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