The Curse of the Vikings - for Tom!!

The football fans in Minnesota feel like they are cursed. Best team, best defense, best quarterback, best running back and on and on and on.. but they never seem to be able to win the big game. They don't even know about frustration like us Bomber fans but that is another story.

So, since Julie and I don't have a TV, I have spent the past two Sunday afternoons down at the Zumbrota Legion watching the NFL playoffs. I tell you, these fans are pretty serious about their Vikings. You walk into the Legion at game time and it's like being in a section of the stadium. People of all ages and genders decked out in their purple jerseys pleading and screaming for their team to win the big game.

But I digress. Here is the real story. You order a draft beer at the legion and the bar guy asks if you want a tall or short. Of course, Jim asks for a tall and what do I get.. at least a quart sized tankard of beer for the total cost of $2.50. To bad Surly Bob doesn't see this. Same beer in the 'knife would be about $12 but that's CAD of course. So I'm sittng there watching the game and the waiter comes up to see if I want another.. half price which I think is what I paid for the first one. He brings my another jumbo draft and it's $1.25. Whoooohoooo... the Zumbro Legion has a new best customer!!! Back to the Game...

Two weeks ago, when the Vikes beat up on Dallas, the atmosphere was euphoric - people laughing, slapping each other on the back, screaming that this is their year... and then we played New Orleans this past sunday. Same setting, same tension, same atmosphere - and it really was a good game. But the Vikings turned the ballover SIX TIMES!!!. They could have won easily if they could have held onto the ball... It's like they are ..uhhhhh ... CURSED!!!!

Shaya is three years old Jan 6th... what a big girl.

So, my little girl is getting bigger. Happy Birthday to you Sweetheart. I'm not really totally aware of this little princess stuff but apparently Shaya is quite taken by her and that explains the shape and look of the birthday cake.

I'm enjoying my time off here in Minnesota but am also looking forward to making a trip west to see the gang. Looks like it will warm up this week and at least we can enjoy the outdoors again soon.

One more photo of the Minnesota bandits.

One more photo from xmas in MN.... It seems that there is a tradition where the Laven family don's a bunch of large fake noses for an Xmas portrait... AS if they needed fakes... Anyways, they put these fake noses on and then get together on their best behavior and pose for the annual photo. In this pic, we have Julie's brother Tab on the left with his daugher Jess in white, Luke and Annie at the back, Julie of course hogging the spotlite in the middle, and Cassie on the right. Now aren't they all .... uhhhh... something!

My Minnesota Family

I found some pictures taken around xmas of Julie and her gang. Thought I would post the pics so whoever may read this will know the people that have become a large part of my life.

Of course, the photos should start with the "Southern Star", otherwise known as Julie's grand daughter Finley Vi Peterson. Finley is just a month younger than the "Northern Star", otherwise known as Shaya. Finley is the daughter of Julie's son Cam, and his wife Cassie. Cam works for a paper company in Minneapolis and Cassie is a very talented art teacher in the local school system. They live in Minneapolis. The photos were taken at Great Grandpa and Grandma Lavens who are located in a beautiful area in the northern part of the state called Cross Lake. They have a large log house which dresses up wonderfully when decorated for Christmas and full of people.

Next, we have from the great state of Wisconsin, Josh and Jill Peterson. Josh is Julie's oldest son and he and Jill were married two summers ago in a great resort called Lake Ojiekabojie. They live in Milwaukee where Josh works for the Boys and Girls Club of America and Jill has a marketing position with Miller Brewery. Jill has a wonderful position as Miller sponsors a lot of the pro sporting events so Josh gets to go to the Brewers and Green Bay Packers games as well as a lot of big name concerts. Julie and I had a great visit with them over the July long weekend last summer and took in the July 4th fireworks and music at the waterfront park in Milwaukee.

Last, but not least, we have Luke and Annie Anderson. Annie is Julie's baby and she and Luke were married almost three years ago on her Dad's farm in Trimont MN. Luke (not in this photo) is also an art teacher employed in the local school system and is an avid skate and snow boarder who designs skate and snow boards as a hobby. Annie is still in college taking her Masters in Science , works part time as a landscape gardener and has a dream of an organic farm or co-op somewhere out in the hills of Wisconsin. Luke and Annie live in Minneapolis.

You will note from the photos above that there is a common thread for all of them and like Shaya, Finley is the star of the show down here, well deserved of course, as she is a very special little girl.

Whoops.. after the fact, I found a nice photo of the Laven family. On the deck at Mom and Dads there is Scott, Tom, Judy, Bob, Tab, and Jewels.

Family photos from Xmas '09

Happy New Year!!!

First of all, I received the sad news the day before Christmas that my cousin Ray passed away the previous day. He had been fighting with H1N1 for several days in the ICU at Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg. Just 2 years older than me and such a nice man. He was always dropping by to check on Mom and look after her chores that were getting to be a bit much for her. That mortality thing again... unfortunately when our time comes, there is nothing we can do except accept it and for us lucky ones that remain, to go on and enjoy our lives and live them to the fullest as we don't know when our turn will come.

I was kind of disappointed over Christmas because it appears that I misplaced my camera... OK.. It looks like I lost the damn thing and just when I was finally getting used to using it... anyways, I spent Christmas in Cross Lake MN at Julie's parents place. It was nice in that I got to see her family including all her brothers and kids and all.. I must admit that I had some pain as well as I really missed my kids and of course my little Shaya (photos to follow d'accord)... but all in all it was quite nice. The snow flew over xmas and we must have received about 2 feet of the white stuff over the holidays. It was actually very nice as it gave us a festive feeling and was very beautiful in the northern part of the state.

Julie and I exchanged a gift of fitness as presents... UH..yeah.. I am now fit.. well, we bot each others memberships at the local fitness centre along with 6 sessions with a personal trainer (to force us to try get an honest start at this).. we both have been a bit reckless with our eating habits and it shows on both of us. I was thinking of doing up a naked "before" shot of my body and posting it here but thank GOD - (about that lost camera thing) - so you will just have to take my word for it that I am a chunky monkey!!!

After Christmas, we drove up to Duluth which is on the shore of Lake Superior (the 2nd largest fresh water lake in N America) "teeheehee" and a city that is so very dear to Julie's heart. Her brother Scott has a cabin on a nearby lake and we rang in the new year at 11PM on New Year's Eve.. too damn old to stay up till mid-night. We have been so fortunate to enjoy this retreat on several occasions and although it was very cold over the year's end, we kept the fire blazing and spent a lovely 5 days relaxing, playing cards, cooking, sipping on wine, taking walks, and some snow shoeing... Julie took the photo's above of the cabin, the river that still flows into the lake, the lane way to the cabin and a couple of other pics.

It was a grrrreat break and here we are on Jan 4th .. Julie back at work.. and me with time on my hands (we meet the owner of the fitness centre tonite to secure the memberships and tomorrow is the start of the new us... well, hopefully a toned down version.