The busiest summer
I finally updated the website. This site originally served as a landing place for our wedding, but I transitioned it to a blog during the cancer years and have kept the updates coming ever since. It used to live on ...
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The Blog
The sporadic updates of Chris, Elyse and Auggie.
2026
Greece Chaperoning
We’ve been wanting to go to Greece ever since we had to cancel our Honeymoon there due to COVID. Chaperoning a high school trip there wasn’t the romantic trip we had initially planned, but a free trip to Greece is a...
Spring
The transition from our Portugal trip back to daily life was a whirlwind of milestones and celebrations. Auggie had his piano recital and performed Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. He’s doing awesome! Playing with...
Portugal Spring Break
We had a fantastic spring break trip in Portugal. We split our time between Porto and a country house inland on the Douro River. Our first Airbnb was in Vila Nova de Gaia, and had amazing views of the Douro and the ...
Winter
After a Christmas at home and in the burbs we were off to New York to visit Huck, Justine and Mark. We did a few of the tourist sights with Auggie, but mostly enjoyed exploring Justine's neighborhood. Over Presidents ...
2025
Year End Review
Another great year comes to a close. We were fortunate to do a lot of traveling in 2025. It started with the yearly trip down to Florida to visit Karen and Al. Every year, Auggie gets more adventurous with his swimmin...
Fall
We started this fall with a trip down to Chicago for a day at the Field Museum. Auggie loved the dinosaurs, and so did we. Auggie started Karate which has made for busier week nights. He's already earned his yellow be...
End of Summer
Our summer kept churning at break neck speed. The weekend after we got back from NY we went to the Packers Family Night. Auggie loved the fireworks and lasers, but may have stayed up a little to late. The next week we...
Some more Summer
Summer keeps rolling at a fast pace. The weekend we got back from Alaska we were camping at Oakfest in Plymouth. It was a grand college reunion with Holy Sheboygan. Auggie enjoyed the farm and we enjoyed catching up w...
Alaska!
We took an unbelievable Alaskan vacation to celebrate Chris's Moms 75th Birthday. The adventure started in Ketchikan where we boarded the National Geographic Sea Lion ship. There were only 60 people and a half dozen n...
Spring
Spring has flown by thanks to us keeping busy. Auggie had his first piano recital - Ode to Joy and In the Jungle were flawlessly executed. Elyse had a whirlwind of art shows and community events. Deutsch and Tiff can ...
Dino-four
We had a dino-rific 4th Birthday. On Auggies actual Birthday we had a low key day filled with Legos, mac and cheese and cookies. The next weekend we had the party which included a volcanic eruption, a molten lava floo...
Copenhagen!
We went to Copenhagen for spring break! Turns out it's very cheap to fly to Copenhagen. And that means friends joined us in Copenhagen!! We spent a whole week in the city with Jeff, Egan and Julia. Our Airbnb was beau...
Thawing out
We've been keeping busy this winter. When then temperatures were warm enough we went on lots of hikes at High Cliff State park. We enjoyed a fun, but regrettable outcome, Packer's game with Julia. Lots of delicious fo...
Holidays
We made it through another holiday season. Elyse thought she was going to NY to help with Justine's baby, but instead she helped deliver the baby! Welcome Huck! We're so happy to meet you, and can't wait to see ...
2024
Year End Review
2025 is here! That means 5 years since covid, 5 years since cancer?! 2024 was a fantastic year! Elyse was named one of Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce outstanding teachers. The night of the award ceremony she was annou...
FALL!
How the fu*k is it already December. This Fall flew by! To get caught up we had a lovely weekend up in Door County and were able to stay in the studio at Bjorklunden. Halloween was a spooktacular affair, with pumpkins...
End of Summer
We kept busy during our last month of Summer. We had our first official family camping tip at Point Beach State Forest with Julia. Our site was right next to the water so it was a fun weekend of sand, swimming and bon...
Out West
Auggies new country for the year is Canada! Our trip began with the Empire Builder train from Chicago to Whitefish, Montana. We had our own sleeper car, and for the most part Auggie enjoyed the ride. We then drove up ...
5 Years
Summer 2024 we celebrated 5 years cancer free! Thank you to our incredible network of friends, family and most importantly doctors who made this milestone possible. We are so grateful for your love and support!
Pink Party
What a couple of week with friends and family! The festivities started with a surprise 75th Birthday party for John at Jim's Place. We then had an amazing weekend at Bjorklunden celebrating 5 years cancer free and all...
A lot of Summer in 3 weeks
Five days after getting back from Italy we were on our way to Michigan for Friendcation. This yearly tradition is such a blast - especially as the kids are getting older and can be more independent. We spent the long ...
So many Birthdays!
It's Birthday season, and we've been celebrating lots of them in style. After Auggies Bday we had parties for Asher, Malcolm and the twins. We caught a T-rats game with Julia, and had a great visit with Aidan and Izzy...
I dig being 3!
Right after we got back from Florida it was time to dig being 3!!! This was the second year in a row that Auggies birthday coincided with a snow storm. This time we didn't have to move his party, but it did mean him a...
Spring to spring break
We spent a week down in Bonita Springs visiting Chris's folks for spring break. The weather was nearly perfect and we were in the pool at least once a day. Auggie was cautious at first, but by the end he was jumping i...
Mild long winter . . .
We've done our best to keep occupied since the new year. Auggie had a pretty bad sleep regression that he's finally coming out of. We found that weekend day trips allowed for a nap in the car that we wouldn't get at h...
The Holidays
The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas flew by! We had a quick Christmas with Leta and John before they flew off to California. Auggie had a fun xmas cookie decorating day with his friends. Tammy hosted us, Aidan...
2023
Year end recap
Wowzah! What a year. You can go back through all the posts for more specifics but here is a recap in photo's of our 2023. Highlights include travel to Florida, Spain and North Carolina by the whole family. Elyse ...
Halloween and Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was spent down in North Carolina. We drove and Auggie did well both there and back. It was an awesome visit; we got to meet Runa, and Mads and Baret were so good with Auggie. We mostly stayed on the farm,...
Fall-tivites
It's been a busy fall season going to orchards, farms and the occasional Octoberfest. Everyone is back into the school season swing of things.
Family Photos
We had a fun little photo session with our favorite photographer Audre Rae. While it was a scorching 90 degrees we tried to pull off the Fall vibe. We're trying to do these every couple of years, because as every pare...
End of Summer
We went out to Plymouth for Liam's Oak Fest and had a great time catching up with old friends, listening to good music and exploring the farm. Auggie still can't stop talking about the tractor - more fall visits are o...
Friends! Then Cabin . . . then babies
Walked in the children's parade again this year, although our costumes were low effort compared to last year. We were then off to Grand Rapids to visit the AH crew. It was a whirlwind couple of days but it felt so goo...
Cottage time
After the cabin we had a week at home before we were off again to the Michigan cottage. On the way we were able to stop and see Julie and Candice - so exciting that they're both expecting! We had a great week at the c...
Cabin time
We celebrated 4th of July weekend up at the cabin. For the first half Matt, Sara and Liam were up, and we got to help celebrate Liam's 1st Birthday! We had a really nice time hanging with them. Auggie did a good job p...
Spain!
Barcelona Auggie was a fantastic traveler the entire duration of the trip, and that started with a nice little nap on the evening flight over to Barcelona. We arrived Monday morning and hit the g...
Start of Summer
School is just getting out, but we've been having some Summer adventures already. We had a nice visit with Aidan and Izzy, toured Elyse's students art show, planted flowers, went to a train museum, celebrated the twin...
Birthday, Florida, Spring
We were the family on the go over Spring Break. While Elyse took 25 High School students to England and Scotland, Chris and Auggie went down to Florida to spend time with the grandparents and Tam. Auggie was a good tr...
The rest of Winter
This is a pretty random update of the rest of winter . . . mostly. Notables include Justine coming up for a quick visit, Chris going down to the Suburbs to celebrate Brian's 35th birthday, meeting Frankie!!, Chris's v...
Gray Gloomy Winter
Things have been considerably quieter since the Holidays. Auggie started a Tumbling class at the local YMCA and he's loving it - maybe by the end of it he'll be able to do a somersault. We took a weekend trip down to ...
A four Christmas Holiday
This Holiday Season was a marathon of cheer, cookies, festivities, sickness, drinking, eating, travel, toys, family, exciting announcements, snow, cold and generally a very good time. We picked up Justine the week lea...
2022
November
We had a fun Thanksgiving down at the Dorn's, and then a friendsgiving with all the little kids. Chris went to a Packer's game with Gus, Auggie had his first picture day, and we wore matching pj's and decorated the ho...
Spooky season
Auggie got to experience the full Halloween experience this year. He liked carving a pumpkin, but wasn't interested in touching the innards. We went trick or treating with Asher, Marie and Evie and overall it was a bi...
Fall!
Fall weather and colors were in fine form this past month. We enjoyed an adults only Octoberfest, although it didn't pack as many people in as last year. This was our second year fundraising for the Making Strides wal...
Last days of Summer
Even as summer wound down we were taking a lots of weekend trips here and there. We spent a fun afternoon in Titletown running around and enjoying some Krolls burgers. We had lots of walks - with Auggie doing all the ...
Road Trippin'
Elyse was working behind to scenes to plan a early birthday celebration as we head back from N. Carolina. We stopped in Louisville and stayed at Deutch and Tiff's beautiful house! Phil and Haley came down from Michiga...
Cousins at the Cabin
After our Michigan trip we had a couple of weeks at home to get back into a routine. We took day trips up to the NEW Zoo and Door County. We had hoped to send Auggie to day care during this time but there was a Covid ...
Summer break begins!
We got home from California, celebrated Fathers Day (Elyse killed it with the matching Hawaiian shirts), and then a couple days latter drove over to Michigan for Friendscation. We rented a couple of houses near Lake M...
Spring has sprung
It's been a blur since Auggie's Birthday. Since then we've celebrated Elyse's birthday with a mom's get together. Mother's day was a family affair celebrated with Mark. There was Asher's first Birthday party, and an a...
Wild One
August is one! Holy crap what a fast year! We had a low key celebration on his actual birthday weekend and then a larger bash the following one. His birthday party theme was Wild One, which included a trail mix bar, s...
Jet setting
This trip was one of many firsts, most of them involving being in social settings with lots of people. Auggie's first airplane ride landed us in sunny and warm Florida. He did great on the flight, making fr...
Winter dreary wearies
Our routine was interrupted numerous times this winter thanks to covid. Twice because daycare shut down due to exposure in the classroom, and once because Chris got covid and had to isolate in the basement. How the pe...
Happy New Year
Thanksgiving was spent at Chris's house and it was a lovely and relaxing time. The next month however was not as pleasant. Auggie had a head cold and was teething at the end of November and then BAM! Auggie was hit wi...
2021
Autumn Updates
A fairly quiet Fall over here. Ben came to visit for a weekend which was lovely. Auggie had fun playing with him, and we enjoyed an early Thanksgiving meal with Julia. We took a few trips down to Chris's folks house, ...
6 Months Old!
Little man is already half a year old! He's army crawling, eating solid food, and overall being an awesome champ of a 6 month old. Auggie is loving daycare and everyone that works there has become very fond of him and...
Bye Summer, Hello Daycare
Where did summer go?! August was spent enjoying Mile of Music and some quality R&R time up at the cabin. A little shade shed was a necessity for Auggie to spend time at the dock, but Chris enjoyed it the most. We ...
3 Months, 4th of July
Auggie celebrated his 3rd month birthday a day before the 4th. We spent most of the week up at Moose Lake with the Clark-Johnson gang. Most of the time was spent in the water or on the pontoon. I had some quality time...
Friends! That we can hug!
Auggie has now been to 5 states - 1/10th of the way done. We had a friends trip out to Grand Rapids. It felt so amazing to be able to hug friends again. I'm out of practice taking photos so nothing but babies is well ...
Endings and Beginnings
A few big things coming to an end and new ones beginning. Chris finished his Associates degree is Software Development, and on the same day as his last class accepted a new job at Thrivent. Starting June 14th he'll be...
Travel test
That was a busy couple of weeks. Auggie has already been with us for over a month - how did that happen?! Justine came in for a week, and fittingly we had our first outing to the bars. Auggie did great, and we felt pe...
Finding a rhythm
I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks. Auggie has found his rhythm of sleeping and eating every 3 hours, and luckily for us a little longer at night. When he is awake he is looking around and taking in the world -...
First week
Our first week home with Auggie flew by. Everyday has been filled with firsts - first meal at home, first bath, first cuddles with dewy, first walk.
Hello Auggie
August Allan Dorn was born on 4/3/21 at 3:51pm weighing 8lb 7oz and was 20 inches tall. After a night at the hospital we brought him home Easter Sunday and are looking forward to spending every moment we can wit...
The Nursery
We know our little guy is going to love his room. Thanks to all your generous gifts it's the perfect place for him to call home. Just over a year ago this room had carpeting and beat up, unfinished floors. Now it's ou...
Baby shower carryover
Some of the most special gifts we're received are peoples favorite children's book with an inscription from them. If you're considering giving something that is at the top of the list. Books can be sent t...
Finally, 2020 is over.
We finished up 2020 a lot better than 2021 began. Our little man is growing and kicking up a storm. We've begun decorating his nursey which has been really fun. With quarantining and testing we were able to celebrate ...
2020
Baby Dorn
Elyse and I are excited to announce that we are expecting!! Baby Dorn is due April 2021! We are beyond grateful and thrilled for this next chapter!
A weird 6 months
Well, a lot has happened, and at the same time not that much at all. Our honeymoon was scrapped, so we explored the beautiful Midwest with friends and family. We've refinished the floors in our guest room, baked sourd...
Hey! It's a new year.
We hit the ground running in 2020. Most importantly Elyse is starting the year off with a clean bill of health. Chris started a new job in the admissions department at Lawrence University. We celebrated the holid...
Ring Rang Rung
Happy New Year! May it be filled with good health, good friends, excellent meals and lots of adventure!
2019
Lots to celebrate
We had a lot to celebrate today - it was Elyse's last radiation treatment, and thus last treatment period! It was also my birthday, so the former was the perfect present. Oh yeah, it was also the first day of school f...
7 Days left
Last weekend we ran the Hilbert Cheese Head race with our good friend Julia. It was a beautiful course through farm land, and even better beer and buffet at the finish line. This weekend Molly is in town! Elyse ...
Radioactive girl
Elyse teamed up with Radioactive Man this week. She'll be his sidekick for the next 22 days - what adventures await?!
Radiation
After four whole weeks of no treatments, today Elyse began a four-week round of radiation. And she got a cape!
Lab results
The lab results came back sooner than expected and Elyse is cancer free!!! There is still a lot to figure out with radiation, but we're going to bask in the glow of this good news for a while.
Sayonara Surgery
Things began to feel almost back to normal the weeks after Elyse's last chemo. We had a lovely weekend up in Minnesota. Elyse took a family road trip with Justine and Matt down to North Carolina for some family time. ...
Ciao Chemo! Rang that bell!!!
After 6 months of chemo Elyse gets to ring that bell!