Prayers for the family

This is one of the sadder posts that I have made.

Yesterday I got an email from my dad - that I did not get until later that night - that said my Grandpa Krutzig was transferred to Hospice care at the hospital, the doctor had detached his defibrillator and if I wanted to come say my goodbyes, this would be the time to do it, as it looks like he'll only have a couple of days left in him.

I was debating whether or not I wanted to go - I am becoming more of a believer that I don't like going to see people in the hospital because I want to remember just the good memories, not how awful, or struggling they are in the hospital, ya know?

Well, my mom called at about 9:30pm last night after I had just gotten out of the shower and told me that just our "little" family was there, and they sent my Grandma home for a couple of hours so that she could get some rest. I hemmed and hawed about going, and felt the daughter-to-father pull that he needed me to be there.

So, I changed out of my pjs and Derick and I drove to the hospital. It was rough. As we walked into the hospital, everything about the place seemed unwelcoming. The smell of sterilization and sanitizer and even the lady and the security guard at the information desks weren't overly pleasant. One more thing about hospitals - why is it that just about everyone is like the hardest building to navigate period?! You would think that they would have another method. Like, for instance, Derick and I had to enter through the Emergency patient entrance, ask at the info desk where to go, go over to the security desk to get a visitor badge and he said to go to the end of the hall and take the elevators to the 4th floor. Ok, we walked to these huge, grey, steel double doors that look like all of the ones in the shows and movies that you "cannot go through." but, we had to then press an intercom and he had to buzz the doors to let us in.

Once we got to his room, my mom made me go and sit in the chair by my Grandpa's bed. I was not ready for that. I should have said no and gone to where I ended up spending the rest of my time there that night - sitting in a chair behind my dad on the other side of my Grandpa's bed.

Watching him was hard. Both my dad and my Grandpa. My Grandpa struggled to breath and then would wake up a little and struggle to sit-up and get comfortable. I liked the quiet in there with him. You just felt led to think about happier times with him and just zone out and be there for him and for the rest of the family. That is, until my mom began her nervous (?) chatter that seemed to last too long. Then my Grandma and aunt Beth showed up again. My Grandma seemed happy to see me, but seeing her there trying to take care of him made me very sad as her whole world seemed to be falling apart.

It has been her life for so long to take care of him as he has had failing health for years and years. There was one point where I looked over at her leaning over his bed and she was just shaking her head. That is one of the most helpless moments that I have ever experienced.

We stayed until after 11pm and then I hugged my dad again - and he seemed like he did not want to let go. It was a good moment, one that also made me realize a couple of things:

1. Life is too short
2. The good ones go too soon
3. I need to tell people that I love, that I love them more often

and one last thing...

4. I think that I inherited my love of plaid from my Grandpa. He was wearing a plaid shirt (that I later found out was not his, but one that the hospital had put on him) and he usually wore plaid shirts.

It is going to be a rough week for the Krutzig clan, so please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.

-L

Happy Birthday America!

How nice is it to have a four-day weekend? Let me tell you – it is a beautiful thing!  I was able to relax as well as be rather productive!

On Friday, Derick and my dad went up to their lake place to work on the cabin and the boat. Later in the afternoon – I picked up my mom and we headed up there. Shortly after we arrived, we got things together and went over to my aunt and uncle’s cabin just a few miles away from my parent’s cabin for dinner and fireworks. It was nice to sit, relax and chat with the family. They have a “Lighting of the Lake” that takes place every 4^th of July weekend that is really cool to watch/see. About 9:45 pm, when it is dark, each cabin lot gets about 3 red flares, spaces them out on the shore of their property and lights them. You can see them go all around the smaller lake that they are on and also the larger- adjoining lake through the channel.

Awhile after that, the fireworks started and lasted awhile. My uncle lit fireworks until they started and some of them were crazy! Fireworks always make me a little nervous, mostly because you can never fully trust them to do exactly what you expect them to do or go where you aim them to go!  Derick and I drove back to the house that night. He took off the next morning to go work on the boat some more and then go fishing with Joe, who met up with him up there. The guys fished up there, and ended up spending the night – Derick slept in the truck and Joe, in his car. (what some guys will do to have a fishing weekend…)

Saturday I did a lot of cleaning and also made a new type of cookie. Last week I had brought in some cookies to work, and now have more people telling me that they will be my cookie taste-testers always! So, I might have to bring those in and have them try them out. Jana and I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3-D in Champlin. That was a really cute movie, and made me want to go out and get both of the other Toy Story movies, since I don’t have any of them and don’t have many cartoon movies in general. I still have my doubts about the 3-D technology, but it was interesting and both my sister and my first time watching a movie in 3-D.

Let’s see – Sunday, the 4^th, Derick came home in the morning because it was raining and looked as if it would continue all day. Sunday was a pretty lazy day for us, and I was just fine with that! We watched tv – caught up on the season of Parenthood (just an ok show) and watched some comedy central. I made another new cookie – that one was pretty yummy. Then later that night, since it was kind of yucky outside, we watched the Boston Firework show and that was pretty amazing!! They were all synced up to music that was playing and there were a TON of fireworks going off at one time off a small barge-type set-up.

Monday I had off from work and Derick had off from watching the boys. We were pretty lazy in the morning, but then got down to business in the afternoon. I did the finishing touches on cleaning the house, then we prepped, cleaned and painted the sunroom!! It is now “Prairie Green” vs the original white paint we had before. It looks really nice with the light woodwork and wood blinds that we have in there. It just feels more ours and more finished now. We are still debating on painting one wall with all of Derick’s fish paintings on it – just because there is some funky wall architecture going on and we are debating on how we should address that.

This week should go by pretty quickly. I have a mini-floorset tomorrow and walk-through Thursday, so that will keep me out of trouble. Then just a ½ day again on Friday! I think this weekend Derick, Joe and Paul are all going to try to go fishing, so me, Jenny and Ava might have to have a girl’s day/weekend! We still have to see if it will work, but at least that would give me something other than cleaning and organizing this weekend!

I am thankful for a great weekend that I got to spend with family this weekend, and yet be able to be at home and spend time with my husband and our puppy Tucker.



I hope that you all were able to have a nice, relaxing 4th of July as well!
-L

"untitled"

Since I have a mass-update to do for this post, I figured I would call it "untitled," rather than try to come up with something witty and all-inclusive.

Let’s see…where to begin:

Age

I am now officially a quarter of a century old! I don’t really feel any older this year, but then again, there are for sure certain things that make me feel older at certain times like: when my cousins from North Carolina came to visit – they are getting so much older and grown-up! What an impact that has when we only get to see them once or twice a year!! Another thing is the fact that more and more friend and people my age are having kids. That is nuts – in a good way, but I can’t even begin to comprehend taking care of someone else other than myself, my husband and my dog right now!

Along with my birthday, Derick and I went camping on my parent’s lake property in Wisconsin Thursday, Friday, Saturday last weekend and it was fun and relaxing. Thursday night we were watching the sky as the storms rolled in and around us. The sky was a weird orange and gray color. I tried taking some photos, but they don’t do justice to what it really looked like when we were there living it. We took the canoe out on the lake that my parents are on and caught a TON of little panfish. I think I like that more than fishing for bass…it is more entertaining for me to KEEP catching fish rather that cast, reel, reel, reel, cast, reel, reel…I got to take my first ride in Derick’s new fishing boat. It is pretty nice – all that room to move around. I have the whole back casting deck to work with when there is just the two of us.

Father’s Day

Saturday afternoon we headed over to the nursing home in Amery for my grandma’s 95^th birthday party. Wow. That is another thing – she is almost exactly 70 years older to the day than I am! We only could stay for a little bit – we had to get back home and clean our house because we were hosting Father’s day lunch at our house the next day and we hadn’t gotten a ton of things ready yet!

Sunday was really nice though – my parents, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Don and the kids all came over and we ate and talked and played games on the Wii and PS3. They are growing up so fast!

This weekend

We don’t have a whole lot going on this weekend. Saturday we have our second wedding of the year to go to – Derick’s friend Beth from BSU is getting married in Oakdale/St. Paul, MN. That will be fun as this is the last wedding that we will be going to this year! Next year we will have one that I know of for sure – my friend Laura C!!

Other than that, I am just getting some things ready for our National Night Out event in our association - in August. Yes - we are pre-planning things which will mean a trip to the dollar store to rangle up some prizes this year!

Have a good weekend!

-L

Is it Friday yet?

Okay, I know that it is already Wednesday, and it would ALREADY be a short week...but I also took Friday of this week off to get ready for our start of our insane-month-of-June-weekends!

This Friday I am meeting my mom at her house in the am to go get my license renewed and then get things set to get a passport (one day she wants to take my sister and I to Paris, France!) I also need to find time before Friday night to get my car in for an oil change and tire rotation...This Friday when Derick gets home from teaching, we will pack up a vehicle and head to Medford for the Medford Rodeo!!!! I am excited! It is going to be crazy!

Then, next weekend, we will bounce back to Medford for Joe & Cathrina's joint-grad party (similar to mine and Jana's- Joe is graduating from college and Cathrina is graduating from high school.)

The next weekend is my birthday. We were thinking of road-tripping up to Bemidji and camping up there, but we might reconsider after having been on the road 2 weekends in a row.

The last weekend in June, a friend of Derick's is getting married in St. Paul, MN. So we will be around somewhat, or, somewhat closer to home!

So, it'll be a busy month, but it will be a lot of fun too!

Operation Spare Bedroom

In trying to figure out what Derick and I wanted to do for our Memorial Day "vacation," we decided to stay home and work on projects around the house that needed to get done but that would take some time on our part. First off, the office/spare room. I thought it was high-time to organize it once-and-for-all! So, we measured, planned, and moved furniture around the house to accommodate the "new" room. Derick and I went to my parent's house and picked up my childhood bed, brought it back and put it back together in the room. It really helped pull it all together and I have to say, I am pretty happy with how things are turning out! We had to do a bit of moving and condensing items, but it works, and makes it seem like there is more room than before! We are almost done with the room. I have to go through some papers that I have been piling up and placing in folders, but have not put away or, better yet, thrown away!

I took Tucker to the dog park today among the sprinkles of rain that threatened the time, but all in all, we stayed pretty dry! It was nice to get outside, as I was antsy from being inside for the majority of the day today and yesterday moving things around.

Tomorrow looks like another day of relaxing...bowling in the morning and then coming back home to finish off some house chores and then some relaxing time. I had forgotten just how tiring moving things and organizing things could be! Yikes! Also, it probably didn't help that I had spent the night the night before, on my feet, painting with Jacque! I felt like an old person when I got up the next day!

Ok, I am going to sign off, and try to tackle one more box of things to sort through! I can do it!!

-L

Getting in touch

I think this post spurs from a small conversation that I had with a friend over Google chat earlier.

It wasn't anything earth-shattering, just a quick exchange on how things are going with us - your usual friend "catch-up" on life, since we haven't talked or seen each other for awhile.

I am getting together with her to do something that I used to LOVE doing, but have since stopped due to working full-time and not having any room to leave out the supplies, or make a big mess, painting! I am SO excited! Firstly, to see her again and secondly - to engage in an activity in which we are both passionate about! The arts!

I am thankful for friends.

Especially when friends come out of the woodwork and remind you that they are there and that you need some friend time!

Friday night was another one of those realization moments!
Derick and I hosted our very first "couples hang night" at our place. It was a lot of fun! We had over three different couples. We talked over some light appetizers and then broke out Battle of the Sexes around 9:30pm and played till 12:30am! It was a blast! The conversation came easily and everyone was involved. It was concluded at the end of the night that we should do them more frequently and maybe switch-off houses and hosts. I hope that it works and we can carry-on this new excitement!

Derick and I are trying to plan out our long weekend coming up this weekend. We have started a list of things that we were thinking of doing. It ended up looking more like a summer "to-do for the house" list than anything! I am also starting to think that planning a trip or a vacation is often more work than the actual going and taking said trip or vacation. I am hoping at the end of the summer - or the start of the fall, I will be able to go and visit my friend Ben, in Texas for a few days! I told him that I would come and visit when he moved down there and that was almost 2 years ago...but it all depends on our money situation and what I am able to do and when. Can't really do anything or go anywhere right now. Soon, hopefully, soon!

Alright, well, I think that is about all of the updating that I can do for now. I just really wanted to get an update up!

-L

Getting to Friday...

Last full day of the week! And boy do I need it this week! Things have been crazy at work (ok, I know I am sounding like a broken record to some of you...but it's true) and the crazier it seems to get - just when you think things cannot get any more nuts!!

One good thing about this time though is the fact that we have moved to our summer hours - so we work about an hour longer a day per Mon-Thurs and then get to leave around 12:30 on Fridays - given that our work is finished and we cannot help out anyone else in the department to get their work done.

Last night while Derick was podcasting, I turned into a baking machine! I made a couple small loaves of banana bread and then a bunch of mini cupcakes which will be frosted tomorrow afternoon.

The banana bread was for tonight - a small group of us get together for themed movie nights - tonight's feature is the Breakfast Club, so we're having breakfast for dinner! Yum!

Then, Friday night, we are having a couples hang out night at our house! A few friends from work and one other couple will be coming over after dinner just to hang out, relax, maybe play some games. I bought battle of the sexes for the occasion and am pretty excited about it!

Let's see what else is new...

Derick and I obtained the first season of Glee and have watched it to see what all of the fuss is about and if we would like it. I think the feeling is mutual that we both enjoy it. Another show that we have to start watching is Parenthood.

Saturday I have to run out to the store and take photos of the fashion show for work. The ladies are pretty entertaining that run it and are involved, and it only usually lasts about an hour. No biggie. Other than that, minimal plans for the weekend. I want to get some bowling in as well as a trip or two to the dog park. I might even break out the bikes and hit the trails. Slowly, of course.


Well, I guess that is about all the new news for the moment!
-L