Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 2022 was another memorable year for our family. Matt, Katie and I kicked the new year off in Aruba. While we were gone, Jack broke his scaphoid during basketball and was in a cast for a month. We escaped to SW Florida a few times in the spring and early summer this year. It’s such a nice break from the cold Minnesota weather! We didn’t use the camper at all in 2022 and weren’t at the cabin as much as we would’ve liked. We did get to host my family at the cabin for a 4th of July celebration. We dropped Jack off at school in August and Matt and I also celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary that month. The autumn flew by and here we are at the end of the year already. Where does the time go?

Matt has been busy with the office. He worked as the only dentist at Pike Lake Dental until June, when he hired a new and wonderful associate. He and a friend went to Texas this spring to hunt wild boars from a helicopter. It sounds crazy, but he had so much fun! He got in a couple trips to Isle Royale to fish, once with me and once with his buddies. He and Jack went to British Columbia with some friends to fish in July. The scenery was spectacular! The fishing, not so much. Even so, it was a wonderful memory for all the guys. Matt and I did a little grouse hunting this fall. Ollie, our British lab, learned to ride in the Ranger this summer, so he could join us hunting too. Pheasant hunting in South Dakota opened in October and the guys went on their annual pheasant hunt with a bunch of buddies again this fall. They came home with so many birds! Jack and Matt have also gone to a few Vikings games this year. All in all, Matt had a pretty spectacular 2022.

I’m still splitting my time between the dental office, home and working on our other little business ventures. I took Campbell, Brett and Katie to Yellowstone this summer for a couple weeks while Matt and Jack were gone on their trip to BC. We had a fantastic time, took thousands of pictures and videos, and made so many wonderful memories together. I absolutely love road trips! I still try to read 100 books each year. I’m part of a fun, monthly book club that has been meeting for about 10 years and I get together with some of Jack’s classmates’ moms every so often. I attend as many of the kids’ sporting events as possible. I’m also trying to be more conscious about staying in touch with my friends, even if it’s just a quick text to say hello, now that school and sports don’t bring us together as often. Life sure changes as the kids get older, especially socially for us parents.

Campbell is a senior at the College of St. Scholastica here in Duluth. She has worked exceptionally hard at maintaining her grades and often sets the grading curve on her tests. We appreciate her drive and ambition for excellence with her studies. She and her boyfriend, Brett, will both graduate from CSS this spring with a BS in biochemistry and elementary education degrees, respectively. They just celebrated their 4th anniversary together this fall. That time sure has flown! Campbell spent a lot of time this spring and summer at a local non profit organization called Seeds of Hope Youth Ranch where she reignited her love of horses. She did everything from scooping manure to teaching underprivileged kids how to ride horses at the ranch. She also spent many, many hours knitting hats to donate to our local homeless shelters. She definitely has a huge and  giving heart. Campbell has also discovered a love for house plants this year. Her apartment may be more jungle than living space at the moment.

Jack graduated from Marshall in June and started at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul this fall. He had a fun end to his high school career, enjoyed his last real summer with his friends and transitioned well to life in college. He and his girlfriend, Annika, live only a few minutes apart in St. Paul and have enjoyed their freedom and freshman classes at St. Thomas and Hamline, respectively. Their one year anniversary will fall in January. Jack still has an easy, laid back personality and maintains his friendships as much as possible via the internet and in person as schedules allow. He lucked out and has 3 good friends from high school also attending St. Thomas, one of them is his roommate. We gave him a pass on not getting a job this past summer, but you’ll definitely see him working somewhere in 2023. He also picked up golfing with his buddies this summer and looks forward to improving his game in the coming years. 

Katie is a junior at Marshall and loves having her drivers license and a job. Oh, the sweet feeling of freedom and a little money in her bank account! She’s still at Gordy’s Gift and Garden Center and has way too many house plants because of it. It’s been really fun to watch her blossom at Gordy’s. She often says she can’t wait to go to work and refers to her coworkers as her work family. She found the perfect job! Katie and her boyfriend, Ty, have been dating over a year and they couldn’t be better matched. They are both bookworms and exceptional kids. Katie played volleyball for Marshall again this fall. It was so much fun to be at her games! In her spare time, Katie’s favorite activities are hanging out with Ty, reading and sleeping. She is an excellent student and is VP of the Hilltopper Council, the school’s student council. 

That pretty much sums up our 2022 and gives you a quick glimpse into our lives. I never thought I’d be happy with the kids growing up and leaving home, but it’s actually been pretty fun. We especially appreciate the times we are all able to be together. I’m so thankful the kids are happy and healthy and with significant others who also make them happy. It warms my heart to know they are all moving in positive directions and growing into amazing adults. We are extremely proud of each of them! This time also gives both Matt and me a new perspective of life after kids and has us coming up with fun ideas for this next phase of our lives. I’m seeing more fishing, camping and fun in our future. Let us know if you want to get together sometime soon!

We wish you and your loved ones many blessings during this happy Christmas season and hope your 2023 will be filled with health and happiness. Cheers!

Our love this year and always,

Stephanie, Matt, Campbell, Jack and Katie Jugovich

Merry Christmas! What a whirlwind of a year 2019 has been! I feel as though we’ve hardly been home this year, but we’ve sure had a lot of fun! In January, I took the kids to Aruba without Matt, who stayed home to man the fort. It was a great trip, even though we missed Matt, and we came home with a lot of fun family memories. Campbell got her driver’s license in January. Jack played school basketball last winter and Katie played Junior Olympic volleyball for 6 months this last winter and into the summer. We fished a lot. Jack got his permit. Matt and Jack went to Canada and Alaska over the summer to fish with friends. Katie and I went to Florida for volleyball in June. Our family camped, fished some more and enjoyed the cabin this summer. Fall brought back to school and even more volleyball. Now, as winter settles in again, we are ready for a break in the craziness and some big changes at the office. One thing I’ve learned about life as a Jugovich: It’s never dull! 

Matt has had both a challenging and an amazing year. Although he was the only dentist at the office the majority of this past year, he’s had his best year yet. 2019 has brought him back to the basics and renewed his passion for his profession. We are very excited that another dentist joined our team in November. With an associate at Pike Lake Dental Center, Matt may be able to take a little more time off in 2020. Matt works extremely hard, but he also plays extremely hard. He spent as much time as possible fishing this year, hitting Lake Superior, Isle Royale, Lake of the Woods, Red Lake, Canada and even Alaska this summer. He enjoyed taking the ATVs out at the cabin and driving the pontoon around our lake. Through it all, Matt has always had a great, can-do attitude and a smile on his face. He’s a trooper and makes our lives so amazing. 

Campbell will turn 17 in early January. She loves the freedom a driver’s license and a vehicle provide her. Technically a Junior in high school this year, she chose to go to Lake Superior College here in Duluth as a full-time Postsecondary Enrollment Option student, which means she will graduate in 2021 with both an AA degree in May and her high school diploma in June. She worked over the summer at Fleet Farm, but took a hiatus from working this fall to focus on her schooling and to help ferry her brother and sister around. We share custody of Campbell with her boyfriend, Brett, or get them as a package deal most evenings. Campbell discovered her love for baseball, Brett’s sport of choice, and attended about 100 of his games this spring and summer, including the MN 2A HS baseball championship game, in which Brett threw the winning pitch! She is extremely happy about every aspect of her life right now, which makes us extremely happy. As one of her favorite past teachers likes to say, “Life is good!”

Jack is 15 and has been chauffeuring us around since he got his permit in May. He’s growing taller every time I look at him and is a solid 5’ 10.5” now.  He played basketball last winter, but has chosen to take a break from sports this year. His schoolwork has made a fantastic turnaround this Sophomore year and I think he’s secretly pretty proud of it. I know I am! Jack had a bunch of amazing opportunities to hunt and fish with Matt this year, including a couple father-son fishing trips with friends to Alaska and Canada. I’d best describe Jack as an easy going, X Box playing, all around awesome kid. He has a dry, witty sense of humor, which never fails to make us laugh.

Katie will be 14 at the end of December. She’s already taller than both her sister and me. Volleyball is her favorite sport and she plays it year-round between school ball and her JO team. She and I took a fun trip to Orlando this summer to round out her 13s volleyball season at the AAU National tournament. She loves to read and sleep. She’s a fun, feisty, passionate kid who’s fun to hang out with. She’s consistently a stellar student and enjoys her friends and school equally. Katie is still a champion of the underdog and firmly believes in her values. She makes us pull out our hair one minute, then squeeze her because she’s so sweet the next. She makes us laugh a lot and has a quick, dry sense of humor.

I am never lacking for things to keep me busy. I went back to work full time at the office last December. It’s been a fun and challenging year and I’m thankful the gals at work have been so gracious and welcoming to me. There was a learning curve in every aspect of my life (from juggling my new schedule to making our family life run smoothly), but we managed it together – as a team and a family. I’m forever grateful to Campbell for jumping in and never complaining about driving her siblings around. And then there are my friends who have also jumped in and supported us along the way. It truly takes a village! To fill my creative niche, I subscribed to a monthly watercolor painting kit this year and have really enjoyed learning something new. I listened to a lot of audiobooks again this year and also read a few traditional books along the way. Summer remains my most favorite season and I eagerly await its return. Sunshine, sandals, boats, water, camping and campfires are still my favorite things, along with craft beer, good wine and books. What can I say? I’m pretty easy to please! Wink. Wink.

The dogs are happy and (fairly) well behaved. Ollie is nearing 4 years old and Alvin is 5. They continue to be best buddies and Ollie is happy to let Alvin take the lead in all things dog related. Ollie jumped off the dock at the cabin at least a million times this year, swimming out for his tennis ball and dropping it at our feet to throw again. He is laid back and happy all the time, if not a little over-the-top affectionate. Alvin still barks a lot and is on high alert for passing vehicles and any chipmunk, squirrel or bird that dares come near our yard. All their quirks aside, they bring us joy and are great companions.

We hope 2019 has delivered you health, happiness and many fond memories. We wish you a blessed 2020! If you are ever up near Biwabik, look us up! The cabin is always ready for company. 

Our love this happy holiday season and always,

Stephanie, Matt, Campbell, Jack and Katie Jugovich

What a year 2020 has been!

We started out the year with a family trip to Aruba in January, never suspecting it would be one of the best, most unrestricted and carefree weeks of our entire year. Our state locked down in the middle of March and stayed closed until the middle of May. During the stay at home order, Matt and the kids painted the kids’ bedrooms, we purged a dumpster full of old papers and junk from the basement, donated loads of stuff, cooked some delicious meals and were able to fish quite a bit. We used our bigger boat more in April and May than we do most summers! We watched the Netflix series Tiger King (waste of time) and enjoyed a bunch of  movies at home as a family. Matt and I were also busy during the shutdown with paperwork and planning for our office expansion, which began in May and finished up in November. We got back to work in May with a bunch of increased safety precautions and have had a fantastic second half of the year. We fished, camped, played at the cabin, and tried to enjoy life as much as we could, even with the COVID outbreak this summer. We had most of our trips cancelled this year, including a volleyball tournament for Katie in Florida and fishing in both Ontario and British Columbia for Matt and Jack. The fall brought renewed excitement at the office when we moved into the fresh, new addition. We doubled our square footage and are so excited about it! The whole office looks absolutely beautiful! We hope to spend more time at the cabin this winter and get outdoors to snowmobile and ice fish. 

Campbell is a Senior in high school this year and is also in her second year of PSEO, a program that allows kids to attend college for free their Junior and/or Senior years of high school. She will graduate this spring with her AA degree from Lake Superior College and her high school diploma. She worked for us at the dental office over the summer and has worked at the Tutoring Center at LSC this 2020/2021 school year, tutoring fellow students in both chemistry and calculus. She really enjoys college and it’s a good thing she does because she most likely will be in school for another 6-10 years for a career in either the medical or dental field. Campbell and her long-time boyfriend, Brett, have enjoyed being carefree kids this year and spent a lot of time hiking, hammocking, hanging out with friends and binging on TV shows. All in all, it’s been a great year for Campbell. We are looking forward to her turning 18 in January and enjoying a further taste of freedom as she enters adulthood.

Jack is a Junior at Duluth Marshall. He turned 16 in May and got his driver’s license in July, thanks to the COVID shutdown. He’s thoroughly enjoying all the freedom a driver’s license allows and is always willing to help drive his little sister to school and get her to and from her commitments. Jack is still an extremely social kid, enjoying many of the fun activities of the typical high school kids – attending sporting events, hosting sleepovers at the cabin, hanging out and grabbing food with friends, and lots and lots of XBox. He met his dad’s height and stands at a solid 6’ tall. Jack continues to make us laugh with his antics and has proven to be a fantastic sous vide chef. His flame-finished ribeye is to die for. Jack also spent a few weekends hunting birds this fall with Matt. We all enjoy the pheasants, ducks and geese.

Katie started high school this year and is a happy Freshman at Duluth Marshall. She stayed active and connected with friends with a lot of volleyball this year. COVID cancelled the last 4 months of her regular JO volleyball season, but she was able to play her favorite sport with new, fun, alternative volleyball options over the summer and into the fall. She is still very helpful around the house and has a special affection for all creatures great and small – dogs, fish and even geckos. She took driver’s ed in the fall, so she’ll be ready to get her permit to drive when she turns 15 at the end of the month. Katie is almost always fun to hang out with (she is a teenager, don’t forget) and is still game to camp, fish or watch a movie with us almost anytime.

The dogs are happy and healthy, although Alvin, at 7 years old, is starting to slow down. Ollie still wants to jump off the dock every chance he gets and he’ll hold your hand all day long if you’ll let him. 

Jack and Katie switched to online learning in November and Campbell continues to be about half online and half in-person classes. COVID struck our house in November, too. Campbell has fully recovered and we are thankful it was a very mild case. Although we were close together before we knew she was sick, she was the only one to get the virus. How does that work?

We continue to be thankful for amazing coworkers and patients, steady jobs we enjoy, a healthy family, true friends, and lots of opportunities to indulge in our favorite pastimes. The invitation still stands – there’s always a comfortable floatie and a cold beer available during the summer at our cabin on Bass Lake near Biwabik. 

Here’s hoping 2021 is a year filled with health and happiness for you and yours! 

Our love always,

Stephanie, Matt, Campbell, Jack and Katie Jugovich

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from 2020:

Livin’ it up on the beach in Aruba in January.

Signing our lives away at the closing of the loan for the office expansion in June.

Campbell and Brett celebrating the 4th of July at our cabin.

Mid-construction of the office addition in July.

Alvin cuddling on Katie’s bed.

The kids standing for their obligatory photo in Grand Marais in August.

Our 18th wedding anniversary in August.

Ollie ready to roll t0 SD to hunt this fall.

Matt and Jack pheasant hunting in South Dakota in October.

Christmas greetings! What a wonderful year 2021 has been! 

Matt has had a fantastic year keeping busy with some fishing, hunting (ducks, grouse and pheasant), relaxing and, of course, projects around the house, office and cabin. Matt got a new toy this summer, a mini excavator, and is excited to get some projects done in the coming year. The extra bonus for Matt this summer was his schedule. He worked Monday-Wednesday, which gave him plenty of time for work and some much-needed play. Ever the “idea guy”, you may see some new tricks Matt has up his sleeve come out in our Christmas letter next year. Life is always an adventure with Matt!

I still work at the office and help take care of the back end of our businesses. It’s a good mix of people and numbers for me. My schedule also gives me a little more time to be “Mom” while the kids are still home. I finished reading/listening to my annual 100 book goal again this year. I also mastered using chopsticks in 2021! My interests continue to lean toward the arts. Writing, painting and photography are the activities that fuel my soul. I had a nice, little container garden on our deck again this summer. We had a bounty of fresh herbs, onions, potatoes and more this year that we’ll be able to enjoy throughout the winter.

2021 was a big year for Campbell! She officially became an adult in January. She graduated from Lake Superior College with honors and a 4.0 GPA and earned her AA degree in May. She also earned her high school diploma in June, with an additional 350+ hours of community service logged. She took a few classes over the summer and began pursuing a BS in biochemistry degree at the College of St. Scholastica in September. Campbell and her long-time boyfriend, Brett, will both graduate from CSS in 2023. She plans to apply to dental schools in the near future. Campbell also spread her wings in July and moved into her first apartment, a cute 1 bedroom unit, in Duluth. She is only a few minutes from home, but she is thoroughly enjoying her independence. She worked as a tutor for calculus and chemistry courses at LSC for most of last school year and also worked at our office on Fridays. She’s taking most of this semester off from work as she navigates a heavy credit load at CSS. Life has been busy, fun and exciting for Campbell.

Jack is a senior at Marshall and is enjoying every minute of it. He missed so much of his high school experience the past couple years, so he is making up for it at every opportunity. At 17, he is as tall as his dad, a solid 6 feet, and growing. Jack loves to drive! The kid has put a ton of miles on his car. Ever the social butterfly, he loves hanging out with his friends and playing sports. He joined basketball again this year and has learned he also enjoys golf. Jack got a few bird hunting trips in with Matt this fall too. He is finally seeing a direction in school that he enjoys and may pursue a degree in the sciences, as he is really loving his AP biology class this year. He’s applying to colleges now and is looking forward to graduation and new adventures away from home in 2022.

Katie is a sophomore at Marshall and is eagerly awaiting her 16th birthday later in December. She can’t wait to get her drivers license and gain her next level of independence. She got her first job this summer at Gordy’s Gift and Garden Center here in Hermantown. She blossomed (excuse the pun) at Gordy’s! She experienced the many rewards of having a job by making great friends, learning a lot of people and customer service skills and earning a paycheck. She was on the Nordic ski team this past winter, played volleyball for school this fall, joined a bunch of school activities and clubs, student council, and is also a student ambassador for Marshall. She bakes for the office every once in a while too! Katie is a stellar student and keeps a close eye on her grades. She enjoys challenging herself and is taking mostly honors classes at school this year. 

The dogs are aging well. Ollie, at 5 years old, especially loved the summer months being up at the cabin and in the lake, along with the couple hunting trips he made to the Dakotas with Matt. He’s a hunter through and through! He’s also the most loving and gentle dog you could find. Alvin, 7 years old, still sometimes acts like a puppy, chasing his favorite ball and leaping into the car for a “CR.” We have to use a code for “car ride” because he gets so excited. Alvie will still bark at the wind, a stranger or any noise he hears. It’s great. Really.

Our other baby, Pike Lake Dental, continues to grow, especially with the addition to the building in 2020. We have added staff, patients and potential with the extra 2,500 square feet. Matt and I are thankful for the truly awesome people we have the privilege of working with and calling our friends. We often joke that we have our “family” family and also our “work family.” The counting of our blessings wouldn’t be complete without mentioning our amazing patients and the relationships we continue to grow with them. It takes a village and we are forever thankful for ours.

We snuck down to Florida a couple times this spring, once just the two of us to Marco Island and once as a family to the Keys. Matt and I also took a couple weekend trips to Dallas for some financial planning and business strategizing. It feels so good to travel again! 

Our trip to South Dakota’s beautiful Black Hills was a highlight of the 2021 summer. The guys’ fishing trip to Canada was postponed again this year, so we switched gears and loaded up the family and the ATVs and headed out to Lead, SD for a week. The whole family could be together, all 6 of us (Campbell and Brett too!) which is getting harder and harder to accomplish. We visited a bunch of tourist spots and also put many miles on our ATVs. It was an awesome trip! 

We fished only a handful of times this year, certainly not as often as in years past. After much contemplation, we gave up our seasonal site at the campground in Baudette. We mainly focused on being at the cabin and relaxing. There was A LOT of time spent floating on Bass Lake, quite a few campfires and many, many pontoon rides! We also hosted some fun events up there, the top few being a cousin reunion for Matt’s side of the family, an office gathering, Matt’s high school and college buddies for a golfing weekend, and Steph’s 26th high school class reunion. We love to be able to share our happy place with so many people.

All in all, it was a year of happiness and focusing on being present with our little family. We hope 2021 treated you and yours well and that 2022 will do the same. Cheers to a healthy and happy Christmas and New Year!

Our love,

Stephanie, Matt, Campbell, Jack and Katie Jugovich