Reflections on Lawns... and Life!

Good morning, and what a spectacular spring morning it is!  

Today is Tuesday May 30th, the day after Memorial Day, 2017. I know that the “holiday” is for remembering and thanking those who have fought, and continue to fight, for our country's and our personal freedoms. Seriously, not a day goes by that I don't remember that; afterall, my father is a WWII veteran, and to this day, he wears a poppy clipped to his golf hat. It was also neat to hear that he kept his tradition of visiting my mom’s grave yesterday, and delivered some flowers to her – so sweet! All of that was in my heart and on my mind over the past few days.
 

But I must admit that Todd and I were also fortunate enough to get away, and enjoyed a few days on our boat. With the crazy work schedule that he keeps, we do enjoy tacking on a couple of vacation hours to an already-long three-day weekend, whenever we get that opportunity, and benefiting from some overdue R & R.  

Which brings me to this morning, here in Waukesha Wis! I felt relaxed from being away, and decided that since there’s rain in the forecast for later on, I’d cash in on the morning sunshine and cut the lawn (whether it needed it or not… and believe me, it needed it!)  Maybe it was because I felt so refreshed from the weekend - I really don’t know; but as I prepared to cut, new thoughts fell into place, and I became inspired to write a new blog post. For a writer who hasn’t written one in quite some time (two months!), I consider that a good thing! It’s called, “Reflections on Lawns… and Life”  Have you ever connected those two particular dots (lawns and life) before? No? Well, let’s see how it goes, shall we?  

As I gassed up the mower and turned the ignition switch, I remembered years ago how I had to pull on ye old starter rip cord. Sometimes I’d pull and pull and the mower just wouldn’t start. Already I felt fortunate that there's been such a nice improvement that has made my job so much easier!

As I cut the first green blades of grass, down near the street, a realization popped into my head. First of all, I was born in 1961, so my first memories of grass cutting were of my dad and my two brothers using one of those ancient push mowers. Not the kind that I was pushing today, but an un-motorized mower with sharp menacing blades that you could see openly spinning around and around. It also dawned on me that my mother never (and I do mean NEVER) cut the grass. That was mans’ work! (wink)  

As I crossed over the driveway, my mom’s words made me smile because, my oh my, how times have changed! I remember when I first cut our (Todd’s and my) lawn. It was about 31 years ago - the spring that Todd and I had decided I’d quit my full-time job and stay home with “the baby.” Even though I’d never cut a lawn before, I felt happy to try! I mean, since I spent the majority of my days at home, and Todd spent the majority of his days at work, I knew I was expanding our family’s time together by taking care of the yard. I guess we’ve handled a lot of things in our marriage that way – whatever makes the most sense, or whoever has the most knowledge or time, does a certain project or job.

As I finished cutting near the street, I looked up into our back yard. We have quite a slope to our yard, and it’s always a challenge trying to figure out which way to mow first. I’ve tried a number of paths, always hoping that somehow the yard will 'change...' but oddly enough, those hills never seem to disappear. Sometimes I’ve wondered why we bought this slopey hilly lot at all! I mean, wouldn’t it have been a lot easier to buy a flat piece of real estate? We also could have purchased one of those riding mowers – just driven around, waving at all of the neighbors… That wouldabeen fun! (sigh)   

But no… Instead, we chose the hill, and because of that choice, we built a house with a gorgeous view. Our south and east windows look out over our neighborhood, and give us scenic variety that we’d never have experienced on a flat parcel. We planted trees, and built stone walls to house bushes, trees and red rock. The trees have matured beautifully and now provide us with afternoon shade. However, we now have giant tree roots pushing up through the ground. Nowadays, as I mow, I need to take those roots into consideration, so as not to nick them with my blades. A view, shade and roots… Hmmm… (Life!)

Anyway, as I made my way around the yard, I first headed over to (what I consider to be) the worst area, and got it “over with.” I hate that corner of our yard, but after finishing that difficult (cavernous) spot, the rest of the project always seems like pure joy. I’ve found that the most efficient path for me to take is to make one huge square. I’ve tried it different ways, but find no reprieve from the hills, and boy, can those be exhausting! Sooo… When I make this larger sweeping cut I’ve described, I have the downhill path on which I recover from the uphill path – over and over until the square shrinks and shrinks into a single small patch. Today the whole process only took me 50 minutes, which is down from my traditional hour! Sure, the temperature was only in the low 60’s, but still… I figured I must be doing something right!  

I must say that once I finished, and I stood staring back at the yard, it looked so nice. I love a freshly-mown lawn, don’t you? Even though I know that more dandy-lions and weeds will rise up in the next week or so, I guess that I still find it somewhat satisfying; like somehow the effort I put in today, and the effort we’ve put in throughout the years, adds greatly to the natural beauty and variety of the landscape – even if only for a few days at a crack.   

You might be thinking, Wow! Katie sure has a lot of deep thoughts when she’s cutting the grass! And that would be true! To be honest with you, I seem to have a lot of deep thoughts about most things! My mind never rests. I believe that’s the writer in me… and… I guess that’s a good thing!  So here's to the ups and downs of lawns... and life!

Have great days!

 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of two books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference,” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both are available through Amazon as paperback and electronic versions. For more information, visit her website at: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com 

 

 

Where have I been? Well, funny you should ask...

Hello! 

Oh my goodness, how in the world is everybody doing? We’re good, but it’s been a crazy couple-a months! Whew! 

The good news is (and has been for quite some time now) I’m writing a new book!  

The bad news is (or the reality-flip-side of my good news is) that when I say I’m writing a new book, I have to actually sit down and take the time to write the book! Yeah, I know! It’s crazy, right? I have to actually do the work! Crazy, but very true, however! 

I’m not a person who likes to give a lot of excuses, so I won’t make a list for you. That said, ‘life’ really can get in the way sometimes – even of our best intentions and best-laid plans. Sometimes the ‘life’ that I speak of is serious and needs immediate attention. We’ve ‘been there, done that’ this winter – that’s for sure! And sometimes the ‘life’ that I speak of is just plain exhaustion, or using my time unwisely, or losing focus, or feeling uncreative, or, or, or… (okay, this is sounding a lot like the excuse thing that I dissed earlier – I digress) ;) 

Now, back to the good news… The good news is that I’ve been working on a book project for quite some time now. I don’t want to give too much away because I want there to be an element of surprise in this. BUT, I do want to begin hinting at the book’s theme, so that you can all become as excited about this as I am. Okay, the theme is… (Drum roll please…) “LOVE.” Through a series of interviews that I’ve been conducting, I will be talking about love, love, and more love – a LOT! In fact, a whole books’-worth o' love!  

Well, what do you think? Are you interested? I hope so! Are you intrigued? I really hope so! Are you going to stay tuned to see what I have up my sleeve? Oh, I’m really praying that’s how you’ll feel!  

Someone told me recently that I don’t post on social media as often as I used to. That, my dear friends, is true. Yes, I’ve been trying to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s happening on Facebook and Twitter, but as I said earlier, I’ve really needed to buckle down and work on my ‘love’ly book project. And it’s funny because when I do that – when I actually shut out tempting distractions like the television, telephone, and social media ‘shtuff,’ my productivity rises considerably. Who knew? Sooo… I put my head down, my fingers on the keys, and onward I go!  

I’m very excited to tell you all of this news today, and sincerely hope that you will feel the same way I do. I promise to keep in touch as I progress, but in the meantime…   

#amlistening   #amthinking   #amwriting    #amediting   #authorsgottaauth  auth auth auth auth auth

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of two books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference;” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both are available in electronic and paperback versions. For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com       

Getting Older... Hmmm...

Hi Everybody! How’s it going today?  

To be honest, things have been a bit strange around here lately. I’ve been thinking more and more often about how it feels to be getting older. Now, when I say ‘getting older’ I don’t mean the way it feels to go from age 15 to 16, when you feel that awesome sense of anticipation because you’ll soon be able to drive. Or the feeling you have when you’re turning 21, and finally going to bars and buying your first legal drink. I’m not even talking about going from age 39 to 40, which many people dread because it sounds so “ooooooold.” ;)  No… Age fifty is far behind me, and I’m solidly 55; and at 55, I’m seeing some significant changes in the ways we live our lives. Allow me to explain…

First of all, Todd’s and my conversations are beginning to revolve more around retiring from employment than about working at the actual employment itself. We’ve started taking a much sharper view of our finances, and examining what and how much we save today, may benefit us someday down the road. For us, it’s no longer about making mortgage payments or running up sky-high credit card balances, as much as it is about 401K’s and mutual funds. I don’t know… Sometimes I love that we’re in this new phase of life. I mean, there’s certainly nothing wrong with it, and it’s certainly not a bad place to be. It’s just kind of… ‘different’ from absolutely everything we’ve done up to this point in life. 

It’s weird too because crazy health issues start seeping into everyday conversations. A dinner doesn’t go by when one of us isn’t explaining that “This hurts,” or “That aches,” or “I think it’s a little better than it was yesterday,” or “Maybe we should call the doctor about that tomorrow… ” You name it, and a couple in their 50’s probably discusses it. For my older friends and readers out there, I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about. I remember when my own mom started saying things like I’m saying. One of her common sayings was, “It takes me twice as long to accomplish half as much.” It’s just so different. I mean, there were days, years ago, that all we discussed was soccer or baseball schedules, school concerts, babysitting jobs, and “Who’s going to walk the dog today?” When did everything suddenly become about our backs and shoulders and eyes and other odd items that shall remain nameless... you get the picture.  

I was talking with my daughter on the phone recently, and I told her I was feeling a little bit melancholy. She pointed out how many funerals I attend, and I hadn’t even really considered that as a reason for my malaise. She’s right. Todd and I really do attend a lot of funerals. I attend even more than he does because sometimes they’re scheduled in the middle of a work day. Since I have more flexibility with my time, I’ll often go alone; but if it's on a weekend, we tend to go together. I bet we attended at least twelve in 2016. I know this isn’t that unusual. We’re at the age when this starts to happen. We try to get to as many as possible to show respect. It makes sense. Why, I remember when my own parents began this phase in their relationship. I was in my 20’s at the time, and it felt like every time we spoke on the phone, they were stopping at a funeral home for a neighbor, friend, or relative. They’d often just matter-of-factly work it into their busy days. “We have a few errands to run, we’ll swing over to the visitation for “Delores,” and then we’ll stop and grab a burger before we head home.” Their casual tone felt so strange to me; but dang…! Here we are now, too!   

Anyway, Megan told me to write a blog post about it, and I hesitated, hemmed, and hawed. She told me, “Mom, people like it when you write about real, everyday struggles. Most people are probably going through a lot of what you are. I think it would be good for you to get it out. Write it down!”

She’s so precious – I tell my kids all of the time to “Write it down!” and now she’s telling me the same thing. Which brings me to a whole ‘nother topic: Have your kids become your teacher yet? They really are smart sometimes, aren’t they? Perhaps that’s a topic for another day… ;)   

Anyway, I really appreciated my daughter’s take on this and for advising me to write this post. I pray that my readers understand what I’m trying to convey. Between the retirement talk, the health stuff, and the funerals, I also need to say that I’m extremely grateful to God to be healthy enough to discuss retirement, health, and funerals - both in my real life as well as right here on my blog, with you all.  

As always, thanks for reading!  

Until we meet again…  

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of two books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference,” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both are available through Amazon as an electronic and paperback version. For more information about Katie and her writing, visit her website: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com         

 

#GettingOlder  #Retirement  #AdultKids 



Dressing for the Weather

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  

Wind out of the north! Good to know!

I cannot even believe that we are this far into 2017 already. All of January is behind and February 5 has arrived. The good news is that the weather hasn’t been all that bad ‘round these parts. Sure, we’ve had a few cold snaps, but not a ton of snow. The temps haven’t been as cold as January, usually our coldest month, can sometimes be. We’ve actually had quite a few days in the teens and twenties – even as high as the 40’s! I know! It’s like a heat wave here when that happens! But we’ve had very few days with wind chills below zero or anything. So far, this winter has been fairly ‘do-able.’ 

That said, I’ve noticed that people around here, in this northern frozen tundra state of Wisconsin, do not dress properly, regardless of the forecast. Retailers (especially around Christmastime) sell us truckloads of mittens and scarves, snow pants, coats and boots… but do we WEAR them? Aaahhh! Now there’s the question. I’m afraid that the most honest answer I can give is, “Sometimes!” 

For example, on a recent 8-degree morning at 6:00 a.m., Todd zipped up his nice warm ski jacket, picked up his work paraphernalia, and headed for the front door.  

Do you have your hat and gloves?” I asked. “You said you have to go to a job walk-through today.” 

“Yes,” he said, “they’re in my truck.” 

You see? It’s the “in my truck” that worries me. He has the proper gear, he just doesn’t use the proper gear. He’s warm from his shoulders to his waist. Everything else freezes. 

But I’m afraid that he’s not alone in this sort of cold-weather folly. It’s rampant. I drove past a bus stop the other day, and there was a teenage kid standing in the 18-degree wind, wearing no more than a hoodie and a pair of SHORTS! Then there are those who actually pull on their gloves, and button their coats. Heck, they even flip up their collars! But because they don’t want to ‘mess up their hair,’ they’d rather face the day bare-headed and shivering - their teeth chattering away. But boy, ya gotta admit they look good! So that’s good! (wink) Okay, and I’ll be totally honest. There are many days that I brave the elements without my gloves, even though I carry them in my coat pockets! You may be asking why I do that…? My only response is probably because it’s easier. I. Don’t. Know! 

Earlier today I decided to get a bit of fresh air before hunkering down to watch the big game. I glanced out my front window to see if our flag was blowing in the breeze, and if it was, which direction I’d need to be most mindful of the wind The sun was shining, and the sky was bright blue, but here in this neck of the woods, those seemingly perfect conditions can be quite deceiving.  

I decided to get smart, and dress for the weather. I zipped up my lightest winter jacket. I pulled on my knit cap, and then pulled up my hood too, just to keep the cold wind off of my neck. I also pulled the gloves from my jacket pocket, and actually put them on my hands! (A novel idea, I know!)  

It was a wonderful winter walk! I wasn’t cold at all, not even when I turned the corner and headed into the wind.  I felt okay – better than okay. Hey! I may even walk again tomorrow! What an idea! Dress for winter and it’s actually manageable!  

Why oh why don’t we just use the items that are in our closets, or in our trucks, or in our pockets? Perhaps that’s a question we’ll answer another day.  

As for today, are ya ready for some football???  

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of two books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference,” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both are available through Amazon as electronic and paperback versions. For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com 

"Home" for the "Holidays"

Greetings and Salutations, Dear Readers!  

How’s everybody doing today? Getting ready for Christmas? What’s on your agenda? Shopping? Wrapping? Writing out cards? Baking? Whatever it is, I thank you for taking a minute out of your holiday busyness to read this blog post. It’s a topic that’s been poking and prodding away at my mind, and I decided that today was the day to ask a few of life’s toughest questions. 

First, allow me to share one of my favorite Christmas songs. The lyrics go: “Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays, cuz no matter how far away you roam, if you want to be happy in a million ways, for the holidays you can’t beat home sweet home…” 

Now my questions… bear with me because I share some real thoughts in just a minute! 

1. What “holidays” are we talking about exactly? Thanksgiving? Christmas? New Years? This span of time can be anywhere from five to six weeks in duration, which is a long time to be anywhere, especially in today’s world of so little vacation time. Ain’t nobody I know goin’ home for all those holidays! Seriously!

2. Which “home” are we talking about here? The place where we grew up? Our parents’ home? The home where we raised our own children? Our childrens’ homes? Oh my goodness! I haven’t been in my parents’ home for a holiday in over 25 years. They’ve been in mine, and we’ve all together been in others’ homes (and even restaurants!), but not the home where I physically grew up! 

3. So does this mean that if you are “roaming” at the holidays, (a cruise to the Bahamas, a ski vacation in Colorado, visiting out-of-town friends or family) then you cannot possibly be “happy in a million ways” because you’re not at “home”? 

4. In which “home” must we be to be “happy in a million ways?” cuz that’s a whoooole lot of happiness, by the way, and trying to reach that degree of joy may even be (if we’re being completely truthful and candid) a little bit stressful at times. 

I know, you’re probably wondering Why can’t Katie just listen to a nice Christmas song and enjoy it, rather than dissecting it to pieces in this way? But the good news is I think I have come to some conclusions and want to share some helpful answers with you all. 

A while back, I shared in a holiday blog post, (here’s the link: http://katiekolbergmemmel.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-merriest-of-christmass-to-all.html that while we were growing up, my father had been a fireman. His job required working holidays, and flexibility became part of our family’s everyday life. I try to remember those same principles today as I think about my own expanding family and their present-day living arrangements.  

We were very blessed last year to spend Thanksgiving at Tony and Lesleigh’s home in Nashville. (Here’s the link to the story: http://katiekolbergmemmel.blogspot.com/2015/12/thanksgiving-and-birthday-what-week.html ). This year we were very excited to be invited to our daughter Megan’s, and son-in-law Joe’s, home for Thanksgiving. Tony and Lesleigh drove to Tulsa from their home, and Todd and I drove from Waukesha Wis, and we were able to spend a nice long weekend together – all seven of us.  

On Thanksgiving morning, we all woke up in the same house, drank coffee and ate cinnamon rolls, played with Jakey, watched as the kids created (and we all ultimately ate) a beautiful holiday meal. We drank bloody Marys (with beer chasers) and drank old fashioneds (a number of varieties). We played some great (and one absolutely ridiculous) game that I’ll never ever forget. And when we went to bed in the wee hours of Friday morning, it was truly another Thanksgiving for the recordbooks.
 
The next morning, we all woke up in the same house, drank coffee and ate breakfast, played with Jakey and watched “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” (more on that another time). As Jake went in for his nap, all six of us put up and decorated Joe and Megan’s Christmas tree, and readied ourselves for our family celebration. All of us had agreed to shop early and bring our Christmas gifts to Oklahoma, so that we could all be in the same room this year to celebrate.  

When Jake woke up, his eyes lit up, just like the poets say that kids’ eyes light up, when he saw the tree lights and ornaments. It was just precious. He did tug on an ornament or two, but he stopped pretty quickly. 

Rather than all of us sharing in a SKYPE session on Christmas Eve or Day, we were able to sit in a physical circle and feel the excitement and energy of a family at Christmas time. As we listened to holiday tunes, we smiled, laughed, explained our gift choices, and showed each other how our various gift items worked. After a Black Friday trip to Lowe’s, we ended the day with carry-out pizza and the cartoon version of “The Grinch.”

 

On Saturday Todd, Joe and Megan worked on some home lighting projects together. After Jake’s nap we all headed over to the local “Bass Pro Shop” where Santa Claus was scheduled to be on hand. The deal was that each group would receive one free photo with him. Not bad for a group of seven! We ate an early dinner at a local restaurant, and then the kids took us to a HUGE lighting display. A large local church decorated their grounds and a nearby park with over two million lights. The event was free, and people parked their cars and walked all around. Piped-in carols played as 2,000,000 lights twinkled. It really was spectacular!  

So getting back to my initial thoughts and questions… If there’s no place like home for the holidays, and you travel 800 miles and decide to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in the span of a couple days, whose “home” on which “holiday” are we talking about?  

I think that what I’m seeing more and more clearly, especially now that I’m older and I have children who live far away, is that “Home truly is where the heart is.” Does that sound cheesy? Perhaps. It’s true for me, nonetheless. The “Holidays” are whenever we can make them happen. “Home” can be anywhere, far or wide because ultimately, “Home” is who you’re with – the people we love and cherish the most.   

…and when all of that beautiful energy miraculously comes together, well, this mom/grandma really is “happy in a million ways cuz for the holidays you can’t beat home sweet home.” ...

(Wherever that is!)  

Merry Christmas to you, Happy New Year all year through, Happy Holidays, to you!!!  

 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both books are available thru Amazon as electronic and paperback versions. www.katiekolbergmemmel.com 

Nashville in November, 2016

Nashville at twilight

Well hi there! How’s everybody doing today? I’m good! No, wait... Actually, I’m really good. November is shaping up to be quite a month. In fact, November’s awesomeness is already in full swing! Allow me to explain...

 

For quite some time we’d been planning to attend the Green Bay Packers/Tennessee Titans football game, which was scheduled to kick off in Nashville at noon on November 13. Todd’s sister, who lives in South Carolina, has a son (daughter-in-law and grandson) who live in Nashville. She suggested that since we also have a son (and daughter-in-law) who live in Nashville, we should meet up for the game. It sounded like a great idea, so the plan became a reality last weekend. 

Todd and I started our drive on Thursday night, after he finished work. Leaving Waukesha around 7:00 p.m. is a good time to depart, since most of Chicago’s traffic (this time around O’Hare airport) is much thinner than it would be earlier in the evening. Todd and I talked for a while, and then put on some music. When we are on road trips, it’s always fun for us to listen to our favorite oldies but goodies – REO, Styx, Journey, Jim Croce, Bob Seeger… I bet you can tell we grew up in the 1970’s, can’t you? We stopped at a Holiday Inn Express, about four hours from home, and spent the night.  

The next morning, after a quick breakfast at the hotel, we hit the road. Our GPS said we only had five hours to our Nashville destination, but since we did have to make a stop for gas, we arrived a bit later. Tony and Lesleigh were home, and seemed excited to welcome us. They helped us carry our belongings up to their apartment and got us settled in for the weekend. Since we weren’t meeting up with Todd’s family until 7:00, we began our own little ‘happy hour’ right there in the kids’ living room. Cheese, crackers… Okay, a little bit of wine may have been involved, but hey! It was Friday, and most definitely 5:00 somewhere, am I right??? 

Todd’s nephew is the manager of a very nice restaurant in Nashville, and that’s where we all met up. It was fun to see him, his wife, and little boy, as well as Todd’s sister. The last time we were all together was for a funeral, so it felt better-than-right to be celebrating life with them this time. He generously supplied us with appetizers, which were to die for, as we each ordered dinner and taste-tested our favorite beverages. After we ate, he led us to a large entertainment space, and said we could join the audience for a country music show that was already in progress. The whole evening turned out to be lovely. 

On Saturday morning we walked to the Farmer’s Market, located just a couple of blocks from the apartment. It’s an interesting place to visit, with everything from crafts to fruits/vegetables/meats, to plants… you name it! Later in the day, we made our way downtown, and enjoyed the music in the establishments along Broadway, Nashville’s main drag. We ran into some people that Todd knows from work, who were also in town for the Packers game. Let’s just say that it didn’t seem to matter where we went, there were a LOT of people wearing Packers’ colors - green and gold!

The Packer Fan Event - Saturday night

Tony and Lesleigh acted as great tour guides. They always have several suggestions of things to do and places to see. One idea they had was to eat dinner at a place called, “Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint.” When we arrived, the line to get into the place was snaking out of the doors, and ran almost to the edge of the restaurant. Lesleigh explained that you place your order and then go find a table. It only took about 20 minutes for us to be seated, which wasn’t too bad. The food was delicious! Pulled pork (or "hog," as the menu stated), brisket, sausages, baked beans, slaw, mac & cheese, fries – just loads of choices. Oh, and of course we toasted each other with a cold draft brew, which we all enjoyed. By the time we left, the line extended for at least two blocks. “Whew, I’m glad we came in when we did!” I said.  

Lesleigh had heard of a Green Bay Packer fan event, which was scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. We had passed the place earlier, and there had been quite a long line! Since it was already after 6:00, we figured we’d just drop by and see if we could still get in, which seemed unlikely. We’d just arrived, and were the last people in line, when a woman began moving through the line on my left. I backed up, unsure of what she was doing. Turned out, she was leading the President/CEO of the Packers (Mark Murphy) and asking fans if they’d like to meet him, get pictures with him, get his autograph, etc. Lesleigh got so excited! We were the first people he spoke with, and he posed long enough for us to get a nice photo with him. We’d only been in line for like 30 seconds – not bad! We did end up getting in to the building, but the festivities were almost over. Still, it was a blast to catch some of that high Packer energy. 

The Memmel Fam meets Mark Murphy
(my purse is under my jacket - dang, that looks silly - oh well)
 

 

To end the evening, we dropped by a place that was jam packed with people. We shoved (and excused) ourselves all the way to the very back where there were a few square feet of standing room. The band was a lot of fun and played everything from “Country Roads” by John Denver, to “Friends in Low Places,” by Garth Brooks, and “I’m Proud to be an American,” Lee Greenwood. People were singing and shouting, dancing around, drinking… H*ck, it had been awhile since I’d had that kind of ‘night out on the town.’  Too fun!!!   

 

On Sunday morning, we left the apartment about 9:30. Lesleigh had heard of a Packers tailgate event to be held at a restaurant, kitty corner from Nissan stadium. Since the kids live only about a mile from there, we saved the irritation of driving, and decided to walk. The sky was bright blue and the sun was shining bright – a perfect day for football! As we came down the street, you could see all of the green and gold-clad fans milling about, already eating brats and drinking beer. Mmmm Hmmm… yup, you guessed it! We definitely joined ‘em!  
 

I admit, the game turned out to be pretty brutal for the Pack. The Titans scored on their first possession, and never gave up the lead. But you know what? I tried to just concentrate on the day itself – my surroundings, the weather, and most importantly, the awesome peeps I was with. Overall, awesome!!! 

After the game the kids led us back into town across a pedestrian bridge, which gave us a beautiful view of the river and of the city. We were able to stop along the way; talk, point, ask them questions, and take some pictures. By walking instead of driving, we got so many new and different views of the town our son and his wife now call home.  (See picture of Nashville, above)

One more stop at a watering hole for some older-school country music (tastes of Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson) and perhaps another cocktail or two. Then we hoofed it back to the kids’ apartment and ordered up some pizza and wings. It had been a couple of super busy days, and it felt good to kick back on the couch, share some good food, and de-brief about all we’d heard, seen, and experienced. 

 

On Monday morning, Todd and I hugged and kissed the kids, and hit the road by 8:45 a.m. We stopped a few times, but generally drove the 9.5 hours straight through. About an hour before the end of our trip, we turned east onto our journey’s last leg. There, right in front of us, was the ‘super moon.’ At first it was hidden by cloud cover, but slowly the clouds dissipated and the bright moon guided us home. Can you think of a more perfect end to a perfect trip? 

Well… on second thought, maybe just one. Todd stopped at KFC and we each got some chicken, mashed potatoes, and slaw, to bring home.  

We did a lot last weekend in a short amount of time… but sometimes, (certainly this time) that’s the best way to go!!!  

Till we meet again, dear readers… J   

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of two books:  “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference,” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.”  Both are available as Kindle downloads, as well as paperback versions. For more information, visit her website at www.katiekolbergmemmel.com 

Oklahoma Travel - Part 2

TRIVIA BONUS: Try to guess the name of the one musical I ever participated in in high school. (Jeopardy music plays softly as the clock ticks down…) You’re right! OKLAHOMA!!! My trip would not have been complete without me singing my rendition of the title song for my daughter and grandson’s benefit. “OooooooOK-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain. Where the wavin’ wheat, can sure smell sweet, when the wind comes right behind the raaaain. OooooooOK-lahoma, every night my honey lamb and I, sit alone and talk, and watch a hawk, makin’ lazy circles in the skyyyy…. (and so on and so forth) 

Megan thanked me for that of course, and said, “That’s good, Mom…”  (wink) 

 

 

Hi! Welcome back to “Katie’s View,” where I’m blogging about my experiences of traveling to Oklahoma by myself, to visit my daughter and grandson for a few days while my son-in-law was out of town. If you missed Part 1, I’m providing the link for your convenience, so that you can catch up:  http://katiekolbergmemmel.blogspot.com/2016/10/oklahoma-travel-part-1.html

My flight arrived a few minutes early, and as I exited the plane, I received a text message from Megan that said she was waiting for me in her car. Wow! Each piece of my travel puzzle had fallen into place beautifully. Not to mention that from what I’d glimpsed from the Tulsa airport windows, the weather outside looked flawless. Rumor had it that Milwaukee’s temps were dipping into the 40’s and lots of rain was expected. Looked like I’d chosen a perfect week to escape – oops, I mean visit!

The airport is quite a bit smaller than Chicago, and didn’t seem at all scary to me. I think it has only two concourses, so there seemed to be very little chance of me getting lost. Plus, it was very very clean. I did not feel at all scared to come back in a few days for my return.

I made my way outside and spotted Megan’s vehicle down the road. I was getting so excited to see her and Jake. When she saw me, she hopped out of the car and came around to give me a big hug. Jakey was smiling at me from his carseat. Oh man, what a FACE!  “Hi Jakey! How are you today???” (This is said in a high-pitched baby voice, the kind adults reserve for talking to babies and pets.) After I kissed his hair and he acted bashful, Megan placed my suitcase in the car and we left the airport.

Just one quick thought: I truly believe that Face Time and Skype technology has linked us with Jake more than you might think. I 100% swear that he knows who I am and recognizes my face and voice from the computer. So if you are an out-of-town family, like we are, use these tools to stay connected. It’s really working well over here!

Since it was noon, Megan asked if I’d like to have lunch at a place she’d been wanting to try, located on the bank of the Arkansas River. “Absolutely, yes please!” It was the first time that day I truly felt as though I was on vacation. Clear blue skies, temps around 80 degrees, heading to a restaurant with my daughter and grandson. So far, so good.

We talked as she drove and it felt so good to be together again. She and I have a nice give-and-take type of conversation style. I must say how impressed I was/am with how well she can get around in their brand new area since she’s only lived there for a month! She and Joe have adjusted to new cities and surroundings several times already in their marriage, and this time was no different. She is doing great!

The restaurant had a large outdoor patio, and the river (true to her promise) flowed right past us. The food was delish and we had a great time! A quick stop at a grocery store for us to pick up a few necessities for the week, and we were finally on our way to their new house. I was pretty excited to see it, and I believe she was pretty excited to show it to me.

Many of the subdivisions in the Tulsa area have extraordinary features. For example, theirs has a catch-and-release pond (with a sidewalk/trail on which to walk around), a playground, a pool, and a splashpad. All of the items I just listed are within a block of their new home. There’s also another playground and splashpad located near the middle of the neighborhood too, so depending on how far she wants to walk, she has choices! 

 

One funny thing is that their subdivision is large - many streets and many homes. But directly across the road from its entrance is a huge farm. When the wind blew from the east, we could hear the cows moo’ing very loudly. One night we took Jakey out for a walk in his stroller and he was so taken with the cows! He completely connected that the noise he heard was coming from those silly animals across the road. It was quite adorable. I also want to say that he is now officially saying, “Moo!” as well as “Meow!” Yup, that’s right, “Moo!” and “Meow!” He’s brilliant, I tell ya – BRILLiant!  

Anyway, as we pulled up to the kids’ new home and stepped out of the car, my eyes welled up with tears. It’s just lovely. We entered and she gave me the grand tour: spacious living areas and kitchen, plenty of bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and a fenced-in back yard for the pooch. I’m so glad that I now have that visual in my mind, and that they all seem happy to be there.  

 

 

I will admit that when they said they were thinking about moving to Oklahoma, I voiced a concern about the state’s reputation for bad weather. They did do their homework, and asked many questions of what people do when big storms brew. Megan showed me their plan (the bathroom under the stairs) and explained what they’d do should they ever need to take cover. Wouldn’t you know that the weekend after they moved, they woke Saturday morning to a rumbling/shaking. They’d felt the latest earthquake that their part of the country had just experienced. See? After all the focus on storms, and what happens if this/that/or-the-other-thing happens –  something else happened entirely. One can never predict… Never!

 

One of the days, the three of us went to the Tulsa Zoo. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect since The Milwaukee Zoo, the one I’ve experienced my whole life, is really nice. But one of the neatest aspects of our day at this smaller zoo, was how ‘active’ the animals were. First of all, we were there in the afternoon, which is usually (I think) when animals are the most hungry, so therefore most active. They were all on the move. The elephant came up really close to us, the monkeys were chattering and acting crazy, the meerkats were busy watching and digging, and the female lion actually walked all the way down the large slope in her enclosure. There was a tall overlook where we were equal in height to the giraffes, and you could basically look them right in the eyes. We were there at the exact time that they served ‘deceased rabbits’ to the hyenas, and were able to watch (and listen to) them eat, which in equal measure made me say “Eeeeew!” as well as “Wooooow!” But I think that Jake’s favorite display was the sea lions. The zoo had a large glass wall where the two sea lions alternated swimming past us. He sat in his stroller staring at them as though in a trance. I bet we stayed there with him watching for at least 20 or 30 minutes - and he’s only 14 months old!!! I think he may become a zookeeper someday. Just remember, you heard it hear first!

 Zookeeper Jake surveying the sea lions

We also took a couple of hours one day to visit a pumpkin farm. The area surrounding it was very flat, exactly the way I’d always envisioned Oklahoma to look. The first things that greeted us there were two large camels. There were sheep, goats, chickens/roosters, mama pigs and piglets, as well as a baby water buffalo they fed with a HUGE baby bottle. Everyone who worked there was so friendly too. I think the way of life for Megan’s family is about to take a 180. Before we left, we ducked in to the shop, and looked at crafts and snacks. Of course I had to buy some candy for later. Oh, and a pumpkin flashlight for Jake too!   

Which brings me to a huge “Ah ha!” moment of my visit... The last time we saw Jake it was over his first birthday. Now, just two-plus months later, he’s so much more active, as well as interactive. He’s walking everywhere, and he seems to understand a lot of what’s being said to him. There’s even a good chance that when you talk with him, he’ll mimic back a word or two. My favorite times though, are when he will quiet down and sit on my lap. I like to whisper secrets in his ear and tell him I love him. For me, I find all of these new developments so entertaining and so much fun! I’m excited for the future and all that it holds for life as a grandma!

It was a joy to be with my daughter – talking, listening, drinking coffee with her in the mornings and wine with her at night after the baby fell asleep. I loved watching her in her new surroundings as she parented, worked in her new kitchen, and navigated around her brand new town. The whole scene is more than this mom could wish for her child. It was priceless to see that Megan, Joe and Jake aren’t just “okay,” they’re doing great! There’s a lot of love in their home and it shows. 

I wasn’t anywhere near as nervous to fly back home as I’d been to fly the first time. I had mixed feelings though – I felt good to be going back home to see Todd, but I knew I’d miss the kids. At the airport, Megan and I hugged a long hug and said our “I love you’s.” I planted one more kiss on Jakey’s head, and received one more sweet smile. “Bye, Buddy! See you soon…” Then I turned and walked into the airport. Megan texted me later and said that when I walked away he started to cry. Wow! I hadn’t been expecting that. It made me feel good to know that he seemed to really like me and didn’t want me to leave. Maybe some day we’ll all live a bit closer. For now, we will all do what we can…   

Mostly, I’m now really excited to take Todd back so that he can see everything first-hand. We’re presently planning our next trip, and I think he’s really going to like what he sees and experiences too!  If he’s lucky, and if he plays his cards right, I may even sing him the next verse of “OooooooOK-lahoma…” If you know Todd, you know exactly how much he’ll love that…!  

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of two books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference,” and “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff.” Both are available through Amazon as either an electronic or paperback version. For more information, please visit her website at: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com