From the Land of Sky Blue Waters

We're married...

2009-01-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

...and we have the pictures to prove it! Thanks Scott and Laura - they are wonderful!

F+J= :)

2009-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday we drove out to Rapid City to meet my folks. Rapid's about halfway between Missoula and Minneapolis, and is an ideal spot for a dog hand-off. My parents watched the two little troublemakers for us while we took our trip to Belize. It was really hard not to have them around the house, very quiet and depressing. It was awful to be without them, but my mom sent daily e-mails with pictures of their adventures. One advantage of being a lab in Montana: lots and lots of off-leash time. Another advantage: two black lab friends to play and fight with. I'm amazed at how much Josie has grown up just in the month she was away. I took her for a walk on Lake Nokomis today and we both got all snowy. I am so so very glad to have my puppies back because life is so much happier and interesting with them around :)

...?

2009-01-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

Since the last time I posted here I dropped my dogs off with my parents in South Dakota and spend two weeks in Belize on my honeymoon. Well, we're back, and smack in the middle of January, or the beginning of January, anyhow. It's kind of an in-between-time for me right now. I'm waiting to drive to Montana to get the dogs back this weekend (it's way too quiet around here without them). I'm waiting to start student teaching in a few weeks (kinda freaking out about this one, but I'm sure it will be fine). I'm waiting to get in gear and get my name changed officially (so far the only thing I've changed is my e-mail). It feels strange and floaty to be me right now.

The last six months have been so busy. Last semester involved a crazy amount of work (take in mind that I'm practically a professional student, so I don't say this lightly). Before the wedding, right during the semester everything was crazy. I was skipping more meals than I was eating just because I was that busy. Then after the wedding it was hectic finishing the semester and getting prepared for early Christmas and then a big trip. Now we're back and I actually have some time on my hands (no wedding to plan, no classes to go to, no trip coming up, no major holidays), and it feels nice but very strange. I really can't seem to get my act together to get some things done. The office and spare bedroom of my house are disaster areas, but every time I think I'm going to clean them I get so overwhelmed. I know I just need to dig in, but I really lack the drive. I'm sure it's probably the result of all those months of running around putting out fires. Maybe one of these days I'll get my get-up-and-go back. Until then, thanks Pete for washing dishes and being friends with me even when I'm crazy :)

Fredo wants snow!

2008-11-20T11:29:00.001-08:00

He got a little in South Dakota, but he thinks it's time for some more. Also, he wants the lake to freeze over.

Jo

2008-11-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Telephonic Nostalgia

2008-09-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

I got my first cell phone when I was in high school. It was a bag phone that stayed in my car, and I had it because of work. I've progressed through various makes and models of phones since then, and I've always liked the convenience they offered.

My opinion is starting to change. Cell phones have become ubiquitous, and I am so sick and tired of them. At work today I had four separate people come into the store and place orders while having a phone conversation with someone. Excuse me for bothering you to get your order. Can't you even hang up when you need to interact with someone else? Is it too much to ask that someone not be text messaging the entire time you spend time with them?

It seems like cell phones are just another excuse to be incredibly rude. I don't consider myself to be behind the times, but I kind of miss the days when everyone didn't have a cell phone. I'm getting to the point where if I have to listen to one more person talking loudly on their phone in line at the grocery store, I just might pry it out of his/her fingers and beat him/her with it. I'm that tired of cell phones.

Maybe I'm just getting old :)

My Summer List

2008-08-15T20:08:00.001-07:00

Summer goes by so fast! It's easy to miss out on some of the important things without realizing it. So I'm making a list of things that a person should try to do every summer. (I definitely have not gotten to all of them this summer, but maybe next summer I'll do better).

have a root beer float
eat corn on the cob
go to a baseball game
go swimming in a river or lake
walk barefoot
see fireflies
grill
camping
drink ice tea AND lemonade
take a trip
eat strawberries and ice cream
go for walks
go to a farmer's market
eat watermelon
eat cherries
spray your dog with the garden hose

So now I'm tired and I have a headache. So I'm going to bed. I may edit this list more later if inspiration strikes. Or not :)

Computing Upgrade

2008-08-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Who has two antlers and a new laptop?
This girl! The laptop also has a photo booth (that's right, it's a Mac) that results in awesome pictures like this one.

My old laptop put in three years of good, reliable service. Lately it had been showing signs of being past its prime and in danger of suddenly dying on me. Not good if you're using it for school. The battery had stopped working, and overall efficiency had really declined.

So now I have a shiny white computer that seems very, very cool.

In other news, Josie is HUGE and the Olympics are awesome. Pete rides his bike all the time to make the most of the nice weather and Fredo is my main man. :) I'm headed home for a visit next week and I'm super excited.

My Favorite Onion Article EVER

2008-06-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

I Make The Best Spaghetti

It's a classic from way back in 2000. Enjoy :)

Summer Smilies :)

2008-06-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

These are the things that are making me smile in early summer, 2008:

Fredo Potato - He is such a dashing little gentleman. I just adore him :)

Josie - Could she be any cuter? Beyond that, she has so much personality and is by far the bravest little puppy I have ever met.

Pete's Home! - We missed him, but he's back from his backpacking trip. Hooray!

Coffee - Learning more about coffee is fun, and drinking it is, too!

Gardens - Mine isn't much to look at this year, but I am definitely enjoying seeing all the hard work that other people have invested.

Fruit - I love this time of year when things other than apples and oranges start being in season. Saturday at the store I got nectarines and cherries, and I'm super excited!

Getting Married - I'm getting married in about 5 months. Big smiles!

If you're going to drink tea...

2008-06-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

...you should drink tea that has quotations attached to the tea bag. Sometimes they're dumb, but from time to time they can have something good to say. It makes drinking tea (which is already pretty high up on my list of things to do) even more fun. It's like eating a fortune cookie or having someone read your horoscope to you.

Now when I drink tea that has no saying, it just feels empty. My favorite brands that have quotations: Yogi Tea and Good Earth. Good Earth is sayings from famous people and proverbs. Yogi has quotations from some yoga guru guy. There are lots of other teas I enjoy the taste of, but that don't fulfill my pithy saying requirement. Sorry Taylors of Harrogate and Choice Teas! You're going to have to put something for me to read on your teabag is you want me to enjoy your tasty beverages again.

This week's best sayings:
(from Good Earth Apricot Ginger Black Tea) "Enthusiasm is the great hill climber."
(from Yogi Lemon Ginger Tea) "Say it straight and simple with a smile."

If I had a tea company, I would write things like
"Hopefully your puppy won't pee all over your floor today"
"This tea is good enough for who it's for"
"Get over yourself"
"There's a lot of bastards in the world, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana"
"Don't forget to stretch"

:)

Everyone should dance like this

2008-05-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but I think this is the cutest ever and totally hilarious :) Whenever I need a laugh, I head to YouTube and check it out. And now here it is for your enjoyment.

The Art of Being Lost

2008-04-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

For most of my life I haven't spent a lot of time being lost. I lived in the city where I was born until after college, and I always knew where I was. It wasn't until I moved to Madison that I discovered the art of being lost.

I spent a lot of time being lost in Madison. I'm not particularly good with spatial relations and directional things, so quite often I went off track. It was in Madison that I realized that being lost is by no means a bad thing. I found some very cool things while I was lost, and in Wisconsin you know there's always a good chance you might find a Culver's. Often, I would stop for a butterburger and regroup before continuing. Navigating one's way out of being lost also instills great confidence in one's abilities. You shouldn't be afraid to keep driving until you see something you think you recognize. (Note: it doesn't have to be something that you actually do recognize. You just have to go with your gut and rely on hunches.)

Given the amount of time that I spent being lost in Madison, you would think that I would have spent a fair amount of time being lost in Minneapolis. True, the first time I drove here from Madison I frantically called Pete from the road and told him that I didn't know where I'd gone wrong, but I was somehow right by the capitol. However, after that I have always had Pete to rely on for directions. I know my basic roads, and I pretty much stick to them.

This afternoon I was somewhat delighted to find myself lost in South Minneapolis. I was trying an experimental route, and it went awry. I saw some gorgeous houses, some businesses I never knew where there, and I got to remember why I kind of liked getting lost in the first place.

The Highlight of My Weekend and 3 Movies

2008-04-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

My weekend was good :)

Friday night Pete and I grilled out for the first time this year. I stopped at Fresh & Natural foods on my way home to pick up the goods. We had organic chicken and apple brats on organic whole wheat buns with organic ketchup. That makes it healthy, right? Healthy or not it was very tasty and it made me excited for all the grilling that we have in store this summer.

Saturday I went to a Tasteful Treasures party at Mike & Aimee's. It's like a tupperware party, but for unmentionables :) It was fun and there was a lot of good food.

That evening Pete was planning to head to the ArtCrank show downtown with some friends. I went last year, and I loved looking at the posters but hated the crowdedness. One thing that being from Montana does not prepare you for is crowds. I've gotten better, but ArtCrank = hot squishy mess with bike people (on opening night, that is. After that I'm sure it's fine). (Also, I think they have a larger venue plan for next year.) So I was planning NOT to go, but then Aimee came over and I decided to give it a go. So Peter, Mike, Aimee, and Kris and I headed off downtown.

As feared, ArtCrank was uber-peopley. The posters were good, though. Pete and I will be going back this week to support our local bike artists (the line was too long to consider making any purchases on Sat.).

After that we hit Pizza Luce, and that was the Highlight (with a capital H) of my weekend. When it came time to place my drink order, I was feeling uninspired. I couldn't remember what was on tap, and I was hungry and unfocused and didn't think I could listen to the waiter telling me the list. The one beer I did remember? PBR. So in a shout-out to Sconnie, that's what I ordered. Then the waiter asked, "Tap or can?" I have to admit to being a bit of a beer snob. In general I drink microbrews out of a bottle or a glass. I do, however, have a weakness for an occasional beer out of a can. Usually this only happens with Grain Belt at hunting time. So there I was at Pizza Luce, drinking PBR out of a can...get this...with a straw! It was so zen-like! The company was great, the food was good, and the PBR was awesome. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better...out comes my second PBR, with TWO straws! One stuck into the other one so it was a super tall straw! Best ever!

So I had rented movies to watch Saturday night while Pete ArtCranked it up. Since I went with, I watched them today instead. So here's my two cents:

Death at a Funeral: I liked it and I laughed quite a bit. I am rather partial to British comedy, though, and I have a pretty dry sense of humor.

Atonement: This movie depressed the hell out of me. Yes, I know that war does terrible things to people's lives, but nobody laughed at all during this movie, and that's not realistic either. Not impressed.

Becoming Jane: I expected more from this movie. It was just kind of blah.

Looooooong post!

Are we the baddies?

2008-03-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

More from "That Mitchell & Webb Look" on BBC America. This is Pete's favorite skit, and I have to agree that it's pretty funny.

My Love Affaire with British Comedy

2008-03-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've developed an addiction to BBC America. There are several shows that I love, but my very favorite is "That Mitchell & Webb Look." It's a comedy show and it is hilarious. So this will be the first of several posts where I will share via YouTube the hilarity that is Mitchell & Webb. If you watch them, then you'll understand what Pete and I mean when we quote them all the time and bust into unaccountable, spontaneous laughter. :)

Turtle Bread Company ROCKS

2008-03-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

For a year Pete and I have been driving past Turtle Bread Company off of Chicago. We've always talked about going there but never have. Until today.

We stopped in for some soup, bread, and a cupcake. It's a very cool place. The atmosphere is roomy and open, and you can even see into the kitchen. The food was amazing and they have some cute old farm tables in there, too. We had a cupcake, but there were so many other tempting dessert (I am all about dessert, after all) items that I plan on sampling. One of the things that I love about Minneapolis is that we have cute local places like this right in our neighborhood.

Anyhow, we will definitely be back. If you find yourself in south Minneapolis, I highly recommend that you stop in.

I want to be here

2008-02-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

picture by Carlo Tancredi

I have spent my entire live living in northern states. I've lived in three different states, and the farthest south I've ever lived is Madison, Wisconsin. I'm used to the cold and I'm no stranger to snow.

My family rarely took vacations to tropical locations. We went to Hawaii once over Thanksgiving to watch a basketball team play. We went to Florida once, but that was during the summer. Other than that our vacations have all had destinations like South Dakota and Oregon.

I'm not sure why, but this winter I've been itching to go somewhere warm. I'm not sure why this is happening to me now when for 26 years I've been happy in the cold.

I've been dealing with my warm weather fixation by researching honeymoon options online. Of course, that's not going to happen for another 10 months or so. I guess I will just have to wait until summer comes for the cure. Oh well.

It's not summer yet, so why am I so busy?

2008-02-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

I've been living in Minnesota for almost two years now. I can't believe it's been that long, and yet somehow it has. Peter, the Fredo, and I have settled into a nice little routine. We spend lots of great time together, and I love the simple, everyday things we do. Things have been a bit hectic since I moved here with working full time and being a full time student at Hamline University. I have become much less motivated to do things on the weekend. Usually I need a lot of that time to recharge and just relax after the work/school week.

Since I moved here, I have come to think of summer as the busiest time of the year. It's when we take the most trips and have the most stuff going on. It seems like every weekend in the summer fills up so far in advance. It's way below zero outside, but already Peter and I are planning our trips for the summer. I've begun thinking about when we will have his birthday party, and it is still months away. Of course, the holiday season comes in a close second in terms of busyness. The span between Thanksgiving and Christmas is always quite full of things to do and gatherings to attend.

I usually think of the stretch from January until summer as one of the slower times of the year. We stay home a lot and it is just generally pretty quiet. Except for this year.

It's not summer or the holidays, and yet Pete and I have been super busy lately. Most of our commitments have been fun, but they do cut back on my staying-at-home-and-doing-nothing. Maybe I have just become a huge stick in the mud. I just enjoy hanging out with Fredo on the couch.

So anyhow, this onion article used to be me and Pete used to protest. But since I started the work/school combo, I've changed! I sleep in more and I'm much more aligned to do NOTHING. :)

Local Girlfriend Always Wants To Do Stuff

SALEM, OR—Alicia Maas often asks to be taken to dinner, go grocery shopping, and embark on meandering walks without a fixed destination, purpose, or time limit.

The World's Most Perfect Food

2008-02-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but I know as a girl, I split my snack time pretty evenly between the sweet and salty. I even alternate between the two in order to maximize my snacking experience and not get burned out on either one.

It is very rare that salty and sweet are satisfactorily combined in a snack. And that is why kettle corn is possibly the most perfect food in the entire world. It is salty, sweet, not overpowering, and 100% delicious.

I had not had any kettle corn for a couple of years, and then I saw some at the store yesterday. Needless to say, it came home with me.

Also, on Friday I had my annual fish sticks craving. About once a year I get a hankering for fish sticks. I don't know why. I don't even really like them, and have probably only eaten them about 5 times in my entire life. I usually don't give in to the craving, but when I do I always think, "Wow. These are really kind of gross." So I resisted the urge and ate sushi instead. I think it was a wise choice.

Practice your freethrows, kids

2008-01-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying watching some Gopher basketball lately. I'm liking the hustle and hard work that I'm seeing from this team. It's a huge improvement over last year, and I'm excited for the program.

They've lost some close games to some very worthy opponents like Michigan State and Indiana. They refuse to give up at the end of games and they're pretty feisty. Fun to watch, except for one thing...

They miss about a bazillion freethrows every game. Teams that miss their freethrows don't deserve to win. Spencer Tollackson, I'm talking to you. There have been several losses where missed freethrows were the difference in the game.

Gophers, I know you have it in you to pull off a huge upset this season. The Big 10 has been tough for you so far, but keep your chin up.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Dr. King

2008-01-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?" (Speak, sir) Somebody's asking, "How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody's asking, "When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?" Somebody's asking, "When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, (Speak, speak, speak) plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, (Speak) and truth bear it?" (Yes, sir)

I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, (Yes, sir) however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, (No sir) because "truth crushed to earth will rise again." (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (Yes, sir) because "no lie can live forever." (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (All right. How long) because "you shall reap what you sow." (Yes, sir)

How long? (How long?) Not long: (Not long)

Truth forever on the scaffold, (Speak)

Wrong forever on the throne, (Yes, sir)

Yet that scaffold sways the future, (Yes, sir)

And, behind the dim unknown,

Standeth God within the shadow,

Keeping watch above his own.

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (Not long) because:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; (Yes, sir)

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; (Yes)

He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword; (Yes, sir)

His truth is marching on. (Yes, sir)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; (Speak, sir)

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. (That's right)

O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet!

Our God is marching on. (Yeah)

Glory, hallelujah! (Yes, sir) Glory, hallelujah! (All right)

Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah!

His truth is marching on. [Applause]

I love goalies

2008-01-19T21:41:00.001-08:00

Pete and I were at the Xcel on Friday evening to watch the Wild lose to the Ducks. While the game didn't turn out the way we had hoped, I was reminded of how much I love watching goalies.

Hockey goalies are the cutest ever and endlessly amusing. Not cute in a "I want to date them way." It had been a while since I'd been to a game, and they don't show goalies much on TV unless there's a shot on goal. When you're at the game, you're free to just watch the goalie.

It seems like it would be so lonely for them. They bang their sticks on the ice when they like what their team is doing on offense. They wait for refs to look the other way and then dump guys with their goalie sticks. They kind of look like giant crabs scuttling around. They do crazy stretches and talk to themselves all the time. You can almost tell what a goalie is saying to himself by the way his head is moving.

What all this boils down to is that goalies make me smile :)

Gophers, you break my heart

2008-01-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm a big sports fan. I watch a lot of games that I'm relatively unattached to. My team doesn't have to be playing for me to enjoy the game. I always find someone to root for, and it's usually the underdog. I grew up a Griz fan (University of Montana Grizzlies) and attended countless sporting events. I watched their football team win national titles, and lose national titles (damn you, Randy Moss!) I would literally get so nervous during these games that I squeezed my hands together until my knuckles were white and felt like a cave-ful of bats was flying in my stomach. We'll call this phenomenon Sports Anxiety Syndrome (SAS).

Then I moved to Wisconsin. I remained a Griz fan, but something else happened. I learned to LOVE hockey. I watched Bucky win men's and women's national hockey titles in the same year. I experienced SAS during their playoff games, including a triple overtime 1-0 win that damn near killed me. I'm not kidding; I almost didn't make it. I realized during a fit of SAS that I had become a Wisconsin fan.

Now I live in Minnesota. I've enjoyed watching many sporting events here, both at the professional and college level. While I root for the Gophers (often in vain), I don't know if I could be considered a true fan. Until tonight. I experienced my first episode of Gopher-related SAS tonight in their basketball game against Indiana (ranked 10th).

It would have been a HUGE win for the Gophs, and I wanted it for them so badly. They created turnovers, played awesome defense, and made some great plays. The game should have been theirs, but alas, they beat themselves. Missed freethrows and spotty field-goal and cold three-point shooting were to blame. The lead changed 10 times, I think. My head almost exploded. Today, I am a Gopher fan.

Now if only the pharmaceutical industry could make some sort of expensive drug for SAS sufferers like myself. I can just picture the commercials.

2008

2008-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

It seems I've been taking a bit of a break from the interweb. It's been nice to spend less time online. I haven't missed it at all.

I'm enjoying a bit of free time before my classes recommence at the end of January. It's been nice to just relax a bit

I've also been reminiscing about 2007 and thinking about 2008. 2007 was the year Pete and I bought our first house and moved all of our worldly possessions over in a serious snow storm. It was the year we had our first Thanksgiving just the two of us, and I will love those memories forever. It was also the year that we got engaged. Busy year.

2008 is the year that we will hopefully get a puppy. It is also the year we will get married. By this time next year I will be Mrs. Ryan. Crazy.

While I have been away from the internet, my better half has not. Our wedding website is now ready for business. It will be your source for updates, maps, accommodations, and general wedding awesomeness :)

Wedding Website