Life on the Runn...

Thanks to my wonderful in-laws, I got to enjoy another side of my hometown and make a lovely little memory with my favorite little human! Friday, before girls’ night, the Runnells trio went to the farm. Just down the street from where Brian grew up - and not all that far from my childhood home - is a lovely farm with some 200 chickens, cattle, sheep, and the most amazing oak savannah I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. While my post-4-wheeler ride hair was likely a traumatic sight for my friends at dinnertime,  I am certain I have never had a more enjoyable ride about Mukwonago. Mr. Holtz might be just about the nicest man I’ve ever met, and he surely owns the most beautiful piece of property in town. We will definitely take him up on his invitation for a return visit — and maybe make ourselves useful (so long as my task doesn’t involve poop!).  I could spend hours walking amongst the trees and along Jericho Creek, and HQ would be happy to spend her days kissing chicks (yep, sh...

I have to admit - somewhat embarrassedly - that I only recently joined my first ever book club.  I love reading, and I love talking (oh, and I am an English teacher), so a book club seems like a no-brainer, but the stars never aligned/ I kept busy with gym friends and our climbing family — and only loosely discussed books in both circles. Tuesday was the real deal as it was the initial meeting for our book club, Reading Between the Wines, that an awesome coworker created.  We read  Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I loved the book so much that I purchased the sequel (Arrive soon, please!) and began reading another Backman novel, A Man Called Ove , as soon as I could get my hands on it. Seriously, read all his books! This year, like returning to work after maternity leave last year, has been an emotional struggle.  I spent a lot of time in my classroom, and while I value so very much the ability to provide for my child the way I was able to, I existed in iso...

I did not love him invading my space, and I did try to sell him (probably more than once), but he's the best gift my parents ever gave me, my first and best friend!  He's been a part of so many big moments in my life, and is the keeper of so many secrets, though it turns out Mom and Dad knew more than they let on....   We've put up with each other's 'isms' (Mr. Hunter himself didn't quite know what to do with a sister who spend years living in the land of vegetarianism), and we challenge each other in ways that nobody else can.  Above all, no person has my back quite like my big little brother, and nobody will ever have his quite like I do.   Happy National Siblings Day, B!

Never mind that it was the last night of Spring Break.  Never mind that we were on PDT (two hours behind CST).  Never mind that I had to be in the Dells by 7:30am. We blew right past our bedtime Sunday evening in order to enjoy our first trip to the Fiserv Forum for a date with Mumford and Sons. The show, which started much later than anticipated, was amazing, and our crew was lots of fun, too.  It was a pretty wild Sunday night in my books - cheese curds, Moscow mules, staying up till midnight, and singing and dancing to some of the best performers I've ever seen! They asked for cell phone lights...they got cell phone lights! our crew