Ice Road Commuters

Sometimes when things get strange, we're in Bizarro World. Today, I think we're in Mario Kart World. The ice level anyway.

While the light drizzle on the commute home didn't seem like much, the temperature was below freezing, and it was quickly evident that it was forming an invisible layer of ice. A little fishtailing here and there and I was sure to take it slow. When I got on the road by our house, it was slightly treacherous. Is that possible?

Of course, tonight's a night we both had plans. Hubby bowling and me church council. When Jim took the garbage out, he said the driveway was already a skating rink. I had just emailed fellow council members saying I wasn't going to chance it and drive into town when the phone rang and I learned our meeting was canceled. Or at least postponed a week (or until spring, ha).

Bowling, on the other hand, must go on! It took Jim quite awhile to make it into town. When he did, he texted me: Seriously stay in house.

So I am. And I hope they salt the roads before he heads home.

I also hope I find the ambition to get a few things done around the house. It's a free night. Why would I want to watch a Hallmark movie and This Is Us when I could clean?

Think I'll have some ICE cream until my mind clears!

Be safe out there!

I Was Kit-Napped

I definitely was not planning to spend the entire evening in my recliner. But I was forced.

Since hubby had to substitute bowl tonight, that means the kitty's second choice for a human would have to do.

She got into my chair while I was watching The Voice and made herself at home, sitting on my lap – which she never does. Meanwhile, the snow is piling up and I am not getting anything done inside or outside. But I watched the whole show plus one after it that I don't even watch. Finally, I had to use brush force to get my kit-napper out of my lap.

Just one stroke and she was out of there!

Jim just got home and said it is snowing and blowing with little visibility. I guess we'll see what the morning brings. For us in central Wisconsin, they've predicted everything from 4 to 8 inches. But with the wind, that can drift and be a real challenge for commuters.

Better hit the hay so I have energy to help clear a path and get me out of here in the morning. I don't think I can call in "kit-napped."

But we may have a repeat crime tomorrow night since her human has to bowl again.

Christmas Cheer

It was another jam-packed day off. And I'm OK with that since everything focused on Christmas.

This morning, hubby and I went to the Golden Mass at Assumption since the public is encouraged to attend. The gymnasium is transformed into a beautifully decorated and lighted place of worship. Carter and the band played some Christmas music and the choir sang several numbers, including my favorite, The Hallelujah Chorus.

Afterward, the gymnasium was transformed into a, well, gymnasium, for tonight's basketball game.

In between those two events...

The students could leave after Mass so Carter was able to join us for lunch with a handful of other friends of ours. I think there were 9 of us eating a scrumptious meal at Great Expectations. Good stuff!

After lunch, I really wanted to take a nap but had some grocery shopping to do. This is the second trip this week and again, I had an impromptu visit with friends. Apparently Wal-Mart is the new social hot spot. At least this time I looked presentable.

Got home and did some work (sh-h-h, don't remind me about vacation), then headed into town to drop Jim off at the bowling alley at 6 p.m. His subbing has become quite regular. Santa probably should have gotten him a new ball bag and shoes this year... but Mrs. Claus wasn't thinking!

Too bad he couldn't go to the game, it was a good one. It started off cheerful anyway. Here are a few photos of Carter and the pep band getting into the Christmas spirit and me, well, being my dorky selfie elfie self.

Carter's friend Olivia and one of their other classmates "bulked up" to dress Santa-like. I want those green, Grinchy shoes! Carter is wearing our "5-foot tall" stocking hat. He opted not to wear his Royal Blue one because he didn't want to match the previously mentioned dork...

Can I help it I love the Christmas season?? At least I am color-coordinated to show both Christmas Cheer and School Spirit! Unfortunately, it was not enough to get our boys a win versus Stratford. Very close, exciting game and we ended up losing by 2 points. Heart-breaker.

After the game, I picked up Jim from the bowling alley and we met up with some other "I'll have a Royal Blue Christmas" fans. We all have off tomorrow from work so why not stay out past midnight like the cool kids?

Logically, this little elf should be resting up for a busy 2 days. But I never claimed to be smart.

Just spirited.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear...

Due to our surprisingly mild temperatures, we have been living under a thick blanket of fog for the past few days. We're talking low visibility Saturday and Sunday and "zero visibility" warned for my commute to work this morning.

It is a good thing I can practically drive to work blindfolded. I know the route pretty well, even in fog and rain ('cause we needed to throw that in the mix). I just hoped others had headlights on – and the deer stayed in the ditches.

Even though the dense fog warning was supposed to expire at noon, the drive home was just as bad. Thankfully, I made it to and from work safely. I kept hoping I'd hear the Christmas carol announcing that "it came upon a midnight (or afternoon) clear," but I had to wait for my music fix later.

The fog has yet to lift.

After work, I met up with some gal pals and attended Assumption's choral Christmas concert. I love Christmas music and was looking forward to seeing / hearing my friend's daughter – and a couple dozen others I know.

This year, instead of holding the concert in the high school gym, it was at one of the churches. The beauty of having your child attend a private Catholic school is that you are free to bring Christ into Christmas concerts, where He belongs!

It was a beautiful program, taking us through the real reason for the season with a Festival of Carols and Lessons about Christ's birth and purpose. Wonderfully done.

After the concert, my bestie and I stopped at the bowling alley to peek in on our hubbies. Jim has become a somewhat permanent weekly sub this season. He was having a good game and I didn't to jinx it by hanging around too long. Plus I wanted to get home in the fog and hear a few more carols.

Maybe tomorrow something will become CLEAR!

Be safe out there.

Lady in Waiting

I've read enough historical romance novels in my day to know that a "Lady in Waiting" is a lady appointed to serve or attend a queen or princess or some royal female.

In our Royal house, Sylvester plays both roles. She is a princess always and a lady-in-waiting when Daddy's gone. I'm serious. It's all here in black and white.

Hubby has been subbing for a bowling team on most Tuesday evenings this fall. So tonight, while our sweet kitty could have snuggled with me on the couch to watch The Voice, she opted to sit on the rug, staring at the door, willing it to open and have her master walk in.

I am not exaggerating when I say she does this every time he is gone. Maybe during the daytime she sleeps through any absences. But when I am home and Jim leaves, she is quite aware that her favorite is gone and she is stuck with me and the stinky teenager.

Poor, poor, kitty. Such rough lot in life.

And poor, poor, Jim. Always having a princess greet him at the door.

I guess it takes the pressure off me. I don't have to greet him as Her Royal Highness. I can just be High and Mighty. We'll see where that gets me in the Spoiling Department. Ha. Sylvester is more Sly than I give her credit for.

Keep on waiting, little lady.

A Perfect Game

In a "perfect game" of baseball, none of the opponents reach base and their score is zero. In a "perfect game" of bowling, none of the pins remain standing and the score is 300.

I must have had better than a perfect game last night as my score was 303!!

Oh wait, that was over 3 games. I guess that doesn't count. There were other parts of the evening that did turn out perfect, though.

About 40 of us gathered at a Green Bay bowling alley to surprise our friend Scott's wife, Sandy, for her 40th birthday (which is actually still a week away). Now we had just golfed with them 2 weeks ago and had to keep our big mouths shut about seeing them "soon." We succeeded.

And so did everyone else invited. She was utterly shocked. The surprise birthday party "game" was perfect!

It was like a reunion of the wedding party from a few years back. Got to see family and friends of theirs and it was a good time. Besides beer and pizza, there was bowling, too.

Moonlight bowling.

Very cool throwing the ball via blacklights and disco lights and loud dance music. I could not see the "arrows" or "lanes" to aim for on the alley, but that didn't really affect my awful game! I actually did slightly better in the dark and brought my average up to 101. Whoo-hoo! Any time I break 100, I'm a happy bowler!

We were out way past my bedtime and got to bed at Scott and Sandy's around 2 a.m. Had pondered golfing today but it was cold, windy and rainy. When we got back to Rapids in the early afternoon, though, it was clear at least. Hubby went golfing with his dad and sister and I went to book club.

This month we discussed Defending Jacob by William Landay. Very interesting read, especially as a parent. It begs the question how far we would go to protect our children whether they did something wrong or we're just not sure if they did. And, a good discussion on how well we know our children compared to their friends, their enemies and anyone who is closer to them on social media than we are. A good read.

When I got home, Carter, who had stayed at a friend's house last night while we were out of town, had a surprise for us. His friend's mom made a fresh apple pie. All we had to do was bake it. To me, that called for a special trip to the store to get some Cinnamon Bun ice cream – perfect for warm apple pie ala mode.

Wow. That was a yummy way to cap off a great weekend! Perfect, in fact.

Bowling Ain't for Sissies

Bowling ain't for sissies. Just ask that elderly couple down the hall -- Mr. & Mrs. Austin -- who rolled out of bed this morning with creaks and groans. Oh my ailing back... hips... shoulders...

Yup. We are out of keggling shape!

I realize part of that is that fact that we bowl only twice a year. The other major part is that we bowled FOUR games -- with no rest (so we could make that basketball game)! So now we suffer but we soldier on like the troopers and embarrassed complainers that we are.

And managed to make the most of the beautiful "sprung forward" day.

Had to work awhile this morning. Have a guy covering a high-class car show down in Florida for one of our magazines, so I had to post photos online as he took them and emailed them to me. Had to do that awhile yesterday and Friday night, too. Just glad I didn't have to drive over to Iola to do it!

For "home" work today, I finished that coat closet and moved onto the bathroom cabinets -- above and below the sink -- which yielded another full garbage bag. Whoo-hoo!

Loaded up the CRV with five "to donate" bags Planned to drop them off at the Bethesda Thrift Shop in the mall, but when I got there, they were closed. Should have checked their schedule first. Oh well. As long as I was out, I got grocery shopping done anyway.

After I got supper in the oven tonight, I went for a half-hour walk. It was so nice to smell and feel the fresh 40-degree air. And it was daylight AFTER 5 p.m. Nice. Saw plenty of yellow snow in our neighborhood so I know the dogs (and their owners) have been wave braver than me in this cold winter!

I was just glad to get outside and put some muscles on this old bag to work. Obviously, my body has been splitting time between sitting and sleeping and I haven't been able to spare the time to strike up any energy for exercise.

At least I've kept my mind out of the gutter. As for the gut, let's not go there...

Springin' Forward

When you know you are going to lose an hour due to Daylight Savings, you sometimes feel compelled to make up for it. And despite the fact I was in bed 'til almost 9 a.m. today, I did a pretty good job of squeezing as much as possible into the limited hours.

I did have about an hour of actual work-work to do but after that it was go time. I had the house to myself while the guys were on their own mission to get some things done in town, including batting practice, so I cranked some throwback jams and got going!

With the 40 Bags in 40 Days Lenten De-Crapifying Challenge staring me in the face, I knew I had to tackle a major "focus area" to compensate for my late start. I chose the coat closet off our living room.

The thing about our coat closet is that the door opens and you see the coats and what's on the shelves and floor but you forget that hidden to the left the closet extends another few feet. That's where the time capsule was hidden. And by time capsule I mean items that reflect the early childhood of a little boy.

And actually a teenage girl, too.

I know what you're thinking. The '80s called and they want their clothes back! It just happened that stuffed in that closet was a duffel bag of items worn for a sister weekend "Opening Act." It was a good thing I had those saved all these years, er decades, so I had them for that one song several years ago. Now that that's done, do I have to say goodbye?

The jury's still out on that one, but I did manage to part with 3 fanny packs (who has that many in real life?) and quite a bit more. All totaled, I ended up with one full garbage bag for disposal, three full grocery bags for charity and one bag for potential sale. Not bad for one "trouble spot," eh?

I still have a few things to go through from that closet, but I ran out of time.

Hubby and I participated (notice I didn't say competed) in a bowling tournament this afternoon. It was a 9-Pin Tap format, which means knocking down 9 pins in your first roll is a strike. My kind of bowling!

Several friends were there, too, so we had a goofy (note photo) good time. The only problem was that it started a half hour late and we knew we'd be pressed for time to get Carter to school for Pep Band by 6:15 p.m. and even us to the regional championship game on time at 7. Luckily we arranged a last-minute ride for Carter. Our last of 4 games didn't end until a few minutes to 7.

Glad we stayed for our finish, though, since I bowled a 198 that last game! My highest score ever I am sure. And I know I have to put an asterisk there since it was only 9-Pin, but that won't stop me from bragging. I didn't win any prizes for that since my other scores aren't worth reporting. However, I did get to pick a prize when I successfully knocked down a split. That should hold us over until the next time we bowl.

In a year.

We got to the Assumption Girls Basketball game right at tip-off. Since this was for the regional title, the gym was packed with our fans and a ton from visiting Loyal. I had wanted to get there early enough to see Carter in Pep Band and take a photo. He had a special ensemble tonight. Clothing that is. He wore some new blue-and-white striped bibs. Very spirited. We missed the band and he would not allow me to take his picture later.

Good thing our girls are moving onto sectionals so I'll have another chance!

Yup, the Lady Royals continue on the road to state with a convincing victory. Nice job! This Thursday they will take on their conference arch-rival -- Wausau Newman Catholic.

After the game, we dropped Carter off at home and hung out with some Assumption friends down the road. Got home with time to spare -- when it comes to changing the clocks.

Pretty sure that Sunday -- officially a 23-hour day -- will feel more like spring as far as temperatures go. But after my busy day today, there won't be much spring in my step.

Don't forget to "spring forward" so we are one hour closer to spring... when it arrives in June.

Dynamic Duo

Any plans of being productive today flew out the window by the time I rolled out of bed with my post-Homecoming headache (from being tired!) and plans to have some adult fun of our own today. So while we left Carter at home to do homework, hubby and I spent the day away with friends.

The first stop was Bowlmor Lanes, where the Austins and my girlfriends Christine and Jenny (above) and their husbands participated in a Scotch Doubles Bowling Competition.

Notice I said "participated." We bowl once or twice a year at most. So while this was an actual competition, we did it more to socialize and have fun -- and give all the other couples there the chances they deserved to win.

The format in Doubles is that for two of the four games, I bowl first and Jim has to pick up my spare if needed. Oh, it was needed alright. I had one or two strikes all day. That was it. Then the other two games, he'd go first and I'd have to TRY to pick up the spare. I got plenty of bench time, which suited me fine. We didn't win any competitions but we did win a 50/50 pot to cover entry expenses.

So why did I call this blog entry "Dynamic Duo"? Well, it had nothing to do with the Mr. & Mrs. Austin team. It has to do with combining bowling with, you guessed it, pizza! When that means Portesi's pizza in Rapids, then it is a Dynamic Duo!

First time eating there if you can believe it, and it ranks right up there as the local favorite. Crispy thin crust and perfectly spicy sauce. Yum. Had a hard time leaving enough on the platter to box up for Carter. Needless to say, he enjoyed the leftovers, but they weren't enough!

Maybe next time when we aren't selfishly spending a day to ourselves (after a week of someone ELSE's homecoming activities), we'll bring more home.

Maybe.

I can guarantee we'll have a better chance of that happening than bringing home any bowling trophies!

Extended Stay

Have you noticed the days are getting slightly longer? I should clarify: I don't have more time to do things, but the sun seems to be hanging around a bit more each day. As I find the last calendars around the house to switch over to March, I should not be surprised at the extended stay.

But I still didn't get (or make) time today to get my Saturday chores all done. I did get up and go to 8 o'clock church, then went grocery shopping and did laundry. Then hubby picked me up and we joined some friends at a nearby watering hole for a long visit.

We cut our extended stay there short when Carter texted he was home from a trip with a friend to the batting cages -- and was locked out of the house. Whoops. So we went home and that gave me time to get some more laundry done.

Jim had a meeting tonight so I finally watched the rest of the Oscars I had DVR'd and a Hallmark movie I "taped" too. Then Carter comes out with more laundry so he has clean pants for tomorrow. It seems like a never-ending cycle but we should be good for a few days.

I did make some time to upload a few photos from yesterday...

This is my BFF (Bowling Friend Forever, ha) Christine... yes, we look like we are taking the game seriously, don't we? We both have bad backs so we were feeling it a bit today. Four games was probably 3 too many.

Hubby was in a jovial mood... how could he not be after bowling a 252 or something around that his last game? He better be careful or they'll draft him on a league! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

From the basketball game... our girls take the court after receiving the Regional Championship trophy!

Was not at a good angle to get a good photo but I can tell you this: All the girls in the front row are in Carter's class. Yes, freshman playing on varsity. And we only have one senior this year so this team is going to kick butt again next year.

What we know for this year is we'll be playing against Plum City on Thursday at a neutral site -- Neillsville. That's less than an hour away so not too bad. I'm going to have to put on another layer of blue nail polish. I mean, it would be unlucky at this point if I took it off, wouldn't it?

I guess that's something I can do with all this extra time we're getting on these longer days. Hmmm.... wonder if there's anything else...

Running Like the Devil

Not only was I running with the devil today (see photos), I was running like one, too. Not fast, just super busy.

I rode up to Stevens Point this morning with our friend Gregg (classmate of hubby's). As we watched the in-car thermometer temperature rise a few degrees -- up to 22 degrees -- we were hopeful for a great race day. Actually, even though the wind prevented it from feeling warm, it was not bad!

Here we are are in the beer tent pre-race. Not drinking, just staying out of the wind. Don't you love his number?? I was seriously running with the devil!

Hurray! I finished! I actually was thrilled first that I managed to finish within an hour and thrilled secondly that it was under 55 minutes. With my lack of serious training, I'll take that result any day. I was especially pleased that I felt good. Did not have any aches or pains in my legs or hips. Tomorrow may be a different story, but for tonight, I'm good.

The fun after the Point Bock race is gathering in the beer tent area for free beer. I gave my tickets away and enjoyed some Point Root Beer. Gregg and I also remembered to grab a photo at the finish line on our way out!

I was on a very tight schedule the rest of the day. Got home at 2:25 p.m., had to shower quick and be to the bowling alley for a 3 p.m. start in the charity tournament. Got there on time but then they were running late so I really could have had time to fix my hair rather than throw a hat on it. We got started about 3:30 and by then, after learning we actually were bowling 4 games -- and throwing out the worst -- I figured we would be lucky to make it on time to the regional finals game at Assumption at 7 p.m.

Bowling went better than expected. I always strive to get to 100. My first game was 113 and that ended up being my throw-away game since the other 3 averaged 150. Whoot! OK, I'll be honest, it was a 9-pin tourney so knocking down 9 pins instead of 10 counted as a strike. My kind of game.

We got out of there and to the school just as the National Anthem was finishing up. Had a tough time finding seats so we didn't sit together. It was another great game for our girls. After a slow start, we beat Loyal 54-37, earning the Regional Championship! Another whoot!

Now we move onto sectionals next Thursday at Neillsville. Should be a fun road trip!

After the game, we came straight home since we were tired. Well, I was anyway. And Carter went to a late movie with some friends. I do not plan on waiting up.

Running like and with the devil takes a lot out of you. I wouldn't suggest it.

Strike It Up

Some friends of ours caught us at a weak moment awhile back and we decided to sign up with them for a bowling tournament today.

The last time I bowled was when we were in some scotch-double tourney with them. I didn't like that format. It's sort of like "alternate shot" in golf scrambles. Too much pressure and not a good time when your partner is 100 times better than you.

That was 2 years ago. Maybe bowling is like riding a bike. You don't forget how. The problem is, I've never been a very good bike rider.

Today's format, thankfully, was 9-pin tap. That meant that if you hit 9 pins down, that was considered a strike. Perfect for me who always manages to leave one pin short of a strike! It took me awhile to hit my stride. In fact, the whole first game. Luckily they scratch the lowest of 4 -- yes 4 -- games.

So while I only shot a 79 the first game, I managed some respectible over 100 games after that -- which was my main goal! Shot 169, 163 then a 128 for my tired 4th game.
Hubby doesn't bowl any more often than my once every few years, but he never loses his touch! His worse game was like my best! He scratched his 164 but kept his 220, 212 and 206. Way to go! As competitive as I am, I wisely wouldn't dream of trying to beat Jim in bowling!

Actually, I had a ton of fun today knowing there was no pressure to win anything. And no chance either. I just enjoyed spending some time with my friends Jenny (left) and Christine pictured above -- and their hubbies -- with no kids and a little adult conversation.

We didn't win any prizes but someone felt sorry for me and gave me a bag of jelly beans. Yum. That's as good as a trophy in my book!

Deadline De-Cluttering

What's wrong this picture? Carter is up, dressed and off to breakfast with my friends while I face a day of cleaning.

Lucky.

Actually it was very nice for an old friend of ours to pick him up and take him to breakfast with the "guys" -- a retired (or close to retired) bunch who meet Tuesday mornings. Apparently they welcome the younger set on occasion since Carter met with approval. Apparently what they discuss must fall under some Gentleman's Code because he didn't share a peep. Only that he had fun.

Good for him. I really can't get distracted from my tasks at hand. Remember my New Year's resolution last year (and the year before and the year before) about de-cluttering? I figure I might as well attack that before new resolutions are required. Frankly, I could draw the name of a room (any room) out of a hat and go at it. But I decided to start with one of my "Oh my god" rooms... the office.

One good thing about our computer room is that in addition to two desks and two filing cabinets, there is a closet. So obviously there is a place for everything. It just has to get from Point A (usually the desk) to Point B (a file or drawer or box).

I realized today I couldn't start cleaning off the desk first because if something belonged in the closet, there was no perfect place for it there. It actually made the most sense to start with the closet. Then I could create those perfect places to store some of the items from the desk in an organized fashion. It's a domino effect of sorts.

The closet has 3 shelves plus space under the bottom one. The two top ones hold our family tree stuff (we each get our own shelf). The bottom two house office-type stuff -- batteries, light bulbs and boxes for every piece of software or digital product we've purchased in the past several years -- plus other items that don't have a logical home.

Cleaning and/or organizing it hadn't been done in ... forever. Ever actually. So that is how I spent my day. I did get a break to take Carter to the bowling alley and myself to the chiropractor (finally). He had a great time bowling (and says we should do that much more often). And I had a great time finally getting my back in order. I will do that much more often. I need return trips to the back-cracker tomorrow and Friday so I can be in tip-top shape for my return to work next week! Oh joy.

After our little break, I returned to the closet and, two full garbage bags later, have some semblance of order there. My big finds of the day were an old framed newsroom award for my "Patrick Swayze comes to town" story back in 1997 and some money in an old birthday card. I got excited when I recognized my mom's handwriting but then realized it was for hubby because she signed it "LeRoy and Marlys." (She would just sign mine "Dad and Mom".) Dang.

I gave hubby the money since, well, it's his. Plus he can use it. He and Carter bought a new baseball bat today. They already put it to use in the indoor batting cage tonight. I'll have to go watch next time. This time I had to stay on task.

I may be on vacation but I still have deadlines!

Weekend Warrior

I'm pretty sure the definition of "weekend warrior" is something about taking on too big a project for one weekend. But what if that "project" is the weekend itself? That's where I come in. I had a weekend completely packed with activities. I mean completely. But you know, it was so much fun I wouldn't have had it any other way (says the blogger with a big yawn)....

Homecoming Performance:

Carter's Marching Band debut was a success Friday night. They played a half-hour pregame show, then marched and played 3 songs at halftime. He did fine. Nothing that would make America's Funniest Home Videos or anything...

There are 81 members of the Marching Band, which combines the Assumption Middle & High School bands. Carter is in the front row, to the right of the girl without the uniform.

The weather was quite warm Friday, if you recall, so it didn't take him long to get a red face.

Here Carter finds the next selection to play.

This baritone is pretty big to hold a half hour and then hold again to march around the football field. I said to Carter, "I bet you'd prefer the trumpet for Marching Band, wouldn't you?" Kind of, he said! (By the way, Assumption won their game, 10-8.)

Lettie's 5K Tomorrow River Run:

I tried to get to bed at a decent time Friday night because I had a race over in Amherst Saturday morning.

My neighbors Niki (left) and Cindy joined me. Cindy twisted her knee in the Pumpkin Run last week so she was unable to run. She served as a great cheerleader for the other Desperate Housewives of Blue Jay Drive though!

Here we are at the start. They had a great turnout -- almost 200 runners. Nice. The weather was sunny and warm and the trail along the river was gorgeous. But I don't like warm temps. Heat + Hills = not a good race for Robyn. I still finished pretty good for me, just not really good for me like last weekend. I was 7th out of 19 in my age group. Always room for improvement, but it was fun (when it was all done), so that's what counts.

Bowling for Dollars:

After I got home from the race, I did find a few minutes to bond with the deck chair (you can't beat this perfect weather), then had to change into my bowling clothes. Is there such a thing? Yes, but not in my closet.

Jim and I were in a Scotch Doubles tournament with our friends Mike & Christine and Craig & Jenny. I did not realize until we got there that the format meant the guys would bowl first (in the first and third games) -- and if they didn't get a strike, their wives had to pick up the spare. Oh boy, that was not in my wheelhouse of skills, that's for sure.

Luckily my hubby, the one with hops here, got some strikes.

In the second and fourth games, the girls (Jenny, left, Christine and me) led off and the guys cleaned up our messes. I find I do not have that skill in my wheelhouse either. What an empty wheelhouse! Oh well, it was fun.

Surprise!

After the bowling tournament, we headed over to Danny K's restaurant to help stage a surprise birthday party for our friend Cathy, who turns 50 on Monday. Her daughter organized the whole event and her mom was surprised!

Cathy worked with both of us at the newspaper and then again at our current publishing company in Iola. In fact, she played a big role in me getting on board there. She now works in town so we don't see her as often as we should. It was nice to see some other former co-workers, too. Good time!

Hack & Pack:

We tried to get a good night's rest last night (didn't happen) because we had to be on the road at 5:30 a.m. to get to Wrightstown (near Green Bay) for a sunrise tee time. We joined our friends Scott and Sandy in the Hack & Pack Golf Tournament. Basically, we hacked up the course all morning and then ate a lunch while watching the Packer game in the clubhouse.

The one good thing about being up before dawn is that we enjoyed a nice sunrise during our 90+ minute commute.

We also witnessed the fog roll in but it was deemed "tolerable and playable" by the 8 a.m. shotgun start.

You can tell by Jim's early shot off the tee box that there was a lot of morning dew (not just our Diet Dew) on the course.

Here Scott hits the snot out of the ball!

Jim wore his Reds clothes since they are playing tonight. Must be nice to have a team to cheer for still. Sigh...

Sandy and I are always consistent with good drives so the guys didn't have anything to worry about there. All of us, however, struggled with the second shot and sometimes with putting. So while we finished at 4 under par it wasn't close to the winning score of 15-under. That's OK. We had a lot of fun and really, who could have predicted the perfect weather? Sunny and in the 80s? It's like summer! (And it felt like the beginning of the golf season for me anyway. Ha.)

Got home by 5 so Carter didn't suffer too much by himself. He actually was at a friend's for awhile so it all worked out.

Now I am eyeing the clock and wondering how soon is reasonable to hit the hay?? Being a weekend warrior is a noble effort. But it ain't easy!

Split Happens

Hello, Weekend! I see you have plans for me again!

Today we are heading down to Milwaukee for the rest of the weekend. Our destination: Koz's Mini Bowl. You might remember I posted pictures in March of this place. It sort of has skee-ball size bowling bowls that you just use on short lanes (with teenagers hand-setting the pins on the other end).

Our friends Mike and Christine had so much fun there that Christine decided that's where she'd hold her 40th birthday party!

So I'm wearing my only bowling shirt -- the one that says "Split Happens" -- and we are hitting the road shortly. Should be a fun time! (And when isn't it when you're doing things with friends?)

Carter is going to be left out but he'll be bonding with Auntie Sherry and Grandma & Grandpa Austin. Our poor neglected cat is probably thinking: "Thank god, another day with the house to myself!"

Sorry, Sylvester. One of these days we'll spend a weekend at home. I'm almost sure of it.

Home Sleep Home

I'm ba-a-ack! I had an unexpected break from blogging this week. My trip out of town was expected, yes, but I also had expected some free time to get to a computer and write. Didn't work out that way.

Land of Lincoln: From Monday through Wednesday, I was in Schaumburg, Ill., on the outskirts of Chicago for a work conference. I shouldn't call it a conference. We referred to it as an Innovation Summit... time away from the various company offices (around the U.S. and beyond) to think hard, think collectively and think big. It was very worthwhile.

Of course, when you're in Chicago, things are already "big" -- at least somewhat grand or on the expensive side. The hotel we stayed at was very, very, very nice. Did I mention is was nice? I just had to take a picture of the TV built into the bathroom mirror -- for the businessman who doesn't want to miss the financial news while he's shaving in the morning... or for Robyn who doesn't want to miss Sports Center on ESPN while she's curling her hair. Pretty cool, eh?

Wii big different: After Tuesday's day full of meetings and thinking, we had dinner reservations at a place called Pinstripes, which boasted Bowling, Bocce & Bistro. Not your typical bowling alley from Wisconsin, that's for sure! Even had leather couches to sit on while waiting your turn. Very upscale, but the lanes were still the same width and same length -- just a bit more difficult to see with the mood lighting. Not that I'm making excuses. Thanks to my recent Wii training, I did better than my usual struggle to break a hundred. In fact, my first frame was a strike! Beginner's luck. I did pull out a 135 which is very good for me.

Home Sleep Home: That was it for the fun. Headed back Wednesday evening and I got home by midnight. I am dead tired after a few sleep-reduced nights and a very busy work day today catching up. I anticipate I'll be in bed before Carter tonight -- mainly since he'll be up watching the Celtics hopefully win and move on in the playoffs.

Runs, Hits, Errors: Speaking of Carter, I missed out on some of his activities this week. In the Runs category, he had his once-a-year 6th-grade track meet with all the elementary schools. Daddy had to wear long underwear to spectate that Wednesday morning! Carter did triple jump, shot put and 100m dash. He will not be taking home any gold medals.

The Hits category reflects the first 2 baseball games. Oh, I don't necessarily mean Carter had the hits. The Reds lost 3-zip on Monday night and tied 6-6 Wednesday evening in a game called for the time limit. I guess it was a bit chilly both nights. Maybe it's not so bad missing a game or 2. The other "hit" is just a little positive side note. Carter tried out for and made the baseball tournament team! So we'll have to adjust our summer weekend schedules (which I previously noted were already full to some extent). Should be fun though.

The Error category is a bit unfair. Hubby was assigned the task of capturing some of this with pictures this week. Of course he couldn't shoot while coaching baseball but the track meet didn't quite go as well as I hoped. He was there but missed Carter's shot put and triple jump -- which were both somehow done in the first 10 minutes. In his defense, he had a 2-minute tutorial (over the phone) on how to use my/our new camera, so the 100m dash pictures sure look like Carter must have been running fast! At least too fast to stay in the frame. Ah well, you live and learn. I was just glad Jim was able to go.

I'm also just glad to be home. End of story. (er, blog.)

Not Seen on TV

And now some highlights from the NCAA tourney that you WON'T see on TV....

I was excited to be among the Tubby Town fans at the Bradley Center but dismayed when I realized my sweatshirt was older than some of the players!

Action from the first game, where Minnesota fell to Xavier. Just to irk me (maybe), Jim was cheering for Xavier and was doing the school fight song -- complete with actions -- quite well by the end of the weekend!

Nobody kicks it like a gopher!

Georgia Tech beat the Oklahoma State cowboys -- who had some cool orange school color. Since orange is my favorite color, I said to hubby, "We should send Carter there someday -- or Tennessee." He responds, "How about UW-Platteville? They're orange!" (Am thinking that wouldn't be the same!)

The skee ball-type setup at Koz's Mini Bowl. You can see our pin-setters in back.

Our smart scorekeepers Christine and Jim. No electronics here. They had to do old-school scoring -- and they knew how!!

Our friend Mike (a twice-decorated 300-game bowler in real life) shows off his usual form. Always end with a leg hop for good measure.

So many colorful shot puts to choose from!

I found one that matched my shirt (of course) and it was good for more strikes than I've ever managed in "real" bowling (probably lifetime combined)!

Mike and brother-in-law Craig (far right) pose with the local "celebrities" -- the guy who racked up a 300 game at Koz's (as his shirt attests) and his wife, who sported a Girl Scout beret. They are the only people I know who could sing along to every Yooper song on the juke box. Entertaining to be sure.

College roommates Sue and Robyn smile because we know we haven't aged a bit!

A blurry slam dunk picture. Hey, what do you expect from 357 rows up!

Ohio State shoots a free throw and keeps adding to their margin of victory Sunday.

I had to take a picture of one of the bands so Carter could see they have FIVE tuba players! Something to aspire to.

Xavier celebrates a last-second win ... and the end of our memorable weekend!