Today (Saturday) we woke up at 5:00 AM to go tailgating for the FCS National Championship. We hooked up our trailer and got on the road. Some Bison fans tried tailgating the day before but the security had to kick them out. But the city felt bad so they opened the gates to tailgating at 5:30 AM. We learned this at the pep rally and we were excited. Since it was the Bison fans that went early the JMU (James Madison University) fans had no idea the tailgating opened at 5:30 because it was originally supposed to open at 7.

We got to the tailgating and immediately started settingup. I was so tired so my parents let me sleep for 30 more minutes. By the time I woke up breakfast was ready and a lot of people were set up. My dads cousin and uncle came and visited our camper for a while. Then me and my grandpa went to a mechanical bull and rode it. After that was the widely anticipated football game. The game was so heart thumping and the Bison won 17-13. My favorite part was how hot it was. It was 61 degrees. My voice is sore because I was yelling so hard. After the game we ran down onto the field for the receiving of the trophy. We were up front on the field. When we were driving to Marshall, Texas, our next stop, we drove by the Bison team buses which were going to the airport to go back to ND. This was my third championship game I have gone to and by far my favorite. I loved watching the Bison play again and all the green and gold in the stands. -WT

19 days into our “new lifestyle” and I’ve got a truck stop preference = Flying J, always clean toilets. Because I thought it was going to be hot I only have 3 pants in rotation. (One of those is pj pants!) I overheard Andy tell someone that his mom has had on the same sweatshirt for 3 days!(again, I only packed 3!) It’s cold everywhere we’ve been but not nearly as cold as SD/ND/MN so I’m not complaining (much). Boys are consistently surprisingly nice to each other-mom win! Jesse has driven literally everywhere we’ve been so he was rewarded with a brand new F250. Long story but it’s pulling the trailer awesome so we are all happy!

This season of the year makes everything look blah. But as we drove through the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, I could tell why they call it the Grand Canyon of the Midwest. New Years Eve was spent in Little Rock with takeout pizza, a board game and we even convinced the boys we were on Eastern time, so our midnight came early!

Woody got his first chance to do a vlog (video blog) at the Titanic exhibit in Branson.🚢🎥I’m not exactly sure how to post it in our blog but we’re looking into it-it’s so great! Andy has done a ton of algebra over the holidays, and Woody has gotten a good start on science. I’m picking up zero of the algebra, but enjoying reliving 6th grade science! Digging for diamonds last week was a great rock lesson!💍

If you or anyone you know collects Precious Moments figurines, I suggest you send them to the PM chapel outside Joplin, MO. It was one of the highlights of my year so far😉! I made my first meal ever in a instapot tonight. Only had to call my sister twice to see if I was doing it right. We’re warm and snug inside our “house” here in Frisco, TX. Can’t wait to watch our NDSU Bison win another championship Saturday! If you’re down here, we’ll be tailgating with the rig, stop by and say hi!💚💛🏈