Weekend Update (read from the bottom up)

MONDAY, MAY 26TH

It didn't rain but it sure looked like it could have. It was a lazy, relaxing day for us - until we had to go home. I took a picture of the baby birds that are living under our camper. Three weeks ago the nephews found the nest and the eggs inside. When we got up on Friday we discovered momma feeding her babies. Of course my mom, thinking that the momma bird needed help, found a worm and fed it to the babies. She's a mom of many talents.

Unfortunately, we spent some of the day watching the reports of the Hugo tornado. It really did bring back a lot of bad memories from the Siren tornado several years ago. At this point we can just keep those folks in our prayers and help out any way that we can. We can also be thankful for what we have and cherish those around us.

SUNDAY, MAY 25th

It was supposed to be in the 80's and humid. It was not. This is one of the reasons we love where we are. Even when it's hot, we have a nice breeze that helps keep us cool.

For several hours we took turns monitoring a big storm that was going through north of the cities and heading straight for us. We went down to the main house in the campground and had hot dogs, chips and cupcakes while we waited for the storm.

Once the storm came in we lost our satellite. This makes me nervous because I don't know if we should run for cover. Kobi was not scared at all - In fact, he went out in the rain and thought it was fun. The hubby finally pulled him in and made him stay in the camper.

We then lost power and the rain was coming down way to hard to stand out on the deck. We did get some wind and pea size hail but I think the worst part of the storm was south of us.

After the storm a very "extreme" fog rolled in. It was so bad that we couldn't see the other side of the lake. I thought it was pretty cool so I was out snapping pictures. (Like I need more pictures of the lake and sunset.)

Saturday Continued:

When the hubby was packing up on Friday, he was grabbing all the bags I had sitting by the back door. Unfortunately, for Ashley, her backpack was sitting there. Yup, he grabbed it thinking it was my scrapbooking stuff and threw it into the back of the truck.

Ashley's mom called and said they were coming up to get the bag because Ashley needed to finish a project by Monday night. So, we got an unexpected visitor. The grandson made his first visit to the lake. Of course, we were thrilled to see him.

SATURDAY, MAY 24th

We had a visitor for the weekend - my brother David. It was really great to be able to spend a couple of days with him. He informed us that he will be visiting several times this summer - and he'll have the boys with him.

Kobi took to David right away. David made a toy for him - a rope and rag - and now it is his favorite toy! They had a lot of fun playing with it all weekend.

FRIDAY, MAY 23rd

The hubby and I headed up to the lake for our first "complete" weekend at the lake. Mom and dad went to Ashley's graduation before they came up. We are all VERY proud of her. Congratulations Ashley!!!

Puppy Update

Kobi stayed with Grandma and Grandpa last weekend while we were 4-wheeling. He spent most of the time outside and drove them crazy with all of his energy. They said he did pretty good and its not like I didn't warn them about his "puppy issues".

Yesterday he discovered the bath tub. I couldn't get Zackie near a bathtub but Kobi loves it. Every time we go into the bathroom now he has to climb in it. I wonder if he'll feel the same way after his first bath?

Sand, Mud and Critters. Oh My!!

I spent this past weekend with my husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, and two friends in beautiful Black River Falls.

Why were we there?

ATV trails and A LOT of FUN!!

The trails open on May 15th and close on October 15th so we always go those weekends. So do a lot of other people which makes it even more fun.

Black River Falls - Over a 100 miles of ATV trails winding through scenic Black River State Forest and Jackson County Forest. "Sandy and Rolling" is the best way to describe these trails.

But - every once in awhile you will come across a "mud bog".

[Exhibit A] - Bret (the brother-in-law) was the first to get stuck this weekend. He usually is the first one so this was not a surprise. By the way - we had only been on the trail for about 5 miles when he "slipped" into the puddle.

During the three day - 180 miles driven we had several "adventures".

• Jeff almost hit three deers over the course of three days.
• Jeff almost hit a wild turkey.
• Gina almost ran over a porcupine.
• Bret is the first one to get stuck in the mud. (see Exhibit A)
  

Exhibit A

• Joe's machine over heats and he spends the rest of the day dealing with it. (See Exhibit B)

Exhibit B

• Gina plays at the "playground" by going through a really big puddle. (see exhibit C)

Exhibit C

• Gina made the mistake of teasing everyone about getting stuck over the last few years and then bragged that she never had.
• Gina got stuck three times after her "stupid" comment about never getting stuck.
• Gina "bumped" into a tree while trying to avoid a mud bog by going through the woods.
• Gina had to explain to the husband why the front grill of her 4-wheeler is "bent".
• Joe tipped his machine over and gracefully jumped free from it in front of about 40 people. Machine and Joe are fine.
• Joe gets stuck by taking a way that Gina had been thinking about - but thought he should go first. Gina went a different way. (see exhibit D)

Exhibit D

• Bret's machine dies and the weekend is over. Joe has to tow Bret's machine back and Nate volunteers to "drive" it. There are two or three mud bogs to get through before getting to a parking lot where the machine can get picked up. Joe has to go through these mud bogs very fast so that they don't get stuck. Nate ends up with a lot of mud on him in only 1.5 miles. (see exhibit E)

Exhibit E

In Conclusion: Even with machine problems we still had a GREAT time. These trails are awesome and by the end of the weekend they are REALLY rough. We pay for it physically but it is totally worth it.

Before we left the hotel to go home we were already planning the October weekend.

I can't wait!!

a quiet and peaceful living community for seniors

That is the marketing ad for my work. Only - surprise, surprise - it's really not true. There is never a dull moment here. There's always something going on. Seniors are a lot like children. In fact, when my daughter worked at a day care she would tell me stories about the kids and then I would tell her stories about my seniors. Guess what? The stories were the same.



Yesterday we had more excite then usual. Every once in a while the outside world will intrude in our "quiet and peaceful" community. Around 2pm my boss came into my office and asked me if I knew why there were a "bunch" of police cars in the parking lot. My reaction - COOL!!



So off we went to the parking lot and yup! there was a lot of police out there. We counted (just in the parking lot) 10 squad cars and 3 unmarked cars. There were police everywhere!!



Evidently some young gentleman did something bad in St. Paul. The police chased this guy from St. Paul into West St. Paul. Now you have 2 police departments in hot pursuit. (The UPS guy told me later that he counted 30 police cars on Robert Street). The bad guy ditched his car at the entrance to our building and took off on foot through the woods leading up to our building. The police cut him off and trapped him in the woods. They then sent in the K-9. They did catch him and then they spent a long time looking in the woods for something (gun? drugs? money?)



One of my residents witnessed the whole process and she said that the bad guy had a black mask on and that a police officer walked out of the woods carrying one of the K-9 dogs.



Of course as soon as I saw what was going on I ran back into the building and grabbed my camera with the super Zoom. I was able to stand almost a block away and take some awesome pictures.



The fun never stops at the Westwood Ridge. (of course our little excitement never hit the news - go figure.)

you have to love puppies

It's a requirement - especially if you have a puppy! Kobi is almost 8 months old and almost full grown but he still has those puppy issues.

Such as:

• chewing tennis shoes, Kleenex, paper, dirty socks, mom's hands/arms, etc.


• having a crazy time when he has an unlimited supply of energy


• jumping


• barking for no reason


• exploring tendencies when someone accidentally leaves the gate open

Last night he woke me up at 1:20 am to go do his duty outside. That's fine. I can handle that. When you gotta go - you gotta go. But, after he finished he decided that it was playtime. I'm standing out in the yard in my bathrobe and he wants me to throw his ball so he can chase it.

Not happening.

So, inside we go - back to bed.

Not happening.

Usually this is not a problem but for some reason Kobi decided that he wasn't tired.

It was a war of wills. And he won.

For 1 hour and 40 minutes he did everything he could to get into trouble. By 3:00am he finally decided that he was tired and going to go to sleep. By this time I had pulled out some hair, prayed to GOD for patience and had almost given up hope of getting any kind of sleep.

Of course, when it was time to get up this morning he wasn't having it. He was tired and he was going to keep sleeping.

Not happening.

Mom made him get up - go outside and spend some time with dad - while I continued to sleep.

When it was time for me to get up to go to work - once again he refused to get up. I managed to kick him outside but he just layed down in the yard and went back to sleep.

Let's just say that I was a little cranky - and tired - when I got to work this morning. I just hope this doesn't become a habit for him. I'm a pretty stubborn person but when a puppy has that much energy - there just isn't any hope.

You have to love puppies..............

Mommy's Day Weekend

SATURDAY

This is always a very busy weekend for me and my mom's side of the family. Saturday is usually spent with my aunts and cousins and then everyone gets together on Sunday for "The Race For The Cure" with a pizza party at my aunt's house afterwards.

This year the girls day on Saturday was cancelled do to low attendance. :(

Bummer.

I always look forward to this day - time with the girls - shopping - eating - just hanging out.

So instead, I spent the day with my grand-daughter Emma. It was the longest I've ever had her (9 hours but who's counting?) and everything went VERY well. It's been a long time since I've taken care of a baby for that long but it's just like riding a bike - only more exhausting!

First, we picked up great-grandma and the three of us went out for pancakes at Gallaghers. My aunts from my dad's side of the family showed up and we had a wonderful time. Emma was very well behaved and she discovered that she really doesn't like pancakes but she can drink out of a glass. Actually, I think it was more the syrup that she didn't like than the pancake itself.

After breakfast we went shopping. Only Emma decided that she would rather nap. Good thing we had great-grandma along. She stayed in the car with Emma while I ran into the stores and "quickly" shopped. She did wake up when we talked about going to Target. Yes, she is her mother's daughter. The girl was thrilled when we walked into the store. She also knows how to sit in a cart and was completely happy. Her mother has trained her well.

We spent the rest of the day at home - just hanging out - playing - eating - napping.

It was a great day.

SUNDAY - RACE DAY!

My mother always insists that we arrive at the mall early - 6:45 early!

I don't do 5am

I don't do 6am

Maybe 7am on a good day. Maybe.

This is a special occasion so I give in to mom and get up at 5:45 (just thinking about it makes my head woozy) so that I'm ready to be picked up by 6:20. The other reasons I give in to mom is because I want to catch a ride so I don't have to drive in that insanity. Plus, we get all the free stuff before the crowd gets to large and out of control. People start acting a little crazy when there's free stuff involved.

The Race doesn't start until 9am so we do have some down time. But, it time well spent with family and soaking up everything that's going on. It really is quite an experience to be had.

This year I didn't walk because undiagnosed foot issues so I stayed behind and hung out with my dad and we watched every one's bag with free stuff. That's a lot of bags and a lot of free stuff. We only had one undercover ATF officer come up to us to make sure that all those bags belonged to us. We also got more free stuff that was given away after everyone left for the walk. Dad says this happens every year and we saw people walking around with cases of flavored water! Of course I found out where it was and I got me a free case of water. I think I'll hang out with dad again next year.

After the Race we went to my aunt and uncle's house for junk food and PaPa Murphy's pizza. It's a tradition - a GREAT tradition!

Family time, pizza, junk food - doesn't get much better than that.

On my way over to their house I stopped at home to get my pizza oven to help with the cooking efforts. While there my son walked in with a bouquet of flowers for his mom. This is the first time he's ever given me flowers so it was a very special moment for me. No, I didn't cry but I have the memory burned into my brain.

My daughter showed up at the pizza party - a girl that would never miss pizza - with Miss Emma in tow. I received a wonderful home-made card from the daughter. I told her once that I would rather have a home-made card than a present. I know that she spent a lot of time making that card and that means more to me then something she picked up at the store.

All in all it was a wonderful Mom's Day weekend.

grandpa - meet your grandson

The husband finally held his grandson for the very first time. He is not a guy that likes to hold babies and we don't force him. Everything went very well. The baby didn't cry and he seemed very content hanging out with gramps. I foresee them being best buddies.

After getting over that hurdle the grand-daughter came to visit. She has decided now that she doesn't want to sit or lay on the floor anymore. She just wants to stand. She's doing quite well for 7 months old and I predict that she will skip the whole creeping, crawling, walking thing and go straight into running. God help her parents (and the rest of us!!)

Of course she is taking after her grandma. I was a runner at nine months old. I was put into a big bed at that age because I wouldn't stay in my crib. Maybe this is my payback? Hummm.....

to stop and smell the roses

We lost another resident the other day. Two in 24 hours is a bit much. This resident was a very special lady with a wonderful sense of humor. One day I told her that she reminded me of Katherine Hepburn and she started crying. Of course I didn't mean to make her cry but they were tears of happiness because she considered my comment to be a great compliment.

These two residents have been in my mind a lot. Losing a resident is the worst part of my job. You end up getting close to most of them (those that you see and talk to a lot) and it's like having a lot of grandparents (and losing a lot also).

Last night while walking the puppy (or should I say holding on for dear life and hoping that he didn't wipe me out) we saw two rabbits and one squirrel. The poor thing almost had a stroke each time he saw a critter, but he sat real nice for me and we just watched them. One of the rabbits is the "neighborhood" rabbit. He must have been a pet at one time and got loose. He is half black and half white and he lives across the alley from us. But he has about a 3 block radius that he explores. The son saw him one time in our yard spending some "quality" time with a wild bunny. I'm surprised we don't have black/white/grey bunnies running all over the place!!

While Kobi and I were watching nature I thought of my two special residents that I lost this week. Life goes on and it should be appreciated while you have it. Sometimes you forget to stop and smell the roses and I'm glad I got out and went for that walk with Kobi.

A Bright Idea?

I read a very interesting idea from another blog today and it really got me thinking. The idea was to complete "One Project A Week" or OPAW. I thought - what a great idea. Something to inspire me to get all those projects done that I keep shoving off to the side. Then I thought - once a week??? There's no way!! Between work, cooking, cleaning, shopping, playing with the puppy, being tired, going to the lake on the weekends and visits from grandchildren there's just no way that I would be able to complete a project a week.

So - I decided to change it to "One Project a Month" OPAM. This I may be able to handle!

After I made that "major" decision (hahaha) I started my list. Yes, I have to make a list for everything. I have this wonderful journal book that my cousin L gave me a few months ago that I carry with me faithfully. Every thought and idea goes into this book. It's been very handy for making lists and putting down ideas for the son's graduation party or just making a list for things that I need to have up at the Lake. Thanks again L for this great treasure.

A week in revue

I can't believe I let a whole week go by since my last blog. Work has been incredibly busy for me because of "month end" work to do and then the first of the month with billing. Sometimes things go smoothly but not last week. It was Murphy's Law for me each day. But, I got through it and completed everything (although not in a timely matter due to matters beyond my control) and now things have slowed down.

So I've decided to do a "week in revue" and bundle everything together.

Last Wednesday I watched the hubby and son work on the son's old truck. It has not been working for some time but it sure was nice seeing the two of them spending some "quality" time together. ;)

On Thursday I got home to a wonderful surprise. The grandson was visiting. Next thing I know I have a houseful of people for several hours. It was a great night and I was able to get some great pictures.

Friday was my billing day from hell. Computer problems galore!! I never did finish that day so......

Saturday I was back at work completing what I started on Thursday. Usually it only takes me one day to do billing but this month it took three days. At one point I cried out to a co-worker that the "billing gods" are against me this month!

On Sunday I went with the hubby, my dad, two nephews, and the dog to the lake to open the camper. The boys and I spent part of the afternoon playing Scrabble - and that is a WHOLE other story!! - and the dog just loved rolling around in the grass and being outside. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I don't get to see the boys very much so I really appreciated the time that I got to spend with them.

Monday - Cinco Del Mayo day. We had a big marketing event at work and I ran my butt off. Not only do our residents attend these events but outsiders also. It is very hectic and if there is any food left after the event - staff gets to eat. Some times we don't get anything so I always bring a lunch just in case. This time we got to eat and we were thrilled!! Free food!

I was also finishing up some of my billing on Monday morning so I guess my comment earlier that it took three days was wrong - it actually took 4 days. Jeez, that's enough to put me over the edge. I'm very particular about getting my billing done on time. The residents get a little restless when they don't get their statements on time. And I'm the one that hears about it!

Tuesday started out to be a bad day. I came in to work to find out one of my favorite residents had passed away in his sleep. He was a sweet 95 year old who loved to go outside on the patio and smoke a good cigar. He will be missed by a lot of us here.

A few hours after I found out about that resident, I went to check on another and found that she had fallen. I called 911 and spent the next hour with the paramedics getting her taken care of. Thankfully, the rest of the day was quiet and nothing more happened.

That brings me current and hopefully I won't let the next week get away from me.

Until tomorrow.............