Lost In Wisconsin

I did.  Honestly.  And let me tell you, dear reader, it has been one of the most difficult things I have done in a long time.  But, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Addictions are so ugly.  It’s no fun being teased about your habits, being given grief at home about how much money you are spending . . . it sucks.

Dear reader, for the New Year I resolved to give up my Starbucks addiction.  Each day I would go to Starbucks and order a Double Venti Mocha Frappuccino.  The double is two shots.  Today is my fifth day without one.  It wasn’t hard to quit at first . . . not having a lot of cash helped a lot.  But yesterday, something odd happened.  I picked up a receipt that had fallen onto the floor and out fell a ten dollar bill.  The first thing I thought was, “I’m going to go get a coffee.”

Fortunately, my husband came home a few minutes later.  I said to him, hand shaking, “I found this in a reciept from December 10.  Please go get me a two liter of Pepsi.”  He gave me a funny look, but went out and got the two liter.

I have noticed drastic changes, even in the past five days.  First of all, my skin is breaking out.  I’m guessing I am purging a lot of trash my body was used to having, or my body is reacting to not having it.  I’m tired.  Really tired.

But, dear reader, here is what I have given up.

• 315 mg of caffeine PER DAY
• 500 calories per serving
• 17 grams of fat
• 60 mg of cholesterol
• 320 mg of sodium
• 82 g of carbs
• 67 g of sugar

Here is what I have gained:

• $5.93 per day.  In case you don’t feel like doing the math, that’s $180.37 per month, and $2,164.45 per year.
• OK, so in all honesty, I have only saved $29.65 so far, but that is a lot to me right now.

It is going to be a long and difficult path, but I am going to do my best to keep it up.  I know that in the long run I will feel much better, and possibly lose some weight, if I don’t replace the habit with something equally bad, or heaven forbid, worse.

Wish me luck, dear reader, and feel free to let me know what your resolution was.  Misery loves company, I guess . . .

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It’s midnight now, which means a new year is upon us.  I’m not going to say that 2008 was terrible . . . quite the contrary.  It was a great year.  There are some who will say that they want 2009 to be better than 2008, but don’t we all strive for something better with each passing year?

My hope for 2009 is that everyone I know and love stays safe, healthy and happy.  Because that is ALL that truly matters.  I love revisiting the previous year, so here we go.

January, 2008: Found me revisiting my friend’s anuerysm.  As time passes, it hurts less and less, but is still a very vivid memory for me.

February, 2008: Found me daydreaming.  Sometimes . . . we all just need a genie.

March, 2008: Found me learning a lot about deadly sins.  I’m still a little baffled by this one, but thanks to the Catholic church I’m learning more.

April, 2008: Found me being a masochist and obsessing over Eugene Kane.  I still do a little, but I’m almost over it.

May, 2008: Found me looking for siblings and somehow reopening a door I had closed a LONG time ago.  I still get phone calls from her, but luckily, I can just push ‘ignore.’

June, 2008: Found me wanting a new camera.  I did eventually get one, which broke on Christmas Eve and is now in transit to be repaired.  Be careful what  you wish for, I suppose.

July, 2008: Found me a victim of people who simply don’t respect others.  I learned a lot.  Oh, and don’t touch my shit.

August, 2008: Found my blog on the fritz, and ultimately moving the server and all sorts of other fun stuff.  I’m still grateful to Fooly Girl, who has been an amazing friend and help.

September, 2008: Found me looking backward at my life . . . realizing that sometimes being in a rush isn’t the best idea for anyone.

October, 2008: Found me crushing on a co-worker.  Mmmm . . . those eyes.

November, 2008: Found me pissed off that I couldn’t get an iPod for eating breakfast.  Freakin’ politics . . .

December, 2008: Found me showing off the things I’ve done.  I’m dull, but at least I was able to say I did some of the things on it.

All in all, it was an interesting year, and I hope for another fun one in 2009.

I have never done this before, but I was recently asked to read and review a book on my blog.  Honestly, it was hard for me to sit down and read this book, because I have never been to the Dells and wasn’t sure if I was ever going.  I looked at it a few times, with all the intentions in the world of reading it, but unless you are going to go to the Dells, there isn’t a whole lot of point to reading a Tourist Town Guide.

Right before Christmas, however, my Dad called me and said that sometime between Christmas and New Years we should take an overnight trip to a Waterpark in the Dells.  He said he was having trouble decoding all the websites and what they had to offer as far as that.  He asked me if I could do some research and find an affordable place for us to go for a night that would have lots for the boys to do.

The first thing I did before I went online was to grab my book.  It’s called Tourist Town Guides, Wisconsin Dells, A Comprehensive Guide to Waterparks, Resorts, Tours, and More by Dirk Vanderwilt.  It starts out by introducing the lay of the land, the history of the area and different points of interest.  I especially liked the history of the area, but was surprised there was no mention of Al Capone.  He was an integral part of the Dells history.

Reading on, the book is organized much like a summary of each area of interest, starting with Chambers of Commerce and Information points.  It covers seasons, who goes to the Dells, what to expect, transportation and tourist areas.

Knowing I was only going overnight, and to a waterpark, I headed for the two chapters on Waterparks and Waterpark resorts.  It was nice to see them organized, clearly written, with information on cost and tidbits regarding age appropriateness.  Because of this, I decided to get online and check out a few of the sites.

Ultimately, we chose Polynesian Resort Hotel.  As noted in the book, it was great for families with children, and in the age groups we had.  It made sure to let us know that it was not as elaborate as some of the other water parks, and it was more affordable.

Wisconsin Dells is a very seasonal area, as we found out when we went out to shop and eat.  There are very few places open, and the ones that are have limited hours.  We weren’t there to shop, so it was not a big disappointment for us, but it would have been disappointing had we been interested in shopping.  But honestly, the book warns of this, as well.

Our trip was great.  The boys had a blast, there was just enough to do without being too much . . . I fear if we had gone to some of the other parks listed in the book that my youngest would not have had as much fun.  He was too short for one of the slides, but was able to do the rest with no problem.  At another park, he may have been too short for most of it, and he may have ended up disappointed.  There were three hot tubs, two wading pools with activities, a “poor man’s Pirates of the Caribbean” as my Dad called it, or the Lazy River as they called it, two slides, a sauna, and tons of other things to do.  Our room was huge, featured Bath and Body Works soaps, shampoos and lotions, and had a fridge and microwave.

As an aside from our trip, the book offers more on the Madison area, as well as the House on the Rock.  That impressed me, because it dedicated chapters to each.  It made me want to go to the House on the Rock again, and I will be making it a point in the next few years.

While I highly recommend the Polynesian . . . aside from walking from one end of the hotel to the other to get to the two water parks it was great . . . I recommend getting one of the Tourist Town Guides before going anywhere.  They make them for several venues across the country, but if you are headed for the Dells, this one is a ‘must pack.’  We took it with us and found it useful, even while we were driving around.

There are great tidbits in the book, wonderful stories, and amazing pictures.  Overall, I did end up reading the book, cover to cover, and found myself wanting to come back to the Dells during the summer when more places are open . . . for a longer trip.

It was a great overnight trip and left me wanting more.

I’ve never actually had the post-Christmas blues before.  I’m sure people get the blues for lots of different reasons–I have no idea why I have them.  I know one of my friends has them because her beloved pet died.  Another friend has them because of the weather.  Still another has them because her family left her home so she could work while they went to relatives homes.  Some have it because they have no money.

I couldn’t tell you why I do.  I know I am blessed and fortunate  . . . all things considered.  My boys had a great Christmas–enjoying time with my husband and myself, along with my parents.  My husband hates Christmas, so he’s never disappointed.  This year I wasn’t looking forward to Christmas–lack of money really pushed that one to the brink–but it ended up being really wonderful.

So why do I have the blues?

I don’t know.

In some ways, I feel let down.  In other ways I feel like I value the people in my life more than they value me.  In still other ways, I feel like I let people down.

It isn’t about the giving or the receiving, either.  I was happy with what I gave and happy with what I got.  Budgets are tight this year, and I know we put a lot of thought into what we were going to do for people so they wouldn’t be disappointed.  It’s tough having a budget and knowing you want to give more than what you did.

Maybe it was being cancelled on for Christmas Eve, thus causing us to rearrange our plans at the last minute.  Maybe it was realizing that there are people who spend time with us simply out of obligation and not because they want to be there.  It could be that, for just one night, or afternoon, my boys couldn’t stop fighting and just behave.  Maybe it was my camera breaking in the middle of my kids opening gifts.

So, here I sit.  With the post-Christmas blues, and no real explaination for it except that I have them and don’t know how to get rid of them.  Because I have never had them before, I don’t know how long they last, or if it gets worse.  I just keep reminding myself about the true reason for Christmas.  It helps.

Who knew things could hurt this bad?

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I’m having a great one–hope you all are, too!

I love weekends.  The whole family is home for the most part. . . there’s lots to do . . . and it’s always fun to hang out with my boys.

This weekend SUCKED.  It was terrible.  Beyond recognition.

It all started on Saturday, when a cold snap hit us along with snow.  Sunday morning we woke up to the boys announcing that the back door had blown open overnight.  They told us this after being awake for a few hours . . . and not when they first discovered it.  So, the door was open all night, the house was about 30 degrees, and the dogs had been letting themselves in and out pretty much all night.  Add to that the fact that the wind was blowing and we had to take about an hour or so to SHOVEL out the hallway to get the back door closed again.

That afternoon was the boy’s Christmas program at their school.  It was freezing cold.  Bitter.  It was a pretty service, but I barely recall any of it because I was preoccupied with a problem I had created.  To save myself the embarrassement of being told I am an idiot, I will simply say that I called my friend, made a stupid comment, and had her angry at me all day.  I knew I had screwed up, and didn’t even get to apologize for more than 24 hours.  I felt really bad about it.

The boys went to spend the night at my dad and mom’s house, and my husband and I did some Christmas shopping.  We got home to a slightly cold house, and my husband came up with an idea.  It was time to change the furnace filters.  So, he sent me downstairs to get the filter so we could purchase another and get the size off it.

I  went and got the filter, and came upstairs.  Suddenly, the furnace was whistling.  Screeching, actually.  Neither of us knew what was up with it, so we went to inspect.  My son, in his infinite wisdom, had put a Dorito’s bag into a cold air return.  It got sucked through the system and into the fan.

We spent two hours in the basement, spinning the fan to get the chip bag to let loose so we could grab it.  My husband pulled apart the duct work so I could lay down and try to get at it.  Several bumps and bruises later, along with sore muscles the next day, we realized that we weren’t going to get the bag with the fan in the way.  So I loosened the nut.

Too far.  The nut dropped to the bottom of the furnace, and the tweezers wouldn’t fit to grab it.  Another hour with a magnet, and we retrieved the nut, tightened the fan back up, and decided the chip bag wasn’t going to give.  So, my husband turned on the furnace.  We listened to the chip bag swirl and rustle in the fan and then . . . FOOMP . . . it let loose into the heat coils.

Now, we have a burning bag flowing through the ducts in the house, and the house is filling with smoke and the stench of burning plastic.  The smoke alarm goes off.  FOR THREE HOURS.

We turn off the furnace, go to bed, and get up the next morning to a freezing house.  We decide that if we are home we can run the furnace and put out any fires that may arise.  Each time the furnace lights up the smoke alarm goes off, even though there is no smoke.  Just the odor of burning plastic.  We turn a fan onto the smoke detector–it’s wired into the electric so we can’t shut it off.

Last night we slept without the furnace again.  I turn it on when I’m home.  The house reeks.  We have been told the smell should be gone in a week or so.  If we don’t burn the house down first.

Excellent.

**Yes, dear reader, this is freaking hilarious, and it will be to me as well in about twenty years.  So make fun if you must.  I will only cry a little.  **

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I was reading my fellow blogger Bonnie’s page today, and noticed a page titled “Things I’ve Done.”  Seemed like fun, so I am putting it here and adding it as a page, too.  Maybe I will get inventive and add my own personal ones, too.

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