Merry Christmas from the Eidsmoe's

Since we'll be in Peshtigo over Christmas and then in Moorhead to ring in the new year, I doubt I'm going to have much of a chance to update the blog. Sorry. I know I'm starting to develop a following that hang on my every word. :P

So I hope everyone has an enjoyable, relaxing, stress-free Christmas. Stay safe, take your time, and try and remember why we celebrate Christmas. Love ya and I'll see you next year.

—b

Christmas with Anna

A REAL Christmas Revealed

Last night, Erin, Bella, and I drove the 17 miles to Anna's house. We had called Jan Sunday night to make sure it would be alright if we took Anna out for food and presents. Anna overheard mom talking to me and wanted to ask me a question: "Can you bring Bella here?" "I missed you too, and of course I'll bring Bella." ;)

We arrived in George (the Mercury Topaz) and talked with Jan and Grandma for about 15 minutes while Anna got ready to go. It was nice to see Jan and of course Anna again. Anna made sure that we had Bella waiting in the car for her to hold.

Chili's on Pilot Knob Road was our destination. The two girls headed inside while I gave the third girl a chance to go the bathroom (I'm learning). She did her "thing" and we headed back to the car, but not before two girls stopped us and swooned over Bella. (If I knew how much of a chick-magnet having a small puppy was, I would have gotten one long ago.) (I LOVE YOU ERIN.) After covering Bella's house with 2 down-filled vests, 1 down-filled jacket, and 1 down-filled blanket (just try and get me into trouble with PETA), I headed inside now much colder than Bella would ever be.

We ordered our food and presented Anna with her gifts. She unwrapped them like she wanted to either keep the wrapping paper or to prolong the moment. When all of the presents had been reavealed, she ended up with a tube filled with about a dozen small plastic animals, a My Little Pony book, the Cinderella DVD, and (her favorite gift) a Barbi Pegasus horse.

I read one of the stories from her new book and helped her save the plastic bunny from the plastic eagle. (And all before our food came.) She later would ask me if we could play with the animals when we got home. It nearly broke my heart when I had remind her that we would drop her off at her house. To which she replyed "Oh yea, I forgot."

Our tummies were filled as we piled into George and sang Disney songs all the way home. Anna gave Bella a hug and kiss goodbye and Erin and I both got hugs. I forgot how much I missed her.

It was bitter-sweet leaving. It was great seeing Anna and Jan (and Grandma) again but also hard to leave. Although it was also nice just to see them in small doses. Does that make sense? We volunteered to watch Anna the first weekend in January, so we'll see if that pans out.

It must be a sign of me getting older, but Christmas is truely a reflection of Christ's love. His coming down to live, spend time with us and set a perfect example of what we should be like. I think the time He spent with us, and now the time Erin and I spend with Anna, is the greatest gift we can give. The gifts are great and a nice little bonus, but if you don't have anyone who cares enough to spend time with you and to show you that you are loved, the material gifts are pretty much meaningless.

Like the rest of our lives, this saga will remain to be continued...

—b

Puppy Food Conspiracy Theory

Unless you really know my wife, you would be suprised of the trickery she is capable of. The following theory is based on that knowledge.

THE FACTS
Saturday, December 17, 2005.
Cyri, Leif, Erin, and I are headed back from the Eidsmoe/Sykora Christmas party. It's a good hour from Hastings to Shakopee. About half way through the trip, Erin states in a commanding voice "Bernt, turn on the light. I think Bella just peed on me."

Sure enough, Bella became a little too relaxed on Erin's lap. It wasn't just a little urine either. Erin was soaked. I should have given Bella the opportunity to go to the bathroom before we left, but I didn't even think about it.

So Erin had to ride the 30 plus minutes back home drenched in puppy pee. She was not happy. The three of us however thought it was rather funny. (Although, we were nice and didn't give Erin too much grief.)

Monday, December 19, 2005.
I arrive home from freelance at approximately 10:45 pm. Greet Erin with a quick peck and ask how her night went. She informed me how Bella had peed twice that night and was now in the kennel. I went to free my little captive and take her outside.

When she got in, I noticed her normally slim, streamlined body now looked like the "I Dream of Jeanie" bottle. Slim on top and bulging on the bottom. So I inquired as too how much Erin fed her. Bella was fed and consumed 3 times as much as she normally gets! 3 times!

THE THEORY
Now, when my beautiful and sweet wife says she didn't know how much to feed her, I'm likely to believe her. But, knowing how her creatively tricky mind works, and taking into the fact Bella relieved herself on my wife's lap not two days earlier, I'm inclined to come up with my own conclusion.

With her one stroke of genius (feeding Bella way too much) she accomplished 3 things:

1. Erin was able to get back at Bella. An extremely fat tummy. Pooping all the time. Having to brave the cold more frequently. And Bella being generally uncomfortable.
2. Erin was able to get back at me. For wanting and begging for a dog. Smirking at her unpleasent smelly/wet situation during the trip back home.
3. Erin is able to get out of puppy duty. Since Bella peed twice in the house while I was gone and Erin didn't know how much to feed her, she gets to prolong not having responsiblity of Bella Monster.

THEORY = FACT?
I'll let you decide.

—b

King Kong Khristmas

click to enlarge

(Don't worry, King Kong wasn't really outside the window.)

On Saturday there was only 7 shopping days left 'til Christmas. But the Eidsmoe's and Sykora's put commercialism aside to celebrate Christmas with one another.

At 11:00, a 25 foot gorilla named King Kong was going to be on display at the Eden Prarie Mall. (Ok, so it was Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson's take on the 1933 classic, but we still wanted to see it.) So Leif, Cyri, Erin, and I braved what felt like sub-zero temperatures to see the extremely hyped movie.

Over three hours later, we emerged from the darkness of the theater. Two quotes from Erin pretty much summed up the movie. "You so owe me a girl movie" and "Peter Jackson is incapable of making a short movie". King Kong is a long boy movie. I really liked it but there were several parts that could have been cut. It is also not a kid movie.

Fast forward to 4:45 when the four of us, plus Bella entered my aunt and uncle's home in Hastings, Minnesota. It was our annual Christmas get-to-gether. The house was jam-packed with people. (Listed in alphabetical order:) Andy, Bernt, Bruce, Cyri, Deb, Emily, Erin, Jason, Jenny, Josh, Kelly, Leif, Nikki, Paul, Robin, and Ruth. Oh yea and four dogs: Bandit, Bella, Brandy, and Missy.

Our family Christmas experience was much better than our family movie experience. Making small-talk with extended family was fun. It's a lot different now that we are all older but it was still fun with none of the uncomfortable silences. The food and sweets that were prepared were second to none. I think everyone had second helpings. (Especially on the sweets.) The gifts were fun to get. I think everyone's favorite was the homemade blankets from aunt Ruth. I was excited to get the Star Wars one. (I'm snuggling with it right now.)

I think the best part was just having everyone together again. It always brings back memories of staying downstairs at grandpa and grandma Horkey's and walking to the lake inside the cemetary. A fond and favorite memory.

Anyway, Leif, Cyri, Erin, and I had a fun time and are looking forward to next year's Christmas.

—b

Merry Christmas from STEM

click photo to enlarge

This past Monday, STEM had it's annual Christmas get-to-gether. It was a rather serious affair. ;P

—b

TOP 1O

In these last couple of hectic weeks before Christmas, here are 10 simple things I'm thankful for.

1. Potty training. Bella starting to wait by the door when she needs to go to the bathroom. Progress!
2. Cup holders. With our new/used '91 Mercury Topaz (named George) lacking any places to put our pop, I'm appreciating Betty the Jeep having an abundant amount of cup holders.
3. Snow. Big, fluffy, slowing falling, several inches of snow.
4. A garage. Not having to scrape off our vehicles before we want to go anywhere.
5. Coffee. It thaws you out the first thing when you get to work. (Not to mention it wakes you up.)
6. 4-wheel drive. To help us get through number 3.
7. A good movie. Whether at home or in the theater. It's nice just to be able to "get away".
8. Family. Without a good relationship with the Johnson's or Eidsmoe's, holidays would look completely different.
9. Technology. Cell phones, internet, and cable T.V. Where would we be without them.
10. Erin. I take her love for granted. Everything she does (well almost everything) ;) whether it's the finances, cleaning, her support, or her sense of humor. I'm thankful for how much of an impact she has on my life.

What are you thankful for?

—b

Entering Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia. 'Nuff said.

There is no possible way that I could write a post worthy of this title. I'm not just talking about the movie (which was released today), but the history and impact of C.S. Lewis' creation. So instead, I will let you do your own research. It all depends on how much, if anything, you want to know.

Here are a few websites for you to explore. You'll notice that I didn't list Disney's official website. Waste of time. It is huge, takes forever to load, and nearly impossible to navigate. Listed are some better alternatives.

NarniaResources.com Order free materials, free downloads, view trailers and clips, and e-cards just to name a few. I could spend a long time exploring this site.

The Narnia Academy This one is even more indepth than the first one. I could get lost in this online world for days. I won't even try listing some the numerous features, you'll just have to visit the site and see it for your self.

OutNow.CH A generic movie site that has a great selection of high-res images, perfect for your computer's desktop and for printing. It is not an english site (possibly German) but it is easy enough to navigate.

Erin and I are planning on seeing the movie on Saturday. Notice I said planning. Who knows if we will be able to get in. If you go and see it, I'd love to hear your review! (Be sure and dress warm for the long line.) ;)

—b

Prayer Requests

First off, thanks to those who have prayed/been praying for my dad. I know he and my mom really appreciate them. Second, I know we all have prayer requests sometimes, so I thought I would clear the Tag board on the right hand side of the blog, and reserve it for prayer requests. Anyone can type/share whatever they like. It would also be nice to see how the Lord answered those prayers.

Who knows, maybe people will use this or maybe it will just sit there. But know that I check it at least once a day, and who knows who else may add your concern/praise to their prayer list. Also be sure to add the date you typed, otherwise we will have no record.

Thanks everyone.

(Please feel free to give me any feedback on what you like or don't like about the blog. I would love to hear any critique you could give me.)

—b

Praying for Dad

Hey everyone, another quick post. If you wouldn't mind taking a few minutes outta your day to pray for my dad, that would be great. I just got an email from my mom saying he needed prayer. I don't know any details but that doesn't matter, God does. I would really appreciate if you said a "shotgun" prayer for him. All I know is that it is work related.

Thanks everyone.

—b

"I just shot John Lennon"

Just looking at the "Today in History" sidebar on my blog and today in 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman.

25 years ago. For those of you who are old enough (I was two and a half), what do you remember about it?

—b

Princess Poops-A-Lot

Potty training Bella has been 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Last night however, she ran backwards.

I'm getting to know Bella's habits of when she needs to go to the bathroom. (Don't worry, I'll spare you the details.) Yesterday, I worked from home 'til Mr. Cableguy showed up. (We previously had 5 channels that came in and two of them were in Spanish. I hope we still get Primero Impacto.) ;)

Anyway, right before I left for work, I gave Bella the opportunity to do her thing outside. Nothing. I gave her plenty of time. Still nothing. Ok, I thought she would need to go but I can't force her. Fast forward till 5:00 and sure enough, dangling and smushed against the gate was, what used to be, puppy food. So I took apart her kennel, cleaned it off, and stuck it in the shower to hose it off.

Immediately following, I had to head to work for a little bit and Erin stayed home. I had put Bella in the bathtub so that Erin could just relax and not worry about her. When I returned home 45 minutes later, I was greeted with, "Guess what your dog did". Uh oh. I went upstairs to find that Bella had pooped in the tub. It was all over her and her toys. YUK! So much for Tuesday night Bible study.

Needless to say, everything is now clean but just when I had started to trust her, we revert back to the begining. Oh well. We don't love our Princess Poops-A-Lot any less. We just think twice about where we let her roam, if at all. :)

—b

PERFECT!

In the 3 years Spuddogs has been in existance, no one has ever been perfect...until now. This past week, my dad achieved perfection. He correctly picked the winners of all 16 NFL games. All I can say is WOW! It must be an omen that the Indianapolis Colts will also go undefeated. ;)

The funny or ironic thing is that my dad still might not even win the JETT. My mom is nipping at his heals. She is only 3 picks behind him. Third place is currently being held by Kevin, a mere 10 picks behind dad. Either way, it looks as if the JETT will travel from Leif and Cyri's to my parents for the year.

Congratulations again Dad for a perfect week!

—b

Moving Like Cattle

One of the huge bonus' for us when moving was the short commute to work. Instead of the 35 minutes from Apple Valley, it only takes us 10 minutes from Shakopee...except for this morning. We were on the road for 1 hour and 5 minutes!

Supposedly there was a 4-car pile up on highway 169. We didn't see anything. It's amazing how much an accident will affect rush hour traffic. Oh, how I long for a Fargo rush hour. ;)

—b

Spending Saturday in my Underwear with Steven Curtis Chapman

Saturday night we went Christmas caroleing with
Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercyme.
Ok, well not really, but we did sing Christmas songs with them. More on that a little later.

With our first official weekend in our new home, I was hoping to spend my Saturday morning like a little boy, in my underwear and watching cartoons. (Sorry for that mental picture.) For the most part, I did. Bella woke up at 5:00 am and she and I never fell back asleep. We went downstairs so Erin could continue her beauty sleep. Bella was entertained with her rawhide, and I was entertained with Ducktales.

Erin woke up around 8:30 and we enjoyed Capn' Crunch together and then put in The Mask of Zorro. Big deal right? Well, to us it was. It has been at least a year since we were able to wake up in our own place and do what ever we wanted to on a Saturday morning. No kids to watch or worry about. (Not counting Bella of course.)

After Zorro saved the day and got the girl, Bella and I headed up stairs for a nap while Erin decided to start to organize our living room. She made some headway and what she accomplished looks great. The only problem is there is so much more to do.

5:00 pm, Erin and I met up with a couple from our Bible study at Cossetta's. Cossetta's (pronounced coe-SET-as) is a popular Italian restaurant in downtown St. Paul. Very good! It's also relatively cheap. Also very good! We did have to wait in-line nearly an hour before we were able to order our food, but it was worth it.

After filling our tummies with Italian cuisine, the four of us walked across the street to where the Wild live (the Excel center). The place was packed with people ready to hear Christmas music. Among those people was Erin's high school friend Angela and her boyfriend.

3 hours later, we were on our way home. Overall the concert was good. It can't compare the Michael W. Smith and Point of Grace, but it was still good.

As much as Erin loved the combination of Mercyme and Steven Curtis Chapman, it wasn't as exciting as meeting up with Ang. It has been a few months since the two have seen each other, and they already have plans to meet up over Christmas vacation.

Looking back, our first weekend together at the new home was a memorable one. It's amazing how much we missed spending alone time together. I do miss Anna but time with my wife will (or at least should) come first.

—b

Saying Goodbye...For Now

11:42 pm, Wednesday, November 30, Erin and I said goodbye to Jan.

Our last night (for now) with Anna Banana.

We enjoyed a last meal of sorts with Anna at Chili's then Anna, Bella, and I dropped off Erin at church for Awana. Then the three of us made a short trek over to Petco to look at the animals. (It was also a place that we could bring Bella into.) Anna loved pushing the kid-sized "Customer in Training" cart with Bella riding inside.

When looking at all of the Finding Nemo fish got boring, we drove to the library in order to kill time before picking up Erin. Instead of reading books, we played with puppets. Anna was the mommy bird and I was the baby birds. She protected me from the big and scary crow puppet.

8:10, time to go. Mommy bird killed the mean old crow one more time before leaving. Bella was overjoyed to be held while she gave Anna a bath with her tounge. It was a long drive back to Apple Valley while singing Disney music.

Erin put Anna to bed and we cleaned out the rest of our stuff from Jan's. About 11:30 pm Jan arrived home pushing Aaron's Volvo. She couldn't quite get up the driveway but Betty and I were up to the task. 4-wheel drive, it's a wonderful thing.

We said our goodbye's and offered to reserve Monday's for her/Anna. She said maybe. So we will see what happens. I'm hoping she changes her "maybe" to "yes".

So ends our time with the Alswager family. We lived there 2 weeks short of a year. Not bad. I will always have a special place in my heart for them.

—b