Twins Caravan

 

The Twins caravan breezed through Owatonna and mom and I decided to take the kids up to see the players. Even though we arrived over an hour before the event started, good ole’ Budach luck struck again and we ended up one of the last people in line. Generally we pick the wrong place to camp out and the line started at the complete opposite end of where we were in the restaurant. **Sigh**

 

 

I ended up sending mom home and Mike joined us for the duration. Noah wasn’t super thrilled and would have turned around at any time and went home (love this child) but Connor would have been disappointed had we not stayed.  So, after not being able to get served because so many people had reservations (except no one was sitting and eating) we plunked down at a random dirty table and asked some kind waiter if we could order supper. Luckily he was fine with that and we ordered food while the kids stood in an unmoving line. My headache was grateful.

 

Can you believe how young Noah looks here? You know why……because Connor is huge. He is ONE pant size behind Noah.

 

 

 

 

 

Butera (back-up catcher that played most of last year), Valencia, and Bert Blyleven were there which were pretty big names. Bigger than the guys that came last year to my school anyway.

 

It was nice to get a little taste of Florida a few weeks early.

 

Our weeks have been busy with basketball (and baseball camps), but not this weekend. We are heading to Burnsville to see Journey The Mysterious Island and look at getting a new couch.

LB

The Bar

Our bar had been in the making for quite awhile. Every time we saved up enough money to leap, something would come up that detoured us (surgery, taxes, etc).

 

But finally, nothing wrecked our plans and our basement has a much needed addition.

 

I should preface this with exactly how big of a deal this is…..

Our downstairs contains a large bedroom (instead of two smaller), bathroom, man-room (no windows so it’s always been our play room and work-out room), and a very large rectangular living room. We had placed a fireplace at one end a number of years ago and circled the furniture around that and the TV. The other side of the room was basically the boys’ soccer field, baseball diamond, and an area to play tag in. The kids had totally destroyed the baseboard in that room. I know that sounds crazy, but our builder had misled us into buying this horrible baseboard trim when we finished our basement. It was like having tin foil as baseboard. It was horrible. So, in preparation for the bar, Mike replaced all the baseboard in that living room. This was no small undertaking as it’s white and needed to be painted. While he was at it, he painted all the doors down there, and touched up the upstairs trim as well. It made such a big difference.

 

 

Here is the basement before……

 

Mike had taped off where the cabinets and counter would go. I am terrible at visualizing. I needed to see how big those were going to be on that wall. I was nervous that they would be too big. However, after the taping…..it seemed like it would be fine.

 

And here it is with the bar………

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference, huh? We have enjoyed having it so much. It has added so much warmth and personality to a room we avoided. We never went down there, never hung out when people were over down there, like I said, it was a place the kids just threw balls around. Well, not any more!

 

Here is the other side of the room…..

 

We got rid of a huge entertainment center, moved the TV to the corner, and positioned the furniture differently. We actually sit down here and watch games and movies now. That fireplace has never been used as much as it has since we built the bar. We still have a dream of replacing that couch sometime but for now, this will have to do.

 

A BIG THANK YOU to Richard’s Wood Products. This project was not without glitches (like cracked granite…yikes!) and it was always handled professionally and quickly. Jessica treated our smallish project like they were building us a mansion. We felt like we were her only customers. She kept us informed and in the loop the entire duration of the build. We highly recommend them if you are looking to do any additions to your home or business.

 

So, who’s coming over for happy hour?

LB

Christmas

 

As I was listening to a friend talk about all the driving they had to do this past week, it made me very thankful that my family and Mike’s family lives right here in Owatonna. I never have to drag the kids across country, I never have to factor a 3-5 hours car trip into my precious and short break from work, and I always sleep in my own bed each night.

 

Christmas Eve was spent at my mom and dad’s for appetizers. Mike’s family joined us as well. I did not take any pictures of that event, but I did snap one of Noah and Connor opening their allotted ONE gift in pre-celebration of the big day.

 

Both boys got new Phiten necklaces this year.

 

Christmas morning came around 7:00 AM in the Budach household. Not bad! I can tell the kids are getting older…..

 

 

 

 

 

By far the most anticipated gift of this year was their Ipod Touches……they have not put them down since they got them. They were both so excited and happy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockings are always easier because Santa doesn’t have to wrap those gifts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That afternoon we headed over to Mike’s mom and Dave’s for another Christmas. All the usual suspects were there……..

 

 

 

If you look closely, you will see a few funny moments…..

1. Corey doing the Christmas-Vacation-Drum-Roll before opening his gift.

2. Zach getting a fancy rock from South Dakota as a decoy so he wouldn’t know what was really in his box.

 

A shot of all the grandkids.

 

We are now just enjoying our days off before going back to work/school for what I call, The-Longest-Three-Months-Of-The-Year. The days until spring break (which is a week later this year) seem to take 6 months, I swear. Florida starts calling my name around January 3rd and doesn’t stop until the plane touches ground down south.

 

I few noteworthy items from the week so far…

Noah had his first sleep-over. He’s miserable today and it basically a bomb waiting to go off at a moments annoyance (probably his brother). It just adds more fuel to my dislike of sleep-overs. I am hoping it doesn’t start to become a normal occurrence.

 

Noah also went somewhere without adults for the first time. I know I am a nervous Nelly when it comes to this stuff, and I know most 12 year olds have already ventured out without their parents at least to a movie with friends, but I don’t like it. He went to the basketball game with some buddies and I went to the movie with my parents and sister-in-law. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to relax and just enjoy the show knowing he was there alone. Minus one mishap of him dropping his phone UNDER the bleachers, all went well (how would I ever know if it didn’t since I wasn’t there?!) and having to call a janitor to crawl inside the bleachers because they aren’t retracted after games, he got it back and it still works.

 

I wonder when this will get easier? I guess I have to trust that he’s a responsible, good kid and hope like heck he remembers that when he’s out without his parents. But, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. So for the record, I don’t.

 

As of 4 minutes ago, the bar is officially complete! I am looking forward to entertaining some friends there later this week. I will take some pictures and post about the before and after too. Of course, the construction did not go without incident, because it’s just not the Budach-way to NOT have some sort of issue or road block no matter what we try to do. But, it’s complete and we love it. It’s amazing how much that room has changed.

 

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

LB

Basketball and Concerts

 

December

Should be one of a person’s favorite months, right? After all, what’s not to like? There’s Christmas, presents, days off, snowflakes, baked goods, lazy sleep-in mornings, hot chocolate, fireplaces, chopping down Christmas trees, decorating, family get–togethers, the list is endless.

 

Except December is becoming increasingly the-month-to-cram-every-single-thing-you-can-until-you-cry month. I am not exactly finding it enjoyable. Between family craziness and school craziness (why do I put the biggest project of the year in December?) I am raising the white flag. I surrender. I. Give. Up.

 

Basketball has started. Both boys are playing, Noah is traveling. MEN plan these tournaments and I think we all know men aren’t so good at planning. Most tournaments find us learning the day before of the plans,  driving an hour and a half only to play only one game and have to drive back up the next morning at the butt-crack of dawn for another one, and practices that go until the late hours at night.

 

Noah’s team isn’t exactly good. They win very few games. However, it’s a nice bunch of kids and they seem to have a good time, which is what matters, right? Right?!? Noah is great at every aspect of basketball except one. Making a basket. Apparently, this is a requirement to being successful at this sport. Who knew?

 On defense.

 

 

 On Offense.

 

 

 

 Rebound!

 

 

 Shooting. Bless his heart.

 

 

 Caught by the picture snapping mama.

 

 

Connor’s basketball just started last weekend. He and his team got to play at half-time of one of the Huskies games. This once enjoyable event has turned into quite a joke. It used to be they played whole court against another team during half time. Now they rebound (while standing on the side lines…not many balls there), they get to give high five the players, and they play for 8 minutes on half of the court while the other half of the court is filled with crowd members trying to make a three-pointer for a liter of pop. You can imagine who people watch….it’s not the wee ones. But, I think Connor had fun. Due to my horrible lenses and my inability to take a picture much further away than 4 feet (and add that they are  indoor pictures which we have established I cannot take) all the pictures are blurry. Every single one.

 

 

The only picture I will post.

 

 

 

 Noah being too cool to hang out with his parents.

 

On top of the madness that is the holidays, schools feel the need to have concerts held in December too! Oh Joy!

 

 One of my friend’s daughters is to the right of Connor in the white. Aren’t they both so cute? Notice the bit of space between him and blue-dress-girl? Connor gave that girl on his left some what-for while they were setting up. Cracked me up! She was trying to tell him exactly where to stand and he wasn’t having any of it. That’s right my boy, shuffle closer to the sweet one in the white!

 

 

Noah is in choir this year…..I basically forced him to try it. A bunch of his friends are in it so that makes it less painful enjoyable.

 

Again, due to my lousy lenses….these pictures are as close as I could get. Maybe someday I can win the lottery and invest in some decent equipment.

 

So, life is crazy. My Meniere’s isn’t liking it. I am tired all the time, struggling to hear, and basically have a foggy feeling most days. Last year around this time I was sick with vertigo. I wanted to leave school because I felt horrible, but I battled through the day. I am hoping somehow that that will not happen this year. I read recently that when someone that suffers with this feels this way, you have to spend 4-5 days doing nothing in order to not have an episode. The way I am feeling is my body’s way of telling me to KNOCK IT OFF and stop the madness. Too bad I can’t listen to my body.

 

Oh sweet holiday break….could you hurry please?

Lee Anne