We love the Racine Zoo. It is the most wonderful place. Compared to the Milwaukee County Zoo, it is very small but for us, that is part of the charm. The staff there is amazing and the grounds are easily walkable, even for people like me who struggle with a disability.
My daughter is a zoo member so there are special events for members only. We especially love those times. They provide special activities for the kids and offer food specials making the trip there affordable for all of us. Not to mention, the chicken tenders are very good there. The kids will get to ride the train around the grounds and we even ride with them.
Member Mondays also include a band and on a nice summer evening it is so very nice. The zoo usually has a theme for each member night and we get to meet one of the animals up close during the event. My granddaughters loved the armadillo and the snakes. Chloe even got to touch them which made her day. Avery is a little timid with animals so she tends to keep her distance. There is also a discount on everything in the gift shop and somehow we never leave without a new keepsake.
My granddaughters' favorite thing besides meeting the animals is the playground. They have a fantastic gym with so much to play on that the are never bored. We never leave the zoo without a stop there.
My daughter is a zoo member so there are special events for members only. We especially love those times. They provide special activities for the kids and offer food specials making the trip there affordable for all of us. Not to mention, the chicken tenders are very good there. The kids will get to ride the train around the grounds and we even ride with them.
Member Mondays also include a band and on a nice summer evening it is so very nice. The zoo usually has a theme for each member night and we get to meet one of the animals up close during the event. My granddaughters loved the armadillo and the snakes. Chloe even got to touch them which made her day. Avery is a little timid with animals so she tends to keep her distance. There is also a discount on everything in the gift shop and somehow we never leave without a new keepsake.
My granddaughters' favorite thing besides meeting the animals is the playground. They have a fantastic gym with so much to play on that the are never bored. We never leave the zoo without a stop there.
My daughter got an IT job at our new Meijer store. When we found out the store was coming to the area, I wasn't that thrilled. Another big box store doesn't appeal to me for a few reasons. First of all it is next to Woodman's grocery which is my favorite local grocery store and another reason is that there is a Kohl's and Target a mile down the road. And I don't shop at either of those stores so I doubt that Meijer will appeal to me.
As an employer, the pay is crappy and the hours are horrible so it's not the greatest place to work but the employees are nice and the store is clean and fresh. It is a good place for our daughter to get some experience before getting a better job (we hope). We went to the family open house the day before the store opened to the public and they had quite a party. We all received samples of the foods, free marketing stuff like water bottles...blah, blah, blah. They even had a balloon making clown however, the line was so long it was shut down before they ever got to us. There was even a band playing in the produce department!
Too bad they didn't give out free wine samples...the band was good enough that we would have headed to the lawn & garden area, got some lawn chairs and sat down to listen to the band.
As an employer, the pay is crappy and the hours are horrible so it's not the greatest place to work but the employees are nice and the store is clean and fresh. It is a good place for our daughter to get some experience before getting a better job (we hope). We went to the family open house the day before the store opened to the public and they had quite a party. We all received samples of the foods, free marketing stuff like water bottles...blah, blah, blah. They even had a balloon making clown however, the line was so long it was shut down before they ever got to us. There was even a band playing in the produce department!
My son is moving back here from Honolulu. We are thrilled to have him back however, we also hope it is really what he wants. For me it just seems like it is happening so quickly but then again, I am older and slower than he is. So we are happy for him and happy for us to have him back. With that said, he bought a house not far from us. It's 5 and a half miles away and that is really nice.He had a little 4th of July get-together and we all enjoyed being there with him. He has a nice little yard just perfect for hanging out. It was a beautiful summer day and he all enjoyed a barbecue there.
Today was Chloe's last day of K4. It was extra bittersweet because it is probably also her last day at Red Apple School. My daughter plans to find a job in the Milwaukee area and move back to Milwaukee during the summer months. The teachers and staff at the school are absolutely amazing. We could not ask for a better learning environment for her.The little "graduation" ceremony was very cute and we enjoyed watching each of the kids walk up on the stage to get their certificate of completion. Chloe has become so much more self-confident over her years here it is wonderful to see how much she has grown.
I've never considered myself lucky. When I say that I'm talking about the big things. Like my father dying at 53 and my brother dying at 26 and my grandson' s death at 2 months and 11 days. Those are the big things. I get that there are others that have suffered through more tragedy than I have seen but when I throw in my inability to find a job for the last year and a half which definitely leaves us in a perpetual state of financial insecurity, I really feel unlucky.
It doesn't help that I've been diagnosed with congenital degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis. Even if I had a job, I don't think I could handle it. I can't sit for more than an hour without my tailbone going numb. Using my arms to do computer work is very limiting. I can usually get in an hour of computer time before my chest, arms and shoulders hurt. I can't even drive for more than 20 minutes without my arms aching. The pain meds help my situation but it also takes away my ability to concentrate and my attention to detail. So the idea of full-time work seems utterly impossible so maybe in that regard, it's for the best that I can't find a job.
But then there's the money thing. I have medical bills. So many medical bills with no income. I started to sell things that I don't use anymore on eBay. That sure helps buy a few groceries but does nothing to put a dent in the medical bills. There is also the student loans I can't repay. It's to the point that I've stopped losing sleep over any of them; it's just not worth it. I totally understand what hopelessness feels like.
To help ease my disease, I've had lumbar fusion and cervical fusion. These surgeries have certainly helped to alleviate my symptoms but they did not fix everything. I used to have no feeling in my feet and now that I've had lumbar fusion, my feet go numb/throb if I over-exert myself. I can also feel my arms after the cervical fusion but I still have a clutching pain around my rib cage. I've spent a year in physical therapy only to end up with so many restrictions that I wonder if any of it was worth it. I can't run anymore, getting on a motorcycle is definitely out of the question, even picking up my grandchildren is absolutely out of the question. I can't bend, lift anything more than 10 pounds, or turn my head as far as I should. Every day is hard. My brain wants to be productive but my body makes that limited.
I am terrified to drive. In fact, I've bumped a bumper and a tree from not navigating the gas/brake pedals properly. Since I cannot turn my head, I can't see what's in the lanes next to me. I have somewhat adjusted to using mirrors more but they are not totally reliable.
My pain level registers at a consistent 7 but I try to keep from taking many pain meds. They are taxing. I would rather spend an hour doing something followed by an hour lying down which gets the gravity off my body. It's a more natural way of dealing with pain although it is tough to get anything accomplished.
I do volunteer web design work which is how I know I can't work for more than an hour. I have tried but just can't do it. I can't even keep up this blog like I used to. Other things I miss are gardening, biking, cooking, painting, sewing, writing, walking, reading, travel and golf.
I need a miracle. Or maybe just a little luck once in a while.
It doesn't help that I've been diagnosed with congenital degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis. Even if I had a job, I don't think I could handle it. I can't sit for more than an hour without my tailbone going numb. Using my arms to do computer work is very limiting. I can usually get in an hour of computer time before my chest, arms and shoulders hurt. I can't even drive for more than 20 minutes without my arms aching. The pain meds help my situation but it also takes away my ability to concentrate and my attention to detail. So the idea of full-time work seems utterly impossible so maybe in that regard, it's for the best that I can't find a job.
But then there's the money thing. I have medical bills. So many medical bills with no income. I started to sell things that I don't use anymore on eBay. That sure helps buy a few groceries but does nothing to put a dent in the medical bills. There is also the student loans I can't repay. It's to the point that I've stopped losing sleep over any of them; it's just not worth it. I totally understand what hopelessness feels like.
To help ease my disease, I've had lumbar fusion and cervical fusion. These surgeries have certainly helped to alleviate my symptoms but they did not fix everything. I used to have no feeling in my feet and now that I've had lumbar fusion, my feet go numb/throb if I over-exert myself. I can also feel my arms after the cervical fusion but I still have a clutching pain around my rib cage. I've spent a year in physical therapy only to end up with so many restrictions that I wonder if any of it was worth it. I can't run anymore, getting on a motorcycle is definitely out of the question, even picking up my grandchildren is absolutely out of the question. I can't bend, lift anything more than 10 pounds, or turn my head as far as I should. Every day is hard. My brain wants to be productive but my body makes that limited.
I am terrified to drive. In fact, I've bumped a bumper and a tree from not navigating the gas/brake pedals properly. Since I cannot turn my head, I can't see what's in the lanes next to me. I have somewhat adjusted to using mirrors more but they are not totally reliable.
My pain level registers at a consistent 7 but I try to keep from taking many pain meds. They are taxing. I would rather spend an hour doing something followed by an hour lying down which gets the gravity off my body. It's a more natural way of dealing with pain although it is tough to get anything accomplished.
I do volunteer web design work which is how I know I can't work for more than an hour. I have tried but just can't do it. I can't even keep up this blog like I used to. Other things I miss are gardening, biking, cooking, painting, sewing, writing, walking, reading, travel and golf.
I need a miracle. Or maybe just a little luck once in a while.
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