oops

I forgot to mention that our two-year anniversary was Monday. Insert the inevitable "my how time flies" comment here. Every year is a milestone. I was amazed at how many people remembered and had the foresight to send cards! Aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. It was pretty amazing. And at the same time made me feel bad for not remembering theirs....

As of this year we will share our anniversary with Maya Lynn Bauwens' birthday.

okoboji

Hello from the Iowa Great Lakes! Ryan has a conference up here the next couple days so I'm bumming around while he's going to meetings about trees. I'm spending much of my time at my old newspaper office. It's great to hang out with old friends - although I only know two people in the office these days.
The lakes are so gorgeous. I really miss it here. I miss the people. I miss the atmosphere. I miss the opportunities. I've visited so many old places and plenty of new ones.
Here's a picture my editor took awhile ago. We head home tomorrow.

Painting doors

I had the most amazing day at work yesterday - by far. It wasn't a great day because I got to leave my hole in the wall cubical at 11:30 a.m. or because I walked out of my building into an amazing afternoon. It was a great day because I painted doors.

The company I work for is a strong supporter of serving the community and the United Way Foundation. As such, we are given 4 hours of "VTO" (volunteer time off) each year to help a United Way agency on top of 8 hours of VTO we can use to volunteer for any organization.

Yesterday was the United Way Day of Caring, and I spent the afternoon at LINK Associates. LINK provides services to the mentally handicapped including life skills day classes, technical training, recreational activities, in-home help for those with handicapped children and group home arrangements.

At the last minute they needed volunteers to help at the administration offices - rather than at one of their 13 group home locations. I didn't care where I helped so I offered to help at the offices. It was a great decision. As I stood in the hallway painting doors white, countless handicapped "consumers" using LINKs services that day stopped to say thank you or to tell me I was doing a great job.

It wouldn’t have been near as rewarding had I been at one of the houses and not had the opportunity to meet the people who's lives I was touching. Granted the difference between a dingy door with wheelchair scuff marks and a newly painted door isn't much - you certainly wouldn't have thought so based on their reactions. You could tell how much they appreciated LINK and therefore appreciated anyone who helped the organization.

And that made my day painting doors great.

curious things

Raisins are such curious things. How does a grape - so pretty and perfect turn into an ugly, wrinkled raisin? Could one make your own raisins? The grapes in our fridge at the moment might be getting close...

long weekend

Ryan and I had a nice weekend. We drove over to Cedar Rapids Friday night to hang out with my sister, brother, cousin and their spouses/significant others. We headed to Strawberry after a mammoth muffin at Perkins. Yummm.....

My grandma was visiting my parents house. It was so nice to see her. It had been a long time - since my grandpa's funeral last year. My brother and his girlfriend came up to go four-wheeling. They headed out with my dad to clear brush for my dad's trail ride in a few weeks. I stayed home to chat with my grandma and sister.

Sunday we ate breakfast at Johnson's after church. Ryan and I were off to Prairie to go to Cabela's. Because we can't be within a fifty mile radius and NOT go there. Afterward we took the Great River Road along the Mississippi. Drove through McGregor and Guttenburg. They're such neat little towns. We wanted to take the Cassville car ferry over to Wisconsin, but we didn't have any cash on us. So for a little adventure we took a random gravel road and headed back to mom and dad's.

We went for a ride on the four-wheeler, down the same trail I've ridden on horse back every year for I don't know how long. You make better time on a four-wheeler but the experience isn't the same. I forget how beautiful it is there.

Monday morning we helped my dad unload a couple wagons of hay. Hadn't done that in awhile. Ryan insisted I wear gloves - but they're always too big and just get in my way. So I have a blood blister and lots of scratches, but I was much more efficent.

On our way home we stopped at my other grandparents house. My grandpa couldn't stay long. Even at 81-years-old he's still a farmer. Gotta make hay when the sun's shining. So we chatted with grandma for a little while longer before heading home.

It was a nice weekend, but it's always good to be home. Until 6:15 a.m. when the alarm throws you back into the normal routine. Ah, well...such is life.