Reunion Tour - 2013!

Friday I returned to Seattle after a whirlwind reunion tour to Wisconsin & Illinois. Before I left on a red-eye the week before, I was really dreading the trip and wondering why I was putting myself through an exhausting trip for my last vacation week of the year. It was only made worse as I told others what I was planning and they all reaffirmed my fears that I was packing WAY TOO MUCH into a seven day trip!

My shuttle picked me up at my Seattle apartment at 9:30 last Thursday night to make my midnight flight to Milwaukee to my son's new home; landing at 8:05 AM. I felt like I had come back home as I walked through the airport and saw assorted cheese-heads, Packers paraphernalia and my favorite: T-shirts that claimed "Nothing Tips Better Than a Cow!" I had to control myself or all my grandchildren would be getting "Pasture Bedtime" T-shirts with a picture of a cow on it for Christmas! (What do you expect from America's Dairyland?) Daughter-in-law, Emily, and granddaughter, Abigail met me near the baggage claim area!

Emily & Baker (aka Abigail)

They took me back to their house and I had time for a little nap before we had to take Bart his lunch at the hospital (Children's Hospital of Wisconsin) and I got the grand tour of his work space and all the great people he works with there.

That night, after Bart got home from work, we went to the Lake Front Brewery where we shared a table with total strangers, had a fish fry, enjoyed the music of a polka band and enjoyed maple-flavored root beer! Abigail especially loved the bubbles released while the band played. She would have really enjoyed Lawrence Welk!

Abigail, Bart, Emily & I
Lake Front Brewery Fish Fry!

The next morning we got up, got dressed and headed forty miles west to my old stomping grounds, where my brother Al lives, Watertown, Wisconsin. As we got on the new bypass around town, Emily suggested I point out anything that looked familiar. I told her that this was a new road and I was sure I wouldn't recognize anything. Shortly after saying that though, I looked up and called out "That's my house! And the barn!" And indeed it was, because the new bypass cut right through the middle of our old farm! 

Al was still recovering from surgery, so we mostly enjoyed a visit with him at home. His daughter, Mary Ellen was there with her husband Andrew (Powell), her children, Logan (4) and Ella (2), and their dog Toby, decked out in his Green Bay Packers sweater! Baker enjoyed playing with her new friends and I'm excited that Bart & Emily will be able to take her to Ella's birthday party next week.

Me, Al, Logan, Andrew, Mary, Ella, Abigail, Emily & Bart

After Mary's family left, Al needed a bit of a rest, so I took Bart, Emily & Baker on a little reminiscent tour of Watertown. I  pointed out some places with special memories, especially Mullen's Dairy downtown. When I was 8, my parents purchased the original Mullen farm and we delivered the milk cans to the dairy every morning for bottling. They made the best ice cream, so of course I had to make sure everyone had a sample!

Bart, Baker & I
Enjoying REAL Wisconsin Ice Cream!

The dairy looked just like it always had and I felt like I had taken a step back into the '60s as I walked in the door.

Mullen's Dairy Bar
The same; Inside & Out!

Next on the tour was a stop by the Octagon House, a large home with, count 'em, eight sides. The building that housed America's first kindergarten, founded by Margarethe Schurz, is on the Octagon House property. 

They have it set up to show how the school was set up. Just don't look to closely at the mannequins. They look a little creepy....

Last stop on the self-guided tour before going back to visit more with Al and enjoying a "senior menu" dinner at Perkins was a stop at the old farm. Amazingly, I was able to find my way to the farm without the use of a GPS (since an address of "Horseshoe Road" isn't enough)! As we pulled into the drive, Bart asked the woman who came to meet us on her mower if we could walk around a bit. The house still looks pretty good and pretty much the same but with the addition of a built-on garage where the patio used to be.

The barn and land made me very sad though. The barn looked so bad, I'm not sure it's ever been painted since before we lived there! I only say that because it hadn't been painted red since BEFORE we moved there in '63 and the red is VERY evident where the paint is peeling away. Boards are loose, the barnyard is overgrown with weeds and the roof on the hog barn looks like it will collapse under a good snowfall!  I was glad Bart & Emily were able to see the aerial view photo at Al's house to be able to see what it used to look like!

The barnyard used to have a gate and wasn't overgrown with weeds!
A tornado cut across the barnyard and went out between the barn
and hog house in the background!

The next day was Sunday, so we went to Sacrament meeting and then Emily and Abigail and I began our Illinois adventure by stopping first in Harvard to see Aunt Grace and my cousin Jeannine.  Aunt Grace always has such wonderful family news and stories! I hope she'll be able to start on her blog soon! I'm sure Emily's head was spinning by the time we left with so many new family names and adventures talked about over lunch!

With Aunt Grace, Jeannine, Abigail & Emily

And then, on to Lanie & Norm's place in Sugar Grove to begin the Aurora adventure! Sunday evening was fairly quiet; just taking some time to catch up with Lanie & Norm, their daughter, Laura and her boyfriend, Steve, and getting prepared for Monday! 

Best Friends: 46 years!
Since September, 1967!

Lanie had decided to just let people know I would be at her house and leave it up to them to drop by. It couldn't have worked out better! Sunday evening, the only additional visit was with my cousin Marilyn, Norm's sister.

Monday morning began with a visit from old high school friend Cary. We were all kind of sad that Gracia and Maria didn't make it out for a visit, but it was great reminiscing with Cary after about forty years; remembering graduation night, running around town, playing on swings at the park and our own kind of senior trip to Corny and the great bat adventure!

Later that evening, things became much more chaotic as groups of family descended upon us almost all at once! First to arrive were Lanie & Norm's sons (Brian & Michael) with their families! I don't know when Brian & Michael grew up, but I guess it was about the same time my kids did, since Brian is three months older than Sami and Michael is one month older than Brooks!

Next in the door were my beautiful niece Gail, her husband Rick and her fabulous mother, Marcia! We all enjoyed a moment at Marcia's expense as she gave Michael a hug and told him it was good to see him again, only to come face-to-face with Norm a few minutes later and ask "Well, who did I hug when I came in?!?!?" We had a great visit and I learned that I also have a great-great niece and nephew, thanks to Gail's daughter Amber!

With Marcy, Gail & Rick

Last to arrive were Marilyn with her daughter Pam and my cousin Dave, with his wife Ann and daughter Kim! Any visit with them brings back memories: Following Marilyn all over the house and wanting to grow up to be just like her, being scolded for calling her "Mare" ("Don't call me 'Mare!' I'm not a horse!") and getting my hair done. Seeing Pam brings back the memory of her as a toddler, holding her nose to show us 'what a skunk does.' And seeing Dave brings back the memory of being hoisted up by my tallest cousin high into the air to touch the ceiling in their living room.

Marilyn, Laura, Lanie, Kim, Ann, Dave, Me & Norm
Pam & Abigail in front!
(See why Dave was tall enough to lift me to the ceiling?!?)

The next morning gave Emily an opportunity to see many places she's heard stories about in Aurora first hand. The tour started at my grandparent's house:

415 North Avenue in Aurora

And then moved three blocks south to the house where I lived fourteen of my first eighteen years:

450 South 4th Street

We moved a block west to show Emily the hospital that Marcia couldn't make it to before giving birth to Gail and across the street to my elementary school, where my mother also went to school and my grandfather worked as a janitor.

C.M Bardwell School

We then headed a mile east to see the expanded version of my alma mater, East Aurora High School!

After a few other stops to see where Lanie lived, where Norm grew up and where Lanie & I attended Jr. High (and my mom attended high school), it was on to Lincoln Memorial Park to visit my folks and place flowers on their grave.
Their grave was pretty overgrown when we arrived, but thanks to Emily's willingness to get her hands dirty and a pair of kid's scissors in Lanie's purse, it looked pretty good before we left! Thank you Emily!

Sadly, our time in Aurora had to draw to a close to start our final journey south in Illinois to the Soybean Capital of the World: Decatur! We arrived a bit late thanks to road construction and found Pop (my father-in-law, George Sloan) chomping at the bit to go to dinner.

Abigail & Great-Grandpa Sloan getting to know one another.
Reminds me of walks & talks he used to have with Meg!

He took us all out to a buffet and I was very pleasantly surprised to see how well "Mom" was doing, considering we almost lost her a year ago! It was great catching up with them and all the news of family. Emily and I especially got bonding time with Mom as we had Abigail's pack-n-play in the bedroom with the extra bed, so we had a slumber party in the living room with Mom in her chair, Emily on the loveseat and me on the couch!

Abigail & Great "Bama"

Wednesday afternoon, my Zeta sister, Vickie (O'Riley) Buckingham came to pick me up and we had a tour of our old sorority house. Sadly, it is now the Alumni & Development Office for Millikin University. They've knocked out walls and built other walls, but there were still definite memories of "our" house!

After our tour, we headed back to the Sloan house to meet another Zeta sister, Robyn (Wise) Bathon and then out to dinner and an evening of memories, tears and laughter. I agree with a comment Robyn made the next day, that our evening together helped her understand for the first time that Zeta IS forever. The only down sides to our visit were the fact that we realized we were missing some other very important players to make our trip down memory lane complete and that our time together ended MUCH too soon! We've committed to pull together a Zeta reunion for 2016 to give us time to find some of our missing links AND to give those of us who live across the country the time to plan and prepare!

Vickie, Robyn & I
At Mom & Pop Sloan's House

All too soon, it was Thursday morning and Emily and I needed to make our final trek home to Barton to prepare for my flight home Friday afternoon.

It was definitely a whirlwind trip. As you can tell, we fit a lot into a one-week period, but it was a wonderful trip. No pressure. No strict timelines. Just good family. Good friends. Good visits. Good memories. And when I boarded that plane Friday afternoon, for the first time since 1979, it felt like I was leaving home. In honor of our East Aurora 40th high school reunion to take place this weekend, let's "Wave the Flag of East Aurora!"

EY #11: Tell about special experiences with your parents; part 1

Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Zielke
September 11, 1942

Just like all other Americans everywhere, I remember where I was September 11, 2001. Me, I was in a La Quinta hotel room in Provo, UT with my good friend Barb Hallermann, getting ready for a district meeting, watching "Good Morning America" when I watched the replay of the jet hitting the first of the twin towers in New York City. It was terrible and it was tragic. And then I heard that the Pentagon had been hit and that hit a little too close to home since Megan didn't live far from there. Fortunately all of my loved ones were safe and while I recognize the loss of others on that day, each September 11th, I prefer to turn my thoughts to a much happier day.

September 11, 1942 my parents were married. And because they were, thirty-six more people came to be! If that's not something to celebrate and be thankful for, I don't know what is!

So, what I can remember of the story, is that they met when they were young and working at Vendo Manufacturing, a company that made, believe it or not, vending machines. My aunt Grace apparently remembers my dad coming into her room the night he met my mom and telling her all about it, but I haven't gotten that story from Aunt Grace yet....

Mary Ellen (Hill) Zielke

I was told that my dad gave my mom the locket she's wearing in this picture for her 18th birthday. It's become an heirloom. I wore it for my wedding; each of my daughters wore it for theirs and I hope my granddaughters will all wear it for theirs. It's a gold, heart-shaped locket with pictures of my parents inside.

As I understand it, my father had been drafted and was supposed to report for duty the night of their wedding, but at the last minute, he received a deferral due to his farming status and he didn't have to leave to fight in World War II. It was important enough to the country to have the farmers producing food for the country, that those with farming status were given the deferrals for just that purpose.

25th Anniversary
1967

We had a wonderful celebration for them to celebrate their 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary. Aren't they so cute in this picture? Do you like that red dress? My mom HATED it, but we had gone shopping to get her a new dress for the occasion. My dad saw that dress and insisted that THAT was the one she get. He loved it on her. She should have been wearing her locket though...

The Zielke Family
Pat (pregnant with Todd), Bill, me, Dad, Mom, Al, Marcia & Danny

So, September 11th has great cause for happiness in our family, but today I had another realization for happiness; being a grandmother is wonderful! Okay. That's not the realization. I've known that for almost eleven years now.

I knew it was wonderful the first time I held Andi; the first time Cari cried because she was leaving me and those first nights when Ethan would go right to sleep for me... I love (and have saved) all the voicemails my grandchildren have left on my phone (prompted by their parents or aunts/uncles). I love all the little handmade gifts, cards and pictures I've received from each of them over the years. Many still hang on my walls and refrigerator!

But most of all what I realized today, is that I love it when I know they're doing something for me just because they're thinking of me and want to share something of their lives with me. I realized it today because I got an email from Ethan to tell me he's going to play a musical instrument. He hasn't decided yet if it will be a violin, a cello or a trombone. He emailed me a few months ago to tell me he got his first bee sting. 

Frequently, out of the blue, Andi will send me a text message; just a simple one, like "Good night, Grandma." But it means the world to me. Because I know she's thinking about me and she loves me.

Or Cari, who also sends me random text messages, like "My siblings are driving me nuts!" Or, she'll read my blog and make her own fun comments on them so I know she's taking the time to read what her crazy old Nana says!

My realization today is that the really great part about being a grandma is when the kids are all old enough to start to think about you on their own and even better yet, that they love you too!

HAPPY SEPTEMBER 11TH EVERYONE!

Grandma's Gang of 14 (pre-Baby Claire)
Sloan, Jonas, Peyton, Sarai, Gray, Cari, Andi, Krew, Dylan, Soni & Ethan
Abigail, Bennett & Mason
November, 2011

YA #3: Tell about college life; where you lived, what you ate, who you hung out with....

Millikin University Campus
Decatur, Illinois
(The MU Website says this is Shilling Hall, but it sure looks like AT Hall to me!)

"Oh my heart was filled with joy in Decatur, Illinois...."

I'll allow my fellow Millikin alums to finish that song; if they can remember the words...

It's been a bit of a nostalgic summer as I've reconnected with old friends from FORTY years ago!  Folks from East Aurora High School who I graduated with in June of 1973 and folks I met as I began my freshman year at old MU in August/September of that same year, even an old friend from elementary school in Watertown, Wisconsin. As I've been planning a trip back "home" to visit family and some of those old friends, it's brought a lot of memories to the surface and so tonight I'm dedicating this blog to some of those old Millikin friends. 

My college years were DEFINITELY some of the happiest years of my life. I loved my small private college that had no more students than my high school! I took a bit of security to college with me; high school friend, Maria Espinoza, went to Millikin as well and was my roommate through my freshman year in Blackburn Hall.

Maria & I celebrated our 19th birthdays together
She is 4 days older than me!

Maria was a bit more outgoing and social than I was and through her, I made several new friends on campus.

Some of my best friends from Freshman Year!
Maria, Bunny, Mollie, Vicki, Harold & Renee, Edd & Sue
(A bit blurry taking a picture of a picture with a phone!)

Add a few Zetas to this mix and you have the best friends a new girl on campus could have!

Robyn Wise: Front Row-3rd from left
Tawnie Moma: Over Robyn's left shoulder

Yep! Add Robyn, Tawnie, Sug Lyons (who pledged a few weeks later), a twin sister (Donna "Libby") and a "big" sister (Donna "Blaine"), Gina Vercler (Robyn's friend) and you've pretty much got a recipe for fun.... or trouble!

Apparently neither Blaine nor I
could stand the flash!

All these friends were pretty much divided into three groups: there were the Zetas, the Pi Phis and the dorm kids. Each of these groups contributed differently to my college experience, but they were all great!

With the Zetas, I had a house where I belonged, expectations to perform scholastically, provide service and go to dances! We also had woodsies, sing-alongs in the basement, meetings and dinners with our housemother! There were frat parties (straight out of Animal House), homecoming floats & Greek Games too! It's a wonder I finished first semester with the highest GPA in our pledge class with everything going on!

Then, there were the Pi Phis. Two of our very best friends were Sue Varde, a girl I met at a Millikin mixer in Chicago before going to Millikin and Gina Vercler who was Robyn's friend. Sue & Gina both pledged Pi Beta Phi when Robyn and I pledged Zeta Tau Alpha. The different houses separated us a bit, especially after our freshman year, but we spent all the time we could together.  Unfortunately, a lot of that time was spent in all-nighters, studying since at the time all of us were Biology majors!  A great time memorizing bones and muscles with three other loopy girls at three in the morning!

Sue encouraging Edd as he
dressed Abe Lincoln in a
MU rain poncho.

Finally... my dorm friends. They were the ones I ate dinner with, I was goofy with and I partied with. Maria and I had a good friendship from before. We had fun together and good-naturedly picked on one another.  I teased her for being a "twink" (aka music major) and she teased my about being in a sorority. But, between the two of us and a few parties, we built a very impressive beer can pyramid in our dorm window. People all over campus commented on it. We even decorated it as our tree at Christmas time!

Edd posing with a birthday cake we made
for Lanie's visit for her birthday.
(Pyramid is in the background!)

Bunny was the moody roommate to Sue. She hung out with us, but never seemed to have any fun...except when she was with my brother Al when he came to visit me on campus!  Mollie! Now, she was a trip. A literature major, totally engrossed in prose and theater. Everything was dramatic with her and overly exaggerated. Manic might be a good word for her. And Vicki. Sweet Vicki. How she ever fit in with the likes of us, I'll never know, but she always joined in and just smiled and giggled.

Renee and Harold were joined at the hip early on. Renee lived across the hall from us and was an Alpha Chi. Harold was a PE major and they were engaged before Christmas. I remember one night in particular with the whole gang. We all decided to go bowling.We were bowling as two teams and I don't remember how we were split up, but apparently I was on Mollie's team and not Harold's. Anyway, the score was really close, I had been bowling pretty well, I was the last one to bowl the final frame and the win depended on me. Being a true women's libber, Mollie cheered me on: "Remember Gloria Steinem!" In response, Harold shouted "Remember Joan of Ark!" just as I released the ball and it promptly landed in the gutter... I failed my team.

Edd hanging out in our room.
(He did that a lot!)

And finally, there was Edd. He was Harold's roommate and a "twink" like Maria. He could play the piano fabulously and really loved music. Even though Maria was the one who met him first and brought him (and Harold) into our little group, it was me who built a special connection with him. He was the best. You know how you just meet those people in your life that you just click with? That make you laugh and seem to know what you're thinking before you can even say anything?  That's how it was with Edd and me. We were always together and if I had to go do something at the Zeta house, we always had plans to meet afterward. He lived in Wapella, Illinois (about an hour and a half north of Decatur) and one fall afternoon the whole gang went to his farm, met his folks and had dinner and Edd played "oldies" on his piano for me, 'cause "oldies" was one of our things. One night, after the park near campus was closed, Edd and I went for a walk through the park. As we were walking along, some teenagers drove by us and threw some eggs out the window at us! One of them hit me on the thigh and Edd couldn't stop laughing about the fact that I had been "egged" in the park.  Afterward he felt bad for laughing at me though and as we walked by the beautiful rose garden, he stopped and picked me a bouquet (even though there was a sign prohibiting it). I dried those roses and kept them for a loooong time. Everyone was sure Edd was going to give me a ring for Christmas that year. I knew better though. A lot of our talks revolved around him talking about how much he missed his girlfriend who was still in high school back home. That and the fact that he was flunking his music theory class and school was killing his love for music all combined to make his decision to leave school after that first semester. I was devastated, but I understood and wanted him to be happy and knew that would only happen if he was with Cathy. So we said good-bye when we all left campus for Christmas break, but I still have the bracelet he gave me for Christmas that year.  My friends all knew how special he was to me though and they made sure that he knew when we were celebrating my (and Maria's) birthday! I was so shocked and so happy to see him, all I could do was cry...

Edd (& Maria) enjoying my surprise!
(Paul Edward Powers: My BB)

You know... I've heard people say that college isn't about the education, it's about the experience. It changes who we are, how we think and what we become. I may not have become the Occupational Therapist, Special Ed Teacher or even Elementary Teacher that I thought I would  become, but I did take a lot of steps to become ME in that first year. I like "me." I like who I am and I like where I've been. For all those friends who were part of that beginning, I say thank you. Wherever you are and whatever you have become, you helped change my life. My children have all had their time in college. I know their experiences weren't like mine, but I hope they were as much fun and provided as much direction. And to my grandchildren, I hope each and every one of you will work hard in school and prepare to go to college, no matter what you want to become so that you can start your own journeys.

With that, I leave you with a blast from the past. A tune by Deep Purple that was played over and over and over again at the freshman dance forty years ago on the grass between the boys' dorm and the girls' dorm on the campus of old MU...sadly, the people in the audience could have been any one of my friends....