You're So Vain... I Bet You Think This Blog is About You...

I'm at the point in life where it turns out the best-laid plans never work out compared to the last-minute plans.

So when friend Becky (who I plan to spend all next weekend with at scrap camp) told me yesterday she had an extra ticket to some live music at the Wausau Grand Theater for tonight, I said, "Heck, yeah. I'll join you."

I actually didn't care what was on the agenda since I'm that weird "I love musicals, stage and live concerts" chick. But in this case the band was called Three American Troubadours – a tribute to the music of James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Carol King.

As a fan of the Tapestry album, I was "count me in" in no time.

So I headed up to Wausau straight from work and met Becky for dinner at Texas Roadhouse (where one of her kiddos usually works when he's not injured from a wayward knife – ooof). It was great to catch up since we USED to do that at 2 a.m. at Camp Crop-A-Lot, but now value sleep much more. So next weekend we can scrap to our hearts' delight and feel good about where our friendship updates are at!

It was also a weird coincidence that we sat in front of one of Jim's cousins and his wife – who works where I work and we just happened to connect today. I swear I'm not stalking anyone!

While we felt like Flower Children from the '70s, I think Becky and I were among the youngest flowers there. As for the talent tonight, they were amazing. They each sounded like their Taylor, Simon, and King counterparts. And, obviously, there weren't any song we didn't know. And they included insights to the songwriting for some of the numbers – so that was cool, too.

Still surprised (in the back of my mind) how "tribute" bands do so well. But they do somehow fill the house!

Managed to get home by midnight with my only deer sightings within 5 minutes from home. Obviously listening to the '70s channel on SiriusXM radio kept me calm. Ha.

Solstice Shopping and Singing

 

Happy Winter Solstice! Although officially today, I'd almost argue that yesterday and today seemed equally short when it comes to the "to do" and "tis done" lists.

Yesterday was a shopping whirlwhind. I went to the farmer's market/winter's market in Stevens Point in the morning because a new coworker was exhibiting his woodworking there – including something on my final list. 

Then I heard from the woman who successfully won a trifle of mine in a silent auction earlier this year. She'd like that plus an extra one she'll pay for. This coming weekend. Since my 2nd trifle bowl is MIA, I went to Goodwill in Point/Plover, Walmart, Kohl's and Target to see if I could find one. No luck.

Got home in early afternoon and showered (finally, ha) and got myself ready for an afternoon and evening of music.

First stop was the 4 p.m. mass at St. Philip's in Rudolph where a few of us (well hubby mainly and me by default) sang along during the service. Then it was off to Wausau to hear our friend Kat sing with STEEM and fun accompaniment by the Neenah high school symphony group.

A group of us went last year and it was so enjoyable to listen to – especially when you know one of the rockstars.

Jim's high school classmate Kat (Kathy) is pictured 3rd from the left.

Great to see/hear her solo performance. And since we've seen/heard her perform in several bands over the years, we could pick out and appreciate her beautiful voice throughout! A great concert for sure.

As a bonus, I ran into one my former co-workers at my current company. He has since moved onto TV only and is loving his gig in Salt Lake City, Utah. My work "sons" are all growing up!

Today was another day of shopping and singing.

Sang in choir and church and then went shopping to prepare (the best I could) for hosting Austin family Christmas later this week. I think I got most things. Shopping among thousands, I swear. Will have to reevaluate on Monday.

In the mean time, we got a Vikings win but I'm just hanging on for my fabulous fantasy football team to advance to our finals. We'll see if Santa grants one or both of those pending wishes or not.

Mommies Seeing the Mummies

 
Back in the days when hubby and I commuted to work in Iola, nearly an hour drive, we listened to the Bob and Tom Show on the radio in the mornings. Their often close to R-rated programming format is showcasing lots of comedians and bands that also could pass as comic relief. 

That's when we first heard Here Come the Mummies. We immediately liked and were entertained by this eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000-year-old Egyptian mummies with a one-track mind. So this summer, when I saw they were playing in Wausau at The Grand Theater this fall, I bought tickets as a birthday or anniversary gift for Jim.

Fast forward 2 months and he scheduled his guys golf weekend at the same time. So I had to find a backup date in short order. You know who works well for that? Golf partners who also share an occasional raunchy sense of humor. So it was Molly and I – two mommies – off to see the Mummies tonight!

It rained all the way up there but it stopped so we could walk around near The Grand and get something to eat. Ended up eating at The Limerick, an Irish pub a couple blocks away. Good stuff.

The concert was almost like a micro-music festival with opening sets from TWO (very loud, rock-heavy) bands – Platinum Moon and Lachy Doley. It after 9 p.m. before HCTM took over and we could party like it's 1999 B.C.! 

It was impossible to get a decent shot from the upper balcony, especially since lights were constantly changing colors or flashing. But you can see they ARE dressed as mummies! And they played until 11 p.m.

They are such a talented and entertaining group. I'm glad one of us could enjoy our anniversary. Ha. And Molly did, too! Now to get the funky dance tunes out of my head so I can sleep fast for church choir in the morning. 

Jingle Bell Rockin'

We had two reasons to rock tonight. One, our Vikings squeaked by with another win. This time over Seattle to go 13-2 for the season. 

And two, we went to an amazing Symphony on the Rocks Christmas concert with our friends Mark and Lisa up at The Grand Theater in Wausau. Great date night to kick off vacation!

The musicians were a combination of STEEM and Vic Ferrari. 

Which means we got to see and hear our good friend Kat (Jim's high school classmate) perform. She was awesome as always. A shining and shimmering silver star!

Tonight was actually a fundraiser to benefit “Blue Hearts” of Wausau, the local Law Enforcement Blue families who pulled together after the death of Detective Jason Weiland (family pictured at the concert) in the shooting tragedy of 2017. The mission of the Blue Hearts is to support local law enforcement, their families, the community they live in, and the loved ones of fallen officers nationwide.

But there was also plenty of rockin' Christmas tunes, of course. 

And some Tran Siberian Orchestra numbers they knocked out of the park. So talented! Loved it.

Kat was her usual gorgeous and beyond spectacular self! 

I took a picture of this one and told my date we could pretend this was a Vikings tribute. Close your eyes and you can just hear them chanting "SKOL!" Ha. Well WE could anyway.

That sounds like Merry Christmas to me! And a great start to the week. Hope you have some jingle rockin' in your week, too!

Paid-For-Views

It just happened that I could head up north to a park in the Wausau area this afternoon instead of watching the Vikings fall like leaves to the Lions. I always say it's good to keep a team humble. But a last-second field goal is painful when we usually just lost it ourselves by missing one. Well done, Detroit.

I arrived at Bluegill Bay County Park early enough to scout out the location and see fall colors. Totally peaking in the Wausau area!

I also saw a blue heron in the distance and managed to find a trail through the woods to sneak up on it for a photo.

If you know me, you gotta question how I kept quiet enough about ANYTHING to be sneaky. But I did. Literally, my only victory of the day.

That and getting paid to be there (ha) to take senior pictures of my friend Becky's son who I've known since birth and still think of him as a 10-year-old delivering me a Shamrock Shake at Camp Crop-A-Lot!

I hope to look through the pictures tonight but I am flying to San Diego in the a.m. (for work) and really need to be sound asleep at 8 p.m. to get 8 hours of sleep tonight. The positive, is that the weather out there should be just like today's glorious Wisconsin temps of the mid-70s or so. 

It'll be just like home. Only slightly different views, fall colors, and birds.

Have a great week!

Just Girls Cruising Through the Change

Ohmigosh. I think my cheeks still hurt 24 hours later after smiling and laughing for 2 hours straight during the musical "Menopause 2: Cruising through the Change." Hilarious!

Every month, a group of us "girls" get together somewhere in the Wisconsin Rapids area for dinner. Usually a group of 6 to 8. A few months ago, one of the ladies suggested going to the "Menopause 2" musical at the Grand Theater in Wausau. 

The funny part was that I was meeting a girlfriend on the way up to Wausau and while I got a tour of the private jets in her hanger, I just pretended I was flying like a millionaire does. Sorry if you fell for that. I mean I have flown a corporate jet for work – but not Girls' Night Out. Yet. 

Got to see my friend Katie – a coworker and our kiddos graduated together!

This is my friend Jenny looking up at our reflection at the garage door at The Garage.

Before the show, I was wondering (and bit scared) by how much I would identify with during the show.

Turns out.. a LOT! It was well done and so hilarious. We could not stop smiling and laughing. They took a lot of popular tunes and changed the lyrics a bit. Like this one was called Stayin' Awake to the tune of the Bee Gees Stayin' Alive:

Well you can tell by the way I slump my walk,
I am a tired a girl, no strength to talk;
In the mirror, my eyes so red, I've been up all night, sittin in my bed.
Well it's not alright, not ok and you can look the other way
My husband tries to understand, it's just no concept for a man,

Whether you're a sister or whether you're a mother, your stayin awake, stayin awake,
see the sunrise breakin and you're up cooking bacon and you're stayin awake, stayin awake
ah ah ah ah staying awake,staying awake
ah ah ah ah staying awake...
I'm staying awake

So yes, it was 100% a girls night out. And if you are somewhere between 45 and 65 and can see the show, we all highly recommend it! Accept the change!

Off the Rails Date Night

Hubby and I finally celebrated Valentine's Day tonight in grand style at The Grand Theater in Wausau. Well, we used the tickets I bought him, that is. And seeing comedian Lewis Black in person was pretty darn cool.

We've been fans of this sharp-witted, sharp-tongued sense of humor and sarcastic rants for a long time. He was a regular on the Bob and Tom Show we'd listen to on the radio on our hour commute to Iola for 10-plus years. We've also seen him on the Daily Show and very funny guest appearance on Big Bang.

We headed up to Wausau after Jim got home from baseball practice. Since The Grand is located on the 400 block, we parked near the theater and walked to check out nearby restaurants. And who should we run into behind the theater but the man of the hour...

After gushing all over him like a fan girl, Mr. Black happily obliged to a selfie with us. We really couldn't stop smiling after that. How cool, right?

And after a quick Italian dinner at Ciao, we resumed our smiling and laughing until after 10 p.m. My face hurts!

But boy did we need that! Other than running into a former co-worker, there was 4 blissful hours of no thoughts about work or any stressors in life. Just like running into Mr. Black in the back alley, the timing of this date night was impeccable.

Laughter might just be the best medicine!

Off-Season Signs

After last night's Assumption boys' loss to the top-ranked Wausau Newman team last night, it's not officially the off-season for all Royal sports. And this photographer.

We got the game late since our fish fries at Bullshead Tavern on the way took forever. But we didn't miss the drama or the excitement that made the second half seem like a potential Cinderella story. Our boys fought hard but just couldn't close that final gap. Dang. 

Stopped out afterward and got home after Cinderella's coach would've turned into a pumpkin! So tired. Ha.

With not playoff games today for boys or girls, our schedule opened up. And my high school bestie just happened to text wanting to come up from Madison to meet for lunch. She had an important yarn delivery for me. We'll use any excuse! So Jim and I met Julie and Mark in Plover at O'so Brewery. They have one of their walls painted with that phrase above. Right away we knew we were in the right place!

That's us in a nutshell! So good to catch up with them. I feel like I haven't seen Julie in a year but that can't be right, can it? Sometimes it works out better to be spontaneous! And meeting up in the same town where I introduced her to King Cone doesn't hurt either.

It's March Mint Madness there if you haven't gotten around to visiting since they opened a few weeks ago. 

Of course we had to stop because Sylvester loves mint-chocolate ice cream! Well she loves licking the container. If I leave any for her, that is. 

King Cone is king and the females in this house are definitely his princesses!

The rest of the day was pretty laid back. Posted the last sports pictures I'll have for a month. A sure sign of the off-season will be free time for me. Jim will resume coaching baseball and be busy with that in another 10 days so we'll just enjoy a bit open-agenda down time.

That's a good sign to me, too!

Booked Stay-cation

Hello! My name is Elder Lee Robyn. Ha. Get that one? I am in a musical mood and I pretty much danced through the day, checking off "to do" items one by one. My stay-cation was booked. I even mapped out my errands so I could start at the south end of town and work my way up in a time-saving manner back home.

Got through my list. I've got my Wild Women's Weekend "gear" packed. And my car is loaded. 

Just in time for an amazingly funny and relaxing evening I "booked" with my friend Cindy. We bought tickets to the Book of Mormon months ago after not getting a chance to see it before when it was touring through Appleton and everywhere else. The Grand Theater in Wausau is a nice venue because it's small enough we could see and hear well – and laugh our backsides off. 

I think our cheeks still hurt from smiling and laughing for a solid 3 hours. It's just hilarious. Outrageous and bit raunchy so not for the faint of heart or easily offended. We do not fit into that category. Ha. We loved it.

Most everyone else did, too, based on the quick-to-their-feet standing ovation at the conclusion.

Now it's off to bed for a quick sleep so my fun vacation can continue! 

Penultimate Pix

Had my penultimate – or second to last – senior photo session of the year tonight. The reason I don't like waiting this long in the year is that it was in the 50s and breezy and downright chilly for the poor girl! But she was a trooper! 

She goes to Wausau East so I went up there after work and discovered a gem I didn't know existed. Monk Gardens. If you've been there – especially in summer, I imagine – you know it's pretty darn cool. And I can't wait to get back there at the height of bloom. There were still a few colorful plants around plus neat trails, bridges, and a lake. So we made it work.

Of course, just like I did when Carter got his senior pictures taken years ago, the mom takes pictures of the photographer taking pictures. There's been a lot of that this year. Ha. That's how I knew I needed to go on a diet. And am also realizing I need a new pair of pants!

If you care, this is the picture I was capturing here...

It's been fun discovering new places this year and new people! Never met this girl before but I'll never forget her dimples!

Find joy in the little things, folks. And don't be afraid to try new things, either!

(Unless it's gross food that has onions or mayo in it. Had to sneak that in there.)

Vic-Tory Valentines

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow – or all 3 – was going to prevent us from celebrating Valentine's Day. Well my gift to hubby anyway. I got tickets to Vic Ferrari's Symphony on the Rocks concert because our friend Kat is the lead female vocalist.

And she used to sing with Jim in swing choir. 

Yup, a longtime friend that I've gotten the privilege to know over the years, too! 

After enjoying fish fries at the nearby Great Dane Brew Pub, the stage was set for a fun night. 

I got tickets in the front row of the balcony so we could see everything – because to see violins, cellos, and brass accompanying a rock 'n' roll band. Very, very cool!

And Kat is so cool and so talented! Those boots, though! Wow. The whole band is talented. This is their 35th and final year together so I'd encourage you to see them if you can this summer.

Afterward the classmates got to catch up a few minutes before more adoring fans whisked her away for a photo of her in her boots. They definitely wanted those. What a rock star.

On the way home – while snowing and raining – we were listing to the very close Badgers game on the radio. Got home with 3 minutes and 13 seconds left of the game! 

Just in time to see them win and move on in the NCAA tourney. Victory!

By then, it was too late for this old lady to blog. Got up at 8 a.m. today so I could go to book club. Great that all 6 of us were there today! Then after lunch, I went to a bridal shower for my friend Brenda's future-in-law. Nice time! And before you ask, of course I won one of the games. Yup, even at bridal showers I'm competitive!

This afternoon, since it was actually sunny and in the upper 40s and the snow we woke up to was melted, I took a walk/run and got to meet a few of the new neighbors.

There's so cute! And they actually came up to me – not at all like that princess in this house.

Though she might pay attention to me tonight. There's only so much college basketball a girl can take!

Storm Chaser

Three things caused me a bit of stress today: 1) work, 2) seeing a snake in the front yard (thank you, neighbor dogs for racing over to rescue me after my scream), and 3) walking out of my deep-tissue massage session to a deep and darkening sky.

You've heard of storm chasers. Well I actually had the storm chasing me. It was coming in from the west and both the storm and I were heading east.

I was a storm "racer" – but hitting every red light trying to race it home.

This light turned green pretty quickly, but not as quickly as the clouds above were moving. Look how sunny and undisturbed life is up ahead to the east. Poor people!

It got windy and rainy here with a bit of lightning, but none of the hail they predicted. Yet. The baseball and softball teams were up in Wausau and Jim said they had lightning in the 6th inning. They were losing 7-0 anyway. Darn.

So I just stayed home and worked on some stuff for my Alaska Trip. Today's countdown...

It finally dawned on me tonight that whoa, that's only 3 weeks from today! Wow. My sister and I both have a lot to do in normal life between now and then. Hopefully nothing too stressful to deal with in the meantime... like, you know, snakes and storms.

Be careful out there! 

A Bit Nippy Out

After seeing this on my weather app this morning, I just couldn't get that now-controversial Christmas song out of my head. Baby, it's cold outside...

Now it's in your head, too. You're welcome.

Call me crazy (which you likely do), but single digits in December just don't feel the same as those in January. I still haven't worn a coat. Granted, it's sitting in the front seat of the car with me if I need it, but when I go from my garage to my work parking garage, I'm really not exposed to the elements very long.

Must by my thick Scandi-hoovian skin. Or pre-Christmas pounds!

Since hubby had to substitute bowl tonight, I ventured out, too, and went to our girls basketball games to cheer on our Lady Royals and take some pictures. Right now, I'm still a bit nippy so I'm not going to go through all my photos tonight. But spoiler alert. Our JV team won quite handily but our varsity team lost to rival Wausau Newman, 40-33. Dang.

Still pretty much a whole season left. There are plenty of opportunities to turn on the heat and win some games. Or just crank the heat.

Because baby, it's cold outside!

How to Find Joy in Mudville

Our Royals Baseball and Softball headed north to Wausau today to play the same opponent both our teams defeated last night. Today we unfortunately got mixed results.

Girls beat the Newman Cardinals by the 10-run rule in 5 innings. Our boys got beat by the same margin. Dang. It would have been nice to have a complete sweep. But all is not lost. There are still ways to find joy in Mudville...

Sit back and enjoy the view! It's always interesting to play at Brockmeyer Park in May. No matter the weather, we always see the last of the snow on the ski hills of Rib Mountain. Pretty backdrop even for those games when the score isn't pretty.

Find joy in the privilege of playing. Since our girls were leading by 10, the foreign exchange student Anna go to bat. Have you ever seen such joy on a face? How adorable! And she did make contact with that ball, so I hope she carries that positive memory with her.

And, of course, there's always joy when it's not raining. Cool, but at least not rainy.

We'll just keep our fingers crossed that there will be more joy for victory down the road here. We've suddenly got a whole lotta season to squeeze into a few short weeks.

Go Royals!