Fun Filled Weekend

Ok - so on Friday night - I went to happy hour with Amy and Terry (et. al) after work. I was responsible - and came home early - due to early Sat. morning departure time.

Saturday morning - Lonny and I got up and hit the road - bound for Fargo. We had a yucky and rainy drive almost all the way to Fargo - until about 30 mi. out - then it was sunny! We got to Justin's around 2:30 - and while the boys practiced - I headed to south Fargo to hook up with Nancy. She and I went shopping for Julie's shower (coming up THIS Sat.!) - then picked up KFC - and headed back to Marc and the kids for some dinner. It was fun to see Nathan and Lauren - and fun that I think they actually remembered me from my last visit in April! :) After dinner I made my way to the Aquarium - where the boys were playing. When I got there - they were rehearsing. I got some video footage (as little bro requested) - and hung out waiting for the show to start. The Trans Ams didn't even make it to the stage until after 1am! This old body (& back!) is not wanting to stand around and listen to punk rock for 5 hours anymore! :) I think the boys had a really good time - it was a good trip.



Sunday - after 6 hours of sleep at Justin's girlfriend's apt - Lonny and I headed back to Minneapolis. We were hoping to be back in time for the Vikings - but didn't quite get up early enough! We did, however, make it back before 1/2 time. My Sun. afternoon plans were changed - and I ended up going to the Renaissance Festival with Heidi! (& Baxter & Bella!!) It was a good time - and I don't know who wanted the turkey leg more - Heidi- or the babies!



Monday - spent the day in a district meeting. Left meeting to bring my car into Scion ("check engine" light on again) but Scion didn't seem worried. Whatever. I'll bring it in again next week - cuz i'm sure the light just won't magically turn off (as Jeremy @ the service desk seemed to think. ANYWAY - came home to meet Heidi AGAIN - and off we were to see the TWINS! It was a good game to be at - as the TWINS clinched a playoff berth. HOWEVER, I missed most of the game due to issues. OH yeah! And guess who was there?? Genevieve and Lynch! Good thing we ran into them - cuz they kept Heidi company as I ran in and out of the bathroom!



Today - spent the day in a building meeting. (wow - when do i get to TEACH again??) Worked the soccer games tonight - and JUST got home - to THREE Victoria Secret underpants chewed up on the living room floor! Huh. Nothing like losing three pairs of $5 underwear to end a long day.

Ugggg. I gotta get to bed - the rest of this week is pretty busy. Two more nights of soccer - then the shower. Life is fun!

Dog Park

Yesterday and today were beautiful! I took Baxter and Bella to our local dog park (didn't drive all the way down to Minnehaha) yesterday and today after work. We brought our tennis ball and throwy thingy and tired ourselves out!

Yesterday we found a new friend who may even be Baxter's biological brother. This big guy looked just like Baxter - just a little taller - and a little blacker. He even had a purple collar on! Hunter's mom said she rescued the lab/dane mix from an abusive home - and that he was around 4 years old as of this past spring. WOW! I told her we got Baxter from the Humane Society - knew he was brought in with his mom and littermates - and was born in March 2002! So - even if they're not brothers - they had a fun time bouncing around and playing. We hope to run into them again sometime!

Today we went again - brought a new ball (cuz we lost the one yesterday) - and played again. The park was very busy - but we found a spot a little away from the crowd to throw the ball. Bella started getting so tired that she actually plopped herself down in hole to chill out. I figured we were done playing fetch - so started walking again. Who did I see across the puppy playground - and through about 30 dogs running around - Bryan Raymond. He was there with his dog Tori (named for Tori Hunter). He and his wife just had a baby July 29th! I told him about Alice and we chatted about our dogs - and that's about it.

Dog park days are good - cuz sleepy puppies like to go to bed early and cuddle with mom! So - off I go - Baxter's already snoring!

Back To School Catch-Up

Well - I guess we have some readers - so it's time to get caught up with the blogging! Here's the scoop on my last 4 weeks:

1. Visit from Parents

Mom and dad came in August to meet Alice. We had a great time - and now they know what they're missing by living so damned far away! Looking at this family pic - I can't believe how much Alice has GROWN since this was taken just FOUR weeks ago!



2. State Fair

Wow - this seems AGES ago - but I went to the fair with my Little Red Hens on Labor Day. We were up early - and even tho Julie had a REALLY bad back -we ate our way pretty much thru everything we wanted to eat! The hotdish on a stick was AWESOME!



3. Back to School

The 06-07 school year has started - and has kept me very busy! I'm teaching new classes again - so I have to think a little more about what I'm going to do each morning, meetings are driving me nuts!, and I have a new room(s)! - BUT - my kids are good - and I love my co-workers - so that helps a lot. I am (for the 4th year!) working as Site Manager for varsity boys and girls soccer - so that keeps me busy some evenings.

4. Ann's 30th

Last Thursday Ann turned 30 - and some friends of hers threw a party for her at Cafe Havana downtown. It was a good time - but I outlasted the birthday girl! What the heck??? :) (PS - this place is WORTH checking out - just for the free valet!)



(Oh yeah - and I got my hair cut and colored - as you can see from the birthday pic - Lonny hates it. I like it.)

5. Crafty Sunday

Sunday was the Little Red Hens' 2nd Crafty Sunday. It was a good time. Julie and I started it out in the morning - she came over - we took the dogs out for a walk - stopped @ Lon's to pick him and Alice up - walked up to Audubon - got coffees/chai - and walked home. We leisurely started crafting - Heidi joined us - then friend Terry came and then cousin/sis Michele. We chatted and talked some crap - and then I got to cookin. We had curry - and for my 3rd attempt - I was a little bummed - (I think I've done better) - but they said it was good - so I guess I'll live with that. (leftovers tonight! yum!)

This week (& next) will be very busy - Lonny and I are going to Fargo on Sat. for a Trans Ams reunion show. Should be a blast. I'll try to keep up - and blog about it when I get back!

Busy Little Red Hens

Wow - the Little Red Hen Society has been busy! We have had an awesomely fun week that started last Saturday. Julie and I took in a Polish Fest held here in NE. I read about it in my little neighborhood newspaper - saw pierogi and cabbage rolls - and had to go! Julie came over in the morning with coffees and scones. Mmmmmm coffee and scones. . . . . and then we headed out for a bee-u-tiful (as Lon Sr. would say) day for a festival. The first thing we hit was the food - and both had pierogi - I think Julie had cabbage rolls too - but they had tomato sauce on them - and that's not how MY mom makes them. . . so I passed. :)



We bought many raffle tickets and signed up for door prizes - but no one's called me yet to tell me I won! Both of us bought a dozen frozen pierogi to take home - I shared with Lonny and Jaime. - and I think my little bro enjoyed them. :)

Sat. night we all hooked up again in St. Paul for cousin/brother Jon's Pirate-themed 35th birthday party. Whew! He's gettin' old!

Sun. was a spontaneous gathering of the Little Red Hens. We had no plans but kinda gravitated toward each other and met up at Rosedale for some shopping and then ended up at Big Bowl. for lunch/dinner.

We didn't see each other for 3 whole days - when we met up again for lunch with our cousin Jay. We went to Red Robin. in Shoreview (I think). It was a good lunch - with some "catch up" type chatter. Cool to "re-meet" your cousins as adults.



Wed. night was the weekly gathering for Project Runway.. Julie and I have gotten together for all but one night of this new season. Heidi hadn't seen it before - but got sucked in and was just as surprised when Allison got sent home as we were! What the hell??? Vincent should have been gone like 3 weeks ago!! The best part of Wed. night tho - was our awesome gourmet dinner we put together. Heidi brought over salmon and asparagus, Julie brought over veggies and salad, and I made sweet potato bake. We were so proud of our YUMMY gourmet meal that we HAD to take pics of it. Mary Jo would be proud - as it was very colorful!



And yes, I ate all of it - even the raw orange pepper (dipped in ranch). . . . little girl is growing up!

I love my girls. I love hanging out with them. It's fun to have cousins who are also great friends!

Another Boppy Cover

I made another one yesterday! I think it turned out pretty good. This cover matches Alice's bedroom a little better than the Mickey/Minnie one . . . so now Alice has TWO - so one can always be clean!



And here's the new cover on the pillow at Lon & Jaime's house. These aren't that difficult to make - the piping is the worst part - so maybe I have a new "shower" gift for friends who are expecting! :)

Weekend in Wisconsin

This past weekend my cousin Heidi and I took a road trip out to Milwaukee.



history: This past June, aunt and uncle (LaVonne and Walt) were at my house on their way thru town - Heidi was talking to them about who knows what . . .yadda yadda yadda . .they invited us out to Milwaukee to check out the Wisconsin State Fair. SO! We found ourselves at the beginning of a 5.5 hour car ride when Heidi got off work at 8pm last Friday. It was a pretty easy drive (especially for me - as I slept most of the way!) We were warmly greeted even though it was 1:30 in the morning when we pulled into town. After some late night chit chat we hit the sack - planning to get up early for a day at the fair.

We kind of slept in - and ended up at the fair around 10am. I guess the big things at the WI State Fair are the Cream Puffs. So - of course we had them FIRST!



They were good - they were cream puffs. BIG cream puffs.



I'm glad we had them - because everyone who knew we were at the fair asked us if we had them. We did hook up with another cousin of Heidi's (from her dad's side) and his wife - so they sort of served as our State Fair Guides. :)

After we could eat, walk, or see no more - we headed back to Walt & LaVonne's house. After dinner (yeah - I really don't know why we had dinner either!) - we headed downtown to Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. There was a Jazz Festival going on - and we got to see Wynton Marsalis' little brother, Delfaeyo, play his trombone.



Pretty cool - now I've seen two of the Marsalis boys live. A night of touring downtown was cut short by me and my tummy issues. Yes, now everyone knows I need more fiber in my diet!



Sunday was Family BBQ day - which was great because cousin Pat and his girlfriend, Stefanie, joined us - as well as cousin Beth and her family.



It was a great afternoon of catching up and getting to know each other a little better. I truly hope we can stay in touch and see them all again really soon! Walt & LaVonne were terrific hosts - and I'm so happy we were able to stay with them!

Heidi and I got up Monday morning to start the drive back. We took our time with the trek across Wisconsin. We stopped when we wanted to - to eat (yes! we ate MORE!), pee, and check out a Cheese Haus to pick up some curds! We weren't even back home before we already had plans for Monday night! Julie and Donnie invited us to the St. Paul Saints game.



It was great - we tailgated, Heidi played in the Homerun Derby (& won a participation prize of a power drill!). The Saints won - and it was a beautiful night for outdoor baseball!




Great weekend - my only official summer vacation so far this summer - not too shabby!

knocked up

(Posted by Melanie) Keeping up with the baby theme......I'm having one too.

My little fling from Brazil ended up staying with me for a few months in the beginning of the year (in Bangkok), and then in the beginning of March he left for New Zealand to work and travel. The end of March I found out I was pregnant - I was completely freaked out.

Since then I've come to the realization that it's going to be okay. Fabio came back in June. We moved into a nice apartment a little further out of the city. I will finish my teaching contract in June 2007 and have a six week paid maternity leave. The baby is due in November. Fabio will be staying at home and taking care of the little one (we think it's a boy) when I go back to work.

This summer we went on vacation. We spent a week in Cambodia (Angkor Wat is amazing), three weeks in Bali (beautiful) and a few days in Malaysia. We had a relaxing time and spent most of it eating and watching the World Cup (Fabio is a big fan).

Not sure what will happen with Fabio and I - I realize that, statically, our chances aren't great. However, I figured I should give it a shot - being that he's the father and all. Either way, I'm going to be a mommy and I'm happy with that.

Alice Mae

Here's an official photo of my new niece, Alice Mae. She was born last Wednesday, July 26th. She is adorable - and I couldn't be prouder! Mom and baby are both doing great! - If you want to keep up on Alice's life - check out HER blog.

Boppy Cover for Alice Mae

Here is my first attempt with my sewing machine -




I think it turned out pretty good - ready to try one more - with a different fabric!



I think the actual cover was pretty good with the pattern - the piping on the side was hard! - but have you ever SEEN a boppy?? They're not exactly perfectly shaped. . . . .or it could be me. :)

All in all - pretty damn proud of myself!

Frickin 2006!

Geez -

Haven't yet posted in 2006 - and it's already 1/2 over!

This will be short and sweet - and hopefully more in depth later!

Mel's still in Thailand - hopefully she'll blog soon - as she has big news (Mel - even if you Cut/Paste from MYSPACE) :)

I'm still here in MPLS - still single - Big Red (that HORRIBLE date from last summer) - was my last date. blech. . .

My niece is coming in FOUR days! Bro and Sis-in-law are having baby via C-section on WEDNESDAY!

K - that's the short short version - more later!

Happy 2006!