How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Since we are merely hours away from our baby's last year at Grant Elementary, I thought I'd turn the blog over to the new sixth-grader and let him share "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" (or the subject of his choosing)...

To all my viewers and readers:

I'm excited and scared to be a sixth-grader. I’m excited because I'm moving on with school and getting back together with my friends. I’m scared that I'm the oldest kid and everybody looks up to me.

I will be prepared even though I am just sitting on the couch with my mom watching the Vikings win (well at least that's what they're doing right now).

I just got done with Kidz Camp but it seems like a year ago that I just got out of school. I had fun this summer going to a Twins game and 2 Brewers games just recently. I also went to Noah's Ark in the Dells this summer with my friend. I spent most of the weekends of the summer watching my cousin Colin race.

Now I'm looking forward to signing up for basketball for school this year because I think that I can help the team. I want to be good like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and K.G. I've been shooting 84.3 percent of the time this summer.

This year I'll be going to bed at 8:45 (I have to make a deal with mom and dad) and getting up at 6:58 so it will feel like sleeping in. But once I hear the sound of my alarm I'll be going "U-u-ugh."

I got the newest football video game Madden NFL '10. That's fun and worth my birthday money. The Vikings always win (and that's without Favre).

Thanks for reading my first report of the school year!

Carter :)

New Beginnings

It seems appropriate that what feels like the end of summer (frost advisory tonight) also signals a time of new changes in our life...

Proud Parents of a College Student: We took Casey out to eat last night for a sort of "last supper" before he headed off to UW-Eau Claire this morning. He seems pretty laid back for starting this all-important chapter in his life. But then, that's guys. Who cares what color his towels are (just glad he has some) or that all of his clothes fit in one suitcase (they have laundry rooms)? He was pretty set to go. And, even though we don't see him that often, we are missing him already. When he called this morning after arriving on campus, I thought, wow, he misses us already, too! Nah, just needed some insurance numbers. Welcome to the world of our child needing us less and less. Sob, sob, sniff...

The New Pastors are Here! It was a year ago this weekend that the two pastors at my church departed -- one for a new calling and the other for retirement. We had an interim leader in place most of the time since then, but today, we welcomed a husband-and-wife pastoral team. First impressions were good. When the wife joked about changes she'd be implementing -- like no more potlucks unless the "salads" actually have vegetables in them instead of mainly Jell-O and Cool Whip -- I knew right away I'd like her sense of humor. Now we'll see what real changes they have in mind and if they are able to turn around some of the negativity. I'll give it some time. (You know me. Loaded with patience!)

Favre Fever: No, I am not ready to jump on the Brett Bandwagon. I am just announcing that my running shoes are coming out of retirement. Actually, I bought new ones so I am the one coming off the "inactive" list. I'm inspired that someone old like Brett -- well, younger than me but old for his sport. (Yeah, that's it.) -- still thinks he can be as active as a 30-year-old. So why not me? I might as well get back into a regular fitness routine again. I mean I have been breaking in the new shoes (it's like my own pre-season) and loving them. So I'm gonna do it. And we'll see who lasts longer this season.

C-c-cold Front: I was serious about the frost advisory for tonight. Knowing we're going to start having cool nights again (and that may be until next June), we cleaned out our hot tub tonight and we'll fill it tomorrow night. It should be nice and toasty by the weekend. In the mean time, I've got my electric mattress pad. And you thought I was crazy for keeping that on the bed all summer!

Oh, you just thought I was crazy? Well, new beginnings blah blah blah. Maybe I'll change...

Making Memories

Naturally, I was snapping pictures during our micro-getaway for a page or two in our family scrapbook...

Miller Park is really a beautiful venue for baseball. It's certainly nice to have roof when you need one -- like cold, rainy August days!

They have a "kids area" so fans can pose with their favorite players. Here Carter and Nate stand tall with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.

They also have an area you can mimick a great centerfield catch at the wall. Just stand on the staircase, insert hand into germy glove and smile. Nice grab!

Obviously, Jim had the most to smile about on Thursday when the Reds sneaked past the Brewers for the win. I think I snapped this photo at a point in the game where Mike still smiled because he was thinking, "Yep, the Brewers can still pull off a win." Sorry, Mike. At least they won on Friday.

My happy surprise visit with my friend Carrie. I still think we look like we did in college! I know, the vision is the first thing to go...

Hard to believe that wraps up the "vacation season." Carter starts school on Tuesday and our Labor Day weekend will include two nights at the races to watch Colin wrap up at least one championship.

Can this really be the end of summer? Sure feels like it. The furnace kicked on today and now I have to go turn on my electric mattress pad to warm up the blankets. Yup, it's over alright.

Good thing we took time to make some more memories with family and friends.

And good thing we can do that in any season!

TGFF (Thank God For Friends)

In keeping with true Austin fashion, we once again crammed as much as we could into a 40-hour out-of-town mini-vacation. And, once again, it's good to be home!

The Reds-Brewers game was great. For hubby anyway. It's really strange being at a game and not really caring or minding who wins. In the end, it worked out just fine. Jim's Reds won yesterday and tonight, when our friends went to the game again, the Brewers won. (My Twins won tonight, too, so everybody wins!)

Mike and Christine kept Carter with them so he got to go to the game tonight, too. During both games, he was within about 4 seats from a foul ball. That's kind of cool. He had has his glove ready for anything. Maybe next time.

After the game yesterday, we went out to eat and then back to the hotel to relax in the pool and hot tub. It was bedtime before we knew it. As usual, I didn't sleep well in a hotel (pillows are always too fat for me). When I did doze off good this morning, I felt a tap on my shoulder from the other person who doesn't sleep well -- and wanted to go back to the pool, I'm sure.

We grabbed breakfast at a restaurant not far from the hotel. But even before that, I got an email from an old college friend who lives in Milwaukee, knew I was in town and just happened to have the day off. We arranged to meet up at the mall a few minutes from the hotel. I hadn't seen Carrie in at least 15 years, maybe 17, so this was a totally awesome unexpected perk to this trip! We had just a short visit, but it was waaaaaay cool!

After Jim and I checked out of the hotel, the Jackson 3 and Austin 3 headed to downtown Milwaukee to hang out for awhile at a local establishment called the Brat House. Neat place. Then we hit the road to head for home. I wish we knew Milwaukee better because we got a little mixed up and did not quite take a direct route home! Oh well, at least we made it eventually -- and safely.

Despite a quick rain storm in the late afternoon, races were still on at Golden Sands, so we headed over there in the early evening -- bundled up again in a turtle neck, sweatshirt and jacket. (Yes, hot chocolate was the drink of choice again, too. I know. It's not right!)

Colin was still behind by 19 points at the start of the evening. Things didn't go well in the heat race but he managed to stay ahead of the points leader during the feature to finish second. Now he is 17 points behind with just one more race next Friday at Golden Sands. (His last race in Marshfield will be next Saturday.)

Since we were childless for the night, hubby and I decided to extend our date and check out the action downtown. Not much happening really so we did make it home before turning into pumpkins at midnight.

I don't think we're getting old. I think we are just tuckered out from another "relaxing" vacation!

It's Miller Time

The three of us are meeting up with our friends Mike, Christine and son Nate and heading down to Milwaukee this morning. Hubby's Cincinnati Reds are taking on the Brewers for an afternoon game.

Weather looks sketchy but Miller Park has a roof so worries there. Our plan is to check into our hotel first and take the free shuttle over to the park so we don't have to worry about traffic and parking.

Are you sensing a theme here? No worries!

In other words, we are looking forward to this brief but needed escape :)

The Bug Project :: Part 2

I've heard it said many times that the more things change, the more they stay the same. What I want to know is why can't there be an opposite yet equal nugget of wisdom advising that the more things stay the same, the more they must change?

Awhile back I wrote a blog about The Bug Project. In a nutshell, it was a reminder that as parents we can't and shouldn't do everything for our children. No matter how painful it is to watch, we have to let them succeed on their own and fail on their own. They need to learn from their mistakes and move forward. God will support them... and us parents.

I have quickly surmised there is a direct connection between The Bug Project and the Serenity Prayer. Not only do we have to let our children fail. If they don't mind it, we can't change them. We can't make them want to do better.

Now that's frustrating!

We learned this morning that the much-loved truant in our lives is not welcome back at the "alternative" institute for higher learning. They don't want him there unless he is willing to change. Unless he is willing to put forth some effort. Walk the walk -- don't just talk the talk. They want change. They want results.

Welcome to the club.

We all know what's best for him. But we can't make that happen unless he wants to make that happen. In the mean time, we just love him, watch him fail and pray for guidance and wisdom.

And that's parenting.

On the light side -- and I do try to find one -- change can happen when you least expect it. And it's not always a bad thing.

Carter and I went to our 6-month dental checkups this afternoon and he was informed that his baby teeth are all gone now. So he's going to have to find a new source of income and, thank god, we don't have to worry about that darn Tooth Fairy screwing up any more!

Summer Nights

Nothing signals the definitive end of summer like a final trip to The Harbor.

The sad thing is this is only the second time we got to the popular waterfront bar and grill, located on the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes. And this comes the night before Carter's last day at Kidz Camp (already!) and one week before school starts (already!).

Where did summer go?!

It's probably a good thing we had some things to celebrate -- 2 co-workers moving onto new jobs -- or we might not have made it out there again.

The Harbor is just a neat place. It's right on the water so I like it. The Budweiser's cold so hubby likes it. And some (not all) of the "cool kids" from work hang out there so Carter likes that. (I sometimes think he's got more friends than I do.)

So Carter spent his time telling jokes (and learning a few) with the guys and playing some game where you try to swing a metal ring on a string onto a hook -- and count points or something. We had a hard time getting him out of there!

The weather had been if-y all evening with drizzle off and on. When we left, I was glad it stopped raining but the drive home was a nightmare. Fog, fog, fog! Very challenging and scary. Good thing I am a lifetime designated driver or we would still be making our way home!

Now it's late, way past our bed times and Carter keeps thinking about his new jokes so he doesn't forget them. I hope he doesn't volunteer to share them on his first day of school

So this drunk walks into a bar....

Playing Doctor

It's been more than a month now since my role as the major pain in hubby's backside was replaced with a legitimate pain in his lower back.

Unfortunately, there was no quick fix for it. Although he started going to the chiropractor daily (sometimes twice) in the beginning, he has now tapered off to visits 3 times a week. And, just last week, the chiropractor introduced traction. Sounds like a torture machine but I believe it really just slowly stretches the back out. I joked that hubby is now 3 inches taller so I can't even look him in the eye anymore.

He's not in the mood for jokes.

And I can't blame him. I'm sure I would have lost patience long before now. That's the thing, most times we wait forever to go to the doctor for something but don't want to wait at all to get better.

I think it's just human nature to not want to go to the doctor. We're pretty sure if we suffer long enough, things will turn around on their own and we'll get better. There's always that risk, too, that if you do go to the doctor, he or she just might find something wrong!

My dad is notoriously stubborn about this. Just tonight I was talking to my mom and she said he hasn't been feeling well since Friday. I reminded her he's just about 82 years old (is diabetic and has had heart and lung issues) so it's probably a good idea to go get him checked out.

My mother, the enabler (who is 77 by the way), says, "Well he quit mowing today when he got dizzy. But then he showed me how to use the rider, so I could finish. He must not have been feeling well because he didn't yell at me once! But I think he's OK now because he's eating something."

Yikes.

Good thing those stubborn genes bypassed my generation.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A few years back there was a movie starring Jim Carrey called Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Didn't see the movie but every time I hear the title I think yep, that could be a lot of different days in my lifetime.

Today was one of them. Only I wasn't experiencing the misfortune.

This afternoon, Jim, Carter and I returned to Golden Sands Speedway for a makeup "rain date" race from July. It was a 180-degree turnaround from Friday night. This time I needed ice cream instead of hot chocolate!

Going into today's action, our nephew Colin (who has pretty much locked in the track championship at Marshfield with one race to go) had a slim points lead at Golden Sands for super stocks. And when I say slim, I mean only 6 points. So everything he does matters.

It started off great because he won fastest qualifying time, earning him a few points.

Fast qualifiers in each division get to hoist a flag during the National Anthem.

Here Colin and the other fast qualifiers are interviewed before the actual races begin. Between all of his fast qualifying times at Golden Sands and up a Marshfield, this is old hat for him by now.

Things started well. He finished third in the heat race in front of that red car, the No. 25, who is the guy right behind him in points. That helped the situation a little bit!

Unfortunately, this photo represents in the turning point in the feature race. Because Colin spun out, he was relegated to the back of the pack. There just weren't enough laps left for him to come from the back to the front -- as he's done in the past. So not only did he finish poorly, but No. 25 won the feature! Ouch.

We went down to the pits after the races. Colin -- who now sits 19 points behind the leader -- was in OK spirits. He still has two more Friday nights of racing at Golden Sands so, pending some fortunate events, he could still get his hands on that championship trophy.

So what's the worst thing that could happen? He gets only one track championship instead of two in only his second year in the super stocks division.

I'm willing to bet none of us felt that fortunate going into 10th grade!

Cat Nap

I am envious of my husband, my son and my cat because I have rarely been able to take naps. Unless I really, really need one.

I guess I needed one today.

Thanks to a loud engine revving in the neighborhood, I was awakened earlier than planned. Knowing my alarm was going off an hour later at 7 a.m., I didn't have any luck falling back to sleep.

I was at my next-door neighbor's at 7:30. She had a garage sale yesterday and today that sort of turned into a neighborhood sale. I put items on there that were already tagged -- leftovers from our babysitter's spring sale. I really didn't feel bad that I only pulled in a little over 20 bucks because I didn't slave away pricing things all week. Really no work involved except helping with setup and "minding the store" a few hours this morning.

Around 11:30, Carter, his friend Harry (who were both up at 7 as well) and I headed over to Plover to meet Harry's mom. It was a halfway point between us. He had his first football game today so his visit was cut short.

From there, Carter and I trekked up to Shippy Shoes in Stevens Point. I've been meaning to get new running shoes and their staff work with you to get the right pair for your type of foot and the style you walk and run. I had them "observe" Carter, too. Interesting we are both flat-footed and in need of some arch support. I bought shoes for me and inserts for Carter. That way he'll get the same support no matter which sport he's in (soccer, basketball, baseball).

I wanted to try out the new shoes when I got home but our lawn has seen a growth spurt with the rains this week. So I had to take care of mowing the front yard first. (Our wonderful neighbor Mike mowed the mole-moguled back yard.) By the time I got done then took a shower, I was spent.

I told Jim, "I could take a nap." He said, "Well, why don't you?" Of course my reply was, "I can't take naps!!"

But you know, if you give it a try -- actually don't try so hard -- it works. I laid on the bed and had myself a little catnap.

While I was doing that, Jim got some groceries and made supper! I could get used to that.

I felt like I was just waking up when we went next door for a campfire tonight. I don't expect my energy burst to last long, though. It's another crisp night. My blanket is on. And that alarm is staying off. It's time to snuggle in for a much longer nap!

Riding Shotgun

Sweatshirts... Turtlenecks... Hot chocolate... Not exactly the first things to come to mind in August. But this is Wisconsin. Summer is just a word and, as long as it's not raining, Friday night racing goes on.

Carter had invited Harry, a Kidz Camp friend, over for the night so we knew that we were heading to Golden Sands Speedway -- even if the forecast called for mid-40-degree temps. We're tough enough, right?

I just made sure they both had long pants on and a sweatshirt. Our friends Mike (the other Coach Buttermaker) and Christine met us there with their son Nate. We were all bundled up for a night of fun. Here are some moments to remember:

The handsome soon-to-be 6th-graders (from left): Nate, Carter and Harry. Look out, girls!

Tonight was Kids Night at the races. This meant that kids could ride a few laps with their favorite driver. Carter and Harry were lucky enough to ride with Colin Reffner! Carter squeezed into the middle and Harry (seen above) held on for dear life at the window seat. He wasn't hanging out this far the whole time. This was right before they got some help getting out of the car after the "very cool" ride!

Can you tell by their expressions they had fun?

We visited Colin in the Pits after the races so the boys could get another close-up view of the car they rode in. Colin was busy signing autographs as usual. Although he did not win the feature, he is still hanging onto a slim lead in the points race. Just 3 races left this season.

We forget sometimes what an exciting summer this is for our nephew, who by the way, just got his driving permit this week! But as we bragged him up to our overnight guest, we were reminded how darn cool this whole thing has played out. Quite the summer to remember for a 15-year-old and our entire family!

Observations

I'm getting home past my bedtime again so of course I'm not up for any creative writing! So here's just a few things I observed today...

• The rhythmic dripping of rain in a bucket can lull you to sleep. Not a good thing at work! When will they fix that leaky roof?

After reading the book The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel, I can no longer read one for fun! I'm ready to edit and critique it and see if or how it conforms to the guide's suggestions. I guess it's time I quit reading books and just start writing one. (I do have some ideas.)

• When my son earns the nickname Lover Boy at Kidz Camp, you gotta wonder how much school work is going to get done in sixth grade.

God did not want me to win that big Powerball jackpot because He knew I couldn't handle it. I'm pretty sure he has some faith I could deal with a dismal $2 million.

• The only thing hot about this hot August night is my electric mattress pad. Looks like sweatshirt weather on Friday. B-r-r.

It is possible for a person to be very self-confident yet have low self-esteem. Don't ask me how. It just is.

• If my list of people I am praying for keeps growing, it's a sign I'm the one with a blessed life -- and it's time I express some gratitude for it.

If I want to get close to 8 hours of sleep tonight, I need to sign off... Thanks for visiting!

Double Date

You can't beat a day that starts with a "date" at the chiropractor (hubby and I were both set straight at 7 a.m.) and ends with a dinner date with a girlfriend. Too bad there was that other stuff in the middle.

Actually it was a pretty good day. I think yesterday's Favre momentum petered out a bit -- or people were scared to bring it up again. That's fine by me. I didn't want to read or see any more about it. A few things caught my eye, though.

I'd have to say the best headline I saw (and yes, I'm jealous I didn't think of it) was: "The Ego Has Landed." I also saw a perfect editorial cartoon labeled "Cash for Clunker." So yes, I'm finding some reasons to smile and move on. (Right.)

After work, the guys dropped me off on the way home at a restaurant in Stevens Point, where my friend Becky met me at 6. Other than seeing each other occasionally during baseball season (back in June!) and despite the fact we only live a mile and a half away from each other, we haven't gotten together at all this summer.

So we made a point of having a Moms' Night Out -- with no hubbies either. We had a good meal and great conversation. I guess we could have picked up the phone a time or two, but for some reason, that doesn't happen. Of course then we wouldn't have felt compelled to make a dinner date and do some shopping (Target counts!). So I'm glad it worked out this way.

Got home and Carter was in bed already so I really had the night off. Now I've got MLB radio on and am listening to the Twins try to eek out a win versus Texas. Seems I have to be there in person for them to actually win. Maybe Carter and Jim are up for double date at the Dome!

Decisions, Decisions...

There's a running joke in my family about our collective indecisiveness. There are times when my siblings and I will actually celebrate: "Hey, we made a decision!"

This can try the nerves when we try plan destinations for sister weekends, Christmas, etc. It's not that we can't commit to anything. I think it's just that we don't want to make anyone mad with our decision. We want to go with whatever makes the most people happy. So a conversation may go something like this:

Where do you want to go eat?
It doesn't matter to me.
Well what do you like to eat?
Oh anything's fine.
Is there any place you want to go?
Whatever everyone else wants to do is fine with me.

Take that conversation times 8 and you see the problem. But I will say that once a decision is made, we move forward. We don't come back 3 months later with a 180-degree decision that upsets the apple cart. We aren't that selfish.

In other words, there's no place for someone like Brett Favre in our family. (Or in my own household either!)

The news today that Favre has signed with the Vikings was not surprising. He has a track record now of announcing one decision but coming back later with an opposite one. Whatever's best for Brett Favre.

I've already mentioned that hubby purchased a Lions shirt -- one he thought (after last month's "I'm staying retired" announcement) he'd have to retire after a single wear. Not any more. Thank you, Brett Favre, for justifying Jim's purchase. We won't expect any more than that.

It goes without saying that a lot of people who know of our purple pride had a field day announcing this news to us today. A lot of them, though, were former Favre fans and were just as upset by this turn (or re-turn) of events.

How did I cope? What do you think?

I drowned my sorrows at Shivers on the way home. A Nestle Crunch Flurry did just the trick!

Until we got home and turned on the TV.

A Mad, Mad World

I don't know if I should be proud or embarrassed that hubby and I have become chronic couch potatoes the past week in our quest to watch 26 episodes of the first 2 seasons of Mad Men before this week's season 3 premiere.

The goal was to be done to watch the new show at 9 p.m. last night. We came up short.

The good news is that it re-airs tonight at 10 p.m. so I can watch the last 2 episodes in time. Jim stayed up late and saw them last night so he's looking forward to seeing what transpires.

Why the fascination? We're still not sure. There's hardly a likable character on the show but it's highly entertaining and enlightening (in a fictional sort of way) to observe life in the '60s... Drinking and smoking at work, on airplanes, everywhere but church. No seat belts. No shame in littering. And what I consider subservient housewives. Dinner on the table when hardworking hubby arrives home from the office each night. The wife never wins an argument. It's always praise, praise, praise for her mate.

At one point yesterday Jim handed me a pen and notebook so I could take notes. My how times have changed. Now husbands and wives can joke with each other!

I mean, he was joking, right?

Land of 10,000 Photos

A scrapbook from our weekend in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (and Twins fans):

Welcome to Twins Territory! We arrived early enough to take pictures before game time.

The bandwagon jumper Carter was a Twins fan for the night at least.

We were seated with a good view of the whole field -- especially the batter's box. Joe Mauer put on a great show!

We also saw the Cleveland Indians manager get ejected over an apparently questionable call when Justin Morneau was up to bat. The call was overturned in the Twins' favor :)

We're down to just over 20 home games at the Dome before we head to the new Target Field in 2010.

Part of the fun of the Mall of America is that there is so much more to do than shop. Carter and I had fun on rides at Nickelodeon Universe, the indoor amusement park located in the center of the 4-story mall...

The Underwater Adventures Aquarium was neat to see, too...

Of course I had to embarrass Carter by making him pose for one picture...

After all, he practically owns the place!

Great Escape

When the Austins plan a mini-vacation, we take it seriously -- packing in as much as we can in our 36 hours away from the house!

Friday went as planned. Met my sister for lunch in Hudson, checked into our hotel on the south side of the cities, then headed up to the Dome. Got there early enough to get the promotional lanyard and ticket holder, watch some batting practice and walk around a bit.

It was all good until I was suddenly hit with a killer headache. Of course I wasn't carrying my purse with me so I went to customer service, who helped me find the First Aid ladies, who thankfully had some ibuprofen. All this before game time!

I'm sure the pills were full strength but they had some tough competition. I got stuck sitting next to the world's loudest Cleveland Indians fan. Swear to God. When he clapped his hands, it was so loud it was like another hammer to my temple. Not good. Eventually, he had so little to cheer about (tee hee), he quieted and my headache subsided.

Yes, it was my perfect last game at the Metrodome. The Twins were on fire! And they crushed Cleveland 11-0. Awesome! Had pretty decent seats (despite my neighbor to the left) so I'll have to post some pictures Sunday.

Today we checked out of the hotel early and took the Mall of America by storm. Not really. Didn't do a ton of shopping (got to my scrapbook store) but had expensive fun at Nickelodeon Universe amusement park and the Underwater Adventures Aquarium. (Did you know I have pictures of that, too?) It's a pricey place, but neat to visit and walk around. A bonus for us is that we saw hundreds of Twins t-shirts, plenty of Viking ones, too, but not a Packer one in sight. Nice.

Left the Cities in the late afternoon. Made a pit stop at the DQ in Osseo. The guys felt I deserved a Thin Mint Blizzard for my pain and suffering with Mr. Cleveland on Friday night. Fine by me.

Then we took a little detour to Marshfield on the way home so we could watch our nephew Colin race. He dominated the super stocks division again, qualifying with fast time, winning the heat and the feature. Seeing him go from the last starting position and work his way to the front in just 3 laps is quite amazing to watch! It's easy to forget he's only 15! Jim's parent were also there so we had a good show of support for our points leader.

When it started sprinkling, we took our cue to head home. It feels like we've been gone for days!

I will enjoy sleeping with my own comfy pillow tonight. With any luck, I'll sleep in but do look forward to sorting through the dozens of snapshots captured during our little getaway.

I imagine you'll get a glimpse of a few, too.

Twins Territory

We're heading to Twins Territory in a few minutes! Hubby and I have today off so we are enjoying a 3-day mini-vacation.

We'll have 3 stops on the way out of town (it always goes that way, doesn't it), then we hope to get to Hudson in the early afternoon to enjoy lunch with my sister Renell. After that, we'll make our way to the hotel to check in, then head up to the Dome.

I want to get there plenty early to get the free "end of the Dome era" promotion gift and, if we're lucky, get close enough to see some batting practice or something. Anything for old time's sake!

I have a lot of fond memories of Twins time in the Dome -- a lot of Saturday night games in the summers of 1987-88 when they were hot, hot, hot! So I hope Cleveland doesn't ruin this moment for me.

Either way, I will cherish another weekend with my guys... another page or 2 or 6 to our scrapbook!

The Spirit of Competition

I've learned in life there are times it's best not to keep score. Keeping tabs on how many arguments you've won with your spouse -- not a good idea (I'd be dealing with small numbers anyway). Counting strokes in a golf game -- humbling, yet required. Or so we used to think...

I had decided earlier in the week that since Jim (still on the DL) had Wednesday off to meet up with some old friends, I would take Carter golfing after work. After all, our backs are in working order at the moment (and I know better than to take it more than one day at a time with my back).

Since Carter and I have golfed only 5 times between the two of us this summer, I decided perhaps it would best to focus more on the enjoyment of golf rather than the score card. And, yes, I realize there are people who do get enjoyment out of their score card. That's just not us -- yet.

So I proposed we play like we are partners in a tournament. The first 3 holes we played Best Ball (or Better Ball for 2 of us), which means we both played out the holes but wrote the better score on the card. The next 3 holes we did Scramble style, picking the better shot and both playing a ball from there until we sunk our putt. The final 3 were alternate shot. Just like it says, if Carter teed off, I'd shoot the next shot (no matter where it landed), then he'd hit after me (no matter where my shot landed).

We both had some good shots and some non-tournament worthy ones, too, which meant we obviously wouldn't have won any competition. But we certainly had a blast!

And, to top it off, a little shop in Iola was serving eggnog gelato yesterday so we got a post-golfing treat. Yay, team!

A Few Choice Words

Brevity is underrated. Sometimes a person only needs to say a few choice words to know the quality of their day:

• Work
• Golf with Carter
• Eggnog ice cream
• Mad Men
• Bedtime (on time!)

She saw what she had done and said, "It was good."

Points Race

Due to the big rains last Friday night, they postponed racing at Golden Sands Speedway until today. So we found ourselves spending a late night at the racetrack on what we commonly refer to as a "school night."

Since we'll be sitting in the Metrodome this Friday night, we figured we better give our nephew Colin some support tonight. Jim's parents were there as well.

The excitement for Colin is that he went into tonight tied for the lead in points for superstocks. The co-leader ended up finishing one place ahead of Colin in the heat race, but Colin finished in second place and two ahead of him in the feature. So they are still pretty much tied. Should make for an interesting couple of weeks left in the season!

Hopefully we won't have any more rain dates rescheduled to week nights. It's waaaay past our bedtime! In fact, Carter -- still tired from getting home after 9 p.m. last night from the Dells -- was zonked out in the backseat 2 minutes after we left the track.

I don't think I'll be too far behind. We're basically tied in that race!

Summer Fun

Want the perfect recipe for Summer Fun?

• Take two 11-year-old boys.


• Add in sunny skies and 80-degree weather.


• Apply sunscreen.


• Place them in the Water Park Capital of the World.


• And watch.

Sounds like the perfect day to me! Too bad us "big kids" weren't there! Carter was fortunate to have a friend invite him to Noah's Ark for the day. We had taken the big boys to the Dells when they were young but, for reasons that fail to come to mind, we just haven't gotten around to taking Carter.

I'm pretty sure it was worth the wait. He called on the way home with the promise of many exciting things to tell us about his day. In a word: AWESOME!

So while we were waiting for the boy to get home, hubby and I got down to some adult fun.

OK. Mind out of the gutter. We started watching season one of Mad Men, a television show on AMC that we've heard a lot of buzz about the last two years (16 Emmy nominations this year), but never took the time to watch.

Since the show -- set in sexy 1960s New York -- is designed for an adult audience, we figured we would cram as many episodes in as we can while the child is not present. We've got 7 days to get through season one and two before the season three premiere Sunday night. Not sure we're gonna get there. (Carter won't be in the Dells all week.)

We're intrigued by the show so far. But we might be sick of it by Sunday! Nah. I seriously doubt it. It's pretty entertaining.

The one thing about Summer Fun is there are plenty of different recipes. Depends who's cooking. And who's eating.

Chillin' Out

It was not as hot and humid as they (weather dudes) predicted for today. But enough that we pretty much stayed inside to chill rather than risk it.

Finally had that day of rest I've been threatening...

Did start off with a good walk, but then did things that are fun and relaxing for me: scrapbooked, watched golf, went to Wal-Mart and read a little, too. Now, as much as I downplay any type of pre-season pigskin activity, football is football so I'll probably head out to the living room to catch some of the Hall of Fame game.

That's it for my exciting day. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the other 3 members of the household rested on an equal level ... except for kitty. I'll never be as good as her!

But it's something to strive for for next Sunday.

Feels Like August

Mother Nature put on quite the sound and light show last night. In fact, it was loud enough and bright enough all of us were awakened (and kept awake) from 2 a.m. until 3:30 or so. No hail or wind damage, thankfully, but we got about 3 inches of rain. Crazy.

The rain storm also brought with it some summer warmth. Now it feels like the hot August days we are somewhat accustomed to. It was in the mid-80s and humid today so we made the decision early on to close up the house and turn on the air (for only the second time this summer).

Carter and I did manage to get out for a walk this morning. He mentioned I haven't taken any pictures of him since he got his glasses. Hello, that was months ago. So I reminded him about baseball and graduation parties and the one above, where he is sporting some "good luck" bling at the races last Saturday.

While out walking, we also stopped in at a garage sale down the road. Of course, we didn't have any money with us! When we got home -- all hot -- we vowed we weren't aiming to do anything too strenous for the rest of the day. It's not the heat, ya know. It's the humidity. So we ran some errands in town, which included picking up a movie, dropping off cardboard at recycling and, most importantly on a hot day, stopping at Dairy Treat for a small Blue Moon twist cone.

I did sit out on the deck and read for a little while after we got home. Have to get some sun! To cool off, I sat it the basement with Carter and watched the Race to Witch Mountain movie. This was a 2009 remake of the '70s movie Carter and I rented a few weeks back. He liked this one, too. Obviously, they can do much more believable special effects these days. That helps!

It was raining off and on in Marshfield so the races were cancelled again. So we were in for the night. After supper, I whipped together some banana bread and then we all shook dice, playing "Bust-ola." I believe I won both games. (No wonder no one's talking to me.)

Tomorrow is supposed to be another hot one -- like 90s. So I may just make my way down to my Scrap Cave and get something done. Of course, I'll have to spend some time outside. If I don't get hot, I won't deserve any ice cream!

Happy Hour(s)

Our initial plans for this evening were to meet up with friends for dinner in the late afternoon then head to the races. But then it started raining at noon. And hasn't stopped.

So no races tonight. But we still met up for a Friday night fish fry and then proceeded to bar hop (is that still the phrase?) for "dessert" -- despite the fact my girlfriend had a killer headache and we had the sixth-grader with us.

Had a wonderful time as always with our friends, but there are several reasons why this is no longer "my scene":

1) I don't drink any more so things really don't get funnier the longer we're out.

2) I swear these kids aren't old enough to drive, let alone bar tend or patronize a saloon.

3) I've come to cherish my smoke-free environment. (I just took a shower because I refuse to lay smoky hair on my pillowcase.)

4) There's something wrong with shooting pool in a bar with an 11-year-old at 9 p.m. on Friday night. (Of course Carter said, "I had fun tonight.")

5) I looked down the bar and saw hubby playing "air piano" to Mr. Breeze. (Refer back to #1.)

6) It's past my bedtime.

OK, that last one really makes me look pathetic! But, I admit, it's the truth. The only reason I stopped to blog and didn't head straight to bed is because I'm waiting for the blankets to warm up.

Then it's my happy hour.

Wash Day

When I was a girl, long before I could fathom what it's like to be 40, I'd get a kick of that commercial where the woman would dance around with shampoo in her hair, singing, "I'm gonna wash that gray right outta my hair..." I didn't understand then why she'd be so happy just to restore her hair to its natural color. Now I get it.

This morning, I took a little break from work to visit my "hair artist." I had her wash away those pesky gray hairs and, when she was done with her magic, I felt like a new woman!

Do we hold that much stock in our hair color? No. It goes much deeper than that. Washing away our gray is like a special cleansing. We are ridding ourselves of something that symbolizes age or stress or perhaps both. When it's gone, we feel restored and ready for anything.

I think the original lyrics to the song were something about washing a man out of our hair. Today I don't feel the need to do that. But there are other things, other problems, other stressors, I wouldn't mind washing away.

There's no shampoo out there that can do that for me. But I find a good conversation with a friend or loved one can be just as cleansing. Sure, it helps to talk to God, too, but saying things out loud sometimes is more effective at releasing the hold they have over you. Like an extra rinse cycle!

Why not declare today your Wash Day. What would you like to wash away? What do you need to wash away?

I can point you to a laundromat that's open 24/7.

The Bug Project

A friend of mine, who also has an 11-year-old son, shared an article with me this week from Focus on the Family magazine.

The article, entitled "The Bug Project," tells of a sixth-grade bug project to be done over the summer and completed by September. The mother of the sixth-grade girl wants to "help" the girl get going because she is afraid her daughter will procrastinate and not get it finished on time or in a quality fashion. The father suggests the mother let their daughter handle this on her own -- learning success or failure due to her own effort (or lack of it).

I can empathize with the mother who agreed to back off but really, really wanted to drop hints occasionally. She turned to her Bible and was reminded in Isaiah 40:11 that He gently leads those with young. She took some comfort and managed to "let go" for the summer.

In the end, the girl did finish the project on time and was able to add some elements to it that the mother admitted she would never think of.

Overall, the article was a good reminder that there comes a time -- armed with some guidance on time management and deadlines -- to let our children be responsible for their own successes and failures. I shared the article with Jim and we agreed this isn't going to be easy for any of us. Sixth grade promises to bring more projects and papers, but it is only fair to Carter for him to know what he is capable of doing on his own. Sure we'll be there as resources, but we can't orchestrate it all.

Easier said than done! Hubby says if he sees me in the conductor role, he'll just say "Isaiah" to remind me of the Bible verse and the story about the bug project. Good plan.

Can you believe we already used that "code word" today?

We did. Only it had nothing to do with the sixth-grader. This was all about the truant teenager who was given one last chance this summer to complete a project so he could stay at the alternative high school. All we needed to see was some effort. Something to show he gave a darn. But no, not happening.

And we have to be OK with that. He needs to learn about consequences. And then it is up to him to use that knowledge appropriately in the future. But we can't make him. And that sucks.

But that's parenting.

Good thing we have a loving Father on our side.

In Brief

Just bits and pieces of nothing much today....

Forget Me Not: So apparently this life after 40 business means some serious memory lapses. I was informed this morning that the Tooth Fairy failed to show. Oh man. Again? This is the second time this year! Yikes. I then recalled that Carter lost his tooth on the way home from work last night. But it obviously slipped mind. I couldn't even think of a creative lie. I just said, "Well she must have forgot." We'll see if "better later than never" applies here.

No Pain, No Gain: Speaking of getting old, I am feeling twinges of pain here and there tonight. The Fitness Center is closed for cleaning and maintenance this week so I had to do my weightlifting routine using the ancient universal machine in the fitness center (loose term) at work. Those old machines do not move so smoothly. I fear parts of me that should have moved left, moved right, and vice versa. Ouch. Then a half hour ago, Carter reminded me we were going to start this six-week journey to 100 push-ups a day. Ugh. I could never make it as a personal trainer.

Homer Dome: I've been dropping hints all summer that I really, really, really want to get to one more Twins game this year while they're still in the Dome. Today I tackled hubby and sat on him until we agreed on a game. As result, we have tickets to next Friday's game ... and hubby has to go to the chiropractor in the morning. (Seriously, it was previously scheduled.)

Rule of Thumb: After hearing about my green-thumb mother's many blue ribbons for her house plants at the fair, I of black thumbness declared on Sunday that I was just going to have to part ways with the dried up hanging plant out front. Well it rained hard that night and, wouldn't you know it, when I went out for a run this morning, I was greeted with a beautiful red flower. I wonder if it will make it to garbage day (which is tomorrow). I really couldn't throw it out when it's trying to live on me.

Luck of the Draw: When I checked our Powerball tickets today and bought new ones, I found out we won last week! Well, 7 bucks anyway. It's a start. We've now decided that if we win the big jackpot this week, our first order of business will be getting a new screen door, then, says Daddy, we need to register son #2 at one of those expensive -- yet effective -- military schools. If we can get a 2-for-1 deal, he thinks we might as well sign up Carter, too. Wait a minute. Do we really need to be bargain shoppers when we're millionaires?!

I wonder how I'll live without Wal-Mart...

Graze Anatomy

We celebrated a friend's 50th birthday at work today. So that meant a birthday potluck and endless grazing from dawn 'til dusk (or mid-afternoon, at least).

To my credit, I did not eat any of my Dirt Cake .... yet. (I still have a ways to go before bedtime). However, I am guilty as charged of grazing through the rest of my meals. (Who says you can't have cake, just cake, for lunch?!)

To top it off, I was finishing up a work project that had to get done today so I had Jim go get Carter from Kidz Camp after work and come back and get me. Then they still had to wait a bit. To pay for my crime, I had to treat them at Shivers. Yep, that's the Austin Laws of Crime & Punishment. At least the "law enforcement officers" allowed me to have a treat, too. Though I certainly didn't need it.

That's why when I was talking to my neighbor on the phone this evening, I needed little to no convincing to take a walk. In fact, it was such a nice night, we drove over to the lake and walked the 4+ mile path there.

It's always nice to exercise with a friend. You get the added benefit of good conversation besides the calorie burning. We had a nice breeze to accompany us, too.

It sure helped erase some of the guilt from the day. But little Miss No Willpower is wondering if she should just keep typing until bedtime. I can hear that Dirt Cake calling from the fridge, can't you?

Remember the Sabbath...

I slept in today -- but I sure had to work at it. My silly body awakened at 6 a.m. like it's a work day and I had to force myself to relax and fall back asleep, bound and determined to get 8 hours of sleep after our late night of racing.

I was up by 8 but made a conscious (albeit sacrilegious) decision at that point that I was not going to shake tail to make it to church on time. I didn't shake tail and go running either. Instead, I headed into town, searching for salvation at Wal-Mart.

What I found there, as usual, were falling prices and fellow fallen angels (also skipping church?). I also crossed paths with a wonderful woman -- the widow of my old copy editor Bob who was quite the mentor to me. It was good to see her again. She's doing well and quite accustomed to living on her own. I'm sure Bob is watching over her -- and me, too, probably cringing on those rare occasions I forget to spell-check my blog!

When I got home, we made a quick unanimous decision to head down to Adams again and watch Madison play. We had our start time mixed up so we missed a good chunk of the game when Madison's team came from a 2-0 deficit to tie it and eventually force it into extra innings. We saw all that excitement. You can't help but jump right in and cheer (hope) with the rest of the fans. A whole lotta screaming going on. At one point, Carter and I both had goose bumps. Definitely worth the trip down. And Madison's team did win, 6-4, so they were headed to the championship game later.

Carter got such a high from the intensity that he actually wanted to stay. Since our neighbors didn't mind, we let him stay on with them. Jim wanted to get back and go to some Legion games in Rapids. And I knew I had to get the lawn mowed. It's tough wearing the title as the only able-bodied adult in the house!

I really don't mind mowing. I got 2 hours of sunshine and exercise. My main concern was seeing a snake again. Talk about intensity and nerves! But thankfully nothing today.

Since I had the house to myself for awhile, I sat down and watched a movie, The Secret Life of Bees, based on a book I read last summer. I knew it was one of those movies the guys would not get into. I enjoyed both the book and the movie.

After that, I had to put my domestic goddess tiara on awhile. Made a caramel apple salad to go with supper and made a dirt cake for someone's birthday at work tomorrow. When I had my men back home, I grilled some burgers and we had a pretty tasty meal.

Now my apron's off. So are my shoes. I am remembering that we are supposed to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. But also use Sunday (occasionally) as a day of rest. Hopefully, I can do a better job applying both of those next week.

In the meantime, this is your favorite heathen signing off...

Winning Attitude

We saw some young competitors today that sure make winning look easy.

Early this afternoon, Carter and I trekked down to Adams to see our next-door neighbor (his classmate Madison) play in a softball tournament. Their team -- Rapids Rage -- won the state title a few weeks back but continue to participate in tournaments for the fun and experience.

Madison hit a home run in Friday's game and almost hit a second but twisted her ankle a bit rounding first. So today she took it kind of easy (for her) but still had 2 hits. And, of course, helped the team win 5-zip. Easy peasy. Now they'll go into Sunday undefeated. Way to go, girls!

Tonight, we hitched a ride up to Marshfield with Jim's parents to finally watch Colin race. What a show he puts on!

He was fast qualifier then won the "dash for cash." In the heat race, he was boxed in for a few laps but then got past the leaders and it was history for them. Another win. In the feature, he started about 10th back. He did some very, very aggressive driving -- twice going three wide to pass cars on the outside in turn 4. If you know racing, you know that's a dangerous move, especially there. And twice? Yikes. He led the final 12 laps and finished up a whole half-lap ahead (on a 1/2-mile track) of the second-place driver. He makes it look soooo easy!

I found out later why he was so determined to win tonight. Remember I told you about that bad accident Sunday? Turns out Colin's friend was one of the people airlifted to the hospital. He had to have reconstructive surgery on his leg and is still in the hospital. Colin vowed he would win the race tonight for his friend Cody and give him the trophy.

I tell you, there's nothing like the heart of a winner.