A Trip to the Mountain!

During all those years we lived in Wisconsin, most Christmases were anything but white. But since we've returned, Mother Nature seems to be celebrating by providing us record amounts of snow.

Last winter saw more snowfall than all but three or four years in the last century. And believe it or not, this year is on pace to make it an even snowier winter!

Of course, with our monster Craftsman snowblower, cleaning the driveway goes pretty quickly...



The question, of course, is what should we do with all that snow?

The normal answer is to just throw it off to the side of the driveway and walkways.

We Bicoys are anything but normal.

It took a bit of work, throwing the snow from one side to the other, then directing it into one corner.

And finally, it was complete.

Welcome to what our kids are calling Bicoy Mountain...



It's a pile of snow about 4 1/2 feet tall - and winter doesn't officially arrive until tomorrow!

The kids use it as a mini-sledding hill, although Malia (at the bottom of the picture below), decided she didn't need a sled...



The kids love it...



Just imagine how big it will be if the snow keeps up!

Bicoy Beacon - Christmas 2008

Mabuhay and welcome to the 2008 edition of the Bicoy Beacon!

One of the most wonderful aspects of life in Wisconsin is that our kids can enjoy the experience of chopping down our very own Christmas tree. So despite the fact that it was deer hunting season and some 600,000 heavily armed people were walking through the woods shooting at Bambi, we recently thought it would be the ideal time to take a walk to find our Christmas tree.

We meandered down snowy paths and walked through picturesque woods. After hours of searching, we finally found a tree that was Christmas incarnate. It called to mind the words of the poet Alfred Joyce Kilmer:

I think I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree

This was the most beautiful Christmas tree you could ever find.

It was a gift from above. It was perfect.

So we chopped it down and killed it.

And as we loaded our dying tree into the van, we passed a sign saying that Christmas tree farms produce enough oxygen to keep 9 million people alive every day. According to Bret’s calculations, killing our Christmas tree means that seven people suffocated that night.

Ah, we Bicoys know how to truly keep the holidays special. So Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, have a Joyous Kwanzaa, or whatever it is that tickles your fancy. For us, let us just say Mele Kalikimaka,

Cari & Bret


ALYSSA

Alyssa is just a few short months away from her 18th Birthday and will soon graduate from Bay Port High School. We continue to be amazed at how quickly she has grown from our little girl into a woman (well almost, we don’t need to rush it!).

Like her Dad, music has always meant a lot to her and thus she has started taking guitar lessons. Unlike Bret, however, she actually can carry a tune.

Alyssa also recently started her first paid job, working after school at a daycare center. Who knew that watching five little brothers and sisters could actually be a job training program?

She also spent a couple of days each week during the summer volunteering at the Door County Community Foundation and the rest of her days working on her grandfather’s successful Senate re-election campaign. In school she enjoys speech class and has received accolades for her gift of gab. There’s a joke about the Bicoys in there somewhere, but Bret is looking over my shoulder so I’ll just let that one go.

DAVID

David is now in sixth grade and continues to bury his nose in a book every chance he gets. He reads while eating his cereal in the morning, reads in the bathroom, and reads before falling asleep at night.

Besides reading purely for enjoyment, David also decided to participate in his school’s Battle of Books. He and his two teammates must read 60 books during the semester then will compete with other teams by answering questions about what they’ve read. I have a hard time remembering to close the shower curtain so I have no idea how he keeps all those books straight in his head!

When he’s not reading, David practices until he masters whatever it is he is trying to master. First it was magic. David would spend hours mastering the slight of hand necessary to fool everyone around. It’s really quite amazing how he can take a few quarters and make them disappear. Bret doesn’t think it’s special because he says that I didn’t need any practice to learn how to make his money disappear.

After magic, David took up juggling. He spent hours learning all different kinds of juggling techniques. He can do the traditional three ball juggle, but also does a ball over the top throw and can even catch them in his hat (which he still always wears).

And most recently it was a Rubik’s Cube that David has mastered. His sisters like messing it up and timing him to see how quickly he can finish it – and he can in under 2 ½ minutes! Now if he could only master the picking up of his room.

BRET JR.

Bret Jr. shares his parent’s passion for football, but somehow he seems to have his priorities a bit confused. When deciding upon a team, he passed on the Cowboys (shock!) and even the Packers. Instead, Bret Jr. has become a rabid fan of the Atlanta Falcons.

It all started because he wanted his own team and red was a favorite color. The 49ers were out because, well, no one is allowed to cheer for the 49ers in this Cowboys home. The Redskins were unacceptable because the name is really kinda racist. And while the Cardinals were a possibility, we didn’t want our son to have a broken heart every year. So that left the Falcons – and with the way they’ve been playing, it has only fed Bret Jr.’s passion.

All he wanted for his birthday was a Falcons jersey and a Build-a-Bear (one of those stores in which you stuff your own bear) which came complete with a Falcons outfit. And thanks to the wonder of satellite television, he gets to watch every Falcons game. I could tell you what a good fourth grade student he is and what a nice young man he is becoming, but Bret Jr. wanted me to make sure to tell you all about his love for the Falcons. That boy sure knows how to commit!

KEKOA

Kekoa isn’t the biggest third grader in Suamico, but he might very well be the busiest. If there’s some new activity to sign up for, be it in school or after it, you can always count on Kekoa to give it a try with all his might.

Kekoa loves football, both watching and playing it. He’s a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and is always wearing any of his different Cowboys caps. Kekoa is like his brothers – who all take after their father and their Grandpa Bernie. They all just love wearing their hats! Who knew that Bicoy men were like the Queen of England?

Kekoa’s not nearly heavy enough to play tackle football, but he was first in line to play flag football this fall. What he lacks in bulk he makes up for in incredible, unrelenting hustle. He never stops moving on the football field and plays with an intensity that belies his modest stature. Wherever the ball is, you can expect to find Kekoa nearby.

He also recently started studying Tae Kwon Do. He is learning his “forms” well and just took his first exam to move up from a white belt to a yellow belt. Sometimes kids emulate their parents in ways you don’t expect. Kekoa loves to study this Korean martial art and his father loves to eat Korean food. Bret says it’s kinda the same thing – yeah, I guess, if you’re crazy!

Kekoa is a good student and his favorite subject is math. He ran for vice-president of the student council and while he was disappointed that he didn’t win, we were very proud of his willingness to try.

NALANI

Nalani is still the most charming and outgoing of little girls. She’s now in first grade and her teacher says that she is little miss popularity. The downside for us as parents is that Nalani is always invited to everyone’s birthday party, to sleepovers at all her friend’s houses, and is always going down the street to play with the neighbors!

When our social butterfly isn’t off trying to get her way with a wink and a smile, she is in her dance class. Last year it was ballet, this year it’s tap dancing. While it’s stereotypical to say so, this young lady really loves everything girly – from dancing, to shoes, to dressing up in her favorite new outfit. She really is a girly girl.

Nalani also loves drawing, singing songs and making up stories as she goes along. She is always creating something new and shares it with everyone around her. Nalani has a wonderful imagination and uses it to dream up some fanciful stories. While I try to nurture that within her, all Bret keeps saying is great, a pretty girl who charms everyone and is good at making up stories – he just can’t wait until her teenage years begin.




MALIA


Malia recently turned five years old, but it was just a little too late for her to start kindergarten this year. So our youngest child remains a little girl staying home with her mommy just a bit longer.

For her birthday Malia also wanted to build her own teddy bear at the mall, which she did and named Flower Rose Bicoy.

We all thought she wanted to do so only because Bret Jr. and Nalani both built their own bears before her. However, we’ve been amazed to see that Malia has made Flower Rose her most prized friend. She dresses her bear every morning in any of a variety of outfits, accessorizes (don’t we all), and even puts on her pajamas to wear to bed!

Being the only one at home with mommy during the day also has its advantages. I let her watch one television show in the morning and she gets to choose the program all by herself.

You’d understand what a treat that really is if you had five bossy older brothers and sisters who usually dominate the remote control!





BRET & ME


We’re doing real well as a family and are glad to be home in Wisconsin. When he’s not cheering for the Cowboys or trying to find a good Korean restaurant, Bret leads the Door County Community Foundation – a modest charitable foundation based in Sturgeon Bay. Door County is without question the most beautiful part of Wisconsin. Its population swells during the summer as people come for the picturesque views of the Lake, charming little villages, live theatre and music festivals. Bret says he is really lucky to work there every day. He also does some private consulting on the side through his firm - Bicoy Philanthropic Advisors - helping charities do their work just a little bit better. He’s done well enough this year that he’s even been able to include some of his old friends from time to time to work with him on specific projects.

After a number of years of being a stay-at-home mom chasing after six little kids, I thought I wanted to go back to work and rejoined Schneider National earlier this year. However, it took only a few months for me to see how much I missed taking care of my family. So after talking it over with my husband, I left Schneider and returned to spending my days picking up Bret’s socks and making him dinner (what an understanding guy he is).

Our life is wonderful and we are luck to be surrounded by friends and family.

We hope you are as blessed as we are.

Cari & Bret


And if you're really bored, here's the 2007 Bicoy Beacon...

A Hockey "Suite Night Out!"

Well, at least that's what they called it when we bid on it at a charity auction recently.

For our winning bid, we got the use of a luxury suite that accomodates 16 people for an upcoming hockey game.

While you think that'd allow us to have a heck of a party, really, half the suite was just our immediate family!

But we did invite a few friends and family and had a grand old time.

There's seating right outside of the suite...

And a great view from inside as well...



Everyone had a grand old time...



Of course, the best part might be the food service in the Suite that keeps us all well fed during the game...



It didn't take long for most of us to forget the hockey game and instead turn to the food!



Cari's Dad was the one serious hockey fan who watched while we chowed down...



Oh, someone said that Green Bay won 5 goals to 1, but I was eating so don't quote me on that.

Only God Can Make a Tree...

This is deer hunting season in Wisconsin. It's that time of year when some 600,000 heavily armed people walk through the woods and shoot at Bambi.

That's a heck of a lot of bullets flying around over a two week period.

So what do we do?

We decide to take a walk through the woods to find our Christmas Tree...



Here are the kids posing among the trees and dodging bullets...



Goofing around was the norm, as usual...



Lots of discussion ensued as to what characterized the perfect Christmas Tree...



But amidst our confusion and indecision, a light broke through the clouds, almost as if a divine path was being lit to the perfect Christmas Tree...



We finally found it.

It was perfect.

It was beautiful.

To quote a few stanzas from the poet Alfred Joyce Kilmer:

I think I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.

Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.



We finally found our most perfect Christmas Tree.

Made by God himself.

So we chopped it down and killed it.

And as we loaded our dying tree it in the van, we passed this sign...



According to my calculations, killing our tree means that seven people will suffocate tonight.

Merry Christmas.

A Very Scary Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Malia! Our youngest daughter recently celebrated her 5th birthday.

Yes, our youngest is 5!



And in what is becoming a trend among our children, Malia wanted to "build a bear" from scratch.

So meet Malia and her bear just before stuffing...



Looks kinda like the skin of a dead animal!

Here's Malia and the finished animal, Flower Rose Bicoy...



Of course, Malia's birthday is also a day of trick or treating.

And since we live in Green Bay, it's only natural for Kekoa to dress up as a footballplayer...



And Nalani as a football cheerleader...



How 'bout dem Cowboys!

And when it comes to carving pumpkins, there are a lot of them in our home...



Boo!



Happy Halloween!



Another scary birthday party for Malia!

Ideas to Lower Your Child Care Costs!

Times are getting out there and we're all looking for creative ideas that might save us a few dollars. Here's an innovative new way to deal with the ever escalating costs of child care...



We're glad to be of help!

Dredging Up the Garbage...

If there was anything that really disturbed me during this past election, it was how some folks would take the truth - then twist and contort it until the "facts" they reported really were nothing of the sort.

It got so bad that this is what I looked for the day after the election...



Just a wee bit over the top, don't you think?

Obama no ka oi...

There are lots of reasons people like Barack Obama, but this has to be the coolest from my perspective...



It cracks me up because that looks like every one of my elementary school pictures from the 1970s. Lots of ridiculously bright Hawaiian shirts and muumuus. It was the standard school picture attire for a generation.

Gotta love growing up in Hawaii.

Anyway, as everybody knows, election night was just a few days ago and we spent it at the coordinated party for Democrats in the Green Bay area. We were there to celebrate the re-election of Cari's Dad by a whopping margin of 2:1 - something unheard of for a Democrat in this battleground part of Wisconsin...



The real suspense of the evening, though, was the race for the Presidency of course.

Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton (whom we're big fans of and have known for many years) took to the podium where she pulled up our kids to emphasize that the election was about the nation's future...



It was a crazy night, although David wasn't too interested in joining in the party...



And apparently Nalani and Malia partied themselves out...



Here's our family's version of Barack's logo...



Obama no ka oi!

Obama Yard Signs, Door County Style...

Door County is without a doubt, one of the most unique places in the midwest. While its initial appeal is certainly the natural beauty of its beaches and shoreline, historic lighthouses, and rustic feel, there really is so much more which draws people here.

Door County has an appreciation of the arts which is unrivaled for a community of its size. Over 80 galleries dot the landscape. There are several professional theatre companies and many other amateur ones. Door County hosts a number of music festivals and is home to both highly acclaimed art and music schools.

Artists of all kinds call Door County home and that makes it a true cultural gem of a community.



What is truly unusual is that Door County is such a remarkable draw to tourists when you consider it is home to less than 30 thousand people year 'round.

Think of that. We have less than 30 thousand residents, but will host over 2 million visitors over the course of the next year. That's a ratio of nearly 70 tourists each year for every 1 full-time resident.

To give you an idea of just how incredible a ratio that it, consider two other tourist destinations in which we once lived.

Las Vegas, the Sin City playground for grown-ups, has about 2 million residents but is visited by 40 million tourists each year. To equal the Door County ratio of 70 visitors to 1 resident, another 100 million people more than usual would have to go to Vegas next year to lose their wallets.

Or consider Hawaii, the birthplace of the Bicoy family, the ultimate tourist paradise, and the dream vacation for most Americans. A little more than 1 million residents of Hawaii host 7 million toursits. To match the Door County ratio, more than 60 million extra people would have to fly to paradise next year.

Door County is a really unique and special place - and that's why people from throughout the Midwest flock to our community.

So when it comes to political yard signs, the artists of Door County would be ashamed to display something so average and boring like this...



Some enterprising artist came up with their own version of a Barack Obama yard sign for Door County...



It's really just a simple sketch that has been painted on a giant piece of plywood.

But you can now find them everywhere in Door County.

On the sides of buildings...



Along rural county roads...



In the windows of businesses...



And even in people's front yards...



In an attempt to be non-partisan, I'd be glad to post the John McCain counterpart. Unfortunately, there isn't one. I guess McCain doesn't generate as much enthusiasm and inspiration among Door County artists. However, Sarah Palin seems to be picking up the slack and is inspiring some computer graphic design artists all on her own.