Thoughts Gently Meandering

Miami and Key West trip... WOO HOO!

2008-05-01T21:31:00.007-05:00

My trip to Florida in pictures and a little text

Flight to Atlanta. Before I thought I was going to die.

Me sitting on the Hollywood, FL beach... perfection...

Shot of the ocean. First time I'd ever seen it/been in it.
Gray haze on horizon on far right is a cruise ship.

Fresh seafood join on Islamorada Key. Food: eh. Mango Colada: DELICIOUS!!

Famous sunset in Key West. There's a sunset celebration every night.

Robot guy and kid he interacted with. Kid was thrilled.

Elvis is alive! And in Key West!

Lots of cool architecture in Key West. Lots.

Mile Marker '0' on US 1. From inside a car, on the way out of town.

Keys and ocean on our way back up to Miami

Love the architecture and the rustic-ness.

Beautiful. Wish I was there again. Look a little familiar?
That's because those mango coladas were *so* good,
we stopped here on the way back up, too!

The only thing that would make this place better is a
hammock between 2 palm trees and me in that.

Lili, Patty, Me.

Versace mansion in South Beach, Miami

Art Deco architecture in South Beach

Peacocks @ Everglades fan boat tour place.

Close-up of peacock

Pretty grackle on a faux totem pole (hey, we had to do a lot of waiting)

Greg, our captain

Pic of tour place

Pretty bird, right near shore

Fan boat! 1,000 hp!

GATOR!!!

There's a tree lizard hiding in there

Where the top layer of silver is is how much the Everglades have drained in 16 years. Sad.

Guy with a bachelor's from the University of Massachussetts in Psychology
sticking his hand into gator's mouth. Shockingly, he still has all his fingers.

More amazing feats with a gator

That's right. His head is in the gator's mouth.

In case you're wondering, all pics copyright ME 2009.

Not much new...

2007-11-07T21:02:00.000-06:00

That's the reason why I haven't updated recently. Just overall a pretty boring life! The most exciting things lately is that a couple of weekends ago, Andrea and I finally got to hang out again. Busy busy schedules! We ate at the Chatterbox, and then went and walked around Patina. I so <3 that store. Got to do it again sometime!

That night we did the Tombstone Trail with Shaun's friend Raska and my friend Peebs. It was a lot of fun. This year it was down around Rochester, so it was like, a two hour drive. Peebs just moved back up here from Arizona, so he wasn't at all used to the cold weather. And that had been the coldest night by far that night. We felt like we were doing horribly, it was the worst feeling. And the roads were scary! We'd be going up a hilll around a corner, and then all of a sudden they'd drop and turn. I think that all of our sphincters got a lot of exercise that night. We didn't get the mystery question, which probably means that our letter questions were all off. At any rate, as we were pulling up towards the end, Shaun told Raska to fill all of the questions out. I felt a faint niggling thought about that, but being caught up in the moment, I was urging Raska to hurry and get it filled. As it turns out, that was against the rules, to just guess at the answers (unlike college!!!). So because one other team was 1.5 hours late, we ended up getting the Dead Last award. Cool!!! The funny part is that the award for Dead Last was cooler than the awards for actually placing. Overall, it was fun, and Peebs and Raska were impressed and faintly shocked that the TT was actually challenging and fun. The people who won the costume award wasn't (or at least we don't think) it was the same people as last year. The winners were dressed up as 'Trailer Trash'. They were standing in line behind us, and they were HILARIOUS. What a great idea. Can't wait for next year.

Last weekend was season opener, and Shaun has so far managed to be the only person out of my family to provide meat for us in the upcoming year. What a great provider. Our apartment is still great, still like it a LOT better than the last one. I love the fireplace. I'm sitting with it on next to me as I am typing, and its warming me up. The cats love staring at it, too. Silly kitties!!

I don't know what we're doing this weekend, since Shaun really doesn't have to sit out in the woods again. Some time to finish my other paintings would be nice...! Anyway, take care, all!

P.S. Dora's an internet star!
http://www.stuffonmycat.com/index.php?itemid=5495&catid=6

The post I promised!

2007-09-09T20:16:00.000-05:00

So here it is. Nothing too terribly fantastic.

Went on vacation a couple of weeks ago. That was a great respite. It was so nice to be able to relax and not have to think about work the entire time. Shaun and I went for walks a few of the mornings. It's a habit I have to pick up again. I went out on the boat once, and got sunburned pretty good that Wednesday. I purchased two pyrex dishes, so now I have something new to collect, apparently. LOVE them.

Then it was back to the same 'ol, same 'ol.

Got to hang out with Jennifer and her roomate Emily last weekend, we went to the Minnesota zoo. I remember it being a lot cooler as a kid. But it was fun to hang out and joke around with friends again. Gave the cats a bath that same weekend. Boy oh boy, that was fun. It's amazing how much skinnier they are when wet. I promise that we didn't give them a bath for no reason - they were kinda greasy and smelled smoky from their stay at my parents'. They were not too happy, but Dora took it better than Cora.

Please, please let me out!

Eh, this isn't so bad!

ME NO WANT!

What happened to you?!

What is that thing?

You shall pay. Oh yes, you shall pay.

This weekend we went to Firestone Friday night (because Shaun's car's running again! YAY!!!), and then up to Hinckley because my aunt and uncle from Colorado were supposed to be in town. Actually, they'll be here tomorrow, so we'll have to go up again next weekend to see them. Which is fine. We don't have any plans anytime soon. The only plans we have to make are what weekend Shaun's going hiking with Rob, when I'm going to go see Le Miz and take classes at Archiver's with Andrea, and plans for our costumes to do the Tombstone Trail. Fun Fun Fun!

A month!?!!?

2007-09-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

I completely didn't mean for it to be a whole month between posts, but it is anyway. I meant to create a quick post before we left on vacation (two weeks ago already) but Shaun hustled me out of the apartment before I was able to do so. I don't have the energy to do much more tonight than say that a good post is on its way this week. Ciao for now!

Thoughts & Prayers

2007-08-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Figured it out!

2007-07-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, so even though my stupid computer's USB drive doesn't seem to work... I figured out a way to take pics... using my computer's built-in camera. So, the quality isn't so hot, but it gives an idea, at least.... Sorry about the remainder of the move-in mess that you see...

Living Room

Dining Area, Doors L-R 2nd br, Master, Bath

Computer Desk, Front Door, closet, bathroom

Kitchen

Guest Bedroom, surprised Shaun...

Walk in closet

Master BR

Bathroom, Dora

UpdateUpdate****

2007-07-21T22:34:00.000-05:00

So. Not much new here, just living in a new place. THANK GOD. I'm waiting until we get our deposit back (or in all actuality, not getting our deposit back) before I speak too much about our old apartment, or place my comments on apartmentratings.com.

I would totally load pictures for you all to see what all went on with the whole moving deal, but.... Shaun's pc is no longer hooked up to the internet due to our new floor plan, and my laptop's USB drive seems to not be working... grr.

We LOVE the new place, we're pretty sure that we'll be living here for a couple of years, saving up a down payment for a house... someday... We've got a HUGE kitchen now with an island, and two bedrooms, a bigger bathroom, and our living room has a fireplace. NICE! That'll be on all winter... since heat is included in rent and the fireplace runs off of that. We have a walk in closet now as well. It's nice to have more room in there.

Still working, it's pretty stressful at times. There's a lot of little things that can go wrong, and it's hard to keep everything straight. I'm shedding hair like crazy between the stress of work and life and everything else. I'm worried I'm going to be bald soon!! Haha.

Andrea and I got to hang out (finally!) last Friday, she came over to see our new place and then we went to dinner and then went to Applebee's for a mucho mudslide. Made me think that I was back in Menomonie! It was great hanging out with a friend again. It's been mostly only Shaun and I together and it was a pleasant change. :) This weekend we're going to head up to H-town for a day, and spend some time with the 'rents. It sounds like Shaun has Tyler talked into driving down here and then hauling his car up to Isanti, where Rob has been kind enough to allow Shaun to park his car and have the Subaru tech guys go there to fix it the following weekend. So HOPEFULLY that'll allow it to get out of our hair soon! Speaking of, I had to renew my driver's license. Yeuck. I don't know why I couldn't have kept my old one. It was a really good picture of me. Drat. Oh, well.

And in closing, I want to wish Jennifer congrats on all of the wonderful things that have happened to her lately! :D

Hello, Friends

2007-07-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

Once again, I have been remiss in staying in contact with you all and keeping up to date on my blogger. I've had to be careful about when I call people due to a huge (expensive) overage the other month and now I can really only call people after 9pm or on weekends (unless you're on Verizon, then I can talk anytime :D )

Three weekends ago we went to see Pat McCurdy with Andrea and Brandon (who was in town that weekend) and their friends Shane and Susanne. It was a good time, but due to the venue it was difficult to have a whole lot of conversation. But that's alright. Overall, Pat put on a really good show. We were disappointed that he didn't sing the Paddy song because Shane and Susanne were 'Pat Virgins' but that's ok. He DID get pretty drunk, though - drunker than I've seen him get - he even forgot some lines of a song. Shocking! Afterwards, we drove the other four to their cars because the light rail stopped running at one. Which is stupid since bar time is 2, but I guess perhaps they're trying to get all of the drunkards out of downtown earlier?

Two weekends ago not much happened. Shaun went to P-town and then to Milwaukee to watch the Bush NASCAR race with his Uncle, cousin and dad. I met up with mom in Lino Lakes and we did a little shopping. Other than that, I did nothing all weekend.

Last weekend we did nothing. I have a cold and it managed to strike me miserable over the weekend which is nice, but it was also annoying at the same time. We don't have a whole lot of dinero so it kept us from spending what we don't have. :)

Today is the 4th, and we're packing. Sunday night we got the word that our new apartment was ready for us as of Monday night. So we're going to go get the keys Friday night and start moving little stuff this weekend, and my Dad is coming down Sunday to help us move the larger things. We're hoping to get that done in the morning so that we're not all sweating to death. It's supposed to be like, 98 degrees on Saturday with 89% humidity which means DEATH (or at least feeling like it's almost preferable...). Andrea, if you read this, feel like going to H-town Saturday night for the carnival? Haha. Let me know, I don't have anything better to do.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

2007-06-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

So, there's been a few events happening in our lives lately. I'm still working, and I am starting to enjoy it more. It's still not something I want do be doing (read:creative) but it's something I can do and I love the fact that I'm not staring at the clock all day willing the hands to move faster. Shaun tweaked a couple of things on his CareerBuilder profile, and that prompted a couple of companies to want to talk to him. One of them is down by Mankato. For $220,000 around here you're lucky to get a decent sized three bedroom on as small of a plot as possible. I guess that down by Mankato you can get something like a 5 bedroom on a half acre for the same amount. I wonder if the pay scale is also lower in pace with cost of living? Who knows...

We got accepted into a different apartment complex in Shakopee. I HATE moving, but in this instance, I cannot WAIT to move in on July 1st. We're going to be moving all of our crap out of here and then clean this place up. I hate this place. I don't think that I can make that clear enough. The new place is certified drug and crime free. There is a strenuous background check before you can get in. It only costs $11 more a month, and it's two bedrooms with a much larger kitchen with an island. The heat is included in our rent, and there's a gas fireplace. I cannot wait to curl up in front of the fireplace. Yay! And so much more room for the cats to run around in! (and a bedroom to close the door on them when they need a 'time out' hehe)

Shaun's car is broke again. He needs to get a new block for it, and apparently a new clutch as well. This is going to cost us anywhere from $1500-2000. Ouch. I'm not going to say anything about my car because that'll jinx us. Last thing we need. At any rate, we are going to drive to Black River Falls in Wisconny to meet up with his parents. His grandparents are gracious enough to let us drive their Ford Ranger while Shaun's car's getting fixed. Thank goodness, because I am getting sick of getting up at 5:45 (I know, it's not really all that early, but it's too early for me) and driving him to work, coming home and sitting for a little bit but not long enough to take a nap and then getting ready. The stipulation for the truck borrowing is that we have to sell the truck for them. I'm not sure what the exact specs on it are, but if you know anyone who'd want an immaculate 02-03 Ranger 2x4 with only about 20,000 miles for $10,000
miles on it, we can fill that need. :) It's also going to be put up on Craigslist - I figure we might get a few more hits on that...

Minnehaha Falls

2007-05-27T13:04:00.001-05:00

Us in the Minnehaha

How idyllic.

Love the contrast of the dappled organic leaves to the stark rigidity of the broken rocks

Top of the falls

These little bugger got on me twice. I freaked out both times. For some reason, these caterpillars FREAK me out.

I love the texture of this shot

Foggy Morning

2007-05-27T12:59:00.000-05:00

There was some fog the other morning with the sun striking it through a tree and I thought it was gorgeous and had to attempt to capture the ethereal for posterity...

Me to the No Monie!

2007-05-27T12:53:00.001-05:00

Cory and Luana @ The Market

Shaun feelin' good before he was feelin' wretched.

Me drinking from Das Boot

The bouncer @ Das Brewhaus

Me and Catie and a scary 'That Guy'

Cora and Dora! (Of Course!)

2007-05-27T12:39:00.001-05:00

Oval Kittah!

Youuuu caaaan't seeeee meeee!!!

Heh. You found me.

Look at me, I'm CUUUTE!

Despondency Reigns

2007-05-26T18:33:00.000-05:00

Turns out that because I am temporarily employed, we cannot get a mortgage for a house (we were going to get a little extra to pay off credit cards {and not run them up again} and pay off my car because the interest on a mortgage is a lot less than a credit card) so that we'd have breathing room for monthly bills that go along with a house. But basically, it's pointless. I have a job that I really don't think that I am going to enjoy (even though I really like the people I work with and the corporate culture - I get to wear jeans to work!) that is probably ending in 3-6 months, with no guarantee that I will have a job in the end. There is nearly literally nothing in my life that I am pleased about. My weight is depressing me, and I cannot seem to gather the willpower to do anything that's hard about it, and I don't have the dinero to do anything that costs money (gym, personal trainer/motivator, weight watchers, etc.). My personal life could be better. But like my mom says, I shouldn't feel like I owe anything to anyone, and that I am responsible for making me happy. I just think about the odds stacked up against me/us and it just seems impossible. Why can't we just win a million dollars? I realize money isn't the answer to everything, but it sure would take care of a few problems and let me concentrate on the ones it doesn't fix. So for now I just sit and think, think and sit, and become despondent. And as I do that. the hole gets deeper and deeper....

I am gainfully employed!

2007-05-22T06:47:00.000-05:00

Today will be my first day. It's for a company that makes those security towers that you see by the door when you go into, say, Target or Kohl's, etc. Should be interesting, can't wait to get into it and see what it's all about! :)

Sorry that I haven't been calling you, friends. I have been doing poorly on that lately, and for that I apologize. Just seems like that lately, just existing was too hard. (Sad, huh?) But now that we have two incomes again, things should be looking up - so expect a call from me! :D

I have a lot of pictures that I've taken recently that I'll post at a later date.

Still Jobless

2007-05-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

I'm getting really down. Like, can't-get-off-the-couch-cries-at-a-sink-full-of-dirty-dishes down. We REALLY need me to get a job. I go on interviews for nearly every resume I send out, but apparently I am doing something wrong in them since I never get the job. The one job I really really wanted I didn't get. I just begin to wonder why I went thousands into debt to get a bachelor's degree. It's done me nearly no good. I have multiple staffing agencies working for me but it's been a tedious process.

The fact that Shaun's car has been a major pain in the ass hasn't helped any either. I don't know how much I've mentioned, but here's a quick (I hope) summary: Shaun used my last paycheck from Microsoft to use to purchase parts for his exhaust (which I had told him he could get for his birthday, but I thought that we had agreed that he wouldn't get it until we could afford it, which he interpreted as 'Dana got another paycheck'). So he took it up to my parent's house to put it on, but it of course did not go smoothly. So he drove it back down to our place. The following weekend he drove it up to his buddy Dan's place to fix it and bought new gaskets for it. Well, they got everything off but one bolt that went on sideways. So we had no choice but to tow it down to our place again. It was not driveable due to the check engine light being on. So then the following weekend he put post on his Subaru forum and some guy offered to haul it to a shop for him to fix it. Then last weekend we decided to just put the whole exhaust on it and call it done. So that was done, but it kept throwing error codes. So now we aren't sure if it's just because one of the coils became impacted or if the valve/piston ring are wrecked. . So yeah. That's that. Stress and money! But I'm sure it's the same for pretty much everyone.

WORST DAY EVER!!!!!!! RIP...

2007-05-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

Found out that my bestest best friend ever has ceased to exist today. We spent some time together this morning and when I tried to get with them again this afternoon, no go.

THEY'RE DEAD.

Turns out that Disney, who owns Drive 105 (go here), KQRS and 93.7 X is selling out to Citadel Broadcasting. Disney is also responsible for destroying my previous favorite radio station, 93.7 The Edge.

Rest in peace, Drive 105, rest in peace. You were my bestest best friend only for a short time, but you are irreplaceable. Especially not by love-oriented soft-rock oldies.

Edit 5/8/07: I was hoping to get one last peek @ Drive 105's site. Well, it is now changed to Love 105. I listened to its stream. It SUCKS. I cannot believe they replaced my Drive with utter crap. Sorry if I am offending those of you who actually enjoy the new genre, but I am so disappointed. As soon as I love a station, it's gone. :( Poor me.

No job yet...

2007-05-06T16:14:00.000-05:00

Hey, all - I was hoping to have heard from someone Friday about my employment status - yes or no. Anything, either way, would have been nice. So now I am assuming that they are both "no", even though my mom and Shaun say that the process just might have taken longer than they expected. But I'm not sure... Hopefully they'll get back to me tomorrow about it. That'd be nice. I just hate not knowing. :)

Shaun's car is inoperable. Due to one stubborn bolt, they could not extract the exhaust to reposition it and bolt it back on. They burned through 4 saws-all blades on it and were apprehensive about the possible side effects a plasma cutter might have on it . So we have discussed it and decided to wait until I am employed to get it taken to a shop and repaired (a shop has insurance in case anything goes wrong and they'll replace the damaged parts...). In the meantime, he will carpool to work. Dratted thing, I wish it just would have worked, but apparently right now we are in a 'won't work' period. Ah, well.

Friday night we were up in Forest Lake at Shaun's buddy Dan's place (that's where he drove his car while it more or less worked to 'fix' it...) because I had to drive up and drive him down while the tow truck brought his car down to our place for us. We were told that he would be there no later than 7:53pm, but it wasn't until 10:30pm or so. But I played Guitar Hero in the meantime with Hannah (they made me feel awesome at it even though I hadn't played in like, 2 months) while the boys took the cars around the rally cross track in Danny's field.

Saturday we went to the auto cross in the Valleyfair parking lot to see Dan and Raska race. Turns out they got there too late for registration, so they were just watching/judging. But that's ok, since it started raining after we'd been there about an hour or so. We then went home and crashed for a little while, then drove to the Midtown Global Market to eat at Salsa a la Salsa for Cinco de Mayo. Their food is pretty good, and their house margaritas were $3.00. Luckily for me, their house margaritas also included the strawberry blended type. :D Their margaritas whomped El Lorro's margaritas' ass. Then we came home and crashed some more. Watched this Canadian show, 'Trailer Park Boys'. It was ridiculous. No taste at all. I think the correct phrase to describe it would be 'absurdly comedic'. Today we did a little grocery shopping, and then we stopped at the office to tell them the ceiling is leaking again (like the 4th time since we've moved in here...) and that we'd be moving out at the end of July. The plan is for us to rent something else like, early-mid July and get our rears OUTTA this place. It's just depressing anymore. This place is such a bummer. At any rate, we picked up a little in case the maintenance man comes and I should start sewing my tank top that I have all cut out, but I'm afraid to start in case I mess it up. Wish me luck on that and everything else!!!

Flowers for a 'thank-you'

Cory and Shaun goofing off at our mini grill-out

Andrea not wanting her pic taken

Cap'n Cory at Lock & Dam #1

Our shadows below the roiling boiling dam

The deep-throated roar felt like it was emanating from your own chest

Cory and Andrea @ Lock & Dam 1

Y is for Yarn!!

Cat Haiku

2007-04-27T17:07:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this by going to StumbleUpon... If you're a cat lover this is *so* true.

Cat Haiku

You never feed me.
Perhaps I'll sleep on your face.
That will sure show you.

You must scratch me there!
Yes, above my tail!
Behold, elevator butt.

The rule for today:
Touch my tail, I shred your hand.
New rule tomorrow.

In deep sleep hear sound
cat vomit hairball somewhere
will find in morning.

Grace personified.
I leap into the window.
I meant to do that.

Blur of motion, then --
silence, me, a paper bag.
What is so funny?

The mighty hunter
Returns with gifts of plump birds --
your foot just squashed one.

You're always typing.
Well, let's see you ignore my
sitting on your hands.

My small cardboard box.
You cannot see me if I
can just hide my head.

Terrible battle.
I fought for hours. Come and see!
What's a 'term paper?'

Small brave carnivores
Kill pine cones and mosquitoes,
Fear vacuum cleaner

I want to be close
to you. Can I fit my head
inside your armpit?

Wanna go outside.
Oh, poop! Help! I got outside!
Let me back inside!

Oh no! Big One
has been trapped by newspaper!
Cat to the rescue!

Humans are so strange.
Mine lies still in bed, then screams;
My claws are not that sharp.

Author Unknown

Interviews, being broke, etc.

2007-04-26T20:07:00.000-05:00

So. My first interview: I was apparently over qualified. My second interview I didn't hear from for two weeks, so I figured it was a 'no'. Well, I heard back Friday, and I am invited to participate in a 2nd interview tomorrow, so apparently I am in the top 10%, so I have to drive to Rosemount tomorrow for it. I am nervous that I'll get lost (Even though Shaun and I did a run over there last night) because I get nervous about dumb crap like that. I had a different interview on Tuesday, but they're not deciding until mid May. I am really interested in that position also, sounds like it'd be a lot of (stressful) fun. But basically, we can't do anything now until I get some income. Which is ok, just makes for a really REALLY dull life. Oh, well.

I'm sitting at home all alone tonight because Shaun ran up to H-town to put on his new up and down pipe for his exhaust. So I have nothing to do tonight but stew about the interview. The kit-kits are up there being babysat by their grandparents, so I don't even have them to distract me. Mom says that they are really bored up there, and I was like, 'Well, think about what they're like in this teeny apartment,' but at least here they get to go outside on the kitty-proofed (more or less) deck. They have nothing but the great outdoors with no chicken wire to keep them in check up nort'.

Andrea and I are going to the Craftstravaganza craft fair Saturday. CAN'T WAIT!!! Love that thing. And Cory is showing up sometime Saturday, so we're going to grill out and then hang out that night, too. But all for a minimum of dinero, of course. ;-) Hopefully next time I'll update this sooner than nearly a month! Haha. Now that I said that, I totally jinxed myself.

Love me tenders!!!

Whoopsie! And I thought that I was doing good...!

2007-04-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

At any rate, the reason why I never post is because nothing is ever going on. Dull life, that's me.

A couple of weekends ago, my parents came down and my mom finished my coat for me. It's beautiful, and I LOVE it!! I also got many compliments on it at work. :D I started making a tank top, and now is the perfect time to finish it while the kit-kits are at their grandparents', but... I guess I have no motivation. That same weekend Cory came over from Stout and Andrea came down from the north side of the cities. We went to eat at El Lorro (I was very disappointed this time! :*( ) and then went to shoot some darts at Prairie Pub. I got VERY frustrated because I was doing so poorly. I'm afraid I was a bad sport. I apologize once again, Cory and Andrea. After that we came back here and watched a movie. So we didn't have a wild and crazy night out at the bars, but that's ok too. It was just good to hang out with them again!

This past weekend we went to Shaun's parents' house. Yaaay for 6.5 hour car rides. The drive across the cities took over an hour (1/2 in good traffic). Even the back road was jammed up. We didn't do a whole lot while we were there, but that's ok. It was just nice getting to see them again. Shaun was happy, though, because he got tool chests for his birthday. So, yaaay Shaun.

I had a job interview today, I think it went ok. So the interviewing starts. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :D

Adult life :p

2007-03-08T21:08:00.000-06:00

I realized that there are a lot of things that I don't say on here because there could be people reading this that could be concerned, or there could be uncomfortable questions asked. I have decided that there is no point in having a blog if I can't even be honest on the most impersonal thing around: the internet. I am not doing this for attention, I just think that it would be a relief to put this out there and get it off of my chest. Like a public diary. On to the crux of the matter...

The more I think about it, the more I realize how much fun I had back in college, and how NOT fun my life now is. I was a lot happier with myself back in school, and now I am so down about myself I can't believe it. I'm second-guessing myself, trying to justify most of my actions, attempt to make jokes about it but it;s actually because I am worried about it. Abby at work gets mad at me because I get down on myself but - I can't help it. I try adjusting my behavior(s), and yet nothing changes. I tell myself that it's due to certain situations in my life that make things more difficult but when it all boils down: I have no excuse. I am just going to have to start evaluating my actions and behaviors and decide what I want more: happiness in the short term, or in the long term. All I know is that if I continue in this vein for much longer I will be an extremely unpleasant person to be around. Don't get me wrong, I can put on a pretty good front when I want, but... I am not a happy person, and I have no one to blame but myself. I try making jokes about it all, but it's just a facade. I just don't feel like I am successful at anything in my life. I had such big hopes and dreams for myself in college, and (not) shockingly enough, so many things have gone differently than I had imagined in my naivety. Not all bad, mind you (but some of it, yes) just different. I guess what they say about the best-laid plans is true in my case. And yes, most likely in most cases as well, but for once couldn't I be an exception? I struggled so hard through school (when most people were screwing off, partying and drinking and sleeping their college careers away) but I thought that it'd get a liiiiiitle bit easier. I know, pity party for one. I apologize if this is just one big pity party, and you're all probably thinking 'Want some cheese with that whine?' but... I figured I'd tell you all what I am thinking and whatnot so that if you are wondering why I am not the bubbly person that I was in college you all would know...

Catchup

2007-02-26T20:29:00.000-06:00

Once again, I have been remiss in keeping this updated, but I must say that on the whole we have a rather... mundane life. I will hit upon the highlights...

The weekend of January 21st we and a bunch of friends went to the Upper Peninsula to have fun and celebrate our anniversary. It was a good time, I played Wii and Guitar Hero and whatnot, and us girls relaxed in the cabin while all the guys went snowboarding/skiing. Shaun hurt himself, as he usually does whenever he does something somewhat strenuous. The he complains about it for the following two weeks while it still twinges when he moves a certain way. Ah, well. The hot tub was really nice to sit in at night, but with the wind whistling by and with the freezing cold temperatures our hair froze solid.

Valentine's day we ate at Sunsets in Wayzata, it was delicious. I had the prime rib. It'd been a while since I'd eaten any, and it melted in my mouth. Combine that with garlic mashed potatoes, and it was neaaaarly heaven.

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Hinckley, me to make a jacket and for Shaun to go to an ice fishing contest with my dad, brother, and a family friend. Well, the jacket was waaaay too advanced for me to sew, so my mom and I worked on it while the guys went ice fishing. Poor guys, the wind was blowing very hard and they froze themselves near to death. Ok, not really. But they were very cold and ended up having hardly anything to show for it. The largest fish was 4.5 lbs, and the smallest was just under half a pound. There were 50 prizes. The guys didn't get anything.

Thursday night I was driving to south Minneapolis (all by myself, which I never ever do) to help a guy from work - I was going to show him and a few people from his church how to take better digital photos. Anyway, on my drive there I got lost, so I called Shaun, who was at a bar. So I called Abby, my friend from work, and she talked me through. I was approximately three blocks away when my radio turned off. I looked down at my dash and the lights were nearly off. So I pulled over (luckily I was on a side street) and turned off my car. I had noticed the previous weekend that as I was driving my headlights were dimming and brightening, so it wasn't completely expected. I was just worried because I was in a somewhat... rundown.... condition. As I was walking up the street to tell Shaun what cross street I was on, I saw car window glass busted in the street. So after I found what street was the next one up, I hustled back to my car. Shaun got there finally, and started my car. He tried convincing me to drive my car as we were watching the lights slowly dimmed. I didn't feel comfortable doing that. Shaun then realized that he left his AAA card in Eden Prairie, so we had to drive there and then he met the tow truck guy in Minneapolis, and he let me stay at home. It was a very stressful evening, the one time I go out of my comfort zone to do something, and then I end up having a car issue.

Friday night Rob invited us to go hang out at Deegan's house in Isanti. While they were at the stupid move (Reno911 Miami) Shaun and I ate at Acapulco. I ordered a strawberry margarita, and when our server asked me top shelf, and was indicating a height, I said yes. Shaun got a Dos Equis bottle. Well, the guy came back with Shaun's bottle and my 36 (!) ounce BEER. Shaun gave me an incredulous look when the server walked away that I hadn't set him straight about the adult beverage I was served. I told him that I thought that it was a sign and decided to try beer. I had Shaun taste a sip of it, and he pronounced it Miller Genuine Draft swill. I drank it, and somewhat happily. Only because it had no taste. When we went up to play beer pong, I sat and watched until I saw them pressuring Shaun into playing it also. So then I decided I had to step up to the plate and take one for the team to make it home safely what with all the snow and whatnot. So I played beer pong for the first time in my life. And swilled the Bud Light. We won, and made it home safely.

I have some ranting and raving to do, but I shall save that for the next update, as well as some photos.....

Edit: If you don't know what beer pong is, check this out.Shaun had a bottle of Dos Equis 5 hours previously, so he was alright to drive.

Photoblog time!

2007-01-05T23:25:00.000-06:00

I thought that I'd catch you all up on my life for the last while. I think it's amusing that 'photoblog' is short for 'I'm too lazy to actually type anything so I'll just post some pictures and write a short caption if you're lucky and that's going to have to make you all happy because I am not embellishing on it at ALL for you.'

I love you guys, really. Sorry I'm lazy. If you have any questions please call me. ;-)

And I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures while I was at the Sapalas'. I slacked off.

On a side note: I think this girl is amazing. She did paintings/airbrushings of the 7 deadly sins and also some illustrations of classic Greek myths. They're gorgeous. Find her at: http://blackeri.deviantart.com/store/ I'm sure you won't like some of it, but I am stunned at the amount of detail that she put into these works. You should browse deviant art for other artwork that you might possibly like. It's a good thing.

Christmas

2007-01-05T23:14:00.000-06:00

Me 'n the hubs.

Me 'n the bro

What's.... that!?!?

A new bike!!!

She is too precious (precocious?) for words.

Mom on her new 'rod.

Our Kittahs!

2007-01-05T23:06:00.000-06:00

I know, I'm crazy about them. Love my little fluffs!

Holidazzle Photoblog

2007-01-05T22:57:00.000-06:00

Demonic Sheepies

Starpeople!

A couple of weird people on the street...

Peter Pan!

Ka-reepy witch!!

Last couple of weeks

2006-12-21T21:39:00.000-06:00

As you can see, we had a fantastic time at the Pat show. Before the show and during the break, Andrea and I went to Drink to do some dancing. Some very drunk serviceman hit on me, which was flattering and yet not. You know what they say about beer goggles. That and he totally reminded me of one of Shaun's old roomates - Drew, if any of you knew him. Bleck. I'd pass, thanks. Then some very very drunk guy on the Lightrail hit on Andrea - and wouldn't let it go. It was pretty hilarious, truth be told. Even after she gave him my name. The cop riding the lightrail was all like, 'Hitting on girls again, Brian?' Haha, so I guess he does that a lot. Then he got off two stops too early and had to run to the stop (our stop) his friends got off on. Hilarious. I can't begin to imagine being as drunk as that guy and running. Yikes.

Last weekend was pretty uneventful, we didn't really have anything planned. We did decide to go to the Holidazzle Saturday night. We were just walking around down there and somehow a lady from work managed to recognize me - it was weird. How many hundreds of people down there and she managed to see me. We were somewhat disappointed by the length/quality of the Holidazzle, we were't quite sure if it was worth the hassle. Ah, well. It gave us something to do.

Tonight we met up with my parents and gave them the kitties for the weekend - we're going to Milwaukee for Shaun's family's Christmas. Yay for a 6 hour drive. It's going to be a pain in the rump getting across the cities on 494 tomorrow, esp. if we manage to gather 3-5 inches tonight. Shaun's dropping me off @ work tomorrow because the office is closing @ 3 tomorrow and we want to take of as soon as possible. So I hope that you all have a very enjoyable holiday, be safe, and talk to you soon!

Photoblog time!

2006-12-13T21:23:00.000-06:00

Emma and Calli

My mom @ her birthday party

Pat on 12/9

Shaun's parent's house - SNOW!!!

Detail of our Xmas Wreath - something the cats cannot pull over/down!

Yeah! It sure was great singing on stage with you, Pat!

The Man-on-man boob grab.

The couch @ my mom's b-day

Hello, what's that?!

Devil Dawg!

Bathtime!

Oh, boy. This feels good!

Playtime!

Haha! That was a good funny!

What I've been up to

2006-12-06T18:09:00.000-06:00

Hey, All - I've been trying to keep up on this more, let's see how long I can keep it up! :) I plan on being able to do it for a while.

At any rate, last Thursday I drove up to Lino Lakes and met my parents for supper and to give them the kit-kits. Poor things hate that kitty carrier, but they sure did like the polar fleece I put in it! Anyway, at one point an old grandpa started moving over into my lane to get onto the 35W ramp, didn't look in his blind spot and just about took me out. And just after I got onto 35W, I had this guy riding my rear end so closely I couldn't even see his headlights. I was behind a semi, and all I could think was, 'What if I had to slam on my brakes? I'd be sandwiched between a semi and a bad driver!' Not a cool thought. Dad was happy he got the cats, even though they tire him out because he has to keep them out of everything. They're naughty, what can I say?!! ;-)

Friday I left work @ noon so that we could head to Shaun's parent's house. We hadn't seen them since the end of August on vacation. It was really nice to see them again. I got recruited to help Leanne hang up some shelving (mostly I was just a catalyst for decision making). But it was a good time. Saturday evening we went to Milwaukee to see Shaun's aunts and uncles - Sarah, Steve, Polly and Craig. And also the cousins. And last but not least, I got to hang out with Callie too. It was a really nice weekend. :) And now it's back to the daily grind of work, work and more work. Take care!

Honesty in Blogging

2006-11-26T19:47:00.000-06:00

Hello, all -

Sorry that I have been MIA here for so long. I have been focusing on my personal life for a while, and haven't been able to spend the time that I normally spend on blogging. I have been debating about saying this for a while because I know a lot of you (friends, family) read my blog and I didn't want to unduly worry you.

We have been having a bit of a challenging time lately, Shaun and I. I realize that the first year of marriage is a tough year for most newlyweds, and we are not an exception. I believe that if we didn't have some problems it would probably be worrying, but at times I have been so frustrated with it all, all I could do was cry. But luckily, we have been doing much better lately and have been listening to each other's needs and wants and have been trying to accommodate those as best we can to make each other happy. I think that a majority of it is because we are young and like to have things our own way (we are both so stubborn) and didn't like compromising on anything. Happily, it seems to be something that we are getting better at, and seems only to be improving. And I guess I feel that that's what it's all about - thinking about another person's needs and making them my priorities, too.

On to happier things. Since I never discussed it, the Tombstone Trail rally race that we did with Andrea and Cory was so much fun!

Shaun, Cory, Andrea and I in the car on our way to the graveyards!

So we had the time of our Octobers doing this. Tempers got a little short, but I think that that's because we all ended up getting so competitive. Shaun's car doors autolock once you start driving, so when we'd want to rush out to go check out the gravestones, we'd be yelling, 'Unlock the DOORS!!!' He finally got to the point where he would remember it all on his own, but it took a little yelling to get him figuring it out on his own. ;-) It was actually pretty cold, but I was so busy thinking (and running) that after the first time I got out of the car I didn't even realize that it was cold. We felt like we were doing so bad because we skipped a couple of graveyards and we were pretty sure that we had missed some questions. But we figured we didn't do so bad for our first year. Anyway, at the end of the night we met up at Godfather's Pizza in Redwing, MN. Turns out that we tied for first in our class but lost the tiebreaker so we got second. We placed 8th overall out of 53 cars. Not bad for our first year, not bad at all. We are bumped up a class for next year now because we did so well our first year. We are already making plans for next year's Tombstone Trailer. (We are determined to get that best costume award! Hehe)

Much of November was pretty uneventful, it was deer season for most of it so we were up in H-town for three weekends in a row. The final weekend we (Mom, Lucy and I) went up to Duluth to visit Jennifer and do a little shopping. We ate at Olive Garden (it was deelish, but a little arugula goes a long way, and this was smothered in arugula) and went to Michael's and Target, where I made my mom purchase cute wrapping paper and ribbons. I didn't actually make her, but I told her that if she wanted me to wrap her presents for her, I refused to wrap them ugly. So she willingly bought the cute stuff. It was a lot of fun, and it was really nice to see Jennifer again.

We headed up to H-town for Thanksgiving. The food was SO GOOD! Everything was going well until my Grandpa made a somewhat uncouth comment in front of my mom, Shaun and I after we were done eating. Ugh. It was something that I really did not want to hear about. But we had a good night once I could sit on the couch it was all better. Tyler, Dana and Gracie came and I was playing with Gracie. She had a little toy of the Wicked Witch from Snow White, and I had her saying, 'RAWR!' every time she looked at it. She also LOVES hearing 'Pattycake'- she scrinches up her face and tilts her head against her shoulder. SOOO cute!

Tyler, Dana and Gracie

Too CUTE! :D

Friday I helped my mom rearrange the living room. Brought the computer out there and we had fun playing Mah Jongg. This weekend we cleaned, but I didn't get as much X-mas decorating done as I wanted to. Oh, well. It'll happen! I decorated a wreath so that we can hang the ornaments that Shaun's Grandparents have gotten us and keep the cats from playing with them and breaking them. But now they keep jumping up the wall to get it. I hope it survives the night - I haven't put our precious ornaments on it yet in fears of that happening. Anyway, time to finish decorating (I hope!) Take care! :)

Hey, kids!

2006-10-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I suck. I know it. I am flagellating myself right now over my lack of dedication to my sites. Including my myspace site. I feel bad not checking everyone's out and leaving comments and what not, so I am resolving to get my act in gear after Halloween. I have a plan in mind for a new background and song and what not. It's just taking some time getting it together. And I'll post about last weekend soon too, I promise!

The pics I promised!

2006-10-15T17:26:00.000-05:00

They're from the weekend that we went camping @ Gooseberry Falls State Park. They were all taken in Granad Marais on that Saturday because we didn't feel like camping in the rain.

Gosh, Ok, when was my last post?

2006-10-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

A long time ago is all I know. Allrighty. I'll just hit the highlights because everything else is mind-numbingly BORING.

A few Sundays ago Sarah* and I got together for some coffee and a good long chat. I was proud of myself because I even parallel parked in Minneapolis (ok, so it wasn't downtown) and it'd been a really long time since I had done that - or even tried. It was nice to sit down and chat with someone who has very similar viewpoints as me on many topics - and even when we had different ones, it was nice to discuss them anyway and see how someone else viewed the topic. We also talked about our furry babies and how strange yet utterly adorable they are.

I was unable to park in the garage for a couple of weeks due to my car leaking oil (!?!?!). This is the first problem that my car has presented us with, and it had been three years. Shaun took it to the dealer (Friday #1 that I had to get dropped off @ work) to get it checked out. Turns out that my oil pan gasket, rotors, brakes, and intake gaskets were bad. Approx. $1300 worth of repairs and labor when all was said and done. My drums and brakes in the back nearly need to be replaced. So that Friday Shaun took my car to his buddy Dan's place to replace the brakes and rotors. They got it done, even though the new brakes scared me at first becuase they were slippery. I had to get a ride home from Abby. (Thanks, Abby!) Shaun then called me to say that he would be a few more hours at Dan's. The time was 7pm. Turns out that Dan's friend was heading to Dan's and she was in the EP so she picked me up. It was a good time.
The next Friday Shaun took my car to his friend Jason's house in Osceola, WI. (An hour and a half drive) So I got dropped off at work with the promise that I would get picked up no later than 5. My only requirement was that my car wouldn't get broken worse than it was. This time it was the oil pan gasket - easy, right? They just used a liquid sealant that apparently a lot of non-dealership oil-changers use. Anyway, I called Shaun at about 5 to find out where he was. He was half an hour or so into his drive driving Jason's car. They managed to do the one thing I asked them not to - break my car. Turns out Jason turned the bolt too much when replacing my oil pan and cracked the pan, which caused all of the oil to gush out. So Kelly brought me home from work that night. (Thanks, Kelly!) Shaun went back to Jason's to put an epoxy onto the crack and brought my car home on Saturday morning. Yaay. I made Jason white chocoalte and macadamia nut cookies to thank him. I offered to make Dan some, but he said he would just take the thanks, thank you very much. So now my car is safely driveable again.

A week ago Friday we hosted Andrea's birthday party. Which, of course, was the day that Shaun brought my car to Jason's and was late. When we still had to cook and clean. Typical. Anyway, we got everything cleaned up and cooked and baked and had a good time. Andrea and Corey helped us, too. We had a couple of drinks and played a quick coupke of games of Catchphrase. That was lots of fun! :) Then we went to Old Chicago to play pool/darts, but because it was 'crowded' (there were spots at the bar available) they didn't have the balls/darts out. Boo. Then we headed to Mystic Lake where I tried to find Sarah* but she was no where to be found. Andrea was getting tired so we all headed home. I think that everyone had a good time. I know I did!!! :D

Last weekend we headed down to Madison to visit JP and my 'personal attendant' Kari. Steve whom I went to college with also lived with them so it was cool getting to see him, too. We got there at about 9 Friday night and went to a brew house for a quick drink. I had about the best amaretto sour I have ever had. Then because we're all old people and can't stay up late anymore we headed home. Saturday the four of us headed to the Great Dane for lunch - Shaun, JP, Steve and I. Had some good food, and played pool and darts. I am definitely not as good at them as I used to be back in the college days. SO sad! That night JP, Kari, Shaun and I went to Biaggi's where we waited for an hour and half for a table. We knew that we'd have to wait the hour, but I think that they completely forgot about us because by the time we finally got fed up with it and Kari talked to a Manager, he checked it out, came back over to us and said the next table was ours and he'd give us three appetizers for free. So in case you ever go to Biaggi's, the Artichoke dip is DELICIOUS. :D So is the chicken parmesean. The chocolate martinis sans the raspberry liqueur is delish too. But the ones with raspberry are bleck. Unless you like your nose burning. Sunday morning before we left the 6 of us had breakfast - yes, that's right, 6. I called Jenny and Josh and they met us (JP, Kari, Shaun and I) at Perkin's and we had some delicious breakfast. Jenny and I caught up on stuff and spend most of the time chatting and sharing pictures. They have a house and a dog and two cats. So cute! So the next time that Shaun and I get down that way we are going to stop and see their house. Miss ya girlay!!!!

This coming Friday we are heading to Menomonie for homecoming, then heading back to the Cities to hang out and go to a couple bars. Saturday night is just too ridiculous after the game and whatnot. So I am completely looking forward to El Patio and CHEAP drinks! :) (Funnily enough, they used to seem so expensive)

Hope you all are having a great time and I promise some new pictures soon!

I really wanted this to be my myspace bg

2006-09-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

But it didn't work, of course. Please open the link in a new window. It could SOOO be better, it's too jerky and makes me frustrated, but when I did a trial and it didn't even work, I decided not to worry about it. Maybe I'll develop for future use, though. We'll see.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d80/zurichaz/blog/stars.swf

St. Louis

2006-09-14T17:20:00.000-05:00

It's a pretty city. If it wasn't warmer and more humid, I probably wouldn't mind living there. Found the cutest little colonial house by our hotel that was for sale. I was almost literally drooling over it, it was so stinking cute.

I busted my azz off but it was worth it for the trip - when else would I get to go to St. Louis? I had lots of amazing (and unhealthy) food and drinks, and generally had a good time. I was really tired, though, having to get up at 4:30 Monday morning, going to bed @ 1:30 and up at 4:45 Tuesday morning, going to bed at about 11:30. Kelly let me sleep in Wednesday, and told me I didn't have to come until about 9 this morning, but I came in at 8 like usual. We stayed at a Hilton, and it was super nice. I loved the St. Louis office, and I already thought that ours was pretty darned cool. But the meeting went off without a hitch, and we heard lots of compliments about how many people liked it. Kelly said it's the most positive feedback that she's ever heard about one of those meetings. I worked on a survey to send out to everyone today and handed it to Pete before he left. I have so much to do still!

I was feeling pretty philosophical yesterday as my flight was about to take off. I said a quick, heartfelt prayer about how I hope that my plane would land safely because I wasn't ready to go without seeing my husband whom I love so much one more time, and all of my family and friends, too. As we were taxiing off, watching the wings bounce around was somewhat disenheartening, but all of the smaller planes do that. It's incredible how low the clouds actually are, but when you're staring up at them they seem so far away. Lifting up through the puffy clouds (they reminded me a lot of cotton candy) was so neat, looking down below and seeing the Mississippi shrinking, and the sun reflecting off of all of the silos and other shiny metal things far down below. Finally we got above the clouds and I saw the shadow of our plane on the clouds, with a rainbow circle wrapping around it. Right then I relaxed, because I knew my prayer had been heard and that everything would be ok. I sound like such a first time flyer, but this was only my third round trip ever. Dusk was gorgeous. I have never seen it replicated as accurately as I viewed the real thing last night... wish I had, though because I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Anyway, I hope you all are taking care and I hope to talk to you soon. :)

Catch-up!

2006-09-10T19:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've updated. Sorry! I've been so ridiculously busy with work lately that as soon as I get home I don't want to do anything but sit on the couch and unwind. But it's all cumulating tomorrow morning when I take off for St. Louis (on 9/11! EEP! Ok, I'm not really all that worried). But it'll be fun once I get done with all of the work. ;-)

Alissa and Tony's wedding was fun. For the ceremony we sat on haybales and watched the ceremony. During the prayer, my little cousin Tucker farted so loud and long. I felt sacriligious, but I couldn't keep from laughing. Especially when I saw everyone's shoulders in front of me shaking from their laughter. But it was a beautiful ceremony. And the reception was gorgeous, too. But I didn't expect any less than perfection from Alissa. :) The best man was Jake N., a guy I went to high school with. Clayton M., Justin F., Deanna G., Alison D., Aaron N., Randy D. and a whole bunch of others I went to school were there. I said hi to (made him not able to ignore me) Randy Duxbury. I congratulated him on getting on a billboard, and whatever other small talk we made. By that time I had been drinking enough of the delicious champagne that I really didn't care who I talked to. But it was a good time, and the food was delicious, the weather was beautiful, and everything was perfect. I'm so happy that they got such a wonderful day.

We went to the state fair on Labor day with Andrea. It was a good time, but no one wanted to go on rides with me. :*( I need to find friends who like going on rides!

We went to O'Gara's for a little bit to see Andrea and Jeremy for a little while on Friday. After work on Saturday we headed up to Hinckley. We had rented a movie off of pay-per-view when halfway through, my uncle called asking my dad to come down and help him get Grandpa into the car to rush him to urgent care. Well, they kept him overnight and as of when we left Hinckley, they hadn't figured out what it was.

I had better finish packing since I get to get up at a quarter after 4 this morning. Bleck!

Just had to say...

2006-08-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

That this skin is so sweet it makes my teeth ache. I can't wait until I make myself have time to start making my own!!

Random pics...

2006-08-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

Me up north @ the cabin.

Dora, of course.

Leanne, Grandma Bliss, and Gloria up nort'.

Whole lotta random things...

2006-08-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

So. Where to start? I'll start with my trip to St. Louis for the North Central District's meeting. Yep, I get to go to St. Louis and stay in a hotel for two nights. The fun little catch(es)? We fly out on 9/11, and my flight is on Northwest. Lovely. I don't anticipate anything bad happening, the only thing I'm really worried about is that damn CHAOS thing affecting my flight. That would really really suck. The General Manager's coordinator is counting on my being there. Should be a fun time, though. We're going to go on an Anheuser-Busch tour. They have a really good hospitality meeting at the end, but as most of you know, I have zilch interest in beer. Unless they have something crazy cool or summat.

I was super psyched yesterday (And still am today) - I've managed to lose a dress size! Anita, a friend from work and I have been working out during our lunch hour (most days) and I've been doing weight watchers, which has apparently made a big difference, and has allowed my metabolism to catch up, apparently. Which is freaking awesome. I began at the beginning of August, and told myself that my goal was to lose a dress size by Alissa's wedding - so go me! One goal down, another to go. It just feels *so* good because it's a confirmation that I can actually do this. And it won't kill me. I have begun to realize that this is a lifestyle change and I will be watching what I eat and making sure I exercise for the REST OF MY LIFE which is somewhat daunting, but being overweight is worse. Unfortunately, I have not managed to pick up the rest of my immediate family's 'skinny' genes. Ah, well. There could be worse things.

Got my hair trimmed and highlighed today at Fantastic Sam's. I was somewhat dubious about this, wondering what kind of a job a 'discount' chain could do. I suppose it all comes down to the stylist that you get. At any rate, it looks good! I do really like it. Maybe it's because my hair was mostly my natural blah mousy dark ash-blonde color. But I'm happy with it. Just not happy with the price tag - ouch. Nearly $100. She never asked me if I wanted it blown out or whatnot, which all, of course, comes with a price tag. I just assumed that the price of the shampooing was included in the highlighting due to its intrinsically necessary nature. But no, apparently. But then again, like I told Shaun, we have been spoiled silly by the prices that Shelley had been charging us. Maybe if I went to a Fantastic Sam's in a non-ritzy suburb it might be cheaper, too. Which I am sure is the reason why the prices were unposted upon their website.

Tuesday evening immediately after I get home from work we are leaving for Minocqua, WI for Shaun's annual family vacay. Hopefully the weather will be better than last year's, but as SAD as this sounds, I am going to be bringing my laptop in case it rains or whatnot so that I can do some work. But that's alright, otherwise I'd be bored silly watching everyone play cards. Bleck. Apparently, my in-laws (haha! That still sounds funny to me... :) ) will be taking walks in the mornings, so we are planning on joining them. I need to make sure that even though I do not have an elliptical machine available, I am still getting some activity in my daily repitoire.

This is the part that is kinda fun, but bad - Shaun and I bought a hard plastic ball homemade ice cream maker to have the kids make their own ice cream and then eat it afterwards. We're also going to bring fun toppings and whatnot. Wal-Mart (boo, hiss, I know...) had homemade ice cream mixes where all you had to do was add milk, but that stuff turned out NASTY. So I checked out a book from the library and used their Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream recipe to make some. I was supposed to use vanilla bean pods, but those things were $12/2. So, no. After simmering the sugar, egg yolks, milk and whipping cream together I added a good dash of good-quality vanilla exract and we made it the next night with the ball. That was the BEST vanilla ice cream I have ever had. Even after freezing it it stayed soft. Mmmmm. Delish. So tomorrow night I'm going to make a double batch so that it's all ready to just stick in a cooler and bring up. The book says that as long as it stays refrigerated, the mix will keep a week. So that's perfect. :)

Anyway, hope you all are having a great life. :)

OMG!!!

2006-08-13T10:29:00.000-05:00

I laughed SO hard at this! The cat on the bed is the funniest one by far, for me. I almost feel bad for some of them, but they did it to themselves. So I decided that you all needed a funny break, too. Warning: Probably a little bit slow to load on dial-up. I've also included the hyperlinks for less pixellated viewing. :)

Edit 8/20/06: I deleted these because I know they were appearing strangely using Firefox, and found it extremely annoying. I know it loads OK in Safari (Mac) but I axed them anyway. You can view them at my myspace, www.myspace.com/zurichaz. Thanks! :D

Why I haven't posted

2006-08-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

I was asked today why I haven't posted. I guess it's because I don't feel like I have had a whole lot to say. Most of it is just negative feelings that I don't want to think about more than I really have to. But I'll try to give you guys something decent to read, anyway.

Last weekend Shaun went home to Plymouth to see the Violent Femmes play for free at Bratfest, and also to pick up our camping gear. He had a good time he assured me.

I went home to hang out with my mom and dad, and I brought the little ladies with me. They were their usual cute and charming selves. Saturday was Alissa's bridal shower. There was really good food, and I even won a prize. There was so much noise going on that I could hardly hear myself think so I could hardly hear when Lisa was saying stuff, so she probably thought that I was overzealous (read: obnoxious) butI guess that there wasn't really much I could do about it. I spent a lot of thinking of what to get Alissa and Tony (not just the plain ol boring stuff off of your registry, even though that stuff is fun to get, too!) but something that showed her that I was thinking of her because I couldn't help her out in the same way with her wedding as she did with mine. So I made her a card in a cute little tin, and bought the cutest little colander with strawberries cut into it, and then a couple of pans off of her registry, and Mom got her face cloths cut out of old chenille bedspreads. I also got her a little box with dried flowers epoxied into the top, thinking it'd be a cute little knick knack to fill up some space in that humongous house she has. And that if she hadn't decided what to do with her wedding flowers, well, here was an option. At any rate, it was a nice day had by all.

Sunday we just sat around the house and didn't do much. My brother, Todd and I had lunch @ Tank's. I love their cheeseballs! Then I drove home and discovered that when I sing in the car the kitties have to talk back. So, I stopped singing because their miaowing was driving me crazier than not singing was.

This week we haven't done much, just went grocery shopping. We're hanging around here this weekend to clean the place up. It's irish fest on Harriet Island, maybe we'll go see that, too.

Dora

2006-07-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

Dora the cutie patootie - pic taken with my computer's camera...

Birthday!

2006-07-27T21:42:00.000-05:00

So for those of you who didn't know, yesterday was my birthday. Work was SOOO EXCITING (yeah, right.) but the lady who sits across the hall from me in an office found out it was my birthday so when I came back from working out there was confetti all over my desk and she had gotten me a couple of soy candles. I use them for scent - makes my uuugly lil cube so homey!

That night Shaun and I went to eat @ The Cheesecake Factory. The food was more disappointing than I remember, but the bread and appetizer were really good. I passed on the cheesecake, after eating all of that food I felt like it'd be too heavy. Anyway, Shaun handed me a little jewelry box with a ribbon he tied onto it. So I opened it and there was a piece of paper in it with a black and whie Apple logo. I was confused, and gave Shaun the 'confused' look. He said, 'Yes, that does mean what you think...' Well, I wasn't really thinking ANYthing, but it turns out he got me a new laptop!! I am so excited, I love this thing. :D

*sigh* But I only have 1...

So now I cannot wait to see it tear through my 3D renderings or opening all of my Illustrator and Photoshop files!!!

The Weekend Update

2006-07-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

So, as is sooo typical in my life, right after I updated this blog saying 'no plans for this weekend,' BAM! Plans happened. Jen D called to talk. She said that her and Keith were supposed to have gone camping, but that he had decided to do his parent's deck instead and that HAD to get done before it rained, so he'd be busy all weekend. She (kiddingly) asked if we wanted to go camping. I said, 'Sure, where at?' She was shocked I was serious, but Shaun and I had planned on going camping at some point this summer before we forgot to get our camping stuff from his parent's house. So we decided to go to St. Croix out past Hinckley. (It was about the only campground that had any open slots!)

Saturday we all had lunch with my parents at Tank's. It was my first day back on real food. I had been on a liquid detox diet (it sucked, but was worth it) for the previous 13 days. I could only have a few of my cheese balls and half my burger. But that's OK. So the three of us headed out to St. Croix and got registered and the tent set up and whatnot. Jen said that she'd run and scream bloody murder if a bear came into our campground but she really hoped to see a racoon since they are so damn cute. So we went swimming in the St. Croix, and we even got Jen to come out with us. She has a phobia of fish so it was a LOT of work to get her out there. But she did eventually get out there even though she had to splash the entire time to scare away the fish. We played 'pickle in the middle' with a gatorade cap that came floating down the river (bad people, BAD!). That night we had burgers and a few chips, then I had a singular s'more and after that I was stuffed. Shaun and I walked over to go wash off the dinner plates when we heard hysterical screaming. Turns out while Jen had her back to the picnic table a raccoon decided to make a meal of the marshmallows. Jen had heard something and turned around and saw a big shadow so she screamed. Anyway, once she calmed down I had to aim the flashlight at it so she could take pictures of us. It was really not scared of us. That night while sleeping it sounded like we had a bear growling outside our tent, but it was just the guy in the site next to us snoring. VERY VERY LOUDLY. It was sooo annoying. Sunday was no big deal, I opened the world of chocolate chip pancakes to Jen and she loved them. Then we went back to the parent's house and Jen left.

Shaun and my dad changed his oil, and mom and I went to go see Peggy and Rick and Alissa and Tony. Their house is SO NICE!!! It's gorgeous. Too big for me, though to want to keep clean. Oh, well. :) They're happy with it and that's all that matters. Then we came home and didn't do much.

Last weekend and wednesday...

2006-07-27T18:08:00.001-05:00

I'll update in a few hours, but let's just say that the weekend was fun and Wednesday was FANTASTIC! :D

What's new with me

2006-07-19T18:08:00.000-05:00

Not a whole heck of a lot. Really. Mostly it's just work and home, work and home. A couple of weekends ago Andrea accompanied me to the Craftstravaganza! at the state fair grounds. I think they should have one of those once a month. It was awesome! It made me so much more inspired to do things with myself. (You know, designing and creating - using my skills that I have honed over the years...) Hopefully my handbag venture with Sarah* will pick up soon. We're still trying to think of a company name (ideas welcome!) and doing sketches.

I started a detox that Sunday. It was hard work, but Saturday I'll be able to eat normal food again. But I have resolved to eat much MUCH better, lots of veggies and fruits. Anita, my friend from work, borrowed me a smoothies book so I am ALL about that. :) Deelish.

Then it was mostly work. Boooring. Last Friday we went to Rob's place in Isanti for a bonfire. It was a lot more boring than it usually was. Andrea came with us to that too, and she was enjoying herself (or at least I hope she was, and wasn't lying) which is good, I felt bad because it was so boring. Saturday we went to Hudson's Arts and Music festival. It was pretty disappointing. The craft fair wasn't too big, and the music part was DEAD. Probably because it was too hot to sit in the sun and watch a band. Sunday we just sat around. Aren't we fun??

This weekend, we have no plans. We'll see if I end up having something interesting to say Monday! ;-)

Kitties and Graffiti

2006-07-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

Fireworks!!!

2006-07-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

B-E-A-UTIFUL! Makes me wish I had a better camera, though!

The Surgeon General Comes Through...

2006-06-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry to all of you smokers out there who read this and become offended, but thankfully someone is aware of the effects of second hand smoke to all of us who choose not to injure ourselves and the ones that we love by smoking. The Surgeon General has published the first new study since 1986 that has proved conclusively that second hand smoke doesn't 'possibly' cause lung cancer, it definitely causes lung cancer. And not only that, it also affects second hand smoke inhalers by contributing to SIDS deaths and heart disease.

As the vice president of national policy and advocacy of the American Lung Association, Paul G. Billings is quoted as saying, "Essentially, the Surgeon General slammed the book on any scientific debate on secondhand smoke. The evidence is clear. Secondhand smoke is harmful and needs to be eliminated." (ScoutNews)

According to ScoutNews, 126 million Americans are exposed to second hand smoke. There are many risks associated with this, with adults being more likely to develop heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmokers, and ear infections, asthma attacks, respiratory problems, ear infections, and not least, SIDS. Secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen (A substance capable of inducing cancer in an organism) and is composed of more than 50 carcinogens. Living with a smoker increases a nonsmoker's risk of lung cancer and heart disease by 30%, according to the Surgeon General's report.

I know that right now in St. Paul smoking is banned. In Minneapolis, smoking is prohibited in places that serve food. In Bloomington, smoking is banned in public places, including bars and restaurants. Golden Valley has smoking banned in indoor and outdoor areas of eating and drinking establishments and all public areas to 25' from the doors. And it hasn't hurt the economy, according to research done in the areas.

I realize that forcing smokers to be unable to go out and smoke is impinging on their rights to do what they want, but is it fair to be affecting others' health while doing so? While those nonsmokers basically don't have a choice? Is it fair to be asking those nonsmokers to go to other places to avoid smoke when smokers are protesting that exact reason? That smokers are being forced to go other places to smoke? So who is more right here? Who is the law more on the side of? I think that if I had a behavior that was harmful to others I would try to keep that behavior from the others that I could potentially harm. Is it all right to have pregnant women inhaling smoke, only to give birth to a child who then dies of SIDS that attributable to the smoke? I don't think so, and I hope that others do not find this acceptable, either. An innocent life, that hadn't even had a chance to do anything with the gift that they were granted, taken because someone thought that smoking is their right and whoever doesn't like it should just walk away. Not everyone has that choice - like some people in hospitality and tourism. For some of them, that job is their only source of income, and they cannot get any other job.

I am going to wrap up my diatribe now, but I ask of you smokers, please please think of others also. They have just as much right to choose not to smoke as you do to smoke. But is their choice harming your health without your consent?

2006-06-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken on Bass Lake in Minnesota. It's the lake that Shaun's friend Rob's parents have a cabin on.

Hi, y'all

2006-06-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well, the biggest news is that we are in the market for a new car, as most of you know. It'll take a minimum of $1,400 to fix it to make it safe to drive. Apparently, Shaun's wheels are thisclose to seizing due to bad wheel bearings. So it's basically not safe to drive. We're mostly looking at Subaru Impreza WRX wagons. They're cute and pretty zippy; they have turbos. Oh, and it HAS to be a stick. If we get one of these, Shaun'll probably be talked into doing the autocross next year. I'm not too sure about that. Just what I want to be paying for is replacing tires all the time. No thanks.

Last weekend was Shaun's company picnic @ Valleyfair. We ended up walking across 101 because we didn't want to have to pay $8 since we weren't going to the park. We left immediately after that (which is good we didn't stay, it started raining as soon as we got into Shakopee) and went to Osceola, WI to watch some of Shaun's friends wakeboarding. Did it mention it was like, 50-odd degrees and sprinkling every so often? That night we went to Rob's friend Brad's housewarming party in North Branch, MN. It was a pretty good time. But Shaun was tired so we left to 'go sleep in our own bed'. More like the car seat. ;-) And then we did absolutely nothing all day Sunday.

Today we're hoping to go to Rob's cabin and then see my family tomorrow. Well, my mom and maybe brother at any rate. My dad's working in South Dakota. So I won't get to see him on Father's day. Oh, well. We're pretty used to that.

It rained like crazy here last night, all I could think about was my friend Anita's leaky ceiling. It leaked Memorial day weekend and they told their landlord about it but nothing happened, then on Wed night it rained (and leaked) again so she called and their landlord said that they'd let them out of their lease. So I'm hoping that their stuff is alright after the downpour.

Sorry there aren't any pictures, but there should be some coming soon! :)

Edit: I didn't mean to imply anything suggestive with the 'our own bed; opart. It's just that that's the reason why Shaun wanted to go home, then ended up falling asleep in the car.

I know, I know. I'm not doing good at keeping this up...

2006-06-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

Memorial day weekend was nice, we brought the kitties up to my parent's house and let them run wild. Etta will actually stay in the same room as them now. My dad ended up coming home from Louisiana, so that was nice to see him again! We hung out at Rob's cabin a lot, just chilling on the pontoon. :) Monday sucked though when we got home - Shaun's (when purchased) $300 bike was stolen. We looked at our deductible for our renter's insurance and it's $250. So it wasn't even worth reporting or anything for no $ and upped premimums. That kinda put a damper on it all, but it sure was nice seeing Jen D and Jen L! :)

Last weekend we thought that we had absolutely no plans, but the weekend ended up getting booked up Friday. Friday night we went to see 'The Breakup,' which was eerily like our relationship. But I hated the ending of the movie.

Saturday we went to Kohl's and got a blender, and then Sarah* and I went to the Edina art fair. I think while we were there we decided to open up a handbag business, so if you want a cute handbag, get a hold of us in a month or two. ;-) For friends, we might even make custom orders. I loved it so much (and didn't get to buy anything) that I decided I'd drag Shaun with the next day. That night we went to Old Chicago in Minneapolis and met up with Rob, Andrea, and her friend Danica. We were there for less than 5 minutes when some guy walked up to me and said, 'Hey! Come give my friend a kiss on the cheek. He's a bachelor!' Inside, I was thinking, 'Why me?' but I decided to be nice and went. When he saw me, he was like, 'Oh, man guys!! Oh, man!' SOOO that makes me wonder if it had something to do with my size. I doubt it was because I was knock dead gorgeous. It just makes me realize how judgemental people are and want me to be less like that. Danica wasn't into dancing, even though Rob kept trying to get her to (he was in a pub crawl that day; he'd been drinking since 1:30pm and this was about 11pm). So we went to a bar called 'The Lodge' and I just started dancing like I didn't care. I did and didn't. But I was hoping to make Danica feel more comfortable.

On Sunday we went to see Shaun's work friends Dan and Jason and Dan's roomate Louis do an autocross. Then we went to the Edina art fair, where Shaun realized he had lost his wallet. We decided it was in either my car or the shuttle bus we took. Well, it wasn't in either. We left as soon as he realized he didn't have it because what fun is it to be with someone who's worried about their wallet/purse? That was a bummer. After that we went to Hyland to watch the pro disc golf tour that was there. Can you believe that there are disc golf groupies?!?! There are. They're 30-40 years old, too. I think they're reliving their hair band groupie days. Anyway, I had HORRID blisters from the shoes I wore the night before so I hobbled everywhere. We decided it was too hot so we came home and chilled.

We don't really have any plans this weekend beyond Shaun's company picnic early Sat afternoon. We'll see how that goes, it's supposed to rain.

Edit: Jean pointed this out to me - I forgot to include whether Shaun found his wallet. Yes, he did. When we got home. It was in his shorts from the night before. :p So he ruined my second fun trip to the art fair. I won't even start on what he did when he 'lost' the laundry card monday night......

Hair Chop.... Choppity Chop!

2006-05-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

OMG!!!!! What did I DO!?!?!?!?!?

Nah, just joshing. I LOOOOVE it! :D

Kat! A Kitty Kat! And a meow meow meow and a meow meow meow!

2006-05-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

SOOO BIIIIIG!

El Chubbo

MEAAAAN Kitty!!!

I know, it's been a long time...

2006-05-23T19:59:00.000-05:00

But I guess I feel like not all that much super exciting has been happening in my life. Just work and hardly any play. But it's nice to be able to afford things, now.

Anyway.... Two weekends ago was Jennifer's grad party. It was a good time, I was having fun shocking the ladies there. I grew up and I don't think most of the noticed. So now that I am an old married lady I feel like I can pretty much say anything and not have to feel like I'm just some naughty college kid who was doing things they shouldn't have when they weren't married. Haha. It's pretty fun. I don't think that most of them realized what I could be like. That was Saturday. Friday night we went to Tobies with my mom and she had a couple of Colorado Bulldogs (!). Then we went to the cafe to have something to eat. I refused to leave town without her eating anything. She needs some meat on those bones of her. Not that I'd wish my issue on anyone, but she needs some.

Sunday we went to Peggy and Rick's, and saw how the building is going in Alissa's house. It's going to be a fantastic (and huge) house. I said that I was jealous, and Peggy was like, "But you're not jealous of the payment - it's a lot!" And I said, "No, I'm just jealous of having a house, any house. Some place you can do whatever you want with out having to ask permission first." No. I'm not jealous of Alissa's house. Even though I think a better word would be 'envious'. Then we went home, and Dave and Brenda and Scott stopped by, they visited for a little while, then we grilled steaks and had a romaine lettuce and mandarin orange and feta cheese and craisin and walnut salad with raspberry vinagrette (even though I like creamy poppyseed dressing better) and grilled steaks. Nummers. Tyler irked me because that morning he was like, 'I have to make it to Mora some time today' and we didn't even eat until like, 4. He seemed like he was grudgingly spending time with his family on Mother's day. When he wanted to go hang out with this 19 year old girl with a kid. Ptch. The drive home was uneventful even with kittens crawling everywhere.

This past weekend was Microbrew Fest, Shaun's 3rd favorite holiday. It's a 6.5 hour drive for us now. :( Luckily I got yesterday off, so we could drive back then instead of Sunday after MBF. (I mean, God forbid we leave it early!!) Haha. Anyway, that was fun. We brought the cats (I don't trust them alone for 3 days) and at first they disliked Callie, which was shocking, because she is less hyper than Spook. We think it was because she was scared of them while Spook wasn't. Funny story: Cora really disliked her, so Shaun held her up to Callie for her to smell. Cora was curled into a little ball and growling away. Then all of a sudden she started spitting and batted at Callie (remember, no claws) who promptly dropped to the floor and whimpered like she was clawed to death. It was pretty hilarious.

On our way back yesterday we stopped at Acoustic to have lunch. They were (OF COURSE) out of pita pockets, so I called my former co-worker Ben and we decided to have lunch @ Quizno's in Menomonie. It was good catching up with him. Then when we got home we went to see the DaVinci Code. It was pretty good. And that's my life up until now. :) See, pretty boring, eh?

Sorry!

2006-04-30T00:35:00.000-05:00

For all of the ranting on my last blog. But I had to get it out in a constructive manner. It helped! :) And now for some (what I think can be, anyway) unbearable cuteness:

Dora in the kitty tower from where she can spy on the parking lot.

Cora all tired.

Cora's eyes are different colors. This happened after she was closing her 2nd eyelid shut over the eye. It started turning brown. But when the day came for her vet appointment, her eye was all better.

Shaun's parents are in town tonight, and then the Mohrs might come to the cities tomorrow to go to the Mall of America. Chris's 'final' project is monday night - a meal! I wish I could go. Heehee.

It's funny, I was just thinking about how every weekend from now until June had us doing something. ALREADY! Amazing. Shaun's parents this weekend, Festival of Nations, Jennifer's grad party, beer fest, and then memorial day weekend. We're thinking of going camping. It's just crazy how quickly things book up!

I have to thank Shaun's aunt and uncle for giving us two more couches. We really appreciate it! Now all we need is endtables, and it'll look like we have a REAL living room!

Gotta get to bed. Have a great weekend everyone!

Stupid bleeping drivers

2006-04-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

So... the thing I hate worst about work is the drive. I drive approximately 7 miles one way. I do go on the nearest interstate, 494, to get to work. In the mornings sometimes it's backed up basically as soon as I get on to it, and sometimes it's free and clear. So that's hit or miss. But in the evenings basically it is backed up the ENTIRE 7 miles. Going 10mph, if I'm lucky. But what usually happens is that I am stuck in the back-up, and the people coming down the onramp cause everything else to back up, and the people around here don't practice their 'Minnesota Nice' very much. Don't people figure out that maybe if they did, people would be less angry and there's be less accidents and road rage incidents? Anyway, so there's these people trying to merge over, and their lane merges into ours. Well, the people behind me who are in their huge fancy SUVs and BMW/Mercedes Benz 4 door sedanboats or zippy little sports cars or their 1988 Honda Accords that are rusting to pieces decide that they have been injustly caused to wait, and decide to use the onramp as an additional lane, then realize that it's not actually a lane, and then decide to cut back in. Nearly causing accidents. And making poor people like me wait that much longer. Who practice their Minnesota nice.

The super sad part is that I have been practicing this a lot less lately. Everyone else driving like a you-know-what makes me less inclined to be nice. There's the people who use the exit ramp as a shortcut around .5 miles of backed up traffic, then hold up the people who are trying to use the exit ramp to actually exit. So that they can get to work. Then there's the people in the parking ramp who, as you are backing out, decide that they are more important and back up in front of you and cut you off and then putt putt around the parking ramp with you stuck following them all the way out. I'm not even going to start in about people who cannot do the posted speed limit in 70 degree sunny weather, or the people who don't use their turn signals and then slam on their brakes at the last possible second.

I really dislike what driving has done to me. It has started to make me a constantly irritated un-Minnesota Nice person. Grr.

How goeth the job?

2006-04-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

Is a question I am sure many of you are asking. Right? Anyway, I guess it goes pretty good. I can't wait until I am more in the swing of things and I can be doing things without having to wait for other people to tell me how to do them. But it's just been a lot of sitting around and learning how to use the tools that I will need to know to do my job. Basically what I am doing is planning my boss's whole schedule, and helping with travel arrangements and expense reports and other administrative tasks for the people that work for him (photocopying, stapling, etc.). But it's going to be fun. It's a pretty laid back place, and the people there are really nice. I don't know how much I can really say due to the confidentiality of it all, so I'm going to stop right there.

But now when I get home at night I don't want to do anything. So I haven't been doing too much with myself. Some weekend when we're not busy I'll do some more design-y stuff, but until then night time is time to go for a walk, eat, and then relax before bed at 10. Haha! How sad. It's happened. I've gotten old. ;-)

We went to my parent's house for Easter this past weekend. We went to Tim and Lucy's house for supper, then we watched Chronicles of Narnia, and then played dice. Jennifer came home from work, so I got to talk to her for a couple of minutes, too. Yay! Sunday morning we went to church. It was the first service in the new part of the church, so that was really neat to be there for that. My church is over 100 years old, and this is the newest thing to happen in a long while. It's nice now because the people with less mobility can actually attend the service and not have to watch it downstairs on a TV. I got to see Jennifer again, and Peggy, Rick and Alissa. :) Then we went home and I helped my mom make dinner. I brought a Citrus Honey Glaze recipe (it was SOOOOO Delish!!!!) for one of the hams. So I got to make that, and Shaun and I made the pudding pies. But it was all so very good! Grandpa, Tee, Scott and Tyler came over, too so it was a nice dinner with the 8 of us. And I had to get a couple of those 3-D easter bunnies that Tobies makes every year for Mom & Dad and Shaun & I to share. :) It was nearly too cute to eat. But eat it we did! Anyway, I hope that all of your weekends were fantastic and take care!

Holy Freaky Thought, Batman!

2006-04-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

Sooo... the other apartment building that we were seriously looking at went up in flames tonight. What a scary thought!!! It could have been us that got burned out! I mean, we have renter's insurance and everything, but how impossible would life be if that happened? All I can say is that the people who do live there are in my prayers - luckily there were no fatalities.

http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S15424.html?cat=1

But - it makes me think 'What if?' It seems like people go through life (I know I do) thinking, 'Oh, that won't happen to me.' But it can and does - and this brought it home. So now I guess I am going to start thinking things out and thinking about the eventualities. Yikes. It's seems like it's negative thinking, but I suppose in the end it helps you be prepared.

At any rate, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was AWESOME! Congrats, Ben! It was a great performance. :) I am so glad that we went.

After that we headed to Menomonie and met up with Jeremy and Ryan and played a quick game of pool until Shaun and Cory called and we went to go eat at El Patio. Num! After that we watched the Badgers national championship game at the Waterfront which they won. Yay! Then Andrea and I headed back to Jeremy and Ryan's to play another game of pool, then the five of us (their roomate joined us) headed over to Cory's. It was a good time, Lisa and Michelle made me feel welcome, and I really appreciated that. :) I had some wop, and it was STRONG. It was basically the first time I'd ever had it, and that's after I was out of college for a year! Haha! Ah, well. Then Shaun and I went to Jeff and Jim's with Michelle and her boyfriend Charlie for manjare rolls. Mmm! But then Cory kicked everyone out of the place and we all headed over to the Waterfront again. There was this SUPER drunk girl who I am sure was really nice under normal circumstances, but not that night. Anyway, she left on her own to go back to Cory's and while we were at the Waterfront some guy brought her there. He asked if we knew her, and we said yes. So he left. Turns out she just completely barged into his house thinking it was Cory's. The guy was nice enough to drive her to us. But when we all went back to Cory's for the night we didn't feel like trying to sleep on the couch next to her and probably listening to her being sick. So we tried finding a hotel room for cheapish, but the only available one in all of Menomonie was $180 suite. We didn't even stay in a fancy suite the night of the wedding! haha. So we just drove back to E.P. and slept in our own bed. I felt bad about ditching Cory for breakfast, but when I woke up in the morning (after 4 hours of sleep!?!?!) my stomach probably wouldn't have liked it. So. We just napped all day today because of our lack of sleep. It was such a beautiful day, and tomorrow promises to be much better! :-D

Kittie's Second Bath!!

2006-04-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

Dora all wet!!!

Wet kitties!!

Sorry for the fog, it's a little steamy!

Cora has a scrawny tail!

Employed!!!!

2006-04-07T19:58:00.000-05:00

I know, I know and I'm sorry that it's been a while since I've updated. But until recently, it was the same 'ol, same 'ol. I was getting really sick of it, and I didn't want to bore my faithful readers (all 4 of you? ;-) ) with more "oh, I don't have a job, I suck so bad and feel so bad for myself.' BOOORING. But now, that's all changed!!!

I am now contracted to work for Microsoft through the temp agency for a year, with a possibility for the position to be extended. Which would be awesome. It's kinda funny, actually, because a lot of what I have been doing I haven't really had any personal experience with, which makes me nervous. REALLY nervous. But then I think about the fact that they wouldn't have hired me if they didn't think that I would be able to do it. So I just have to dedicate myself to paying attention and learning quickly. I was told that I really won't be feeling like I know a lot until 6-8 months into it. They hired me at the end of the interview. It was really shocking. I mean, I have gotten the blow-off from so many places, and then this place just hired me at the end of the interview...! Very unique, but it was also very nice because then I didn't have to sit and wonder. I H A T E that. There is a place I went to an interview at in FEBRUARY and still haven't heard back from them. Which, at this point, I am assuming is a no (haha), but it's just so frustrating. I know that when I interviewed people for possible hiring I never made them wait for too long and I always let them know yea or nay.

Tomorrow I'm going to go see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Andrea. Our friend Ben from college is Joseph. It should be really cool to see. It was just frustrating because weeks ago she and I agreed that we'd go see the show on Sunday. I called and asked if she could come also since she had a voucher from a castmate. The lady I talked to said yes. Well, whomever Andrea talked to said she couldn't, and that the Sunday show is sold out. They created a Saturday at 2 show since the shows were selling out. We decided that we'd go to the Friday night show if possible, but if not go to the 2 o'clock show on Saturday. Well, of course it's Saturday, which wouldn't be so bad, but Cory is also having a get-together in Menomonie on Saturday. So that kinda threw a wrench in the works. But it'll all work out. :) I cannot WAIT for El Patio for supper, though!!!!

Job trials and tribulations!

2006-03-30T15:01:00.000-06:00

I went in to the temp agency Tuesday after not having the interview on Monday like I thought. I assumed I was only going in to take a couple of tests. So I get those done and then the manager takes me into her office and tells me that she's not sure if she can talk this guy into taking me on because of my lack of experience, but there was this other position that I could probably do good at. But in the meantime she was going to have me work there in the office. So, that's cool. I was dead tired from my cold that I have, but I was all for making some $. So while I was working that afternoon, she called me into her office again to let me know that the guy that had the job open that I could probably work for was filled in house. So that option went out the window. But at any rate, she would continue to have me work in the office. So then I went to work there yesterday afternoon, and it was nice to be doing something. On my drive home I realized that I had forgotten my book that I had brought to read at lunch. But no big deal, since I'd be going there again today.

Wrong. On my way to the grocery store to get Shaun a lemon cake and flowers for his b-day, the branch manager called me. She said sorry, but the funding to keep you here for a couple of weeks did not go through. So once again, I had nothing to earn me some $. But then she said that she'd call me the next morning, when I told her that I had forgotten my book there and had to come back anyway. So I went there at 10:30 this morning. She now has me doing seminars and model homes. Both of which generally just require me to sit there and do not a whole lot. I get to go to a model home tomorrow morning, so that's fun. 12-5 in Woodbury. At least I have something to do! I'm just not looking forward to the drive. Bleck.

But I'm happy because we got the kitkits back. They shnuggled with us last night. I woke up with Dora on my pillow mulitple times. Then this morning she started walking all over my face and all I could think about was what she did in the litter box. Haha. Missed those furry things! I guess as soon as they were on the freeway last night after meeting us, my dad was like, "I miss those cats." Which is funny, since that's what I said when we had met up with my parents last week to have them grandkit sit for us and had just gotten on the road. :)

La di da di o day!

2006-03-26T22:57:00.000-06:00

Thursday I went to the dentist, and found out I have gingivitis. I always thought that I had sensitive gums; my old dentist and dental hygenist never told me the reason why my gums bled. That is gingivitis. So now I am a dedicated twice daily brusher and flosser and mouthwasher. This may be too much info for all of you, but I guess I feel like it's cool because I am taking control of this part of my life - and if I can do it with my mouth, why not the rest of me? Haha.

I found out Friday morning that I did not get the position with the staffing company. They decided to go with the other guy they interviewed because he had more experience. Well, how the HECK do you get experience if no one is willing to give it to you? ESPECIALLY for an entry-level position?!!? Anyway, I was told about a possible position with Frito-Lay. The position is as an administrative assistant to a group of 7-9 people. It would start out in Bloomington then move to downtown Minneapolis (eek!). It would end in October, but then probably turn into a permanent position.

We went to Plymouth this weekend to show everyone the wedding pictures. We stopped in De Pere (Green Bay; I got to see Lambeau Field as a drive-by) to show Shaun's aunt Polly. Her dog Liddy was scared of us but then she warmed up. :) It was the first time I've seen her, she sure is a cutie! (But sorry, I have to remain loyal to Callie and say she's cuter, haha) So now I have a list of pics that Polly wants. Then we drove down to Benson's for fish fry with Shaun's parents (my in-laws!), his aunt and uncle Sarah and Steve and his cousins Emma and Travis, and the Mohrs, Ron, Denise, their daughter Misse and her fiancee Aaron, and their grandson Chase. It was nice to see everyone! Then we went to the Mohr's afterward where pretty much everyone but me had homebrew, and the ladies all sat around and looked at pictures and the guys were downstairs drinking and chatting. Then Sherry and John and one of their boys came over. It was a good time.

Saturday we went to Sheboygan. I HAD to go to Hobby Lobby it'd been so long. I wanted to buy some paper for the cute patterns on them but NOOOOOO. But someone's getting themselves a $50 birthday present. Haha. That evening Grandma Sapala came over and looked at pictures. I looked at her feet and we have the same shoes!! Shaun told me that they were grandma shoes when I wanted to buy them, but I still don't care. I think they're cute! :) Then today on our way back we stopped and saw Grandma and Grandpa Bliss. It was nice to see them again, too, and Grandma Bliss made us some muy delicioso soup. They also looked at wedding pictures and I got Grandma B's list now too. :) Wherever that ended up. Probably in the picture bag.

Tonight Shaun got his new computer that he built working, so now he's happy. I'm nervous about tomorrow; I have to go to the temp agency and do an intermediate excel test and then go to my interview at 10. Where, I have no idea. And that makes me even more nervous. Yikes. I hate not knowing where I'm going, especially when driving by myself.

I have a new cell phone and number, I'll be sending out and e-mail with that and my new address soon. :) Take care, all!

Life so far...

2006-03-22T16:17:00.000-06:00

So, I actually had a temp job Thurs - Tues. Good 'ol 8-5. Paid decent, but it was mind numbingly BORING. The normal receptionist was on vacation and she had changed her passwords twice and didn't update her post-it note. She finally called on Tuesday so I could make up two work orders. Yay! Otherwise I answered the hardly-ringing phone, change the settings on access cards, and let the engineer and cleaning guys know what's up. But it was nice to be able to do something. Even though I read a book each Monday and Tuesday when I finally thought to bring something. Friday was so dead that they let me go at 3. Thank goodness. I was sitting there staring at traffic backing up on 494. Sad. haha!

Over the weekend we went up to Hinckley to show the parents wedding pictures. They are SOOOOO good!!!! So Mom, Dad, Peggy, Lucy, Jennifer, Tim, Dodie, Joanne and Mary Jo all got to see them. Even though Joanne and Mary Jo weren't invited. But everyone likes them. We're going to Green Bay/Plymouth/Milwaukee this weekend to show Shaun's family and have them decide which ones they'd like prints of.

Today I had an interview with an IT staffing service. It would pay nice and sounds like it'd be interesting. So I can't wait to hear. Which will be this evening sometime. Scary!!! We're also waiting for our new cellphones to get here (so I'll have a new number soon!) and Shaun's comptuer parts.

So. There is a lot going on in my life, but not a whole lot of INTERESTING stuff. :)

Dora is a weird little kitty. But as you can see, she's all healed up from her little surgery! :)

Crazy Psycho Neighbor and etc.

2006-03-14T21:25:00.000-06:00

We decided to pay for our internet and cable, so we went and got that hooked up. We waited in line for like, 15 minutes, then talked to our customer service rep. We were like, we want cable and internet. So she was like, ok. So she spends the next 10 minuets in silence gathering everything up. The only thing she talked about the entire time was 'The Simple Life' which was on the TV. So she finally gets our bill ready and whatnot and we get out to the car and talked about how CHEAP it was. We look - she didn't put internet on it. So Shaun's irate and he goes back in there and gets it. He comes out, we go home and get everything hooked up. The cable works, but not the internet. So I call, and the lady says that she can't find our modem. She tells us that this is a common problem within 24 hours, so we were supposed to call back the next day. I did, and they still couldn't find it. So we had to wait until today for our house call. Everyone but the first point of contact lady were all EXCELLENT. But at any rate, it's working now so I'm happy.

Sunday night at about 10:30 the cops came. Not for us this time (haha) but for our neighbors who were having a screaming match. Apparently, she loves him but they fight too much. At any rate, the cops talked to them both but nothing happened. He drove away in his black car. On Monday a white car was sitting in our driveway. Turns out it was our two fighting lovers. I was sitting there, wondering why they were still so stupid to associate with each other still. That's when it started. She roundhoused him right in his face. He started pushing her back against her door. She lunged at him and tried choking him. He started slapping her. Well, this went on for a while, then he finally got out of his car and started talking on his phone. Every time he walked away she would get out and stand outside the door, he'd run back and try go get her out of his car so he could leave. This happened mulitple times. It was just so sad. I really hope that those two get things figured out, and that they figure out if their relationship is so volatile, maybe they shouldn't see each other.

I was going to go to the temp agency on Monday, but the snowstorm made me rethink and reschedule for tomorrow. They called me back today to confirm and tell me to 'dress nice'. Thanks - I think I've got that figured out. So I get to look forward to Excel and Word testing tomorrow. YUCK. Hopefully I don't do too badly so that I can get a job! No call backs yet about the other interviews I've gone on. Oh, except Target offered me a job, and I called back a few days later to decline. It would just impinge too much on my finding a decent-paying job too much. Anyway, when I called to say, "Thanks, but no thanks' they didn't even remember calling me. So. That made me kinda happy to know that I decided to decline. Who knows what would have happened when I showed up? Haha. But it's cool.

Can't wait to pick up wedding pictures tomorrow night!

So...

2006-03-14T21:22:00.000-06:00

...it seems like I can't do an update without putting cat pics in it. But. They're cute, and if you don't like it don't look, I guess. Haha, kidding.

Geekiness!

2006-03-09T00:31:00.001-06:00

Used a barcode generator (thanks for the idea, Ben! :) ) to generate my name. If scanned, it would actually say 'zurichaz'. Spiffy, in a geeky way.

http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php

Angel... work in progress

2006-03-09T00:21:00.000-06:00

Now... please keep in mind that there is a lot of work I want to get done on this. So take it with a little bit of salt. :) recognize the profile of the face>

H'mm...

2006-03-08T23:36:00.000-06:00

I don't have a whole lot to say. It's been a pretty boring weekend for me and what not. We did basically nothing all weekend. Friday night we went to see Pat McCurdy @ O'Garas. It was pretty cool. Lotsa hoochie mamas, though. What was funnier was that this 'group', Herbal T, opened for Pat. (We saw them when they opened for Pat @ The Stone's Throw in Eau Claire, and they were funny - kinda. Then they played the same exact set as when we saw them in Eau Claire. What made it funny this night was that they started talking about Eau Claire. It was me, Andrea, Shaun, Jeremy and Cory all at a table, and 5 of us booed very loudly (we were all from Stout, mind and have a HUGE rivalry between us and Eau Claire). There were lots of people there from Eau Claire to support them or whatever, and they all turned and stared at us. Herbal T were like, 'Hey, don't boo...' Haha, whatever.

The rest of the weekend we literally did nothing. Sunday I sat in front of my computer for about 16 hours. Straight. I made a wallpaper for my Myspace, and then worked on an illustration which I will post. It's a work in progress, I am definitely not satisfied with it. It needs more shading. Anyway, at this point, I have a total of about 25 hours into it. Sad to think - that's over a day! It's been so long since I've actually spent any time doing anything really related to my major... I think that I have finally gotten over the overload of stress related to my senior project. Thank GOD. I have ideas in mind for canvases to paint to liven up our place since we aren't going to be painting anymore. But we have to wait until I get a job to do that. Ugh, I have the hugest creative urgings right now. I almost literally cannot sit still. I don't even want to read! (which, if you know me, says something!)

Monday Jennifer came down to see us! Yay! I <3 visitors! Monday night we had to try to get tickets for Cory @ the Xcel box office (but they were out) so then we went to eat @ Billy's Tavern (yum!!!) up on Grand and try to get me a new keychain that Shaun broke. But they were closed. So we then watched Walk the Line (great movie!). Tuesday Jen and I went swimming, then cleaned up and went to the MOA. We basically walked all the way around every floor. (We did #1 twice) but she got what she needed, and I spent less than $10. Then we came back here and I realized that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire went on sale, so we went and picked that up, too. And then we watched it. (Of course!) Then Jennifer left this morning. I went and worked out. I found my iShuffle, thank goodness. It is a lot easier working out to fast-paced music than the TV. Seems to go much faster - you can break it down into how many songs you listen to, haha. Seems easier to digest that way. I know I have to start doing weights, but I detest weight lifting. But more muscles = more calories burned.

The lady from my first interview returned my call yesterday (I had made it in the morning) and said that she was still interviewing this week and that she'd get back to me. She called me 'hon'. I wonder if it's a speech mannerism or she actually liked me? Who knows. Haven't heard anything else about my second interview, but I'm not surprised. I just want a call back so I can actually go shopping! Haha!

Anyway, tomorrow I'm sure I'm just going to be cleaning up around here and working out whenever I get around to it. Friday we're going to our photographer's studio to get our wedding pictures (YAAAAAAAAAAAY!). I can't wait. And Shaun has free tickets to the Auto Show, so I'm sure we'll be going to that this weekend. Hope you all are having a great week!

Turns out I had more to say than I thought...!

Edit: Dietrich, our photographer called tonight. Turns out the processing center doesn't have the pictures ready for tomorrow, and that he would like time to get them arranged for us. So now we're going to pick them up Wednesday night. :( sad times!

Sorry, I had to. She's so darn cute sometimes.

(@#$^&@#)@##@$&#$ $^U#$#$)P !@)#U&#$

2006-03-03T18:47:00.000-06:00

***GOOD hinge

***BAD hinge

That about sums it up when a $2,500 computer breaks. :*(

<3 Kitty love!!!

2006-03-03T18:27:00.000-06:00

Dora curled up... with an owie. :(

Close-up.

CHUBBY CHUB!!

I'm a bear!

Now I lay me down to sleep...

Much needed update... haha!

2006-03-02T15:02:00.000-06:00

So. Not a whole lot has been going on. Last Friday I had an interview, and it went well. What I would be doing if I got the position would be talking to people who own timeshares and taking care of whatever problems they might have, and making reservations and whatnot. It'd be high stress (think people calling and swearing at you because something isn't right). But it would be a challenge and would be fun.

Then Friday night Shaun and his buddy Dan from work went up to Duluth to go skiing. Andrea came over and since it was so late we just went to Chevy's and had a drink. She swore the bartender was hitting on me (I didn't think so). Then when we went to leave the Mexican man that was sitting behind me asked if we were leaving, and I said yes and that he could have my chair if he wanted it. Then he said something to the effect of, 'you want to leave with me?' And I said, 'No. I'm leaving with her.' Weiiird.

Saturday I left to bring the kittens up north so that they could go in to the Vet's on Monday. They got their last shot and spayed and whatnot Monday. Sat night my dad, mom and I went to town to have a drink and dinner. Tyler met us, and Shaun got dropped off just as we got there. Dan was pulling out just as we were pulling in. So we had a couple of drinks at the Firehouse, then we went to Tobie's to have dinner. It was good, if a little greasy.

Shaun and I came home Sunday after Jennifer came and visited us. Since the kitties stayed overnight at the Vet's, I didn't go back up until Tues morning, and I spent the night. Brought the kitties back home. They seem to be doing very well, they're jumping up and down off of everything.

Went swimming this morning. It was embarassing on my walk back. My sweatpants were soaked in a way that it looked like I had had an... accident. And a few people were walking behing me. Embarassing.

Anyway, I have another interview at Kelly Services in Bloomington. It's a 15 minute drive from here. Probably would be less if I didn't get stuck behind the granny that drives 45 miles per hour and apparently doesn't grasp the fact that you have to merge on an on ramp. Oh, well. But that position is for a Staffing Specialist. What I would be doing is interviewing people who want to be placed in positions to see what they would be best at. It would be fun.

All I know is is that I need a job and a life again.

Hilarity

2006-03-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

I ran across this pic today... cracked me up. :D

H-Town!

2006-02-25T00:03:00.000-06:00

Me and the kitties are making a showing in H-Town tomorrow!!! give me a call or something if you are up for it....!!!

Interview results...

2006-02-24T17:49:00.000-06:00

If I get this position it will be high stress. I will have customers calling and swearing at me and calling me names. I am actually looking forward to the challenge it presents. The lady I interviewed with said she will almost positively call me back for a second interview. So that's cool. I'm an idiot and couldn't remember a couple of phone numbers and I got the date wrong on the application but... I hope that's minor. I am super excited and really really hope I get this job.

Interview!

2006-02-22T21:49:00.000-06:00

So, I found out tonight via e-mail that I have an interview for Friday at 5. Funfun. But - I'm psyched and nervous. Now I only have like, a day and a half to be nervous for it, which is nice and a pain in the rump, too. But - Hopefully I'll soon have a job that I am doing more than minimum wage for. Wish me luck!!

Epiphany...?

2006-02-22T15:10:00.000-06:00

So, I went and got my drivers license and tabs renewed. Funfun. Then I got broadsided by this INSANE craving for Cadbury Mini Eggs. Insane. You have no idea. So when I left the DMV I drove around the mall to go to Target, which I know has Mini-Eggs. I drove up, pulled into a parking spot, and sat there. I had an internal dialogue (hey - at least I wasn't talking out loud to myself in my car - how crazy would that have made me look?) about whether I really wanted to negate the effects of the past two days - the burning of calories that amounted to approx. 350. Or the fact that I had been eating halfway decently and smartly, compared to usual. No, I decided, it was NOT worth it. So after my lovely trip (which included three near accidents, one nearly involving me [mind, these all occurred on a stretch of road totaling LESS than 3 miles]) I saw the gas station. It drew me in like a sailor to the harpies. Excluding Sinbad, of course. So I go in there, hoping to find a mini bag of Mini Eggs (like, 6 in a bag). No such luck/curse. So I decided to go with a small package of soft batch cookies (of which I ate 2) and then a pint of sherbert (which is fat free and has 120 cals/half cup). Not bad, I tell myself. So now all I can eat for the rest of tonight is dinner (spaghetti) and baby carrots and lots and lots of water. I should go work out, but... Shaun's not going to go with. He's going to go play disc golf tonight, and it's more of a fair-weather sport to me. Think of me and give me ambition!!!

The NUMMY and HORRIBLE Cadbury Mini Eggs.

I did it..

2006-02-20T12:55:00.000-06:00

I managed to get my buttocks over to the 'fitness center' (one little room with a weight machine, bicycle machine, elliptical, and three treadmills) and get on that elliptical machine and go at it. It certinally did prove to me how out of shape I am (like I had any misgivings... haha) but now I feel better that I actually did something... Now, where are those Cadbury Mini-Eggs? ;-)

V-day flowers and cats and humiliation (kinda)

2006-02-19T20:32:00.000-06:00

Well, here's pictures of part of my valentine's day flowers, progressively zooming in, and of my cats, and finally, of Dora humiliating me by... well, you'll see.

El Biblioteca Publica

2006-02-15T14:59:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention... I am at the public library. And this place is amazing. Rather disappointed with their SciFi/Fantasy section, though. But beggars can't be choosers, and now I can use the internet! :D YAAAY! I think our neighbors got smart and named and password protected their wireless network, because I never see the old one anymore, and now there's a new wireless network. Darn. Oh, well.

Grossage!

2006-02-15T14:46:00.000-06:00

This will probably totally gross everyone out and make them not want to come and see me (boo! hiss!) but I guess I can honestly say I won't blame you. Too much. ;-)

ANYways, right after we moved in we found a bug crawling around on the counter and we killed it and told the people we rent from about it. Pesticide guy came and 'treated for crawling insects'. Then called us and let us know that the guy who lived there before (that the cops came looking for, remember) owned geckos and iguanas and whatnot, and that it was probably a loose feeder cricket or SOMEthing.

Monday I found another one. This time I put it in a plastic container to bring to the office. Well, I showed them alright. The 'guys' were there. One suggested (before seeing it) that it was a box elder bug. Maybe I look like a hysterical female or something that is scurred of bugs, but please. Give me some credit. I trapped and was carrying the stupid thing. (How could he know that I grew up playing with frogs and toads and daddy longlegs and grubs [grode]?) The lady behind the desk was all like, 'It's not going to jump out at me, is it?' Haha. No. It won't. So, the other guy said that box elder bugs were black and orange. I had completely forgotten that point, but I also just knew it wasn't a box elder bug. So they all grouped around the plastic container, and the property manager realized the hubub and came out to investigate. So there were 4 people plus me crowded around this thing waiting to get a peek. When I opened it and the little beastie was revealed, there was a general drawing back and intake of breath. Yep. It was the dreaded cucaracha. So, great. The property manager was all like, 'Oh, well, that was a really clean apartment, even while the previous tenants lived there, so they aren't in the apartment. It's all a matter of finding where they're coming from'. I was all like, 'Oh, ok.' but inside was thinking, whatever. Then I told her that the cops came to find the previous tenants of the apartment... at 2 a.m. She apologized for it, saying that she'll call the cops again and TRIPLE check with them that he does not live there, nor ANYwhere on the property. With this frustrated air. Ugh.

Overall: I can't wait for our 13 months to be up. I hope I win the powerball tonight. So we can build a 1 million dollar house, pay off our debts and our parent's, give the brothers 1 mil each, and make sure that we have enough to pay someone to clean our house for the rest of our lives. :D I think the approx. 148 million dollars would do that. Cash option, of course. I'm going to, you watch.

My So-Called Life

2006-02-14T14:12:00.000-06:00

So... my life feels like it's in standstill. Just sitting at home and trying to get everything there organized. It's difficult though with nowhere to put anything. All it does is sit there and take up space. Ugh.

I was supposed to go to Green Bay this weekend (Sorry I changed my plans, Polly!) but there was *so* much to get done at the place that I decided I'd better not. After hearing about the weekend, it sounds like the only thing I missed out on was visiting with Polly. And possibly Grandma Bliss.

I ended up getting our bedroom painted. I LOVE it. I want to add more to the cream wall, but Shaun's still not too sure about my ideas. I think it would be gorgeous, but who knows. I'd probably get really sorry I decided to do it because it'll probably be too labor intensive.

So Friday night for some entertainment I went to the mall and bought a shirt on clearance from Old Navy. Then I went home and read and put some more stuff away.

Saturday I picked up more stuff, organized it into 'storage' or 'stay' or 'garbage'. I ended up throwing the last of my wedding documentation away. It's sad, I worked so hard on that all and it just gets chucked into the garbage. But - no regrets. :) I also went to St. Paul that morning to clean the oven since Mom said that Alissa'd be spending the night Saturday since she was going to see a Toby Keith concert. Well, I get there, pull up the driveway, open the garage, and there was Alissa's car. Damn. I was hoping that Tony wasn't there too. I didn't want to wake them both up! So I snuck into the apartment and sat on the internet and hoped I wouldn't scare them too much. Well, it was just Alissa after all. I was there 20 mins - half hour and she got up. Before she walked into the living room I whispered, "Alissa". She said, "Holy (explective), Dana, you scared the (explective) out of me!" But it was cool, I cleaned her oven, got almost the last stuff out of there, and left. I went to the mall again that night (5 min drive = BAD) and bought a few more things @ Target, all on sale. Yep, that's me. The clearance shopper. Grand total for a shirt, underwear, and a camisole: $10. Got a lock for our storage room, too.

Sunday morning I called Mom since her and Dad were thinking of coming down and staying the night and then going to his eye doctor appointment Mon morning. I was feeling lonely. Well, Dad out-did himself Sat night for Grandpa's birthday, and didn't feel up to coming down. So, ok. I could deal. Shaun got home a little before 7, and we went to Ruby Tuesday's for supper since we still had no food to speak of in our apt.

Monday afternoon my parents came and we went to the mall for lunch and Dad had a Barnes and Noble's gift certificate, so we looked for books for him. I sold him on a couple. :) Then we went and had lunch at Baja Sol or something like that, then I got Shaun's V-day gift, then had to walk across the entire mall to get a bag and tissue for them @ Target. Yes. It is a crazy attached-to-the-mall Target. Then we went back to the apt and finally got my dresser did get together was wobbly, and that wouldn't work. Dad touched up the paint for me (he has sooo much more patience than me!) and when that dried I took off the painter's tape and showed them what the cats did when they had sticky stuff on them. I laughed so hard I cried. I still think the neigbors think I'm psychotic - I'm either yelling, "NO!!" or "OW!" or laughing hysterically. I really dislike kitten claws. So we made stuffed manicotti for supper (Dad was giving it the evil eye until he tasted it!) and Mom and I finished most of the organizing, and they left. THANK GOD she came!!! :)

Tonight we're going to the Cheesecake Factory for supper. It should be good. I have a feeling that, like usual, Shaun got my gift last minute. He told me he'd see me at lunch this morning, and I didn't even get a phone call, which is unusual unless it's Thursday.

I'm sitting in Panera Bread right now using their internet because the neighbors have either 1. gotten smart or 2. completely turned off their wireless. Because even if they HAD put a password on it, my computer would still detect the network and prompt me for a password. But it hasn't even been picking it up. So that's why I'm hardly on the internet. Panera might become my really expensive best friend. Unless I get smart and go to the public library here. Wonder if they're as cool as Hinckley and have wireless there? That would totally rock.

I think everything boils down to: I need a job. I have about 2 friends that live anywhere near me, and I hardly get to see them. I need something to do all day besides fight with cats. I NEED A LIFE. Andrea and I are going to a career fair tomorrow in Minneapolis, I need to get resumes printed (do I make them classic business or artsy?) and I need to figure out where to meet her! Sheesh. So much to do! :) Wish me luck!!

The NEW place...

2006-02-09T10:36:00.000-06:00

...is scary for multiple reasons. I think that it should have been evident from the price of rent at this place that, even though we're in a 'nicer' suburb, this place JUST might be the mecca of the saddest people this town has to offer.

So. Monday night, due to the fact that I was getting pissed off by Shaun's snoring and his subsequent disregard of my feelings, I decided to spend an oh-so-comfy night on the floor in the living room. With the cats. I decided to read for a little while to wait for my slightly frayed nerves to calm down. I could hear someone getting into a car outside below my apartment. My car was parked in the first spot by the door, and I could see it from the one vertical blind that was missing from the blinds covering our (shockingly) sizeable deck. "H'mm, wonder who this is," I thought. And also, "Is my car alright? Is the flashing red light that means 'security system enabled' flashing?" Well, it was. So I sat down to read some more on the comfiest floor this side of the Mississippi. The car that I had lost interest in backed up behind other cars and sat there running. There was a girl and a guy inside. He was vaguely scary. She looked like... well, like someone I wouldn't choose to be friends with. I heard it running, leaned over to look, and figured that they were waiting for someone. I decided at about this time that maybe it was time for some sleep and before that, possibly some spying. So I got up and turned off the lights. Then I walked over to the blinds and peered out. The man in the car decided to turn on his headlights, probably catching me in their glare. "Freaky," I thought. I couldn't help but wonder if possibly they were trying to scare me like some urban legend. Since they caught me, I decided that maybe this was the time to actually invest in some sleep. So I wiggled down into the most comfortable carpet this side of the continental divide, and tried to sleep. Then I hear the running car gun it, and pulled back into the spot that they had been parked in. With their lights still on. I couldn't help but wonder, "Were they trying to catch me peering out again? Are they going to come up here and knock on my door and try to kill me?" So at any rate, I just laid there snug as a bug in a rug and they apparently lost interest and zoomed loudly out of the parking lot. [Author's note: burned out mufflers do NOT equal 'cool custom sound']

The next night the husband and I were enjoying watching something on the 13" T.V. and our cable when this same car pulled out in front of our main doors and stopped. I informed the husband that yes, this is the car that on the previous evening, freaked me out. So we watched. The freaky looking guy and the girl that I wouldn't choose to be friends with looked like they were having a discussion. Their body posture exuded love and contentment. Then, out of nowhere, the car started rocking. The husband and I looked at each other in shock and awe. The freaky looking guy and the girl I wouldn't choose to be friends with were duking it out in the car, in front of the entire apartment complex which could view this affirmation of their love. I sat there barely being able to form words for the act, once in a while being able to clearly enunciate an "Oh, my God." The husband, meanwhile, was trembling with mirth. Eventually, this oh, so public display of... er... affection came to a close. There was some more obviously loving discussion, and then the girl I wouldn't choose to be friends with exited the vehicle, and carefully slammed the door shut. The freaky looking guy chose to show off his lack of vehicular taste and gunned out of our parking lot loudly. I wish I could say this was the end to this particular story, but a few hours later, the decibally challenged vehicle came back... with freaky looking guy and girl I wouldn't choose to be friends with firmly ensconced inside. The husband and I, collectively, decided that these two people were not our particular role models, and that, actually, they aren't particularly bright.

Once again, I wish I could say this was the end to this sad sad turn of events, but I do have one more tale to relate to you that will prove even more forcefully, the sad quality of tenants at this particular residence.

Tuesday night, the husband and I have reached a truce of sorts, being that I'll put up with his loud ah... breathing if I'll quit complaining about it. I had just woken up sometime during the night, over warm and unable to sleep again. Apparently my restless meanderings around the mattress kept the husband from enjoying his rest. He started to doze off again, when I heard loud knocking. I absolutely refused to believe that it was on our door, and was drifting off to misty sleep when the knocking resumed. Due to the fact that the freaky looking guy and girl I wouldn't choose to be friends with well, freaked me out and I was worried they were coming looking for me, I made the husband get up and answer the door. Now, most of the following is being related second hand. I will put my take on things in []. The husband mumbled out loud, "Now watch, it's the previous tenant's slightly inebriated friend coming to pay a visit." [This was also my thoughts] When the husband reaches the door, he looks out the peephole and sees no one. Then he hears, "Bryan, it's the cops. Answer your door."

"Uh-oh," thinks the husband. "I'd better open the door!" So he does, and sees only one cop. [I caught on to the plural of 'cop' much quicker than he did, apparently]

The police officer gives him a funny look, and asks, "Where's Bryan?" [Mind you, the husband is clad in nothing but boxers...] To which the husband replied, "He has removed himself and his belongings from the premises. We are now the current residents of this lovely apartment, we moved in on Thursday."

The police officer then apparently decides to belive him, and questions the husband further about whether he is aware of the whereabouts of the previous tenant, which the husband has assumed is called 'Bryan'. As the husband is being questioned, he keeps peeking around the corner. Apparently, this is suspicious to the police officer, and he asks of the husband, "What are you looking at?" To which the husband replies, "Just making sure that our baby felines do not try to escape to the freedom of the apartment hall." This apparently satisfies the police officer, and he thanks the husband for his time and apologizes for waking him up at 2 A.M. He turns to leave, and two more police officers come into the husband's range of vision, and ask him to call if he finds out anything. The husband then closes the door and comes back into the bedroom. We peer out the window, and espy three police cars and four police officers. Apparently, the police of this fine, fine city are very concerned with apprehending the previous tenant of our new, and very fine, apartment.

The NEW place

2006-02-06T12:55:00.000-06:00

Well, since we've had nothing here to eat off of ('we don't have boxes to haul stuff in!!!') we've eaten out a lot. Ew. I can tell I've gained weight. Bad. But there's lots of good eating places around here, which is BAD. And I live like, 3 minutes away from a mall. BAD. Ugh. I feel like I should go on a purification diet just to get all of the bad stuff out of me!

ANYways, the apartment is nice. Smaller than Alissa's, but nice. It actually has light. I LOVE natural light. And since we don't have to pay for heat, we can have it as warm as we want, yay! The only thing that really sucks right now is that we only have camp chairs to sit in. Ew. And it'll be a few weeks until we have anything else. Well, today we'll be getting a kitchen table and a couple of chairs and our microwave, so we can eat our eating-out leftovers. Joy. Also there's a public library not too far away so that's nice too. :) Hopefully it's a BIG one! We'd been sleeping on an air mattress, which this morning was amazingly low when I got up. I was worried the kitkits had put a hole in it, but actually what they had done was unplugged the nozzle so it was slowly leaking air. But it doesn't matter anyway; our good mattress got delivered today. YaY! I haven't been swimming yet, or used the fitness center yet, but I'm not positive that'll happen this week with all the painting and moving and whatnot that's going to have to happen. There's been a couple of unexpected added amenities that make this place nice! Let's just say, yay for un-techsavvy people! :-D The only thing that sucks is living at their whim. But whatever, if it saves us $!

Anyway, I should go tape up the bedroom to prepare it for painting. Which, I just remembered, I forgot to get paint trays. Damn.

New things

2006-02-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

Well, we got our apartment in Eden Prairie now. We're going to 'move in' tonight. AKA spend the night so that we can get started taping off tomorrow. I think my parents are going to come down on Sunday to help us paint. Have I ever mentioned how MUCH I hate painting? But I also can't wait... I've been wanting to paint where I live for so long... It's a pretty nice place, it has multiple pools, a sauna, hot tub, and fitness center. So I'm going to have to start taking advantage of that schiznit. Goody.

Still job searching, it really sucks and I hate it. I'm going to make sure I apply to temp agencies, too. Any income is good income. Apparently, I am underskilled for anything in my job field, and overskilled for anything else because I never get any calls back or anything. Out of the many, many resumes I've sent out I've gotten one interview and two rejection letters. One of which was an e-mail. INTeresting. I just need a job. Sitting home alone all day with these cats is tough. They are SO naughty. The have already pushed one thing off of the mantle and broken it. Last night they pushed our wedding ornaments we got from Grandma and Grandpa Bliss. If they had broken, cats would have been wishing they were dead. Not from a beating, but from me ignoring them. No snuggling! Haha. I would have gotten over it eventually, but it would have made me heartbroken. As I speak they are trying to climb the blinds. Dora was just chewing on our new cookbook, and trying to run away with my computer's power cable, which they've already chewed on.

I'm worried right now that my car has another ticket on it from being 'abandoned'. Hopefully not. I get to walk all the way downtown to get a new soc sec card today and get my name changed on my bank accounts. Our official Marriage Certificate came in the mail yesterday. That'll be fun. The sidewalks around here are icy, hopefully they do better by the downtown ones. I'm sure they do. I'm going to call Parkway (our new apts) to find out our new address, too. So that we can get all that changed. Yay.

Last set of pics... I promise! :D

2006-01-28T10:54:00.000-06:00

This time, they're of downtown. It was so nice to get out and be able to be creative on something other than wedding stuff!

I actually took this pic through the spyglass thingies by the science museum. You can just see the tops of the steamboat. I'm shocked it actually turned out!

When Shaun got done inhaling every little bit of his chili dog, his only comment was, "MMmmhmmmmmhmmmmmmmmm!" He vows that it is one of the best chili dogs he's ever had. And from a streetside vendor! He was impressed. Can't you just see the look of bliss on his face? Haha.

Rice Park. And the Ordway Center. And the stand (Otto's) where I got some
awesome kettle corn.

F U Nature!

2006-01-28T10:34:00.001-06:00

So... after we set up our bank accounts, we decided to look at the ice sculptures. They were melting, and a lot had fallen off. But they were still beautiful. If there's a lot to look at, I apologize. The sparkle of the sun through them was irresistible. So I entitle this post 'F U Nature!' because it shouldn't be nearly 50 degrees in January.

When I turned around to take a pic of the log cabin sculpture, the goose literally melted apart. Right behind me.

Heat + Ice sculptures = disaster.

Graituitous Kitten Pics

2006-01-28T10:34:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted any, so here's some. I had to cut out a couple of the best ones. Guess why, Sarah*!

Aww! Shnuggles!

Steeeretch!

What is that thing you're sticking in my face?!?!

My take on the wedding

2006-01-25T08:57:00.000-06:00

Ok, so it was a good time. I already said that. There were only a few things that I wish had gone differently. Like, getting a card with a handwritten message from Shaun. {I got him one, and some cufflinks. We agreed to not get gifts, but said nothing about cards. I knew I wouldn't get one anyway - he's not the kind to think of that kind of thing. :*( } Or gotten to talk to my guests more. But all the 'old married' ladies on the knot.com all said that that doesn't really happen anyway. And - what happened to the chicken parmesean? I don't think that that was... but oh, well - it still tasted good!

The photographer was amazing!!! When he asked us if we were taking a limo to the reception site (was the 10 minute drive worth $500? I don't think so...) and we said no, we're taking Shaun's nastay ol car, he offered to let us drive his. What is his ride? An Escalade! Haha. In that beautiful pearl white, too! Then he even put gas in Shaun's car so we wouldn't have to worry about it after the reception. Above and beyond, most definitely!

Not too impressed with the hotel, though. Everyone got told a different time about the shuttle bus. But luckily Shaun's dad took charge of the situation and told them what's what so all the guests that needed to use it got on it. Yay! :)

And now, for some pictures: (They're all from Cory, so that's why he's in so many...!)

Me and my dad dancing... he was so nervous. I could tell how red his face was from the table he was sitting at!!!

Cory and I dancing :)

"I will."

Smiling at each other because we got the dip in the right place!

Brandon and Cory being 'The Men'

Our grand entrance

Free beer + college students = drinking games.

Phew!

2006-01-22T21:58:00.000-06:00

It's all done and over with... and now I'm going through some withdrawal... but mostly I'm happy it's done! Everyone I've heard from had a great time and I know I did! Nothing like going through McDonald's drive through wearing your wedding dress! haha! Anyway, I might be heading up to H-town tomorrow so I might not get a good post up until tomorrow evening, but it's coming! Thank you all!!!!

Wedding update...

2006-01-18T12:47:00.000-06:00

For my few faithful readers. Have I ever mentioned how much I like comments? ;-)

Well. I'm super excited. And I actually SLEPT last night. 12-9:30. A good, healthy amount. Especially since I have been sleep deprived lately. The worst night was when I went to bed at 12 and didn't fall asleep until past 2:30. (I know, I checked the clock - ew) And I got a couple of snugglers. :D I think it helped I slept in a different room than Shaun - no snoring. Anyway, enough about my sleeping habits and on to what we all want to know about - the ceremony and party OF THE YEAR! (or... maybe not. This will probably be boring to everyone else)

Ceremony: Check. We have a pastor, a marriage license (gotta find that!) and a building. Oh, and each other. VERY important.

Reception: Check. Got to pay them and that's about it. Yay. The fun part. I can't wait to eat that DELICIOUS food, though! MMmmmMMMmmmMmmM

DJ - Check. His name is Tony. Awesome. Why that's awesome, I'm not sure. But it is.

Favors: Check after tomorrow. It's going to be edible. Who doesn't like edible? Who really wants to bring some little trinket home to clutter up their house? I wouldn't do that to people. Haha.

Dress: Check. That has been a check for a while. After putting it off forver.

H'mm what else do you want to know about my wedding? I suppose most of you will just have to wait until you see it! ;-)

Bachelorette Party

2006-01-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

I had a great time last night, thanks girls and Jay! There were only a few of us, but that was nice. Didn't have to worry about everyone getting lost... It was Sarah*, Alissa, Andrea, Jennifer and I. Andrea's friend Jay drove. It was his first bachelorette party, so he sat back and observed. We played games and everything before we went out. The 'According to Shaun' game was pretty fun, I only didn't know about 4. And one was because Shaun messed up and 'lied' about his first dog. And I had a list that I had to accomplish - at first I was like, "no way", but after a little liquid courage it became much easier. Haha. :) I got to talk to Andrea's boyfriend Brandon, and he talked me into completing one of my objectives. Then Sarah*s friend Elias called her and I got to talk to him. It was interesting... I think... Shaun called at 3:30 - he's lucky we were still awake!! So I ended up talking a lot on the phone, but I can't really remember what I said - so if I said something bad or upsetting or something, sorry! But once again, I just want to thank everyone for the great night! :-D

I am so sick...

2006-01-13T10:10:00.000-06:00

My throat itches, my nose is alternately runny or dry and cracked and painful... my body aches and my ears won't pop. Can I die? Ugh. What horrid timing for this! Grrrrr.....

It's inching closer and closer...

2006-01-12T16:42:00.000-06:00

But I'm really not all that worried about it. My biggest worry is that I won't fit into my dress. Since I have no scale, I have no idea how my weight is being regulated. All I know is that I've put some on... haha. So, here's hoping it fits still! *fingers crossed*

We'll have to go pick up the marriage license tomorrow, since Shaun didn't have the receipt to do it today. BUT of course, he IS going to register his buddy V for the disc golf tournament... Oh, yeah. I didn't mention that. So, the 27th (yes, that's right, the weekend after we get married) he's going to be in a disc golf tournament here with JP, Steve, and V. Goody. So, we don't get a honeymoon, Shaun has to work all week, and our first weekend together married he's going to be in a frigging disc golf tournament. I just wish he would have thought about how important it would be to me that we get the whole weekend together to do something, instead of not seeing him all day Saturday and I get to sit here by myself... But there is a Pat McCurdy concert that night so maybe I'll go to that...

I had to go buy more centerpieces since we're having more tables than I thought. Did you know that to have lights and tulle on the tables it costs $100? Ridiculous, but it's a nice touch so I decided to go with it. Yikes. Let's just hope our cake doesn't cost more than it has to.... haha! :) I can't wait for you all to see it, I think that it's going to be absolutely beautiful. :) I just hope things click together like I think they should.

Tonight we're meeting with Pastor Paul. We get to see the results of the Prepare test that we took. It should be interesting. Haha. And we get to do some discussion of the book that we read, so we'll have to do a refresher tonight. I really should take a nap, but I have too much to do. I'm coming down with a cold. :( Perfect, Rudolph nose for wedding pics. GREAT.

Robert Miles

2006-01-08T00:39:00.000-06:00

I decided to look him up on myspace tonight... and just listening to the music had caused tears to well up and slowly fall down my cheek...

I bought that CD either just before Shaun and I started dating or right after. We would listen to it as we went to sleep on the futon in my room. It just brings back all the memories and feelings of that time - excitement, giddiness, uncertainty, happiness, contentment, love, attraction... feeling like my flesh and bones are going to burst through my skin, because it couldn't contain how happy I was. I can just see my dorm room softly lighted with the christmas lights I had (dorm room staple!)... and having this warm caring person next to me. Knowing that for right now, everything will be all right. This person cares and wants to be with me.

Things have changed somewhat, that initial excitement isn't there any more. We now know each other so well - there are only a few things left undiscovered. We love each other for sure now, but it's definitely harder than it was at first, when we were trying so hard to please each other. When we were trying to impress so much. When we were hiding the bad things about ourselves. But that's what marriage is, isn't it? Work - because it isn't the way that movies portray life. Romantic life. But it's alright that it's work - we love each other and that's why we're willing to work at it. Life isn't like a movie.

And it further amazes me that music can do this - crystallize feelings and memories so well that listening to the music makes you feel like you are experiencing it all over again. It reminds me of an insect trapped in amber... It's not like it was, but you can still see it and feel it. Poignancy only somewhat diminished - and perhaps even softened in memory -possibly making it better than it actually was, because now you know how much it actually meant to you. It makes me wonder how I will feel if I happen to listen to music that I haven't listened to in years, what memories it will conjure up - good, bad, happy, sad, destructive, healing...? I suppose only time will tell.

I guess that the slight melancholia that Mr. Robert Miles has caused to rise up in me is all for the good - it was a reminder of why I am marrying this man that is now in our bedroom, asleep, and probably snoring. Because he loves me and wants only good things for me. He wants to keep me safe and happy. He wants to see what our children will look like - what he and I look like mixed together. And I want to do all of the same things for him. And upon reflection, that for him and I, that is what love is.

Crunch time...

2006-01-07T09:43:00.000-06:00

T-Minus 14 days until our wedding. Yikes. It's approaching quickly. But we have most things done. Just realized we have to get more centerpieces done! We're going to be having more tables than we thought, plus the head table! Sheesh. So, I'll be getting to be 'crafty' soon. I also have to finish up our programs. Shaun said that he'd be folding about 20 per night. Yeah, right. He forgot. Shocking. So he said that he'd get working on it. I have to finish designing them anyway, but I'd like to have them crossed off my list.

We went and applied for our marraige license yesterday. We tried finding 555 Cedar, and found 540, but after 540 was the capital building. So, we figured that wasn't it. So we ended up going to the courthouse, and they told us where it was. Never would have found it. But we got it filled out, had to raise our right hands and swear that all the information on it was right, and then we get to pick it up Thursday. We almost would have been really rushing it due to our pastor - who had it in mind that our wedding was FEBRUARY 21st. Ummm... no. He called me on Wednesday to see when we should get together and we agreed on the 12th. But then I asked him if that would be enough time to get our wedding license. He said yes, then 'wait... when's your wedding?' And I told him the 21st... and he said, 'That's what I thought. Yes, that should be plenty of time.' And I said 'Two weeks?' Haha. He had me really worried. So that's more or less taken care of.

Last week I went up to my aunt Connie's and we did all of the centerpieces and the flowers (gorgeous!). I'm going to have to go to Michael's or Joann Fabrics today to get more centerpieces. But that's alright. It'll give me something to do (besides the programs). I need ribbon for those anyway. And I think that after going to MO yesterday we got most things squared away. Which is good. She's going to send us a preliminary bill and seating arrangement. So that'll be nice... I'm trying to keep the cost of the cake down so that we can just hit our minimum. And I think that I'll probably be the only person at the head table drinking champagne. Maybe the girls will, but I highly doubt the guys will.

My photographer and I keep missing each other's phone calls to get the day lined up so I can get a timeline for everyone going. I also have to call our wedding coordinator to find out if our readers need to come to rehearsal. But we did get another copy of our ceremony so now I can get their readings to them. :) I didn't write down which ones we ended up going with, but we did tell Pastor Paul, who wrote everything down. And then Shaun decided he needed to clean his car and threw it out. Grr. Oh, well. It figures, the one time he decides to clean something he gets super thorough. :)

We haven't been doing much... Dec. 31st we went out with Andrea and Brandon and Ben and Beth. I haven't seen Ben in years. So that was fun. :) We ate at the Malt Shoppe and then went bowling. I super sucked. I haven't bowled in a couple of years now. Yikes. New Year's Shaun and I purchased a couple of DVD's and went home and watched them. Shaun barely held out for midnight, then we both went off to bed. How exciting. Like I said - we don't do much. But that's alright. :)

I am SO excited for the wedding. To get married to Shaun will be great. And the party afterwards will be super fun, too! :)

My, how BIG they are!

2005-12-29T15:09:00.000-06:00

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

2005-12-26T16:12:00.000-06:00

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...

2005-12-23T09:31:00.000-06:00

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!

Thoughts Gently Meandering

Miami and Key West trip... WOO HOO!

Not much new...

The post I promised!

A month!?!!?

Thoughts & Prayers

Figured it out!

***Update***Update****

Hello, Friends

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

Minnehaha Falls

Foggy Morning

Me to the No Monie!

Cora and Dora! (Of Course!)

Despondency Reigns

I am gainfully employed!

Still Jobless

WORST DAY EVER!!!!!!! RIP...

No job yet...

Cat Haiku

Interviews, being broke, etc.

Whoopsie! And I thought that I was doing good...!

Adult life :p

Catchup

Photoblog time!

Christmas

Our Kittahs!

Holidazzle Photoblog

Last couple of weeks

Photoblog time!

What I've been up to

Honesty in Blogging

Hey, kids!

The pics I promised!

Gosh, Ok, when was my last post?

I really wanted this to be my myspace bg

St. Louis

Catch-up!

Just had to say...

Random pics...

Whole lotta random things...

OMG!!!

Why I haven't posted

Dora

Birthday!

The Weekend Update

Last weekend and wednesday...

What's new with me

Kitties and Graffiti

Fireworks!!!

The Surgeon General Comes Through...

Hi, y'all

I know, I know. I'm not doing good at keeping this up...

Hair Chop.... Choppity Chop!

Kat! A Kitty Kat! And a meow meow meow and a meow meow meow!

I know, it's been a long time...

Sorry!

Stupid bleeping drivers

How goeth the job?

Holy Freaky Thought, Batman!

Kittie's Second Bath!!

Employed!!!!

Job trials and tribulations!

La di da di o day!

Life so far...

Crazy Psycho Neighbor and etc.

So...

Geekiness!

Angel... work in progress

H'mm...

(@#$*^&@#)@##@$&#$ $^U#$*#$)P !@)#U&#$

<3 Kitty love!!!

Much needed update... haha!

Hilarity

H-Town!

Interview results...

Interview!

Epiphany...?

I did it..

V-day flowers and cats and humiliation (kinda)

UpdateUpdate****

(@#$^&@#)@##@$&#$ $^U#$#$)P !@)#U&#$