Thanksgiving 25

What a wonderful Thanksgiving. The days of getting this group together are becoming rare and will be even harder to do in the near future. We are so thankful we got to spend the holiday with our sister's and their families, and have so much to celebrate: the boys being home for the holiday (our first time together in our home since Christmas!), Hudson starting a new job soon, Maia + Caleb's engagement, Mackenzie + Patricyk getting married, buying a house and expecting twins all in a year, Cole's stellar soccer season, Jacob + Darcy moving to California in January. Such exciting stuff. I felt a little off my game this year, but the food was decent and the company was fantastic. What a perfect day.

NCAA D3 National Tournament - Weekend Two

It was another incredible weekend of soccer. The Auggies made it to the Sweet Sixteen and played at Washington University's stadium, site of the 1904 Olympics. We had a fun group of family and friends cheering the team on, and thanks to the location of the field, Hudson and Natalie got to be there too! The first game was against SUNY-Cortland. We should have won it without any issue, but the team decided to stress us out and go into overtime, then head into penalty kicks. It never should have gotten there, but thanks to two amazing saves by our goalie (right before Cole was up to shoot), we secured our spot in the Elite 8. It was such an exciting moment. That night, we were invited to join the players for the team dinner. It was so nice getting to celebrate with them, and just goes to show how important family culture is for this group. 

The next day the team played Trinity from Texas. Unfortunately, that game did not go our way. They were a good team, we had to play after a rough day before, and the score of 0-5 does not reflect how well we actually did. It was hard to lose, but mostly, I'm just so sad that this season has come to an end. It's been so special. The team has welcomed Cole with open arms and I can say the same about the families of the players with us too. Its exactly the kind of environment we hoped for and it makes me so emotional thinking about all the ups and downs over the years and the fact that Cole ended up here. Right where he deserves to be. The entire weekend parents were telling us what an important addition Cole has been to the team, and I think he hears that from his coaches and teammates too. It's incredible. Unfortunately, this wasn't Cole's weekend either. He's been suffering a cold for awhile, and the amount of buildup in his chest made it so he couldn't breath and would get sick on the field. He'll be ok, but it was very upsetting for him not to be able to play the full games. Still, what a season. 1617 minutes, even with a couple games off due to injury and this final weekend. We couldn't be prouder of #4.

Moments 11 25 :: Week 03

Some leftover photos from Minneapolis. On Friday night, Zoe, Brian and I went to Moto-I for ramen, then walked over to Las Delicias de Frida for paletas. I got talked into the Mangoada, and had to get a photo of it. I feel like my photographer (Brian) could have positioned it a little better. Ha. If you like chamoy, you'd like this. It was delicious. 

After the first game on Saturday. Brian and I went to Kramarczuk's Sausage -- Brian's new favorite restaurant in Minneapolis. 

We sampled the periogis and cabbage roll, then did a little shopping in their market. It was pretty fantastic.

Yes, lots of food photos. But I already posted about the soccer games. Cole had another team dinner, but this time, the rest of us were invited. We drove out to the party, stayed a bit, then dropped Zoe off at Cole's and Brian and I went out for dinner. I have a huge list of restaurants to try in Minneapolis, so decided to try Tullibe, which was recommended by the Elsmo's and close by our hotel. It was perfect. We started with a delicious cocktails, lox and beets and bitterballen. We also had brussels sprouts which were fantastic.

Brian had a view of the open fire behind me, so we had to try something cooked like that. The flat iron steak and roti were delicious. 

The next day, we wandered around campus before The Auggies next soccer game. We haven't spent much time on campus, but stumbled upon the room that houses Cole's favorite class - Ceramics. 

I love that he enjoys it so much. Someone was working in there when we walked in. We said our son loves that class, and she asked if it was Cole. I'm sure the spiritwear sweatshirts gave it away, but it was still pretty funny. His instructor came to cheer him on the first game. Then one of his other classmates was selling concessions at the second game and was on the field afterwards. Cute. 

I took Monday am off from everything except picking up our dogs. I needed a morning at home, so no gym. But it was a gorgeous day. I was thinking about going on a run, but decided if I could do that, I'd rather take a dog out on a field trip. Bully was my buddy for the day. 

He's 4 years old, stocky, strong and a total lover. He enjoyed looking for squirrels and sitting on my lap. He was a fun guy to hang out with. There are SO many dogs at the shelter right now. FIVE of my field trip dogs are currently waiting for homes. At least two that I know of have been adopted then returned within a matter of days. Honestly, I don't get it. It makes me so sad.

So many leaves. And so many more that need to fall yet. Ours are always some of the last to go. 

NCAA D3 National Tournament - Weekend One

What an exciting weekend. Augsburg hosted the first round of the NCAA DIII Tournament. Brian and I drove up, and Zoe took the train in for the weekend to cheer Cole and the Auggies on. Since it was home, they had team dinners both nights at families homes. The first game was against Occidental from Los Angeles. They ended up winning 3-1 to move on and see another day. The second game was against Edgewood from Madison. It was absolutely nerve-wracking. Edgewood brought it, but thanks to an early goal, some incredible saves and strong defense, they were able to hang on and win 1-0, making it to the Sweet Sixteen. Because of their ranking this year, they would be hosting again this weekend. However, the dome is being put up and there is a big wrestling event so instead, they will be traveling to St. Louis. Home advantage is always good, and it was so fun having all the family and alumni at the games, but traveling will be fun for the team too. I never want this season to end. It's been so amazing. They deserve this, and I'm just so happy for them.