~~ODNEAL FAMILY BLOG~~Port of Readlyn, Iowa

So I've really neglected this little ol' blog for quite a while.  We had quite the exciting senior football season for Tyler and the WV Warriors.  They were undefeated and took home a State Championship.  It is also even more special that it is Ty's senior year and Kyle was an assistant coach this year.  Never thought we'd have two out of three of our sons play on state championship teams but we did.  Kyle in 2007 and now Ty in 2012.  Way to go Warriors!  We will miss watching Ty play HS football next year but will definitely make it to some WV games to watch next year and cheer them on!  And yes I have good intentions of getting back to blogging regularly.  This senior year of Ty's has been much busier than I ever imagined and just not enough hours in each day.  Promise I will try and do at least one post per week!   

This is the book that we did for our head coach and two assistant coaches that are retiring.  It is very nice.  It was hard to pick the pictures out of all of them that we had.  I'm sure they enjoyed them very much! Click here to view this photo book larger Create your own personalized photo books at Shutterfly.com.

We headed to the houseboat last weekend Saturday morning after our get together Friday night.  It was pretty much a rainy, yucky weather weekend.  I snapped a few pictures (much less than I normally do!) of the leaves on the bluff and the rain pouring down out our front houseboat window.  Enjoy the collage.  I took the pictures under our deck roof or right out of our front sliding door.  We are pulling our houseboat Saturday morning for the first time in seven years.  I guess it is time.  And Bruce wants to put a new motor in and do a bunch of stuff before we put it back in come April/May.  It will be nice to check everything out and have a great running houseboat again.  We used to be known for that.  Looking forward to it again.  Hoping for good weather this coming weekend.  Lots to be done over the course of two days.  Have a great rest of the week everyone!  

Last weekend we had our anniversary weekend at the houseboat and travelled to Gays Mills to Sunrise Orchard to get apples and other stuff.  We also grabbed some awesome pumpkins from a homestead stand, and a caramel apple pie from the "pie shack".  I'm not sure if that is what is it called but it fits.  These are some fall leaf pictures that I snapped out the window of the moving car as we were traveling.  Happy to see that they turned out so nice.  Sent them in to Schnack so maybe will see some on the news.  Every year Helen & I seem to get on his fall colors shots.  Yep we are awesome.  Busy week ahead as we have the after football game party Friday.  And if we win we are also district champs so Ty said we picked the perfect night to have it.  Yep I'm betting if he had to actually help get the garage cleaned and ready and prepare the food he might think different.  Well actually he would be happy to help with all of that...

 Friday night after the game Kyle proposed to Taylor and she said yes!  We have a new engagement in the family and couldn't be happier for them both.  I even got to be in on the secret and play an important role for Kyle.  Since he was coaching he of course couldn't just leave the game, so he enlisted Mom to go to his car unnoticed right before the end and grab the ring case out of the glove box and the long stem rose out of a cooler in the trunk.  I was pretty sneaky apparently because Taylor didn't even notice that I left.  Of course I stayed away from her somewhat on purpose so I wouldn't open my mouth and let something slip to give it away.  Kyle looked over to me right after the game ended and I shook my head "yes" to let him know I didn't let him down.  He grabbed Tyler and Taylor's brother off the field and said "follow me".  Then he just dropped to a knee and proposed.  I didn't have time to recruit a friend to take some pictures...

  My pictures aren't near as close or good as Sharon's but here are a few that were on my camera when I uploaded pictures from Homecoming.  Everytime I walk out there to zoom in closer they take off.  Yesterday afternoon there were three of them zooming around and chasing each other.  I could watch them all day.  They are so cool!  Sad to say that it won't be long and they will be gone again until next year.  Hello fall weather that I am not ready for.  Have a great hump day!