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

Countdown

2007-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm counting down to the end of the semester. Seven Days left. Only seven more days. My classes this semester have actually been pretty good, but I'm feeling really burnt out. I'm looking forward to a bit of a break from work and no more classes until the end of January. With school and work, I feel like I don't ever do anything well. The house is always messy and I never have time to cook. I always rush my school work, and thinking about everything I have to do distracts me at work. Sometimes I even get cranky with my Peter and my Fredo. That makes me sad :( I have been accused of being rather on edge lately, so a break should do me good. Seven more days of class and then three more days of work after that. I. Can't. Wait.

Sorels

2007-12-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

These are the only boots I have ever owned. When I was little, I used to hate them. While my friends were wearing slimmer, sleek, faux fur-lined black boots, I wore these clod-hoppers. I used to beg for different boots. At one point in elementary school my parents listened to my pleas. They bought me a pink pair of Sorels. Now that I'm older I realize that my feet were never cold in these boots. I still have a pair of them, and if they ever wear out (it takes FOREVER to wear out a pair of these), I will buy another pair. I hope they never change them. I used to think they were ugly, but now I think their functionality makes them kind of lovely. I know now what I was too young to realize then: cold weather gear is not supposed to be cute. If it is, then it's probably not going to do its job. I don't care if I look pretty outside in the winter; I just care if I'm warm. Plus I'm pretty sure that I can still look pretty wearing Sorels and a bomber hat :) When I have kids, these are the boots they will get no matter how much they beg for something else. Hopefully someday they will come to appreciate them as I have.

holiday season

2007-11-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

The Salvation Army bell ringers have been in action lately, so I guess the holiday season is really here. Also, it is after Thanksgiving now. Pete and I had our first ever Thanksgiving at home in our house. It was really nice and very relaxing. All the food turned out great and Pete was a ton of help. Fredo also helped out when any food fell on the floor. We all did our part.

It's so funny to think that next Thanksgiving Peter and I will be married. We also put up our first Christmas tree together. We mostly have lights and red bulbs on it right now, because all my ornaments are in Montana. I did give Pete a Christmas ornament last year. It's a silver bike with a wreath on the handlebars. When we opened the box, the note I wrote him last year fell out. It said, "This is for our tree next year in our new house." :) A lot has happened in a year.

I'm totally done with all my Christmas shopping, and I'm so glad to be finished. I seriously dislike shopping in December. So now Pete and I can spend our time at home drinking hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps instead of rushing around with a million other people. So cozy.

Handsome Boys

2007-11-20T21:10:00.001-08:00

I took this picture with my iPhone on Sunday. We were up at Pete's Mom's painting ornaments. Pete had a good time getting Derek all riled up. He is one beefy three year old. I seriously cannot believe how much he has grown! It's fun being an aunt :)

Mario and my iPhone

2007-11-18T21:31:00.001-08:00

It's been busy lately, but this is what I've been up to for fun. My Mom came to visit last weekend and we picked out my wedding dress. Thanks so much for coming Mom, as I said, I could not have done it without you. Also, having you here made it fun. After that it was busy with work and school all week.

Peter finally tore through my defenses and bought me an iPhone. I LOVE it. It is seriously the coolest thing ever. Thanks to Pete for supplying me with awesome technology and not taking no for an answer :)

The new Mario game is out for the Wii, and Pete and I have logged quite a few hours playing now. In fact, that was pretty much all we did Saturday. I had plans to do other things, but then I got out of bed in the morning and slipped and fell down the stairs. It hurt. No broken bones, but a few deep bruises that hurt whenever I moved yesterday. Perfect day for some video-game-age. :)

Today we spend up at Pete's mom's painting Christmas ornaments. We go every year and it's great fun. There is always a crazy amount of food, and it is great to see everyone before the holidays get really busy.

Very much looking forward to the three day work week and the long Thanksgiving weekend. This year Pete and I are having Thanksgiving just us at our house, and I think it will be relaxing and lovely :)

Fred's Window

2007-11-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about our house is the low window in the front. Fredo loves looking out the window and watching squirrels, rabbits, and people and dogs walking by. It's his favorite spot, and I'm so glad we got a house with a special window for our short little dog :)

October in Pictures

2007-10-28T20:56:00.001-07:00

My uncle Harley

My uncle Larry, AKA "The Colonel"

The hunting van

My cousin Bryon posing with my cousin Rob while he tries to get the plug out of his gun

My cousin Bryon playing football before hunting the first field

My aunt Sharon's summer kitchen in Lake Norden, South Dakota

Pete carving pumpkins

Our Halloween Pumpkins

Pete as a nerd for Halloween

Me as a nerd for Halloween

Onion Sports = Hilarious

2007-10-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Both Teams Satisfied With Three-And-A-Half Yard Carry

KANSAS CITY, MO-Players on both the anemic Kansas City Chiefs offense and the porous Cincinnati Bengals defense celebrated with high-fives,...

M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A

2007-10-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Minnesota! Minnesota! Yaaaaaaay Gophers!

This Minnesota rouser is going out to the Gopher Hockey team. They won their Icebreaker tournament this weekend, prevailing against RPI and Michigan. I really enjoy professional hockey, but I LOVE college hockey. The Gophers are always fun to watch, and I'm really excited about this season.

I have something of a tradition of choosing the best Gopher Hockey name each year. Joining the ranks of Kris Chucko and Alex Goligoski is #4, the freshman defenseman from Chanhassen, Minnesota: Stu Bickel. He had a few good plays last night, and I'm happy to have him on the blue line. Plus his name is awesome :)

In other Gopher name news, one of the players has the same last name as my grandma's maiden name. That makes me a big fan. Alex Kangas, #33 freshman goaltender from Rochester, I am rooting for you! Who knows, we may even be distantly related :)

It's a great day for hockey!

Too Hot for Pumpkins

2007-10-07T18:59:00.001-07:00

photo credit: http://flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/

...or foliage. Today Pete and the Fredo and I had a busy day planned. We were going to watch some TC marathon, then drive up north for some seasonal colors and pick up a few pumpkins. That plan was quickly scrapped, however, when today turned out to be 85 degrees sunny.

I just can't get in the mood for fall stuff when it is so hot out. So it will be postponed until next weekend, I think. Fredo was a little upset that he didn't get his pumpkin today (we always get him a small one of his own, and he likes to try to chew on them), but I think he understands. I felt sorry for the folks running the marathon today, because it was very warm. I got hot just standing there watching. I can't even imagine. I'm ready for some more seasonal weather, that's for sure.

In other news: wedding website coming soon :)

Fantasy Football

2007-09-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Fantasy football has been a big topic of conversation in our household the past few Sundays. This year Pete is in a league for a small amount of money. I have serious mixed feelings about the worth of fantasy football.

On one hand, it makes watching the games more fun, even if your team isn't playing. We've definitely been watching more football than last year, and I'm loving it! It's fun to get into the games and always have someone to cheer for/against.

On the other hand, I think it takes away from pure enjoyment of the game. You're cheering for a team or player not because you really support them, but only because you hope to gain something from them. You also end up cheering in a very confused way; for instance, you might be for one team's offense, but against that same team's defense. Worse yet, you might root against your own team because they are playing key players from your fantasy team. Take today, for instance, when Peter cheered for Brett Favre playing against his Vikes. Shame. A real fan wouldn't let fantasy football sway his allegiances.

So yeah, it's a little bit fun and a little bit unfortunate at the same time.

One final note: now that October is almost here the countdown to hunting has begun!

Sweet Land

2007-09-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

For what it's worth, here is a brief movie review. Pete spent all day today riding, so instead of cleaning the house by myself I took Fredo for a walk and watched a movie. I chose "Sweet Land" largely because the description said it was in Minnesota. It turned out to be a superb movie. It's about a German girl who comes to Minnesota in the 1920s to marry a Norwegian-American farmer. The scenery is beautiful and the story is subtle and lovely. This movie reminded me of my grandma and grandpa and reminded me of all my grandma's old pictures and stories. I highly recommend it, especially to those whose family were (or still are) farmers. It was happy and sad at the same time, and that's all I'll say about it except to say that you should watch it.

Bank of Anne

2007-09-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Normally I'm not a big one for lending money. I tend to generally agree with Shakespeare about "neither a borrower nor a lender be." I don't like borrowing from other people much, either. However, I recently made a small loan that I'm very excited about.

Last month Pete showed me an organization (Kiva) that offers an opportunity to lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world. They request money for their businesses and you choose which person you would like to help and lend money toward their total loan. After the loan is disbursed, they begin paying it back. The default rate is much lower than I expected.

I loaned $25 to Jemimah Mwerezi, a tailor in Kenya who needed to buy a sewing machine. She had been running a successful business using her neighbor's sewing machine, but the neighbor is not letting her use it anymore. She requested $1200, and her loan was disbursed last week.

I like being able to use my resources to touch one person's life. I have so much, and I'm glad that I got the chance to share a little bit with someone else. I also appreciate that it's not charity, it's empowering people. I made my loan to celebrate getting engaged. I think I will make it a personal tradition to make a loan to celebrate good things that happen to me.

If you're interested in more information, the website is http://www.kiva.org

***Note: I just looked at the Kiva website, and due to a recent increase in publicity, they've funded every business on their website. It says they are currently processing applications for new loans, so if you want to donate, wait a bit and check back.

Candles

2007-09-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge candle person, but I like ones that make your house smell good. It's more fun to burn them in the fall or winter because they make houses seem cozy. I love candles that have mostly natural ingredients and not a lot of dyes, etc. So now that it's September, here are my favorite candles:

Caldrea - They make wonderful cleaning stuff that smells really good. Pete and I chose the Basil Blue Sage scent for our house, and we use their dish soap, countertop spray, hand soap, and linen spray. They also make very pretty candles in the same fragrances that smell fantastic.

Tocca - I have loved their lotion forever, but didn't buy their candle for a long time because it's spendy. I got over that, and I adore their candle in the Stella fragrance. It smells like blood oranges.

l'Occitane - I received a lavender candle from their store for my birthday and I'm loving it. I looked at their website, and there are several others I'm interested in trying. I'm in the market for an orange/cinnamon type candle for the kitchen, and I think they might get the nod.

Thymes - Their Frasier Fir scented candle will be coming home with my this holiday season :) Pete says we can't have a real Christmas tree because of the needles. This makes me sad, because I've never had a fake tree. In my family we always had Douglas Fir Charlie Brown Style trees. So this year we'll be putting up a fake tree and in exchange for my compliance, Peter will be purchasing me the most realistic smelling pine-scented candle. This one.

So Long Summer

2007-09-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

In my mind summer is the span of time between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. Today is Labor Day, so summer is over. It's always kind of sad, but there's a lot to look forward to. Here's a quick look back at the highlights of our summer:

It was our first summer in our new house, and it was so much fun seeing what came up in the garden.

Camping with Peter and Fredo at Maplewood State Park.

Camping with Prior Lake friends at Lake Bemidji.

Central. Air.

Visiting my family in Montana for two blissfull weeks and then scenic bywaying the heck out of the way home.

Watching the Tour for 3 weeks, routing for Levi but being happy for Contador, too.

Pete asked me to marry him on August 26th and still managed to surprise me. I said yes, of course :)

It was a wonderful, if very busy, summer. Here's what I'm looking forward to now that it's over:

SoDak pheasant opener - I get to see my parents and Huck and Tom!

Football. The Griz are supposed to be good this year.

Hockey! I'm ready to cheer for both Bucky and Goldy.

Planning a wedding. I'm so excited! My hope is that our wedding will reflect our personalities and that everyone who attends will have a fabulous time.

Drinking tea.

Ode to Kettlehouse

2007-08-29T18:21:00.001-07:00

I am a girl who enjoys good beer. In fact, I try to limit myself to only drinking good beer. If beer is mediocre, I don't waste my time. When I moved to Madison, Spotted Cow and the Great Dane rocked my world (they still do). That being said, in Montana, in my very hometown, I discovered the best brewery EVER.

I now lament the fact that I lived in Missoula for years and never frequented the Kettlehouse Brewery. During our time in Missoula, Pete and I were there many times. It is small and totally unpretentious. Unlike many breweries, it is a place that real locals go to hang out and throw back a few pints. When you settle up for those pints, you'll discover that Kettlehouse uses the pint honor system and they will ask you how many you had. The line to fill up growlers in the evenings is insane, and it was packed like the weekend on a Wednesday night. All their seating is clearly from thrift stores, and they even have some sweet bikes hanging from the ceiling (something for Pete to look at).

All that aside, I must say that their beer is exquisite. From their Hellgate Honey Hefe to Cold Smoke Scotch Ale to their Al Pils, all of their brews are exceptional. There is no weak link in their lineup that I could detect, and believe me, I investigated. Even cooler, their beer is only sold in stores in cans like Surly does out of the Twin Cities. You can't get their stuff outside of Missoula, so I will be requesting shipments anytime my parents head to the midwest.

Kettlehouse, I love you. Cold Smoke is one of the finest beers I've ever had.

Back in Black

2007-08-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Alright, not in black so much as Minneapolis. Peter and I have returned from our two week Montana getaway. It was glorious. I would post pictures, but Peter is currently holding them hostage. It was so nice to see my Mom and Dad and Huckie and Tom. It was good to be back in Missoula. I enjoyed some of the things that I missed and even discovered something I didn't appreciate when I was there. I'll post about that soon. The drive back was beautiful but LONG, and I celebrated my 26th birthday on the road. Thank you Peter for making it special nonetheless :) And also thank you for my professional grade Kitchen-Aid mixer. I'm pretty sure I'm out of my league, but I'm going to have fun with it anyways. Although I may not be making 8 lbs of mashed potatoes anytime soon.

Des Jolies Fleurs

2007-08-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

I have pretty flowers at my house now. It's so exciting to finally have my own garden. Not that all my gardens look this nice, but the one in the front of the house is lovely. See Exhibits A and B below.

Exhibit A: Zinnias

I saw a hummingbird buzzing around them this morning. They have also become a favorite of little yellow birds that Pete says are finches and lots of butterflies. :)

Exhibit B: Sunflowers

Yes, my eyes are closed in this picture (I blame Pete), but my sunflowers are HUGE. Pete picked out the seeds, and apparently they are of the "California King" variety. Which translates to being almost as tall as my house. They're just starting to get heads on them. They make me happy :)

I have big plans for the gardens next year now that I have more of an idea what's there already and what grows well.

Predators

2007-08-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have an axe to grind. This particular axe has to do with the media in our country. Watching "journalists" descend like locusts on the scene of a tragedy (like the one in Minneapolis) makes me wonder how they live with themselves. It's just sick the way they flock to misfortune. Could Katie Couric have made it here any quicker? Does her presence here really contribute anything to the story?

The questions they ask and the way they report on these events is disgusting. They try to press doctors for information on injured/deceased people before families have even been notified. Then, as soon as families do know, the media is there sticking microphones in their faces asking inane questions. "How did you feel?" "Did you ever think something like this might happen?" It makes me sick. Not to mention the fact that events are reported from every angle that creates maximum paranoia. Our media don't report the news, they sell fear.

I know that not all journalists are this way. I know that there was a time when this mercenary style didn't define the profession. I do think, however, that the majority of mainstream journalists should be ashamed of themselves.

So there.

35W

2007-08-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Also known as the road we take to visit Pete's Mom or Dad. Now it's the road we're really glad we weren't driving on tonight. How terrible for those people just driving home from work at 6:00 today. I'm so glad that Pete, Pat & family, Pattie & family, Amanda, are all Derek okay. I guess the good thing is that the rescue operation seemed to be really on the ball and everyone is getting very good medical care (HCMC comes through again). If something really bad were going to happen to me, and I hope that it doesn't, Minneapolis is a pretty good choice of location.

Spots of Sunshine, July Edition

2007-07-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of drama at work lately and my classes have kept me really busy so far this summer. I've been feeling kind of overloaded and haven't gotten much done at home lately. So I'm trying to focus on the good things, and this is what they are:

Zinnias, Bachelor Buttons, & Sunflowers - My garden in the front has really taken off. The zinnias in particular are huge and beautiful. The sunflowers are taller than I am now. I am happy every time I look at them and remember planting the seeds :)

One down, one to go - One of my summer classes is done. That means I only have one class to finish up. I still have a lot to do for that class, but in just a few weeks it will be done.

Montana - I will be there soon. Nothing is more perfect than summer in western MT. I can't wait to see my parents and the dogs. :)

Freddie Spaghetti - Peter gave the Fredo his new nickname, and it makes me smile :)

Pete - He makes me laugh.

Fat Tire in MN - It's like a slice of home right here in the midwest. And even better, it comes in bombers. That's a lot of good beer.

Camping

2007-06-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

Pete, Potato and I are getting the heck out of Dodge this weekend, and I am so freakin' excited. I'm having a serious case of burnout and need a change of scenery. Hopefully I'll be posting up some pictures when we get back. Happy Independence Day!

Happy (Belated) Father's Day and Birthday!

2007-06-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

My Dad is (and has been) on vacation, so it's okay that I'm a little late with this post. I want to wish my Dad a very happy Father's Day and a very happy birthday! And in honor of that, I'll talk a bit about what my Dad means to me.

First of all, this picture was taken of my Dad in his natural setting: fly-fishing. As he is fond of saying, a bad day on the river is better than a good day at work. I love this picture because of my Dad's smile. His smile is infectious, and I can't help but smile every time I see it. Also infectious is his laughter. My Dad laughs harder and more sincerely than anyone else I have ever met. Anytime he laughs hard it is the highlight of my day. You have to respect someone who laughs with such abandon.

The most important thing I have learned from my father is integrity. He has more of it in his pinky toe than most people will have in an entire lifetime. If he says he will do something, you can rest assured that if it is physically possible, it will happen. He is honest, and he works harder than anyone else I know. Anything he does, he does well. There is no one in the world that I respect more than my father. He has taught me how to solve problems, how to work hard, and how to let your work speak for itself. My Dad has given me very high standards for the men in my life.

I know that parents are supposed to be proud of their children, but I am also proud of my
father. When I was little, he had started his own repair shop out of our garage at home. He is a truly gifted mechanic with an innate understanding of how things work. He believes in fixing things the right way and not patching anything. He carved out a niche for himself doing fleet maintenance and repair and is very successful. He is truly amazing and talented in ways that most of us can only dream of. I learned so much working in the family business growing up, and I can honestly say that things I learned at Welton Repair have made me a better employee at every job I have had since. Also, the principle of rotating inventory (putting the old stuff in front and new in back like my Dad does in his parts room) has served me well in everything from my pantry to linens shelf :)

My Dad has a great way with words. So here are a few of my favorite Dad sayings:

Explaining 4WD to me at 15 years old my first time driving in snow:
"It has a lot of go, but not a lot of woah."

When servicing our vehicles at the shop:
"It's good enough for who it's for."

Advising me when I'm having Peter problems:
"I've always liked him. Of course, I'm not the one who has to look across the breakfast table at him every morning."

So thanks, Dad! I am so lucky to have you for my father. I have learned so much from you, and appreciate all that you have done for me (and I know there has been a LOT). I can't wait to see you in August!

Answers

2007-06-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

Apparently I was asked to answer some questions about myself, and I totally missed it. It actually took me quite a while to get through them all, but here they are. La voila.

What were you doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago I had just finished my freshman year of high school. I was working for my dad during summer break. I was still dating my high school boyfriend. I was getting ready to go to "the other U of M" in the fall.

What were you doing one year ago?

One year ago I had just moved all my stuff to Minnesota from Wisconsin, celebrated Pete's birthday, and was on my way to Montana. I spent most of June there with my family.

Five snacks you enjoy:

1) strawberries
2) puff corn
3) sweet tarts
4) granola/cereal
5) cookies

Five songs you know all the lyrics to:

1) Sculpture Garden, Semisonic
2) Short skirt/long jacket, Cake
3) Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot
4) Forgot About Dre, Dr. Dre & Eminem
5) Chemistry, Semisonic

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1) Donate money to causes I believe in
2) Buy Pete a new bike, or maybe a few new bikes
3) Quit working and start volunteering
4) Take a long vacation
5) Buy all organic food all the time

Five Bad Habits:

1) Poor posture
2) Grumpiness when tired/hungry
3) Procrastinating
4) Not putting laundry away
5) Indecision

Five Things You Like Doing:

1) Hangin' with my boys (Pete and Fredo)
2) Taking baths when it's cold
3) Walking
4) Reading
5) Anything near the ocean, river, or lake

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again:

1) Cropped tops
2) Tapered jeans
3) Bangs
4) Windsuits
5) Anything in flourescent colors

Five Favorite Toys:

1) TV
2) Laptop
3) iPod
4) Stuffed Hedgehogs (this one's for you, Fred!)
5) Frisbee

Five Annoyances:

1) Pushy people
2) People writing checks at the store
3) Bad Drivers
4) Wastefulness
5) People pretending to be perfect and hiding imperfections. It makes the rest of us feel like shit, so just let it out there! You'll feel better, I promise!

Annual Pete Birthday Week

2007-06-05T17:45:00.001-07:00

It's time to celebrate annual Pete birthday week. Because a birthday is too important to celebrate in a single day. Words to live by.

On Thursday Peter will be 28 years old. I know that he doesn't like to make a big deal out of his birthday, but I do. I'm so lucky to have Peter in my life. So in honor of his birthday, here are a few of the reasons that Peter is such a great guy:

*He's smart. Pete is my first line of information about everything, and he's usually right about everything.

*He's funny. Pete makes me laugh every day.

*He says things that you're thinking but won't say. He'll tell those people in the movie theater to pipe down so you don't have to.

*He's got a heart of gold. Pete loves the Fredo just as much as I do after only a year of living with him.

There are many more reasons, of course, but I don't want to embarrass Pete too much :) Happy birthday!

I Hate Goodbyes

2007-05-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

I really do. And I usually cry. Even when I will be seeing the person again. Pete now knows to expect me to cry after visiting my parents. After spending time with someone there is a hole left over when they aren't around.

That is how I felt today at school. It was our last day with kids at school. I know I will see some of them this summer, and I will see many of them again this fall. That didn't make saying goodbye any easier. I didn't cry, but it was sad. I'm going to miss those kids. I have lots of little holes today where those kids used to be.

Sometimes I am frustrated with my job, but when I am, it is always because of the grownups and never because of the kids. They've gotten taller, faster and smarter throughout the year. We've shared hugs and smiles and tears (well, the tears were all on their end because I don't cry much at work). I've helped them through some tough times, and as much as I didn't expect it, they've helped me through some tough times, too. It's been a privilege to spend time with them this year. Of course, there were some that it was more difficult to say goodbye to than others, but I can honestly say that I've enjoyed each and every one of them.

My wish for my kids is that they have a wonderful summer. That they get to go swimming and get grass stains on their clothes and go to Dairy Queen and just be kids.

Bike Love

2007-05-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Pete and I were at Freewheel this last week and I fell in love. With a beautiful bike. With a beautiful, expensive bike. The Gary Fisher Caliber 29. It's like someone made a bike specifically for me. Gary Fisher knows what I like when it comes to bikes. So here it is, in all its green 29" glory.

Almost Summer

2007-05-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've always thought of summer as going from holiday (Memorial Day) to holiday (Labor Day). So that means next weekend, my summer officially begins! Wahoo! It won't be as leisurely as last summer, when I was making the transition between Wisconsin and Minnesota and spent three weeks in Montana, then the rest of the time here getting ready for school and finding a job. This summer I get to work. But hey, it's still summer and I'm excited. Here's what I'm looking forward to this summer:

1) Our house stays incredibly cool. It's nice to come home in the heat to a cool house, without even running the A/C. Thank you huge tree and super insulation!

2) Arnie Palmer. The best summer drink ever. Unless you count ...

3) Summer Beer. I know Pete doesn't care for it, but I LOVE Blue Moon. Scandia's good too :) I suspect I will be drinking that because Pete is incredibly pushy ;) My favorite seasonal brew: Glacier Brewing's Flathead Cherry Ale, which I will be drinking on my ...

4) Trip to Montana! Yay! Almost two perfect weeks of Western Montana summer, spending time with my three favorite people and my three favorite dogs.

5) Will my garden grow? The garden is a big experiment this summer and I'm excited to see how it goes. I have some plans for next year, but for now I want to see what does well and what the squirrels bother.

6) Riding with the Pete. Pete is bikey, and that means that I'm semi-bikey by association. We took the bikes out today for a nice little ride around Ft. Snelling and Minnehaha and it was fab. I'm looking forward to getting out more and making my legs as beefy as Pete's. Or not.

7) Grilling. We now have my Dad's old Weber grill that they were kind enough to haul out here for us. I love that grill and I love grilling, because it's tasty and Pete does it :)

8) Camping. It will be good to take the Hobitat out again this year. We have a group trip planned in July, and hopefully we'll find time to get out a bunch.

9) Swimming in the lake. Enough said. Now if J.Crew would ever ship the other back-ordered half of my new swimming suit, I'd be set.

10) Lots of delicious fruit :) And tasty desserts like fruit pizza, strawberries and ice cream, etc.

11) Freckles. Okay, I'm not really looking forward to these, but they're happening, so I might as well embrace them. I spend a lot of time outside for my job, and no matter how much sunscreen I put on (and I put on a lot), I still get freckles.

12) Pete's farmer's tan. Or should I say, cyclist's tan. It's already almost as bad as it got last year. He's been riding to and from work a lot, as well as a cycling class on Monday nights. I think it is so cute! You know you love someone when you like the tan lines they get from their Livestrong band :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

With Mother's Day just a couple of days away, it seemed an opportune time to make this post. This picture, which was the only one of me and my mom readily available (thanks to Pete for putting it on Flickr), is of me telling my mom a secret on the patio of a Mexican restaurant up the Bitterroot.

First and foremost: Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I seriously have the best Mom ever. Her name is Avis, and she is an amazing resource and source of strength for me. She is incredibly wise, and I laugh harder with her than with anyone else. I guess it's not an accident that we both have the same quirky sense of humor. We have a habit of laughing at very inappropriate times (during quiet parts of movies, or worse, plays). There's something about knowing you shouldn't be laughing that makes you want to laugh more, and we feed off of each other, and pretty soon we're both in tears and people are looking at us like we're seriously deranged. My mom has taught me about so many things, but here are the ones that come to mind first: how to make every day special, the value of hard work, the magic of growing things, how to be a sports fan, the importance of family, and how to be a Noem. And that's just the beginning.

They say that girls grow up and become their mothers. I never put much stock in this, but I'm beginning to wonder. Not that I'd mind, because my mom is fantastic. I've always been told that we look alike, so that is no surprise. Since I've been out on my own, I've noticed some other similarities emerging as well. For instance, I have fully uncovered my gift for culinary disasters, particularly when company is expected. For example, putting muffin pans with plastic still on them into the hot oven, forgetting key ingredients, dumping things on the floor, burning myself. Pete will attest to this special gift. My mom and her mom are the only other people I've known to have such extreme tendencies, while still being great cooks (not that I'm a great cook, but I'm pretty good and I'm working on it). A real turning point happened the other day when Pete and I were at Chipotle. He asked if I wanted any more soda, and I replied, "No, I don't care for any." That is such a my mom thing to say. I never thought I would ever use that phrase. There's no fighting genetics, folks, and I'm okay with that. I have a mother who is beautiful inside and out, and I hope I'm lucky enough to be even a fraction as wonderful as she is.

So, Avis Ann, Happy Mother's Day :)

p.s. Dad, I've got some material for a Father's Day post, too, so stay tuned.

Ill-Gotten Flowers

2007-05-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

First it was Peter and his ill-gotten lilacs, and now it is me and my ill-gotten lily of the valley. Last weekend, our next door neighbor mentioned the plants growing between our sidewalk and her sidewalk and all along the side of her house. She said she didn't like them and was going to get rid of them. They were just beginning to come up at the time, and I didn't know what they were. After thinking about it during the week and taking a closer look, I discovered that they were, in fact, lily of the valley.

My mom has a lily of the valley patch in one of her gardens, and I love it. They're such sweet little flowers and they smell so nice. I know a lot of people don't like them because they can tend to take things over a bit. I had actually been planning to acquire some lily of the valley to plant underneath our ginormous tree in the backyard.

How fortuitous! So I dug up some of our neighbor's lily of the valley and have transplanted them to the tree area. She wasn't around and I didn't ask her, but I really don't think she would care. However, it was HARD work to get them. The ones I took were growing between two slabs of concrete. I couldn't really get in there with my spade very well, and their roots were pretty deep. Who would have thought such cute little flowers could be so much work! Anyhow, I got some and we'll see how they do.

I also replanted a hosta. Those little buggers have some roots on them! I am getting a full-sized shovel in the near future! I pulled and I pulled and when it finally came out I fell right on my ass. But victory was mine, and now it is gracing the side of the house. I will not, however, be relocating any further hostas until a real shovel has been acquired.

I stopped and got some weed spray today, so dandelions hanging out in our front yard, beware! I will spray you soon. I can't wait to get more stuff planted outside. I'm just waiting for some of my seedlings to get a little bigger. I think next weekend I might start getting stuff out there, weather permitting. According to Bachman's, the average last frost date is May 10.

I love having a yard and gardens :)

Pete & Fredo

2007-04-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Pete and Fredo. At first glance they might seem very different, but I have uncovered a startling fact: Pete and Fredo are VERY SIMILAR.

I'll explain. Although Peter is human and my Fredo is canine, both enjoy eating meat. Both will eat meat off of the floor in blatant disregard of the 5 second rule. Coincidence? I'll continue...

Both Peter and Fredo have short hair that becomes curly when it grows out, and both are on the same haircut schedule. Pete got his cut today, Fredo gets his cut Monday. Both sport facial hair in the form of a beard.

Fredo likes to hunt squirrels (so far with little success). Peter has a long history of hunting squirrels (he claims to have enjoyed more success than the Fredo). Peter and Fredo SHARE THE SAME HOBBIES. Both also enjoy taking walks around Lake Nokomis and looking at bikes.

The final and conclusive piece of evidence: neither Peter nor Fredo like to talk. Both prefer to express themselves with unintelligible grunts and ear position. If you look closely at Peter, you will see that his ears actually lay flat against his head when he is nervous or cranky.

In conclusion, I am sure you will agree that Peter and Fredo are very cute together :)

Spots of Sunshine

2007-04-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

I was talking with mom yesterday and telling her how overwhelmed I'm feeling with school and work and everything else. I feel like I never have a moment to myself and I never have enough time to do anything well. She listened and we talked about it. Then she said that it wouldn't be this way forever, and that I would have my moments of sunshine and that I should be sure not to miss them.

My mom is the best and the smartest, too. Today I had many moments of sunshine:

1. This morning while letting Fredo outside, I noticed that the seeds I planted and put in our three-season porch have started to sprout! I was so excited! The bachelor buttons and gys-something-or-other that Pete picked started first. Then, when I got home a zinnia and cosmos had popped up, too. I love growing things!

2. Today at work I was back in my old classroom, and I liked it. I really miss those kids, and it was nice to spend a bit of time with them.

3. Adults are worthless, but kids are the best. At the end of the day we went outside to have snack and play until all the parents came. My co-workers kept talking, to each other and me, and I realized how pointless 99% of what adults say is. We ask questions and don't care/don't listen to the answers. We talk just to hear the sound of our own voices. I know that doesn't sound much like sunshine, but it was. Instead of partaking in pointless frittering away of the afternoon with grown-ups, I played with and talked to kids. I played soccer, I pushed everyone who wanted to swing instead of telling them to pump, I asked kids how they were and their weekend plans, I gave hugs, and I chatted with kids in time-out. It was great. I love those kids. They are priceless, even the ones who drive me crazy sometimes.

4. I came home and planted more seeds :) Hollyhocks, carnations, and sunflowers. Fredo knocked over most of my little pots while I went to get water, but I didn't care. He sniffed at the pots and helped me to cover the seeds up with dirt with his nose. I can't wait until these ones sprout, too!

So thanks, mom :) Without your words of wisdom I might not have realized what a gem today was. Sometimes you have to make your sunshine happen, and other times it sprouts up like the flower seeds that Pete picked out.

Tornado

2007-04-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for me as a citizen of the Midwest: It was my first tornado drill. I've been through fire drills, bomb threats, and even lock-down drills. Living in the mountains, tornadoes aren't really much of a concern. Visiting my family in Nebraska and South Dakota, the threat of tornadoes always terrified me. I have had frequent dreams about tornadoes for as long as I can remember. Sometimes they're super scary, sometimes they're relaxing. I'm the one who is glued to the TV whenever there's an advisory. The names of the counties in tornado land I've spent time in are as familiar to me as my own (Hamlin, Garfield, Dane, Hennepin). I'm the one who is heading for the basement at the first siren. Luckily I have Pete to temper these extreme tendencies. So today I got to lead a group of freaked out little kids into the girl's bathroom to crouch down and cover their heads. If I were a kid doing that, I would have been sobbing my eyes out. I guess things are different if you grow up with them. It went well, and I think we're all set if there's a tornado. I know that Minnesota severe weather is a part of my life now, and I accept that. I'm just glad our house has a basement :)

This Is Why I Prefer Summer, Fall, & Winter

2007-04-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has ever lived in a northern state knows what I mean. Spring is just a big tease. It always happens this way: unseasonably warm weather followed by coldness and snow. It makes you want summer and then it rips the dream away from you. Buds form on trees and your tulips at your new house start coming up, and then you have to cover them up so they don't get snowed on and frozen. I am done with snow, I am ready for some sunshine, or at the very least some rain.

The Twinks finally got one past the Yanks this evening. Ortiz, I like what I see. It was nice to see the guys start hitting finally in the 8th inning. At least we're leaving the series with a modicum of dignity.

Tonight is the first playoff game for the Wild vs. the Ducks. What kind of weak ass mascot is a duck? Of course, I'm not exactly sure what a "wild" is, either, but I'm pretty sure it's tougher than a duck. Judging from the logo, it looks like a "wild" is supposed to be some sort of bear. I envision it as some yeti like creature that will get you if you go camping in the north woods.

"Did they ever find out what happened to Bob?"

"Nope, but they think the wild got him."

It would be the kind of thing that would give you goosebumps around the campfire. In this regard, I find the Wild to be infinitely superior to similarly vague names like the Marshall "Thundering Herd" and the Alabama "Crimson Tide." And of course, infinitely superior to a duck. Let's hope they prevail. Fight on Minnesota sports teams!

Fredo at Home

2007-04-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am Fredo. I like my new house. Here's why I like it:

*There isn't carpet everywhere for me to lick and then puke up the fibers. I don't like puking.

*Squirrels are in my yard. I like to watch them from the window (like in my picture) and chase them. They make my yard smell good.

*I think there are rabbits around here. I haven't seen many, but I smell them sometimes. Good smell.

*We walk around the lake more now. I like my leash.

*I can spend more time outside and duke more often. I like to scratch the dirt with my back legs afterward. Also, no other dogs can come in my yard and pee on my tree unless they are invited. I'm the only one who can pee back there.

* There's a big sleeping room upstairs where I can run and run and run and then rub my face on the ground.

*I live in the kitchen during the day. My food is in there.

I like where we live now. I have a new kennel. It is soft and has windows. I got a new hedgehog toy, but I haven't ripped the stuffing out yet. I'm going to go do that now. Or maybe I'll just nap.

Reasons to be Happy :)

2007-03-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

These are the things I am happy about today:

1) My parents are coming tomorrow!
2) The Gophers pulled off a win against Air Force!
3) The people at the Kowalski's (the one on Chicago and 56th) are so freaking nice!
4) Pete's evil monkey face! I love you Pete!

I Love March

2007-03-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

March has some miserable weather, but it is one of my favorite times of the year. As far as I'm concerned the best sports watching of the year is in March. Not only do we get to enjoy March Madness, but also the WCHA tournament and then NCAA tournament for hockey. It's nice that this happens during such a miserable month weather-wise. The crappy weather makes it feel okay to sit on the couch every night watching sports. It also gives me something else to look forward to, stopping me from fixating on how badly I want it to be summer.

Lots of good close games in the basketball tourney so far. VCU beating Duke in the first round was golden. It was heart-breaking to watch Xavier's lead over Ohio State slip away. I thought they had them! I'm pretty much rooting for underdogs across the board, except for Wisconsin. They're a #2 seed, but I have to cheer for them. On Wisconsin!

Pete and I went to the WCHA tournament game between the Gophers and Badgers. I love going to this tournament because everyone shows up wearing their team's hockey sweater, even if their team isn't playing in the tournament. What other sport does that? You know right away from looking at someone where their loyalties are. The tickets to this game were my Valentine's Day present from Peter :) The perfect gift. Gophers have some momentum now, so I'm excited to see what they can do in the NCAA tourney. I attribute their recent success to the hair :)

Thanks to everyone for coming to our St. Patrick's Day party! We're lucky to have such great friends :)

My parents are coming to visit a week from today, and I'm so excited!!!!

Pete is the best snow-shoveler EVER

2007-03-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more romantic than a boy shoveling snow for you, and Pete is a champ. I don't mind helping shovel, but we only had one shovel. Or that's what we thought until today, when we discovered another snow shovel in the rafters of the garage.

Moving with all the snow has been an adventure. It's been like camping, but in a house. Things are really starting to come together, though. I've never spent so much time at Ikea and Home Depot in my life!

Many thanks to Pattie and John for coming down to help us move the bed. It was fun to see you guys!

Since I work at a school, today was a snow day for me. It was nice to have some extra time off. I really enjoyed watching the white-out conditions yesterday. I enjoyed it much more once Pete had picked me up from work and I was safely at home. The best part of the whole thing, though, was that my evening class at Hamline was cancelled. Hooray :)

Tomorrow Peter and Fredo Potato and I are headed up to Duluth to take in some hockey. It will be nice to get away for a little while, and even nicer to come home now that we have a house to come back to!

One Week

2007-02-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

Only one more week until Pete and I close on our house. I'm excited, but part of me is also kind of scared. There are several reasons for my mixed emotions:

1) I will officially live in Minnesota. No more Montana. No more Wisconsin. I will own a home in Minnesota. It's not just a place to visit Pete anymore. In fact, people will have to come here to visit me.

2) Wow, a house is a huge commitment. Some days I'm lucky to be able to feed myself breakfast and function all day long. I don't feel that grown up. I'm not married. A year ago I had no idea where I would be right now. Part of me wonders if I'm grown up and responsible enough to own my own home.

3) I realize that I have decided to make Minnesota my home, and that eventually it will feel that way, but right now it doesn't. After just a few months in Madison I felt more at home than I do here after almost a year. Part of that I think is that in Madison I was all alone and got to know the town myself, where as here I don't do much by myself because I have Pete. I'm glad I do, but it still doesn't feel like my town. It's also kind of bittersweet because there are many things I miss, and Pete's whole life is already here. He has his family, his friends, his career. I know it's my home now, too, but I guess it's going to take me a little longer to get there. I guess even when you know someone moving to a new place is going to be a little lonely.

Funny Valentine

2007-02-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I know a lot of people don't like Valentine's Day, but I've always liked it. Even when the boys/men in my life have been disappointing (which has happened more often than not), I always get a sweet card and gift from my parents. That's how I got my favorite Griz Football t-shirt.

I don't buy into all the commercial aspects of the day: the flowers, candy, etc. Well, except for the conversation hearts, which I love. I do buy into those, but they're cheap, so it's all good. I know a lot of people find Valentine's Day super stressful, but I think that applies more in the early stages of a relationship, where you're worried about doing enough but not too much.

The past two Valentine's Days have been easily the best of my life. Last year, Peter came to Madison and we went to a Badgers/Gophers women's hockey game. This year, Pete cooked me an amazing dinner and we ate it on the living room floor. I say, what's not to love about a day to tell the people in your life how much they mean to you? Skeptics will say that you need to show it every day and that one day a year is meaningless. I agree that love needs to be there on normal days, too. However, I love any excuse to do something special for each other.

So here's to the two boys who make my life so happy. Thanks for a beautiful day :) I love you both.

School & School

2007-02-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

My classes at Hamline have started up again, so in addition to working at school during the day, I've got school stuff to do at night now. The nice thing (at least I think it's going to be nice) is that I only have to go to campus one day a week this semester. I have a class Thursday night, and then my other class is online. It's such a push to make it from work to class in a half hour with traffic, so I'm glad I don't have to do it twice a week. So far the online class seems like it's going to be alright.

This Wednesday is Valentine's Day already, and this year I'm buying Pete a new bike. Just kidding! With the house purchase looming in less than two weeks, we decided that our new home would be our Valentine's Day gift to each other this year. Plus I would have no idea what kind of bike to get him. He's very specific and he changes his mind a lot. Pete kind of broke our no gift rule and came home with tickets to the WCHA semifinals at the X. I'm so excited and Pete is the best boyfriend ever! Hockey tickets are definitely the way to my heart :)

As much as I like winter, this is the time of year when I start being ready for spring. Lately I've been looking at pictures from last summer and getting excited for this summer. I know we've got a lot of winter left, but I'm pretty much over it now. I could never live anywhere that didn't have four seasons. What do those people have to look forward to?

Uncle Sam

2007-01-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend I finally got received my last W-2 and began the process of filing my taxes. I say my last W-2 because I have worked at three different places this year, and will be filing returns in Wisconsin, Montana, and Minnesota. This is my first year of doing my own taxes. My parents have always had my dad's accountant do their taxes. My Dad owns his own business, so they are super complicated. Ever since I've had to file, I've just had their guy do mine, too. Well, I'm all grown up now, and I did my own taxes with Peter's help. I couldn't file yet, because Minnesota doesn't have the form for partial year residents like me available yet. I will say, however, that this year looks to be my biggest refund ever. Up yeah!

And now I will discuss my most interesting state to file in: Wisconsin. Wisconsin wanted to ask me a few questions when it found out that I'd moved away. It wanted to know where I went, it wanted to know if I'd been back to the cheese state since my move. Wisconsin asked if I had registered to vote in Minnesota, and how long I planned to stay there. I loved living in Wisconsin and would move back in a heartbeat. Answering Wisconsin's questions made me feel like I had cheated on it. This is what it sounded like Wisconsin was saying to me: "Where have you been? Minnesota? Oh, that's nice. How long has this been going on? Were you planning to tell me? I suppose you even got a Minnesota Driver's License, didn't you? Did you vote there? What kind of job did you get there? Are you ever coming back? Well, I hope you and Minnesota will be very happy together!" And then Wisconsin got even more fabulous. You know how states ask if you want to donate money to various things on your tax returns? For instance, a campaign fund or a charity. Well, Pete and I about fell off the couch laughing when we saw Wisconsin's donate page. Take particular note of the order in which the causes you can donate to are listed.

www.peteryan.com/multimedia/annewi.jpg

Now those are some sports fans!

Pete Stole My Thunder

2007-01-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

I was going to post up some pictures from our weekend, but Peter beat me to it. So, to see pictures of us walking Fredo Potato on frozen Lake Nokomis, check out his blog. I can't wait to get a place there!

It was a pretty laid back weekend. Friday night I was taken violently ill and it was not fun at all. I was super bummed, because I was supposed to go to a lacrosse game with people from work. Saturday I was all better and we went to Pete's uncle's 50th birthday party. We got to see a bunch of his aunts and his Dad and Cheryl, too.

I start one of my classes next week, so my days of leisure in the evenings are almost over. It's been nice, and I'm glad I didn't take the J-term class.

That's all I gots.

Puppies & Houses

2007-01-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

I discovered today that I am not good at looking at either of them.

The puppies thing I've known for quite some time. I've gone along to look at dogs three times, and each time my family comes home with a puppy. It doesn't matter if we were planning on thinking things over or just looking. We go to look and pretty soon I'm obsessing about what I will name him. I see puppy, I take puppy home. It's just that simple. Fredo, Huck, and Tom Tompkins can attest to that fact.

It turns out looking at houses is a lot like looking at puppies. I don't have the temperament to stay cool and unattached. I see a house I love and get all excited and start obsessing about decorating. I saw two that fit into that category today during our house hunting. Pete is threatening to stop taking me along.

He goes into houses and looks at how new the furnace is, how old/new the wiring is, if there's hardwood underneath the carpet, and which walls he would knock down. I go and think about paint colors and breakfast nooks. I can't help it! I think it's in my DNA. I just get excited about certain things, and then become determined to make them mine. It just so happens that puppies and houses are two of the main things I like.

Sorry, Pete. Thanks for being the voice of reason in this process. Please don't stop taking me with you. I'll try to be good! Just don't take me to see any puppies, because I can't make any promises about that!

South Dakota On My Mind

2007-01-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

My uncle Larry suffered some brain trauma last week from a fall he took (details are sketchy as he was by himself at the time), and I've been thinking about him a lot lately. Thankfully, he seems to be doing really well. I'm sure it will be a long road to recovery, but I'm so glad he's getting better. He's been busy with all sorts of therapy lately and it sounds like he's been working really hard. I know my aunt Sally is dealing with a lot right now, too, with supporting him and dealing with the long-term implications. I'm so glad that things seem to be moving in a positive direction, and wish the best for them. They are two of my very favorite people.

I was looking for a picture from one of our trips to South Dakota to put up with this post, and came across this one. (I stole it from Peter :) Finding it made me feel pretty homesick. That's my dad out hunting. The black blur out in front of him is his Jr. hunting dog, Tom. The Sr. hunting dog, Huck is there too, he just doesn't jump around as much. I miss my dad so much. And my mom, too. And Tom, and Huck. And I don't even have anyone to give me any hugs to help because Pete wussed out on me tonight and went to bed at 9:00 pm. Maybe I'll have to give Fredo some hugs.

Anyhow, tomorrow Pete and I are going to do some more house hunting. We have a few open houses to go to, so that should be fun. We're enjoying having a relaxing three-day weekend :)

Love to South Dakota and Montana!

2007

2007-01-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

Peter and I rang in the New Year at Eric James's house on Sunday evening. It was a good time and there was a ton of food. Seriously, if we had been snowed in for a week I think we would have been okay.

That leads me to my next point, which is WE GOT SNOW! It snowed a couple of inches New Year's Eve. Finally, some snow. It was fun watching it snow, and even if it is all melting right now I'm still glad we got it. The snow really jazzed up our Fredo-potato. I took him for a walk last night and he ran and ran and ran. He also likes to rub around in the snow :) It's amazing how something so simple as a bath or some snow can give a dog so much energy.

For his walk, I took the little meatloaf to Lake Nokomis, which I have kind of started to think of as my own personal lake. Up until this year I had spent most of my lake-time at either Lake Harriet or Lake Calhoun. I have found, however, that I much prefer Nokomis. I even like the planes flying overhead and I never feel creeped out by the people there, even when it's after dark. In fact, Fredo and I are planning a little Nokomis outing for later on this afternoon.

The most exciting thing about it being 2007 for me is that Pete and I are going to start looking at houses :) Or as he says, I can start "harassing" him about houses now. I can't help it if I'm goal-oriented and ruthlessly efficient. Anyhow, we've begun doing some preliminary drive-bys in the neighborhood of my lake, and I am so very excited!

A Not-So-White Christmas

2006-12-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

Peter and Fredo and I are back in MSP after a wonderful few days in South Dakota with my family. It was so nice to see my mom and dad and Huck and Tom. They're my favorite :)

Although we did get a slight dusting of snow, it was a pretty brown Christmas in Bryant, SD this year. Even so, I got a talking to from the lady who runs the grocery store there when she found out I wanted snow. I walked in the door and was asked, "Are you happy now? Are you satisfied now that we got snow?" Sheesh.

The time back there was really relaxing, which was nice. Pete got in some hunting and ice fishing with my dad. We celebrated my parents's wedding anniversary. We made a gingerbread house and put together a big puzzle of the Eiffel Tower. We made lefse and baked lots of cookies and ate oysters. And we laughed a lot. I have pictures of the gingerbread house, but they're on Pete's camera and have to wait until he feels like getting them off there for me.

It was so nice to see everyone and spend time together. Thanks so much to my mom and dad for making the long trip from MT. I had the best time. Thanks to Pete for understanding how important it is for me to be able to see my parents for the holidays and taking time off of work. He has really become a part of my family and has been there for every high point and low point since we met, whether we were dating or not. I'm so lucky to have such great parents, such a great boyfriend, and such great dogs!

So now we're back in MSP and I'm still enjoying my vacation. Today I cleaned and did laundry at the apartment. I have some more chores to finish, but I'm hoping to fit some fun stuff in, too. I'm so excited for New Year's because after the first of the year Pete and I are going to start looking at houses :)

One Week and Counting

2006-12-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

One week from tomorrow, my vacation starts! Yay! I get off work on Wednesday and don't have to start again until Wednesday, January 3. That's 9 whole days off, not counting weekend. Do I enjoy my job and love the kids at work? Very much. Am I so freaking excited about not being there for two weeks? Oh yes.

And here's the very best part: Wednesday Pete and Fredo and I are leaving for SoDak. We're going to meet up with my folks and the pups for a Christmas rendez-vous. We won't come back until the day after Christmas. That means we're going to make cookies, a gingerbread house, eat lots of bad stuff, and go caroling (Pete's not as overjoyed about the last one. He's not much of a singer.) We'll also get to eat some lutefisk or oyster stew if we're lucky, and we'll definitely get some lefse and fruit soup. :)

In other news, Pete guessed his Christmas gift this evening. This has happened three of the six years since I've known him, and it's awful. Usually it happens when we're in a store and he comments on the thing or something very similar to what I got him. Usually he's telling me how much he hates it. Then I panic. So, we came home and he unwrapped his present so that I can return it and figure out plan B. I'm not as sneaky as I think I am, I guess. I need to work on my lying skills, apparently. Silly Peter.

Oh yeah, our Christmas cards have been sent, so look for them soon in a mailbox near you! Also look forward to Pete posting making-of-the-card photos on his blog soon.

Wii Wish You a Merry Christmas

2006-12-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Pete and I decided this year that instead of buying each other gifts, we were going to go together to get something bigger. We debated a bunch of stuff. Kitchen stuff was out because we have NO space until we move into a house. I proposed some art, but Pete said, "What if when we move we don't have a wall for it?" Apparently he's planning to move us into a wall-less house. So we went around and around with it and guess where we ended up? That's right, we're the proud owners of a new Nintendo Wii and Zelda game.

We got up at 7:00 this morning to head over to Bloomington Target. They had already handed out all of their precious tickets. So we enjoyed some Caribou and made the drive to scenic Burnsville. There we drove by the Target and found the same deal. We decided as a last ditch effort to head across the road. We went to the Toys-R-Us. We were number 15 out of 21 tickets, and they let us wait in the entryway, which was frickin' sweet! We were there for about an hour, and had a little to much together time with a few odd people, but it all worked out in the end. Pete said it was like having a golden ticket. That makes me want to burst into song from the original "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

As I type, my uber-geek Peter is playing Wii baseball, alternating between showing me his best Neshek and saying "need some support runs here." :) So I guess he's enjoying it. Anyone who wants to come over here and geek it up with Pete is more than welcome. I think we might be picking up some Super Monkey Ball pretty soon, too.

We also got some snow today. Very nice!

Food, Hockey, and Sleeping In

2006-11-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

That was my weekend. Here's a recap of Thanksgiving weekend, 2006.

Thursday we went to Pete's dad's for the feast. We got to see Amanda and Derek, so that was nice.

Friday we cooked up the free turkey that Pete gets every year from his work. We also made some stuffing and corn, too. I'm happy to say that everything turned out well and the entire enterprise was incident-free. Well, aside from a minor burn on my hand. I feel like I crossed a major threshold of being grown up by cooking my own turkey. We drank the last of the cranberry wine that we got last year when I still lived in Wisconsin, as it seemed like the appropriate thing to drink. Friday night we went to a movie (Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny). Very funny. We also enjoyed some appetizers and a Gopher Hockey victory at Green Mill.

Saturday we worked on our Christmas cards. Coming soon to a mailbox near you! It took longer than I thought it would, but I think we were both happy with the results. In the evening, we met up with James and Liz for a MN Wild loss, a Gopher Hockey domination of Michigan, and some wings at BW3.

Today we went to Pete's mom's for the annual painting of ornaments. We were there with Derek and Amanda, as well as John's two daughters. Pattie had enough food to feed about 40 people, but it was all delicious. It was a good time, and Pete had fun maiming the gingerbread man ornaments.

Now it's time for another week of work...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2006-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all who read my blog! The above picture is of a Thanksgiving project we did with the kids at school. They had to cut out the turkeys and then write something they were thankful for on each feather. Lots of kids were thankful for food, school, animals, parents, grandparents, etc. We kind of discouraged kids from writing things like toys and games. The funniest response I got I let the kid write because I thought it was cute. He said he was thankful for toys, and I told him to "think bigger" and about something that really made his life better. His response? "Furniture." You've got to love kids.

Here are the things I wrote on my five feathers, in case you're having trouble reading:
green feather: home, health, food, and laughter
orange feather: Mom & Dad
red feather: hockey
green feather 2: Fredo, Tom, & Huck
yellow feather: Peter

I have lots of be thankful for, including my four day weekend that starts tonight. :) Tomorrow Pete and I are going up to his Dad's for the festivities. Friday I think we're planning to cook the free turkey that Pete gets every year from his company. Other than that, I hope we relax and find some fun things to do. :)

Top Tens, 3rd Edition

2006-11-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Things About Living in . . . Minneapolis, MN

10.) Shopping I do not consider myself to be an avid shopper. When I need something I go to the store and do my best to avoid going when it's busy. I don't go shopping unless I have something specific to get, and I try to get the job done as quickly as possible. All that aside, there is something to be said for the shopping opportunities offered by MSP. There's MOA, downtown, malls in all the suburbs, and a huge-ass REI. You can find anything you could ever want here. It allows you to be a very picky consumer and not have to settle for anything but what you really want. It's awesome :)

9.) Up North The only thing better than living in a big city is getting away from a big city. Minnesota provides excellent opportunities for this type of recreation with a bevy of destinations referred to as "Up North." It's pretty up there, and it reminds me much more of Montana. Probably because there are fewer people, but also because there are more pine trees. Lots of camping and a bazillion lakes, what's not to love??

8.) Foliage My Mom has said to me for years that one of the things she missed the most after leaving eastern South Dakota for Montana was the Fall colors. I had no clue what she was talking about. I thought Montana had some good colors. I was mistaken. In Montana, the only foliage that changes colors is generally right along rivers. All the rest stays green. Nice to look at, but not that colorful. Minnesota's Fall colors are gorgeous, especially Up North.

7.) C-u-l-t-u-r-e Not that Missoula and Madison don't have culture (they do), they just don't have it in the same way. Minneapolis is second only to New York City in theaters per capita. Then there's the Guthrie, the Walker, the Art Institute, the Weisman, the Science Musuem, etc. It's cool to live someplace where there's so much going on. Not that I take advantage of most of it that often, but it's nice to know that I could.

6.) Cafe Latte There is nothing finer in this world than the desserts at Cafe Latte. The endless varieties of cheesecakes, triple chocolate torte, luscious cupcakes, and pretty much anything else in their dessert case are to die for. I've been going there for years, so now it is the ultimate Anne comfort food. Although overshadowed by the desserts, they serve some damn fine cafeteria-style meals as well. Their soups are great, and sandwiches and salads are good, too. And it's pretty reasonably priced. It's where Pete and I go to celebrate the everyday occasions of our lives: Halloween (the pumpkin pecan cake was sooooo good), promotions, job offers, grad school acceptances, and pretty much anything else.

5.) Lots O' Sports There are four major professional sports franchises here. While I don't care about the T-Wolves or the Vikes, I greatly enjoy the Twins and the Wild. That's just the tip of the ice berg where sports are concerned, and I think that's fabulous. Local pro sports + local college sports = always have a game to watch. Up yeah!

4.) Music Not that I go to lots of shows, but again, it's good to know that I could if I ever had money and time. However, Semisonic at the Aquitennial and Cake at Summit's Big Brew were superb.

3.) Sculpture Garden I love, love, love the Sculpture Garden. The first time I visited Minneapolis I was taken to the sculpture garden and I feel in love with the cherry spoon. I love the view of the city skyline and just the feel of the place. And even better than the Sculpture Garden is the Sculpture Garden while listening to Semisonic's "Sculpture Garden" song. I highly recommend it. It's gorgeous, it's free, and it makes you feel cultured.

2.) HOCKEY! If you're a hockey fan, the State of Hockey is a good place to live. The Gophers and the Wild team up to provide me with a steady stream of hockey to watch. I'm looking forward to going to even more of the crazy prep school tournament this year.

1.) LAKES! There are many lakes here. I started out by enjoying Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. I expanded to include Lake of the Isles, and later Lake Nokomis. Last summer I learned about the awesomeness that is Lake Bemidji. Perhaps the lake that I have enjoyed the most, however is North Center Lake. Pete's dad has a beautiful place up there, and they are kind enough to let us come up and use their boats in the summer.

Montana Got It Right

2006-11-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

I want to personally congratulate my home state of Montana on getting rid of the jackass known as Conrad Burns and electing this fellow to the Senate:

His name is John Tester. Unlike Mr. Burns, he's actually from Montana (not Missouri). He's an organic farmer. He has a real job and he's a real person. Hopefully that won't change too much when he heads to DC.

Conrad, I know you thought no one in Montana would notice when you changed your turn and suddenly stopped caring about term limits after your first two terms, but we did. You thought ethics weren't important and pretty much pissed off everyone in Congress while representing us. Well, we don't like crooked Senators.

And incidentally, we don't like anyone who talks trash about our firefighters. Here's a Burns quote from last summer regarding a hot shot crew:

"See that guy over there? He hasn't done a God-damned thing. They sit around. I saw it up on the Wedge fire and in northwestern Montana some years ago. It's wasteful. You probably paid that guy $10,000 to sit around. It's gotta change."

He was then informed by a staffer that the crew members made $8-12 per hour. Conrad Burns, we will not miss you. Jon Tester, good luck :)

Noviembre-Novembre-Novembro

2006-11-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

That's November to those of you who don't recognize cognates in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. :) I can't believe that it's almost Thanksgiving, but it will definitely be nice to have a nice, long holiday weekend.

Pete and I had a pretty low-key weekend. Friday we got some Applebee's to go and it was delish. They were so quick! It was ready in 13 minutes and as soon as we drove up they were out to the car. Recommended! We watched some Gopher hockey goodness and enjoyed their first victory in Duluth since 2003. Yay Gophers!

Saturday we ran some errands and made the obligatory Target run. We got a jump on our Christmas shopping and picked up a gift for a wedding we're going to in December. We're so on our game! Then last night we went to see "Borat" at the Southdale AMC. We both enjoyed it and thought it was funny. Unfortunately, we had to sit way up front and my eyes had a tough time adjusting to the hugeness of the screen. After the movie, we went to dinner at the Good Earth restaurant in the Galleria. It was good, but the dessert selection was disappointing to say the least. Pete was having the carrot cake, and I wanted the pumpkin cheesecake but they were out. So I changed my order to the chocolate cherry bread pudding. Out again. I ordered the pumpkin cake. No dice. Seriously. So Pete was kind enough to share his carrot cake with me.

So now I'm gearing up for another week of school and school. On Saturday for the first time I ran into kids from school outside of school. I wasn't really expecting to see them (there were about 5 of them all together), but it was fun to see them.

Pete and I are going to walk Potato around Lake Nokomis here pretty quick. I hope we can find a house we like in that area. I would love to live there and I'm getting pretty excited to get into a house. Next weekend Fred-0 and I are all alone because Pete's deserting us to go to Madison to watch hockey.

Top Tens, 2nd Edition

2006-10-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Top Ten Best Things About Living in . . . Madison, WI

10.) Culver's Wisconsin is the land of Culver's and Madison is no exception. They have many locations there, some better than others. (Eastowne Culver's = Highly recommended, Beltline Culver's = Not). The bottom line, however, is that a butterburger and some frozen custard is a beautiful thing. And the best part of many different Culver's in one place is that on any given day, one of them is bound to have a flavor-of-the-day that you'll enjoy.

9.) State Street & Capitol Square I'm pretty sure the stretch from Memorial Library at UW on one end to the Capitol Building on the other could accommodate pretty much any craving a person might have. There is the super fancy (Harvest), the super cheap (Taco Bell), a million different ethnic places (Russian dumplings, Nepalese, Afghani, etc.), a million coffee shops (from Starbucks to Esspresso Royale), and of course the institution that is State Street Brats. Not to mention the fact that there are a million stores from pricey, to cheap, to hippie, to kitschy. So if you're hungry or want to buy something, you know where to go. Only, try to go in summer, because it's cold in the winter :)

8.) Navigation The first thing I ever appreciated about Madison was the ease of navigation that it offers. Not to say that I never got lost, because I did, quite a bit in fact. What I'm saying is that you only have to know a minimal number of roads in order to be able to successfully negotiate your way through the main parts of town. Start with Washington, that's the most important one. Add in the Beltline and University, and you're in pretty damn good shape. Thank you, Madison, for being so user friendly!

7.) Fish Fry What is more delicious than fried fish? Not much, especially if that fish happens to be walleye. I'm pretty sure that every single person in the Badger State goes to a fish fry every single Friday. Or at least that's what it seems like. Depending on where you're going, you might need to make a reservation. But once you're there, it's all worth while. Delicious fried fish, some cole slaw, and beer. It doesn't get any better than that. A couple to try: the Avenue Bar and Wando's. By the way, every Tuesday night Wando's supplies those drinking there with free bacon. How cool is that?

6.) College Sports Madison is a serious college sports town. It is THE college sports town. They take football, basketball, and hockey very seriously. Hell, they have a bigger student section with more spirit at their volleyball games than most schools do at their men's basketball games. Anyone who has ever laid eyes on Camp Randall Stadium knows that these people mean business. At at the end of any University of Wisconsin athletic event that you attend, you will hear the "time-honored tradition of the singing of the varsity." U-Raw-Raw Wisc-on-sin.

5.) Ice Cream One of the main benefits of moving to America's Dairyland is the ice cream. It is superb and there is plenty of it to be had in Madison. UW's Babcock Hall ice cream is damn good, but my favorite by far is the Chocolate Shoppe on State Street. Oh so delicious. Of course, if you want frozen custard there's always Culver's (see #10) or Michael's Frozen Custard. Madison is a great place for frozen goodness.

4.) Bikes The Trek factory is located just minutes away in Waterloo, WI. There are two Trek stores in Madison, not to mention about a million other bike shops. I ought to know, because when Pete would visit me there I think we averaged about three per weekend (Machinery Row was the closest, so we went there the most). There are lots of people who love to ride there, not to mention lots of bike trails. The Capitol City Bike Trail was a favorite of mine, but the ride out to Picnic Point and the trails around Lake Monona were great, too. Basically, if you're like Pete and love to ride, Madison is a great place to be.

3.) Lakes Most notably Lake Mendota (the one UW is located on) and Lake Monona (the one south of Lake Mendota) feature prominently in Madison. I can't count how many days I spent walking the Fredo along the shores of one of the lakes, enjoying the smell of lake on the wind. Well, that was when it was warm. In the winter I walked along freezing my ass off because there is nothing colder than the wind off of a frozen lake. Whatever the season or the temperature, lakes make things prettier. Yay for lakes.

2.) Beer It's Wisconsin, so of course the beer is good. When I first moved into town, the local brewery I discovered was Capitol Brewing. I enjoyed their Oktoberfest and a selection of their other offerings at Taste of Madison Labor Day Weekend. I didn't take me long, however, to discover some far superior local offerings. Don't get me wrong, the Capitol stuff is good, but it doesn't hold up to the other brews I found. First, I happened upon the Great Dane Brew Pup by the capitol. The have yummy food (I heartily recommend the brats and mash) and good beer ( I recommend the Crop Circle and the Devil's Lake Red Porter). The holy grail of Wisconsin beer, in my humble opinion, is not to be found in Madison, but in New Glarus. That's right, New Glarus Brewing offers some of the best beer this girl has ever enjoyed. How can anyone who drinks beer not enjoy Spotted Cow? I have no idea. Fat Squirrel, Road Sludge, Hop Hearty, Raspberry Tart, Yokel, and on, and on. I have yet to taste a beer they make that I don't like. And the town is a super cute little Swiss town with a sweet bakery. Good stuff.

1.) Hockey I will always remember Wisconsin as the state where I learned to love hockey. While I was there, both the men's and women's hockey teams at UW won national championships. On Wisconsin! I spent some awesome time at the Kohl Center and lots of good time on the couch learning to love an amazing sport. As an big fan of basketball, baseball, and football, I can honestly say that there is nothing finer than a good hockey game, and I have Madison to thank for that. The fans in Madison are great, and it is without hesitation that I can say that hockey was my favorite thing about my time in Madison. Thanks to Pete for patiently answering all of my amateurish questions ("What's the five hole?"), a process that still continues.

A Few Good Updates

2006-10-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

It has been super hectic lately and I haven't had much chance to update the old b-l-o-g. But now I have a minute, so here you go.

Hockey Update:

I know you've all been waiting for me to issue my verdict on the changes to NHL rules following their strike. Well, here it is: THEY ROCK!! In the last week I have seen the Minnesota Wild (my official favorite NHL team) win two games in shootouts. Holy excitement, Batman. I think it's kind of weak when games can end in ties. Plus shootouts are super intense. You get to see some sweet moves and some crazy saves. Yay NHL!! Yay MN Wild!!

Something else you've been waiting for...Last year's best name in Gopher Hockey (Kris Chucko) departed for the ranks of the NHL. While I wish him all the best, it is time to crown a new best sports name on the Gopher Hockey team. Without further ado I bring you...Alex Goligoski #10. His name has flow.

Weekend Update:

I'm fending for myself this weekend, as Pete has left me behind to go play paintball. I was planning to accompany him, but given the cold weather and the sinus infection I'm nursing, he didn't think it was a good idea. I hate it when Pete's right :) Plus the Fredo would have been pretty cold, I think.

Recommendation:

If you live in the metro area and have not been to Tandoor in Bloomington, you must go. They have some delicious Indian food. If you heed my advice and do go, you should get the Chicken Madras. It's so good. You can eat in their dining room, or order it to go. Yum, yum, yum.

And now I've hit my blogging wall for the day. I'm all blogged out.

Top Tens, 1st Edition

2006-10-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Best Things About Living in . . . Missoula, MT

10.) Big Dipper Ice Cream The best ice cream in Missoula since 1995. They have a menu full of classics (vanilla, chocolate), some oddballs (green tea, black licorice), and also a rotating selection of specialties. This time of year they are sure to have pumpkin on the menu. My favorites ever: their rocky road and raspberry white chocolate. Aside from the yumminess of their product, the best thing about Big Dipper is location, location, location. They're ideally situated to buy a cone and walk along the riverfront path while eating. All the makings of a beautiful summer evening.

9.) Casual Beauty There is no place in this town where you can't wear jeans. Black tie means wear your black tie, but wear it with jeans if you want. Jeans are okay at the nicest of restaurants, and there are some nice ones. The Montana idea of beauty is clean-scrubbed and fresh. With glowing skin and hair pulled back in a ponytail you're good to go anywhere. For guys, scruffy is totally acceptable. If you dress up too much, or look too fussy, people will probably think you're trying too hard. Montana chic = beauty in all things natural.

8.) Western Montana Fair The "Great Minnesota Get-Together" it's not, but that's not a bad thing. The fairgrounds are right in the middle of town. The food booths are all run by local groups as a fundraiser (like Sons of Norway offering Vikings, Native American Youth offering frybread, or Missoula High School Bands offering nachos and snow cones, etc.) The food is great, but the buildings with all the photography, huge ass vegetables, 4-H projects, etc. are a blast, too. And here's the best part of all: there are always places to sit, often in the shade. You don't have to wait in line hours for food. The rodeo is pretty damn fun, too.

7.) The M Located on Mount Sentinel, the M is the Missoula landmark. You have not visited Missoula until you have hiked the zig-zag path up to the M. Many other towns in Montana feature a large M on the hillside (Butte, for example), but Missoula's is by far the nicest. Incidentally, on the mountain to the left (north) of Mount Sentinel is a giant letter L. Not as cool as the M. And no, the mountain to the right of the M does not have a giant N on it :)

6.) Bernice's Bakery The best hippie bakery in the whole entire world. It started out as a little hole in the wall. It has expanded a bit since then, but it's still delicious. Their most perfect pastries are their croissants. They are super hearty and filled with things like raspberries and cream cheese. These are some serious croissants. They have expanded into desserts, and their white wine cupcakes are divine. Soooo good.

5.) Beer Three local breweries of note: Big Sky Brewing, Bayern, Kettle House, and Glacier Brewing. Beers of note: Moose Drool, Trout Slayer, Bong Water, and Flathead Cherry Ale. Not to mention the wider regional beers available here: Fat Tire, Black Butte Porter. Beer-licious!

4.) The Wilderness You don't have to go far from Missoula to be totally by yourself with nature. For example, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, affectionately known as "the Bob" or Glacier National Park. That's right, glorious scenic beauty and not very many people. It's easy to go someplace where you won't see anyone all day long.

3.) Griz Football Games A stadium located at the foot of the mountains and the mouth of Hellgate Canyon. A pair of national championships. Just shy of 24,000 screaming fans (that's like a million people in Montana :). Nothing better on a Saturday in fall than a Griz football game. Make sure to sneak in your hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps. Key moments in the game: any time two-time national mascot of the year Monte takes the field, when they play "cotton-Eyed Joe" and John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." When they play the school song, "Up With Montana Boys," everyone sings along. Most notable line in the school song: "And the squeal of the pig will float on the air from the tummy of the grizzly bear." Damn right it will.

2.) The Perfect Day on the River Nothing is better than the perfect day on the River. And if you live in Missoula, there are several very appealing options available to you, most notably the Clark Fork, the Bitterroot, and the Blackfoot. The perfect day on the river is warm, but not too hot. There's just the hint of a gentle breeze (not enough to interfere with casting). And most likely, you catch some trout. If it's really a perfect day, maybe you catch a monster Brown Trout, but that's just icing on the cake. At the end of a day such as this, the best thing to do is to enjoy a hearty local brew and put your feet up, enjoying the sensation of still being on the water long after you're back on dry land.

1.) The Mountains Missoula is nestled into a nice little valley. For people who aren't from around there, I've heard it can feel a bit claustrophobic. For the rest of us, it just feels safe and protected. Visiting my family in South Dakota and Nebraska growing up always made me feel very vulnerable and exposed. Plus, the mountains are pretty to look at on a daily basis.

And now I will conclude with the finest quote about Missoula that has ever been penned. As a disclaimer, I will state ahead of time that I know this quote is not entirely true. I know many fine people in the Midwest. I still like the quote, though. It's brought to us courtesy of Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It.

"There are a lot of bastards in the world, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana."

Emma Krumbee's

2006-10-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

"I'm not coming home without a pumpkin." This is what I said to Peter this morning as we were on our way to Emma Krumbee's apple orchard in Belle Plaine. And guess what? We didn't have to come home without a pumpkin; we came home with two of them. Pete tried to limit me to a very small pumpkin, but we negotiated and agreed on a medium sized one for us and a very small one for the Fredo.

We went with Corey and Mel and Aimee and got there about right when it opened. We forgot our camera, so this picture taken of "Scarecrow Pete" with my camera phone is the only picture we have.

I must say, that is quite a complex they have there at Emma Krumbee's. We looked at the scarecrows and other attractions, we went for a ride behind a tractor, and we ate lunch at their restaurant. Very tasty. In addition to the pumpkins, Pete and I came home with some apple butter and some apple cider.

And now I have a paper to write for my class tomorrow. Next weekend is paintball and the weekend after is SoDak pheasant opener. Hopefully I'll be able to find some time to post up again in the not-too-distant future, but we'll see how it goes.

Happy Birthday to Summit!/Yay Twins!!

2006-10-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening Pete and I made our way to Harriet Island in St. Paul to help Summit Brewing celebrate its 20th birthday. There were about a bazillion people there, but it was still fun. We braved long lines to eat some Famous Dave's, and then braved even longer lines to enjoy some of the tasty brews we were honoring. The beer lines were unbelievably long due to the fact that there were only 2 points of sale for any and all beverages: beer, water, and pop. Poor planning there on someone's part. To the folks at Summit: Nice party, but next time, more places to buy beer, please! We enjoyed the musical stylings of Soul Asylum and Cake, as well as the EPA, ESB, and Scandia we consumed. All things considered, it was a super fun, perfect fall evening. One more picture:

This weekend my cousin's husband returned to Sioux Falls, SD from his deployment in Iraq. Welcome home, Blake! Here is a picture from the Argus Leader (the Sioux Falls paper) of my uncle Win and his granddaughter Cami.

And now in sports news: The Twins clinched their division title tonight. Wahoo!

What a sweet season. Pete thinks he helped them with his "Mauer" sideburns. I think that their turnaround came when I moved to Minnesota. Either way, Go Twins! A win over the White Sox, and a Kansas City victory over the Tigers, and we're starting the playoffs vs. Oakland at home instead of the Yanks on the road. Everyone grab your homerun hankies and sing it with me now:

We're gonna win Twins
We're gonna score
We're gonna win Twins
Watch that baseball soar
Let's hit a homerun
Shout out hip-hooray
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!

How fitting that they did it with #34 on their sleeves and the field. I love that they chose to wear his number instead of a black band, etc. We miss you, Kirby!

And now I will conclude my post and return my attention to Season 1 of "Arrested Development." :)

The Mighty Blackfoot

2006-09-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

My life has become crazy busy. It happened all of a sudden, and now I feel like I don't have time for anything. It's good because I like being busy, but I miss having the time or energy to do some of the things I want.

I'm working full time and I'm loving my job. It is exhausting some days, though. I'm working with 3-6 year olds. Going in, I thought that I ultimately wanted to work with older kids, but this job has made me reconsider. It's really exciting to watch kids take their first steps on their education and to think about that their destiny in school is largely determined by their first few years there. I understand on a whole new level now that teaching is all about relationships. I love that they are all little people, trying to figure out how they fit into things and who they are.

I also have class at Hamline on Monday and Thursday evenings. Getting there involves hauling ass from Bloomington in 30 minutes and usually being a few minutes late. It also involves skipping dinner and not getting home until about 9:30 pm. My professors are really great, even if some of the other students are uber annoying. There are times that I just say "shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up" over and over inside my head. Do some people ever stop talking?

So, the result of the work/class/homework combo is that on my free nights I usually don't want to do very much. Maybe this will change once my system gets recalibrated to this schedule. Or maybe not.

A little over a year ago, if someone would have told me I would be doing what I'm doing (in terms of my job and school), I would have laughed them out of the room. If a little over a year and a half ago someone had told me that I would be living with Pete, or even dating Pete, I would have said there was no possible way that could be true.

It just goes to show how life takes strange twists and turns and quite a bit of the time we don't really even know what we need. I've never been the best at "going with the flow," but if this past year has taught me anything, it's that that's how life is, and that's not such a bad thing. Between getting back together with someone I had sworn off completely, hating the grad program I had wanted and worked for for so long, and getting blind-sided in my car on my way to work, things have changed a lot in totally unexpected ways. In whitewater rafting, they always tell you that if your raft flips, you should hold onto your life jacket with your hands, and keep your legs up in front of you. They say this so that your legs won't get caught in the rocks, and your feet will hopefully be able to push you around and away from any obstacles in your path. So, in the most cliche-ridden way, I'm just trying to keep my feet up. I think if my life were a river, I'd like to think of it as the Blackfoot River. For my money, there's not a better river out there. :) By the way, I recommend to all the book A River Runs Through It. The movie in no way did it justice.

Tonight Pete and I are headed to the Summit 20th anniversary party to hear Cake in concert. I can't believe it's almost October already! I'm looking forward to the fall colors. They're much more resplendent here than in Montana. Before we know it, paintball time will be here, and then pheasant opener in South Dakota.

HHR

2006-09-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we made the journey to Prescott, Wisconsin to pick up my HHR. We got to visit the fine folks at Cernohous Chevrolet, and they were very nice and helpful. I LOVE my HHR. The name stands for "Heritage High Roof" and the designed is supposed to look like Chevy's trucks in the 1940s. Love it.

It handles and very nicely, and is a super comfortable ride. XM stereo is my new favorite thing in the world. It was like Christmas morning when I saw five different Big Ten stations and was able to listen to both the Wisconsin football game and the Minnesota football game. I can't wait for my next big trip when I will have so many sports choices. I haven't set the Onstar up yet, but will do so this week. I can set it up so that it uses my Verizon cell phone minutes, so that's pretty sweet.

So yeah, I'm a happy new car owner.

Picking up your car in Wisconsin has some benefits. Namely, it affords you the chance to purchase New Glarus beers that you can't find here in the Twin Cities. Spotted Cow, how I have missed you! We also picked up some Yokel for the first time, and it's great. I think we will be making more east-of-the-border beer runs in the future. Between our New Glarus and the Fat Tire my parents supply us with, we don't have much on hand for beers you can purchase in Minnesota at the moment.

Last night we headed over to Mike and Aimee's for some grilling goodness, even though it was rainy. We enjoyed the ambiance of their garage and got to meet their new puppy Zoey for the first time. So cute! It was lots of fun. Thanks for the hospitality, guys!

The Newest Member of the Welton Fleet

2006-09-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

The newest member of the Welton Fleet is waiting to be picked up in Prescott, Wisconsin tomorrow morning. I am so excited!!! Of course I'm still sad about the fate of my Blazer, but now I will have a new car to take care of and love :) And tonight I get to get rid of my hated rental: a Dodge Neon. I feel like I've been driving a golf cart. Scary on 494 and the 35s.

It's a 2007 Chevy HHR, silver, fully loaded. Now I will experience the awesomeness that is Onstar and heated seats, and a sunroof, etc.

I have a few people to thank (in no particular order): my dad, who provided information, advice, support, and sweet contacts with Chevrolet; Pete Kelly, who is the nicest guy at a car dealership anywhere (he does fleet sales at Karl Tyler Chevrolet in Missoula) and found me a car and arranged to have the paperwork all go through Missoula (I get to keep my MT plates!!); and Pete Ryan, for a shoulder to cry on and all the research he did. Thanks so much to each of you for taking such good care of me!!

My Poor Car

2006-09-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today was a bad day. On my way to work this morning, some asshole ran a stop sign and f&%*ed up my Blazer pretty bad. It wasn't a busy intersection. I don't know what happened. One minute I'm thinking about the 3-6 year olds that I work with (I was only a block from school) and the next moment I see something out of the corner of my eye.

It was a Nissan Xterra, and I realized, "Oh, that's going to hit me." From that point it was like everything was in slow motion. My window shattered as her car hit my driver's side door. Then I watched in horror as the momentum of the impact sent my car over the curb and directly into the power pole. Once it all stopped, I looked around and realized that my hand was bleeding. Then I realized that my door was caved in and I couldn't get out.

The ass-hat who hit my car then appeared in my window, shrieking at me and sobbing and asking if I was okay. Get out of my FACE!!! The first thing I did was call Pete. I didn't even think about it; it was automatic. The phone was dailing before I really realized what I was doing, and for once Pete answered right away. He suggested that I use the passenger's side door for an exit. He's so smart :) When you're shaken up you don't really think of those things.

So the plot thickens...the girl who hit me didn't own the car. It was her boyfriend's. This is going to be fun from an insurance standpoint. She got out of her car (or not her car, as it were) and started sobbing and chainsmoking. While she called everyone she knew and had five people there in under 2 minutes, I called 1) the police, 2) my dad, 3) my insurance company, 4) Pete again.

The cop had a tow truck come and get my Blazer, and that was the point where I teared up. I love that car. I have had it for a little over 3 years. It has been lovingly serviced every 3 months or 4,000 miles without fail. I have washed it regularly, including every single time it snowed last winter. That car is my friend. It drove me to school in Montana ( the other UM). It drove me to my adventures in Madison, and on every trip I took to see Peter. Pete and I took it on trips. Fredo has hung out in that car for hours. In Madison, I would go grab dinner and sit with Fredo in my car and eat it pretty much at least once a week. It has ferried groceries and all my worldly possessions. I love that car, and now it's hurt because some *&^(%$ didn't stop when she was supposed to. Tomorrow I'm supposed to find out if they're going to fix it or if it's totaled.

I honestly don't know which way it's going to go. The front is mashed in pretty bad, and so is the driver's side door. I'm guessing the frame is bent.

So I went to work after I went to the doctor to get checked out and got a rental car lined up. There's nothing to put a smile on your face like 20 little kids looking at your like you're a unicorn and asking, "Are you okay, Miss Anne?" So the whole thing got turned into a learning experience about how rules exist to keep people safe and we need to follow rules.

The take home message from this whole experience is this: Well, 2 things actually:

1) Pete is the best to have helped me out so much today. There's a reason he was my first phone call, and it's not just that he lives the closest :)

2) WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. I have a cut, some scratches, and lots of soreness. If I had not been wearing my seatbelt, I could have easily gone through the windshield and I would definitely be in a lot rougher shape.

Boy Games & a Quiet Weekend

2006-09-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

I have managed to borrow my laptop back for a few quick minutes from Peter. He has been using it a lot more lately because he has installed one of his games on it. I'm not sure which game it is, but I hear a lot of gunfire and manly voices talking about "missile launches" and "forts" and such. So I have concluded that it is a boy game.

Our weekend was pretty quiet. Friday night we went over to Corey and Mel's for some bonfire action. Their place looks great! I'm getting so anxious for Pete and I to get into our own house. Thanks for the hospitality guys! Saturday I had a one-time class all day long. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it wasn't fun. It was made worse by the fact that I felt awful all day. I had all kinds of aches and pains and a sore throat. I came home and read for the rest of the day before finally going to bed early and sleeping for about 12 hours. At least it was cold. If you have to be sick, nothing is worse than having a cold in hot weather. Today we had a pretty low-key day, the highlight of which was us making corn chowder for supper. I'm so excited to be able to make soup again.

Tomorrow will be a bad day. I now work from 9:30 to 5:30, and I have class until 9:00. Pete, have the Bailey's ready for me when I get home! If you can tear yourself away from my laptop and your boy game, that is :)

Random Blah, Blah, Blah

2006-09-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

This is a post where I vent. Not because I have it bad or anything, but just because things get under my skin and words are a good way to get them back out.

Today was my first day of classes at Hamline. Or rather, it would have been my first day of class had my professor bothered to make an appearance. So me and the rest of the Educational Psychology class stared into space for about 45 minutes before finally giving up and departing. And I killed myself to get there on time (and I still wound up about 4 minutes late). It's going to be so stressful leaving work at the last possible minute, braving 35W North and the parking lot that is 94 before cruising around for parking and sprinting to my building. Grrrrr. And as I write this it is 9:24 pm. Had I had class tonight, I would only just be arriving home, and I'm ridiculously tired for some reason. Those are going to be some long ass days.

I'm really enjoying my new job, except for I get super negative vibes from my boss. I really don't get it, because employers always love me. I haven't done anything for her not to like, and everyone else loves me. Why can't she love me, too?

The Pussycat Dolls song "Buttons" is getting on my last nerve. "Loosen up my buttons" sounds like something that you do after a big Thanksgiving dinner and nothing at all to do with getting it on. Plus, how do you loosen them? They're either buttoned or they're unbuttoned. Enough said.

I have to go to class all day this Saturday. I know it's a one-time thing, but I still resent the loss of an entire day of my weekend.

Fredo just came and joined me in the bedroom. He hopped up on the bed and is now doing a Fredo "pancake." (For those of you who don't know, a "Fredo pancake" is when he lays completely flat, with his back legs extended out behind him.) I love the Fredo.

Sometimes I suspect I have some OCD tendencies. Mostly they revolve around personal finance and problem-solving. For instance, given that I didn't work this summer while I divided my time between here and Montana and figured out my school situation, I had to use savings. When I'm concerned about my finances (like now) I feel the need to compulsively figure out how much money I have against all of my debts. I say compulsively because I do it over and over and over and over, and I do it by hand. I have to add and subtract everything manually, and often I will do it several times per day. If you were to walk around our apartment and look at the random papers lying around, the odds are excellent that at least 3 of them at any given time will be covered with my latest money calculations. Maybe I should be a CPA. If sewing a dress by hand makes it couture, then surely computing finances by hand all the time is something similarly good in the field of finance, right? Right?

Having said that, I think I'm done for the evening. A la prochaine...

More St. Croix-tastic Pictures

2006-09-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the pictures from our St. Croix Labor Day Weekend, including the promised Fredo pictures.
Here you see the Fredo retrieving a stick. Once upon a time, Fredo didn't like to swim. He would wade out and drink a little, but very rarely would he swim, even with his life jacket on. Then my parents got two black labs who love to run, chase tennis balls, and swim, especially when they can retrieve sticks. When we would go to the river in Montana, Fredo would hang out on the shore while the labs chased sticks and received lots of praise for their efforts. One day, Fredo decided that if Huck (the senior lab) could do it, so could he. He took off after a stick and brought it back, and ever since he has loved to swim. He has especially enjoyed his swimming here in Minnesota. He has gotten to swim in lakes and lazy rivers like the St. Croix where there isn't much current. In western Montana, our rivers generally move pretty fast, making it really tough for a little Fredo with his little Fredo legs!

Aside from chasing sticks, Fredo's efforts when he goes swimming are largely devoted to the Fredo Beachfront Restoration Project (FBRP). It all started when Fredo noticed that lots of debris floating in the water took away from the beauty and enjoyability of the shoreline. He has devoted countless hours ever since to spotting debris, swimming out to it, and removing the eyesore by snapping it up with his mouth. The debris he has cleared in the past include waterlilies, floating leaves, underwater plants, and other plant material. Fredo is devoted to beautifying your beachfront, one leaf at a time. At the St. Croix River, Fredo chased down many leaves floating downstream. We kept him on his leash while swimming, just in case he got out too far so we could "reel" him in. He kept seeing leaves that were really far out and going for them, so I rolled up my pant legs and waded in with him so that his leash would allow him to swim out far enough. I might as well have not even bothered, because as you can see, I had to wad out far enough that I got soaked anyways. I didn't want my desire to stay dry to keep Fredo from being able to swim out to his leaves. The water actually felt really good.
Fredo in the process of switching from "panic ears" to normal ears.

Pete took this picture of a mussel and a little minnow in the St. Croix River. Apparently there's a problem there with something called a zebra mussel. I don't know if this is one or not...but good camera work, Peter!

So to conclude, here I am with Fred-olf the Gray enjoying our campfire. Pete took some great movies of Fredo barking at rocks in the river, but I don't know how to post them, so I will leave that to him. The trip was a great time, and I look forward to more camping action next summer.

St. Croix Weekend

2006-09-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

We're back from our Labor Day Weekend of camping at St. Croix State Park. The campground there is HUGE (215 camping sites, I believe). They have canoe rentals and even a little store there where they sell pretty much everything you could need for camping except for tents and sleeping bags. The campground was nice, but not quite as nice as the one we stayed at up at Lake Bemidji State Park. The showers and bathrooms were definitely not as nice, but they were fine. It was nice to have a shorter drive than the one to Lake Bemidji, and there were some very nice bike trails to explore, too. We weren't at one of the best camp spots since we made this reservation with relatively short notice. I thought since it was Labor Day weekend and it's less than 2 hours from the Twin Cities that it might be packed, but there were plenty of spots available all weekend long.

Who's that peeking out of the tent? Fredo had a great weekend and loves to go camping. The sniffing opportunities are endless and he gets to go swimming.

Pete took this picture of me while he was riding, too. This was one of the bike trails in the park. It went to the site of an old CCC camp and then continued on to a lake. It was all nice tar and gently rolling hills. We took it for about a 10 mile ride on Sunday.

Pete got to climb another fire tower this weekend, and of course I stayed down below. My excuse this time was Fredo, but even without him I wouldn't have made it up to the top. Pete took this picture while he was up there.

Here Fredo and I are standing at an overlook point for the Kettle River. It's a dirty river filled with chiggers. My only experience with chiggers was last summer at this river, so I'm holding a bit of a grudge. On our last camping trip, Pete and I learned that the Native American meaning of Lake Winnibigosh is "miserable dirty water lake." The Kettle River, in my opinion, is the miserable dirty water river. So there.

Here are Pete and Fredo enjoying the Kettle River Overlook.

So I'll call that good for tonight, but tomorrow I will post up some more pictures of note. Yes, that means pictures of Fredo swimming in the St. Croix River.

Victory!

2006-08-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

The subject of this post is a bit old, but I don't care. So a week or so ago I was in need of salon services for my hair, namely color and cut. So on Peter's recommendation I booked an appointment at Jon English Hairspa in Uptown. I was a bit nervous about driving myself there, as I'd never driven in that area before. I got there without any trouble, although it was very surreal to be driving myself down Lake and Lagoon after about 6 years of Pete or buses drivng me there.

The real victory, however, came when it was time to park. Pete had helped me to locate a parking garage, but I decided to look for street parking first. On Holmes between 31st and 32nd, I found just such a spot. I am not a particularly gifted parallel parker. I also don't drive a super tiny car. I failed my driver's test the first time I took it based on my lack of parallel parking ability (in my defense, I was driving a late '80s Chevy Suburban hugemobile). So I found my spot, looked around to make sure there were no cars coming or people walking by in case I totally embarrassed myself. But I parked by Blazer like a champ. Hence the title of this post: Victory!! Yes, I pumped my fist in the air a couple of times and called Pete to brag. I live in a city now, and I drove around and parallel parked! Hooray!

Then I went to my appointment and was thoroughly impressed. I would highly recommend Jon English, although it is a bit spendy. Well worth it though, in my opinion. If your hair looks bad, does it really matter what you wear? I would say no.

So having said that yesterday was the first day at my job with the kids there, and I love them already. They are great kids.

Pete and I are going camping this weekend at St. Croix and I'm jazzed. Hopefully it won't be too rainy.

Stinky Fredo

2006-08-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last night Pete and I decided to take Fredo for a walk around Lake Nokomis. It was dark by the time we go there, but we went anyway. It was a beatiful night and a beatiful walk. Then Fredo pulled off to the side of the trail to roll around in the grass. He does this quite often, especially if the grass is really nice. Pete and I thought nothing of it until a little while later we noticed an awful smell. It was coming from the Fredo.

Niether one of us has any idea what our little rat dog rolled in, but I can't remember ever smelling a more offensive odor. Naughty Fredo. It was rank. So we drove home (with windows rolled down, of course) and gave Fredo a serious bath right away. The smell is gone, except for on his collar. So he might be getting a new one of those. Fredo, Fredo, Fredo.

In other news, today is my first day at my job with the kids at school. And now I'm off to get ready to go to work.

Working Girl

2006-08-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

So my summer officially ended today; it was my first day at my new job. I was one of two new people in a staff of about twenty people. Lots of names to remember, and I am horrible with names. I tried making up little things to help myself remember names like "Darla's wearing a darling sweater" or repeating someone's name right after I met them by saying "Nice to meet you, Darla.

Most of the staff seem very friendly, though. This afternoon we all went and had a group tennis lesson together, which was surprisingly fun. The class was at the Lifetime (formerly Northwest) Fitness at 35W and 98th in their big tennis bubble. We had to go through revolving doors to get in and out of it, kind of like leaving the Metrodome. My ears were super plugged all afternoon as a result.

So, I'm back tomorrow to help with classroom setup and planning. The worst part of today: we had to sit in little kid chairs all day. I'm the tallest person there by far, and my back hurts and I feel like a giant.

Weekend Update

2006-08-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th Birthday to me on Friday, August 25th. It was my golden birthday and it was goldtastic. Whatever that entails. I did some shopping during the day and tried out Wolfgang Puck Express over at MOA. It was really good. It frustrates me that fast food is mostly so unhealthy and gross when places like W.P. show that it can be fresh and tasty instead.

Friday evening Pete took me to Jensen's Supper Club. It's pretty much right between where we live and where Pete works, so it was nice and close. Good choice, Pete! It's a fun place with dark wood interiors and a jazz band playing in one part of the restaurant. They have delicious food and lots of fun martinis to choose from. I had a key lime martini and then a sweet bee martini (it has orange juice and lime in it) and both were very good. Most importantly about the dinner, I had possibly the best prime rib of my life. For someone who adores prime rib the way I do, that is saying a lot. Whenever I think I could handle being a vegetarian (which I think I could pull off at least 5 days a week), I think about never having prime rib again and I know it would never work. It was amazing.

Saturday Pete and I caught the movie "Beerfest" over at MOA. We both had some high expectations and walked away mildly disappointed. It was fairly funny, but definitely not hilarious. Oh well, every movie can't be a "Super Troopers." Wah-wah.

So now it's Sunday and we're watching the Twins game and preparing to do some grocery shopping here in a bit. I start my new job tomorrow, or at least I start training for my new job tomorrow. I'm a little bit nervous. However, Pete and I are going camping next weekend at St. Croix State Park, so I'm jazzed about that.

A final parting question: Why is it illegal to drive barefoot? I think driving barefoot is a lot safer than driving in flip flops or heels.

Itasca State Park and Other Pictures

2006-08-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

The 2nd installment of our camping trip pictures:

Me standing in the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It's small and shallow, but surprisingly cold.

Pete and I at the headwaters of the Mississippi.

This is the fire tower that Pete climbed at Itasca State Park. I made it about 1/3 of the way up.

Here's what I would have seen had I made it to the top of the fire tower.

Here's the view of the ground from the top of the fire tower. I'm standing underneath the tree to the right wearing an orange T-shirt. It's definitely for the best that I didn't go up to the top with Pete.

Me, the Fred, and Pete with Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji.

This is the bike super highway. Also known as the Paul Bunyan Bike Trail. It goes for about a 100 miles, and it's really nice. Luckily, Pete is coordinated to take pictures while riding his bike. We rode the Paul Bunyan Trail to Bass Lake the first day we were there, and then over to the Mississippi River on Monday.
Pete is good at taking pictures while on his bike and not crashing.

Lake Bemidji Pictures

2006-08-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Pete and I made it back from our AA getaway up to Lake Bemidji State Park. A good time was had by all, especially Fredo. He really enjoyed spending some quality time watching/chasing squirrels and chipmunks, sniffing around in the dirt, and swimming in the lake. So without further ado, here is the first installment of our trip pictures:

Here is our campsite. Notice the new Hobitat 4 tent. It was easy to set up, easy to take down, and very roomy. It was so nice to be able to stand up all the way and have room for Fredo's kennel next to the air mattress.

Here's a view of our tent from the inside.

Pete and I passed the time playing frisbee. We got this one especially for the trip, and it flies forever.
Fredo loves kisses!

Pete brought his hatchet and was in charge of wood/fire management. He did an excellent job. He uses the "log cabin" approach to starting fires quite successfully.

At night Fredo turns into a Demon Dog!

And now I will conlude with a trio of Fredo pictures. These are of the Fred swimming in Lake Bemidji in his new life jacket. He chased sticks and barked and had a great time. Pete noticed an interesting phenomenon: When Fredo is in water that is too deep for him to touch, he puts his ears back. Pete calls these his "panic ears." Once he can touch again, the ears come back up.

Panic ears!

Now he's touching ground again. Ears have resumed normal position.

And of course, after swimming Fredo needed to take a good roll in the grass.

AA

2006-08-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks an occasion that's near and dear to my heart. It's the weekend that Pete and I celebrate our AA. No, we haven't developed an alcohol problem in the past year; AA stands for Arbitrary Anniversary.

Pete and I decided when we got together this time (we had an on-again-off-again thing going for a while) that we didn't want to celebrate our anniversary based on some random day that we started dating. It's just so inconvenient: sometimes anniversaries fall on Mondays; sometimes people forget them; sometimes they might be really close to a major holiday. So we decided to take control of the situation.

Every year we now pick a weekend, so far it's always been in the summer, to celebrate our anniversary. That way we get to decide when it is, it's always on a weekend, and it's always convenient.

Last year we went to Duluth for a long weekend. This year we're going camping up at Lake Bemidji.

We're leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and coming back sometime on Monday. Fredo is jazzed. So that's it for now, and I'm sure I'll have pictures and stories to post up when we get back.

Happy AA Pete!!

From the Land of Sky Blue Waters

2006-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today it's not really "the land of sky blue waters" so much as "the land of murky grey waters." But hey, they can't be sparkling all the time. It's like the part of the Montana state song that goes "Montana, Montana where skies are always blue." Like hell they are.

So I live here now. Okay, I don't live in the brush next to Lake Harriet (don't be so literal); I live in the greater Twin Cities metro area. Bloomington to be exact.

And guess who made the move with me? This guy!! Yep, Fredo Potato. He adores Pete and seems to be adjusting to life here quite well. He love-love-loves swimming in the lakes (not as cold as rivers in the summer, and no currents for his short little legs to contend with).

One of the main reasons Tato and I picked the MSP for our relocation program? Who could resist Peter in these glasses? Apparently not Fredo and me! He's pictured here with his godson Jayden. Very cool, guys :)

I have a little over a week until I start a new job and then shortly thereafter I start my new grad program at Hamline. In the meantime I'm trying to do some things to become more comfortable here. That entails a lot of driving around and trying not to get lost (so far, so good, mostly). Today it consisted of breakfast at French Meadow (delish) and walking my little guy around Lake Harriet. He loves meeting other puppies and chasing squirrels up trees.