My, how BIG they are!

Dora and Cora. Cora's giving me that 'you biznatch!' look that only cats can do.

Are you guys sick of looking at my cats yet? Sorry, but I have nothing else but my wedding dress to show, and I don't know if Shaun looks at this, so sorry!

Shtuff

So we're back. We got back at 8:10 yesterday. Got up at 4. That sucked. We had a great time at Shaun's parent's house. We went to Fond Du Lac to get Tyler's present and cruised around Kohl's for a while. That night we went to the Gallagher's to see them and the Mohrs. I always like visiting with them all. :) Saturday was the Bliss X-mas at the Sapalas' house. Everyone was there, and it was fun. It was kinda funny because a couple of Shaun's aunts were all flustered because they felt bad that they didn't get the RSVP in yet. Not a big deal yet at this point, but I will have to start calling next well. We asked his aunt Polly if she'd be willing to do a reading for our ceremony, and she agreed. :) That made me happy. Then after everyone left we had the Sapala family christmas. Shaun's parents were dears and got us our pots and pans! :) Also, I got diamond studs as a 'welcome to the family' present. :) That was so sweet of them! And completely unexpected. Then we went to bed and got up at 4. The flight back was uneventful, except that I had to go to the bathroom and by the time we got up to cruising altitude and could get up and the lady that sat by us was done drinking her coffee, we were on our way down. So I was literally dying 30,000 feet in the air. Something cool, though: I was in 22f (window seat!) and Shaun was in 41C (literally the last row). The seat between me and the lady that I was talking with ended up being empty, and a scary looking guy was looking for a place to sit. So the lady suggested I ask the steward if Shaun could sit by me, and he said yes. So that was really nice, we got to sit by each other on the flight back, instead of being a whole plane apart. AND we got to get off earlier, which was really good for me. Haha. Then we went to my parent's house and opened presents. They made present hunts for all three of us! We had to go outside and tramp around the yard to find our presents. At first I was upset because I was like, 'I don't get these things!!!' and then I was the first one done and I helped Ty and Shaun. :) Mom and dad stayed in the house and laughed at us. The kitkits were there waiting for us, that was nice! Then we went to Lehman's where we had a good time. I slept for an hour while watching the Brothers Grimm with Jen and Shaun. :) It was a good nap. Then we were home again by 8:30. It was good to relax again. :) Hope you all had a wonderful christmas and have a happy new year!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Which I did. I got a guy who was scared of flying sitting behind me. Thank God he finally fell asleep because until he did he was constantly pushing on my seat. But when he first got on he had to be one of those seatmates that everyone fears - the talker. "Hi, I'm Jim and your name is...? Amber? Nice to meet you. Hi, my name's Jim, and yours is? Jim? Nice to meet you too! Where you going, Amber? Milwaukee? How about you Jim? Milwaukee too, huh? Yeah, I know that that's where I'm going too.... And where's home for you Amber? Downtown? And you, Jim? Brookfield? Ah. Are you guys nervous about flying on planes? You are, Amber? Me too. How about you, Jim? No? You do this all the time? Wow. Are you married? No? Haha. Maybe you are right, maybe the reason you aren't is because you're flying all the time..." Well, you get the idea. That was basically how the conversation sounded. Just not so one-sided. I was so happy when he fell asleep. But then there was the guy next to me - alcohol fumes and snoring. Great. This was our announcement when we got to cruising elevation: Hello, passengers. This is the Captain. I just wanted to let you know that we just reached our cruising elevation and will be beginning our decent shortly. Then we overflew Milwaukee to get lined up for the runway. The lake was freaky. Then I thought I saw a lighthouse (it was an airplane). Then I thought I saw a plane coming at us! (It was the light on the end of our wing). Shaun and the drunk guy laughed at me. I felt a fool. Oh, well. Landing was rough, it was windy. When we touched down we slid sideways a little, but it was allright. Shaun's parents came and picked us up and now we are in Plymouth. :) We our flight out of Milwaukee is at 6 something Sunday morning. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

It's been a while...

...since I've put up pictures, so here are some. :)

According to Ty, he drank 12 hours straight with 3 hours of sleep... so at Johnson's X-mas, he slept for a couple of hours, offering us a wonderful chance for photos. He says he decided to bleach his hair out now so that by my wedding it should be long enough to be cut back to his natural hair color. It'd better... ;-)

They sure do love sleeping by your neck. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes.

Looking cute on our kitchen table.

Cora snuggling up to the neck again... she was yelling at Shaun for waking her up.

Playing hard.

Resting well.

For a little humor.

We went and saw the lady who is playing our ceremony music Friday. When she played the processional song I started crying. Haha. But it was all good. I also went and took pics of the way that our room is decorated. It 'goes' with everything that we had planned so far. Yay! Also stopped at Country Inn & Suites. I was very underwhelmed by Trista, the front desk lady that was working. She was extremely unhelpful. Hopefully my guests won't have to deal with her!

Friday night we went to Menomonie for Senior Shows. Next semester I am pretty sure that I am going alone. Or at least without Shaun. He does nothing but drive me nuts the entire time we're there. And when I see old friends and I stop and talk to them I get nothing but attitude. But it was also fun because we picked Andrea up at the MOA and picked up Cory in Meno and met Andrea's bf Brandon @ El Patio. So now my mexican craving is fixed for a while. :) Then we all went to the shows and then had a drinky at The Market.

Yesterday we had X-Mas at the Johnson's. It was a good time. Today we had it for the Sprouls' side. We had great food and got to watch all of the little kids opening their presents. My little cousins are the CUTEST! :)

Tomorrow mom and dad are coming down for my next dress fitting. My mom needs to be there so she knows how to lace me up into my corset back dress!

Also, (and I'm SO SUPER EXCITED FOR THIS, haha) we're flying to Milwaukee! I know, just a little puddle jump, but I haven't been in an airplane since Senior year of high school. It costs $150 with tax for two round trips. Not bad at all. It'd be a shame to have to pass that up. It turns a 6 hour drive there into a 1hour 20min flight and an hour's ride. Ditto on the way back, but that's regularly a 7 hour drive. Awesomeness. :)

***UPDATE***

Seems like for now I get to keep my uterus. Good news. Haha. Okay, so the colposocopy went well, it was a LOT better than my first one. The doc said low grade changes she thinks, and probably not cancer. Good. I told my dad that and he heaved a huge sigh of relief. He was super worried, and I wasn't, not really. So, yay.

After my appointment we went to Bread and Chocolate on Grand. Their cream cheese bran muffins are delish. Then we went to my favorite store that shall remain a secret. Got some great stuff there for the people in my life. I can't wait. I wanted to buy so much more! But no job = no stuff. :) Then we went to the best Wal-Mart that I have ever been to (but still not as good as the meanest Target) and then my fav Target so far.

Weekend

So... Friday the future in-laws came, and it was a good time. We went to Old Spaghetti Factory, and it was delicious. They also like our place. I made a devil's food cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and royal icing snowflakes. Made it all myself. Turned out kinda crappy though since I forgot to flour the cake pans (all we had for flour was soy flour, and I thought that that was weird - didn't know how it'd taste) so when I turned the cake out it broke up and looked ugly. Then I forgot a step in the buttercream frosting so it was kinda oozy. So broken cake + oozy frosting = moving cake chunks. But it tasted delicious. Inbetween the layers I added mint extract to the frosting so it had a slight mint taste. Num.

Saturday we went to Hinckley. I pointed out to Andrea and Leanne 'locations of interest'. We even got to go down Main Street (haha) because I had to drop off a library book. Andrea thought that my high school was teeny. Which it is, compared to hers I am sure. Then I pointed out the Fire Museum, and we stopped at Tobies for gas and Andrea got her dad a caramel roll. Then I pointed out the Honey House which my mom's dad used to own, and the place I had my accident, and my house, and all kinds of fun stuff. When we got to Peggy's there were a few people there. Lena Frye showed up! She said that she was all surprised and happy that I invited her. I was shocked she did, but it was nice. She seems to have settled down, she's still with her Burlington Northern boyfriend, and his 9 year old daughter. She lives with him now in Rush City, and still works slots at the Casino. Jaime was there too, it was so good seeing her again. I felt bad because I felt like I neglected people because everyone was talking to me at once. I couldn't keep stuff straight! And the wine that Peggy kept giving me didn't help. I felt bad for Andrea and Jennifer because they were stuck in the corner, and I hardly got to talk to them there. I hope they had a good time, though!

Yesterday we went to the MOA to do some shopping. Then we came back and Alissa and Tony were here packing up some of Alissa's stuff so we could put out stuff we got for our shower. I got all of the Fiestaware that we registered for! I can't wait to put it in the cupboards and see how pretty they all look together. :) It was a great time.

Weekend/Early week update

First off: These cats are driving me up the WALL!! Haha. I can't wait until they grow up a little bit more!

Saturday night was a good time. It was the fanciest meal I'd ever eaten! It started out with corn chowder, then spinach leaves in fried cheese circles with the YUMMIEST citrus dressing, then the main course (I had the vegetarian meal of herbed penne - delish!) and dessert: raspberry chocolate cake with thick, gooey chocolate frosting. MMM! I couldn't even eat another bite of Shaun's after I finished mine (I know, shock and awe) because it was sooo rich. Then we played blackjack afterwards. I was leery of it, but it ended up being a great time. The dealer was really funny too. I kept catching him turning his hands over like he was on camera or something. :) Old habits die hard. A bunch of us took over one table so that was fun. Then we went afterwards to Shaun's co-worker's place in Eden Prairie. I was getting tired but Shaun was super smashed. He wouldn't shut up! Haha. Usually you can't hardly get anything out of him, but get liquor in him... Dawn (Dan's roomate's gf) told me to have something to drink, and I was like "Someone has to drive home..." And she said, "Oh, yeah." I think she forgot some of us have to drive still since she didn't have to. So I told Shaun that I was ready to go at like, 12:30. We didn't get out of there until about... oh, 2-2:15. AM. And then I had to drive. But it was alright, just a little cold and walking in snow in high heels isn't the best idea... it was icy when we were walking into Hotel Sofitel (where the dinner was) and he was just walking ahead of me and I was just mincing along so I didn't slip. I had to yell at him because he wasn't being a gentleman. Sheesh.

Sunday we went and met Mom, Dad and Ty at Maplewood for them to get fitted for their tuxes. Then we ate at Chili's, and then went to JoAnn and Gander Mtn. Then we came home and did nothing.

Monday night Sarah* came and picked me up and we went to Acme Comedy Club, where she bought me a Peppermint Patty. That thing frickin' rocked. Num. Her brother Ron was also there. We laughed and had a good time. It was Open Mic Night so it's always iffy. Afterwards I went and saw her cute lil apartment and her kitties. I maintain that Vaughn is the size of a small dog - I can't think of what breed right now. ;-) Thanks Sarah* for providing me with a fun night!

Last night I sat on the phone all night because Shaun was at Rob's playing poker. BOOORing. (Poker, that is). Tomorrow I'm meeting a Knottie because I am purchasing candles and a card box from her. YAY! At Cossetta. It's two blocks away from me and I'm going to drive because this card box thingy is HUGE. And we're eating there. An Italian Eatery place.

Friday the future In-Laws are coming, and we're thinking we're going to go eat at Old Spaghetti Factory. Saturday is my bridal shower (Sarah*, do you think you are going to make it?) and I am really looking forward to that. So far it'll be three of us in the car - me, Leanne and Andrea. It'll be fun! :)

My life

I have been trying to figure it out for years... college was supposed to help prepare me, but I feel like it did nothing but discourage me. What a way to start out life. At any rate, I want to know what to do with myself for a career. It has to be creative, I know, otherwise I'd detest whatever I did, but which way? I could do web stuff, graphic design stuff, design wedding invitations, photography, jewlery design, pastry art, so many things. Then I was watching a show tonight about storefront window designers, and that seemed really interesting too. I just feel so lost, without a purpose. I hate sitting here doing nothing all day. I know that there are people who probably think I have it just the way that I want it, but that's not the case. Unless I am doing something that has a purpose, I feel useless. And I don't like feeling like that. I realize that there are no immediate answers, but it's getting on 7 months now, and it feels like forever. I guess I'll have to think about it and talk to the big guy, but I hope something clarifies real soon. I just need that break. Isn't it my time yet? Or maybe I'm just being selfish. There's just so many things that I want to do and can't get going in any of them. Half of it's my fault, and the other half is money.

My little life

So... you guys should be getting those invites now, and the few people I've talked to since then say that they like them. Good. You're listening to me well. ;-) kidding.

We went to see Walk the Line yesterday afternoon. It was super good. I was impressed by the quality. And it may be like Shaun said, a lot of Johnny Cash's songs were similar with similar bass lines, but I still liked them. And I find it hard to believe that it was actually them singing, even though I know it was. And Reese Witherspoon put in a very credible performance. None of her usual ditzy stuff. Even though there was one expression that I saw in the film that reminded me of Legally Blonde. Four thumbs up, we decided.

Shaun's company holiday party is tonight. I don't really want to go. We're going to be playing blackjack and Texas Hold 'Em, taught by professional dealers. Shaun's parents went to something similar for one of his Dad's parties, and they said that was the most fun that they'd ever had at one of those things. I guess I'm just really self-conscious about it all. I hate screwing up and looking like and idiot. That, and I have NO interest in playing Texas Hold 'Em, and I'm sure that that is what Shaun will want to play. Another stressor is that it said semi-formal on the invite, and it's being held someplace fancy, called the Hotel Sofitel or something like that. But when he talked to the guys that he works with, they said that even the president of the company only wears nice khakis and polo or a sweater or something. So since I was going to wear a skirt, and Shaun his suit, we would have been horribly overdressed. So now I am going to wear a long tunic-shirt and a cami underneath and my pinstripe pants, and Shaun's going to wear something nice, also, but not his suit. So hopefully we'll be right inbetween. We'll see.

But all is right in the world since I am getting snuggles from my kitten.


Nevermind, she just chewed my ear and walked down my back with all of her claws.




Edit: I forgot to mention that we at at Dino's Gyros yesterday in West St. Paul. They were delicious! Their french fries were damn good too, best I've had in ages. They're crispy on the outside and slightly squishy on the inside. And they have veggie food too! :)

Not too much...

...is new with me. The internet didn't work until last night so I was going through withdrawal. I've been staying up late (3 a.m. or so) to get the effing invites done and now they are and in the mail. So keep an eye on your mailboxes. And you better appreciate them, dammit. I spent a lot of time on them. And effort. And I got hardly any help. :) I just hope everyone likes them as much as I do. (That means you better like them, too. ;-) )

The cats are driving me nuts. They are into EVERYTHING now. They almost knocked over a lamp I later found out cost $300. So we swapped it out with a less pricy model. Last night when I was re-heating my dinner I saw a bright flash. I was puzzled for a second, but then immediately figured it out. I looked around the wall and there was the lamp, leaning against the chair. I guess no more lamps over there. I even moved the kitty climbing thingy. But NOOOO.

Peggy and Alissa were here Monday night. It was really nice having someone around to talk to. They took us out to Cheesecake Factory in Edina. YUMMY! It was the first time I had ever had cheesecake and I love it. (Or at least the chocolate kind!)

I'm upset because I left a voicemail with our pastor yesterday and he hasn't gotten back to me and we need to get crackalackin. ESPECIALLY since we have to get the marriage license 2 weeks before the wedding and we want the discount. Oi.

Gratiuitous kitten pictures

It's a little better...

Life's relaxed a little bit now. Thank God. I called the MN Department of Revenue; they're not going to take my car. Haha. It's all good. Now I know exactly how much my bills are going to be every month. Also got my federal loans consolidated. They didn't go through waaay back in July when I called them before because I saw that it hadn't gone through and they said that they saw no reason why they shouldn't. Well, the reason: my address was the same as one of my references. So they're consolidated at 3.something% now. Which isn't the 2.5% it could have been, but it's also not the 5% I thought it would be. Yay.

I went to Kinko's, and it looks like the paper I wanted to use to print part of my invitations on isn't going to work anywhere. So I guess I'm going to have to settle for plain 'ol cardstock. I'll have to see if I can't think of anything to jazz them up if that's what happens. And use the 200-odd sheets of the other stuff for something.

The lady doctor I had told me that it's a 1 in 3 chance of the cells being cancerous. Not good. When my mom told my dad and brother last night I guess my brother started crying and my dad just got real serious. I'm not all that worried about it at this point because this has happened to me before and it was all right. Maybe it's just one of those things that I'm going to be unfortunate enough to have to do every 2-3 years. Cutting, biopsy, and acid. Lovely. And why borrow trouble? I have enough already. And at any rate, if it is anything, I'm sure we caught it early enough to do something about it.

I was going to apply at SuperTarget in West St. Paul today but when I went they application kiosks were always full! There was no way I was going to stand in line looking like a huge dork, though. Haha. :) Anyway, I hope everything is going well for you all!!

Monday Blues

Today is probably about the crappiest day I've had recently. I woke up with a blinding headache. I was waiting for the garbage man to come so that I could put our garbage can back in our garage before it got stolen. So I went out there after it left and wheeled it into our garage. But lo and behold, our can was still in there! FULL! So I guess it's going to have to wait for next Sunday to get taken out. Thank goodness this is a short weekend! Then I walk back in here and look at the garbage can. Shaun didn't even take that out this morning. Awesome. And I picked up the styrofoam chunks from the cooler that he crushed with my car last week that he was too lazy to pick up. So I hope the garbages don't end up stinking too bad.

When I went to plug my laptop in I noticed the kitties decided it'd be a good idea to chew the power cable. Sure, it already wasn't perfect, but I didn't need it destroyed anymore than it already was. So now I REALLY have to get a new one for, oh, $79. For a frigging power supply. And a new battery would be nice, since mine doesn't hold a charge anymore. How much does that cost? $80. On Ebay because Apple doesn't sell them anymore.

I called my girly doctor back today and I have to go get something called a colposcopy again. Worst pain of my entire life. I won't go into it here, but let's just say that those things suck REALLY badly. And all because of some abnormal cells that could be cancerous. Apparently, it's a 1 in 3 chance.

In the plans for today: More invitiation work and probably going to Kinko's to see how much it would cost to get the rest of my invitations printed there. And to go to Super Target and apply for a job there. Goody.

And I still have to call the MN Department of Revenue. Don't ask. But I sure am putting that one off! *sick stomach feeling*

All in all: horrid day. And it isn't even 10 a.m. yet. And Cora is sitting on my shoulder trying to gnaw my earring out of my ear. Like it's catnip or something. She can't leave it alone!

Meh...

Sarah* came to see me! I like it when I get visitors. :)

Friday, I cleaned up and vacuumed and did a lot of things around the place. I also took Shaun's car to the Tire Discount Co. to get his new-to-him wheel put on. (His front tire went flat on his way to work Tues. so he'd been driving my car. When I brought his tire there to get two new wheels on the front they told me that his rim was cracked) So that's done. But I have GOT to get cranking on those invitations, though otherwise they'll never get out! And they have to soon... But I got a call from my girly doctor telling me I need to call her back so 'we can discuss what I need to do".

Saturday morning we went to go see our Pastor about marriage counseling. Except it isn't counseling really anymore so much as planning. So his theory on things is that he doesn't force people to do any one thing because then they'll be resentful and not learn anything and then it'd all just be a big waste of time. So out of the options Shaun and I think that we are going to read a book and take a test called Prepare that was put together by U of M professors. It's like an in-depth personality test so that we can see our weaknesses and strengths so that we know what to work on. Apparently it also has a relatively new feature that is called 'family of origin' which evaluates what kind of families we come from. Which basically means what kind of marriage our parents had and we were raised in. Well, Shaun and I already know that our families are about as opposite as it gets. But it'll help us realize where each other is coming from so that we don't get confused and outraged. But after that we sat around and waited for Cory and Luana to come for the Wild game. We ate at Chevy's (NUM!) and then they went to the game and we sat around some more. Then we left to go to Pat McGovern's to meet up with Cory and Luana. Well, I got yelled at because I took to long to get a table, but we all agreed we wouldn't want to sit there anyway because it was so packed it was nearly impossible to get a drink and really freaking HOT. Then we went to Tom Reid's and that was stinking packed, too. So we drove up to O'Garas. Which was a nice place, not packed, and the onion rings looked delicious! We stayed there for a while then came back here and went to sleep.

Yesterday we went to a store that I LOVE on Ford Parkway. God, I wish I had some $! Then I worked on invitations and Shaun read his book.

A (long) survey

Getting sick of these yet?


1. Your real name: Dana
2. Friends call you: Dana
3. What your boyfriend calls you: sweets...
4. What's a name you once wished you'd rather have?: alexiana... crazy, huh?
5. What is/are the ugliest name(s) you can think of?: Agnes, Wilhelm, Heinrich, old german names i guess...
6. What would you name these if you had them as pets?
a. turtle: shelly
b. goose: blankie
c. pirate: jack sparrow (haha)
d. a hot boy: slave. as in sex slave. ;-)
7. If there was a song about you, what would it be called?: lazy blue eyed girl
8. What would you name your kids?: boy: rune somethingorother girl: ainslie mae
9. What would you name a ship you built?: Spootnik
10. If you wrote a book, what would it be called?: How to proctrastinate then not die of stress
11. Thrown up in public?: nope.
12. Eaten or drank anything spoiled?: milk, once
13. Had a rip in your pants you didn't know about? Probably. that stuff happens to me all the time.
14. Tripped while checking someone out?: Nope, I just trip while I'm walking.
15. Had to pay for something you broke?: Nope. Shockingly.1
6. Nearly drowned?: No
17. Passed out?: Yep. While at Shaun's house for X-mas a couple of years ago. I got up in the middle of the night to go pee and I did but washing my hands I passed out, cracked my head on the edge of the vanity and fell into the tub.
18. Had a crush on somebody?: I had about 6 crushes in high school and I've had 2 boyfriends. Neither of which I had a 'crush' on.
19. Been stuck in the rain?: I don't think I've ever been stuck.
20. Been attacked by an animal?: An ostrich bit my nose at that arky zoo place once.
21. Caught people having sex?: no, but i've heard it often enoug.
22. Fallen asleep while driving?: been tired.
23. Felt attracted to someone of the same sex?: nope.
24. Actually slipped on a banana peel?: nope.
25. Made a wish that came true?: Probably. I've wished for so many things odds are something came true.
Complete The Sentence
26. I once had a dream... that could've come true.
27. I'm only racist towards... dumb people.
28. I don't even know why I'm... freezing.
29. I'd give anything to have sex with... Um....
30. Nothing sucks more than having to... submit all kinds of resumes and not get a call back.
31. If I had six bucks i'd buy... chocolate.
32. It's hot. I should take off my... socks.
33. It's always more fun if you... are with a friend.
34. You can't eat steak without.... I personally think that if the steak is good it doesn't need anything. But for a side - garlic mashed potatoes!
35. You better shut up before I... give you a dirty look and make a snide remark.
36. I really like you and everything but... let's just be friends.
(what happened to 37-39?)

What would you do if...
40. A dirty old guy at the airport slaps your butt?: kick him in the nuts.
41. Somebody was about to steal your car?: hit the panic button on my remote.
42. You wake up with a billion spiders crawling all over you and your bed?: scream and scream and flail about.
43 You farted while giving a persuasive speech in class?: walk out of the room and die in the hallway. Or wish I was dead. Then I'd drop the class.
44. The person you just kissed tells you they have oral herpes?: punch them. then write it on a bathroom stall.
45. You have three wishes? world peace I suppose (but it's so generic to wish for this), enough money to not have to worry about it, and for Shaun and I to have a good wedding.
46. The government allowed you to choose one thing to be made illegal and one thing to be legalized?: Illegal: cigarettes (sorry smokers), legal: bankruptcy getting rid of student loans. (haha)
47. Britney Spears was at your front door asking for jumper cables?: tell her to try using her underwear.
48. You had a time machine?: go back a year and have a good talk with my mother.
49. FOX gave you a half hour show to do whatever you wanted?: God, I dunno.
Would you rather....
50. Would you rather find the cure for cancer or the cure for aids?: Cancer - because you have no control over whether you get it
51. Would you rather have the power to fly, or the power to teleport?: Hmm...teleport... get there much faster!
52. Would you rather have the power to see the future, or the power to record your dreams?: dreams
53. Would you rather be really skinny, or really fat?: Really skinny... at least that way you could find clothes to wear
54. Would you rather be lost in a forest, or stuck in a box?:lost in a forest. much more interesting
55. Would you rather be in a drama movie, or a comedy?: Drama
56. Would you rather be in a hip hop video or a rock video?: rock - they at least have more to them than mostly naked chicks
57. Would you rather have your birthday on Christmas Day, or on February 29th?: february 29th.
58. Would you rather live in the sewer, or in Afghanistan?: Afghanistan... at least it wouldn't smell like sewer everywhere
59. Would you rather be in a mental institution or in a penitentiary?: Pen - no restraints or padded rooms
60. Would you rather snow board or hang glide: Hang glide
61. Would you rather be a ninja or a pirate?: pirate

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you read the following words?
62. Courage: pain
63. Driver: bad ones
64. Yoga: wish i could do it
65. Bakery: cake
66. Roach: insect
67. Mushroom: ew
68. Sprung: a leak
69. Exotic: beautiful in a not me way
70. Pythagorean: theorem

Miscellaneous
71. Construct an acronym for these words. (example: G M S = Give Me Steak)...
a. S O L R A K S: super orlov loves rare and kholrabi steaks
b. E B A F S: everyone boing a fun snake
c. C H I N A: could he ingest no artichoked.
d. R G P: role 'game' play
72. What is your definition of love?: caring for someone as much as your self and being willing to do almost anything for them
73. List 3 words that are clues to identifying a person you are currently interested in: punk, cars, loud
74. Reveal a secret about you that nobody knows of, but type it in acronym form: I A N B
76. Were you too scared to do it?: it isn't something anyone wants to do
77. Who or what is your worst enemy?: i am my own worst enemy
78. Who is the last person you kicked?: shaun, because he won't quit snoring at night
79. If you had to be a chess piece, which piece would you be?: pawn, it's what i feel like
80. Name three people you know whose names begin with the first letter of your last name: Jenny, Jen, and Jennifer.
81. What's one romantic thing somebody's done for you?: Shaun spelled out 'i love you' in lilacs (which I love!) on my bed

What Is Your opinion?
83. "Girls are nothing but drama.": Yes
84. "Only idiots watch The Simpsons.": nope.
85. "Kentucky is way better than Cali": hells no.
86. "There's nothing wrong with stealing.": don't think so.
87. "Alcohol is the answer to ALL your problems.": alcohol only makes it worse once you remember it
88. "You don't need to go to college to be a brain surgeon": haha. even the ones who do go still mess up
89. "Music is stupid.": who said that?
90. "Your car sucks.": no, it only semi-sucks. it's not the coolest or uncoolest, and it hasn't broken anything in 2 years, so... *knock on wood*

Pictures!

This is in a park just before you go over the Mississippi on Kellogg... the pink ones are actually multi-colored. Not sure which park.





Sunset as we were heading back to St. Paul on Sunday

You knew they were coming! I promise, last kitty pictures unless they do something completely adorable! Dora snuggling with my dad.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

So, we got there (MN Zoo IMAX theatre) at about 6:30. B I G mistake. Shaun thought that we'd be fine and I was slightly anxious because there are some real fanatics out there that had probably been sitting there all damn day. Well, about 600 people got there ahead of us. By the time that we actually got to sit in the theatre, there were no seats available next to each other, except for the reserved ones, of course. So we ended up sitting in the 2nd row. Which was a killer since the damn screen was so huge. You'd actually have to turn your head to be able to see the whole screen. My head hurt so bad by the end of the movie! But it was super cool to be able to go see it... maybe we'll go see it Friday when we can see the whole screen and not crick our necks, haha. It was good to be able to hang out with Andrea. Too bad Jennifer couldn't come, but with the weather supposing to have been crappier than it is, I didn't want her to drive down here the first time and get all freaked out about it. And it worked well since the damn place was so full anyway. Sorry, Jen. But the movie was VERY good. The lighting in it was amazing. This was the third director for it and you can tell because every time it seems slightly different. Sometimes some of the lines seemed a little forced or awkward, but we're not talking Oscars for performances in this movie anyway, so no big deal. :) I give it two thumbs up.

Wheww-ee

It has been a couple of days. Busy and yet not busy. Ya know? Anyways... let me start with Thursday since that was the first day recently that something cool happened to me. I got up at 5:45 after Shaun left because I couldn't sleep. So I watched KSTP in the morning and they had a little clip about Harry Potter. Then they were like, "If you want to win free tickets to the advance screening Monday night, go to kstp.com and click 'As seen on 5". So I did that, and they want you to send a name and a phone number where you could be contacted. So I did and it said that winners would be contacted sometime that day. Anyways, I fell asleep and was woken up by my phone ringing. It was KSTP, telling me I won four free tickets! YAY! So I had to call and let Shaun know. To get the tickets I had to drive to KSTP on University, but we were leaving that night for Hinck-town. So we went up and didn't do much Thurs night.

Friday I got to try to print my invitations out but of COURSE it wouldn't work. First I had to install the printer and then get all of the files arranged so that there would be a minimum of cutting. That took 3 hours. Then we got to try to print them. Well, it would print one and then jam, and jam, and jam. Grrr. So Alissa was supposed to leave at 4 and we were there until 4:45 and only got the regular card stock and vellum printed. So I get to drive up again this Thurs minus Shaun to try to get that schiznit printed out again.

Saturday Lucy, Jenny, Mom and I went shopping. We went to Mill End Textiles and then to Coon Rapids (Riverdale shopping center). we were there until 6, then we decided to try to go and eat. Well, the mexican place we were going to eat at was packed, so we decided to try Applebee's. That was packed. So we thought we'd go to Target and then to Applebee's and hope the line would be shorter (6 o'clock on a Saturday... anyplace would be busy). Well, Target was the next exit up so we just decided to forgo it and go to Forest Lake, which has both. So we went to Target, then to Applebee's. We got back into Hinckley and unpacked by 10, then waited until 10:30 to go the Firehouse. Dad was pretty loose. Haha. But it was a great day hanging out with the girls, it'd been years since we'd done that.

Sunday Rick and Dean brought the kitties over for us to bring down. Then we left to come here. Not that interesting.

Today I sat around trying to get the internet to work, and we have a technician coming tomorrow, so now I'll have to call in the morning and cancel that. Goody. The kitties are tiring, I'm not used to watching over something so much. Well, I guess I had to do that for Callie this summer. But they're cute and amusing so it's all worth it. I think you all should come and see my kitties. :) I (of course) have more kitty pictures. I guess I'm cat-vain. Haha.

Pics of St. Paul

But only the parts, so far, that are easily accessible by foot. :)

My apt building

The door to my condo

Right by the Quest building

Church on 7th St by Mickey's Diner

Detail of Landmark Building

Landmark Detail 2

Reflection of Landmark Building

Minnesota: It's not just for Lutherans anymore

El Teatro

Cora and... Dora

Alissa and Peggy re-christened Cassie into Dora. She has to go to the veterinarian's today due to a distended belly. I hope she's alright, she's my favorite of the two (The fluffier one). We were supposed to bring them down with us but we didn't want to split them up. I made Peggy not cry for one week longer. But I did bring them over to the house so that Dad could see them. They were running and jumping and scratching me all up. So cute. :) Etta was lurking around and sneaking and hissing at them, but they survived it. They live with the biggest biznatch of them all and that's Lola, Peggy and Rick's cat.

Frolicking


Danger approaches!


Jumping over Dad's feet


Spazzing each other out


Aww! They form a heart!

Learn about me... if you want....

FIRSTS.
First best friend: Lena Frye
First screen name: Enigma26 (haha, I was such a dork!)
First pet: Max, who nearly strangled me, but Princess is the first I can remember
First piercing/tattoo: Ears pierced, 6 yrs. old
First credit card: Does my check card count? Then I was 19/20
First true love: Shaun
First enemy: I'm not sure who I've pissed off enough to make an enemy of. I'm sure there are some, though.


LASTS.
Last cigarette: There wasn't a first.
Last car ride: Shaun and I went to Woodbury to get adhesive and X-acto knife blades
Last kiss: Oh, half an hour ago.
Last good cry: It's been a couple of weeks, thank God.
Last movie seen: Robots
Last beverage drank: Mt. Dew
Last food consumed: Lefse (lef-SAH)
Last phone call: Home.
Last time showered: This afternoon.
Last shoes worn: Nikes
Last CD played: My mp3 mix CD
Last item bought: X-acto knife blades
Last disappointment: The fact that I couldn't eat at Salsarita's.
Last time wanting to die: It's been a while for that one too
Last shirt worn: Currently wearing a sweater I wore for work at Target.
Last website visited: decemberfairy.blogspot.com
Last word you said: "oh, yeah"
Last song you sang: "In This Skin"

WHAT.
What color socks are you wearing: white
What is under your bed: Not sure.
What time did you wake up this morning: 10-something

FUTURE.
Where do you want to go: Fort Collins, CO
How many kids do you want: Two
What kind of car: Cute and safe - Audi, Volvo, or Volkswagen.

CURRENT.
Current mood: Bored
Current music: None
Current taste: Lefse
Current hair: straight
Current clothes: columbia inside jacket, aforementioned sweater, jeans


FAVORITE.
Number: 26
Clothing brand: Cheap, cute and fits. my current requirements.
Shoes: slip on
Saying: according to Shaun, I've lost most of my sayings, I dont' say any anymore
T.V. Show: CSI:, Las Vegas
Veggie: Potatos
Fruit: Kiwi, sweet red grapes
Movie: Oi, couldn't say
Magazine: Cosmo, if I had to pick
Candy: Toblerone chocolate bars. mmmmmm
Gum: Orbitz Wintermint or Citrusmint, or Trident Tropical Mango or something like that.
Scent: Vanilla and cinnamon (but not together... or at least I don't think.. . . . .)
Ice cream: Dove Give in to Mint
Color: Pink, Ice Blue
Season: Spring
Holiday: X-Mas. I love the spirit and the decorating!
Radio station: Drive 105
T.V. Channel: No particular fav channel
Junk Food: French Fries
Overall Food: Mexican!!!!!!!!
Fast food: Taco Bell, haha
Restaurant: El Patio (I miss it!), Patrick McGoverns, I can't wait to explore more in this area.
Time of day: early afternoon
Country: Greece, Egypt
State: Colorado!
Mall: of America
Word: don't really have one of those, either....
Month: May/June
Disney character: STITCH!! :D
Scary Movie: eh, none


PRIVATE.
Do you have a crush: Nope
Do you love anyone right now: Yep
Have you ever been in love: Most definitely.
How many people have you kissed: 6?
How many hearts have you broken: maybe one.


FRIENDS.
Best friends: Andrea, Jen D., Jenny L., Sarah*
Known longest: Jenny L.
How many friends do you think you have: 12.5
Funniest: Jenny L.
Shyest: Jenny L. Best hair: Sarah*
Can always make you laugh: Jenny D.
Most athletic: Andrea!
Shortest: Erm... they're all about the same height...


FINAL QUESTIONS.
I want: to get a job that doesn't totally suck
I wish: I could have enough $ to not have to worry about it
I love: Shaun
I miss: my childhood innocence
I hear: tv in background

Survey thingy

I'd appreciate it if you all would fill this out... it would probably end up being amusing. :) And Sarah*s forcing me. Haha.

Where did we meet:
Take a stab at my middle name:
How long have you known me:
When is the last time that we saw each other:
Do I smoke:
Do I drink:
Do I curse:
Do I believe in God:
When is my birthday:
What was your first impression of upon meeting me:
Color of my eyes:
Do I have any siblings:
What's one of my favorite things to do:
Am I funny:
Do you remember one of the first things I said to you:
What's my favorite type of music:
What is the best feature about me:
Am I shy or outgoing:
Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:
Do I have any special talents:
Would you consider me a friend/good friend:
Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what):
Have you ever seen me cry:
Are my parents still together:
If I had broccoli stuck in my teeth would you tell me:
Have you ever hugged me:
Do you miss me...do you think i miss you:
What is my favorite food:
Have you ever had a crush on me:
If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:
What's your favorite memory of me:
What is my worst habit:
If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would I bring:

What?!?!

Christmas commercials already!? I cannot believe it... but then again I can. Consumerism, despite the depressed economy, is the American Way.

But X-mas is my favorite time of the year, just because of the spirit of the season. Goodwill towards men and everything like that. Gotta love it.

I'm hoping to make it to the Mannheim Steamroller concert. I love their x-mas music. :)

Trail of Terror

I had this in an earlier post but when I was trying to upload pictures the text deleted and the only version I had copied was pre-trail.. just noticed... anyway...

Andrea invited me to go with her and her friend Jay and his roomate Jeremy to the Trail of Terror in Shakopee... It was waaaay out there! We stood in line forever to get the tickets, then we had to stand in line forever to get into the place. But once we did we immediately went on the hayride (thank goodness we got haybales!) and then into a few of the mini-haunted houses, Phobia House and Clown House. (Have I ever mentioned that I think clowns are the CREEPIEST thing ever? I watched Stephen King's IT too young, I guess...) and then we stood in line for the 3/4 mile long haunted house. Between standing in line and getting through the place it took a little over two hours. Once we were done we sat in the big tent and ate caramel apples. NUM! :) In the big one there was a big round tube with black light reactive spots on it spinning around and around. It sure did make us dizzy! And some of us thought they were going to be sick from it. After that we went through the last couple of mini-houses, the Butcher Shop and Mindbender. Then Jay went on the huge bungee jumping thing, then we went back to their place in Shakopee. Talked for a while, watched Steve the cat chase balls and then we left. We were going to go to Pat McGovern's with Shaun and Cory, but by the time we got back to St. Paul it was 12:45. And everyone was tired, even though the bars close at 2. So it was a good time and I am really glad I went. :)

New profile pic!

The Day

Got up just as Shaun was walking out the door. I looked at our garbage can (Alissa warned us that the neighbors steal the good ones with a lid, which is what we have) and it was ours. I forgot about it until after the garbage man left, and there was a GREEN RUBBERMAID one (ours are blue with wheels) that was completely dissimilar (NO WHEELS!) lying where ours was just a half an hour ago. Which means that my sneaky bastard neighbors did the 'ol changeroo. I went out immediately and snagged one with a lid and stuck it in the garage right away. Haha. Take that sneaky bastard neighbor(s). I just feel bad for whomever gets stuck with the crappy one. Hopefully it is the person that did the changeroo so that I don't have to feel bad. Now I have to put something on our garbage can to tell it from the rest...

I picked up a lot of stuff and sent the remainder of my clothing through the dryer today to fluff it up since it's been in a bag for over a month and to get rid of the cigarette smoke smell. I was too lazy to wash the blankets, though. But Shaun'll be here in 10 minutes anyway. He can tell me how much laundry soap to use since they're high efficiency machines and I have NO idea.

I walked from here to the Wedding Shoppe today. Took me two hours to walk there, wander through a few stores, and walk back. About 5 miles of walking. I forgot it was Halloween today. The little kids wandering around on Summit were super cute. But the ones on Grand on Saturday were cuter! :) I was semi-freaked out walking back though since I was all by myself and I was carrying my purse and Blockbuster bag. (6.09 for a rental and bottle of water?!?! Ridiculous.) But I made it back safe and sound and completley pooped. But for your viewing enjoyment, some pictures I took today:

Cassie and Cora

Shaun was visiting Rob at his place in Isanti a couple of weeks ago, and as they were turning off of 65 onto Rob's road they saw something gray and fuzzy in the turning lane. "Squirrels!" said Rob. "No, KITTENS!" said Shaun. "Damn, we're going to have to go back now, aren't we?" So they turned back and rescued the kittens. They then called me to ask me how to care for them. As in, "What do they eat?" and, "Can we give them a bath?" Haha. So when Shaun came up to Hinckley with them (Rob didn't want to keep once since they grow up and become un-cute) we fed them and brought them out to Peggy's house. They stayed outside the first night but have been inside ever since then, even though Peggy insisted that they were going to be outside kitties. But Peggy cannot have any more indoor cats, and since they might be feline leukemia positive (the test in Hinckley came up positive and the one in Askov negative) they cannot really be outdoor kitties. So... we get to have them in Alissa's place! And with no further ado, here are the cutie patooties.

Cassie! The miss priss! They went to the Vet's on this day so

she's not feeling so hot from her shots.

Cora! She's super playful.

Outdoor pictures...

It was beautiful out the other morning, so I had to take pictures...

Homecoming!

Shaun and "Shaniqua" (a.k.a. Cory) after a few

Yag Bombs

The Party!

Cory, Jennifer and Shaun at the HC!

Last weekend was homecoming... we stayed the nights at Cory's place. Which was nice, until his roomate's twin brother and her best friend decided to get busy Friday night right beneath us and right next to Jennifer. Poor Jennifer. The parade was interesting. The cross country team dresses up in dresses every year and runs around. And we got to see mr. ex-boyfriend Troy riding around a barstool go-kart thing. Yay. But it was fun. We only drank Friday night. I had 40 oz. of Amaretto sour while playing circle of death while partying at Cory's. I was sick of them. Then we went out to the Waterfront, left there, got two slices of pizza at Jeff and Jim's (YUM! I didn't realize how much I missed that pizza!) and then walked back to Cory's. The pull out couch is what we slept on. We were lying there staring at our feet because they were higher than our heads. So we flipped around and slept that way. I am just happy that I fell asleep before the physical enjoyment sounds started. Even though Shaun was awake the whole time. Haha. Saturday we didn't drink hardly at all (just hot chocolate and vanilla McGillicudy's at the parade) and went to the football game. I saw Lisa Schickert and Bishop and I was so happy to talk to them!! We ate at Waterfront after the game and drank soda. We then went back to Cory's and crashed. There was no partying occuring that evening. Then we left at 9 to get home to see my Dad whom I haven't seen since June. Even though he was gone most of the day. Oh, well. I'll see him tomorrow, hopefully.

***Edit: (Sorry loyal viewers) I am going to have to turn on the feature that makes sure you're human... I'm getting sick of automated comments...

Homecoming II

Nice Camaro!

The finest field in almost the entire UW System

Brr! Freezing his smiley face off

Boys in... leotards?!?!