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!
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Friday, May 7, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
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 $$$$.
We're soooooo close-- yet so far away because there's a number that this guy is looking for and we have no idea what it is, and if/when he walks away all my hopes of selling our house vanish-- just like that. We've never gotten an offer on our house, and to be so close to selling it gives me anxiety because I want out!!!!! I want to buy a new house away from neighbors and streets and lights (can you tell I'm a country girl??!) and closer to work.
Everything happens for a reason, right? So, this will work out as God intended. I'm just hoping I agree with His way.
Crossing my fingers and toes and whatever else brings us tons of luck!
Back to the offer-- our realtor called me and said that we had an offer, only the number wasn't what we were expecting. A full $24,000 below our asking price or about 18% below. Pretty insulting. So we countered, and heard back late lastnight that the man countered our counter offer and we just put in another counter offer this morning. So, most of yesterday afternoon I was fidgeting and biting my nails and pacing-- just waiting to hear that I could start packing my boxes. Now, we'll have to wait another couple hours or day or two just to hear back again. Ugh. I'm sure he won't like out counter-counter-counter offer (does that exist?!), but it is the absolute lowest we can possibly go. At this price we have to bring in about $15,000 of our own money just to get out of this house! AWWW! Scary. Then we'd have to build up savings for a down payment and then tackle buying a new house. It's such a depressing situation to lose sooooo much money on a house. The only thing that makes us feel good about doing that is how much we'd make up on the other end. Buying so much more house for not so much $$$$.
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!
Monday, February 22, 2010
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?
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?
Monday, February 15, 2010
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!
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!
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