Oktoberfest!

For two weekends, and a couple days in between, I celebrated in La Crosse's Oktoberfest- with lots of beer and live music! The first night of festing, I made the mistake of bringing some vodka with me....forgetting about that extra kick it can give you, long after you stop drinking it!! After a bike ride home that lasted much longer than needed, I decided beer was good enough for me for the rest of the festivities! My favorite was definitely the Jim Busta polka band- but the other bands were a lot of fun as well. I have never participated in a real Oktoberfest before, but it was definitely a lot of fun!


This little 2 year old is going to be a future polka star....
The festmaster!
The last night of festivities.....




Yep, we closed it down the last night...
While waiting for a certain person that uses the bathroom a lot, I noticed the festmaster and the whole "royal family" outside the tent. I took a picture of them, and was called over by the festmaster to get a picture with them...I also got an "honorary festmaster" button =)

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

A couple weeks ago I took both my morning and afternoon classes on a field trip to "Grandpa's Garden". With 18 kids in the morning and 16 in the afternoon, it was a full day. The kids each got to pick out their own pumpkin, and the next few days we used them in class to measure how many pumpkins long we were, weighed our pumpkins, and used them in our dramatic play center to sell. We had used the week before to talk about how pumpkins grew, and the different parts of the plant, so the kids were pretty excited to go.
With 4 classes going in the morning, the people running the patch came up with some different activities for the kids to do while the kids waited for their turn on the hayride around the farm (definitely the favorite part!). Here is one of the kids trying out the "balloon lunch"....a giant sling for water balloons...none of the kids got very close to the actual target....but some got closer than others =)






The hayride!!!
Here, "Grandpa" showed us a Native American carving tool that he found on his land....most likely used for scraping skins.

Having our snack....here is one of the little girls with her little sister. Some parents came with for the trip, and a few brought younger siblings along,.

Pumpkin pictures to color...one of the things they had there for kids to do.

Overall, this was a pretty tiring day, but the kids had a lot of fun, and I did too! It was nice that at the patch they talked about how the pumpkins grew, reinforcing what we had been learning that week.
As a school, West Salem does not really celebrate Halloween, so I haven't been doing a lot of Halloween stuff with my kids- but they are pretty excited about it- so we have been doing a lot with pumpkins, spiders and monsters, and the kids have been talking a lot about what they are going to be. I have to admit I am pretty disappointed that I am not in a village, and I won't get to see my kids in their Halloween costumes this year!....one disadvantage to being in a larger community.

Kayaking with Mom

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted anything, and as I have the day off, I figured it was about time I get something on here! =) I have had internet for about a month now, thankfully! I don't know how many times I called my landlords trying to figure something out, and had left at least two letters for them and nothing happened- I never even got a call back. Seeing as I had no time off during the day to go talk to them, I just got frustrated and was looking into getting internet from a different provider. I even tried one out, but they didn't work here as they were blocked by the bluffs. Aaron then wrote them a letter on my behalf and a few days later I had internet...he said the letter was "cordial", but I wonder. It seemed to work though...and I didn't write it, so I don't feel any guilt. I can finally keep up on my bills and get more stuff done! You don't realize how nice the internet is to have until you don't have it....I didn't even realize how much I use it just to get some quick facts.
Anyways- here are some pictures from last week when I went kayaking with Mom- who finally got a kayak of her own- a Current Designs Kestrel- 14 foot. She met up with me here in La Crosse after school, and we headed out to Green Island to try it out and explore. I hadn't been in my kayak in a few weeks, and was anxious to get out and see how the river had changed. We picked the perfect day- as it was almost 65 degrees when we launched...it was quite a bit cooler when we came back, but still a pretty good evening! I wish I could get out more in the fall- unfortunately this is my busiest time of year for work- and I am still trying to figure a lot of things out from moving and my accident =( The weather hasn't exactly been the most cooperative either.....
I have been trying to get out running at night- which I have actually really been enjoying. I like the cooler weather for running, and the stars, and the fact that there is really nobody out at that time. It is more peaceful. It has also helped to calm my nerves and help me sleep...which has been something of an issue for me the last month or so....mostly I just get really frustrated with myself, as it is my head that keeps me awake- and seems like it should be something I should be able to control.
I am settling into La Crosse pretty well though, and I really like my new job! The first month was pretty frustrating and tiring, but I think I am finally starting to figure things out, and so are the kids- things have been going a lot smoother, and I really do have a great group of kids to work with. Hopefully I will start being less busy at times when I am supposed to be done with work and will find more time to just have a life now. I am hoping to find time to make more friends around here, which I think I really need. I have a ton of friends in Winona- but by the time I go and hang out there at night and drive back to La Crosse, I don't have much time to be in Winona- and want to visit my family when I am there too....I really need some more friends that are local, so I can have people to just hang out with in the evenings and do stuff with. I went to a meeting for the Sierra Club this wek- which was really interesting, and I really enjoyed, but I was disappointed that there was nobody near my age involved- they were almost all 50 or older. I think I will stay involved with this group though- as I think they are working towards some wonderful things.
Well, here are some pictures from our paddling trip....I didn't have my camera unfortunately- so these were taken with the camera on my phone! Technology is getting easier! ha ha!

Technology sucks when it doesn't work!

I have been without internet for about 2 months now....so that is my excuse! For some reason I just can't seem to get it figured out. At first I thought my landlords might possibly call me back with a reason why my "free internet" has no signal....ha ha ha! Plan #2- get my own....but when you are starting a new job and seldom get home before 4:30 or later, there isn't much time during business hours to get your life organized! Someday soon, I may possibly have a chance to update everybody about what I have been doing all summer....until then....tough luck. When I do get internet I need to do things like pay my bills. Sometimes it sucks being a grownup.

Canoeing with Christopher and Sarah on Tucker L.

Every year, my family heads up to the Gunflint Trail for a family reunion.....it started the year my Grandma turned 80 and we took her up there for a surprise trip for her birthday, and it was so much fun we have continued this every year. This year we headed up July 18th....between my Mom and Step-Dad's cabin, my aunt and uncle's cabin, and one rented from Loon Lake Lodge, all 27 of us had a place to stay this year, though we tended to converge at our cabin, which made for one crazy, loud and fun get together!! As an added bonus, my aunt and uncle from Idaho, and cousin from New Jersey, whom we don't see very often were able to make it out and join us this year =)!! I have many pictures from this trip, but here are just a few from when I went canoeing with my brother and Sarah around 8:30 at night...my favorite time onthe water!
Passing my two cousins, Jenny and Adam
We headed back to where we kept the vehicles, to pick up another 12 pack of Black Label...to those that don't know- the best beer!


Again, have I mentioned that I love being on the water during this time of the day?!!

Strawberry Jam!

At 8:30 this morning Heather and Christopher and I headed out to pick strawberries!!! We picked 4 gallons, and even with my gimpy hip, and picking right behind everyone else on the same row, I still picked faster =) I was glad for the help though- I don't think I would have had the stamina to get that many berries on my own!
As we were leaving I was wondering if I had gotten enough berries.....

35 jars of jam later, I realize I had gotten plenty! Heather came over to grandma Bublitz's with me, and we spent most of the day working on berries. I even mashed some up into a syrup with lots of chunks to put over pancakes later. I thought about mashing up some more, but Heather quite emphatically told me I was "done". I guess I got a little carried away with strawberries =) But, people will be eating my jam all winter long, and I even have some berries left to make some pies tomorrow! We finally finished up around 5 and then I left to eat my yummy supper of refried beans and sour cream...about the most consistent food I can eat right now on my liquid diet- as it requires no chewing. I thought about taking a nap then, but Christopher was cleaning the house so I joined him, and soon started in on the yard. So much for "taking it easy"...I barely sat down all day! I feel much better for it though I think!

surgery

The normal side of my face....
And the other.....
Apparently when only one side of your face is swollen, your mouth goes lopsided....
I think I can get these.....it really doesn't look bad- just bruised and swollen a bit. The incision was only about 2 1/2 inches long.
Well, I had my bone graft surgery on Thursday already! The doctor took some bone out of my hip and put it into my jaw in three different places. The surgery was originally going to take 3 hours, with one hour of recovery and then I was told I could leave....but then they were only going to graft bone into two spots. It ended up taking an extra 2 hours and they had to pull out a few more bone fragments....one of them I knew was there, as it had been working its way out and was sitting partly out of my gum line, the other part they must have found while they were doing the graft. There is an 80% chance that the graft will take, and then I will be able to get my teeth implants in 4-6 months, once I am healed up. I am looking forward to having a normal mouth again =) They wanted me to spend the night at the hospital, but I talked them into letting me check out that same day. I am back on a liquid diet for another week and a half, and no alcohol at the moment because of my antibiotics I am on.....I take 4 different medications right now- kind of a pain to remember, but I was supposed to be on a steroid too- I just chose not to take them- they were sort of optional. Overall, I am feeling really good, considering. I am "taking it easy" as advised, but I haven't let it stop me from doing everything- I still manage to make my days productive, and I can walk fine. I am on day 4 of recovery and feel tons better than yesterday- if I feel this much improved tomorrow I will be doing everything again in no time! I had what they call a "Stryker pain Pump" in my side for the first two days- with a tube that pumped numbing stuff into my hip. After two days there was nothing left in there, and as I had left Duluth, I got permission from the doctor to pull the tube out myself rather than drive back up. It was an odd feeling pulling a 6 inch tube out of your hip, but it suprisingly did not hurt. I am now debating if I can pull out the stitches in my hip this Thursday and avoid yet another doctor's visit...I pulled some out of my lip after my first trip to the hospital....that wasn't bad. The ones they pulled out of my chin were more imbedded and hard even for the nurse to get though, so I am wondering what these ones are going to be like. I think I have decided to try and make an appointment for Thursday morning tomorrow and if I don't get it, I will do it myself. I can't do it earlier and don't want to wait around for something like that....fourth of July weekend- I will be off! =)