Kicking off another season

We're kicking off another football season today! It will be a different one. For one thing, I'll be without my honey. Paul texted Friday to say the hunting group had arrived at their camp near Ouray, Colorado. It's very lush and green there, he said, since they've had lots of rain. A nice change from past years in that area. Good luck me amore. I don't really want a fricking giant elk $ head in the basement - but know how much joy that would bring you.

This year, we will be tailgating at Iowa State Cyclone games without an RV for the first time in several years. Don and Diana have traded up - a home on Lake of the Ozarks for a 1992 Pace Arrow Recreational Vehicle. (Okay they had to get a home loan and the RV cash is really just helping with some of the cost of remodeling.) But the fact is - we won't be tailgating in the RV lot any longer.

Donnie had an ISU skin put on it when the new logo came out - so it looked sharp! (so did we in our snuggies)

 

Paul grilled often - we had the routine down.

The new lake place is a work in progress - but is moving along nicely!

Cap'n Don is at home behind the wheel of his new pontoon, just like he drove the RV.
 

I'm sad that tailgating, as we've been so spoiled to be accustomed to, is over. But that's the way life goes. Life changes all the time. Last fall was different because we weren't there to "pre-tailgate" with the gang on Thursday nights before home games. We moved away and life changed for us in a big way then.

 

Those pre-tailgating nights were sometimes more fun than the actual games because we didn't have the stress of entertaining any other tailgaters - nor the stress of the actual game! (some of us actually care about football - not just the party). On pre-tailgate Thursdays, we delivered food, chairs and liquor to McKim's home in Creston and ended up staying there - setting up lawn chairs in their driveway, if it was nice out - or sitting in the RV if it was chilly. Sometimes we would get pizza delivered. One time Dan Coen brought it to us from A&G because it was on his way home. Ryan McKim usually got stuck with the duty during his year coaching in Creston.  

 

Important decisions were made in those group meetings! We came up with the menu for game day, and split up who would bring what. And a lot of other real, real important stuff. And stuff. Yeah! It was often hard to get up for work on Friday. We had a lot of fun. McKim's neighbors thought we were nuts. Paul Eckhoff was known to stick his head in to give us the Hawkeye perspective now and then.

 

McKims drove the RV up to Ames on Friday nights to get a good spot in D2 in the RV Parking area. Lots of ISU games were early, so Paul and I often found ourselves heading there from Creston bright and early on game days to assist with RV setup and to help cook. One year we went through every type of breakfast food we could think of - burritos, casseroles, Egg Mcmuffins. Good thing we had Pablo's Bloody Marys to keep us company. The RV kept us toasty too - I'll miss that plush velour seating. And the toilet facilities! It was also a plus to have somewhere to be able to change clothes if one needed to - put on longjohns or take 'em off.

 

Our RV connection helped us be in the "popular" group. People from all areas of our lives stopped by to see us at our tailgate.  College, work, Creston, former Creston - they all came and they'd hang around - to have some food, watch the TV Don set up on the side of the RV, under the awning. If they were young cute girls (and of age) Don would set them up with shots. Don likes to make shots for girls.

 

Jud's college buddies went all through 4 years of school spoiled by the RV. And then even after they graduated they found they liked to hang out and play the bags game and eat - even if Jud couldn't make it to the game from his home in St. Joe. Amy surprised me there for one birthday - it was quite a shocker. I was speechless, if you can imagine that. We like seeing her friends Ginger and 'Chelle at games, and the McFee children. Katie McKim brought the "grandpuppy" Lena last year. 

 

We've gotten to know Don and Diana's marvelous parents during these past years of RV tailgating. They didn't come for the games - though they'd watch on the RV TV. They just liked bringing food and hanging with their families. I really have enjoyed that, especially since our parents have left us - too early. There is something about hanging with that generation that is calming. Except when you hang with Margaret - who is an enabler....It's been fun. I'll miss it. I doubt D & D will miss the messes they were left with on Sundays (Mrs. Clean, Diana had to scrub everything down each week), though I know they loved seeing everyone too. Their son Ryan, who has been on the ISU football staff in some role or another (except for that one year when he coached in Creston) since 2006, took a job with the Oklahoma Sooner staff. He's an assistant special teams coach. So no sidelines passes or high-fiving Ryan as he does the Spirit Walk this year. Changes - they just keep coming. It makes life interesting, no?

 

Now we'll come up with a new routine. Maybe we'll be the ones to visit someone else's RV! Paul and I have a parking pass so that's what we're going with tomorrow. Bobbie and Jeff will pick me up. It will be hot as hell so I'm in no rush. We have a tent, so we can get out of the sun. Game time is 7 p.m. Don and Dee will be running late - coming over from Margaret's family reunion near Lincoln, NE. We'll find a way to have fun. Because that's how we roll. Don't worry - you'll see pictures.

Go Cyclones!  

 

 

It made a great backdrop.

He's a mindreader

After 31 years of marriage, my spousal unit is a mind reader. I was just thinking - hmmm, Paul is gone next week. Maybe I should try to make an appointment for a massage. Then I opened my anniversary card - and saw that he'd included a massage gift certificate from my masseuse Christine Davis. Sigh - he knows me like I know myself.

I'm going to miss that guy. He's now gone for 10 days hunting in SW Colorado with his bow for Elk. Stay safe Pablo!



The gang in front of the soon to be completed CR Linn Resource Recovery Facility in Marion
 

Educational viewing area in the new building

Paul took off around 3:15 a.m. today. I'm sure he didn't sleep much before that (pre-trip excitement). Jud texted anniversary wishes last night and asked if Paul was checking his bags 3 times like a good Goldsmith. haha - they (the Goldsmiths in my fam are a bit OCD that way...)

I woke up to say goodbye, and took awhile to fall back asleep. I got up at 5 a.m. myself, to get my stuff done and get to work for a trip to Cedar Rapids. Scott, Jeff, Angie and I spent the day there (and we met our other team member Shelly there) for another Environmental Management System Audit. Angie is replacing Becky these days - as Beck is due any day now with Jolly baby number 3.



We headed to CR Linn's other site near the Czech Village after lunch. It's the old landfill, now closed. They compost there and recycle a number of materials.

Scarab - compost turning equipment



Shingle recycling pile off behind my sizzling hot friends (it was near 100 degrees by then)

We got back to DSM in time for me to report to HyVee Hall on time for my stint at Meals from the Heartland . I had signed up to help after Mass at our church, St. Francis of Assisi on Saturday. I got there a bit before 5:30 a.m., the appointed time - and watched the required video, then donned the hairnet and took off my earrings and necklace.

I didn't get a pic of Bob Stewart - he didn't dig the hairnet look, plus he snuck out a bit early as he's recovering from hip surgery

Here is what the bags looks like before they are sealed

Then I got in line behind another "single". The other St. Francis workers weren't there and I decided to go ahead and get to work! A volunteer lead the other guy and me to a group who was already busy filling bags with rice, dried veggies and a packet of vitamins. I looked up to see my cousin Bob Stewart was one of the workers! Small world. It turned out to be a group of Knapp Realty workers.

I was assigned weighing the full bags of product - they were to be between 390 and 393 grams on the little scale. I scooped rice in or out with a plastic spoon to make it come out. Then the guy next to me sealed it. He was married to the gal across from me who was doing the same thing as I was.  As we talked about her work at Knapp - I found out she manages Diamond Brooke - our Townhouse Association - what a small world indeed.

They have packed over 2 million meals so far during this event

The huge room was filled with groups like ours filling bags. After 2 hours, our group and the one next to us had together filled 46 cases with bags. Pretty impressive. For a half hour or so, a guy played his guitar and sang oldies, including the theme song to the Beverly Hillbillies. We sang along! It was fun and the whole time I was feeling good about what we were doing.

Just over 31 years ago people threw rice at us when we got married. Now I'm packing rice - to feed the hungry I thought. This is a much better cause. I feel so humble to have been a part of it.



Marriage advice from a divorced guy

This is from  the Facebook page of a guy named Gerald Rogers. He posted this on the eve of his divorce. Evidently Gerald did some deep thinking about marriage once his was breaking up.




Reading through it - as someone who is married 31 years today, and a female, I thought I'd add my two cents worth in! I'll post my words in blue.

 

MARRIAGE ADVICE I WISH I WOULD HAVE HAD:

Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had...

1) Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that... woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love. 

You will get lazy - face it, it's human nature!  But make up for it, by making sure your spouse knows they are still special in your heart - not always second rate behind your children, your friends, your family - work etc.   

 

2) PROTECT YOUR OWN HEART. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place in your heart where no one must enter except for your wife. Keep that space always ready to receive her and invite her in, and refuse to let anyone or anything else enter there.

I think this one is worded funny - he's going for the fact that some married people seem to be still open for business. You know how some guys are, (and women) so flirty? Sure it's fun to get attention from other people. And some people need more attention than others. If you get married, you should probably stop this behavior - especially if you have a jealous spouse. If you are not married - stop seeking this behavior from married people.

 3) FALL IN LOVE OVER and OVER and OVER again. You will constantly change. You’re not the same people you were when you got married, and in five years you will not be the same person you are today. Change will come, and in that you have to re-choose each other everyday. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY WITH YOU, and if you don’t take care of her heart, she may give that heart to someone else or seal you out completely, and you may never be able to get it back. Always fight to win her love just as you did when you were courting her. 

I don't really like the phrasing of this one either, but it's the right idea. When you live with someone every day, it's not possible to love everything about them. Hell, I even get sick of myself sometimes! It's true - if you're normal people, you'll change a great deal through your marriage, and that's why some people don't make it. They just don't change in the same way - people who got along at 25 may not be compatible at 35 - especially without a great deal of patience and effort. Personalities don't change but people can.

 4) ALWAYS SEE THE BEST in her. Focus only on what you love. What you focus on will expand. If you focus on what bugs you, all you will see is reasons to be bugged. If you focus on what you love, you can’t help but be consumed by love. Focus to the point where you can no longer see anything but love, and you know without a doubt that you are the luckiest man on earth to be have this woman as your wife.

I don't think this is possible. You are going to be bugged by some things - you just need to get over them. I decided he puts up with just as much from me as I do from him. I try to treat him just as I would someone else (who is not married to me). So if he parks in a spot I don't like, I try not to chew him out. (I just learned this one recently - so he's been patient through all these years).

 5) IT’S NOT YOUR JOB TO CHANGE OR FIX HER… your job is to love her as she is with no expectation of her ever changing. And if she changes, love what she becomes, whether it’s what you wanted or not.

See above.

 6) TAKE FULL ACCOUNTABILITY for your own emotions: It’s not your wife’s job to make you happy, and she CAN’T make you sad. You are responsible for finding your own happiness, and through that your joy will spill over into your relationship and your love.

This is one I think is the reason for lots of angst - people blaming others and waiting for this or that for happiness. How many times does that thing come and they're still not happy? Or they settle into that next marriage - and they find out it's just as tough as the last one. Find your own happiness - but include your spouse in some of it!

 7) NEVER BLAME your wife If YOU get frustrated or angry at her, it is only because it is triggering something inside of YOU. They are YOUR emotions, and your responsibility. When you feel those feelings take time to get present and to look within and understand what it is inside of YOU that is asking to be healed. You were attracted to this woman because she was the person best suited to trigger all of your childhood wounds in the most painful way so that you could heal them… when you heal yourself, you will no longer be triggered by her, and you will wonder why you ever were.

Allow your woman to JUST BE. When she’s sad or upset, it’s not your job to fix it, it’s your job to HOLD HER and let her know it’s ok. Let her know that you hear her, and that she’s important and that you are that pillar on which she can always lean. The feminine spirit is about change and emotion and like a storm her emotions will roll in and out, and as you remain strong and unjudging she will trust you and open her soul to you… DON’T RUN-AWAY WHEN SHE’S UPSET. Stand present and strong and let her know you aren’t going anywhere. Listen to what she is really saying behind the words and emotion.
My husband and I don't argue much. He's so darn centered. I think this is probably very good advice. I'm pretty good at the silent treatment when I'm upset or angry - but I eventually get over it and talk.
 
9) BE SILLY… don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Laugh. And make her laugh. Laughter makes everything else easier.
This one is very important. We laugh a lot!

10) FILL HER SOUL EVERYDAY… learn her love languages and the specific ways that she feels important and validated and CHERISHED. Ask her to create a list of 10 THINGS that make her feel loved and memorize those things and make it a priority everyday to make her feel like a queen.
Again - a great idea, but will it happen in the business of everyday life? Probably a good exercise, but that list will get stuck away somewhere soon...

 11) BE PRESENT. Give her not only your time, but your focus, your attention and your soul. Do whatever it takes to clear your head so that when you are with her you are fully WITH HER. Treat her as you would your most valuable client. She is.
I don't always feel like the most valuable client - especially during deer and pro football season. Nor have I always given my husband VIP status. You know the drill - you married to the guy. He's stuck with you! So you give other things higher priority. Hmm. But who sits with you at the hospital when you get that bad diagnosis. Yep. Maybe it's time to prioritize better. Note to self!

12) BE WILLING TO TAKE HER SEXUALLY, to carry her away in the power of your masculine presence, to consume her and devour her with your strength, and to penetrate her to the deepest levels of her soul. Let her melt into her feminine softness as she knows she can trust you fully.

I'm not going here.

 13) DON’T BE AN IDIOT…. And don’t be afraid of being one either. You will make mistakes and so will she. Try not to make too big of mistakes, and learn from the ones you do make. You’re not supposed to be perfect, just try to not be too stupid.

Be friends and talk to each other. I hear of many couples keeping secrets about money, activities - I think that must chip away at a marriage...

 14) GIVE HER SPACE… The woman is so good at giving and giving, and sometimes she will need to be reminded to take time to nurture herself. Sometimes she will need to fly from your branches to go and find what feeds her soul, and if you give her that space she will come back with new songs to sing…. (okay, getting a little too poetic here, but you get the point. Tell her to take time for herself, ESPECIALLY after you have kids. She needs that space to renew and get re-centered, and to find herself after she gets lost in serving you, the kids and the world.)

You both need to have interests other than each other and your children. It's refreshing to get back together after you do something apart and fill each other in.

 15) BE VULNERABLE… you don’t have to have it all together. Be willing to share your fears and feelings, and quick to acknowledge your mistakes.

This is hard for some men. And some women. "I'm sorry" isn't easy to say.

 16) BE FULLY TRANSPARENT. If you want to have trust you must be willing to share EVERYTHING… Especially those things you don’t want to share. It takes courage to fully love, to fully open your heart and let her in when you don't know i she will like what she finds... Part of that courage is allowing her to love you completely, your darkness as well as your light. DROP THE MASK… If you feel like you need to wear a mask around her, and show up perfect all the time, you will never experience the full dimension of what love can be.

I've heard of people who have gotten divorced and the guy said "I never really did love you". Man that would take a lot to recover from. That's on him. Why would someone play those games? I guess I'm too much of a "tell it like it is" person.

 17) NEVER STOP GROWING TOGETHER… The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool. Atrophy is the natural process when you stop working a muscle, just as it is if you stop working on your relationship. Find common goals, dreams and visions to work towards.

I like the malaria analogy. I've seen divorces in the case of one continuing to grow and the other not...or sometimes people grow in different directions. We can't always control that and it's sad - especially when kids are involved, but sometimes it's just best for everyone to move on.

 18) DON’T WORRY ABOUT MONEY. Money is a game, find ways to work together as a team to win it. It never helps when teammates fight. Figure out ways to leverage both persons strength to win.

This guy is dreaming if he thinks he can just say "don't worry about money". Work together as a team - that's a better strategy. If one is a saver and the other won't keep track of spending, that's going to cause friction and stress - even fights. Figure this out before you get married. Because it doesn't get better later.

19) FORGIVE IMMEDIATELY and focus on the future rather than carrying weight from the past. Don’t let your history hold you hostage. Holding onto past mistakes that either you or she makes, is like a heavy anchor to your marriage and will hold you back. FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM. Cut the anchor loose and always choose love.

Good advice.

 20) ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. In the end, this is the only advice you need. If this is the guiding principle through which all your choices is governed, there is nothing that will threaten the happiness of your marriage. Love will always endure.

In the end MARRIAGE isn’t about Happily ever after. It’s about work. And a commitment to grow together and a willingness to continually invest in creating something that can endure eternity. Through that work, the happiness will come.

Marriage is life, and it will bring ups and downs. Embracing all of the cycles and learning to learn from and love each experience will bring the strength and perspective to keep building, one brick at a time.

These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late.

But these are lessons I am learning and committed in carrying forward. Truth is, I LOVED being married, and in time, I will get married again, and when I do, I will build it with a foundation that will endure any storm and any amount of time.

If you are reading this and find wisdom in my pain, share it those those young husbands whose hearts are still full of hope, and with those couples you may know who may have forgotten how to love. One of those men may be like I was, and in these hard earned lessons perhaps something will awaken in him and he will learn to be the man his lady has been waiting for.

The woman that told him 'I do', and trusted her life with him, has been waiting for this man to step up.

If you are reading this and your marriage isn’t what you want it to be, take 100% responsibility for YOUR PART in marriage, regardless of where your spouse is at, and commit to applying these lessons while there is time.

MEN- THIS IS YOUR CHARGE : Commit to being an EPIC LOVER. There is no greater challenge, and no greater prize. Your woman deserves that from you.

Be the type of husband your wife can’t help but brag about.

 

Photo below - Paul (that husband I brag about)...and me. Welp, we're still married after all these years. I amuse the guy - keep him on his toes! He treats me pretty well. We make a good team.

 

 

Bringing the heat

Where was this heat last weekend? We could have used it down at Lake of the Ozarks - where it was down in the 50's at night. Of course when school starts, true Iowa weather hits - high heat (98 degrees today), humidity - it's all here along with a breeze. We're having the Diamond Brooke (our condo association) picnic this evening. At least it's in the shade. Last summer the weather was like this the whole time. This year I've had lots of good deck time, and yesterday a.m. it was nice until around 10.

I went to school back in the days before air conditioning did. I don't recall school officials dismissing us early for heat back then. We wore our little dresses in the 1960's - no shorts. I suppose skirts might have been cool with those cotton undies we wore! When the wind blew - it was "dress up day".

The DM Register recently wrote an editorial stating their opinion that schools should charge a little more for registration fees and require families to bring fewer supplies to school at the beginning of the year. I have to say I agree with that - especially after I saw what some of the 'burbs were requiring of their students! Boys: disinfectant wipes. Girls: Hand sanitizer. That kind of stuff has to be way cheaper in bulk! And does Crayola subsidize them or lobby to make sure students have to have 8 thin tipped markers, erasable?

I remember how upset Amy would get when Katie Deranleau would borrow a colored pencil and break it. Argh - "I don't have a good rosy puce anymore Mommy!" It was always a very important color making it necessary to purchase a new box of colored pencils!

I know schools are cut to the bone on budget - and they hesitate to charge more fees for supplies. It's a Catch 22 situation. But something does need to give. I must agree with the DMR here. I liked the letter to the Reg recently where the author said he didn't need to take no stinking tissues to school back when he was a student (he must be ancient like me). Boys wore long sleeve shirts in his day, he said - and that's what they used!

Outside the stadium

Last night I attended my first Iowa Cubs game since Judson David was in Little League in Creston and the whole gang attended a Cub game. Our realtor Marg called last weekend to say she and daughter Holly (her partner) won a box seat and would like to invite us to attend a game Saturday night. It was fun and the Cubs beat the Memphis Redbirds, though I must confess I didn't pay too much attention to the game until the last couple innings. I was having too much fun chatting with the other guests - who included my boss Alex and wife Julie. That was after we found the place - we wandered around most of Principal Park before we found out the Box we were looking for was in the outfield! By then I was hot and thirsty. Thank goodness for the cold beer on ice waiting for us.

We found it! Holly and Fritz were outside

It was Alex who introduced me to Marg and Holly a year ago when we started this great journey, a huge change in our lives! Paul accepted the job with NRCS in DSM just before he left for his elk hunting trip in Colorado last August. I asked Alex if he was happy with his realtor back then, because I knew he had recently bought a new home in town - and he was so enthusiastic about this pair I emailed them right away. That was a decision we really nailed! Here we are a year later, and they are still inviting us to events. Nice people. If you're looking to buy or sell in the area: Marg and Holly  Iowa Realty
And they didn't ask for this plug either.

Paul chats with Alex, Marg and Julie

Of course I spent some time talking shop with Alex. He recently was promoted to Bureau Chief from Section Supervisor - so I don't get to talk to him much anymore. He now supervises 4 sections - around 50 people! Not bad for somebody in his mid 30s. We talked about a meeting we both attended Friday with an outside consultant. Alex's wife Julie is a Beford native (my old Prairie Solid Waste Agency stomping grounds) - so of course the discussion revolved around the jailbreak and resulting hostage situation there earlier in the week. She knew the cop who was shot, and had been fearful when the bad guy was on the loose as her fam lives in town. She knows the nice people, held as hostages, who eventually took out the criminal with a shotgun. She said a fundraising effort is going on the send the people to see their daughter who lives a few states away - so they can get away from being in the house where it happened etc.

You can see the river from theses seats!

We also met a very interesting person named Sally who Marg helped find a new home a year ago when she moved back to Iowa from South Carolina. Sally (in her late 60s?) grew up in Charles City - but - small world department - her grandma lived in the house next to the one we lived in at Osage. Sally was married to a guy who was a long time writer/editor at the Waterloo Courier. He quit at age 55 and attended Iowa to get his Masters Degree so he could teach and they moved to S.C. and he plied that trade for a few years. She is a UNI grad and was a fundraiser for the Cedar Rapids arts - music scene prior to moving and did similar work in S.C.

Cubby made me blink!

After a few years they retired and moved to the Charleston area to a beach home - and six months later Sally's husband was diagnosed with heart cancer (very rare) and died 2 weeks later. Geez! How many times do you hear of that? So tragic at any age. Sally continued to live in S.C. for 13 years but decided a year ago to move back to Iowa - where property taxes are 4x higher but property insurance is much lower (no hurricanes). Her daughter is Elisabeth Reynoldson - attorney, who used to be an Assistant U.S. Attorney General, but who is now working with her husband in his law practice in Osceola. Their children are at that age - where one wants to be there for them.  Sally is an interesting lady - and is a good friend of former Lt. Gov. Joy Corning. It was fun talking with her.

self portrait at game - heat, wind, humidity!

Paul enjoyed talking to Bob who is an anaesthetist. He and his wife are good friends with Holly and her husband Fritz. Bob lives on the edge of a part of DSM that is overpopulated with deer, so he bowhunts in his yard. They talked hunting for a long time! Of course Paul is getting jacked up for his elk hunting trip - he heads out Thursday a.m. early. Today is the Diamond Brooke picnic - it should be fun in this heat. I need to go make the Chinese Slaw - decided to go with something cold.

At Mass at St. Francis last night (before the game) we saw Todd Dunphy and Tim Root - nice to say "hi" to those Crestonian friends!

Another week flies by

If this is how time flies by when I'm 55...I'm not sure what it will be like at 80!?! Maybe at some point it slows down again.

In a way, I like it that way. It makes me feel alive to be on this pace. Some of my Facebook friends tell me "you are busy all the time!" That's not really true. I just don't post pics of myself doing nothing! "I loved that cool photo of you changing the sheets on your bed!", said nobody ever. (Though I did just learn how to do the sheet corners the proper way from Diana McKim).

I walked down to Jimmy John's in the East Village at lunch one day, and through Governor's Plaza on my way back to the Wallace Building only to discover a whole new Holocaust Memorial. How have I not noticed it before now?

New memorial

 

I need to go back when I have more time to read it, and the light is better.

On Thursday I participated in an Environmental Management System audit at Metro Waste Authority's (MWA) landfill in Mitchellville - east of Des Moines. Our audit team talks to their staff to make sure the staff there is covering all the bases of EMS. MWA does some cool things.

Audit team members and staff looks at a leachate evaporator

Sara points out highlights of the constructed wetland at MWA

Later on Thursday, Paul and I attended the NRCS (his work) teambuilding meeting - a post-work, elbow-bending session at Embassy Suites. The restaurant there is closed, so we sat outside in the comfy chairs. I've been to enough sessions I'm actually getting to know some of the people.

We headed up the street to the Locust Street Tap on our way back to the car. I'm always fascinated by the artwork and decorations at the place. I drank water and took photos and chatted with Paul and Gillespie, a Creston High School grad who works for the Department of Agriculture. Paul's had some fun fishing and hunting with Jim.

Franken Berry!

Paul's work friends

 

I think my sis has been here...

The bar -Barbies on top

School started in the Des Moines area this week, and of course the weather is sizzling hot now. I don't know what the rush is to start school in August - and then get out so early in the spring. I don't know how many years it took for me to quit feeling like I should head back to school myself! And then for years it was "Back to School" time for Amy and Jud. Amy was always so fired up - she loved putting her name on each and every item (and Jud's name on his stuff too!).

I enjoy seeing all the pics on Facebook of the "off to school" kids - whether it be to pre-school, grade school, high school or college. I can understand the tears - by parents and students! I wasn't usually one of the parents who cried though. I was more excited for the kids - for the milestones they were reaching, than for the losses and changes I was undergoing. And my kids are still reaching them today. I miss them - but am proud and happy that they're doing fine without me!

On the Pontoooon (in a singing manner)

We got a wee bit 'o work done Saturday morning. Al wanted his Sea-doo out of the water, and Jeff volunteered to ride it around to the nearest dock. What a nice man! Paul and Lucy cooked breakfast (see below). It held us until supper - rib sticking good!

I think she's singing along with her CD...

Bobbie made us each a CD of floating on the boat tunes! We sat on Don and Dee's new (for them) pontoon Saturday listening to it on a quiet cove (not a crazy party cove - yep we're growing up!) on Lake of the Ozarks. It was finally warmer - no sweats and jackets required. The water was chilly though. Ten plus inches of rain the week before dropped the water temp nearly ten degrees!

Jeff acts as first mate

Buddies huddle together for warmth on Thursday

While maybe not as sexy as other types of boats, the pontoon is a great party boat. Especially for old folks! It was quite comfy to get in and out of - no crawling over the side. Two thumbs up from this freeloader. We'll miss the McKim RV tailgating this fall - but the pontoon is a pretty good tradeoff. Donnie was a good captain too - we only got a bit wet from passing cruisers waves. No wall of water!

great pic of our farmer friend

After floating a while (and when we all needed to use the facilities) - we headed to Fish and Company. Dale Blue was the entertainment - and we tried to help! Diana manned the tambourine and I was called "camera girl" by Dale himself. The girls had fun dancing - some Kansas State friends helped too. Fellow Crestonites the Hueys were there with their son - kind of a Brad Pitt look alike. Cute!

Who knew the tambourine had a handle?

Young Mr. Huey talks to Jeff and Paul

The girls drank something blue...they said it was delish

Later we dropped Paul and Lucy off. Then we had another burst of energy. We stopped one more place and Diana sang karaoke! We ate pizza too. It was nearly dark by the time we pulled into the McKim place. 

breakfast at Eckhoffs Saturday a.m. - Paul E. made biscuits and gravy AND with hollandaise - had some great melon with it, so it wasn't all heart attack material

Of course McKims had the flag flying!

It was a long drive home to Iowa yesterday. But we were lucky, and got to hitch a ride down with McKims and a home with McFees. We left our car at WalMart in Osceola and it was still there when we got back. So that was a bonus. Laundry and a wiener dog awaited when we got home. Our dog/house sitter Kimmy McFee is heading back to pick up a second major at ISU. We'll miss you Kim. Odie was always alive when we got home! haha. If anyone knows a dog sitter in the WDM area - let me know.

I got through Monday and I'm still feeling the good vibes from the trip - grateful for our friends. I hope they know they can count on us too - if they need a fab vacation spot in Dez Moinezz. Or any other kind of support. And stuff.

Chillin' at the Lake

And I do mean chillin'. The first couple days...we wore our sweats at night. It was refreshing, really! Much different than two years ago when it was 100+ degrees each day. Life at the lake is like a box of chocolates - ya never know what you're going to get!

We were fortunate to again be invited to join our Creston pals at Lake of the Ozarks. It was a different kind of year - 2013. As we get older - we realize more and more how lucky we are to get to hang out with our longtime friends. They know all our stories and can help us finish them!

We're not getting any younger - or healthier. The knees are going, hips, shoulders - and worse. When I look at the pics of myself, I seem to look more and more like Pat Bullock. Who is that old lady and what happened to 40-year old me? This aging thing is not for the timid! But there's nothing to be done about it. (The alternative sucks worse!)

This I know - we must stick together for support. That was the only thing that got me through losing a son. Women are much better at this then men. Men are good at working on gutters together and talking sports and weather. But not at talking about their real worries. This is one of the reasons I'm glad I'm a girl!

Back to lake talk:

We stayed at the Higgins place - one they bought a different one a couple years ago. Al and Sharon have part of the place looking gorgeous and the rest...is still a work in progress. The location is very nice and the view - ahhh! (see above)

Then McKims got into the act. They purchased a lake place last fall - a real fixer upper. They're in the process of doing just that now, with the help of contractors and through their own blood, sweat and tears. Paul and Jeff got in on some of the fun, fixing gutters, mowing and more. I think Paul would have enjoyed spending the whole weekend there! He channeled his inner HGTV guy. Bobbie and I even helped a bit - touching up some paint. Then the girls tagged along to assist Diana in selecting sample flooring.

 



Al got Sharon this "Love the Lake" fire ring for her bday

One night we sat around a campfire - cooking marshmallows and singing camping songs. No - we didn't really sing - but we did discuss girl and boy scout stories. Bobbie and I recalled making "sit-a-pons" woven matts we tied to our waists, so we'd have an instant clean spot to sit on when camping. Don pointed out that boy scouts just chose not to sit in the dirt...smart ass. Man those Sharon cooked mellows were good!

 


Nothing like a campfire!

Love the way the lights shimmer off the lake

 

More tomorrow - tired...must go to bed 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Paddle at Red Rock

Last night at Mass at St. Francis of Assisi we learned that our pastor, Father Bob Hoefler passed away Wednesday due to prostate cancer. Fr. Bob Obituary

Father Bob was an interesting guy, and a nice man. He was a very good priest. If you read his obit, you'll find out that he came to the priesthood later in life. I'm sorry he passed at such a young age, and had to suffer through such a dreadful illness. He never sounded sorry for himself as he battled cancer. RIP Father Bob. Job well done.

This morning Paul and I got up early and strapped the kayaks on the Subaru. We headed East to Elk Rock State Park at Red Rock Lake and scoped out a place to put the boats in. I had checked out my paddling book the night before and saw there was a 2.5 mile trip east from there (5 miles round trip). The water was smooth and the wind to our backs on the first leg - not as much on the way back, as the breeze picked up a bit later in the morning. It's a beautiful lake - built by the Army Corps of Engineers - the dam was completed in 1969. There are giant boulders (that made me think of my departed bro-in-law Bolder), and sandstone walls. It was interesting to see the water marks.

early day light was pretty

my kayak partner of the day

There were caves like these

We paddled up to the next boat launch and headed back - roughly a 2 hour trip. I was glad we didn't do the 8 mile trip the other way! This is a great workout for abs and arms. I need to do it more often. It's very relaxing too, but getting the boats on and off is a bit of work. Later I went for a pedicure and that was heavenly...prep for my 6 hours of State Fair work tomorrow!


kayaking makes me smile!

A mile long bridge is off in the distance
 

After we got back - Paul worked on finishing up his big project landscaping near the front of the garage. I had purchased a little gift for him at the Farmer's Market - see if you see it nestled in the new area.

It's a lil iron deer...so cute! Plus he planted cone flowers, black eyed susans - and picked up rocks in his hunting area.