IT'S COLD OUT!!!!!

Ceci loves puzzles. Daddy, on the other hand, is getting rather tired of them! He can't say no!

Wow, snow and cold is the name of the game this winter! We did not have school Monday and have been late every other day this week! I haven't gotten to sleep in though, with student and teacher meetings pretty much every day. It was about -24 degrees this morning as I drove to Aberdeen for a testing meeting. Yuck!

We play Roncalli Friday night and Castlewood Saturday. Wish the Braves luck! We are pleased to be #10 in the state. Hopefully we continue to be successful. It has been a wonderful season. RJ's picture was in the Britton Journal this week.

Cecilia has grown up before my eyes during the past month. She's starting to talk more as she approaches 2. She still struggles to say RJ--it usually comes out as Dar-Dar or something like that! She loves puzzles and is becoming very good at putting them together!

STAY WARM AND SAFE!!!!

Thursday Night Game

We went to Frederick for BB tonight--we won 63-53. We had a pretty big lead but blew it! The roads coming home were not very fun. RJ had some excellent plays and then a few less memorable ones! Anyway, the boys are tired after a busy week and so am I! Next up........RONCALLI!!!! I am going to eat pizza with RJ and GO TO BED!!

What a Difference a Day Can Make!

Yes, it is a different story tonight. The Langford Lions pounced on the Braves by about 20 points. It wasn't pretty. The Lions finished 2nd at state last year and it was pretty evident that they are still very talented. What's done is done, and we have Leola-Frederick to look forward to on Thursday evening. Wish us luck!

Woo-Hoo--The Braves Beat the Redmen!

Ok, I am just a little excited. Britton-Hecla just beat Sisseton 37-34. Wow! What a game! Lots of defense. Sisseton is a very good team, even though they supposedly weren't very "healthy". I am very thankful for the win. RJ missed a bunch of freethrows--you would think he would shoot better at home! Next, Langford. It will probably be a hard fought game. I'll keep you posted!

A Great Way to Start 2009

Well, despite being down by 10 or so at half, Britton-Hecla came back to beat Mobridge-Pollock by a score of 55-43. RJ had 18 points, 10 rebounds and (?) assists-some I just don't know how many! They were a tough team, coach by local basketball legend Jim Schlekeway. Hunter Hook, their standout player, had 4 three-pointers. Monday the Braves take on Sisseton. There were quite a few Sisseton players and coaches at the game Friday night, scouting us out. Wish us luck--we will need it!!

RJ and Hunter Hook

Cecilia was WIPED OUT by all of the holiday festivities!!

Cecilia loves her new stacking blocks!

Garlic Shrimp--Yumm-o!

I made this shrimp appetizer for NYE--thought I would share the recipe.

Garlic Shrimp
Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine


Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound unshelled shrimp (26 to 32 shrimp per pound)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large heavy skillet set over moderately high heat, heat the oil until it is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it is pale golden. Add the red pepper flakes and the shrimp and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the shrimp are pink and just firm to the touch. Sprinkle with shrimp with the paprika and cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the Sherry, boil the mixture for 30 seconds, and sprinkle with parsley. Season the mixture with the lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer it to a serving bowl.
The shrimp may be made up to 1 day in advance and kept covered tightly and chilled. Serve the shrimp at room temperature.
Wine Suggestions: Dry Manzanilla; Jerez Region Spanish Cava (Sparkling Wine) Montecillo Winery Rioja

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday!!

We spent New Year's Eve at the Azure's. It was a great time! Lots of friends, kids, food and drink! It was Carrie's birthday so we celebrated that also. Cecilia is recovering from ear infection, and had fun playing with the kids. RJ beat us home so that is a good thing. (?) Here are some pics. We play Mobridge-Pollock tonight---wish us luck!

Ceci loves her new palace she got for Christmas!

Angel the "evil" cat.

The Boik's and Azure's

We had a 16 Point Lead But............

RJ won the game with a free throw! Yikes, these boys like stressing me out! We had a huge lead against Eureka-Bowdle, but became rather complacent and blew it! We kind of fell asleep at the wheel. The game was tied 42-42 with about 30 seconds left. RJ drove to the basket and made it, but at the exact same time, our coach called a time out so the bucket didn't count! So, with about 12 seconds left, RJ drove again and was fouled. He made a free throw and missed one, but it was enough for the 43-42 victory.

We are 4-0, which is wonderful, but maybe this game was a wake-up call. We play Mobridge-Pollock on Friday, Sisseton on Monday, Langford on Tuesday and Leola-Frederick on Thursday--talk about a busy schedule! Sisseton and Langford will be TOUGH opponents for sure!! Enjoy the rest of 08 and look forward to 09!

Here is a pic from a tourney in Webster a few years ago. The Webster gym is notorious for bad lighting.....maybe that's why RJ missed some free throws!!

Holidays are Exhausting!

Here is a picture of Ceci on Friday night. Our friends Cari and Paul were over playing cards when we happened to look in the living room at Cecilia. Thank goodness she didn't fall off the couch! She hasn't been feeling very well and has been very restless at night. Hopefully she feels better soon!

Christmas Fun

We spent Christmas Eve at the home of Larry and Julie Heitmann. There was lots of good food, including oyster stew, which is my favorite!! There were lots of presents, especially for the little ones-Cecilia, Greta and Austin. Cecilia was intrigued with Julie's Christmas characters and spent more time playing with them then with her new toys! I enjoyed playing with the digital picture frame we got my parents. Who would think I would have 100's of pics to load?

Cecilia must have had too much fun because she went to bed with a fever and did not sleep well. Needless to say, neither did the rest of the house! We missed church but went to my mom and dad's for dinner and cards.

Friday night I am meeting with good friend Cari Haaland and any other classmates to discuss our 20 (gasp!) year reunion! I'll let you know how that goes!

Happy New Year!

3-0

The Braves beat the Groton Tigers on Monday evening by a score of 53-47. RJ had 13 points and a pretty good game. It's fun to win and we hope that trend continues! We play Eureka-Bowdle on Monday at the Christmas Classic in Webster, then we have a make-up game in Britton on Friday with Mobridge-Pollock. Go Braves!

Blizzard #2

Ok, two blizzards in one week is a little much, don't you think? Actually blizzard #2 was not nearly as bad as #1. It was snowing and blowing a bit on the way home from Clear Lake, but we woke to some snow and COLD weather! Ugh! Tonight I went to a wedding of two of my former students. It was very nice. Here are a few pics of Ceci, the blizzard, and whatever else I recently downloaded. Pray for warmer weather!

Look at Wendell SHOVEL!!

This was our view during our ride to the shop during the blizzard.

"Mom, look how tall I am!"

Ceci opens her present from Cindy. She loves it, can't you tell?

It Feels Great to Win!

Yes, basketball season is under way, and this will probably become a basketball blog!! Tuesday night, the Braves played in Oakes. They won, 56-46, although it wasn't the prettiest win I have ever seen! RJ had 3 points. Friday night we traveled to Clear Lake to battle Deuel, who last year humiliated us in a 30 point thrashing. Well, this year it was our turn. We stunned them, winning 54-45. They have a both a 6'6'' and a 6'7'' player and have always been very tough. RJ had 12 points, I believe. It was a huge win and VERY exciting! It was also a very rough game, with many fouls called and even more that weren't. Our boys didn't back down. Hopefully it will give the team confidence, showing that if they play together as a team, they can be very tough. I took a few pics, but don't do very well with action shots. I will have to work on that. Monday night we travel to Groton. It should be a good game.

I couldn't resist taking a pic of these water bottles-properly intialed for the "Four Amigos", Thad, Mat, and RJ. What ever happened to the big jug of gatorade and paper cups?

"Mom, what are you doing?"

RJ has a thing with his shorts. 'Nuff said.

Coach Storley makes a plan to win the game!

Game Postponed Due to the Blizzard

Well, I have to wait until Tuesday to watch RJ play basketball. I don't blame Mobridge for not wanting to come across the state in a blizzard! Tuesday we travel to Oakes. Hopefully it will be a great game. I will post after the game!

Doc Tracy

My mom recently told me that "Doc" Tracy of Watertown had passed away. He was a long-time practicing Dr. from Watertown who spent a great deal of time at Roy Lake near Lake City. He was 83 and from what I understand, retired not too long ago. Anyway, when reading his obituary, I found a family website that is pretty neat. He was a remarkable man. I remember him as kind, devout and a man who lived life to the fullest. Rest in peace!

http://gingertracy.com/portal/tabid__4325/Default.aspx

Blizzard??????

RJ at his final high school Christmas concert!!
Ceci after the concert

Ceci outside with her baby

I'm always ready for a good blizzard, but I'd rather it held off until Sunday so we can play basketball against Mobridge! I guess we will find out tomorrow morning! Things are busy here. We recently had elementary and jh/hs Christmas concerts. Tonight I went to a girls BB game with Langford (we lost). We have quite a young team! Next week is our Community Christmas concert. I will sing as part of our church choir and we are supposed to have our church program Sunday evening. I guess we will see!

Hopefully I will have good BB news to share about Saturday! Cross your fingers. I am ready for some BB!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend is winding down. Wednesday night we played cards at my parent's house. Thanksgiving day we spent in Groton at the house of Wendell's sister. It was great to see his family. We drove to Aberdeen that afternoon for some shopping. Ceci and I have been busy cleaning and playing.

My running partner, Carrie, and I had wanted to go to Warner Saturday morning for the Wobble Gobble 5k, but our husband's schedules didn't work in our favor. Instead, we went for a chilly 3- miler around Britton. Exercise is a must after all the good food I enjoyed this weekend!

We have a busy week ahead, as the holiday season gets into full swing. Hope everyone had a great turkey day weekend!

Ceci loves playing with RJ's Transformer toy. Maggie, the dog, also enjoys it!

Since I didn't get a Wobble Gobble pic, I decided to share RJ and me preparing for my first 5k in 1995. Ugh, has it been that long ago?

The Holiday Season has Begun

Today was an interesting day at school. I can definitely tell the holidays have arrived! People tend to be stressed out during this time of year. Ceci and I went shopping this weekend in Aberdeen. She was a trooper! She also loves McDonalds--saying da-da-da when she saw the golden arches. We did stop in for some french fries. Her other new activity is stacking cups--I took the cans away and gave her cups. I think she stacked them for two hours the other night.

RJ is flying to St. Louis on Tuesday. He plans to look at some colleges while he is there. He will return on Monday, just in time for basketball practice. Wow, the year is flying by!

Hope everyone has a blessed, happy Thanksgiving!

Secretary of the Department Health and Human Services

I think it is pretty exciting that Barack Obama has offered Tom Daschle the position of Secretary of HHS. Tom has been a long time Barack supporter, so I guess it is no surprise he was offered a position. No matter what you think of Tom, I think it is good for South Dakota to have a South Dakotan in this position of power.

www.flickr.com

Random Thoughts

I haven't blogged in a while. Life has been busy-----Wendell is busy trucking, school continues to roll along, RJ is busy studying for an Adv Bio test, and Ceci is playing with Legos. I haven't taken any good pics lately, so I began looking at some older ones, and found some I wanted to share, thus, random thoughts. Enjoy!

Here are the TZ girls in the big apple a few years ago. A trip to NYC sounds fab right now! A great time was had by all!!

This is RJ's 3 on 3 champion team in 2005. Our foreign exchange student, Rico was on the team. Boy, he loved basketball.

RJ took a baking class a few years ago. He will not be happy if he sees this pic. I love it!! This is a typical RJ look!

I couldn't resist sharing this pic of our new head boys basketball coach and elementary principal, Shad Storley. This was taken after he took our girls team to state a few years ago. I don't remember what he did or didn't do to deserve the shave, but now he actually wears his hair pretty short by choice! We look forward to an excellent basketball season with Coach Storley as our fearless leader! He and I go way back, and I am sure he will do a great job with the boys.