A Night in Sleepy Hollow 2016

Last year Jesus and I "discovered" the interactive Sleepy Hollow performance in Bourbonnais and this year we brought our families. The basics remained the same, with some additions (like an actual "White Horse Tavern" to drink cider in) and the chase through the Hollow still didn't disappoint.

Ah, the magic of small town Illinois. (And we all kept our heads!) :)

As the Colby Dudes Do

What do you do when you find yourself in rural central Wisconsin? Well, if you're lucky enough to be there during any number of annual festivals, you make the most of it! The festival I'm talking about in particular is Colby Cheese Days. I haven't been in probably 8 or 9 years (I know I was under 21 the last time I was there), so I was excited to reminisce while also checking out all the things that had changed. Here are some of the highlights:

Food Stands: Here's the rundown on food - skip the stuff trucked in with the carnival rides and head straight for the local stands to support all the churches, youth groups, scouts, and other various clubs. You'll enjoy burgers, brats, fries, hot beefs, walking tacos, onion rings, smoothies, milkshakes, and, of course, cheese curds, those deep fried nuggets of golden happiness. And did I mention every food stand also gives out free cheese sticks? Take advantage - those sticks are the real deal and the crown jewel of this weekend.

The Bingo Tent: A dollar will get you three cards, and a little luck will get you a nice little check. I won twice over the weekend, for a grand total of $23.

The Beer Tent: Like I said, I was under 21 at my last Cheese Days, so this year I took advantage of being able to be in the Beer Tent...which isn't even a tent, but more of a pavilion. Whatever, there's beer and plenty of old friends.

The Fun Run for a Cause: It doesn't matter if you're a kid, a passionate marathoner, a weekend warrior, or just a few folks who want to support your community and the people in it, you can do a 5 or 10k. With water breaks and cheerleaders spread out over the course, there's plenty to keep you going. And remember, if the firefighters can do it in all their gear, you can do it in your casual walking shoes.

Book Sale: 1 bag. 4 dollars. Need I say more? (I will - Jesus just doubled his Animorphs collection and I now have a creepily worn in copy of Rosemary's Baby. Win. Win.)

Parade: Even at the end of the route, we got plenty of candy. We also got great views of horses, marching bands, cars, trucks, tractors, and various emergency service vehicles. Dancers danced, old people and little kids waved, and the Shriners performed their intricate scooter routine.

Music: The party was only starting once the parade ended. We enjoyed a 5th Quarter concert by the UW Marching Band, a show choir performance, and musical selections from a band visiting from Switzerland - all on the street right in the middle of the action.

Whew. If you survive all that, congratulations. You hit all the biggies in the carnival world!

A Night in Sleepy Hollow 2015

After last year's success with the interactive Alice performance, Jesus and I wanted another night out that would include more than sitting on the sidelines (or in theater chairs, more likely). We found it in the industrious little village of Bourbonnais and their yearly reenactment of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Told in a series of campfire stories capped off by the infamous barn dance and horse chase, A Night in Sleepy Hollow is the gem of Bourbonnais Township Park District's Sleepy Hollow Village. Jesus and I lined up early and heard the first rumors of the village as we walked towards Prudence and Annie's fire. There, they introduced us to Katrina Van Tassel, Ichabod Crane, and Brom Bones. At the next fire we heard about the men's growing jealousies over the hand of Katrina. After some cider and more village stories, we entered the barn, where Baltus Van Tassel's harvest party was just beginning.

There we saw Brom and Ichabod vie for Katrina's attention, and Brom try to play a few tricks on the partygoers. Several guests told ghost stories and we were sent off on a hay ride, following Ichabod as he nursed his sore pride after Katrina's rejection.

And then, the horse chase. As Ichabod rode ahead of us, the Headless Horseman came riding up behind. He chased Ichabod across the field, where we saw the White Lady in the mist and the ghost of Major Andre, the British spy, hanging from a tree. We lost them as they crossed the bridge, both horseman and Ichabod never to be seen again.

Spookiness Managed.

We also had pizza.

Feeling Grateful

Today, I'm grateful for home and family. I'm grateful that I can always come here and slip back into country life: board games on the floor, snacks at the table, a queen bed that I share with more than a few stuffed animals. I'm grateful I can come home and make food and eat food and, really, do nothing else. I'm grateful I have that privilege. If this is true for you as well, I hope you're grateful too.

Adventures Up North

The adventures Jesus and I have had so far:

St. Mary Church Fish Boil: awesome food, plus Jesus got to see my grade school.

Drinking Habits: a really funny play put on by the ShowCase Players, directed by my friend Adam, plus Jesus got to see my high school.

Playing in the Snow: Jesus learned what snow pants are and we played in my backyard for a while. Most couples make snowmen, we made snow vault boxes for back flip practicing (he practiced, I watched).

Grave Encounters 2: possibly scarier than the first?

Brunch, Dad-style: bacon, eggs, and french toast.

Grandpa and Grandma, Rachu-style: dinner with Mom's side of the family for grandparents' birthdays. Barbecue, cheesy potatoes, potato salad, pasta salad, cheese....so, comfort food.

Church: Jesus is essentially a born-again Catholic by now.

Grandpa and Grandma, Kaiser-style: a quick visit with Dad's parents = Grandpa's ice cream special, raiding the candy drawer, bringing home Grandma Pretzels.

Cluzzle: the game of clay puzzles where a ball of string can be confused for a snake hugging a rock.

Vegging: video games, blogging, catching up on TV, chips, popcorn, wine.

Twice the Nostalgia

In the past two weeks I engaged in two activities that reminded me of home/Wisconsin. It's nice to have that occasionally, a taste of another life and a change of pace from my current one.

Richardson Farm Corn Maze

This corn maze is the largest in the world--33 acres and four mazes--and provided hours of fun/confused wandering for Jesus, his family, and me (after the preliminary non-fun of finding the place and maneuvering around rural Illinois). Once there, we ate kettle corn while getting hopelessly lost in the maze. Eventually we figured out how to read the map, and from then on we had no problems finding the checkpoints scattered around the Girl Scout-themed maze.

St Robert Bellarmine Harvest Gala

This Northwest parish reminds me a lot of my home parish in Colby--a fun mix of little old ladies and men, young couples, and plenty of families with kids who attend the connecting school. Their Harvest Gala serves as a fundraiser for the community and school, and this year they honored Fr. Scott with their Guardian Angel Award. Father Scott, CEO & President of Mercy Home, is also a resident at St. Robert Bellarmine. I was at the Harvest Gala to volunteer as a MercyWorks alum. My job for the night: coffee. Brewing, filling carafes  pouring, keeping sugar and cream stocked...this took me back to working at the retirement center and Ryan's. Once the dinner and auction were done, we (other former MWers & I) got to dance and enjoy the party with the young couples who stuck around for the DJ.

Just Missing Pillow Mints

Water pressure
Giant bed
So much food
(that I don't have to prepare)
Going home is like a stay at the Holiday Inn.

Horror Story Opening or the True Events of Wednesday Night?

There are exactly eleven cars in the grocery store's parking lot. It's only 9:30, but even the usually lively apartment complex across the street looks dead and sickly under the circa 1970s street lights. Bailey and I get out of the car, still singing Sheryl Crow, and walk into the fluorescent brightness of the store.

We only need a few things, just the last ingredients for the fettuccine Alfredo we want to make the next day, but we were crawling under our skin to get out of the house--even just to drive up to Abbotsford, which is just about as exciting as Colby on any given day.

The two cashiers on duty nod hello as we walk in and go back to whatever it is they were doing: cleaning the glass over the bar code scanner (again), refacing the candy and magazines next to the register. Bailey and I head for the back of the store, the dairy section. The country songs our parents grew up with crackle over the loudspeakers. "Mothers, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys..."

A small girl stands next to the yogurt in the refrigerated shelves and stares up at us as her mother drifts towards the frozen pizzas, leaning on their empty shopping cart and shuffling along in flip flops from last summer. I get the chills, but I'm not sure if they're from the selection of cold cuts and cheese in the refrigerated section around me or the girl's vacant gaze.

Bailey grabs a wedge of Parmesan cheese, the only one in the entire cheese section spanning nearly the entire back wall of the store. This is more of a yellow cheese kind of place.

"Do we need anything else?" she asks.

"I don't think so. We only have ten dollars, so."

We take the chip aisle to the front of the store, passing a middle-aged man debating between Fritos and Cheetos. His cart already holds a 24-pack and a can of Easy Cheese. He turns to watch us as we walk past. We smile hello and keep walking as he puts both bags of chips in his cart.

In the checkout line the cashier asks if we've found everything okay. His skin is a weathered tan and his blond hair stays curly with the help of hair gel. We pay and decline a bag, turning to go back out to the car.

"Have a good day tomorrow, girls," the cashier says to our backs.

"Thanks, you too," we reply.

"I mean...ladies."

The automatic doors slide open and we hesitate for a moment, wondering if we should laugh. Instead we keep walking out to the nearly empty parking lot.