Sunday, December 28, 2014

The 3 Days of Christmas

     For our family this year we celebrated the three days of Christmas.

     On the first day of Christmas - Dec. 23rd - we took off and went to Brainerd, Mn to celebrate Christmas with my wife's side of the family.  The celebration took place at a motel with a water park which included an indoor/outdoor hot tub.  The wife and kids took several trips to the pool and sometime in there we opened gifts and had snacks.  I received a 32 g flash drive, 5 boxes of Swiss Rolls and an invisible book.

     On the second day of Christmas - Dec 24th - we went shopping for fabric for my daughters wedding, took on Kentucky Fried Chicken - we were going to go in but just as we got there they closed the lobby so we did the drive thru.  We then went to my parents for the evening and again opened presents after having some food.  I received a new shirt and together with my wife we received some new sheets for the bed.

     On the third day of Christmas - Dec 25th - we came home and sometime after supper we again opened presents minus one daughter who was at her fiancee's parent's house.  This time I received candy, underwear, coupons for hugs, a key chain and a coupon for a Veggie Tales movie.

     After all of that I still had three days to recuperate.

Friday, December 5, 2014

What A Day

     Thursday December 4th was a day to remember.

     It started out as a normal Thursday for us as I got up and went to work and later my wife got going giving piano lessons.  Later in the day she was going to head to Bemidji with the youngest three (two were already in Bemidji) for the night and then on to the cities for her aunts funeral service.  But then.... The rear window on the mini van shattered for no apparent reason. - change of plans.  She didn't want to take the bigger van because it doesn't get good gas mileage so she decided to take our daughters car which meant leaving the youngest home but that meant waiting until she got home. Well....

     She was later getting home because she was spending time with her boyfriend who took her for a walk on the ice in the moon light and it was there that he proposed to her and of course she said YES.  With all that excitement and the calling to tell grandparents etc, my wife didn't get out and going until nearly 10:00.  It was after midnight before she arrived in Bemidji.

     Now I can wait for my Family's safe return home and a wedding date.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

It's Been Awhile

     I just realized this morning that it has been along time since I last posted on this blog.  I last mentioned the start of the soccer season which has been over for a long time now.  It was a good season as the junior team I coach did awesome.  During the regular season they won two games and lost four which may not sound good but of the four games they lost all were lost by one goal which means we were in the game the whole time,  Two of those games we lost were lost in a shoot out after regulation and over time.

     Then came the tournament and our offence came alive.  In our first game we scored our first goal about two minutes into the game and we never looked back winning the game 6-1.  Even the goal the other team got we scored for them by accident.  In the second game against the team that had beat us the most we played to a 0-0 tie at half time and then scored five goals in the second half winning that game 5-0.  Needless to say, we brought home the trophy for the first time in 10 years.  I even got to watch my one daughter score while the other did an awesome job being a goalie.

     Since then things have calmed down and while I do not have soccer to occupy my time our family has AWANA club where I am game leader for the sparks group, my wife is secretary for the same and two of my daughters help out in other groups.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Soccer Season

     Soccer Season has arrived.

     This past week the kids had two practices and from what I have see so far.... It is going to be a great season.  It will also be a challenging season as I have 36 kids on the roster.  Now, as many of you may know, In a official game only 11 kids can be on the field at any one time.  The challenge comes in trying to keep the team strong on the field while get the weaker kids playing time so they can strengthen their skills and abilities.   One thing I like to do is Scrimmage, Scrimmage and Scrimmage.  This does allow kids lots of playing time.

     To help with all these kids I have a returning assistant coach who will be helping again for the third year and I have another who has volunteered starting the second week.  For this, I am very thankful.  Hopefully, with their help, I'll be organized and ready to go by the end of the season.....  May the Craziness be with us.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Turning Blue

     It's that time of year again when I start turning blue.  No, it's not because it is cold out, unless the 80's are cold, It is that time of year when the blueberries are calling out to me to be picked.  Along with my children and a friend one day, we have now picked over 11 ice cream pails full and we will likely go out again.  We have sold a few pails and some are being given to parents on both sides of the family.

     Now it's time for the Lake Itasca Family Music Festival.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Trees

     This past week made for an interesting week.  On Sunday we had been experiencing some strong winds and in town at the land we take care of there was a large twin tree that the wind decided to take down.  We got the call that it went down after I had crawled in bed.

     After making a couple phone calls we got a hold of someone with a chain saw to meet us at the tree.  One half of the large tree went down across the alley.  After some time we got the alley opened up.  Then it was the other half of the tree on the neighbors shed to worry about.  After a lot more cutting, a lot of the weight had been taken off the roof but we couldn't get it down.  And all of this while it was raining.  It was after midnight by the time we got home and into bed - again.

     On Monday we hoped to get it off the shed but things didn't work out but Tuesday morning we had a tree service finish taking it to the ground. and then the job of cleaning it up started.  We have two different friends who are taking wood for the tree, which is a help and we have made several trips with the trailer hauling brush to our house but there is still plenty there.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

JUNE

June has been a busy month

Several if not all of us have been gone almost every weekend.
  • First it was a graduation party for my niece in Brainerd.  I just had to go and give her a bad time.....
  • Second was a wedding in Bemidji.  Friends of ours tied the knot and my oldest two were playing music for the wedding.
  • Third was a rally in Brainerd
  • And fourth was the transfer of one on the kids from one Bible camp to another.
Somewhere, wedged in all of this was my birthday, fathers day, Drivers Ed for the 15year old, swimming, a camp out for the older two boys, my oldest doing some house sitting and even flooding.

I'm thinking I may be glad for June to end.

Oh yeah, I also decide to try putting together another blog which I'm calling PupperPologia.  More on that in the future.

Friday, June 13, 2014

A Duck In The Rain

     It has been a wet spring.  Many farmers in the area are wanting the rain to stop so they can get there crops in the field but the forecast keeps calling for more rain.  The other day it rained and rained, leaving a large puddle in our front yard which has been nicknamed Lake of the Woods.  Well, when I went to work that morning, a duck was swimming around in the puddle and took off.  To top it off, this morning it got down to 37 degrees.  at this rate we might get rid of the rain, maybe it will turn to snow....  Maybe summer will come.

Friday, April 4, 2014

No Work

     This past week, my place of employment, Marvin Windows, Did something it has not done in a long time.  It closed the plant because of the weather.

     On Monday of this past week we got it by a major April fools joke.  A major winter storm dumped up to 17 inches of snow on the area and along with the snow came the wind.  By Monday afternoon the roads had become hazardous to drive and the Plant shut down the night shift and the day shift the following morning.

     On Tuesday morning, I slept in and then got up and blew snow for 2 /12 - 3 hours cleaning out the driveway and various paths.  By the time I was done the road we live on had been plowed so we could get out and my daughter could get home - she had to work during the storm.

     By Wednesday the roads were bare but the pile of snow were high. and they still are.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Winter

     I read somewhere, I think it was on my calendar that today is suppose to mark the arrival of spring.  Currently we are looking at a winter storm warning for tomorrow followed by temperatures somewhere below zero.  I must be looking at the wrong month, it must be December again.