Downtown Green Bay is calling.

Green Bay - more than the Packers!

Zapped again ....

I knew my arm and elbow wouldn't be 100% better after the surgery in October 2006. I knew it wouldn't be back to completely normal. It was actually amazingly good after just 60 days actually!

However, shortly after I started playing cello again in September, I started getting numbness in the top of my right hand. It would happen whilst doing just about anything, including not doing a single thing. It would start up my right thumb area, sometimes include the index and middle fingers, and radiate up my arm. It felt different than the compression in the elbow of the ulna nerve. It hurt too.

So, I showed up at the orthopedic surgeon's last week and told him what I've been experiencing as of late. I didn't want to be there. I was done with the Year of the Elbow. But I did the only thing I could do, other than ignore it. Dr. S*** sent me to the nerve doctor, again....

Being zapped again by the very kind Dr. W*** was worse than the first time. I knew it would hurt again. I knew what to anticipate.

Yet again, Dr. W*** was as wonderful as he could possibly be, treating me as a person and taking the time to talk me through the painful zapping process. He explained exactly what he was doing, and what he was looking for. I told him I was going to blog this, so this is my giant THANK YOU! to Dr. W***! (Wait for the applause!)

Diagnosis (to be confirmed by Dr. S***) is that I have yet another compressed nerve - a branch of the radial nerve - the posterior interosseus nerve.

Fig. 1. —Drawing shows course of radial nerve (thick arrows) deep in relation to brachioradialis muscle (arrowheads) at elbow where radial nerve divides into posterior interosseous nerve (thin arrows) and superficial radial nerve. S = supinator.


To be continued.....(sigh)

Free Rice

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Stacey and Dean. Happy Birthday, baby Joey. What a darling boy.

Presidential candidates ... who really represents your beliefs the best?

Very impressive. I was a bit shocked about who matched my beliefs. Check it out!



"Glassbooth connects you to the presidential candidate that represents your beliefs the best."

Glassbooth is a nonprofit organization that is creating innovative ways to access political information. An informed and interested democracy is a powerful thing. As an organization acting in the public’s interest, we are very serious about our core principles:

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Wishlist...

Someone tell my husband I want one of these! :)

I'd love to learn how to knit, especially this shawl!

This guy is cute!

So is this one!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

Mystery solved...

There have been odd scratching sounds coming from a corner of the front bedroom's ceiling. A little odd, but they've come and gone so infrequently, we haven't investigated thoroughly.

Mystery has been solved whilst Joe was up in the attic retrieving the holiday bins. 2 bats have been hibernating in the attic. Joe took pictures. I played with my new computer's Movie Maker feature. Enjoy!







And now the film....

Updates

• I'm tired. Busy - crazy busy. Happy
• I'm playing my cello tonight for the first time since The Year of the Elbow. Looking forward to it!
  
• Again, I'm feeling Brett's pain from last night's game. It was horrible that they lost, to that team, but it's not the end of the world, and it was fantastic to see that Aaron Rodgers could actually step it up!
  
• It was Joe's birthday last night - fun night had by all!
  
• It's going to snow a lot tomorrow night. Actually looking forward to it! We're under a winter storm watch with up to 7 inches expected. Let the Holidays begin!
  
• Joe gave me an early Christmas present: an HP laptop with Vista and Office 2007 installed. So far, I love it!
• Maddy is doing great and her 4th b'day will be on the 23rd. Oh my stars! How did she get so old?!
  

And for your goofy pleasure:

A test in spontaneity

Because D'Argo wasn't well, we decided it would not be in his best health or interest to go to Madison, for only one evening. We called my Mom and let her know on Wednesday. They called on Friday to let us know we were to expect them for Friday!

It was fun - a long day for Maddy true, but it was fun: I took Haddy and William and Maddy out bike-riding to the park, we had Joe's parents, his brothers, Kris and Erin, my folks and the 3 kids over for a few hours for pizza and left-overs. Everyone left around 8pm and we just crashed. It may have been the many yummy foods, or just stress. Happy Thanksgiving all away around.

:)

D'Argo

Got home safely from Lake Elmo, MN. My team is fantastic! I'm so thrilled to have had the guts to go for this job. LOTS of work, but it's good work.

D'Argo is ill and at the kitty hospital tonight (Tuesday night). He's only 5 years old yet has the kidneys of a cat 3 times his age. He was leaving us presents in not-so-nice places (like tables, counters). Obviously, he was trying to tell us something. (He's the tortoise-shell one - Deci is the one who is mostly white.)

Update...
D'Argo is home after being at the vet hospital 3 nights. He's fine, but we have to give him subcutaneous fluids daily, an antibiotic pill, and special (ie. $$$) food. He had a good night last night and cuddled with me.

It's going to be a rough few weeks. We don't want him to be in any pain, but we don't want to do anything too hastily.

"I'm leaving ... on a jet plane!..."

Yep - first time in about 7 years. I think our honeymoon to Jamaica was the last time I was on a plane! I'm going nowhere special - "just" Minneapolis for a library meeting. I leave tomorrow evening, coming home Friday night.

Holy Mackarel!

How'd they do that?!

It is NOT a fluke! They are 8-1! Wow. I'm thrilled to say I AM a Packers fan, even without their winning streak. WOW!

Go Pack Go!

why?! oh why?!

Warning ... bodily fluids discussed ... not for the weak-stomached...

I should be feeling a bit relieved. I don't have to work today. It's one of the holidays the college observes. I should be feeling like today is a day I could play catch-up.

Unfortunately, my dear daughter and one of my dear cats have decided that's not to be. I'm worried about Maddy's health - she's probably having the same fall-allergen reaction that I have - throwing up mucous, etc. She doesn't have a fever, just the cough that won't quit.

Not only that, but she's had two separate blow-outs with her pull-ups at night. Unsure what's up with that, but she's woken up in the middle of the night with her bed sopping. It's getting a bit old - changing the sheets in the middle of the night with a groggy crabby child and little light

And then it comes to the dear cat. Unsure which one it is, but suspect it is darling D'Argo, the younger of the two. We found a spot on an area rug in the "office" where he's been peeing. Then another. He's had issues in the past few weeks with peeing in other places than in one of the 3 litter boxes, like on Maddy's books, papers, nearly anything left on the floor. The plus side of this is that we are MUCH more careful about cleaning up after ourselves and we keep nothing on the floors anymore.

Unfortunately, he's now climbed up on tables to pee on things now! Like her "homework" from school! GRRRRR

So, before Joe goes out and takes him up to the woods (sort of kidding there), the vet will be coming to the house to check out both of the cats next week. Yep - a house-call. Did I mention that Deci gets violently car-sick?

Ok...Enough of this ... I WILL get some good work done today. I WILL get some shopping done. I WILL get dishes washed, and even have time to take a NAP! :)

Halloween 2007

As I mentioned, Maddy decided to be a witch for Halloween last week. She was quite adorable! (Pics below).

Joe was freaky with his Jason mask on, scaring the kids with a carrot (yes, with a carrot). It was a delightful Halloween season!



The street is now FINISHED, so in the fresh dirt, we placed the tombstones!


We carved 5 pumpkins and baked the seeds. Many trick-or-treaters complimented us on them. Then they were smashed during the evening. :(






The cutie-pie cookey witch.



Before her change of mind, presenting: Maddy Vader




Joe's makeup when we scared people at the haunted house was SPOOKY!


And don't forget Pirate Gavin! He and Maddy had a blast at the ZooBoo!

In celebraton of Steve

Stephen Andrew Pontzer
Pontzer, Stephen Andrew age 59, of Plymouth, died on Thursday, October 11, 2007. He is survived by his first and second wife, Rachel Taft Pontzer; children, Zachary (Aimee) and Abigail; sisters, Betsy (Russell) Amalong, Judy (Cecil) Johnson and Nancy (George) Direnberger; brother, Dick (Carol); sister-in-law, Sheila Taft Fitzgerald; brother-in-law, Steve (Johanna) Taft; many nieces, nephews and countless devoted friends. Preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Mildred Pontzer.

Steve was born in St. Mary's, Pennsylvania, graduated from Alfred University with a B.S. in ceramic engineering and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. For many years Steve worked as an executive in marketing and sales for Ohmeda, Novametix, PPG BioMedical, Aequitron Medical and also as a consultant to other medical device companies. Steve invented and held a patent on a blood gas probe.

He felt his greatest accomplishment was his relationship with his wife, children and the wide circle of friends with whom he had deep and enduring friendships. The family would like to express their deep gratitude to Dr. David King and the staff at the Hubert Humphrey Cancer Center.

Published in the Star Tribune from 10/12/2007 - 10/16/2007.

Poor Maddy...

We have this rule about Halloween that I attribute to my evil parents. My sisters and I weren't allowed anything "cutsy" for Halloween - Halloween is for SCARY things. Thusly, I made my daughter choose something scary for the holiday. She chose Darth Vader. She's adorable!



The girls were able to dress up in the costumes last night in dance class. I didn't see her, so as I tucked her in last night, I asked innocently enough about what the other girls were wearing. She named them: Princess, Barbie, Glinda the Good Witch, Evil Witch, Darth Vader...then she stopped and said, "I wanted to be as beautiful as they were!" and she started to cry. Oh.My.Stars. My daughter, not yet four, has become clued in as to the "girly girl" stuff. I knew she liked the princess dresses, and loves dancing or playing the part of yon "girly girl". She was inconsolable. Poor kid. I felt like a horrible mom, making her "different" than the other girls!



I am adamant that she doesn't follow in everyone else's footsteps. I want her to be happy in her own skin. I want her to feel beautiful even in Darth Vader's costume. The cape is wonderful!



*sigh* So, this morning came around and I cautiously asked her whether she wanted to take her costume to Nana's. "I have an idea, Mom," she says, "Why don't I wear the witch costume like I did last night?" We might have a witch again on our hands. And that's ok.

Hello, everyone!

I am alive. It's been a month now since I started my new job. It's mucho fun, mucho work, and a great position for me. However, I know the stress is starting to get to me. Zits again, bleary eyes, dreaming about teaching, need massage, need new clothes, no time. It's good, just a bit to get used to. I'm finally feeling a part of something important, and that's huge. :)

Tomorrow night....

And then I get to go to Plymouth to see Rachel. Steve died today after a battle with that nasty "C" disease. He was my dad's best friend. He and my sister dealt with the same nasty "A" disease a the same time. He was a good man and a good friend to my father. Saturday will be the party for his son and his new wife. He held on long enough to see Zac married a few weeks back. Steve will be missed greatly, but he's no longer in pain and he was ready to go. I am so glad that Dad will be home from England for the memorial service late next week.

You will be missed, Steve. Be free....

Go west!

Well, as far as Lake Elmo, MN anyway. My new library boss is based here and this is the first chance I've had to meet her. Did I mention it's REALLY far west. By car, it's 4 hours. 4 hours, in the car, looking at the trees that have less and less leaves, and lots of farm land. ugh. Wake me up. I think I'm going to try to fly out next month.

Anyway, I'm out in Lake Elmo, meeting the library boss and learning everything I should learn about how to run my new library. Damn. There's a lot to learn. 4 hours of training tomorrow - 4 hours tomorrow and then a tour of other libraries in the system.

You know that silly thing you say to a young child who is on their way out to play in way of teasing them? "Don't you go have any fun!" Well, on her way out of the door with her dad this morning, she teased me and said "Don't you have any fun with Cookie Monster or Oscar the Grouch at Lake Elmo!" My dear Maddy.

Recap Week #1

Wow. What a week! Here's a brief rundown as to how the first week went.

• Updated and modified the canned syllabus and assignment sheet.
• Taught two sections of class.
• Installed software on computer.
  
• Put together dictionary stand.
  
• Created signs for library.
• Converged Google calendar and Outlook calendar into one calendar and uploaded all to my PocketPC.
• Made arrangements for this week's trip to Lake Elmo for library training.
• Made arrangements for next week's WLA conference here in GB.
  
• Went to Civic Symphony practice for sectionals. MUST practice!
• Sent first email out to all staff about circulation of materials. Online catalog isn't yet available - oh well. Little at a time.
• Figuring out slowly how to balance the 3 different parts of my job.
  
• Took pictures of my new library.
  

There is a grand total of one wall of shelving. I must remember to measure the length of this wall. Lots of room for collection expansion. Other librarians in the system (about 15 total) assisted in making lists of must-have items for the courses being offered thus far. My library boss came in a few days to catalog those on the shelves thus far.


Yep - two walls of windows! I face the entrance - not at all stuck in the back of the college like some other colleges.


Everyone entering the college has to go down the hallway on the otherside of this window/wall.


Very modern feel. The lights are green. The lights in the hallway are amber. How very Green Bay of them. :)


Lots of tables and chairs.


This is the entrance to the library. Everyone has to see me when they enter. :)


On to week #2.

• Hopefully Maddy will get to bed before I get home tonight (which is around 9:45pm). We have a VERY early morning on Tuesdays (I get to get to school before 7:30am). Unfortunately there aren't many morning people in my T/T class. ugh.
  
• I am looking forward to meeting my library boss on Thursday! I'm not looking forward to spending 2 nights away and driving for about 4 hours to get there, but it's not for a long time.
  
• The weather is going to be cooling down after today's crazy humid hot day (thankfully) so Halloween IS coming!
  

Thanks for all of your encouragement and virtual hugs! So far, I am glad I took the leap and took this path. It's damn scary, but it's all good.

Weekend

We had a pretty wonderful weekend, all things being equal. Maddy stayed at her G'ma's on Friday night to allow Joe and I an evening out. My last day at the tech college was on Friday. My co-workers sent me off with presents, food, and lots of hugs. It was a very nice end of a very nice job.

I sort of melted down (ok, I really melted down) on Friday night. I wish I was in a better frame of mind to go dancing or even enjoy myself and the group of people who went out with us, but I think the changes to come starting TODAY really hit me. It'll all be good, I know. And I know they hired me because they know I can do the job, but Oh...MY...Gods.... I am basically tackling 2 full-time jobs. One as faculty, one as solo-librarian. EEEK goes my brain. I want to do the best job I can; I just don't want to go crazy doing it!

My first day is today. Wish me LUCK and all that.

"go crazy"

	Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry:	go crazy
Part of Speech:	verb
Definition:	become insane
Synonyms:	blow a gasket*, blow one's mind*, blow one's stack*, blow one's top*, crack up*, flip one's lid*, flip out, fly off the handle*, freak out*, go ballistic*, go bananas*, go batty*, go berserk*, go bonkers*, go buggy*, go cuckoo*, go daffy*, go haywire*, go kooky*, go loco*, go loony*, go mental, go nuts*, go nutty*, go off, go off one's rocker*, go off the deep end*, go off the wall*, go psycho*, go wacko*, go wacky*, lose control of oneself, lose it*, lose one's cool, lose one's mind, wig out*
Source:	Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2007 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved. * = informal or slang

Park(ing) Day 2007

Happy Park(ing) Day!

What? You don't know about this holiday? Go here! It explains a lot that it has originated from San Francisco, but it truly is great idea.

Why PARK(ing)?

More than 70% of most cities' outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle while only a fraction of that land is allocated to open space for people. Around the nation, inexpensive curbside parking results in increased traffic, wasted fuel, and more pollution. It’s time to rethink the way streets are used!

A metered parking spot is an inexpensive short-term lease for a 10'x20' plot of land. Imagine what you can do in a space usually dedicated to private vehicle storage. Parking Day began in a single metered parking spot in San Francisco and then spread around the world. People who want more open space, less traffic, and safer streets have joined together.

I'm back!

It's been a rough ride these past few months. Physically, I still sound like I'm coughing up a lung. I must be reverting to my previous life as a cat. Mentally, I'm going a bit cuckoo. I'm a bit upset, more concerned about how things will happen the next few months.

I will admit openly that the ubiquitous "they" screwed up and gave MY job to someone else. The best part of the sordid affair is that as of Monday October 1st, I will be back in the library! It's not MY job, but it is a very good job - a fantastic opportunity as campus (solo) librarian and instructor at a new (in our area) college. WooHoo!

I will miss my coworkers greatly. My last day is next Friday, and I hopefully will have all my ducks in order (so to speak).

Please note.....

Please stay tuned for a very important message.......

Are we too selfish to change?

I'm slowly trying to minimize the footprint me and my family makes on the environment. Green Bay is slow in adopting the environmentally-conscious way of life like my home town of Madison is, but it's getting there. I love the idea of purchasing locally raised meat. We have the vegetable garden, but we need to harvest soon before the threat of frost and get the food canned or frozen. The Omnivore's Dilemma is the next book on my "to - read" list. So I read No Impact Man's blog regularly, and I applaud this "Change the Message" message.

Reposted from No Impact Man (permission granted).

A hundred years ago, waste was considered immoral. Throwing out something that still worked was just plain wrong.

What changed that? Marketing. Factory owners wanted to keep their production lines churning and factory workers wanted to keep their tummies full. Repetitive consumption seemed like the answer.

Slowly but surely we convinced ourselves that new was better than old. It became ok to throw things out. It became ok to waste. In fact, out with the old and in with the new kept the economic wheels turning. Buying became downright patriotic.

The result of this old messaging is that, now, everybody wants the newest iPod, the biggest SUV, a huge vacation. And no one is going to give these things up voluntarily, right? Wrong.

Because history shows us that acquisitiveness, a twentieth century phenomenon, is not based on selfishness (which presumably would have been present from the Stone Age). Instead, our consumption arose because of newly-learned social norms and values.

So, we can change the message.

For many years, in this country, smoking was trendy. Now it’s not. The message changed. When I was young, people threw their wrappers on the New York streets without a thought. Now people sneer if you drop your trash. The message changed.

Why wouldn’t the same be true of our use of planetary resources? For many years, as a culture, we thought it was great to get more and use more, and that was the message.

People argue that changing course is impossible. You can’t, they say, change human nature. But we don’t have to change human nature.

All we have to do is change the message.

So cool!

SoundSeen: Audio Slideshow
Stuart Brown describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear playing with sled dogs in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay.

well, duh

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 80% Supergirl 63% Robin 60% Superman 55% Wonder Woman 53% Green Lantern 50% Iron Man 50% Hulk 40% Catwoman 40% The Flash 35% Batman 30%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

RIP

too true

Well....

What a balance one has to make when you get your hopes up and think positively about something to end up not getting it, or it not happening the way you want it. It's ok, really. Just disappointing when you KNOW what clearly should have been.

Advice to live by (hear that, Karen! This is for you! )

The Thick Skinned
It's not all about you. How becoming less self critical can help boost your confidence.
By:Lybi Ma

.....

Here are a few tips to developing a thick skin:

• Don't take things personally. Sometimes you may need to reframe a person's bad behavior by remembering that it's not about you.
• Don't let others get to you. Refuse to get overly responsive to the negative feelings and provocations of others. Adopt strategies that regulate emotional arousal; otherwise negativity hijacks the thinking brain. Try simple deep breathing or declare time out.
• Remember that everyone gets rejected sometimes. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few times to get it right. Successful people are rejected over and over, but never stop trying.
• When you're rejected or something doesn't go your way, counterpropose a new solution. Often, the person declining your offer is not rejecting you. He may even want to hear another idea. Successful individuals come back from rejection with new proposals. They're creative at coming up with additional ways of looking at things and solving problems.
• Don't hesitate to unstick sticky situations. If you're discussing an issue and the conversation is going off track, stop it and restart it on the right track. You could say: "This isn't going productively. Let's reshoot this scene from the beginning" or "Can we take it from the top?"
• Don't be self-focused. If you do focus on yourself, you'll likely dwell on your shortcomings. Instead, think about your goals and what steps you need to get there.
• Stop the self-talk. Counter self-defeating self-talk with truth talk: "You can be your own worst enemy, so give yourself a break."
• Don't worry about looking stupid. If you are asked a question and you don't know the answer, you can simply say, "I need to think about that and get back to you later."
• Learn to be patient. Don't be impulsive or react to a situation without giving yourself time to cool off.
• Don't be quick to blame. Recognize that other people have their ups and downs.
• Think about others. Enter social interactions with this thought of making the experience itself enjoyable. Ask yourself, "What can I do to make you feel more comfortable."

You know it's going to be one of those kind of days when....

• Daughter wakes up in the middle of the night with night-mares about monsters under the bed.
• Husband wakes up in the middle of the night to cat throwing up on bed.
  
• Wife takes husband's cell phone ... husband takes wife's cell phone by mistake.
• Big diggers and dump trucks wake wife up at 6:30.

alive

It's been a busy few weeks at the House of Eck.

We had a party and witnessed the unveiling of the "LAMBEAU-LANCE". Seriously crazy Packers Fan.






We started Hill #2.


Maddy is doing great.


Joe is stressed out, but does his best to chill out.



I'm trying to be patient.


A chipmunk absconded with the top of my new birdfeeder. Honestly! This is what it started out:

This is what it looks like now. How the hell?

life

And so it goes....

It's been a hectic week. Isn't that always the case? Here's a list of things on my own to-do list for the next few weeks.

• Start preparations / cleaning lists for the House of Eck Fest 2007 next weekend.
• Clean bathtub.
• Vacuum & sweep.
• Weed gardens.
• Harvest food out of vegetable garden.
  
• Go to the bird-seed store for sunflower seeds for the new birdfeeder.
• Purchase more "good-girl" incentives for Madeline. (I'm not above giving out bribes.)
• Send out email notice of committee meeting I'm the chair for.
  
• Create End-of-Summer and Fall "Garden-to-do" lists.
  
• Contact insurance company about upcoming pulmonary test to find out if bronchitis is actually something more like asthma.
  
• Make arrangements with friend to have her kids frequently over the next few weeks to play as she recovers from viral meningitis AND lymes' disease.
  
• Validate and make more clear the plan for the new website design to deliver next week.
  
• Keep smiling cuz life is good.
• Keep smiling cuz the only thing that is consistent and constant IS change.
  

8 things

I've been tagged. Thanks, Heather.

The Rules:

Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

At the end of the post, the player tags 8 people, posts their names, and leaves a comment on their websites to let them know that they have been tagged.

1. My dessert of choice lately has been vanilla yogurt sprinkled with chocolate chips. Go figure.
2. I love taking naps. Especially in my own house. With my daughter sleeping in the other room. With my cats snuggled next to me.
   
3. I'm an avid gardener, both flowers and vegetables. I love the feel of the dirt between my fingers - the smell of the earth as I dig a whole for new seeds or new plants. I particularly enjoy being able to immediately transpose a section from a weeded mess to a clean and beautiful area.
   
4. I'm an avid photographer, especially with our new Fujifilm FinePix F20 camera. I put most of our pictures up on Flickr.
   
5. I don't like pickles, not even when I was pregnant.
   
6. I find Holly-weird, well, weird, as in a gawking at the horrible car crash weird.
7. I miss pottery. I took classes for 2 years and loved the zen of the wheel. 2 weeks ago, I went up to Egg Harbor to meet a friend of a friend. Renee, as it turns out, is living a dream - creating art on a 100-year old farmstead. Beautiful. Inspiring.
   
8. I haven't always followed the Packers. It's kind of hard not to, living with a GB native and whose family has been been employed, in years past and presently, by the Packers. It's ok. I'm not a psycho-fan. I didn't even get to one game last year. Not that I'm counting or anything.

There. Done! I tag Annie and Jamie!

4 days

Definitely not a record, but I finished #7 in 4 days. I loved it. It worked. It was fitting. It wasn't dumbed down - a regurgitation of everything that happened in the previous 6. Brava, Ms. Rowling. I hope you continue writing and continue sharing your talents. I for one am glad I hoped on this particular band-wagon. I can't wait to begin sharing Harry with Maddy. I know she'll love him too.

Without Prejudice?

Are you WITHOUT PREJUDICE?

Watch what happens on this new Game Show Network interesting series. You'll be surprised. I was.

HP#7

When Tracy called to tell me my copy of book 7 arrived, I did the happy dance! I pictured myself at a Potterhead self-help session, " Hello, my name is Karen and I'm a Potterhead.".

Oh well, I'm in good company.

Yes, I prepared sufficiently for the release date by re-reading each book yet again. I've done that before - so I've actually read #1 6 times, #2 5 times, etc... At least I don't have different publication versions like some people I know. Don't you think that would be excessive?

hah!

It's done!

Phew.....I finished it! I needed to just DO IT. I feel MUCH better now that I got it done with. I was making myself and my husband nuts. Ok, I am already nuts, I know that, but I was mucho cranky with him the past few days. :(

But at least this part is over. Now the WAITING. And we all know how patient Karen can be! NOT!

Oh, I'm sorry....You can't read my mind, I suppose. You haven't a clue as to what I'm talking, about do you?

Well, there are a few open library positions in the area. One in particular is the one I am hoping for. It's funny - I've been living here now for, what, 6 years? Since December 2001 anyway. I had that poor experience at one library in town, and ever since, there really hasn't been a position that was for me. And now, at least 2 professional positions are open, plus 3 other non-professional! Crazy, isn't it? When it rains, it pours!

I'll let you know what happens. Cross your fingers for me! :D

nerves

Why should I be so nervous? It'd be a great thing! I know I can do it. I know it can be done. So why are the butterflies just bumping in to each other in my belly? Maybe it's because I haven't done this in so long. Maybe it's because of the unknown factor. Maybe it's because I may be the teeniest bit afraid of success. I know - weird, huh?

Everything will be ok. I know I can do this. And everything will work out. :)

The wedding of the summer

WOW.

Maddy, Joe and I hopped in the car early Saturday morning for Schaumburg, Illinois. The car ride was actually quite ok. Maddy and I sat in the backseat, watched movies on the laptop, colored, read books, and generally kept ourselves entertained.



The reason for the trip was to witness our very good friend Larry get married.


I hadn't a clue that he was serious about anyone until a little while back. It's not every day, nor everyone, who can go to their friends' wedding when that friend used to be an former boyfriend! Larry and I met 16 years ago during the Oregon Straw Hat Players show "South Pacific". We dated for a year, and have always remained friends. The funniest part of the story happened after I started dating Joe, 11 years ago. I was on the phone, telling Larry about my new boyfriend and described what he had done at the University. Larry paused and asked what Joe's last name was. I told him and asked why. Larry laughed and immediately asked to speak with Joe. Soon, the two of them were on the phone, giggling like school girls. Finally, after they hung up, Joe told me that he and Larry knew each other in college and had hung out. The craziest thing was: This was before I knew Larry!

So we hiked down to Chicago and were treated to one heck of a party! The reception was at the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg. Very nice. There was close to 49 tables - 9 people per table plus the head table, so about 500 people. The table we were at was already full when we arrived. It was wonderful of Larry and Carolyn to think of the details. Here was our companions for the night:

The Daniels family: I remember Jeff. Here are he, his wife Vicki, and their two children, Lukas & Holly.


Maddy and Holly had a fun time together coloring.



The other two at our table were Jace & Pat. I knew he would be there, but it took me a "hi, my name is..." for either of us to recognize each other. He went to school with my sister Amy - his sister was in my grade. Pat has been a part of the Oregon Straw Hat Players for many years. Larry, Pat, Jace and I were all a part of the South Pacific show.


So, it was a nice reunion of sorts! Then came the FOOD. Oh. My. Stars. As Pat said, one usually goes away hungry from a wedding. Not so for this wedding. First of all, the menu.


Yes, folks, you saw correctly. There were 4 courses. That's not including the cake. (note, that's a little blue-lit waterfall)



In fact, we never got a piece of the cake. We were too full! The meal was delicious. We didn't need to stop anywhere for any food. We were delightfully satiated. It was so good, we took pictures of all the food. Enjoy. (Make sure you clean up your drool ;) )

Appetizer:
Tri-Color Ravioli, served with a Basil Tomato Concasse / Saffron Cream Sauce.



Salad:
Tossed Romaine Garden Salad topped with Shredded Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Roasted Croutons and Tossed Tableside with our homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing.



Entree:
Filet Mignon topped with a Peppercorn Cognac Sauce coupled with Breast of Chicken Florentine, Dauphonoise Potato and Steamed Bundle of Asparagus.



Dessert:
Vanilla Mousse topped with mango chunk and shredded coconut and coffee.



The presentation of the food was so good, we took pictures of the bread and the butter too!




The children at the table were all served a different kid-friendly food!

Appetizer:
Chicken Noodle soup

Salad:
Fresh Fruit


Entree:
Chicken Fingers & Fries


Dessert:
Vanilla Ice Cream with topping of strawberries.



So, all in all, we danced, we laughed, and we had a fantastic time.