You Still Have to Leave the House

I didn't realize this morning's wake-up temperature was going to be even worse than yesterday. It made me actually look to see if schools were closed. 

They weren't. I can't remember the threshold, but a windchill of -23 isn't cold enough. Either way, I still had to leave the house and get to work so I could deliver that trifle. Priorities! 

Even the remaining water in my water bottle decided to give up the fight. It was ice by the end of the day. Even though we have covered parking at work, that doesn't keep the wind or the chill out. I'm probably going to cave and wear a coat one of these days, too!

Tonight after work I kept warm by shooting hoops. Well, shooting pictures of hoops. I went to the Rapids girls' JV game to watch Coach Austin in action. Not THAT Coach Austin. A different one. Jim's goddaughter Becca is leading the JV 1 squad this winter.

Since Royals hoops are out of town all week, it finally worked on my schedule to go. She's a sweetie and it's fun to see her share her passion for the game with these young girls. It was a low-scoring affair, but they beat Medford 17-10. A win's a win. Hoping she'll find continued this success this season. Stay hot!

Speaking of hot... I didn't stay for varsity so I got home at a decent time to turn on my electric mattress pad. That thing never gets a break. Except during daylight hours, of course. Because darn it, we still have to leave the house. 

Be careful out there!

We're Built Different

OK, I woke up to below zero temperatures for the first time this year. And no I didn't step out in a short dress and stilettos – without a coat. But only because I worked from home today, of course.

Frankly, my weather app was in complete alignment with my heated mattress pad. Stay in bed! They both urged. My body said yes, but my mind said, "Crap. It's Monday. Gotta work." So jeans and a sweatshirt it was. No stilettos in sight. 

I did venture out at lunch to pick up ingredients for a trifle. It was up to 2 degrees by then so I didn't need to break out a coat yet, just slipped on a vest over my hoodie. I'm telling you, we Wisconsin girls ARE built different. Though I have layers of fat to warm me compared to the girls pictured. That makes a difference, too!

And this is supposed to be the coldest day this week. Yay.

Since I was home for afternoon and evening, I whipped together a trifle for the new member of our circus, er work team. I asked if she had a wish for the Trifle Fairy and she said anything with vanilla and sprinkles...

This is sort of a messy one, but there is vanilla pudding and there are sprinkles of sorts on the frosted animal cookies. Hope that works for her. Haven't had a disappointing Trifle Tuesday yet. Let's keep the streak going.

As for the Polar Vortex streak – that can go away any time.

Not that I can't handle it. #WisconsinGirls

Having a Ball or Two

Having a ball this weekend. All kinds. Including golf. Wait. What?

Yup, Mr. Two New Knees finally got to swing at his friend's indoor simulator this afternoon. And he said it felt good. Yay for the little normal things! He's missing out on his winter indoor league, but maybe he'll hop aboard yet. We just want to be sure he's all good and recovered by baseball season.

Oh baseball. That's one ball not a part of this weekend. But basketball was...

Our Assumption Royals and Port Edwards teams traveled down to Fiserv Forum to play where the Milwaukee Bucks play. What a cool opportunity! It was an early afternoon game since the Bucks play tonight. We did not go since we pretty much had to commit a month ago and we didn't know what the progress of Jim's knee recovery would be by now. That's a long day to sit without elevation.

Still fun to watch on TV. And extra fun to see our boys come away with a convincing enough win that all of the bench got to see action on the pro court. Pretty, pretty nice.

We also didn't go because I knew I'd be tired after working all day yesterday, shooting pictures at a wedding, reception, and dance. Was at the church at 10:30 a.m. so it made for a long day. But it was very special to see a friend's son and his fiancee tie the knot – and capture as much of it as I could.

The bride was absolutely gorgeous. That's her on the right! 😊 Everyone had a ball – even cooperating for outdoor pictures in the 10-degree weather. Uff da.

Today was even colder so I stayed in. And after watching hoops, I finished season 3 of Emily in Paris (that ending, what?!) while Jim golfed, and we're watching football championships. Another ball. Oh, and I'm multi-tasking and crocheting with... you guessed it, a ball of yarn.

Alright, halftime is over. Gotta go. Hope you all have a ball this week!

Friday Night Vibes

I guess Friday night vibes are a thing. I wonder if they meant going to bed early because you did three things after work and you're exhausted.

That's my vibe.

Finally had a GSD (get "stuff" done) day at work so I am no longer in the post-vacation catch-up mode. Yay.

After work, we went over the Jim's dad's and delivered fish fries. I had my fish and took the rest of my meal on the road since I had to do event number 2 – observe a wedding rehearsal so I know the run of show tomorrow when I photograph it. Then I met Jim and the kids at B's Tap for event 3. 

Which was basically hanging out with these cuties for one beverage before they hit the road tomorrow and head back to southeastern Wisconsin. It was great having them here this week. Not enough free hours when we're a bunch of working adults!

I guess this means my Saturday vibes will be a bit sad. But you can't know sadness until you've had joy. So yay for joy and Friday night vibes.

Stay warm this weekend!

Holiday Happy Hour

I haven't shared a parking lot sunset picture in awhile. You're welcome. The good news is that this was taken at 5:02 p.m. The days are getting longer!

This parking lot is in front of the O'so Brewery in Plover, where I relaxed after work.

Due to how busy my department is in December, we postponed our holiday happy hour and finally had our Christmas gathering today. I haven't visited O'so before, but I like how they think...

OMG. This so me! I can't believe I walked out of there with buying a t-shirt. In my mind I was thinking I could make my own t-shirt with my Cricut. We'll see. It's too perfect for me not to do something with their motto!

We were allowed to have a plus-one at this party since it was so informal. Hubby didn't join me but Carter and Mamie stopped in since they were in the neighborhood picking up his new spectacles. There was plenty of pizza, etc, to go around. 

A couple of the people in my department have known Carter since he was in grade school because they also worked with us in Iola back then.

Yup. Carter's now taller than the grownups! They were happy to see their little boy though.

I waited until I won a prize and then came home. Even though it felt like either a holiday or a Friday night, I do have to get up for work in the morning. 

Sweet dreams from wacky, offensive, unique me!

Working It

Love this work tip! But returning isn't all bad. Even though I've been back working since I hopped off the Norwegian Epic last week, I hadn't been back AT work until yesterday.

Felt like I'd been gone a month. I mean it was half a month technically, so no surprise there. Not sure which comment I heard more: "Nice tan" or "It was so quiet around here without you."

No surprise there either!

It was good to be back to my spoiled two-large-monitors setup, that's for sure. And seeing people. And getting back into a routine. It's been crazy busy and that didn't slow down while I was away.

Ended up working late yesterday since I had to stay in Stevens Point anyway. Last night was senior night for our Pacelli-Amherst-Assumption-Northland Pines Co-op hockey team. It takes a lot of small schools to build a team!

No offense to my cool boyfriend Mr Zamboni, but the atmosphere was very anti-Aruba. Complete opposite of my surroundings the week before. But I still enjoyed getting back at taking pictures. And seeing one of our Assumption boys score a goal. And winning the game!

Got home late for a "school night" so I just crashed and dealt with photos today after work. And had to catch up on a few others things – including time with the kiddos. Not sure how long Carter and Mamie will be here, but I guess we'll have them another 48 hours since we're doing fish fries Friday. I have to remind myself that he's working during the day so I'm not missing out on anything when I'm at the office.

Except that Crack Chicken. And thankfully there's still some of that left! 

And Hump Day is already over so this week is flying. Thankful for that, too. 

No so thankful to hear winter is coming. Might have to wear a coat by the weekend. Be careful out there!

Betty Crocker Bribery

I figured out the easiest way to keep the kids here an extra few days. Get them hooked on crack. Chicken, that is.

So I've got the slow cooker going, ready to throw together one of their faves for the week: Crockpot Crack Chicken. We all love it and it's easy. I'm sure I've shared the recipe before, but with Super Bowl parties on the horizon, I'll do it again...

CROCKPOT CRACK CHICKEN

• 2-3 lbs boneless chicken breasts
• 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese
• 2 (1 oz) packets dry Ranch seasoning (I use the Spicy kind)
• 8 oz bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled (There's decent prepackaged stuff out there)

Instructions

In a slow cooker, combine the chicken, cream cheese, and Ranch seasoning.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until chicken shreds easily.

Once chicken shreds, stir with a large fork or spoon, so the chicken shreds and all the ingredients combine.

Add in crumbled bacon and stir to incorporate.

Serve warm.

We do them on little Hawaiian slider buns. Super delish. But you could use crackers or heavy chips even. So good you'll understand why they call it Crack.

It also reheats well, which is good, since this will be breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next few days. Call it the popcorn of poultry, I guess.

Crockpot just beeped. I gotta go prep my meals!

Three Popped Meals a Day

It's not unusual for me to have popcorn for dinner. But breakfast... that's a new thing.

I rushed out of the house this morning so I could get to church to practice our choir song since I was out of town for practice this week. Then right after church, we had our annual meeting and my committee report was last on the agenda. The kept glancing at my phone clock because I needed to be home so my neighbor could pick me up at noon to go to a movie.

I got home at 11:55 a.m. and had time to use the restroom and then Cindy was there at noon. We got the theater and ordered the Robyn-sized popcorn bucket for my breakfast and lunch. And later, my dinner, too! No shame.

We have been looking forward to seeing A Man Called Otto for quite some time. Our book club actually read the original book – A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – back in March 2017, giving it an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. Backman is a Swedish author so they did do a Swedish movie version of the book but it wasn't fun with the subtitles, so I didn't see it all. 

The Americanized version features a name change – Ove to Otto – and a stellar performance by Tom Hanks as the lead. The movie didn't follow the book exactly (they never do), but this time it was OK. They needed certain visuals to better tell the story. 

I think we both forgot how moving the book was. The movie had us tearing up and close to sobbing at points. Really well done. See it if you can. Both heart-warming and heart-wrenching.

Plus, you could come out of with at least 2 meals already popped, er planned.

When There's Not a Latte Going On

The best way to start the weekend is a fancy Saturday morning coffee drink with girlfriends. We had a nice almost 2-hour book club this morning. Not that the book took 2 hours to discuss, but we had to catch up on life after the holidays.

And my cruise.

Hey, I had a captive audience!

The rest of the day was super low-key. I mean almost forced relaxation. I was going to do something – anything – with the kiddos but since they were up til 3 a.m. or so watching movies or playing video games, they didn't get up until mid-afternoon.

So hubby went to church to sing in the choir and I binged half of Emily in Paris season 3, plus watched a little football in case the Chiefs couldn't hold on, plus uploaded 2,835 photos from my cruise to Shutterfly so I can work on a scrapbook Camp Crop-a-Lot weekend.

Crazy what a person can accomplish on a latte, er light, schedule.

And I still have time for one more episode or time to start a new book. Or nothing. I'm hedging toward reading until my eyes close. I could use one more night of 8+ hours of sleep. By Monday my mind and body should be in sync with central time. 

I don't mind easing into it.

Hope you're having a relaxing weekend, too!

Friendly Friday Fish Fry

We had talked over a year ago about '"getting together more often" with two of hubby's former co-workers from our time in Iola (and their wives). We wisely decided in November that we all needed to pick a date after the holidays, reserve it on our calendar, and stick with it.

Between Jim's two knee surgeries and my cruise, I said the earliest date we could do dinner was Friday, January 20. 

And so we did! We met up with Kyler and Randy and their lovely brides over at Sky Club in Plover. A central location for the 6 of us. We have known each other since 2003 but haven't worked together for the past 7 or 8 years. Still, we keep in touch and TRY to get together every now and then.

It's been too long, of course. But it was so great catching up over a delicious fish fry – and dessert – about new and old jobs, shared funny memories, and our children, who just keep getting older even though we obviously haven't aged a bit! We promised each other it won't be so long between visits next time. Maybe this summer, since that's right around the corner.

We say as we stand bundled up in our winter coats.

At least our hearts are warm knowing we had amazing people enter our lives and stay there a good decade later. 

It might be the cheesecake talking, but I'd say that's quite a blessing right there!

Plateauing Traveler

Plateau: to reach a level, period, or condition of stability or maximum attainment. (I'd put a stress on the maximum attainment.)

Flying out of Phoenix this morning I noticed this large plateau. If anything symbolizes my energy level right now, that's it. But I guess plateauing is a better term than straight-lining, right?

Got up early in the Mountain time zone and landed at a respectable 2 p.m. Central in Madison. Thankfully no weather issues. I mean we had 4 inches of snow at home that my neighborhood snow removal heroes got rid of so Jim could come get me. But other than that, it all worked out. Yay.

Took the better part of the late afternoon and evening to unpack and do laundry. But I was distracted.

Carter and Mamie surprised me by being here for a visit! So nice to see them since I haven't seen them since before Christmas and they came to visit Jim while I was gone. I didn't realize they were coming back for a few days. Yay!

That means I didn't have to wait to give Carter his presents either. If you recall, he collects license plates. He just about has one from each state – plus some foreign lands, now including a few islands.

I made sure I took a picture of the plate before leaving the port of call!

I also gave Jim a golf shirt from St. Kitts before he jetted off to choir practice. Right now, even though it's just approaching 8:45 p.m., I am beat! Not ashamed to say I may or may not make it to 9 p.m. Hopefully by Sunday, my body will know what time zone it's in.

It might not appreciate it after looking back at island photos, but at least it will know.

Desert Sun Sets on Trip

As far as farewells go, the sun valley gave me a good one tonight. 

I mean, we're crossing our fingers it's my last night in Arizona. It's colorful here but I know everything back home is going to be plain old white for the next 12 hours.

Hopefully not too much. I'd prefer if Mr. Weather Man over-exaggerated and under-delivers this time. We'll see.

For my last supper, we went to a golf course in the area that serves delicious coconut shrimp (can't get enough coconut this trip) and even had Pazookie (basically a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie with ice cream).

 

Both were super delicious! And no, between the two of us, we couldn't finish that dessert!

Came home and since it was early (got a table right away like other early birds), we played a game of cards called Hand and Foot. I've only played this twice before with about a year between hands so I never remember how it goes until I'm halfway through. Needless to say, I had to let my hostess with the mostest win. 

Or something like that. 

We actually didn't play a full game because I gotta pack so we can head to the airport at 7 a.m. So maybe I would've rallied. 

(Yes is the answer if "Is your family competitive?" was the question.)

Alright, gotta pack. Hoping we all safely survive this next round of winter. 

Be careful out there!

It's 5 Oh Clock Somewhere

When you're in one of the snowbird capitals of the world, you realize that dinner starts at 5 p.m. at the latest. Which means based on this guy's parking job at 4 p.m., happy hour starts at 3.

Early bird snow bird alert!

Worked a full day, then Rayna and I ran some errands and planned to eat at an Italian place down the road. Pulled into full parking lot at 5:01. Could barely get in the door so decided to try another place.

Went to Native bar and wings place, which I guess is some kind of chain out here. Their version of B-Dubs. Had a lengthy wait but got in before some of the larger groups of 8+. How do thru get everyone ready and out of the house to eat that early on week day??

Had spicy chicken strips and they were good. Ran into someone I knew even!

I didn't say it was someone who knew ME. I'm sure J.J. has time now that he's retired to get me back to Wisconsin if Sun Country can't on Thursday!

Since there's a windchill here (not kidding), you can see why it's not a bonus to get stuck in the desert. Other than sister time that is!

By the time I get home I won't know what time zone I'm in. Pretty sure it's always going to be 5 o'clock somewhere. 

Whether that'll mean work time, nap time, or dinner time remains to be seen.

We Lived La Vida Loca

 

It was appropriate in a '90s music old school way that we saw the Puerto Rico version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame on our last day of vacation. 

Their native son Ricky Martin sang all about living la vida loca in his 1999 hit song. And we were trying our best!

If you're not familiar with the Spanish expression, "la vida loca" literally translates to "the crazy life" in English. Or "crazy and fun," in Scandi-hoovian English. 

It was pleasantly loca for sure. And it's not quite done yet.

The vacation part is, but I'm not home yet. Left Atlantic time Sunday afternoon and flew across three time zones to get back to Phoenix by 2 a.m. Mountain time today. And slept 4 hours to work at 7:30 a.m. Central time. That is living la vida loca right there!

I would love to share stories and photos, but that might have to wait until one, I get 8 hours of sleep, and two, I don't have to do it on my phone! 

If Mother Nature allows, I'll fly home Thursday. In the meantime I'm working remotely at Rayna's in rainy,  chilly Apache Junction. 

The sunny vacation is definitely over! Worth it.

 

Hola, Amigos!

Hola from San Juan, Puerto Rico! We arrived safely this afternoon. 

Safe but exhausted. Red-eye flights are not for me. I got 2 solid hours of sleep on the Phoenix to Atlanta leg of the flight. But there was so much turbulence the last hour of it I was silently praying and singing every church song I knew from Aunday school on up! Uff da.

On the leg from Atlanta to San Juan, I got another good 2 hours but not much more. Most if that was excitement.  I kept watching the little plane on the screen get closer to our island. You can also see from the picture why we're actually in Atlantic Time for the next week.

From the airport we hopped our assigned bus after getting a brief taste of the 80-degree temps. Whoo-hoo!

And got over to our ship, the Norwegian Epic. I'll take a picture of the full ship at a different port. It was too crazy today just getting checked in and finding our room.

As expected,  they're pretty small. But we've got our own balcony.  Yay!

We checked out some of the ship but it was a mass of humanity as not all the rooms were ready. When we're inside the ship and there's all the restaurants, shops and entertainment,  I can only compare it to Vegas. You don't have any idea what time of the day it is until you find your way outside. 

And I did. While Rayna took a nap,  I explored a bit. 

And found the best possible way to watch Sunday afternoon football! Lots of Boston and New York accents rooting for their teams in the Bills-Patriots battle. Since the Viking game was nowhere to be found on ship, I sat in a lounge chair and watched the ticker. Not a bad way to spend some time before takeoff.

Still no sightings of Doc, Gopher, Isaac or Capt. Stubbing, but there's plenty of time. The love boat is leaving port in a few minutes so I at least wanted to blog while we're still in U.S. Territory and I've got coverage.

Time to relax!!

Red-Eye Ready

Spent another day with Superstition Mountain in sight. But I'm feeling more lucky still than superstitious. 

A high of 69 degrees was a treat for this Wisconsin girl. 

We had lunch with Rayna's friends Dennis and Linda who I met last winter when I was here. In the Small World Department, he grew up just outside of Rapids and was a classmate of Carter's long-time babysitter Audrey. I told you it's a small world!

So nice to see them! As soon as we stepped outside after lunch, I could feel just enough Arizona heat to make bones smile. Oh yeah, I knew my afternoon plans!

While Rayna packed, I bonded with Mr. Deck Chair's distant cousin while bundled-up retired folks walked by. It felt like a glorious May day to me! Took a walk around the neighborhood too.

Pretty scenery I expect I'll see more of on the islands. 

And even found a cactus flipping off Old Man Winter. I hear ya, dude. I agree. 

And of course we were treated to another gorgeous sunset. 

Now it's 9 p.m. here and we still have 2 hours before we need to be at the airport for our 1 a.m. flight. One hundred percent red-eye alright.

I know I'm supposed to enjoy the slow pace of vacation, but I just want to get on that plane and onto our ship! Little excited here!

Not sure how often I'll blog during the trip, if at all. I'm sure I'll have pictures and stories to share at some point! 

Bon voyage!

Lucky 13 - Dollars, That Is

Well it was a pretty nice Friday at work today. 

Woke up to gorgeous views, got all the work done I needed to take vacay guilt-free, then Rayna and got pedicures for cruise-ready feet!

Our nails look pretty but not as pretty as our sunset views from Rayna's place.

Four Peaks mountain.

Neighborhood Christmas lights with  sunset fire lights behind!

View in the rear view mirror on way to our wild Friday night out.

And by wild you know I mean BINGO in the retirement park. Based on the number of "dobber caddies" in sight, I knew I was an amateur. 

But as beginner's luck would have it, I got this "crazy kite" BINGO the first game! Well 3 of us got it so I only got $13 for my share.

It's not exactly Megabucks, but this girl from Luck had still got it! And I'm quite sure I was the youngest winner of the night. 

Must be that pretty purple dobber! The colors out here sure are something.