Zen Bowling

Today was a fun day. Dave and I went Geocaching in the morning for about 3 hours, adding 11 finds to our totals. All the caches were within 4 miles of my house. I'm always amazed at how many caches there are out there, right under the noses of the unsuspecting public. The average citizen drives or walks within 500 feet of a cache everyday. In the afternoon, the girls (Chris, Tracy and Catie) went to go see a movie, while the boys (Me, Alex, Nik, Dave, Cory and Jamie) went to our local bowling alley. I am most definitely not a bowler, I've probably played 5 times in the last 15 years. I don't throw a powerful ball, no break to it. It just rolls along straight down the lane. At best I get 1 strike per game. That has been my experience with this sport. So, when I scored a strike in the 1st frame, I was excited, but at the same time thought, well it's all down hill from here. The 2nd frame I collected a spare. In the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th frames....strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, STRIKE! Wow!!! Well, I came back down to reality in the 8th and 9th leaving pins standing in each frame. I did rally in the 10th picking up my final spare to end the game with a 201! My best game up to this point in my life was a 125 so I was completely shocked. Dave said I reminded him of the way my Mom bowled. Nothing flashy powerful, just the same every time. I think Mom would have enjoyed watching me today. Who knows, maybe she did.

Giving Thanks

We hosted Thanksgiving today. We had a total of 25 people join us, including my brother Dave and his family, My Dad and Bonnie, Uncle Gary and Aunt Roseanna, My cousin Aaron and his family, My cousin Dan and his family and my cousin Sheryl and her family. We prepared two birds, one oven roasted and one deep fried, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, my Mom's famous Candied Carrots and Green Beans, along with Chris' famous homemade Pumpkin pie. The meal preparation was very much a group effort. Dave and Tracy were a huge help the entire day, and our friend Poul was awesome at crunch time getting the gravy made and the birds ready for serving. Thanks to my Dad for providing the turkeys (2 beautiful 19 pound free range birds), Aunt Roseanna for her cranberry surprise and Poul for the fabulous platter of organic artisan cheeses. The food was awesome!

After a our feast, it was time for the annual Turkey Bowl football game with the Uncles battling the cousins for the years bragging rights. This years MVP was my cousin Aaron Wunrow. He not only was a difference maker on both sides of the ball he also gets the award for sacrificing his body on a layed our catch for a touchdown. The Uncles beat the cousins 35-21. It was a much more closely fought game that last years. It's just a matter of time before the tide will turn. The youngest player on the Uncles team was 40. But, hey it's all in good fun and it keeps us from falling asleep on the couch after dinner!

We finished up the evening at my cousin Sheryl's house for desert. We spent the evening socializing, watching bad pro football (man the Seahawks stink!) and eventually playing Wii sports. That was by far the highlight of the evening. My favorite memory was my Dad and brother Dave boxing. It was a fight for the ages, each fighter going down only to pop back up just before the 10 count. The fight went the full 3 rounds and in a decision, Dave was declared the winner. Dad gets points for not giving up, huffing and puffing all the while trading blows with his middle son. What he lacked in technique he made up for in heart. I've also updated the family website with new photo's from this weekends fun. Thanks again to all our guests for making this such a great Thanksgiving.

How Tired do you Have to Be?

I had a very busy work week. I was in Colorado on Monday and Tuesday. I flew back into town Tuesday night at 10:30pm, got home at 11:00pm, unpacked and repacked my suitcase, finish my presentation and get some shut eye. I woke a 3:30 am the following morning for a trip to the office to print out my presentation, and a 90 mile drive to Mankato to deliver my presentation. Delivered the presentation (nailed it!) and drove directly from Mankato to Milwaukee for press OK with a new client. Had a good nights sleep on Wednesday night before the client arrived, and got up a 5:00 to workout and then meet the client for breakfast. Spent the entire day waiting for press to start, they were delayed by numerous mechanical and scheduling delays.

We got a chance to see our first press run at 11:00 pm, then were called in for following forms every 2 1/2 hours. Killed time in between watching movies in the conference room on the projection system (a big hit with clients) and eating popcorn. We were able to break away for a for a couple hours of sleep at the hotel then back at the plant by 7am. Several more press checks then a break to run the client back the hotel to freshen up. I was sitting in a hard back chair in the breakfast area waiting for the cleint and was soo tired I dozed off. My coworker Jay took a picture of me with his camera phone and sent it to me with the caption of "This about sums it up..." This eventually came to represent the trip as a whole. After this photo was taken at 1:30 pm we worked through the day, not finishing the last form until 11:30pm on Friday night. We took the client out for a glass of wine and ultimately retired to our hotel at 2am! We got up a 7 am on Saturday and drove back home, 6 hours later rolling into the driveway. What a week! Ultimately a successfull one, but I'm really looking forward to a long 5 day weekend next week.

Not a pretty picture is it?

Gourmet Memories

Chris and I have been members of a local gourmet club in our community since Fall of 2007. Last night was our turn to host three other couples in preparing a French themed dinner. We had a delicious meal and a fun evening of conversation. I've built a simple web site for our group the Near Mountain Gourmet Club. Please feel free to visit if you are interested in our menu from last night. One thing I wanted to share with my Dad, this dinner was the first time we used the silverware that Chris and I inherited from my Mom. It brought back memories of all the wonderful Holiday dinners we enjoyed at Mom and Dad's house over my lifetime. I'm so grateful for the gift of entertaining that she blessed us with. Thank you Mom, I love you.

Place setting with Mom's Silverware

Match Made in Heaven

One of the joys of being back in the midwest and close to family is the opportunity to take part in family events. My Cousin Dan Wunrow's youngest daughter Jenny recently announced her engagement. She is living in Germany doing missionary work and met and fell in love with a fellow mission member Peter Fisher. Peter was born and raised in a small town in southern Germany near the Swiss border. Sunday evening Dan and his wife Kathy hosted an Engagement Party/Wedding Reception for the happy couple. Chris, Catie and I were able to attend, while both the guys had to work. We enjoyed meeting and getting to know Peter. He is a really nice, responsible young man and I'm sure Dan and Kathy are proud to have him joining their family.
Congratulations Peter and Jenny! We wish you many blessing in your life together.

Jenny and Peter

Jenny and Peter with Proud Grandparents Gary and Roseanna

Parents Dan and Kathy join in the celebration

My two lovey girls.

It's doing WHAT Outside?!

I woke up this morning to go to the gym only to be greeted by a coating of snow on the ground. My first thought was, I must be seeing things! After blinking and rubbing my eyes it was clear that there was in fact an inch of fresh snow on the ground with more falling. It's funny, just last night I made a comment to Chris that I either wanted it to be 70 degrees outside, or I wanted it to snow. Nothing in between would do! Well I guess I should be careful what I wish for. Actually, I'm looking forward to winter. It's one of my favorite seasons. The sight of that beautiful white snow put a smile on my face.

Shot with my phone, sorry for the bad quality!

Hope Won!

I have always strived to not be preachy in my blog postings. How ever, I was moved to tears last night as I watched a sea of humanity gather at Grant Park in Chicago to bear witness to the most historic event of our time. Last night, we elected a president that did not use a divisive strategy of hate and fear, but one of hope, unity and the idea that we can all either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. More that 150 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation and 40 years after the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King, America elected a man of color to the highest office in the land. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States. Just typing those words gives me goose bumps and brings tears of pride to my eyes. On this day in history, we Americans put our petty differences aside and came together to do the right thing.

I was born in December of 1960. One month after John F. Kennedy was elected as President and one month before his swearing in on January 20th. I was only two years old when he was assassinated in Dallas Texas. So, I don't have any memories of him. But I have many friends and relative that were and I clearly remember them sharing with me the feeling of hope that he inspired in them. I have not personally had that feeling about an elected official...Until last night! I am including a YouTube link to Barack's acceptance speech. It is something that every American should watch and re-watch in the weeks leading up to the inauguration in January. It is a clear and powerful reminder that we as a people can accomplish great things. God Bless Barack Obama.

We Voted!

Just got home from work. It was a proud day for me. I had the opportunity to share with my son Nik, his first experience in voting for President. This is a moment that Nik has been talking and dreaming about for over 8 years. After our trip to the polls, I gave him a ride to school. He was simply gushing with pride in himself for achieving this milestone. I too was extremely proud of him. I can only pray that other young people have been similarly inspired to exercise there right to vote. So, the 3 voters in our house paused for a photo with our I Voted stickers before settling in watch the election coverage.

We Voted!

Rock the Vote!

I just wanted to send out a quick note urging all of my friends and family to get out and vote today. Our right to vote is a privilege that people in other countries are quite literally dying to have. Please take advantage of this huge blessing and exercise your right. Who you vote for is less important to me than whether you vote.

Be sure to follow the election coverage on Twitters Election page. Be a front row witness to history in the making. Also, if you don't know where your polling location is, use this link to Vote411.org to search for it.

No excuses, just DO IT!

Twitter's Election Dialog

With this years election just a few days away, I wanted to share a really cool site that I have been visiting. I've been using Twitter for the past year. The site now has a special election section that has a live scrolling feed of Twitter updates (or Tweets) from users. It's a great way of hearing other peoples opinions. And since there is a 140 character limit, nobody can get too long winded.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all! The holiday takes on a different tone the older our kids get. Nik has gone from the cute little boy that couldn't wait to go collect candy, to our full grown adult that is now in charge of handing out the candy. Alex has gone from the little peanut that would literally Trick our Treat until he couldn't carry his bag of candy any more. He is now a senior going to a string of Halloween parties with his friends. Then there is Catie, who for her first Halloween was a cute little chili pepper but last night went to a party at her dance studio and went Trick or Treating with all her dance friends before returning to the studio for a pizza party.

So, gone are the days of us walking through the neighborhood with our cute little goblins, watching them race from door to door to see what new treat awaited them. It was still fun though to watch the kids get ready with their costumes. Alex went as some kind of clown and Catie went as Little Red Riding Hood. I've also done a photo album with a few more pictures from the evening on the Family Web Site.

Ben and Alex

Little Miss Catie Hood