Welcome Home Craig

Chicken Parmesan

Sorry for the delay. All of my kids like this one and it is a good one to share.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I like to cut them thinner or in smaller pieces. You could also use tenders)
egg
bread crumbs (seasoned or plain)
Mozarella cheese slices
Spaghetti Sauce or any kind of Marinara sauce
Egg Noodles

Prepare a frying pan with hot Canola oil and two bowls, one with egg mixed with a little water and one with bread crumbs. Dip Chicken breasts in egg, roll in bread crumbs and fry until lightly browned. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish and place cheese over each piece. Cover generously with Spaghetti sauce. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes until chicken is cooked through. The larger your chicken breasts, the longer you'll want to bake it. You may have to cover it wil foil to prevent burning near the end. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Uke Kids

Good to see you all again tonight.  Thanks for indulging me in playing the "Name that person" game. I certainly enjoyed it, (though I'm upset that I didn't take video of the team name reveal/team cheers).  Congratulations to team Farmer Boys on eeking out a victory over team KCs and BeeGees.  A valiant effort on behalf of Team Jean, and clearly the best team cheer by team Lee-gioneers made for an entertaining time.

I DID remember to take some video of Uke Kids' performance which, along with our team cheers, proves that our family is awesome- how many other families have an intergenerational ukulele quartet performance as part of a Christmas get-together?

Anyway- click, watch, and enjoy.  I'm looking forward to pics of Craig's homecoming (Becky... I'm looking in your direction) as well as other pictures from tonight (Kelly DV and others).

Also looking forward to the discussion surrounding our summer trip to Blue Harbor (click here to visit the resort website) in honor of G&G VD's 55th anniversary!

Name That Person Christmas Game

I was given permission by aunt Karen to introduce a new game into the Van Drunen Family Christmas gathering (I direct your attention to comment #5 on the Van Drunen Christmas post dated Thursday, December 10th).

I've borrowed this home-made game from a friend at work who said that his family does this every year and loves it. The game is entitled "Name That Person." It contains 4 separate posters of 25 different contemporary faces (cut out from magazines, and newspapers) from the world of politics, sports, pop-culture, etc.

I've split Yous Kids into 4 different teams, and each team will have 4 different rounds to identify and record as many of the true identities of these faces as possible. Naturally, the team with the most correctly identified people at the end of four rounds is declared the winner.

So... without further adieu, here are the teams:

Farmer Boys:

Grandpa
Cheryl
Mike
Dyke
Kelly R.
Jason
Anna
Becky
Mark

KCs and BeeGees

Grandma
Karen
Brian
Karyl
Kyle
Kelly D.

Korie

Conner

Caleb

Team Jean

Auntie Jean

Nick

Kathy

Kristin

Stephanie

Scott

Liz

Casey

Cole

Lee-gioneers

Auntie Lee

Keith

Jim

Kim

Alex

Craig

Emily

Karley

Taylor

Eric

It's a pretty simple game and I'll answer all questions in person on December 26th.  

Finally, each team is responsible for coming up with both a team name AND a team cheer. Neither have to be elaborate, but this will be a vital piece to the team spirit that will be sure to inspire victory.  

If there is a tie for any of the top-three finishes, the team with the most creative name and cheer (as determined by popular vote from the other teams) will win the tie-breaker.

Family Tattoo Outing

As a 37-year old man I never thought I'd be getting a tattoo with my Mom & Dad. And yet, that is exactly what happened today. Kristin came along as the photographer and we got the gray ribbon tattoo's for Brain Cancer like Kyle's. The Nickster and I got them on our left fore arm, like Kyle. Mom went for a Florida-Friendly, right ankle. Here are some pics:

Craig's Homecoming

Just thought I would give you an update on the information we have received so far on Craig returning home. He is scheduled to fly to a military base in Indianapolis on Monday at around 9 am. They have one hour to be greeted by family and then go for 3 days to Camp Atterbury for debriefing. He should be able to come home sometime on Christmas Eve Day. He has told me not to come to Indianapolis since it will be short and no time to talk. (that's Craig!) Anyway, we are trying to come up with a few ideas on Christmas Eve to welcome him home. Any ideas? If anyone has nothing to do on Christmas Eve, you are welcome to come to Kouts. We will have some food and hopefully be able to see Craig. Things could change, the Army keeps us updated by e-mail, so I will check it daily and update you with any changes.

Van Drunen Christmas

Keith & Cheryl offered to have our Christmas get-to-gether at their home. We are accepting their offer. It is Saturday, December 26, at 4:00 p.m. We would appreciate suggestions as what to have for supper. Are you kids pulling names? (We were asked this question.) As we didn't all get together for Thanksgiving and some have been away on vacation ---it was difficult to do. Awaiting your replies.

National Television Appearance

It's a bit overdue, but I thought I would post my first moment of national glory at Yale-Harvard 09

Costa Rica Missions Trip

In January 2010 I will be going to Costa Rica on a mission trip for 8 days with my soccer team from Trinity for interim. We will be playing soccer against teams from Costa Rica and then sharing our testimonies after each game. We will also be going to orphanages and passing out lunches to those who need them. Last year I had the opportunity to serve in Jamaica and it changed my life! Needless to say, I am very excited for this trip.

If you guys would like to help financially, that would be great! Just mail it to the address at the bottom and note that it is for Anna Gesch. But I would love it if you guys remembered our team in your prayer until this trip on January 10. I'll have to put up some pictures when I get back!

Mail to: SCORE, PO Box 9994 Chattanooga, TN 37412