Trick? Or Treat?

If the picture above looks familiar, you live in the Midwest. Who hasn't had to wear a snowsuit over or under their costume before? Add even more snow, and you are in southern Wisconsin right now. Meanwhile, my friends in Florida have record heat today.

We got the trick and they got the treat.

Right in the heart of our 5-7 p.m. trick-or-treat hours, this is what we were dealing with in our neck of the woods...

Those words "Real Feel 16 degrees" reflect a serious windchill. It's no wonder we had zero kids. You read that right. Full-size candy bars to give away and we had zero monsters show up.

As for Carter... Platteville bypassed Halloween and went straight for Turkey Day, I guess.

Carter doesn't think they got that much. Maybe a few inches of snow only. But still. It's October!

Anybody entertained yet?

On a positive note, there are full-size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with my name on them. And I didn't even have to dress up. Happy Halloween to me!

Hump Day Headlines

A few highlights from the week so far...

The Cutest Little Pumpkin: Meet my favorite great-niece in the whole state of Wisconsin! Our nephew Colin and his wife Amy gave birth to little Mya late Sunday night. I was holding the pink little bundle of joy by Monday night but waited until they told their friends Monday and Tuesday before I told mine on Wednesday! She's a cutie and very healthy, arriving pretty much right on time. Since the 10 nieces and nephews plus 9 great-nieces and nephews on my side of the family live far away, I can't wait to have this little pumpkin so close by to love on. Good work, kids!

Not My Idea of Fall Colors: White isn't part of the beauty of autumn, if you ask me. Thankfully we only woke up to a ground cover on Tuesday morning. Mainly sticking to grass but temps below freezing made roads a little slick. I'm still working in Pumpkin Spice mode. Hold off on Winter Wonderland stuff at least until November! Of course, most of it's gone but the stuff in the shade is still hanging out. We may get more for Halloween – or at least a windchill advisory. Bundle up your little monsters!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun: I believe that! Can you believe today marks two years already since I started at Sentry? Who says working at an insurance company can't be fun? Well, working in marketing at an insurance company sure is! (You can tell by my desk picture.) Just like any job, it has its stressful moments, but mostly I absolutely love what I'm doing. And the people are a bonus. #winning

Game 7 Sphere: Do you have any idea how much money I have riding on this World Series? I'll tell you. None. But still, it's been pretty interesting to watch or at least follow. Tonight hubby and I are sitting down with our favorite sphere – Hawaiian Pizza – and watching the game. Do I care who wins? Not really. Good 'za, a comfy recliner and handsome date are all I need. Play ball!

Talking Turkey

Question: Why did the turkeys cross the road?
Answer: To make Robyn late for church or work or anything. Just late.

I've learned you don't want to hit a turkey while driving because it's like colliding with a flying bowling ball. So I let this brood have the right of way across Deer (not Turkey) Road.

It's a dangerous time of year. Not just for pre-Thanksgiving turkeys, but drivers who have to look for the abundance of sexually active deer in hot pursuit across roadways. Wisconsin commutes are never boring!

Seeing the turkeys reminded me of a funny story I forgot to share from last week's business trip to Portland.

When it was nearing sunset at the greenhouse we were visiting, we saw this turkey up on a fence. We were pretty curious how on earth it could just sit there when a dog (out of sight and on the other side of the fence) was barking and barking nonstop. Was the turkey deaf? Or just plain stupid? Their brains are the size of a pea, after all.

Come to find out, the owners' grandsons (ages 3 and 2) were raising the turkey. And his name, according to the boys' mom? Golden Delicious.

Is that not classic? Needless to say, she said if we visited after Thanksgiving, he wouldn't be around to gobble or say hello. We found it hilarious, but we'll see how the boys take it.

If they're like me, I enjoy my turkey on Thanksgiving. I just don't need to know where it came from. Or what his name was.

RIP Golden Delicious!

Not Your Ordinary Pumpkins

If you're still looking for ideas on how to decorate your pumpkin this Halloween, look no further. Here are a handful from a competition at work today. This isn't even our marketing department, which just goes to show we don't hold the corner on creativity in our building!

I think their only rule was to use the pumpkin. Obviously, they weren't required to carve it and could even cover it up. Take a look and be impressed...

Step aside. FBI here!

Can I pick your brain a minute?

Bath time for Grandma!

Mr. Cool Cactus. I hear he's prickly.

Waiting for the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Love this!

A tasty caramel apple! Cool.

Ice cream cone! Surprisingly I didn't vote for this one.

 My second favorite. I just wanted to pick it up and drink it!

Cute frog!

 

Knowing this was from the scary IT movie... no thank you!

And my favorite? Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.! What an awesome job!

Are your creative juices flowing yet? I'm not sure who won but they were all great. I don't even have a pumpkin – real or fake – sitting out this year. They should auction these off for lazy procrastinators like me.

I have started to eat the Halloween candy meant for trick-or-treaters, so don't accuse me of not getting into the spirit. There's still time. If nothing else, the cobwebs in my windows will double as decorations. Works every time. 

His Strength is Perfect

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.
He'll carry us when we can't carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong.
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.
      – His Strength is Perfect (Chapman and Salley)

Our hymn of the day spoke to me this morning as I was thinking and praying for this handsome young man.

Remember last Sunday when I was dealing with the shock of Carter's car accident? At that same time, our friends Joe and Michelle were also having a far more serious life-changing moment with their 18-year-old college freshman.

Long story short, Cale went to the ER basically for a wheezing cough. What you might experience with bronchitis or some other virus. Not so in this case. After various X-rays and scans, doctors discovered a mass in Cale's lungs more than 5 inches in circumference. (Think softball.) Then, after a biopsy, they determined it's cancer – thankfully, a treatable Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Since he was in Madison and in the hospital, he already had his first chemo treatment on Thursday. Now he's back home in Wisconsin Rapids. College at UW-Madison and other future plans will have to be put on hold for a bit.

When we say life can change on a dime, this is what we're talking about.

We question why God lets this happen. Why this healthy, active kid gets sick. Why, on the same day my son walks away from a crash without injury does our friends' world come crashing down around them? I know in my head it's not ours to question. But we all do.

Thankfully, part of God's answer is that no matter what happens to us, we don't have to stand strong on our own. His strength begins when ours ends. Even though Cale has a positive attitude about this, if it comes to the point he and his loved ones can't carry on, God will carry them. 

As the song says, God's strength is perfect.

Still... they certainly can use our prayers! It just happens the ribbon color for Hodgkin's Lymphoma awareness is my favorite color. But I'd wear it anyway. It will remind me daily, hourly or as needed to pray for them all. For strength. For comfort. For helpful angels.

If you want to learn more about Cale's story or follow his journey, check out his Caring Bridge site. Again, prayers are always, always, always needed and welcomed! 

Count your blessings and hug your kiddos! 

Tale of Two Shirts

I got a surprise in the mail upon my return from Portland. A little box that contained two shirts that obviously show how much my twin sister knows me and love me. This Pumpkin Spice Junkie one that I wore today and a "This is My Hallmark Movie Watching Shirt" shirt – which I didn't wear tonight but could have!

My day was the tale of two shirts. And girlfriends.

I had book club at one of our coffee houses this morning, which included a Pumpkin Spice Latte (of course) and excellent time with girlfriends. We realized we've been meeting monthly for more than 5 years now. No wonder we feel like sisters! Amazing circle of friends, that's for sure.

This afternoon, just for fun (and a completely empty calendar) I hung out with some more girlfriends as we checked out a new store in the town of Rome called Bison Trading Co. It was their grand opening today and they have some pretty cool stuff that made me say, "I can make that" – knowing full well I definitely cannot. Check it out if you're in the area. After our shopping, we stopped at Lake Sherwood Lodge for refreshments, relaxation, and apparently a few hours of girl talk. So awesome.

Meanwhile, hubby had a nice afternoon to himself (and Sylvester).

Tonight, I could have switched gears and wardrobes as my view was something like this...

Spoiler alert: It's already a new season of Hallmark Christmas movies AND the first one had a happy ending. Go figure.

That won't stop me from watching. And I have a Hallmark shirt and socks to prove it.

Hope your Saturday was filled with pumpkin spice and all things nice!

Western Window Seat

My quick jaunt out to the West Coast and back can be summed up in two words: Window Seat. As in pictures out the plane window, the rental van window, and seeing some amazing windows at the customer we were visiting for work.

Your window seat to my quick trip to Portland, Oregon, area...

Mount Hood to the right upon landing.

The football field length green house.

"I don't do windows." Do you?

Fall color were at peak out there. Yay!

Just gorgeous! And temps around 60. Nice!

Saw a rainbow! Well, they "made" one for us!

Candy shop on way back to hotel. Had to pose on Wednesday since it was Dad's birthday in heaven and I needed to show him the nut doesn't fall far from the tree!

Sunset at the greenhouse. Just no words. Other than: Wow. 

Took long way to airport so we could see Mount Hood again – this time from van window in Vancouver, Washington.

Definitely some photo editing here so you can see it through the haze. Darn camera phones!

And last window seat view: I think Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. Mount Hood is just to the right off camera. I did not have the window seat. Just leaned over the guy next to me. Thank god I work with him!

Still, you get the idea. Beautiful area out there. We were about 90 minutes from the coast so no time to run out there. But it was highly productive and we had excellent video shoot so it was a worthwhile trip.

I'm not sure how I can have such jet lag, but my idea of a fun Friday night looks like getting to bed at 9 o'clock! Thanks for riding along.

Connecting Flights

While some people may hate on Facebook,  I love that it keeps me connected with old friends. Old as in my age (sorry) and old as in knowing each other a long-arse time.

I've been connected with my college buddy Dave forever. Well college was a long time ago! Knowing that he works for a certain airline,  I always text him when I'm flying it. Even though he's based in Atlanta,  you never know where he's pouring drinks in the sky. 

When I told him I had a very short layover in Minneapolis Tuesday on my way to Portland,  he said he'd be at the airport working that day. But we didn't know if our timing would work.

So while I'm busy getting pictures with Minnie and Paul, he was waiting at my departure gate, knowing for sure I'd get there eventually.

What an awesome treat and surprise to see him! The hug was definitely 25 years over due (at least)! Walka!

We just hugged and laughed and hugged some more. Twenty minutes is not enough time to re-live our UW-La Crosse memories (aka many shenanigans) and catch up on current  life too,  but we made the most of it.

It was so wonderful.  I felt like the best part of my trip was over before I even left!

It was a good reminder to make those connecting flights or visits with people you care about. No matter how brief. Think quality not quantity.

As much as I like Facebook, it doesn't hug me back.

Moving Forward

On behalf of Jim, Carter, and me, thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes following the accident. So appreciated. And they work!

Although feeling a little banged up today, Mr. College is doing pretty well for someone who saw his life flash before his eyes. What he could see in the fog, anyway. The joke he came up with was, "Want to see to drive? Fog-get about it!"

Too soon, I know. At least we know the Austin charm and Hedberg humor didn't get knocked out of him!

So it's back to normal for him – especially with fun midterms this week. And hubby and I are back to our daily grind. Though mine will be adventurous this week.

In about 8 hours, I'm leaving the house so I can fly out to Portland for work. Going commercial this time like "normal people" so nothing fancy. But it's with the same 5 co-workers as last time so we're becoming a solid team. And fun.

Probably won't hear from me since I'll be in a different time zone and you'll be in bed by the time my days end. I'll be back late Thursday night. Hopefully by then, like the saying says above, things will have a way of working out.

Prayers of healing and comfort still welcome, of course.

Count your blessings and hug your loved ones!

Thank God Guardian Angels Work Sundays

It was probably not coincidence that both hubby and I were in our respective churches and praying for our loved ones between 8-9 a.m. today. At least one of them for sure needed our prayers.

And thank God guardian angels work on Sundays to answer!

I needed a little help myself when I answered the phone and my baby says there was a bad accident but he was OK. After my heart stopped for a moment, it was thumping so loud in my chest I wasn't sure if I was hearing him right or getting all the details. But he said he'd call me back later as he was currently in an ambulance getting checked over.

Raise your hand if any of you other parents are having a panic attack with me!

Needless to say, we hit the road by 10 a.m. and headed to Platteville. Our boy was still shook up when we got there 3 hours later, which was some 5 hours after the crash. Here's what unfolded in the dense this morning...

Carter was headed to work in Potosi. It was so foggy, he missed the turn he usually makes for a shortcut. That's why the stop sign up ahead took him by surprise and why he had to slam on his brakes. But couldn't make the stop before colliding with a van coming from his right.

In a split second, airbags deployed (thank goodness) while the van sheared off the front of his car and then rolled over, landing on its wheels, and the old Civic spun around to the opposite side of the intersection, losing most of the contents of its front end. Both vehicles are totaled.

Yet somehow, the family in the van and Carter were all able to walk away with no injuries. I know he'll be sore from the seatbelt and airbag, but nothing is broken. He still can't believe it and neither can we. Especially after we went to the tow yard to get his belongings out of the car.

Viewer discretion advised here. It's a pretty scary sight for this mom to handle anyway.

Where is the front end?!

Random Civic parts picked up off the road and stored for towing.

The front bumper, etc, in the back seat.

The total, totaled package.

What a mess. And what a miracle. So grateful to God that all involved are OK. That Carter appreciates the miracle and the lesson to not take life for granted for one split second. And that we could gently hug some of the fear and stress out of our baby.

And feed him pizza.

Thank God guardian angels AND pizza makers work on Sundays. Just as I concluded my blog last night: Countin' my blessings!

The Sweetest Things

I don't mind cold, rainy, Samhain Days (read above) as long as they start with Pumpkin Spice coffee.

Then you throw in a day-long Church Council retreat to nourish our minds and souls – and tummies, too, with some pizza and brownies.

Then you come home to the sweet smell of love...

A.K.A. Roses to celebrate Sweetest Day. 

Yup, cold and rainy Saturdays can offer up the sweetest things. Countin' my blessings!

Heartbreaking Finish

Tonight marked the end of the regular season of play for high school football teams around here. Assumption hosted Owen-Withee and both teams were looking for their first win of the season.

You could say they were evenly matched. The script of the game followed one team scoring then the other answering and so on. Right up to the end when Assumption was down by 8 with less than a minute to go. The Royals scored to tie it 28-28 and with some tough final defense, forced it into overtime.

Our seniors (above) took to the field for the coin flip. They knew that regardless of the final score, this would be their last game. Neither team was headed to the playoffs – but a final, single win would mean the world.

As it turned out, Owen-Withee scored first in OT and made their 2-point conversion. The Royals had their turn but couldn't answer with a score this time. Game over. 

Thank you, seniors, for playing with heart all season long. Even with losses, you didn't give up. You still had fun. You still respected each other. That's what makes a great team no matter what the record book says.

And that's what makes great young men. Thank you.

Home Alone... Or Am I?

To quote an '80s song: I always feel like somebody's watching me...

OK. Not always. But this was the feeling when I accidentally parked my car by a Halloween display in town tonight. Yikes.

Plus, I still get freaked out when I'm home alone. Especially for a few days.

Hubby was out of town for work this week and I had only the cat to keep me company. Granted, I was pretty busy in my non-work hours, but that sleeping alone business is a bit freaky. Even with the fan on for noise, I still hear creaky steps and thuds down the hall, which I assume is from the naughty princess jumping off the kitchen counter.

Well, I HOPE that's what it was.

Even in the night I thought I felt her tail thumping on my leg as she slept on Jim's side of the bed. But she doesn't sleep in our bed when her human is gone and she definitely wasn't there when I reached down to pet her. Yikes again.

Thankfully, hubby returns tonight. Well after midnight but still during my sleep cycle. Just have to brave it for a few hours and hope he doesn't startle me awake with cold hands. The freaky ghost dude pictured behind me will come to mind and the compulsion to scream may as well.

Maybe, since kitty's been so good this trip about pooping in the proper places and not puking, she'll be willing to lay in bed with me. Just 'til I fall asleep. Her purring sounds a bit like someone's snoring.

That and my electric mattress pad should keep the goose bumps at bay.

Sweet dreams, everyone!

That Was You, Dad

We’re at the age where a lot of friends are losing a parent or both. And just because I’ve gone through it, doesn’t make it any easier. Especially when it’s their dad.

Our dear friend Cindy lost her dad a few days ago and the funeral was today. I worked from home in the morning so I could attend. I know from experience how much it matters to have friends and loved ones by your side.

I also know that I need to put any grief or anxiety aside in these situations because it’s not about me. That doesn’t stop the memories from surfacing, though.

It was a nice service and, just like my dad’s, plenty of laughs because her dad (our dads) were very special, friendly, generous men! Of course there were tears, too. And How Great Thou Art gets me every time. It always creates a lump in my throat and makes me think of Dad and my grandmas, too.

Cindy and family, you'll never forget your dad. You'll never stop loving him and missing him. But eventually your memories will fill the hole he left in your hearts. And you'll feel him with you. Maybe it's seeing a cardinal or eagle. Maybe a song on the radio. Maybe hearing a turn of phrase that only he used to say.

That's when you look up and tell him, "I know that was you, Dad. Thanks for watching over me."

Love and hugs to all of you missing someone today!

Pretty A-maze-ing

It's pretty cool that our friends' farm and dairy store was selected for the Thank You Farmers Project corn maze sponsored by Culver's. Now that I see the overhead view, I don't think the group of us going through it this afternoon got through the whole thing. I mean we came out alive (spoiler alert), but I don't recall sauntering through the word Culver's or FARMERS. Still dang cool though.

A-MAZE-ing actually!

It was actually an out-of-office bonding experience for a half dozen of us from our marketing department. With so many new faces coming on board (I'll be there 2 years this month!), we don't always get the time or take the time to get to know people. So that was fun.

Thankfully it wasn't the haunted maze, which will take place the last weekend in October.

Not a fan of Children of the Corn or anything scary. Not. At. All.

So no need to get anxious when we took a wrong turn to a dead end or walked in circles. It was still daylight, the rain held off, and there is safety in numbers. Right?

When we were done, we rewarded ourselves with some cheap entertainment.

Which is my typical idea of fun anyway! An a-maze-ing or a-maize-ing afternoon "meeting" for sure.

If you're interested in checking out the maze and other fun at Feltz Family Farms and Dairy Store in Plover, the maze is open until Oct. 24, Monday–Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. And it’s only $5 for those 12 and under, $7 for everyone else! Plus, they have pumpkins for sale and yummy treats (including King Cone ice cream year-round) and the haunted maze Oct. 25-26. Check it out!