Saturday Spotlight

Started the day thinking the most exciting thing on the agenda was undressing, dismantling and storing the Christmas tree. With the addition of '80s music in the background, it was indeed a rockin' good time.

Like totally.

Then this afternoon, hubby and I went to watch the Assumption boys host Stevens Point Pacelli. Afternoon hoops don't always turn out well for us. There just doesn't seem to be the same level of alertness or something. Plus the hoop was blatantly ignoring our shots. Although we did have a short-lived lead at the beginning of the game, we fell behind by a good 15 points at one point. We had a resurgence late in the game, then this happened.

Down by 2 points with 2.5 seconds left, Pacelli had a player shooting free throws. He made the first one so they led by 3. If he made the second one, it was over. We can't score twice in 2.5 seconds. But he didn't make it. Watch below what happened in that 2.5 seconds...

Isn't that crazy amazing? We know that kid and his parents well. How excited they must be. And did you hear the fans screaming?  I was just telling Jim I have a sore throat. Maybe it's a not a virus after all, just fan induced.

To recover and calm down a bit, plus get my "daughter fix," I spent the evening doing the opposite of a boys basketball game. I attended the Dance With Pam Variations dance recital at the Wisconsin Rapids Performing Arts Center.

I met up with a friend of mine whose daughter was performing. Turns out I knew two of the girls dancing and the mothers of 3 more. So it was neat to see. Hey, any recital that starts out with a 5-song tribute to Prince gets 2 thumbs up in my book! All the numbers from Prince to Rio to Peter Pan were awesome!

I guess that's one bonus of afternoon basketball. It frees up the evening for culture, tapping feet and swinging hips.

That's a lot of excitement for one Saturday. With temps dipping to double digits below zero tonight, I might just force myself to stay home and out of the spotlight tomorrow.

Friday the Negative 13th

Who in their right mind would brave minus 13-degree temperatures at 5:30 a.m. (aka O Dark 30) to go to kickboxing class? Oh probably the same person who fumbled around in the dark the previous morning looking for a pair of jeans that still fit.

Yep. Cold and darkness be damned. This girl needed to burn some calories!

And yeah, I did warm up in class but the outside temps sure didn't warm up much today. Got just a degree or two above zero and that was it.

This afternoon while I was working, Jim and Carter headed over to Green Bay to watch one of Carter's classmates play hoops for the St. Norbert Green Knights. She was surprised to see them so I am glad they went to cheer her on!

Meanwhile, I worked and then decided I would treat myself to some hoops, too. Last night we watched the Assumption boys beat Pittsville at Pittsville. Tonight the Lady Royals hosted Marathon. Quite the aggressive game. We played tough defense but unfortunately our shots weren't going in. So the girls lost 55-40.

Had to have something to do with it being Friday the -13 right?

After the game I took the long way home to treat myself to a sound and light show. I cracked the window open and didn't hear much sound so I just snapped some pictures quickly because, well, yes it was freaking frigid out and who in their right mind has their window open?

They had lights on the house, garage and front yard, including several light trees and Olaf the snowman from the Disney movie Frozen. Frozen... that's appropriate!

Here's a play on words: Olaf yellow snow! Get it? I love yellow snow! Yes, my immature mind combined with my car's angle made me think the snowman was peeing.

Wow. This cold air really does a number on me!

Think I better crawl under some warm covers and quit while I'm ahead.

Do you want to build a snowman...

Trust Issues

When my cell phone rang at work this afternoon, the first thing I noticed was that I forgot to change my "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" ring tone. The second thing I noticed was that the call was coming from Washington, D.C.

Allegedly.

When I don't recognize a number, I always let it go to voicemail. I figure if it is someone I know, they'll leave a message. If it's a telemarketer, scammer or automated call of some sort, there won't be a message. 9 times out of 10, make that 9.75 times out of 10, there is no message because they fall into one of those categories.

Today, though, that D.C. caller left a voicemail. And, if I hadn't been on top of my Anti-Trust High Alert game, I might have been freaked out. Apparently the IRS is suing me and if I don't call back they'll let the local authorities know so they can arrest me. Whoa.

It just happened that I recently heard or read a news story about this scam so I was free of guilt when I deleted the message. Not this time, scammers!

These guys are persistent, though, and sent a follow-up text. I had to screen shot it to share.

It is kind of scary how official-sounding they attempt to be. It's just downright sad that these are the times we live in. We don't know whom to trust. Who is truly official, who is being helpful, who is out to get us or whatever they can from us.

Years ago when we gave hubby's parents a computer, my mother-in-law staunchly declared that they were not getting the Internet. "We don't want that in our house," she said, as if the virtual hand of evil was going to reach through the monitor and grab their morals, their soul, maybe their wallet. 

She might have been onto something. Our security gets threatened through cell phones, land lines, emails and the Internet. I even worry about my blog sometimes. There's probably some thugs out there who could use it to turn my life upside down. Do I quit and let them win? Or do I take the risk?

Frankly, I am not going to quit using my phone, television or any of my electronic devices. Then there's the fact that once something is on the Internet, it's there forever. Crap. What was I thinking starting a DAILY blog nearly 10 years ago?

Other than my IRS lawsuit, I hope there is nothing incriminating to warrant getting my assets frozen.

With these below-zero temperatures, my assets already frozen!

Be careful out there.

Dipping Down

So this is kind of funny! Well, until you feel it in person, that is.

The temperature in central Wisconsin is actually below zero as I type this. Just not that far below.  If our forecast proves correct the next several days, it just might feel like it, though!

Is this the first real cold snap? No. But we were oblivious on the beach when the last one came around. So I won't whine, just note it for the record.

Thankful we have power (since some friends don't) and thankful that even though hubby and I were an hour away for dinner tonight, I could text college boy to turn on my electric mattress pad. Now may hands and toes my still be cold from the long ride home, but my bed is ready for me.

Think I'll cut this short since my fingers can't feel the keyboard anyway.

C'mon, Wisconsin + Winter + January = Exaggeration. It's what we do!

Bundle up and be safe!!

In Focus

Wouldn't it be great if somebody loved to take photos AND capture images in words AND combined them in a blog? Whoa. Are you ready for this?

Since I am a scrapbooker, I have this habit of taking photos of everything. Not just special occasions, but photos that reflect everyday life. Now with the advent of these fancy smart phones – with the camera built right in! – it sort of gets out of hand.

So, yeah, I've got a ton of random images I could tie in with some random inspiration in my blog. And I think I will, thanks for asking. Ha. It will be my "In Focus" segment. Photos will be in focus, obviously, and I can focus on a related subject.

Today In Focus: The hibiscus.

The hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower, which is no surprise considering their prevalence on the island. It is also the national flower of Haiti and is used in their national tourism slogan of "Haiti: Experience It!" 

We can take a cue from that slogan as we enter a new year. Don't wait for 2017 to bring you an experience. Take it!

Many of us wait for the perfect time to do something. Don't. You might miss out. If hubby and I had waited until we had more time, more money and perfect beach bodies, we never would have made it to Maui. Well, maybe not never, but definitely not last month.

If I waited for my house to be big enough, clean enough, de-cluttered and in order, I would miss out on visits with friends and family who drop by. We would have missed the joy of hosting a student from Germany for a month and the most recent privilege of giving our nephew Tony a roof over his head and new opportunities.

Yet I have regrets over the many things I did not do, the relationships I did not nurture, the chances I did not take.

How about you? You ready to grab hold of 2017 and EXPERIENCE IT?

Baby steps, leaps of faith, dancing like nobody's watching... Let's do this.

Saturday, Sunday, Bowl Day

It was enough of a holiday that the banks were closed and the post office didn't deliver mail. However, kids around here were back in school and that meant a lot of my friends had to work. Bummer. Especially if they like the Badgers.

And that pretty much is 4 out of 5 Wisconsinites, isn't it?

Our office was closed so I had another day off to add to my confusion on what day it is. I was thinking bowl games were usually on Jan. 1, but what would I know? I don't follow college football too closely. Just catch a Badger game when I can.

Today, though, I slept in but got up and ran some errands, then sat down to watch the Big Red. It was so mild out, about 30-ish degrees, that I even took a 2-mile walk at halftime. After the game – and Badger victory if you missed it – I went to kickboxing, too.

Don't get any ideas that this is going to become a habit. It's possible that in addition to the Cotton Bowl, Outback Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, there may still be an Ice Cream Bowl before the day is done.

Gotta love Bowl Day!

Making the Point

There are too many areas of improvement for me to drill down a list that represents New Year's resolutions. So I'll pass, thanks.

I could say "I resolve to improve" and that would cover a whole gamut of personal categories. But I'll just say I desire or I want or I will strive... that's my aim. I hadn't planned anything more specific until a kind of, sort of resolution fell in my lap.

My friend Chris, who I ran a half-marathon with 5 years ago, messaged me shortly after noon that she had signed up for the Point Bock race and wanted me to join her. Now the Point Bock is a coveted race. It falls the first weekend in March and is limited to just 2,000 runners. Oh, and the 5-mile route starts and ends at the Point Brewery. There you have the attraction!

For those of us not motivated by a free beer after the race, it still is fun because it's a large crowd, a nice middle distance beyond a sprinting 5K, and the first "free" T-shirt of the season.

Registration used to be open in January and you'd mail your money and info. Now, of course, it's online and has been filling up within days, actually one day, and actually hours. So it's tough to make it into the Point unless you are on the ball. When Chris messaged me, I said to hubby, "Well that's weird that she could register. Usually they don't open it until New Year's Day."

Where's my head? I swear I only drank soda last night!

When I figured out it is, in fact, New Year's Day, I quickly got registered and made the Point. Thankfully, despite my misgivings about my ability to run even half of it, I acted quickly because the race filled up in record time this year... one hour, 44 minutes! Seriously? 2,000 people woke up New Year's Day and the first thing they thought of was a 5-mile run?

Crazy.

So my "half" sister and I will have to dust off our treadmills and see what we can do. I now have a definitive goal for 2017. Well, the first 2 months, anyway. If I just concentrate on this, maybe some of my other areas needing improvement will see some results, too.

Perhaps I am motivated best when others do the motivating for me. Maybe these mysterious "others" would like to do the training for me, too?

I know. I gotta get my head on straight. Happy NEW YEAR!! 2017... right?