So many different topics to consider on this blog, but the past month has certainly gotten away from me. How is it May 22nd tomorrow?!
The Cliffs Notes version is that much is going on in our lives - very good, very exciting things. Many new goals have sprung forth from these developments. There's so much to document and to post here, but I don't even know where to begin.
As far as short-term future blogging goals, I'm hoping to revive "New Meal Monday" this week with a new chili recipe. Here's hoping I remember to get out my camera when the time comes to make the meal!
In the meantime, here are 10 extra-short snippets of the goings-on in life right now:
1. I have a job! Starting July 1st, I'll be diving back into campus ministry full-time after a two-year hiatus. It is humbling, exhilarating, and exciting to think about being back on campus (my alma mater!) with students, attempting (albeit weakly) to love them like Jesus.
2. My little sister is engaged! She'll be married next October, 2012. It is terribly exciting - and I get to be maid of honor! (Or, as my husband informed me, matron of honor - it sounds so much older than just maid!)
3. B and I have resolved to begin (slowly) making our way through the seasons of The West Wing. Considering we just watched the pilot episode this evening, I'd say we have quite a ways to go. :-)
4. I bought a cilantro plant a week and a half ago, and while I haven't used any of it yet, I am so looking forward to being able to just snip the leaves I need in any given week, instead of buying an entire bunch of cilantro and having about 85% of that bunch go to waste because we just can't use that much cilantro before it spoils. Hooray for herbs! I have a small pot of basil and another of chives that have just started sprouting, too. I am hoping to maintain this trend of keeping our most often used herbs in pots during the summer - it is convenient, low-maintenance, and inexpensive, a great thing!
5. I am a convert to the FranklinCovey daily system of planning. (www.franklincovey.com) I sat in on meetings all week at my new job and after a quick introduction to the daily system, I have resolved to integrate that method of planning into my work next year. I am hoping it can provide a balance to my work/vocation/homekeeping and increase my effectiveness in each of these areas.
6. I witnessed a beautiful Nuptial Mass today of two former students with whom I worked during my first stint in campus ministry. They are a beautiful example of faithful love - I am honored to have known them during their college careers and to have watched from afar their journey to this momentous day.
7. "Sway" by Dean Martin might be one of the greatest songs ever. I'm listening to the Glee cover of this song right now, and it just makes me want to get up and dance! (Dean's version is best, however!)
8. B is making pulled pork for Sunday Dinner tomorrow! EXCITED!!!!!!! (pulled pork is one of my very favorite meals, and we've never made it before) :-)
9. Making plans to visit Washington, DC this summer to visit my old roommates at the end of June. They have lived out there for 2+ years, but this is the first time I will visit them there. I haven't been to the District in ten years, so I am more than looking forward to my return. It promises to be quite the trip!
10. No matter how many times I fall, fail, or make a mistake, I am a beloved child of God. All of us are. How mind-boggling is this?!
a presto.
Showing posts with label travels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travels. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
ten days in an island paradise
We are freshly back (as in, we returned home about 27 hours ago) from 10 amazing days in La Isla del Encanto, also known as B's mom's beautiful island paradise of Puerto Rico. It was at times a very jam-packed ten days - full of family visits, my sister-in-law's wedding, our nephew's baptism, plenty of sightseeing and lots of eating. It is always a joy to be with my in-laws, and this trip was no exception. I am especially grateful for the ability to have been able to travel to the island to be with our family, due much in part to their abundant generosity, particularly because our own finances are so tight.
After ten days with what seemed like dozens of in-laws, I remain supremely convinced that my husband owes much of who he is today to his beautiful family. He is a man fiercely loyal, tremendously giving, (at times) ridiculously stubborn, and intensely loving. He has inherited all of these traits from this amazing family of which I am now also a part, thanks to our beautiful vocation.
Regular posting to resume (hopefully) now that we are back home.
a presto :-)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
pensando d'italia
I can't sleep. This is sometimes a problem for me - I'll find myself nodding off during the afternoon every once in awhile, and then a 20-minute catnap in the middle of the afternoon becomes a couple extra hours of awake time at night. Ay me!
Thinking a lot about il bel paese tonight - missing it especially for some reason. I think a few weeks ago I realized that this summer will mark five whole years since I went there. And I think a part of me hoped I would have returned by now, to experience bell'Italia in all of her beauty yet again. Yet, in the midst of my selfishness and my needy desire to be back there, I remain so thankful that I was even able to be there in the first place.
"You may have the universe, if I may have Italy."
~ Giuseppe Verdi
Admittedly, there are times Verdi and I are definitely of like minds.
a presto
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
pinch me, i'm dreaming
Seventeen years ago, my team went to and won the Granddaddy of them All. Among the hundreds of thousands of spectators were my parents, who attended the festivities with my dad's side of the family. Upon their return to the heart of the Midwest, my sister and I were regaled with stories of the famous parade and the amazing game in which our boys prevailed against the hometown Bruins of UCLA. We were gifted with teal and yellow UCLA pompoms and enjoyed immensely the entertainment that they provided for the next several days. The game and the ensuing victory were a big deal - it had been decades since their last Rose Bowl appearance, and it was the very first win by our alma mater.
Looking back on the week following my parents' return from Southern California, I am certain that I felt a bit left out of all the hoopla surrounding the bowl game. My sister and I were very young and understandably, too young to attend the festivities and instead stayed home with my aunt and uncle. I'm fairly certain that this "left out" feeling contributed to the conversation my father and I had not long after they arrived back in Wisconsin.
"Do you think they'll [the team] ever go back to the Rose Bowl? And do you think that we'll get to see them there?" I said.
"I tell you what," my father began. "If they ever go back to the Rose Bowl, I'll take you there with me."
Little did my father know that our team would go back just six years later. Little did he also know that our team would go back the following year as well! And as I recall those incredible back-to-back Rose Bowl runs, I know that I was much too young to have appreciated the experience at that time. Our boys played in Pasadena on New Year's Day 1999 and 2000, and, understandably, we were not there to root for them. It was, quite simply, not the right time.
Fast-forward to fall of 2010, when perhaps the best football team our alma mater has ever had enjoys a thrilling run to the conference title. Over the course of a few short weeks, we witnessed our boys upset the #1 team in the country, score 70+ points on more than one occasion, and be gifted with bright red roses following their final victory of the season. A week later, it was decided: they would return to Pasadena, to the Granddaddy of them All.
And now, more than ever, I wanted desperately to be there. Sometimes there come these unique opportunities in life, where one wonders, "will this ever happen again?" I know that those types of thoughts were running through my head as tickets went on sale, travel packages sold out, and it appeared as though every person in my fair state was headed to California without me and B. I remember the night after our boys formally accepted the invitation to play in the Rose Bowl that I fell asleep with tears in my eyes, afraid that once again my team would go to Pasadena and I would be in Wisconsin instead, rooting them on from afar. (I realize all of this probably sounds insanely self-centered, and I'm not quite sure I can word this in a way that won't sound remarkably selfish. Bear with me.....)
The next day, my dad called me. He inadvertently secured four tickets to the Rose Bowl, two more (obviously) than he and my mom needed. He phoned that night to call in his chips on the promise he had made 17 years earlier. It was time to go to Pasadena. B and I had to promise a whole host of things: a victory and our firstborn son, for starters. After we scoured the internet for reasonable airfare out of Chicago and a cheap hotel in the greater LA area, it was decided: we were going to Pasadena!
And 24 days later, a lifelong dream came true, and we went to Pasadena to cheer on our boys, who fought valiantly against the Horned Frogs but were unable to return victorious. It was a gift, borne out of the incredible generosity of my parents, for which I was and remain exceedingly grateful. Regardless of the outcome and despite the score not being in our favor, it was an amazing 36 hours, and an experience I won't soon forget.
When we received these during our family Christmas, it all became amazingly real: we were actually going to Pasadena!
We're HERE!
On New Year's Eve, after a four-hour bus trip to Chicago, a four-hour wait in the airport, and a four-hour flight, we arrived in the City of Angels, around 11:30 local time. After we rented a car, drove 40 minutes northwest to our hotel, needless to say, we passed out. Fast-forward to Saturday, when we rose bright and early, grabbed breakfast, and sped off due east to Pasadena, cruising the Ventura Highway and giving the thumbs-up to fellow Badger fans on the road around us. In the picture above, we're at the Rose Bowl official tailgate - about four hours before kickoff, soaking it all in.
The view from my parents' seats, about 45 minutes before kickoff. Exceedingly surreal.
The best band in the land!
Traditionally one of my favorite parts of the Rose Bowl - the sun setting late in the game, paired with the view of the San Gabriel Mountains to the north of the stadium.
Sad, sad, sad Badger. We were bummed about the outcome (they came so close!), but dancing around to the Fifth Quarter songs with the band was a welcome consolation and a great way to leave the stadium! One of my favorite memories was of the student section chanting "Go Pack Go!" as the Fifth Quarter ended - Green Bay was to play Chicago the next day for the right to be in the playoffs. Looking back on it, it was a great rallying cry to an amazing playoff run by the Green and Gold! :-)
The iconic south facade, all aglow as we departed the stadium. Miraculously, after a 20-minute walk around the bowl and a quick intercessory prayer to St. Anthony to help us locate our car, we found it, with little searching involved!
Fast-forward to about 26 hours later: following the game, we located our car, crawled with the rest of traffic on Linda Vista Drive toward the Ventura Highway, and then battled that crazy Los Angeles traffic back 40 minutes due west to "our" suburb for the night. After a glorious stop at Red Robin (we were RAVENOUS), and a quick stop at a grocery store for a few breakfasty items for the airport the next morning, we arrived back at the hotel and passed out, only to wake around 3:00 local time, fill up with gas, and drive the 40 miles back to LAX. After a 6:00AM flight back to Chicago, a four-hour return bus ride home, Holy Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany, and dinner, B all but passed out on our couch as we waited for my parents' plane to land at the local airport.
And, as quickly as it began, our whirlwind 36-hour trip to "Wisconsin West" - the Granddaddy of them All - had come and gone.
On Wisconsin :)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
ten quick things! i am....
1. stalling. I have a pile (I kid you not, it is a pile) of dirty dishes waiting for me on the counter just a few feet away, and I can't find it in me to start to scrub them. I'm pretty sure this will be one of those major stumbling blocks in living out my vocation - the delay and putting off of household chores, instead of rising above my laziness and doing the dishes out of love for our marriage. It is a weakness that I definitely have yet to master! Is there a patron saint of lazy wives? Dishes? Household chores? :)
2. treating our three little tetras for ick. We took the plunge and bought three little neon tetras last Friday at the store. After a rough weekend (each of them looked positively terrified until about Monday), we realized yesterday that they probably have ick. We were a little bummed about the diagnosis - the parasite of the disease only affects fish that have been under stress for some reason or have an aquarium that isn't fit for fish. We're hoping that they have ick because of the former, not the latter! We have tried really hard in this last week to do all the right things for the fish - taking water tests, adding extra (good) bacteria to the tank, lowering the pH, etc. We treated the little guys (named Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan, the Spurs - don't ask) with aquarium salt and an ick medication this afternoon, and we'll know more about their fate tomorrow. We already think they look better, but that might be wishful thinking on our part. Here's hoping it's not, and they really are on the rebound!
3. celebrating 24 years of life tomorrow, the Feast of St. George. I remain so very grateful to God for these beautiful years of my life, and the gift of knowing Him (and the gift of struggling to serve Him and give glory to His name every day of this life!). It's my prayer that God, in His infinite mercy, might grant me 24, if not 48, more years! B and I will celebrate in the morning tomorrow - I don't quite know what he has planned, but I've heard a trip for breakfast to my favorite diner might be happening! (I'm secretly hoping it also includes fresh flowers, but we'll see!) We'll spend the weekend with friends and family - it will be a beautiful birthday weekend, I'm sure!
4. babysitting for a new family these days. While B and I are "in pause" - not really sure of where we'll be, come August - it's been hard to commit to looking for and applying to jobs in this area. With no assurance that we'll be here beyond summer, it's been a challenge for me to muster up the effort to apply even to a temporary position in the city. In the meantime, while I remain employed on a part-time basis, I'm also picking up a few babysitting jobs here and there. I met the newest family of three little girls on Monday - as I already blogged about this week. I'll go back next Monday and be with them again, and I'm already looking forward to it!
5. continuing, in my human weakness, to attempt perseverance, especially in my prayer life. Who knew that a life-changing, life-transforming vocation would add such difficultly to a spiritual life that was already semi-routine and constant? The past nine months have been a deep struggle spiritually for B and me. Our new schedules, compounded with the transformation of living together, has been taxing on our spiritual lives. It has been terribly humbling for us, to realize our frailty and weakness before our good and loving God. At times, it has also been rather painful for the both of us, to realize just how much we appreciated the routine of our spiritual lives when we were working as interns for the Catholic campus center downtown. Life was definitely simpler then - within walking distance to work and just a 30 second jaunt down the stairs to the chapel, where Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was waiting. It's a relief to know that we aren't the only married couple with challenges like this - but my pride tells me that I should be better than this. It's only after I surrender that pride and boastfulness to God that He can lift me up. It's been a long time coming (and we're not there yet), but I rejoice that we'll have our entire lives to work on our vocation - and the spiritual life within that vocation. And all my God asks of me is that I ask His forgiveness, pick up the pieces, and start anew.
6. officially going to Denver in just under a month! My dear brother-in-law is graduating from college and B and I are going to be there with him and some more of the family during the commencement weekend. On Commencement Sunday, I am my cousin's sponsor for his confirmation, so I am only able to be there Thursday through Saturday. Despite the brevity of my trip (B will return on Monday afternoon), I am thrilled to be able to see them so soon.
7. rejoicing in another upcoming wedding - this time, in our family! We learned earlier in the week that B's sister is engaged! She and her boyfriend have been in Spain for the past ten or so days, and he asked her to marry him last weekend in Seville. We are so very happy for them, and are definitely looking forward to at least one more wedding within the year. Their hope is to be married in Puerto Rico, where the majority of B's extended family is. A family wedding + Puerto Rico? Count me in! (I was always in, but the possibility of PR is definitely icing on the cake!) :) We couldn't be more thrilled for them.
8. meeting an 8-week-old puppy tomorrow night. B, unfortunately, has to work tomorrow evening, on my birthday, which isn't a big deal to me - he's had to work every Friday evening of this spring semester, so it's nothing new. I was perfectly happy to spend my birthday night at home (after all, there is plenty of laundry to catch up on), but when my aunt heard this earlier in the week, she invited me to her home to spend the evening there. They are bringing home their new puppy tomorrow afternoon - I might be the first in the extended family to meet him! I was a little hesitant about going over - I didn't want to take away from this special moment for their family - but my aunt insisted that it would be just fine. I am very much looking forward to it, and even more grateful to have someplace to go tomorrow night on my birthday!
9. making "country chicken chowder" for dinner this evening. The slow cooker is doing the heavy lifting for me. The more I use it, the more I love the slow cooker. I am a novice in the kitchen, so having an appliance that will cook a meal all by itself is a blessing! All I had to do tonight was brown the chicken, and put the broth, veggies, and chicken in the slow cooker. Now I'm leaving it alone for about another two and a half hours or so - it'll be a late dinner, but it's Thursday night, and dinner is always late these evenings, because B's at class late. I just hope it tastes as good as it smells!
10. going to do the dishes! I think my biggest worry is that it's always going to take over an hour to complete. The dishes that accrue always look very daunting and insurmountable. But usually, it never takes more than twenty minutes! (And here's hoping they only take that long tonight, too!)
a presto!
2. treating our three little tetras for ick. We took the plunge and bought three little neon tetras last Friday at the store. After a rough weekend (each of them looked positively terrified until about Monday), we realized yesterday that they probably have ick. We were a little bummed about the diagnosis - the parasite of the disease only affects fish that have been under stress for some reason or have an aquarium that isn't fit for fish. We're hoping that they have ick because of the former, not the latter! We have tried really hard in this last week to do all the right things for the fish - taking water tests, adding extra (good) bacteria to the tank, lowering the pH, etc. We treated the little guys (named Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan, the Spurs - don't ask) with aquarium salt and an ick medication this afternoon, and we'll know more about their fate tomorrow. We already think they look better, but that might be wishful thinking on our part. Here's hoping it's not, and they really are on the rebound!
3. celebrating 24 years of life tomorrow, the Feast of St. George. I remain so very grateful to God for these beautiful years of my life, and the gift of knowing Him (and the gift of struggling to serve Him and give glory to His name every day of this life!). It's my prayer that God, in His infinite mercy, might grant me 24, if not 48, more years! B and I will celebrate in the morning tomorrow - I don't quite know what he has planned, but I've heard a trip for breakfast to my favorite diner might be happening! (I'm secretly hoping it also includes fresh flowers, but we'll see!) We'll spend the weekend with friends and family - it will be a beautiful birthday weekend, I'm sure!
4. babysitting for a new family these days. While B and I are "in pause" - not really sure of where we'll be, come August - it's been hard to commit to looking for and applying to jobs in this area. With no assurance that we'll be here beyond summer, it's been a challenge for me to muster up the effort to apply even to a temporary position in the city. In the meantime, while I remain employed on a part-time basis, I'm also picking up a few babysitting jobs here and there. I met the newest family of three little girls on Monday - as I already blogged about this week. I'll go back next Monday and be with them again, and I'm already looking forward to it!
5. continuing, in my human weakness, to attempt perseverance, especially in my prayer life. Who knew that a life-changing, life-transforming vocation would add such difficultly to a spiritual life that was already semi-routine and constant? The past nine months have been a deep struggle spiritually for B and me. Our new schedules, compounded with the transformation of living together, has been taxing on our spiritual lives. It has been terribly humbling for us, to realize our frailty and weakness before our good and loving God. At times, it has also been rather painful for the both of us, to realize just how much we appreciated the routine of our spiritual lives when we were working as interns for the Catholic campus center downtown. Life was definitely simpler then - within walking distance to work and just a 30 second jaunt down the stairs to the chapel, where Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was waiting. It's a relief to know that we aren't the only married couple with challenges like this - but my pride tells me that I should be better than this. It's only after I surrender that pride and boastfulness to God that He can lift me up. It's been a long time coming (and we're not there yet), but I rejoice that we'll have our entire lives to work on our vocation - and the spiritual life within that vocation. And all my God asks of me is that I ask His forgiveness, pick up the pieces, and start anew.
6. officially going to Denver in just under a month! My dear brother-in-law is graduating from college and B and I are going to be there with him and some more of the family during the commencement weekend. On Commencement Sunday, I am my cousin's sponsor for his confirmation, so I am only able to be there Thursday through Saturday. Despite the brevity of my trip (B will return on Monday afternoon), I am thrilled to be able to see them so soon.
7. rejoicing in another upcoming wedding - this time, in our family! We learned earlier in the week that B's sister is engaged! She and her boyfriend have been in Spain for the past ten or so days, and he asked her to marry him last weekend in Seville. We are so very happy for them, and are definitely looking forward to at least one more wedding within the year. Their hope is to be married in Puerto Rico, where the majority of B's extended family is. A family wedding + Puerto Rico? Count me in! (I was always in, but the possibility of PR is definitely icing on the cake!) :) We couldn't be more thrilled for them.
8. meeting an 8-week-old puppy tomorrow night. B, unfortunately, has to work tomorrow evening, on my birthday, which isn't a big deal to me - he's had to work every Friday evening of this spring semester, so it's nothing new. I was perfectly happy to spend my birthday night at home (after all, there is plenty of laundry to catch up on), but when my aunt heard this earlier in the week, she invited me to her home to spend the evening there. They are bringing home their new puppy tomorrow afternoon - I might be the first in the extended family to meet him! I was a little hesitant about going over - I didn't want to take away from this special moment for their family - but my aunt insisted that it would be just fine. I am very much looking forward to it, and even more grateful to have someplace to go tomorrow night on my birthday!
9. making "country chicken chowder" for dinner this evening. The slow cooker is doing the heavy lifting for me. The more I use it, the more I love the slow cooker. I am a novice in the kitchen, so having an appliance that will cook a meal all by itself is a blessing! All I had to do tonight was brown the chicken, and put the broth, veggies, and chicken in the slow cooker. Now I'm leaving it alone for about another two and a half hours or so - it'll be a late dinner, but it's Thursday night, and dinner is always late these evenings, because B's at class late. I just hope it tastes as good as it smells!
10. going to do the dishes! I think my biggest worry is that it's always going to take over an hour to complete. The dishes that accrue always look very daunting and insurmountable. But usually, it never takes more than twenty minutes! (And here's hoping they only take that long tonight, too!)
a presto!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
lonestar
Briefly during our half-iversary celebration yesterday - I believe we were making the trek outside to switch our laundry from washer to dryer - B and I commented on how much we're ready to BE DONE with winter weather. On some level, I have always enjoyed winter weather - a snowfall on a December night, just in time for Christmas, a soft, snow-covered scene the next morning, all of that stuff. This winter, however, is a bit different for us. I think most of this dislike stems from the fact that neither of us really like to drive in the stuff. In college and even in high school, I was a bit insulated from winter driving - my longest commute was usually to the high school, only about twenty minutes away (and in the city, so the roads were plowed well), and I didn't have a car in college so public transportation and my legs were the means to get around. This winter, we live on the west side of town and are often traveling around the city or beyond, and we really, truly, honestly don't enjoy a snowy commute.
Last weekend's commute from Minnesota didn't help matters much either......
We were in the Twin Cities, visiting a dear friend of mine and bridesmaid in our wedding. She is a director/manager for a summer camp in Twin Cities suburbia and I've always wanted to go and see where she works, since I've heard so much about it! She also snagged us tickets to go to the Minnesota Wild NHL game while we were there, so we really couldn't resist.
The weekend was wonderful - an easy, albeit long, drive to the Cities, with a short stopover in Eau Claire to visit my sister and her boyfriend, who were celebrating Valentine's Day there. The only time we encountered traffic issues was when we got onto 494 to wind around the city, and even then it was only but a brief time. Saturday was wonderful, being able to see her in her element amongst her campers and then taking in a late dinner to catch up on things. We eventually came back to her place and proceeded to enjoy "Evan Almighty" and Guitar Hero into the wee hours of the night - something our "old married bones" don't do very often! :-) Sunday morning was rightly spent at Holy Mass, singing the final Gloria before Easter and disbelieving that we were truly about to enter into the Holy Season of Lent just days later. Following Mass, we went to lunch, caught up some more (we were also with an old high school classmate of mine, a law student in the cities, who had a second ticket for B), and before long, it was off to the arena.
The game was really enjoyable - I hadn't ever been to an NHL match before so it was quite the experience for B and me. The Wild enjoyed a considerable lead throughout the game and eventually beat Vancouver, 6-2. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon, spent with friends who we don't often get to see.
As we were leaving the arena amidst the throngs of people, I saw it - that old familiar whitish haze in the sky during a considerable snowfall. I couldn't believe my eyes - we had just talked earlier in the day about how the Twin Cities metro area was supposed to get snow, but only a dusting of one to two inches. What I saw before me was probably already a good inch of accumulated snowfall. As if on command, my stomach knotted, and I braced myself for a long, tedious commute back to Wisconsin.
We started our journey back to the Dairy State around 5:30 that evening, taking things easy on 494, not quite trusting the roads just yet. The snow wasn't yet accumulating on the freeways and traffic was still plugging along at a decent speed, yet we didn't trust what we saw. As our ride progressed, our hunches were right. As we got onto 94-West to head back into Wisconsin, in the far east suburbs of the cities, we saw the first of many different incidents of cars spinning out and hitting everything in their paths - culverts, medians, shoulders, you name it. Eventually, we saw a semi that had jacknifed. Immediately we turned on the brakes and I'm not sure B went over 45 mph again that night. As we trekked into Hudson, we stopped at a McDonalds, just to shake off the tension of the drive and to regroup - I'll admit I was a bit hysterical. We went another 40 miles in about 90 minutes, stopping off again in Menomonie to refresh ourselves.
As we turned onto the freeway from Menomonie, suddenly, we found ourselves at a standstill. On the highway. As we tapped our brakes the car started to click-click-click and wanted to slide, but thankfully held on and we stopped in time. A series of emergency vehicles snaked through the traffic - flustering us as the semis behind us honked incessantly to signal us to move over - and after a few minutes, traffic resumed. As we passed the emergency vehicles I saw a State Trooper shuffling his feet on the pavement - it was that slick, and we were driving on it! It was then, as we resumed our travels after our unexpected pause on the interstate, that we decided we needed an overnight furlough. We called my sister's boyfriend in Eau Claire, who graciously put us up for the night. We've never been more grateful to get off the road! We resumed our trip on Monday morning and arrived back to town around noon.
This long, winding story segues back into my original thought - B and I DO NOT like to travel in this stuff. B (who is usually driving through it) becomes very tense - there were times on the road two Sundays ago when he only had his palms on the steering wheel because he was trying to relax his fingers. In the midst of his tension, I become, well, nearly hysterical and terribly, terribly anxious. And it was during our drive home two weekends ago, in the snow, that we decided, rather abruptly, that we wouldn't mind relocating to a warmer climate for a few years.
We're in the process of figuring out where we'll be after our lease expires here - B has started to reapply to law schools, which leaves us in a little bit of limbo until we find out if he's accepted anywhere. As we pray that God will reveal where He wants us, in our future plans we haven't yet ruled out a "big move" to a warmer climate - likely The Lonestar State, Texas. We're both familiar enough with Texas (B lived there in childhood and heck, I just really love Texas), that we're starting to pray about the possibility of moving, regardless if B gets into law school there. In these first initial stages, there's a great deal of excitement - anticipating a move, complete with a new city, new people, new church, all of it. And in the back of my mind there's just a tiny slice of fear - fear of the unknown, fear of being that far from my own family, fear of not having a support system there like we do here. In spite of my excitement and in spite of my fear, it is a comfort to know that God knows where we'll be, and that He will reveal His plan, in His time.
How great is He.
Last weekend's commute from Minnesota didn't help matters much either......
We were in the Twin Cities, visiting a dear friend of mine and bridesmaid in our wedding. She is a director/manager for a summer camp in Twin Cities suburbia and I've always wanted to go and see where she works, since I've heard so much about it! She also snagged us tickets to go to the Minnesota Wild NHL game while we were there, so we really couldn't resist.
The weekend was wonderful - an easy, albeit long, drive to the Cities, with a short stopover in Eau Claire to visit my sister and her boyfriend, who were celebrating Valentine's Day there. The only time we encountered traffic issues was when we got onto 494 to wind around the city, and even then it was only but a brief time. Saturday was wonderful, being able to see her in her element amongst her campers and then taking in a late dinner to catch up on things. We eventually came back to her place and proceeded to enjoy "Evan Almighty" and Guitar Hero into the wee hours of the night - something our "old married bones" don't do very often! :-) Sunday morning was rightly spent at Holy Mass, singing the final Gloria before Easter and disbelieving that we were truly about to enter into the Holy Season of Lent just days later. Following Mass, we went to lunch, caught up some more (we were also with an old high school classmate of mine, a law student in the cities, who had a second ticket for B), and before long, it was off to the arena.
The game was really enjoyable - I hadn't ever been to an NHL match before so it was quite the experience for B and me. The Wild enjoyed a considerable lead throughout the game and eventually beat Vancouver, 6-2. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon, spent with friends who we don't often get to see.
As we were leaving the arena amidst the throngs of people, I saw it - that old familiar whitish haze in the sky during a considerable snowfall. I couldn't believe my eyes - we had just talked earlier in the day about how the Twin Cities metro area was supposed to get snow, but only a dusting of one to two inches. What I saw before me was probably already a good inch of accumulated snowfall. As if on command, my stomach knotted, and I braced myself for a long, tedious commute back to Wisconsin.
We started our journey back to the Dairy State around 5:30 that evening, taking things easy on 494, not quite trusting the roads just yet. The snow wasn't yet accumulating on the freeways and traffic was still plugging along at a decent speed, yet we didn't trust what we saw. As our ride progressed, our hunches were right. As we got onto 94-West to head back into Wisconsin, in the far east suburbs of the cities, we saw the first of many different incidents of cars spinning out and hitting everything in their paths - culverts, medians, shoulders, you name it. Eventually, we saw a semi that had jacknifed. Immediately we turned on the brakes and I'm not sure B went over 45 mph again that night. As we trekked into Hudson, we stopped at a McDonalds, just to shake off the tension of the drive and to regroup - I'll admit I was a bit hysterical. We went another 40 miles in about 90 minutes, stopping off again in Menomonie to refresh ourselves.
As we turned onto the freeway from Menomonie, suddenly, we found ourselves at a standstill. On the highway. As we tapped our brakes the car started to click-click-click and wanted to slide, but thankfully held on and we stopped in time. A series of emergency vehicles snaked through the traffic - flustering us as the semis behind us honked incessantly to signal us to move over - and after a few minutes, traffic resumed. As we passed the emergency vehicles I saw a State Trooper shuffling his feet on the pavement - it was that slick, and we were driving on it! It was then, as we resumed our travels after our unexpected pause on the interstate, that we decided we needed an overnight furlough. We called my sister's boyfriend in Eau Claire, who graciously put us up for the night. We've never been more grateful to get off the road! We resumed our trip on Monday morning and arrived back to town around noon.
This long, winding story segues back into my original thought - B and I DO NOT like to travel in this stuff. B (who is usually driving through it) becomes very tense - there were times on the road two Sundays ago when he only had his palms on the steering wheel because he was trying to relax his fingers. In the midst of his tension, I become, well, nearly hysterical and terribly, terribly anxious. And it was during our drive home two weekends ago, in the snow, that we decided, rather abruptly, that we wouldn't mind relocating to a warmer climate for a few years.
We're in the process of figuring out where we'll be after our lease expires here - B has started to reapply to law schools, which leaves us in a little bit of limbo until we find out if he's accepted anywhere. As we pray that God will reveal where He wants us, in our future plans we haven't yet ruled out a "big move" to a warmer climate - likely The Lonestar State, Texas. We're both familiar enough with Texas (B lived there in childhood and heck, I just really love Texas), that we're starting to pray about the possibility of moving, regardless if B gets into law school there. In these first initial stages, there's a great deal of excitement - anticipating a move, complete with a new city, new people, new church, all of it. And in the back of my mind there's just a tiny slice of fear - fear of the unknown, fear of being that far from my own family, fear of not having a support system there like we do here. In spite of my excitement and in spite of my fear, it is a comfort to know that God knows where we'll be, and that He will reveal His plan, in His time.
How great is He.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
53 years in the making
In three weeks, my maternal grandparents, 75 and 77 years old, will celebrate 53 (!) years of marriage. For the past week, my husband and I were blessed enough to spend some quality time with them. Their winter homestead is in the Hill Country of Texas and we drove with them. Some would say we drove them to Texas - there is a bit of hesitation within my mother's family to have them make the 1300 mile trip on their own, simply due to their age and the health struggles associated with being in their seventies. I initially pitched the idea to my grandmother in October and she immediately figured that it was a setup. In part, it probably was - but it quickly developed into quality time with them that I know both B and I will always treasure.
In that week with them, we were able to learn more about them and, most importantly, experience their fierce devotion to one another. It's a devotion that isn't terribly overt - it's not romanticized and it's not overly affectionate, but it is a quiet, strong, fierce married love. They show it in the simplest ways - Gran helping Grandpa get his coat off, holding his hand as he walks down the stairs to the car, and the like. Perhaps the most memorable for me was a simple moment in the middle of the week - we had arrived in Texas in the midst of one of the coldest fronts experienced by the Lone Star State in recent history. Temperatures didn't get out of the forties (and sometimes struggled to reach them) on Wednesday and Thursday. As we were preparing to watch the BCS Championship Game (Longhorns/Tide - which didn't turn out as my Texan husband hoped it would), my grandma was in the living room reading the paper. My grandpa went to their bedroom to retrieve something, and returned with her new bedroom slippers, a gift from her children at Christmas.
"I brought you your slippers, for when your feet get cold," he simply replied, handing her the shoes as he took his seat to watch the game.
"Well, thank you, dear, that's wonderful...for when my feet get cold," my grandma replied.
My husband and I exchanged glances and my eyes nearly teared up as we watched them interact. My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in late 2005 and has a limited range of motion due to his hips and knees being replaced several years ago. Often his fastest gait is nothing but a shuffle, and it takes him awhile to get from place to place. Yet, he had the foresight to make this simple act of love for my grandmother - just bringing her slippers to her, something that I doubt was a small act of exertion. It wasn't a grand, blissful, emotional declaration of his love for her - but it probably spoke more volumes about his affection for her than any bouquet of roses or messages in the sky could ever speak.
It was such a wonderful trip and B and I might not have the opportunity for this time alone with them in a long while. What began as "chaperoning" - as my grandma snarkily called it the night before we left - turned into some really beautiful time with them, learning more about them, and experiencing those small witnesses to their married love, which, in three weeks, will be 53 years in the making.
B and I are so blessed to have these wonderful examples of married love that we can learn from.
a presto.
In that week with them, we were able to learn more about them and, most importantly, experience their fierce devotion to one another. It's a devotion that isn't terribly overt - it's not romanticized and it's not overly affectionate, but it is a quiet, strong, fierce married love. They show it in the simplest ways - Gran helping Grandpa get his coat off, holding his hand as he walks down the stairs to the car, and the like. Perhaps the most memorable for me was a simple moment in the middle of the week - we had arrived in Texas in the midst of one of the coldest fronts experienced by the Lone Star State in recent history. Temperatures didn't get out of the forties (and sometimes struggled to reach them) on Wednesday and Thursday. As we were preparing to watch the BCS Championship Game (Longhorns/Tide - which didn't turn out as my Texan husband hoped it would), my grandma was in the living room reading the paper. My grandpa went to their bedroom to retrieve something, and returned with her new bedroom slippers, a gift from her children at Christmas.
"I brought you your slippers, for when your feet get cold," he simply replied, handing her the shoes as he took his seat to watch the game.
"Well, thank you, dear, that's wonderful...for when my feet get cold," my grandma replied.
My husband and I exchanged glances and my eyes nearly teared up as we watched them interact. My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in late 2005 and has a limited range of motion due to his hips and knees being replaced several years ago. Often his fastest gait is nothing but a shuffle, and it takes him awhile to get from place to place. Yet, he had the foresight to make this simple act of love for my grandmother - just bringing her slippers to her, something that I doubt was a small act of exertion. It wasn't a grand, blissful, emotional declaration of his love for her - but it probably spoke more volumes about his affection for her than any bouquet of roses or messages in the sky could ever speak.
It was such a wonderful trip and B and I might not have the opportunity for this time alone with them in a long while. What began as "chaperoning" - as my grandma snarkily called it the night before we left - turned into some really beautiful time with them, learning more about them, and experiencing those small witnesses to their married love, which, in three weeks, will be 53 years in the making.
B and I are so blessed to have these wonderful examples of married love that we can learn from.
a presto.
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