Oh No, Not That Church

Yesterday afternoon we had thunderstorms move through the area. They weren't severe storms just heavy rain, a little thunder and some lightning. I had the TV on, but was in the other room kind of listening to the news when I heard about something near the airport being on fire and they mentioned the street. Soon it was said it was a church steeple that was on fire. I immediately knew what church it was, but had to go to the the TV to see with my own eyes. Yep, it was THE church I thought it was... The church where Bob & I were married on August 15, 1998...

St. Stephen Catholic Church
Originally uploaded by Retinal Fetish

This building will likely be torn down sometime after the new church is built on another site, but it was still hard to see the place where we began our marriage burning.

There was one minor injury to a firefighter.

I Heart PaperBack Swap

I listed some books on Paperback Swap this afternoon. I had requests for two of them before 20 minutes had gone by. That is crazy, but I am so glad to get them out of my house.

Once those who requested the books receive them and mark them as such, I will be able to pick out two of my own. Now to begin browsing and find the perfect book! :)

Back in the Saddle

Well, if you call a bike seat a saddle...LOL! Today was a beautiful day so I cleaned up my bike, pumped up the tires, and headed out for a bike ride. It was good to feel the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair again! Not sure when I will get out again because rain, cool temps and possibly even a little snow are in the forecast for the next few days.

Happy Earth Day

I am going to try to live more green this spring/summer by:

• riding my bike to the grocery store for small trips. I am going to get a basket to make the ride home easier. :)
• visiting the local farmers market to purchase our produce and other products they have for sale there.
• drinking fewer cans of Diet Pepsi & more water, but the water will be in a glass rather than a plastic bottle.
• planting plants native to our area in our yard.

This is in addition to what I do already. I know I could do A LOT more, but I try to live a little green. It's hard with an anti-green husband. My friend, Erin, is a big time green girl. She & Bob joke that he goes the house turning lights on and running water...LOL!!

How have you "greened" your life?

Photos, Photos, & More Photos

I have spent sometime the last couple days adding more pictures to flickr. They go back to 2004 and it isn't all of them. One of these days I will get them all up for friends & family to enjoy and as a back up to our back up. A bit of overkill? Probably, but can you ever be too careful with those precious memories.

Did You Feel It?

This morning just after 4:30, 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook the Midwest. It was centered six miles from West Salem, IL. The quake was felt hundreds of miles away in places like Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinatti, Des Moines, Indianapolis and others. I know it happens occasionally, but one that large doesn't. The furthest north in WI I have seen it reported as being felt is Peshtigo. That's a long way from West Salem, IL -- according to Google Maps that's 521 miles from West Salem. Wowzers!

No one in our house felt it. We were sound asleep at that time and it probably wasn't enough of a shake to wake people this far away from the epicenter. This earth science geek still finds it pretty interesting. :)

Retiring the Famous #4

The Green Bay Packers announced today that Brett Favre's #4 jersey will be retired during their season opener September 8. The Packers play the Minnesota Vikings that night on Monday Night Football.

Favre's jersey joins just five others...

The 14 of wide receiver Don Hutson (1951)
The 3 of fullback Tony Canadeo (1952)
The 15 of quarterback Bart Starr (1973)
The 66 of linebacker Ray Nitschke (1983)
The 92 of defensive end Reggie White (2005)

Each of those men is enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame as I am sure Brett will be.

One Year Later

We Remember!

Measles & Rubella

There have been a lot of strange stories in our news lately and one of them has been that of the measles. There have been four confirmed and three probable cases of measles in recent days. Today brings the news that there is now a confirmed case of rubella (German measles). Many communities are holding special immunization clinics so those who would like to receive the MMR immunization may do so.

I know immunizations are a controversial topic, but with many parents choosing not to immunize their children I can't help but wonder if stories like these are just beginning.

Tax Day

Since our return was filed weeks ago, I am able to spend time doing what I want today rather than searching for receipts & papers to prepare our return. So I decide to use that time to search for a few quotes about taxes. Enjoy...

The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale. ~ Arthur C. Clarke, author

I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is – I could be just as proud for half the money. ~ Arthur Godfrey, entertainer

Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents? ~ Peg Bracken

Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss. ~ Robert Heinlein

And what might be my favorite...

There's nothing wrong with the younger generation that becoming taxpayers won't cure. ~ Dan Bennett

Spring Spruce Up

I decided to do a little sprucing up around my blog today. I know it's the best spring or summer look, but I LOVE plaid and like the colors. Don't know how long I will keep it around, but it's here for now! :)

My new look actually reminds me of a Bob & Olivia go shopping story. It was either right before or right after Olivia's sixth birthday. Bob & Olivia were out running some errands. I think they had gotten an oil change on my car, and there is a Kohl's nearby the oil change place. Bob asked Olivia if she wanted to go shopping. (Silly question to ask a girl...LOL!!) They ended up shoe shopping for Olivia. Her tennis shoes were getting too small so Bob decided to help her find a new pair. He was thinking spring colors since the nice weather was just upon us. He was looking at different styles of white shoes with pink or purple on them. Much to Bob's dismay, Olivia fell in love with a pair of gray shoes with purple stripes. Olivia won and got the gray shoes, but for weeks when he would see her wearing them he would say, "nothing says spring like gray!!" Nine years later we all still say it.

Teaching Moments (Adult Topic)

Sometimes teaching moments hit a little bit too close to home.

An 18-year-old student at Olivia's school is under investigation for having unprotected sex with one of his classmates and not telling her he is HIV positive.

He has not been criminally charged, but his medical records have been subpoenaed by investigators. According to those documents, he has been HIV positive since at least 2006.

According to two former girlfriends of the student, he had sex with one three times last year and had sexual contact another in December. Neither knew he was HIV positive until the aunt of the student told them after she found out last month.

Even though we believe (and teach Olivia) abstinence is best, we use these moments to talk about how situations such as these can be avoided.

I can't even imagine how distracted the kids have been the last couple school days with all the cameras & reporters around.

Tragedy Once Again

The wife of one of the partners (I'll call him M and her F to protect their privacy) in Bob's department at the firm passed away unexpectedly this morning. All that is known is that M took F to the ER last night because she was having difficulty breathing. Then this morning he called to let his secretary know he wouldn't be in because his wife had passed away.

F was 42 years old and leaves behind two daughters and a son. I don't recall their exact ages, but are all pretty close to Olivia's age.

M...Our thoughts & prayers will be with you, the kids and the rest of the family during this extremely difficult time.

#512

I was looking through my blog entries this morning and noticed that my next post would be #512. Not an even number to celebrate or anything, but I couldn't believe how quickly they have added up. When I started blogging in June 2006, I didn't know that I would have much to say and some days I don't, but that's OK.

I enjoy my time in blogland and cherish the friends I have made in my blog travels. I want to thank my readers! Whether you are a commenter or a lurker, I appreciate each one of you!

Fun Day

Some of you may know that I have an uncle who was a youth pastor. (He now works at Cornerstone University). All my life he, my aunt, and three cousins have lived outside Wisconsin. Mostly in Michigan, but also in Kansas City, MO & Waukegan, IL. Even though we only saw these cousins a couple times per year we were pretty close and always had a great time with them. (When the weather was bad, we had a blast playing in the church gym and classrooms on visits to Michigan.) Well, this fall my cousin Jamie answered the Lord's call and took a position as children's pastor in Janesville, WI. Our family is so excited to have them closer to us.

Today my mom, grandma and I took a road trip to visit my cousin, his wife, and their four darling little girls. We had a great time with them as usual.

This is just the third time I have met his wife, but she is the sweetest, nicest thing. She has so much patience with those girls (6, 4, 23 months, and 6 weeks). I know I would be pulling my hair out...LOL!!

The picture is great-grandma (grandma to Jamie & me) holding our family's newest little darling.

Jamie, Denise & girls...I am so happy you guys listened to your calling and came "home" to Wisconsin. I love you all and can't wait to see you again soon! :)

Would you believe grandma is nearly 87? She's very proud of her age and no one ever believes her when she tells them how old she is! I hope I inherited those genes. :)

I have added a few other pictures from the day to my flickr account.

Wow, That's Service

After our last big snow storm or maybe the one before that (there have been too many to keep them all straight), our mailbox had a fight with one of the plows and the snowplow won! It won big time. The post was broken off right to the ground. After the snow we were able to pack enough snow around it to keep it up right and functional for a week or so. The snow melted so I spent a little money for a temporary fix that worked until our Sunday papers were delivered. Adding their weight to the mail/paper boxes brought it crashing down as did the wind a few days later. I had had it with trying to keep the box propped up in the bucket of sand. So I put our mail on hold -- went several times a week to pick it up.

Knowing we don't really have the proper tools to install a new post & box system properly, I decided to try to locate a local company who could handle this job. One look in the Yellow Pages (how late 1900s of me..lol) lead me in the right direction. They have a website so I began my search for the perfect mailbox. It was pricey, but I didn't want any old mailbox in front of my house. Yes, I am a mailbox snob...LOL! I found this one (in matte black)...


After I seeing that one, I called to inquire about a the price for installation & about how long it would be until the install could happen. I was told the install would be $85 and would take 1-3 weeks for what we ordered to come in a be installed. That was acceptable to us so VERY late Sunday night (more like Monday morning) I ordered.

I was prepared to keep waiting & thought if I hadn't heard anything from them after two weeks I would call just to check on the status of the order. Well, that call will not have to be made. I got a call from the installer yesterday before noon. Barely 36 hours after I placed the order, I had a call and a time the installer would be out. He arrived yesterday afternoon about 2:30 and worked in the rain for a little over two hours. Not only did he install the new post/box in a new area, but also dug out the old cement with broken off post and filled that hole with the dirt from the new hole he dug. He took the old stuff along with him and left the area in good condition.

It will be so nice to be able to walk out to the mailbox tomorrow to pick up my mail rather than having to hop in the car & drive across town to pick it up. I don't envy those of you who have to go pick up mail.

Thank you "Mahvelous" Mailboxes!!

Just for Carolynn :)

Here's a video of a Klement's Sausage Race. They take place during the sixth inning of every Milwaukee Brewers' home game.

Not Wasting Time

Bob hasn't been back from Vegas for a week yet, but he and the guys have booked their flight for an October trip. Think they like it there...LOL?!? They got a really good deal on airfare -- $227 including taxes & fees. The airfare for the March trip nearly twice that -- yikes! As long as the airline they booked with doesn't get added to the list of no longer flying airlines, it's a great deal. There is no reason to believe this airline will go under, but we never really know!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

My Brewers are off to a great start once again. They are 4-1 going into play today. Let's hope they can continue on this path during this long season! :)

Bob's Cubs on the other hand aren't playing so hot. They are 2-3 (one of those wins is thanks to a game blown by the Brewers.) For Bob's sake I hope they turn the season around, but I will not be rootin' for them against my Brewers! :)

My Ouch Update

Monday afternoon was my appointment with Dr. Sureddi for the cyst on my back. She could tell by looking that it was infected, wrote an Rx for an antibiotic, and sent me off with a surgeon's phone number (as expected).

Yesterday was my appointment with the surgeon, Dr Mittal. He lanced it to allow to drain the infection and to make sure it will heal properly. I will need to see him in 6 weeks for follow up and then possible removal. Since an infection recurrence is likely, I plan to have it removed at that time. I don't want to have to go through this again down the road because I didn't have the cyst removed.

Duel

I am so glad this show is back! I LOVE IT! :)

Happy Birthday...

to my niece! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Yes, we have a lot of birthdays from March 26 - April 3! :)

Happy Birthday

to my dear friend Renee who I haven't seen in ages! I miss you, girl!

Home Soon

Bob will be home later tonight & it will be so good to see him. I have missed that man! :)

See you at the airport in a few hours Bob & Kev!