Peace, Love & Ice Cream

Since both King Cone and our local Dairy Queen are closed for the winter, I thought I'd get my ice cream fix today in a calorie-free manner... sharing our photos (finally) from our Ben & Jerry's tour in Vermont!

If you are a true ice cream fan, I hope you'll enjoy every lick of it!

Ben and Jerry do a lot of philanthropic work across the community and globe. It's good to know we're eating ice cream for a good cause! Eases the conscience when we loosen our belts, right?

Ice cream always gets a thumbs up from me!

We arrived a little early for our tour on Sept. 23, so we goofed around. Well, I goofed around and forced hubby to take photos of me in my glory! Ha. Does this bowl make my butt look big??

If there's a Hall of Fame for eating ice cream, how could I NOT be in it?!

Nothing like diving right in. M-m-m... Euphoric!

Nothing sweeter than Ben & Jerry and Robyn & Jim!

Ooooh, the magic bus...

The McDonald's Golden Arches got nothing on this arch! (In my opinion.)

Got to share a free pint after our tour. We chose Chubby Hubby and not because I have one! We just couldn't resist fudge-covered peanut-butter-filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream with fudge and peanut butter swirls! Could you?

Speaking of chubby... Body by Ben & Jerry's? Yup, that's the culprit alright. But mine would have to say, "Also brought to you by King Cone, Dairy Queen and Schwan's!" (And no, we didn't buy the T-shirt. No reminders needed!)

I would love to walk in this door to work every morning! The colors look yummy! But I think the employee discount on ice cream would still require a second job.

Come back soon? You bet! Next time we just happen to be passing through Waterbury, Vermont!

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Even in our darkest hours -- which these days happens to be on our commute to work in the morning -- we can still find light at the end of the tunnel.

I realize it is only Tuesday, but is has a been a stressful week! Personally, I've had a few surprises to deal with and I've also had loved ones coping with some pretty serious challenges. When all seems dark, we wonder if there is a light at the end of the tunnel and, if so, how long is this tunnel.

It reminds me of some of the covered bridges we saw out East. They are single lane. So not only are you going through it in the dark, you know that between you and that light at the end, you run the risk of hitting something head-on. A very low risk, but nonetheless, it takes some guts and some faith.

When we focus on the light -- sometimes a happy outcome, the support of family and friends or new direction in life -- the journey is not so scary.

We get through it, turn around and look back and think, "Wow, that wasn't as bad as I thought." Or "Look what I just survived! I made it through OK!"

Our journey doesn't always have to be in darkness.

 Sometimes there are windows to shed a little light... a respite from the fear, pain or sadness.

That relief can come in the form of people who love us and support us...

Or from a brief bout of self courage. Faith in our own abilities.

Sometimes we just need to stop, take a look out that window and remember all the blessings God has bestowed upon us.

What I've learned in the last 24 hours is that most things have a way of working out. I've received some positive news about a cancer operation, a missing child and word that McDonald's already has their eggnog shakes and Holiday Mint McFlurries.

Yes, God gives us what we need, alright. And if we don't know what that is, He'll find a way to lead us in the right direction.

That's so much easier than doing it on our own, isn't it?

On the Ledge

No one needs to explain to me what it means to talk someone off the ledge. On the contrary, I usually need to be coaxed on to the ledge.

Then I wonder how I got there... and how I can get off before my heart stops beating in fear. Fear of heights, fear of falling, fear of the unknown.

While cruising around northern Vermont with our distant cousins, we stopped at a little wide spot in the road because they wanted us to see a pretty waterfall. I'm sure I was out of the car with my camera faster than I can type this sentence. I climbed up rocks and got to a flat spot that I knew was going to allow us a nice view of the waterfall.

Only problem is, there was an edge to the rocks. And I was pretty sure the world dropped a million feet down from there. I inched forward for a step or two but suddenly felt too tall. Too far off the safety of the ground. So I sort of crawled close to the edge, breathing deeply and going slowly -- as to not shake the Earth off its axis.

Did you think I was kidding?? I really never did get close to the edge. But hubby not only got a pitiful shot of his wife, he also got the waterfall.

He's so brave! He's my hero! I obviously feel safer at the bottom of the waterfall, closer to ground level!

But yet, I still allow myself to get too close to the edge sometimes and wonder how I got there. I think it is my nature to go full steam ahead. The problem is that when you get to an "edge," you don't have much time to stop before going over.

I've been doing that lately. Cruising along at a good clip, feeling pretty good about where life is taking me, when I turn a sharp corner and bam! I am slapped with some major "unknowns." I am teetering at the edge and not sure what is beyond it. It's scary. I can't step backwards because it is not an option. I'm not brave enough to step forward either. Not at this point. I sort of have to wait, patiently, not looking down but hoping either a bridge magically appears before me or, at a minimum, hubby takes my hand.

I can't rely on him to always be the brave one, though.

When we stopped to see what is called the Ausable Chasm in New York, we sauntered out onto this bridge to see this big "crack" in the wall of rock. As soon as we both looked over the edge, we both jumped back and just about passed out. Whoa, vertigo! It was so far down, we couldn't even get close to the side of the bridge to take a picture looking down!

This is as close as I got. Can you see the tiny scenic overlook on the other side? Those people are insane!

We just kept walking across the bridge -- thankfully a very sturdy one -- and I went over to look on the other side. Hubby stayed where he was. Until I called him over to see the pretty surprise.

Sometimes we need to quit squeezing our eyes shut in fear and see what is right in front of us. Maybe it's not so bad!

I will think of these beautiful pictures as we hang out on the ledge and wait to see what transpires. We don't know what God has planned for us.

But we do know He hasn't allowed us to fall yet!

Against the Wind

I'm going to try something new. Since I know I will never have time to post all my pictures from our wonderful New England vacation, I am going to feed them to you one or two at a time... finding something relevant to blog about related to the photo. It sounds like this could almost be inspirational -- but let's not put any pressure on the author here...

On our last full day of vacation, we took the car ferry from Port Kent, N.Y., across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont. Since we arrived at the dock more than an hour early (just to be sure to get our tickets), we had time to wander around the marina. And, naturally, take some pictures.

It was windy that day and I was concerned about how the ferry would do in the rough waters. You know me, gotta find something to fret about! When I noticed this gull on a dock post, I realized he had bigger things to worry about than me.

How does this little bird, with its beak facing the wind and the power of that invisible force ruffling his feathers, even manage to stand on his own two legs? Spindly little legs at that. How does he face such adversity and still successfully take off and manage forward flight progress?

He must have some help.

We often hear and say the phrase: “God won’t give you more than you can handle." Sometimes we are encouraging a friend or loved one going through a tough time. Sometimes we say it to convince ourselves we can handle whatever is thrown our way.

While I always thought it was an actual scripture quote, I've recently learned it is not. It's actually somewhat of a misquote we've all interpreted.

The words of support stem from I Corinthians 10:13, which actually reads: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

God won't let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Temptation and adversity are not the same thing, so as luck would have it -- we can be assured that He will likely give us more than we can handle. On our own, that is. The message that He will provide "a way out" is encouraging, though, in any situation.

Sometimes that "way out" is prayer. Other times it's friends and family. Other times, we find the answer in our own heart.

I have several friends right now who feel they are going against the wind. They can't control the strength or velocity of it, but they are trying to find a way to stay airborne. While they may doubt their ability, I don't. And neither does God. They are strong women. And smart enough to know they don't have to face anything alone.

There's nothing like a friend to smooth the rough waters...

TGIFFF (Thank God it's Funny Foto Friday)

It didn't really feel like a Friday today. You normally have that upbeat feeling knowing the weekend is merely hours away. But I tell you, working five whole days in a row took a lot out of me!

Oh I hear your sympathy!

No. Seriously, I was just a bit down, thinking of a couple close friends going through some serious challenges right now. They really don't need to be cheered up, per se, just made aware I am here for them, I guess.

But to cheer myself up, I decided to look at some vacation photos. Wow, I got some great photos! I don't even know where to begin with them so I figured I'd start with the weird and wacky ones...

Anyone fluent in French? We saw this road sign in Canada and while we assumed it was something about "Children at play," we wondered if they just "play dead" or what? Maybe "Quiet Zone: Our children are napping" ? 

I guess it loosely means: "Be careful of our children, they could be yours." Ok, but I still don't like that graphic. It's just a bit creepy!

We saw a lot of neat, historic items at The Old Stone House Museum in Vermont. Jim's cousins Don knew the history on this one. Apparently it was quite a tale in those parts! 

This is the famous "Fur Fish"! Legend has it, it is so cold in northern Vermont, the fish grow fur! So somebody way back when capitalized on that idea and probably charged admission for people to see it.

A dog with dreadlocks?? Yah, mon! Who knew Montpelier, Vermont, is the capitol of Groovy?

This guy drew quite a crowd outside a business appropriately called The Quirky Pet. His owner looked like a hippy (in a stereotypical way) so I wasn't sure what was up. I have since researched "dogs and dreadlocks" and have discovered there are a few breeds that grow hair that does naturally look like dreads. Again, who knew?

Another "odd" sight in Montpelier was this woman who got out of her car in front of the state capitol building and just started hula-hooping. We honestly weren't sure if she was doing it in hopes people would drop some money near by or if she was on a dare or just entertaining her kid. Not sure why you'd do that there of all places! Hmmm....

But who am I to judge? Here I am perfecting my pirouette before a triple-lutz attempt in the Olympic Center in Lake Placid! It didn't even cross my mind to be embarrassed when a lady waited to walk between us until Jim was done taking a picture of his middle-aged ballerina.I just looked at her and said, "Yes, we're tourists!" (I think my photographer was a bit embarrassed.)

Probably shouldn't be surprised then, that after 7 days on the road together, hubby pointed out this license plate. He just saw it and said, "I'm not gonna say anything."

Well that speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Good thing I have a sense of humor on both sides of the camera. Most days anyway.

Life Goes On...

I don't know how anyone on the East Coast ever gets to watch anything on late-night television. It's just so... late!

Knowing we had to get up at 6 a.m. to catch our flight, hubby and I went to bed at a decent time and were unaware that the world was coming to an end, according to certain football fans.

I mean, the sun still rose in Burlington, Vermont, this morning so we were still in the dark., so to speak. A routine check of Facebook and morning SportsCenter quickly brought us up to speed. Poor Packer fans. Seriously, it does suck to lose a game because of missed calls. But you know what? Every team -- in every sport -- has had to endure it. Probably more than once. So life goes on.

The only thing these two Viking fans were bummed about was seeing our vacation come to an end.

We got a little concerned in O'Hare when the two outgoing flights in the gates we were sitting near were delayed because the pilots were "missing." Perhaps they had a late night in Seattle doing their part-time "replacement" job?? Not sure what the final resolution was, but both planes eventually left. Ours did, too, just a wee bit late but we got to Madison on time and were home by 4 p.m.

One thing we both noticed on the drive was that Wisconsin suddenly looked really flat! I miss seeing mountains at every angle! That was something to treasure!

Got home and got laundry going and unpacking. Jim went into town to his parents -- the saintly Carter sitters and taxi drivers -- to pick up Carter's stuff. I bonded with the kitty, who really missed us, and got a few things put away before heading into town to pick up Carter from the volleyball game where he was playing in Pep Band.

While it was tempting to hug him at school, I waited until I wouldn't embarrass him in front of his friends. I know he didn't miss us like we missed him, but he was kind enough to let me give him a big, long hug! Probably because he knew he'd have to be nice to get any of the "treats" we brought home for him.

Tough. He still has to finish homework first. Ha. Apparently I didn't forget how to be the mean mom while I was on vacation.

At least I remember how to use the washing machine! Back to reality...

Gold Medal Day

Can't believe today was our last full day of vacation! We definitely made the most of it! And we finally were seeing some fall color (better late than never) so that was a bonus, too.

We started out heading to Lake Placid first, since that was only 45 minutes away from our hotel. It is such a teeny tiny town, I can't believe it won a bid to host the Olympics -- twice! We knew there was still a few things going in the Olympic village so we figured we check it out.

On the way there, we got pretty lucky. Remember when I said I was trying to get a picture of the dozens of Moose Crossing signs we've seen in the past week? Well we found out today the signs are there for a good reason. You never know when you will stumble upon one.

And we did! We just happened to be taking pictures downstream for here and when we were walking back to the car, a passing motorist yelled out, "Is the moose still there?" We're like, "What moose?!" So we checked around and finally got in the car and continued on our way. Just a few hundred yards up the road traffic was stopped. Heck, if traffic is stopped, I am jumping out with my camera!

This guy stood on the opposite side of the river, eating his lunch, oblivious to clicking cameras and "ooh"s and "ahhh"s. I felt like I struck gold. Ha.

We found more "gold" when we got to Lake Placid and toured the Olympic Center, which houses the ice rinks used in the 1932 winter games and the 1980 Olympics -- our favorite -- when we all remember the USA Hockey Team's "Miracle on Ice."

Here hubby stands on center ice where that historic game was played! Seriously! We both had goose bumps!

Here I am standing in the goal, where a few lucky pucks found their way in our victory over Russia and our later Gold Medal win. How coooool! We are of the age we remember that game clearly and it means so much to consider ourselves a part of it now. It was such a symbolic game to pull our nation together like one big family. I love that.

Speaking of family... what are the chances I'd run into someone I knew on this trip, let alone a relative? Well, also touring the Olympic Center today were two cousins on my dad's side -- Lee and Romelle -- who happened to be on a cross-country bus tour from the Twin Cities with N.Y. City their ultimate destination. Small, small world!

After our Lake Placid adventure, we swung by the North Pole. Heck, we might as well go everywhere on this vacation, right? There is a little town called North Pole, N.Y., that is smaller than my hometown. Most places were closed for the season, but shouldn't their toy-making season just be starting? Hmm.

From there we headed to Port Kent to catch our ferry across Lake Champlain back to Vermont. Now we're back in Burlington, packing up everything and getting to bed early. Somehow everything is gonna fit in those suitcases! I didn't get too much -- a few gifts and yes, this hoodie addict finally broke down today, on our last day to get a hooded sweatshirt.

Good thing it's chilly back in Wisconsin because I need to wear all the extra layers that won't fit in our luggage!

Here's the Scoop

If I haven't told you yet, even if we are not seeing any fall colors really, this is turning into an awesome anniversary vacation!

Today we made our way over to Montpelier, the capitol of Vermont. It really is a small town for a state capitol, but it's a quaint OLD town. Saw some really pretty building and took some pictures, of course.

From there we made it to my favorite destination (for the day anyway)... Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury, Vermont. Whoot!


We got a factory tour, where we saw how they make all the yummy flavors, learned about the company and got a free sample of the Flavor of the Day, which today was Steven Colbert's Americone Dream. Tasty stuff! I got the special tour package that included a t-shirt and a pint to go (of course).

OK, it wasn't quite THAT big! I picked out Chubby Hubby and shared it with my Lovey Hubby on our way to Burlington, Vermont. From there, we got another treat. Our route to New York took us island hopping up Lake Champlain across little islands and bridges with the beautiful Vermont scenery to our right and New York to the left. Very cool way to do that!

Tonight we are staying in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and have a little sight seeing in the Empire State to do in the morning and day tomorrow before catching a ferry back across Lake Champlain to Vermont.

We talked to Carter a few times today and heard an enthusiastic report from homecoming. He said he danced so much his feet and legs hurt today. Now that's a surprise! He also had his share of slow dances and claims he's pretty good at that. But you did NOT hear that from me!! We were just glad he had a great time. Today he had a ton of homework so he was busy doing that. Almost felt guilty about all the fun we're having.

But not really. Would you?

Extra Innings Fun

Woke up to a foggy morning in Boston. Went out on our balcony and could just make out the Harvard rowing team practicing on the Charles River below us. You don't see that every day!

You know what else you don't see? SNOW!

We weren't even out of bed yet and we were getting texts from back home in Wisconsin about the snow. Unreal. Normally we'd be thrilled we weren't home, but we felt bad for Carter who had to play in Pep Band before today's 11 a.m. homecoming game and then march at halftime. The snow melted but it didn't get too warm. He said he was freezing. I'm sure he got over it and is having a ball tonight at the homecoming dinner and dance.

Jim's sister sent us a photo of the boy all dressed up. That makes us miss him all the more... but, we are having fun.

Had breakfast this morning with two of the women that Jim knows through work. They're the ones who got us the tickets to the Red Sox game. It was their company tickets, which meant nice club seats with the rich and sometimes famous. So we hear. Anyway, Claire and Suzanne were a hoot and I'm glad I finally got to meet them.

After breakfast, we packed up, checked out and headed to Fenway Park. Our seats were indeed awesome. Not only a great view of the game behind home plate, but we actually did have a brush with the famous part of rich & famous.

My fellow gearhead fans will appreciate this one. NASCAR driver -- well, commentator now -- Michael Waltrip sat in our club seat area. Jim is the one who encouraged me to go say "hi." I did. And told him we were from Dick Trickle's hometown and asked about a photo. He was very accommodating and hugged me close. I mean, he was willing to let Jim take 3 pictures 'til I was sure one turned out right!

 

Who's luckier than me?

Back to the game... Fenway Park and the famous Green Monstah (as they say it in Boston) are celebrating 100 years. So much history. Very cool -- and quaint -- ballpark. Game went into extra innings and the Orioles ended up beating the Sox 9-6 in 12.

After that we headed northwest out of town, across New Hampshire and into Vermont. Ended up as far as Barre, near Montpelier. We are staying at a place called the Hollow Inn. Not worried about dreaming about Headless Horsemen and Sleepy Hollow tonight, though. Something tells me I'll be dreaming about racin'!

Sweet dreams!

Weekend in New England

It felt like our "weekend in New England" was accomplished in one day as we left Newport, close to the Canadian border, made our way south across the state of Vermont and part of New Hampshire and into Massachusetts and the Atlantic Ocean. Our final stop: Boston.

Well, technically, Cambridge, Mass.. More on that in a bit.

Our morning started late as we slept in past 8. Ha. We did the lakefront water walk and checked out the pretty scenery in Newport. Even got my picture with a  lighthouse. Sort of. A small one, built just for me, I believe.

From Newport, we headed southeast and crossed through the little state of Vermont and across part of the equally small state of New Hampshire. That was my first time there. Of course, I miss the welcome sign but I know the state motto is "Live Free or Die." Saw that on every license plate!

The one thing that surprised us about New Hampshire is that the White Mountains were even more impressive than Vermont's Green Mountain chain. Really cool. Took lots of pictures out the car window, traveling 65 mph on the interstate. I think some turned out. It only took me 10 tries to get a Moose Crossing sign in focus. I need more practice!

We also went by the New Hampshire speedway in Concord and realized the NASCAR race is there this Sunday. Our plans may have to change! You never know!

Jim's cousin was unable to get together with us today so we headed straight into Boston. We're actually staying on the north side in Cambridge, home of Harvard. Saw what we believe were the Harvard "kids" out practicing their sailing on the Charles River (which makes its way into Boston Harbor) outside our hotel window. I braved the balcony on the 12 floor and took some pictures. I just looked out, not down!

After we got settled in, we took a cab over to downtown Boston. After driving 4-lanes-wide into town, we weren't in the mood to even attempt it any further. So we cabbed it over to the north side and walked a tour of historic sites -- everything from Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church (where they hung the lanterns) to the Massachusetts State House and Cheers bar.

C'mon, that has to count!

We had dinner at the Bull & Finch, which was the inspiration for the television program, then shopped in the gift shop. I got a shirt and earlier, we already found Carter his gifts (hint: Boston Celtics). We still need to find something for Jim (besides cemetery pictures).

We cabbed it back to hotel and now we're just chilling out, enjoying the view of the cityline lights on the water. Gorgeous day all around. We got lucky.

Hope it continues!

Family Time

Spent a picture-perfect day with our new family members Don & Sally. Basically, we just tooled around finding photo opportunities for me!

Not really, we found some tombstones hubby was looking for and we are done with that mission now. We ended up in the pretty lake city of Newport, where we toured a historic school/museum called the Stone House, followed up with lunch on the shores of the Lake Memphremagog. Try saying that 5 times fast!

We then drove around finding a covered bridge for me (ha)! And some water falls.

 

Got some neat photos but will have to wait 'til who knows when to post.

We spent a great day and part of the evening with our "family" -- including several games of cribbage between Jim, Don & Sally. They had a great time with that. They are a pleasure to spend time with and we'd love to get back here again some day.

We had to say goodbye tonight as Jim and I made our way to our hotel in Newport. Get to check out some more of the waterfront in the morning before making our way to Boston.

It already feels like we've been gone a week. And that's in a good way. I love having to think twice about what day of the week is! Just love it.

Border Hopping

Dateline NORTH TROY, VERMONT... One teeny mile from Canada!

We were lucky to get our vacation going on time. For some reason we had a power outage in our neighborhood during the night. It blinked off once and turned back on and we set backup alarms on our cell phones. Good thing as power went out again for a few hours.

So we got up on time, to the airport in Madison on time and our flight to Chicago was short. I was so tired (hard to sleep when you worry about the alarm) that I slept the whole flight from Chicago to Burlington, Vt. I never sleep on airplanes! So I was pretty tired.

Upon landing, got our rental car and headed north. Got to see so much beauty on the short 90-minute drive to Jim's distant cousins Don & Sally Austin. Saw mountains (closest I've ever been to them), pretty rivers and wildlife. We are too early for true fall colors but I am going to get over that.

After we arrived at the Austins, another cousin and his mom came over and took us into Canada where Jim's great-great-great-great grandfather and great-great-great grandfather are buried. Found some related tombstones, too, so that was good.  Plus more in another cemetery nearby.Took pictures of those and a nearby covered bridge that used to serve as the border crossing between the U.S. and Canada. Probably just 2 hours in Canada but worth the passport for Jim's "finds".

When we got back, we rejoined Don & Sally and took them out to eat in Jay, Vt., down the road. Tomorrow we will spend the day with them seeing some sights.

Tonight we are snuggling up at the North Troy Inn Bed & Breakfast, where evening temps may fall into the 20s!

This is not shorts weather! Glad I bought those new anti-mom jeans!

Coming Together Nicely

I figured I better blog quick since this may be the only time this football season I can say the Vikings have a better record than the Packers! Tonight's showdown between the Pack and da Bears might already be under way. I won't have time to watch it, so I'll assume I can still keep an ounce of Purple Pride in me for a few hours yet.

Not much to report anyway. Just that our New England vacation plans are coming together nicely.

New England? Yes, we have officially expanded our scope.

Now we'll be in Vermont and Canada the first few days, then boogie down to Boston(only 3 hours away) to catch a Red Sox game at the famous Fenway Park, then head up to New York, through Vermont and the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, then cross the ferry back over to Vermont and the airport.

Somewhere in there I'll get to meet some really neat people, find some dead people (well, tombstones in our family tree research) and see some really pretty sights. Hope the weather holds but really, even if it's cold and rainy, we'll be able to do everything we planned. I just won't get a thousand pictures. Maybe I'll be reduced to 800.

Maybe we should do some side bets on just how many I will take. Ha.

After these unexpected Boston plans fell into place today, both hubby and I had a hard time concentrating on work. Now we just want to GO!

Lots going on between now and our departure, though. We've got football/pep band tomorrow, cross country Saturday and packing/planning on Sunday. Then work our butts off 2 days so we can leave guilt-free.

Mostly guilt-free. I still hate to miss Carter's first homecoming dinner/dance, but I am really looking forward to our weekend in New England (as Barry Manilow would say!).

Yup, it's all coming together nicely.

Duck Hunting

We're starting our countdown. With just 8 days before hubby and I head East, we are trying to get all of our ducks in a row. The problem is, we're not sure which ducks we need to worry about and which ones we still need to hunt down.

I'm starting to make lists as I think of things for our Vermont trip AND my sister weekend trip that comes right on the tail of that. I'm feeling like my parents -- OK, I gotta get my prescriptions refilled, etc. But you know, if you don't write it down, it's not going to be remembered by either of us!

Over the weekend, Jim talked to his cousins that he met the last time he was out there. They are more like his parents' age, not ours, but a really nice couple we've kept in touch with since his last trip 5 years ago. Jim's talked to them a few times in the last month since we booked the trip and last night they told us we can stay at a bed and breakfast 3 doors down from them. Cool. I am staring to get excited.

It shouldn't be hard, but, there are just enough things going on with Carter during our absence that I am feeling bummed about missing. Mainly homecoming... He is dressing up and going and I am missing out on the first major "dress up" -- not quite formal. Sigh. I am "employing" several people to photograph various parts of his weekend for me -- between marching band at the game and the dinner and dance. Just won't be the same, but I appreciate their understanding of a mother and scrapbooker's heart.

It's just more ducks to get in a row.

I fear Grandma and Grandpa Austin are going to get a rude awakening about life as a taxi service. Not only getting Carter where he needs to be, but not forgetting there is another long-haired sibling to tend to. Carter better not forget to feed Sylvester before heading to school each morning!

So many details, details, details. Good thing we got those passports months ago. One duck in line. Many more to go.

Quack!

Monday Make Believe

When life hands you a challenging Monday, the best thing to do is look at your calendar for something positive to look forward to. Then you can make believe it's a wonderful day -- or at least tolerable since it can't last forever, just 24 hours.

I was surprised to see that today is already Aug. 27. This means our annual sister adventure -- Wild Women's Weekend XIV -- is only a month away! Awesome. Can't wait to spend a long weekend with my sisters in the northwoods -- where we can hug like bears and howl like wolves and no one will be around to judge us. Ha.

The cool part is that before I even get to that weekend, I have so much going on in the next 30 days.

I only have to count down 3 days now until I take 3 of my sisters to their first Packer game at Lambeau Field. Oh yes, I am such a nice sister! And Renell, Romey and Raylene certainly deserve me. I mean deserve it!

Then in just over 3 weeks, I get to take off with my favorite Vikings fan and spend a week in Vermont and upstate New York, with a brief side trip into Canada. I can't wait for our second honeymoon! Jim doesn't know I'm calling it that, but he'll figure it out!

Of course, somewhere in there we (well, Carter) have 5 cross country meets. That's exciting, too. I look forward to seeing Carter's progress (hopefully) and how he adapts to different courses and different-sized meets. Tomorrow, for example, I think there will be a dozen schools participating. Uff da. Should be a crazy time.

And let's not forget someone will be starting high school in just 36 hours. Yikes. I'm pretty sure I'm not looking forward to that countdown.

I am, however, looking forward to next weekend (which is allowable on crappy Mondays) -- because it will be long and we get to do our Austin Fantasy Football draft with team owners Jim, Casey, Clay, Carter and Colin... oh, and me, the token butt kicker ... er, girl.

Good thing I looked at my calendar. Who cares if Monday sucks? From here on out, it looks good!

Have Passport, Will Travel

Our Passports are here! Our Passports are here!

Look out world, Jim and Robyn Austin have their first passports. Ever.

Where are we going? First hint -- not the Olympics!

If you recall 4 years ago at this time, hubby was gone on a 9-day excursion out east, searching for family tree clues in northern Vermont and upstate New York. He came back with some new information, a few "new" cousins and gorgeous, gorgeous photos of the Green Mountains, Adirondack Mountains and covered bridges. I said, "Next time, you're taking me with you!"

Fast forward 4 years to Next Time.

One of the challenges last time was that Jim was only a mile from Canada, where his great-grandfather is buried, but he couldn't go there without a passport. A month ago, we decided we'd celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with this trip. So we spent Friday, July 6, getting our ducks in a row -- photo taken, forms filled out, check written, oath sworn (seriously), etc. They probably got it filed Monday, July 9, and now just 3 short weeks later our passports are here!!

Good thing they "approved" us since we already booked our flights and rental car!

We'll be going in late September for a week, hopefully when fall colors are peaking on the mountain ranges and maybe reflecting on Lake Champlain when we cross it on a ferry, says the photographer. Even if we don't find out anything new for hubby's family tree, it will be a pretty second honeymoon!

Of course, now that we have the passports, there really is nothing to stop us from going anywhere in the future.

Well, except for the money part.

Scenic Route

A few images from Jim's "Roots Roadtrip" out East.

Funny how the people out East say Wisconsin is beautiful, but we don't have anything like this! Jim enjoyed many views of the Adirondak Mountains while driving around upstate New York and Vermont.

... Of course, they don't have a lot of deer out there, either.

There's just something about covered bridges that make me think of Clint Eastwood... I mean think of the old times.

But this is better than ol' Clint any day. Those who know me and my love for lighthouses and water know that this is why I wish I was there! Sigh... Maybe next time...