Trying to Rise Up

Our family is pretty close. So when tragedy strikes one member, we all feel the impact... want to help, pray for the best outcome.

This week has been a test.

Late Sunday we learned that while at work that night, my oldest great-nephew Anthony (same age as Carter) got a call from his roommate saying that their home was on fire. By the time he arrived, the fire was massive and consuming the house. 

By the time it was out, Anthony’s space in the home had been completely destroyed along with the garage. Unfortunately his dog Beanie did not make it. He was such a big sweetie!

Anthony walked away that night with the clothes on his back, his phone, and his (apparently questionably reliable) car. His whole world got taken by the fire. If you are able to help in anyway, he has a lot of needs and will need a lot of support to rebuild after this loss. 

Thank you all in advance for any help in donations or even just passing this on to others who might be able to help him out as well. Or even just prayers!! For Venmo donations, the last 4 digits you'll need are 2505.

If you have any questions feel free to message me. He's a special animal-loving soul who deserves a better break in life than this hand dealt to him. 

Our hearts are collectively breaking. 

Post-Holiday Celebration

After our Friday Christmas celebration with all the Austins, our holiday celebration continued on Saturday morning with the three boys and their special ladies.

I'm not ashamed to brag but I made a very tasty egg and spicy sausage egg bake.

And grandpup Rey was the most well-behaved and well-loved girl in the house! Love days like that.

After the house was empty, I did some yarn shopping in Point for a special project. And today was church in the morning and a different kind of celebration this afternoon.

Hubby has developed quite the cough so I went by myself to give our friend (and 20 years' former newspaper coworker) condolences since she just lost her husband to cancer. Naturally, I arrive crying and saying I totally meant to be strong for HER! Ooof. I did see a few other newspaper coworkers so that was nice to catch up, too.

Wasn't long after that our predicted snow storm made it self known. We'll see what it dumps on us tonight. Since I'm on vacation and neither one of us has any place to go on Monday, I think we'll be just fine.

If you're traveling, though, be safe out there!

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!

Young Love

Had a great Friday and Saturday in Minnesota to witness and experience young love. And it had nothing to do with any sports teams!

Yesterday we drove to our hotel in Eagan and took a shuttle to the Genesis Ranch in Rosemount, MN, for our nephew Eric's wedding. Despite a lovely weather drive over the Cities, the rain hit right when we arrived at the venue!

It was a gorgeous venue and they had to move everything under the rain protected pavilion where we were to just eat and later dance. It all worked out fine. And to see my nephew Eric so happy and in love was worth all of our rain-drenched hair for a family photo!

Everybody's looking at a different camera here but groom Eric and his momma my sister Romey are smiling so it's all worth it!

Here's my date and I after initial rain but ready sit for the ceremony and dinner.

And my other better half. My twin. Rainy hair. Don't care.

It was a great time. And this morning we got to meet up with Casey and Emily (who are about to celebrate their 2nd anniversary) for brunch at the Stray Dog in Minneapolis.

What a treat to see them and spend some quality time with them and...

See and snuggle and pet our number one grandpup Rey! She is the bestest!!

After seeing Casey and Emily's nice apartment with a clear view of U.S. Bank Stadium 💜💛💜, we got a nice escort back to our parking spot! 

After that is was just a 3 1/5 drive home and trying to catch what was an unusual summer-like day. Hoping Sunday is a repeat!

The Colors of Weekend

It's been a colorful weekend. But I'll be honest, I didn't like ALL of the colors. Like above. Yes I realize we often consider Labor Day weekend as the end of summer, but dang, I wish the leaves would pay attention to the real calendar! Not quite ready for fall, that's for sure.

Saturday was a very laid back day on Blue Jay Drive. Finally got a little bonding time with Mr. Deck Chair!

In the evening, I shot pictures of the last waterski show of the season. It got dark pretty quickly so i didn't have a ton of stellar shots. I love how they twist and turn off the jump and I never know which way is up, but they more often than not "stick the landing." 

Today we tried to hold onto summer green.

Since our golf scramble for Royals Football got rained out 2 weeks ago, we got together with the other half of our foursome and golfed 18 at Bullseye this afternoon. Always a fun time with Mark and Trisha.

Saw plenty of wildlife – well mainly deer – who were trying to distract us on this very uphill par 3.

You can barely see the green from down below but look where I landed! Bring on my birdie dance!! Nevermind that I had an 8 on the hole prior. No one can take away my legit, non-Mulligan birdie!

After our round, we caught dinner at Ida's. Always yummy.

Speaking of yummy... I was just thinking of yummy chocolate...

As in the color of our new neighbor's nose! Yup, don't tell my hubby, but I am in love with the new guy next door. Meet Moose! A mini Bernedoodle, but a BIG cutie!

Hope you had some color or at least a bright spot or two to your weekend. Yay for no alarms tomorrow! Happy Labor Day!

Well, Doggone!

I've taken senior portraits with family pets on many occasions. Sometimes they are as big as a horse (and actually are a horse) and many times all sizes of dogs. And doggone, but dogs are cute. And just like the "stock photo" above, get them to open their mouths and it's like they're smiling! 

As part of tonight's photo mission, the mom wanted me to replicate this picture or at least something similar for comparison's sake after many years.

I think Dude (love that name) cooperated pretty well, don't you! 

It was a fun evening and it was cloudy so I never had to address any sun squinting or extra shadows! 

What I learned the other night with hoops pictures of J is that she can't hold a serious, non-smiling look to save her life. She breaks into a giggle and even more smiles. Oh to be young and filled with joy.

Or just be more like a dog and think "You said my name! I must smile! Yes, I'm panting and I have terrible breath, but you're looking at me! Saying my name again! Yay! Joy!"

🐶🐕🐶🐕

Memorial Day Weekend "Weeds"

My mission every Memorial Day Weekend is that I'll buy hanging flower baskets and try my darndest not to turn them into weeds by the end of the summer. Says me and my 2 black thumbs!

With so many people talking about their spring planting, I thought I was one of the few who actually wait until Memorial Day Weekend to purchase their flowers. I was so wrong. 

By mid-morning, the parking lot was pretty much full. And by the time I picked out just 5 hanging baskets that could handle full sun exposure to survive, I was 10th in line!

Then out of the blue, an angel appeared. A friend of ours I didn't know worked there in her post-retirement years. She whispered, "Robyn, there's no line at Customer Service." I'm sure that literally saved me a good half hour.

I weed-whacked around the front bricks when I got home then hung our fading Reds and Twins flags and our hanging flower baskets. We should be set for the summer. Except for a few other spots I think could use some color. 

After that, it was graduation party time and more.

While hubby went to church in Rudolph, I went to a grad party for the son of a co-worker who also spent a lot of time in the hockey "media" platform the last few years. From there, I met Jim and the 2 oldest boys and Becca for a pizza dinner at B's Tap.

Casey and our grand-dog Rey are in town for the weekend. I hope Rey lives to be 50 because she's the best pup ever!

After dinner, we went our separate ways and Jim and I headed to the Grand Rapids Lions Club where there was a combined graduation party for 6 of the Royals graduates. Quite the special group of girls. And of course we saw a bajillion people we know. Fun evening!

Now I just hope the weather dudes are correct in that it's just going to be in the low 40s – not some freezing temperatures. I want my flowers to survive.

But, of course, selfishly I won't no judgment I turned on my electric mattress pad. Again.

Winter Solstice (aka Family Christmas parts 2 and 3)

When the stars align, not only is it the Winter Solstice, it's also the first time in 6 years (we think) all 4 cousins were together at Christmas. Same with having all 3 of our boys together. What a blessing!

So today was the Austin Christmas at Jim's sister's house. It was a full house as all boys had their plus-one with them and Colin had his two children as well. Had to be sure to get a picture of Grandpa John and his boys. Love it!

After dinner there, we came back here to celebrate our own Christmas since none of the boys will be in town on actual Christmas Eve or Day. So we opened our gifts and I just listed to the chit-chat and the laughter and was so grateful to have us all under one roof again. 

Had to get a picture of the handsome boys, of course. Both Casey and Carter are spending the night here.

And the girls! Yup, our grandpup Rey is staying here tonight, too. They're all adorable, aren't they?

We're biased. And rightfully so. 

Honestly, we're feeling the warmth of love, so we didn't really notice it was only like 10 or 15 degrees today and the shortest "day" of the year. Family time makes a great distraction.

Hope you find something or someone special to keep you warm, too. Be careful out there!

Chillin' Out on Monday

When the "wake up and crawl out from under the covers" temperature is technically below freezing, it's time to make a power move.

I walked down the hall and turned on that heat again with no one the wiser. Well, until you could hear the air vents anyway. My promise to the man in the office on the other side of the wall was that I'd shut it off as soon as the house warmed up.

Fast forward to 4 p.m. when I remembered that. At least I was cozy to in my office today – assisted by hot Pumpkin Spice coffee, naturally. 

I also warmed up because we got special visitors after work that washed away all Monday stress-itude. (Not a real word, I know.)

Casey and Emily were visiting from Minnesota and we were excited to see them. But we also were super-duper excited to see our grandpup Rey, who we hadn't seen since their wedding a year ago!!

She was my little helper in the kitchen. I was trying to teach her how to make a trifle, but she was so cute and distracting, I actually forgot a layer and it's not symmetrically pretty. I'll share the images and recipes for my Trifle Tuesday blog tomorrow – if it gets positive reviews. 

I mean it's Pumpkin Spice Trifle so I know at least the birthday girl and I will enjoy it! 

The four of us humans went out to grab a quick bite to eat. It had been awhile since we ate at Tamarack's Pub (formerly Cheers, formerly 19th Hole, and who knows what else), but since it was close to home, we went there so Rey wouldn't be alone too long. We weren't sure if she'd invite the guys in the neighborhood over for a party. But Charlie and Buddy stayed home. As far as we know.

Had a delicious meal and it was great to catch up – much easier to talk across a table then down a row at Target Field. We love having them close by again. And Rey, too, of course! 

She's a big sweetie. And no, I didn't give in to her begging brown eyes. Though Grandma Robyn may have let her lick the Cool Whip-covered spatula! 

Spoil while you can!

How Life Measures Up

We are not campers or regular "celebrating on Memorial Day Weekend" people. But it does seem that more often than not, it rains. A lot. Today proved that. And it just kept inching up or measuring up by centimeters at least.

Jim went to early church in Rudolph to hear the Assumption Band play for Memorial Day afterwards. It was inside. I had to read today in my church – but that was inside, too, so it didn't matter.

Walking our temporary pet in the rain was a bit challenging, but Carter and Mamie worked wonders with him when he "had to go" later in the afternoon.

We attended a 90th birthday party for one of Jim's high school classmate's mom. I loved that they had an open mic to tell stories about the "birthday girl." What a great idea to do that while she's living instead of at a funeral! Hearing a few, you could definitely see how her life has measured up – and why she's still a firecracker at 90. Loved it!

We also went to a graduation party for one of our friends' sons who we've watched grow up before our eyes. Not just playing baseball but acting as a true leader at school, too. You are too cool for words, Nolan!

This is a random picture from in town. Water is rising everywhere. I hope you could enjoy your holiday weekend or, if not, can find some source of fun Monday!

When We Say Goodbye

It's graduation weekend for Assumption. I had previously committed to shooting photos of the ceremony and I thought it would prove to be a good distraction.

The thing was, every time they sang a song about goodbyes, they were thinking of their classmates. Their parents were thinking of them leaving the nest. And I was thinking about my mom.

An emotional evening. But I was glad to get pictures of everyone. Today we had a few graduation parties and I had the honor of "hosting" a therapy dog (therapy for me anyway) for the next couple of days.

Buddy has already made himself at home and damn if he hasn't already trained me to pet him. Continuously. Little does he know, I just need to connect with something that loves my attention and isn't leaving me any time soon.

God bless all you parents about to experience an empty nest! It definitely takes awhile to adjust. But if you don't mind hair on your furniture, I have some great options in mind!

Congrats, class of 2024! Do good things! 

A Grand Visit

Pretty sure when we actually do become grandparents some years down the road we'll be pushovers. I mean when our grand-pup visit and she gives us this look, we'll give her anything!

Yup. Rey (Skywalker) is visiting us from Portland, Oregon. Oh, and she brought her human parents, too! 

With their wedding just 8 days away, Casey and Emily are back in the Midwest – mainly staying at her parents in the Twin Cities, but Casey and Rey popped over for a visit to Wisconsin Rapids. It was great to see him! We grilled out and watched the pathetic Vikings game. 

And Rey was super well-behaved. She had this sidelong glance when Sylvester sneaked by her before hiding in our bathroom the rest of the evening!

Just made us more excited for the wedding next weekend. And, of course, our ill-timed kitchen remodel. Hopefully things work around our need to be out of town. 

And if I haven't mentioned the upgrade, it's only because we've been talking about it for 2 years and finally pulled the trigger and it's all hopefully coming together quickly. I even sold the "old" cabinets on Facebook in 5 minutes. And we haven't even taken them down yet. Guess I know how I'm spending the rest of the weekend!

Have a good one!

Raising the Roof

I should've known when I saw this rooftop monarch giving so much love to this purple flower yesterday that the gods would be smiling on all things purple this weekend. But I didn't want to assume, of course.

So yes, pleasant surprise to jump out to a victory in week number one of the regular NFL season. And with a convincing home win over the Pack to boot. You know who's happy?

Our grand-pup Rey. Representing the West Coast SKOL Squad! She's so cute. And she was smiling later! 

But enough about that. You're welcome.

Yesterday was a full day. Unpacked and did laundry in the a.m. and then we hit the road to Madison for a wedding for Jim's cousin's daughter. It was raining and gloomy at home but the sun was out by the time we got to Madison.

Good thing, too, because it was a rooftop wedding here – at the Monona Convention Center.

Very cool venue facing the water. 

Cousin Mark walking daughter Lindsey in.

In addition to butterflies and flowers and rooftop seating, 

There was also a fountain up there, which I'm sure was an amazing background for wedding photos!

Another rooftop view... yup it was Iron Man weekend. So they did the half one yesterday and we could hear them (during the ceremony) announcing people as a they crossed the finish line down below. At least Camp Randall was out of earshot when the Badgers lost at home.

The reception downstairs had great views, too!

And the rain held off until we left Madison so we could enjoy a final view too! Rained the whole way home.

Actually stopped at our friends' house because the guitar players and singers that Jim sings with at church were having a jam session. Basically classic country sing-a-long with some Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and Southern rock mixed in. Got home about 1 a.m. Got up for church and am fighting sleep right now.

It was a long, crazy, busy week. But boy, there certainly were mostly highs! 

Pretty sure Rey's got the right idea here. Time to relax and have wonder-SKOL dreams!