Turn Back the Clocks -- If Only

Fitting that we turn back the clocks tonight when I've been trying to turn back time all day.

Drove up to Marinette this morning for my friend Cindy's memorial service. Saw this sign as soon as I walked into the funeral home. Spot on. That's what's been going through my mind all week – treasured memories of a friendship I treasured.

Not gonna lie. It was a tough day. While it was great to see her family and my friend Sally, it was heartbreaking knowing the reason. Definitely had some body-shaking sobs left in me. That's where good hugs get you! But it feels good when someone's there to hold you up. 

At least there were some laughs in there. It was a celebration of life, after all. And what Cin would've wanted...

What a perfectly selected poem for her. We'll work on that.

After the service and my goodbyes, I went by the old newspaper office where Cindy and I first met 32 years ago. The Menominee newspaper merged with Marinette's five or so years later. So now our old office building is just a retail space of some sort.

But it holds a ton of memories, including getting hit by a car while sitting outside on a bench in front. They don't have a bench there anymore! I'm pretty sure I've shared this story before. If not, I will on a different day. But that's the time I saved Cindy's life by pushing her out of the way and taking the hit. Guess we were bonded for life after that.

Swung by my lighthouse down the street. It was cold and rainy and windy so I didn't walk all the way out. Plus I needed to get back to Rapids for a wedding for the son of hubby's cousin.

I texted Jim: "If I go straight there, I'll be late. If I stop home first to see how you're doing, I'll be really late." Even though he was on his own all day, he was fine with letting me bypass the house. Despite a super windy drive back and an unexpected detour thanks to an accident, I did manage to sit down at The Ridges in time to eat dinner with my family. Missed the wedding ceremony but was able to visit with my in-laws, nephew and his family, and plenty of other relatives on the Austin side.

It sort of brought the day full circle as far as emotions go. Quite the rollercoaster. But I'm grateful each segment of that full circle included love and at least a little laughter.

Treasure your loved ones! 

Road Worthy

Woke up and decided to take a 336.2-mile round-trip road trip. I mean, why not? Gas is cheap, right? Honestly, although a graduation party was on my calendar for quite sometime now, I was waffling on my decision to go. Since hubby had a previous golf engagement, did I want to drive to Marinette by myself – almost 3 hours each way to spend an hour in between? And with these horrendous gas prices?

When I woke up this morning, I decided yup. These friends are worth more than the price of gas! If I didn't go and something happened to one of them, I'd regret it forever.

And it was the best decision! So very, very glad I went. I needed hugs from these almost-lifelong friends. Three decades and counting. Cindy (left), Sally and I had worked together at the daily newspaper in Menominee – my first job out of college! Cindy and her family took me into their fold and they literally were my family when I lived in Marinette – since driving home to Luck was a 6-7-hour drive so I missed some holidays. Love both these "girls" so much!

Cindy's daughter Sara was 7 when I first met her. Now she's the mother of the graduate! I've got to see her grow from a little girl to a strong young woman to an amazing mother of two!

And I've known her brother since he was born. Love my little Jacob! He's gonna be 30 this summer so yeah, somebody here is getting old!

After much-treasured hugs and visiting (3+ hours not 1), I hit the road. But not before touring around some of my old stomping grounds. Mainly the Lake Michigan waterfront wrapping around Marinette and Menominee.

This car breaks for beaked-creature pictures!

Looking across the waters of Green Bay you can see Door County in the distance! I loved that when living up there.

And I had to stop and see my lighthouse. Yes, MINE!

The memories here are classified, sorry.

Don't miss the gulls though. Their poop, that is!

Slams on brakes midair.

Dives for something.

No sure what because he surfaced empty-handed and empty-mouthed as far as I could tell.

Watching the boats – and occasionally riding one – never got old. And still doesn't.

New (to me) statue in Menominee.

And a Robyn-sized lighthouse replica that I couldn't lift to take home in my car. It wouldn't have fit!

Driving back into Wisconsin, I just felt so blessed and grateful that I decided to make the trip. These people were my family for 4 years and still are. 

My advice: Always take the trip. Make the time. See that person. Get that hug. Always!

Press Conference

Wherever two or more reporters gather, it is a press conference. Either that or a reunion 20-plus years in the making.

I'm sure you recall that the early '90s were legendary years for newspaper coverage in Marinette and Menominee (Mich.) thanks to ace reporters Laura and Kristin at the Marinette Eagle Star and me at the Menominee Herald-Leader. Today those legends returned.

I brought my 1992 Menominee Waterfront Festival t-shirt out of the archives last night. This morning my long-time friends Laura and Kristin and I met up in Green Bay (where Kristin flew in last night from her home in Seattle) and trekked up to our old stomping grounds. We were all fresh college grads when we were worked there, becoming the best of friends and making a million memories before going our separate ways more than two decades ago. I last saw Kristin in person when Carter was 1. And saw Laura last month when her daughter was playing softball in nearby Plover. This trip down Memory Lane today was a long time in the making! And it was awesome, awesome, awesome.

Our first stop was the Pine Tree Mall, where we enjoyed shopping at the Gap and I can't remember where else. Sad that the sign only shows JCPenney, which is closing in 4 days. The rest of the mall is pretty empty, but locals tell us there is about to be a comeback there. Good luck.

Even more sad is that our two favorite watering holes are now a boutique and, you guessed it, a bridal shop. What the heck. As long as we looked like a bridal party, we might as well get our photo taken by some dresses! Not sure it is just a coincidence that we leave town and the bars go out of business.

Had lunch on the waterfront at a place called the Serving Spoon. Since we are celebrities, we held a meet and greet with fans there over the lunch hour. Our guests included our friend and fellow socialite Stacey...

And former PD dispatcher "Grandpa Joe." Awesome to see them!

This stained-glass piece of art was hanging in the restaurant. I really should have bought it since I love that lighthouse! And yes, we did see it.

Toured around the marina after lunch. Forgot how windy and wavy it is off of Green Bay.

Always an assortment of impressive boats.

My lighthouse!!

They now have a pathway to make it easier to the get to the breakwall and walk out to the lighthouse.

Had some young lady take our picture. I guess I should have made it clear I wanted the whole lighthouse in the frame. Should have used our selfie stick!

We stopped at each of our former residences, too. I used to live in the upstairs apartment of this house. Sad that there is now a handicap ramp AND a Packers logo in the front window. There goes the neighborhood.

Also swung into the fire department because, well, history.

This was my newspaper office building across from the Menominee marina. We occupied the bottom floor. At the time, we were separate newspapers but both owned by the same company and both printed at the Marinette facility. Less than a year after I left in 1994 (those two got out of town before me), the two newspapers merged to become the Eagle Herald.

Thanks to our investigative reporter skills (aka Google), we tracked down the former Marinette editor. Larry is 86 years old and as sharp as a tack. He not only remembered who we were but plenty of details, too. It was awesome to see him!

From there, we stopped at the newspaper office to see who was still there that we would remember from 25 years ago.

We found Dan (middle), who is the editor now and was the city reporter when I covered Marinette council meetings, and Tim, a county reporter. The sports editor we knew is still there but wasn't on duty for the evening yet.

Had to walk into the press room to smell the ink and pretend to yell "Stop the presses." For as much fun as we had off duty, we honestly loved being reporters, writing stories and scooping each other.

But mostly we just loved our time together – crafting art projects or crafting shenanigans. We were pretty good at both. But that will remain off the record.

TGFFF (Thank God For Flat Friends)

I don't always take Flat Stanley with me on social engagements, but when I do, he's not Stanley.

As most people know, the Flat Stanley Project was started to facilitate letter-writing by schoolchildren to each other as they document where Flat Stanley has accompanied them. I think due to social media it has morphed into other "Flat" people, pets and objects. People of all ages are sharing their good times with those who can't be with them beyond the flat sheet of paper.

Tonight I took my friend Flat Kristin with me to meet up with our friend Laura. The three of us were ace reporters in the Marinette-Menominee area oh some 25 years ago. We are actually reuniting in person – not flatly – 5 weeks from today when Kristin is back in Wisconsin.

Tonight, though, Laura's daughter was playing in a softball tournament in nearby Plover so we let our Flat friend know we were thinking about her better half in Seattle!

It was nice to visit with Laura and her hubby (I was in their wedding back in the day) and watch their daughter play – and win. They'll be close by all weekend but I won't see them. I have other plans with other special ladies.

And none of them are flat. And I mean that in the kindest way.

What a Ride

Kind of an emotional roller coaster today. In a nutshell...

Work was typical Monday stress. Then I took the afternoon off and met Jim in Waupaca so we could travel together up to Menominee, Mich., for a funeral visitation for our friend Pete's dad. Got there about 4 p.m. when it started. Was glad to go and be there for him since most of his friends are also long distance. Not sure if any arrived later. His dad, who I knew as a pastor of my aunt and uncle's church when I was growing up, was a good man.

After our visit there, we drove around my old stomping grounds for a bit, stopping to greet "my" lighthouse. That always moves the roller coaster upward.

Still a beautiful sight, but apparently spring is on hold up there! Actually, a good local source told me the bay was clear on Saturday but the wind blew all the ice back in on Easter Sunday. Plus, there were parts in northeast Wisconsin that got a whole lotta snow in the past 24 hours. Ahhh, spring in the Midwest.

After a brief, chilly stop at the marina, we paid a surprise visit to my looooong-time friend Cindy, who I worked with at the newspaper there 25 years ago. Oh yes, we are sisters for life! She was quite surprised and excited, too. I was happy to see her and, as a bonus, see her son and daughter and two grandchildren. That was very nice.

We only stayed a half hour and then headed home. Wanted to see another friend or two but we had a nearly 3-hour drive and a Badger tipoff at 8:15. Ha.

Well, if you are still up, you probably were on that roller coaster ride turned zero-gravity plunge right along with us. Dang. Wisconsin could have had that. They could have. And I really thought they would.

Oh well. It's just a game. Not life or death as so many things have been lately. So just hold onto the bar with one hand until the next up or down.

And with the other hand, grab hold of a loved one to get you through it – and hang on tight!

Anyone Sell Time in a Bottle?

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
'Til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

– "Time in a Bottle" (Jim Croce)

I was reminded today of two Carter milestones that will make me an emotional wreck: Graduation Day and Wedding Day.

No rush, please.

If anyone knows of a place I can buy some time in a bottle, let me know. Those two days will be here before I know it. Uff da.

Case in point No. 1 – my "adopted daughter" Brittney. Wasn't it just yesterday I bragged up the fact she was a freshman starting on the varsity hoops team? She was my "daughter" fix for every sport season and now I will never see her play as a Lady Royal again.

This morning's graduation ceremony at Assumption was very nice. Am I the only one who gets a lump in their throat when they play Pomp and Circumstance? I just envision Carter marching in and I fall to pieces. "24 months, Mom!" he reminds me.

Slow down, kid. Time is going fast enough as it is.

Case in point No. 2 – my "adopted sisters" Sally and Cindy. Our friendship has lasted two dozen years already! Where did that time go?

My first job out of college in 1990 I worked with these two at the newspaper in Menominee, Mich. They were my family. When I left there in 1994, Sally had only two boys of her three. Today, her middle son got married. Again, where did that time go?

When our kids were younger, we made a point of getting together during one of the summer weekends – either Memorial Day, July Fourth or Labor Day. We made sure it was a weekend we had our big boys, Casey and Clay. Between the three of us "girls", we had 7 boys. And boy did that get crazy. And they had a ball.

Now with Sally's third son graduating this week, too, Carter is the only one left in high school. Did we just see lives pass before our eyes??

After graduation today, we drove up to Menominee for the wedding reception. It was important to be there for a happy occasion since the last trip up was for a funeral. We need happy times to laugh – and only cry because we are emotional mothers!

So great to see those two and the rest of my "family" up there. I told the groom, "I've known your mom longer than YOU have!"

While I can't stop time and save it in a bottle, I sure have an overflowing amount of memories stored in my mind (and in some scrapbooks).

We'll just treasure our time together now – like I'll have to do with my baby while I still have him.

Still, it sure would be nice to slow it down a bit...

Extended Family

I was 3 months out of college when I landed my first "real" newspaper job at a daily in Menominee, Mich. Sounds like it's far away, but I lived in Marinette, Wis., and merely had to cross a bridge to get into the other city and state.

However, I was about 6 hours from home and didn't know a soul.

I quickly befriended two co-workers, Cindy and Sally, and had no idea at the time they would be friends -- make that family -- for life. Since I was so far from my own family, Cindy took me under her wing and brought me home to her family gatherings in town. There were 10 grown kids in her family, so what's one more?

For my nearly 4 years living there, her mom -- who let me call her "Mom" -- graciously fed me several Thanksgiving and Easter meals, plus a few extras during family gatherings. I got to know each and every member, often reminded of my own family of 8 grown children, and they quickly became my "extended family." My family away from family. My home away from home. They were in my heart to stay.

Flash forward some 20-plus years, and the 3 of us girlfriends for life are still in touch, as best we can be, and still see each other for weddings, graduations and, unfortunately, funerals.

When I learned of Cindy's mom -- my "mom" -- passing away this weekend, I knew without hesitation I needed to get to the that funeral. This was my family and I needed to offer whatever comfort I could -- even in the form of a simple hug.

I worked some extra time the last two days to enable me to get off today and drive up there. Basically, we drove to Iola, I dropped Jim off at work and I continued on to Menominee -- exactly two hours away from our office.

Despite the sad circumstances, it was so good to see everyone again. These little kids that Cindy's siblings had "way back when" now are grown up with kids of their own. How is that they are getting older and we aren't?? Had a nice catching-up visit with both Cindy and Sally and admired the nice service for Mom. A very personal celebration of her life and faith and love for family.

I think that's why I latched on to that wonderful family. To them -- as in my own -- family is important. Spending time together is important. Being there for each other is important. So Cindy (center) is stuck with two shorter "sisters" for life! I don't think she minds. It's been 23 years and they haven't kicked me out of the family yet!

And even though "Mom" isn't around any more, she wouldn't let them!

After the funeral and luncheon, I drove through my old stomping grounds for a bit before heading back to Iola. For sure I knew I had to swing in and say hello to MY lighthouse.

It was very peaceful just to sit on the shore of Green Bay and look at it while offering up some prayers. Prayers of comfort for my extended family and prayers of joy that "Mom" can now join, among others, her husband and her son-in-law (Cindy's husband Rory), who I was blessed to know and love, too.

I love family. All of mine.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me.