Bring on the Texans!!!

This week I was able to spend a little time with my Aunt (and Godmother) Mary and Uncle Carlos. They are here in Wisconsin for two weeks and I have been trying to sneak in as much time as possible working around my schedule at work. Because Kyra is only here every other week she didn't get to see them much but she was able to drive down to Milwaukee with my mom the day they flew in and get some short but quality time in. The itty bitties had a blast though between Mary showing them new things to discover and Carlos making them giggle like crazy-- these babies are happy. Since my dad had gotten sick last week we have been trying to stay sorta close without being in the house. One of our favorite destinations is Algoma, Wi which is only a half hour from my parents home. The best part about having Carlos along is that there were so many cheese curds we didn't know where to start... well Katie did- by opening the bag-ha! On one of my days off we headed up to the lake shore in Algoma and collected rocks by the water. Bella was so excited to have an adventure and she was singing the whole time. I think she felt just like Dora the Explorer because every once in a while she would ask me for the map. That or she was a pirate, but either way it was hilarious.

Before we stopped to have lunch at MickyD's we popped into the Flying Pig to check out the flowers, art and soak up a little inspiration. I am fairly certain that when I am old and gray (well not too gray) I will be part of something cool like this... it just feels right. My weekly retirement dream is as follows:

Thursday: Rummage Sales in the morning art and creations with the grand kids in the afternoon

Friday: Rummage Sales and thrifting followed by a nap

Saturday: Rummage Sales in the morning and adventures in the afternoon- fire with my girlfriends at night

Sunday: Sell my art at a Flea Market

Monday: Sell my art at another Flea Market

Tuesday: create more art

This is my plan... I want to live in a property off the beaten path with a big old (but remodeled) farmhouse with lots of windows. Trees will have to line the driveway to the back of the house all the way up to the red barn where my workshop and creations will be stored... I got this all figured out you see... maybe a goat-yup a tiny little goat named Tucker.

When we got back to Green Bay it was just about time for the Farmer's Market downtown to start- so we figured why not? There were tons of veggie stands there and alot more food vendors than I remembered from years part. The thing I was missing was the artists that used to come and sell their unique items like recycled purses and jewelry and yard art.. nothing like that. The closest we got was homemade soaps (what are not my deal) and then expensive little fru-fru girly clothes which were definitely cute but nowhere near worth to me what they asking. So this lead me to thinking--- I think its time Kyra and I start busting out into production.

I used to be a great hula-hooper when I was a kid and since I had children my body has not been as cooperative and resilient as it used to be. Which in turn has made me more hesitant to put in any type of situation where it would come into contact with pain. However, I have gotten over this little stumbling block in my road and decided if I don't start getting back into shape (at least the way I was) my life is only going to get harder as I age. My weight has not changed in the last three years but I can tell my muscle tone and even my energy is much depleted. Goals for fall of 2012:

1- get to the gym at least once a week at first

2- swim laps once a week

3- Drink one less soda a day

4- Replace said soda with a bottle of water

Here goes nothin!

Momma Mary

I have always been drawn to the Catholic Church. Not necessarily in the traditional sense (like attending mass every Sunday and participating in confession- although I should now that I think about it) but because there is so much history within it and the secrecy is super intriguing... not to mention all the rules and the saints. When I was in high school I started to question my faith and that's when I not only criticized the church but also turned to the church for help. Since then my perspective on faith and religion has fluctuated constantly. I will not get into the whole thing but all I really want to say is that I think its important to be a good person. I don't care what other people believe in or don't believe in--- as long as they are good to each other.

WE visited a shrine to "Mother Mary" that is not too far from my parents home. I am surprised I didn't even know it was there. Although its probably better because I am sure I would have found myself many a night sitting under the stars asking "why?" There were a bunch of people at this relatively large area where the supposed sighting happened of Mary like a hundred years ago. The cool part is that people can have such a strong faith and believe in something they did not see with their own eyes. I have to say that the property did give off a feeling (weather that be divine or eerie--- up to the participant) and I was glad that we decided to stop by and explore. After we visited with the groundskeepers and the little lady running a fruit stand, we were back on the road again. This led us to Lincoln, Wi to find the grave sight of my ancestors on the Jones side (I think). There is a large square plot where an undetermined amount of "Jones" (my grandfather's mother's family who's maiden name was "Fetts" and that's where her parents are buried (so my great great grandparents) that are only marked with a 3X3 stone and a faded "J" engraved into it. Every summer that Mary and Carlos come to visit us in Wisconsin we go to uncover the few stone corner pieces and measure out the dimensions of the area. I have to say that because we have done it the last few times they have visited, this may be turning into a tradition--- which would be okay with me. Mary has been on a serious quest (for the last 10 years or so I would say) to discover who we are and where we came from. I was always under the impression that I was a full blooded German on my Mothers side and a mix of German, English and ... now that I am writing this I have no idea on my Father's side. But as it turns out we may have some Bohemian on the Jones side (which makes sense to me- hahaha) and a bunch of other heritages we didn't even realize there were ties to... its like uncovering caverns in the secret caves or something...keep up the good work Mary.

We finished up the day by stopping at the Door County Cherry Outlet Store where we got to taste various treats all descending from cherries (by now you must be picking up on my theme--- or at least I just did- weird). Katie has been such a big girl and using the toilet so that means frequent stops along the way. This time she wanted me to go with her which I was totally okay with because there was a big jar of chocolate covered cherries in the hall on the way to the "double-vay-cea"...French for water closet which is British for bathroom... sorry I got off the logic path- oh yah- Chocolate.  Looking back it makes me wonder how many other hands passed over that jar and with hand washing being such a forgotten skill- there were probably like a million little bacteria roaming over those sweet treats but at the time I didn't even blink twice... and frankly could go for some Chocolaty goodness while I type--- they were great!

In the still of the Night...

This spring my dad has been struggling with repeated bouts of pneumonia and was just never able to kick it. It raised some eyebrows for me but I didn’t want to freak him out of get my mother all worked up so I didn’t mention anything (that the cancer could be back). So when he was down with it a few weeks ago and was sent home (he should have been admitted for IV antibiotics seeing this was his 3^rd round … in my opinion) I got nervous. And this uneasiness with his health only got worse last night when my mom called at 10pm to say they were going into the emergency room at St.Vincents--- WTF. Lucky for me (being the control freak that I am) I was working literally a hundred feet away at the hospital next door so as soon as my shift was over I scooted to their ER and met Mary and Carlos in the waiting room. My mom was in the back with my dad but I wanted to get the scoop before I went busting in there (no not really). It turns out that over the last 24 hours he was experiencing progressive pain while turning his head, when he was getting up from a lying position and literally any movement involving his neck. All I could think was Sh*t… here we go again. Not to mention that it was roughly 6 months ago that my mom had to call the ambulance to come and pick him up for the exact same symptoms--- his body felt frozen and he couldn't move. (FYI: the main reason I was worried was when they did his esophagectomy a few years back they literally took the top portion of his stomach and sewed it to what was left of his throat. At that time they were not certain that they got all the cancer so there was a chance any left in the stomach (which is not in his nonexistent throat) could revisit him. This would explain the tenderness in his neck upon movement because a mass could be pressing on his spinal cord creating the pain and general immobility) But take a deep breath because I was wrong--- all that worrying for nothing- and thank God for that. The girls and I get to keep him here with us for a little while longer  :)  Over the next few days he will be on some pretty hefty pain killers to take the edge off as well as some anti-inflammatory to take down the swelling in his neck and shoulders. It was weird to see him all doped up again in the emergency room. I was having flashbacks to the days when he was on morphine and “Pot-pills” just to get through his day… I don’t think any of us miss that (even though he could be funny as hell). He is counting down the days to retirement--- Jan 1^st 2013.

Family Reunion

We headed over to the farm quick this weekend for a family reunion with my parents and Mary and Carlos. I figure it may be the last time we get over there until Christmas time because my work schedule is so crazy during the cooler months when people's respiratory systems are on the fritz. Speaking of breathing!!! We had to stop on the side of the road on the way over because there was an emergency in process. Because I am considered a first responder with emergency medical training I am obligated to stop at all accidents or emergencies until the appropriate help arrives... its the stuff I dream about and was now actually happening. Turns out it was a drunk woman that got beat up by her boyfriend and had stumbled out onto the highway for help. Alot of people in the health field have a weird sense of humor and get excited when bad things happen- this was one of those times- I was so full of adrenaline I couldn't even tell you how long I was out there on the side of the road (28 minutes my mother would later tell me) it felt like 5 at most... finally the ambulance got there and she was loaded up and taken to the closest hospital to address her broken ribs and bashed in face... it reminds me that every choice has a consequence (sometimes really really bad). Tim was unable to make the trip over because he had to work late on Friday and frankly- I love him but we didn't want to wait for him- ha! On the way over we had to stop at the Ripon Good Cookie factory to bring over some sweet treats for the family. We are so lucky to have such a generous and caring group of people to call our own.

The adventure began on Saturday morning when we headed over by Bruce and Barb's place to attend an Amish breakfast (Jackie I know you are jealous) on an actual Amish property eating their homemade foods. It held in a large kind of shotgun living room with three tables in a row and benches across the back and chairs on the other side. The tables were already set with plates, silverware, milk (not my favorite), orange juice and water. Then on the various plates were scrambled eggs with ham, pancakes, sausage, doughnuts and sweet rolls--- it was so good and now I am wondering why I hated breakfast as a kid- this stuff is awesome! The little girls plowed through their food and were a little antsy so we ducked out quick and were playing in the front lawn when Katie mentioned she had to go "potty". Uh-Oh... hows this going to work with no indoor plumbing? I guided her to the outhouse and the moment we walked in she was shaking her head "no." This was not going to happen. She told me "Mommy- there is a whole in that bench." "Yes that's where you go potty." "In that hole?" "Yes honey." "Not this little girl... I'm going to hold it." "No sweetie you should go now when you have the urge." "Nope. I will fall in and get covered in poop and be lost forever."  I don't think she will be using an outhouse or a portapotty anytime soon. Its not that she is afraid of poop though I found later when we were visiting my Aunt and Uncle's donkeys... she loves them- poop and all.

Saturday afternoon was the family reunion which was a nice low key kind of time. There were a lot of people I should have known there but unfortunately I am bad with the names of people I see daily let alone a decade at a time. So I kept a loving eye on my girls and let them run free. It was nice because we were in a relatively small and controlled environment which they don't have all too often outside of at home or at a grandparent's. So they loved the freedom and  I loved being able to give that to them.

The girls spent most of their day in the sandbox and on the jungle gym. Katie of course made friends with one of her distant older cousins and decided they were going to be buddies for the day. Theresa was not able to make it with the boys but I got to see my cousins Krissy, Nikki (who is expecting a baby boy around Christmas-ish) and then my cousin Tracie. It was nice to visit with the family especially those I haven't seen since I was a wee little one. The was an entire room of food (bring a dish to pass) and it was hard to decide what to try. So the girls and I tried a little bit of everything and this would include the entire table of deserts- they were in heaven. Lunch was followed by a white elephant auction that raised money for the next family reunion to cover the various expenses and what not. It was a blast! My mother was a riot as usual and between them, my aunt Mary and Carlos they overpaid for everything. I even got in a bidding war with Krissy but I had to let her win (especially seeing she is the best baker in the entire world- for reals). My favorite part though was towards the end when things were winding down, we had a little concert. Not just any concert, an accordion trio... I may have cried a happy tear or two.

Sunday was a relaxed sort of day. We went over to Bruce and Barbs to cut veggies for canning. We had tried this last year with Kyra and had to show Mary and Carlos what it was all about. They could appreciate all the work that went into and everyone rolled up their sleeves to help. Except the children- Katie was still way too excited about seeing the donkeys so we ended up going down to visit them again. While we were down there Theresa stopped into her garage (that she was setting up for a rummage sale) so I had to stick my head in and take a peak. I found a few treasures and tried to find room in the trunk for them. Its funny how tidy and organized a true hoarder can be. I think I may be one of those high functioning hoarders... I just always want to be prepared... and usually am.

We had visited Theresa and her new home that was owned by Andrew (her husband's) uncle before he passed away. The boys seem to really like have all the space to run around and to be honest I was a little jealous because it is a beautiful home with vaulted ceilings and a massive living room, kitchen and basement. There is also a barn and various outbuildings on the property which started me daydreaming about what new project I would start to fill them up--- hahaha.

It was interesting to watch the girls checking out the Amish children at the breakfast on Saturday morning. You could tell that both sets of children were leery to engage the other, but they were equally curious. I was surprised that Katie didn't just walk over and pick out who was going to be her friend. They were separated by a dirt road and that's how it stayed- neither group ever crossed over which at the time I was okay with because it was hard enough just to keep an eye on them let alone pick them out of a group of kids (although looking back it probably wouldn't be too hard). But what really bothers me is that Bella wouldn't go say hi because these kids were different. Little Via followed the lead of her older sister too so she wouldn't go over either. I am sure by now you can tell that this is bothering me... I hope I am not teaching my children to be intolerant of others that may be different than them--- I always thought I was doing the opposite.

Beach Bums

Today we stayed in Milwaukee to see the "fly-in" that AJ, Anna and my parents loved so much last year. I was a little leery to do it with the girls because honestly... they are sometimes more work than the activity is worth. Frankly I have no interest in airplanes nor walking around checking them out (they are all the same to me--- boring) but I reluctantly agreed to check this out because my sister in law told me it was awesome. Because I love her (and she is usually right) I got the girls dressed for the beach and we headed out to beat the crowds.

In the infamous words of my mother- OMG. They were right- this was amazing! It was not a show of airplanes lined up for you to look at like I thought. There were just people hanging out on the beach and the planes flew OVER us- WOW! Even the giant ones, the old ones and the ones that are faster than sound... but super loud when you cant see them anymore. I didn't want to leave and neither did the girls. They had made some new friends on the beach and were having a blast building sand castles and burying each other.

AJ and Anna dropped a bomb on us too (no they are not pregnant)... they may be moving to Green Bay based on what happens with Anna's opportunity at being a professor at St.Norberts... we all have our fingers (and toes) crossed for her.

Wisconsin State Fair

The girls and I drove down to Milwaukee to meet my parents who were already visiting AJ and Anna Banana. Today was one of the last days of the State Fair which is something that has become important for me to share with the girls and my dad. It started with Kyra when she was about six and since then we have gone to as many fairs and farm breakfasts as we can possibly fit it. He loves to cart the girls around and teach them about the different animals. Not only the different species and types but their special qualities that make them show worthy. I think it brings him back to showing cattle and all the fond memories from his time on the farm, in college and in his early years and Wisconsin Public Service. We stopped in to see the bunnies, ducks and chickens first not only because they were the closest but because that's what the little girls wanted to see. Bella was dying to see the pigs but forgot that at the fair they are much bigger than those that she is used to seeing... no little piglets at this one. Which was a little disappointing--- that was until she found the metal sculpture in one of the flower beds that she could swing around--- then it was all good.

After we toured the smaller animals we stopped into he various cow barns so Dad could educate us on the various points of interest... I wish I would have given him more credit when I was a kid because he actually knows alot (key point to remember as the girls get old--- eventually they will realize parents are not all smoke and mirrors). The girls even got to get right up next to a cow and pet it! And by girls I mean, Katie, Via, Kyra and even Anna. After a few hours the whole group was starving so we stopped and got some famous State fair creme puffs- man were they good. This was followed by deep fried cookie dough for Kyra and roughly a million Little wienies (FREE!!!) from the wiener-mobile... and as I am sure you can imagine a tummy ache.

By this time it was going on mid afternoon and the itty bitties still hadn't fallen asleep. I guess this was in part to all the sugar we were pumping them full of- silly Grammie. So we stuck the little crabby pants in their separate strollers and tried to bounce them to sleep... it didn't work. On the way into the park I had told Kyra that if she wanted to go on a ride on the way out I would definitely do that with her. It was this giant swing set that towered above the whole park--- think high and then double that--- it was HUGE. Aj and Anna were up to the challenge as well so after a 10 minute wait and some serious chest bumping in line we were at the front gate. You could go in pairs (which I know kyra appreciated... and Anna- that silly goose) and so we got buckled in and headed for the clouds. The first tier was fine- the second tier was OK- but the third tier was a bit much even for me. The wind was so strong up there and after examining the only restraint on us was a lap belt--- I may have reconsidered this one. Lucky for me I didn't even have to do that because when we got to the tippy top we just sat there--- WTF? They brought us all the way down again and AJ and I were betting there was something wrong with the ride. (coincidentally this same ride was stalled at the top recently at six flags in Texas FYI) but as it turns out there was a young girl that was pulling on the wires (dumb) and so they had to scold her before they could start the ride. Going back up the 2nd time was terrifying though... I really didn't want to do it again especially seeing I was fairly certain there was going to be a girl at some point plummeting to her death... but I was wrong. It went fine thank God and my faith in elevated swing thrill rides is restored just in time for the last few weekends of Bay Beach being open- I can wipe the sweat from my brow on that one--- wheew!

Lions and Tigers and Bears... Oh My!

The girls were utterly awed when we walked through the gates at our local zoo and there were the peacocks outside of a cage. Katie couldn't believe it. She just stood there glancing back and forth between the bird and myself and by the expression on her face you could see she was totally shocked... this went against the grain of her world and she was trying to re-frame it--- "they are not following the rules." Like she ever worried about the rules at home! (my carpet and the "no food in the living room" are a shining example). Those darn goldfish.

I have always tried to get my parents (and people in general) gifts that are meaningful. Sometimes I overshoot and it is more meaningful to me than it is to them but its bound to happen once in a while I guess. For Father's day and his birthday (they are a few days apart) AJ, mom and I went in on a membership for the whole family to the zoo. My dad has always loved taking us to the zoo and now he can take the girls whenever he pleases. He teaches them about all the animals- where they are from, what foods they eat, whats sounds they make. And the girls teach him about patience... its great!

Dad and Via are both in good health... much to be thankful for (especially hand sanitizer)