Don't Step on Any Rocks

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-27T09:38:00.001-06:00

I am not traditional in all aspects of my life, but when it comes to Christmas, tradition is my middle name! In my family it starts the minute we finish eating Thanksgiving dinner. My mom and I find our seats in the living room, turn on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and write out our Christmas cards. We also usually enjoy some pie during the movie.

Thanksgiving weekend I also help my dad put up the outdoor Christmas lights. There are only 2 things that him & I do together (just the two of us) every year and this is one of them. We mainly work on the "Garden Party" together and sometime other misc lights. My dad has scaled back on how many lights he puts up, but he always does a beautiful job and puts such a smile on my face.

After those two things are accomplished I spend a lot of time watching Christmas movies at home. I tend to fore go my usual programming and fill it with a long list of movies that I must watch every year. Wondering what is my list? Well even if you're not, I'm going to tell you anyway:
- Elf
- The Polar Express
- Home Alone 1 & 2
- Fallen Angel
- The Christmas List
- The Santa Clause (all 3 if I have time)
- Rudolph
- Charlie Brown Christmas
- The Christmas Story
- Frosty

This list doesn't even seem complete to me so I'm sure I am missing some. I also enjoy (but don't have to watch every year) Holiday in Handcuffs, 8 Crazy Nights, Ernest Saves Christmas, and just about any other holiday movie on TV in the month of December. Trust me there are plenty to keep me away from my usual shows.

One of the longest traditions I can remember is spending a day making Christmas cookies with my Mom. It's a fun day that we spend together, sampling the cookies were making, trying to remind ourselves to eat a real lunch, singing to Christmas music, and just enjoying each other's company. When I was much younger my brother and dad would help out with cutout cookies, but we haven't made those in so many years that I bet it's been just my mom & I for at least 10 years. It's a day that I cherish every year.

A fairly new tradition is going to dinner and Bentleyville with my family on a random weekday during the holiday season. This year we weren't able to do it because of the nasty flu going around, but we'll just pick it back up next year.

Usually the weekend before Christmas we get together with my mom's side of the family. Everyone gathers at my parents house and we spend the day visiting and eating.

Christmas Eve/Christmas day have changed slightly since I met Cody because it depends where we are for the holidays. If we are with Cody's family on Christmas Eve we go to church, eat soup that his mom makes (which is a tradition at their house) and open presents that night. Christmas Eve with my family is quite similar. We go to church, eat an assortment of appetizers, and open presents.

Our house is still a regular stop for Santa so Christmas morning is for just Cody & myself. We open presents and play like little kids with the new things we found under the tree. A tradition that we started last year is making a delicious and different breakfast from what we would have everyday. Last year we made quiche and this year we copied Cody's fave item, the Everything Skillet, off of the menu at Duluth Grill. It was very time consuming to make, but so good!!

Christmas afternoon is spent with my dad's family and we feast again on turkey, ham, potatoes, beans, deviled eggs, rolls, and all the fixings. The meal is completed with 3 choices of pie: pumpkin, chocolate pudding, and banana cream. The big joke with my family is that as long as there are deviled eggs and banana cream pie I don't care about anything else. To my surprise, my aunt made an entire banana cream pie just for me. I was so excited and instantly put it in my car so one of my uncles wouldn't try to steal it.

The holiday season is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but my traditions (which include a lot of eating) are on the top of the list.

A Memorable Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T08:06:00.001-06:00

In the past few weeks I have had a lot to share, but haven't had enough time to write my words down. I was busy preparing final details for the 22nd Annual Thanksgiving Buffet at the DECC, which was a free community event (check out the event here). I spent the day constantly on the move making sure that things were going smoothly, but I often looked around to really take in my surroundings.

There were so many families that received more holiday cheer in a few hours than they will all season. We had live entertainment all day that people were singing and dancing to. People could visit with and get their picture taken with Santa. There were free books for kids and also a bookmark making station. The Cider Man was there making apple cider for everyone, and most importantly there was a hot homemade Thanksgiving meal.

I have never spent Thanksgiving away from family, but working all day at the buffet made me realize that I was truly lucky knowing that I would see them at the end of the day. At one point I sat down and ate with the diners. I spoke to a man who had just lost his wife 5 days prior and didn't want to be alone so he came to eat with his neighbor. Looking at him you could see the sadness in his eyes, but I was so thankful he chose to be around people that day.

When I got home I was exhausted, but all day I had wanted to call Linda (I wrote about her is my previous post) so I found her number and dialed her up to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving. Our conversation was so different than I had expected. I thought I was doing a nice gesture, but I quickly found out her Thanksgiving meal had never been delivered to her. She was crying and upset and quietly on the other end of the line I was crying too. All happy feelings I had about the day were gone - I was officially distraught.

When I got off the phone with her my husband came in the room and asked what had happened. I could barely get enough words out to explain to him what had happened, but he got the point of it. It was decided that we needed to bring her Thanksgiving leftovers from my parents house. We packed up the turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato, and a roll. I then dug in our cupboards to find cranberry sauce, corn, and black olives - I then threw in a few extras like stew and hot chocolate.

I knocked on Linda's door and thankfully she answered! She invited me in and I showed her all the food I brought plus the FarmVille gift that I had gotten her. She wanted to show me her FarmVille farms and talked to me all about her tiny dog. I spent about a half hour with her and could tell that by the time I left she was feeling much better. All this was supposed to happen closer to Christmas, but it needed to be done that night.

Thursday night I was able to sleep so much better knowing that we had made the extra effort to make Linda's day better. Yesterday I was back at the DECC getting all the stuff that will be put in storage at CSS until next. I was walking through the large hall - most of the lights off, no signs of yesterday's event, and I stopped, smiled, and got a little teary eyed. I thought of all the children's artwork hanging on the walls, the beautifully decorated buffet table, and the thousands of people who didn't have to go hungry or be alone on this day. It will be a Thanksgiving I will never forget.

One Great Converstion

2011-11-16T16:45:00.001-06:00

I think that I, quite possibly, just had the best conversation of my life . . . with a stranger. Her name is Linda and she called CSS to inquire about the Thanksgiving Buffet at the DECC. I have taken a lot of these calls in the last month or so and many have been straight forward and to the point. The caller gets the information they need and I get any information required for them. Then there are those few who want to chat a bit - there was Ramona who when I asked if I had her contact information correct she replied with "you got it baby." Then there was Jerry, when I asked him how he was doing he replied with a simple "pretty good", but then followed up by saying "do you know what that means? It means I'm pretty and I'm good." Older people tend to make everything sound so much funnier. As much as I enjoyed talking to both Ramona and Jerry it made me sad knowing that, like Linda, they will be spending Thanksgiving alone.

Linda was such a joy to talk to and even tough I was very busy I stopped what I was doing and chatted with her for as long as she wanted, which ended up being about a half hour. I found out that she doesn't like soup unless it's with crackers, but she really likes stew. She loves playing Farmville and has 62 neighbors and 3 different crops that she attends to on the game. The greatest passion of hers seems to be Avon. Many of the women in her family have been Avon reps and she says it's almost tradition. She went on and on about some of her favorite products which she could explain in great detail.

Linda will be 60 in December and will be spending her first holiday season without her mother who passed away this summer. She told me that she has been feeling a bit down thinking about this since she's been starting to put out Christmas decorations, but that our conversation really brightened up her spirit. The thing that Linda didn't realize is the kind of impact she had on me. I sat listening to her with a smile on my face and holding back tears. I knew instantly that Linda deserved something special this holiday season.

In year's past I have done Adopt-a-Family, but this year is about Linda. I am going to bring her food and a few gifts she mentioned that she wished she could afford, but she has no idea I am doing this. I am going to call her and ask her if I could get an Avon brochure from her, something she said she wished she could give me through the phone, then I am going to surprise her with the gifts. I have never been more excited about a holiday surprise than I am now!!

Now, I am asking for a favor. If you or someone you know uses Avon or if your looking for some good holiday gifts this year go to Linda's Avon page and help spread some extra cheer by simply making a purchase from her. All purchases go directly through Avon - she will just get credit for it. It may seem like such a small gesture, but it will go a long way.

Books for Bloggers

2011-11-09T15:35:00.000-06:00

I just had to write a quick post about being picked as a TOMS shoes Books for Bloggers winner! TOMS shoes are not only amazingly comfortable, but their One for One mission is something that is truly near and dear to my heart.

I will be receiving 2 copies of Blake Mycoskie's book, Start Something That Matters. One is for me to read, keep, and review. I will be holding a contest for the 2nd book. I'm not sure what I am going to do yet, but I can't wait to share this with all of you!!

Coupon Clean Up

2011-11-07T15:03:00.000-06:00

I buy the Sunday paper every week, but sadly I admit my main interest isn't the stories, it's the ads and coupons!! I do take a quick glance over all the sections to see if there is anything that I am really interested in, but then I dedicate my real attention to those glossy ads.

I am not a person who has a problem spending money, but I enjoy getting to save money on the things that I buy. For this reason I am a coupon cutter and have been for as long as I can remember. I don't seem to be as good at in the summer, but with the colder months here my Sunday now consist of football, glossy ads and my trusty scissors.

I had an old coupon organizer that just wasn't doing the trick anymore so yesterday I decided to make finding/using my coupons way more convenient.

I'm quite certain that this bad boy has probably been around for 20+ years - hence why I got it for 10 cents at a rummage sale. It served it's purpose, but I knew there had to be a better way

I didn't like the categories and it seemed like there were some that were completely missing.

I made quite the mess while reorganizing the coupons, but it was so worth it!!


The end result: A 3-ring binder with trading card sheet protectors. All coupons are visible and categorized in a way that I prefer.

People may laugh at me when they see me looking through my coupon book at the store, but I know that I'm always going to be getting the best deal!!

My Halloween Idol

2011-10-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

I know that I already posted about a past Halloween, but I saw a picture of Heidi Klum and needed to give much credit to my Halloween idol!!! Her & Seal throw a party every year and she has the most AMAZING costumes ever! If I could even come close to one of her costumes just one year I would be so proud of myself

All you have to do is google Heidi Klum Halloween and you'll find plenty of awesome pictures, but here are a few of my favorites:

A Vintage Halloween

2011-10-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

I have always loved Halloween, but when I think back to my childhood I can only remember a few costumes. When I was younger my mom used to travel for work every once in awhile and she would always come back with memorable gifts. When she went to San Francisco she brought back a Chinese mask painted black, white, red, and green. That year she made me a costume to go with that mask. Although the ankles were sewn a little tight it was a wonderful costume.

From looking at old photos I think that I remember seeing a Care Bear costume from when I was really young and I'm quite certain that I was a witch another year, but the costume that will go down in Halloween history happened to fall on the year of the Halloween blizzard (aka mega storm) that happened 20 years ago. Even without the memory of all that snow the costume still would've been very memorable.

I loved vintage things at an early age - hence why at 9 years old I was so in love with my costume! My mom had brought me to St. Vincent de Paul thrift store which used to be on Central Ave in West Duluth. We found a magnificent old prom (assuming) dress, long white gloves, and an old wedding hat. I was in love!!! During the Halloween parade in the gymnasium at school I remember how proudly I showed off my costume that year.

When I got home from school that I day I was so excited to continue showing off my amazing costume while trick or treating, but the snow (and my mom) had different plans. I protested and told her I was wearing my costume - which I did, but with a turtleneck, jacket, hat, boots, and mittens. Looking back now, I'm sure wearing that dress only made my trek through the snow that more difficult.

I was so thankful for my dad because so many houses we stopped at said they barely had seen any kids which meant their parents told them no to trick or treating. I hit the jackpot that year. People didn't want all the candy in their houses and would give me a handful at a time!

Looking back at that year, it was probably the best Halloween I had as a child. I got loads of candy and since the city got piled on with snow school was closed for a few days. I hung out with friends (who lived within walking distance), ate candy, and rode the snowmobile around our neighborhood with my dad. I'm quite certain this was a gift that had been given to me by the Great Pumpkin (Charlie Brown).

Side note: If this happened now I would feel the complete opposite! One Halloween Blizzard wikipedia page is enough for me.

What are your favorite childhood costumes or memories from the storm (if you witnessed it)?

I will have to ask my mom if she has any pictures of me from that year, but for now here is one from the Duluth News Tribune (1991).

Winner (and an extra treat)

2011-10-19T12:55:00.001-05:00

Last week I posted a little giveaway for anyone who shared with me nice things that they do for others. I had asked that people post on my blog, but almost all responses ended up on Facebook. I decided to throw all the names from FB and my blog into the random generator and Mrs. B, the one person to comment on my blog ended up being chosen anyway! I guess following the rules does pay off :)

Since the contest was for a set of Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips I can't help but share the Halloween ones I am currently wearing . . .

I also have to make a quick mention of the incredibly easy and delicious Rolo cookies that I made the other day. I got the recipe (and picture) from the Six Sisters' Stuff blog which I highly recommend checking out!!

Hope you enjoy trying out both of these fabulous things!

Compliments

2011-10-11T15:22:00.000-05:00

I walked passed a girl today and was fascinated with her skirt and instead of just walking by and not saying anything I told her that I loved it. This is something that I do frequently. It may seem like such a small gesture, but when someone compliments me (which is different that hitting on me) it makes my day.

I have heard many people say that it is the tiniest of gestures that have the biggest impact. So why is it so often that people will put their heads down when walking past someone instead of saying hello? Or walking past someone who is trying to open a door, but their arms are completely full? These are the things that make me so mad! I'm not saying that you have to walk down the street and say hello to everyone you pass, but why not try for at least one a day?!

This is a silly thing, but a few friends and I are obsessed with Sally Hansen's Salon Effects. We always get complimented on them and they are so fun to talk about. So I want you to share with me the little things that you do for others. Please post your comments on my blog by Monday, October 17th and one person will be chosen at random to win a set of these super fun nail strips (sorry guys, I realize this is more of a contest for girls). When you post a comment, let me know what style you would prefer (my favorite is Misbehaved).

9/11 - Looking Back 10 Years

2011-09-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

As a child I remember adults saying that they had memories of when JFK was killed and when man landed on the moon. They had recollections of the smallest details of those days that I couldn't possibly even begin to understand. I truly didn't think that it was possible for such events to effect people in such a major way.

Fast forward/rewind to September 11, 2001. A day which I remember the minor details. I had just finished my 8 am class at UMD. The halls were unusually crowded with people staring at TV's with looks of shock and terror on their faces. When I stopped to see what was happening I was in an instant state of panic. I pulled out my candy bar style Nokia cell phone (complete with a monkey and banana faceplate) to call my Mom. My phone wouldn't work which only added to my growing frustration and worry. I went to the pay phones in Kirby Plaza and called her, freaking out (more than usual). I needed comfort and I needed it from her.

After the phone call I went up to Kirby Ballroom. I didn't attend any other classes that day. I was glued to the TV trying to make sense of watching the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. News reporters were there and asked to interview me. I probably gave the worst interview of my life because I couldn't find the right words to explain what I was feeling. I was still in shock.

Churches all over town were putting together impromptu services that night. I had planned on going to our church with my Mom and brother, but right before we left I changed my mind. I needed to do something different, I needed to find a way to help. I went to Michaels craft store to buy red, white and blue & maroon and gold ribbon and pins. I spent the night assembling the pins and got up early the next day. I set up a table in Kirby Plaza with a sign asking for $1 donation per ribbon. The first person gave me $50 - I cried. With the help of my Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority sisters we were able sell the ribbons all week.

I went to church that following Sunday and passed the ribbons around the congregation - asking again for a $1 donation. I gave the money to the American Red Cross - one check from the congregation at Asbury UMC and the other from Gamma Sigma Sigma. I was able to raise over $1,500. It may not seem like much, but for spending $25 on ribbon and getting that much back was amazing to me.

For weeks, probably more like months, I constantly witnessed strangers coming together to support one another while dealing with this tragedy. I realize that I will never understand the pain and suffering of those who were directly impacted by 9/11, nor will I ever try, but my heart and my prayers will forever be with them and I will always take pride in this country.

We will never forget . . .

Proud Auntie

2011-09-08T11:21:00.004-05:00

I spent the weekend falling in love with my new nephew, Eli. It's amazing the power that a baby can have over you. My mom was hoping that I would come back with baby fever and I although I came back yearning for cuddles from Eli, I wasn't preparing myself for late night feeedings. I think I will just enjoy being an Auntie for a while. Wait, no, I am definitely super Auntie since we were asked to be Eli's Godparents as well!

I do see why parents get so excited when they have a new child though. I can see how it's such a proud feeling to have brought a healthy new being into this world. With the excitement I have had about my nephew I can only imagine what I will be like when I have children!!

Being the proud auntie that I am it's a requirement to show off my nephew . . .

Big brother, Nathan with his new brother.

I think Eli was blowing me a kiss!

Cuddles with my lil glow worm!

Sleepy baby is awake!!

How many more pictures is she going to take of me?!

Happy Birthday to the late, great Grand Dad T!

2011-08-30T09:22:00.004-05:00

To those of you who actually read my blog, you have obviously realized that I have very infrequent posts. You have probably also figured out that at least a couple times a year I write about my late grandparents, especially my Grandpa T. These are direct outpourings from my heart - the most passionate and raw feelings I have. For those of you who haven't encountered such a tragic and public loss than it is probably pretty hard to understand, but I appreciate all of you for reading.

On that note, I must say that today is filled with mixed emotions. August 30th was my Grandpa T's birthday and he would've been 81 today. His absence is what makes me sad. Now, although this will be the only mention in this post, I must mention why I have such feelings of joy today as well. I am very impatiently waiting for the birth of my new niece or nephew! I am quite certain I will be writing more about that in the near future.

So back to Grandpa T and wishing him a happy birthday! Growing up we used to have a big picnic at my parent's house every August. It was mainly just to get family together, but we would also celebrate all the August birthdays as well - myself, my dad, cousins - Heather & Kenny, and of course my Grandpa (I apologize if I have forgotten anyone).

My Grandpa would always get his own special orange cake that my mom would make for him. He was diabetic so every year was an adventure in remembering how much Splenda was used to make it correctly. No one liked it except for him, so trying to do a taste test was impossible.

Reflecting back on those memories definitely make me smile. He is a man who is missed very dearly every day. It seems as though I will never stop being sensitive to his death, but I am happy for the constant reminders of the life he lived.

Here is a glimpse into his life . . . Family members beware that this will probably bring tears to your eyes.

It feels as though, that today, on my Grandpa's birthday, the fight that we, as a family fought for him should fully be remembered. Get to know him even more through my uncle's testimony here.

I know that this may seem like an unhappy reflection of my Grandpa's life, but when you read the stories and see the pictures you will actually realize that I am showing many of the best parts of his life.

Simply A-MA-ZING!!!!

2011-06-27T11:33:00.005-05:00

I love music and if you were to get a glimpse of my calendar you would see what I mean. It is scattered with concerts of all magnitudes - block parties to sold out events at Xcel, I love them all. I get excited for each and every concert I attend. This is why I can't believe I almost didn't attend the best concert I have ever been to in my life!!!

With the list of concerts growing this year including all the fab bands playing at Basilica Block Party, NKOTBSB, Christina Perri, Bon Iver, Marc Broussard, and quite possibly Adele, I thought that I could skip this concert. I have to travel for all the concerts just mentioned which is an extra cost, so when tickets for Michael Bublé were purchased for me I declined them.

I know, I know. I have been a Michael Bublé fan for years and I wasn't quite sure why I said no to the tickets, but at the time it was an expense I just wasn't looking to have. The days leading up to the concert kicked in my seller's remorse even more, but then an amazing thing happened. My friend, Kristina called me Friday night asking me if I wanted to go to the concert because her husband had won two tickets. YES!!!!!!!

I was instantly excited and couldn't believe that I was actually going to the concert. Naturally 7 opened the show and definitely got the crowd moving. They were so entertaining and extremely talented. Their VocalPlay had me sitting in my seat with my jaw dropped in pure amazement of what they could do without instruments. I didn't know it was possible, but they got me even more pumped up to see the man of the hour (Bublé craze officially set in).

The crowd was screaming, the curtain was drawn, and there he was on stage with all of his swooning swagger. He was funny, light hearted, and so down to earth. Even though it was a large concert venue, he made us feel like we were all hanging out at a lounge - listening to music, laughing with his band, and making us all feel like we were at the right spot at exactly the right time.

I have seen some amazing big name people in concert - they provide a show of theatrics, but they have all felt like big shows in big venues. I have also seen some truly intimate concerts, but this Michael Bublé concert is the most intimate show I have ever seen.

As if he isn't amazing enough already, he sang a little Journey and Michael Jackson - - two of my absolute favorites. This concert had me at hello, goodbye, and everywhere in between! If you are a fan and have never seem him in concert, DO IT! It will be some of the best money you have ever spent.

Back to School

2011-05-31T10:20:00.002-05:00

(In Billy Madison voice) "Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Oh! Back to school... back to school... back to school. Well, here goes nothing."

I am taking a college class for the first time in 6 years! Once I graduated I never really thought that I would ever go back for any reason. Well, I'm not going back full time or even part time, but taking a single class.

I am taking Business and Technical Writing online through Anoka Technical College. I took lots of writing classes at SCSU, but haven't tested my skills much since graduation. It is time to freshen up!!

I didn't really think that it would feel much different, but I already know that life will change a bit for the next 8 weeks. I was online this morning, scouting out the ATC website, my class info, assignments, etc. and I already felt like a true student again.

Wish me luck! Hopefully this class will make me better and more excited to post to my blog more frequently!

Spectacular Specs

2011-02-28T10:27:00.009-06:00

I need some help! I ordered some awesome glasses for a home try-on from Warby Parker. It's hard to know which styles to pick - they are all so cute. I selected 5 samples which is the maximum number you can have and although I have narrowed it down to a few pairs, I would like some further input.

Side note: I like retro, somewhat nerdy glasses - a few of this are a little big for my face, but I still love every style :)

I will be talking about just how awesome Warby Parker is in a future post, but for now, please help by voting! The names of each frame are on each picture (some pics aren't of the best quality - we have pretty poor lighting in our house & I started getting a little silly while taking the pics . . . )

What, are you deef?!

2011-01-15T21:55:00.004-06:00

Yes, I did mean to spell deaf as deef. It's one of those things that I will never forget hearing my Grandpa Herrick say. It was on Christmas day many years ago and my cousin, Kyle turned the TV up apparently louder than my Grandpa liked. He then said, "what, are you deef?" None of us could keep a straight face after that. Words come out wrong all the time, but that was a certain mishap that I will never forget.

Today marks the 7 year anniversary of his death. I had just started spring semester at SCSU and got the call saying that my Grandpa didn't have much fight left in him. I so desperately wanted to hop in my car and rush home, but unfortunately that wasn't an option, nor would driving 2+ hours in a panicked state been a good idea. The only thing I could think of was to write him a letter. I frantically typed out a letter saying what I felt were the best things when having to say goodbye from a distance. I emailed to my mom who then printed it out and gave to my dad to read to my grandpa (I wish that I still had a copy). It meant the world to me knowing that I was able to do something even though I felt a million miles away.

I feel fortunate because I have so many great memories with all of my grandparents. Growing up I spent almost every weekend at the lake with my Grandma & Grandpa Herrick. I can think about all of the fun times we had on their deck - looking out at the lake, watching beautiful sunsets, laughing at Kyle when my dad stuck a frog down his pants, and even better was watching my brother take a nose dive off of his bike into the big puddle that would always form at the end of the hill. Those were all things I got to experience with them and that to me is so special.

When Cody & I were on our honeymoon there were a few things that reminded me of my both my Grandma & Grandpa Herrick . . .

We drove by this sign almost daily and finally I made Cody pull over and take a picture of me with it. ♥ Grandpa (Watson) Herrick

We saw these chairs in a gift shop at the Grand Canyon and they reminded me of upgraded chairs that my grandparents used to have on the deck at the lake (one red, one blue) :)

Remembering Grandpa T

2011-01-12T16:27:00.002-06:00

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my Grandpa T's death. I am still so angry and hurt by the loss of him. I thought over time my anger would subside, but I am learning that maybe it takes longer than I expected. My anger is now shown by tears though - I still think of him often and miss him always!

I wanted to repost (original posting 1.14.2009) the letter that I wrote right after he died . . .

Dear Grandpa,

If you were given one more day what would you do with it? Would you enjoy a football game? Spend time with family? Maybe take one last trip to Vegas?

I have thought about what I would give you. I would give you one more healthy day. A day where you could walk on your own two legs. A day that you could hear things as sharp as a timid deer in the woods during hunting season. A day that you could feel everything and it would have to be this bitter cold weather that numbs your hands.

I would surround you with friends and family. I would surround you with the sounds of laughter and of little children climbing all over you. I would surround you with all of your favorite "chow" and with no consequences to enjoy all of it!

I would ask to hear war stories and pay way better attention than I did when I was younger. I would ask to hear stories of all of your travels and where some of your favorite places are. I would beg you to let me on a ship at the shipyard.

I would probably then ask for one more day again. It was only a few short weeks ago I was writing about how hard it is to leave loved ones who are so far away. The last time I saw my Grandpa was New Years Eve. When we left it felt quite different than other times. I feel like maybe deep down I knew I wouldn't see him again, but definitely didn't want to accept that thought. I am so thankful for that last visit, for that last chance to say I love you, and to see the love form around my Mom and Grandpa.

Buttered Toast

2011-01-10T09:40:00.003-06:00

This morning I made toast for breakfast. To most that would seem pretty boring and insignificant, but for me it was filled with memories of my Grandma Herrick. She made the BEST buttered toast. I know it sounds so silly, but it's true. She knew how to toast the bread to golden perfection and spread just the right amount of butter on it. I have always loved it so much that years ago my mom made a recipe scrapbook that included "Grandma Herrick's Buttered Toast."

Well today, I am feeling that I would've made her proud. I'm quite certain I have never toasted a piece of bread to such a wonderful golden color in my life. I appreciated the flood of memories that the simple act of making toast brought me today :)

Surprise Celebration

2011-01-04T11:36:00.004-06:00

My awesome husband decided to surprise me yesterday! He showed up at my office with a bouquet of flowers and asked me out on a date. He wanted to celebrate the one year anniversary of when we got engaged - seriously?! What a sweetheart!!! The night we got engaged we went to dinner at Va Bene and afterwards took a trip to my favorite store, Barnes & Noble because I was a very excited bride-to-be who wanted to immediately start planning :)

We did the same thing last night - dinner at Va Bene, a trip to B&N (minus the purchase of wedding stuff, although I did look at it), and then we attended the Central/Denfeld vs East hockey game at the new Amsoil arena. The game was awful, but it was fun to see the new arena.

Going on a real date with Cody was so much fun - I feel so blessed!

The night we got engaged!

One year later! :)

Clutter Clean-Up

2011-01-03T10:28:00.009-06:00

A few weeks ago it was decided that our place was in major need of some de-cluttering and reorganization. I HATE clutter and tend to be a pretty organized person. When Cody moved into my duplex (that I thought was perfect for one) things got a little more cramped, but manageable. Within the past year we have acquired way more stuff (remember we did get married and received a ton of wonderful gifts).

For the last few months I have been having close to bi-weekly meltdowns about the lack of space where we live. We don't want to move because rent is so cheap and we are trying to save to buy a house. So we are in the midst of a complete clean out of our place! I have started tearing each room apart little by little. Although I feel good once I finish a project (no matter how small or big) I still have meltdowns while in the process. It is definitely a domino effect - so many projects can't get done without 5 others being done first.

I am giving all of my friends advanced notice to not be offended if I don't invite you over for a month or two - our place may not visitor friendly for awhile :)

Here are a few small battles I conquered - trust me, each conquest does feel awesome!!

BEFORE: The most frustrating spice shelf ever!!

AFTER: Alphabetized over-the-door spice rack!

BEFORE: A drawer that felt like a can of worms. Pull it open and everything would pop out!

AFTER #1: Look at all that useful stuff that was buried in the drawer!

AFTER #2: Contained bags! Thanks Molly for posting this on your blog.

Warm Fuzzies

2010-12-30T08:33:00.002-06:00

Christmastime always gives me the warm fuzzies! To me, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. As I had mentioned in a previous post, I got the holiday spirit really early this year. I watched more Christmas movies this year than probably the last 2-3 years combined. I frequently listened to Christmas music at the office and at home. And of course the tree was always lit when I was at home!

Cody & I kept very busy this holiday season. We did bell ringing for the Salvation Army (on one the coldest nights of December), attended many holiday get togethers, spent lots of time with friends and family, and the most rewarding, participated once again with the Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family program.

The family we adopted this year was so deserving of the gifts! The family consisted of a mom and her one year old daughter. When we delivered the gifts they were so warm and inviting. They wanted us to sit down, offered us cookies and pop, and thanked us so many times. The daughter melted my heart. I held her in my arms and she just looked at me with her big, beautiful eyes. My mom had gotten her a toy that was like a baby bike/pusher combo which she was instantly attached to. In the three years that I have been doing this on my own, this was by far the best year!!

Santa and family both spoiled me with presents this year as well, but that little girl is what continues to give me the warm fuzzies!

Giving Thanks

2010-11-29T21:32:00.002-06:00

I know that Thanksgiving has already come and gone, but I have so much to be thankful for that it must not go unmentioned. So without making this post incredibly long I shall says give thanks in bullet points. Here is what I am thankful for this year:

A husband!!! He is so patient and caring and loves me for ME! Life is so much more complete with him :)
My family. The support and love they give me helps me continue to grow everyday.
My new family complete with a nephew. I love being an aunt.
My friends who always provide me with laughter.
All the wonderful memories I have of my grandparents who are no longer with us.
My mentee, Amanda, who is in Sweden this year as a foreign exchange student. I miss her greatly, but am so happy for the wonderful experience she is having.
Holiday spirit. I always have it, but this year I got it really early! It is the season of giving - and for me it is most important to give to those who are less fortunate. Believing (in Santa) is a very powerful force!!

The things above are definitely the most important, but there are some other things I am quite thankful for as well:

Ulta - having this in Duluth makes these gloomy semi-winter days seem so much brighter
Barnes & Noble - my ultimate sanctuary
The smell of pine - my favorite holiday scent. We can't have a real tree at our small place so candles have to do the trick which always brings back memories of cutting down the Herrick family Christmas tree!
Hot cocoa, hot cider, and hot chai tea - I get cold easily (and I hate coffee).
Oh, and how could I forget?! I am thankful for YOU! I definitely have to give thanks to those who read my blog :)

Wedding Photos

2010-11-26T15:26:00.011-06:00

I know I have been quite tardy with an all around wedding post, but for now here are some photos . . . It was important for me to feel like both of my grandfather's were with me on my wedding day so my something old was an army patch of my Grandpa T's and a pocket from an old shirt of my Grandpa Herrick.

Our amazing wedding party!

I feel in love with this dress the moment I put it on!

Flowers by my friend, Kara www.bloombd.com

My something blue - shoes that Cody bought me for Christmas last year.

Our first dance.

So magical!!

Our cupcakes thanks to http://www.howsweetitiscakes.com/. The fabulous trees were made by one of my very talented co-workers.

For Grandma Herrick

2010-10-02T09:44:00.002-05:00

The words finally came to me and here is what I said at my Grandma Herrick's funeral this past Monday.

I wrote and I rewrote what I was going to say today multiple times. I couldn’t figure out why the words weren’t coming to me so finally after a few frustrating hours I put the computer down and I went to bed. I woke up this morning understanding so I want to share with everyone my past week. A week ago today I found out about my Grandma. I was told it was probably best to say goodbye. I cried a lot and was extremely emotional, but went to see her. She was surrounded by loved ones and had the extra comfort of a stuffed bear. I didn’t say much, but I did say goodbye.

On Tuesday I didn’t feel ok with how Monday went. My parents told me that after I visited her it was time to move on and refocus on the wedding. I didn’t feel the same way and kept thinking about it throughout the day. In the early afternoon I called my mom and told her that I needed some alone time with my grandma. I needed to have one last conversation with her without anyone else around. This was what was best for me! I reminisced with her about all the wonderful times at the lake, her homemade fudge, the not so hidden Oreos in the tin in her bedroom, and of course her infamous perfectly made buttered toast! I told her that I was going to miss her laugh because it always lit up the room, but I was happy that she was going to be back together with Grandpa. I even told her to stop trying to steal my thunder! :) I felt much better after this conversation.

On Wednesday I had planned for a relaxing, yet productive day, but when I woke the emotions still were hanging on a bit. I got a call from my mom asking if I would want to speak at the funeral. I immediately said yes and although I didn’t write about what I was going to say today, I blogged about the experience. As I was writing I looked up at the picture I have of Grandpa Herrick and decided it was time to have a little chat with him as well. I let him know I missed him, what was going on around here, but most importantly that it was time for him to take care of Grandma. I told him he better do a good job because I knew that somehow my dad would find a way to make sure the he was!

Thursday was a chaotic day preparing all the final details for the wedding, but when I went to my parent’s house that night I was able to relax. I had forgotten the two things that I need when I sleep – my blankie and bear. Yes, this 28 year old woman still needs these comforts. I went into the spare room and found my brothers childhood bear and knew that it would do the trick. Sitting on the bed was an old photo album filled with pictures from my parent’s wedding. I found a picture that somehow seemed to make everything better. It was of my parents and Grandma & Grandpa Herrick – everyone with big smiles. It was the happiest picture I had ever seen of my Grandma.

I carried that picture around with me on Friday and smiled every time I saw it. I wish I had it with me right before walking down the aisle because my nerves kicked in big time and I almost had an emotional breakdown! When the ceremony was over and I sat at the table during the dinner at the reception I realized I didn’t have anything to be sad about anymore. I was so amazed at how happy I was that I had someone who loved me so much that he wanted to be my husband. It gave me comfort knowing that my grandma would be back with hers. I forever envision them sitting on the porch: one in a blue chair and one in a red chair. I hear the Twins game on the radio, a diet coke besides grandma and depending upon what time of day it is coffee or a beer next to grandpa. This is what I will always remember . . .

The last single post . . .

2010-09-24T07:58:00.002-05:00

Today's the day - I am getting married!! It has been such a crazy journey this week - one filled with happiness, sadness, stress, and a few extra bumps along the way. Now that the day is finally here though, I am excited! I was so hoping that I would get passed the dark cloud looming over me and be able to enjoy this day. I think it was a success!!

We had our rehearsal and groom's dinner last night and they both were great. So many of my favorite people were gathered together to start the celebration with Cody & I. Afterwards we went to Amazing Grace to watch Huna perform and this bride-to-be went back to my parents house for a hopeful good night's sleep. It wasn't exactly good, but I found comfort in sleeping with my brothers childhood security blanket - his Bear and I also looked at pictures of my parents wedding. It was such a joy to see them so happy and to see pictures of my grandparents when they were all still here with us.

My Grandpa T has definitely made a presence today in a different way though. When the weather is rainy and gross like it is today my knees ache. My Grandpa had this same problem and so for years I have called it "grandpa knee." Although I wish I didn't have those aches today, I really feel like he is here with me!

It's almost time to get ready so I must sign off for my last time as Sarah Herrick . . . I'll be back soon as Sarah Buckalew!

Doing things my way . . .

2010-09-22T09:28:00.002-05:00

Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

My mom asked me if I wanted to speak at my grandma's funeral and with the amazing strength I have had all week I said yes. The scripture above is something she mentioned that she would like read at the funeral. I am trying to tie it into what I say. I remember when my Grandpa T passed away last year I wished for one more day with him, a day to say all the things I felt I missed. I don't have to feel that way this time. Against my parents thoughts, I decided it was necessary for me to see her one more time. I needed to have one more conversation with her by myself. I reminisced about good times. I apologized for time lost. I wished her an eternity of happiness with my grandpa.

I have pictures of both of my grandpas on my desk and as I am sitting here typing this I felt it was fitting to have a chat with my Grandpa Herrick. I told him of the conversation I had with my grandma and that it was his time to take care of her. I mentioned that somehow my dad will be watching over him making sure he does a good job of it too!

An interesting thing happend when I opened my Bible to find that scripture - a small sandwich bag fell out and inside this bag were two nickles and a piece of paper that said "Remember to pray for Joey Kvamme & Matt Clausen with these nickles. UMYS '98" These are two of my friends from church camp. I'm not sure that anything more inspirational could happen at this time because camp has always been the place I have always felt the most at peace and the closest to God. I don't have a lot of time to figure out what I'm going to say at the funeral, but I think that event will help it come to me.

How do we say goodbye??

2010-09-20T21:30:00.002-05:00

I have been staring at this blank page for 20 minutes figuring out a good way to start and nothing great came to mind so I'm just going to tell it how it is. I got thrown a curve ball today. I got a call in the early afternoon from my mom (this is typical as she calls me daily). I answered, but didn't have much to say - I was busy at work and had woke up not feeling the greatest so needless to say I wasn't that chatty. We spoke a few minutes and then I think she realized that I wasn't up for much of a conversation. A few hours passed and she called again (also typical, especially with the wedding only a few days away). I still wasn't that talkative as I was now starting to get an awful headache - it seemed like she was trying to dig for something, but I quickly dismissed that thought.

With this headache taking over I went home, took a few Excedrin, and tried to take a nap. A short while later I was somewhat woken up by another call from my mom. I was kinda out of it and let that call go, but when she called again shortly after I panicked and was awake. I never expected to hear what she was calling to tell me. She informed me that my Grandma Herrick wasn't doing well. She kept apologizing as if she had control over this sad situation. I, so shocked by what I was hearing couldn't fight back the tears . . . I lost all control of myself.

My parents didn't want to tell me what was going on. They were afraid of how much it would upset me right before the wedding. I understand why they were trying to protect me, but I am happy that they decided to tell me. What if they hadn't and I was the only one in my family who didn't get to say goodbye?! That definitely would have upset me more. I had to force myself to say goodbye to her tonight, but it doesn't feel real. Saying goodbye to someone still alive feels like you're giving up hope, but I know that I just want her to be happy. I wish I would've spent more time with her. I am mad at myself for not learning from past losses. I hope that no matter what happens she knows how much I love her!

I'm in trouble . . .

2010-08-24T10:33:00.005-05:00

I had promised to keep this blog updated, but I have been awful about it :( My last post was from April when I went to Kentucky . . . oops! Since then I have been to Banff (Canada) and Montana - both new places for me. I have had my bachelorette party, my wedding shower and now it is exactly 3 weeks until mine & Cody's wedding.

Now, I have made a promise to my mentee, Amanda to keep this updated and I no longer have a choice - it must be done. She is in Sweden and will be spending the next year (almost) as a foreign exchange student.

For now, I'm just going to post some pics from my life for the last few months . . .

Louisville Slugger Museum - Louisville, Kentucky

Sulphur Mountains - Banff, Canada

Cody & I at the farm - Plentywood, Montana

Kentucky

2010-04-26T15:39:00.007-05:00

I am one day hoping to be able to say that I've been to all 50 states in the U.S. This past week I was able to cross 2 more off of my list: Kentucky and Indiana!! I went down to see Jamie, Cornell & baby Makayla.

I flew into Louisville, KY on Thursday and spent the afternoon exploring Jeffersonville, IN and downtown Louisville. The Ohio River separates the states and is only a few minute drive to get from one to the next. It was 75° and sunny so I enjoyed a walk through Warder Park and then by suggestion of the very friendly man who worked at the Southern Indiana Visitor Center I stopped by Schimpff's Confectionery. I, of course, have a hard time saying no to candy!! It looked like something straight out of the 50's. If I were a local I could see myself spending lots of time there!

I then headed back over to downtown Louisville and first on the list was the Louisville Slugger Museum. I had a great time touring the factory to see how the famous bats are made and to learn about specifics for MLB players.

The rest of the afternoon I spent walking around downtown Louisville and down by the river. I really enjoyed my time walking around. There are great statues and other fun items all over the area and bits of Louisville history spread around. As I was taking a self portrait of myself and a statue a man asked if he could help. He took my picture and then gave me the history behind the statue of the man I just took the picture with. Charles Farnsley was his name and he was once mayor of Louisville who was adored and respected by many.

After touring much of downtown Louisville it was on the road for what I had really come to Kentucky for: The Thomas Family!! Columbia, KY is about 100 miles from the Louisville airport - that to me says 1.5 hours of drive time. This was not the case - I hit traffic and then at some point got a bit lost. In my round about travels I ended up Hodgenville, birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. Although I'm a sucker for going to places like this I wasn't impressed with my navigational skills. Somehow I ended up right on track and 2.5 hours later I was hugging one of my best friends and in awe of her new bundle of joy!

Makayla is one of the most beautiful little baby girls I have ever seen, but there was no thought that would be any different because the people that created her definitely aren't lacking in the good looks department either! The day I arrived she was only 16 days old and one precious little peanut. I hogged her as much as I possibly could - never getting sick of holding her!! I didn't mind changing her stinky diapers, cleaning her spit up, and bouncing her when she was a red faced hungry girl. I would've fed her too, but I wasn't equipped with the proper goods :)

I got to play the part of Cornell at a doctor's visit because he was in school. It was fun watching her get measured and weighed. That day she was exactly 8 lbs and is gaining weight at a very healthy rate. I loved watching her become transfixed on Cornell and seeing how tiny she looked in his arms. Although, I'm sure it's not fun for Jamie I enjoyed watching when Makayla would get upset when it was time to eat and punch her tiny little arms in the air. She definitely could be a boxer! I just left yesterday and I miss them all. I miss the baby smell of Makayla and having her cuddled up sleeping on me - so content! It was a very relaxing and calm state - something that I needed.

I won't see them all until my wedding in September. I feel like Makayla will be a completely different baby by then. This was the most time I have spent with Jamie & Cornell in years - it was long overdue. I am so happy I had the opportunity to visit them!! It makes me happy that they have made some wonderful friends down there to not only keep them company (Columbia isn't the most happening of places) but to also provide support for them and Makayla.

I have to end with a few things I learned about Kentucky:

I say Looeyville, they say Louavull
They eat things like Pickled Rope Bologna
When you ask someone where they are from, they say the county instead of town/city
Quite a few counties, including the one that Jamie and Cornell live in are dry so they have to drive for miles to get alcohol. There is even rumored to be a bootlegger who provides the college students with alcohol for an inflated price of course.
Everyone I met was extremely nice and spoke to me in very Southern accents - they laughed at my accent, I laughed at theirs!
Proof again just how small this world is: Jamie & Cornell's neighbors just moved there from Duluth!

Relay for Life

2010-03-31T15:35:00.007-05:00

If you haven't figured it out by now I truly enjoy volunteering and raising money to help out local non-profit organizations. The last few years I have stuck to the same things: chairing the United Way Campaign and most things revolving around UW, mentoring, and Salvation Army's Adopt-a-Family. It was time to add something else to the list!!

This year I will be participating in American Cancer Society's Relay For Life for Douglas County. I'm not sure why in year's past I didn't feel inclined to participate, but this year I jumped right on the opportunity!! I've had a few family members deal with cancer and I think now, more than ever, I understand the importance of fighting back against this disease!

I always feel empowered by hearing the stories of those who have had to fight and battle, but have recovered and are living proof of the power we have within ourselves. I think it will be an emotional event for me (as I am an extremely emotional person) but I am so excited to see the love and beauty that will surround it!

If you want to learn more about the event go to http://www.relayforlife.org/ or if you want to donate on behalf of my walk go to http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=23200

Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.

Getting Older

2010-03-10T19:44:00.002-06:00

I know that I missed a few weeks, I'm sorry for that. I promise that this will get better. I think that I've been trying to make too many new changes at once and my blog is where I fell behind. I think that the results that I have been seeing make up for my lack of writing!! :)

I thought that making changes was harder the older I got, but I'm starting to learn that's not always the case. This year has been about learning to live healthier. I have made a lot of changes that I thought would be really hard to deal with. The funny thing is that it's been pretty dang easy! I have stopped drinking pop, changed my eating habits, and am trying to get much better at working out. I saw a podiatrist yesterday so I am hoping that with my new orthopedic insoles I will be able to work out more without feet, knee, and back pain.

Other little changes: I park in the back of the lot at work to force myself to walk further to the door no matter what the weather conditions are. I just got a bike. It's still just parts and in the box, but I just got it today so that doesn't really count! The other random thing that I've started doing is flossing and using mouthwash every night instead of just solely brushing my teeth. Pretty exhilarating stuff huh?!!

So here's the part that you are all going to love . . . I found my first gray hair. Cody actually found it and mentioned it, but then said it was a blonde hair being that I didn't believe him and we were surrounded by people when he said it. He quickly realized his mistake and covered his tracks. Being that I didn't think there was anyway it was true, I quickly forgot about it . . . until the next day. I saw the sparkle of the gray hair in the mirror and yanked it out before I could second guess it. Sure enough it was my first gray hair!! I was mortified and frantically starting searching for more. My single gray hair turned into five gray hairs. I have no idea how long I've had them, but it definitely makes me reconsider going back to blonde! Have you found your first gray hair? I would love to hear stories of those that have!!

Ch-Ch-Change

2010-02-20T12:05:00.003-06:00

Wedding planning definitely has me changing many ways I look at things. I, by nature, am an event planner. In the case of wedding planning, I have been extremely decisive. When I see something I like I go with it. I don't spend the time looking for items to compare with. Doing this had made thing way less stressful for me.

Last Saturday I went wedding dress shopping. I took my Mom and my Aunt Mary, who is also one of my bridesmaids. We picked out a few dresses and the very first one I tried on I loved. I tried on a few more, liking them, but not loving them. I put on the first dress 3 times and didn't want to take it off. I realized that this was my dress. I said "Yes to the Dress" with no hesitation! I was asked if I wanted the dress off the rack at a discounted price - the response from me was an immediate no. I had it in my head that I wanted a dress that was brand new - I dress that had only adorned my body. I left the dress with the dress on order, paid in full, and so excited to have this important decision made!!

Monday was a productive day. I looked at the birdcage veil I had been eying up on Etsy for a few weeks and realized it matched perfectly with the dress. I showed my Mom and after she loved it too, it was ordered. If there had been any doubt in my mind about my dress - the veil definitely knocked it out :) I also found vases for centerpieces at the reception for $1 per vase, $1 can you believe that?!! Needless to say I was on quite a wedding high as I had been finding such great things. Then the dreaded call came that afternoon. "Sarah, this is Always & Forever and we have some bad news. Your dress is discontinued and cannot be ordered. If you want the dress you will have to take the store sample." I didn't know what to say so I told her I had to think about it . . .

I was so upset about it I felt sick. I drowned out my frustration by eating pizza and drinking pop - UGH!! This does not help with my weight loss! I spent a few days thinking about it, looking at other dresses, and constantly comparing to the one I already fell in love with. I decided that my decision was made. I went back, looked at the dress again and knew that I couldn't leave without it. It is now in my possession and waiting for alterations (waiting a few more months for that)

The dress wasn't the only major change we've had to deal with. Cody & I met with my pastor a few weeks ago to talk about her doing our ceremony. She agreed and was excited to be part of our big day. The plan was to get married at my church, but after meeting with her and finding out how many people my church holds we didn't think it was going to be big enough. About a week after meeting with her my Mom said that my parents were willing to pay the cost difference to go to a bigger church. She said that even she didn't want to deal with the stress of the church not being big enough.

I am learning that not everything will go exactly that way you think it will. Changes will need to be made and that in most cases it is definitely for the better. A friend told me that it's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage. I keep trying to remind myself of this because truly in the end it is what this day is about. I can't make any promises about not getting stressed though - I am a perfectionist, even if I try not to be! ;)

Shaking My Head @ Myself

2010-02-08T14:03:00.003-06:00

I feel as though I am becoming way too repetitive! Each time I write I feel as though I am apologizing for my absense. This I am unhappy about. I have changed a lot of things since the start of 2010 and I'm going to continue that into this blog. From here on out, I pledge to write at least once a week! I like setting goals like that for myself and so far have been very good about follow through.

I'm not going to try to recap what has happened since the last time I wrote so I'm just going to write about what is going on currently. Cody & I are living together and are engaged! He moved here right before Christmas and we have been engaged for a little over a month. We are very busy planning our September 24th wedding!!! Last weekend we took engagement photos and this coming Saturday I am going dress shopping with my Mom and Aunt Mary - so excited :)

Weddings seem like a great motivator to get in shape. I thought being in Kristina's wedding in July was going to be motivator enough, but now getting married 2 months after hers has me really working to get my butt in gear. Cody & I joined the Y in Superior and are doing yoga at home. I have also become obsessed with Cold Fusion. The staff at Cold Fusion Tower http://www.colfusiontower.com/ are awesome! If you haven't tried one of their delicious shakes yet, I highly suggest doing so!

That's all for now, but I am officially back and promise to make this a blog worth reading again!!!

A Good Life

2009-10-19T10:51:00.003-05:00

My parents had to put our cat, Mystic down today. I never realized how much I would be affected by the loss of one of our cats, but it leaves me with a very heavy heart. We had Mystic for 15 years and she was a big part of our family. Now that my brother and I don't live at home, Mystic and our other cat, Smokey, have become "the kids" to my Mom. I am feeling very sad for not only the loss of Mystic, but also the pain I know it will cause my Mom.

This picture was taken on my birthday this year - all of Mom's kids. Brian is holding Mystic. I'm glad she was part of our lives for so long - she lived a very good life!

Faith

2009-10-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

I started reading Mitch Albom's book, have a little faith. I'm not that far into, maybe only 30 pages, but am really enjoying it so far. It's a true story about Mitch Albom being asked to deliver his hometown rabbi's eulogy at his funeral. I've always enjoyed Mitch Albom's book so I decided this would probably be another worth my money.

Albom goes back and forth between his meetings with the rabbi or "Reb" as he calls him, his encounters with faith growing up, and another boy his age in his rough conditions growing up. It is a story of this other boy, Henry, that brought back a story of my own. Henry got to go to a summer camp every year - the only place he really got to rest and have fun. One day a counselor noticed him and asked if he wanted to pray. He said yes and so they prayed together.

Outside of church, camp, and saying Grace before dinner, I haven't prayed with many people. When I was in high school I went to this weekend church retreat in the Cities. I had been grounded at the time, but my parents allowed me to go - something I am grateful for to this day. We did all kinds of group activities and being the outgoing person I am, I always found myself involved in them all and making many new friends. Later in the evening we were given free time and I had noticed this little girl hanging out by herself. I introduced myself to her and started to get to know her. For such a little girl she already had a lot of struggle in her life. She was sad, depressed, and didn't receive support from her family. She had to be on medication, wasn't allowed near sharp objects, and lived every day being called a freak by her brothers and sisters.

The more I listened, the more my heart was breaking for her. I spent every minute with this little girl trying to make her realize how special she was, how precious her life was, and how there were people who cared about her. That night I made her promise me she wouldn't hurt herself anymore, and if she couldn't do it for herself then I needed her to do it for me. I prayed with her and I cried with her. The next morning we packed up our things and I was eating breakfast with some of my friends. She came over to me, gave me a hug and handed me a letter. The letter talked about how she had been admiring me all night before I had gone to talk to her. She wished that I was was her sister and that she was going to keep her promises she made and she would miss me. It ended by saying that I saved her life . . .

I haven't thought about this in a long time and it's amazing how it can still make me emotional. I wrote this little girl a couple times after that weekend. Sadly, I never got a reply. I have no idea if she is still alive, but I hope that I really did impact her as much as she had impacted me.

Slackers!

2009-09-30T12:10:00.005-05:00

I have noticed one bad trend, a lot of us have been horrible bloggers lately! It frustrates me when I don't write for so long because it's like trying to play catch-up! So all of you are going to blessed with a bullet posting . . .

- Working on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house was such an awesome experience! For 3 days I felt like I was living in a different world. I worked the late shift and had fun working in the dark, in mud up to my knees, and with strangers who became friends. It was an eye opening experience, but one that I take a lot of pride in being a part of. The show aired this past Sunday and for those who worked on the house, we definitely had a different perspective watching it.

Paulie from EMHE - the hardest worker on the show!

The finished house.

- My birthday has come and gone. I'm officially in my upper 20's and so far loving life at 27. My birthday party was a ton of fun! My friend Todd (aka Huna http://www.hunamusic.com/ - go check him out) played an acoustic show for us at the Hawthorne Suites. Then it was out to Blackwater and Score for some drinks and dancing - thanks to Ben, my favorite DJ, we had a fantastic soundtrack for the evening! I've had a lot of good birthdays, but I think that this may have been the best ever! :)

- My life has been a bit of a whirlwind since my birthday. My weekends now consist of time with Cody being that he lives in the Cities and I'm in Duluth. I can't complain though being that the longest we have gone without seeing each other is only 5 days! We have had 3 weddings, the State Fair, my family picnic, and then for my Papa's birthday, my mom, dad, brother and myself went to a Twins game - my Papa's first (and last) ever at the Dome! I kept thinking life would slow down after the summer, but it is the last day of September and I'm still busy for another month! I suppose I would be bored though if I didn't have anything going on.

- I'm into my second week of our United Way Campaign at work. I'm not sure if we will meet our goal this year - it's been a little tougher this year which I expected, but I'm now starting to stress about our outcome. I stress every year though and somehow we always have an amazing campaign - I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed and send out good vibes :)

- There is plenty more to come, but I'll stop there for now. Looking forward to being a better blogger again!! :)

Extreme Makeover :Home Edition

2009-08-03T21:51:00.003-05:00

Ty and the gang are here and ready to change the lives of one lucky family. Today was the day of the infamous door knock telling the Huber Family of South Range, WI that they will be getting a new home. The father of this family is a decorated firefighter with a wife and two children ages 3 and 6 with a house that is falling apart.

I have been so excited from the moment I heard they were coming here. I knew before a lot of others being that my good friend, Jeffrey's neighbor was in charge of this massive project and my other good friend, Billy was selected to do excavating work at the site. I knew that I would immediately sign up and was so glad I did. They got such an overwhelming response that they actually had to turn volunteers away.

Since my volunteer work at the actual house doesn't start until Saturday I am doing a toy/book drive throughout the week with drop-off spots at 4 different businesses within Duluth, Superior, and Hermantown. The real fun will start when I work Saturday-Monday at the house and I am thrilled to say I will be there for the "Move That Bus."

I am so overjoyed to be a part of this experience and think it is so wonderful to have a local family being honored in this way. Today their was a news article in the Duluth News Tribune once the family was revealed. It was sickening to see how many negative people there are around. I couldn't believe the rude comments on this article and found myself getting so worked up about it. I was happy, however, to see that there were plenty of others who defended this process as much as I have - it's a wonderful thing, why do there always have to be people to try to drag the rest of us down?!!

I can't wait to write about my experience being part of this - keep watching for it!! :)

Babies and Bach Parties and Weddings, Oh My!!

2009-06-30T10:48:00.009-05:00

People say that I'm at that age - everyone is getting married and having babies. That holds so true for this summer! Although I am doing neither of the above mentioned I have plenty of friends that are. In May I had two back to back bachelorette party weekends. The first was Lindsey Lu's down in Minneapolis.

Here are all the girls out @ The Loon for Lindsey's Bachelorette Party

The following weekend was a Bachelorette Party for Lindsay Hack (Hack's Glamorama Extravaganza) - which was a night of mayhem in Superior. I have never seen so many girls in one house before in my life. We all piled up in vans and were escorted around Superior with one stop in Duluth. Hack's soon to be mother-in-law made her these oh so beautiful underwear which she most definitely wore out at the bar and showed off all night long!! :)

This past weekend was Tommy & Danna's wedding. I decided we could've just called their wedding our 10 Year Reunion and been done with it! :) It was fun to see so many people that I rarely get to see.

The bride and groom out on the dance floor!

And now in baby news - Tim and Amanda(Hallfrisch) Boberg are having a baby girl! Before the sex of the baby was known it was simply known as Bam-Bam. Amanda is still attached to that, but Tim now calls her Bella Baby. Although Bella will not be her real name - I have now fallen in love with Amanda's belly - Bella Baby!!

This was Amanda & I at Lindsey's place for her bachelorette weekend. I was trying to be preggo with her - I think I actually may have gotten my belly sticking out bigger than her real preggo belly is!! :) This was before we knew Bam-Bam was Bella!

I absolutely love touching pregnant bellies!! Here's LeClair and I hoping for Bella to kick at Tommy & Danna's wedding. Amanda couldn't look any more beautiful pregnant!!

Day of Caring

2009-06-25T09:43:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was United Way's Day of Caring. It is a a special day when volunteer teams help out community organizations with a variety of activities. When I was in high school I used to participate in the event and it wasn't until last year that I found myself once again involved in the great event.

Last year I was recruited to be a member of the planning committee for the United Way of Superior-Douglas County. It was fun learning the work that goes into the planning of it and was able to get my company involved in a few projects. This year I was asked to chair the planning committee - a position that I gladly accepted. I learned far more this year than I could've ever expected. I found out that this event isn't one that the community is truly embracing and is in danger of not happening in the future. I am really learning the different dynamics between Duluth and Superior - who know a bridge could make such a difference!

Although I feel the community doesn't embrace this day, it doesn't mean that yesterday wasn't a successful day. It was truly amazing in my eyes!! We started off with a pancake breakfast at Applebee's for volunteers and agencies. Not a single thing went wrong and Applebee's did such an amazing job - thank you!! Next it was off to the Salvation Army Thrift Store to sort through donations - a position that I have learned is endless and thankless. I believe that some people use the Salvation Army are their own personal trash can - sad the time and effort that goes into sorting through stuff like that. There were definitely some treasure that were found though . . .

I found myself upset once while sorting through stuff. I watched a man who is a regular volunteer at the Salvation Army throw away an entire box of books. I was literally sick to my stomach thinking of all the other places I could've brought those. There are so many organizations/programs that thrive on donations like that!

My day wasn't over after I left the Salvation Army. I then picked up all the collected items for our donation drive for Little Treasures childcare center in Duluth. I was so amazed at the results! It was so fun getting to deliver all the items and getting to see all the kids that will benefit from them. This picture doesn't even do justice for what is inside those boxes . . .

Totals: 8 bags of cotton balls, 9 packs of cotton swabs, 80 glue sticks, 11 containers of chalk, 15 packs of baby wipes, 11 boxes of crayons, 8 coloring books, 15 packs of stickers, 31 tubes of glitter, 22 tubes of paint, 7 packages of buttons, 15 boxes of markers, 77 paint brushes, 2 containers of clay, 2 spools of ribbon, 4 sets of water colors, 10 packs of construction paper, 1 sketch pad, 88 containers of play-doh, 2 rolls of paper towels, 4 spools of yarn, 3 packs of notebook paper, 2 packs of safety plugs, 15 toy cars, 8 tubes of finger paints, 2 packs of white paper, 1 play-doh spaghetti factory, and 1 play-doh duffle bag. Sounds like a big fun mess to me!!

If you get an opportunity to do something like this in your community, I highly encourage you to participate. I felt so much pride yesterday driving around Duluth/Superior and seeing so many people out volunteering wearing LIVE UNITED t-shirts for the Day of Caring. There was an article in the Duluth News Tribune today http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/123680/ Check it out!! :)

Here and There

2009-05-27T10:03:00.009-05:00

If I could choose one word for my life lately, it would be "chaotic." I have been so on the go for the last month. I frequently tell myself I need to blog and then something else comes up and then I find myself thinking the same way another week later :(

So to start with, I'm no longer homeless. I moved back into a place I lived a few years ago. I used to live there with my friend Jeffrey, but he bought a house so I moved back in by myself. I gave it a little makeover with some paint and new decor. I'll have to show some before/after photos in my next post.

Jamie was home for a few days and LeClair and I were able to meet her for dinner one night. When the three of us get together it is so much fun. Time and distance never seems to effect our friendship in the least bit because we always fall right back into place!

About a week after moving in I went to Chicago for 6 days. The first few days were for fun. I flew out there and Jeff drove. Since he used to live out there he was a fabulous tour guide and I appreciated his willingness to see sites with me that he has already seen.

This is a view of Navy Pier and the city from the ferris wheel.

When we were driving into the city I saw a huge billboard for the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Jeff will tell you I was like a little kid when I saw it. He agreed to go which was SOOO fun!! Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit, but this was the banner for it inside the museum.
I got back from Chicago on a Wednesday and then I Friday I left for the Boundary Waters on Friday. Jeff's family has a lot of land up there and although no cabins have been built yet, his dad has built a "shed". It sleeps 4 pretty comfortably so myself, Jeff, and then two friends, Corissa and Lee went up for the weekend. Our luck with weather wasn't too great. When we got there on Friday night it was pouring rain and extremely muddy. I woke up on Saturday and walked outside to it snowing. By the afternoon the snow stopped and the sun came out, but it was still cold. The weekend was still a lot of fun, but I would like to go again when it's a little warmer! :)

Lee has joined a photography club and he had to try taking pictures of star trails. This was his first attempt while we were up in the BWCA. I think it turned out pretty neat!

Last weekend was Memorial weekend and I enjoyed a nice long 4-day weekend!! Friday was spent working on my apartment since as noted above I haven't been around very much. Saturday we spent down in Minong. It wasn't too hot, but if the sun was directly on you then it was! The rest of the weekend was just kinda relaxing which I really enjoyed. This coming weekend is Lindsey's bachelorette party which should be lots of fun. Let the wedding season begin!!

Spring has Sprung . . . Kinda

2009-04-17T08:46:00.004-05:00

Living in Minnesota, especially in Duluth it makes it hard to actually say that spring has sprung. We have really nice days, but then it gets cold again. I'll leave the house in the morning without socks on and wish by the afternoon that I had chose differently! I'm just happy that it is starting to come around because my spring fever has been bad this year.

I think multiple things have contributed to my spring fever this year:

- Multiple visitis to multiple doctors. Including a trip down to La Crosse to see an allergy specialist.

- A long winter with no vacations to break it up. I haven't been on a vacation in a year :(

- Still without a permanent living situation. I've been searching and although there are lots of places available, most of them are too expensive or in bad areas. Who knew this could be so ridiculously hard?!!

Things are looking up though. The sun is out more frequently, my new allergy specialist is really trying to help me and has a plan worked out to make this happen, and although it's not a warm vacation I am heading to Chicago in 3 weeks which I have never been to.

Not much else to update on right now other than the Patriot Guard Riders presented my family with a plaque for my Grandpa. The Patriot Guard Riders really are such an amazing and inspiring group of people!

Other than that we had birthday celebrations for LeClair last Friday. She turned 27 this past Tuesday. The party was a lot of fun and so many of our friends came out to celebrate!!

Oh Sarah, Where Art Thou?!!

2009-03-16T14:22:00.006-05:00

I have been a HORRIBLE blogger lately and I'm not too happy with myself about it. I guess sometimes it's easy to get caught up in all that I have going on in my daily life and forget to take a few minutes to write about it! Here are a few highlights . . .

* I am allergic to everything under the sun. I have always known I've had allergies but some new ones are: milk, eggs, pork, onions, grass, trees, dust mites, and weeds. Try eating foods without milk, eggs, or onions - - it's virtually impossible!! I haven't liked the answers I've been receiving from my allergist up here so I am going to a specialist in La Crosse in a few weeks.

* I had my second EGD last Wednesday. The procedure itself went really well, but I got very sick afterwards. The doctor said before the procedure that I have the worst case of eosinophilic esophagitis she has ever seen - wonderful!! Afterwards she said it is looking much better, but I'll have to go in again in 8 months for the procedure - Ugh! :(

* My apartment rented and there are people moving in on April 1st. I currently have no idea where I am moving to so that has been a bit stressful. I know it will all work out, but this is really getting down to the wire!!

It seems like all my bullet points are negative, but life is actually pretty good right now. Although I'm frequently stressed out, I am very happy. Certain things seem to balance life out right now and balance is very key!! I went up to Brighton Beach this weekend and snapped a few pictures of the ice . . .

Bond

2009-02-04T14:35:00.004-06:00

The past month of my life has been an interesting time for reasons that we all know by now, but I wouldn't stop there. I would say that life has surprised me in many ways in the past year.

I, as a person, have grown tremendosly in what I can take on. I used to get pretty down and out when things would get piled on me. It was easy for me to fall, but hard to sometimes pick myself back up. There are many reasons that this has changed, but there are two major things: my friends and my family.

In the last year I have grown an amazing bond with my girl friends. This is something that I have hoped to have my whole life, but never thought I would actually have. I have always had girl friends, but I was close with very few. I surrounded myself with my guy friends and preferred spending time with them. As I've gotten older I've watched us continually fall into place when we need each other and as more time passes we have only gotten closer. I can firmly say that when that crazy day happens that I actually get married - I know who my bridesmaids will be. This would've been the hardest task ever a few years ago! It's such a blessing to have these girls in my life - - you all know who you are - - THANK YOU!!!

I have believed that my whole life I have been close with my family. In recent times, I realized that meant close with my parents, brother, and for the most part my grandparents. When I was younger I was close with a ton of my cousins as well, but as time passed our bonds loosened and it was so much easier to fall out of line. As unforunate as the situation it was to bring us all together, it reminded us that we ARE family and we DO need each other. Being family is more than birthdays, funerals, weddings, and Christmas cards. Being family is about knowing when your cousin's child has taken her first step or it's about knowing when your uncle is having knee problems. Being family is about knowing all the small things no matter how insignificant we think they are.

I have learned that it doesn't matter if you have the same beliefs, live your life the same way, have the same interests or so on. We can laugh when we are together and reminisce on all the good times and make plans for more memories to happen. When we can realize these things then we truly realize how amazing our friends and family truly are. To all those that read this, I hope you know what you mean to me. I love you!!

Heaven was Needing a Hero

2009-01-19T11:44:00.003-06:00

My Grandpa's funeral was this past Friday. What a day filled with every emotion up and down the scale. He was honored in such an amazing way. The Honor Guard was there as well as The Patriot Guard Riders. These men stood outside in the freezing cold weather to greet us at the funeral and to show pride towards my late Grandfather, Clifford Tousignant.

The Patriot Guard Riders have an awesome website announcing funerals they will be participating at. In warmer months they ride their motorcycles with their flags flying, but due to the extreme cold temps they came in trucks with their flags still flying proudly. Check out their website for all the great support that has been shown http://www.patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/postid/1063678/view/topic/Default.aspx

I took great pride in my Grandfather, my country, and for all soldiers that day. One person posted this video on the Patriot Guard Riders website and although it is sad, it is so touching.

Dear Grandpa

2009-01-14T15:12:00.004-06:00

Dear Grandpa,

If you were given one more day what would you do with it? Would you enjoy a football game? Spend time with family? Maybe take one last trip to Vegas?

I have thought about what I would give you. I would give you one more healthy day. A day where you could walk on your own two legs. A day that you could hear things as sharp as a timid deer in the woods during hunting season. A day that you could feel everything and it would have to be this bitter cold weather that numbs your hands.

I would surround you with friends and family. I would surround you with the sounds of laughter and of little children climbing all over you. I would surround you with all of your favorite "chow" and with no consequences to enjoy all of it!

I would ask to hear war stories and pay way better attention than I did when I was younger. I would ask to hear stories of all of your travels and where some of your favorite places are. I would beg you to let me on a ship at the shipyard.

I would probably then ask for one more day again. It was only a few short weeks ago I was writing about how hard it is to leave loved ones who are so far away. The last time I saw my Grandpa was New Years Eve. When we left it felt quite different than other times. I feel like maybe deep down I knew I wouldn't see him again, but definitely didn't want to accept that thought. I am so thankful for that last visit, for that last chance to say I love you, and to see the love form around my Mom and Grandpa.

Tomorrow will also be the 5 year anniversary of my Grandpa Herrick passing away. Apparently my Grandpa's like to follow each other in same ways. Both of my grandpas only had one leg and they passed away 3 days apart (with 5 years inbetween). My Papa likes to think that both of them were trying to save his life because both passed away the week of his annual ice fishing trip. With the temperatures as cold as they are and the conditions on the lake - it could've been a deathly experience for him.

I'm happy with keeping my Papa around and as sad as I am right now, it does make me smile thinking about my Grandpa's walking around together and keeping an eye on us.

This was the sunset on Monday, the day my Grandpa T passed away. This will eternally be his sky.

Pinky Size Esophagus

2009-01-08T10:54:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I had an EGD - technical term Esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Try saying that three times fast, actually try saying it just once!! My EGD consisted of both a biopsy and dilation of my esophagus. This is my third time having this done in the last 8 years, but the first time they have ever taken a biopsy.

People keep asking why I have to get this done, well my esophagus likes to become quite small. It was so small this time that I have to go in and get it dilated again on March 11th. They can't do too much at once because this could cause tearing which is rather severe. Guess how big my esophagus was this time around . . . the size of my pinky. Imagine trying to eat and swallow food down an opening the size of your pinky. I have no idea how I have been eating!!!

The biopsy was a new thing for me, but I am so grateful for it. My doctor believes I may have a disease called Eosinophilic esophagitis. This is caused by allergic reactions and essentially causes asthma in the esophagus. Lucky me, I get a trip to the allergist as well as back to the gastro!

Current systems:

Swollen uvula (the little dangle thing in the back of your mouth). It's so swollen that I keep choking on it and have a hard time talking.

Chest pains - constant heartburn really so last night I had to sleep propped up in bed. Thank goodness for my Mama's help!

Hungry - so far I haven't had food other than pudding and sherbet. It melts in my mouth so no swallowing is necessary.

Every three hours I mix up a little cocktail the doctor likes to call Magic Mouthwash. It numbs my throat for awhile, but unfortunately the pain doesn't fully go away.

My mom says I'm being a trooper though. I'm hardly complaining. I just sit in my chair in quiet pain. I've pretty much made her life a living hell in the past so I'm trying to be a big girl this time around :)

Here is the oh so beautiful pic my mom got of me as I was coming back to reality . . .

Ringing in a New Year

2009-01-01T17:42:00.002-06:00

Well the time has past and saying your goodbyes to 2008 are all over. How was 2008 for you? Did something significant happen? Do you have a moment from the past year that you know you won't forget? For some of my fellow bloggers out there I know I can name a few . . . Jamie and Cornell had their beautiful wedding ceremony in May - - Jamie's cousin, Megan followed that same path a few months later with her husband Mike. And last, but certainly not least Kelly and Josh have been blessed with little Noah who will be here in a few short months.

I must say all those things are far more monumental than anything that happened for me in 2008. There were definitely some unforeseen things that happened in my life, but really when can we ever truly know which way our path with lead us? My life seems far more different than it did one year ago. Each year I learn more about myself - the good does come with the bad and although there are some sad memories, the good definitely outweighs those.

I am learning a lot of new things! I have learned how hard it is being away from elderly family members and how extremely sad it is saying goodbye when you're not sure when the next time you'll see them is. I have learned the power of helping others to a completely new extent. This past Christmas I participated in Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family. As hard as it could be coordinating with the families sometimes, it was amazing to deliver presents to the Salvation Army and see all the people there helping. I also received one of the most beautiful cards I've ever been given by my family that I adopted. I learned how to live with someone and share a space with a significant other and then I learned how to pick up the pieces when that bond was broken and I was on my own again.

I found a magnet that made me laugh, made me smile, and most importantly somehow made everything better. It said "I'm fairly certain given a cape and a tiara I could save the world." I know I can't save the world, but I'm doing everything in my power to make it a little better in any small way that I can.

Looking forward to see what 2009 has in store for me . . .

A Helping Hand

2008-12-22T14:33:00.003-06:00

I received this message today from a co-worker of mine and I wanted to share it with everyone. The words below are what he said in his message. The title "A Helping Hand" came from an article that was in Ashland's newspaper today. The man I work with sent this picture to the newspaper because he was so touched by this man.

I stopped and talked with this very interesting person in Washburn. I saw this man snow blowing his neighbor's driveway because his neighbor could not. This wonderful person in the picture is "Paul Kopp." He says he enjoys being outdoors and doing things to keep himself busy. What an inspiration he was for me and should be to those who think live isn't always fair.

I asked him if I could take his picture and he agreed. This picture and story will be placed in the Ashland paper today as well.

Christmas Lights!

2008-12-04T09:57:00.006-06:00

So when it comes to pretty much anything and everything Christmas I am a kid at heart. I love Christmas music, I love Christmas movies, I love Christmas shopping, but I especially love Christmas lights. Every year I pester my Papa into putting up lights at my parents house. The past couple years I have been able to be a helper though - this year he even appointed me the project manager and he was my assitant. We are putting up lights at my apartment this weekend and I can see him taking over. I'm thinking small, but he'll probably come up with some other grand master schemes!

This is the "Garden Party." Trust me, it looks much nicer at night when all lit up and a little extra snow helps too!!

In other Christmas lights news - I can see all the houses on Exhibition Drive lit up from my apartment. I still need to drive up there to get more of the "Ahhh" effect, but nonetheless I love seeing those lights up on the hill!

Turkey Day, Black Friday, and A Patridge in a Pear Tree

2008-11-29T20:49:00.006-06:00

I woke up on Thanksgiving Day to snow!! I know it is the time of the year for it, but I'm the kind of person who would prefer to get it right before Christmas and then have it go away by January 1st. This Thanksgiving was slightly different than past years. I experienced a few firsts this year:

1. I've never been up in time to watch the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2. I've never been up early enough to see the turkey before it is the oven.

3. This is the first year that neither my brother or I live at home - although I was the one who chose to stay at my parents.

I went to bed early on Thanksgiving night so I could get up early for some Black Friday shopping. My mom and I weren't like the crazy people out at 4 a.m. we left the house about 6:30 - it is still dark out at this time now. We headed straight for the mall and found some of the best deals at Younkers. Although I got lots of great things ( probably including presents for some of you), the best deal of the day was a set of flannel sheets that were $90 for $24. I realize flannel sheets are not exciting, but I'm in need of them so I was overjoyed!!

Lastly, I have some sad (but hopefully promising) news. My good friend, Billy's uncle Jimmy is in the hospital after having brain surgery. I am asking for your thoughts and prayers to be with him. Please visit www.caringbridge.com/visit/jamesshelton to learn more about him and his story.

Mentoring

2008-11-20T08:17:00.003-06:00

It has been a crazy busy week at work, but I feel like lots of good things have happened. Earlier this week I mentioned that I signed up to participate in The Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family Program which was very exciting to begin with, but that was only the start of my excitement.

I applied to be a mentor a month or so ago. It's a pretty long application process which can sometimes take up to a few months. Lucky for me, I have very reliable references, previous mentoring experience, and a clean criminal record. Yesterday, I received a call that I have been matched with a child in need of a mentor. I was so happy to find out that it is a girl named Amanda that I had read about in the Duluth News Tribune. I meet with her mom on Tuesday and after that I'll be able to start hanging out with her.

I've also been getting responses from people about donating clothes for the Damiano Center and wanting to participate in the Adopt-A-Family program so it's been extremely nice to see so many others opening up their hearts. I know that many people think about doing things around the holiday season, but aren't sure how or don't have much time - I'm glad that I've been able to show people just how easy it is to help!!

Adopting a Family

2008-11-17T08:45:00.004-06:00

I'm adopting a family this holiday season! My company does Adopt-a-Family every year with the Salvation Army, but this year I decided that wasn't enough for me so I have signed up for my own family. I'm hoping to have friends and family involved to make this a wonderful holiday season for a family in need!

I don't know the details yet, but I will probably be getting a family that is a single mom with two kids. I should have their wish lists by Thanksgiving. I can't tell you how excited I am to do this! I can do it on my own, but I hope that you can help me spread the word and find it in your hearts to donate some money to help buy the things this family needs!

If times are tough for you as well, then I have another way you can help. I'll also be collecting food and clothing items for the Damiano Center. Please let me know if you have items you would like to donate. I can pick them up, you can drop them off, or if you're out of town - let me know if you have stuff and we'll figure out how I'll get it.

For more information about the Damiano Center and their programs please visit www.damianocenter.org

Or for more information about the The Salvation Army please visit www.salvationarmyusa.org

Weekend Update

2008-11-16T17:21:00.002-06:00

It's amazing how quick the weekends fly by! I had a rather enjoyable weekend and am feeling rather rested. Friday night I went to the UMD hockey game with some work people. The Sheraton Hotel is reaching out to some local businesses and provided us with a pretty fun night. We met at the Sheraton - they took us in a stretch Hummer limo down to Grandma's Sports Garden for pizza and drinks, then to the hockey game (we tied in overtime to Wisconsin), and back to the Sheraton for drinks and appetizers. It was a very fun free night! (And I was still in bed early)

On Saturday I had great ambitions to put up Christmas lights. I took a trip to Menards - bought my lights and also looked at new fake trees. My 4 footer isn't exactly cutting it and although I hoped to get a real tree this year I realized that with my oh so wonderful (I mean horrible) heating system it will not allow for a real tree. I left with no tree, but plenty of lights - I got home and the couch was way too comfy looking. I got caught up in watching Bam's Unholy Union on MTV 2. A few hours went by and I needed to get ready. I was off to the hockey game again, but with Billy. The game wasn't so great - UMD lost 4-1. In other hockey news - the Gophers are still undefeated- Go Gophers!!

So back to Christmas lights - they are still not hung, but it will happen sometime this week. For Duluthians, did you hear that there will be no Bentleyville this year :( There is a technical error at the moment, so stay tuned for pictures from last year.

It's now Sunday evening and I'm happy to have all of my errands and chores done. The dishes are washed, the floor is vacuumed, the groceries are bought and put away, and now it's time to relax.

Sunrise

2008-11-11T17:03:00.009-06:00

I've had a lot of issues with my apartment, but here is one of my favorite things . . . the sunrise!!

Who wouldn't enjoy waking up to this veiw? :)

Twilight

2008-11-10T14:50:00.005-06:00

So I have discovered the Twilight Saga and it has consumed my life. Last Thursday and Friday I missed work due to my friend, Vertigo. Yes, the pesky thing is back, but luckily not in full force as it was a few months ago. Anyway, due to that I spent those days reading, finishing Twilight in one day and starting on New Moon. Another day gone, another book finished and then I started Eclipse which is now finished and I'm onto Breaking Dawn which is the final book :(

For a long time, I didn't understand the hype about Twilight or the obsession with Edward Cullen, one of the main characters. I get it now!! I haven't come across anyone who has started reading these books and couldn't put them down. They draw you in and make you want to turn page after page. You truly fall in love with Edward Cullen and think that Bella Swan is the luckiest girl alive even with every hardship see has faced! The movie comes out on Friday, November 21st, contrary to what the movie poster says. I honestly have a countdown going on!! I haven't been this excited for a movie since the last Harry Potter came out. Funny enough, Edward Cullen played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Apparently, I am far more into magic and legendary tales of vampires and wizards than I thought!! :) If you're looking for a good new book . . . I mean books :) this is definitely a series worth considering!!

Live United

2008-11-05T08:58:00.004-06:00

Soooo just a few updates:

* I reached my United Way goal for Enbridge's 2008/2009 Campaign. The goal was $27,000 and I was afraid of not reaching my goal so I sent out a plea email. The email helped surpass my goal and shot up to $28, 312. In this time of financial hardship it really touched my heart seeing so many people still giving to those who are less fortunate. The theme this year was "LIVE UNITED" which I think was such an amazing choice for this year. What does it mean to you to Live United??

* I voted yesterday and felt so good about it. For the first time, I really backed my choice. I believe that every vote matters and although I don't speak about my political views, I do express my beliefs in voting. I hope that you all were out at the polls yesterday. On another note, I am very happy the election is over and the bickering will hopefully end soon. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but why do people try to throw it in each other's faces so often?!!

* The weather in Duluth has been out of control. Monday it was supposed to be sunny and 67 degrees. Instead it was foggy and cold. Yesterday was beautiful - sunny and I believe it did reach 67 degrees - Duluth was actually on CNN due to the unusual warm conditions. About 3 pm, the clouds rolled, by 5 pm it was raining, and shortly after was a thunderstorm. I watched lightning for hours out my window. Today is still raining and by Saturday it is supposed to be a high of 34 degrees with a chance of snow - - that's Minnesota for ya!! :)

Halloween Revisited

2008-11-05T08:48:00.006-06:00

I've been so bad at blogging lately - for this I apologize. I feel like things have been sooo busy!! I wanted to share some photos though. Dan and I had a Mask Party, but the best part was my creative food spread - yes, I channeled my inner Martha.

Then for actual Halloween, LeClair and I went as The Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. We had a super fun time. Amazingly, no one else had my costume and only one girl had LeClair's - we fled the scene before anyone could notice :)

A Case of the Mondays

2008-10-13T09:15:00.003-05:00

It's dreary again today - that's the worst on Mondays. It so hard to start your week to begin with, but it's even harder when the sky is gray and it's rainy. The nice thing is that the temperature is warmer than it has been.

I'm in a weird mood today - I woke up pretty happy, but there were a few things that happened to change my mood. I was all ready for work and getting my lunch together - it's not too often that I crave a sandwich, but today was one of those days. I grabbed the items out of the fridge and then the bread which is left on top of the microwave. I pulled the bread out and was about to start making my sandwich when I realized there was a hole in the side of the bag and half of the bread was chewed at. Fantastic - we have a mouse in our apartment!! My question is how did it get up there?? I've seen jumping mice before and I'm guessing I now have one - UGH!! :(

I tried to forget about the mouse and quickly found something else for lunch. I gathered my stuff and headed out to my car. On Saturday evening, both mine and Dan's cars had been broken into. There was no vandalism and the only thing taken was change. Well, apparently the little thieves were back again last night because a few items were shuffled through again and now they stole my tanning lotion! My neighbor is now planning to try to catch them in the act - I actually hope they come back tonight!!! Although they are not taking much, it's such an uneasy feeling knowing there are people going through my personal property. I live in a good area so it's sad to see this happen. I lived in a way worse neighborhood in Superior for a year and not once was anything of mine ever messed with.

On a different note, the rest of my weekend was really good. My mom and I did some good shopping on Saturday. I found a super cute and warm Columbia jacket that was originally $230 for $99. I'm getting a jump start on my winter planning. We also had a delicious lunch at the Olive Garden and then cried our eyes out which turned into laughing hysterically at Nights in Rondanthe - very good movie!! Our final excursion was to Art in the Alley. It's this great little shop with handmade jewelry, pottery, and some artwork all done by the husband and wife who own it. The woman, Tami is great - her and my mom have the same birthday and now my mom wants to go make jewelry - something she's been wanting to do for a long time. I'm glad we found her a place to finally learn!! Sunday was extremely productive for me - I did a ton of cleaning and small projects that I've been holding off on for a long time. It felt so good to take a few of those things off my list.

Well that's all for now - thanks for letting me vent!

Satuday Morning Cider

2008-10-11T08:16:00.002-05:00

It's hard to say whether or not I'm a morning person. I sometimes have a hard time getting up, but once I am I'm generally good to go. Well today of course I was wide awake by 7:30 - no sleeping in for me on a Saturday! Maybe it's all the Northland trucks that drive right by my apartment all day long that keep me awake (Sorry Papa, but I had to mention them - I've counted at least 6 so far today!!)

I'm not the kind of person to wake up extra early, get ready and enjoy a cup of coffee or the news in the morning. Dan is like that, but it takes him all of 5 minutes to get ready for work. Today, I am like him! I have been enjoying a tasty cup of hot apple cider and watching CNN Headline News. I learned that you don't want to watch the same channel for more than a half hour though - they then start going over the same stories. Today's top stories: Goodwill thriving during this time of economic trouble; Palin abuses Power; Tuskegee Airmen Honored; and my favorite Car Chase with woman ends in Crash - this woman was accused of vandalism and when she saw the cops she jumped in her and starting driving 95 mph without her headlights on. This woman crashed and refused to get out of the car because she was naked! Unbelievable the things people do.

I'm glad I could inform you of today's news, but on a lighter subject last night we went to Dan's moms house. The plan was to have a bonfire and make hobo dinners, both happened, but it was so cold and wet out that the bonfire was just used for making our dinners which were really good! Then myself and Dan, Dan's sister, Becky, his brother, Arnie, Arnie's girlfriend, Courtney and Dan's mom and Mark all played this board game Boxers and Briefs - so hilarious!! If you're looking for a fun group game this is definitely one of them, but make sure to have at least 4 people preferably more.

Today is girl day with Mama. We're gonna do a little shopping, lunch, and go see Nights in Rodanthe. We always have fun and I'm sure we will today too!! I'll have updates on that later, but for now I better go get ready. Have a great weekend!!

Don't Step on Any Rocks??

2008-10-08T14:49:00.002-05:00

For those of you who know me extremely well you know what "Don't Step on Any Rocks" means to me. For those of you not completely in the know, it is a saying my Papa has said to me my whole life. They are just about as meaningful as hearing I love you from him.

We all have our own ways of telling the people we care about to be careful - that has always been his way to tell me. Before I would go away to camp as a kid he would say it, when I moved to St. Cloud he would send me letters and end them with it, and even as an adult before I go on trips he still says it.

Wherever I go those words will always be with me - in my heart and permanently on my skin :) I have those words tattooed on my left ribcage.

I've enjoyed knowing what's going on in friends lives through their blogs and have decided to start one of my own. Don't Step on Any Rocks seemed to be the best title for this.

Hope you enjoy!