Ahhhh....just off of a nice four day weekend. Mr. Nate was smart and took today off too and while I am jealous of him, I'll be joining him a little later today to go to the Whiting Clinic for his Lasik consultation. We'll see how that goes.
Honestly though it was the best kind of weekend, a mix of fun, a little work on house things and relaxing. I found myself staying away from my computer for most of the weekend too and it was kind of nice to be a little unplugged for a couple of days. I love being connected to people via the internet, I'm the first to admit to being a social networking junkie, but sometimes it's nice to take a little break too.
My favorite day was Friday - our anniversary - we just kind of did what we felt like doing all day, visited an awesome winery we've never been before (Woodland Hill in Delano, MN) and had an awesome dinner at the Melting Pot downtown. It just might be my favorite anniversary celebration to date. And Nate got me the most awesome gift ever - he found the new Muppet Movie teaser poster and had it framed for me. It's in our basement now and it looks so awesome. So awesome.
So overall, it was a very awesome weekend and just nice to relax and be a little unplugged for a bit. I don't mind being "plugged back in" so to speak now though!
5/31/11
5/27/11
Five
And just like that another year has gone by. I find myself wondering how it is possible that not only has another year gone by, but that we've been married five years. FIVE. That is half of a decade.
But these have been the best five years - even in the not so great times when Nate didn't have a job, I have loved every moment of being married to this wonderful man.
Each year that passes I find it harder to remember every detail of the actual day, but thankfully through pictures and a wedding DVD I'm able to remember most of the important stuff.
Things that still stick out to me even five years later:
It was hot. In the 90's. I do not like heat. It made me a mildly cranky bride, though one of my friends still tells me she can't believe how laid back and zen I was. It has never been that warm on this date since by the way.
I remember I wanted to come off like I was not nervous, but when the moment arrived and my dad walked me down the aisle, my flowers were shaking. Though I clearly remember the first face I saw was actually the best man's wife, who gave me the biggest smile ever and it made me relax.
I remember right in the middle of the ceremony, at a quiet reflective moment, the air conditioner in the church quit. And my wedding coordinator walked to the back of the church as quietly as she could in heels to go trudging up the stairs to turn it back on.
After the ceremony, I remember we couldn't find the limo and panicked for a moment, borrowing my hostess's cell phone to track him down to discover, he was just in the parking lot.
In the limo, I remember Nate's cousin bringing a diaper bag, which considering he had a one month old baby wasn't terribly odd except that this diaper bag, contained bottles of beer. We drank the beer and went to the Wild Onion to kill time before the reception and drank horrible free champagne and someone had the brilliant idea that everyone should do a shot. Queue drunk wedding party.
Back in the limo, being a bit tipsy, I remember chatting with the other bridesmaids, who all had serious boyfriends at the time, about who would get married next and then letting the alcohol talk I spilled the beans to my maid of honor that her boyfriend intended to propose and had already sought her father's permission to ask her. Oops!
Arriving at the reception, we were all pretty well, let's still just say "tipsy" and did the procession in and everyone tells me they knew I was in that state because I was "bouncing".
I remember dancing, laughing, celebrating and leaving feeling so blessed and full of joy to have had such a wonderful day shared by so many people.
I hold on to those memories each passing year, but I don't dwell on it either. Everyone has moments of "if I could go back I would change this", but what is more important to me is where we are now. I love the life we've built together thus far. I love all the things we do together and share with friends and family. I love where we are going in this journey called life.
Plain and simple, I love us.
But these have been the best five years - even in the not so great times when Nate didn't have a job, I have loved every moment of being married to this wonderful man.
Each year that passes I find it harder to remember every detail of the actual day, but thankfully through pictures and a wedding DVD I'm able to remember most of the important stuff.
Things that still stick out to me even five years later:
It was hot. In the 90's. I do not like heat. It made me a mildly cranky bride, though one of my friends still tells me she can't believe how laid back and zen I was. It has never been that warm on this date since by the way.
I remember I wanted to come off like I was not nervous, but when the moment arrived and my dad walked me down the aisle, my flowers were shaking. Though I clearly remember the first face I saw was actually the best man's wife, who gave me the biggest smile ever and it made me relax.
I remember right in the middle of the ceremony, at a quiet reflective moment, the air conditioner in the church quit. And my wedding coordinator walked to the back of the church as quietly as she could in heels to go trudging up the stairs to turn it back on.
After the ceremony, I remember we couldn't find the limo and panicked for a moment, borrowing my hostess's cell phone to track him down to discover, he was just in the parking lot.
In the limo, I remember Nate's cousin bringing a diaper bag, which considering he had a one month old baby wasn't terribly odd except that this diaper bag, contained bottles of beer. We drank the beer and went to the Wild Onion to kill time before the reception and drank horrible free champagne and someone had the brilliant idea that everyone should do a shot. Queue drunk wedding party.
Back in the limo, being a bit tipsy, I remember chatting with the other bridesmaids, who all had serious boyfriends at the time, about who would get married next and then letting the alcohol talk I spilled the beans to my maid of honor that her boyfriend intended to propose and had already sought her father's permission to ask her. Oops!
Arriving at the reception, we were all pretty well, let's still just say "tipsy" and did the procession in and everyone tells me they knew I was in that state because I was "bouncing".
I remember dancing, laughing, celebrating and leaving feeling so blessed and full of joy to have had such a wonderful day shared by so many people.
I hold on to those memories each passing year, but I don't dwell on it either. Everyone has moments of "if I could go back I would change this", but what is more important to me is where we are now. I love the life we've built together thus far. I love all the things we do together and share with friends and family. I love where we are going in this journey called life.
Plain and simple, I love us.
5/25/11
Wordless Wednesday: Five Years in photos
2006
(25th birthday party)
2007
(New Years Eve)
2008
(Bowling night with friends)
2009
2008(Bowling night with friends)
2009
(Pedal Pub)
2010
2010
(Oktoberfest)
2011
2011
(Winterfest)
Oddly, you notice I'm almost always on Nate's right except the last picture - I find that kind of funny. These are only SOME of my many favorite moments of the last five years of our marriage, there are so, SO many more, but we'd be here all day as this post would get wayyyyy too long. :)
5/24/11
A letter to my former self
So, this week Nate and I celebrate five years of marriage - this Friday to be specific. Today through Friday I'll bring a series of posts reflecting on this as five feels like a significant number to me! Today's post, a letter to "bride to be" me.
Dear Bride to Be Beth,
In a few short days you will marry the love of your life and all of your dreams will finally come through. You've waited a long time for this day and I promise you it will be everything you ever wanted and more. However, I'm writing you from the future to offer a bit of advice in these final days. You did nothing wrong, but these are things I wish you'd known then that would've helped just a little bit as you prepared to be someone's wife.
First of all, stop stressing out so much about your current job situation. Yes your church job is being cut to part time. Yes you won't have benefits anymore if you stay. And yes, the job you have interviewed for and really, really want is taking their sweet time getting back to you, but guess what, when you get home from your honeymoon, they are going to call and offer you the job - so relax! Stop thinking about it so much and instead revel in the fact that you are a bride!
Second of all, stop stressing out about the purchase of your house. It might take you a few months, but you and Nate will get everything all figured out and worked out and you'll be homeowners by summer's end. You won't be homeless, you won't have to go live in an apartment. That is your house baby, ain't no one will be taking that away from you!
Third, stop and smell the roses. These moments, they will pass you by so fast. You will be amazed at how quickly it is all over and done. And I know you will cherish every last minute, but the above stresses may hinder you just a little bit. So just try your best. You'll have pictures and videos that will allow you to relive the day, but nothing compares to being there. Being present. Try hard to stay in the moment.
Fourth, it's going to be hot on your wedding day. After a spring filled with rainy cool days (that seemed to fall on every single day you had a wedding shower) it will be in the 90's on May 27th and there is nothing you can do about it. Deal with it. Oh and stop being a brat and go take pictures outside with your bridesmaids. Nate and the boys did it and you're going to regret the fact that you didn't.
And fifth, more for your actual marriage, just remember this boy you are marrying is not a boy. He is a man. He is not perfect and neither are you. Your relationship will be different now that you are living together. There will be moments that you frustrate one another or endure difficulties. But honey, it's normal. And for every moment like those, you will have double in moments of joy and excitement. You'll have wonderful and amazing adventures. Five years into your marriage you will find yourself loving Nate more than you ever thought possible and still growing every single day. And that's what it's really all about.
Love,
Happily married five years Beth
Some of what I wrote to myself is a little tongue and cheek and I just want to say here and now I have ZERO major regrets about our wedding day - but many of those things I wrote about are true and if I could change them, I might. But it truly was the happiest day of my life and I look back on it with nothing but joy in my heart.
Dear Bride to Be Beth,
In a few short days you will marry the love of your life and all of your dreams will finally come through. You've waited a long time for this day and I promise you it will be everything you ever wanted and more. However, I'm writing you from the future to offer a bit of advice in these final days. You did nothing wrong, but these are things I wish you'd known then that would've helped just a little bit as you prepared to be someone's wife.
First of all, stop stressing out so much about your current job situation. Yes your church job is being cut to part time. Yes you won't have benefits anymore if you stay. And yes, the job you have interviewed for and really, really want is taking their sweet time getting back to you, but guess what, when you get home from your honeymoon, they are going to call and offer you the job - so relax! Stop thinking about it so much and instead revel in the fact that you are a bride!
Second of all, stop stressing out about the purchase of your house. It might take you a few months, but you and Nate will get everything all figured out and worked out and you'll be homeowners by summer's end. You won't be homeless, you won't have to go live in an apartment. That is your house baby, ain't no one will be taking that away from you!
Third, stop and smell the roses. These moments, they will pass you by so fast. You will be amazed at how quickly it is all over and done. And I know you will cherish every last minute, but the above stresses may hinder you just a little bit. So just try your best. You'll have pictures and videos that will allow you to relive the day, but nothing compares to being there. Being present. Try hard to stay in the moment.
Fourth, it's going to be hot on your wedding day. After a spring filled with rainy cool days (that seemed to fall on every single day you had a wedding shower) it will be in the 90's on May 27th and there is nothing you can do about it. Deal with it. Oh and stop being a brat and go take pictures outside with your bridesmaids. Nate and the boys did it and you're going to regret the fact that you didn't.
And fifth, more for your actual marriage, just remember this boy you are marrying is not a boy. He is a man. He is not perfect and neither are you. Your relationship will be different now that you are living together. There will be moments that you frustrate one another or endure difficulties. But honey, it's normal. And for every moment like those, you will have double in moments of joy and excitement. You'll have wonderful and amazing adventures. Five years into your marriage you will find yourself loving Nate more than you ever thought possible and still growing every single day. And that's what it's really all about.
Love,
Happily married five years Beth
Some of what I wrote to myself is a little tongue and cheek and I just want to say here and now I have ZERO major regrets about our wedding day - but many of those things I wrote about are true and if I could change them, I might. But it truly was the happiest day of my life and I look back on it with nothing but joy in my heart.
5/23/11
Too close for comfort
Well the "Rapture" may not have come this weekend as I predicted it wouldn't, but Mother Nature's wrath sure did!
Saturday wasn't terribly bad, it rained a bit off and on, we did a church gig and grabbed some pizza afterward, got home, heard the sirens, but it never really did much more than rain some more by us. So that was all fine and good.
Sunday, we slept in and had a hard time waking up and getting going because it was still damp and drizzly. We decided to get up and make breakfast and just kind of put off our walk for a bit because it was gross out. The cats were acting strange, just picking on each other and being skittish, like they just knew something wasn't right in the air. And it did just feel kind of off.
I went and grabbed us some Caribou and the sun came out - we easily could've walked, but by then Nate was pretty far into making breakfast and so we decided to wait. By the time we were done eating, the sun had gone away again and it was back to raining. While we were eating, Nate asked me what I wanted to do, if perhaps there was a movie I wanted to go see. I really wanted to go see Bridesmaids so I suggested that. We found it was showing a couple of different places and settled on the Roseville AMC for their 1:30 show.
Got all showered up and ready to go and headed off. It wasn't really raining anymore, but the air still felt thick and gross. I was glad we were going to just be inside in a comfortable movie theatre. We decided to park kind of across the mall from the theatre and use the distance as part of our walk. It must have been super humid, by the time we got to the theatre, we were both sweating. The inside of the theatre didn't feel all that nice and cool either.
So we watched the movie, running time was about two 1/2 hours with previews - I really enjoyed it though, it was a hilarious movie. At one point, it sounded like it was pouring outside. I figured if it turns out to be pouring we'll just go walk around the mall when the movie is over. But, it wasn't raining at all when we left, but you could tell it had definitely poured quite a bit.
We headed home and the sun was coming back out, so we did a quick stroll around the neighborhood since it was nice and clear. Came back and needed to waste some time before going to dinner at Nate's parents, so I hopped online to check in some places and discovered there was a tornado while we were at the movie. A pretty bad one in North Minneapolis. And then I started seeing reports of damage in areas of Fridley - areas that were sounding closer and closer to my parents' neighborhood as I continued to read. I started getting a little nervous and was just getting ready to call my mom when the phone rang.
It was my mom - I swear we have this mental telepathy thing or something. The first words out of my mouth were "are you ok?" She said "yes, it was scary for awhile, but we're fine, are you ok?" So I was like yes, we're fine, it only rained over here. She then told me about how her and my dad had just left the house, he was going to drop her off at St. William's to help Marie with her student piano recital and as they were driving, the storm came up behind them. They barely had time to get into the church and down into the basement there. My mom laughed a little because Marie had said "Well, at least we're in a good place if something happens!" She said between the church and my their house though there was damage, many trees down, shingles and siding from other homes strewn about. My dad went and took pictures, I'll be anxious to see some of those.
I hung up with her satisfied that they were ok - but I continued to read the reports from North Minneapolis and the Fridley area and I was SO thankful that my parents were spared. It was just too close for comfort for me.
My office was also spared and I did joke that I guess that means I have to work now, but in truth I'm glad it was ok. Overall just feeling thankful today and hoping the rest of the summer calms down a bit more in the weather department!
Saturday wasn't terribly bad, it rained a bit off and on, we did a church gig and grabbed some pizza afterward, got home, heard the sirens, but it never really did much more than rain some more by us. So that was all fine and good.
Sunday, we slept in and had a hard time waking up and getting going because it was still damp and drizzly. We decided to get up and make breakfast and just kind of put off our walk for a bit because it was gross out. The cats were acting strange, just picking on each other and being skittish, like they just knew something wasn't right in the air. And it did just feel kind of off.
I went and grabbed us some Caribou and the sun came out - we easily could've walked, but by then Nate was pretty far into making breakfast and so we decided to wait. By the time we were done eating, the sun had gone away again and it was back to raining. While we were eating, Nate asked me what I wanted to do, if perhaps there was a movie I wanted to go see. I really wanted to go see Bridesmaids so I suggested that. We found it was showing a couple of different places and settled on the Roseville AMC for their 1:30 show.
Got all showered up and ready to go and headed off. It wasn't really raining anymore, but the air still felt thick and gross. I was glad we were going to just be inside in a comfortable movie theatre. We decided to park kind of across the mall from the theatre and use the distance as part of our walk. It must have been super humid, by the time we got to the theatre, we were both sweating. The inside of the theatre didn't feel all that nice and cool either.
So we watched the movie, running time was about two 1/2 hours with previews - I really enjoyed it though, it was a hilarious movie. At one point, it sounded like it was pouring outside. I figured if it turns out to be pouring we'll just go walk around the mall when the movie is over. But, it wasn't raining at all when we left, but you could tell it had definitely poured quite a bit.
We headed home and the sun was coming back out, so we did a quick stroll around the neighborhood since it was nice and clear. Came back and needed to waste some time before going to dinner at Nate's parents, so I hopped online to check in some places and discovered there was a tornado while we were at the movie. A pretty bad one in North Minneapolis. And then I started seeing reports of damage in areas of Fridley - areas that were sounding closer and closer to my parents' neighborhood as I continued to read. I started getting a little nervous and was just getting ready to call my mom when the phone rang.
It was my mom - I swear we have this mental telepathy thing or something. The first words out of my mouth were "are you ok?" She said "yes, it was scary for awhile, but we're fine, are you ok?" So I was like yes, we're fine, it only rained over here. She then told me about how her and my dad had just left the house, he was going to drop her off at St. William's to help Marie with her student piano recital and as they were driving, the storm came up behind them. They barely had time to get into the church and down into the basement there. My mom laughed a little because Marie had said "Well, at least we're in a good place if something happens!" She said between the church and my their house though there was damage, many trees down, shingles and siding from other homes strewn about. My dad went and took pictures, I'll be anxious to see some of those.
I hung up with her satisfied that they were ok - but I continued to read the reports from North Minneapolis and the Fridley area and I was SO thankful that my parents were spared. It was just too close for comfort for me.
My office was also spared and I did joke that I guess that means I have to work now, but in truth I'm glad it was ok. Overall just feeling thankful today and hoping the rest of the summer calms down a bit more in the weather department!
5/20/11
Random thoughts for Friday
It's Friday and I am glad. It hasn't been a bad week, just a long one. And today feels like a good day for a Random Thought post, so that's what you are getting!
~First things first, a brief rant - I am a religious person and a faith filled person and all of that. But I just have to say - I do not believe that the "Rapture" is coming tomorrow. And really, that is not how my religion teaches us anyway - we have been taught that "we know not WHEN the son of man will come" so I just have a hard time believing that it will happen at 6:00 pm on May 21st. I full intend to still be around on Sunday, May 22nd. I guess if I'm wrong I'm going down to the fiery pits of Hell or will be one of the ones "Left Behind" or whatever, but I'm really betting on being right. End rant.
~Rock the Garden is less than a month away. So far we've been trending towards rainy days on Saturdays. There is a few short weeks for that to turn around. And it better dang it!
~Next week we have our fifth wedding anniversary. FIVE. Five years. I will have many reflections on this coming next week - probably a series of posts in fact. Because five just feels like a big important number to me.
~I have so many things I hope to do this summer, but unlike last summer, I am not going to make a list. I made a "bucket list" for my summer if you will last year and ended up slightly disappointed when I didn't get to everything on that list. So instead I plan to enjoy the things I already have planned - and there are quite a few of them - and take everything else as it comes.
~We have started harvesting rhubarb. I plan to really stay on top of it this year. We are freezing it for now. There will hopefully be jam, pies and maybe muffins and then at the end of the summer - we just might attempt making rhubarb wine. It will need to ferment a heck of a lot longer than any of the beer we've done so far, but I really want to give it a try!
And that's about it for the day. Like I said, long week, brain is a bit mushy. So there you go.
~First things first, a brief rant - I am a religious person and a faith filled person and all of that. But I just have to say - I do not believe that the "Rapture" is coming tomorrow. And really, that is not how my religion teaches us anyway - we have been taught that "we know not WHEN the son of man will come" so I just have a hard time believing that it will happen at 6:00 pm on May 21st. I full intend to still be around on Sunday, May 22nd. I guess if I'm wrong I'm going down to the fiery pits of Hell or will be one of the ones "Left Behind" or whatever, but I'm really betting on being right. End rant.
~Rock the Garden is less than a month away. So far we've been trending towards rainy days on Saturdays. There is a few short weeks for that to turn around. And it better dang it!
~Next week we have our fifth wedding anniversary. FIVE. Five years. I will have many reflections on this coming next week - probably a series of posts in fact. Because five just feels like a big important number to me.
~I have so many things I hope to do this summer, but unlike last summer, I am not going to make a list. I made a "bucket list" for my summer if you will last year and ended up slightly disappointed when I didn't get to everything on that list. So instead I plan to enjoy the things I already have planned - and there are quite a few of them - and take everything else as it comes.
~We have started harvesting rhubarb. I plan to really stay on top of it this year. We are freezing it for now. There will hopefully be jam, pies and maybe muffins and then at the end of the summer - we just might attempt making rhubarb wine. It will need to ferment a heck of a lot longer than any of the beer we've done so far, but I really want to give it a try!
And that's about it for the day. Like I said, long week, brain is a bit mushy. So there you go.
5/17/11
Running up that hill
Blog title stolen from a song by Kate Bush of the same name.
So, here we are. We're into good spring weather finally. We're both healthy. And we're actually moving along nicely on our running program so far this year!
I was worried in the first few weeks because it just didn't seem like it was clicking as well as I thought it would and we seemed to have problems being able to go out every day due to weather. Yet somehow, we have managed to get pretty far into our program.
We're doing the Nike "Walk to Run" again - it builds you up in a really nice way. Right now we're on a week where on the "Run" days, we do two sets of six minutes at a time. So 12 minutes of total running. And it's beginning to feel pretty good. I am remembering why I liked doing this last year.
So, because it's going well and also because I think we might just be crazy, we're going to attempt our first 5K in July. Yes that is right, July. Two months from now July. We're going to try to do the Torchlight 5K that takes place during the Minneapolis Aquatennial. In two months. Eek?
If all goes according to plan though and no one comes down with H1N1 like someone who shall remain nameless (yeah, that was me...) did last year throwing us off our entire schedule, we should be more than able to handle a 5K by mid-July because our current program has us pretty much running that amount by the end. And right now we're on track to finish our program by the end of June.
I also like having a goal. It gives me focus. I am not going into this 5K with any kind of expectations whatsoever - I will be happy to just complete it. I don't care what my time is. My goal is simply to do it. And now I feel like I'm working towards something as we continue on with "Walk to Run."
So let's hope for continued good health and good weather as we keep moving forward!
So, here we are. We're into good spring weather finally. We're both healthy. And we're actually moving along nicely on our running program so far this year!
I was worried in the first few weeks because it just didn't seem like it was clicking as well as I thought it would and we seemed to have problems being able to go out every day due to weather. Yet somehow, we have managed to get pretty far into our program.
We're doing the Nike "Walk to Run" again - it builds you up in a really nice way. Right now we're on a week where on the "Run" days, we do two sets of six minutes at a time. So 12 minutes of total running. And it's beginning to feel pretty good. I am remembering why I liked doing this last year.
So, because it's going well and also because I think we might just be crazy, we're going to attempt our first 5K in July. Yes that is right, July. Two months from now July. We're going to try to do the Torchlight 5K that takes place during the Minneapolis Aquatennial. In two months. Eek?
If all goes according to plan though and no one comes down with H1N1 like someone who shall remain nameless (yeah, that was me...) did last year throwing us off our entire schedule, we should be more than able to handle a 5K by mid-July because our current program has us pretty much running that amount by the end. And right now we're on track to finish our program by the end of June.
I also like having a goal. It gives me focus. I am not going into this 5K with any kind of expectations whatsoever - I will be happy to just complete it. I don't care what my time is. My goal is simply to do it. And now I feel like I'm working towards something as we continue on with "Walk to Run."
So let's hope for continued good health and good weather as we keep moving forward!
5/16/11
No complaints
So it seems we have just been making the most of our weekends lately! This one was no exception!
Friday night we had dinner at my parents and brought my mom some of Nate's famous homemade margaritas, since she made my favorite dinner ever, chicken enchiladas. It was all very tasty! We headed home and chilled and it was nice to unwind from the week.
Saturday we were up nice and early and I did my Coffee Saturday with my parents and then came home. Nate and I went and got him some new running shoes because believe or not, since starting our running program last year we have run about 254 miles to date and shoes need to be replaced for a person of Nate's size around 300 miles - while we're not quite there yet, he has noticed his shoes breaking down a bit and figured, this will give him a chance to break in the new ones too, he can go between the two.
After shopping, we came back home for lunch and my dad came over and put the old lights we took down from the basement into my laundry room. It's amazing the transformation - I can now see what I'm doing with my laundry SO much better than I could before. While my dad worked on that, Nate put up our newstress reliever, dart board in the basement. It looks nice on the wall and after my dad left we had some fun throwing darts. It's a good thing we have the kind of wall board we do in our basement, as I think more of my darts stuck to the wall than the board, but it will be fun to play with and try and improve my skills.
Saturday night we went to the North Star Roller Girls roller derby championship. Sadly our favorite team did not fare so well after kicking butt almost the entire rest of the season. There's always next year I suppose!
Sunday we got to sleep in and it was very nice to be able to do that! We got up and did our walk for the day, choosing to go all the way to the Cub by our house to grab a couple of items we needed to make breakfast. Came home and made said breakfast and then worked out in the yard for about two hours, finally getting a chance to clean up and make things look nice again for the first time this year. There is still much to be done, but we're getting things in good shape so far!
Wrapped it up a bit early so we could go to a graduation open house for a good friend who just completed their masters degree - congrats JL! After the open house we had dinner with my in-laws who treated us to burgers and fries at Five Guys Burger and Fries - if you haven't been to a Five Guys yet, you don't know what you're missing, best fries in the world. It is a bit "fast food" like in nature, but believe me, it's well above McDonald's or Burger King or even Culvers.
And then we crashed for the rest of our Sunday because we were just exhausted! I'm exhausted again just recapping all of this! At the same time though, it felt good. Work and play. Balance.
No complaints here.
Friday night we had dinner at my parents and brought my mom some of Nate's famous homemade margaritas, since she made my favorite dinner ever, chicken enchiladas. It was all very tasty! We headed home and chilled and it was nice to unwind from the week.
Saturday we were up nice and early and I did my Coffee Saturday with my parents and then came home. Nate and I went and got him some new running shoes because believe or not, since starting our running program last year we have run about 254 miles to date and shoes need to be replaced for a person of Nate's size around 300 miles - while we're not quite there yet, he has noticed his shoes breaking down a bit and figured, this will give him a chance to break in the new ones too, he can go between the two.
After shopping, we came back home for lunch and my dad came over and put the old lights we took down from the basement into my laundry room. It's amazing the transformation - I can now see what I'm doing with my laundry SO much better than I could before. While my dad worked on that, Nate put up our new
Saturday night we went to the North Star Roller Girls roller derby championship. Sadly our favorite team did not fare so well after kicking butt almost the entire rest of the season. There's always next year I suppose!
Sunday we got to sleep in and it was very nice to be able to do that! We got up and did our walk for the day, choosing to go all the way to the Cub by our house to grab a couple of items we needed to make breakfast. Came home and made said breakfast and then worked out in the yard for about two hours, finally getting a chance to clean up and make things look nice again for the first time this year. There is still much to be done, but we're getting things in good shape so far!
Wrapped it up a bit early so we could go to a graduation open house for a good friend who just completed their masters degree - congrats JL! After the open house we had dinner with my in-laws who treated us to burgers and fries at Five Guys Burger and Fries - if you haven't been to a Five Guys yet, you don't know what you're missing, best fries in the world. It is a bit "fast food" like in nature, but believe me, it's well above McDonald's or Burger King or even Culvers.
And then we crashed for the rest of our Sunday because we were just exhausted! I'm exhausted again just recapping all of this! At the same time though, it felt good. Work and play. Balance.
No complaints here.
5/13/11
Moments
"Be happy in the moment - that's enough. Each moment is all we need - not more"
- Mother Teresa.
My cousin posted this quote on FB this morning and it just spoke volumes to me. Isn't it so simple? Enjoy each moment as it comes. One day at a time. I struggle so hard sometimes with that concept, but I work every single day at making that my mantra. It's kind of my life's goal! And while I do slip up - sometimes more than not - I find I am so at peace when I achieve the simple concept of taking each moment as it comes.
Spreading good vibes on a Friday. Make it a great day and a great weekend.
5/11/11
The hair drama continues
Oh yes, the drama. I'm kind of kidding, but you've all read about my hair woes and my decision to finally jump ship from my ritzy more expensive salon. Loved Miss K and the way she cut my hair, but I'm trying to live a budget friendly life and it was time to move on.
So I found a lovely salon still not far from my house that was a little more friendly on the wallet and had two appointments with Miss S, who cut my hair just fine. The last time I saw her, I made an appointment to come in this month for not just a haircut, but foils in my bangs as well. (Translation for male readers - foils means, I'm throwing some color in my hair)
She asked if I wanted a reminder card, but I'm like "oh no, I'll remember my appointment" Well I wrote it down on two different Tuesdays, yesterday and next Tuesday. And they don't necessarily call for reminders, so I said, ok, I'd better call them and confirm this. They aren't open on Mondays, so I had to wait until yesterday morning.
Called on a quick break at work and got a nice gal on the phone and explained my situation, I have an appointment but wrote it down two places, yadda yadda. She says "Hmm, let me see here" and then doesn't say anything at first. Finally she said "Um, I hate to tell you this, but I don't have you on the books for either tonight or next Tuesday." I said "really? I pre-booked because I usually see S and I know she only works on Tuesdays". The gal was quiet again then said sort of timidly "Oh um, S is no longer working with us, she went to someplace more corporate."
Say what?
I thought for a minute about my options, but decided, I need a haircut, badly. So I said "ok um, well could I make an appointment with someone else?" And she was more than willing to help with setting it up and I could tell she felt really bad and almost embarrassed about the whole thing. So I'm seeing someone else now on Thursday evening.
I like the salon and the prices, so I'm really hoping this works out. I just can't believe she left! Figures, don't it?
So I found a lovely salon still not far from my house that was a little more friendly on the wallet and had two appointments with Miss S, who cut my hair just fine. The last time I saw her, I made an appointment to come in this month for not just a haircut, but foils in my bangs as well. (Translation for male readers - foils means, I'm throwing some color in my hair)
She asked if I wanted a reminder card, but I'm like "oh no, I'll remember my appointment" Well I wrote it down on two different Tuesdays, yesterday and next Tuesday. And they don't necessarily call for reminders, so I said, ok, I'd better call them and confirm this. They aren't open on Mondays, so I had to wait until yesterday morning.
Called on a quick break at work and got a nice gal on the phone and explained my situation, I have an appointment but wrote it down two places, yadda yadda. She says "Hmm, let me see here" and then doesn't say anything at first. Finally she said "Um, I hate to tell you this, but I don't have you on the books for either tonight or next Tuesday." I said "really? I pre-booked because I usually see S and I know she only works on Tuesdays". The gal was quiet again then said sort of timidly "Oh um, S is no longer working with us, she went to someplace more corporate."
Say what?
I thought for a minute about my options, but decided, I need a haircut, badly. So I said "ok um, well could I make an appointment with someone else?" And she was more than willing to help with setting it up and I could tell she felt really bad and almost embarrassed about the whole thing. So I'm seeing someone else now on Thursday evening.
I like the salon and the prices, so I'm really hoping this works out. I just can't believe she left! Figures, don't it?
5/9/11
Another full weekend
We had another full and busy weekend, but it felt good. We actually accomplished some things and that is always a good feeling!
Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and did the usual coffee with my parents. They came back home with me and my dad finished installing the lights in the basement. They look very nice, I'm pleased. Sadly, our white Christmas lights that we have lining the ceiling have all died - crazy timing - so Nate ordered us one strand of LED lights to test out down there. He put up the one string and we decided we'll be ok with it, so now we need to order some more. So, the lighting situation is pretty good down there now!
After my parents left, we did our Mother's Day shopping and also planted a bunch of Herb seeds - if all works out, I'll have Basil, Chives, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme to cook with this summer. I'm looking forward to it, I loved having fresh Basil the last time we had a Basil plant.
Later on Saturday we did a Mass with Praise Project out in Blaine and I proceeded to lose my voice from the blasted cold I've had. That kind of sucked, but I was feeling just fine, so we still headed out to dinner after church. We went to Brasa since it was a gorgeous day and I've been itching to eat outside and especially to eat there! There was a little wait, but it wasn't too bad. We really enjoyed our meal. Went home and watched a movie and headed to bed.
Sunday we got up early, but not too early, and did our walk so we could meet Nate's family by 10:00 for brunch. We went to Psycho Suzi's new brunch and it was outstanding. They have very tasty brunch food, it was reasonably nice outside so we sat on the new patio and enjoyed Bloody Marys and Tropical Mimosas. It is quite possibly my new favorite brunch spot! After we were more than full we went back to Nate's parents to visit for a few more minutes and then headed home for a quiet afternoon which was a good thing since it started raining. After chilling for a bit we then went to my parents to celebrate Mom's Day with my mom and took her to Punch Pizza for dinner. I know it sounds like we ate SO much food on Sunday, but actually, Punch is pretty light fare, so it worked out well. And it's one of my mom's favorite places, so it worked well for her too.
We also kegged my cherry wheat beer on Sunday afternoon and gave it a little sample - it's pretty decent! I'm curious to see how it tastes after a couple of days of being carbonated in the keg.
So, busy, productive, full, but fun weekend. Today's rain and hail put a damper on our running - not to say we didn't try, we totally did and we totally got caught in it. Downpours + Hail = NOT FUN. Not at all. I'll be checking the radar in the mornings for the rest of the week I think.
On we go!
Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and did the usual coffee with my parents. They came back home with me and my dad finished installing the lights in the basement. They look very nice, I'm pleased. Sadly, our white Christmas lights that we have lining the ceiling have all died - crazy timing - so Nate ordered us one strand of LED lights to test out down there. He put up the one string and we decided we'll be ok with it, so now we need to order some more. So, the lighting situation is pretty good down there now!
After my parents left, we did our Mother's Day shopping and also planted a bunch of Herb seeds - if all works out, I'll have Basil, Chives, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme to cook with this summer. I'm looking forward to it, I loved having fresh Basil the last time we had a Basil plant.
Later on Saturday we did a Mass with Praise Project out in Blaine and I proceeded to lose my voice from the blasted cold I've had. That kind of sucked, but I was feeling just fine, so we still headed out to dinner after church. We went to Brasa since it was a gorgeous day and I've been itching to eat outside and especially to eat there! There was a little wait, but it wasn't too bad. We really enjoyed our meal. Went home and watched a movie and headed to bed.
Sunday we got up early, but not too early, and did our walk so we could meet Nate's family by 10:00 for brunch. We went to Psycho Suzi's new brunch and it was outstanding. They have very tasty brunch food, it was reasonably nice outside so we sat on the new patio and enjoyed Bloody Marys and Tropical Mimosas. It is quite possibly my new favorite brunch spot! After we were more than full we went back to Nate's parents to visit for a few more minutes and then headed home for a quiet afternoon which was a good thing since it started raining. After chilling for a bit we then went to my parents to celebrate Mom's Day with my mom and took her to Punch Pizza for dinner. I know it sounds like we ate SO much food on Sunday, but actually, Punch is pretty light fare, so it worked out well. And it's one of my mom's favorite places, so it worked well for her too.
We also kegged my cherry wheat beer on Sunday afternoon and gave it a little sample - it's pretty decent! I'm curious to see how it tastes after a couple of days of being carbonated in the keg.
So, busy, productive, full, but fun weekend. Today's rain and hail put a damper on our running - not to say we didn't try, we totally did and we totally got caught in it. Downpours + Hail = NOT FUN. Not at all. I'll be checking the radar in the mornings for the rest of the week I think.
On we go!
5/6/11
Flashback Friday: Drama Days
Last night I went to my alma mater to see my cousin in her final musical of her high school days Beauty and the Beast. And, once again, I left in a bit of a nostalgic mood remembering my own days on that very stage (ok, so it isn't the EXACT same stage, since they remodeled the auditorium in the latter half of my senior year, but still.) In the spirit of such feelings, I present another Flashback Friday reminiscing about those days.
I started participating in drama as early as middle school - though those productions were low budget, simple 1/2 hour to 45 minute shows. They were fun, but high school is where it all really happened. When I was in high school we did the musical in the fall and a three act style play in the spring.
My freshman year the musical chosen was Guys and Dolls. I auditioned, not really knowing quite what to expect, it was pretty well known that seniors got leads and everyone else was pretty much relegated to "chorus". I just wanted to be in the show, I didn't really care what my part was. Well, I was actually chosen as a more prominent chorus member because I was given the part of a Hot Box Dancer. To date, this may still be the most fun I have had in any role I've played. If you are familiar with the show, you know that the Hot Box Dancers...well...they strip on stage. And yes, we kept it clean, but we did that number. We had a fantastic costumer who sewed us lovely pink gowns that were held together with Velcro - easy removal. We all bought little lacy, but appropriate undergarments to wear underneath. I'll never forget at our first dress rehearsal when it came time for that number, the director asked the entire cast besides us to go sit in the audience and unknown to us, she asked them to whistle and holler at us. We laughed SO HARD. We had to run through that number probably three times before we could do it without laughing - but I tell you, the director was smart in doing that, we were more than prepared to do it for the actual performance.
The spring play my freshman year was Fame. It was a "non-musical" performance of it - and quite frankly, I didn't enjoy it all that much. It more or less followed the 1980 movie, though tamed down a bit for high school aged performers (think no controversial moments and such). I played Hilary, the stuck up dancer who transfers in halfway through the year. It was my least favorite role - and for some reason, one of our costume/design directors thought it would be fun to try and turn Hilary into some sort of wild and crazy snob instead of a regular snob. So I wore really flashy clothes and they crimped my hair before every performance. Crimped. I have thick hair. I basically had a fro. There's no nicer way to say it. My fellow cast mates liked to tease me about it. It was kind of ridiculous.
Sophomore year found us doing Oklahoma for the fall musical. I was so excited about this show, but in the end didn't enjoy it as much as I had wanted to. This was due to two things, first off, I was "dating" that guy I've talked about before, whom I call "B" and I was pretty distracted due to that fact. Secondly, I had originally been cast as a chorus member, which I was fine with, but when the girl cast as "Gertie" ended up dropping out due to mouth surgery, I was suddenly put into that role. You know how I said earlier that it was usually seniors who got leads? There was another senior girl who didn't have a lead that all the others thought should have been cast as "Gertie" instead of me. And therefore, I wasn't treated terribly kindly from that point on. Still, I gave it my best and I did a pretty impressive annoying high pitch giggle squeel. I didn't get to sing in as many numbers though and I missed that.
Our spring play that year was much more fun and by then I was done with "B" and already dating Nate if you can believe that! We did a set of three short plays called The Princess Plays and they were fun, fairytale type stories. My favorite of the three was about three witches who make some mistakes with some spells and end up bringing popular princesses to their cave, all of whom just want to find "The Prince". I played Sleeping Beauty. There was also Cinderella, Snow White, The Princess and the Pea and Beauty of Beauty and the Beast. It had some very funny moments, including yours truly getting to fall asleep and snore on stage. I actually have the script for these plays....naughty me somehow never turned it in. Whoops.
Junior year things were shook up a bit when our normal director decided she wanted to step down. It looked like drama wasn't happening - until an outside person was hired and brought in just a little bit into the year. We ended up performing The Music Man and it was probably the best of the performances I was in during high school and the most "professional". The director was kind of a weenie, not going to lie, but he was good. He knew his stuff. And he turned many kids into dancers and the entire thing was quite impressive. I was "Alma Hix" one of the "Pick-A-Little" ladies and I had a blast in that role. Quite a tongue twister to sing that song, but it was fun to perform. I am the most proud of that show I think.
In the spring we did Harvey. I think I'm secondly most proud of this one. I had the female lead - "Veta Simmons" who is the sister of the delusional "Elwood" who sees the rabbit. I remember my parents took me to a hat shop downtown to find the perfect old fashioned "Veta" hat and it was very impressive - black with these feathery things - we still have that hat somewhere. It was awesome. It was a very small cast, but we had a good time, I have very fond memories of that show.
Finally, senior year, it again looked like drama maybe was done, as we had no director again. Fortunately though two individuals stepped up and helped us put together something unique. Because the auditorium was slated to be torn apart and remodeled in the late winter, we decided to send it off with a bang. The result being something called Remember When: 25 Years in Review. It was a celebration of the musicals performed at Heights for the 25 years prior to January 2000. We performed songs and gave little talks on each of the various years. Hours were spent contacting alumnae and getting stories and memories to share. The sets were simple and in terms of production value, it was pretty low budget over all, but it was a fun show to do and appropriate send off. My favorite moments in that show were singing "I Have Confidence" as Maria from the Sound of Music and filling in as a guy and singing "Luck be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls with the boys.
The spring that year a mystery theatre style dinner show was performed at Murzyn Hall, but I opted out of that show because I had a job and was mere weeks from graduation and kind of ready to step down and move on.
I look back on those days very fondly - not only for the fun of performing and being on stage, but from the camaraderie backstage - playing cards, talking, and goofing off with the other cast members, partying it up at cast parties when the show wrapped, making memories. In my opinion, these were the best moments of high school. If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me on my long trip down memory lane!
5/5/11
Living in a fog
You want to know something I really dislike? Spring colds. And lately, it seems like I get a cold every single spring. Which I suppose could mean it's also allergies, but in this instance, I am pretty sure I was gifted with a headcold this week. Nate had one and was super kind to pass it on to me, so thoughtful of him right?
Honestly today I'm feeling pretty good, so it was at least short lived. But I spent the better part of this week in a bit of a fog. You know that feeling that your entire head is just stuffed up and feels like it's full of cotton? That is where I was most of this week. I had started the week with fun blog post ideas too and sadly, just couldn't get myself to write them due to my foggy brain. I hope to finally get some of them written and posted in the next week or so to breathe some life back into this blog!
For now, I'm happy that the fog is clearing and my energy is back. Spring colds just are no good. I'd rather have one when it's cold outside and my body is in hibernation mode anyway! Not when the weather is getting nicer and you want to be outside!
Honestly today I'm feeling pretty good, so it was at least short lived. But I spent the better part of this week in a bit of a fog. You know that feeling that your entire head is just stuffed up and feels like it's full of cotton? That is where I was most of this week. I had started the week with fun blog post ideas too and sadly, just couldn't get myself to write them due to my foggy brain. I hope to finally get some of them written and posted in the next week or so to breathe some life back into this blog!
For now, I'm happy that the fog is clearing and my energy is back. Spring colds just are no good. I'd rather have one when it's cold outside and my body is in hibernation mode anyway! Not when the weather is getting nicer and you want to be outside!
5/2/11
Weekend recap
We had a full and busy weekend - which isn't terribly unusual - but we actually did a variety of things this weekend from fun to productive.
Friday - we started out the weekend having a nice dinner with the Hollands. We went to a place called Wildfire and it was pretty tasty stuff! It was nice to catch up and hang out since we haven't done so in quite a long time!
Saturday - got up early and had coffee with my parents. Then mom and I ran over to Craftstravaganza at the Fairgrounds to visit Jes and her dad and see what else was being sold. I bought some bath and body type stuff, a pair of earrings and some cute magnets for my fridge.
We headed back home and my dad came over and we painted my entire basement ceiling. Yes that is right, the entire ceiling. I think I have talked about how we've been working on changing the lighting downstairs. Of course the wiring was all messed up which caused my dad and Nate to have to go into the ceiling, cutting a hole and requiring some mud work. So, we had to paint where they did that and my dad, being a practical man said, might want to just do the whole basement ceiling so it looks the same and it'll freshen it up. We agreed and that's just what we did. Took us about four hours - I was wiped by the time we were done. But I wasn't able to just crash, nope, we had Praise Project rehearsal after that! Saturday was a long day.
Sunday - Got up and did two masses for Praise Project at St. Williams. It was First Communion Sunday at the first Mass and it was so fun seeing the kids all dressed up. Made me reflect on my own First Communion a bit and there may be a blog post about it this week in fact. After church, we headed home where we were finally able to unwind a bit. Took the afternoon to just chill, doing some laundry, but otherwise vegging. Grilled ourselves burgers for dinner and watched the movie "The Social Network." A little ironic that I watched that movie and then logged onto Facebook right before bed and that is how I learned that Bin Laden was dead. I thought that was interesting. Tried to stay up for the President's speech, but it just was delayed until too late, we were planning to get up early and run so I just couldn't do it.
So it was a pretty full weekend! This week is looking relatively calm in comparison and next weekend will be a little busy again, but that's how the dice rolls sometimes.
Now I'm just hoping Spring comes back!
Friday - we started out the weekend having a nice dinner with the Hollands. We went to a place called Wildfire and it was pretty tasty stuff! It was nice to catch up and hang out since we haven't done so in quite a long time!
Saturday - got up early and had coffee with my parents. Then mom and I ran over to Craftstravaganza at the Fairgrounds to visit Jes and her dad and see what else was being sold. I bought some bath and body type stuff, a pair of earrings and some cute magnets for my fridge.
We headed back home and my dad came over and we painted my entire basement ceiling. Yes that is right, the entire ceiling. I think I have talked about how we've been working on changing the lighting downstairs. Of course the wiring was all messed up which caused my dad and Nate to have to go into the ceiling, cutting a hole and requiring some mud work. So, we had to paint where they did that and my dad, being a practical man said, might want to just do the whole basement ceiling so it looks the same and it'll freshen it up. We agreed and that's just what we did. Took us about four hours - I was wiped by the time we were done. But I wasn't able to just crash, nope, we had Praise Project rehearsal after that! Saturday was a long day.
Sunday - Got up and did two masses for Praise Project at St. Williams. It was First Communion Sunday at the first Mass and it was so fun seeing the kids all dressed up. Made me reflect on my own First Communion a bit and there may be a blog post about it this week in fact. After church, we headed home where we were finally able to unwind a bit. Took the afternoon to just chill, doing some laundry, but otherwise vegging. Grilled ourselves burgers for dinner and watched the movie "The Social Network." A little ironic that I watched that movie and then logged onto Facebook right before bed and that is how I learned that Bin Laden was dead. I thought that was interesting. Tried to stay up for the President's speech, but it just was delayed until too late, we were planning to get up early and run so I just couldn't do it.
So it was a pretty full weekend! This week is looking relatively calm in comparison and next weekend will be a little busy again, but that's how the dice rolls sometimes.
Now I'm just hoping Spring comes back!
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