The Richest Woman in the World (Family Trip to Chuck E Cheese)

Sunday was our annual  trip to Chuck E Cheese in LaCrosse.  That morning, the kids could hear me singing while I was getting ready and my husband caught me "woo hooo"-ing with excitement when he walked in the door.  I was anticipating a perfect "fairy tale" kind of family day ... but I often forget that life is never really quite as rosy as it appears in the storybooks...  In reality, the kids took some coaxing to make them believe that morning had actually dawned and neither one of them were quite ready when their father came home from milking that morning.  I assisted my daughter to find the right clothes to wear and tried to convince my son to wear a hat since he didn't feel that combing the mop on the top of his head was a high priority.  When we left home, we dropped off Christian's van in Ossian since baseball practice did not care that it was Sunday and we were having a family day.  (We would have to forego having "exploratory surgery" at The Pizza Doctors in order to be back in time for 6 pm baseball practice that evening.)  Once we were situated in the van and driving down the road, I proceeded to eagerly suggest we play a game of "Would You Rather" or "Truth or Dare" or at least the "alphabet game" as we have sometimes done in the past.  However, my fairy tale once again met with reality as my son opted to listen to his I-pod and my daughter read a couple chapters in her "Hunger Games" book.  Oh well ... I went ahead and visited with my husband in the front seat and I crooned along to the nostalgic 1980's music on the radio.

Our first destination of the day was brunch in Marquette at the Riverboat Casino.  The food was good and we enjoyed our conversations between trips to the buffet.  We were met with many options as we chose between an array of breakfast items including french toast, waffles and omelets as well as lunch items such as a salad bar, chicken, shrimp and potatoes to name a few.  Once our stomachs were full we headed out... the guys stopped in the bathroom and we waited a while ... (they apparently got distracted by the bathroom TV.)  We chatted and joked on our way out to the van.  I kiddingly considered trying my hand at gambling since we were at the casino anyway ... who couldn't use a big jackpot of winnings afterall!    

As we continued on our drive with the windows briefly opened, the air felt more like mid-June than March and the morning sun shone bright on the grass that was already greening.  My mind wandered back to our family trips in earlier years and I wondered where the time had gone.  When we began going to Chuck E Cheese about 10 years ago, my daughter was about two and at that time my husband only had a handful of days off milking to spend with the family.  Back then, my husband and I would chase after separate kids who were far enough apart in age to want to try different games and we often had our arms full of tickets, tokens and tennis shoes as we watched their young bodies scramble in their stocking feet through the towering tunnels with joy.  Years ago we would try to convince the kids to sit still long enough to eat the pizza before we could play the games; however, we eventually learned that no one really goes there for the pizza ... and we have opted for eating elsewhere most years instead.  Through the years we have taken a family picture at the entrance at every occasion ... it is interesting to see how everyone has grown (and I do mean everyone!) :)  As my thoughts scanned each year, my memories took me to March of 2010 when we moved our trip to Cedar Rapids in order to include my brother, Adam in our trip ... it was a nice bonus to our entourage of Chuck E Cheese memories. 

Now days my children have progressed to be masters at skeeball and basketball and this year Karissa was a pro at jumping the electronic jump rope.  The kids jokingly decided to each take a turn on the race horse that looked like a merry-go-round ride ... My husband and I chuckled as we watched and I took pictures of the kids from each angle.  Shawn also thought it was amusing to take pictures of me when I attempted to showcase my talents at Guitar Hero ... that was enough to make me finally put away the camera!!  The family also finally gave in and agreed to once again take our annual "sketch" photo in the booth for a token.  Years ago we could all easily fit our faces into the picture ... this year, the sketch only included about half of my face – at least it was my good side (I hope).                   

       

Eventually, the crowds and games wore us out and we decided to do a bit of shopping as long as we were near the mall.  We browsed in MC Sports awhile and stopped at Kohl's for some new curtains for our bedroom. Eventually we decided to take a break and have some ice cream at the little shop near the mall entrance.  We chatted over our desserts and chuckled as we made up stories about the people who passed by.  Once we had devoured our ice cream, we made our way to the middle of the mall where we found a bench just the right size for four bodies to rest.  As people continued to rush past us, for a while I felt as if we were on a secluded island of our own ... just our family ... watching the world go by...  until all too soon the clock brought me back to reality and we realized it was time to get on the road in order to make it back in time for baseball practice.  Reluctantly, we stepped back into pace with the rest of the world.  

As we drove home that evening, the sun shown through the trees and glistened brightly on the river.  I glanced around the van at my husband and kids and counted my blessings as I soaked up the time we were spending together.   I smiled to myself as I remembered the fleeting thought I had earlier that morning about winning millions at the casino.  Who needed millions?   In my heart I knew I was already the richest woman in the world! 

There is a Time for Everything ...

They say there is a time for everything in life . . .

My husband’s Grandpa Humpal died this past week … so this weekend was a time to grieve and spend time with extended family remembering the life of Grandpa.  I especially remember my children’s birthday parties which always included (among others) their Great Grandma and Grandpa Humpal as well as their Great Grandma and Grandpa Einck.  Yes, my children were extremely blessed with the rarity of having two sets of Great Grandparents to spend time with.  Not many children can say that!

Sunday was originally planned to be our annual family day in LaCrosse.  I would have assumed I would be writing my blog about how much fun we had on this outing.   This goes to show that, plan as we may, we are not entirely in control of what happens in our lives … we sometimes need to just go with the flow and roll with the punches … as we did this Sunday.

Would I have been happier if life would have allowed us to take our trip to LaCrosse and Chuck E. Cheeses? … You bet I would!  And not long ago, Grandpa would have preferred to spend his time driving around with his wife, visiting with friends and dancing to some polka music.  But some things are just meant to be and are beyond our control. 

What we can control, however, is our reaction to the sudden changes in our lives and our plans.  We can decide that today is no longer a time to be sad over either event … this afternoon I see a different side to both stories … if we look at the positive side … now is a time to continue to look forward to the trip which we will take next weekend instead … and it is Grandpa Humpal’s time to kick up his heels in Heaven!  Yes, there is a time for everything!    

Living Life to the Fullest .......................(Don't Give Life the Closet Test)

My mother and I are very much the same…..we are best friends … we look similar, have similar tastes, and sometimes  even think or act the same way.  However, we also have a few differences, including the following …whenever my mother buys a new outfit, she insists on giving it “the closet test” for a while before she wears it out in public.  I, on the other hand, do not have this same attitude ... when I buy a new outfit, I wear it as soon as I get the chance – I never  give my clothes the closet test!

 

In fact, I rarely give ANYTHING the closet test.  For example, we have a number of sentimental quilts in our house.  The majority of these quilts were made by my mother-in-law, Judy Kleve, and some were made by my husband’s Grandma Humpal, my Grandma Bohr, my Grandma Einck, and my mother, Annette Bohr-Wiltgen.  The most special quilt on the rack, is the quilt that my Grandma Bohr made for my brother Adam.  He  used the quilt in the last years and months of his life; and when he died, the quilt was given to my daughter, Karissa, as a special remembrance of Adam.  I could keep all of these quilts behind a glass case or somewhere to keep them in perfect condition forever.  However, I choose to use most of them … at least once in a while.  I am absolutely not saying that these quilts should be used outside or used for a picnic or even used while eating a midnight snack ... but they are meant to be snuggled in … the smell of them breathed in … and dreams should be dreamed while sleeping beneath them.  These quilts, although special in their own rights, have much more meaning knowing that some were used to snuggle my children while reading them a story, some were spread across the couch as our family shared a movie night, one adorns the bed as my husband and I spend the night together, my children are each protected by their own as they sleep each night, and one still carries the ever-fading scent of my brother who lived beneath his quilt while I shared in his last days … these are all moments to be cherished and remembered when hanging on to these quilts!

  

In my opinion, life, itself, should be lived this same way.  Not only do I treat my material things this way, but I live my entire life with this attitude.  Life is meant to be taken to heart and lived to the fullest.  I believe in getting my feet wet (even if wearing new shoes); diving into a pool filled with my biggest dreams; and rolling around in the midst of life (or in the leaves with my children in the back yard).  To me, every moment  in life is meant to be tasted …drank to the very bottom of the glass, savoring every drop … and it is meant to be devoured with the biggest piece first!

Of course there are a few parts of life, that are simply meant to be cherished for their beauty … the painting my mother created that hangs on my wall, the pottery that my children made for me in class, and the handcrafted, blue candle that my brother Rob and his wife, Jessica carried home from their trip to Debrovnik, Croatia, especially for me.  I would never dream of burning that candle!  Yes, some things are truly meant to be held on to purely for their exquisiteness … to remind us just how fragile and precious our lives really are!  For one day, our own candles will have burned out, but if we remember to live our lives to the fullest, we will leave behind an amazing aroma of memories to live on for years to come!

Bring on the Sun

The snow falls slowly outside my window as I grip my warm coffee cup in the quiet of my kitchen.  Although it is March 3rd, winter is hanging on a bit longer; but in my mind I am already escaping into the sunshine of summer.  I glance at my calendar to organize in my mind the events of the day -- my daughter needs to be to a friend's house at 10 am, my son to baseball camp at 2 pm, and then I need to assist him in getting "handsome" for the winter formal he is attending tonight.  As I turn the pages of the calendar, I notice that the summer months are already filling fast.  I have put all of my son's baseball games on the calendar and am anxiously awaiting a schedule of my daughter's softball games.  We have planned some important family events as well.  Among others, we have scheduled our annual family outting to Chuck E Cheese in LaCrosse for Sunday, March 18th.  This has been a tradition in our family since the kids were very little.  My husband takes off milking and we spend the entire day together as a family before my husband dives into the frenzy of spring field work.  We have also scheduled our family summer vacation already.  A few weeks ago, the kids and my husband and I scanned the web for tickets to baseball games this summer.  We need to fit our family vacation in between baseball and football season to avoid too many conflicts.  We are planning to attend major league baseball games again this year ... our favorite type of family vacation!  This year we purchased tickets to both a Kansas City Royals game and a St. Louis Cardinals game.  Our route will take us to Kansas City and then across Missouri to St. Louis so that we can view both teams in both stadiums.  (We will be able to cross two baseball stadiums off of our bucket list this year! Woo hoo!) 

In our family, I am the planner.  I am adamant about setting aside time for family.  I have learned that life is busy and if we just fly through life thinking "someday I will do this" and "someday we will do that" we will end up looking back to find that we never did the things we had wished we could do.  I know that if we wait until we are in the heat of the moment, amid the summer rush, we will never be able to step back and find the time to plan our vacations and times together.  That is why we do it already in February or March -- to get it on the calendar before the calendar takes over our lives!!    

I learned this lesson from a coworker and friend who recently retired.  She would have classes centered around balancing work and family and she would use the following analogy.  She would physically bring along a large jar as well as a number of big rocks of various sizes and a bag of fine sand.  She would explain that the big rocks are the important items in our lives that we want to make priority.  The sand is all of the other things in our lives that, although they may be important, they are not our biggest priorities.  She would then explain how if we fill up the jar with the sand first, then there is absolutely no room for any of the big rocks.  However, if we carefully place the big rocks into the container first, then we can still fit a lot of the sand into the jar in the cracks between the rocks.  I have never forgotten this analogy and am grateful that I learned it!  So, with my rocks firmly in place and literally on my calendar, I am ready to hit the summer running ... so bring on the sun!!