Merry Christmas 2007

So - we left school Friday knowing we had 2 full weeks off - but that it would seem like nothing . . so here's to making the most (and enjoying!) my vacation!

Started off great - with a trip to the airport Friday night to pick up mom and dad. Lonny and I both went. By the time we got to Lonny's, Alice was already sleeping - so mom and dad would have to wait a little bit longer to see the Princess.

Saturday morning was busy as I was rushing around my apartment - trying to get everything perfect for my Polish Cousins. Pierogi and Cabbage Rolls have been a part of Christmas since I can remember. As an adult (and my mom living far far away my whole adult life) - I realized I'd have to know how to make them if I really want to have them! :) I'm not sure what year this all started - but I do remember making cabbage rolls at Heidi's apartment in New Brighton (while Lon and Jon played video games). . . and also pierogi one year at my apartment in Fridley (while Lon and Jon played video games) using a Pam can wrapped in tin foil as a rolling pin! Well, a few years ago it became an official mark of the holiday season when Julie, Heidi, and I gathered at my house to cook. Yes, Lon and Jon were there . . .not helping - but (you guessed it) playing video games! :) Last year, my Norwegian mama was in town, so she joined us with her expertise! She learned from the master (our Grandma Mary) so we were in good hands! Alice, Kelsey, and Abbey were also there last year - and that was cool to see K & A getting into it also! So! This year was a hit - most of us were there - Julie, Heidi, Me, Lon/Jaime/Alice, Jon/Genevieve, Mom/Dad, Mary Joy, . . . and Uncle Jim even came for a bit! (Oh yeah - and Jaymie stopped by on her way home from St. Paul . . . I don't think she'd seen my parents since my wedding!)

Alice Mae gets ready to leave the party

I feel like I did a lot of running around - rather than actually helping with rolling, cutting, or general cooking . . .but it was a blast! We had sloppy joes, Christmas cookies, chips, and potato salad for lunch. I love hosting people . . . so all went well!

After our event - mom/dad/jaime/lon/alice and I headed up to Blaine to Auntie Sue's house. There was a chili dinner there with many cousins, Grandma and Grandpa, and other members of the Sanchi Jebanobe group (owners of our hunting land/shack in northern MN). Alice got to play with her second cousins - except for her newest one - Hannah Sophia was born earlier that morning!

Sunday was a yucky day for weather. Lots of blowing snow and icy roads - but we were out in it - cuz we needed to shop! Mom, Dad, and I did a lot of running around whilst Lon's were up at Jaime's family's "Little Christmas Eve." We did gather that night at Lonny's tho - for Sunday Chicken Dinner and the Vikes (eek).

Monday - Christmas Eve. Relaxing morning here at home - then went back up to Blaine for Christmas dinner with mom and dad. All were there except Jeff/Bridget and Lon/Jaime. Even baby Hannah was there!!! Good time - lots of noise (and only 3 kids making it!!!) - but fun to hang out with cousins and Grandma and Grandpa again.

Me & Mom - Self Portrait

Grandma & Grandpa & 3 of their Great Granddaughters

Bob & Sue & Grandkids

Kyla gets down to business

Caleb can do it to!

Yesterday - Christmas Day. Brunch at Lonny's - I made mini quiches (very good) - and we also had cinnamon rolls. We checked stockings and opened gifts - and then lounged in our PJs. Alice enjoyed her haul - yes, haul! - and having Grandma and Grandpa to play with. Uh - we also watched 40 year old Virgin - as Dad had seen part of it on regular tv at my house - so we pulled out Lonny's DVD. Kind of a weird movie to watch with your parents - I'm just sayin' - so for you - "note to self." Christmas Day was fun and relaxing - and then about 7pm or so I brought mom and dad back to the airport. (I wonder if Alice is waking up this morning thinking "where in the heck did everyone go??")

Alice took her gifts to her Elmo chair to open them

December 26th - first official day of vacation. . . . got up at 8am with puppies, will shower soon, may go have lunch with Lon/Alice and maybe do some shopping with all of them when Jaime gets home from work. Yup. Or I'll do nothing. Who knows?? I'm on VACATION!!!

:) Merry Christmas!!

QUICK Update

OK OK OK! I know I said I'd be back - but yes, this is a crazy week at school, plus getting ready for mom and dad to arrive (in less than 24 hours!)

Craftstravaganza.

Well - it came and went. I pretty much missed it all. Alice Mae was up in Big Lake with Jaime's sister. She was having a rough morning - and with the bad weather we had that day - with more bad weather on the way - it was a no brainer: Someone had to go get Alice. I spent 2.5 hours on the road that day - getting Alice and then bringing her back to Minneapolis.




Emergency Room.

By the time we made it to Minneapolis, Alice was really crabby. I brought her home, we had some lunch, and she went down for a nap. When she got up she just wasn't herself. She slept again, and after that nap, she was even worse. She had a fever and definitely not feeling good. Jaime got home from the Craft Fair a little after 5pm - and by that time Alice's fever was higher, and she was just limp. We ended up braving the sloppy (& dangerous) roads to bring Alice into the ER. Lonny met us there . . . yadda yadda yadda . . a few hours, a chest x-ray, a cathader, some Tylenol, and some Pedialyte later. . .Alice was looking more normal. (She actually was up walking around and gabbing it up by the time we all made it back to Lon/Jaime's.)


Christmas Cookies.

Last weekend, Jaymie invited me and Alice to join her kids in some Christmas Cookie Decorating. We accepted - especially because Lon and Jaime were busy opening Who Made Who (new storefront to Lon's new studio). Alice loved playing with the cats, pointing at all of Jaymie's beautiful Christmas decorations, and eating the cookies she "made."






Here Alice is enjoying Jaymie's tree - and made sure to take advantage of Joel's height to see the ornaments up high!
















Haircut.

Ok - and this week I got my hair cut again - getting beautiful for the Holidays! :)


Hope you are all enjoying the season!

Breathe

Well - I know I'm behind in my posts . . . but I'll be back this week (I PROMISE) to update.

For now - I am breathing a sigh of relief as our ESL Family Night went off without a hitch tonight. It's been a busy few weeks planning for this evening event - complete with food, child-care, info booths, and awesome q&a sessions.

I work with a great group of people - all of whom were an important part of this great event. From the support and "yes, we can" attitude of our administration - to the secretaries who greeted families and organized coffee runs - to the kitchen staff who cooked for 200 (but served less) - to the adult and student volunteers . . . words cannot say how greatful I am to be part of such an awesome team!

Here are the members of my department who were able to take a moment before the night started for a photo. (I would like to say it's the sweatshirt making me look so big. . but yeah - what can I say. . .I like my carbs.) :/



Updates from the past two weekends coming soon! (check back!)

Thanksgiving Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I stayed in town for Thanksgiving. Cousin Pat was getting married in Milwaukee so I did not venture out to Vegas. Instead, I accepted an invitation to join the Nordin's at Julie and Don's house. Dinner was great - everyone was there - Greg/Mary Joy, Julie/Don/Zach/Travis, Heidi, Michele/Kelsey/Abbey, Jon/Genevieve. After the food and some Wii time, the cousins retired to Inver Grove Heights for Enchanted. Good Family Day movie! :)

Me, Heidi, Julie, Genevieve, Jon at the movies
(Michele joined us later)

I hung out with the Jerome/Olesens on Friday and then went to Heidi's to spend the night. We woke up at 5:30am to start getting ready to head out of town for the wedding. As we were chit chatting about the trip - and yes, I was still a little anxious about the 5 hour car ride and my "issues" . . . Michele's name came up. (She was not in the original plan for the road trip.) So - I called and left her a message at 6:30 am - she called me right back - and the Wedding Crashing began! Heidi headed up to St. Paul to pick up Mary Joy and Julie while I headed to Cottage Grove to get Michele. We didn't officially caravan - but were 5 - 10 miles apart for the 5 hour trip.

We were a little concerned with the level of rudeness of crashing a wedding. Where would this fall? Would the fact that we're all cousins of the groom matter? Would the meal be formal? Sit down? Place cards? Would this stress out the bride? The groom? The groom's MOM?? We decided that if the meal was formal with place cards, we would just leave for dinner, and then come back for the party. (Turns out Pat and his sibs were delighted to see all of us - and before we even got to the reception, LaVonne had arranged for Mary Joy to sit at the Stumpf family table (aka "Table of Honor" - as it came to be known) to make room for Michele at the Venice Table with us. PS - Thank you Pat and Stephanie for putting me (and our fam) at the 2nd best table in the house! Thank you for not placing me at the "Raiders" table! :)

Anyway - between the actual wedding and the reception - we had some time to kill - so drove down by the lake (Michigan, if you're keeping track) - and grabbed a few photos. I love this pic of Mary Joy and her girls:



Back to the dance - it was a blast. Besides me and the Nordin girls, Jomie and Nancy and Jim were there to "represent" for the Jeromes. Everyone had a great time dancing. . . and here's proof:

Uncle Jim and Cousin Mary cuttin' a rug.

Jomie and Nancy - Tom and Mary Joy behind them - and even further back - Larry and Joan

Of course - with a bunch of cousins in one room - we had to get some pics. We never got all of us - but here's the Jerome Girls who were present. (Jomie and Pat were the Jerome boys present) :)

Joan, Cathy, Michele, Beth, Mary
Heidi, Julie, Me

We had a great weekend. Our journeys to and from Milwaukee were uneventful (so good). And - Pat and Stephanie are married now! So - YAY! - and Congrats!!

2 Weekends of Alice

I've been taking Alice out more than usual - trying to give Lonny and Jaime some much needed craftin' time. Last weekend I took Alice to Rosedale. We met Jaymie, Beth and Bailey. We went to Big Bowl for lunch (well, Alice had an Arby's Roast Beef) and then did a bit of shopping.

Alice's first trip into Hollister? (Beth bought a jacket)


Bailey and Alice hung out while waiting for the teenager to finish shopping.

Today, Alice and I went up to Blaine to join the Christenson girls in learning how to make lefse. We had a great time! Auntie Sue is such a great hostess! (I don't think we stopped eating for the 6 hours we were there!) Alice had just a brief nap in the car on the way there - but did great regardless!

Insert adorable picture of me and Alice getting ready to leave Minneapolis here.


Lunch with 2nd Cousin Caleb.

The girls getting ready to make lefse.
Katie, Sarah, Kyla, Auntie Sue, Paige, ME & Alice, Bridget


Playing with Caleb.


Tasting krumkake with Cousin Bridget.

Watching Baby Einstein.


She had a great time.

And now for the part of my life that is not Alice. :) Melanie and Fabio closed on their house Thursday. They spent Saturday and today at their new place in Columbia Heights painting and getting it ready to move into. I joined them on Saturday - helping them out just a bit - and then they came over Sat night for a light dinner, a movie, and a place to crash so they could get back at it right away this morning. I'm so excited for them - and can't wait to see it once they've moved in!

Painting the living room.

Short week this week - only 2 days of school. . . Thanksgiving. . . Pat Stumpf's wedding. . . . should be a fun week!

A Bee & Some Pot Roast

So, whilst my tummy was tied up in knots waiting for that "verdict" from the City. . life DID go on last week. Alice Mae participated in her first "real" Halloween (last year she was just so little!)

She was a Bee. . I like to think of it actually as a Bee Princess. . . isn't she adorable???

Lon & Jaime took her all over the City to get her true Halloween experience - and ended up here. Even tho it was past her bedtime, Alice got to hang out for a moment. She watched the puppies like a hawk, begged Vanhtha to watch Blue's Clues, and posed for a bunch of pics!


Friday night, the Jerome / Olesens came over again - this time for dinner. V had a craving for Yorkshire Pudding. . and while we really don't know what Yorkshire Pudding is. . (yes, I know we could Google it) . . .we did the next best thing. He bought some yummy rolls, I made a roast (complete with potatoes, carrots, and onions) in the crock pot, and I made my very first real gravy!



I think you can tell by his face just how yummy it turned out. :)



This week at school was busy - it was the end of the quarter. Kids had today off, so I got a lot done at work today! Now the weekend is here again, the puppies are on their way to Fargo with Paul, and I'm ready to relax! (You know I'll have SOMETHING fun to report tho. . so stay tuned!)

The Week of Waiting is Over!

The ruling arrived today in the mail. No declaration is being made on Bella at this time! I got home and saw the thick envelope on the dining room table. . . .my heart started racing. After taking the dogs out to pee I ripped it open to find the letter announcing her freedom from persecution/label and copies of the City Ordinances about Dangerous and Potentially Dangerous Dogs.

Whew. I'm so relieved, but still bummed that this whole incident happened in the first place. . . oh well. . hopefully we won't be dealing with this ever again! Sorry for the rambling post - but wanted to keep all of you Bella-Lovers informed!!

Surreal Day

Ok - so I WAS just going to come on here and muse about my trip to Target. I was at the pharmacy this afternoon. Ya know nowadays when you go shopping - you get your receipt plus some coupons that kinda "go" with what you're purchasing? (ie. - in the past I've gotten pizza roll coupons when I've bought frozen pizza). . .ANYWAY. . I get this coupon for $1 off Target brand diapers! Yay. I then smiled at the cashier and took my bag of BIRTH CONTROL pills, thank-you-very-much!

Now for the crappy part - so it was a gorgeous day outside. I should have mowed - but no - I wanted to take advantage of getting home early (which REALLY wasn't early after said trip to Target). Took dogs to park. Got into park. Baxter pooped, Bella chased ball. We walked INTO park . .found a good spot . . . Baxter playing with other dogs, Bella poised to play fetch. I threw the ball. Shoot. Two smaller dogs ran into area where ball was going. Dogs got too close to ball - Bella let them know what she thought. Shortly after Bella came back to me - I noticed one of the smaller dog's owners was on all fours with her dog - checking her out. I brought Bella over there - and asked if she was alright. Owner couldn't find anything wrong - but her dog was acting weird. I let her know that B. had all her shots and was up to date on everything. After a few minutes of searching - she found a scrape (or a bite??) under her dog's belly. It wasn't bleeding - it was like a scrape - where a flap of skin was hanging. I again asked her if she needed anything from me - she said I should leave the park. My stomach went into my throat. I said "what??" - She cited - and there is a statement - that dogs should be under control at all times - and if your dog becomes aggressive - you need to leash your dog immediately. (1. Bella was not aggressive. - she acted in an aggressive way. 2. I had Bella by the collar the whole time I was interacting with this lady.) Again I asked her if she needed anything from me - and then I turned with Bella to find Baxter. I couldn't see him anywhere . . as we were looking - this woman came up to me and said on second thought, she'd like to see Bella's tags to make sure they were all up to date. I took her collar off - and gave it to this wench. She asked if I had a pen - I did not. She asked if she called my vet - would they know Bella. Of course they would - I said. She was then satisfied - and as Bella and I headed toward the gate - I saw him. Baxter got separated from us - and where did he go - to his leash. He knew his mama would come back for him! (what a good boy!!!) :)

Anyway - shortly thereafter we left the park - I had avoided using the gate while SHE was there. . .and of course, right as we exit the park - there she is. The dogs went toward each other to greet - I pulled my two - and headed toward the parking lot. (She did too). I got the dogs in the car - and looked up to see Chuck and Carol (Paul's grandparents) walking by. We waved - and greeted - and then I went to them to say hi. At this time - SHE was now LEAVING the parking lot with her dog - as if going BACK toward the park. I was like what the heck? Is she stalking me???

Turns out she called Animal Control. She approached me again as I was saying goodbye to Chuck and Carol - and getting into my car to leave.

Of course I waited. The officer treated me like a criminal - asking me if I could stand back while she gave her statement. Then - as she's giving her info - they're like joking around and freakin' GIGGLING!! Whatev - I then got to give my statement - he took a photo of the injury (which he had to look for for a bit). . .

So that's that - now we wait. I guess the report now goes to the "Manager". . . and in about a week or so it is decided if Bella is a Dangerous or Potentially Dangerous Dog. Both of those labels would be automatic revocation of her dog park license. Dangerous also gets her picture on the city's website, along with my name, address, and the offense. (none of the 6 dogs currently on there are there for biting another dog - attacking - but not biting).

Soo. . ah. . lots of tears tonight - lots of guilt. What if I mowed my lawn instead? What if it wasn't so gorgeous out? What if I hadn't wasted that hour at Target? What if I would have moved 50 feet further down the park?? EEEK. This sucks. Also - there is an appeal process. . . so I guess if this comes out against Bella - we do have the chance to speak up.

Here's my thinking:

1. We're at the FREAKIN' DOG PARK!!

2. We don't even know if that scrape was a bite? or a scrape on a wood chip? or a scrape on something else??

3. I was very responsible from minute one. I approached the owner. I asked her multiple times if she needed stuff from me. Should I have walked away?? Part of me wishes I just would have walked out. But if that happened to my dog - I'd want the owner to show concern!

4. That HAS happened to my dogs. . . I don't think they've ever been BITTEN . . but they have been in scuffles. . dogs are dogs! They have toys - they want to show dominance - dogs get too close to mamas . . it happens! It's a DOG PARK!

5. That damn ball is going to be our fricken leather glove! It's on the web and application not to bring toys. . but a lot of people do. Usually there's plenty of space - and about the same number are playing with toys as the number of those who aren't.

So - keep your fingers crossed for Bella. A. Let's pray they don't find her even Potentially Dangerous (this is a bad bad thing - involving 3' leashes, muzzles, and kennels for when people come over!) B. Let's hope she doesn't lose her park privileges. She loves it. Baxter loves it. And most of you know how much I love it.

Bummer night here in NE. And now - the waiting begins.

Third Week of October

This past weekend we had our 2nd Annual "Beautiful October Saturday at the Dog Park." Yes, I am wearing a tank top and shorts! I had a hoodie on - but got too darn hot!!! (Dad - it was BEE-U-TI-FUL out!) . . .

I made spaghetti tonight - called Lon and Jaime to invite them over to partake. They accepted - and voila - the "First-Dinner-On-The-New-Table" occured! Don't they all look SO excited to be a part of this special day?!?!?! (Except Alice - who is totally into her Texas Hold 'Em that Uncle Vanhtha is teaching her!)

Auntie / Alice Day

Yay MEA Long Weekend!

First off - a photo of my new hair. Trimmed up the back. . . more bangs cut. . . less red, more brown this time. Enjoy:



I have today and tomorrow off of work - so what better way to spend them - than to hang out with Alice! I arrived at Alice's house around 9am. Lonny was already at work and Jaime was heading out to a meeting. After getting The Princess dressed, we headed to the downtown Minneapolis Public Library for storytime. The story was If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. AND the Mouse from the book was there. We didn't get too close, but it was fun watching all the kids get excited. We played a lot with the puppets at the Puppet Theater area - and of course we found some good books to read! (We also sang "Who Stole The Cookie From The Cookie Jar.") - which is not the version in this link - but it's a cute video anyway.







We headed home for lunch. Jaime came home shortly after we got home - however was able to get some other work done while Alice and I played (Jaime also had a dentist appt). After an afternoon nap, both Jaime and Lonny came home and we promptly ordered Papa John's online. It was yummy. Alice enjoyed pizza bits dipped in sauce (yes, we had practiced for this at lunchtime by dipping hotdogs in ketchup!). . . looks like Lonny enjoyed the dipping experience too.





Alice was not happy when dipping was officially over. (good thing both Alice and Daddy were wearing red shirts!)



After a quick bath, it was time for jammies and some down time. I hung out with the family for a little while longer in Alice's room.



It's been a fun day. I'm going back tomorrow afternoon/evening so Lonny and Jaime can see a movie. Yay! I love long weekends! :)