Sunday, December 31st, 2023

 Happy New Year's Eve!

There are two things that I wanted to blog about today... the first of which was today's ISU basketball game that I took Maxwell to, in which the Cyclones defeated the New Hampshire Wildcats, 85-70. The Wildcats play in the America East Conference, and they are from Durham, New Hampshire.  

The memorable thing about today's game was that Keshon Gilbert recorded a triple double, which was only the eighth time that a Cyclone has ever accomplished the feat.  Gilbert had 10 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.  Watching the game, I had no idea that he was close to a triple double.  Gilbert was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Tamin Lipsey (16), Milan Momcilovic (15), Tre King (13), Hason Ward (10), and Curtis Jones (10).  It was nice to see Hason Ward playing again, as he had missed the last 9 games after being injured against Idaho State. 

Today was Maxwell's 28th ISU men's basketball game.  

Iowa State 85, New Hampshire 70.

The second thing that I wanted to blog about is that I went down to Memphis to watch the Cyclones play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.  Unfortunately, the Cyclones lost to the Memphis Tigers by a score of 36-26.  It was a quick trip down and back to Memphis for me.  Kickoff for the game was at 2:30 on Friday the 29th.  I had to work on Thursday, and after work I drove down to St. Louis where I stayed with the Gleasons.  My brother-in-law Brian came down to the game with me, and we left St. Louis around 6 AM on Friday.  We had enough time to tailgate for a while before heading into the game.  The weather was not great.  It was snowing for most of my drive down to St. Louis.  In Memphis it sprinkled lightly and was cold (40 degrees).  Iowa State's offence was completely one-dimensional, as they had ZERO rushing yards.  Rocco Becht threw for a school record 446 passing yards, which was fun at least.  

After the game, Brian and I went over to Beale street for some food and entertainment.  We tried to get into King Jerry Lawler's Hall of Fame Bar & Grille, but it was packed.  We grabbed supper at The Pig on Beale, where we each had pulled pork sandwiches.  They were tasty.  Afterwards, we headed over to Silky O'Sullivan's.  It was a dueling piano bar, and it was a lot of fun!  They also had 32 oz beers for only $8, which I though was great.  I had a couple of Yuengling beers, which I had never tried before.  

This was my third trip down to Memphis to watch ISU in the Liberty Bowl.  I had also attended the 2017 game (a win against Memphis) and the 2012 game (a loss against Tulsa).  

One of Brian's friends has a daughter in the marching band, who we were able to see.

The stadium did fill in better after this, but it was no where close to a sell-out like it was in 2017.  Memphis fans outnumbered Cyclones.

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

 Tonight Nolan and I attended the Iowa State men's basketball game against Eastern Illinois.  The Cyclones ran past the Panthers by a score of 80-48.  Eastern Illinois plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, and they are from Charleston, Illinois.  

The Cyclones had a balanced scoring attack today, as one player scored 18 and three others scored 16 points apiece.  I would say that Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game for the Cyclones, as he filled up the stat sheet the most (16 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals).  Curtis Jones led the team with 18 points, Robert Jones had 16, and Milan Momcilovic had 16 (all in the second half).  

This was Nolan's 33rd men's basketball game, and it was my second time watching ISU play against Eastern Illinois.  The Cyclones had defeated the Panthers by a score of 101-53 back in 2018.

GO CYCLONES!

Sunday, December 17th, 2023

 We had a fun weekend in Ames hosting the GLEKS Christmas party.  The Gleasons, Lacinas, and grandma Becky all came over for the weekend (although most had to stay at a nearby hotel since we don't have a lot of sleeping space at the house).

During our get-together we had a gift exchange, played lots of games (pig it and hog it, Secret Hitler, Hues and Cues, spoons), and we had lots of good food.  Yesterday we went out to Hickory Park, and today we ordered Pizza Pit.  We also had a foreign exchange student (Thomas) stop by for most of it.  

This afternoon most of us went over to Hilton for the ISU men's basketball game against the Florida A&M Rattlers.  The Saltons, Gleasons, and Thomas all went to the game.  This was Nolan's 32nd men's basketball game, and it was Maxwell's 27th game.  This was actually the second time that Maxwell and I have seen Iowa State play the Rattlers, as Florida A&M had upset the Cyclones back in 2019.

As for today's game, I would say that Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game, although it was a close call between him and Tre King.  Lipsey led the team with 19 points (including going 5-7 from three) and added 5 assists.  Tre King had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  They were joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Milan Momcilovic (14), Jackson Paveletzke (13), and Keshon Gilbert (10).  

Nolan and Maxwell posing with today's scoreboard.

Nolan got to enjoy a Clone Cone.  Maxwell had a soda and popcorn.

GLEKS cousins!

Sunday, December 10th, 2023

 Today I took Maxwell over to Hilton Coliseum, and we watched a dominant win for the Cyclones over the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 107-56.  

I would say that Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he had 19 points, a school record 8 steals, and 5 assists.  Tamin was joined in double figures scoring by Curtis Jones (22 points, including 6 made threes), Keshon Gilbert (20), and Milan Momcilovic (15).  

For Maxwell, this was the 26th time that he has been to an ISU men's basketball game.  He enjoyed a Clone Cone today, but I suppose he was a bit bored with some of the game, as it was a blowout.  

For myself, this was actually the second time that I have seen the Cyclones play against Prairie View A&M.  The previous time was way back in 2011.  

Iowa State 107, Prairie View A&M 56.  

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

 I am excited tonight because Nolan and I just watched a fun basketball game over at Hilton Coliseum, where the Cyclones dominated the Iowa Hawkeyes, 90-65.  The 25 point margin of victory was the largest that Iowa State has ever had in this series!

Nolan was having a lot of fun at the game today, and it was great because the crowd was really loud for most of the game.  Nolan enjoyed dancing to Juicy Wiggle.  This was his first CyHawk basketball game, and it was his 31st men's basketball game overall.  He also got to enjoy a Clone Cone :)

As for myself, this was the sixth time that I have attended an Iowa State / Iowa basketball game.  The Cyclones have won five of those games (today, 2021, 2017, 2015, and in 2013).  

Keshon Gilbert was the player of the game today.  He led all scorers with 25 points and added 6 assists.  He was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Robert Jones (18), Tre King (17), and Tamin Lipsey (11).  There was an exciting moment in the second half where Gilbert had just scored on a drive to the paint.  Then Tamin Lipsey stole the long inbounds pass and threw it ahead to Gilbert, who immediately turned around and drilled a 3-pointer.  Gilbert scored 5 points in just a few seconds!

IT'S A CYCLONE STATE!

Saturday, November 25th, 2023

 Today we arrived back in Ames after an amazing vacation to Turks and Caicos!  We left Ames on Saturday the 18th and flew from Minneapolis to Toronto, where we stayed the night.  On Sunday we flew to Providenciales, where we stayed at the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort until leaving on the 24th.  We stayed at a hotel in Minneapolis before returning home today.

We had really been looking forward to this trip for at least a year, and to pay for the vacation Elizabeth and I each donated plasma for most of that year.  In the end, we were able to pay for almost the entire trip with plasma money!  The resort was great, as it was located on Grace Bay, which had an amazing beach.  the resort had an awesome water park, multiple large swimming pools, a surfing simulator, and over 20 different restaurants.  I will try to sum up in chronological order how we spent our time there...

Sunday the 19th - We arrived to the resort around the middle of the day.  After a welcome and check in process, the kids and I ate at the Mac & Cheese food truck (which was located very close to our room in the French Village.  I had the crab mac, Maxwell had the All American, Nolan had taco mac, and we split an order of the deep fried mac balls.  They were out of the veggie mac, so Elizabeth grabbed a sandwich from Bobby Dees.  We then spent a good amount of time in the kid pool by Bobby Dees and then the water park.  For dinner we went to Schooners.  Nolan tried sea scallops as an appetizer, and he actually liked them!  I ordered conch chowder and the swordfish steak.  Also two pina coladas (they were very tasty).  Afterwards, while the kids relaxed in the room, Elizabeth and I checked out a dessert buffet.

Monday the 20th - We enjoyed breakfast at Barefoot by the Sea.  Elizabeth had the honey grilled pineapple, which was very good.  I ordered the Jamaican stamp and go, which was a couple of poached eggs on a saltfish fritter.  Nolan had peach pancakes, and Maxwell had an all American breakfast.  Then we swam at the Italian pool for quite a while.  The Italian pool was the largest pool at the resort, and the kids really liked it.  After that, Elizabeth was able to tye-dye a couple of shirts.  Then we walked over to Bella Napoli for some pizza at lunch.  I enjoyed the BBQ chicken pizza.  Afterwards, we checked out the beach.  Maxwell built sand castles while the rest of us did a bit of swimming and snorkeling.  After that, we did more swimming in a pool and played water volleyball.  After relaxing a bit in the room, Elizabeth and Nolan played giant chess.  Nolan won, but I gave him several pointers.  For dinner that evening we went to Soy for some sushi.  Nolan was a good sport and tried a spicy tuna roll and some salmon sushi.  It was not his favorite.  I ordered three rolls (crunchy shrimp, rocky road, and volcano) and some assorted sushi (salmon, eel, and conch).  After that the whole family did a night swim at the French pool.  The French pool was my favorite because they must have heated the pool.  It basically felt like bathwater and was always easy to get into, where the other pools seemed a but chilly initially until you got used to them.

Tuesday the 21st - We had breakfast at Neptunes.  Nolan had hard boiled eggs, Maxwell had the All American breakfast, Elizabeth had avocado toast, and I had eggs Benedict.  One funny thing happened during breakfast.  Maxwell exclaimed "Hey look there is a naked person over there!", and a few people at nearby tables all turned their heads to look.  It was just the statue of Neptune that he was pointing at, but it was pretty funny.  The kids thought that it was a riot because they could see the statue's butt.  After breakfast, we spent quite a bit of time enjoying the water park.  I talked Maxwell into trying out the red tube slide (he was nervous to do so at first).  After the first time he went down it, he loved it.  Over the next hour I probably went down it another 6 times with him besides floating on the lazy river in between.  For lunch we went to Cricketers Pub.  The wait time was longer than I would have liked, but the Guinness and the fish and chips were good.  After taking a break at the hotel, we went swimming at the Italian pool.  The kids had Bobby Dees for supper, and then we watched the Sesame Street show.  Maxwell was into the Muppet show, but Nolan thought it was too boring.  Then the kids were able to hang out in the hotel while Elizabeth and I went to an adults only restaurant for dinner, Le Petite Chateau.  Evening attire was required, so we had to dress up.  I ordered the French onion soup, lobster tail, and creme brulee.  The lobster tail was probably my favorite food of the trip.  

Wednesday the 22nd - We had breakfast at Sky.  I ordered the smoked salmon Benedict, Maxwell had tangerine beignets, and Nolan had eggs tomatillo.  The view of the ocean was the best part of breakfast.  Afterwards, we went swimming at the pool by Arizonas.  The Arizonas pool wrapped around 3 sides of the restaurant, and it has a little cave in one area that the boys likes to swim to and find some shade.  Next, we spent some time at the beach and did some of the watersports.  The four of us went on a hobie cat ride, and then Elizabeth and Nolan went kayaking.  For lunch we went to Neptunes.  I had the Greek salad with shrimp, Maxwell had the saffron fish basket, and Nolan had a burger.  After lunch Maxwell and I relaxed in the hotel while Elizabeth and Nolan went parasailing!  After that we met up at the water park and had plenty of time on the lazy river and water slides.  For supper we went to Barefoot by the Sea.  Maxwell had the coconut shrimp, I had conch fritters as an appetizer and the snapper for my entre, and Nolan ordered shrimp surf and turf.  The shrimp was good but the steak was kind of meh.  Then Elizabeth and Maxwell went to the Sesame Street show, and he was able to meet Cookie Monster.

Thursday the 23rd (Thanksgiving) - We had breakfast at Marios, which was a buffet. The buffet was probably easier for the kids than sit down restaurants.  Then we walked down the beach a ways and went snorkeling at a coral reef.  This was one of my favorite activities of the trip.  Nolan an I were the ones who snorkeled mostly.  Elizabeth wasn't feeling the best at the time, and Maxwell would rather stay on the beach and play in the sand.  Anyways, some of the fish we saw were "sergeant major" fish, which had kind of black and yellow vertical stripes.  We also saw Caribbean blue tang and some yellowtail snapper, among other fish that I have no idea what they were.  No sea turtles.  After spending time at the beach, we went swimming at the Arizonas pool (to try and get all the sand off of us as best as we could).  For lunch we went to Bayside, another buffet.  It was ok.  Then we did more swimming at the French pool.  For supper we went back to Soy.  I ordered the Firecracker bowl and some assorted sushi.  After the kids were relaxing in bed, Elizabeth and I watched a show at the Italian pool.  

On Friday all we really had time for was a breakfast at the Reflections buffet.  Then we had to check out and start our trip home.  

The boys enjoying the Italian pool.

Nolan having the ocean waves crash over him.

Elizabeth enjoying the waves at the beach.

Maxwell with his favorite statue.

My lobster from Le Petite Chateau.

Nolan doing a cannonball at the Arizonas pool.

Sunday, November 12th, 2023

 Today Maxwell and I went over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched the Cyclones easily defeat the Idaho State Bengals, 86-55.  Idaho State is a member of the Big Sky Conference, and their campus is located in Pocatello, Idaho.  

I would say that Tre King was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led the team in scoring with 16 points, with 14 points coming in the first half of play.  He was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Keshon Gilbert (16), Curtis Jones (14), and Milan Momcilovic (11).  Momcilovic made about 3 or 4 fade away jumpers that I just don't know how anyone could guard.  

I believe that today marks the 25th time that Maxwell has been to a men's basketball game.  

Iowa State 86, Idaho State 55

Another fun thing to note is that in one week our family will be on vacation to Turks and Caicos!  We've been saving up all year and donating plasma just to be able to go, and I can't wait for some time on the beach!

Thursday, November 9th, 2023

 Tonight I took Nolan over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched our first basketball game of the year, a convincing 102-47 victory for the Cyclones over the Lindenwood Lions.  

Lindenwood University is a private university located in St. Charles, Missouri.  It's a suburb of St. Louis, not far from where the Gleasons live in O'Fallon.  The Lions play in the Ohio Valley Conference.  

Tonight marks the 30th men's basketball game that Nolan has attended.  Before the game he enjoyed a Clone Cone, and he enjoyed the fact that Iowa State was able to reach the 100 point threshold.  

As far as the game goes, it was such a blowout that the game did seem to lack much excitement.  Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game for Iowa State.  He led the team in scoring with 21 points, and he added 7 assists.  Lipsey was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Milan Momcilovic (17), Keshon Gilbert (12), and Robert Jones (12).  Momcilovic is only a freshman, but it already seems like he will be a very special player for the Cyclones.  He connected on three 3's, and he had some nice fade-away jumpers which reminded me of Dirk Nowitzki.  

Nolan with his first Clone Cone of the season.

GO CYCLONES!

Saturday, November 4th, 2023

 Happy Homecoming Cyclones!

Well, it could have been more happy, but unfortunately Iowa State lost a tough game to the Kansas Jayhawks, 21-28.  Iowa State's offense just could not get going in the first half.  Rocco Becht threw a pick-6 in the second quarter, and then the Cyclones could never quite catch back up.  

Since it was Homecoming, I helped to push LaVonne onto the field at halftime while she performed with the Alumni Band.  I believe this was the ninth year that I have helped LaVonne with this.  Previous years were last year vs West Virginia, 2021 vs Oklahoma State, 2019 vs Oklahoma State, 2018 vs Texas Tech, 2017 vs TCU, 2016 vs Kansas State, 2015 vs Texas, and 2014 vs Toledo.  

Elizabeth also took Maxwell to today's football game (while Nolan got to hang out at home and watch videos by himself, like all day).  Today was the seventh football game that Maxwell has been to.  The previous game that Maxwell attended was this year vs Oklahoma State.

Today marks the eighth time that I have attended a football game against Kansas.  Iowa State had won all of the prior seven games... in 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, and 2002.  

Here the Alumni Band is lining up just a few minutes before marching onto the field.

Tuesday, October 31st, 2023

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today, after a busy day at work, I came home and helped get the boys ready to go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.  Elizabeth had made both of the boy's costumes this year from cardboard and paint.  Maxwell wanted to be some kind of speaker-titan thing from Skibidi toilet.  It's some viral video series on YouTube.  Nolan's costume this year was a "candy bowl monster" I believe.  She made it out of this giant cardboard box, and it was kind of funny to watch Nolan walk down the street with it.  I did not get a good picture of Nolan's costume because we were in a hurry to trick-or-treat.  Elizabeth took the boys (along with some friends) out while I stayed home and handed out candy.  It was a cold night, so we only had about 15 kids stop by the house.  Usually I would say we average 20 to 30 kids typically.

This past weekend Elizabeth and I carved a couple of jack-o-lanterns to decorate the front step.

This was Elizabeth's jack-o-lantern.

I carved this one.

This was the boys yesterday trick-or-treating in Ankeny.  

Saturday, October 7th, 2023

 I am happy but exhausted right now after a full day of tailgating and football.  I'm happy because Iowa State defeated the TCU Horned Frogs, 27-14.  It was a special win tonight, because today's game was honoring Jack Trice, who passed away 100 years ago this week.  

We had some special guests in town for the tailgate today.  Amy & Brandon brought their family over from Omaha, and Mike & Sara brought their family from Chicago.  Their son Coen actually turned 8 years old today, so Elizabeth was able to reserve an auditorium on campus to throw a little birthday party for him before the tailgate, which was a lot of fun.  Amy ended up coming into the game with me today.  The last time she came to a game with me was 2 years ago against TCU.

For the tailgate, we grilled brats and hot dogs, and we had plenty of other good food (pumpkin pie, homemade pretzel bites, homemade mustard, a German beer advent calendar).  I had fun playing catch with the nerf football with the kids in the grassy area south of the Scheman building. 

With regards to the game, it was a close first half, with the Cyclones leading 10-7 going into halftime.  In the third quarter Iowa State was really able to put the game away.  Abu Sama had a 55 yard TD run, and Easton Dean caught a 1 yard TD pass to break the game open.  The Cyclones intercepted TCU a total of 4 times in the game.  It is also worth noting that there was a nice firework display at the start of the game.

 I believe that this was the sixth time that I have attended a football game between the Cyclones and Horned Frogs.  The previous times were ISU victories in 2021, 2019, and 2017, while TCU came out on top in 2015 and in 2005.  GO CYCLONES!!

Saturday, September 23, 2023

 We just beat O-S-U!!

Tonight I am happy because I was able to take Maxwell to a see a fun win for the Cyclones over Oklahoma State, 34-27.  Rocco Becht played well at QB for the Cyclones, as he finished the game with 348 passing yards and three touchdowns.  Daniel Jackson had two receiving TDs, while Jaylin Noel caught the other.  

There was a concern of possible severe weather for today's game, but luckily that did not develop, and we only had momentary light sprinkles of rain.  The temperature was mild, and overall it was a great day for football.  Maxwell and I got out to the tailgate lots around 9:30 this morning, and we enjoyed a full day of tailgating before the 3:00 afternoon kickoff.

This was Maxwell's sixth ISU football game, and it was his third conference game.  The other conference games that he has been to were last year against Baylor and the 2021 game at Kansas State. 

Today was the fifth time that I have been to an ISU / Oklahoma State football game.  The previous games were a Cyclone victory in 2021, and Cowboy victories in 2019, 2015, and 2013.  

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023

 I am feeling worn out right now after taking the whole family to Iowa State's season opening football game, where the Cyclones defeated the UNI Panthers 30-9.

I got out to the tailgate lots early, around 7:15, to help set up. Elizabeth ended up bringing the kids out later so they did not have to rush out to the lots. This year we are tailgating in the B1 lot up by the Scheman building.  Today we kept the tailgate menu pretty simple, as we grilled a bunch of hot dogs.  George actually made some of them into "super dogs", which turned out really well.  Maxwell was super excited to finally try a drink called "Prime" for today's tailgate.  

I believe that today was the 9th football game that Nolan has been to, and it was Maxwell's 5th game.  The previous game for both of the kids was last year's Baylor game.  Today was the 8th time that I have seen the Cyclones play the Panthers in football, with Iowa State winning 6 of those games (2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, and 2011).  

As for the game, we actually missed the first score for the Cyclones, as Jeremiah Cooper intercepted Panther QB Theo Day and returned it for a touchdown early in the first quarter.  There was quite the delay getting into the stadium because they installed new ticket scanners, which did not seem to be working very well.  Anyways, the Cyclones scored the first 30 points of the game, and it was a nice, stress-free game.  Rocco Becht started at QB for the Cyclones, and there were quite a few new faces on the team that I will need to get used to.  Other notable things from today's game was a 56 yard field goal from ISU kicker Chase Contrreraz and a nice 36-yard TD pass from Becht to Benjamin Brahmer.  

The temperature for today's game got into the 90's, so it was HOT in the stadium.  

We couldn't get a good picture of all 4 of us in the stadium, as Maxwell was not cooperating.

Saturday, August 12th, 2023

 I'm a little worn out right now after taking Nolan and Maxwell down to Adventureland for a "fun filled day".  We're trying to make the most out of what little summer is left, as the boys will be starting school in less than two weeks.  Nolan will be starting 5th grade, and Maxwell will be starting 2nd grade.

Anyways, the boys and I had quite the day at Adventureland.  Right when we got there the boys hopped on the "Rockin' Rainbow", which has a bunch of seats suspended by chains and will spin around in a circle.  While they were on that I got in line for the "Space Shot", which is my favorite ride.  There wasn't much of a line on the rainbow ride, and the boys ended up riding that three times in a row in the time it took me to go on the Space Shot.  

After that, the boys rode quite a few more attractions... the Galleon, Speedway Racers, Tilt-A-Whirl, Scrambler, the Rockin' Rainbow again, and Lighthouse.  Of those, the only ride that I went on was the Galleon, but we did that one three times.   

For lunch we ordered foot long corn dogs and sodas.  While we were in line for food, Maxwell insisted like 5 times that he only wanted soda and not a corn dog.  So, that is what I ordered for him.  When our food came out, he was like "Those corn dogs look good", and he proceeded to eat my entire foot long corn dog while I had nothing.  I should have guessed that would happen, but with his medicine he is usually not very hungry for lunch.  

Nolan riding the Scrampler.

Maxwell on the Speedway Racers.

Both kids on the Rockin' Rainbow.

Sunday, July 30th, 2023

 Today our family returned home from Christmas in July, which was held at the Honey Creek Resort by Rathbun Lake.  Prior to this weekend, I had never been to this resort or to the lake.  I think that it turned out to be a great place to host our family's annual get-together.  

The hotel had a nice indoor pool, there was plenty of space for the family to gather together in conference rooms or at an outdoor shelter, and of course the lake provided plenty of fun.  Amy and Brandon brought two kayaks, which the kids enjoyed going on rides in.  Elizabeth was able to do some paddle-boarding.  

On Saturday we had a family trivia competition, where David had come up with all of the questions.  My table, nicknamed "Team Dinos" at Logan's request, brought home first place.  We also played a board game called "Hues and Cues", which I thought was a lot of fun.  All in all, it was a fun weekend with the family.

Emma, Logan, Maxwell, and Nolan enjoying time together at the beach.

Amy taking Emma for a kayak ride. 

Friday, June 23rd, 2023

 I just returned home from a fun trip up to Minneapolis, where I took Nolan and Eben to see the Twins play against the Red Sox.

We drove up yesterday morning and were able to check into our hotel (we stayed at the Cambria Hotel) before walking over to Target Field.  We picked this game to go to because recently Nolan has somewhat randomly decided to be a Red Sox fan.  This way we were both able to see our favorite teams play.  It turned out to be a great game for myself, but not so much for Nolan... as the Twins wound up winning 6-0.  

Joe Ryan pitched a complete game, 3-hit shutout for the Twins.  It was the first complete game shutout that a Twins pitcher has tossed in 5 years!  He struck out 9 Red Sox, while allowing no walks.  We also witnessed 3 home runs from the Twins.  Byron Buxton crushed two homers himself, and they were each over 465 feet long!  Carlos Correa also homered for the Twins.  The starting pitcher for the Red Sox, Justin Garza, had a rough outing and only lasted 1 inning.  

We sat in the second row of section 130 out in left field.  For most of the game we were able to be in the shade, which was nice, because it had to be about 90 degrees.  

After the game, we drove down to the Mall of America.  Nolan was able to ride a few rides at the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, and then we stopped to get some Legos at the Legoland store.  

Finally, we headed up to Matt's Bar for a classic Minneapolis treat, the Jucy Lucy.  It is basically a cheeseburger, but the cheese is inside of the meat patty.  I had been here before with Elizabeth back in 2012.

This marks the 9th time that I have seen a regular season MLB game.  The previous games were:

• 6/22/19 - Minnesota 5 @ Kansas City 3 (10 innings).
• 6/21/15 - Chicago Cubs 8 @ Minnesota 0.
• 7/7/14 - Seattle 2 vs Minnesota 0.
• 6/9/12 - Minnesota 11 vs Chicago Cubs 3.
• 5/29/11 - Chicago Cubs 3 vs Pittsburgh 2.
• 7/4/10 - Cincinnati 14 @ Chicago Cubs 3.
• 7/25/06 - Minnesota 3 @ Chicago White Sox 2.
• 8/7/05 - Boston 11 @ Minnesota 7. 

Myself, Nolan, and dad outside of Target Field

Here is Nolan with our view from section 130 in the background.

Nolan and Eben outside of Matt's Bar.

Sunday, May 7th 2023

 Today I drove home from a camping and fishing trip to Yellow River.  Nolan accompanied me on the trip, and we met up with the Seagos (Jon, Matt, Jeremy), Tyler, and Keith.  Originally I was planning to take our whole family of 4 on the trip, but Elizabeth ended up having her gallbladder taken out last Monday, so she needed to stay home and rest.  Then I gave both boys the choice to either stay home with mom or come camping with me, and Maxwell decided that he would rather stay home.  Anyways...

Nolan and myself arrived at the Little Paint campground around 5:00 on Friday (we stayed in camp site #120).  I had picked up Nolan from school a couple of hours early just to make sure we had plenty of time to get up there and set up camp.  It was a good thing that we got camp set up early, because we did end of having a a decent amount of rain that night (about 3/10ths of an inch from what I could find online).  After we set up camp we did try our luck fishing.  Nolan and I walked down the path a ways at Little Paint.  We went to the spot where he caught a fish immediately two years ago, but not even a nibble was had this time.  We tried a couple of other spots (including the rock wall to the left at the first fork in the trail), but still no luck.  We came back to camp and hung out around the fire in a light rain.  The rain persisted and was annoying for quite a while, and after Nolan went to bed it picked up (and Matthew and myself ended up getting pretty soaked).  As it turned out, Jon also got soaked that night... as his tent had a leak in it.

On Saturday Nolan and myself tried our luck fishing at the hole right by camp, and it turned out to be good luck.  I caught 2 rainbow trout, and Nolan managed to catch one all by himself!  He was having some troubles figuring out how to cast, but by the time the day was over he had it figured out nicely.  During the middle of the day, we rode to Prairie du Chien with Jon, Matt, and Jeremy.  Jon had to get a new tent, and the rest of us bought some New Glarus beers.  After spending too much time driving around, we went back to the same fishing hole close to camp.  Jon caught a brown trout, and Nolan caught two more nice rainbow trout!  I was very proud of him for doing so well!  So between Nolan and myself we had caught 5 trout, which was our limit for the day.  

Saturday afternoon and evening ended up being gorgeous weather.  I was expecting scattered thunderstorms, but nothing came of it besides being overcast.  We were able to enjoy a nice campfire with basically no wind and great temperatures.  

This was the third time that Nolan has been up to Yellow River fishing with me.  I'm not sure how many times I have been up there, but here are some past trips: 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2014, 2013, and 2012. 

Nolan with the Harpers Ferry boat sign

Nolan holding up the stringer of fish we caught Saturday afternoon.  Nolan caught the top two, and Jon caught the bottom one.  

Sunday, April 23rd, 2023

Yesterday I had a lot of fun participating in "Cy's House of Trivia".  Amy came over from Omaha to join our table "Kalscheur Klub", which also included myself, Elizabeth, Dan & Anne, Ryan, George, and Jess.  Our table ended up placing 12th out of 100 tables, which I believe is the best that we have ever finished.  To make it even better, Ryan ended up winning the golf raffle prize!

Categories for Cy's House of Trivia included: Famous Iowans, "Clone Cones", movies in a picture, US history, beginning of business, musical math, emoji states, and Cyclone weather alert.  

I was able to chat with John Walters a little bit, and I asked him what the loudest moment was in Hilton that he can remember.  He thought of a few different possibilities, but the first moment that came to his mind was Naz Long's buzzer beater 3 to force overtime against Oklahoma State.

Saturday, February 25th, 2023

 Well, today I took Maxwell with me to Hilton, where we watched the #23 ranked Cyclones drop a game vs Oklahoma, 61-50.  Iowa State has really been in a slump recently, as they have lost 7 of their last 9 games.  Not exactly the way you want to be playing heading into March...

I believe that this was the 24th basketball game that I have taken Maxwell to.  He still has not seen ISU defeat the Sooners.  Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech are the other conference teams that he still needs to see the Cyclones defeat.  

As for today's game, the Cyclones were leading by 5 points at halftime, but for a large portion of the second half their offense completely stalled.  I would say that Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he scored 10 points and had 4 steals.  Gabe Kalscheur was the only other Cyclone in double figures today, with 12.  

Today was the 9th time that I have seen ISU play Oklahoma, and it is only the second time that the Sooners have won.  ISU was victorious in 2022, 2019, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.  The only other game that OU won was back in 2003.  

Overall this year I attended 11 men's basketball games.  ISU won nine of those and lost the last two.  I was happy that I was able to cross Kansas off of the list of teams that Nolan needed to see Iowa State defeat, and it was fun to cross Texas off of that list for Maxwell.  

Wins:

• Kansas
• Texas
• Baylor
• Western Michigan
• St. John's
• North Dakota
• UW-Milwaukee
• North Carolina A&T
• IUPUI

Losses:

• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State

Saturday, February 11th, 2023

 Today Eben came down to visit and brought us some meat from a beef that took to the locker recently.  We ordered Pizza Pit for lunch (one sausage and one Canadian bacon / pineapple pizza).  Nolan proclaimed after trying it that pineapple does not belong on pizza.  We then spent some time watching old home movies that Eben had made.  Those were the highlights of the day.

I also took Eben over to Hilton today, but unfortunately it was a stinker of a basketball game, as #11 Iowa State fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 64-56.  The Cyclones shot poorly from the free throw line, hitting only 9-19.  I would say that Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game for ISU, as he had 12 points and 6 rebounds.  The only other Cyclone in double digits scoring was Aljaz Kunc (13).  

Today was the 9th time that I have attended a basketball game between the Cyclones and Cowboys.  Iowa State has won 6 of those games (2020, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, and 2013).  

Saturday, February 4th, 2023

 LET'S GO CYCLONES!!

Today Nolan and I were able to watch an exciting win by the #13 Cyclones, as they defeated the #8 Kansas Jayhawks, 68-53.  

This was the 29th time that I have taken Nolan to a men's basketball game, and it was his 11th conference game.  After today's win, the only Big 12 team that he has not seen Iowa State defeat in person is the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  The other conference wins that Nolan has attended are: West Virginia in 2022, Oklahoma in 2022, Texas in 2020, Baylor in 2018, Texas Tech in 2017, Kansas State in 2016, and TCU in 2014.  

Today was the seventh time I have attended an ISU / Kansas basketball game, and it was Iowa State's third win.  The other games where I saw the Cyclones defeat the Jayhawks were in 2019 and in 2015.  

As for today's game, I would say that Jaren Holmes was the player of the game, as he led the team with 15 points.  He connected on 4 of 6 from three point range.  Holmes was joined in double figures scoring by Osun Osunniyi (13) and Tre King (10).  The Cyclones forced 20 Jayhawk turnovers, compared to only 10 for Iowa State.  

Today's game was "Gold Rules", and there were golden pop-poms on every seat.

GO CYCLONES!!

Tuesday, January 17th, 2023

 I am very happy tonight that I was able to take Maxwell to an exciting basketball game, in which the #12 Cyclones defeated the #7 Texas Longhorns, 78-67.   This game was a sell-out, and it was a "white out", as everyone was encouraged to wear white.  The crowd was very loud and feisty all night, especially towards Tyrese Hunter, who had transferred from ISU to Texas in the off season.

This was the 22nd basketball game that I have taken Maxwell to, and this was the first time that he has witnessed Iowa State defeat Texas.  I believe that the #7 ranking for Texas marks the highest ranked win that Maxwell has seen. As far as conference games go, Maxwell has also watched ISU defeat Kansas State in 2020, West Virginia in 2018, TCU in 2017, and Baylor in 2017.  One of my goals is to take Maxwell to a victory against every Big 12 team.  So he only has Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech left.  

For myself, today's game was the 9th time that I have attended an ISU/Texas man's basketball game, and it was the 8th win!  Iowa State also came out on top in 2020, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2004. The lone victory for Texas was in 2018.  

As for tonight's game, Jaren Holmes was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he had a game-high 21 points.  Holmes was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Caleb Grill (17), Gabe Kalscheur (16), and Osun Osunniyi (11).  

Way to go Cyclones!!