Well, I promised you some wacky sister stories in the last post, so that’s what you’re gonna get!
Before I do that, though, I wanted to mention what great hosts Randy and Debbie were, opening up their lovely, welcoming home to us. (Along with their cat, Croix.)
I love Debbie’s sign.
We enjoyed lots of good conversation and laughter. Steve and I are thankful for the Wisconsin haven they always offer.
It started with the three of us meeting for lunch at a country cafe in Neillsville.
We managed to stay fairly dignified and composed as we ate, but when we left the restaurant, we started heading over to the wild side. (Or as wild as three middle-aged preacher’s daughters get.)
As a little background: many years ago, when Ruth was exceedingly pregnant and unable to walk easily, she came up with the idea of renting a golf cart at a small course and just riding around to enjoy the fall weather. That golf course had a paved walkway all the way around it, and was the perfect solution for her.
All these years later, she got the idea that it would be fun for the three sisters to do the same thing. She had called ahead to get permission, and we went into the club to get the keys while being given a curious once-over by all the guys lined up at the bar in the clubhouse. Since we weren’t wearing golf clothes, I’m sure they wondered what sort of mischief we were up to.
We went out to the golf carts without having any idea how to operate one. I know it seems like an easy thing, but it took the three of us about ten minutes to figure it all out because, despite their simplicity, they had a few features we weren’t accustomed to. The figuring-out process was accompanied by a great amount of screeching, laughing, and flailing about. I dread to think that they had any security cameras around. If they did, they’re probably still playing the footage on a loop at staff meetings.
We eventually got ourselves going, only to realize this was a bigger course than Ruth had been on earlier, and also, there were no connected paths, just random ones here and there. Debbie and I were in a cart behind Ruth as she zoomed along, scouting out paved paths. About every five seconds, Debbie would clutch my arm and scream, “We’re going to tip over!”
We ended up following Ruth right across the greenway since she saw a glimpse of concrete beyond. Turns out the concrete was short-lived, and we were back to our wanderings. About five minutes later, we heard a cart come up behind us at a rapid pace; the driver passed Debbie and me and drove up next to Ruth and stopped her. Turns out we were not actually supposed to meander in any old direction but keep to the outskirts of the course. Fortunately, the manager was nice about it all. She also warned us that a little further along, there would be a big hill to go down, which gave Debbie even more reason to clutch my arm and yell, “We’re going to tip over!” Intrepid golf cart-ers, we are not.
When we finally made it back to the golf cart parking, we were tempted to kiss the ground; however, we knew that wouldn’t have been a good idea since getting up would have provided an additional humor reel for the security cameras.
We agreed that even though it wasn’t an unqualified success (we didn’t know how to run the carts, we wandered around in the wrong places, and we got chased down by the manager), it was highly successful in terms of making an unforgettable, happy memory for three middle-aged gals.
we realized that our collective bladders were telling us to find a restroom. Ruth knew of a store nearby with public bathrooms, so after we’d made use of those, we walked around a bit. It was an enormous store for a small town, carrying everything from furniture to flooring to toys to home decor to office supplies to groceries.
As we browsed through the variety of items, Ruth happened to notice a package of stove burner covers, the ones that make your burners look clean even when they’re not. As soon as she saw them, her eyes lit up. She stopped in her tracks, struck a dramatic pose, and donned a professional spokesperson persona.
She threw out one arm and proclaimed with great alacrity, “These burner covers are wonderful! They are marvelous! When I was helping my son move out of his apartment, his burners were crusted! Rusted! (Dramatic pause) And black! But we went to the store and we got a pack of these, and the stove looked brand new! He got his deposit back! I want to tell you–another flourish–it saved our lives!”
Well, Debbie and I were in absolute hysterics because Ruth isn’t really one to go off on dramatic tangents in public, and the fact that she was so invested in this faux commercial was hilarious.
As the commercial drew to its close, we continued our way down a main aisle, almost laid out in the middle of the floor, with our continued laughter. As we walked, it suddenly occurred to me that, apart from our boisterous laughter, the store was silent. Very, very silent. There were just two other customers and no background music. You couldn’t have asked for a worse place to be having a heehaw of a good time.
After the realization hit me of just how quiet it was, I happened to notice an employee on a side aisle who had been organizing the shelves. She was just sitting stock still on her little stool, her head turned in our direction, not doing anything, just waiting. It occurred to me that she had heard the hullabaloo from a long way away and was in great anticipation of catching a glimpse of the crazy people who were responsible for it.
When I saw her staring at us, bug-eyed, I smiled and blurted out, “We’re not drunk. We’re just sisters.”
She managed a weak smile and polite laugh and watched us giggle and guffaw our way to the other end of the store. I’m quite sure she didn’t believe us.
After the gallivanting on the golf course and the shenanigans in the store, we calmed ourselves down and found a pretty picnic table under some colorful trees, and sat and talked for over an hour. It was a good way to end our special time together.
So those are the sister stories.
where Steve had to be taken off a plane. It happened on the second leg of our journey. We had just sat down in the last row when a voice on the intercom said, “Is there a Steven and Rebecca Smith on this flight?” Steve raised his hand, and someone came back and told him that he would have to leave the plane and go back into the boarding area with his and my boarding passes.
I’m sure that everyone thought we were spies, mobsters, and/or characters of ill repute, and they were waiting for the air marshals to storm the plane and escort me out right behind Steve. He was gone at least five minutes while I sat there trying to look nonchalantly innocent.
I finally saw him reappear at the front of the plane and then, in complete and total silence, he did the walk of shame to the back row, with everyone glancing at him furtively with questions in their eyes. Turns out their computer said there were two Steven and Rebecca Smiths on the plane, and they wanted to be sure we were who we said we were. So no arrests were necessary.
A bright spot in all our airplane travel was that on the way home, Nathan was on our flight even though our tickets were booked at different times. Here is our goodbye photo with Randy and Debbie. Nathan is so greatly loved by his aunt and uncle.
For some reason, I am gazing out into the middle distance, but I still love any photo when I’m with Nathan.
Steve and I boarded first, and when I saw Nathan coming up the aisle, I sent a picture of him to Meagan. Her reply made my day.
Don’t you love it?
Steve and I were extra tired as we got off in Minneapolis for our 3 1/2 hour layover. We felt a little discombobulated, but Nathan capably gathered us up and guided us to where we needed to go. Even though Steve and I could have pulled ourselves together and navigated on our own, it was nice to have our grown-up son there to shepherd us through the airport. When we sat down for an airport dinner together, I told him that even though he was also tired and was going to be getting to bed late, I appreciated that he was keeping such a cheerful, peaceful attitude. He made everything so much easier, and I was extra grateful for him that night.
We landed in Charlotte after midnight, and all three of us were in bed by about 2:30 with our hearts full of so many good memories.
Thanks for following along on the trip!
What about you?
Have you ever acted up in public? If so, is was it unusual or are you just a fun-loving person who does it all the time?
Any traveling/flying stories to share with us?
How are your leaves doing? Pre-peak? Peak? Post-peak? Do you love this season or is it not your favorite?
“We’re not drunk ~ we’re sisters” needs to imprinted on a t-shirt! I laughed out loud when I read this. And it made me think of me when I’m with my sisters-in-law. And Meagan’s text reply is beyond precious!
I’ve never been asked to leave a plane; once several years ago when landing at Raleigh/Durham the plane bounced so hard the oxygen masks fell out of the overhead. They quickly got on the intercom to apologize and ask us not to use them.
I’m happy you all made it safely home! And I’ve really enjoyed all your Wisconsin pictures & storres.
SueEllen,
What a relief to be told you didn’t have to use the oxygen masks; that would be a little scary to have that happen!
Yes, that is definitely a t-shirt worthy saying. I figured that must be what she was thinking and the words just popped out of my mouth!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the recapping of the Wisconsin trip.
I love your sister stories! I’m so glad you had that time to spend together and have those memories. What a fun day!!!
That store looks amazing.
As for laughing, we had our moments when our girls were in their late teens and we would go out to eat somewhere. Someone always did or said something that would start the laughter. We didn’t know how to stop. There were a couple times that Phil got up and left the building. That only made us laugh harder. I mean, we tried to control ourselves, but it was hard. We still talk about it till this day! And it can still happen to this day. Especially when we start laughing about how we laughed.
I love to laugh. Such an enjoyment in life, and can change a mood quickly. 😀
You know Phil and I are opposites!!
The trees are beautiful here. Some aren’t sold on the idea of changing yet. But there are beautiful areas.
I do love fall.
Carol
Carol,
Yes, I can definitely see the three of you cutting up and embarrasing Phil!
I always laugh so much when I come up to Wisconsin to be with family; I guess you guys bring it out in me. And you’re right–laughter IS the best medicine. You feel so much better after a good guffaw.
Great to see you!
Thank you for writing about your WI adventures! Love that you sisters had that fun and special time together. I know it is so precious. My only, and very beloved, sister died 12 years ago. She was 9.5 years older than me but despite that age gap we were very, very close. I miss her so!!
My husband and I worked at a mission hospital for 6 weeks at the end of medical school and went back for 3 months 4 years later at the end of his residency. The second time there was a French doctor working there for most of the time we were there — we became great friends. He got married a few years later — we went to France for the wedding (he asked my husband to be the witness for the civil ceremony — a great honor and also funny since he had no idea what was said because he didn’t speak French!). When we were at the wedding reception the next day (a very long, two part party!) we found out that a number of the people at the reception thought we were drunk — because we were laughing and having fun! That cracked us up!!
DeLynn,
Oh, I can’t imagine losing one of my sisters, especially in the prime of life, which makes it even more sad. Your simple line, “I miss her so” contained a thousand stories and emotions. Sisters are a treasure and I’m so sorry you lost yours.
What a great story about medical school, a mission hospital, and the French doctor who became your friend. I’m sure you have so many great memories.
I am glad to know my sisters and I aren’t the only ones who are perfectly sober but could be mistaken for being drunk! Nothing wrong with enjoying yourself at a party.
I was taken by the fact that it was long, two part party. That must be French tradition although I think that would be a little long for my taste! Glad you had that experience.
Sister days are the best days! We have a sister tradition of going to Ikea and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans. One of our favorites is replacing stock photos in picture frames with pictures of our dogs. I whole-heartedly support sister silliness!
I travel frequently for work and will sometimes have 8-10 flights in a month (my record was 14 flights in 14 days. I do not recommend it). As expected, I have a slew of flight stories that I regale my infrequently-flying friends and family with. I once connected through Iceland, and the president of Iceland boarded and sat in the row in front of me. It warmed by heart that he flew on a regular old commercial flight. I once got so sick on a plane that they had to call a doctor. And I once fell so soundly asleep for 12 hours that the flight attendant had to check to see if I was breathing because he worried I had died. I had a good laugh with him once I woke up.
We have peak leaves right now and I am loving every minute of it!
Robin,
The president of Iceland flies commercial? Good for him! And how fun to get to sit behind him! I hope you didn’t feel any shenanigans coming on! 🙂
I imagine that flight attendant was beyond happy to know that you were still breathing. I’m impressed you slept an entire 12 hours on an airplane. That shows you’re a real pro.
And what fun to replace stock photos with your own picture! Nothing illegal about that and it probably makes people smile to see dogs rather than boring studio photos. Keep enjoying the quirky side of life.
Top notch sister memories to add to our collection! Love spending time with you two. 🥰 Since we are all relatively calm and quiet people normally, I’m always amazed at how loud and silly we can get! I’m sure we made a lasting impact on Neillsville. 😁
And how wonderful is Nathan? And Meagan’s text! Love how he shepherded you guys through that adventurous trip home. The fact that he got the same flight as you going home was a gift from heaven for sure!
Still miss you guys but so thankful for the precious, wacky time we all had together!
Love, Deb
Deb,
Yes, there must be some sort of sisterly synergism that happens when we get together that makes us act differently than when we are on our own. I’m sure Neillsville was glad to see us go! 🙂
I know. I adored that text Meagan wrote about Nathan, too. Warmed my mama heart. And it was so, so nice having him in the airport with us; he is so calm and unflappable and encouraging. He (and the pilot) got us home safely!
Miss you, too!
When my friends and I travel, we always end up acting up. It just happens. We don’t try. But it just happens because of the group we are. LOL One or two in particular seem to be the ‘leaders’ but everyone gets involved and it is always so much fun and so much laughter always ensues!!
We were on our way home from Mexico one year and had to make a connecting flight. We got into Houston late and the line through customs was extremely long. Jeff’s feet and ankles were pretty puffy (maybe too many salty margaritas??) and he was wearing flip-flops. We had to make a run for our concourse and it was a LONG run. As we were running, his flip-flop broke so he had to run the rest of the way bare footed. It was a long way and he said it killed his foot but, hey, we couldn’t do anything about it. We barely made it to our plane! They were holding the door for us!!
Our leaves just started to turn a couple of weeks ago. We have still been having unusually warm temps. Just now the nighttime temps are beginning to get chilly so that will help them along.
I loved your golf cart story! They aren’t as easy to drive as one would think! 🙂
LeeAnne,
Ooh, I feel stressed just reading about your sprint through the airport. That is a terrible feeling to think you’re going to miss a flight. Kudos to you and Jeff for persevering–despite the broken flip flop. I’m sure you provided a little light entertainment for all the folks around you. 🙂
It’s so cool how friends can bring out the crazy in each other. I love that!
I know I always have the same comment CWA is 5 minutes from my home. We tend to fly out of Appleton, Madison or Green Bay because we can get a direct flight. We usually fly to Phoenix in March, although the last 2 years we drove.
Ellen,
I know, I love direct flights, too, but it is so convenient to be fairly near Randy and Debbie’s when we land. I hadn’t even realized Appleton had an airport; that might be a good Plan B if we needed it.
Phoenix is a beautiful city; I know you enjoy your visits.
I think that store clerk was jealous of all the fun you were having! I am surprised you didn’t break into song in such a quiet store with no music.
I have had some great fun “acting up” in public with friends and my sister and cousins. My husband is a little to concerned about what the other people will think, but I have never cared. I also will admit what I have done. Before New Years once I saw an endcap with funny little stuffed smiley faces that counted down the New Year. I set off about 20 of them, they were all going off in sequence and vibrating the shelf. I quietly walked away to pick up a prescription. The clerk was complaining to the other clerk about people setting off the toys. I calmly said, Oh sorry that was me, I couldn’t resist…
I have no funny flying stories, yet.
Our leaves are about at their peak and we had a lot of rain yesterday. We may drive north this week so hope to still see some color. I do love fall and the colors, but I still think I like snow better.
Patti,
Oh shoot. We forgot to break into song! That would have been the icing on the crazy cake! 🙂
It was very honest of you to admit you were the one that got all those smiley faces going. I think I would have played dumb!
It’s usually Steve who is the loud one in public and I get embarrassed but every once in a while, I can turn into a noisy extrovert. Good times!
That was a good account of a very fun day with sisters! The best medicine of the year -laughter -with those fortunate few who have the same wacky sense of humor!
Was quite a wonderful time indeed. Ruth
P.s. I will gladly sell those stove burner covers to anyone who will stand still and listen 2 min. Yes sir-ee!
Ruth,
Glad you enjoyed the stories that you lived! And yes, we did have a good dose of laugh medicine that day.
I never knew you were such a fan of burner covers till this trip. I’ll smile every time I see some in a store.