Minnesota Girl (This is my Old Blog. Please go to THIS is Me, for my NEW blog )

I lied!

2011-01-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

I'm back on blogger. Here's a link to my new bloggy =)

http://katiekatiemarriedlady.blogspot.com/

Wedding Slideshow!

2010-09-02T09:33:00.005-05:00

Here's link to our wedding slideshow:

http://www.meghandoll.com/slideshows/katiejoe/

I can't tell you how beautiful that day was. It was definitly the best day of my life!

Enjoy =)

I'm a Married Lady!

2010-08-03T21:09:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, July 31st, I married J, my best friend the one I laugh with, live for, dream with...and love =) Here's a few pictures of our wedding ceremony and reception. Professional pictures should follow within three weeks!

Next week at this time...

2010-07-25T13:14:00.001-05:00

I will be a WIFE! I've been so busy with work, planning the wedding and house projects, that I haven't had time to blog.

I promise to do a couple of posts about everything I've been up to the last serveral months very soon =)

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE

2010-06-13T21:59:00.005-05:00

A couple of months ago, my parents set aside some boxes for me to go through. Most of them were filled with old papers, school books and pictures. I rolled my eyes when they asked me to go through the boxes, because I didn't want to sift through a bunch of junk.

I'm not a packrat, but I do tend to save special cards and notes from my family and friends. While going through one of the boxes, I came across this card:

The card says:
"Dearest Katie, Sorry this is late. The thought is something old and something new. The old is a necklace grandpa gave me. The thought it should belong to you. It will be a memory for you of your graduation and of us. Love and Gods blessing, Grandpa and Grandma."
This note is from my maternal grandmother, who passed away a couple of years ago. As soon as I read the note, I knew I had my "something old" for my wedding. I'm going to have this necklace sewn into my bouquet:

While I'm sad that my maternal and paternal grandmothers won't physically be there on my wedding day, I know that they'll be with me spiritually and I know they'll be smiling when I walk down that asile and marry J.

What Drives Me Batty!

2010-05-19T11:59:00.003-05:00

My sister M told me a funny story a couple of weeks ago. She woke up in the middle of the night, and her husband was breathing loudly. She nugged him and asked him to stop breathing so loud. His response:

“You want me to stop breathing….something I need to do to live?”

Everybody has pet peeves. Whether it’s someone else breathing loudly or smacking their chewing gum, we all have those things that we find particularly annoying.

When you start dating someone, you don’t see any of those pet peeves right away. As the dating progresses and you spend more time together, pet peeves tend to creep into relationships.

J and I have pet peeves about one another. I think his main pet peeve with me, is that I have road rage. I use my horn and I tend to use words that a lady should never say. I’m working on this, and I’m happy to report I’ve gotten better in the past couple of months.

My main pet peeve with J, is this:

I HATE when dishes are stacked in the sink—or directly next to the dishwasher. It makes no sense to me. If you’re making an effort to bring the dish into the kitchen, why not put it in its proper place? J’s definitely getting better at putting his dishes in the dishwasher, but there’s the occasional glass of water that stays next to the sink for a day or two.

I’m sure throughout our marriage, J and I will develop more pet peeves about one another—and guess what? It's completely normal!

The Dress

2010-05-03T15:31:00.004-05:00

Back in August, I went dress shopping with my mom and my sister M (also the maid-of-honor). My sister M had done some legwork before we ventured to the store. As my sister, she knows what I like. She knows what looks good on my body and she’s brutally honest, in a good way.

I told M what styles I favored, and she found some pictures. Well, after I reviewed the pictures I called the daughter of the owner of the dress shop and asked her to set aside some dresses that would be similar to the styles M had found on-line. I told her I wanted absolutely NO beading and NO lace. It’s just not my style. I like simple and classic lines and I wanted it to be elegant and timeless.

When I walked into the room to try on dresses, the salesgirl informed me that the owner called the designer and he sent a sample of the dress I liked on-line. I immediately tried it on and LOVED it. It was everything I wanted—simple and classy. I put a veil on and said Yes to the Dress.

The salesgirl walked out of the room to gather some paperwork and my mom and I noticed there were other dresses in the room. The owner asked the designer to send other samples. I took a peek at the dresses in the garment bags and turned to my mom and said “Why the heck would they send these? I said NO beads and NO lace."

My mom said, "why don’t you try one on just for fun?"

I pulled the dress out of the bag and slid it on. I turned around to look in the mirror and started to tear up. I looked over at my mom, who was also tearing up. I knew immediately that it was “The One.”

Without further ado, here’s a picture of my dress:

Ha! Did you really think I was going to show you a picture? No way José. The real dress will be unveiled after the wedding =)

The Question.

2010-03-31T21:17:00.005-05:00

My twenties have been loaded with questions.

At 21, it was “What are you going to do when you graduate? My answer was, “who knows? I’ll see where my major takes me.”

At 25 it was, “When are you going to get married? My answer was, “who knows? I haven’t met him yet.”

Now that I’m approaching 30 (yikes), the question I hear most is “When are you going to have kids?” My answer “geez, slow down. I’m not even married yet!”

J and I are getting married in July. We’d like to be married for at least one year before we start “trying.” By the way, I hope J and I aren’t one of those couples that says “we’re trying.” I hate when people say that. Yuck.

Anyway, J and I know we’ll be blessed with some babies, maybe not right away, but someday! And until that time comes, I have no problem being a Aunt to these sweet little girls

I'm an Olympian...NOT

2010-03-09T12:07:00.002-06:00

I can’t believe I have to wait another 4 years before the Winter Olympics. Like most people, I was glued to the television during the two weeks of the Winter games. During the opening ceremonies, I loved how each delegation wore matching outfits that resembled their country in some way. I especially loved the mittens worn by the Canadian delegation.

Check out what my parents got for my sisters and me:

No, I’m not Canadian, and I’m hardly an Olympian…but I can still wear these around town, can’t I?

Mini-Moon

2010-03-04T10:34:00.001-06:00

One of the best parts of the wedding process is the HONEYMOON! Our wedding is going to be at the end of July, which means it’s going to be smack-dab in the middle of a Minnesota summer. Summers in Minnesota are warm, sunny and beautiful. After a long winter, most Minnesotans want to stay close to home or go up North to enjoy our fabulous weather.

J and I decided that we’d like to hold off with taking our honeymoon until the weather changes. Going to Hawaii (Maui to be exact) during November or December sounds more attractive than going during July. So that’s what we’re going to do.

Many of our friends and family members suggested that we still plan some sort of get away after the wedding. It’s a chance to be together as a married couple and digest everything that just happened. After much thought, we decided that taking a mini-moon is a good idea.

We’re still not sure what we’re going to do, but we seem to be leaning towards going up North to a resort called BlueFin Bay on the North Shore. Then, when the weather gets cold, we’ll jet off to Maui. Fun! I’m so excited =)

Who Knew Guys Talked to their Friends about Dating?

2010-01-25T14:55:00.003-06:00

Last week, J and I celebrated our anniversary. It's funny, but I can remember our first few weeks of dating so vividly. And so can he. He actually sent me an e-mail he had saved from two years ago. This is an e-mail he sent to one of his friends after our second date, when we had dinner and drinks and listened to Jazz music at a fabulous place called The Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant.

J said to his friend:

Good. Thanks for asking. The music was great. They lost my reservations but it worked out well. They sat us at a table right next to the stage. The drums and sax were less then 3 ft away, talk about being submerged in the music. The food and drinks were also good. The bill.....sucked but oh well. We are going out again Wednesday night. I am taking her to the Wild game. A buddy has season tickets and sold them to me cheap. I've warned her don't expect a cool 4th date because the Dakota and Wild game are hard to follow. She then says she would be happy cooking at home and staying in a night. I say great idea for a fourth date...she says...If you get a 4th date and then laughs. Funny. Real funny. Women are hysterical. And everyone wonders why I have been single so long.

I had to laugh after I read that. My favorite part was about the bill. I think it was over $150 or something. Ha! Guess I'm not a cheap date =)

Two years ago today…

2010-01-19T12:15:00.003-06:00

I met J. The past two years have been filled with love, laughter, smiles, tears, friendship and so much more. We’re going out for dinner tonight to celebrate the anniversary of the first day we met. After this year, we probably won’t celebrate this anniversary, because we’ll be celebrating a different kind of anniversary--our Wedding Anniversary!

Thank you J for making these past two years so amazing! You’re my best friend and my soul-mate. I adore you and can’t wait to marry you in July.

This picture is from this past weekend

Three's a Crowd

2010-01-15T13:57:00.003-06:00

I’m by no means a gym rat. I wish I was one of those girls who liked getting up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym, but I’m not. At best, I work out four days each week and it’s typically right after work.

The past couple of weeks, my mom and sisters have been talking a lot about Lifetime Fitness (LTF). I used to be a member (when it was Northwest club), but I quit when they raised my rates to over $65. I couldn’t justify spending that much each month when I rarely visited the gym. After quitting Life Time, I decided to join Any Time Fitness. (ATF) I’ve belonged to ATF for the past 3 years, and I was pretty happy with it. It was convenient, there were personal t.v.’s at every machine, etc.

When I moved to Minneapolis, ATF wasn’t so convenient. The nearest ATF is about 4 miles from my house, but its ghetto. It’s definitely not as nice as the Any Time I used to go to. While still belonging to ATF, I decided to also join Edinborough, which is near my office. It’s a tiny place, but offers a pool and its yearly membership was discounted for tenants of nearby buildings.

Despite belonging to two separate gyms, I decided to add another gym to the mix this past week, and re-joined LTF. I’m hoping to quit ATF by the end of this month.

I think LTF will be a good place for me to kick my workouts in high gear. With a wedding coming up, I’m hoping to get in the best shape possible before I put on that white dress and walk down the aisle.

By putting this in writing, I’m hoping that I make the most of my membership and go at least 5-6 times a week. Wish me luck!

Birthday Extravaganza

2010-01-05T16:34:00.001-06:00

For some reason, most of my family members have birthday’s in December. There are a total of six birthdays. This number includes 2 sisters, my mom, my dad, my brother-in-law and my niece, MK.

As you can imagine, it’s tough to find time to properly celebrate each of these birthday’s when we have Christmas parties, friends in town, and everything else that goes along with the holiday’s.

This year, my family decided to celebrate all December birthday’s on one day (with the exception of MK who got her own special party). My parents hired Chow Girls to come to their home and serve us a sit-down catered dinner.

We all had a fabulous time! Here are a couple of pictures from the night:

My mother always sets the most beautiful tables

This is my sister M reading a poem she wrote. It was about every one who had a birthday. I can't wait to hear her Maid-of-Honor speech =)

My Family

Merry Christmas from mi casa to yours!

2009-12-29T11:18:00.003-06:00

Is it tacky to send out a Christmas card picture, when you’re not married? Obviously J and I aren’t married yet, but I wanted to send out a picture with a short greeting to my family and friends. After much deliberation, I decided to go for it, and crafted this card:

I’m sure most, if not all etiquette books would say it’s inappropriate to send out a Christmas picture of two people if they aren’t married, but I think that’s a dumb rule. Some rules are made to be broken, and I think this is one of them.

Engagement Pictures

2009-12-23T10:23:00.008-06:00

I’m not to keen on engagement pictures—I think they can look too forced and awkward. However, most engagement sessions come with the wedding photography package.

Joe and I wanted to take our engagement pictures during the Fall. Fall in Minnesota is breathtaking. The air is crisp and the leaves in the tress and on the ground are full of orange, red and yellow hues. We wanted to incorporate all of that into our pictures.

Well, if you live in Minnesota, you know that the weather can be very unpredictable. When I woke up on October 23rd and looked out my window, I saw a blanket of snow and ice covering my lawn. We thought about cancelling our engagement session, but decided to be troopers and make do with our surroundings. I’m glad we stuck to our guns, because we got some fabulous shots:

Our photographer, Meghan Doll was fantastic to work with. If you’re getting married and live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I highly recommend booking her!

I’m a Fairy Godmother

2009-12-01T14:14:00.008-06:00

While I was away on my blogging hiatus, my sister M gave birth to a baby girl in October and named her Hallie Virgina. I was lucky enough to meet Hallie within 15-minutes of her birth. When I walked into the hospital room, my sister asked me if I would be her Godmother. I of course accepted and am honored to be Hallie's Godmother. Here's a picture of sweet little Hallie:

If you’ve been following me for awhile, yes, this is the same sister that gave birth to a baby girl (MK) back in December, so if you do the math, the girls are roughly 10-months apart—so they’re Irish Twins!

If anyone can handle two babies, 10-months apart, it’s my sister and her husband. So far they’re doing a great job and both girls are happy, healthy and drop-dead gorgeous. Here's a pic of both girls:

Baby Shower!

2009-11-20T12:53:00.009-06:00

Is it me, or is there a sudden spike in friends having babies?

Last weekend, I had a baby shower for my friend Amy. Amy and her husband are expecting a baby girl in early January.

I wanted the baby shower to be unique and special, so I gave it a few personal touches.

For the silverware, I rolled pink forks and knives in sweet mother to be napkins. To keep things together, I pinned the end of the napkin with a tiny pink clothes-pin. I also bought giant baby bottles to place throughout the house.

Draping over the mantle, were three pink onezies joined together by twine.

Draping from my chandler were cute little scratch mittens. I think scratch mittens are the sweetest things ever! Under the chandelier were homemade yellow cupcakes with pink frosting. Thank you to my fiance' for his assistance!

For the game I cut out pictures of 10 celebrity babies, and guests were asked to grab a piece of paper and guess the celebrity mom. If I hadn’t put together the game, I think I would have rocked the contest. I’m a huge US Weekly and People Magazine junky.

For the most part, it was a very successful party! The food was delicious, the company was engaging and I think in general, everyone had a good time.

Dream a Little Dream of…

2009-11-12T15:38:00.000-06:00

Often when I wake up, I forget about my dreams. But lately, I’ve been having some CRAZY dreams and I remember them throughout the day.

Last night, I had my second wedding nightmare. I’m guessing as the wedding approaches, I’ll have more crazy dreams, but so far, this one takes the cake.

In my dream, the dress shop called and said my dress was ready to be picked up. When I went, they brought the dress out and it was pink.

Ick!

Pink used to be my favorite color, but now, not so much. In my crazy dream, my mom and sisters assured in that the dress was beautiful, despite its unusual color. The dress shop people told me there was no time to order a different color, and that I’d have to make do.

Luckily I woke up to reality shortly thereafter. Now I’m even more anxious for my dress to come in…and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’s a shade of ivory…not PINK.

Welcome to the 90's

2009-11-11T16:32:00.000-06:00

As Frank says in Father of the Bride...Welcome to the 90's Mr. Bank's.

Since I lived without cable for 1.5 years (gasp), I had to rely on non-cable shows to get my t.v. fix. I occasionally watched crappy shows like The Bachelor, Hell’s Kitchen and More to Love. Super trashy, yet addictive.

Well during my non-cable television days, I also watched good shows like Law and Order and Seinfeld reruns. I watched Seinfeld a couple times during its run on NBC in the 90’s, and never really understood the hype. It was a show about nothing.

Well, I’ve since come to appreciate the hilarity that is Seinfeld. So much so, that J and I are going to see Jerry Seinfeld when he comes to Minneapolis this weekend. I’ve never been to a stand-up routine and I’m super excited =)

P.s. I’ve since gotten cable, and have moved onto bigger and better things (ala Real Housewives of Orange County, House Hunters, etc.) but I still catch shows like Seinfeld every once in awhile.

Halloween @ Work

2009-11-02T17:09:00.003-06:00

I’m lucky to work at a place that embraces Halloween. On Halloween, employees are encouraged to dress up. If employees chose not to dress up, they can wear jeans, for a $5 donation to charity.

This year, like last year, I decided to dress up. I wanted to be something different, that people wouldn’t except. After hearing many ideas, I decided to go with this:

Flo, the Progressive Insurance Lady. I think she's annoying as H e double hockey sticks, but it was an EASY costume and I only spent $15 on the entire ensemble.

Sadly, I only got 4th place in the contest at work. Hopefully next year, I can come up with something that will WOW the judges.

I'm back!

2009-11-02T11:39:00.002-06:00

I've missed posting on my regular blog, girlfromlandof10kl, so I've decided to come back! Girlfromlandof10kl will focus on my day-to-day activities and I hope to post a couple times a week. I'm still going to post on my wedding blog every now and then; however, that blog will continue to remain private.

Adios, Ciao, Sayonara, Au Revoir, Goodbye!

2009-04-21T10:53:00.004-05:00

I created this blog back in June 2008, as a means of chronicling my life --- the good and the bad. I’ve recently thought about either (a) starting a new blog, which would be private, or (2), stop blogging all together. After much thought, I’ve decided to start a private blog, mainly because I love to write and I feel like I have good stories to tell.

My new blog, “Going to the Chapel” at http://katieandjoe731.blogspot.com/isn’t up and running just yet---but it will be soon. If you’d like an invite, please e-mail me at girlfromlandof10kl@yahoo.com

I want to thank each of you who has read Girlfromlandof10kl---from New Delhi, India to San Diego, California, I sincerely appreciate all the sweet comments you have left during my tenure as a blogger.

I wish everyone the best and hope some of you continue to follow me as I write about planning what will be the happiest day of my life.

Love,
Minnesota Girl

I've been M.I.A.

2009-04-15T12:26:00.004-05:00
I should be back to regular blogging soon. Life has been incredibly busy, but I’m hoping for things to slow down within the next couple of weeks.

On the wedding front, J and I have picked a date in the Summer of 2010! We’ve picked out the church, priest and hope to have a contract with the band in a few days. One big thing we need to figure out is the reception venue. We’ve looked at one place in downtown St. Paul, which we both loved but hope to look at another venue soon. Hopefully after looking at both venues, we’ll make a collective decision.

I can tell you this---I won’t be getting married at the Mall of America. Check out this story from Kare11.com, our local news station. It’s about couples getting married at the Mall of America on a roller coaster. Who in their right mind would get married at a mall? ICK.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Many people will say marriage can be a real roller coaster ride.

But 15 couples embraced the ups and downs right from the start -- they got married Wednesday on a roller coaster at the Mall of America.

The couples exchanged vows on the Pepsi Orange Streak roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe.

The ceremony started at 9 a.m. and was complete with a champagne toast and wedding cake.

(Copyright 2009 by KARE and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Circus is Coming to Minneapolis Tonight!

2009-04-03T10:47:00.003-05:00

Is it sad that I still listen to Top 40 radio stations? Is it sad that I'm PUMPED to see Ms. Britney Spears in concert?

Maybe, but I can't help it!

I've listened to Britney ever since she hit the scene my freshman year of college. I remember watching TRL in my dorm room, trying to memorize the dance moves to "Baby One More Time" and "Crazy" with some of my college friends. I haven't busted out the moves in a couple years---but I think I can still master the "Baby One More Time" dance. Maybe I'll do it at my wedding =) Haha! Just kidding.

Have a great weekend everyone---I know I will!

I'm engaged!!!!

2009-03-27T07:00:00.000-05:00
This past Sunday evening, on a beach in Florida, J asked me to marry him. It was a very romantic and genuine proposal---and I obviously said YES!

I've never been happier! I can't wait to marry him =)

Here's a fun picture of us celebrating our engagement...

P.s. The ring is BREATHTAKING! He went way above and beyond anything I'd ever dreamed of.

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

2009-03-17T14:33:00.006-05:00
I’d like to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. To show my appreciation of my Irish heritage (I’m 75%) I’m decked out in a navy dress, with a green sweater and green scarf. I’m also wearing a beautiful clauddah necklace that once belonged to my grandmother.

When I was in high-school, I spent two weeks in Ireland. The trip holds many fond memories in my heart. Each of us paired with another student and stayed with a host family in Belfast for one week, and the following week was spent traveling the countryside on a bus tour.

My favorite memories from the trip are probably the time spent with the host family. One day as I was getting ready, I thought it would be a good idea to curl my hair. Not such a good idea.

Because of converter issues, smoke started streaming out of my hair. As I unwrapped my hair from the curling iron, I noticed small pieces falling to the floor.

The room smelled like burnt hair. To get rid of the smoke and the awful smell that permeated throughout the room, we (my friend M and I) hung the curling iron out the window.

Later that day, when we were about to run some errands, Eva (the host mother) noticed the curling iron hanging out the window. I don’t remember what transpired next, but I knew she wasn’t happy. It was raining and the rain probably soaked the room. I do vaguely remember blaming my friend M. Sorry M!

Despite my converter issues, I had a lovely time in Ireland. Visiting Giant’s Causeway, kissing the Blarney Stone and visiting Duncluce Castle (pictured) were amazing experiences---experiences that I'll never foreget.

I hope to go back to Ireland some day soon. In the interim, I’ll flaunt my heritage proudly. Luckily, my ADORABLE niece is beginning to flaunt here Irish heritage too---here’s a pic of her in her St. Patty’s Day outfit:

Pre St. Patty's Day Pubcrawl

2009-03-11T07:21:00.001-05:00
For the past few years, my brother-in-law has coordinated a pre St. Patrick's Day Pubcrawl. The pubcrawl consists of two busses filled with family and friends dressed in green. The busses (furnished with beer) travel to various Irish themed bars across St. Paul. As someone who is 75% Irish and very proud of her heritage, I love all things Irish.

This year's pre St. Patty's Day Pubcrawl started at O'Gara's, followed by McGoverns, followed by Half Time Rec, concluding at Tav on the Ave. This year I didn't make it to Tav on the Ave---not because I was overserved, but because I was exhausted. I can't believe I've turned into such an old lady, but I can't stay out late. I turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

Anyway, all in all, it was a fun night. Here's a few pictures through the years:

'09 L, L, J and Me

'08 L, J, Me, L

'07 Me, M (my sister), T

Valentines Day with Broken Bones and Pink Eye, Part II

2009-03-10T21:43:00.003-05:00

During the drive home, my arm started throbbing. J and I had dinner plans with my sister and her husband at Carmello's later that evening to celebrate Valentines Day.

Sadly, we had to opt out of going to dinner. Between J with his pink eye, and me with my injured arm, we decided it would be better if we didn't go. Instead, we decided to spend Valentines Day evening in the Emergency Room to get my arm checked.

We had to wait a little over two and a half hours to be seen by the doctor. After two rounds of x-rays, the doctor confirmed that I had a fracture. A radial head fracture to be exact. The radial head moves both in flexion and extension (bending) of the elbow joint, as well as rotation of the forearm. Therefore, injury to the radial head can affect all movements of the elbow.

The ER doc gave me a prescription to Vicodin and told me to visit a hand specialist as soon as possible.

Three weeks later, I still have pain, but the swelling and bruising have gone down significantly. I'm no longer wearing the splint (which made me look like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget). I still can't turn my hand and do simple things like round brush my hair, start my car (using my right hand), or lift heavy things. My range of motion is still messed up, but hopefully I'll continue to improve.

After all was said and done, it was definitely a Valentines Day to remember. I later found out that my parents said something to J along the lines of it being a horrible way to spend Valentines Day. J's response, "It was the first time both of us spent a Valentines Day being in love." I couldn't agree more.

Valentines Day with Broken Bones and Pink Eye, Part I

2009-03-05T16:17:00.006-06:00
Me. Here’s the story about what happened on Valentine’s Day 2009.

5:30 a.m. – J woke up and discovered his eye was completely red. He told me that he thought he had pink eye.

My loving reaction “Who gets pink eye after grade school?” J reiterated that he knew it was pink eye. I decided to immediately call Urgent Care to find out what time they opened. Yes, I’m a dork that I have the phone number to my local Urgent Care programmed into my phone, but trust me---it’s come in handy more than once. The recording told me the office was scheduled to open at 8 a.m. I told J to set his alarm for 7:30, which would give us ample time to get there.

7:35 a.m. – I popped out of bed (I’m kind of a morning person) and told a sleepy J to wake up!

8:10 a.m. – We arrived to Urgent Care. Usually, if I’m sick and need to go there, I get there 5 minutes before it opens because it’s always a buffalo stampede to get in and see the doctor. Luckily not to many people were sick on V-Day and J saw the doctor shortly after our arrival.

8:30 a.m. – J was officially diagnosed with Pink Eye. I of course freaked out and worried that I was going to get it. We immediately rushed to Target to get his prescription.

8:45 – 10:45 a.m. – Due to the lack of communicative technology, Target didn’t receive J’s prescription. I LOVE Target, but I almost went postal from being stuck there for two hours. If you know me, you know my patience tolerance is non-existent. I’m working on this.

11 a.m. – Raced to my house, got ready and got our ski gear in order.

11:30 a.m. – Picked up my sister and her boyfriend and headed here for a ski day:

12:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Ski. The conditions were HORRIBLE, but we still had fun, UNTIL…

I fell. Let me start by saying I’ve been skiing 20+ years. I’m by no means a Pickaboo Street, but I think I’m fairly decent.

My sister A asked me to ski behind her. Well, she wasn’t skiing as fast as I would have liked, so I passed her. I didn’t do many turns towards the bottom of the hill so I had quite a bit of momentum. Her boyfriend was at the bottom and I planned to stop a couple of inches away from him and spray him with snow. Yeah, that didn’t work out how I had wanted it to.

When I turned to stop, my edge caught a patch of ice, and I completely bit it. My sister’s boyfriend had a look of horror on his face.

At first I started laughing, because I was so embarrassed. Not only did it happen in front of my sister’s boyfriend, but it also happened in front of the ski patrol lodge. I was mortified.

Sadly (or maybe a blessing in disguise), J was in the restroom and missed the whole thing. When he came back to the slopes, he saw me on the ground, and he told me to get up. He said “Why are you laying down? Get up, lets go ski!”

My response – “Um I think I might have done something to my arm.” At this point, I was crying because my arm was sore.

J couldn’t believe it. He knew that I was a decent skier and that I hadn’t fallen in a long time (I’m insanely cautious). My sisters call me “Cautious K.”

Once I got up from the ground, I grabbed my right arm and just knew something was wrong. Sadly, we had to cut our skiing trip short and headed home.

Part II to follow tomorrow.

Ash Wednesday Mac & Cheese Tradition

2009-02-25T10:17:00.001-06:00

Over the past several years, my friends and I have developed a tradition. Dine on fabulous Mac & Cheese from McCoy’s, and head down the street to attend mass. It’s such an odd tradition---but one that I look forward to every year.

A couple of years ago, we decided to attend dinner before the mass. Not a good idea.

McCoy’s is usually packed (because they have great food), so it took longer than expected to get seated. As soon as we sat down, we ambushed our server with our drink order immediately followed by our food order --- water and mac & cheese all around. We were so pressed for time that one of my friends chimed in and said “we have a mass to get to so please hurray!” I’m sure the server thought we were nuts.

Back to dinner before mass being a bad idea. If you know me, you know I’ve been cursed with infamous “cheese cramps.” I blame it on genetics. During mass, I could hear my tummy rumbling. I knew it wasn’t good. I quietly whispered to my friends that I needed to find a restroom.

Well, I think I missed half of the mass. When my cramps subsided, I made it back to the pew in time to be blessed with the ashes. Lesson that I learned --- eat the Mac & Cheese AFTER mass.

Out of Commission

2009-02-17T10:22:00.002-06:00
This weekend was insane...Saturday (Valentines Day) was spent at Urgent Care, followed by skiing, followed by a trip to the ER. Apparently I broke my elbow skiing. It hurts badly, so I won't be blogging for a few days =(

The Letter Game

2009-02-13T09:29:00.006-06:00

1. Boyfriend – Duh, this is a given. He’s by far the most amazing man that I’ve ever met, and I can’t wait to marry him someday.

2. Belfast – Besides Paris and New York, Belfast is one of my most favorite cities in the world. In high-school, I lived with a family in Belfast for one week. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. I hope to go back there for a visit soon!

3. Beaches – I LOVE going to the beach with my family. Sadly, we live in the Midwest, so to visit the beach is a treat. I’m eagerly anticipating my Florida vacation.

4. Babies – I love my niece, baby MK. She’s the cutest thing ever and I love babysitting her.

5. Books – I love reading, and sadly, I don’t do enough of it. I read historical fiction. Love it. I think my favorite book is “The Other Boelyn Girl.” I’ve read it three times. And p.s. the book is WAY better than the movie.

6. BMW – Not to sound like a superficial brat, but I love my car. I worked hard for that puppy (2 jobs) and I love it!

7. Britney Spears – I know, I’m a dork. My family thinks I’m a teeny-bopper because I still listen to top 40 radio. I can’t help it. Anyway, I’m going to see Britney with J’s sisters in April when the circus comes to Minneapolis.

8. Braces – I hated them at the time, but they’ve made my teeth insanely straight. I had them on from 5th grade through 10th grade. My teeth were sort of messed up---but they aren’t anymore!

9. Broadway Plays – I love going to plays! I’ve seen two plays in New York, and dozens in Minnesota. My two favorites are Phantom (I’ve seen it twice) and Wicked.

10. Bed – I adore my Tempurpedic bed. It’s like sleeping on a cloud.

Evidence that J hearts Minnesota!

2009-02-12T09:37:00.004-06:00
Last night J and I went to the WILD game.

For those of you not from the great state of hockey, the WILD is our professional hockey team.

You may have read in a previous post that J and I went to rival schools. Sadly, the spirit of rivalry has carried over into the professional teams that we cheer for. I always cheer for Minnesota---I’m a diehard Twins fan. J on the other hand is from the state of Illinois---the state that elected Rob Bloagojevich as governor. If we’re at a Twins game or a Wild game, J will always cheer for the other team. Well, until last night.

I think H.E. double hockey sticks has frozen over because J stood up and cheered when the Wild scored the winning goal against the Colorado avalanche last night. Here’s my photographic evidence:

What’s Birth Order Have to Do With It?

2009-02-11T09:53:00.003-06:00
A few months ago, my youngest sister called to tell me about a project she was doing for school. Basically it was a study on birth order. She relayed pieces of research she gathered, including stereotypical characteristics of each child within any given family.

Her project elevated my interest in learning more about birth order. I went to several websites and most of the credible sites included similar information regarding the first born:

First born: Confident, organized, smarter, responsible, scholarly, less open to new ideas, more likely to attend college to make more money than their siblings, and may be more stressed.

As the oldest child, I do believe some of the foregoing characteristics are accurate.

1. I’m totally organized. Some may think I have a minor case of O.C.D. Case in point, a picture of one of the closets in my home:

2. I’m not as open to new ideas. I’m working on this. Sometimes I have the attitude that it’s my way or the highway.

3. I’m smarter than my sisters. Haha! Just kidding =) I know they read my blog and wanted to see what they’d do if I said I was smarter than them. We all went to college and we’re each intelligent.

4. I get stressed out easily. I think a lot of people get stressed, but for the first born child, it seems they have more stress, because they need to pave the way.

I think it’s interesting that our birth order can play a part in pre-determining our traits. What place are you in the birth order?

Valentines Day Horror Story

2009-02-04T07:45:00.002-06:00

Last year, around Valentines Day, J and I had just begun dating. We weren’t exclusive, and much to the dismay of my family and friends, I was still talking to my ex.

We had dated awhile, but the relationship ran its course and we broke up. It was probably the worst relationship I’ve ever been in---he cheated on me, was verbally abusive, and was basically an all around loser. I only stayed with him because I didn’t feel I could do better, and because I thought that all guys were like that. Boy, was I naive.

Last year, because we were in the initial stages of dating, J and I decided not to make plans on Valentines Day. We bought each other a card, a small gift and had dinner a couple of days before the hallmark holiday.

Well, my plans for a low-key V-day quickly vanished into thin air.

On February 14, 2008, my ex showed up at my apartment with a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy’s in hand. He cut a zig-zag down the middle and said “This is what you’ve done to my heart.”

I looked at the pizza in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he had done that. I was sad for him that he thought buying me a pizza and saying those words would make me forgive him for everything he had done. Sure I love pizza, but that’s not a way to my (or any woman in their right minds) heart.

Eventually I cut off all ties with him, by getting back my keys, blocking him from my Facebook and from sending me e-mails, texts, etc.

It’s funny to look back and think about how things have changed so much over the past year. I didn’t think it was possible to find a loving, considerate, genuine, religious, compassionate, generous, family-oriented, driven and happy and good-looking man. But I’m lucky. I did find him and like I’ve said time and time again, I thank God every day for bringing J into my life.

Ring-a-Ding-Ding

2009-02-03T13:12:00.003-06:00
On Sunday J and I were shopping in Edina to pick up some of his newly purchased suits and do some shopping. While walking around, we came across a jewelry store and decided to take a peak at rings.

Originally, I had said I wanted no part in picking out my ring. However, after J sent me a few samples of what he thought I would like, I insisted on being involved in the process.

Walking into the store, we didn’t really have any knowledge of diamonds, rings, etc. I’m the kind of girl that has a few staple items that I wear---my Irish Claddagh ring and my pearl earrings, neither of which are expensive. Other than that, I don’t own any expensive pieces. I’d rather spend money on a car, a plane ticket or something to that effect.

When we walked into the store, I had a vision of what I wanted---an emerald cut ring. Well after trying on a few emerald cut rings, I could tell they weren’t for me. They just weren’t my style and didn’t look good on my finger.

After that was established, I tried on various types of rings, and I found one style in particular that I loved. J thought it looked great too! I’m not going to divulge the style (some things have to remain secret)!

Nothing was purchased on Sunday; however, we have a good idea of what we want. J has begun his research and has reached out to some individuals with expertise in this subject.

When we were driving home from a super bowl party on Sunday evening, I started to tear up. I didn’t want him to notice, so I pretended that it was from a cold/allergies. I thought I owed J a real explanation, so I sent him this e-mail yesterday:

“Thank you again for another great weekend! I can't tell you how EXCITED I am about the ring thing. Seriously, last night when we were driving home from M's I had tears in my eyes---because I'm so thrilled about this whole process. I can't wait to marry you =)”

And this is an excerpt from his response:

“I thought you were crying in the car...I was not sure though. Needless to say I should have drove....you were all over the road ;) I am glad you are excited. That is better then being mad. I am excited as well. I however, am not going to cry. You are allowed to cry, but not too much. I on the other hand am allowed to freak out.”

Have you ever seen Twister?

2009-02-02T12:03:00.000-06:00
I don’t believe in new age spirituality or reincarnation ala Shirley MacLain, but if I did, I know what I’d want to be in my next life---a storm chaser.

I’ve always been obsessed with severe weather and love when the local stations break into regularly scheduled programming to warn the public of dangerous storm cells approaching the vicinity.

Living in Minnesota, we see all types of crazy weather, including torrential downpours, blizzards, ice storms, tornados, etc. A couple of years ago, when driving back to Minneapolis from Wausau, Wisconsin with A and L, we saw a funky cloud hanging from the sky.

At first we didn’t think anything of it, but I said “Oh my gosh---that’s totally a wall cloud.” Well, my friends basically told me in a nice way that it wasn’t and questioned if I had a degree in meteorology.

Watching the weather channel as much as I do, I knew it was a wall cloud and that all the elements were perfect for a tornado. There was a warm system clashing with a cool system, and the back of the front formed the shape of a hook.

Sure enough, the wall cloud turned into a tornado. I asked my friends to pull over so we could get a better look. They obliged and we parked at an A&W Rootbeer restaurant along the freeway. Once we got out of the car, we couldn’t believe our eyes.

We knew it wasn’t coming towards us, otherwise we would have obviously run for cover. We found out later that it was an “F2” tornado, and thankfully, no one was hurt.

The best part of story is this...when I called my parents house, one of my sister’s answered the phone. I said “Hi, it’s K. Can I talk to mom? I’m standing about 2-miles away from a tornado!”

Sister “Um she’s busy. She’ll call you later.”

Needless to say, sister didn’t believe me and thought I was crying wolf. Luckily, I had the following pictures to prove I was telling the truth (I'm on the right in the first pic and A is on the left):

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2009-01-30T11:28:00.002-06:00
So I’m not a huge football fan. Blasphemy, right? Not really. I’m from Minnesota, and our national football team stinks. I think I’ve been to one Vikings game in my entire life.

The college I went to was a D3 school, and they weren’t super great either. Although, maybe they were…I wouldn’t know. I only went to a couple of games, in which partying and people watching was more important.

As you can tell, my exposure to football has been minimal, at best.

Last year, a co-worker asked me to participate in the super bowl board. I’m not one for gambling or wasting my money, but I decided to purchase ONE square. Keep in mind there were a couple of boards, and my square was on the $2 board.

Well, last year, like every other American, I watched the game. I only watched it because of the commercials and the halftime entertainment. The last thing on my mind was the board.

When I came into work the following Monday, I was greeted by surprised co-workers saying “Can you believe you won?”

My response “Won what?”

Their response “The board, duh! Didn’t you watch the game?”

I couldn’t believe that I won. Beginners luck? Probably.

This year when asked to purchase some squares, I happily obliged. Wish me luck =)

*Edited to add: Sadly, I didn't win the office pool. I did, however, have a great time watching the game with J, my sisters and baby MK!

Birthday Club

2009-01-29T11:59:00.002-06:00
Four years ago, a group of my friends started Birthday Club. We have four core members (me, A, L & L); however, the club is not exclusive. Through the years, we’ve included other friends and significant others, but for the most part, it’s been the four of us.

For birthday club, we go to Buca during the week of our birthday. I must admit that we all look forward to it, because Buca’s food is delish! If you sign up for Buca’s special offers, you receive many coupons, and more importantly you get a free desert---scrumptious! When the server brings the desert, they like to embarrass the person with the birthday by bringing over a candle opera, and having everyone in the restaurant sing the familiar tune of “Happy Birthday!” Here’s a picture of the scene from last summer (L&L @ Buca):

Last night, we celebrated L’s birthday and we had a great time! The cocktails and food were delectable! During our dinner, we discussed many topics, including; boys, Real Housewives of the O.C., the economy, and the fact that our 30th birthdays are coming up!

I’m the last birthday club member to turn 29 (in July). We’re thinking that for our 30th birthdays, we should kick it up a notch and do some traveling. We mentioned South Beach, Vegas, and other fun destinations. I’m thinking NYC for my top destination. I haven’t been there in forever and would love to hit the pavement and do some shopping and partying with my girlfriends.

Small Wedding vs Big Wedding?!?

2009-01-26T14:58:00.002-06:00
The foregoing question has been brought up a lot lately.

J and I are sort of at an impasse about what to do when that time comes. Each person is different and has vision of what they want their wedding to be. I’m still trying to figure it out.

Some days I think I want a huge wedding, complete with the lavish ceremony and rocking reception, and other days I think I’d be better off with a small, intimate affair surrounded by the people I love most, namely my family and select close friends.

When my friend A was planning her wedding, she said “If I can’t recognize them in a line-up, they won’t be invited to my wedding.” I think that line is great advice.

Drafting a guest list is such a daunting task. I have trouble making guest lists for small get-togethers, so I can’t imagine putting one together for my wedding someday.

I’m hoping that whatever we ultimately decide will be memorable and special for both J and I, and our families.

By the Way

2009-01-22T14:45:00.004-06:00

After I got off the phone with J earlier today, he sent me the following e-mail:

Subject: BTW

I love you.
It was great seeing you last night. I did not realize, until I saw you, how much I missed you the last couple of days.
You looked great last night. You were radiant which made you look even more beautiful then you already are.
Thank you again for dinner. I am really looking forward to my lunch.

Could he be more perfect? I don’t think so.

Anniversary Weekend Recap

2009-01-21T16:25:00.004-06:00
When J comes down to Minneapolis, I usually expect to see him around 6:30 p.m. This past Friday night, 6:30 came and went, and no J. I figured he got stuck in traffic and forgot to call. While waiting for him to arrive, I leisurely got ready for D’s going away party.

7:15 p.m – Still no J. I was starting to get annoyed but something in me told me not to call and address his tardiness.

7:30 – J arrived. While he climbed the squeaky wood steps to my room, I heard a crackling noise. My first thought was “why the heck is he bringing a trash bag up here?”

Well, as he approached me, I noticed he had his hands behind his back. He greeted me with the usual hello kiss, and then pulled his hands forward, only I couldn't see his hands.

Instead I saw this:

He got me a total of 6-dozen roses! Red, pink, peach, you name it, it was there. Being the sentimental freak I am, I started crying, to which he said “Happy Anniversary Weekend!”

I honestly was taken so aback from this kind gesture that I couldn’t stop crying.

The rest of our Anniversary Weekend was picture perfect! We had an amazing and fulfilling dinner at Murray’s Steakhouse, where J surprised me with another amazing gift.

If you’ve seen the Sex and the City movie, you’re familiar with the part where Carrie is laying in bed and reading Love Letters of Great Men to her fiancé, Big.

During dinner, J gave me a card and this:

Inside there was a note from J after the prologue. I’m not going to post what is said (some things have to remain private), but I will tell you this. It was lovely.

I can’t wait to spend many more anniversaries w/ J =)

Anniversary Weekend!

2009-01-16T14:11:00.002-06:00

I’m so happy its Friday! I live for the weekends.

Though we’ve had sub zero temperatures for the past 84 hours, there is an end in sight. We’re supposed to get above freezing sometime this afternoon---thank goodness!

This weekend is going to be crazy busy. Here’s what’s on tap:

1. Tonight - Going away party for my co-worker D (his guard unit is being deployed). The party should be fun! I’m excited for my co-workers to finally meet J.

2. Tomorrow – Running around doing errands---Home Depot, mail a care package to J’s little cousin who was in a sledding accident, look at rings, go to 4 o’clock mass, anniversary dinner.

3. Sunday – Possibly go skiing? We’ll see how the weekend shapes out. We might be too busy, so this might have to be put off until next weekend.

Okay, so in item #2 you may have noticed I casually mentioned a few interesting things.

This weekend, J and I are celebrating our one year anniversary! I’ve been calling it our “pseudo anniversary” because we weren’t really official and exclusive until March. After much deliberation, we’ve decided to use our first date in January as our anniversary date.

We have plans to dine at a fabulous restaurant downtown, Minneapolis.

***For family and friends that are reading this---we are NOT getting engaged this weekend. We are merely starting to look at rings.

Adventures in Babysitting

2009-01-14T12:05:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday night my brother-in-law and sister asked me if J and I would be interested in babysitting my niece, MK during their fantasy football party.

We said yes and went over to their house to pick her up. Rather than bring her to my un-baby-proofed home, J and I decided to bring her to my parent’s home. They have a fully loaded nursery and told us to come over.

The evening went pretty well until J and I had a slight miscommunication. While changing MK’s diaper, J ran into the bathroom to wash his hands. I thought that he had put her diaper on before he left to wash his hands, but he didn’t. MK was fidgeting and crying, so I buttoned her up and we went downstairs to feed her.

It wasn’t until an hour later I noticed something felt funny. The blanket swaddled around her tiny body seemed damp. I didn’t think anything of it at first. A couple of minutes later I said something to J. We decided to run upstairs and change her again.

Well, when we went to remove the wet diaper, we discovered there was no diaper.

I erroneously forgot to put a new diaper on when we had last changed her. Whoops!

J just looked at me, shook his head and laughed.

I said to him:

“Oh my gosh---I’m going to be a terrible mother! You probably don’t want to have kids with me!”

He calmed me down and said not to worry about it. He also said that he’d still have kids with me and that I’ll be a wonderful mother when that time comes.

Well, for the rest of the night, J relinquished my diaper changing duties. I’m not big on changing diapers (who is?), so maybe that’s a good thing =)

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

2009-01-13T10:36:00.010-06:00
It’s frigid up in these parts. Today on my drive into work, I looked at the temperature next to my speedometer. It read “-16!” Okay, it didn’t have the exclamation point, but it should have.

During the drive, I heard the Go Go’s song “Vacation.” It got me thinking about my yearly vacation to beautiful Southwest Florida. In a few months, I’ll be laying on this beach reading New Moon and Stori Telling:

My parents usually rent a condo down in Florida for a month and a half during the Spring. Well, this year, they upgraded to roomier digs and we’ll be staying at this beautiful home located directly on the beach:

I’m sad I’m only going down for 10 days. I wish I could stay the whole month and a half, but that wouldn’t be fair to my other family members. My sisters and I take turns going down there…me one week, M the next week, and so on.

This year, J will be coming down! I’ve warned him that our family vacations are super lax---meaning we sit on the beach all day and read. At night, we either make delicious meals at home or we venture out to one of the local mind-blowing restaurants, like Chops City Grill. Yum!

My Florida trip is something I look forward to all year! Let the countdown begin…

Support Our Troops

2009-01-12T15:18:00.001-06:00
My co-worker (D) recently asked me if J and I would be interested in going to a special mass, being said for our troops. J and I happily obliged, and I’m so happy we did.

D is being deployed in a couple of months, and is scheduled to be overseas for over a year.

He isn’t Catholic, but really wanted to go to the mass. The archbishop of St. Paul was scheduled to say the mass, and the flier said that he’d be handing out blessed St. Joan of Arc medallions to any troop member that attended the mass.

This morning when I came into work, D sent me an instant message saying:

“Thank you for coming. I know it was a far drive.”

I didn’t really know how to respond to his message. I basically responded with:

“J and I were happy to go---and it wasn’t a far drive at all.”

When you think about it, I only took about an hour and a half out of my day to attend the mass. It really fails in comparison to the time D will spend fighting for the liberties that I, and so many other people take for granted.

Being at that mass, surrounded by those brave men and women dressed in their army fatigues made me feel really proud. I’m proud to be an American and I’m especially proud of the people that fight for our rights and defend our country from harm.

You Might Live in Minnesota, if...

2009-01-09T12:16:00.004-06:00
J's sister sent me a foward this morning, titled "If you Live in Minnesota", penned by one of my favorite comedians, Jeff Foxworthy. I thought it would be fun to share, as most of it rings true.

Jeff Foxworthy on Minnesota :

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through
18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by,
You might live in Minnesota .

If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights
Each year because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation,
You might live in Minnesota .

If you have ever refused to buy something because it's "too spendy",
You might live in Minnesota .

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March,
You might live in Minnesota .

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there,
You might live in Minnesota .

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead,
You might live in Minnesota .

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
You might live in Minnesota

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches,
You might live in Minnesota .

If you know how to say...Wayzata...Mahtomedi....Cloquet . Edina ...and Shakopee,
You might live in Minnesota .

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy,
You might live in Minnesota .

If vacation means going "up north" for the weekend,
You might live in Minnesota .

You measure distance in hours,
You might live in Minnesota .

You know several people, who have hit deer more than once,
You might live in Minnesota .

You often switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again,
You might live in Minnesota .

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow
During a raging blizzard without flinching,
You might live in Minnesota .

You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,
You might live in Minnesota .

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked,
You might live in Minnesota .

You think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and Venison,
You might live in Minnesota .

You carry 2 jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows how to use them,
You might live in Minnesota .

There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time ,
You might live in Minnesota .

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,
You might live in Minnesota .

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,
You might live in Minnesota .

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and of course, road construction,
You might live in Minnesota .

You can identify a southern or eastern accent,
You might live in Minnesota .

Your idea of creative landscaping is a plastic deer next to your blue spruce,
You might live in Minnesota .

If "Down South" to you means Iowa ,
You might live in Minnesota .

You know "a brat" is something you eat,
You might live in Minnesota .

You find -10 degrees "a little chilly",
You might live in Minnesota .

The CAT with FIV

2009-01-08T12:05:00.004-06:00
If you know me, you’re aware that I’m deathly afraid of cats. I blame my mom. She’s never liked them and permeated my brain with scary cat stories---about how they’re sneaky, scary, etc.

A couple of years ago, a woman at work asked if I’d housesit her home during the Fourth of July weekend. I knew she had a cat, but I said yes because I needed the money. A couple of days before I was scheduled to house-sit, a co-worker who knew of my fear of cats came up to me and said “You know that she has a cat, right?”

My response, “Yes.”

Co-worker’s reply “Well, did you know that her cat has AIDS?”

My response “OMG---are you kidding me? Seriously, are you being serious?”

Co worker – “I'm totally serious. When I heard you were watching her house and pets, I couldn’t believe you of all people agreed to it because you’re so scared of cats!”

I immediately googled “CATs” and “AIDS” and sure enough the search page was populated with websites with information on Feline AIDS, known as FIV (Feline Immumodeficiency Virus) in the medical industry.

I called my co-worker who asked me to sit and said “Does your cat have AIDS?”

Her response “Yes.”

My response “Um I’ve been reading a lot about it, since R (other co-worker) was so kind to tell me. I hate to sound like an idiot, but if it bit me, could I contract the disease?”

Her response “Absolutely not. I promise. I'll even give you the number to Kitty's veterinarian. Do you still want to sit?”

My response, “Let me do further research before I commit.”

Well, I did do further research and she was correct---a human can't contract FIV. I was relieved and called her back and said she could still count on me.

That weekend when I watched over the house and cat was miserable. I’ll never cat sit ever again.

Reflections

2009-01-06T20:09:00.003-06:00
Two years ago today, my maternal grandmother passed away. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that she left, and sometimes it seems like it was longer than two years ago. She was probably the most sophisticated, gentle and kind person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Sadly, during the last few years of her life she suffered from Dementia, a disease that cripples one's memory. When thinking about her, I try not to remember the frail and forgetful woman she was during her last years on Earth, but rather the good times I had with her before her diagnosis.

One of my favorite memories of Grandma was when I was helping her put together bags of clothes and toys for the less fortunate during the holiday's. One of the toys was a Chinese lock toy. Basically, it was a toy for kids, in which you put one finger in one side of the paper tube and your other finger in the other side of the tube. Well, after I lost interest in playing with the toy, I tried to take it off.

I couldn't remove my fingers from the tube. I panicked and ripped the paper tube in half.

I felt horrible that I broke the toy, and couldn't bear the thought of telling my Grandma that I broke it.

I decided to chuck it into the back of her coat closet. I figured she wouldn't find it for weeks, because her coat closet was similar to Imelda Marcos' shoe closet.

A couple of days later, my mom asked me if I knew about the lock toy. I was mortified. My response "Ah, yeah, why?"

Well, Grandma didn't miss a trick. She probably discovered it 2-minutes after I left.

She never yelled at me about the whole lock toy incident. Instead we joked about it every once in awhile.

As much as I miss her and wish that she was here, I know she's in a better place. I also have faith that she's up in heaven with my paternal grandmother, and they're both looking down and watching over me and my family every day.

If you like it, put on ring on it

2009-01-05T13:53:00.007-06:00

This past weekend, my dear friend M got engaged. I’ve known M since the second grade. We’ve skied in Colorado together, gone to grade-school and high-school together, heck, we’ve even driven across the country together in her Toyota Corolla. I remember when I had a mouse in my apartment last year, I called her crying, and by the end of the conversation, I was laughing like crazy. Needless to say, we’ve been through a lot.

J and I were down in his hometown, IL this past weekend, and on Saturday night we went to mass with his family. Before I walked into the church, I had a text from my dad that said “You should call M.” Obviously I couldn’t call her because I was walking into the church and figured I would call her in an hour when the mass was over.

Well, after communion I peaked in my purse and noticed I had two missed calls from M. Obviously, she had something to tell me---and it was something important, hence two calls. When mass was over, I called her and got her voicemail. I then called her boyfriend (also a “J”) and said:

“HI J! Are congratulations in order?”

His response “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He could barley get the words out because he was laughing.

My response “What’s going on? I had two missed calls from M.”

J “I’m not sure. You’ll have to talk to her.”

Me “Okay put her on the phone ASAP!”

Well I finally talked w/ M and she confirmed the blissful news and gave me the 411 on her rock, the proposal, etc! I’m so excited for her to marry J. He’s such a great guy and they make a wonderful couple.

Sick of Being Sick

2009-01-02T12:55:00.003-06:00
Sadly the holidays are over---which means its time to get back to work. With work places, there’s always people with the flu, cold, etc.

I had a cold in the beginning of December that lasted 2.5 weeks. When I came to work on Monday of this week, I felt fine, until I heard someone coughing and sneezing. I sent an instant message to one of my work friends and said “Do you hear this? I hope I don’t get sick!” Sure enough, I woke up the next morning with symptoms of a cold.

I’m not trying to be rude, but if you’re sick, stay home and get better. I don’t want to work with you, hang out with you, etc. if you have a cold. Germs multiply and travel so quickly that’s it’s best to stay home and not subject me or anyone else to your sickness.

Goodbye 2008---Hello 2009!

2008-12-31T16:40:00.004-06:00
To say 2008 was a spectacular year would be an understatement. Many momentous things happened both personally and professionally. I honestly can’t wait to see what transpires during 2009.

Tonight J and I are going to ring in the New Year at my home. It’s going to be a low key evening, filled with good food, wine and conversation. I think this will be the first New Years Eve that I’m not gathering with a large group of friends, or partying down town like a rock star---but that’s okay. I’m excited that I get to kiss the man I love when the hour strikes twelve o’clock.

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! May you all be blessed in 2009!

Feliz Navidad!

2008-12-24T11:32:00.002-06:00
Merry Christmas to everyone that reads my blog! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday.

I love Christmas because it includes my favorite things---drinks, food and good times with my family and friends. Unfortunately the only thing missing will be J. He’ll be celebrating with his family in IL and I’m going to stay up here in MN with my family. I’m definitely going to miss him, but we figured until we’re married, we’ll celebrate the holidays with our respective family.

On a happy note, Merry Christmas! I can’t wait to see what I get from Santa this year =)

The Age Old Question

2008-12-22T13:57:00.003-06:00
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked various friends “When are you and ______ getting married?”

Now that I’m being asked the same question, I’ve made a conscious effort to stop asking people the aforementioned question. I swear I’m asked the question “When are you and J going to tie the knot” at least once a week by friends, family and co-workers.

What, am I supposed to give you an exact date? I can’t. I don’t know.

I do, however, know this. I’ve never been more in love with anyone in my life. I know that I want to walk down the aisle, eventually, and I want J to be waiting for me at the other end.

So if that happens a year from now, or ten years from now (yikes hopefully not that long), so be it. I know it will happen some day.

Hello My Name is Celine, and I am the Best Singer in the World!

2008-12-20T14:44:00.001-06:00
Say what you want about her taste in men, her expressions when she’s singing or the length of her son’s hair---the woman can sing.

I saw Celine Dion in concert Thursday night with my mom and two of my sisters. I’ve been to my fair share of concerts, and I’d have to say this ranks up there as one of the best.

What I like about her, is that she sounds good live. She’s the type of person that actually sounds like they do on their c.d. Most singers (i.e. Britney) use a track and simply lip sync---not Celine.

She sang most of her classics, including My Heart Will Go On, Its all Coming Back to Me Now, Because You Loved Me, etc.

I also must say I’d like to hire her personal trainer and chef. This is what she looks like at age 40:

Unbelievable.

Ear Muffs

2008-12-15T15:01:00.009-06:00
I just ventured outside for a late lunch, and the temperature was a balmy -4. Yes, negative four degrees. I don’t think our “high” today will reach above zero degrees. I’m sick of being sick and I’m convinced that cold temperatures contribute to the flu, common cold, etc. Needless to say, my late lunch turned into a Target trip to buy a pair of ear muffs.

Ideally I’d like a pair of these Burberry ear muffs:

For now, these Target ear warmers will have to suffice:
I like the Target ear muff’s because they don’t ruin my hair. There’s nothing worse than hat static or hat hair. With these earmuff’s, my hair doesn't get ruined, because they're intended to go on the back of your head (i.e. under your hair). Men can wear ear muffs too. In fact, J used to make fun of my other pair of ear muff's, until he recently bought a pair. He and I can't say enough good things about them.

Lists

2008-12-12T17:21:00.004-06:00
Today I e-mailed J and told him that we needed to make a Target List. Well, he e-mailed me back 4 lists. One list for Target, one list for Home Depot, one list for xmas gifts and one list for our house one day. Here's what was on the latter list:

4. Ideas for a house someday- Pine tree garden. Dirt room (room right off entry for boots etc). Massive island in kitchen with stools all around. Movie room. Large master closet. Walk in shower. Electric fireplace in bedroom. Screened in porch. Fireplace/pit on patio.

I called him to correct him that it's called a mudd room, not a dirt room. Anyway, I like what's on the list thus far =) I can't wait to add a couple of things.

***Happy Birthday to my sister A who turns the big "22" today!***

I'm an Aunt!

2008-12-11T09:17:00.004-06:00

My sister M delivered a healthy baby girl on Monday evening. The baby (Mary Kate) is a little over seven and a half pounds and twenty inches long! MK, M and her husband M are all doing great!

J and I stopped by the M’s house last night so he could meet MK. Sadly I have a cold, so I couldn’t give MK a kiss on the cheek; however, I was able to hold her! I’m so excited for this new addition to our family. I can’t wait to be the “cool aunt” and buy her cute clothes and baby-sit! I posted a couple of pictures of MK. I'm holding her in the first picture, and J is holding her in the second picture.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T17:37:00.003-06:00
This past Saturday I was out and about, running errands, hanging with my cousin, etc. Needless to say, it was a busy day. By the time 4:00 rolled around, I was exhausted and decided to head home. Upon arriving at my house, I parked my car in the front and started to walk towards my front door. I was greeted by J, who was pointing at the cup of hot chocolate in my mitten.

He mouthed “Where’s mine? Go back!”

Obviously I was exhausted and I wasn’t about to head back to Starbucks and get him his drink of choice---a tuxedo mocha.

I walked closer to the front door and noticed a ton of pine needles. It looked like someone had gotten into a fight with a tree. Once I walked into the house, I realized where those needles had come from.

While I was out and about, J had gone to BMW to get me a new bulb for my driver side light (it burnt out) and more importantly, bought me my first Christmas tree. I couldn’t believe it! He sat down and watched my reaction. Being the emotional freak I am, I started to cry---not because I was sad, but because I was overjoyed that someone would do something like that for me. When I ran over to hug him, I noticed that he was eating mac & cheese with a glass of red wine. Classy, huh? He’s still a keeper in my book.

Anyway here’s a lovely picture of my tree. Sadly I misplaced my digital camera, so this is from my phone, hence the ghastly quality.

Netflix Rocks & TGIF

2008-12-05T16:31:00.002-06:00
This week has been crazy busy. December is our ultra insane month at work because most of our contracts renew at January 1. That means, me, contract analyst needs to draft these contracts. This week has been so hectic that I haven’t had time to visit people.com, workout as much as I like, start my Christmas shopping or blog.

This weekend is going to be insanely busy too. Well, actually, tonight is going to be low-key. J and I are going to stay in, make dinner and watch a movie.

Speaking of movies, I must pay homage to Netflix and their separate movie queues. You see, J has a movie queue and I have a movie queue. We have completely different tastes in movies----he likes sci-fi, action, etc. The genere’s I tend to favor are drama, love stories, etc. I guess I’m a hopeless romantic. Thanks to Netflix, both of us can be happy. I can rent Match Point and he can rent Eragon, which is probably the WORST movie ever.

Tomorrow night we have 3 or 4 different commitments, including a birthday party, housewarming party, L&L’s fiesta and perhaps another party that’s not officially on the books. ‘Tis the season of being busy, catching up with friends and being merry =)

Rivals

2008-11-25T12:55:00.006-06:00
Every team has a rival. With the Minnesota Vikings, it’s the Green Bay Packers. With the Boston Red Sox, it’s the New York Yankees. With the University of St. Thomas (UST), it’s St. John’s University (SJU).

My alma mater is UST, and J’s is SJU. These schools really don’t like one another. It’s crazy because when I was a senior in high school, I was accepted to both UST and St. Ben’s, which is the sister school of SJU. SJU is an all men’s school, whereas St. Ben’s (CSB) is all women. They do have intermingled classes; intermingled dining halls, etc.; however, they have separate campuses.

I don’t remember why I ended up picking UST over CSB, but I did. During my tenure as a Tommie, I was bred to despise the enemy. Any time UST had a game against SJU, the campus would turn into complete chaos---especially during football.

During football games between the two schools, more attention was paid to the derogatory t-shirts people wore. One of my closest friends “S” was a student at St. Ben’s. During my senior year of college, the anticipated Tommie/Johnnie game was to be held up at SJU. Before some of my friends and I headed up to the game, I called “S”, to finalize lodging plans (we stayed @ her house off campus). During the call, she informed me that she felt bad, but would be wearing a mean spirited shirt on game day.

During our conversation I asked “What does the shirt say?”

She said something along the lines of “USTD.”

Background information. Tommie girls have the reputation of being beautiful, flirtatious, scandalous and lacking in the intelligence department. I think the latter adjectives are inaccurate; however, to each their own. CSB girls have the reputation of being brainy, simple, etc. Please keep in mind these are stereotypes and do not represent my thoughts.

Anyway, back to the USTD comment. It was clearly paying homage to Tommy girls being scandalous. I was upset and told my roommates, who also were upset. We thought revenge would be a good idea, so we ran to Walmart at 12 a.m. and bought some puffy paint. We decided we’d make our own shirts, and include a counterattack.

I’m not going to tell you what we wrote, because I’m a lady. Let’s just say, it was inappropriate and in bad taste. When we showed up at SJU/CSB, people pointed and laughed at our shirts, but it was all in good fun.

Fast forward seven years. I’ve grown up quite a bit. J and I ended up going to the Tommie/Johnnie game this past Fall and we both worse sensible t-shirts….here’s a pic:

A sign our Economy is in the Crapper…

2008-11-21T16:03:00.002-06:00
I don’t watch soaps, but when I did (in college); my loyalty for Days of Our Lives was steadfast. According to this article, NBC had to let go of John and Marlena. John and Marlena happen to be the two main characters that have been on the show since the beginning of time.

Obviously since I work during the day and don’t have DVR or Soap Net, I can’t catch Days of Our Lives; however, I’m still sad about this news. I guess it’s one more sign that the declining economy is affecting everyone---including my beloved soaps.

Burrrrrr I'm freezing, and it's only November.

2008-11-20T11:53:00.001-06:00

CURRENTLY 19° F

This is downright ridiculous. I’m looking out the window and the sun is shinning and the sky is blue. The scene, warm and welcoming is unfortunately, misleading.

I just checked my local forecast and it’s a balmy 19 degrees. Yes, 19 degrees. While I expect this temperature to be common in January and February, it’s not normal for mid-November. I’m freezing and all I can think about is vacation---which isn’t scheduled to happen until March.

Sometimes I don’t think I was meant to live here. I swear I’m destined to live in a warmer climate. I don’t want to live somewhere that’s super warm (like Florida), but somewhere more reasonable---somewhere where I don’t need to bundle up every time I walk out the door; somewhere where I don’t need to have my car warm up for 5 minutes before I even think of driving anywhere; somewhere were I don’t get frostbit if I have exposed skin.

For now, I’ll have to deal. I can wear warm fashionable scarves, gloves, hats, etc. And thanks to inventions like this:

I can warm up my car, rather quickly. Thank you, BMW and your innovative steering wheel heater.

Am I a Grinch?

2008-11-18T09:44:00.009-06:00
Let me start by prefacing that I love everything about Christmas. Actually that might be a sweeping statement, because I can’t stand the long lines at the checkout counters and it drives me crazy when I can’t find a parking spot at the mall. Another thing I can’t stand is when Christmas music plays before Thanksgiving. I don’t know why it bugs me, but it just does.

A local radio station began playing Christmas music around the clock last week. I have the radio station set as item #6 in my car, so when I flip though the stations during my commute, I hear snippets of Christmas carols when I land on 102.9. It drives me crazy. I’m almost to the point where I might have to remove 102.9 from my set station list.

In my opinion, the day after Thanksgiving is fair game. That’s the day my parents decorate their house and when we really have Christmas on our minds. I think I’ll start decorating my house the day after Thanksgiving too. I’m still deciding if I want a real tree or a fake tree, but I do know I’ll be purchasing this tree skirt from Crate and Barrel within the next day or so.

I Want a Puppy!

2008-11-17T11:32:00.003-06:00

If the president elect’s kids are getting a new puppy, I should get one too, right? Plus, I finally own my own home and don’t need to adhere to any pet regulations----or do I?

While J and I get along quite well, we do have some discrepancies. Here’s a list that I’ve compiled thus far:

1. Music. I listen to top 40 pop and he listens to old rock and some country. He hates when I drive because when we’re in my car, we listen to Britney, Rhianna, Dido or Coldplay. When we’re in his car we listen to Van Morrison or some crazy rock station. I must admit I’m really starting to like some of Van’s songs.

2. Clothing. My basic uniform on the weekends includes a pair of Jeans (usually 7’s), Sweater, Boots and either a cute jacket, or, one of my North Face jackets/vests. On the other end of the spectrum, J lives in jeans, tennis shoes and Harley t-shirts on the weekends. I honestly think he owns every Harley T-shirt ever produced. Luckily he looks good in them.

3. Dogs. I really want a small dog, perhaps a Shorkie, Cockapoo or a Labradoodle. J on the other hand wants a “guy” dog, like a German Sheppard or a Lab.

I sent my mom, sisters and J a picture of a Shorkie last week. Here are some of the responses I received from that e-mail:

Mom said “Good. Tell your boyfriend.”

J said “Are you out of your * mind?”

Mairzy called and we talked for about 10 minutes about how cute the dog in the picture was and how we both wanted to buy it ASAP.

Any dog purchase will have to wait at least another year or two. Because of the construction mentioned in my previous post, I can’t easily get to and fro work and home. Once the construction has been completed either in 2009/2010, I can buy a dog, because I’ll have enough time to run home and take it out during lunch. Hopefully J and I will come up with some sort of compromise in the next two years.

I HATE CONSTRUCTION

2008-11-16T10:11:00.001-06:00

Minnesota has horrible roads. HORRIBLE. Case in point, the 35W bridge that collapsed last year. On my route to work everyday, I have to deal with super cramped lanes, no shoulders and abrupt turns in the middle of a dirt filled landfill, littered with bulldozers and cranes. Here’s a picture of what I’m talking about:
I personally don’t understand MNDOT (Minnesota’s Department of Transportation). They’re poor planners and don’t understand simple logic. This weekend, like every weekend for the past several months, MNDOT shut down Crosstown and 35W, both of which are vital arteries for Minneapolis drivers. That’s fine if you’re fixing the roads, but when I have to take a detour, I expect that detour to be functional.

Of course, this was not the case. J and I tried to see the new Bond movie on Saturday afternoon. We were planning on having friends over for dinner around 6:30 p.m., so we figured a 1:00 movie would be perfect. What should have been a 10 minute drive to the theater, turned into a 25+ drive. I say “+” because we didn’t actually make it to the theater. The detour we took was---surprise---also under construction. Keep in mind this detour was specifically flagged by MNDOT. So what I don’t get is why was the “suggested detour” under construction? It doesn’t make sense to me.

I was annoyed so we turned around and decided to try to catch the 1:30 @ the Mall of America (MOA). Bad decision. I usually refuse to go to the MOA on the weekends during November and December. For lack of a better term, it’s a complete cluster *. Tourists flock to the MOA like it holds the fountain of youth of something. I love to shop, but I hate that place.

So J and I finally got to the MOA, but all parking ramps were closed (because they were “full”) and traffic was being re-routed to other lots nearby. If you’ve ever driven with me, you know I have a low tolerance for this type of situation. We finally decided to cut our losses and head back to my house. Hopefully we’ll see Bond next weekend.

From there to here...in 5.5 years

2008-11-13T14:00:00.003-06:00
When I graduated from college, I “knew” what I wanted to do. I wanted to work in politics as a political speech writer. I majored in Communication Studies and minored in English, with a writing emphasis. During my senior year of college I interned for the Communication Department for the Republican Caucus at the Minnesota House of Representatives. I didn’t write speeches, but I wrote press releases that actually appeared in local county newspapers. It was a really fulfilling experience and I gained many valuable tools, which I still use today.

After my internship was completed, I still wanted to work in politics. I graduated from college in May of 2002. At the time, there weren’t really any entry level political positions open the area, so I decided my only option would be to apply for a committee page position for the Minnesota House. It certainly wasn’t my idea of the "perfect" job, but I had bills to pay and wanted to stay in politics. Plus, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

I ended getting the job and worked there during the 2003 legislative session. Being a committee page wasn’t glamorous. Basically, I was a gopher for the representatives, which meant I had to make copies, fetch coffee, set up for meetings, etc. I spent many late nights roaming the halls of the state office building and the state capital, waiting for permission to be released for the day. I didn’t like the work, but I did give it 110%.

Once the 2003 legislative session was over, I happily hung up my capital i.d. card and walked away. I was happy it was over, but scared about the future. What was I going to do? Where was I going to work?

Well, I ended up finding something quickly. Thank goodness. It’s wasn’t in politics and it’s wasn’t in an industry I envisioned myself working in whenever I dreamt about my future. It was however, something that would be challenging and exercise my brain on a daily basis.

Five and a half years later, I’m still working for the same company. Sure, I have days where I want to pull my hair out, or slam the phone down on the receiver, but I know from speaking to my peers that everybody has those kinds of days. The good days do far outweigh the bad days. I’m still challenged on a daily basis and I take comfort in knowing that I'll never know everything about this job.

It’s always fun to revisit old thoughts and think about how you got to where you are today.

Facebook banished, yet people can still smoke?

2008-11-11T07:54:00.002-06:00
Okay, so I’m a little upset. They banned Facebook at work. I agree that Facebook, Perezhilton and other similar sites decrease productivity; however, this working girl needs to have breaks in the day to catch up on all the latest gossip. When I did have access to these sites, I wasn’t on them 24/7, but rather small increments, probably adding up to 15 minutes total, per day.

Why is it that smokers get to have multiple 15-minute breaks during the day? They’re participating in an unhealthy activity that decreases productivity each day. I’m sorry, but if they’re banning entertaining websites like Facebook and Perezhilton, they should ban smoke breaks.

My internet perusing doesn’t cause someone to get cancer, nor does it cause other people to stink. It’s a proven fact that smoking has caused people to get cancer from exposure to secondhand smoke. Also (I’m sorry smokers), but you smell horrible after you smoke and that smell tends to permeate throughout the office long after the actual act of smoking has taken place.

There used to be a smoke room in my building, albeit in the basement---but a designated room nonetheless for smokers. Luckily, within the past three years, lawmakers have banned smoking in bars, restaurants and work buildings throughout the state. The smokers have to smoke in the parking lot, which I still find annoying because I park there, which means I have to walk though clouds of smoke to and fro my vehicle.

Moral of my story: If they’re banning websites from work, they should be banning smoke breaks. I’m obviously not a smoker, so I’m very biased on this issue…but I’m just saying!

My First Blogger Award!

2008-11-10T22:55:00.002-06:00

A special thank you to Nicole, over at Girl From Mih-nee-soo-tah for awarding me the smile award! Nicole hails from Minnesota, but now lives in the Windy City (aka Chi-town). Check out her blog and follow her as she talks about work, fashion, her boyfriend and life in general. Thanks again, Nicole! It’s been a pleasure reading your blog =)

The qualifications to receive the award are:

A. Display a cheerful attitude
B. Love one another
C. Make mistakes
D. Learn from others
E. Be a positive contributor to the blog world
F. Love life
G. Love kids

The Rules:
1. Must link it back to the creator
2. Post the rules
3. Choose 5 people to give it to
4. Recipients must fill the characteristics above
5. Create a post to share this
6. You must thank the winner

I would like to pass the smile award to the following five bloggers:

Her Highness of Cute
Newlywed * News
Ramblings of a 30-Something Year Old Single Girl
Liana
Lyndsau

A Cappella Anyone?

2008-11-04T06:45:00.003-06:00
I know I just had “Another reason why I love my Boyfriend” post a couple of weeks ago, but he continues to impress me and I can’t help but write about the nice things he says and does for me. Case in point:

My e-mail to J: I'm revising a contract and listening to Ave Maria. If we don't elope and have a church wedding/ceremony, we'll have to have this song. I love it.

J’s response: I will let you have it even if we do elope. I will even hire an a cappella group to sing it for you.

I thank God every day that he brought this man into my life =)

Blah...I'm sick

2008-11-03T10:54:00.001-06:00

This past weekend I came down with a nasty cold. I’m still congested and have a sore throat, but I’ve been pumping orange juice, halls cough drops, Tylenol cold and other remedies into my system. Over lunch I walked over to Jamba Juice and ordered a Strawberry Nirvana with a cold buster boost. I (along with every other person in this world) hate getting sick.

Though the negatives outweigh the positives, I should mention a few of the positive aspects of feeling under the weather:

1. You can stay home from work and just lie in bed and watch crappy television. Unfortunately, I tend to either (a) get sick on the weekends; or (b) still go into work when I’m not feeling well. I was looking over my attendance for the 2008 calendar year, and I haven’t called in sick. Not even once. Crazy, right? I’m weird, I know. In fact, I think I missed a total of two days in high school, and one of those days was to travel on a school trip to Ireland a day before our Spring break began. I rarely missed/skipped any of my classes in college either.

2. You get to have people at your beck and call. Okay, I’m ashamed to say this, but I tend to go to my parents house when I’m sick and have my mom take care of me. I get to stay in one of the extra rooms in the house, watch satellite t.v., hang out with the dog and eat saltine crackers and drink Sprite. Basically (and my sisters would agree), we're treated like queens when we're sick.

This past weekend however, J took care of me at my house. He did laundry, went to the store, cleaned the house and made sure I was drinking my orange juice. He's a wonderful nurse.

I started to feel better yesterday afternoon, so we decided to head down to the lake by my house and just walk around for a bit and sat on a park bench. It was super relaxing, and the fresh air made me feel a lot better---plus, it was a BEAUTIFUL day! I think it was 65 and sunny, which is almost unbelievable for it being November. I posted a picture above of J, using my camera phone. He was trying to impress me with his rock skipping skills during our walk around the lake.

Tied for Third?

2008-11-01T10:36:00.003-05:00

We had a costume contest at work on Halloween and only 15 people dressed up. I wasn’t happy about dressing up, but figured hey, if I place in the top three, I get a prize---money. Since I have to pay a mortgage, car payment and other bills, I figured what the heck, might as well enter.

Being budget conscious, I decided to spend little to no money on my costume. The idea I came up with was Wednesday Adams from the Adams Family. I already owned a black skirt, tights, shoes, sweater and white collared shirt, so it was a no-brainer. I just needed a black wig with braids. My mom assured me all week that she had a wig I could use that she didn’t need because she was ditching her idea of being Red Riddinghood for her Halloween party. So the night before the contest, I went over to my parents house to grab the wig.

Problem. The wig was brown. I remembered I had some black spray paint, so I spray painted the wig black. Bad idea. The spray paint I used was meant for home projects, not coloring wigs. When I wore the wig the next day to work, I felt like I was getting a migraine from the toxic fumes.

I sat at my cube waiting for the judging to commence---which didn’t happen until noon or so. We all gathered in the lobby and they finally announced the winners. I ended up tying for third place. What a joke. I couldn’t tear off my wig fast enough.

I usually have a good attitude and admirable sportsmanship; however, I was pretty bumed.

Oh well, there’s always next year, right? Here’s a picture of me dressed as Wednesday Adams, inclusive of the prop she carried around on the show…a dolls head. Yikes! Also, I look really, really pale in this picture. I'm normally not that pale =)

Trick or Treat

2008-10-30T10:40:00.005-05:00
Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. When I was little, I loved getting all dressed up and trick or treating. I’d trick or treat around my neighborhood and then around my cousins neighborhood (to maximize my candy capacity). Once our pillowcases were filled to the brim with candy, we’d go back to my aunt and uncles house. They hosted a huge Halloween party for all the families in their neighborhood and we’d feast on hotdogs, hot chocolate, etc. I really hope someone carries that tradition on when I have kids, because I have such fond memories of those parties.

Living in Minnesota, the weather at the end of October is basically a crapshoot---one day it could be 65 degrees, and the next day it could be 20. Back in the day, my parents made my sisters and I wear big jackets under our costumes. Sometimes, we’d have to wear snowsuits, in fact, in ‘91, the Twin Cities had over 28 inches of snow drop from a single storm that started Halloween afternoon and lasted three days. The storm was dubbed the Halloween blizzard. Sadly, I only filled one fourth of my pillowcase that year.

Although I don’t trick or treat anymore (that stopped after 8th grade), I still like to dress up on Halloween. Here’s a picture of my friend Amy (Dorothy) and I (Cher) on Halloween three years ago:

And here's a picture of my sisters, mom and I dressed up on Halloween two years ago:

J and I were invited to three separate costume parties this weekend; however I think we’ll probably just attend one. He’s feeling a bit under the weather so I’m thinking we’ll just hand out candy on Halloween and then have dinner and watch a movie---maybe a scary movie. Saturday will be party day! My parents are hosting a costume party, so we’ll be attending that. They’ve invited over 50+ people, and costumes are required. I’ll be dressing as Wednesday Adams and J will be dressing as her brother, Pugsley Adams. There’s a costume contest at work and since there’s hefty prize money involved, I’m going to bite the bullet and dress up at work. Wish me luck =)

Yelp dot com

2008-10-29T15:28:00.003-05:00
After moving into a new neighborhood (last June), I knew that I’d have to expand my horizons and try new bars, restaurants, bakeries, shops, etc. J and I both have friends that live in my neighborhood, so during the initial months in the new hood, both of us were inundating our friends with questions on where to eat, which dry cleaner to use, etc. I’m sure our constant questioning was quite an annoyance for these folks.

I’m happy to report that our inquiries have all but become extinct, thanks to the existence of yelp.

Anyway, yelp is a great site that offers reviews from pretty much everyone and anyone. There are reviews for restaurants, shopping, nightlife, entertainment, hair salons, etc. From what I’ve read and experienced, it’s brutally honest and right on point. In fact, I’ve created a profile and have become a yelp reviewer too!

'Tis the season…of Concerts!

2008-10-24T11:31:00.008-05:00
Minneapolis/St. Paul tends to have many great artists and plays come into town all year round, but especially during October and November. I’ve definitely been to my fair share of concerts, games and plays. Some of my favorites include the following:

*Spice Girls – No I’m not embarrassed to say I’ve seen them in concert. It was a birthday present when I was in high-school. My friends and I were in the 4th row and had a splendid time.

*Fleetwood Mac – I’ve seen them twice, and they’re pretty awesome and know how to rock. It’s funny because my parents listened to Fleetwood Mac back in the day, and I like their music too. It was weird seeing my parents at the same concert as me dancing to “You Can Go Your Own Way.” Talk about twilight zone.

*The Police – I didn’t have any desire to see this concert, but it ended up being one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. We had a box at the X-cel center (where the GOP convention took place), and let me tell you---Sting definitely works out. I think they played for almost 2+ hours and wow---can they put on a great show!

*Michael Bublé – AMAZING. I’ve seen him a couple of times. Last year, and my friend Amy and I were in the front row. FRONT and CENTER. It was almost awkward because we were so close to him. If you haven’t ever heard of him, Michael is a big band singer that sings classics once sung by Sinatra and other great artists. He’s young, hip, knows how to wear a suit and can sing. I’ve posted a couple of pics below from my front row experience. Oh, did I mention that we got to meet him after the concert? Amy actually got to hug him!

Well, the next two months are going to be filled with more memorable concerts. I’m seeing Celine Dion next Thursday at the Target Center. I saw her in concert the last time she came to town, and wow, can she belt out the tunes. I’m super excited to hear her classics, like “My Heart Will Go On” and “To Love You More.”

November, I’m seeing Coldplay, who is probably the best band in the WORLD, according to me of course. I saw them a couple of years ago with my friend Bri, and after that concert I seriously considered becoming a groupie and following them around on the remainder of the tour. Obviously since I’m not a millionaire, I couldn’t just quit my job and change my name to Penny Lane, but hey, I did consider it.

I’m also seeing Wicked in November. I’ve never seen it before, but I’ve heard many positive reviews, so I’m quite excited.

Speaking of Wicked, J and I were driving to the Tommy Johnny game (more on that in a later post), and he asked if I wanted to listen to some music. We don’t really listen to music in the car together; not because we have such different tastes, but because we’d rather talk to each other. So, I thought it was kind of weird that he wanted to listen to music so badly.
I had a headache, so said “No, I don’t want to listen to anything.” He gave me a strange look and asked me again, so I said “Okay, fine!"

He proceeded to turn his cd player on, and said that it was Phantom of the Opera. Well, I’ve seen Phantom two or three times (once on Broadway) and told him, “Uh, this is not Phantom.” He said “Yes it is!” Again, I reiterated how many times I’ve seen Phantom and told him I knew the soundtrack by heart---and this wasn’t it.

Well, it was the Wicked c.d.! How awesome is he? He bought it earlier that day as a little surprise. I hope my friends don’t mind that I’ll be singing along to the songs at the play ---now that I know all the words =)

Two Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

2008-10-21T10:09:00.003-05:00
Several months ago, J had to housesit, and the people he house-sat for had a Tempurpedic bed. Well, after sleeping on that bed, he couldn’t stop talking about it. In fact, I can’t count the number of times he said “I’ve never slept so well in my life!” He really wouldn’t shut up about the thing!

After tedious research, J bit the bullet and purchased a Tempurpedic. Here’s the best part…he decided to keep it at my house =) You see, we sort of have a long distance relationship, and please keep in mind I use the term “long distance” loosely. J lives up North, about an hour from where I live. He makes the jaunt down from the North Country to visit me, and visits often. The kid is a saint---gas is expensive and traffic is annoying, but he never complains.

Back to the bed…I had a sleep number. I can’t emphasize how much I disliked my sleep number bed. Sure it was a novelty at first, but I had it for about 3 years and the novelty really wore off. Basically, it was a glorified air mattress. I really can’t say anything good about Select Comfort and their sleep number beds.

Well, after purchasing the Tempurpedic bed, the domino effect started. My aunt and uncle bought one, and then my parents bought one. When it’s delivered, there's a funky smell---not bad, but rather a typical smell of something that has been wrapped in plastic. J and I didn’t mind the smell, but my mom couldn’t stand it.

So the Saturday morning after her bed was delivered, my mom called me at 8 a.m. and was completely out of breath. Being the drama queen that I am, I thought something was wrong. I asked why she was out of breath, to which she replied “I’ve been jumping on the bed for the past 20-minutes.”

My response, “Um what? Is this a joke? You can’t be serious.”

Her reply “No! The only way to get rid of the ‘new’ smell is to open all the windows and jump on the bed. Can you and J please come over and jump on the bed?”

After I hung up, I looked at J. He asked if something was wrong. I told him that my mom asked us to come over and jump on the bed. He, like me, thought she was LOCO; however, we ended up going over there and jumped on the bed. I’m not sure if it actually worked, but the smell is gone. Here’s a picture of my mom and J, jumping on the bed. Maxie (our family dog) took part in the action too!

**After all is said and done, I highly recommend the Tempurpedic. To steal J's sentiments, I've never slept so well in my life!

Why do I live in Minnesota?

2008-10-20T09:10:00.001-05:00
I often ask myself, why the heck do I live in Minnesota? Some of the answers that come to mind are the following:

1. Because I was born and raised here.
2. Because my family and friends live here.
3. Because the mid-west is in my comfort zone.
4. Because of the 4 distinct seasons.

Fall is probably is one of my favorite seasons (besides spring). The colors of the leaves and bushes are simply breathtaking. A couple of weekends ago, my cousin Chris and I drove along the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul and took a few pictures. The view was amazing.

With all that’s going on in the world right now, I think it’s important to actually look around and appreciate the good things around us.

Another reason why I love my boyfriend...

2008-10-17T15:42:00.004-05:00
Because he does stuff like this:

My car has never been so clean =)

War of the Roses

2008-10-09T11:22:00.001-05:00
So there’s a bit on the top 40 radio station in Minneapolis called War of the Roses. The premise is that some girl (or guy) calls in and asks the radio dj to call their significant other and asks them to participate in a 30 second survey. Upon completion of the survey, they can send a dozen red roses to anyone. 90% of the time, the person taking the survey sends the roses to someone that it not their girlfriend/boyfriend. Basically it’s like that show cheaters, but on the radio.

I listened to it this morning, and the guy taking the survey actually sent the roses to his wife, who moments before, suspected him of cheating. Call me stupid, but I don’t know how you can go from saying “I think he’s cheating on me” to saying “I love you” in the span of 5-minutes.

War of the roses is very entertaining to listen to; however, if you think about it, it’s actually quite sad. I’ve dated guys before that have cheated on me. In fact, before J, I was in a bad relationship with someone that cheated on me a lot. I finally wised up and ended it and kicked the loser to the curb. I hope that these woman who call in for war of the roses wise up, get some self-esteem and dump their cheating spouses/boyfriends to the curb. I’m glad I did, because I met J the LOML =)

Oktoberfest

2008-10-08T15:59:00.004-05:00

Okay, let me start off my saying Oktoberfest is INSANE. In La Crosse, it’s a two week celebration. Sadly, I’m not German, so I don’t know exactly what it celebrates.

For the past four years, L, L & I have made the jaunt down to La Crosse, Wisconsin. It’s about 2 hours from the twin cities, so not too bad of a drive. This year, we had two additional people (another two L&L's) come with us! We left on a Friday afternoon and our first stop was a bar at the top of a bluff for some beer and cheesecurds (mid-west staples). Next we go to the hotel, unpack and get ready for dinner. This year we decided to save money so we brought down tons of our own food to snack on in the hotel. Anyway, long story short, Friday until about 2 a.m. on Sunday morning is basically spent drinking, walking in parades and going to the festival grounds. We drank Bloody Mary’s, ate pizza and oh, L won a goldfish! It’s insane, and the crazy part is that it’s not just a bunch of college kids. The entire city of La Crosse enjoys the festivities of Oktoberfest.

I’ve posted a couple of pictures from the weekend. We had a great time; however, on Sunday morning, I just wanted to get home and see J. Sappy I know, but being out at the bars and just being in that type of scene really makes me thank my lucky stars that I’m with him.

Babies...

2008-10-06T15:25:00.001-05:00
So I just had lunch with a former co-worker who is pregnant. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like everybody is pregnant these days. Many of my friends are either currently pregnant, just had a child or have babies on their minds. I definitely want to have children, but that’s at least 3-5 years down the road. Heck, I’m only 28, so there’s plenty of time for that kind of stuff. Anyway, at lunch we talked about the birth process, which I’m sorry, grosses me out. I cringe when I think about it. Honestly, I cry when I have my finger pricked, so I can’t imagine the pain of giving birth. When that time comes, I know I’ll be fine (courtesy of an epidural), but for now, it makes me queasy.

Anyway, as I mentioned in a previous post, my sister (Molly) is pregnant. This will be my first niece and I am insanely excited. In fact, I can’t stop buying clothes for the baby. She’s having a girl and honesty, this baby already has a better wardrobe that Suri Cruise.

Round Robin

2008-10-03T11:37:00.007-05:00
I thought I'd share some answers to a few short questions:

Your hair? Light brown with blonde highlights.
Your mother? My role model.
Your father? My other role model.
Your favorite drink? Water, or Stoli Raz and 7-up.
Your ex? Complete LOSER.
Your hobby? This week, working out.
Your fear? Death.
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Honestly no idea. Probably MN or IL. Depends on where J’s agency is.
Where were you last night? Dinner w/ friends at Bucca, then the gym, then home to hang w/ J.
What you're not? Dishonest.
One of your wish list items? A plasma television for my common room.
Where you grew up? Mendota Heights.
The last thing you did? Revised a contract.
Favorite weather? Sunny yet cool. I’d say 75 is the perfect temperature.
What are you wearing? Dress pants and a blouse.
Your favorite book? I have a few, but if I have to say one, I’d say The Other Boelyn Girl. I read it twice this year. And by the way, the book is way better than the film.
Your TV? I don’t watch much.
Your pet? None, yet. I hope to have a dog within the next 6-months.
Yourmood? Content.
Your car? A BMW X3 that is in desperate need of a wash.
Favorite store? Nordstrom.
Love someone? Heck yeah, J =)
Your favorite color/shade? Green.
Last thing you ate? Special K.
Your life? Very blessed.
Your friends? Dependable.
What are you thinking right now? About the weekend.
What are you doing at this moment? Writing this.
Your summer: Insanely busy.
Your relationship status: In a relationship with J.
What do you do when you can't sleep? Read a book or magazine.
When is the last time you laughed? An hour ago.
Excited for: My sister's baby, who is scheduled to arrive on December 7th.

Dunder Mifflin

2008-09-30T13:00:00.002-05:00
I love attention and everything, but I just came back from lunch, and this was on my desk:

We’re celebrating anniversaries today in my department and I’ve been here for 5 years. Insane to think I’ve been here that long, but thank goodness I can honestly say that I do like my job (most days).

Good news – We're shutting down and going across the street to celebrate by having cocktails in an hour. Cheers to that =)

Not in my neighborhood!

2008-09-29T11:50:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was INSANE. Needless to say, I’m happy to be back. Once I get my pictures uploaded, I’ll do a post about Oktoberfest in La Crosse, WI.

So, this morning, as I’m checking my AOL account, I notice I have an e-mail with the heading “More Crime Alerts” from my neighborhood liaison. Lovely. I proceed to open the aforementioned e-mail, which includes a breakdown of 7+ robberies that have taken place in my neighborhood during the past couple of weeks. These aren’t your average robberies. They involve handguns. Yep, handguns. It’s not like I live in the hood, so I’m kind of in shock that this stuff is happening. Last week, J installed several motion detector lights throughout the premises. The house itself is pretty secure, but to ensure maximum security, J and I will be going to home depot tonight to buy more locks. I wish I could just put up a sign that says “Don’t mess with my house, or ELSE…"
This may be the perfect time/excuse to buy a dog for protection...perhaps a labradoodle?

Hello Mr. Perfect

2008-09-28T20:41:00.001-05:00
I was out of town this weekend, on a girl’s trip to Wisconsin. J told me earlier in the week he planned on staying down at my house and would get some work done in the yard. Before I left Friday morning, I cleaned the house and marinated some chicken and pork-chops for J in my absence. Unfortunately I was in such a rush that I didn’t get a chance to wash my sheets, which I do religiously, once a week. I have major OCD when it comes to cleaning and I’m terrified of bed bugs. I must have complained to J that I didn’t get to the sheets and he said it could wait until I got home.

So Saturday night, I got a phone call from J. He was exhausted because he’d been working in the yard ALL DAY and was too tired to cook dinner. I told him I had just talked to my mom and that she had just been to the grocery store. As soon as J and I had hung up, he called my parents house and asked what was for dinner. That conversation ended up in a dinner invitation. I think that’s the sweetest thing ever and I’m so glad he feels comfortable to do stuff like that. My parents were impressed too. Seriously, the kid can’t do any wrong.

Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon. I pulled into the house and J was working out in the yard. He pulled over 15 bushes/trees and the yard looked AWESOME. When I walked in the house, I heard the dryer rumbling…he was washing my sheets.

Anniversary Party!

2008-09-24T13:30:00.006-05:00

So my parents anniversary was a ragging success! My sisters and I had been planning it for several months and I’m happy to report everyone helped and each task was completed.

I was in charge of finding a caterer, and instead of hiring the chef from the country club, I decided to go out on a limb, and hire someone I’ve never heard of. I came up with Chowgirls, which is based out of Minneapolis. The name is a little suspect, but they were AWESOME! The food was delicious and the service was impeccable. If you ever need a caterer and you live in the Twin Cities, I’d highly recommend Chowgirls.

Anyway, back to the actual party. J went to pick my parents up while me, Molly, Mairzy and Annie (my sisters) got everything ready at the house. I must admit my sisters did a fantastic job on setting the table and Molly’s house was sparkling clean.

When my parents arrived to Molly & Matt’s house, they both dropped their jaws in amazement. They still didn’t know what we had planned, but knew something was up! We ended up telling them what we had in store for them…that we hired someone to cook, serve and clean. They couldn’t believe that we could actually pull something like that off and were pleasantly surprised!

After dinner, we had more cocktails and phase II began. Molly thought it would be a fun idea to get a limo and drive around St. Paul. We packed a cooler full of alcoholic beverages (and non-alcoholic beverages for Molls because she’s pregnant) and hit the town. We drove down Summit Ave into down town St. Paul and back up to Grand Ave. We ended up at Bon Fire, aka my old stomping grounds. Bon Fire is a wide open bar /tex/mex restaurant with dueling pianos. We sipped on a couple more cocktails and then headed back home in the limo. All in all it was a wonderful night and I could tell by the expressions on everyone’s faces that a good time was had by all.

I hate Charlie…Creeping Charlie that is.

2008-09-22T12:40:00.001-05:00

My lawn is heavily landscaped, courtesy of an alleged professional. There are tons of bushes, trees, flowers, etc. I think the professional went a little overboard when landscaping my yard. Don’t get me wrong, I love landscape, but it’s just too much. I want more of a yard filled with plush green grass, not various species of weeds.

Anyway, this weekend J and I (well mostly J) started project Take Back the Lawn. He mowed the lawn, trimmed bushes and pulled weeds all day Sunday. I was gone most of the day, but when I got home, I thought it might be a good idea to help. My task was to start pulling the Creeping Charlie. I’m sick of Charlie ruining my yard, so it must be eliminated, and ASAP. It’s weird, but once you start, you become addictive.

The New 90210

2008-09-17T12:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, I’m not crazy about this show, but I love that it includes some of the old characters. Many of my high-school Thursday evenings (until it switched to Wednesday) were spent watching the drama that surrounded unrealistic characters living in the most famous zip-code in the United States. My favorite characters were probably Brenda and Valerie, because they were the bizzo’s of the show.

Anyway, in comparison, the new show is super lame. I watched it the first two weeks and just couldn’t bear to watch it again. It’s trying to re-vamp a classic that doesn’t need to be re-vamped. The original is a staple and this 2.0 version isn’t coming anywhere close to the amazing show that the original was. Anyway, I don’t keep tabs on the Nielsen ratings, but I doubt many people are tuning in, because it’s a train wreck.

The above picture is homage to the original. It’s me looking at the 90210 beach house in Manhattan Beach, California. My friend Maggie literally lives a couple of blocks from the house…Lucky! It’s really on the ocean walk along the beach. Too bad a bunch of randoms live there. Needless to say, there weren’t any Brian Austin Green or Luke Perry sightings.

I love you, I win!

2008-09-16T15:11:00.008-05:00

I thought I’d post a random, but cute story today that happened a few months ago.

During the early stages of dating J, we talked about the “L” word. Don’t worry, we didn’t say it right away or anything, but we talked about what a big word it is. Yes, it’s only four letters, but it means the world to someone, if it’s said in the right context.

Besides saying the word to my family and friends, I’d never really said it in a relationship and actually meant it. My logic is, if you don’t mean it, don’t say it. So, back to the early stages of dating J---I told him I wouldn’t be the first to say it if our relationship did indeed progress. When I said this, he looked at me and shook is head. I remember saying “I’m totally serious. I won’t be saying it first. It’s hard for me to have that word leave my mouth!”

Well, fast forward several months. I had been thinking about saying it to him for a few weeks, but I couldn’t muster up the courage. And by muster up the courage, I mean being the first to say it. I knew in my heart that he felt the same, but I also knew that his competitive spirit wouldn’t give in and let me win.

So, there we were, and all of a sudden I said, “I love you.” I knew when I said it, that I meant it with all my heart. So, guess what his response was? “I love you too…and I win!” The kid cracks me up, and even though I "lost" our bet, per se, I feel like we both won =) Okay, that's my sappy post for the day. Enjoy the week!

It's official...hell has frozen over!

2008-09-10T18:37:00.004-05:00
Looks like I'm going to have to skate home, because hell just froze over. I just went to Target and spent under $25.00. I don't think I've ever walked out of Target spending less than $50. I didn't think it was possible to spend less than $50, but apparently it is! I just had to document this because I doubt it will ever happen again.

So work today was B.U.S.Y. Honestly, I have tons to do and deadlines to meet and I'm feeling a bit stressed. I just need to remember the weekend is almost here, and then I get to see J. Until then, I need to work my butt off and crank out some contracts. Wish me luck that I get it all done =)

Tuesday, dreaming of Friday

2008-09-09T16:48:00.002-05:00
Today is my parent’s 30th wedding anniversary! What a milestone =) I’m so proud of them and it’s cool to know that people can actually be happily married for longer than two-minutes. The divorce rate in the United States is depressing, so for two people to make it 30 years is VERY impressive. My parents are awesome and they have a great relationship. They exemplify what I want to have. My sisters and I are cooking up a surprise dinner (catered) and a limo ride to celebrate this achievement. It’s not for a couple of weeks, so I’ll share more details as the date approaches.

I so which it was Friday! I’m taking Friday off, so that always makes the work week fly by. I probably shouldn’t take Friday off because of how much work I have on my desk, but I need a day off. I was looking at the work calendar, and our next Company day off isn’t until…Thanksgiving. How depressing is that?

Speaking of depressing, I haven’t been on a plane since last April and I’m totally in the market for a vacation, one in which you need to take a plane, far, far away. After buying the house, I kissed my sporadic traveling and shopping excursions goodbye. I’m what one would call “house poor.” I miss the traveling and shopping, but I LOVE my house and don’t regret my decision to buy a home.

Anyway, back to reality. It’s only Tuesday.

I’m heading down to Illinois on Friday to reunite with J. I haven’t seen him since last Thursday and I totally miss him. He’s on his annual Harley trip. Not my idea of a “vacation” but he LOVES his Harley. He may love it more than me (haha just kidding)! Anyway, I’m excited to head back down to IL and hang out with him and his family. I think we’re playing softball and going on a pub-crawl on Saturday! FUN!!

I’m also excited for the ride down. I was talking to my friends Lisa and Linds (L&L) and they’re going to IL this weekend too, to visit family. I’ll probably hitch a ride with them and ride back with J. I’m excited to drive down with the girls because we can discuss Oktoberfest, which is only a couple weeks away...more details to follow on the event that is Oktoberfest at a later date.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

2008-09-03T13:39:00.003-05:00
Or maybe goodbye slow season, hello busy, chaotic season. Like a flick of the switch, once the calendar is flipped to September, busy season begins. Many of our contracts incept at 1/1, which means that we begin to draft documents in late August/early September. I’m already feeling a bit stressed by how much I have on my desk, but I’m not going to complain. The economy sucks right now and I have a good job that I actually like, which definitely gives me some peace of mind.

Speaking of peace of mind, I finally feel like I’ve settled into my home. I have stuff on the walls and most of the rooms are decorated. There are still a few boxes down the basement, but they're filled with things I obviously don’t need on a daily basis…obviously since I haven’t needed them the past three months. I’ll have to post pictures of the house soon =)

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall also means new episodes of t.v. shows will be hitting the tube in the next couple of weeks. I couldn’t be more thrilled! New Dancing with the Stars, new Grey’s Anatomy and my favorite, Gossip Girl. Sure I may be 28 years-old, but I love that show. It’s totally fake and outrageous, well at least my high school life didn’t resemble what’s going on in Serena or Blair’s lives, but hey, it's fun to watch and it's entertaining. I’d mention other shows like the Hills, or other reality junk on cable, but I am trying to live without cable. So far, it’s been three months, and I’m actually doing fine. Crazy, huh? I didn’t think I’d last a day, let alone three months, but here I am, and I’m still alive. I honestly don’t even feel like I have time to watch tv. My time is occupied with cleaning the house, pulling weeds, watering flowes, having dinner with friends, walking around my new ‘hood and of course hanging out w/ J and family. Yikes, I hope J doesn’t read this because he’ll give me crap about my pulling the weeds and watering the flowers. Lets just say the flowers in the backyard are dunzo, thanks to my lack of enthusiasm. He's basically told me that I'm not allowed to touch the yard anymore.

By the way --- I give myself another 2 months until I breakdown and call Comcast. Wish me luck!

Oh a quick shout out to my loyal readers, LB and her boo Gritz! Thanks for reading =)

Busy as a bee

2008-08-22T11:43:00.002-05:00
I survived my 10-year reunion. It was….um, interesting. I think most everyone looks the same +/- a few pounds, myself included. It’s funny because I felt like I already knew what everyone was up to, thanks to facebook. Anyway, it was great to visit with old classmates, hear what they’ve been up to, and of course, seen how we’ve all matured.

Last weekend was quite a busy weekend. In addition to the 10-year reunion, J’s parents were in town. Since they were in town for the weekend, we thought it would be fun for them to meet my parents. I’m happy to report that the parents meeting the parents went off without a hitch. We had lots to talk about and they meshed really well!

This weekend nothing too crazy planned…expect seeing Backstreet Boys at the State Fair… Woohoo! I heart the State Fair! I plan on working out a lot today and tomorrow morning, so I can eat a couple of staple items (Sweet Martha cookies, fries, etc) and not feel too guilty.

Random tangent - I’m thankful that the Olympics are almost over. I need to get back to a normal sleeping schedule. I’ve been up until 12 a.m. watching swimming, gymnastics, track and field, etc. Go America! I still think we got robbed in the team gymnastics and think the IOC should look into the age of the Chinese gymnasts. No way are they 16.

Parents Meet the Parents

2008-08-15T11:11:00.006-05:00
Not too much is new, hence I haven’t been writing. I did go camping over my birthday, which was a great experience! I’ve only been camping one other time in my life, and it was the most horrible experience E.V.E.R. Needless to say, my one previous camping trip left a bad taste in my mouth and made me swear off camping forever, well forever, until last month =)

J asked me to go camping with this entire family to Tomah, Wisconsin. The camp site is called Tunnel Trail, and his family has been going there for many years. I proved my family and friends wrong and actually enjoyed the whole camping experience. I went on a 23-mile bike ride (and didn’t die) and went canoeing down the Kickapoo River. The canoeing had to have been my favorite part because of all the splashing and canoe-tipping that took place. Needless to say, I was soaked by the end of the journey. All in all, it was such a fun time and can’t wait to go again. I’ve posted a picture of me from the entrance into one of the tunnels along the bike tail.

Tonight my parents are meeting J's parents, and tomorrow is my 10-year high school reunion. I can’t wait to see everyone from high school and catch up with them. Some of the girls are going over to Sods’ house beforehand to sip a cocktail or two before the reunion festivities. I like to call it “a little liquid courage.” Should be a fun and crazy night!

As a sidenote, if anyone reads this, please keep my Grandpa Conway in your prayers. He suffered from a collapsed lung earlier in the week. He's 92 years old, but is relatively healthy and is as sharp as a tack. I know he'll bounce back from this.

Almost 28

2008-07-23T10:07:00.016-05:00

Tomorrow is my 28th birthday. I honestly can’t believe I’m turning 28. Back in the day, I thought “28” was old. When asked the question “where do you see yourself in 10 years from now” back in high-school, I always had the same answer, which was “living in Minnesota with a husband and a couple of kids.” Fast-forward ten years, which brings us to 2008. I’m living in Minnesota, but I’m not married and don’t have any kids.

I wanted to memorialize a few things that happened during the past year.

*I watched one of my sisters (Molly) get married to an amazing person (Matt). It was a wonderful celebration and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to top her exquisite wedding…it was truly the best and most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to, and trust me, I’ve been to many!

*I celebrated my 5-year anniversary of working at GC. I have grown so much, but I know I still have a lot to learn.

*I bought my first house! Finally no more living in an icky apartment. I now have tons of space, can be as loud as I want, have my own yard, and my favorite part --- a two car garage!
*After dating many jerks and losers throughout the past several years, I’ve finally met my prince charming, aka J. I really think he should write a book called “how to be the perfect boyfriend” because he truly is.
*I still have great friends. I love my friends and would do anything for them, and I know they’d do anything for me.

*Everyone in my immediate family is healthy which is always good news. I hope God continues to bless us all with good health and good fortune. Speaking of good fortune, I’ll be an aunt in December! I can’t wait to baby-sit and buy cute baby clothes (pink of course)!

In closing, 27 was a crazy year. What I’ve learned is that you can’t really have a plan. Sure, I have goals, but I think it’s best to let life play itself out and to just go with the flow. I can’t wait to see what transpires during my 28th year!

McHenry, IL

2008-06-24T16:05:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, my boyfriend (Joe, hereinafter referred to as "J") and I headed to McHenry to visit his family. For those of you who don't know where McHenry is, it's located in Northeastern, Illinois, about an hour from Chicago.

It was my first time down there, so I was given a tour of McHenry, got to see where J grew up, and was lucky enough to see some pictures from when he was a younger lad. I was also able to spend time with his family. They are truly great people and made me feel very comfortable and welcomed. We had delicious meals, great conversations and many laughs. The weekend went by really quickly, but we all had a great time. I'm hoping that we get down there again before the end of the summer.

During the drive back, we took the scenic route through the country. We drove through Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, where we were greeted by several bright orange signs and cones, indicating detours and road closures, courtesy of the flooding that’s been going on in the Midwest. Being the adventurous people we are, we decided to get out of the car to take a few pictures. Seeing the banks of the river extend their natural boundaries by such large margins was unimaginable. It's hard to believe that some of the houses, buildings and land in general will never be the same. It's even harder to think about those people/businesses that don't have flood insurance. I can’t imagine being in their shoes. The picture posted above is a building and city steet in Fort Atkinson. It definitely serves as testimonial to how bad the flooding really is. I hope that the waters recede and people can get their lives back to "normal" as quickly as possible.

On a happier note, the sun is shining today and the temperature is a balmy 86 degrees. I’m going to explore my new neighborhood this evening and take a walk around Lake Nokomis with my friend, Amy. I’m hoping that I won’t inadvertently walk to Grand Ole Creamery, which is dangerously close to my house.