The only way to kick off the end of summer celebrations is with a laboring Doug and white shoes at The Firm.

The Van Betta Gardens, located on Atwater Street in Minnetonka, are home to many varieties of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, flowers, and eggplants.

Wade and Chelle visited the Minnesota State Fair twice this year; once with Wade's brother Mark and our sister-in-law Kara, and once with Chelle's sister Kristen and cousin Drew. We had two picture perfect days for eating and people watching our way around the Great Minnesota Get Together.

Russ and Jan Bowar, Amy's parents, won a gourmet dinner for 8 cooked in their house by Amy and Chelle at the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk auction. Chelle was busy cooking so there aren't many photos, but the pre and post-dinner table pictures are priceless. We also got to meet Matt and Bridgette's new puppy, Guinness.

Friends gathered at Casa Van Betta for an evening of wings, beer, and cake to celebrate Michelle's entrance to her mid-thirtied.

When most people think of New York they think Central Park, Broadway, and Fifth Avenue. For me, New York is defined by those summer days on the beach and in our yard that seemed to last forever. Here's a little glimpse of my New York...

We loaded up the jeep for a 2200 mile roundtrip journey that took us through 9 states and Ontario, Canada.

We kicked off Independence Weekend with a day on Lake Minnetonka.

The Firm Workout Studio took up the rear of the 2009 Minneapolis Gay Pride parade. This year's Firm theme was "Be Your Own Super Hero" serving as a reminder that we each possess super powers and should be proud.

Keeping with this year's Firm Pride theme, Diva Doug came to class as a Super Hero and reminded us that we each possess the power to fly, dance, step, jump, lift, sweat, and sing.

Rina's friends donned their concert tee-shirts and headed to Elixir celebrate her 30th birthday.

Our first-born Luna celebrated her 5th birthday with good food, fine wine, and lots of love.

Our last stop on our West coast journey was Portland, Oregon to visit our friends Becca and Brian and their new daughter, Kai. We visited Williamette Valley wine country and enjoyed relaxing in Becca and Brian's beautiful home.

Our second stop on our tour was Sonoma Valley, where we stayed at The Lodge in Sonoma and tasted our way through both the Sonoma and Napa Valleys.

The first stop on our Western US adventure was San Francisco where we got to catch up with friends and family, relax on the water, and catch a Giants game.

With the last frost (hopefully) behind us we spent the weekend playing in the dirt. After getting the flowers and vegetable gardens planted we celebrated Memorial Day and Sara's birthday with a backyard BBQ.

Paul and Hjordy Wagner launched their book about families, acceptance, and love in style at The W in Minneapolis. Guests were treated to an array of motivational speakers and musical performances and had to opportunity to mix and mingle with the authors and their sons, Brad and Andrew.

Diva Doug and some of his friends from The Firm led the warm-up at the annual walk 10K walk through Minnehaha Park benefiting the MN AIDS project.

Our Walk for Animals team, The Electric Mayhem, joined 8000 other walkers and their pets to raise money and awareness for the Twin Cities Animal Humane Society. This annual walk on the first weekend in May is the top fundraiser for the humane society.

Friends and Family gathered at Crystal Lake to watch the Kentucky Derby, get an early start on Cinco De Mayo, and celebrate Logan's birthday.

Friends and family gathered at Cafe Formaggio in Carle Place to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Matt and Renee's baby girl.

The non-shower shower weekend in New York photos.