Fall Updates

 September continues to cruise along. We have been staying busy with school, cross country meets, and Elliott is playing soccer right now. There have also been friend birthday parties and sleepovers. It's been crazy. 

Two weekends ago, we had a school bonfire at the Polzin's house. All the school families got together at their house and had a meal and then sat around the fire and visited. It was really nice and the kids had a great time playing together. On that Saturday, Elliott had his first soccer game of the fall season. They only had 7 boys, and it is 7 on 7 soccer now, so they had to work really hard and didn't have any subs. But, they won 5-2, so we were pretty proud of them! On Sunday, we had a BBQ at school with the SDSU Ice Cream truck and our bean bag tournament. It was a really fun day, but it was a long one. We didn't leave church until 4:00pm. 

This past weekend was another crazy one. Mom and Dad decided kind of last minute that they were going to come and visit so they could see Elliott's soccer game on Saturday morning. So, they came Friday evening. However, both kids were at a sleepover, so it was just Mom and Dad and John and I. So, we decided to go downtown. We took mom and dad to Blarney Stone to eat supper. The food was really good, but the music was plenty loud and it was pretty crowded. After the meal, we headed across the street and got a beer at Fernson Brewery. It was a beautiful evening, so we enjoyed our beer out on the patio. We stayed downtown until around 10:30pm and then finally headed home to bed. 

On Saturday, we got some coffee at Scooters, and then headed to Polzins' at 8:00 am to get Elliott. Then we headed to Yankton Trail Park for Elliott's soccer game. Elliott's team had more players this game, but they somehow played worse. They did not do very well, and they lost 6-2, but the boys all had fun and played together, and Mom and Dad got to see Elliott play a soccer game. 

After the game, we stopped by Tomczaks to get Emma, and then we headed home for lunch with mom and dad. Then, shortly after lunch Jim and Barb stopped by to pick up the kids for a sleepover at their house since John and I had a wedding to go to later in the day. So, the kids were off again. Mom, Dad, John and I played some sheepshead for a while, and then mom and dad left so John and I could get ready for the wedding. 

John's co-worker, Tessa, was getting married. We went to the wedding which was at Looke's Meat Market, and then the reception. It was a very pretty wedding and the food was really good. And we had a good time dancing to the DJ in the evening. We hung out until around 10:00 pm and then we were ready to go home. It was a nice wedding and it was fun to hang out with some of John's co workers. 

On Sunday, Jim and Barb brought the kids to church and then we enjoyed the rest of the day at home. We did some grocery shopping, caught up at home, and then relaxed. 

This past week has flown by pretty quickly. We had our last cross country meet for the kids on Wednesday, and they both did well. We also had dentist appointments on Wednesday, and everything checked out great. 

This weekend is another crazy one. Cody's wedding is tomorrow. So, tonight we are heading to mom and dad's and then tomorrow the wedding is in Fairfax and the reception is in New Ulm. It should be a fun weekend, but sounds like rainy weather is in store for us. 

Here's to another wedding weekend!!

Labor Day Weekend

 We had a very busy Labor Day weekend this year. On Friday, Katie and I went out to eat supper and then we went to The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) Concert at the Denny. We went to Chevy's and then to Lupulin for a beer. The Chicks put on a really good show. They sounded great and had really good energy and sound. We really enjoyed ourselves and had a good time. They played all their greatest hits and some of their new stuff, it was fun!

On Saturday, we headed out to the South Dakota State Fair. It was forecasted to be 98 degrees on that day, so we hit the road at 7:00 am. We got to the fairgrounds around 9:00 am. We got to it right away, because we knew it was going to get hot. We checked out the 4-H building, and the kids did really well on their projects. They got all purples and blues, we were very proud. 

Then, we just walked around enjoying ourselves. We walked through the commercial buildings, sampled some dips and soups (and bought some) and walked through open class. We also had to check out the new beef barn and the other animal barns. We walked a lot, but really enjoyed ourselves. We also enjoyed the free farmer's lunch like we have for the last couple of years. 

We didn't stay as long as we have in past years. It got hot and it was crowded, so we hit the road early. We had some ice cream and headed for home. We spent the rest of the day cooling off at home and having a movie night. 

On Sunday, we went to church, and then had a welcome breakfast for our new Vicar. In the afternoon, the kids and I went to Lifelight downtown. The kids really wanted to see Colton Dixon and Jeremy Camp. We had a really good time at the concert, and they loved seeing some of their favorite singers. However, it was really hot and really crowded, so we didn't stay super long. Once we had seen who we came for (and 3 hours later) we got out of there. John didn't want to come, so he dropped us off and then picked us up, which was really nice since we didn't have to worry about parking. We had a great evening, and the kids really enjoyed the show. 

Monday was a relaxation day. We spent the day at home, and did some deep cleaning, washed bedding, and organized the garage. It was a productive day off. Then, we had a movie night with the kids, so that was fun. 

Diamond Lake

Well, it's been a while since I have blogged. Life has gotten away from me again. So, anyway, school is in full swing. We actually are coming up on midterms already next Friday. Yikes!

The weekend after school started, we went to Diamond Lake. We had a really fun weekend. It was just us and mom and dad, which is a nice change of pace. On Friday evening, we got to the lake around 8:00pm. Just in time to unpack the car and have a beer around the fire. It was a beautiful weekend when we were there. The evening were chilly (like 60s) and the days got into the mid 70s. It was perfect. The kids ran around at the park, and we all enjoyed some drinks and a fire. It was a great evening.

On Saturday, we stayed pretty busy. We played some softball at the backstop, we went on a bike ride, and we visited the cabin on the lake, which the kids always love. We also decided to visit a cute little Brewery that sits right on a creek. The kids had fun playing foosball and then playing in the creek. We had fun trying beers, even though we kept getting attacked by bees!!

After the brewery, we went back to the campsite and had some supper. We also played some cards with some of the guys at the campsite. And then we settled down and enjoyed another fire. It was a really great day at the lake and we had a blast. 

On Sunday, we went on a boat ride around the lake. It was too cold to get in the water, but we enjoyed just driving around. Then, we headed to Zorbaz and had some pizza. That's a fun little place right on Green Lake. The kids had fun playing on the shore of the lake. After lunch, we headed back and packed up to go home. 

We had a great final weekend at the lake. The weather was great, the food was great, and the company was great. We can't wait to do it again next summer!!

First Day of School 2023

 It's really hard to believe, but here we are at the first day of school already. I feel like I blinked, and summer is over. But, I guess it feels that way every year. 

Emma is a 6th grader this year. Again, it's really hard to believe she is already in 6th grade. I am hoping for a better school year this year with Emma. We had some struggles last year, but hopefully we can start the year out strong and have a great year. Emma seemed ready to be back at school with her friends. We also have cross country and basketball to look forward to, so we have a lot of good things to look forward to this year. 

Elliott is already a 3rd grader. How did that happen? I expect him to have a great year! He was ready to be back with his friends and back into a normal routine. We also have some soccer coming up for him, so that will keep us busy. 

We had a pretty uneventful morning getting ready for school. The kids made some smoothies for breakfast. We made sure they had clean clothes, clean teeth, and put on deodorant and we were out the door. We took our obligatory first day of school pictures, and then headed to school. 

At school, we took some more photos, visited with the other parents, and then had our opening chapel service. Then, we left the kids in their teachers' hands. 

Today has been an errand day for me. I ran around town picking things up, went to the gym, caught up on blogging (and Netflix), and podcasts, and now I am getting ready to pick the kids up from school. We are heading to the library and then ice cream after school. By the way, we are in a middle of a heat wave, and it's 104 degrees here for the 3rd day in a row, so, it's HOT!

We are ready for a busy, fun-filled fall. 

 

Turner County Fair 2023

 Another fair is in the books, and we had another good one. We started off the fair week on Sunday. We went to church, had a welcome breakfast for our new Vicar, and then had a Women of Bethel Meeting. Following all that, we gathered up all of our luggage and 4H projects, and headed to Parker. John dropped me off at the camper to get settled, and then the kids and him went to Jim and Barb's house to gather the animals and the rest of the projects. 

We were all back and settled at the camper around 3:00pm. Then, we went and did the vet check for the bunnies and chickens and then got them checked into their cages and settled. After that, we enjoyed our free BBQ supper in the park, and then we checked in our 4H projects, which was kind of a cluster, like always. But, we got them checked in, and then we could finally relax. 

Katie spent a lot of time at the fair this year. She entered a couple baking projects in open class and volunteered at the fair all week. On Sunday evening, Katie, Barb, and I enjoyed a nice long walk around the fairgrounds, and then we all sat around the camper and then called it a day. 

Monday was another busy fair day. In the morning, Emma and I volunteered in the 4H building helping the judges and hanging up the poster boards. Meanwhile, John did his volunteer golf cart rides and Elliott rode along with him. Late morning, my parents arrived, and we all enjoyed some lunch and then walking around the fair. We hit up the commercial exhibits, the animal barns, and basically the entire fair. Then, we enjoyed some adult beverages at the camper. At 4pm was the bunny show. It was a little boring, but the kids did really well. They both got purples, and Elliott was close to getting reserve champion on his bunny. They also both did showmanship again this year, and Emma got a reserve champion on that, so that was awesome. 

After the bunny show, we went and looked at 4H projects, and then it was time for us to head to town for Bethel's Open House, and mom and dad headed home. We had a good open house and got the kids all signed up for school. We enjoyed a night at home and some glorious showers. 

On Tuesday, Emma had an orthodontic appointment. We pretty much are locked in for braces in 6 months, so that will be fun. Otherwise things look good for Emma and she is on track. After her appointment, we headed back to the fairgrounds. The chicken show was at 2:00pm. The kids did okay with their chickens, they got some blues and reds, but they had fun. And they both did showmanship as well. 

After the chicken show, we had our shift in the 4H stand. Katie came along and helped us in the stand. We were very busy, but it was pretty fun. It was hot, but we had a good time. We worked until 11:00pm, and then we were all beat. John went home because he had to work the next day, and the kids and I went to the camper and passed out. 

On Wednesday, we had a pretty chill day. All the shows and scheduled things were pretty much over. We spent some time hanging out with Jill and Peg, and enjoyed some more fair food and walking around. Katie and I drove golf carts around from 11-2, and the kids rode along with us. It was pretty fun to give rides and meet people, we had a good time. In the afternoon, Anna, Johnny and Abby came to the fair, so the kids rode some rides with them and had fun running around the fair with them. In the evening, Elliott and Emma played bingo with the aunts, and Elliott ended up winning $32, he was in heaven. 

Thursday was the last day of the fair. The Polzins came out for the morning and early afternoon, and the kids loved showing them around, and then doing rides with them as well. We spent most of the day hanging out with extended family, eating fair food and playing bingo. Elliott, the little stinker, won at bingo again. $37. He was flying high. And then of course spent all his money immediately. 

At 9:00pm, we checked out the animals and projects. It went pretty well. Jim and Barb took the animals home, and the kids and I spent another night in the camper. On Friday, we packed up and headed home. 

We had a pretty quiet weekend at home. On Friday, we just enjoyed a quiet evening at home with some neighborhood walks and enjoyed our own beds. On Saturday, we had a catch up cleaning day at home, and then John and I volunteered in the beer tent for River Fest. We had a lot of fun and served a lot of beer. We even got to listen to a little bit of Kory and the Fireflies. Sunday was a recovery day before going back to work after a week off. 

We had another great year at the fair. Elliott got a judge's choice ribbon on his Jurassic Park garden. And the kids got mostly purple ribbons on their projects, which was awesome. We had a great time!