Bonnie

I couldn't have made it without Bonnie. She's always there for me, no matter what. Filled with good advice and great directions, she's my hero.

She's also my GPS.

I think I probably would have accidentally driven to Iowa, or North Dakota, or been lost in Chicago without Bonnie. At the very least, I wouldn't have made it home last weekend.

I was working a job in Pine City, which is about an hour north of the cities on 35. And, much to my dismay, there is no direct route from Pine City to Backus. No direct route at all. I don't believe I drove more than 10 miles without turning either right or left until I hit Mille Lacs, about an hour northwest.

My map-reading skills are sub par. And even with mapquest, I'm pretty sure I would have ending up lost in a small farming town somewhere southeast of Mora.

And I used to think I lived in the middle of nowhere. Not true. Not true at all. I didn't know there was so much of Minnesota I had never been to.

But Bonnie, she was ever faithful. She directed me with precision and poise, calmly stating "Turn left in 300 yards" or "In one-quarter mile, bear right."

I couldn't have done it without her.