the inner musings of a chronic muser...

Reading...

2012-01-05T19:26:00.000-06:00

I love to read...pretty much always have. But I haven't really done a very good job over the years of tracking what books I'm reading...at least until a few years ago when I discovered GoodReads. Now I track all of the books I read on there as well as on a spreadsheet (I'm a bit of a spreadsheet fanatic/addict). So as I've been reviewing the books I read in 2011 and choosing the top few, I took a look back at the three previous years too...not that it means anything to anyone, but I thought I'd put my top 3 or 4 from each year here...So here goes...

Best of... 2011

2012-01-05T19:16:00.005-06:00

A General Theory of Love

by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon

Anatomy of an Epidemic

by Robert Whitaker

Unbroken

by Laura Hillenbrand

Best of... 2010

2012-01-05T19:10:00.006-06:00

Mad in America

by Robert Whitaker

The Seamstress

by Sara Tuvel Bernstein

The Girl who Played with Fire

by Stieg Larsson

Best of... 2009

2012-01-05T18:53:00.007-06:00

The Brain that Changes Itself

by Norman Doidge

Astrid and Veronika

by Linda Olsson

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

Best of... 2008

2012-01-05T18:48:00.006-06:00

The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield

The Center Cannot Hold

by Elyn Saks

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

Multiple Choice Test - Social Work Style

2011-10-30T20:12:00.007-05:00

I miss multiple choice tests. Where you take your number 2 pencil and fill in the circle. Staying completely within the lines of the circle. Where there is always a right answer, no explanation needed. If grad school social work assignments were a multiple choice test it would look like this:

Apples are:

A. Good

B. Tasty

C. Good and Tasty

D. Neither good nor tasty

**Please list your answer below, citing your sources using APA style. Your answer should be 12-15 pages. You should demonstrate your deep understanding of the topic and should incorporate your views, your family's views (going back 12 generations), as well as theories and concepts discussed in class. Use PowerPoints, class notes, small group discussions, textbooks, and 32 outside sources to summarize your learning and insights.

ANSWER:

'C' is the correct choice because of the following eight reasons which I have thoroughly researched. My views on 'c' are as follows: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and blah. I believe that I feel strongly about 'c' because my mother felt strongly about 'c' and her mother felt strongly about 'c'. There are definitely multi-generational patterns as to our views on apples. I’m not sure what Bowen would say about this, but I’m sure he would be impressed I was able to find the damn (oops, I mean darn) pattern. It is important for me to understand, however, that other families may not see ‘c’ as the correct answer. As a social worker, I am okay with that as each family is the expert of their own experiences, and may view apples in a completely different way than I do. That doesn't make either of us right or wrong. It just means we get to have lots of frank discussions about apples. I am so grateful for the opportunity to answer this question because it helped me not only gain insight into myself and my family, but will also inform my social worker practice and make me a more competent practitioner.

My Busy Life

2011-03-27T20:06:00.003-05:00

Life has been extremely busy the last couple of months. I finally got a job in February working as a care manager with elderly clients. As of tomorrow I have been there for 6 weeks. It's been crazy 6 weeks, but I love it. It still doesn't really feel like a "job," which I guess is good. After my first paycheck I literally thought "Wait...they're paying me for this?" :) I think it was because it was so different from anything I had done before other than internships which, obviously I hadn't been paid for.

I have also been busy with school. This weekend was my last session of my first class. I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to handle the three classes that start in 2 weeks, but I managed before, and I'm sure I'll manage again...right?

Anyway, hopefully I'll get my act together and find more time to do all of the things I was doing before I started working again...like reading, exercising, blogging, and cleaning!

The Great Read 2011 - February

2011-03-27T19:54:00.004-05:00

Okay, so life has gotten crazy busy. Out of control at times. My reading is definitely not going to be at the level it was at last year, but I'm still reading a bit. In February I read 5 books. My favorite by far was Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. It was an inspiring read, and I was surprised that I was hooked from the beginning. I love World War II books but this was so much more. A definite must read!

Review from Amazon.com:

From Laura Hillenbrand, the bestselling author of Seabiscuit, comes Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini - a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic-runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie's plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. You'll cheer for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered, and you'll want to share this book with everyone you know. - Juliet Disparte

The Great Read 2011 - January

2011-02-05T22:40:00.006-06:00

This year I've set a goal to read 90 books this year. That's 7 1/2 books a month. Who knows if I'll make it since my life seems to be getting busier by the day, but having a goal gives me something to aim for :)

Anyway, I figured I would feature my favorite book or two here each month to help keep track of the ones I love.

So...for January, my favorite book by far was A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon. This book was exquisitely written. A definite must-read for those working with people (therapists, social workers, etc.) or for anyone who hasn't found quite what they are looking for in the self-help section of the bookstore. This IS NOT a self-help book, but it explains why people can't find the answers in them and provides a fantastic explanation of how our brains function, change, and grow and why it is we need other people in order to become truly independent, satisfied beings.

Review from Amazon.com:

The Beatles may have sounded naive when they assured us that "all you need is love," but they may not have been far off the mark. New research in brain function has proven that love is a human necessity; its absence damages not only individuals, but our whole society. In this stimulating work, psychiatrists Lewis, Amini and Lannon explain how and why our brains have evolved to require consistent bonding and nurturing. They contend that close emotional connections actually change neural patterns in those who engage in them, affecting our sense of self and making empathy and socialization possible. Indeed, the authors insist, "in some important ways, people cannot be stable on their own." Yet American society is structured to frustrate emotional health, they contend: self-sufficiency and materialistic goals are seen as great virtues, while emotional dependence is considered a weakness. Because our culture does not sufficiently value interpersonal relationships, we are plagued by anxiety and depression, narcissism and superficiality, which can lead to violence and self-destructive behaviors. It is futile to try to think our way out of such behaviors, the authors believe, because emotions are not within the intellect's domain. What is needed is healthy bonding from infancy; when this does not occur, the therapist must model it. The authors' utopian vision of emotional health may strike some as vague or conservative to a fault, and the clarity of their thesis is marred by indirect and precious writing. Yet their claim that "what we do inside relationships matters more than any other aspect of human life" is a powerful one.

Although my "to read" list is already much longer than 90 books, I'm always looking for more. Read any good books lately?

Happy Birthday, Kristin!

2011-01-27T12:26:00.004-06:00

Kristin's birthday was on January 13. She said she didn't want a party or a cake. I honored her no party request but couldn't pass up on getting the cake. I decided I would order a cake saying it wasn't a birthday cake, just to be funny. The cake people messed it up though, and this was the result:

Dumb. Not only wasn't it a cake for Kristin, but it wasn't a birthday for her either. Oh well. It was cute and tasted DIVINE, so I guess that's all that really matters.

Happy birthday, Kristin!

Christmas in Arizona

2011-01-27T12:08:00.005-06:00

This year we went to Phoenix for Christmas! It was my first Christmas in a warm climate, and it was a little weird. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that it was, in fact, December, but we had so much fun I didn't spent too much time thinking about that.

Some of the highlights included: going to The Nutcracker, me getting some quality time with Santa (or his floating head, anyway),

Kristin getting into a minor fenderbender (most would consider this a lowlight, but I got to meet Immanuel because of it which was just lovely), Kristin and me finding the perfect gift for Lon (from Ginny, of course),

Going caroling on Christmas night,

Church outside in the Christmas sun, staying at cousin Erin's house, and going to Walgreens with Ang. ;)

The trip was awesome, and I was so happy we had the chance to go! Thanks to Ginny, John, Erin, and Pat for being such wonderful hosts to all of us!

On the Upside: I Will Write About It

2011-01-03T14:42:00.007-06:00

Reading this blog today - one I have been following for awhile. Surprised to see this posted today...probably because I've been struggling with writing. And this pretty much says it all...gives me permission NOT to write until I am ready. Which makes me feel...better. Thank you, Kellan (and hoping it's okay I'm reposting here!).

On the Upside: I Will Write About It

By: Kellan

I will write about it ....

when the pain subsides ....

when I mend my heart ....

when I no longer cry.

I will write about it ....

when the small child in me ...

can breathe again ....

when the woman in me ...

finds her wings again ....

when I am ...

whole again.

I will write about it ....

so others will know ....

so others will see ....

the truth about me.

I will write about ....

when I find the words.

I will write about it ....

when I no longer hurt.

I will write about it ....

one day.

Happy Birthday, Me!

2011-01-01T16:01:00.002-06:00

I've never been one to celebrate my birthday much, and this year was no different. I wanted it somewhat low key, so we went to Beninhana's with Jehn (becoming a yearly tradition), and hung out at home. It was perfect!

Winter 2010

2011-01-01T15:53:00.004-06:00

This winter has been harsh. And it's only January 1. It just seems that it's never-ending snow, snow, snow.

After last winter, I told Kristin we had to get a snow blower. To me, it seemed that last year was horrible, and the meteorologists were saying that this year was sure to be worse. So we found one we liked (using tips we had received from Kristin's dad last year and my brother) and ordered it. It came in just in time. Just a day or two before our first big storm.

Kristin took to it immediately and has found she loves to use it - which is great for me because I can just shove the upper walks and not have to deal with the monster of a machine!

Since then, it has snowed A LOT here. And after each storm I think "I am soooo glad we got that!" Last I heard we had already passed the total snowfall for all of last winter in December. *sigh* Looks like this week should be more dry, but very cold...nothing the snow blower can do about that. :)

Thanksgiving!

2011-01-01T15:45:00.004-06:00

I'm a bit behind, so I thought I would try to get things at least somewhat caught up...to begin, we'll have to travel all the way back to Thanksgiving!

This year I decided to surprise my family by flying out to Utah, renting a car, and driving up to my grandparents' house in Idaho. The only person I told in my family was my sister which was a good thing since their plans of what they would be doing the night I was driving up seemed to change every few minutes. :)

Knocking on the door and seeing every one's faces when they opened it up was the best! It was so good to see the whole family, and I loved being able to spend some time with my niece and nephews, Taylor, Jordan, and Corban!

I took my camera, but it wasn't until I got home that I realized I only had one photo on it which Jordan actually took of my dad (guess I was too busy cooing over Taylor and visiting with the family!):

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, went bowling (so much fun to watch all the little ones bowl!), and helped my grandma decorate her house for Christmas!

So the night before I was supposed to fly out I tried to check in for my flight. After a few minutes of frustration I realized I had booked my return flight for February. Oops. There was a bit of panic when the airline told me it would cost $600+ to change the ticket before I found a really cheap one-way flight on Southwest!

It was a short trip, but I'm so glad I went was able to see everyone!

Take the Climb by Otter Creek - Dedicated to Tyler Clementi and all others who have or are struggling

2010-12-01T18:20:00.008-06:00

I first fell in love with Otter Creek when I heard a four-part interview with Peter and Mary Danzig on Mormon Stories, a podcast of various interests having to do with Mormonism.

My sister had sent me a link to their story, saying I might find it interesting. It was basically the story of their lives together and their journey from devout Mormons living in a small town near the small town I grew up in to their eventual (and very painful) leaving of the Mormon Church - in part due to the Church's stance on homosexuality (which is interesting seeing as how they are a straight couple :)).

I found it interesting that Peter was going to school majoring in social work when he started to seriously question the Church and its standing on social issues. I completely understand this - perhaps because social work classes focus on not only forming your own opinion about things - questioning things and seeking answers (things which are all shied away from in the Mormon Church) - but also looking at social justice issues impacting all people and teaching students to fight for and with those who are marginalized.

So, as a gay, formerly Mormon social worker I obviously found a lot that I could relate to with this couple.

Anyway, I have been following them a bit via Facebook and their webpage and saw that they had written a song dedicated to Tyler Clementi, the Rutger's teen who took his life after a video of him with another man was posted online by a fellow student.

I emailed Otter Creek requesting a copy of the song and got the following email along with the song:

In September I had just started to teach a violin lesson when my student's mother picked up her New York Times and gasped. She told me she had to show me something after the lesson. After I finished teaching, she showed me an article about a young violinist, Tyler Clementi who committed suicide after his roommate live streamed Tyler's relationship with another guy over the internet. As I read the article and looked at the picture of a young man holding his violin with such beautiful technique, I was filled with sadness.

The week before I had heard Hilary Hahn perform the Tchaikowsky violin concerto. During her incredible performance I had thought about the speculation that Tchaikowsky commited suicide because his "friends" told him that it would be better for him to kill himself than to be gay. I had thought about the magnificent gift that Tchaikowsky's gift has been to the world and what a loss his untimely death was for all of us. As I gazed at the picture of Tyler, I grieved the loss of a young man who had already brought so much joy and would have given a lifetime of beauty to so many. As Peter and I talked later that evening we wished there was something we could do. We decided to write a song and hope that maybe it does some good for someone. Some talented musician friends helped us make a live recording at Holladay United Church of Christ. Attached is the song. They lyrics are below. We hope you enjoy the song. If you do, please feel free to send it on with our hope that one day we will learn to treat all people with love and respect.

Take the Climb by Peter and Mary Danzig www.OtterCreekDuo.com Recorded live at Holladay United Church of Christ vocal and acoustic guitar - Peter Danzig violin - Mary Danzig electric guitar - Bill Green bass- Jani Gamble drums - Amy Boettger recorded by Winston Gamble

Take the Climb

In memory of Tyler Clementi

It was late in the evening one September night

When Tyler found out what they'd done.

They'd taken a scene from his private life

And shown it online just for fun.

Now he didn't do anything wrong

He'd just fallen in love

Instead of drowning in the Hudson

He should have been high

Should have been left to climb high on the mountain of love.

There stand many others alongside of Tyler

Who have been thoughtlessly shamed

By those who profess that the core of their nature

Is unnatural sick and profane.

now it's not really that hard

To grab hold of their hands

Walk with them in the valley below

And take the climb high

Take the climb high on the mountain of love.

Now I have a message for preachers of hate

I think you may be confused

The road to salvation's not paved with rejection

Intolerance or abuse.

So stand down your guard

And I'll do the same

Let's meet each other in the valley below

And take the climb high

Take the climb high on the mountain of love.

-----

If you would like an mp3 of the song let me know.

All I Want for Christmas Is...

2010-11-19T00:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Santa,

This year, all I want for Christmas is a new butt.

Or a pair of jeans that fit the nonexistent one I seem to have.

I have never been very picky about the fit of jeans. I would just go to the store, search forever to find the right color of jeans, buy them based on color, and head home a happy girl. But over the past few years I have lost a bit of weight. I still have a ways to go, but I've lost 75% of the weight I want to lose. I'm wearing smaller sizes in everything, but I'm down 5 full sizes in pants. Which is great. The problem is that I have lost more from my butt than I have from my waist. So now, when I shop for jeans it's not just looking for the right color but for the right fit for a butt that isn't big enough for my waist, I guess.

Regular women's jeans in my new size all have the woefully unattractive saggy butt. I tried juniors, but hello, they are all ultra low rise these days which does nothing for an almost 32-year-old woman with a stomach that needs to catch up in the weight-loss race . I tried men's jeans, and while the butt fits great, the legs are way too wide.

So now I'm on the hunt for the perfect jeans. Or a new butt. Or a smaller waist that is proportionate to my butt.

Is that too much to ask, Santa?

Sincerely,

Me.

Chicken Enchiladas

2010-11-07T22:13:00.006-06:00

Okay, Robyn. For your viewing pleasure (including photos for added assistance and a bit o' fun):

Kristin's FABULOUSLY CHEESY Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 - 2 lbs chicken cut into bite-sized pieces

Sliced mushrooms

8 soft tortilla shells

2 cans enchilada sauce

1 small can chopped mild green chilies

1 small can sliced olives

2 cups shredded cheese

1 additional cup shredded cheese

Sour cream

Directions:

Cook chicken and fry mushrooms

Then prepare to get your hands dirty (thanks to Kristin for being willing to get hers a little dirty for the camera :))!

Lay a tortilla shell on a clean surface. Pour some enchilada sauce on the shell.

Spread the sauce around. Turn the tortilla shell over and cover that side with sauce.

Place chicken in the center of the tortilla shell.

Add mushrooms and green chilies.

Place olives.

Add sour cream.

Sprinkle cheese on top.

Fold the tortilla shell until it looks like...

This.

Place in baking dish. Repeat until all shells are filled with yummy goodness.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the finished enchiladas.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Add 1 cup of cheese to the top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

That's it. Simple, fast, yummy. I apologize for the lack of photos of the finished product. By the time it was done I was starving and kind of forgot about taking a final photo of it :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T13:16:00.003-05:00

This year was a pretty low-key Halloween for us. I went in to Kristin's classroom on Friday to help out with "pumpkin math" and brought the kids some cupcake treats...

Sunday we carved pumpkins which was a lot of fun. This was only my second year carving, so I stayed with a simple design. I used a stencil, but Kristin just dug in...

I thought the final products were awesome...

And of course we had to take the annual "Ellie with the pumpkins" photo (and yes, that is a rose still blooming on the rose bush!)...

Sunday night the doorbell started ringing around 5:30 and over the next 2 1/2 hours we got around 200 little ghouls and goblins. I love that this neighborhood has so many kids!

And now we head into November where we're sure to see our first snowfall and the fun of shoveling and bundling up begins!

Scotch Fur Fighter

2010-10-31T14:24:00.003-05:00

Another product I love - Scotch Fur Fighter

I have tried half a dozen new fur removal products over the past few years on our couch. Some things worked better than others, but none have worked as well as this one! It was fast, easy, and left the couch looking like it had just been shampooed. And to top it off, it was fairly cheap ($5 bought the tool and several refill sheets). The sheet did fill up fairly quickly, but the cost of the refill sheets will be worth it to have hair-free couches in less than three minutes!

A Strange Shopping Trip

2010-10-26T21:07:00.003-05:00

So today at the store the woman ahead of me in the checkout line (we’ll call her Jane) had a very full cart of items. Groceries, household items, office supplies, clothing, etc. As the cashier was finishing up with the person ahead of Jane, Jane began taking items out of her cart and holding them up one by one, inspecting them. Holding up a pair of jeans, shaking them out, turning them around, checking the size. Holding up a gallon of milk, looking at the expiration date, turning it around in her hands, shaking it a bit. Holding up a package of pens, reading the brand, straightening out the plastic, inspecting individual pens within the plastic. This went on and on. She was sorting the items into two piles. One she put on the conveyor belt, and the other she set aside. This was a long process, and both the cashier and I were just waiting. I could have gone to a different line, but to be honest, I was curious to see what Jane was doing.

After she had finally finished sorting everything, Jane put the “other” stuff back in her cart and pushed the cart up to the cashier. Jane told the cashier that she didn’t want the stuff in the cart. We aren’t talking about one or two or three items here. She had well over half a cart of stuff she didn’t want. Jane also told the cashier that she would need a second cart to take the things she did want out to her car, and could she (the cashier) please have someone bring her one?

I thought I was going fall over. It seemed so surreal. The cashier, however, didn’t seem fazed. Is this something that happens with any sort of regularity? Do people really do this all that often? And if they do, can’t they make these decisions before getting into the checkout line? Has anyone else ever seen something like this happen?

Visit from Mom and Dad Ricks!

2010-10-26T13:47:00.014-05:00

This past weekend my parents came to visit from Utah. It was good to see them again! We spent Friday in Duluth where my dad measured up to the lighthouse,

Kristin pulled a Larry Craig in the bathroom (at least I think it was Kristin!),

and Dad and Kristin anxiously awaited the 3:15 boat.

Saturday we went to Minnehaha Falls among other Saint Paul sites and were able to have dinner with Kristin's sister and her family who were in town for a high school marching band competition. Sunday we headed to Silver Bison Ranch where we took in the views and bouth a little bison meat (yum!) before heading home.

After a little relaxation, we headed to dinner at Benihan's (Kristin's choice!), where despite the fact they didn't have any ketchup in the entire restaurant, and the Shirley Temples got more Shirley as the night went on, a good time was had by all.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but we were thrilled to see them again and enjoyed their company!

Beautiful Fall Weekend in South Dakota

2010-10-17T23:06:00.007-05:00

Kristin and I headed to South Dakota this weekend to enjoy a little family time. We spent a lot of time outside on Saturday. I picked some apples (which Kristin's mom quickly turned into a yummy pie), Kristin mowed....

And Ellie hung out and took it all in...

And then the camera died. :) We were able to spend time with Kristin's sister and her family on Saturday and Sunday. We celebrated her nephew Jacob's 13th birthday on Sunday as well!

It was a fun time and we were sad to leave, but look forward to seeing them in the Cities this coming weekend for a high school marching band competition (Go Lincoln!)!

I Believe...

2010-10-04T19:29:00.002-05:00

I Believe...

by Unknown

I believe-
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every
once in a while and you must forgive
them for that.

I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.

I believe-
that you can keep going
long after you can't.

I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.

I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.

I believe-
that regardless of how hot and
steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had
better be something else to take
its place.

I believe-
that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.

I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me
the right to be cruel.

I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want them to doesn't
mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes you
have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.

I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a
secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
that two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally.
different.

I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
that even when you think you have no more
to give, when a friend cries out to you
you will find the strength to help.

I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I believe-
that the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.

Boiling Hamburger...Who Knew?

2010-09-04T17:23:00.002-05:00

So as I previously mentioned, Ellie has been sick the last several days. She is now on a "bland" diet consisting of hamburger and rice. The vet told us to "boil" the hamburger. I had never heard of such a thing, so I looked it up online.

I thought it would be complicated, but no. Boil water, dump the hamburger in, come back in two minutes. Yes, I said two minutes.

So this morning I get a pot out, get the water boiling, and start to crumble the hamburger into it. The little pieces immediately rose to the top already done. I threw the package away, washed my hands, returned to the pot, and wah la! A half-pound of hamburger browned to perfection. I drained it, rinsed it, and mixed it with the rice. Ellie loved it.

The article I read online said that it's a fast way to cook hamburger, but because you're taking all of the fat out of it, there isn't much taste left (which was true, I tasted it)...but for recipes calling for hamburger that will also have other spices or flavoring in it (tacos, for example), this works great! Also, if you have some frozen hamburger you can just dump the whole frozen piece of hamburger into the water. After a couple of minutes break it apart with a utensil and leave it to cook for a few more minutes. Soooo much faster than thawing it on the counter, in the fridge, or in the microwave and then frying it up.

Obviously boiling hamburger wouldn't work for every recipe, but I'm excited to "discover" this trick that I can use for some recipes or when I'm in a pinch for time!

Craigslist Addicts

2010-09-04T17:04:00.003-05:00

We just went and picked up a reel mower that Kristin found on Craigslist. I love my self-propelled mower, but it is tearing the steep hills in our yard apart, so I wanted to get a lighter mower to do those with.

After we picked it up I realized we have A LOT of stuff in our house from Craigslist. We have probably saved thousands of dollars over the past few years by purchasing so many things second hand.

Here is a quick list of some things we have purchased that we are still using (I'm sure there are more, but this is what I could come up with in a few minutes):

Entertainment Center

Bookshelves

Couch

Kitchen Table and Chairs

Cat Perch

DVD/CD Storage Unit

Wardrobe

Day/Trundle Bed

Dishwasher

Reel Lawn Mower

Deck furniture

Bathroom Storage Unit

Plastic Wardrobe Units

Dog Bed (converted camping mattress)

Butcher Block

Hmm...I'm sure there's more...but that's a lot of stuff...all of which we got for very cheap or free (the couch was a little spendy but much less than we would have paid had we gone to a store to buy it!).

Thanks to Kristin for finding all the deals...I'm not big on perusing Craigslist, but am always happy with what she finds :)

Welcome, Mollie!

2010-09-04T16:58:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday we adopted a new puppy, Mollie! Her paperwork says she is any mix of the following: German Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, Rottweiler, and Australian Shepherd. I tend to lean towards the Rottweiler and Bernese Mountain Dog...but who knows. She's pretty cute, very lovey, a complete wiggle worm, and extra soft.

While she seems to have some things to learn (like potty training - she doesn't give much of a signal when she needs to go out), she seems pretty smart and her over-the-top sweetness makes it hard to get mad at her when she does have an accident.

She is only 8 months old, so she is still in high puppy mode, but I think she's going to be a great addition to our family!

Ellie hasn't shown much interest in her as of yet, but she has been really sick with some stomach thing (we think she swallowed something she shouldn't have), so I'm hoping once she is feeling better she will love Mollie just as much as we do.

Ellie Then, Ellie Now

2010-08-29T22:56:00.002-05:00

So one year and eight days ago we recorded this video:

She seriously hasn't gone near the cat toy for a year. Then, tonight?

Midwest Animal Rescue (MARS)

2010-08-29T21:37:00.008-05:00

This summer we decided to foster dogs and were quickly drawn to Midwest Animal Rescue (MARS) located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Most of their dogs are rescued from high-kill shelters in the south. We went through the application process and began fostering. We were so excited! However, our experience quickly turned from something exciting to something terrible.

When we went to pick up Burke, our first dog, the atmosphere was one of chaos. While this might have been somewhat expected since they were getting 50 dogs in that weekend, it was really out of control that night. It took quite awhile for anyone to acknowledge us and when they did, they handed Burke over to us without any explanation or checking to see if we had any questions. I made the comment that night that it was good we were familiar with dogs because it would be weird to just be handed a random dog and pushed out the door if we didn’t already have canine experience.

We quickly fell in love with Burke! He was a nice, mellow dog who adjusted quickly. Kristin sent many pictures and updates to the woman we had been working with. A week or so later, his rep contacted us upset that she hadn’t received any updates. Apparently the updates had not reached her. No one had told us where to send the updates, but apparently it was our fault for not figuring it out.

When a family showed interest in adopting Burke, we took him in for his meet and greet. When the woman said she wanted to take him home they started going through what he still needed as far as shots and his neuter appointment. They told her that we hadn’t brought him in for his appointments for shots, so those would need to be restarted. No one had ever told us he had appointments, but it still seemed to come down to negligence on our part for some reason.

When we first got Burke his ear was red, inflamed, and warm to the touch. We called MARS who told us it was probably just dirty and we should buy some ear wash and clean it, which we did. When we took him to the groomers a week later she said he had an ear infection and should have it looked at. We called MARS again but they refused to let us take him to a vet or have their vet look at him. When we took him in for his first meet and greet, one of staff/volunteers looked at his ear and said it was not infected. She was furious that we kept saying that it was (she, by the way was not a vet or vet tech). She must have somehow missed the pus coming out of his ear. Anyway, he went home with the family.

That adoption didn’t work out (the other dog in the house didn’t like having another dog in the house), so the girl returned him. Kristin went to pick him up, as we had agreed to foster him again. The girl was entitled to half of her $400 adoption fee back. She said she would just like to donate the entire fee to MARS because she felt so bad that it hadn’t worked out. The staff at MARS didn’t even thank her for the donation, simply shuffled the girl out the door and sent Kristin and Burke on their way (with a dirty, disgusting crate).

When we took Burke in for a meet and greet with a second family, Kristin mentioned that Burke needed to be watched especially close right now because he was teething and chewing on everything. She mentioned he had chewed on a friend’s window sill, for example. One of the MARS reps gave Kristin a “don’t tell them that!” look. Apparently getting Burke adopted was more important than warning the family of issues that may arise (Update 10/19: Burke was adopted by that family and aside from a ruptured ear drum (from the ear that was definitely NOT infected), seems to be doing well!).

While the whole MARS organization seemed wildly disorganized, we decided to foster again because we really had loved Burke and hoped we could help another dog. We got Turk a few days later (see previous entry for how that worked out) and the craziness continued. For example, anything negative we put in his updates that might be important for a potential family to know was removed before they were posted online. When we were talking to them about what breed Burke may be they told us they don’t ever know (which is true of all shelters/rescues), but they try to pick something that lots of people like. One staff member told us that a dog had been in a foster home for awhile. They were trying to figure out how to get him adopted and decided to change his breed to a golden retriever even though he was obviously not one in order to get more people to consider him.

After our experience with Turk, the loss of Sabrina (see previous entry), the overall disorganization of MARS, and the seeming lack of resources to take care of all the dogs they are trying to rescue, we have decided not to foster or adopt through them. While we loved the dogs and felt like we were helping a worthwhile cause, we just decided it’s not worth being made to feel like we are doing everything wrong and blamed for any issues instead of being appreciated for helping their organization.

For those out there who are looking for a new pet, I would highly suggest skipping over this group. Their adoption fees are high, they don’t seem to care about the animals’ health, completing adoptions seems more important than telling the truth to potential families, and they are difficult to work with.

Turk, Sabrina, and Midwest Animal Rescue

2010-08-29T21:34:00.006-05:00

This past Wednesday, Turk got out. Before I get into that, let me say that when we went to pick Turk up to foster him, we had fallen in love with another dog, Sabrina. We had applied to adopt her and were approved to pick her up on Saturday. More on that later.

So Kristin let Turk out into the yard so she could apply Ellie’s ear medication. At that point we had had Turk for 11 days, and he had never once tried to jump the fence or leave the yard. Several Midwest Animal Rescue (MARS) staff members had told us that while animals could never be unleashed in an unfenced area, it was fine to leave them unsupervised for short periods of time in a fenced yard after several days of close monitoring to assure the animal would not leave.

So Kristin let him out. Five minutes later she went out, and he was gone. While it remains unclear as to how this happened, the general consensus is that someone most likely opened the gate to the fence in our backyard, removed his collar, and sent him on his way.

We notified MARS and searched around the neighborhood in the car. An hour and a half later we heard from Animal Control who had captured him. Turk was found running around the Capitol. When they attempted to catch him, he ran in and out of traffic, nearly getting hit by cars several times. The Animal Control officer said that Turk was lucky to be alive. They also told us that he could be picked up, but that there would be a charge of $11 to license him in the city of Saint Paul as well as a fee of $109 for additional penalties and fees. The officer explained that all dogs, including foster dogs, needed to be licensed in the city of Saint Paul.

Kristin called the MARS office to make sure they were aware that Turk had been found and to ask about whose responsibility it was to pay the fines. She was informed that it would be our responsibility to pay the fines since Turk had been in our care. Kristin said that we would pay the fines but that perhaps we should talk about finding him a different placement since we were worried he might escape again and didn’t want to pay the fine again. A different woman came on the phone and reiterated that we would be responsible for paying the fine since Turk was our responsibility. Kristin told her that we understood we would need to pay the fine but needed to look at finding Turk a new placement in the coming few days. Kristin also said that we felt it was somewhat unfair for us to be required to pay all of the fines since a large portion of them were due to the fact that Turk wasn’t registered in the city of Saint Paul. Even if we had known he was supposed to be registered, MARS would have needed to initiate that process, which they didn't. The woman acknowledged they weren’t aware dogs needed to be registered (kind of seems like an important detail for a rescue to know) in Saint Paul and that she was working with the impound to get the fee waived. She asked us not go pick up Turk until we heard back from her.

Two hours later we still hadn’t heard back from MARS, so I called to check on the status of the “negotiations.” Our greatest fear at that point was that Turk would be left at the pound overnight. The woman at MARS said that someone from MARS was going to pick Turk up at impound and that he would be taken to a new foster home. When I expressed shock that he would not be coming back to us temporarily she said “what, are you changing your mind now? Isn't that what you wanted?” I said that we felt it was probably in everyone’s best interest to have Turk go to a different home but didn’t expect it would happen so abruptly. The woman said that everything was taken care of and hung up on me.

We were confused because just two hours before the plan was for us to pay the fee (if it wasn’t waived), pick Turk up, and discuss better living arrangements for him (if he seemed likely to escape again) at a later time. When we called two hours later suddenly MARS staff were going to pick him up and place him somewhere else.

A couple of hours later, a MARS staff member called saying she was on her way to pick up Turk’s things. She asked multiple times on the phone if we had his collar. I told her he was wearing the collar when he went out that morning. She seemed so concerned about the collar that I walked around the perimeter of the yard looking for the collar thinking maybe he got caught trying to get out and ripped it off somewhere. The collar was nowhere to be seen.

When the woman showed up, I helped her carry Turk’s crate and things to the car. She asked again if we had his collar. At this point I just kind of looked at her like “are you serious?” because I really didn't know what else to say. She asked yet again and I said “we DO NOT have the collar. He was wearing it when he went out this morning.” Turk was in the van, and I attempted to talk to him (Kristin and I had both become extremely attached to him in the 11 days we’d had him and I kind of wanted to say goodbye), but the woman told me not to talk to him (he might get wound up before their long drive home) and asked the other woman in the car to close the door. Which she did. I told the woman that we both felt terrible about what had happened and were extremely sorry. She stated that it is “always sad when people don’t watch their animals and let them run away” after which she got into the van and left.

And now I come back to Sabrina. Remember her? The one we were slated to adopt? Well, it appears that throughout the day on Wednesday an employee or volunteer at MARS twisted the story into something different than it was. We’re still not sure what the story morphed into (most likely something like that we were abandoning Turk at impound and refused to pay the fee), but while everyone was supposedly running around wild over fear of Turk’s safety, someone decided we were not only unfit foster parents but shouldn’t be allowed to adopt Sabrina either. On this crazy hectic day that decision wasn’t enough, however. It was also decided that one of the MARS staff members should drive to Wisconsin to do a home visit and then promise Sabrina to a family there.

We spoke with the foster rep several times that evening once she told us that we were not allowed to adopt Sabrina. She agreed to talk to the director and see if the director would contact us. The director would not, but after hearing our side of the story through the rep, she agreed to put us back on the “good” list so we could foster and/or adopt through MARS again. The rep said they couldn’t go back on the promise to the new family, but that if the adoption didn’t go through we would be second in line for Sabrina. The new family fell in love with her, of course, and she went home with them today. I guess we’re supposed to feel ok about it because we can still foster and adopt other dogs through MARS again. Great.

The thing that still bothers me is that everyone we talked to from MARS told us that Wednesday was a crazy day there and everyone was super busy. I still don’t understand why anyone would think it was so urgent to set Sabrina up with a new family that they would drive all that way to Wisconsin that very day and then promise Sabrina to another family when we already had a meet and greet set up. I also don’t understand how the director could just hear whatever story the staff member was telling her and agree to never let us foster or adopt again before even speaking to us (especially since we had been fostering for them for several months without incident). The whole thing seems very vindictive, shady, and unprofessional.

The important thing is that Turk was found safe and unharmed. We loved him like crazy and were just so happy to hear that he was okay. It was just unfortunate that everything ended the way it did, and that the MARS staff acted so completely unprofessional and cruel.

Turk

2010-08-18T18:54:00.003-05:00

Turk came to stay with us on Saturday. He's a 2-year-old yellow lab mix and although we had a rocky start with him (he seemed to have some severe anxiety issues), we have since settled in and things have calmed down.

He loves his food and eats a TON. We can often find him helping himself to the bag of food in the kitchen.

He's a very sweet boy and will make a family very happy, I'm sure :)

In Memory...

2010-08-06T22:53:00.011-05:00

This past week has been a hard one for us. Roger, Kristin's dad, passed away a week ago today. He had been battling cancer for eight years. In the many years I have known Roger he quickly went from Kristin's dad to my friend. And when he officially became my father-in-law, I considered him my second dad. He was (and still is) truly one of the greatest men I know.

Roger loved to laugh. And to make others laugh. He always had a joke ready to share with us when we called or went for a visit. His smile was infectious. And he had a way of making those around him feel better. About themselves and about the world. Roger loved music. All kinds of music. From Celine Dion to Santo and Johnny to the Gaither Brothers to Johnny Cash. I will never hear a Johnny Cash song without thinking of Roger and Kristin's brother, Mike, singing along to Folsom Prison as we watched Walk The Line together.

Roger, I thank you for your smile, your laughter, your kindness, your love, and your acceptance. You will truly be missed.

Welcome, Taylor!

2010-08-06T22:44:00.005-05:00

I'm a little late in posting, but on July 21, our niece Taylor Elizabeth joined the family! She's adorable - just like her brothers. :)

Burke is Back!

2010-07-20T23:47:00.006-05:00

So Burke went to his new home on Saturday afternoon. We picked up our new foster dog, Jaime, on Sunday afternoon. Then we got a call on Monday morning that Burke's new family was returning him. This was no small decision, obviously, since they would only be getting half of the adoption fee back. Apparently he was fine, but their dog, Olive, went nuts with him there. I was disappointed they didn't try to make it work for a few more days, but whatever.

So the rescue organization asked us to take Burke back. We agreed as long as they would work on finding Jaime a new foster home. They are searching, but for a few days we have three dogs. That's right, three. But there was no way I was going to tell them they had to send Burke to yet another temporary home while they try to find him a permanent one.

Kristin and Jehn went to pick him up this evening, and I was thrilled to see my little gentle giant again. I am seriously in love with him and feel super protective of him now. The next family who wants him better have the perfect setup or I might have to turn into a mama bear. :)

Burke's Stats

7/20

Weight: 42 pounds

Age: 5 months, 3 weeks

7/27

Weight: 45 pounds

Age: 6 months

Jamers, Jamison, James, Jaime

2010-07-18T23:19:00.008-05:00

Today we got our second foster dog, Jaime. So far she has done fairly well. She and Ellie seem to get along okay, and while she seems to have an interest in the cats, she hasn't gone after them yet. She had her first bath tonight and was TERRIFIED but was such a good girl! While she seems to think the living room rug is her personal potty ground, I don't think it will take too long for her to get house trained. She is a total snuggler and is all about being a people pleaser which should make training easier as well.

Here are her stats:

Name: Jaime

Breed: Jack Russell Terrier Mix

Weight: 21 pounds

Age: Approximately 6 months

I will continue to update this post while she is with us (rather doing a bunch of little updates).

7/19/10

Today we worked hard on potty training. I think everyone was a little stressed out because Jaime refused to go to the bathroom for most of the day, but finally this afternoon she went outside and I think the guy across the street thought I had lost my mind I was so excited :) She is definitely a dog who will do anything for praise and is so sweet. She had her first visit to the dog park this morning. She and Ellie were the only dogs there, but they still had fun wandering around without leashes on.

7/22/10

Today Jaime went to her new foster home in Minnetonka. While she had crazy energy she was a sweet girl, and I hope she is able to find a forever home with lots of kids to wear her out. :)

Unspoken Rules

2010-07-15T21:55:00.002-05:00

Dog parks are interesting places. We've been taking Ellie to the Roseville Dog Park for several months now. They have a small fenced area and then a larger area that's not completely fenced. She never goes very far from us, so we typically take her to the bigger area, but since we've been fostering Burke we've been sticking to the smaller fenced area since he doesn't respond to his name most of the time.

While there are usually other people at the larger park, the area is big enough that typically people don't just stand around together. In the smaller park, though, the human visitors tend to sit or stand around in a circle near the chairs and picnic table. We have noticed that the culture within this small area is unique. A good friend, Jehn, even compared her first visit to visiting a foreign country and trying to figure out the cultural norms.

Here are just a few of the unspoken rules for dog parks in which humans are confined to a small area:

1. Upon entering the park you must acknowledge each and every dog who comes up to you. Use a cheerful voice and tell each of them how cute they are. Even if they're not.

2. Once you stake your claim to a space (sitting or standing) you must remember NOT to talk to the other humans visiting the park. Do not acknowledge them by saying hello. You may speak to the dogs however. In fact, it is quite acceptable to ask any dog a question and expect a response from the dog's human friend. For example, if you want to know what breed a certain dog is you would say "what kind are you?" If a human doesn't answer simply repeat the question in a louder voice until someone answers. The answer will come from the human who will attempt to imitate the dog's voice "I'm a golden retriever," (imagine this being said with the voice of Goofy) for example.

2a. If you MUST talk to other humans at the park, make sure you only talk about the dogs or the weather. Avoid making conversation about anything else at all costs.

3. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT look at other humans. Your eyes should be kept on the dogs or at some point in the distance at all times.

4. If you attempt to go to the dog park during small dog hours your dog MUST be at least 15 pounds under the 35-pound maximum. If you attempt to take your 30 pound dog into the park during the small dog hours you will be asked to leave by the fanatical human owners of 5-pound dogs.

5. Dote on the dogs constantly. This can include petting them or saying "good puppy!" Whenever you talk to the dogs you should use a baby voice. This is the only acceptable way to speak to any canine friend while within the park boundaries.

6. You should always laugh at the dogs. Even if they're just laying there. Laugh your head off. This will not only alleviate the weird silence that seems to hang over the group of humans, but it will also make the dogs even more hyper, thus wearing them out faster.

7. When your dog is sufficiently worn out, ask the dog if he/she is ready to leave. This can be done by asking "are you all tuckered out?" or "ready to go?" When the dog indicates that he/she is indeed ready to leave, guide the dog to the gate, leash him/her and leave. DO NOT say goodbye to the other humans. If you feel awkward leaving without saying goodbye, address your goodbyes to the other dogs.

Following these simple rules should make your visit to a small-space dog park more comfortable. We, on the other hand, are hoping our next foster dog knows his/her name better, and we are able to skip the smaller dog park altogether. :)

Burkle, Burkasaurus, Burkey, Burke

2010-07-15T21:33:00.007-05:00

Several weeks ago we decided (well, Kristin decided and then convinced me) to foster a dog. We decided to foster through Midwest Animal Rescue (MARS) and filled out the application. After a home visit we were approved!

Burke arrived on June 27. We had asked for a small- to medium-sized dog, and they told us he was 25 pounds ad 6 months old. When we picked him up, however, we found out that he was actually 35 pounds (a little bigger than I had initially wanted) and 5 months old. The first couple of days were a little crazy, and I think we both, at times, wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But he quickly shoved himself into our hearts.

Burke and Ellie seemed to get along great from the very beginning. Ellie has been a great big sister, sharing her toys from the very beginning. Sharing the humans was hard for her at first, but she has adjusted well.

In the two and a half weeks that he's been with us, Burke has learned his name, how to sit, and become house trained. He's super sweet and loves kids. He also ignores the cats, which is nice.

Since he arrived I have said that Burke is the perfect dog...for someone who wants him. Our house and yard are just too small for such a big guy, or we may have ended up keeping him! And it looks like he may have found a new home! The family already has a border collie mix and is looking for another one. They have been approved, and now we'll just go to the meet and greet on Saturday to introduce them! If all goes well there, we'll be heading home alone. While I will be sad to see him go, I know he'll be happy with a family with another dog and a big yard to play in...and we'll be getting another foster dog on Sunday. Whoever he or she is has some big paws to fill :)

Stats:

Name: Burke

Breed: Border Collie Mix

Weight on Arrival: 35 pounds

Age on Arrival: 5 months

UPDATE: 7/17/10 - Burke went to his new family today! His new mom, Lindsay, was at the MARS office to meet him and brought along his new big sister, Olive, a border collie. While they didn't seem to love each other, they didn't fight (basically just ignored each other), so that's good. Lindsay seemed very nice and Olive was very well trained. I think Burke is going to like being a part of their family!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs!

2010-06-25T18:27:00.006-05:00

We are having a storm here and the weather guy said that hail would reach Saint Paul at 6:11. It was 6:05, so we ran outside to move one of the cars into the garage. We were out in the rain for less than a minute and the following was the result. Of course as soon as we came in, the rain let up, and as of 6:29...no hail. :)

Veggie Lasagna

2010-06-24T14:32:00.003-05:00

By popular demand I present Krisitn's Veggie Lasagna recipe. It's divine. :) The original recipe came from Heather Swann.

VEGGIE LASAGNA

Ingredients:

Lasagna Noodles

1 Package of Frozen Spinach

Mushrooms

Zucchini

Garlic

1 jar of red spaghetti sauce

1 medium tub of ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1-2 cups of Mozzarella cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package

Thaw spinach

Chop mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic and sauté

Add red sauce to veggies and heat through

In a bowl, mix spinach, eggs, and ricotta cheese together

Layer ingredients in a 9x13 pan as follows:

Thin layer of sauce

Noodles

Veggies and sauce mixture

Mozzarella cheese (1/2-1 cup)

Noodles

Ricotta and spinach mixture

Noodles

Remaining sauce

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes

Add remaining mozzarella cheese to the top 5 minutes before removing from the oven

Kristin's a Master!

2010-06-23T22:33:00.006-05:00

After two years of hard work, Kristin finished her master's program in Differentiated Instruction. I'm so proud of her! For her final project she had to write a capstone paper, complete a board, and attend a gallery walk to show it off. The gallery walk was on Monday where I was finally able to meet the awesome people she has spent her Thursday nights with over the past couple of years!

Congratulations, Kristin! I love you!

Kristin with her cohort.

Kristin with her board.

Kristin and me.

Kristin and Jehn.

Cassi Visits!

2010-06-16T22:02:00.007-05:00

Cassi came to visit this weekend! We didn't do much but had fun exploring all Saint Paul has to offer...like Ax Man, the Minnehaha dog park, Bibelot, Mall of America, America's smallest dedicated park...and more that I can't really remember...but I'm sure it was fun...because I know we had a good time. :) As I was looking through the photos we took while she was here, though, I realized we didn't get any of us together! Ah well, we'll have to remedy that during the trip to Denver in three weeks.

Cassi and Ellie along "my" trail by the Mississippi.

Cassi snapped this picture of Ellie at the dog park. I loved it. :)

Proof we were at Albert Park. :)

This is where we found Ellie after Cassi left (in the bed where Cassi slept while she was here). She stayed there for a long time. She misses her favorite Aunt Cassi!

2010-06-06T13:51:00.005-05:00

It is a GORGEOUS day here today so I decided to take Ellie for a walk down by the Mississippi River. She had a blast playing in the river, and I soaked up all the sun I could get. :)

Corner: DONE

2010-05-31T21:40:00.004-05:00

Ever since we moved in, one part of our yard that I wanted to change was the corner. It had hostas and a rose bush but it looked pretty sad. In the beginning, I thought "how much work could this possibly be? It's a tiny little corner." And so, I convinced Kristin to let me trim the rose bush down (she loved it and didn't want it ruined). Our friend Rosa came over to help, and we went at it with some trimmers.

Once we started trimming it down, however, we realized how out of control it was, and with Rosa's help, I convinced Kristin the roses just had to go. She finally agreed, and we cleared the corner out and replaced the border with a more...colorful version. :)

A few days later we went to buy plants to fill the space, and the woman said "No way! It's too early!" So we didn't buy anything, and the corner plot sat empty. But it wasn't empty for long because soon the weeds took over...which meant when it was finally time to buy the plants we had even more work to do...

Once that was done we went to Leitner's where a woman walked around and told us everything we could have ever wanted to know about the plants that might work in our space, and after making some decisions we headed home with a car full of plants. We decided to get them planted today before the weeds took over again, and we FINALLY finished! We got a ton of compliments from neighbors as we were working on it, which made all of the time and work completely worth it!

Roses

2010-05-27T23:20:00.000-05:00

Kristin gave me the most beautiful roses for graduation...I love, love, love them. Thank you, my dear. :)

Dear Plant Lady...

2010-05-27T23:15:00.003-05:00

Dear lady at the plant store who told us not to plant anything a month ago because it would die, die, DIE. As a matter of fact, they have thrived, thrived, THRIVED. :)

Graduation!

2010-05-25T12:01:00.007-05:00

On Sunday I graduated from Saint Catherine University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work.

My journey from high school to college graduate was a long one. Thirteen years long to be exact. Sometimes it seems disappointing that it took me so long, but as I look at everything I have done over the past 13 years I realize I wouldn't change those experiences for the world. I have grown so much as a person and those experiences will be invaluable in my future career. I have come to realize that going back to college 2 1/2 years ago was something that happened at exactly the right time.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past couple of years as I worked my way through school, working full time, internships, and more.

First and foremost, to my dear Kristin who listened to me complain incessantly about the homework and the time it was sucking out of my life. Who listened to me cry at midnight because I had a huge paper due the next day and had yet to start it. Who listened to jokes or funny stories from class that didn't sound nearly as funny outside of class. Who understood when I was too tired to clean or too busy to cook. Who read papers and gave suggestions even when she didn't have a clue what the assignment was all about.

To my classmates who also listened to me complain and complained right along with me. Who were there to offer support when life got crazy. Who made group work bearable. Who each in her own way taught me invaluable lessons about life, friendship, perseverance, integrity, hard work, and survival.

To the professors. Who all cared about us as students and human beings. Who were passionate about social work and instilled that passion in each of us.

To my sister, Cassi, who always answered her phone (even if I had already called her 10 times that day) to answer questions or just lend a listening ear.

To my parents who were always willing to read a paper one more time.

To my various coworkers, managers, and friends at Dow Jones who were always supportive and flexible - allowing me to leave early or come in late to accommodate my school and internship schedule.

To friends who have been understanding when I've had to cancel plans at the last minute or who have sat here and listened to me complain (I seem to have complained a lot over the past 2 1/2 years, haven't I?!?) without complaining back. Who called at 6 a.m. to make sure I was up cramming for a Spanish test. Who always had answers when I asked questions.

And finally to the person who once said "if she can go all the way to China to follow her dreams you can certainly go a few miles down the road to St. Kate's to follow yours." Who always told me I could do it even when I insisted I couldn't. Who never gave up hope and assured me over and over that I am not now, nor have I ever been, crazy. :)

I couldn't have made it through the past 2 1/2 years without the help and support of all of you. So thank you.

And now...a few pictures from graduation...

A large portion of the group of amazing women I had the privilege of spending every other weekend with for the past two + years!

Kristin and I after graduation.

Elizabeth, me, and Becky

Kristin and me!

An official St. Kate's aluma!

Social Work Graduation Celebration

2010-05-22T11:02:00.006-05:00

Last night was the Social Work Graduation Celebration. I wasn't planning on going for a variety of reasons but decided to about a week ago - and I'm so glad I did! It was nice to be able to be there with friends and professors who I have grown so close to over the past 2 1/2 years. I'll write more about the whole "idea" of graduation later...still trying to work out what i want to say.

This was a portion of the graduates who were there...not sure where the rest of them went - probably said "RUN" when they heard "group photo." :)

Me and my pal, Leela. I told Kristin that we look very "coupley" in this photo. She said she was fine with that. Ha!

And as we were trying to find where the program was being held we totally got lost...It's not like I've been going to that school for 2 1/2 years or anything. ;)

Costco

2010-05-09T15:57:00.005-05:00

So today I went to Costco for the first time. For years I had a Sam's Club card. I first got it when I was living with my parents and was able to get a card for free through my mom's work. Back then Costcos didn't exist. At least not in Utah. Anyway, so I had a Sam's Club card, and I kept it even after moving to Minnesota, but I didn't use it very often. Occasionally I would go to get pineapple or muffins, but that was about it. So I finally told my mom to just cancel my membership. Someone, somewhere was paying for it, and it was a waste of money.

A week or two ago Kristin said that the Costco people were coming to her school and wondered if we should get a membership. I've heard excellent things about Costco for years and told her if she wanted one to go ahead. So she did.

We finally ventured to the nearest Costco (10 miles away in Maplewood) today, and, unfortunately, I was disappointed. Maybe it was the fact that so many people had talked it up so much so I was expecting something grand or spectacular, or maybe it really is just a disappointing place...but disappointing it was. It wasn't very busy at all. Everyone says "don't go there on the weekends! It's crazy busy!" It actually wasn't too crazy at all today - probably due to Mother's Day - so I can't blame that for my disappointment either.

Anyway, here are some of my observations:

First of all, the prices weren't stupendous. Now before everyone starts getting all defensive and telling me about the great deals they've found there - I'm sure there are great deals to be had. But we walked nearly every inch of that store, and I didn't see any great deals on anything I buy regularly. $8 for two boxes of cereal? I don't think I have ever spent $4 on a box of cereal in my life. The items that did seem to be good deals were either things that would spoil before we could ever eat all of it or things I would never buy in the first place.

Secondly, the selection didn't seem to be very big. I knew enough going in not to expect grocery store selection, but Sam's seemed to always have a lot more variety as far as food goes and just more "stuff" overall. It felt like more of Costco's aisles were dedicated to free sample people and large items than to useful things I would be interested in buying.

Thirdly, the layout of the store seemed haphazard and confusing. Maybe that could just be chalked up to it being our first time and not really knowing where anything was...?

On a positive note, the employees were extremely friendly...except one...but maybe she was having a bad day.

I'm not ready to trade my membership card back in yet. I am definitely willing to give the place another try, but I'm pretty sure that the only time I'll be driving 10 miles to do any kind of shopping is when we need pineapple or muffins (feels a little reminiscent of my Sam's Club days).

Anyway, in the end we left with a small box of items that cost $85 which apparently should feed us for a week since that's what I typically spend at Target for a week's worth of groceries...I'm just thinking we'll be tired of eating muffins, hummus, and pistachios before the week is up.

Mother's Day

2010-05-07T21:02:00.005-05:00

Tonight we were at Target and Kristin, being the procrastinator she is, decided now would be a good time to get a Mother's Day card. Now, I'm all about Mother's Day. If there is a day for middle children and a day for dads and a day for everyone else in between, there should be a day for mothers. If nothing else it provides a good reminder to say "hey, mom, sorry I was such an idiot as a child"...right?

For some reason, as Kristin was looking at the cards, I just thought about how silly it is for throngs of people (the photo doesn't do the crowd justice) to be crowded around and reaching over each other to find a card that says just the right thing.

A woman picked up one card, read it, and was all weepy. Then then a guy picked up the same card, read it, muttered "lame," and put it back. Wouldn't it be better to just pick up the phone or write your own note?

Anyway, happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there...and for those of you who have mothers still roaming around this big round planet, pick up the phone, write a note, or go see your mother. Forget the card. Then again, I sent a card to my mom AND grandma earlier in the week...so who am I to talk?

Ha! Cheater!

2010-05-05T08:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I went to the eye doctor. For some reason it always makes me nervous to go. Granted, I have a fear of the medical doctor, and I have a fear of the dentist, but the EYE doctor?

My adventures at the eye doctor began after an eye test at school in third grade. I remember standing there and some woman rubbing my back and telling me it was okay. I remember thinking she was weird because no, I couldn't read the letters on the piece of paper half a gym away, but I wasn't worried about it...I certainly didn't need someone rubbing my back telling me it would be okay.

A few days later I went to the eye doctor (who totally freaked me out with all of his weird machines) with my mom and we ordered glasses. Big, pink, plastic glasses. Hey, they were popular at the time (at least I thought so). After they arrived I wore them and was amazed that trees actually had individual leaves! They weren't just a trunk with a blob of green on the top. Nice! Then came the first day of school with my glasses. I had made a diorama of some sort and hid the glasses in there. As soon as I walked in my teacher asked about where my glasses were (sometimes, people, good communication between parents and teachers sucks). I told her I didn't want to wear them. So we started the day with a discussion about people who are different. The teacher asked if anyone had any experiences they wanted to share about being different. One boy said his brother got called metal mouth all the time because he had braces. One girl said that her sister got teased all the time for wearing glasses - people called her four eyes and nerd. This discussion was doing nothing to encourage me to wear my new pink plastic glasses. The teacher asked what things people who had glasses could do that others couldn't. Answers were all over the place and included "read" and "play." And for some reason, this made sense to my third grade mind...even though I had obviously read and played before and everyone else in the class who didn't have glasses could read and play without them. But I took them out, and I put them on and that was that.

Anyway, so it's yesterday, and I check in at the eye doctor. I notice, once again, that I'm the youngest patient there by at least 40 years. The clinic I go to specializes in all sort of surgery stuff, so I assume that's why...but it always makes me feel weird. Anyway, so I'm wearing my contacts and the woman at the front desk asks if I brought my glasses. Oh! My glasses! Does she mean the ones with the broken nose piece, the bent ear piece, and the lenses which were chewed up by the cat? Yes! As a matter of fact I DID bring those with me. I hand them over muttering about how they're old and I don't really wear them, slightly embarrassed at the state they're in, but the front desk people always have to "analyze" the glasses for some reason, so I hand them over.

Eventually, I get called back (Duh-Neat? Duh-Neat? Is Duh-Neat here?...oh! That's me. Silly girl. Blame it on the low battery in my hearing aid), and the doctor comes in and makes a little small talk (Every year he talks about St. Kate's and tells me about how he graduated from St. Thomas and that the speaker at his graduation was so old the doctor thought he was going to fall over dead right in the middle of his speech. While this was a fine story the first time he told me it has now become somewhat funny and I giggle a little as soon as he starts in..."so a looong time ago I graduated from St. Thomas, you know."). After the small talk, he begins with the whole put this machine in front of your face and read the bottom line. I absolutely hate this test. You know...where you get down to the bottom line and then he starts saying "is this one better or worse?" "Do you prefer one or two?" as he flips little pieces of glass around. I always feel like he's trying to trick me - like if he says "one or two" and I say "two" and then he moves things around but really keeps them the same and says "one or two" and I say "one" that he'll jump up and say "ha! cheater!"...or what if I say one is better than two but really two is better than one...then I'm stuck with a wrong prescription for a whole year...I know, I know, I'm a little neurotic, what can I say.

Anyway, after he finishes that and he asks if a resident from the U of M can come in. Apparently my eyes look "perfect" and "young" (uh, yeah, remember the waiting room?) and he wants her to see them. So in she comes. He puts the drops in my eyes and gets all up close to look inside. Then he hands it over to the resident and she gets all up close. The thing is that she can't seem to figure out how to use the eye looker thing...he tells her that when people are near sighted it can be harder to get it in focus and explains how she needs to do it. So she keeps trying and trying and trying. For 4-5 minutes I sit staring straight ahead while she shines a light in my eye and keeps her face no more than 1/2 inch from mine. Ah well...anything in the name of learning and science, right? (She thanked me profusely afterwards and I wished her good luck with her residency.)

And with that, I was given my new prescription (one step blinder than a bat in each eye than I was last year) and left. And now I can say PHEW. Done for another year (and he didn't even call me a cheater).

May Day 2010

2010-05-02T20:53:00.003-05:00

Today Kristin and Ellie went to the May Day Parade in Minneapolis. They went with our friend Jehn while I stayed at home nursing a migraine (which was completely gone by 1. I was bummed I didn't go!). Kristin took the camera (at my insistence) and got some great photos (so a big thank you to her!). Here are a few:

Bleeding Hearts...

2010-04-30T15:36:00.002-05:00

One of the best parts of this spring has been watching all of the "mystery" plants in our yard come alive. I'm basically just watching most of them this year to see what they are and then I'll decide what stays and what goes for next year.

We have this corner by our back door that had a leafy plant growing in it...which was fine, but I almost ripped it up to plant "pretty" things instead. In the end I left the main leafy plant and removed the smaller ones in order to plant flowers around it. Several days after I planted the flowers the leafy plant "bloomed!" Seems it's a bleeding heart plant. Who knew?!? Now I'm completely fascinated with it and love it even though it's starting to take over the flowers I just planted. Ah well...

Good Morning, Ellie!

2010-04-30T15:33:00.003-05:00

This morning Ellie had a hard time waking up. Even her fur looked sleepy :) Since I have been home all day with her most days she has become my best bud. I'm pretty much in love with this dog. :)

Welcome, Kord!

2010-04-30T01:26:00.008-05:00

Ack! What kind of auntie am I? I completely neglected to welcome the newest addition to our family!

Kord Todorovic was born April 17 at 12:26 p.m (two years to the day since another little nephew, Corban joined the family!). He weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21" long.

Baby and mamma are doing great, and two aunties in Minnesota can't wait to meet the little man in July or August!

Death by Facebook

2010-04-30T00:49:00.006-05:00

Tonight I was pondering how I don't update this as much as I should...and I realized that it's largely due to Facebook. Instead of taking the time to write everything up and post it here, I just say it in one or two sentence snippets on Facebook....which for some reason made me feel a little bitter towards Facebook...even though it's not Facebook's fault...well, it kind of is, but never mind.

Anyway, that got me thinking about the death of a blog…it must happen often. Especially with the emergence of Facebook and other networking sites. And then I thought that it is probably a good thing that there aren’t obituaries for all of these dying blogs (hey, it’s late, I’m tired, it’s where my mind goes)…and if my blog were to die (which it won’t since I think I’d rather say goodbye to Facebook, or at least to the majority of Facebook), it would have a really great obituary…like:

The Inner Musings of a Chronic Muser, 3, of Blogspot.com died today after a long battle with Facebook. Inner Musings was born on May 10, 2007, and enjoyed a couple of years of relative happiness before first battling with Twitter (Inner Musings reigned triumphant over that one) and finally facing her match with Facebook.

Inner Musings was preceded in death by a sister who lived on LiveJournal and a cousin who resided in MySpace.

Inner Musings is survived by arch enemy Facebook.

There will be no memorial service, but friends are invited to view previous entries as much as they want since she will probably be floating around in cyberspace forever (god help us all).

The end.

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-04-20T13:06:00.004-05:00

I have always liked spring, but this year I am enjoying it more. I don't know if it's because of the unseasonably warm weather or the fact that we now own a house and trees and flowers and it's fun to watch everything grow or because I'm home more to enjoy it, but it's wonderful!

Here are a few pictures I snapped this morning from our yard...

Ellie

2010-04-12T15:53:00.002-05:00

Three Things...

2010-03-22T21:30:00.004-05:00

Three things I have purchased lately that I love, love, love:

A Pampered Chef food chopper! Buying this was actually a hard decision for me because it was a little spendy ($40), but it came highly recommended (thank you, Cassi!), so I went ahead and bought it. I LOVE it and use it almost every day. :)

A cookie scoop! I know, sounds stupid, but I've wanted a cookie scoop forever and finally picked one up. I kept thinking "why would I spend $10 on a cookie scoop when a spoon works just fine?" But I am so happy I did! Makes prepping cookies a million times easier, and I don't have to deal with my cookie balls being all different shapes and sizes. :)

I've always been a bit annoyed by old dryer sheets. I would find them all over the house, in clothes, under the couch, in the dog's mouth, etc. So I was thrilled to see that Bounce had come up with this bar idea. I decided to try it out and it's worked great! No more random dryer sheets laying around!

Any cool new household items you've acquired?

Who's on First?

2009-12-04T00:46:00.002-06:00

Thanks for posting the conversation, Cassi...it was too funny....

http://justmecassi.blogspot.com/2009/12/whos-on-first.html

Misc. November Pictures

2009-11-25T11:15:00.002-06:00

Ellie's Godmama Jehn gave her an adorable French maid costume.

Surprisingly, Ellie didn't seem to mind wearing it.

She was looking a little straggley, but was still cute :)

Wearing my new red coat - ready for winter to arrive.

Rosa posing in her beautiful new outfit.

Halloween

2009-11-25T11:08:00.003-06:00

This year for Halloween Ellie was a pumpkin.

We had a couple of friends over and decorated cookies.

Kristin loved decorating the cookies.

Happy Halloween from Ellie! :)

Ellie - Week 8

2009-10-05T18:36:00.003-05:00

Ellie is huge. Okay, not huge, but she has definitely grown over the past 8 weeks! I can't believe we've already had her for 2 months. She is sometimes a joy and sometimes very, very, very annoying. She has begun to show her territorial side. If we are on the couch together she wants to be in the middle. If we are petting the cats, she wants to be pet. If we are on the bed with the cats she has to be on the bed. Just today I was laying down with all three cats. Kristin put her on the bed and within 2 minutes she had, one by one, chased them all away so she could have us to herself. What a brat.

She is house trained, for the most part. When she has to go she'll whine by the back door. She does occasionally go to the bathroom inside, but not because she couldn't hold it to get outside. She has decided that when she doesn't get her way she'll repay us by pooping or peeing on the floor. I'm not exactly sure how to break of her of this habit, so if anyone has any ideas, let us know.

The picture below was just taken today after she had made a mess of a Kleenex she found and then gone outside and played in the rain. Crazy puppy.

For all of the craziness, she is still adorable and smart. She likes to cuddle (once she's had a nice long walk) and makes us laugh which are both very good things. We love her to pieces and wouldn't trade her for the world...

Ellie - Week 4

2009-09-07T01:46:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Ellie has been part of our family for almost a month! Time flies! She is as cute as ever, but she has grown quite a bit...especially her legs. She was house trained for the most part until we messed up her schedule a couple of days last week. Hopefully we're getting back on track, though.

The cats aren't especially thrilled with her yet, but I think they're finally figuring out that she is here to stay. They all pretty much tolerate her until she tries to play with them...then they show her who's boss.

On the gross side, Ellie has had the runs for the past couple of days. We're not sure if she's sick or if it's her food or if it's just normal puppy stuff...but the vet says as long as she's eating and drinking she's fine, so I guess she's fine...but it has made for short nights since she has to go out ever 2 hours or so. She's good at letting us know when she has to go, though, and there haven't been any gross pooping accidents while we've been home (there was one that poor Jehn cleaned up while we were at Lisa and Beth's wedding...poor Ellie and poor Jehn!).

All in all things are going well and she's seems happy. This picture is of her and her "monkey" in the cat bed. She tends to fall asleep in it and then slowly pours out of it and inches across the floor in her sleep. Super cute. :)

Congrats Lisa and Beth!

2009-09-07T01:38:00.002-05:00

This weekend we had the honor of attending Lisa and Beth's wedding!

It was wonderful to see friends we hadn't seen in awhile,

and to share in the celebration (unfortunately both of us

were fighting off the stomach flu,

so we couldn't stay long :( ).

Kristin was a chuppah holder.

Kelly, Amy, and Jason

Carolyn

Us :)

Dear Mr. President

2009-08-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. President,

While I have always been an avid supporter and am happy you are working on improving the state of the economy and am even okay with you handing out billions of dollars all over the place, I must say: could you please contact MnDOT and ask them to quit working on the roads or at the very least work on them faster? No matter where I turn or what road I use I run into construction. While it is said that in Minnesota there are only two seasons (winter and road construction) this year seems out of control – mostly due to projects you funded with the stimulus package. I appreciate the funds, as I’m sure other Minnesotans do, but the execution of using those funds is driving me nuts.

Sincerely,

Me.

Ellie Videos

2009-08-21T15:44:00.003-05:00

A couple of videos for your viewing pleasure :)

Ellie - Day 10

2009-08-21T14:47:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy week since I updated last! Ellie had a bout of diarrhea, but she seems to have gotten over that. She also has found her inner puppy and has started chewing on everything in sight and eating every plant, twig, or bug she can find outside. She also has quite the mind of her own. Can we say puppy training? :)

This week she came to my company picnic, went to her first bon fire, met some new dog friends, and was able to actually make it clear around the block on a couple of occasions (that's about her limit for now, though - as soon as she sees the house she races for the door, plants her butt, and refuses to move until we open the door to let her in :)). I can't wait until she's able to make it clear around a lake (and my ankle heals enough for me to be able to make it clear around a lake with her!).

Today Ellie got her very first bath. You can see in the first picture she was a little leery of the whole situation. We have a great sink in our basement that worked perfectly for her bath!

About mid-way through the bath she was positive she had had enough, but she was a good sport, and she eventually just sat there. Once the bath was over Kristin dried her off, and she was thrilled! I think in the end she actually loved the bath! Yay to Kristin for giving the bath and yay to Ellie for tolerating it (and us!).

Ellie and the cats are tolerating each other. If Ellie is tired she will just lay there while the cats sniff her face, butt, and everything in between. If she isn't tired? Watch out. A chase ensues which usually ends with the cats under the bed....although occasionally they'll stand their ground, and Ellie is the one who turns and walks away. But so far there hasn't been any blood, so I consider that a success! :)

Even with her inner puppy coming out, she is still pretty mellow and loves to be held, to play with other dogs, and with kids. She loves her sock monkey and will carry it around with her and has taken over one of the cat beds. I don't think she realizes it has pictures of cats all over it yet ;). It's pretty cute. As is she. Oh, and we pretty much love her to pieces.

Ellie - Day 3

2009-08-14T22:39:00.006-05:00

Ellie had lots of time to get settled into her new home today! The day started with me taking her out to do her business after breakfast. She refused. I tried walking her. I tried ignoring her. I tried begging her. Nothing worked. After each failed attempt we would come back inside, she would play around for a bit, and then she would start sniffing around (which we have discovered means she needs to go).

We would go back outside and she would just sit there and stare at me. After doing this about ten times I was super frustrated (did I mention this whole thing started at 6:30 on my day off?!?). I knew if I put her back in her crate she would poop all over in it, so we kept trying. At one point she went running into the spare room and squatted on the rug. Seriously? We had been outside a million times and she chooses to wait and do it on the rug? ARGH. I was determined that she would not poop on the floor, and eventually she did go outside. I've never been so happy to see a pile of poop before. She continues to do well with accidents in the house. The one act of defiance this morning when she peed on the rug was the only "accident" outside of the crate today, so yay Ellie!

She is definitely finding her independence. She is taking an interest in the cats and finally seems to notice when we praise her (which will go a long way to helping with the house training!). We have noticed that she doesn't really know how to play and doesn't really get what humans are all about, so we're working on that. She had a second play date with Kat, Jehn's dog, and while they weren't sure about each other (14-year-old Kat wasn't sure what to do with a 3-month-old puppy and Ellie wasn't sure what to do with such a distinguished old lady like Kat) they didn't kill each other, so it was all good.

We got her a new collar and tag yesterday. She has learned to wear a collar quickly and is learning how to walk on a leash as well. She also learned what "sit" is today and we're working on "shake." She is a super smart dog. I'm so proud. :)

Ellie - Day 2

2009-08-13T23:33:00.004-05:00

According to my sister, the world needs daily updates on Ellie for a week or two...so I am going to try to deliver. If you don't want "gag me, she's talking about the dog...AGAIN" thoughts, steer clear of my blog for the next couple of weeks :)

Today Ellie was very busy! She hung out with Kristin this morning and then came to visit me at work. The construction guys outside the building actually stopped working to check out the hottest new chick on the block (Ellie, not Kristin).

She got a tour of the office and met lots of new people. Later, she went to the vet and was given a clean bill of health. After a short nap she went to her very first play date at Sarah and Michelle's!

She came home and had another short nap before going outside to play with the neighborhood kids (she loves kids and other dogs)! Ellie did a great job with house training today and only had one accident when her mommies weren't very smart and left her in her crate right after she ate (they were at PetSmart getting more puppy supplies!).

Hopefully with such a busy second day under her belt she will take to the crate a little better tonight (because it was complete torture listening to her cry last night!). As for Ellie? She is looking forward to another exciting day tomorrow (and having both of her mommies home with her!).

Happy Middle Child Day!

2009-08-12T23:39:00.006-05:00

With all the excitement of a new puppy I forgot to say

Happy Middle Child Day!

I blogged about this day last year...talking about how not one person had stopped to tell me that it was MY day. I got the same treatment this year, but hey, there's a new puppy in the house...it's all good. :)

May I present...

2009-08-12T22:18:00.003-05:00

ELLIE!

So we've been looking for dogs for awhile now...pretty much ever since we decided to buy a house. Unfortunately, Kristin and I have very different tastes when it comes to dogs. Today, Kristin emailed me a picture of a dog named Tanika, a 3-month-old Welsh Terrier mix. She was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky and just arrived in Minnesota 5 days ago (she arrived the day she was slated to be put to sleep, btw)! I instantly fell in love and begged Kristin to write to the rescue. She did and next thing we know we are going to meet her (Kristin was going to take me to my internship training, so we stopped on the way)!

We had no intention of actually bringing her home today, but when we saw her at her foster home we fell in love even more. The woman said they don't typically hold the dogs for people, so if we wanted her would need to take her today. We decided we had to have her, and I ran to the bank to get cash for the adoption fee while Kristin went over the contract with the rescue.

Kristin dropped me off at my training and she brought Ellie (since she has only had her name for 5 days we decided it would be okay to rename her) home. Jehn helped with dog sitting for a bit so Kristin could get some supplies.

The cats aren't quite sure what to think of her yet, but Ellie seems to be adjusting well. After having a little accident, she is now sleeping soundly on the living room floor....awww....

I'm in love.

Quick Catch Up...

2009-08-06T13:08:00.018-05:00

Things have been a little crazy the past few weeks. I thought I'd give a quick recap on some highlights (beware - lots of pictures ahead!).

My sisters, Cassi and Robyn, and their significant others, Nic and Dejan, came to visit July 22 – 26. It was so great to see them all again!! We went to the Science Museum to see the Titanic exhibit (well worth the time and money to see…amazingly powerful). We went to the Mall of America and bowling and had a bon fire at the Como Park fire rings. We also tried a new restaurant or two along the way. Thanks to Robyn and Dejan for all of the housewarming gifts (the flowers, part of the router, the rug, domacica (sp?), and more!) and to Cassi and Nic for their housewarming gifts as well as helping to unpack and set up the router. We’re already planning next year’s gathering, so hopefully this will become a yearly thing.

Kristin, Me, Cassi, and Robyn hanging out at the bowling alley.

Dejan and Robyn relaxing between rounds.

Cassi inspects Nic's eye at the Science Museum.

Robyn tries her hand at eye inspections.

Nic is scared to see the Titanic movie.

The girls hanging out at the Science Museum.

Monday the 27th was our 2nd anniversary! We were both exhausted and spent most of the day lounging around the house ignoring all the stuff we had to do! We ended up going to Bascali’s for dinner. A place neither of had been, but which had gotten great reviews. Kristin thought it was okay, I didn’t like it at all. We headed to a movie, The Proposal, and then headed home to open gifts (the 2nd wedding anniversary gift is cotton – Kristin gave me a skirt and a customizable stepping stone for the garden. I gave her a hammock chair to hang either on the porch, in the living room, or in our bedroom upstairs once that is finished).

On Thursday, the 30th we headed to Wascott, Wisconsin, to Wilderness Way! We went a couple of times last year and loved it, so we decided we needed to make a trip out there at least once this year. We went with Patti from California and Vicenta (a classmate from St. Kate’s). It was a fun trip. Kristin ended up spending a majority of the trip catching up on sleep, and I used it as an excuse to make a little headway in the book I’ve been reading for the past two months. It was a fun trip – peaceful and relaxing as always!

Me walking on the dock

Patti

Vicenta

Kristin and Me by the fire.

We came back from Wilderness Way on Saturday, the 1st. Jessie and Patti’s birthdays were both on the 29th, so we went to a party at Jessie’s that evening to celebrate! It was seriously one of the best times I’ve had in a long time…just what I needed!

Playing the psychiatrist game. I was doing my best

imitation of Emily. Kristin was doing her best imitation of me

and Heather was doing her best imitation of Kristin.

I think we all hit it right on :)

Jessie opening her gifts.

Kristin and Me!

This past Sunday we spent time working in and around the house. I mowed the lawn which turned out to be a much bigger job than I thought it would be. I love mowing lawns…but with all the steep hills it was a bit much for me…I have gotten some really great ideas on how to do it better next time, so hopefully next time it won’t be so bad.

Mowing with the new mower!

Monday Heather and Santiago came for a visit. It was so good to see them and we had a lot of fun. I introduced Santi to the miracle of the laundry chute and taught him how to use the camera. He seemed to enjoy both activiites :). He also read me a bedtime story which put me right to sleep!

Heather and Santi

Santi smiles for the camera!

Santi loves the laundry chute as much as I do!

One of Santi's first photos! I think we have a

future star on our hands!

Santi tries to put me to sleep by reading about

a red barn on a farm.

I had my first day of internship training at The Bridge yesterday. I hope to write more about it soon, but it was awesome – I can’t wait to get started in September!

Consider yourselves caught up. :) The end.

Light Update....

2009-07-28T23:10:00.009-05:00

Okay, so we got home from dinner tonight, and I felt the urge to fix the random lights that are burned out throughout the house. I decided to try to tackle the master bedroom light because it is really, really annoying me. When you turn it on it isn't even bright enough to light your way to the bedside stand where another lamp is. It's pathetic. The picture below was taken at night, without a flash, but with the room light turned ON. Can't see a whole lot, eh?

The light fixture is connected to the ceiling fan which seemed a little daunting to deal with just to change a light bulb or two...but I decided to try. After unscrewing and rescrewing several screws I gave up. Jehn was here, though, so she offered to take a look. She was able to get a little panel off and discovered that all the lights are indeed working.

So why is it so dark if all the lights are working, you ask?...are you ready for this?!? It is so dark because the room is being lit with FOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

You read that right. Whoever the idiot was who created this crazy contraption thought that putting four Christmas lights behind a thick pane of glass would be sufficient to light an entire room. You have got to be kidding me.

Okay, so it's not like this is the end of the world, right? We already have two lamps in the room that provide a good bit of light...so really, as far as light in the room is concerned it's fine. But I want to meet the person who designed this crazy light fixture/fan ensemble...and tell them to their face what a complete idiot they are.

PS - Kristin thinks the light fixture is beautiful.

Our House

2009-07-28T13:13:00.003-05:00

We've been in the house for a week now, and I'm discovering cool things (and a few not cool things) about it every day.

Some favorite things:

- Mail slot - it makes getting mail exciting :)

- Laundry chute

- Blinds - a pleasant surprise since I thought I hated them before we moved in

- Tree in the front yard

- Street sign - I don't know why I like this...it's not like it's OUR street sign...but I love it

- Basement - not that I would just go hang out down there, but I'm so glad we have a non-scary basement

- Mysterious writing on the wall in the secret bomb/tornado shelter downstairs. Seems some girls had some fun down there in the 40s.

- The overall feeling of the house - it reminds me of my grandparents house (which is full of good memories), and just feels homey...which is a good thing!

Some not so favorite things:

- The light (or lack thereof) in the master bedroom - we need to change some bulbs but it looks like such a hard job neither of us has decided we have the energy to deal with it as of yet

- Tiny bathroom

- Tiny Closets - we realized this before we moved in, but once you start to put clothes in them you realize just how small they are!

- Empty wall in the bathroom - still not thrilled the previous owners took the mirror off the wall, but what do you do?

Undecided things:

- Hardwood floors - I've never had hardwood floors before...and while I think maybe I'll learn to like them for now they just seem cold and hard

- Rose bush - The previous owners clipped all the roses before they left, so it's a little sad looking right now

- Garden in the backyard - I hate it right now, but maybe after I spend some time out there cleaning it up I will have a change of heart

Okay, that's all I can think of off the top of my head...I have a lot of thoughts about the home buying experience...hopefully I'll have the time in the next week or two to write them all down and share them!

Goodbye Bushes!

2009-07-23T23:13:00.006-05:00

Today we had a guy come and do an estimate to do some trimming of everything overgrown at our new house. He gave me a quote this morning which was just too good to turn down. He said he would come next week to do the work but called a bit later and said his afternoon had opened up and he could do it today!

I was so happy to see the bushes come down and the tree trimmed up. He even did some extra trimming to other bushes and overall it looks great! There's one part that seems a little "naked," but it will grow and I think it needed to be cut back so much because of how overgrown it was.

Anyway, here are some before and after pics for your enjoyment :)

House Before

House After

Side bushes before

Side bushes after - these are what I think look a little naked...

(sorry for the poor quality of picture...I was losing light fast :))

Tree before...

Tree after!

Auden!

2009-07-15T22:35:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago we got to watch Auden, the son of a friend of ours. We did all the fun stuff like go to McDonald's, swim in the pool, and watch a movie (we started with Cat in the Hat but after 30 seconds he freaked out and wouldn't watch anymore so we put in The Fox and the Hound). It was so much fun!

Mold...

2009-07-15T22:28:00.004-05:00

So the other day Kristin was starting to clean out our closet in preparation for the upcoming move. She picked up a suitcase that had been in the corner of the closet for the past two years to find mold growing all over the place - all over the suitcase, the carpet, the wall, clothes...ew.

Drying it all out after the carpet had been pulled up...

A bit blurry, but look at how nasty!

Dory checking it out after the "fix"...this is how the closet currently looks. Yuck

The apartment management didn't seem too concerned about it, but it STUNK. We ended up moving the mattress into the living room for a few nights. Kristin couldn't really smell it as much as I could and eventually she said she wanted to move the mattress back (mostly because it was taking up our entire living room making it difficult to get around and pack). I slept on the couch.

Finally the maintenance guy came in and cut out the carpet and cleaned the wall a bit. He said he would be back to replace the carpet...but that was 4 days ago and he hasn't been back since. I have loved living here...but I can't help but be happy we're moving in 6 days. :)

House!

2009-06-18T12:16:00.004-05:00

We bought a house! Most people that read this probably already know this, but I thought I'd say it here anyway. The process has been relatively low stress (to what everyone has always told me the process is supposed to be like). We looked at homes, made an offer on this one that day, and heard back 2 1/2 hours later that our offer had been accepted! The sellers are even replacing the roof for us! The closing date is set for July 17. Here's to hoping the process continues to go as smoothly as it has so far.

Growing Up

2009-06-18T12:04:00.002-05:00

So today I had a couple of those "omg I'm so old" moments.

The first came when my sister, Cassi, called to tell me a few things about a family I knew from Nephi, Utah, my hometown. I babysat for them years ago and taught their youngest son in church when he was 3. The "I'm so old" feeling came when she said he is now 10. 10?!? While 7 years may not sound like that long, it was just the last time I lived at home that I taught him...which only seems like a couple of years ago. Their oldest daughter (who I used to babysit) is now married. Gosh, I'm old.

The second one came when I called the local optometry place in Nephi. I order my contacts from them because if I order them from my eye doctor here I have to pay $100 for a contact lens appoitment and the contacts are expensive. If I order them from the place in Nephi I just have to send my current prescription and they ship me way cheaper contacts with no contact lens appointment. Anyway, so the people who own the optometry place were our neighbors growing up. The guy answers and I say "Hi Clint, it's Danette how are you?" At that moment I had this strange 'living in two worlds' feeling. It's strange talking to people you knew when you were young and calling them by their first name...and talking to them as an adult...It was a bizarre feeling for a moment...Talking to this man who had always been "Brother so and so" (all adults are called brothers and sisters in the Mormon Church) who was now Clint...a man who I am now somewhat equal to. Bizarre.

Let the decluttering begin...

2009-05-26T12:31:00.000-05:00

Sympathy...

2009-05-10T22:25:00.008-05:00

I have always had sympathy for people with chronic pain, but now I REALLY get it.

Over the past year I've had pain in my joints. Usually it's just a dull achey sort of pain with intermittent periods of sharp pain. It never bothered me enough to go to the doctor, though. I hate the doctor. It takes A LOT to get me in to a doctor's office. Over the past several months it's gotten worse, though, and now my muscles are giving me trouble. It's pretty much constant pain all the time, and if I sit, stand, lay down, walk, lift, bend, or stretch too much I'm in tons of pain.

I have tried going to the chiropractor (who has helped my neck, but not the muscle pain in my back), frequent visits to the hot tub, and massage...none of which has done anything long term. So finally I relented and went in to see my doctor last week. She thinks it may be a side effect of a medication I'm on, but just in case she took 10 (yes TEN) vials of blood to test for various things. She doubts those will show anything and told me to go off the medication and wait for six weeks. SIX WEEKS?!? Ugh. I'm hoping that's what it is because I don't think I could deal with this for the rest of my life. It sucks. So to everyone out there who is living with chronic pain? Kudos to you.

Sunday Adventures

2009-05-03T18:12:00.008-05:00

Okay, so once everyone flaked out on me for the May Day Parade I decided I needed to get out of the house and figured I would just start driving and see where I ended up. I got on 94E and found myself crossing the border into Wisconsin (I'm going to apologize for the quality of photos right now...they were taken with my phone while traveling 55-75 mph).

After awhile I saw signs for Crystal Cave and decided I needed to see what that was all about, so I exited. Another sign, off the exit, told me to go 6 miles. I did. And then 7 and 8 and 9. No other signs, no directions as to where to turn to find the mysterious cave...so I turned around and went back to where 6 miles was and turn down a road. After awhile I turned down another road and another. Eventually I decided that I wasn't going to find the cave and turned around again...except I must have missed a turn somewhere because I wasn't finding the main road again, and I had no idea where 94 was. I did see lots of trees, though...

And I saw (and smelled!) lots of cows...unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them. They moved too fast ;)

**Photo Comment** Kristin sees a smiley face in the clouds in the photo above. I see a monkey. Either way it makes me happy.

Eventually I found myself back on 94 and decided to continue the adventure by heading even further east. Next I saw a sign for a bison meat store and gift shop and figured I needed to stop there. I was all set to buy some bison meat for a good ol' bison burger until I saw how cute they were...

So I left the bison ranch empty handed. I figured I needed a little more adventure, so I headed east again until I reached Menomonie. I'd never been there, so I decided to take a drive around town. I promptly got lost which up until this trip has never really been an issue for me...

Eventually I found my way back to 94 and decided I should probably head home (although a trip to Eau Claire and Madison seemed tempting). The ride back home went quickly and was quite uneventual...but I did learn a few things:

1. Bison are cute.

2. I'm addicted to Diet Coke.

3. Either I don't have as good of sense of direction as I thought or Wisconsin roads and signs are screwy.

4. Next time bring the good camera.

5. I need to do this more often.

School Update

2009-05-01T15:55:00.001-05:00

Well, I finished the second trimester of the year about a month ago. Yay! That trimester seemed a little rough compared to others - part of it was the classes themselves and part of it was just me being completely unmotivated.

I am all done with my fieldwork classes for this year, although I am still doing the fieldwork. The internship at CPA continues to go well, but I find myeslf wishing I could just be done with my 200 hour commitment. I have about 165 hours, so I'm well on my way to finishing, but still have another month or so before I'll be done.

My Communication and Interviewing class was a good one, but I didn't feel like I got a whole lot out of it. Mostly it just felt like a lot of writing without much learning. I'm not sure if this was my fault or if it really just wasn't helpful.

This semester I'm taking a Working with Groups class as well as a Social Policy for Social Change class. Initially I was certain I would love the groups class and hate the policy one. Now that I've gone to three sessions of each I've decided I hate the groups class and love the policy class - go figure.

I can't believe a year from now I'll be done! Granted I'll most likely be starting grad school soon after, but after 13 years and 7 colleges I will finally have my BSW! Yippee!

Good Quotes

2009-04-27T00:07:00.005-05:00

I'm a huge quote collector. Most of the ones I find now tend to come from books I'm reading, and it seems good quotes have been easy to come by lately. I put the book quotes on my goodreads.com page to keep track of, but thought I would share a few that have been especially meaningful over the past few weeks:

"Unlike film, real life rarely provides an opportunity for a retake," Ben said. "Perhaps that is why I like film so much. But I do think we have to give ourselves the same amount of leeway that we give others. Forgive ourselves. Have pity on ourselves. And perhaps even love ourselves a little." - Linda Olsson, Sonata for Miriam

~~~~~~~

"Joan had told me a story once about some elephants in captivity somewhere, how as babies they were put into ankle cuffs with chains that were attached to spikes driven into the ground, which they couldn't pull out. They stopped trying within their first years, because it was frustrating and pointless, so they grew up believing that the spikes were stronger than they were. Apparently it never occurred to them to try again later when they were giant adult elephants perfectly capable of yanking the spikes out without even exerting much effort and running free into the jungle, so they wound up staying put next to these tiny little spikes that were now ridiculously weak in comparison to their powerful legs. Joan said we were like that, too. She said we humans often remained bound by old beliefs that had not real power aside from that which we placed upon them. She said our fears were the little tiny spikes we were sill seeing from the vantage point of the baby elephants, but now, my darling, she had told me, now we were mighty beasts who could uproot the spike any old time we were ready." - Wendy Blackburn, Beachglass

~~~~~~~

"It was beautiful not despite but because of the friction it has had to endure. It had been thrashed around, but instead of being destroyed, it was improved with every scratch and scrape, sculpted. In fact, the scuffs themselves are what gave it its quiet splendor; they are responsible for turning a simple piece of glass (which could have just as easily been trash) into a gem. It wouldn't be the same without the wear and tear; it wouldn't be something pretty enough to be turned into jewelry if it hadn't been damn near broken. I closed my fist around this tear-shaped gem and thought about my own uneven edges, my own abrasions, and things I have endured that have, instead of breaking me, completed me, prepared me for the next tumble. Its odd beauty was hard-won. It came from reinventing itself. From having risen to the top of the discard pile. Like a phoenix, from victim to victor. " - Wendy Blackburn, Beachglass

~~~~~~~

"Just like the breakthroughs, the bad stuff always takes you by surprise." - Gail Giles, Right Behind You

~~~~~~~

"We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. " - Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart

Random Find...

2009-04-27T00:06:00.000-05:00

I love this and thought I would share... :)

Easter 2009

2009-04-26T23:58:00.004-05:00

Kristin and I were able to get away from the craziness of the city and go to Duluth for Easter weekend! We love Duluth and can't wait to visit again the end of May with 48 4th graders...somehow I think that will be a somewhat different experience.... :)

View from our hotel room

Always have to have that one self-taken photo, right? :)

Lighthouse on Lake Superior

Easter sunrise that I just happened to wake up to see (lucky me!)

Easily Offended

2009-03-30T22:42:00.003-05:00

I think I am too easily offended. I read something tonight that shouldn't have offended me, but it did. Maybe it's my current state of mind - my life is full of drama right now, and it's filling every part of my life. So excuse me if I'm crabby, excuse me if I'm offended, excuse me for whatever.

Just know that the guy who cut you off this morning on your way to work? Maybe he's not really a jerk. Maybe he's rushing to the hospital to be with someone he loves. The woman who cuts in front of you in line? Maybe she's late for work and really just needs to buy those bananas and get out of the store. The person who writes something that you don't like? Maybe they're going through stuff that you wouldn't have a clue about...be a little compassionate, people.

Oops Take 2

2009-03-27T22:27:00.002-05:00

I just realized that I wrote my original "Oops" post almost a full month ago. Oops. Gosh, I just haven't been good at writing lately. I haven't been good at much of anything lately, really. I don't say this to get a bunch of comments telling me "yes you have!" No people, really, I haven't. Everything seems to be getting a little overwhelming lately, so when I think of writing I tend to not do it because either (A) I don't have anything useful to say or (B) I don't feel like I have the time or energy even though it would only take a few minutes.

But here I am...finally writing. I will try to get a few catch-up posts done tonight or tomorrow. Not that I have a ton to catch anyone up on, but I'm sure I'll come up with something!

Oops

2009-03-01T23:13:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I just realized it's been 6 weeks since I last posted anything. I completely skipped over the month of February. Oops. I completely blame it on school, work, internship, LIFE.

The past several weeks have been a little crazy for me. I feel like I can't get caught up on anything. As soon as I get caught up in one area I feel like five other areas have fallen apart.

School has been rough this semester. There is just so much to do at times I don't know where to start, and the classes seem crazy this time 'round. I feel like two of the classes are just rushed and that I never quite know what's going on. The good news is that I only have 2 class sessions left - in 3 weeks I will be done. Granted I start my new classes 2 weeks after that, but just to be done with these classes will be a relief.

I am still doing my internship and will be for at least a couple more months. I love being at CPA and working with the kids and other staff, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to being done. Unfortunately, it's become just another thing to worry about.

Our house is a mess. Honestly. It's not Kristin's fault or my fault. In fact, I blame it on our cats. After all, they're the ones home all day, right? Just kidding. But really, we've both been so busy it's been hard to keep up with everything here on the home front. Kudos to Kristin for doing the laundry this weekend and keeping us fed with yummy dinners, though!

Another note on the home front - my nativities from Christmas are STILL up. Kristin gently reminded me of this last night (look kitties, mommy's nativities are STILL up and it's almost MARCH!) to which I answered "I'll put them away tomorrow, promise." It's now 11:20 p.m. and they still aren't put away. I guess that will have to wait for another weekend... :(

I've thought about taking a day off work to just stay home and clean but figure the cleaning wouldn't actually get done, and I'd spend the day sleeping or doing homework. Maybe it's time to hire someone...?

There is other stuff going on, but I won't get into it now. I think I've complained enough for one night. I guess I'm just feeling like so many aspects of my life are swirling out of control right now which makes it difficult to get anything done.

Bottom Line: I'll try to get better at writing.

BookMooch

2009-01-14T23:22:00.009-06:00

My manager, David, recently introduced me to this great site called BookMooch. Basically to start you have to list at least 10 books you have available that you are willing to get rid of. Then, you can search the site for books you would like. When you find one you want you can mooch it at the cost of 1 point or add it to a wishlist if it isn't available. For every book you list you get .1 points. For every book you receive you get .1 points. For every book you send out you get 1 point. Each book you mooch costs you 1 point.

So far I've sent out 5 books. I send them all media mail, so the cost to me is minimal, and I have received 3 books for free. The extra points I have right now are waiting to be spent on books that are on my wishlist which is growing every day! When a book on your wishlist becomes available you receive an email letting you know.

It's a great site. Definitely would recommend checking it out if you have some unwanted books laying around!

Big Mess

2009-01-14T22:08:00.010-06:00

So tonight I made brownies. While they were cooling on the stove, we decided to take advantage of the cold weather and demonstrate the coolness of throwing boiling water over the deck. Jehn was over and had never seen how completely awesome it is. So Kristin turned on a burner to boil some water. After a couple minutes she realized she had turned on the burner that was under the cooling brownies.

She picked up the pan of brownies and brought it into the living room to show us that they were now smoking. She took it back into the kitchen and just before she set it down the entire glass dish EXPLODED. She didn't drop it. It literally exploded. There were glass and brownie guts everywhere. The radius of glass chunks and shards was several feet in all directions (glass in the living room, dining room, sink, garbage, etc).

We all realized there was a smoldering pile of glass and brownie guts right where it happened...on the linoleum. I completely freaked out because I knew under the smoldering, stinking, smoking mess there would be floor damage. I dumped some water on it to put out the smoldering fire and then we went to work getting it cleaned up. Sure enough, under the smoking pile was burned/melted linoleum. After we swept several times and cleaned up the best we could I got down and hand scrubbed the whole kitchen (thank God it's a small area). While I was scrubbing away Kristin dumped the cat food and water and vacuumed the floor.

Now it's all cleaned up, but the floor looks awful! Can we say goodbye security deposit?!? Argh. And it was my very favorite baking dish. Double Argh.

But at least the exploding dish didn't go into Kristin's eyes or anything. She ended up with a small cut on her hand. I ended up with a cut on my foot and a few on my fingers, but all the wounds are pretty much superficial and came during the cleanup not the actual explosion.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't let Kristin boil water.

2. Don't leave cooling brownies unattended.

3. Linoleum burns and melts.

4. If you are having a boring, uneventful night just wait - those are the times the most exciting things happen.

PHOTOS (I don't think these do justice to the damage...and we didn't think to take pictures before the mess was cleaned up...but these are of the newly scrubbed floor...)

Our Father

2009-01-09T17:36:00.000-06:00

Another song. Must be in that mood today.

Our Father

Susan Werner

They kingdom come to every nation

Thy will be done in everything we do

Lord, lead us not into temptation

And deliver us from those who think they’re you

Lord send us forth to be of service

To build the schools and dig the wells

And deliver us from the creepy preachers

With their narrow minds and very wide lapels

They kingdom come to every nation

Thy will be done in everything we do

Lord, lead us not into temptation

And deliver us from those who think they’re you

Lord send us forth to bring compassion

To every corner of the world

And please allow for women in the Catholic priesthood

And remind the Pope that he could have been a girl

They kingdom come to every nation

Thy will be done in everything we do

Lord, lead us not into temptation

And deliver us from those who think they’re you

Lord deliver us from politicians

Who drop your name in every speech

As if they're your best friend from high school

As if they practice what they preach

They kingdom come to every nation

Thy will be done in everything we do

Lord, lead us not into temptation

And deliver us from those who think they’re you

Radical

2009-01-09T17:35:00.001-06:00

No reason for this...just in the mood to post the lyrics to a song by Catie Curtis:

Radical

Catie Curtis

It's all right, we're gonna be fine

But let's give my mama and my daddy a little more time

'Cause I"ve been good up 'til now

They see you and they think that I have changed somehow

But I'm not being radical when I kiss you

I don't love you to make a point

It's the hollow of my heart that cries when I miss you

And it keeps me alive when we're apart

We go downtown, some people they stare

But there are lots of people who really don't care

I just want to hold your hand

I don't feel like making some big stand

But I'm not being radical when I kiss you

I don't love you to make a point

It's the hollow of my heart that cries when I miss you

And it keeps me alive when we're apart

It's all right, we're gonna be fine

Even if this world is taking so much time

And though I mind what people say

Love is stronger than any words anyway

But I'm not being radical when I kiss you

I don't love you to make a point

It's the hollow of my heart that cries when I miss you

And it keeps me alive when we're apart

Updated: Rest in Peace, Grandpa Moe

2009-01-09T17:30:00.000-06:00

Olney L. Moe, 97, of Colman died Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at Bethel Lutheran Home in Madison.

Olney was born November 26, 1911 in Colman to Ole and Laura (Johnson) Moe. He graduated from Colman High School in 1930 and then started farming near Colman. Olney married Merle Brown on December 19, 1936 in Minneapolis, MN. They owned and operated the Gambles Store in Colman from 1946-1959 and then he sold farm machinery and MoorMan’s Feed. In 1963 he purchased the Colman Fertilizer business and operated it until his retirement in 1989. He also sold Pioneer Seed Corn along with agricultural fertilizers and chemicals. His wife preceded him in death on May 23, 1979. Olney was a member of the Colman Lutheran Church, served on the board of trustees and sang in the church choir and the Minnehaha Mandskor Glee Club. He also served on the Board of Directors for Bethel Lutheran Home in Madison and the National Board of Directors of the Golden Dealers for Chevron Chemical Company.

Survivors include two sons: Roger (Helen) of Sioux Falls and James (Cheryl) of Grand Junction, Colo.; five grandchildren: Michael Moe, Angela Semansky, Kristin Moe, Lisa Dayley and Sara Cutts; five great grandchildren: Lacey, Gabrielle, Jacob, Noah and Alex; one brother: Richard (Carmel) of DeSmet; one sister: Delores Peterson of Seattle, Wash.; and two sisters-in-law: Edna Brown of Brandon and Beth Seeley of Omaha, Neb. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, four brothers, Lloyd, Herbert, Robert and Reginald and three sisters, Arnola, Ellen and Lillian.

Services were held January 3 at the Colman Lutheran Church with Pastor Solveig Hendrickson. Burial in Colman Cemetery.

2008 in Review

2009-01-02T00:19:00.003-06:00

The new year always gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the outgoing year and look forward to the upcoming one. Kristin and I have talked a lot about 2008 and have decided it wasn't a very exciting year, but one worth remembering anyway.

Highlights:
I started school again in January and was completely freaked out by having to take two Spanish classes, but I survived!

February brought participation in our very first caucus! It signaled the middle of a long presidential election cycle.

The only notable thing I could find in March was that I started seeing Luis, a Spanish tutor. I think he single-handedly got me through.

In April we welcomed a new nephew, Corban, to the family! We still haven't had the chance to meet the little guy yet, but are hoping to sometime in 2009.

May brought the May Day Parade as well as Lisa's graduation from law school.

In June we celebrated the end of Spanish (yay!) for me as well as Pride.

The CPA community welcomed a new little guy - Xavier - in July. July also found Kristin and Jehn having a garage sale and Kristin and I going to Duluth for our first wedding anniversary!

In August Robyn and Dejan came for a visit, and we had a great time! We also attended the annual Dow Jones picnic and joined Heather and Michele for some camping fun at Wilderness Way!

It was back to school in September with Kristin heading back to CPA and both of us heading back to college.

October brought another trip to Wilderness Way (this time we brought along Jehn to join in the fun), we celebrated our 5th anniversary (of being together), and I started my internship at CPA.

The all-important presidential election brought us out to the polls in November. We also went to South Dakota for Thanksgiving!

December was a busy month with my birthday, finals for school, attending the Dow Jones holiday dinner, preparing popcorn trains for Kristin's class, attending Heather and Michele's holiday bash, both of us getting sick, spending Christmas in South Dakota, and finally saying goodbye to 2008 at The Melting Pot with Heather, Michele, and Jehn. Unfortunately, Grandpa Moe passed away on December 30...which brought a sad end to the year (see previous post).

We've definitely had some ups and downs over the past year - here's hoping 2009 is a little more exciting and a little less bumpy!

Rest in peace, Grandpa Moe

2009-01-01T23:20:00.003-06:00

Olney L. Moe, 97, died Tuesday at the Bethel Lutheran Home in Madison.

He is survived by two sons, Roger (Helen), Sioux Falls, James (Cheryl), Grand Junction, CO; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one brother, Richard (Carmel) Moe, DeSmet, SD; and one sister, Delores Peterson, Seattle, WA.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Merle, his parents, four brothers and three sisters.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday at the Colman Lutheran Church, with burial in the Colman Cemetery. Visitation is from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Skroch Funeral Chapel, Colman.

Memorials to Bethel Lutheran Home, Madison, SD.