First World Problems

For almost 2 months now we've realized our TV and cable box in the basement is dead. Well presumably dead. Neither would turn on. I checked the extension chords, outlets, etc. Nothing worked.

This is mainly an issue on Monday and Tuesday nights when I want to watch The Voice and hubby wants to watch football, baseball, basketball, or all 3. A bit frustrating for 2 out of 2 people in this house!

Today after work while I was sitting under the hairdryer at my hair artist's, I suddenly recalled a time this happened years ago and we had to press some button on the outlet to reset it. Of course, there was no such button on the outlet where the TV was plugged in.

So I tried the one across the room. And BINGO. It works for that whole room and I feel like I just saved the planet in some action-hero movie!

Probably good I got this figured out before I was neck-deep into Hallmark Christmas movie season – which has started by the way! Now that's definitely a first world problem.

We cope how we can!

Super "Sweet" Sunday

It was a pretty Swede, er Sweet, Sunday! Our boy was down in Wisconsin Dells for a bachelor party weekend. When your baby is an hour away – instead of 4 – you make the effort to see him.

So we met him for breakfast. A BIG one. Kinda surprised how packed this place was for a post-water park season Sunday.

But they packed us in and piled on the food. I didn't realize I was supposed to come with a big appetite! We definitely did not get our money's worth. But if you're ever really hungry and see one of these joints, stop in! 

Had a relatively short visit since he had a long drive ahead. He made sure to give me my "Super Swede" coffee mug he found in some treasure store (aka thrift shop)!

A bunch of kids were piled on Paul Bunyan so we opted for a photo with Babe the Big Blue Ox. Carter did not have sunglasses and will was probably blinded for the first hour of his drive! 

After that we stopped at hoe to do a few things and then headed to Plover for the big fundraiser our nephew Colin and his wife organized. Several of you contributed to raffle baskets. Thank you! There were over 100!! And a huge, huge crowd.

Haven't heard my phone ring yet announcing any winnings, but when I got home my raffle winnings from yesterday's chili cookoff fundraiser at Tri-Norse had been delivered! I guess I can't win EVERYTHING!

This afternoon I got the rest of my photos in order for Crop-toberfest next weekend. Still need to do some scrapbooking paper organizing this week but I do have a few somewhat free evenings for that! 

Tonight I imagine we'll watch some football. My fantasy team apparently took the weekend off and the Swedish Chef Mafia may be handed their first loss. Gotta go cheer on Josh Allen so he kicks in gear in the 4th quarter!

That would be SWEET!

October Things

Today was totally a typical October Saturday. First I headed down to Tri Norse Ski Club for their chili contest and "colorama." Unfortunately, the fall colors have past or have yet to peak.

But I climbed up the 124 steps (yes, I counted) to the top of the ski jump...

Don't look down, Robyn!

And focused on looking OUT. Like I said, not much color.

But I felt emboldened that I sort of conquered my fear of heights. For 2 minutes anyway!

After that, I headed to the football field. (I love me a daytime game for photos!) This is our first year in the 8-player league and we only had one loss. Although it was a slow start against Thorp today, we came away with a 23-16 win and will move onto Round 2 of the playoffs... for the first time in forever!!

Exciting!

After that, I picked up some pictures at Walgreens (Crop-toberfest is next weekend already!) and stopped at Lighthouse for a few scrapbooking papers.

Sometimes you just need that perfect paper for your upcoming pages! I was thrilled to find this!

After editing and posting football photos, I remembered that I was supposed to be at a Scentsy party. Thankfully it was an all-afternoon open house. So I was able to smell all the pumpkin smells and order some waxes and room spray. 

What an October day!

Now the Badgers are on and then the American League playoffs. It's fall, y'all! 

Autumn Escape

My 5-day autumn escape started with some different "fall colors." The first were these beautiful stained glass windows as we attended a wedding in Oshkosh Saturday for Tyler and Ellie – the son and daughter of good friends of ours.

The wedding was beautiful, the wedding party was beautiful, and every detail of the reception and dance was so well thought out. Just so fun! And since these two are Assumption "kids," we knew about 80% of the guest list! 

We stayed overnight and got back Sunday with enough time for me to unpack the suitcase and re-pack it for my sister getaway. I still call it our Wild Women's Weekend – even though it was Sunday-Wednesday this year.

Our destination was a spacious VRBO in the Eau Claire/Altoona area. Secluded but still within minutes of all the amenities the city has to offer!

For this year's Opening Act, I convinced my twin we should do a mini Hee-Haw show. We sang the clothes-washing song from the show (We're not ones to go around spreading rumors...) and wrote some corney jokes about each sister. Of course we were a hit. Ha.

The weather was actually summer-like on Sunday and Monday. So Monday our mission was to go to a nearby park and find a "stick sculpture" we saw in Our Wisconsin magazine since the park was close by.

What are the odds we see a picture of the "Oak Lair" in Our Wisconsin magazine, we decide to search for it since the park is 10 minutes from our VRBO... AND we have a chance meeting with architect Ryan Butler who turned into our group photographer? 

We loved hearing about his passion and creative process as a landscape artist! What a nice surprise! (By the way, that cane belongs to one of my sisters, not Ryan.)

We highly recommend Mount Simon Park if you're ever in the Eau Claire area! 

And he took some nice group photos of us among his creations!

Fall colors were not at peak yet. But we saw that maybe a lot of trees showed off early before the winds took their leaves away.

There were some splashes of color. But nothing too brilliant.

Tuesday returned to cold and windy so we stayed put. Both RoAnn and Raylene had to leave us around mid-afternoon because they had obligations Wednesday morning.

So we took our "skydiving" selfie before they left. Yes, we're dorks and that's why we get along!

The rest of us checked out Wednesday by 10 a.m. and hit the road. Since I had the full day off, I took a few detours to hopefully find fall colors. That included the High Ground by Neilsville (way up on a hill) and some random side road.

Today was back to work – thankfully remotely this week since a lot of work piled up in my short absence!

And now it's time to support 90% of my friends who are cheering on the Brewers! Just one more win and you're in the World Series! 💙💛

Finally Friday, Right?

When it seems like 12 days have passed between Monday and Friday, it's hard to get pumped up on the last day of the work week.

The week started off with 3 days of mandatory planning for the next quarter. That meant I could work from home. But at the same time be handcuffed to my desk in all-day meetings. So that put me behind because I couldn't do much "real work" until Thursday and today.

And try to work ahead since I'm off Monday–Wednesday for my annual sister getaway. I'm exhausted but am following the quote's advice and looking forward to the weekend (and beyond) and ready to have some fun!

I honestly don't know when I'll blog next. We're leaving in the morning for a wedding in Oshkosh, staying overnight, getting home Sunday in time for me to finish packing for Wild Women's Weekend, er Week Days, and head to our sister getaway location a few hours north of here. 

Hubby got home from a work trip in Florida in time to unpack and leave to take stats at the Assumption football game up in Wausau. "Hi!" "Bye!"

Pretty much both of us thriving on chaos this week. Sorry I didn't show you more love, Friday!

Y'all have a nice (and fun) weekend!

Congrats, Wisconsin!

Congrats, my Brewer fan friends and family on taking the NLDS series vs. the Padres. This photo make me laugh because the caption was: "Milwaukee is German for beat the Padres."

Too funny. And no, I did not stay up to watch the whole game. Too late of start and I had to return to the office this morning, which meant an early alarm. Plus, I'm just on the playoff bandwagon since my team and hubby's team are not in the picture. We support our Wisconsin fans. (In baseball anyway.)

Always fun to watch good, close baseball though. It shows why both teams have made it this far this season. As for facing the Dodgers next... good luck Brew Crew. They're pretty intimidating so far!

And as for hot bats in October... that's the only thing that's hot!

This was the temperature when I arrived at work this morning. No-o-o-o! I need some more time with Mr. Deck Chair! It's been so cool and windy this week when I was working from home, that I struggled to get many steps in! I hate being cold!

Good thing hubby is out of town at the moment. I can crank that furnace up! 

Of course, my heart was warmed when my boy called and we got to share a 50-minute conversation. The best part of being a parent is seeing your grown children turn into amazing humans! 

Today's lesson: Do what makes you happy and warms your heart!

Block It Out!

Last night got to be pretty late after getting home from football and volleyball. Didn't bother to blog since I figured 80% of the state of Wisconsin was watching the Brewers in the NLDS. Block out that one bad memory. They've got tonight, too!

It was a touching evening at the high school, where the volleyball team (and many others) organized a PINK OUT – Block Out Cancer night for a 1986 Assumption grad. Both hubby and his sister have known her since high school.

The week before the game, they took orders and sold 400 of the shirts shown above. Wow. Then, they got at least 40 donations of raffle baskets for the event. Yes, of course, I won one. I always do, don't I?

I was thrilled to see the gymnasium was packed as a show of support! Always proud to be part of these special "mini" communities within the community of Wisconsin Rapids. Gives me hope in a world that certainly could use it. 

I hope the best for Gail. And yes, the best for your Brewers, too! 

M-m-m Fall Y'all!

Now that I have my Sylvester pumpkin in place, it was time to get some fall goodies this weekend.

Several years ago – maybe 10? – our Wild Women's Weekend was down in Amish country, rural Cashton. And we all were introduced to and fell in love with Cashew Crunch!

Thank goodness for Amish vendors at the farmers market and the Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest. I could stock up for our getaway next week! I mean there's so many reasons I am the favorite sister, but this one helps!

Knowing I had to resist the crunch temptation, I made sure I got another fall flavor I could dive into. This carrot cake had to be the best Monday lunch ever!

There's 3 layers and I still have 2 more to go! I'm no quitter. I'll power through!

And then there's my pumpkin-flavored fry pies. Oh mercy. I bought 2 of them and am waiting for a reason to "deserve" them. Maybe getting through a Monday is enough! I'm good with that fall vibe.

Hope you're enjoying the taste of fall, y'all!

My TGITW

If there is such a thing, I will declare it's a Thank God It's The Weekend!

I took yesterday off and got to shop with "free money" – gift certificates at Rustic Redefined Boutique. I never realized how hard it was to shop for something when you don't NEED anything. But I managed to find two nice sweater tops and matching necklaces. Win, win!

Today's shopping fun was the Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest. And you can see why they have GIANT in the name!

I did manage to find a few things that might work for "Christmas gifts" but other than than it was selfish Pumpkin Fry Pies from the Amish.... and their Cashew Crunch for my upcoming sister weekend!

As for the rest of the weekend, since neither hubby or I have a team in the MLB playoffs, I am rootin against the Yankees, and we are supporting the Brewers!

Saying Hello, But Not Hugging Hello

 

I love the colors of fall and all that cozy "sweater weather" jazz, but I am just not ready to let go of summer completely. I was chilly on my laps around the neighborhood today and I didn't like it one bit!

Things I do like about this October at least...

I got to the downtown Farmers Market one last time to buy myself some flowers and probably too-late-in-the-season honey-dipped sweet corn. We'll see.

And this weekend is the Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Festival with dozens and dozens of vendors for us weird fall shopping fools.

Also... our nephew Colin stopped by after work to pick up 7 raffle baskets I (with the help of generous friends) put together for an upcoming benefit he and his wife are organizing for a fellow racer whose baby daughter has had lengthy hospitalizations for seizures. If you want to support the event, it's Sunday, October 18, at Springville Sports Barn in Plover.

Also in October, a fun wedding out of town October 10-11. Then, I'm looking forward immediately to my 28th annual Wild Women's Weekend with my sisters... though it's a Sunday-Wednesday this time. Still. Fall colors. Cozy times with 7 sisters.

And Crop-Toberfest! A scrapbooking weekend with my high school BFF! A month ago, I felt ahead of the game, but now that it is actually October, I'll need to get some more specific organizing done!

I'm grateful that despite the chilling temps, there is plenty we can embrace about October – not quite hug status, but close!

What Day Is It?

 

Naturally I'm at a loss of what day it is when I'm working from home. But today was certainly a wake-up call when I found myself a guest for Hump Day!

Yes I have attributed more grace to some of these signs.

But I definitely do desire some of their background!

Double (Almost Triple) Feature

My Monday almost could have been a quadruple feature if you count 8 hours of work entertaining. It was not, for the record.

After work, I captured the first half of photos at the JV football game vs. Gilman. From there, I went a block away to capture photos of volleyball. I caught the last game of JV, then did the Senior Night thing, and shot the first game of varsity. I will be back next week for Cancer Nite so I'll get more then.

By the time I got home, it was too late to partake in my third feature – The Voice. So I edited and uploaded a bunch of pix and went to bed late.

Today, though, since work is done and hubby is golfing, I will watch last night's episode and then tonight's. 

My boring life must astound people. LOL.

Hope you have something to look forward to this week!

Falling For It

I visited my neighborhood Pumpkin Shed after church... and this will be the extent of my fall decorations!

Oh, plus a plate of delicious pumpkin bars! Hubby has been golfing all afternoon so I'm just going to pretend I baked them up all by myself!

I had a few "fall vibe" options but I was not going to fight the mass of humanity at Warrens. So I stuck close to home, went to the pumpkin patch and finished wrapping up my raffle baskets.

Then, because the Packers played the other night, my Vikings were on TV finally.

Kinda ugly, but we got the win! When you only get to see your team on TV a few times a season, there's no way to really defend them – or figure out what they're doing wrong. Not that our fan opinions mean anything!

Still... it was nice to secure a 3-0 start to the season.

Hope you find peace and solace in the beautiful fall colors. And decide that serenity is worth fighting for!

Just One More

When I take senior portraits, I pretty much straight out tell the kids, "OK, when I say 'just one more' I mean 10-20 more!"

Weddings are different. You have one shot at a getting the right shot in some cases. But when you're shooting the family groupings and wedding party, it's an "OK, I'm gonna need you to keep smiling. I'm probably going to take 8-10 pictures so one of them has all your eyes open!"

Today I photographed a wedding for a young man at my church. First, I'll say it was kind of neat to hear how my pastor (who I adore) does a wedding ceremony. She was awesome, of course. And despite my misgivings about our lowly lit church, I managed to capture some good ones!

Their reception and dance (and outdoor photos) were at the Grand Rapids Lions Club. The only real scenic location there is a small pond. We made that work for the background. 

A fun thing they did to start the dance was a "Freeze Frame" dance. The bride and groom sat in two chairs on the dance floor and during the song "Freeze Frame," people formed a line, and then could run up and pose for a quick 5-second photo with the newlyweds. So I basically got photos of them with almost everyone there! And funny ones!

It went pretty well and thankfully the weather gods smiled on them. After the all-day rain last Saturday, I was a tad worried. For no reason, as usual! 

Hope you found a reason to smile today! 

Hoco Vibes

This week was Royals homecoming. I pretty much did not participate in (or capture 📷) any events. Just happened to have busy nights. 

This is probably the first time in years where our homecoming game had something on the line. We (ranked as #2 in the state for 8-man teams) were up against the #1 ranked Gilman. Unfortunately, Gilman had earned its rank for a reason – and showed us all on the field, the sidelines and in the stands.

It was kind of humbling. But it was, for me, a nice evening spending time with my two favorite Assumption alums.

Hubby was taking defensive stats per usual. Then, on my way home, Carter (alum for 10 years) called me. Oh these special Royals!

Here's a few action shots since it was finally a daylight game!

A little airborne tackle!

A senior having a breakout year!

Unfortunately, in the end. Gilman clobbered the Royals 44-6, but I was so relieved we scored so it didn't appear that our ranking was all for naught.

We'll see what tonight's loss will mean for that. But really, I think most of us Royals fans are thrilled with our season so hopefully it doesn't dash any major hopes. It's only September after all.

Keep the Royal faith!

Mellow Yellow?

Due to road construction, there is not a direct way to get to work in Stevens Point via Plover these days. Lots of detours.

So my morning commute means I have to go south first to head to the Interstate and then head north to Point. It adds time and miles (good thing gas is cheap).

Yesterday morning there was lots of fog. And today there were pockets of it. And this weird yellowish hue to the sky. I was pretty sure there weren't any wildfires causing this. And thankfully the Internet again came through with the answer:

The glow is an atmospheric effect, a result of how the sun is filtering through particular clouds. 

There you have it. It is not the end of days or anything dramatic!

I was kind of hoping it would but me in a "mellow yellow" sort of mood today but that only lasts so far into the day at work. Ha.

Good thing I balanced it out with a nice Book Club meeting tonight. We tried out The Lantern at Bullseye Country Club. The prices were decent and so was the food. It was sparsely populated in the dining area so we actually got a quiet little table where we were free to discuss the book and not disturb anyone. Always great to see everyone and spend an evening on the banks of the Wisconsin River.

I call this one "Book Club With a View." Now that's mellow!