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Adventure at 10,000 Feet
What is the last thing I got excited about?
Wow, we’re not talking about gratitude or feeling blessed. Not just happy or content. No… I mean EXCITED!!!
As an adult, that feeling only comes around occasionally for me. I used to get excited before trips, when we adopted our children, and when starting new jobs. But excitement is a rare emotion these days.
I most recently felt it was for my son’s 20th birthday party. But it wasn’t about the party itself—it was about the gift I was giving him…and myself. We were going skydiving!
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Crazy Cat Lady
The idea of having cats is unreal to me. Growing up, I was always allergic to them. Lisa would have to sanitize her house before I came over so I wouldn’t have a severe reaction. When Jess got her cats 6 years ago, I was prepared to take allergy pills daily for the duration of them living with me. Turns out, I’m not reacting to them at all. I guess I’ve grown out of my allergy!! Thank goodness! -
Curses! Foiled Again!
I don’t have a bucket list but if I did, the first thing on the list would be skydiving. Since my early twenties, I have talked about and wanted to go skydiving. -
One’s Not Enough
- Wife: “Can we have one more pup?”
- Husband: “No”
- Wife: “Wouldn’t it be fun to have one more dog?”
- Husband: “No”
- Wife: “Our Emma is so good, but she is lonesome don’t you think?”
- Husband: “No”
- Wife: “Look at this picture, isn’t this puppy adorable?”
- Husband: Head nodding yes
- Wife: “How about we get this pup?”
- Husband with the start of dementia: “Sure!!!!!!”
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The Power of Pride
Some people feel extreme amounts of joy, compassion, or awe when they move throughout their day. For me, those emotions are among the least experienced. After taking a positive emotions test on https://www.idrlabs.com, I found that the positive emotion I feel most often is pride. There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.
-John C. Maxwell
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Awe in the Everyday
I have always loved learning about myself.Sometimes, I’ve been so clueless… I can use all the help I can get.
When I was in college, I used an interest inventory to figure out what my major should be. I read books like What Color is Your Parachute? and Do What You Love and The Money Will Follow to explore my true calling.
Last summer, the Sidetracked Sisters all explored the concept of spirit animals using an online quiz
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Why Mess with Perfection
After taking a test on https://www.idrlabs.com it is confirmed that: I feel contentment most of the time. By this I mean I have done pretty much what I have set out to do in my life.
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Embracing Compassion
The emotion that I feel most often is compassion. It also moves frequently into empathy. I find myself trying to read others to identify what they are feeling. I have been told that I am too sensitive and yet, it is part of my emotional attachment to the compassion that I feel toward others. -
Beware of the First Step
Do you ever wonder why when you get older you seem super clumsy? Well, for some reason, this is happening to me on a rather frequent basis and I don’t like it one bit. I think I am just not paying attention to where I am going. Being active can also help with this problem and I need to step that activity up a lot. -
See You in the Fall
“Have a nice trip!” “I’ll see you in the fall!” These little phrases with double meanings used to be funny to me until I started experiencing unwanted falls with no explanation. -
Slicing and Dicing
One of the reasons I love writing with the Sidetracked Sisters is that after we’re done, we sit and read our words out loud. What follows is a mix of thoughtful edits, helpful suggestions, and the occasional laughter at the absurd lessons we’ve learned—or haven’t.
Sometimes, though, the lessons come before the writing even starts. This week, we were all racking our brains, searching for unwritten, unpublished memories about an injury. It wasn’t easy. We’ve covered this topic from multiple angles already.
I’ve shared stories about my broken leg and even breaking my “va-jayjay.” Judy’s written about her diving drama, Mom almost lost a toe during a bike ride, and Michelle had her ACL rupture saga.
Everything seems a bit anti-climactic after those major traumas.
But let’s be real—my life is peppered with mini-traumas. Little, insignificant ones that I willingly walk into on a regular basis—like nearly every time I cook dinner. You see, I’m a frequent victim of the fillet knife and my trusty mandolin.According to Michelle, I cut myself about once a week. My personal guess is more like once a month, but who’s keeping track?
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Scarred for Life
As usual, our 2 labradoodles had managed to break out of our fenced-in backyard and I hadn’t had a chance to fix it. They needed to go out and I didn’t want them running away so I asked Jessi to let them out on a leash. She put Lucy on a 20-foot leash and Lily on a 6-foot one and started to open the sliding glass door. -
Curly Chaos
I’ve never thought of myself as a “girly” girl. I avoid ruffles. I like pointed collars instead of rounded ones. V-necked T-shirts are my first choice. When it comes to hair, I have always avoided curls. They didn’t seem to suit me. -
From Terrible to Great
First of all, I don’t think I have ever been happy with my hair. Short, Medium, Long, nothing seems to work.I want a maintenance-free, kicky, fun, shiny, healthy hair. Join the club right?
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Keeping It Even
I just got 9 inches cut off my hair. I went into the salon with a picture of a cut and highlights. When I left, my hair was much shorter than I anticipated, but I liked it. Besides, hair grows.
I have no anxiety whatsoever when I get my hair done. I always look forward to the experience and have a nice time talking to my stylist. Sometimes I talk about the traumas of my boys. Sometimes I’ll tell of my daughter’s exploits. One of the stories I told her this time was how I learned to cut hair. Here is the full story:It was summer 1985. I was in Washington DC for a summer church leadership conference. Sara was cutting a girl’s hair in the corner dorm room. I was super interested. So I went in and pulled up a chair.
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Salon Nightmare
I was in high school and it was time for the Turn-About dance, where the girls invite the boys to the event. I had everything planned, from where we going to eat to how I wanted to do my hair.
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September Start Over
I have always been excited about a new school year. Whether I was a student or a teacher, September was filled with promise and excited anticipation. That isn’t to say that I wasn’t tired, burned out, and grumpy by May. By the time spring rolled around, I’d be dreaming of a “Teachers Gone Wild” vacation package—complete with all-you-can-eat snacks and a strict “No Grading Papers” policy.
This excitement was especially strong when changing school levels. Transitioning from elementary school, middle school, high school, and college were times that I could recreate or reimagine the person I wanted to be. Or at least that’s what I told myself every August when I was in denial about the impending chaos.I’ve already written recently about my wardrobe dreams when I moved from 6th grade at Washington Elementary to Beaver Dam Jr. High. I expected my new clothes to create a new person. Cool Levi’s corduroy pants and fresh shirts would wow my friends. Kids would be drawn to my aesthetic and want to be my friend. Little did I know that middle school was the time of life when girls would gossip all day and then go home and write “notes” in the evening. They would then pass them out the next day to recap and memorialize the previous day’s drama. Who knew that “Note-Passing 101” was a required middle school course?
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Back to School Bliss
The beginning of the school year couldn’t come soon enough for me. The first day of school meant new supplies!! Crisp, clean, pretty folders with pictures of rainbows, flowers, or butterflies with matching notebooks, sharp, colorful crayons or colored pencils, and a new backpack to carry my supplies. It didn’t get much better than that, except for the new school clothes that I would also receive! -
How to Ruin Summer
That time is here again, meaning the dreaded times, SCHOOL IS STARTING!I always despised the start of school. I loved summer when there were no deadlines to speak of, I could sleep in, and I had the option of having the time to do what I wanted and if I wanted to do.
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Crayons, Music and Learning
From the beginning of Kindergarten, I loved going to school. I remember the enjoyment of doing interesting projects that I would never have thought of doing at home. It was great fun to have a room full of 20 to 25 other kids to interact with. -
Rindercella
My first job out of college was to train adults on how to use computers. As I would begin a class, I would inevitably stumble through my words because I was a bit nervous and would be talking too fast. At this point, I’d have the opportunity to take a breath and add a little levity to the morning. I’d start out by saying “You’ll have to excuse me. You see, I grew up hearing my dad tell me stories of Rindercella and at the moke of stridnight, she was running down the stairs and slopped her dripper.” -
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Over the past several days, I have picked my brain to remember when I heard fairy tales. I remember the more recent telling of fairy tales through Disney films and children’s books. All of these mediums have softened up the original tales told by the Brothers Grimm. -
How the Sea Became Salt
I loved sleeping at my grandma’s house. When I was young, I would sleep in the front bedroom. It was small with a twin bed pushed into the corner. Shelves held books and knick-knacks above the bed. A Lane cedar chest and a round natural rattan chair were just across the narrow room. The sheets were white, always felt crisp, and smelled freshly washed. A small light on the bottom shelf was available for nighttime reading.
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Cinderella
I don’t remember ever having someone read to me as a child. I would have assumed that is when fairy tales would have been introduced into my world. But I don’t remember having this activity in our home for some reason. -
The Music That Shaped Me
The music I enjoy depends on my mood. I like music that I can sing along with. Sometimes if I sing loudly enough, I can change my mood. Fortunately, this can work in the shower where no one hears me but me. -
My Musical Mashup
I always avoided conversations about music. It seemed like everyone else was fluent in the language of trending tunes, effortlessly dropping names of “in” bands and belting out the words to popular songs. Meanwhile, I was stuck on the local pop station. Pop songs, as everyone reminded me, weren’t cool.
Feeling like a musical misfit, I kept my preferences under wraps. The pressure to fit in with the musical elites was daunting, so I perfected the art of nodding along in conversations about the latest indie darlings while secretly bopping to bubblegum pop hits.Every now and then, curiosity got the best of me. I’d hear a catchy tune floating through the air and, swallowing my nerves, ask what it was. This is how I discovered the songs that would come to define my eclectic musical taste.
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My Musical Journey
I love just about any kind of music. On my least favorite list are opera, jazz, polka music, or what I would call head-banging music, and let’s not forget rapping. I think rapping is dumb unless it is done well. -
Eclectic Musical Taste
I have an incredibly diverse taste in music. It ranges from country to Top 40 to classic rock to music from the 70’s. I’ve even been known to listen to polka and bluegrass on occasion. My only criterion for a good song is that it needs to have a good beat. I’m not a fan of slow songs. It has to be something you can tap your toes to. -
Is it a Cult?
I had a spiritual/religious experience when my oldest daughter, Lisa, went to college. Being what I liked to imagine myself at that time as a knowledgeable, with-it mom. Now when I mentally sent her off to college I was all prepared to try to handle the expected topics of drugs, alcohol, and sex. This is what seemed to be the most heard-about topics of my peers with college-bound children. Well, I was one of the lucky ones (tongue in cheek). I got religion. -
Bible Camp and Butterflies
During the summer of 1983, I went to Sugar Creek Bible Camp. It was for our confirmation class and all my friends were going. Unfortunately, 2 weeks before leaving for camp, I came down with chicken pocks. -
Spiritual Vignettes
My spiritual moments have not come in huge dramatic scenarios. They instead show up as small vignettes. It may be me saying a quick prayer when I need help from God and moments later I have an answer or solution. -
Layers of Faith
I loved Sunday mornings when I was a kid. We often went to church or Sunday School and grabbed a dozen soft, sweet, glazed Persians and cream-filled Longjohns. Afterward, we’d head over to our friend’s house for coffee and conversation. -
Raised with Grandma
My niece, Michelle came out of the rustic cabin on Green Bay shaking her head. She had a smile on her face but it was hiding her disbelief that my 10 year old son did not know how to make toast by himself. They had been in the kitchen when Matt asked her to make a piece of toast for me. She said “Wouldn’t mom be proud if you made it yourself?“ “Just put the bread in the toaster,” and he said “I know that!!” ‘At this point she said “then you’re halfway there! Next you push down the lever and when it pops up, you put butter on it”. -
Unappreciated Laughter
There are so many incidents that make me smile, but do any lead to a full-blown belly laugh? Well, I can remember one such episode and it always brings a smile to my face whenever I remember it. -
Sandyisms
Do you know what malapropisms are? A malapropism is a verbal error that occurs when someone uses a word that sounds similar to the intended word, but is incorrect in context. Malapropisms are often unintentionally humorous and can be used in everyday speech or as a literary device. I didn’t realize that there was a word to describe this. One person in our family does this more than any other and it always gives a good laugh when it happens. -
A Bird Named Peep
It was mid-summer, and I was pulling weeds in the back garden. Birds were singing crazily in the air, and a warm breeze was blowing through the trees. As I walked into the screened porch, I could hear a nest of baby birds chirping in an opening under the eaves.
The next day, Craig and I were still working out in the yard. Coming into the house for lunch, he mentioned that there was a nest just outside the porch beside the door. “And you know, I haven’t seen the mama bird. Have you?”“No,” I reluctantly answered and sighed.
I hauled the ladder out of the garage and propped it against the side of the house. I crawled up and peeked into the space. One little baby lifted its wobbly, fuzzy head. The other lay lifeless.
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Photo Recreations
It was during my 2-week summer vacation last year when all my kids came up to stay for the weekend. We wanted to get as many adventures in as we could. On the night they all arrived, we discussed the possibilities. Horseback riding, winery tours, mini-golf, beach time, and the list goes on. Everyone decided that instead of doing our traditional activities, we would try something different. -
Childhood Confidence
This week’s writing was one of the hardest to focus on. A favorite picture was needed as the topic. Do you know how many pictures I have from the last thirty-seven-plus years? Each image has its own unique story to tell. My most popular subject has been our son Matthew. Matthew at Halloween, Matthew at the zoo, Matthew just looking adorable. I think you get the picture. -
Just Come and Look
One of my favorite pictures is from quite a while ago.As a mother of a three-year-old and owner of a newer home, I was happy with having no responsibility for a pet, especially a dog. I did not miss brushing the carpets of hair, hairballs in the kitchen and baths, and, of course, the wonderful duty of cleaning up dog poop.
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A Golden Adventure: Finding Eli
It was my nephew Brad’s first birthday party. Standing in the kitchen of my sister’s house, we were talking about pets. Mom knew she had just heard the death knell of my marriage when Tom told me, “You will NEVER have a dog.” The look on my blank face showed that this was not connecting with me or my reality. He was drawing a line in the sand, and I was not intimidated, not cowed by his threat. -
Summertime Wannabe
When I had a young family, I remember wanting to spend with them, especially in the summer.On many occasions, Lisa heard me say as I was getting ready for work, “I wish I could stay home with you girls and enjoy this wonderful summer day.”
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Memories of Lake Sherwood
There is a slice of my life that I haven’t written about in our weekly writings. I was married for the first time at the ripe old age of 18. My husband’s name was Clayton and he loved to explore Wisconsin. We spent weekends visiting forts and locating historical markers. Often, we invited my mom to ride along. She loved being included. -
Summer School Magic
Summertime memories are a mixed bag. People always believe that a benefit of being a teacher is the fact that you get your summer off.
In my experience, it is anything but. The end of the school year came, and the next week I was back in the classroom with a different bunch of kids. You see, I often taught summer school. For many years I would jump right back into the thick of things with barely a breath. But the big difference was the pace and pressure of educational expectations. I was able to teach FUN classes, classes that I would have loved to take as a kid. -
Chicks Can Camp
It was the summer of 1997 and Lisa and I were invited to go on a “Chicks Can Camp” adventure with her husband’s sister-in-law and her sisters. No boys were allowed and we were going to camp on the banks of the St. Croix River and go canoeing. We couldn’t wait for our weekend trip! I dropped my 3-year-old off at Mom’s house, we packed up our sleeping bags, our tent, some food and our handy 2-man canoe and set off for Minnesota. -
Errant Cough Drop
I’ve loved Wild Cherry Cough Drops for years. When I needed something because I had a dry mouth, I would pop in one of my favorite drops. -
Homemade Lasagna
So many embarrassing moments to pick from. One that comes to my mind is when we were part of a progressive dinner. This was where several homes were chosen to be responsible for different parts of a meal. The first one was drinks, the next was hor devours, the next the main course and finally one for dessert. -
Dessert Disasters
It was wedding season and the family was getting ready for a bridal shower. Everyone was doing their part. Someone was bringing a few appetizers, someone else was bringing a salad and I was asked to bring the dessert. “No problem!” I thought. I should’ve known better. -
When Outfits Go Wrong
Here’s a picture from High School. I was dressed for “Punk Day” during Spirit Week. Perhaps it was my Junior year in High School. I worked hard on my clothing, makeup, and hair. I wanted to present myself as edgy, fun, and…“out there”.
When I go to work, I shower, put on makeup, and do my hair. I like to experiment with long, dangly, and whimsical earrings. I give thought to what I wear. But my sense of self, how I present myself to the world isn’t always as I expect.
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Big Ass Hair
There were so many fads of the 80s that I tended to follow. I had Care Bears, a Cabbage Patch Doll, a Boom Box, Neon clothes and accessories, talked like a Valley Girl, went to the Video Arcade for fun, and… had BIG ASS HAIR! This is one thing that immediately makes me think of the 80s. From rock stars to television personalities, everyone seemed to embrace the motto: the bigger, the better. -
A Foot in Two Worlds
Fads in the ’60s featured white go-go boots, mini dresses, hot pants, and bell bottoms. One hairdo many of us wore was the “flip”. It required sleeping in big rollers and using gobs of hair spray. The midwestern humidity didn’t make it easy to maintain. -
Are You Really Living?
It was the spring of 1977 and the end of 6th grade. I was sitting on the grassy hill beside the building where I had spent my early education–Washington Elementary. Mary and I were talking about our dreams and plans for the future. I was excited that I had actually gotten up the courage to ask Mom if I could shave my legs, and she said yes. But I was planning on waiting another year or so because once you started, you couldn’t ever stop. I was also wanting to give myself a makeover. I wanted elephant bellbottoms. They were so cool. You see I needed new clothes. Every year I always got new clothes for school, but I felt that I had really held off this year. I wanted everything new for seventh grade. Clothes represented on the outside how I would feel on the inside.Cool. Fresh. In style.
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Oh Such Memories!
Remembering past fads is fascinating and laughable.In particular, I am thinking about the 1970s. I was beyond my years for the most part not having gone on to school, but that didn’t stop my wanting to fit in with those my age. I got married in 1963 and started my family shortly after that. I always enjoyed fashion and tried to keep up with all the trends.
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Conquering Water Worries
I was cleaning out the fish aquarium. It was an ordinary day. I needed to siphon the water across the kitchen to the sink. It took the entire afternoon to drain the tank, scrub it out, and set it back up again. While cleaning, I watched my boys play in the backyard. They were running and playing. They were at the side of the house playing on the swing set a while later. I looked out my bedroom window and saw them swinging and laughing together. I finished in the bathroom and walked through the house.
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Holes with Eyes
Grandchildren offer so many interesting and fun stories.Picture this. It is a cold and dreary late October evening. It is just starting to get dark. The wind was blowing and was whistling through the trees. There was an almost full moon. It was a typical late fall evening.
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Child Eating Centipedes
If I had been called a nickname that fit me well, it would have been gullible. My sister, Sandy, and I would spend hours playing in the basement. She had set up an area like a little house and we had our dolls in baby beds, eating places and a pretend kitchen. -
My Children are Innocent!!
We were up at our family cabin, enjoying our vacation together when Lisa came flying into the cabin and yelled, “Fire!”Prior to this hysteria, we were all doing our own thing. Lisa was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and the rest of the family was milling around or watching TV.
Part of the kitchen cleanup involved taking the garbage to the shed. When she went to the shed and opened the door, she was confronted with a garbage can spewing flames! She immediately ran into the cabin and didn’t know where to turn first. It was like stuttering but with her body instead of her voice. Suddenly her voice returned and she yelled “FIRE”!
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Public Speaking Sucks
From the beginning of time, I have been told it is necessary to be able to present yourself in public. What this means is to get up in front of a group, or even just a few people, and give a book report, a speech, or just present an opinion. (But this entails being a single spokesperson and speaking in front of people). -
I Am Who I Am
It has taken many years to get me to where I am. In the past, I let myself be dictated by what others thought of me (or what I thought they thought of me), I focused on the wants and needs of everyone around me instead of what I wanted or needed, and I let others decide how I should think and feel. -
Giving Myself Permission
It was really hard when I was trying to get pregnant and was unsuccessful. It seemed like everyone was having babies… except me.Looking back on this time from the distance of 20 years is illuminating. I currently have three adopted children who are 20, 19, and 14. But back in the day, it wasn’t easy.
We decided to start trying to have kids when I was 27. But it didn’t “just happen.” Infertility and adoption work followed.
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Red Flags
My early lifetime consisted of a series of rocky relationships. I credit the fact that I didn’t trust and act on my true feelings and needs. I went along with what other people wanted and considered to be the “right” thing for me to do. I had red flags in each situation that I needed to pay attention to. -
Surviving Wisconsin Summers
We live in Wisconsin. You might ask what this has to do with Porches and Patios? In the summer we have mosquitoes the size of crows and other flying creatures that make being outdoors difficult except if you have a screened-in space to spend your time in. -
Patio Time With Grandma
I planned and built a screened porch on my house. I grew up in a house with a screened porch. It was so important to my mom that our house had a fireplace and a screened porch.
My grandma had a screened porch built onto the back of her home. Now my mom wasn’t living there anymore, but I spent my summers there. Grandma Isabel (Grandma Is) took care of me after school and during the summers.
During the school year, I would walk to her house from Washington Elementary just two blocks away. I would rest against the cream naugahyde ottoman and watch Room 222, Gilligan’s Island, and MASH.
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The Sleeping Porch
School is out and summer is here which, when I was a kid, meant it was time for Lisa and I to sleep out in the patio every night! This was one of the best parts of the summer. -
Summer Luxury
I am lucky actually to have a large porch and two patios. I have the porch and a patio at my home, and a patio at my cottage. My love of screened-in porches (a patio) started many years ago. My mom and dad had a patio installed on the back of their house. This offered wonderful cozy summer nights and days bug-free. This patio became the center of living during the warmer days of spring and summer.
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Birthdays Come and Go
Our birthdays come and go and have some strange properties depending on where you are in this game of life. When we are young it seems like our birthdays take forever to come. Second only to the wait for Christmas is the wait for our next birthday. I would ask for something I wanted and mom would tell me to put it on my birthday list. It seemed that was the death of the want because it seemed like my next birthday was eons away. -
A Birthday Makeover
In my family, birthdays aren’t just a celebration—they’re an event. Each one is marked by a special cake and an array of thoughtfully chosen presents. The anticipation and planning begin weeks in advance, making every birthday a memorable and unique experience. -
Special Birthdays
Celebrating my birthday has always been important to me. When I had kids, I wanted to make their birthdays as special as I could so maybe they would enjoy them like I used to. In the beginning, I did tend to overdo! -
Laughter on the Road
Laughter plus fun equals happiness…
When have I laughed the most? Kids laugh all the time. As a first-grade teacher, it was hard to rein in their laughter. It bubbled up during reading time, music class, and recess. As a teacher, I had to hold their laughter to a minimum, which was a hard job. Sadly, it wasn’t difficult by the end of my career.
But back to me and happiness… The first thing that comes to mind is my trip to Ireland with my sister Michelle. We purposefully rented a small manual transmission car for our adventure. Both of us wanted to drive on the “wrong” side of the road, so we paid extra insurance to both be able to drive. Laughing all the way, we drove along the highways and byways. Sitting at intersections, we would repeat the mantra “turn left, stay left,” or “turn right, stay left” over and over. Each time, it became funnier. We drove with the windows down and marveled at the beautiful old homes by the road’s edge. We slowed down to talk to roaming cows. When we got lost, we both got out of the car and calmly enjoyed the rural scenery while waiting for someone–anyone–to rescue us. Someone actually drove up the same road and stopped to ask if we needed help. We said we were lost, and they told us how to get to our B&B by a back road. -
Simpler Times
I remember as a kid riding my new bike through the neighborhood. My hair was blowing in the breeze. My thoughts were on the beauty of the day and my mind was free of worry. I remember being in the present moment loving my freedom and enjoying the smells and sounds around me. -
Bullshit!
Have you ever thought about when and where you have been the happiest? For me, the first thought that comes to mind is the time I spent with my kids and mom playing “Bullshit”.If you’ve never played this card game, here is how it goes.
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Pond Paradise
Tossing this question over in my head I would say the most significant time and place that I have been the happiest was during the births of my two children. I don’t think anything can quite top those events. -
Always Looking Forward
In the past, I had so many things to look forward to in the future. When I start reminiscing I go way back to graduating from high school, getting engaged, getting married, buying our first house, and having our children. I loved seeing those children excel in their endeavors and eventually graduating from high school, then college. -
The Best Is Yet To Come
When did I stop looking forward to the future?
I think back to my past…I loved celebrating my birthday. We always had family around to sing “Happy Birthday”, lots of presents, and my favorite angel food cake with Grandma’s slippery frosting. Our family went on yearly epic summer camping trips. My favorite place to visit was Jellystone Park up in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The days were filled with swimming, bike riding, eating onion sandwiches in the afternoon, and singing around the campfire in the evening.
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There’s a Mouse in my House
I am going through a rather precarious time in my life. I am having a difficult time identifying anything that I am excited about or looking forward to. I am finding small joys in the little happenings of life. -
That Was Then. This Is Now.
When I was younger, I eagerly anticipated my birthday each year. Month by month, I impatiently waited for the day of celebration, believing it would never arrive.That was then. This is now.
Now, I still anticipate my special day each year, where everyone should celebrate me, but it seems to come much faster than it used to.
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Sleep Procrastination
There isn’t much that can rouse me in the morning. Not my Alexa blaring music at full volume, nor my Sonic Bomb alarm clock with its bed shaker attachment under my pillow, nor my Pavlok electrocution watch that zaps me. Suffice it to say, I’m NOT a morning person. -
Never a Full Night’s Sleep
Getting up in the morning is probably one of the least favorite things I have to do in a day. It does beat the alternative but still is so hard for me to do. I loved working, but having to get up early in the day was what I hated the most. Once at work, it was fine, but oh that desire to sleep in was so tempting. Today I am forced to get up earlier than I would like to, but having two dogs 1. Want to do their morning routine which includes emptying their bladders and 2. Eating. They are ruthless in expressing their needs to the point that getting up is easier than hearing their constant warning that they want me up. -
A Former Night Owl
I’ve trained myself to be a morning person. But I am naturally a night owl. I was born to a night owl and raised to be a night-loving person. My mom loves to watch t.v. until the wee hours of the morning.
When I was a child, a favorite memory is laying on the sofa with my mom, nestled behind her legs, head on her butt watching “Love American Style” on Friday nights and “Soap” on Saturdays. I’ve read until the birds began singing more than once a few times in my life. I’ve worked hard to make myself get up in the morning–to be a morning lark. It is pretty simple. You just have to go to bed earlier. That sounds easy. But really, it is HARD. But here are three steps that I use to get myself to bed at a reasonable time…
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To Sleep or Not to Sleep
As of this writing, there is only one thing that gets me up in the morning and that is my alarm clock. What keeps me up at night is my greatest challenge right now. My bed is comfortable, my room is cool and inviting, and I love having my dog on the bed with me. So what’s the problem you might ask?
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Afraid of the Unseen
I can’t watch scary movies. It doesn’t matter how unrealistic or far-fetched the premise—they freak me out.
The Origin of My Fear
It all started when I was a small child. I heard the story called “People Can Lick Too.” The story goes like this: One night, a woman heard a constant dripping noise. She got up to check the faucet—no drips. When she got back into bed, she hung her hand over the side. Her faithful dog licked her hand reassuringly. The next morning, she woke to find her dog dead, dripping blood in the shower. A small note beside the bed read, “people can lick too.”
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My Five Fears
As a child, I experienced the typical fears: fear of the dark, fear of talking to people, and fear induced by watching scary movies. These fears would often provoke anxiety and lead me to do irrational things, such as running through dark areas of the house to stay in well-lit areas or hiding under Grandma Is’s skirt if someone tried to talk to me. While my current fears don’t paralyze me or cause anxiety, they are thoughts that trouble me. -
5 Years Old & Frantic
Being afraid is a total-body experience for me. I sometimes feel like the mother duck who always wants to know that all of her ducklings are ok and safe. This feeling dates back to my first memory of being frightened. I was five years old. Dad was a salesman for a meat packing company. He would be on the road all day long and made it a point to always be home at night. -
React, Don’t Run
When you are scared, do you run or react?
Just the other night, I ascended the stairs from our family room to retrieve a pair of glasses. Walking through our dark dining room towards the front door, I encountered a dark figure standing in front of me. With a can of fruit in hand, I screamed bloody murder and prepared to throw the can at this person, then push the figure against the wall, hopefully out the door. Luckily, I realized it was my sister. Unable to reach me by phone, she grew worried and came over to check on us. Wow, she almost got a can of fruit between her eyes.
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The Good, the Bad, and the Honest
Since I was young, people have called me different names. Some were based on my real name, others on how they saw me. I don’t know why I got each one, but here are a few I remember. -
Surviving Sixth Grade
It was Johnathan Stecker who made my life as a sixth grader miserable. Tallish and cool, he rode a BMX bicycle, a Mongoose that he was very proud of. Before Thanksgiving, Mrs. Heimerl, our teacher, assigned us a prompt to write the story behind Norman Rockwell’s picture “Thanksgiving”. His narrative depicted a BMX bike crashing through the room, glass shattering, and guests screaming, captivating everyone with the vivid sound effects in his writing. -
Nicknames from the Heart
As a child, nicknames seem to run rampant. Kids like to pick apart anyone and everyone’s names to either tease or torment them.My name is Sandra, Sandy for short. The only time I ever heard or hear the name Sandra is if I am in trouble or someone is upset with me.
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Why Do They Call You That?
As the screen door closed behind my date and me, we heard Dad say “Remember Bumpy, your curfew is 11:00”. I hollered back “Yes Dad”. As we walked down the driveway, John asked me why Dad called me that.
I smiled and said that it was a long story. He said he wanted to hear it so I explained.
When I was a kid, the neighbor kids and my sister Sandy and I loved to play outdoor games. Often it
was starting to get dark and our visibility wasn’t what it should have been. On one particular occasion, I was running through the yard to get to the safe place where I couldn’t be tagged and didn’t see our metal clothesline pole. When I came to, I found myself with my arms and legs wrapped around the pole and all of the kids were trying to wake me up. The next thing I knew my head began to throb and I was moaning.
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The Labor Day Hunt
Some of my more memorable vacations were those spent on Labor Day Weekends. It was always a huge project for me since I was the one who seemed to instigate this event. During the earlier weeks of summer, my family would go camping. I could have stayed in my tent for the duration of the summer. I just loved our camping experiences. I loved having people around me to enjoy, and I loved being outdoors no matter the weather. To me this was summer. -
Coming Home to Camp
Our family has a wonderful tradition of taking a 2-week family vacation every summer. It first started when we would go camping at Spikehorn Campgrounds near Bailey’s Harbor in Door County. We would arrange for campsites that were next to each other. Each year on New Year’s Eve, I would call the fellow who made the arrangements. We spoke so often, that he would send me an annual Christmas card. -
Camping On My Own
When our family went camping, it always turned into a massive production. We had a 22-foot screened tent that served as our family meal area, and each family member had their own tent or camper setup. It was reminiscent of a family commune. I didn’t truly appreciate the contributions that each family member made to our camping adventures until I found myself setting up a campsite entirely on my own. -
A Wallflower’s Tale
I couldn’t wait for the next Jr High Dance. I loved going into the dimly lit gym and feeling the anticipation of dancing with a really cool guy. This is pretty funny because I was the biggest wallflower you could imagine. -
Prom Fashion Failure
When I was in school dances were a big thing. We used to have a dance after every football game, basketball games, and at miscellaneous other times. But, the biggest event was always the Junior Prom. -
Everything Except the Dance
My boys attended Prom only during their Junior year in High School, which differed from my own experience. Back in the 80s, I attended prom as a Sophomore, a Junior, and a Senior. What made the Junior prom so special was the opportunity to plan and take part in creating the event.
For me, the most exciting part of prom each year wasn’t the event itself—it was the shopping for the dress that brought the most joy.
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Mortified at the Dance
I was a sophomore and starting my first year of senior high. We were having a dance at the beginning of the school year. I was very interested in a senior guy that I had met, but we weren’t going out. He and I both decided to meet at the dance and I was very excited. -
Another Day Another Lickin’
As I remember I was always getting into trouble. I was curious, mischievous, and just plain naughty. I had a knack for bending the rules. I was the middle child and perhaps seeking out attention. I was not one to sit idly and be bored. I always seemed to make bad choices in the process of being a kid. -
Overworked and Underpaid?
Imagine a young child spending hours sweating under the midday summer sun, digging a hole in the field next to her family’s yard. She sought treasure – anything from dinosaur bones or ancient relics to interesting rocks or even a snake hole. What did she find? Just clumps of dirt and wriggling worms.
Observing her dad mow their yard, their home situated in a newly developed area bordered by fields, the girl couldn’t help but envision herself taking on the task. Each week, her dad diligently mowed the whole field on the south side of their property, transforming it into what resembled a park. It took about two hours to maintain the yard and field, a responsibility the girl eagerly awaited.
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Gimmie the Pennies
Picture this. I’m 5 years old and it’s Mother’s Day. We are all getting ready to go out to eat and I’m ready before everyone else. I’m bored and asked Mom if I could go outside. She told me that was fine as long as I didn’t get dirty. Apparently, I took that message to heart, because I was found just sitting at the side of the road in my little lawnchair. Lisa called mom and said “You have got to check this out!” In my defense, I was just doing what I was told. -
Please Be Happy
I worked hard to find my place in our family. I was the youngest of three girls. My oldest sister was 9 years older. My middle sister was 5 years older. As the youngest, I often felt like I wasn’t allowed to do the things that the older girls could do. I wanted to help. My mom said I had a hernia so she wouldn’t let me shovel snow or vacuum or do anything that would exert extra effort. I wanted to be more of a player even though I was younger. My sister thought it was silly and somehow it was my excuse not to get involved. -
Streamline and Simplify
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” –Marie Kondo
I love vacationing and spending time at our cottage. It is so “me” to drink good coffee, go adventuring, look for fun earrings to buy, read while the family is watching TV, and write in my journal.Now I can do all these things at home too, of course. But the kicker is that a couple of other things always seem to block me. If I could just let go of them or figure out how to minimize the space they take up in my world…I would be a super happy camper.
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Letting Go of Overthinking
Sometimes when something is troubling me or I don’t understand why people do the things they do, I have a hard time not overthinking the issue. Thinking about a problem or situation can keep me awake at night and cause me to fill my mind with nothing else.
