06/10/2026
We traveled to Illinois for the 4th Annual Bret Thye Memorial Kids Fishing Derby, held in honor of James' Uncle Bret. While we were there, our embryo partner, Chad Maschka, reached out and mentioned we were only a few hours away, so we decided to adjust our return travel plans and make the trip to Minnesota.
We're sure glad we did!
We had the opportunity to meet Chad and his beautiful family, tour their amazing dairy operation, and spend time with Titan and Dex, the two calves from our embryo partnership.
It was exciting, fun, and truly awesome to finally see Maskcha's Dairy and Highlands Of Hope in person. Seeing firsthand the care, dedication, and passion that Chad and his family put into their animals made the visit even more special.
After our visit, we made one more stop and picked up some Ellsworth cheese curds. It was especially neat knowing that all of the milk from Maskcha's Dairy goes to Ellsworth, so we got to enjoy a little taste of where their hard work ends up.
A huge thank you to Chad and his family for their hospitality and for taking the time to show us around. Here are some photos and videos from our visit!
