Full

This weekend was full.  Full of good times, full of relaxation, full of sad news, full of family time.  Though the good outweigh the bad, for some reason my heart is incredibly heavy tonight.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that I haven't been writing like I should be need to be writing.

Tony and I decided on Friday that we were going to Merrimac, WI to spend the weekend with my dad and Velma.  Right before we left, I read a horrible story about an accident on I-94 in Kenosha that had occurred Thursday night.  A minivan had rear-ended a semi.  Turns out it was a man I knew in college, and his wife, who were involved in the accident.  His wife, Shari, was pronounced dead at the scene.  Bram was taken to Froedtert in Wauwatosa for serious head injuries.  Even though I hadn't seen Bram in years, and he was an acquaintance at best, it made me so, so sad.  You see, Bram and Shari have a two-year-old son and a two-month-old daughter.  I, along with many others, prayed and prayed for that family this weekend.  I'm very sad to report that I've heard that Bram passed away last night.  From everything I've read, their children are surrounded by loving family, and I continue to pray for the families of Bram and Shari, and their little ones.  Makes me want to give everyone I love an extra hug tonight.

So, in a subdued mood, we met Dad and Velma in Columbus for dinner at a quaint little Italian restaurant (Napoli's for anyone in the area) and had an amazingly good dinner.  Tony fell asleep shortly after we arrived (anyone who knows Tony knows that 8:00p.m. is him staying up late!), and Dad and I had a nice fireside chat.

Saturday we woke up to sunshine galore.  Dad, Tony and I decided to head over to the Jefferson Car Show.  I used to go to car shows all the time with my dad, but it had been awhile since I'd been to one.  This was my first trip - that I know of - to the Jefferson Car Show.  It was spectacular!  We had such a good time walking around "car dreaming."  I found myself several new cars.  My favorite was an Audi S4 convertible.  Somehow that doesn't seem like it would be ideal for our family that we hope to increase in size!  Tony thought Shadow would look nice hanging her head out the backseat -- and I immediately vetoed that idea for fear she'd try to jump out.  Long story short -- no Audi convertibles in my near future.  And you were worried, right?

We meandered through the Swap Meet area, boggling at some of the prices on things we could easily go to Farm and Fleet and purchase for half the listed prices.  And, looking at some of the booths, it made us wonder why anyone would go to all the trouble to unload SO MUCH STUFF for a weekend car show.  I did see a few people with some major purchases, but the quantity of "stuff" far outweighed anything I saw being purchased.

We finished off the day with some homemade ice cream bars -- vanilla ice cream with toffee and nuts.  De-li-cious!

We had a yummy steak-on-the-grill dinner and treated ourselves to the movie Frozen on Saturday night.  Tony and I own it...but Dad and Velma hadn't seen it yet and I think it is spectacular!  If you haven't, in my opinion it's a must-see!  And then, Saturday evening, I read more sad stuff.  My cousin's father-in-law passed away.  Boo!  My already heavy heart got a little heavier upon hearing that news.  I know this is life and this is how it works, but sometimes I really wish there were an easier way.  And I know, with all of my being I know, that those who we have lost are in a better place.  They are pain-free and living in His glory.  Unfortunately, that knowledge can comfort us but a little as we work through our losses here in this life.  I find strength and peace in the fact that I believe we can still communicate with them, and one day we will see them again.

Phew.  This is getting heavy.  And that wasn't my intention, I promise.  So after all the fresh air on Saturday, Tony and I both slept in this morning.  Well, Tony a little more than me :)  He finally wandered upstairs about 11:30 this morning.  Again, for anyone who knows Tony -- you KNOW this is unusual!  There's just something about being "up north" and in the fresh air that helps him to sleep better.  Wish we could bottle some of that to bring home!

Our weekend ended with a quick stop at the new Nitty Gritty in Sun Prairie for the always-excellent Gritty burger and cheese curds.  They didn't disappoint!  We made it home safely, snuggled in to watch a movie -- August: Osage County.  I liked it but, honestly, if you haven't seen it yet I have to tell you it isn't a happy-go-lucky feel-good movie.  I'm afraid it is partially what contributed to the heavier portions of this post.  I can say one thing -- it sure made me feel better about my own family! :)

Speaking of family...stay tuned for an exciting project I'm cooking up sometime soon.  For now, I have to crank out some homework for my Wednesday night class.  Thankfully these seven credits will be over before I know it -- and then summer school begins!

Getting There

These last two weeks have been all about "getting there," and by there I mean to April 11th.  Tomorrow is the last day of school before our spring break.  It has been a long stretch.  A colleague and I were recently discussing how difficult it is to teach when you have a long string of five-day weeks together.  For those of you non-teachers out there, let me try to explain.  I certainly am not complaining that I have to work five days a week!  But, kids do need some breaks.  Typically our schedule allows for a few four-day weeks for students here and there, and us teachers come into school to do required professional development and training.  In many ways it is a win-win situation; we get the training the district and state require, and kids get a chance to be kids for an extra day.  With our recent Wisconsin winter, that's all been changed.  Not only have kids been cooped up for far too long due to lower-than-average temperatures, but they've also lost out on those banking days that I mentioned earlier.  Since coming back from our winter break we have not had one non-holiday day off.  We did have Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, on January 20, off of school.  Believe me when I tell you that staff and students are getting pretty excited for an eleven-day break!

Tony and I have plans of our own.  Tomorrow afternoon we'll be flying to Denver, CO for six days.  Not exactly sure what we'll be doing there -- we are practicing living spontaneously and going where the days take us...at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself.  Tony (and most anyone else who knows me well) can tell you that I like to have a "plan" for just about everything.  And in those situations where I don't have a plan, I like to think about a plan...and think about a plan...and think some more about a plan.  So, this new approach has been a little bit difficult for me.  The good news, however, is that I've been so incredibly busy these last few weeks that I haven't really had a chance to think much about it at all.  My current "plan" is that I have a book list with twenty-two books on it that I would like to start.  That's it.  The end.  Beyond that, I have no idea what we'll do, where we'll go or who we'll see.  All I know is that the weather in Denver appears to be slightly warmer than in Milwaukee this week -- with temperatures in the low 70s, and I'll take it!

In case anyone is interested in book lists, I'll leave you with mine -- these are either books I've heard about, read about or have seen that look intriguing.  Let me know if you read any, and we'll compare notes!

-Not I, Memoirs of a German Childhood
-Reconstructing Amelia
-The Weight of Silence
-Mortal Instruments Series (City of Bones, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls)
-Clockwork Angel
-Clockwork Prince
-Clockwork Princess
-Shine Shine Shine
-Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
-Look Again
-A Prayer for Owen Meany
-Divergent
-Allegiant
-Insurgent
-The Book Thief
-The White Princess
-Telling the Bees
-The Inn at Rose Harbor

No April Fools Here

Now that I've gotten back into the routine (somewhat) of writing my blog I find that when I don't do it I miss it.  So, even though it feels as though there's nothing new to report, I'm writing anyway.

Today was a day filled with appointments.  I was "off" work today due to my physical therapy/doctor schedule.  I left the house at 10 a.m. and finally returned around 3:30 p.m.  All-in-all the news was good.  But, somedays, I think it would be easier to be at work!  I started my day with thirty minutes of traction for my neck.  Then it was on to an hour of physical therapy.  My therapist is really starting to dig-in to some of the muscles in my shoulder and pectoral area.  Sometimes it feels good, but most of the time it's pretty darn painful.  I try not to be too big of a baby about it, but sometimes my facial expressions get the better of me and let her know how I really feel about what she's doing.  Sorry folks -- no pictures to go along with that image.  :)

After therapy Tony and I headed up to see Dr. B.  There, while we waited to be seen, I had the opportunity to observe a medical interpreter at work.  I was fascinated!  Ever since working in EMS I have been drawn to that career as a part-time option for summer, or an on-call position for evenings.  The woman at the clinic today was a Spanish interpreter and I was able to talk with her for a few minutes and gain some information.  I'm really very intrigued.  She was waiting for her patient to show up while Tony and I were waiting to be called to the back.  Interestingly, three Spanish-speaking patients came in while we were sitting there.  I joked with Tony that he was definitely in the language minority in that room.  Six people total, five of whom spoke fluent Spanish.  I should add here that all present also spoke fluent English from what I could tell.  None of the three people present were the patient this interpreter was waiting for.  But, I enjoyed practicing my listening skills as those present conversed.  Poor Tony had no idea what anyone was saying.  I guess he's lucky that when he asked me questions I didn't respond in Spanish too!

Finally, about the time my regular school-day would have been ending, I headed over to the Apple Store to have them take a look at my phone.  It hasn't been holding much of a charge lately, draining very quickly, and sometimes turning itself off while showing it had 34% or more left of charge.  I was also having trouble with the top "lock" button.  Luckily, I have AppleCare, so they were able to swap out the phone for a new one.  The whole visit took less than 20 minutes.

That's about it for my exciting day.  I missed out on all the fun of it being April 1st.  Can't say that I mind too much.  That's all for now...