The Other Side of the Fence

There’s a very good reason why I’ve been MIA the past few months. 

I’m exhausted. 

I’ve got nothing left at the end of the day. All my creative juices are dried up and all that’s left is pulp which everyone knows is gross and should be strained out anyway. Wait. What am I talking about again? 

Oh, that’s right. I’m tired because I’m going to school. Not in the “I’m working on my degree” kind of going to school but more like I’m literally going to an elementary school every single weekday for 8 and a half hours a day to be a teacher’s aide/interventionist. Didn’t see that one coming. 

It most assuredly would have made more sense for me to get a nice part time job that could transition me back into the workplace after 23 years of being home. But no. Go big or go home here in Texas and I jumped into the pool of employment with no floaty or flotation device. Just me and my new Bento Box because if I have to pack myself a lunch five days a week, it might as well be attractive and Pinterest inspired. 

On top of having to drag myself out of bed before the sun rises which I stubbornly refused to do with my own babies all those years ago (mommy needs her rest to be a good mommy. you’ll have to wait.), I am daily - no, wait - practically living at a public elementary school. 

Anyone catch the extreme irony here? Is there someone out there that knows me well and is laughing their behind off at my expense? I’m the girl who left college after her freshmen year (teacher track) and became a hairdresser. I’m the hen who home educated her little chicks, rejecting society’s definition of education in favor of one better suited to her family’s beliefs, passions, and understanding. I’m the gal who loves all things home: homemaking, homeschooling, homemade, working from home, home-brewed without neccessarily being home all the time.  Me. 

Now Me is manning the car drop off door every morning at 7:15 am and greeting children in Kindergarten through 4th grade with a smile and a friendly “Good Morning!” as they enter school for the day. Every morning I receive back a variety of responses that range from a reciprocating “Good Morning!” to an I’m too tired to talk right now look which I totally respect since most of them are too young to take advantage of a caffeinated coffee crutch to get them going. My favorite responses though are the ones thrown in the mix that give me a good morning hug and a “Mrs. Halldorson!” squeal when they see me. I’m honored to be one of the first to greet them everyday and contribute to setting a positive tone right off the bat. The hugs and smiles back at me are a perk! 

Me is also (OK, that’s really bad grammar so from here on out I’m reverting back to “I”) teaching a Kindergarten class every morning while their teacher steps out to teach a dyslexia group. What just happened?!!! Eleven sets of eyes are on me while we do our alphabet chant, vowel songs, recite our poems, and sing with the sight words DVD. Actually, I take that back. I’m lucky if all eleven sets are on me. Usually there’s a good five sets that are looking somewhere else or more likely looking for trouble. Then it’s time to travel outside the classroom for a restroom break. It’s like trying to line up eleven squirrels and expecting them to restrain themselves from scurrying up a tree or scampering off to find a nut. Who’s the nut now????? Me. Trying to walk Kinders to the the bathroom in a quiet, uniform line. And back. 

Friends, it’s only 8:30 am. School gets out at 3pm.

To be clear I’m not literally in Kindergarten all day but I travel around to other classrooms and hit all the grades before my day is done. Sometimes I meet with small groups for some tutoring intervention. Other times I pop into classrooms and help out wherever I’m needed for the time I’m scheduled to be in there. I'm also on 1st grade recess duty and assist the 1st grade PE class that follows. Let’s just say I’ve got some 1st grade stories too. They’re a step up from squirrels. They’re like housebroken mice that go along with your plan as long as there’s a chunk of cheese waiting at the end. They also are convinced they are dying and constantly ask to go to the nurse. First graders seldom have front teeth and most have short term memory loss. It’s a curious thing! 

All in all I’ve been enjoying myself and getting to know new people, feeling more a part of my community, and experiencing new things that make life exciting! The hardest part has been fitting it into my life and the adjustment I am continuing to have to make. I couldn’t have made it this far without the support and help of the sweetest husband ever who runs the RoboVac every day before I get home so I don’t come home to dog hair everywhere. He also makes our bed for me because while he couldn’t care a hoot whether it was made or not but he cares about me. He takes care of all the dishes in the sink and even empties the dishwasher even though he’s never had to do this for our entire marriage. 

It’s been very eye opening being on the other side of the fence in several respects. As primarily a stay at home mom through all the years of parenting, I thought I could understand women who worked outside the home and imagine their challenges but I was never really sure. As a home educator, I could remember my own childhood of going to school but it was hard for me to imagine what that would be like to send my kids to school. I also had many moments wondering if we were doing the right thing, were we missing something, and what was really going on behind those school doors? It’s common to imagine that the grass might be greener on the other side of that fence, or at the very least that it offers more advantages than your own side does. I’ve experienced quite a bit of insightful awareness and compassion for both sides of the education choice and working/homemaking debate. Maybe I’ll write about it sometime if I’m not half asleep. 

Z's school registration - junior year! 

...Memories and Moonshine Continued

 

Chapel at Top of the Rock in Branson

    Our adventure continued on as the four of us headed south with a rented condo waiting for us in Branson, Missouri. This too seemed an apropos destination since Wayne, Zanna, and I had stopped here for the first time after dropping Will off for his freshman year. Now we  returned with Will and Fran, who had never even heard of Branson! I couldn't wait to expose them to the hillbillies and moonshine culture of the Ozarks!! 

Clearly I lack selfie ability but that's the Branson sign behind us.

    Growing up, my family didn't usually live in one place too long with my dad's job with the railroad. He would regularly get transferred and we just got used to starting over in a new city, school, and home. Springfield, Missouri is the closest place I have to where I grew up since we lived there the longest and three different times in my life: first through fifth grade, eighth grade, and finally to attend Missouri College of Cosmetology to earn my hairdresser license. Nearby Branson was always the perfect place to bring guests that came to visit us. We knew Branson before it became what it is now! Now it's practically on our way to Texas and the perfect destination to have some fun before heading home. 

    If you've never been to Branson, let me fill you in. It's sort of like Las Vegas only Christian with some possible inbreeding set to banjo music. Last time we did Dolly Parton's Stampede dinner theater, the Titanic Museum, explored a cave, played some miniature golf, and rode go-carts. Wayne and Zanna did a mountain coaster ride too. This time we started by going back north to Springfield so Will could look at a car on a lot. He'll be purchasing his first new car and has researched the heck out of it but he's never actually seen it in person.  He had intel that there was one waiting on a lot in Springfield, however it had been picked up by the new owner the day before we got there. Since we drove all the way to Springfield, I considered it the perfect time to stroll down memory lane. 

    First stop was the College of Cosmetology I went to but I'm pretty sure it's in a different location from when I attended. We also went to Battlefield Mall where I had my first salon job at JC Penney. I didn't have the addresses of the homes we lived in but I did remember some street names and managed to find two of our three homes. 

I remember this one the most. We lived in it for five whole years! I played a lot of Barbies in this house. 

I loved this house! I had a basement bedroom with my own bathroom, a walk in closet, and built in shelves for all my Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High, and Anne of Green Gables books. 

    I greatly appreciated the patience of those in the car with me as we wandered the neighborhoods of Springfield. My siblings were able to join in the fun via texting. 

    We made it back to Branson for the evening's show tickets to WhoDunnit Hoedown Murder Mystery dinner theater.  Not the highest calibre of acting and entertainment but the slapstick comedy was a hit and perfect introduction to the Branson culture!  The next day we explored downtown and walked through Dick's 5 & 10, some antique shops, and had lunch. In the afternoon we headed up to Top of the Rock to get some amazing views of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake.    

    The area if full of caverns below the surface and breathtaking views up above! It's a gorgeous part of the country that really takes your breath away.

    At Top of the Rock they offered golf cart rentals that you use to follow a paved path through the trees, past waterfalls and spectacular views, over Amish built bridges, even through a cave with a "Bat Bar" with cans of wine and beer for purchase (no moonshine). It was a hoot! We had the greatest time tootling around in our carts and stopping for pictures.

    As much fun as we were having at Top of the Rock, we also had evening plans that was the cherry on top of our trip! We had tickets to the Sight and Sound Theater's show of Jesus. 

    I can't even adequately put into words the experience. We've been to shows on Broadway and in London, Ottawa, and Las Vegas. Never have I seen anything like this! It was truly memorable and the perfect ending to our mini vacation within our vacation. 

    My parents and Zanna arrived home to Texas shortly after we did. We had both kids under our roof for a few weeks and there's something about that simple thing that brings a special kind of peace and happiness knowing where they are and that we're together. Will is already off on his next adventure but not until after we celebrated his 22nd birthday and had an open house for his graduation. 

    Unfortunately while we were away, poor Buddy developed some anus gland issues (I'm sorry to even have to type that) and our friends brought him in to the vet in our absence. We came home to a very sad and forlorn Buddy with a cone around his neck. I'm happy to report that our Hillbilly Hound is back to his old scrappy self, chasing deer and eating their poop if we don't catch him in time. 

It's hard to get comfortable with a cone.

May, Minnesota, MLC, Memories, and Moonshine

 

    The month of May was unforgettable and went way too fast. We anticipated this time would be extra special as Will graduated from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Classical Languages. But I could never prepare for the way my heart would throb with love and parental pride to hear his name and see him walk across the stage to receive his diploma, knowing it was no easy path to get there. I didn't expect all the memories that flooded back of him and the years of our homeschooling that set the foundation of what was to come nor the added memories that being in New Ulm seems to quickly conjure up of our own time there back when it was DMLC and then the amalgamation years and Wayne's graduation of MLC in 1998. I'm always surprised by how easy it is with certain people that after long periods of time that we're able to pick up a well aged friendship where we last left off. 

    Our Minnesota bound roadtrip started with a stop for the night at a Drury Inn, as all good roadtrips do, somewhere in the Kansas City area. This insured that we not only had a nice place to rest up but guaranteed Kick Back - the perfect blend of happy hour and what constitutes for a meal. We also enjoyed a breakfast before heading off for the day's long drive so we figured we came out ahead. 

    First stop was Albert Lea to visit my Grandma Hanson, otherwise known as the birthday girl since she celebrated turning 95 the day before. I'm sure I've raved about her before but she has the sharpest mind and the sweetest disposition. We enjoyed chatting with her in her apartment and eating at the obligatory Wok and Roll Chinese restaurant. We also helped her eat the cake from her big family party the weekend before. It was a lovely visit! 

        From there we headed to New Ulm to move into our Air B&B and meet up with my parents, Fran, and Hosanna. The house we rented was absolutely perfect and adorable and seriously the closest thing to being home without being home. I have my dearest friend Tonya and her husband Mark to thank for that! 

    Tonya and I have been friends since high school but we bonded big time when we roomed together second semester of our one year of DMLC. That sealed the deal so that she was in my wedding as matron of honor and I was godmother to her son. 

    Over the years she and Mark have been flipping homes, renting them, and trying different projects. They recently decided to try the Air B&B business even though they've never stayed in one! Her fingerprints were all over it  - literally I'm sure but what I mean is she had her Tonya touch everywhere.  It was homey and warm and I couldn't find anything missing that I went looking for.  Her knack for finding eclectic objects and displaying them in a way that brings new and relevant life is second to none! It was perfect for our family to come together under one roof and open it up even wider to have friends stop by and join us for a visit. 

That godson I mentioned, Brandon, stopped by too and I got to give him an in person hug! 

    The REALLY ironic thing is that Will and Brandon totally bonded before they even met each other. They apparently did this by racing their cars up Center St one day awhile back. Brandon says he knew who Will was since the Texas plates, Canadian sticker in the window, and all the souped up things Will did to Grandma's Avalon gives it away. Anyway, it was cute to see Brandon let an excited Will drive his car around the block and that our man boys were instant friends like their mamas. 

    The whole graduation weekend was amazing and full of wonderful memories. There's the one memory of me, my mother, and Fran wandering around the New Ulm Aldi as only out of towners could behave. It's hard to explain how exactly we managed to stick out like a sore thumb among small town midwesterners, but by the time we left we were embarrassed by ourselves and wondered if we were even fit to be out in public again! 

    There was the obligatory Schells Brewery tour. It was the fitting thing to do since we did it when dropping Will off for his freshman year and now we were ending his college days back at the brewery. 

    One evening we met up with Will and his friends at a local bar we used to go to when Wayne and I were Will's age. Crazy! It was so great to meet some of his friends we've only heard about but never met in person. It was insightful to see our son in his surroundings among good friends some of which he's had since high school.  They have been the answer to many prayers to the Lord especially when he went away to LPS at 14. I pray my children have good, faithful friends that can encourage one another through those formative years. God in His grace has provided that for each of them and I am grateful! 

    Graduation Day came and was a reminder of how blessed we are to have such a high caliber worker training school for our church body. Some graduates received their first Lutheran school teaching calls later that day. Some have plans to continue their education at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in the fall. 

    Will is looking forward to finishing his education too with a Master's of Divinity at WLC but not yet. His path has taken a different direction and is kind of scary and exciting at the same time. After serving in the Minnesota National Guard these last two years, he will finish out this commitment to the military before starting seminary. With his bachelor's degree, he can be an officer in the Army and he begins officer training tomorrow through the end of July. He plans on working in the Army full time for four years and returning to school after that. It's the perfect fit for him and we are so excited that he's excited. He's put in an order for his first new car purchase and is learning all about financing and building credit and managing his money well. I'm thankful this is an area Wayne does well and Will is eager to learn from him. 

Graduation Lunch at the local German restaurant

    Later that day we opened our rental to friends and enjoyed a steady stream of visits and reconnecting over food and beverages. I was so excited to see the Thompson family from Ottawa days!!! Luke joined the MLC faculty last summer and Will was blessed to have him as a professor his last semester. Christine is one of my favorite pastor's wives and good friend. 

    We all went our separate ways the next day. Zanna got a ride back to LPS to finish out her last week of Sophomore year of high school. Mom and Dad drove up to Twin Cities and then to northern WI to visit their old stomping grounds and to wrap up some loose ends. They stayed up north until it was time to pick up Zanna from school. They loaded her up and drove her home to Texas. Do I have amazing parents or what?! Meanwhile, we caravanned south with Wayne and I in our vehicle followed by Will and Fran in the Avalon. Our Moonshine Adventure will have to come in a Part 2. 

To be continued. 

A Southern Spring Break

 

I love how in the US you can get to a vastly different climate in the span of a day. After kicking off our Spring Break in Wisconsin to see Z's musical and freezing our tails off, we hightailed it to Tennessee. We shed layers of clothing along the way. 

We've been living back in the States for almost four years now. I can't believe it! Of course, part of that was Covid which kind of cramped our traveling style but we're happy to be back at it. With my parents now calling South Carolina their home state, we have much to explore along the way. 

Even though I lived briefly in Memphis growing up, I never made it to Nashville. We finally made it happen! 

I used to be much more proactive in my planning and organizing trips. It's either an age thing, the Halldorson way of flying by the seat of their pants rubbing off on me, or a combo of the two. Wayne at least had made the hotel reservation but I was googling "what to do in Nashville for a day" as we were driving into town. 

We did a tour of the iconic Ryman Auditorium first and that was the perfect Nashville vibe and a great way to start the day! 

After that we headed over to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and walked through the exhibits. I surprised myself how many artists from the past I recognized. I suppose I can thank my grandparents for that! 

While we were there, we were blocked off from entering one particular area because we were told cameras would be coming in. Suddenly the place was buzzing waiting for someone important to arrive and in walked Trisha Yearwood! She was coming in to respond to a new display that featured her and we were just steps away watching the interview! 

After that excitement we headed over to the Johnny Cash museum. It was fascinating! I was so glad that we had done Memphis last summer and had been through Graceland because so much of the history overlapped. Texas, specifically Luckenbach and Austin, were also mentioned throughout the Hall of Fame linking us to other locations we've been exploring since we moved south. 

We were amused just people watching on the Nashville strip while live music blared from every single bar and restaurant. Thanks to my brother for a last minute dinner recommendation, we ended up at Hattie B's for some Nashville chicken, pimento mac and cheese, iced tea, and peach cobbler. Let's face it, I'm here and everywhere for the food!! 

From Nashville we headed to South Carolina to visit my parents and Bekah and Tom who were on their US tour from England. There was no way we were going to miss a chance to see my sister!!! 

My parents new house is adorable and already has their personality all over it as they make it their own. 

And we took more than a few rides in the new golf cart. Thankfully I didn't actually have to play golf.  

We did however go bowling (a favorite Hanson pastime) at the clubhouse in their community. 

We didn't have much time to stop and smell the azaleas before we were off to Charleston, SC for a quick trip. Once again I found myself googling What to do in Charleston for a day.  

First thing we did was take a bus tour. We find this to be the easiest and most direct way to get overall information about the area and for Wayne to get his bearings on the lay of the land since he's the one tasked with getting me from point A to point B. Then we know what we want to get back to and take a better look at. 

Charleston is the most colorful city! It's historical, romantic, scenic, foodie, and fun! When can we go back?!!

So I bought a hat..... It felt like a Charleston vacation thing to do. Also, I love this guy! 

Sister time!! Rebekah married a Brit and has been living in England for almost 20 years. Spending time together is a rare occasion! 

Brother-in-law Tom is a HOOT! . He has the funniest t-shirt collection.  Everything he says sounds intelligent basically due to his British accent and I'd like to think he gives our family an air of sophistication despite the occasional swear (just kidding - he was on his best behavior, haha). He's the best! 

Spending time with our girl is always a treat. We had such a fun time together! 

We also took a tour of a historical Charleston home and gained some more insight into the area's past. And I can't forget to mention the food. Because it's really all about the food. 

Oysters, Crab Cakes, Asparagus and Grits. Be still my beating heart! 

We had one more destination planned while my mom and dad took Tom and Bekah to the airport. Savannah, Georgia here we come!!

We had part of a day and we hit the ground running. First thing we did was get a bus tour. Then we went back to see all the places we wanted to visit before heading back to my mom and dad's. 

It was beautiful! The weather was gorgeous, the flowers were in bloom, and we had a fantastic day. 

We ate lunch at Paula Dean's restaurant. We wandered around the "Forrest Gump" square. It was a Sunday and on the quieter side which was nice. One of Zanna's classmates was even visiting on the same day and we were able to meet up with her and her mom for a brief visit. Small world! 

Then it was back to Mom and Dad's and finally back home to Buddy.