What I Did Last Weekend. The Long Version.

So. It's well-established that I like Hanson. 

Unless you're new here I guess. So to recap: I like Hanson. Yes, like Hanson Hanson. Yes, in 1997 they wrote and performed Mmmbop. Yes, it's very catchy. But hey! The lyrics are also really great, you just probably missed it.

"You have so many relationships in this life

Only one or two will last

You're going through all this pain and strife

Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast.

Oh, so hold on to the ones who really care,

In the end they'll be the only ones still there.

When you get old and start losing your hair

Can you tell me who will still care?"

They've also been writing, producing, and performing their own music ever since 1997. Releasing new music often. I've seen them perform a few times. And blogged about it here in 2013, 2017, 2021, 2023, 

Well, I got to go see them again last weekend. I admit. It's going to be awfully hard to top. 

I drove up to my parent's house last Thursday. It was an entirely boring drive. 

Apparently, Thursday mornings are a good time to drive because there were no cars going my way. 

And when I got there my brother was there from Washington DC! I hadn't seen him since last Christmas and when I tell you that was just as sweet as Hanson I am not lying. 

We with my mom wrapped 29 Play-Doughs for the Confirmandi. 

My other brother came over and brought fresh from the oven pie! And we all went out to dinner. 

Honestly and truly, I know for a fact that seeing just my original little family of 5 hasn't happened since 2021 for my grandfather's funeral. (Height of COVID quarantine rules so we couldn't bring the kids out of state due to school policy.) And before that I couldn't tell you. 

Do not get me wrong. I love my family I created. Husband and my kids are my favorite people. But it was really nice seeing my brothers and parents and not having to be wife and parent in that moment. 

Oh and I did I mention the ducking? Have you seen the videos of buying bags of tiny ducks and hiding them all over the house? Well, we did. 225 little tiny ducks. In the best places. 

They really enjoyed finding the ducks too. It was kind of like the stages of grief. It was hilarious. Then maddening but back to hilarious. 10/10 would recommend hiding tiny ducks. 

I am pretty sure there are still at least 20 hiding somewhere. 

ANYWAY. For this tour Hanson is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Underneath Album which is my favorite of theirs! They had two nights in every stop: acoustic night one and electric night two. I am broke so just went to electric. (Which was good but I think the acoustic set list was even better, at least in Mpls.) 

As a member, you can also request a Meet and Greet. You guys my world was SHOOK a week before the show when I found out that I was not only granted the meet and greet but also the REPORTER. This means I got uninterrupted time with the three guys to ask them whatever in the heck I wanted!!!!! They do this for one person at each tour stop. 

But I had to be there early. Our Uber was on time and we headed downtown. 

When we got there so many people were already camped out. But I didn't need to because of the meet and greet. 

So here is where my brother is a saint. He was whatever about seeing Hanson anyway. But then I ditched him for like 3 hours and he spent time at the restaurant/bar next door by himself. This wasn't a big deal to me but was to him. I felt bad especially since there was so much sitting around waiting. 

At some point in this alley they checked us in and I got my pass. See the R for reporter?

In sixth grade, I bought this book at the Scholastic Book Fair. And Sam Cole told me it was a waste of money because I wasn't going to like them in a year. Well, Sam Cole (who I am still facebook friends with btw) jokes on you, because I even got the book signed now! 

We weren't allowed to have our phones out for the meet and greet or the reporter interview. 

But it was a core memory moment I will never forget. 22ish minutes with them (19 minutes audio recorded) and not to toot my own horn but it was super chill and fun. I was not awkward, asked good questions and we had a great conversation. 

I might be making it up but they just pick people out of the blue so I could have been a nutter. So there's a point where Taylor sat up in his seat and engaged in the conversation more than before and it was just really amazing. I sat on the same couch as Isaac and across from Zac. I made eye contact with each of them. We laughed. We chatted. It was amazing. 

Then I got to go in to the venue early. I could have gotten a front row standing spot. But I knew my brother would NOT appreciate that. And he'd already given me the gift of being there for me. 

I bought the first round of Hansons Brother Beer Co (they make their own Beer too!) Mmmhops and Pink Moonlight. And I parked myself in front of this column so we could lean for part of the show if we wanted to. (We did.) 

We liked the beer. Phantom Planet opened for them and I knew two songs. But when it was time for Hanson I was a happy camper!

I took this picture of us during Mmmbop. 

The only downside of our spot is we were by a lot of people who were whatever fans. And for the most part I could ignore that. Except when they were disgruntled with some of the songs chosen because "they didn't know this one." They honestly didn't play anything outrageously obscure. So that was weird.

Also, can we agree at a standing-room-only show that one should not wear a top knot? Like that's just rude. 

Okay one more thing: I'm getting old. I wish I had sprung for the more expensive VIP balcony with seats! Lol. 

I am a fan. I do not have an Mmmbop license plate though. That might be overkill for me. 

And then I refreshed the website like crazy for days until my official picture was posted! 

Proof. I met them. It was real. 

Saturday I had to return home after lollygagging as much as possible. It was SO good to see my family it was hard to leave. I got home after dark but the sun setting in my side mirror was lovely. 

Sunday was Confirmation Mass! Woohoo!! (And hooray for us having a Bishop!! We were his first Confirmation as a Bishop which was kind of cool.) 

I got all the certificates, holy cards and Play-Dough set out for them. 

If you were to really zoom in you would see C wearing a vimpa--he was on Miter duty. Which was also really cool. 

And then suddenly it was Sunday night. Confirmation was over. Hanson was over. None of it seemed real. But it was. It happened. I was there. 

A top-notch weekend if I do say so myself. 

The Wild Robot

So C has loved loved The Wild Robot books since he first read one in second grade! He continues to keep up with the series even though they are definitely below his reading level. 

The movie came out last week and C had been counting down the days. We went the two of us on Tuesday. (It's discount day at the theater!) 

We laughed. We cried. It was just an absolutely breathtaking movie--gorgeous animation and a truly heartfelt story. 

Even though the books are written for like 7-year-olds, I barely got through the book in time! His teacher has the 11th commandment: Thou shall not watch the movie before reading the book. 

We loved it! My editor who has never read the books LOVED it and said it was the best kid's movie he has EVER seen. 10/10! 

And time with my guy is also 10/10. 

An Installation and Weekend

Friday was the Installation of the new Bishop. 

Tickets were hard to come by, I only got one on the second round, and then someone who was a flag bearer had an extra ticket so I was able to the night before snag one for C. 

The kids had a 2-hour early out, which was not related to the installation but helpful! Husband came to pick up M and then C and I changed into nicer clothes and headed to the Cathedral. We got there about 1:15 and parking was already getting scarce. 

The Mass started at 2:00 pm and it was lovely. Long. But lovely. He's a picture of the nuncio. (That was admittedly so cool!) 

Here is Bishop-elect walking around with his letter proving it says his name. 

And here he is in his new seat! Praise be to God! 

One big takeaway was the Litany of Saints while Bishop lay prostrate. I don't know if he took a power nap or what, but it was 9.5 minutes long! So slow!!! 

After the installation, we went home and watched Sister Act. 

It's my favorite movie after all and I was so so sad to hear of Maggie Smith's passing. 

Saturday brought a soccer game and the Back to School Block Party. At which I took no pictures. And you know what? That's okay. 

Yesterday we went to see our friend play football. He did such a nice job and today is HIS 10th birthday! (M has a lot of friends with Fall birthdays!) 

And the Packers lost to the Vikings at Lambeau. And you really love to see that! 

They can just live at the bottom of the division forever as far as I am concerned! 

We also had Confirmation Rehearsal and that went well. We are all geared up for next week with the Bishop, it's his first big thing as Bishop so I am trying to make sure it goes well! 

A New Bishop (Almost)

 Yesterday was a busy day. I was gone all day on a staff retreat. 

Which was lovely really. 

Then came home and got ready because last night was the Vespers service in Honor of our almost new Bishop. (Installation is today so stay tuned.) 

Weirdly, M and I went. And M is probably the least interested one in our family so you might be thinking... huh? Well, M's very holy and reverent best friend turned 10 yesterday! 

And she wants to be a Sister some day and wanted to spend her birthday praying for the new Bishop. 

We got rock star seats! 

Afterward, we had some treats! 

Then went to meet the new almost Bish. 

When we introduced the girls and explained it was her 10th birthday and she has aspirations to be a sister, he called over some of his friends from Ohio. (That's where we got this guy from!)

These lovely sisters were FULL of personality and they thought V was the cutest. When they asked M if she wanted to be a sister too, she firmly said "No! I want to be a mom!" And God love these ladies for affirming to her that God loves Moms too. 

And another lady from Ohio overheard the conversation, she told V that when her son was 10 he wanted to be a priest so she told him to pray about it and now he's in seminary. He was there too! But then also told M that the world needs strong and faithful moms and how lucky M was to have a best friend who could also be a great Godmother some day. 

It was really lovely. And I am so glad we went! 

While we were gone, C was working on getting his bake sale things ready. 

Today is the first 6th grade bake sale and his class is in charge. I hope it is wildly successful for him! 

A Weekend Adventure

This past weekend was joyous. 

Truly. 

We drove to La Crosse, WI. 

We saw many interesting things on our drive. 

It both rained and was beautiful. 

We had lunch at a downtown restaurant, met my parents at the hotel, checked in, got settled, and then Husband and I headed out. 

We lucky two got to go to my friend's daughter's wedding. My parents and the kids were just going to hang out in La Crosse. And mostly that meant swimming at the hotel and playing iPad. But I can't complain because it was a nice getaway for everyone. 

The bride and groom followed the new trend where the cocktail hour is before the ceremony. The bar opened at 3:00. Husband and I got on the first shuttle from the hotel to the venue. Mostly because I didn't want to be late. 

We took a picture together in the mostly empty room. This was a delightful choice as it turns out. The photographer also took a picture of us early. (Yay!)

So the wedding was in the outdoor courtyard. And was supposed to be at 4:30 but then they decided to push it up to 4:15 because of rain. Well moving 250 guests isn't the easiest job and by the time we got outside it started raining so we all went back in. 

They started passing appetizers. Everyone had another drink. Chatting abounded. And then they hustled us all back outside. Everyone got seated and it started to rain. Like really rain. 

So the venue handed out ponchos. And it was hilarious. I have NEVER laughed so hard at a wedding ceremony as I did putting on my poncho. 

They announced that they were going to go for it but that viewing the wedding was now optional. Me and my group sat right back down in our ponchos. We were definite C-level guests. As friends of the bride's mom we were not going to make a fuss or complicate anything. 

As our friend got walked down the aisle it was raining steadily and the friends of the couple were whooping. It was a hoot. I've never "woooooed" at a wedding before but I am glad to have had that memory. 

All the bridesmaids and groomsmen came down the aisle in the rain. The absolute moment the bride walked outside it stopped raining. And stayed rain-free for the whole ceremony. Which was lovely and special and full of joy. And a whole host of guests in ponchos. 

Please note the wine glass my friend Barb is holding. That's for me you see. I had seen this trend to collect rain for rainy-day brides. So we did. And it's sitting on my counter right now--it's been filtered and now it's disinfecting with sunlight. I am going to have our priest bless it and they can use rain water from their wedding to baptize their babies. 

Here is Barb, Linda and I after the ceremony but pre all the way dry. 

The rest of the wedding was incredible and joyful as well. During the Daddy-Daughter dance, she had her sisters and mom join her for the second verse. Honoring the little family of 5 she came from and it was the most special moment to witness. 

We did spend the rest of the night protecting the rainwater-filled coffee cup with our lives. Never wanting it to be cleared by the staff. It was an adventure. 

Back at the hotel everything was fine. 

My mom liked the doors in the bathroom. 

After we left La Crosse we headed out to Husband's hometown for a special pizza lunch. Because we are grown-ups and we can if we want. 

Then stopped by the orchard to hang with the family for the afternoon. It was delightful. I hope there is always a wedding in La Crosse so we can have an orchard weekend without spending all weekend there. 

It also doesn't hurt that on the very first day of Fall the weather finally decided to play along! 

Our drive home was also lovely. We started in Wisconsin. Drove through Minnesota. Most of the day in Iowa. We considered crossing the bridge quick to claim 4 states in one day but decided against it. 

Oh, but the Dyersville (Where the Field of Dreams is) McDonald's had the Croc both M and I wanted. (We have M names.) Those are now on our backpacks delightfully. 

And that was our weekend adventure. It was so much fun. The kids saw all 3 of their grandparents in one day plus two of their great-grandmas! How nice is that? 

We got apples. We went to a wedding. We smiled and laughed. We saw family. 

It was good.