Isn't it Ironic...

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

~ Ironic by Alanis Morissette

The '90s song Ironic was in my head first thing this morning.

Just like the song lyrics say: Isn't it ironic I wait 30 minutes in line to pay for a car wash last night (above photo) and I wake up to FREE rain pouring from the sky?

That put a damper on my mood. Yes, pun intended.

It was actually more of a sleet-type rain. But it changed to rain then tapered off by late afternoon. I had a few tentative plans for travel – visiting my nephew in Winnebago and/or hitting Staples and Michaels, etc., in Stevens Point. I couldn't tell what the weather was going to do, so I did neither.

We did venture out as a family to attend the pancake breakfast at Assumption High School. Had a nice meal and visit with one of Carter's teachers. Came home and did a little freelance work then went grocery shopping. Apparently, we need to stock up for the week because of some Groundhog Day blizzard coming!

This could be serious business! The projections, as of today, put us in the 8-12 inches line. But we're only a quarter inch or so left of the 12-18 inches area on the map! So who knows?

I remember a few weeks we thought it was going to be snow-maggedon here in central Wisconsin and it was pretty much a false alarm. This one, though, they've been talking about since last week. We'll have to see what they know in 24 hours.

In the meantime, I made sure I enjoyed one more day of mild temps and took a walk with the neighbor. We liked that it was mild out but liked even more that it was still light after 4 p.m. Spring must be right around the corner!

Just might have to snowblow to get there.

Kicking It In Gear

Today was the day we kicked it in gear, literally, at Park Institute. Had the 37th Anniversary Open House and two demonstration shows. It was a long, seven-hour day but worth it to be a part of it and see some things I've only seen in movies.

In case you missed the show – and I know you did – here is my friend Teri and I kicking butt and taking names. Also known as jumping up to break boards with a front kick...

Ha. Just kidding. These are two teenage girls who are far more skilled and daring that we are. I mean bare feet? Ouch.

Here's Teri and I for real, showing of our mad skills of balance, fashion and ...

Attitude!

We did have a great time. There were more than a dozen segments to the show. Our kickboxing/fitness demo fell right in the middle. We had 6 of us demonstrating basic punches and kicks, using our bodies and the punching bag, and strength and balance, using our bodies, the weighted body bar, flex bar, dumb bells and kettle bell. We fit a lot in in less than 10 minutes.

Here's me demonstrating balance while holding the weighted body bar.

My long-time friend Ted, who got me started in this a year ago! Over 70 years of age, he and his wife are living proof anyone can do this!

The "nunchunks" weapons demo is always popular, especially when it is choreographed to "Uptown Funk." Awesome to watch!

Of course the biggest thrill beside board breaking was breaking concrete. Not kidding. I realize all the pictures are blurry, but the guy above is breaking through concrete with his foot! Crazy.

And this guy is using his hand to break concrete. Insane, right?

I just see pain, but somehow these men and women of all ages have learned focus – and strength, obviously. That's what was so cool to watch. We normally just do our class and go. We don't see these other activities in our martial arts world.

It was also nice to see a lot of people attend the event today. There were around 50 guests at each show. They wanted to see what the fuss and fun was about. Hopefully a few signed up for our classes. We definitely could use a few more bodies in the fitness area.

I promise... no wood or concrete required.

Fat Tuesday :: Take 2

According to the real 2016 American calendar of events, Fat Tuesday will fall on Feb. 9. By then it will be the third one we've celebrated around here. First we had MY Fat Tuesday the day before my come-to-Jesus meeting with the scale at Weight Watchers.

Today they had the German version of Mardi Gras at Assumption. The middle and high school German classes made doughnuts for the students, teachers and staff to celebrate Fasching. That's their word for it. While they have carnivals on a large scale over in Europe, the kids settled on deep frying little biscuits then injecting them with sweet jelly. Probably rolled them in sugar, too. I don't know. Carter informed me there were absolutely no leftovers!

I guess they were good then! Probably best I am not tempted anyway.

As for me, I thought it was called Fashion day – not Fasching – so I fashioned up a Fat Tuesday outfit. See how good I am at Weight Watchers already? I no longer eat ice cream. I wear it. Though it was almost tempting to lick my shirt.

No, it really wasn't. If I wanted that dry taste, I'd have another bowl of Fiber One cereal. Whoo-hoo!  No one parties like me – on either side of the ocean.

Happy Fasching!

My Generation's JFK Moment

Every generation has its defining moments in history where everyone remembers "where were you when...?"

For my parents, it was when JFK was assassinated. For my son, it was 9/11. For me, one of them was Jan. 28, 1986, the day the space shuttle Challenger blew up.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the disaster, and I am among the Americans old enough to remember watching the fateful flight. Well, let me clarify. I watched replays immediately after the event.

On Jan. 28, 1986, while I sat in Mr. Lake's accounting class at Luck High School, the Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff, killing all seven on board and forever changing the lives of those who witnessed it.

Even though it was the mid-'80s, not every major event had live television coverage. This did, however, because it was historic before it left the launch pad. There was so much hype leading up to it because it was the first time a teacher was on board with the 6 astronauts. At that point in time, Christa McAuliffe was as much a household name as Mary Lou Retton, Tom Cruise and Madonna. Only in this case, she was an everyday person with whom we could connect.

A big deal but still not big enough we had TVs in all the classrooms. There was one on in the library, though, and someone quickly went from room to room telling the teachers the news. I don't think we got out of class early, but the next hour I had a study hall and went to the library to watch the footage. Over and over again.

On a small-ish, grainy television, you still couldn't grasp the magnitude. Did it completely explode or did it just break apart and there'd be survivors landing in a capsule somewhere in the ocean?

It was surreal. Every time we'd watch it, we somehow hoped that this time, the Challenger would make it past the 73-second mark and continue on into history for a different reason. Sort of like 9/11. Every time you saw the plane hit the tower, you think, "What? Did that just happen? Did I really just see that happen?"

The event had more of an impact, for me anyway, than the attempt on President Reagan's life 5 years earlier. Maybe because I was older now. Maybe because he survived. Or maybe because it confirmed there was just another crazy person in the world. Keep in mind that came at the end of the Iran hostage crisis. So just like today, we wondered, "What is this world coming to?"

But to see the space shuttle explode was a disturbing reality check. We grow up thinking we are this advanced, powerful nation that leads in everything – and something somewhat routine "technically" goes wrong and 7 of our citizens die? Just like that.

And on a more personal level, our teachers became human. I remember seeing our librarian cry. The tragedy had a profound impact on all of them. Christa McAuliffe was one of them, their sister. They were probably thinking, "That could have been me. Could have been any one of us."

Just like we think when tragedy strikes on any scale. "That could have been me," followed by, "Thank you, God, that it wasn't."

And bless those today who still feel the pain... who still need to heal. Amen.

Gas-X

As far as I'm concerned, the best way to relieve gas pains is to lower the price at the pump.

I know you were worried I was going to talk about gas because I had broccoli for lunch. No need to fret. I won't go there.

I was just excited tonight to see petrol prices plunging. Relatively speaking.

Apparently, the last time it was this low was 2009. But it had been way up before that so it felt more like a temporary reprieve. Probably like now. But it was back when Carter was a baby that it started inching from the bottom up.

In December of 1999, when gas prices were at $1.34 a gallon, a AAA Wisconsin spokesperson said it ranked as "the highest price of the decade." Then, a few months later they made their way up to about where they are now and people were panicking – and understandably upset with the oil industry. One angry Cheesehead said, "They're insane. Americans are never going to survive at $2 for gas it's not foreseeable. It is not foreseeable."

It wasn't funny at the time, but it's kind of amusing now that we've survived that and so much more!

I just find it so ironic that after driving 100 miles a day for work the past 12 years that now that I have a 12-mile round trip commute, gas prices decided to decline. Just figures. I suppose I can't complain. I only have to fill up my tank about every other week! That's nice. I'll enjoy this while I can.

I also plan to choose something different for lunch tomorrow. In case you were wondering...

Home Court Advantage

In case you were wondering about my vertical leap... it looks nothing like this. In fact, I wonder if my feet totally leave the ground when I jump in my kickboxing class. It feels like I should look like this, but reality, age and gravity tell me differently.

Just one of many reasons I love watching high school hoops. These boys have hops!

Tonight we hosted Wausau Newman Catholic. Always a fierce rivalry in our conference. When we played at their house in December, we lost by just 2 points in an insanely tense, well-fought game. Now it was their turn to come to "our" house.

It did start off pretty similarly, with the Royals having only a 3-point lead at halftime. But our boys kicked it in gear, stayed out of foul trouble (mostly), and ended up taking the victory 75-61.

It was fun sitting between the mother of a player who scored 22 points and the grandmother of a player who scored 15. They were both so proud and excited, I couldn't help but be, too. That's what's fun about the game at this level. We're all happy together and we all take the losses to heart.

Even though we split the season with the Cardinals, it still counts as a Royal win for us. In fact, doesn't a victory in front of the home crowd count as double?

Beats me. I never was that good in math.

Or jump balls.

See What the Fuss (and Fun) is About

This commercial message is brought to you by your friends in the Park Institute cardio kickboxing class...

It's not really a shameless plug on behalf of the owner. It is a shameless plug on behalf of me, who will be co-starring in the shows at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday!

And by co-starring I mean there are 5 other "stars" in the fitness/kickboxing demonstration. Well let's just call us class participants, not stars. After all, our moment in the spotlight will only last about 5-7 minutes per show. The rest of the presentation focuses on Tae Kwon-Do type stuff, which should be cool to watch, too.

Seriously, stop by. Eat something. Maybe a win a prize. Maybe see just enough of our fitness demo for you to want to give kickboxing a try! You'll see how fun it is. You'll see how easy it can be. You'll see that anyone can do it – all shapes, sizes and ages. Basically, if I can do it, anyone can.

If you can't make it Saturday, let me know and I can give you a private demo.

Just contact my agent.

One In A Full Moon

After shutting off the house lights before bed last night, I was surprised how light it was outside. Yes, the days are getting longer, but not that long. Sure enough, the full moon was crazy bright out. Just the right combination of a cloudless sky above and white snow below to give the "luster of midday to objects below," as they say.

Naturally, I had to take a few quick pictures! These are with my phone so they are super grainy, but you get the idea.

Love how it was casting shadows on the snow! Really was as bright as daylight out. Glad I was up late enough to enjoy it.

And since I didn't have to get up for early church today, I got enough sleep, too! We had our annual meeting today between services, so I went to that, then the late service, then a potluck lunch. Got home before any football started, so took a 2-mile walk with my neighbor. No sun today but also no wind, so it was much more pleasant than yesterday.

Then I sat down.

I couldn't really justify 6-8 hours on the couch watching football, when I really didn't care who won. So I sort of justified it by multi-tasking...

What? These box tops don't trim themselves! If I was wondering if I am getting enough fiber in my diet, I needn't worry. Most of the orange labels are from Fiber One cereal boxes. Ha.

Who said getting old was easy?

Somehow, I still found myself on my backside watching the Broncos-Patriots game. That stayed close and was pretty good. I managed to get some laundry started before game no. 2. Sat down and didn't even get comfortable before the Panthers were up 17-0. Now that is not worth my time. I'll check in later on that one.

Unless I find another project to keep me multi-tasking. I suppose I could cut labels off soup cans.

But that would make it tough the next time we need soup and we don't know what kind it is. Guess I may have to stick to the single task of couch sitting. That happens once in a full moon...

Sunny Side Up

Honestly, I do feel bad for the people out East dealing with Jonas, but I get a little giddy when we have a gorgeous winter day in central Wisconsin.

And by gorgeous, I mean it was sunny and temperatures were in the double digits. Still below the freezing mark, but they were working their way up.

It didn't take Sylvester long to find her place in the sun.

I believe she is saying, "Why yes, I do plan to lay here all day. Do you have a problem with that?"

It really made me long for Mr. Deck Chair, but it wasn't THAT nice. In fact, I was mostly indoors but the sun just gives you energy sometimes, you know?

I went to kickboxing first thing. Did a little grocery shopping. Got my Saturday chores done. Baked a Hornet's Nest Cake for a church potluck tomorrow. Ordered almost 300 photos for my upcoming scrapbooking weekend. Shredded a long overdue pile of papers. De-cluttered my office a bit. Went for a walk! And managed to sneak in a non-Christmas Hallmark movie tonight.

See, that sun is amazing! If you need further proof, check out this photo a friend of ours took after a day of ice fishing on Lake Petenwell.

Nice work, Jeff. With the sun setting like a cross, it's a good reminder that the Son is amazing, too!

Hope you enjoyed the day!

Ginormous Jonas

In the upper Midwest, we are always relieved when a major winter storm tracks to the south a bit. In fact, when they name so many of the storm systems these days, it's hard to know which ones are major, which are minor and which are ginormous.

I guess Jonas is ginormous.

It just happens that about 200 employees from my company were in Nashville for the week for a conference. (Scratch that. ARE in Nashville.) I mean, who wants to travel to Wisconsin in January? Who knew we'd be enjoying quite a mild day with temps in the upper 20s here while they are stuck in the Music City. And it is out of tune.

Apparently because it iced up first, then snow started falling at a rate of an inch an hour today, the city shut down. It's not because they are wimps. They just don't have the equipment to handle that much snow. When two city salt trucks overturn before 6 a.m. then it probably makes sense the city is in a state of emergency.

I believe they project flights to resume Sunday so our workers will be back in time to be in the office Monday. If they don't starve first. With only emergency personnel allowed to report to work, there is no place for them to eat and I am sure the hotel vending machines were cleared out by mid afternoon. Hope they all survive OK.

Personally, if I was snowed in somewhere for 3 days, I'd go by this radar map...

Isn't that awesome? Just makes me want to go to bed right now and pretend I have no place to be all weekend.

Since that is mostly true, I guess I could knock off at least one book. Just to show my support.

In the meantime, move along, Jonas. Move along.

Hug It Out

Did you know today is National Hug Day or National Hugging Day? Apparently it has been a holiday since it was founded on January 21, 1986, coincidentally my high school friend Gail's 18th birthday. Which means it may or may not have been the year a certain blogger graduated from high school.

Let's move past the fact that was 30 YEARS AGO, shall we?

Despite the fact that I could hug a huge ice cream cone and eat it – right now – hugging is healthy. It reduces stress and the risk for depression. According to Hug sources, 4 hugs a day is the recommended dosage to stay emotionally healthy. A 20-second hug can even lower the risk for heart disease and infections. And it's calorie-free!

That can't be why I'm a hugger. Because I have been one long before I joined Weight Watchers this week! Hugging just comes natural to me. In fact, I have converted a few non-huggers to huggers and have learned to love those I could not convert.

Why is it good for us? Here are some medical facts about the benefits of hugging, brought to you by me – and the first person I ever hugged, my womb-mate, my twin, my loving sister, Raylene!



Babies need hugs as much as water and food! According to researchers at Harvard University, hugs help promote normal levels of cortisol necessary for child development.

Even if you want to strangles someone, hugs alleviate stress! Just as a good hug increases our oxytocin levels, it decreases our cortisol or “stress” levels.

And sometimes we don't outgrow the strangle-hold!

Hugs make us feel “happy”! When we hug another person, our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone associated with “happiness,” according to scientific studies.

A hug a day keeps the doctor away! A hug stimulates the thymus gland, which in turn regulates the production of white blood cells that keep us healthy and disease-free. I didn't say it makes us "normal," did I?

A hug stops the bug! Researchers at Carnegie Mellon proved that individuals who were sick and received hugs had less severe symptoms and were able to get better quicker. Which is very important when you have to appear as the Hager Twins on Hee-Haw. (Just because my childhood was dysfunctional, doesn't mean it was boring.)

A hugging heart is a healthy heart! Research from University of North Carolina showed that a good hug helps ease blood flow and lower cortisol levels, which in turn help lower our heart rates. Which typically go back up when performing the Opening Act for our sister weekend! (Again, you can't get bored when you create your own entertainment!)

And finally, hugs let someone know you care without having to say a word! According to Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, we can identify love from simple human touch – imagine how much love a big hug can communicate!

So get off the computer and hug it out! It's good for your heart and soul.

Trust me, I've done my research.

Wake Up This Way

I'm low on time, words and inspiring thoughts tonight. But this should hold you over.

Shaking and Sandbagging

Sandbagging: A tactic used to hide or limit expectations of a company's or individual's strength in order to produce greater than anticipated results. Sandbagging, in business, is most often seen when company managers temper the expectations of superiors or shareholders by giving guidance below what they know will be achieved. Once the better than expected results are presented, the firm looks all the better.

I read somewhere that "to get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done."

So I thought for some quick weight loss I would try one of those "shake diets." Went out to Arby's at lunch to get the St. Patrick's edition Andes Mint-Chocolate Shake. It was as good as it looks! I can see how people can stick to these shake diets without any problem!

What do you mean this is the wrong kind of shake? I am sure there is some protein in there. A little, maybe?

Yep, I'm as pathetic as they come. But that's only a temporary status. I hope.

I declared today my Fat Tuesday. Three weeks early, yes, but as my plan goes, today an Andes Shake, tomorrow, Weight Watchers. Get it while I can, right? Some may call it sandbagging. I prefer to think of it as my final fluff-up, my last hurrah... for awhile.

Because I am pathetic and not right in the head, I have this notion that the extra, last-minute fluff will come off first and fast and easy. Anybody else ever think like that or do I truly need to be institutionalized? I'm sure at least one of you has thought, well I might as "well eat this now because I'm going on a diet starting Monday" or "I can be lazy now because I'm starting a new workout routine come New Year's."

Please, please, say I'm not the only one!

Naturally, thinking along those same dysfunctional lines, I had to finish off a few potential pitfalls in the kitchen. Don't want any dietary distractions after the clock strikes 12 tonight!

For now I have 3 more hours of My Fat Tuesday. I better stay focused. Find those treats, er traps!

Wish me luck.

Crawl If You Have To

There are so many inspiring quotes from Martin Luther "I have a dream" King Jr. I like this one because it can apply to any aspect of life from trying to solve world or person conflict to reaching goals as simple as getting out of debt or following a diet and exercise program.

"If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

Since we had today off of work, I kind of took this to heart and moved forward on a few initiatives. Went to the 9 a.m. kickboxing class so that could be checked off my list for the day. Did a little grocery shopping so I could be in the below temperatures as little as possible. Then stuck to home, bouncing from project to project I never seem to have – or make – time for.

I now have my church committee annual report done. I have some freelance work done. I called my mother to check in. I finally ordered Carter's senior pictures and picked out his baby one for the yearbook, too.

Does this bring back memories? I blame my mom who reminded me graduation is less than 4 1/2 months away. Yeah, I get that! Let's not rush things!

Of course, this photo coincides with Dr. King's message. Gotta crawl first, then walk before you can run or even fly. Just take it one step at a time in the forward direction and you're good.

Naturally, that requires a good deal of patience, determination to try again when you fail, and a great support network. If things were easy, we could all do them, right?

I know I will never be in any situation remotely as challenging as MLK, but the few times I was at rock bottom, I really did have to start by crawling first to start the climb upward and forward. He was an amazing inspiration.

May you all find a piece of his wisdom and carry it with you every day.

Limited Exposure

When the temperatures are not expected to get above zero, there's no sense in going anywhere you don't have to. You should limit your exposure to the great outdoors.

I thought of that as I lay in my toasty, warm bed this morning and knew it was double digits below zero outside. But both hubby and I got up and went to church. The late service this time "so it would be warmer," I told myself.

Yikes. A bit nippy out.

After church and once Carter got home from a friend's, we were all homebound for the day. The sun was shining brightly, but that was one big tease. I don't know what the high got up to today – it was projected to reach minus 8 – but you can see tonight's forecast is a low of minus 17. Uff da. Glad my blankie has been on for hours!

Since I didn't have any place to go and didn't want to, I spent a good chunk of the afternoon organizing things for Carter's school scrapbook. Camp Crop-A-Lot is a month away but I thought I better start figuring out what photos I need printed. Using my blog as a reference point, I think I have the order I will need to do pages in the book and what photos I will need.

Now, between my camera, my phone, my computer and even Facebook, I've got to track them down so I can order prints in the next few weeks. If I am lucky enough to have another "cold day" in, I might just want to get started on scrapping instead of waiting until that weekend. There are a lot of pages to get done! I have the second half (or so) of his junior year to finish plus senior year up to now. It doesn't sound like much but consider First Day of School, fall marching band, cross country, state, homecoming band and dance, concerts, all-conference band, pep band, prom, solo and ensembles, baseball maybe, spring concert, memorial day programs, etc. Plenty of photos to find. Plenty of pages to do. Thankfully, I have all the programs, tickets, brochures, etc., saved in the appropriate "Junior Year" and "Senior Year" containers. It helps that I am organized in at least some aspects of life!

My other project today was keeping the house warm. I had three dark bananas just hanging there, saying, "We're cold! Please make banana bread out of us!" I had to oblige.

Do you know what disappears faster than the Vikings playoff hopes?

Fresh and WARM banana bread! I won't tell you how many minutes after they came out of the oven I took this picture. But if you've ever had fresh-baked bread of any kind, you have the general idea. It wasn't long!

But it was so good!

As my reward, I stole the couch and the remote for the evening and watched Cinderella, the non-animated Disney movie made in 2015. This is what happens when we have free movie channels for a month and the football games are done for the day. It was a good movie. Obviously no spoiler alerts. The story has been re-done a few times. I enjoyed this one, though. And it was nice to relax.

Under a blanket, of course.

Gotta keep moving from one warm spot to the next! Think I'll make it from my office across the hall to my bed in record time. Unless I make a detour the kitchen. Just to check on that banana bread. Make sure it's warm enough...

Travel Mug

When you actually get up early for kickboxing / strength class, you can accomplish a lot in a day.

It sure helped my lazy butt that it was a 7:45 a.m. class and not 5:40 a.m. Still, I had to stay right on schedule as I had a few things to do.

After class, I raced home (within the speed limit of course), took a 90-second shower and got dressed quickly so my neighbor Cindy could pick me up and we could make it to Book Club by 9:30 a.m. Yes, it is possible to do that. If one doesn't mind having hair pulled up in a post-workout pony tail all day.

Had a good conversation at From the Ground Up coffee house about the book Our Souls at Night. There were 7 of us there so that was awesome. The only one missing was on her way to Florida. I guess we can excuse that. Always nice to see everyone. And enjoy great coffee, of course. Eggnog Latte was yummy!

From there, it was a like a coffee house tour as Cindy and I headed to Plover for some Jamberry fun. This was my first visit to Mission Coffee House on Post Road. Usually I drive right past it because my destination is King Cone. Don't have to worry about that in the winter. Plus, Mission sells ice cream, too!

I know what you're thinking. The answer is no, I did not have any ice cream. Instead, treated myself to a Nutcracker Latte, which was an almond-hazelnut combo. Very good and nicely served (top photo). Our friend Sarah did a little gel nail demo, which was cool, and Cindy and I were pretty much back on Blue Jay Drive by 1 p.m.

The Assumption boys had another hoops game today so Jim caught a ride with some other parents and went to that while I was gone. After a tough loss last night, I was glad to hear our Royals pulled off a win down in Wisconsin Dells.

Fueled by caffeine, I had a pretty productive afternoon, doing laundry with Carter, tackling my Saturday chores, plus some freelance work. Wanted everything done so I could watch a little football. Just had to torture myself and watch the Packers. That was quite the game. Now just about everyone I know is in the "off season," so maybe life can return to normal.

Not that any of us know what normal is. But if it involves warm drinks at coffee houses on a cold winter's day, I'm all for it. Especially since tomorrow will be colder and the drinks will need to be warmer.

Better get my travel mug ready. Cheers to normal. Do I dare say skol?

Getting Back on the Wagon

I'm looking for balance in my life. Does this count?

When I had my 6-8 weeks of cough, cold and sinus infection fun in November and December, the least of my concerns was getting to kickboxing class. Even on the "easier" days when we just did strength and resistance training. Just wasn't up to it.

Since I recovered my health, I've discovered that once you fall off the wagon, it is really hard to get back on the wagon, especially when you have extra weight to hoist up.

But I made it to a few classes last week and when I showed up on Wednesday night as the only person at class, I got a personalized beating, aka hell session, aka this is what happens when you skip class too long.

Honestly, it is crazy how quickly you can fall out of shape when you fall out of rhythm. Especially the older we get. Not that I am feeling a day over 47 1/2. So I promised my Drill Sergeant I would make it back to class. Every. Stinkin'. Day.

So even though we were home late from hoops last night, I still got up for 5:40 a.m. class today. Then, feeling like I should really take the plunge on everything, I went in early to work to attend a Weight Watchers meeting. Do I get points for good intentions? Because when I got there, I found out the meetings are on Wednesdays, not Fridays, so I have already missed the first 2 sessions of the 128-week program. Or maybe it's 15 weeks? I can't recall.

Does this mean I have a free pass to ride on or off or beside the wagon until next Wednesday?

Since Carter just finished his engineering class, I have assigned him his first project...

Desperate times call for desperate measures! Of course when I asked him to "engineer" it, his response?

"I don't work for free... but sure."

Oh, this wagon train is one long ride already.

Senior Moments :: Road Games

With an alum in the house, it's not like we are going to stop being Assumption Royals fans when Carter graduates from high school. Still, it's likely we won't be quite as dedicated to the road games.

It won't be quite the same when the kids playing aren't classmates or friends of our son and the children of friends we've made since Carter switched schools in 7th grade. There will still be children of other friends playing next year and beyond so we will make a point to see them – at home anyway.

Not to be fair-weather fans, but distance and weather will play a part for basketball especially. This year, knock on wood, the weather has been mostly cooperative. For a few away games I've said, "We might as well travel since the weather is nice." And by nice, you know that I mean nice by Wisconsin winter standards, right?

Tonight, since it was nice (balmy even with the temps in the 20s), we traveled up to Marathon, west of Wausau, to see the girls play.

Marathon is one division larger than us but still in our conference. They went to state last year and have already beat us on our turf this year. So it is always a fun matchup to watch. With 8 seniors on our team, this might have been our last visit to the Marathon gym for a girls game. (Boys play up there next month.) But you never know...

So, was it worth the trip?

Always.

As expected, a very physical, hard-fought, close game. It was tied at half time and tied with 1 second left. And thanks to a foul in those few seconds, one our seniors was tasked with making that game-winning free throw. No pressure, of course.

Did she make it?

Nothin' but net!

Lady Royals win!! In their last game EVER against the Red Raiders! Sweet!

Way to go, seniors! Well done and well-deserved smiles! Definitely worth the road trip.

Yep, maybe we won't be so quick to miss those away games next year. Those nail-biting moments are good for the heart, aren't they? Plus, I'll always need my "daughter fix."

Holy Jackpot, Batman!

If you thought Powerball fever was crazy last week, this week it is off the charts.

I had to laugh when someone posted some graphic on Facebook that pointed out that if we divided the projected $1.3 billion jackpot by the U.S. population of 300 million, then each person would get $4.33 million and our poverty problem would be solved.

Actually, if you do the math correctly, each person would only get $4.33, just enough to buy another ticket and an order of fries. (Maybe even a medium order since the jackpot is now up to $1.5 billion.)

Whoops. Nice sentiment, though. Your heart's in the right place but making everyone a millionaire would kill the economy. Who would want or need to work? Who would heal the sick if the doctors and nurses don't work? Who would protect us if the police and firefighters don't need a paycheck? How can I get gas if no one delivers it to the station and no one opens it? Who will watch over my piles of money if there are no bankers' hours?

The odds against me (well each individual buyer) are staggering. I mean there was no place to park when I got my tickets at KwikTrip tonight. Every single person in all 3 lines was getting Powerball tickets!

Still, you can't help but wonder if hubby and I will get to share it. Or if I'll be splitting with the group of 17 at work. Or if a family member or friend  will win it. Have I told you lately I love you all dearly??? Don't forget your favorite blogger!

I wasn't going to announce this yet, but Jim and I actually won last week... matching the Powerball on two tickets. That's just enough to cover our investment. I guess if we keep it reasonable, Batman won't have any excuse to slap some sense into this Robyn.

But $1.5 billion... Holy jackpot, Batman!

It Happened

A classmate from high school lost her dad this weekend and she shared this quote in his obituary. I love it. Of course I had to go ruin the solemn moment by trying find which book he used this line in and, come to find out, he never said it. It was just falsely attributed to him and never corrected. And that's how a former reporter messes with sentiment.

I still like the quote, though. No matter who said it.

It's a good reminder that even though it's tough to move on sometimes, we have to be grateful we had what we had in that moment of time. Would we do it all over again despite the pain of sorrow? Yes, because it happened – and it was good.

In a sad twist of irony this week, both Jim and I have friends who are hurting and grieving. Three of our former classmates (high school and college) lost fathers this week, Jim lost a longtime friend quite unexpectedly last week, and a counselor at school, who Jim has known an especially long time, lost his wife on Sunday.

The last two are the saddest situations. Yes, it's tough to lose a parent, but we are at that certain age where we know it could happen at any time. We are more prepared.

In the case of Jim's friend Tom. He was the picture of health and was going to be 60 this month. He died of a heart attack while snow shoeing with his wife and two grown children. Imagine the shock! Tom was very, very involved in the whole Wisconsin Rapids community so a lot of people will feel that loss.

As for the guidance counselor and his wife, their story is an amazing one. Brian was an incredible athlete in high school but a football injury paralyzed him in college. Wheelchair bound, he married Bev, a nurse, and they have had an amazing 45+ years of marriage. She was Brian's main caregiver so this is going to be a tremendous challenge now for him and the family once they get over the shock of her heart attack and death.


So sad. Just doesn't seem right that after spending the holidays celebrating with loved ones, those left behind will not look at this time of year ever the same again. We think of the new year as a time for new life, new beginnings, not death or the end.

Hopefully our friends who are crying now will be able to smile at some point because they had those special people in their lives for as long as they did.

I will always miss the ones who were taken too soon (in my opinion), but will rejoice in our time together and be grateful "it happened." Thanks, God, for blessing us all.

Cold Snap

I think I know why they call it a "cold snap." Basically any body part that gets too cold is going to snap right in half! Or maybe just shatter.

It was chilly this morning when I took this photo shortly before 8 a.m. Not sure how much lower the temp was when I was snuggling in bed, but the temperature did double throughout the day. When I was meeting Carter at the eye doctor midafternoon it was a balmy 14 degrees above zero.

So glad I waited until today to fill up the car with gas. I know. I'm not that smart! Lucky I have a small tank and it didn't take long.

And honestly, it isn't super windy out so it's a manageable cold.

Of course, I was an idiot and mentioned it as soon as I walked through the door tonight. Somebody who spent 5 hours in the subzero temperatures yesterday is not inclined to listen to the princess whine.

So I'll just do it on here. Ha.

It just happened that right before I was going to blog, I got an email about some great cruise deals. I don't if it was spam or not, but I was tempted to check it out! I refrained, though, and remembered I'll be able to buy my own ship, heck my own island, after winning the Powerball Wednesday.

Aloha, Sunny Snap!