Christmas Letter 2009

Merry Christmas 2009!

Trey and I have greatly enjoyed sitting by the crackling fireplace to read the numerous holiday wishes and newsletters from many of our friends and family members each evening for the past few weeks. Oh, for all the laughs we’ve enjoyed, the quiet moments of reflection, and the glaring realization that we should once again take a moment to write everyone. (Keeping our promise of writing once a year—whether we need to, or not!) Being the hip, nature-conscious types, we decided to send our letters via the electronic superhighway this year. (Sorry Mom--hopefully this won’t close the post office!) Yeah, we’re probably more “frugal” than “hip,” but one of us did find the need to do our part to create a job opening for some deserving recession-ee.

Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning—or as close as I can remember. . . .

In January, we started stocking up for the biggest remodel of our marriage, the kitchen. As things started to fall into place, we took a February trip to Georgia and celebrated Trey’s 30th birthday. We were able to visit with friends and family and watch the locals rush to buy bread during a “blizzard” (the ground in some places was almost white!) before returning home and starting on the kitchen remodel.

After tiring of the nightly games of “guess what the real oven temperature is” and “no, you can’t leave the kitchen until I close the fridge door,” we decided that gutting the kitchen and starting over would be a good project and investment. Aside from help my Dad, Grandpa, and our friends bravely provided, I tackled most of the re-wiring, tile removal, drywall, and dealing with the *$&@! building permits while Trey fretted over colors and cooked our meals on a hotplate amongst all the boxes of cabinets and layers of concrete and drywall dust. Months later, the kitchen IS much more functional, the cabinets aren’t falling apart like the old ones, and it looks like we might even finish it someday! Being the eternal optimist, Trey says the project taught us many good things, such as the proven knowledge that our marriage is as secure as my chiropractor’s retirement, Applebees has a great 2 for $20 deal, and sometimes its best if you can just find a reason to visit Rhode Island while your husband remembers why he went to college to study Wildlife Management instead of going into construction.

Anyway, Trey had a great time speaking at the National Council for Public History’s annual conference in Providence mid-April with a dear friend from graduate school. A few weeks later, she graduated from the Leadership Wyoming. Through that program, she has been able to grow personally and create friendships with a diverse group of professionals throughout WY. Luckily, it was not an election year, so we may be able to hold off her gubernatorial bid a bit longer!

In June we took a well deserved vacation to Yellowstone with some local friends. Trey even decided it was time she learned to “rough it” with me. Despite my qualms at calling it “camping” (the campground had hot showers and a laundromat) she earned her camping badge of honor by keeping the complaining to a minimum—despite sleeping in a tent for the first time—ever, in grizzly country, with a summer snow storm greeting us for the first couple days of the trip! Luckily, the beautiful scenery outweighed her cold toes. We even bought a tent of our own so Erin and Alex could have theirs back and took Tillie and Shelby camping again later in the summer (in a much less developed area!). Watch for Trey’s upcoming book on “wilder-peeing”!

As I alluded to earlier, Trey made the very difficult decision to leave her job as curator at the local state historic site. After many months of seeking resolution for growing problems and feeling her personal ethics had been compromised (not to mention having a headache from February until antelope season), she turned in her notice and started seeking new opportunities. The time “off” made it easy to take a quick road trip to Minnesota for a cousin’s wedding. I got to meet more of her family, be pop-quizzed on the identities of many of the Treptow clan I had apparently met before, watch the cousins have a chugging contest (don’t compete against Jennifer!), and enjoy some romantic chicken-dancing with my wife.

This fall, Trey started co-teaching a Public History class at the university. She also keeps BUSY by serving on the board of the local community museum, teaching confirmation class at church, planning a museum conference for 2010, crafting, and walking the dogs. The dogs say it is mostly the other stuff that keeps her hopping! She may have to find a “normal” job so she can get some rest again. . .

When my busier seasons started picking up, Trey took another trip to Georgia to do some more catching up. She even got some extra human-socialization at home this fall (hunting season) when her Mom came out for a quick visit in October.

The local co-rec broomball season was moved up a few weeks this year, so our season is already over. Either the other teams are forgetting what they know, or we’re starting to learn a bit: despite three of our players on “injured-reserve” for the last game, the “Fire Monkeys” took third place this year. Trey says broomball is “way funner when we win”. She even body-checked a guy who was getting a bit pushy with me earlier in the game! Sure makes a guy feel warm inside when he knows someone cares enough to look out for him!

We feel very blessed to have the caring support of our wonderful family and friends, through all our ups and downs, trips and travels. We are looking forward to 2010 … Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

With love,


The Treysons: Trey, Jason, Tillie, Shelby, Rocky, and Cooter. And introducing: Blue, Red, and the Cories (unfortunately not a soon-to-be famous rock band).

New Craft

Some of you know I’ve been super secretive about my new hobby. It is because not everyone has opened their Christmas gifts! This year I decided to try my hand at making jewelry. I decided a good way to practice was to make gifts for my girlfriends. I’m pleased with the way things turned out and I found the process very therapeutic. Next year I hope to donate some items to my friend Alana through her online website: Molasses.

Here is a small sneak peak at some of the things I made. I’ll add more pictures after the holidays!

Broomball 2009

This year's broomball season started three months early and ended this month. We finished in 3rd place which is a huge improvement over our first year (when we lost every game)! Because this season overlapped with hunting season, Jason didn't take any video. He was lucky enough to be home before game time! Instead, here are a few pictures from the final tournament. We won this game 3 - 0. Going for a goal!

Defending. We had an amazing goalie this year. Eve was able to deflect many shots and keep us in the lead!
Defending
Almost scored!

Go Fire Monkeys!!! Next year we'll aim for 2nd place and no injuries. The last game, three of our guys were out with torn muscles or bad knees! Keep in mind this is only rec league but some people take it very seriously!

To my teammates: thanks for the great year! To our fans (yes, we had a few people in the stadium this go around): thanks for cheering!

Speed Up, Slow Down!

It’s been a quiet week in Laramie… yes, we are reading Garrison Keillor! It has been cold all week. The high is predicted at 14, with snow. In the five years I’ve lived in Wyoming, I’ve never seen a cold snap like this one (or I block them out). Thus, I’ve been staying in and keeping warm. Crafting, reading, cooking… avoiding cleaning. My downstairs table is covered with feathers and beads. Our bedroom is covered with frames and photographs and I don’t even want to look in the guest room/gift wrapping room!

The class I was co-teaching, Intro to Public History, ended last week. I was sad to say goodbye to the students. It was a wonderful opportunity and made me realize that life as a professor wouldn’t be all bad. It was uplifting to see the students get into “history”, boring ol’ history, and actually think critically about its role in museums and non-profits. Needless to say, it was a very rewarding experience. Now I need something new to do!
This morning I volunteered at the Laramie Plains Museum and helped decorate. This Sat. they are having a free open house for the community. I’ll be a greeter in one of the decorated rooms this Sat. from 3 to 6 if anyone wants to stop by and say “hi”.
Last night was our last broomball game of the regular season. We started early this year. Going into the game, we were in a three way tie for first place. After much huffing and puffing, falling on the ice and possibly a bruised rib, we lost the game 0 – 1. Bummer! Because our games overlapped with hunting season, we didn’t get any video this year. I’m hearing rumors of a tournament game next Sunday so I’ll be sure to snap some pictures.

The rest of the week will be filled with holiday activities: the Game & Fish Christmas party, a baby shower, confirmation class, cookie baking party, entering sweepstakes, and hopefully some new volunteer opportunities.

Jason is on his way home so I’m going to work on getting dinner on the table. Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving

Decorations in the new kitchen.Finger licking good!Enough room for everyone!We put the kitchen to the test and it passed with flying colors! What a Thanksgiving! Jason’s parents and grandparents came in so we could host our first Thanksgiving with the new kitchen. Things ran so smoothly. Between the new appliances, roomy floor plan and extra hands in the kitchen, Thanksgiving was a breeze! (I don’t know why I was nervous!)

We had fried turkey injected with jalapeno butter – spicy!!! Stuffing, rolls, garlic green bean casserole, and scalloped sweet potatoes (a new recipe from my Wyoming cookbook). And of course what is Thanksgiving without dessert? Thanks to Dee we had Jason’s favorite, apple pie. Grandma added some sugar-free apple cobbler, too!

I’m thankful for a wonderful husband with hidden design skills, for a wonderful set of in-laws and extended grandparents, for a warm home, cuddly pets, a cell phone to call home (never mind that it dies randomly), a soft bed to rest my head, good books (we are reading Garrison Keillor’s Life Among the Lutherans) and wonderful friends.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and moving into the holiday season, time to stop and smell the pine trees. Grandma & Grandpa Sherwood, visiting from Wheatland.

Trey in the kitchen, taking credit for everyone's hard work!Bill slices and dices the turkey to perfection!Jason fights to prep the turkey!Men folk gathering in the kitchen.The dogs enjoyed licking the snow where flavors from the turkey frier must have dripped!

Happy Thanksgiving!

On the Trail

Last week I had a board meeting in Douglas then traveled to Casper to visit my good friends Erin and Alex. Most the visit revolved around food, conversation, crafts and movies. Erin, usually not credited for her abilities in the kitchen, slaved over a hot stove not once, not twice, but three times to make me some amazing meals! Way to go Erin! Grill cheese on rosemary bread, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, tasty oatmeal with honey all paired with great wine and good company.

Alex also worked his magic in the kitchen and made us a WONDERFUL steak salad. Very tasty! Not to mention his talented ability to build a warm, crackling fire. I felt right at home.

Thanks guys for a wonderful weekend! Erin in her new hat. She finished it while I was in town. So cute!!!

A Thank You Letter to Our Church

Back in August Jason and I finished an oral history project for our church's 125th anniversary celebration. The link to the video is below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKshsZuIZ2Q
I'm glad I married such a talented videographer!

In recent news, our church hosted a volunteer week for the local soup kitchen. I helped out for a few hours yesterday and have a shift this Sat. It was a very rewarding experience and I was able to make new friends and learn something about cooking for 40 in a big kitchen. I've got ideas for Thanksgiving! Plus, I was excited to learn that they take donations of game meat.

Tomorrow night I'm filling in for Pastor and teaching the 7th/8th grade confirmation class. Each week is a different experience depending on which students show up and how much candy they've had! I think I learn more from them than they do from me.

What blessings! Even in this time of transition, I'm feeling very warm and fuzzy with so many opportunities for personal growth. I'm thankful to have this time "unemployed" so I can give back and learn more about my community.

Closing with a big AMEN!

Movies Worthy of Oscar Buzz

Everyone who knows me knows that I love MOVIES! Especially movies that win Oscars. Oscar night is like the Super Bowl to me. It is a good excuse to throw a party and get together with the girls. I love the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. The great costumes, lines, and shots. I love cinematography and how little details can make or break a movie. While I haven’t seen anything in the theater in a while, blame it on my economy and the fact that very few indie style films come to Laramie, I still keep my ear to the ground for Oscar buzz. Below is an early list of movies I’m keeping an eye on. Oscar season is right around the corner!

Nine, a musical/romance directed by Rob Marshall, starting a long list of Hollywood royalty including: Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Fergie. Release date is December 25. If you liked Chicago and Moulin Rouge, go see it in the theater! Expect Oscar buzz for acting, costume design, art direction, cinematography, makeup, and music. Watch the preview here: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3263365657/

The Brothers Bloom. This came out in May but I totally missed it. Found it on Netflix and watched it this week. THIS IS WHAT MOVIE MAGIC IS ALL ABOUT. It gave me the chills, in a good way! It is well written and beautifully acted. I loved the costumes, the set, the sound – everything is perfect! I could watch this over and over again. The perfect con movie, full of action, adventure, and romance and the script is AMAZING! If this movie doesn’t win an Oscar, I’ll be very, very sad. Learn more about the Brothers at: http://www.brothersbloom.com/

Amelia. I watched the making of this movie on HBO this week and it looks like Hillary Swank could generate some Oscar buzz based on her full embodiment of this character. An uplifting movie to see with your girlfriends or the man who believes in you! Oct. 23. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2446393881/

Since the Coen brothers always seem to have success up their sleeves, I had to include A Serious Man in this early list. If you laughed at Burn After Reading, go see this movie.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1681064473/

For more movies with Oscar buzz potential, check out this list generated by MovieFone: http://www.moviefone.com/oscars-academy-awards/features/oscar-predictions

What have you seen lately that rocked your world?

What I'm Reading

I just finished The Historian which is about a family of historians and their search for the real life Dracula. It is a HUGE book and took me four weeks, reading a few chapters every night, to digest it all. I can’t say it was worth it but I’m proud of myself for finishing.

My librarian friend just recommended People of the Book. So far it is really good. It is about a conservator who gets to work with the unique Sarajevo Haggadah. She finds some objects in the book's binding and the story follows how each artifact connects with the history of the book. (Alana, I think you’d really like it).

I’m not sure what I’ll pick up next. I have a whole stack of books on my shelf that I haven’t gotten to, including Team of Rivals, but I’m also really interested in Garrison Keillor’s latest book about Lutherans. Oh my, so many choices!

Volunteer Hours

This weekend a friend pointed out that I’m like a retired person who spends more hours volunteering than I did working. Not sure if that is true but when my pastor asked me yesterday how many hours I’m putting in I had to sit down and calculate it.

This week:
CWAM (museum stuff), 16 hours (pictures to come)
Church, 2 hours
Laramie Plains Museum, 2 hours
MPMA (more museum stuff), 2 hours

22 hours. So, I’m a part time volunteer. What else am I doing with my time!?!? I don’t make a very good housewife but I did do two loads of laundry yesterday and when I’m in the mood, I’m a really good cook! Today I’ll get groceries, pay bills, walk the dogs, pick up the backyard, trim Rocky’s nails, plan a birthday party for a friend, renew my library books, watch a movie and wonder what to make for dinner. Jason is gone for a week and cooking for one stinks. Ho hum…

Hunting Season

So it is hunting season and Jason is working 12 to 14 hour days, seven days a week. I spend a lot of time alone at the house with our black lab Shelby. Once and awhile I ride along with Jason on his adventures.
Otherwise, I’m keeping busy volunteering with the local museums, historical society and co-teaching a Public History class at the University of Wyoming. This weekend I’m off to Leadville, CO for a CWAM (CO WY Ass. of Museums) meeting. I’m Local Arrangements Chair for the 2010 annual meeting in Laramie.

Next week Jason will be on the other side of the state and I’ll be helping with MPMA’s (Mt. Plains Museum Ass.) annual meeting in Cheyenne. His birthday is right around the corner (Oct. 2) but I’ll have to wait for him to have a day off before we celebrate. So far he only has one day off in Oct. and he is planning to go hunting that day. Got to have food on the table!

New Pets

Blue, someday will be known as "Old Blue" Cheeta and Orange Fish (Unofficial)

Not pictured, "Little P"

What we’ve been up to…

The kitchen is 90% done so we decided to take some long weekends this summer and visit family and friends. Our big adventure was a road trip to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding. Along the way, we played tourist in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Here are a few pictures from that trip, in no particular order.
Crazy Horse memorial, SD

Corn Palace, Mitchell, NE

Cafe Teresa in Mitchell, NE

Beyer Haus B&B in New Ulm, MN (We found it by accident but it was to late in the day to get reservations. Can't wait to go back!) Jason relaxing on our private porch at the B&B outside of Rapid City, SD A visit to a local nature conservation museum in MN ... Jason is measuring his wing spand!Road trip... driving through the Badlands in SD. It was 110 so we stayed in the car for most of the scenic loop. Visiting Beyer Field in Blue Earth, MN. Named after my grandfather. Here I am texting a picture of me next to the sign to my friends on FB. Treysons at the Badlands, SD

A few weekends ago we visited Elk Mountain and helped Jason's parents celebrate the town's 100th birthday! There was a free steak dinner, volleyball tournament, vendors in the park, living history demonstrations, evening dance, luncheon with cowboy music, and the best strawberry rhubarb pie I've ever had! We had a really good time with Dee and Bill and even had time to visit our horse while we were in town.

Bill and Dee on one of the town's original mail wagons.

This past weekend we went camping in La Bonte Canyon. Jason and I both caught fish (catch & release) but my camera battery died so no pictures of those beauties! The dogs went with us and were very well behaved. We managed to squeeze everyone (2 people, 2 dogs) in a three person tent with our overnight bag and slept comfortably.Jason is on the road this weekend for work and I'm off to Georgia to visit family. We hope everyone is well and enjoying the last few weeks of summer.