Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The snow lasted just long enough for us to enjoy a White, uh. . . Christmas Eve. It rained last night, so now we have a white/green Christmas. Anyway, the snow was very fun for the few days that it was on the ground. It was perfect packing snow, allowing us to make awesome snowballs and snowmen.

For some reason, we open presents, go to church, and have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, but we open stockings on Christmas Day. I just finished looking through my stocking, but the boys have been done for hours and have already managed to absolutely destroy the family room with a mixture of Christmas Eve and Christmas presents. We got many satisfying presents in our stockings, such as: Pez candies, cheap recorders, candy canes, Slinkies, and cans of "Silly String", which spray out long strands of annoying, sticky string with merciless rapid-fire. Ben has succeeded in covering my room, his room, and the family room with Silly String, which also smells really bad. Also, I cannot forget to mention the foot-long Slim Jims that Ben and I each got!

As if these presents weren't enough, we opened our big Christmas presents last night. We were very happy to have Beth and her son A.J. with us for the second year in a row. We also invited our friend Dean over to enjoy some fellowship and present-opening. After a delicious Christmas dinner and church, we all gathered around the Christmas tree for the main event. The event that the kid-world revolves around. Present opening!

We're not that vain and self-centered, so we gave my mom an unexpected present for her to open first. It was a. . . drum roll. . . new video camera! It wasn't just any video camera, though. It was a tiny, blue video camera with a touchscreen that can also take pictures! As can be expected, my mom didn't have a clue how to work it, but somehow I figured it out in about 7.43 seconds. She taped us opening our presents, including a whole lot of army guys, swords, and Legos. However, I got a few Calvin and Hobbes, a Donald Driver jersey, an unbelievably warm sweater, a Packers calender, Packers cups, some detective/mystery novels, a new hockey stick, and a Wii game called, "Hidden Mysteries, Titanic". It has multiple endings and I'm already anxious to play it by looking at the cover!

I hope you had a great Christmas and rejoiced in the birth of our Savior! Merry Christmas!

Birthday!

Usually, one invites friends to come and sleep over at their house on their birthday, but I spent the night at a friend's house last night for my 12th birthday. It wasn't exactly what you would call a real birthday party, it was just a party that happened to be on the night before my birthday with a lot of friends. I think there were 8 girls there, plus my friend Ashley's younger brother and two of his friends.

We played Apples to Apples and a game called, "How Well Do You Know Me?" I wrote down the answers to questions about my favorite food, color, etc. and everyone had to guess what my answer was. The results were rather embarrassing to my friends, because nobody got more than 8 right, and there were 16 questions!

For dinner tonight we had delicious Cuban sandwiches, Lay's chips, and cream soda (out of all the meals I've ever had, that's what I wanted for my birthday dinner!).

After dinner I opened up my presents. I got a pair of warm, fluffy crocs and an Agatha Christie book called, (get ready for a creepy title) And Then There Were None. Normally I'm not one for murder and violence, but when it comes to Agatha Christie, I could spend all day reading her exciting, suspenseful mysteries full of unexpected twists and surprises! Sounds like I'm advertising, doesn't it?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading And Then There Were None, wearing my new crocs, and enjoying the thirteenth year of my life!

Holy Cross Christmas Concert

On Sunday, Holy Cross had it's annual Christmas Concert to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Both Ben and I were in it, he in the Chapel Choir and I in the Junior Choir. In all, there were 25 instrumentalists and three choirs: the Senior, Junior, and Chapel Choirs.

The Junior Choir sang Psallite (a song in Latin and German written by Michael Praetorius in the 16th century), Born 'Neath a Star, The Holly Carol, and a jazzy version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (in case you're wondering what I meant by "jazzy", the song included snapping and singing the syllable, "doom" - in this case referring to a bass guitar).

The orchestra played a few songs, as well as the Bell Choir (yes, the played Carol of the Bells). The Senior Choir and Chapel Choir performed their pieces, and then at the end of the concert, everyone sang as one massed choir. We sang O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, and last but definitely not least, the never-gets-old, Christmas tradition, Silent Night.

The concert was a complete success, and if you don't believe me, you can ask my friend Sydney (her blog is familypizzazz.blogspot.com), because she was there along with her great-grandmother and her father.

NFL Week 15

Once again I had to miss most of NFL Week 15 because of a Christmas concert! Ironic, that. Anyway, the Packers put up a valiant fight against the Pittsburgh Steelers - even taking the lead with one minute to go in the fourth quarter - but Pittsburgh ended up winning on the last play of the game.

It would've been more heart-wrenching if we saw it on TV, so it's probably good that we didn't watch it.

I don't know what happened to our pass defense and Mason Crosby, but they just didn't seem to function properly yesterday. For instance, Mason Crosby missed a 20 YARD FIELD GOAL! 20 YARDS! AND HE MISSED! Just think, if he would've made that field goal, we would've won the game. But Mason Crosby isn't the only factor to our loss. The pass defense just couldn't stop Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers.




Oh well, we're 9-5, and if we beat Seattle next week then I'm pretty sure we'll have a playoff spot. And that's nothing to sneeze at (got that one from my dad).

Moving on, the Saints are no longer undefeated, losing to Dallas last Sunday. I have no idea why people are making such a big deal about this, seeing how they're still 13-1. Now that's nothing to sneeze at. Also, the Carolina Panthers beat Benedict Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. Whoopee! And the last big news is that Oakland pulled off another win against Denver. (Oakland is so bad, but they seem to beat such good teams: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Denver).

Busy Week

For the Holy Cross Junior Choir, this past week has been chaotic and hectic, but all fun and games at the same time.

On Monday we went Christmas caroling at the Lutheran Home and The Town House. On Tuesday we had our only day off, and on Wednesday we went to a downtown Wells Fargo to sing at their Christmas party. On Thursday we went downtown again, but this time we sang at many different places, including the courthouse, Coney Island (where we got a free lunch), the firehouse, the Catholic cathedral, St. Paul School, the office of the architect that designed the music branch at Holy Cross, and the MAYOR'S OFFICE! Yes, we got to sing for the mayor, and afterward we got a picture with him and a handshake.

And now for the grand finale. You will be shocked and amazed. On Friday we got up at 4:00 a.m. You are probably thinking to yourself, "Why would any sane person wake up at 4 in the morning?" To sing on the morning news with Ryan Elijah and Mary Collins, of course! We sang Christmas carols before and after every commercial break on the morning news. Seeing how they produce the news and being on TV really compensated for getting up before the sun! In fact, when we left the studio it was still dark out! After all the excitement we went to a nearby IHOP to enjoy a second breakfast. (By the way, you can see my choir perform Born 'Neath a Star at: http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/79604122.html. We don't sound our best because, um. . . it was 5 in the morning.)

We all got to school at around 9:00, and at 11:30 my class headed to the McMillen Ice Arena to go skating! It was a lot of fun, especially because the ice was really good, and I rarely get to skate on ice that isn't extremely bumpy and full of cracks.

After we went back to school my stomach started hurting (probably because of the huge breakfast) and the side affects of my lack of sleep started kicking in. All the choir members were half-asleep, and after a bite of pizza (I ate literally one bite), my friend's mom kindly offered to take me home. Unfortunately, I missed playing board games with my class, but I don't think I would've lasted much longer without a bed and a pillow.

So, all of this winds down to one thing. . . CHRISTMAS BREAK!

Christmas at the Embassy

My choir had the great opportunity to sing in Concordia High School's Christmas at the Embassy, a concert including an orchestra and about four choirs. We sang Glory to God in the Highest, Night of Silence, and Good Christian Men Rejoice with the Concordia High School choir and choirs from various schools.

The concert was very long, and we had to be there at 4:00 while it actually started at 6:00! Obviously, our heads started nodding when we weren't on stage. And the beautiful Christmas music didn't help, either.

The concert took a lot of effort, time, and energy, but in the end it definitely paid off. I am extremely glad that I got to be a part of it.

Basketball

Basketball season is going really well for the Crusaders. My junior varsity team is currently 4-0. Yesterday we beat Concordia (a very good team) 24-11. If we keep this up, we might be looking to repeat as Concordia Invitational champions and bring home another trophy.

The varsity team isn't doing as well. I've played in two games for them, winning one and losing one. The team that we lost to was EXTREMELY good, though. Hopefully I can help the varsity team win a few more games.

NFL Week 14

NFL Week 14 didn't have many unexpected surprises or underdog victories, like last week (Oakland beat Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh!). The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts are still undefeated, New England beat Carolina despite Randy Moss' halfhearted attempt, the Chargers beat New York, the Vikings beat Cincinnati (phooey), and the Packers beat Chicago at Soldier Field. Sadly, I had to miss most of the game because of a Christmas concert I sang in.

When I left, we were ahead by a lot, but my dad reports that in the second half the Bears took the lead, but in the end, our outstanding defense and new-and-improved offensive line were able to come back and take home a win.

So far things are looking very bright for Green Bay. We're 9-4, which basically means we only have to win one more game to secure a playoff spot. Our schedule is looking tough - we play Pittsburgh and Arizona - but we will also play Seattle, who isn't very good. It's safe to say that we can beat Seattle if not Pittsburgh and Arizona. I'd say that despite early season downfalls, this season has been very satisfactory for the Mighty Pack.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

First of all, I would like to apologize for not blogging in so long. I can't say that there has been a lot going on, I just haven't gotten around to blogging.

So, as you know, a few uh. . . months ago was Thanksgiving. Like we always do, my family went to Crown Point to enjoy a great Thanksgiving dinner and spend some time with our family. While we were there, not only did we play Star Wars Battlefront 2 for approximately 3 hours straight, but the Packers beat the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving football action. Both Donald Driver and Charles Woodson had superb games, but in the end Donald Driver got the little turkey trophy that they give to the MVP of each Thanksgiving Day game.



After Thanksgiving we went to Valparaiso to visit family on my dad's side. With my cousins Sarah and Aaron, I succeeded in making possibly the biggest block tower ever created by mankind. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it was immense.

After visiting our Valpo relatives, we returned to Crown Point to see the new movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the book by Roald Dahl. It was a very original, unique movie that was funny at times.

After all our Thanksgiving excitement we headed home. So far a lot has happened, including:
1. My basketball team is currently undefeated! Our toughest game thus far has been Suburban Bethlehem, but we still beat them 26-9. Unfortunately, I sprained my finger during the game and I have a nasty bruise on my knee and head. As you can probably tell, Suburban Bethlehem is a very aggressive team.
2. The Mighty Pack (Green Bay has now officially regained the title "Mighty") beat the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football! Unfortunately I didn't get to watch it because we don't have cable and the game was on ESPN, but my dad went and saw it at a bar. So far we are 8-4. Slowly but surely, we're getting better.
3. We got our midterm report cards back. For the third time in my life I got straight A's! That puts me in the high honor roll, which I was in last quarter. I'm so excited!
4. I got invited to join the varsity basketball team for 5 games this season! I already played in one game, in which we suffered a crushing loss, 36-6.
5. Christmas season officially began (at least in my mind; Lowe's starts putting out Christmas decorations in late August)! Our Christmas decorations went up, and so did our Christmas tree. It's once again the most wonderful time of the year!
6. It has snowed 4 times but hasn't stuck yet. We're supposed to get 3 inches tonight, so hopefully we'll get at least a 2 hour delay!

First Basketball Game

This Monday was our first basketball game of the season. I am happy to announce that we beat St. Peter 36-9. Please keep in mind that St. Peter is very bad. And I mean very bad.

Playing a team that wasn't as good as we were allowed us to perfect some of our plays. In fact, we did a lot better than I originally thought we would.

Well, hopefully we will be able to win some more games, but we'll definitely play some more challenging teams during the course of the season. Wish us luck!

NFL Week 11

This week was full of edge-of-your-seat thrills, game-ending mistakes, and all around good football. First up on my list of NFL priorities are the Green Bay Packers. We played the San Fransisco 49ers, who are much better than last year thanks to new head coach, Mike Singletary. Anyway, it was a very good game on both sides of the ball, and the Mighty Pack ended up winning 30-24.

Unfortunately, Aaron Kampman and Al Harris are out for the season due to knee injuries. Our defense will have to carry some extra weight to compensate for Kampman and Harris, who both play a key role in our new defense. In fact, Aaron Kampman got a sack on Sunday before he got hurt!

Another thrills and chills game this week was Cincinnati at Oakland. Of course, Oakland has been atrocious this season, and the Bengals beat Pittsburgh last week, so I had no doubt that Cinn City could beat the Raiders handily. Or not. On a return after an Oakland field goal (or maybe it was a touchdown), the Bengals returner fumbled the ball at the Raiders' 20! The ball was picked up by a Raider, and they proceeded to score another field goal to win the game. Wow, Bengals. Unbelievable.

Aaron Kampman and Al Harris, both of whom will be missed greatly on our defense.

Donny and Marie

No, I did not copy and paste Donny and Marie Osmond into this picture.

As you can see, Donny is quite short, being only a few inches taller than my mom.

Once a heart throb, always a heart throb.

NFL Week 10

First of all I would like to express my shock and amazement at the fact that we are already at the tenth week of the 2009 NFL season! It was a very good week, the first very good week in a long time. The Bears lost, the Steelers lost to the Bengals, the Titans finally won a game, Indianapolis beat the Patriots in a fourth quarter thriller, and the Packers beat the Cowboys 17-7!

Yes, I tell you the truth, Green Bay finally showed some of their 2007 potential. Usually Aaron Rodgers would get the headlines, but this victory belongs to Charles Woodson. He had not one, but TWO forced fumbles - one that would've ended in a Dallas touchdown - and an interception. I'm saving up my money to buy a Charles Woodson jersey.

Also, I cannot ignore the Colts-Patriots game, and perhaps the worst coaching call of the week, maybe even of the year!

The undefeated Indianapolis Colts played the New England Patriots this Sunday, and late in the fourth quarter New England had the ball at the Colt's 50 yard line. The Patriots were up, but on fourth down Bill Belichick, the Patriots head coach, decided to go for it. Despite the fact that they were a mere two yards away from a first down, the Colts managed to stop them. Peyton Manning and the dominant Colt's offense easily brought the ball up the field for an Indianapolis field goal to end the game. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . . cheaters never prosper! The Patriots learned the hard way in 2007, and apparently are still learning!

So far the Mighty Pack (notice how I took the asterisk away from "Mighty") are 5-4. It's not a very impressive record, but it's better than 4-5, which is the Bears record!

So Far This Week

A lot has happened in this week's time, and therefore I have a lot to blog about. First and foremost. . .the Packers.

Like last week, I have only one word to say about NFL Week 8: ashamed. The Mighty* Pack fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hadn't won a game previous to last week. Pitiful. AND they were wearing their hideous throwback jerseys (see picture below)! It makes me nauseous just thinking about it. Same as last year, we got our hopes up in the preseason and the first few games, and now our hopes are foiled. We play Dallas next week, and if we can't beat Tampa, then I'm pretty sure we can't beat the Cowboys. On the bright side, the veteran Ahman Green became the all-time leading rusher for the Packers! Is it just me, or does this year seem very full of breaking records?

* "Mighty" referring to everyone beside the offensive line and special teams. By the way, I hope our special teams coach is fired immediately and moves to Ukraine.

Moving on, earlier last week (last Saturday to be exact) we were in Indianapolis. Why, you ask? For my mom's marathon. All 26.2 miles of it. What was that? Is she handing out water bottles? No! She's running the marathon. Joke? No, it's actually not a joke. Yep, my mom RAN 26.2 miles. And to top it all of, I ran the last mile with her. So technically I finished a marathon! But I didn't start it.

Running in a long sleeve shirt and jeans isn't very enjoyable

My mom's best friend, Tracy, ran the marathon with her.

Also, this past weekend we went to Bloomington to visit our cousin, Kyle, who goes to Indiana University. Benjamin's friend Joseph went with us, and we all had a great time touring the campus and his dorm room. The campus is absolutely HUGE, in case you have never been to IU before. Figures, seeing as there are about 40 or 50 thousand students attending!

After we had looked around the recreation building (Which has pool tables and a bowling alley!), we went to an ice cream place for some delicious mint chocolate chip cones, shakes, etc. We continued to tour the many beautiful plazas, courtyards, and buildings. By the end of the day, we had walked extremely far, and we were all very tired, so we decided to go eat dinner at a local pizza place called, "Mother Bear's Pizza", which Kyle extremely recommended. Indeed, the pizza was phenomenal, and we quickly devoured it. As we ate, we were quite occupied by examining the interesting walls and seats, which were absolutely choked with countless graffiti artists' work. Apparently, the restaurant allows people to write on their walls and seats!

After dinner, we said goodbye to Kyle and headed to Noblesville, where we were staying with my mom's friend Cindy, and her husband Chris. Cindy and Chris' house is probably the most fun and action-packed house you'll ever go to. Not only does their son, Mitchell, have a whole lot of guns to play war with, and a PlayStation, but they have a basketball court for a basement! Yeah, you heard me right! If you mosey on down to the first basement, you'll find a pool table, a HUGE TV, and a bar; and if you mosey on down to a basement underneath the first basement, you'll find a giant, cement basketball court as big as a normal half court. And down there you'll find even more toys (most of which consist of guns) and plenty of balls, not only basketballs, but baseballs, soccer balls, and just all-around balls.

After we played war in the basements we watched Flushed Away, and in the morning we had a delicious breakfast of pancakes and cinnamon rolls. Finally, after our long and eventful week, we headed home.

Let The Teeth Rotting Begin. . .

Another Halloween has come and gone, along with a multitude of candy. We didn't get as much as last year because Ben couldn't go trick or treating due to a fever. But we still got a fairly good haul!

This year's trick or treating was, sadly. . . my last. My dad says that next year I'll be "too old". My last time putting on a costume was very sentimental. My last time saying "trick or treat" was extremely sentimental. Sigh. . . I don't know what I'll do next Halloween.

This year I was a skeleton, Ben was a vampire, Luke was a scary person with a scary mask (I'm not quite sure what it was called), David was also a skeleton, and Jacob was a dinosaur. All of us decided what we were going to be rather last second. In fact, this is the second year in a row that we quickly ran to CVS hours before trick or treating and grabbed Halloween masks, capes, etc. for 80% off! Not THAT'S what I call a convenience store!

Anyway, our parents our limiting us to two pieces of candy a day. Unfortunately, David "accidentally" grabbed three pieces of candy without asking, so we're all banned for a couple days. My mom keeps on suggesting that we donate all our candy to this dentist who'll send it to troops overseas and give you a dollar every pound of candy you donate. Sorry, not in this lifetime.

NFL Week 9

I have only one word for this NFL Sunday: disgusted. Chicago smashed Cleveland. Vikings smashed Green Bay. Yes, for the second time this season, Minnesota beat the "Mighty" Pack (everything but the offensive line is mighty). Benedict Favre proved that even desperate old men can be good quarterbacks, courtesy of surgery.

We are now 4-3. On the bright side, we technically could finish the regular season 13-3. Unfortunately, we have a much tougher schedule from here on out, so our chances of finishing 13-3 are as slight as our offensive line shaping up.

The most disappointing thing about the game was that we barely laid a hand on Ol' Man Favre. I was hoping we would give him a beating to remember and leave him limping off the field nursing his many bruises. But Minnesota has the weirdest thing on their team. I think it's called something like an offensive line! Yeah! It's wild! They actually STOP the defense! I've never seen anything like it! If only the Packers had one I think we could maybe WIN SOME GAMES!

TV Difficulties

Recently our TV has been acting up. For some reason it doesn't want to turn on, and even if it does turn on it takes about 54 tries. This has been quite inconvenient, because we had to miss a Packer game and get updates from NFL.com, which isn't very much fun.

Anyway, my dad called the company who made the TV and of course they haven't called back yet. My dad bought a new TV that we will use until we get the old one fixed. It's slightly smaller than our old one, but at least it's in hi-def! Another good thing about it is that it TURNS ON, unlike our old one. Seriously, the way household appliances work, it's a wonder that anyone ever gets on an airplane (Calvin and Hobbes joke).

P.S. The Yanks ended up winning the World Series. What a shocker.

Jacob's CD Obsession

For some reason unbeknown to me, Jacob never goes anywhere without his CD's. He goes for walks with them, sleeps with them, and even goes on the potty with them. He knows how to work all the radios in the house, and his favorite one is above the kitchen counter.


He's figured out that if he pushes his high chair up to the counter he can reach the radio to press buttons. Yes, he is quite the genius, beside the fact that he can't quite grasp the idea of going poop in the potty.

World Series Hopefuls

Usually I don't really keep up with baseball, but last night after the Giants-Cardinals game my dad had the Yankees-Angels game on. Since I've always disliked the Yankees, I rooted for the Angels, who ended up losing 4-2 (I think).

This is my problem with the Yankees. They are the only team in professional baseball who have pretty much unlimited money to spend, so they're basically cheating because they're the only team who doesn't have to think before they spend millions. I say they play with their wallets.

So it's Phillies vs. Yankees in the 2009 World Series. I will be rooting for the Phillies, who are the defending champs. The Yankees have just been to good, for to long. I'm sick and tired of them winning! Let's get some variety here!

NFL Week 8

I loved this NFL Sunday. Bears lost to the Bengals, Packers steamrolled Cleveland, and the Vikings lost to the Steelers! It was an intense, seesaw game, but the Steelers took control at the end of the fourth quarter. There was an interception for a touchdown, AND a fumble recovery for a touchdown (the fumble was made by Benedict Favre)! Yes, Benedict is his new name.

In the Packers game, there were touchdowns all around for Green Bay, not to mention interceptions. Spencer Havner had the first touchdown of his NFL career, James Jones got one, Donald Driver got one, and Ryan Grant ran one in. In fact, Ryan Grant was so good that he's the leading rusher this week. I think he had something like 178 yards.

H1N1

If you can't tell by the title, my dad, Benjamin, Luke, David, and I all have H1N1. Jacob and my mom must have an immune system of steel. If you are choking up because of this shocking tragedy, then let me assure you, we're not in danger of dying any second. Our doctor said that swine flu isn't any more deadly than regular flu if you were a previously healthy person. The media has everyone WAY to hyped up about this.

I know that some people have died from swine flu. But trust me, it's not worth getting worried about because, like I said, it's only serious if you were sick while you got it, or you were just a generally unhealthy person. Fortunately, my family and I were neither sick while we got it nor generally unhealthy, so we're just treating it like regular flu and our doctor said it's only a matter of time before it goes away.

NFL Week 7

Well, I'd say this football Sunday was the most eventful and exciting Sunday of the season. The Patriots smashed the winless Titans 59-0 in snow at home. The Saints beat the Giants 48-27 in the battle of the undefeateds. The Rams nearly pulled off a win against the Jaguars but lost by a field goal in overtime. And, last but not least, the Packers beat the Lions 23-0.

In the first quarter, Donald Driver caught about a four yard pass for a first down at about the five yard line. No big deal, right? Wrong. With that catch he broke the franchise record for most catches in a career. And he caught 4 more that game.



We came out very strong, but starting in the second half, we weren't as explosive. Thankfully, Atari Bigby (who is coming out of an injury) intercepted a ball in the end zone in the third quarter. Our offensive line apparently hasn't improved over the bye week. Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times despite playing the Detroit Lions, who didn't have a single win last season. I am going to go insane if they don't start playing like professionals.

Miss America

Yesterday my middle school went over to the high school across the street with a couple other schools to listen to Miss America give a speech! She was the very first Miss Indiana to win the pageant. She had a very good message and we all really enjoyed it. We got to see her crown, but she didn't put it on because she said it was only an object. She wasn't even wearing any fancy dress or anything. She also sang for us, and believe me, she could be a professional singer if she wanted to, but she said she's studying Communication at the University of Indianapolis, the exact same school my mom went to!

I think the funniest part of it all was when she was taking questions and one of the high school students asked, "Will you marry me?" She said, "Oh, that's not a proper proposal," so he goes out there in front of nearly 1,000 people, gets down on his knee, and proposes to Miss America!

NFL Week 6

Apparently I will be keeping you up to date with all things NFL, since I have nothing else to blog about and also because I've been doing it for the past five weeks.

Anyway, on Sunday the whiny, crybaby Patriots and their whiny, crybaby quarterback lost to Denver! The game had to go into overtime, and the game finally ended with a field goal by the Denver kicker. All the AFC teams wore their throwback jerseys, and let me tell you, the Denver throwbacks are not pretty. Their colors are ( get ready to gag in horror). . . brown and yellow! Worst football colors in the history of football colors!



Indianapolis beat the Titans by a lot (I forget the final score). Tennessee is probably the biggest shock of this season so far. Last year they won 10 straight games, and they are currently 0-5. Will the real Tennessee Titans please step forward?

Happy Birthday!

Today is my wonderful mother's 40th birthday! Ironically, we didn't get her anything, (I completely forgot about it until this morning) but she did get us one of those Vortex footballs that whistle when you throw it hard. And to make it a hundredfold better, it's a Packers football! We've already had a great time throwing it around in the backyard.

Speaking of 40th birthdays, there's that one NFL quarterback who was born today, too. Oh, what's his name. . .oh yeah, Brett Favre. He's 40 today also. What a loser. You can tell he's pretty desperate if he's still playing football at 40 years old, especially for the Vikings.

Well, to end on a happier note,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMY!

NFL Week 5

Last Sunday, Benedict Favre and his Vikings beat the Mighty Pack, which was greeted by many tears and gnashing of teeth in the Speckhard household. With this win, Brett Favre becomes the fist NFL quarterback to beat every single team in the league.

There were many fantastic plays on both sides of the field, and I'm fairly sure that if we didn't have seven sacks we would've at least brought it into overtime. For example, Clay Matthews stripped the ball away from Adrian Peterson and took it to the end zone. This is Adrian Peterson we're talking about. No mere mortal could strip the ball away from him.

Well, we put up a valiant fight. "We" meaning everyone but the offensive line. It looks like they're still atrocious. I am going to sue someone if they don't start playing like they're getting payed millions.

Movie Day

Once every quarter my wonderful homeroom teacher gives us "Movie Day", in which he picks out a movie to watch and we bring in whatever food or beverage we want and we spend two periods watching a movie and eating. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Best. Teacher. Ever. Oh, but that's just the icing on the cake!

He is a DIE HARD Packer fan! AND he makes - repeat - makes us stand on our desks and sing "Happy Birthday" as loud as we possibly can whenever someone has a birthday. Yes, I have to admit. He is the best teacher ever.

David's New Hair

Just kidding. It's a wig.

Warsaw Pictures

David by the fountain.

All of us.

Jacob being as cute as ever.

Half Marathon

A few days ago my mom (who has already run a half marathon) ran in the Fort Wayne Mini, and in November she's going to run in the Indianpolis Full Marathon.

Unfortunately, her legs got very chafed by her shorts, and there was a bad rash and it started to bleed. She said her shower really hurt!

Sadly, we didn't get to watch her because we were at my dad's cousin Jerry's house (see post below), but I'm sure she did great!

Concordia University Wind Symphony

This past Saturday and Sunday my church had the honor of hosting the Concordia University Wind Symphony. They are a world-renowned, 64 piece wind symphony, and they have performed in 43 states, Canada, Poland, The Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, and China. Needless to say, they are a superb group.

Unfortunately the concert didn't get the turn out that we expected. Only about half the church was full, and everyone expected a full house! It was rather disappointing and embarrassing for Holy Cross.

Even though the attendance was a shame, the concert was amazing! There was an alto saxophone solo that was amazing, soprano accompaniment that was amazing, and many more things that were amazing.

If the Concordia University Chicago Wind Symphony ever come to your city, than I strongly recommend you go and see them. It's worth it!

Vegas Pictures

Here are the Vegas pictures I promised. Hopefully I can get the Donny and Marie pictures also, but I make no promises.

I think this is the hotel they stayed at.

Before Phantom of the Opera.

What the heck Pete Rose was doing in Las Vegas, who knows.

Donny and Marie pictures maybe coming soon.

Zoo Pictures

Here are the zoo pictures I promised you a while back.

A hyena, an inch away!

Whoa!

Look at that tongue!

Lord of the Rings Fever

As you can probably tell from the title and picture, right now the Speckhard household has Lord of the Rings fever, the insatiable desire for anything and everything to do with Lord of the Rings!

NFL Week 4

Today we went over to my dad's cousin Jerry's house to watch the Sunday football games and have dinner. Cousin Jerry is a devout Lion's fan, and he was at their first win in nineteen straight games last week. Anyway, we all watched the Lions-Bears game which ended in a Lions loss.

They put up a good fight, though. Matthew Stafford looked good. Jay Cutler once again showed us that he is a whiny baby who blames everything on everyone else. In fact, my dad pointed out to me that he looks and sounds very much like one of those high-pitched, British-accented, spoiled rotten little kids like Veronica Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
"Daddy! They're not catching the ball on purpose! Make them catch it, Daddy! I want a touchdown!"

Unfortunately, we had to leave after about four hours there because of my dad's dumb school board meeting. It was fun while it lasted.

Sickness Etc.

So the past few weeks have been pretty boring, with nothing to post about. The only blog-worthy news is that David and Jacob have come down with a serious case of the cold. Right now they're both sleeping.

Also, on Sunday the Packers finally get the chance to smash Brett Favre and the stupid Vikings. Well, maybe not smash Adrian Peterson, but the rest of the team! I pray that we can pull off this crucial win, because if we do win, not only will we have beaten our rivals and Mr. Benedict Favre, but we'll have clinched the NFC North! Keep your fingers crossed. . .

The good.

The bad.

The ugly.

F20M 2009

This weekend was very eventful. NFL games, my mom ran her second half marathon, and F20M (Festival of 20 Meats)! Every year my Uncle Jody puts together this festival, and it's gotten to be a pretty big ordeal for all his family and friends. About thirty or forty people come every year.

The tradition started when my uncle and his friends were pondering how many things you could grill. They have lion, alligator, venison, swordfish, buffalo, and a whole lot more. My personal favorite food at F20M is meat candy, which is sausage wrapped in bacon with brown sugar and/or syrup drizzled on top. It is simply to die for. Anyway, all my cousins come, which is always a lot of fun since we live so far away.

We played a game of baseball at a nearby diamond, and set off some really cool rockets that went 1,000 feet in the air and released a little army man that came parachuting down. Also, Uncle Jody gave all the cousins cigarette candy, which comes in packs and looks exactly like a cigarette, except that there's bubblegum underneath the wrapping. And the really cool thing about them is that if you blow on them, sugar puffs out that looks like smoke. The great thing about these things is that they don't turn your lungs black, they have gum inside them, they don't smell like crap, and people will still think that you're really smoking!

All in all, this F20M was really good. And remember, MEAT IS MURDER! Tasty, tasty, murder.

NFL Week 3

This NFL Sunday was pretty much like last Sunday. Unexpected surprises in every game (well, some games). For one thing, DETROIT WON A GAME! Yes, for the first time in 19 games, the Detroit Lions won a game, 19-14 against the Washington Redskins. One game that wasn't surprising, however, was the Green Bay and St. Louis game.



Packers, of course, won by a fair sum. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch the game, because I had to watch Jacob, David, and Luke, while my dad and Ben went to a bar to watch the game. Ben said that Donald Driver had an amazing one-handed catch above his head, it was on the NFL.com highlight reel.

NFL Week 2

Last Sunday was a very disappointing football Sunday indeed. We all thought that the Bengals would be a piece of cake, but apparently we were mistaken. They scored the first touchdown, followed by a Green Bay touchdown, followed by another Cincinnati touchdown, and so on.

Unfortunately, late in the fourth quarter we were down by a whopping ten points. Of course we got our hopes up when we made a field goal and the onside kick, but we ran out of time at the 10 yard line.

And to top that off, Chicago beat Pittsburgh. We will never speak of Week 2 of the 2009-2010 NFL season ever ever again.

What Happens in Vegas. . .

A few days ago my mom packed up David and Jacob's clothes and got them into the van to go to my Grandma Speckhard's house. The plan was to have Grandma watch them while she went to a spa in Chicago for two days with her sister. So she was shocked when a limo pulled up in her sister's driveway. And she was even more shocked when she found that her best friend, Tracy, and my Aunt Michelle were waiting in the limo!

They took off for Chicago and when Tracy said she needed to use the restroom, the taxi driver pulled into the airport and started taking out the luggage. My mom was mystified. Quote:
"Where the heck are we going?"
It was then that my two aunts and Tracy revealed that they were going to fabulous Las Vegas.

While they were there, they got to see the musical Phantom of the Opera and gamble at some casinos. Unfortunately, my mom did not bring home $10,000. But best of all, my aunt landed a few front row tickets to a Donny and Marie Osmond concert! Oh, and did I mention that they also got backstage passes? After bonding with DONNY AND MARIE OSMOND they got three things autographed and a few pictures taken.

The pictures are coming soon. I seriously think my mom should get a scanner, don't you?

NFL Season 2009

Yesterday, as you probably already know, was the beginning of the NFL season. There were many good games and plays, including the catch off a tip for a touchdown in the Denver game. Also, Brett Favre made his Viking debut, (teeth gnash) and Adrian Peterson had a spectacular touchdown run.

But the most important game yesterday (in my mind) was the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field! It wasn't a brilliant way to start the season, but at least we beat our rivals! We also had four interceptions, which amazed me, because the interceptions were thrown by JAY CUTLER!

It was a very intense game, with the final score being 21-15 Green Bay. We made some mistakes though. Mason Crosby, who used to be a spectacular kicker/punter biffed a field goal. Also, Aaron Rodgers got sacked in the end zone for a safety. All in all, I think we need to work mostly on offensive line. Our punt retuning was great, though! Nice job, Jordy Nelson!

Will Turner

This is a drawing! It's so insane I just had to post it.

Flying

A few months ago we had the privilege to go up in a three-seater airplane and fly around the city to see some sights, courtesy of Mr. Rogner, our church's Minister of Music, organ player, and my choir director. It was SO much fun, and I even got to fly the plane for a couple minutes (It's actually incredibly easy)!

Anyway, for Ben's birthday, he wanted to go up again and fly the plane this time. He went up with Luke and David, and he went again with me and my dad. We all loved it!

Bike Ride

A few days ago I went on a bike ride with Sydney, her dad, and Dever. And, did I mention the bike ride was 10 miles long? By the time we got home, I was exhausted. I have to say, I was really impressed by Dever, who didn't complain once and managed to keep up with us the whole way. In fact, it was his idea to go for 10 miles.

The ride was very productive in many ways. Sydney perfected how to ride a bike with no hands, we collected some buckeyes along the path, and it certainly gave us all a work out! Not to mention we got some candy when we got home. Nothing like sugar to get your energy back!

Zoo

Yesterday after school we picked up Ben's friend Joesph and went to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, which according to Family Magazine is one of the top ten Children's Zoos in America (I may not be right about the magazine that ranked it).

We got there at about 4:00, which is when it closes. Fortunately, they let anyone who is there when they shut down wander around until 6:00. Hardly anyone was there, so we went to the brand new African Adventure, which is usually so crowded that you can hardly breath.

We got to get mere inches away from one of the hyenas, and the monkeys gave us quite a show, swinging from their ropes and leaping from one branch to the next. Jacob loved the leopard, which was sitting right next to the sheet of glass that separated it from us. But in my opinion, the best part of the whole trip was the giraffes!

One of the many great things about the new African exhibit is that you get to feed the giraffes! For $1 you can feed a piece of lettuce to an 18 foot tall giraffe. Jacob kept on saying, "Go for a ride," and pointed to the giraffe, but unfortunately going for a giraffe ride wasn't one of the new features. It was amazing, standing less than a foot away from a giraffe and putting lettuce onto its gigantic blue tongue.

Once we were finished with the giraffes, we started meandering on back to the parking lot, but not before passing the zebras, wildebeests, and. . . oh yeah, the Canadian geese. I thought it was funny that you could find geese poking around in the grass beside zebras and wildebeests.

Pictures (sigh), coming soon. By now I could say that in my sleep.

NFL Preseason 2009

Aaron Rodgers has yet to be sacked or throw an interception this preseason. And to top it all off we beat the Cardinals 44-37. Need I say more? Go Pack!

First Day of School 2009

August 24 was the first day of school at Holy Cross. My brothers and I were finally roused from our slothfulness that we demonstrated over the short summer. Getting up late, exercising by moving from the couch, to the chair, to the computer, to a friend's house. But no more. Now I get my exercise by moving from Homeroom, to Literature, to Social Studies, and so on.

On the bright side, all my teachers are super nice. They really make school a lot more enjoyable. In fact, I don't even dread getting up in the morning like I used to. Well, I still dread getting up, but not because of school.

177 days until summer break! I'm desperate, aren't I.

More Island Pictures

We caught at least 40 of these tiny sunfish.

Sam, Luke, Aaron, and Mike jumping off Aunt Carol's Dock.

A great shot of one of the eagles.

Most of the cousins (Mark, Jacob, and Josie are missing).

My cousin Anna's hygienic, sanitary band-aid (Yes, you read that right, that is a band-aid).