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!

The Magic of Giving

We are in the final stretches of our company's United Way campaign, where we try to raise around a million dollars in 2 weeks. As I mentioned previously with golf outing photos, our theme is the Magic of Giving so we're sort of leaning heavenly on Disney vibes.

So it was totally appropriate that my one fall decoration at my desk is Scarecrow Mickey! God bless Hobby Lobby for having everything under the planet!

Since this was our team's week IN office, we got to participate in the dress-up days together.

Can you guess our team dress-up theme? If you said "Flannel" you get half a point. It was a flannel shirt OVER a favorite band shirt. I wore my Here Come The Mummies shirt I told you about during my summer work-from-home t-shirt tour!

Here's our team of writers looking 100% like '90s Grunge and I couldn't be prouder. We get into this!!

One of the fundraisers is always "Beer and a Smile" – Point Root Beer that is. You could order for anyone in our Stevens Point offices and the business area that was in charge of this would deliver. I was excited to get one from my friend Sharon. Yum, yum!

There's lots of other raffles and contests going on. I'll let you know if I have any luck. It's definitely been fun so far!

Doing things for others truly IS magical! 🏰

Trying to Rise Up

Our family is pretty close. So when tragedy strikes one member, we all feel the impact... want to help, pray for the best outcome.

This week has been a test.

Late Sunday we learned that while at work that night, my oldest great-nephew Anthony (same age as Carter) got a call from his roommate saying that their home was on fire. By the time he arrived, the fire was massive and consuming the house. 

By the time it was out, Anthony’s space in the home had been completely destroyed along with the garage. Unfortunately his dog Beanie did not make it. He was such a big sweetie!

Anthony walked away that night with the clothes on his back, his phone, and his (apparently questionably reliable) car. His whole world got taken by the fire. If you are able to help in anyway, he has a lot of needs and will need a lot of support to rebuild after this loss. 

Thank you all in advance for any help in donations or even just passing this on to others who might be able to help him out as well. Or even just prayers!! For Venmo donations, the last 4 digits you'll need are 2505.

If you have any questions feel free to message me. He's a special animal-loving soul who deserves a better break in life than this hand dealt to him. 

Our hearts are collectively breaking. 

Back in Action

Two things are back in action tonight: My crochet hook and The Voice!

I love that the new season is coinciding with my need to park my backside in the recliner and whip together a fall-themed blanket for one final raffle basket. And it's a 3-night season premiere so I should make good progress. Well, not tomorrow night since I'll be freezing at golf league. But tonight and Wednesday I'll be steadily hooking.

As for The Voice... a couple new judges this year in Queen Latifah and some country guy named Riley Green. (j/k I sort of know who he is.) It's always interesting to see how the new dynamic works out. But I've never been disappointed yet. Always so entertaining. (In my opinion.)

So yeah, for Robyn being back in action it means an old lady life of crocheting and watching a talent show. You're welcome to come along for the ride!

Close Doesn't Count

The saying goes that "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades". It does not count in BINGO and doesn't count when we say it's almost a nice day.

For the last weekend of summer, we were robbed. Rain all day yesterday again forced us indoors. We racked up 2 1/8 inches between Friday and Saturday, according to my rain gauge tender. Yuck!

Today was church, a meeting with our new choir director (a talented college kid!), then onto BINGO.

I wore my mom's rings to try to channel her energy. She was always lucky – just like her mother (Grandma Flossie). I even have Royal Blue nails for Homecoming Week.

It did not work. Here I just needed that stinkin' B15 forever to form the A (for Assumption). Close does not count. Winless in everything today.

Oh except for my Vikings squeaking out a victory. Must be my purple dobber! 

Got home and bundled up and went for a walk. Did not get far. The cold wind was making my eyes water. And hubby was golfing all afternoon in this! Of course he said it was fine. No such thing as a bad golf day no matter what the score (or weather) is.

Since he and his buddy were eating at the golf course, I invented a little sandwich for myself. Pulled pork topped with Japanese BBQ sauce and honey goat cheese. Yum yum! 

Now I have to brave this "summer weather" (calendars lie) and get in a few more steps.

Hope you had a more enjoyable last weekend of summer!

If You Build It...

I don't know about you, but I think our neighborhood is getting together to build an ark! It's been coming down steady all day with no sign of stopping until Sunday! We already have an inch and counting in the rain gauge. 

It stinks because there are so many OUTDOOR fall activities to do this weekend.

Our neighborhood Pumpkin Shed opened today. It's not even half a block away so we take pride and ownership!

They've got pumpkins of all colors and sizes – and beautiful mums.

They've got gourds of all shapes and sizes as well.

Including these "things" that look like they belong on episode of Dr. Pimple Popper! You can un-see that now, can you?!

If squash is your thing, they have the usual varieties.

Including this new variety call Mac n Cheese. I mean if squash soup tasted like Mac n Cheese, I might actually like it. Just never been my thing.

They also have decorations, craft items, and Gene's world-famous salsa – made with all ingredients grown on the farm. There are also few cooky and spooky displays like this chicken who never had the guts (get it?) to cross the road.

And this poor fella has been waiting FOREVER for someone to give him a push on the swing!

And this little guy is waiting to trick or treat! Always something fun to see and do. Hopefully when the weather clears, you can show those hardworking farm ladies some love! (Deer Road and 70th Street in Grand Rapids.)

Of course, when the rain does stop Sunday, I'll be having my INDOOR fun. Yup BINGO returns to Assumption! Doors open at noon. Play starts at 1 p.m. And Robyn yells her first "BINGO!" at 1:13 p.m. Ha.

Try to have a nice weekend, everyone!

Fall Fast Forward

Somehow September has speeded ahead and we're almost to the first official day of fall. How are we halfway through the month? I have no idea!

But check out the suggested September Bucket List! Have you accomplished anything on the list?

I've done pictures and farmers markets and football games, but I better get myself in gear for the rest of the list!

I think my favorite is the simple "Get cozy and relax." Doesn't require any special props or extra people. Ha. What do you look forward to most in the "almost fall" season?

 

No Time To Spare

It's so ironic that when my baby boy calls for a "catch up" that he says it's about the only 10 minutes he'll have available in the next week.

I thought we, the parents, were the busy ones but now I realize my update was something like "nope, nothing new here, we work, life is boring."

But of course I was excited to hear about our college kids... yes we kind of adopted all his friends... and now more are getting married and having babies. Must start on baby blanket now!

And I do have a weird night of spare time. Usually there is no sports going on – but also choir. Our director retired so we'll see what happens next week.

As for non-Wednesday activities, I think I can get some steps and do the ol' "Netflix and Chill."

Random At Home

My "off" weeks are kind of weird for work. I am remote all week and miss the normal cadence of life. How I do I get things done in time? And I mean dang, I missed the Emmy's last night as a normal human being!

So the rest of the week I am contributing to the fun parade! We are starting our two-week United Way campaign so we all are doing our best to contribute when and where we can. 

Just put work stress aside and determine if we can contribute $$$ instead??

Working well so far. 👌 

Sunday Funday

 

OMG. What a delightful Sunday when I ran into random Vikings fans – beyond humans – when i was out and about at the Downtown Grand Affair! (You know how this turned out!)

I was shopping for nothing in particular, but I  was happy to see a fellow purple fans as a I walked around!

There were several "farmers markets"  produce and pumpkins but I must give all positive vibes to the Pumpkin Shed just half block away!! Opening next weekend!

A Walk (or Run) in the Park

I spent a good chunk of my day at beautiful Standing Rocks Park near Plover where Stevens Point High School was hosting their annual cross country meet.

The fluctuation of our Royals cross country team has been interesting. Sometimes there's so many runners they have to compete for the Varsity 7. Other times, like today, there were not enough runners – we need 5 to score as a team.

Still, it's always fun to watch and to capture. And I think this year was the first time I wasn't dying from sun and heat. I actually had to go back to my car at one point to get my jacket!

I think Assumption did as well as they hoped. 

Afterward, since we all had to follow a dusty gravel road to get to the park, I made sure to find a car wash. Then the rest of the day was random errands and getting steps.

Hope y'all had a satisfying and relaxing Saturday!!

25 Years?

Hard to believe today is 25 years since the most impactful historical moment of my lifetime happened. When our young football team faced the flag during our moment of silence this evening, I realized none of them were even born! Do they understand the impact of today?

I remember in high school when I had write some paper that involved asking my parents for memorable/impactful moments in history. My mother knew exactly what she was doing and how she heard on the radio that JFK was assassinated. I thought "How do you remember that from 20 years ago?!" 

But now I get it.

Between work and taking football pictures this evening, I didn't have time to watch any of the 25th anniversary tributes to 9/11. Maybe tomorrow I can find them. It's not like I want to re-live the day. But don't you want to go back to that month and remember how we all came together as a nation – and it didn't matter our political affiliation, our skin color, our income, or anything? We bonded together as mourners and survivors.

That definitely got lost in the decades since, unfortunately.

For me, it was crazy week. Working at a newspaper had a whole host of extra memories. Special editions. Two newspapers a day. And we still couldn't keep up with how much was being discovered those first few days – Trade Center, Pentagon, Flight 93 – and how it all tied together. So surreal.

But like I said, any of us who woke up ALIVE on September 12 should consider ourselves survivors. Let's try not to take that for granted.

Or our freedom to comment on this event however we want! 

We Are Not The Same, Ha

I love this! Totally identify with reading part of a book or just the back cover and making up a very creative book report! Or one year we had the option of either a report or an art project illustrating the theme of the book. I sure made The Hound of the Baskervilles look sinister and scary... even though I did not read a single page! Was it even about dogs?!

So much creative thinking required by my generation!

Things are different today. I would not want to be a teacher of any kind trying to determine if their students are good writers – or just good AI users. Oof.

There's been so much news – frankly disturbing – in recent days about AI. Like Doomsday-type news. I really don't know what it all means or what to believe. But as a professional writer for nearly 40 years, it's been a hot button in my field for some time.

Some of my co-workers use it a lot and some of us just rely on the skills we've honed for decades. I'm kind of defensive about it. Can you tell? LOL.

As a mentor of interns the past two summers, I told them quite frankly that AI can help you write your resume and your cover letter, but it can't help you answer questions in your "live" job interview. You need to develop critical thinking skills. No "machine" can replace that.

It probably helped that us X-ers had to do a lot of legwork to cobble information together and make cohesive sense of it for school work. No Internet. Just card catalogs in the library. And potentially outdated encyclopedias. I still got straight A's so I'm guessing that was sufficient information for the time. 

As Carter went through high school, I was kind of jealous how easy it was for him with his access to worldwide information. That would have been SO handy as a newspaper reporter in the '90s!!!

Today I feel a bit (mildly right now) threatened because it can replace all my income streams – writing, graphic design, and photography. I sure hope my retirement countdown on my phone expires before "humanity" will! 

God, save us all!

Embracing Autumnal Vibes... Sort Of

Well I definitely wasn't going to lead with a photo of myself but my blog platform won't let me upload any other images. Gah!

So I've mentioned before that I'm a solar-powered girl. I love summer! I love the sun, time with Mr. Deck Chair... and my golf clubs. But today, because I found (and ordered) a style of dressy shirts on Amazon, I had to kick my "Autumnal Vibe" in gear!

Yes, I take pictures in the bathroom at work to show my sisters certain outfits. LOL. But you can't argue this doesn't spell FALL.

When I got to my hair artist after work, she's like, "Let's cool you down for fall." I always have complete trust in her – especially when she adds in the red and brownish low-lights in all the right places.

Per usual, I told her I'd have to sleep "real careful" so I wouldn't smush her handiwork before going to work tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. 

I do love autumn as well. If you can believe, it's September 9 and I still have held off having my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. Something tells me that's going to drag me from summer to fall in the very near future!

Happy early fall, y'all! 

Those Fickle Golf Gods

After driving to work in the pour rain – make that a deluge – and seeing it rain all morning, my golf partners and I thought for sure we wouldn't have league tonight.

But the golf gods were smiling on us and the sun came out by 1 p.m.

So golf was on! The tricky thing about the golf gods is that if they smile on you, it can only be for one thing at a time. If today was weather, that meant they were not helping me have a stellar round! 

Also against us was the fact the course was so wet, it was "cart path only." Now there are a few holes with wide fairways and a long walk from the cart path to your ball. While it did help me get my 10,000 steps quite easily. It didn't help my game.

Still, I'll never complain about a round at SentryWorld!

And on the way home, the regular God gave me a colorful commute. Never doubt the blessings hiding in plain sight!

Labor Day Vibes :: Feeling Shady

Happy Labor Day! I have never worked in a union and I am quite sure my father never did either. So my only familiarity comes from life as a newspaper reporter sharing updates on "negotiations." 

Yes, I am guilty of just seeing this as a day off and unofficial end of summer. But it hit home during the pandemic when I realized jobs like mine did not make me an "essential worker." No one is going to live or die based on my creative marketing copy. It does nothing really to move the country forward.

The ones who do deserve more than just one holiday off, in my opinion! Salute to you all!

As for my holiday, I did do some physical labor pulling weeds and random pop-up grape vines (probably poisonous) from around the front deck. I also laid all my hanging baskets of flowers to rest! RIP.

That was sunny, sweaty work! When I hauled the wheelbarrow full of weeds to our way back yard "dumping pile" I was immediately struck by how much cooler it was back there in the shade... with a breeze!

So I set up a chair in my new shady area and enjoyed a cool breeze while I listened to more of my marathon audio book. It was nice. I was wishing for a hammock!

Beyond that, it was a pretty laidback day for both of us. Always plenty of baseball on TV. Plus I needed my steps while listening to my book. 

This week is our week "in the office" Tuesday-Thursday, so I need to remember to turn on an earlier (dang) alarm and pick out clothes for work/immediately followed by golf tomorrow. There is a lot of pressure in the workforce these days, isn't there?

Hope you had a relaxing Labor Day Weekend and took time to pat yourself on the back for your hard work! Thank you!

No Plans, No Problem

 

When I saw this, I gave myself permission to do as little as possible this long weekend. I gotta say, I'm getting pretty good at it!

I actually didn't want to do anything that would be stressful. So even though I had an opportunity to go Up North and back to see some cousins. Just wasn't feeling the "let's drive 9 hours in road construction and detour" vibes.

That would, however, have put a dent in this audiobook I just started. It's called The Calamity Club and it's like 28 hours! Better be worth it. So far I'm really enjoying it! Might have to increase the talking speed just a bit more.

So although I haven't been running in circles, I have been walking in them. Getting my 10,000 steps AND listening to this book. That will be the extent of multi-tasking this weekend!

Foxy Friday

Ever since I made national news (CBS Morning News!) with my famous fox photo from the 2023 U.S. Senior Open, I've declared the fox as my spirit animal.

So today, on my day off, imagine my delight in finding these fox paper plates at Dollar Tree while I was hunting for other raffle basket related items! Not sure when and where I'll use them, but it was a must-buy!

Speaking of must-buys... I went to the downtown farmers market at lunch yesterday (not many weeks left) and made sure to feed my guilty pleasure of buying myself fresh flowers. How can I resist full bouquets like this for merely $10? I don't feel so guilty after all!

Today I took the day off for no reason other than to have a 4-day weekend. I went down to the Rome farmers market so I could get some candles from our friends who run Midwest Nice candles. (They smell so yummy!) 

A perfect addition to these raffle baskets I'm putting together for a benefit my nephew Colin and his wife are organizing. A fellow racer has a newborn daughter who spent many, many weeks in the hospital due to seizures. Very sad.

For the rest of the day off... well I was going to get steps on this hot and humid day. But now I see it's 87 degrees and "feels like" 95. Uff da!

Enjoy your holiday weekend! 

Vert Der Ferk?

I'm just a short time away from my fantasy football draft tonight for the Swedish Chef Mafia. I have claimed the coveted trophy before but came in second last year. This year, I am going to be doing some speed studying for the next 90 minutes like it's a college all-nighter!

I don't know anything this time. Have not watched pre-season. Do not know who's injured. Do not know who's been announced as a starter. I am praying the ESPN app is my friend. AND that 60 seconds is long enough to look up the status of the next "best" available player.

In the end, it's probably one of the many things that is seriously out of my control! LOL.

Plus, as hubby often points out during the season, "How much money is on the line?" Well... zero entry fee and a bragging rights trophy for the winner. So no stress.

Except for that smack talk in the office! 😁 Hopefully I don't have to say "Vert der ferk?" too often. Go, football! 🏈 

Tip-toeing Thru Tuesday

On the weeks that we're out of the office, our schedule takes a different turn. Especially on Tuesdays when we have golf league. 

 

No matter what day of the week, the flowers look immaculate!

It was a challenging night of golf league mainly because it was 80+ degrees and so humid! Then our 4th couldn't make it. By some lucky coincidence, we saw a fellow Marketing Dept employee on the driving range we could nab to join us!

Ugh. These geese were all over my tee box on #5 and I was grateful they didn't hiss at me when I tried to shoo them out of the way before my drive.

All part of nature!