Thanksgiving

The kids didn't have school on Wednesday, I haven't started work yet, and Eddy was able to so some work at the house, so we left the house and headed to Duluth Wednesday afternoon. The kids were great travelers. The weather was ok, until about an hour and a half away from Duluth, then the snow started. But we made it to Eddy's parents' without incident. It's very strange to be staying at their house!

Eddy's brother and his family came over for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner prepped by my mother in law.

Piper and Madi had a blast playing together. Here they are showing off their pop in Grandma's fancy glasses!


Isaac too!


Mason is such a ham! He has quite the personality.


Grandma was happy to oblige Piper in her request to color and help her practice her writing!


Judi suggested that we bundle up and head down to Bentleyville. I didn't think we'd be able to go this year, so I was happy she suggested it.

We were able to get a quick picture before other people walked by at the entrance.


The line to see Santa wasn't too long.


Piper said she would sit on the step by Santa...


Then convinced her to sit up by Isaac. I didn't have to be in the picture this year!


Look at my cute elves!


Papa, Grandma, and kid snowmen!


The kids have awesome grandparents.


So glad we could tour Bentleyville! It's such a sight to see.

Dinner at the Bar

Isaac and Eddy brought their dinner downstairs to eat at the bar and watch the Giants on TV.








Isaac loved it! I think Eddy enjoyed "boy time" too (as Piper says). We had "girl time" upstairs.

Changing Seasons

We took advantage of a decent weather day on Sunday afternoon and picked up the yard. I had cut down the plants around the house, but ha a few more to do. We don't have any trees in our yard, but a neighbor's tree dumped a bunch in a section of the back yard. So we loaded them up on a tarp and brought them to the curb (one peek of high Wisconsin taxes--leaf collection 😊). Also put a few other things away and I FINALLY figured out the landscape lighting (it's controlled by three timers around the yard).





I was hoping to get Christmas lights up, but we ran out of daylight and it was getting cold.

And then, the next day, we woke up to snow! The kids were excited to play in the backyard after school. So I raked the yard one day and then shoveled the driveway the next!

It's Been A Week...

....that I technically haven't had a job. Being able to hang with Piper in the mornings, bring her to school at noon, have three hours to myself, then pick up both kids after school has been great. Eddy has even come home to dinner coming out of the oven a few times!

That said, the days FLY by. Between wanting to get a run in and do a few errands sans children, the days go by much too quickly. There's also been a sense of "get stuff done", in anticipation of me starting to work full time. I've never had a M-F job. As an RN, I worked 4 days one week and 5 the next. And in grad school I worked A LOT, but the hours were strange and I didn't have kids. I've been SO LUCKY to have been able to start work as an NP at two days a week when Isaac was a baby and now at three days a week. It'll be a transition, that's for sure.

Here are some highlights from the week...

Piper has been on a coloring kick lately. She's been paying attention to details and using lots of colors. And each picture she colors, she knows exactly who she wants to give it to.


One morning after we colored and put some puzzles together, I told Piper I wanted to play the piano. She did NOT want me to play and quite the fit ensued. I decided to play a few songs anyway. She went into her room and it got quiet. Eventually she came out and put a piece of paper on the floor by the piano and went back in her room. When I was done playing, I looked at the paper. I think this is her first "I'm made at you, mom" letter. Pretty sure she's swearing at me.


Piper has been watching Isaac reading books (he's getting so much better!) and wants to try it too. We usually work through a couple of pages before she decides to have me take over


Isaac learned how to blow bubbles! He is so excited about his new talent!!!

Thankful For Family

I am so grateful to have been able to stay at my parents' house after my last day of work. Eddy actually drove the kids there and he continued to drive to Duluth to hunt. It was an exhausting day and it was good to be with my parents (and have their help with the kids).

Unfortunately Piper didn't feel well most of the weekend. But I got some snuggle time from it.


Isaac and Grandpa J played a game of strategy on the iPad.


And with Piper not feeling well, she didn't want her hair brushed (or so Eddy said). This HUGE rats nest took over an hour to brush out. Piper and I had a conversation about this; if this happens again, we're cutting it.








Isaac and Grandpa J spent some time outside on the ATV, bringing up wood to the house.





They brought back a bird's nest in a branch!


The kids modeling their new Red Sox World Series champs shoes my parents got them.


Grandma was AWESOME and made cinnamon ornaments with the kids.








Getting some hugs!


Look how tall Isaac is! And Piper is standing--isn't being held. They are getting so big.


On our way back to Saukville we made a quick stop to meet my Aunt Diane and Uncle Lee. It was a good visit.


The ride back was llloooonnnggg. We've had so many great road trips, we were due for a not-so-good one. Our pit stops didn't coordinate with meal time, kids were antsy, and I had a hard time leaving my patents.

Last Day

We sold the house, moved, and bought a house a month ago. But after a couple of weeks off of work, I had three more weeks of work left at Essentia. I have been able to think about my impending resignation for months, and even more so the past three weeks.

I love my job. Being a nurse practitioner in primary care is what I was meant to do. Knocking on an exam room door and meeting patients is exhilarating. They come in seeking help. And when I can help them, it feels amazing. Whether it's education about how to live a healthier life or figuring out what is wrong and helping sick patients feel better, I love it all. And in primary care, I get to see all ages and stages of life. I see pregnant women, babies, young men, business professionals, stay at home moms, grandmas; "womb to tomb", I say.

And with my current job, I have a blast when I'm outside the exam room. My collaborating physician and I are two peas in a pod. We are sarcastic and tease each other incessantly. And yet, we respect each other and make a great team. Our patients know that together we are here for them. He has taught me a lot, and I think I've even taught him a thing or two. During a prescreening interview for my new job, I was asked what I would take with me from my current job to my new one. Without hesitation, it would be him. He has made work fun. And I learn. All. The. Time.

Then there are the clinical assistants. They can make or break your day. If they are slow in rooming patients or aren't aware of your preferences, it can really slow your day. Fortunately, the women that work with me are wonderful. I have one main clinical assistant and one secondary person. They are intelligent, intuitive, anticipate what I might need, kind, compassionate, and fun to be around.

I will be forever grateful to my boss. She pushed for me to transfer up to Hermantown and helped make a temporary position permanent. In my past position, I didn't feel that my boss was an advocate for me, let alone for the NP profession. My current boss values my opinion, treats me as an equal, and calls me "sassy". I'll take it!

And the patients I see. Some of them make me batty. Some pull on my heart strings. I love listening to their stories. Up until now, I've known I have had a small following of patients. It's the greatest compliment to have them come back to you and/or to send their friends and family to you. I've gradually talked with "my" patients that I would be leaving back when Eddy got the job. But since announcing my last official day three weeks ago and telling patients about it, I've had my ego stroked. I've made people cry, seen frowns, heard "but I really like you", "who am I going to see now?", "but I've finally found someone I like", and "the good ones always leave me". One of my patients even crocheted me an afghan. I know the other wonderful providers at the clinic can easily pick up where I left off, but I feel bad for leaving these patients. It has been an honor to be on their life's journey with them.

Today I was inundated with cards, gifts, hugs, kind words, and a sinfully delicious cake.



Leaving my ID badge and walking out the door was unbelievably difficult. I feel that my time at Hermantown Clinic was cut short. But I left with many more friends than when I came. I hope I can pick up where I left off at my new job. And if I like my new coworkers half as much as the people I've left, I'll be lucky.

Time With Jason

With being in the Cities over the weekend and not having to work until Wednesday, I drove to St. Cloud to see Jason (and Lindsey and Paul!).

I kept Jason home on Monday while Lindsey and Paul worked. We had a great day!

Who needs toys when you have kitchen stuff to get in to?!


He was laughing at me, playing a little game...


....called "see how much I can drop on the floor". And yes, his sippy landed in the dog's water bowl!


He took a great morning nap, which allowed me to get a good run in on the treadmill.


Hey! Let me outta here!


He's my buddy.


I'm so grateful I got to spend some one on one time with him.

Busy Weekend

Eddy had a busy weekend with the kids while I was away on a girls weekend.

Friday evening they made a fire in the fire pit and roasted hot dogs. Eddy said the wind made it tricky to keep the fire going.


Saturday they went to a Concordia football game. They got to watch at the end of one of the end zones.


From there, they went to the ice rink to watch Concordia take on St. Scholastica! The AD gave the kids new tshirts.


It must have been loud--Piper is trying to cover her ears!


Then on Sunday, they went to a neat park nearby. Paul and Lindsey had taken them there earlier this summer.


The park is on the shore of Lake Michigan.


The kids were excited to see another Great Lake. Eddy said that they thought it was cool that Lake Superior shoreline is rocky and Lake Michigan is sandy.





I spent the weekend with two amazing friends. We've been friends since our oldest children were less than a year old. We shopped, talked, drank some beverages, shopped some more, ate...a truly awesome weekend.