Sunday, June 21st, 2020

Happy Father's Day 2020

I've had a good father's day, although this weekend has been relatively lazy for us.  Mostly we have been hanging out around the house with the boys.  This morning I played battleship with Nolan, we made tacos for lunch, played some basketball in the driveway with the boys, took a short nap, called Eben, and made BLTs for supper.  

One fun thing that we were able to get figured out while talking with Eben was a fishing trip to Cass Lake from August 15th through the 19th.  Amy and Logan should be able to go as well, so it will be fun having the three boys together at the lake.  

Sunday, May 31st, 2020

Well, it has been over a month since my last blog, and unfortunately once again things in this country seem to keep getting worse. 

Coronavirus update: As of today there have been 19,484 Iowans that have officially tested positive for the virus, including 533 deaths.  Back when I last blogged on 4-18-20, those numbers were 2,513 positive cases and 74 deaths.  As a nation, there has now been over 1.8 million positive cases and 106 thousand deaths. 

If you could believe it, that is not what has had this nation in distress over the last few days.  There have been widespread riots in almost every major city in the country for a few days now following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers.  It's tragic how racist people in this country are and how evil police brutality can be.  The riots have been terrible as well, with immense property damage and additional loss of life / injuries. 

To focus on the more happy news, we did have a good weekend at home with the boys.  Friday night I camped out with the boys in our tent in the back yard.  Today we ordered Hickory Park takeout for lunch, and then the whole family went for a walk around campus.  It was a very nice day to be outside.   

Saturday, April 18th, 2020

I might as well start today's post focusing on the fun news.  This afternoon I was able to take Nolan fishing at a small pond in Somerset.  We only stayed for around 30 to 40 minutes (because someone gets bored quickly), but in that time we did manage to catch and release 4 bluegill.  Nolan even helped reel each of the fish in!  It was nice just to get out of the house a little, since we've been cooped up quite a bit recently. 

Our family has also been trying our best to support local businesses.  Yesterday we got takeout from Brick City Grill, and we also bought a few beers from Torrent Brewing Company. 

I thought I would also give an update on the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, since it's surprising how much they have changed in the last week since my previous blog post.  As of today, there have been 2,513 people test positive in Iowa, including 74 deaths.  There were 181 new cases just today in the state.  A week ago there were 1,510 cases in Iowa, with 34 deaths.  So in a week the total cases in the state has increased by over 1,000, and the death total has more than doubled.  Crazy.

As for the country as a whole, 701,610 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19, while 37,055 people in the USA have died from it. 

Saturday, April 11th, 2020

So, wow.  A lot has changed in this world since my last blog post.  It was a month ago today that Nolan last had school (March 11th), and that will likely be his last day of first grade.  Due to the new coronavirus and COVID-19, the world as we know it has came to a screeching halt.   Elizabeth has not been working from her office since March 13th.  It's a good thing that she has been able to work from home during that time.  As of now, I am still going into the office, but my hours have been reduced to working only 3 days a week.  When I first enter my building my temperature is taken, and I am screened for any COVID-19 symptoms.  All gatherings of over 10 people are cancelled.  Restaurants and bars are all closed, although some places still offer takeout.  All sports have been cancelled, which included my favorite sporting event of the year... March Madness. 

As of today in Iowa, there have been 1,510 positive cases of COVID-19, with 122 of those new cases just today.  A total of 34 Iowans have died from the virus.  As of this afternoon, a total of 20,229 people in the United States have died.  Millions of people across the country are out of work.  It's hard to find any news story that is not related to COVID-19.  People are advised to stay at least 6 feet away from others.  Just going grocery shopping has been a big deal.  There was a rush on toilet paper, and it's been hard to find it recently in stores.  We try to only go to the grocery store once a week or less now. 

The price of gas in Ames today is $1.79 at most places.  I actually heard a report of gas just under $1.00 somewhere in Missouri this week. 

My family has definitely been feeling cabin fever recently.  The boys have a hard time being cooped up in the house all day.  We take them for walks, but even the playground equipment at the parks are closed, so we just have to stay on the trails.  The highlight of today was just ordering takeout from Pizza Pit.  Elizabeth and I have been trying to support some local restaurants as best as we can.  For my birthday I ordered some brisket from Cornbred BBQ. 

Cheese pizza for the kids.

Sausage and onions for me :)

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Well, the 2019-2020 Iowa State men's home basketball season has come to an end.  Tonight I went over to Hilton to watch the Cyclone's Senior Night game against West Virginia, and the Mountaineers came out on top, 77-71.  West Virginia played well in the first half and took a 44-31 lead into the locker room, but the Cyclones managed to fight back in the second half and actually led by 4 points with about 9 minutes left to play.  Unfortunately, the Mountaineers made the key plays down the stretch and came out with the win.  Tonight's ISU seniors were Michael Jacobson and Prentiss Nixon.

Rasir Bolton led the Cyclones with 21 points.  He was joined in double figures scoring for Iowa State by Nixon (19) and Solomon Young (11).  Tonight marks the fifth time I have seen a game between ISU and WVU.  The Cyclones won in 2019, 2018, and 2013, while West Virginia won tonight and back in 2017.

Overall this season I saw 11 wins and 4 losses:

Wins:

• Mississippi Valley State
• Northern Illinois
• Southern Miss
• UMKC
• Seton Hall
• Purdue Fort Wayne
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State
• Kansas State
• Texas
• TCU

Losses:

• Iowa
• Florida A&M
• Kansas
• West Virginia

Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

Tonight I was able to take Eben with me to watch the Cyclones defeat the TCU Horned Frogs, 65-59. 
Tonight's game was much more stressful than it needed to be.  Iowa State started the game well and led at halftime 41-25.  The Cyclones would lead by 18 points early in the second half, only to squander the large lead they had built.  TCU actually led the game 55-53 with just over 5 minutes left to play.  It was frustrating to watch the Cyclones almost let the game slip away from them.  Thankfully, Iowa State was able to make some plays down the stretch to seal the victory.  Solomon Young was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led the team with 20 points.  He also made a big basket down the stretch.  He was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Tre Jackson (18) and Rasir Bolton (11).  Both Bolton and Jackson hit some key free throws with less than a minute left to help ice the game. 

Tonight is the 6th time that I have been to a basketball game between TCU and Iowa State.  The Cyclones have won five of those games (tonight, 2017, 2015, 2014, and 2013).  TCU's only win came in 2019. 

Go State!

Saturday, February 15th, 2020

Today has been a good day so far.  For starters, the temperature got into the low 40s, so there has been lots of melting snow.  That always makes me happy.  Another thing that made me happy was taking Nolan over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched the Iowa State Cyclones dominate the Texas Longhorns, 81-52.  I was not expecting such a dominant performance from Iowa State, especially since their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, is now out for the rest of the season due to a wrist fracture.

Michael Jacobson was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led the team in scoring (21) and rebounding (13).  He was joined in double figures by Solomon Young (17), Prentiss Nixon (17), and Rasir Bolton (10).  The Cyclones got out to an early lead in this game, led by 11 at halftime, scored the first 9 points of the second half, and cruised to an easy victory. 

I believe that this is the 20th ISU men's basketball game that Nolan has attended with me, and it was his 7th conference game.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, one of my goals is to take both Nolan and Maxwell to victories over each of Iowa State's conference opponents.  As of today, Nolan has now seen wins vs Texas, Baylor (2018), Texas Tech (2017), Kansas State (2016), and TCU (2014). 

As for myself, today was the 8th time that I have attended a game between ISU and Texas.  The Cyclones are 7-1 in those games, including wins today, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and back in 2004.  Texas's lone win came in 2018. 

The Cyclones won the opening tip-off.

GO CYCLONES!!