Moving Day #2

Well..........in the 12 days since last posting.... we have put four layers of paint on the walls and ceiling of Kate's room. We had to use much primer.... Kate's walls were yellow and orange sponge paint... and the ceiling was dark blue, which had glow in the dark stars stuck to it. Then, since she is changing to a more classic color.... Vintage Mauve... we had to add two coats of that over the primer... the ceiling got Feather Gray.... BUT.. let's not forget the wine-colored accent stripe... which required an additional coat of gray primer... and FOUR coats of the apparently magenta paint (it turns wine-colored, I promise)... to obtain that Wine Tasting color. At the time of this writing, coat #2 has been completed. Sunday.. coat #3.... Monday... coat #4..... Meanwhile, Kate is preparing to return to the UW-W for her sophomore year. So, visualize this scenario. Except for the things safely behind her closet door, nothing is in her room. Her bed was in the middle of the living room floor... that's where she was sleeping. We moved it back into the room tonight and covered it with plastic, since I am only dealing with the accent line at this point. The office (Molly's room, guest room) has become the storage zone for most of those items, except for the dresser and bed frame, which are in our bedroom.

On the other hand, the kitchen had become the depository for All Things College. The list was made and double-checked and things added. Items in boxes and bags of all kinds began to accumulate on the table and the surrounding floor space. "Mom, it's only for four days.. you can handle it." (Tell that to my OCD tendencies.. :P )

Well.. those four days went rather quickly, given that my first "official" day of work at school was on Wednesday, but I (we) have been in the room getting things ready there, too, over the last couple of weeks.

So, this morning, All Things College once again filled the CR-V and the Tundra...and by 9:35 we were headed to Bigelow Hall to make numerous trips up several flights of stairs. Soon, the room was full of these things... electronics were hooked up and tested.... then Cousins for lunch and a grocery store trip ... and that was that! She and Amanda, her roommate, were arranging and re-arranging to creature their own unique room.

Charlie headed off to work for a while... and I headed back home... to paint another layer of wine.
Best wishes for a great academic year for all those returning to school this fall! Make it a great one.

Time to fly....

This past weekend, a small caravan of two cars and two trucks made its way from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, to Menomonie, Wisconsin. Prior to earning her Associates Degree in Interior Design from MATC in May, Molly was making preparations to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts-Interior Design at UW-Stout. She was able to transfer many of her credits from MATC and UW-Oshkosh, which gives her a good foundation there. She was also able to transfer her employment to The Home Depot in Woodbury, so she will be able to continue that position as she settles into her new routine.
Back door of the old place by the balcony and the loaded CRV....


So, Molly, Kate, Charlie, Jamie and I packed up and loaded one apartment and one cat, Ella, early Saturday morning and headed Up North to another apartment and a new beginning in Menomonie. After unloading all of the stuff and making sure the cable and internet were functional, Charlie and Jamie were on their way back to Fort Atkinson and Waukesha by about 3:00 p.m. (Thanks, Uncle Jamie!) while Kate and I stayed overnight to help unpack, get groceries, and, as an added bonus, make a trip to Bloomington MN to the IKEA store and the Mall of America. Then, after assembling the microwave cart, and getting some ice to help the refrigerator/freezer cool down a bit faster, Kate and I headed back to Fort, getting home about 10:00 p.m. Whew!

Living room of the new place...

Like any transition, happiness and sadness accompanied this process, but I am confident that Molly will discover more about herself, and the town, including the beautifully restored theatre and Legacy Chocolate, and the people at her new school and workplace. It's time to fly!

In other news :-)

The Henn Family reunion went off without a hitch on August 10th, with beautiful weather and great food, especially the taco dip! Herkimer made he appearance, too, sporting a new red tam.

Kate and I are done with our summer of packing at the warehouse as of last Friday. Apparently we can't get enough of the packing thing, though...we continued packing as we helped Molly, and will do more of it as I move into my new classroom and role as special educator again, and as Kate moves back to her dorm room .... both prior to the end of August!

The 24-year marker...

Twenty-four years ago today, we were married and celebrated with a street-dance and pig roast...before heading on the westward roadtrip honeymoon trip. Now, our two flower girls have families of their own, and our own two "little girls" are following their dreams as they make a place for themselves in the world.

Time it was.... and what a time it was.... a time of innocence.... a time of confidences... long ago, it must be... I have a photograph. Preserve your memories.

Busy... busy...

This last week or so has been filled with lots of odds and ends. Since I last posted, Molly and I spent some time together on our beloved State Street in Madison looking at (and trying on) funky stuff in various stores like Little Luxuries, The Soap Opera, and Pop Deluxe. We ate our ice cream on the Memorial Union Terrace... watching the ducks and the sailboats.

Reading glasses. I am all too familiar with their purpose.

Then Kate and I went back on "overtime" which means starting work an hour earlier in the morning... 6am - 3:30pm. One hour... no big deal, right? Right.

Charlie and I took our vehicles in for various maintenance and cleaning, which involved pick up and delivery on a couple of evenings.

I had one book discussion about Eat, Pray, Live.... and will attend another one tomorrow on The Brothers K....

Charlie got to spend some days golfing... we celebrated my dad's 79th b-day..... I got to spend some time with a friend of mine and see his presentation at MathFest 2008...went with Kate and Charlie to Noodles, Target.. the pet store (no new friends)...

Then it will be back to work on Monday... which is our 24th anniversary. Soon it will be the Henn family reunion... and then moving weekend for Molly as she prepares to attend UW-Stout.

So, the summer is quickly fading I'm afraid.... which will bring all of us back to school in one way shape or form this fall.