Whooo Are You (who who, who who?)

Well, well, well… how in the world are you all doing today? I’m good! The weather is FABulous, plus I just got in from cutting the lawn, which now looks magNIFicent. (Wink)  

I wanted to share with all of you what a great couple of days I’ve been having. First, I want to tell you about two brand new up-and-coming writing projects I’ve been working on. The first one is hopefully (fingers crossed) coming out later this fall. I’ve been taking my Creative Writing class/going to writing critique groups since the fall of 2009. In that time I wrote my book, “Five Fingers, Ten Toes…” and continue to ‘get word out’ about that; but I’ve also written many other things as well. I’ve been putting my finishing touches on many of those yet-to-be-seen pieces, and expect to release a fun compilation of my work. Much of it will be humorous, mixed in with a few more serious pieces; but it will all be  very ‘Katie’s View’ – through and through. // The other project I’ve been working on is very important to me. I seriously can’t wait for you all to read it. I’ve been conducting one-on-one interviews, and although I’m keeping it somewhat under wraps for now, my goal is to have the work done in 2016. Wow, what a feeling – having so many exciting irons in the fire, and feeling like I’m doing exactly what I should…  (That box in the picture is stuffed full, by the way)

…which brings me to what I’ve been doing the past couple of days…

Throughout the summer I’ve been meeting with a group of women who all share my love for writing. I didn’t sign up for my normal class because our first grandchild was due in July. I didn’t know exactly when, or for how long, Todd and I would need to go out and stay in Connecticut. So almost every week a group of us would hang out and haunt the workers at the Hartland Public Library. Just by being ourselves, we caught the attention of one of the librarians, and she asked if our group might like to be part of a Writer’s Panel. We’d present a short program; talk about our writing styles, inspirations and motivations – whatever we wanted – and the library would advertise to the community and get word out. We all helped with that as well.

Andrea, Denise, Rosemary, Me, Cat, Christine (Brenda is not pictured)

As a group, we’re all at different places in our writing lives. We have a poet or two, we have fiction writers, non-fiction and memoir. Some of us are published while some are working toward that goal, while others have won contests, but aren’t sure of their next formal move. We figured it might be a lot of fun to brainstorm and see what type of program we could present. We accepted her invitation, viewed it as an opportunity, and got busy.

As the date (Wednesday, August 26) drew closer, we practiced in front of each other, using a podium, and timed the presentation so it didn’t get too long. Now, as some of you know, I’ve been doing a fair amount of public speaking, and am pretty confident in my speech. I talk about our story, giving birth to Tony, having no knowledge of our situation, the Lucky Fin Project, bracelets, etc. But as the women critiqued me on our practice day, they told me something I had never heard before. ‘It’s really good, Katie, we love the information, but for THIS we want you to talk about YOU…’

Me… me…? They want to hear more about ME? You need to understand that’s not something I hear very often. I’m generally the listener. Can I talk? Oh, ya, I love to talk! But most often, in public, I tend to ask questions and then listen. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy blogging so much – it’s like I can talk talk talk and people either read or they don’t; but my voice is heard through my written word. So hearing them say to me that I should revamp my talk, and tell the listeners about WHY I wrote the book, HOW I write, what motivates ME, and what’s MY style – well – it felt foreign to me. I had to go home and think about that. For the program, I’d only have eight minutes in which to speak, plus do a short reading. What in the world should I say about me???

All I can say is Thank Goodness for Microsoft Word. I brainstormed with myself; (Is that possible?) and ordered the computer to remove large chunks of my usual spiel, replacing the material with some that was a bit more personal. I still talked about Tony (a little) and his birth (some); but also about my own writing process, how it feels, what’s next for me, things like that. As always, people came up to me afterward and shared with me their own special stories - let me know where their own thoughts took them as I spoke. Maybe for the first time, they knew a little bit more about me, the author, than ever before. I’m not sure… One thing I do know is that our whole group enjoyed giving the presentation, and would love to do more of this!

I guess it’s an interesting twist to this new profession that I find myself in. My story is my story is my story, BUT each listening group has their own agenda. Sometimes I talk in a classroom, so I highlight things that students need to know; sometimes at a church, where I highlight certain faith-filled aspects of our journey; I’ve attended book groups, where they dissect the story and delve through study questions; and now to a group of readers/writers who want to know more about the author. (Smile) Well, how about that…?

A few days ago I spoke at one of my favorite stores, Faith & Giggles in Hartford, Wis. The owners, Jason and Wendy, are super people – so supportive of community and so giving. I called Todd as I drove out there, and as we hung up he said, “Have fun – or whatever you call it when you’re going to work…” I got to thinking about that comment, and I must tell you… This writer’s life I’m living, it really is fun for me. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what’s next, or to find the motivation to put my fingers to the keys. But I feel very blessed to be able to share stories of my family, of my experiences (both the good and the hard); and yes, now being asked to share more and more of myself as well.

Thank you, ladies, for giving me the confidence to move in that direction.

Until next time… 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com 

"That'll be Forty dollars, please..."

Is it just me, or do other people have trouble escaping from grocery stores before they spend Forty dollars? I don’t know what it is about that number, “Forty dollars,” but it seems to be the result of my own poor planning and my own over-shopping. Whenever I enter a store, “Forty dollars” seems to be the magic amount I spend. Has something like this ever happened to you??? 

I attended my writing class this week, and instead of worrying about that night’s dinner, I already had a plan. I felt organized, downright good about having all the ingredients at home. Then, suddenly, I remembered that we didn’t have much bread in the house. I wanted Todd to be able to make toast for breakfast the next day, so I knew I’d have to stop somewhere. At first I thought I’d just swing in to a gas station mart, grab the bread and go; but on second thought, maybe not… I thought of something else I needed. 

Milk! I only had an inch left in the bottom of the gallon. If I wanted to spend the next morning writing, and not have to run to the store, I’d better grab the milk while I was out. I still figured I’d stop at the gas station, but then reconsidered when I thought about how much Todd’s been enjoying half-gallons of chocolate milk. Maybe instead of a whole gallon of white, I’d split my order into a half-gallon of each. 

So, I’d get bread, a half-gallon of white, and a half-gallon of chocolate, I’d be in and out in no ti.… 

Wait! We were having chicken tacos for dinner. Wouldn’t some frozen lemonade be delicious with those? I didn’t think they sold that at the gas station so for sure I’d need to stop at the actual grocery store. I wasn’t super thrilled with that idea though because I was wearing my black flip flops on my feet, and since they’re not all that comfortable, I hadn’t pre- planned to plod around the grocery store. The gas station was one thing, but now the whole ‘stop for a quick item’ plan was completely blown. As long as I was going to the grocery store, then…

Well, then I may as well pick up the food I’d need for the next night’s dinner too, as long as I’d be heading all the way to the back of the store for the milk! As I stood there choosing my two cartons of dairy, I glanced over and saw that the store DID stock the iced tea we love. I couldn’t find it in the aisle by the soda the other day, because I now saw that it’s refrigerated – and on SALE, nonetheless! Two for four dollars – SOLD! Then the thought process began. Hmmm… maybe I’ll make some burgers this week. That sounds delish. Ooooo, but wait, if I got the burgers, I’d need the buns, and I didn’t think that buns from the bakery would stay fresh for a day and a half. I carefully selected some pretzel rolls, which I’ve recently heard are fabulous with burgers, and they don’t get quite as stale as the regular hard rolls. Super! But maybe I’ll just get one extra roll, just in case I want something for lunch tomorrow, since I’m not planning to leave the house – so that I can write all day, remember? (Yeah, right…)  

I chose a loaf of bread, which was the item that started this whole fiasco to begin with, and proceeded through the produce section. Oh man… fruit! All we have is a splash of orange juice, and a scant handful of grapes in the refrigerator. There’s nowhere near enough to get us through the whole next day AND the following morning. I saw that green grapes were on sale and “looking fine,” so I grabbed a few bunches. I also chose a few nectarines that were too hard to eat right away, but would probably be perfect in about two days. (See? I was planning ahead because I’m Just. That. Organized!)  

I reached the cashier, only to realize that I didn’t actually buy the ground beef for the next night’s burger feast. I sighed, turned around, and flip flopped back up the aisle toward the meat. Dang, as long as I had to come all the way to the back of the store again, I might as well buy some shredded cheese and a small tub of sour cream for our taco dinner – just in case the quantities at home were lower than anticipated. I threw both into my cart.  

Then I remembered the cat. Shoot! The cat food is low, and believe me when I say that for our two felines, you do not ever (repeat EVER) want to run out of food. I was suddenly very glad to be at the grocery store, and not at the gas station. The small cart I’d chosen at the beginning of my short excursion, was brimming with items.  

Okay, so long story long, I may have exaggerated when I said I spent “Forty dollars.” It was really only $39.75, but I think you can see just how close I came to the predicted, dreaded amount. 

As I left the parking lot, I felt good – totally prepared for the next few days – totally prepared to stay home and wri… 

And then it hit me… Aww man, are you kidding me?!? I forgot the Ketchup! How in the world can you prepare a burger feast without Ketchup!?! So when I got home, I put Ketchup on my list, along with several other items I’d just forgotten at the store. I figured that tomorrow I could just swing in to the gas station mart and pick up a quick…   

But then again, maybe not.

 

 

 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com 

Grampa and Gramma took a drive...

Grampa and Gramma took a drive – a long drive – and boy, was it worth it!

Hi all! It’s been a while again since I wrote, and there are reasons for that. First of all, the last post I made was right after our new grandson, Jake, was born. Before saying any more about him, I needed to see for myself all of the miracles and wonders that were Jake. I can now honestly say that I have seen, I have held, I have laughed and cried, I have enjoyed each and every minute of my time with him; and I’m fully ready to tell you a thing or two about him and our trip – if you’re interested.

Todd and I left home early on Saturday morning, August 1. We had to forego the Helping Hands Midwest picnic this year in Ohio because we had a very special baby to meet. South of Chicago, we got on I-80 and it took us all the way east to Pennsylvania, where we exited 80, and began our trek into some of (what I believe) our country’s most beautiful scenery. The quaint towns in valleys, the green trees and hills, the views – it’s all just lovely. Fifteen hours later, after having made a few stops (I think there were five brief ones) we pulled into our daughter and son-in-law’s driveway. Not too bad for a coupla fifty-somethin’s, considering we endured quite a few orange barrels along the way. Allow me to just say that there was one crazy piece of roadwork that made me feel like we were on Disney’s very own “Space Mountain.” The other feeling I got from that same experience was similar to how it might feel to travel down a luge – in the dark. Eek! Glad Todd was driving! (not kidding… he’s a very good driver!)

It was so good to see Megan and Joe. They’d been through so much of life since we’d seen them back in early May (the baby shower weekend). Joe seems to really enjoy his new role of ‘dad.’ She’s doing just great – two weeks post-surgery. She was up and about and feeling pretty darn good. She’d already gotten news that she could drive and everything.

Then she presented me with Baby Jacob. Oh my… He was sleeping, so I couldn’t immediately see his eyes, but I’ll tell you what I told her. Jacob is one of the three most beautiful babies I’ve ever seen (Tony and Megan are the other two). Now I’m not putting the three into any exact order at this time – I’m just saying that new baby is mighty fine! I passed him on to Todd and he enjoyed the experience too. I’ll speak for both of us when I say that there were so many times we all just sat and stared at Jake – not like awkward silence or anything – but I’d say more of like an “awe”some silence, you know? I once heard it said that the “smallest thing in a room will gather the most attention.” The author offered up examples like a puppy or kitten, and of course a baby. I’d have to say that I completely agree. That seven-pound boy certainly had all of our attention last week… and he didn’t even have to try.

The next day, first thing in the morning, Megan offered suggestions of what we all might do together that day. I was so surprised! I truly thought that she’d just want a break – a breather. Maybe some extra sleep, or just some new hands to care for baby… but no – they were rarin’ to do whatever. So we piled into their car – Jake in his new carseat (stroller combo) and we went to the “Elephant’s Trunk” event, taking place less than a mile from their home. We all walked around, commenting and joking, about the (some) precious, (some) antiquey, (some) junky merchandise offerings. Jake just three-wheeled around (some strollers now have 3 wheels for better maneuvering) and slept. We all had a great time.

We spent quite a bit of our week on the kids’ back deck in the shade. I loved being able to give the baby his bottles and burp him, getting all kinds of time to stare into his gorgeous deep blue(?) grey(?) eyes. I loved his tiny feet and holding his teeny tiny hand. He made me laugh so much! His little facial expressions were so cute! And that silly desperate breathing thing babies do when they want the bottle returned to their lips – The “enough with the digestion – let’s get this show on the road” sort of thing. It was a complete joy.

The baby is gaining weight and growing like a weed. I swear one night while we were there, he actually grew. The little bed he’d spent time in during the day, suddenly seemed smaller. Crazy!

Todd helped the kids out by doing a few projects for them, while Joe went back to work. That’s his way – he likes to do things like that. I did some dishes and some laundry, maybe a little sweeping – but mostly wanted to be on hand for whatever Megan needed. While Joe was at work, we also took a nice drive out to Litchfield and had some ice-cream, we went on a picnic at a lake (Candlewood) near their home, and had dinner one night in a restaurant. We offered that if the kids wanted to go out, we could watch the baby for a couple of hours; but they weren’t ready for that yet. Sooo… we grilled a steak dinner instead.

 

One really neat thing was that while we were at Megan & Joe’s, Tony and Lesleigh were also in Connecticut, playing some gigs and staying with “Helping Hands/Lucky Fin Project” friends. A surprise party for our daughter-in-law’s 30^th birthday was on the agenda at the family’s house for Friday night. It was up to Megan whether or not we attended because of Jacob and his needs/schedule. But she and Joe seemed excited that Jake would get to go to his first party. So Joe drove the distance to the event, and Jake was a total trooper! Lesleigh was very surprised – I don’t think she suspected a thing. What fun! What a thrill it was to witness "Uncle Tony" and "Aunt Lesleigh" meet Jake for the first time. They seemed quite taken with him. I also got to meet some new friends from Helping Hands, and some others who’ve been so supportive of the kids. The truth is that the six of us (our family) had not all been in the same room with each other since April of 2013. I feel very blessed that our number is now seven, and that we all got together again! (tears) We took some awesome pictures too… 

Karen, Stacey, Barb, Me, Nicole, Alex, Nick, Tony, Myla

Saturday morning, our departure day, came waaaaay too fast. But… that’s the nature of this long-distance beast that we’re dealing with. I took a moment with Jacob – kissed his sweet lil soft head and told him, “Gramma loves you, Jakey…” I won’t lie – it was hard and I had a few tears. Skype is wonderful technology and all, but I know it will pale in comparison to the real Jacob deal. Plans will soon be in the works as to how we all might see each other again. It helps to know that today (Monday) Tony and Lesleigh are heading to Megan’s to spend some days with her little family. After that, Joe’s mom and dad are going. It’s always helpful to me to know that somebody who loves the kids is nearby. After that…? Well, like I said, we’ll have to see what happens.

Our trip home was uneventful. More road construction, of course, and we stayed a night in Ohio, just to break up the ride. It felt good to get home. I’m very much a person that… if I can’t be where I want to be (on vacation or whatever) then I want to get home. Some may disagree with me, and that’s okay. That’s the beauty of life.

And so… Todd went back to work today, and what did I do? Well… if I can’t BE with the baby, then I may as well BLOG about the baby – am I right???

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for our family. Things are going well, they really are. Grandparenthood is all it’s cracked up to be. Todd and I don’t have to make any of the big decisions anymore, we just need to be there and help when needed. We can do that, and are happy to do that. Personally, I can’t wait to see all that lies ahead.

Till next time,

Gramma Katie

 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com