Happy Birthday, Grandpa Ken!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Ken!!!

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Have a great day!

Check Out This Grill...

Yesterday was the big day.

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Here is Austin on his way to get his new look...~~~

And here is Austin, sporting his new "grill"!
Complete with orange bands!

Enjoy Austin's new look--he will probably have it for the next 2.5 years!

Signs of Spring

It is spring time in Barron, WI!

Today the dogs and I walked the yard, searching for Signs of Spring, and our search did not go unrewarded! Of course, there are pictures to share with you all of our nature hike, proving that spring is indeed here in Barron, WI...

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The Squirrels are out scampering in the yard...~~~

Weeds have officially "peeked up" through the cracks in my sidewalk...
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Water is no longer frozen, but flowing freely in our yard...

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Trees are budding and starting to bloom!

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Oh, how I look forward to seeing those tender, green shoots on the trees!

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Birds are pooping on the sidewalks...

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The trusty grill has emerged from the dark garage, ready to make many meals for the Klimek Family...

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Lillies are shooting up out of their winter beds...

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Dogs are feeling frisky and wrestling with abandon...

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Sticks have become the favorite toy in the yard...
(okay, that is year-round!)

We reveled in the 80 degree weather today and enjoyed our walk around the yard tremendously! I can't tell you how long I have waited for this weather! (Probably as long as all of you that live in the "Frozen Tundra"!)

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Of course, the true Sign of Spring showed itself tonight.

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A spring thunderstorm that brought with it a nasty little suprise...

Yep, Abz picked up that piece of hail from our front porch tonight.

(Please excuse the callouses on her palms--they are going through the Presidential Physical Fitness portion of their Phy Ed, and she has been doing chin-ups, as well as arm hangs on the bar. I am happy to report that so far, Abz is earning a BLUE ribbon!)

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This was the view from our front porch...

Hail isn't a friend to those in the car business. Jamie assures me it was too small to do any harm, though...

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Happy Spring!!!

Chicks With Sticks

Abby recently joined a group at school called "Chicks With Sticks"--it is a group of about 4 girls that showed some intrest to their art teacher, Ms. Waters, in learning how to knit. Abby has taken on her new hobby with great gusto, and has taken off with the knitting needles like an old pro! Auntie Sheila would be so proud!

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Here is the Chick with the Sticks demonstrating her knitting skills...

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Abby's first project was a scarf made in our school colors--maroon and gold. She brought it home the first day she began working on it and declared it was for her friend (and mine), Kelli. Kelli is one of Abby's great friends. Kelli invites Abby and the girls over to her house for fun activities--like "LOPNBA" parties (Lots Of Pickles, No Boys Allowed) and egg-dying parties. Abby loves spending time with Kelli.

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Here is Kelli, graciously modeling the scarf Abby made for her. Kelli wore it proudly to the boy's track meet last Tuesday.

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Abby made a project for me, also. She wasn't sure what it would be, as she didn't have very much yarn to begin with. The end result is a charming hot pad that will be perfect for my oblong casseroles and my cake pans!

Thanks, Abz!

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Yet another project was Abby finishing a scarf that I had started a few years ago. I didn't have very much done on it, and Abby worked hard to finish it.
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Here is Abby, showing that knitting, and the end results, can be great fun!

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What a dork!!!

:-)

RVMS Track Meet--Cumberland

Andrew had his first track meet of the season on Tuesday afternoon at Cumberland. The scheduled start time was 4:00. I took off work at 3:30 to arrive in Cumberland in time for the meet to start. Did you know that track meets go in an order??? Field competition starts first, followed by hurdles, lengthy races, etc. Did you know that Andrew's events, the 200m and the 4X200 (formerly known as the 800 relay back in my day) are some of the VERY LAST events of the meet?!? Well, I sure did not!

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After standing at the meet for 2 hours, watching everyone else's kids, I was eagerly anticipating seeing Andrew compete. Well, it seemed it was not to be--my pager went off! Elderly man in the ER with abdominal pain--needs a gallbladder ultrasound--UGH!!! I had just stood out in the cold and wind for TWO HOURS and now I wouldn't get to see my Andrew run! Well, I told the hospital I would be in in about 45 minutes--my maximum call-back period, and I stalled. I sat in my vehicle up on the hill and stalled. I watched the girls run the 200m and I stalled. Finally, the boys started running the 200m--I really had to get going, but I knew Andrew was just about to race, so, I stalled. Of course, there were about 5 heats of boys running the 200m, and Andrew was in the very last heat. As Andrew started running, my pager went off again--oh, no! What could I do, but stall! I waited until Andrew finished his race (only about a half minute), and took off in the "booger" (the Expedition) while I called the ER. Turns out, the doctor changed his mind and wanted a CT instead, and they hoped I wasn't too mad about it! I assured them I was okay, drove around the block, and went back to the track meet! Whew! That was a close one!

:-)

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Here is a picture of Andrew running the 200m, taken from up on the hill through the window of my "booger"...~~~

Andrew's other event was the 4X200m--or the 800m relay, as we called it back in the olden days. Their team did really well, and they beat their own personal best time they had established in practice.

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Here is Andrew receiving the baton from Tim...

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Andrew breaking away from the competition...
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Andrew down the home stretch!
(I love this picture!)

Closing in on the hand-off...

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Elliott (runner #3) handing off to Isaiah (runner #4)

While I was waiting for Andrew's relay race, I was able to watch Neil and Carsen compete in the high jump...

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Here is Carsen clearing the bar...

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Neil grabbing some serious air!

It was a fun (and cold) night at the track! Next meet is next Tuesday at Bloomer...

Holy Cow! Beware of Global Warming...

Researchers in Argentina, in an attempt to understand and reduce global warming effects, have figured out what the true threat to our environment is...

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The Cow.

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Due to the cow's four stomachs, which results in very long digestive periods, cows, it seems, are prime producers of methane gas! Methane gas, as we all know, is 23 more times effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, thus leading to global warming. A single cow has the capabilities of producing between 800 to 1,000 liters of emissions, including methane, each day!

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Astonishing!

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Now, you may be wondering how these scientists in Argentina were able to gather this specific data regarding the emissions of cows per day--I know I was!

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Well, here is the answer: apparently, Argentinian cows walk around all day with these "flatulence backpacks" strapped to their backs to trap their "emissions"...

I shudder to think what may happen when the backpack reaches it's capacity!

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Do not be dismayed--millions of US tax dollars are being directed toward this research, as well, so those Argentinians won't be the only ones solving the global warming problem by curbing their cow's emissions.

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After all, it must be the fault of the cows--global warming couldn't be caused by something else...

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For more information on these spectacular Argentinian cows, visit
http://www.physorg.com/news135003243.html

Happy Birthday, Timmy!

Happy Birthday to a Klimie Cousin,

Timothy Roger!

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We hope you are having a great birthday--no pics tonight, as the blog author is at Grandma's house...

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Hope it was a great one!!!

What Are the Klimie Kids Up To Now???

Well, now that basketball is officially over for the Klimek Family, you may find yourself wondering, "What are those Klimek Kids up to these days?"

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Well, I am glad you asked!

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We will start with Abby. Right now, Abby is playing volleyball with her fourth grade team. She is gearing up for her first volleyball tournament of three that will be held this weekend at the Unity School District in Balsam Lake. She is overly thrilled that her mom is once again coaching her team, the Barron Gold team. We had so many girls out for volleyball this year, that we had to divide them into three teams for tournament play.

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Here is Abby posing with her volleyball...~~~

Andrew is waiting for baseball season to start, and spending his time now running track for the Riverview Middle School. He is planning on running the 200 relay and the 200 in the meets. His first track meet is on Tuesday, April 21st at Cumberland.

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Here is Andrew with his Barron Track shirt on and showing off his track shoes...

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Austin has decided to pass on baseball this year in lieu of golf. He has been spending a lot of time on the golf course getting ready for his first meet that will be tomorrow (Thursday) at Cumberland. Guess who earned one of the five spots on the Varsity Team for tomorrow's meet?!?!

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Here is Austin modeling his Barron Golf shirt and sporting his snazzy golf club!

So, that is what the Klimie Kids are keeping busy with these days. I hope you enjoyed the pictures of them in their various sport uniforms with their various sporting equipment--I was so lucky to have been able to catch them all on the same day with both uniforms on and equipment in hand!

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Happy Spring!!!

Barron Golden Bears 2013-the End of an Era

On Saturday and Sunday, April 4th and 5th, the Barron Golden Bears played in the Great Northwest Basketball League Eighth Grade State Invitational Championships in Steven's Point, WI. While we were all excited for the boys to play in another State Championship, it was a bitter-sweet time, as it was the last time our Golden Bears traveling team would play together. Not only did this weekend tournament wrap up the past six months of our basketball season, it was the end of the boys' four-year run together as a team.

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The boys came out ready to play on Saturday morning to face their first opponent, Edgerton. They pulled out a win in that competition, and went on to play Xavier in the second game. Xavier proved to be too much for us, as we lost our second game. Our third game found us matched against New Berlin West for a close contest. We ended victorious against New Berlin to enter into a fourth game of the day against Lodi. Lodi had a player that was about 6'6", and their team could really hit the three-pointers. They held the lead throughout most of the game, and we ended up on the lower end of the scoreboard as the clock ran out. We ended our Saturday with a 2 and 2 record.

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Here are our boys in the huddle, getting some "words of wisdom" from Coach Rasmussen... ~~~
Poor Andrew had been out of school with some kind of virus that had him registering a temperature around 102 since Wednesday. After missing three days of school and sleeping for the majority of the time, he played in the tournament "doped" up on Tylenol and cough syrup in an attempt to help him be healthy enough to play. Here he is taking a rest on the bench--he looks pretty peaked...

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In spite of feeling pretty cruddy, Andrew did a great job playing point guard. Of course, I have a few pics of him from the weekend...
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Exploding past the defender!
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Working the ball around the court...

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Firing up a shot!

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Beating the defense!

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Andrew for two!

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Surveying the court...

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The defense can't catch him!

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Our team watching the game with anticipation...

On Sunday, we played two games. Our first game of the day was against Monroe. Our boys earned a "W" in that game--due to our previous days record, the highest we could earn in the tournament was 13th place. Our last game, ironically, found us up against New Berlin West AGAIN! This was the team that we beat (barely) the day before, now we were playing them in the last game of our tournament for 13th place. Our boys played a tough game--went into DOUBLE OVERTIME, and ended up losing the last game by only two points! This earned us a Fourteenth place ribbon for the weekend with a final record of 3 wins, 3 losses.

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Our boys were really fired up for their last game--here they are in a huddle in the middle of the court getting psyched for the game! Look close--Timmy is in the middle, giving them a pep-talk! ~~~
And now, a few shots of the guys...

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Carsen puts it up underneath.

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Carsen, again, for two!

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Elliott working through the defense!

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Elliott grabs some air!

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Isaiah looks for the open play...

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Isaiah works it down the court...

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Macky tearing up the court!

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Macky puts it up!

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Michael sneaks by his defender...

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Michael goes up strong!

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Neil puts it up outside the three!

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Neil shoots around his defender...

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Nick lays it in...

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Nick goes up for two!

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Tim scores two!!!

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Tim warming up...

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Zach towers over the defenders...

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Zach shows off with his right hand!

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The fans had fun watching the games, too! Here are the little sisters, sporting their Barron Bears gear at the game...

(Abby and Ahna)

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Some big brothers came to watch the action, too!

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Austin and Derek cheesing for the camera

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Austin, Derek, and Micah hamming it up!~~~
Andrew's personal fan club!

Grandma Pat, Grandpa Denny, Grandma Deb, Grandpa Ken, Dad, and Austin

Thanks, Grandmas and Grandpas for coming to support Andrew and the Golden Bears!

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One tired big brother...

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The little sisters got to enjoy the swimming pool at our hotel in the evenings. Abby, Ahna, and Josie had fun swimming, "diving" for bouncy balls, demonstrating various jumping poses, and soaking in the hot tub.

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Here is Abby, demonstrating "The Squirrel"--named so by her, not me!

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The little sisters lounging in the hot tub--Abby, Josie, and Ahna

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Three crazy girls!
Ahna, Abby, and Josie

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Thanks, Golden Bears, for a fun four years. We look forward to watching you boys play next year in high school. A special thanks to our coaches, Coach Brent and, especially, Coach Bruce, for all of the time and commitment you gave to our boys to make them into the basketball players they are today.

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Two people we will miss next basketball season...

Thanks, Bruce, and good luck at Memorial, Nick!

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Thanks for all of the fun memories, Golden Bears! We are proud of you!