Family Matters

The last couple of months have been ca-razy around here.  For those of you that are interested, here is just some of what has been keeping us so busy.

Twins Baseball:  Keith and Colin joined Uncle Kyle at the Target Center in Minneapolis for a Minnesota Twins game. It was the first time Colin had been at such a big stadium.  They arrived early so they could watch the players warm up - which worked out well for Colin who ended up with an autographed baseball and some awesome memories.  The Twins lost but they had a blast.  Thanks, Uncle Kyle!

Probably the "low" of the last month was the construction project that was going on in our street.  This is a project that was supposed to be done two years ago - so at first we were thrilled when the equipment finally showed up (it was the most excitement our neighborhood has seen in a LONG time.)  But then it turned into the project that would never end, as days would pass without anyone showing up to work on it.  Which is really frustrating when you don't have any access to your garage and you are just waiting for the snow to start flying. They did finish it up in time for the November 1st deadline but it was a close one.

Keith supervising...

 

Before Keith got too busy in the fields, he and Isaac did get out to do a little sleeping, er, hunting. It obviously was not a very exciting or productive outing - it's hard to flush out any deer when the corn is still all in the fields. Maybe next year...

Then came October...

Keith spent most of the month in one of these.  About 100 hours a week, in fact.  The weather this fall was perfect for farming and we are so thankful for God's provision!  We are also thankful that harvest is over - whew!

Colin spent most of October selling popcorn - over $3000 worth!  His goal was $2500 because he wanted to earn a Trail's End Boy Scout scholarship - which he did - but even once he got to $2500 he still didn't want to quit and readjusted his goal to $3000.  We are so proud of his hard work and determination!

Isaac had a very successful first year of cross country.  His times got faster with each race and he became a much stronger and consistent runner.  He was one of the youngest members of the team but really held his own, so we cannot wait to see what next year brings.  Way to go, Isaac!

Grandpa & Grandma came out to watch him run!

I took way too many pictures of the cat. I know he's cute but seriously...

Isaac had his first band concert of the year. He plays the clarinet and does a great job. It was such a joy (and a relief) to hear how much the band has improved since last year. It was beautiful mu-usic! (Can anyone explain to me why it is impossible to get a decent picture at any school concert. Egads.)

At the beginning of October, I was stoked to find out I had won 4 tickets to the North Dakota State University Bison football game against the Northern Iowa Panthers.  This was one of the biggest games of the year! I handed the tickets over to Keith so he could attend the game with Colin, Isaac and my dad, Frank.  It was the first time Keith had seen the boys in 3 weeks so it was a great way for them to reconnect.  And the boys love hanging out with Grandpa.  (My dad has a great sense of humor and Isaac kept laughing about some shenanigans at Jimmy John's and their "Freaky Fast delivery".  Boys...) 

Oh, and NDSU kicked butt - woot!

Christopher still works hard serving his country through the US Marine Corp but he does occasionally manage to get a weekend off.  What do Marines do on their weekends off?  They participate in things called "Tough Mudders" - which I can only describe as an 11 mile long, painful, obstacle course for crazy people. The Tough Mudder website explains it like this:

The Tough Mudder series is ... an event in America that tests toughness, fitness, strength, stamina, and mental grit all in one place and all in one day. Sure, there are a few [other events] that will test these things – for thousands of dollars and a week of your life. But in one day in one location? We don’t think so. Other summer sun and fun mud runs? Forget it – unless you want to run alongside your 60-year-old grandmother. Tough Mudder is a truly exceptional event for truly exceptional people. Fair weather runners should stay at home.

Below is a picture of Chris on something they call the Slip N Die (yes, you read that correctly.)  

After the picture is a short video from the weekend.  

Craziness, that's all I can say...craziness.

On the upside, Tough Mudders supports "The Wounded Warriors Project"  - a truly worthy cause.  

And Chris had a great time, even if he was a  "little" stiff and sore the next day 

(as in, unless it's an emergency, don't expect me to get up and move anywhere in the next 24 hours.)

Well, that's how things have been around here. What have you been up to?