Extended Update

Here are some pictures from the last week. Here is another on of Nate and Elery. Unfortunately I was unable to get any ping pong in with Nate this week, he was busy being a father. I am hoping we don't have the same problem around Christmas.One afternoon my brother asked me to pick his kids up when they got off the bus. Here are Nick and Ethan. A little slice of life in any town U.S.A.Thanksgiving Eve I was out with my brother, Jon, his wife, Julie and Jon's highschool buddies, the Dillabers. Pictured here. This trip to the bar with Jon and Julie ended up being a little more than I bargained for. Every year on Thanksgiving Eve we go out with the Dillabers. But this year we were meeting at a bar that we normally don't go to. I soon learned why. Apparently Wednesday is normally the night that my nephew, Nick, plays soccer. But with the holiday, it was cancelled but the parents decided to meet out at a bar. None of this was known to me. So it turned into a Soccer Mom and Dad meeting. Well one thing led to another and here I am leg wrestling with one of the parents on my nephew's soccer team.I had been growing a beard since the beginning of November. And for no real reason, Thanksgiving morning I shaved in some big Lamb Chops and something of a Goatee. Julie thought it would be funny to give Nicholas the same look. So here I am with my nephew/ god son, Nicholas. A.K.A. Pickle or because some people say that Nicholas looks like me, Mini Me. He is identical, but only 5/8th the size.Jon and Ethan at Thanksgiving, two tough guys. Here is my dad just after finishing skinning a deer, seen in the background.Jon and my cousin Justin cutting up a deer. Looks like fun doesn't it. I actually didn't cut up too many deer maybe 30 or 40. Jon won't admit it but he is one of the best meat cutters around. If you ever really want to get a rise out of him, the next time you see him ask him who is a better meat cutter me or him. You are the best aren't you Haus? I know you are reading this.The Natesgiving Celebration just wasn't the same without Nate. Their weren't any real long stories being told. Instead I went to dinner with Dan and Jodi, and a disfunctional couple friend of theirs. We went to Crawdaddy's and the girl spent nearly the entire meal in the bathroom. That is a healthy relationship. After dinner I we went to Leff's and as I stated earlier I would buy any of my friends who showed up their first drink. Well my only friends to show up were Roman and Liz. Wouldn't they make a cute couple? But that was more of a turnout than I expected. As a heads up, I am going to try and plan the same thing again for Christmas Eve Eve. Don't worry I will make an announcement.
Saturday I went to my cousin, Mike's, football game. Whitewater was in the Division III playoffs against La Crosse. Whitewater hasn't lost all year, and actually hasn't been behind in the score much if at all this season. My aunt and uncle were really stressing out when Whitewater was down in the 4th quarter, but managed to squeak out a victory. Here is the group before the game tailgating. My dad, Timmy, Dave, Marilyn and Justin and Katie in the background.

At halftime of the game, Tim and I went out in to the parking lot to shot gun a beer. I won. But what a sight that is, a gorilla shotgunning a beer. Ever see that before?Sunday before heading back up to Minnesota, I stopped over at my friend, Jay's, parent's house. I usually stop by to help them cut their deer. I just threw this picture in so that my famly could see what I had to work with. That table is resting on two coolers on either end, and for light and antique light. But it worked.I would like to thank a couple people. Rebecca and her mother-in-law for the Packer tickets even though the game sucked. My aunt, Marilyn for baking me some cookies. And my brother's mother-in-law, Annie for also baking me cookies. Two batches of my favorite peanut butter cookies. Also my brother, Jeff's, friend Phil for killing a deer for me. Now I have venison in my freezer.

On another note, a number of people were asking me whatever happened to that girl who was described as "tall, brilliant and gorgeous" that an anonymous blog reader was going to set me up with. To answer your question, I never got an email from this girl. However, if the anonymous reader is still a reader, I am still up for meeting your friend, if for nothing else blog material because "The Life of Rickie" isn't normally all that exciting.