We’ve been exploring Nebraska this fall

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It’s hard to believe it’s already Nov. 10. My sweet granddaughter, Alina, is 5 months old today. I can’t wait to see her (and everyone else) over Thanksgiving. We miss everyone, but the little ones change so much so quickly that it’s really hard to live so many miles away from them.

The fall has zoomed by, though. George and I took a short trip to central/ western Nebraska during my mini-fall break. He loved the visit to the huge rail yard in North Platte. I enjoyed our stop at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse, which was a bit unusual. Lots of stuffed animals joining us for dinner. We took a two-lane road up through the Sandhills region, and it was gorgeous. Rolling hills and lot of cattle ranches. Very few people. I’m not sure I could ever live out there; it’s pretty isolated. Most of the small towns we passed have only a post office and gas station. But it was interesting to see.

George has spent some time this fall working on the new house. He’s still unpacking all of his hobbies in the basement. Even though we unload some things every time we move, we still have way too much stuff. It’s nice having a place of our own here that is a bit bigger than the town homes we had rented. We’ve been able to entertain a little more. We’ve also been exploring our new side of town — mostly trying out different restaurants. We found a great Chinese takeout place nearby. And a new German restaurant opened recently that serves the best (greasy) hot pretzels as soon as you sit down.  We’ve also taken advantage of living in a university town. We’ve gone to a lecture series (last week was Hedrick Smith, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter from my college days). George has been taking a few classes through the university’s lifelong learning center — although he picks subjects that I would never be interested in. When the catalog came, I suggested Mediterranean cooking. Instead, he signed up for How the Earth was Made.

My big news is that I’m heading to India for two weeks in March as part of a team of editors and educators who will do workshops for Indian journalists and teachers. It’s pretty exciting. I’ve never been to India before so I’m trying to prepare thoroughly. I’m reading an Indian novel at the moment and I’ve been trying out Indian food at the local restaurants (it’s not my favorite cuisine). If any of you have been, please pass on any tips! We’ll spend the entire trip in southern Indian provinces.

 

Chicago, Las Vegas and Lincoln: September was busy

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

September was a busy month. I flew to Chicago and then drove to Saugatuck to celebrate a longtime friend’s 60th birthday with high school and college buddies. Saugatuck, on the shores of Lake Michigan, is a very cool city. Lots of cute shops, good music, wonderful beach to walk even in the fall.

Then George and I had one weekend to bask in the Nebraska sunshine and ride bikes around Lincoln. He took these photos around the football stadium on a game day a couple of weeks ago. Lincoln is an amazing place when the Huskers play football. The entire town wears red. And yes, some people wear corn heads. (We haven’t gone that far yet, but I do wear red on game day).

Then last week I flew to Las Vegas for an editing board meeting. We stayed at Planet Hollywood, which was a very cool location. I was mostly locked in a conference room for hours on end. That’s probably a good thing because when I did hit the casino floor briefly, I lost.

We’ve also been exploring many of the new restaurants that have been opening in town as part of a new entertainment district. Needless to say, that’s made sticking to my diet pretty darn hard.

Enjoy the pictures.

Kevin conquers his first triathlon

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

George was back in Lincoln for less than 48 hours before he took off for Washington D.C., last weekend to watch Kevin compete in his first triathlon.  Kevin rocked it, especially the biking and running portions. He finished 86th in his age group out of about 250 male runners. George said Kevin was going so fast that it was tough to get pictures (although I think the pictures are great). The boys celebrated during the weekend too – scotch bar with wall-to-wall scotch was one of their first stops. We’re not really sure where Kevin got the endurance athlete genes, but we’re glad he’s doing so well. He tells us an Ironman is in his future. Maybe his Uncle Dennis should start training now so he can join him next fall.

Meanwhile, back in Lincoln, I’ve been sweltering in nearly 100 degree temperatures. I eat lunch outside almost every day, and we only have one table that’s in the shade near our building. Last weekend, I was even sweating at the farmers market, where I stocked up on veggies for my Mason Jar salads. I now have several other faculty members making these cool salads.  Try it — you’ll spend some time on Sunday night in the kitchen but your lunch will be ready all week long.

And I’ve attached one picture of our darling Alina, who turned 3-months-old yesterday. Wow, that went by really fast. She’s cuter by the minute.  She takes after all the women in our family — even shoe shopping already. And Emilio is already taking after his great-grandfather (Jim’s dad) and his great-great-grandpa (Walter) by becoming a bowler. He’s a natural.

Enjoy the pictures.

 

Back in Lincoln, with a side trip to Texas

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I drove back to Lincoln two weeks ago today and it’s been crazy busy.

First, the best part. Last weekend I flew to Texas to surprise Lisa and Jose.  Lisa won another huge teaching award. She was given a Kinder Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award at a banquet in Houston. She did not know she was winning and she had no idea that her dad and I were flying in. It was pretty darn amazing. One of her former students, now in high school, was on the stage talking about her amazing teacher, but Lisa still didn’t realize it was her. Then, one of her current students – special ed – came on the stage in front of all these people and told the audience that Mrs. Lisa Aguilar had changed his life. As Lisa walked up to the stage to claim her award, Jim and I came out from behind the curtain to join her. Needless to say, I had been tearing up back stage well before then. What a night. Lisa is only the second teacher to win both the national Kipp teaching award and the Kinder Award in the same year. Proof that she really is special.

I am so proud of her. Not only is she an excellent teacher, she is an amazing super mom, juggling her two darling babies and everything else. Excuse me for bragging, but I’m so thrilled that both of my children are happy and doing so well in their very different life choices. I only wish I could see them more. Of course, one of the side benefits of my quick 24-hour trip to Texas was that I was able to kiss and hug those darling grandchildren. I swear they are getting bigger overnight.

Meanwhile, back in Lincoln I’ve had one week of classes. It’s always fun to meet new students. And it’s even more fun when you have an upper level class filled with students you already know. I have both a beginning and advanced class this semester. Plus the young ladies in my student editing group are just amazing. They have all kinds of cool things planned for the year. So we’re off to a good start.

I’m now working on losing some of the ice cream overdose weight I gained in Au Gres. I’m trying to model myself after Kevin (kind of) with healthy foods. I haven’t gone completely vegetarian yet, but I’m trying to mostly do veggie and fish. My newest trick is Mason jar salads. They are great fun. And if you make them on Sunday, you have lunch for the whole week. Enjoy the pictures. I now have to finish cleaning the house – three months worth of dust won’t go away by itself. The views from our deck are wonderful. Come visit and check out the new house.

 

Whirlwind: D.C. with Kevin, Au Gres visitors

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This has to be one of the busiest summers I’ve ever had.

I’m winding up my time in Michigan with a crazy schedule.  We had a nice time in Jackson celebrating Shelley’s husband Steve’s retirement.

Then, I spent five days in Washington D.C., attending a conference for college journalism and mass communication educators. The best part: Getting to see Kevin for the first time since Christmas. He has been very busy too, winding up a stint with the Hurricane Sandy Task Force and moving to the Better Buildings Initiative at HUD. It’s fun to see him in action in D.C. He fits right in. I think his political and social skills were inherited from his grandfather.  My dad was a great politician and a wonderful socializer. And he took after his father, my great-grandfather Burzynski, who also served a stint as township supervisor. Kevin and I ate a lot, rode bikes on the mall, and I even managed to introduce him to a young Ph.D. attending my conference.

The second best part: I successfully presented on three panels and won two teaching awards! They weren’t as prestigious as the one Lisa won a few weeks back, but it’s nice to be recognized. I love teaching. And for the first time, I also presented on research. Scary but fun.

After coming back to Au Gres we had our final visitors of the season. Shelley, Steve and Mom came up for a quick boat ride, followed by lots of pizza. That was a nice way to wind up the summer.

The day after they left, we spotted an eagle right in our yard. He landed on our swing and then hung out in our tree. I think he was telling me not to go back to Nebraska.

Nonetheless, duty calls. I’m trying to get packed but keep getting deterred by boat rides and ice cream. I hate ending summers.

I’ve also included a couple of new pictures of my precious grandchildren. We were in Houston when these portraits were taking. Hard to believe that Emilio is 2 and Alina is 2-months-old. Time goes so quickly.

Stay tuned: Next up — Lincoln.

 

A week of celebrations in three time zones

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Three time zones in one week. But well worth the whirlwind.

The past 10 days were tons of fun. George and I flew to Houston, where he met Alina for the first time and captured Emilio’s soccer style in some wonderful pictures. We played with the kids during a long weekend. Then, he came back to Michigan and Jose flew to Las Vegas for a KIPP conference (the charter school where he and Lisa both teach).  Lisa and I took the kids to the mall and to a pool. Emilio is fast. He managed to escape from the yogurt shop in the mall with his bowl of yogurt in hand, forcing me to run after him in the mall. His next move was darting into a beauty shop. He was amused by grandma’s attempts to keep up. I now understand why some people use those leashes for their kids. Tuesday night, we dropped him off at his other grandparents’ house and we had a girls’ night out. It was quiet and lovely. Alina slept while Lisa and I ate.

The next morning we flew out very early to join Jose in Las Vegas. Lisa was awarded the Harriett Ball Teaching Excellence Award. She was one of a handful of teachers picked for this prestigious honor from among the 3,000 Kipp teachers nationwide.  Kipp is a network of public charter schools that primarily serves low-income students. Its philosophy is that all kids can succeed and excel in college with the right support. And these hard-working teachers (including Lisa and Jose) provide that support.  All teachers work hard, but these teachers work especially hard. They are in school from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and school is in session almost year-round. Students are encouraged to contact their teachers for help after school and on weekends too. Each teacher gets a cell phone number so students can reach them easily. It’s not an easy job.  Although I was in Vegas primarily to help with Alina while Lisa and Jose attended meetings, I did get to see her win the award. It was very awe-inspiring to see my talented daughter cheered by more than 3,000 people. Unfortunately, the video I took didn’t turn out, but I’m hoping to get a copy of one her principal took. Stay tuned.

On Friday, I flew back to Michigan and headed to Jackson where we celebrated my sister, Shelley’s husband, Steve’s retirement from his job at St. Joe’s. He worked there for 31 years. The party was a great celebration of his work-life.

Now I’m back in Au Gres just long enough to do laundry and re-pack. I head to Washington D.C., this week where I’ll present at an academic conference. But the highlight of my trip will be seeing my other talented child. Kevin has been so busy — he’s been working on the Hurricane Sandy Task Force — that he hasn’t had time to come home this summer. So we haven’t seen him since Christmas. I’m looking forward to having him be my D.C. dining guide.

I’m really lucky to have two wonderful, hard-working successful children. I know everyone thinks their children are special, but mine really really are! And of course, my grandchildren are darling too — just take a look at George’s pictures.

Boats, bikes and best times in the summer

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We’ve had a quiet week here in the north country without visitors.  We had a run of good boat weather for a change and took full advantage of it.  George got some wonderful close-up shots of the tall ships as they left the bay after the festival in Bay City last Monday.  We’ve also snuck in a bike ride along Tawas Bay. The state park there is really beautiful. Great beach and great bike trails. We rode into town for what turned out to be a long dinner (slow, slow kitchen) at Barnacle Bill’s. Good food but the wait for our order was ridiculous.

We also both touched base with old friends. I drove down to Frankenmuth for lunch with lifelong friends from high school and college. It was wonderful and too short. It’s nice to have friends you can see infrequently but still feel like you can pick up just where you left off. Since I was near civilization, I took advantage and stopped in at Birch Run for a little shopping. George, meanwhile, drove down to the Detroit suburbs to hook up with a longtime buddy from The Detroit News.

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost the end of July. Why does summer go by so much faster than winter? And although I loved my career in newspapers, I now wonder how I ever worked in the summer. Even though I’m doing some work from the lake house every morning, it is pretty wonderful to spend afternoons on the lake. Next up: Another trip to see the grandchildren (and their parents, of course). Can hardly wait.

Despite the waves, we had a celebratory weekend

We had a fun weekend here in the north woods with our biggest wave of summer visitors this year.

George and I started the long weekend by checking out the Tall Ships as they headed into Bay City for a festival. This involved riding our little pontoon boat about eight miles into Lake Huron on a windy Thursday morning. George managed to get a few pictures, while I frantically dug out a life preserver and put it on. I have to say when that boat starts rocking in the middle of the big lake, it’s a bit scary. George was oblivious because he simply wanted good pictures. He finally agreed to head closer to shore after I started to turn a little green.

Then, Mom, Shelley, Jessica and Adam arrived to celebrate Mom’s 83rd birthday. We headed to Tawas for a trip to Ben Franklin and Norman’s with a stop at Marion’s for ice cream. After stocking up on windsocks, rafts and of course ice cream, we came back to Au Gres for an evening of games – Bananagrams and Scattergories. I had never played the latter before, but after playing Adam and Jessica’s game I now want to buy one! It’s fun for everyone.  On Friday, we kicked off Mom’s birthday with mimosas and French toast, followed by a ride down the river and out to our favorite beach on the lake. We rode big waves in the tubes (a little scary again). I bought Mom an instant lottery ticket that won $50 (my first winning ticket ever) so after a steak dinner at home, we headed to the casino. They were giving away a car, but my luck didn’t hold.  After another round of Scattergories on Saturday morning, they headed back to Jackson.

A few hours later, my cousin Nia and her husband, Jim, joined us for a night before heading north to visit her mother, Candy.  We tried the boat again (still big waves).  But we did see 15 eagles soaring above the beach — the most we’ve ever seen at one time. It was pretty awesome.  Nia and Jim were fun to talk to; we got to know them much better. Alas, we didn’t play games (George told them they didn’t have to participate in my “forced fun.”)  Despite that, it was nice seeing them. We’re happy they stayed with us.

After all the guests left, we went back on the lake Sunday and enjoyed a calm day – no waves! Figures.

 

Grandma meets Alina, visits Emilio (his parents, too)

Grandparenthood is a wonderful thing. And after 10 days in Texas with Lisa, Jose, Emilio and Alina (our newest addition), I also understand why you have babies when you are young. It was exciting, exhilarating and exhausting. I can’t wait to go back.

Alina Marie was born June 10. She’s a beautiful, sweet baby. She sleeps, eats, and repeats. Emilio, who will be 2 on July 5, is a tornado. He is non-stop action. He’s smart, handsome and energetic. He’s learning to speak in both Spanish and English, so I found my memories of high school and college Spanish returning a bit. Nonetheless, saying aqui or come here does not mean he’ll appear by your side! This boy has a mind of his own. He did learn how to say grandma. And I’m pretty sure he was saying, “I love you, grandma.”

Because Jose was teaching summer school, I was dispatched to be “Hazel,” ala the 1960s TV show. I cooked, cleaned, and corralled (or tried to) Emilio. I danced with him, played ball, went to Gymboree and chased him around a children’s museum. This is one active family.

But don’t take it from me, click on the links and enjoy the videos.

Alina, the fashionista

Emilio, the tornado

The Aguilar family

Texans visit the chilly north woods

We had a great visit with Diane, Jack and Mom in the North Country.  The weather didn’t cooperate for boating, but we kept ourselves busy. Things I learned:

• Diane is much better at Bananagrams than I am. I need to practice so I can beat her next time around. On the other hand, for an accountant, she’s not all that great at Yahtzee, where I won 2 out of 3 (Jack had the other win).
• I’m not a winner at casinos at all. Everyone else came out ahead at the Standish casino, but me. I’ve decided to read up on video poker to see if I can at least figure out how to lose more slowly!
• Our neighborhood winery, Moderncraft Winery, has expanded big time. And our tasting included nine complimentary tastes! That’s a lot of free wine. Mom discovered she likes peach wine.
• Our visitors enjoyed seeing the eagles make their daily visit to our beach.
• And having visitors means we eat a lot more. Great excuse for ice cream, sweets and of course, lots of my homemade sangria.

Now it’s on to my 10-day stint in Texas as Grandma/Hazel. Can’t wait to meet Alina and see Emilio (and of course Lisa and Jose) later today. Stay tuned for baby pictures.