until 27 September

September is a wrap! Finished another Louise Erdrich, Shadow Tag. Not my favorite, but still well written. 

card shark

Kyle and Kim are visiting Mom. She won three games of cards! She called me too so that was a thrill for me. 

day 4.5

Today, I was able to teach in the afternoon. It felt so great to be back with the kids and my teaching friends. 

After school, Brad and I went to see Osten play football in New Richmond. The team lost, but Osten played a good game. 

more full

Breakfast and lunch with my favorite people and also a Vikings victory for 3-0 on the season. 

heart is full

I am so thrilled that my three kids and I got to meet up and spend the day at the Mall of America. We went back to school and congratulations on your new job shopping. Then we went to Juniors for dinner and to the Falls theater to get popcorn and candy. We’re watching movies right now💖. 

decorating for Halloween and arthritis in my neck

 

Today I had an appointment and found that I have arthritis in my neck…that may be part of the answer to my icky feelings. Felt quite good today so I did some decorating for 🎃. 

wardrobe flip

Today, I focused my energy on flipping my spring/summer wardrobe to my fall/winter. I have a lot of donations to bring to Good Will and I’ll be ready for the cold weather to come! 

cleaning day

I cleaned our stovetop and both Anders’ and Katie’s cars that are here right now. 

it’s fall ya’ll

And I saw this fun spider on a walk today:

catching up on my book stack

 

Just finished this lovely story. Takes place in Minneapolis during the early days of the pandemic and covers George Floyd from a perspective I’ve never heard. 

2-0

We had a Vikings party today! Anders came from Eau Claire and we cheered the Vikings to a 9-3 victory versus the Bears. We ate Old Southern BBQ and yelled a bunch. 

happy birthday Kent and Kurt

My eldest brothers are 64 today! That’s feeling really big. They are the best big brothers ever. 

taking a break

After day 4 of my year, I realized I needed to pause school and really focus my energy on being ready. Crashed on the couch most of the day. Didn’t get worked up over getting just 1,000 steps and watched the River Falls Wildcats defeat Chippewa Falls 14-0 in our homecoming game. My main focus was #83 ❤️bouncing on the sidelines. 

day 4 of my year

On the 12th day of school, I had my 4th day. So great to see the kids and my friends. I’m super tired, and very excited to return tomorrow. 

ready to head back to school

I’m so ready to be back at school with my students and friends. 

 

goal is health and wellness

 

I’ve been working through some health and wellness issues. Headaches, nausea, trouble sleeping, feeling anxious, not feeling myself, brain fog. Yesterday, I had an appointment with a neurologist and he prescribed some anti-anxiety pain medication. I really hope that this will help me return to my activities of daily living. I love seeing my family, teaching, doing fun things with my friends. My wish is this will be an assistant to that goal. 

sunshine

 

 

I have some amazing sources of sunshine in my life. Thanks to my brother for always going to see our Mom and for my coworkers for bringing me flowers during my absence from school. Im hoping I can be back to school again starting Thursday! 

SKOL

The Vikings beat the Packers today. We were behind until the Fourth Quarter when we outscored the Packers 22-0. There were a few crucial turnovers that helped contribute to our victory. 

gardens and Art on the Kinni

What a beautiful day here in River Falls. I went to art on the Kinni with my friends Michelle and Sarah. We ran into so many friends as we shopped! I got some new earrings for myself and my friend, Teri. I also got a snoopy key chain for Teri. I bought some cards and also some metal yard art flowers. 

I also spend the morning admiring our flowers that survived the hot summer. The cherry on the top was Osten getting the postcard I mailed from Alaska❤️

wedding summer 27

Three Blomgren weddings are coming in the summer of 2027. 

May 22 Thomas and Bailey

June 5 Liana and Zac

July 24 Abby and Riley

big love for Birchbark House

I’m entranced by Louise Erdrich stories. I’m reading the Birchbark House series. Almost done with book 4 of 5. I just wish there were more. 

volunteer zinnias

These plants didn’t survive the summer heat, but their seeds are alive! I don’t know if they will flower before the freeze, but I’m going to try to make it happen! 

a loss, but a good game by 83

Today, Brad, Anders and I went to Osten’s football game at Eau Claire North. The wildcats lost, but it was fun to see Osten on the field. Here he is with a kids he’s been playing football with since 1st grade. Cody is a super kind and athletic kid. Fun to see them grow up together. 

I had good news at my mammogram today. Evidently my left breast loves to grow cysts. Just told to come for a follow up next year. 

run boys run

 Ryan Pierson led the Falcons to the finish line, placing third overall in the 8,000-meter race with a time of 27:01.7. Wyatt Johnson followed close behind in sixth at 27:17.6, while Alex Pazdernik took ninth in 27:35.6.

Two of our family members are running for UW schools. Joe for UWEC and Ryan for UWRF❤️

maiden voyage in my oru kayak

Today was a beautiful day to kayak, bring in the boats and most of the dock.