Flying Without A Cape

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July holiday. We spent it together with friends and family and a good time was had by all. Thankfully, the weather cooperated so the fireworks were amazing.

The heat and humidity have been up and down, and when it's up, I'm hiding in the house in the air conditioning. When it's down, I've been out weeding the tomatoes and the flower beds. I feel so much better being outside, but the heat just makes me nauseous. Ever since that last temp job, I can't handle the heat.

Speaking of jobs, I feel a bit like Wonder Woman or Super Girl flying around without a cape. I haven't worked in a few weeks, and I'm trying to stay busy, and positive at the same time, but there is still the worry that I won't have another job. There are a lot more jobs being posted, but most are things I'm overqualified for or under qualified for, or I have zero experience.

I'm beginning to think I'll have to invent my own damn job. Hmmmm. Sounds like fun! :)

I'll keep you posted with my progress.

A quick shout out to my old classmates from Garrison High School in Garrison, North Dakota (Class of '87). I'm sorry I couldn't make the All Class Reunion this year, but maybe the next one. I hope all of you are doing well and are safe, and if you are on Facebook, look me up: Laura Crawford.

Have a great weekend!

Aunt Keener

Her given name was Colleen, but to all of us, she was Aunt Keener. I don't quite remember which child gave her that name, but it stuck.

She passed away this weekend from a sudden heart attack. I couldn't believe the news, and I know when I walk into her house, I will be trying to hear her voice. I still have a hard time with that since QH's father, George, passed away in January.

My heart goes out to her children, Rick, Jim, and Casey, and her grandchildren, and her husband, Al. There will be a lot of tears and a lot of hugs in the next few days. The funeral is in Garrison, North Dakota. It's going to be a long trip, but I wish we were getting together for a more happy occasion.

I'm mostly worried about my Dad. Both of his sisters are gone now. He's the oldest of five, and it's got to be hard on him.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a great day, and hug those you love, and tell them you love them. You just never know.

Spring Is Here and...Happy Easter!

Spring arrived this week to the relief of the residents of Minnesota. We spent the first day of Spring in Duluth, driving all the way to Grand Marais, Minnesota, which was still covered in snow and Lake Superior still had ice and snow in some of the bays. But the snow and ice were melting, and with the warm temperatures (it was a balmy 30 degrees ABOVE zero), and the bright sunshine, it was the perfect time for QH and I to run away from home.

We left on Wednesday, and came home on Friday morning. Two days away up at the North Shore will renew your energy, recharge your batteries, and make it really hard to leave to go home. If you look at the picture above, you can see why. We daydream of when we will be able to retire and move up there. We scout out places to build a home or find homes for sale that we wouldn't mind moving into. Driving the Skyline Parkway which is way above the cliffs of Duluth at night, then watching the city and the harbor light up like Christmas is breathtaking, and not just because if your brakes fail on the car, you have a sheer drop to the bottom. Nothing like a little adrenaline to keep things exciting!

We stayed at the Black Bear Casino & Hotel in Cloquet, just a few miles outside of Duluth, which was a good thing since I had no idea the Women's Hockey NCAA Frozen Four Tournament was taking place this weekend! Thursday was the first set of games and Wisconsin beat Harvard (ranked #1), and the Bulldogs (University of Minnesota-Duluth), beat New Hampshire. I have no idea how the rest of the tournament is going, but I was happy to hear that much of it!

We aren't very good gamblers. I spent about $10 and QH spent about $4 on the slot machines. We got bored and went back to the room to watch TV. I found $50 lying on the ground in the entrance to the casino on Thursday night when we were returning from dinner, so we came out ahead anyway!

And of course, in true Minnesota fashion, we returned in the middle of a snow storm. I was wishing that I would have taken the day off when I came into work last night, and really wishing it when I left to go home and had to scrape the snow and ice off my car! Oh, well, Spring is here!

To everyone traveling (or not), I hope you have a safe and Happy Easter weekend. It snuck up on me this year, like the Daylight Savings Time, by coming early. I'm used to Easter being either on my Dad's birthday (April 12), or right around it, so for Easter to be in March really throws me off a bit. It also reminds me that time flys faster than we realize.

Everyone say a prayer for one of my dear loved ones. My great aunt, Aunt Mary Kerzmann, suffered a stroke earlier this week. Aunt Mary is the oldest sister of my grandmother, Ellen Crawford. They both live across the hall from each other in an apartment complex in Garrison, North Dakota.

Grandma was very upset when she called Wednesday morning before we left for Duluth, but the latest news is Mary still has her speech, some of her memory is still foggy, and she has been affected on her right side. Mary is 91 years young, but she is not completely out of the woods yet, so please, any prayers and blessings and good thoughts for her recovery will be greatly appreciated. I thank you all in advance.

For those of you who need a good laugh for Easter, stop on over at my friend, Sandy Lender's blog, Today the Dragon Wins and check out her Cadbury Creme Egg "Eggsperiement". It's a riot!

Have a great weekend!