I'm in love!

With Jello Shots!
I found this awesome blog about jello shots (the author calls them "jelly shots"), and now I must make them all! They all look AMAZING! I'm sooo excited to make them. Now I want to have a New Year's party just so I can make a bunch of different recipes of jelly shots.
Check it out: http://jelly-shot-test-kitchen.blogspot.com/
Look at the Flickr photos too, that'll sell you!
I've made jello shots many different times for Sylvester family parties, but never anything like this. I've only experimented with different liquors and jello flavors. And, they've only been in little plastic cups. Nothing like these molds. Of course, the molds she uses are $40 each. YIKES! Can't spend that amount of money on something for fun that I'll only use once or twice a year. Maybe I could if Mike doesn't find out....
:)
Make one of these recipes and let me know how it turns out. I'm definitely going to make some and post some pics.
Until then, Happy New Year and happy eating!

Mike's 3 rings- update

On Thanksgiving weekend, Mike was once again playing with his good ring while in the bathroom, and somehow dropped it between the vanity and the wall. No joke. There doesn't seem to be a space big enough to fit a ring between there, but he did it. I watched.
So, now there's no excuse for not remodeling the bathroom. :) We bought a new vanity, just need the cabinet, faucet, mirror and light fixtures. The shower door is also ordered. Yay! This time I'm not upset that Mike lost his ring. I'll be happy to demo the bathroom to find it!

Mike's 3 rings

I noticed Mike's wedding ring sitting on the window sill above the kitchen last week. Nothing out of the ordinary because he never wears it anyway. But, I looked a little harder and saw a chip and a crack in the ring. WHAT?! This ring is tungsten carbide and was not supposed to scratch, bend, break-- nothing. Mike says he has no idea how it happened, and I'm completely puzzled and really disappointed.
This ring has been through A LOT! It's kinda funny.
This is the ring I bought for him when we got married, so we'll call it #1 (you'll learn why). From the beginning Mike has not worn his wedding ring. Only when I beg and plead and bargain, does it make it on the finger. Then, the whole time he attempts to wear it, he's playing with it and switching fingers and playing catch with it. Seriously. He's horrible at wearing it and keeping it on the ring finger. It's slighty-- no very-- annoying.
One autumn day he was pheasant hunting with Haley and for some reason he got mad at her and took a swing at the dog (to scare her into listening) and off flies the ring (from the pinky finger). Yep. So, Mike out hunting behind my parent's house in the thick grass and the ring is missing on the ground somewhere. I couldn't believe it. You can't even make a story like that up.
Mike, myself, brother and sister looked for the ring for quite a few minutes, not finding it. So, Mike rented a metal detector and found it after about a half-hour. $79 rental for a $500 ring= Episode 1.
Ring #2 comes in the picture about a year after we got married. I bought a $80 stainless steal one because Mike said that the tungsten carbide one was too heavy and he wanted a smaller one. This one never gets worn, either because Mike doesn't like this one. Somewhere along the line, this one gets lost, so we're back to Ring #1.
Ring #1 gets lost for about a year when Mike wears it at his sister's wedding and places it in his pants pocket. Apparently the pants didn't get washed after he took them off and went right back into the closet. We both looked all over for that ring for months and months. Not finding it, I bought another of Ring #2, this one being called Ring #3.
Ring #2 is found somewhere, so now we're back to 2 rings.
Ring #1 is found after about 1 year of being "lost" in Mike's pants pocket. He took them out of the closet to wear to another wedding. Now up to 3 rings.
Ring #1 is lost about one year later when Mike and I were taking Christmas card photos with his mom in the field behind his parents' house. Once again, the ring was on his pinky finger and slipped off in the field. Now, here's where the scary part comes in. The beans were just picked a few days before we were out there taking photos, so the field was bare and ready to be plowed for the winter. This was a Sunday afternoon, after the hardware store had closed, so we couldn't run and rent a metal detector. We could only hope that it wasn't going to get plowed in the next day or two. Mike rented a metal detector on his way home from work and searched the field in the dark Monday night to find it, which he did, buried in the dirt. Another $80 for the metal detector for the $500 ring = Episode # 2.
Back to 3 rings.
And, that's where we are today. Except that now #1 (the "real" ring) is chipped and cracked. Only something that Mike could do.... this ring was supposed to be indestructible. :(

I can talk again!

My voice is back. Enough said.


Kidding.
I haven't been able to hear myself speak normally for one full week now. I've never lost my voice  before, but it happened to me last week. So, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were almost voiceless. I could speak better Monday and Tuesday, and finally today I have my voice back! Yay! I still cough all the time, but that's also getting better. Guess I can't say that I never get sick anymore. I can't even remember the last time I was really sick.
Actually, I can. The Easter Epidemic. I'm not even going to go there. That's a story in itself......
I do appreciate having my voice. I left work early on Friday because I just couldn't talk, so what was the point of being there, right? When I got home, it was obviously still business hours, so I thought I could tackle some phone calls I haven't been able to make. Wrong. I couldn't talk. I wanted to call the cable company and crab about our random fuzzy tv stations. We have cable! How can there be fuzzy stations??!
I also wanted to return a call to a woman in HR from a company I've never heard of who wanted to schedule an interview with me for a position I don't remember applying for- ever. Couldn't do that cause I couldn't talk. I'm still confused why that woman called me. I haven't applied for jobs for over a hear and a half. Weird.
Calling and talking to friends wasn't a good idea 'cause they'd hate to listen to me scratch out a few words here and there amongst my whispers. So, my weekend was spend in solitude except for a Saturday morning class at The Green Barn. I braved the roads (which were really bad, BTW) to make some evergreen pots for my front step.  It's an annual thing a friend and I do, so I wasn't going to miss it.
My voice is back and my world is back to normal. Now, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. I have one on Saturday and one on Thanksgiving Day. Bring on the turkey and stuffing!

Restaurant review time

First of all, don't get used to me posting twice within 24 hours. I actually have some extra time right now, so I'm scratching one more topic off my list, that being: a few restaurant reviews, actually not reviews, more like my opinion.
Mike and I had a date night on Saturday night and ventured downtown to Murray's in Minneapolis. I had a Groupon that expired at the end of November, and because Mike is pretty much non-existent on November weekends, we had to use it this weekend. We even skipped a Halloween party at my cousin's house to get down there. I hate that weekends get soooo busy.
Back to the topic at hand. I made reservations for 8 so Mike could hunt in the evening and we'd still have time for dinner, plus I thought that the dinner crowd would be cleared out by then. Boy, was I ever wrong. This being my first and only time to Murray's I have nothing to compare it to, but every table in the place was full, and they pack the tables in there like sardines. I wasn't impressed at all. I had to squish my fat butt past a few tables to get to the bathroom, and I didn't like it. Plus, it was kinda loud for a nice place. Lots of conversation over the piano being played in the background.
The wine was $9 per glass, for the cheapest Cabernet, too. Dislike. I love wine with my food, so I only got one glass. We also ordered some walleye and wild rice spring rolls. A good combination until they threw in some Asian cole slaw and some other Asian sauce that I didn't like. Don't pair something so Minnesotan with something across the world. In my opinion, they do not mesh well!
I'm not a red meat eater, so I didn't have to worry about ordering a $50 steak, which is what Mike did. Really?! Does a slab of meat really cost that much???? Mike himself said that he could cook a steak almost as well. He loves steak, and he's the one that grills them. My salmon was good, and the portion was large, so no complaints there. The next one comes when we got the bill. We had to pay extra for the salad, that I swore came with the meal. I didn't say anything because our waiter was so busy with his other tables, and he actually got our bill wrong the first time, so I didn't want to question the salads and be a real b*^#@. Maybe I should have, but that's in the past. All in all, I'm glad that we finally went there because I know so many people that love the place. Maybe if I ate a gross, juicy steak, I'd have a different opinion. That won't happen anytime soon!
I do love being downtown, though. There was a little mist in the air, so looking up at the buildings was beautiful in the foggy night sky. Driving downtown is another story, I was happy to let Mike do it. He knows his way around pretty well anyway. It was a good night, just not as good as I was anticipating. Good thing I had the Groupon and didn't have to pay the actual price of our meal! That would have been a little painful. I really don't have a problem paying a few dollars for anything, but I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for. Except when it comes to restaurants. I love to cook, so maybe I'm better off making dinner for our date nights. But, that takes work, and I want to be wine and dined once in a while, too.
I'd also like to write about another place we've been lately, but I don't have time. Maybe I'll start a new list of topics: restaurants.

Survival isn't only about numbers

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it takes to be a successful business owner and manager. They're not the same and it takes a very different person to be successful in each position. But, then again, some people can pull it off. One of them being my dad. Last year was his 30th year in business. Through this economic downturn, his business has survived and continues to move forward. He's one of the lucky ones, though sometimes he doesn't see that. It's been tough, without a doubt, but there's strategy behind survival.
I was reading an article in Equipment Today at my parents' house today. I loved what I read, so I'm going to repeat some of it here.
This part of the editorial talks about loyalty.
"Loyalty is a two-way street, and not surprisingly the contractors who are loyal to their people are the ones who are surviving right now. If your employees' productivity starts to diminish the moment you turn your back, you'll have a hard time making it, recession or not.
"Another great way to built loyalty and prepare your company for the end of the recession is to keep investing in training. At some point this recession will end as they always do and some underdeveloped sectors of the construction economy are going to come roaring back with a vengeance. If you're not ready for the rebound with well trained and loyal people then you're going to be missing out on business, scrambling to complete the jobs you get, backtracking to fix the mistakes of those under-trained employees and you'll probably continue to play catch-up in this half-hobbled mode until the next recession.
"There really isn't much you can do at this point about the current recession other than to manage costs and work harder at getting what business there is out there. But it's a great time to take stock of where you are, figure out ways to get better and start planning for not only the boom to come, but the next recession, too."
How true is that???! This particular articles referred to the construction industry, but it applies to ALL sectors. 
I wish some business owners would see the value in properly trained employees, and not just look at the numbers but the quality of their employee and the quality of their work. Survival isn't only about numbers. It's about your reputation, how you treat your employees, and how loyal your employees are to you. It's a balance and a mutual respect, and until that's achieved by both sides, your business will NOT be successful.
And, that's about all I have to say about that. I guess that article sparked some strong feelings, but I'm sure that everyone would agree with me on this one.

Field trip to Chateau St. Croix Winery

Last Saturday my brother and his girlfriend, along with Mike and I traveled to St. Croix Falls, WI to visit Chateau St. Croix Winery. I had purchased a Groupon for the place earlier this summer, and we had to get it used before Mike starts disappearing on hunting weekends. My sister and her husband were supposed to come also, but we were running late, so they weren't able to hang around until we got there. The really missed out, though.

I LOVE this place. The setting was awesome. The weather was so perfect (which probably helps my high regard of the place in general), and sitting outside in the gardens sipping wine could not have been any better. We got a five wine flight, a tour, crackers and cheese, and 2 bottles of wine with our Groupon. It was an amazing deal, if I do say so myself! I wish I could have purchased another one.

So, we started with our wine tasting, going in to get new glasses and then coming back outside to bask in the sun and enjoy the scenery. There was a horse pasture (which did smell like the horses, unfortunately), rolling hills of the St. Croix River Valley and of course the vineyard itself. So gorgeous!

We took the tour through the processing room and into the wine cellar. I only wish some of that wine could be stored at my house. :) It's a pretty high-tech process, one that fascinates me. Maybe I should open a winery and go back to school??! Hmmmm......

We hung around for about an hour and a half, enjoying the weather and the scenery. We'll definitely come back, and I really recommend this winery for anyone interested in taking a quick tour and learning a little about the process of wine making.

The best of: AWESOME autumn days!

I had one of the most productive days I've had in a LONG time today! First of all, I got to sleep in. I slept 'till 8:15. Now, I admit that I didn't set my alarm last night to get up for church this morning. But, this was well worth it, and I don't think I'm going to hell for missing a Sunday. :) He's pretty forgiving!
Anyway, I made a trip into town and ran some errands, stopped by my parents' house for some things and then headed home again. I had one reason for going to Cambridge: buying a turkey for supper. I've been wanting a turkey dinner for a week or two, so I made it happen today. I prepped it when I got home and got it into the oven. I even made a fresh pumpkin pie today. Yum-o! Dinner was fabulous, even though I ate it by myself. Mike has been fishing all afternoon, and missed the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey and corn from the garden. This is one of my favorite meals ever. It's the best!
I also cleaned the windows in the front of the house. I guess I'm never home in the morning when the sun shines in, so I got to see the gross, dirty windows today. I only managed to wash the front ones, and will have to have Mike help me with the back ones this week sometime. The windows in my house are a pain in the butt to clean, and I dread the job each time. But, they are clean and I'm happy.
The garage also got a good cleaning this afternoon. We can once again fit a car in it. It's amazing the things that accumulate in just a few weeks. We've been parking the Yukon at my parents', so Mike (yes, it's Mike's mess) has slacking at putting things where they belong. I'm very much a neat freak, and everything I take out gets put right back into place. That's one challenge with Mike's and my relationship-- he's NOT tidy. It causes some friction, but nothing changes with him, and I've relaxed a tiny bit over the years. Yes, a tiny bit only.
Oh, I also did a few loads of laundry and cleaned the kitchen while my dinner was cooking. That pretty much ends my list of accomplishments today. I'm very happy with my productive Sunday, just not excited at all to start another work week. It's going to be a bad one. Super busy with two events on Thursday that I'm coordinating. We're soooo behind in planning and sending things to print that it's not even funny. It makes me very anxious.
I know I'll get through it, I just may not be a happy person until Friday morning and it's all over with! I once again got distracted when writing. Imagine that.....

The best of: having cousins

I love my cousins! Here's a tribute to my girls cousins:

There's a special kind of closeness
that only families know,
That begins with childhood trust
and deepens as you grow.

There's a special kind of happiness
in sharing little things,
The laughter, smiles, and quiet talks
that daily living brings.


There's a special kind of comfort
in knowing your family's there,
To back you up, to cheer you up
to understand and care.


Of all the treasures life may bring,
your family means the most,
And whether near or far apart,
That love will hold you close.

The start of a new era-- of combs, that is!

I have a bitter sweet task to complete today sometime.
I have to throw away my hair pick and buy a new one. Don't laugh.
Most of the tips have broken off, so they're sharp edges scratching my scalp as I comb my hair. I don't appreciate it, and I don't think my hair does, either.
This comb has been with me for YEARS! I think since about sixth grade. We've travelled together, gone to school together. There's only been a handful of days we've been apart, and that's only when I've forgotten to pack it.
So, if I got the comb when I was about 11 years old, then I've had it for 18 years. Geez! That doesn't seem possible, but I know it's been that long. Crazy! I wish I was at home and could photograph it and pay some tribute, but I'll have to do that when I get home tonight and memorialize it before I throw it away. I haven't bought a new comb yet, and I hope it's not difficult. How hard could it be, right?!

Bub-bye comb!

Dear God.... Please upate our life plan!

I only wish that His idea of our life plan matched mine!
Mine would have had our house sold three years ago when we first tried selling it, and we'd be out away from neighbors with lots of land, a big yard and an awesome house for parties and entertaining.
Present day: our house is STILL for sale and has been for the better part of three years, give or take a few months here and there. I hate it! It's really not that bad of a house, only it has train tracks in the backyard and no basement. Otherwise, nothing needs replacing and it's certainly not sucking any of our money for fixes.
The reason this is forward in my mind-- well, more than usually, is that we have a showing tomorrow. We haven't had one for 3 months. So, there's a slight glimmer of hope that the right person will be walking through our front door tomorrow and will make us an offer that we can financially accept.
I want God to change the plan He has mapped for us and have a buyer walk through tomorrow and make us an offer! But, I'm not holding my breath.
I really have nothing to complain about because our house payments are good and we've been able to put aside money for other things, but my drive to and from work is pretty much wearing me down. I HATE driving by Friday and when I get home, all I want to do is hibernate and get things done around the house. I hate the thought of driving to the cities or anywhere far over the weekend, and I'm sure my car also hates the thought. I do trade my car for the Malibu once in a while, but both cars are racking up the miles pretty  fast. My car is close to 70,000 miles!!!! I bought it 18 months ago with 30,000 miles. And, that's not even driving it every day!
I also feel like I'm losing my mind sometimes, seriously. I feel like I'm never home, and when I'm home I'm scrambling to help others with projects or working on my own things that need to get done, all housework aside. I forget to pay bills, and that's what make me the most mad. They're reoccurring monthly, have the same due date, but I fail to remember that, and I get reminders in the mail or late fees. UGH! It's happened a few times in the last few months. Granted, summer is extremely busy, but that's no excuse. I blame it on not wanting to sit down at the computer once I get home for the night. I blame it on me having Alzheimer's. I also blame it on the mail carrier for not delivering my mail to me. Sad, I know. I'm kidding about the Alzheimer's thing-- maybe. I'm getting a HORRIBLE memory. It's strange. I used to be able to remember the littlest, insignificant things, and now I forget almost anything I need to remember. I've gotten so far off track, it's hard to recover, or maybe I should say I've forgotten why I started writing! haha! I need a personal assistant.
Anyway, I just wanted to jot down a reminder to God that my and Mike's life plan needs a little tweaking. I'm not getting any younger, after all.

back into the swing of things

We're back. :(
Vacation was AWESOME! The weather was perfect, and we had tons of fun. I love my family! This year we had a new family join us-- my aunt and uncles neighbors and their 3 kids. The fit right in, and we'll gladly welcome them back next year. More on vacation in a future blog- hopefully.
Now we're home and have unpacking to do, 6 piles of laundry, catch up on sleep and get back into the groove for work tomorrow. I wish I could win the lottery without actually playing it. I SO don't want to go back to work tomorrow. The driving is tiring me out and I feel like I'm never home and can't ever get projects complete. Speaking of projects-- I have my sister's wedding video to get completed in less than two weeks, ideally by next weekend, so I'm starting to get nervous about that. Next weekend is the bachelorette party and all of the last minute preparations for the wedding at my parents house. I meant to stain the deck for them (it was actually my fathers day present to my dad), but it's been rainy every weekend or I don't have time to get it done. AHHHH! I need more time in the day. Mike and I need to do shopping for his clothes too. He and my brother should wear the same shirt, or alteast the same color, but I don't think we're going to have time to get shopping together. I might just have to trust Mike to get something on his way home from work one night. Scary.
Plus, I have the vacation video to get done, and I'd like to get that finished before the wedding so I can give it out to everyone, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. Last year I made a video of photos from our vacation and gave one to each family. It was a hit and I loved making it, so this year will be the same.
I have so much more I could write about, and so little time to do it. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up on that in the coming weeks and post some pics. Right now, the wedding takes priority.

VACTION IN 24 HOURS!!!

I cannot wait to get away and go on vacation! I haven't been this excited to get away from work and home EVER! It's been a crazy last few weeks, and  I want nothing more than to sit at the edge of the lake with a cocktail and stare. I want to be on the water fishing and to go golfing and to stay up late and then get up really early to watch the sun rise through the foggy air. I can't wait!!!!
Here's a peak at the weather for the week, and I'm happy with it. Last year it was pretty cloudy and not all that warm, so we're due for some heat and sunshine!
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 78.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 76.
Birch Lake-- here we come!!!!

An impromptu trip to southern MN

I've always considered my favorite location (besides home, of course!) in Minnesota to be the North Shore, or all of northeastern Minnesota, for that matter. The lakes and rocks are always calling my name.
Yesterday, Mike and I made a very unscheduled trip to southern Minnesota, Mountain Lake, to be exact. It's about an hour southwest of Mankato, so about a four hour drive for us. YUCK! I've never been to that area of southern MN, I've only been to Winona and the Amish country of Harmony and Lanesboro. They're all beautiful, but I didn't know that the Mankato area and surrounding countryside was just as beautiful. We drove along 169 along the river and through all of farm country. Farm fields, bluffs, rolling hills, and giant grain bins dotted the countryside. Kinda pretty.
Back to the reason we took a road trip: we FINALLY decided on a truck! Actually, I shouldn't say "decided." We've been looking for about a month now on the weekends and an occasional weeknight, but haven't been able to find a Yukon, Tahoe or Suburban (or anything else suitable) in our price range, with the options we want, and with the mileage we are looking for-- until Thursday night. I was perusing CarSoup and found a white Yukon Denali. BINGO! That was exactly what  we, or maybe I should say "I", have been looking for! We got home too late last night for me to take a photo in the day light, so I plan on posting a pic tonight or our new Yukon. But, it was with a private party in Mountain Lake, MN, so Mike and I contacted the seller and we met with him Sunday and ended up buying it. We now have our vehicle to tow the boat with again. I'm soooo happy!

Little Falls Golf Tourney

Yesterday we played golf in the rain-- all for a good cause, of course. We played in Little Falls in the Broadway Sports Bar & Arnies Army "Take a Shot at Prostate Cancer" tournament. It rained steadily through all of the front 9 and then just sprinkled for the back 9. So, we got wet right away and never had a chance to dry out. We had a ton of fun, though, and will definitely play again. This was Mike and my third year playing in this tournament. We played with Sue and Jake. Aaron, Jamie, Aric and Brian made up the other team. Here are a few pics from the day.

Backyard projects

I DO NOT recommend waiting two years to stain a new cedar fence-- do it right away! We finally bought stain and a sprayer to stain the fence, all $580 of stain, I will add.  That was a painful transaction! :(

I thought I'd just clean the thing off first cause it must be a little dirty, right?! WRONG-- it was A LOT dirty! Oh my gosh! I sprayed it with the pressure washer and it made a little difference, then we used some deck cleaner and sprayed that on and then used the pressure washer. The difference was night and day- it is amazing how different the fence looks even right now. It looks brand new! Boy, it it ever a pain in the butt to do the cleaning, though. We wanted to do a good job, so we sprayed the cleaner on, let it sit, and still scrubbed a little with a brush before spraying it with the pressure washer, but the result is well worth it. It's not stained yet because it rained off and on all weekend so we didn't dare try staining it. That's a project for a night this week, hopefully!

the best of: little surprises

I texted Mike today and told him that I wanted to take a nap. (It's such a dreary day, who doesn't, right??!)  I also mentioned how the day was just dragging on, and all I wanted to do was come home. I never got a reply, so I guessed he was busy at work. I didn't talk to him on my way home like we usually do, so I still thought he was busy working.
I walked in the door when I got home (and after being ambushed by a hyper, barking, super-excited dog) Mike hugged me and took everything from my hands and took my jacket off for me and grabbed my hand and told me that I had to hurry. "Hurry for what!?" I asked. He stopped me outside the laundry room door and grabbed some of my clothes from the dryer. Now, let me step back some-- when I get home at night, I'm pretty much beat, so I throw on a t-shirt, a sweatshirt when it's cold, and some yoga-type pants. The last thing I think about when I get home is impressing someone with my clothing. All I want to be is comfortable! So, Mike put my favorite clothes in the dryer and turned it on to warm them! Ahhhhhhh! He still manages to surprise me! :) He also made supper, which always tastes better when someone else makes it. Oh-- I didn't mention that he also bought me flowers. That deserves another :)!

I want a pity party

There’s not a new boat in my future anymore- at least not when we planned.

Waiting for me in the mail tonight when I got home was about $1,100 in clinic/hospital bills. And, I'm sure that’s just the start. My heart sank, my jaw dropped, and I now feel totally defeated. What the heck is the point of insurance when they only pay a couple hundred dollars of these bills?

Let me start from the beginning, and I’m going to be very brief for the sake of time. I’ve had headaches a few times a week for the past eight months or so. I can’t concentrate, am usually tired, have trouble remembering things and just don’t feel like myself. I finally had to go to the clinic one day a couple of weeks ago because I was so dizzy and nauseated because of a headache that I didn’t want to move or do anything. I was at work and functioning, but my mind wasn’t focusing and no medications would work. I hated my drive and hating the movement. This lasted for two days before I finally gave in and went to urgent care. What a waste of time that ended up being!

I was questioned up and down, poked and prodded, and came out of there with nothing—not even general advice to take Advil. Nothing! I was soooo annoyed. The doctor I saw said it’s some kind of anomaly. Really?! You couldn’t have dug a little deeper to figure something out. I had blood tests done, but I had breakfast two hours before that, so I think the results are scewed. The doctor told me the results were all normal, and I waited three weeks to get the numbers and exactly what tests they took in the mail—but it never happened. I just called the other day to talk to a nurse and she gave me my results and the normal ranges for the tests. The only blood test that was out of the normal range was my glucose, which was "slightly elevated." What does that mean??? Am I supposed to come in for another test? What should I be doing/not doing? No one has told me anything.  I also had a CT scan done on my head—good news, no brain tumor! Bad news—no answers.

So, now I’ve got at least $1,100 in medical bills to pay. OMG! Now I’m really going to have anxiety. We planned to buy a new truck and boat this summer, but now I first have to pay off a doctor visit that didn't give me any answers. Now I will be taking the advice of pretty much everyone I’ve talked with and finding a new doctor! And, maybe even have my insurance checked over.

I'm broadening my horizon

Tomorrow I'm taking a conceal and carry class-- yep, you ready right-- I'm taking a class to be certified to carry a handgun on my body in public. Except that I have no desire to do this, and would probably shoot my leg off if I ever tried. I'm taking the class with Mike and my brother-in-law to learn about proper handling and shooting of a handgun. I'll never take a  handgun class by myself, so I'm hanging being the tag-along tomorrow. I'm supposed to be at a baby shower for Mike's cousin's wife, so I feel bad for not going to celebrate the upcoming birth of a sweet, innocent little girl because I'm learning how to use a weapon that will kill something. So, I'm hoping that I find the class beneficial and interesting, as well as worth my time since I'm giving up a valuable Saturday. :( No sleeping in for me. It's the only day out of the week that I can usually sleep in, which I try taking advantage of, but only end up sleeping 'till about 7:30. But hey-- that's an extra two hours for me!
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I spent Mother's Day weekend two years ago taking gun safety with my sister, but that only qualified me to hunt. We learned a lot about shotguns and rifles, but nothing about handguns. Kinda weird that it happened on Mother's Day weekend both times. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to review the class in a future post. Until then-- Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

I've got too much time to ponder....

I can tell when I leave even one minute late for work in the morning. I don’t even have to look at the clock. It starts when I leave Braham. There’s a white Colorado of East Central Energy’s with headlights that are aimed slightly too high, so I can’t help but stare at them as I pass by him. It’s funny how headlights that are too bright just entrap a person. I meet him as I round the curve out of Braham on Hwy 107, and when I meet him there, I’m on time.

When I’m about a half mile north of the intersection of County Roads 1 and 6, I can see two girls waiting at the end of their driveway for the bus to come. If they are still there I’m on time. If I can see the bus stopping at the intersection to turn onto County Road 1, I’m late—and I’m even later when I get stuck behind the bus. That’s when I make a game-time decision to turn and go another way.

About half way to Princeton, I meet a black Ford Edge (my dream vehicle, by the way). The driver is a woman, always dressed in a suit jacket and always has her window open a crack because she’s smoking—ALWAYS. I picture this woman working somewhere stressful—maybe at the school district? I’d be stressed if I had to work with kids and numbers all day!

About a minute behind her is a black Saturn Aura (a vehicle I was going to get, but I bought a Grand Prix instead) driven by a man. He’s always in a button-down shirt and a tie. I picture him as some sort of administrator at Cambridge Medical Center.

I continue driving west through Princeton, and about 10 miles west of Princeton I meet a girl, at least I consider her a girl because I think we’re about the same age. She drives a Toyota Yaris, silver in color with black hubcaps—the ugliest hubcaps. I remember this car from the first day I started driving Hwy 95 to St. Cloud because of those hubcaps. This girl has brown curly hair and usually wears sweaters, from what I can tell anyway, but never wears sunglasses. I was later than usual one day and found out that she turns south onto Hwy 169. So, I picture her working at the hospital in Princeton because turning there would be faster than turning onto Rum River Drive from 95, and if she worked somewhere like Elk River, she’d take Hwy 10 south from St. Cloud. I know she comes from St. Cloud because some afternoons when I think she leaves late from work, I see her driving west on Hwy 23 into St. Cloud. Some mornings I wish I could wave to her and she’d realize that she sees me every morning without fail, and we’d become commuter friends, or something like that!

Shortly after I meet the girl in the Yaris, I meet an older man in a black Lincoln Town Car. He has white hair and a full white beard. I have no idea where he comes from, but I’m pretty sure he goes to Cambridge each day, if not further east than that. On my way home I meet him driving west between Princeton and Cambridge. I think he commutes from St. Cloud to Cambridge, though I have no idea why. He seems too old to be working, so I imagine him in sales or real estate. I think he’d make a good sales person, and I don’t know why.

Finally, I meet the TEAM Industries semi, usually when we’re both stopping for the four-way stop at the intersection of Hwys 25 and 95. Sometimes the truck is a little east of there and sometimes a little west of there. There’s two drivers of this truck, and they seem to alternate every other week or every two weeks. I laugh to myself when I pass one of the drivers because he always has his moth hanging open slightly, so it seems like he’s aimlessly starting ahead of him and completely unfocused. The winter of 2008-2009 the truck didn’t run every day. In fact, I don’t remember seeing it much at all that winter. Either their schedule changed, or they cut back to save money.

On my way home each day, I meet a white Buick Park Avenue about 15 miles west of Princeton, the exact same car that my father-in-law drives. I always have to look twice to make sure it’s not him, even though I know that he’d never be driving that direction at that time of day.

There is also a white Suburban that comes from Princeton, I think, and lives (the driver, not the truck!) at a yellow house between Princeton and St. Cloud. This truck doesn’t interest me at all; I remember where I usually meet it, and that’s about it!

Sometimes I wonder how I got home or to work because I sit and day dream while I drive. I don’t remember stopping at stop signs or slowing down for turning vehicles, but I know I do because I get home and to work safely each day. It’s weird…. but I guess that’s how I create characters for the people I meet on the road!

Two movies to add to your "must watch" list

I don't want to turn this into a movie review page, but Mike and I have watched two really good movies in the past week. One of them I'd recommend to anyone, and the other is geared towards married couples.

If you've never watched "The Visitor," add it to your list. I don't even remember what it's rated, but it's completely clean and there's nothing bad about it or in it. It's now part of my favorites list-- I just love Richard Jenkins! Widowed professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins, in an Oscar-nominated role) finds himself drawn to a different rhythm when he discovers an immigrant couple, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira), squatting in his Manhattan flat and becomes wrapped up in their lives. Hiam Abbass co-stars as Tarek's mother, who forges an unlikely connection with Walter when Tarek is thrown into a detention center.

This movie is definitely a good one for getting back to the basics and a good reminder of how to treat your spouse. Watch "Fireproof." But, you have to get past the bad acting on all parts! I watched it for about 35 minutes the first time and quit because I couldn't get past the horrible acting. hehe! I sat down a second time and watched it fully with Mike and liked it A LOT! It makes you stop and think and analyze yourself and your relationship. Here's a description of the movie: In this inspirational drama, former sitcom star Kirk Cameron ("Growing Pains") plays Capt. Caleb Holt, a dedicated firefighter whose marriage to his wife, Catherine, has taken a severe turn for the worse and is about to end in divorce. Just when hope seems to be running out, Holt's Christian father intervenes, challenging the couple to a 40-day experiment that he hopes will renew their love for each other -- and for God.

That's all I've got for now.

UNBELIEVABLE

worth•less –adjective: without worth; of no use, importance, or value; good-for-nothing


Such a good definition for our government.

I don't even know where to begin.....

Thanks, Obama, for killing our economy and encouraging feelings of entitlement. Thanks for nationalizing our healthcare system and thanks for requiring me to purchase insurance. Thanks for creating dumbass programs that are bankrupting our states and even faster our federal government. Thanks for saving your own butt and reputation by following through with your campaign promises. Thanks for not looking ahead at the future of our small businesses and economy. You won and the American people lost.

I believe the government has no right telling me that I have to buy health insurance. I don't think they have any right requiring me to do anything. Leave well enough alone and the economy (and all the stupid people it in) will correct itself. Let the grim housing market correct itself. The government has no right providing subsidies, homebuyer tax credits, loan modifications, healthcare and even free lunches. Leave us alone and allow things to correct themselves! Small businesses are facing the highest taxes and mandates in history thanks to the Obama administration. They are being forced out of business-- I know this first-hand. Sole proprietorships, LLCs and so many others are being taxed something like 45% of their gross income. REALLY? They are supposed to pay employees, invest in their own business and pay bills on the remaining 55%. That's NOT possible-- not now, not ever. Who thinks this stuff up? What kind of person can sleep at night knowing they are ruining the very existence of our country. Everyone has to start somewhere right?! Small businesses are the origin of our economy!

I could really go on and on about this. It’s unbelievable how wrapped up these legislators are in their own worlds. Wake up and look ahead to the future and what you’re destroying!

So close-- yet so far

WE GOT AN OFFER ON OUR HOUSE YESTERDAY!!! I've been waiting over three years for this to happen! I took the day off of work yesterday, and Miike also happened to have the day off, so we went shopping and got my car serviced and took care of other random things that we both don't have time to do otherwise.
Back to the offer-- our realtor called me and said that we had an offer, only the number wasn't what we were expecting. A full $24,000 below our asking price or about 18% below. Pretty insulting. So we countered, and heard back late lastnight that the man countered our counter offer and we just put in another counter offer this morning. So, most of yesterday afternoon I was fidgeting and biting my nails and pacing-- just waiting to hear that I could start packing my boxes. Now, we'll have to wait another couple hours or day or two just to hear back again. Ugh. I'm sure he won't like out counter-counter-counter offer (does that exist?!), but it is the absolute lowest we can possibly go. At this price we have to bring in about $15,000 of our own money just to get out of this house! AWWW! Scary. Then we'd have to build up savings for a down payment and then tackle buying a new house. It's such a depressing situation to lose sooooo much money on a house. The only thing that makes us feel good about doing that is how much we'd make up on the other end. Buying so much more house for not so much $$$$.
We're soooooo close-- yet so far away because there's a number that this guy is looking for and we have no idea what it is, and if/when he walks away all my hopes of selling our house vanish-- just like that. We've never gotten an offer on our house, and to be so close to selling it gives me anxiety because I want out!!!!! I want to buy a new house away from neighbors and streets and lights (can you tell I'm a country girl??!) and closer to work.
Everything happens for a reason, right? So, this will work out as God intended. I'm just hoping I agree with His way.
Crossing my fingers and toes and whatever else brings us tons of luck!

Times they are a-changin'

I met a Prius on my way home tonight that was being used for drivers training. Really?! A Prius? Grown adults can barely drive those cars (ahem-- you know who you are!) let alone a 15-year-old kid! You've got to be kidding me! Are school districts taking my taxpayer money and buying robots for cars to be used for drivers training????? What happened to driving a nice, normal GASOLINE powered car? These cars have batteries the size of a human being, touch screen dashboards and every other nuisance distraction that brand new driver should not be dealing with. Do they really need to have a dust and pollen filtration system when they are learning how to drive? What kind of a person would want to train a new driver in one of these cars, anyway? You have to jump through hoops, know special codes and have your fingerprints identified just to start the car. Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but really-- a Prius for drivers ed????!
When I took drivers education, I drove a Malibu, a nice normal American-made car. No over-sized batteries, no touch screens and nothing voice-activated. "Hybrid" and "efficient" weren't listed in the feature and specs for this car, or any other car out driving the roads at that time. I run the risk of dating myself, but we barely had cars with remote keyless entry, let alone cars that ran solely from battery power!
Seeing a Prius being used for drivers ed training made me slightly annoyed. What happened to training in a normal sedan? The majority of kids will never drive anything with a touch screen and a pollen filtration system for years and years to come, so why start them now?

The best part of winter

My parents' house turns into my sanctuary at times. I love being there.
A few weeks ago there was a full moon on a Friday night. The temperature was about 3 degrees, but it was calm and completely clear. How could I resist a romp in the woods in the dark with the dog? So, Mike suggested that we head over to my parents' house and have a campfire in the woods. We have a spot in the woods, back on a hill where we have campfires in the winter. We can't have fires there in the summer because there's too much grass and too many trees that risk catching fire. But, it's the best place in the winter because it's on a hill and there's no trees right above our fire place.
That night was so bright that I could have read a book sitting out there. It was great! Mike and I gathered some twigs and branches and built a fire. My dad and brother came out with the dogs and we just sat around chatting and marveling at the stars and the bright moon. You can't beat that. We didn't even notice how cold it was.
What I love about this kind of night is that I can lay in the snow on the hill under the stars and stare at them for hours. No joke. I love it! I'm a country girl who belongs outdoors. I take every chance I get to get outside, especially at night when the stars are out. That's one thing I will never take for granted. The night sky is amazing!

I think I'm growing up

My sister is getting married.
My brother is buying a house.
Another friend is pregnant.
All news I've received in the last six days. On Sunday I was hit pretty hard with my sister's news and the news of another pregnancy. I even cried when my sister announced that she was engaged. I totally wasn't expecting it, and still don't know what I'm supposed to think about it all. My family first me Chad (her fiance) in August and now five months later he's going to become a family member. It's a little too much for this older sister to take. I'm happy-- don't misunderstand me. I'm a little stubborn when it comes to change I don't choose. I admit that. So, we've got a wedding to plan for sometime in August!!!
I'm not even supposed to say which friend is pregnant, atleast not until later this weekend after Mike finds out. It's a family member of Mike's. Ahhh! More babies in the family! Better her than me, thank you.
Now, this news of my brother buying a house is nothing I've been officially told. Thank you  facebook for giving me information! I'm disappointed that he didn't tell me in person, and that I found out by his girlfriend's posting along with the rest of the world. This announcement I have mixed feelings about also, none of which I'm going to get into.
None of this news is totally life changing for me. It just solidifies my getting older.....
Ugh. I'm not supposed to be old enough to have siblings getting married and buying houses, even though they are capable individuals. I don't even feel old enough to have a normal job and a house to pay for and all those "grown up" tasks! Actually, I'm exagerrating, but time flies by so fast that you don't notice the little things that compound and slowly change the things and people that surround you. Or maybe I'm just too stubborn?

My dog wears shoes.....

I bought my dog boots today. Well, actually I've bought her boots twice before, this time they actually fit her.
I think finding a dog boots is harder than buying shoes for a child! I looked at Cabelas, Gander Mountain and Scheels and then finally found some in her size that fit her correctly at Petco. It's not that I think dressing a dog is super cool, it's that when we go for walks in the winter and she steps in slush she dances around for a minute or two afterward alternating which paw she holds up because it makes her feet cold and stick to the ground. I think anyway-- she won't tell me why! So, I simply solved the problem.
I felt kinda bad tonight walking her because she slipped on the icy spots numerous times. When I first put the boots on her, she didn't even want to get up, and it took a few minutes before she walked like normal, but then I think she may have forgotten they were on.
Mike has yet to see that his hunting dog was wearing snow boots. He was against me finding her some hunting boots two years ago because he thought it was stupid for a dog to wear them, and he told me he'd never take the time to put them on her. Then she came back one day with a bad cut on her paw pad. I got the OK to find her boots, but never got around to buying them.
So, now my dog's wardrobe consists of snow boots, a winter jacket, a rain jacket and a sweater. All of which I slowly phased in so Mike wouldn't make a stink about it!
It's all in good fun! :) Happy walking to me!

ode to my Christmas tree

I just finished packing all my Christmas things up for another year. :( Sad!
But, I need to compliment my Christmas tree for turning out so awesome-- and myself for decorating it! hehe! This tree is by far my favorite of the last five years. I used browns and golds this year with pheasant feathers and LOVED how it turned out. I try to use a different theme and color each year. I've had a baby blue tree, a red one, a gold one, and last year was purple, hot pink, lime green and blue.
On an unrealted note-- I'm super bad at blogging, it turns out. The last thing I want to do when I get home at night is sit in front of the computer. And, lately we've been so busy running around that I don't have time even on my days off. Grrrrrr. I'm hoping that January brings a few boring weekends so I can catch up on some things.