Ann Arbor

 It started as a joke. "Tai, you cannot take W with you to Michigan because I will miss him too much." Of course, she argued with me that they could, and would, take W with them. I wasn't expecting, "Mom, just come with us." 

I laughed and said that wasn't possible and that I didn't want to be a 3rd wheel on their vacation and how could I leave Dad and R and the rest of the crew for 4 days and on and on. 

I went to Michigan with them. I told people it was so I could help with W since they would be driving through the night while he slept and they would need someone to hang out with him when they slept and he was super awake. That WAS actually the plan but it didn't really happen like that because I couldn't fall asleep in the car and J got sick. 

So late on a Thursday night, we loaded up and headed for Ann Arbor. W did great! He woke up a few times but then would settle back in with his bottle and live aquarium feeds on YouTube. Each time he'd wake up, he'd give me a look like "Why are you still here?!"

Lots of laughing, a stop at the World's Largest Truck Stop on I-80, a VERY early morning breakfast at Denny's where I actually made Tai pay for a coffee cup instead of her just sticking it in her diaper bag. There were some weird conversations, one in particular about a rotating cow that made me "mad" because I got sucked into the silliness of it all. Oh, and by the way, never, never, ever eat sushi from a truck stop at 4:00 am. It will stick with you for a bit. 

Once we got to Ann Arbor, we had a quick lunch at Shake Shack and headed to the hotel to get checked in. We stayed at The Graduate because that's where L works and she got everyone a discount. It was super cute, although possibly haunted? After being awake for 36 hours, and some Detroit-style pizza, it was finally time to get some sleep. 

Saturday morning started with L's baby shower, the whole reason for the trip. It was beautiful. L & T got some great things for them and the baby, we played a couple of games and had some of the best pineapple I've ever tasted. We went to the lounge for lunch and then a quick nap. T & J went out for dinner that night leaving W and I on our own. We went on a walk around the neighborhood and had some of the most delicious salmon ever tasted, once again at the lounge in the hotel. W gave me the silent treatment for part of the evening because he was mad that I had to put him back in his stroller to go back to our room. It's a good thing he's so cute because boy does he have some attitude. 

On Sunday we walked around downtown and enjoyed a Farmer's Market, way more like a craft fair but it was really neat. We had some great Mexican food and ice cream and got some souvenirs for everyone. After another short nap at the hotel, we headed back to another section of downtown and had dinner. Since it was Father's Day, we let J pick the spot and he did well. They had these HUGE bowls of pho and I went with a bibimop that had some great flavor. 

On Monday, it was time to say goodbye to Ann Arbor. We loaded up and hit the road toward Chicago. I think W had finally gotten used to seeing me every time he looked around. I loved every minute of spending time with him and getting to see him discover how to clap and all his sloppy kisses and giggles. We stopped in another cute little town for lunch at an old tavern/hotel. The food was ridiculously priced but tasty. 

Once in Chicago, we walked all around Millennium Park. Saw and touched the Bean, W absolutely loved such a big mirror. He got to swing and slide and mom played with him in the splash ground just enough for him to have wet hair. We worked our way to Garret's Popcorn and if you know, you know, and if you don't know, you need to! Minus the availability of public bathrooms, it was a great adventure. We then had our Chicago-style deep dish at Giordano's and waddled our way back to the parking garage to head back to Nebraska. 

T did an amazing job getting us safely through Chicago both ways. It might have been a little fast for my liking sometimes but I was grateful for her skill to maneuver us through the heavy traffic. 

For something that started as a joke and ended in a 4-day trip full of lots of walking and lots of relaxing and lots of laughter and lots of yummy food, I'd definitely be willing to make that joke again. 

Now we are back to reality and the boxes are piling up as we get ready for our big move. 

Rally Coach

 Only writing this for accountability. Will publish but not share on social media. I either need to get serious about weight loss without surgery or I need to fulfill my requirements for surgery. 

I received an email from our insurance about a program called Rally Coach. It's offered free for one year. Steve and I are going to jump on this opportunity to try to do better. Writing down my motivation by prompts from the site. 

1) Why did I sign up for Real Appeal? It came to me in an email and I thought, "What do I have to lose?"

2) What makes improving your health and losing weight important to you? I want to be healthier. I want to look better and feel better. I would love to be able to lose some of my meds and most importantly my CPAP machine. I want my grands, and my kids, to see me living a quality life and not one of being in pain all the time. 

3) What are the top five reasons these outcomes are important to me? 1-I want to have more energy;  2-I don't want my grands embarrassed by me; 3-I want to be around for a long time but only with a good quality of life; 4-I want to lose my CPAP - I hate that stupid hose!; 5-I don't want to feel full and sick all of the time. 

4) How would my life be different if I achieve this? I would not carry around the shame and guilt that I do about my body. I would feel more comfortable in my clothing and my surroundings. I would be healthier and be able to participate more in my life and the lives of those around me. 

So this is me...day one...again...

2023 Vacation - Lake Okoboji

I planned a team retreat to Lake Okoboji for my office and their families. Steve and I decided, with permission from my boss, to include the rest of the kids since Jake, Tai, and Wyn were part of the work crew. The other 5 stayed at a hotel in a nearby town and joined us for activities and meals. 

Day One - a little stressful. I was feeling a lot of pressure because I was in charge of the resort reservations, dinner, and getting groceries for everyone's individual/group rooms. We got out of town later than intended and had longer stops than anticipated. Such is the case when traveling with 12 people in 3 cars. 

We made it for dinner reservations JUST in time and had an amazing meal at the one resort's dining spaces. I had an appetizer for dinner and tasted the rest of my family's meals. For the record, you can NEVER go wrong with cheesy shrimp scampi. 

Once everyone was checked in and groceries were picked up and distributed, I was able to actually relax and feel like vacation was on! 

Day Two - the resort we stayed at had an indoor and outdoor waterpark and the plan for day two was to just enjoy those! The outdoor pool had a swim-up bar and the drinks were cold and fruity! Steve and the bigs enjoyed the very steep water slide. The little girl enjoyed the much smaller water slide and enjoyed the leap pads and friends. The baby loved being in the water and found himself asleep in his floaty later that afternoon. 

That night for dinner, I had made reservations for a local Mexican restaurant. This team LOVES their chips and queso. Trey ordered something I'd never seen or heard of before. It was a lot of very spicy food. Steve challenged Tai and me to try it so we each had half of a shrimp dipped in the spicy sauce. It was delicious but I could not have handled more than a bite!

Day Three - Our team held a team meeting (tax write-off) while Steve and Tai took several littles to the Farmer's Market. It sounded like a lot of fun and as nice as the team meeting was, I would have loved to see the market as well. Oh...bonus for the morning was super yummy donuts that I ordered the night before and they were delivered right to the lobby of our resort! 

Steve, the kids, and I (plus bonus kiddo) ate lunch at a cute little local place with only outdoor seating. We then headed to the amusement park where we rode tons of rides. Well, they all rode a bunch of rides, I mostly prefer to watch but did ride the Log Ride and the train. We also enjoyed funnel cake! 

That evening, Steve and I ditched the kiddos and had some alone time. We ate another fantastic meal at one of the resort dining options. We took a little trip down to the docks and then ate dinner waterfront. We had the most delicious salmon, scallops, and giant shrimp. 

Day Four - back to the water park! Steve, Rileigh, and Gordon enjoyed the indoor water slide this time. We relaxed on the lazy river and had a couple more yummy drinks from the swim-up bar. It was then time for Tai and Jake to have some grownup time so we took Wyn and the kiddos to town. We went through a cute little shopping emporium and then had Chinese food in town. 

Day Five - time to head home but first...we must boat! The bigs decided to share the cost of renting a pontoon for a couple of hours. Almost everyone had a great time! We all took a turn driving, even Wyn and Rileigh! A bunch of us actually jumped or climbed into the lake and floated around for a little bit. Sad to say that Wyn was not a huge happy boy on this adventure, probably because of his life jacket. Gordon is also not a huge fan of open bodies of water but he did ok. 

We had a great trip! A family vacation is always a great reprieve!