Not So Marvel-ous

Hubby and I were off today to go out of town for a funeral. Our friend's brother died unexpectedly at age 50. Quite a shock for our friend, their other brother, and definitely their parents. I can't even imagine. It was a very sad affair and our friend appreciated that we made the trek down to Lake Mills support him. It's pretty much the least and most we can do sometimes.

To cheer up, I thought, let's got to $5 movie night. I could see the new Avengers one for cheap!

Then reality hit and I realized waaaaaiiiiitttt a minute. I am way behind on my Marvel movies. It used to be "our thing" for Carter and I to go to superhero movies together. Always staying past the credits because we knew sneak peeks come then!

Coincidentally, I quit seeing them we he started high school – about the time he was "too cool" for mother-son movie dates. So know I'm some 6 years and 10+ movies behind. That is, if I really feel the need to see them all and get the full picture before seeing Endgame. And I kind of do.

Good thing people recommend which order I should watch...

Of course, there are literally about 20,000 comments on Facebook for and against this suggested order. Quite a few mention ones you can skip altogether, which doesn't help me if I've seen them or still have the other 10-12 to see.

Plus, I missed Captain Marvel in the theater and that is suggested as early viewing. And, of course, it's not even out on video yet.

Not knowing this list, I went to Family Video in town in hopes of at least getting the second 2 Avengers movies and second 2 Captain America ones. Guess what? Our video store is closing. Only two more days to rent. And they did not have all the back titles I needed. Maybe I would have known this if I had visited the store since 2013.

I should also have known that I can probably find most of these on our different streaming services. I think I just needed the distraction.

It worked for today anyway.

Das iz a Sneak Peek

When hubby texted me at work and asked if he could open my mail, I knew my scrapbook arrived! Turned out pretty nice if I do say so myself. Who wants to see it?

No big surprises in there since I blogged about most things. Still, for people who don't read my blog or even have a computer (both our parents), it'll be good to have all the 56 pages of memories in one place. A few of my favorites...

Carter's place!

How we got around...

How others got around.

Viva la France! Pages one and two of many!

Strasbourg street scenes. Lots of art and graffiti and a combination of both!

The cathedral! So many window. So very beautiful.

Sun didn't shine a ton when I was there but we don't always need sun for great pictures. But when we do...

Spoiler alert! Last page and my favorite!

I'll just be toting the big 12" x 12" book around if you wanna take a peek. You just let me know. Danke!

Day of Rest

I bet you're thinking Mr. World Traveler needed a day of rest. I thought the same thing. But he was up at 10:30 a.m. and hoping to stick to a "normal" sleep schedule. I'm guessing any minute now, when it feels like 3 a.m. to his body, he'll hit a wall.

Then again. He's young and he'll bounce back much more quickly than his old mother!

We purposely left this day open on the calendar just in case he wanted to do anything or needed us to anything for him. Turns out, neither. He unpacked and went to visit his grandparents and a friend, and hubby did some work in the back yard and I went for a walk with a friend. Pretty low-key for all of us.

Then, I suddenly found myself with a pressing deadline. Was opening mail from the past week and saw a notice from our cable carrier that they're upgrading our DVR service in the coming weeks so anything currently DVR'd is going to be lost. Oh my. All those Hallmark Christmas movies I didn't make time for!

So, yes, you guessed it. Had to knock some of those off. And, wouldn't you know it, I watched this one and...

It's actually on tonight! Did not realize they're playing winter movies in spring. Then again, we've had winter all during our spring so I guess Hallmark is smarter than we give them credit for. And I won't feel bad missing out on any that get erased. Looks like I can watch them anytime. Any season.

I know. I live a charmed life. And a lazy one today.

And I feel no shame.

My Son Shine

Can you see the rainbow arc around the sun dog over the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport? Very cool. This is what happens when you have time on your hands and you're already locked into your parking ramp.

Why was I there so early?

First, thank the weatherman for being wrong. Sunny skies and no snow to hamper my drive over. Secondly, light traffic for a late Saturday afternoon. Third, my copy of the itinerary had Mr. World Traveler landing at 6:51 p.m. When I got to the airport, the time said 7:44 p.m. So I really had time on my hands!

Oh, and fourth, I was just really, really, slightly excited to see my boy again! So to pass the minutes I did walk around and got my steps in for the day...

But don't think I didn't ponder shenanigans. You really can't leave me unsupervised anywhere with time to kill. At least I kept my lips zipped before taking over the vacant Freedom of Expression Booth. So tempting. If only I had an opinion on something. Ha.

Then finally... this! Welcome home, sweetie!

So good to hug him again! And it was nice to have company on the long drive back to Wisconsin Rapids. A little over 3 hours with one stop for caffeine. Then the man who had been up for 24+ hours (like I had been when returned) stopped fighting the sleep, reclined the seat, and slept awhile. Can't blame him!

Jim, who had attended a surprise 80th birthday party for his uncle, waited up for us. Catching up was brief as it's really past everyone's bedtime in this house. We'll all sleep good tonight. From tiredness and just knowing we're all safely under one roof again.

Feeling blessed. Sweet dreams!

Ladies Night :: Extra Innings

Sun was shining and it was mild in the mid-50s so I figured it was a perfect day to swing over to Auburndale after work to catch the Lady Royals in action. They weren't the only thing in action. The wind just. Wouldn't. Stop.

I hate wind chills within days of May Day, don't you? I had a heck of a time keeping my hands – and my camera – warm. But I honestly didn't mind when the game went into extra innings after a 4-4 tie at the bottom of the 7th. Our girls were so determined, I just felt they could revenge Monday's loss to Auburndale. They sure tried hard in those two extra innings, but ended up falling 5-4 in the 9th. Dang.

I still managed to get some winning shots...

Sliding safely into 3rd.

 Focus.

And power.

Just me being creative. The coach just peeked out and I thought it was a cool shot.

Am hoping to get to at least get to one more softball game but some of the boys (off tonight) reminded me I needed to get my priorities straight. Ha. Gotta love that they still love their baseball even if they're struggling.

I love it, too! And softball. What a privilege to see both when I can. Win or lose, it's fun to be a Royals fan.

Seasonal Separation Anxiety

Old Man Winter has serious separation anxiety. He just won't let go! First, I thought all the rain this week was bad enough (for spring sports and flooding, anyway). Now, this...

Not an April Fool's joke. Though I didn't believe it when I first heard it yesterday. On the positive side (for central Wisconsin, anyway), our forecasted snow total dropped from 5-7 inches down to zero to 1. I'm OK with that if we don't have ice. I am driving over to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to pick up Mr. World Traveler on Saturday evening. Maybe Old Man Winter just wanted to give Carter a taste of what he missed all these months.

Besides his parents, of course. Good thing he got his "Mom fix" a few weeks ago. Otherwise, I don't know how he would have survived. Ha.

He really is lucky he missed all this snow. This rain is no treat for the older Mr. Austin in the house, though. It did stop in time for the baseball game against Edgar today. It was still gloomy, though. More like gloom and doom as our boys just couldn't keep pace with the Wildcats. They lost 13-2. Ouch. I admire how much Coach Austin cares about these kids, though. He really wants them to do well and feel good about their abilities. He's pretty good, if this unbiased person says so herself.

Managed to get a few photos before going to a meeting at church. Here are a few of my faves because I'm a firm believer you have to stick your tongue out to concentrate...

Or just use your tongue to blow bubbles!

Hoping I can get all the players in action at some point. Would be nice if it was just a little sunny out to lighten the pictures – and the mood.

Just need Old Man Winter to pack up and leave. If he needs travel tips, I just sent a bunch to Carter that I'd be happy to share.

See ya! Don't let the season hit you on the way out.

Have Sun, Will Shoot

Took advantage of the sunny – most importantly, DRY – day Tuesday to shoot some spring sports. Since the varsity teams were up north in Edgar, I did a two-for-one shoot and got both Assumption Middle School softball and baseball. (And stayed up too late messing with photos to blog!)

You know me, love getting my "daughter fix" at softball games. It is just so fun to see them try so hard. And, of course, it was good to talk to my mom friends again, too!

As usual, it takes a few games to adjust to shooting through the fence. Then there was dust to deal with. Dust? After flooding two days ago? Yes. We're Wisconsin and we're weird. I still managed to get some decent action shots so I was pleased.

Fun watching this girl run past her dad, the coach. No special treatment needed, she's good!

It was even more fun watching the girls in the dugout, up on their feet, cheering on their teammate. There's so much support. It's encouraging to see that.

One thing I couldn't get over at both softball and baseball, was how young some of the players look. Well, middle school is 6th through 8th grades, so there are size and age differences. I just want to squeeze her little cheeks!

After managing to get photos of each starter at bat and in the field, I headed across town to the baseball game.

I love shooting pitchers because their face is so expressive when they are trying to heave that ball over the plate – at a fast speed. This kiddo did well and had great form. He'll be an asset in high school next year, that's for sure.

This one is funny because he seems to have overrun the base and is saying, "Whoop, oop, oop... gotta get back!"

Needless to say, there are always Bad News Bears type errors at games (any age) and it's best not to laugh. It was a close game but the boys lost by 1. The girls pulled out a victory.

Same story for high school. Girls smoked Edgar 14-0 and Asst Coach Austin and the boys are still looking for their first win. I hope tomorrow is the day. Stay tuned. You'll hear it here first if the sound doesn't carry from Witter Field.

Go Royals!

Muddy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, which means Mother Nature is in charge yet again, paying no mind to other people’s plans.

In other words, it was finally my first day to see some Royals softball and baseball action — so it rained. Silly Mother Nature. We just can’t catch a break with you, can we?

I did stop at both games anyway. Took a few pictures of the girls and decided to be smart about my camera use in the rain, even sprinkles. Headed over to the boys game and they were in the last inning of their first game of a double-header. Was raining enough I didn’t even take my camera out of the car. But I did see a little action and go to say hello to several baseball parents. I was too much of a wimp to stay for the second game. Unfortunately, Auburndale swept both our teams.

Hopefully this week, with several more games on the docket, Mother Nature will be willing to step aside out of the spotlight and just let us have our spring!

Just like being rusty at golf, I’m a bit rusty shooting through fences. I think I’ll catch on.

Go, Royals!

Hoppy Easter

Happy hoppy Easter! This is my favorite Easter funny since forever. So I always have to share that!

This seriously was our only Easter basket. My little tub that is now my new seasonal decoration on the front deck. Yup, all fake flowers but I can't trust that it won't rain or snow again. Not yet. The grass is plastic, too, so anything can get wet and it's all good.

Figured I had to ditch the Christmas garland since we had company coming.

We hosted our family and the in-laws this afternoon. Son #2 was the only one able to make it, plus Jim's parents, sister and her family. Some yummy food if I do say so myself, but the real treat today beside fun with family?

Just have to embrace it. Don't take it for granted because it will be gone tomorrow. Just worship it while it's here!

Hope your Easter was filled with blessings, too!

Pretty Much Par-fect

If you ignore the snow piles here and there, it was a pretty perfect (or PAR-fect) day for golfing. Not a cloud in the sky and temps in the mid to upper 60s, we had to go for it!

Hubby and I met our friends Scott and Sandy at Foxfire in Waupaca, sort of a halfway point for them (Green Bay area) and us. Lots of people had the same idea. Was pretty busy and a bit slow at times but then, who cares? We're outside. If feels like spring. And we're golfing with friends. Let's take our time.

There were a few spots where it was pretty wet – and not just the water hazards. But for the most part, not in bad shape for April.

So no excuses – other than not swinging a club in many, many months! I did get to do one par dance. That will keep me coming back. Ha.

The four of us had dinner in the club house after and made plans for a second outing this summer – hopefully a full weekend in July. By then I should be back in the swing of it and we definitely won't have to worry about snow piles in the sand bunkers.

At least I hope not.

Cross your fingers that spring has sprung for real! Because it's pretty awesome.

Oh That's Why We're Called Rapids

How high's the water, mama?
Five feet high and rising
How high's the water, papa?
Five feet high and rising
                    – Johnny Cash

If we wanted to, we could rewrite Johnny Cash's song and say 14 feet and rising. Though the Wisconsin River was allegedly going to "crest" at that depth today. One drive along the river this afternoon and I was quickly reminded why they call it Wisconsin Rapids.

It was like everyone who had free time in the late afternoon was taking a field trip down to the river's edge just to see how much flooding there was and see how impressively (and scarily) fast the water was flowing.

This park was formerly the location of the East Side Pool – back when Carter was a baby.

No pool, but plenty of water these days.

Kayaking, anyone?

See that railing? There is a sidewalk and walking path on this side of it. Somewhere.

Pretty sure no one's walking there dog that far out. Normally, of course, that's situated right by the sidewalk.

 Got some media coverage today.

 Smartly wearing boots and on the correct/safe side of the fence.

Yes, this is what we mean by rapids! 

Inching its way up to bridge level.

Down on Second Street. Now I've heard of water flooding and crossing the road but hadn't see it until today.

Homes on the left had water up to their front porches. The park on the right was nowhere in sight.

How scary see actual waves coming toward your house when you're not on a beach.

Water reaching some of the side streets there, too. Since it goes up hill from there, though, it didn't get too far down the street.

This duck is not going to find food in the street.

 See the painted stripes under the water? These ducks are hanging out in a parking spot.

See the duck on the left? Pretty far off the river path.

River may have crested but it could rise again because... snow. See it in the foreground? There's still some more melting to come this weekend.

View from the side street looking down the hill to the river.

 Canceling all playdates at Lyon park on the south side of the Expressway Bridge.

What bench?

Not a nice day for a picnic, either!

Inching toward the road here, but was over the road further south. I was smart and did not drive there.

You may notice water to the south toward Port Edwards. There were also sandbags, too. That same area was hit a few years ago and lots of basements flooded and some walls even caved in. Messy stuff.

More media checking things out. Does my blog count as media?

"Where the sidewalk ends." Gonna have to walk on water to get to that bench out there!

Pretty crazy stuff! Hopefully no major damage to homes in the area or injuries. There's definitely power behind those rapids! Be careful out there and smart!