Light at the End (or Middle) of the Clouds

I miss Tennessee. Yes, we had a few long days of work, but we managed to balance that with fun. And none of it was in the office. Now it's back at the office this week and the reality of "much to do with little time" hits. 

A bit stressful today to be sure. But I promised myself that on this last day of May, with no plans for the evening, I'd plop myself down on Mr. Deck Chair and relax a bit while hubby was gone at golf league. 

Allegedly it was mostly sunny and 91 degrees today. Maybe even close to a record. But I sat down and not 5 minutes later it was raining on me and Mr. DC. Granted, just a few giant drops...

But rain, nonetheless. I actually just sat there in it and let it cool me off (from hot stress moments at work today) and let it pass. When I looked up at the hole in the clouds (pictured up top), I figured the Lord would grant me at least a little piece (read: PEACE) of sunshine after all.

But the real light at the end of the tunnel, er day, was this post on Facebook from a friend...

Talk about making me cry! Awwww. But at the same time, realizing that I love what I do in my FREE time and love that it brings happiness to a few others. 

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, er partly cloudy sky, after all. Hey, it's already Hump Day. We got this, people! 

Daily Roller Coaster

When you think about it, every morning when we rise, we're entering a roller coaster ride. Sometimes it's an insane hold-unto-the-bar whirlwind. Other times it's a hands up in the air wave at your parents kiddie coaster. And in the best times, it's somewhere in between.

Glad today was somewhere like that.

First the downhill... setting an alarm at 6:15 a.m. for the first time in many, many days.

Then the upswing... I stopped to get gas on the way to work and the Kwik Trip TV screen asked: Would you like to save 75 cents per gallon on gas today? Yes, please!

Then the down-swing. By the time I rode the elevator from my parking spot on the 4th level underground to the 2nd level above ground, my no-show sock was slipping halfway up my arch inside my shoe. Ugh..

Then there was catching up at work after 4 business days out of the office. I'd call that the calm track on the roller coaster for all ages. 

After work, I headed to the Lady Royals Sectional softball game. The #1 seed Royals faced the #2 seed Marshfield Columbus. When I got there with the game in progress, we had a slim lead and eventually kept them scoreless with a 15-0 win. Whoo-hoo! What an up-swing on the roller coaster.

Meanwhile I was watching our Royals baseball team on the GameChanger app. We were facing the No. 1 team in our sectional – Eleva-Strum. It was a pretty exciting game to follow.

When I first was able to tune in, we were down 9-1. Then we had a Royals rally inning.

We rallied so hard, but in the end, came up short and are done for the season. Still, Coach Austin said we made our opponents nervous and very grateful to win. So that made that roller coaster go downhill and ease to a stop on ground level.

Letting me off at my bedside to keep most of life at an even keel. Hopefully, sweet stable dreams are in store for all of us before the next ride!

Be careful our there.

Unofficial Start of Summer for Sure

There's no doubt Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer! I don't care if it's back in the 70s again next week. Right now, it's summer. And I'm loving it.

Also, if you notice the time on the TV – 10:19 a.m. was when I was enjoying my morning coffee. When I say I'm sleeping in on my day off, I'm not messing around.

Finally think I'm caught up on sleep. Finally unpacked and have my work bag reorganized. And finally killed off nearly 200 work emails. I KNOW it's supposed to be a holiday, but I had to do it. Or there wouldn't be enough caffeine for tomorrow morning's re-entry into the real work world!

I did treat myself to some fun. My friend Marigene went golfing in the mid-afternoon. Jim had already gone this morning with buddies before having baseball practice.

I was sporting my new truckin' hat from our customer. Definitely not wearing it golfing again. Not a true trucker hat with ventilation. Instead, it was a bit hot. Like my golf game!

Just kidding. Only checking to see if you were still with me.

Got home to hubby grilling steak and brats – not something we had at any grad parties this weekend. I think we're now rested and fortified for the short week ahead. Hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend, too.

Hello, Summer! You're welcome to stick around.

Holiday Weekend Party Circuit :: Part 2

From the archives... 7 years ago today, this young man graduated from high school! I texted the picture to Carter and he commented that he looks like a baby compared to now. I said, "But you ARE my baby!" Time flies!

Today was round 2 of graduation parties. After church, we had 4, starting at noon-ish. I went to one first for a graduate from our church, then I went home and got hubby and we went to one for one of his senior baseball players, then onto another one for one of his players (and friends of ours, of course), then onto a party for one of our favorite little girls-now graduate.

I joked that Jim and his buddy Craig were walking billboards for Wisconsin. Craig's shirt says: "Call me old fashioned." Jim's says: "Life happens. Beer helps."

We wrapped up the night honoring our sweet Miss Ava. Wanted to cry when we saw this picture she's holding up. She's always little Ava to us – even though she's taller than us – and we're Mr. and Mrs. Awesome to her.  Amazing girl and amazing family. 

Another fun day for sure. And perfect weather. 

Tomorrow will be much of the same – just weather-wise. There's a zero percent chance of an alarm for me and 100 percent chance of bonding with Mr. Deck Chair. It is a holiday, after all.

Holiday Weekend Party Circuit :: Part 1

Graduation weekend started last night without me. I got a sub to shoot pictures of the ceremony since I was getting home late. But got to catch up on the details today as we started the party circuit.

That was after I slept 11 hours – I needed it – finally got the car washed and, oh yeah, found myself listening to country music on Sirius. What is happening to me?!

Today marks 10 years since my dad passed so it was good to have full day of fun to distract me. First grad party was at 1 p.m., followed by a 50th birthday party for my BFF's baby bro...

That wasn't meant to make you feel old, my beautiful friend!

Then it was off to a 5-for-1 party for some of the Royal boys (4 who play baseball). That was followed by a round of golf at 6:10.  You know you're golfing late, when the sprinklers on the greens start coming on right after you hole out.

Made for a pretty picture. Much prettier than my game. But still it was fun!

It was about 80 degrees still even at twilight golf time. I didn't mind it.

Of course we did break a sweat. I'll blame the temps, not the fact we swung a lot.

Had this artsy shot, too, with Craig hitting out of the sand with the cool U.S. flags instead of standard golf flags on each hole. Absolutely love that!

After golf, the four of us headed down to Hooziel's on the Lake to hear our friend Todd's band Rising Phoenix.

Always a phenomenal show! And we got home at the stroke of midnight so we can sleep and enjoy round 2 of the party circuit.

At some point I need to unpack. Guess that'll be a Monday thing. Hope y'all are enjoying this gorgeous summer weather this weekend! Be careful out there!

To the Hollers and Back

Hey y'all! Of course I attempted to pick up a bit of a Southern accent after a trip to the hollers of Tennessee and back. 

Left Wednesday morning by 4 a.m. and just got back tonight at 10 p.m. It felt more like a week than just 3 days. That's what happens with long travel hours on the front end of the trip, very long days with the customer, then squeezing as much enjoyment out of Nashville in one evening and morning!

Tennessee like Wisconsin in some aspects, but they've greened up a lot more, naturally. And when you're driving through the hollows (hollers) with no cell service, you just hope you get from point A to point B without any issues.

And we did. Saw some pretty things in the Bradyville area an hour out of Nashville, where our customer is, and met some amazing people. Plus thoroughly enjoyed my first experience in the music city.

Will have to share some photos and interesting stories, later, but wanted to report in that I survived and am back. And this girl is fixin' to get some decent shut-eye tonight!

Patience Pays

As I faced stand-still traffic this morning on my way to work (thank you, road construction!), I didn't even stress out. I mean it's only Tuesday and this week has been pretty good so far.

On Sunday I had the wonderful Hamilton surprise. On Monday, the last game of the season for the Royals baseball team ended in a 15-5 victory over Westfield!

Kind of nice that despite a few errors – or questionable decisions of our own, we propelled ourselves into playoffs Thursday with a winning attitude on our mind!

Then today, despite a stressful day at work, I came home to a package on my office chair. Carter had given me a heads up that my Mother's Day gift would be late in arriving. Now I know why they say patience pays off! So worth the wait!

Absolutely love this! He knows me for sure. We've had a few great international experiences and I need a blanket of some kind 365 days a year. And to feel a hug with it? Winning!

Gotta get up in 7 hours or less to head to the airport for a work trip in Tennessee. Hope our week is filled with more blessings to be thankful for!

I Did Not Throw Away My Shot

If you ever oversleep for church on Sunday but your phone rings from a girlfriend from church – answer it! She wasn't calling because you needed to be at church. You needed to be her last-second replacement partner to go see Hamilton!

When my friend Kim purchased the tickets way back when, she planned to take her daughter, my "niece" and dancer/singer extraordinaire Megan. But then Megan couldn't go due to some dance rehearsal and when Megan's back-up ticket person fell ill today, it was time for Kim to find someone at the last second. Someone who loves musicals – especially this one. And I got the lucky call. 

I had one hour to get ready. And at that point, it didn't matter I had plans for a movie with a friend and plans for golf with hubby today. If you've seen it, you know why Hamilton trumps all!

Kim hadn't seen it before so I showed her plenty of photo op places before the show. Pretty much counted on the fact that as a "stage mom" she'd absolutely love it.

And she DID love it. And it was phenomenal per usual! My only mistake was forgetting to pack any Kleenex for that part – you know the one – where I cried.

The casting – even with several understudies today – was amazing. And it was so entertaining. 

As much as I loved being the alternate attendee, you MUST see this one, Megan!! YOU should, too, if you haven't yet.

Also, just so you know. I'd be happy to be on any of your backup plus-one lists for any event like this!

Royally Fast Weekend Vibes

This weekend is flying. Which means it's action-packed. Not just with the dusting and vacuuming I got around to at 7 o'clock Saturday night. But actual good times.

Last night I headed into Witter Field after work and shot photos of the Royals game against Pacelli. We hung with them for the first inning or 3 then lost it big time with a Pacelli 9-run half inning. The only reason I enjoyed it was because I got to see my former co-worker and friend from Pacelli – will be my co-worker again next week. Love that! 

But obviously sorry for the Royal's 10-run loss.

Today I had two things on the agenda: Attend UW-Stevens Point graduation and pick up my "volunteer packet" for the upcoming U.S. Senior Open.

Had to leave the house before 8 a.m. (I know – it's a Saturday!) to get to campus at 8:30 and meet up with my cousins who had the tickets.

Four years ago, my cousin Luke (or as my hubby would say, first cousin twice removed0 started at UWSP and I thought I'd see him pretty often since my office is only a few blocks from campus. Then that pesky pandemic hit so I didn't get to see him much until the past year. Mainly when he was playing in the pep band for the university and our local River Kings hockey team. Was great to see him and his girlfriend graduate.

So this is how we're related. My dad's sister had a son Gene (left) who had two daughters, Rachael and Sara, and then Rachael had Luke. If you look closely, you can see we all have those tiny Hedberg eyes! Ha. 

Anyway, it was great to see Luke move on to his new College of Conservation related job.

And match purples with his little brother Ty. I joked we could be prom dates.

And see my sister cousins! Time always goes so fast but I'm glad I got some hugs and laughs in.

After that I headed to Sentry to pick up U.S. Senior Open packets for me and my neighbor and two cousins. I think it was about 90 minutes in line. But I'm so excited for this, I didn't care.

Came home and spend 20 minutes with Mr. Deck Chair – yes, finally 70+ degrees again – then got my Saturday chores done. Jim is singing with the guitar choir up in Rudolph this evening. So I might just relax in Mr. Recliner.

Guess what's on? Yep. Never seen it from start to finish so I'm popping the popcorn and calling it a Robyn night. Hope you're having an amazing weekend!!

Off the Rails Date Night

Hubby and I finally celebrated Valentine's Day tonight in grand style at The Grand Theater in Wausau. Well, we used the tickets I bought him, that is. And seeing comedian Lewis Black in person was pretty darn cool.

We've been fans of this sharp-witted, sharp-tongued sense of humor and sarcastic rants for a long time. He was a regular on the Bob and Tom Show we'd listen to on the radio on our hour commute to Iola for 10-plus years. We've also seen him on the Daily Show and very funny guest appearance on Big Bang.

We headed up to Wausau after Jim got home from baseball practice. Since The Grand is located on the 400 block, we parked near the theater and walked to check out nearby restaurants. And who should we run into behind the theater but the man of the hour...

After gushing all over him like a fan girl, Mr. Black happily obliged to a selfie with us. We really couldn't stop smiling after that. How cool, right?

And after a quick Italian dinner at Ciao, we resumed our smiling and laughing until after 10 p.m. My face hurts!

But boy did we need that! Other than running into a former co-worker, there was 4 blissful hours of no thoughts about work or any stressors in life. Just like running into Mr. Black in the back alley, the timing of this date night was impeccable.

Laughter might just be the best medicine!

Long-Winded Women

Never underestimate the impact you can have. Somewhere 1,500 miles to the north of here wildfires rage in Alberta, Canada, not realizing they are giving us a dazzling sunset.

I mean they do have to give the wind credit for carrying the smoke on that lengthy (er, long-winded) trek. But still, those flames are just dancing up there and out of control, not realizing some goofy photographer in central Wisconsin appreciates their efforts.

And I would've totally missed it if I had stayed home this evening, surrounded by tall trees instead of having a long-winded night of my own.

Lucky me I had simultaneous girls' night out happening.

First our Face to Facebook Club met tonight since Saturday morning didn't work. Thanks, Applebee's, for that big corner booth that could seat 6 of us. 

Tonight we talked about The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper. What I love about our book club – besides these amazing page-turning girlfriends – is that we rotate who picks the book each month so we have quite a variety of books throughout the year. Would I have chosen to read about life in the brothels of Pompeii in A.D. 79? Probably not. But I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Always an interesting mix!

From there, I scooted over to Ida's for my monthly Girls' Night Out crew. Since I ate at Applebee's, I just plopped down in a chair while they finished their Wing Night specials and the 6 of us chit-chatted for an hour. There again, another great group of girlfriends.

It was as I was pulling out of the parking lot that I noticed the colorful sun ball in the sky. And thought about the cause of it. 

And thought about how each of these women have impacted my life. Some here for a short time but most for that long journey, carrying support, love, and laughter my way like the breeze carrying that wildfire smoke. 

They probably don't realize that every time they overcame an obstacle like cancer or grief or wayward children, they inspired me to be as strong as them. They inspired me to more giving to others, too. When I'm doing OK, I can share my strength. When I'm on fire, let me brighten your day. When I'm stressed, laugh with me so we can all fake it 'til we make it. 

Thank you, God, for inventing girlfriends.

TV and Trophy Wives

At what point does one become a trophy wife? I think it's the moment we're on a trophy. Or in this lazy photographer's case... when our REFLECTION in on a trophy! You see me, right? Duh.

Still, it was an amazing day hanging out with people who I'm guessing took similar pictures of the famed Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy (and their own reflections) at SentryWorld today for the U.S. Senior Open Media Day. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Doing marketing for Sentry and SentryWorld and, by default, the upcoming U.S. Senior Open, it was a perfect day to have the media onsite to learn some more insights about the upcoming international tournament – and actually golf the course. Lucky!

It ended up being in the mid-70s – as you fellow golfers know, is perfect golfing weather – which, of course, our marketing team obviously requested of Mother Nature. Thankfully she was in a good mood the day after Mother's Day.

Got to see some of my favorite media, too, including Trav in the Morning (or T-Rav later in the day), who both my hubby and I adore in real life.

And new friend Nolan, who I got to drive around the course for scenic video views.

And of course, just hanging out with my team on a gorgeous day.

Feel free to be jealous. I've worked hard to get to this point in life. And now that I'm a trophy wife, it's just going to get more interesting!

Hope to see you at the event! Check out ussenioropen.com for tickets, starting at $25 for practices rounds and just $50 for championship rounds. Of course I'm still wearing my marketing hat. But dang, it's going to be a great time you won't want to miss!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day for all you special ladies who have made the world a better place by being in it! It's fun to celebrate how awesome we are, isn't it?

My day was a little centered around food! I'll comfort food since my baby texted at 6:30 a.m. that they were officially leaving Wisconsin on their way home to Raleigh. 

Jim's usual tradition is to make me Eggs Benedict for Mother's Day. This year, since we saw a commercial that iHop had a variety of Benedicts, we figured we'd give that a try. We both ended up getting the "classic" anyway. And honestly, Mr. Austin makes it even better! 

And although we were full, it just so happened that after a stop at Menard's, King Cone was open!

Hello, Blueberry "Yes, Please" Cake ice cream! Good stuff. I was super full and couldn't finish it.

But Sylvester helped me lick the bowl clean later!

My other Mother's Day treat was going to be golfing. We had a tee time and it just kept raining all day. It stopped now but it's only in the 50s so I sent Jim along with a buddy. It's not a "treat" for me to be cold and miserable.

Plus, this way, since I'm done with Queen Charlotte, I can jump into season 2 of Firefly Lane on Netflix and all that mushy stuff! 

Hope you all had a relaxing day and were treated like the queens we all are!