It's a Thanksgiving Thing

We just returned yesterday from visiting my brother Mike and his family for the Thanksgiving weekend in Richmond, VA. It was a pretty fun trip. They live in the country so the kids were able to hike down by the river and spend time with their cousins. Tina's mom joined us and my mom was there as well. Mike's son, Mike was in from West Virginia University and much to our surprise he was sporting an eyebrow piercing. Based on the jovial ribbing and endless questions, we're confident that we won't be seeing it at our next visit. We were equally successful getting Matt to cut his hair last summer. He didn't appreciate us calling him "Farrah" all the time. I guess this is foreshadowing of what we can look forward to in a few years.

November for us was pretty quiet. I had a trip out to LA and got to visit my sister and family as well as a good friend prior to my meetings. The kids didn't have sports so we weren't running around everywhere. December travel will be light as well.

The interior trim and painting was finally completed... just in time for the new roof in December. This was definitely the year of the home repair. All I can say is that we're doing our part to keep the economy rolling, but not entirely by choice.

The Christmas tree is up and lights are decorating the inside. After the roof is completed, we'll get to the outside.

Cheerleading, Football and Renovations

September and October were pretty hectic but things are slowing down now. November is slower in the sense that we don't have sports. This is the month we don't have to run home, get dinner on the table and rush out to football or cheerleading... We have a break until December when basketball starts for both Evan and Madeleine.

Evan's football season ended with a 3-5-2 record. The team improved as the season progressed which was good to see. Madeleine's cheer team improved as well. A highlight in October for Madeleine was Fun Day. This is a time when about 35 cheer squads get together in a confined place and compete for awards like "best sprit, and best program". Tina was able to take Madeleine there for the day. Evan and I joined them after Evan's football game. The team did well and had a lot of fun. Both are intending to continue their respective sports next year.

This fall we focused on projects around the house. We updated the landscaping, replaced the walkway and built some retaining walls. We haven't updated anything in a long time and some plants were looking pretty bad. It was time to make a change.

We were very happy with the results.

Inside we replaced the baseboards on the 1st floor and added wainscoting to the dining room, foyer and second floor hallway. Also we added wood trim to the 1st floor windows and room openings. It took a while and we are glad it's finally completed. After this it's the roof and kitchen... The fun never ends.