We were at the lake

It seemed like my little vacation was never going to start. I was off work as of Wednesday, but because none of the kids could arrange their work schedules to be off any sooner than “early” on Friday, Mark and I decided not to leave until Friday either. There was much that could be accomplished at home in the meantime.

I spent most of Wednesday cleaning my parents’ house while it rained all day long, and then came home to do some cooking. On Thursday Mark and I finished the big “closet purge and reorganization” project, otherwise known as “nearly divorce court.” I had begun this enormous task the previous weekend and it ended leaving Mark and I feeling seriously fed up with each other. But the closets are clean and organized, the Goodwill has been well-stocked with everything we decided we could live without, and Mark and I are on speaking terms again. When Friday finally arrived, I planned to pack my bag for the weekend and make sure my own house was clean. (I hate going away and coming home to a dirty house. It must be cleaned before we go.)

My plans were slightly waylaid by the demise of the dryer on Friday morning. Mark did some investigating and quickly learned that it wasn’t worth the cost of replacing the motor. The dryer was very old and had been repaired many times. It already had more features that no longer functioned than ones that did. So a trip to the appliance store was squeezed in and I quickly picked out a new dryer. My only requirements were that it be large capacity and that the buzzer that signals the end of a dry-cycle could be turned off. (Day sleeper in the house!) I found one for a reasonable price and we were out the door within twenty-minutes with the promise of delivery for the following Tuesday.

Mark, Kacey and Connor headed for the lake not long after our visit to the appliance store. Brad and Heather left Fargo not long afterwards and began their drive to the cabin. I worked on the remaining laundry at home, shuttling loads over to my parents’ house to use their dryer. I finished cleaning, baked cookies and packed my bags. I checked the house over to make sure it was in good shape to be unattended for the weekend, double checked my packing to make sure I had everything I needed, and when Jake still wasn’t home from work, I went to the gas station to fill up the gas tank and get a car wash. Jake finally came home, about an hour and a half later than he had hoped, and he, Lucy and I hit the road just in time for the Friday afternoon rush hour.

The first hour of our drive was frustrating, but then the road opened up and we were really on our way. Jake had insisted on driving, so I got to kick back and relax in the passenger seat, helping navigate now and then. We talked, sang along to our favorite country songs, and enjoyed the scenery while Lucy alternately slept in the back seat or watched the scenery pass by out the windows. We made a stop at McDonald’s for some food and  to let Lucy out to stretch her legs and attend to other business. We finally made it to the cabin by 8:30 Friday night where everyone else was waiting for us.

And I was so exhausted that I was in bed and sleeping by ten o’clock!

We were all up early on Saturday morning, thanks to two dogs who were not only excited to be together, but to be in a place so full of new things to explore. I swear, Lucy and Dakotah were like a couple of toddlers, running from one place to the next and investigating every new taste and smell. And we, their people… we played right into it and catered to the dogs’ every whim. What can I say? They make us laugh and they reward us with complete adoration. How can we help ourselves?

The weather was beautiful and we spent much time sitting down on the new dock. The kids fished for hours and for once, the fish were biting. The dogs were fascinated by the water and the way the waves lapped up to the dock, by the fish that were being pulled from the lake and just happy to hang out with their people. Lucy still can’t be trusted not to run off, so we kept her on a leash whenever we were outside. But on the dock, she could be off leash as she quickly proved she wouldn’t leave it if any one of her people were there.

Dakotah practiced retrieving her “dummy” from the water. Heather would throw it into the lake and Dakotah would launch herself in after it, grasping it in her mouth and returning it to Heather. Lucy was fascinated and she clearly wanted a chance to give this dummy thing a try. Seeing as how she’s had very little exposure to water (except for her pool on the deck,) we took it easy at first. Heather threw the dummy just off the shore and Lucy would jump in and grab it and proudly walk it back to Heather on shore. After several attempts, Mark suggested that Heather challenge Lucy and make her swim for it. So the dummy was thrown a little further this time and Lucy heaved herself into the lake and began to walk out to the dummy. When the water became deeper than Lucy was tall… she went under water!

We all gasped, momentarily panicked, although anyone of us could have hopped in and grabbed her. But just as quickly, Lucy turned around, resurfaced and looked at us as if to say, “Where did the bottom go?”

We all cooed at her and patted her wet head and told her what a brave girl she was. Then Brad suddenly remembered something. “Oh, yeah,” he said! “I forgot that I had to teach Dakotah how to swim her first time! I’ll go put my swim trunks in and show Lucy how it’s done.” Before long, Brad was in the water, with Lucy in his arms. She was none too keen on going back in, but she let Brad hold her up in the water and within seconds, her little paws were paddling and she swam herself back to shore. We all cheered like the bunch of dog-loving doofuses that we are and I swear I saw Lucy smiling from ear to ear!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When it was too dark to fish on the dock and the mosquitoes threatened to eat us alive, we’d head back to the cabin and watch funny movies that we’ve all seen a million times and we’d say the lines right along with the characters and crack ourselves up all over again. We slept at night on the ancient mattresses with dogs wandering from room to room all night long, unable to decide which people they wanted to snooze with. But we didn’t mind about the mattresses and the dogs, because we were at the lake, where everything slows down and there’s very little that has to be done at any specific time.

In the mornings we ate big breakfasts, like pancakes and eggs and French toast. For dinner, we grilled steaks over charcoal and buttterflied them for steak sandwiches which we ate with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, onions and steak sauce. Everything tastes better when you’re not watching the clock and you’ve got nowhere else to go and most importantly, you’re sharing a meal with the people you love.

The weekend, of course came to an end much too quickly. The kids wished out loud that the weekend could go just a little bit longer. It just wasn’t long enough. I felt the very same way and proposed that we start planning now for next year. And let’s make it a whole week next time. There was a chorus of agreement as we hugged Brad and Heather goodbye and headed back home.

Vacations are just never quite long enough. Guess that’s why we love them so much.

Recharged

We had a great weekend at the lake. The weather was beautiful! My kids had fun with each other, which is always such a joy to witness. They fished together, watched movies, talked with and teased one another. And there was so much laughter.  We played games and ate meals together and slept as much as we wanted.

The weekend was pure joy for Lucy Pie and Dakotah too!

It was just what I needed – a chance to be with the ones I love, a chance to take a breather from everyday life.

I took about 300 pictures. More coming soon!

 

Finally, the Sun!

The weekend weather was beautiful, almost as if we were being rewarded for putting up with a week of clouds and rain. When I opened my eyes Saturday morning, bright sunshine was peeking around the edges of the pleated shade in my bedroom window. There was only one thought on my mind and that was to get out there! I brushed my teeth and pulled on a pair of my workout capris. Lucy seemed to understand by the way I was dressed that I was going outside and she did not want to be left behind. She sat whining by the front door until I slipped her harness over her head and hooked on her leash. Then she pulled me out the door and took me for a walk.

It was glorious! The sun was such a welcome sight and the scent of lilacs filled the air. Lucy raced along sniffing the ground every inch of the way. We crossed paths with other walkers and runners. And I realized how friendly morning people are. Everyone greeted us with a smile and a cheerful “good morning!”

Up in the northern part of the state, the wind was making it difficult to take a boat out on Lake of the Woods. The fishermen opted to call it quits a day early rather than sit around in their rented cabins wishing they were fishing. Mark called to tell me they were heading home and should be back by dinner time. But they weren’t feeling sorry for themselves. They caught their limit of fish and had some great father-son bonding time.

The mighty fishermen

By the time I’d finished my chores on Saturday afternoon, the clouds had returned and temperatures had dropped. It was early evening before the guys got back home and by then, it was raining off and on, but we weren’t upset. The weatherman had promised that Sunday would be the best day of the weekend.

And it was. Lucy and I again started the morning with an early walk. She is so fun to watch as we travel along our route. She’s like a curious toddler, not wanting to miss a thing. There are so many scents to sniff and so many other dogs out greeting Lucy as she walks by. On our way back home today, there was a Rat Terrier barking from behind a chain link fence. He jumped furiously to get our attention, as if his barking weren’t enough! He launched himself in the air with all four feet, his body remaining level while he sailed upward and his head bypassed the top of the fence. Over and over he jumped, trying to get Lucy’s attention. He was such a funny and impressive sight!

Later in the day, I had lunch with my pal, Rose. Rose and I first met when we were six years old and have managed to stay connected all these years. Lately though, we’ve been more likely to communicate over email than in person. It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. So we scheduled a lunch date, with no real plan as to where to go until this morning.  I suggested we go to Stillwater, a neighboring city full of history. We ate our lunch at a crowded outdoor restaurant with a view of the St. Croix River. Afterwards, we wandered the streets of downtown Stillwater among crowds of other Sunday visitors, browsing antique stores and talking non-stop for several hours. Before we headed home again, we walked along the river, making our way back to the car.

Boaters waiting for the lift bridge to rise

Lifelong friends

We’ve been waiting for a day like this for so long. And it was amazing!

 

Memorial Day Weekend

While many take advantage of the three-day break to go off and celebrate the unofficial start of summer, my time is being spent at home. Mark is on the night shift this weekend, otherwise we might have gone up north to his parents’ cabin at the lake. But the weather hasn’t been very cooperative as far as outdoor activities go. It’s been overcast, chilly, and raining off and on. If we were at the lake, I’d want to be outside, sitting on the dock dipping my toes or tossing out a line in the hopes of catching a fish. With this kind of weather, I’d have been cooped up inside the cabin anyway. I could have read books to my heart’s content or watched a string of movies, but I know in the back of my mind I would have been thinking of all the more productive things I could have been doing instead.

I took the absence of any kind of weekend celebration as an opportunity to catch up on things around the house. And I needed to. The natural order of the household has shifted lately. This seems to be due to the combination of Jake having a new job, Kacey returning home from school for the summer, and visits from Brad and Heather (plus dog) several weekends in a row. All of these things make me very happy, but the state of the house has suffered as a result. I start to get a little crazy when the house is a wreck and I can’t relax until things are at least somewhat back in control.

So I’ve been cleaning, tackling a mountain of laundry, putting stray belongings back in their places. The week’s grocery shopping is done. I did some cooking and delivered meals to my parents and to Mark’s. We’ve had family dinners at home all weekend long. (I love it when Connor joins us for dinner. Last night he ate three of the steaks I grilled and couldn’t stop telling me how good my twice-baked potatoes were.) I’ve enjoyed the comings and goings of all of my kids. Maybe except for the time when Lucy woke me from a sound sleep while barking excitedly at the sound of someone tiptoeing in the door after an evening out with friends. I guess I should be grateful for her guard-dog skills.

Kacey, Connor, Mark and I watched a movie together - Pitch Perfect, about a group of college girls who compete as an a capella singing group. The movie provided an abundance of juvenile humor, including a couple of scenes involving vomit that I could have done without. But it made me laugh and the musical scenes were energetic and fun. And it didn’t hurt that the movie gave a shout-out to the John Hughes feel-good movies that I used to love so much. Still do, actually.

The sun has been scarce this weekend, but the rain hasn’t been much so far. (Today could be a different story.) Many of the neighbors have been out working on their yards. The grass is green and newly planted gardens are beginning to offer some much-needed variety of color. Lucy has been learning how to walk with Mark outside of the fenced back yard and around to the front. He’s cautiously teaching her to obey her fenceless borders and she’s learning, little by little.  He keeps a close eye on her as she’s figuring out how this works. There are a lot of dogs in this neighborhood and she so badly wants to go play with them all! But even in the back yard, Lucy can enjoy canine company. Her new friend Gracie loves to run and chase along the fence with Lucy until they are both worn out. Sometimes they just sit quietly together and I have to wonder what’s going through their minds.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Today there’s a crock-pot chili in the works for dinner. I might give the interior of my car a good cleaning. Or I might just allow myself a lazy day. Life is good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And to all of this country’s veterans – thank you for your service!

A Weekend with the Family

One nice thing about the kids growing up is that they’ve realized they actually like each other. Kacey had plans to come home from school on Friday for the weekend. The school year will be done in only one more week, but Connor had a job interview on Friday and they both decided to use the trip home to move as much stuff out of their dorms as possible before the semester is officially over. Before they came home, Kacey texted me to make sure this was the same weekend that Brad and Heather were coming home for a visit. I confirmed that it was. I like that it is important to her that her visits are timed to coincide with Brad’s.  There were a lot of years when I wondered if my kids would ever get along.

I took the day off from work on Friday. I wanted to get the house cleaned up, do the grocery shopping, and have a nice dinner waiting on all the kids when they arrived home. I thought I might sleep in a little bit on Friday morning but no such luck. My body has apparently developed an internal clock that awakens me early even when I don’t have to be up.

Oh well. Figured I might as well get started on the day’s chores as long as I was up. And the weather made it easy for me to be stuck inside being all domestic and such. And the day was not without excitement. The new street light was installed across the street in Neighbor Bob’s yard. Now Mark can stop leaving our house lights on all night long in an attempt to compensate for the lack of municipal lighting that resulted from the demise of the previous street light. (Boy, the things you miss being stuck in an office all day!)

By late afternoon, the house was clean and the kitchen was well-stocked with food that would appeal to hungry young people. I had a big batch of chicken chow mein cooking when they all arrived home right around dinner time. And except for Jake, who fell asleep after work due to still making the adjustment from night owl to early bird, we all enjoyed a nice meal together at the kitchen table.

Later on, we decided to watch a movie together in the living room. Long before it was over, Brad, Heather and I had fallen asleep and only woke up long enough to go to bed for the night. We all start our days before the sun rises. There comes a point in the evening where, if I’ve stopped moving, I’m probably falling asleep. Apparently the same holds true for Brad and Heather. Mark had a good laugh at our expense. Easy for him to laugh! He doesn’t get up early unless absolutely necessary!

The weather changed over from snow to freezing rain on Friday and then to just regular old rain, gray skies and a chill on Saturday. I made pancakes for breakfast and tried mine Heather’s way – with peanut butter and maple syrup. They were delicious! The weather made us people feel lazy, but not the dogs. Lucy and Dacotah raced and chased and played tug-o-war in the back yard with the doggie frisbee until they were completely wiped out.

On Saturday night, Mark and I had our bowling banquet for our Saturday league. The kids were probably getting sick of hanging out with us old people anyway, so it was good that we got away for a while. And considering that I felt like my game had really suffered in the second half of the season, I was surprised to learn that I’d earned some awards! I was recognized for achieving:

• a 225 game
• a 500 series
• 75 pins over average
• the league high women’s average of 153
• the women’s high game of 247

All in all, it was a fun night and we enjoyed good food and good company. Most of our bowling friends were going to continue celebrating after the banquet ended, but we called it an early night so we could get back home to spend more time with the kids. They had a little celebration of their own while we were gone. They’d found some good steaks in our freezer and cooked them on the grill. They added some baked potatoes and veggies and enjoyed a nice dinner themselves.

Sunday morning was lazy. Brad, Heather and I were up early (as usual.) The dogs know which people to wake up when it’s time to start their day. We sat in the living room watching t.v., sipping coffee and showering the dogs with attention. Before long, it was noon and time for Brad and Heather to head back to Fargo. We said our goodbyes just as the sun was coming out of hiding and the air was beginning to warm.

Kacey would be home a while longer. She helped us clean up the gardens in the back yard and install some fencing around them to keep Lucy out – because she refuses to believe that the gardens are not a part of her domain! It had warmed up so much since Friday’s snow that we were out in t-shirts and Kacey and I had bare feet! Our next door neighbors were outside too, enjoying the sun and doing some gardening in their own yard. Their new family member, Gracie was outside and Lucy was anxious to get to know her. Gracie was a little shy though.

While we got our gardens all neat and tidy, Lucy chased up and down the fence trying to get Gracie’s attention. Gracie began to warm up and I’m sure they’ll be great friends soon enough!

We had an early dinner and Kacey’s ride came to pick her up. We hugged goodbye and the house got quiet again. Brad and Heather plan to visit again in a month. Kacey will be home for the summer by the end of the week. Lucy was sad to see them go, but I think the break will do her good. Clearly she wore herself out!

 

Still waiting for spring…

It’s mid-April and it’s still snowing. It’s been snowing off and on since Wednesday.This morning there was a gentle drifting of flakes. Then the wind got blustery and the snow began swirling down from the sky. Then came the rain.

I know we were spoiled last winter by the absence of any measurable amount of snow. I think we more than made up for it this winter. And it’s spring now. Enough already.

Lucy found a wiffle ball out in the yard the week before last, when spring teased us and acted as if it were finally coming to stay. Each time she went outside this weekend, she’d race like a maniac around the frozen back yard and then “sneak up” on the ball and pounce on it. She’d pick it up in her teeth and run some more before dropping it again, only to run and pounce again. Today she kept trying to bring it into the house, but I stopped her at the door each time to make sure it didn’t come inside with her. The inside of the ball is filled with snow!

 

At least it was a good weekend for getting things done. Weather like this tends to keep me inside. The house is clean. The laundry is done. I did some cooking and got plenty of sleep.

And outside, the rain continues.

I’m sure there’s a silver lining somewhere in this weather. Surely the never-ending winter means there will be a lush and green spring and a beautiful, mild summer. But for now… for the next week… it looks like more rain and snow. When the warm weather finally arrives, when the trees come back to life and when the flowers begin to bloom again, finally, it will certainly feel like a gift from above!

 

Spring Walks

The weather is taking a turn for the warmer. The snow is melting and the neighborhood walking paths are finally clear of packed snow and ice. Lucy and I have been able to get back outside for some real exercise. She can do a good amount of running in the back yard, but she really loves to get out and explore the neighborhood.

As we’ve been out on our walks these last few days, I’ve realized how much easier it is to walk one dog as opposed to two. But I would still give anything to have Bella along on our walks again. She was so cute, the way her body skirted along the ground. And her short little legs kept up with Lucy amazingly well. It’s quieter around the house without her and Lucy has mellowed, not having to fight to be the center of attention. But I sure do miss our little Bella, every single day in a hundred ways.

The walks have been good for both body and spirit, I think. (Speaking for both Lucy and me here!) I never quite realize how oppressing the winter can feel until spring arrives and brings a breath of fresh air. We left the house this morning early enough that we seemed to have the neighborhood all to ourselves. Maybe it was the early hour or maybe it was because the skies looked like rain. Or maybe it was because the people we might normally see are church-goers and had somewhere else to be this morning. I kind of felt like this morning’s walk was my church.

Lucy pulled me along, so anxious to get from one smell to the next that I could barely keep up. We saw so many robins – the true gauge of spring’s arrival! There was a family of geese lounging in a small open area of a still partially frozen pond. They honked and made plenty of noise and I thought of how Dacotah would stand at attention if she could hear them, good hunting dog that she is. But Lucy isn’t a hunter and ducks and geese are so common around here that their calls don’t even hit her radar. There was a pair of ducks that caught Lucy’s attention though. They were resting in someone’s front yard as we were cruising on by and our close proximity probably startled them. As they started to waddle away down the street, Lucy was curious and wanted to follow, but we weren’t going their way so I steered her back to our path.

Back at home, Lucy got some breakfast and as I settled down to read and enjoy my morning coffee, I noticed her doing a funny thing she does sometimes. There’s a heat vent below the kitchen sink and Lucy loves to lay in front of it and warm up on cold mornings. She must have been feeling a bit chilly from our morning walk and she was soaking up the warmth, laying with her paws crossed in front of her in that proper way she has of doing.

It’s quieter around here this weekend than it’s been in a few weeks and I’m grateful. I needed time to catch up on things. I have a few chores and errands to finish up and then my only plan for the day is to make a big batch of split pea and ham soup – some for us and some to share with our parents. Mark’s dad has just been hospitalized with yet another case of pneumonia. Pea soup is his favorite thing. Maybe the thought of homemade pea soup waiting for him at home will help promote his recovery.

The Poop Egg

My kids, even though they are grown up, still like to carry on certain family traditions. Maybe it’s because they’re becoming adults. Maybe their sense of nostalgia is beginning to kick in already. Regardless, it does my heart good to see them willingly carry forward the family traditions.

In the weeks preceding Easter, Kacey reminded me several times to pick up extra eggs and a dye kit. She wanted to color Easter eggs with her brothers when everyone was home for the holiday weekend. And in spite of our sadness over the loss of our little Bella, we were doing our best to celebrate Easter. And staying busy helped keep our minds off of our heavy hearts.

Kacey and Connor cleared the table on Saturday afternoon. They spread newspaper and got out the coffee mugs, one for each dye color. Connor put a dye tablet in each and then measured the vinegar and water. When he and Kacey sat down to start working on the eggs, I heard her say, “We need to make sure we get some colorful eggs done before Jake starts mixing up the colors with his poop egg!”

I had forgotten about the poop egg and Kacey’s mention of it made me smile. Every year since the kids were little, Jake has made it his mission to use every single dye color on a single egg. At times, this resulted in drastic and beautiful Easter eggs. Other times? Well… that’s how the name poop egg came to be. This year’s egg was not artistic. It was poopy. But the Easter egg bounty wouldn’t have been the same without it.

The eggs were finished in plenty of time for Easter, not that anyone ate a single one of them. I don’t care. My big kids coloring Easter eggs at the kitchen table is a happy memory from an otherwise difficult weekend.

We had brunch with my extended family on Easter Sunday. It was a typical, loud and frenzied celebration. When it was over, Brad and Heather went back home, stopping by her parents’ place on the way. Kacey and Connor went to his family’s Easter celebration before they went back to school. Mark went back to bed to get some sleep before working the night shift and Jake disappeared. I put my comfy pants and sweatshirt on and Lucy and I settled comfortably in the living room in front of the t.v. for the remainder of the day.

And that’s when the loss of Bella really hit me. I had myself a good cry for a while. Lucy never left my side. I’d like to think she knew I needed her comfort. And maybe she did. But I knew she was just exhausted as well. She was worn out from a weekend of running and playing with Dacotah.

As for the Easter eggs, I used them to make potato salad to have with our dinner tonight. I didn’t use the poop egg, though. Somehow that just seemed wrong.

And as for the poop egg-maker, he’s 22 years old today! Happy Birthday, Jake!

Feels Like Spring Break

Lucy is so happy to have Kacey home, she even puts up with being forced to wear sun glasses!

It’s break time for the college kids and Kacey is home for the coming week. I’m happy. I like having her home and not just because she bakes goodies and thinks to empty the dishwasher when it’s full. She brings sunshine into the house. She is so immersed in her life right now, growing, learning, exploring her world and learning who she is. And she talks to me about it. I never grow tired of hearing her stories. A whole Saturday morning can pass by before I know it because we are so busy talking.

I know I’m a lucky mom to have a daughter who is willing to be so close with me. And with the boys being so grown up; one living on his own in another state, and another who still lives at home but is rarely around, Kacey’s visits home from school feel like a breath of fresh air.

With Kacey home, we’ve had lots of visitors. Connor, of course, is here a lot. And their friends come by to hang out often. They’re good kids. Polite, energetic, and all with a good sense of humor. They’re fun to have around. Even Jake stuck around the house for a while yesterday to enjoy the little “party” that was going on in our living room.

The weekend was a busy one and it seemed to fly by. So I’m glad that Connor suggested we go bowling this afternoon. Mark and I agreed to take him and Kacey to the bowling alley. When we first arrived, the lanes were all full but the attendant at the desk assured us it wouldn’t be long before some of the guests would be finished and there would be lanes available for us. We decided to wait in the bar and ordered burgers for our dinner. As the four of us sat around a small table enjoying our food, I thought what lucky parents we are that our daughter’s boyfriend asks us to hang out with them! Connor and Kacey sat and talked with us about school, their friends, plans for next year and living off campus. They talked so much that we had to wait for Kacey to finish her meal before we could go bowl. She laughed and joked, “Sorry. I talk too much!”

We had a great time bowling. Connor has really figured out the game and threw more strikes than the rest of us combined. Mark has begun to take his game a bit too seriously and kept getting mad at himself for not throwing perfectly every frame. But Kacey, Connor and I kept cheering one another on, and began to make a silly noise - WOOP! WOOP! WOOP! - every time someone bowled a strike or picked up a spare. I’m sure Mark consider it embarrassing, but we didn’t care. After all, we were in the bowling alley. Very little is considered strange in the bowling alley. And if you’re not having fun… well, you’ll just end up getting mad at yourself for not bowling like a pro! We bowled three games before calling it a night and heading home. It was fun and a great way to end the weekend.

Every time Kacey is home from school, I find myself wondering how long before she stops coming home so often. I wonder, as she continues to become the adult version of herself, how many more times I’ll enjoy the luxury of a lazy Saturday morning with her, eating big, hot breakfasts at the table and talking so easily about everything and anything. How long before she won’t be willing or able to spend a Sunday afternoon running errands and shopping with me? While I hope and pray for her to have the life of her own that she dreams of, I don’t want it to come too soon. So I treasure these times while they’re still here.

Go Jump in a (Frozen) Lake!

When I walked through the door on Friday after work, something was different. The dogs didn’t bombard me with their usual woofing welcome and happy dance. And I knew exactly why.

“HEY, TER!” Connor called out to me from behind the snack cupboard door in the kitchen with a voice ten times louder than was necessary. And he knew it.  He’s such a goof.

“Hi, Conn,” I laughed as I came up the stairs. In the living room, my daughter sat with her legs crossed in a chair.

“H, Kace,” I smiled at her.

“Hi, Mom,” she returned. “Mom, this is Laura,” she said nodding toward the girl sitting on the love seat. I smiled and said hello to Laura. She was cute and friendly and I was happy to finally meet Kacey’s friend from school. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this girl. The dogs were clearly infatuated with Laura and I saw where all the furry affection was being directed.

I’m usually tired and lazy on Friday evenings after a long week at work, but having my daughter and her friends home gave me a burst of energy. The house felt happy and full. Soon Alex and Heather came through the door to join the party and the dogs were in their glory, thinking all of these visitors had come just to see them.

Their spring break begins in only one week, but the kids had good reason for being home this weekend. They had signed up for the Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday. They raised funds for Special Olympics Minnesota and now it was time to take a dip in frozen Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as all that. A lot of planning went into the team’s costumes. Many teams dress up as movie or cartoon characters or come up with a theme. Kacey’s team decided to be The Patriotic Plungers. They put careful thought into coordinating their costumes. It’s amazing to me what people are willing to wear when jumping into a lake through a hole in the ice.

Connor has been taking the plunge for several years along with his uncle’s team. This year, he talked Kacey and the others into forming a team of their own. I thought we might go watch the big event, but it is a big event attended by hundreds of teams and who knows how many more spectators. Kacey has gone to watch Connor’s plunges in the past and she assured me that it’s a bunch of watching the team wait in line, and then when it’s finally their turn to plunge, it’s all over within minutes. She kept trying to convince me that it wasn’t worth the trip and that I might not even be able to get in position to take pictures.

Turns out her real motive was food. My daughter works hard to eat responsibly while she’s away at college, but when she comes home, she wants comfort food. And so do her friends. Last week in the cafeteria, there were cheese stuffed pasta shells. Each student was only allowed one, and as the friends were eating together, they soon learned that their pasta was a big disappointment.

Connor said to Kacey, “Your mom’s stuffed shells are so much better than this.”

And so Kacey texted me, asking, “When we come home for the weekend, can you make stuffed shells for all of us?”

I’m a sucker and I agreed. Stuffed shells and Italian sausage for five hungry college kids, as well as a husband and twenty-one year old… and some extra to bring to my mom and dad… is a big job. I stayed home to cook while the kids went to jump in a lake on a bright and sunny thirty degree day. I made Kacey promise to make sure someone took pictures of some sort and that they would be shared with me.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, cooking pasta, mixing the cheese mixture, stuffing shells and cooking sausage. By the time the kids were done with their plunge, they were starving. Their timing was perfect and they all gathered back at the house just as the pans of cheesy pasta were coming out of the oven. I made a big salad and some garlic bread to go along with it, and they ate until they were stuffed.

I wanted to hear all about the big event of the day, and the girls especially had lots to tell. They said that the shock of the cold water wasn’t nearly as bad as they’d anticipated. There were hot tubs for the participants to warm up in after plunging, though they were so full of people, they didn’t even get in one. Most importantly, they’d had fun, from the planning to the plunge. They were glad they did it.

Connor’s uncle got a great shot of the kids just as they were taking the leap.

Connor, Kacey, Chris, Laura and Alex taking the plunge

It makes me happy that my daughter is able to step out of her comfort zone and try new experiences, especially one that benefits someone other than just herself. Once Connor had her convinced to do it, she poured herself into the project, raising funds and coordinating the team theme. And maybe just as important, she had fun. I’m proud of her. I’m proud of all of them.