6/30 Good work day

Got so much done. Worked on a hardcopy newsletter that needed additional pieces. And finished the online newsletter that needs to go live tomorrow. It's fine as is, but am still going to try to find one more article tomorrow.

Met with the VP who liked an idea I surfaced, so that was cool. Ate cake over break, so that was uncool.

6/29 More of the funeral and more family

What a day. Frank and Katie had coffee ready for me when I got up. Hugged them good-bye and headed to Naperville. I arrived in time to have some great conversations with Barb's brothers and sisters and their families. I love that we grew up together in Quincy and are closer than some siblings. We are really blessed.

Someone told me there were between one and two thousand people yesterday at the visitation. I don't doubt it. And there was more than 500 at the church today for the Mass.

Jacob, a cousin's son, is a very young kid who was being bribed to behave (hey, if it works, don't knock it). If he could keep quiet during the service, Mass and at the cemetary, the family would stop at a toy store on the way home. He was really trying, but was starting to get antsy. I told him I could help. I put my finger on the side of my nose and said, "Every time I do this it means 'be good.' And that will help remind you." Oh, he loved that. I told him this was his special sign. When another cousin tried it later, Jacob remarked, "You can't do that. It's mine. She said." Made me laugh.

My cousin Ann from near Boston and her brother Tim from South Bend arrived in time for the Mass. How wonderful to see both of them. Delightful people. And at the luncheon afterward all the cousins sat at a table and reminisced. And laughed. I was the only one from my family who was able to make it, and I missed my sibs. But it was a long trip for them, and some had just gotten home from Colorado.

Normally, luncheon is served by church volunteers and many many people bring in covered dishes. Because Barb knew that several hundred people would attend, they ended up having a catered meal and it was delicious.

Barb was a rock. She said she was at peace and I believe her. Her sister Susie will stay a few extra days. All her sibs have been so gracious and loving and very supportive of her. Bob (the oldest) and I compared notes on being the oldest in a large family, and a social worker to boot. We have that in common.

I hated to leave, but had CSz practice tonight with my group. The normally 2 hour trip took over 3 1/2 hours because of a bad accident. Thankfully it didn't look like anyone was hurt, but it sure messed up the highway for a long time.

I'm SO LUCKY to be a member of the family I'm in.

6/28 To Chicago for a funeral

I left work early and drove to Naperville for my cousin Joe's funeral. Actually, his wife (Barb) is my blood cousin. But anyone who met Joe felt a kinship with him. It's remarkable that everyone who spoke of him talked about three things--how much he loved his family, his hearty laugh (and concomitant jokes), and how special he made them feel. He had a way of attending to you as if you were the only one there. He really listened (a rare gift). And oh how he laughed.

No wonder the line at visitation at the funeral home went through three viewing rooms and into the hallway, out on the porch, down the stairs and into the parking lot. No wonder that the line stayed that long for hours. No wonder that the visitation was supposed to end at 9 and actually ended after 10:15. No wonder at all, if you knew Joe.

Speaking of laughing--we sure did. Not just at "Joe stories," but because of some music. They played a CD of Josh Grobin, singing My Forever Love. It was superb and so fitting, but before they could turn off the CD, we heard Bob Dylan, "Everybody Must Get Stoned." Omigod we laughed.
____________________________________

I drove to Aurora to stay at Jim and Karen's house (brother and sis-in-law). They were in Florida but her parents were there. Frank and Katie made me feel so welcome, and since they had friends over for bridge, I went to my room, watched a little TV, and snored.

6/27 Boring yet wonderful

Spent all day inside. Injured my foot last week, and stayed off of it most of the day. Did empty one box and put things away, so I felt productive. Other than that, I made soup and watched TV shows I'd taped.

Such is my life.

6/26 Summerfest and Strawberry Festival

Picked up Chris at 11 AM. He wanted to go shopping so I took him to Grand Avenue mall. Even though it dowsn't have all the stores of the suburban malls, it's so cool. Old buildings downtown, connected by elevated walkways. He enjoyed it and spent some money. Also got hauled in to do a survey regarding magazines. Had to walk five minutes to get to the office, so of course I teased him about his inability to say no.

Then to Summerfest. We had a really good time. Ate lunch and watched an Xtreme Airshow--snowboards, skis, jumps and trampolines. Very cool. Walked the entire length of the park and listened to different bands. Saw Lee, a friend from my CSz group, and Chris and I went to watch Lee's daughter dance. The kids were so cute. They're coached by the Milwaukee Bucks cheerleaders and we saw them dance as well.

Chris had his first taste of root beer, and frozen custard. An enjoyable experience for him. And of course for me too because I had to enjoy those same things. :)

Listened to some great salsa music, and rock and roll. Took the sky glide back to the start of the Summerfest Grounds. Then off for more shopping.

Took him to Mayfair Mall where he did some major damage. I found two bargains for my sister, but bargains weren't on Chris's mind. He bought some beautiful items.

Then we drove to Cedarburg and met Bill and Joel for the Strawberryfest. I had so much fun (so did Chris). What a super festival. Only problem is that it closes at six and we didn't get there until after five. Next year I will definitely go for the full day. I loved it. Bought my son-in-law a great Christmas present. We ended up stopping at the Stagecoach Inn and the four of us sat and enjoyed drinks. I had Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss--one of my favorites. Then had a Sprecher Root Beer, on tap.

The guys were so entertaining. Could have sat there all night, except I needed to take Chris back to the hotel and then back up north to my house. Dropped him and off, and I was home by 9 PM. Such a super day.

6/25 Work and Christopher

A really busy day, but I got a lot done. Afterward I picked up my friend Christopher from the airport. He's from Tipperary Ireland (Clonmel) and we hired him while I was in the UK. We became friends throughout the hiring process. A nice guy. His wife and son are in France while he's in the US.

CSz is playing at Chris's hotel while their new place is being renovated. So he and I attended the 10 PM show. Chris hadn't seen a match before and couldn't quite get the picture until he saw the show. We had a great time, plus I got to see a few friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Home about midnight...

6/24 Sad day

Talked to Jill and the kids early in the morning. That was wonderful.

A little later in the morning I found out that one of my cousins died. My cousin Barb's husband (Joe) was only 48 and this was quite a shock. They live in Chicago so I'll be able to go to the funeral.

For some reason the tears kept coming the rest of the day, so I decided to go work at home rather than try to hide my tears at the office.

6/23 Work and fun

Finished some projects. Got two wonderful articles for the Journal, so am finished with gathering them. Now just have to edit. That's the easy part for me. Oh, and I have to write my editorial.

After work I joined my friend Jeff and we went to the Minor League show at CSz. It was great to see other friends. A few of my former classmates made it to the Minors. I'm happy for them. Wish I could have auditioned also, but it happened when I was still gone. I also saw one of my instructors, who's one of my favorite Players. Nice to see Dick too, who's the owner and founder of CSz.

The crowd was very small and one guy was drunk before the show started. Dick finally went to the front row, motioned for the guy to follow him, and made him sit in the back row right next to Dick. Funny. And the guy yelled, "I'm on probation." In spite of myself, I laughed sometimes. But he bugged the hell out of me. The players were trying so hard and he was quite distracting.

Also spoke to Chris, my Irish friend. He's coming to Milwaukee on Friday and will be here a week. I volunteered to be his tour guide and take him to Summerfest and to CSz. My CSz friends said they want to hear his accent... everyone's always trying to improve their accents. :)

Another late night for me. I'm too old for this.

6/22 More work and lots of play

Have found a few more possibilities for the Journal we're publishing, so I'm feeling pretty confident.

Went for a walk over lunchtime with Bill and Elaine. Enjoyable half-hour. Of course I still ate lunch when I returned. I love walking, but not to replace food. :)

Forgot my earrings and felt naked, so after work stopped and bought a new pair. Then ran by Noodles & Company, picked up spicy udan noodles (makes my mouth water just to think about it), then went to Jeff's. We've formed a CSz Summer League (certainly unofficial). Six of us have committed to meeting weekly and practicing until the new classes begin in September. Then in October or November will be auditions for the Minor Leagues. I'm psyched about that--but nervous too.

Home after 10 PM, so naturally didn't do any work. Notice that I'm developing a pattern? Well, this weekend I will be ABSOLUTELY DEDICATED to unpacking from the UK trip and putting crap away. Tomorrow night I plan to go to a Minor League show. Several friends are playing and I want to support them. Plus it will be fun.

6/21 Work and more work

Finished work on one hardcopy newsletter, and began work on a hardcopy journal and an online newsletter. I love it!

Had lunch with my friend, Bill, and finished the Press Release for CSz.

Later, I caught up transferring notes to the blog and I'm glad that's finished. I hate to be so behind.

Felt so productive today that I didn't do too much when I got home.

6/20 From Quincy to Milwaukee

Up at 4:30 AM and am tired. When I got to the train station I dropped off Jane's van and they'll pick it up later. Aunt Millie was there dropping off her son and grandson--Tom and Kevin. Before our train left I looked out the window and saw the aforementioned Andrew and yelled out the door, "Are you coming on the train too?" Turned out he dropped off his girlfriend, Ash, who was going home to Chicago. So I found her and talked for a while. Went back to my seat in Business Class and got my "free food." Ordered a bagel with egg and cheese and a coffee. Tasted good.

Needed to work on the press release but decided I needed a nap more. I woke myself up a few times with snores. God, I hate that.

Woke up when a family with two kids sat across from me. Mom read aloud to the kids. My naptime was done.

Tommy came in and we went to the cafe car, sat and visited for a time. Nice reminiscing about younger days and also to re-visit the fun of yesterday. His son, Kevin, was a star for his improvised interpretation of a three-toed sloth.

By the time I got back to Milwaukee, I was exhausted. So I didn't do much work. Mostly just relaxed until it was time for bed.

6/19 Family Reunion

Up early to prepare for the family reunion. Jane made cole slaw and some other things. Me? I brought olives. Can't believe that's all I brought, I forgot all about making food when I got involved in the games.

Went to the Dollar Store looking for a few trinkets--extra decks of cards, water balloons, a whistle, etc.

Got to the park at 11, lunch was to be at 12. Our family is sponsoring this year so we arranged the tables, cleaned them, and put on tablecoths--secured with tape from the Dollar Store. It was really windy.

Car by car people arrived--what fun! I don't have too many aunts and uncles left so it's a real blessing to be around them. And my many wonderful cousins. Lots of people couldn't make it this time (only 2 of my 5 brothers), but there was still a big crowd.

We visited a little bit and gathered around for grace. I don't know why but I'm always the designated pray-er, and I always include prayers for those not with us, including those who have died. I always think of Mom and Dad, and my little sister Jill, gone so many years.

The the feasting began. The food was superb as usual, although much wasn't vegetarian friendly--German potato salad (with bacon) and a beautiful broccoli salad (with bacon). I still had plenty to eat. There was no bacon in the apple pie.

But the temp was really cool. People went home to change into jeans and jackets. Throughout the day it warmed up nicely especially if we sat in the sun.

After lunch we began the games. It was my turn to lead them. I decided to do non-traditional ones. Early that morning I'd prepared a written game on language. It said, "Think we speak the same language as our friends in the UK? Think again." Then I had a list of words from the UK that were different than what we called the same item. People had to fill in the US version of the UK word. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. We gave out lots of prizes.

Then I led what my nephews call "Jer Games." I've never taken credit for designing these; they're ones I learned in CSz but they're called Jer Games anyway. My family is so strange. The boys always tease me unmercifully about these games but they love to play them. We played What Are You Doing and Story as elimination games. Last person standing won a prize. And I did two sessions of each--one for 12 and under, and one for teenagers and adults. Then we played Countdown just for fun and also a gibberish game. My nephews excel at improvisational comedy games. A few cousins shone as well.

After that we played some of the other games available--a beanbag game, a washer game, and a new one Zylo (Xylo?). There was a huge playground also, so everyone had something to do. Of course some people prefer to talk rather than play games. Go figure.

We then had the auction. Everybody brings items to be auctioned. Some are visible and some are wrapped. The items I brought from the UK, Denmark, France and Sweden were big hits. Everyone that brings an item and everyone that purchases an item gets their name put in for the drawing. The sponsoring family first takes out the money spent to buy the meat for the group and then gives the rest of the money away. It's so much fun. We draw names for $10 and after a while change to $5. The kids are especially excited when we get to this part of the day. I usually win money but didn't this time. Drat.

Then we had a big Euchre Tournament...24 people (12 teams). We drew names out of a hat to determine partners. My niece Kris and I didn't do well. Were probably in the bottom half, but we had a good time. Everyone put in a dollar and the winning team took the pot.

Many new additions to the gathering. Bob's daughter Karen married Matt (the third Matt in the family). They met in Africa serving in the Peace Corps. They're home for a few months and will then go to China to continue their Peace Corps work. A really nice couple. Bob flew to Africa for the wedding. Karen had warned him that the villagers would offer him goat's head to eat and that it was a real honor. If he refused to eat it, it would be the height of disrespect. Bob spent a few months before the wedding asking around about what it tasted like, was it gristly, etc. But he couldn't find anyone who'd ever eaten it. When he arrived in Africa he asked some Peace Corps volunteers about it, and they told him not to worry, he'd live through it, but whatever he did he couldn't refuse to eat it. Bob's a nice guy and wouldn't do anything to offend the people he was visiting in Africa. But he did worry about it.

The day came for the wedding. Karen and Matt were married in the desert. Bob escorted his daughter and they walked a long way to get to the ceremony--I think he said 1/2 mile or so, but by then I'd had a few beers so I can't be sure. The entire village turned out. Wish I'd been able to find out more about the ceremony, it sounds fascinating.

Oh--the goat's head. No such thing was served. Turned out to be a joke Karen played on her dad. Everyone was in on it. I can't wait to find out what Bob does to reciprocate. :)

Another new person was Tom's daughter Colleen's boyfriend John--a really nice guy. Quiet and probably a bit overwhelmed by the group. And Bill's son Andrew's girlfriend Ashley. Quiet and cute. Plus my great-nephew Blake is four months old, so this was his first reunion.

Everyone stayed until 8 PM and by then we'd run out of food. My b-i-l Tim asked if we wanted to stop by for dinner and he'd grill out. I said no thanks. I was already tired and had to get up at 4:30 tomorrow to catch the train. As Jane, Sarah, Jordan and I were driving to Jane's house, Tim called and said the brats were already on the grill and he was cooking a veggie burger for me. So we went over there after all and ate and watched Along Came Polly with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. Lightweight but enjoyable.

Got to Jane's around 11. Packed for my trip home. Hugged and kissed everyone good-bye, since I wouldn't see them in the morning.

6/18 Off to Quincy again

Lots to do at work...and I'm so glad.

Got info from CSz so will work on the press release on the train, either coming or going. I'm quite excited about helping. Not only will it be fun but I'll learn a lot. Hope to be able to take off from work so I can attend workshops.

Nichole from work was on the train from Milwaukee and Chicago. She and two girlfriends were going down for an overnight trip to maximize shopping. The train from Chicago to Quincy was supposed to leave at 5:55 but was delayed until 6:45. Meant that instead of getting to Quincy at 10:18 it would be nearer 11 PM.

I took Business Class. A good thing because it was a full house in coach. For $28 more round trip I got two seats plus $4.50 worth of food vouchers and free drinks. I had two seats most of the way but had to share with someone when a mom got on with two kids and it wouldn't have been easy for her to split up with them.

I sat with a woman on the way to visit her daughter in Macomb, her daughter's first apartment and she wanted her mom to visit.

This time was unusual as we had kids running up and down the aisle in business class. My mantra was, "I know it's worse in coach. I know it's worse in coach."

I worked on my games for the family reunion tomorrow. Plus I finished reading a book. I'll write a book review for one of our journals. The book is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The antagonist is a boy with autism. A riveting novel and funny too while never losing respect for him. A really good book.

The train ended up arriving at 11:20 PM. Unusual to be so late. Jane and Jordan picked me up. We also saw three cousins there. Two of them had been on the train with me but I hadn't seen them. A nice surprise. Will see them again tomorrow at the reunion.

Went to Jane's and immediatelyt to sleep.

6/17 Friends and relatives

Finished copyediting a huge journal at work. Felt good.

I called an old friend. And another friend called from out of town. So cool to reconnect. Spoke to Jill and the kids via Yahoo and webcam. Pretty cool to see them and hear them...especially to see the kids throwing kisses to Grandma.

Had to iron more and then pack for Quincy. I'll leave tomorrow on the 3 PM train.

Gave Shirley her gift, a scarf from Paris. She worked hard, saving all my plants from certain death in my absence.

6/16 Unpacking

So busy at work. I love it. Job security.

Lots of rain. Unpacked boxes looking for Shirley's gift. Finally found it in the last box. Isn't that the way? By the time I found it, it was too late to give it to her. Will do it tomorrow.

Ironed. Yes. Me. I ironed.

6/15 CSz Committee Meeting

Another busy day, but it's payday. Hooray!

After work there was a committee meeting for ComedySportz. We're preparing for the 2004 World Championship to be held in Milwaukee in August. I'm quite excited about it, and even though it will be a lot of work, I'm honored to be on the committee.

We met at Slim's, a bar by the new venue. Jen, Jeff, Lynna and I enjoyed drinks and dinner. (Michele couldn't make it since she just had knee surgery.) After dinner we toured the CSz location. It's awesome and will be a great venue. So much larger than the old place and very well organized. They've done a super job of the design.

6/14 Back to work

My kitchen might be a bit dryer today. I'll continue to blot the water and hold off on the plumber.

Couldn't wait to get back to work. I really missed the place and the people. My office was decorated with welcome-back posters and people wrote notes on the largest one. A wonderful feeling. Then at 10 we had "tea and crumpets." Delicious items to eat...and tons of them, too.

Had a few meetings and then enjoyed lunch with my friend, Nichole. Couldn't give out the candy I'd bought, since Fedex refused to ship it. All I had were mints, since I carried those myself.

A busy day. After work I went home and began the process of opening the boxes that were shipped.

6/13 From LA to Milwaukee

During the night Kayla had nightmares. I'd wake her up but when she went back to sleep she'd start thrashing, crying and talking. Finally she said, "I miss my mommy and daddy." So I brought her into their room. Normally she sleeps all night in her own room, so maybe my snoring scared her. (Made myself laugh over that one.)

At 5:45 AM Hunter yelled for his Mom but she didn't hear him, so he finally yelled, "Grandma," so I got up with him. He "helped" me finish packing and we had a good amount of time together, which I cherished.

Jill had errands so she didn't take the kids with us to the airport. So I had my crying finished by the time we were underway. I hate leaving them.

The flight went by quickly because I slept. My CSz friend, Jeff, picked me up at the airport. It was good to get home. I found a welome from Shirley (who watered my plants in my absence). She made a sign for my door and wrote a lovely note. And Peggy, who cleaned for me, left a really cute card and a balloon welcoming me. That made coming home even better.

The only bad thing was my kitchen rug was all wet. It must be a leak and I'll hate it if I have to call a plumber.

6/12 Fun at Joanne's house in the OC

"Time to get up, Grandma." Kayla and I got up early, but Hunter slept until 7:15, a nice bonus for Jill.

Kayla asked Todd for a scrambled egg for breakfast and i just had coffee, preparing myself for the feast at Joanne's.

We left at 9:45 for the 90 minute trip to the OC. Joanne's house is lovely. I'd been there a few tiems before. We got there a little before 11:30 and were the first to arrive. Kayla was ready to go swimming right away but I convinced her to wait until after lunch.

Joanne's daughter, Ria, and grand-daughter, Adrianna, arrived next. Dom and Rocco, the seven month old twins, were running fevers and couldn't make it. Hope to meet them next time. Charlie arrived next and finally--after a bout of horrific traffic--Deb and her sister Iris.

Food--wow--ham/cheese/asparagus roll-ups, tons of cut up veggies (including tomatilloes, my new favorite), declicious dip (Joanne will share recipe), zucchini fritters (omigod), Debbie's squash fritters (omigod again), Deb's dessert chocolate peanut butter cups (ecstasy), chips with fresh guacamole (my mouth is watering just typing), fresh lemonade (I had four glasses), and limoncello (a homemade lemon liqueur). Wow! There's more, I know but I can't type everything or I'll run out and start stuffing my face.

Can you tell I loved the food? So good that I grazed all afternoon and didn't have to eat dinner.

Joanne was so sweet to welcom us to her lovely home. Adrianna and Kayla got along well and all three kids impressed us with how verbal they are. So much fun to interact with.

Before Ria left to go tend to the twins, we got to watch her latest commercial. That was fun.

Jill, Joanne and I swam with the kids. What fun. Joanne had warmed up the pool and the kids loved that.

It was a great day. After swimming Jill relaxed on a chaise lounge, the kids played, and I got to visit with my friends. Deb, Charlie, Joanne, Iris and I had a great conversation. Wish I lived closer to get together more often. I really love these women. And to think, we met on a writers' bb. So cool.

We got to see the uncorrected copy of Deb's latest book--Your Shirt Is Not an Oven Mitt. It's such a fun book (and her 4th). I had a small part in copyediting and am mentioned in the acknowledgements. I'm thrilled with that. (No one would know I'm a good editor by reading this blog, that's for sure.) :)

By the time we got home it was 7 and only a short time before the kids had to go to bed. My last night. Kayla went to bed in my room as usual. I read for a while and then Jill and I spent a long time in an enjoyable conversation. She's such a sweetie.

6/11 Fun with the kids in LA

Up early. Kayla nudged me at 5:40 AM saying, "Grandma, it's time for you to get up." I'd been up earlier anyway. Around 5 Hunter cried and I succumbed to his begging and brought him to his mom and dad's room. Thought I could sleep a little longer, but Kayla would have none of that.

I took Jill to work at 6:40 and then took the kids to Coco's for breakfast. Kayla loves it there because she gets her orange juice in a "to go" coffee cup, "just like Mommy." She also ate eggs, basically a first. She'd tried them a few years ago and declared she didn't like them. Later Todd was surprised that she'd eaten both eggs and tomatoes with me. Ah, the power of grandmahood.

Went home so Hunter could have his morning nap. I did some email work while half-watching Brother Bear with Kayla. Her new favorite movie.

I woke up H at 11:45 since we were going to Chuck E Cheese for lunch. We had a great time there. Had tons of tokens left over from Kayla's 4th b'day party last month. After we ate pizza I was ready to spend all the tokens. But I laughed when the kids only wanted to play on the toys that were free. Went home with a cupful of tokens.

Funniest thing was when I bought them ice cream cones. H stuck his face right in it and kept sucking like it was a giant straw. I took a few pictures when I could stop laughing long enough and when I could convince him to come up for air. He had a faceful of ice cream and when I wiped it, his skin was frozen red. What a sight.

Went home to give them a short nap before picking up Jill at 4. Todd was at the house when we returned. He fed dinner to the kids while Jill and I enjoyed my b'day present to her--manicures and pedicures. Went to a new place in Valencia. Most comfortable chairs ever--chair vibrates while your feet are in a vibrating bath. Absolutely heavenly.

Then Jill and Todd went out for dinner and a comedy club while I got to babysit. God, I lvoe to do that! (Should have recommended they go to the LA ComedySportz. Never even thought of it.)

Kids went to bed at 8 and I watched my favorite TV show--Stargate SG-1. I missed that while in the UK.

Rob and Beata called from Japan--a nice surprise. Can't wait until they move to Chicago.