Sunday, April 19th, 2026

 This weekend I took Maxwell and Nolan up to dad's farm.  Friday night Nolan, dad, and I played The Farming Game for quite a long time (while Maxwell watched TV). We didn't even put the game away at bedtime, but instead we resumed playing in the morning. Eben ended up being the big winner, and it seemed that fruit was a good investment for him.

On Saturday we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant in Spencer. After that we let the boys play at a playground for a while. On the way home we stopped by the Logan township cemetery briefly before heading back to the farm. Next, the boys rode on the go kart for a while, although that was cut short due to a flat tire.  They did still manage to have some fun with it though. This morning before driving back to Ames we helped tag a couple of newborn calves.

Sunday, March 29th, 2026

 This weekend I took Elizabeth and the kids up to Mason City to visit grandma Becky and to celebrate my birthday. 

Friday night after arriving in Mason City, Elizabeth and I went out for some drinks as Fat Hill Brewing.  They had some live music by a group called "The Sheet". After that, we stopped over to the Sports Page to watch the ISU basketball game. Unfortunately, the Cyclones ended up losing to Tennessee in the Sweet 16. 

On Saturday we hung out at grandma's house for a bit, we let the kids play at a nearby park, and then we went to the "No Kings" rally in Mason City. Grandma had made a funny poster that showed Trump peeing into a fan and back onto himself. There were lots of other fun posters that we saw with things like "Orange Lies Matter" and "You can't fix stupid, but you can vote it out". It was nice to see a bunch of Iowans with some common sense.  We did stop by Birdsall's that afternoon to enjoy some ice cream.

That night, we all went out to eat at Northwestern Steakhouse, which I picked as my birthday meal.  This was the kids' first time here.  Nolan, Maxwell, and grandma all ordered the fillet with spaghetti. I wanted to try something different, so I ordered the ribeye with spaghetti.  After comparing each, I would say that the fillet is definitely the best, but the ribeye was good too. 

Saturday, March 7th, 2026

 #6 Iowa State 86, Arizona State 65

Today Maxwell and I had a fun afternoon.  We went out for lunch at Culvers, we watched Iowa State's senior day win over Arizona State, and then we went over to Edwards Elementary so that we could play basketball. Maxwell had enjoyed the game so much that he felt that he needed to shoot some hoops.

As for the game, the Cyclones were trailing at halftime 41-37, but they went on a decisive 24-0 run in the second half to put the game away. Tamin Lipsey was the player of the game, as he had 16 points, 6 steals, and 6 assists. He was joined in double figures scoring for Iowa State by Joshua Jefferson (16), Milan Momcilovic (16), Jamarion Batemon (13), and Dominykas Pleta (11).  The Cyclones end the regular season with a record of 25-6. 

Today was the 43rd men's basketball game that Maxwell has attended, and this was the first time that he has witnessed a victory over the Sun Devils. Now, there are only 4 teams in the Big 12 that Maxwell has not seen the Cyclones beat (Arizona, BYU, Houston, and Utah). As for myself, this was the first time that I have seen Iowa State take down Arizona State.  I have now seen the Cyclones defeat every team in the Big 12!

To recap the season, here are the games that I attended:

Wins;

• Arizona State
• Houston
• Baylor
• Colorado
• UCF
• Oklahoma State
•  West Virginia
• Houston Christian
• Long Beach State
• Eastern Illinois
• Iowa
• Alcorn State
• Grambling State
• Fairleigh Dickinson

Losses:

• Texas Tech

Cyclones 86, Sun Devils 65

Maxwell had a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings at Culvers for lunch.

Saturday, February 28th, 2026

I'm a little bummed today because the #4 Cyclones lost to #16 Texas Tech, 73-82. This was the first home loss of the season for Iowa State, and I had hoped that the Cyclones could have been perfect at home this season... but it was not meant to be.

I took Maxwell with me to today's game.  This was the 42nd men's basketball game that he has attended, and it was his second game vs. Texas Tech (2024 was the first). As for myself, this was the ninth time that I have seen the Cyclones play the Red Raiders in basketball.  The Cyclones had won all of the previous 8 games before today (2024, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, and 2012). 

As for the game, Iowa State fell in a big hole in the first half and could never recover. Texas Tech led at halftime 45-29. For the game, Texas Tech made 14 of 29 from three point range. Joshua Jefferson led the Cyclones with 22 points. He was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Milan Momcilovic (20) and Tamin Lipsey (13).  On the bright side, tomorrow is the start of my favorite month!  Here's hoping to better basketball from the Cyclones in March. 

Monday, February 16th, 2026

 #6 Iowa State 70, #2 Houston 67

WOW. Tonight I took Nolan over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched probably the most exciting basketball game that I have ever been to. From the opening tip to the final play, the crowd inside Hilton was probably the best that I have been a part of.  Just tons of energy.  Of course the game was of huge significance, as it was a battle of top-10 teams.  So, when Iowa State fell behind by a score of 63-53 with about seven minutes to play, the team (and the fans) really had to dig deep to come out on top.  The Cyclones were able to end the game on a 17-4 run after that. Each of the 8 players that played for the Cyclones today scored at least 6 points, and the bench players really stepped up.  Jamarion Batemon made a 3 with a little over 2 minutes to play that put Iowa State on top 66-65.  Houston scored on the next possession before Nate Heise made the play of the night for Iowa State. He sank a 3 from the corner as the shot clock expired to put ISU up for good. Tamin Lipsey had a huge rebound for ISU down the stretch as well.

So, I would say the player of the game tonight was Nate Heise, who scored 11 points (including the clutch 3 at the end).  He was joined in double figures scoring by Joshua Jefferson (12) and Blake Buchanan (10). 

Tonight's game is the 52nd men's basketball game that Nolan has attended.  After tonight, there are only 3 teams left in the Big 12 that he has not witnessed Iowa State defeat (Arizona State, BYU, and Cincinnati). I believe that this is the 4th time that Nolan has seen the Cyclones defeat a top-25 team.  The previous games were against #22 Arizona last year, #5 Marquette last year, and #8 Kansas in 2023. 

As for myself, tonight's game is the first meeting I have seen between the Cyclones and Houston.  It was also the 11th time that I have seen Iowa State knock off a top-10 team.  The previous games were:

• #5 Marquette last season
• #7 Kansas in 2024
• #7 Texas in 2023
• #8 Kansas in 2023
• #5 Kansas in 2019
• #8 Texas Tech in 2018
• #9 Baylor in 2017
• #1 Oklahoma in 2016
• #9 Kansas in 2015
• #7 Michigan in 2013

GO STATE!

Saturday, February 7th, 2026

 Happy 9th birthday Logan!

The main reason I wanted to blog today was because I was able to take Nolan over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched the #7 Iowa State Cyclones hold off Baylor, 72-69.

While the final score ended up close, the Cyclones really were never in a position to lose the game.  They were leading by 14 points with just over 2 minutes to play, before Baylor went on an 11-0 run to end the game.  Milan Momcilovic was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led the team with 21 points. He was joined in double figures by Joshua Jefferson (15) and Tamin Lipsey (14).  Iowa State now has a record of 21-2, and things seem to be lining up nicely for them to be well-seeded in the NCAA tournament. 

Today's game marks the 51st time that Nolan has been to an ISU men's basketball game, and it was his third time watching the Cyclones play Baylor. The previous games he has attended between the Cyclones and Bears were in 2022 and 2018. As for myself, this was the ninth matchup between these teams that I have seen.  That includes Cyclone wins today as well as in 2025, 2023, 2018, 2017, and 2013. The Bears came out on top in 2022, 2019, and in 2015. 

Today's game was a "white out", and they had white pom poms on every seat.

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

#8 Iowa State Cyclones 97, Colorado Buffaloes 67.

Tonight Maxwell and I enjoyed watching the Cyclones cruise to an easy victory over Colorado.  The game really was a blowout from the start, as the Cyclones raced out to a 30-4 advantage to start the game. It was difficult to pick tonight's player of the game, but I will go with Tamin Lipsey, who scored 14 points and dished out 5 assists.  He was one of six Cyclones who were in double figures scoring.  The others were Jamarion Batemon (17), Milan Momcilovic (16), Joshua Jefferson (13), Killyan Toure (12), and Dominykas Pleta (12). 

I am always glad when one of the boys gets to cross off another conference opponent.  As of now, the only 5 Big 12 teams that Maxwell has not seen the Cyclones defeat are: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Houston, and Utah.  Today's game was the 41st men's basketball game that I have taken Maxwell to.  It was the second time that I have watched the Cyclones play the Buffaloes (that I can remember anyways). The previous game was in 2025.  

Maxwell was happy that Colorado scored "6-7".