being home in MN was the ability to do spontaneous activities...such as fishing with Jeff, dad, and Micah on Horseshoe Lake.

I'm pretty sure the nightcrawler I had on my hook was bigger than the crappie I caught with it. Then Jeff had to show off his bigger catch. Even thought they weren't huge, it was still fun to be on a boat, with the guys, on a lake, in Minnesota.