Highlight Reel May 22nd-28th, 2010 May 30, 2010

Saturday- Camping at Rock Lake (see previous posts)

Sunday- returned from camping and spent the day putting camping gear away and doing laundry.

Monday- trip to the cities to see the doctor. (see previous posts)

Tuesday- My one and only day at work this week.  Didn’t even begin to get caught up.  I will actually be happy to get back to a normal schedule week after next.

Wednesday- Ad Altare Dei classes tonight.  We had the classes on the patio but the weather is just too noce and the boys took three hours to get through the classes because they just couldn;t concentrate.

Thursday- Road trip ( see previous post)

Friday- Zach went to an FFA banquet with a friend from school and helped out in order to get extra credit in his Ag Sciences class.  Tyler stayed over at Steve’s house where they played Red Dead Redemption on the XBox 360 all night so my house was eerily quiet!

Road Trip!

Due to an excessive amount of vacation time I had to use by my anniversary date or lose it, I have had some days off during the week to extend my weekends into long weekends.  I have been having so much fun with the extra time off.  Yesterday, my cousin Janeen and I decided to take a road trip.  Normally when we get a day off together like this (which is extremely rare) we will head to Nisswa or just go out for a margarita or something quick and close.  This time we decided to make a day of it.  We went to Park Rapids!

What’s in Park Rapids you say?  Well, we didn’t know but we were determined to find out.  We started out at 8am and were in Sebeka by 9am.  We stopped at Anderson Homes to walk through their model homes because Janeen is thinking of buying a new home soon and I just love to look at houses.  We spent over an hour there and then were in the road again.  In Park Rapids we stopped at the Pizza Ranch where Janeen bought me lunch.  from there we headed to a little Market that sold jams, jellies, fresh produce as well as dried fruits and gift items.  Janeen bought some frozen buffalo burger (which we put in the cooler) and some other food snacks.

From there we stopped at Summerhill farm which is a cute cluster of old sheds and barns that now have little gift shops in them.  Think Nisswa and you will know what kind of items they carried.  VERY cute stuff.  I again left empty-handed while Janeen bought a cookbook, some kitchen items and a really cute snail votive holder.

Then, off to Evergreen gift shop and park.  Lots of very cute gift items at Evergreen.  Very unique.  The park had mini golf, bumper boats, laser maze, go-carts, etc.

Next stop was a gift shop that also carried furniture and hand-made wooden items.  Here I found the sofa I want to buy!

From there we hit the downtown area where cars park in the middle of the street as well as along the side in front of the shops.  Of course we had to check out the candy shop where we watched them making homemade turtles in front of us.  I bought some old-time candy for the boys (Nik-L Nips, candy buttons and saltwater taffy).

On the way home we stopped at a cheese shop in Wadena (I love Cheese!) and tried samples of sliced pizza cheese and sliced Vegetable Fair cheese.  They were both awesome and I had to buy some of each before we left.

Back in Brainerd we capped off the day with a swirl margarita at newly remodeled Poncho & Leftys and ate some Not So Macho Nachos.  Yum!  We love happy hour!

It was a great day and we had a lot of fun.  We have decided not to wait so long next time to do it again!

Good News from the U! May 26, 2010

Yesterday Zach and I made the trip to the University of Minnesota Hospital to see an orthopedic specialist about the problems he’s been having with kneecap dislocations.  What did we find out?  He has to have surgery.  Why is this good news like the title says?  Because it won’t be the surgery they initially thought he would have.  This one will be much, much easier.

In taking more xrays and having two doctors there take a look at him, they determined his main problem is not the shallow knee groove.  His main problem is his kneecap is a little off center to start with which is not allowing his kneecap to settle into the little bit of groove he does have.  The reason it is off center is the ligament on the outside of his knee is too short.  In surgery, they will lengthen that ligament by adding cadaver tissue.  If that’s all they have to do then he can come home the same day.  If when they go in they determine the ligament on the inside of his knee needs to be tightened and reconstructed they will do that as well and that will require an overnight stay.

Once out of surgery he will be in a knee immobilizer for 2 weeks with physical therapy six times a week and then outfitted with a smaller, more flexible brace after that.  (Not the months of rehabilitation we were dreading!)  All in all, we are happy with the outcome.  Surgery is scheduled for August 20th because the first date they gave us is the week we are on vacation and the second date they gave us is the week he’s at summer camp and he doesn’t want to miss either one of those.

He’s currently doing really well in physical therapy and getting strong and the swelling has come down quite a bit.  Looks like he’ll have a good summer after all!

Mighty Eagles Spring Campout 2010

I was soo excited for this camping trip!  Earlier in the week they were predicting beautiful sunny weather in the 80s.  As the week progressed they started changing it to partly cloudy, then 20% chance of overnight thunderstorms, to 30% chance, to 40% chance of severe thunderstorms and a chance during the afternoon as well.  Go figure.  It always happens that way.

We left around 4pm Friday to ominous looking clouds overhead.  We hurried to the campground so we could get set up before it rained.  The rain held off and closer to evening it started to clear up.  With the tents and the screenhouse all up the boys took off to do some fishing.  By the time they returned around 8:30 I was starved.  Josiah and Austin put on supper of baked beans and chips and we roasted hotdogs over the fire.  We sat around the campfire until about 11pm before heading for bed.  The first night I FROZE.  The temp was supposed to be about 50 degrees so I didn’t bundle up for bed, but it was so damp I was just chilled to the bone.  I finally talked myself into getting out of the sleeping bag around 3am to put sweatpants on over my pants and a fleece jacket over my sweatshirt.  When I got up the sheets on the air mattress felt wet they were so damp.

Austin & Zach made breakfast burritos to start out our day.  Yum!  Soon though,  the clouds started moving in again.  It sprinkled a little.  Just long enough for us to bring all the camp chairs into the screenhouse and start a game of cards. The little rainstorm alerted Jeff and I to the fact that our tent was leaking.  Unless we did something different we were going to get awful wet when the storms overnight moved in.  We headed to Wal-Mart and picked up a big tarp for extra protection.  When it quit,  we congregated around the fire until lunchtime where the Josiah made ramen soup and we had sandwiches.  Before supper Mark and I took Austin on his 5 mile hike with a compass for a rank advancement requirement.  We made it a fast one when we realized we hadn’t put bug spray on before we left!  At the campsite we had no mosquitos but on the nature trail we were covered with them.  We also came back with loads of woodticks crawling on us.  I headed to the bathroom to take off my clothes, turn them inside out and check for the crawlers.  I pulled off about 25 which was less than Mark or Austin!

When we got back,  supper was starting to smell good.  Zach and Andrew had put 2 pork roasts and a beef roast in the dutch oven, Alvin and Jeff had wrapped potatoes and put them in cans in the fire and it was time for Zach and Eric to get the Apple Cobbler going in the other dutch oven. One fantastic meal later and we were ready to sit by the fire again.  Zach, Andrew, Austin & Josiah did a little more fishing before nightfall.  We dialed in “All 80s Saturday night” on our local radio station and sang the night away.

At around 2 am we were awakened to thunder and pouring rain on the top of the tent.  I was secure in the knowledge we were not going to get wet, although Alvin did come to our tent to tell us his weather alert radio had went off and we were to watch for 60 mph winds and hail.  Thankfully a couple of hours later it was all over.  We didn’t get the high winds that caused power outages and trees down at home, just the heavy rain.

Sunday morning we had a wonderful breakfast of bacon (cooked by Zach), french toast (cooked by Andrew) and sausages roasted over the fire by Alvin, Jeff and I.  Alvin provided the bacon and homemade maple syrup (as well as the roasts the night before!) to ensure we ate well over the weekend.  Once fortified, we packed up, had our Sunday morning worship service and went home content with how the weekend turned out and already asking-  When is our next campout?

Highlight Reel May 15th-21st, 2010 May 25, 2010

Saturday- A beautiful sunny day!  Zach and I went to Little Falls for lunch and shopped a bit before coming home and going to church.  For supper I made sliders on the grill and goulash.  Zach & Jeff spent some time getting the boat ready for its first fishing trip this season.  I am about to become a fishing widow again (yay!)  Smores and a fire on the patio were how we capped off a perfect day.

Sunday- Jeff and Zach head out at about 7am to go fishing for the day.  The fish were not biting at all and they were home by 3pm.  I ejoyed the beautifully warm day by mowing in the lawn and digging in my flower beds a little.

Monday- We started the remodel in our department today.  I mainly worked on setting the movie mods while the remodel crew set up fixtures and our new counter areas.  It’s going to look so awesome when it’s done! Our last official Boy Scout meeting for the school year-  It was pizza and movie night. 

Tuesday- Tonight was our last TriParish Pastoral Council meeting until September.  We had a potluck at Father Tony’s house and had a planning meeting.  We also formed a new commission tonight, The Commission for New Evangelization.  When we reconvene in September I will be the Councils new secretary.  Marvin and I carpool and after I dropped him off as I was drving in front of the house I could see the tiki torches burning and the tent was set up and airing out for camping this weekend.  I am so excited to go.  We always have such a good time with the group we go with!

Wednesday- We had our 3rd Ad Altare Dei class tonihgt at the Doucettes.  With the weather warming up it is harder for the kids to concentrate.  Look at how well they were doing…

Before I took a quick bathroom break.

That’s right, the little buggers took that opportunity to make a little escape!  Lol  That’s okay, I rounded them up and we got back on track.

Thursday-  I went into town to help one of our scouts do the shopping for our upcoming camping trip.  For a rank advancement requirement he had to figure out how many servings was needed to feed all nine of us for the weekend, shop and figure out how much it all cost per person to eat.

Friday- Left right after I was off work and Zach was out of school to go to the campground.

Highlight Reel May 8th-14th, 2010 May 15, 2010

Saturday- Zach and I went to camp Vanasek today.  Zach was supposed to be helping with Devin’s Eagle Scout project but since he’s semi -handicapped was there more or less for support.

Sunday- I had a beautiful Mother’s Day! 

Monday- Dr’s appointment today.  We got the results of the MRI finally.

Tuesday- Book Club was a blast tonight!

Wednesday- We had the Ad Altare Dei class at my house tonight.  Long session, but the kids were great for all 2 1/2 hours of it.

Thursday- Janeen and I were supposed to go walking after work tonight but it was raining…again.  so she decided to just come over and chat instead.  I had put supper in the crockpots earlier (Savory meatloaf in one and Applescotch Crisp in the other) so she stayed for supper and we yakked for a while.  After she left I went over to mom’s to take a look at her new carpet, laminate, bathroom tile and handicapped toilet that had just been installed.  Everything looks so nice!

Friday-  Sun for the first time in weeks!  I worked outside for a little bit then waited inside for a phone call from the Mayo for Zach’s visit down there.

What the Doctor Said

Last Monday Zach went to see his orthopedist again to find out the results of the MRI. Like we figured- it wasn’t good. What the MRI showed was a torn ligament, cartilage damage with a bone fragment near the cartilage and a slight fracture of the kneecap. Zach’s knees are still pretty swollen but the swelling is gradually coming down so his doctor made the decision to not drain his knee at this time. The needle being poked into the knee can introduce infection so for the time being, we are not doing it. The MRI was also able to tell us more about the groove under his kneecap. It was just as shallow (or nonexistent) as she initially thought. She said most people’s kneecaps when bent do not move around much. Zach’s however is like a hockey puck on ice. He will just keep dislocating it if something isn’t done about it. His doctor wrote a referral to see Dr. Arndt and they called today.  Initially they didn’t have an opening until mid August but Zach’s doctor called and pled his case and it looks like we might be able to get in as early as May 24th.  They will call back to verify that appointment.  I went over to the place where Zach got his MRI to get a disc to bring with us to the appointment.  The secretary asked what the doctor had said about his knee.  When I told her she shook her head and said “I knew when I was typing up the report it wasn’t good.  In fact I thought- kid, take it easy next time!” (yeah right, like that’s going to happen!)

Physical therapy started today and the first session went pretty good.  He still can’t get his quad muscle to fire without the help of the little muscle zapper they attach to him but he was given three different exercises to work on at home twice a day and hopefully soon we will see progress.

Mothers Day 2010

I had an awesome Mother’s Day.  The day was so relaxing and enjoyable and I was spoiled with gifts once again.  Zachary brought me a hanging basket filled with pink geraniums that he had planted, fertilized and watered in his Ag Sciences class.  Tyler bought me a new CD player for my car with an iPod plug and bluetooth, and Jeff is paying to have it installed.

After lunch they took me to The Chocolate Ox in Nisswa for my very favorite ice cream the Chocolate Ox Signature Supreme which is basically the equivalent of Zanzibar Chocolate.  Yum!

After stopping at Landsburg Nursery to pick up plants for the mothers, we headed over to Jeff’s mom’s house.  Visiting her there were my sister-in-law Kristi, my nephews Jeremy, Brian and Seth, my niece Kristina and my great niece Raegan.  It was fun to chat with them all.

We headed home and started the fire on the patio and invited Mom & Dad over for a wienie roast.  My dad, who is always cold, came prepared for when the sun started going down.  He brought his stocking cap!  It was a lot of fun!

Highlight Reel May 1st-7th, 2010 May 14, 2010

Saturday- took Zach to the doctor for his knee (see previous post)

Sunday- We spent the day watching movies with Zach since he could do little else.

Monday- We saw the Ortho doctor this morning. Boy Scouts tonight was finishing up with rank advancements and merit badges.  I was also able to present our treasurer with a check for $1,500 from the Jaycees for our help with the Ice Fishing Extravaganza.  Thank you Jaycees!

Tuesday- Zach had his MRI this morning and then I took him to school.  His first day back and he was pretty wore out from getting from one class to another with his crutches.  I had a Faith Formation commission tonight in which we talked about how our staffing needs are changing again and what we need  to adjust for the upcoming year.

Wednesday- started Ad Altare Dei classes tonight with Zach and some of his patrol members.

Thursday- I had a vacation day and spent about 3 hours on my computer at the library trying to catch up on writing reviews for my book blog.  Things got so nuts in March and I was so far behind I didn’t post on By Book or By Crook the entire month of April!  I decided I could not post every day on that post and still keep up with my other blogs so I will be more low key and post twice a week there.  I now have posts scheduled to be published through May 27th.  Whew!  After picking Zach up from school we stopped at my parents house.  They are getting new laminate laid tomorrow and she asked me to get down on my hands and knees and scrub around the base of her cabinets and oven as well as the floor in her pantry.  Then I made stuffed pork chops and mashed potatoes and gravy for supper and the guys watched the twins game.

Friday- Had my final Adult Faith Formation training tonight.  Yay!  My Fridays are mine again!

Ad Altare Dei May 6, 2010

Last night Zach and three other Catholic scouts from his patrol started the Ad Altare Dei religious emblem program.  We will be meeting weekly to learn about the sacraments and how they apply to our lives.  Very few scouts earn their religious emblems as the classes are a lot of work.  After working on getting approved for almost 2 years I finally got the go ahead about 2 weeks ago.

We met at Mark’s house to start the program.  Last night we went over the general information on Sacraments.  Next week we start with the Sacrament of Baptism.  I was very proud of the boys for taking this seriously and being open to sharing their faith which is not always easy for teenage boys to do.