Photogenic

I went to the Henry Doorly Zoo on Sunday and I think I took three pictures of animals. And two of those were of the same animal. I was at one of the best zoos in the country and didn't bother to take animal pictures. I'll tell you it's because I had a more enjoyable subject. My nephew.

Jeff's brother Greg and his wife Jen came up to visit us this past weekend and brought their adorable 2 year old son Callen. I've mentioned my nephew before in this post. I took a couple dozen pictures of Callen and very few others. He's a cute kid. He's a good kid. And I enjoyed getting the chance to play aunt all weekend.

We went to the beach, we played on playground equipment, we went shopping, and then we drove to Omaha to go to the zoo. In between I played with my rubber duck collection, I got attacked by plastic dinosaurs, I read book, and I had tea parties. I spent the weekend making my nephew giggle, which in term made me very, very happy. Oh and I also spent time with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Thanks guys for coming up! It was wonderful.

And if you don't think the kid has a contagious smile, just watch this video.

3 Weekends in 3 Paragraphs

I'm going to try to fill in the gaps of the last three weeks using only my weekends. My weeks have been nothing but work and writing but my weekends have been filled. The weekend of May 12th and 13th included the culmination of three years of very hard work for Jeff. He graduated as an actuary that weekend. To celebrate, Jeff's parents came in to visit. We spent Saturday at the Farmers Market, shopping, and then having dinner and playing games with my parents. Sunday was the graduation and then we spent the evening at my parents house to celebrate mother's day with both mothers. My parents cooked steaks and we had a wonderful feast. Both sets of parents, both of my sisters, and Jeff and I spent the rest of the afternoon eating, talking, and playing games. It was a fantastic weekend. I couldn't be prouder of Jeff. He's worked very hard in school and I was proud to see him walk across that stage.

Jeff's parents left Monday morning and on Friday morning Jeff and I jumped in the car to head south. My nephew Callen was celebrating his first birthday and his parents were throwing him a party. We got down to St. Louis just in time for dinner and then a movie with Jeff's parents. The next day was the party. There were quite a few people there, including some family I hadn't seen in awhile. They provided lunch and then cake. Callen got his own cake to destroy and eat. Below is one of my favorite pictures from the day, although the picture I got of the cake in his bellybutton is right up there. After cake we relaxed on the front lawn, talking and sitting in the shade. Callen wasn't terribly excited about opening presents so we helped out a bit. And then had dinner. It was one of the most relaxing afternoons I'd had in a while. The next day we had breakfast with everyone and then headed home.

This last weekend was of course the long holiday weekend. Friday night I left work for join my brother, his family, and my parents for dinner. We sat and chatted after dinner until late. The next day we met for some shopping and lunch on the patio at PF Chang's. While sitting there, a heron landed at the pond. We all had a wonderful lunch and then some book shopping (my favorite). After lunch we headed to my parent's house for nerf wars, sidewalk chalk, and fun. I have a blast playing with my nephews and niece. I got shot with nerf darts, started a pretend bakery with my niece, and decorated my parent's driveway. The next day was lunch at a taco place in town, then I went to the theaters with everyone to see Avengers. The movie was incredible. I loved the humor and the dialogue. Joss Whedon is a genius. It was one of the first action movies I've seen where the banter was not only good but actually overrode the action. It was hilarious. I hadn't been to a theater in years but this was worth seeing on the big screen. After dinner that night my brother and his family left to head home. I spent Monday reading and Tuesday at the golf course with Jeff. Four days of fun. I came back to work relaxed and refreshed. These last three weekends have been busy but wonderful. And those are my last three weekends. Trust me, my work week have been much less interesting.

Hiding, Reading, and a Possible Theft

A couple weeks ago I had made a comment about disappearing as part of my Poetry Friday posts. I'm sure that for some of you that sounds a bit like a joke. I can't really disappear of course. But I do go into hiding on a somewhat regular basis. This weekend was one of them. Other than breakfast on Saturday with Jeff and a brief drive that day, I haven't left the house since Friday. I did check email for most of the weekend. I certainly didn't write any. I grumbled whenever the phone rang. Other than occasionally checking Facebook and a video chat this afternoon I had almost no contact with the outside word. I was a hermit this weekend. Lately I'm feeling overwhelmed. This was my way to cope. It appears to have worked. I feel refreshed now.

What I did this weekend was read. I read five books this weekend. Most of them were young adult so it isn't the grand achievement that it sounds like. I burrowed into the couch and read some of the classic YA stories that I've heard so much about. I read Ursula LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea, Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three, Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did, and E. Nesbit's Five Children and It. I made another library run to pick up a graphic novel called Page by Paige which has to be one of the most brilliant books for creative people I've ever read. I copied tons of quotes out of it. I must own it. The reading was good this weekend. I might (and I mean might) continue on with the Earthsea series, and you know how I feel about series. I lost myself in books this weekend. And found some wonderful characters.

I also received a bill that has me a little worried. On Saturday Jeff picked up the mail and noticed that there was a bill from one of the local health providers. It was addressed to me, but was for someone I don't know. Nothing about the name was familiar. After losing my wallet in February I was terrified that this person had used my insurance. Of course no one was open on Saturday or Sunday. So today I called. I guess this person was seen at the hospital and gave my name as a guarantor. I'm pissed. I concerned that this is a case of identify theft. Or that this person has my wallet. I was kind of hoping that whoever had found it had just taken the case and tossed the rest of the wallet. Now suddenly I'm not so sure. I've talked to the hospital and their billing and the issue has been resolved. But there is a feeling of uneasiness in my mind. What other bills will I be getting? And who is this person? Thankfully I research people for a living. Time to do some digging on my possible thief.

1200 Miles

Jeff and I have traveled 1200 miles since Thursday. We've see three capitol cities, we've attended both a juggling festival and a pinewood derby. We were stopped by three different cops (all three without tickets, thankfully). We had some great time with old friends and met a couple new ones. It's been both an incredibly enjoyable and incredibly stressful weekend. I'm exhausted.

We left on Thursday for Springfield, IL, a city that neither of us has ever been to. We arrived late and headed out to a late night dinner with a student that Jeff had just met at a conference. We were out until after 11. The next day, after lunch with another new friend, Jeff had a meeting and I wandered around around the city. After the meeting, we headed out of town. This was at 4 p.m. We were supposed to be in Minneapolis the next morning, a drive of nine hours. With the exception of getting a little lost once or twice, most of the drive went fine. Most of it...

On Thursday we had been driving down to Springfield when we had missed a turn in the road. It was dark and we hadn't seen the signs. Jeff pulled over on the side of the road with the idea that when it was clear we would turn around. There was only one car that we had to wait for. Then the car pulled in behind us and turned on its flashing lights. When we explained to the officer what the issue was, he said we should just u-turn and be on our way. We thanked him profusely and headed out. On Friday night we were almost to the Minnesota border when we were stopped for going 6 over the speed limit. The officer sweetly gave us a warning. Not three minutes later we passed a car that also pulled a u-turn and flipped on his red and blues. This time we had been going the speed limit but Jeff had forgotten to turn off his brights and had blinded the poor cop. By this point we were shaken. Jeff was apologizing the moment the window was rolled down. The officer laughed at our poor blubbering selves and send us on our way. We finished the rest of the drive at or below the speed limit with the feeling that we were cursed.

We arrived at the hotel in Minneapolis at 2 a.m. and dropped into bed. I was out in seconds. The next morning we picked up our friend Josh and headed over to Mondo Jugglefest. We go every year and always have a blast. This year I didn't take any pictures but we still had a great time. We met our friends Lon, Lisa, Dan, and Lon's parents there. It was a bit more low-key than usual but still did a fair bit of juggling. And watched lots of great tricks. After that ended we introduced Josh to Ticket to Ride while waiting for Dan to rejoin us. We had dinner with the two of them and then spent the rest of the evening telling stories, laughing, and enjoying. At 1 a.m. we reluctantly headed back to the hotel. I don't remember the last time I laughed as hard or talked that much. Fun!

This morning Josh met us for breakfast at our favorite french bakery Chez Arnaud. The pastries and desserts are just as lovely as they are tasty. I had a fraisier which is made of layers of almond sponge cake mixed with cream and strawberries. Mmmm. I also picked up meringue cookies and some cream puff pastries without the cream. Then we headed north to watch Lon and Lisa's children participate in a pinewood derby. My brother was a scout but I'd somehow never attended one. We had fun and got to see Logan win Best in Show for his angry bird car. After lunch it was finally time to head home. After the terrible driving and long rides, four hours home didn't seem so bad. I'm exhausted but it was well worth every moment. A busy weekend but one I won't forget for a while.

Best Intentions

I made a list on Friday of things I was going to get done this weekend. I came home energized that night with the idea that I would be sitting on Sunday with every single task crossed off my list. I had the best intentions.

But not a single task was finished. Not a single chore was done. Heck I didn't even keep up with my online reading or blogs. Instead I've spent my weekend curled up knitting with Jeff or reading. I curled up in the house and read like books were disappearing tomorrow. I read three books this weekend. And I couldn't be happier. It has been a blissful weekend.

On Friday I started The City of Ember, a young adult novel about a town surrounded by darkness. For a long time the town had been supplied by endless storehouses and lit by gigantic floodlights on top of the buildings. But the storehouses are being exhausted and the lights are starting to flicker. Two brave young adults decide that they have to find a way to save their city and find a way to save the light. I put this book on par with The Hunger Games, which is pretty high praise. Those two books have kept me gripped from beginning to end. They both have strong characters and odd plots that I really got into. A good read.

I just finished the third installment of The Penderwick series. I don't normally read series. I generally have rules against doing so. I have boxes and bookcases filled with books waiting to be read. So I tend to avoid reading authors over and over. Particularly when they are talking about the same characters as before. The same way I hate sequels I hate series. But the Penderwicks are different. I read the first book years ago and feel completely in love with the sisters and their family. It is like reading Little Women over and over but with modern characters. And wonderful dialogue and plots. Jeannie Birdsall even throws in some fun Latin phrases to keep me entertained. I am completely in love with these books. They are stand alone books but I just can't pass up a new installment of the sister's adventures.

The last book I'll be doing a full review of later. I'm not ready to talk about it. Needless to say I read it straight through, only stopping for showers and dinner (and even sometimes not the latter). I grew up reading at the table and in the bathroom and stretched out on the floor and before bed. This weekend I've read in the morning and most of the evenings. I've gotten nothing done but I wouldn't trade these days for anything. What a wonderful time.

Then I'm Happy and Sad For You

It's been an odd weekend. A really odd weekend. It's been a weekend of both extreme happiness and extreme sadness. I've laughed heartily and I've cried miserably, within hours of each other. I've had warm bear hugs that warmed my heart and I've had consolation hugs that offered comfort.

My weekend started on Friday much like so many of them do. I had taken a half-day so we could drive up to Minneapolis for a friend's birthday party. The half-day was more fortunate that I realized. At 11:30 my department was called into a meeting to say that our boss had been let go. Now this was not just a boss the way I've had bosses before. This was a friend. We were all in shock. Some of the department was going out for lunch, just to get out of the office. I called Jeff to see if he could pick me up a bit early. I sent my now former boss an email to see if he needed anything. Jeff came right at the perfect moment, just in time for me to start crying. The office won't be the same without him around.

The drive up was okay but I was still pretty upset. Once we got up there though I was distracted. There was dinner at a sub place with a good friend of ours before heading over to the birthday party. We saw a ton of  people that we only see twice or three times a year. So it was an evening of hugs, good conversation, plenty of food and friends, with some Rock Band thrown in. Jeff and I stayed late into the morning, finally leaving the party around 3, which is only about six hours after my bedtime. It was a great time.

The next morning my body woke me up at 8 a.m.. Stupid internal alarm clock. We had plans to take the birthday boy out for lunch. Partly to celebrate his big round number birthday (which will remain unnamed) but partly because the party had also been a going away party. He's moving south. I figured that this would be the last time I'd see him for quite a while so I wanted to squeeze as much time as I could out of the weekend. Lunch was filled with great conversation. When we walked out to the parking lot I was sad again. I gave him a long hug and a Take Care but there was so much more I would have like to say. While I know we'll keep in touch via emails and phone calls, it will be a while before we get to spend time in person. And I'll miss him.

My sadness was short lived though as we headed up to watch the Huskers destroy Minnesota. I'm not really a Huskers fan but we were actually surrounded by them as we watched the game. It's odd to be in a house in Minnesota rooting for them to be crushed. But root we did. And crush they did. We had a wonderful dinner with friends, talked about sports and babies and knitting, then we headed back to our friends house to watch the Cardinals game and talk. We talked about some tough subjects but they were amazing. Jeff and I slept in the kids rooms that night, so I can now say I've slept on Dora the Explorer sheets.

They woke us for breakfast of homemade french toast and the chance to go see a trapeze school do some flying. On Friday at the party we had met one of their friends who trapezes as a hobby. He invited us out. Jeff and I had planned to leave on Saturday but watching trapeze outdoors was too much to pass up. We stayed. But our times were off. We arrived after they had taken down the net for the season. No trapeze for us. Instead we gave hugs and headed home. It took us two extra hours. The poor kitty had licked her food bowl clean by the time we had gotten home. We had only expected to be gone 24 hours. I hadn't been home in almost 72. And it was a weekend filled with highs and lows. It went from one extreme to the other. And sometimes that's okay. I know that this will work out. It's just odd right now.

What Fools These Mortals Be

We're dealing with a blizzard. It's been snowing off and on since yesterday morning and it's escalated into a full blizzard. Many of the interstates and highways in the state are closed. The rest are Travel not Advised. I'm a home listening to the wind howl. I'm also contemplating my upcoming car repairs. The Corolla decided that today would be a great day to die. It's not been a good day. I could use some cheering up. Thank goodness this weekend was so much fun. The memories help.

Jeff and I headed out of town this past weekend to visit friends in Minneapolis. Two of our friends were performing in a version of Midsummer Night's Dream and we decided last minute to go up to see the show. Jeff dropped me off and picked me up from work on Friday and we headed out right at 5. The roads were good and we made fantastic time. We got there early enough to spend some time playing video games with our friend Jon until we were all too tired to keep our eyes open.


The next day we met the same friend for some breakfast at our favorite little diner in Uptown and then went shopping. We ended up in my new Mecca, a fantasy game store called The Source. As we were heading in I turned to Jeff and said, "You're probably going to want me to hand over my wallet." I could have spent most of my life savings in that store. I left with just a book and a business card. I'll be back.


After some shopping we met our friends Lon and Lisa for a quick but wonderful dinner. Then left just in time to meet more friends at the theater. I had been warned that the show was a bit of a different version of the Bard's tale. I didn't realize how different. I wish we had brought our camera. This was a show to remember.


Our friend Megan played Hermia, a lead role, and was just incredible. She sang, she wept, she got kissed. And she was fantastic. It was incredible to watch her up there. Our friend Josh played Snout, the Tinker. He got a ton of laughs and played the role with a constant smirk. It was a great role for him. The show was unconventional to the extreme. Helena was played by a drag queen. The faeries were goth dancers. And the ending is a surprise that even I wouldn't give away. Needless to say, this version wasn't exactly what Shakespeare had written. The performance was pitch perfect. I laughed so hard my face hurt by the end. Everyone played their roles well. I only wish I had gotten some pictures.


After the show we headed out for a drink or two with Jon and our friend Dan. It was nice to just get a chance to sit and relax. We told stories and talked until about 11 and then Jeff and I headed back to the hotel. The next morning (after being rudely awakened by a drunken wedding party that decided that hotel halls are for yelling) we headed home along the back roads. It was a great weekend, filled with friends. I loved the show and loved the chance to hang out. I sometimes wish we lived up North. Sometimes. Not today though. I'm not looking forward to all that snow tomorrow. Brrr.


PS. If you live up in the Twin Cities area, they will be performing Midsummers again this coming weekend. It is well worth the $5 admission.

Lazy Sunday

The weather can't get much prettier and I am soaking it up. After finishing a really tough but fantastic book this morning called The Underneath (I cried like I was reading Charlotte's Web, which is to say a lot), I've spent part of my day relaxing on the patio watching the birds at the feeder. Jeff bought me some new birdseed from Wild Birds Unlimited and the birds are flocking to it. It's amazing what good seed will do. So I'm sitting outside writing and eating a huge salad and watching the world go by. It's an amazing day. Tonight I'll probably continue my reading jag. I've been working on the collected Sherlock Holmes stories for a couple weeks now and I'm completely hooked.

I also did some baking today, some homemade gingerbread cupcakes which are tasty but not quite as gingerbready as I would like. Yes I know it's not a word, but it makes sense right? I've found I enjoy baking. I really want to get into cake decorating eventually but for right now, cupcakes are right up my alley.

Oh and I have to share. Last night Jeff and I were having dinner when I suggested some bad TV. About a year ago I had picked up the first nine episodes of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon I watched as a kid. We had never watched the DVD though. So last night we sat down and relived a bit of my childhood. The animation was primitive by today's standards and the violence was pretty tame. Jeff was reading that at the time, the show was considered one of the more violent out there. But all we saw were bad guys getting pushed around or tripped, never killed. The dialogue was cliche and Eric the Cavalier drove me crazy, but the show was still fun. I still like the odd way that the baby unicorn Uni spoke (didn't we have such original names in the 80s?). For $5 I think we got our money's worth.

Tomorrow is Labor Day. I'm probably heading to my parent's house for at least part of the day. For all of you out there, don't labor too hard tomorrow. For me, I'll be on the front porch with a book in my hand and some birds at the feeder. I love long weekends.

Children's Movie Weekend

I've been trying to write this post since Sunday. Not sure why I'm having problems with it.

I spent the weekend reading and watching movies and doing very little else. It was blissful. I read three books this weekend, including a new Christopher Moore novel. I spent all day yesterday curled up on the couch. I drank numerous pots of coffee and wasted my days with words and moving pictures. It was a great weekend.

My movie taste lately has run to the juvenile. If it's not animated or geared towards the 10 and under set, I'm not interested. So this weekend I plugged in my earphones, curled up with my laptop, and watched three different kids movies. One animated, one children's classic, and one new classic.

The animated film was Flushed Away, a collaboration between Dreamworks and Aardman Studios. I'm a huge fan of Aardman, so I'd been excited to get a chance to watch it. The film follows a snobby spoiled fancy rat (played by Hugh Jackman) who gets flushed down the toilet and ends up in the rat world below. There he must help a ship's captain retrieve a jewel of hers that he helped hand over to the frog overlord of the Sewers. When the jewel proves to be a fake, the two rats set off to return Hugh Jackman's character home and replace it with a real one. All while being pursued by the frog and his henchmen. I've seen plenty of Aardman films and own my fair share. Sadly this one won't be joining my shelves. It was a decent movie with a couple good scenes but nothing that stood out for me. The animation was fun (it always is with Aardman) but it missed the sophistication of Wallace and Gromit or the witty writing of a Chicken Run. Not my favorite.

The second film was one I haven't seen in well over a decade. When I was a kid I loved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the movie based on the Ian Fleming novel about a car with a mind of its own. I love Dick Van Dyke's performance, I loved the crazy inventions, I loved the silly story, and I loved the car. I remember being terrified by the Child Catcher, although I don't remember understanding the Vulgarian society. I didn't understand how much of a tyrant the Baron was. Watching the film again this weekend I notice how many songs the film had. I hadn't remembered all of them. Although the ones I did remember are the ones I'm still humming today. I was just as impressed with how sweet the film was. There was a lot of humor but a lot of tenderness as well. A fun film that I'd somehow managed to ignore for almost 20 years.

But the winner for the weekend was a new film that will quickly become a favorite. I watched Nanny McPhee on Saturday and was instantly charmed by the film. The story focuses on seven incredibly naughty children who finally meet their match when Nanny McPhee shows up to whip them into shape. She's hideous, she's unconventional, and she's magic. She teaches the kids lessons by giving them exactly what they want, only more than they want. Emma Thompson plays Nanny McPhee perfectly. She starts the role hideous and strict, and slowly grows more beautiful and more likable as the children become more well behaved. But the best part for me was watching the children grow. They start out as selfish uncontrollable brats with a distant father; and gradually the family becomes more caring and loving, both the kids and the father. The movie had magic, had humor, and had heart. One of my new favorite kid's movies. Well worth a watch.

Travels With Charley...well actually Cat

Did you miss me? Thanks for understanding as I took a bit of a break. I needed to step back and remember why I write this blog. I also needed the time to recover and get past all my travels. I have been on the go for what seems like weeks now and last week I just crashed. I didn't read. I didn't write. I just crashed. And truthfully I simply couldn't think of something to blog about, so I figured that was a perfect time to step away.

I've realized that in the last month I've been to Alaska, Minnesota (twice), Nebraska, and all over Iowa. I've spent more time on the road these last weeks than I have at home practically. And when I have been at home it seems like I've been busy. But things are starting to settle down. I'm starting to relax again and feel a bit more like me. I'm the kind of person who needs time to myself. I need time at home to keep me centered. Too much movement and after a while I get frustrated. Now don't get me wrong I love to travel, I just can't do it all the time.

You've already heard about Alaska. Beautiful, wild, stunning Alaska. We arrived home Tuesday morning and I had two days of work that week. But on Thursday I found out that my sister-in-law's father had died. This man had been an uncle to me. We'd known the family well before my brother and sister-in-law got married. He was a great guy. So of course I had to go to the funeral. Back on the road as we made the trip to Albert Lea, MN.

The next weekend we were at home but oddly Jeff and I didn't stay home. In our continuing wanderlust we headed out into Southern Iowa to drive the backroads and see what we could see. And we found some amazing state parks, small towns, fun shops, and lots and lots of scenery. We spent the whole weekend driving and hiking. Constantly on the go. Constantly not at home.

The next weekend saw us North again as we headed up to the Cities to catch our friend Josh in a play. He's done summer stock theater for a couple years now and we try hard to make it up for the shows. I missed last year so I wasn't about to miss The Music Man this year. Plus it happened to be our anniversary weekend. We arrived Saturday afternoon and hung out with our friend Jon playing video games. Then headed over to the play that evening. The next morning we had breakfast with our thespian friend before heading further north to spend the afternoon with our friend Lon and his kids. We sat around in the shade as the kids splashed in the kiddie pools. We didn't even start heading for home until 5 and didn't see the house until late that night.

And that brings us to this past weekend. In April, for my older sister's birthday, my little sister had promised a girls weekend. We looked at the calendar and picked a weekend in August for the sisters to get away. A road trip. Of course that happened to be last weekend. We debated on what to do and where to go until I finally suggested a cute little boutique hotel close to the Old Market area in Omaha. The hotel was booked and on Friday we headed out. We took the long way getting to Omaha, traipsing through gravel roads and through small towns. When we arrived at 9:30 Friday night we quickly checked in and headed out for dinner and some drinks. Followed by more drinks. We ended the night talking in the hotel and finishing off a bottle of whiskey.

The next morning we headed out to a little cafe off the Old Market for breakfast. A great little greasy spoon cafe which helped to settle my hangover. After that it was shopping. I bought a new journal (shocking huh), some bacon flavored floss for Jeff, tons of candy, and a bit of jewelry. Then on to lunch at my favorite place in Omaha, M's Pub. I think I can safely say that this was probably the highlight of the trip for us. We ate, we drank, we laughed until we cried. It was the best two hour lunch I've ever had. Completely refreshing. After that was more shopping and then some naps. The next morning we headed out earlyish with the idea of seeing some of the sights around Iowa. We drove North through the Loess Hills State Park and then headed East. We took pictures at Albert the Bull, the world's largest bull (I'll post pictures of him tonight). We also stopped at the spinning ear of corn which my sister had read at 50 feet. It turned out to be 5 feet, and needless to say, a bit underwhelming.

We finally arrived home late that evening but my visiting wasn't over. My relatives had decided that this past weekend was the perfect time to come in for a visit. My cousin and his family had come in, my brother and his wife had dropped off the kids at my parents house, and my little brother had made the trek north from St. Louis. I arrived home and immediately headed over to my parents house to visit. I spent all Monday with them as well. My cousin left Monday, my little brother leaves today, and the kids are being picked up on Saturday. I think I'm ready for a weekend with nothing going on. I feel like I've been going non-stop. Here's hoping for a little relaxing. And some time to blog.

[For those of you who don't know the title of this post is a reference to my favorite Steinbeck book, a bizarre travelogue as Steinbeck travels around the county in an RV with his beloved poodle Charley. It's not like most of Steinbeck's other books but I love his view of traveling and getting to know the people. It's on par with Blue Highways as one of my favorite road trip books.]

Full Fourth

Fourth of July weekend came and went without any fireworks. It was raining so hard on Sunday night that we didn't even bother going out to see if the city was going to set them off. That's not to say that the weekend wasn't a blast. We had more fun (and it felt longer) than any weekend I can remember. It was just the less explosive type of fun.

The weekend started late Friday night when our friends Lon and Lisa arrived in town. It was late but we headed out for a quick bite of dinner only to find the noodle place we were planning to go to was closed for the night. Instead we headed next door for a surprisingly speedy pizza dinner. The kids did really well for being up so late and were great during dinner. After pizza we couldn't pass up the tasty gelato before heading back to the hotel to talk. We stayed up way past my bedtime (and I think theirs) talking but had a very nice time.

The next morning Jeff and I headed back to their hotel with the promise of finding a park to play in and then lunch. We didn't have to walk far to find a park though. While the youngest child took a mid-day nap, we took Lisa and their son Logan out for a walk around the pond near the hotel. What we didn't realized was that the pond was stocked with goldfish and filled with ducks. After one loop we were joined by the rest of the party and went around again. I'll talk about that walk a bit more in my other blog. Sorry no pictures. Then we headed out to lunch (noodle place was open this time) and then out to Raccoon River Park to play on the playground equipment. At about 3, Lon and Lisa continued on their way out of town and Jeff and I spent some time sitting on the patio soaking up the sun. That evening our neighbor came over and we spent a couple hours sitting out, drinking some good red wine, and talking. We hadn't seen Jeanne much since last fall and I was missing her. We talked and laughed and set up new drinks dates surrounding made up holidays (who needs an excuse to drink good whiskey?). It was incredibly relaxing although I will admit I had more red wine than I should have.

Sunday was a bit of a lazy day. After all the red wine on Saturday night I had problems sleeping. So after finally falling asleep at 5 a.m. I slept until almost noon. It was only when my parents called about lunch that I finally got out of bed. After lunch at a barbecue place we headed back to their house for a quiet afternoon of visiting and board games. We played a couple hilarious rounds of Apples to Apples (my current game obsession) and a couple rounds of Bananagrams (my mom's favorite). Jeff and I didn't leave there until 9 and by then it was pouring. We headed straight home, figuring that no one would be lighting off fireworks, and started a jigsaw puzzle. It's been years since I've done a puzzle and it was one of the things that Jeff and I did when we first started dating. We stayed up way too late working on it but ended up with some nice quiet relaxing time together.

Monday was a work holiday for me so we planned to eat breakfast out, a traditional weekend luxury. While waiting for our table we got a text. It was Lon and Lisa on their way back through the city wondering if we wanted a late lunch. We left the sit down breakfast and headed over to Caribou for a quick bite, then back to the house to do some cleaning. We were having a box springs delivered that afternoon so we needed to be home and have the bedroom ready when it arrived. When lunch ended up being at 2 we ran down to the mall to meet them and then had to hightail it home since our delivery window was from 3-5. Of course the bed didn't arrive until 4:30. The evening was spent working on our puzzle which we finished surprisingly quickly. We actually started and finished another 1000 piece that afternoon. By the end of the day my back was killing me from bending over the table. But the new box springs helped soothe that. All and all a great weekend, filled with friends and visiting. We never BBQed or watched fireworks, but it was still an amazing weekend. I feel refreshed.

It's All Relative

On Thursday night, Jeff and I had dinner with my aunt and uncle and the rest of my in-town family. We had a fantastic time getting together. Late that night my father and uncle boarded a bus to take them fishing in Canada, leaving my aunt in Des Moines with my mom. Having my aunt here, lead to possibly one of the most family filled weekends I've had in a long time. It was a blast but wow am I exhausted.


On Thursday it was dinner and talking until pretty late. On Friday night Jeff and I had dinner with my mom and aunt and then took my aunt out to the local baseball game. We had beautiful seats on one of the most perfect weather nights I can remember. There were fireworks after the game and then we drove her around the city a little before dropping her home to my mom. She had a blast and even though it wasn't her beloved White Sox, it was an exciting enough game to keep her interested. She even almost caught a foul ball (instead she ended up with a bruised elbow).



On Saturday we picked up my mother and her sister and the four of us headed out to the Des Moines Art Festival. Despite the fact that it was egg-fryingly hot, we wandered among the booths for a couple hours and my mother even bought a gorgeous handmade kaleidoscope. I debated heavily about some amazing steampunk bird sculptures but in the end didn't have the money to buy. Those might become a regret.



After lunch at Centro, we headed out to the other Des Moines art fair (yes there are two competing fairs in one weekend) where my mother bought me a beautiful piece of artwork that uses handpoured pewter leaves. I've already hung it up. It was just stunning. Thanks Mom!! After both artfairs we were all wiped out. We headed back to my mom's place to have a light dinner and play some board games.



Sunday was supposed to be Jeff and my day but my mother called with an offer I couldn't refuse. We went to the zoo and had a great time. There have been so many changes in the last year at the zoo. Jeff and I were there in the fall last year. This trip, there were areas that I didn't recognize. Amazing. It just keeps getting better and better. The highlights were the beautiful birds that wandered right up to us in the discovery center. Particularly the Victoria Crowned Pigeon which was easily the size of a wild turkey and appeared to have no fear of us (see below). After the zoo we dropped the ladies off and spent a quiet evening cleaning the house. I'm so far behind on getting things done. Of course I'd have to be home at some point for things to get done.



On Monday we decided to do a girl's day since my sister was off work. We went shopping for our upcoming trip and ended up picking up a number of nice things. I bought a ring and a new travel bag. Then after a nice sushi dinner, Jeff and I headed out to the library. Of course the moment I brought my new books home I was lost. Nothing got done the rest of the night as I sat on the couch and read. It was an amazing weekend, filled to the brim. But now I'm exhausted. And ready for things to return to normal. Just a couple more days.

Happy Father's Day - Better Late Than Never

This weekend flew by even with an extra day. I took Friday off (my last furlough day, Woohoo!!!) and Jeff and I headed out of town to hang out with some friends and play dodgeball. Every year (here is my write-up from last year) our friends Lon and Lisa host a dodgeball weekend over Father's Day. The boys get together and play while the girls sit around, talk, and laugh at the boys. Then we all eat tons of food and play video games. Yeah so it pretty much rocks!!! Thanks guys! We had a fantastic weekend filled with video games, anime, and friends. We actually stumbled into an anime convention at the hotel we happened to be staying at which just made the weekend that much more awesome. People in costumes everywhere. It made me want to do a convention again. Maybe Dragon Con with my brother and father this year. Hmmm.

I'll talk more about trench (and possibly post incriminating pictures) tomorrow. Today I have to do something overdue. I have to talk about my Dad. One of the hard parts about having this party every year is that I always miss Father's Day since we are out of town. My dad is always really cool about it. We went out to dinner with him last Wednesday but I wanted to do something else to honor him. I am blessed with having two amazing parents (and two great parent-in-laws as well). My parents taught us kids to be honest and hard-working and considerate. Both were the first in their families to go to college, and they passed on the value of education to me. My dad brought himself up from his steel worker roots, to go to college, then medical school. He's worked for the same hospital for the last 30 something years and has never missed a day due to weather. He's worked hard to get where he is, even though I tease him now about his semi-retired schedule.

My father on vacation in Turks and Caicos

But my dad's work ethic isn't my favorite thing about him. When I was growing up my dad was always reading or playing guitar or gardening or fishing.... He has more hobbies than I can count and in many ways I've grown up a lot like him. I owe him my love of learning new things. My mother is the one who instilled reading in me but it was my dad's constant interest in things that pushed me to pick up new hobbies. He and I are very similar in that way. We become fascinated with something, learn as much as we can about it, and then move on to something else.

My father was never shy about asking questions. He can instantly set people at ease with his easy-going nature. He's the kind of person who can talk with anyone and constantly has a joke for every situation (something I wish I'd inherited). I've developed my love of food and trying new foods from him. He's blessed me with a love of the outdoors and science. His fearlessness when trying things is something I'm still trying to learn myself. But I've been blessed with a great role model. Always smiling, always happy, always learning, always interested, his outlook on life is incredibly positive and I'm constantly striving to be more like him. So this is just to say I love you Dad and you inspire me.

My father, my little sister, and I after a wonderful day of scuba diving in Bull Shoals, Arkansas

Not Quite All Here

I'm back. I had a fantastic weekend of visiting family in St. Louis and now I'm back. Kind of. We've actually been back in town since Monday night but I'm still not back up and running at full steam yet. The weekend was so fantastic and relaxing that I can't quite get back into my usual routine.

We traveled down to St. Louis on Friday and had dinner at Jeff's brother's house. It was a wonderful evening and we ended up staying until late. The next day Jeff and his dad and I headed out to The Magic House, a children's museum that I've been wanting to go to for years now. It was a interesting museum and even though we weren't exactly the target audience, we managed to spend three or so hours enjoying. The museum was busy but not so much so that we couldn't play with the exhibits ourselves. The evening was spent with ice cream (from local institution Ted Drewes) and dominoes with Jeff's parents.

On Sunday we were joined by Jeff's brother and his wife on a tour of the St. Louis Zoo (thanks for braving the heat guys). I love a good zoo and this one is one of the nicest free zoos in the country. I loved the new penguin house and the old-fashioned reptile house. But after about two hours, the sun and the crowds got to all of us and we escaped to find some beer and lunch. After lunch I ended up taking a long (3 hour) nap before getting up for a snack and more dominoes.

We drove home on Monday to a very happy kitty and a day of relaxing. My scheduled Monday off had fallen on Memorial Day so I was granted another day. Tuesday Jeff and I went out hiking and then did some grocery shopping. The evening was spent listening to the rain and watching old Phineas and Ferb episodes. A complete waste of a day but a wonderful one. So when the alarm clock went off this morning I was a bit unprepared to return to the real world. My work inbox was crammed with requests so I hadn't even found a moment to post. Thank god for lunch hour. Although I'm back in the office today, I'm still not all here. Five days off might be a little too much.

Sweet Scheduling

First of all I want you to know that I'm a freak when it comes to trips. I love to travel and the excitement of each trip often starts for me the moment I realize that I'm actually going to get to go. That's even before the trip is booked. I plan so far in advance that Jeff is usually tired of hearing about the place by the time we actually get there. I read guidebooks and fiction about the place, scour maps, read website reviews, do Google image searches, and generally about two months out I start a countdown to the beginning of the trip. Did I mention I'm a freak?

So yesterday on my lunch hour I worked out my countdown to this upcoming trip in July. I listed out all the days on an excel spreadsheet until we leave. I then counted the number of days. But that wasn't enough for this one. I highlighted all the days that were weekends for me, so then I counted the number of work days and made that its own column. Workdays tend to go slower than weekend days and practically count double in my book. Then, because I really am a geek, I figured out the workday/weekend day ratio for each of the days. That's when I looked at my schedule and realized something incredible.

I only have one weekend until the beginning of August that is a standard two day weekend. The rest are all three day weekends or more. In fact I only have two full five day weeks until the beginning of August as well. I'm going to forget what a normal schedule feels like, and I'm really excited about that. One of the only bonuses of these stupid furlough days is that I'm taking a lot more three day weekends. Add that to my already odd schedule where every other week I have a Monday off and you get a pretty sweet looking schedule. And all the days off in June and early July are without having to take a single day of vacation. It's a pretty sweet looking schedule.

So I may not actually need this trip to help me relax. I may have a relaxing enough summer without it. But I'm not reading all those guidebooks and plowing through Michener's Alaska for nothing.

Watching the Derby

Now I know that right at this moment my sports fanatic (and racing fanatic) friend Dan is chomping at the bit to tell me that that Preakness was this weekend, not the Derby. And he would be right. But hold your horses Dan. It isn't horse racing I'm talking about, it's Roller Derby.

I had a fantastic weekend filled with family. On Friday night my little sister, my parents, and Jeff and I went out to dinner at one of my favorite Thai places in town. It was incredibly tasty and my sister even agreed to split a mango and sticky rice dessert with me (a rare treat). Then we hung out and talked at my parent's house until late. While I was there the phone rang and it was my older sister. She wanted to know if we would go to the roller derby with her on Saturday. One of her coworkers was making her debut and she wanted to have a group there to support her. Of course we couldn't pass that up. I told her we'd pick up tickets and that we'd meet her there that night.

Saturday we had no where to be until 7 so Jeff and I bummed around town, shopped, ran errands, ate breakfast and dinner out. It was heavenly. During the day I had stopped in to see my older sister at her work, the beauty supply shop Ulta. While I was there she suggested that I get my eyebrows waxed (they needed it). And who should be doing my waxing but the same girl who would be in the derby that night. We talked about how nervous she was and I tried to reassure her. She looked like a roller derby girl.

That night we headed down to the events center and found a pretty decent crowd at the derby. I've never been before (heck I've never seen roller derby before) so I had little idea what to expect. With a beer in hand I settled in to watch. Roller derby for those who haven't gone has got to be one of the best places to people watch ever. I loved the costumes which went from risque to downright weird. The girls are often wearing very short shorts and fishnet stockings. I saw furry leg warmers, tutus, and one woman with feathers glued to her eyelashes. Then the match started. A roller derby match is broken up into jams, where a jammer tries to score by getting past the pack once and then making it through them again for points. Our girls racked up massive points quickly against an inexperienced team but it was pretty exciting. There were girls falling all over the place. My sister's coworker ended up being the first person in the penalty box but had a ball. There were body checks and fast skating and skimpy costumes everywhere. Even the participants names were hilarious. A great time.

After the derby we headed out for drinks with my sister, her fiance, one of her friends (along with her son), and my sister's coworker who was beaming from ear to ear. We stayed out way too late and I was exhausted by the time I finally stumbled into bed. Sunday I met some family for brunch and then Jeff and I headed home. I've been working on a presentation that I have to give on Wednesday which is why this is so late. But it was a wonderful weekend and I'm sure I'll be heading back to the roller derby again. I probably won't go every week but it's nice to know that we have a team, and that they're a lot of fun to watch.

Mondo

I'm still on one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I'm still not back in the office today although I am home from Minneapolis and settling back into my routine. This weekend managed to recharge all my batteries along with inspire me. I can't say that very often about a weekend.

I had Friday off which is why today feels so incredibly luxurious. Four day weekends are great because they feel almost too long. For a moment this morning I thought that it was a workday. Jeff had class that morning then came home at noon and we managed to start heading out of town by 1. The drive up was quick and interesting. Jeff and I spent much of our early relationship traveling all over Iowa and the Midwest, so being in the car and just talking is rejuvenating for us. The four hour drive flew by and we managed to get up to the Cities just in time for dinner. We went to Mongos in Maple Grove, one of my favorite Mongolian BBQ restaurants, mostly because I can mix in brown rice with my veggies to make for a tasty and nutritious meal. After Mongos we grabbed some ice cream and headed over to a friend's house to play hours of Soul Caliber (wow, those are some interesting outfits!) and talk. The main attraction for Soul Caliber was to laugh at the outfits and the women's dimensions. Late that night our friend Dan joined us and we stayed until late talking and had a very nice time (Thanks Jon).

Early Morning Mondo

The next morning was Mondo (hmm Mongos, then Mondo). We arrived pretty early so the festival was still pretty quiet. That gave us the chance to talk and juggle and just relax. I worked on some three ball but most of the day was dedicated to contact juggling (think David Bowie in Labyrinth). As the hall filled in around 10:30, we were approached by a group of high school students on a field trip to the festival. I wish I had those kind of field trips when I was in school. They were interested in the contact juggling but fascinated with most of the other toys we had. Jeff spent almost all day teaching one of the girls to use the poi. Right before lunch, we ran into a contact juggler that had some of the coolest moves I've ever seen. This man was amazing. I posted a video of his work at the end of this post (I didn't ask so I hope that's okay with Cameron).

Lon and his brother Scott, passing clubs

At midday we headed out to lunch at Leeann Chin, a standard lunch spot on Mondo days. Then back to the festival for an afternoon of juggling practice and talking. The high school kids and Cameron found us again and spent most of the afternoon hanging out with our group. It was a ton of fun and when the raffle started (the end of the Saturday event) we were all a little bummed. But our disappointment was short lived. Our group managed to win five of the raffle drawings including a new spinning plate for Bob and a new set of clubs for Josh. Jeff even won some little things. We haven't had a good luck year like that in a while. After the raffle we went back to our friends Lon and Lisa's house for pizza and more talking. We ended up there until well after 1 am, playing Beatles Rock Band and Mario Cart.

The next morning we took our friend Josh out to brunch for allowing us to stay with him and about noon we headed out after a quick stop at Trader Joe's and some other shopping. We drove halfway and stopped in Albert Lea to see my older brother. We just hung out and talked with him, his wife, and the kids for a while. Mandy, my sister-in-law made us a fantastic dinner and we sat out on the back patio to eat. They live out in the country so it was so incredibly beautiful and quiet and relaxing. After dinner we went for a little hike on their land and about 7 we got back into the car and finally headed for home. The cat was excited to see us and although it was nice to spend the weekend with Josh, it was nice to sleep in our own bed last night. This morning I've been cleaning like a mad women. I'm so full of energy right now. The weekend inspired me to practice my juggling more. Now if only I had taken more pictures.

Cameron from Ohio, the amazing contact juggler.

{Edit: I'm not sure why the videos loaded the way they did. Rest assured, they do work, after a little buffering}

Winging My Way North

I am sitting over my lunch hour anxiously watching the clock. In three hours I will be heading out of the office for a physical therapy appointment. After that I'll have dinner with Jeff at our favorite Mongolian BBQ place and then I go home to pack. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be winging our way north. I have a four day weekend and am getting out of town for a convention. I'm incredibly excited.

Every year Jeff and I go to Minneapolis for the annual Mondo Juggling Fest. The festival offers jugglers a chance to get together, work on their tricks, learn new skills, and show off. Jeff and I can juggle three balls and Jeff has taught himself the basics of club juggling. My hope is to refine my contact juggling skills and learn how to pass. Jeff's balance board quickly became a group favorite last year. Although we have a ton of fun learning the juggling tricks, the big draw is seeing friends and spending the day just relaxing and hanging out. We have a great group of friends up in the Cities and love any chance we have of getting together. Other than one year when we were in Hawaii, Jeff and I have made the trek faithfully, sometimes through some pretty terrible weather.

This year I'm really excited that the convention is being held in April rather than the usual February. I'm excited to see friends. But I'm also excited to be getting out of town. Jeff and I typically travel heavily in the winter. This winter, because of my foot, we've been home and the cabin fever had started to kick in. We haven't been out of town since Christmas. I'm excited and it just seems like the hours aren't passing fast enough. So there will be no post tomorrow (I'll be on the road) and most likely no posts until Monday. Then I'll have lots of pictures for you. I'll even try to get some video of the unicycle hockey game that always starts up. Or some cool juggling trick I noticed. But mostly you'll get pictures of friends (some of which read this blog) who may or may not be doing some fun juggling.

If by any chance you happen to be in the area, stop by and check the festival out. The $5 entrance fee will get you a lot of cool juggling and unicycle tricks and some even better people watching.

A Strange Disconnect

I'm not sure if I'm feeling proud or a bit ashamed when I say that I went the entire weekend without spending any real time on my computer. I read comics each morning but that was it. I never once checked email. I didn't read any of my blogs. I didn't even check Facebook. I was almost completely disconnected. And I have to admit that it was wonderful.

My in-laws arrived at 6ish on Friday night and we quickly went out to dinner. I had some amazing vegetarian sushi while everyone else had fish. Jeff's parents are Catholic so they were avoiding meat because of Lent (since when are fish not meat?). Then we just headed back to their hotel to watch UNI lose to Michigan State. :-( Oh well, can't win them all.

The next day we grabbed an earlyish breakfast and then drove them around the city a bit. They had been predicting rain all day so we stayed in for most of the afternoon. Jeff had two movies that he had to watch for his Reproductive Law class so we ended up watching one of those Saturday afternoon. We watched Waitress which wasn't a fantastic movie but did make me want to learn how to bake pies. That night we met my parents downtown for dinner and then went back to my parents house for an evening of cards and pie and talking. It was a nice night.

Sunday was an incredibly lazy day. After brunch Jeff's parents headed off and we went home. Jeff watched the second of his movies (Knocked Up) and I tried to ignore it. I think I got stupider just watching that film. I absolutely hated it. So I immersed myself in a book. I just started Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and could not put it down. It was one of those books where I walked to the kitchen to make dinner while still reading. I lay on the sofa for the rest of the day, just devouring the book. It was amazingly well written. I left it at home this morning so I wouldn't be tempted to read at work. It's that good.

So today I'm back at work after a late physical therapy session and am feeling a bit disconnected. I know that I'm addicted to my computer but it was nice to take some time to step away this weekend. I feel incredibly refreshed and even though I didn't get a ton done, I feel like a I didn't waste as much time this weekend. A fantastic weekend, relaxing and long. Now I just have to catch up.

New Schedule

One of the bonuses of my job is the hours. They are mostly stable Monday through Friday. I don't have to work too much overtime and I only occasionally have to take work home. One of the other bonuses is that the state offers what they call an adjusted work week. For the last three and a half years I've worked the standard set week. On Friday I start my new schedule and it may impact the blog a bit.

The way it works is that I will start working 9 hour days most of the week. And then I get every other Monday off. I'm going to start this new schedule with the Monday after Christmas. What that means for me is that every other weekend is a three day weekend. What it means for you is that I won't always be good about getting a post out on those Mondays. You know how good I am about posting over the weekend. Spotty is the nice way to put it. Non-existant is the other.

My plan is for that Monday to be a writing day for me. A chance to work on some stories I have rough drafts on, or create new ones. A chance to get some painting done. If I'm good and spend time at the computer, then I'll get a post out. If I waste the day, like I might, I probably won't. It could go either way. I love that I have this option for a schedule. It allows me some flexibility for a writing day. It also allows me some time away from work. Plus I generally work 9 hour days anyway, so this is just an added bonus. I'll let you know how it goes. I just figured I'd warn you. I'll try to be good. But I can't promise that the allure of spending the day out won't trump sitting at home writing.