"Kelly-VandeWater

Day After Thanksgiving Adventures"

The day after Thanksgiving tradition began a disputed number of years ago, (9-12??), when our wives said we're going shopping, you guys take care of the kids. Paul Kelly and I were elated!! Not only did we get out of going Christmas shopping, but we could do what ever we wanted to do (with our kids). The kids had fun from the start, and the next thing we knew, it was a tradition. In the early days Paul and I decided what we would do and when we would do it, but as the kids grew older they made the decisions. This year we had kids ranging from 78 to 2 as Great-Grandpa Tom Kelly Sr. and Great Grandson Nash Uebel were with us. We also were honored to have Christy Struck and "Unc" (Tom Kelly Jr.) along for the the festivities. This year we let the eldest child make the decision of what to do and Ryan (24) said:

"Let's Go Rapelling!!"

At first we said: Are you CRAZY??? But after some persuasion, he convinced us that it would be a fun thing to try. We headed for the nearest cliffs. Below is a picture of our group:

We decided that the youngest should go first, so we let Harlan (7) try his luck at a 30 foot cliff.

After Harlan showed us the ropes, we all gained confidence. To view a larger image click on the thumbnails below.

Allie Kelly (16)

Meghan VandeWater (17)

Kristen VandeWater (22)

Jill Kelly (22)

Christy Struck (23)

Ryan VandeWater (24)

Paul Kelly (45)

Tom VandeWater (45)