I am well aware that the blog has been silent for long periods of time. It's not that I don't want to write... actually it's quite the opposite. This summer I have started writing Life in a Cracker Box - The Book. I started this project thinking it would be rather easy to pull blog entries and fill in some cracks and then *poof* there would be a book. Funny how it doesn't work that way. Sitting down and recalling memories has turned out to be hell. There are so many moments I would love nothing more then to just burn out of my mind. Arguments I wish never happened. Words I wish were never said. As painful as some of these memories are they are still moments in my life that I can't take back. They are moments that define what J.R. and I have been through and how his injury has affected our lives. They're important. So when you see a long stretch of silence rest assured that life is still being documented. It's just at a slower pace with more proofreading.
On top of writing a book this summer I am picking up a million hours of work whenever possible. Cost of food is rising, gas is only going to get more expensive, and I refuse to work a million hours this fall and take 16 credits at the same time. I am hoping by saving my pennies now I will be able to cut my hours back at work once again and focus just on my studies. It's a nice dream.
Now onto the good parts of life.
This summer J.R. and I are welcoming a new member of the family. No, I'm not pregnant. Shame on you for jumping to conclusions. He is furry, has four legs, and goes by the name of Brutus. He happens to be the cutest springer spaniel I have ever laid eyes on and even though he is a giant pain in every ones ass I am completely in love with him. He's currently living with J.R.'s parents as we cannot have a dog in our apartment, but come August we will be in a new place that will allow us to have as many pets as our hearts desire. Currently he has already destroyed one internet cable, one pencil sharpener, and I'm sure a few other objects that we have yet to locate. We're going to have to work on that whole chewing issue.
This summer has also kept J.R. busy with logrolling. He's back at it and better than ever. After weeks of rolling he seems to finally be back to his old style. He looks healthy and he smiles more than he has in the last year. His body has made such a transformation from a year ago when his face was thin and sunken in, his arms were limp and tired, and all of his pants were falling off. The muscle has returned to his legs and arms, his face is full once again, and he now looks like the healthy man I married. It's a relief. Currently he is in Canada competing. I would love to tell you the exciting results of his three competitions but I have a feeling that he will kill me if I spill the beans. So for now my lips will have to remain sealed. As always we encourage anyone in the Wisconsin area to come watch him roll at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wi. Come see him July 25, 26, and 27th!
In our spare time when I am not working and J.R. is not rolling, we have been busy sawing lumber. We have sawed thousands of board feet of wet heavy red pine timbers. Because J.R. doesn't trust me running the actual mill (every time I ask to run the mill he mutters something about me+power tools+sharp spinning blade=scary) I get stuck pulling boards. Now I don't know if you've ever had the chance to pull 16 ft long boards of heavy red pine up hill, but if anyone ever asks you to do this run. J.R. has the ability to saw the boards faster than I can pull them and re-stack them on the trailer. Although it was grueling work for both of us we managed to survive the sun and our tempers. And even though I would never admit it to J.R., I actually enjoy sawing lumber with him. It's a great upper body workout for me and I get a tan while doing it.
For now that is all I am able to spill to the world. Of course there is more news to share but once again my lips must stay sealed until a later date and time. It's time to take my coffee, glue on a smile, and head to work for another day of selling clothes to the good people of Menomonie.
