Beating the Odds

Sometimes life is like the Kentucky Derby. We all start out with the notion we all have an equal chance at surmounting our challenges.

Even when we're aways into our journey, we think we have a chance.

And sometimes we can overcome it. Not be a nose, but maybe by a nostril. Pretty insane.

Congrats to Mystik Dan for winning the Kentucky Derby. 

And congrats to my sister that today – 5 weeks after her head-on collision – she has her IV's and her feeding tube removed. If anyone has beat the odds and deserves a crown of roses around her neck, it's Rachel. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your prayer and positive thoughts. Thanks to you, she keeps beating the odds. 

Pretty in Pink

Every May there's about 2 weeks when 50 shades of pink burst onto the scene in Wisconsin Rapids. Whether they call them Hopa trees, crab apple blossoms, or some random bloom, it's always sooo pretty. Today on the way to baseball, I stopped to smell (and photograph) the flowers. Enjoy...

Not kidding. There are several areas in town when they line the streets!

Too bad it's such a short-lived season. It's just so pretty. It would be great if they could even last the whole month. Good reminder to enjoy beauty when you see it.

Life Detours

There's two seasons in Wisconsin – Blaze Orange and Orange Barrels. If you know, you know. 

Even though I'm facing a detour on my commute the next 7 months, I didn't realize we'd get simultaneous major detours in life. My family has had quite the orange barrel season the past month.

The good news is that my mom is out of the hospital. Yay! But she is going to the nursing home section of the same hospital. She's having a positive attitude, so that's good. It will be different to visit her where Dad was living in his last days. I hope that she's there much longer than Dad was.

The other good news is that my sister Rachel had some 8 hours in surgery today and she survived just fine. Hopefully, that means her left elbow and foot are fixed. The last of all those broken bones. Praise the Lord! 

I guess when we see how much work HAS to be done, we sometimes have to remember that we have to trust it will be done. Maybe not on the timeline we wish for, but it will be done. 

Thanks for all the prayers for my family. But we still need them. I can't imagine what it will be like when Rachel tries to take her first steps when both legs have injuries. Just like I can't imagine what Mom will go through the first time she wants to bake something or tend to all her African violets.

We'll need prayers for just a bit longer as we navigate these detours. Thank you!

Happy May Day

Happy May Day! The last few evenings have been a whirlwind of spring sports photos (soccer and baseball) and editing them. So no time to blog. 

You didn't miss anything.

But I'm back in time for one of my favorite days. 

Of course, when I was a child, I loved May Day. We made "baskets" from business-sized envelopes – cutting the corners to make a handle, drawing and coloring flowers, glueing ribbon, and filling with a few treats. We'd deliver to a lot of neighbors and elderly, who really appreciated it. And did some hang, knock, and dash baskets where we HOPED the neighbor boys would come out and chase us. And I guess, kiss us? This picture was from 4th grade, so we definitely weren't focused on that! (Er, no?) 

But I was dismayed that my younger coworkers knew nothing of this tradition. Gotta bring it back, folks!

Fast forward to adulthood and my favorite reason to celebrate this holiday!

One of my favorite people was born today! 💜 And I'll forever think of him as my "baby boy" even though he's 26 "I have to get my own health insurance" years old!

My little sharp-dressed brown-eyed bandit when he was narrator for the school play.

And cleaning up pretty good for brother Casey's wedding last fall. Of course, I'm a biased mom and think he looks cute (or handsome, I should say) in every picture. 

Since he's down in the Driftless Region (southwest Wisconsin) this week visiting his GF, I'm celebrating long distance. I will make a suitable cake or trifle upon his return, of course! 

And I wish I would've had time the past few nights to make May Baskets. Maybe I'll just start a new tradition and make June baskets?! I mean, at some point in 2024, I'll have plenty of free time, right?

For now, I'll just enjoy some of the blossoms about town – and my baby boy! 

Starting from My Beginnings

When I was visiting Mom yesterday, she mentioned how she hasn't taken time to write her life story yet. I reminded her that I had once video-interviewed her and Dad (in front of my childhood home above) about their childhood – and promised to try to find the DVD of it. Thankfully I found it last night. And this afternoon, I listened to it and "transcribed" it into a Word document. 

The hard part was that Dad's interview was first. I watched just a bit of it and, since I was bawling at seeing him and hearing his voice, fast-forwarded to Mom's segment. I'm definitely going to have to go back to the beginning at some point. Was just thrown aback at having him in the room with me, so to speak. Just miss him so much!!

Since I filmed this 16 years ago, of course Mom looks different than the picture I took yesterday. But her attitude and spirit is still the same. 

Both my parents had pretty tough (aka poor) upbringings. But found reasons to celebrate and find the positives. Both of them said they could see that in their children. Being tough and going after what we want. And taking time to be creative.

And they've both always had a sense of humor we've all latched onto.

She said of her high school years: "My freshman year I got on the Honor Roll every time but one time. That was good. My sophomore year I got on the honor roll only one time. I was dating LeRoy Hedberg then. My mind maybe wasn’t on my books."

Well, duh. I can see how that could be a distraction!

While crying and laughing through this today, I was sad but very grateful how much they sacrificed to make life work! And the attitudes and behaviors they instilled in all 8 R's along the way. Thanks, Mom, Dad, and God for that!

If you've never taken time to interview your parents, do it. I can suggest plenty of questions that won't seem intrusive and at the same time, give you some insight how you reflect who they are!

The Medical Marvel Tour

Our interstates always have safety messages. But the one today was a real "no kidding" one. That could be for any time of year. Plus, there are other things to watch out for.

It was 4 weeks ago today that my sister and a friend left her house to go to Saturday afternoon church service to celebrate Easter. Never realizing that that drive would change her live irrevocably. In some ways, the last 4 weeks have felt more like 4 months – at least. But thankfully, all of our prayers seem to be working.

Hubby and I smartly decided to do our "hospital rounds" over two days instead of one like I did last week. So we headed north after work yesterday.

We stopped for a delicious dinner at Milwaukee Burger Co. before going onto Rice Lake – our destination of the evening. This framed print was hanging in our hotel room. Really tempting to walk off with it for a birthday present for Carter, who collects license plates. 

But, we were law-abiding citizens, of course, when we headed up to Grantsburg hospital this morning.

My twin sister met us there so Mom got to visit with both of her babies. Even though Raylene found some reason to remind me she's 9 minutes younger. Ha.

Mom is looking 100% better than when I visited her last week. And, most importantly, she's feeling better. While we were there, she demonstrated how sharp her mind still is by beating both Jim and I in cards. And we were really, really trying! That made me feel good, though, that she still has her wits about her despite the trauma to some of her body.

But, for a strange flashback, one time when it was my turn at cards, she said, "Your turn, Reuben." That is something she hasn't called me since childhood. You can Google this, but there was a song that went like this:

Reuben, I have long been thinking,
What a good world this might be,
If the men were all transported
Far beyond the Northern Sea.

But she'd only sing the first two lines to me and we'd fill in the rest. I distinctly remember this one:

Mom: Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking what a grand world this might be...
Me: If only one thing had been invented.
Mom: What's that?
Me: I don't know. It hasn't been invented yet!

Thank you, Mom, for bringing a long-lost memory to the surface! She was also forward-thinking today. She is improving so much, they could release her next week from the hospital unit to what they call the Continuous Care Center – in the same building. Like a nursing home, but we won't call it that. And she's OK with it because her recent fall, in her words, scared the "H-E-double toothpicks" out of her!

Just thanks for praying for my mom and her recovery!

From there, we headed to St. Paul to see Rachel. She's the one who was in disbelief that it had been 4 weeks since her accident and in some ways couldn't believe it was that long ago – and in other ways, it has felt like forever ago.

She was in good spirits today. Since she loves singing and listening to music, Jim had a great idea to stop and get her a blue-tooth speaker. She absolutely loves it! Hopefully one small thing to keep her mind off of the long road ahead. She was also grateful that next week she'll have her 7th ( I believe) and final (fingers crossed) surgery when they address her left shattered elbow and ankle and foot. 

Oh, what she's been through and what lies ahead.

After living through this excruciating 4 weeks, I firmly believe both her and Mom are medical miracles. And praise the Lord for that! 

And all your prayers of support. If you're willing to keep it up, we'd all appreciate it. It's working!! 

Not The Weaker Sex

There's a couple of things I've realized in the last 3 weeks. The most important one being that women are stronger than we think. Not sure how my sister or my mom keep trudging forward, but they are both the type of strong woman I hope to be.

It was by pure coincidence that our April (the longest month of my family's life) book club book was The Women by Kristin Hannah.

I'll admit that everything I've learned about the Vietnam War was from Robin Williams' Good Morning, Vietnam and Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump movie. It's sad but as a high school student in the early '80s, when they went through American History, I'm pretty sure they ran out of time at the end of the school year and  crammed in the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, and Korea in one week.

And even though I've watched a ton of M*A*S*H episodes, I didn't equate it to the fact women were also serving in the Vietnam War – mostly as the crucial role of nurses.

What an eye-opening and really, really well-written book. Across the board, we almost all gave it a 5 out of 5 rating. 

You know I don't go on and on about particular books much (since I read a ton), but this one is worth a read. Is it long? Yes. Was the war long? Yes and then some. I personally got a chance to listen to the audio book and was engrossed from the beginning. Reading a handheld book (or device) will likely get you in the same position.

When I see servicemen wearing their caps or jackets, I always thank them for their service. But nurses in Vietnam? I haven't seen your badge of honor. First of all, you deserve it. Secondly, thank you so much! 

This book (and life) is a great reminder we all deserve praise for our accomplishments and service, and support for our struggles and unearned uphill battles.

Just so glad I have the support today of my sisterhood – birth sisters and "adopted" ones. Love you all! Let's keep moving forward!