This weekend Jenni and I drove down to my Grandparents house in Rochester. I planned a little birthday getaway weekend for her because her birthday is on the 23rd and she needed to get away! On Friday night we visited with my Grandma and had some delicious raspberry wine and chocolate...and then we headed to the movies to see "The Secret Life of Bees." It was a really sad but moving movie. We slept in on Saturday and then got amazing massages in the early afternoon. After our massages we did a bunch of Christmas shopping! They have lots of shopping available there and all the Christmas sales were great. On Saturday night I cooked dinner for Jenni and my Grandma (my Grandpa was in Florida at the Swamp watching the Gators in the SCC football game...GO GATORS!!) so it was just us girls for the weekend :) I made a fennel, apple and blue cheese salad with homemade dressing, salmon with a mustard-cream sauce, asparagus and potato wedges. It was so yummy!! I love to cook. Saturday night we saw a funny comedy/play about Minnesota in Plainview. Sunday morning we did some more shopping and crafting. I made a Christmas wreath and Jenni finished getting some presents together. It was fun, and a nice relaxing weekend which was just what we needed! Jenni has all the pictures from the weekend so I'll post some later :)

Kansas City Halloween

Jenni, Meghan and I made the 7 hour trip down the Kansas City Missouri to visit Amy for Halloween. We had fun exploring around the city and spending time together. Amy is getting married in May so there is always a lot of wedding planning and talk going on, and it's fun to be a part of that. I also shot a second engagement session for them, because they wanted some photos at a park in Missouri where they currently live. It was a fun weekend!

Busy as a bee

As some of you know, I've recently expanded my passion for photography into a business! This is why I have been so out of touch and busy this fall, as I am trying to grow my portfolio. I have had the best time re-connecting with friends and shooting sessions for family and friends. I am hoping it will quiet down for the winter months so I can spend some more quality time with my husband, our families, and our friends. If you have not seen my photography blog and have an interest in viewing it, the address is: www.feldkamphotography.blogspot.com

Brag time!!

Ok so most of you know by now that Woodbury beat Eden Prarie to win their spot as state champions this year! It was an awesome game. Eden Prarie scored the first goal, and right off the kick-off my sister scored within 30 seconds to tie the game at 1-1. Then the minutes passed by as the crowd's intensity grew. Emily Moris scored on a header to bring the Royals up 2-0 and win the state title. I've been so proud of my little sister as she has become a really great athlete! She was picked for the All-Tournament team by the board watching the State Tournament, All Conference Team, Honorable Mention for the Sectional Team, and was voted most improved by her teammates and coaches. She's also one of the top 10 recruits for college soccer, with the Universtiy of Minnesota one of the many working hard to get her on their team. Last month they sent her a letter with her head photo-shopped onto another players on the field, and all the signs in the stands say, "We Love DuVal!" We all got a kick out of that.

Woodbury had to beat Wayzata in order to qualify for the state tourney, and the game was looking grim as it was 1-0 after halftime, with the minutes ticking away. Aly scored twice to help her team win 2-1 and advance to the semi-finals. It was an exciting game, with her scoring 8 minutes before the final whistle. Woodbury had a great season, and my sister has grown so much as a player and individual. She scored 13 goals this year and had many assists. It was fun watching her get interviewed on camera for the news and by recorder for the paper. As Woodbury kept advancing, we watched as her goals were nightly highlights on the news and her face was all over the Pioneer Press, Star Tribune, and Woodbury Bulletin. She even made the cover of the Pioneer Press! All of the girls on the team have great chemistry working together and are a very strong team, and of course she could not do it alone.

I don't usually brag much, but I figure this is my 5 minutes to get it all out on my blog....because I would never brag this much in person. Can you tell I am a proud sister???! :) I've never been more proud of anyone in my life as I am of her. Way to go Al!!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her from the paper!