State number 7 - Wisconsin!

Well I am now in the state of Wisconsin - arriving after about a four and a half hour drive from Indianapolis.  Mother Nature gave me a free car wash on the way so I was able to wash off six states of road grime and state insects!  I am staying at my oldest sister's house in Kenosha for a few days now.   The skies cleared as I drove and it was a beautiful 70 degrees when I arrived.

It was strange waking up this morning knowing that I wouldn't see Brad for two weeks and that between his going and coming back there was bound to be a lot happen,  But one thing that this trip has already taught me is to not make expectations and assumptions.   It is here that I will confess that I had been pretty teary eyed in the last few days leading up to today.  It didn't take much to make a few of them sneak from the corner of my eye when I thought of him leaving and the two weeks on my own.  I made the assumption that I would be a basket case today, but happily I wasn't!    Perhaps the anticipation was the worst part.  Truth be told, I was in a pretty good mood all day!

On the drive up here, I got to thinking about family and my sisters.  For those of you who don't know, I have 5 of them .... and 3 brothers as well.  It's a yours-mine-and-ours family, blending two families of four kids and along came me to make kid number 9.   So I guess in reality I only have half-siblings, but I have never thought of it that way because it's all I've ever known. My dad had three girls and a boy and my mother had given birth to two boys and two girls, so I was her third daughter by birth.  My oldest sister - the one I am visiting - is named Wren and Mom's other one is named Robin.   Birds!   Cool!

I've often wondered why I didn't get a cool bird name.   Instead I got Constance!  No disrespect to my Dad since I was supposed to be Conrad Junior (heaven help me!), and it was changed to Constance.   Tough name for a little tomboy!!  Most of my life I have been Connie - though there was that awful phase when friends would call the house and ask for Connie, only to be asked "Big Connie or Little Connie?"   Ugh!

So what should my bird name be?   I can't be Wren or Robin..... so maybe Lark?   I can't think of too many options so maybe that's why they stopped with the bird names, but it sure would be cool to have one!   So in honor of my sister Wren who is so gracious as to host me for a few days (and you too Robin), today's song is called "I Was a Bird" by Mary Chapin Carpenter.   We saw her in concert this summer at the Botanical Garden and it was a great concert.  She is such a bright woman and a gifted artist and singer.

Also forgot to mention that if you miss a day and don't know what the song of the day is, there is now another music option on my blog.  On the right hand side there is a player that will accumulate songs as I go so that by the end you will have my complete road trip soundtrack!   Enjoy!

Now I have to rest up as tomorrow morning is my first adventure!   I get to read to 1st graders at a local elementary school!   Time for bed since I have school tomorrow!!!  (Haven't said that in a long time!)

Love,    

Lark