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The Weekend

The weekend is here. Hopefully, it means that I’ll get back to knowing what day of the week it is. I
I dedicated the morning to completing household chores.  Honestly, I had every intention of doing this work over the holiday break, but it didn’t happen. Mostly because all three boys were here, but also because I got sick on Christmas night. Unfortunately, getting sick also meant I couldn’t spend as much time with the boys as I wanted to since I didn’t want to infect anyone.

After a quick liquid lunch, a protein shake, I headed to Palm Beach to go thrifting with Terri. Our first stop was the Church Mouse. It’s a fancier “thrift” store on Palm Beach island and the prices were equal to the location. Afterwards, we headed to Goodwill back on the mainland. Fortunately, Terri was able to find some gold at that location. We were going to stop at World Thrift, but we didn’t have life jackets or rowboats to get through the parking lot.

I spent the evening chilling with the puppies while watching The Morning Show. It’s quite entertaining and well down. Once my Amazon package gets here, I’m going to start working on my sourdough baguette loaves. Well, at least I’m going to get the equipment ready. Thankfully, it’s going to be a nice and peaceful evening. It’s nice to be able to watch the show of my choice without someone complaining or making fun of my choice. I’ll be taking advantage of this all weekend.

Meanwhile the Mayor and Hubby are enjoying the snow that’s begun to fall in Pennsylvania. Note to anyone looking for a new car, the Chevy Bolt doesn’t handle any amount of snow and will leave you stuck. In addition to the snow, the Mayor played two games. They lost the first game and tied the second one. They’re currently enjoying the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Sabres game. I think it’s fun to experience NHL games in different stadiums or cities.

If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

If I had a freeway billboard, it would say carpe diem. Mostly because I think people should live for the moment. Also, I like the idea of putting up a billboard with a dead language on it. Gotta be different!

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Back to Normal

Things are getting back to normal around here after a busy holiday season. Jake left earlier in the week to go back to Tally and today Goalielocks headed back to UCF. Meanwhile, the Mayor and the hubby are in Pittsburgh for the weekend at a tournament. There’s nobody here to pickpocket me. I mean ask for cash to buy food when we have three fridges full of food. My house has gone from a nuthouse to a peaceful space. I’m just kidding the puppies make sure there’s ample noise in the house. Especially if a squirrel or bird is at the bird feeder.

While the boys are in Pittsburgh, I’m going to try and be productive around the house. My sourdough starter should be good to go this weekend. I started both starters last Saturday. Since this is my first attempt, I thought I should make two in case on failed. For one starter, I bought a starter culture from Amazon. The other culture I made with water and flour. Both are looking good. The only thing remaining is to name said starters.

The sourdough starters

I also bought some things to get my bathroom and kitchen better organized. Truly, I need a better system for managing my makeup. Consequently, I bought a makeup storage thing from Amazon. It’s bedazzled and should hold everything I got. Or at least I hope it will. I’m also rearranging my pantry because it’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Also, I found some great airtight containers for my flour and sugar. Since we live in Florida, I’ve added bay leaves to keep away any bugs.

Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I spend more time thinking about the future than the past. Well, maybe…. Honestly, if you ignore the past, you’re bound to repeat precious mistakes, which is super lame. On the flip side, if you ruminate too much on the past, you will never move forward. Consequently, I try to find a balance between the two while also living in the moment. I don’t want life to pass me by because I’ve spent too much time thinking about things I can’t change or things that may or may not happen. And now we’re back to normal.

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Greatest Gift

Today’s prompt for Bloganuary is about the greatest gift someone could give. It’s quite apropos given we’re just coming out of gift-giving season. I don’t know about you, but I have gift-giving fatigue. As the boys get older, it’s getting increasingly hard to buy gifts that they’ll use. We bought a lot of experiential gifts when they were growing up, but that’s harder now that we all live in different places.

One gift that I’ve gotten this week is great weather. It’s been nice and cool here, so I started running outside with Arrow. While I had the confidence to restart running outside, I wasn’t sure how Arrow would manage. Thankfully, he’s got no problem going the distance and manages to smile the whole time like Athena used to do. Unfortunately, he hasn’t mastered running right beside me all the time. He nearly tripped me several times when we ran in front or off to the side. He’s also hip-checked a few times, but I was able to keep it steady. It’s a work in progress, but it’s going well.

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

The greatest gift someone can give you is their time and their stories. I spent a lot of time with my Grandma last month and it was wonderful. She and I talked about many things, but I enjoyed hearing stories of her childhood and raising children. Times were undoubtedly much different when she was growing up and raising kids, but the concerns we face as parents remain the same. We still worry about the family budget, how our kids do in school, and neighborhood bullies.

I found some great pictures of her and her family dating back to the 40s, which were so cool. At my folk’s house, I found an envelope of pics my feet aunt had taken back in the early 80s. There were a lot of pics of my brother and I with my mom and grandma. These ladies are always up for adventure, it’s no wonder I love to explore the world and hike the mountains. There was one picture of my grandma and me that I particularly loved (it’s now hanging on my wall) where I’m leading her through a trail and she’s following behind keeping me safe. It’s a powerful reminder that my grandma has had my back since day one.

One thing that my Grandma enjoyed was hearing that I still make her mom’s recipes. Her face lit up! Recipes and the food we eat have an amazing way of connecting us to our roots and heritage. When we cook those recipes passed down from generation to generation, it keeps those folks alive. Maybe it’s the post-run stupor talking, but your girl is sentimental today. I’ll leave you all with a prayer request for the day. Today some people that I love tremendously experience a terrible loss. Please say a little prayer that God may bring them some comfort.

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year to the blogosphere! I’m a bit late, but better late than never. If you’re anything like Larry David and put a statute of limitations on such greetings this should still fall within that window. It’s unbelievable that it’s 2024, and my youngest is graduating high school this year, while my oldest is getting married. Boy life comes at you fast!

I had the best intentions of getting back to December but enjoyed having no obligations aside from exercising. This, of course, ended up working out for the best as my mom needed me to help move my Grandma into her new place. It was so much fun spending time with my Grandma and hearing her stories. I occupied Grandma with coffee and chatting, enabling my mom and aunt to accomplish tasks.

By the way, I had no idea how intricate the process of moving a loved one into assisted/independent living is. They accomplished it, securing my Grandma an absolutely incredible view of the Lake. My Grandma’s new digs are amazing.  I was joking with her that it’s like she’s on a cruise every day. The facility schedules a wide variety of daily activities, and she gets ice cream with every meal. I’m jealous.

What colleges have you attended?

I did my undergrad at the University of Minnesota from 1998-2001. My son who goes to school here in Florida is paying less for his tuition than I did at the U of MN. Both schools are public, yet one is significantly more expensive. Perhaps it’s time to ask why some public institutions are so expensive. Folks are drowning in student debt, it’s time to hold these schools accountable for the outcomes and tuition increases.

I did my MBA at Purdue University Global, which at the time was Kaplan University. Regulators placed KU, like many for-profit schools at the time, under the oversight of gainful employment regulations. Meaning that the school had to show that its programs led to gainful employment. Higher Education, which I’m thrilled to no longer be working in, is an absolute mess. The value proposition isn’t there anymore. To be quite frank, my generation was fed a line of bullshit that college was the only path to a bright future. Most people looked down on trade schools at the time.  Let me tell you something, a skilled HVAC worker in Florida is never going to be without employment. Anyway, happy new year!

Today’s song is Cumbersome, but Seven Mary Three

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Zion National Park

We’ve spent the last two days exploring Zion National Park. This is the first national park we’re visiting this week. Tomorrow we’ll head to Bryce Canyon for our second park of the tour. Zion lived up to our expectations. We will be back. When we return, we’re going to complete the Narrows and Angel’s Landing hikes. We could not complete the Narrows today due to weather and the risk of flash flooding.

Before you go, here are some things to consider.

  • The busy season runs from April to Early October. And it is busy, so plan to get there early in the morning if you’re not staying in the park.
  • Buy the Interagency America the Beautiful pass. For $80 ($20 for seniors, free for military,) it gives you access to all of the National Parks.
  • The Zion National Park newspaper is a good resource for planning your visit.
  • Watch the weather carefully. The weather will impact your ability to complete certain hikes (like the Narrows) safely.
  • Get the right gear! You’ll need good hiking shoes and socks, ponchos, jackets, walking sticks, hats, sunglasses, a charger for your cell phone, lots of water, and snacks. Additionally, we brought bear spray, sunscreen, and bug spray
  • Prepare to be flexible. Your planned hikes may need to change depending on the weather conditions. Unfortunately, we were scheduled to do the Narrows today, but couldn’t due to the rain and the possibility of flash flooding.

Some of our favorite hikes:

  • Emerald Pools is a moderate hike that features three uniquely colored pools and a waterfall. Arrive early as it’s a popular hike.
  • The Watchman trail is a 3.3-mile moderate trail up to a beautiful viewpoint of the Towers of the Virgin, Lower Zion Canyon, and the town of Springdale. This was my personal favorite.
  • Riverside Walk is 2.2 miles and leads to the beginning of the Narrows. It is an easy, mostly paved hike. We got to the end of the Riverside walk and decided to do the beginning of the Narrows.
  • Kayenta Trail is a 2-mile moderate trail that connects the Grotto trail to the Emerald Pools trail.

Animals you may see while visiting Zion (not an exhaustive list):

  • Desert pronghorn sheep
  • Mule deer
  • North American rock squirrel
  • California condor
  • Gray fox
  • Coyote
  • Bobcats
  • Cougars

The park has beautiful visitor centers and numerous nice restroom facilities throughout the park. The shuttle system efficiently transports guests up and down the canyon to the various trailheads. If you’ve never been to Zion National Park, I’d recommend adding it to your list of places to visit.

What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

My number one priority tomorrow is getting us safely to Bryce Canyon. We’re leaving Zion and heading to our second National Park of the trip. I’m a bit nervous as Bryce has gotten some snow over the last couple of days. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see what Bryce and the surrounding area have to offer.

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Eeek!!!

Eeek!!! This time tomorrow I will be with my oldest in Utah. I’d say I’m excited, but I’m afraid that’s a bit of an understatement. Honestly, I’m over the moon. Our neoprene socks arrived today, so now we’re all set. I picked up the altitude sickness medication and new Epi-pens, so I’m really ready. Okay, maybe I’m more than ready to go. The afternoon at work is going to be way too long. Eeek!

In the interim, I’m just enjoying having the Mayor home for a bit. We had dinner from Sushi Yama last night. We’ve been eating there since they opened when the boys were small. I’ve never had a bad meal there. Well, at least I hadn’t had a bad meal there until last night. I always get chicken teriyaki, which is hard to screw up. Unfortunately, the chicken was so overcooked it was inedible. It looked gross and tasted equally gross. At least I got my money back easily since I had ordered through Grubhub. I love having my groceries and food delivered, these folks are our modern-day milkman.

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

If I could work any job and money didn’t matter, I’d be a stay-at-home mom, a social worker, or a full-time travel blogger. Unfortunately, money will always matter, so I’m tethered to a 9 to 5 gig until I retire.

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My Baby’s Home

My baby’s home for a few days and it’s so nice to have him here. I couldn’t believe how old he looked when he walked in last night. Time has flown by so incredibly fast. He’s doing really well and is enjoying his time on Florida’s west coast. I just have to say we are blessed that he has an incredible billet family and incredible billet brothers. I’m glad to see him thriving away from home. My boy is definitely not tethered to my apron strings. Tonight we’re going to celebrate him being home with some Sushi Yama for dinner.

Meanwhile, I’m still packing for my trip. I didn’t get much down yesterday and need to do some laundry. I’m trying to pack light, since we’ll have laundry at every AirBnB we’re staying at. The hardest part is trying to decide how many pairs of shoes to bring. I’m bringing two pairs of hiking boots/shoes. I have hiking sandals that’ll work well for the hike through the Narrows at Zion. Aside from that, I’m trying to decide if I need to bring dress shoes. We’ll be having dinner out some nights. Clearly, I don’t want to show up in dirty hiking gear. From snippets I’ve read, it seems like Southern Utah has some fine dining options. Hopefully, the food is better there than it is in Ogden.

Beautiful Bryggen

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

I’m proud of my family’s Norwegian heritage. When we went to Norway in 2017, it felt like going home. The way people spoke, and the way houses looked back in Minnesota all made sense after that trip. I could see why they immigrated to Minnesota as it looks similar to a lot of Norway. Of course, nothing in Minnesota can compare with the beauty of Fjord Norway although Lake Superior is pretty spectacular. One thing I love about our heritage is that our ancestors wasted nothing. Food and farmable land were scarce, so they used every part of the animal. In fact, it was this ingenuity that led to the creation of Brunost (brown cheese,) which uses whet a byproduct of the cheese-making process as its main ingredient.

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It’s Almost Time

It’s almost time to start packing for my trip to Utah. This will likely be my last trip to visit my Boy before he moves out of the state. I have really enjoyed our family trips to Utah. Particularly, I’ve enjoyed exploring the mountains of the Wasatch Front and surrounding national forests. It is an absolutely beautiful place to visit even if the food sucks. I’m hopeful that the food in South Eastern Utah will be better.

This trip will be different because Jake and I are going to explore the Mighty Five and surrounding state parks. For the uninitiated, the Mighty Five are Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Arches National Park. Southern Utah is jam-packed with wonderful places to explore. We’ll be there for a week, so it will be quite busy as we explore as much as possible. I’m really looking forward to the different hiking experiences each park will bring.

I may try to post some updates while in Utah, but most of our time will be spent off the grid. In fact, the Hubby and my folks have a copy of our hiking itinerary, so they know where we’re at. This was if we get lost on a trial and they don’t hear from us, they know where to direct people. Obviously, I don’t think anything would happen, but these parks, their canyons, and rivers can be unforgiving. I want to be prepared in the event one of us gets injured.

I’ve already bought most of the stuff we need for the hikes with a few exceptions. Once I get to Utah, I’ll pick up some bear spray. The Mighty Five have plenty of bears and plenty of latibules where they can hide. Honestly, and I don’t know why, but I can’t talk about or write about bears without thinking of Dwight Shrute from The Office. In addition to the bear spray, I’ll pick up snacks for the trail out west.

What could you do more of?

What could I do more of? Travel! I don’t travel nearly enough. I wish we weren’t strapped to 9-5 jobs that keep us from exploring the world. It’s kind of a shame that we don’t have enough time off in the year to explore the world with our families. The culture of working 24/7 is toxic and serves nobody, but the C suite and shareholders.

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Great Time

I had a great time this weekend with the puppies traipsing through the neighborhood. I spent much of it at home binge-watching Sex Education on Netflix. The show is both well-written and well-acted. Gillian Anderson’s performance is amazing. Needless to say, the show was really entertaining and provided a good backdrop to my weekend and my weekend chores. I have to say it’s nice to have full authority over what I watch on television. It’s been a long time since that’s happened.

Saturday afternoon I made it out for my good friend Lisa’s birthday party. Lisa is one of my favorite Kaplan people and I hadn’t seen her in so long, so I didn’t want to miss it. The weather was looking a bit sketchy, so I was worried there’d be a shower or two, but the weather held out. This is important since the party was on a tiki taxi that cruises the Intracoastal. For $10, you can ride it for as long as you’d like and it comes back to the dock on the hour. It also has a bar onboard and a jukebox. Ok, probably not a jukebox, but the music covered all the genres much like a jukebox.

In addition to Lisa, there were a bunch of great people from Kaplan that I hadn’t seen in forever. I got laid off shortly before the pandemic, which really put a damper on all of our social lives. I’ve seen a couple of them at concerts, but it was so good to see so many folks in person again and reconnect. We ended up in the tiki taxi for a couple of hours. The weather was overcast with a nice breeze, which was perfect because it kept us from getting too hot. It was a great night.

Yesterday I spent the morning doing chores. After lunch, I headed to Terri and PJ’s house for coffee. It was nice to see them again. I haven’t seen anyone for months thanks in part to travel and an autoimmune flare. Thankfully, I think I’ve been on the upswing. Hopefully, my doctor will think so too when I go see her for a follow-up tomorrow. I ended my weekend with some sushi and more Netflix. It was a great weekend.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I was given was to cherish and enjoy my kids’ childhoods. When you’re a new mom, the advice sounds a bit cliche. When you’re the mom of a screaming toddler, the advice seems absolutely ludicrous. And when you’re dealing with a teenager and big kid problems, woah the advice can feel dead wrong. When, however, your kids leave the nest, it makes sense completely. The bad days make up such a minuscule part of your life, but the good days and joys of raising your kids far outweigh everything else. So if you’re kids are young and you’re reading this, buckle up and enjoy the ride because it’s over really fast.

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Unclear

We’re going into the weekend with an unclear path forward. I hate to be vague, but I can’t at this point be really specific. In time, once the dust has settled I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on the situation. To be clear, it’s really put a damper on the end of the week and made hubby’s trip to Vegas a bit complicated. Unfortunately, the Hubby’s flight was also super late as the inbound flight was diverted due to weather. He decided to fly to Nashville last night instead of driving through severe weather to get home.

This weekend it will be just me and the puppies. Tonight I’m binge watching Sex Education on NetFlix. It’s quite good. I didn’t even recognize Gillian Anderson. Tomorrow I’m going to hangout with some of my Kaplan peeps to celebrate my good friend Lisa’s birthday. It will be so nice to see everyone. I don’t get out much. Usually, the longest trip I make during the week is to my mailbox. In all due seriousness, it will be nice to see everyone. I can’t remember the last time I’ve hung out with this group of awesome people.

Which topics would you like to be more informed about?

At the moment I’m obsessed with all things revolving around Tudor England. It all started with Hilary Mantel’s brilliant book Wolf Hall, which follows Thomas Cromwell’s rise to prominence during Henry VIII’s reign. I think I’ve read nearly every historical fiction involving Tudor England. Once the kids are firmly set, I’d like to take one of Alison Weir’s Tudor themed curated tours. They’re not cheap, but Weir is a leading historian, so it would be amazing to experience Tudor England with her.