Change of Scenery...

So, I changed our blog background to help me grasp the reality that Christmas is just around the corner. I have not pulled out any decorations...we don't even have our tree up...and I have not spent a dime shopping. I know these are all of the "superficial" things of the season...but so far this year I have found that these things do help me to recognize that there is something significant about the season; therefore the "superficial" helps me to pause throughout the day to reflect on the real meanings of Christmas. So, I need to start somewhere with bringing in the holidays...so I changed my blog background. (Weak...I know!)

And...here's the kicker (in case you are still reading this boring post)....I still don't really have anything I feel like posting about!!! At least the page is pretty.

A few life updates:

• I moved back home (Milwaukee home)! I finished my internship in Rhinelander and after seven months I moved back home with my hubby. School is officially complete. I will graduate on the 18th of this month.

• I'm looking for a job.

• We have changed wards. Since we moved into our home two years ago we have been outside of the City Branch boundaries. We hung on at the branch to finish out a seminary year, to be able attend church with family, and because we loved the branch! However, during the past year between Kaleb's traveling to and from Connecticut and his months of training in Chicago and my seven month out-of-town internship we have been going to church in Connecticut, Chicago, and Rhinelander. It was a rare Sunday that either Kaleb or I were attending the Milwaukee Branch! So rare in fact that just last month Kaleb was asked to introduce himself in Sunday School as a visitor!!! Anyway...since we have had such a disruption in routine and service in the branch we have decided to attend church within our assigned boundaries. The Lake Michigan ward building is just around the corner from our house! It is brand new for us, we miss the feel of the branch, but we look forward to getting to know our new ward and being able to serve now that we are settled back into "normal" life!

I'll end the post with a picture...that's only fair after the bore! While Kaleb was visiting me during the internship in Rhinelander he was able to take in our nephew Jack's student of the week presentation for Kindergarten. It happened months ago...but it is too cute not to share!

Grandpa Rogers(from Milwaukee), Uncle Kaleb, Grandma Rogers, Katie, Andy, Grandma Lindner (my mom),

My brother Andy and Katie's kids: Lucy, Jack, Cassidy

Quite the Fan Club for the little Jack-a-doo!!!

Long post about nothing and everything...

I really have NOTHING that I feel inspired to blog about. However, I have been staying with my mom in the hospital this week and have had a lot of time to catch up on my friends in the blogging world. I start feeling pretty guilty when I am "blog stalking" and have nothing new posted on my page! So...here is a little of nothing from our world!

• Kaleb is still holding down the fort in Milwaukee. He is working in Kenosha and staying busy with long hours and a long commute. He never complains about the long hours, drive, or being without his wife the past few months. I think he is still really enjoying his work at CarMax and he comes up to visit me when he can. I miss him and appreciate him so much!

• I am still living in Rhinelander with my parents (about four hours from our home in Milwaukee) finishing up my internship at the day treatment center. I am VERY happy to say that out of 600 hours I only have 18 hours left!!! I should finish up the internship by the end of next week and will soon thereafter have a Master's degree in Counseling.

• A few weeks after starting my internship my mom was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma in her leg. Since I have been living back home with her she has endured five weeks of radiation, a major surgery to remove the tumor, a minor surgery to insert a mediport, and has just begun inpatient chemotherapy. She is admitted to a hospital M-F to recieve 7 chemo treatments of two chemo agents. We are on day four of the first week. She will go into the hospital every three weeks for 4-6 rounds of treatment. She has been doing well this week. Wiped out...but well! It will be a long road but we have a great deal of faith in a postitive prognosis.

• I am in the process of looking for work back in the Milwaukee area. This has proven to be an "interesting" (such a positive word!) process. After recieving a masters degree, I need to complete 3000 hours (two years of full time work) of clinical therapy that is supervised and a board exam in order to recieve a license. Unfortunately, most jobs as a therapist require you to have a license...classic catch 22! There are very few opportunities to find a paying job that will allow me to practice therapy under the license of a supervisor to help me gain 3000 hours to get a license. So, if anyone out there knows of a therapist or clinic that offers supervision to their masters level employers (emphasis on employer...meaning paid at some level) PLEASE let me know. So, that search is on! In the mean time it has been a blessing to be at my parent's home to help out with mom's treatment. I have the flexbility to come stay at the hospital with her during week long treatment and provide a small measure of support. Basically I am the jobless/childless one who has time (I don't mean that to sound cold...just true...and I have found it to be a blessing.) My husband, our budget, and to a degreee my sanity need me back in Milwaukee and home in the near future. But all things have a way of working out for the best. We will see what the next few months hold.

• For those who wonder...and are polite about not asking...we do not have children yet...but hope to soon. We did look at adoption and went through that process for awhile. We may revisit it in the future. We had a successful pregnancy last year but lost the baby during a Christmas miscarriage. It was very tough...but we are hopeful that pregnancy is a possibility! No news yet...but we are hopeful to be parents someday. For now, we couldn't be happier loving our 7 nieces and three nephews (all in Wisconsin and close by except for one nephew who we miss a ton!!!)

• This summer two of my siblings and their families moved back to the Rhinelander area near my parents. Now all of the siblings (except for a brother at BYU-I and one on a mission) are settled back in the northwoods of Wisconsin. I have enjoyed being in the area with them and their families. It will be strange when I actually move back home to Milwaukee and am away from them all.

• Well, this has gotten long and boring. No pictures either! My camera is not with me in the hospital...mom would not have appreciated the thought of a camera nearby!!! I will steal a few pictures from my sister-in-law's blog to wet your appetite for a future post that I need to get done with my most recent pictures. The Lindner side of our family spent a fantastic week together with Dad, Mom, and six of the seven siblings and their families gathered under one gigantic roof! We missed Alex (who is serving a mission), but got a few of his friends Breanne and Tony to come stay in his stead! We stayed for a week in Presque Isle, Wisconsin in a beautiful lake home (thanks Kolts family). The home fit our family of 20 with room to spare. It was heaven.

The water trampoline. The water was chilly and we would swim out, sit on the trampoline and get really warm. After getting dry and warm it was torture to jump back in to swim to shore!

Jake's nice "swan dive" out towards the trampoline!

LOL...ummm well...these two pictures are of the spanking machine. This was the penalty if you were caught with the Catch Phrase buzzer in your hand. Adult game night after kids were in bed lasted for hours and was hilarious. The stories are endless....

Here are 4 of the 7 neices. Ella, Cassidy, Lucy, and Meela. Uncle Kaleb found the girls PINK icecream cones! It kindof looks like we deprived Meela of a cone. She did have one...she just ate it really quickly!!!

A little basketball after a rain storm.

I will have to get some more pictures of the vacation posted to record the awesome memories.

So there is a taste of our life the past month.

We are pluggin' along.

Hope that you and yours are happy and healthy!

Guided by Jake

My brother Jake finally got me to go out fishing with he and our friend Tony. I really do enjoy it...just haven't had it as a priority this summer (or really ever). But Jake can be convincing! Thanks to the sacrifice of "the guide" I landed this one on Mill Lake. Very fun night!

Corn on the Cob

Love it. Had some of the best grilled corn on the cob a few weeks ago at the Pioneer Picnic. I enjoyed a few bites and then my little gremlin of a niece climbed on my lap and enjoyed the rest of it! Corn on the cob is a joy of Summer...but little Cassidy is even better.

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives

Food network has a fun show called Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The host finds great local spots with the best food at reasonable prices. While spending time in Milwaukee the past few weeks Kaleb and I decided to look up the spots in Milwaukee that this show has featured. We had some great food and we highly recommend them to our friends in Milwaukee!

The two pictures above are of Cempazuchi on Brady Street in downtown Milwaukee. Wonderful Mexican food at really really reasonable prices. Kaleb enjoyed a Cubana (a pulled pork sandwich) and I had the perch fish tacos. The cilantro/lime slaw was amazing and the roasted peanut salsa was a favorite of ours as well. Definitely will frequent this place in the future!


This is Comet Cafe. This cafe is in a trendy little part of town on Farwell Street. This bar/coffee shop/cafe had some of the most interesting menu items. They featured a lot of vegan food (we tried a vegan coconut-lime cupcake that was incredible) and they also feature a lot of comfort food. They cook with mostly locally grown produce and local grass-fed beef. Prices were reasonable...around $10 a plate. We tried two of the specialties featured on the DDD show.

Awe...he is so cute! And this meatloaf sandwich was to die for. Homemade rye bread, a huge slice of bacon wrapped meatloaf, homemade garlic mashed potato, a few strips of bacon, a beer gravy, and topped with sauteed onion and tomato (notice those Kaleb picked off and put on the side!) This picture doesn't do it justice...it was impressive.


We also both dug into this cheesy bowl of goodness. Mac and Cheese with peas and ham. Now this is comfort food at its finest. I can't wait to go back and try some other menu items. They featured some pretty good looking sandwiches and some other really creative menu items. Looking forward to returning! If you live in Milwaukee...check them out. If you don't, I would recommend looking up the DDD show and searching for places that have been featured in your area! Happy Dining!

Home

"What a happy and holy fashion it is

that those who love one another
should rest on the same pillow."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne


(Well, technically for me not THE SAME pillow...
I need about three around me at night!
But you get the drift!)

I am half way through my two week time back at home with Kaleb. I need to be at home. The last month of my internship is going to be difficult...but I look forward to September when I will be moved back home permanently again.

Sometimes it aggravates me that I need Kaleb so much and am so dependent upon him. But I am...and I hope that I return the favor once in a while.

Kaleb can be tough to read sometimes...but for those of you who know him well you cannot help but recognize his innate sense of compassion. I deal with chronic pain in several forms. Last night it was at its peak again...and I was feeling a sense of guilt (I know it was irrational guilt) over bringing my burdens to Kaleb and having my physical difficulties affect his life.

He just hugs, wipes tears, and brings home these:

Okay...well I can't get the pics to upload. They were bad cell phone pics anyway, but they would have shown a beautiful boquet of flowers, some super dark chocolate, and THE MOST FANTASTIC GIFT: Tiger Balm Muscle Rub. Ahhhhhhhhh. Perfect. :)

Safe, secure, taken care of, loved....thank you, Kaleb.

Random Bullet Points of News....

I have been absentee. Understood. It may continue! But for now...I will post a few bullet points of what's been going on in our little family:

• Kaleb received a management position in Kenosha, WI. So, no move to Connecticut! Our house was not selling...and this just works for the best! The commute to Kenosha is a bit of a killer for Kaleb (about an hour each way in good traffic) ...but we are fortunate to have a position in Wisconsin.

• I have not been living at home since April! I took an internship position at a day-treatment program in my parent's hometown of Rhinelander back in April. I have moved back into my parent's basement! :) Kaleb and I see each on an occasional weekend...and it is getting a little old. I only have 200 more hours of internship to go. I will likely be moved back home (to Milwaukee) and will graduate at the end of August. Initially, the move to Rhinelander for internship seemed odd...but after being here for about a week we learned of my mom's sarcoma (cancer) diagnosis. I am grateful to have been home during this challenging time. Mom has completed radiation, has surgery scheduled, and will have chemotherapy after surgery. It is going to be a LONG year...but the prognosis is good!

• We had to give our dog, Bruiser, to a new home. With Kaleb's commute, my absence, and the likelihood that our schedules this fall will be very hectic...we had to find Bruiser a new home where someone could spend more time with him. He has been adopted by a lovely Grandpa who spends every minute of every day with him! Bruise is in his glory...but we sure miss him. Kaleb...the real animal lover of the family...has had a pretty tough time with this change.

So there it is. I felt a need to get the basics out there so that future posts make sense!

It sounds a little depressing when I read it back...but really we are in a good place! Kaleb is progressing at work, I am almost finished with schooling, the internship has given me invaluable experience, and it has been a blessing to spend time with my parents.

I am looking forward to graduation, a move back home with my hubby, and a sense of normalcy in routine come the end of August! I'll keep you posted...(well, maybe...no promises)!

Swagger Wagon...

For all of you who now have a mini-van, secretly sing its praises daily, and once swore that no matter how many kids you would have, how old you would get, or how many soccer tournaments you had to drive too...you would NEVER become that mini-van mom...


You need to check this out! Pretty funny! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7coJ0mc09Q


I'm not there yet...no reason to be...have in the past sworn I would NEVER get there...but after a few nephew/niece weekends...I'm a believer!

Someday I'm certain that I too will will roll in a swagger wagon....

Smooch...

"Kissing is a means

of getting two people so close together

that they can't see anything wrong with each other."

Random Gadget for my insomniatic pleasure...

You will notice off to the side of our blog that we have a new fish tank.

I miss our old fish. His name was Jihad (RIP) but I have not had the desire to get a new fish.
We aren't home often enough to feed one, and lets be honest,
cleaning out the tank is a pain in the rear!

So for now...this gadget made me laugh. Click your mouse on the "fish tank"
and the fish swim for the food.
Really, really, really, lame...I know...you don't have to comment about it.

However, it has amused me for the evening during a spurt of insomnia!

We LOVE Idaho

Kaleb's "brother" (best friend) Lance was married this past weekend in the Twin Falls temple. We were fortunate to attend the ceremony and to visit family in

Idaho over the course of a few days.

For those of you who know me it should be of no shock to you that I forgot my camera!!!
Imagine that! Here are a few pictures courtesy of mom...possibly more to come as other
family and friends email pictures to me. (hint-hint)

Here we are at the hotel before the ceremony. Me...with my eyes closed...Kaleb looking tired after the "bachelor party" the night before!

Kaleb performing his best man duties...helping Lance put on cuff links.

Lance...looking like a stud (well maybe a nervous stud) as he heads out for the temple!

Back at the hotel between the ceremony and dinner. I think I was either being
entertained by Kendon or laughing at Kaleb snoring at this point!

The receiving line for Lance and Amber.
It was beautiful...but the concept of a receiving line confounds me!

Amber and Lance enjoying the "cake in the face" tradition.

Grandpa Dennis and Kendon both look so excited to be at the party, don't they? :)

Aliah and Kendon posing at the reception. We were finally able to spend some
great time getting to know our nephew Kendon;
and for me, building an even greater friendship with THE BEST sister-in-law! We had fun.

We were sorry to have missed Will on this trip...but if he had been there,

I don't think we would have this cute picture of Kendon with a flower in his hair!

After the wedding we were able to spend some time at Aunt Sherry's house in Burley.
Our trip to her place at Christmas was cut way too short
and it was so nice to be able to spend some time with her.

After Burley, we headed back to Boise to hit up a "distant relative reunion" of sorts!

(Follow me here...) Kaleb's Grandpa Lees' brother and his wife
were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

We stopped by their party and met many relatives,

some that Kaleb has not seen since he was "knee high to a grasshopper".

Here are a few pictures.

Again...I hope to get a few more as my "camera responsible" relatives email them to me! :)

Aunt Tammie (Debbie's sister), Grandma Lees, and Aliah

Back of Macus' head (Debbie's second cousin), Aliah, Me, and Kaleb.

We were visiting with Mike (Debbie's cousin) who just missed being in the picture.

It was kind of interesting meeting these relatives Kaleb hadn't seen since childhood
and many we will likely never see again.

Family ties are so interesting to me. We were relatively a bunch of strangers...but we so enjoyed being able to get to know one another and create connections with each another!

Here is a picture of Grandma Lees and her daughters Lynn and Tammie.
I will have to get the shot that includes Kaleb's mom, Debbie!!
I'm sure there will be more pictures to come as I gather them from my "reliable sources".
They may not be interesting to some...but I like to have a record of these events!

The weekend was really enjoyable as we connected with friends and family.
We wish we could spend more time with our "Idaho Family"
but cherish the opportunities we do have to strengthen our family relationships
and build our friendships.

Again, we want to congratulate Lance and Amber on their temple sealing.
The occasion brought so many people such joy!
Thank you for including us.

This is the Twin Falls Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Lance and Amber's sealing (wedding) took place at this beautiful site.
To learn more about why they choose this site for their wedding click here.
This link can answer questions about why we were SO excited to be a part of this wedding
and the creation of this new family,
as well as why we love to spend time with our families any chance that we can get!
Congrats Lance and Amber!
We love you!

New Background...No new news!

So, I changed my background to say Happy Easter to everyone...but I really have not had a great urge to post much on the blog lately! Oh well....here is a bit of an update:

I am currently staying up in Rhinelander with my parents while I complete an internship. I had a great opportunity to do some work with a local day-treatment program. I am getting A LOT of experience, no pay, but great experience and credits towards the goal of graduation by the end of summer.

Kaleb has still been traveling quite a bit for work, but is hoping to be based out of Milwaukee again soon. We are fortunate that they are keeping him in a "floating" management position until they find a permanant home for him. Our move to Connecticut is on hold due to difficulties with the real estate market. We still have our house on the market and will be able to move for the company if/when we sell. (Not a promising prospect in this market.)

For now, we are comfortable with the arrangement! It is not the best living in two different towns...but we are both accomplishing a lot towards our goals and will make it work!

Comfort...

Once in a while I need a reminder of things that are obvious...because life hits and I forget.

I attend a Lutheran Graduate School and there are often spiritual messages brought up in classes, posted on the website, or mentioned in an email.

I have been attending a course for the past 8 weeks...sitting in the same classroom for 4 hours each class period. However, it wasn't until tonight, the last night of class, that I looked up at a poster on the wall that said:

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future
to a known God."

Simple, profound, true, and so often forgotten as I worry about the unknowns of life.
My answer is to continue to get to know my God.
I'm fortunate...because I have the tools to do just that.

Click here to learn more about what I sometimes forget in the moment, but always believe.

The requested picture...

Not sure you can really see much of my hair in this one...but it is all I have on my phone at the moment. Can you tell that I was in the process of saying...
"Why are you taking this picture right now....grrrr" :)

Sorry I've been absent from posting lately. There is a lot going on...but nothing that I have figured out in my own mind enough to feel comfortable posting to the world.

That is my reality right now.

Lets just leave it at "no news is good news".
Will that work?

I lost 10 pounds today!

Okay, okay, so it feels like I lost ten pounds today!

I spent an hour or so at Beauty Salon with Shelby and got a hair cut.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I didn't lose ten pounds in actual hair. My total amount of hair would be measured in mere ounces...not even close to pounds.

But doesn't a new haircut make you feel 10 pounds lighter?
It does for me!

If anyone wants to see a FANTASTIC stylist, her name is Shelby Dorn and she works at Beauty Salon near the corner of Brady and Farwell here in Milwaukee.

I have some $10.00 off coupons for her service as well. She is very reasonable and works with all hair styles/colors. My hair is super short...but I love how she works with my fine/thin hair to make it easy to do every day. However, ignore my hair and trust me that I have seen her other work and she is great Beauty is a very professional setting and it will make your day! Check them out at http://www.beautymilwaukee.com/

Let me know if you want a coupon!

PS I'm NOT going to post a pic of my hair here now because since I got the cut this afternoon I have had my nephew and nieces, ages 5,3, and 1 all evening and my hair is a wreck now! LOL

There is clean...and then there is CLEAN...

I am a fan of many Clorox "ready clean" products. They are handy, they smell great, they are quick and convenient, and you throw things away after using them to clean! Fantastic!

However, I have realized that as much as I don't like the smell and my knees don't like the pressure...there is nothing like some Pine-sol and scrubbing with a rag on my hands and knees to REALLY get the job done right.

I've finished a top to bottom clean of our condo with the great hope that the inspection and appraisal are successful. Fingers crossed...prayers sent forth...we'll hope for the best!

New Year's Eve in Rhinelander

After our trip to Idaho, we made a quick over night trip up north to see the

Lindner side of the family for a Christmas/New Year celebration.

The white elephant gift exchange is always a highlight of the day's celebration.
This year the Snuggie stole the show!

It started with Jake opening his own gift to show off the Snuggie...

Mom stole the Snuggie the first chance she got...

And Steve ended up with the joy of the Snuggie...his face tells it all...

The night included a lot of laughs, too much food, a few good movies,
and some incredible talent on guitar hero.
( I got some awesome video of guitar hero.
I won't post it publicly for the sake of my family's reputation!)

Christmas in McCall Idaho

We were very fortunate to be able to spend a week over the Christmas holiday with the Widmier side of the family. Kaleb's sister, Aliah, and her husband, Will, hosted the entire family at their new home in McCall, Idaho.

(Dad, Will, Kaleb-hiding in back-, Aliah holding Kendon, Abby, Grandpa Lees, Grandma Lees, Mom, Kyle, Autumn, Indica, and Eli)

It is a rare occasion to have entire family gathered together in one location
and we loved every minute of it.

Thanks Gpa and Gma Lees for coming to spend some time Christmas night!

Will, Aliah, and Kendon. Thanks for hosting us!

Kyall, his girlfriend, Autumn, and her two children, Indica and Eli
drove over 14 hours from California to spend the holidays!

This is my favorite picture of Kaleb and his siblings. Hope we can get together again soon!!!

PS: Because of unforseen circumstance...I didn't have the camera out during the first portion of our Idaho vacation. I wish I had pictures to document the time...but we want to thank Aunt Sherry and Sis for putting us for a night in Burley. It was good to visit with Aunt Sherry and her support has always meant a great deal to us. Also...BIG NEWS...we were able to meet Amber, Lance's FIANCE'! Congratulations to you both! Lance has been Kaleb's long time best friend...and I consider him the same. Thank you for adjusting plans to take some time to visit with us! We love Amber...and can't wait for the wedding!!!

Posts to follow...

I received a new camera for Christmas and have few pics to post and blog about. However, I'm still trying to figure out the new program and the new camera.

Technical Difficulty

Posts to Follow