Thursday, October 30, 2008
2008 Baseball Season
FIGHTING ROZMANS 10, RUMBLING REYERSONS 9
Our Opening Night was worth the wait, and the game could not have been closer without ending in a tie. We had some nice hits and a web gem or two in the field. All in all, exactly what a coach wants out of his team: play hard, get dirty, shake hands after. If we do that all summer, we’ll win a mess of games and have a ton of fun.
(5/09)
FIGHTING ROZMANS 10, RUMBLING REYERSONS 8
The Fighting Rozmans did it again, scoring 4 runs in a furious last inning rally for a come from behind 10-8 victory. Sean, Martin and Bud each had 2 hits for our guys, and Jesse and Tim recorded their first hits of the season. Another close one, and we came out on the short end again, but that will make the first win of the season all the sweeter.
(5/13)
TOURNAMENT TEAM GOES 0-3 @ SLP SLUGFEST
12 of our boys got their first taste of tournament play at Slugfest this weekend. As an emergency replacement for a Chaska team that dropped out last Monday, we landed in a pretty tough pool and got roughed up a bit in our first two games, losing by scores of 27-1 to Eagan and 17-1 to Brooklyn Park . Saturday afternoon the guys really put it together and played a real good team from Champlin pretty much even steven. The final score of 7-2 is not a good indicator of how close the game was and how well the boys played. All in all, I thought it was a good experience for the guys and will only make us better for league play this summer.
(5/19)
Good Day Cafe 11, Edina Giants 10
First win of the year!
A bases loaded walk to Billy Bird forced home Raymond Stonacek to give Good Day Cafe a thrilling 11-10 win over the Edina Giants at chilly Carlson Field Monday night. The win is Good Day's first of the year after opening the season with 2 narrow losses. Good Day exploded for 10 in the 2nd inning to take a 10-2 lead, but Edina chipped away with a few hits in between some home team miscues. The lead finally evaporated with a final Edina rally in the 7th, but Good Day broke the tie in the bottom half without getting a hit. The Giant reliever walked 4 straight, and Raymond trotted home, making a winner out of pitcher Josh Ruud, who recorded the final 6 outs of the game. Starting pitcher Martin Schlegel-Wiener had 2 hits in the winning effort, and Collin Reyerson, Tim Prohofsky, Billy Bird, Bud Evers, Jake Omodt and Trent Walsh all had hits in the 10-run 2nd inning. Super-Sub Billy Bird also made the play of the day, knocking down and infield grounder and throwing out the batter from his knees to snuff out a 5th inning Giant rally. Good Day Café will try to get back to .500 on Wednesday with a game at Edina , under the lights at 8:00. No official word yet on if John Delke’s dad John will come with the ultra-cool vintage 1948 Cleveland Indians jersey, but he did last night and I think it helped some! When you’re 0-2, you’ll take all the karma you can get!
(5/20)
Good Day Cafe 15, Edina A’s 7
Schlegel-Wiener slam sinks Edina
For folks who do not follow SLP baseball, a Schlegel-Wiener slam may sound like something you get off the breakfast menu at Denny’s, but for us, it was the big blow in Good Day Café’s convincing 15-7 victory over Edina last night at Braemar. Martin Schlegel-Wiener’s 2nd inning blast came with the sacks full and broke a 6-0 game wide open, but was just part of the offensive story for Good Day Café. There were 11 hits in all, including 2 each by Nolan Rockers, Sean Gordon and Collin Reyerson. 9 of the 10 boys scored and everybody reached base at least once. Defensively, the boys showed real improvement, with Trent Walsh, Raymond Stonacek, John Delke and Nolan Rockers all making nice plays in the field to hold Edina ’s offense in check. 4 pitchers worked the game, striking out 12 Edina batters, and Good Day Café heads into the Memorial Day break with a 2-2 record. NICE GAME GUYS!
(5/22)
Citizens Bank 5, Good Day Cafe 2
Citizens strikes early, holds on to stay perfect
After retiring Good Day Cafe in order to start the game, Citizens raced to a quick lead in the bottom half, parlaying 4 hits, 2 walks and a couple of errors into 5 runs. It was all they would get, but all they would need in a 5-2 victory between the raindrops at Paul Frank last night.
4 Citizens pitchers held the Good Day Café offensive machine in check for most of the night. After roaring into the Memorial Day break with 26 runs in two wins vs. Edina teams, Good Day Cafe (2-3) managed just 2 hits and 6 walks. Citizens right-hander Mitchell Rotert pitched out of a jam in the 5th, recording a couple of key strikeouts and stranding 3 baserunners, and Mitchell Thomas pitched 2 scoreless innings to close it out, striking out 3.
After the wobbly start, Good Day Café’s pitching and defense took over. Martin Schlegel-Wiener, Sean Gordon and Nolan Rockers combined for 5 scoreless innings. "Double Play" Ray Stonacek, Tim Prohofsky, and Jesse Ewaldt all made nice plays in the field to keep Citizens Bank stuck at 5.
With the loss, Good Day Cafe's winning streak is over at 2, and its next win against Citizens will be the first one. The cross-town rivals meet again Saturday at Carlson. First pitch scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
(5/30)
Citizens Bank 14, Good Day Cafe 6
Citizens continues mastery over Good Day
Citizens Bank scored in each of the first 4 innings and extended it winning streak to 5 games with a 14-6 win over crosstown rival Good Day Café on Saturday at Carlson Field. Good Day’s offensive showing was an improvement over Thursday’s 5-2 loss, but they were still sluggish, running into 3 outs at home plate and stranding 6 runners over 5 innings. On the mound, Good Day Café (2-4) worked 6 pitchers on Saturday and struggled with a tight strike zone, issuing 8 bases on balls. Righthander Josh Ruud pitched a very efficient inning of scoreless relief, retiring the side in order in the 5th inning. The play of the day was a diving catch of a sinking liner by rightfielder Trent Walsh. The catch saved at least two runs and ended the inning with the bases full of Citizens. Good Day Café will get one last crack at Citizens this coming Wednesday at Paul Frank (6:00), but first, it’s off to Richfield this evening for the second road game of the year.
(6/02)
Richfield 8, Good Day Cafe 2
Good Day battles, falls short in Richfield
Good Day Cafe responded to a weekend walloping at the hand of Citizens Bank with a much better effort in its second road game of the season, battling a very skilled Richfield team but losing 8-2 Monday night. The bats were quiet again, with RBI knocks by Bud Evers and Jake Omodt accounting for all the offense. The lower end of the order coaxed some walks off Richfield pitching, but the key hit from the top of the order never came. The lack of run support put pressure on the pitching and defense, but Good Day rose to the challenge and kept it close until a 4 run 6th broke it open for Richfield . Relievers Nolan Rockers, Collin Reyerson and Josh Ruud worked the middle 4 innings, allowing just one run between them, and the play of the day came from second baseman Tim Prohofsky, who scrambled to his right and threw a Richfield batter out by an eyelash to cut short a 4th inning rally. Now 2-5 on the season, Good Day Café will get another crack at Citizens Wednesday at Paul Frank (6:00).
(6/03)
Citizens Bank 20, Good Day Cafe 4
Another Citizens uprising
Some sloppy play in the field spelled for Good Day Café in a 20-4 loss to Citizens Bank last night at Paul Frank. Citizens needed only 8 hits to plate 20 runs, but they also benefited from 9 bases on balls and numerous errors and passed balls. Nolan Rockers and Trent Walsh had back to back doubles in a 3 run 6th inning, and “Double Play Ray” Stonacek and Josh Ruud both had nice hits, but in the end, it just wasn’t Good Day’s night out there. Good Day Café (2-6) will host Richfield Monday night at Paul Frank. First pitch at 6:00.
(6/03)
Richfield 11, Good Day Café 5
Good Day battles, falls short, skid reaches 5
Still struggling to find the pre-Memorial Day offensive mojo, Good Day Cafe battled a tough Richfield team for 7 innings but lost 11-5 last night at Paul Frank. Josh Ruud had 2 of the 6 Good Day hits, all singles, and Tim “Scrap Iron” Prohofsky's RBI groundout started the scoring in the 3rd inning. The game was close early thanks to some sharp pitching by Nolan “Rocket Man” Rockers and Sean Gordon, but the Richfield bats came to life in the 5th, twice splitting the outfielders and chasing home 4 runs. They would add 4 more in the last 2 innings, and a 3 run Good Day rally in the bottom of the 7th was not enough. With the loss, Good Day’s record falls for 2-7, and they’re off to Robbinsdale on Thursday with a game under the lights at 8:00.
I'm not a fan of the term "moral victory", but I can tell you that we took away plenty of positives in spite of the loss. We gave away far fewer bases and outs than in previous games. We made the vast majority of the plays that needed to be made. We made crisp, purposeful throws from all over the field. Jesse Ewaldt played 7 (seven!) consecutive innings in right field and never hung his head once. John Delke got a 2 out, 2 strike hit when we absolutely had to have it. We backed up bases, we ran out all grounders and pop-ups. Chatter, toughness, hustle, teamwork....ALL THE STUFF that successful baseball players do all the time. We showed a lot of it last night.
(6/10)
Robbinsdale 14, Good Day Café 6
Rebels rally, extend Good Day skid to 6
In a tale of two games, Good Day Café started right, but Robbinsdale rallied in the final 2 innings to post a 14-6 victory under the lights in New Hope last night. On offense, Bud Evers, Trent Walsh, “Double Play Ray” Stonacek and Jesse Ewaldt all posted runs batted in, as Good Day Café used 4 hits and 7 bases on balls to tally their 6 runs. Nolan Rockers pitched 3 strong innings to start the game, and was assisted by 2 double plays, but the Rebel bats started finding some holes as the game wore on, sending home 12 runs in the final 2 innings before the umpire called the game at 10:15. Now 2-8 on the season, Good Day Café travels to Richfield Monday night for the first of 3 games next week.
(6/18)
Richfield Tournament Update
Comeback Kids strike twice on Saturday, advance to semi-finals
Sean Gordon's 7th inning RBI single broke a 7-7 deadlock and capped a furious 2 out Oriole rally, sending St. Louis Park to the semi-finals of the Richfield tournament with an 8-7 win over Bloomington. Gordon's walk-off hit was a nice finishing touch on a day where SLP twice erased big deficits in their final at-bat, triggering a thunderous home plate celebration.
SLP held a 4-3 lead after 5 strong innings of pitching by righthander Mitchell Thomas, but Bloomington parlayed 4 hits and a couple walks into 4 runs to take a 7-4 lead. In the top of the 7th, Bloomington had something going again when Park turned a tasty 5-4-3 double play, and Alex Rozman made a diving catch of a sinking line drive. In the bottom half, John Delke, Mitch Rotert and Collin Reyerson each had clutch 2 out singles to extend the game and set the stage for Gordon.
The Saturday magic actually began much earlier in the day, with SLP mounting a 7th inning rally to tie Princeton 9-9. The first 6 Orioles to bat in the 7th all scored, and SLP, wiped out a 9-3 Princeton lead. Nolan Rockers and Trent Walsh each went 2 for 3. SLP takes a record of 1-1-1 to the semi-finals, earning a #2 seed over Princeton by merit of the "runs allowed" tie-breaker criteria (28-27).
(6/21)
Good Day Café 14, Richfield 4
Bats come to life, Good Day rolls
Good Day Cafe jumped on their opponent early and never looked back in a 14-4 romp over Richfield last night at Donaldson Park . Pretty much everybody got into the act, with 11 of the 12 boys reaching 1st base at least once, as Good Day outhit Richfield 12-3. The bottom of the order really got into it, with “Double Play Ray” Stonacek and Jesse Ewaldt each knocking in 2 runs with nice singles. Tim “Scrap Iron” Prohofsky and John Delke each drove in a run as well. Bud Evers legged out a triple into the gap in right field, and Martin Schlegel-Wiener cleared the based in the 6th with a towering double. Nolan “Rocket Man” Rockers tossed 3 scoreless innings for the win. Good Day Café improves to 3-8 on the season and hosts Robbinsdale this evening at Paul Frank. First pitch at 6:00 p.m.
(6/24)
New Hope 6, Good Day Café 1
No clutch knocks for Good Day; New Hope wins
Apparently having used up all their hits two nights ago in Richfield , Good Day Cafe scratched out only 4 hits in a 6-1 loss to New Hope last night at Paul Frank. Sean Gordon doubled in Collin Reyerson, who singled to lead off the 7th, for the lone Good Day run. Trent Walsh and Bud Evers kept their hot bats working with the other two Good Day Hits. Good Day had opportunities in the 4th and 5th, but stranded 5 runners over those two innings. Martin Schlegel-Wiener tossed 3 strong innings in his longest outing of the season, and Gordon and Nolan Rockers were effective in relief to keep it close. Now 3-9 on the season, Good Day will get another shot at a Robbinsdale team tomorrow night at Paul Frank. 1st pitch 6:00.
(6/25)
Robbinsdale 18, Good day Café 1
One of those nights
Tough night for the hometown team, as Robbinsdale pounded out 12 hits and drew 12 walks en route to a convincing 18-1 win last night at Paul Frank Field. Good Day (3-10) scratched out only 4 singles and Robbinsdale was awarded the win after the 5th inning by the 10 Run Rule. Tim Prohofsky made his debut on the mound last night, struggled with the strike zone a little (like most new pitchers do), but recorded 3 outs. Bud Evers put on the gear for the first time this season and showed good skills behind the plate for a couple of innings. Overall, I was disappointed to see the boys play like that with so many family members watching last night, but we’ll write it off as one of those games. It was a good Robbinsdale team we played, but not 18-1 good. Very poor effort from the guys last night.
(6/28)
Richfield 20, Good Day Cafe 17
Richfield explodes, then escapes
In an exciting but very "messy" game of 13-year old baseball, Richfield rode a 10-run 4th inning and hung on for a 20-17 win at Paul Frank last night. Good Day Cafe (3-11) matched Richfield rally for rally, but couldn't overcome the disastrous 4th inning. Offensively, the hits and walks came from everywhere in the lineup, with all 12 boys reaching 1st base at least once, and 9 of them reaching twice. Bud Evers, Nolan Rockers, Trent Walsh and "Double Play Ray" Stonacek accounted for 8 of the 13 Good Day hits with 2 each. Trent ’s hits, a blistering double and a sharp single, were good for 3 RBIs. On the mound, our guys threw better than their lines will indicate, but some errors in the field and a tiny strike zone that never stopped moving the whole game didn't help matters. In the end, Richfield was just as sloppy as we were, but they had a few more big hits that provided the margin of victory. Tonight's game ball goes to Unofficial Official Scorekeeper Jeff Prohofsky, who somehow managed to navigate through all the passed balls and pickoffs and keep track of things! 37 runs, 29 hits, 17 walks. One pencil. Never complained once. Here's to Jeff!
(7/01)
Citizens Bank 5, Good Day Cafe 4
Whale of a game at Paul Frank
It is very rare to see a team of 13 year old play 7 innings of nearly mistake free baseball and still lose, but that is what happened Tuesday night as Good Day Cafe gave Citizens everything they could handle before falling 5-4 on a gorgeous night for baseball at Paul Frank. Good Day struck early, parlaying hits by Trent Walsh, Sean Gordon, Jake Omodt and Collin Reyerson into a 4 run 1st inning. Nolan "Rocket Man" Rockers pitched magnificently for 5 innings, and was aided by some fine defense, including a tasty double play pivot by 2nd sacker Tim Prohofsky, and an absolute missile from the hole by shortstop Gordon, nailing Mitchell Rotert by a step at 1st. Catcher Martin Schlegel-Wiener was excellent behind the plate, ensuring that Citizens would have to work for everything they got last night.
(7/03)
Good Day advances to Tournament Semi-Finals
Evers’ game winner caps a wild one at Countryside
Bud Evers' 6th inning single drove home Collin Reyerson with the winning run as Good Day Cafe came from behind 3 times to beat the Edina Yankees 17-16 on a warm night at Countryside Park. The 17 runs were the highest total by the boys all season, and the win sends Good Day Cafe (4-12) to the Prairie League semi-finals, 6:00 Wednesday at Braemar.
Collin led off the 6th with a walk, and made it all the way around to third by way of a passed ball and a Yankee error. Trent Walsh and Sean Gordon both walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Bud, who roped a "no doubt" single to center, ending the game, triggering a celebration at home plate and making a winner out of pitcher Nolan “Rocket Man” Rockers, who tossed a scoreless 6th.
The 6th inning never would have happened were it not for a furious 5th inning rally, where Good Day scored 5 times to tie the game 16-16 and extend the game. Martin Schlegel-Wiener and John Delke both had key RBI knocks in the 5th.
Good Day made the most of its 10 hits last night. Tim "Scrap Iron" Prohofsky, Josh Ruud and Jesse Ewaldt each had a hit, Ewaldt's hit a towering triple to left, to kickstart a 5 run 2nd inning.
Great effort by the guys all the way around. Bud played great behind the plate for 4 innings in the heat, and the guys just never quit last night. Was really happy to see them advance to the winners bracket.
(7/15)
Good Day Café 7, Edina Cardinals 4
Comeback Kids advance to Tournament final
The boys appear to be saving some of their best baseball for the very end, as they twice erased deficits and played error-free in the field to top the Edina Cardinals 7-4 in the Prairie League semi-final last night at Braemar. Sean “Flash” Gordon had 2 of the 5 Good Day Café hits, including an RBI single in the 4-run 5th inning, and recorded the last 6 outs of the game in relief of starter Nolan Rockers, who tossed the first 4 innings. Collin Reyerson, Trent Walsh and Tim Prohofsky all had RBI knocks last night, as Good Day Café rallied from deficits of 2-1 and 4-2 to improve its record to 5-12 on the season.
In the nightcap, Citizens Bank rode the bat and right arm of Mitchell Thomas for a 9-8 victory in the other tournament semi-final, setting up an SLP vs. SLP final Friday night. The big blow was Mitchell’s 3rd inning grand slam to left, which gave Citizens a 7-3 lead, and Mitchell also recorded the last 6 outs of the game on the mound.
(7/17)
No Championship Game
Mike and I have so far been unable to land on a day and time when we have a field, an umpire and enough players to hold the Championship Game. Lots of families planned vacations around the end of the season (which was supposed to be tomorrow night).
I want to toss something out there for families to consider: After all the guff we took from the good people of Edina this week, I submit that beating Edina in both semi-final games last night, ensuring that the first place trophy winds up someplace other than Edina, is the highest possible reward.
Instead of holding a championship game with a whole bunch of boys missing, let’s get the teams together for a Beat Edina Party in late July, grill some burgers, have a few laughs and cook up a good-natured way of determining who gets the 1st place and 2nd place hardware we earned last night.
It’s been a fun summer of baseball, and I would like to have as many boys and families on hand, even if it’s a week or two down the road, to celebrate a great season that could not have ended in a more positive way.
Thanks for a Great Season!
Short note of thanks to all families for your support all spring and all summer, and thanks to everybody for coming out tonight to wrap up our season with a few hot dogs and a few laughs. Lastly, thank you very much for the Granite City gift card. Hardly necessary but very much appreciated....I love that place!
It had been over 25 years since I coached a team. Some of the stuff I picked back up right away, some stuff took a while, but the guys were great and I thoroughly enjoyed the practices and games. Over the season, I think the guys' baseball skills improved steadily, and that is satisfying for parents and coaches to see. I can say with confidence that every kid on the team contributed BIG to at least one of our wins: Jesse Ewaldt's triple in the Edina tournament, John Delke legging out the infield single in the Richfield Tournament, Tim "Scrap Iron" Prohofsky turning a big double play to snuff out a rally. EVERYBODY had a piece of this thing.
Also, thanks to Jeff Prohofsky and Stephen Wiener for all their time on the diamond with the boys this summer. No way one dad can do this. Stephen, thanks for bringing the grill and ketchup tonight too....the hot dogs wouldn't have tasted the same with out you!
Thanks again everybody, and see you at the ballpark next spring!
(8/07)
Christmas Letter 1999
Seasons Greeting from the Reyersons!
I’m finding it hard to believe that it’s been another year. Seems like it was a few weeks ago that I sat here wondering how to sum up 1998 in a few paragraphs. A wise man told me once that the years really start to hurry once you have kids, and I cannot dispute that one bit.
As for this year, it was fun and challenging at the same time. It’s been fun watching the kids grow up a little, become more independent, start preschool and make new friends. It’s been a challenge to deal with the things that most folks don’t like about the average 4 year old. I’ll let you fill in the blanks. With that said, however, I’ll stack our kids up against anybody’s. They’re great kids, and we’re lucky as can be to have them.
The preschool teachers tell us that Collin is somewhat of a “leader”. Seems that a lot of the other kids want to play with him and sit by him at lunchtime. His hand shoots up every time the teacher asks for a volunteer, no matter what the task. I plan to use that piece of information to my advantage a few times in the next ten years or so. Collin also mastered the art of riding a bike like a big boy this year, and you should see him throw a football. I was also shocked to come home one day to see Collin at the table writing his name like he’d been doing it for years. He’s a tremendously fast learner.
Adrienne is more reserved than Collin at preschool, but has made friends with a couple little girls more shy than she is. The teachers tell us that these friendships help build Adrienne’s confidence, and that she has made big steps since school began back in September. At home, she acts out what she learns in school, reading stories to her dolls and stuffed animals. Lately she has been working on writing her own name in an effort to keep up with big brother. Folks keep telling us that she looks like Connie now more that ever. I know my DNA is in there somewhere, just don’t ask me where it is.
Connie is enjoying the newfound freedom that the 3.5 hour preschool sessions bring 3 times a week. She actually gets to “think” when she shops now, something most folks take for granted. We’re also getting a little time together away from the kids. We have neighbors across the street with two boys ages 7 and 5. Twice this fall, we dropped off the kids and went out for a little fun, dinner one night, a movie the other.
My 11th year at Best Buy is perhaps my busiest ever. It ranks right up there with the 3 years I spent at the store in Des Moines. I’m working essentially the same number of hours, but they’re the “right” hours (no evenings, just a few weekends). No matter how busy I get, I have the opportunity to do something I hardly ever got to do working shifts in Des Moines: eat lunch. Funny how quick you can put on a few pounds once you get 3 squares a day.
For all the Hawkeye fans out there, I must say I was sorry to see the Hayden Fry era end, but was even sorrier to watch the 1999 Hawks stumble through the worst season in the past quarter century. They looked like a fraternity football team on its third keg of beer. Yuck. I am, however, looking forward to the basketball season, where Mr. Alford and all the new faces may sneak up on a few teams writing off the Hawks as an easy win. Go Black and Gold!
Well, that’s just about it from here. Be sure to stop by if your travels bring you to the Twin Cities. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we’d love to see you. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
I’m finding it hard to believe that it’s been another year. Seems like it was a few weeks ago that I sat here wondering how to sum up 1998 in a few paragraphs. A wise man told me once that the years really start to hurry once you have kids, and I cannot dispute that one bit.
As for this year, it was fun and challenging at the same time. It’s been fun watching the kids grow up a little, become more independent, start preschool and make new friends. It’s been a challenge to deal with the things that most folks don’t like about the average 4 year old. I’ll let you fill in the blanks. With that said, however, I’ll stack our kids up against anybody’s. They’re great kids, and we’re lucky as can be to have them.
The preschool teachers tell us that Collin is somewhat of a “leader”. Seems that a lot of the other kids want to play with him and sit by him at lunchtime. His hand shoots up every time the teacher asks for a volunteer, no matter what the task. I plan to use that piece of information to my advantage a few times in the next ten years or so. Collin also mastered the art of riding a bike like a big boy this year, and you should see him throw a football. I was also shocked to come home one day to see Collin at the table writing his name like he’d been doing it for years. He’s a tremendously fast learner.
Adrienne is more reserved than Collin at preschool, but has made friends with a couple little girls more shy than she is. The teachers tell us that these friendships help build Adrienne’s confidence, and that she has made big steps since school began back in September. At home, she acts out what she learns in school, reading stories to her dolls and stuffed animals. Lately she has been working on writing her own name in an effort to keep up with big brother. Folks keep telling us that she looks like Connie now more that ever. I know my DNA is in there somewhere, just don’t ask me where it is.
Connie is enjoying the newfound freedom that the 3.5 hour preschool sessions bring 3 times a week. She actually gets to “think” when she shops now, something most folks take for granted. We’re also getting a little time together away from the kids. We have neighbors across the street with two boys ages 7 and 5. Twice this fall, we dropped off the kids and went out for a little fun, dinner one night, a movie the other.
My 11th year at Best Buy is perhaps my busiest ever. It ranks right up there with the 3 years I spent at the store in Des Moines. I’m working essentially the same number of hours, but they’re the “right” hours (no evenings, just a few weekends). No matter how busy I get, I have the opportunity to do something I hardly ever got to do working shifts in Des Moines: eat lunch. Funny how quick you can put on a few pounds once you get 3 squares a day.
For all the Hawkeye fans out there, I must say I was sorry to see the Hayden Fry era end, but was even sorrier to watch the 1999 Hawks stumble through the worst season in the past quarter century. They looked like a fraternity football team on its third keg of beer. Yuck. I am, however, looking forward to the basketball season, where Mr. Alford and all the new faces may sneak up on a few teams writing off the Hawks as an easy win. Go Black and Gold!
Well, that’s just about it from here. Be sure to stop by if your travels bring you to the Twin Cities. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we’d love to see you. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2000
Happy Holidays from the Reyersons!
The year 2000 was one of many “firsts” in our house, most of them real nice ones.
My 35th Christmas will be the first one when I am not spending all or part of it in Oelwein. It’s kind of weird, but kind of nice too. The kids are 5, and Connie and I want to give them a Christmas here at home so they can do the whole bit: leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, carrots for the reindeer, the whole nine yards. I want them both to have the memory of a Christmas at home while the idea of Santa in the very next room putting presents under the tree really jacks them up. We’re all looking forward to a Christmas morning at home, and the folks are just a phone call away.
Connie and I had our first weekend away from the kids back in August. This past June marked our 10th wedding anniversary, and Mom insisted that we drop off the kids and go have some fun. So I followed orders and Connie and I went off to Wisconsin for a couple of nights in a hotel. Ate in some nice places, saw a movie, gambled on Miss Marquette, saw some sights. The nicest part of all, however, was the relief of learning that the kids didn’t wear out their welcome at Grandma’s!
We had our first day of school back in September. Collin and Adrienne are now Kindergartners, so they go to school every day for the morning session. They are in different classes, which was what the school suggested. Appears to be working, both kids love their teachers, and they get to play together a lot just the same, as the classrooms are adjacent to each other.
We also had our first slumber party, our first visit from the tooth fairy (did you know that she comes even if you swallow the tooth?), our first garage sale, our first ride on a roller coaster, our first Little League game, our first parent-teacher conference (here’s hoping they’re all as pleasant as the first one), our first Girl Scout meeting, our first door-to-door school fund raiser, our first trip to the dentist and our first trip to the public library where the kids got their very own library cards.
The “stay at home Mom” experience is one that Connie continues to enjoy. With the kids gone about 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, Connie uses that 15 hours to do all the things that are far less fun with kids around, like keeping the house clean and hitting the WalMart/K-Mart/Target circuit. I will also add that seldom a day goes by when she’s not taking something sweet out of the oven, especially this time of year, and you should see how dolled up this house is for Christmas.
This Christmas will be my 12th working for Best Buy Company, and my 6th since moving to the Twin Cities. Our company has grown not quite tenfold since I joined one of our then 47 stores in 1989. Since then I have seen the company do some amazing things, many of which I participated in, and I can’t complain one bit about the way Best Buy has treated me. I’m not a real big city guy, but the move we made to the Twin Cities in 1995 is one we certainly do not regret. Connie will remind me that I said that next time I go up to shovel snow off the roof.
Well, that’s just about all the paper I have. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
The year 2000 was one of many “firsts” in our house, most of them real nice ones.
My 35th Christmas will be the first one when I am not spending all or part of it in Oelwein. It’s kind of weird, but kind of nice too. The kids are 5, and Connie and I want to give them a Christmas here at home so they can do the whole bit: leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, carrots for the reindeer, the whole nine yards. I want them both to have the memory of a Christmas at home while the idea of Santa in the very next room putting presents under the tree really jacks them up. We’re all looking forward to a Christmas morning at home, and the folks are just a phone call away.
Connie and I had our first weekend away from the kids back in August. This past June marked our 10th wedding anniversary, and Mom insisted that we drop off the kids and go have some fun. So I followed orders and Connie and I went off to Wisconsin for a couple of nights in a hotel. Ate in some nice places, saw a movie, gambled on Miss Marquette, saw some sights. The nicest part of all, however, was the relief of learning that the kids didn’t wear out their welcome at Grandma’s!
We had our first day of school back in September. Collin and Adrienne are now Kindergartners, so they go to school every day for the morning session. They are in different classes, which was what the school suggested. Appears to be working, both kids love their teachers, and they get to play together a lot just the same, as the classrooms are adjacent to each other.
We also had our first slumber party, our first visit from the tooth fairy (did you know that she comes even if you swallow the tooth?), our first garage sale, our first ride on a roller coaster, our first Little League game, our first parent-teacher conference (here’s hoping they’re all as pleasant as the first one), our first Girl Scout meeting, our first door-to-door school fund raiser, our first trip to the dentist and our first trip to the public library where the kids got their very own library cards.
The “stay at home Mom” experience is one that Connie continues to enjoy. With the kids gone about 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, Connie uses that 15 hours to do all the things that are far less fun with kids around, like keeping the house clean and hitting the WalMart/K-Mart/Target circuit. I will also add that seldom a day goes by when she’s not taking something sweet out of the oven, especially this time of year, and you should see how dolled up this house is for Christmas.
This Christmas will be my 12th working for Best Buy Company, and my 6th since moving to the Twin Cities. Our company has grown not quite tenfold since I joined one of our then 47 stores in 1989. Since then I have seen the company do some amazing things, many of which I participated in, and I can’t complain one bit about the way Best Buy has treated me. I’m not a real big city guy, but the move we made to the Twin Cities in 1995 is one we certainly do not regret. Connie will remind me that I said that next time I go up to shovel snow off the roof.
Well, that’s just about all the paper I have. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2001
Warm Holiday Greetings from the Reyersons!
Well, let’s get right to it. The year 2001 “by the numbers”:
$7.50: Amount paid out to Collin and Adrienne (50 cents at a time) by the tooth fairy this calendar year. The pictures enclosed pretty much tell the story for the year: both kids were spitting out teeth faster than Bob Hope one-liners. I am told my many. however, that the tooth fairy has been mysteriously shorting our kids, as the neighbor girl across the street has been getting a whole dollar for one of her teeth. Therefore Connie and I plan to renegotiate a deal with the tooth fairy so our kids can get a dollar too...only fair, right?
850: Miles covered on the 2001 Reyerson Family Summer Vacation. We made several stops on our 8 day, 7 night odyssey criss-crossing Iowa, starting with Connie’s 15 year class reunion. We dropped the kids off with Connie’s folks in Webster and rented a hotel room in Williamsburg, up the road about 25 miles, for 3 nights. Then the 4 of us were off to Ida Grove in western Iowa, for a couple days to visit some friends who’d had their first baby a few months earlier. After successfully peeling Adrienne off the baby (a bit of a chore), it was off to Oelwein to spend a couple days with my folks in their new house. They moved into Oelwein after 32 years in the house I grew up in north of town. The new house is a bit smaller, but plenty big for all of us when we come to visit, and it’s as cozy as it can be, just perfect for Mom and Dad. Weather permitting, we plan to be in Oelwein for the first Christmas at 518 East Charles.
1,000,000: Approximate number of new blades of grass in our front yard. Much to the consternation of Collin, who argues that we have done an egregious disservice to the St. Louis Park squirrel and chipmunk community, we took a big soft maple tree out of our front yard this last winter. It had grown too big, too close to the house, and it just killed our grass year after year. After the snow melted, we put down some black dirt and reseeded the entire front yard. Sounds like a bigger job than it really is...our front yard measures 40’ X 50’, or roughly the same dimensions as Bill Gates’ master bedroom. Still, the yard has never looked better, and we really are proud of it.
3: Brand new dents in my car. A few months after we took the soft maple down, pieces of our hard maple, also in the front yard but closer to the street, mysteriously started falling to the ground. One fell right on my ‘91 Pontiac, smashing the windshield and totaling the car. The insurance guy said he’d either give me $2900 and take the car or give me $2500 and let me keep the car. Hmmm. I landed on option B like a sumo wrestler, pounded out the aforementioned dents, dropped in a new windshield, and put about $2000 in the bank. I mean when you drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark, who cares what the car looks like?
35: Number of hours per week Connie has to herself when the kids are in school. Connie is still the classic “stay at home mom”. She really enjoys it and it’s what we both truly want for the kids. And while she’s not working outside the home, Connie’s been working to get a small “cookies, bars and brownies” business off the ground right out of the house here. She loves to bake, and is always looking for an excuse to do it (half of what she bakes goes to the office with me and is devoured by my co-workers), so she might as well make a few bucks doing it I guess. Business cards currently in design will read “Cookies by Connie”, a simple but snappy name coined by the kids’ preschool teacher a while back.
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Well, let’s get right to it. The year 2001 “by the numbers”:
$7.50: Amount paid out to Collin and Adrienne (50 cents at a time) by the tooth fairy this calendar year. The pictures enclosed pretty much tell the story for the year: both kids were spitting out teeth faster than Bob Hope one-liners. I am told my many. however, that the tooth fairy has been mysteriously shorting our kids, as the neighbor girl across the street has been getting a whole dollar for one of her teeth. Therefore Connie and I plan to renegotiate a deal with the tooth fairy so our kids can get a dollar too...only fair, right?
850: Miles covered on the 2001 Reyerson Family Summer Vacation. We made several stops on our 8 day, 7 night odyssey criss-crossing Iowa, starting with Connie’s 15 year class reunion. We dropped the kids off with Connie’s folks in Webster and rented a hotel room in Williamsburg, up the road about 25 miles, for 3 nights. Then the 4 of us were off to Ida Grove in western Iowa, for a couple days to visit some friends who’d had their first baby a few months earlier. After successfully peeling Adrienne off the baby (a bit of a chore), it was off to Oelwein to spend a couple days with my folks in their new house. They moved into Oelwein after 32 years in the house I grew up in north of town. The new house is a bit smaller, but plenty big for all of us when we come to visit, and it’s as cozy as it can be, just perfect for Mom and Dad. Weather permitting, we plan to be in Oelwein for the first Christmas at 518 East Charles.
1,000,000: Approximate number of new blades of grass in our front yard. Much to the consternation of Collin, who argues that we have done an egregious disservice to the St. Louis Park squirrel and chipmunk community, we took a big soft maple tree out of our front yard this last winter. It had grown too big, too close to the house, and it just killed our grass year after year. After the snow melted, we put down some black dirt and reseeded the entire front yard. Sounds like a bigger job than it really is...our front yard measures 40’ X 50’, or roughly the same dimensions as Bill Gates’ master bedroom. Still, the yard has never looked better, and we really are proud of it.
3: Brand new dents in my car. A few months after we took the soft maple down, pieces of our hard maple, also in the front yard but closer to the street, mysteriously started falling to the ground. One fell right on my ‘91 Pontiac, smashing the windshield and totaling the car. The insurance guy said he’d either give me $2900 and take the car or give me $2500 and let me keep the car. Hmmm. I landed on option B like a sumo wrestler, pounded out the aforementioned dents, dropped in a new windshield, and put about $2000 in the bank. I mean when you drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark, who cares what the car looks like?
35: Number of hours per week Connie has to herself when the kids are in school. Connie is still the classic “stay at home mom”. She really enjoys it and it’s what we both truly want for the kids. And while she’s not working outside the home, Connie’s been working to get a small “cookies, bars and brownies” business off the ground right out of the house here. She loves to bake, and is always looking for an excuse to do it (half of what she bakes goes to the office with me and is devoured by my co-workers), so she might as well make a few bucks doing it I guess. Business cards currently in design will read “Cookies by Connie”, a simple but snappy name coined by the kids’ preschool teacher a while back.
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2002
So, here we are again! Another whirlwind year drawing to a close, and time now to catch you up on the comings and goings of the Reyerson Family.
After talking about it for a few years, I finally bought a shed for the back yard and built it with an assist from neighbors Terry and Kenny. In fact, had I not come home early one day, they may have finished it without me. Terry and I spent the majority of a Saturday levelling out the ground and assembling the structure. We quit when it got dark, and the weather kept us inside the next day. I came home on Monday to the sound of Kenny and Terry hammering tarpaper and shingles onto the roof! We finished the job together later that day. A few weeks later, Terry bought the same exact shed and we did it all over again. Connie and I have a lot of things to be thankful for, and we would count our good neighbors among them.
For the first time in 7 years, we'll be stapling two W-2 forms to our tax return this April. That's right, Connie has joined the work force, taking a part-time job with St. Louis Park schools as an on-call substitute for school employees. She has no official title, but for all you baseball fans out there, I call her St. Louis Park's "utility infielder". At any rate, she loves the kids, the hours and the flexibility the job brings. The money doesn't hurt either. "Cookies by Connie" continues on as a non-profit venture, as Connie bakes for the Cub Scouts, the Girl Scouts, friends, family and neighbors when she can find the time.
After two years of tee ball, Collin graduated to the ranks of "machine-pitch" baseball. His team, the Chuck's Grinding "Little Grinders", finished with a record of 10 wins, 6 losses and 1 tie. Collin's skills improved quite a bit over the summer, and he played every position on the diamond, although he got a bit bored in the outfield and was frequently spotted playing with his protective cup. Like most 7 year old boys, Collin's competitive juices are just starting to flow; he was far more concerned with the post-game treat than he was with the score.
Both kids, now in the second grade, are doing quite well in school, but based on my observations, I would say that Adrienne may enjoy it a little more. She spends a lot of her free time at home at the table writing and illustrating stories, and playing "school" with her friends, her dolls and her friends' dolls. She's a very creative player and learner, but we were surprised to find out that she had joined Collin in the advanced math class this year! Collin would also want you to know that he has not missed a single word on the spelling tests he's taken every Thursday this fall. We're so proud of both kids.
Here are 4 words I thought I would never utter: We bought a mini-van. Wait a minute -- is that 5 words? The hyphen thing always mixes me up. Whatever. At any rate, Connie's been on me for years for a mini-van and her father has been singing the praises of Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge products for as long as I've known him. So I satisfied both of them and bought a Dodge mini-van. I never thought I would be a mini-van guy, but I found that it's great for moving kids around, and very comfortable to take on trips. The only regret I have is not having bought it sooner.
Back in June, I marked my 13 year anniversary with Best Buy Company, and this Christmas is my eighth at the Corporate office, which is really hard to believe. It seems like almost no time has passed since we decided to move to Minnesota, but here it is 7 years later. No regrets though...Connie and the kids are happy, we have a nice home, and the folks are just a few hours down the road in Iowa.
Speaking of Iowa, what a season it's been for the Black and Gold! 11 wins, 9 in a row, and a perfect 8-0 record in the Big Ten. It is hard to believe that one bad half against arch-rival Iowa State cost the Hawks a shot at the National Championship. Oh well, spilled milk, right? All I want now is a win on January 2 in the Orange Bowl, and we can call it a fitting end to a true dream season, and the perfect way to kick off the New Year!
Well that's just about it from here. If your travels ever bring you to the Twin Cities, please be sure to give us a shout. St. Louis Park is just a stone's throw from downtown Minneapolis, and we love to have visitors. Until then, a safe, happy holiday from our home to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
After talking about it for a few years, I finally bought a shed for the back yard and built it with an assist from neighbors Terry and Kenny. In fact, had I not come home early one day, they may have finished it without me. Terry and I spent the majority of a Saturday levelling out the ground and assembling the structure. We quit when it got dark, and the weather kept us inside the next day. I came home on Monday to the sound of Kenny and Terry hammering tarpaper and shingles onto the roof! We finished the job together later that day. A few weeks later, Terry bought the same exact shed and we did it all over again. Connie and I have a lot of things to be thankful for, and we would count our good neighbors among them.
For the first time in 7 years, we'll be stapling two W-2 forms to our tax return this April. That's right, Connie has joined the work force, taking a part-time job with St. Louis Park schools as an on-call substitute for school employees. She has no official title, but for all you baseball fans out there, I call her St. Louis Park's "utility infielder". At any rate, she loves the kids, the hours and the flexibility the job brings. The money doesn't hurt either. "Cookies by Connie" continues on as a non-profit venture, as Connie bakes for the Cub Scouts, the Girl Scouts, friends, family and neighbors when she can find the time.
After two years of tee ball, Collin graduated to the ranks of "machine-pitch" baseball. His team, the Chuck's Grinding "Little Grinders", finished with a record of 10 wins, 6 losses and 1 tie. Collin's skills improved quite a bit over the summer, and he played every position on the diamond, although he got a bit bored in the outfield and was frequently spotted playing with his protective cup. Like most 7 year old boys, Collin's competitive juices are just starting to flow; he was far more concerned with the post-game treat than he was with the score.
Both kids, now in the second grade, are doing quite well in school, but based on my observations, I would say that Adrienne may enjoy it a little more. She spends a lot of her free time at home at the table writing and illustrating stories, and playing "school" with her friends, her dolls and her friends' dolls. She's a very creative player and learner, but we were surprised to find out that she had joined Collin in the advanced math class this year! Collin would also want you to know that he has not missed a single word on the spelling tests he's taken every Thursday this fall. We're so proud of both kids.
Here are 4 words I thought I would never utter: We bought a mini-van. Wait a minute -- is that 5 words? The hyphen thing always mixes me up. Whatever. At any rate, Connie's been on me for years for a mini-van and her father has been singing the praises of Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge products for as long as I've known him. So I satisfied both of them and bought a Dodge mini-van. I never thought I would be a mini-van guy, but I found that it's great for moving kids around, and very comfortable to take on trips. The only regret I have is not having bought it sooner.
Back in June, I marked my 13 year anniversary with Best Buy Company, and this Christmas is my eighth at the Corporate office, which is really hard to believe. It seems like almost no time has passed since we decided to move to Minnesota, but here it is 7 years later. No regrets though...Connie and the kids are happy, we have a nice home, and the folks are just a few hours down the road in Iowa.
Speaking of Iowa, what a season it's been for the Black and Gold! 11 wins, 9 in a row, and a perfect 8-0 record in the Big Ten. It is hard to believe that one bad half against arch-rival Iowa State cost the Hawks a shot at the National Championship. Oh well, spilled milk, right? All I want now is a win on January 2 in the Orange Bowl, and we can call it a fitting end to a true dream season, and the perfect way to kick off the New Year!
Well that's just about it from here. If your travels ever bring you to the Twin Cities, please be sure to give us a shout. St. Louis Park is just a stone's throw from downtown Minneapolis, and we love to have visitors. Until then, a safe, happy holiday from our home to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2003
Warm Holiday Greetings from the Reyersons!
2003 is almost in the books, and for our family will go down as a year of accomplishments, some good fortune, and lots of quality family time.
They say it's technically not "bragging" when you're bragging on your kids, so here goes. Collin and Adrienne are in the third grade, and academically are at or near the top of the class. Their teachers told us in October that they were reading and writing at a late 3rd grade level shortly after the school year began. Both are thought to be assets to their respective classes, although Collin is somewhat more "aggressive" in class participation (either by invitation or the other kind) than Adrienne, who generally waits to be called upon.
Both kids are in scouting (Collin is currently working toward Bear rank, Adrienne a 3rd year Brownie), and last month Collin shocked the Cub Scout world by coming out of nowhere to win the 2003 Pack 225 Space Derby. 36 Scouts entered a rocket, and Collin has the trophy that proves nobody was faster than he was in 2003.
Connie has been stocking up on sugar, butter, flour and things of that ilk, which can only mean that a period of very intense baking is about to begin. This is easily her favorite time of year. She's got the house decorated, she's playing the holiday music, watching the holiday movies, baking and shopping up a storm, and waiting for the first flakes to fly. In the midst of all this, she still has time to put in anywhere from 5 to 20 hours a week at the elementary school, helping out wherever she's needed.
With the help of our neighbors, we were able to cross a couple of household projects off the list. For starters, we put a brand new white picket fence, complete with a archway and a gate, around Connie's vegetable garden in the back yard. It was a lot of cutting, drilling, hammering and screwing, but it looks a whole lot better than the old wire fence, and is no less effective at keeping the rabbits out. Later in the summer, we replaced about 20 feet of sidewalk in front of the house. It was a very hot and exhausting job (25 bags of concrete X 80 pounds a bag = 1 TON of concrete), but with the help of neighbors Terry and Kenny, we nailed it! Terry and Kenny are the guys I told you about last year who helped me build the shed. They're made of the good stuff as far as neighbors go, and we're lucky to have them.
Back in August we relived what was an annual Wood-Reyerson family tradtition 20 or 30 years ago: we fished in Wisconsin for a week. What a treat that was! The four of us got with my folks and rented a cabin on a lake about 100 miles from the Twin Cities. We fished, golfed, ate and slept to our hearts' content the whole week, and while it was essentially the six of us, we had aunts, uncles and cousins dropping in just about every day, so it really did feel like one of those big trips up north with the whole family there. I was about Collin's age when we started going up north, and I have few childhood memories that are happier than how I remember those vacations. Hopefully years from now, our kids will feel the same way about their time at the lake with the family.
I've been told that it's better to be lucky than smart, and I've spent a lifetime clinging to those words like a piece of driftwood. But in February, I actually proved it by winning a trip to Las Vegas by entering a drawing at the Minneapolis Golf Show. Round trip airfare for two, 4 nights at the Mirage on the Strip, 2 rounds of golf, rental car, the whole nine yards. Since Connie is not a golfer, I had to find a different travel partner. Dad, as most of you know, retired from the creamery back in March after 34 years, but you'd be surprised how much trouble I had convincing a man with nothing but time on his hands to hit Vegas with me. But he finally caved in, so back in early November, Dad and I flew out to Vegas and turned that town upside down, and while Dad didn't set the blackjack tables on fire, he golfed circles around his hack of a son.
June of 2004 will mark my 15 year anniversary with Best Buy Company, and we're coming up on 8 years in the Twin Cities. That's hard to believe considering that Connie and I moved 6 times in the 7 years prior to moving to St. Louis Park. I don't see us moving anytime in the foreseeable future. Connie and I both like the idea of the kids growing up in one place, one house, and always knowing that as home. Years down the road, we'll likely move to a smaller town, but in the meantime, we're very thankful for what we have: a healthy family with a nice home and a couple bucks in the bank. What else is there?
Well that's just about it from here. If your travels ever bring you to the Twin Cities, please be sure to give us a call. St. Louis Park is just a hop and a skip from downtown Minneapolis, and we love to have visitors. Until then, warmest wishes for a safe, happy holiday from our home to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
2003 is almost in the books, and for our family will go down as a year of accomplishments, some good fortune, and lots of quality family time.
They say it's technically not "bragging" when you're bragging on your kids, so here goes. Collin and Adrienne are in the third grade, and academically are at or near the top of the class. Their teachers told us in October that they were reading and writing at a late 3rd grade level shortly after the school year began. Both are thought to be assets to their respective classes, although Collin is somewhat more "aggressive" in class participation (either by invitation or the other kind) than Adrienne, who generally waits to be called upon.
Both kids are in scouting (Collin is currently working toward Bear rank, Adrienne a 3rd year Brownie), and last month Collin shocked the Cub Scout world by coming out of nowhere to win the 2003 Pack 225 Space Derby. 36 Scouts entered a rocket, and Collin has the trophy that proves nobody was faster than he was in 2003.
Connie has been stocking up on sugar, butter, flour and things of that ilk, which can only mean that a period of very intense baking is about to begin. This is easily her favorite time of year. She's got the house decorated, she's playing the holiday music, watching the holiday movies, baking and shopping up a storm, and waiting for the first flakes to fly. In the midst of all this, she still has time to put in anywhere from 5 to 20 hours a week at the elementary school, helping out wherever she's needed.
With the help of our neighbors, we were able to cross a couple of household projects off the list. For starters, we put a brand new white picket fence, complete with a archway and a gate, around Connie's vegetable garden in the back yard. It was a lot of cutting, drilling, hammering and screwing, but it looks a whole lot better than the old wire fence, and is no less effective at keeping the rabbits out. Later in the summer, we replaced about 20 feet of sidewalk in front of the house. It was a very hot and exhausting job (25 bags of concrete X 80 pounds a bag = 1 TON of concrete), but with the help of neighbors Terry and Kenny, we nailed it! Terry and Kenny are the guys I told you about last year who helped me build the shed. They're made of the good stuff as far as neighbors go, and we're lucky to have them.
Back in August we relived what was an annual Wood-Reyerson family tradtition 20 or 30 years ago: we fished in Wisconsin for a week. What a treat that was! The four of us got with my folks and rented a cabin on a lake about 100 miles from the Twin Cities. We fished, golfed, ate and slept to our hearts' content the whole week, and while it was essentially the six of us, we had aunts, uncles and cousins dropping in just about every day, so it really did feel like one of those big trips up north with the whole family there. I was about Collin's age when we started going up north, and I have few childhood memories that are happier than how I remember those vacations. Hopefully years from now, our kids will feel the same way about their time at the lake with the family.
I've been told that it's better to be lucky than smart, and I've spent a lifetime clinging to those words like a piece of driftwood. But in February, I actually proved it by winning a trip to Las Vegas by entering a drawing at the Minneapolis Golf Show. Round trip airfare for two, 4 nights at the Mirage on the Strip, 2 rounds of golf, rental car, the whole nine yards. Since Connie is not a golfer, I had to find a different travel partner. Dad, as most of you know, retired from the creamery back in March after 34 years, but you'd be surprised how much trouble I had convincing a man with nothing but time on his hands to hit Vegas with me. But he finally caved in, so back in early November, Dad and I flew out to Vegas and turned that town upside down, and while Dad didn't set the blackjack tables on fire, he golfed circles around his hack of a son.
June of 2004 will mark my 15 year anniversary with Best Buy Company, and we're coming up on 8 years in the Twin Cities. That's hard to believe considering that Connie and I moved 6 times in the 7 years prior to moving to St. Louis Park. I don't see us moving anytime in the foreseeable future. Connie and I both like the idea of the kids growing up in one place, one house, and always knowing that as home. Years down the road, we'll likely move to a smaller town, but in the meantime, we're very thankful for what we have: a healthy family with a nice home and a couple bucks in the bank. What else is there?
Well that's just about it from here. If your travels ever bring you to the Twin Cities, please be sure to give us a call. St. Louis Park is just a hop and a skip from downtown Minneapolis, and we love to have visitors. Until then, warmest wishes for a safe, happy holiday from our home to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2004
Merry Christmas from the Reyersons!
Another year drawing to a close. This one really raced by, but I'll try to get it all down on one sheet of paper.
Now 4th graders, Collin and Adrienne are attending Cedar Manor School. Next stop is (get ready for this) St. Louis Park Junior High in 2007. The teachers tell us they're both performing really well; Collin is all over Math and Science, Adrienne likes to write and draw, and both kids are avid readers.
Outside of school, both kids keep us moving. Collin made his debut on the mound about a third of the way through the baseball season. Upon recording his first strikeout, he spun around and threw his arms in the air for all his teammates to see. Then, after striking out the next batter to end the inning, Collin celebrated with a windmill fist pump reminiscent of Tiger Woods on 18 at Augusta. The crowd loved it, but the coach wisely admonished him to tone it down a notch. He didn't break any records for velocity, but he kept tossing strikes, something you don't always see out of a 9 year old pitcher. So the coach kept using him just about every game for an inning or so at a time. It was a lot of fun watching him work on the mound. Collin also suited up for the SLP 4th Grade football team this fall (a 76 pound defensive lineman?), and has taken up the viola. Does this kid have range or what?
Adrienne dealt us all a shock when she joined the soccer team this summer, and she was a solid performer in her first season and showed improvement all summer. The highlight of her season was an unassisted goal that helped her team win that night. She was careful not to show the other team up with excess celebration, but her mom could tell by her body language that she was thrilled with her accomplishment. She is also showing interest in music, singing in the choir and playing a guitar that was a gift from her Grandma Lil.
Now officially unable to run from the "soccer-mom" label, Connie is still the "super-sub" at Aquila school in St. Louis Park, filling in at a variety of positions and picking up some dough for our household. Her favorite room to sub in is #105, where the developmentally disabled kids are. She loves those kids and they are quite fond of her. We are reminded just how lucky we are every time Connie steps into that room. Connie also served as "designated baker" for Adrienne's Girl Scout troop as well as the soccer team this year.
Last year I told you about how the Reyersons and Woods hooked up for a week of fishing in Wisconsin. We we did it again in August, this time on Lake Owen, the lake we fished when I was a kid. Lake Owen is about 20 miles north of Hayward in northern Wisconsin. It's a long, skinny lake, probably 7 or 8 miles long, and full of walleyes, bluegills and northern pike. The weather was unseasonably cool, and the fish were pretty finicky, but we managed to catch enough to eat. Collin took the trophy for the biggest fish for the second consecutive year, and Adrienne learned how to knit under the watchful eye of cousin Alyssa. No phones, no alarm clocks, no worries. My kind of vacation.
One of the first things Connie ever told me when we met 16 years ago is that she always wanted to visit Disney World, and this past October, we made it happen. We wanted to wait until the kids were old enough to remember it, but young enough to be really dazzled by it, so this year seemed just right. We traveled to Orlando with the Nelsons, a family from right across the street who has a timeshare minutes from the park. We did 2 of the 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot) and spent a day at Typhoon Lagoon water park, and I even snuck in some golf. With temperatures in the high 80's, it really felt like we "stole" an extra week of summer while the rest of Minnesota was getting ready for winter. And while I flew down there swearing I'd only do it once, I flew back wondering when we might go again.
Vacations are fun, but then there's the matter of paying for them. Pesky little detail. I marked my 15 years anniversary at Best Buy in June, 9 of them at the office up here in the Twin Cities. I'm not a real big city guy, but the Twin Cities have been good to us. We're comfortable in St. Louis Park, lots of young familes with kids, good public schools, minutes from just about everything. A good place to raise a family.
And now, let's throw it over to the sports desk. What a year to be a fan of Hawkeye football! It was starting to look like a rebuilding year after a 2-2 start, but then the Black and Gold ground out 7 straight wins and now are shooting for only their third January win since 1959. If you've watched this year, you know their doing it with a suffocating defense and some real good special teams play. And can you believe that we had to "settle" for Coach Ferentz when Bob Stoops opted for Oklahoma? When you win close game after close game, you're either incredibly lucky or you have a guy who knows how to coach. And this guy can flat out coach.
Well that's just about it from here. If your travels ever bring you to the Twin Cities, please be sure to give us a call. St. Louis Park is a stone's throw from downtown Minneapolis, and we love to have visitors. Until then, warmest wishes for a safe, happy holiday from our home to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin & Adrienne
Another year drawing to a close. This one really raced by, but I'll try to get it all down on one sheet of paper.
Now 4th graders, Collin and Adrienne are attending Cedar Manor School. Next stop is (get ready for this) St. Louis Park Junior High in 2007. The teachers tell us they're both performing really well; Collin is all over Math and Science, Adrienne likes to write and draw, and both kids are avid readers.
Outside of school, both kids keep us moving. Collin made his debut on the mound about a third of the way through the baseball season. Upon recording his first strikeout, he spun around and threw his arms in the air for all his teammates to see. Then, after striking out the next batter to end the inning, Collin celebrated with a windmill fist pump reminiscent of Tiger Woods on 18 at Augusta. The crowd loved it, but the coach wisely admonished him to tone it down a notch. He didn't break any records for velocity, but he kept tossing strikes, something you don't always see out of a 9 year old pitcher. So the coach kept using him just about every game for an inning or so at a time. It was a lot of fun watching him work on the mound. Collin also suited up for the SLP 4th Grade football team this fall (a 76 pound defensive lineman?), and has taken up the viola. Does this kid have range or what?
Adrienne dealt us all a shock when she joined the soccer team this summer, and she was a solid performer in her first season and showed improvement all summer. The highlight of her season was an unassisted goal that helped her team win that night. She was careful not to show the other team up with excess celebration, but her mom could tell by her body language that she was thrilled with her accomplishment. She is also showing interest in music, singing in the choir and playing a guitar that was a gift from her Grandma Lil.
Now officially unable to run from the "soccer-mom" label, Connie is still the "super-sub" at Aquila school in St. Louis Park, filling in at a variety of positions and picking up some dough for our household. Her favorite room to sub in is #105, where the developmentally disabled kids are. She loves those kids and they are quite fond of her. We are reminded just how lucky we are every time Connie steps into that room. Connie also served as "designated baker" for Adrienne's Girl Scout troop as well as the soccer team this year.
Last year I told you about how the Reyersons and Woods hooked up for a week of fishing in Wisconsin. We we did it again in August, this time on Lake Owen, the lake we fished when I was a kid. Lake Owen is about 20 miles north of Hayward in northern Wisconsin. It's a long, skinny lake, probably 7 or 8 miles long, and full of walleyes, bluegills and northern pike. The weather was unseasonably cool, and the fish were pretty finicky, but we managed to catch enough to eat. Collin took the trophy for the biggest fish for the second consecutive year, and Adrienne learned how to knit under the watchful eye of cousin Alyssa. No phones, no alarm clocks, no worries. My kind of vacation.
One of the first things Connie ever told me when we met 16 years ago is that she always wanted to visit Disney World, and this past October, we made it happen. We wanted to wait until the kids were old enough to remember it, but young enough to be really dazzled by it, so this year seemed just right. We traveled to Orlando with the Nelsons, a family from right across the street who has a timeshare minutes from the park. We did 2 of the 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot) and spent a day at Typhoon Lagoon water park, and I even snuck in some golf. With temperatures in the high 80's, it really felt like we "stole" an extra week of summer while the rest of Minnesota was getting ready for winter. And while I flew down there swearing I'd only do it once, I flew back wondering when we might go again.
Vacations are fun, but then there's the matter of paying for them. Pesky little detail. I marked my 15 years anniversary at Best Buy in June, 9 of them at the office up here in the Twin Cities. I'm not a real big city guy, but the Twin Cities have been good to us. We're comfortable in St. Louis Park, lots of young familes with kids, good public schools, minutes from just about everything. A good place to raise a family.
And now, let's throw it over to the sports desk. What a year to be a fan of Hawkeye football! It was starting to look like a rebuilding year after a 2-2 start, but then the Black and Gold ground out 7 straight wins and now are shooting for only their third January win since 1959. If you've watched this year, you know their doing it with a suffocating defense and some real good special teams play. And can you believe that we had to "settle" for Coach Ferentz when Bob Stoops opted for Oklahoma? When you win close game after close game, you're either incredibly lucky or you have a guy who knows how to coach. And this guy can flat out coach.
Well that's just about it from here. If your travels ever bring you to the Twin Cities, please be sure to give us a call. St. Louis Park is a stone's throw from downtown Minneapolis, and we love to have visitors. Until then, warmest wishes for a safe, happy holiday from our home to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin & Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2005
Merry Christmas from the Reyersons!
Rule of thumb around our house is when weatherman starts talking about the wind chill factor, that’s when we get cracking on our annual letter. So what words most fittingly describe 2005 for our family? Let’s start with shockingly, ridiculously busy.
We can’t blame it all on the kids, but let’s start with them. Collin and Adrienne are in the 5th grade at Cedar Manor School, just down the road from us, and are performing really well. Besides growing a few inches and getting a bit more smart-alecky, neither has changed a great deal in the past year. Collin excels in the math/science curriculum and Adrienne is all over the reading, writing and arts. Both still think the opposite sex is stupid and gross, so we’re still a year or two away from all that nonsense.
A ballplayer just like his pop, Collin was a 3 sport athlete this year, playing 7 different positions for the SLP 10 year old traveling team. The Little Orioles finished the season 15-17. Collin showed patience at the plate, got some good hits, and was excellent with the glove. He also played football this fall with the 5th grade team, which finished 2-6. While he was the 5th or 6th smallest boy on the 19 player roster, he played his muffins clean off and I was so proud of him. Next stop: basketball season.
Adrienne had kind of a tough summer, with her best friend Julie moving to Staples, MN, about 3 hours north and west of the Cities. The good news, however, is that with much of Julie’s extended family here in town, the girls had several opportunities to hook up both here and at Staples, and their friendship is as strong as ever. Adrienne continues to discover her power to create. She probably has a half dozen projects going right now, her latest a scarf and a pair of mittens. On the soccer field, Adrienne tripled her 2004 goal total this summer, booting in 3 altogether, 2 in the same game!
So when she’s not driving to a ball game, ball practice, Staples or the yarn store, Connie does what she’s great at, and that’s keeping this house in apple pie order and making a few apple pies in the process. And even though the kids have been done with Aquila Elementary School for a couple of years now, Connie chooses to keep working there. She always has a story for me about something cute one of those little kids did. I truly think taking that part-time job there was one of the best things Connie ever did.
This year is my 17th year working for Best Buy, and let’s just say I rolled up more frequent flyer miles than usual. I have lost track of all my trips but suffice it to say that I hit all 4 time zones and wore out a cell phone. Lots of my co-workers can’t wait for the next trip, but I’ll admit that I prefer it at home. Everybody’s nicer, the food is better and the bed is more comfortable. Still, I can’t complain one bit about how Best Buy has treated me. It’s hard work sometimes, but that’s why they pay you to do it I guess. My next stop is Minot, ND, but don’t be fooled. Not all my trips are to such glamorous destinations.
I am thankful to report that the Woods and Reyersons fought some health and scheduling challenges and got a week’s worth of fishing in up on Lake Owen. What a week it was! We rented a pontoon boat and spent part of a day beached on a sand bar, swimming and tubing. Just a perfect day and a wonderful memory for the kids. And if you’re scoring at home, Collin caught the biggest fish for the 3rd consecutive year, a nice Northern Pike he snagged while trolling Otter Bay.
We recently marked our 9 year anniversary in this house, by far our longest stay at any address, and we always said we’d remodel the kitchen at some point. Well, once we started, we decided we couldn’t stop, and by the time we were done, about the only thing left over from the start of the project was our stove and fridge. Start to finish, it was 8 weeks of eating supper in the basement, but it’s a huge improvement, and I think it will help sell a 50 year old house when that time comes. Connie and I are mighty proud of our new kitchen.
What better way to break in the new kitchen than with an old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner? In total, there were 10 Reyersons and Woods in here, on Thanksgiving Day, including Mom and Dad, who stayed for a few nights. We filled up on turkey, ham, green bean casserole, cornbread muffins and 3 different kinds of pie. It’s funny how much better food tastes when you’re having it with family and good friends, are we are certainly thankful for all of ours.
Well, that’s about it from here. If you ever wind up in the Twin Cities, be sure to give us a call. St. Louis Park is just a 20 minute drive from the Mall of America, and we love to have visitors. Until then, warmest wishes for a happy, safe holiday from our house to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Rule of thumb around our house is when weatherman starts talking about the wind chill factor, that’s when we get cracking on our annual letter. So what words most fittingly describe 2005 for our family? Let’s start with shockingly, ridiculously busy.
We can’t blame it all on the kids, but let’s start with them. Collin and Adrienne are in the 5th grade at Cedar Manor School, just down the road from us, and are performing really well. Besides growing a few inches and getting a bit more smart-alecky, neither has changed a great deal in the past year. Collin excels in the math/science curriculum and Adrienne is all over the reading, writing and arts. Both still think the opposite sex is stupid and gross, so we’re still a year or two away from all that nonsense.
A ballplayer just like his pop, Collin was a 3 sport athlete this year, playing 7 different positions for the SLP 10 year old traveling team. The Little Orioles finished the season 15-17. Collin showed patience at the plate, got some good hits, and was excellent with the glove. He also played football this fall with the 5th grade team, which finished 2-6. While he was the 5th or 6th smallest boy on the 19 player roster, he played his muffins clean off and I was so proud of him. Next stop: basketball season.
Adrienne had kind of a tough summer, with her best friend Julie moving to Staples, MN, about 3 hours north and west of the Cities. The good news, however, is that with much of Julie’s extended family here in town, the girls had several opportunities to hook up both here and at Staples, and their friendship is as strong as ever. Adrienne continues to discover her power to create. She probably has a half dozen projects going right now, her latest a scarf and a pair of mittens. On the soccer field, Adrienne tripled her 2004 goal total this summer, booting in 3 altogether, 2 in the same game!
So when she’s not driving to a ball game, ball practice, Staples or the yarn store, Connie does what she’s great at, and that’s keeping this house in apple pie order and making a few apple pies in the process. And even though the kids have been done with Aquila Elementary School for a couple of years now, Connie chooses to keep working there. She always has a story for me about something cute one of those little kids did. I truly think taking that part-time job there was one of the best things Connie ever did.
This year is my 17th year working for Best Buy, and let’s just say I rolled up more frequent flyer miles than usual. I have lost track of all my trips but suffice it to say that I hit all 4 time zones and wore out a cell phone. Lots of my co-workers can’t wait for the next trip, but I’ll admit that I prefer it at home. Everybody’s nicer, the food is better and the bed is more comfortable. Still, I can’t complain one bit about how Best Buy has treated me. It’s hard work sometimes, but that’s why they pay you to do it I guess. My next stop is Minot, ND, but don’t be fooled. Not all my trips are to such glamorous destinations.
I am thankful to report that the Woods and Reyersons fought some health and scheduling challenges and got a week’s worth of fishing in up on Lake Owen. What a week it was! We rented a pontoon boat and spent part of a day beached on a sand bar, swimming and tubing. Just a perfect day and a wonderful memory for the kids. And if you’re scoring at home, Collin caught the biggest fish for the 3rd consecutive year, a nice Northern Pike he snagged while trolling Otter Bay.
We recently marked our 9 year anniversary in this house, by far our longest stay at any address, and we always said we’d remodel the kitchen at some point. Well, once we started, we decided we couldn’t stop, and by the time we were done, about the only thing left over from the start of the project was our stove and fridge. Start to finish, it was 8 weeks of eating supper in the basement, but it’s a huge improvement, and I think it will help sell a 50 year old house when that time comes. Connie and I are mighty proud of our new kitchen.
What better way to break in the new kitchen than with an old fashioned Thanksgiving dinner? In total, there were 10 Reyersons and Woods in here, on Thanksgiving Day, including Mom and Dad, who stayed for a few nights. We filled up on turkey, ham, green bean casserole, cornbread muffins and 3 different kinds of pie. It’s funny how much better food tastes when you’re having it with family and good friends, are we are certainly thankful for all of ours.
Well, that’s about it from here. If you ever wind up in the Twin Cities, be sure to give us a call. St. Louis Park is just a 20 minute drive from the Mall of America, and we love to have visitors. Until then, warmest wishes for a happy, safe holiday from our house to yours,
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2006
Merry Christmas from the Reyersons!
Connie and I are starting to buy into that “kids grow up fast” saying. It truly is the blink of an eye. It seems as if almost no time has passed since we were cutting coupons for diapers, now here we are, kids will be in junior high next fall. In 7 years they’ll be freshmen in college. In a little over 10 years, Adrienne will be as old as Connie was on our wedding day. Yep, that one freaked me out a little too.
If you‘ve seen a recent picture of either Reyerson kid, you may be wondering when it’s going to be time for braces. Well, your wait is over. Recently, both kids visited the orthodontist and walked out with thousands of dollars in metal bonded to their teeth. For the next 2 years, Adrienne asks that we all to think of her when we eat popcorn. It is one of her favorite foods and with the braces on, she’ll have to do without. Braces or no braces, she is as pretty as a picture and is almost as tall as her mom!
Much to the delight of dear old Dad, Collin continues to spend a lot of his free time throwing, hitting, shooting, dribbling and catching balls of all sizes. This summer he played 5 different positions on the baseball field and helped his team to a 28 win season, nearly doubling last year’s win tally of 15. On the gridiron this fall, he scored his first two career touchdowns, including one on a spectacular bomb from none other than Trevor, his little buddy from across the street. If I live to be 100, I will never, ever forget that play. Collin will also play basketball this winter and likes to get out there and whack it around the golf course with me once in a while.
In a moment of extreme weakness, Connie finally gave in and let Collin bring home a lizard. As you read this letter, there is a lizard basking under a heat lamp in a 20 gallon tank on top of Collin’s dresser. We brought Ozzie (which was also the name of my lizard when I was a kid) home back in August. Ozzie is an Emerald Swift and will be about 10 inches long (most of it tail) when he’s done growing. Per our agreement, Collin assumes 100% responsibility for Ozzie’s care, including the financial burden, and pointed out to me recently that over 20% of his allowance is going to food for Ozzie, who eats crickets and mealworms. I told him to wait until he gets a real job and Uncle Sam starts reaching for his cut.
Well, 2006 was the same old song and dance for Connie, but that’s OK because she’s very good at it and has offered no evidence to suggest that she doesn’t like it. The classic stay at home mom, Connie still fills in when needed at the elementary school, keeps the house in ship shape, and holds all the neighborhood baking records. She just laughs when anybody compares her to June Cleaver or Betty Crocker.
As far as my work goes, we just opened our 800th U.S. Best Buy store, a mind blowing number considering the chain consisted of 48 stores when I started in ‘89. We’ve expanded into Canada, and Puerto Rico and China are next. Nobody ever gets bored working at Best Buy…there’s always something to do.
Another year, another week at the lake. Twenty one members of the extended Reyerson and Wood families descended upon Lake Owen on northern Wisconsin for a week of true relaxation. Collin caught the first fish and the most fish, but Aunt Barb took the title for the biggest fish in 2006, snagging a nice 3 pound smallmouth bass. We played a lot of cards, ate like kings and knocked back a few longnecks. OK, more than a few. There are plenty of fancier vacation options out there, but I always feel like a million bucks after a week up north with the family.
In August we marked our 10 year anniversary in St. Louis Park. It’s a nice suburb with a solid school system and we feel comfortable and safe in our neighborhood, so we have no plans on changing addresses in the foreseeable future.
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Connie and I are starting to buy into that “kids grow up fast” saying. It truly is the blink of an eye. It seems as if almost no time has passed since we were cutting coupons for diapers, now here we are, kids will be in junior high next fall. In 7 years they’ll be freshmen in college. In a little over 10 years, Adrienne will be as old as Connie was on our wedding day. Yep, that one freaked me out a little too.
If you‘ve seen a recent picture of either Reyerson kid, you may be wondering when it’s going to be time for braces. Well, your wait is over. Recently, both kids visited the orthodontist and walked out with thousands of dollars in metal bonded to their teeth. For the next 2 years, Adrienne asks that we all to think of her when we eat popcorn. It is one of her favorite foods and with the braces on, she’ll have to do without. Braces or no braces, she is as pretty as a picture and is almost as tall as her mom!
Much to the delight of dear old Dad, Collin continues to spend a lot of his free time throwing, hitting, shooting, dribbling and catching balls of all sizes. This summer he played 5 different positions on the baseball field and helped his team to a 28 win season, nearly doubling last year’s win tally of 15. On the gridiron this fall, he scored his first two career touchdowns, including one on a spectacular bomb from none other than Trevor, his little buddy from across the street. If I live to be 100, I will never, ever forget that play. Collin will also play basketball this winter and likes to get out there and whack it around the golf course with me once in a while.
In a moment of extreme weakness, Connie finally gave in and let Collin bring home a lizard. As you read this letter, there is a lizard basking under a heat lamp in a 20 gallon tank on top of Collin’s dresser. We brought Ozzie (which was also the name of my lizard when I was a kid) home back in August. Ozzie is an Emerald Swift and will be about 10 inches long (most of it tail) when he’s done growing. Per our agreement, Collin assumes 100% responsibility for Ozzie’s care, including the financial burden, and pointed out to me recently that over 20% of his allowance is going to food for Ozzie, who eats crickets and mealworms. I told him to wait until he gets a real job and Uncle Sam starts reaching for his cut.
Well, 2006 was the same old song and dance for Connie, but that’s OK because she’s very good at it and has offered no evidence to suggest that she doesn’t like it. The classic stay at home mom, Connie still fills in when needed at the elementary school, keeps the house in ship shape, and holds all the neighborhood baking records. She just laughs when anybody compares her to June Cleaver or Betty Crocker.
As far as my work goes, we just opened our 800th U.S. Best Buy store, a mind blowing number considering the chain consisted of 48 stores when I started in ‘89. We’ve expanded into Canada, and Puerto Rico and China are next. Nobody ever gets bored working at Best Buy…there’s always something to do.
Another year, another week at the lake. Twenty one members of the extended Reyerson and Wood families descended upon Lake Owen on northern Wisconsin for a week of true relaxation. Collin caught the first fish and the most fish, but Aunt Barb took the title for the biggest fish in 2006, snagging a nice 3 pound smallmouth bass. We played a lot of cards, ate like kings and knocked back a few longnecks. OK, more than a few. There are plenty of fancier vacation options out there, but I always feel like a million bucks after a week up north with the family.
In August we marked our 10 year anniversary in St. Louis Park. It’s a nice suburb with a solid school system and we feel comfortable and safe in our neighborhood, so we have no plans on changing addresses in the foreseeable future.
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
Christmas Letter 2007
Merry Christmas from the Reyersons!
OK, busy year, plenty to talk about. Let’s jump right in:
File this one under Things I Didn’t See Coming: our kids are becoming young adults before our eyes. Adrienne has developed a taste for Caribou Iced Coffee, has been spotted wearing her mom’s jewelry and is impossible to get off the phone. Collin is getting an B in Algebra, asked for books and an electric guitar for Christmas and has admitted that girls don‘t make him sick anymore. They have both devoured all seven books in the Harry Potter series, and were up until 2:30 a.m. one morning this summer waiting in line for the release of #7. Two years from now, you’ll be reading about their first semester in high school. This ride is going way too fast, but you can’t stop it, so you might as well enjoy it, and we are.
What would our Christmas letter be without a brief update from the sports desk? On the diamond, the boys struggled with injuries and stumbled to an 7-23 start, but then won 7 of its last 9, including 5 in a row and a tournament championship, to finish 14-25. Collin got a couple of hits in the tournament final and scored the first run in a 2-0 win over a team from Owatonna. Adrienne played soccer this fall, made some friends and had a good time. There are few things about being a parent that I like better than watching the kids compete. On the field and in the classroom, we are mighty proud of both of our kids.
As the days grow shorter and colder, it should not surprise you that Connie is preparing for her favorite time of year in a familiar way: getting the house all dolled up, procuring, wrapping and hiding presents, and churning out sweet treats at an alarming rate. She’s still working at the elementary school, helping out wherever she’s needed, and has a fresh set of stories about the cute and goofy things the little kids do there. She’s planning a “girls only” trip next April to (are you ready for this?) Las Vegas with a couple of friends from back home. Something to bring up in next year’s letter I suppose.
One of my co-workers at Best Buy found my name on a list of employees listed in chronological order of hire date (mine was 6/12/89). I was shocked to discover that out of Best Buy’s 90,000 employees, there are only 225 people who have worked there longer than I have. I am #226. Best Buy has been awfully good to us, and joining the company half a lifetime ago was one of the 3 or 4 smartest things I’ve ever done.
Three years ago, we went to Orlando to see what all the fuss was about Disney World. Well, we had so much fun, we did it again this past October. This time we brought Adrienne’s friend Julie and the five of us went crazy at Animal Kingdom, MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon water park. As far as vacations go, I’ll take fishing up north over just about anything, but in case you were wondering, you can do a whole lot worse than a week in Florida while the rest of Minnesota is tuning up their furnaces.
I usually reserve a paragraph to chat up Iowa Hawkeye football, but this year let’s hear it for the University of Northern Iowa Panthers, who won their first 9 games for the first time since 1960, when a 21 year old, 190 pound flat-top named Mace Reyerson wore number 83 and scored 7 touchdowns for the Purple and Gold. Collin and I joined Dad and Uncle Joe in Cedar Falls for a game back on November 10 and cheered the Panthers to their 10th straight win, a 68-14 dismantling of Indiana State.
Back in July we marked our 11 year anniversary in St. Louis Park. I’m not a real big city guy, but the Twin Cities area has a lot to offer and has proven to be a great place to raise a family. All that and it’s just a short drive back home.
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
OK, busy year, plenty to talk about. Let’s jump right in:
File this one under Things I Didn’t See Coming: our kids are becoming young adults before our eyes. Adrienne has developed a taste for Caribou Iced Coffee, has been spotted wearing her mom’s jewelry and is impossible to get off the phone. Collin is getting an B in Algebra, asked for books and an electric guitar for Christmas and has admitted that girls don‘t make him sick anymore. They have both devoured all seven books in the Harry Potter series, and were up until 2:30 a.m. one morning this summer waiting in line for the release of #7. Two years from now, you’ll be reading about their first semester in high school. This ride is going way too fast, but you can’t stop it, so you might as well enjoy it, and we are.
What would our Christmas letter be without a brief update from the sports desk? On the diamond, the boys struggled with injuries and stumbled to an 7-23 start, but then won 7 of its last 9, including 5 in a row and a tournament championship, to finish 14-25. Collin got a couple of hits in the tournament final and scored the first run in a 2-0 win over a team from Owatonna. Adrienne played soccer this fall, made some friends and had a good time. There are few things about being a parent that I like better than watching the kids compete. On the field and in the classroom, we are mighty proud of both of our kids.
As the days grow shorter and colder, it should not surprise you that Connie is preparing for her favorite time of year in a familiar way: getting the house all dolled up, procuring, wrapping and hiding presents, and churning out sweet treats at an alarming rate. She’s still working at the elementary school, helping out wherever she’s needed, and has a fresh set of stories about the cute and goofy things the little kids do there. She’s planning a “girls only” trip next April to (are you ready for this?) Las Vegas with a couple of friends from back home. Something to bring up in next year’s letter I suppose.
One of my co-workers at Best Buy found my name on a list of employees listed in chronological order of hire date (mine was 6/12/89). I was shocked to discover that out of Best Buy’s 90,000 employees, there are only 225 people who have worked there longer than I have. I am #226. Best Buy has been awfully good to us, and joining the company half a lifetime ago was one of the 3 or 4 smartest things I’ve ever done.
Three years ago, we went to Orlando to see what all the fuss was about Disney World. Well, we had so much fun, we did it again this past October. This time we brought Adrienne’s friend Julie and the five of us went crazy at Animal Kingdom, MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon water park. As far as vacations go, I’ll take fishing up north over just about anything, but in case you were wondering, you can do a whole lot worse than a week in Florida while the rest of Minnesota is tuning up their furnaces.
I usually reserve a paragraph to chat up Iowa Hawkeye football, but this year let’s hear it for the University of Northern Iowa Panthers, who won their first 9 games for the first time since 1960, when a 21 year old, 190 pound flat-top named Mace Reyerson wore number 83 and scored 7 touchdowns for the Purple and Gold. Collin and I joined Dad and Uncle Joe in Cedar Falls for a game back on November 10 and cheered the Panthers to their 10th straight win, a 68-14 dismantling of Indiana State.
Back in July we marked our 11 year anniversary in St. Louis Park. I’m not a real big city guy, but the Twin Cities area has a lot to offer and has proven to be a great place to raise a family. All that and it’s just a short drive back home.
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by. Our house is just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and we love to have visitors. We hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits, and we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.
Warren, Connie, Collin and Adrienne
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