News

Saturday, May 23. 2009

It's been a while since my last entry, so I thought today would be a good day.
A week ago, last Saturday, May 16th, 2009, my baby girl, Erika, graduated from Ripon College, with honors! "Cum Laude", (which requires a Cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher), "Alpha Psi Omega"(Honor Society in Theater) & "The Laurel" (Senior Honor Society). She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in History and a Minor in Theater. She is the only one on my side of the family to graduate from college. Needless to say, I am extremely proud.
There were 194 graduates altogether. The ceremony was held outside and the weather that day was windy (20 - 30 mph) and cold (52 degrees). It really should have been held indoors, but I guess since the sun was shining they thought it would be alright. After an hour and a half of sitting, we were all partially frozen, except for the people smart enough to have thought to bring their winter jackets. May in Ripon is usually about 70 degrees or so..At first it wasn't to bad. Like I said the sun was shining, and we were surrounded by buildings so we thought maybe we would be a little protected but it seemed like the buildings only acted like a funnel for the wind and helped it to come in and down. There were nine of us that went, myself, 2 friends of mine, (Karla and her husband Mike), the next door neighbors (Bob and Betty), Erika's boyfriend, (Bryan) and his parents, (Patrick and Marcia.) After the ceremony, we met up with Erika because she had some stuff to come home that she couldn't fit into her car, then we proceeded to go to Fond Du Lac, a near by city, and ate at a restaurant that Patrick suggested, called "Theo's Chop House." The food was delicious. The restaurant was very nice and warm. (Literally and decoratively.) We all had a good time. Mike found out that he knew Bob's son in school. Bob (who is in his late 70's I think), used to be a school teacher and Patrick used to be Assistant Principal at the high school in Manitowoc, so they knew each other. Karla is my friend and Massage Therapist. We've known each other about 9 or 10 years now. She has been a big part of mine and Erika's life for a long time.
Erika came home on the 19th of May, brought some stuff home and packed some stuff to take back. She is going to live in Madison with Bryan and another room mate. She and Bryan have been friends for about 5 years. They were in high school together where they were in theater class together, but they didn't become a couple until about 3 years ago. I don't know him that well but, he seems like a very nice young man that comes from a good family. His parents are really nice and they adore Erika and she loves them too. She's even been to their family reunions a couple of times. He is a bit shy around me and says he feels intimidated by me, but I know that once he gets to know me, that will change.
It's hard to believe that the past four years have gone by so quickly. Seth and Amanda...cherish that little guy...kids grow up way to fast.

Everything else is the same as my last entry. I feel a bit better now that spring is making a fleeting appearance. Warm, cold,warm,cold. The winter seemed longer this year because it got cold and started snowing in November, earlier then usual. I always get a little depressed in the winter. The dog loves to play outside so that requires me to wear four long pairs of pants, four long sleeved shirts and a double layer jacket with a hood and four pairs of gloves. They get wet and I have to keep putting on dry ones. When I am out of gloves, it's time to go in. They usually last about 30 minutes or so, depending on how wet the snow is and how much spit there is from her mouth on the frisbee. I can't wear boots because the arthritis in my feet has rearranged the small bones causing a high bump on the top of my feet so the boots don't fit over the bump but my shoes are actually fairly warm. Plus I have a small paint pail that I fill with water so she can drink while we're out side. By the time March comes I'm pretty tired of putting on and taking off all the clothes. There are some days that it's just way to cold to be out. I don't go out if it's below 12 degrees with no wind or if there is a wind chill of less then 18.
I can't think of anything else to write about. Take care until next time. BYE