In and Out of Luck

Headed Up North yesterday morning. After the detours and road construction I encountered a few weeks ago, I decide to take a different route north-westward. I went up to Colby/Abbotsford to get on Hwy. 29.

And it was one lane each way 'til my Chippewa Falls exit for 53 North. Grrrr.

By the time I got to my sister Rachel's in Luck, I was ready for a nap!

I visited with her awhile (while she got me hooked on Sullivan's Crossing) and then went up to my sister Romey's near Grantsburg, where two other sisters – Rayna and Renell – joined us for a short visit.

From there I went to Adventures restaurant in Siren to meet my twin and some of her family for a belated birthday dinner. Coconut shrimp for the win! My nephew Tony was home visiting from Green Bay so it was nice to see him, too!

From there I went back down to Rachel's to stay at her place for the night. She's just down the street from our high school. Even at 8:36 p.m., it was still class of '86 degrees out. Ha. Yes, this heatwave is ghastly.

Got home late this afternoon. Yes, my A/C works in my car, but there were times I wondered. It was just that hot out! 

Hope you all are staying cool and hydrated. My vacation is already going by too fast! 

Do Too Many Candles Cause Lightning?

 

I was all set to apologize for being responsible for this evening's severe weather. But I didn't have a cake or candles so my little birthday is free and clear.

Even my gift from hubby - which I'm super excited about - didn't ignite the skies because it hasn't been assembled yet! Ha.

We actually thought today was going to be hot and sunny but the forecast changed and it was almost cool. With some rain in the early afternoon. 

That unfortunately canceled some boating plans.

But couples Golf League was still on. YAY for birthday golf! Had a really fun time and I golfed 100% better that last week. 

My twin had to work today so I'm driving up north to see her for dinner tomorrow. Don't worry, my A/C is working!

Stay hydrated and safe this week!

And thanks all the birthday wishes. Feeling the love!

Vacation Vittles

 

Technically I'm on vacation (mostly stay-catio) for the next so I didn't waste time starting to eat like I'm on vacation. 

I mean calories don't count, I hear!

I went downtown to the Farmers Market and pretty much expected I'd have crab rangoon for breakfast. But the line was just too long.

But then I spotted a food truck I thought only had fancy popcorn. Turns out they also have mini-donuts (think Minnesota State Fair)! When she convinced me to order a dozen, the cashier told me to choose a flavor.

I'm like, "There are flavors?" What rock have I been hiding under?!

So it was coincidentally Birthday Cake flavored mini-donuts for the win!

This is going to be something yummy time off!

Friday Sizzles

I've learned that since I've been working from home on Fridays for 5 years, there is nothing different or spectacular about the experience.

But when I donned the Electric Run t-shirt today I remembered how fun weekends can be.

This was a family 5K event about a year after my dad died and just as 3 of us sisters and Mom were headed to South Dakota to visit our nephew and family. It was a fun, glow stick-heavy event in the Twin Cities. 

I mean, any race where it doesn't matter how we finish is a win for me!

Years later, it's just me. Working at home for the day and having no excitement. I just realized that's 100% OK. I have next week off so I am good with no surprises. But a larger than life ice cream cone would not disappoint.

Flower Girl

I realized today a distinct advantage of working from home during the summer is that you can set your "lunch hour" to whatever time you want and you can use it to run into town for the farmers market. 

Today my lunch was from 9:30-10:30 a.m. I bought sour dough bread and cinnamon rolls from friend Christina and then, on a whim, bought flowers for myself. Well they were all purple and white Glads and I couldn't resist! We all deserve flowers so it was just the right thing to do! 

That pretty much brightened my mood for the rest of the work day, that's for sure.

Golf league should have been – and well, was actually fun – but I had my worst round of the summer. Still, who cares, we were up against the first-place team and we still had a summer's eve out on the course. Gotta remember that when I look at my high score!

Plus, we made it a pre-birthday celebration (er, acknowledgement) so that was fun, too.

For those keeping track of my t-shirts – I think just you, Lisa – today was one of the shirts I made when my sister Nell and I went to Alaska in June of 2021. Since all of us kids start with the letter R I had to make that part of the design. I had 2 other shirt designs, too, so I'll have to dig those up. Greatest most breath-taking trip ever! If you haven't been, go! If you are going soon... do you have room for one more?

My T-Shirt Era

For us working folk, there's not many casual days in our lives, if you think about it. Saturdays might be an occasion, but there's usually a little dressing up for church on Sundays. After yesterday's fun coincidence of matching my neighbor, this morning I thought, "I'm going to start wearing all these t-shirts I insisted on buying but don't get an occasion to wear."

First one off the pile – King Cone of course! It's a pretty cool shirt, if I do say so myself.

Don't worry, I'm not boring you with a picture everyday. Just had to prove at the same time that I am leaving my desk and getting out walking. A must-do when working at home can keep you chained to your desk. 

I discovered today that 3 laps around the neighborhood "larger circle" will net me 5,000+ steps. So that's a start anyway. Each lap is a nice short break. Just have to keep reminding myself to do it!

Today was also highlighted by military jet training overhead and sonic booms and a nice thunderstorm. All ending before Jim's golf league, naturally.

Also, thanks to the internet and livestreaming, I was able to watch my cowboy nephew Zach compete in the AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships in Amarillo, Texas. He's doing pretty good. Now I feel the need to watch The Man From Snowy River, which helped fuel his horse obsession as a young boy!

Don't be to jealous of my exciting life these days! 

Not Gonna Lose Our Shot

This is, I swear, the most random thing in the world. I was all set to wear a pink shirt today for National Wear Pink Day or whatever, but spotted a t-shirt I hadn't worn in some 4 or 5 years. So I donned one of my Hamilton (the musical) t-shirts.

Then when I was turning into my neighborhood after a post-work gas run, I saw a familiar color!

I parked my HRV and after confirming my friend Cindy I randomly picked this shirt today, made sure to take a picture. I mean, what are the odds?!

We saw Hamilton together years ago but the odds of us choosing today to wear our shirts is crazy. I guess that means we're due to see it again. Or see some "Broadway" show in our area in the coming months. 

It's kind of freaky, but I'll take it as a sign. I'm checking out shows right now!

#NotThrowingAwayMyShot