Sheboygan = Dead Zone?

Starting to wonder if my phone doesn't work when making calls to Sheboygan County.... 4 people not returning my calls!

Beautiful Day!

It's April 24th - a Friday. In Wisconsin. And it's supposed to be over 80 degrees. All of that together means I would be crazy to not take vacation! I decided at about 3:30 on Weds that I'd be taking a day off, and I'm so glad I did!

I've already played some golf, met Nicole, did lunch with Matt, and am now soaking up some sun at the Union. Can't ask for much more.

"Why are you looking for love, Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?"

Spring has Sprung!

This little treasure can only mean one thing...
...the Farmer's Market is back! Today was the first Farmer's Market of the season, and you can bet I was there! This is one of my favorite things about being back in Madison. It was a beautiful spring day here today, which made the walk around the square wonderful! Hot, Spicy Cheese Bread from Stella's Bakery is a must anytime I'm there. Over a pound of hot, melty (and spicy) cheese in this baby - it's amazing!

I also found some pretty little pansies - some of the flowers are half purple and half orange. They made themselves right at home in a cute pot on my porch, right next to my fun new adirondack chair with brightly striped cushion (where I spent some time reading in the sun today).

All of it just screams Spring, and I love it!

A new attempt at Easter eggs

I know it's a few days late, but here's my attempt at naturally dying Easter eggs this year. Check out what blueberries, grape juice, coffee, turmeric (what you really use turmeric for, I'm not sure), and red cabbage can do!

Don't know that I'd really recommend trying it, it made the house smell kinda crazy, and wasn't all that successful, but it was fun once!

Missin' ya

Missin' my Sheboygan people tonight. Just feel like I could go for chips and salsa at Chili's (folks in Madison aren't nearly as enamoured with it as all of you are), or the incredibly fast service at El Camino, or just hanging out at Apache or 18th St or Heather Valley... you know who you are.

A New Command

I've definitely been living a life of busy-ness the past few months. I've kept myself occupied with anything and everything. Most of it good stuff, but "stuff", nonetheless. I've been very good at filling my time, but not necessarily so good and filling my heart.

Holy Week crept up on me this year.

A few weeks ago I posted about the 40 days of water challenge. (Yes, I did it, with just over $100 headed to the Blood:Water Mission. And for those of you who are curious, my first non-water drink on Friday was none other than Diet Coke!) The whole challenge kind of coincided with Lent, but that wasn't really what I was doing it for. I really wasn't in the mindset of anticipating the remembrance and celebration of what Christ did some 2,000 years ago. I've heard other people talk about what they "gave up for Lent," and went on to question their faith in my head, almost chastising them for their sacrifice, but wondering how much of the other 325 day of the year they surrender things to Him. They're ugly, ugly thoughts on my part. I haven't really cared where their heart was, or what pain they were carrying around, or what brought them joy. I've just belittled their way of celebrating the Easter season. And what's uglier to me, is that I've hardly been celebrating it in any way myself.

On Thursday of this past week, at about 3:00 in the afternoon, I realized that my church was having a Maundy Thursday service at 6:00. It hit me that day that Easter was just 4 days away. I did a little schedule juggling and was able to make it to the service. I remembered going to a Maundy Thursday service a time or two before at the church I grew up in, and walked in thinking, yeah, it's the day we remember the "Last Supper." But on Thursday, I learned of another whole part to that last meal that I hadn't put together before. That same night, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, (check out the end of this post for a cool story on that!) and later said to them "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John13:34-35.

Wow.

Love. That's it. That's how they'll know I love Him.

The word Maundy comes from the Latin translation for commandment. So really, this past Thursday we were to remember the new command that Jesus gave on the night before he died on the cross. Simply to love. Sound simple. But is really hard in practice. Lately, I've gotten so caught up in what's going on in my life, and with keeping myself busy, that I haven't loved anyone. Convicted - completely guilty.

Tonight, I remember what He did for me, dying on the cross, because He LOVES me.
Tomorrow, I'll celebrate how He conquered death for me, because He LOVES me.

My Worst vs. Your Best

"As women, we compare our worst to everybody else's best."

(I'm almost embarrassed to tell you who said this where, but I will, because she's completely right - Marie Osmond on Oprah.)

So true Marie, so true.

When are we going to start appreciating our "bests", rather than obsessing about our "worsts"?

A rant about taxes... but probably not what you're expecting.

Maybe it's just because so much of my time lately has been spent doing taxes, but the commercials I've seen for Associated Tax Relief, or Taxmasters, really make me angry!

These people (sure, I know they're actors, but that's beside the point) go on camera, smiling about how they "owed the IRS over $135,000, and Associated Tax Relief saved us over $99,000!"

People... if you owe the IRS, you should pay the IRS! The rest of us do! No, not fun to pay taxes, but do you drive on the roads? Do you appreciate the fact that there are police and fire departments that will help you when you need it? Do you use city water? Because you aren't paying your taxes, I'm paying extra so you can use all of those services! I definitely understand the desire to minimize taxes, but once it's determined what you owe, I kind of expect you to pay it!

No Ark Necessary

I'm 16 days and about $50 in!

(click the picture for more info)

101 Things

In case you care about this kind of thing (and absolutely no offense taken if you don't - promise!)...

Before the "25 Things" phenomenon on facebook came the "101 Things" trend on blogs. Given that you're reading a blog, and not facebook... here's a list more than 4 times as long as the one you would find on facebook. Hang on, here we go!

1. At the age of 21, I was served with papers saying I was being sued.
2. I waited over 4 years to actually go to court for it. I literally shook the whole 50 minutes or so I was on the stand testifying.
3. The case was thrown out a few hours after I testified - in essence, we won.
4. I buy celery almost every time I grocery show, sure that this will be the time I eat it all.
5. I throw it out 9 times out of 10.
6. I question myself nearly everyday.
7. I'm fairly sure I'm allergic to shrimp, considering I very nearly threw up on the way to the bathroom at Kiku's in Sheboygan mere seconds after eating it.
8. I think I could have married the guy I dated senior year of high school. Until the military took him away from me.
9. I have what some would say is an unhealthy obsession with the news.
10. Ok, really just with all NBC affiliated news.
11. I rarely send greeting cards with pre-printed messages in them. If it's an important enough occasion for a card, it's important enough for a personal message.
12. I hate socks.
13. I'm a big University of Wisconsin Badger fan.
14. But my favorite piece of Wisconsin clothing is not red... It's my 5 year old, purple, Wisconsin t-shirt.
15. I brush my teeth in the shower.
16. I hate texting.
17. But when I do, I try to use correct grammar. Commas, periods, apostrophes. All of that.
18. I enjoy doing taxes.
19. Punctuality is huge for me. I would rather wait 15 minutes for someone/thing, than make someone else wait 5.
20. But I wouldn't rather wait because someone else is late. If I'm early, that's fine. If you're late, that's not.
21. And that doesn't apply to getting to work. I can almost never make it at 8:00. 8:15 is no problem, but 8:00 doesn't work for me.
22. My blog started as a dare from AD, to see if I could blog as much as JB. I've met JB once, and am fairly certain he doesn't blog anymore.
23. I love hugs. But none of those weak, one arm type hugs. If you're going to do it, do it right.
24. I thoroughly enjoy playing with spreadsheets. At work, at home, doesn't matter.
25. You can call me a geek. I call myself one nearly everyday.
26. Despite being about 5'11", I wear heels almost everyday. Flats are just no fun.
27. Unless they are flipflops. Those are definitely fun.
28. 34" would be the perfect inseam length on pants. But almost no one makes those... 33" or 35" sure, but very few 34".
29. I once got in a major fight with a roommate over a cardboard box.
30. I could watch almost anything on Bravo, TLC, or HGTV.
31. Except "Little People, Big World," or "Jon and Kate Plus 8." Just can't get into those shows.
32. I must have live plants in my house.
33. I cry at Hallmark and Disney World commercials.
34. I was on a high school basketball team that went 0-20.
35. I got a concussion playing high school golf. I was hit in the head with a ball, on the fly, from 130 yards away.
36. (This won't mean much if you don't golf...) I golfed two whole high school varsity golf seasons without hitting a driver off the tee.
37. I hate the sound of windshield wipers on a dry windshield.
38. I sneeze everyday at about 10:00 in the morning. At least 3 sneezes, sometimes up to 6.
39. I can't drink a margarita that has salt on the rim.
40. Every place I have lived (with the exception of dorms and apartments in college) has been within a quarter mile of an interstate.
41. I like the sound of traffic at night.
42. I was born despising both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. It's in my blood.
43. I have never seen any of the Star Wars movies.
44. Of The Wizard of Oz. My mom thought it was scary, and never showed it to me as a child.
45. It wasn't until I was in college that I really even became aware of the movie. But then it became obvious that it was strange that I hadn't seen it.
46. I have a strange fear of someone coming into my bedroom through the window in the middle of the night.
47. This started when I had a second story bedroom, with a window that faced a fairly busy street - one with traffic throughout the night. My parents tried hard to convince me that no one would bring a ladder into our front yard with that big of a chance of being seen. It didn't really help.
48. I hate mashed potatoes.
49. My life would be a bit more relaxed if I could nap for a half hour everyday.
50. I'm a INFJ per the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator.
51. I've sprained my right ankle so many times that I can almost turn it completely sideways without it hurting at all anymore.
52. That comes in handy when wearing heels in Wisconsin winters.
53. I love Chinese food. Americanized Chinese food.
54. I had a dachshund named Roustabout.
55. My parents had him put to sleep while I was taking a nap one day (I was about 4 years old.) I still bring it up when I want to take a shot at them.
56. I took my drivers test in a "new" Volkswagen Beetle, 3 months after it first came out. I thought that was my key to passing, even if I didn't really pass.
57. I cheer for the underdog in nearly every game that doesn't feature the Badgers, Packers, or Brewers.
58. My favorite pair of flipflops cost me $2.50 at Old Navy 3 and a half years ago. They're still going strong!
59. I love talk radio.
60. I genuinely like giving gifts more than receiving them.
61. Except homemade gifts. Those are great to receive!
62. Very rarely do I make my bed in the morning.
63. But I often make it just before getting into it at night.
64. I attempt the crossword puzzle in the newspaper everyday. I'm patiently waiting for the day I finish one.
65. I would love to learn how to play the guitar.
66. It is virtually impossible for me to fall asleep with wet hair.
67. I can drink white wine, but not red.
68. Megan the wine girl on my favorite radio show says that's because my palate isn't mature enough yet.
69. I worked with Megan's husband Dave as a recreation leader at a park for three summers.
70. During one of those summers, Dave and I helped the kids make homemade root beer, complete with dry ice. We then had the brilliant idea to throw the extra dry ice in the toilet. It smoked for hours. And we ended up staying at the park hours after rec was normally done waiting for the dry ice to disappear.
71. I really don't like peanut butter and jelly.
72. Coming up with 101 things is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
73. I have a picture (painting/print/whatever - not a photograph) of a pig jumping off the end of a pier into water. Absolutely everyone that comes to my place, stops, looks at it, and asks some kind of question. But it makes people smile too.
74. Nearly every pair of shoes I have comes from Payless. Out of necessity, not frugality. I wear a size 12. No one else sells 12s.
75. I love me a good fire on a cold night. Just like the one I'm sitting next to as I write this.
76. The smell of lily of the valley is one of my favorites. It reminds me of the summer days when my mom would cut a few stems, and leave them right next to my bed to fall asleep smelling.
77. I love that my family uses the same jokes over and over with each other, but still laugh every time. And always follows it up with the line "It's the first time I've heard that one... Today!"
78. I really want to give up facebook, but can't quite make myself do it yet.
79. I'm a sucker for a good parade.
80. The saying "It is what it is," drives me crazy.
81. Ordering a "tall" coffee at Starbucks drives me crazy too. It's a small, people.
82. Ever since living in Sheboygan (and having Chili's be the default, out-to-eat restaurant of choice), I can't go there without ordering bottomless chips and salsa. If you haven't had them, do it. They're fabulous.
83. I wish I was a better cook.
84. I use the word "perfect" far too often.
85. I love stale popcorn.
86. I follow about 15 or so blogs, most of them of people I don't know personally.
87. Before I was born, my mom painted one whole wall of my room with a huge frog (we're talking 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide), with a rainbow over it. Not exactly sure where the idea came from, but I loved it! I'm a little surprised it didn't scare me.
88. I used to think I was given my middle name because of the children's librarian at the public library near our house. It took me awhile to realize that my parents probably didn't know the children's librarian until after I was born, and already named.
89. I often think of my 19 year old brother (7 years younger than me) as my older brother, and often treat him that way. He's one of my best friends.
90. I will probably always have a soft spot in my heart for Sheboygan. A few of the friends I made there are people that feel like home.
91. I think the series' Law & Order and CSI have gone too far with their series within a series concept. Enough already.
92. We had the world's best backyard for slip-n-sliding at the first house I lived in. We're talking a double hill, that was long enough to set up two slip-n-slides end to end. Our house was the place to be on a hot summer day.
93. At the next house we lived in, we got a pool in the backyard. Another good place to be on a summer afternoon.
94. My favorite vegetable is broccoli.
95. My favorite pasta is rotini.
96. One of my favorite things at my grandma's house was her picture hallway. She had taped hundreds of pictures up on the wall in her hallway, of everyone important in her life. Mostly candid shots with great stories to go with them.
97. She recently took them all down, and it made me kind of sad.
98. I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar (with Ted Neely himself!). I was absolutely sure I was being tricked into going somewhere else, and actually got a little suspicious of AD. The whole day was one of the strangest/funniest I've had in a long time. But I'm pretty sure no one else would find the story nearly as entertaining as I do...
99. I'm a closet Neil Diamond fan. And while I'm admitting it, James Taylor too.
100. The most overused phrase among people I'm immediately related to is, "What'd you have to give for that?"
101. For this blog post, about 2 and a half months of effort! This was what I had in mind when I mentioned something about having some kind of special post for the new year on December 30. Was it worth the wait?

Vampire Slayin'

"Wooden stake to the heart, and a little onion! That's all I need!"

Sure Matt. Garlic. Onion. Same thing.

Solid colors are predictable.

I've heard my mom describe me as "our safe, predictable" kid. And I've always translated that in my head as "our too responsible, no fun" kid. And to be honest, I have always kind of resented it.

I'm realizing now how right she is.

I like normal.

I like safe.

I like predictable.

And lately, I feel like I've been swimming in a pool of uncertainty, which is not something I deal well with. I like to know what's coming tomorrow. I like to know where I stand with the people in my life. I like to know that the people I love are safe and happy. And it feels like I don't know a lot of those things right now.

So, yes mom, you are right. I may not be as much fun as spontaneity is sometimes, but I think you pretty much know what you're going to get with me.

Another description of me... from my roommate sophomore year of college, describing me to someone else on our floor. She said, "My roommate is the one who always wears solid colors." Just another indicator of the consistency I crave.

Update: A couple "current event" type comments about my desire for normalcy.... 1) I've made myself turn off MSNBC lately because the anxiety all the economic news of late causes isn't treating me well. 2) I would not do well on the Bachelor (not only because of this, but plenty of other reasons as well!). Jason is a dog, a low down dirty dog.

Best. Parking Ticket. Ever.

Matt and I got surprise, free tickets to the Badger game today (Thanks P & V/K!). We parked in our dad's secret, "Permit Only" parking lot, and no we don't have a permit. After a big win for the Badgers, we came back to the car to find this.

That's one ticket I'll gladly take!

Anxious

Found this quote today...

"When we reach the end of our strength, wisdom, and personal resources, we enter into the beginning of His glorious provisions."

The anxiety is turned up to high lately. Too close to home (and if I'm honest, probably too silly) to share right now, but... Prayers please.

Strugglin'

When I posted a couple weeks ago, I pretty much laid myself out there emotionally. And then didn't say any more about it. That's not to say there isn't anything more to say, I've just been trying to figure it all out in my head. And in my heart really. If I'm being honest, and I started down the honesty road already so I may as well keep going, I've got some issues. In particular, big self-worth issues.

I know I'm not the only one that struggles with this stuff, at least I hope I'm not, but not because I want anyone else to have to deal with it, just because I hope I'm not alone in it...

I so often focus on the things that I find wrong with myself, whether it's the way my eyes get all squinty when I smile making every picture of me when I'm truly happy one that I can't stand looking at myself in, of the number on the tag of my jeans, or that tears come to me rather easily. Or I focus on the things that I don't think are all that "wrong" with me, but everyone around me seems to think are. Like the whole being single thing, or that I can only take so much time around people before it wears me out and gets me kinda grumpy.

If I make myself sit down and think about some of the good things about myself, I can get there. Like the fact that I care passionately about the people I love. Or that I have a distinctive laugh that I've been told people recognize and miss when I'm not around. Or that I really am blessed beyond measure.

It just makes me sad that those aren't the things that come to mind most often, or really at all unless I make myself. How do you manage to make the good stuff be the stuff you think of first?

I've had quite a few "just post a few pictures and call it enough" blog posts lately. I think it's because I'm trying to figure out just how much of myself I want to put out there.

So Sweet

A sweet (literally!) valentine from my sweet friend Erin, who never lets me forget that she loves me. Thank you E for knowing all the crummy stuff about me, but caring despite it. And thank you for sharing all the good stuff too! I consider you a sister and thank God for you everyday.
I only wish my baking and photography skills were half as good as hers.

Spoons in the Rathskeller

A couple projects

I got this mirror a few weeks ago, as a housewarming gift. It was salvaged from a hair salon that was being remodeled. Now, I definitely think every bedroom needs a full length mirror (except on those "ugly" days where you can't find anything to wear!), and my 6' x 2' one fits the bill, but it just wasn't doing it for me as it was.

Enter dad, a few feet of chair rail molding, and a can of black paint.

And you get a much better looking mirror!

Also, note the old medicine cabinet hanging in the hallway outside my closet on the way to the bathroom. Open that mirrored door...
And you get one fun jewelry cabinet!