Change, change, change

So many things have happened since I've last blogged (of course...it's only been almost 3 weeks!) I will try to capture all that's been happening in my life and in my head.

The first week of 2012 brought sorrow to a dear friend and co-worker. Kim Hillenga's mom, Mary Witte, succumbed to brain cancer on January 5th. She had been doing quite well and thankfully had a good New Year's weekend with her family in Minnesota at the Mall of America. Upon returning to Iowa she had a seizure as they were about to go in and eat supper at a restaurant. They stabilized her in Mason City and then she was brought to the hospital in Britt where the family began the difficult waiting game. Kim had a rough start to the new year but she is back to work and eventually things will get better. Some days are more difficult than others but is the way it is with each of us.

Micah took off almost two weeks ago for his J-term trip to Peru. He gets back in the country this weekend and I can't wait. I miss him terribly even though I go for days without talking to him and weeks without seeing him normally but at least I know that he is near enough to go see or I can pick up the phone and call him. He could not take his cell phone and opted not to take his laptop so he has been unable to communicate with us. He had a seminarian who was on the trip with the group e-mail us when they arrived safely but have not heard a word since. I can't wait to see him again and hear all about his trip!

Since Kim was unable to be at work, I kept PLENTY busy at work. It was kind of tough that first week back after being in Virginia and having to do 2 people's jobs when you can't really remember what YOUR job is after all that time! Once Kim came back, I decided I would take Martin Luther King day off. At the very least, I was going to head to Des Moines to get my hair done (my true colors were starting to show...I'm too young to look like Jamie Lee Curtis!). As it turned out, my sister was going down to Des Moines on the Saturday before so I went down with her and her hubby. I'm sure he had a real good time driving us down but at least he got to eat at Olive Garden. Since I took care of what I had planned to do on my day off on Saturday, I decided to ... GO SHOPPING! The next decision was where and whether or not Mike would come with me. The latter would be determined by asking myself just how much fun did I want to have? It was decided that I, myself, was going to head to Mankato and go shopping. I went through the pantry and bathrooms and made a list of the things that we needed...toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex, toothpaste, etc.. I also decided that I was in need of new bras. Now, I've got to say, bras are #1 on my list of LEAST favorite things to shop for. They rank right up there with panties and jeans but I was in dire need of some new ones. Monday morning finally arrived. I slept in a little -- didn't get up until 7:30! I got up and showered and ate breakfast and was just about to go out the door when, as I was saying my 'good-bye' to Mike, he went out to fill the car with gas and at the last minute decided to change the oil. He just really knows how to make my day off wonderful! Sooo, 45 minutes later, I was headed for Mankato. I got my "must-haves" crossed off my list (except the bras) and headed to the mall for lunch. It really was nice to eat what and where I wanted, go in whatever stores I wanted for however long I wanted. I did find a good bra sale at Herberger's so after looking around and trying some on I stocked up so hopefully I won't have to do that dreaded deed again for a while! The really bad part about going shopping alone is that at the end of the shopping trip, I'm tired and I have a drive home. I threw in my Tina Turner CD, grabbed a 32 oz. Diet Coke and a small bag of Chex mix, cranked up "Proud Mary" and "Addicted to Love" and headed home. All in all, I'd call the day a success.

On Wednesday, I had a huge surprise at work. I was sitting at my desk when I heard a little voice say, "Kristi?". I looked up and there at the window was Lynda (Gopperton) Adams. Immediately I went out and gave her a hug and we had a nice visit. (Luckily, I wasn't very busy at work!) She looks great and had come out to get her oldest daughter settled in Chicago for a semester. We talked about mutual friends, parents aging and our families. It was really good to see her and a really nice surprise.

This week brought a sorrow to a couple more area families. The family of Clarence Seebeck watched and waited at the hospital this week as he spent his final days with them. Also, the mother of a classmate and old friend passed away early Sunday morning -- Elaine Buzicky, mother of Mark Buzicky, a.k.a. Buzz. We braved the elements of today's snow storm and went to her funeral in Duncan. Unfortunately, the weather kept many away and it was a small funral. Nevertheless, we did see Bryan Ward and his wife there and did fit in a nice visit with Mark after the funeral. Now that both his parents are gone, his visits back to the Midwest will more than likely be few and far between. He lives in Arizona so maybe we can add him to the list of people to visit!

My parents will be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary on February 2nd. Curiously enough, my dad came up with the idea of having a family dinner to celebrate. So, my parents have been taking the reins and have had my aunt, Nancy, help them get the restaurant secured and Mom has been making phone calls to family members. We will be having a dinner on Friday, February 3rd at 6 p.m. at the Hillside in Wesley. This is quite an unusual thing for my dad of all people to want. He hates parties, hates family gatherings, can't hear worth a hoot, especially in a crowd of people. I think he just wants one 'last hoorah' with his family (his brothers included). I know that he wants to die and I think this is one way that he can tie up loose ends.

While visiting my parents yesterday, my dear mother pointed out to me something that either a)I have totally forgotten or b)I am in total denial of. Micah and Ben (my sister, Cyndi, gave birth to Ben the same day as I gave birth to Micah) will be turning 21...legal age! I guess I knew their birthdays were coming up but their upcoming age was just not something I had given any thought to. Anyway, I am feeling officially old now.

Well, we are hankered down to see what winter has to bring us this weekend. So far it hasn't been too bad, not nearly as bad as predicted.