Tales of the Ordinary Days

Garrett getting his culture on and a little outside his comfort zone (for me and Kathy, any kind of culture is in our zone) Garrett humored me with his annual participation in a cultural event outside his norm. In reality, Garrett actual does this for me on a more frequent basis than annually, but his belief that it only happens about once a year keeps him joining without question and also keeps his running joke alive. "Sandy hates to miss a party" is commonly stated comment by Garrett. I cannot dispute his observation. I really do hate to miss a good party. Or a great local event, concert, museum, play, festival, movie, organized club, trip, adventure.... the list goes on and on for me. I love adding variety to life and trying new things. With every new city we visit, I often gravitate toward checking out the local museums or downtown festivals. Always on the lookout for restaurants and watering holes that are representative of the heart of a city, we have many tim...

Showing off my new gift from Kathy - evil eye ring (wards off evil...been a family thing for years) It's amazing how quickly one adapts to new surroundings. We are enjoying our little rental home up in the foothills. There is a lot to be said of natural light and lots of windows. The view looking onto the city is an added plus. We are only here through the end of March, so will definitely enjoy the time we have it. Of the three of us, Zeke is the one a bit lonely. He misses his best friend, Lucy, and our spacious backyard which had turned into his playground. This is even with a very long walk this morning and lots of love from his humans. Part of my adventures planned for next week include finding dog parks and other venues for doggy interaction for our Zeke. This morning he and I put in 7,000 steps around a neighborhood to the south of us. There was a nice park with a walking path and lots of new smells for the pup. My last movie of 2018 was about a man who spent 6+ yea...

The boys Today was a great reminder that 'we're not in Kansas anymore'. Well, technically Nebraska, but we can all relate to the Kansas line. Instead of Toto, we have Zeke. And instead of Oz, we're in Idaho. While Garrett and I worked diligently through the day, we really wouldn't have known where. We were just working. The sun and the clouds look a lot the same in Nebraska as Idaho when sitting indoors. This was until we got to mid-day and needed to coordinate our workout schedule. Old routines continued as I vocally weighed the options of running outside vs. a nearby gym. Garrett, thinking outside our typical box, threw out the better option. "Why don't we go for a hike?" Working our way backwards from our scheduled happy hour with my Aunt Kathy, we decided we had a little over an hour for outdoor activity. With a quick Google search and review of on-line trails, we found our new place .75 miles, door to trailhead, to a large hiking area....

The Three Musketeers...Cindy, Sandy, Kathy I just got back from a glorious, whirlwind weekend to Chicago. It was a boys and moms (and aunt) trip. The crowning event of this now-annual excursion is enjoying a Blackhawks game. As we planned this trip back in February, the boys pushed for the March 1st game. I paid little attention as they grew excited talking about the NHL Stadium Series. The hockey game against the Penguins was to be played at Soldier Field. And, yes, that is an outside venue. Their enthusiasm was contagious as I jumped on the Lane boys' bandwagon of wanting to score these coveted tickets. I reasoned that the weather should be fine. It was March, so what were the chances of bad weather? I assumed low. I was gravely wrong. It was cold. Bone-chilling cold. We sat front and center in the middle of a Midwestern snow storm. Without movement on our ice-cold seats, we slowly froze. The Zamboni couldn't keep up with the accumulation. The man next to me couldn...

Contributed by Mary (Pick) Wagner Everyone loved the Clay County Fair and our kids were no exception. This photo helped capture the fond memories of that afternoon. Mark remembers Rich driving and Kathy taking the picture, and the fair being fun and thinking it was huge; Matt recalls Rich really liking the silver White tractors with CAT engines; Kathy bought incense and polished rocks for Sandy who was feeling special to have an aunt and uncle take them to the fair. But there’s more to this story.  Unknowingly, my mother scared the daylights out of me when she left a message at the Omaha NE motel where Jim & I were staying for the weekend, to call her.  Much to their liking, our kids were staying on the Pick grandparent’s farm on Sunday and in town with the Wagner grandparents on Monday.  Always in good hands with never a worry, I thought to myself “This can’t be good.” Mom, sensing anxiety in my voice, reassured me nothing was wrong; she only wanted ou...

Gift bag treats from Aunt Kathy (Pick) Valentino This blog should be entitled "My Fun Valentine's Day", but I thought the title used was more catchy. I went with catchy. Sometimes it's interesting to tell a story by starting with the end. Since I am feeling quite pleased right now and the day is done, I'll start with my current setting. A glass of wine sits to my left, a computer is situated on my lap, and a purring cat is nestled by a crackling fire. It's almost midnight. Another Valentine's Day in the books. A stone's throw away in the kitchen are two pairs of newly purchased earrings in a Gunderson's box, homemade cupcakes, a bouquet of flowers, and a stunning picture of my Aunt Kathy. Upstairs, a dog lies content on my bed next to a new outfit, of which I am gloating. Pride and ego. My closet welcomes these new additions. A good night. And to think that just hours prior, my only concern was my need to run an endless list of errands. T...