Day 7. Menomonee Falls, WI to Hoffmaster State Park, Norton Shores, MI. 87 miles by boat, 20 miles by car

Day 6 Menomonee Falls, WI

We spent Sunday relaxing with our friends. After lunch and church we hit a park with the kids and an awesome market called Brennan's. We stocked up on lots of yummy Wisconsin cheese. Without a nap, the kids went to bed early, and Angela and I enjoyed a relaxing conversation with warm cherry pie and tea. It doesn't get much better! Angela is a kindred spirit, and I was so blessed with these days with her!

Day 5. Northbrook, IL to Menomonee Falls, WI. 85 miles.

The last time I saw Terah, my college roommate, was at our graduation in 1997. She was a great host, and we had a fun time meeting her husband and children. The highlight of our visit was the Korean culture picnic we attended. The food was excellent, and all of the kids happily ate the traditional Korean dishes. We arrived at the home of dear friends in Menomonee Falls this afternoon.

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Day 4. Lincoln, IL to Northbrook, IL. 205 miles.

Pictures from our visit to Chicago:

On the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. It was so foggy that we couldn't even see the downtown or the lake.

Day 3. Kansas City, KS to Lincoln, IL 373 miles

This was mostly a driving day. Molly was awake for the first five of our six hour drive. She didn't even watch any videos during those five hours. She was a super-traveler and happily played with her stuffed animals and colored. Seems like one hundred times I had to role-play that Bear was screaming right when Pink Bunny was almost asleep. Or that Finn, our imaginary dog namedafter Molly's second-cousins' pet, was misbehaving and needed to be disciplined.

Molly's "coloring" in the backseat.
We had a leisurely hour-long lunch and play-time at a park in a little town in Missouri. We drove through mostly farmland with occasional tree-covered hills. We crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal, MO, the home of Mark Twain.

Our Hampton Inn is brand-new and beautifiul, the nicest hotel of our trip so far. We enjoyed swimming, dinner, and playing with a local girl we met on a playground in the evening.

We're enjoying the cooler weather and less intense sun than we used to in Texas. I also have seen very few new residential developments. The big cities in Texas are surrounded by new growth.

Day 2 Wichita to Kansas City, 189 miles

We had a relaxing start today since our drive was only about 3 hours.  Shortly after leaving Wichita, we entered the Flint Hills area.  The endless rolling green hills were like nothing I'd ever seen.  The sky was cloudless and the hills were true green.  There were no billboards and minutes would pass without my seeing a building.  We delighted in the black, white, and brown cows that grazed peacefully.  This picture is one that I found online, as I didn't have the opportunity to stop and take any. 

At the end of our drive, we'd be visiting a friend from college that I hadn't seen since.  I asked him what there was to see between Wichita and Kansas City.  He responded, "Not much."  As we approached our planned lunch stop, Emporia, I wondered about why Dave hadn't suggested we stop at the National Teacher Hall of Fame.  I saw a couple brown signs, the official looking ones that announce a park or National Monument. I also was puzzled when I asked the friendliest gas station worker I'd ever met, and she could give me excellent directions to the best park in town, but when I asked about the Hall of Fame (H.O.F), she circled something on the city map that wasn't even close.

After lunching at the park and having a pleasant playtime, we headed toward Emporia State University in search of the H.O.F. Interestingly, in this small town in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, I saw the U.P.er's Diner (specializing in Upper Peninsula Michigan cuisine), a Middle Eastern restaurant and Hookah lounge, and sushi bar.

Well, the H.O.F. was located in a room, smaller than my classroom, in the middle of an academic building. The most impressive part of it was the sign. The door was shut with lights off. I had to walk into an adjoining office and ask to look around. There wasn't much to see, unfortunately. I guess that famous teachers are few and far between, and the teachers displayed there weren't exactly famous. Signing the guest book I noticed that the most recent visit had occurred two days prior.

We continued our drive to Kansas City, and Molly found sleep about twenty minutes before our arrival. I've never stayed at a La Quinta, and when I told my brother about the good deal I found he told me "You get what you pay for." Well, La Quintas definitely do look better from the road. The pool here is empty, and I don't mean devoid of occupants. Most of the hallways have carpet that has been ripped up, with some pieces laid back in place with edges curled up dangerously. Noticing there was only a bottle of shampoo in the bathroom alongside a nice sign promising complimentary replacements of any forgotten toiletries, I inquired about conditioner. The oh-so-helpful attendant at the desk asked me if shampoo wasn't good enough. And no, they don't have any conditioner.

Thankfully, neither the accomodations nor the H.O.F. was to be the highlight of our day. We had a fantastic time with Dave, his sweet wife Jamie, and their girls. We spent a few hours at their neighborhood pool and had pizza. I haven't seen Dave since we graduated from college in '97.

When we returned to our hotel, I realized that I needed to make another trip back out to the car because I'd left the computer there. Instead of asking Molly to put her shoes back on AGAIN, as I'd already made her accompany me a couple times to the lobby or car, I decided to just carry her. After she used the bathroom, I carried her on my hip out the door. Another family was on their way in. I commented to them about how cute their girls' tutus were. They smiled politely but hesitantly. I thought that to be a little strange. After I took a few more steps, I adjusted Molly on my hip and felt her bare butt. She was just wearing her swimsuit cover-up but hadn't put her bottoms back on! So, here we were, Mommy and little flasher. We probably scared that poor sweet family, and I was making small talk to them like this is how we normally carry about!

Molly was a little homesick at bed-time tonight. I reminded her of the favorite people we are looking forward to seeing soon. Then I put her to bed and prayed for no bed bugs.

Day 1 Fort Worth to Wichita, 371 miles

 At the OKC memorial

A remnant from the building

 

 Reflecting pool

 This 90 year old tree survived the blast

Chairs symbolizing the victims

We had a fantastic day! Amazingly, we were on the road ahead of schedule. We drove for a couple hours before stopping at McDonald's for a snack. Then we stopped to walk around the Oklahoma City memorial in nearly 100 degree heat. It was very easy to park, and it was a good place to visit for just a short amount of time being that it was free, and we could see the whole outdoor memorial quickly. While passing through Oklahoma City, I pointed out the state Capitol building Molly exclaimed, "Oh, it's so cute!"

Molly fell asleep while eating chocolate Goldfish crackers and slept the remaining two hours of our drive with crumbs adorning her chin. The pool at our Fairfield Inn (owned by Marriott) is closed for construction, so we got to use the much nicer pool at the Marriott just a block away. Molly is able to walk around unassisted in the 3 ft deep end of the pool.

We headed to Old Town for dinner and noticed that the Two Brothers BBQ has free kids meals on Tuesday.  Sweet!  We'll be looking for the cheapest gas as we haven't filled up.  Our 13-gallon tank is almost empty.  With a completely packed trunk we got nearly 30 mpg!

Thanks, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!   You are the kind of friend that people are blessed to have.  I am even more blessed because you're my mom!  You are kind, faithful, generous, God-seeking, funny, resourceful, honest, and a little bit naughty!  Thank you for generously giving of your time, your love, and your energy to be a terrific Nanna to Molly.  Thank you for the special time that the two of you share every Tuesday and Thursday.  Your investment into her life will have a lasting impact.  Thank you for caring for me and helping me out in numerous ways, many of which undoubtedly go unnoticed.  I love you.

Spring Pictures

In My Father's House

I was making myself a plate of post-run nachos and began thinking about my sweet Grandma Agnes in Michigan who is passing on from this life.  Soon, she'll be my Glorified Grandma Agnes in heaven.  Immediately this verse popped into my head:  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  (John 14:2)  I grabbed my Bible and headed back here to my laptop.  Suddenly my nachos have less appeal.  God's word is satisfying and sweet.  Even monterrey jack and jalapenos can't compare to the promises of God.  What a firm foundation is God's word for my soul.  I don't have to be troubled and fearful and overcome with emotion.  Hope abounds in the midst of my tears. 

Already occupying rooms there are my dad and sweet Grandpa Ritter.  (Of course there are others, including uncles, an aunt and my Grandpa Fleszar, but my dad and Grandpa were very, very dear for many years.)  Jesus wants me to grieve alone.  My mom and brother are in Michigan.  When I was losing my dad, Mom was busy caring for him and Ryan was busy with work.  And I grieved alone.  The day that my Grandpa died, my parents were busy in Texas making arrangements, and Ryan had to leave for work.  So I grieved alone.  These times of grieving were, in a sense, satisfying.  I completely put my hope in the Truth and experienced the emotions deeply. 

So, I think of Grandma.  I wonder about the things I wish I knew about her.  I relish the things I do know.  I study pictures I have of her in my mind.  I remember the sounds, sights, smells, and feel of Grandma.  I imagine what it's like for my mom to sit with her in a quiet, darkened room and listen to her breathe, just like she did with my dad 18 months ago.  I wish I were there.  I love her.  I miss her.  I'm thankful for Jesus and eternal hope.  I'm thankful that my Grandma is continually in the presence of her daughters and kind care-givers until she goes to the presence of her Eternal Caregiver. 

Most of my memories are of Grandma in the house in which she raised her kids and lived until I was an adult.  I remember the Butter Braids and the cinnamon grahams she fed us.  There were cut up pieces of garden hose, "snakes", to scare away animals from her garden.  There were toys she kept for us in the garage. I see the place in front of the stove where she stood and cooked. The table where we played lots of Scrabble.   I wonder what she'll do in God's home.  I imagine the deep, fully-satisfying reality of her soul feeling completely at-home.  A home for the soul that feels completely right and comfortable.  Forever.  At home.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you... Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:1,2,6

Tales from the Road

On one of my running routes, I often encounter "the wind tunnel".  Pushing 35 pounds of preschooler, uphill, into an impressive Texas wind, the jogging stroller and I moan as we climb.  Actually, the stroller doesn't moan, but it makes me feel better imagining I'm not in it alone.  Nearing the top of the wind tunnel this morning, Molly implored me, "Sing with me, mommy!"  Oh sure.  I'm really happy just to be respiring at the moment.  So, I ignore her.  Actually, I answer her, but not audibly.  That seems impossible at the time. 

After we round the corner, I continue to trot and catch my breath.  We slow to a stop, and she dismounts from her seat.  Wearing a teal tutu, she kicks my butt on the track.  As usual, she flys down lane 5, and I jog behind.  When we reach the other end, she insists on climbing the retaining wall- her favorite part of our stops to the track.  Actually her favorite part is when she gets to jump down with my hands holding her waist.  I limit her to three climbs and jumps, and she complies.  Thankfully, she forgets that if we shout we can hear our echos off of the nearby school.  I don't have the energy for yelling on command.  She tears off down the track and slows near the stroller.  Surely she's not ready to go home.  That's true because she just needed to grab a goldfish cracker and toss it into her mouth.  What???  I guess she's learning early from mommy that we run so we can eat what we want! 

Greener Gardening

It's Molly's naptime on Sunday afternoon, and I'm supposed to be lesson planning.  Somehow that doesn't sound as fun as gardening.  My cousin the landscaper pointed out some aphids on my new hibiscus tree.  He suggested that I buy a type of insecticide that the plant takes in through the roots.  I decided to check out more natural types of aphid-killing suggestions on the web.  I opted to try cutting off the affected areas and spaying the plant with a diluted mixture of cooking oil and dish soap.  I'll monitor it and see if it is effective.

There is something munching on a couple tomatoes and strawberries.  I found a recipe here for an insect repellent that can be sprayed on the plants.  Since I have neither a couple heads of garlic nor habanero peppers sitting around the house, I'm trying some diluted orange oil.  Again, I'll monitor and pull out the garlic and peppers if needed.  I swear that one of my tomatoes is getting a little blush color to it.  It is mid-April and ripe tomatoes might be here in a week or two?  (Even though my mom doubts that tomatoes can be grown in abundance in Texas, I'm a believer!)  Because they'll be ripening soon, I want all bad bugs gone.  Now. 

Summer's Top Ten

Home improvement goals, that is.

1.  Paint most of the walls in the house.  The ones that have smudges and look grubby.
2.  Paint the vanities in both bathrooms.
3.  Finish painting the garage.
4.  Paint the garage floor.
5.  Buy a couch.(!!!!!) 
6.  Work on the front landscaping.
7.  Battle the weeds in the lawn. 
8.  Install solar screens on the rear windows.
9.  Install a rain barrel.
10.  Organize the garage a little more.  And definitely my closet. 

The Final Summit

I received The Final Summit from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  This is my third book to review by Andy Andrews as part of the booksneeze.com program.  I found both of the other books, The Heart Mender and The Butterfly Principle, to be inspiring and captivating reads.  I found the opposite in this book.  The main character was also present in The Traveler’s Gift.  David Ponder returns and is swept up into heaven by the angel Gabriel.  He is given the challenge of discovering the two-word phrase that is the key to saving humanity from its destructive path.  To help him in task, he is joined by characters from history to assist him as they participate in a summit and share ideas.  The historical figures represented are nearly all American or European.   This seemed odd and bothered me.  Additionally, the majority of the book is dialogue which was not engaging.  I found this to be a very boring portrayal of heaven, a summit where human ideas, not spiritual principles, are expounded in a large meeting room.  I did, however, enjoy reading about Eric Erickson, a little-known historical figure who was central in weakening the Nazis and single-handedly lessened the duration of World War II.  I usually pass on the books that I enjoy through this program to a friend or family member, but I don’t believe this one is worth the time spent to read it. 

No Offense

I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday.  He was saying that it was a shame that his sister with two master's degrees is considering becoming a teacher.  "No offense," he said.  Sure, none taken.  After all, she can earn a salary many times greater than that of a teacher.

My current teaching job is the first job I've had that I can honestly say that I love.  (Apart, of course, from being a stay-at-home mom to Molly.)  Last year, when I found myself needing a job after my marriage tragically ended, I thought about different careers.  Definitely the teacher's schedule is a huge benefit, especially to a single parent.  I also considered my skills.  I enjoy thinking about math and physics concepts (somewhat a rarity, I believe), and I also think that I am able to communicate those concepts somewhat well (also a rarity, perhaps).  So, I believe that teaching math and physics is what I was created to do for this time in my life.  It is a joy to be able to earn a good living doing what I'm called to do. 

For me, teaching is also exhilarating.  Sure, there are days that it is difficult to get excited about going to school, and there are class periods that make it feel like I'm battling to get the class on-board with learning.  Then there are the times where a student stays after school, and we work together to travel from total confusion to mastery of a concept and then she nails it on the quiz.  I love the challenge of teaching a difficult Algebra skill to the learners that struggle while at the same time increasing the rigor to capture the interest of gifted students.  It is a privilege to be a role model and a trusted confidant.  I take seriously the responsibility of being a role model and try to treat others with respect and live a life of principle.  It is also a calling to wake up at night troubled by a student's situation outside of school and to be able to pray and believe that my prayers will make a difference.  I've felt compelled to apologize to a student after considering a comment I made that may have been misunderstood and been hurtful.  I hope that the experience of having a teacher apologize is a learning experience for that sixteen-year-old.  I remain consistent in having high expectations for my students knowing that will benefit them in life.  I joke with my students about the excitement of doing math, but it isn't always just a joke.  When a lesson goes really well and students are engaged and learning, there is a euphoria that makes me grateful for a job that I love.  So honestly, my friend, there is no offense taken.  The blessing of living out my calling surpasses any accolades that I can receive from an outsider.