Left-coasters in Dairyland

Wisconsin Pirates

2011-06-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

Our puppy was playing and kept growling, "Arrrr... arrr... arrr..." And our friend's 4-year-old popped off with, "Shiver me timbers!" :D

June Day

2011-06-08T21:16:00.001-05:00

Ah, Wisconsin. I can in and out of the DMV without an appointment in less than an hour, but I have to hide in the basement from baseball-sized hail and tornadoes. Fair trade?

May

2011-05-04T23:02:00.001-05:00

Hammock!

Spring Gardening

2011-04-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

Mosquitoes.

Beer Country

2011-04-06T20:29:00.001-05:00

I got carded today!

Oh Hail!

2011-04-03T22:04:00.002-05:00

I know this is old hat to my Wisconsinite friends, but it's new to me! I've never seen hail this big before!

Weather

2010-10-03T15:45:00.002-05:00

Last night, I stepped outside and exclaimed to Jonathan, "It smells like California at Christmas out here!"

"They call it Fall here," was his reply.

Nursery Mural

2010-08-22T21:16:00.013-05:00

So, when I was painting one of the murals at the church, our associate Pastor, TyLacey said to me, "When Josh and I have a baby someday, you'll come over and paint this exact same mural in the new nursery, won't you?" Big grin on her face the whole time. "Ty, you don't make enough money for this mural..." Big grin on my face.

So several months go by, and who should become pregnant with her first child? I thought about it and approached her with the idea. She and Josh were totally up for it, and suggested that I do it while they were away on vacation for ten days with friends. Ten days? No problem, I thought. I've got the whole house to myself, no job to worry about scheduling around, no problem. We discussed the theme, mostly revolving around animals - you know, jungle, Noah's ark, even the Australian Outback came up - until I pointed out that most of the animals we could come up with were either brown or gray. We thought about it for a while, and came up with the Garden of Eden - that way, I could put animals from Australia, Africa and America all together. No naked people, though - this mural was only early into the sixth day of creation. :)

Let me tell you right now that I was completely delusional. By the time their vacation rolled around, I was working in a temp position (at GHC, mind you...), and it got extended (surprise) - into the vacation week! Not wanting to make them hurt at GHC, I said I'd work a little to help compensate, but that I'd already committed to this mural. I don't know HOW I thought it was all going to happen - evidently I think I'm Superwoman.

So anyway, I'm working like a crazy person, trying to get the mural done by the time Ty and Josh get home. Each day at work is interesting, at least - my co-workers all wanted to see the painting process I'd made each day. Add into that the difficulty of actually getting into the house (wrote down the wrong code to the garage door); spilling tea all over all my painting clothes, so all I had to work in were high heels and a skirt/blouse combo; their refrigerator/freezer lost power, so I had to clean out the melted everything; a friend's 7-year-old's birthday party; unexpected family from California came for an over-nighter; and they had major construction on their street, blocking everywhere, so even getting to the house could be a challenge.

One day, early in the process, one of my co-workers commented on the number of animals I was painting, and asked how many there were. I had to pause and count - I'd never actually counted - I just kept adding them to the room until it looked right. That should have been my first clue. I counted 21... Yeah, that's how I reacted when I realized it, too. Oh yeah - add to that a palm tree doubling as a growth chart, a big tree for a monkey to hang from, various branches for the koala and owl, and sundry grasses and leaves for the elephant, zebra and giraffe to hide behind. There was also a lion, a lamb, a hummingbird, a mouse, a frog, a butterfly, a turtle, a flamingo, a bluebird, and Duchesa (yes, our dog - she'll be the little guy's best friend now). Finally, there was an extra-special addition of the Green Bay Packers "G" emblem sitting in the bamboo with the panda.

You've got to know Josh to know that this was an great way to find myself on his bad side. (Or at least on his "sister-brother" side...) You see, Josh is an avid Minnesota Vikings fan. Vikings. Minnesota. Not Packers. Josh will proudly wear a purple Vikings jersey into church on crucial Packer vs. Vikings game days. The man has no fear. I wouldn't have thought of adding the emblem, except that in our pre-nursery meetings, Josh had been absolutely adamant that there should be NO combination of green and gold anywhere. Not even pastel yellow and pastel green. (Nevermind that they painted the room yellow, and grass is definitely green, but whatever...) He never said that I couldn't paint a white G. Never. I listened very carefully.

So, yeah - on the day before they're to come home, I'm fully starting to recognize the reality of my time/painting ratio (as in, let's get up before the sun, maybe there's some way I can possibly get this done before 9pm...), Ty calls to say they're coming home 5 hours early - at 4:00. My mind scrambles. (Could have been lack of sleep, but for sake of argument, let's say it's because it was me thinking frantically.) By this point all the animals were done - it was all the finishing touches (like having trees to put them in) that needed to be done. Plus I needed to clear coat the whole thing - three times. It was at that point that I realized even if I was Superwoman, paint still needed time to dry, and that the mural was not going to be done by the time they got home. I picked the things I thought would make it look most complete, and got started.

It 12:00, Ty called to say that Josh wanted her to tell me, "That we're about an hour away..." What?!! "...but I won't do that to you. We're actually just leaving Chicago." After my momentary heart-stop, I said, "Okay," like that was totally fine, and went into hyper-mode. When she called again at 3:00 to say they were an hour out, I had come to the realization, and accepted, that I really, truly wasn't going to be finished. I concentrated on cleaning the room up, putting away my tools and paint, and vacuuming up all the dust. I sat down for a few moments with a Haagen-Daaz ice cream bar, checked the batteries in my video camera, and waited for my friends to return home.

At almost 4:00 on the dot, Josh and Ty walked in the door, with pregnant Ty hollering "Hello!" and racing to the bathroom. Evidently, bouncy baby boys do that to a bladder.... They greeted me with a warm hug, let me start the video camera, and proceeded down the hall for the moment I'd been working toward for the last ten days...

Me: "Alright, what are you guys doing?"
Josh: "We are coming home from vacation, and we are coming into the baby's - WOAH!"

So went the "oohs" and "ahs" for quite some time. I won't bore you with the whole thing, but suffice to say that they were VERY pleased, and their reactions were exactly what I had hoped for. Including when Josh found the G. He found it in less than a minute, "What?! No! No! What?! Lindsay! Oh!" There was a moment where he just looked completely baffled before he popped off with, "Lindsay, I TRUSTED you!" Ty laughed so hard, I thought she would need to hit the restroom again, but she just clapped her hands in glee and continued to check out the room. Josh dismissed the G and joined her. We had a great afternoon, talking through the week, both mine and theirs, with them exclaiming over the room several more times.

Ultimately, I spent a few more days in the room (I told you I was delusional about the time it would take, right?), and was even able to sit down with my friends for a couple of meals. It was a fantastic experience that I will treasure for a lifetime. And I'm not doing it again... at least, for a little while. I need some sleep!

Goodbye, Dear Friend

2010-07-20T13:05:00.004-05:00

We had to say goodbye today to our dear sweet girl today. Duchesa (said "Du-kay-sa), was 11 years old, in our lives since she was 5. She was the best dog we could have ever hoped for. The worst thing we could remember her doing was stealing a Quizno's sub off the table - who could blame her? We had tons of names for her - Darg, Dargie, Dog, Dog-quesa - but mostly, "Quesa" and "Quesadilla". Someone once said, "As in Spanish for 'cheese'?" Yes - she was a cheeseball, always good for a laugh, but she was also so much more.

She was the peacemaker of the cats, and the comforter of our tears. She could always make us smile, even on our darkest days. She was terrified of thunder and fireworks, didn't like bananas, and loved graham crackers and Velveeta. She loved walks, loved food, and loved children. She was an enemy of no one, and a friend to everyone. She made lots of friends in the neighborhood with her goofy personality and sweet smile. We already miss her so much. We were blessed with her presence. May you all have a similar friend in your lives.

Old and New Again!

2010-06-06T19:16:00.002-05:00

Jonathan and I had been commenting recently that things were starting to feel kinda tight. Not dangerously or anything, but we weren't exactly sure where we'd be getting the little extra we'd like to have. A little over two weeks ago, I got a call from my temp agency. The message said something to the effect of, "Your last assignment, GHC, is in need of a temp for a couple of months - we're calling to see what your availablity is..." Available for GHC? Heck yeah! So I am happily temporarily employed by accident in this economy - in my old position - while the gal who took my old position fills in for someone out for surgery, and I fill in HER position! Isn't God great??!!

Lemonade! Oh Boy!!

2010-05-29T20:56:00.010-05:00

Mom and Dad are in Wisconsin!! Dad and Jonathan are watching the basketball game, so Mom and I decided to go for a walk on the bike path tonight that runs past the backyard. It seems we have some strong marketing-minded young entrepreneurs in our neighborhood...

Man, I am SO disappointed...

Speaking of Creativity...

2010-05-07T23:48:00.017-05:00

So, Lindsay has just posted on creativity.... them bugged me to post to the blog (since I rarely get around to it).

We had a very creative Easter at Church - a 24-foot bridge across the front of the sanctuary:

Brass and Choir

Praise Team and Praise Choir:

It was a wonderful service, and I feel blessed to have such talented people volunteering to lead worship at Asbury.

Less than a month later, on May 2, I presented a 20th Anniversary Concert in the afternoon. It's hard to believe I've been in music ministry for 20 years - I started May 1, 1990 in a little church in Rotonda West, FL. It's been a wonderful (if sometimes difficult) journey, and I'm blessed to be able to do what I love for a living. Below is a clip of the first piece of the concert, my Toccata on "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" (otherwise known as Lobe den Herrn')

I'll have more video to post when I've had time to do the editing (and yes, I'll try to post more often, but honestly, Lindsay writes much better than I do!

Creativity Flows!

2010-05-07T22:25:00.010-05:00

So it is with much happiness that I tell you that I have been able to release some of the pent-up creativity that I so rarely have used. I had really been wanting to do some murals since we got here. (You know, all the plain, white snow can be inspiring - for COLOR!) See January post entitled "The Upside of Winter" about colorful houses battling the war against white. Which I'm going to veer to for just a moment to show you promised pictures of said houses:

The fluorescent pink house:The turquoise blue house:
The pumpkin-colored house with maroon shutters and trim:
And our latest addition, the mint-green house with the violet first floor:

Ahem. Moving on to the topic at hand, mural painting...

I asked a couple of friends if maybe I could do their kid's rooms for each of their birthdays. No-go. Though I can't blame any of them - at that point, most of them didn't know that I had ever done ANY art, let alone murals. So, I went to the Director of Children's Ministry at church (aka: Ed). I said, "Ed, do you think that maybe sometime I could do a mural in one of the kid's rooms around here?" Silly question. Ed practically jumped across the desk at me as he exclaimed his resounding, "Yes!" That was immediately followed by, "Here, let me show you where..." He then proceeded to show me one of the tallest rooms in the building that happened to have the smallest chairs. The result was a very low-profile room with a whole lot of wall. Think desert plains. Not exactly the most cheerful room for a preschooler. Then he proceeded to show me the other six "normal" sized rooms, followed by the stairwell, the hallway, several more classrooms, and the children's library. I realized I'd just found my ministry at the church - and that we can't leave for at least ten years.

Somewhat daunted, I began work on the design for a mural for the first room, this behemoth job. Not long after, Ed informed me that the room was going to become the room for Media Ministries, and that my room would be one of the more manageable-sized ones. Fast-forward a couple of months later, and I now have a finished mural - and a whole lot of paint in my hair and under my nails. My paint clothes are quickly becoming a work of art themselves. I'm pleased with the result, and I've gathered a few more "jobs" since completion.

Observe my creation, and rejoice with me, for the color is here. I think it's pretty spiffy:

Perfect Day

2010-04-21T18:12:00.004-05:00

So today was just about as perfect as a day can get: 70-something, light breeze, sunny. I took a two-hour walk around a couple of the neighborhoods, marveling at the color in some of the gardens. Tulips, daffodils, hyacynth, hostas, crab apples, bleeding hearts, magnolias, rhododendrons, cherry blossoms... (I know, amazing that I know these, right?) The weather is about 3-4 weeks ahead of what it was this time of year last year. There are buds and real leaves on everything, whereas last year, they were just sticks that were thinking about coming out.

We have a cute chickadee couple in our backyard. They live in the gourd, and pointedly stare at us any time we get a little too close. The male is good to communicate with his mate about the evil brown birds that try to invade and chirps crisply before zipping off after the enemy into another tree.

My porch in the backyard is now a sanctuary, complete with wicker, a bistro set, end tables, palms and a rug. Dandelions happily spring up in my grass, reminding me that they are the sole reason that my lawn is green, and smile at me as they contrast against the wild violets that poke up through the blades. The sound of a hundred birds is so loud at times that our yard sounds more like an aviary than a suburban neighborhood. Spiders have set up shop in little nooks and crannies, things with WAY too many legs drop by for an occasional visit, and ants wander freely through my bathroom, trying to find the entrance that I caulked.

Most of our windows are open as long as we're home, and the cats argue over who gets to sit in the sunniest sill. Callie will lay in one sill in the morning until her fur is hot to the touch, and grumps when the sun has the audacity to continue its journey overhead. Zoe goes cross-eyed each evening when the sun hits the floating dust particles in the air, and she attempts to catch a few.

I painted the picnic table the other evening. It was around five o'clock, and I noticed the "traffic" on the bike path seemed heavy, so I decided to count the people as they went by. In just half an hour, over 150 walked, ran, rode or strolled by. Some called out greetings, others whizzed by on bikes while dressed in suits. Duchesa happily trotted along the back fence, barking out "Hello" to select individuals.

Yes, today was such a perfect day that I had to try what so many have told me is an absolute must: I dried the bedsheets on the line, in the sunshine, flapping gently in the light breeze. No one bothered to remind me to wipe off the line first. Sigh.

Saturday Morning

2010-04-10T13:26:00.000-05:00

I went outside. Barefoot.

Adult Dinner and Conversation

2010-04-01T01:39:00.003-05:00

Saturday night, we went to a Mongolian Grill restaurant called Hu Hot. Excellent food, and even better service! Our waiter was awesome - real friendly and chatty, kinda felt like we knew the guy from somewhere else. So anyway, in the middle of dinner, Jonathan totally knocks his glass of water over on the table. Our waiter happened to walk by right after it happened, laughed a bit, and said, "I'll be right back with some more water for you - in a sippy cup." Wouldn't you know it, but the guy actually came back with a children's plastic cup, complete with lid, bendy straw, and jungle animals all over it! We are SO going back there again!!

Potty Conversation...

2010-03-28T18:44:00.004-05:00

A little boy (about 4) to his mommy, overheard in the restrooms at Culver's restaurant this afternoon: "I think I have pee constipation. Can you have pee constipation??" Mom: "No." Me: Desperately holding back laughter in other stall.

Fresh Air is Very UNDERrated!

2010-03-17T19:25:00.002-05:00

Ah, spring... Ahhhh - choooo! Ha!

Unbenownst to most individuals who do not experience four seasons a year, flowers are NOT the first signs of spring. No, the first signs of spring are usually vehicular. That's right - vehicular, as in: motorcycles revving by, convertibles with their tops down, extra bicycles on the bike path, vintage cars have been taken from their garage "museums", and our next-door neighbor brings his Corvette out of hiding. THOSE, my friends, are the first signs that spring is really here. Now, I'm going to go sit down and battle the mini creatures that are wandering through my house with a thousand legs each, while I hunker down for the three inches of snow we're due to get this weekend...

I'd Just Like You to Know...

2010-03-12T12:26:00.000-06:00

...I CAN SEE MORE GROUND THAN SNOW!!!!!

Foggy Wednesday Morning

2010-03-10T18:12:00.002-06:00

This morning I met up with a new friend to go for a walk and take advantage of all the fantastic amenities my neighborhood has to offer. The walk lasted two hours. You know, because it was nice outside - 45 degrees.

Bus Intelligence

2010-02-22T19:04:00.001-06:00

I was driving around the other day, and one of the city buses passed me at a busy intersection, with a big ol' advertisement on the side. That's normal, but what it said was not:

"Audio and Braille Books Now Available at Madison Libraries"

WHO DO THEY THINK IS READING THIS??

The Frenzied Dance

2010-02-04T19:11:00.005-06:00

I attempted to bring out my inner Latina tonight. Zumba aerobics class at the gym Jonathan and I are trying out this week. Evidently, there was no illegal crossing into this white girl, 'cuz the Latina NEVER showed up! (I guess being born in California doesn't actually infuse you with Latin rhythm.) There were about 25 people in the class, some obviously had their little salsa dancers with them. I was encouraged by the fact that there were a few, however, that had not only forgotten their dancer, but never met it.

We were "encouraged" by the Tasmanian Devil - I mean, Lynette - who never broke a sweat, whooped it up, and bounced all over the stage, smiling the whole time. She was shifting from one move to another, and just about the time I caught on, she was already three steps into the next sequence. "Come on, really get into it!!" Look lady, you can get my feet, or you can get my arms, but you can't get both. Taz... Lynette - wasn't very tall, but I'm pretty sure she could benchpress me, so I didn't dare walk out, for fear she'd track me down, bouncing like a Tigger the whole way.

I moved. A lot. And sweat. A lot. I probably won't be moving tomorrow. My favorite steps were the ones where we were spinning around - because it created a cooling wind. Fortunately, I managed to not fall over my own feet - or the next person's - but I can't say that my feet will ever be the same after this particular round of blisters. And 32 degrees? That feels REALLY good when you're done. After experiencing Zumba - and Lynette - I'm pretty sure that I'll be finally be able to do what my dietician has been telling me to do - drink more water, get more sleep... zzzzzz....

Folks, Lindsay Has Left the Building...

2010-01-30T00:42:00.003-06:00

I'd just like to say that it is almost 1:00 in the morning, and I just went outside, without a coat on, in 8-degree weather, and read a sentence out of a book - by the light of the moon - and - I didn't freeze. WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING TO ME???!!!

The Upside of Winter in Wisconsin

2010-01-27T18:04:00.009-06:00

So there's downsides to living in Wisconsin in the winter, but I've found there's a few upsides that I never would have been able to appreciate in California:

Downside: Living on a busier street can be hazardous.
Upside: Living on a busier street means we get plowed and salted first. And often.

Downside: Shoveling the walkway, the sidewalks, the porch and the driveway.
Upside: Getting to know my neighbors as we help each other out.

Downside: Freezing cold basement = freezing cold bedroom.
Upside: Snuggling under an electric blanket.

Downside: White, white, white.
Upside: The florescent pink house, the turquoise blue house, and the pumpkin-colored house with maroon shutters. (Yes, really.)

Downside: No cloud cover to hold "heat" in means extra, extra cold temperatures.
Upside: No cloud cover means crisp air, and the brightest stars and moon you've ever seen.

Downside: 15,000 types of snow.
Upside: A learned appreciation for the Inuits who have names for each type.

Downside: It's snowing - again.
Upside: The prettiest glitter-fest in my backyard.

Downside: Water freezes outside, causing all sorts of issues.
Upside: Heated bird baths.

Downside: Too much closet space taken up with winter scarves, hats and gloves.
Upside: Feeling loved because it is my friends who made them for me.

Downside: Big berms of snow caused by the plow at the end of my driveway.
Upside: Watching the girls across the street running to the top of the berms and sledding down, squealing the whole time.

Downside: Cold hands.
Upside: Hot cocoa.

Downside: My eyebrows froze until they were numb while walking across the parking lot from the grocery store.
Upside:The grocery store was my first stop of the day, complete with milk and frozen food - and THEN I drove around doing errands for 5 more hours. (Yes, with the food still in the car!)

And finally:

Downside: Winter is just too white, and stinkin' COLD!
Upside: It just makes spring that much sweeter.

Love to you all!

Continued Care

2010-01-16T20:51:00.003-06:00

So while pulling out some old nails, I took a couple of good-sized hunks out of my little finger. No major pain, but a lot of the nails were rusty. Of course, the next thing I think about are all the horror stories of people stepping on rusty nails and tetanus shots, yada, yada... So I call Mom. Mom says call the doctor. I call the doctor at 8pm, and by 8:45pm, I'm already home, complete with updated tetanus shot. I love my health care!

So Cal

2010-01-11T20:46:00.001-06:00

Outlet shopping at Cabazon today. 4.3 earthquake just now. Correlation?

I still hate earthquakes.

New Year and Warm Days

2010-01-02T22:06:00.004-06:00

A freezing 82 today. Brrr! No, really, it was wonderful. The last few days have been just beautiful - blue skies, clear, warm. Did I mention it was warm? I've been sitting in the sun for a couple of hours at a time each day, quietly gloating about being here. Danielle said I'm like a lizard.

Speaking of temperatures (when do I not?) - I was thinking about Thanksgiving today. We were blessed with good weather (well, not snowing, at least), so we drove out to Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with my grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We had the traditional feast, we ALL somehow managed to fit around the table, and we gave our thanks to God. Because it was a nice day (60s), my Uncle Scott, the pastor, said we should open up the windows. We did. Everyone took a nice deep breath of fresh air. As we enjoyed our meal, Uncle Scott says, (to no one in particular), "Boy, how many Thanksgivings can you think of that have been nice enough to open the windows?" Like I could let that slide by... :) "Um, about 31," was my reply. He kept his response short and to-the-point: "Shut up."

I drove out to visit my sister-in-love, nieces, and grand nephews (yes, grand-nephews - I have 5 of them and one grand-niece). Just three boys there today, but boy, my niece has her hands full! Did I mention that my sister lives in Huntington Beach? She does. I do not. It's a fairly long drive (an hour), on interstate freeways. BUSY freeways. With stupid people on them. I do not miss those. (Freeways or stupid people.) I've become very spoiled by my "rush hour" traffic in Madison. Two-minute stops and slows in traffic are tolerable. Stop-and-start for an hour is not. I still hate driving when there's ice around, but I found that buying a house on a fairly well-traveled road has its advantages. It gets plowed and salted - often. That means that pretty much anywhere I need to go is all on salty busy streets. Yay.

In my travels today, among other sights, I saw a couple of sign twirlers. For those of you unfamiliar with those, they are people who stand on busy intersections with big signs pointing toward some random place they want you to visit. Usually, there is bouncing, dancing and twirling involved. Today there were two on this one corner - one was for a new home development, the other was for a Mexican restaurant, featuring 3-foot long burritos for $19.99. One of the men was Caucasian, one was Hispanic. The Hispanic man was NOT the one twirling the Mexican restaurant sign. No, the holder of THAT sign was your stereotypical "white-guys-can't-dance" kind of guy - complete with a whole entire fiesta dumped all over him - sombrero and all. Welcome to southern California.

Surprise, Surprise....

2009-12-29T13:33:00.003-06:00

...I'm in beautiful and warm California! I flew in on Christmas day to Ontario, where Danielle and Luthor picked me up. They promptly dropped me off at my brother's house for Christmas brunch, where I thought we were going to have to mop my mother off the floor. "You're here! You're real!" She kept pinching me to make sure I was really here, until I reminded her that she was supposed to pinch herself to wake up from a dream. Dad had happy tears all over the place. There was just a lot of general excitement, since I hadn't told any of the rest of my extended family, except my brother and sister-in-love. I'm here for a while (until January 13th), but even a long time like that doesn't mean I can meet with each person I'd like to see for a personal lunch. Make sure to give me a holler if you're interested in getting together - maybe a group of us can meet!

So far, I've enjoyed the sun, the blue sky, the mountains, the warmth, a wedding (where I enjoyed the fact that I was outside without a coat on, and silently laughed at all the people huddled around the outdoor heaters), my mom preaching (yay, Mom!), meeting the new "niece dog", a Mary Kay party, Mexican food and In-N-Out. I plan on repeating several of them as often as possible while I'm here! Tonight I'll get pure girl time with Jenn and Danielle, and then tomorrow, I'm off to Wes and Nancy's for "friend family" time. Whew!

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy New Year!

I Smelt

2009-12-24T13:33:00.002-06:00

It sounds like it's raining outside. It's not. The ice from the storm last night is melting off the trees, and it's dripping everywhere because..... well, you know, it's a whopping 35 degrees outside.

Snow Day in Madison

2009-12-18T19:40:00.003-06:00

Got this from a friend who loves to see what we think of all things Madison. This is what happens when all school is canceled, and college students at the UW are let loose:

(you might want to click on the picture to see this one enlarged)

Yup. That's dead center in the intersection of University Avenue and Park Street. (Normally a VERY busy intersection...)

You're Giving Me What?

2009-12-18T17:30:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday, good friends of ours stopped by for an early Christmas time together with the kids. Our 2 1/2 year old god-daughter, Hannah, came tottering over to us, arm outstretched, glass jar in hand.

"Here. It's sauce."

"What kind of sauce, Hannah?"

"Brown."

There you have it.
Caramel, in all its simplicity. Brown is good!

14 Degrees

2009-12-16T21:06:00.001-06:00

Today it was 14 degrees. I wore long underwear and a bubble coat, a pair of wool mittens. No wind. I thought to myself, "It's not too bad out here." That's kinda funny - and a little sad...

My Day

2009-12-10T17:54:00.002-06:00

Decorating Christmas cookies with friend and her 2 year-old daughter: Good.
Eating Christmas cookies for lunch: probably not-so-good, but OH! So good!
MRI to check latest polka-dots on brain: Bad.
Non-claustrophobic MRI machine: Good.
Trip across town on ice-skating rink to MRI office: Bad.
Husband willing to take the afternoon off to drive his chicken wife: Very good.
Culvers for a real lunch after MRI: Good.
Long underwear: Good.
Long underwear: Ugly.
High of 9 today. Nine. One number. Nine. : Bad.
Long underwear: VERY good.

Snow Day!

2009-12-09T16:38:00.023-06:00

When I woke this morning, I thought,
"Yay! Snow day! Oh, wait - I'm an adult. Shoveling. Crap."

That didn't stop us from enjoying the beauty,
laughing at the humor in things, or playing a little!

Enjoy these photos of our day:

Believe it or not, this photo was taken at 1am - no lights! The reflection of the moon through the clouds and onto the snow is actually enough to let you see all the way down the block without any lights!

Quesa really loves playing in the snow!

Our backyard

Yes, they really DO plow the bike path before the streets!

Front of the house

Discovery of a new tool: the roof rake! Look out, below!

Blizzard

2009-12-09T10:40:00.014-06:00

So I took this photo last night, intending to say something cute like, "Extra points for anyone who can figure out what this is."

Here was the answer.

Now I dare you to try to find:

...the roof...

...the trash can...
(...or the fence from last night...)

...the car...

...the driveway...

...the birdhouse...

...the Adirondack chair...

...or the picnic table...

Here's the view from the guest room window.
Now, who wants to come visit?

White Stuff

2009-12-03T16:47:00.002-06:00

It's our first official snowfall in our new backyard! Although I'm not a fan of the icy stuff, the white stuff is gorgeous. I can't wait to see it tomorrow in the daylight! Looks like we'll have a white Chrsitmas, after all! :)

Wisconsin Health Care

2009-11-22T17:06:00.002-06:00

So, for all my Californian friends, here's yet another reason why I REALLY love my health insurance company: (Direct from the company website...)

COUPLE'S MASSAGE WORKSHOP

Learn to give and receive full-body, nurturing touch with your partner in this hands-on class. Lecture is kept to a minimum with an emphasis on the massage techniques.

Develop confidence and skill in giving massage
Explore new ways to communicate through touch
Learn pain and stress relief techniques

Class size is limited to ensure that each couple receives ample personal attention and private room instruction.

Yes, really! And, it was oh, so fun! ;)

Oops.

2009-11-19T15:04:00.000-06:00

While pouring some ranch dressing, I somehow poured about a 1/2 cup into my lap. I thought, "Well, it's not paint..."

About Being Tie-dy

2009-11-18T15:40:00.002-06:00

So the house has a bunch of blond-colored tumbleweeds floating around, and I decide the house needs a vacuum. I swoop around the upstairs, suck up all the offending fur balls, and head downstairs. I notice the closet really hasn't had much attention in a while, so I pull out the hand tool to do some detail work. There's a few pieces of stuff on the floor that really shouldn't be vacuumed up. So, I bend down to pick up the things, being careful not to bop my head on anything, but not noticing the hand tool is pointing up. THWOOOOOP! I have very successfully sucked up one of Jonathan's silk ties off its hanger. I'm thinking that, after my last few blogs, none of you are going to be asking me to come and do any work around your house.

Arrrrgh!

2009-11-15T17:54:00.002-06:00

The neighbors are fencing. Not the picket, chain link, or even barbed wire type. Fencing - the "en garde!" type. Fencing - complete with body protection, facemask, gloves, and swords. Clank, clank! We thought that fencing was kind of odd. I mean, Frisbee, kicking around a soccer ball, but fencing? Really?

On almost any given Sunday, there are anywhere from 5-8 cars parked in front of our house and theirs. They're not really a rowdy bunch - the sound of metal against metal is usually all we hear. The first time, we weren't sure what to think, but now, it's just one of the sounds in the neighborhood - until they pull out their accordion. Or have a pirate party, complete with grown men wearing balloon-sleeved shirts, but there's not a child in sight. And here I thought it was interesting when we had neighbors in California who regularly had Fiestas...

Hello, My Name is Lucy Ricardo

2009-11-13T15:23:00.011-06:00

...at least, this week it sure seems to be! Let me start at the beginning - I've been painting - a lot. I've been working on a mural in one of the children's rooms at church, re-painting the faded and peeling sign in front of the church, and painting my living room. Yes, all of them this week.

Paint is always an iffy undertaking with me. I'm not always aware of my surroundings when I've got a paintbrush in my hand. I'm also not the most coordinated of all people. Put those things together, and you've got the makings of an "I Love Lucy" episode. Let me just start with Wednesday.

Wednesday, I not only managed to get paint in my hair, but I also forgot the fact that I was wearing an apron to wipe off paint, and wiped it on my non-paining jeans. At least, they were my non-painting jeans. That afternoon, I went home and started on the living room walls, still wearing my painting apron, but also now wearing the real painting pants. In the evening, Jonathan came home, and like we always do, we greeted each other with a hug and kiss. Now, Jonathan has a good pair of painting Dockers.

We won't even discuss every time the paint decided to drip anywhere that the dropcloth was not, including the area rug. Moving on to yesterday...

Yesterday, I was determined not to have a repeat of the day before. Well, it wasn't. It gets better. Yesterday, I started out with the primer. This primer is said to stick to anything and everything, and doesn't come off, which is why I got it - I was tired of sanding the previously un-painted window frames. Realizing what kind of a day I'd had the day before, I thought it would be best if I didn't work out of the open gallon can. I could already visualize the white primer oozing all over my hardwood floor... So, I decided to pour a little bit into a small can with a handle. All was going well, until right at the end, when my hands seemingly went rogue, and decided to flip the gallon can over, landing the primer on me, the counter, the sink, the cabinets, and the tiled floor. I'm freaking out, trying to figure out how to get it all up, as it's practically drying on contact, and even a razor blade won't even scrape it up. In a sheer stroke of brilliance, I grab the acetone I use to remove my nailpolish, and am able to clean up pretty much everything. Moving on, I carefully begin to prime and paint...

As I'm painting, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go ahead and work out of the gallon can, leaving the paint-covered lid on the dropcloth. You can guess the rest - I take a step, pivot to my next position, and realize, as I have my sock-covered foot on the wood floor, that it is also now a paint-covered foot. You have GOT to be kidding me! As I stand on one foot, I reach down and grab the paint-covered sock, flip it inside-out, find a dry spot, and quickly wipe off the paint from the floor. Clean. Whew! Oh, but it gets better...

I've managed not to make any huge mistakes for a couple hours, so I'm happily painting around the top on the walls, standing on my ladder. I step off the ladder to go get something, and promptly immerse my entire foot - RIGHT IN THE PAINT CAN!! MY WHOLE FOOT!! I begin to squeegee my foot against the inner rim, all the while muttering to myself, "This can't really be getting worse..." I throw away my second sock of the day, wipe off the bottom part of my now VERY painted pants, clean up around my ankle, and go search for another sock. Upon his arrival home, I tell Jonathan of the latest adventures, and he calmly replies, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe you shouldn't be painting today?" I don't think I'll tell him about the big white brush stroke I found this morning on the back of the couch....

Painting...

2009-11-07T18:58:00.000-06:00

I was out painting the sign at church yesterday, when the sun started to set. It was a great experience - God and I painting together. He won. (Best in Color and Originality...) :)

2009-10-09T11:50:00.003-05:00

...I can't help but wonder what the other drivers thought as they saw my Mary Kay bumper sticker, and then passed me and saw the driver!

Keep going...

It's Official...

2009-10-07T13:55:00.001-05:00

...they have finally turned me to the cold side. Today, I thought, "It's so nice outside. I'm going to open up the house and let it air out." It's 55 degrees.

Fall, Part 2

2009-10-06T17:23:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I raked my whole yard yesterday... so?

Update: That was so nothing. The day before Halloween, the trees out front threw up. Completely bare in one day.

Fall

2009-09-28T19:46:00.001-05:00

Fall came today. All at once. One minute the leaves are green and beautiful and on the trees, the sun's shining, the birds are chirping... Today the leaves all got blown off, the wind's whippin' around, we had a hailstorm last night, and it's downright chilly! Yup, it's here.

Surgery - Again

2009-09-25T14:19:00.002-05:00

So yesterday, I had a new surgery, this time kidney stones. I had a ureteroscopy - a fancy term for a camera to go through my bladder, up my ureter, and into my kidney to take a look around and then lazer-blast the stupid things that keep causing me pain, because they wouldn't pass on their own. They also put a stent in that goes from my kidney into my bladder to allow the pieces to pass through, without doing further damage to my ureter.

Basically, the docs say that I've had at least a couple of stones for a few months. My newest specialist (a specialist specialist) - a urologist who specializes in kidney stones, says that the UTIs that I was experiencing almost constantly the last couple of years back in California could have been caused by kidney stones. Evidently, the little buggers are pretty porous, and can harbor bacteria, even when given antibiotics, making a UTI very hard to really get rid of. I just keep thinking, "Why did my CA docs never bother to try to figure out why I kept getting UTIs almost every week?" Once again, I am praising God for sending us to the Great White North, for the healthcare I have received. Have I mentioned I'm VERY grateful for my healthcare here?

On the upside, today I am recovering from the invasive procedure fairly well. Last night, Jonathan had choir rehearsal, and since he runs it, he couldn't get out of it. So, my very kind and wonderful friend/sister Emily offered to come over and "babysit" me while he was out, since I wasn't allowed to be by myself! Have I mentioned that I am VERY grateful for the friends that we've made here?

Between this surgery and the laparoscopy, I've had almost more pictures taken of my insides these days than of my outsides! Someone said to me I should put those on our next Christmas cards: "Greetings and Merry Christmas from Lindsay's internal organs (oh, and Jonathan says hi, too)!"

Mom and Dad were able to come out again a few weeks ago. I think they've decided to make this their summer home! :) With the lake a few blocks away for Mom's fishing, and the golf course at the end of the street for Dad's golfing, we're like a summer camp for my folks! Mom even got herself a fishing pole and is storing it in our garage! I guess maybe we should track down some clubs for Dad! We had a great time, and best of all, our friends have gotten to know them. It's so nice to say something about friends here to Mom on the phone, and she not only knows who I'm talking about, but asks about how that person and their family is doing! Likewise, our friends get a kick out of something we'll tell them that Dad said, because they can visualize him telling one of his funny stories! Now that they've all met each other, it's really made our new friends here seem even more like family. It will be exactly 2 years that we've been here on Sunday, but life finally seems to be getting to a place that feels normal and more like home.

Maui, Sweet Maui

2009-08-23T17:12:00.013-05:00

Yeah, I know this blog is supposed to be about Wisconsin, but a girl's gotta take a trip every once in a while, right? We celebrated our anniversary last month, and decided to visit our favorite place - Maui! Since we were celebrating ten years, we decided ten days would be an appropriate amount of time. It was wonderful! We stayed at the place we always stay, which made it extra-relaxing. No surprises, great beach, great location, and quiet for the most part. (Don't get me started on the noises that are a part of renovations...)

Anyway, we always try to do at least one new thing when we visit, and this time was no exception. Jonathan really wanted to bike down the volcano, Haleakala (a 24-mile ride at super-speeds...), and I wanted to try a zipline for the first time! We decided to do both. I thought the zipline would be the thing that scared the bejeebers out of me, but the super-sonic bike ride past cliffs on the 10,000 foot volcano is what just about did me in! I could go on and on about the trip, but suffice to say it was a wonderful time, and gave us the renewal we needed after these past few tumultuous years. Coming home to OUR house was just the icing on the cake...

So content... So relaxed...

Quick Update

2009-08-18T16:07:00.003-05:00

So I've got blisters and I'm tired, but I'm happy. I got to go work on a Habitat for Humanity house today! Last week, I was proud of myself for making curtains. Curtains, nothing - today I built a HOUSE!

I'll write more soon, and include pics from our vacation!

You Know You're in Wisconsin...

2009-07-08T23:13:00.003-05:00

...when you go to your doctor at the hospital, and in telling you how to get to the clinic within the hospital, the receptionist ends with, "...and then turn left at the cow."

I kid you not.

Hmmm...

2009-06-26T22:27:00.004-05:00

Now, I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure that maple trees aren't supposed to grow on your roof...

Last Day Of...

2009-06-26T22:18:00.002-05:00

So last Thursday was the last day of school for a number of the middle and elementary schools around here. On Friday morning, I was getting ready for work, and I had the bathroom window open to allow fresh air into the house. The bathroom faces out toward the bike path that goes behind out house, so it's not unusual for us to hear bits and pieces of conversations as people go by. That morning, however, I think I heard my favorite piece, and it came from a laughing group of boys, probably in middle school or so: "Freeeeeeeedom!!! FRRRRREEEEEEEDOMMMMMMMM!!!!" I feel ya, kid!

Flowers

2009-06-20T18:28:00.014-05:00

These were in my new backyard - I didn't have to do a thing to make them grow! These are completely God-made! Aren't they gorgeous?! (For those of you not familiar with this kind of flower - I wasn't - they are peonies!) We also had a bush with magenta ones and a bush with white ones! Jonathan took all these photos.

Enjoy a few of the other beauteous things that God and the previous owner planted for us:

Of course, the only downside to the flowers is the rest of nature that comes with them - like the giant earthquake-creating ants that tromped through my house the other night. They were enormous! Zoe just thought they were fun.

Here's a few more pix for you to enjoy:

Quesa and I both enjoy the yard!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-06-14T19:29:00.002-05:00

So this is what greeted me at work on Friday (yup, still pluggin' along at GHC):

You like me, you REALLY like me!
My special work day came with a whole salad bar, complements of my co-workers (who can find ANY reason to throw a party!)

Sadly, (but a little happy), the 26th of June will be my last day at GHC. My originally 2-week stint ended up being 20 months long! Since we got the house, I've really been wanting to just "nest", and get to know this new city of ours. My boss reluctantly said I could go (I gave her like 2 months warning), and the ladies I do work for are now wondering how they will get their work done! It's nice to be needed! My temp agency and GHC have both said they will be happy to find me another temp position if and when I'm ready to get back to work. Thing is, I won't work anyplace else - this place has me hooked! We'll play for the summer, and see if the falls calls me back...

We Got Roots!!

2009-04-25T21:05:00.003-05:00

We are officially homeowners!!! The process of removing ourselves from California and re-rooting ourselves in Wisconsin is complete! We moved into our house last Saturday, and by Sunday evening, I had successfully locked myself out. Ah, it's good to be home.

Surgery Update

2009-04-04T15:18:00.003-05:00

Ta-da! Not dead! Also, not cancerous!! Praise God! The surgery on Tuesday went well. Evidently, I'm a pretty big anesthesia wimp, though - they'd have me sit up - and they'd lay me back down again. Sit up - back down... repeat several times. Jonathan said something about my color being off. I'm already the whitest person I know, so I must've gone clear.

Anyway, the doc said I had a bunch of endometriosis and it was connecting parts of my insides together that weren't supposed to be connected. He said that the surgery would've been worth doing for just that part of it. He said the parts went back where they belonged, but must have been causing a lot of pain being the way they were. He removed as much of the endometriosis as he could, along with at least a few cysts on my ovaries. Right now, I'm getting everything third-hand from Jonathan, and he's not great for remembering the names of all the parts. I'll get the full news next Monday the 13th at my post-op appointment.

As far as pain goes - I'm sore, but the difference from morning to night, and then from night to morning is absolutely astounding! The pain meds help a lot, to be sure, but just to notice the difference is amazing! I didn't work this week at all - they even told me to stay away when I contemplated coming back on Friday - but I'll be back up and working on Tuesday. Truth be told, I can't stand to just sit and do nothing much longer - I've got a house to pack!

True to my health care experience in Wisconsin, this one was no different - it was as perfect as health care OUGHT to be. I had at least 10 different nurses who took care of me at various times, a "good guy" doctor (the anesthesiologist with the happy drugs), the "bad guy" doctor (my OB/GYN/Surgeon with the scalpel and laser), and multiple other helpers. Jonathan said this was true teamwork - my GHC doctor referred me to the UW doctor/specialist, who then did the surgery at Meriter hospital with their staff. It ran so smoothly. Also worth mentioning is that my doctor called me the night before the surgery to check up on me and see if I had any questions - from his personal phone! The caller ID said, "Last Name, First Name" when I picked up - not "GHC", not "UW Hospital", not even "Clinic" - his NAME! I felt like I had gotten a housecall! Of course, I had no questions prepared (like I've ever had a doctor call me from home before just to check up on me!) Instead, when he was wrapping up, and asked if I had anything to add, I said, "Yeah, get a good night's sleep, eat well tomorrow, and... don't slip!"

Day of the surgery, I was nervous - and a bit cranky, since I hadn't eaten since Sunday morning. I learned I tend to diffuse my nervousness with humor, though, so the nurses and personnel that had to deal with me said I wasn't really all that bad. The doc came to check in with me just before the surgery, so I had to ask: "Get a good night's sleep?" He smiled, "Yup." "Eat well?" "Yes." "Show me your hand." He grinned and held it up - rock steady. "You can operate," I declared. Everyone laughed, and he said they were almost ready to start.

Two and a half hours later, I became aware of people shouting my name and wanting to know, on a scale of 1-10, what kind of pain I was in. Yeah, like I could answer. They wheeled me to a private room about an hour later, and Jonathan was able to come in. I had missed him so badly! He's been absolutely fantastic from the get-go. I know he's probably had times where he's been really freaked, but I've never seen it. He's my rock. He's been willing to do, and has done, just about anything I've needed. Practically waited on me hand and foot. (Have I mentioned that we'll have been married 10 years this July? This isn't newlywed mushy, "Anything I can do for you, honey?" This is real, honest-to-goodness true love! Aren't I the most blessed woman EVER?!) Of course, he made sure to get me a burger and some frozen custard - essential to the healing process, you know? And chocolate. Mmmm...

Speaking of which, I want to thank Nicole and her family for the Ambrosius chocolate to help speed my recovery (pretty sure it's working already), and to Jenn and Bob for the lovely flowers to brighten up the room, and to David and Laura, who, with two little boys and a brand-new baby so graciously made me a meal, so I wouldn't have to worry about it once I stopped eating chicken soup. Thank you everyone else, also, for the emails, the phone calls, and all the cards. I have been feeling love from all over the country, and I know that in the last few weeks, I have been completely surrounded in prayer. Thank you, thank you so much...

Now, I ask for prayer for this beloved husband of mine, who, with Eater coming up in just two weeks, has at least three extra rehearsals in addition to his regular ones, four extra church services, a post-op appointment with me, a special Bill Cosby show in town (Yay! Fun!), an away-from-here conference for two days, a house to close and move into, now has a cold. He's a tough cookie, but please surround him for this time especially. I know you will.

Our gratitude always,
Lindsay and Jonathan

Surgery and Stuff

2009-03-30T17:41:00.001-05:00

Okay, so the surgery is tomorrow. I've got an appointment set for 4:00pm, our time, that's 2:00pm California time. I'm not sure what to say about it at this point. I just know that a lot of you have been so sweet in loving on me and praying for me, and are wanting to be kept up-to-date. The doc says based on the new ultrasound and an oncologist's opinion, I probably don't have cancer. YEA!! He does say that I have probably 3 or more cysts on each ovary that he wants to try to remove, and very likely a bunch of endometrial tissue that's in places where it doesn't belong. Must've gotten wrong directions from my brain - probably the same part that told the Mutiple Sclerosis it could reside in this body. As far as the surgery goes, I'm feeling "okay" about it at this point, but I've got real fun preparations that include not eating since yesterday and colonoscopy-like beverages. Yum. I'm a little cranky at this point. And I want an In-N-Out burger. They don't have those here. Crankier. Grrr...

On the up side... drumroll, please... we have finally found a house, and had our offer accepted!! Yeah, I know we haven't even once mentioned the whole house thing on the blog. Sore subject. First we had to sell the California one - that took a full year. God is good, and though we didn't sell for what we originally wanted, we did sell before the "you-know-what hit the you-know-where". We got out of the house more than we put in, and therefore, had money to put down on something here. We made offers on two houses that didn't go though. We decided to wait until after Jonathan's busy time at Christmas. We put an offer on a house in January. (By the way, turns out a short sale on a house is anything but "short".) They took another offer. (We offered full price and have good credit with money to put down. We figure the other people must have offered their firstborn or something.) At any rate, we had prayed that if it wasn't the house, our offer be rejected. It was rejected. Clear enough answer to a prayer for ya? We kept looking.

We've learned that for some reason, Realtors will always show you something just out of your price range, and something that doesn't quite meet all the criteria you set. Enter Sharon, our absolutely fantastic Realtor who does all that because she knows us better than we know ourselves! I met Sharon at an open house before we even took the job here, she's been working with us ever since. She even found us this rental we've been living in. (Remember she doesn't get paid for that, folks. That's how decent a person she is.) We've spent many, many hours with her, she's practically family, and we absolutely ADORE her! Anyway, she's probably shown us about half the homes in town by now, and pointed out that lots of people here have a one car garage, and that would give us even more options. So, we decided to see the other half of town...

Our criteria:
2 car garage
at least 1500 square feet
3 bedrooms
2 potties
fireplace, preferably wood-burning
dining room (we didn't even have a dining AREA in California!)
good-sized backyard, preferably fenced

Simple enough. So we thought. We actually did see lots of houses that met all the criteria, but it was too far, too ugly, weird layout, too dark, you fill in the rest. So one day, on a marathon home tour, Sharon shows us this house. "Cute" would be the best word for it - any other word would be too long for this little cottage.

It had the following:
1 car garage
1450 square feet (INCLUDING the basement)
2 bedrooms (with a 3rd almost complete)
1 potty
NO fireplace
dining room
good-sized fenced backyard

In other words, PERFECT! I guess that's love - you can't always define it, you can't dictate it, it just is. That was this house for us. It's light and bright and cheery, and fun, and has personality, and it backs up to one of the longest bike paths in Madison, and is close to tons of stuff, without being in the middle of the city. We loved it. After some discussions with the owner, we came to an agreement that had us beating out at least 2 other offers. The house was on the market for less than 2 weeks. That part is almost a sale in itself - the thought of selling another house after our last experience left a bad taste in our mouths. Obviously, this house (or neighborhood, or a combination of the two) are desirable, so all we need to do now is not screw it up before we want to sell it. (A looooong time from now, I hope!) We look forward to sharing it with all of you! Congratulate us - after three years, we are finally HOME.

Snow - What Else?!

2009-03-26T19:53:00.001-05:00

I read something in the paper a few weeks ago. It read," Snow... is intelligent and sentient... and it hates us."

I tend to agree.

It's coming.

Again.

In two days.

It's spring.

For All You Couples Out there...

2009-03-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say that today is my parent's 39th wedding anniversary!! We are so blessed that we have parents who love each other so much and can provide such a good example to us. They've shown us, through the years, how to handle the ups and downs of life, the hurts and the healings, and the hellos and goodbyes. They still regularly go out for their date night, and make sure to never go to bed angry. We should all be so blessed. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!

Freecycle... Chickens?!

2009-03-25T18:36:00.001-05:00

So, here's an add in Freecycle I doubt you'd find back home in SoCal...!

Have 2 free pretty large roosters that my sneaky hens hatched. They are approx 5
mos old. One looks like a giantic barred rock.(mother was a barred. Father a
buff orpington) The other is solid white with a colored tail.(Father Wyandotte.
Mother New Hampshire,Production Red, or Wyandotte) Also have 2 little cochin
banty roosters that are purebred. 5 mos old as well. They have the feathered
feet and a very sweet temperment. I may eat their eggs, but I cant bring myself
to eat my chickens. lol. Im just outside Lake Mills.

Hee Hee!!!

2009-02-16T15:26:00.000-06:00

Found on a web site today:

ME: Yeah, lately I’ve been feeling my age.

HE: Oh, you’re starting to get some aches and pains?

ME: Nah, physically I feel great. Best I’ve ever been.

HE: Then you’re starting to forget things?

ME: I’ve always forgotten things. Now is no different.

HE: Then why do you feel your age?

ME: Because I realized that in a few years, if you were to travel back in time and attend the world premiere of Back to the Future, you’d be traversing the same span of years that Marty McFly did when he visited his parents in the ‘50s.

HE: ...

ME: My ‘80s is like the ‘50s to the kids of today, see.

HE: ....

ME: ....

HE: ...maybe you should be very selective about the people you make that analogy to.

ME: I know! I don’t want to just randomly depress people.

On a Different Note...

2009-02-15T18:40:00.004-06:00

On a different note, I am still at GHC, as a temp, for over a year now. I saw the CEO the other day while I was eating my lunch, and he asked if I was coming to the employee winter party the next day. When I answered that I wasn't, he asked why. I actually felt a little dumb telling him, "Because I'm not an employee..." "Oh, yeah," was the response. What a dear man.

I am still absolutely in love with this company. The care I have received from everyone from my doctors and nurses, to the reception staff and my co-workers has been second to none. Unfortunately, I have been finding myself needing to use my health benefits more and more as of late. I'm really at a loss of how to begin this next part, as not all of you are aware of some of my health challenges. I want to be sensitive in how I approach the subject, so as to not overly concern anyone. I know this isn't like a normal post, but I thought this was important, and that some of you might want to kick my rear end if I didn't say something...

Back in 1996, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I've dealt with it for over 10 years now, and have been on a treatment that seems to work okay, with minor side effects. (Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking - explains a lot, right?) Anyway, in the last year or two, I've had more issues with the MS pop up, hence the need to see more docs. The thing that gets me is that they really listen to me here. When I say I'm having some issue, they don't just dismiss it - they discuss it. They don't rush out the door to another 5 minute appointment. They act as if I'm the only patient they have that day. Amazing.

There's also a fantastic group here through the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for people with MS in their 20s and 30s. I've never gotten to meet others in the same life-stage as me with the disease. We've had a couple of gatherings at restaurants, and I've met some really neat people. And for the first time in my life, I don't feel like a disease-ridden freak. The people in this group have been funny and caring, and it's just really great to be able to say something like, "I fell off my chair today, and knocked over the orange juice - again," and the response is, "I know - doesn't that just bite?" They get it, they get me, and it feels good. Spouses are also encouraged to join the group, and so they find a camaraderie with others in the same boat. It's just a good thing all around.

One of the issues that I've been dealing with I originally thought was due to my MS, but after numerous appointments and a few tests, it looks as if I have a new "quirk". I won't go into details, but suffice to say that the docs have figured out that I've got some issues with my ovaries, and the blood test didn't come back the way we hoped. I had a rough day Tuesday, dealing with the news, as the test indicated higher than normal cancer antigens.

I really freaked out.

It isn't a diagnostic test by any stretch of the imagination, but the fact the number wasn't within "normal" range (I'm really beginning to despise that word), got me a new doc, a GYN. I didn't even have to wait for several months because I was a new patient! I got in one day after I got the blood test results. (My original doc said something about having a good "arm twister" in her office to make the call for an appointment.) After looking over my chart, my GYN said he seriously doubts it's cancer, but that we should look a little bit closer. So, I'll be having another ultrasound early next month, and laparoscopy surgery at the end of next month. I'm nervous about the surgery. It's outpatient - as far as surgery goes, it's as easy as it gets, but you get the point.

So, here's what I'm asking for: Prayer. And love. And not telling me stories/advice, based on your mother's friend's cousin... I love you my friends, and I know you have good intentions and all that, but I'm really just needing the positive right now. I'll keep you posted on the news, but as per the title, this blog will largely remain devoted to the weirdness that is Wisconsin.

Peace,
Lindsay

Winter Words

2009-02-15T17:32:00.007-06:00

So we go from very cold (-40) to 55 degrees within just weeks. Now granted, this 55 is not "normal" for this time of year. (Has any weather actually been "normal" since we got here? I think not.) Still, it was very nice to see most of the snow disappear, and have ugly dead grass instead for a few days...

White. It's all white. The fields, the roofs, the trees, the bushes, the cars, the roads... and a lot of it isn't even snow! The salt creates a film on everything, so blacktop is whitetop, red cars are white cars... oh, but the SIDES of the road? They're black. Blacker than the blacktop was when it was new. It's snow. SNOW. Snow pushed to the sides of the road and completely covered with brake dust. Ew. And you guys (hello California...) are breathing that crud? I think I'd rather keep it in my snow.

Oh, but besides that, I've discovered that all is not white during winter. When it gets this cold for this long, you become more creative in the way you look at white. There's nothing quite like a gorgeous purple and orange sunset above blue snow, with pink spots on the ground where the streetlights shine.

We've been learning new terminology. Some of it's learned, at least. The rest we make up for sheer lack of formal description. Here's a few:
Snowdogs - not dogs, but a type of round rainbow around the sun or moon when the ice crystals are just right.
Pothole Derby - the way you test your driving ability on any given road midway through winter.
Light Pillars - what they sound like, up in the sky at night. Caused by the city lights reflecting off a particular type of ice crystals. We first thought they were the Northern Lights.
Road Snot - the crud (snow and brake dust) that gets kicked up on your car behind the tires, creating lovely lumps of, well, snot.
Kitty Litter - what you keep in your vehicle for traction when the heat of your tires on your parking space has melted and refrozen the ground, leaving you stranded.
Freezing Fog - this one can be nasty to be in, but it has the most awesome effect. When the fog is thick and heavy with humidity at low temperatures, it freezes on anything it touches. It completely covers every single branch on bushes and trees, making them absolutely white. They look painted. It's gorgeous, a winter wonderland. It doesn't last long - usually just in the morning as the day is getting started. Then the sun evaporates everything, and the sculptures go back to looking like trees and bushes again. I'd love to get photos, but it lasts for such a short time, and I'm usually on my way somewhere.

I've learned that things can melt when it's below freezing during the day. This is just wrong. I should not see water dripping off the roof when it is 17 degrees outside. Everything that I have ever known tells me that when it hits 32 degrees, water freezes. Apparently, this is the Twilight Zone, because on a sunny day, at 17 degrees, snow WILL melt (and become ice during the night to give you a fresh new ice rink for Car Hockey. See December 23 blog.)

Goooo... Badgers!

2009-02-01T22:29:00.006-06:00

I made my first Wisconsin snowman today!!

Wardrobe courtesy of Wes and Nancy Harmelink. Thanks, you two!

Duchesa "helped"!

Dog Days of Winter

2009-01-22T17:34:00.005-06:00

So even the dog has started to acclimate to the snow... Last year, we learned that she originally had a family in the mountains, so it explained why the snow didn't seem to faze her. Both this year and last, however, she got a little confused with the first snowfall of the season. See, she normally does her business on the grass. The grass is covered up, so she searches in vain to find one patch of green. Upon not finding any, she realizes she can't hold it forever, and goes. After a couple more snows, she still searches for a patch of grass, and is occasionally rewarded by a small patch uncovered by the snow blower. The patch can be 1 foot by 1 foot, and on an incline, but by golly, she can hit the mark! After a few more snows, and the grass is nowhere to be seen, she paces. And paces. And paces. She's looking now for the perfect patch of SNOW to use! It can't be too fluffy, or too hard. It can't be too deep or too shallow. She refuses to use the concrete... It's got to be PERFECT. And when it is... we have meltdown!! Jonathan has actually catered to her on this, shoveling out a run along the driveway that is just right for her - and perfect for us, because we don't have to run her all over the neighborhood to read everyone's pee-mail about the perfect pee spot.

I'm realizing that as much as I try to resist, I am growing acclimated as well. Last week were some of the coldest days "on record" according to the news (of course, why should this year be any different?) Thursday and Friday were something like -15 (yes, minus) before wind chill. Not comfortable. Today, as I left work at 5:00, I didn't bother buttoning my long winter coat, putting on my mittens, or even wear a scarf, because it was warm... it was freakin' 32! Goodness help me now, because I'm becoming one of them!

Say What?!

2009-01-11T10:27:00.004-06:00

I have determined Wisconsin is a study in contrasts. Last night, it was snowing outside. We were eating in the distinctly more tropical and warm island-themed "Cheeseburger in Paradise". With an Asian man singing "Billie Jean is not my Lover". While accompanied by a bongo player. Uh huh. Today it is 24 degrees, very bright and sunny, with something that looks like sparkly fairy dust falling from the sky. Tuesday is supposed to have a high below zero. God has got a warped sense of humor.

Time?! We don't keep no stinkin' time!!

2009-01-01T17:31:00.002-06:00

Evidently, time has a whole different concept here. Nothing is when I think it's supposed to be. Take TV for instance - we're central time. You know, as in "8/7 central"? Well, "central" means that anything I've been used to being at a particular time for my whole entire life, is generally a whole hour earlier here. Sometimes that's really cool - I get to see Leno and Letterman before bed. Sometimes, it's just really annoying, because I might really want to watch a show - normally a 9:00 show - you know, they're different than 8:00 shows. If I turn on the TV at 9:00, it's already over. Stinks. The dumbest thing, though, is New Year's Eve. Everyone watches the ball drop at midnight, right? Wrong. Not if you're central time. Here, you get to watch it at 11:00. Period.

TV's not the only thing, either. Evidently, even Denny's determines things should be different here in the Midwest. On Christmas Eve, we had three services, 4:00, 7:00 and 9:00. By the time things wrap up at the 9:00 service and you close down the church (such is the life of a church leadership family), it's almost 11:00. You are tired. You are hungry. You want food. Food for 24 hours a day? Denny's, of course. Nope. Lights are out, not a soul in sight - except other hungry people driving into the parking lot. I didn't even know Denny's had a light switch.

another year....

2008-12-27T20:29:00.004-06:00

Well, if you go back and count blog posts, it's obvious that Lindsay writes much more frequently (and her posts are usually longer than mine! I did want to weigh in and reflect on the past year, though - it's been a tough one getting used to a new culture and part of the country, being far from family and friends. I think we're finally settling in, though, and once we can get into a house this spring, I think that will give us a much greater sense of permanence.

My first year at Asbury has been both challenging and rewarding... it usually takes seeing a full 'cycle" of a year at a church to really begin to feel like you have a good grip on how things flow, and this time has not been an exception to that concept. Usually as I start my second year, I'm really beginning to feel as if I'm making some progress, and that is indeed the case here.

I've been pleased to see some growth in the Choir, the restart of our Bell Choir and I've started an adult Praise Team. I've also taken over leadership of the MOB (Methodists on Brass), and am always on the lookout for new ways to include our musically talented congregation in worship.

I was especially pleased with how things went on our Christmas Music Sunday - the video feed come out very nice on this piece, so I post the YouTube link here:

As this year closes, I'm thankful for Lindsay, a fine place to work and serve, and God's blessings and care for us while we awaited the sale of our house. Although it was difficult, we never missed a meal, always were able to pay our bills and even occasionally had a bit of extra $$ for some leisure. God is good!

Ice "Skating"

2008-12-23T15:32:00.000-06:00

So Wisconsin has officially broken me in, but not broken me up. Let me explain. There are roads. There is ice. There are cars. The three are a bad combination. I got firsthand knowledge this morning on my way to an appointment across town. While driving the freeway, I tried to slow down for traffic congestion ahead. What happened in actuality is this: sliiiiiiiiiiiiiide... turn... slam into median... turn... wait for that car to hit me... SMASH! God is so good - neither I nor the other driver was hurt, just badly shaken. My car has some pretty ugly damage, his looks like an accordion.

Camry - good car. The rest of the day follows with much rejoicing for safety, hugs from Jonathan, and many, many phone calls: arrange for tow, arrange for auto body, arrange for rental car (but I really don't want to drive anytime soon), talk to my insurance company, talk to his insurance company, talk to Mom and Dad... I'm going to go take a nap. I'm pooped.

Christmas in Wisconsin

2008-12-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

I don't know who originally wrote this. Mom sent it to me today and said it was originally for Iowa. Same difference. I love it!

When it's Christmas time in Wisconsin
And the gentle breezes blow,
About seventy miles an hour
And it's fifty-two below.

You can tell you're in Wisconsin
'Cause the snow's up to your butt,
And you take a breath of Christmas air
And your nose hole both freeze shut.

The weather here is wonderful,
So I guess I'll hang around,
I could NEVER leave Wisconsin -
My feet are frozen to the ground!

What the Heck?!

2008-12-21T15:20:00.000-06:00

Negative five. NEGATIVE. Wind: 30-40 mph.

Negative 5 + 30mph wind = WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING HERE???!!!

Chicago

2008-12-20T15:28:00.000-06:00

So I went shopping in Chicago on Monday for the first time since we've been out here. I went with our senior pastor's wife, Wendy. We had a wonderful time - I managed not to get too flustered by Chicago traffic (which I think is way worse than California - much more aggressive), and we even found a parking space in the first garage we drove into. Our first stop was Macy's to see the windows. They had weird little furry creatures and winged things - a little freaky. The store was enormous - nine floors, I think - and every floor was decorated to the hilt. Beautiful! On one of the escalators, you can see all the floors at once, with all the decor, chandeliers and huge ornaments all over - I felt like I was in a movie! I didn't buy a thing, but I had a blast!

We hit several other stores, but never quite made it to Michigan Avenue (sorry, Danielle). It was so cold, your face felt like it had icicles when you went indoors. The thought of wandering very far in that kind of cold, and not exactly sure which lot we parked in, had absolutely no appeal. Once we did figure out where we parked, we decided to check out this little outdoor area near the garage that had all sorts of German vendors and a gigantic 40 foot Christmas tree. Very European. One stall had hot cocoa - very appealing. We ordered some, and the girl asked if we wanted whipped cream. Well, duh! She grabbed the can and pressed, but nothing happened - it was frozen inside the can! She actually had to go to the "warmer" to get another can - the REFRIGERATOR. Ugh.

Cold Enough for Ya?

2008-12-19T17:10:00.000-06:00

So I hear even Malibu got some snow with this storm that's been working its way across the country. Now THAT'S something!

As per our "not normal" winter, we've now had three major storms, winter officially starts two days from now, and we're ahead on our total snowfall from our record-breaking snowfall of last year...

The nice thing is a snow day. We've had a couple of days canceled from work. I still get paid for those! We had one the day after I got back from California - I wasn't sad to sleep in! We had a partial day today, but I have a cold anyway, so no pay. Ick.

I spoke with a friend the other day from California and she was asking about the weather. I commented on how it hadn't been too bad up until that point, with it being around 45. There was a brief pause on the line. Then I heard, "DEGREES?!!" I said, "Yes, degrees." There was another pause. "IN THE DAYTIME?!!" Ah, to be a Californian again...

God is Good - ALL The Time!

2008-11-22T21:43:00.001-06:00

Yes, friends, it has been a while since I last posted. Life just kinda gets away from me at times. Honestly, I think I just kept thinking of so many things I wanted to blog about, that the list was so long, I didn't figure I'd have time to sit and write the darn thing. So I'll try to keep them shorter and more frequent. Deal?

Life goes on in this great white tundra. We've actually started acclimating to the weather. Very frightening. Jonathan said when he left for work last Sunday morning around 7:30 how nice it was outside. Then he drove past the bank thermometer and saw it was a toasty 27 degrees... He's not the only one in this house - I actually thought the same thing last night while getting into the car - a very warm 19. Ugh. I actually think it feels warm. I guess that can happen, especially after comparing it to a day with wind. The wind chill factor just about smacks you across the face. Ouch.

I want to take this moment to once again thank Mom and Dad for the very cozy electric blanket they gave us a few years ago. We thank them almost nightly this time of year...!

We are hoping that this week, Thanksgiving week, we will be able to get to Michigan to see Pa and my aunts, uncles and cousins. It's normally a 6+ hour drive for over 300 miles (totally worth it!), but this Wednesday, we'll be traveling with every single other person who owns a car. We'll be leaving early. Our biggest concern is the weather (ah, isn't it ALWAYS?) Ice on the roads for 300 miles just isn't a good idea. Keep us in prayer, as we also just really need a good taste of home and family. It's been so long.

Actually, I drove there myself a couple of times these past several months, most recently just a couple of weeks ago. I had a great time, just me and Pa, and got to hear some great stories about his life that I hadn't heard before. I also had the privilege of being a passenger in the SUV with my cousin, our ringbearer, as the driver. Can that be possible? He did fine, but I though Dale (Dad) was going to pop a vein in his neck...

The peace we have felt with the sale of the house is unlike anything I've felt. God is so good! Although we sold it for significantly less than we were originally hoping, the fact is that we SOLD a house in this economy. It took a full year - to the day - but it sold. We're especially grateful that it sold before the bottom fell out of Wall Street in October. I can't imagine still having it right now. But... even if we did, God has provided this whole time. Would you believe that the job I had at GHC that was supposed to be for two weeks has stretched into a whole YEAR? There was a three week lapse between getting traded to another department which was the ONLY time we had to dip into savings to pay a bill. I hated to pull from savings, telling Jonathan, "This is for rainy days, what if we need it?" To which he replied, "Honey, it's raining!"

After we burned the final mortgage bill, my first thought wasn't, "Let's go shopping!", it was, "Okay, I'll make an appointment for the animals to see the vet, and the truck really needs a new windshield..." Practical. We did, however, treat ourselves to filet mignon at Outback, where the young waiter happily celebrated with us by bringing a sundae. Ahh, simple pleasures!

Mortgage Burning

2008-08-26T20:29:00.001-05:00

Well, the moment we've been waiting for since August 27, 2007 has finally arrived. I think the video says it all:

Thanks for your support and prayers - we really appreciate it!

The Sky is Falling!

2008-03-05T07:29:00.000-06:00

Brett Favre is retiring - the world is collapsing! Seriously, I think we lost several hours of production in the state yesterday. I'm not sure if any cheese got made. The news was unbelievable. Brett's retirement was covered for over ten minutes - head story, of course - and covered every angle, from the #1 fan St. Vince, to some dubious fans, to the other players, to the press conference the Brett himself did not show up to. Ten minutes. Then the newcasters goes, "...And Huckabee is stepping down - McCain will be the Republican nominee for president. Clinton has won Ohio, we're not sure about Texas yet. And now on to the weather..." Thirty seconds. A minute, tops. Then the weather person was lamenting the fact that it wasn't a dreary day to match the mood of the people of Wisconsin. Geez.

Party at the Pet Clinic!

2008-02-06T18:30:00.000-06:00

Well, maybe not really a party - unless you call a bunch of stranded motorists a party. Crazy snowstorms back here. It's been snowing so hard all day that GHC closed down the doctor offices and the admin building early. Some cities were even recalling their snowplows! Jonathan was commenting the other day that the news had said Madison was running out of salt - they hadn't anticipated this much snow. I asked him what the city was going to do? "Oh, they're going to start tossing Christians on the road..." Argh.

The drive home was less than fun - I was particularly proud of myself for not spinning out on the last major turn heading home. And then I headed up the hill - or, tried to head up the hill - where I promptly got stuck in the snow. The four cars that were stuck up on the hill above me should have been a clue. A few good samaritans were directing (and pushing) those of us stupid enough to think we could make it, to the emergency pet clinic's parking lot adjacent to where most people were getting stuck. There were probably about 20 cars there already, and a number of the drivers were headed to the building. (I'm sure the clinic's staff were thrilled with their full, non-animalized lobby.) I had to laugh a bit at the antics of the good samaritans as they tried valiantly to get the attention of the newest driver starting up the hill. Home was just a couple of blocks away, so I decided to hoof it. Uphill. In the storm. No scarf. Short skirt. Big bag. I did bring my snow boots. I thanked the kind people who helped push my car out, and proceeded home. My loving husband greeted me partway, having just barely making it home himself. Surprisingly, I wasn't as cold as I thought I could be - although my hands were frozen solid, and I wasn't sure if I still had a face...

Freakin' COLD!

2008-01-30T18:42:00.001-06:00

It was 40 degrees yesterday morning when I woke at 6:30am. Nice. This morning when I woke at 6:30am, it was 22 degrees BELOW ZERO with windchill. 'Nuff said.

Happy Cows Come From California...

2008-01-26T22:10:00.000-06:00

...And evidently, they like to visit Wisconsin during the winter. No kidding - saw a California cheese commercial while I was working out at the gym last night. I'm surprised there wasn't a riot. Wisconsonites (that's what they call themselves) take their dairy very seriously. Ban those California cows!

Even on the Capitol's Chirstmas tree (argh!):

Speaking of dairy - I went to the grocery store the other night after work to get a couple gallons of milk (great sale - 2 for $5). Anyway, it was around zero degrees, and we had some wind - it was COLD! I swear I thought I was going to have two gallons of ice cream by the time I got from the store to the car! Things have been freezing like nothing I've experienced before. I've always been very conscious of the fact that you don't leave your take-home food in the car because it will spoil. That's not the case when your car is colder than your refrigerator!

We have an enclosed breezeway between the house and the garage - very nice for muddy boots - and it has been a great place to store extra stuff like cases of water. This week, that all went to heck - you can't drink ice.

I tell Jonathan sometimes that he's full of hot air, but evidently, it doesn't matter when it's 10 below zero outside. We woke up Sunday morning (all five of us sleep in the bedroom), and I opened the curtains to look out on the gorgeous day, only to find we had frosted glass windows - on the INSIDE! The moisture from all of us had gotten trapped behind the blinds and froze on the window!

The other day at work, they were talking about one of the company's core values: Innovation. For some reason, this inspired handing out Pop Rock to every employee. (Beats me, I wasn't at the meeting - one of the perks of being a temp.) Anyway, everyone was pretty excited about them, since most of us haven't eaten them in years, and some of the employees had never eaten them. It was great seeing my boss pop a handful into his mouth for the first time and watch his face as he exclaimed at the experience. (For those of you not familiar with Pop Rocks, they're small sugary candies that have been infused with carbon dioxide and pop and crackle - loudly - in your mouth.) Like everyone else, I was happy to pop a handful or two, which was great - until I did it - and then my phone rang. You can imagine the rest of the story: "Group Health (POP! POP!) Marketing (SNAP!) This is Lindsay (CRACKLE! CRACKLE!) May I help you?" I can only hope the guy on the phone thought we had a bad connection.

Jonathan and I got a couple of Target gift cards for Christmas, so we went shopping tonight. Christmas is done, Valentines are out, Easter's on it's way... But isn't this jumping the gun a bit?

It's been five degrees and below zero all week, guys. Think warm thoughts... Think very warm thoughts...

Still Here...

2008-01-17T21:23:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I know we're in "America's Dairyland" (I know 'cuz it says so on the license plates - geez!), but do they seriously need that many cheese snack foods in the vending machine?! I took a good look the other day at lunch in the breakroom and I counted, no kidding, no less than NINE cheese-related items. Out of 20. Good grief.

Some of you know I've been having some minor medical issues since before coming here, and I've been since referred to a urologist here. In the waiting room there were some magazines - normal - one of them was Golf Digest or something - also normal - the top story said, "Hit it Flush Every Time". Argh. Jonathan would be proud.

We've been discovering new businesses - most of them are new to us. But we passed one on the freeway the other day - an accounting firm - named "Boker and Launder". Maybe one of those times to get a less-personal, more creative name.

The midwest is a whole new ballgame - literally. Football is very big here. VERY. For those of you who don't already know (I didn't, until I got here), Madison is home to the University of Wisconsin - a big ten school. The Badgers. The other obvious team - The Packers. The people's team - literally. They're owned by stockholders or something, and not one owner - maybe that's why these fans are so loyal. It's big. Remember how the UW's band chased me down the aisles? Picture the very same grocery store, a Sunday afternoon. Packers are playing - and it's broadcasting over the speakers in the grocery store (no elevator music here, boys). It wasn't the Packer's greatest game ever, but when they got a touchdown, the whole store erupted into cheers and applause. Again, I can't make this stuff up. Actually, I have to admit, it's kinda fun - and I cheered with 'em...

So back to the health issues. I started noticing a few months back that I seemed to be squinting a lot. It became much more noticeable here when I was straining at night to read the street signs to figure out where I was. I went to the eye doctor, and learned I have an astigmatism. It's slight, but WOW! the difference two lenses can make! I didn't think things were blurry before - but they sure seem sharp now! (And I have to admit - they're kinda cute.)

I really love the place I've been temping at. Evidently, the feeling's mutual, because I came on for two weeks at the beginning of November, and I've been there since. Group Health Cooperative is a really fantastic place, run by some really neat people. I don't know how all health insurance companies are run, but I never encountered one like this in California. Here, they actually have complimentary medicine benefits. Yeah, they help pay for massages, and yoga, and the health club, and chiropractic care, and, and, and... They actually believe that pills can't fix everything, and that sometimes your health needs a more holistic approach - this is my kind of insurance company!

Speaking of the gym - Jonathan and I finally joined back up about a month ago. Well, I joined back up - Jonathan just joined. We've been going pretty regularly - I really need to in order to keep my neck injury from flaring back up - and Jonathan is doing an awesome job! He's been keeping track of his progress, and has been making goals for himself, meeting them, and then setting new ones. He's starting to feel the effects of it, and I have a feeling that when he plays his regular basketball game with the guys at church, he's going to start giving them a run for their money!

Weather - ah, you know we can't write this blog without mentioning it - is actually getting colder. Currently, it's 5 degrees. Five. F-I-V-E. I think we'll be seeing our first negatives tonight. Saturday's prediction of a high of 0 - that's zero - the HIGH - make me feel all warm and toasty inside - and inside is exactly where I'll stay, thank you very much. Until the dog needs to pee.

Seriously, the snow is really something else to behold. When the powder is new, and it sparkles like glitter, or the cool angles it makes as it drifts when the wind blows, or how the smallest amount of pure-white snow can stick to the top of a tiny bright-red crabapple... But my favorite is when I'm sitting at a stoplight, and my windows are cold, and the snow flakes are tiny. Then... THEN you can just make out the many different shapes that God has created, and they're there, sitting on your window, just for you.

And don't even get me started on the sunsets...

I'll catch you all later - as soon as I chisel the ice off my windsheild and break open the car door... Hugs and love, Lindsay

2007... a crazy year

2007-12-31T17:38:00.000-06:00

Well, here we are on the last day of 2007, and I thought I'd take some time to reflect. It has been a topsy-turvy year filled with many challenges - most of the year we were in the process of finding a new church position/going to interviews/preparing to move. The whole time was both exciting and stressful, as we waited to see where God would lead us to serve next. Lindsay had some health issues that made the year difficult also, so it really seems like it has been much longer than 12 months to this year.

We survived the Christmas season at Asbury - my choir and other musicians did a bang-up job on Dec. 16th presenting some very special music for the season. The choir did 3 acapella numbers Of the Father's Love Begotten, Carol of the Bells and Gigue Nöel; I had a woodwind trio play my arrangement of Silent Night; 2 of my talented choir members did a 4-hand organ piece; I had 3 trumpets join me on 2 of the Christmas carols and I did my wild and woolly Variations on Adeste Fideles for piano. I thought things went very well, considering that I arrived on the job Oct. 1 (!).

We're still getting used to the weather - as you can see below, the snow is piling up fast... we've so far had nearly 3 feet in December (the 2nd-highest snowfall totals in record!) We keep piling it up as we shovel the driveway, and the streets get progressively more narrow as the plows keep shoving it out of the way. The good news is that snow shoveling is a very good cardiovascular activity, so it is ostensibly serving to help get me back in shape. Yeah. Right. Winter has its own stark beauty, and I admit it really felt more like Christmas this year with snow. The doggie didn't know what to do at first with this snow stuff (she searched in vain for a patch of ground on which to do her duty!) She seems to have figured it out finally, though (although she does seem to take her own sweet time on those nights in the 'teens when we've got 20 mph winds. Yikes!

We miss all of our friends and family in CA (and elsewhere!) Please know you are often in our hearts and thoughts.

Happy New Year!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

2007-12-11T21:00:00.002-06:00

I sang the song, and it came true. Blame it on me.

Wisconsin is one gigantic learning experience.

Everyone here keeps saying how this is not normal for this time of year. I'm inclined to believe them, since I've heard it from so many people. It's been quite an education, learning about how all this works. Salt melts snow; snow blowers don't actually blow, they throw; sleet is different from hail is different from freezing rain is different from just plain snow; ice makes for bad driving; yes, there can be snowplows on the wrong side of the road; and schools close when there's more than a few inches and/or there's ice on the way. I'm learning about which radio stations to listen to for weather reports, and that I need to set the alarm earlier and double my travel time to go anywhere. I've also learned that native Wisconsinites (onians?) don't like to drive in it any more than I do. Thanks goodness - I feel a lot less like a wimp.

All learning moments aside, I've really enjoyed taking the dog out. She is just like a little kid! She huffs and puffs and dances and wiggles, and shoves her head in the snow, and tries to catch pieces I throw for her and brings ice in to lick, and brings ice in in her toes, and prances and dances... Just all-around fun! It's also really amazing at how much light the snow reflects at night - there's no need for a flashlight at all, even on moonless nights. And the snow just glitters! It's beautiful!

As J mentioned, I've been working as a temp at Group Health Cooperative - our health insurance company. I started as a two-week temp, and I believe I'm on week six now, and have been asked to stay through March, as per my request. There's plenty for me to do in the marketing department, and the people are so nice. I'm feeling very fulfilled there, like I'm really helping to make a difference in the office, and I'm starting to make some friends. Last week, when we all thought it would be my last one there, several of them took me to a local restaurant to say goodbye. It turned out to be a "Yea, you're staying!" celebration - very fun. One of the gals in the office asked me to join her for lunch and a concert on Saturday. Although I normally prefer to stay with my husband on the weekends, the opportunity for friendship is something I don't want to pass up. I'm so homesick.

I've really been missing all my friends and family back home in CA. To see a familiar face, and to not have to give background information for every story is a luxury I miss. I especially miss Danielle and Jenn - two lifetime-long friends who have almost more dirt on me than my family! It was really great having a history with them, and just being myself, right now, no explanations for everything. We've talked on the phone several times, and that's helped a bit, but you know the adage - there's no place like home. Friends are home. That's another BIG lesson I've learned.

I have been able to meet some great people, and have started making a history here. Nancy from the church, who showed me around Madison when we were still checking out the church, has proven to be a really wonderful person, full of warmth. A number of other ladies from church have also made a real effort to include me in their activities. I was invited to Advent By Candlelight, a women-only evening of candles and singing and preparation for the season. Very meaningful (a little difficult to get through emotionally), and beautiful. I look forward to next year's. I went to dinner at Emily's house, and learned that children take a great deal of energy, and we had a wonderful time. Several couples have mentioned they'd like to have us over for dinner, and I've got a running list of people we'd like to have over.

I've become a fan of all things Wisconsin, as has my dad, so it seems. We've had Packer parties during the big games at church, where we've gotten to know some very fun people, and I've learned that their colors are green and GOLD. Not yellow. Ask me how I learned that at one big game! Dad calls to tell me scores to "my teams", and lets me know when I need to cheer harder. I think he's watching more sports now (all Wisconsin) than he ever did before we moved! I met Bucky the Badger(the mascot) at a grocery store grand re-opening, and also won $100 gift card to the store!

We've been learning that God covers money issues in the funniest ways. When we pray to make ends meet, He not only does it, but does it in the weirdest ways you can think of! Like the spin the wheel game for the gift card. Or the paycheck coming with an extra dollar per hour than I was expecting. Or the AAA refund from CA we weren't expecting. Or the weirdest one - the "do not pay" electric bill from our electric company. Say what?! They couldn't come read the meter last month, due to weather, so for last month's bill, they made an estimate based on last year's bill (which reflected 10 people living in this house at the time). The estimate was more than double what we used, so our payment not only covered last month's bill, it covered this month's bill, and part of NEXT month's bill! That's only a God thing!

God is good - all the time, and we are so grateful for this adventure in our lives - even when it takes us so far from you. We love you all and miss you - write soon!

Hugs,
Lindsay

Winter (in fall)

2007-12-11T09:12:00.000-06:00

The other day we had a rather crazy experience... this white stuff starts falling from the sky... what the HECK is this? We had snow in SoCal last year, about 3 inches (for prolly the first time in 20 years!). So far we've had over a FOOT of the stuff (in 3 or 4 separate storms) and we're led to believe it only gets worse until about the end of January. Yeesh. :-)

Oh, and one more thing - it was rather surreal to see our car's outside thermometer reading 7 (that's SEVEN degrees Farenheit). It's been as low as 3 here so far, and I've heard stories of -20.

Enough of the winter stories (after all, it's still technically fall, you know!). Things are going fine here, and we've been settling into a new routine. Lindsay has a long-term temp job working for GHC (our health provider) and I'm enjoying my new position at Asbury United Methodist

When time permits, we'll both be posting - check back as ofter as you want, and feel free to leave a comment!