Happy Holidays 2013!

Ice staking – Carsons Bay, Lake Minnetonka, MN (Nov 2013)

Happy Holidays from the Huntingtons!

We’ve sent out newsletters for several years now and always appreciate the chance to share with everyone the highlights of the year so that we can all catch up with each other!

2013 started off with a few winter adventures…David kicked things off by participating in the ALS Association’s “Blackwoods Blizzard Tour” snowmobile fundraiser for his second year and rode over 300+ miles in record low temperatures! David will be participating again in January 2014 – please feel free to check out the event website at http://www.blackwoodsblizzardtour.com and click on “Pledge a Rider” to support David’s efforts to bring awareness and a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease! Another snowmobiling trip was in February up in Hovland where we had a blast exploring the trails and hanging out with good friends Steve, Pam and Tina. Miki also enjoyed a winter trip out west visiting sister Maki in Wyoming and taking in the beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery. A dog-sledding trip and a visit to Fat Tire brewery were on the itinerary as well as an outing to catch our favorite a cappella group “Pentatonix” live in concert in Denver!

Of course, all this winter fun deserves a break so in March we headed down to the Bahamas for a break from the cold! It was fun to be back in Nassau (we were married there 14+ years ago), and we enjoyed relaxing on the beach and drinking endless cocktails!

Back in Minnesota, we had snow through early May but that didn’t stop Miki from running a half-marathon with her good friend April! While not setting any speed records, it was great to feel a sense of accomplishment in covering 13.1 miles and the views along the shores of Lake Minnetonka were nice, too! In June, David and Dad traveled out to Washington State for son Andrew’s graduation from high school! He’s still playing drums with a local band and is looking to pursue a career as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)/firefighter.

Summer is a great time for travel, so Miki joined her sister and mom for a scenic vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (bison and moose and bears, oh my!). July was the annual 4th of July festivities in town, followed by the annual Huntington family fishing trip “up North.” This year, we headed up to Sand Lake, where we stayed in a cozy cabin and fished for walleye. Finally, in August, Miki joined her sister for a 3-day backpacking trip in the Rocky Mountains!

Before we knew it, school was back in session and Miki returned to the classroom at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) teaching political science courses, while David stayed busy continuing renovations around the house and keeping up his private pilot’s rating. Miki’s sister Maki visited in late September and mom Sasha came out in October to take in the beautiful fall colors. November brought the return of cold weather (though not much in the way of snow…. yet), and we’ve already been out ice skating on Lake Minnetonka!

As we welcome the month of December and the Christmas holiday we’re thankful for the wonderful company of family and friends who have made our year so special once again! Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year 2014!

Happy Holidays from Minnesota!

Happy Holiday Greetings!

We are grateful for another wonderful year, and hope you’re enjoying the winter season! It’s that time of year again when we like to share our “Huntington happenings” for the past year. We kicked off the year with our good friends Rodney and Melissa, and their son Deacon in St. Louis, Missouri! We had a great time exploring the city, and even got to take the ride to the top of the St. Louis arch!

Miki visited her mom in North Carolina in late January, and her sister Maki came up for a visit in February to do some ice fishing! While the snow was a bit sparse last winter, we managed to do some snowmobiling on Lake Minnetonka as well.

David headed up to the Duluth area in February with good friend Steve to participate in the Blackwoods Blizzard Tour – the largest snowmobile fundraising event in the world to support the ALS Association. David will be participating in the ride again this year. Please feel free to check out the event website at www.blackwoodsblizzardtour.com and click on “Pledge a Rider” to support David’s efforts to bring awareness and a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease!

The spring season brought some excitement to our house, as we did a bathroom renovation project that was featured on television on DIY Network’s “I Hate My Bath” show! Our episode runs occasionally on the DIY Network (Season 2, Episode DHMB-204H), or you can come out for a visit to see the finished product in person! 

Miki also did some traveling this year and went to Peru with her sister Maki in May through REI Adventures! The visit to Machu Picchu was definitely a “once in a lifetime” experience! The summer was filled with boat rides on the lake, bike rides to the nearby town of Victoria, and of course, the Minnesota State Fair (cheese curds, anyone?)! We participated in the local 4^th of July Firecracker Run to try and stay in shape, and later that month, Miki’s mom came out for a visit to Minnesota. We also took a trip with mom and dad Huntington to Devil’s Lake, North Dakota to do some walleye fishing, which turned out to be quite an adventure (with lots of fish)! Later in the summer, the “girls” reunited for a trip to New York City in August to take in an off-Broadway show featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov! David’s son Andrew also came out to Minnesota for a visit and even enjoyed his first experience waterskiing! 

Miki has continued to enjoy her new teaching career and is now in her second year at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (www.minneapolis.edu). She also decided to take advantage of her military GI Bill education benefits and started a post-Master’s Certificate Program in College Teaching this fall through Capella University. 

The autumn season brought more activities as we traveled to Cheyenne, Wyoming to visit Maki in her new home. She’s stationed there for about a year as the commander of an Air Force unit. Closer to home, we participated in a 5K run in support of the Special Olympics in October, as well as a 5K turkey trot in November. We also made a return visit to our timeshare resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and really enjoyed the sun and relaxation on the beach, despite a few days interrupted by a nearby hurricane! 

Early December finally brought snow to our little town, and we’re looking forward to doing some more snowmobiling and ice fishing this winter! Merry Christmas! 

Cheers, Miki and David

Miki (miki.huntington@gmail.com) and David (DavidHuntington62@gmail.com)