Weekend Adventures

This past weekend started with Orion's 7th birthday on Friday. I can't believe he's 7 already! He's really not showing his age yet, so that's good. I love this picture of him, he was just sitting with his tongue sticking out. Even after I touched it a couple of times, he still kept it out. It was really funny!
Friday night, I met Linda and Beth at Ridgedale to do a little shopping. Linda ended up parking next to the craziest car, so of course we had to take some pictures of it! I only had my camera phone, so they're not the best.

Can you imagine driving around with all that shit on your car?!?
We then found the perfect book for Linda at Barnes and Noble. I'm surprised she's not on the cover! :) Love ya, Bitch!
On Saturday night, I went to my friend's Tana's house to meet some people from her Scrapvillage design team. Tracey, Celeste, and Cheryl were great - I loved hanging out with them! We got Lee Ann Chins for dinner, went to Target, and had awesome sundaes! Oh yeah, we did some scrapping too! Tracey and I convinced everyone to go in the hot tub - it was only 40 degrees out! I'm hoping that I get to see all of them again soon! And thanks for hosting the great evening Tana - Ella is so cute!!

Sunday was working around the house and hanging out with dh. Monday definitely came too fast!

Better check that date again...

April 11? Really?

I better check the calendar again. It's gotta be January. It's been snowing since last night and it's still snowing at 10:30pm!

Damn! When is that global warming going to show up?

Peaceful Excitement Part 2

My peace lily is finally in full bloom! I posted on March 6 that there was a bloom and now this:

Yippee!

We're supposed to get snow tonight. I still have ice in my fountain! Damn the global warming!

100th Post!

A couple of things from my birthday:

First - Tulips from Karin, now in full bloom - Gorgeous!

Roses from my brother and sil - They are opening just perfectly!
This is all of the cards I got for my birthday - dh's aunts and uncles sent me about 15 each! It covered my dining room table with one leaf in it - 36 cards in total!!

Easter was very nice - My grandma gave me this cup - she said that she had gotten it for her 30th, and now is giving it to me! It's a sweet pea for April (her birthday is on the 21st). I think because I'm the youngest, I've always been a favorite of hers!

My Mom's sister (yeah, I know it's my aunt, but now you really know who she is!) gave me this hummel for my b'day. I love them and had told her this a couple of years ago. She said this one is her favorite (she's a caterer).

My favorite photo from Easter - my niece looking outside. I'll have to figure out how to Photoshop me out of the picture. I took a lot of pictures on Easter, they were just all of her! She's so cute! She can even give high 5!

And to be even more random, this is my new purse. I ordered it from Elisalou.com. It's really cute, but there is no pockets in it, so I'll have to improvise on that part. It's so spring-y and cute!!

True Friendship

I got this forward today and thought it was funny:

True Friendship
(None of that Sissy Crap)

Are you tired of those sissy "friendship" poems that always sound good
But never actually come close to reality?
Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.
You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card-
just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against
the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever you're choking on.

3. When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much
worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well
again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

9. This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end. "Why?" you may ask;
"because you are my friend".

To all my friends, you bitches!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today was a good birthday. Or at least until my 3 1/2 year old nephew said "You look like a fat mouse."

I guess it's time to do something about my hair and go on that diet! Damn kids...

* 30 * 30 * 30 * 30 *

Tomorrow I turn 30. 30. Wow. When you're little, 30 is ancient! I don't feel that old, so I'm not that worried about it. I've always loved my birthday. I don't know if it was the presents or just being about me. I've always loved my birth date too - 4-4-77. How cool is that? It was really cool in 2004 - 4-4-04. It's my favorite number.

Some history of April 4:

1581 - Frances Drake completed the circumnavigation of the world.

1812 - The territory of Orleans became the 18th U.S. state and will become known as Louisiana. 1818 - The U.S. flag was declared to have 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars and that a new star would be added for the each new state.

1850 - The city of Los Angeles was incorporated.

1887 - Susanna M. Salter became mayor of Argonia, KS, making her the first woman mayor in the U.S.

1914 - The first known serialized moving picture opened in New York City, NY. It was "The Perils of Pauline".

1917 - The U.S. Senate voted 90-6 to enter World War I on the Allied side.

1932 - After five years of research, professor C.G. King, of the University of Pittsburgh, isolated vitamin C.

1945 - During World War II, U.S. forces liberated the Nazi death camp Ohrdruf in Germany. 1949 - Twelve nations signed a treaty to create The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

1967 - Johnny Carson quit "The Tonight Show." He returned three weeks later after getting a raise of $30,000 a week.

1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the age of 39.

1969 - Dr. Denton Cooley implanted the first temporary artificial heart.

1974 - Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's major league baseball home-run record with 714.

1975 - More than 130 people, most of them children, were killed when a U.S. Air Force transport plane evacuating Vietnamese orphans crashed just after takeoff from Saigon.

1986 - Wayne Gretzky set an NHL record with his 213th point of the season.

1994 - Netscape Communications (Mosaic Communications) was founded.

People born on April 4:

Elizabeth W. Wilson 1921 - Actress (TV: "The Addams Family", Movie: "The Graduate")

Maya Angelou 1928 - Author, poet

Clive Davis 1932 - Record company executive

Anthony Perkins 1932 - Actor (Movies: "Psyco" series)

Craig T. Nelson 1944 - Actor (Movies: "Turner and Hooch", "Stir Crazy", "Poltergeist")

Christine Lahti 1950 - Actress

David E. Kelley 1956 - Writer, producer ("Ally McBeal", "The Practice")

Robert Downey, Jr. 1965 - Actor (Movie: "U.S. Marshals")

Nancy McKeon 1966 - Actress (TV: "The Facts of Life")

Jill Scott 1972 - Singer

David Blaine 1973 - Magician

Natasha Lyonne 1979 - Actress

Heath Ledger 1979 - Actor

Notice, no one after me - I'm too famous to follow after! ;) Hehehe!

Tomorrow I am going to lunch with DH then I'm driving to my parent's house after work for a party with them, my brother and sil and niece and nephew, and my grandma. Overall - a great day planned!

Wish me luck!

2 days until 29+1

I read this on Overheard at the Beach and thought it was appropriate:

Awww, You're Sweet. No, I'm 30

Little girl: Grandma, you're old!
Grandma: How old do you think I am, sweetie?
Little girl: I dunno... like, 16, or something.

--Wilmington, North Carolina



Also, Flat Stanley has been spotted again - in New Mexico!

Birthday Party!

Thanks everyone who came to my birthday party! I had blast and it was one classy event! I'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends!

We miss you too Alli! Wish you could have been here!

A List

Anonymous said...
how about a post on what you want for your birthday?
7:16 PM

I quit my "ask me a question and I'll answer it" posts awhile back, but I guess I'll indulge anonymous (if that's your name).

Thinking about it, I guess I would be a hard person to buy for. I have too much shit to begin with, and am very ambivalent on what I want in general. I wish I could just come up with 10 things that I wanted just like that. I'll try that out and see what happens:

1. A chunky necklace in some cool color. I tried on about 500 at Target the other day and couldn't find anything I wanted or liked.
2. Cool Acrylic stamps
3. Mary Jane Crocs (size 9)
4. A protective cover for my iPod mini
5. iTunes Gift Card
6. Anything cool scrapbooking stuff
(damn! This is hard!)
7. Alli to move back ;) Hehehe! Had to add that!
8. Professional pics of my dogs
9. Someone to come and pick up the poop in our yard
(arrrgh! I'm stuck again! With ideas, not in the poop!)
10. Okay, so I tried looking on the internet, and then got distracted for 30 minutes until I realized that I should get to bed and then remembered this. Sorry, 9 is all you're getting. Good luck. I'll love whatever you get me - unless it's that one thing you're thinking of! Hehehe!

An ALS Film

I got an email yesterday from Scott Stafne about an upcoming fundraiser for his ALS fund. Here's what he wrote:

"A year ago, I saw the premiere of So Much So Fast at the Sundance FilmFestival. I've been passionate about film all my life, but never has a film felt so intensely personal. I am absolutely thrilled to bring itto Minnesota. On Saturday, May 5, you and everyone you know are invited to a special screening of So Much So Fast at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. A black-humored cliffhanger of romance, guerrilla science and theredefinition of time, So Much So Fast unfolds like a nonfiction novel. Stephen Heywood finds out he has ALS. His brother Jamie becomes obsessed with finding a cure. And the woman who's falling in love with Stephen has a decision to make. I want you to see this movie. I want your friends and your family to see this movie, and here's why:

1) It's about ALS – You already know someone with this deadly illness. Learn about the reality of living with ALS, and about the incredible people who fight to destroy it.

2) It's about life – We all struggle with something. Whether personally affected by ALS or not, I guarantee this film will inspire you to look deeply into your own life, and perhaps reevaluate how you define happiness.

3) It's my birthday – I'm turning 35 this May (ALS Awareness Month!). It's only $5. Nothing would please me more than a full house to help celebrate another year of life. Please tell your family and friends and I look forward to seeing you on May 5. Scott

Saturday, May 5
11:30 AM Screening
Reception to follow

Riverview Theater
3800 42nd Ave S
Minneapolis

Suggested donation of $5 benefits the Scott Stafne ALS Research Fund
Buy your tickets now at http://stafnes.com

What a great way to support a worthy cause and see a great movie! I'm going to try and be there - what about you?

Public Service Announcement

When it is raining, snowing, foggy or doing any sort of precipiation - turn on your goddamn headlights!!!!! When your wipers are on, your headlights should be too!





Thank you for your support.

Flat Stanley Update

He's been spotted!

Sunday Update

My friend Karin took me to see the Glass Menagerie at the Guthrie Theater today. A classic play set in the 1930's by Tennesee Williams. It was very good, a little depressing, but very good. One of the actors in the play was Harriet Harris, who play Felicia Tilman on Desperate Housewives. That was the woman who thought Paul Young had killed her sister and was trying to kill him. She was very good in this play as well. The picture is from the endless bridge at the Guthrie. It's looking over the Mississippi in Minneapolis. It was amazing how many people were out walking around or riding bikes today. As soon as the weather gets nice, people come out of hiding pretty quick!

After the play, we went to Macy's on the Nicolette Mall. Macy's is having a flower show with an African theme. It was cool to see all the flowers and everything they've done there. It smelled so good there too. I'd stop by if you have a chance. Not really worth a special trip, but cool if you're in the neighborhood.

Overall - a great day! Thanks for my birthday present, Karin!

1st Day of Spring

Today is the first day of spring, according to the calendar. We still have some snow on the ground, but it's going quickly. I like spring - it brings warmer weather, birds, flowers, sandals, etc. But there is one reason I don't like spring. This -

This is my backyard. Seven years of having two huge dogs has taken it's toll. We have a huge mud pit for most of the spring. Right now, most of it is covered with ice and snow, but if we get the thunder storms they predicted for tonight, this will be gone soon. And so will my layer of protection. The other fun part, our yard is sand. No matter how much I wipe the dogs feet when they come in, some of that damn sand stays on. It's great when I find it up in our bed - it's fun to sleep on grit! Luckily, sand drains quickly. But not quick enough for me. The tough part is also how to fix this mess. If we plant grass or do sod, we'd have to keep the dogs off of it, so they'd tear up something else. Thank God it's our backyard. I guess if we ever sell the house, it'll have to be in the winter when we have some snow to cover this up! Now to teach the dogs how to walk on air....or to wipe up their own damn paws!

Niece's 1st Birthday!

We celebrated my niece's 1st birthday on Saturday. I can't believe how fast time has gone! She's already walking and molding into her own personality. I had a great time hanging out with her and watching her cruise around. Here's some more cutie pictures:

Okay, that's enough cuteness for one post!

Your Partner is Waiting

Dear letter R,

I am your new partner, letter L. True, I am naked and need a little work, but I do think I will be a suitable partner for you as well. We shall meet soon.

Sincerely, letter L

New Friend

I have a new friend at my house. He might be coming to your house. Check this out to find out who he is and what he's doing!

It's an Obsession

Obsession? I like to think of it more as a collection. As you can see - I LOVE the new 7gypsies stamps. They are the coolest things since sliced bread. I just got the ovals today from Scraploft. These are great for a little addition to a page or for putting the date or other information about a layout. My favorite part? The self-inking. I love stamps. I hate dealing with the ink. Plus - they're coming out with brown and red inks to replace the black. How cool is that?!? Yes, there are more of these, but I'm happy with my collection for now. Until they come out with another one......Hehehehe!!

Check it out!

I found this new website from the people who do Overheard at the Office - it's CelebrityWit.com. They take the stupid and funny things celebrities say and put them all on one site. It's pretty funny!

Nancy - ANTM is on Wednesdays at 7pm on the new CW. That's channel 23 for me, but I don't know what it would be for you.

Baron Darvel

Baron has a very small head and a large neck. We have to make his collar too big so that it won't choke him. So this means that his collar is very susceptible to coming off. When this happens, he loves to run around with his collar in his mouth like it's a toy. I've even seen the dogs fight over it! I always tell him he's naked and to get some clothes on! The other night, he got his collar off. I just had to take a picture....
How can you be mad at that face?

ANTM Review - This one's for you, Nancy!

Okay, I'm cheating on part of this. Some of this will be from TV.com. I'll fill in my own details. J. Alexander (Miss J) coaches the girls on how to work the runway and puts their skills to the test when they participate in a prom-themed fashion show. One of my favorites, Brittney, ends up winning the challenge. Renee, the mother I spoke about in my last post, does really crappy, but thinks she's awesome again. Later, the models struggle during a high school themed photo shoot, but one girl rocks it (Jaslene) and the praise that she receives makes another model jealous (Renee). Jaslene and Renee both think they are the greatest. It's really annoying. They are doing a good job, but they are so annoyingly stuck-up. Natasha is a mail-order bride from Russia that has no idea what's she's doing. She was in the bottom two and they ended up keeping her! I can't believe it! She didn't know what anti-fur was and she didn't know what a teacher's pet was this week! They told her she was worse than Anne of Cycle 3 who was beautiful but didn't take great pictures, and she took it as a complement! I hope she goes home soon. Samantha went home. She wasn't mature enough for the competition. Not a big shocker there. Even though Natasha should have gone home first!!

Next week - MAKEOVERS! My favorite part! Someone always bitches about their new look and ends up crying. It's amazing though how most of the girls go from looking normal to looking like models. Even if you don't watch the show, this is an episode not to miss! They're rerunning the episodes on Sunday night too, so if Wednesdays don't work, check it out then!

Ooh! I almost forgot! VH1 is playing Australia's Next Top Model on Monday nights at 9:00pm!! They're a little hard to understand some times, but just as great to watch!

Peaceful Excitement

I'm so excited! My peace lily, which I've had for 9+ years, is blooming again!! I got this plant (and most of my plants) from my Godmom while I was in college. I'm proud to say, I think I've only killed one of her plants that she gave me. It was a ficus tree that was really prone to bugs and I could never get a handle on it. Anyways, the peace lily. One of the best plants to have - it actually takes toxins out of the air and purifies the air! This peace lily has moved from two different places in Duluth, to my parent's house, and now here. I think it's only bloomed 5 or so times. Once it had two blooms. I think it gets pissed at me for not watering it, moving it around, the house being too cold, not dusting it off like I should, and other various things. Finally, I must be doing something right! I guess I really shouldn't count my eggs before they hatch, or in this case, my flowers before they bloom, but I was so excited that it's actually doing something!! Hopefully I won't make it change it's mind. Once, it got to about this point, and then the bloom died. I was not happy about that! Keep your fingers crossed!

Craft for a Cure

This Saturday is the ALS Crop & Craft in Bloomington, MN. All proceeds will benefit the ALS Therapy Development Foundation. The family pictured in the brochure is Scott, Kirsten, and Eva Stafne. I went to high school with Kirsten. Scott is currently living with ALS. My grandma (whom I posted about here) is also living with ALS. She has no function in her left arm and is steadly losing function in her right. She is lucky - she's only had this for 4 years and is currently 95. Scott was diagnosed in 2004 at 32, a more typical story of someone with ALS. It's a terrible disease with no known cure. This event is a great way to get involved and have fun at the same time! If you are unable to attend, you can still donate. Go to Stafnes.com for more information about Scott, ALS, and donating.

I'll be there this Saturday - anyone want to join me?

Still at work

Yes, I'm still at work. I'm not very happy about it. They even closed our Service Department, but Sales is still going strong. Nevermind that almost every school is closed today because of the weather - we're still open. Oh yeah, the owners are in Puerto Rico. Sucks to be me right now. All my co-workers with more seniority have left too. I think there is 5 of us working right now. I'm bitching because I can. So there!

This one's for Alli

Alli - I know how much you're missing the snow, so I thought I'd share some pictures of the storm.

Here's the dogs running outside. Remember, their legs are about 2 feet tall, and the snow is hitting their chests! Don't they kinda look like deer?

Here's Orion in the snow. The flash went off on my camera, so that's why you get the reflection of the snow falling. Yes, we'll probably have around 3 feet when this is all done. And yes, I'll probably have to go to work tomorrow. Damn family owned business! Don't you miss it, Alli??

You wanna be on top?

Not like that!! You sicko! That's the first line from the theme song for America's Next Top Model, or ANTM. I'm so excited it's on again!! This is one of my favorite shows. I've seen all 7 previous cycles (that's what they call their "seasons") and have loved every minute of it! I don't know what it is about that show - it just rocks! I think it's because I always dreamed about being a model and thought that would be so fun and cool. I watched a lot of fashion oriented TV shows (House of Style and the like) when I was young and just idolized that whole lifestyle. And now look! I work at a bus company! :) I think one of the best parts of the show is that the judges do the eliminating. I'm not too hip on American Idol or anything where America votes. I think it's because a lot of people vote because someone is hot or they're from their hometown, not because they're good. Anyways, this season already looks to be great. There's a girl who is married and has a kid who thinks her shit doesn't stink, a girl that was sad she won the first competition because she didn't want everyone to hate her, and two "plus" size models. They're probably an 8 or 10, but considered plus size. The one goofy girl with hair about 2 feet tall who didn't know what anti-fur was (they did a photo shoot about different political views) was eliminated tonight.

Watch out for the killer snow tonight. The way the news people have been reporting this one, you'd think it was the end of the world.

Snow, Snow, Snow!

Friday:

Sunday:

What a difference a weekend makes!

This is outside our front door before DH snowblowed the driveway. Our poor bushes!!

Randomness

We've been super busy at work lately. I'm worried. This time last year, I was begging for more work. It's usually a dead time of year. If summer is our busy time, what is it going to be like this year? Maybe I'll have to look into Mt Dew I.V.'s to keep me going.

Baron decided he wasn't getting attention last night, so he pulled the stuffing out of the comforter in our extra bedroom. Boy, did he get attention after that!! Never let an attention-starved weimaraner out of your site!

I just picked up chinese food for dinner tonight. They forgot my cream cheese wontons. I love cream cheese wontons. I don't need them, but I wanted them!! I'm going back tomorrow to get my credit!

You know, I understand that no one likes to be wrong, let alone admit it, but could someone at work please just try for once?!?! Stop arguing for hours, demanding you're right, almost bullying everyone to shut up and just go along with you, and then, it turns out, you're WRONG! Eating crow sucks, but take it like a woman!

Dh leaves tomorrow for the weekend. We're going to get up to 12 inches of snow. He's going to have fun snowblowing when he gets home.

I can't wait until The Office and Grey's tonight!!!

The day everything changed...

One year ago on February 19, 2006, my best friend's fiance went hiking as he did so often. Karl and Karin had just gotten engaged that fall and were planning for their future. Would they get married in Norway, where Karl was from, or would it be here, where Karin was from? Where would they live? So many questions and such a promising future together. Karl went hiking that day, and never came back. Karin got a phone call the next day from Norway saying that Karl was missing. Her life was a whirlwind from that moment on. It came to be that Karl died on that hike that day. After three days of searching, his body was found. The days between when he was reported missing and when he was found were gut wrenching ones. Karin didn't know whether or not to go to Norway to search or to stay here. I wanted to stop everything and go help Karin, but it wasn't possible. I remember getting that phone call that Wednesday night late. Karl had been found, but he was gone. How do you comfort your best friend on something like that? It wasn't the normal, oh, he'll call you or don't worry about that fight, it was he was gone forever. I still to this day can't believe how strong she was and is. She was on phone with the Norwegian authorities while he was missing, she flew to Norway by herself to be with his family, all these things while grieving over the man she loves. I was here, not able to do anything. It was hard on everyone. This was also the time on Grey's Anatomy when Izzy lost Denny. I know, it's only a TV show, but watching her grieve over him made me think about Karin. The pain she was in was the same my best friend was in. Those episodes were so hard to watch. I could see the characters trying help Izzy just like we were trying to help Karin, but nothing would change the fact that he was gone.

I hope this makes some sort of sense to you. This has been really hard for me to write and I know I'm probably missing a lot or mixing things up. The point is, it is so hard to see someone you love go through so much pain. You feel helpless and are unable to really change anything. I hope that Karin knows how much I love her and how much I would love to take some of the pain for her. Sometimes, I almost felt guilty being with DH knowing that she would never be with Karl again. And I know that she would never want me to suffer just because she was. I was so happy for her. Karl was such a great guy - even DH liked him! I imagined us all getting together for dinner and great conversation, our kids playing together, and being great friends for life. All of that will still happen, just with one of the pieces missing.

Karl, we all miss you. I miss you. I know you're looking over Karin and are so proud of her. I am too. I hope you're hiking, inventing, debating with God, and still trying to out smart everyone up in heaven.

A blog was set up for Karl. If you are interested in reading it, go here.

Make new friends, but keep the old...

Sometimes we're lucky enough to get a second chance at a friendship. Thanks for giving me that second chance, Tana. Looking forward to tons of great new memories.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone is having a good day today. I was happy to at least have lunch with DH today. Since Valentine's day falls during the week and he works nights, we don't really get to celebrate. I know, I know - we could celebrate on the weekend, but then it's over and not really the same. So I have a date with the dogs and the washing machine today. Such a hot date!

Here's a picture of me and my Valentine two years ago when we were in Cancun. Yes, I'm burnt in the picture. I have the age spots to prove it! Damn the Mexican sun being so strong!

Tagged again!

Bonnie has now tagged me. I'm on free base for a couple of days after this one. No more tagging.

Here are the questions:
1. Valentines Day. Celebrate or Not? We’ll do lunch this year because DH works nights.
2. Most Romantic Gift Received? Scrapbook GC and 5 spots at crop for me and my friends! DH usually only gets me what I ask for – this was a nice surprise!
3. Worst Date? He never called me again! :(
4. If you could tell your significant other what you would really like for Valentines Day, what would you tell him/her? I’d like to replace my Circle of Life necklace that I lost
5. Complete this sentence. "Love means never having to say ________________" I love you. Actions speak louder than words. But it’s still nice to hear it!
6. Best chocolate? Hot fudge!
7. Dream Valentines' Menu? Having DH cook the same meal we had for our first date.
8. Most Romantic Movie? Sliding Doors
9. If you had a Conversation Heart that said how you were feeling right now, it would say ___________. Bored. I’m at work answering this!
10. Pink or Red? Red

Tagged!

My friend Beth recently tagged me. Since I've already done this one (see this post) I thought my dog Baron could answer this one.



A= Available? No, I already have an owner.

B= Best Friend? My brother Orion

C= Cake or pie? Whatever I can get my paws on!

D= Drink of choice - Water

E= Essential item you use everyday - my good looks

F= Favorite color: Blue

G= Girlie girl: Yes

H= Hometown - North Branch, MN

I= Indulgences - Getting belly rubs every chance I can! Hording toys from my brother.

J= January or February - Either - as long as there is snow, I love eating snow!

K= Kids and Names - No. I'm fixed.

L= Life is incomplete without...Belly rubs!!

M= Marriage date - I'm only 5!! I can't get married!

N= Number of siblings- One, my older brother Orion

O= Oranges or apples - Apples.

P= Phobias or Fears - Where to start! Thunder, Being left alone, not being included, thinking my brother is getting attention or a belly rub and I'm not, baths, getting my nails clipped, going on trips, not getting my way, when my brother has my toys, getting trapped where I can't get out, being away from my Mom, the water, swimming

Q= Favorite Quote - A dog wags his tail with his heart!

R= Reason to smile - Belly rubs!

S= Season - Winter - I love eating snow!

T= Toy - my Man! It's the toy I'm holding in my picture.

U= Unknown fact about me: I had to have a skin tag taken off of my leg a couple of years ago.

W= Worst habit - Wanting belly rubs or attention!

X= X-rays - No.

Y= Your favorite food - peanut butter!

Z= Zodiac Sign - Taurus

You May Kiss the Bride?

Every day when I go and get the mail for work, I listen to FM107. Kevyn Burger is on and she usually has entertaining and interesting discussions. Today the discussion was about the internet and questionable material being readily available for kids. This woman called in about how she and her kids had googled their names for fun and a lot of adult websites had come up. Then, the shocker came up. I assumed her kids were between the ages of 8 and 12. No, they were 17 and 19!! Doesn't that seem a little old to have so much supervision on the computer? Especially the 19 year old. Then the woman went on to say that her 17 year old daughter had an article coming out in a magazine about how she's saving herself for marriage - including KISSING! I've heard of purity, but this seems a little extreme. I was always taught to wait until marriage to have sex, not kissing. Kevyn went on to ask about this stance and the idea behind it. The mother said that it was her daughter's idea, but I'm sure that the parent's had some influence on it. She said that they had reinforced not giving yourself physically until you are married. I guess technically that would include kissing. I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't end up in some of the situations they have been in if it didn't start with a kiss. And why do we draw the line at sex? Why not kissing? I'm not regretful about anyone that I kissed and kissing only got me in trouble once. The woman's point is that men's hormones are so strong that it is hard for them to stop at kissing. Wouldn't kissing before marriage then help you with restraint and reinforce that kissing doesn't always lead to sex? Can you imagine that every morning when you gave your husband a kiss when you left for work that it would mean you had to have sex? And are men such animals that they can't control themselves? I just thought this was an interesting subject and I'm not really sure how I feel about it. If my Grandma gives me a kiss, are we going to get it on? I mean, come on! On the one hand, I'd like to give guys more credit, on the other hand, well, they're guys! Good luck to those of you raising teenagers, I don't envy you having to deal with issues like this.

Heat is on!

They got the heat back on at work around Noon. Everyone brought in space heaters and I even brought in a couple of blankets! I came home at lunch and put on a second pair of socks and some long underwear! I don't know if it's really fixed because it was only 71 in there with everyone's space heaters still going. Not too fun when it's below zero! Hopefully things will be better tomorrow!

Frozen

The heat isn't working in our office right now....Brrrrr!!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

Saturday was such a great day. Alli, Karin, Linda and I went shopping in Buffalo. We had a blast and picked up some really cute things. Alli even found another tortoise for Rosita! Then, We met up with Jenn, Sarah, Michelle and Suzy at Rock Bottom Brewery. It was so good to see everyone, even if it was to see Alli for the last time while she's living in Minnesota. We all made her a scrapbook page and Michelle put it into a super cute album. We then went to this crazy ice cream shop! (thanks for the idea, Karin!)

I'm having a hard time writing this post because it's all about saying goodbye to Alli. Six months ago, she mentioned to me that she might be leaving. I was hoping it was a bad dream, but now she's leaving in a week. How do you say goodbye to a good friend? Yeah, we'll talk on the phone and send emails, and even go and see one another - but things will never be the same. There's no, I'll meet you on Saturday to scrap. Those days are gone. I hope that she finds cool people to scrap with (not as cool as us, but still cool!) and makes some great friends. I also hope she knows that she's always welcome back and will always be a part of our group, even when she's so far away. Thank God I was able to have this time getting to know Alli and having her as my friend. I can honestly say that she is a great person and I'm going to miss her so much!

Now I'm off to look for a new friend with a tortoise who scrapbooks.....

Wednesday Joke

I heard this today from Jeff Foxworthy:

Why are Redneck murders so hard to solve?

















Because all of the DNA is the same and there are no dental records!

Snow-Cones

The dogs have a new favorite snack - snow-cones. They bring them in from outside and fight over who gets to eat them. Luckily, it's clean snow (not yellow!) so it only makes the carpet a little wet. They won't come in until they have a chunk of snow to chew on! It's so funny!

I am dreading this weekend though because it's going to get really cold and they won't want to go outside. It's funny, they'll act like they want to go out, but as soon as the cold air hits them, they back up and won't go out. Such babies! I guess that's a problem when they don't have much hair on their bellies!

This next picture is a paper-piecing that my friend Marni did last weekend at our scrapbook retreat. She's really creative. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a part of Jolee's new line!! Such detail!

It was just too funny not to share!!

Bus Answers

Nancy_Scraps asks: "OK...how many school buses in the twin cities (what %) are sold by the Hoglund Bus Company of Monticello MN. I was behind 3 different school buses yesterday, and they were all from Hoglund!And how does one go about purchasing a school bus. Is there a showroom? A catalog? Do I get a discount for buying 10 or more at once? "

Answer: I don't know about the Cities for percentage-wise, but I do know that we have 60% market share in MN and about 30% in IA. Those are the only two states our dealership sells in. I'd say that most major school districts in the Cities purchase from us. We do very well there and in northern MN. We sold around 300 new school buses last year. That wouldn't include any trade-ins (used) that we sold.

ETA: There are only 3 manufacturers that sell school buses.

How does one go about purchasing a bus? I was surprised at this answer when I started my job. There isn't a catalog, and you can come and check out a bus, but it's not a showroom, just in the field behind our buildings. (You can see them all on 94 to the south when you drive past Monticello) When you order a bus (which is part of my job), there is an option for everything, from the size of the bus, type of motor, type of seat - 2 leg (one side bolts to the wall) or 4 leg, number of rubrails (the black stripes on the bus - MN requires 4) to anything else you can think of. Even the driver's mirror is an option, you can get 6x30 or 10x30. There are requirements, both legally and practically - i.e. tires, School Bus Yellow paint. So, what a school does is make specs for what they want, and we create a bus to their specs. After someone is a customer for awhile and continues to purchase the same type of bus, we order "stock" buses that are the way they want them. Then the next year, they say they want a bus, and we have one for them. There's a bunch of ways to purchase a bus, but I'd rather not put everyone to sleep. There's a lot more to getting your kids to school than anyone would ever know! Even me - and I work there!!

Another Answer

Anonymous asks: "What would you do if you won the lottery? "

Answer - Well, if I won a small lotto (like $10,000), I'd buy some clothes or scrapping stuff and then finish our basement. If I won a large lotto (like $250 million dollars), there's a bigger list:

1. Quit my job
2. Buy a house with some land
3. Get an apartment in the Cities (so I could have a place to crash when I scrapped with the bitches)
4. Buy all new furniture for the new house
5. Purchase a thin body
6. Get a couple more Weims
7. Buy anything I wanted for scrapping stuff
8. Make sure my loved ones were taken care of
9. Give DH a couple bucks
10. Hire a belly-rubber for the dogs (they love getting their belly rubbed!)
11. Oh, and a dog walker too
12. Go to Europe, Australia and Hawaii
13. Probably file for bankruptcy about now

Funny this question should come up today, I got my W2 from work. It really makes me wonder why I work if that's all they pay me. So sad!!

Anyone else?

More Answers....

Linda Lou asks: "Who is tracy and why are you scrapbooking with her? What about your bitches?"

Answer - Jealous much? Tracy has been my friend since the first couple of weeks of my freshman year at UMD. She actually introduced me to DH. We lived together two different times and I was even in her wedding! I will be scrapping with her because she is fun and cool. My bitches would be more than welcome to join us.

Nancy_Scraps asks: "What do you like about Weimarainers as a breed of dog?If you couldn't have a Weimarainer or a Viszla, what kind of dogs would you have. "

Answer - We originally decided on the Weimaraner because my DH wanted a pair of beagles and I said no. We checked out a couple of different breeds (German Shorthair Pointer, Viszla) and decided on the Weim. I like that they are very personable, super smart (almost to a fault!), they LOVE being with their humans, they have short hair and they hunt (which DH likes). All of my family has Labs or Springer Spaniels. When we get together at our cabin, it's a Lab-fest. So we wanted something different so we could actually tell which one was our dog. If we were to have another type of dog - that's a good question. I'd probably only get Weims from now on, but I'd probably want a GSP or Viszla. I really like the short hair.

Keep em coming!

Answers

Tracy asks: "I want to know - When are we going to scrapbook? "

Answer - Hopefully soon. Let's try for the end of February or March. Let me know what days work for you.

Bonnie asks: "here's one.... u thinking of having kids in the future? or just your puppies?"

Answer - Probably some day. Kids are a hard thing for me. I don't know if I could handle it or if I want to give up my current lifestyle. I think about it a lot, but I don't know if that's just because of my age or if I really want them. It's a complicated question with complicated answers. But we will definitely continue to have dogs. That I do know.

Keep them coming!!

Go ahead and ask me!

I was reading Cathy Zielske's blog today and thought about not having a "this is what I had for lunch" blog. That's so what I've been doing. So, I thought that I'd let you, my glorious readers, help me out. My friend Linda did this at one time, so this is not a new idea. Ask me questions. Anything. I'll answer. This will go on until there are no more questions or until I'm bored with it. Anonymously if you must. So, go ahead and ask! I'm waiting...

Really? No one? Come on!! :)

Bath and Body Works Sale!

I had to return a couple of things to Bath and Body Works today, and I ended up hitting their Up to 75% off sale! I got everything you see here for less than $30! The soaps were all $1, so I grabbed those for dollar gifts for next Christmas. The poof and small blue lotion were 2 for $5. The best deal? Pumpkin Pie Paradise! I found this last fall and LOVED it! It smells super awesome! You almost want to take a couple of bites out of your arm when you use it! This HUGE bottle was - wait for it- $4!!!! Can't beat that! The Spicy Gingerbread smelled great too, so at that price, I had to try it out too.

Just had to share my exciting purchases!

Four Things

SIL sent this to me today by email. Thought I'd post my answers on here. Anyone else want to take the challenge and answer them too?

Four Things About Me You May Not Have Known.....

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Subway Sandwich Artist
2. Menards Cashier
3. Camp Counselor
4. Case Aide for Probation Office

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Dazed and Confused
2. Mean Girls
3. Center Stage
4. Singles

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Office
3. America's Next Top Model
4. CSI

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Boston
2. Cancun
3. New Orleans
4. Montana

Four favorite foods:
1. Cream Cheese Wontons
2. Ice Cream
3. Sweet and Sour Chicken
4. Cherry Pie

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Scrapbooking
2. On Vacation with DH
3. With my friends
4. Somewhere warmer

That's What She Said

I love The Office. It is one of my favorite shows. The best part about it? It's not in-your-face funny, it's subtle and SO hilarious. I never got into it before this year because I had watched some of the British Office on BBC America, saw one of the first episodes of the American version, and saw that they had just ripped off jokes from the other show. Then, a couple of months ago, I posted on here about the shows I watch, and everyone was commenting on how I should watch The Office. I went to YouTube and watched all these clips one night and laughed my ASS off for about 2 hours.

If you're a fan, you should check out these MySpace pages.

Pam/Jenna

Angela

One of the Crew from The Office

Tonight's episode rocked! I can't wait until next week!!

You take the Good, you take the Bad...

Today has been a good/bad day. Good because I finally am feeling somewhat better. I think I'm beating this cold now! Also, I felt good enough to go to Target after work and get this:

iHome. Isn't is cool? Now I can play my iPod anywhere! And it matches!! You gotta love that.

Now for the bad. My Mom called me a little bit ago and told me that my Great Aunt Lillian died yesterday. She had just turned 98 on New Years Day. What a life. 98 - can you imagine? I didn't know her very well, but she was a very nice lady and my Grandma liked her very much. Here's a picture of Lillian and my Grandma at our reunion in 2004 for my Dad's family.

We all were on teams for the Olympics my parent's had planned. I told my Grandma that she and Lillian were on their own team. My Grandma said that they wouldn't be playing games - but I told her that their game was to talk and have fun. She laughed and said they could manage that. They sat in the garage for most of the afternoon just talking and talking. By the way, that's Lillian on the left and my Grandma on the right.

There's another angel in heaven now.