Life on the Runn...

Though my mom says this is a privilege only attained when one reaches 50, I say it's a privilege I am worthy of right now.  I've spent my entire life celebrating my birthday very near a holiday (though it could have been much closer, I realize).  Since I have to wait until December for either of the big celebrations of the year, my birthday and Christmas, I figure I should make it last in order to remember the excitement all year long. Because of that fact, I've named the entire month a time to celebrate...that is a time to celebrate ME.  And best yet, I think Brian has conceded; he did put up a good fight. That means I'll play the "It's my birthday month" card whenever I'd rather go out for dinner than cook, whenever I could go for a snack or a shopping trip, whenever I'd rather cozy up by the fire than fold laundry...I think you get the picture.

Last Thursday I realized that I had an opportunity to fulfill a giant wish/dream of Brian's.  Since I've known him, he's spoken of his love for the University of Michigan.  Being the Badger girl that I am, I did my best to beat that Michigan talk right out of him, and I would say I've been relatively successful.  However, his desire to visit the stadium and take in a game has not subsided.  And, truth be told, I was pretty curious about the Big House myself, so I figured I should find a chance to take in a Wisconsin-Michigan game with my hubbers. We purchased two tickets (excellent seats), fueled up the Fit and departed for Ann Arbor on Friday afternoon.  We stopped in Jackson, MI, where we had a hotel reservation.  The hotel was so disgusting and smelly that we aborted that mission and drove straight to Ann Arbor.  Our second hotel was much better than the first, and I took that as a sign that the weekend would turn out quite well. There wasn't th...

A few weeks ago I began physical therapy.  My ankle has been slowly improving; the same did not hold true for my attitude early last week.  My therapist asked me to do this specific exercise where I had to focus on the position of my knees, ankles and hips all at the same time; additionally, I had to do two other movements.  Because my ankle is weak and because I struggled to keep every instruction clear in my mind while ignoring the discomfort I was feeling, I couldn't do what he was asking.  Believe me, I was trying.  My frustration was growing, and I know my therapist was becoming annoyed with me.  He kept barking instructions, and I kept thinking I better keep it together or I might just yell/cry right on the spot.  I nearly had a rage blackout when he told me that since I wasn't doing it right, I should simply try a few more sets of 10. Realizing how negative I was, I figured there must be something to learn from this horrid moment.  And he...

My brother's birthday was last week, and missing him greatly, I decided to head to Oshkosh for a visit (I wanted to see my brother and check out his new house; his beast dog I can live without....aww heck, even though he's a wild man, I love Cash!). The plan was to do some shopping once we got into town since my brother had to work until early evening.  I was happy to have an excuse to spend an hour or two in the mall, and made my way from store to store without incident.  I was excited to stock up on Wisconsin wear and purchase some sweaters in preparation for the cold, prolonged winter that is inevitably ahead of us.   Imagine my surprise when I found this treasure:

As an English teacher I am often asked about my favorite pieces of literature.  Courtesy of my limited-mobility August, I had plenty of time to do plenty of leisure reading, and despite the chaos of the school year, I've continued to make time for reading. Here are a few of my recent reads, books I definitely recommend: - Little Bee by Chris Cleave - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

In the past few years, I’ve spent many weekends in Kentucky.  It wasn’t until recently, however, that I realized just how much that place and this sport mean to me.  When I was first introduced to climbing, I really didn’t embrace the idea or the lifestyle that went along with it.  But, before too long, I realized that I was a climber through and through.  I traded in my weekly manicures for trips to the rock gym; I swapped weekends at a hotel for weekends in a tent; I cut my long hair so it was less work when I didn’t have access to showers…and I met some of the greatest people I now know, people who will be lifelong friends.   As a result of my most recent surgery, I still cannot climb – I cannot fully bend my toes, which is imperative when climbing, so I knew I would be sidelined for the weekend.  Though I knew that wouldn't be fun, I couldn’t see sitting at home this long weekend, and suggested that Brian and I join everyone in Kentucky...

Thanks to my friend Katie..or should I say Ryan..., I had the opportunity to mix tasty treats with Badger pride.  Let me introduce to you Bucky's Peanut Butter and Chocolate bar and the Camp Randall Caramels bar.   Yum-o!!