Keep Up Your Immunity

As cold as it is, the cold still can't kill (or freeze) all the germs floating around out there. So this is my Public Service Announcement to eat citrus or do what you have to boost your immune systems! 

There's me middle front. I look healthy, right?

Just happened to come across this silly childhood picture and needed a reason to share. Thanks for indulging me.

At least I'm not talking about the weather. Orange you glad?!

Take your vitamins, wash your hands, and be careful out there!

Today's Dress Code :: Thanksgiving Pants

Today was a FULL-FILL-ing day! Thankfully I didn't base my attitude on the images from the first light of day.

Yup. Our first measurable snowfall and Mr. Deck Chair and I were not happy. But there was no way I was going to work from home today. Our Marketing Department was having our "Progressive Thanksgiving."

No, thoughts weren't necessarily progressive. But like a "progressive dinner" you may have heard of, we wandered from area to area within Marketing to eat all day. And I mean ALL DAY.

Breakfast was provided by our digital team – those who do the behind the scenes work on our websites, e-newsletters, SEO, and social media. Since I've been on the stomach mend, I just had a half bagel with cinnamon-brown sugar cream cheese. Oh, and a slice of bacon. Because it was there.

Starting at 10 a.m. our creative team of graphic designers and videographers plus our customer experience team (who do all kinds of surveys) provided appetizers. I volunteered to bring home a deviled egg for hubby, but he declined. I don't like them so I couldn't even enjoy one for him. But I did have some meatballs and surprise Pumpkin Pie-looking snack.

If it's not really miniature pumpkin pie slices, what is it?

Turns out it's sliced cheese on top of a triangular cracker with some cream cheese dip that was a Cool Whip look-a-like on the edges and top. My mind was blown! Just the perfect putzy type of snack I'd try to make! Cool.

Lunch time was on our team of writers. The turkey sandwiches were provided and we were in charge of the sides. Thus the reason I had to drive slowly and carefully to work to protect my crockpot of cheesy potatoes. Yes, it arrived safely. And no, there isn't any leftover for me to show you a picture! (I take that as a win.)

Around 2 p.m., our brand management team and events team provided dessert. Are you full yet? We sure were. And wishing we all wore our "Thanksgiving Pants."

But I managed a pumpkin spice cupcake and piece of cheesecake. The sacrifices we make for work!

After that I had to stop at our clinic at work and get my previously scheduled COVID shot. Not a fun way to end a FULL and FILLING day at the office for sure. Especially after just getting over being sick. I'm feeling a little "off" this evening but hopefully the reaction doesn't develop into anything more than that.

Just going to take it easy and pray I'm back to my version of normal by tomorrow so I can do hunter's widow shopping this weekend. And no, my husband doesn't hunt. But I can pretend for certain circum$tance$.

Germ Snore-fare

So we've heard of "germ warfare" – the use of toxins of biological origin or microorganisms as weapons of war. But what about "germ snore-fare" – the accidental transfer of nagging cough, snot-nosed snore-inducing germs to your spouse?

Well even though it looks like clipart germs are cute and they love to hold dance parties, it's not so cute in real life. 

Obviously, I will not include any real-life illustrations. (Or Snapchats.) But I legitimately feel bad that when I'm just getting over my 10-day cough and cold, the germs hop over to HubbyLand. Sorry!

If this is a test to see if men handle illness as well as women, I'm going to have to break the stereotype and bow out of the competition. I fully admit I was pretty whiny last week! Hopefully these friendly germs are just here for a short visit and will head South for the winter in no time at all.

Be careful out there! And don't fall for that smiling, friendly act.

Negative Attitude

There was no blogging yesterday because I had a negative attitude – as in thankfully negative COVID test after coughing up a lung or two at work. I don't normally consider myself a wimp, but I am so rarely sick that this hit me like a ton of bricks.

This morning I attempted to overcome it by working. Made it less than 90 minutes in the chair and surrendered. Took a 2-hour nap and then a hot shower and more resting. Then... special thanks to my friend and neighbor across the street for loaning me some tea!

I did resume my work day (somewhat) while Jim did the first round of snowblowing. I feel like we're in the Groundhog Day movie. Same scene, different day.

At some point I broke out the ruler to show our non-winter family and friends that we had 7 inches of snow and counting.

Pretty sure that's going to keep going and accumulating til about noon Saturday. Gosh, I hate when those forecasters are right! 

I just hope all my friends with "winter cold" advice are right, too! Hang in there if you're in the same boat (er, snow bank). We shall overcome!

New Year's Eve :: 2022 in Pictures

I saw a neat idea today to share "A Year in Review" through pictures – basically one picture from each month that represents that month. Here goes...

January :: We saw our first death in our immediate family when my brother-in-law Paul died. He had been battling heart issues and other health problems at the end of 2021 and just couldn't go on. He was the sweetest. We had many adventures over the years and we all miss him!

February :: Jim and I joined a group of about 20 friends and went down to Milwaukee for the weekend to see a up-and-coming country artist named Cody Johnson. Later in the year he won an award for best country video so I guess we were onto something. Mainly, it represents a year of getting to some live music and entertainment from Marshall Tucker Band and The Who to The River Dance, Pentatonix, and Book of Mormon.

March :: My mom went out to Phoenix to stay with Rayna after Paul's funeral. I had the privilege of going out there to spend a little time and be mom's much-needed travel companion on the flight back. Later in the month, we celebrated Mom's 90th birthday. She's doing pretty amazing.

April :: After 2 years of successfully dodging the 'rona, the virus caught up with me in late April. While it was a mild case, it still forced me (well, us) to miss two weddings of our friends' children. Darn COVID. I had the bouts of tiredness for a few weeks after, but otherwise it wasn't terrible. We're all caught up on all shots and boosters for that.

May :: Rising inflation was most evident in gas prices but we quickly noticed it in groceries and everything else. Thankfully, gas didn't reach $5 a gallon here. But it's still been quite a few years since we've seen it this high. Yikes.

June :: After 823 days of working at home, we returned to the office in June. We have a permanent hybrid schedule of working at home Mondays and Fridays and in the office Tuesday through Thursday. The exciting part, besides seeing coworkers I missed, was the return to golf league at SentryWorld. Jim golfed in a league in town so we both definitely got a lot of swings in this summer!

July :: We celebrated 20 years of wedded bliss and later in July, Casey and his fiancee Emily visited from Portland so we could see their wedding venue (and take in a Twins game). They'll be married this September over by the Durand-Lake Pepin neck of the woods in Wisconsin. Exciting!

August :: The month was basically booked with senior photo sessions. I got spoiled and got to sit behind the wheel of some awesome cars – including this Mustang and a replica of the General Lee.

September :: Nothing can really top seeing a president in person. For work, I attended a marketing conference in Boston and heard some amazing speakers, including Jane Goodall and Viola Davis in addition to Barack Obama. Pretty amazing!

October :: Per usual, one of the highlights of autumn is my sister weekend – this time up by the Spooner area. We can't take for granted how blessed we are that all 7 of us can take the time off – and actually want to spend it with family!

November :: In a word, the month was heart-breaking. First dealing with the sudden death of my long-time friend Cindy, then the next week losing my Aunt Gwen, then the following week losing Jim's mom the week of Thanksgiving. It made for some quiet holidays. But we have been so blessed beyond measure with the support of friends and family.

December :: Yes, we've had a ton of ice and snow already. But this picture also represents how helpful our neighbors (and many others) have been while Jim recovers from his two knee surgeries. He had the left one replaced in October and the right one in December.

He's doing well and we were both able to celebrate New Year's Eve singing in the guitar choir at Rudolph church and sing (and eat and laugh and whatever) with the guys for a few hours afterward, too. It was the type of fun, uplifting evening we needed! 

Here's to a year of many more blessings than tears in 2023. Happy New Year!

It's Gratitude Month

I feel so behind. I realized today that it's November, which I always observe as Gratitude Month. As this lovely illustration shows, some days I need a crap-ton of coffee to get that gratitude train a-chuggin'.

Today I am grateful for health. That even though my heart is hurting, I am physically OK. Even though hubby is recovering from surgery, he's going to be OK. And hopefully more mobile.

We just have to look at all the people we're praying for and we know we're grateful that for this moment in time, we don't carry their health burdens. We don't have cancer or a child with cancer, we don't have diabetes, we don't suffer from dementia or osteoporosis, we don't have COVID (long or short), we don't have crippling diseases like MS or even fibromyalgia. We aren't recovering from a miscarriage, heart attack, stroke, or rare infection.

We're just plugging along and thanking God that for today, we've got it pretty good in that department. We also know, from very recent experience, that it could all change in the blink of an eye.

So thank you, Lord, for our health. Today.

#gratitudemonth

Making Good

Thanks to the pandemic and working out of the office for 800+ days, I am way out of practice in my role as Birthday Fairy for my team. So out of practice, I missed a birthday last week. No worries. It was just my boss!

He came to work to an empty desk – no streamers, no balloons, no clever signs – and an empty treat table – no trifle! 

All I could was have us sing to him and promise to make a trifle of his choosing. He chose "something butterscotch." M-m-m-m. Love butterscotch! So I did my made-to-order make-good trifle after work. 

I started with a naked Hornet's Nest Cake. Usually it has pecans on it when I bake it but I went without. Wanted the butterscotch flavor but didn't want all the nuts. I layered that with whipped cream, crushed pecan shortbread cookies, and butterscotch pudding.

Not the prettiest trifle I've made. But danged if even ugly trifles don't taste delicious!! 

This birthday fairy may just earn her wings back. Wish me luck! 

Two Lakes, Two Kids

Our dinner at Two Lakes was special tonight not just because of the sunset, but because it was with two of the kiddos! Casey and fiance Emily flew home from Portland to Minneapolis and are in the Rapids area for the next week. 

We haven't seen them for 856 days. You know, right when the pandemic started and after visiting them out in Seattle area, I didn't go back to work? Now they're in Oregon and engaged to be married in fall of 2023.

Tonight's dinner was also special because we got to meet Emily's parents. They live in the Twin Cities and happen to like the Twins, just like me! Her dad and Jim could've talked about baseball in general all night. That was fun to see. Nice parents – just like her! They're heading back to Minnesota tomorrow but we'll see the kids a few times this week – including a trip to see their wedding venue on Tuesday. 

Lots of fun and excitement for all of us on the horizon.

 And pretty sunsets, too!

What's Behind Door No. 3?

You'd be surprised what you can live without once you've lived without it for 2 years and haven't missed it.

Since the lovely pandemic hit while I was on vacation that first week in March 2020, I didn't realize my last day in the office before it was actually my last day... for 2-plus years. Therefore, I didn't take everything I needed from my desk, the little fridge in our department or my locker in our fitness center.

From my desk, I realized I only needed my computer and really didn't need paper documents. I haven't printed anything out in 2 years so there's no sense resuming that habit. You're welcome, Mother Earth. As for the fridge, someone disposed of what was left of my daily essential coffee creamer for me. Good call. As for the locker... well that went untouched until today.

Our fitness center finally reopened now that we're repopulating the office. I was a little nervous wondering what was behind door No. 3. Or in this case, door No. 168. I knew I'd have sneakers in there but hoped to god I didn't have some once-sweaty-now-crusty sports bra or socks. I was prepared for it...

And oh-so relieved when I only left the shoes in there – with deodorizer balls in them to boot – and the essentials like shower gel, deo, perfume, and hairspray! That turned my pew into a PHEW! And the shoes are in decent shape. I mean, we'll see when I put them on, but they should work OK after sitting around doing nothing all this time.

That's right. I did not work out. I just was checking the status of the locker so I could reserve it for another year. Don't judge me. Getting there was the first step, right?

I've already beat myself up plenty in the past week knowing that I had 800-some days to reinvent myself but instead, come back to the office out of shape – and out of clothes that fit nicely. Ugh.

If only I liked spinach or kale as much as I like ice cream! 

When You're Hot, You're Hot

Leave it to a heat wave to overshadow news of my first day back in the office in 2 years, 3 months, and 1 week!

But I guess I can't say I did anything newsworthy – or even vaguely productive – today. My desk was still sitting there like March of 2020 when I was excited to go on vacation to Seattle and Bellingham.

And there were items on my desk – and my desk chair (Hello, Inflatable Hulk) – that I don't know how they got there. At least I didn't any food growing mold or anything. 

I still didn't get everything organized. Took a while to set up my computer with a different system and, well, SEE PEOPLE!! Then after work it was time for golf league. That's when I noticed it was warm in Stevens Point and apparently in Rapids, too!

They called Wisconsin Rapids the "warm" spot.

If a heat index of 102 is just on the "warm" side, that is! Crazy huh? And tomorrow this will all develop into severe stormy weather. Uff da.

But golf league was fun and didn't seem too hot thanks to a breeze. We had a good time. I was subbing for someone and we needed another sub. For our league, they can only be company employees. Well it just so happens that one of my favorite Vikings fans is an intern this summer so he qualifies AND he was available.

I'll just call Trent my adoptive nephew since his mother and her sisters are like sisters to me! We had fun. He's in college and can drive the ball a mile. My two co-workers were like "He can come back anytime – especially when we have a scramble. He'll be our ringer!"

He also inspired me to shoot my best round of the season so far. When you're hot, you're hot! It's only the 6th one so maybe I can improve even more from there. Either way. It's always great to be golfing at the gorgeous SentryWorld course with great people!

Now I need to shower and then see if I missed anything on Days of Our Lives today. Just another back-to-the-office adjustment!

Be careful out there!

There They Go

These geese that crossed the road in front of us and plopped into a pond are pretty much symbolic of today. There they go, swimming off like my days out of the office.

It's been 830 days out and I am about to set my alarm for tomorrow's return. Guess I should've been super symbolic and gone to bed at 8:30. Don't think that that didn't cross my mind! 

It was a busy last day.

After work, Jim and I went up to Halder (that's God's Country for those who don't know) and met up with two cousins at the St. Patrick's cemetery. Sounds odd but not when they're all into genealogy and had some catching up to do – along with a bit of a walking tour. 

Nice to see Nancy and Barb and especially nice we were all above ground for it.

Since we were in the area, Jim and I headed over to Marshfield for dinner. We knew it was Mac Monday at Nutz Deep II. And had been looking forward to it for awhile.

Take one look at my Cajun Mac & Cheese and you'll see why! In the background you can see Jim's Philly Mac. We were both very happy with our meal. Yum!

Also since we were in the area, we went to Festival Foods. I know what you're thinking. No one lives it up like we do! Cemetery, Mac Monday and Festival Foods. All in ONE day?? Don't be jealous.

Seriously, the freshness and bounty that exists at Fest does not exist in our town. Unfortunately, it's a bit out of the way with gas prices as they are. Still, we did some recon and we'll come armed with a list next time.

Got home at 7:30 and I had to find something to wear to the office tomorrow, which will be the hottest day of the year so far. I assume the A/C will be cranked but I'm golfing after work so it'll be a golf outfit that fits our dress code. After 830 days, they'll just have to take me as I am.

Alright, gotta sleep fast! G'night.

Pre-Summer Status Update

 Just a little status update on things...

So here we are on the first Monday in June and I need to include the current state of affairs for my future self to see. Yup, gas in Wisconsin Rapids is $4.89 a gallon. 

Which wouldn't be the worst thing if my "Days out of office" number could keep rising. But it's only going to get to 830.

Because the other tally going on a different calendar is the countdown to my return to office. Eight stinkin' days. Next week at this time, I'll be going to bed early so I remember how to get up to an early alarm again. 

And gas prices are rising just in time for my half-hour commute. And a pound of hamburger is nearly $6 – just in time for summer grilling season. Good stuff. 

At least we have our health. Which, after having the dreaded virus, we don't take for granted either.

Be careful out there!

Sore Armed and Ready

So yesterday during lunch – before golf, softball, and supper clubbing – hubby and I got our booster shots at one of the pharmacies in town. 

This was our second booster. We're just trying to keep up with the times. It wasn't a big deal and I sort of forgot about it since my arm wasn't too sore and I wasn't having any other reactions. Not even anything like how I felt when I actually had it this spring.

Until I woke up this morning. My left arm was so sore! Like I can't lift it higher than shoulder height kind of pain. Jim and I were both feeling that and feeling tired. It really wasn't a late night. It was just hard to be awake today. Which is sort of a requirement for work! Seriously, I was able to work fine.

With coffee. Lots of coffee.

But about now my body's crashing or close to it. I know. Crazy exciting Friday night here on Blue Jay Drive. I actually caught myself cleaning the refrigerator earlier – in case you wanted a sneak peak at the fun behind closed doors. I think it's recliner and surf channels time next. Try to contain yourself.

And have a nice weekend!

Back in My Element

It feels good to feel good and finally be released from the house! And there was no shortage of catching up to do when it comes to spring sports. As it happened, just about all of them were happening yesterday. And I ended up covering one I haven't done yet in my photography years: Track and field.

And now I know why. There's so much going on at the same time. Yes, track AND field. So you almost have to clone yourself to get pictures of everything. Which I didn't since I couldn't pull off that feat. Still, I got a ton of pictures. Thank goodness, since it was all the way up in Stratford and the remaining meets are even further away.

I forgot that track meets are endless. Hours and hours. Which means I got a bonus sunset anyway! Got home at 9 p.m. I decided yesterday to take today off so I could get those pictures done AND do a little supply shopping plus bake Little Monster Cookies for the kiddos before their trip. 

Done and done and they headed to "independence" late this afternoon. I decided to shoot some softball and baseball today so I wouldn't have to think about my slightly breaking heart. 

That proved to be a great distraction. The softball game was going well (and they later won) but then I heard baseball was only down 4-3 in the 4th. With one victory under our belt, I knew I had to get over to that in case they made a comeback.

And what a rally that was.

Going into the last inning we were down 8-4. Thankfully, Athens sort of ran out of pitching. So we got some key walks to load bases and score a run or 2. The last batter was faces with loaded bases and an 8-7 score. We needed not 1, but 2 runs. No pressure.

Somehow Jack K's hit got past the third baseman and two of our guys scored. Game over. Royal victory!

There was much rejoicing from the players and the fans. And that extended to Ida's for fish fries and fun. Oh normalcy feels so good.

I won't take that for granted again! Be careful out there.

And, go Royals!

Drive-Thru Inspiration

Thanks to Culver's, I don't even need to blog tonight. Just go through the drive-thru and pick up instant blogs like this.

Here's your reminder to be amazing today!

My work here is done. Ha.

Plus, I don't have any pressing news to share. Another cough-free night last night so I'm kicking COVID to the curb! During my "back swing" of course, I will still get to bed by 9 p.m. so I can get enough rest. Probably easier to sleep IT out than kick IT out anyway.

But...it IS my day – and yours – to be amazing. Anything can happen! 

Be careful out there. 

Taking Little Wins

It's Monday. It's not raining. Normally, I'd be all over telling you about the big softball win I took pictures of because they switched it to a home game. But... I didn't go. 

Pandemic adulting is hard! 

They did win, though! Still undefeated. And soccer is playing now. They're undefeated, too. Yay, Lady Royals! Unfortunately, the baseball team took a loss up in Marathon. Hopefully they'll get a few more marks in the win column yet this season.

As for me, I had a big victory today...

Yep! I slept through the night. Jim did, too. You know what that means... NO COUGHING! WHOOT!

I'll try not to get too excited – already am – but I'm feeling good and I think this stupid virus is about to become a memory. I'll still go to bed by 9 tonight and get rest. Not going to be that reckless. But I'll take the sleep and cough-free day for the win!

I'll keep crossing my fingers and hydrating, of course.

Be careful out there.

 

May Day Wishes

As a child, May Day was all about making, filling, and hanging May baskets. But for the past 24 years, it's been about one thing. Our baby boy.

Yup, Carter is 24 today! And I am feeling major Mom Guilt about not being able to make it a special day. #stupidcovid So I had Jim pick up a "cake" on the way home from church...

For the record, the birthday boy does love Glazers from Kwik Trip, so he was happy at least.

And I'm pretty sure his wish was for a Celtics win today. But the Bucks took them in game one of this playoff series. So the wish isn't unfulfilled just yet.

Since we couldn't do much with him to celebrate, he and his girlfriend met up with his college roommate whose birthday was yesterday. I'm pretty sure they've celebrate at least 4 or 5 of their last birthdays together. Gotta keep the streak alive! They met up for a late lunch over in Oshkosh.

I laid low on my recliner – masked up as I have been for days – and Jim and I knocked out some more final Ozark episodes. Thanks to my house arrest, we only have 2 episodes left. Then it's done forever.

And really, that's about all I accomplished this weekend. Forcing myself to rest is harder than it sounds. But I did pretty good. Unfortunately, the deep coughing fits still visit during the night so I don't know if I'm tired from lack of sleep or tired as a symptom of the virus. Either way, I think the worst is over – all the miserable stuff I felt last week – and I'm hoping I'm on the road to recovery.

Haven't lost my sense of smell or taste yet so hopefully the birthday "cake" lasts a few days, too.

Thanks for all the well wishes for me and all the birthday wishes for Carter. It's going to be a good trip around the sun!