A-maize-ing Friends

Work has been full of changes and severe adjustments lately that have caused me more than a moment of stress. But then you have that one co-worker who you've known since a previous job 20+ years ago, and they can turn your day around.

I love puns and my first thought was "Boy, I wish I could share this one with my mom. She'd LOVE this!" 

It really did help me get through another day of too many meetings (the new culture I'm moving into, apparently) and too little time to write (you know, my actual job). 

Not having the easiest time adjusting to changes but I love and appreciate having "a-maize-ing" friends who have my back. 

Unfortunately, my focus right now is buying the right lottery tickets so we can both retire right now. We're so close. But that extra little bit (it doesn't have to be a billion) will push us over to the edge. Of happiness. 

Oh, Mom and Grandma J, please work your luck from heaven!!

Up in the Atmosphere

We've gotten so spoiled with the brilliant Northern Lights displays in the past 2 years that I think we sometimes forget to look up and appreciate the beauty of the stars on a cold, nearly cloudless night.

My inspiration? Book Club, of course!

Tonight 5 of us were able to meet at Ida's and discuss Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. We don't always go back to the same authors time and again but it happens we read her Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising for previous discussions in years past. Plus several of us read her Daisy Jones and the Six book. She's good. What can we say?

Plus, our club is magical at picking out great books 9 out of 10 times.

I latched on to the storylines of this book for several reasons. First it was set in the early 1980s when the lead female characters were training in the NASA space program. It was around that time (which they obviously mention in the book) that Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. I just remember how excited my sister Romey was about that because she had lived in Orlando a few years in the late 1970s and was in tune with the news there.

The second thing was that all the fictional stuff in the book came before my first memorable historic moment of childhood – when teacher Christa McAuliffe and her crew members died in the January 28, 1986, explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. 

Reading about the hype (and frankly, doubt) about women in space was interesting. But there were so many complex relationships that made the story so moving. That again, I'm listening to audio and crying in my car. 

Give it a read or a listen. I'm a pretty tough rater but I gave it a 4.5 out of 5. And if you have time, check out some of her other titles. I mean what else is there to do in the winter in the Midwest? We can stargaze and take pictures – but that lasts about 35 seconds before it's time to come in!

By the way, our January book is The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. I'm already on page 80 and riveted (in, I'll admit, a heartbreaking way).

But if you've read Atmosphere, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Be careful out there and stay warm!

Micro Temperature Multi-Tasking

 

I almost think that if it was a was a work day and we woke up to 10 below zero, we both might have stayed at home. But it was a Sunday and we both had to ding in our church choirs. So we warmed up our vehicles, and that's what we did.

And we survived just fine.

Since my one-loss fantasy football team is on bye and my real-life NFL team doesn't play until tonight, I decided to get my work secret Santa shopping completed. After I stopped home and layered up with long underwear, that is. I had gotten a few things awhile back, but today's stops included Home Depot (don't ask), Walgreens and Dollar Tree.

I should have started at Dollar Tree based on the prices of gift bags, etc. Duh me.

Got home and have watched a little bit of football while trying to wrap up a high school basketball design project – and prepare for my book to be discussed at tomorrow's Book Club meeting. 

Never underestimate the power (and sometimes stress) of multi-tasking. 

I even did my festive nails this afternoon to look like I'm 100% in the holiday spirit (whether that's true at work or not.).

At the end of the day, let's all just focus on staying warm and safe!

B-b-b-east Mode!

 

I can't recall the first 6 months of 2025 but I know today was definitely the coldest day of the second half of the year!

And wouldn't you know it, we had the guy coming over to clean out/vacuum whatever our duct work. With the heat turned off!

His giant suction machine was called Beast so we were literally in Beast Mode rather we wanted to be or not. Thankfully he got done in less than the 4 anticipated hours. I promptly took the hottest shower of my life when he left!

Today was the Rudolph Christmas celebration but with the ultra cold temps, all outdoor activities (including petting the reindeer) were canceled. Jim went up there to go to church with his guitar choir peeps and socialize after.

I stayed home and opted to buy a Powerball ticket to get us out of Wisconsin Winters...

And catch up on a cozy Hallmark movie or two. (Duh!)

After getting a Hallmark BINGO yesterday on my day off – where the prize is eating the spicy gumdrop game pieces – I had to try again. Looking good so far!

Be careful out there and stay warm!

The Boys of Summer Meet the Field of Dreams

If there's one thing my father-in-law and his brother Joe loved (besides their wives and kids, that is) it was baseball! Uncle Joe coached baseball for decades. And I have more than a handful of pictures like this where the brothers are at Witter Field to "watch" an Assumption High School baseball game. Surely not there to supervise my hubby and his coaching skills, right?

Today, when I saw Uncle Joe was dressed in that same red Rapids baseball jacket as he lay in his coffin, I lost it. Another boy of summer has moved on to the Field of Dreams.

It was surreal to have almost a repeat of 2 weeks ago when we laid his wife – Aunt Janice – to rest. At her funeral it was nice to see dozens of Austin relatives we hadn't seen for quite some time. Today it was more of a "this is not how we should be getting together again" vibe. Lots of tears.

Still it was a nice service. Jim did the readings again and both he and Clay were pallbearers. Casey drove over from Minneapolis as well (Carter had sleet going on down in Dubuque to prevent his travels).

So after the sad stuff, we were blessed with some smiling time with our big sweetie grandpup Rey – and the humans Casey and Clay too.

I unfortunately had to finish my work day with some meetings. But I could hear three of the four brown-eyed bandits talking and laughing down the hall in the livingroom.

That, my friends, are the moments we need to cherish. Those are the memories that make us one day say, like today, "Remember that time we did this with Uncle Joe..."

I might just have to step and tell November "Move over, Gratitude Month. There are things happening every month that make us grateful."

Hug your loved ones!

Take the Darn Trip!

Not sure how Merriam-Webster defines regret. But I define it as that "was gonna" pain in your heart and low in your gut.

As in, I "was gonna" call that friend. I "was gonna" make time to meet up for coffee. I "was gonna" take a trip to see that friend or family member. But suddenly they're gone. And I didn't. 

I'm here to tell you. Take the damn trip!

This spring, I traveled with three of my sisters down to St. Louis to celebrate Easter and, more importantly, our Uncle Charlie's 90th birthday. Our dad's last living sibling. 

Just a great time with him, Aunt Sally, and our fun-loving cousins. They've lived there for decades and often came "up north" for family events, but I hadn't ever made it down there. So glad I did.

When I heard the news yesterday morning that Uncle Charlie passed away (yes, the same type of news Jim and I have gotten 3 out of the past 4 Tuesday mornings!), my heartache was sadness. Not regret. 

Because I took the trip!

I am sure Grandma Minnie was rejoicing as she welcomed her baby boy to heaven so her family of 9 kids was complete. But on earth, we are facing the end of an era with sadness. We still have 3 amazing aunts married to those crazy but caring Hedberg men, but that's it. The OG Hedbergs on my family tree are gone.

This has become quite the tough and emotional holiday season.

But I am so glad I took the trip. I can say with relief, "I'm so glad I got to see him this year and spend time with him on his birthday."

So if you're thinking about someone you want to re-connect with, visit in person, or just call. Do it. There's no guarantee you can do it tomorrow.

Life of a Show Girl (the Twins' Era)

Someone asked me how long my twin sister and I have been "performing" (using term loosely) songs and dances. I think this is the earliest documentation I could find. No date on the photo but I'm guessing we were 2 1/2 or 3 1/2. (I'm the chub-ster on the right.) And yes, based on the very short dresses my sisters were wearing in the dead of winter, it was the '70s folks!

Here we are with a group of cousins singing to Grandpa and Grandma Johnson as part of a family Christmas. This has been quite the long-standing tradition! 

Then throughout childhood, we sang at church things, 4-H things, bridal showers and baby showers (our mom would make up the lyrics), and for nursing residents. That pretty much went by the wayside after high school graduation, but we resurrected it in 2000 in the form of an "opening act" at each of our sister weekends.

So yeah, we're not shy and it's always fun to make people smile! Too bad we're not making billions like that other show girl...

But if you are a fan of hers, there's something in Wisconsin Rapids worth checking out!

Every year the South Wood County Historical Museum hosts a Christmas Tree walk with beautifully and uniquely decorated trees throughout the large home.

This year, some creative Swifties paid homage to her latest album. Cute.

Look closer and you can see the "garland" mimics her trademark friendship bracelets. And, you can grab one off the tree for yourself!

Look even more closely and you'll see song lyrics from multiple albums that tie into winter or Christmas. Great job, ladies!

There are at least two dozen other trees to see – plus decorated mantels, wreaths, rooms. All for a free-will offering for the museum. Check it out this season! 

You might just start singing and dancing yourself!

It's Beginning to FEEL a Lot Like Christmas

What a Christmas weekend! I mean, 3 weeks ahead of time. After Carter and Mamie arrived Friday night, we headed out early Saturday morning for my Hedberg family Christmas. Unlike last year, it was clear roads and pretty much smooth sailing over to Lake Elmo, Minnesota!

After a great meal – mostly provided by our amazing next generation – we had our annual program, which I hope never dies in this next generation. Usually each R family has to (or offers to) do a number of some sort. Late Friday, my twin and I texted through a routine that would leave most of our micro-families off the hook.

We did a "Broadway production" or way OFF Broadway of "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." And via text at few hours before, we worked out a short song and dance. Let me know if you want the video link!

Rayna talked true love with her Christmas Gnomes!'

Romey and her kids played and sung Feliz Navidad with their foreign exchange student Bianca.

Renell's multigenerational family was totally into Alvin and the Chipmunks... with Kazoos!

Then Beth's son Nils (right) decided he really needed to sing "We Wish You A Very Christmas" with RoAnn's granddaughter Khloe or just by himself. Either way, it was so entertaining!

Brother Ron had words of inspiration with song lyrics to back up our memories.

Rachel showed off her teacher skills by reading through a book about winter and pre-Christmas.

I love that now our No. 1 son and his wife are in Minneapolis, they can attend my random MN/WI family gatherings!

Also was grateful for these 2 GREAT-nieces!

As for my niece Caryn. I've known her since I was 10+ years old. If she just happened to break her middle finger. I am the last person to say she shouldn't take advantage of that "signal" in her holiday (or realistic) greetings!
 

It's beginning to FEEL like Christmas, indeed!

TGIP

 TGIP?? Thank Goodness it's Paid time off!

A productive day off since I had to add "something" to the cookies I already made for our exchange tomorrow. Turns out some pretzel rods dipped in Almond Bark can fill the plate! I'll confess – too easy to really count!

Later, I cobbled together a chocolate-peppermint trifle that I hope sustains a 3-hour drive in the morning. If not, we'll just arrive with the ingredients in tact -- whether they're beautiful or not!

Now, we just wait for the kiddos to arrive "home" at a decent enough time for us all to hit the road in the morning.

Super Cold

 

It's definitely a Midwestern thing where we are obsessed with weather forecasts from Thanksgiving to Easter. So we all knew we'd have the coldest morning of "fall" today, but we sort of had to document it to compete to see who had it worse.

Frankly, I didn't want to compete with my Up North counterparts because -7 degrees is low enough for me. I was just happy my car started fine in the nice garage and I made it to work safely. And when the temperature was twice as high – at 8 above – during lunchtime I ran to get gas so I wouldn't have a "low fuel" light come on after work when it was likely plunging back to the negatives.

I went straight from work to St. Vincent's to shoot hoops – pictures of the middle school girls, that is. I think today was their first game, but I prefer to take pictures early in the season so I can "skip" the games when it's snowing or just icy out. Apparently, I had an exception today for the COLD.

Speaking of cold, the "Cold Moon" was shining brightly tonight.

I don't know if this is the "what seems to be common SUPER moon," but it was a super Cold Moon on a super Cold Night so I think this one fits the bill. Ha.

And these are the highlights of my day. I have quite the basketful of "low-lights" but I am still processing those. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off with total focus on my upcoming family Christmas on Saturday. 

Step aside, Old Man Winter and Work Stuff, I have Christmas on the brain! 

Non-Trad Holiday Lights

At the end of a pretty busy workday, I was looking forward to seeing some Christmas lights to calm me on the commute home. I did see plenty in Stevens Point, but it was the non-traditional holiday lights that caught my attention.

And yes, caused several moments where I pulled over to the edge of the road and capture them. Enjoy and see God's handiwork – even in the toughest of times for some people...

And 5 minutes later, we're in winter darkness mode. Still, the beauty of a sunset (any time of year) just gives me pause to remember God is huge, my problems/moments of angst are little, and we need to figure out how to take a deep breath and appreciate it.

The "holiday light show" was perfect timing for me. Hope you feel the same!

What We Hoped Wouldn't Happen

I have especially felt grief during every holiday season (Easter to Christmas) since my dad died more than a decade ago. And have been more acutely aware of the pain of loss since Mom's passing last year. Simultaneously, one of my sisters has been grieving the loss of her husband on top of that.

I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

But for my cousins-in-law, they got a double blow this holiday season.

Last Tuesday we laid Aunt Janice Austin to rest. And this morning, Uncle Joe closed his eyes and decided to join her. So heartbreaking for their family. These are the "kids" hubby grew up with, spending countless hours at their house being boisterous boys who either played nice or tried to prove who was the most talented with a baseball bat! 

They were like a second set of parents. And nothing hurts more for these boys (and their families) than becoming an "orphan" in 2 weeks' time. 

In peak holiday season.

I pray for all of you who are hurting, missing, grieving someone this holiday season. And well, throughout the year. Focus on the memories. They will reflect the love of your relationship and the blessing that they were part of your life.

Easier said than done. But let's try! 💔 

The Countdown Begins

Hello, December! Advent is here and we are officially counting down to Christmas. 

That's the only nice thing I can say about today. Since it was cold and the snow was back. Just not a ton of it this time.

And well, it's Monday. After 5 days away from my work desk, let's just say I had digging out to do – unrelated to the weather.

Did have a nice adjustment at the chiropractor after work. And now I am going to quickly catch up on the last two weeks of The Voice before tonight's live-ish episode. 

And I'll have to be sure I have snow brush in the car and maybe emergency snacks for the morning commute! 

Have a good week and a thoughtful Advent season, everyone!

Snowy Advent Prep

After all those over-the-top forecasts on Saturday, we ended up with about 5 inches of snow in the Rapids area. A nice backdrop to the Christmas decorations I already have in place as Advent begins.

Since hubby was up at the crack of dawn removing snow here and at his dad's, I had no issues getting to church this morning.

Of course, I had to take a few record-keeping photos before I left.

Our wreath is in a new locale this year. When we got it delivered, we realized we didn't want to pound a nail hole in our brand-new siding. Duh! Looks quite festive on the deck.

As the sun was rising, I tried to catch in our solar lighthouse. My mind saw it better than it turned out, but oh well.

After church, it was a quick day with the kiddos who understandably wanted to get on the road so they could get back to Dubuque in daylight. Especially since they got twice as much snow as we did.

Then it was just trying to relax and watch football. The Vikings are sucking and my fantasy football team is logging its first loss. So yes, before 6 p.m. I am throwing in the surrender towel and going in the basement to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie or two.

This is how I do my snowy Advent prep. May we all have a blessed season!

Fa-La-La-La-Love!

Despite the fact Old Man Winter is trying to dump 10 inches of snow on us, it's been a really nice 2 days.

It's Cranberry Classic weekend, which means hubby (who is on the committee) was tied to Assumption High School yesterday and today for the annual basketball tournament. I shot pictures in the morning Friday then Carter, Mamie and I headed out to Black Fridays-ville.

I mean if you count buying raffle tickets to win Christmas trees and lawn ornaments! Locals, be sure you check out the Feztival of Trees put on by our local Shriners running through December 10. So many gorgeous (gift-filled) trees and wreaths you could win!

Last year, Carter and I sat on Santa's lap. This year, we sacrificed Mamie. Not sure what she wished for but Carter is still mad he didn't grant him his Vikings' Superbowl win wish from last time!

From there we went shopping in Stevens Point-Plover area to find Carter's gift. Success! 

Ate nearby at Chili's and enjoyed the fantabulous Nashville Hot chicken strips. Leftover box number 2 added the fridge!

Went to boys game last night and shot pictures of the varsity girls today before heading home in the snow. Unlike last time, it's sticking more to the roads than the trees. Ick.

Played some Five Crowns cards with the kids. By the third round I had 52 points (bad) and they each sat at zero. Then momma rallied all the way to the last hand when kings were also wild! That was fun.

When the basketball game was done we met Clay out to eat at the new BBQ Shack Bar and Grill (formerly Danny K's). 

Great visit and food. Wow. My oversized BBQ brisket sandwich means, you guessed it, leftover box #3 added to the fridge!

Now we're home safely, relaxing, and not really looking forward to tomorrow's snow removal! 

Stay safe out there!