Family

I love Autumn in Sioux Falls as the weather is so inviting for outdoor activities and so much going on downtown. My wife and I spent our Friday evening listening to one of our favorite local bands, Sugar Daddy.  The band was playing at the downtown bar Wiley's from 7 PM to 11 PM and I was there for most of it. By the time we left the bar, the younger crowd was moving in to dance to some music via a live DJ.

Last week, my wife and I embarked on a thrilling adventure with our Can-Am Spyders. We joined a rally in Council Bluffs, where we spent the weekend with approximately a hundred fellow Spyder enthusiasts. Together, we embarked on a scenic tour of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. In the attached image, you can see us participating in an exciting obstacle course game during the rally. Although we didn’t emerge victorious, the experience was enjoyable and will be remembered.

Image Source: © Sherwood Archibald, 2025.  Used with permission.

Today, I got rid of an old reclining sofa that my wife and I purchased 24 years ago. At the time, it was an elegant black-blue leather sofa that reclined in a special way that it could be placed safely next to the wall. I say the color of the sofa is black-blue because I always assumed the color of the furniture was black, while my wife insists that it is blue. This debate on color was never settled, but I can assure you that family history rules will dictate that I was wrong and my wife is correct.

My grandpa greeted me often by calling me Zeke instead of Bryan. I once asked him, why? My grandpa replied that he had a friend named Bryan/Brian that everyone called him Zeke. He then paused and eventually admitted he didn't know why they called him Zeke either.

It wouldn't be Christmas without Doctor Who. The best part is it was my wife that bought me the tree ornament. She so gets me!

A couple weeks ago, my wife and I visited our son in Grand Forks, ND so we could see him in the musical, Ride the Cyclone. The musical was presented by the Empty State Theatre. He played the role of Ricky Potts, a boy that before his death was mute because of a trauma, though in the afterlife his ability to speak has been restored. Confused? Well you'll just have to see the play if you ever get a chance.

Logan was awesome in this musical! He was so good on stage that all I saw was his character. I was no longer Dad but an audience member enjoying the show. The rest of the cast awas also just as good.

In the early years of our marriage, my wife and I bought a lighted Christmas wreath. The wreath was two feet in diameter and was strung with the old incandescent cluster lights. This wreath hung in our picture window of our first house and would make its way to the transom window above the front door of our second house. Over the years this Christmas wreath had become my favorite decoration to hang during the holiday season.

Just a brief video below of this year's Christmas decorations in the front of my house. Along with the ride is our family dog, Jasmine!  Nothing else special to see here, but since I posted this video on my social media accounts, I decided it should also be posted on my blog.

In the video, I sound like I'm out of breath I don't know why except that I started putting up the decorations too late int he day and needed complete the task before sunset. 

Holiday greetings to all that find this post!

I've been struggling as of late trying to find the time to write articles for my blog and websites. It's actually caused me some stress to not be writing because there is so much I want to say and share. I always feel that I'm so behind in my writing. This has been an ongoing theme for me but it's not because I don't have the time but instead because I have chosen higher priorities with my time than blogging.

I'm intentionally choosing to experiencing all that I can with my family. I don't want to miss the moments because of the glow of the computer screen in front of me. The crux of the matter, my son is off to college this Fall. I want no regrets that the time we spent as a family and exploring the world was missed because I was at the keyboard and not there at their side.