Brookings Memories

I was in Brookings last night for a high school event. It was a night full of memories of your childhood. Nathan, I drove by the sidewalk that you crashed on your bicycle riding to swimming lessons. I remember seeing you getting lost and crying until I showed you the way home. Hayden I drove by the school at Medary and remembered all the times I took you to school in Kindergarten. I remember one time I dropped you off and drove away. I watched you in the rearview mirror and noticed that you had stopped on the sidewalk. You were just staring in the air. So I turned around to see what was wrong. When I drove up to you and asked why you had stopped. You just looked at me and pointed in the air. You said "Bird!". There was a big black bird perched on the backstop of the baseball field. I am not sure if you were watching hoping it would take off or what. It makes me giggle just writting about it now. Well, You guys take care and know that I always loved you.

Vikings blew it!

Hi fellas, Well I am not sure if you saw either of the games yesterday but the Vikings blew that game big time. I thought they were on their way to the Super Bowl. They had the ball with less than two minutes left. All they had to do was move the ball ten yards closer, kick a field goal and punch their tickets. What happen next leaves me baffled. Farve, instead of running for a first down, throws a interception and the game goes into overtime. Then they lose the coin toss and the defense couldn't stop them. I can't believe it! Not that I'm a big Vikings fan or anything but I do know Chad Greenway's family and it would have been nice to see him go. Well I hope you both are surviving this next storm. It is nasty out there today. The wind is howling and it is snowing again. Just a little though. It makes the fact that I will be in Hawaii in six days, all the more pleasent. Well enough for today. Love you both.

Still Freezing Rain

I really can't believe how aweful this winter has been so far. We have had nothing but freezing rain all day. They are talking about a winter storm coming tonight and lasting through the weekend. I texted Hayden and told him that I hoped he was safe and warm. I still worry about you two. I can't be the father that I want to be and I still have the need to protect you both from being hurt. I know you are going to say that I have already hurt you more than I know. It wasn't intentional and what happen between your mother and I, was just that between us. You two should not have been put though any of what you already have. I hold your mother responsible for filling your ears with all her bad feeling towards me. It basically turned my two sons against me. Hayden you need to understand that I didn't mean to say those thing to the Dentist. If I had known that you were listening, I would not have said it. I was just so mad that your mother was trying to stick me with yet another bill. She stuck me with all the medical bills and I didn't want that to happen with the ortho bill. Trust me, I do love you very much. I'll stop for now but there is a ton of stuff you two need to hear another version of. Someday maybe we can sit down, just the three of us and talk more on this subject. Maybe over some beers while watching football. For now just believe me I do care about you two. Love you both.

Hello

I wish there was communication back from you guys. I wonder how you both are doing and if you are growing into nice young men. It sounds like we are in for another blast of winter over the next couple of days. They are talking about as much as 6 more inches of snow on Saturday. I hope it clears up so we can make it to the airport next week. It sounds like Hawaii is beautiful this time of year. I hope to catch a glimpse or two of some whales.

Freezing Rain

Today we have freezing rain and snow going on. Can you believe it? January and all the streets have a layer of ice on them. Sounds like they closed all the schools and are canceling all the church activities for tonight. I think I will make some soup for supper tonight. That should be good on a cold night like tonight. I wonder if Hayden had school today or if the storm hasn't gotten there yet. I hope you both are doing well and know that I miss you both dearly.

Busy Day today but still thought about you.

Hey boys, It was a busy day today but I still was able to think about you both. I said a prayer this morning that you both were kept safe and free from harm as you ventured out into God's world. I thought about if I would even recognize you guys if I saw you on the street. I was wondering when this spring would I go and see you. Spring really can't come soon enough! It is going to rain! believe it or not. Feburary and they are talking freezing rain and snow, clear through the weekend. I hope it stays nice next week and weekend. I really want to get to Hawaii. Well that is all for now. Talk to you soon and love you both.

WOW what a weekend of Football

Did you guys see those games this last weekend? I am pulling for the Vikings just because they have never won a Super Bowl and I think everyone around here would like to see them get one. It is really foggy here today and it sounds like it is supposed to be that way all week. I am actually going to be in Brookings Friday night. Cole has a wrestling meet there. I always hope that I will see Nathan while I am there but I am sure I won't. Hayden I was over to your Grandma Robey's for supper last night. I was looking around the apartment at all her pictures of her grandchildren and your's made me smile. It is one that I took when you first moved to Rochester. You older brother has his arm around your shoulders and you are making a funny face. I think I told you two to smile and you, being the goof you are, just squinted and smiled. As I am writting this, it makes me smile and miss you more. Sometimes I wonder how you are doing and if you ever think of me. I don't know how I do it sometimes. I miss seeing you and playing catch with the football. I miss just goofing off the way we both did playing video games. I hope you are well. I miss you both and I love you tons!

It's Finally Friday

Well it is Friday and really it couldn't have gotten here any faster. I need a break from all the stress here at work. Between the phone system crashing and a virus being downloaded, I've had it. Anyway, I thinking that I should talk about some of my memories of your early childhood. I was in DeSmet yesterday working on some systems. I had to drive accross town to one of our clinics. I drove by the high school and it reminded me of the basketball tournement that Nathan played in when he was in middle school. I can't remember what place we got but I do remember a couple of close games and him having a pretty good tournement. I sure was proud of him that day. I think you should have a team picture or something at your home. Hayden, my memories of your basketball days are short. I just remember you always dribbling and shooting during the quarter breaks at your brothers games. I also remember on of the camps you went to. I was so proud of you when you won the Freethrow championship for that camp. You came out to the car with your medal and didn't know why they gave it to you! :) I still laugh about that day. Well that's all for now. Watch the Vikings this weekend. Love you!

Hello again

Whew it's been busy the last couple of days. We lost the entire phone system here at the hospital yesterday. We were down for at least seven hours before we got any service back. That is a real emergancy in the medical field. I recieved a call about 5:30am that our system went down and didn't come back up. I hurried in to see what I could do. We called the service provider and rerouted the incoming calls over some single lines that we have. Then we had to pass out radios for the different floors to communicate back and forth. It was stressful but everyone performed awesome. I tried to call you guys last night. I recieved a notification of medical service for Hayden. I hope his leg is healing well. I wonder if you two will ever call or answer the phone when I call. Just so you know that I am atleast attempting to call. I hope that I have the correct numbers. Nathan's went to voicemail, so I am pretty sure his is correct. Well I need to go for today. Sorry I didn't get a chance to write over the past couple of days. Love you both.

Stories of your childhood

I thought I would interject some memories that I have about you growing up. I still think about the days that your two were born. It was a great event in my life. Seeing you lay in your cribs at the hospital nursery. You both sleeped so soundly, although Hayden made a lot of little noises. I will always cherish those times that I was alone looking through the glass at both of you. I often wondered what you would grow into and what you were going to contribute to this world. I hoped for a better life than I had and thought that with my guidence I could get you there. I failed in some aspects of that but hopefully we will be together again and I can contribute to your lives in some way. Love you both.

A warmer day finally!

Hey sons. It is finally warming up. I think the temperature will be in the mid 30's. Did you watch any games this past weekend? The Green Bay game was a good one. I thought they would win but you just never know. The playoffs just aren't the same without the Steelers in them are they? Next year they will be back.

Bread Pudding Day!!!

Well its a new year and Friday's are still Bread Pudding day here at the hospital. Boy is it good. I hope you are keeping warm. I sent Nathan a text yesterday to see how he was doing. I wonder if he even gets those texts. I hope you both have a great weekend. love you.

It seems like Alaska

I woke up this morning to the wind howling and snow blowing all around. The drift in the driveway was four foot deep and the street was blown shut. So instead of going back to bed and waiting for the snow plow....I got dressed started the snow blower and blew everything out, including the street. I can't wait for the street department to see that one. Well at least I got us to work. It looks like Rochester is getting the brunt of the storm now. I hope Hayden is safe and warm. I would think that Nathan is back at school in Brookings again. At least I would be. I was thinking about Hayden and his leg last night. I hope it is healing well and he will be able to at least play football next season. Hopefully it wasn't anything major. Nathan is your foot getting along well? Well I have to get some things done today so it is kind of short. Tomorrow I will tell you how it was growing up in Alaska during the winters. Love you both.

Another 5 inches of snow!

Well today we woke up to another five inches of snow and still snowing. I think this is the worst winter for snow accumulation since 1997. That winter when you traveled between Brookings and Sioux Falls on I-29, you couldn't see the traffic in the oncoming lanes. The snow was stacked about six feet high in the ditches around Flandreau. This morning I made it to work but I am not sure if I'll make it home. The wind is suppose to pick up and blow everything all over. Should be a fun evening.... On other new. Did you watch Iowa win the Orange Bowl last night? It was a pretty good game. There is a kid from Parkston that plays right tackle for Iowa. Parkston is a small town about 20 miles from here. Chad Greenway of the Vikings is from here too. I visit with his uncle all the time. His cousins wrestle for Mitchell. Well I'll let you go. Talk to you soon. Love you.

Winter is here

Hello Nate and Hayden,
Winter is really taking a bite out of us this year. It is below zero on the thermomiter and more snow is to arrive tonight. We are expecting 2-4 inches with windy conditions. Should make for a miserable day tomorrow. It's a good thing I went out and bought gas for the snow blower. Now that the new year is here, have you made your resolutions? I am trying to lose the weight that I put on over the fall and holiday. I figure that I need to lose about twenty pounds or so. Well that's it for today. I hope you both are good and doing fine.

After the long weekend

Hey Guys,
I hope your New Years was fun. Ours was pretty uneventful, we stayed in where it was warm. The weather around here has been terrible cold. It reminds me of when I was growing up in Alaska. We didn't have wind chill factors back then though. Well the sad news is, the Steeler's season is offically over. :( They did win thier game however. Maybe next year they can focus on what needs to be done and win those close games.