More Basketball

 We survived another busy week. This one was a little less crazy, but it was busy non-the-less. The kids had basketball practice a couple days last week, we had haircuts and orthodontist appointments, and I had a Women of Bethel meeting and took down Christmas decorations at church. So, we stayed busy. 

I took the kids for haircuts on Tuesday evening, and it ended up taking us a good couple of hours there, and that was after Emma's orthodontist appointment. We didn't get home until after 7pm. But, the kid's hair looks really good and Emma got her hair trimmed and huge knot taken out from the back of her head, so it was time well spent. 

On Friday, the kid's had another basketball game against Good Shepherd. My parents ended up coming for the game. But, Friday was a really weird, sad day. I got a call at work around lunch time from Peggy, who was really upset. She called to tell me that Aunt Jill had passed away in her sleep the night before. All the siblings (except Jim) were together at Jill's house to celebrated Peggy's birthday. Jill wasn't feeling well, so she went to bed early, and then ended up never waking up again. So, that was a shock. I had to call Jim (who is in Hawaii right now) and break the new to him, and then I called John after that. Those were not fun phone calls. We are all sad that she is gone, but happy she is in heaven and reunited with everyone she has ever lost. I had to break the news to the kids when I picked them up from school, and they were really sad. Elliott cried pretty hard, and Emma had questions and wanted to talk about it. We aren't sure of funeral plans or anything at this point, but we are sad and miss Jill already. And Emma is worried about her cats. 

The basketball game ended up going pretty well. Bethel lost all three games again, but they are definitely improving. Elliott had a good game. He didn't score any points again, but he was rebounding and hustling, and he is getting better every game. Emma had a really good game. She played the entire game again, hustled, rebounded and boxed out like a champ, and scored 10 points. I love watching her play so much. 

After the game, we got pizza from Boss' Pizza and then played some games at the table with Grandma and Grandpa. We were all up until around 11:30pm, so we put some really tired kids to bed. And some really tired adults. 

On Saturday, we all headed to school for our turn at cleaning. Mom and Dad helped us clean, and they maybe even enjoyed it. Mom vacuumed (which is right up her alley) and Dad helped out and even fixed an outlet. It took us a solid hour to clean, and then we went to Hy-Vee for brunch. After all that, mom and dad packed up to go home and John, the kids and I headed to Brookings for a SDSU basketball double header. 

We headed to the bookstore first to shop. Emma got a new Jackrabbit hoodie, and a long sleeve shirt, Elliott got some jackrabbit playing cards and a hat. We had fun looking around, and spent too much money. The games were really good. The women won by 20 points, and then we watched the first half of the men's game. Everyone had a really good time and it was fun to see the arena and watch some good basketball. 

At halftime, we left to go to Cubby's for supper. We enjoyed a really nice supper while watching an NFL playoff game and the rest of the men's basketball game. Then, Emma's night was made because Mesa Byom came to Cubby's with her parents to eat and sat right by our table. Emma noticed her right away and kept looking at her. She told her good game when we walked by when we were leaving, and Mesa was really nice about it. It was cute. 

The rest of the evening was just chill time at home. It's been really cold lately, and we have some -30 degree wind chills coming up, so it was nice to just be cozy at home. 

Today was another catch up day at home. We went to church, took down our own Christmas tree finally, rearranged the living room, and caught up on cleaning at home. We had a great supper of ham, mashed potatoes and corn, and we have plans for ham soup later this week since it is so cold outside. 

Work is a little crazy for me right now. We are going to have our first robot case at the ASC on February 3rd, and I am in charge of getting everything up and running now that Jarod is out on medical leave. So, it's been a little crazy. Tomorrow, I have to go to the main to watch some robot cases so I can get a better idea on how to do them and how to set everything up. My stress level is a little higher at work than normal. But, we will get through it and it will be fine. 

That's basically what's new around here. We are waiting to hear about funeral news and that might impact our week, but otherwise we have a quieter week this week which will be nice. We just need to survive the cold. 

Emma's haircut 

A shot of Hawaii from Jim and Barb 

Basketball girls with braids 

Our photo made it to the big screen 

My little Jackrabbit 

Elliott's a jackrabbit too!

Elliott with Emma's favorite Jackrabbit basketball player in the background 

Basketball, Basketball, Basketball

 The Bethel basketball season has begun. They started practice this past Monday, had another practice on Thursday, and then had their first game of the season versus Good Shepherd on Friday. I was impressed with how well they did, considering they had only two practices before their first game. It was a little rough, but they played hard. 

Elliott is number 11 this year, because he knows I like number 11. He's such a sweetie. He always tells me that basketball is "okay" and it's "not his favorite". But he's definitely a better player this year. He has more awareness of what to do, he's getting rebounds, and he's working on getting open. He needs to work on knowing what to do once he actually gets the ball in the post, but he's improving and he's having fun. And he played the entire B squad game without a single break. He got really tired, but he never gave up and kept working hard. 

Emma is number 20 this year, because that is Kate Martin's number. She still loves basketball and talks about basketball and has favorite basketball players. She played really, really well yesterday. She had to play against a really tall boy and a really tall girl on Good Shepherd's team and she held her own. She was grabbing rebounds, being aggressive, scored 12 points, and played the entire game. She was a beast. She also made 2 shots from pretty deep (there was no three point line, so not sure how deep) and swished them both and then held up threes in both her hands and was a little cocky. It was funny and most people were laughing about it, but we will have to keep an eye on it. Someone's been watching a little too much of Caitlin Clark. 

But anyway, I was a super proud momma and they were actually pretty fun games to watch. I was feeling pretty bummed because Emma's YMCA team fell through because there weren't enough girls. So, I was happy to see Emma be challenged and push herself in this game. All three Bethel teams lost by quite a bit, but they all improved from last year and it was a good start for these teams who haven't played much basketball. 

Hannah T came home with us and had a sleepover with Emma. We stopped at Kwik Star on the way home for supper (at 9:00pm) and then basically just relaxed and went to bed. 

Today was a wild day. We started off the morning by going to the gym (just me) and then going to school to clean. We have the next three weekends for school cleaning. After cleaning, we ate lunch at home, and then Hannah, Emma, Elliott and I headed to Brookings to watch the women's Jackrabbit basketball team play and John went ice fishing. 

The kids had a blast at the game. I found $10 tickets, and we watched the Jacks beat Kansas by 25 points. It was a really fun game and the kids were really into it the entire time. After the game, the team was signing autographs and the kids got every Jackrabbit player's signature on a team poster. They were so happy. They even got a picture with Mesa Byom, and they were thrilled. Then, we finally headed back home. 

We had a little mishap when we got back. We went to the school to get Hannah's stuff, and they decided to laminate their posters, only no one knew what we were doing. So, we got the posters stuck and wrapped around the spindles. They were stuck for a while, and the kids were pretty upset, but we got them out. They are laminated, but wrinkled and curled. It was not our wisest decision, but we are getting them flattened out and the kids are okay with how they turned out. We made some memories anyway. 

Now we are finally home and relaxing. What a crazy day. We all had a good time, but I am beat. We still have Bible study treats to get through tomorrow and then some playoff football and that's about it. We need a day at home. 

A Nelson Christmas

 We celebrated Christmas a little later on the Nelson side this year. We ended up having Christmas on Saturday, January 4th @ Jim and Barb's house. The kids had actually stayed at their house from New Year's Eve until that Saturday. They had a great time out on the farm. They played with their bunnies, the went to the movie Mufasa, played pickle ball, did some arts and crafts, and stayed very busy out there. 

John and I got to the farm around 11:30am. We had Christmas Nachos for lunch, and they were pretty amazing a great crowd pleaser. After lunch, we opened presents. The kids made a great haul and were spoiled like usual. They loved everything they got and had a great Christmas. The older kids all got SDSU hoodies and some cash. It was another successful Christmas. 

The afternoon consisted of some football, puzzles, and some games. We played the horse racing game and 31. Then we all pretended to be hungry and ate some supper, and then everyone headed home. 

It was a pretty simple, but fun Christmas. It was nice to visit with everyone, and it was really nice to see the kids and then bring them home again. 

Sunday was a catch up day before the reality of a full normal week of work and school. We went to Sure Foundation for church because the kids were singing. It was nice to go to church somewhere different and the kids sounded really good with their singing. After church, Elliott went to Polzins' for a playdate and then at 3:00 we picked him up to head to Marion for the 4H bowling Christmas Party. We rented out the entire bowling alley and brought in our own food. We had a lot of fun bowling, playing pinball, playing foosball and just generally socializing. We all enjoyed this setting a little more than the Sioux Falls bowling alley/Pizza Ranch thing. 

It was a wild and crazy weekend. We were busy, busy, busy but we all had fun. I am finally Christmased out and ready to get back to a routine and some normal days. 

Tin foil ball from lunch 

Presents!

SDSU Hoodies 

Nachos 

Building the puzzle table 

Books I read in 2024

 Hi. Here is my book review from 2024. 

1. Vanished in Vermillion. Lou Raguse. 4 stars. Great local true crime book. 

2. 12 Months to Live. James Patterson and Mike Lupica. 3 stars. Average James Patterson book. 

3. South Dakota's Mathis Murders: Horror in the Heartland. Noel Hamiel. 3 stars. True crime. 

4. The House in the Pines. Ana Reyes. 2 stars. Average Read, nothing special. 

5. Lion & Lamb. James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski. 4 Stars. Good James Patterson read. 

6. Home Front. Kristen Hannah. 3 Stars. Good, easy read. 

7. Slow AF Run Club. Martinus Evans. 3 stars. Good motivational book. 

8. Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. Arthur C Brooks, Oprah. 4 stars. 

9. Firefly Lane. Kristen Hannah. 5 stars. Great book!

10. If You Would Have Told Me. John Stamos. 4 stars. Good autobiography read. 

11. The Woman in Me. Britney Spears. 3 stars. Interesting Read. 

12. Missing Persons. James Patterson and Adam Hamdy. 4 stars. 

13. Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache. Granger Smith. 4 stars. Great read. 

14. First Lie Wins. Ashley Elston. 3 stars. 

15. The Women. Kristen Hannah. 5 stars. **Please read this book. So good!**

16. Crosshairs. James Patterson, James O Born. 4 stars. Great read. 

17. The Frozen River. Ariel Lawhon. 5 stars. *Another great book. Highly recommend!*

18. I'm So Effing Hungry: Why We Crave What We Crave-and What to Do About It. Amy Shah. 4 Stars. Really interesting and helpful. 

19. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Daniel James Brown. 5 stars. Great story, great read. 

20. The #1 Lawyer. James Patterson and Nancy Allen. 3 stars. Average James Patterson book. 

21. The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading. James Patterson and Matt Eversmann. 3 stars. 

22. The 24th Hour. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. 3 stars. 

23. Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. Rainn Wilson. 4 Stars. Weird book, but interesting. 

24. Grimoire Girl: Creating an Inheritance of Magic and Mischief. Hilarie Burton Morgan. 3 stars. 

25. One Perfect Couple. Ruth Ware. 3 stars. 

26. Lessons in Chemistry. Bonnie Garmus. 4 stars. Different book, but I liked it. 

27. On Mystic Lake. Kristen Hannah. 4 stars. Good read!

28. The Underground Library. Jennifer Ryan. 5 stars. *Another great read. Highly recommend!*

29. Adventuring Together: How to Create Connections and Make Lasting Memories with Your Kids. Greta Eskridge. 3 stars. 

30. The Paris Housekeeper. Renee Ryan. 5 stars. *Another banger. Historical fiction at its finest**

31. Wild. Kristen Hannah. 3 stars. 

32. Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End. Alua Arthur. 3 stars. 

33. Home is Where the Bodies Are. Jeneva Rose. 3 stars. 

34. Eruption. Michael Crichton and James Patterson. 2 stars. Didn't care for this one. 

35. The Teacher. Freida McFadden. 3 stars. 

36. Just Add Water: My Swimming Life. Katie Ledecky. 3 stars. Good book, kinda boring in spots. 

37. The Unwedding. Ally Condie. 3 stars. Average read. 

38. Do you Remember? Freida McFadden. 3 stars. 

39. Confessions of the Dead. James Patterson and J.D. Barker. 2 stars. 

40. Hard to Kill: A Jane Smith Thriller. James Patterson and Mike Lupica. 2 stars. Didn't love this one. 

41. If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood. Greg Olsen. 3 stars. I did this one as an audiobook. It's very dark and disturbing. A lot of abuse in graphic detail, read with caution. 

42. Slow Dance. Rainbow Rowell. 3 stars. 

43. Fly Away. Kristen Hannah. 3 stars. 

44. The Last Letter. Rebecca Yarros. 5 stars. This one wrecked me. I bawled like a baby, great book. 

45. The House Across the Lake. Riley Sager. 4 stars. 

It was another great year of reading. I liked most of the books, and look forward to reading more this next year. Hope this list helps you find a good read. 

Happy New Year 2025

 The calendar switched over last night, and we are now in 2025. It's wild to me that another year has come and gone. Time truly does fly. 

For New Year's Eve this year, the kids were out at Jim and Barb's house, so John and I went out to eat supper. We tried to go to TC Referee's, but they had a 30 minute wait, so we walked next door and went to Dynasty. We were seated right away, and we had a nice meal. The waitress is always a little crazy, but it was good. 

After supper, we went to BBs for a couple drinks, live music, and some nachos. We stayed until around 9:00pm, and we headed home for a drink and some TV. We made it until midnight, said Happy New Year, and then called it a night. The kids and Jim and Barb also made it to midnight, and they blew horns and celebrated and then went to bed as well. 

Today was a chill day at home. I enjoyed a nice breakfast while watching the Rose Parade this morning, then went to the gym, and cleaned the house. I got some some things done around the house that I had been meaning to do for a while, so that was nice. John went out and bought some shelving and got some shelves hung in the kids' bedrooms. They look really nice and it will be a fun surprise for them. We are hoping the shelves can help control the absolute mess that their rooms are. We also went on a long evening walk, and then ate some delicious tacos for supper. It was a great way to start off a new year. I also spent some time reading, and now blogging. I really couldn't ask for a better day. 

Goals for 2025:

1. Go on more walks. In the summer, John and I are really good at going for walks, but in the winter we don't go as often. I would like to go on more walks, year-round. It feels good, and John and I have some of our best talks while out for a walk.. 

2. Spontaneous Trips. We are pretty good at planning big travel trips, but I want to take more day trips. There are plenty of State Parks, cities, and outdoor activities within 90 minutes of Sioux Falls, that we have not explored yet. I want to be better at jumping in the car and spending the afternoon exploring something new. 

3. Continue blogging. I really enjoy blogging. It make me think, they are fun to read later on, and it's a good reflection. I go in spurts where I blog for a while and then I lose track and don't blog for a month or two. I hope to continue blogging and do it consistently. 

4. Read. I like to read. Last year I read 43 books. That's a pretty good number. I want to keep it up and keep expanding the authors and books that I read. I also read with Elliott, so really I should count those books. Right now, we are reading the Little House on the Prairie books, and we are really enjoying them. 

5. Continue to go to the gym. This habit has really solidified itself the last couple of years, and I plan to continue. I look forward to my gym visits, and it's a great stress reliever and I definitely feel more confident when I am making myself stronger and fitter. Three cheers for health!

6. Intentional Time with the kids. Emma is getting to the age where she hides in her room a lot and Elliott can get a little too into his Ipad and Nintendo Switch, so I want to be better at spending intentional time with the kids. We have some things. Emma and I volunteer at the Humane Society together, and that is great quality time. Elliott and I read together, and sometimes we play legos together. We also all 4 watch a show together most evenings to wind down and spend time together. But I want to keep being consistent with that and find more way to spend quality time together. 

7. Date night with the hubby. Along the same line, John and I need to be better about just planning dates and doing them. The kids are old enough to stay home alone, so we can pretty much plan a date night anytime we want. And we could be more creative in what we do. It doesn't always have to be a meal, we could bowl, throw axes, take a painting class, play bingo, or a million other things. We need to remember to be creative and intentional with our time as well. 

8. Try new recipes. We sometimes get in a rut of the same 15 meals over and over again. I want to be better about cooking new things in new ways, and making the kids at least try some of the food. They can be pretty picky at time. 

9. Family Devotions. I don't know why, but it's really hard for us to take 5 minutes in the evening to do a Family Devotion. I have a couple really nice devotional books, I really hope to set this into motion this year. Also, I have a daily bible plan on my phone and I hope to be more intentional with that was well. 

10. Camping and outdoor time this summer. Last summer we didn't do very much camping, so this summer I hope to do more. It's so good for the kids (and us). So, I want to fill our summer up with camping trips, fishing, hiking, and swimming. 

Happy New Year!