Happy Birthday Rachie!

Today is the anniversary of the glorious day that I upgraded titles from only child to big sister. I know I probably didn't think it was glorious at the time, especially after three years of parental attention. But decades later, one of my absolute favorite roles in life being a sister. Today's tribute goes out to Rachel!

If you have met my sister before, you know that we definitely share a resemblance. We're related. It's clear. We also share a lot of similar interests: working in education, running, music, having fun all the time, snuggling with kitties and puppies, etc. There are also some ways in which we are very different - and I think some of these things are what I admire most about Rachel.

She is much more bold and outgoing than I am - she has this personality that just draws people to her, and she is constantly meeting new folks. When we go anywhere in public, she is bound to know someone. I may strike you as an extrovert, but I am nothing compared to Rachel.

She also has a very strong determination for whatever she is doing. When we ran together this past weekend, she was committed to running the whole length. I'll stop for stop signs or red lights or walk through a corner, but she just keeps on going, adjusting her route as needed so that she doesn't have to stop. She pushes herself to achieve more, both in work and in life.

I love visiting Rachel wherever she lives, because she has this talent for creating a home that is warm and inviting and representative of her personality. No matter the size of the space, she also manages to live without the clutter or mess that tends to follow me wherever I go. I just want to move right in, except I know that it's a space especially designed for her - whether it be the tiny room under the stairs where she lived in college, or her graduate school efficiency that was truly efficient and super cute. This girl has taste.

I think there is something that you can't truly appreciate about having a sister until you are an adult. Like getting to hang out together for a whole weekend of sitting around on the couch, or being silly at the state fair, or having some "real talk" time. Sisters can challenge you in ways that a friend can't. And that's part of their job.

Although my three-year-old self  might disagree, I would never want to be an only child. Having a sister is just too much fun.

Happy Birthday Rachie!

To 30 and Beyond!

So here it is. The long-awaited "wrapping up my twenties" post. It's been swell. Blog done. (drop the mic)

Kidding, of course. Let's chat.

I've been getting lots of questions about the blog lately since I just dropped off the face of the earth, and thought they'd make a good post.

My 30B430 Project - How did it turn out? What are you going to do about the things you didn't finish? Are you going to do a 30 in 30 list?

Welp, didn't finish the list. But I am totally okay with that. What I liked about the list is that it gave me some public accountability for trying new things and putting myself out there. I also made the decision along the way that I couldn't live and die by the list, and that some priorities were more important than others. Writing my dissertation outweighs a Man vs. Food Challenge. Maybe not in actual pounds (food weighs a lot), but, you know.

I am very proud to say that I checked off 16 of the things. Just over half. That may not be how you measure success, but I am so excited about the adventures that I had and what I learned about myself along the way.

As for another list, I do have one and you can see it under the tab. I decided not to attach a specific time frame to this one (clearly I am not following the whole SMART goal philosophy here), but rather continue to add to it and grow my list of things I want to do in my life. It will be an inspiration, but not necessarily with a ton of structure.  I'll keep you posted on what I check off though!

Your Blog - Are you changing the name now that you aren't in your twenties?

Yes. Just not quite yet. I have the new name picked out, and have some other more exciting changes to come. It's just going to take a minute. I will attempt to get everything sorted out before I turn 31.

Your Birthday - How did you celebrate?

I had a wonderful, but low key birthday celebration. Chris and I drove to St. Louis to visit with friends and do some of my favorite things. Most of which involved eating. My favorite thing of all. We also visited the arch, did the AB Brewery Tour, and hung out with the best people of all. A huge shout out to Janelle for hosting us, and to Kelly, Lucy, Shiloh, Susan, and Shelley for sharing in the celebrations. I have some of the greatest friends.

I also got to have a bonus family celebration with Chris, my mom, and my sister. Any birthday that involves jambalaya, bread pudding, and key lime pie from Maxie's Southern Comfort is a win in my book. Yes, two desserts is ALWAYS the way to go.

What's next? 

Enjoying every minute of 30! I'm over a month in and I haven't fallen apart yet.

: )

Today

Thanks to my sister for sharing this. You can buy this awesome card here.

Today is the day!

I am officially 30! And while I don't feel old, I might be falling apart. Nah...just trying to get over a cold.

But that won' stop me. I'm off on a weekend of birthday adventures. See ya soon!

One Month

Image from here

It's almost here!

One month from today I turn 30. I'm kind of excited. Not at all scared.

Have I checked everything off of my list? Nope. That's okay. I have a whole life ahead of me to keep checking stuff off, and adding more stuff to it. Why cram all the good stuff into just one year?!

Do I have plans for my birthday? Not yet. Haven't figured out that far ahead. Got any ideas? I would love some good suggestions.

I do have a new name for the blog though. Gotta move on from the current Twentysomething name. Any guesses?

: )

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Yesterday we celebrated Chris' birthday. I won't tell you which one, but will say that it was a big one.

We started out our day running the Rock n' Sole 5K. The race took us up and over the Hoan bridge, and back through the Summerfest grounds. It was an early morning - we started running at 7:20 am. It took awhile to get started actually running, because of the large crowd walking at the front. I finished in 33:24, and ran around really fast to get pictures of Chris finishing.

Check out the birthday boy!

Afterwards, we were able to enjoy some music and refreshments at the grounds. So fun. Plus, we got a free ticket to Summerfest for participating. And every finished got a medal - check us out!

We tried to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter after lunch. I say tried, because the movie ended up being cancelled due to "technical difficulties." As in, they went to play the movie and there was sound, but no video. They did give us a refund, and a free pass for a future movie. So we ended up wandering the mall instead.

Our celebration was small, but still very fun. I had initially planned a quick weekend trip to celebrate Chris' birthday, but am saving it for the fall, since I had troubles getting hotel reservations. For right now, his main gift was an Andrew Luck Colts shirt. We will save the adventures for another time.

Happy Birthday to Chris! He is a wonderful friend and partner, and my favorite roommate!

Happy Birthday JerBear

Today would be my dad's 62nd birthday. It is the sixth one that we are celebrating without him.

 A few years ago, I made the decision that March 23 was not going to be a day that I would be sad. Birthdays are meant to be a day of joy and celebration, and so I embrace that. And the best way to carry on his memory is to share with others all of the wonderful things that made him our JerBear.

He was the first in his family to go to college, where he played baseball and had intended to be a coach. JerBear was the jock in the family. I don't know that either Rachel or I lived up to Coach JerBear's talent. He loved baseball, and played at Carthage College (where he also joined a local fraternity, Tau Sigma Chi, the Turtles). He graduated with a degree in Physical Education, and hoped to be a high school coach. Unfortunately, there weren't many jobs in the area, and so he went back to school at UW-Madison for his graduate degree and headed into the world of banking where he spent his whole career. He did eventually get to do some volunteer coaching for Rachel's soccer team. I think it would have been cool to see him coach baseball though. How different life might have been...

He met my mom at a meat packing plant. True story. He was working there during the summer to save for graduate school, and my mom was working in the office as her summer job. He would bring the orders into the office each day (what a meet cute!). He asked her out, and she stuck her nose up at him, until my grandpa dared her to go out with him. When he showed up for their date, driving a red Firebird, and all clean shaven and nice looking (not covered in meat blood), she changed her tune. And the rest is history. 

He embraced living with all women. JerBear was fortunate to have two daughters, which left him constantly outnumbered in our house. He was the kind of dad that would paint his three year old's toe nails or dress up in funny clothes. He never once complained about having to go to dance recitals (which thankfully didn't last long). He did well.

He loved the Badgers.  My parents purchased their season tickets and were loyal Badger fans throughout a lot of crumby seasons, pre-Barry Alvarez. They even kept their tickets when we moved to Iowa for eight years, making it back whenever they could and selling or giving away the rest. I remember going to games with my dad, back when I was a very small child. He would pack lots of snacks for me - the longer I stayed quiet and happy, the more of the game he would get to see. When the Badgers made it to the Rose Bowl in 1994 for the first time in over 30 years, my parents were definitely going - it seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I later found out that they had been planning to take us to Disney World around that time (we didn't go until we were 16). The last game he saw live was a win against Purdue in Barry's last season. He was scheduled to have surgery around the Iowa game, and so I took a friend instead. Knowing his hatred of the Hawkeyes, it is probably a good thing that he wasn't there to see them lose.

He had the best lawn and landscaping in the neighborhood. JerBear took his gardening quite seriously. He watched HGTV for the garden shows, and would speak this foreign language of plants that none of the rest of us would understand. He put so much time, energy, and money into making the backyard beautiful, that he was known to shoot bunnies with a pellet gun if he caught them eating the foliage. I may not have agreed with this, but I knew him enough not to argue. I have to imagine that he would be pretty irritated with all of the watering restrictions we have now, because it would prevent him from achieving his perfect lush green lawn. There is a reason that we have cats and not dogs in our house. Neighbor dogs - go pee somewhere else.

He loved Harry Potter. We all love Harry Potter, but I don't know if anyone can ever match JerBear's love. He would read all of the books, and then excitedly share his own theories for how it would all turn out. Was Dumbledore really dead? Was Snape good or bad? When he told us about his cancer diagnosis, one of the first things he said was "I'm not going to get to read that last damn book." Rach and I considered contacting JK Rowling to see if she would send him an advanced copy, but we knew that was unlikely to happen. While going through chemo, he had to get a special okay to go see HP and the Goblet of Fire in the theater, since he wasn't supposed to be in public places where he would be exposed to germs. He went twice. When I first read the last book, I knew he would be happy with how it all ended.

He could live on popcorn, pizza, and chocolate chip cookies. JerBear wasn't a picky eater, he just had his favorites. And on the average day, he was known to grab a box of popcorn for lunch while walking the downtown area. He also loved pizza, and no place more than Balistreri's. You knew better than to give him Pizza Hut or Papa John's - he liked paper thin crust, loaded with toppings. He also loved cookies (really of any kind). He didn't bake all that often, but when he did, his were better than mom's (No offense Mom!).

He rocked one awesome mustache. I think that JerBear's stache was right up there with Tom Selleck's back in the day. It just fit his face so well. I couldn't tell you the date that he first grew his mustache, but I do know that it was before he met my mom. Rach and I had never seen him without one until he shaved his face when I was in middle school. In fact, his mustache was so distinct that he once ran into his mom in the mall, and she legitimately didn't recognize him "without his mustache." She asked her friends who the strange guy was that was trying to talk to her while she was having a cup of coffee. Of course, at that point he hadn't had a mustache in several years, and she had seen him several times without it - she just always thought of him as her son with a mustache.

He was a great storyteller. His eyes would light up with excitement whenever he had a story to tell. One of my favorites was when he would talk about buying his Honda CR-V. He went into the dealer and asked to test drive the car, but made quite clear that he "wasn't buying a car today." After the drive, as the salesperson when to make their pitch, he repeated, "Sir, if there is one thing that I'm not, it's a liar.  And I told my wife that I was not buying a car today. I may buy that very car tomorrow, but I'm not buying it today." Sure enough, he walked out. Went back and bought the car the next day. JerBear: A man of his word.

He was a good boss. We didn't really get to know the work side of our dad, because he was the guy that didn't bring work home with him. When he was at home, that was family time. In fact, when people used to ask us what our dad did, Rach and I would usually repeat what he told us, "he reads and highlights stuff." The true story is that he was a senior vice president at US Bank.  In his time at US Bank (which was his entire career, from starting at First Wisconsin, then when it became Firstar, then US Bank), he supervised a lot of people, and when we met many of them at his funeral, they all talked about what a great boss he was. That he was kind and fair, and that he mentored many of them in their careers. It was a part of his life that I wish we had gotten to see.

His life revolved around his family. My dad was by himself at the appointment where he learned that his cancer was spreading even more quickly than anticipated, and that he likely had no more than a month left. My mom and sister had come to visit me in Ames, because at that point all signs were that he was doing really well. He had gone back to work, and all of the treatments had been deemed successful. The appointment was supposed to be a routine follow up. Although we knew his cancer was terminal, the news came as a total surprise. He spent what was his last good weekend completing a bunch of house chores - tasks to be checked off the list that he didn't want my mom to have to worry about later. If there is one action that really speaks to his character, it is that one. Taking care of us, even when we were supposed to be taking care of him.

I miss him every day. But I know that his spirit shines through in all of us.

Love ya, JerBear.

Happy Birthday To Me!

 

I am 29. Wahoo!

Yesterday was a pretty great birthday, mainly for its simplicity. I have always been kind of weird about birthdays - I am really uncomfortable being the center of attention and find birthdays very overwhelming. In my last office, we typically went out for lunch on someone's birthday, in addition to a full office monthly birthday celebration with treats. I appreciated the effort that all of my coworkers put forth in order to make me feel special, but also that they could anticipate my discomfort and tried to keep it low key.

This year, I walked in, without everyone necessarily knowing it was my birthday. I had debated taking the day off, which was an awesome way to celebrate last year, but I had just been out of the office for a full week, and really needed the day to get stuff done. So instead I came in, and happily worked on putting together a student retreat, got Noodles for lunch, and then headed home. 

My mom is really good about birthdays. She likes to make it your day. A few weeks ago, she had asked me what gifts I might like, and so I sent her a list of things I had tagged on Pinterest or found on Etsy. I came home from work to find this bad boy waiting at the kitchen table:



I had been talking about wanting a sewing machine for over a year now, and finally have one of my own. I was so excited that I immediately wanted to take it out of the box and begin sewing some curtains or something. She talked me into waiting until after we move. A few sewing lessons may also be required...

I also opened some smaller packages to find the ceramic egg rack I'd been eyeing (as a jewelry holder, of course).


And these tiny pinwheel earrings that I found on Etsy. When I say tiny, I mean it. They are itty bitty!

 

She also taped a little note in my birthday card to let me know a few other gifts were still on their way. Let's talk about how excited that I am about a cutting board shaped like the state of Wisconsin. Yes, I'm a dork.

 

And I may have squealed a bit, when I saw that she got me this....

 

Perhaps the cutest cake stand that I have ever seen from West Elm. I've seen pretty ones, but c'mon, it's a beehive!  

Chris is also really good at birthdays. He is definitely a boyfriend who listens, because he had already been planning to get me tickets to the Florence and the Machine concert, before I had even brought up that I wanted to go. Awhile back, we talked about focusing gifts on experiences we could do together - I can't wait until April! Florence is such a badass.




We also went out for burgers last night, for a low-key VDay/BDay celebration, before coming home for some red velvet cake and American Idol with my mom.

Perhaps the best part of the day, was getting to see my mom on my birthday. You see, I hadn't celebrated a birthday with my family since college. Typically she would either mail me my gifts, or send them back with me during my Christmas visit (yeah, like I'm patient enough to wait...). I would of course get some great phone calls from my mom and sister too. But the not seeing them part always made me really homesick around my birthday, which usually meant that I would end up crying at some point, no matter how hard I tried to avoid the tears. Being home again was really something special.

I spent the rest of the evening responding to all of the wonderful Facebook messages that I received. I know that most people probably don't put too much thought into wishing their FB friends a Happy Birthday. I so appreciated every single message, and wanted to make sure my friends know it.

I have one final celebration on the calendar. My mom, Rachel, Chris, and I are headed to the hibachi grill this Friday. Nothing like catching shrimp in your mouth for a good Happy Birthday...

I have officially entered the last year of my twenties. It is time to make it the best one yet. This also means that I have 365 days left to complete my 30B430 list. Here we go!

Cheers all!