I really like this email I got! So true about our circle of friends!
When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another, 'Let's fight together,' Another, 'Let's walk away together.'
One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier, Another the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ...
Those are your best friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in several...
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.
So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years, let the women that God has placed in your life know they make a difference. Thanks, my friends!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
How Bizzaro
I sort of feel like I am in my own Bizzaro World -- the comic strip where everything is opposite. (And I'm not talking about the current Brett Favre on-again, off-again retirement saga either. Though that would qualify.) Bizzaro World illustrates my opposite Sunday and Monday (except for the part where I was very busy both days).
On Sunday, I pretty much was standing all day -- with little chance for escape -- and today, I was seated at my desk most of the day -- with little chance for escape. Both days ended with America's favorite pastime.
On Sunday, we had a special Sunday School cleanup day planned. Optimistically, we had hoped our grand reorganization of supplies, etc., could be done in a few hours. It took more like 5 or 6. I'll give Carter credit here for behaving very well and even helping a bit. After we felt we accomplished enough there, I stopped at my store and did some grocery shopping. Then headed home to cut the front the lawn. Somewhere in that process, I ran out of gas, realized our gas can was empty, too, so had to run to the gas station.
About 6:45 p.m. I realized I hadn't sat down since breakfast, except to drive. Not good. I told Carter, "Let's find something good on TV and just sit for the evening." We saw that the movie Eight Men Out was on, so watched that. Carter was curious about the back story on this when we watched Field of Dreams not that long ago.
The history on this is still a bit complicated for a 10-year-old but he had a good grasp of it. So much so, he now understands why Daddy's favorite ballplayer, Pete Rose, will not make it into the Hall of Fame. He was seriously bummed about that -- probably mostly on Daddy's behalf.
Today was just one of those crazy Monday's at work, unexpectedly filling in for someone who was gone, so just steady busy. I did get out for a 10-minute walk mid-morning, but that was my only real escape besides bathroom breaks. As it turns it out, I had to bring some work home but I am going to do what I can during commercial breaks. Carter and I have a date to watch the All-Star Home Run Derby. Go Justin Morneau!
On Sunday, I pretty much was standing all day -- with little chance for escape -- and today, I was seated at my desk most of the day -- with little chance for escape. Both days ended with America's favorite pastime.
On Sunday, we had a special Sunday School cleanup day planned. Optimistically, we had hoped our grand reorganization of supplies, etc., could be done in a few hours. It took more like 5 or 6. I'll give Carter credit here for behaving very well and even helping a bit. After we felt we accomplished enough there, I stopped at my store and did some grocery shopping. Then headed home to cut the front the lawn. Somewhere in that process, I ran out of gas, realized our gas can was empty, too, so had to run to the gas station.
About 6:45 p.m. I realized I hadn't sat down since breakfast, except to drive. Not good. I told Carter, "Let's find something good on TV and just sit for the evening." We saw that the movie Eight Men Out was on, so watched that. Carter was curious about the back story on this when we watched Field of Dreams not that long ago.
The history on this is still a bit complicated for a 10-year-old but he had a good grasp of it. So much so, he now understands why Daddy's favorite ballplayer, Pete Rose, will not make it into the Hall of Fame. He was seriously bummed about that -- probably mostly on Daddy's behalf.
Today was just one of those crazy Monday's at work, unexpectedly filling in for someone who was gone, so just steady busy. I did get out for a 10-minute walk mid-morning, but that was my only real escape besides bathroom breaks. As it turns it out, I had to bring some work home but I am going to do what I can during commercial breaks. Carter and I have a date to watch the All-Star Home Run Derby. Go Justin Morneau!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Lakeside Lounging
Carter and I are pretty tired tonight after a day outdoors. We spent the afternoon and evening with some friends at their cottage on a lake about 45 miles northeast of here.
The weather wasn't anything like the hot, sticky stuff we had yesterday. Instead it was very windy (beyond breezy) and cool by mid-summer standards (70s). I actually had a sweatshirt on most of the day but after the sunburn I got the last two days at the car show, I didn't mind.
For inside entertainment, we learned a new dice game I'll have to teach my family. For outside fun, we played Ladder Ball, also called Lasso Golf and Bongo Ball (depending on the manufacturer). We had a bit of a tournament going on. My friend Becky and I were the Red Hot Mamas. We beat the boys (I should say defeated) -- Carter and her son Nickolaus, then went down in a rubber match with the "big" boys -- her husband her dad. Bummer. Not that I care. I'm not competitive or anything!
The little boys didn't mind the wind. They actually went swimming three times and had some major fun on an inflatable teeter-totter. Hilarious to watch them try to do that. I should have brought the video camera! Oh well. I am sure there'll be a next time.
Talked to hubby tonight and he didn't solve any mysteries today out East but may have a lead on something for tomorrow. So he's tucked in for the night and I will be doing the same shortly. As we say in the Midwest when it dips into the 50s in the summertime, it's good sleeping weather. And I intend to take advantage of it!
The weather wasn't anything like the hot, sticky stuff we had yesterday. Instead it was very windy (beyond breezy) and cool by mid-summer standards (70s). I actually had a sweatshirt on most of the day but after the sunburn I got the last two days at the car show, I didn't mind.
For inside entertainment, we learned a new dice game I'll have to teach my family. For outside fun, we played Ladder Ball, also called Lasso Golf and Bongo Ball (depending on the manufacturer). We had a bit of a tournament going on. My friend Becky and I were the Red Hot Mamas. We beat the boys (I should say defeated) -- Carter and her son Nickolaus, then went down in a rubber match with the "big" boys -- her husband her dad. Bummer. Not that I care. I'm not competitive or anything!
The little boys didn't mind the wind. They actually went swimming three times and had some major fun on an inflatable teeter-totter. Hilarious to watch them try to do that. I should have brought the video camera! Oh well. I am sure there'll be a next time.
Talked to hubby tonight and he didn't solve any mysteries today out East but may have a lead on something for tomorrow. So he's tucked in for the night and I will be doing the same shortly. As we say in the Midwest when it dips into the 50s in the summertime, it's good sleeping weather. And I intend to take advantage of it!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Jimmy's Excellent Adventure
Do you remember a comedy/science fiction movie from the late '80s called Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure? In the movie, two unmotivated students manage to travel through time to assemble a select group of historical figures for their high school history presentation. Today, my hubby's excellent adventure began.
As I've mentioned previously, Jim and I are both genealogists. I won't say "active genealogists" because we go in streaks. We'll work hard at it awhile then set it aside, sometimes for many months at a time. This year has been an active one for Jim -- especially after he decided this is the year he is going out East to solve one of his family mysteries.
Not to go into too many details, but Jim's great-great-grandfather on his dad's side was married 4 times (some women weren't cut out for the wild frontier, I guess). The mysterious piece of the puzzle is the third wife. Who was she? Jim is pretty sure the answer lies somewhere in northern Vermont and New York. So that's where he is for the next week, all by himself, just a few miles from the Canadian border, having his own excellent family tree adventure, eh?
I hope it proves to be productive but if nothing else, at least he can enjoy the scenery. He flew into Burlington, Vermont, took a ferry over Lake Champlain with the Adirondak Mountains serving as the backdrop in scenery, then landed over in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he'll stay in a hotel all week.
He said it is just gorgeous out there. And how do I know this? I forced my anti-cell phone husband into this century by buying him a prepaid cell phone for the trip. I pretty much got the simplest model I could find and set it up for him to call my cell or our home number. He is easing into this technology at a pretty alarming rate. I got no less than 5 calls from him today!
I guess it's the next best thing to being there. But I'd sure love to see those mountains.
As I've mentioned previously, Jim and I are both genealogists. I won't say "active genealogists" because we go in streaks. We'll work hard at it awhile then set it aside, sometimes for many months at a time. This year has been an active one for Jim -- especially after he decided this is the year he is going out East to solve one of his family mysteries.
Not to go into too many details, but Jim's great-great-grandfather on his dad's side was married 4 times (some women weren't cut out for the wild frontier, I guess). The mysterious piece of the puzzle is the third wife. Who was she? Jim is pretty sure the answer lies somewhere in northern Vermont and New York. So that's where he is for the next week, all by himself, just a few miles from the Canadian border, having his own excellent family tree adventure, eh?
I hope it proves to be productive but if nothing else, at least he can enjoy the scenery. He flew into Burlington, Vermont, took a ferry over Lake Champlain with the Adirondak Mountains serving as the backdrop in scenery, then landed over in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he'll stay in a hotel all week.
He said it is just gorgeous out there. And how do I know this? I forced my anti-cell phone husband into this century by buying him a prepaid cell phone for the trip. I pretty much got the simplest model I could find and set it up for him to call my cell or our home number. He is easing into this technology at a pretty alarming rate. I got no less than 5 calls from him today!
I guess it's the next best thing to being there. But I'd sure love to see those mountains.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
There goes the neighborhood
We've had the strangest news story unfold around here over the past several days. If it wasn't actually happening, I'd think I was watching CSI-Wisconsin Rapids. Seriously. It is that bizarre.
It started out Saturday when a family reported their 23-year-old son never made it home after the fireworks the night before. He had been drinking so they didn't know if he became disoriented and passed out in the woods somewhere or, worse, the Wisconsin River. Hundreds of volunteers joined emergency personnel in the searching for 3 days. To no avail. The search was called off Tuesday morning. But things really changed later that day.
They changed when a different man, a 21-year-old reported missing earlier Tuesday, showed up on someone's porch -- naked, bloodied and bound in chains -- and told them to call the police.
The police say a 46-year-old man posed as a police officer, handcuffed and kidnapped both of these young men, stripped, beat and assaulted them while he had them chained in his basement and garage. Allegedly. Since I no longer work for the newspaper, I am free to pass judgment and say, "what a sicko!"
This is sad, really. The victims, who are the ages of some of my nephews, have some serious trauma to deal with. And the community, well, even though a lot of crap goes on behind closed doors that we don't hear about, the community is in shock that something like this could happen in our safe little town. There's a major freakout factor and some paranoia, naturally. How safe are we?
It only scares me because, as a parent, once again I am faced with the cold, hard truth that we can't always be there to protect our children. All we can do is pray God takes over in that department when they are more than arm's length away. I believe He will. In the meantime, I'll hug the stuffing out of Carter when I've got him. I don't care how embarrassed it makes him.
By the way, you can read the stories at the Daily Tribune Web site.
It started out Saturday when a family reported their 23-year-old son never made it home after the fireworks the night before. He had been drinking so they didn't know if he became disoriented and passed out in the woods somewhere or, worse, the Wisconsin River. Hundreds of volunteers joined emergency personnel in the searching for 3 days. To no avail. The search was called off Tuesday morning. But things really changed later that day.
They changed when a different man, a 21-year-old reported missing earlier Tuesday, showed up on someone's porch -- naked, bloodied and bound in chains -- and told them to call the police.
The police say a 46-year-old man posed as a police officer, handcuffed and kidnapped both of these young men, stripped, beat and assaulted them while he had them chained in his basement and garage. Allegedly. Since I no longer work for the newspaper, I am free to pass judgment and say, "what a sicko!"
This is sad, really. The victims, who are the ages of some of my nephews, have some serious trauma to deal with. And the community, well, even though a lot of crap goes on behind closed doors that we don't hear about, the community is in shock that something like this could happen in our safe little town. There's a major freakout factor and some paranoia, naturally. How safe are we?
It only scares me because, as a parent, once again I am faced with the cold, hard truth that we can't always be there to protect our children. All we can do is pray God takes over in that department when they are more than arm's length away. I believe He will. In the meantime, I'll hug the stuffing out of Carter when I've got him. I don't care how embarrassed it makes him.
By the way, you can read the stories at the Daily Tribune Web site.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Get your motor running...
You'd think employing world-famous blogger Robyn Austin would be the claim to fame for little Iola, Wisconsin. But, alas, that is not the case.
This weekend, upwards of 150,000 people will converge on this tiny village to drool over chrome, inhale the sweet smell of exhaust and hug new found hubcaps. Yup. It's time for the 36th annual Iola Old Car Show. As always, our prime auto mag, Old Cars Weekly, has some exciting (and exclusive) coverage plans for the event, which takes place on the grounds surrounding our publishing house.
This year's theme tent will feature "roadsters, ragtops and rumble seats." For the blue-bloods, of course, there is always the Blue Ribbon display, a showcase of the best unrestored vehicles one can find on this planet. For those with a little rust running through their veins, there's acres and acres of swap meet vendors (heaven for garage-sale junkies, too!). For people like me who like looking at pretty things, there's Johnny Depp.
No kidding. There will be a special display of cars used in the recent filming of the "Public Enemies" movie, something all of Wisconsin was excited about. I am told by Old Cars editor Angelo Van Bogart that the display will feature such screen stars as a 1933 Nash sedan, 1935 Plymouth coupe and Model A truck. What? The cars are the screen stars? No Johnny Depp?! Sigh...
If you want to see what you're missing -- who knows, maybe Johnny will drop by -- you just have to check out the LIVE streaming video web cams. Just click on the camera links found here. It's a great way to kill time in the comfort of your air-conditioning this weekend. And seriously, the people-watching aspect cannot by overrated.
I can tell you, though, it is definitely worth the trip if you can make it. Click on the Old Cars Weekly Web site for a schedule of events and continuous coverage -- which hopefully includes an interview with a dark-haired celebrity. (Yes, OK, I have to get over it. Where's the funnel cake stand?)
This weekend, upwards of 150,000 people will converge on this tiny village to drool over chrome, inhale the sweet smell of exhaust and hug new found hubcaps. Yup. It's time for the 36th annual Iola Old Car Show. As always, our prime auto mag, Old Cars Weekly, has some exciting (and exclusive) coverage plans for the event, which takes place on the grounds surrounding our publishing house.
This year's theme tent will feature "roadsters, ragtops and rumble seats." For the blue-bloods, of course, there is always the Blue Ribbon display, a showcase of the best unrestored vehicles one can find on this planet. For those with a little rust running through their veins, there's acres and acres of swap meet vendors (heaven for garage-sale junkies, too!). For people like me who like looking at pretty things, there's Johnny Depp.
No kidding. There will be a special display of cars used in the recent filming of the "Public Enemies" movie, something all of Wisconsin was excited about. I am told by Old Cars editor Angelo Van Bogart that the display will feature such screen stars as a 1933 Nash sedan, 1935 Plymouth coupe and Model A truck. What? The cars are the screen stars? No Johnny Depp?! Sigh...
If you want to see what you're missing -- who knows, maybe Johnny will drop by -- you just have to check out the LIVE streaming video web cams. Just click on the camera links found here. It's a great way to kill time in the comfort of your air-conditioning this weekend. And seriously, the people-watching aspect cannot by overrated.
I can tell you, though, it is definitely worth the trip if you can make it. Click on the Old Cars Weekly Web site for a schedule of events and continuous coverage -- which hopefully includes an interview with a dark-haired celebrity. (Yes, OK, I have to get over it. Where's the funnel cake stand?)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
POWER surge
All of Carter's belongings didn't make it home with him after his vacation Up North. He forgot a treasure bag with his flea-market hard hat, his chocolate Skittles and some new flavors of Dots candy.
He left them at my brother's house and I told him he didn't have to send them back. Carter has lived his life so far without them and can manage without them. But thanks to my kind-hearted bro, they're on their way to our house as we speak via the brown truck.
I realize I should be taking my own advice. If I've got things in my house I haven't used -- let alone seen -- in a good chunk of time, then obviously I can live without them. Obviously, I should get rid of them.
Remember how my "back to basics" approach helped my golf game a few days ago? I need to try that with my life. Back in January, I resolved this would be my year of POWER -- with the P standing for Purging (getting rid of the excess, the junk, the clutter).
It's always good at mid-year, both personally and professionally, to gauge your progress on goals established at the beginning of the year. Have I gotten anywhere? Do I still want to go in this direction? Should I add any new objectives?
It's just like getting a fresh start or, what we say in my world, a Mulligan!
He left them at my brother's house and I told him he didn't have to send them back. Carter has lived his life so far without them and can manage without them. But thanks to my kind-hearted bro, they're on their way to our house as we speak via the brown truck.
I realize I should be taking my own advice. If I've got things in my house I haven't used -- let alone seen -- in a good chunk of time, then obviously I can live without them. Obviously, I should get rid of them.
Remember how my "back to basics" approach helped my golf game a few days ago? I need to try that with my life. Back in January, I resolved this would be my year of POWER -- with the P standing for Purging (getting rid of the excess, the junk, the clutter).
It's always good at mid-year, both personally and professionally, to gauge your progress on goals established at the beginning of the year. Have I gotten anywhere? Do I still want to go in this direction? Should I add any new objectives?
It's just like getting a fresh start or, what we say in my world, a Mulligan!
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