Texas Ramblin'

It's been a while since I've written anything, so a few items on what has been going on down here lately.

Basketball season has begun. Erin has the JV girls and I have the Freshmen boys. My guys have sprinted out to a 4-0 start. It has nothing to do with coaching though. Trust me.

Maddie is figuring out how to fall forward from the sitting position to get on her stomach, the first stage toward crawling I imagine. We have figured out that the laundry basket doubles as a more than useful playpen. And as a substitute for a wagon while we're at it. Our trip to Wisconsin for the holidays can't come fast enough. Besides hanging out with aunts and uncles and cousins and grandpas and grandmas for more than a couple days, we get to meet the Heidens too!

Concordia has school off for the whole week...er, at least the students. We had a conference at a nearby retreat center with the other Lutheran high schools in the district. I was reminded how my kids must feel going class to class to class everyday. Some good fellowship was had in the evening though!

Jay and Jill are down from Minnesota this week. Jay and I have taken turns throttling each other in Playstation football. It's good to have some human competition. Although I can be as intense playing video games as Grandma Bickel is playing Euchre. You Bickels know what I'm talking about. Strangely, Erin never seems to want to play with me. I can't understand why? We look forward to some football, turkey, stuffing, parades, and games tomorrow.

The weather took a turn for the "worse" and dipped into the sixties. "Luckily" we will be back in the 80's by the weekend. WHEW! I was afraid it might actually FEEL like the holiday season. Bit the bullet on that one! (Editor's note: Sense the sarcasm in this paragraph.)

Blessings to all this Thanksgiving and Advent season as we prepare for the coming of Christ!