Football Weekend!

We had a busy but fun few days around here and the theme of the weekend was football! We started on Saturday evening when my mom, son and I drove to Eau Claire for the high school first round playoff game in Wisconsin.

My nephew, Sam, plays for D.C. Everest in Wausau and we try to attend as many games as we can even though it's a three hour drive, one way. We got lucky with this game as it was only an hour and a half away.

Sam is a linebacker and a team captain. He's a senior this year so it's his final season of high school football. I can hardly believe that four years have gone by so fast. He's quite talented and one of only two players on his team to be voted All Conference by the all the coaches in his conference. He's #49 in the photo above, going out to meet the other captains for the coin toss.

My sister-in-law, Debbie, another football mom and my niece Stephanie were there to cheer Sam and the rest of the team on. Our signs and cheers must have worked, because...

If you look at the next photo and see the final score you'll see that the D.C. Everest Evergreens scored 49 points and their competitors could only put 35 points on the boards. Way to go, team! I will be out of town the next two weekends so the only way I'll be able to see them play again is if they make it to state. That would be great and that's what I'm hoping for!

The next game we attended this afternoon. Mike, the girls and I drove into Minneapolis to watch the Packers play the Vikings. We were given free tickets by our business's supplier. They always give us tickets to this game every year because they know we're Packer fans.

Well, maybe I should correct myself. MOST of us are Packer fans! Emily has to be different and for whatever reason, she has chosen to align herself with a losing team and roots for the Vikings. It doesn't make sense to me either...

Here we are, outside the dome, in the line for security. You've got to be patted down and have your bag searched to enter now. A sad commentary on our society, I suppose.

Yee Haw, the game is about to begin! Out come the flag carrying guys, the mascots and of course, the players.

This might be my favorite scene of the day. The players knelt down in the corner to pray. In the midst of the crowd, they honored God and I loved it.

I also loved when the National Guard carried the flags out onto the middle of the field for the national anthem. It was moving.

Let the game begin! Both sides were playing well and even though the Packers were favored, the Vikings started strong.

Leah looks lovely no matter where she is, a football game is no exception. :)

Here's Aaron Rogers shouting out orders and getting ready to move the ball down field.

Leah looking ferocious as she makes the G for Green Bay sign. Ooh yeah, that'll make the Viking fans cringe in fear. Ha!

This is what makes Vikings fans cringe in fear, the final score! Packers 33, Vikings 27. And so, after seven weeks of football, the Packers are the only undefeated team in the league.

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Mike and I celebrating our 21st anniversary at home. It's become a tradition that our lovely children prepare us a delicious meal and serve it to us in the romantic setting of our library.

On the menu: fish with a bacon and tomato topping, vegetables and bread with heart shaped butter pats. Daniel even shared a bottle of his Izze with us for our anniversary toast.

The chefs were working behind the scenes but this is our handsome waiter.

I can't help but feel blessed to be married to my dear husband for 21 years and be served such a special anniversary meal by our children. Not only was everything tasty, but the kitchen was cleaned and immaculate after the meal.

Thank you, Emily, Leah & Daniel!

Mother Daughter Daytrip!

It's been a tradition for the last fifteen years for my mother, daughters and I to take a daytrip to a little town called Stockholm about 75 minutes south of us. Stockholm is quaint in every sense of the word. My husband doesn't do "quaint" but we girls love it.

This year we decided to bring Lacey with us. She loves going on car rides and was ecstatic to be included. That is, until we left her in the car while we explored a few shops.

This shop leaned the paintings they were selling against a railing outside the store. It was very eye-catching on a lovely fall day!

Who can resist a sweet owl sign, beckoning you to enter the store? Not us!

Leah, Mom and Emily. My three favorite women! They have each blessed my life immeasurably.

Next stop, the farmer that sells pumpkins and vegetables. We go there to stock up on more unusual varieties of ornamental pumpkins.

Here's Emily hoisting one of our silver white pumpkin selections. Keep up the weight lifting Emily, you're looking great!

I'm perusing the many pumpkins. I love the cinderella style pumpkins but they didn't have a lot of those this year. No matter, I'm happy with our selections.

What did Lacey do to deserve this evil treatment? Probably barked at the farmer's very large dog who outweighed her by 90 pounds!

Look at that sweet face! You can't stay mad at her for long. She's back where she belongs, being cuddled in Emily's arms.

My wonderful girls at the Bogus Creek Cafe, our favorite lunching spot in Stockholm. They have excellent salads, sandwiches and soups.

Mom and I. I'm so thankful that my mother is able to continue to take little trips like this with us. She's a huge blessing in my life and I thank God for her and the example she has provided me through the years.

Wandering through the town, we put Lacey in Leah's purse so she could join us without getting into mischief. I'm not sure how much she liked it but she sure commanded a lot of attention from passersby!

You might have guessed by the name, but Stockholm is a cute little scandinavian town and they like to celebrate their heritage. Here are some folk dancers entertaining us.

I joked with the girls that I might get a dress like the ladies' and get Mike a men's costume and learn how to folk dance like this. They just couldn't see it. If you knew Mike you'd be likely to agree with them. He's more of an outdoorsman and his idea of dressing up for a costume party is to put on a flannel shirt and cap that both say "Arctic Cat" and call himself a snowmobiler.

Even if my future as a folk dancer is doubtful, we had a wonderful day and I hope you enjoyed a little peek at a darling little town on the banks of the mighty Mississippi.