Junie's 16th Birthday pt 1

 

To celebrate  Junie's Sweet 16^th, I’ll be taking her on a road trip to the Mall of America in Bloomington MN.  As she’s invited her 4 close friends, I’ll be renting a larger car for the trip, so I do ask that extra care is taken when eating or drinking on the road!

Because it is 5 hours away, we ask that your child be ready at our house by 8am on August 7^th. We’ll be staying in two rooms at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Bloomington (2401 American Boulevard East, Bloomington, MN 55425)  The stay includes a free breakfast and use of the pool, so be sure to pack a swimsuit.

We’ll visit the Mall (which includes an amusement park inside!), swim at the hotel, and eat at a locally famous burger joint to  enjoy a “Juicy Lucy.”

We expect to return to Milwaukee very late on the 8^th. If you can’t pick up your child until the morning, they can stay overnight, but please let us know.

We’re covering the transportation and hotel, as well as snacks and birthday cake, but please bring money for the mall (inc the amusement park) and meals.

Oh, and send us your favorite beverages and snacks so we can prep for the road!

Please contact me with any questions or concerns at  xxx-xxx-xxxx.

 

Lisa

That's the text message we sent out to the parents of the Core Four - the four friends in Junie's immediate circle.

Alas, the trip ended before it began. The rental car company gave away the seven-seater she reserved and offered Lisa a five seat vehicle. Never mind the fact that seven people (Lisa, Junie, her friends, and Grandma) headed out to Minnesota. She even went down to a second car rental agency and got the same result. All this, after waiting in line for a good long time.

Thankfully, my Mazda seats seven.  So Lisa called me and had me bring it back from work and exchange it with her own car.  After a couple hours  unexpected delay, they were on the way.

Five or six hours later they were in Bloomington getting dolled up at the hotel.

The kids took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the mall for a few hours while Lisa and her Mom picked up the cake I'd ordered. There was some difficulty finding the group at the mall - it is HUGE after all - but find them Lisa did, at the neighboring IKEA. 

Then it was out for a traditional Juicy Lucy burger at Matt's, which I'm told they all enjoyed minus one friend  (K) who of course had to order chicken instead and be difficult.

Here's Junie's birthday cake, ordered from a bakery in Bloomington. The images on the cake as well as the writing come from a custom design I ordered online. This is the third consecutive birthday where she has Finn Wolfhard on the cake.

Back home in Milwaukee the rest of Team slab gathered around our dining room table and over a FaceTime, I gave Junie the Polish birthday blessing while Lisa did the honors of tying the ribbon.

Then we did her a happy birthday and a good night, and she and her friends went down to the pool to get some swimming in. Day two awaited.

The First Day of School

I think technically it's "mortuary science" but I might be wrong about that too lol.  Lulu has not only been studying to be a funeral director, she's obtained her embalming license and works an internship at a local funeral home. 

Good luck this semester Lu!

Kenner's Death Star Station

I had this toy - now selling for $750 used on ebay LOL - and remember playing with it in my little bedroom on Arthur Ave. 

But I don't recall playing with it for very long. I was really into Star Wars and the Kenner toys, but this one really occupies only that one brief memory. Looking at the toy now, I think the battle cannon is pretty cool, but the rest of it is rather ho-hum. Yay, an elevator! How exciting!

And need I point out the thing isn't round? The Death Star is a bleeping sphere. From a distance - need I say it? - it can be mistaken for a moon. 

Does this look like a sphere to you? Or any portion thereof? 

It just didn't scream "Death Star" to me. 

BUT . . . 

What I did love about it, what I still love *to this day* was the green rubber monster they included with it. You know, the guy that lives in the trash compactor and dragged Luke into the water? 

Now I don't know where they came up with this design, as all you see in the movie is the neck and head. Maybe it was what George Lucas envisioned, maybe it was made up on the spot by some guy at Kenner. 

 Either way, I did NOT use this as a trash compactor monster. *I* found the overall shape rather reminiscent of Star Trek's Enterprise, and so I used it endlessly, not only for that, but as a generic "space ship" toy. 

And last I looked, this little guy (selling for $80 on ebay as of this writing) is still somewhere in my basement, resting until he is called on again . . . 

Visiting Junie at Work

This Tesla owner's got a sense of humor, what can I say?

A Letter From YaYa

Marcus Cinema -

My new year’s resolution was to see more in theaters. thus far i have seen 41 films in cinema, a majority being viewed at Marcus establishments. i am a weekly visitor, and though i will continue to frequent, i plead for Marcus to consider rolling out the Movieflex program to Wisconsin. 

it is a bit disappointing to see what looks like a fantastic program be limited to so few areas. Marcus dominates theaters around here in quantity alone. getting to the singular local AMC is a hassle, but their movie flex- adjacent program has tempted me to make the effort numerous times.

I appreciate what Marcus has to offer with value Tuesdays but those days are busy, with limited seats for showtimes that often fall at inconvenient times for myself personally. 

Please consider those of us who regularly love visiting your establishments when further rolling out this program (or allow Milwaukee to be a test city!)

Also, please consider adding Greg [Marcus]  blankets to the official merch line (I contacted customer service previously about this and no, I'm not joking)!  

we need Movieflex!!

- Yaya

Grandpa's Day 2023 pt 2

So where did Junie and I go after the cemetery? What was someplace fun but free? 

Why, how about the Humane Society AND the local animal shelter both!

I LOVED this massive boi that reminded me of our dear Billy!

The little doggos were adorable. 

At the animal shelter Junie was romanced by a very performative, all black cat that really, really wanted to go home with someone!

Meanwhile this stunner caught my eye. It looks like a lynx, doesn't it? I mean, look at the facial structure! It's so unique. 

It was a great way to pass the time and we had a blast!

Grandpa's Day 2023 Pt 1

As I mentioned this morning, today was the 40th Anniversary of Grandpa's Day, the epic trip we took together two weeks before he died.

Earlier in the year I had planned to spend this week in Pigeon Forge TN with the entire family, but schedules - including that of  a new job for Lisa - torpedoed that dream, and as it turns out Lu and Smiley were out of town today and Lisa and I worked, so . . at first glance it didn't seem like there gonna be much of a day to celebrate at all. 

Plus the 2023 component lacked one crucial element - $$. I had thrown the complete balance of my checking account at bills the day before, and with payday being a day away, I had little to drawn on. Which, I admit, is pathetic.

So my plans were adjusted accordingly. I decided to visit the grave, then find something free to do with Junie, my only companion of the afternoon. 

Luckily I did have a jar of coins. Junie offered up her own spare coin bag too, and my mother-in-law threw $10 to the cause. Neither offer, although appreciated, was needed, as when Junie and I stopped at the bank to cash in my coin jar there was enough for the flowers I wanted to put on Grandpa's grave. 

But where to buy them?  This bouquet was at Outpost but I thought it was both a little busy, and a little expensive. 

Luckily we found a more appropriate bouquet at Groppi's. 

I recited some prayers at the gravesite, said my hellos, wiped away a few tears, then decided to show Junie around that old section of the VA cemetery. There are vets there from the Spanish American War, another who died the same year as Little Bighorn, and vets from the War of 1812 (although I couldn't find their graves today). 

Then, a first: Junie noticed the gate into the easement separating the cemetery from another was open, as was its counterpart. So we went exploring. 

Tucked beneath a tree, barely visible unless you looked, was a single grave, that of a young boy who died on his 6 month birthday in 1906. How terribly sad, not only to die that young, but to spend 117 years alone, with no other grave within 20 feet. 

I pointed this one out to Junie as we left: a female veteran of WWII - and Polish too!

"Slay," was Junie's response. 

Then it was back to my Grandparent's grave to share some personal updates on each of the kids, and to say another goodbye to them. 

.

Then it was on to Part II of Grandpa's Day . . . 

Unpopular Opinion (exclusive SE Wisconsin edition)

Marty's Pizza is subpar, largely tasteless fare. 

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Last night, knowing it was a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church, I attended a 6pm Mass. 

I was squeamish about going. My church attendance has been non-existent lately, not from a lack of Faith but just scheduling and old-fashioned human laziness. I was running a couple minutes late but thought I could easily sneak in; after all, there wouldn't be much of a crowd on a Tuesday night and they'd be grateful to have another guest. 

I was right, I easily snuck in, but for the opposite reason - it was so crowded no one noticed. 

Young and old, from infants to elderly; singles and couples, whole families, you name it, they were there. Heck, the parking lot was full, and I had to park "illegally" along the perimeter of the lot. 

I'm not sure why I miss Mass so often, aside from the before-mentioned laziness, because not only don't I find it boring (granted, I have a high tolerance for boredom, as my mind is always running) but I find it very moving and comforting. 

Anyway, $4 a pound. 

Miss You Grandpa

 Happy 40th Grandpa's Day!

The First Day of the 2023-24 School Year

And then there was 1. How'd this happen? Have the best 1st day as an upperclassman Junie! ❤️  - Lisa 

Forgive the crude edit on the sign. I'm under no illusion that you can't figure out Junie's name if you sniff around this site long enough, but why make it easy? 

Last night Lisa picked up Insomnia cookies as a "last day of summer vacation" treat, and Junie walked us through a detailed tour of her new backpack and its accoutrements.

 She also showed off her back-to-school outfit, but this *isn't* the same shirt. Alas, I'm at work and couldn't inquire about the change. 

For the record, I am NOT happy to see her return to school. I was never happy to see my kids go back, not after Summer break, not after Christmas; I enjoy their company, and I view parents that celebrate the day with a fair amount of suspicion. 

Anyway, I've already shed a few tears over this, so I'm signing off before there's more waterworks. 

Have a great first day of Junior year Junie!

- Dad

Our Back to School Gift

School resumes tomorrow, marking the quickest summer ever, in my opinion, and to make sure the students at the high school started the year off right, Lisa and I went and filled the little library out front with goodies. 

Afterwards, along with Lisa's Mom and our doggos, we drove out to Tastee Twist for some treats for ourselves.

Have a great and productive School year!!