Sports Injury

This week my husband turned to me and said, "Did you know that your index finger is a very important finger?"  Why this revalation, you ask.  While, when Andy was playing softball last week he fielded a ground ball and the ball bounced out of the glove and hit his finger and then his chest.  He come home with his finger swollen to twice its normal and the swelling didn't seem to be going down. 

It only took me two days to convince him (which means it must have REALLY been bothering him) that it was most likely not just a bad sprain and he needed to go to the Dr.  He finally went on Friday and it turns out he broke his index finger straight through the tip, not across, but through! 

There is not much they will do for a broken finger so he has to keep it in a splint for 4-6 weeks and then see an orthopedic.  If he wouldn't have gone in, his finger would have healed with the tip of his finger in a permanent downward position.  That would mean he would have two "funky fingers".  Hopefully it will be a fast recovery for him since it slows him down at work and with his side-jobs.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                

One Weekend:Topped with Whip Cream

We have had very few weekends this summer (if any) that were not full of activities.  This weekend was no exception.  On Saturday night we went to the Hartland Street Dance to listen to The Boogie Men with some good friends.  Right as we were heading down it started raining and I thought our evening might come to a fast end.  But the rain subsided and we were able to enjoy the rest of our evening.  It was fun running into our friends and acquaintances.  And nothing beats being outside on, what turned out to be, a lovely summer evening.  

Andy and Izzy

On Sunday, Andy and I were able to go out for a relaxing breakfast at Tommy & Di's Rustic Inn.  As always, the food was DELICIOUS and it was a nice start to another beautiful day. We made sure to squeeze in some time with Andy's family to celebrate his uncle's 50th birthday. Great food was in abundance, conversations were plentiful, and there was chocolate cake to top it all off.  One thing I have learned in the last five years is that it is never boring when we are around Andy's family.  Yesterday was no exception.  The day wouldn't have been complete without some whip cream on Andy's head. Luckily Hunter and Marvin were around to help clean it up!

Hunter enjoying some whip cream!

I am trying not to think about the fact that August is just around the corner and that school will be starting in just a few weeks.  We still have a few jam packed weekends before I am officially back to work.  For right now, I am trying to just live in the moment, which for a planner like me, is no easy task! 

TGE

This past weekend I spent four hilarious, responsibility-free days with 4 of my favorite girls.  It was our annual Great Escape and I look forward to it every year.  Before I fill you in on our awesome weekend, let me give you a little background on The Great Escape.    

History of The Great Escape
We started The Great Escape (TGE) in 2011 after I read a magazine article about a group of women who promised to get together once a year no matter where they were in their lives.  When I read the article, I just KNEW it was something my college girlfriends and I needed to do.  We had been friends for years, lived together, partied together, helped each other through break-ups, stood up in each others' weddings, basically been through the good and the bad together.  Our lives had already started to take us in different directions.  I was back in Milwaukee, Kelli was in Iowa, but it was more than just physical proximity.  We were getting married, having babies, changing jobs, etc.  We were moving down life's path and I didn't want us to get separated.  I sent an email explaining my plan and they all agreed.  

TGE 2011 - Lodi, WI

How It Works

Here's how it works:  each year, one person in the group is designated as "The Planner", that responsibility rotates until everyone has had a turn, and then it starts over.  The entire group settles on a per person budget and a long, four day weekend that works for everyone.  Then "The Planner" is left to decide and arrange the rest - where we go, where we stay, what we do, and what we eat- which has to be completely covered by the budget.  The "Non-planners" stay in the dark until a few days before the trip and the secret location is revealed.  We have the planner send the location, directions, menu, and a CD of songs by mail to each of us. Also, we usually have a theme that leads to a small gift (flip-flops, sunglasses, etc.) that we receive on the trip.  This then becomes a yearly get together.  It works for everyone, no matter what stage of life you are in.  Married, pregnant, single, going to school, working, etc, we could all make this get together a priority to give us time to reconnect and strengthen our friendship with one another. 

TGE 2012 - New Lisbon, WI

TGE 2013

This year we rented a house in Galena, IL.  With-in 15 minutes of arriving, I was laughing so hard that tears were forming in the corner of my eyes.  I instantly remembered why we had all become friends in the first place and why we make time to do this each year.  The rest of the weekend was filled with laughter, food, wine, and relaxation.  After arriving on Thursday, we claimed bedrooms and then took our annual photo. Dinner was prepared, wine was opened, and the talking, dancing, and laughing was non-stop.

Friday was filled with some time by the pool and then shopping in downtown Galena.  There were so many cute shops, but we loved Poopsies and The Galena Canning Company.  We were pretty tired out after a long day of sun, so we had a low key evening watching Pitch Perfect (which surprisingly Sara and I had still not seen...acacuse me!) 

Saturday was more time by the pool and then some rowdy game playing.  I think that may be my favorite part of our girls weekends because it usually leads to some very funny stories.  On Sunday we packed up and headed home, which was, as always, bittersweet.  These girls are defiantly like family to me and it is always hard to leave when the weekend is over.  I am glad that we put aside this time for each other since it is usually the only time that ALL of us are together throughout the year.  If you don't do something like this with your girlfriends, I recommend you start!

TGE 2013 - Galena, IL

  

A Little Technology on Tuesday

Now that I am out of college, I often feel as though I am behind on the newest technology.  I have been trying to combat that issue by following some great bloggers. Today I thought I would share two "new" things that I am lovin' right now, and both are FREE!

I have had Instagram for over a year now and up until a month ago I had used it a grand total of 2 times.  How I went that long without utilizing this great app is beyond me!  I love the effects you can use to edit photos and their new 15 second video clips!  If you know me well, you know that I absolutely LOVE photos!  I am that annoying person that always wants to take photos at parties and events or even just to capture the everyday moments.  Sometimes it drives A crazy but I can't stop!!!   I am so thankful for the photos we have to help us remember my dad that I feel it is important to create and share those photo memories of our life for those that we leave behind.  So it makes sense that I would love Instagram and the way you can photo-journal your life.   If you are not on Instagram yet, you are missing out!

                                                         

I follow a lot of blogs, so on a recomendation I switched over to Bloglovin'.  Let me tell you, it is AWESOME!  I love how easy it is for me to see the blogs I follow and I even found some new ones on their list of Top Blogs (which they sort by category).  They fade out the blog entries once you have read them, so it is easy to tell which ones are new.  And they send you a daily email of the blogs you follow.   I have found it visually pleasing, easy to navigate, and better than any of the other blog readers out there. 

So tell me, what programs and apps are you loving? 

The Big Three

I knew it had been awhile since I posted, but I didn't realize just how long until I saw that my last post was in October, yikes! Let's start with a couple of bigger events to get you caught up.

It has been 16 months since my foot surgery and my foot is almost fully healed.  I still have a pretty big scar but that is supposed to continue to fade.  The most surprising thing is that I am somewhat limited in the movement of my big toe.  It seems silly, and I never thought much about my toe movement, but I still have to flex my toe to help build strength.  To encourage even more movement, I am going to attempt to run my first 5K this year!  I have 8 weeks to train and I will need everyone's help to stay motivated.  

This past year, we have been focused on revamping our finances.  After some hesitation and many recommendations, we both read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.  I can't recommend it enough!!  It was eye opening to see how we REALLY spent our money.  And more importantly, it changed the way we view and use our money.  One thing that hit us hard was that we were the problem, not that we didn't make enough money or things were too expensive.  It was US and how we viewed and handled our money.  Some of the things we learned went against many of the money myths we have heard our whole lives, and it is hard to change your thinking overnight.  However, I know many people who have had success with his advice, so we took a chance.  We still haven't worked out all the kinks, but we have made considerable headway and I don't think we would have if we hadn't read the books.  Our credit card debt is down, we paid off the Malibu a few months early, and our savings is better than it has been in years.  Can't complain about that!

And I have saved the best for last.  In August, I will go from part-time second grade teacher to FULL-TIME second grade teacher!  I can't wait to be in my own classroom for the whole day!  I owe a big thanks to A for supporting my choice to leave my full-time job two years ago, and for believing in me and being my biggest cheerleader when times got tough.  It only took 6 years and some detours but I finally made it, and for that I am truly blessed.