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.