Wrapping up the week

I've been on a roll with posting this week, so I figured I'd squeeze in one more where I answer some of the questions I've seen in comments.


Filoli: I don’t know if BreakingTheTape.com syncs with Garmin. I don’t have a Garmin and I’ve only been using BTT to track my distance. I use MapMyRun.com to figure my distances. And thanks for the link about the virtual mile. My best mile time is hovering around 10 minutes, nowhere near what these other runners are posting, but great for me!


Kat: Which Jane Austen book did you put down?! I love Austen! I know this is cheating, but I will watch one of the movie versions of Austen before reading the book, so I at least know the general storyline. I find it helps me get more out of the book without getting too tripped up by the language.


Sophia: I’ve never talked to a fellow blogger on the phone either… except for the one I know in real life.


Shannon: So far I like “The Jane Austen Book Club,” MUCH better. But it’s confusing (see my question below). I soooo want to read “Austenland!” You must tell me how it is!

Now it's my turn to ask some questions.
“The Jane Austen Book Club”… anyone out there read the book? Who the heck is the narrator? I’m so confused… there are six people in the book club. The narrator keeps saying “we” and “our” but then refers to all six book club members by their first names. Is it an omniscient narrator? Are we, the reader, supposed to be reading as if we are part of the book club? I’m completely distracted by this. Someone please help me figure this out!

As for weekend plans, I hope to relax, read, run, crochet, grill out, and spend lots and lots of time with Alex and Craig. Have a great weekend everyone!

You never forget your first time

Admit it, you were nervous your first time. You didn’t know what to say, or how to act. You wondered if you were making the right decision or if you were going to regret it. But once you finally got it over with, you felt pretty silly for making such a big deal about it. And you did it over, and over and over again!

Get your minds out of the gutter, I’m talking about making phone calls!

Remember when you used to actually talk to your friends, live in real time? Not “talk” as in “read their words on a computer screen or text message.” You had to pick up the phone, dial the number, and actually ask for them, then hold a conversation. Nowadays the idea seems almost quaint. One of my best friends from childhood and I rarely speak on the phone, but I know more about what’s going on with her than I do about some of my other friends… thanks to the wonder of email.

I respond faster to emails than I do phone messages and spend most of my day staring at the computer/working, so my local friends know that’s the best way to reach me quickly.

But I have to admit losing my phone virginity to friends really makes me nervous. Losing it to strangers is even worse! I get really nervous when I pick up the phone. So much so that I sometimes have to outline what I’m going to say, so I don’t forget the main point of my call. I know I have issues... don't we all?

I have some friends in real life whom I’ve NEVER spoken with on the phone. Isn’t that weird? But I love receiving phone calls, especially when they are unexpected. I’m going to try harder with this in the coming months… making more of an effort to reach out to my friends on the phone. Especially friends who live far, far away. So next time your screening calls and you see one coming from the 414 area code, pick up! It might just be me!

Sweet Surprise

I came home last night to a very sweet surprise. Nestled between my front door and the screen door was a little cube wrapped in brown paper. The return address label carried the name of my friend and fellow blogger Shawna. I was excited and couldn't for the life of me figure out why she was sending me something. I unwrapped the little package to find a truly unexpected gift.

She read my post about losing two packs of notecards and sent me these beautiful notecards in all kinds of cute patterns! Thank you, sweet friend! I absolutely love them! By the way I have no idea how she had the strength to get these wrapped and to the post office... she's been fighting mono! But I am most appreciative! Wish you lived closer, I would make you some soup to help you feel better!

I did find the mysterious missing notecards in my desk in the basement. Here's a sampling of the cute cards I've found in the dollar spot at Target (that's pronounced Tar-ZHAY, for all of you non-French speakers out there). Rest assured, I will be sending Shawna a very timely, very cute Thank You note, very soon.

Dumping a Clunker

Do you ever pick up a book and think, “This isn’t what I normally read, but I can get through it?” Then you find yourself dreading even opening the book. It feels like it weighs a ton whenever you pick it up. You avoid reading, even though reading is something you love, something you crave.

I went through this recently. A dear friend of mine Erin loaned me the book “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town,” a very well researched book on the JonBenet Ramsey case. Erin is a fellow news producer (though she’s still in the game, I bowed out) and we both worked through this case, albeit not in Boulder, from the cheap seats here in Milwaukee. I remember how crazy the national media went with the case. I also know that the family was officially cleared earlier this year.

Erin bought the book, read it, and then loaned it to me at least 4 or 5 years ago. She said it was a great book, very informative and she thought I’d like it a lot. It’s been sitting on my shelf ever since. I’ve read a couple of other true-crime books, but they are generally not my cup of tea. Erin informed me a couple of weeks ago that she is moving to Florida, so I figured I better read her book and get it back to her.


So with the best of intentions, I told myself I had to read this book. This 500+ page monster of research. I took it with me to my parents house, thinking I might be able to steal a few minutes to read after I put Alex to bed and didn’t have to worry about cleaning anything up afterwards. This was anything but a relaxing read. It took me forever to hit the 100 page mark. And by that point, I was considering buying a notebook and taking notes. But I told myself at some point the book had to start making sense. There was no storyline to follow. It jumped around between main characters and suspects and detectives, sometimes with flashbacks to the individuals history, then to where they were the night of the murder. It was too hard to keep it all straight. But maybe that was the point of the book… to show how confusing the investigation was. I made it to page 214.


I decided last night enough was enough. I just didn’t care about the book anymore. I couldn’t get into it and was viewing it as a huge burden. I have a stack of other books of my own, borrowed from friends, and acquired through BookMooch, why was I wasting time on this clunker? So I made a very huge decision. Me, the person who always has to finish what she starts. I PUT THE BOOK DOWN. I took my bookmark out, I went to my stack of reading goodness and picked something else to read. I completely gave up on a book. I haven’t done that since my English major days.


I literally have dozens of books I haven’t read yet, thanks to loans from friends, BookMooch, and an inability to walk into a bookstore without making a purchase. I love to read (hence the major in English) so naturally I like to have a number of books at my disposal. One of the great benefits of working on a show with an interview slot for years was getting on the mailing list for publishing houses. I would get books weeks before they ended up on the shelves. Not just best sellers, but some from newer authors on topics I never would have picked on my own. I kept most of those books and they’ve made onto my “to be read” stack.

After dumping the clunker, I selected a book that I’ve had my eye on for awhile… “The Jane Austen Book Club.” Ahh… now that’s more like it!

The Finish Line

(this post was actually written and posted on August 24... don't know why the date got screwy)

I made it across the finish line yesterday, but just barely. It wasn't too hot during the race, I'm guessing the temps were upper 70s to low 80s, but it was about 1000% humidity. I mean it was really oppressive. I made the first mile no problem, well, except for getting stuck behind a mob of walkers, when our lane was clearly marked "Runners Line Up Here." Just past the one mile mark, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. There were dozens of port-a-potties (gag) but they were all locked. I finally found one (which was totally gross) that was unlocked, thank goodness. I ran another mile, but then had to walk. The last mile I did intervals, but I ran across the finish line in 38:03. I beat my old time by about a minute and a half.

I definitely had the cutest cheering section! (At least he's smiling! I think this is the worst picture of me ever.) Alex really wanted to run with me. He actually cried when I took my place with the runners/walkers. But as I passed the Art Museum in the home stretch, he and Craig were there cheering for me!

After the race, we walked around on the lakefront for a bit. Got some snacks at the after-race party. We got free admission to Mexican Fiesta for taking part in the race and we had fun walking around. Alex got a souvenir and some food.

As you can see, a good time was had by all.

I'm a sucker for contests and there are some good ones going on amongst my bloggy friends right now. Tiffany from the R Family Diaries is having a 100th post giveaway.

Or go to Simple Finds and leave a comment to win a really cool watch.

Friday Funnies

Two more good ones from Alex this week...


"Calm down, Chuckie!" Said to Craig at some point after I left for work Thursday morning. This sounds like something Craig would say, but neither of us can recall him actually saying this.


"I spit the monkey out," said after spitting into the sink while brushing his teeth. This one makes a little more sense in context. Craig will periodically look into Alex's mouth and tell him there's a monkey in there.


Tomorrow is my next 5K. I'm as ready as I'm going to be. I ran 2.5 miles today, averaging 11 minutes/mile. If I can keep that up, it puts me on pace to beat my time from July. I'll try to post pictures at some point this weekend.

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Of Thank You Notes and Lapses In Sanity

I finally sat down to write out some thank you notes last night. Yes, I'm still a firm believer in the fine art and etiquette of handwritten thank you notes. Normally, I give myself a month to write them out upon receiving a gift or other kindness. This time I really fell off the wagon. These were thank yous for ALEX's birthday well-over a month ago. I also did my birthday thanks and a couple of anniversary thanks as well, saving on postage that way!

It took a long time, because I include personal notes in each card, but I'm glad I did it. The gift giver knows you received your gift and that it was appreciated. And who doesn't like getting mail in a colorful envelope with an actual stamp and return address label on it? I mean, my heart flutters a little bit when I see a real card or letter peeking out at me from amongst the bills, political flyers, and other junk mail!

I stock-pile thank you notes and blank notecards specifically for this purpose. I cruise the clearance rack at card shops, drug stores, and Target. As I was making my way through the stack last night, I realized I'm missing some really cute blank notecards. I grabbed them off the dollar rack at Target (seriously! 8 super cute notecards for $1!!!! who wouldn't scoop them up) and now I can't find them! I dug around, looking in drawers, trying to think where I stashed them and can't find them anywhere! One pack was brown and green argyle, and the other was brown, pink and blue polka dots. They were so cute! I really hope I find them soon!

Most of the time, I'll have Alex scribble a little bit in the card, but last night I didn't get them started until well after he was in bed. As he gets bigger I'm going to sit him down and teach him the fine art of the Thank You note. I think it's an important skill to have.

*****UPDATE 8/21
I located the missing notecards! They were in my old desk in the basement. A desk that is rarely used, so I have no idea why I put them there. And I was TOTALLY off on the colors. Blue and pink argyle (very preppy) and pink/brown/green plaid. Whew. Haven't lost my mind. (and picked up another pack of the argyle one's for a buck at Target!! Such a deal!

It seemed like such a good idea at the time...

I went back to my hometown of Galesburg, Illinois this weekend to visit my parents. I haven't been back since March and my parents haven't been able to get up to Wisconsin as much as they normally do for a number of reasons. So Craig had to go to San Francisco for the Packers game, and I decided Alex, Shadow and I would go to the 'Burg as we so affectionately call it.

We didn't leave as early last Friday as I wanted, but it was smooth sailing all the way. Alex talked to me almost the whole way, narrating the stretches of construction with comments on the various types of equipment. He eventually fell asleep. The visit was great. He spent some good quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. The only exception was a meltdown toward the end of church Saturday night. With all due respect, the priest seemed to be talking as slow as humanly possible.

Then Sunday rolls around and it's time to figure out when we're going to leave. It was particularly hot and sunny on Sunday. And I was traveling with a dog. And a three year old. Neither of which you should leave in a hot car. So I figure, skip the nap for the three year old, stay for dinner, then the three year old will sleep all the way home, right? The dog doesn't get left in a hot car while I try to convince Alex to eat all of his McNuggets and Apple Dippers, then he gets to play with the toy. It was a perfect plan, right?

No. Alex fell asleep in the middle of the family room floor between 430 and 5pm. And wouldn't wake up. He was so tired, when I tried to wake him, he said "I want to stay upstairs in bed."
I said, "But you're sleeping on the floor." His screaming/crying response, "Why did you put me on the floor? I want to sleep upstairs in a bed." I proceed to wolf down dinner (hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, and creamed cucumbers... I get so spoiled when I go home. YUM!) and finish packing up. Meanwhile the Sleeping Monster still won't wake up. I laid him down on the bed in our room, and started packing up.

Meanwhile, the dog is freaking out because she sees me packing and she's afraid she'll be left behind. This is normal for her. When we travel with her, we have to put her in the car before we start loading up, otherwise it's full-on hound dog howling (she's a lab/hound mix), scratching at the door, whining, and even occassionally head-butting the door. She started this at my parents house WHILE I WAS STILL PACKING. -Sigh- I mean don't get me wrong, it's nice to be worshipped, but I wanted to slip the dog a sleeping pill. (No, I would never REALLY do that, but it was a tempting thought). I put her in the car and then my dad started helping me load stuff up.

Alex finally woke up when I mentioned that we would stop at McDonalds again for dinner. We got on the road at about 6:45PM for our 4 hour trip home. BLECH. Then as I hit the highway for home, I realize there are no McDonald's right off the interstate heading north. So I had to detour into East Moline and wrack my brain trying to remember where things were (I lived there for nearly a year, I still remember it a little bit). We found a McDs, Alex ate and got his Star Wars Happy Meal Toy, and we got back on the road. At least Alex's narration on the way home was entertaining. More talk of construction equipment. We saw a hot air balloon, which was very cool. Then the moon started coming up over the horizon. It was a huge, full moon and very low in the sky. "Mom! The moon is pink!" Moments later, "Mom! The moon is orange!" Followed by, "The moon is smiling at me. That's cool." He chattered on for about another 45 minutes, then it was silence all the way to Wisconsin. We got home about 11:30PM.

I was so afraid Alex would wake up and not go back to sleep, so I gently lifted him from his car seat and snuggled him onto my shoulder. As we walked in the house he picked up his little head and said "I want to sleep in the dining room tonight. I think we have time for just one book."
I set him down gently, fully clothed in bed. He slept until 7AM Monday morning. I think the trip wore him out!

Now it's Tuesday and I still haven't unpacked, I need to do laundry, and I need to restock the shelves in the fridge. But at least I have some funny Alex stories to keep me going!

Thanks for stopping by!

WOW! Being SITS blogger of the day was amazing. All the wonderful comments! I just can't get over it! It will take me awhile to get caught up on returning all that comment love, but please know that I will read and reply to every single one of you.

Answers to a few questions... the new career is public relations. I'm actually better suited to it than I thought I'd be. All that organizing and writing of newscasts prepared me well for the organizing of events and writing of press releases. I work for a major non-profit in the city, but I'm not going to mention the name of it.

I am no longer running on the treadmill. I run on the track during the week and outside on weekends. I'm up to 2.5 miles without wanting to drop. I completed my first 5K in July, and just signed up for my next one, which is August 23. As for training, these are some of the sites I've used. Thanks for all the new suggestions! These are just some of the songs I like to run to. I'll post some of my newer selections one of these days... stay tuned!

In the meantime, go check out this contest and enter to win some yummy sauce and a cookbook.

Welcome Saucy SITS Girls!

If you've stumbled over here thanks to SITS, welcome! I'm really excited to be the featured blogger of the day. Let me tell you a little about myself... I live in the suburbs of Milwaukee and I love it here!

I have a wonderful husband, Craig, and a three year old son, Alex. I like to cook, I like to do crafts (mainly knitting and crocheting right now), I love to read, and I've recently taken up running (though I hestitate to say I like it, I still kinda hate it).

I can't wait to bask in the comment love. I promise I will pay visits to all of your blogs when I have a chance this weekend. Enjoy!

From Galesburg to Greatness

Check this story out.... a kid from my hometown (and I can call him a kid because he graduated from high school 6 years after I did) is modeling for Ralph Lauren!

My mom had Pierre as a student in class when he was at GHS. What an amazing story! I love stories like this, of kids who come from small-ish towns and go on to do extraordinary things. I also love it when newspapers give people this kind of attention. When little kids back in Galesburg read or see this story, they'll know that it's possible to achieve great things no matter where you come from geographically. You just have to work hard! Congratulations to Pierre!

Such a big boy!

Alex is rapidly cruising into big boy territory. He wants to do everything by himself, for himself. We ditched the pacifier after our trip to visit my brother Mike and his wife Jen in mid-July. It wasn't easy, but I tried to handle it matter-of-factly. When he asked "Where's my nuk?" I just said we weren't using it anymore. He was sad and requested that I stay in his room after putting him into his crib that night. I agreed, since it was my decision to take that item of comfort away I figured I owed it to him to comfort him a little, so I rubbed his back. He asked a lot of questions about where nuk went. Not satisfied with "away," he wanted to make sure that nuk was still close by. When I told him nuk was still in his top drawer where it always was, he seemed relieved that it was still in his room. After a couple of nights, he stopped asking for it and hasn't looked back.

This weekend we crossed another threshold to full big-boy status. We took the side rail off his crib, turning into a toddler bed.

So far so good! He likes being able to jump right into bed with all his blankets and animals. Knock on wood, he hasn't fallen out yet or gone wandering. It's just amazing what a little person he's becoming, capable of carrying on random-yet-interesting conversations, dreaming up crazy stories and sharing them with us. Now if we could just master the potty!

Alex's Funny Thoughts

"We need to go to Target, Mom."
"Why?"
"Because I need something to eat."
"We don't eat at Target."
"Some people do."
-- Actual conversation after his 3 year old check up at the doctor's office. He was referencing the small food court at the Target near our house.
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"Mom/Dad, you're my best partner."

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"Mom, look a camper!"
"Yep. That one looks like the one Grandma and Grandpa just got!"
"We better go take that one away and give it back to Grandma and Grandpa."

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"What do we need at the grocery store, Mommy?"
"We need to buy some fruit, and we need to pick up some beer."
"I think we need to buy some pretzels and beer for Daddy."

Lost My Mind

I've done it. I've lost my mind. I've signed up for another 5K. The Mexican Fiesta Run/Walk for Wishes is August 23. My friend Lacey is going to run it with me. We're also planning on running Race for the Cure at the end of September. I need to remind everyone that I am NOT a runner. I'm doing this for a few reasons:
A) Running burns a heck of a lot of calories.
B) I like the way my calves are starting to look.
C) I just want to conquer my hatred of running.

I think I'm making progress on C. I actually like the way I feel when I'm DONE running, especially compared to the during part. During a run, I feel just.. BLECH. But when I'm finished and I'm all sweaty and gross, I feel like I earned all that sweat. And showering when you're that sweaty is also a great feeling!

So I'm going to get back to running at least 4 times a week. I know I can do this!

I Love Milwaukee!

Welcome to all of you visiting from Camp Candid Carrie! It's On Wisconsin week at CCC and I'm so honored to be the first stop on the field trip.

I've decided to dedicate my post today to my adopted hometown. I've lived in Milwaukee for 8 years. I came here a year after I graduated from college to go to graduate school at Marquette University. In addition to Marquette, Milwaukee is also home to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Both are excellent educational institutions, with terrific athletics programs.

I first started exploring the city while living on the Marquette campus. What I love about Marquette is you can stand in the middle of campus, at the Joan of Arc chapel, and not even realize you're in the city. But then you head down Wisconsin Avenue, and you hit the heart of the city... shopping, restaurants, and at the very end... Lake Michigan. My favorite building in all of Milwaukee is the Milwaukee Art Museum, with the Santiago Calatrava designed Brise Soleil which was added onto the building after we moved up here. Below is one of my favorite pictures of Alex in front of the Art Museum.

There's so much to do at the lakefront... especially in the summer. There's Summerfest and all the other ethnic festivals. I blogged about Bastille Days after running Storm the Bastille. Every weekend there's something going on. Milwaukee is also a city of neighborhoods. And each of those neighborhoods has a distinct personality and flavor all its own. From Bay View, to Brady Street, to the East Side, to Sherman Park... it's just a cool city.

Unfortunately, the world outside of Milwaukee has this stereotypical view of the city... thanks to Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and the movie Wayne's World. This city has strong blue collar roots, but it has become much more cosmopolitan than those images. You could eat at a different restaurant every night of the week for an entire year and not ever eat at a chain.

There's a building boom downtown. In the 8 years that I've lived here, the skyline and the city have been everchanging. New high-rise condos, a new BEAUTIFUL Harley-Davidson Museum, a reconfigured freeway system. And it's a very accessible area. It's easy to get here... you're usually 20-30 minutes from wherever you need to be. There's good shopping, good concerts, good restaurants, good sports, and a great lake! Have I sold you on Milwaukee yet?

Oh wait, I forgot about the Milwaukee County Zoo! And the Domes! And the Brewers! And if you love architecture, classic or modern... there are so many different types of buildings, houses, and churches to see. I could just keep going on and on... you'll just have to come here and see for yourself.

I grew up in a small-ish community in Illinois. I loved it there, but there's just not much to do. I came to Milwaukee with an open mind and an open heart. I fell head-over heels. Milwaukee and I... we've had our differences. I've cursed the weather, I suffered through many difficult allergy seasons, but I've also experienced some beautifully mild summers and the most gorgeous autumns I've ever seen. We decided to make our home here and I'm so glad we did. It really feels like home now and I'm proud to say I'm from Milwaukee... even if I'm just a transplant!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to sign the guestbook before you leave!

A Little Blog Vacation

I've been so busy with work and life the last few days that I decided to take a little blogging vacation. I'm glad I did, too. It gave me some time to think about what the purpose behind this blog is and reflect on why I started it in the first place.

I started it because I want to be a writer. Scratch that... I AM A WRITER. This blog helped me get back into writing and while I still have a long way to go, I do believe I've made some progress.

A bonus to having this blog is that friends and family can check in and see what we've been up to, hence the pictures and many stories about Craig, Alex and Me. I've got friends and family scattered across the country, and even have a few friends living overseas, so it's been great to hear from them in comments and in emails that they like the blog.

A double bonus has been making new friends all over the country and the world. I've "met" people from Singapore, Norway, Canada, and even Sheboygan... interesting people who I've had conversations with outside of the blog world and who I hope to remain friends with for years to come.

This is not one of those "I've had it with the trivial nature of blogging..." posts, though I respect those people who have blogged and then stopped. I think it's more about me getting back to the real reasons I wanted to blog in the first place: to write about my life as a working mom and to update friends and family on the goings on in our lives.

I'm not going to be posting everyday like I have been, though I know that drives readership. Instead I'm going to shoot for posting several times a week. That will allow me a little more time in the evening to write what I really want to write... a novel. Wish me luck! And please keep reading and commenting! I promise to return the favor.