Life without Kids

Wow, two weeks without kids. When one has been busy with kids for 26 years, it was a real shock to be with only one grown child hanging around home. Here is a small sample of what we've done to keep ourselves busy.
Week 1:
Monday -Spent the day traveling home from Antioch. Shipped home a $30 package of convention clothes from Kearney as Phil and Autumn had our van, kids and all the sleeping stuff. We had clothes and 5 people to fit into a Ford Focus and not enough room for what we needed. Got home at 12:30am on Tuesday:
Day two: Discovered we had two suitcases left over after everyone got their stuff out of the car. Dale had loaded two of the Jelineks suitcases along with all ours. Oh yes........ Tuesday started witha chiro appt and headed to checked on our Marshfield store,we visited my niece Avery Hansen who was us in Marshfield Hospital after a bad asthma attack and Uncle Roy Papendorf who is having cancer treatments.
Day 3 Checked our other store and did some shopping.
Days 4 Painted house in living room. Dale is missing the kids.
Day 5 Among other things moved the chairs for gospel meeting. While eating grits, Dale states that he misses his grits girls.
Saturday: Dale and I spent the day in the Dells. We went and got as old-time picture taken in the Dells. What and experience!! We got there and they asked what kind of background we wanted. I thought the car was cool so picked that for the background. I totally missed the fact that it was an 1930's gangster theme. They get Dale all decked out in picstrip suite, red shirt, white tie. Than they pull out the dresses in my size, tell me to put one on. It was a spaghetti strap sheath with fringes HMMMMM... I walk out of the dressing room they throw a feather boa around my shoulders, a feather thingee on my head and to top it off, a nice 3ft. long string of pearls around my neck. "Ah....do you have anything a bit more conservative." Dale's eye were about popping out of his head. We found something slightly more conservative, and they put me on the hood of the car, and while they are posing Dale, I am pulling the high slit in my skirt together. I think I am ready for the picture and they plop a revolver in my hand, hand Dale a Tommy gun and start snapping pictures. It isn't bad but I don't think I want to post it on the internet. LOL
We visited Mt. Olympus, got tired of the crowds and wound up visiting Devils Lake, Mirror State Park and Natural Bridge State Park. By the way, I didn't plan on hiking Devil's Lake trails and wound up doing them barefooted. Dale said we will have to go back with the kids.....and than again maybe not. He admits he would be a nervous wreck when they decide to hang over the edge at Devils Lake.
Sunday: Meeting, Father's Day dinner and more meeting and moved chairs back.
This week: Monday work. Dale says " I really miss my kids"
Tuesday work. Dale-"The whole month will be gone by the time I see my kids"
Wednesday- Work, meeting, snack at Dean & Kathy's. Dale- "I don't like my kids being gone at all.....not everyone is like you and can be gone and not miss anyone."
Thursday: Work- Dale "I hate missing almost a month of my kids life." Get the picture?
Friday- Work 7:30am-9:00pm Come home, nap on deck in swing, while Dale's on the computer. Turn around and fall into bed. One long week. Oh and more about the kids. Today- spent some time at the Ramsden Reunion, came home, did some work and posting to blog. And now the comments about the kids are coming more urgently...like every hour. What a Dad!
I will post pics next chance I get.