Going through our Christmas letters for the past several years, I have truly come to appreciate how fast the time goes. It could not possibly be 11 years ago when I sat in this very spot to tell you all about Collin & Adrienne’s first day of Kindergarten, but here we are just the same. A blink of the eye later, our babies are driving cars and looking at colleges. A word of advice to all our friends with kids younger than ours: enjoy every minute you get with them.
After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, Collin got his drivers license in April and has been on the go ever since. He is somewhat more “adventuresome” behind the wheel than his kid sister (who got her license in September). We have not yet found a highway (not even up here) that he’s scared to drive on, so driving to nearby Edina to his job at the pizza place is no big deal. He has begun looking over schools that offer a strong Engineering program, and oddly enough, there seems to be an inverse relationship between the proximity of the school to our home and Collin’s perceived quality of it.
Ever since learning to knit at the age of 9, Adrienne has really developed An uncanny knack for creating something out of nothing, whether with knitting or crocheting needles, or the sewing machine she bought at a garage sale this year. She joined the Theater group last year at school and has become a very valuable member of that team in the preparation of all the costumes. She is a very talented young lady, and she’s thinking about a career in teaching, which I think would be right up her alley.
A moment ago, Connie came in with a grocery bag chock full of marshmallows, and from this I can conclude that (1) there was a big sale on marshmallows at Cub Foods, and (2) it’s almost time for her to make her world famous popcorn cake, just one of the many sweet treats she whips up this time of year. The 2011-12 school year is her 10th at St. Louis Park Schools, but she always takes a little time off between Thanksgiving and Christmas to whip up treats for family, friends and co-workers: cookies, peanut butter balls, fudge and 9 or 10 popcorn cakes. And what a treat it is for me to come home after a long day, walk inside to see the tree lit up, hear Christmas music playing, and smell all that!
After a 4-year break, we rounded up the gang in late June and headed back to Lake Owen in northern Wisconsin. There were 16 Woods and Reyersons altogether, ranging in age from 8 to 71. The fishing was good, the weather was incredible, the Leinenkugels were ice cold, and my phone didn’t work up there at all, so it was a “dream vacation” no matter how you look at it. In my opinion, there is nothing better in this world - and I mean NOTHING - than a week at the lake.
Sort of an up & down ride for the Iowa Hawkeyes this fall, including an embarrassing 22-21 loss to Minnesota where they coughed up an 11-point lead in the last 8 minutes. My cousin Joe and his 11-year old boy Brady came to town and saw the game with me and my crazy Colombian neighbor Justo, who has adopted the Hawks as his favorite American football team. We walked out of that stadium with the rest of the Hawkeye fans shaking our heads in disbelief, but we had a good time just the same, and Joe & Brady got a big kick out of Justo.
We always come to Iowa for Christmas, but at Thanksgiving, Iowa comes to US! Nobody likes to cook for a crowd quite as much as Connie, and my folks are all too willing to let her scratch that itch every November, and it is always fun having them up for a few nights. As for our Christmas plans, we don’t get to Iowa as often as we should, so we plan to make the very most of this trip: 3 nights in Oelwein (starting 12/22), to Webster on Christmas Day and 3 nights down there before heading back home to ring in the New Year here in town. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!
Well, that‘s our year on one sheet of paper! 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 & Adrienne
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