Let it snow!

It's snowing again today. At least the temperatures have gotten above zero. When I left my house this morning, I was pleasantly surprised by the not-frigid temp. Don't get me wrong - it's still cold. My feet have yet to warm up. I will spend part of Christmas Eve shoveling, and I'll probably have a bit more to do on Christmas Day, too, depending on when the snow stops. On the upside, Thursday and Friday are predicted to get above freezing. Wow! (That picture of me is my sad imitation of the "American Gothic" painting. Had one of my neighbors been out shoveling, Einar would've joined in the photo and it would've been a bit more effective. Oh, well - it seems like there will be time this winter for another photo op.)



Our kitty, Kimchi, still thinks it might be okay to go outside and see what's happening. At least she has a fur coat.

December 21, 1983

Twenty-five years ago, during a Christmas caroling outing with members of Hope Lutheran in Milton where my dad was pastor, I ran into the street in front of a blue Chevy pick-up. But let me back up. I remember it was a Wednesday. We had had school that day, but not the next day, so it was the first night of Christmas vacation. My friend Angie was spending the night. I had a piano lesson, and then we went to the church to gather with other members to go carol to shut-ins who were members of Hope. This caroling event was an annual affair. Everyone would gather at the church and make Christmas ornaments to give to the shut-ins, and then we would all head out to carol. After we had sung at a few places, it had started to snow. I believe it was the first snow of the season, but I can't be sure. As we left one house, my brother and his friend were throwing snowballs at each other, at me and Angie, at my sister. I decided to get them back, so I made a snowball. My plan was to throw the snowball and immediately turn to run away so they couldn't get me back. I threw it, and I ran. Right into the street without looking. I remember hearing my dad yell, "AAAAAMMMMMMYYYYY!" I looked to my right, and he was stopped, looking in terror at something beyond me. I turn my head to the left and saw headlights. That's all I remember, until I woke up with Gary Getchel (a high school senior) slapping my face and saying my name. (He had run back to where we just caroled, and actually ripped the screen door off its hinges to get inside and call 911.) I was on my back, lying in the middle of the street, with my left leg bent and my right leg straight. I was going into shock and just wanted to go to sleep. He had been told to keep me conscious, so there was a lot of slapping. When the EMTs arrived, they asked me questions - my name, age, etc. I had broken my left femur (thigh bone). They would need to straighten my left leg so they could put me on the stretcher and get me into the ambulance. The female EMT told me it was going to hurt a lot, so if I wanted to scream, I should just scream. She placed her right hand above my left knee and her left hand above my left ankle. She slowly straightened my left. I didn't scream. I felt my leg moving, but it didn't hurt. (I have since learned that because the femur is the largest bone in the body, the brain shuts down pain receptors when it breaks to spare you that level of pain.) They got me in the ambulance, and we headed to Mercy Hospital in Janesville. I remember the ambulance ride being very bumpy, which is rather unpleasant when you have a broken leg. They took my blood pressure several times, and kept asking me questions to keep me conscious. I had to be in traction to align the femur and allow it to heal correctly and be the same length as my uninjured right leg. Luckily, I had a clean break, and my only other injury was a cracked left clavicle. I was in the hospital for 23 days and went home with a cast that started just above my belly button. It went around my hips and then cut over to go down my left leg all the way to my toes. I could move and bend my right leg, but I could not sit up. I don't know how much school I ended up missing, but I had a home-bound tutor who would bring my homework and teach me my lessons. And now, except for a scar high on my left thigh, you would never know I had broken my femur.

My family has slightly different memories of this event, as does Angie. I hope they will share their recollections in the comments. . .

How the Grinch. . .

Einar and I watched the old cartoon version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on Monday night. I was tired from a long day on a video shoot and still trying to warm up (high of only about 5 that day). Watching the Grinch (and eating spicy-hot shrimp creole) helped me warm up. I sang along with some of the songs, and Einar even joined in! I always treasure the times when he'll sing, and they are few and far between. My favorite part of the whole 26 minute cartoon comes toward the end, when all the Who's are singing and the narrator says, "Christmas time will always be just as long as we have we. Christmastime is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp." Beautiful. Christmas is coming. Can you feel it?

A new bed!

Einar and I used our remaining wedding gift money (and then some!) to buy a new, queen size, Tempur-pedic mattress. It arrived last Friday, and so far, so good. They told us it would take about 30 days to adjust, so it's hard to give a final grade, so to speak. I really like it so far, and I feel like I am sleeping better and better each night with fewer aches when I wake up. We'll see how I'm feeling (and how Einar's feeling) in a month!

Berbee Derby results

On Thanksgiving morning, I ran in the Berbee Derby 5K. My parents, parents-in-law, niece, nephew, and husband all came to cheer me on. It was sunny and chilly, and there were a lot of other runners and walkers. My goal was to finish in 30 minutes. The course was packed with people, so it was difficult to run at your own pace. Even so, I finished in 31:06. A great start to a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

Berbee Derby

On Thanksgiving Day morning, I will be running the 5K portion of the Berbee Derby.  The proceeds go toward technology in education.  This isn't a cause I feel passionately about, but it is worthwhile.  You can learn more about the Berbee Derby at the website.  If you are in the Madison area for Thanksgiving, please come by and cheer me (and everybody else who is participating) on.

Good-bye, Barney!

Since July, Einar has been driving a 1994 Ford Escort wagon, lovingly named Barney.  Barney is a purplish-pink monstrosity that needs a new muffler and new tires.  Happily, Barney has been replaced by a 2007 Nissan Sentra that we bought from Ingrid and Mike.  Oh, happy day!  It needs a name, but I can't express how nice it is to know that my husband is no longer driving something that seems like it might fall apart at any minute.

Dad's Birthday

Today is my dad's birthday!  Einar and I will be celebrating with him and my mom with a home-cooked meal at their house.  Lucky us!!

Happy birthday, Dad!

Grammy's birthday

On Tuesday, November 11, 2008, my mom's mom (my Grammy) celebrated her 95th birthday!  I wish I had been able to be with her that day and that I would be able to go to her birthday party next week.  However, I have gotten to spend some time with her within the past year.

The above pictures were taken in May 2008, when Einar and I were on our way back to Madison from the Twin Cities.  We stopped to visit Grammy, and we even joined her for dinner at her nursing home!  It was a great visit.  (Sometime I will have to write about our dinner.)  She is my sole living grandparent, so I really wanted her to come to our wedding.  And she did come, thanks to the efforts of my parents.

New Roads, Part 2

Since the end of June, Sherman Ave has been under construction.  I use this road to get to my job at Tweedee AND to get to my job at Mariner's Inn.  I also use it to go downtown, to go to church, and to go to Mount Horeb to visit family.  It has been a minor inconvenience all summer.  But, it is finally done!  And, boy, is it nice!  Come to my house sometime and chances are you'll get to experience it yourself.

Justice

Yesterday afternoon I got home from a super-fun shopping excursion with Ingrid (thanks, Ingrid!) and checked the mail before heading to work.  There was a letter from Dean Health Plan.  I assumed it was regarding my grievance and called Einar.  I wanted to read what they had decided with him, and I didn't want to wait until after work, so the phone was the best solution.  My eyes scanned down the letter and spotted "I am pleased to inform you due to the circumstances surrounding your case, the Grievance and Appeal Committee has approved coverage for the colonoscopy on September 4, 2008.  DHP will reprocess the claims according to the provisions of your policy."  I was thrilled.  Overwhelmed.  Our efforts were worthwhile!  Maybe health insurance companies aren't all bad. . .

December 7

A day that will live in infamy.  The day, in 1941, that Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese.

This year, December 7 will find Einar and me in Decorah, Iowa, for the annual Luther College Christmas concert.  I haven't been to the Christmas celebration since I was a student at Luther, 13 years ago.  His brother Obed and sister-in-law Megan will be joining us for the concert.  Obed was a member of Nordic choir, and he also has not been back to Luther for the Christmas concert since he graduated.  It should be a wonderful day!

December 7, 2008, will also be remembered because that will be Einar's last day as a paid employee of Ward-Brodt.  His last day working there will actually be November 18 (coincidentally my dad's birthday, also 1941), but he will receive regular paychecks through the pay period ending on December 7.  Please pray for us as Einar looks for another job.  And please, if you know of any job openings, let us know.  You can leave a comment to get in touch with me or email me.

Obama wins!

I am overjoyed with the election of Barack Obama.  Truly overjoyed.

Grievance Committee

This afternoon at 2, Einar and I met with the Grievance Committee of Dean Health Plan.  I reiterated what I'd written in my grievance letter, and Einar elaborated on his exchange with the HR person at his work.  They listened, asked a few questions, and told us that they'd mail a letter with their determination (either uphold or reverse denial of coverage) on or before November 13.  A week from tomorrow.  So the wait begins. . .

Regardless of what they decide, I feel that the grievance committee members were sympathetic to my situation.  I believe I did a good job explaining the situation, and I hope that they decide to reverse the initial denial.  This will especially be good news in light of the impending loss of Einar's job.

Halloween

I will be waiting tables tonight while Einar is at home passing out candy to trick-or-treaters.  He has decided not to give candy out unless the kid says, "Trick-or-treat."  He will prompt them by asking if there's something he can help them with.  He is dressed up like Jim Carrey in the movie Fun With Dick and Jane, which means he's wearing jeans, t-shirt, flannel shirt, and knitted winter hat.  Not very scary.  But it's in the spirit of Halloween.

My dad used to dress up for Halloween to hand out candy when I was a kid.  And a few times 

when I was in high school, I dressed up, too, and helped.  It was fun!  One year we even sat outside perfectly still, like Halloween decorations.  Dad had one of those scooper type shovels with a bowl of candy across his lap.  As kids would make their way toward the front door, ignoring us as mere decorations, Dad would slowly move the shovel and bowl toward them as he said, "Take one, please."  A couple of times a kid would take off running back to the driveway where his/her parent was waiting.  Sometimes they could be convinced to come back and get some 

candy; other times they just kept their eyes on us as they went to the next house.  It is one of the best Halloween memories I have.

J-O-G

I don't know when or why I started doing this, but for some reason, I usually spell the word jog instead of say it when I tell Einar that's what I'm going to do.  This morning I got up early and headed out for a j-o-g in the dark.  I decided that I would turn left when I got to Lake Mendota so I could jog through Maple Bluff, where the governor's mansion is.  There's a hill in Maple Bluff that's one of my favorite places in Madison.  The houses are set back from the road, and there are a lot of trees, so it doesn't really feel like you are in the middle of town.  Until you get to the top of the hill.  That's where you are able to see the lake again, and across the lake, you can see downtown Madison and the Capitol building.  Spectacular!

This Google maps street view shows the hill.  You can follow that scooter to the top of the hill (by clicking on the south arrow), where the road will turn left.  Unfortunately, you can't see the view well, but you can see the Maple Bluff area.

View Larger Map

New Roads

Growing up in Milton, Wisconsin, there were frequent, almost daily trips to nearby Janesville.  When I was in high school, one of the roads from Milton to Janesville was torn up and then redone.  A day or so after it was finished, my dad and I were heading to Janesville to run some errands, and my dad asked me, "What do your friends think of this road?"  I was driving, so I glanced quickly in his direction and then returned my eyes to the road.  I replied, "Um, I don't know what they think of it."  He laughed before joking, "You mean you don't talk about the quality of the roads with your friends?!?!"  I told him that no, in fact, my friends and I spent no time talking about roads.  He and I laughed and laughed about the absurdity of a group of high school kids talking about this topic.

I still can't drive on a newly finished road without thinking of my dad.  In fact, I have called him more than once when I've been on a road trip to let him know how great a particular stretch of road is.  Einar and I even laughed about this during our recent trip to Minnesota, commenting to each other and laughing about how nice the new 35W bridge is!  It's amazing to me how often this topic has come up in conversation during my adult life, and each time it does, I laugh.

To Minnesota!

Einar and I left Madison around 3:30 Saturday afternoon to head to Minnesota for the baptism of my good friend Becky's baby on Sunday morning. We drove to Minneapolis, where we stayed with Einar's brother Obed and his wife Megan. Sunday morning we were up early and on the road at 7:15 to make it to Saint Cloud for the 9am worship service. It was a lovely service with a lot of music and two baptisms. After some time with Becky and Chuck and their baby as well as their extended families, we got back in the car and returned to Obed and Megan's before meeting Einar's aunt and uncle and cousins for an early supper. We enjoyed a leisurely supper filled with lots of talking and laughing! We met up with Obed and Megan and went to a very nice dessert bar in Uptown Minneapolis (Zeno). Yum, yum! Einar's friend Bob met us there, too, so it was a good chance to see him, even though it was really brief. We were up early again this morning and on the road at 7:15 to return to Madison. Wow! Short trip. Busy, but oh so fun and filled with family and friends.

Highlights:
hanging with Obed and Megan
seeing Becky, Chuck, Lexie, and Gracie
dinner with Steve, Cheryl, Kristin, Matt, Karl, Eva, and Andrew
eating creme brulee
driving across the new 35W bridge
experiencing the first snow in Minnesota AND Wisconsin, one day apart

The Peanut Killer

Last Thanksgiving, my niece Hannah, my nephew Noble, my niece Disa, my brother Erik, my brother-in-law Bruce, and I made a short horror movie called "The Peanut Killer."  I shot and edited it.  Einar helped behind the scenes, and both of my parents also made appearances.  I don't know why it took me so long to actually get it finished, but I finally did!  Here it is for your viewing pleasure:

 

I'm not sure whether or not we'll be making another movie this Thanksgiving, but if we do, I promise to get it done and posted in a more timely manner.

Grievance

I got a letter yesterday stating that my grievance letter regarding my denied colonoscopy had been received.  There will be a grievance committee hearing November 5.  I am allowed to be there in person, which I plan to do.  I just need to get a time scheduled with them.  The question is, do I try to schedule it for before or after my 11:00am dentist appointment?

UPDATE: I will go before the grievance committee at 2pm on November 5.  They have to make a decision within 30 days of receiving my letter, so I'll know before Thanksgiving.

Extra, Extra

I wait tables part time, and that means a lot of interactions with people.  Sometimes these people are odd.  Like a couple of weeks ago, when I had a table of two. . .  They each ordered an entree, hash browns, and a salad.    That in and of itself isn't unusual.  But then they said they wanted to order an extra side of hash browns.  This is a bit unusual since we serve the hash browns family style and an order for two is quite generous.  However, people really love the hash browns, so I didn't think much of it.  This was their first extra.  They then decided to order an extra salad, so they could each have a more sizable salad to begin their meal.  Extra number two.  They finished their meal (but not all of the hash browns - turns out that an order for two would've been sufficient).  I asked them if they would like dessert.  They both ordered 2 scoops of ice cream with EXTRA chocolate sauce.  I am not kidding!  I kept referring to them as my extra table.  I found myself hoping that their tendency for extra would mean I'd get an extra large tip.  Sure enough: 30%.  Hooray!

The Home Run

On Saturday, October 18, I participated in the Home Run 5K.  I am not a fast runner by any means, so my goal was to finish the 3.1 miles in 30 minutes or less.  I was thrilled to cross the finish line at 30:22!  Yipee!!  (My Race Results)

It was extremely foggy on Saturday morning.  It was so foggy, my glasses were completely fogged up within half a mile of the run.  I decided it would be better to run without them than to continue with them on.  When I got to the final stretch of the 5K, probably the last 0.25 mile, there was a volunteer cheering on the runners.  She clapped and yelled, "Good job!  You're doing great!  Keep it up!  Almost there!  You can see the finish line from here."  Uh-huh, I thought, not without my glasses.  All I could see was the arch at the finish line.  I could not see the writing on the arch that said finish.  Good thing there was also a crowd there cheering on the runners, or who know where I would've ended up!

Pontooning

When I was in high school, we had some out of town friends come to visit.  As part of their stay with us, we arranged to go out on a pontoon ride on a friend's boat.  There were about 8 of us on the pontoon.  Some people stayed in the back area of the pontoon under the canopy, and a few of us were on the front deck area.  As we were enjoying our ride on the lake, people were slowly milling about, moving from one area to the other.  At one point, more than half of the group was on the front area, and the front of the pontoon started to dip under the water.  My dad screamed, "WE'RE GOING DOWN!!"  and darted toward the back, quickly followed by the rest of us who were on the front.  He was heroically going to save my mom, who doesn't swim.  We soon realized we weren't going down, but we just needed to make sure we didn't have too many people in the front.  Consequently, yelling "WE'RE GOING DOWN!!" has become shorthand in my family for false panic.

Stories

I have been told more than once that I have a story for everything.  I was reminded of this yesterday while out on Lake Monona on a video shoot as I kept telling stories.  Most of them are true.  And most of them have happened to me or in my presence.  I think sharing these stories here on my blog will be a good recurring theme.  And for those of you who are part of the story, or were also there at the time, please feel free to leave a comment adding your memory of the event.  Cool.  Happy Friday!

Health Insurance

After Einar and I got married, I was able to get on his health insurance through his employer.  I jumped at the chance!  I was shocked, however, when my new health plan, Dean Health, denied my claim for my annual colonoscopy because it was with an out-of-network provider.  This colonoscopy has been scheduled in June, and Einar's HR person had told him it should be covered.  I had even gotten a referral from a Dean doctor for it.

I have filed a grievance with Dean Health, and I am hoping that they will reverse their decision.  The grievance proceedings should be complete within 30 days.

Home Run

For the second year in a row, I'll be participating in the Home Run 5K.  You can read more about it on their website (http://www.rascwhomerun.com/).  If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you can see what the South Central Wisconsin Housing Foundation, the beneficiary of the proceeds, does.

Welcome to Alphabet Soup!

This is my first foray into the blogosphere, and I'm not sure exactly what I'll do here.  I'm hoping to share thoughts, pictures, and general life stuff.  So, thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to leave a comment and check back often to see if I've updated anything!