Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for old friends
Woo hoo…U2!
U2 opened the U.S. leg of their 360° tour in Chicago last night, and my dear friend Amy Mad. and I were there! It was a warm Spring Break night in Florida when I got the text from Amy saying, “I just got us tix for U2 at Soldier Field on Sept. 12!” That seems like such a long time ago now, but the concert was definitely worth the wait.
The evening started with an early dinner of stuffed pizza (something I truly miss the most about the suburbs) with two more great friends Carrie and Rachel. The four of us used to get together all the time before we all had kids and crazy, busy lives. Now our time together is much more rare, but still really great.
After dinner Amy and I headed into the city. The drive was awesome because we atually had a chance to talk without heaing, “Mommy!” constantly. Then we hit the traffic. Ugh…we were still a long way out when the interstate became a parking lot. But, we kept our spirits up…this was going to be great! Then we tried to find parking. Man, the traffic in the city was twice as bad as it was on the interstate!!
We ended up parking in the garage of the building of a friend of Amy’s after a short little drive on the sidewalk, thank you very much. No, I’m serious. There was so much traffic on the street that we just drove on the sidewalk at one point to get from one driveway to another that was only about 50 feet away. It was great.
Anyway, we then set off on foot to Soldier Field. I was a tiny bit stressed because at this point it was already after 7:00, which was the concert starting time. I knew that U2 wouldn’t go on until much, much later, but still…I always get a little stressed if I think I’m going to be late. We were parked about a mile from Soldier Field I think, and there was a huge crowd all walking that way. There was a definite excitement in the air, and Amy and I were stoked.
We entered the stadium, and were awestruck. The stage was so unbelievably cool. I had seen pictures of it in the Trib that morning, but nothing prepared me to see it in real life. We started up the steps to our seats…fully aware that we were in the nosebleed section, but truly having no idea of the workout we’d endure getting there. 102 steps later we hit row 34…four rows from the top. 
Seriously, I got a little queasy every time I turned around going up. Those seats were way up in the air. Once the show started, though, it just didn’t matter. Bono, the Edge, Adam and my beloved Larry were outstanding, as usual. The sad thing was our seats were so high that we were above the speakers. The sound was not as good as it could be, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment too much. The light show was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The stage changed constantly, and each time it got more visually interesting than it was before.
The band played most of the classics that everyone wanted to hear. Of course they got political, dedicating a song to the president of Burma who has been under house arrest ever since she was elected several years ago. But they were so entertaining. I truly think I would never get tired of seeing that band. Let’s hope they never get tired of recording and touring!
Euchre, euchre, euchre
Today we had a Euchre tournament. Well, we didn’t “have” the tournament…we played Euchre in a continuation of a tournament that has been going on for approximately 22 years. Please let me explain.
In 1987, my high school friend Patty and I were freshmen at U of I. Her sister Irene, also a good friend of mine from high school, was a senior there. Irene’s friend Mark was a first year law student at U of I, too. We got together one night to paly some Euchre. It was simple fun…we drank, we ate, we listened to good music, and we laughed a lot. Somehow, after that, we came up with the idea to keep a running score. Once we would get to one level, we would just create at new one, and the Euchre Tournament was born. Mark started keeping score on a notepad in 1992, which was way after we started, so we’re not really sure of the exact history before that date. But since then, he has documented when and where we played, and has kept a running score. At some point Mark and Irene’s friend Jeannine took Patty’s place, and this is the current group who periodically gets together for a day filled with the same fun. The system basically goes like this: you must win 2 out of 3 games to win a match. You must win 11 out of 21 matches to win a mega-point. Today started with us behind 7 matches to 10. Jeannine and I had a great streak, but Mark and Irene finally won that last match and got themselves a mega-point. Right now, after 16 years, the score is five mega-points to three.
It’s so outrageous that it’s incredibly fun for us still.
It’s been awhile…
I know that it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. This has been one crazy week, and I just haven’t taken the time to sit down and organize my thoughts. But now it’s Saturday, and I finally have found some time to relax and write. I want to share one of the reasons I haven’t been here most of the week.
In December, I went to a baby shower for Katie. She now goes by Kate, but to me, she will always be Katie. She’s the daughter of Mary, one of my dearest friends from Earlville. Mary is truly one of the most kind-hearted genuine people I know, and Katie is certainly an apple who hasn’t fallen far from her tree. Anyway, Katie was talking about the nursery, and mentioned that she wanted a few paintings for the room. I immediately jumped at the chance to paint them. Not only was it something I would love to do for a friend, I thought it would be good for me to paint again. Katie seemed excited to have me do this, and we made arrangements to get the supplies.
Of course, I got the canvases, paint and the window valance (for the design inspiration) in February, and I did very little in the way of painting. Once May hit, I knew that I absolutely had to get those paintings done. I mean, Katie’s little guy Keaton arrived just before New Year’s, and if I waited much longer, he’d be out of his nursery before it was complete! So I told myself that this was the week. I was going to work on these paintings every night until they were done. And that’s what I did…4 out of the 5 nights this week after the kids were down I sat myself down and painted.
Boy, have I missed creating art. Most of the nights, I reluctantly cleaned everything up only because I was so tired that I had to quit. I can’t paint all night like I used to! 
I only hope that Katie and Mary like the finished paintings. I’m happy with them, but in true perfectionist fashion, I see a lot of little flaws and imperfections that could be much better. Of course Dave thinks I’m nuts, and keeps telling me they look great. It’s just that I want them to love them, and to not regret their decision…especially since Katie had to wait so long to get them!!
Here are pictures of the finished paintings. Of course they don’t photograph very well, and the actual paintings look much better than this, but at least you’re getting an idea of what I’ve been working on.
This is the 24 x 36″ canvas. It’s really quite similar to the valance. Keaton’s room is painted the green color at the bottom, and his nursery furniture is a rich, dark brown. 
The bedding for his crib has much of the same pattern with the grass and plants. It’s really a very sophisticated and beautiful room. The other two paintings are little 8 x 10″ canvases. 
I’m not sure if Katie’s going to put them all together as a group or if they will all be in different places, but I’m hoping that either option will work for her.
Thanks, Katie, for the opportunity to paint these for Keaton’s room. I truly hope you like them, and I hope you can forgive me for taking so long!
Random things
On Facebook, there’s a popular tag game going on where you list 25 random things about yourself. The idea, obviously, is to let your Facebook friends know more about you. I thought maybe some of you non-Facebookers could be interested in these, too.
1. I never thought I’d be living the life I am as a wife and mother. It’s a pleasant surprise.
2. I truly feel like I married my best friend, but there are times I wish that we’d waited a bit longer to have kids so we could have done more as a couple before the responsibility of parenthood came along.
3. My kids inspire, frustrate, teach, entertain, and surprise me every day and I value them as the most important thing in my life.
4. I love being a teacher and I really feel that I’ve changed some of my students’ lives, although I miss having close relationships with my students like I did when I was in the classroom.
5. I currently have 5 close friends named Amy, 3 of them being an “Amy M.” and 2 of them being an “Amy S.” To top it off, 3 of them are named Amy Jo!
6. I’ve always wanted to be able to play the piano. I am completely jealous and impressed by someone who can sit down and make beautiful piano music.
7. I know that I am way too emotional, yet I have a very difficult time controlling and hiding my emotions.
8. My extended family is full of wonderful people, connected by blood and marriage. I feel extremely lucky having grown up with my cousins so close that we were like siblings.
9. As a child I was always afraid that we were lost, and I learned how to navigate and read maps very well because of this fear.
10. I’ve always hated having a “boy name” so I made sure that my kids’ names were gender specific.
11. I love my minivan, and I’m not afraid to admit it! It makes me feel like a grownup.
12. I feel like my spiritual life was changed forever by the death of my grandpa when I was 12.
13. I feel truly blessed to have grown up in such a tiny town in farm country, even though I know there were things I missed out on because of it.
14. I don’t think I have a single secret that absolutely nobody knows. I love that feeling, because it tells me that I have wonderful, dear old friends who will never judge me.
15. I am loyal to a fault, but once I’ve been wronged by someone I consider a friend, it is difficult if not impossible to win back my trust.
16. I can clearly remember the first time I experienced Tivo, and I think my life is both better and worse because of it!
17. I am a little envious of our seniors every spring, because they have so much fun and adventure ahead of them in college. I loved that time of my life.
18. I am often all bark and no bite. I also like to be the center of attention around close friends or family, but am quite shy in groups.
19. I miss my old hair, which was straight, almost every day. I wouldn’t trade my kids for anything, but why oh why did having them have to make my hair curly?
20. I still have “Grant Street spirit” which was fostered by a wonderful cast of characters who lived in my childhood neighborhood. I still miss the house in which I grew up.
21. I love to watch my kids with their books. It makes my heart hurt to see the love of reading grow in them. I can’t wait to share my favorite books from childhood with them.
22. I feel like a failure when my kids have meltdowns or act naughty. It sometimes humiliates me.
23. I wish I took more time for creative activities like I used to when I was single, and I can’t wait to do them with my children. Creating art is good for my soul.
24. I’m proud of myself for becoming a part time professor at ISU. I like knowing that I play a small part in other teachers becoming school librarians.
25. I can’t really imagine things being any better than they are right now. I look forward to each new stage my kids enter while desperately trying to hang on to the one they are in right now.
My past has found me
I taught at Bethany Jr.-Sr. High School during 1994-95 and 1995-96 school years. That school doesn’t even exist anymore because it consolidated with another tiny Jr.-Sr. High school in the area. But back then it was just Bethany kids…all 160 of them in the high school. I taught 8th grade Literature and High School art, which is a weird combination, but it somehow worked. During those two years, I learned a lot about being a teacher…especially being a teacher in a small town. I could relate to those kids really well since I grew up in a town very much like Bethany. I could relate to them also because I wasn’t that much older than them, and I was still kind of living acollege life after being in Champaign for the two years prior to that. It was a fun two years, for sure, and I have fond memories of a lot of the people from there.
Then, two nights ago, I had a friend request on Facebook from a BHS student. When I saw the name, I flashed this girl’s face immediately. I couldn’t believe how well I remembered her. I friended her, and her message was filled with excitement. She told me, “ Just to let you know you were one of the best teachers I ever had in school, they need more of you out there.” Even if she was just blowing smoke up my butt, it really meant so much to me to hear that. As always, with Facebook, adding her led me to another BHS student. His first message to me was that he seconded her comment about me…and that I really was a great teacher to them. The very coolest thing, though, was that one of them told me about another classmate of theirs who is a working artist now. When I visited her website, I found this in her “Bio” section:
I have been interested in art most of my life, but did not consider becoming a professional artist until my senior year in high school when my art teacher suggested I think about majoring in art.
How freakin’ cool is that…she’s talking about me! I just kept telling Dave about this girl and how talented she was. I was so excited that I played some kind of a role in her adult life. It’s so nice to get some affirmation about the job you’re doing. I’m so happy I’m on Facebook!
Thank you!
A couple of days ago I got an email from a dear friend telling me that earlier this week she had a lump she found on one of her breasts back in October removed and was waiting on biopsy results. This was the first I had heard about any of this, and I can’t really describe how it made me feel. First of all, we are MUCH too young to be worrying about such things! Unfortunately, like most everyone, I know far too many people who have been struck with cancer. My uncle Jim even succumbed to it last fall. But this is someone who is my age! This is one of my oldest friends…someone I’ve known for literally most of my life. This is not supposed to happen. I wish that I would have known earlier. I wish that I could do something to help. But both of those things were out of my control, so I did the only thing I could…I prayed for my friend.
Now, it’s no secret that I’m certainly not the most religious person in the world, but I am confident in my own relationship with God. He’s there for me and I truly believe he listens to my prayers. I also believe that all prayers are answered…even if you don’t get the answer you’d like to hear. Thankfully, I got another email from my friend today saying that the biopsy was negative and that everything looked good. Thanks, God, for answering this one exactly the way I wanted you to.
I did NOT have the time of my life
So when you’re planning to go to see “Dirty Dancing” on stage, you have certain expectations. Sure, the movie was campy, but we all loved it. And Johnny Castle in those little black wife-beater shirts…mmm mmm good. I’m disappointed to report that it just didn’t translate to the stage. It was not your traditional musical where the main characters burst into song to show their hopes, dreams, and feelings. It was basically the movie on the stage. Here are a few of the problems I had with the show:
1. Johnny Castle was British. Yes, BRITISH. With the accent and everything. Ok, he tried to do an American accent, but he was not very good at it. He didn’t fool anyone.
2. The sound went from ok to obnoxiously loud several times throughout the night. Now, I know I may sound like some old coot complaining about that noisy rock and roll music, but it was LOUD. Like painfully loud. And we were in the very back row of the theater.
3. There was a part of the set that went up and down many times throughout the night. It was a railing that signified moving from the main resort to the employee’s housing. Every time it went up or down while there was no music playing, you could hear the mechanics of the thing. And again I tell you…we were in the very last row of the theater. Can you imagine how loud it had to be on the floor?
4. Lastly, and this is my favorite, Baby’s dad stumbled and fell while he was going up some stairs to leave a scene. I literally could not stop giggling about that one.
In its defense, there were some good special effects. The scene when they practice the lifts in the water was very cool. There was a screen in front of them with water on it and it did really look like they were standing waste high in water. It’s difficult to explain, but it was cool. I know that the show hasn’t gone to Broadway yet, but the whole production had this community theater feel to it that worried me for it’s Broadway run. I have a feeling it will be a short one…once all the 35-40 year old women who loved the movie have seen the show, who else would possibly want to?
On a more positive note, dinner was fabulous, and I did have a ton of fun spending time with my old friends. Granted, our conversations are much different these days; focusing on toddler behavior and parenting strategies much more than anything else. But hanging out with Amy, Carrie, and Rachel was totally worth the money spent and the 4 hours in the car!!
What a weekend!
Ben's favorite thing
We had the busiest but most fun weekend we’ve had in a long time. We drove up to Sycamore Friday night to Grandma Judy & Grandpa Scott’s house. We weren’t there long when Brett, Curtis, Ryan & his girlfriend Maggie came over to visit and play. Brett even got to spend the night there with Ben. For some reason it’s so much fun for them to sleep on Grandma’s pull out couch. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they don’t have to go to sleep until everyone else in the house does! There are a lot of great things about staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, but one of the best things is having all the personal attention from both Grandpa Scott and Grandma Judy.
Someday...
On Saturday morning, we spent more time with Grandma & Grandpa and Brett. After nap time, we loaded up and headed to Geneva to get together with some old friends Tom & Becky and Dan & Lisa. Tom, Lisa and Dave all went to Parkland together, and have stayed good friends since. And, incidently, Lisa is the person who introduced Dave and me. She and I went to high school together, and basically, she’s responsible for all of this craziness in the first place! We will always be grateful to Leese.
But, I digress. The evening with our friends was very fun, and Ben loved playing with all the toys that Tom & Becky’s son Cole has. He even got to play his first video game against Dan & Lisa’s son Bennett (who is in 5th grade, so he cut Ben a break). I can’t remember the name of it, but Ben calls it the “racecar drive game”. Basically, he was driving a car down city streets and trying to avoid other traffic and obstacles. It was pretty funny watching him ram into the siderails at 175 mph, but I’m pretty sure we won’t be getting any new PS3 games anytime soon. Emma had fun, too, although since many of Cole’s toys were tiny Lego-type things, we spent a lot of the night grabbing things out of her hands and mouth. It’s tough to be the littlest one sometimes.
Overall, it was really a great weekend, but boy are we beat!! This seems pretty warped, but I’m actually kind of looking forward to work tomorrow to get a break!
