Halloweenies...

Eating Healthy!!!

 Rob Roy knows how important it is to eat healthy, Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Soy Nut Butter!!!!
 

Engagement in the Family!!!

 Jeremy and Anne ENGAGED, CONGRATULATIONS!!!so exciting to have another brother in the family, welcome aboard...
 

Chris & Holly Sharing in the Love...

 
attended the beautiful wedding of our friends Chris & Holly this past RAIN-FILLED weekend...as the minister said it best, "...God was so happy he cried tears of joy.." for this very special couple and the best man started the festivities with this word of wisdom "...a wet knot is harder to untie than a dry knot..." 

Fall on the Pond

the gang enjoyin' a beautiful fall October day on the pond... 
 

Boat Arrives to the Pond

Kate stylin' in front of our new baby!!! That color brings out the blue in your eyes. Already anticipating the exciting times to come next summer. Still trying to figure a way to back it in the basement, would certainly make a great entertainment center to get through those long January days. To see our gallery of pics, check out the MasterCraft Owner's Club
Neighbor Phil & I on my 3rd maiden voyage, the driver seat is more comfortable than the recliner in our family room. Ahhh, and my babe loves driving it. She tracks so nice, Kate hasn't even knocked off a single buoy!!!Some good skiin' in our future.
This is me tearing it up for the 2nd night behind the boat. The previous night skied my personal best, 3balls at 32'off 36mph. This shot, as you can see it was getting too dark for the camera, but was my 1st pass 15'off 36mph, got into 1 at 32'off, SMOKIN'!!!

these moose, died in a truce...pretty cool site at the deerfield fair, certainly one of the highlights!!!

Happy Birthday Baby

Happy Birthday to Kate, Happy Birthday to Kate, Happy Birthday Dear Kate, Happy Birthday to EWEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Way to blow out those candles!!!

So what do you think of the new birthday bed??? Room is coming together, finally spent the night in the NEW MASTER BEDROOM!!! We both felt like we were staying in a hotel, WEIRD.

2nd Floor Project - Latest Pics

After an all-nighter last night (till 4am) got all the trim and baseboards hung, just in time for carpeting to be laid this afternoon!!! Yeahhh, we finally have a BEDROOM!!!

Robot, Crowd Waver, Snoozer, Stick Man, Snapper or Wheelie Rider?

Slalom Fanatics,
Think every one of us can relate to one of these STYLE NICKNAMES, great article by Rhoni Barton. Gettin' dark too early, Sunrise at 6:38 AM and Sunset at 6:33 PM is painful on getting course time, plus temps in 40s at night doesn't help with the water temp.

Found this definition on Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online
Entry Word: fanatic
Function: noun
Text: 1 a person with a strong and habitual liking for something

Look Better Than You Really Are
By Rhoni Barton Bischoff, Waterski Magazine
Quick, before the season's over, find the style that will make you the envy of your lake. Here are the five fast ways to do it.

1. Smooth out your reach.
Your reach should be smooth, natural and generally directed toward the ball. When you let go with your outside hand, let it drop naturally to a comfortable position below shoulder level. Countering occurs when a skier brings the inside hip (the left hip if you're turning left and vice versa) up and over the top of the ski so that the body, or center of mass, catches up to the ski. By standing tall and reaching forward, you'll bring your inside shoulder level with and slightly in front of your outside shoulder. The result: perfect balance and a guaranteed tight-line turn.

2. Make your vison 20/20.
When turning to the left, keep your eyes to the right side of the rope, and when turning to the right, keep your eyes to the left side of the rope. The idea is to keep your upper body facing down the course, and remember, your upper body follows your eyes. As you begin to finish your arc and you're moving in the desired direction of acceleration, keep your eyes facing the boat. Once you reach the middle of the wakes, then you can look across and spot your next turn.

3. Make you turn more efficient.
In the turn, you should stand tall with your weight neutral and balanced. Any movement forward, back or to the inside will hinder the turn and ultimately cost you angle. You should hit the apex, or widest point, of the turn just before the buoy, so you can ride the ski out as far as it can go and then immediately be able to drop your hips forward and inside the turning arc. This keeps your ski tip carving in the water and allows you to establish angle. You should never have to "wait" for the buoy before dropping your center of mass to the inside.

4. Lower your leverage position.
The desired leverage position is low and relatively squatted, yet balanced and strong. Relax your knees and let your hips drop in the direction of your cut. When you lower your body mass, the ski sits slightly in front of you coming into the wake. Establishing a good leveraging position with your body out of the turn and then simply holding that position is ideal. Increasing the load or trying to pull harder is only self-defeating.

5. Wait for your release.
As you leave the second wake, your upper body should remain still and your knees should be coming up toward your body. The ski will start to move out in front of you and will transfer to the other side of you. Think about riding the ski out to the widest possible point before letting go to reach. As you feel the ski swinging out wide, be conscious of the connection between your elbows and your hips. Remember, you don't want to give up that connection, nor do you want to fight or pull against it. The better your ski releases and the farther you ride it outbound, the quicker your stable upper body can move back toward the center of the course without any leaning, load or pressure.


DON'T BE THAT SKIER
In the spirit of learning from your mistakes, we've identified some ski styles you should never emulate. Do you recognize yourself in any of these shots?

The Robot: This skier is trying too hard to mimic the pros in the magazine. Looking stiff and unnatural, he poses in one static reaching position coming into the turn. In this stagnant position, the skier can't carry his speed and direction outward long enough to create sufficient line tension.

The Crowd Waver: Waving to the crowd might be cool in show skiing, but in slalom it's a good way to end up in the drink. The crowd may love the attention, but when the skier waves in the turn, his arm will dip lower than his outside shoulder. To avoid falling over in the turn, he'll lean back to find support from the rope and end up on the tail of the ski out of the turn.

The Snoozer: This skier likes to catch a quick nap in the turn by resting his inside ear on his inside shoulder. If the skier's head, and therefore vision, is not level, everything will feel faster than it really is, and finding a balanced stance will be difficult.

The Stick Man: For years, this type of slalom skier has tried to cross the wakes with a locked body position. For him, getting ready to cross the wakes means getting rigid and ready to push against them. This locked body position makes it very difficult to hold angle after the second wake.

The Snapper: Going for old-school rotation, this skier whips his head and eyes across the course as quickly as possible to get turned. The upper body always follows the eyes, so his upper body is now ahead of his lower body out of the turn, which causes a lean lock and an unbalanced position into the wakes.

The Wheelie Rider: This skier hits his apex way too early, so by the time he does get to the buoy he is being pulled into the turn by the boat. He reacts by pushing against the legs and leaning back, trying to force the ski to turn while simultaneously having to fight the pull of the boat.

Brother-In-Law Doobie's Nile Kinnick Project

Visit the Sculptor's Daily Blog for current happenings of the Iowa State Hawkeyes or visit his website at Larry Nowlan Bronze Sculptures. For the latest pictures check out Kinnick Stadium Renovation Project

Kinnick statue for outside stadium progressing nicely
Article courtesy of hawkeyesports.com - Sep 16, 2005

Nile Kinnick, the individual for whom the University of Iowa's football stadium is named, stands tall and virtually without peer in the history of football at the UI.

In August 2006, the phrases "Nile Kinnick" and "standing tall and without peer" will take on new meanings for members of the Kinnick Society, thousands of friends of the University of Iowa, and fans of the current student-athletes at the UI who come to Iowa City to watch the Hawkeyes compete inside Kinnick Stadium.

It is then that a 12-foot bronze statue of the UI's 1939 Heisman Trophy winner will be installed atop a four-foot tall concrete base currently in place immediately south of the center of the new south grandstand. The statue will cast an inspirational shadow over the threshold where the Krause Family Plaza embraces the UI's beloved football stadium and greet those who use the new main entrance to the game-day home of the Hawkeyes.

Larry Nowlan, the sculptor commissioned by the University of Iowa to produce two pieces of art for installation at Kinnick Stadium as part of the UI's $87 million renovation of the facility, is - with the delicate skill of a trained artisan - crafting a work of inspiration that embodies not only all that Nile Kinnick himself stood for, but all that intercollegiate athletics stands for - the combination of the desire to reach beyond one's grasp both academically and athletically. Click here to read rest of article on Nile Kinnick

Star Island Women Retreat

Heather and Kate during their Star Women's retreat on Star Island! We had such a great time!! Visit the new Blog I created, Star Island Women to see more pictures and comments about the great weekend's event.

the view out the new door is out of this world...really going to help those early morning rises, with sun coming in one window and pond reflection out the other!!!

my first installation of a door, and to boot it was a 4' french door...worst nightmare was losing it out the opening, and sending the story to Familiy Handyman magazine's "GREAT GOOFS"...but as you can see, it turned out beautifully...

we've always wanted a "HOLE-IN-THE-WALL", can't wait to mount the doors this weekend...good thing i bought a new 2' level, there will be no excuses if the door's aren't plumb...