Deja 2015

JANUARY

We started off January at a party with friends. Champagne, games, food, and laughter. It was a good omen for the start of the year.

As a family, we took a ski trip to the UP of Michigan. It got Beerman and me back on skis, and showed C-man that there are some bigger hills out there than he was used to. Unfortunately, it was brutally cold, so we cut it a little short.

The big part of our January was about wrestling. It was a new sport for C-man, and dominated our weekends. Thankfully, he really enjoyed it, and it taught him a ton. Thankfully for me, it was a great group of families we really enjoy.

Also very important was our trip to see the Packers beat the Cowboys in the playoffs. It was also great for C-man to experience true Packers tailgating in Big Blue (the van) and a local funeral home parking lot.


FEBRUARY

In what is typically a slow month, this February was not really all that different. I did get a work trip to Northern California, with the chance to visit Facebook's inner workings - a dream come true.

And, of course, there was a lot more wrestling. C-man was inexperienced, but tough.

MARCH
March brought us Beasley the Old English Sheepdog. We didn't really like him, and he didn't really like us, but he did love his runs at the park. Which was great, because he was fat.

C-man turned 10. And broke his finger in wrestling. Both things he was very excited about when they first happened. (The cast lost its luster pretty quickly.)

The weather was typically February, but it was warm enough for us to take walks along the lake and start to emerge from our hibernation - always a welcome event.

APRIL
In April, we took advantage of a staycation Spring Break here and there and Chicago.

And then C-man got his cast off (FINALLY!). It might have been the best day in his life.

And meant he could do more than just catch in baseball. Which was nice, since the season officially began. And something clicked this year, because he was great.

Beasley's love for both the park and us increased, as his waistline decreased.

And then I sponsored a confirmation.

MAY
May was for baseball, and C-man continued to hit a ton.

Since May is my month, I got a bike with a basket for my birthday.

It also meant the installation of three new packages of bees, after having lost both of mine in the winter.


It also brought the annual school Jr Olympics.

And incredible band concerts.

JUNE

In June, we said goodbye to 4th grade.

Played more baseball.

Started to adjust to Beasley as a full member of the Rysewyk family.

Watched the bees grow and do their thing.

And start to really enjoy our Summer.

JULY
We spent the 4th with friends on the Lake.

Said goodbye to this year's baseball team with an All-Star game.

Hung out at the beach.

Added honey super boxes to my bees.

And went to San Francisco with my Mom and Sisters.

AUGUST
In August, we went to Packers training camp.


And State Fair.


We also got a 5th grader.

Who was back to playing football with more enthusiasm than ever.

And then I harvested some delicious honey. (No stings!)

SEPTEMBER

September got crazy with some football.

So we made some special time together as a family.

We fished and geocached.

And then watched C-man get his first-ever touchdown.

And I, well, I was in another play. Rumors, this time. (Never again!)

OCTOBER

October was yet more football.

And a Super Blood Moon Eclipse.

We had a great time with friends at another annual Fall Fest.

We saw the Packers win against the Chargers.

I went to NYC for work for a few days.

We ended the month by ending football in the cold, miserable rain.


And we celebrated Halloween with good friends.

NOVEMBER
We set up and took our annual Christmas card. Beasley got into it as a complete Rysewyk now.

We walked the Jingle Bell Run with a large group of supporters.

Taught C-man how to win at Cribbage.


And capped it off with a wish.

DECEMBER
We had the Pelot Christmas.

Beasley ran in the rain, and I documented it with my brand new camera.

We Chippewa-ed

And now we're skiing and heading to a friend's house for New Year's cheer. (But I'll share those photos after we're home.)

This year flew by in a blink. We were constantly busy, and C-man's sports made things, at times, frenetic. But we were fierce. We added Beasley to our lives, when we weren't sure we had space in our hearts to add another pooch for a while. We saw C-man attack new things with more maturity and intensity than we'd ever seen. And we laughed and loved more than ever. And we sports-ed. Boy, did we sports. So while next year looks to be about having adventures and experiencing newness, this year was about strength. And I'll take that.

If we are as blessed in 2016 as we were in 2015, I will have zero complaints.

Here comes the snow... do do do dooo

It's all post-holiday pickup around here - Cleaning the house, folding the laundry, changing the sheets, scrubbing the toilets, putting away the boxes of gifts to their homes... The snow has begun - the first real one of the year. Which is okay, since we're packing for the ski trip. Now I'm just praying my back holds out...

Today is brought to you by pain killers

My back is preventing me from moving too much today. I woke up to shooting pain. It hasn't gotten much better. But at least I'm managing to move with the help of pain killers. C-man warned me not to turn into Brett Favre. I assured him that probably wasn't going to happen. I really hope it's just a twinge today and it's gone by tomorrow, because I don't think skiing on Vicodin is going to be the best idea this week.

Saturday Seven

1. We saw Creed last night. It was the best movie I've seen in a long time. (But I'm admittedly kind of a big Rocky fan)
2. C-man and I went to Hope House today so he could donate his money. It was very sweet.
3. The neighbor brought over her annual Christmas Cookie tin. Of course, the peanut blossoms are already gone. Dang. I love those.
4. I bought a mini Keurig for my office at work. The insert said they'd send me two boxes of K-cups. I registered and then got an email telling me if I purchased 4 boxes, they'd send me two. Total ripoff. I use the reusable cups.
5. We rebooked our ski vacation. The runs are somewhat open, and there's supposed to be a storm coming our way on Monday. Come on, snow!
6. The lack of power the other day stressed out our new fish, and we're fearing either a fungus or parasite. Sigh... Which means medical treatment and 4 full weeks of quarantine.
7. Tonight is Rocky IV. I can't wait.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve

So yesterday was fun. After lunch, we celebrated Festivus with some new Festivus fish. This is Gabe. He's a beautiful young Emperor Angel. He's quarantined with 5 Chromus Damsels, a Tail Spot Blenny, and a Lawnmower Blenny.

And then the storms showed, the wind blew hard, and the power went out.

For those of you who don't have fish tanks. That sucks. As in, really sucks. These fish need to be warm and the water circulated so they can breathe. And they aren't cheap.

So Beerman set an alarm for 3 a.m. and started transferring buckets of water between tanks to keep them aerated. He napped for a few hours and then started heating buckets of water on the stove and pouring them in the tanks to keep the temperature up.

I called our friends and cancelled the party at our house.

Meanwhile, Beerman broke down and went out to get a generator, because we can't risk this anymore. And C-man and I tried to keep ourselves busy. After the dog park and working out, we found a chocolate store and bought truffles. Because hell, it's Christmas Eve. Something's got to be good. By the time we got home for all of that - around 3:45, the lights were on again.

And then our lovely neighbor showed up. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Let's find that pickle.

So it's Festivus

Beasley finally got the boots off that he's been wearing since he went to the park on Friday and quite literally ran his paws off. Maybe tomorrow he'll get to go back. But only with boots on.

I'm so glad to be at this point in the long haul that is Christmas. Even the last minute showing of the wrestling spirit wear showed up. No more travel. Just Christmas as a family and Christmas night with friends.

We have a post-Christmas ski trip planned, but it's up in the air whether we should go or not. Stupid rainy weather... It just makes no sense.

And now, it's dinner and a movie at home in our PJs. Here's to 11 days of being off.

Tired

This may, very well, be my last present to wrap. And I could just cry. There has been the teacher's gift, the bus driver's gift, the dog walker's gift, the babysitter's gift, the nieces, the nephews, the in-laws. There's been the work party gift, the ugly ornament gift, the sugar cookies for school, the St. Nicks gifts, the Pickle gift. And that doesn't even touch on what I've shopped for and wrapped for C-man and Beerman.

And I'm just really tired. I've tried to put into words all the things I'm tired of this season, but it just makes me feel worse. So I'll leave it at this - When juxtaposed against the media's images of happy and supportive and loving Christmas gatherings, I'm just left cold. Maybe the best decision is to skip it all next year and be a hermit. At least then I wouldn't be so disappointed by it all.

Almost vacation...

One day down, one more to go. I can do this.

Christmas came early today

There is no snow on the ground, and I'm not feeling incredibly spirited, but Christmas came early today in the form of a beautiful Nikon D750 camera body. I hadn't expected on being able to see it until Christmas, but Beerman felt that was foolish. So Beasley and I headed out to the park, and gave it a spin. It's clear, I have a lot to figure out on this baby! While familiar with the Nikon settings, there are so many more options on this one, and the variables are exponentially greater. It'll be a nice new thing to learn, just in time for wrestling tournaments to start.

Almost a day off

I have tomorrow off. This is going to be a good thing. Beerman has been home already, and has been sending me videos of Beasley chasing squirrels off the bird feeder. I'm jealous of his day. I need a break.

Ten on Tuesday

1. C-man has had 5 ski events cancelled so far this year.
2. I'm worried my bees are going to eat up their stores too quickly.
3. I may have to drive north and see how they're doing, and if they need supplemental food.
4. I think I'm whittling down on the Christmas gift list yet to purchase, which is nice.
5. Except for the second guessing if I've gotten enough.
6. Now it's time for the wrapping.
7. Why can't we just hand people unwrapped gifts? It'd be so much nicer.
8. Beasley and I have become a little addicted to Project Runway.
9. Okay, Beasley has become addicted to lying on the bed getting his belly rubbed while I watch.
10. Today is the 25th anniversary of losing a dear cousin. It hardly seems possible.

Racing into the week

Ready or not, here it comes...

Another day

I know it's the time of year when I'm supposed to be all cheerful and happy and family and blah, blah, blah. But really, I would rather get in my car, go to the airport, pick a location, and just be gone from it all. It's all just so exhausting and depleting. I think if I'm forced to muster up one more fake smile, I may just implode.

Experiences

We had to go to a work party last night, so C-man went to the Hanukkah festivities at the local temple with the neighbor.  He was really nervous about going - worried he'd screw something up. But they filled him up with fried chicken and donuts and lots of songs. He definitely had the better night, and is singing songs in Hebrew to Christmas song music this morning. I'm amazed at and thankful for the experiences he's had and is only 10.

Thursday Thirteen

1. I realized today I completely forgot about getting the teacher's gift. Oops.
2. Trip to the spice shop it is!
3. My body is picking this week to complain loudly. I really hate this time of year.
4. I'm pretty much living on Tramdol.
5. C-man has a half-day tomorrow. I think maybe we're going to go have a nice lunch together.
6. After my massage, which I'm getting while he's at school.
7. And before he goes to a Hanukkah event at the temple.
8. The car dealership is telling me my vehicle is a high demand vehicle and they want to buy it. I think this is just a ploy to get me into a new car.
9. It may work.
10. C-man needs 40 undecorated sugar cookies for a party next week. I volunteered.
11. I volunteered to pay a friend who is a baker, that is.
12. Now that C-man doesn't believe in Santa, it makes gift buying easier.
13. It also makes him sad when he wants something, and I reply, "Of course you can. And you can open it on the 25th."

Wordlessly Empty

Grateful day

I've had some shitty experiences lately. People, for some reason, love to use this time of year to be crappy human beings. So this is a grateful post to help me turn myself around.

• A random stranger saw Beasley's photo at the Humane Society and contacted me to connect.  Dogs are awesome
• I have Friday off
• I'm getting my hair highlighted tonight
• I think I've figured out C-man's Christmas gifts
• We have our Fiji vacation portion figured out and booked again
• I think I'm getting a camera for Christmas

St Nick's

This morning, we woke up and exchanged St. Nick's presents. I wasn't feeling particularly happy, but something about St. Nick's always makes me smile. And today did not disappoint.

Beerman got me a bird feeder and put up my squirrel feeder with some fresh corn. He got ski socks and chocolate from me. C-man got a new ski helmet, some chocolate, and football cards.

But it was C-man's gift that took the cake. He gave us money. Now, I'm not thrilled with getting money from my child, especially when I know it's most likely my money. But  it had a note for each of us to donate it to the two charities he knows we love. The kid wants things all the time - video games, a hover board, new jerseys... and he gave it to us to give to charity. My heart melted. I'll put the money in his bank account and donate, too, but just won't tell him the bank account part.

It was exactly what I needed today. I'm incredibly thankful for his heart.

Quiet day

I've been home today, getting odds and ends done. I took my car in to get the transmission sensors reset. Again. The guy told me this will happen for the life of this car. Sigh. At least it's under warranty. Unfortunately, my back is spasming again, which I'm not enjoying. So the hopes to get some stuff really cleaned up today went by the wayside. But St. Nick's is ready - at least as much as it's going to be. As is the stuff to do the Pelot Christmas tomorrow. So there's that. But one thing is for sure - I really do love a quiet house to myself.

I need sleep

The December rain has gotten me down. It isn't very Christmassy, after all. Not to mention, it makes it hard to sleep. So let's hope the Packers pull one down for us tonight. Because I can't handle not sleeping from pain AND because there's an inconsolable 10 year old boy in bed with me. Go Pack!

10 on Tuesday

1. December 1st means the chocolate Advent Calendar is opened.
2. I stopped just to get one for C-man last night, because I always loved those so much.
3. December 1st also means that Round 1 of Christmas cards went out today.
4. I'm sure there will be a Round 2 of forgotten ones or addresses Beerman gets to me.
5. Although I'll have to do a re-order if we do, because we're almost out.
6. I love Christmas cards so much, even our Jewish friends get them from us.
7. I'm convinced this Elf on the Shelf craze is for the bored mothers out there.
8. Wrestling starts for C-man tonight. And Beerman.
9. My back is tons better today. Still twingey, but so much better.
10. I'm going to get used to this 4 day work week thing.

Painful day of rest

I haven't been sleeping well lately, so finally gave in and took some Tramdol last night. Apparently it also meant I didn't move or slept in a weird position, because my back is totally tweaked today. I can't do anything. It's totally miserable, and even a steam at the gym didn't help. So much for enjoying the last bits of the long weekend - what with a funeral, car rides, and this back pain.

The good news is I was able to put the honey and sugar on my hives yesterday. The girls weren't clustered, and there was still honey inside - both things I'd worried about.

So now, it's narcotics and Netflix. Happy Sunday to you!

The next day

Well, we certainly didn't get our wish for a Packers win. And I certainly didn't get my wish for a good night's sleep, what with being up to the wee hours consoling a sobbing kid. He really has to learn how to take this a little less seriously, because they aren't getting any better.

Thanksgiving was good. Fewer people showed this year than normal. But we're all healthy today, which is 300% more than I can say for last year. The rain kept everyone indoors, and me away from putting the extra sugar on my bees. I did get the report that they were out on the English Sage last week, so that was a little comforting. We'll be back up there on Saturday for a funeral, so I'm hoping for better weather.

I'm doing no Black Friday shopping, which is no change from any other years. We're still trying to figure out what C-man even needs (nothing) for Christmas. Ski weekend it is.

Anyhow, I'm incredibly thankful for the long weekend, even if we do have to travel again. Here's hoping I can get some sleep!

10 for Tuesday

1. We had Parent-Teacher conferences this morning. It's really nice to listen to other people talk so nicely about your kid.
2. What I found most interesting was the types of things he was being praised for - ability to work through conflict, maturity in not getting caught up in petty things, collaborating with others - are things he's had some pretty intense experience with in his sports teams.
3. It's nice to think about that side of things, when I'm reading all those articles about the potential brain damage from the sub-concussive hits.
4. I have tomorrow off. I thought I'd have a half-day, but then learned work gives us a half-day. So now I'm using my half-day to give me a full-day. I'm very happy about that.
5. We have a funeral this weekend for Beerman's paternal grandmother.
6. She was a nice lady. I just wish there wasn't such weirdness with this side of the family.
7. There's all this push at work for togetherness and team building. Bleh.
8. I've decided reply-all and group Facebook messages are the devil.
9. I'm really ready for the vacation, even if it is for Thanksgiving. I'm ready to be home with the family.
10. I'm hoping to get us to a Christmas market this week. I have never done one, and they are popping up all over.

The week ahead

It's only Monday, and I'm already a little stressed about the whole week. Maybe if I had warm memories of Thanksgiving as a kid. Or it didn't mean Black Friday craziness at work. I know I'm one of the few, but if I could erase this holiday altogether, I would. At least I'll get to put my sugar on the bees. And C-man is a cribbage fiend now, so that'll be fun, too. Focusing on the good things. Focusing on the good.

A year ago

It was a nice, lazy, wintry Sunday around here. C-man went to a friend's house, and Beerman made chili. That gave me the time to get my act together, pull out the green screen, and start shooting the family for our annual Christmas card. It was Beasley's first year on the Rysewyk card. He tolerated it well, but took his own union-mandated breaks in-between. I shot that, too, of course.

This process was very sweet, and I was happy to get this year's card done. But it reminded me it was exactly a year ago that we lost sweet Harry to the Rainbow Bridge in the sky. I think I'll forever miss those sweet brown eyes. It also makes me incredibly thankful to have this big gregarious Beasley in our lives.

And now, Go Pack Go!

TGIF

Friday. Yes.

Thursday Thirteen

1. C-man is all scheduled for ski club at school. It's hard to believe it's ski club time.
2. It's another potluck at work today. I think other people are getting tired of these, because there isn't nearly as much food there today.
3. I made a yellow cake. From a box. Because I had no time. It was gone in mere minutes.
4. Someone brought poached pears in mustard and bacon. Now that was actually worth it.
5. I've been quite dependent on my coffee lately and not drinking enough water. Time to reverse that trend. Except now I have to pee all the time.
6. Classmates keeps sending me emails asking if I know these people. Um... no? Geez. High School was a long time ago. And to be honest, I didn't like the people then. What difference is 20+ years going to do?
7. C-man wants a Hoverboard for Christmas. This seems like a really bad idea to me.
8. It's going to snow this weekend. It'll be good for my bees, at least, so they stop eating their stores of honey.
9. But it also means I have to get my act together on hats and boots and matching mittens. Where do all those right-handed mittens go anyway?
10. I'm following the Brewers trades today. It makes me happy to think about Spring.
11. We have our Fiji-New Zealand travel figured out. Now to figure out those last two days in Fiji that we no longer have a room for.
12. I think we're going to get moved to a Hilton on the island instead. It's a better place at a lower cost than we'd pay otherwise, so it makes sense.
13. One more day of work to go...

Wordless Wednesday: Moments

The start of the week

Starting the week on a Tuesday is sort of nice. Both C-man and I are back to school and work. I have mixed feelings about that, but it was nice to be able to take the day off. I could use some more of those.

Slowly

C-man and I are home today. I've been in such bad shape arthritis-wise, and he just hasn't been great. I thought maybe it was being worked up for hours post Packers atrocious loss. But I think it's more. It may be exhaustion. It may be a bug. I don't really care. It's Monday, and we're taking it slow today. Work and school will be there tomorrow.