Christmas Letter 2010

Alright, here we are…Christmas 2010 is just around the corner. You know, years that end with a “0” are a pretty big deal in our family. More on that a little later in the letter. In the meantime, our year on one sheet of paper:

The kids are sophomores at St. Louis Park High school. Academically, the deal we make with both of them is if it’s all As and Bs, and more As than Bs, they won’t get any trouble from us, and on the most part, they hold up their end of the deal. It is also my duty to inform all of our readers that by the time you read next year’s letter, both kids will be licensed drivers. YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WARNED.

Collin took a year of baseball off to rest a sore arm and basically see what summer is like when you back out 40 games and 40-50 practices. He will never admit this, but I think he found it uncommonly boring, so he plans to be out there on the diamond next spring. Oh, and remember my prediction that he would be 6 feet tall by Christmas? He was there by Easter, and he’s only about an inch shorter than I am! Adrienne, on the other hand, filled many of her summer evenings up polishing her babysitting skills, mostly with two cute little girls who live down the street. She really has a soft spot for little kids.

One of Adrienne’s babysitting adventures on a Saturday back in June had a strange but fun ending. Our friends Reid and Ally dropped their little guy off with Adrienne to run an afternoon’s worth of errands, and we planned to have them stay for supper that evening. Meanwhile, I’m somewhere in South Minneapolis watching the USA vs. Ghana soccer match with Collin, Justo (my crazy Colombian neighbor) and many of his crazy Colombian friends. After the match, it was back to the house to get ready for supper. There had been a storm the night before and power had not been restored, so Reid and I were sitting in the front yard when Justo strolled up the sidewalk with a 12-pack of beer. Moments later, Justo’s friend Jose showed up with a case. Then another friend of Justo’s. Then some kids. Then neighbors Robyn and Full Nelson wandered over to see what was going on. Connie’s not seeing any of this because she’s out back grilling, but she wondered who could possibly be consuming all the beer she saw me hauling into the front yard. A moment later she looked out the kitchen window to a yard full of people tossing back beers waiting for the lights to come back on. Just like that, dinner for 7 became dinner for 20. Without hesitation, she cut all the ribs and chicken into little pieces, tossed the skillet beans and some chips out there and yelled “Come and get it!”. We ate, drank, and laughed the evening away. Never did run out of food. Great little impromptu party. WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

Back on June 23, Connie and I marked our 20 year anniversary and celebrated by spending a couple of nights in Red Wing, MN. Red Wing is just 60 miles down the road, and the kids jumped at the chance to have the house to themselves. We stayed at the historic St. James Hotel, ate a couple of nice meals, hiked Barn Bluff, took a riverboat ride, and walked all over the place. A nice weekend getaway.

About 7 weeks later, Mom & Dad celebrated their 50th anniversary, so Mike, Paula, Connie and I treated them to dinner at the White House in St. Lucas, IA. Not to be confused in any way with The White House in Washington DC, but a very nice meal just the same, and Mom & Dad had a mighty good time.

And just a few weeks after that, we all went to Cedar Falls to help Dad celebrate the 50th anniversary of the great 1960 Panther football season. The 1960 Panthers rode a balanced offense and thoroughly suffocating defense to a 9-0 start, a feat that would not be repeated by a Panther team for 47 seasons. They allowed only 2 touchdowns and a field goal in 6 conference games, and earned a bowl berth for the first time in school history. Dad wore #83 and scored 7 touchdowns in 1960, his senior season. In all, 22 teammates, 2 widows and an assistant coach came to town for the gathering, not bad for a team of 39 guys a half century after their last game together. The university invited them onto the field before the North Dakota State game, and showed them a great time all weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking football with all of Dad’s teammates who made the trip, and Dad had a blast.

So while we spent the better part of the summer celebrating some milestones, we close out the year in a familiar way: Thanksgiving at home, Christmas in Iowa if the weather doesn’t stop us. They’re saying it’s going to be a colder, snowier winter, so keep your fingers crossed for us!
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