exuberance!

I apologize if you are getting weary of posts that talk about Brennan and basketball. We are loving watching our high school team play their season. We've known and watched these boys play ball together for years, and it will be a sad day when the season (and Brennan's basketball career) comes to an end.

Last night Carson played their biggest rival, Douglas. At Douglas. This is Keith's old high school, and his name is on the Hall of Fame wall in both football and wrestling. But not basketball!

Whenever Carson and Douglas play any sport against each other, it is a big deal. Pranks are played the week before; t-shirts with clever death wishes against the other team are created and sold, and police officers patrol the perimeters of the court during the game. When the game is over, Carson fans are directed to exit on one side of the gym and Douglas fans the other. It's just the way of things.

So last night we played at Douglas. Carson has not won a basketball game at Douglas since 2003. Can you tell where this build-up is going???

Check out this photo from after the final buzzer rang. Brennan is #12. Gotta love it. You can see the Carson student section behind the team, and if you look closely in the upper right-hand corner, you can see Kristi's cheering face too.

These are the good old days!

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/global/zoom.pbs&Site=NA&Date=20100123&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=100129789&Ref=AR&Profile=1015&s=0&t=0&Z=The%20Carson%20boys%20basketball%20team%20celebrates%20its%2055-50%20win%20over%20its%20archrival%20Douglas%20on%20Friday%20night%20in%20Minden.&P=Shannon%20Litz%2FNevada%20Appeal%20News%20Service

(Meredith, you can see that I haven't downloaded that blogging program yet . . . hence the awkward link)

choosing between good and good

Brennan received his first acceptance letter the other day. He has been invited to attend:



Pretty cool. Ever since we visited the campus and took a guided tour in the summer of '08, he has been excited about the possibility of going to school there.

So Option One: 'BYU-I' looks very good.

But with his 19th birthday approaching, he is toying with Option Two as well. This option would find him here:



Yes, Option Two: 'Serving a mission' is also a very good option.

Stay tuned for future decisions.

and 2010 begins . . .

After a wonderful-and-far-too-brief holiday vacation, "regular life" is back in full swing. We had a lovely Christmas break which we all enjoyed very much. Kristi and two friends made their professional guitar trio debut at our ward Christmas party, playing a holiday medley which was delightful. We'll let you know when the CD comes out.



Keith's sister and family came to town, so we had lots of fun hanging out with them. We then enjoyed a lazy and fun Christmas Day:



Our super missionaries (who might just be Brennan's best friends in the world) spent time with us on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and then Brennan left for Las Vegas for five days to play in a basketball tournament.



He had lots of fun but was glad to be home and out of the 'city of sin'. He said one highlight was a discussion he had one night with a man he met on the strip who was preaching salvation to all who would listen. Upon finding out Brennan was Mormon, he told him in no uncertain terms that he was going straight to You-Know-Where, which really took Brennan aback. Brennan gave him a pass-along card from his wallet, but when the man said he would take it only to prevent Brennan from giving it to someone else, Brennan kindly asked for it back! He was in Vegas over a Sunday, so unbeknownst to us, he had asked our local missionaries to contact some missionaries down in Vegas (same mission) to see if they could find him a ride to church -- which they did -- but his coach wouldn't let him go anywhere with strangers, which is understandable. So since he couldn't go to church, he went with his team instead . . . and rode the coasters at the top of the Stratosphere Tower.

<

And oh yes, they played a few games of basketball.

Kristi's bestest and oldest friend spent the week between Christmas and New Year's with us. She lives in Oregon and has been away for the past 4 years, but their friendship has never faded. She's just a part of the family and we all love it when she's here.



Could they be any cuter, really???

After we dried our tears about Kenzie leaving, we faced putting away the Christmas decorations and going back to school and work. Was this only a week ago??? Oh my.

Back to Brennan and basketball. His season is in fulll-swing now and he is having a great season so far. I just can't tell you how wonderful it is to watch him play after he lost last year to a broken foot. He is happy and confident and we feel like it's been a longish road, so it's very gratifying. Last night he played a fantastic game against a strong rival who was expected to win. He received some nice words of praise: http://carsonsports.com/index.php/basketball/38-chs-boys-basketbal/1725-senators-shut-down-damontes-best
(how do you do an embedded link???)

We didn't take pictures of last night's game, but here are some from today. They played a private school (who can recruit), and they are always at the top of the league. We didn't win, but played hard and only lost by 11, which, considering the opponant, almost felt like a victory.



Brennan had to guard Bobby Hunter (below), whose stats make him the #1 point guard in northern Nevada. He averages 20 points per game, but didn't get that today. Here is one reason why:



No foul; that was all ball. Way to go, Brennan! (all 5'8" of you!)



Go CHS!!

I am back at work . . .



. . . and working for the school district means that my immediate family gets into all local sporting events for free. It's like a little Christmas present each and every time we attend Brennan's games. I flash my badge and in we go, saving the $20ish it would otherwise cost. It makes me love my job a little bit more.

Hey, Keith has a facebook page now. He finally succumbed because lots of business colleagues hounded him about it. If you want to befriend him, look him up!

Happy New Year to all. We are optomistic and hopeful that 2010 will be 'new and improved' over last year. May you each find much happiness as it unfolds.

'09 Christmas Wishes

For those of you who read my blog but did not get a Christmas letter

in your mailbox this year, here's the electronic version.

LOVE TO ALL AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Ho, Ho, Ho, and Deck the Halls, the holidays are here.

It went so fast, and looking back, ‘09 was quite a year!
The economy staggered, then fell flat; and it’s been a bumpy ride.

PEAK’s hangin’on, at least for now, awaiting a shift in tide!

Our family now has three adults, since Brennan turned eighteen.

He’s leaving soon, which is awful and great, and everything in between!
For now he’s loving his senior year, and time is flying by.

He’s an Eagle Scout, and a starting guard for good old Carson High!

Kristi’s enduring her junior year, mostly with a smile.

Tho’ proficiency exams and AP classes can sometimes cramp her style.
She played tennis again this year, and keeps our piano in song;

Right now she’s training with a friend to run a half-marathon!

Austin is growing and changing fast – that comes with being thirteen!

He’s smart and fun, and a new Life Scout, which is pretty keen.
Austin played soccer in the fall and made the all-stars, too.

But, like his big bro’, he’d rather play guard on the team at his middle schoo’.

Dallin is ten now, believe it or not, leaving childhood quickly behind.

Sometimes we wish we could freeze him in time, or even push rewind!
He is playing bball too, with his trusty Coach Dad calling plays.

Helpful and funny; pretty smart too, we hope this is how he will stay!

Keith needs a break; a nice long vacation, to unwind and renew his vigor.
Instead he says yes to all who ask, and his plate just keeps getting bigger!
He spends time with the 14 and 15-year-old scouts - camping, biking, and more;
He works snack bars, sings at church functions, and serves on professional boards.

Karen has joined the ranks of moms who work outside the home,
But only part-time, at a local school, so there’s no cause to moan.
She enjoys her job, but better than that, she’s home when the kids are home.
And that makes her happy, and feeling okay, for she has no desire to roam.

All is well at the Shaffer’s house, and we hope you can say the same.
We hope the New Year will bring your desires, be they health, fortune, or fame!
We wish you all a joyful season, full of family and friends and love
And pray that you will feel the peace that comes from God above.

Stop the ride! I wanna get off!

So life is a little crazy. 'Tis the season.

I love the holiday season, but like most everyone, I do not enjoy the stress that rides alongside. I don't carry stress around with me every minute, which is good. But I do experience stressful moments, or hours, when I want to get off the ride.

Preparing for Christmas itself hasn't been all that stressful this year:

Tight Budget + Little Time = Christmas Simplification.

That part I have liked. The Christmas cards have been sent. Most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree, with only a few odds and ends left to take care of. Christmas cookies and toffee have been baked with more batches to follow. The weather has been both frightful and delightful. We even had a snow day last week (only the second in the past 13 years), which was honestly a tender mercy from above.

The part of the holidays that stresses me out is that the rest of life doesn't stop for them. My house still needs daily maintenance, my family needs to eat, the laundry must be done, and the ironing pile continues to grow. My older kids all have finals keeping them busy, and Dallin has a biography project on Abraham Lincoln due tomorrow. [His teacher obviously doesn't have kids yet, and thought it would be just fine to give them (and their moms) something huge to do the two weeks before Christmas! He has to dress up tomorrow -- hope I have some black posterboard to make a top hat!] Oh my, the missionaries coming to dinner (again). And the tail light in the truck is still burned out. Well, at least that costs less than the fuel pump the Suburban just needed. The service project at the womens' shelter is today?!? And oh, I better pay the bills. Austin's 8th-grade basketball season is now over, but Brennan's varsity season is just beginning, and I love the games and can't possibly miss! Keith is almost a one-man show at work now, so he works long days, has meetings and then basketball practices with Dallin; we hope to get reacquainted in January?

And oh yes, I am gone at work every day from 10:45 - 3:15. A small detail.

Our ward Christmas party is this Saturday. I have to bring a batch of 'funeral potatoes', Brennan and Austin are stage hands for the program, Kristi is playing piano accompaniment for the program, plus playing a guitar duet with a friend, and Dallin is a shepherd in the primary play. It will be great. But really, I just want us all to stay home and watch a movie. Sigh.

I am really looking forward to next week. No school (or work for me). Life will slow down. The house will get messy, and we will eat too much food. Brennan will spend what might be his last Christmas with us for awhile. Dramatic pause to contemplate that. Then he will leave for Las Vegas with his basketball team. Kristi's friend MacKenzie from Oregon will come for a visit. We will sleep in past 5:00 am and stay up late. We will watch movies, see family and friends, and play games. The stress will have melted away and we will feel the holiday joy. Just thinking about that helps the stress to melt a little right now.

Take a deep breath, and have a Happy Holiday!

a weekend getaway

Living in Nevada means we get the last Friday in October off school every year for Nevada Day, which commemmorates Nevada's statehood. This means a long weekend at a beautiful time of year, and the opportunity to plan something fun to do. One year we took an extra day off and went to Disneyland. That was fun and plenty crowded. This year we returned for the fifth time to a little place we like to call "our" cabin. It was fun as always, and not crowded at all, which is a big plus in my book. It's the perfect little getaway; about 2 hours away, over the Sierras near Nevada City, CA. The weather was perfect, there was no cell phone service, and we were able to spend some much-needed down time with each other. It was bittersweet to hear Brennan say, as we were packing up the car to leave, that this might be his last trip to the cabin with us. I know I've been on this theme a lot lately, but that's where we are. Change is hard, even when it's good!





we played a lot of cards:


Austin caught a lizard (of course!):


Kristi didn't do a stitch of homework!:


And the boys even got to watch some NBA action:


Oh, the things you can get away with when the camera has a timer:
(click to enlarge the faces of my little comedians)


Wishing everyone a wonderful November!

ready or not

Just Yesterday . . .

And Today . . .

Times, they are a'changin'.