It's All Relative

It was a weekend on the road seeing family and cousins on both Dad's and Mom's sides of the family tree.

Not all smiles and laughs, but we still found occasion to sneak in a little of each. And hugs. Lots of hugs.

Saturday we headed to the Twin Cities for a celebration of life for my late cousin Dan's son Andrew, who died at age 34 in a motorcycle accident. He served 10 years in the Navy and has two children. Yesterday would've been his 35th birthday.

So tragic!

For context, my dad's brother Ray was Andrew's grandpa. So we had a few Hedberg cousins there obviously for support and sharing. The two love ladies seated are 2 of our 3 remaining aunts. That's all that's left of the OG Hedbergs.

So we treasure any and all time together.

Naturally, since we were in the Metro, we made plans to connect with COOL son No. 1 for COOL treats on such a hot day!

Casey met us at a little ice cream and burger joint called Dream Creamery on Minneapolis' north side.

My kind of place!

We all had ice cream and their homemade Scotcheroo was delightful!

After an all-too brief visit, we headed north to Luck, where we stayed the night at my sister Rachel's place.

Today was my mom's side of the family to get attention. Jim and I met my cousins Laryn and Lydell for a 7:10 a.m. tee time at the Frederic Golf Course just north of Luck.

Early but that was fun. We somehow managed to get 18 holes in by 11 a.m.! That gave us time to get back to Luck to Rachel's and pick her and our potluck food items up and get to Siren for the Johnson family reunion.

This year, in Mom's absence 💔, my siblings and I were the hosts. I sent most of my stuff ahead so it could be there for setup while only 4 of us took part in the morning golf outing. It's a great thing to pair with the reunion!

It was one of our biggest turn-outs (over 50 people) but was due in part that it was combined with a celebration of life (yes 2 in 2 days) for my mom's cousin's son Lamar.

By strange coincidence, two of our high school classmates were there. I say "strange" because last night was our Luck Class of something a long time ago reunion and Raylene and I didn't make it.

So we took a "mini class reunion" picture of our own. Rhonda (left) was there because she's related to Lamar on the non-Johnson side. And Jordan married our cousin so we see him more often than he'd probably like. Ha.

After reunion cleanup, Jim and I got Rachel home and were on the road around 3:30 p.m. Traffic was strangely light compared to Saturday's commute to the Cities. And we were OK with that.

Side note: Temps were warm but tolerable. And same with the air quality – not too bothersome. Thank goodness or some of my family/cousins might not have ventured out.

Hope you all enjoyed a good, safe weekend too!

The Boys of Summer Meet the Field of Dreams

If there's one thing my father-in-law and his brother Joe loved (besides their wives and kids, that is) it was baseball! Uncle Joe coached baseball for decades. And I have more than a handful of pictures like this where the brothers are at Witter Field to "watch" an Assumption High School baseball game. Surely not there to supervise my hubby and his coaching skills, right?

Today, when I saw Uncle Joe was dressed in that same red Rapids baseball jacket as he lay in his coffin, I lost it. Another boy of summer has moved on to the Field of Dreams.

It was surreal to have almost a repeat of 2 weeks ago when we laid his wife – Aunt Janice – to rest. At her funeral it was nice to see dozens of Austin relatives we hadn't seen for quite some time. Today it was more of a "this is not how we should be getting together again" vibe. Lots of tears.

Still it was a nice service. Jim did the readings again and both he and Clay were pallbearers. Casey drove over from Minneapolis as well (Carter had sleet going on down in Dubuque to prevent his travels).

So after the sad stuff, we were blessed with some smiling time with our big sweetie grandpup Rey – and the humans Casey and Clay too.

I unfortunately had to finish my work day with some meetings. But I could hear three of the four brown-eyed bandits talking and laughing down the hall in the livingroom.

That, my friends, are the moments we need to cherish. Those are the memories that make us one day say, like today, "Remember that time we did this with Uncle Joe..."

I might just have to step and tell November "Move over, Gratitude Month. There are things happening every month that make us grateful."

Hug your loved ones!

Take the Darn Trip!

Not sure how Merriam-Webster defines regret. But I define it as that "was gonna" pain in your heart and low in your gut.

As in, I "was gonna" call that friend. I "was gonna" make time to meet up for coffee. I "was gonna" take a trip to see that friend or family member. But suddenly they're gone. And I didn't. 

I'm here to tell you. Take the damn trip!

This spring, I traveled with three of my sisters down to St. Louis to celebrate Easter and, more importantly, our Uncle Charlie's 90th birthday. Our dad's last living sibling. 

Just a great time with him, Aunt Sally, and our fun-loving cousins. They've lived there for decades and often came "up north" for family events, but I hadn't ever made it down there. So glad I did.

When I heard the news yesterday morning that Uncle Charlie passed away (yes, the same type of news Jim and I have gotten 3 out of the past 4 Tuesday mornings!), my heartache was sadness. Not regret. 

Because I took the trip!

I am sure Grandma Minnie was rejoicing as she welcomed her baby boy to heaven so her family of 9 kids was complete. But on earth, we are facing the end of an era with sadness. We still have 3 amazing aunts married to those crazy but caring Hedberg men, but that's it. The OG Hedbergs on my family tree are gone.

This has become quite the tough and emotional holiday season.

But I am so glad I took the trip. I can say with relief, "I'm so glad I got to see him this year and spend time with him on his birthday."

So if you're thinking about someone you want to re-connect with, visit in person, or just call. Do it. There's no guarantee you can do it tomorrow.

What We Say vs What We Do

The thing about funerals is we see friends and relatives we haven't seen in forever – most likely since the last funeral – and we always say, "We need to get together for a happy occasion!" But no one organizes it. So we don't. And then it's the next funeral.

I think all families (including my own) are guilty of this.

But I will say it was great today to see dozens of Austins at Aunt Janice's funeral. She'd love the Snoopy popcorn tin above, by the way. 

Jim was a pallbearer and the reader. He does so good. I should marry that man. 💜

Truly, though, it was a very nice mass. I think I've said before that I don't always feel a personal connection at Catholic funeral services vs Lutheran or non-denominational. No offense whatsoever, they may have different delivery rules. But this new priest in town did amazing and told us afterward he will always try to get to know the person, the family, and the memories so he can deliver a personalized message for all those grieving. He did great!

With the combination of the visitation time and lunch, it really was great to catch up with the aunts, uncles and cousins. And heartbreaking at the same time that Jim's mom had her funeral on this exact date 3 years ago. 

The good news, though, is these two Austin wives are laying side by side in the mausoleum -- without their husbands there to supervise. So nobody better sneak in and place a case of Buckhorn Beer between them or there'll be trouble. According to reliable sources today, that is!

After the gathering I finished out my work day from home. And now am off the rest of the week! Time to get a little WICKED!

This evening, I had planned to meet a friend at the show but she found out her daughter had purchased them tickets for later in the weekend. So I just went in. And since I was so early, I caught the 6 p.m. 3-D show by happenstance. Not a fan. It was darker (lightwise not evil wise) and didn't add much to it. So don't pay extra for that if you don't have to.

Still the plot and music was stirring like the Broadway presentation – with quite a few extra cinematic effects obviously. I think I equally loved parts 1 and 2 because you need them both the complete the Broadway story. But if I had to lean toward a better one, I'd say the first. Much more emotion (and humor) as the anti-friendship formed into a friendship. 

Feel blessed that I could see the full production on stage a few times. Now I can just continue to sing the songs to the enjoyment (or annoyance) of the others in the house! Since it's Thanksgiving, I'm not only defying gravity, I am grateful that because I knew you – all my readers, that is – I have been changed for good!

[If you know, you know]

They Just Had to Be Right

When I saw this advisory yesterday, I was hoping that if I just ignored it, it would go away.

It did partially.

Woke up and there wasn't much happening in Wisconsin Rapids. But as I got closer to work in Stevens Point, it was coming down in that annoying slushy way! Darn weather dudes just had to be right!

It was pretty until you had to drive in it. Lunchtime views showed some accumulation. On and off the road.

But yes, pretty when you have a wildlife reserve across the street from work!

Meanwhile hubby texted me a picture of the back yard. Nothing happening. I was OK with that, knowing I'd eventually have a good stretch of road in go-home commute that would be dry!

Beyond the unwelcome weather, today was just a long day. Found out first thing one of Jim's aunts died during the night. Aunt Janice was a spitfire! And I mean that in the nicest way. She loved everything Snoopy and Peanuts and Milwaukee Brewers. Over the years we've traded recipes and Robyn Carr books! She'll be missed.

Hug your loved ones. And be careful out there!

Beauty and the Bling

I forgot to report out on the great bling I received and earned yesterday.

First of all, we all received a ring to wear (they're fake but pretty and I'll probably wear mine in real life). Then throughout the shower if someone said the word "bride," you could steal their ring. Obviously the goal is to see who has the most at the end. And obviously with my competitive family, it was vicious! I managed to "trap" two people (including the mother of the groom) and that earned me a nice prize! 

The other bling is that beautiful purple and yellow bracelet on my wrist! My great-niece Kenlee (who lives in Minnesota) knows I am the only aunt to cheer for the Vikings so she thought it was perfect for Auntie Robyn. And it is! Taking after my mother, I wrote and mailed her a cute thank you note today and promised to wear it every game day. 

More precious than jewels, I tell ya!

As for the "beauty" part of the blog, it's not me but my hair. Had my 6-week locks refresh after work today and I feel like a new woman-ish. She always does a great job and I can usually "sleep carefully" for 3 nights to hold the style. I told her we have a wedding to attend Friday and asked "Do you think I can go for a record and make this last through 4 sleeps?!"

Our conclusion is that I'd have to sleep in a chair with one of those airplane pillows around my neck so I couldn't possibly twist, turn, or lay my head back on a flat surface. 

Guess what? That ain't happening. So I guess I might lose the "beauty" by the end of the week, but I'll still have the "bling"! Still winning. 

How Great Thou Aunt

The best part about being an auntie is that you get to watch your little nieces and nephews grow up – then they have littles of their own and you get to watch it again!

Was excited to learn a few weeks ago that my nephew Travis and his family were going to be in my neck of the woods today on their way south. Not many family members come through here, that's for sure. So it was a treat. Of course I was happy to see Travis and Michelle but my great-nieces Kenlee and Khloe (above) kind of steal my heart! 💖

Since they were spending the night in nearby Plover, I thought I'd treat them to some time at our friends' store – Feltz's Dairy Store – where they can see cows through the store window and do some fun farm-like activities.

Since 2-year-old Khloe just learned to sing Old MacDonald, she was thrilled that was what was playing on the little merry-go-round. She bravely held onto Jake the cow so she could do actions while singing!

And Kenlee fed the bigger cow that they could also pretend to milk!

And then there was Buttercup, the biggest cow. A must-see must-photo opportunity. It burned off a little energy after their long drive anyway. If you haven't checked this place out, do so. Once school lets out, they also have a fun outdoor play area opening up. Shop local – entertain yourself locally.

From there we hopped over to Chili's since we figured they'd have something for every aged appetite! Good food. Good visit. And good reminder I better get in shape if we ever ever have grandchildren. I couldn't keep up. And this was in a restaurant! Ha.

Loved every minute of it. Seeing the grown-up dad version of the kiddo I saw the day he was born also melts my heart.

Treasure family time. Always!

Another Dinner and a Show?

My sisters Up North were texting photos of the Northern Lights a little bit ago. So I thought I'd better head out to the front deck, point my phone up, and click.

OMG! Spectacular! That is... until I realized I forgot to shut off the porch lights with the those Viking purple bulbs. Whoops. And dang.

It's possible we have a little action going on down here. But it's nothing like we've been treated to before.

Still, it did not ruin our evening. We met up with a dozen cousins, aunts, and an uncle on Jim's mom's side of the family for dinner at PJ's – SentryWorld. Due to some work meetings this week, tonight was the third time this week eating there. So I got the fish fry and it was delish!

So nice catching up with family we just don't get together with unless it's a wedding or a funeral. Sort of like me and my adult cousins. There is one surviving sister of my mother-in-law and she's coming up on 90 years old. That was nice she could be there, too.

Don't wait for a special occasion to see family. Make the occasion – and it will be special!

All Her Children

We laid our beloved Aunt Gwen (my dad's baby sister) to rest today in Rush City, Minnesota. She was 93 years young and we could feel her young spirit with us.

Since she and Uncle Swede (who died in 1998) did not have children, her wish was that her nieces and nephew be her pallbearers. I should say "honorary" since there's obviously quite a few of us. And that's just who made the snowy drive over.

You might see some purple in here since that was her favorite color. You'll also see that among her "children" are all 8 of us R's and two of our cousins who trekked up from St. Louis with their mom. My uncle there stayed home and was able to watch the funeral service live streamed on TV. I told my aunt I could have done that too – but the hugs feel too good to miss out on.

I hit the road by 6 a.m. and with snowy roads and some road construction (so much for winter and road construction being separate seasons) it took about 4 1/2 hours. And 480 roundtrip miles later, got home early this evening.

Long day, but always great to see family and celebrate someone who lived life to the fullest and often took us along for the ride! 💜 Rest in peace, Aunt Gwen. 💜

Angels We Have Heard on High

Merry Christmas! You realize it's only the 2nd day of Christmas, right? We can keep saying this another 10 days at least! 

What I like about that has nothing to do with the potential to get 2 turtle doves or 5 golden rings. I liked that in church this morning we got to sing a lot of Christmas hymns. And it was perfectly legal. (By Lutheran standards, anyway.)

Of course, every time we sing about angels, it's both joyous and sad. I think about who I'm missing this holiday season and who my family's missing and who my friends are missing. We're all missing someone this Christmas. And some of those wounds in our hearts are pretty fresh.

This morning, probably around the time early church service folks were singing Angels We Have Heard on High, heaven gained another angel. Hubby lost his 96-year-old aunt. It was pretty much expected, but God waited until she could have her Christmas visitors yesterday – including Jim.

Then God wrapped her in His arms for a big hug. And then I'm sure she pushed Him out of the way to run to her Frank, who she's missed dearly since he died 4 years ago. I'm pretty sure this is why we hear angels from on high. They are rejoicing because they are free from pain and worry. And their hearts are whole again. 

Definitely worth singing sweetly about.

Heaven gained another angel today – one I don't know. What I do know is that thanks to an organ donor somewhere, a kidney became available and our ailing neighbor got the long-awaited call to head to Madison for a transplant. 

Thank you, God, for helping the spirit of our angels live on in others. 

By the way, the angel pictured was a gift from the Emily Klopotek Angel Foundation. Somebody (who I know is reading this and I love you) nominated me for being kind in such a way that I keep my sweet Emily's kind spirit alive. I'm humbled and blessed.

It's a perfect reminder that no small act of kindness goes unnoticed. Whether it's taking an elderly aunt grocery shopping or putting an orange dot sticker on your license or just opening the door for someone. Your small act can be a huge deal to others. 

I think that makes us all angels-in-training at least. 

Bless you this Christmas season. Sending hugs to those of you who need it.

 

Sunday Smiles

In unusual turn of events, I had plenty of reasons to smile on a Sunday in the winter. Usually that's reserved for summer time!

Today, though, it was "nice" by Wisconsin winter standards. Temps around 22 degrees and no wind made for a pleasant walk around Lake Wazeecha. Saw this smilie face on a big rock and it reminded me that yes, we have reasons to smile today.

Nice walk and I got to try out my new mittens I just got in the mail from my back-home bestie Jules. Since we've known each other since junior high, it's a safe bet to make me mittens that have some purple in them – and a nod to Assumption's Royal Blue, too! She sent them to since she can't join me for Camp Crop-A-Lot next weekend. This way, I can take her with me on my / our walks! Thanks, dear. Love them! 

The other fun today was wishing my Aunt Gwen a happy 92nd birthday in person. Well, kind of in person. Our cousins set up a Zoom call at their house so she could SEE people giving her birthday wishes.

Even got to sing Happy Birthday and see her cake. Sweet! Thanks for setting that up, Carolyn, Laura, and your young, tech-savvy family members. That was nice!

The rest of the day was spend getting my scrap together for next weekend. If I'm going to state basketball Thursday, I pretty need everything set to go by Wednesday night. I'm pretty much set to go. As usual, if I don't remember details about something, I just check my blog. Thankfully I've been doing this for nearly 14 years. Might be time to retire from it and actually finish my scrapbooks. That sounds like a lot more work, though. I'll just keep plugging away and smile at the completion of each page.

Hope you found a reason or two to smile today. Based on the forecast of above-freezing temperatures here, we might even make a habit of it!

Home for Christmas

I'll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents on the tree

– I'll Be Home for Christmas

When they wrote that Christmas carol in the 1940s, members of the armed forces were begging to be home for the holidays. In 2020, it's kind of a punishment of sorts. But we made the most of it.

Santa visited overnight. We all got goodies in our stockings. Carter and Dad both got Seinfeld calendars. Carter also got this one from Heidelberg, Germany, where he lived for a semester way back in 2019. That didn't arrive until Christmas Eve so I'm glad I had a backup. 

I was thrilled to find a golf punch card in my stocking so I can play several times next summer – vaccine and the good lord willing. Definitely something to look forward to. Thanks, Mr. Claus.

We had a pretty low-key day at HOME. Carter left after presents and breakfast so he could be down in Platteville area in the afternoon to celebrate with his girlfriend's family. Both hubby and I got a walk in this afternoon before watching a bit of the Vikings game. We didn't have to suffer too long before heading up to Marshfield to deliver a gift to his aunt, who's been in a care facility and hasn't been able to receive a hug during this whole stinkin' pandemic! So sad. Glad we could spread a little cheer.

After seeing her (masked and 6 feet away, of course), we headed over to Wildwood Park in Marshfield, where they have a winter wonderland light display each year. It's been a long time since we saw it. This time, instead of driving through, we took the walking path. It was like 9 degrees and felt like zero so it was a brisk walk. But oh so beautiful! A few highlights...

Did I mention Wildwood Park is also a zoo? This mountain lion or bobcat or kitty is probably pretty sick of hearing Christmas music by now!

Cold selfie!

A holiday hole-in-one!

Quite the variety of lights!

When our walk concluded with a purple and gold display, I thought for sure it was a sign our Vikings were gaining ground on the Saints while we weren't watching.

Nope. They managed to put the "ugly" in ugly Christmas sweater. Good thing we left the confines of home and skipped most of that. As an added bonus, we saw the Christmas Star. Well, sort of.

Earlier this week, the solar system decided to grace us with a cosmic Christmas miracle that hasn't been witnessed in nearly 800 years. On Monday/Dec. 21 (aka the December solstice), Jupiter and Saturn aligned so closely in the night sky that from our vantage point, looked like they collided and created a radiant point of light often referred to as the "Star of Bethlehem" or the "Christmas Star." It was rainy/snowy and cloudy that night, so we couldn't see it from central Wisconsin.

Now, since it's been a few days, the planets aren't aligned the same. But one of the two definitely was giving off more light than the other. Looked real to us.

Happy birthday, baby Jesus. Thanks for staying in our home for the holidays!

 

Age May Just Be A Number

People who don't want to admit their age often say age is just a number. Leave it to Dwight from The Office to correct us all. Age is really just a word! And this is how I know the number that word represents is inconsequential...

This evening we took Jim's Aunt Colleen out for fish with his Uncle Dick and Aunt Jane. When I am 94 (yes, she's 94), I hope I can go out for fish fries with handsome men like this and be able to charm the waiter, too!

Yes, Colleen is still nursing her broken heart from when Uncle Frank died 18 months ago, but she's a good reminder that a person can persevere and look good doing it.

When we got back home, we popped over to the first night of Corn Fest in Kellner – our little unpopulated town out here in the town of Grand Rapids. Jim's classmate Todd (pictured) was rockin' with his band Rising Phoenix! And I mean rockin'! Age is not even a number for this guy. He says he feels happy and healthy and that's all the matters.

So find something you love to do. Find someone you love who you can share it with. Have fun.

And rock on!