12/3 In DC

Again, the flight was uneventful, my favorite kind.

The Quincy is a neat hotel in downtown DC. The desk agent told me that the manager said all the Red Cross people were to get the best rooms. We have newly redecorated ones. How thoughtful. Each room is a mini-suite, with a kitchenette. But the guy have me one with a full kitchen. It's a very nice, small suite, which is really nice since I'll be here for a week.

The location is good too. There are plenty of places to walk, but not much time to do so. I could have walked today but took a nap instead. Didn't get enough sleep before I left NC.

While waiting for my room to be ready I spoke to a few other Red Cross Mental Health folks who were also waiting. Jim and Judy live in different parts of the country but have worked togehter many times over the years. It looks like not everyone will be new like me. I guess all disaster reserve staff have to go through orientation together because new rules and guidelines have been implemented. I'm looking forward to it.

Only bad news is that I'm going to miss the South Landing Christmas party with Rob and Beata. I thought it was Saturday night, but it's on Friday night and I don't get home until Saturday. Ah, well...

When Beata called I told her we can play poker on Saturday night then. :)

12/3 Off to DC with new money

Yeah, I won at poker last night. Hooray! Now I have a little bit of money for my trip; that's always a good thing.

Need to check the weather and if there's a flight delay. If all goes well, we'll leave here at 8, so I need to get busy. I'm really looking forward to this trip, and am so excited about finally beginning my new career.

I'll write more after checking in at The Quincy.

12/2 A Christmas Carol and more....

Last night we drove to Fayetteville to watch Tina perform in A Christmas Carol. She did a really good job. When she was on stage I watched her and listened to her, and enjoyed her performance. However throughout the rest of the show I became a judge--yes, judging people's British accents, or lack thereof. I found it entertaining.

But the show itself was fun. I dearly love community theater. There's an energy and commitment entirely different from a professional performance. We even smile at mistakes--if they're made by our Aunt Jo or cousin Jonathan.

And the ride home was even more fun. I discovered that I can take a voice recording and make it my ringtone on my phone. So when someone calls me, my phone now says, "Don't be crabby, it's Christmas." I'm sure I'll change it today, because I recorded it in the car on the highway (no, I wasn't driving). There's a lot of background noise.

Then I figured out how to do the above, but assign it to different phone numbers. So a call from Beata has her voice saying, "Mom, pick up. It's me. Beata. Pick up the phone." And Rob's is similar. We had a fun trip making this happen. When I go to LA in January I'll have the kids record their ringtone.

This morning Rob and I are going shopping. I need a few more pair of slacks for next week in DC. Can't wear jeans to National Headquarters. Then we'll come home to clean because tonight we're having friends over for poker. Can't wait.

12/1 Lunch with friends

Tom and Catherine (Rob and Beata's neighbors) invited us out to lunch today, along with Linda, Tom's sister. We went to Renaud's in Sanford. It was a delightful restaurant with tons of different sandwich offerings. Mine was a grilled sandwich with pimento cheese spread on pumpernickel and rye swirl bread. Delicious. Rob had a bologna, cheese, and tomato sandwich that was also grilled. He loved it. But the best was when Beata said, "I love my crap soup. It's so full of crap."

Okay, it was crab bisque, but sure sounded like crap when she said it. We all laughed at it. Then people ordered dessert. I wasn't going to have anything but Beatka ordered Bread Pudding for me because she wanted to try it. In fact she tried everyone's dessert but Tom's--and only because he wisely kept it out of her sight.

Now she's going to decorate the tree. It's a beautiful tree that Rob got last night. But I've never been in a home where tree decorating was a solitary endeavor. It's always been a family thing--when there's family there. So I'm going to stay in my room and sulk, I think.

(All her life Bea has been the only one available to decorate the tree, so now that's a habit. And it would be a hard one to break. I do understand it. It's just difficult for me. And I can't see me watching someone else decorate a tree. So I'll just stay in my room and catch up on either sleep or recorded TV shows...or maybe both.)

Lunch was a wonderful treat for all of us. Next time we'll take them out! And tonight we're going to Fayetteville to watch Tina perform in A Christmas Carol. Should be fun.

11/30

Rob and Beata are going out to run errands. I'm staying in to do some work on my computer. The dogs, cats, and I will have a quiet day.

I talked to Jill a while via IM. That always makes me smile.

We had pancakes last night for dinner. One of Rob's favorite meals. Tonight, I'm cooking. And I'm making meat loaf--it used to be something Rob loved, but don't know how he feels about it now. I just know that Beata loves it, so I'm making meat loaf, mashed potatoes, peas, and salad. Should be good. Of course, the side dishes will be enough for me. :)

I leave Sunday for DC. And on Saturday night we're going to try to play poker with some of Rob's buddies. Should be fun.

11/29 Beans and more....

Beata met me at the airport and the drive home was lovely. It was around 72 degrees and sunny--can't beat that.

For dinner Bea made black-eyed peas and corn bread. We put raw onions on top of the beans. Oh my it was delicious. But being Europoean, Bea puts butter in everything. And trust me, everything tastes wonderful. But it adds about one million calories to each dish. I'm not complaining, because WOW--dishes taste superb.

Just wanted you to know why I haven't lost weight yet. Yes, I'm blaming my charming daughter-in-law. Couldn't possibly be the fact that I ate three helpings of the dish. Nope. It's all Beatka's fault.

11/28 Twenty-six years ago

Twenty-six years ago today my Mom died. She was a beautiful woman who taught me to laugh--especially during tough times. I still miss her. I thought about Mom a lot during Katy's funeral.

Everything was beautiful, and after the burial yesterday some people came over to the house. When I went to bed around 10:30 there was only one person left, and he (Trevor) was sitting at the table talking to Frank, Jim, and Karen. They were sharing some wonderful memories.

I got up at 5 AM (with no headache, despite the full glass of straight vodka) and Jim took me over to Chris's house where I met up with Susan and Phil to share a limo ride to the airport. I tried to pay for 1/3 of it, but Chris had already taken care of it. How sweet.

I'm looking forward to getting back to my (temporary) home in NC.

11/27 Lots to share

Katy's funeral was beautiful. And last night at the visitation there were nearly 600 people. Unbelievable. She is so loved. Today the priest told some neat stories about Katy, and after the funeral we all went back to the funeral home for a catered lunch. My brother, Jim, and friend Chris sang a song to the tune of MTA. It celebrated Katy's life and also showed our sadness at our loss. Everyone loved it.

There was tons of food left and we brought it home. Some folks came over and we ate and drank. Some are still eating dinner, but I decided to retire to the office and get online.

I may have mentioned at one point about the bar here at the house. They have more liquor than most public bars, plus a storage room with hundreds of extra bottles. Most of the time, Jim, Frank, or a trusted friend are the only ones to bartend, because people tend to go overboard with "free" liquor. Someone from out of town went behind the bar and asked what I wanted. I said, "Grey Goose vodka straight up," expecting a shot or two. Instead he gave me a 20 oz glass that was filled to about 16 ounces. Then some ice was added. I said, "This is why they don't let just anyone bartend."

I mean, come on. That was freakin' ridiculous. But what could I do but drink it, right? Normally, I'm a beer drinker and have one or two if I drink at all. So I'm a little looped at the moment. As I said to Jimmy, just roll me into my room...I've already set my alarm because I have to get up at 5. Am sharing a limo with Susan and Phil who are flying too--Susan to Florida and Phil to NYC. It'll be nice to spend a little more time with them; they're great.

I'm looking forward to going back to NC tomorrow. It's been nice here, but grieving is exhausting. I can only imagine how tired Jim, Karen, and Frank are. I hope people go home fairly early tonight so they can get to bed at a decent time.

Everyone here feels the loss of beautiful Katy. And I know the family will be even more sad once they are totally alone in a home still filled with her things...but it's the only way healing can happen. To go through the crap and the pain and the sadness and finally to get to the other side--where memories and love lie.

11/26 From Raleigh to Aurora

Rob and Beata drove me to the airport in Raleigh. I had them use my car since it had been sitting for two weeks. The ride was relaxing and enjoyable.

The trip to Chicago was uneventful which is about the best thing you can say. I did Sudoku and also read, so the time passed fairly quickly. When I arrived I took a limo to Aurora. Jim said it was about the cheapest way to get there, because no one was available to pick me up after all.

They sure had a good excuse. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Jim, Karen, Frank, and Katy had a tree trimming party. They live in a HUGE house and each year the number of trees grows. Some of them are very small and some are large. The biggest is in the living room which has a high ceiling—15 feet or so. This year there are 34 trees. Because this was one of Katy’s favorite days, Frank insisted they have the tree trimming party. Jim and Karen thought it might not be a good idea, but of course went along with it. And they are so happy they did.

It turned into a celebration of Katy—a pre-wake, as it were. About 40 people helped decorate, and also ate and drank. It was a great party…lots of work, lots of fun, and lots of crying.

Later, only two friends remained. Ray and Ginger sat at the kitchen table with Frank, Jim, Karen, and me. The reminiscing and the smiles/tears continued. Karen read the obituary, which took up an entire column in the newspaper. I learned some things about Katy, but none of them surprised me. She’s so loved. Even Dennis Hastert, who was the Speaker of the House, counts her as a friend. Whenever he was at an event that Katy was at he’d be sure to make a beeline for her.

I figured something out last night. Katie was a teacher for 38 years and had approximately 150 students per year. That means she taught about 5700 kids, not even counting those she touched in the hallways and cafeteria. Wow.

The visitation is today—from 2-9. The extended hours are because they know there’s going to be a crowd.

I’m writing from the kitchen table, and everyone else is still asleep. I went to bed around midnight and left the rest of them still talking. Soon I’ll go up to Panera Bread (thankfully, it’s close), and upload the blog.

11/25 A nice visit

Beata's friends from Denmark came by the house yesterday--Anne, Kim, Lars, Vicky, and Stefan. It was such a pleasant visit. We really laughed a lot. Kim is the guy who worked with Beata at the Copenhagen airport. His wife, Anne, is from NC. Vicky also worked with Beata. Her partner Lars is a firefighter in Denmark. Stefan is their son. Everyone was pleasant with good senses of humor, but Anne and Kim were especially funny and I certainly enjoyed their company.

Woke up at 4:45 AM--a combination of thinking about flying to Chicago for Katie's funeral and finances. Funerals and finances, an interesting combination.

11/24 Post-gluttony

We didn't tell our guests about the loss in our family, so we did manage to have a good time. Beata and I cooked for a cast of thousands and ultimately only two guys showed up. This is a new phenomenon for Rob and Beata as they usually have a houseful. Anyway, Steve and Troy were both good eaters and the feast was superb.

After our meal (at least the first round), we played poker. Because neither one of the guys had ever played before, naturally they got lucky and were the last players with Rob. Rob ended up winning the entire pot, so that was good. At least we kept it in the family. :)

Today the sun is shining, the air is crisp, and it's such a beautiful morning. I'll need to get my laundry done today. Rob and Beata will take me to the Raleigh airport tomorrow afternoon for my trip to Chicago.

11/23 A sad way to note Thanksgiving

Last night we received a call from my brother Joe. He and Cindy had gotten a phone call from our brother Jim in Aurora. Katie, his m-i-l, died about an hour earlier. He and Karen were absolutely devestated of course. Katie's husband, Frank, must be in a state of shock.

Katie has had a tracheotomy for quite a while because of some major lung problems. She was always on oxygen, but when she slept or at other times when there were problems, the oxygen went directly into the trach. She's been in and out of ICU, but when at home you'd never know from her attitude that anything was wrong.

Karen's an only child (a far cry from Jim's experience), so I know this must be especially difficult for her. And Frank and Katie have been closer than ever since his retirement.

Jim will be profoundly affected too. He's the youngest of the nine of us, and our Mom died when he was 16. Katie took over the Mom role, and she and Jim had a beautiful relationship.

Death comes at inconvenient times. The day before Thanksgiving is a sucky time. Their holidays will be forever framed by this. Just as in our family--Mom died the day after Thanksgiving (1980) and Dad died New Year's Day (1986).

Katie is one of the kindest women I've ever met. Even when she just came home from the hospital she would always ensure that I was comfortable when visiting. So gracious and sweet.

I stayed at their home two weeks ago on my trek from Milwaukee. They live west of Chicago, so it was an easy stop. Katie was her usual beautiful self. Selfishly, I'm grateful that our last words to each other were "I love you." Those are the same last words I had with my own parents.

I'm going to do my best to fly to Chicago for the funeral. Hope to find out the details today so I can make the arrangements. The church will be packed. Katie retired as a teacher but she touched so many people, and they remember. She's a very loved woman.

'Bye, Katie. You made the world a better place.

11/22 Friends from Denmark

At the PX I walked away from Beata for a moment. Upon my return she was staring at this guy and he was staring at her. Finally she said, "I'm sorry. You look like my friend." The guy replied in Danish. Turned out he was her old boss from Copenhagen, when she worked as an interpreter at the airport. Not only that, but he had two other former co-workers with him. They were all visiting his wife's family who live in Sanford--same town as Rob and Beata. Unbelievable coincidence, and such fun. They're all coming over to our place on Friday. So after a huge dinner on Thursday, we're having company on Friday.

I love it!

11/21 Planning for Thanksgiving

It doesn't look like we'll have the number we thought. It's either going to be a smaller group or a much larger one. Beata and I are working on the shopping list this morning. This afternoon we'll go to the Commissary--but I sure hope we know ahead of time whether we're shopping for 5 or 50. This is going to be fun. I LOVE large gatherings for holidays. It reminds me of home. Now if I can only find a couple of guys to make fun of me all the time, I'll be set; and would NEVER be homesick for Quincy.

Joe, could you provide training for some young soldiers on how to make fun of me? There's a skill involved. They need to be able to needle me without completely damaging my psyche.

Oh, I won again at poker last night. So I'm 2 out of 3. Can't wait to take people's money on Thanksgiving. I'll sure be giving thanks.

11/20 Another good day, then a shock

I'm sitting in my little office niche in my bedroom. It is so cozy and comfortable. I borrowed Rob's portable laptop desk and it fits here perfectly. I have my speakers hooked up and I love it.

So I'm in my own little fantasy world, and Beata tells me that a friend of Rob's was killed in Afghanistan. What an awakening to reality. I'm living in the home of someone who works in Special Operations. Robbie just came home and said he loses friends several times a week, but that this one just shocked him. It was a guy he's known for 14 or 15 years and served on a team with. The memorial is Wednesday. If Beata and I can escape from cooking for a while that day we'll go to the service.

A sad reality.

I prefer my fantasy world.

11/19 Video

One of BroadMinded's videos is posted on my MySpace page. Hope you like it.

Today Beata fixed a nice Sunday breakfast. And we've each been sitting with our own personal laptops for some of the day. :) I took both big dogs for a walk and stayed out for 45 minutes. The weather is absolutely perfect today. I'm in awe of this place.

Tomorrow my vacation is over and I begin work. There are several articles I need to write, and if they're accepted for publication I'll make a decent chunk of change.

11/18 A fun day

We went out for breakfast with Rob's SF buddies from Okinawa. Ended up at a Starbucks because IHOP had an hour wait. But it was great. I got to see a little of Fayetteville for the first time, and we drove by Ft. Bragg. I'll go there next week to see the place and go to the PX.

We're planning a huge Thanksgiving here. Rob's team (that he's teaching) has 14 members. He figures about 7 or 8 will say "yes" to Thanksgiving. Bea and I will know Monday evening how many we're cooking for.

We sightseed (sightsaw?)--okay, did some sightseeing--in Sanford. There are some beautiful buildings in the historic district.

Then on the way home we stopped at the store and stocked up for an evening of games. :) You know I'm happy. We had breakfast but no lunch, so we're cooking dinner right now.(or linner as Rob would say). We'll have this combination of lunch and dinner in about 1/2 hour and later tonight will have some snacks instead of a meal. I just made a salad and Beata is working on a pasta dish. Yum.

11/17 I WON!

Played Texas Hold 'Em with Rob and Beata tonight. We each put in $5, and I won. It was so much fun. And now I have $15 set aside for when they invite friends over for poker night. Am looking forward to that.

Today Beata didn't feel well, so Rob and I went into Sanford to run errands. We also had lunch at La Dolce Vita. I enjoyed spending some alone time with my son. Bea and I are together throughout the day, so this was a little treat.

I love her passionately, yet being with Rob alone was fun. I'm so proud of him. He's doing well in his career and is in a stable and loving marrage. What more could a parent ask for?

I took the dogs for a walk for 35 minutes today. The weather was warm and sunny, and the area where they live (Carolina Trace) is freaking amazing.

Tomorrow we're going out for an early breakfast with Rob's company commander from Okinawa. Then at 11 we'll meet with someone else. Should be a fun day.

11/16 I like this scene

Here's something I like--Beata and I are working on our computers and Rob is vacuuming. Love it.

Soon the dish network installer will be here to put a dvr in my room. I'm thrilled about it. Not that I don't want to spend time with Rob and Beata, far from it. I just enjoy TV at night before I fall asleep, plus I'll be working from that room as well, and I like noise while I work. Not conversation with othe people, but TV or music noise.

On a more serious note, it's really raining here, and nine people have died as a result of a tornado near Wilmington. That's an hour or so away. Normally I'd get a call from the Red Cross to work, but I'm thinking they are going to wait until after my orientation the first week in December.

11/15 Quiet day and the zoo

I slept late today--8 AM. I thought it would feel good, but now I'm sluggish with no energy at all. Yuck.

Today I'm working with Beata on a project, and later will try to put my bathroom together. Tonight Rob has a night jump so won't be home until after 10. (He just called to say he'll be home for an hour or so this afternoon, and won't be home from the night jump until 2 or 3 AM.)

Beata and I will eat leftovers for dinner--last night's sumptious feast left us a lot to choose from.

The zoo are happy to have another human to pester. Bobby is the "leader of the pack." He's a golden retriver and is definitely Rob's dog. Bella is a mixed breed and definitely is Beata's dog. Chili was supposed to be Beata's, but he's crazy about Rob as well. Right now, this chili dog is sitting behind my in my chair as I type. He is adorable.

11/14 More on Rob

I gave him many baby pictures and it was fun reliving those times with him. Also gave him a hoodie from Quincy Notre Dame and he loves it. I'll let Beata post about what her gifts were.

She made a scrumptious birthday dinner, complete with cake and ice cream. Afterward we played poker--Texas Hold 'Em. It was so much fun.

Right now I must clear off my bed. It's full of stuff I need to find a place for.

Today was good though, and such a pleasure to be with my son on his 35th birthday. Love you, Rob!!! (Jill and the kids called earlier. That was special too.)

11/14 Happy birthday to Rob

More about Rob later.

But I laughed so hard last night I almost fell over. I can't get into my bed--it's too high. We had to get a step-stool so I could climb up. Once I got there however, it was really comfy and so HUGE. I love this bed.

Some random things:

1. Driving from Milwaukee to Quincy I had lunch at a table next to some porn stars. How do I know? The conversation. Two men and three women. The men were in their 30s and the women looked like teenagers or early 20s. Interesting conversation.

2. What we got at the auction--I got a watercolor of Morning Glories. Delicate and lovely. Jane bought a picture that our nephew Adam did (the artist in NYC). She bid against two other women who are now going to buy direct from the source. Cool way to get business for Adam. Jan bought a $350 medical procedure for $35. No lie. People didn't know what it was so didn't bid on it. Since Jan is a nurse she knew the value.

3. Jan's hubby Tim went deer hunting with his friends. It reminded me of the time Rob was four years old and a friend brought a deer home and put it on his deck. We were at the house and Rob went outside. He came running back in and said, "Mommy, mommy, there's a donkey outside and it's going like this...." (Picture a cute little kid with his head cocked to the side and tongue hanging out.)

4. All throughout Missouri and Indiana I was surrounded by pickups on the interstate with dead deer in the back. At one point I had two in front of me, one on the side, and two behind. Plus there were dead deer all over the side of the road.

5. Stayed overnight east of Lexington KY and when I went to breakfast yesterday morning I heard two women talking at the next table. I finally had to say it, "Are you two from Wisconsin?" They had the distinctive accent. They were from Milwaukee too and it was fun chatting.

6. (Especially for DF) My Illinois I-Pass worked as an EZ-Pass in West Virginia and Virginia. I knew the EZ-Pass tolls were connected via computer but thought the I-Pass one was not. Well it is now, and that made my journey even more fun.

7. My sister Jan told me the West Virginia turnpike was so beautiful and she was right. Absolutely lovely. And it continued throughout Virginia and NC. Excellent views.

8. Enough for now. Will write about Rob's birthday later today.

11/13 Here at last

I'll write more tomorrow. But I arrived at 3:30 and Rob greeted me at the gatehouse. He introduced me to the guard and they gave me a pass for my car. Carolina Trace is absolutely gorgeous. The lake is beautiful and the trees around the homes are old and stately. I love it here.

My room is beautiful. More later. For now, I'm just plain tired. (Oh, Beata made the BEST pasta salad for dinner. Can't wait to steal the recipe and impress folks back in Quincy.)

11/13 On the road again...

Am at a Holiday Inn Express east of Lexington, KY. Now getting ready to head out again. By tonight I'll be in Sanford with my sweet son and daughter-in-law. Oh, and their zoo too.

11/12 Quick update from the road

On my way to NC, but not without some mini-adventures along the way. Friday night the slumber party was fun. There were five of us, only four old enough to drink. We had several blenders of frozen margaritas and danced to the music while watching the movies Annie Get Your Gun and Unsinkable Molly Brown. It's so fun to watch both Betty Hutton and Debbie Reynolds overact horribly and mug constantly for the camera. Jan made a super salad and homemade pizza, plus hummus and toasted pita chips for snacks. We had a great time.

Saturday we went shopping and I got my gift for Secret Santa. Then five of us sibs and two sis-in-laws--Cindy and Paulette--went to the QND extravaganza, a fund-raising event for our Catholic high school. It was called My Big Fat Greek Extravaganza and of course the food was Greek, and pretty good. You pay a fairly large fee to get in, but then have appetizers and dinner (and dessert), plus all the beer, wine and soft drinks you want. I told my sisters I would be the designated driver. It was music to their ears since both of them always have to be the dd. They definitely took advantage of the situation.

At one point (I was drinking Pepsi, by the way), Jan was drunk and Jane was drunk. I kept saying to Jan, "Give me the keys." I wanted to have them handy for when it was time to go. Jan gave them to me. Only problem was, Jane had driven and it was her car keys I needed. I sure got razzed about that--sober and I still couldn't remember which car we were in.

They had both silent auctions and live auctions and it was sure fun. Most of us got something in the silent auction. I'll post about that later. Right now, I have to boogie. Woke up at 6:30 (after going to bed after 1) and locked my keys in my SUV. It took the locksmith 2 1/2 hours to get there. Had to come from Iowa. Why? Everyone in Illinois and Missouri is out deer hunting. More about that later too.

I'm on my way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11/10 Panera Bread in Quincy

Yeah, it just opened this month, so I can post easily from here while still enjoying my sister's company. It's so crowded though that I can't stay and sit and read everyone's blogs. Must hurry. But I'm so happy there's a Panera here now. It'll be handy when I move here.

Tonight sis Jan is hosting a slumber party. Jer, Jane, Jan, Jessica, Kristin, and Sarah will attend. Maybe more. We plan lots of eating, drinking, watching BroadMinded's dvd, and playing games. I'm excited...this is the kind of evening I miss.

Last night Jan and I just watched TV (Grey's Anatomy and ER). I woke up at 6:30 and her husband Tim snuck into the house. He's at a deer camp with friends but drove 50 miles to see me (and get rolls from Underbrink Bakery). Since I'm leaving on Sunday, I wouldn't have seen him otherwise.

Okay, Jan's coming back to the table with food so I need to go. Can you tell I'm happy?

11/9 Time problems?

This morning I woke up at 6:30, showered, and waited in the kitchen for the others to wake up. Jim was at work already, but no one else was stirring. Then I noticed that I'd gotten up at 5:30 instead of 6:30. The clock in the guest room hadn't been reset for standard time. Should have looked at my watch. Well, it gave me plenty of time to read this morning.

It was great seeing Jim, Karen, Frank, and Katie. They're great and so hospitable. Now I'm happily ensconced at Panera up the road from their house. Bless high speed internet. :)

After I finish here I'll begin the drive to Quincy. Niece Sarah has a soccer game tonight, so it will be fun to attend that.

Three hours of driving down and 21 to go until I hit North Carolina.

11/8 Megan and Tony and Rob and Randy and Anne and Patty and Nancy and Maria and Mark and...

Last night Megan and Tony came over and helped me complete the packing. They were so wonderful that we got done early and by 10 PM I was in bed watching TV. I woke up early this morning, walked to the corner restaurant for breakfast, and came back to finish loading up my car. Tony did most of it last night, but I had one suitcase to fit in the Sportage. That little SUV is full to the brim.

Rob and Randy came from Mayflower and finished up the truck loading in four hours, so that was a great relief. Rob was a little cutie and I had fun teasing him. As they were leaving I told a friend on the phone that Rob had a little boy crush on me.

While they were packing, Anne came over and visited for a few minutes. She dropped off the DVD of our sketch show from 10/13. All in all, it was good, but the sound wasn't too hot. It would have been awesome if we had been individually miked, but that would have been impossible to accomplish on our limited budget of $0.

On my way out of town I stopped at a McDonald's to check my email and meet up with my friend Nancy and her daughter Maria. Prior to that the realtor, Patty, stopped by Mickey D's so I could sign a paper to reduce the price of my condo. I wanted to do that because it's silly to keep it high when I'm paying the mortgage every month. I just want to sell it.

Had a nice visit with Nancy while Maria played on the playground. Unfortunately, my wireless didn't work at that McDonald's so had to wait until I got here to Jim and Karen's before I could check it. Of course I have been checking it all day with my phone but I don't like to write too many emails with it.

While driving to Aurora I called Mark, an old friend, to wish him a happy birthday. It was nice to surprise him.

I arrived in Aurora around 6, so we ordered dinner to be delivered while we watched the DVD of the show.

It was good to see Jim, Karen, Katie, Frank, and their friend Ann. Jim, Karen, and Ann are in the other room of the lower level setting up the snow village while I catch up here. Their snow village is unbelievable and so beautiful. Everyone gets to choose their house to "live in." I own the Starbucks and live upstairs from it. Yeah, and give myself coffee for free. :)

Tomorrow morning I'll go to Panera nearby to use the high-speed wireless. It's dial up here, and it's difficult to finish everything I need to do. No complaints as I appreciate the hospitality, but it will be easier to do other stuff from Panera.

Guess that's it for tonight. I'm so grateful that a major part of the move has been completed.

11/7 It's really happening

The movers come tomorrow. It's amazing that one can feel such conflicting emotions--happiness and sadness--at the same time.

11/7 Another stupid test....

A writer friend posted this on our forum.... It's kind of a fun little test. My score was 42--very close to being a Loyal Friend.

The Lively Center of Attention

Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

11/6 Homeward bound...

In about an hour I'll take off for the airport and points west. I'm really ready to get this move finished.

Yesterday had elements of the sublime and hte ridiculous. Words weekend ended as it began--delightfully. I didn't get t o say goodbye to Glo, and that was the only bad thing. But I know I'll see her again soon.

The two hour drive from Mohonk to NYC took four hours. It was extremely frustrating, and we can blame it on a mistake on the Google map. First time I've experienced that. The traffic was horrendous because of the NY Marathon.

After we got back to the city everything got good again. My nephew Adam (Joe and Cindy's oldest) met us for dinner. We went to a nearby Chinese restaaurant, which provided excellent food. Then Adam came back to Dave's apartment and visited for a while. His job sounds great, and a wonderful oppportunity for him. It was really good to see him. While we walked back from the restaurant I called Cindy and said, "Guess who's walking with a handsome young man on the streets of New York?" I only wish I'd remembered my camera.

I was exhausted and went to bed around midnight Got up at 7--guess I'm just ready to get going.

My friend Nancy will join me at my condo this afternoon to help with packing. Right now all that's left is the bathroom and JUNK that's strewn throughout the place. All the easy stuff is done, now I must make difficult decisions about the junk...throw away, keep, store, take with.

11/5 Winding down a little...

I played games until nearly 2 AM, and every moment was fun.

Today a man and his father approached me. It was their first year at Words, and they loved it. But the man said that he felt almost stupid during the presentation on crostic. And that yesterday when we had a puzzle challenge, the same thing.

I said, "I do understand. At home you're used to winning most games. Plus a lot of times you're the smartest person in the room. And when you come here, you feel like you're in kindergarten hanging out with graduate students." He smiled and nodded.

I told him that I feel the same way. At some of the games here I excel, but most of the time I'm merely comic relief. (I should remove the word merely, because they're certainly is value in it.)

Being surrounded by smart people really energizes me. I function on a small amount of sleep, and even thrive. Tonight I'll crash. But first, DF and I will go out to dinner in the city with my nephew, Adam. I'm really looking forward to it. Dave knows all the good restaurants.

For now, I just finished the scrumptious and sumptious brunch and will now play a final few games before we head down the mountain.

This place rocks. This weekend rocks. These people rock.

(More later about my friend, Gloria.)

11/4 More at Mohonk

I slept well last night. Suz and I shared a king-sized bed, and didn't even know the other was there. She uses a c-pap machine to aid breathing, and her new one is absolutely silent. Amazing. But her new apparatus she puts on her head looks like a helmet one would wear while sitting in an electric chair.

Erin McKean spoke last night. She's a lexicographer and the senior editor at Oxford Dictionary, America.

Can I just get my geek stuff out of the way? I LOVE being around word enthusiasts--love it! Hearing nearly everyone respond the way I do to a catchy turn of phrase, a clever new use of a word, or even the surprise of knowing the meaning of a multisyllabic word makes me smile. Don't get me wrong...not everyone is a braniac, although many are. What we share is an intense love of language.

Many of us are fiercely competitive as well. After Erin's talk, the large group broke into teams of seven and we played Scrabble Scramble. My team consisted of writer friends and family members--Dave Feldman, Suzanne Heatherington, Joanne Giulietti (Monk) and her husband Frank, and kids Steve and Theresa. Theresa is a freshman in college and Steve is a senior in college and a seminarian. They are a fun family and avid game-players (in a good way).

There were twelve teams. We had a hefty lead during the first two rounds, but lost in the last round to a team containing word guru extraordinaire, Richard Lederer. If you don't know who he is, shame on you...and google him to find out more.

After the official part of the evening ended about 15 of us hung out and played board games. One of my favorite parts of the weekend. Suzanne and I stopped playing around 12:30 AM. After four hours sleep the night before I needed some sack time. Plus I wanted to get up early today. I love mornings. I love nights too. It's the afternoons that I don't like. Let's institute siesta time in the US. That would work for me.

Breakfast was fun, sitting and talking to lots of folks. In a little while, Dave, Steve, Theresa, and I are going to Starbucks. It's 20 minutes each way so we have to time it well so we don't miss any of the talks. Richard is speaking at 10 and I don't want to miss it.

Tonight will be an all-nighter game-playing night. Wonder if I can last. We'll see.

Oh, yeah...and the scenery is just as breathtaking as last year. Wish I'd remembered my camera.

Love to all.

11/4 The handsome and talented...

Matt. He was the waiter at our table. Of course he's a very handsome young man (23 years old), but he also is good at his job. He allowed me to flirt with him without gagging--a sign of true maturity. And he was a good waiter, not happy until everyone was satisfied with their food. I gave him my room key...er, I mean my blog address, and told him I was going to write about him. (Hi, Matt.)

Here you sit at large tables with members of your group. So we always are with people we know. That makes it lots of fun. But the food is extraordinary, reminding me of cruises I've taken. Lots of choices--even for oddballs like me.

Prior to dinner we had tea at 4, which I love. A gathering of everyone in the lower lounge, where there is a huge fireplace and a to-die-for view of the lake and the bluffs.

At dinner, Steve--Monk's son--had white wine with his steak. I told him I was going to write that as well. (Actually we convinced him it was okay. Now it's considered fine to have whichever wine you want with whatever food you want. Life is good.)

There's more to write--like all about the speaker and the game playing, but I'll fill that in later. It's breakfast time. And I want to roam around outside and enjoy the breathtaking vistas prior to the beginning of the program.

11/3 Mohonk Mountain

Last night Megan, Tony, and Mel did a great job of packing. I still have lots to do though, but am confident I'll get it done. We ate Chinese food around the cocktail table and had a super time. They all three made me laugh.

This morning I got up at 4:30 for my flight to NYC. Dave and Suzanne picked me up at LaGuardia, and we took off for the two hour drive to Mohonk. At New Palz we stopped for lunch at a restaurant/bar that had 400 different beers. I had one from Belgium--I've forgotten the name already, but it was similar to the Belgian white beer that I'm fond of.

We checked into the hotel on the mountain. Suzanne and I discovered that there's only one bed in our room. That's because originally her husband was coming with her. When he cancelled, then she and I decided to share again, like we did last year. Luckily the bed is king-sized, so we'll do fine.

At 4 PM is tea time, so we'll see more of our friends then. And dinner is at 6:30. Men must wear a jacket for dinner, and no one may wear athletic shoes. Etiquette from bygone days. :)

It's so beautiful here, it takes my breath away. Even though I can't really afford to be here (financially and time-wise), it's good that I came. It's Gloria's 25th (and last) year leading the Wonderful World of Words and I really wanted to be here to support her. And to have fun.

11/2 Wednesday night

Okay, it's Thursday morning, I'm sitting at Panera Bread, listening to classical music, drinking coffee, and it's snowing. IT'S PERFECT!!!

Last night was perfect too. I am getting a little teary-eyed lately and last night was no exception. Tony and Megan came over to help me pack. Tony is a friend from CSz, writing group, and Red Cross. We've crossed paths many times. And Megan, of course, is from BroadMinded, although we met a few years back at CSz too. Tony and Megan hadn't met before, but they worked well together packing.

And they are both competitive, so it was great fun watching them compete for the best packing trophy. My favorite parts though were the signs Meg put on the boxes. All of the fragile ones held the word "fragile" of course but she also wrote things like: Do Not Juggle, Don't Even Think About Dropping This, UberFragile, The fragilest of all the fragile things. And more. So I'm looking forward to getting amused again tonight.

I ordered pizza and it was good too. Tonight will be Chinese food. Megan and Melissa will be here and Tony too, if he can make it.

I'm at the Panera Bread near my old job because I dropped off three more boxes for Shawn to sell. She told me that my 13 inch TV didn't even make it out of the office. Someone bought it for $15 as soon as I left. She is such a good friend to be doing this. I'm trying to make her keep a commission on what she sells, because she's doing all the work, but she keeps refusing. I'll have to get her a nice surprise later.

Am looking at the snow and reflecting on how lucky I am. These people helping me are dear to me. And they would have never come into my life if I hadn't taken risks. The risk of trying to be a comedian at age 55. The risk of moving to Milwaukee. They've enriched my life in ways I can't even describe. I don't want to get mushy (yet), so I'll just leave it with--I'm one lucky bug.

11/1 Tuesday night

I need to start with the wonderful-ness of Tuesday night. It started with Open Improv which was so much more enjoyable because some of my BroadMinded friends were there. Then 11 of us went to the New Yorker. Part of the beauty of the New Yorker is that when we go on Tuesdays, we're usually the only people there. So we get to karaoke all the time. I sang five or six songs myself.

The eleven of us were: Maria, Megan, Mary Jo, Melissa (all from BroadMinded), Adam, Mel, Nick, Nick, Patrick, and Dennis. And me of course. Every time Nick F. got up to sing he'd say, "This goes out to a special lady...." And we'd all laugh. Because he's about 25 and dedicated all the songs to me. I had a ball and felt so special. These people (and others) mean so much to me. But because they're so much younger, they aren't the kind of friends who I "hang out" with--watching TV, going to the movies, shopping, etc. So even though I'm going to miss these beautiful, talented people terribly, I would still be lonely here if I stayed in Milwaukee.

We stayed there until about midnight or so. And I went home with a big grin on my face, feeling loved.

10/31 It continues....

Got a lot of "sorting" done this morning. Have to fax some documents to DC, so while I'm out, thought I'd check my email.

Tonight is my night with some friends. My last Open Improv class, and last trip to the New Yorker for karaoke. Looking forward to it.

My contact with the moving company came by today. He dropped off some more boxes and some packing paper. So I have plenty of boxes for when friends come over Wednesday and Thursday to help.

Spoke to Hunter for a moment this morning, and Jill for a little longer than a moment. I've been very nostalgic. Don't know about the rest of you, but when I move I cannot stop myself from looking through things--photos, letters, cards, drawings from kids. And it makes me miss my family all the more.

Rob and Beata are trying to talk me into living in NC instead of just visiting for a few months. The offer is tempting, but NC takes me even further away from the rest of the family. Quincy is in between both my kids and should make traveling to them easier.

Who knows what will happen? Heck, Beata is even lining up men for me...thinking that if I fall in love then I'll stay in NC. She's a kupka, she is. But I sure love her. Have been talking to her a lot lately.

The movers are coming next Wednesday. I'll be out of town this Friday through Monday, so I really do have to get things done really quickly....

10/30 Starting to panic

I have so much to do and am way too lazy for my own good. Got some stuff thrown away this morning, and just finished having lunch with my friend Bill. I'm really going to miss him. But he travels so much that we're sure to meet somewhere along the way. The beauty of email is that you can always stay in touch so easily, no matter what.

Having some iced tea at Panera's and catching up on email, then home to get busy again.

Tomorrow morning Nancy is coming by to help me, and tomorrow night I have my last Open Improv, followed by karaoke at the New Yorker. That's a great memory for me to take with me. Comedians are pretty damn funny at karaoke.

I guess it was a rotten Open House on Sunday--not one person came through. Sigh. No comment on that. Of course, no one in Wisconsin would go to an Open House while the Packers were playing. Maybe we should only hold one when the Pack has a bye....

10/29 Panera, anyone?

Just finished a wonderful cheese, egg, spinach, and artichoke breakfast souffle. It's superb and only $2.95. Can't believe how cheap it is. Coffee was $1.05 and I can keep filling it up, so I've had a bargain breakfast. Sure it would have been cheaper to eat peanut butter toast at home, but I worked hard on the condo, and didn't want to have to clean up anything else.

In a little while I'll go to my friend Nancy's house to visit while the Open House is going on.

Then to Barnes and Noble to finish some work. At 2 I'll be at CSz for the last time (this go-around anyway). My team has a bye but I'm going to support my friends who are performing. Some time this week I'll have to turn in my CSz keys, as I won't be able to work anymore before I leave.

I got up at 5:45 (felt like 6:45...). Watched Rocky Horror Picture Show (which I'd taped). Funny watching that while cleaning, but it really made the time go by quickly. Love that show.

10/28 Back to working...

I've been at Panera for two hours so I guess it's time to go home and get busy. Will probably sign on later tonight a the McDonald's near my place.

I decided to go with the local Mayflower company for moving. He's coming by Tuesday with some extra boxes, and packing paper, and I'll sign the contract then. Then I'll move the following week.

Since I'll be gone November 3-6, that means I have to get everything done from Monday through Thursday of next week. Yikes. I've been throwing things away but can't really pack until after the open house tomorrow.

Okay, I need to get off this computer and work, instead of just talking about it. See ya!

10/27 Lake Forest

Lake Forest, IL is a beautiful town. About an hour and twenty minutes from where I live. And where I had to go to see a bank person face to face. Yep. I have Bank of America and there are no ATMs or banks in Milwaukee. There are two ATMs nearly an hour north of here, but they don't take deposits anyway.

And I didn't want to mail in my deposit because it's a big one--some of my 401 K. This bit of money is what I have to live on until I start getting a paycheck. Yes, it's stupid, but don't lecture me because I won't listen. I have my fingers in my ears--la la la la la la la la la la.

Are you done? Good.

I finished wrapping all the Christmas presents and will ship the ones to California this afternoon when I'm finished here. I still have about 8 more presents to buy, but it's no big deal. Everything is working out great. I have to get the place in tip-top shape again for the open house, but I'm getting used to that. Then Monday I start packing for real.

Quit nagging me--I said I know it's stupid to take money out of my 401K, okay? lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalal.....

10/26 Spam is not only meat byproducts

I just got more than 160 spammed comments on my blog. So while I'm deleting them, I also had to finally turn on "word verification." When you write a comment you'll need to verify you're a human by typing a word that's listed. I know it will be hard for my brothers, but the rest of you shouldn't have a problem with it.

This stops the robot spammers from attacking. Many of my friends have word verification on their blog, and I hoped I wouldn't have to do it. Sorry.

10/26 What happened to yesterday?

Can't believe I didn't post. Was at Panera Bread and worked on the computer, but completely forgot about my blog.

Tuesday I had lunch with Nancy and it was awesome--like 10 years had absolutely disappeared. We were such close friends when I lived in Milwaukee in the 90s. Then she got married and they went to do missionary work in the Dominican Republic for two years. We stayed in touch sporadically. They've been back here for about three years or so. While in the DR they adopted a beautiful Dominican girl named Maria. She's five now. So Nancy is so busy with family and especially a young, vibrant child. We've just not gotten together. And Tuesday was magical. And I laughed so hard. Loved it. I'm going to go visit Nancy and Hank (and Maria) on Sunday while my open house is going on.

Tuesday night I went to Open Improv at Bucketworks. It was awesome. A new teacher (and pal of mine), Adam, really is giving us lots of new stuff to work on.

Yesterday I had lunch with Tony, and it was super too. He's a writer friend of mine, although we met in 2002 in a CSz class. We've stayed friends and have lunch every now and then. We were also in a writing group together for a while. Anyway, lunch brought a lot more laughter, and I dared him to visit me in NC. He's as thoughtful as I am impulsive. So we'll see if the dare takes root. Oh, he volunteers with the red cross too, so we have that in common. He's 20 years younger than I am, but we have such fun together. Nice guy.

Today I got my hair cut and am sad to be leaving Stacy. She's cut my hair for 10 years. And also listened to my stories. She knows my family as well as close friends do. I always tip her well for being such an attentive listener. :) And she always laughs at the right places. Great gal.

Got my car yesterday and instead of costing $1100 it cost $450. Boy, was that ever good news!

And I got another estimate from a moving company. Will make my decision this afternoon. Now I'm in Barnes and Noble enjoying a cup of decaf Americano. Will have to go home soon and get busy though. Am wrapping Christmas presents so I can ship some to LA, and leave the Quincy ones there when I drive through. Because there's an open house on Sunday I can't do too much regular packing anyway. Monday I begin SERIOUS packing! Wednesday and Thursday evenings Tony and Megan are coming to help me. Because of my back injury I asked Tony if he'd help lift some boxes for me. Can't afford to re-injure it.

So much going on and I still haven't done a lot of work. Too busy saying goodbye to friends, I guess. I'm really going to miss Milwaukee, but I can't wait to be with my family.

10/24 Another open house

My realtor is scheduling another open house for Sunday. Last week's only brought one person out of the woodwork and he was a developer from out of town. I knew that one wasn't going to be productive--don't know why, I just knew. But I do feel better about this next one. We'll see.

I worked on throwing away junk and sorting stuff for Shawn's yard sale yesterday. Plus I finished the interview and sent it to my old boss. AND I talked to AT&T and got everything straightened out. So I'll be able to sign on from McDonald's which is just a mile from my house.

Right now I'm on AT&T WiFi at Barnes and Noble about 20 minutes from home. That's because I had to drop off my car near here. I'm in a rental--a really cheap one that doesn't have automatic locks or windows and I hate it. Well, I can tolerate it for a day and a half. My car will cost around a thousand dollars--worse case scenario. Best case will be around 400 or so.

Lots to do. I feel overwhelmed. Wish I had relatives nearby to help me. But at least some friends will do so. I'm going to force money on two of them, because I know they need it even more than I do.

Today my friend Nancy is going to meet me for coffee in a few hours, so I'll stay here and work until then. Or maybe browse the stacks to get some books for my trip. I love booksores...the smell, the excitement of finding a new author, the people... I spoke to a retired guy earlier who was fascinating. He was looking at an atlas, and it was opened to a map of Germany. I asked if he was going there, and he said no, although he'd been there many times. He was having a discussion with a friend, and was trying to settle an arguement. We then compared notes about places we've been, and it was a lovely conversation. I love these serendipitous moments of life.

10/23 Interesting day!

Today is Jim and Karen's 13th anniversary, Mom and Dad's anniversary (would be 60 years), and Grandma and Grandpa Kuhlman's anniversary (gosh, would have been about a million years I estimate). It's a great day for weddings, that's for sure. Happy anniversary, Jim and Karen! I still smile when I recall the reception. Wow, what a party! And Robbie looked so cute holding the bouquet outside your house.

I packed up some other stuff for my friend Shawn's yard sale. She's going to get a lot more stuff from me too. Wow, I accumulate a lot of stuff (euphemism for junk).

Talked to Mary Jo today. She wondered if I'd be interested in performing with BroadMinded one last time before I leave. I had to decline. There's so much going on right now that I need to take care of, that carving out rehearsal time would be difficult. Plus I plan to leave right after the movers do, just so I'll have another day in Quincy. Leaving on Saturday the 11th would cut short my weekend there.

Also, they gave me the perfect send off after we performed a few weeks ago. I still get teary-eyed thinking about it. It was such an awesome show, and the sentiments were heartfelt. I'll carry that with me.

The first mover came today and I'll get the estimate tomorrow. Then the second guy comes on Wednesday. I'll be glad to get this settled.

Talked to Tony today too, and we'll have lunch on Wednesday. It'll definitely be fun, but hard to say good-bye.

Enough boredom for now? Want to come help me pack?

(Editing to add: Today I'm officially an employee of the American Red Cross.)

10/22 Let's get this done!

Seems like time is dragging. But I do have a few fun things to do prior to leaving. Lunch with Tony, coffee with Nancy, drinks with Maria (and maybe others), and of course my trip to NY the first weekend in November. Then I can move....

I'm writing from Bucketworks--free wireless for members. A very cool benefit.

I've been up since 7, straightening up the condo for the Open House. Today it was from 11-12:30 so should just be getting done. I'll call to find out how it went. I don't have high expectations. It'll sell at some point. It's not overpriced and is a great place.

Went to Alterra at 10 for coffee and to work on an interview I still owe my old job. It's an hour long and is taking me forever. I'll have to finish it tonight and email it tomorrow.

At 2 I have a rec league match at CSz with Brainstorm. Unless I can find a legal sub, however, we're going to forfeit. MJ and Stacy can't make it. This is our last match of the season.

Guess that's it for now. Tomorrow afternoon the first mover comes to give me an estimate.

Will sign on tomorrow from somewhere. And I hope to have the AT&T thing straightened out tomorrow too.

10/21 Damn damn double damn

Just had an exhausting go-around with AT&T. I had my home phone disconnected as of 10/13 which automatically disconnected my DSL. Purchased dial-up so I could keep my email address active for the 2 months or so before I have a place of my own to have DSL again. I specifically asked if this would affect my AT&T WiFi. No, I was distinctly told. That's a separate service.

All I can say is, "Liar, liar, pants on fire."

Talked to 8 different people today because I went to a McDonald's where I was supposed to have free WiFi according to my plan, and it didn't work. "Authentication Failed," the screen rudely proclaimed.

1. Sorry, but you have no home phone. You must have a phone line to have WiFi. WHAT?

2. Sorry, you don't have DSL any longer, you can't have WiFi unless you have DSL. WHAT?

3. What do you want me to do? I can't do anything about it. WHAT?

4. Ma'am, I'm sorry for our error, but there's nothing I can do about it. Thanks for using AT&T. WHAT?

Finally, person number 7 in India was such a sweetie--Doni. She connected me with someone at dial-up who told me that normally I'd have to go to WiFi, but evidently I'd already been there and everywhere else. Wish I had her name, she was a sweetie too. She said a second level supervisor would make an exception for me, but unfortunately that office was only opened Monday through Friday. I'd gotten so angry with number 3 above and had started crying instead of calling her filthy names. Everyone else was nice, but I was so frustrated.

I'll call that office on Monday to get my Wi-Fi reinstated. In the meantime I drove 15 minutes to a new Panera Bread. It has free Wi-Fi for everyone. Everyone--go to Panera Bread and spend money. They're great PLUS the food is wonderful.

End of commercial.

So the class ended yesterday and I really enjoyed it, plus met some super Red Cross folks, and as I said earlier I ran into people I already knew.

On the way home I stopped at a Cracker Barrel (didn't know there was one only 7 miles from my house). Jane, tell Pete there's a Cabela's just 10 miles away. It's new and HUGE. Cracker Barrel was having a porch sale where everything was 80% off. It's going on today and tomorrow too. I bought tons of Christmas present. 10 presents for $30. And every one of them are things I would like, so I'm fairly confident that people will like them.

Enough for now. I need to check some more sites and catch up with my email. More tomorrow. I'll stop back here again when the Open House is going on.

10/19 Supervision in Disaster

This two-day class I wanted (Supervision in Disaster) was full and so I had to pick others. I was resigned, but at the last moment decided to see if I could get in the class after all. And the answer was "yes."

Part of the class was boring, and part was interesting. The worst part is all the homework I had to do. Still haven't finished it, but took a break for dinner. I ate in the U cafeteria and sat with Carlos who teaches criminal law at University of Madison. Very cool.

And in the class I'm sitting next to Pete who I worked with at the Kenosha fire. Across the aisle is Mary who was at Hurricane Wilma with me. And another mental health person--a retired psychiatrist, Joyce--is sitting nearby too. We're the only mental health folks in the class.

I'm learning so much and am very pleased I'm here.

Saturday morning early though, my friend Shawn is coming over to help me pack a bit. She wanted to start at 7 but I'm not getting in until Friday night so we compromised on 8 AM. I have to figure out where to stack the boxes because there's an open house on Sunday.

While that's happening I have to finish a project from my old job. I promised I would have it done.

I'm so beat and can't wait for my vacation in North Carolina. Hope my condo sells soon.

Monday my new job starts but I doubt I'll be called right away. Also Monday my car goes in the shop for two days. Tuesday morning I'm going to sleep until noon. I promise.

10/18 Done with one, time for others

We completed the Supervisor Essentials today. Out of the 5 exams we took, I got 85 on the first one and 100 on the rest. Pretty darn good for this old cookie.

Tonight I'm reading and writing, and will relax. Tomorrow morning starts the disaster classes. No one from my previous class remained for this, so I'll have to start getting to know people all over again.

I'll be glad to get home Friday night....

10/17 Tired but still going strong

The class remains interesting, and Ryan is a good teacher. The group contains neat people and I'm learning a lot. For some reason though I'm just plain tired.

Tomorrow is the last day of supervisor essentials though. Thursday and Friday I'll be taking disaster courses, so that will be even more interesting. As for now, I'm going to read a while and then hit the sack.

Cindy Lou and I went to Tumbleweed for dinner. It was really good but I ate too much.

I told her that every time I see her name tag I think of my sister Jan, who does a great impersonation of Cindy Lou Who from Doctor Seuss, and it makes me laugh when I think of it.

10/16 More pics

10/16 Pictures from BroadMinded

Thanks to MJ's husband, Tom, we have tons of pictures. Here are a few:

10/16 Day one of training

A really good day. I woke up before the alarm, went to the communal shower, and met the first person from my class. Funny that we met at the showers.

Anyway, the first three days I'm taking Supervision Essentials, and there are nine of us in the class--from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan. Two people were at Hurricane Wilma with me but we hadn't met.

The course is actually interesting. We have to take an exam after each section--five of them. Today the instructor asked if we wanted to look over the material before we took the exam, but I just wanted to get it over with so I didn't read the material. We needed 72% to pass and I got an 85%. So I was satisfied.

I'm eating hot bean curd left over from my Chinese meal last night. Plus I have a sandwich left over from our lunch today. I'm saving the Red Cross money. :)

For a while, I'm actually forgetting about everything I have to do before I leave for NC. Okay, I'm thinking about it now because I'm writing about it. But last night I actually read a book (no TV, remember?). And tonight I'll do the same. Relaxing? I'm tellin' ya it is....

10/15 Blogging from the north

I'm in Oshkosh, WI--at University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. The rooms at the conference center are old dorm rooms. I have a refrigerator, microwave, and high speed internet access, but no towels. There are sheets and blankets, but no towels. And no hangers in the closet. Interesting.

But no complaints--high speed internet access makes me happy, especially because there's no television. Five nights with no TV. Think I'll make it.

This afternoon Brainstorm played against County Clare Clowns in the Rec League. We lost--except we really won. They earned more points, but they had to forfeit for not having enough players. They used a pro on their team. So at least they got to play and it was fun. Our team didn't have much energy today--at least I didn't. And Chris had a broken toe. Poor guy.

Training starts tomorrow. In the meantime, I have to find a towel.

Note: went down to the registration desk and bought a "towel set"--two washcloths, two towels, and two bars of soap for $3. I kid you not.

10/14 Yesterday was quite a day!

I cried most of the day at work. Crazy, huh? I know I'm doing the right thing, but that doesn't stop me from feeling the loss of CPI. I received more presents, and more kindness from everyone. It was such a bittersweet day. Someone said, "How do you feel?" And I said, "Ambivalent." And that was true. But now I no longer feel that way. I just feel good! And those tears are spent and gone.

Last night's show was such an amazing experience. We were all there and ready to go when the audience was let in at 9:45. The house was about half full and we felt great about that.

Every single sketch was well received--the audience was super. They laughed everywhere they were supposed to, and several places that surprised us. Some of my friends attended--many were friends-in-common with the rest of the troupe, but the ones who came just for me warmed my heart. Tony, Nancy, Judith, Christopher, Catherine, and a few more that I'm blocking on right now. Many other comedians were there, and it was so gratifying to hear their compliments.

Afterward, we all celebrated in the bar at ComedySportz. The rest of BroadMinded gave me a polyester rose (it'll never die, Mel said) and a lovely card that made me cry. Stacy brought a great cake from Dairy Queen, and she jumped on the bar and proposed a toast to me. Gosh, I cry a lot, don't I? Cause I cried again at that.

Boy, was it ever fun! We received compliment after compliment. Some favorite parts (according to the audience): Mel's song that opened the show--It's Hard to Be a Republican; Anne's Sally Ann Petrosky, the nerdy (and loveable) high schooler; Megan and Stacy in the Hunters--as drunken hunters dancing to Paris Hilton; Maria as Doris Stone from Ready, Set, Hair; Mary Jo as Jasmine; and the favorite character I portrayed was Charity Blossom--the 80-year-old whore. But that's not all certainly. Others gave us kudos on other characters. I'm not trying to brag, but am still so high on those emotions from yesterday.

I'm going to miss BroadMinded so very much. The performing and the fun, sure, but mostly the women. I've grown to love each of them--individually and collectively. There will never be another night like last night for us, because the composition of the group will be different.

MJ's husband, Tom, took lots of pictures. I can't wait to see them, and will post them. Plus a friend videotaped the whole thing, and that will be fun to see as well.

I got home at 2 AM, and slept from 3 to 11 AM today. That felt good.

Now it's time to work on the condo. Time marches on....

10/13 Lots of miscellany

The flowers are austermaria. Someone here at the office knew the name.

My car is in the shop getting serviced for the big trip. I hope it's done by 3 so I can pick it up and fill it with boxes from my office.

Would like to take a nap after work and before the show. We rehearsed until midnight, so I didn't get to sleep until one and then got up at 6:30. I'm too old for that. But I'm so excited.

Tonight should be a lot of fun. I hope Jim and Karen are still coming. Guess I'll email and find out for sure. I'll have some friends from work, and a few other friends from the community. I flubbed a few lines last night at dress rehearsal, but we recovered quickly from them.

Today is weird. I'm so happy to leave and I'm so sad to leave. My flowers are more beautiful than they were yesterday. I received two presents today...a lovely frog plaque, that will fit in perfectly with my decor (when I finally find a place of my own again), and a $25 gift card from Starbucks from one of my "reality show" buddies. Pam and I debrief all the time about the shows we have in common. I'll miss her a lot.

I have my Exit Interview at 11 AM. I'm actually looking forward to it because I have a ton of good things to say about CPI and only one not-so-good. That's a good record.

More later.

10/12 What kind of flower?

Can anyone help me with the name of this flower? All I know is they are beautiful.

10/12 I cried again

Today I received a gorgeous, GORGEOUS bunch of flowers. I don't even know what they are, but they're white, and red (magenta), yellow, and they're buds so will open into something even more beautiful. They're from my friend Bill and his partner. Bill is about my best friend at work, and I've known him for years. He felt bad that he's out on the road (in Seattle) and wouldn't make it back for my last day.

Of course the way he and I travel, we'll be sure to meet on the road somewhere. If I can get a picture of the flowers, I will.

Must mention last night...on the way home from rehearsal at 10 PM, I drove through a snowstorm. Not just the snow showers we were supposed to get, but an actual snow storm. Of course none of it stuck, but it was still glorious to drive through. I'm not ready for winter yet, but it was magical.

10/12 The cake and Jer...

The cake, featuring a big frog in the upper left corner. It was yummy. So, DF, have I put enough food pictures here for you?

10/12 Not even all the food...

10/11 Try again

10/11 More pictures

I've posted several pictures but only one is showing up. Drat that Blogger! If the other ones are in picture limbo, they'll come back at some point.

Now there's a beautiful cake in the lunchroom, with a cute frog on it. I'm trying to post a picture of it, will try again later. In the meantime, I'm running to Starbucks for another cup of coffee to go with my cake.

The lunch I brought is in the fridge and I'll have it for dinner.

10/11 WOWEEEEEE!

When I walked into work this morning, the Accounting Manager said, "Friday's your last day, right?" Then she patted me on the shoulder and gave me a sad look. I thought, I bet I'll bawl like a baby on Friday.

Then I turned the corner and saw my office. I loudly said, "Oh, my!" Yeah, not exactly the kind of words I usually say, but that's what came out. See the pictures to see how beautifully decorated the outside of my office was. I have these huge windows facing out to the hall and I can barely see out of them, they are so covered with crepe paper. I started crying, and couldn't stop. Thank God it wasn't loud boo-hooing, but still I cried.

The two posters were made by one of our graphic artists that I work with daily. I especially like the frog on the alligator....

The food is unbelievable and I've been snacking since I got here. The cards (four of them) made me cry even more, although they were funny as well. (Right now I'm eating double chocolate zucchini cake, omigod.)

My boss gave me a wonderful card with a note that was heartwarming. And she gave me this awesome plaque that says, "just take it one, gigantic, earth shattering crisis at a time." That fits the job we do here, and also fits my new job. I just love it.

(I'm sorry the pictures are blurry. Took them with my phone. And I uploaded five but only a few are showing up. Maybe they're in picture limbo.)

10/10 Orientation in DC

My week-long orientation takes place in Washington the first full week of December. Since I'll probably still be at R&B's, I'll just fly from NC to DC. Should be quite interesting. I'll get my employee ID, credit card, and a ton of rules.

Since I officially start with them on October 23 though, I need to contact someone to see if they'll deploy me prior to orientation. Hope so, or I'll be even more broke than I'd planned.

10/9 Open house info

My realtor, Patty Wysocki, told me four people came through. Two of them were neighbors--hmm, I wonder who they were. One was a builder/remodeler of condos elsewhere, and the last one was a possibility. She was really interested in a two-bedroom. So was I, but there were none available at the time. And when I saw how big this one was, I jumped on it. I'm glad I did, because I really didn't need a two bedroom, I just wanted one. Big difference in price too. Of course, it would have been nice to have a space for my home office, but my bedroom is huge, and the desk fit nicely there.

I feel better now. Even though there was only one real prospect, at least some people came. And who knows, maybe my neighbors will tell someone they know.

Thanks, Patty.

10/9 My last week

It's my last week at work, and there's so much to do. So not much time to write, even though I'm doing this on my lunch break. I'll write more later.

Sorry not interesting.

Tonight am rehearsing from 6-10. We're able to use the CSz stage tonight, so we're doing a full dress rehearsal tonight (and Thursday as well). It should be fun.

10/08 Open House

Got up at 7 AM and worked until 10. Then left for breakfast. Now I'm at work and the Open House is going on now. The worst possible thing will be if no one shows up. That's what I fear is happening. I'll find out later, I guess.

Right now I'm packing up some of the stuff in my office. Can't believe how much junk I have in this relatively small space. I'm such a pack rat. Moving is good for me--it forces me to throw stuff away. Stuff that I know I can't live without but haven't used in years. Of course as soon as I get rid of it, I'll need it.

I have BroadMinded rehearsal at 6 PM, so there will be time for a short time in between the Open House and rehearsal. I'm absolutely knackered, and I know it's a result of stress and not lack of sleep. I feel like I haven't slept enough in years--yet I've been getting 7 or 8 hours every night, just like usual.

Just need to get through the next few weeks...and I can relax. Sounds like a foreign word--relax...wonder what it means.

10/7 Cleaning/packing

Spent the day getting ready for the Open House tomorrow. The place still isn't ready, but I have a bunch of "stuff" to put in my car for the day, in order to make the place look less cluttered. Maybe I should do that all the time--carry crap in my car all the time so my place is always ready for company.

10/7 Upcoming Show

10/06 What I'll miss

What I'll miss about Wisconsin (Part 1):

The beautiful geese that are everywhere. Two days ago there were 20 in my driveway. Yesterday there were 30 and today there were 40. Exactly. Don't know how they travel in multiples of tens, but that's the way it appears.

What I won't miss about Wisconsin (Part 1):

Goose shit.

10/5 Blogworthy

Here's how it works. I write a blog--whether boring, exciting, self-centered, about someone else, doesn't matter at all. No matter what it's about, I write it, and my brother Joe makes fun of it in his blog.

After I complained yesterday and begged him to tease someone else, he said he would stay away from making fun of my blog for 3 days. I don't think he can do it. He'll make fun of my blog--or me--before the three days are over. Why am I so confident? Because I offer him such an easy target.

My blogs are mundane, unless I'm traveling. Then they become more interesting.

Yesterday I thought about the old guy I met in Miami last November when I was working with people impacted by Hurricane Wilma. He'd volunteered in 1993 in my home town. It really moved me to see him in the position he was in.

As I went back to the archives to find the post on Ernie, I ended up reading all the entries of my Red Cross experience. It just cemented my decision.

10/4 Yeah, I'm fat

Just got back from my "bye-bye" visit with my doc. I've gained 10 pounds since June, 2005. It's time to get serious again.

The great news is that my cholesterol is good now. In fact, she was jumping up and down at two of the numbers.

Blood pressure 102/70 and that's when I'm stressed out. Don't know why, but I'm so frakking proud of my blood pressure--as if I had anything to do with it.

And I just spilled some salsa all over my shirt. Yay--the dork strikes again.

After today I only have seven more working days. Then poverty descends. (I just said that to torment my brother.)

Finally some pictures of my condo are online. So I hope that the open house on Sunday will be successful--I'll be somewhere sucking down caffeine, writing, and praying.

Tonight we have rehearsal. The show is getting so close. Starting with Saturday we have practice every night until the show on Friday. I'm very excited about the show, but it will be bittesweet--leaving the troupe will be harder than leaving my home. Odd, but true.

10/3 Picture of the sisters

No time to edit the picture to change my red eyes back to blue. But other than that, I just love this picture. From left to right--Jer, Jan, Jane. And by the way, I didn't wear a white dress to someone's wedding. It's just a blouse. I'd taken off my jacket because I was hot (as always).

10/3 More on Storms...

One of my (much) younger brothers posted a comment on yesterday's blog entry. He used it as a metaphor of course, but he basically said we go through storms all the time. How we handle them is what's important. He also said that he didn't know if what I was doing was right, but he and my sister-in-law have decided to support me. Other sibs have said basically the same thing.

Normally I love thunderstorms, what bugged me the other night was that they were so loud I couldn't sleep. But storms themselves hold no fear. I'm fascinated by the power and majesty that nature (God) exhibits for us.

Yet, I respect storms. I won't be outside holding a golf club daring God to hit me. I will go on the porch however, to get a bit closer to the excitement.

The storm I'm going through right now is one of my own making, and although I'm a bit scared about all the work I have to do to make this happen, I'm not fearful of my choice. This is the right thing to do. Our country is selfish as a whole. And I certainly am. As an actor and/or comedian, I'm also self-aware enough to know how narcissistic I am.

I want, I need to think about the well-being of others instead of just myself. Sure, I can do that within the confines of my "normal" life, but for me it's not enough. At my job today I'm dealing with all the news reports of school shootings dating back to 1997. Now I just received a news alert that a commercial airliner has been hijacked in Greek airspace. And of course we could list tons of other examples of how some humans behave.

How can we influence that? Prayer, certainly. Action, too. Sitting alone in my little condo, I know that I can do my small part to make the world better. To some, it may seem dramatic. But I'm alone. My children are established and happy and need nothing from me, except my love and support. (And even though they may not totally understand why I'm doing what I'm doing, they are so WONDERFUL!) I have no fear about my choice.

I thank those who love me who are worried about me. Please do your best not to worry. I've been divorced since 1983 and I've made plenty of stupid and dangerous choices in my life. This is not one of them.

I love you all!

10/2 Your birthday calculator

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Andrea. This is a cool birthday calculator that tells you lots of fun information about you and your birthday.

10/2 Thunderstorms

Have been up most of the night. Every line of thunderstorms in the nation decided to pass over my bedroom. Normally I love storms, but not when they shake the room. Maybe I'm exaggerating the tiniest bit, but the thunder is so loud and the lightning so bright that sleep is impossible. Finally got out of bed at four, and will try to get some work done before I go into the office.

This will be a hell of a long day--work 8-5, then rehearse 7-9. I hate being this tired.

10/1 A good day

Got up early and got some stuff done. My back feels okay today, which is great.

Performed in the Brawl. My team was third out of eight, so I feel pretty good about that.

Then we had an hour of BroadMinded rehearsal. We went over some of the stuff we did at the Milwaukee Sketch Festival. It's coming back to me. :) Will go over the new material tomorrow night. Anothr crazy busy week, when I really need to be home packing. Nothing I can do about it. I'm the one who set the timeline, so I can't blame anyone else. Well, maybe I can blame the Red Cross, they didn't want me to start in November, said they needed me as soon as possible. So let's blame the new employer, okay?

Just kidding. I'm glad they want me asap. Just wish I could bilocate for a while. Being in two places at one time would come in mighty handy right now.

9/30 Here's what sucks...

I just got paid yesterday and am already broke for this two-week period. I'll manage, I think. But that's not what's bad.

I'm working on packing, cleaning up and throwing away stuff, and my back is really hurting. I thought it was better but all this bending and lifting has done me in. Makes me want to just sit and cry--not from the pain but from the frustration of it all. When I get some money in--soon, I'll get rebates from my "cafeteria plan"--then I can hire someone to help me. In the meantime, I just have to keep busy.

Will relax a little right now with a muscle relaxer and the heating pad. Then we'll try 'er again.

Don't mean to sound so down. My life is awesome, I just hate these little setbacks.

Having an open house a week from tomorrow so I have to accomplish a lot today. Tomorrow from noon until night I have the Brawl Competition at CSz and then rehearsal and I can't get out of either one of them and I have rehearsal most of next week, so today and next Saturday are my big opportunities to get things ready for the open house.

Okay, time for drugs. Yay.

9/29 Changes in resignation date

We changed my last date from the 23rd to Friday, the 13th. (Cue spooky music.)

I offered the option to my boss because the following week I'll be in Oshkosh all week at Red Cross Training. I don't have vacation time left to cover it, so I'm not getting paid anyway, and it seemed like a better idea than coming back in for one day on Monday the 23rd. Didn't make sense.

I won't be getting paid by the Red Cross for the training either. Why? Because I don't start with them until the 23rd. This training had already been set up when I was a volunteer, and some of the courses are pre-requisites for being hired. Luckily it's all free, including lodging. I just have to pay for gas and one meal a day.

So two weeks from today is my last day here at CPI. Plus that's the performance day for BroadMinded, which is great and will stop me from feeling any loss at leaving here.

Will stay home tonight and veg a bit. I've been feeling stressed, so instead of getting work done, I'm going to totally relax. Then all day tomorrow I'll work on the house. Hopefully we'll have some interested parties coming through soon.

9/28 Busy, bizzy, bizzy

Yeah, I've always thought "busy" should be spelled "bizzy." Enough about that.

Last night's BroadMinded rehearsal was fun. We did a lot on Jesus and the Women and I think it's going to rock. Plus Megan and Stacy worked on the Hunters. Made me laugh. Then we practiced my sketch--Charity at Home. It's good too. Lots of fun new ones this time.

Great news for some of our troupe. Melissa was promoted into the pros at ComedySportz and starts immediately. We're all so happy for her. She is both talented and nice. Anne is already a pro so 1/4 of us are in the professional players. Very cool. And Megan made the Conservatory at Second City in Chicago. It'll be a lot of work for her, but she's so good, I know it will be worth the work.

Tonight I will be working at home because tomorrow a photographer will come and take pictures of the inside of my condo while I'm at work. So many things to hide. But my closets are already full from when the realtor came. Gosh, I'm a mess. But not too messy because the cleaners came Monday, which meant I had to stuff things in the closet so they could clean.

I just want the sale to get done so I can quit worrying about it. Signed a form that said I didn't have to be at closing, so don't have to wait around for that, which is cool.

Kayla, Hunter, and Jill called me this morning. Kayla first and I loved it. Really miss talking to her since she's in first grade now. Also loved the fact that I could hear Hunter in the background saying, "I want to talk to her. I want to talk to her." Of course then I talked to my own baby, Jill. She is really something. Lucky indeed.

Beata's blog today talked about how happy they are that I'm coming to NC. So sweet--Rob too. I feel very blessed.

And my brother Joe's blog detailed two more birthdays. We must have had at least a hundred of them this month. (Only slight exaggeration.)

9/27 Oh, I forgot...

I forgot to say that I definitely decided to go to Sanford NC for a few months to be with Rob and Beata.

I'll ship my stuff to storage in Quincy, so it will be there when I re-locate. Finding a job in Quincy (for when I'm not doing disaster work) won't be easy if I'm in NC, but it can be done. At least I can set up some interviews. But I'll be rent-free for a couple of months, and that will be awesome.

Thanks, Rob and Beata, you are very kind. (And Beata, please post on your blog about your exciting meeting.)

9/27 Anniversary and more...

Today is Jill and Todd's 9th anniversary. Their wedding was on the beach at Carmel and was lovely. Very small. Just her father (and his wife/son), her brother (Rob) and mom (me). Todd's mom and dad, brothers and their families. So it was a very intimate ceremony. I have so many good memories of that day. Probably my favorite--Jill's maid of honor was her brother Rob, all decked out in his formal military uniform. They looked gorgeous together.

Jill thought it was no big deal asking her brother to be her maid of honor, because "you're supposed to ask your best friend." Now, that memory always makes me tear up a bit. I love my kids!

The "and more..." stuff has to do with my near-panic attack at no money in the bank. Can't wait until Friday (payday). The good news is that I only have a few more payments left on my car, and it's still in good condition. And I'm still confident my condo will sell quickly...but we'll see.

Had an 8 AM appointment at Red Cross for someone in the HR department to sign a form saying that I am who I say I am. Yeah. Had to show my passport. It's a form from the Department of Homeland Security. Hope I pass all the background checks.

Today at work I'm publishing two different online newsletter, so am very busy. What in the hell am I doing blogging? Can't help it. It's an addiction. Or an affliction.

9/26 Quincy again

Another Quincy truck. This one from Gully Transportation. Tried to take a picture when I got closer so you could see the "Quincy, IL" on the side of the truck, or even the mudflaps, but couldn't get a good one.

Caught this while driving back to work from my meeting with the realtor.

9/26 Met with the realtor

Met with Patty, my realtor, over lunch. While not making any false promises, she thought the going rate for a place like mine was higher than I thought. So even if I have to lower the price a bit, I won't be disappointed.

I won't detail all our plans, just in case a potential buyer is reading, but I'm feeling pretty good. Wish it was all done, and I was somewhere else. I'm exhausted just thinking about everything I have to do.

Just met with my boss, and I have some major assignments to complete before I leave....

9/26 More on the wedding

This is stolen from my sister-in-law, Cindy, with her permission (guess it isn't really stealing then). Plus she stole my words "family anthem" so I guess we're even. :) Thanks, Cindy.

We had a very busy weekend with the events surrounding the wedding of our nephew, Craig, and his new bride, Megan. (picture) We broke the drive going there up by staying the night on the Indiana/Ohio border. (our hotel was in Ohio, and we ate dinner that night in Indiana, so I am not kidding about it being on the border) We only had a few hours to drive the next day, so we hit the mall in Richmond before heading out toward Granville, where the wedding was to be held. After checking in, and grabbing some lunch, we got ready and headed to the Granville Inn where most the family was staying, for the rehearsal. It was a drizzling on and off, so the rehearsal was held on a covered patio. The Inn was something to see. It reminded me a lot of the mansions on our Maine Street here in Quincy. The town of Granville has been maintained to a reflect its early history, and reminded Joe and I of a picturesque New England town. After the rehearsal we headed out to a farm that belongs to a friend of Megan and Craig's for a very relaxed, laid back rehearsal dinner. It was just how you'd think a fall evening should be spent with family and friends around. Jim and Karen got in a little later than most of us, but made it out to the farm, and it was good to see them after so long. I enjoyed the evening, and was not nearly as cold as I thought it might be. Saturday we got to sleep in a little and we headed back down the road to tour the town shops, hit the farmers market, and have lunch with a good portion of the family. It wasn't a beautiful sunny day, but the rain held off, and we enjoyed the early part of the day before we had to head back to the hotel and get ready for the wedding. Unfortunately (depending on who you ask) the rain started coming down just before the wedding was to start, but we were all fortunate that Mrs. Laura Bush will be visiting the Inn this week, so tents had been put up for her event, and they allowed Craig and Megan to use them for their wedding. So we were dry and warm, and had the music of raindrops falling on the roof throughout the service. Craig(naturally) provided the comic relief when he was 'attacked' by a spider and did some sort of happy dance to get rid of it, before preceding with his vowes...it was endearning, and SO like Craig. It was a beautiful wedding, and I cried to see one of my 6 originals (nieces and nephews on my own wedding day) begin his own marriage and family. We all moved inside the Inn to the most beautifully decorated room I have ever been in for a reception. It made me feel like a princess(ok, a really OLD princess) There were wonderful Hors d' Oeuvres prior to our meal, and an open bar. Once the bridal party were done with pictures and arrived the dinner was served, and it was wonderfully prepared, and we had several items to choose from. (I, not surprisingly, sampled them all) After dinner the party began, and we had a great time. I laughed so hard so many times, and had a great time. The highlight of the hilarity came when the Bozarth siblings decided they would 'serenade' Craig with their version of "Thank God I'm a Counrty Boy" (sort of a family anthem) and Jimmie did a psuedo strip tease, with a mini lap dance for Craig included. Jim always said he'd get Craig back for dancing on a table in his boxers at his wedding, and Jim had talked about the boxers he bought for the big 'pay back', so he could not pass up this opportunity, even though he said he really hadn't intended to follow through with his 'promise' of revenge. Craig laughed his butt off,(picture) and the look on Megan's face in the crowd was priceless...she had the perfect "O" mouth, and a smile in her eyes. Now the newlyweds are off to Bar Harbor, Maine for a wonderful honeymoon, where Craig says (in true Craig fashion) they will be having some wonderful lobster meals, do some whale watching, and where HE plans to make a baby! (I hope Megan is in on this plan too) Best Wishes to our Newlyweds for a lifetime of happy days.

(I tried to upload some pictures but couldn't. Will try later.)

9/25 Following the weekend...

It's always hard to come back to reality after I have such a fun weekend with my family. But today it's not too bad, because they're supposed to announce my resignation some time soon. And I'll start training someone to do my job, and time will fly by. That will be great because as much as I love this place, I'll be thrilled to start the new phase of my life.

My s-i-l, Karen, said that she and my brother Jim are trying to come up for BroadMinded's performance on October 13th. They live just 2 hours and 15 minutes away, but haven't been to visit me yet. Originally they were going to surprise me, but I was bitching that I've lived here 10 years and they've never visited. So the surprise is ruined but the good feelings aren't. Sure hope they can make it. We're going to have to tape the performance because no one else from the family can make it, and I'd love for them to see it. Especially because it will be my last performance with BroadMinded. I'm very sad about that.

Enough. Need to finish editing a 60-page journal, and it needs to be done today.