Happy New Year!

Again, sorry about the delay. That one phrase seems to be repeated fairly regularly in these posts; I guess I am not as efficient as I was as a crazed college student. Now I am just laid-back Beth. "What? You want me to spend two hours cutting out paper snowflakes? Sure, no problem." Laid-back Beth. I think there is only room for one efficient AKA crazy person around here, and that role has been filled. See? This is clearly not my fault.

Bill and I made it to and from Wisconsin safely with about 100 tons of luggage, a work friend from Milwaukee, and a cat in tow. Lola was surprisingly good. The real drama began when she met Bill's dog, Grace, but we don't need to relive that day. The break was filled with family and time in the car shuttling back and forth between our two houses. It is obvious that another system is needed for the next visit. Despite the intensity of the visit, I would do it again in a second. I missed Wisconsin and all of it's wonder as soon as we left. And it is for that reason only that I am including this next section, that yes, is a cheesy forwarded e-mail, but it's Wisconsin and I love it!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE WISCONSINITE WHEN:
1. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the Highway.
2. "Vacation" means going up north past Hwy 8 for the weekend.
3. You measure distance in hours.
4. You know several people who have hit deer more than once.
5. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
6. Your whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
7. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
8. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings and funerals ).
9. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
10. You think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
11. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife or girlfriend knows how to use them.
12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
13. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
15. You refer to the Packers as "we."
16. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
17. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
18. You have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
19. You consider Minneapolis exotic.
20. You know how to polka.
21. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
22. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
23. Down South to you means Illinois.
24. A brat is something you eat.
25. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
26. You go out to fish fry every Friday
27. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
28. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
29. You find minus twenty degrees "a little chilly."

We hope you had a safe and happy holiday. We love you all!