A Two-Some Weekend

Saturday was sort of like an episode of Wedding Crashers... but we were more like Wedding Surfers!

We happened to have two weddings on Saturday – one family, one friends. We somehow managed to get to both ceremonies. First our friends' daughter Allyse (one of Carter's prom dates from forever ago) at 1 p.m. When the ceremony start was delayed a bit, we wondered if we'd get to the other ceremony at 3 p.m.

Thank goodness both wete within 5 miles of Wisconsin Rapids.

After Allyse's absolutely beautiful wedding, we got out to Rooted in Red for Jim's goddaughter's Becca Austin's wedding. It's a nice venue for any outdoor ceremony, etc. The weather was just pleasant – not super hot. So nice. And so great to visit with Austin family and cousins.

Becca was the happiest bride!! Just loved to see her joy! 

After our dinner and some dancing – oh yes, two dances with hubby – we headed home and stopped at wedding No. 1 reception at The Ridges on the way. Got to officially congratulate the bride and visit with some friends. Full day of two-some fun!

Then this afternoon we started our "two-some" couple's league at Tri-City. The fun thing is that Jim and I go against another couple and we get to do a scramble format so we can keep the pace of play going. The non-fun thing is I realize once again my hubby is a phenomenal golfer and I am a complete dead weight. Unfortunately, according to couple's league rules, they have to use at least 3 of my drives in the 9 holes. 

I need more rounds than 2 before I can contribute, that's for sure! But somehow we came out ahead in the match tonight! Whew.

At least on a surprisingly cool Sunday I had my new Cutter and Buck golf pullover that I may or may not have bought myself on my trip to Minnesota last weekend. 88 degrees that day and yet I thought, "I should plan ahead!"

Very comfy and light but warm enough when whimps like me can't deal with wind and chill!

Side note: I love it and I'll be wearing it for much more than golf!

Carter called when we were putting out our last hole. Then we connected later when we were home. We're looking forward to seeing their place up in Duluth and showing them a few sights. How is it that all the weekends in the summer just fill up so fast?!

Hopefully something works out in July. Hubby hasn't been up there and I want to show both of them plus Mamie some of the must-see sights. 

At least we all agree it has to be a summer-type month.... not winter! Appreciate summer right now!

Love Favorite Feelings

Our nephew Colin's wife does an amazing job each Christmas of creating a family calendar of sorts for the next year. 

So when Endless January did indeed finally end, it was nice to see cute pictures of him with his family at the racetrack, with his mom at the awards ceremony, and just a random shot of his favorite uncle and aunt at the Nashville Music Hall of Fame Museum.

I like the title: You are my favorite feeling.

What's your favorite feeling? Does it involve a person, place, or object?

I can tell you I love goodbye kisses in the morning from my husband... but also loved the feeling of eating that Andes Mint Chocolate Cupcake at work 2 hours later today (Bless you, 2 1/2 Cups Bakery in Marshfield!)

I also love when people drool over my trifles, genuinely appreciate my photography, and give me the best hugs ever (usually my sisters – there's no holding back!).

But it depends on the day, doesn't it? 

On many Sundays my favorite feeling is nailing our choir song in church. Then later hanging out with BINGO friends I didn't even know a year ago – whether we win or lose.

On Mondays, my favorite feeling is sleeping until the last possible minute to just cross the hallway into my office to work! No shower. Maybe comb my hair.

On Tuesdays, it's going into the office and seeing the people I sincerely like and respect, who care if I had a decent weekend and days out of the office.

Wednesdays typically mean my monthly Girls' Night Out dinner then church choir squad. (Yes, a squad. We're that cool.)

On Thursdays, my favorite feeling only applies in the summer when I have my Foxy Ladies Night golf league.

Friday it's ditto of Monday with an occasional fish fry sprinkled in.

On Saturdays, my favorite feeling is no alarm and no plans. 

So yes our favorite feeling can vary by the calendar. But mine, no matter what, is just feeling loved, respected, and appreciated – no matter who or what prompts that feeling! 

Hope you all have some favorites that never let you down!

Eating Humble Fry Pie

When I had my holiday shopping treat of the coconut cream Amish fry pie for "breakfast" this morning, I had no idea I'd be eating some humble pie later on today.

I keep my life schedule organized on the calendar on my phone. But also put everything (I thought) on our kitchen calendar too. And urge (well, nag) hubby to do the same.

For as often as I've been checking the calendar to confirm we are indeed still in early autumn, I can't believe a completely empty Monday square didn't alarm me. At one point I checked the school sports calendar today thinking maybe I had another middle school hoops or game or something. Nope.

Did I check my phone though? Nope. I must have brain freeze!

At 4 p.m. my phone dings that I have my 6-week appointment with my hair artist at 4:30 p.m.! Whoa. THAT'S what I was missing. Or almost missed.

Since working at home on Mondays is a very casual dress environment, the first thing I said to Jim was, "Well I guess I do have to wear adult clothes today!" I quickly changed out of my warm and cozy "casual wear" and headed into town.

The first bonus was sitting under the dryer for 15 minutes and finally feeling warmed up!

The second bonus is that Miss Sarah does a fabulous job in front and back. Maybe I should have appointments at 6 a.m. so I can walk around all day with great hair and a "toss, toss" attitude! But I'd probably forget to set my alarm.

Whew. Crisis averted. (Hair artists are hard to get appointments with, seriously!) So I already have my Dec. 22 appointment on the kitchen calendar. In orange "alert" Sharpee. 

Now if only I could convince Mother Nature and Old Man Winter to look at their calendars!

Hello, September

I'll admit there are very few things I like about the transition from August to September. But I do love that Pumpkin Spice Lattes everywhere and Pumpkin Pie Blizzards at DQ are back in the picture. It's also nice to turn the page on the family calendar.

When I sensed a bit of a theme – purple vs green & gold – I took action. First I took care of all my dead or close to dead hanging basket flowers. P.S. There may be a shallow grave out in the woods to the east!

Then I found ourselves some purple and yellow Vikings mums for the front deck. Success.

Most of the rest of the day was pretty laid back – as Labor Day should be. Jim got together with a few high school buddies. And I found a few minutes with Mr. Deck Chair.

But mostly I was packing for my work trip to San Francisco this week. Gotta leave my house by 6:30 a.m. tomorrow and I'll be back sometime Saturday night. I hope I can share some highlights in between, but don't count on it. It will be the typing each letter on my phone type of blogging. But I'll try.

Hope you had a non-laborious Labor Day, too. Let's carry this relaxation vibe into the entire week!

Hello, March and Madness

New month means a flip of the calendar and new (but familiar) faces! Love seeing the two older boys with their special ladies!

March also means it's pretty much March Madness for every sport. 

Last night I was thrilled to see my friend's daughter earn her way to state in two gymnastics events – the bars and the beam. She did awesome despite having a really, really sore foot! Hope it heals so she can rock it at state next weekend – which happens to be in Wisconsin Rapids. There's an advantage to living in the center of the state sometimes!

And tonight March madness was in high gear as our Lady Royals dominated Almond-Bancroft to earn the regional championship! Way to go, Lady Royals! Now the toughest game of the season comes Thursday when we play Pacelli, who we just haven't managed to beat. It will be a good game!

Other than that, it's been a quiet weekend. The mild spring temps of earlier this week have now dipped below freezing. So even though it was sunny out, do we say March came in like a Lion? Or a Lamb?

Since the Royals' mascot is a lion, let's go with that!

After 53 Days, January is Over!

What a bi-polar January. There was that deep freeze and then today was allegedly 50+ degrees in Wisconsin Rapids. Meanwhile I just realized I never shared a picture of our family calendar my nephew's wife Amy created for us.

The January page features Amy and my great-nephew Eli in top photo and our dear Carter and Mamie on the bottom. Can't wait to see what February brings us – on the family calendar anyway. 

As for weather, maybe just normal winter. Nothing extreme in either direction. Of course, I should consult the Farmer's Almanac or at least Weather-pedia to see what's predicted. I'm just going to pretend we're in for a quiet month with some snow but none of these crazy germs circulating around.

If it starts off on a positive note, I might just make a New Year's resolution or too.

Just kidding. Obviously it's been a very long January!

Hello, November

I probably say this ever year, but "This year has flown by in record time!" How is it November already? 

I definitely noticed the time of year during my "leave the house when it's still dark" commutes to work this week, but I'm just not wrapping my head around the fact that Thanksgiving is this month. And I should get my Christmas shopping started. And those cards!

A friend of mine shares posts from a Positively Present site and it gives me an idea how to address November. First, the To-Do List...

Then, there's what you should do just for yourself...

Let's turn that page on the calendar, ignore the dropping temperatures, and find a reason to enjoy November!

Happy Last Quarter

As we slide into the fourth quarter of 2024, I found this social media post today both interesting and inspiring. Maybe there was something you wanted to accomplish this year but you didn't get around to it or just weren't motivated to do it.

It's not too late.

There are 84 days left. That's 84 opportunities for you to try something new, change direction with something old, or just be grateful for what you have and where you're at.

84 days can feel like a lifetime – if you're laid up in a hospital somewhere fighting for your life. 84 days is an even shorter time span than my sister Rachel was in the hospital after her serious car accident. I sometimes forget how much she missed in her 91 days of "residency" in the second quarter of 2024.

She was thrilled the other night when I sent a picture of the Northern Lights from our front yard, that she could get outside and also see them from her yard up in Luck. While everyone from here to Texas saw the pretty greens and pinks early this summer, she was still recovering and missed it. I forgot about that.

But God didn't. He definitely was proving there are still things she can see, enjoy, and do in this final quarter of the year.

So take advantage of 84 days of new beginnings, of opportunities to show gratitude and be kind, and create a few more moments that matter. 

I'm on your side!

Spring has Sprung... a Leak

After record-breaking temps in the "traditional" months of winter, it's tough to deal with winter-type weather when spring has officially arrived – according to the calendar, that is.

Today we woke up to this frigid wind – which was not fun when I was hauling a big computer into Best Buy during my lunch hour. Then tomorrow, this is coming...

Thank goodness we don't need to shovel Friday morning since 3 out of 3 of us work from home that day. Still.... ugh! Come back, spring. We miss you already!

Besides the weather, of course, March Madness is a sure sign of spring. Tonight, hubby and some old friends are doing their bracket "draft" of sorts for the 20th-plus year. I have to fill out my own by mid-morning. 

One guaranteed way we can forget about the weather for a few minutes. Good luck, fellow bracketeers!

Fake Spring No. 6

We keep having these fake springs and I swear I'll fall for it one of these times. But all of in the Midwest know the other snow-shoe is going to drop at some point. Still, we are tempted to believe!

While our thermometers tried valiantly to set a record today, it was not to be. Fell short by 2 degrees here in Rapids. Don't beat yourself up little mercury molecules – you tried your hardest!

It'll plunge back to normal March vibes tomorrow but it sure was nice coming home and having windows open to usher in that Fake Spring air!

The Kids and I worked up a sweat hauling some stuff from the garage down to the basement after work. Funny how the basement felt "cold" before we started! 

Be patient. According to the calendar, the Spring Fakers might be gone next Tuesday. I mean one of these times it HAS to be Real Spring. Right?

I won't hold my breath. But I will keep breathing in this nice fresh air for a few more hours!

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!

And Luck Ran Out

Last week when I looked at my calendar marking my "Days out of the office" I felt like I'd won the jackpot. I mean 777 is pretty lucky on the slots, isn't it? Not so much on this calendar, though.

While 777 looked good last week and the thought I might be back there in 45 days was OK news, too, the 783 was the best number in that many days. Because that's how many days I outran "IT". And that's why 784 is the worst day.

That's the day IT caught me.

After finding no lasting relief from those "spring allergy" symptoms I was battling, all week, I took the plunge. Or I should say, I took the swipe.

The "positive" line on the test showed up in 2 seconds flat. No sense delaying the obvious news. 

Damn.

Doesn't matter from who, what, why, where or when. That won't change anything. This princess has been banished to her tower! And majorly bummed since we had "planned" a concert tonight, two weddings tomorrow, and trip to see friends on Sunday. All off the books now. But at least I'm the only positive here.

And when I get off the Pity Pot, I'll remember I'm grateful I am fully vaccinated and boosted. I'd prefer these "allergies" to having a ventilator tube stuck down my throat. 

As I often say: Be careful out there.

No Joke

Not really April Fools related, but I've now been out of the office 757 days. Whoa. That's seems like a joke to me!

We allegedly will be returning in the coming months – maybe summer since we've already jumped into a new month. In the meantime, I'll deal with the humor of the other guy who has an office in this building.

This afternoon as he headed out the door to go work his church fish fry, he exclaimed something like, "#$#$%&%$ I didn't know I stepped in dog poop and I've tracked it all over house!" Of course, I thought it was an April Fools' joke because, well, we don't have a dog!

But a half dozen of them live in the 'hood. And apparently they either pooped where they weren't supposed, or Jim walked where he wasn't supposed to. Either, the hallway looks like a Paper Towel Covering Resolve Carpet Cleaner Landmine.

Happy April 1st.

Hope it didn't stink.

It's Twos-Day

If I had any knowledge of how numbers worked or what made them special, I'd have picked the winning Powerball numbers ages ago. But I don't. And today – on 2/22/22 – I still don't.

Not sure the big deal with a bunch of 2's on a Tuesday, but I'm acknowledging this moment in history in my blog. Letting my future self know that it was trending on social media and I was old enough not to understand why AND not to care.

Our big concern today was what we'd wake up to weatherwise. Area schools were closed as they expected the worst. Somebody got the worst – Ashland got 28 inches of snow – but we certainly didn't. A few inches but not enough that it would have impeded us if we actually had some place to go today. Jim did and it was fine. Of course, he's got 4-wheel drive, but still not as bad as predicted here anyway.

Since I had the evening free, I took advantage of it and got myself organized for Camp Crop-A-Lot this weekend. I was missing a few pictures but I'll pick those up from Walgreens tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm set and my car's half packed.

Oh, I know I don't leave until Friday morning, but I might be busy between now and then. Maybe socializing. Maybe sitting in our recliners watching Ozark. Who knows? Anything can happen on a Twos-Day. 

Be careful out there!

 

Oh, 600!

Would you rather wake up at 0-600 hours every day or wake up and work at home for oh, 600 days? 

Uff da. You know which one I'm living! Yup, 600 days ago was my first in the home office.

600 days and I'm still using 4 empty Cricut cartridge boxes to prop up my laptop and just the right height. And thank goodness at least 575 of those days was in a new (back then) office chair and using a second monitor, full-size keyboard, and mouse. Made it so much easier to adjust and endure!

Oh, 600! On the plus side, that's about 1,000 cups of tasty flavored coffee. But 600 days also means I've been in about 1,000 virtual meetings from Zoom (back when this started) to Microsoft Teams. And my eyesight has gone to Hell in a handbasket. Along with my average of 10,000 steps a day. And my ability to wear pants.

Just kidding on that last one. Had to see if you were paying attention.

The current back-to-office plan might put me out these 4 walls by year-end. We'll see how the plethora of unknowns line up for my company. Well, and the world. 

A friend asked me today, "Will you have anything to wear?" Obviously my state of dress – hole-y jeans and a hoodie – didn't spark thoughts of a corporate marketer.

I said I'd pretty much have to wash everything in my closet since 98.3% of it has just been hanging or sitting there for about 86 weeks, gathering dust. 

So there's plenty to do before my return to the real world. Including getting a lot more steps if I want to fit into my dusty clothes! We've got this, my fellow WFHers.

Keep Springing Forward

Despite the digital age we live in, I wanted a hold-in-my-hands book about Alaska to help preparation for my trip with my sister Renell in 93 days, 11 hours, 8 minutes and 27 seconds. Well 25 seconds, 20.... OK, you get the picture.

So I was pretty excited at the efficient of this book about the specific area of Alaska we'll be bee-bopping around: Anchorage, Denali, and Seward and Homer in the Kenai Peninsula. I forced it to sit on my cupboard so I could work yesterday (and play) and get stuff done today like housework and shopping and walking.

I even saw a glacier at the lake! Ice is breaking up! The big spring meltdown! I think we came close to 60 degrees today so at least a third of Lake Wazeecha was open water. On the west end, though, the Wazeecha Glacier is slowly breaking up.

Was so nice out, in fact, I didn't get around to looking at that book yet. So I'm going to set the clocks forward an hour now and start my "bedtime reading." 

Then I'll be 93 days, 10 hours, 8 minutes and 27 seconds away from our trip! Keep springing forward!

Welcome to the Do-Over

Happy New Year! For those of us who make resolutions – or annually remake the ones that never stick (all of them) – we got a second chance this year. A mulligan. A bye. A free pass. A do-over.

So don't judge yourself for what you failed to accomplish in 2020. I feel no guilt for blaming the pandemic. C'mon. Everybody's doing it.

Upon closer inspection – hindsight is 2020 after all – I see that the pandemic was only a symptom of the problem. A problem known as Robyn the Lazy.

Yup. I mean seriously. I had plenty of extra available time for at least 9 months of 2020 to do something. Be more active. Be active at all. I literally had over 300 days to reinvent myself. And I blew it.

So we are in New Year's Resolution Land – also known as Brutal Self-Examination Day – with a Quarantine 15 to shed, a brand new mostly empty calendar to fill (or not), and a second chance. 

What will I do about it? 

I know from experience (aka failures) that I can't change overnight nor should I try to. Too much at once leads to frustration and impatience for lack of immediate results. That's my issue anyway. 

So I'll start with ramping up hydration (that's serious) and ramping up my steps from the sloth-like 2,000 daily to that realistically attainable 10,000.

Started today by doing snow hills at Lake Wazeecha. Well, that wasn't on purpose. Was walking around the lake and much of the path wasn't plowed or stomped down yet. It was a serious arm-pumping workout at times trudging through that snow. I was sweating and I was panting. Like the out-of-shape kind of panting – not COVID-related at all. Definitely the toughest workout of the year. (You knew I'd use that dad joke humor.) 

Will I turn one day into a streak?

We'll see where 2021 takes us. Based on experience – surviving 2020 – I plan to take it one day or one step at a time. And hope I don't slip and fall flat on my as-pirations for 2021. 

Let's try this again, shall we?

Day 301 :: Let the Sun Set on 2020

The sun is setting on 2020 and it can't happen fast enough. Pretty sure we're all saying the same thing!

Here we are on New Year's Eve... Day 301 – Post Washington. Now that is insane amount of time to be mostly at home except for grocery store trips, photo shoots, golf in the summer, and that's pretty much it.

We tell our kids that this pandemic is the strangest thing we've lived through in our entire lives. From the virus to the TP shortage to the riots to the election, it really seems like we're in some crazy end-of-days movie. And, like you, I'm hoping when we turn the calendar page tomorrow that we start getting closer to a Hallmark happy ending!

While hubby and I – and most of our families – have remained virus-free, we lost out on plenty. We both should have been traveling for work – I was so excited about Salt Lake City. We were not able to have dinners, campfires, and concerts with friends. And I missed out on several musicals that were rescheduled, then canceled. We missed the Ryder Cup. Thankfully tickets will work for 2021.

But most importantly, we missed time with friends and family and, well, anyone we normally would greet with a hug. Oh I miss those hugs. Seriously, look out when this is over. I will not be able to contain myself!

So will it be over soon? Here are the current numbers in Wood County where we live.

I remember how horrified I was when the numbers jumped from single digits to the teens. I did not see this coming. For my own historical perspective, there have been two vaccines that have been approved and are starting to be dispersed worldwide. Obviously, they'll do elderly and essential workers and who knows who else long before it gets to John Q. Public. And I don't know if we're talking months or another whole year. Plus there's a new strain of the coronavirus out there somewhere, too.

No other news for me to document. I'll continue to work from my home office through the winter at least, I'm guessing. It's hard to plan for anything at this point.

I don't even know if we're planning to stay up until midnight tonight. We have absolutely nothing going on. And we don't really need to experience any more of 2020 than necessary.

Let's hope and pray there is sunshine on the horizon of 2021. Happy new year!

Advent-urous

It seems strange that since I've been counting UP to the number of days working from home during the pandemic that now I'll be pivoting and heading the other direction. Oh, not to return to the office. It's time for the countdown to Christmas.

Let the Advent Advent-ures begin!

I seriously do miss selling Advent calendars for the school German club fundraiser. Now I just search the cupboards and freezers for treats each day. Can you say "no portion control”? It's not the kind of Adventure my scale needs.

December is also signaling the winter sports season. I say that knocking on wood since with everything else in this crazy year, we can only count on what's happening today. Too many unknown factors to let us look too much further.

So I took Advent-age of a "game on" situation and went the Assumption girls basketball game. Crowd sizes will continue to be limited all season but I'll get to a few to shoot photos for the school and the yearbook. Tonight was stressful game agains rival Auburndale. We lost in OT. Ugh! Jessie (above) was double digits in points so I'll spotlight that one photo. 

Hey, OT means it's past my bedtime. I'll look at the other 500 photos tomorrow. That gives me something to look forward to... since there's no German chocolate in the house.

Happy countdown to Christmas!