Susan's Here!

These past few weeks have been fun and busy. My 21 year-old stepdaughter, Susan, is staying with us for most of December, and we just got done meeting and spending five days with her fiance-- Jeremiah (Jay) Johnston.

As you can imagine, all the excitement has kept me from blogging lately... but there are so many good pictures to share-! I'm going to hurry up and post a few before Christmas comes and I fall hopelessly behind.

This was Jay's first trip to Wisconsin... and my first chance to meet him.


We had heard about Jay last Christmas... when he was still "just" Susan's boyfriend. We suspected it was serious, because we'd never really heard about one of Susan's boyfriends before.

Then Jon met Jay a few months ago, when he drove out to West Virginia for an impromptu visit with Susan and David. It was at that time we learned that Susan and Jay are engaged.

Still, the kids and I hadn't met him yet. So there was a lot of excitement when we heard he'd be with Susan during her Christmas visit this year.

And we weren't disappointed. We found Jay funny, friendly, and interesting. He seemed comfortable with the kids and very honest and open.

Above, Jon and Jay finish the winter chicken coop.

Besides the fact that he and Susan obviously love and respect each other, it was nice to see that they also seem to bring out good qualities in one another. Susan was like she always is-- except perhaps more confident and determined than I have seen before. She has found a supportive partner with many of her same values. And she is planning the rest of her life.

We're happy for her.

I must admit that one year-old Leila wasn't sure what to make of Jay, at first. She's going through a definite shy phase right now, so the first night that SCARY Jay was here she hardly lifted her face up off the floor, to look at him.

Leila may be cautious at first, but if you work at it you can win her over... and that's what Jay did. He smiled and talked and read her books. He was a big friendly teddy bear in a baseball cap. And by Day 2 Leila and "JJ" were best friends.

Here are Susan and Jay spending time with our horse, Macy.

Jay stayed with us five days, then flew back to West Virginia because of his work obligations. Since Susan has a chunk of time off from school, she will stay with us through Christmas.

We've gotten to do some fun things with Susan. Leila enjoyed getting pulled around the yard on a sled while the rest of us piled firewood.

We've been baking cookies all month, but for some reason the cookie jars don't stay full...

I made a special "J" cookie for Susan, but she's so sentimental she won't go ahead and eat it.


Jonathan's been over a few times to visit with Susan. One night the two of them went out in Eau Claire, then stayed overnight at Jonathan's (he's living in the basement apartment of our old house in Eau Claire).

It was a lot of fun watching Jonathan and Susan interact with their younger brother and sisters. Now we just need David here-!

We've had a couple of visits with the grandparents. Mom and Dad came by for a visit on Jay's second day here. After they left we loaded up our two vehicles and drove to Cornell, so Jay could meet Bud and Jane.

A couple of days ago we picked up Grandma Jane and brought her to Colfax, so she could accompany us to the kids' Christmas concert at school. This was a big event for both kids, but Michael in particular was excited because it was his first time playing the bassoon with his band.

Both kids did great.

Can you spot a beaming Emma at right? She's wearing a pink shirt with a short white lace sweater.

Michael was a little annoyed with me for getting close enough to take this photo, but in my defense the concert hadn't started yet.

Susan brought Guitar Hero with her, so we've been having fun with that. Turns out I'm an incredibly talented guitar player.

Really.

Well, that's enough pictures for now. I'll try and post more next week. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Lots to be Thankful For

Last weekend the kids and I went to Madison for an early Thanksgiving meal at my sister Laurie's house.

Since it was also the opening weekend of deer season, Jon stayed behind to hunt. We were thinking about him, though. Here's Jon in paper cut-out form, surrounded by the Braggy ladies of his life...

It was quite the gathering. All of my brothers, including the one who lives in Arkansas, were there with their families and/or loved ones. And Mom and Dad, along with Mark's parents Judy and Van, were there to preside over it all.

We tried to do the meal potluck-style, but of course most of the food prep and clean-up responsibilities fell to Laurie and Mark. They did a great job making everyone feel welcome (and full) that weekend.

Of course, one favorite holiday past-time is kid-watching. It is always fun watching the "cousins" reconnect with one another. Mikey and Kenny played lots of board games together, and Emma and Beth did art projects.

Leila and Stephen spent time hanging out on Laurie and Mark's carpeted stairway. Leila is now able to climb up and down stairs with relative safety.

Leila and Stephen liked opening and closing the doors of Mingo and Lily's dog kennels, as well as petting the dogs. Both are very gentle and well-behaved (the dogs, I mean... not the kids).


A few attempts were made to pet Laurie and Mark's cats, Miss Fanny and Mr. Britches, but those attempts were usually met with hissing and low growls.

Little Miss Leila was a bit of a beast herself... she looked for mischief (and usually found it). One fascinating thing about Aunt Lulu's house is the bubbling cat water dishes, that resemble little fountains and are very fun to splash in. Laurie's car keys and electronic door lock made a satisfying little splash, at one point... I was happy to hear later that the door lock eventually dried out and now works again.

It was warm outside that weekend, and brother Bob had brought along a football, so the younger folks were able to head outside and toss a football around before the Packer game (and meal). It was a lot of fun-- both for the players and the watchers.

It was good to finally meet Bob's girlfriend, Deb. She brought along some delicious pumpkin and cream cheese rolls-- definitely a hit.

Bob brought along his sing-star, so everyone had a chance to unleash their inner karaoke beast.

Good times.

I have to admit the Packer game was exciting... and I'm about as sorry an excuse for a football fan as you can come up with. Still, when you watch a game with true fans (like Jim), it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement.

As for the meal... delicious! Mark's roasting of the turkey was masterfull, and all the old stand-bys of Thanksgiving were present but kicked up a notch... mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, pie. You name it, we had it.

At the end of the night, when everyone was well-fed and starting to think about where best to have their post-turkey nap (aka food coma), we all went around the room and said what we are thankful for.

Dad perhaps summed it up best in saying that just being together under one roof with so many loved ones is in itself an overwhelming and wonderful thing.

We all came up with different declarations of gratitude. But I think all shared a simple appreciation for the affection and camaraderie present that night. Just the simple loving acceptance of one another that seemed in the air.

Sure, there was teasing. And noise. And disorder.

There were even car keys in the cat water.

But there was a general feeling of good fortune...

And now I'm going to interrupt myself here. I'm getting philosophical again, and I still have two more pictures to post (and not much time to do it!).

On Thanksgiving day itself, here in Colfax, we had a second holiday meal with just the kids and a few neighbors.

Jonathan wasn't with us because he was in West Virginia with Susan and David (meeting Jay)However, the "big kids" seemed with us in spirit... or at least in carrots. Susan called us several times that day to get tips on how to make my "world-famous" candied carrots. I was pleased they like them enough to try to make them on their own for a holiday meal. And pleased to see Susan cooking for a holiday celebration on her own like that... she's growing up, ya know.

Anyway, the day after Thanksgiving my neighbors Candy and Johnne came over (they're sisters) to show me how to make home-made noodles. Emma was an active participant in the lesson. We were able to use some of that left-over turkey in a wonderful soup with those home-made noodles and some added veggies.

Then yesterday we went to Bud and Jane's to celebrate the kids' birthdays (Emma's was a few weeks ago, and Mikey's is coming up soon).

There were TWO birthday cakes waiting for us. Pretty nice, huh?

Well, I better get going. Sorry this week's blog is a bit of a rushed job, but this is the time of year when there's so much to do and not enough time to do it!

Hope all are well! Love, Lisa

Uh Oh... David Got Me Thinking About Anime

Yesterday was my stepson David's 19th birthday, so let's ALL wish him the best-- are ya ready?--"Happy Birthday, David!"

David smiles, at left, with little brother Logan.

It's hard to believe, but I've been in David's life seventeen years now. In the picture below, David was hardly older than Leila is today. Where does the time go??

Though Jon visited David in October (he lives in West Virginia), it's been a full year since Michael, Emma, Leila and I have seen David. As you can imagine, we're very excited about Christmas.

I credit these tech-saavy stepkids of mine with introducing us to all kinds of interesting new electronic devices... and even some cultural phenomena.

When we bought our first computer, it was Susan who helped us order it (and then hooked it up for us). Through Susan and David we learned about Facebook, YouTube, iPods, and those fancy-flip cell phones with internet and cameras.

We have them to thank for our Play Station and my brief Crash Bandicoot "phase" a few years ago (similarly, Jon had his Tiger Woods "phase").

We had a blast playing Guitar Hero AND HOPE THEY BRING IT WITH THEM WHEN THEY VISIT US AT CHRISTMAS (hint hint).

They showed us text messaging on the phone and instant messaging on the computer. I still think those two are mostly silly time-wasters, but as for Facebook... well. Facebook has become as much a part of my morning routine as a good cup of coffee.

I also give David single-handed credit for turning me into an aspiring anime fan. I wasn't real impressed by anime at first... when he was younger, David's anime cartoon of choice was Dragon Ball Z (did I spell that right?), and it struck me as... well. Clearly it's geared toward a younger and primarily male audience. Lots of martial arts-style fighting and action/adventure plots. Not the best animation, either-- lots of strange quivering close-ups of characters' faces--but still some very memorable scenes.

But. More recently he had us watch some of the classic anime movies-- and I'm hooked. The best (in my opinion) is Howl's Moving Castle, but Spirited Away, Princess Monoke, and Castle in the Sky are also excellent.

First of all, the animation in these movies takes your breath away. Clouds move and change and undulate with color. You see the wind blow, through the motion and play of light on grass and leaves. There are all kinds of amazing mechanical and organic creatures and structures.

And these are real movies, dealing with big philosophical themes. What does it mean to grow old? What is our relationship with the spirit world? With our planet? What is a hero... and who can be a hero? How do we fit into society? What's good and what's bad and what just is? There's so much there to feed your brain. They're the kind of movies you want to think about-- and talk about-- long after you watch them.

Part of the fascination, of course, is their strangeness. Because these cartoons originate in Japan, the cultural norms and cast characters are very different from what we Americans are used to. You don't realize how many cliches and repetitive character-types are used in Disney and other American movies until they are suddenly absent when you view a movie from another country. Things are dealt with in different ways... the focus changes. The unexpected happens.

Anyway, just a few of the things that come to mind when remembering David. Happy Birthday and see you soon, David!

Jonathan All Dressed Up (and Skating Party)

Here's my oldest stepson, Jonathan, dressed up and ridin' in style-- in back of a stretch limosine.

These are pictures from October, when Jonathan was a groomsman for his childhood friend Nate Tonnancour.

It's not often we get to see Jonathan so dapper-- I mean, there's a flower in his lapel-- so I thought I'd post a few pictures from the wedding for all of us to enjoy.


Jon and I were invited too, but unfortunately couldn't make it. However, thanks to the social networking site Facebook I was able to find a ton of informal images from the wedding. These are snapshots taken by another member of the wedding party.


Interestingly, my brother John and his partner Jim actually met this wedding couple-- Nate and Helen-- years ago, while visiting Eau Claire.

We had a babysitter that night and the four of us went to Water Street. While out, we ran into Jonathan and a group of his friends at the Joynt (I think it was just a lucky coincidence). Nate and Helen were among the friends.

Anyway, Nate and Helen were were very fun to be with. They even ended up coming to Scooters with us (long after we were ditched by Jonathan).

I remember liking Helen and thinking, "Now, Jonathan should meet a nice girl like that." (Inserting a few obnoxious comments here, just to see if he ever actually reads this blog...).

At right is Jonathan's cousin Arik Schroeder, who was part of the wedding party.

More recently, Emma had her skating "party" in Eau Claire. I took her and two neighbor girls to the roller rink.

The girls had a good time, but it definitely wasn't very crowded there. There were maybe six other kids there the whole night.

On the bright side, there was plenty of room to skate, the concession lines were short, and all of our musical requests were played right away.

Emma had another basketball tournament this weekend, this time in Colfax.

The weather's been GREAT here-- a classic Indian summer. It was 65 degrees on Saturday. The whole weekend was blue skies and sunshine; it was actually a pleasure to do yardwork.

We raked and finished cleaning out the flower beds. Jon did more work on the winter chicken coop.

Sunday Mom and Dad came by for a visit. While Jon and Dad suffered through the Packer game, Mom, Emma, and I took a walk outside, around our loop. I hadn't been in the woods since last week's windy days, so was surprised to see how many large branches and even trees had fallen down to block parts of the trail.

Don't go for a walk on a windy day around here!

Emma enjoyed showing Mom her trail ("Emma Road") and her room. Like me, she enjoys re-arranging her furniture and decorating.

I'll close with a picture taken by the entry to our house... and an anecdote about Leila.

The other night we were reading her a book. It involved counting, and at one point I said "one." Emma said "two". We both looked at Leila, waiting for her to repeat back "two."

She said "three!"

Yup. She's a genius.

My Brown-Eyed Girl Turns Nine

It's hard to believe, but today my daughter Emma is nine years old.

Where does the time go?

We celebrated her birthday this morning in true Rhinelander-Bragg style, by waking her up to "Happy Birthday" as we turned the lights on. She was sleepy-eyed but beaming as she sat up in her pajamas. She opened her presents right there in bed.

She'll be getting her big gift later this week, when Jon comes home. He's taking her roller blade-shopping.

For the past three years she's made due with adjustable roller blades I'd picked up at a lucky thrift sale. But I don't think we can justify her squeezing her feet into those old skates another year.

She'll be able to wear the new roller blades Friday night, when we take her and three friends skating at the roller rink in Eau Claire.

Of course, as it does every year, Emma's birthday follows the fun chaos of Halloween weekend.


Friday afternoon Jon, Leila, and I went to the kids' school and watched their Halloween parade. The elementary-age kids all put on their costumes and march around the school building, down the halls and in and out of classrooms.

Emma was a "bat-erina" (a mix between a bat and a ballerina).

Michael had originally wanted to be Hercule Poirot, but changed his mind after seeing this quirky "Woopie Cushion" costume at Walmart. I do believe his was the only woopie cushion costume at school (imagine that).

Leila's costume was simple (and didn't cost us a penny). She had inherited a little Minnie Mouse hoodie from "big" cousin Brook, so we just had her wear that (adding a nose and whiskers to her little face with a black marker). Very serviceable and cute as a button.

Halloween day was a busy one for us. Before trick-or-treating, Emma had her first basketball tournament. Her team played games against teams from three neighboring communities, including Menomonie and Chippewa Falls.

The girls did very well. They scored lots of baskets, including one that Emma made. She's the second tallest girl on her team and (surprise, surprise) very agressive in her attempts to steal the ball from other players. She has at least four more of these tournaments in November and December. Susan should be able to see her play when she comes for a visit (and if this weekend was any indication, those should be very fun games to watch).

Unfortunately, the tournament had a negative effect on Leila's napping schedule. By the time we were home and the older kids had changed into costumes for trick-or-treating, Leila's crankiness had us deciding that her and I should maybe stay home rather than come along.

So Jon took the kids out for trick-or-treating in Colfax, and after a few hours they came home with big bags of candy.

Over the weekend we had lots of wind, so most of the leaves around here have fallen. There are still a number of oaks with their rusty brown leaves, but other than that the trees look pretty skeletal.

We've started raking and cleaning up the flower beds and garden.

Well, Happy November! We're looking forward to seeing everyone at Laurie's house, later this month!