Memorial Day in Minnesota

Today we went to the St. Mary's Cemetery in St. Anthony for the Memorial Day service that honors those Veterans from the Russian Orthodox Church who died in service to their nation. That distinguished group includes Grandma Mary's brother Martin Kostik, who was killed in combat in Germany not long after the Normandy invasion.











It was a very moving dedication outdoors on a beautiful day, complete with honor guard, rifle squad, a guest speaker who was a POW in WWII Germany, and beautiful music. Afterwards there was a reception at the church where we displayed the scrapbook that Laura just finished putting together, honoring her uncle that we never had the privilege to know, Martin Kostik.

What we do know is that those who served and gave their lives for our freedoms have given us the ability to enjoy spectacular days like we had today. The afternoon was spent on the boat and at "the point" on White Bear Lake!

A Military Saturday

Luke and his friend Grayden went to a military model show at South St. Paul's Fleming Field on Saturday... they saw some really detailed diaramas of military vehicle models.

Afterwards, we dropped into the the Minnesota Army National Guard's Aviation facility at the St. Paul Downtown Airport. They were able to sit in a few of the Guard's Blackhawk helicopters and look at some aircraft that were undergoing extensive maintenance.

Jack's Piano Recital

Jack had his piano recital on Sunday afternoon... he played Bossa Rio by Baumgartner; and Snowspell by Yaeger. He was awesome... At one point, his $86,000 Steinway got a stuck key, and it held all the way through his piece - he didn't miss a beat!

Check out a one-minute video here...

Jack's Confirmation!

Jackson Knight Charles Laingen made his confirmation today at the Cathedral of St. Paul, in downtown St. Paul. It was a two-hour mass, with hundreds of 15-year-olds from St. Ambrose of Woodbury, and Stillwater Catholic churches.

Jack's Sponsor throughout the confirmation process was his Uncle Mike Jindra - thanks Mike, for being such a good role model for Jack!

Jack's confirmation name - Charles - is taken from the church in which his Mom and Dad were married, St. Charles Borromeo, in St. Anthony, Minnesota.

The St. Paul Cathedral is also a National Shrine to the Apostle Paul... Learn more about this beautiful church HERE.

Luke Flies an Aerial Tanker!

Luke skipped some school this morning in order to fly the Boeing corporation's Next Generation aerial refueling aircraft... well - a simulator, anyway. Boeing trucked in a trailer to the State Capitol as part of its effort to get the U.S. Air Force to reverse its decision to buy a foreign aircaft (Airbus Industries) to fulfill the role of aerial refueling for the next generation. The contract is currently in dispute.

What was NOT in dispute was Luke's ability to fly a 767 jet for the very first time - must be all of those video games! He took off from a runway on an Air Force base and returned safely to the ground!

Here, Luke is wearing 3-D glasses as the Air Force Reserve instructor (and Boeing employee) shows him how to operate the boom that "flies" to the aicraft approaching the tanker from the rear to take on fuel. He mastered this part easily, and ended up re-fueling an F-15, a Joint Strike Fighter and a Stealth Bomber!

All Dad did was raise and lower the landing gear for the "captain" (it's not that helicopter pilots can't handle it... we're just lazy).

Learn more about the Boeing NextGen Tanker HERE.