we set a new record

On Saturday October 9 Dubuque set a new record for highest temp 85 degrees. The old record was 31 years old. I must say this feat was amzing considering that last year it was snowing and very cold. I remember this well because my brother got married outside. So far the heat is sticking around but not sure for how long. Time will tell I guess in the midwest you can not take any type of weather for granted.

Randy Moss

Oh I am so happy Randy Moss got traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Brett Favre finally has a decent receiver and someone he actually wanted to play with while in Green Bay. The Patriots made a very bad decision in this deal in my opinion. All they got was a 3rd round draft pick. I know there are some who say that Moss lost a step but I for one do not care. I will take a future hall of famer anyday. It will be interesting to see what will happen in 3 1/2 weeks when the Vikings meet up with the Patriots. I foresee Favre and Moss hooking up for Favre's 500th TD pass but probably sooner rather than later. I think I will skip my review of indidivual accomplishments this week and focus on the league as a whole. I am still very disappointed in the effort most of the teams put forth. The officiating is still questionable. QB's are getting releases or replaced left and right. Michael Vick got hurt while I personally detest the guy I do not want to see anyone hurt. He is an amzingly talented QB but the human aspect of him leaves a lot to be desired. I for one will never forgive the guy. On the subject of talented QB's but questionable as a person I get to look forward to the return of Big Ben. I can not respect a person who abuses his/her power. Santonio Holmes is also returning to the field this week. It is NFL bad boys week I think. I question the NFL's ruling of Jared Allen's celebration technique. Please are there not more pressing issues to be addresses. Perhaps the fact that many NFL players continue to find themselves in trouble with the law. Heck maybe even address the violence of the players on/off the field. There are players being murdered, shot, accussed of violent crimes and even killing themselves. On the field this year there has been an increased number of injuries. I do not remember the last time there were so many concussions in only week 4. I hope the NFL will get better in the weeks to come perhaps everyone just assume that there will be a strike next year so why try as hard to put out a good product. I can guarantee one thing that is if the NFL does strike only bad things can happen to this beloved sport. Please learn from MLB and the NHL. 

Madison, WI

So yesterday my mom, 2 sisters, neice Abby, brother and sister-in-law went shopping in Madison. The purpose of this trip was to go to Babies R Us for little Evan. Evan will arrive in the world in Jan 2011. The trip was mostly a success but did not find much of anything for Abby. I did get a lesson in diaper bags. Apparently one should buy an expensive one so it actually lasts. Melissa is on her 3rd for Abby. The day kept going on and on. I should mention I am not a big fan of shopping. A major accomplishment for the fam was that there was no fighting. I got to be funny too. Somehow we were talking about selling a woman's eggs for tons of money. Anyway Ryan mentioned that women can only produce eggs for so long and then menopause starts. Men on the other hand produce sperm all their lives. To which I said yes but with age men can't get it up anymore. The whole car erupted into fits of laughter. Even though it was a long day it was a good time. It is rare when we spend time together to get along so well. Little Abby was the highlight of the day of course. She is such a peanut. So happy and full of life. She even became a little piggy about sharing my food with me.

Football week 3

It appears to me that almost every team in the NFL has digressed this week. The Patriots got another win but almost let the Bills beat them. The Steelers are still undefeated. Please say they won't win the super bowl. The Bears are also undefeated but I will get back to that sad fact later. The Minnesota Vikings won their first game of the season. Unfortunatley for them the win came at the hands of the Lions, who have not won a game in how long. Favre looked better but most of the time he looked horrible. The thing I really want to know is why the sudden increase in fighting. There was nearly a brawl in the Vikings/Lions game. Everytime I watch the Titans played someone is almost getting into it with one of their players. I appreciate the passion boys I really do but let's also use our heads. This drama looks bad for everyone involved and does not set a good example of sportsmanship. The best runner this week to me was Chris Johnson. The best individual run effort goes to Adrian Peterson. The best QB this week I feel was Chad Henne. This guy never gives up and very rarley puts his defense in a bad position. Randy Moss was my best reciever. The best defensive effort goes to Julius Peppers. He factored into so many plays and penalties against Green Bay. The Bear and Packer game. Oh so many things to talk about. Both QB's were the leading rushers on their respective teams. The Bears defense could never really stop the Packers unfortunately the Packers did that themselves with stupid penalties and missed opportunites. The Bears could not do anything on offense. If I am a Bear or a fan I have to send a big thank you out to Mike McCarthy. The man apparently does not learn from his mistakes. Mistake #1 kicking to Hester at the end of the first half. Hester's return set up a Bears TD. Mistake #2 punting to Hester this time he returns it for a TD. Special teams has been a problem for the Packers. So why oh why would you give one of if not the best return men in the game a chance to burn you. I don't care if you have to kick it out-of-bounds, kick it short or deep, hell even an onside kick makes more sense than allowing Heaster to touch the ball. I understand that Heaster has not had any big returns of late but you also have to consider most do not kick to him so he can not have a big return. Rodgers played an amazing game and to have lost it the way the Packers did has to hurt.

not funny or lucky

So of course I did not win a Chris Lambton shirt in Faye's contest. I am not surprised because I am never lucky. I don't win anything. If you want to lose a contest or something similiar be sure that I touch it and you will not win either. So for this contest I did not realize that the winner would be picked by their saying if I would have known this I would of put more thought into it. The saying was suppose to be unique and funny. I know I am not funny but still I could have tried or maybe gotten some help. I know there are people who humor just comes natural I unfortunatley am not one of those people.  I really do try to be funny but it just does not work most of the time.

Presents

The puppies have gotten in this crazy habit of bringing me presents. Let me just say I do not enjoy these presents. Today Lexi and Angel have given me some grass, weeds, and rocks. I guess I should be thankful that they decided against bringing me a toad, a dead bird, or a dead mouse. All of which they have done in the past. I must say the most frequently given gift is dog turds. Yes dog turds. If anyone knows how to break this nasty habit please let me know. Angel also decided that she wanted me to give her something. She went into my purse and stole a dollar bill. She proceeded to chew it up. Thank God all I had was ones.

week 2 NFL review

So week 2 showed very little improvements with almost all teams. The lack of chemistry and mistakes continue. Tons of penalites and turnovers. This week also saw an increase in too many men on the field penalities. Come on how hard is it to count to 11 guys. I must applaud Wade Phillips and the medical team for the Cowboys for not allowing Jason Witten to go back in no matter how much he pleaded that he was fine. Head injuries are serious and need to continue to be dealt with cautiously. There were some more upsets this week as well.The Bears beat the Cowboys, the Jets beat the Patrioits, and the Dolphins beat the Vikings. The Vikings and the Cowboys are now 0-2 not many would have predicted this. The best receiving effort this week goes to Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans.  The best runners this week were Darren McFadden of the Oakland Raiders and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. The best single effort in the backfield came from Tim Hightower of the Arizona Cardinals with an 80 yard run for a TD. The best passer is a hard one this week. How does one choose between two players who both passed for over 400 yards. Matt Schaub of the Texan threw for 497 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT. Donovan McNabb of the Washington Redskins threw for 426 yards with 1 TD and no INTs. The best defensive effort again goes to Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers. He had 3 more sacks, numerous tackles, and all in all an animal out there on defense. The NFL again had a controversial call for a touchdown in the Chicago Bears game. The league needs to address this rule soon. On a disappointing note New York Jets receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested for DWI. He is just stupid in my opinion. He could have made 1 simple phone call and someone would have picked him up and arranged to transport his vehicle. This week Edwards gets the biggest idiot award. On a very sad note the Denver Broncos lost another player to death. Wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Broncos, the NFL, and most importantly to McKinley's family in this sad time.

Crazy weather again

This morning when I woke up it was in the 60's with no humidity. When I went to lunch at noon it was in the upper 70's with tons of humidity. Thankfully this won't last rain coming tomorrow to cool us down again. I am not sure how I survived temps in the 90's.

Abby

My niece Abby was at the house today when I got off work. I am totally enamored with that little girl. She is always so happy. I got to feed her some mixed fruit and her bottle. Although I did learn that I am great at multi-tasking. I knew this already but I fed Abby her bottle as well as feed myself. She just makes everything right in my world. She laughs when you look at her with crazy faces and sticks her tongue out at you all the time. She loves my parents fish pond and all the crazy dogs. She isn't happy unless one of them is in her face. I can't believe the undying amount of love for this child that is not my child. I know if it came down to it I would give up my life for this little angel. I have a little newphew to be born in January. I can't wait.

Safe Haven

Nicholas Sparks new book "Safe Haven" came out today. Of course I went out and bought it right after I got off work.  This book is such a good read. Yes it is a romance story but not your typical one. The story is more about relationships and personal growth. I feel this is one of his best novels. The ease in which the story flows off the page is miraclous. I truely recommend this book to anyone. For those who have dealt with the death of a loved one there is a huge lesson to be learned from this story. Sparks only gets better with each book he pens.

week 1 NFL reveiw

So let's just say week 1 in the NFL was a major disappoinment.  There was very little offense in the games I wateched. A ton of stupid stupid pentalties. Did I mention stupid. A ton of turnovers. Very little scoring off of said turnovers. Missed feild goals, botched calls by the officials, and in all very little effort and heart showed by most players. Brett Favre looked old and to me that is a big disappointment. Most teams looked worse than the local high school team. This says a lot considering our school is only decent about every 10 years; rarely 2 good years in a row as is the case this year. Keep in mind these are a bunch of KIDS who play for the love of the game. I guess once you receive a check for playing and become a pro it means you no long have a passion for the game. You also do not have to show up to play. God forbid you get a hang nail Lord knows that would mean the end of your season. Football players used to be some of the toughest men in the world. I would like somebody to explain to me why this had to change. I believe the biggest shock in week 1 was the Houston Texans not only beating but mainly owning the Indianapols Colts. The NFL needs to look into their ruling of a complete pass for a touchdown as well. This blown call cost the Loins their first win in forever. To me when a receiver jumps up catchs and controls the ball coming down. He places both feet in bounds falls to the ground again touching both feet, thigh, and a hand in bounds. Rolls over places hand with ball in it on the ground losing said ball. That is a touchdown. He rolled over to get up. This is a SECONDARY move. If this stupid rule stays around there will be so many points taken off the board for no reason. This blown play/stupid rule gave the NFL a major black eye. A mark the league does not need right now considering it is looking as though there will be no season next year due to a players strike. I understand that this is only week 1 but I for one was looking for more out of so called professionals. My picks for best QB was Tom Brady (which pains me since I do not like him even a little). Best running back Chris Johnson.
Defensive effort to Clay Matthews. I am not going to pick for the best receiver since I do not feel one player deserves that title this week.

September in the midwest

So today I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the house I own but do not currently reside in and noticed that I did not need to cut my grass. I did it anyway. It had been 3 weeks since I had cut it last. I was expecting a long afternoon. The grass is slowly starting to die. Thank you Lord so much for this little blessing. The local high school football team is again starting the season on a roll. The Warriors are the only 3-0 team in their division. Go big blue. September is a big month for birthdays in the fam. First there was me on the 4th, then Lexi on the 10th. and finally Misty on the 12th. Leaves are changing colors so photography is my big thing right now. I am also loving the cool temps sleeping with the windows open. Oh I almost forgot the best thing about September is the start of the NFL season. GOOOOOOO Packers

Thank God for football

Can I just say that I am totally ready for football to start tonight.  I hope that the Vikings win over the Saints but not holding out too much hope. I am not even a Vikings fan. Please Brett we need some magic that only you can deliver. Hopefully the Saints play a clean game this time around. No more low dirty blows to the knees that would have gotten you ejected had you done it to Manning or Brady. The Iron Man seeks his revenge I hope it is sweet. Perhaps the Vikings will give Brees a beating in return.

Funny things

I thougt I would share some funny things that have happened in my life. I am a klutz. I can and have broken a toe while wearing flip flops. I fell over the fire pit but of course it was all my mom's fault. My older sister and I convinced my younger sister to stick a cheetoo up her nose. By the time we got to the hospital the cheetoo was gone of course and everyone thought my dad was insane. I have no recollection of being a co-conspirator in this though so Melissa really gets the blame. There was the time my brother got his toy helicoptor stuck in the pine tree. I was the tallest kid at the time so I got to stand on mom and dad's shoulders to reach the thing. Before I stood up I asked (about 4 times) if they had which of course they said "yes just get the damn thing". So I stand and yes you can guess I fell face first into the tree. Thankfully during the fall I jarred the helicoptor free. Perhaps the funniest thing or at least the one that still gets the most laughs is when I was maybe 12 the family went camping with my aunt and uncle at Devil's Lake in Wisconsin. We has 2 campsites and I was tired so I went to lay down. My sister Melanie followed for some reason or another. Fast forward a little to me waking up for some reason looking up to see 2 little eyes inches from my face. I am still not sure who was more afraid but both the raccoon and I made a hasty retreat from the tent. I calmly walked over to the other campsite where everyone else was. My parents took one look at me and asked "what is wrong with you". I felt I was hiding my fear fairly well I mean I didn't scream or run or anything. Apparently when your eyes are the size of saucers it's a dead giveaway. I simply stated that I woke up to find a coon inches from my face. My (evil) sister forgot to zip the tent. The coon apparently was looking for a nice warm coozy little place to sleep. I still haven't forgiven her for leaving me to fend off wild animals in my sleep. Here are a couple crazy dog stories for you. My older sister's dog Stryder (now dead) got lose one night. Keep in mind that it is fall so it is cold and wet. It also happens to be dark outside. So off we all go to catch the dumb dog. He had a tendecy to be mean so we needed to catch him quick. I ran out the door in flip flops that we not even mine (too small). My sister and I have him caught at the neighboring apartment building or so we think. The little unmentionable slips past. Off to the next neighbors where of course I slip in the mud with the dumb shoes I am wearing. My mom gets the car while the rest of us run down the street. My dad ends up slipping and falling on the wet pavement. I walk into a tree limb. Finally my sister has him somewhat cornered as I sneak up behind a tree and we have finally got the stupid stubborn beagle. Unfortunately my dad is limping. I am covered in mud on one side. I broke the too small flip flops sliding around in the mud oh and also my face hurts from the tree branch. When I decided to buy a house my dad being a dad was worried that I may need some protection living alone so he mentioned that I should get a guard dog since Sierra would never hurt anyone. I said I would think about it but let it go at that. Shortly after that day Sierra and I were cuddling on the couch before I went to bed.  My dad woke up as he was walking down the steps Sierra flys out from underneath the blanket growling, showing teeth ready to eat my dad. He says her name but still she wants to eat him. Finally I tell Sierra to behave and she calms down. I simply asked dad if he still thought I needed a guard dog. Of course he said no. This next one is perhaps the best one. We were moving our fish tank from the kitchen to the living room when we noticed we had a mouse. We let 2 of the dogs out to find it. So their beagle noses did their job but when faced with the mouse they simply turned and ran the other way. Now if Sierra would have been around at the time let me tell you that mouse would have been history.

crazy weather

It has now rained randomly at 3 different times in the past 24 hours. The sun has been shining and nothing ever appears on the radar. Mother nature just can't seem to make up her mind

The dogs are at it again

So the dogs have decided to cause all sorts of trouble again. Lexi is trying to destroy furniture. I can't seem to break her of this. Lexi and Angel also decided it would be fun to dig 2 massive holes in the dog pen outside. Maybe they believe there is buried treasure out there. Sierra believes some creature has invaded her space and she will not calm down. She goes up one side of the dog pen and then down the other searching for the mysterious invader. She is moving dog houses trying to burrow under the fence and she can not find the elusive creature. Lexi has this obession with rocks. She loves to bring me her collection of rocks that she has found. I guess I can be thankful that her obession is with rocks and not jewelry like Angel. Still waiting to hear if my ring can be fixed. Smokey and Misty just sit in the window waiting to bark at anything that moves. Once those two get started there is no stopping until at least one or more other dog start barking too. We also have a morning dove that believes the dog kennel belongs to it. Since most of the dogs are bird dogs this starts another crazy round of chaos. Smokey is having an identity crisis with this bird for he forgets that he is suppose to be a rabbit/coon dog. In his mind this and any other bird is his prey. Sierra also has small bouts of identity issues she points fish. Yes I said fish. We have a 125 gallon fish tank and she gets obessed with certain fish. She will stand there pointing her fish for hours at a time if we would let her. All for now

Maureen

How I pick my sports teams

I pick my sports teams based on a certain player. With hockey it was Steve Yzerman in Detriot. He has since retired and now is the general manager of hockey for the Tampa Bay Lighting. My love of the wings continues though. My current favorite player is Henrik Zetterberg. My love of the Green Bay Packers actually started because of my dad being from Wisconsin but let me tell you Brett Favre cemented my love of the Packers. When Brett retired the first time I was hurt by the front office handling of the situation. I still love the Packers but I also cheer for Favre. I am torn when the Vikings play the Packers. I am happy with whatever the outcome. As for baseball I have swithced teams more than once. I was originally a Braves fan because of Chipper Jones. I lost interest in baseball which continues til this day. Two years ago when my grandmother was dying I got back into baseball for her and started liking the Brewers. Our favorite player was J.J. Hardy. Well the Brewers demoted him and grandma passed away. I watched the world series that year and I grew to like the Phillies because of Chase Utley. I picked Chase partly because of his name if I ever am blessed to have a little boy I would like to name him Chase. I also picked Chase because of his love and support of animals mainly dogs. Chase and his wife Jen have a charity called Utley's all-star animals. Since I am a huge lover of animals and have 3 dogs of my own it made since to fall in love Chase as a person as well as a player. I do not follow basketball at all anymore. The NBA has changed too much since the Bulls run in the 90s.  I feel that NBA players are cocky, oveerrated babies who are more violent than hockey and football players put together. In 2000 when my brother converted me to a NASCAR fan I picked his driver Jeff Gordon for awhile but with more knowledge of the sport I decided that I really liked Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was close to my age and I could relate to stuff he was going through. He seemed real and approachable. He has an amazing amount of talent and charisma. I do not care if he wins another race much less a championship to me he will always be the best driver/person in NASCAR. I still like Jeff Gordon to this day I know many do not understand how you can like both Gordon and Earnhardt but I do. Besides if the two of them are friends why can't their fans like them both.

Maureen

The Hard Stuff

Of course not everything in life can be wonderful so I decided to share my story of death. My maternal grandmother died the year before I was born so I never knew her but my other grandparents had a major role in my life. Most people do not understand what an absolute privledge it is taking care of a dying loved one.  Most people ask why would you want to much less feel obligated or responsible for someone else. My story starts in 2000. My maternal grandfather had the first of many strokes. My family and I lived with him so naturally his care fell upon us. My 2 sisters were away from home at the time so the bulk of his care was my mom's, brother's and mine. My dad was around but found it difficult to aid in his care. The thing with my grandpa is that he also was diabetic and on dialysis. He ended up losing some fine moter skills and control on his left side. As time passed he grew upset with his life and limitations. He took his anger out on those closest to him. I can honestly say that hearing you were bound for jail or would amount to nothing was difficult for me to hear. I was only 18. We continued on for 2 years before things got really bad. He had to have surgery and some complications arose. He needed to have his leg amptutated. He did not want to make the decision so he asked my mom and I. Of course we told him it was his decision to make. The thursday following surgery he again asked for my advice about a feeding tube. I simply told him that if he wanted to come home he needed the tube. If he wanted to stop fighting that was ok too. That day he could only have 2 people in his room at a time; one of those people he said always had to be me. He passed away on saturday while we were on our way to see him. for me at the age of 20 to lose the man you lived with for 17 years was very hard. We had a get together at our house after burying him and 2 deer appeared at 2 pm in a spot where you do not normally see them. To those of us close to him we knew it was a sign that he was with grandma in peace now. If only this was the end of my story. my paternal grandfather developed alheimzers diesease. he ended up in a nursing home. There was never a day that passed that he did not have a visitor. I would take my dog Sierra and together we would visit my grandpa and other patients. He remembered me longer than most people but sure enough the day finally came where he gave me the blank look that said who are you. that was one of the worst days of my life. During this time I developed this unique ability to detach myself (not sure if blessing or curse). I could calm him and others around him. say for instance we were getting ready to leave he would cry and beg to come with us. I would send everyone away and get to calm enough to go to sleep. He battled the disease but it finally put him in a coma. the family gathered round never leaving him alone that final week. the staff was very impressed by my family's devotion. We simply camped out most days. On the day he passed on my dad and I stayed behind while everyone else took a break. I was the first person to tell him it was ok to let go. He needed to pave the way for us in the next world. of course being stubborn he watied until later when everyone came back to pass. I was proudly standing by his bed next to him as he took his last breath. Two months after my grandpa died we found out my grandma had cancer. The doctors said even with chemo she would have maybe 6 months. The chemo ended making her to sick so she stopped taking it. She hung on longer than the doctors thought we got over a full year with her. As the end neared the family was again gathered. We all took turns staying with her. I was present for her last words. She slipped into a coma and passed away the next day in may of 2009. She told me so many stories at the end of her life. I will cherish those times forever. At her funeral mass I got up and told the story of "My Inspiration" a story I wrote about my grandma and effect on my life. I was blessed to have experienced these life changing events with those I loved and lost. In april of this year i found a band called the Canadian Tenors. They have 2 very special songs on their album that have touched me so deeply. These songs helped me heal but also inspire me to celebrate the lives of those lost. I want to share these songs with you. I hope they help and touch you as they have me. The songs are called "Watching over Me" and "Remember Me". You can listen to them on youtube, itunes. I hope hearing my story helped you in some way. 


Maureen

P.S.

On a side note if you ever get the opportunity pet therapy is an extremely rewarding experince. Sierra and I did some nursing home work, helping educate kids on animals and the responsibilities of pet owner, as well as a reading program where kids can read and interact with dogs. No formal therapy training was neccessary with sierra. She is just a people dog and well behaved but there is formal training if you would like to go that route.

Day 1 blogging

So I decided to create a daily blog of my thoughts and experiences living in the midwest and with multiple dogs. I am a single 29 year old female with 2 sisters and a brother. So my story starts with the fact that even though I own my home I am currently staying with my parents so I do not have to pay so much in gas traveling back and forth to work. While I love living with my parents they have 5 dogs add to that the fact that I have 3 and my younger sister has 1. Chaos runs rampant in this household. The dogs this week have been fairly well behaved. Angel (dad's german short-haired pointer GSP) decided it would be fun to try and eat my ring. Said ring now looks like a figure 8 and won't fit on my finger. The jeweler is trying to fix it we'll see how that goes. All the dogs seem to enjoy eating the stuffing out of the recliner. They have also dug up the yard uncovering electical wiring. Since the dogs have been good I can now tell you about the joys of living in the midwest. The biggest perk or curse is the dramatic change in temperature from onr day to the next. This week for example we went from having 80 degree temps with high humidity to highs in the 60's with no humidity and wind. The low last night was 47. It was only September 3. We experience 4 changing seasons winter harsh and cold, spring mild and rainy, summer very hot and fall mild for the most part.Let's see what else we do not have to worry too much about natural disasters the occassional torando and flooding but other than that we are good. The scenery is amazing but for the most part fairly flat with a great many fields of corn and soy beans. I think that is all for this first try.

Maureen