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