and MORE BUTCHERING...

Today Shirley and I finished up the last of the butchering on our heifer. We just had to grind the burger and package all the meat. We secured about 150 pounds of boneless beef off of her.

We lost a special friend overnight - one of the farm dogs passed in his sleep. He was a fourteen year old dalmation and had a very good life - he will be missed... Rest In Peace Joker.

and MORE butchering.....

Today Kent and I just had to butcher our little heifer. With just the two of us it took about 6 hours. Tomorrow we'll have to finish with grinding burger and packaging but it was nice to have a day just to ourselves. We even cut some cool flat pieces for rolled beef.

I am a member of FreeCycle - an organization online to help people find homes for stuff. Our local chapter is Wells County Freecycle but there are freecycles all over the nation - Freecycle.org. Today Kent and I went and picked up a ton of cool stuff: a space heater, humidifier, casio keyboard, tripod, various laundry supplies and the coup de grace - a crib. It was supposed to be a toddler daybed but turns out it is a three in one crib that transforms into a daybed and I think into a full size headboard. I am so excited although I don't really have a use for it right now. Thanks Heather for the goodies. For those of you that don't freecycle it is a great way to get and get rid of stuff you would usually throw out. Try it soon!

We settled on a play tonight - Alone Together Again - we start auditions in a week. This should be a good one. We also agreed tentatively to bring in a group for next year. We are looking at bringing in a group to do a show next year - our way of taking a little break and still providing quality entertainment to the local community.

We are expecting another storm tonight - up to 8 inches but the temperatures are above zero - 7 degrees to be exact.

and more butchering...

Today was the last day of church for the winter at Vang Lutheran we start up again just in time for Easter. The songs chosen for the services were beautiful.

When we got home from church we had one critter to butcher - Bob. Bob is one of our non-breeder longhorn trophy cows. Some longhorns grow with beautiful horns but no ability to produce babies which also means she is unable to produce income and in this season of short hay some tough choices had to be made. She is one of those. She had a tip-to-tip horn measurement of 52 1/2 inches and no ovaries. We called her Bob because she had no tail.

The meat is all grass-fed and tastes delicious - it is just a little tough so we chose to turn her in to burger. We got 225 pounds of burger off of her and 25 pounds of steak. This is some premium burger - it is probably 95% lean and has a lot of prime cuts of beef ground into it.

Tomorrow we get one more - our little heifer cow. She had a 25 inch spread to her horns and won't weigh a lot but it should be very good beef.

It is 10 above right now and no snow in sight...yet! Another storm is expected tomorrow sometime though.

We spent TWELVE hours butchering beef today. On top of doing our regular morning chores, digging out of the foot of new snow we had last night and slaughtering another critter for butchering tomorrow.

I'm whooped! I'm seriously debating becoming a vegetarian - well one that eats steak and prime rib and the occasional pork chop.

Post-Christmas Shopping

Jana and I went shopping today for a bridesmaid dress for her wedding.

Her soon to be daughter and sister-in-law went along and we had a wonderful time. After three dresses and assistance from Carrie - we found a perfect dress. When we took it to the register we found out it had a perfect price - over $100 dollars off the ticket value! Well - that was like a magical present to me!

We spent the remainder of the afternoon in Bismarck doing a little post-Christmas shopping with some good deals and then headed home in a snow storm. We made it back to the farm in time to get in on what so far appears to be about four inches and still falling.

The family butchered the two cows from yesterday and prepared another two for tomorrow. It looks like we have a busy weekend of BEEF ahead of us. It will be well worth it when our freezer is filled with food and our families can eat for the Winter and Spring. The best part is we know what went into our animals and what we are putting into ourselves.

It is 13 degrees above zero out there and very little if any wind so the snow falls straight down. The snow is think and heavy and full of moisture. While that means more work for Kent with having to move and pile all the snow. It is nice to have a good, old-fashioned North Dakota Winter on our hands!

Merry Christmas

In all the hustle and bustle of life it is so nice to remember how blessed I am.

Christmas Eve was spent at the Manfred Lutheran Church service. As predicted Carrie, Natalie and I did a fabulous job on our trio. There were several numbers by the Anderson family - they are so musically talented. We returned to our house for a late supper of Lutefisk and Prime Rib. While my cooking skills weren't Top Chef quality - everyone enjoyed each other and the meal provided.

Kent and I opened presents after everyone left. We got a beautiful mare and foal figurine which has already found a home above the bed on the headboard. The best present is having the love of someone special to share in the holiday season!

I spent Christmas day at Lona's with the Opdahl's.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Kelly and Dawn and their children were not able to be with us and so since I didn't get to do so in person - I wish them a blessed holiday season and hope that health and happiness will be with them in the new year.

We did chores and slaughtered a couple cows as a family activity this afternoon. It was 18 above and we all ran around with coats opened like we were in the Bahamas...okay maybe not quite but it sure felt good to have such high temperatures today!

When we got home I had messages from all of my family and very dear friends. This Christmas I truly view the best presents not wrapped under a tree but wrapped in love in my heart.

Merry Christmas to all of you and may the spirit of the season be in your hearts throughout the new year!

Today was the last day of school before Christmas break. Thirteen glorious days without work - and after that the school year will just fly by.

We have a jam-packed weekend beginning with Manfred Lutheran Christmas program tomorrow evening then Prime rib and Lutefisk after. Thursday will be Christmas dinner at Ilona's with present opening. Then we will butcher a steer. Friday I go with Jana to pick out a bridesmaid dress and then the rest of the weekend will be busy with butchering. We will have a New Year's Eve Hot Tub Party and then it will be no time until we're back to work.

Today we had quiet a warm up it was 5 above at one point. It warmed up enough for us to get a couple inches of fresh white snow. It is back down to -3 but we should be in store for temps in the teens for Christmas Day!

Cooking is a part of my life that is uncharted territory. I love to do it. In fact I have been known to bake and decorate a pretty mean cake - however - cooking day to day meals for myself and Kent is not as common as it could be, it is more of an event. If Shirley doesn't cook we tend to resort to Ramen Noodles or whatever I can come up with quickly. I don't have a real signature dish, although my stuffed cranberries are getting quite a following, but I don't have those tried and true recipes I know by heart and go to every time I need something fancy for some occasion.

I say this as a segue into a recipe I tried last night that was pretty darn good and I may become one of those signature recipes. I thought I would share it with you in case you too are looking for something special for that holiday party or special event.

HOT CHEDDAR MUSHROOM SPREAD

2 CUPS MAYONNAISE
2 CUPS (8 OUNCES) SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
2/3 CUP GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
4 CANS (4 1/2 OUNCES EACH) SLICED MUSHROOMS, DRAINED
1 ENVELOPE RANCH SALAD DRESSING MIX

MINCED PARSLEY
CRACKERS

IN A LARGE BOWL, COMBINE THE MAYONNAISE, CHEESES, MUSHROOMS AND DRESSING MIX. SPREAD INTO A GREASED 9-INCH PIE PLATE.
BAKE, UNCOVERED, AT 350 DEGREES FOR 20-25 MINUTES OR UNTIL CHEESE IS MELTED. SPRINKLE WITH PARSLEY. SERVE WITH CRACKERS.

Now - that is the directions as per package and if this was going to be served with crackers maybe the best way. For supper last night I roasted potato wedges and thought the sliced mushrooms might be too difficult to dip so I used my immersible blender and with a quick buzz had a mighty tasty dip for the potatoes. I'm certain this would be good with crackers as well.

Hope you try it and enjoy - let me know how it turns out.

It is negative 13 right now with yet another winter storm alert.

The "Storm" didn't end up being as bad as they thought. We did get snow overnight and it was bitterly cold today but it wasn't really any different than the last weekend.

We are having Christmas Eve dinner at our house after the Christmas program. Looks like it will be Lutefisk, Lefsa, Prime Rib and some sort of potato.

Don't you wish you were here.....

Negative 11 right now and clear skies.

For those of you who follow my blog - I have rearranged the site a little. Those of you who help me by clicking on my ads will notice that they have moved to the side bar on the page. I wanted to make it more accessible to everyone.

You could add Adsense to your blog and make money too. So far I have made almost $100 just by keeping you informed with my life. So please come back and read all about me - just make sure to click on the advertisements on the side when you do.

Lots of snow is falling outside. It is 1 degree right now and we are just in the beginning of it. It snowed up to three inches in some of the schools where I was today. Closer to home its only been a skiff but as of 1:30 tonight/tomorrow morning we are in a winter storm warning until 6 am Sunday.

I guess maybe I should stop singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!"

Thank you to Shirley for the wonderful Knoephla tonight. It was way too filling and fabulous! Kent's mom lives approximately 400 meters from our house and we have a standing rule that if Shirley cooks and we are invited - whatever we are having can be eaten for left-overs. Not once have I been disappointed.

We tenderly refer to our little commune of family as Opdahlville. Kent's sister lives about 100 meters from his mom and his brother lives about that from us. His other brother is less than 5 miles away and his little brother is about 10 miles away. We are one little snug family unit and could be self-sufficient if I could talk Dawn into sharing those remedies and future eggs. I think Kent could easily be convinced to purchase a milk cow and other than a way to generate electricity - trust me they could figure it out - we could probably survive for quite awhile in our little village.

Sometimes when I hear how bad things are in the "REAL" world I am tempted to cash it all in and become a survivalist...but then I snap out of it and realize that I need okay maybe want to keep Wal-Mart and fashion a part of my life...Vanity always seems to rear it's ugly head at the most inopportune times. Plus I don't think I could make it to all my schools for work on time in my horse and buggy and as of yet I am not ready to quit my job to make soap and candles.

Carrie came out tonight to practice our duet for the Christmas program. We are going to rock and that is my most humble interpretation of our song! We really have a mini program all figured out - touching lyrics, a scriptural nod, children singing of the Virgin birth...are you feeling the spirit? We are...and if the Arbor Mist Winter Berry Merlot does it's trick I won't be so overcome with nerves that my voice cracks like a 12 year old prepubescent boy.

We had quite the warm up today - I think we may have gone above zero this morning. It is now -7 and we are in for it again this weekend. They are predicting 4-7 inches of snow with 40 to 50 mile an hour winds wait on looking back at the warning that is EXTREMELY COLD WINDCHILLS OF 40 TO 50 BELOW!!!!! Near blizzard conditions for Saturday afternoon. Guess Kent and I will be snugly in the house again. Maybe I can convince him to do some Christmas baking!

Our "tree" this year consists of hanging our Dixie Stampede ornaments on the barn window frames in the living room above our antique sewing machine where we will keep presents. So at least if we tried baking we might get the Christmas spirit...or maybe we are in the spirit just not buying in to the commercially promoted ideas that Christmas has to be about the tree.

Either way, Christmas at our house is nontraditional at best and full of LOVE...

Some days are just good days. Today I did good work and it felt good. Nothing spectacular happened just a good day. It is satisfying to have a good day.

I just finished reading Randy Pausch's book The Last Lecture. I don't know if it took some time to sink in or if it just touched parts of me that were resting, but I feel a peace with some realizations that now I just need to put into motion.

I guess it is a matter of timing. 2009 is just around the corner so it is a time of reflection. A time to think about the things in life I am grateful for, to recognize the elements I wish to change, and to have the courage to take those first steps. Sound familiar? Yes the Serenity Prayer. It has been a big part of my life since 2005 - thank you to Amy who unknowingly gave me the right direction at the right time.

It's warming up here. Today was 0 degrees and sunny. It is now -1. North Dakota is a beautiful, challenging state. Thank God I get the priviledge to live here.

Lights...Camera...Action

Okay so I'm at it again. Top Hat Playhouse - the theater troupe I belong to is having the spring play. Now let me start by saying in November I finished up directing the high school one-act play and in March or April I start the high school musical. That being said I was not, repeat, NOT, going to direct or act in this year's production.

Well, no director could be found, it looked as if Top Hat for the first time in nearly 30 years was not going to have a production. Angel Moore - pinch hitter, relief batter stepped up to the plate and with one mumbled under the breath, head down, no-eye contact remark - became the 2009 Top Hat director. Oh I love to do it - I just had hopes of actually staying home one winter.

I believed last year's play was my Swan Song. I played Dodie the bumbling nurse in training in a play both Grandma and Mom had starred in over a 50 year span. I knocked it out of the park (to continue the baseball metaphor) and truly felt it was my one great character, the one I should be remembered for, the end of an era.

And now, because I believe community theater is a service to the community and not a selfish personal gain adventure, I am again in the driver's seat. I am trying to do this with humility.

God gives us talents and as the Bible says, "to whom much is given, much is expected." I used to pray that I could be good at something - I thought Track, Volleyball, Athletics in general...I am starting to believe that my God given talent is drama and the more I try to turn my back to it the more God presents opportunities for me not to say no. I guess I should have listened when Mom and Dad and EVERYONE else said, "Be careful what you wish for."

In other news. We got a new hot water heater today. Kent and his brother Kelly installed it - THANK YOU boys! Ours has had a slow leak but as of last night in a firey, chest hair singeing display of flame it gave it's last breath. Hopefully this one lasts as long as the last one did! (17 years!)

It is -6 (quite the warm up!) with a predicted high of 0 tomorrow. Sunday and Monday we saw temperatures of - 26 without the windchill. Ah - life on the Dakota plains. Winter may last a LONG time this year.

The Storm

So last night the storm started. It appears we didn't get the large amount of snow that was expected but we do have the cold. It is negative 14 right now with the windchill at well below 20 below.

After 20 below it really doesn't matter - it doesn't feel any colder.

Kent and I did chores this morning and then spent the day indoors. I did laundry, read a book and napped while Kent researched snow shoes and deer mounting supplies, etc.

Quiet days at home are wonderful.

Here is our latest addition to the family! Click on each of the pictures when the postcard opens up.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Today we road tripped to pick up Peyton and do a little Christmas shopping. We got up really early to be home before the storm. We just made it.

When we got back we quickly finished chores and snuggled in for the evening. When we were doing chores a tear streamed to the crook of my nose and froze. I'm pretty sure I have a perfectly circular spot of frost bite there. As soon as I could I ran for cover at Ilona's house and watched Shirley and Ilona make spritz cookies. I also took it upon myself to be the official taster. They were all terrific and received my seal of approval.

Kent shelled all the pecans from Uncle Van and Aunt San that we got at Thanksgiving. We have a ton and I think I might even try my hand at candied pecans for Christmas dinner this year.

So far the storm hasn't been too bad. Cold weather and blowing winds. The snow is really supposed to kick up starting around midnight. According to my computer temperature gauge it is negative 8 degrees right now without the windchill! YIKES!

Kittens at play

Tonight was a relaxing evening at home. I got home from work to find Kent washing dishes and cooking dinner. All of a sudden he went all domestic on me.

I got some adorable pictures of the kittens tonight.

Chunk is posing as superman in this one.
Ratta discovered the deer mounts last night but decided to jump up and play tonight. Doesn't she look right at home?

Lia - well she hasn't been very sociable lately so I don't have any new shots of her. She thinks she is quite a princess and much too regal for regular photography. If we get Christmas decorations up this weekend I will have to maybe have her own separate fashion shoot.

The big storm is looming. They are calling from 3-5-6-10 inches of snow and wind gust of 50 miles per hour. 25 to 45 below wind chills. We are in the heavy snow forcast so we'll see. The grocery store was packed this afternoon!

Right now it is 17 degrees and absolutely gorgeous. Kent and I just got back from an unsuccessful round of coyote hunting.

December 11

Make a Smilebox recipe

Then end of the Head Cheese

Tonight we finished the headcheese. Aaron boiled and pressed it - Thank you!
We cut it and sealed it and put it in the freezer.


Of course I took this picture and send it to Dad just to rub it in. He says he can't come up to get it until Easter at least. We may have to make a trip to Gillette just to deliver some to him before that.

I do believe we are completely finished with the 7 sows now. It is a bit of a sad night I have to admit.

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One of the ads at the bottom of the page tonight was for sausage making kits. Kent has been searching it and found weiner seasoning....I guess it isn't over for long...

Today we lost a calf. It is always sad when one of the little ones goes. These little ones are out of the first year heifers and they have had a rough go. Their mother's didn't produce a lot of milk so they have been behind. We weaned them not long ago and these little ones just haven't been able to get the knack of eating on their own. We moved the other two littlest ones into the barn so we can keep a closer eye on them and maybe five them a little extra tlc.

Today was a beautiful sunny North Dakota winter day. It is 17 degrees right now with 20 mile an hour winds. It makes it feel like 5 degrees...They are calling for snow tomorrow. Just flurries but we are on the cusp of a big winter storm this weekend.

December 9, 2008

It was a cold day today with a bright sun shining.

We had the Eagles Auxiliary Christmas party tonight. Everyone seemed to have a good time. We played a Christmas song game where people had to answer questions for songs from Christmas...

Where do reindeers paw?...UP on the roof top.

ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQURSTUVWXYZ?....NO-EL

What size were the Wise Men?....WE-E

Etc. It was fun.

Then to exchange gifts I read a story about the Wright family where everytime I read right or left the gifts had to pass. Suprisingly I ended up with a beautiful set of horse notecards.

Now I am settling in for a quiet night and early bedtime. Its 13 degrees and partly cloudy. The air is cold with crunchy snow underfoot.

December 8

HEAD CHEESE NIGHT

Tonight the family got together for head cheese making.

The first 45 minutes of the process were spent discussing the glories of biscuits and gravy. If you have been following along you know that we made pounds and pounds of breakfast sausage. This weekend was Biscuit and Gravy weekend at several of the brother's homes.

We found this dollar store package of country gravy at Runnings and it is really a cheaters way to some pretty decent gravy. I ran out of milk so had to make Bisquick biscuits with 1/2 sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 water. Kent claims that other than my homemade biscuits this may be one of the best meals I've ever made. I agree that they were good but 45 minutes good? Hmmmmm......

So tonight, I stood in stunned silence as Kent's brothers, in detail, expounded on the fabulous food unlike any other - country gravy with sausage over biscuits. I couldn't believe that something that I grew up with could bring so much satisfaction. For me biscuits and gravy are a family tradition. Knowing how to make homemade sausage gravy and cathead biscuits was a right of passage so it made the conversation of this new found wonder food even more unbelievable.

I can only compare it to the first time I had Kneophla Soup. We grew up with kneophla but to put it in SOUP! Unbelievable. (Thanks to the University of Mary for introducing me to this tasty morsel of wonderfulness.)

I sit even now, shaking my head thinking about how magical biscuits and gravy were to these boys. Seriously, at least 45 minutes. Every time a new person walked in the garage..."have you ever had breakfast sausage with country gravy mix?"


This is the boys having the BISCUIT DISCUSSION

Then it led to a 15 minute conversation of the best biscuits. While homemade can never be beat, Pillsbury Grands and my Sweetened Condensed Milk/Bisquick biscuits were the top choices.

We did actually get to the making of the head cheese. Head cheese is a combination of ground pork rind, pork meat, garlic, pepper, and salt. It is mixed and ground and stuffed in casings. We will boil it and press it tomorrow. When it is boiled it gets a gelatinous outer edge which I can honestly say makes my stomach roll - however, fried in a pan and served on crackers in the garage...now that is something special.







We made extra this year so we could give a bunch to my dad. Last year at Christmas Dad drove away with all of the head cheese we had left so we made sure to double our batch just so he could have some of his own. We plan to lure him to ND with the head cheese and then charge him for each loaf he gets. His payment will be helping Kent with our honey-do list. We negotiated one loaf per chore. It may be Easter tho before he is able to get up here to get it. Maybe I will take some to him if the weather is ever good enough.....

It is negative 6 degrees right now. Today we had a mini-snow storm. I woke up to what they were saying was 3 inches and blowing winds. Driving was.....challenging to say the least. Snow, blowing snow, pillow and finger drifts, white outs with passing cars. Then at about 10 am there was a second falling. All totaled it looks like we got between 5 and 6 inches. The weather casters called these flurries....the big storm is coming this weekend. Stay tuned for what may come.

Saturday, December 6

Kent and I started the smoker to work on summer sausage this morning bright and early. We fed hay to all of the animals - horses and cows.

We headed in to town for an auction sale and ended up staying there the majority of the day. We came home with a pick ax, a mission style accent light, and a Christmas present for me.

We came home and cleaned house. Maybe tomorrow we'll get up some Christmas decorations.

We put plastic on the windows and settled in for a night watching Kevin Costner's The Postman. It is amazing how almost immediately the room was warmer with the plastic.

Tomorrow is chock full of farm activities. We may work calves, slice and marinate jerky, butcher a heifer, and clean house some more.

I have church in the morning in Manfred. We only have church twice a month because we share a minister with other parishes. I have to say I have been slack in attending this year. One of my new years resolutions is to try to get there more often.

It is -6 right now but the sun shone brightly today!

Friday, December 5

The snow fell and the wind blew and we had a snugly night at home.

This is one of those nights made for a steaming mug of Swiss Miss, a soft fleece blanket and either a light romantic comedy starring Orlando or Matthew or an easy reading novel by the likes of Nora Roberts.

It's 20 degrees and dropping by the minute. The snow today was a blanket of Christmas magic. It was enough to put the holiday spirit in even the Grinch's heart.

Thursday, December 4th

Hooray!!! Our luggage came today. I was able to give Kent's family their treats. Art loved his knives - the South will rise again! Shirley and Ilona though their spider balls were amazing...see the pictures from Illinois.

I did write a letter to Northwest. I am certainly disappointed in the way this all went down. The customer service people were really awesome but 5 days....Seriously? In fact the package we UPSed from Pigeon Forge got to us before the luggage we took with us. Everything is in one piece though so that is something.

Tonight was decorating night at the Eagles. We put up all the holiday decorations except the tree...somehow it didn't make it to the club. All in all it is a subtly festive venue just in time for the holiday parties.

Kent smoked summer sausage from 8 this morning until now...10:37. We started wrapping it and discovered that not all the sausage was cooked all the way through so tomorrow he gets to recook them all. What a bummer. I worked so hard all day just to have to start all over again.

It was a COLD day today. Right now it is 4 degrees but with the windchill it is well below zero. I hope this stretch doesn't last too long. The piglets are fine...spoiled, they don't think they should have to eat the whole squash just the sweet middle, cows and horses are hanging in there. We'll all see Spring soon enough.

Wednesday, December 3

Tonight we made summer sausage. We ended up with 124 - 3 pound logs. Kent will smoke them tomorrow.

We still do not have any luggage. I got a call from the airport in Devils Lake today and it was shipped to them without any directions or reasons for it being there. They say we should get it tomorrow......I may have to write an unpleasant letter to the airlines.

I read a note today that said Christmas is just three weeks away....YIKES. So not ready for the holiday season. No tree up...although I do have good intentions. No presents purchased...although I know Christmas isn't just about the presents. No seasonal cheer...although I am thankful for the reason we celebrate. I am just having a hard time getting cheery about the whole thing. It seems to have snuck up on me this year. Wasn't it just yesterday that I started school?

Thank you to those of you who take time to check out the ads at the bottom of my page. I am slowly earning that extra spending cash because of you. I hope beyond clicking on ads you are enjoying the blog.

It is 7 degrees and dropping right now. We have blustery winds and earlier we had light movie snow. They say it will be negative 20 by morning. Welcome to winter in ND....I LOVE IT!!!!!

December 1, 2008

We arrived home this morning after a 36 hour plane, train and automobile return trip from Pigeon Forge.

What a trip we had. Besides highlights such as seeing MAKENNA!!!!

We visited Dollywood, the Dixie Stampede, the Jack Daniels Distillery, Freddie's Oyster Bar, Wild Horse Saloon, the Beer Sellar, Nashville Nights and the Mall of America.

I won two rounds in a row of Scrabble and had a wonderful time visiting all of the family. Thank you to Hal and John and families for all the planning and acitivities you arranged.

I am so thankful for North Dakota, the people, the lack of traffic, even the cold...although that is still a bit of an adjustment.

Here is a photojournal of our trip.

While in Sheridan at Veronica's Kent discovers an untapped selection of music to download to his computer. He spent hours doing this and it probably was the highlight of the vacation for him.

Due to our lack of time Kent had to get a haircut at a salon - this is the first haircut he's had that he hasn't done himself since 2000!


Kent and I visited the Norway store in Norway, IL. Norway is the oldest permanent Norwegian settlement in America. Here we see Kent sporting the latest trend in eyeware from the motherland.






At the Jack Daniels Distillery with Breanna and Tony. We had an eventful afternoon delving into the distillery, finding Freddie's Oyster Bar, Chatting our way to Chattanooga, backtracking backroads to Pigeon Forge and look, "There's a Blockbuster!"







This is Makenna. I stole her every chance I got and took pictures with her. Such a good little girl. She smiles and growls and claps her hands. She may just have been the highlight of the reunion.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING! This was taken to send to family by text message during our hike of the great smoky moutains outside our back door just before Thanksgiving day dinner. I wasn't able to send it but I love the picture.






Thanksgiving night after winning two rounds of Scrabble, the single cousins and I sat up late talking. While watching Tyra and discussing all the crazy show topics Courtney shared with us the definition of an orgy...7 or more people in bed without shoes....so....since we were in the south and at a family reunion we thought it was only appropriate to have our own Lutz Family Orgy and here's the proof!


This is the official Moore family Thanksgiving weekend photo. There is another Lutz family one but Andy still has it on his camera.



My tall drink of water is so good looking that everywhere we went he was singled out for fun and mayhem. Here the Dollywood Chicken Lady is serenading him. I laughed so hard I cried and almost peed my pants. As you can tell Kent is having a great time too!


And speaking of chickens. This one is just too cute!

We don't have pictures of the Dixie Stampede, but it was a magical show. Andy, Megan, Kent and I even got to be a part of the the South vs North challenge in the stick horse race. While we didn't win we gave it our all and the South (our side) prevailed in the end.

We met with my dad's sister and brother and families at the Apple Barn for lunch before we headed back to Nashville. It was nice for Kent to get a chance to meet so many of my family and we have an open invitation to Mississippi as soon as we get a chance.

We arrived in Nashville in time to hit some of the downtown honkytonks. We started at the Wildhorse Saloon. Floord was having a CD release party and we sat through part of their show. We went past Coyote Ugly but ended up on a side street at the Beer Sellar a small pub with 99 beers for sale. We tried the local Yazoo ale and Dos Perros both Nashville-made beers. We found Nashville Nights a small club right up our alley. They played great music and were very entertaining...so much so we stayed for the rest of the night - it is probably one place we would definitely like to go and see again.

We made it back to the airport about 30 mintues before they opened for check-in, got settled and made the first flight of the day at 6:10.

Notice I don't anywhere say we slept. After getting up Saturday morning we were up for the remainder of the trip until today...Monday, December 1st. Oh we napped here and there but nothing beats a good bed and kittens to snuggle with.

We didn't have luggage in Minneapolis which may have been a blessing in disguise. We went to Mall of America - Kent now says, "I've seen it." We got our luggage and enjoyed a transit ride with Bears and Vikings fans who were heading to the game. We got off at the Metrodome and thought about finding scalped tickets for the game. Instead we took the bus to the train depot and called it a day. We boarded the train at 10:30 uneventfully and made it back to Rugby by 7:30 this morning.

Our luggage should be here in the next couple of days, which is good we may be recouperated by then and ready to go through all of our goodies from the trip.

At the end of the trip we may have felt like this but all in all we still love each other and can't wait for our next adventure.