Monday Mania

Did anyone else have a hard time getting up and out today?

Why is the alarm going off?? snooze button

What day is it??? snooze button

Where do I have to go today???? snooze button

What time is it????? snooze button

Oh...My...Gosh! Gotta Get Up...

I felt just a little bit behind all day!!

Please Say It Isn't So

The holiday weekend went sooo fast. It was wonderful to have the girls and their guys here. I wish I could have stopped the clock...frozen time...to make it last a little longer...


But duty calls...most of our guests have gone home...
...Everyone must be in class tomorrow morning. These two had a seven hour drive, left shortly after 9 a.m.





These two can make it home in a little less than three hours, so finished some homework and laundry before they loaded their car.



So our final hugs and well wishes...

It's going to be quite a while before these four are together here for a holiday at the same time again...

I treasure the time we spent together this

Thanksgiving Weekend.

Black Friday and Thanksgiving Memories

Call us Crazy...well, only half crazy, as

we did not go out with those who were first in line when the stores opened at 4 a.m...

...We waited until after 6 a.m...and I'd say we still did very well. By lunch time we had plenty of bags...

...gifts for family and friends.

I hope everyone had a special Thanksgiving day with loved ones.

I had plenty of help in the kitchen. These two were the 'contestants' in the potato peeling competition.

Cleaning the remaining turkey from the carcass is a tedious job...so one must maintain a sense of humor.

These grandmas have prepared and cleaned up after many a Thanksgiving meal, so they deserve to relax over pie and a second cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen...the next generation has stepped up to handle the clean-up responsibilities.



A lovely hand-made card and these wonderful treats greeted me in the early hours of the morning, as I came to the kitchen to prepare the turkey.
Thank you for the heart-warming surprise.

Greetings from our house to yours this Thanksgiving weekend.

Enjoy your family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving

Best Wishes to everyone for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Welcome Home Week

We all look forward to Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday because it is all about family and giving thanks for all of our blessings. Amy and Seth are on fall break from classes and arrived on Monday.

Line and I are still in school, but we've had our evenings together.

Ken and My Mom arrived yesterday. He is leaving again to spend time with his family, but we enjoyed dinner together again last evening.

We are looking forward to having Emily and Jake join us after their classes later today.

Then our family celebration will be complete!

The Best Boyfriends

Speaking of Blog Worthy...I must remind you that there are three special young, and young-at-heart, men that I am quite, quite fond of...
You've met them all in previous blog posts, but this one is all about them.

Emily met Jake during their first year in college. The freshman men and women's dorms share a dining center...




Jake is Emily's calming force when she is stressing about her strenuous course load, work, and living arrangements.

Jake's family lives on the West Coast, so they are apart during the summer and major holidays, but they still manage to spend some quality time together.

Jake also has a strong work ethic and ambitious goals for the future.

And speaking of ambitious young men...Amy met Seth during their first year of graduate school.

They are both studying to be a Physician's Assistant. This, their 2nd year, is very rigorous, so they provide excellent support for each other.





While studying takes most of their time, I know that they find time for fun and relaxation, as well.

We are looking forward to having Jake and Seth here with us as we celebrate Thanksgiving together.

Last, but not, least, is another boyfriend (I mean gentleman friend) that is such a gem. And did I mention that he is 90?!

He lives across the street from my mom and they are wonderful companions. He takes her to eat at the church rummage sale...

In fact, since she doesn't drive anymore, he takes her every place she needs to go...the hair salon, medical appointments, the bank, senior exercise class...


He even brings her here and will do so again this week...weather permitting. So pray that the snow in the forecast stays away...

This week...Thanksgiving week...

as I count all my blessings,

I am thankful that these three men have come into our lives.

TGIF & the "Blog Worthy" Judge

What is "Blog Worthy"...and what is not? And...who decides?? This week, I have blogged very little. I have sat here with my laptop every evening...with the "I've got nothing" feeling.
And... ...then...I'm not sure if it was late last night or early this morning, that I realized that it's not "nothing" but it's that "I've got everything" feeling.


My family is most important to me. My hubby would go to the ends of the earth for any of his 'girls'. He cooks on the grill. He works on the house. And he helps me with our crafts.
Our daughters strive for excellence...in the classroom, and through their organizations.


Our new Norwegian daughter has come into our lives this fall and taught us a new culture and kept life interesting.

This week...

Thanksgiving week...

we reflect on all that we are thankful for. My family is at the top of my list.

Monday Memories

Saturday's Happenings

State Football Championship Weekend
This is so much more than our team playing a football game...it is about the experience...working hard...supporting one another. It was the place to be for our students this weekend.
Line has two very sweet friends, Allison and Sadie. They traveled together and slept at Allison's grandma's house.

It was actually the place to be for parents, teachers, and fans, as well...Hubby and I traveled to Sioux Falls Friday after work. We stayed downtown...did a little shopping...and discovered a fabulous little place for lunch. It is called Mama Lada's Enchiladas. It is a tiny little place that has perfected the enchilada...you may order beef (spicy) or chicken (more mild)...a full or half serving...

The chips and Homemade Salsa are complimentary...Homemade Guacamole is available only a few days each week...and Saturday was my lucky day!

A small but cozy little place. We enjoyed our lunch date.

But on to the Dome...

The 'dome' is on the campus of USD...


It makes for a more comfortable climate for playing and watching football here in the Dakotas.

Our team took the field...

The starting line-up...

It is tough to capture the atmosphere there...it was electrifying! You can see the Washington student section in orange. Our student section in white. Yes, they are a much larger school and they live much closer to Vermillion.

I have gotten to know several players, as their teacher. Two of them made our local newspaper...Here's Cody (#55)...

And Evan (#23)...

Our boys played so well...They went into the game as the underdogs. The other team was bigger in size and deeper (so many of our players need to play both offense and defense), and they were expected to totally dominate the game.

Well, we scored first...and we still led at the end of 3 quarters, but just could not hang on to win. Our boys were spent. They need to feel good about the game, they sportsmanship they displayed and their spectacular season.