This is the life!

02.11.2012 An anniversary I wish hadn't happened....

2012-02-11T11:25:00.001-06:00

Friday 2/11/2011

Gov. Scott Walker announces his plan to extract benefit concessions and eliminate collective bargaining for most public employees as part of his "budget repair bill."

One year ago today, the bomb was dropped on our state. Little did we know what scheming plans the new governor had for Wisconsin and how detrimental they would be. Though the unions had already conceded the benefits, the legislature rammed through legislation that undid 50+ years of labor history for our state. We spent every weekend driving to and from Madison to peacefully protest and though we have had several small victories this past year (recall Sen. Kapanke, elect new Sen. Shilling, collect 1million signatures to recall Gov. Walker) we have a long road a head and much work still to be done.

02.03.2012 Grandma's Birthday

2012-02-11T11:12:00.000-06:00

Grandma turned 84 today. She is currently the eldest living member of the Jansen family- our matriarch!

Happy New Year!!!!! 01.01.2012

2012-01-01T13:36:00.002-06:00

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-30T22:12:00.002-06:00

In no particular order......2011 in review!

Johnson Family Christmas

2011-12-28T16:43:00.003-06:00

Schams Family Christmas Eve

2011-12-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

Central HS Christmas Party featuring "D Minus"

2011-12-28T16:41:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays from the Schams'!

2011-12-17T16:09:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-12T22:14:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas early with the Darelius/Johnson Families- lots of food, and family and fun!

Decking Our Halls

2011-11-29T21:54:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

Veteran's Day

2011-11-24T09:49:00.004-06:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-24T09:49:00.000-06:00

Welcome Baby Boberg!

2011-11-24T09:45:00.000-06:00

2011.10.08 Omni Center Craft Show and a Visit with the Fam

2011-10-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

2011.09.01 First Day of School

2011-10-11T21:28:00.001-05:00

2011.10.13 Luther HS Class of 2001 10 year Reunion

2011-10-11T21:27:00.001-05:00

2011.08.04 Nerd Con

2011-10-11T21:24:00.001-05:00

Greg and friends spent a long weekend in Indiana for what I like to refer to as "Nerd Con". They had an uber nerdy good time!

07.31.2011 Harry Potter's Golden Birthday Party

2011-08-02T08:38:00.001-05:00

My BFF!

2011-07-18T17:53:00.000-05:00

Fourth of July!! 2011

2011-07-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Pickin 07.01.2011

2011-07-07T11:07:00.002-05:00

Fun with GloSticks

2011-07-07T11:06:00.001-05:00

2011.05.31 First Taste of Summer!

2011-06-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

Our first taste of summer--- grilled German pork burgers!!!!!

2011.05.24 End of School Year & Retirement Party

2011-06-01T17:24:00.003-05:00

2011.05.22 Boy's Birthday

2011-06-01T17:24:00.000-05:00

Charlie and Greg turned 29!!!!!!

2011.04.23 Beer Fest

2011-05-10T22:16:00.003-05:00

2011.04.24 Easter

2011-05-04T16:41:00.002-05:00

2011.04.20 Gallery Singers and Holy Week

2011-05-04T16:40:00.001-05:00

2011.03.15 5th Birthday

2011-05-04T16:37:00.002-05:00

Solidarity Forever

2011-03-13T18:42:00.003-05:00

2011.02.13 Jill's Birthday

2011-03-13T18:42:00.000-05:00

2011.02.05 Decemberists Concert and Visit to Milwaukee

2011-03-13T18:41:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend in Milwaukee, visiting with Tony and Mel. We ate at a local burger joint and then saw the Decemberists in concert!

(final photo credit: Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee)

02.06.2011 Super Bowl Champs!

2011-03-13T18:37:00.000-05:00

2011.01.06 CRCCM

2011-01-09T21:11:00.003-06:00

2011.01.04 Gallery Singers Concert

2011-01-09T21:11:00.000-06:00

2010.12.31 New Year's Eve

2011-01-09T21:08:00.004-06:00

12.26.2010 Johnson Christmas

2010-12-29T14:09:00.000-06:00

12.25.2010 A "Pan-Germanic" Christmas Feast

2010-12-29T14:04:00.000-06:00

We hosted a "Pan-Germanic"Christmas Feast at our house on Christmas Day. The menu included: Swedish meatballs, German mashed potatoes with horseradish, Berghoff beets, red cabbage, brussel sprouts in beer, lefse, Lucia buns, Stollen, ginger cookies and Glogg- a Scandanavian mulled wine!

12.24.2010 Midnight Mass

2010-12-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

Matzke Feeding Trough 12.19.2010

2010-12-21T19:28:00.000-06:00

Central HS Christmas Party 12.18.2010

2010-12-21T19:26:00.001-06:00

Greg's school band - "D Minus (Barely Passing)" played at the work/school Christmas Party on Saturday night!

Darelius/Johnson Christmas 12.17.2010

2010-12-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

Tony and Melissa were home this weekend to celebrate Christmas with us. We all gathered at mom and dad's house for appetizers, gifts and piano rolls!

Schams/Warner Christmas 12.16.2010

2010-12-18T10:51:00.000-06:00

Because Greg's family will be traveling for the holidays we had our gift-giving a week early. Dinner was the "traditional Chinese take-out" (Fa, rah, rah, rah, rah) and some caroling by the piano, then gifts!

2010.12.15 Christmas Cards

2010-12-18T10:34:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays!

2010.12.11. Blizzard

2010-12-18T10:31:00.001-06:00

We survived the Blizzard on Dec. 11th, but not without some incidence- we got our car stuck about 30 yards from our garage- took 45 mns to get it out! Then 2 hours of digging out the next morning!!!

2010.12.06.Decorating for Christmas

2010-12-12T22:42:00.001-06:00

Though I got most of the Christmas decorations up during the weekend, Greg helped me put up the tree! We had fun hanging our favorite ornaments, as well as adding some new ones from our vacation this summer!

Thanksgiving 11.25.2010

2010-11-30T08:28:00.005-06:00

We had four Thanksgiving feasts this year! Two of them were hosted at our house, Thursday with Jill's family and Friday with Greg's family. We stuffed ourselves and had a nice time!

(More pics from the Schams' feast to come......)

New Cathedral Organ 11.07.2010

2010-11-30T08:23:00.001-06:00

The Cathedral's new organ was dedicated this morning by Bishop Callahan. It was very thrilling- such a huge sound! Then we attended the first dedicatory organ recital by Olivier Latry.

Halloween

2010-11-30T08:16:00.001-06:00

We didn't dress up this year (I just didn't have time to make any costumes), but we stopped over at Pierce's to see their costumes.... we also got so see cousin Isaac and my mom, the nun!

2010.10.27 Three Years

2010-10-27T08:55:00.000-05:00

Three years ago Greg and I were saying "I do"!

2010.09.28. High Water

2010-10-27T08:48:00.007-05:00

2010.10.05 Pierce Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T08:48:00.005-05:00

2010.09.05 Labor Day Vow Renewal

2010-09-08T16:05:00.001-05:00

Because this year was mom and dad's 35th wedding anniversary, the family decided to throw them a surprise wedding/vow renewal!

They were completely surprised! Amy helped them get dressed.

Grandpa officiated- he is an "ordained minister" in the Universal Life Church- he paid two bits!

The wedding party was made up of the nieces and nephews- the girls wore the same dresses that mom's sisters wore at their actual wedding!

Ben made the Lego bride and groom cake toppers that were placed on Katy's delicious cake!

Everyone did such a great job helping plan this event- Gram was the master-mind and Amy coordinated everything perfectly!

2010.09.01 First Day of School

2010-09-08T15:57:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of school for both of us- and following tradition, we take our pictures when we get home!

2010.08.15 Room Remodel

2010-09-08T15:52:00.005-05:00

We have taken on a big project- remodeling Linda's basement. New paint, new floor, new room!

2010.08.13.Dinner with Family and Friends

2010-08-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

We took a drive up to the Twin Cities for the day and got to have dinner with our family and friends that live up there- lots of laughing and fun!

07.31.2010 Lisa and Dave

2010-08-02T15:00:00.004-05:00

Today my cousin Lisa married Dave. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time with food, dancing and family!

07.28.2010. Blogiversary!!

2010-08-02T14:39:00.000-05:00

Today is my 2 year blogiversary- Yippeee!!!! To celebrate, we have a new design courtesy of MyStyle Backgrounds.

07.12.2010 Mom and Dad's Anniversary

2010-07-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

My mom and dad celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this year!! We celebrate by going out to lunch and also had some altar flowers and a special prayer at church.

07.04.2010 4th of July

2010-07-08T09:12:00.001-05:00

This the holiday I look forward to more than any other of the year!!!! I love the Fourth of July!!!! Too bad the weather didn't cooperate this year- what a bummer. It rained and rained all day. That didn't stop us from having our traditional party- and we all still had fun!

There and Back Again: A Schams' Tale- Trip Stats

2010-06-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

Now that we have complete our Griswold-style road trip, we have compiled these statistics:

16.5 days on the road
13 states visited
5908 miles driven
-190 feet below sea level- lowest elevation (Death Valley)
11,158 feet above sea level- highest elevation (Eisenhower Tunnel, Rocky Mtns)
34 degrees- coldest temperature (Bighorn Mountains)
111 degrees- hottest temperature (Death Valley)
8 breweries visited
48 out of the 50 US states license plates were spotted, and District of Columbia
5 out of 10 Canadian provinces license plates were spotted
1 Mexican state license plate (Sonora)
1 EU nation license plate (Germany)

There and Back Again: Day Seventeen 06.27.2010

2010-06-29T10:17:00.003-05:00

We got up very early this morning and were on the road by 5:45am! I guess we were a little anxious to get home! We drove through Iowa and part of Minnesota and then saw a sign that said "Great River State Trail- Onalaska, Exit 3B" and I yelled- "that's us!!!!"

We had a great trip, but we were also reminded that:

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home"

There and Back Again: Day Sixteen 06.26.2010

2010-06-26T21:53:00.000-05:00

We stayed in Fort Collins, CO last night and right away this morning headed to the New Belgium Brewery- they brew some of our favorite beer- Fat Tire. We didn't take a tour, but sampled some beer (yes, at 10:30am!).

We drove the rest of the day and just finally stopped just over the border in Council Bluffs, IA. Tomorrow we will be home!!!!!!!

There and Back Again: Day Fifteen 06.25.2010

2010-06-25T23:10:00.000-05:00

We drove through Arches National Park this morning -good thing we went early, they got very busy and we got through before the real heat of the day. The scenery was awesome!!!

We drove into Colorado and through the Rocky Mountians- probably the last mountains we will see for awhile. We went through Denver and stopped for the night in Fort Collins. Tomorrow we are going to try to go to the New Belgium Brewery and then continue on our way HOME!!!!!!

There and Back Again: Day Fourteen 06.24.2010

2010-06-25T00:15:00.000-05:00

Leaving Las Vegas, we drove to the Hoover Dam. (We like to call it Hoover Darn) I guess we are not used to this extreme, dry heat, because we were both miserable. For some reason, they were not giving tours of the dam, so we just walked across and back- which was enough time out in the sun and heat for us. It was still very neat.

Drove north again, by-passing Vegas and heading into Utah. Because of the heat and the fact that we are getting home-sick, we decided to not go to the Grand Canyon (both of us have been there before), and instead will go to Arches National Park tomorrow. We are looking forward to being home by the end of the weekend!!!

By the way, the motel we are staying at tonight has the most "retro" and interesting decor of the whole trip!!! Check out the blue and gold shag carpet!!!

There and Back Again: Day Thirteen 06.23.2010

2010-06-24T23:57:00.000-05:00

We drove through Death Valley on our way to Las Vegas. The cool weather we were enjoying during the beginning of our trip has now been replace with dry, hot air in the southwest- but what else could we expect! The high we reached in Death Valley- 111 degrees!!!!

We got to Las Vegas and drove up and down the Strip- just taking it all in. We decided to stay at Excalibur, got a room and relaxed after the oppresive heat. We took the mono-rail up the Venitian, and then walked back down the Strip- seeing the sights along the way. We had dinner at Caesar's Palace, and watched the Fountains at the Belagio. Very cool! Went back to our hotel, and fed a few slots- Greg lost, but Jill was up double, and ended up breaking even!

There and Back Again: Day Twelve 06.22.2010

2010-06-23T00:28:00.000-05:00

We had to leave San Francisco today- we are so grateful to Greg's uncle Alan for letting us crash with him for a few nights, but I suppose we need to start heading back east. Actually, we are gettting a bit home-sick and it will be good to home soon.

We drove to Yosemite National Park today- so beautiful!!! The park was very busy and traffic was very congested, so we just sort of drove around to the major lookout points, but enjoyed the drive none-the-less. We got wet under the Bridalveil Falls, and saw Half Dome and the Yosemite Falls. We drove east through the Tioga Pass (9950 feet above sea level!!) and ended in Mammoth Lakes for the night.

There and Back Again: Day Eleven 06.21.2010

2010-06-23T00:19:00.000-05:00

Got up earlier today and head right to the Golden Gate Bridge. We parked on the north side and walked across and back- so windy!!!

We spent the rest of the day in Golden Gate Park, and there we went to the Academy of Sciences (awesome museum), and Japenese Tea Garden.

Headed back to Corte Madera before rush hour and stopped for some groceries. Had a few beers with Alan and his neighbors when he got home from work, then off to bed- I think we have done more walking in the past two days than the whole trip- we are exhauseted!

There and Back Again: Day Ten 06.20.2010

2010-06-21T22:58:00.001-05:00

Got off to a relaxed start today and had some time with Alan and the girls in the morning. They drove into San Francisco with us and got us started, then split off for some Father's Day time. We walked along Fisherman's Wharf, saw the sea lioins and to the Ghirardelli Square. We had lunch at Bourdin's - had some great sourdough bread a clam chowder. Walked up near Telegraph Hill and then through Chinatown. Did some fun shopping there and stopped for some egg rolls and pot stickers. Rode a cable car up to the top of Lombard Street and then walked down the "crookedest street in the world". We headed back to Corte Madera and rented a movie to watch at the house- it was very nice to just relax and have some down time after a very busy day of sight-seeing!

There and Back Again: Day Nine 06.19.2010

2010-06-21T22:53:00.001-05:00

Very glad to leave that hotel (hell-hole- well, I am probably exaggerating a bit) we drove through the Avenue of the Giants. I am still in awe of how big and awesome the Redwood trees really are- the pictures and movies just don't do them justice!

We headed on to Napa Valley, did dome wine tasting and then had dinner at the Culinary Institue of America Resturant at Greystone- Jill was in heaven!!!!!

After dinner, we drove to San Francisco. Greg's uncle Alan graciously let us stay at his place for a few nights. We met up with him and had a few beers before heading to bed.

There and Back Again: Day Eight 06.18.2010

2010-06-21T22:30:00.001-05:00

We drove south on Hwy 101 and crossed over in California. Driving through Redwood Forest was AWESOME!!!! This may be the highlight of my trip so far- just breathtaking!

We decided Eureka would be a good stopping point for the night. We pulled into a place called the Royal Inn Motel- Greg went inside to check the rates, and when he came out he was so excited we got the room for only $50!!! That's when I told him I didn't want to stay there because I was pretty sure I just saw a drug deal going on! Turns out this must have been just about the worst motel in the whole town, people milling around, going in and out of rooms, and some people actually lived there! Also, there was a "correctional facility" just one block away and bail bond shops on every corner! ARGGGG!!!! Well, we survived and I was very glad to leave the next morning. Greg has now learned to always double check with me first and we are now going to call it "Eur-freak-a".

There and Back Again: Day Seven 06.17.2010

2010-06-18T00:12:00.000-05:00

Kelly took us to the Stepping Stone Cafe (featured on Man vs. Food)- it was awesome, we had their man-sized wheat pancakes- two were enough for the three of us!

We packed up the car and said goodbye to Kelly. Uncle Nels just moved to Portland, so we arranged to meet him for a cup of coffee before we left town- it was great to see him and hear about how he is doing in his new home!

We drove down the coast on Hwy 101- and finally saw the Pacific Ocean! We stopped at the Pelican Brewery in Pacific City, then head futher south down the coast. We stopped in Florence, OR for the night, and tomorrow heading to the Redwood Forest.

There and Back Again: Day Six 06.16.2010

2010-06-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

We spent the day in Portland, OR with friend Kelly. She showed us a great time around the town! We started with breakfast at Pine State Biscuits (featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives)- delicious! Then we toured the Rose Test Garden- so many different variety of roses- and it smelled wonderful!

Oregon has more craft breweries than another other state- so Greg was very interested in trying some local beer. We went to three different breweries and sampled dozens of beers (only sample portions- don't worry, we kept ourselves in control!)

We visited Powell's- the world's largest english-language bookstore, it is a whole city block! We had dinner at an asian-fusion resturant with some of Kelly's friends, and then ended at one more bar for some games and a few more beers. Kelly was such a good host- we had a great time seeing the town and visiting with our friend!

There and Back Again Day Five: 06.15.2010

2010-06-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

We literally spent the whole day in the car- 12 hours, driving across Idaho and Oregon. Drove through the Blue Mountains, the Cascades, the Columbia River Gorge and saw Mt. Hood. Arrived in Portland, OR late and stayed with friend Kelly. Didn't take any pictures today- guess I will have to buy some postcards!

There and Back Again Day Four: 06.14.2010

2010-06-14T23:54:00.001-05:00

We got up early and drove from Cody in to Yellowstone National Park. This was the first time either Greg and I have ever been there- and it was awesome! We drove almost the whole loop, through the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, saw the geo-thermal vents, viewed the waterfall at Artist's Point and got to Old Faithful two mins before it erupted- talk about good timing!

Then we left the park through the south and traveled through the Grand Tetons- maybe even more awesome! I kept thinking "Climb Every Mountain"!

After a very busy day of national-parking, we drove another hour and half to Idaho Falls, ID. Tomorrow we are driving all day to Portland, OR.

There and Back Again: Day Three 06.13.2010

2010-06-13T23:33:00.001-05:00

Our day started with a visit to Mt. Rushmore. We viewed the heads and walked the half-mile Presidential Trail near the base of the mount. You actually get pretty close!

After that we drove back to Rapid City, SD and made a quick shopping stop at Target for some forgotten items, and then drove on to Devil's Tower. Greg kept whistleing the motif from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"! We hiked around the base (1.5miles) and also got some great views of the Black Hills. I heared that they might be doing a major burn of the Black Hills because of the invasive tree beetles, so I'm glad we got to see them before they are burned.

We drove toward Cody, WY and took the scenic route Hwy 16 through the Long Horn National Forest. As we climbed into the mountains, the temperature kept dropping and it started to snow! The finally got to 34 degrees! The mountains are beautiful, but were a bit hard to see because of the precipitation and the fog. However once we got beneath the cloud line, we were able to view the mountain valley.

We traveled on and are now staying the night in Cody- tomorrow: Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons!

There and Back Again: Day Two 06.12.2010

2010-06-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

This morning was a lazy start- but what the heck, we are on vacation!! Greg and Andy played some nerdy games, then we got packed up and headed out of Pierre by noon. We viewed the South Dakota state capitol, then drove towards the Badlands. We spent a good amount of time in the Badlands, and stopped at many scenic overlooks and even did some hiking. Heading on to Wall, we had our pictures taken with the smoking cowboy and the showgirl, and on the bucking bronco and the covered wagon. We also had an ice cream cone and our FREE ICE WATER! :) The weather today was cold and scattered rain, I think the temperature only got up to around 55-60degrees, and they say we might even have some snow in Yellowstone tomorrow!We drove on to Rapid City, SD and had dinner at the Firehouse Brew Pub- good beer and good food. Our plan was to head to Mt. Rushmore and see it lit up at night, but the weather was too rainy and foggy, we figured we wouldn't be able to see the heads anyway, so we stopped and found a motel in Keystone to crash for the night.

There and Back Again: Day One 06.11.2010

2010-06-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of our great adventure to the west! We left rainy Wisconsin on Friday morning, but the skies cleared up by the time we got to Rochester, MN. We drove clear across Minnesota, and stopped for a picnic lunch just over the South Dakota border. We continued on to Pierre, and arrived at our friend Andy's house. He gave us a driving tour of Pierre and then we went out for dinner. It was very nice to see him, but by the end of the day we were bushed!

2010.05.22 Boy's Birthday

2010-05-27T09:01:00.002-05:00

This year Greg and Charlie turned 28!!!

2010.05.22 Schams Family Wedding

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Greg's cousin got married in Milwaukee, and we celebrated with the whole Schams family!!!

2010.05.21 Double Digits!

2010-05-27T08:58:00.000-05:00

Today cousin Elizabeth turned 10 years old!!! She celebrated with a luau pool party and sleepover!

2010.05.16 Tony's Graduation

2010-05-27T08:47:00.000-05:00

My brother graduated from college this weekend. He earned his B.S. in Engineering. Good job buddy!

We also got to see Tony and Mel's new house!

2010.05.09 Mother's Day

2010-05-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom- I love you!

05.02.2010 The Girls' Birthday Fiesta!

2010-05-08T08:31:00.001-05:00

We had the girl's joint birthday fiesta on Sunday, complete with cupcakes, pinata, and the new swimming pool!

04.24.2010 Beer Tasting and Dad's Birthday

2010-05-08T08:25:00.000-05:00

Easter

2010-04-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

Lunch at McDonalds

2010-04-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

During Spring Break we had some time to hang out with our cousins and friends!

Girls' Sewing Weekend

2010-03-20T08:48:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, my mom and I visited our friend Lori and sewed up a storm! We had lots of fun going to the fabric store and then working our sewing machines nonstop for two days! I got five projects done!

And the Oscar goes to......

2010-03-09T10:28:00.000-06:00

Sunday we had an Oscar party with some friends. Everyone had a nice time voting for the awards, eating delicious food and watching the action on the red carpet.

March Misc.

2010-03-09T10:21:00.001-06:00

Linda's birthday was this past week, so we had her and Charlie over for dinner and birthday gifts.

Grandmas Wanda also returned home from her winter stay in Arizona. Pam drove her back and stayed to visit for a few days. Steven is also living closer, so everyone gathered at Linda's for a meal and company.

The Agreement

2010-03-09T10:16:00.000-06:00

Greg and his brother Charlie started this year with an "deal"- Greg would start to give blood (just the thought makes his squirm) and Charlie would join the Cathedral choir. Well, they each held up their end of the bargain- Greg successfully gave blood, and Charlie has been enjoying singing with the choir.

Tim also decided to try singing with the Cathedral Gallery Singers- our family is starting to take over the choir!

Birthday/Valentine's Weekend

2010-02-15T09:06:00.000-06:00

This weekend was my birthday and Valentine's Day.

Friday was my day off and I spent the day making dozens of cupcakes! That evening Greg took me out to see the opera at Viterbo and then out for a nice dinner- yum!

Saturday was my actual birthday and we went out for breakfast at Fayze's- our favorite! The afternoon was spent at my parent's house. We had a belated birthday party for my grandma- my aunts and uncles and a few cousins came into town and we had a very nice time together!That evening we went out for drinks with Amy and Tim!

Sunday was Valentine's Day, and after singing at Cathedral, we had lunch at Gram and Pa's house- it was a very special birthday/Valentine's meal with the family!

The whole weekend was a non-stop celebration and was lots of fun!

An Early Valentine

2010-02-11T22:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day to my Valentine Greg! XOXOXO

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

02.07.2010 Super Bowl Party

2010-02-08T09:21:00.001-06:00

Sunday night we had a Super Bowl party with some our friends and their families. Though we had fans for both teams, I'm glad that my team won!

02.06.2010 Scrapbooking in Tomah

2010-02-08T09:19:00.003-06:00

We spent this past weekend scrapbooking at Amy's mother-in-law's house in Tomah. It was so much fun and we got alot of pages done!

01.01.2010 Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T08:41:00.007-06:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve with family, ice-skating, "dog-sledding", and watching the ball drop.

Some people couldn't stay awake for the big moment, but we made sure they celebrated anyway!
On New Year's Day we hosted the second annual sledding party. Everyone had fun flying down the hill!

12.31.2009 Decade in Review

2010-01-02T08:40:00.000-06:00

Season's Greetings!

2009-12-27T11:29:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays from the Schamses!

12.24.2009 Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T11:27:00.006-06:00

On Christmas Eve we visited Grandpa Lyle in Sparta, played Jenga, opened presents and enjoyed cookies and treats.

Later that evening, we opened gifts with the Schams family.

Greg and I sang at the Cathedral for the midnight mass, and again on Christmas morning.
We spent Christmas Day with the Darelius'. Tony, Melissa and Greg and I went on a scavenger hunt to find our final gift from mom and dad.

The day after Christmas we of course did our annual early morning Target shopping, then had lunch with Tricia. That evening we went to Winona for the Matzke "manger" feeding trough.
On Sunday, the 27th we had the Johnson family gathering at uncle Nels'. We had fun with the cookie decorating contest, holding cousin Isaac, and playing our version of "bingo."