Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Love You!

 Miss You!

Hope You Have a Very Happy Day!

What I'm Reading Now

I missed book club on Thursday evening (which makes it two months in a row ... not good), so I wasn't in on the discussion of our latest read, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

 I completely pre-judged this book when I picked it up from the Young Adult section of the store.  The YA part didn't bother me so much, but the three-book-series sci-fi part of it did.  Not my cup of tea, nothing I'd ever pick out on my own.  Well, English-teacher-Katie, didn't anyone ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?  I ended up absolutely in love with this book.  The story is fascinating, the characters relate-able yet somehow untouchable (and not just because they're not real), and the all-around writing incredibly engaging.  I so wanted to go on and read books two and three in this series, but - alas - they are only out in hardcover yet, and, frankly, I'm just too cheap to buy them.  I did make an attempt to check them out from the school library, but there has been a waiting list for them since day one.  Probably shouldn't pull rank on the kids at the middle school library, if you know what I mean.  Anyway, I highly recommend The Hunger Games.  Pick it up: you can read it in a weekend, and I promise you'll love it.

Fellow BC member, Brenda, made our next selection: Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  I know next to nothing about this book except that, from what I hear, it's popular at the moment.  I picked up my copy at Half Price Books (love), and am eager to get started.

As usual, in my opinion, the fall TV line-up isn't living up to all the hype.  Pick up a book instead!

(Here ends my "grow-your-brain, read-a-book" PSA.)

Goodbyes

This week has been one of a couple hard goodbyes.  On Monday evening, Steve's Grandpa Brittain passed away at his home in Waukee.  Thursday morning, Steve and Mark drove to Iowa to attend his funeral and spend time with their Brittain relatives.  It has been a difficult few days for Steve, and I'm glad he's been able to spend them in Iowa.  This picture, taken last summer, is from the only time Grandpa Brittain ever met Sara.  We were only in town for a short visit, and he'd just been released from the hospital.  I'm so thankful that the two of them were able to spend enough time together to take this special picture.  Grandpa Brittain was down-to-earth, kind, and funny (among a variety of other qualities), and he will certainly be missed.

This week we also made the very difficult decision to say goodbye to Higgins, and even as I type this, part of me is expecting to feel his wet nose on my feet any second.  As we've been dealing with Sara's asthma issues, it has become increasingly apparent that having an animal in our house simply isn't healthy for her.  Hopefully that won't always be the case.  We knew we couldn't part with Higgins without finding him a loving home, and we were lucky to find the perfect new family for him. 

On Tuesday morning, I e-mailed a few friends asking whether they might know someone who would be able to provide a new home for Higgins.  Within a couple of house, I'd heard from a friend of a friend (huge thanks and shout-out to my soror-sis, Erin) who said she was interested.  She mentioned that her family already had one dog - same age and same mixed breed as Higgins - and that they'd been looking to find her a playmate.  Furthermore, she has three kids who love to play with dogs, a large backyard near walking trails, and a situation that allows someone to be home most of the time.  We met Wednesday night for a "play date" to see whether Higgins and her family's dog, Harlie, would get along.  They did, and she said they'd love to have Higgins the following evening.  It all came about so quickly, and last night Sara and I took Higgins to his new family.

 Before we left home, I tried to take a couple last pictures of Sara and Higgins together.  These were the best I got (no surprise).  It was very hard to say goodbye to Higgins; he'd been part of our family for almost five years.  When he got into his new car, Sara cried and cried.  However, this situation is best for everyone.  Like his new owner said when we were talking last night, "We needed a dog, Higgins needed a home."  I couldn't have asked for this to work out any better than it has.  I'm so thankful to have found such a wonderful new family for Higgins.  We hadn't been home even forty-five minutes last night when I received a text message from the new family letting me know that Higgins was doing wonderfully, playing well with Harlie and the kids, and making himself at home.  Relief.

After a draining week, we are ready for the weekend!  We're excited to relax, to hit up Target and some of our other errand hot-spots, and to see Steve when he returns from his long drive.  Tonight while we Skyped with my parents, Sara worked diligently on this masterpiece.  I'm posting it here for your viewing pleasure, and - more importantly - so it becomes part of this living, working journal of "do-not-forgets".  Can't believe how fast she's growing up; still can't believe how much I love love love her.



(almost) Wordless Wednesday

(Sara's new school picture)

NFL Game Day!

Sara picked out and put on (!!!) her pink shorts all by herself this morning!  She also insisted on wearing her new fall shoes.  They really complete the look, don't you think?

Happy NFL Game Day!

Three Cheers for the Weekend

Good Saturday morning!  We've had a busy week, and I'm so glad the weekend has arrived.  I was at school for various events Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights this week, and now it feels good to have no plans for a couple of days.

While I was gone last night, Sara peed in her potty for the very first time!  I'm sad to have missed the celebration that I know must have taken place here, and I regretfully realize that this won't be the last big event I miss. (Clearly I use the term "big event" loosely.)  Multiple times over the past couple of weeks, I've found myself wondering (again) where my baby has gone.  It's like she comes home from school and has transformed ... on a daily basis.  She's talking, and it actually makes sense most of the time.  She follows directions and loves to be a helper.  She understands humor and laughs when something funny happens in one of her movies.  She eats with utensils like nobody's business.  And now, she has peed in the potty.  Even when I've been here, I've somehow missed the transition and the growing up.  I have a suspicion that such a feeling never goes away.   

This evening we're thinking about going to the Plano Balloon Festival for a bit.  There's a 6:00 balloon launch, and then fireworks once it's dark.  We've never been, but I've heard that watching all the hot air balloons take off is breathtaking, and I know Sara would enjoy it.  There will be a variety of vendors present, and activities for kids, too.  I would love it if we could bundle up for an evening outdoors in jeans and sweatshirts, but, alas, it's still hitting 90 degrees here, so there will be no bundling.  No fall in the air quite yet.  I think we'll enjoy the event nonetheless. 

The Cyclones play K-State in a couple of hours, and I'm sure hoping it's not going to be another disappointing day for the Crimson and Gold. Last weekend Sara hung out with G & G B while Steve and I joined a big alumni crowd at an establishment in Addison to watch the Iowa-Iowa State game.  It didn't start well, and it ended even worse.  Perhaps the Cyclones will be able to repair their pride a bit today.  (The new sidebar picture was of us in our ISU gear pre-game ... all smiles and excitement.  Neither lasted long.)

More baby news this week (remember when I posted a while back about everyone I know being pregnant?): my sis-in-law, Jennifer, found out she's having a girl!  Between three siblings on Steve's side, that will be 4 girls in just over two years.  There should be lots of drama fun times in about ten or twelve years.  My fellow Cyclones and sorority sisters, Brooke (D) S. and Brooke (G) B., each had their babies this week.  Lucas and Anna are lucky to have been blessed with such kind, loving, beautiful moms.  Congrats, BD and BG!

Hope everyone had a good week, and has plans to enjoy a fun weekend.  One of these days I'll take some fresh Sara pics and share them with you here!

Have You Forgotten?

Just like our parents won't ever forget where they were when JFK was shot, my generation will never forget where we were or what we were doing on September 11, 2001.  I was in my room at the sorority house getting ready for my 9:30 class.  I had to get ready earlier than usual because my class was meeting at the Ames Public Library, which required me to drive, not just walk.  I was watching Today with Matt Lauer and Katie Couric, and had walked from the bathroom back into my room right as the first plane hit.  I didn't pay much attention, figuring they must be showing previews for a new movie or something like that.  Then the second plane hit, and they were speechless, and I realized they weren't showing pre-planned footage.  I continued watching as much as I could until it was time to go to class.  I listened to radio coverage as I drove, and began hearing the word "terrorists" over and over.  Suddenly, something about this situation seemed very different than it had just a little earlier.  Later in the day, as some truths (and non-truths, for that matter) began to be uncovered, I called my mom and, through tears asked her, "Mom, what is going on?"  I will never forget that day, or the days after, as my sorority sisters and I all huddled in the family room watching coverage on TV, feeling scared, shocked, and confused.  Reality set in, and even states away from where the attacks occurred, we all felt victimized.

It's been nine years, and 9/11 has become a day like most others: life goes on.  Today, for example, in many ways, is just another day.  Sara is 21 months!  Our friend, Isaac, is 30-something.  Grandpa Todd is, unfortunately, a pall bearer at his cousin's funeral.  Steve ran to the post office.  I'm about to vacuum.  It's College Game Day!  But it's still 9/11, and I feel that deserves a pause, a tribute.  There are still many men and women giving their lives for our continued freedom.  Many still facing another deployment (my cousin and his wife, both Air Force, among them).  Still many families mourning their losses.  Certainly the economic toll is still widely felt.  So while today is just another day, 9/11 will never be just another day.

Have You Forgotten?

Minnesota Dreaming ...

We had another memorable Minnesota weekend, and though between my mom, sister, Grandma, and I, we took over 200 pictures, I'll share just a handful here.  Sara and I flew up late Friday night.  She was the last one to wake up Saturday morning, and when she did, her hair looked like this.  Now that's a hard sleep.

Our first order of business was to hit the MN State Fair.  It's huge, crowded, full of various types of food and entertainment, and we just love it.  We stopped in the animal barns as soon as we arrived.  Sara enjoyed petting some goats, which were on her level.  We did get a glance of this year's largest boar (1450 lbs.), though it didn't interest her much since it just laid in a heap.  Bacon, anyone?

Fair food was enjoyed by all.  Sara's corn dog lasted a good three hours, and in between bites of it, she tried a variety of other new items, all of which she enjoyed.  My favorites were the new fried mashed potato balls, the classic walleye cakes, and the chocolate-dipped frozen bananas. 

My mom made us take this picture.  One of us looks cute and the other one just looks like a huge dork.

Sisters.

Oh, yes we did eat Hotdish on a Stick.  We hadn't planned to, but while my mom and sis were in line for the fried mashed potato balls, Todd spotted this stand and said, "What the heck?" and bought one for us to sample.  I wouldn't call it a staple on my state fair food list, but it was good.  And its pure existence makes me laugh.

Sara enjoyed "working on the farm" where she planted seeds, fed chickens, rode a tractor, and milked a cow.  She also may have eaten some of the hard, yellowish-brown, touched-by-many kernels of corn.  Oh, well.

The fam at the fair!

On Sunday evening, Foggy Notion played at a Labor Day party at the Lafayette Club on Lake Minnetonka.  We weren't sure what to expect as we'd never been to the event, but it was very family friendly with lots of entertainment, good food and spirits, and a phenomenal fireworks display.  Sara took a turn in the kiddie bounce house.  She mostly rolled around like this while the bigger kids jumped.

She also went on a pony ride!  At first I wasn't sure whether she'd actually get on the pony, but she did and she loved it.  She's concentrating hard in this picture.

Look at that face (Sara's, not mine)!  She just loved the cool air and the open fairways on which to run.  And run, she did.  We took turns chasing her all over the place.  She had an absolute blast!

Auntie and Sara.

While we were at G & G's house, my mom pulled out this old tee-pee that my sister got for Christmas many years ago.  We loved playing in it as kids, and my mom kept it for some special people like Sara.  As soon as she set it up, Sara was in tee-pee heaven.  She gathered all of her toys from around the house and stuffed them into the tee-pee.  The joys of having a small, quiet place to call our own ... 

Thanks for an unforgettable weekend, Mom, Todd, Mel, and G Lou.  Can't wait to do it again!

Random Ramblings (in bullet-point form)

My brain is mush, so tonight you get bullets (and you're really only getting this because I feel guilty about my week-long blog absence).

-I have no idea where this week has gone.
-We've had lots of rain, which we've desperately needed, but which also makes for interesting horrific hair days.  Especially after carpool duty.
-Last night I was in bed at 8:15 ... I'm that tired. 
-I could have stayed in bed all day today listening to the rain (yep, still tired).
-I've been putting off grocery shopping, so today I had my first school lunch of the year: lasagna, wheat roll, green beans, salad.  It was good.  I'm not embarrassed to say that I actually enjoy hot lunch.
-Tonight we ate out (remember, no groceries) at a local favorite, Italian Villa, where we ran into Ms. Marie, one of Sara's teachers.  Sara couldn't stop staring.  I guess the, "OMG, my teacher exists outside of school" shock syndrome sets in early.
-Sara has a new cousin!  Baby Lexey was born Monday night, and joins sisters Lauren and Lyndsey.  We can't wait to meet you, sweet Lexey!  Congrats, Jody!
-This school year is going so well.  I love my new job!
-After putting it off for seven years, we finally purchased grown-up bedroom furniture last weekend.  I can't wait for it to arrive.  To this end, I have to mention that we've slowly but surely made our way out of the hole we accumulated during our season of joblessness.  We're proud of ourselves.
-I'm drinking a Dos Equis.  Mmmmmm.
-Today I listened to Milwaukee's hottest host, Leigh McNabb, live online during her 10-2 show.  I love my talented friends.
-Tonight we have to do laundry and pack because tomorrow night we're headed Up North for The Great Minnesota Get-Together! 
-Also tonight: the Cyclones are playing in their season-opener.  In fact, they've been playing for about twenty minutes now, so I've got to go.  Go State!  (They just missed a field goal.  Some things never change).  Still, Go State!