The Greatest Generation

How fortunate for us to have taken that unexpected road trip to WI earlier this month. How fortunate for us that we got to spend one last week with my grandpa. How fortunate for us that we were there to help celebrate his 86th birthday. How fortunate for us to have had Robert L. Schreier in our lives for as long as we did. How fortunate for us to have known him.......

On April 20th 2011, we lost another member of our greatest generation, my Papa. He was the kindest, the silliest, the truest, and the most generous and patient person I've ever known. He was outgoing and fun and always had a story to share, a hand to lend, or a corny joke to tell. He was my hero, and I'll miss him beyond words.

God saw the road was getting rough,

The hills were hard to climb.

He gently closed those loving eyes

And whispered "Peace be thine,"

The weary hours, the days of pain,

The sleepless nights are passed.

The ever-patient worn out frame

Has found sweet rest at last.

God saw you were getting weary

So he did what He thought best;

He came and stood beside you

And whispered, "Come and rest!"

You bade no one a last farewell,

Not even a good-bye,

You were gone before we knew it

And only God knows why.

~ taken from the funeral card

An Unexpected Road Trip

In less than 3 hours we found ourselves in the car making the 16+ hour journey to Wisconsin for an unexpected road trip. We thought we were heading up to see my grandfather one last time before attending his funeral later in the week. Two days after we arrived, things took a 360 degree turn and he started getting better slowly but surely. He is now in rehab trying to make his way back to his apartment in an assisted living community.

Although it didn't start out under the best circumstances, it ended up being a great trip. We had been meaning to get up to Wisconsin to visit, but we were waiting for Jaime to find a job and have a start date to finalize the plans. I guess we needed a little push to head up. We spent just over a week hanging out with my grandpa in the hospital, helping him celebrate his 86th birthday, and visiting with family. Now we are back in Dallas and prepping for a move into a furnished temporary apartment and getting ready for Jaime to start his new job in just over a week. More on all that sometime soon....

SO far behind....

Our time in the States has just FLOWN by!! I find myself sitting here on the eve of our last full day, and I am already sad that we have to go. I can't believe 8 weeks went by "just like that."

I am so very far behind on the blog and we've done loads of fun things, but I've only had time to put together one more video. I'm working on one for the second half of the trip as well as one from our early celebration of the boys birthday too, but that will take a bit longer.

Here is a (long) look at our 4th of July week spent in WI. We hung out in Germantown with my grandpa, and enjoyed a long weekend staying with my Uncle John and Aunt Mary up in Prairie du Sac on Lake Wisconsin. It was a fantastic week, the boys had tons of new experiences, and we thank everyone for their generosity and hospitality. Enjoy!!

Happy 4th of July!!

The rest of the trip...

Papa went back into the ER the Monday after my brothers headed back to Texas. It was also the first day of our last week in town. We wrestled with the idea of staying longer, but the airline would only permit us to lengthen our trip by one week...Since we had no idea how long Papa would be in the hospital, we decided to keep our original flight. We spent the last week hanging out around town, running errands, and packing, and I visited Papa whenever I could.

I suppose it was better that we didn't stay since he is still in the hospital and they predict he will be there until well after Christmas.

Our final week actually went by quickly, and, before we knew it, we were driving to Chicago to catch our flight back to Tenerife. Other than a slight delay out of Chicago, our trip was mostly uneventful. We spent our delay playing at the wonderful kids area sponsored by the Chicago Children's Museum and eating at the airport Chili's. Everyone slept on and off throughout the flight and we were in Madrid before we knew it.

In Madrid, a friend of mine, and fellow PAMOM member picked us up and took us to her place. The boys had a nice time playing with her girl/girl twins while the parents chatted and drank some US style ice tea. Lizette made a great lunch for all the kiddos and then we headed back to the airport for the final leg of our journey.

We arrived in Tenerife just a few hours later...safe, sound, and with all our luggage. Lela, Lelo, and uncle Arturo picked us up and took us back to our apartment which Lela had fixed up and stocked with food. Once we got settled back in, it almost felt as if we never left...

We are Family

My Mom had 8 sisters and 1 brother...so, needless to say, we still have loads of family in Wisconsin. Whenever we visit, someone from the Roth family agrees to have a "reunion" at their house so that we might see as many people as possible. This time, it was my Aunt Debbie who was also celebrating her birthday that weekend.

It had been many, many years since Travis and Trevor had seen most of these family members, and there were some we'd never even met in person yet! In a way it's strange to see your little cousins all grown up with families of their own, and it's also really cool. No matter how long it's been, you always feel welcome and right at home...like you haven't missed a thing.

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"
~Anthony Brandt

Apple Pickin' (Video)

The one Saturday that my brothers were in Wisconsin, also turned out to be a record breaking 70 degree day in November! It was beautiful! Papa wanted to rest, so we took the kids Apple Pickin' at the Barthel Fruit Farm in Mequon before bringing him some lunch.

We were allowed to pick two varieties of apples and were encouraged to "taste test" the apples before putting some in our basket. All the kids did an excellent job of both testing and picking the apples, and everyone had a great time. We left with lots of apples to share with the seniors, a couple of caramel apples, and some fresh cider.

A Surprise for Papa

Since Papa can't really travel anymore, and it had been awhile since they'd seen him, both of my brothers decided to coordinate a weekend visit to Wisconsin while we were there.

Trevor arrived on a Thursday and stayed in our room with us, and Travis arrived late Friday with his family and stayed in the room next door. Not knowing when Papa was going to be released, I ruined Trevor's surprise a bit and told Papa he was coming. Luckily, Papa got out of the hospital on Friday morning...and was still surprised by everyone being in town.

Unfortunately, Papa still wasn't feeling well, and didn't want to leave his apartment all weekend. So, we alternated doing things without him while he rested, and visiting him at his place.

Here are a few general pictures from the weekend with my brothers:

"Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines
from generation to generation."
~ Lois Wyse

Betty Brinn Children's Museum (Video)

As I researched things to do in Milwaukee, I actually found a lot of options...even in the winter!! Obviously, there is a ton more to do when the weather is nice, but we'll have to save that for another time. Actually, we didn't get to do several of the things I had hoped to do...but we can add those to the "next time" list as well.

What we DID get to do, is head down near the lakefront and visit the Betty Brinn Children's Museum which is right across from the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Santiago Calatrava and the Discovery World Museum which is on our "to do" list for next time.

Even the Betty Brinn "big" kid areas were fun for the boys!! I think it might just be my favorite of the Children's museums we have visited so far...

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.”
~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

The Milwaukee County Zoo (Video)

Unfortunately, my grandfather went into the hospital just 3 days after we arrived. Since we didn't want the boys roaming around a germ infested facility, I went to visit him while they took their afternoon nap or later in the evening when they were hanging out at the hotel with Daddy. The rest of the time, we found ways to "entertain" ourselves while Papa was trying to recover.

Some days we just hung out and did little things like visiting a local park, playing at the YMCA, or running errands. Other days, we ventured out a bit more. Our first outing was the Milwaukee County Zoo. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, and it was nothing like I remembered.

Since it was winter, all of the concessions and "rides" were closed...but, we practically had the place to ourselves. It was a brisk but beautiful day and we had a great time...especially in the big leaf pile on our way out of the park. I am actually looking forward to taking the boys back sometime in the Spring or Summer.

Remembering...

We always take time to visit and remember some of our ancestors whenever we visit Wisconsin...

We mainly go to see Papa's true love, and my Gramma, Patricia Jean, who died back in 2003. It's sort of a tradition that, most likely, my grandmother would think we were crazy for keeping up. She always said "when you're dead, you're dead. That's it." She would also probably remind us that she isn't really there in that cemetery, and we are crazy to come out in the cold. Of course, she isn't here to tell us any of that...and, really, cemeteries and the like aren't really for the dead anyhow.

We also stop by to say hello to a few other Schreiers. Anna and William, Papa's parents and my great grandparents, and Herman Papa's brother, my great uncle. I didn't get a chance to know Anna and William, but I did know Uncle Herm back when I was young.

Of course the boys don't know where we are or why we are there, they only know it's a great place to climb and run around. But they will have the photos later in life, and, in a way, they got to "meet" some of their ancestors.

"If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors.
All of them are alive in this moment.
Each is present in your body.
You are the continuation of each of these people.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Halloween (Video)

Yei!! I'm finally tot he Halloween post!!! My goal is to catch up on our blog before Christmas...

So...our first full day in WI was on Halloween. Papa's niece (and my third cousin), Billy Joe, invited us to her house and neighborhood for some trick-or-treating. When we arrived she had a fabulous spread laid out for lunch and bags and bowls of candy and treats for her trick-or-treaters.

After we ate a little lunch, Jaime and I took the boys out to beg for candy while Papa and BJ hung out at her house to hand out candy. It was a REALLY cold day (especially for us non-northerners)!!!

Once the boys figured out they got candy at each house, they kept asking for "mo candy??" We went down the block and around the corner before we just got too cold and had to return to BJ's house. Everyone thought Winnie and Tigger were super cute, and we just had to agree. Thanks BJ for a wonderful Halloween!!!