24

Today is the last day of my summer session. I have one more exam to administer and grade and then I will have a 24 day respite until the Fall Semester begins.

We have some fun, family-centered activites planned - including a cruise on a Mississippi Riverboat, a visit to a water park, and touring a "Mystery Cave." Don't worry, we will "take you along" via the blog.

I will be sure to keep you updated as I relax and enjoy the summer breezes, perhaps I can help Steve post the photos of the Kitchen remodel and the addition of the screened in porch.

Today our thoughts and prayers have been with dear Robin Chalifour and her family.

“Dum spiro, spero” (Latin), "While I breathe, I hope” Latin Proverb

"Look upon each day that comes as a challenge, as a test of courage. The pain will come in waves, some days worse than others, for no apparent reason. Accept the pain. Do not suppress it. Never attempt to hide grief from yourself. Little by little, just as the deaf, the blind, the handicapped develop with time an extra sense to balance disability, so the bereaved, the widowed, will find new strength, new vision, born of the very pain and loneliness which seem, at first, impossible to master." ~Daphne Du Maurier

"He did not say: You will not be troubled, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted; but he said: You will not be overcome." ~Julian of Norwich

We are here for you.

Wedding bells and more Birthdays!

Today, my nephew Ryan and his fiance Sara are being wed on Long Island, New York. Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. Go now to your dwelling, to enter into the days of your life together, and may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship--as they threaten all relationships at one time or another--remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives--remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

~Apache Wedding Blessing

Ryan and Sara, we so wish we could be there to celebrate with you. I'm sure that the day will be beautiful and that you will be blessed with a lifetime of happiness.


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Today is also the 6th birthday of Carter Audet Marrero, son of Greg Audet and Lisa Morrero, and the first grandchild of my stepdad Reggie. Carter is named after James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. The 39th President of the United States and one of the most ethical men to serve in that role. I wish I had a photo of my "nephew" Carter to add to the blog, but in lieu of a photo of Carter, I will add a photo of Jimmy Carter.

Carter Audet Merrero is quite the brilliant young man. At the age of six, Carter already shows an aptitude for engineering. While most six year old boys are obsessed with sports and race cars, Carter likes to examine and explore the workings of HVAC units. More than likely, Carter will one day devise some form of alternative energy for the U.S. and free us from our terrible additiction to oil. For now, I will place these photos of AC units here for his birthday viewing pleasure:

Happy birthday, Carter!

Birthday Greetings

Happy birthday wishes go out to some pretty special family members.

Brother in law, Steve Ciarla (upper left corner) is celebrating a birthday today-It's your 22nd, right Steve?!

Today as we think of you, we remember your tenacious spirit, your kind heart and your quick wit. We are so lucky to have you as a part of our family.

Our lovely niece Erin is also celebrating a birthday today ... Erin you inspire all of us to reach higher and achieve more. We all love your joyful and thoughtful approach to life!

Happy birthday both of you. We wish we could be there to raise a celebratory glass with each of you.

Let me root, root, root for the home team,

I think Steve and I knew just a few weeks after Katie began to walk that she would one day play softball or baseball. She was hunched down in catching position: knees bent, hands touching the ground as if about to pick up a ball...she just seemed to be very comfortable in that position.

Steve and I used to get a kick out of it when she went "for a grounder" Of course, it is in her genes. (Steve and I both played for catcher for years).

Katie started playing this summer with the WeeStars (a Winona league for girls between the ages of 6 and 10). The league focuses on building the girls’ skills - and on having fun.

Steve is helping to coach the team. Here he is working with one of the little ones on her batting skills.

Katie seems to enjoy fielding as much as hitting the ball.

Go, Katie, Go!

A "Prime" Anniversary Party

Steve, Katie, and I had a blast celebrating the 11th anniversary of our friends, Jennifer (above) and her husband Jeremy. This year was especially important because 11 is a prime number! Jen is another geology professor at WSU, and she and Steve have become good friends in the four years that she has been teaching there. The party was celebrated at the Smith Gardens Community Farm (http://www.smithgardensfarm.com/index.html) which is about 35 minutes from Winona.
Here Jeremy awaits the frisbee which will soon loft his way, the farm's dog also hopes to get his mitts on the disc. In the lower right hand corner is the adorable son of the farm's owners. He was somewhat unclear as the the rules of the game of bacchi and frequently picked up the bacchi balls and ran away with them. This added an element of surprise to our games, making it somewhat of an extreme sport!

The 16 acres of this farm are absolutely georgous and guests were free to roam about the property. There are a slew of laying hens, and milking goats which are fun to watch and pet. The produce is raised organically and is wonderful. They also have a wood-fired stove which is used in the preparation of pizza, which was our dinner for the evening. Katie (above) heads back to the keg (of lemonade) to refill her glass.

We also had the pleasure of the company of other WSU friends. Above is our good friend Katie with her adorable daughter Nyah. They make the perfect backdrop to the lovely freshly picked salads.

There was plenty of time to catch up with friends. Above Jennifer and Candice (Another Geo-prof) discuss the perfect temperature for the formation of granite...or are they discussing which wine would go best with the roasted asparagus pizza?

Steve and Peggy have a good laugh - what wonderful smiles, you two!

The bacchi games were pretty competative. Say...who took the other green ball???

What a great evening - great location, wonderful food, and super people. Thanks for inviting us Jen and Jer! Happy anniversary!

Goodbye, Julius C. Wilkie

One of Winona's more notable landmarks has been the Julius C. Wilkie, a replica steamship which for years has sat in Levee Park at the end of Main Street. The boat is named after one of the founders and first settlers of Winona and is even in the book "1000 Places to Visit in the MidWest". Unfortunately, as often happens with old things, the Wilkie had begun to fall into disrepair. The City Counsel has debated for years about what should be done with the ship and two years ago a faction of very enthusiastic town members formed to try and save the Wilkie. Unfortunately, their valiant efforts were not successful.
In its grander days, the ship was an art museum and the upper deck served as a grand salon for musical shows and social teas. Since before we moved to town in 2002, the ship has been closed to the public. Alas, we never got to see the interior.

On July 9th, the ship was demolished and removed from Levee Park. Steve and Katie stopped by in the morning to get one last look at the Wilke before she moved on to that great golden river in the sky....

Have I told you that we have a pirate here in town? ARRR we sure do. Steve the Pirate is one of the town's more colorful characters. He made sure that he was on hand that morning in case anyone wanted a photo op. How could Katie say no to a pirate?

Sniff, the last bit of the Wilkie before she is totalled.

I wonder what they will put in her place?

Tornado Warnings

We have been in the midst of some pretty severe storms lately. Last week, a tornado set down five blocks from my office. I know I've always loved the Wizard of Oz, but I'd rather keep the twisters a long way from me! Here are a couple of photos of funky clouds.

Thankfully, there have been no tornados in Winona, and the one the touched down in LaCrosse didn't do much damage at all.

Have I stayed too long at the fair?

On Friday, July 13th, Katie and I went to the Winona County Fair with her friends Lydia and Augusta (Gussie), and their mom, my friend, Julie. This is becoming an annual event for the five of us. We all look forward to certain aspects, Julie and I both love to see the animals. This year I got my wish and saw a baby calf that was several days old. The cows and sheep were very cool. Katie quickly learned how to tell the difference between a beef and milking cow. We all agreed that the pig barn smelled especially yucky this year.

This year Lydia and Katie were entranced by the historical re-enactments. Julie and I stood in the background watching as the girls sat through a presentation by a "Norwegian Homesteader". It was fun to watch the girls interact and ask questions of "Ollie", then enthusiastically share the facts with us later. ... "Did you know that it took him 12 weeks to come to America on a sailing vessel?"

The girls always look forward to going on the rides. I love seeing their smiles as they roll past us. Katie seems to enjoy being a "big sister" to Gussie for the day.
Here Katie and Gussie ride in a fuschia land cruiser.

Lydia and Katie were disappointed that they were too tall to ride in the planes, but Gussie is flying high! What a sweet smile. Augusta, you oughta be in pictures!

The girls cool off with sno cones after visiting the Mary Kay booth. Apparently Katie applied her eye shadow before the "less is more" lesson. She managed to get several days worth of eye shadow onto those lids. Don't they look fierce and fabulous?
After the sno cones, we caught a marionette show. How impressive. This couple travels around the country with their marionettes, they were amazing!

After the show, they brought out Pinnochio to meet all the kids. Here Katie and Gussie get hugs and high fours from the wooden boy.
It looks like Lydia and Katie have a new buddy.

Thanks for making it such a great day Julie, Lydia, and Gussie!

Bless me Father, for I have sinned...

...it has been three months since my last post. Some of you have even sent me reminders to update my blog.... (hello Matt, Kerri, Steph, Shawn, Mary, and Holly)... Boy, I had no idea that taking on a blog would be such a tremendous responsibility; people check frequently for updates and often feel disappointed when there are none. It's a good thing that I am no longer Catholic; otherwise, I'd have had trouble sleeping over the last three months.

By way of explanation, I should tell you that it was an interesting spring. Part of the reason why I have failed to post is the fact that I spent over 6 weeks between April and May suffering from a constant headache. During that time I went through all kinds of tests, my Doctor and I discussed many possible diagnoses: temporal arteritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, brain tumors, each one scarier than the last...I had blood work and brain scans. In the end, after ruling out all the horrible possibilities (Thank God), we settled on what my doctor has called atypical migraines.

Of course, for a while the headaches were so severe, that the last thing I wanted to do was to log onto the computer if I didn't have to, then I felt as if it had been so long since I had posted that I would need to make a substantial post and that became paralyzing - hence, the lack of activity on the blog.

One of my favorite quotations comes from Richard Bach’s novel Illusions. He wrote: "There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts." I've thought about this quotation quite a bit lately. There was a time, during the worst of it, when I didn't know what the outcome of all the tests would be. They had seen a spot on my cat-scan and wanted to do some more thorough scans to rule out a brain tumor. This was the closest I have ever come to recognizing the fact that one day I will die. Amazingly, I was pretty calm through all of this. I started writing my will and I began a letter to Katie outlining all the advice I want to be sure I give her as she grows into adulthood. Strangely, I felt at peace. If you know me well, you are most likely surprised by that last statement.

Where, you may ask, is the gift in all of this? I believe it is in the fact that as a result of this experience, I feel as though I am living more and experiencing life “in the moment”. Instead of focusing on how busy I am, or how much work I have to do, I take time out to appreciate each day. I notice the sun sparkling on the river, I enjoy watching a mother hawk teach her young to fly, and I look for the good in each day. It amazes me that I always find it. It amazes me that I used to rush by and miss it. I hope I can continue to live like this and that my busy lifestyle doesn't suck me back into the trap of rushing through life.

So here we are. Yes it has been almost three months since the last post, but the blog is back. Steve has been added as an administrator and he will be adding posts as well. We’ve done a ton of work to the house over the last 2 months - Steve built me a screen porch and remodeled the kitchen. Katie is now playing softball and guitar. There will be photos posted soon. Stay tuned…