The Best Year Ever

Here comes 2010.

Our plans for the upcoming year are simple -have as much fun as possible.

We read the blog zenhabits.net and the guy who writes it wrote in his first sentence that, for the third year in a row, he has once again had the best year of his life.

Wow!

So that is our New Year's Resolution -- that 2010 is the best year of our lives.

We think that will include having a lot of fun.

The Count Down

With it being Christmas week, the count down begins.

Along with the count down, the final preparations are being made.

Our family is big on gift giving because it's fun. We love to give each other presents. That means a lot of wrapping and shopping, but not necessarily spending a lot of money.
Our family is also big on eating so we are planning just what we'll be making for the end of this week.

We are hoping to play more games and sing more Christmas carols this year. We also are hoping that everyone (mainly the Wisconsin sisters and the Mille Lacs brother and families) make it here as there is now, of course, wintery weather possible during the peak travel time.

So we'll see what happens and be ready for anything!

And - really - even if we're not ready, no one cares. No one will remember.
What is important is hanging out together and enjoying our time.We are really good at doing that!

More for our Christmas Letter

We had our Christmas letter to all in this week's Monitor Review (December 17, 2009).

It was a quick review of the year and full of good wishes to all.

A few things were left out that were also very noteworthy.

First of all, the fifth (or maybe the fourth - probably the fourth) Inaugural Mike Finbraaten Memorial Golf Tourney and Hootenanny was held in July. It was again a great success with one of the best silent auctions we've ever seen. There was Alaskan salmon that you could bid on - how often do you see that?!

Also, in July, Maureen's husband Ed placed first in the Johnsburg Beard Growing Contest in the Category Best Goatee. He did look good with it; he looks better without it.

We spent the weekend of November 7-8 in the Cities with all of the sisters and sister-in-laws, having a wonderful time at the Mall of America and at our hotel, The Embassy Suites. We like staying there because we had breakfast and happy hour included with the price of the hotel, making it affordable for the eight of us. We had a fine time!

All in all, we think the past decade was pretty darn good and we think the next one will be even better.

Bring on 2010 and beyond!

Ole Ole Ole Ole

The movie Invictus is pretty good, and besides - Matt Damon is in it.
It takes place when Nelson Mandela became president in the early 1990's and the years up to when South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup in 1995.
This movie gives a close up view of rugby - a real close up view - and if you don't understand the sport you will be trying to figure it out.
But you won't.
But you will like the movie.
One familiar part of the game is the Ole song, which is familiar to any Southland football fan as it was our team's kick off song this fall.
Just hearing it made me want to sing along, and if you know it you'll want to sing along, too.
Ole... ole ole ole.....Ole....Ole (and repeat - all together now!)

Cuss

In the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox (which looks like a children's movie, but it's really not) every swear word is omitted.

Instead, they say "cuss".

As in "What the cuss" or "That was cussin' wrong" or "It was like a big cluster cuss" (really - they said that in the children's movie. No wonder some parents took their kids and left).

We have to say we liked the entire movie, but really thought the cuss part was especially clever.

We don't swear much in our every day lives, but if we do we are going to try and say cuss instead.

It's not as offensive.

And we think it's kind of funny.
So what the cuss. We're going to cussin' try and say cuss more often.

Snow Day!

Snow days are a wonderful thing!
We are in the midst of a blizzard and everything is cancelled. What perfect timing -an early December snowday. When I stopped to get groceries at Heimer Foods on Monday, anticipation was everywhere as the upcoming storm was headline news. Flour, sugar, vanilla, and sprinkles for cookies - as well as bread, milk and eggs - were flying off the shelves. December snow days give some of us a great opportunity to bake, decorate, address Christmas cards and prepare for the holiday ahead. If we want.

Snow days are also perfect for a nap.
Just yesterday the corn dryer at our place was full and now it is finished, just in time for the snowy weather.

Back to the coffee to ensure there is enough caffeine in my system.

I'm not napping. Yet.
Written by Maureen.