"Where does the day go?"

A famous question posed by my mom on a regular basis growing up.

As I sit down, that is what I ask myself.

I

• met a friend for coffee at McD's this morning
• dropped off my mom's laundry
• picked up & prepared fruit for Mallory's class Going Away Party for their student teacher, Ms. Markgraaf
• dropped it off at school
• went to work
• stepped in as Service Advisor for the afternoon so that Dan & Mark could catch up on some fishing up in DePere (poor guys were going through withdrawl, I could just tell)
• got the kids from school, ran to the bank and to US Cellular
• back to the shop to close up and prepare for tomorrow
• ran to Johnson Creek to grab some deals on clothes for Christian (found a couple steals for myself as well on the clearance rack!)

back home and indulging in some wine I picked up today while Dan and I were renewing our Fishing Licenses!

Tonight was one of the first times in I can't remember how long that I went somewhere without a child, husband, or friend. It was a nice time and I discovered that I really like being with myself!

I am excited to have finally set some plans for Easter.

• We will have brunch on Saturday with my dad out to eat.
• Dan's Mom, Dad, and my Grandma Vitense will be joining us for brunch at our house on Easter after we go to church
• Hopefully we will be able to see my mom Sunday night for a little while.

I am feeling bad for not getting to church today, Maundy Thursday. It really should be a priority in our lives.

Today, the day of April Fools, is our friend Schtevie Litscher's birthday! It's really Steve, but I've got my own nickname for him! I was hoping to get to Madison to hang out with him tonight, but he's got a meeting in the morning, so maybe we can catch up with him this weekend.

One last note for the day: I completely blew it with Christian last night. As much as I looked forward to today being the Friday of the short school week, I seemed to have forgotten the fact that Christian has a lot of things due on Friday that I just totally forgot about. Poor guy let me have it after school.

I think I need a checklist for my checklists.

I am looking forward to tomorrow when we can get the kid's rooms all picked up, spring cleaned, and ready to finish off the school year. Mine too!

There's no looking back...

It has certainly been awhile since my last blog entry.

My first approach was to try to catch up with everything I missed out on.

Well, today is a new day and I've discovered that it was stifling me to think that I had all that to do before I could move forward. So today I say,

There's no looking back.

They were great memories and I just didn't leave myself enough reflection time in between.
Here's my other thought for the day. The Blog is called Topel Family and it really ends up being a lot about me, my thoughts, feelings, etc. I have gotten caught up in trying to always have something profound to say or blog about, but going forward, there will be a change. I will do my best to reflect on family issues, events, etc., but I can't promise a literary piece of writing to go along with it.
While visiting my Grandma Schroedl and Aunt Rose last week, I discovered a book of letters that were compiled by my Aunt and her Cousin. It was letters that were written between my Great Uncle Henry who died in World War II and his family and friends.

It opened my eyes to so much.
We really have lost the art of writing and communicating with one another in a way that would be preserved for future generations. The poems he wrote and the way that I got to know him through reading the words he composed...I just don't know that we have that anymore.

Is storing all of this electronically really the best thing for history in the future?

I asked my Grandma when she had time to write so much (her home was filled with boxes of poems, journaling, letters, etc. from over the years). She told me at night. This woman raised 5 children, 2 of them twins, worked on the family farm, worked outside of the home when necessary, no microwave, no washing machine when the children were young, no boxed meals, she walked most places she could. I really could go on and on.

Yet she made the time to reflect.

Let it be a lesson to me. She, my mentor.
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This Topel family is in it's last quarter of school already. We are preparing to celebrate Jesus' resurrection on Sunday as we reflect on those humbling days that lead to Calvary's cross.

Dan and I will be heading to Baltimore next week for training at ATI (Automotive Training Institute).
Mallory just finished YMCA volleyball with me as her coach, is loving school, and still working on her dance in Fort. Her recital will be May 23rd in Whitewater. Already at 10, she is blossoming into a beautiful young lady that although sometimes she forgets she is talking to her parents and not a friend, has a solid foundation and a gentle heart. She has so much she wants to get done, yet looks forward to her "just chill" time as well. This past weekend, we got out the scrapbooking supplies and she's been going to town. At school, she just completed her Social Studies Family History project. Very educational and gave us all a chance to take a step back into time.

Christian is attending school daily with just a few adjustments to his day that accommodate the Sensory Processing Disorder. He has adjusted amazingly well to his school setting and his friends there. He looks forward to going to his OT appointments with Mindy usually every other week. He has been hanging out with a neighborhood friend, Jake when he can. We've been riding bike downtown and around every chance we get. Of course, he still loves playing his video games on his ds in his down time. He just completed Diary of a Wimpy Kid , actually, two of the four books currently out. We look forward to a rainy day off to go see the movie.

Our house has seen it's cleaner days and the Jeep looks like we're living out of it, but we've become accustomed to the fact that when life happens, neatness doesn't always follow. It's not unhealthy, just a little scattered out right now. Then we'll have days like this weekend, when we can slow down the pace, pick up the pieces and prepare for our next adventures!

June...check!

So that was most of our excitement in June. We took a lot of time to just get caught up on some of the "over-living" that we commonly do.
-Some sleeping in
-Boating
-Fishing
-Mother-Daughter Banquet
-Mallory started band lessons playing the bells and snare drum
-Heather & Trinity came over to play
-Went to a movie
-Cook out for Father's Day

It looks like more than it was considering I was able to be home with the kids and not working so much at the shop. My work load did increase a bit after we got a letter of resignation from Shelli early June. We were sad to see her go, but at the same time, we knew it wasn't for her long-term. Just glad to have her for the time we did and wish her the best of everything in life spending her days doing what she truly loves! (She began daycare in her home)

Dan has been plugging away at the shop in the Service Advisor role. Being behind a desk all day is not his cup of tea and he'll be the first to admit it. He does a fine job though and until we find that right person, it is what is best for the family right now. I probably don't tell him often enough how blessed we are to have him sacrificing for us. Home is really where I need to be right now and the payoffs will be countless.

So June came and went...with lots of enjoyable days. Nothing too stressful or overwhelming. A great way to start the summer indeed!

Another Town and Country Day Parade in the history books...

Hook 'em up, Buddy!
We had Kayla Indra help us out and was she ever the trooper!! I figured she'd need a break before we got to all the commotion downtown...ha!! Shows what I know. She plugged right along and did awesome! We didn't get a shot of the Fair Residence bubble blower, but the Watertown Daily Times did and that made it's own little history! Nice work, Drew. THAT was amazing!The worker-bee girls! Christian gave moral support in the cab of the truck as Kyle drove the rigs. Dan walked along and supervised! Great team effort.

We went downtown on some rides, got Kayla some MUCH deserved Cotton Candy and then got her home. Wish we had more time, but hopefully we will get to have her over again soon.

A Whole Lotta Catching Up to do!!

Anybody seen a tow truck around here?

Silly girl, we're at the Chula Vista in Wisconsin Dells...why would there be a tow truck here?

A fancy place like this? Why oh why would there be any TOW TRUCKS?

Because they are cool...Like US!

Are there any IN the indoor waterpark?

How about OUT the window of the waterpark?
...but wait...what is this? Where are all those lights coming from so late at night? It's 10:00...past our bedtime...
Look! Mallory found a tow truck to hang out on ...it's a booming great time...

at the Wisconsin Tow Show!! People laugh sometimes when I tell them that there is a Towing Convention, but there is. It is a lot of fun and we have really learned to enjoy all of the many events they have going on as well as hanging out at the out and indoor waterparks.

I'm going all the way back to June here and it's already August, so I'll keep it short and sweet and prepare to move onto the next adventure of our 2009 Summer Extraordinaire!

Marley

Movie night for the Topel Family turned into acquiring a new apprecation for our four-legged family member! We watched Marley & Me (which wasn't quite as family appropriate as I thought it would be...but that's okay...Mallory first heard about sex in First Grade, it's only right that Christian does, too!). We knew the outcome, but put ourselves through the ending anyway!

It makes us think of all the special little pups in our lives...both still with us and those who have moved on. We all went to bed with a new appreciation for the time we have with our furry friends!

It was a Grand Visit!

Q (Question): Who can take a friend winning a quarter-barrel of beer celebration at 8:30 on a Friday night into an all day fishing trip within two days?

A (Answer): DAN!!

It started out as a text from Lynnell about Brian winning a 1/4 barrel for his birthday and next thing you know we're packing up to go up to the Green Lake area. Mallory, Christian, and I went to my brother, Tim & Jerzy's permanent camp sight at Grand Valley in Kingston. We hung out...

played...

and gave moral support to Tim as he took on a new project in the camper-house!
He had some assistance from Jerry, Jerzy's dad and several other handy neighbors from the campground. He took out one queen bed and put in two twin beds...quite a project!
The kids stayed overnight with them and we...well, we ended up paying for our spontaneity by getting back to the campground after the gate was put down and slept in a truck in Kingston! Ohhh it brings back memories...of weighstation stays on our way home from the racetrack! Needless to say...Saturday was a bit of a bust for us, but we had a blast while we were there and did I mention we got to the Amish Bakery in time for donuts, peach pie, and cinnamon bread? ...happiness is!!