First weekend in town with family

My wife and kids came down for Easter weekend to check out Marshall, meet some of my new co-workers, get a look at the house I found to rent, and take a break from a city besieged by rising water.

It went splendidly. The kids love the house. It's got stairs (which are very important you understand, the next best thing to a jungle gym) and a living room big enough to hold track and field events. The TV outlet is well away from the room Monika has picked out for an office. I can work and tune out TV and screaming kids. Monika... can't.

Easter Sunday we took the kids to hike around Camden State Park and had lunch with some faculty from SMSU and their guests, a visiting Polish family. Monika got to speak her language and find out about transferring her credits here.

Camden is a gem of a place. My family loves camping, and it's wonderful to go to sleep with a river babbling in the background. The kids loved the hiking trail and scenic overlook so I guess we'll be spending a lot of time there this summer.

We checked out a couple of local restaurants and took in a movie. I was elected to see "Rio" with the kids while Monika took in a flick for grownups. We swung by the library and were delighted to find how well-equipped the children's section is.

On Sunday they had to go back to finish the school year in Valley City. But now we know they'll be looking forward to the move.