Let's Be Strong for Nick

Anyone who's been in any type of accident knows life can change in a split-second. That's what happened to our friends' son Nick.

Imagine being 18, just out for a 4-wheeler ride to enjoy the last days of summer before heading off to your freshman year of college. Then in a split second... a missed turn, an overcorrection, a flipped vehicle, landing on and crushing your leg.

Thankfully there was enough cell service, his friend could call for help so Nick was airlifted to Marshfield in time to save his leg.

After multiple surgeries, his leg is stabilized in a "halo" now but still at risk for infection and complications like any surgery. And still in pain at a level I'm sure I can't comprehend. 

The prognosis: He's got a long road ahead. Months before he's walking free and clear of the necessary contraption.

Imagine being a three-sport, highly awarded athlete all through high school and facing a future where the simplest task of walking isn't a natural part of it. 

Those of us who've watched him drag entire defensive lines along as he advances to the end zone can't imagine this version of our Nicholas. Neither can his friends heading off to college without him.

Neither can his parents, sister, and brother.

Neither can Nick, I'm sure.

My friends, he could use our prayers and support. They all could. 

God, please comfort Nick... give him freedom from pain, patience for the long road ahead, and encouragement to keep moving forward. Inch by inch. One day at a time.

Give his family and friends the physical and emotional strength to support him.

And guide all of us to find ways to give all of them support, help, and love. 

While reminding us to be grateful each day for what we have, who we have, and what we're capable of doing.

Give us all the power to be strong for Nick! #nickstrong 

It's 5 a.m. Somewhere

Had a great time today celebrating the upcoming birth of our friend Brenda's first granddaughter. 

Macyn, the momma-to-be, is also a classmate of Carter's. Hard to believe all these little kiddos are adulting now. She was as adorable as ever!

Since we knew ahead of time that it's a girl, I got to bring out the pink yarn again and crochet a baby blanket. Yes, it's a soft as it looks! She got a ton of great baby shower gifts and so many cute outfits. 

The picture up top is the card I gave her. Pretty appropriate for two reasons. One, babies want to drink when they want to drink and mommy better wake up and serve.

And two, I gotta leave the house at 5 a.m. tomorrow to catch a flight out to San Diego for work this week. That means this girl is off to bed for a fast sleep. 

Too bad I don't have a soft pink blanket to snuggle with!

An Unexpected Family Gathering

Our Saturday synopsis: He was an Honor Flight participant and Jim's Uncle Lyle – who was laid to rest today. 

We didn't  expect any special celebrations, other than knowing he was amazing, had an extraordinary life.  

He was so genuine through and through – and frankly just had the biggest compassionate need to hug all of the kiddos -- age 50 and younger. 

So it felt good celebrating him today and spending unexpected time with family.  Next time we hope it's for a happy occasion!

Hug your loved ones. Any chance you can!

Glow Big or Glow Home

If you've never tried Night Golf or Glow Golf, I highly recommend it. Especially if you want to have fun and at the same time realize how much you rely on all of your senses to play the game.

Tonight was the Glow Ball Scramble at TriCity. Our awesome foursome consisted of our friends Jason and Lori and us.

From a previous glow ball event, I knew to come prepared with flashlights to see to drive the cart on the course and a ton of glow sticks so the group behind us could see us and not hit into us. Plus, it looks cool and is fun.

My lighted ball was easy to see for two reasons: One, it was bright green. And two, I didn't hit it far. I just lost depth perception and either topped it or dug too deep. Oh well, we all did the same and still had a blast.

To give you an idea, here's Jim teeing off and all you can see is his red ball.

At least I got to wear some Vikings glow stick bracelets. And we had so much fun. And laughed a lot. It's a lot harder to play golf at night than you might think. But when we all had our equally sucky moments, you know we had to just enjoy the moment and not worry about trying to win anything.

Of course a 7:30 p.m. tee time gets us home at midnight. That's a bit different. But worth it.

Just Holding Onto The Season

As it happened, despite the continued heat wave, a bunch of us Thursday Night Golf League ladies decided to keep our tee times.

Also as it happened, only 3 of us could golf. So despite 85 degrees (cool compared to yesterday), we gave it a go and had a great time!

I decided that much like portions of the golf course, my game is still under construction. I realize it's August and late in the season, but we could all use improvement, right?

My other realization is that the sun is setting a lot quicker these days. A 5:30 p.m. tee time means we're past sunset time when we're done. With three of us, we kept pace fine. It's just Mother Nature reminding us summer is coming to an end soon.

Not too soon, we hope. We are holding onto this season as long as we can. Aren't you?

WTH -- What the Humidity?!

When you wake up and windows are all fogged up by 7 a.m., you know it's going to be humid day. Well, not just humid, but record-setting heat.

Fast-forward through a day of work and this is the after-hours situation. 99 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 112. Not a typo, folks. 

I was grateful I postponed my senior photo shoot – no one will smile in that heat – and grateful that it cleared me up for a few indoor chores. I'll confess that doing some cupboard-organizing in the A/C still felt much too warm. So I didn't get too far!

We'll see how far motivation goes tomorrow when it's projected to be a mere 90 degrees. Be careful out there!

Back to Golf League Reality

When you have golf league the day after a United Way fundraiser, you realize a few things. Like this par 5 is a heckuva lot easier when you can "donate" to a pro to hit this par 5 drive right on the green. In other words, no albatross dance here for us today!

Still, we had a great time. And due to nearly 90-degree temps, we played our foursome league night as a scramble. We ended up one under par. 

And frankly, were just glad that there was a breeze to accompany our hot August night.

Got home in time to catch some of my Twins game via the Brewers. Great to see my team on TV for a change, but the way the game is going... not so great. 

Heck, I'm back indoors and in the A/C. I'll just count that as a win!

Swinging For A Good Cause

I know there are all kinds of golf outings that serve as fundraisers. But at my work, out United Way scrambles are pretty big deals. And my regular league night foursome and I were ready to contribute and play at the full-blooming SentryWorld today.

Taking a nod from our U.S. Senior Open champion Bernhard Langer, our team was called Moves Like Langer. Not to be confused with Maroon 5's Moves Like Jagger, quite obviously our inspiration for playing a little air guitar before teeing off on Hole 1.

After 2 heat waves days and at least 3 more predicted this week, I'm not sure how we were blessed with a cloudy 74-degree day. But we'll take it!

Thanks to some extra United Way donations "for pro hits", we were in position to make some decent putts today. I even sunk our albattoss putt and had to create a far superior dance compared to my par dance and birdie dance! And it was. Thankfully, no pictures or video.

Lisa and I held up our part from the women's tees. In the end, we finished 5 under par. Not bad for a day's work, eh? And for a good cause, of course.

The fun thing is that the 4 of us return to SentryWorld tomorrow night for "regular" golf league. I suspect we'll keep the scramble format going just for how fun it is! And that unbelievably great score.

Plus the legit heat wave returns Tuesday so we may want to do it for self-preservation.

Be careful out there this week!

Fair Weather Humans

Knowing that today was much like yesterday, weather wise, hubby and I treated it like a normal Sunday. Church with some visiting.

That meant an hour-long convo on the phone with my mom and a similar visit in-person with my father-in-law. If you didn't know, that can take care of most of a Sunday afternoon. Since it was super hot again, we actually skipped some boat time today with friends.

Later, Jim went golfing with some friends and I hung out on the swing again with Sylvester.

She's still not sure why the neighborhood boys can wander around so much and she can't. No worries, Princess. Really, you have the best of both worlds.

But really, thank goodness we limited our outdoor time. Be careful this week!

Golfing Fore Fun and Funds

Well the brief fall-like weather definitely moved on and the muggy heat wave moved in. Just in time for 18 holes of golf! Today was the annual fundraiser for the Assumption football team at Bullseye Country Club.

We golfed with our friends Sean and Michelle. And definitely had a blast even though we battled the heat and some very tricky putts!

After a tough front 9 where we came out even, we rallied pretty well and went 3 under on the back 9. Not enough to win the mixed category. But we were there for the fun anyway. (I hope.)

After melting, we got to go inside the A/C and enjoy a delicious taco bar. I seriously need the recipe for the spicy chicken! So yummy. They also announced raffle winners. Hubby scored big, getting a mosquito spray package and an El Mezcal basket with a gift card, chips, salsa, and beverages of all varieties. Winner winner!

A bunch of us went from there out to Anchor Bay to hear our friend sing in the Out of Hand band. Great music. A ton of people we knew. But so muggy hot. We did last there a good 2 hours, though. 

Now we're home and gonna have to flip a coin to see who gets the cold shower first! Thank goodness that after the cool night's sleep last night we thought ahead to turn the A/C before we left this morning! 

Stay safe out there and hydrate!!

TGIFF (Thank God It's Football Friday)? Maybe

I'm not quite ready to think of the fall sports season starting. I mean... where the heck did summer go? But tonight was the season (and home) opener for our Assumption Royals. With only 2 seniors playing and a whopping 10 freshman on the roster, we came away with a resounding victory of 69-0 over Necedah.

Still.... If the famed announcer is asking if I'm ready for some football? The answer is... not quite yet.

I'm still in summer mode! Had a great time golfing with girlfriends last night at TriCity. You know... a summer hobby.

And today, Sylvester enjoyed some time in the sun with the A/C off (me too) and a  real live breeze coming through the screen.

She also sat on the swing with me after work and it just happened that the neighbor was walking his dogs. When she heard him calling their names, she looked at me and said, "Are dogs really that stupid?" Of course she has a mind of her own because she's, well, Princess Poops-A-Lot or Pukes-A-Lot. No matter the title, she let the dogs pass by and didn't hiss.

And in the end, whether we were ready or not... it was football season. And a good start at that! 

Color Me Happy

Since the Wisconsin State Open was happening at SentryWorld this week, I thought I'd pop over there at lunch and check out the action. Definitely very low-key compared to the recent U.S. Senior Open. But still, I was glad I stopped by the Flower Hole. 

Since the typical 33,000 flowers bloom in August, they looked even more spectacular because an extra 20,000 blooms were planted to make the late June TV camera angles look as beautiful as our typical August. As a result, a lot more blooms and it was bloomin' beautiful!!

Tried to take an artsy shot of the PGA Wisconsin Open flag with the flowers, but the wind made it backwards from where I stood.

Rather than walk extra steps, of course, I relied on PhotoShop to flip the picture so you could read the flag!

I especially liked the Vikings section of the Flower Hole. These purple and yellow blooms look so good together. Probably better than any seasonal forecasts for the NFL!!

After work, I continued my appreciation of color during my senior photo shoot of a girl I've known since she was cute and little. And now remains adorable.

We planned out quite a route to hit all the right spots with all the right outfits. Since the color gods were smiling on me, we hit our final stop at just the right time for a little sunset color. 

My sweet girl Lyds is gorgeous inside and out. And I cannot wait to start going through these pictures!

Don't forget to stop and smile the flowers – or at least take a colorful picture of them!

What the Hic?

I'm not sure what happened. I had a normal day of work followed by a family photo shoot. Nothing was out of the ordinary until hubby arrives home and I can't stop hiccuping. 

Thankfully it didn't happen during an important lunch meeting today or even the photo session. Who knows what they would think? But since it came on when Jim was home, I asked him for any possible cure.

He said: "Don't talk for 2 weeks."

Oh ha. Funny guy. 

So I am trying not to speak (which everyone will appreciate) but also concentrate on some photos, listening to an audio book, and reciting what state capitals I know. I know. That's a bit extreme. 

But guess what? Not only does that distraction technique work, but confirms there's a lot I have forgotten since the 4th-grade geography bee at Oak Hill Elementary. Gosh darn Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Most others, I'm happy to say I new and would make Mr. Larson proud.

Other distractions tonight included worrying about volatile weather situations on both coasts – the heat where Casey is in Portland and the flash flood warnings in Raleigh where Carter is. Thank you, Lord, for keeping us all safe tonight.

And thanks for the hiccups that distracted me from worrying.

Well Praise Be!

Even though today's rain made it pretty stinkin' cold for mid-August AND forced me to postpone a photo shoot, I KNOW we needed it.

Just so crazy that I had long sleeves on all day since the mercury barely rose out of the 50s, but...

our oldest kiddos out in Portland are dealing with record heat! I told them to stay cool like the cool kids they are!

We really did need the rain. I selfishly just need it not to rain two days this week. Wednesday for rain and Saturday for golf other than that. Soak up the earth, Mother Nature. Whatever the farmers want, grant their wishes. 

Be careful – and grateful – out there!

Checking Out Books

We had a bit of a different Book Club this month. Besides discussing the current read, we also did a Bunco type book exchange. We each drew numbers and we could grab the gift bag or steal from someone else. We were pretty much too nice to steal, but it was fun. 

Each of us paired a book with some type of gift in the $20 range. Book bags included no books I've read before: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen, Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (accompanied by honey and a Bee Kind t-shirt).

I got some free coffee with my gift – Before the Coffee Gets Cold – and I'm looking forward to reading about people getting to go back in time – only until their coffee gets cold.

I gave away my retro copy of Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I definitely read that at least one a decade. Ha. For my related gift, since the book takes place in the Civil war, I made a blue and gray reading blanket. 

Basically whipped that together Friday night and yesterday. I had something else in mind and that fell through so this was my last-minute idea and the recipient was appreciative. 

The exchange was a fun idea and the best part is that we'll all share our new books with each other so we can all enjoy the new stories. Now I just have to finish my current book and get started on these new ones. Cold evenings like tonight – yup, gonna get down to 57 so the mattress pad is back on – make it easier to snuggle under a blankie and read, though.

Hope you have some some fun new adventures heading your way this week, too!

Wild Things in the 'Hood

Today was a free day. As in no definite plans but a few things we wanted to do. First off was a pre-wedding shopping for Casey's wedding. The dad and step-mom of the groom have to look good after all – without stealing the spotlight off of Em, of course. So we found ourselves in Point and Wausau. And I just thought these clouds looked wild and cool on the way home. Feel free to continue scrolling if you don't agree.

The next wild thing was a family of 3 deer. Only the young buck with emerging horns dared to stare me down in my car. Glad the momma and fawn crossed to safety before I got close!

Then there was the mail I got. Allegedly from my famous fox I photographed during the U.S. Senior Open. But...

I recognized my momma's handwriting. Sly as a fox, she is! And obviously you know where I get my clever tongue from!

The other wildlife today was freaking bees. Again! This time, hubby spotted them in the back patio, building a pretty large home on the patio chairs we obviously haven't used this summer. Maybe I should've been spending more time out there but after last summer's snake-a-palooza, I have refrained from setting foot back there. So another trip to Ace Hardware for the good stuff... and the brave next-door neighbor sprayed it to oblivion this evening.

I was busy watching the fun and wild excitement of the Shermalot Water Ski Show Team exhibition. I'll have to sort through pictures and share later. Due to those cool clouds I mentioned earlier, it got dark pretty quick. I'm sure I got a few good shots before the gorgeous sunset.

Hope you're enjoy the beauty – and wild things – this weekend!