At the end of June we drove to MN to spend time with family. A few days were spent at Kraig's brother's home in Fairmont along with Kraig's parents. The cousins kept active while Grandma prepared great meals for all of us! We enjoyed a couple of Buddy's soccer games (he's a super goalie) and planned to do a bunch of boating, but the cool weather and engine problems got in the way of that.
Here are Tim and Buddy pushing the boat along the shore while Grandpa tries to get it running.
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The kids decided to just enjoy the water while the engine finally started, but overheated.
Then we headed to Ramona & Madison, South Dakota for my Dad's family reunion, which occurs every 5 years throughout the country. This reunion was centered around the Kearin family heritage. They gave everyone a copy of 752 descendants since 1781 of Humphrey Kerin in County Kerry, Ireland (his son - my great-great-great grandpa apparently changed the spelling). We spent the 4th of July at Ramona's festival. Can you imagine 162 Kearins invading a town with a population of 190? They shot off green fireworks at one point that night in our honor! The town was so small it didn't even have a gas station or grocery store, but this was where my Grandpa Bill lived as a kid. Since he passed away last November and my grandma was still recovering from a broken ankle, we missed having them there with us.
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My second cousin, Stephen Neal, is an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, so we snapped a pic of the boys with him. He only has 3 Super Bowl rings so far....
Some of us watching the 4th of July parade.
Along with this float full of Kearins, there was a big black bus (that actually is in the parade every year with family that still live in the area) and several vans, bikes, etc.
My second cousin, Stephen Neal, is an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, so we snapped a pic of the boys with him. He only has 3 Super Bowl rings so far....One night after dinner, we had an auction of items donated by everyone to help cover the cost of the reunion and raise funds for startup expenses for the next one. Many of the items were Irish related, some even purchased on trips to Ireland. Stephen brought a couple of photos of him "protecting" Tom Brady during a game, which Tom had autographed. This picture is of the donated painting that hung over my great-great-grandparents' (Michael and Kate) bed in the 1870's.
One morning we toured the area to see the various homes, land, schools, cemeteries and churches of our ancestors. This home belonged to my great-great grandma's (Catherine - Kate) brother. Later, my great-grandma's (Anne) brother, Artie, lived there. When my Grandpa Bill was a teen, he lived with his uncle Artie and helped work the farm instead of going to high school (he later moved to St. Cloud, married my grandma and became a police officer). All the buildings on the farm are in terrible condition since the family sold it and it's basically abandoned (it was interesting to go inside!). The land is still being farmed.
This church, built in 1884 on the National Register of Historic Places, is where my great-grandpa William was baptized and his parents (Michael and Catherine) are buried at the cemetery here along with others in my family. It sits along Lake Badus and across the lake we could see where my great aunt & uncle's farm used to be before they moved to San Diego in the 1950's. Mass is held monthly here by a priest who travels to numerous churches in the area.
My Great-Great Grandma Kate was widowed at 32 and never remarried. She worked the farm herself until her children were old enough to help. She went throughout the area by buggy to collect funds to help buy the wood to build St. Williams Catholic Church in Ramona in 1899, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Back then, people paid a yearly fee to "rent" their pew. Her name is still on her pew (Mrs. K. Kearin). Her brother's name is also there (the one whose home was pictured above).
After 2 1/2 days at the reunion, we woke up early to travel to Minneapolis to see our final MN Twins baseball game in the Metrodome. Blackburn pitched a complete game to help the Twins beat the Tigers 6-2.
Beginning next year, the Twins will play here, at Target Field.
Overall, it was a fabulous week! -Kristin
One morning we toured the area to see the various homes, land, schools, cemeteries and churches of our ancestors. This home belonged to my great-great grandma's (Catherine - Kate) brother. Later, my great-grandma's (Anne) brother, Artie, lived there. When my Grandpa Bill was a teen, he lived with his uncle Artie and helped work the farm instead of going to high school (he later moved to St. Cloud, married my grandma and became a police officer). All the buildings on the farm are in terrible condition since the family sold it and it's basically abandoned (it was interesting to go inside!). The land is still being farmed.
This church, built in 1884 on the National Register of Historic Places, is where my great-grandpa William was baptized and his parents (Michael and Catherine) are buried at the cemetery here along with others in my family. It sits along Lake Badus and across the lake we could see where my great aunt & uncle's farm used to be before they moved to San Diego in the 1950's. Mass is held monthly here by a priest who travels to numerous churches in the area.
My Great-Great Grandma Kate was widowed at 32 and never remarried. She worked the farm herself until her children were old enough to help. She went throughout the area by buggy to collect funds to help buy the wood to build St. Williams Catholic Church in Ramona in 1899, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Back then, people paid a yearly fee to "rent" their pew. Her name is still on her pew (Mrs. K. Kearin). Her brother's name is also there (the one whose home was pictured above).
After 2 1/2 days at the reunion, we woke up early to travel to Minneapolis to see our final MN Twins baseball game in the Metrodome. Blackburn pitched a complete game to help the Twins beat the Tigers 6-2.
Beginning next year, the Twins will play here, at Target Field.
Overall, it was a fabulous week! -Kristin 
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