Thanksgiving in Minneapolis and Birthdays in Red Wing

Wayne and Grahams' Funny Faces

Alex and his buddy, Connor, watching football

Connor decorating cookies..."One More"

Wayne playing CandyLand with boys downstairs

Skyping with Kirstin on iPad...Graham was showing her his picture

Cousin Cuddles!  Adorable!

Elyse and Alex making cookies

Graham and Sara with cookies

We had a wonderful time spending a few days in Minneapolis at the Johnsons.  They hosted their first holiday in their new home and it was super!  Sara made a wonderful meal, Derek was a super host, and the boys were so fun to play with.  The weather was beautiful so it couldn't have been a better Thanksgiving!  There was, and is, lots to be thankful for!

Along with a fabulous meal, there were fun times playing outside, skyping with Kirstin in North Carolina, lots of football on TV, and a few naps in between.  The kids also had fun decorating Christmas cookies, which was cute to see.  Connor's comment of "One more" every time someone stopped giving him frosting or sprinkles to put on his cookie (and eat) was so cute!  It was just a wonderful few days in Minneapolis!  Thank you Sara and Derek!

We were home for a night before Wayne and I headed to Red Wing to join the Kerian family for a surprise birthday for his sister Carol.  We met up with some of the others before surprising her with some fun in Red Wing.  While I am not a gambler, it was fun to walk around with the Kerian family, eat a nice dinner, and watch some of them do some bowling at this really cool, retro, bowling alley.  I also have to comment that there is no one luckier than Wayne's mom!  She has a special "touch" for gambling as it seems she always hits it big!  She did again, which is exciting for her!  Yahoo Judy!  While some of the others gambled, Wayne and I sat in the lounge area and listed to an amazing band!  They played every type of music from 80s, 90s, and current. 

So after making a few stops in Rochester along the way home to do some Christmas shopping, we arrived home to relax and prepare for the week.  I seriously think I need a vacation from my vacation as I am exhausted!  Could that be that we stayed up too late last night.....and we are getting old?  Nah!  It was a great weekend of making more memories!

A First for Some of the Kerians

Thanks to Derek, Alex, Elyse, and Wayne had their first experience at an NHL hockey game! They took off Wednesday night before our Thanksgiving feast to go to an exciting Minnesota Wild hockey game.  Derek had the General Mills seats so the kids felt like they were "famous" going to the Wild game.  Thanks Derek for inviting them to go and having a great time with you!  They all loved it!

Surprisingly, the one that loved it the most was.....Elyse!  She is now hooked on the Minnesota Wild!  She downloaded some Wild fight song that she listens to all the time as well as wants a Wild sweatshirt.  She even put down "Wild tickets" on her Christmas list.  She is hooked!  While Alex and Wayne had a super time, Elyse had a "sweet time" (those were her words).  She said it isn't much different than basketball except you can hurt each other, which she said she liked.  (What is happening to my sweet baby girl? :)

It was also pretty cool that Carrie Underwood's husband was playing on the other team.  I think he is in the picture that I posted that she took.  You can tell they had awesome seats, mid-rink!  I just went down to her room to chat with her and she already has up some hockey players mini-poster on her bedroom wall with her ticket.   So cute!

So a big thank you to Derek for taking the fam to the hockey game!  For some reason, I don't think it is the last one!  :)

Crestwood Girls Varsity Basketball Season Starts with Big Win!

Elyse goes for 2

Fouled on the shot

Going for 2 and fouled

nice lob into Elyse

Hmmmmm....What to do...What to do

First shot of sophomore varsity season for Elyse.  Made from top of lane

Coach having words....Elyse looks terrified!  :)

I don't know who was more nervous...the girls on the basketball team or some of their moms.  The mom of one of the juniors on the basketball team teaches with me.  She was so nervous at the end of the school day before the first basketball game I thought it was hilarious.  Truthfully, I was a little nervous for our daughters as well.  Once the game got rolling, things went smoothly and there were smiles on the girls playing....and their moms. 

The Cadets girls basketball pulled out a great big win. The ending score was 79 to 24, Cadets pull the big win! Elyse got a lot of time in every quarter and came out strong.  It was a great first game to see the different combinations of girls and the possibilities the year holds.  From what we saw this first night (granted, the other team was not good but it was still a win for us) this is going to be an exciting season of girls varsity basketball, and all levels as JV pulled a huge win as well.  A friend of mine text me after the game to tell Elyse she did a great job and to say that she thinks Crestwood basketball is going to a whole new level this season.  We can only wait and see!  Thursday night the girls play Waverly, a team rated in the state......

Elyse is number 34 in white (just for you, Dennis)  :)
Great job girls! 

Alex's AAU Tournament 2 - Tougher in Waverly



Alex on defense

Alex going up strong

Boys in retro warm-ups from high school

Alex on the steal

Alex going for 2

Tournament two for Alex's AAU team was a little tougher than the first one.  Waverly host a huge tournament so we didn't even start until around 4 in the afternoon.  The boys gave it their all but ended up with 2 losses and 1 win.  While the loss to Waverly was the toughest, as it was also the closest, the boys did well and it was good for them to play some tough teams.  Our first game was against an all-star team from Mason City that had already had over 20 games this season.  They were amazing!  The loss to Waverly was a close one between some of the boys' biggest rivals and friends in the district.  The last game was an easy win, which was probably good to end on that note as it was already after 6:30 on a Sunday night and we had an hour drive home. 

The highlight of the day came when their coach gave each of them the high school's old warm ups from the 90s.  The boys put them on and were in shock!  They said they were going retro and having a "flash back" day.  They looked like bowling shirts to me or something Charlie would wear on Two and a Half Men!   The boys wore them with pride so I had to post a picture of their "retro warm-ups"!  It was very nice for the high school coach to let the boys have them to wear! 

Great job Crestwood 7th grade AAU!  One more tournament before Christmas and then a little break!

7th Grade AAU Basketball has Begun...took 2nd Place At Tourney!

Alex making free throw

2nd Place Medal from Coach

Guarding "The Tree"

Alex going up strong

Alex on the shot - nice form!

Basketball season is in full swing, and so far everyone is still coming home from practices and games (Alex) with smiles.  That is a great way to start the season!

With one week of practice under her belt, Elyse woke up at 5:30 AM to get ready to leave at 6:15 this morning for some scrimmages in Mason City.  She was growley (as any teenager is at that time) so I hope she is taking some of the "energy" out on the basketball court.  She did not want us to go and watch, as many parents don't this first set of scrimmages.  She said they have some "kinks" to work out and she is just not sure where she will be playing as a sophomore.  So...anxiously waiting to hear updates about how they are doing.  (It truly is killing me not being there to watch but I will respect her wishes....this time!)

Alex had his first AAU tournament already last weekend down in my "old stomping ground" by Edgewood. (Alex is number 6 in pictures) The tournament was in Maquoeta Valley and their first game was at 8:40 so we had a chance to go down Friday night and spent the night at my parent's.  It was nice to go down and relax at "home".  Of course, Mom had a yummy meal made and played some card games with the kids (which they love) so it was a great night before a morning of basketball.

Alex's team did wonderful and came out in 2nd place!  They all did super.  We had one game that we lost in which the team had a guy who was 6'2" as a 7th grader!  He was like a tree to our boys so no one could stop him.  We just want to erase that game from the record and focus on the others that the boys won.  (The worse part was that one of my old basketball coaches, assistant coach my senior year and just out of college, was the coach of this team with the giant boy.  It was worse loosing to them simply because of the coach - whom I got along great with but just wanted to beat!).  And the fact that when I was talking to Coach Wright afterwards, he reminded me how long I have been out of high school...that left a stinger too! :)

Alex played great ball!  He did roll an ankle tripping on a shoe string (yes, he did) but came back and played strong after a little break. Alex has been consistently lifting weights and doing cardio after school in the high school weightroom and it is showing!   We love his dedication!

Alex Going in Strong!

 Grandma Janet and Elyse were along so it was nice that he had a little cheering section and did well!  Great job Crestwood 7th grade AAU!  Next weekend we head to Waverly for a tournament that is usually pretty tough and against some boys that Alex's team likes to talk "smack" with.  Could get interesting as they are all very competetive!  Excited!

A Day in the Big Apple!

Grand Central Station

NBC Studios Store

New Freedom Tower at Ground Zero

Ground Zero museum

Central Park

snack at Dylan's Candy Bar

Kids at Dylan's Candy Bar

Our last day was spent in the city doing as many touristy things as we could squeeze into one day.  Luckily our plane did not leave NY until 9 PM so we had plenty of time.  

Wayne had decided the best way to hit everything was to go on a "hop on hop off" bus tour.  He was right.  We went everywhere in New York City we wanted to and could get on and off at our leisure.  It was the perfect way to go although it was a little chilly sometimes riding on the top of the tour bus (we sometimes went underneath to warm up).  While I have toured NYC various times, it never gets old as there is always so much going on and new.  

We started out in Rockefeller Center and Elyse was loving NBC Studios Store as she is an "Office" fan, as is Alex and their friends.  It was a fun stop as the ice skating rink had just been opened up the week before so there actually were some people skating in Rockefeller Center.  We did not go to the top of the Rock, as we have done that before, but we had a super time at this stop.

We ventured many places: Central Park, Ground Zero, Macy's, Dylan's Candy Bar, Grand Central Station, Time Square, Diamond District, saw the Statue of Liberty..so much in a day.  Luckily it was sunny and the snow had melted from the day before.  Perfect day with family.

Sadly, we had to return to Iowa.  Luckily most of us slept on the plane (all except me) and the drive home so they were kind of awake for school the next day.  I think we were still in a "New York State of Mind" Monday.....

Until next time NY!  Thanks for creating many more memories for our family!  That is what life is about!

Is this Iowa? No.....this is NY with a Nor'Eastern

Go Dennis!

Wayne's turn

flying food to catch in your mouth

hanging with the Buddha

Well...to say we got snow while in NY would be true.  When we woke up Saturday morning, we were prepared to go to James and Wills' football games.  We did have to go and buy some more gear, but we were ready for anything.  By noon, he snow was starting to come down and big flakes.  While it was pretty, the trees all over were still full of leaves.  Heavy snow plus full trees leads to broken branches.  Not a good thing.  We sent Elyse, Alex, and Will out to knock some snow off some of the trees before too much damage was done to Dennis and Connie's tree.  You could stand outside and hear trees cracking.  This along with the snow cancelled James and Wills' football games.  While we were bummed that we didn't get to see them play, Will was JV captain for the game, we had a nice time hanging out at the house chatting, watching movies and then going out for dinner.

We ended up venturing out for dinner to a Japanese place that was entertaining for all of us.  Besides the onions on fire, flying food to land in our mouths, and sakki shots (not sure how to spell it), there were lots of laughs and tummies full!

So a little snow didn't ruin our time in NY.  It was actually kind of nice to have the time to relax and hang with family.  Considering it was the worst Nor'Eastern NY has had for many years,  we can at least say we were there for it.

Awesome Show...Surprised all of Us

the heart of NYC....

William, Alex, Elyse, and James at dinner.

getting ready for "Spiderman"!

Elyse and Alex afterwards..Will on the side

Friday night we loaded up and headed into the city.  We had been up since 1:30 AM, but we were ready and excited to head into the city and meet the boys.  James and Will met us after football practice and we had a wonderful meal full of laughter and "catching up" at a restaurant I would suggest all to go to if you are every in NYC!  Not sure the name...Connie would tell you...but it was yummy and perfect for all of us.  If I think back now about it, there were so many smiles at the table and "toast" given by everyone....it couldn't have been more wonderful to reconnect to the Deutmeyer family!  Very special dinner with very special people.

Then we headed to our show....yes...was saw "Spiderman...something Darkness".  I can't remember the exact title.   We were all a little unsure what to expect but we wanted to go to something that none of us, including the Deutmeyers had seen.  Needless to say, we thought it was AMAZING!  The kids, and Wayne, were totally shocked at the techno side of it.  Spiderman and the Green Goblin were flying above us (yes we had super seats, Thanks Dennis!) and the stage setup and visual aspects were fabulous!  While it was not the traditional Broadway, it was intense and the music, written by Bono from U2, was great!  I would see it again as the casting was perfect!  The two who were most hesitate about it, Wayne and Elyse, both left with some tshirts and the soundtrack, as they loved it!  They will know now to trust Connie and myself.  Right Connie?  Connie said she liked it but preferred the traditional "Broadway" shows....but she still thought it was good and intense!

Our drive home was super...all 9 of us in the Deutmeyers suburban.  Being it was Halloween weekend, the scenery in TimesSquare and the surrounding areas was "interesting".  Lots of jokes were made about "pants being overrated".  More wonderful memories!

I must give a shout out to William and James for being such great host and treating Elyse and Alex like close cousins.  They had a super time....including the wrestling match between Elyse and Will that will be posted next.  Thanks for giving up your bedrooms as well....we owe you! The kid had a super time because of you so thanks so much!

So...if you have a chance to see "Spiderman" on Broadway in New York City....do it!  Amazing!

Weekend Fun in New York City

Ken's class ring close up

Alex, Elyse, and Wayne looking at all the rings

Kerians at West Point library 

beautiful view

Elyse and Alex on ledge overlooking Hudson River

Ken's ring is in good company

What do the Kerians do on a 3 day weekend? Head to New York City!!!!!

While we were totally exhausted Monday, our trip to New York City was fabulous and wonderful as usual thanks to the Deutmeyer family!  We had an amazing time!  Yes...we did get some snow but not as much as some areas out there.  Only about 2-3 inches, but it was huge flakes that led to being too heavy on the trees and sadly, lots of downed trees.

Our plane left very early Friday morning and we were in New York City by 10:00 their time.  I was very excited to take Elyse and Alex up to West Point for many reasons.  Obviously I wanted them to see Ken's ring that is now in the case of class rings, but I also wanted them to experience something of Ken's past.  It was a beautiful fall day and the trees were amazing so we could not have had a more picture perfect day.  Dennis and Connie joined us for a drive up to West Point, a nice lunch in a quaint restaurant, and touring of West Point.  Being it was Friday, there were lots of Cadets around and it was a busy place.

Seeing Ken's ring was bittersweet yet peaceful.  The kids were very impressed with the "others" who had rings in the case from many years ago, as we all were.  It was quite a sight to see and one that we are very proud of!  Of course we spent some time touring around, reading things about the history of West Point, visiting the Chapel, and locating a dorm room that used to be Ken's.  It was absolutely a perfect day and one that I will hold close to my heart for a long time.....except the part of some of the Cadets checking out my 15 year old daughter.  Oh well.....she is adorable!

When we were going home Sunday and in the airport, Alex told us that going there was one of his favorite things about the weekend because he couldn't have imaged what it was like.  Now he knows and he said he hopes he goes back many times....His dad would like him to go back as a Cadet.....Alex doesn't think so.  :)

So here are some pictures from our trip to West Point.  I know Ken was there with us and as proud as we are of him!  Somehow seeing his ring made me feel like he was a little closer and there with us.