Team Freed

Big Bed

2010-03-30T13:51:00.006-05:00

As we approach a new baby becoming part of the family Wilder and I are trying to transition Riley to be more prepared as well. Part of this is moving out of the crib and into a new big bed so that the baby can have they crib when they arrive. (Of course Riley doesn't know the true reason for moving to the big bed and hopefully we'll keep it that way.) We decided now was the time for the transition so that in two months hopefully she'll have forgotten that the crib was once hers and won't mind her new sibling using it now.
Riley has spoiled us in all aspects of parenting thus far. We've had it way too easy since day one and luckily she continues to spoil us. The transition has gone really smooth. After helping us make her bed with new sheets and comforter and the some jumping on the bed she hardly hesitated to sleep there that night. She only needed to be reminded a couple times that the crib was her old bed and this is her new big girl bed and then she was ready to drift off to dreamland.

Working Man!

2010-03-24T13:45:00.004-05:00

Wilder is now a working man. He started a job downtown on Monday as an interactive marketing specialist. (You'll have to talk to him to find out what exactly that means.) He's been working hard toward finding the right place to be at and trusting that God would lead him to that place. After lots of doubting if that would ever happen and the privilege to get to be at home with Riley for over a year he's ready to make his mark. We're so proud of him and happy that he'll get to do what he enjoys and what he's going to be really good at (and that he wears a tie to work, very handsome). He here is heading out to his first day.

CPBC

2010-03-18T13:34:00.003-05:00

The other weekend we were able to go up to camp to visit Jared and Lindsay because they had an elusive weekend off. This was only Riley's second time up there but she had lots of fun. We had some really nice weather for the weekend so it was fun to be outside and enjoy God's creation in such a beautiful place.

Walking around

Lindsay giving Riley her first braid.

Riley wasn't sure about Jared for much of the time so they made lots of faces at each other.

Loving Daddy

2010-02-27T11:04:00.003-06:00

It contantly amazes me how fast children grow and learn. Riley has been erupting with words lately. She does most of the animal noises, mommy, daddy, milk, poo-poo, hi, Ellie (her stuffed elephant), help, hot, hat, and the list could go one for a while. (I can't remember them all right now and Wilder will know more of them anyway since he gets to spend so much time with her.) The video below is Wilder's favorite thing that she says. I think they are plotting against me sometimes.

Goofy

2010-02-20T14:26:00.004-06:00

Here are some of the many looks of Riley.

A Freed Christmas

2009-12-27T20:06:00.002-06:00

We were able to spend a lot of time with the Freeds over Christmas this year as well. They came over to our house on Christmas eve after the service at church for food and game playing. Then on Christmas day (after we opened presents at our house) we went over to their house for a nice Christmas dinner along with lots of fun playing outside. It snowed most of the day but was in the 30s so it was perfect to be outside (maybe a little wet). There was a snow man built, Aunt Robin built a slide for Riley out of the snow (which Riley LOVED) and of course a snow ball fight.

Everyone on Christmas eve, minus Amada and Rick who were in California this year.

Riley ready to go down her snow slide.
Riley enjoying the snow (I think).
Giving Aunt Robin kisses through the door.

Christmas Morning

2009-12-26T20:00:00.000-06:00

We had the intention of starting a new family tradition of having Swedish pancakes for breakfast on Christmas morning but alas we didn't plan ahead to have all the ingredients needed (and we'd had it just a few days before) so we will start that next year. The morning did start with present opening and then regular pancakes for breakfast. I was so fun to watch Riley open presents. At one point she noticed that I was putting the paper she'd torn off into a bag so from then off after each piece of paper was torn off she would have to throw it away before moving onto the next piece. It's so funny how she works sometimes. (I'm hoping the wanting to help "clean" will continue.) She didn't get much this year but has really been enjoying the Mr. Potato Head that was in her stocking.

A Wenell Christmas

2009-12-23T14:04:00.003-06:00

For the Wenell Christmas this year we all go together in Des Moines the weekend before Christmas (which turned out to be great since everyone in IA was snowed in over Christmas weekend). On Friday night we took 3 car loads and drove through a huge lights display. We even got 3-D glasses for it, which added to the fun. Then the next morning we woke up and Wilder, Amy and I prepared Swedish pancakes for everyone. Next was the present opening, which was a good thing because the kids couldn't have waited any longer. After some fun playing with new toys (and a nap for Riley) we all headed outside to play in the snow. It was a little cold but still lots of fun. The kids especially enjoyed sledding down a big hill. That night we all went out for pizza and lots of fun arcade games. I'm pretty sure this was the highlight for everyone (at least all the kids and Wilder). They loved playing the games and turning their tickets in at the end for some fun prizes. Riley especially had fun on a mini carousel and a little car that went around a track. Any time we'd leave those two ride to take a break she was not happy. Sunday we enjoyed some more family time together and a play at Brian and Angie's church. It's fun when we can all get together even though it doesn't happen very often.

Wilder and Kaitlin in their "cool" 3D glasses.

Riley ready to open presents.

Riley got a baby for Christmas, she was giving it kisses.

Fun in the snow.

Riding the carousel.

Grandpa, Grandma and all the kids.

Extra! Extra!

2009-12-06T10:20:00.000-06:00

Riley has some big new to share with everyone.

Fall Fun

2009-12-05T09:51:00.001-06:00

Here's some images of what Riley has been doing this fall:

She went to her first Mounds View football game.

Played football with Daddy.

Played in the leaf piles.

Helped rake.

Out with Daddy.

At the St. Paul tree lighting.

Happy Birthday!

2009-10-06T22:43:00.003-05:00

Riley turned 1 on the 3rd. It seems impossible that a year ago she wasn't here and it was just Wilder and I. It's hard to remember a life without her. It's so amazing all the things she's done and learn and the ways she's grown this year. To think back about how she's could to nothing for herself and now she can (mostly) feed herself, she helps us to get her dressed, she's walking (and sometimes running), now if she was only potty trained.

Apple Orchard

2009-09-29T21:11:00.004-05:00

On Sunday we went to the apple orchard with Mimi and Papa (Wilder's parents). We had fun looking at and petting the animals at the petting zoo and also picking apples.

Making Banana Bread

2009-09-25T07:11:00.002-05:00

The Big 6-0!

2009-09-21T06:40:00.001-05:00

This last Friday was my mom's (April) 60th birthday. Dad contacted all of us "kids" a while ago with an idea to surprise her for it. He took Mom to Okoboji on Friday night and surprised her by staying there the night. The rest of the family met in Okoboji at a marina where Dad had rented a big pontoon for all of us to ride around the lake on. We went and picked up Mom and Dad where they were staying. Mom looked so surprised. It was a lot of fun to see her reaction. She loves being around water so she loved the surprise. We rode around and then at lunch back at the resort Mom and Dad had stayed at and then went swimming for the afternoon. Then that night we had a Wenell family (with extended family) birthday party to celebrate four birthdays. It was a really fun weekend a great to surprise Mom in that way.

He's in the Pool!

2009-09-15T06:34:00.000-05:00

No, Wilder didn't go swimming but we recently found out that he is in the USA National team pool for team handball. This means that when the national team plays games he has the opportunity to be selected to play with them. We're so excited for him (and proud). He's put a lot of time and energy into improving and it has finally paid off. The team was thinking about going to Poland at the end of October but that trip has been cancelled. We're hoping he'll get an opportunity sometime soon to travel with the team somewhere overseas.

Team Handball For A Day

2009-09-13T16:36:00.004-05:00

Minnesota Team Handball hosted a scrimmage this weekend with a team from Air Force (here with their football team) and two teams from Winnipeg here to play each other. It was fun to get to watch the games and to watch Wilder playing/coaching. They played pretty well in the last game of the day. The guys are really starting to figure out the sport.

A future photographer?

The Minnesota Team

A Fun Weekend Away

2009-09-07T20:57:00.015-05:00

Wilder was in Chicago this weekend to try out for the national team handball team so Riley and I headed south to Des Moines to visit my family. We had a really great time as you can see below.

Riley and Amy enjoying the farmer's market.
Trying to fall asleep on Amy's shoulders.

Finally asleep at the farmer's market.
Hanging out with Grandma.
Riley chased after Bella all weekend and roared at her.
Playing with Cousin Madi.
Riley's first four wheeler ride.
Golfing at Amy's free course on Monday morning (Riley stayed at Brian's!)

Happy Birthday Old Man

2009-09-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

It was Wilder's birthday on Monday. We didn't have a big celebration, partially because Wilder had a meeting at church that night but we went out for dinner the next night. Wilder chose Famous Dave's (great choice). We had fun talking and relaxing and watching Riley eat barbecue food and try to get to the baby at the next table over. I'm excited to see what is in store for Wilder in the coming year. I know that God has big plans for him so I'm sure it will be another exciting year.

Riley eating her corn.

Wilder post meal.

Riley Jean she's the Dancing Queen

2009-08-17T19:25:00.005-05:00

Fun in the Sun

2009-08-12T18:19:00.004-05:00

My (April) parents were in town this weekend mostly to go to market to get stuff for the store in Albert City but also to go to a Lorrie Line concert in Osseo. I took a couple days off to spend some time with them and Riley. On Tuesday we went with Dave and the boys to a "splash pad" in St. Louis Park. It was pretty much an area that had water spraying out of various objects. The boys had a lot of fun and Riley enjoyed splashing around a little too.
Riley also had her 9 month check up this week. (I know, she's already 10 1/2 months. We're a little late with this one.) The good new of the check up was that there weren't any shots to have but the bad news was that they had to do a routine lab test so they had to draw some blood. She did really great with this. Of course there was a lot of crying but the lab tech said that she was the best he's had do to because she didn't curl her finger. She's our tough little girl. She weighed 17 lbs 2 oz, which is in the 25th percentile, and is 29 1/4 inches long, which is in the 97th percentile.
As you can see from below she is also eating lots of food. She is pretty much eating whatever we eat which is nice because we don't have to prepare a whole different meal for her now.
Time is flying... I can't believe how big she is. Just around the corner is her first birthday and I'm sure she will be walking soon. The wild ride continues...

"Vacation"

2009-07-29T21:14:00.005-05:00

I took two days off of work this week because Mimi (Wilder's mom) had jury duty and couldn't watch Riley. Today we decided to go to Como Zoo becuase zoos are fun and Como is free. This was Riley's third trip to a zoo but the first since she really started to notice and be entertained by things. It was really fun to watch her notice animals as they moved around. She first noticed the sea lions and thought they were fun as the emerged from underwater. She also really enjoyed watch the giraffe's spots and long neck, the mountain lion pacing, and many fish. Her favorite by far were the spider monkeys. They were very entertaining and Riley loved watching them. They were swinging by their tales and walking upright on their legs and swinging from branch to branch. She was smiling and giggling and might have even squealed when she was watching them.

Sleeping as we walk back to our car at the end of the afternoon.

Three Ellies

2009-07-01T20:33:00.003-05:00

Riley was given a yellow elephant name P'nut made by the Ty company from Pam, a friend of Robin. Using all of our creativity we decided to rename P'nut as Ellie (short for elephant). We had not intention of this becoming Riley's "lovey" but over time that is what has happened. She has Ellie with her every time she goes to sleep. The only problem is that Riley's favorite thing to do with Ellie is to chew on her trunk. After months of this Ellie is starting to look worn and grey. We finally decided that it was time to add more Ellies to our lives before Riley would notice such a twist. I ordered two more online after deciding that we would need that many for Riley to chew on. Luckily she had did not notice the switch to a new Ellie, or if she did she didn't care.

Wilder's First Father's Day

2009-06-21T22:34:00.001-05:00

What a fantastic holiday! I always used to look at Father's Day as an excuse for a family picnic. And, maybe it is, but when I woke up on my first official father's day, and went to check on Riley, I was touched by the love my little family had for me. And also impressed by Riley's grammatic and spelling abilities.

The day consisted of waffles, relaxing, and making Riley laugh.

Later we went to watch my brother's baseball game (tournament

champs, way to go D!) and had him and my parents over to fire up the grill.

It's funny; today is a day for thanking Dads, but when I see the love my wife and daughter have for me, I feel like saying, "No, the pleasure is all mine."

Of course, it is nice to know your family thinks you're awesome.

Death of a Car

2009-06-19T18:58:00.007-05:00

I suppose if you don't have a good story, you fade quietly into the night and no one remembers you. Well, our Honda accord must have had this in mind over the last few weeks, because it decided to go out in a blaze of fury. So if you realize one day that you want to go out with a bang (and you're a car) just follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Quietly, before anyone notices, grind down your brakes so far that you dig groves into your rotors, accompanied by a sickening grinding noise anytime someone tries to stop. Normally, they could just replace the rotors, but because of your model year, they need a special press, and so you get a temporary set of brake pads wearing unev

enly on old, scratched up rotors.

Step 2: Wait a while, under the radar, and then, during a road trip to Chicago, start leaking coolant from the Radiator. When the coolant is gone, overheat, and blow your head gasket. That'll show'em.

Step 3: So now, you've got inconsistent compression, so you

don't accelerate very well off the line, but don't worry, they'll figure out that the trick is to throw you into neutral every time you come to a stop, and then rev you up to about 3,000 rpms and kick it into drive, just to get you going. And then, just when they think you might last a few more weeks...

Step 4: The Alternator. Just don't charge the battery anymore.

Why bother? Who needs a radio, speedometer, or blinkers? If you time it just right, everything will kill while you're driving home on 94 in the left lane at about 65-70 mph. As you cruise blindly through a sea of speeding angry drivers (best if in the pouring rain) with no lights or blinkers, you'll know that you'll never be forgotten.

If you follow these steps and you're lucky, you'll sputter to a stop about a half mile from your exit, and your owners will be forced to tow you home behind their other (nice) car. That's what our

car did. And then, we had quite the experience towing it behind our other car back to our driveway. There's nothing quite like watching for slack between the car you're in and the car in front of you, knowing that if the rope touches the ground you might get the chance to total your good car using your bad car as the blunt object.

And so now the search for a new car begins.

Mr. and Mrs. Jerod Johnson

2009-06-08T21:45:00.007-05:00

Saturday we were blessed to be at Jerod and Lindsay's wedding. They are Riley's Godparents and it was a joy to celebrate with them. Wilder even got to stand up front with Jerod and support him in that way. We are excited to continue to grow our friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and to spend time with them throughout the years to come.

The guys got to spend time before the wedding playing video games.
The beautiful ladiesThe guys showing off their matching watches.Riley and us celebrating with her Godparents.

Tractor Ride

2009-05-26T21:17:00.003-05:00

Riley got to go for her first tractor ride this last weekend with Grandpa. (I say tractor but it was really a riding lawn mower. Those of us who grew up on a farm know that there is a big difference.)

She loved riding on it and as you can see even driving it a little bit. We're going to have to keep an eye on her I think.

Memorial Weekend in Iowa

2009-05-25T21:03:00.012-05:00

Riley and I (April) spent Memorial weekend in Iowa with my parents while Wilder was in Chicago for handball (what else would it be). We had a great weekend with my parents. We spend Friday in Okoboji going to a couple of flee markets. Sunday was spent at home enjoying each other; that means that my parents were enjoying Riley. And Monday we went to the Memorial Day service at the cemetery before heading home. We also got to see Grandma Esther a few times. She was very excited to see us and it was great to see her as well. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Riley was facinated by the baby chickens

Visiting Great Grandma Wenell

Checking out Lake Okoboji with Grandma and Grandpa

After the Memorial Day Service

Generations

2009-05-13T22:00:00.004-05:00

On our way home from the handball tournament we were able to stop in Madison to visit Wilder's grandma "Mimi". Here are pictures of us will all of our grandmothers.

Tourny Time

2009-05-13T21:04:00.009-05:00

We spent the past weekend in Chicago for the National Team Handball tournament. MN Team Handball played its first ever game (and got destroyed) and won is first ever game. The team didn't finish in last place and I think they even had lots of fun and really enjoyed handball even more than before they came.

Wilder, Riley and I stayed with Wilder's sister Robin in Chicago. It was fun to get to see her and spend some time with her. Unfortunately we didn't get do spend much time in Chicago itself as the tournament was in a suburb but we did enjoy a Guatemalan breakfast.

Growing

2009-04-23T22:26:00.005-05:00

Riley recently had her six month appointment. She is now 14 pounds and 26 inches long. She is also sitting on her own with very minimal tipping. She has had her first tooth come in (on the bottom). She loves to eat food and likes everything she'd had so far. I can't believe how much and how fast she changes and learns.

The video is a "trick" that Wilder has been practicing with Riley. She loves doing it. You can see the determination on her face. You can also see how proud she is, she knows that she is doing something special. My favorite part is when she is doing it around other people, after she has focused, she looks around at everyone to make sure they are all noticing what she is doing.

He is Risen!

2009-04-13T21:29:00.009-05:00

Riley's first Easter has come and gone. She had her first Easter dress, found an Easter egg and had an Easter basket to put it in. She's had so many firsts already and there are many more to come but I think I'm looking forward to her seconds and thirds and so on more. For her seconds of things she'll be able to be involved. Next year she might care about open presents or finding Easter eggs. More importantly for her thirds (and so on) she'll start to understand what some of it means. I can't wait to explain to her that we celebrate Christmas because that's when Jesus was born and Easter is amazing because Jesus rose from the dead. It will be so great when she has her first understanding of what this means.

So, I'll stop ranting now so you can see pictures of Riley.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-12-17T12:42:00.005-06:00

Christmas seems to sneak up on me most years and this year is no exception. I can’t believe that there is just a week left now. I find myself having too much to do this year before it arrives. Presents to buy, presents to wrap, a house to clean, goodies to make… I need to stop and take a step back and remember that all of this is not what Christmas is about. It is about the birth of Christ. I should be able to remember that this year of all years. With Riley being so small still she should be my constant reminder of God’s love for us and the way he was willing to send his son to us. It’s amazing to watch Riley this Christmas season and think about how Jesus did so many of the same things. To be able to look at her smile and know that our Savior had the same tiny, toothless, smiley face so many years ago. I hope that I will take the time to enjoy the true meaning for the season. (Thanks to my little girl for the reminders.)

Away in a Manger...

2008-12-09T21:51:00.003-06:00

So the other night Riley Starred in her first play, as the Baby Jesus in Redeemer's Children's Musical. Mommy was Mary, and Daddy was Joseph. And while the crowd was absolutely enchanted with such a cute little baby Jesus, what they didn't see was little Riley entertaining herself while in the manger. She started sucking on the side of her hand, and slowly began to work towards working her entire fist into her mouth. We thought for sure she was going to choke. What a cute little girl.

One Month

2008-11-03T09:12:00.010-06:00

Today Riley is a month old. That's hard to believe. In some ways it seems like she was born just a few days ago and in other ways it seems as though she has always been a part of our lives. People have been asking me how being a mother is and I'm never quite sure how to respond. I figured out why this is yesterday. Even though I've only been a mother for a month it seems like that is how life has always been. It's hard even to remember what life what like before parenthood.
Here's a few pictures from the last month:

Babyhood

2008-10-23T10:24:00.003-05:00

So the newest member of our team is integrating into this big new world, and contributing dirty diapers and a dislike of naps. But her daddy can't help but love her. Riley's new clothes have been a topic of interest on April's part, and I can't help but wonder whether she is having fun dressing Riley in different outfits the way she might've had fun dressing dolls as a child, if she had had any dolls. As April takes care of Riley I'm continually in Awe of the strength deep inside of her, and the love she has for this little one. She's a mom. This is her child. And I have a front row seat to learn what this whole dynamic relationship is all about.

As a new father, I think I'm learning a little more as I go, where as it seems like April has been doing this all her life. Riley is so funny. Our friends ask us what sports she's going to be good at, knowing full well that athletics will probably be a common influence in her upbringing. Part of me is hoping she'll be a little speedster at church when she's four or five, running through the halls laughing, with one plume of a pony tail sticking straight up on the top of her head. I may regret it as it happens, but I pray she has the energy to exhaust everyone around her.
The Un-containable Riley Jean Freed. I haven't told her mother this, but I don't think April will be very suprised. I think we know what we are, and we want to pass on our gifts. Mommy was a Tomboy, and Daddy was a Dreamer. Hopefully Riley will get all our good stuff and none of our bad. I bet that's what all parents want. And now, that includes us. Weird. We're parents.

Welcome Riley!

2008-10-07T09:02:00.010-05:00

Riley Jean Freed was born on Friday October 3rd at 2:21 pm. She was seven pounds and twenty inches long.

Daddy got to feed Riley while Mommy was still recovering.

Mom finally got to meet Riley after having to wait way too long.

That's our Baby. The newest member of Team Freed.

Countdown to a Different World

2008-10-02T12:04:00.004-05:00

Our bags are packed, our schedules are cleared, and we have a 1:30pm appointment tomorrow at Methodist Hospital to have a baby. We have done so much to prepare for this in the last nine months, and yet somehow, I doubt that "Ready" is a word that applies to me. April is ready. She has been mentally and emotionally ready for months, and has been busily preparing this child's new world of diapers, cribs and car seats. I've pretty much been freaking out inside for the last five weeks.

I mean, what's going to happen next? What uncharted territory are we getting into? What is this child going to be like? Is it a boy or a girl? And who's going to take care of this kid?
And even with all my questions and uncertainty, I'm more excited than I've been in a long time. I'm anxious, I'm nervous, I'm happy, I'm scared, and I'm relatively certain that if the baby doesn't come soon I'm going to pop like a balloon filled with volatile emotions.

Baby Freed's room has been ready for a while now. We painted the walls green when we painted the rest of, what was at the time, our new house. And ever since we found out last winter that April had a person in her uterus, we've been adding things from Ikea, talking about color schemes, and preying on not-so-unsuspecting family and friends for baby hand-me-downs. We have been so blessed in receiving so many things we needed for this baby from people who care about us. Thank you so much to everyone who has given in our time of need, I hope that we may someday return the favor.

What will you be like, Baby? Will you look like Mom and Dad? Are you going to be all wrinkly at first? I can't wait to meet you, watch you grow, and take care of you.

That's enough freaking out for one day.

-Wilder

The Team is Getting Bigger

2008-07-09T09:13:00.005-05:00

It's been WAY too long since we last blogged but we'll skip all the boring stuff and go right to the biggest thing in our lives since then. As most everyone knows now... we're pregnant. (Not so much we I guess as me.) The due date is October 10th, we did not find out what the sex of the baby is and we're both super excited. The nursery is almost ready as we mostly just have a few finishing touches and need a crib. Now we're in a "wait and get huge" phase. I feel big already but I'm sure as the next three months come and go I will learn a whole new meaning of big. We'll keep you updated though with pictures of the growing belly and more importantly baby pictures after the little one joins us. -April

Snow, Snow, SNOW!

2007-12-04T21:49:00.000-06:00

So tonight for the second time, we enjoyed one of the many joys of homeowning: shovelling the driveway. I remember as a kid, I used to really dislike shovelling the snow, mostly because I didn't really see the point. But tonight in the quiet darkness that comes so much earlier in the evening these days, perhaps I discovered something different about this driveway; it's mine. And as my breath steamed past my eyes in the cold, I realized the audacity the snow must have, landing on MY driveway. Smiling to myself, I turned a chore into a game, a battle of will. "Snow on my driveway? I don't think so!" And for the second time, we procceeded to let the snow know who's driveway this was. "That's right, there are some new shovels in town, and we're clearing out the riff raff. Tell your friends."
TeamFreed 2, Winter 0.
I'm pretty sure after tonight, the snow will start falling just on the yard, in an effort to avoid another embarrassment.
On a side note, my sister asked me if I thought my kids would be competitive. The only way that could happen, I responded, was if we had kids. ;)

Paint, Paint, and more Paint!

2007-12-01T20:16:00.000-06:00

When buying a house you have to make it feel like your own. That usually means painting. Painting we have done. Luckily it has not all been done by just Wilder and I. Thanks to both of our parents, Amy, and Alan we were able to pretty much finish it in one weekend. Here are some before and after shots of a few of the rooms in the house.
Kitchen (after only):

Living Room:

Dining Room (after only):

Family Room:

Turkey Day!!!

2007-12-01T19:06:00.000-06:00

Well, what's a brand new house without a rush to clean everything up? We ambitiously decided to host Thanksgiving this year, and didn't really realize what we were getting ourselves into until about a day before the inlaws started showing up. But, since we're not the sort of people who admit when we're in over our heads, April and I scrambled to get everything ready for our first large scale meal. Amy and Kash drove in wednesday night from Des Moines to join us, David, and the Freed parents in an amusing night of Nintendo Wii fantasticness. Anyone who is wondering, "Is the Wii fun?" It sure is. And you know it's especially amazing when my mother is celebrating after serving an ace right past me in Wii tennis.
So late Thursday night DJ and Alan roll into town, and Thursday morning the preparations begin. We had all the classic Turkey day stuff, including my crowning achievement, a 22 lb bird (cooked brilliantly, if I do say so myself). But it was my wife that was the star, coordinating the first beautiful multi dish nine person meal in the history of our new home. This year, I decided to flex my creative muscles, and put together a comic book commermorating our first Thanksgiving. I took pictures of everything, and it came out prett well. I'm not quite sure how to share it with the world yet, so stay tuned. It was a fantastic day with friends and family. Not everyone could be there, but hey, there's always next year.

New House!

2007-11-05T18:52:00.000-06:00

Wilder and I finally bought our first home! We are so excited. We closed on October 31st, which was only about three weeks after we first saw the house. God was really faithful in our search even though I did not always realize that. He stalled us with another house for just the perfect amount of time to be able to get this one. We first put on offer on a different house in the beginning of September, hoping to close by the end of September. We knew it needed some work but offered below asking in order to be able to do that. We were so excited. We waited over four weeks to get a response of no from the seller. It was a long discouraging process. We started looking agian even before we heard back. We weren't see anything that we liked as much as that house. The the first week in October we found the perfect house for us. It had only been on the market for a few days and we made an offer the very next day. We are pretty sure that we got a great deal on the place and are looking forward to many years here to grow as a family.

A New Gopher Football Season

2007-09-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

So last night we went to the Golden Gophers' home opener football game against Bowling Green. Every year, the Gophers' first game is a tune up game against a lesser school, so they can iron out some of the kinks in the system before they play someone dangerous... Well, that was supposed to be the plan anyways. So April and I went to the game with our friends Kim and Ellen, and we sat in the student section near where the players run out onto the field, and there was excitement in the air as the possibilities of a whole new season hovered only moments away.
Excitement turned to frustration as a pourous defense and an inexperienced offense let Bowling Green (who?) head into half time leading the Goph's 21-nil. Not exactly the start we were expecting from the tune up game.
Alot of the students started leaving, and the fans didn't look very happy. And then the gophers did something amazing. They got a stop on defense. We finally scored a touchdown, and April told me to start taking pictures of the score and the game as it progressed, in case we were about to witness an impressive comeback.
And slowly but surely, The Gophers got back into the game...
And then tied it up...
And with two minutes left we took the lead!
It was an amazing feeling to watch as looming embarassment turned to new hope, but unfortunately, our defense had to make a stop for us to win. And so into overtime we went, and after regaining the lead, we lost to Bowling Green in overtime. So begins the Brewster era in Minnesota. It could be a long season.

Cabin Fever

2007-08-01T18:03:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately the title has nothing to do with a cabin. We neither own a cabin or have been to one in quite a while. It is referring to us being in the midst of a home search and being ready to move out of Wilder's parents' house. They've been so great to let us stay here while we look for jobs and then a house but it is now past time for us to have our own place finally. We are beginning to look seriously now, instead of just on the internet like I've been doing for the last two year. What an overwhelming process! We're in the middle of trying to find a realtor so we can then start looking at houses and not be restricted to open houses only. We are also praying that the right place will come along; by right I mean for the right price. We really only care about location and price (and a little bit about size). We are very willing to buy a place that needs some updating as long as it is nothing to big that needs to be done. Now I just need to be patient for the right one at the right time.

Hole in one!

2007-07-19T21:09:00.000-05:00

One thing that we have been enjoying this summer is disc golf. Brent gave Robin some discs at the start of the summer, and so we decided that we would get a couple discs to play as well so we could play a round every now and then with Baby sister. We did not realize how much fun we would have! So we've been playing more and more, and learning about different discs and different courses. My favorite course, of course, is at Covenant Pines. What I like most about it, besides being at the ever amazing Pines, is that there are three sets of tees, so while there are only nine sets of chains, you can play twenty seven holes, and the courses range in difficulty.
So we were up at the Pines this past weekend, and I was playing the yellow course with some of the guys (yellow is the shortest set) and on the first hole, I threw a hole in one! I was really excited, because it was my first hole in one. I ended up seven under par for the yellows, and it really encouraged me to get better; it's funny how we tend to work harder at the things we're better at. Shouldn't we work more on the things we're worse at? Anyways, I love Disc Golf.

Tulsa, The Paris of the US

2007-07-19T20:15:00.000-05:00

So last week I was in Tulsa, OK for work. We have to go down there to
transition the work to ourselves (long story that I won't go into). I
got my own room in the Radisson, equipped with a sleep number bed (I was
at a 55 I think). I also got all my meals paid for since I was on a
work trip. All this to say that if you have to go to Tulsa it helps to
have everything paid for. I actually had a pretty good time though.
There are quite a few people at my new job who are in their 20's. There
are also quite a few who have a twin. With myself included there are at
least 4 twins just in the accounting department. Crazy, I know.
One night we left Tulsa and headed to Bartlesville
to go to the Price Tower. This is a Frank
Lloyd Wright building that was made in the '50s. It was very
cool to see. He was very innovative. It was amazing to see all of the details he took the time to make sure were perfect.

BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD

2007-06-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing I love, it's Covenant Pines Bible Camp. April and I just spent a week up there volunteering for Senior High 1. It was a really great experience, mostly because I had a great cabin of guys. They were really good about not excluding each other, and spent a large portion of their time playing ultimate frisbee.

April and I were a little nervous when we first arrived at camp, because we didn't know as many staff members as we had in years past. By the time we had to leave, however, we were sad to go, because we had made about thirty new friends. It was a great week of playing games and going on the blob, and it rekindled my sense of responsibility toward high schoolers. It seemed like a bunch of these guys were really yearning for some strong male role models, to show them how to be a strong Christian man and how to love others. So many of them seemed to go out of their way to meet me, hang out with me; it made me realize that some of them actually look up to me.
Sometimes I forget things like that in my daily life, while I wonder about what's next or how to pay the bills. There's more than just me. I grew up with these strong christian role models at camp, showing me how to love God, love others, and how to have fun, and that was a big factor in how I turned out. I think it's important to pass those lessons on to these kids by example. And I love it.

Buck Buck, Anyone?

I actually spent a whole day in the middle of my week at camp without speaking. I decided to listen instead. I talk all the time, so I took a day off. (My throat was also sore) It was funny how the people around me reacted. Some were intrigued, and ventured to understand not only what I was trying to communicate through gestures, but my reasons for remaining silent. Others were completely disoriented and uncomfortable in a world where Wilder doesn't speak. It was a fun game with my co-counselor Nate, who began interpreting my motions and translating my meaning to others.

April didn't like it, and was visibly frustrated by not hearing my voice. But it was a great experience, because the huge expanse of silence I left was filled by voice that might otherwise be silent, or unnoticed. My campers came out of their shells and I heard them joke with each other, converse among themselves, and play blues piano. I got the chance to hear and observe those who might have been quiet if I had been talking. I learned a lot about the gift of silence, and how different people deal with it. After a week of fun in the sun up north, We came back to the Twin Cities refreshed, and ready for April's first day of work.

A JOB!

2007-06-12T15:32:00.000-05:00

I got a job! After we had been back in Minnesota for about a week or so I e-mailed my friend Melissa that we were back so that we could get together for lunch sometime. She e-mailed back to inform me that Carlson Companies, where her husband works, was looking for accountants and wanted to know if I was interested. I let her know that of course I was interested and applied online and sent my resume. I had and interview within a few days and an offer two days after that. I took the weekend to "think" about it and let them know on Monday morning that I would accept. I'm very excited about it!

Mr. and Mrs. Awkward

2007-05-19T16:55:00.000-05:00

So a day after we got back to the big TC, Team Freed hit the road again, this time for Denver CO, and our Friend Ben's wedding. Now one thing about Ben and Dana is that they live in a state of awkwardness.
Ben is an awkward kid who finds awkward things funny. It's great; atleast he doesn't take himself too seriously :) So we went to the wedding, which was a little bit awkward, but then, it was perfect. Speaking of awkward, we were going to get Ben a box with a hole cut in it for a wedding present, but ended up getting him a musical card instead. Yay for Mr. and Mrs. Ben "awkward" Ewing. We love you guys.

THE MOVE! pt. 2

2007-05-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the day of the move. We set our alarms to go off at 3:30 Eastern time with the hopes of leaving by 4am. We were close to that time at least. We were on the road leaving Atlanta for for home at about 4:20am. An early morning to say the least. Remember that we were heading for the Midwest which meant we would be in the Central zone and that we actually woke up at 2:30 in that time zone. We were very excited at the beginning of the day. A new adventure lay in front of us and we had to drive to chase it down. The biggest disappointment of the morning was that we were hoping to have one last Chick-Fil-A breakfast along the way and did not see one on a highway sign as we drove.
Luckily we had walkie-talkies with us so we each came up with a call name (Wilder-Loud Mouth and April-Hurricane) so we could communicate throughout the trip. We also called a lot of people on our cell phones to help keep us awake since we were in different cars. It was a fun trip but a long trip; something I would not want to do again by myself.
About seventeen hours later and about six states we arrived in Des Moines for the night to stay with April's brother and his family. It was so fun to get to see family again and to know that we will be close to most of them now. We played with our nieces and nephew for a while and then had to go to bed for the night. It was great to go to bed in the Midwest again!

THE MOVE! pt. 1

2007-05-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

What a long week! We've been preparing mentally to move back to Minnesota for months but it still seemed to sneek up on us. I think as we longed to be back home with our family and friends we slowly started to make friends in Atlanta and it began feeling a little bit like home (although it would never fully be home to us). We spent the few weeks prior to the move trying to fit in everything that we hadn't done in the year and a half that we had lived in ATL. Unfortunatally we put that off too much and missed out on a lot of things. I guess we'll just have to go back for a visit.
The pods that we were using to move were dropped off on Wednesday and we started loading them that night. Matt and Janey came over to help us, which was huge, and we got most of our furniture and a lot of boxes done before trivia night started at 8pm. Thursday was my last day of work! They let me leave early. That night Dan and Jen came to help us finish up packing the pods. We had pretty much everything loaded by about 8 again. It was so great to have the help so that the packing wasn't too prolonged. Thursday was also the day that the battery on the Accord died. Not really was we needed as were in the process of moving but at least it gave us Friday to get a new one. Friday was a long day. It felt like a summer day in Atlanta even though it was only the middle of May. Hot and Humid. We had to get a new battery for the Accord get the trailer from U-Haul and finish packing everything into the trailer that we would need for the next few months. It took pretty much the whole day to finish packing and then get the entire apartment cleaned and ready for us to leave the next day. We were so excited to be done with everything including having our air mattress set up for us so sleep on that night by about 5 or 6. Then we went out for dessert with TJ and Melissa our fellow midwesterners. After that it was tiem for an early night in bed so we could leave in the morning.
We are going to miss everyone so much.

Winning one

2007-04-23T11:09:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I played with my third handball team this season. After playing in the UNC Invitational with the Atlanta Metro Condors, and then playing in the USOC National Tournament with the New York Athletic Club aka Garden City aka the Evil Empire, I played this past weekend in the Falcon Cup at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, For the Condor's crosstown rival, Atlanta Team Handball. ATH and the Condors are big rivals, but practice together often at the Georgia State rec center, so I knew all the guys on the team, and am friends with some. I think rivalries are great for clubs to get excited, and a fantastic part of sports in general, but I'm willing to play for ATH and Garden City because more than anything else, I just love to play.
So down to the Springs we went to represent the ATL, and came away champions. I actually really enjoyed playing for ATH because I understood our basic gameplan, and enjoyed carrying some of the scoring load. I think every tourney I play in I learn something, and get better at handball. If I can just cut back on dribbling and bonehead moves, I might be half decent someday. One thing in particular about playing for different teams, is experiencing different coaching styles. While Darrick Heath is reasonably quiet during games, Chris Cappelman (ATH) is, to understate, quite vocal on the bench. I knew just what I was doing wrong right as I was doing it, and I could hear Cap everywhere on the court. While this would probably be tough for a younger athlete to bear, I appreciate his willingness not to sugarcoat things, and say exactly what he thinks. Garden City is like a whole team of coaches, because most of them have been playing since I was in middle school. Their strategy is no turnovers, period. And since the other team gets the ball after missed shots, you're not allowed to miss. Which is a pretty tall order, but when you're a team of past Olympians and National players, I guess you can have ambitious expectations.
At any rate, this was the first tournament I've ever won, and it feels good. It's nice to win one, finally.

Easter in Newark

2007-04-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, which happened to be Easter weekend, I travelled to Newark, Delaware for the National Championships of Team Handball. My Atlanta Club, the Condors, didn't make the trip, because A) it was pricey and B) many of our better players and our coach were in Chile with the National team, competing for the last slot in the Pan Am Games. I was elected as an alternate for the Chile trip, which means I would fill a void if another player had to drop out before the trip. No one did. The coaches wanted me to play in the national championships to add to my experience, and Coach Cappelman set me up to play with the two time defending national champion NYAC team, aka Garden City, aka The Evil Empire.

On the court, Garden City has the reputation of being the meanest team in the nation, measured largely by penalty minutes and red cards received. They are also a very veteran team, anchored by a number of former olympians, and the only team to my knowledge, with a full blown sponsor. The New York Athletic Club sponsors the team, and gives them a budget for tournaments. This allowed them to pay for my travel costs and for team hotel and entry fees. That was a great blessing, because airplane tickets can be expensive.
We got to the semi finals, and found ourselves down three goals with four minutes left when I got into the game against New York City, a largely foreign-born team, and in three minutes I managed to score three consecutive goals to tie the game. We ended up losing by one in the closing seconds, but it felt good to make an impact for a veteran team. We ended up taking fourth place overall, referred to as "the wood" as opposed to Gold, Silver or Bronze, but it was a fun tournament.

I spent some time alone Sunday in reflection. I don't really enjoy missing Easter with my wife. Ultimately, it is most important that we are aware of the great gift given to us all, a gift that is worth more than anything we could attain ourselves. It is moments like this, during opportunities to live fully and richly, to play a game I love, that I'm so thankful for all the blessings in my life, and for my Lord, who died for me.

Dead last is a good thing.

2007-04-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

So the other day my buddy Matt McNair, a friend of mine from church, called me up to see if I wanted to go golfing. Does anyone ever really NOT want to go golfing? Because if I ever decide not to go golfing, it's not because I don't want to, but rather, because something else has precluded my opportunity. In this particular case, Matt wanted me to go golfing during a shift of mine at Starbucks, and I wasn't sure whether I could get it covered. Then he told me we'd be golfing for free. I've never gotten a shift covered so quickly in my life.

What Matty didn't tell me was that we were playing in a charity golf tournament at St. Ives Country Club, one of the nicer golf courses I've ever seen. Matt and some of the other church musicians had been given a foursome entry by someone at Perimeter who wanted to support the cause, WellSpring, a program that helps women who are victims of abuse. The ticket price: $1200 per group of four. Safe to say, this was a rare opportunity.

When we got to St. Ives that morning I noticed that everyone else on the driving range was much better at golf than we were. They were driving out of sight and I was still getting used to having free range balls.

We had a blast golfing, and I think I did pretty well for me, considering I was the only person at St. Ives who forgot their putter. I was lucky we were playing a variation of best ball where you get to play from the best drive, because I'm confident that I hit more houses than fairways (Houses 3, Fairways 2). I'm not sure why they live so close to the golf course anyway; just asking for trouble. House hunting has a whole new meaning at St. Ives.

So after our round we went into the clubhouse for lunch and the awards ceremony. They posted the scores for the 30 different foursomes, and we noticed ours was the only one in black, the rest listed in red. I soon discovered this was because our score was the only one over par. They also announced the awards for closest to the pin and longest drive holes. Apparently you can't win closest to the pin from a sand bunker, and when they say longest drive, they're not talking about the amount of time in the golf cart looking for your ball. I should've gotten an award for most balls donated to the local habitat...

So the Winners of the golf tournament got new Golf Bags, which looked amazing, and second and third place also received some amazing prizes, and then they decided to call up to the front the group that got dead last. I figured they had a right to have a chuckle at our expense, which they did in good fun, and then came the greatest part of all: Last place got a prize! To encourage us to improve our game, so as not to come in next year with such abysmal scores, we each got 6 free golf lessons!
I've never had a lesson, so I'm really excited to learn about all the things I'm doing wrong. I think it's safe to say this is the first time I've ever enjoyed being dead last.

Fishy Fishy Fishy

2007-03-30T19:19:00.000-05:00

Wilder and I both took today off to go to the Georgia Aquarium. We have heard so much about it and I know that I was very excited to go. We woke up early this morning, 6:30, to try to get there before the crowds did, which turned out to be a great idea. We were there for a little over an hour before all the school kids and other people became a factor. I could write a whole page trying to best descibe everything we saw but pictures are better than words so we'll show you some of our favorite shots. Are favorite parts were by far the huge salt water aquarium with a lot of the big fish and the jellyfish.

This is a Largetooth Sawfish.

These are Moon Jellyfish. They were pretty sweet. They changed color from a white, to a light blue, to a yellowish-green.

SHARK!

We had a great day! Worth taking the day off from work. I only wish there was more time and money to get to do things like this.
April

The Burning Building Next Door

2007-03-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

So today April and I went for a stroll, because it was such a beautiful day outside. We walked down to the mailbox, around the little pond in our apartment complex, and then headed back to the apartment, when we heard those magical words, yelled from a balcony; "Call 9-1-1!"
We paused, and looked at each other, as if making sure we heard right. Call 911? Why, what was happening? So we peeked around the corner, to find out where the yelling was coming from. That's when I heard the crackling. The next building over from us has someone on the top balcony, trying to put out a fire on the outside of the wood chimney with a fire extinguisher, but the fire was resisting, and starting to grow. I got out my phone to call 911, but was told by a fellow onlooker that they had already been called, and April and I watched from below as a small chimney fire turned into a small rooftop fire, which turned into a large rooftop fire. The crackling sounds that once used to remind me of calming summer night campfires were evoking totally different emotions in me as they slowly turned from little crackles to a dull roar. As I watched and quickly debated my own role in any attempt to help was my poor selection in footwear for the outing, and that I wouldn't be much good to anyone trying to help fight a fire in my floppy sandals. I swear everytime I wear shoes that have poor stability, I miss a chance to fight a fire, outrun a bear, or save the world. Frickin sandals.
So we yell to anyone who might be left in the building, telling them to get out as the fire works its way down into the upper apartment, with us watching helplessly. The 5 - 10 minutes it took the Fire department to get there seemed like forever. The smoke plume was like a sky scraper. We were amazed by the up close and personal look at the destruction that can be caused by a tiny fire.

(Thank goodness no one was hurt)
I felt so helpless in my sandals as we watched the building burn, in a crowd of onlookers, nothing to contribute. And ulitmately, even if I hadn't been wearing sandals, I'm not sure there was anything I wouldn've been able to do to help save that builing. The realization that there are things in life that I can't stop from happening, situations I can't save others from, is a sad one, but probably one that I best learn sooner or later. There will probably be more days like this one, when I'm on the sideline, in my sandals.
Does anyone else remember when they were kids in sunday school class and someone asked them, "if your house was burning down and you only had time to grab one thing, what would it be?" and everyone was like, "my Bible." And I guess the point of the conversation is to think about the importance of God over everything else, which is great, but if you asked me today, it wouldn't be my Bible. I can get another Bible for ten bucks. I'm grabbing the iMac, because insurance never covers you the way you're hoping.

It's amazing how a small flame, if left unchecked, can destroy your whole world. Just a little space, a little air to get it going, and before you know it, it's too strong to put out on your own. Before you know it, a small problem can become fatal.

-Wilder

Cheering for Grey Duck

2007-03-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

Yay for the first post on our Blog! As it explains in our "a look at the team section" April does numbers and Wilder does words. And, as one can imagine, a blog is mostly words, and therefore will be written mostly by Wilder. But to prevent any confusion, each post will be accredited to the author. But I digress.

This past sunday, we had the pleasure of spending the day at the polo fields of Cumming, GA watching Terminus, a large Ultimate Frisbee tournament. And we went to support our friends Joel and Jerod Johnson, who play for the University of Minnesota club team "Grey Duck". Where does such an interesting mascot come from, you might ask? It comes from the fantastic children's game, duck duck grey duck.

Wait, isn't it Duck duck Goose? The debate has gone back and forth, but history is on the side of Greyduck. You see, "Duck Duck Greyduck" was originally inspired by the popular children's story of the Ugly duckling, who doesn't look like the other ducklings, and is singled out for being such an odd grey color. Hence, the calling of a Greyduck is an affront which inspires chasing around the circle. Over time apparently it has been adjusted by a lack of understanding of the roots of the game or possibly by improper storytelling. Because at the end of the story, the ugly duckling doesn't turn into a goose, he turns into a swan. Hence the moral, don't make fun of ugly kids becaue they might turn out to be hot. Anyways.

So Minnesota Greyduck drove down to "Jojah" and found themselves in an underdog position. The tournament director had put them in "the Power Bracket" meaning the most competitive one, and there were a lot of people upset about this, nay sayers quick to pipe up about how garbage Geyduck was, how they didn't deserve to be in the bracket, and how they wouldn't win any games. Playing as an unranked underdog against all the big tough teams who don't think you're good enough? Grey Duck didn't mind, and Team Freed wouldn't want it any other way.

Grey Duck went 3-1 on the first day of the tournament, beating three teams that it wasn't supposed to have a chance against. And Sunday we got to be their number one fans (1 and 2? Where's April when I need her?) as they entered the tournament playoffs. And with Jerod leading the way with a collection of aerially impressive points, Grey Duck dispatched with relative ease the Michigan State Burning Couch (which needs a better mascot) and the Dogs of War before finding themselves in the semifinals. Ah the smell of haters, eating their words. In the Semis they met UGA, who prevailed, but Grey Duck played them in a great game that was tight through the second half, losing narrowly at the end. But hey, what do you do, right? Third place in a bracket that you weren't supposed to have a chance in, with an overall tournament record of 5-2? Bravo.

What I love about watching (and playing) Ultimate is the way the disc floats. Every now and then, there will be a toss into the endzone, and two players are there, just waiting to try to snatch it out of the sky. And the disc just floats, slightly out of reach, as if building suspense, demanding your complete attention, before it drops just enough for both players to leap for it, and the result is either a fantastic point, or a fantastic defensive play.

The other thing I love about Ultimate is the chanting. As I hear one player yell, "Duck Duck!" and the rest in an adrenalous mob cry out "GREY DUCK!" and the pattern repeats three times, I get tingles. It feels like they're going into battle. And I love it. Hopefully some of the game footage I got will be online soon.

So after Ultimate was done for the day, we took the Johnson brothers to Fat Matt's Rib Shack, a staple Barbecue restaurant of the ATL. If you're ever in Atlanta, eat at this place. The line is out the door, the tables are packed, and it's not a fancy place, but if you want barbecue ribs or chicken, this is the place. We tore into a bunch of ribs and some potato salad as we caught up on life, and I felt like a messy carnivore, tearing into it's dinner. That's the way Barbecue needs to be eaten. (I got a hard time for not being messy enough, but it was so good I needed to get as much as possible into my mouth, and so I kept licking my fingers clean.)

And we talked about how we're going to have to get together sometime this summer and grill. I'm looking forward to it already.

-Wilder