Here’s a glimpse into moments of real life when you’re generationally living… It’s Friday evening and Jeff is at church for the Good Friday service.  I have just returned from the grocery store with food for Sunday’s dinner. I’m watching the clock because I’ve determined that I will sit down and watch the service live.…

I had no idea that being a Carnivore was a thing unless you were a dinosaur or lion. But less than 4 months ago after being on a very balanced (protein, veggie, carb) meal plan I stepped off the scale and said, “I’ve got to get this under control or go see a doctor because…

We currently have thirteen pets on the hill: three dogs, four cats, two hermit crabs, and four chickens. We had five chickens until one of the hens let us know she was a rooster and is now living at a new house. Sadie, our textbook ADD & ADHD puppy has visited the hen house on…

I’ve been saying it for years, Someday, we’re going to have a hacienda…lots of rooms and California style outside living spaces where we can live, dream and create.  My great excitement was usually met with blank stares, wrinkled noses and a few rolled eyes. You see, my loving family are more of the dream busters type than the…

My mom and I share a common trait. It is refer to as white coat syndrome. This is when you go to the doctor and the people in white coats, which really doesn’t exist anymore, takes your blood pressure and everyone get concerned because you are a few seconds away from a stroke or perhaps…

Every parent has memorable moments that get tucked away in our minds and heart. I have a file cabinet filled with Raun’s. Today, as he celebrates another year and I think back over his ‘a bit more than average‘ life – it’s the comments that echo through the past: Two-year-old Preschool Teacher: “We love having…

Since there is nothing else going on in our daughter and son-in-law’s life this summer, Austyn decided it would be a great time to potty train Emery. There are a few developmental issue that we are all waiting for Emery to discover. One is knowing when there is too much food in her mouth, preferably…

It started with a simple question, “What are the sirens on the side of the highway for? Tornados? We don’t have Tornados here? Hurricanes? We don’t have those either. Earthquakes? No, we’ve lived here for seven years and never felt one. Then what are they for? High Surf – it tells us when it isn’t…

Having Emery around is always an adventure. During this current visit we are watching the barometric pressure closely to see what variances affect her the most. I have my wunderground weather map open of the computer at all times, allowing me to quickly access any drop or rise in pressure. This past Sunday we were…

A few months ago, Emery’s neurologist (not many four year olds can boast of having one of those) confessed that even if it meant loosing Emery as a patient, she would do much better living at sea level. Mom and Dad took this to heart and began the process of bringing to an end the life they’ve…

They steal our hearts as puppies and then become one of the family. Ellie was with us during transitions; moving into the city (Chicago), kids in college, grandchildren, and moving to the beach (Pismo). She had a great life and made ours feel a little more normal. From following Grandma around ’cause she knew she…

Ellie and I made a trip to the vet yesterday. In her long life, we’ve not made that trip too many times. Sad to say, she won’t be making many more. The large welt on her forehead is a tumor. Pain medication will take the assumed headache away and the lovely vet that we saw,…

On my last trip to Denver, Emery informed me of this fact several times. “You can’t be bigger than me,” Liam would say, confirming his place in the world. “I’m the oldest.” On the same visit, Austyn slapped a stack of bills on the table, “Just under $10,000 left of Emery’s medical bills and we’ll…

As I opened the patio door for Ellie, I grabbed my cup of tea and headed back to bed. I never sleep in, but once in a while the thought of getting back into bed and turning on a favorite episode of Dr. Who is very tempting. As I pulled the covers up and reached…

I arrived in Denver at 8:30 PM and by the time we got to Brian and Austyn’s home, the two little ones were asleep. I began rehydrating myself (I’ve been here before, the altitude sucks all moisture out of me) and tried to follow the instructions for the following day. Austyn wrote the them on…

The first night of our road trip was quite eventful. About an hour after falling asleep I was awakened by Emery’s cough as she slept next to me. I said her name and Austyn bolted over to our bed. For the next few minutes I took the supporting role as Austyn instructed me what to…

It started with a phone call, “Mom, want to take a road trip?” “Sure, where are we going?” “Chicago, then up to see grandmas.” “Who?” “Me and the kids.” “When?” “August…” Tomorrow I will board a plane that will take me from Cali to Colorado. It will be the first time on a plane since…

My crazy aunt once told me she would frequent Goodwill to purchase satin wedding dresses which she made into pillowcases. I thought everything Aunt Meryle said was true, she was one of the coolest ladies I knew; that and the fact that my bullshit meter was not yet developed. Looking back, I doubt Auntie Meryle…

Today can’t begin without remembering a delivery room filled with bystanders waiting to assist, a doctor with laryngitis and a frantic rush to cut and clamp a cord that had managed to wrap itself around a tiny neck no less than five times. She was the chubby three-year old that couldn’t repeat three words in…

Jeff (Hoppie) and I (Neenee) made a trip to Denver this weekend. As usual the conversation was entertaining… Hoppie had just come in the house to find a bucket to clean off some mud frozen to the deck. After following Austyn’s instructions he walked out the back door, bucket in hand. Hoppie: Now Liam, I’m…

Jeff and I made our way from the waiting area to the delivery room in hopes of one last visit before she would deliver. Finding the door closed we pressed our ears up against it only to hear the voices of several in the room. We were too late, the baby was coming. We were…

My grandson has a new attachment – his baseball cap. He looks adorable in it and doesn’t leave the house without it. During a recent visit I heard him yelling from the downstairs, “I can’t find it!” “It’s by the dryer,” his mother called back. “Whats he looking for?” I asked. “His hat,” mom replied.…

When our oldest son Raun was less than one year, Jeff and I decided to load up the truck and move to North Carolina. I was familiar with NC because I had spent my teen summers working at a youth camp my aunt and uncle were responsible for. My uncle was the founder and director…

At 10:00 tomorrow morning, Jeff and I will relive the phone call we received two years ago from Austyn telling us her water broke; almost 16 weeks early.  We will then recall Brian telling us that she had been airlifted to a hospital in Denver. By 5:00 Jeff and I were on a plane. At…

It was just about a year ago, that our son opened up and let us know he was being physically abused by his wife. He felt he had to stay in order to protect the children. I recall one text message, “How do I get my kids out of there?” On January 9, God answered…

These are few terms that will enhance your Oktoberfest experience: aufstöin (v.): to donate a beer. Batzerl (n.):  small amount of something. biddscheen (n.):  please, can also mean “here you are” when someone is giving or serving something. Brezn (n.):  Bavarian pretzel. Aesthetically twined string of dough, baked to a pastry. At the Oktoberfest, the…

Saturday was the official opening of Oktoberfest. This is a festival that Jeff and I look forward to celebrating each year. This year, Oktoberfest began 9/17/11 and ends 10/03/11. Taking into consideration family travel arrangements, we will be extending Oktoberfest one additional week; officially ending this yearly tradition on Saturday 10/08/11. Saturday the 8th, also…

I had the privilege to observe someone who had been living in fear, suddenly begin to live without fear. It was amazing! There was a noticeable change. It was obvious, it was measurable, it was contagious! Living in fear of what is ahead, or what others may think or what might happen, affects the way…

Thirty years ago today he was born. The doctor who delivered him was called away from his son’s wedding to do so, it was apparent he had been celebrating a bit too much to be the doctor on call. But he made it and so did Raun Alexander Bruenning. From the beginning Raun has been…

As I spoke with my daughter this morning, she made the statement, “Look what we would have missed.” What was she speaking of?  Today, Emery is three months old. That is her developmental age, which is based on when she was released from the hospital. Her real age is just over 6 months, based on…

Because of the amount of time I spent in Colorado this past fall, my grandson Liam, who was 18 months old at the time, really bonded with me. Liam learned a lot of new things during this time. He learned to give kisses. The first time we were showing his mommy, Austyn said, “Liam, can…

I was informed by my grandson that there exists those who refer to me as mean. It’s not the first time he has felt the need to relay such information. The conversation went something like this…and by the way, the names have been changed to protect the guilty…I didn’t want to come across as too…

I was sitting on the playroom floor when my 17 month old grandson threw a small plastic ball at me.  Actually it was a small plastic rock that came with his nifty little front loader that I just happened to buy him, but it looked like a ball. He nailed me right between the eyes.…

If you listen close enough, life provides the entertainment… Chase:  Grandma, I know how to spell mom… MOM. Grandma:  That’s right. Did you know that mom is the same if you spell it forwards or backwards? It’s just like DAD. Dad:  That’s called a Palindrome.  Race Car is another one. Grandma:  hmmm….you’re right. Chase:  Race…

My mom’s an interesting person. All her life she has lived for others.  She is a servant. In fact, she is a servant to a fault. At times I tell her she needs to be servant, not a slave. Ethel will be 83 in April. She has been alone for three and a half years;…

If you had been around to witness those times when Austyn and I received positive reports on our little Emery, you may have noticed us grab the other’s hand and say, “She’s third generation!” We are never quite sure how to finish that sentence. You see, Emery is the third generation of female infants who…

My medical knowledge has increase just a tad since Emery was born.  I have a greater insight into breathing, pooping, peeing, heart rate and blood pressure. There were two areas that when I began to learn of their importance, brought goose bumps and a few tears. While Austyn was in labor, every doctor and nurse…

It’s been almost three weeks since we received that early morning call informing us that our sixth grandchild would be born in a day or so. If this call had come three months later, on the actual due date, there would have been a much greater measure of excitement. Fifteen weeks early and a five…

We Skyped Raun frequently.  During one of those calls Jeff scolded the dog by saying “get the hell out of here”.  Again forgetting his audience I hurried he and the dog out of the room and closed the door.  Making my way back to the computer I heard Chase ask where Grandpa Jeff was. “He…

We had other visitor for New Years, Brain and Austyn flew in to spend a few days with us.  This was not just a visit, they had hoped Brian would find a job here and they would be able to move before the baby come.  It was always Austyn’s desire to live close to us…

There are about 6 plastic crates in the garage that house favorite items from Raun and Austyn’s childhood.  In one of those  crates are Raun’s legos and transformers.  Transformers from 25 years ago are much different than the one you buy now.  They would have to be to last 25 years. Raun and Chase made…

Going to the beach during Christmas vacation is part of the fun of living in California.  We made it to the beach every day.  Sage said we live in an upside down world.  She also said she wanted to come back in the summer when it would be winter here, that’s what happens in an…

Jeff and I were planning on spending Christmas alone.  Travel for any of us was just too costly to fit it in this year.  Austyn and Brian would in Colorado for Christmas and spend New Years in California, but Christmas would has Thanksgiving had been – just the two of us. About a week before…

SKYPE  What is this thing called skype, I wanted to know.  There must be a way to talk on the computer and see the person you are talking to.  We bought a camera and downloaded the program and made our first call. There on the computer screen was Raun.  We were sitting in California talking…

We woke early on Thursday, October 30.  Made our way downstairs to the breakfast room to load up on pancakes, oatmeal and everything else that was on the buffet.  After breakfast we granted the kids their wish to go swimming.  The day was unfolding and instructions were given out.  Jeff was with Raun most of…

We had told family that we would be eating at Buca di Beppo’s for dinner and if anyone was available they should join us.  We bundled the kids up and headed out of the hotel exploring the streets of Chicago.  Buca’s is a great family style Italian restaurant full of pictures and statues.  It was…

October 30th was the date of wedding number 2.  Jeff and I flew into Midway Airport.  We had not intended to be back so quickly.  It was only three months ago that we had packed up and headed west.  Chicago was welcoming; however in the short time we had spent on the coast we were…

Jeff had been very clear with both kids to warn against having children too quickly. He had told both Raun and Austyn to wait a few years.  Take time to get a little settled.  Austyn had said for months that she was afraid that she would get pregnant right away, this was not something they…

Rumor had it that a ring had been purchased.  Not just any ring, one that would last a life time.  Raun was asking Pam to marry him and yes there would be one more wedding these years. The date was selected and a beautiful venue was chosen in Lincoln Park, a short distance from where…

We had been in our new home about three weeks before we began to venture out. Less than a half of a mile in front of our home lies the Pacific Ocean. Less than three miles behind our home are the vineyards and they are beautiful. Most of them have a tasting room that for…

My total experience of being on the west coast consist of 3 days 28 years ago. My time on the coast has been primarily the Gulf off the Florida coast. I had expected warm sand, warm days, blue skies and beautiful sunsets. August in Pismo Beach was not what I had anticipated. There is this…

We settled into our hotel room in Pismo Beach. Pismo Beach is a classic beach town. Population 8,000 of which 40% are vacation homes and those people are not there year round. During the summer and on weekends the town is hopping with surfers and people from the valley coming to the coast to find…

We did have a deadline for our arrival in California. The townhouse we were planning on purchasing was scheduled to close the day after we arrived. There had been some bumps along the road with the financing of this unit. Resolutions were always found but it wasn’t a smooth process. The route we chose to…

Jeff and I had planned a 4 day drive from Chicago to San Luis Obispo, CA. Traveling with a dog, we figured we would do well to drive 8 – 10 hours a day. Neither of us had ever traveled such a distance with an animal, so finding and staying in pet friendly hotels was…

Over the past few months we have had glimpses into the minds of Pam’s three children. Brief phone conversation, story’s relayed to us by Raun and the few face to face interactions we have been lucky enough to participate in. Chase, who was two at the time loves chicken. As they were praying before the…

Our close friends Ray and Margie had offered they home to us on our last weekend in town. We arrived Saturday afternoon, tired and emotional. That evening we met up with a small circle of old friends. Sunday was a quiet morning which lead into a quiet day. Monday morning we made our way to…

Jeff and I have moved more times than I want to count. We have always done it ourselves. the packing, the loading, the unloading. This move would be different. We only lived in 900 square feet, so when we were giving an estimate on the cost of the move we could afford for them to…

There were three receptions planned after the wedding. We made our way to Wisconsin for a cookout the beginning of the July 4th weekend. Mostly family attended this one. It was a great time. The second was held in Chicago. Our Jakes reception was perfect. Friends drove in from the suburbs for a tastes city…

Sometime in the afternoon on Tuesday, June 24th had ended. As planned we were left on the island for three more days to recover. The beach, good food, more beach and naps. We spent time with family member who had also planned to spend the week. Taking walks, searching for sand dollars, sitting on our…

Tuesday arrived. Breakfast at our house for anyone that wanted to join us. Renee was off to Walmart for those last minute purchases. Decorations were taking to the house where the reception was being held. Of coarse there was time built in to be at the beach. As Jeff and I left the decorated reception…

With the wedding scheduled for sometime in the afternoon on Tuesday, we had given ourselves Sunday and Monday to play and prepare. Most of the family were arriving Sunday. After a day at the beach, we had invited everyone to our home for dinner and a movie. Buffalo Wings are one of our favorite things…

Brian and Austyn returned to Chicago on Thursday. We were to pick up the rental van Friday at noon, load and take off for what we had hoped was a 16 hour road trip to Holden Beach NC. The home we had rented were fully furnished but there was plenty of extra cooking equipment and…

My Mom and I arrived in Chicago, made our way to the El. We boarded the Orange Line and settle in for our ride to the north side. We were rested but still tired. Mom would be with us for two nights before she got back on the train for home. It was Saturday afternoon,…

Austyn was settled in her new little place. She and Brian were experiencing living in the same city for more than a weekend. I had made plane reservation for my mother and I to fly out in order to finish up the last of the reception invites as well as taking care of a few…

For Memorial Day Weekend Jeff and I headed back to Wisconsin, hoping to spend as much time with Raun, Pam and the kids as possible before we moved. This was really the first time Jeff had spent time with the kids and they were getting to know each other. Jeff had a great sense of…

  Brian graduated on Thursday. Immediately after he and Austyn began their trip to IL. Austyn was graduating on Saturday with an Associate degree in Applied Sciences, Digital Photography. She had been asked to be one of two student speakers for the ceremony. Jeff and I had both cried through her 8th grade graduation and…

Elin Ainsley Bruenning was born 10/19/09.

After driving all night Brian and his friend Evan arrived early Friday morning. On Saturday we would load up Austyn and they would head back to Colorado. Brian and Austyn had known each other for a year and a half but had not spent much more than a weekend together. They needed to be in…

My Mother was turning 80 and at the last minute had planned a weekend in Chicago with her only sister Meryle, myself and my two sisters. My Mom and her sister arrived at Union Station on Amtrack Friday night. It would be the first time my aunt had come to visit us in the city.…

We had planned to spend Easter weekend in Wisconsin. Knowing we would be on our way to California soon we wanted to spend as much time with Raun, Pam and the kids as possible. The car was rented and we loaded up on Friday morning. Raun and Pam were on their way back from the…

They say there are four major stress factors in our lives; marriage, new job, moving and death. Up to this point we had three of the four. Austyn took care of the marriage part. The new job had already started for Jeff and moving was inevitable. As a fellow employee said so reassuringly; “Knock on…

During my one week in San Luis Obispo, we had found a development that we felt very comfortable in. The development would be under construction for the next year which gave us the freedom to buy when we were ready. It seemed very easy. We liked the units and could see ourselves living there for…

Our worst week of the year flowed into the following week. The tile installer was kind enough to work on Sunday, returning on Monday to make sure all was well. That afternoon Jeff and Austyn were the first home. By the time I arrived home most of the condo was put back together. No more…

Saturday morning arrived. Today we did have a time line. We were picking up a cargo van at 9: 00am and it needed to be back by 1:00pm. The installer would be here around 8:30 which meant that one of us would stay home and two would head to the storage until. While Jeff ran…

I stood in the kitchen this morning, Sunday March 9, 2008 and declared “This was and will be the worst week of this year!” It was a way of acknowledging the stress of the past week and promising that going forward the stressful weeks were over. It started the Sunday prior. Raun drove down from…

In my adult years I have always been intrigued by the “New Age” mentality. I say in my adult years because I clearly remember in my teen years being taught that the New Age Movement was satanic. Meditation was evil and if we allowed our minds to be quiet the devil would be able to…

February is the birthday month in our family. Every birthday has a tendency to force us to stop and reflect. Austyn’s is not different. If I had been able to control nature Raun and Austyn would have been 3 years apart but as it went there four and a half years between them. I struggled…

I cried tonight at Jake’s. Jake’s, how does one describe it? Up until the 1950s it was the corner candy store, one of those great corner locations that appear to be built in a triangle. During the 50’s the candy went away and the alcohol arrived becoming the corner bar. In fall of 2006 Jake’s…

I am an organizer. Give me a problem and I can produce a plan that will cover all the bases. It’s how may brain works. I have apparently passed some of that on to Austyn as well. There is great fun is solving problems, putting plans together and watching them be executed. If not careful…

Sunday began just as Saturday had; maps, coffee and the Sweeney Todd soundtrack playing in the car. We made our way further north to see the elephant seals. They come up on the beach to sun themselves. It was a sight to behold; one ton seals laying ten feet below you, dead to the world.…

That evening we had dinner at the home of Jeff’s new employer and his wife. We would spend the next two days driving from town to town in hopes that we would find some place that we could call home. We set out Saturday morning with maps, the plan was to start at the south…

I found the car, found the directions and backed out of the parking space. I made my way out of the parking lot, turned left on Broad in search of Tank Farm Road, interesting name for a road as well as an interesting road; a few farms, a trailer park, a few warehouses, the north…

I woke early the next morning. Finished packing, made sure Austyn was feeling better and headed out the door. At the corner I grabbed a taxi, which took me to the Blue Line that took me right into O’Hare. Owning a car is not an essential part of life in the city. The business of…

The second full week of January would be orientation for Jeff at the new office in San Luis Obispo. He flew out on Sunday with 4 fellow employees. Chicago to San Luis is not an easy flight. Total travel time adds up to around 7 hours. I waited for the first phone call relaying first…

As I was cleaning the kitchen I was rethinking our conversation. Imagining Raun with three children, realizing that if this relationship grew Jeff and I would be grandparents. This year was already quit full; why not add another major change, instant grandparents. Then it hit me, Jeff a grandpa. I began to laugh. Jeff and…

Raun had been spending more time in Wisconsin. Driving up on the weekends and since his winter break started Thanksgiving and ended after New Years he had time. Raun enjoyed going to visit his grandparents and get in a little fishing. For the last five years he had truly learned to enjoy the quietness of…

Austyn had flown to Colorado prior to Christmas to spend time with Brian and his family. They flew into Chicago on Christmas day. Raun had spent a few days in Wisconsin visiting Pam, a friend from high school that he had reconnected with but was home Christmas Eve. Most of our family is still in…

The following week Jeff was actually not at the office, he was opening a store so had very little face to face interaction with the leaders of the new company. He was dependent on phone conversations with co-workers filling him in on their take of the situation. Reviews were mixed. Jeff flew home on Thursday…

Several years ago as our children were beginning serious relationships, I had a dream. I wanted to set the third week in October as our family vacation. Jeff and I would make the arrangements, of course it should be on a beach. The kids and their families would come for as many days as possible.…

Austyn’s wedding party consisted of two, a boy and a girl. Her only bother and sibling Raun would be her bridesmaid and his girlfriend of 3 years would be her maid of honor. Raun’s girlfriend and Austyn had become very close. They were sisters already. They shared the same creativity, ideas and even thoughts. When…

Austyn is very creative. She also is very sensitive and the two were at war in her mind. She was having a very difficult time with all the questions and suggestions she was being inundated with. She felt some sort of responsibility to listen to everyone and felt helpless when it came to thanking them…

Tuesday July 8, 2008 It’s an on going contest in our family to see who will have the biggest paragraph in Mom’s Christmas letter. The good, the bad, the traumatic will somewhere along the line get measured to all the other events that have occurred. The biggest, the worst, the most fun, it’s inevitable that…