Gateway to Summer? I Think Not

Unofficially, many of us think of Memorial Day Weekend as the "kickoff" to summer. But if we wake up to 42 degrees the day before the weekend begins... I claim false advertising.

Most of us "office workers" are smart enough to know we have to dress in layers. If it's cold outside, will it be chilly in the office or will the heat be cranked? One never knows. Because well, like most offices, it's not consistent.

Today I knew to dress in some warm layers because I was going to be walking across the street from my office to give a bit of a walking tour about SentryWorld. Could we have driven over? Yes. But now I have my 10,000+ steps for the day. It's all about priorities.

And I was quite warm by the time we returned!

Do you know what else warms us on the inside? Special time spent with old friends who know every good, bad, and ugly thing about you and still love you to pieces.

I got to reconnect with friends tonight that I've known for almost 30 years. About how long I've been in Wisconsin Rapids. Some I see often. Others not so much. But boy, nothing warms you from the belly out like unapologetic laughter over other people's comments and stories. And firm, loving hugs!

Seriously, exactly what I needed in my current mostly stressed state of mind.

Thank you, God, for placing people in my life who enrich my soul and my attitude. And if you could do the same for Mother Nature, I'd owe you a big one!

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!

I've Got Sunshine... On a Cloudy Day...

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day

When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May

– The Temptations

Even though it rained today. All day long. And it's still raining. I'm OK with that. Because I worked from home today and got a few hugs from my baby. 

And that, my friends, brings sunshine to my heart.

That is all. Just treasure the moments!

Road Worthy

Woke up and decided to take a 336.2-mile round-trip road trip. I mean, why not? Gas is cheap, right? Honestly, although a graduation party was on my calendar for quite sometime now, I was waffling on my decision to go. Since hubby had a previous golf engagement, did I want to drive to Marinette by myself – almost 3 hours each way to spend an hour in between? And with these horrendous gas prices?

When I woke up this morning, I decided yup. These friends are worth more than the price of gas! If I didn't go and something happened to one of them, I'd regret it forever.

And it was the best decision! So very, very glad I went. I needed hugs from these almost-lifelong friends. Three decades and counting. Cindy (left), Sally and I had worked together at the daily newspaper in Menominee – my first job out of college! Cindy and her family took me into their fold and they literally were my family when I lived in Marinette – since driving home to Luck was a 6-7-hour drive so I missed some holidays. Love both these "girls" so much!

Cindy's daughter Sara was 7 when I first met her. Now she's the mother of the graduate! I've got to see her grow from a little girl to a strong young woman to an amazing mother of two!

And I've known her brother since he was born. Love my little Jacob! He's gonna be 30 this summer so yeah, somebody here is getting old!

After much-treasured hugs and visiting (3+ hours not 1), I hit the road. But not before touring around some of my old stomping grounds. Mainly the Lake Michigan waterfront wrapping around Marinette and Menominee.

This car breaks for beaked-creature pictures!

Looking across the waters of Green Bay you can see Door County in the distance! I loved that when living up there.

And I had to stop and see my lighthouse. Yes, MINE!

The memories here are classified, sorry.

Don't miss the gulls though. Their poop, that is!

Slams on brakes midair.

Dives for something.

No sure what because he surfaced empty-handed and empty-mouthed as far as I could tell.

Watching the boats – and occasionally riding one – never got old. And still doesn't.

New (to me) statue in Menominee.

And a Robyn-sized lighthouse replica that I couldn't lift to take home in my car. It wouldn't have fit!

Driving back into Wisconsin, I just felt so blessed and grateful that I decided to make the trip. These people were my family for 4 years and still are. 

My advice: Always take the trip. Make the time. See that person. Get that hug. Always!

Gratitude Challenge Day 21 :: Friend

Today's challenge is kind of tricky. It's the one time I don't want to single anyone out and end up offending someone I don't mention. So I may have to go a different route.

Day 21. A good friend.

Instead of saying I'm grateful for a specific friend, I'll tell you some things I'm grateful for in a good friend. (Again, not all inclusive.)

A good friend doesn't care you're Viking fans and still wants you to come to his birthday party on Packer Sunday. And a good friend tolerates a happy dance when we finally pull off a close win (even if it was against their team). Phew. 

A good friend shares their cake, too. And a good friend supports my sweet tooth in general – ice cream, Kringles, cheesecake... you know who you are.

A good friend makes time for a walk or coffee.

A good friend suggests the right book or Netflix series because they know me. (A good friend watches Hallmark movies, too!)

A good friend listens when I need it. And supports me even when I make mistakes.

A good friend doesn't mind that I curse on the golf course. And puts up with my 3-putts.

A good friend doesn't judge my wrinkles or my weight or the silver linings in my hair.

A good friend is a great hugger. For that, I'm super thankful!

Feeling blessed with the wonderful friend in my life.

#gratitudemonth

Hugs and Kisses

After years of holiday parties and bridal and baby showers in my family, I've honed my guessing-game skills. And today that paid off. In a sweet way.

How many kisses are in this jar? Make your guess before reading further. 

I was at a bridal shower brunch for Macyn, one of Carter's classmates. Being the competitive sort, I made sure to submit my guess of 333 kisses. I was only 5 off. If you guessed 338, then I guess I'll have to share with you!

Too bad I'm not back in the office yet. Will chocolate keep for 6 weeks? I've never worried about chocolate expiring before. Have you? Probably won't have to worry this time either. If hubby helps, we can each have 4 kisses a day and we're done come Labor Day. We'll see if we're up for the challenge. It's just fun to say Jim and I "share kisses" all the time! 

After getting home from the bridal shower with my chocolate kisses, we went over to our nephew's for real hugs and kisses.

Got to meet little Eli and he woke up just enough to blow Great-Aunt Robyn some kisses. Isn't he the cutest?! He was sleeping for the most part so I didn't want to disturb him. Just settled on "air" hugs and kisses for now. 

If I had to guess – and I'm good at that – I'd have to say we'll make up for it in no time! 

Lord, just keep this pandemic at bay so we can love on these kids!

Hug Your Mom

I've mentioned before that one of the hardest things about this pandemic – for us huggers anyway – is not being able to hug. Not being able to share much of any human contact. And frankly, there are times when we really, really need it.

Some friends of ours had to say their final goodbyes to their mom today. She died last week after a tough battle with pancreatic cancer and her funeral was this morning.

The only positive of an illness like this is that they did have one last chance to say goodbye to her. That one last hug that will have to last long after she let go. One of the negatives – in a pandemic situation – is that the family can't get hugs from many other people either. And they need them. They need human touch to feel warmth. To feel love. To heal.

And those of us trying to comfort are at a loss. We always say, "Let me know if there's anything we can do." But in reality, we can't do much for the mourners. Except hug them and wrap them up in comfort. 

What we can do now is pray they get the comfort they need. And, most importantly, make time to hug the people in your life that you can! 

I called my mom today just to hear her voice – because I could – and basically tell her how much I appreciated her and how lucky I am to still have her in my life. I will try not to take that for granted. She'll be 89 in March and even though she's "starting to feel her age a bit," she can still match wits with the best of them. Oh that would be me, ha. I told her I'd be getting up there in late January or early February just to see her since we missed time together at Christmas.

And honestly, to get one of those good Mom hugs that will carry me to spring.

Folks, hug your loved ones!

Heart-Felt Blessings

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter H which stands for blessings of the Heart.

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures

Hugs: I didn't realize until the coronavirus took over the world how much I take human touch for granted. I miss hugs! Social distancing is not for huggers! I miss giving and receiving a heart-felt embrace that can deliver everything from comfort to love to strength. Hugs are just plain magical. Too bad they can't double as our vaccine.

Hurricanes: OK, I'm cheating. I am grateful we do NOT get hurricanes in central Wisconsin. Today though...

More than 2 1/4 inches of rain. And it was still raining. I just had to take the picture before it got dark. So yeah, I'm grateful it's not accompanied by gale-force winds or, in a lot normal November instances, ice or snow. We don't board up our windows around here. Sometimes we use a hair dryer to add plastic wrap in the winter. But that's about it.

Humor: Holy cow. Where would we be without humor? I get my sarcasm-poking fun humor from my dad and my clever with a side of pun humor from my mom. Of course, growing up we don't think anything our parents do is funny or remotely entertaining. Now, though, I am so blessed they passed it on! I'm hilarious! Ha. I obviously passed on the helping of humble pie.

Hope: Today I'm most grateful that despite the poop show that is 2020, I still have hope. If I can say that on Post-Washington Trip :: Day 250, then anyone can! Even in this climate of negativity and unrest, I still witness random acts of kindness. And it gives me hope that humans will act with more humanity. We can do this. If you don't see kindness, be kindness.

If all else fails, HUG it out! Hug it out.

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet