A Fairy Happy Life

The Big Day

2011-07-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Continued from last post

I was able to sleep for a little bit. I think maybe about two hours. Ben was able to sleep for a bit too. I woke up really feeling like I needed to use the restroom. When the nurse came in to check on me I told her this. She told me that no, I didn't have to use the bathroom. That was just the baby putting pressure on my nerve as she moved into the birth canal.

It wasn't long after that the nurse had me do some practice pushes. She let the doctor know that I was close. Dr. Paulson had just been woken up to help with another delivery. Our nurse (feel so bad that I don't remember her name!) thought she might have seen something in the "water" that might be a bowl movement from the baby. Just in case, she got a couple of nurses in to stand by in case our baby needed to be suctioned.

When everyone was set (except the doctor) I got to push some more. It's true what others had told me - it felt good to push. The nurse said I was a great pusher. She even said that next time I was delivering they should record it. Not sure how I would feel about others seeing me like that, but it did make me feel good.

The doctor got in the room. She took her spot. It was only a few set of pushes later that our baby girl was born! (Total of 45 minutes of pushing). It hurt like heck. I tore a lot. But our baby was perfect! Her head was even round and "normal" shaped. After the cord was cut (by the dr. because both Ben and I were grossed out about it), I got to hold her. She was so precious! I had her laying on my chest. I felt something cool against me. I thought it was a leg coming out of the blankets. I reached in to pull the blanket around her to discover that it wasn't a cold limb, but poop! The nurse and Ben were laughing at me. But they cleaned me up and got new blankets for our baby. Then I had to hand her off to get measured. And I got to get stitched up. During delivery and stitching, I feel in love with my doctor. She was exactly what I needed.

Proud grandparents (both sets) were the first to arrive. Unfortunately, my new nurse shooed them out right away because she wanted me to take a bath before I moved to my new room. So, they went out to breakfast while I got a bath and moved to another room.

The next 24 hours flew by with other visitors and constant visits from nurses. I was so tired. And we didn't have a name yet. We went into the hospital with 3 names. We still were undecided after she was born. Finally on Sunday we got some quiet time and we went through the names again. After we decided on one, we realized we didn't have a middle name. More discussions. Finally, we decided on a name - Adelyn Elise (meaning Noble, Consecrated to God).

The Day Before

2011-07-02T08:51:00.001-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I've kicked myself for not having a better timeline of this day. But, here is what I remember.

The night before: When I go to bed, I have a bit of an upset stomach. I wonder if it's the start of something, but dismiss it because the doctors kept telling me I would probably go late.

3 AM: I wake up with a slight pain. That's interesting. I wonder if it's a contraction? Roll back over and go back to sleep. I'm woken up about every 15-20 minutes. Pretty sure they're contractions.

5 AM: Alarm goes off. Time for my walk with Zoey. I double check that I have my phone with me. Throughout the walk I have contractions. They're not too painful but in the 1 mile walk I have about three. When I get home, I lay on the couch and time the length and distance between them. I'm having one about every ten minutes that lasts 30-60 seconds. When they don't go away after 30 minutes of laying still and drinking water, I decide that maybe this is it. I go wake up Ben. It's about 6:30.

6:30 - 12:30: Ben and I shower and start running errands. We really thought we were going to have the weekend to do the last minute things. We go to Home Depot to get a piece of plywood for the crib (for our monitor that detects movements). We go to Target for some random stuff including some snack food for the hospital. We also run to Babies R Us to buy the car seat. We had one, but Ben decided he wanted it to be more girly. We come home, got the crib ready and the car seat installed. We also eat lunch. All this time we have been keeping track of contractions. They're anywhere from 2-12 minutes apart. Some are painful enough that I have to stop what I'm doing to breathe for a bit. But still, not too bad.

12:30 PM: I call my clinic to let them know what's going on. I am supposed to be having my 40 week appointment today with the only doctor we haven't met yet. They tell me to go ahead and go to the hospital for them to check me out. We finish packing our bags and head out. I think we may have called the soon-to-be grandparents to let them know what was going on.

1:30 PM: We get to the hospital. They put monitors on me to check on the baby and the contractions. They check things out. They agree that I'm in labor, but I'm not to a 3 yet, so they won't admit me. They tell us to walk around the floor for an hour and they will recheck. We make countless loops. We look at the babies in the nursery.

2:30 PM: We go back to the little room and get hooked up again. Contractions are more intense. And they think I'm at a 3, so they start the process of admitting me. But it's also the time where the shift of nurses change, so things take a little longer. But that's ok. When we are brought to our room, I'm happy to find that it's one with a great view of the woods and fields. Nature is calming to me.

This is where the times get a little fuzzy...

5 PM?: It's around this time that we meet the doctor on call from our clinic - Dr. Paulson. She is the only doctor of the four possible that we hadn't met. She's just delivered a baby down the hall. She seems a little more interested in talking with the nurses than with me. But she seems nice. She checks on me and then breaks my water. Apparently it was bulging. It was a very weird sensation.

6 - 9:30 PM: I'm pretty uncomfortable. The contractions are getting pretty strong. I'm not comfortable in any position. And based on the monitor on the baby, the nurses are guessing that she is "sunny side up." They want me on my side to help her move into position. We decide to try a hot bath. That doesn't help. I'm exhausted. If I knew that it would only be a few more hours, I could hang on. But I think I've only made it to a 5 so far so it could be a long time. The pain is getting so intense that I am left shaking and shivering after each contraction. I'm worried that I won't have the strength to push. Ben and I talk about our options. I agree to an epidural. Ben tells the nurse and they put in the request.

10:30 PM: The doctor (not the delivery one) is here to give me an epidural. I'm worried that my shaking will make it impossible for him to get it in. I try to be as still as I can. He gets it in without any problems. Ben asks if it's helped with the pain. I didn't even realize that I had another contraction. So, yep! It helps. I start to feel strange and weird. My head hurts. Turns out it is because my blood pressure has plummeted as a result of the epidural. I get a bag of fluids. I slowly start to feel better. Once I get stabilized, the nurses leave us to let us get some sleep.

My First Mother's Day

2011-05-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

I know I have a lot of other topics that I need to catch up on, but I thought I would first write about my first Mother's Day.

My "day" started with dinner Saturday night with my parents, Grandma and aunt and uncle and cousin. It was nice to see everyone and we had a lot of fun at dinner. Adelyn did great during the 2+ hour event.

Sunday Adelyn slept in until 8! It was so nice that all of us could sleep in. Then she and daddy ran to the store to buy orange rolls (the store was out when Ben tried to buy them the day before). After our delicious breakfast, we went for a walk before it decided to rain. Then we had family nap time. After that we ran over to say hi to my parents again. Then after Adelyn went to bed, Ben made a divine meal of grilled steak, baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese and rolls and a bottle of Merlot. So tasty. Then Ben and I watched a movie (Tangled) and ate ice cream. To finish off my day, I had a very nice and hot bubble bath. I went to bed a very happy mommy!

I also got some very thoughtful presents. Adelyn gave me a butterfly toe-ring. Ben gave me a gift card for a mani-pedi. And they both gave me some red roses. My aunt gave me a garden light. My parents gave me some new gardening gloves, some chocolate milk. I am a very blessed mommy.

March Recap

2011-04-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that we're already in the second quarter of 2011. Crazy! Here's a recap of my resolutions:

R1 - Grandma's

I wrote a letter to one Grandma. Called the other. Also saw Gram for my birthday, but that doesn't count.

R2 - Walk

I really need to get out there some more. I managed to walk 6.17 miles for a total of 16.67 and 233.33 to go. Now that it's nicer out, this is a lot easier. I've been taking Adelyn with me. Only problem with that is that it is a lot of work for me as I put her in her carrier instead of her stroller so I have two hands free for Zoey.

R3 - Run

I'm slacking on this one as well. I ran 6 miles for a total of 18.5 so far. That leaves me with 131.5 left to go. Shouldn't be an issue, but I will be a busy lady this summer!

R4 - Cook

Made my goal this month. I made Spanish Rice Bake (which I thought should have been called Mexican Rice Bake) from Betty Crocker Healthy Grains cookbook. Chicken Barley Stew also from the same cookbook (Ben said I didn't need to bother with this recipe again). Creamy Chicken with home made biscuits from Real Simple. Yum! And Chipotle Beef Tacos also from Real Simple. I did count the biscuits as a recipe (since it is) in case you were wondering where the fifth recipe is. :)

We're Going to Party Like... The Larson's!

2011-04-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

At sort of the last minute, we booked a trip to Vancouver and Seattle. Two reasons: 1. For a "Dangerous Dinner" with some business people that Ben wanted to talk with; 2. Visit the Larson family.

We flew into Vancouver on Wednesday. The Larson's (Shelby, Kerry and Emma) drove up from Seattle. We took a very scenic route to our hotel (note to self: always remember that iPhones don't work in Canada and so an address, at the very least, should be taken with so you can find the hotel). But we found it and got ready for our dinner. Emma came to our room to babysit Adelyn. We got to the dinner hotel a bit early, so we joined some of the other people we were meeting in the bar for a drink. And then the Dangerous Dinner began!

A week prior, Yanik (the starter of Mavrick Adventures) decided to throw something together since he was going to be in town. So with just a week's notice, the chef at the hotel put together an awesome dining experience. I was very impressed! Here is what we ate:

1. Sea cucumber - I actually liked this pretty well. It was sliced and served with mushrooms.

2. Sea scallop - Had these before, so it wasn't too crazy. And it was a little awkward to eat. It was served with a micro green salad and it wasn't clear if they should be eaten together or not. I thought the salad overpowered the scallop.

3. Python soup - This was awesome! He wanted to get rattlesnake, but couldn't on such short notice. Apparently python is pretty mildly flavored and since this python was from Vietnam, he decided to Asian up the dish. The python was made into a cake (think crab cake) and put into a spicy Thai soup. Very tasty. Loved it.

4. Squab and foie gras - (aka pigeon and duck liver) This was ok. The foie gras was very slimy, but if you ate it with the squab, it was ok. Not my favorite course.

5. Alligator loin - This was also very good. It was prepared Cajun style. I'd had alligator before in New Orleans, so this wasn't new either, but definitely not on my typical menu.

6. Orange Desserts - This was very creative. There were probably six different bite-sized orange things including a gum drop, fruit roll-up and sorbet. Very tasty.

7. Marshmallow covered chocolate - Yum!

After dinner, we headed over to the Roxy - a night club type place. For a Wednesday night, it was pretty hopping. Very interesting people watching. Around 1:30 we called it a night.

The next morning, Adelyn was still on central time, so I got to get up at 5 with her after getting to bed after 2. Yawn! After her first nap of the day, everyone was still sleeping, so the two of us went to a local diner for some breakfast. Then we packed up and headed out of town with the Larson's.

On the way home we stopped by where they film some of the show "Psych." Haven't ever seen it, but I want to move to that town! Not even joking, the street along the water had an ice cream or gelato store every third store. Heaven!

When we got to the Larson's house, Ben and Shelby had to run to her home office to do a webinar. Adelyn and I got swarmed by the remaining Larson children (Carter, Avery, Anna, and Sophia). They were excited to see Adelyn and excited about my birthday. They had blown up a ton of balloons and had them all over the house for me. So sweet! Adelyn was a little overwhelmed with all the attention, but she did pretty well.

Friday was a school day, so as the kids went off to school, they all wished me a happy birthday. Once all but Sophia left (she has afternoon kindergarten) Ben and I made monkey bread for breakfast. I had been craving it for a long time. So yummy. For lunch (by this time Sophia is at school) we went to fast food (Taco Bell and Wendy's) because I wanted to pay for the person behind us. It was fun! I think the guy at the window thought we were nuts, but I had fun.

For dinner we had pizza and watched "Despicable Me." The pizza was great and the movie was funny and good. After that, Shelby told the kids that we couldn't do the piñata because it would wake up Adelyn and besides, I wasn't very excited about it. Wha??? I quickly told her she was wrong (which was true, but even if it weren't, the kids had done that as a surprise for me and I would have played along for their sake). We came up with a solution: attach it to a broom handle with a dog leash and have Ben hold it and play in the driveway. It was so much fun!

The next morning we packed it up early and headed home. It was such a fun (albeit exhausting) trip!

St. Paul Adventure

2011-03-14T12:38:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, Adelyn and I made our way to St. Paul to go to a Chile exhibit with some moms and babies. We got there about 10 minutes before we were supposed to meet them, which was perfect because we had to park and get there. Well, I didn't realize that the boys hockey tournaments were going on. Parking was a mess! Every lot that I know of and passed by were full. Some lots were closed to event parking. I drove around for about 40 minutes before I found something. Luckily, it wasn't that far away from where I needed to be, and I could use the skyway system for most of the journey. I got Adelyn in her carrier and away we went!

Our destination was the Landmark Center. We quickly made our way through the skyway. I stopped to look at a map and a very nice lady stopped and asked if I needed help. She said that the Landmark Center wasn't connected by skyway, but if I go back to the building I just came through, go down to street level, it would just be across the street. Perfect! So, down four flights of stairs we went. When we got into the parking garage on street level, I realized that I no longer had Adelyn's blanket draped over my bag. Oops. So, back up four flight of stairs and retracing our steps through the skyway. Luckily, we didn't have to go too far to find it. Phew. Back down four flights of stairs...

By now it's about a quarter to two. I haven't been able to get a hold of the gal that organized the event, so I have no idea if there is anyone waiting for me. I stopped by the information desk to ask where the exhibit is and if they know of other people looking for people. Turns out, the exhibit wasn't there anymore! And no, they didn't know of anyone else looking for people. Hm. So I asked what else there was to do in the building. Turns out a lot! It was so cool! On the second floor there was a music museum. We made our way there and - ta da! met up with Jen! She had just gotten there too due to parking. So, we made our way through the floor. It was pretty cool. I learned a little about the evolution of the piano. Then Jen had to go. Since Adelyn and I didn't have anywhere to be, and that we worked so hard to get parking, we stayed. I'm glad we did! Outside some of the rooms on the various floors, there were posters telling about what used to be there and some other history things about Minnesota. I thought it was super cool. (For instance, I learned that it was after FBI agents were shot at a bunch that in 1933 they were allowed to carry handguns). In our wanderings, a lady stopped by to smile at Adelyn. She told us about the old court room that was on the fourth floor. So we stopped by that. It was so neat! I loved the woodwork and the marble fireplace. We stopped by her office when we were done to thank her and she invited us back for the free concerts they have every week. I think we might take her up on that!

The day wasn't anything like I was expecting, but I am very happy with how it turned out. I really had a good time (after the stress of parking was over, that is!).

Road Trip

2011-03-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Adelyn and my mom and I went on a road trip to Iowa. Why? You ask. Good question. It's Iowa. But really it's because our good friends Chuck (aka Charlie) and Michelle were having their little daughter, Alaina baptized. Ben was out of town, so we decided to make it into a girl's weekend.

Saturday morning we dropped Zoey off with my dad and picked up my mom and started our trip. Adelyn slept all the way to Clear Lake (about 2 hours). We stopped at Culver's for some lunch. Then it was back on the road. Adelyn fell asleep again and slept until we got to West Des Moines. We checked into our hotel and hit the pool! Adelyn wasn't too sure about the pool. Eventually she warmed up to it and relaxed enough to splash around.

After play time, Adelyn and I got ready for the mass and baptism. (My mom decided to just chill at the hotel). Adelyn did great during mass! I was a little worried, but there were enough distractions that she was pretty good. She LOVED Michelle's grandma who was sitting behind us. A lot of waves and smiles went to her. After mass was the baptism. Adelyn started to get a little antsy towards the end, but it was getting late for her. After the baptism, I dropped her off at the hotel to go to sleep. I headed over to Chuck and Michelle's place for dinner. There were a lot of people there, but I was able to chat a bit with both of them and their families. It was a lot of fun to see them.

The next morning we hit up the pool again. A lady came to swim laps and Adelyn did not appreciate that. I think it was the noise that it created. So, we didn't stay too long. We packed up and headed out after everyone got cleaned up. Adelyn must have been tired, because she slept all the way to Burnsville! What a good traveler!

February Review

2011-03-03T16:02:00.001-08:00

R1 - I wrote to both my grandmas. Seems so not impressive, but whatever.

R2 - Ben pointed out a major mistake in my resolution for walking Zoey - too easy to fail! He encouraged me to rework it so that I could make it. So, instead of walking her 5 times a week, my goal is to walk her 250 miles this year (5 times a week x 1 mile x 50 weeks - roughly what I did before Adelyn was born). So, that's my new goal. Unfortunately, this has caused me to slip back into laziness. I hope to get back into walking this month! And once it's warm again, I can take Adelyn with, which will make it easier to go on a walk. Anyway, I have walked 10.5 miles so far this year, leaving 239.5 to go.

R3 - I was able to run 6.5 miles. That brings the total to 12.5 miles, leaving 137.5 to go. I'm thinking about doing a tri in May, so that would help bring my total up as I train for it.

R4 - This is the easiest goal for me. This month I made:

Chocolate Stout Cake - recipe from Real Simple. It turned out pretty good even though I put all the chocolate in the cake instead of reserving some for the frosting. Oops. :)

Coconut Chicken with Mango Salsa - pretty tasty, although would like more of the coconut flavor to come through. I might experiment with marinating in coconut milk or something.

Asian Style Meat Loaves - This was yummy! I got this recipe from a friend. I know that I said before that I don't like meat loaf, but this was totally different.

Beef with Smokey Pepper Sauce - This was also pretty good. It tasted better as leftovers though after the flavors mingled a bit more. Recipe from BH&G Magazine.

Ginger Pork Sandwiches - This was ok... the flavors were good, but strangely, you couldn't really taste the pork. Ben thought you could make a mean vegetarian sandwich by just making it without the pork. Recipe from BH&G Magazine.

I also made Oatmeal Fudgy Bars, a recipe from Ben's mom. But Ben said I couldn't count it since he's had them before. Not sure if I agree with his logic, but I made 5 recipes without that one, so I guess we can go with that.

What a Trooper!

2011-03-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Florida to watch the launch of the space shuttle Discovery. It was a very neat experience. We didn't do the best job of figuring out where to watch it from, so we weren't as close as we would have liked. But we did have a great view and had a lot of fun.

The way the flights worked out, we didn't leave until 7:20 at night. And then our flight was delayed. Adelyn usually goes to be bed between 6:30 and 7. But she did great! Smiled at the flight crew. And then snuggled in for some sleep. She woke up when we landed and stayed awake through the car ordeal...

We had reserved a car. When we got to the car rental counter, the guy told us that the manager was down there where the cars were and that if we acted mad, they would comp the gas and give us half off. I thought he was trying to give us an inside scoop on how to get the car cheaper, so I joked with him about it... then he said they only had vans left. Not just any vans, 15-passenger vans. Oh, ok. Got it. We are mad about that. So we went down to get the car. And we waited. And waited. Not sure where the vans were coming from, but we ended up waiting for over one and a half hours for it. Towards the end Adelyn started to get cranky, and so was I. But we got our sweet ride and left the airport.

In the great state of Florida, there are Steak n' Shakes. This was our one chance to go there. So we were "those" parents and brought Adelyn there at 2 am. She had napped in the van, so she was awake and alert.

Finally, we made it to the hotel. But with our bellies full of burger, fries and shakes, we were pretty happy. We were the last to check in at the hotel. Thankfully we had prepaid, so they didn't give our room away. But, they didn't have any cribs left. Adelyn woke up when we were unloading the van. We made a bed for her out of extra pillows and a blanket. She thought it was a lot of fun to crawl out of her bed. Finally, she went to sleep.

After what seemed like a short night, we were up and on our way. We went to a deli that is owned by a guy that Ben knows for lunch. SO GOOD! We had a nice chat with him and then we rushed out the door to make it to the coast.

We started hitting some traffic. We both agreed that we did not want to watch the shuttle out of our ride's windows because we couldn't find or get to a place. So, we picked a rough area of where we wanted to be and headed that way. We ended up about 20 miles away from the launch, near Cocoa Beach. We had a great view and there were very few people. But being 20 miles away, we didn't see nearly the detail as we would have liked. One cool thing about being that far away was that we saw the launch and just as it was disappearing from view, we heard it. It was neat to have that much delay. Crazy!

We had dinner plans with some people we met at this year's IM cruise. Dinner was set for 6:15 just about 10 miles north of where we were. We had about an hour to get there. No problem, right? Wrong! Traffic was terrible. It was literally stopped. People were getting out of their cars to visit with other people. People were turning their cars off. RV's were pulling onto the shoulders to wait it out... We got to the restaurant around 7:15. Our friends had an even shorter distance to go and we beat them. But finally we connected and had a nice (??) Thai dinner. The question marks is because the service was terrible. It was the waitress's first night. And because of the launch it was a bit crazy. Luckily for us, we had great company. And Adelyn did great. Towards the end she started to get fussy, but by then it was after 9. Oh, and she did great in the traffic too - slept the entire time.

Even with the stop for dinner, there was still some traffic issues. We took a couple of side roads to avoid some of it. Ben let me take a nap. I don't even know what time we got back to the hotel. I think it was after 11. Adelyn was so sound asleep in her car seat, that we decided just to leave her there. But in our room, of course.

The next morning we were up at 5:30 to make our flight back home. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but we had so much fun!

Adelyn's First Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Adelyn and I started preparing for Valentine's Day by making cards for the grandparents. I thought they were pretty cute, course it helps that Adelyn was the main attraction. :) I took a picture of her and had those printed out. Then I traced her feet onto pink paper. I cut those out and taped them together to make a heart. Then I wrote, "Be my Valentine" and had her sign her name. Cute, right?

I had talked to Ben about a possible new tradition - I thought it would be fun to make Valentine's Day a family event, not just for us. I figured we already had our anniversary to celebrate our love, so why not have a celebration of family love on Valentine's Day. He wasn't entirely convinced that was a good idea. But turns out it didn't really matter, because poor Adelyn was sick! She has a cough and runny nose and a fever. Poor girl. She woke up around 6 but then basically slept until 11 or so. So, Ben and I took advantage of Grandma's offer to hold and snuggle our little sick girl so we could do lunch.

We decided to go to Crave. But when we got there, their ventilation system was broken, so their menu was very limited. So, we ended up at Redstone instead. We had the cornbread (can you go there and not get that?), Jerk fondue, chopped salad, fries and key lime pie for dessert. Everything was very good. After Adelyn went to bed, we watched a movie and had popcorn and ice cream (we were still full from our late and big lunch).

Aside from Adelyn being sick, it was a great day.

January Review

2011-01-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

The first month of 2011 is basically over. And what a busy month! I owe a few posts about our adventures, but for now, here's how my resolutions are going.

R1: I wrote Grandma S once and went out with Grandma O twice. Both visits with GO were birthday related, but I figure the second time counts since I haven't ever gone to breakfast with her on her big day (because in the past I have been working).

R2: For the first half of the month, Zoey and I weren't together, so we didn't walk. When we got back home from our adventures, I had a nasty cough. And it was cold. Usually colds and the cold don't bother me, but this cough didn't appreciate cold air and would send me into a coughing fit. So, I waited until the cough was gone to start with our walks. That only left us the last week of the month to walk. I think she likes going on walks again.

R3: While on our cruise, I did run two days for a total of 4 miles (146 to go!). I would have run more often, but on port days I did plenty of swimming in the ocean and was too tired to do much more physical activity.

R4: I made 6 new recipes! I made:

Chicken Pasta Florentine - This was ok. Not very flavorful, but not bad either.

Boston Market Meatloaf - For meatloaf it was pretty good. I don't like meatloaf. Ben loves Boston Market's, so I gave it a try. While eating it, I was apologizing for never making meatloaf. Turns out Ben isn't really a fan either, but he just happens to like Boston Market's. So, I guess I don't have to make it again.

Spiced Halibut and Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf - The fish was just ok. But the pilaf was great! Recipes were from RealSimple magazine.

Impossibly Good Chicken - I think that if it had a different name, I would have liked it better. It was good, but I was expecting awesome. Recipe from a Rachel Ray cookbook I have.

Hungarian Goulash - This is in the crock-pot for tonight. It's from my Forget It crock-pot cookbook.

It's a New Year

2011-01-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

After taking last year off from New Year Resolutions, I'm ready to have some again. In no particular order...

Resolution 1 - Be More Involved With My Grandmas

While making krumkake this year, I realized that I don't spend nearly enough time with my Grandma O. I see her at birthdays and holidays and krumkake making days, but other than that, I rarely see or talk with her. This is just plain silliness. And it has got to stop. Neither of them are getting any younger, and I really should take advantage of their time. The plan is to talk or get together with my GO once a month, not including family functions. Since my GS lives in MO I plan to write to her once a month and plan a road trip to visit her (probably in the summer so I don't need to worry about snow and ice).

Resolution 2 - Walk the Dog

Back before I had Adelyn, I walked Zoey every M-F before getting ready for work. I loved having some quiet alone time with her. And she loved sniffing everything. Since Adelyn was born, I have been a major slacker. Those of you who are moms can relate, I'm sure, to how much a baby can throw off your routine. My plan is to walk Zoey 5 times a week, except for when she or I are out of town.

Resolution 3 - Run!

Two years ago, my resolution was to run 100 miles. And I did it. Then I was too pregnant to run. I really want to get back into running. I like it. I thought about just setting my goal at 100 again since last year I didn't run much at all. But I feel like running should be easier now that I don't work outside of the home. ??? So, the plan is to run 150 miles.

Resolution 4 - Be Creative in the Kitchen

Two years ago I also had a goal of making 2 new recipes a month. It was fun to try out new dishes and not have the same thing all the time. This time, the plan is to make 5 new recipes a month (2 is just way too easy). As part of this, I plan to start using some of my cookbooks that I rarely use. The other day I was looking for a recipe and realized that I have a lot of cookbooks with great sounding recipes that I never even look at.

I feel like there was another one, but I can't think of what it was. So, we'll just go with this list.

Adelyn's First Christmas

2010-12-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

I loved celebrating Christmas with Adelyn this year. And from what I could tell, she loved it too!

On the 23rd, my mother-in-law came into town. She came in early so I could get any loose ends tied up without my little helper. But, I was already done with almost everything. But she still got to babysit so that Ben and I could go to the movies.

Christmas Eve day we celebrated with Ben's parents. Breakfast was coffee cake brought by Mickey. Lunch was "Those Sandwiches", veggies and dip and Jell-O Ribbon Salad. All was made ready the day before, we I just had to bake the sandwiches and set the table. Dinner was our traditional Chinese take-out.

Before dinner, we opened presents since Adelyn goes to bed usually before 7. She was much more involved in this process than I was expecting! She loved to tear the paper off the presents. It was so cute! Ben got a bit of video that I will put up on YouTube.

Christmas Day we went to my parents for brunch then to my Grandma's for dinner. It was a long day (we left home around 10:30 AM and got back around 7:30 PM). Adelyn was so excited to see Auntie Krys and Uncle Pranob (haven't seen them since August) and with everything else, that she didn't want to nap. I was sure that she was going to have a major melt-down at some point, but she didn't! As we were getting ready to leave my Grandma's she got super tired and whiny, but my cousin Leah kept her occupied until we were ready to leave. I thought she did great with all the commotion and new people.

This year, the Christmas story had a whole new meaning to me. I'm sure that Mary didn't know everything that her son would do for us, but if she had even an inkling of his sacrifice, I really don't know how she managed to hold it together. I would do anything to protect my Adelyn. I want to protect her from the evil and hurts in this world. I know that I can't and shouldn't protect her from everything and that breaks my heart. So instead, I pray that she will be strong enough to handle it and to mend quickly.

Merry Christmas!

First Stamp

2010-12-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, once again we hit the road. This time our destination was Costa Rica to visit Ben's brother and his family. To me it is so funny that infants need passports. But anyway, Adelyn in now the proud owner of a stamp from Costa Rica!

We had a great time while there. We were there for 10 days and honestly, the time went by super fast. Ben had to work a bunch while we were there, so I spent a good portion of my days with Sara and the kids. Simon was super interested in Adelyn. And by interested I mean that he kept poking her in her eyes. So, we had to keep those two separated. Once Adelyn can crawl and get away, I'm sure it will be an easier visit.

One day we drove to a volcano. I was so excited! And it was awesome. It was Volcano Poas. There is a great view of the current crater. It was busy cranking out clouds of sulfur. But it didn't stink as much as I thought it might. Then we hiked up to the old crater that has formed a lake. It was another awesome view. And an awesome workout to hike up to it. With a stroller.

The last part of our trip we went to Jaco so Ben could learn how to surf (his #1 priority for our trip). We rented a condo that was right on the beach. I LOVE being so close to the ocean. Watching the waves breaking is so relaxing. I could get used to that.

Two interesting things: 1. There are virtually no road names or signs in Costa Rica. You just have to know how to get there. Or know local landmarks. 2. If the Russian Mafia is after you, you can't just run to the embassy and expect them to let you in and protect you. You have to have an appointment...

In a very short nutshell, that was our trip. Ben and I are already talking about our next visit there.

Two Firsts

2010-11-19T14:33:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. Adelyn will be experiencing a lot of firsts. But today we had two!

1. This morning she went to her first funeral. A good friend's dad passed away, so we went to the funeral. My friend has been an amazing daughter! I hope that I can be such a blessing to my family as they age. She has a multitude of siblings, and yet she was the only one that took the time to be with her aging and ailing father. She made the hard decision to move him to a home last year. She has visited him at least twice a week since then. Even though he sometimes would yell at her and sometimes would think she was his wife (who passed away 5 years ago). Her unselfishness caused her a lot of stress, but she always put him first. Richard, may you rest in peace!

Oh, and Adelyn did pretty well. She started wanting to talk when the priest started the sermon, so we went and hung out in the foyer. We could still see and hear everything, but she could make happy baby noises and not disturb anyone.

2. She participated in a research study at the U of M. They wanted 4 month old volunteers for a visual perception study. It was kind of cool. They recorded her responses to different stimuli and used eye-tracking software to determine what she was looking at and for how long. Not sure what they are going to use it for, but it was pretty neat. The ladies in the lab said that she did great. (Not exactly sure what that means, but whatever).

In both firsts today, I am reminded at how social our little girl is already. She knows that when someone smiles or talks to her, that they like it when she smiles back. We might have our hands full with her... :)

Feels Like the First Time

2010-11-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today I finally got off my lazy bum and went for a run. I have been yearning for a run (crazy, I know) for a while. But every time I thought about going on one, something would come up. Today I decided enough was enough and I went for a run. It is a beautiful day out there! I ended up running 2 miles. It felt pretty good until the last quarter mile or so. I did a route that would end in the woods by our house (I thought that sounded like a nice reward). But I forgot how hilly it is down there! Yikes! But I did it. In 23 1/2 minutes. Not bad for the first time out in ... well, probably about 36 weeks.

A Pair of Yellow Socks and a Pink Elephant

2010-11-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were off again. This time to Dallas, TX. Ben was going for a seminar. Adelyn and I decided to tag along. We felt that coming to Dallas was the perfect trip to see how it would be for us to come with Ben on business trips. Mainly because we have friends there so I wouldn't feel so alone. I don't think any of us were recovered yet from NYC, but what do you do?

The flight to Dallas was ok. For the first time, Adelyn wasn't her happy traveling self. She cried a bit before her in-flight nap. It was less than 5 minutes of crying, but seemed like forever to us since we do not want to be "those" parents with "that" baby.

Our first night was so much fun! We went to our friends, Val and Raul's house for dinner. Val made some killer lasagna. We had a great time hanging out with them. The rest of the trip Ben was pretty occupied with the seminar. Adelyn and I joined him for lunches and one dinner.

Friday morning I was getting Adelyn dressed when I realized that I only packed one pair of socks for her and they were yellow! (To my credit, she did have one yellow outfit). It was a good thing we were headed to Walmart to grab some breakfast food to have in our room.

On the way home, Adelyn cried a bit again when she was trying to get to sleep (still don't get how crying soothes them to sleep). But really, I think she did great all things considered. After we got off the plane I changed her diaper. Midway through changing it I realized that I left her pink elephant on the plane! I quickly finished up so that we could try and get it back. Luckily they did find it and the elephant was saved! (I'm not sure if she has a favorite toy or not, but the elephant has mighty tasty feet that she loves to chew on so we would have been sad if it was lost).

So now we're back home. Adelyn and I will be home for a while. Ben will be going to Vegas in another week or so for another conference.

NYC

2010-11-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a trip to NYC to visit our friend Will. He let us stay with him and I have to say, he was a great host! Since Ben and I have been to NYC before and did the normal tourist stuff, this time it was a little more laid back. Will brought us to some of his favorite restaurants and hang out spots. We had a great time!

For the most part Adelyn was a trooper. She was near perfect on the plane rides (a little fussy prior to take off on one because I wasn't feeding her). She slept great at nights. The main issues were 1. too much going on so she didn't nap well (re: cranky pants in the evening) 2. by the time we would get our food (this includes travel, wait time, order time and deliver time) it would be time for her to eat again. This resulted in me eating a few lukewarm meals. But overall, I'm proud of how well she did.

We had a lot of Asian food while we were there. We had Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Thai. I think the Thai meal was my favorite. One of Will's friends joined us for that meal. She's Thai so we let her and Will handle the ordering. So good! Actually, for a lot of the meals we let Will order. He has great taste!

So now we're home. Trying to recover because we leave again for Dallas soon. :)

One Year Ago

2010-10-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

One year ago on Saturday I found out that I was pregnant. It was also the day that I left for India for two weeks for work. The timing was perfect! Most importantly, I knew not to take my anti-malaria medication while I was there (does not mix well with developing babies). Also, when I started feeling sick midway through the trip, I knew that it was most likely morning sickness and nothing that I should take medication for (also does not mix well with developing babies). I also knew to be super extra careful about what I ate. But aside from my physical health, it was perfect timing for my mental and emotional well-being. The night before I left, I started to cry (hormones??). I was mad at myself for agreeing to be gone for two weeks. It was the longest I had been away from Ben. And the thought of being away from him was almost too much for me. So, the next morning, when I found out I was carrying Adelyn, it was such a comfort! I wasn't alone in India! And she was my little secret. When I was feeling lonely at night in the hotel, I would place my hand on my belly and talk to the wonderful being that was growing inside of me.

Thank you Adelyn, for coming with me to India. You helped me more than words can describe.

Sing a Song

2010-10-11T18:12:00.001-07:00

A few days after my post about singing to Adelyn, I started up again (I caught a cold so I didn't start right away). The first day back to singing, I was singing "Arms of Love" by Amy Grant. Apparently, Adelyn does not like that song. She stopped eating, so I looked down at her and her lower lip was out and quivering! As soon as I changed songs, she smiled and went back to eating. Silly girl. And now sometimes she will stop eating to sing along with me. So, sometimes I cut the singing time short so she will get back to eating. Her current favorite is "GLYSDI" (God Loves You, So Do I). Tonight we sang that song several times AFTER she was done eating.

Girl's Weekend 2010

2010-10-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my annual Girl's Weekend. I really look forward to the time with my friends. Usually it's during the summer, but with having Adelyn, our tradition was thrown a bit. This past weekend was it! This year we went to Hastings. No particular reason other than it was close by, but far enough away from normal to make it feel like a get away.

We set out in the morning. It was a quick drive there. And pretty too. It was about peak for the trees. We walked around Main Street for a bit and got a lunch recommendation. We headed over to the Muddy Waters Cafe for lunch. After lunch we went to Elm Spa for facials and massages. The facial was great and the Chai tea was awesome. Instead of heading to an apple orchard like we had planned, we were all too relaxed to want to do much. So we checked into our hotel and talked about a dinner plan. We ended up at a Mexican place that kind of reminded me of El Loro. But you only get one basket of chips. What's up with that?? But dinner was good. Then it was hot tub time! Then we played games (Who, What, Where) and talked. And talked. The next morning we hit a cafe for breakfast and were on our way home.

I had a great time! It was so nice to be with my friends for more than just a quick chat. It was hard to be away from Adelyn though. Especially since she was on a hunger strike and didn't want to eat from a bottle (even though she has before). I am so thankful that Ben wanted me to have this time and that he made it work.

Reclaiming My Voice

2010-10-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

From the very beginning, I have sang to Adelyn while feeding her. Not at all feedings, but at least two per day. The songs would range from Broadway hits, to the Oldies, to children songs to hymns. It was a way to pass the time, but also I think another way to bond. Then one day I stopped singing. My excuse was that we were at a lake cabin with friends and I was embarrassed to be overheard. So, I picked up my phone and used that to pass the time instead. I read emails, checked in on FaceBook, played games, you name it. After leaving the lake, that habit stayed. I looked forward to doing all those things while feeding Adelyn. Then this week, I realized that I hadn't been singing to my daughter for weeks! And this made me very sad. Instead of using the feedings to bond with her, I was bonding with my phone. I decided that this has got to stop.

So, I am working on kicking the phone habit. I told Ben about my conviction so that he could help keep me accountable. I have started to leave my phone other places so I won't be tempted to use it. And I am working on remembering all the songs I used to sing to her.

I love that I'm back to singing. I think Adelyn likes it too because sometimes she hums along while she eats. These are precious moments that I am trying to not take advantage of because all too soon they will be over. I'm just thankful I realized what was happening before it was too late.

Nine Wonderful Years

2010-09-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday Ben and I celebrated nine years of married life. He didn't have anything really going on at work, so at the last minute he decided to take the day off. We both had donuts on the brain, so the three of us went to Byerly's for breakfast. It was definitely a cheat day* for Ben, so we got a pizza for lunch. We watched Star Wars Episode 1. Then we got ready for our dinner out. My parents came over to babysit Adelyn. Then we were off to Ruth's Chris' for dinner. We totally took our time at dinner. We had some wonderful food and some great wine. This was a real treat for me since I haven't been able to have any for quite some time. We finished off our meal with free dessert. I haven't been so full in so long. And it was so worth it.

*Ben is on a diet. Most days he restricts his calories (the only real way to loose weight) but at least once a week he has a cheat day so his body doesn't get too used to his low calorie diet. Usually he's still really good on his cheat days. Not so much on Wednesday. But thankfully Mr. Scale wasn't too mean the next morning.

In the journal I'm keeping for Adelyn, I tried to find words to express how wonderful love is. I know I did not do it justice at all. I just hope and pray that Ben and I will be great examples of what love is. And someday she will have this type of love too. (I already am tearing up just thinking about her getting married!).

Mind Reader

2010-09-06T12:04:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I swear that Zoey can read my mind. The other day I was thinking about asking Ben if we could go on a family walk. I hadn't done anything except think it and all of a sudden Zoey started to go crazy, racing towards the door and looking all excited. Then, a few days later I again thought about going on a walk. And wouldn't you know, Zoey knew what I was thinking again. I need to be careful about what I think!

Small World

2010-08-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, there were two instances where I was reminded of how small our world is (or maybe just mine). One of my old coworkers from EB had a birthday. I wrote on his wall. Later that day I noticed that a guy that I met at Lake Minnetonka last year also wished him a happy birthday. Weird. That same week I had a friend have a scare (thought her military brother had been involved in a fatal crash in Alaska) I commented on her status. Also commenting on her status was a family friend of ours. Weird.

Things I Can Do

2010-08-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

One handed, with my left hand, while holding a baby in my right:
Get a bowl and spoon out
Get oatmeal from the pantry
Measure out oatmeal and water and put into bowl
Microwave bowl of oatmeal
Add chocolate chips and dried cherries from sealed bags
Pour a glass of juice
Bring my breakfast to the table (two trips)

What I can't do: Eat with my left hand

Ben's Birthday

2010-07-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Ben's birthday. I felt really bad because I wanted to plan something special, but I wasn't even able to get to the store and get his presents. But we had a great day. I let Ben plan out the whole day. We started off with some orange rolls. Then we went on a family walk. We went to Bhan Thai for eggs rolls and fried rice for lunch. We worked on some fish tank stuff. Then we had pizza for dinner and watched a movie. It was a fun filled day. It should be his birthday more often!

Night Time Conversations

2010-07-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

The other night (well, ok 4:30 am) I had just come back into our bedroom to feed Adelyn and Ben asked me, "Where's dad?" I responded, "I don't know." But really, I was pretty sure he was still sleeping in "his" room. Then Ben mumbled something I couldn't make out, so I asked him to repeat his question. He responded with, "I can't breathe because of your sausages!" Ok, clearly he was sleeping/dreaming, so I just smiled and ignored him. Since our conversation was so humorous to me, I texted it to Ben so I wouldn't forget about it later. When we got up a few hours later, I told him to read the texts. He read it and said, "Yeah? Why were you eating sausage in our bedroom? It stunk up the whole room!"

Turns out... he wasn't talking in his sleep. He still thinks that I was eating sausage in our bedroom at 4 something in the morning.

Zoey vs. Carnitas

2010-06-30T08:44:00.001-07:00

On Monday we picked up a tray of precooked carnitas for Ben and my brother to have for dinner. I cooked it up and got the rest of the meal ready and then headed off to book club. When I got home, Ben greeted me with a hug and a kiss. Then said, "It wasn't my fault." Uh-oh. Turns out the carnitas was left a little too close to the counter edge and Zoey helped herself to the rest of it (probably a pound +). *sigh* I wasn't upset, but now I had to come up with something for dinner on Tuesday.

We figured that her little system would be going crazy, so I worked from home on Tuesday. Good thing too. Shortly after lunch she started to need to go outside. She had several messes outside and then seemed fine. She stayed up with Ben while I went to bed. Good thing too. She ended up going out twice more and vomiting twice too. Poor little girl. They came to bed then I was up with her twice again. So, once again I am working from home to keep an eye on her. So far she seems fine, but I don't want to take any chances. Unfortunately, I don't think she will learn from this experience. Oh, well.

We Are Family

2010-06-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the August Schell's Family Reunion in New Ulm (150 years!). We drove down to spend Saturday there. It is amazing to think how many people I'm "related" to. I think the official RSVP count was 375 people. And the seventh generation is just getting started (Baby Roy will be in that generation).

It was a perfect day for an outdoor event. The sun was out, but it wasn't that hot. We got there around noon and had a lunch of brats, German potato salad, fruit, and chips. And all the beer or root beer you wanted. (Side note - the last time we had a reunion was in 1995 and I was too young to have beer. This time I was old enough but still couldn't have any. Oh, well. 1919 root beer is so yummy!!!).

I took a tour of the family "mansion." I put mansion in quotes because it's not that large of a house. But back in the day (1885) it was pretty nice sized, I guess. The tour was pretty cool. In each of the rooms a descendant was there to talk about the room. The guy in the kitchen is the grandson of the last people that lived there. He remembers visiting Grandpa and Grandma in the house. The front parlor guy remembers being chased out of that room by the aunts and uncles because kids weren't allowed in that room. It was neat to have first hand stories of that house. They are working on restoring it. That should be pretty cool.

This family event was so different than the Storm Lake trip. I think mainly because it is so big, but also the people there are mostly so far removed I didn't know hardly anyone. My two great aunts that are still around made it. And a few of their kids I know. And that was about it. So, I just soaked up the history of the place and the chance to hang with my family. All in all, not a bad way to spend the day.

Twist and Shout

2010-06-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a huge line of storms come through Minnesota. It was a little crazy. The storms were as far south as just 20 miles north of the Iowa border and as far north as 3 hours north of the Twin Cities. The weather people were commenting on the size of the storm. The storm produced thunderstorms, hail and tornados. The amount of activity really kept the weather people busy! Thankfully, the TC was pretty much untouched by the activity. We got some rain, but that was about it.

Here's one story on the storms.

We're From Ioway

2010-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Iowa to help celebrate Ben's aunt and uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary. About an hour away from Storm Lake we realized we left our camera at home. :(

We got to the resort and checked in and then walked down the hallway to the suite that the family was hanging out in. Elenore (the aunt of the hour) was so completely surprised that we were there (we hadn't RSVP'ed since we didn't know until last minute that we were going to go down there). It was fun to be able to surprise everyone.

We hung out in the suite until everyone started to get ready for the dinner. We went and changed too and then headed out. Dinner was fun. We sat with one of Ben's cousins and her family. It's still a little strange to me that some Ben's cousins are closer in age to his parents than to us. The result is that their children are closer to our age. But anyway.

After dinner we went back to the suite. I was feeling pretty tired, but figured I could hang out for a little bit. Boy, am I glad that I did! We had so much fun! The family was busy swapping stories and everyone was laughing so hard. I thought maybe I would laugh the baby out. Thankfully that didn't happen, but I did have sore muscles for a few days.

Sunday morning we once again went to the suite and had breakfast and said our good byes. Then Rick took us on a tour of the town to show where he grew up. Up until then I always thought he grew up on a farm. Nope! In town. Then it was on the road again.

Amazing Life

2010-06-11T11:40:00.001-07:00

A few months back we accidentally left the water on in our main fish tank. We didn't discover it until the next day. (Once again thankful that the tank isn't on our wood floors or carpets!). The tricky part is that since the fresh water was added slowly, you can't just remove water and add more salt as that will shock everything (re: possibly kill). So, you need to slowly adjust the salinity. We thought that the water would evaporate more quickly than it did, so we ended up waiting a week before intervening after about a week by slowly removing water and adding salt (over the course of another week or so). We were really scared that we would loose everything. Our poor little urchin give me a scare a time or two. Amazingly, we lost very little. We did loose our serpent stars and some of our coral. But the fish all made it. And some of our coral is making a comeback. I really was surprised at how much survived! Just goes to show how good life is at adapting to change. Life is a pretty amazing thing.

More Like Labor Day

2010-06-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

No, not that kind of labor. :)

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend. Ben and I decided to try and make the most of 3 1/2 days off of work by getting some stuff done. Friday and Saturday we ran some errands. Saturday afternoon we went to a friend's 30 birthday party. Sunday we had a bunch of things we wanted to get done. But sometimes plans are just not meant to be. I think we were both discouraged about the lack of progress made. But then Monday rolled around.

Our one project was to build a retaining wall around the front "sand pit." This area has been on our list since we moved in. Monday we went to Menard's and found some great bricks that we both liked and also as important - allowed us to make 90 degree corners (most bricks for whatever reason aren't made that way). Poor Ben had to do all the lifting... all 2100 pounds. Twice (load and unload). But it worked out perfectly! We didn't have to cut any of the bricks. And it looks fantastic. And after all of that Ben mowed the lawn (that takes about 2 hours).

At the end, we were both happy about the progress that we made and the results. We are doing the lasagna method of gardening, so in a few weeks we should be able to plant some pretty flowers. So excited!

Tick

2010-05-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday I had a first - I found a wood tick on my head! I was talking to my brother on the phone when I must have felt something because I went to brush my hair back, and I felt something. I went to the bathroom and there it was - my first tick. I hollered at Ben to come get it off of me (I don't think I was freaking out too much). He told me to get off the phone (sorry, Jake) and then he would help me. Luckily, it hadn't decided to latch on to me yet, so it was easy and painless.

Tuesday I found a tick on Zoey's neck. That is a tricky place to find one and remove one because her hair is so thick. And Zoey isn't sure what's going on, so she wants to get up. With me holding the hair back, Ben pulled it out.

Yesterday I found a tick on Zoey's ear. A little bit more of a sensitive spot than her neck, but she didn't react at all when Ben pulled it off.

Due to recent events, my morning routine now includes a clothes check, a full body check and a Zoey check. I've heard that this is a bad year for ticks, so I will probably run to the store and buy some stuff for Zoey.

Showers

2010-05-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

A few months back I didn't have hot water for my shower. I checked the fuses. I went to check the pilot light (where I discovered we didn't have one). Then, it started to work. Strange. But whatever. Last week, no hot water. So I tried my magic again. It worked, but to a lesser degree - the hot water didn't last. I called the manufacturer and we figured out what the problem was (LED light pattern helped with this). Parts are still under warranty, so they sent the parts over next day. We got them on Saturday. I thought it was just a wire, turns out it was the gas harness. So, we decided this was a job for a professional. I called a random place (they were on the manufacturers website as a service provider). The guy was kind of grumpy. But the guy that actually showed up was awesome! He was super friendly. He was great with Zoey too (found out on the way to the utility room that he has a dog). And he was out in less than an hour. And we have hot water now! Woo hoo!

Tuesday night my girlfriends threw us a shower. I had such a great time. The food was great. The games were fun. And Baby Roy got a lot of cool things. The one game was for people to decorate onesies. It was fun to see their creativity show up on them. My book club friends made book themed ones. The dog lovers made ones with "Zoey was here" and "Zoey's girl" on them. I am so blessed to have such an awesome group of friends that I have met along my life's journey so far. Life is so much fun with them.

Twins!

2010-05-13T09:21:00.001-07:00

(No not me).
On Tuesday night I had my first experience at the new Target Field to watch the Twins. The weather was 44 and cloudy, but thankfully the rain stopped before the game started. Still not sure why we didn't build the field with a retractable roof or something for when the weather isn't great. It's Minnesota, people! But anyway... I did like the field. Everything was nice and new. We were sitting in the Legends Club area (thanks to the General) and the seats were comfy and we had great views - just right of home plate.

We were there with three of Ben's teammates from India. They didn't really appreciate the weather. We offered them hats, gloves and blankets, but I guess they were too cool for that (hee hee). Hopefully they still had fun. One nice thing about the Legends Club is that there is a very nice enclosed area that is climate controlled. About half of the game the Indians were in there to stay warm.

One super cool thing is that Ben got a foul ball! Notice my words - got, not caught. It rolled down the stairs while people were trying to get it and landed at Ben's feet. He passed it on to one of the Indians. Would have been kind of cool to keep it, but don't really need a random baseball sitting around either. :)

Where has the time gone??

2010-05-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that it has been so long since my last post. Someone might think I'm busy or something. :)

The weekend after the Omaha trip, my friend Cassie and I took a mini-road trip to New Ulm for a friend's wedding. It was a beautiful day for a drive. The wedding was nice. In between the wedding and reception we tried to visit my great-aunt. But she wasn't in her room (assisted living). Turns out she was down the hall playing cards. Oh, and I hadn't called ahead just in case it turned out not to work out. So, it wasn't her fault. And I'm glad she was having a fun day with friends. We did end up visiting Cassie's cousin. We visited for about 1/2 hour then back on the road for the reception (that was in Mankato). At the reception, we were just getting ready to leave when a slow song started. The best man came over and asked Cassie to dance. She said yes. I knew immediately that he didn't realize she was married. It was fun to tease her.

The next day I had a wonderful baby shower at the church I grew up in. A lot of cute pink and girly outfits! So excited to have someone to dress in them. :)

Then the following weekend Ben and I headed to Seattle to visit some friends. It was so much fun! We had a blast hanging with the Larson's. They have 5 kids, so at times it was a little crazy. But the kids were good kids. And they got along with each other so well. And they seemed to like us. Two of them when we were leaving asked when we were coming back. One suggested that we move closer so we could visit more often. How sweet!

This past weekend we had our baby classes. Better than I was expecting, but sitting all day for two days is not that great in my "condition." But it's over.

Omaha!

2010-04-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my friend Heather and I took a road trip to Omaha. My cousin Ryan was getting married and her mom had invited her to a women's conference at church. Perfect! Months ago the plan was for our husbands to join us, but that didn't work out. For us it was not knowing for sure if we would even be going, so we didn't plan ahead. When we found out about the wedding we had no idea if I could or should make the 6+ hour car ride to Omaha. In the end it worked out great! Heather and I had a great ride there and back. We stopped in Des Moines to visit her dad and sister and her family. And once in Omaha we stayed with her mom. The whole weekend was fun. So glad that I decided to go.

The only "bad" thing was that my grandma wasn't able to make the trip. I was looking forward to seeing her as her health hasn't been the best (she's 94, so I think she is allowed to have health issues). But now I don't know when we will see her. I don't think another long road trip can happen for me until after Baby Roy comes. Hopefully it will work out to get a visit in.

Easter 2010

2010-04-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Apparently, last Sunday was when daylight savings time was supposed to happen. My clock changed the time on me so I was up an hour earlier than planned. But I used that time to clean the kitchen so I didn't have to do it later on.

After church, Ben and I beat my parents home. We let ourselves in with our key (yes, still have a key to the parent's house). Ben decided he wanted to play with his new camera outside, so we went out in the backyard. Didn't realize that by closing the door behind us, we were locking ourselves out. So we got to be outside longer than intended waiting for my parents to come home.

Mom was getting something out of the fridge and noticed that the light didn't go on. They have been having issues, so my mom figured it had died again. Good news - it wasn't dead. Bad news - the power was out. Good news - everything had finished cooking.

Other than that, we had a great Easter. It was nice to be with the family again. Those times will be treasured more since my sister and her hubby are moving to Chicago.

Wild Times

2010-04-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

I guess there is a perk to being one of the last in the office on a Friday of a holiday weekend - I got 4 free tickets to the Wild game! I was so excited! I haven't been to a hockey game in forever. We had to ditch out on dinner with the in-laws, Malachi and my parents, but I think they will forgive us. The game was pretty good. We lost, but it was exciting up until the final buzzer.

After the game the four of us (Grant, Maddy, Ben, me) went to Wasabi sushi restaurant. So jealous. I couldn't eat what I usually do, so I had to stick to cooked options. They were tasty, don't get me wrong, but everyone else was raving about the salmon and yellow fin. A few more months....

We got home after midnight. Since we had guests we didn't want to disturb, we parked in the driveway. We were sure that Zoey would wake up the neighborhood. But no Zoey to greet us. Ben checked her kennel, but I figured she had gone up to bed. Sure enough, curled up on Ben's pillow fast asleep. I quietly called her name but she didn't even stir. So I put my hand on her side. She woke up with a start! I don't think I've ever seen her so startled.

DC

2010-03-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to DC to hang out with Ben's brother. We left on Thursday (my birthday) and got back last night. John, Sara and Simon picked us up from the airport. We ended up taking a "detour" on the way to the hotel to stop at the Melting Pot for dessert. So thoughtful of Ben to think of that.

Friday we spent the day in DC. We had gotten on the list for a "tour" of the White House and of the Capitol building. Our WH tour was "scheduled" for 8:30 am. We got there around 7:45 and got the pleasure of waiting in the rain for over an hour to get in. And it turns out that it is a self-guided tour, so you were with a mass of people filing through the 6 or so open rooms. I was not impressed. The highlights were seeing secret service walk around with big guns and walking out the front door of the WH. But without anyone telling me why I should care that this room is green and that one is blue, I didn't find the tour all that useful.

The Capitol tour, on the other hand, was great! Our Congressman likes to make sure his peeps get a personal experience. So it was Ben and me and three others with one of his aides on the tour. It was great! She was funny, and knowledgeable. She shared with us the history of the building, rooms and art. We even witnessed a proposal in the old Senate room. So cool!

Saturday night we got together with our friend Chris that lives out that way. He took us to a great Thai place and to a movie (Hot Tub Time Machine). It was a wonderful way to spend the evening! We all laughed throughout the night. It was fun to be able to see Chris between cruises.

Other than that, we hung out with John, Sara and Simon. I thought Simon was super cute. And fun to be around. He's 6 weeks and doing great.

Get So Busy

2010-03-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who sings it, but there is a song that was on a tape that I used to listen to as a kid. The song goes,
Well, I know it sounds funny, but it's true
I get so busy, I forget I'm in love with you
And every now and then
We need to get away to get close again

It is so true! Ben and I were talking last night and we both can't really figure out what we've been doing with our time. Sometimes we are just in our separate worlds. We are making it a point to make sure to spend actual time together on a regular basis. And I love it.

Busy Weekend!

2010-03-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

This week/weekend while Ben was away, I was able to keep myself pretty busy.

Thursday night I went to poker. Not to play. But to eat. It was at James' house last week and he always has great food. This time was no exception. He made Japanese Fried Noodles outside on his propane wok.

Saturday I helped my friend Andrea move. And don't worry - no heavy lifting for me. I helped pick up the moving truck, disassemble furniture, empty the fridge... The best part was to see her new house. It's is very nice. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's not as close to me as her old place was. Oh, well. I'm still happy for her.

Saturday night I went to my sister's place to celebrate her husband's and step-daughter's birthdays. It feels like I haven't seen them forever, so it was nice to spend some time with them. Before they move to Chicago. Yep, they're moving. Their house will go on the market next Monday. I'm excited for them, but also sad... this will be the first time in my life that we won't be in the Minneapolis area together.

Sunday, a group of us girls headed out to Red Wing to visit a friend that moved to a farm out there. The drive was beautiful. And the lunch and conversation were fabulous! I had so much fun.

And today, Ben comes home! So excited.

Someone's in the Kitchen

2010-03-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

Oats - A few weeks back, I finally got around to remember to put some steel-cut oats in the crock pot before I headed to bed. I was expecting a different texture, but the different taste kind of surprised me. But amazing things happen when you add chocolate chips...

Polenta - I decided to give polenta a try. I had a recipe where you cooked it with water and then added milk and cheese to it. For the most part we liked it. The cheese didn't fully melt down, so Ben wasn't thrilled with the globs. I would try it again without the cheese.

Things That Make You Go Yum!

2010-02-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I decided to make oatmeal for breakfast. Mainly because we were out of bread, so the usual eggs and toast or French toast was out. I made it on the stove with milk and strawberries. Before serving it, I pulled out some homemade whipped cream and put a dollop on top of the oatmeal. Yum!

Yesterday Ben and I caught the last half of "Everyday Food" on PBS. The one recipe looked pretty good and easy, so we went to the store to buy the ingredients. It was for Steak with Brussels Sprouts and Almonds. I will admit, this was the first time that I have made Brussels sprouts. Or eaten them. But the recipe was pretty good. **Note** Skirt steak may be folded in half. Check before you cook. - Yep, we didn't know. So we didn't check. So when Ben went to turn the steaks over, they fell into two pieces. Still worked just fine, but the cooking had to be changed up (shorter time, flip again to cook the uncooked exposed parts).

While putting the recipe card away for the above recipe, I came across Strawberry Shortcake. Hmmm... We have strawberries. We have some whipped cream leftover. Why not? But instead of following the recipe card, which calls for Bisquick, I found another one from scratch. Mainly because of our 1899 fetish, but also because we don't have any Bisquick on hand (because of our fetish). Ben was a little worried because he is very much attached to the way his mom makes shortcake. But it turned out great! He must have liked it since that's what he asked for for breakfast. :)

V Day, Then and Now

2010-02-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

One of our first Valentine’s Days together there was really bad weather. When Ben was bringing me home we did a 180 on Highway 7 due to the ice on the road. That was pretty exciting. This Valentine’s Day the weather was bad again. On the way to dinner we saw an SUV on its side and several cars in the ditches. But unlike the days of old, we didn’t have any excitement in the car.

We started off the day making breakfast together. The plan was to make waffles with strawberries, whipped cream and some hash browns. Our waffle maker had other plans. The first waffle stuck so badly, that we couldn’t get it out to try again. So we made pancakes instead. Still very tasty.

Since it’s our last Valentine’s Day sans kids, we decided to go out. Ben wanted to try an organic or locally sourced place, so I picked out Brasa Rotisserie in Minneapolis. They happened to have a V-Day special so we went with that. We had guacamole with veggies and chips, shrimp and smoked trout for our appetizer. For our meats we picked pork and beef. Both were so tender and tasty. We both liked the pork the best. We got to pick three sides so we picked collard greens, fried plantains and rice and beans. I wasn’t crazy about the greens, but the other sides were fantastic. We ended our dining experience with dessert… raspberry cheesecake, truffles and lavender caramel. The caramel was interesting. Better than I would have thought. I would recommend Brasa!

All in all, it was a great day. I’m so thankful for my Valentine.

Recap

2010-02-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's been a while since I posted anything. Quick recap in order of events: Ben came home, Zoey ate a stick of butter, we went to maternity leave Q&A at work, I'm an aunt again, we had our first appointment at the new clinic. Whew. And of course, those are just the things that popped into my head.

When Ben went to India he had asked if there was anything I wanted him to buy for me. Since I've been there several times myself, I couldn't really think of anything. He bought me something anyway. He is so sweet! He bought two cute outfits... a baby boy and a baby girl outfit. They are so cute! The little girl outfit even came with a little scarf. How cute is that?!

It still amazes me what Zoey can eat with no effect on her system. At least nothing obvious. The other day she had a stick of butter. I think if I ate a whole stick I would be sick. Not Zoey. Everything was normal. But, if you give her a taco from Taco Bell, that's another story. We'll be weighing her this weekend to see what her weight looks like.

The maternity Q&A was interesting. I got to find out how much paid time I get once our baby comes. Too bad it's only 6 weeks. I would LOVE for it to be longer. I'm trying to extend my leave. We'll see how that goes.

Yesterday, Simon James was born to John and Sara. He is so cute from the one picture Ben was sent of him. We're planning on going to visit the new little guy either the last weekend in March or first in April. We can't wait!

Yesterday was also our first appointment at the new clinic. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the elevators are SO SLOW!! And there aren't stairs, except for emergency stairs. But anyway. The clinic seemed very nice. It's a new building, so it wasn't very clinic feeling. And one of the reasons I picked it (aside from delivering at the new hospital) is that it not only has OB, but also pediatrics, so I won't have to find another clinic for the baby. The way they work is that for my appointments I can either see the WHNP every time (unless there are complications), pick a doctor to see, or rotate doctors (there are 4). The nice thing about being able to rotate is that then I will have at least met the doctor once that will deliver my baby. That's another reason why I picked this clinic versus a big one (because then it would be a random doctor to deliver). And unfortunately, they weren't able to get us in for an ultrasound until 2/22, so it's a bit longer before we can get a visual on our little person.

On My Own

2010-01-31T10:27:00.001-08:00

Ben left Thursday for India. He'll be back next Sunday. So far, I have been keeping reasonably busy.
Thursday night I was going to poker (just to socialize, not play) but Zoey got sick again, so I decided to stay home.
Friday after work I took a nap and then went out to dinner with some friends. I had so much fun. And I laughed so much. We went to Pop restaurant in Minneapolis. The waiter brought us much amusement. When he came to the table he informed us that there was only one bowl of soup left and only one glass of a certain wine left. Ok. Seemed strange since it was still early for a Friday night, but whatever. After he took our order he came back a few minutes later to tell me that they only had one order of flautas left (I ordered two since it was an appetizer and he said it was small). So I changed my order to one order of flautas and one order of empanadas. A few minutes after that he came back to verify Heidi and Katie's orders. When the food arrived he discovered that he forgot to put Alyssa's order in. He told us he would treat us to dessert. I should also mention that he decided to speak Spanish to me... because I ordered Mexican food?!? Then he brought the dessert menus. We asked what he would recommend and he said the sampler. But since that was the most expensive dessert he told us he would chip in $5. Ok. I guess he didn't really mean that he was going to treat us to dessert. Whatever. But despite all that, we had a great time there. Actually, some of our laughs were around our waiter, so maybe without him it wouldn't have been so fun.
Saturday Zoey and I slept in until 7:30. We made some banana bread (ok, I made that) and I also cooked her some rice and chicken. Friday she only ate 1 cup of food instead of her normal 3 cups. When I got home from my dinner, she was more interested in sleeping than eating even though her stomach was growling like crazy. I figured maybe her stomach needed some easy food. She loved her breakfast. She kept asking for more. After that I met my mom at the mall to do some maternity shopping. I was only going to get a couple of pairs of work pants... but the sales lady and my mom got me to try on a whole bunch of stuff. I ended up with a bunch of clothes. But they should last until the baby comes. Hopefully Ben won't freak out too much when he sees the bill...
Sunday so far has been spent cleaning the kitchen. I washed dishes and cleaned off the counters. I washed all the cupboards, cleaned all the appliances and swept and mopped the floor. It looks nice. When I talked to Ben I told him he better be impressed. :) Now I'm trying to figure out what to eat this week so I can go to the grocery store.

Good Report

2010-01-28T05:07:00.001-08:00

Zoey's vet appointment went well. Aside from the fact that she really did not want to be there. In the exam room she kept scratching at the door. Poor pup.

The vet we saw was super nice. I liked her a lot. She listened to Zoey's eating adventures as of late. Since the only thing "wrong" seems to be that Zoey is acting hungry, she suggested adding veggies to her food to help add more volume to her food without adding too many more calories. Everything else (ears, eyes, mouth, stomach, heart, lungs) was great. Her blood tests came back normal too.

The interesting thing is that apparently our little girl has been losing weight. Remarkable considering how much extra she has been getting lately. But surprising too since we weighed her just about two months ago and she hadn't lost anything. This didn't really click (timeline) when we were at the vet's so Ben and I will start to weigh her weekly and monitor her weight. If she continues to lose, we will call back into the vet to see what could be causing that. In the meantime, lucky girl gets veggies. :)

And the Doctor Said...

2010-01-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

Friday night we went out to dinner with Grant and his current girl and David and Heather. We went to Loring Pasta Bar. It was the first time I had been there. I had been "craving" mac and cheese. I was so excited when it was on their menu. ( I put craving in quotes because this is a fairly common craving for me and has nothing to do with the little person inside of me). We had a great time at dinner.

Towards the end, I was getting very uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if I had to go to the bathroom, my pants were too tight or my body was tired of sitting. When we got home it hurt to walk. I wasn't too concerned and went to bed. The next morning I woke up and the pain was still there. I wasn't overly worried yet, but I decided I should tell Ben. He said I should call the doctor. Ok, fine. When I explained what I was feeling to the doctor, she said it sounded like just a pulled muscle and that unless it got worse, not to worry about it. So, instead of taking down the Christmas tree (yes, it's still up), I sat on the couch all day.

On Sunday Ben and I ran to the store together to buy some food for the big game. We made 1899 BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches, veggies and dip, chips and guacamole and brownies. Who knew that eating like it's 1899 could be so darn tasty? When we got home from the store I discovered an empty wrapper to a 300 gram (14 oz) chocolate bar in our bedroom. I called downstairs to Ben to see how much was actually left (I brought it home from my layover in Germany in the fall and he had slowly been eating the bars). He said there was a whole one. Yep, that's the wrapper I found.

After scolding Zoey, Ben ran down to the computer to see what we should do while I called the emergency vet. The vet said to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. After she emptied her stomach we were to then bring her in to get some active charcoal (to help absorb the toxins). I hated the thought of giving her HP so I gave her an egg instead (that usually makes her puke). She ate it happily and didn't throw up. So, she got the HP anyway. Not a fun experience for any of us. But sure enough, a few minutes later she vomited outside. We didn't get the whole dose (2 oz) in her, so we decided to go ahead and finish the dose. She was expecting it and it was even more difficult to get any down her throat. After waiting 15 minutes with no results, we gave up and went upstairs.

Ben and I then debated if we should take her in. It wasn't a lethal dose. And I'm pretty sure the vet (who isn't our vet) wanted us to come in so we could pay them. As we were discussing what we should do, Zoey vomited again. This time a lot. On our carpet (on a side note - this is really gross, but it smelled like chocolate so for the first time in my life I didn't mind cleaning it up). We went to work cleaning it up. I think the carpet looks pretty good. Whew. I called our vet today (Zoey needs her annual check up anyway) and mentioned the chocolate episode. They did not seem worried about it based on her size and the size of the bar and that we were able to get her to vomit it back up. Poor little girl. But tomorrow at her appointment we will be talking about her eating habits.

Cruisin'

2010-01-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

On January 8, Ben and I left for the annual Internet Marketers Cruise. Years ago we discovered the wisdom of arriving the day before a cruise in case of delays. Guess what? We were delayed. There was an issue with our main radio on the plane. The radio was fixed in not too long of time, but because of the delay, our flight crew would be over hours. So we got to deplane to wait for the new flight crew. In exchange we got $100 Delta vouchers, 2500 bonus miles, and we got to the hotel at 4 am instead of 11 pm of the night before. Oh, well.
Day 1: Cape Canaveral - It was cold! Temp was around 30. The line to get through security for the cruise ship is outside. We were all a little miserable. If I had known that it was going to be so cold, I would have brought my winter coat. Ben was sweet and tried to get me to skip ahead to get inside. But since you still can't really tell that I'm pregnant, I felt guilty because I know how much I hate line cutters. But we survived. Once we got on the boat we took a self-guided tour led by Tim. That night there was a social hour before dinner to connect with the other marketers. It was so nice to see friends from last year again. Sherry is super excited that I'm pregnant. After dinner, Tim and I went to the show. After that the put an inflatable laser tag arena on the stage. Somehow Chris talked me into playing. It was so much fun! And man! 5 minutes is a long time. I felt so out of shape. Ben and some others played after us (I surprised Ben by still being awake since I hardly slept the night before).
Day 2: At Sea - Cold and windy! It was funny to walk along the Lido deck and not see very many people. And what people were braving the elements were huddled in blankets. We watched an ice carving demonstration. Then went to part of the art auction. Ben had a meeting with the other marketers, so I sat in on some of the auction and poked around the ship.
Day 3: Cozumel - What's this I see? Could it be? The sun? But it was still super windy. Ben and I went for a run on the outdoor track. When you rounded the end of the ship you really had to push through the wind. But then once you headed the other way, you had to put on the breaks. It was a little strange. Due to this wonderful weather, we decided the beach was not the way to go. So we just went to downtown and window shopped. We did buy a necklace and earring set for me. :)
Day 4: Isla Roatan, Honduras - Slight drizzle. Fun. There was a beach party excursion only for the marketers. We hadn't signed up for it. Turns out a bunch hadn't. So those that didn't found our own transportation to the same beach. It was super cloudy - so cloudy I didn't get sunburned. But the temperature was in the upper 60's so it was comfortable. Our friend Max Action got his hair braided. Elisabeth and I worked on a sand sculpture of some fertility goddess (her idea). Overall it was a fun day.
Day 5: Belize - I was super excited to be in Belize. I have heard of the amazing diving and snorkeling. Unfortunately, no diving for me. So we decided to go snorkeling. We took a public water taxi to an island 45 minutes away from Belize City and walked through the quaint island to the public beach. The beach wasn't much of a beach. We sunscreened up and headed for the water. It was cold! We snorkeled across a channel and around some mangroves. I will admit that I freaked out. The visibility was pretty low. And so I started to imagine what else was in the water with us. I calmed down enough to somewhat enjoy the snorkel back to the beach, but we really didn't see much. We did see some rays and some barracuda, but that's about it. Once we got out of the water, we decided to call it a day. There looked to be a storm on the way. The water taxi is uncovered and neither one of us was interested in a rainy ride.
Day 6: Costa Maya, Mexico - Finally! A perfect day! Temps were in the 70's. The sky was clear and the sun was radiant! We got off the ship and headed to the taxis. We ended up running into our friend Joseph with a few of his buddies. They had the same plan as us - beach to snorkel. We shared a cab to the beach. A guy baited and hooked us with $20 per person for 1 hour of snorkeling and the lady goes free pitch. The snorkeling was fabulous! Not the best ever, but so cool! Saw tons of fish and other sea creatures. It was the perfect day.
Day 7: At Sea - Ben had meetings pretty much all day, so I was on my own. I did the 1 mile walk for breast cancer. It was windy on deck for this too. But it was fun. Had a nice chat about cruising with a lady from Canada.

This was a super short summary of our activities. Not listed are the antics at night with our friends. We had so much fun. A lot of fond memories to tide us over until next year!

Bread and Butter

2010-01-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what is going on with our little girl. She used to be such an angel. But in the past few weeks, she has not been. But I'm not entirely sure it's her fault. Lately she seems to be hungry a lot. It used to be that she would eat when we fed her and if we forgot, no biggie. Now she is actually asking for food. And apparently she is getting hungry outside of meal time.

Before Christmas she ate a whole package of turtles (my fault - left the completely sealed package on the floor. Interestingly, she didn't touch the cashews). Thankfully the chocolate didn't make her sick.

The next week she managed to get into the pantry (the door was probably ajar) and ate a sleeve and a half of Saltine crackers and the rest of a bag of potato chips (we found an unopened sleeve of crackers in the spare bedroom - stash for later??).

Last night (while we were home) she managed to grab a new loaf of bread off the dining room table. Pretty much ate the entire thing. This morning I noticed that the butter dish was licked clean.

She has a vet appointment when we get back from vacation. I'll talk to the vet then about this. I'm just worried that we aren't feeding her enough. (But she hasn't been loosing weight). Poor girl!

It's [was] the Holiday Season!

2010-01-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas! Ben is such a dear and willingly turns the radio on during Christmas (something that he usually does not do) just so I can have Christmas tunes following me everywhere.

It started off that we weren't hosting anything this season. But then, Christmas magic happened and we were hosting three events. One was cancelled due to weather. So we were down to two - Christmas morning and a family gathering that took place last weekend. We love to host and it is nice not have to go anywhere. And now the house is clean. :)

Aside from enjoying time off, family time and Christmas, I also completed my 2009 Resolutions. I have made two new recipes every month. I have run 100 miles. It felt great to have goals that stretched the whole year to keep me motivated and going. Now I'm trying to determine some for this year. I had thought about keeping these ones, but does it really count as a resolution if you have already done it? Still pondering that one.

New Recipe

2009-12-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... I'm a slacker. Maybe that will be my New Year's Resolution for 2010 - keep this updated a bit more. Speaking of resolutions... Only 6.5 miles left for me to run! And thanks to our "Eating like it's 1899" kick (more on that later) I have made a lot of new recipes. Like this one: Upside-Down Pineapple Pancakes. Ben took 1 bite and said, "This is a keeper!"

Merry Christmas everyone!

Times Fun When You're Having Flies

2009-11-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

(That is a stamp that I saw once).

It has been a super long time since I have updated this. Yikes! In short, here is what has happened:

India: The rest of my time flew by while I was there. Sunday a few of us went to Elephanta Island. It was pretty cool. On Tuesday I started to feel a little crummy (swollen glands) so I tried to sleep as much as I could. Thursday I was showered with gifts from my friends and teams. And then I came home. Getting back to my time zone was ok. I was able to stay awake until bedtime. The only problem was that if I woke up for any reason (bathroom, Ben, Zoey) I wasn't able to fall back to sleep for a couple of hours. But I'm back to normal.

Sleep Out: Every year GMI hosts a sleep out at our JFB location. It's a time for families and friends to camp outside and raise money for the homeless. I was one that volunteered at the food tent. I had so much fun! We were all laughing and having a great time. And, I got to serve a hot dog to our CEO. :) I was thankful that after the food was done I was going home to sleep in my bed instead of outside in a box.

Chili: Yesterday at work we had a chili cook-off. The contestants were the senior leadership group of my division. We had a great turn out and had fun with this event. There was a lot of smack-talk from the leadership. One really funny thing (to me at least) is that one of the crockpots we put in Hormel chili and didn't tell anyone. When we tallied the votes, Hormel was 5th place out of seven. We had a good laugh about that.

Tonight: Ben comes home! He has been in CA for a week for a conference at work. I will be so happy to be home again with him. These last few weeks has been so lonely (first me in India, and now him in CA).

Saturday Fun

2009-10-31T04:45:00.001-07:00

Today we had lunch at a buffet with the entire team (at least those that could make it). It was a lot of fun. Most of the ladies dressed up in traditional Indian dress (myself included). Tons of snaps were taken throughout the event. The kind of weird thing was that when someone got up to get more food, someone else took their seat. So, the four times that I got up I ended up in different seats. I really didn't mind that. The only real issue was keeping track of my water to make sure that I was only drinking the bottled water. But everyone is very protective of their guests, so it wasn't really an issue.

There was talk of going out after the lunch, but I think everyone was too full and sleepy to come up with a plan, so I am back at the hotel. We've been having some power surges... hopefully my computer isn't too unhappy about that.

So the outfit that I wore today... last night at work I was talking with Sunita about what we were wearing. Last visit we had similar outfit. I told her I was wearing that. For some reason, we decided that I should get a new "party" outfit for the lunch. So we rushed over to the mall. Closed. Rushed to HyperCity (kind of reminds me of Target) and quickly found a purple outfit for me. Then we went back to work. I think we were only gone for about 20 minutes. Nice work!

Today when I got back to my room, it had been cleaned. I think it must have been a different cleaner because he rearranged some of my stuff and put my laptop bag on the luggage rack instead of leaving it on the floor. He also turned the bed lamp on and pointed the beam of light onto a little rabbit-in-a-hat that I have on the night stand (reminder of Ben because he gave that to me years ago). How sweet is that?

Power just flickered again...

Surendra (from my team) and me in my new outfit.

Busy Day

2009-10-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up really wanting to roll over and ignore the alarm. But I wanted to get my daily fix of Ben, so I got up to talk to him. Then it was time to start getting ready for the day. I went into Powai to meet Neetha. She was going to show us a silver shop because Debi and Bonita wanted to buy presents for their daughters. After shopping we went to the GMI offices. Debi and Bonita had a meeting with one of the groups that they work with. Neetha and I headed back out for a quick lunch. I also got to meet all of Ben's team. It was fun. Some I meet last time I was there and some were new to the team. One asked where the cookies were (last time Ben made chocolate chip cookies for me to bring them). I told them that when he comes in January, I would be sure to have him bring some. I worked for a bit and then we got a tour of the new office space. It is fantastic. And huge!

After that it was back in the car for the journey to IGS. I had a fun time with my team once again. I had dinner with them again too. I could get used to this...

Oatmeal Soup

2009-10-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

The other night, Linda and I decided to splurge and go for the dinner buffet at the hotel. Everything was so good! It was mostly Indian food. One of their soup choices was oatmeal soup. I decided to give that a try. It was pretty good. Tasted a little like oatmeal, but thinner and with a soup taste too. That night I also went crazy at the dessert table. Yum!

Nothing terribly exciting has been going on. Sleeping, working, eating... I have managed to get to the gym another time. So far I have clocked 5.5 miles - only 13 left for my goal.

Work has been great. I have spent a good deal with my team and others. It is so nice to be with them. Saturday everyone is meeting for lunch. I am really looking forward to that. Sunday a few of us are going to Elephanta Island.

Today I am heading over to the GMI India offices. I am meeting my friend Neetha there for lunch. I'm looking forward to seeing her and to meet the rest of Ben's team there.

Monday and Tuesday

2009-10-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

Monday Linda and I got to the office around 9 am. It was great to see the day team again. We got our computers set up and then we hit the floor to greet everyone. Debi, Bonita and Sherry came later and we passed out every one's favorites - Dove chocolates! I walked to the mall with some of the travelers and had some delicious tandoori chicken and naan.

Linda and I left the others there around 4. We got back to the hotel and I convinced myself to go for a run. I thought I ran 4 miles, but then this morning I sat and thought about it and realized that I only ran 4 km. No wonder it seemed to easy! Linda and I met for dinner. I had a tuna sandwich and fries. Not that great. Should have stuck with the Indian food. After dinner it was off to bed because we were going to the office early the next morning - 5:30 pickup.

I woke up all of a sudden due to a noise. Not sure if it was real or in a dream (don't really recall dreaming). It was about 20 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, so I just decided to stay awake. The day really flew by! Linda and I walked to the mall for lunch. This time I had paneer tikki. It was a starter, but plenty of food for me. A bit on the spicy side, so I cooled down my mouth with some super chocolaty gelato.

Back at the hotel I spent some time by the pool. Mostly in the shade, but it felt good to be outside and warm. Now I'm checking on some emails and soon go downstairs for dinner.

National Park

2009-10-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2009
I was able to get some pretty good sleep. I was up and ready to face the day in plenty of time to meet my friends at 11 am. While I was in the lobby waiting for them, I talked with Roth (or something like that) a guest service person here at the hotel. He was very nice. When Sunita, Hiren, Mithil and Bhavin got to the hotel we ran into a problem – our confirmed driver wasn’t really confirmed. We had to scramble to get one. After waiting about 30 minutes for the new driver to come, it turned out that we couldn’t all fit in the car. So, some of us went in the car and the other two went on a rickshaw.

Our first stop was the National Park in Mumbai. We saw some ants that live in trees. Well, ok, not the ants, but their home in the tree. Some amazing butterflies (unfortunately they don’t photo too well) and some wild cats. We got so close to the tigers (don’t worry, they were in cages). After visiting the animals, we went to the caves that were carved around BC by some Buddhist monks. It was pretty cool. After climbing around like the monkeys we were surrounded by we left.

We stopped through Bandra to see a few of the Catholic churches in the area. It was a lot cooler there with the ocean breeze. And I saw something that I thought was very amazing – a flock of parrots flying around! They were this beautiful green color. I saw the bright flashes of green and asked my friends what they were. They asked if I had never seen parrots before. Yes, I've seen them, but not in the wild in a flock (is flock even the right term?).

Next stop – something to eat! The team decided on McDonalds. If I weren’t so restricted in my diet, it may have been more interesting. But since I can’t (or at least shouldn’t) eat raw vegetables, there wasn’t a whole lot of “safe” foods. So I had a McChicken sandwich. McDonald's was kind of interesting… since they don’t serve beef; they converted the Big Mac into a chicken sandwich. They also had a veg menu.

After that we headed to an aquarium. That was cool, because I like fish, but it was a little depressing too. Some tanks were in desperate need of a cleaning and most tanks didn't have any rocks for the fish to swim around in and hide in. But it was still neat.

After that we headed back to the hotel. I ordered some room service and called it a night.

Getting Here

2009-10-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

October 23, 2009
Today our flight from Minneapolis to Chicago was delayed due to weather. No biggie. We weren’t going to be that late and I was pretty sure that the plane would wait for us. When we landed we hurried off and in organized chaos, ok, really not that bad, found the next gate. We were the last to board and we all got new seat assignments. A few of us were arguing with the gate people and freaking out. I just boarded the plane. I figured I could sort out anything in Frankfurt and I didn’t want to be the cause of the plane being further delayed. My seat was the last in the section and to be honest, I wasn’t even sure the rest of the crew made it on until midway through the flight when I saw a few of them use the bathrooms.

We got to Frankfurt just fine. The ride was a little bumpy but I managed to sleep through most of it (not surprising). For dinner I chose the “Express Dinner” which is served all at once instead of course by course. This was on recommendation of the very nice flight attendant. There was a smoked gouda bisque that was very tasty. I should have asked for seconds on that. I also had a salad with shrimp, some fruit, a roll and a piece of cheesecake for dessert. After dinner, I slept until breakfast time. That was a croissant, fruit, yogurt and juice.

Now I’m in the Lufthansa lounge wasting time. I already bought some Kinder Eggs for my team there. I will buy some for Ben on my way home. I was really hoping for some Brotchen to snack but they don’t have any. Very disappointing. I did have a banana. Exciting, huh? There are some sandwiches available, but I think I might just wait until on the plane again.

There is Wi-Fi here thanks to T-Mobile, but without creating an account, you can only go to the T-Mobile/Lufthansa site. That got boring pretty quickly. So, I thought I would write down my exciting adventures so far. It is somewhat amusing… there’s a guy a few rows away that is fast asleep. I can hear him snoring from here. I’m feeling awake at the moment. Maybe because of my nap. Maybe because it’s light outside. I’m sure I’ll be sleepy again soon. Planes, cars and couches have that effect on me.

Now Connected and in Mumbai - Funny story about security in Frankfurt - I asked the guy if I needed to take the laptop out of my bag (yes). Then I asked about taking off my shoes. He said that it depended on what type of shoes so I kicked a leg up to show him my running shoe. He said, "Well, that one is fine, but I'll have to see the other one too." We was joking and we had a little chuckle over that. Before leaving Frankfurt, I did grab a sandwich. Turns out one was a pretzel roll with herb cream cheese. Yum!

Flight to Mumbai was fine. I tried to sleep through most of it (mostly successful). An hour before we got there they passed out immigration forms and a new H1N1 form too. That was new. It was also new that they did a temperature check on all incoming travelers. I was wondering how they were going to do that. Turns out to be pretty slick - we walked in front of 3-4 cameras that sensed body heat. If yours was elevated, you were separated from the herd to have a health inspection. If you were suspected to have H1N1 you weren't allowed in. My temp was fine.

Ok, that's all for now.

Quinoa, Deer and Pants

2009-10-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I made some quinoa for the first time. According to Wikipedia, it is a grain related to beets, spinach and tumbleweed. I liked it. So did Ben. I guess we will be adding this to our list of food we like (which is a very long list) and to the list of food we can eat (long story). If anyone has a recipe that they like with quinoa, pass it on!

This morning on our walk, all of a sudden Zoey got super excited. She started hopping on her hind legs and pulling my arms out of my sockets. It was pretty dark this morning, but I did make out the outlines of two deer and their white behinds. Zoey really wanted to chase them. Thankfully, I was able to keep her under control and on the leash.

I think today I am retiring my walking pants. This makes me sad as they have been my loyal companion for many years (along with Zoey, of course). The other day the button popped off. No biggie, I can just sew it back on. But then today the zipper broke. While it's true I can fix that too, it sounds like a lot of work for my raggy, stained and worn pair of pants.

Saturday Fun Despite the Snow

2009-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few days back Ben decided that he was going to play in the poker tournament at Canterbury on Saturday. I decided it would be fun to arrange a girl's shopping trip. Unfortunately my usual shopping buddies were all out of town. On Friday night at dinner, Smeeta asked if I wanted to join her, Katie and Karin. Perfect! So yesterday we hit Albertville. They had some ridiculous deals at some places (buy one pair of shoes, get two free). I found a few new tops for me for work and some pants for Ben.

After that we bundled up and changed the group a bit to exclude Karin (other plans) and include James and Rob and we headed out to a corn maze. It was dark out, so armed with some flashlights (and perhaps a flask) we hit the maze. We had a lot of fun trying to get lost and unlost. We went through the maze two times. To warm up after that we headed over to Old Chicago. We were going to get a large pizza, but they were out. ??? So we had some personal sized pizzas. I guess that works. But WAY too much food. But now I have lunch for another day, I guess.

Oh, and most of our snow is gone now. (We only had about 1/4 to 1/2 inch). In shady places it is still hanging out. And we saw a few flakes while shopping. I think we're entering the next ice age here in Minnesota.

Bowlin' and Singin'

2009-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my end-of-the season volleyball party. Since we play in the parking lot of a bowling alley, we got free bowling. I brought my friend Levrette along. This was his second time ever bowling. He did remarkably well considering. The first game he was only behind me by 9 pins. The second game you could tell his arm was getting tired. I told him we would try out Wii bowling at some point.

Last night it snowed. Grrr. Don't get me wrong, I love snow, just not in October. I'm trying to work myself up for a run this morning. Which probably means I should get off of my computer to eat a little something. And drink some water.

But before I do that, I'll quick write about last night. We went to dinner with a group of friends. Followed by going to the VFW for some karaoke. It was hilarious. Some people were really good. Others were really drunk. Within the first hour I think "Folsome Prison" by Johnny Cash was song no fewer than 5 times. We were trying to get some from our group to sing it too. We had cash offers for "I'm too Sexy" and "Little Drummer Boy" but no takers.

Yummy Surprise

2009-09-30T03:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ben told me he was going to make us a tasty treat. He then asked if we had 2/3 cup of Baking Soda at home. ??? That much baking soda? That doesn't sound good at all. He assured me it was good. Ok. Guess we will see about that. He went to work on that while I got a chicken in the oven and went for a run. Side note - the run felt great! I haven't gone on one for too long. I got a PB! Back to the story - I finished getting some sides ready for dinner. Then Ben said he would need my help. He took some of the dough and started rolling into a snake. Any guesses? He then made a loop and a twist and folded it down. Have you figured it out yet? Then we put them in boiling water with baking soda (ah, we are not eating that much baking soda, just using it to boil). Then we brushed the tops with beaten egg yolk. Sprinkled them with some extra coarse salt. Put them in the oven. And.... homemade giant pretzels! They were so good. We almost had a dinner of pretzels instead of chicken.

Busy Weekend

2009-09-29T03:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was pretty busy.

Friday night we went out to dinner with the Proehl's. We went to an Irish pub near by. I wasn't that impressed. But the company was great and I had a wonderful time.

Saturday I woke up "early" for the annual Step Out for Diabetes walk. Thank you to those that sponsored me!! It was a great morning for a walk. I dragged my friend Levrette with (he's in town from Mumbai, India). After that, Ben, Levrette and I made our way to El Loro to introduce Levrette to Mexican food. Nothing like Margaritas, tacos, burritos and fajitas to make you feel good. Then Ben left us to work while Levrette and I continued to the Mill City Museum. I thought it was pretty interesting to learn how a 50 foot drop in water could produce enough energy to power multiple flour and saw mills. Incredible! We walked a ways on the Stone Arch Bridge and watched a boat go through the locks. Then we decided it was ice cream time! We tried to go to a Cold Stone, but the one we went to was closed down. Bummer. So I figured I would take him to Edina Creamery too by Ridgedale. That was closed down. Super Bummer! I couldn't think of any other places close to the mall so we ended up at Wendy's (his request) and had a frosty. Not nearly as good as ice cream, but it had to do. I dropped him off and headed home. I was supposed to go to a pub crawl that evening to benefit the Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, but I was beat. So I stayed home and watched "The Mayor of Casterbridge." Poor Elizabeth Jane!

Sunday, Ben and I headed to the dome for the Vikings game. Neither of us have ever been and we were fortunate to get free tickets. In row 5. Of our 50 yard line. Talk about awesome! It was crazy around the dome. Tons of purple. Tons of tailgating. And the game, well, that was awesome too! Two minutes left and we were down. I asked Ben if we could stay for the whole game since it was our first (we usually leave events early to try and avoid some of the crowds). Luckily, we agreed fighting through crowds were worth it... Two seconds left on the clock and we get a touchdown! Unbelievable! You should have heard the crowd! I might still be deaf...

Copper

2009-09-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Last week Ben and I celebrated our 8th anniversary! How time flies, goodness! One of my traditions is to get him a present that corresponds with either the traditional or modern gift for the year we are celebrating. This has proved to be require some creativity on my part. My self-inflicted rules are that it has to be for him, not us or the house, and is reasonably priced.

This year (according to some lists) the gift is copper. Hmmm. Copper. What would Ben like out of copper? A penny? :) It took some thinking and some surfing before I found what I wanted to get him - a copper piece of art. I found a guy on eBay that takes a sheet of copper and treats it with different chemicals to get different reactions on the metal. I thought it was pretty cool, so I bought one.

As for me, there isn't as much of a pattern for gifts from Ben. Sometimes he adds a piece of jewelry to my sapphire collection (sapphire is September's stone). Other times I get showered with roses. This year it was roses. He bought me 40 long-stem roses of nearly every color out there. They are so pretty! I took some pictures, so I'll try to post so you can see them.

We celebrated by going to Bacio's. It was very tasty.

Being Productive

2009-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend Ben has been at a conference by the MOA. Every day starts early and ends late so I have pretty much been on my own. Yesterday after our run, Zoey and I cleaned our bedroom and bathroom from top to bottom. It had gotten way out of control. I feel so good about the room now. Almost all the clothes are put away (the ones that aren't are from today's washing) and everything is put in order. I do have a pile of things that need to find new homes. Unfortunately, that new home is probably my office/craft room downstairs. That room has seen some progress, but not there yet. Maybe I'll hide the box of stuff until that room is under control too.

Anyway, today I did some grocery shopping. Went to the dog park (as it turns out, 80 and sunny makes for a hot day for a black dog). And did some cooking for the week. I bought a full chicken and roasted it. Once it cooled down I shredded some and left the rest in pieces. That will be lunch and dinner tomorrow. (Dinner will transform it into a chicken pot pie type dish). Kitchen is all cleaned up.

Sometimes I am so productive I scare myself.

The Fox and the Hound

2009-09-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last night Zoey and I were home alone. I had fallen asleep downstairs watching TV (a favorite pastime when Ben is away - no joke, I just can't explain it). All of a sudden I was jerked from my sleep by Zoey barking. She was upstairs and she came running downstairs and kept barking while looking through the sliding door. I got up to investigate. Apparently Zoey does not appreciate it when there is a fox in our yard. I could see the silhouette of it on the hill by the pond. Then I watched it cross the street. Zoey would not settle down right away.

Today I was going to go for a run. Zoey watched while I was putting on my shoes and was getting so excited, that I brought her with. How could I say no to that excited little girl? So, instead of 4 miles we went 3 (her limit). Probably a good idea - didn't realize how humid it is out there. Yuck! Zoey was a very good dog. She didn't bark or pull when we passed people on the trail. Maybe she's finally figured out her manners.

Oh, and last week was Zoey's 6th birthday. I meant to go to McDonald's and get a cheeseburger for her, but I forgot to. So instead she got a rawhide.

We Are Like Grasshoppers Compared to Them

2009-08-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a beautiful day. I went for a run (only 35 miles left to go). It was a lot of fun. There were grasshoppers all over the trail and as I ran they would hop or fly out of my way. A very nice distraction from my run.

After that we had a few friends over. Some friends that moved out of state were in town, so we got together to catch up. It was a lot of fun to see them again and hear how life is for them. They are doing great.

Last week I made halibut kabobs with lemon tarragon butter. They were pretty good, but it turns out that I don't like tarragon very much (slight licorice taste). Then I made some peach jalapeno jam. It turned out a little thick, but it will probably still be pretty tasty on top of some cream cheese. Tonight I made risotto Florentine. It was pretty good too.

In other news, the good news is that my friend, Levrette, from India will be coming for a visit in September for a month or so. The bad news is that he is coming to learn another of my friend's jobs because the job was off-shored. It was expected, so at least it didn't come as a complete surprise. But it sucks. It was really hard for me because I knew about it a week or so before the team here did. It was hard keeping it a secret. Then when everyone found out the news, it was hard to defend why I kept it a secret. But I am relieved that it is out. And I am excited that Levrette will be here! I started to make a list of things to do. One thing on the list is to have Root Beer Floats. If anyone wants to join us for floats, let me know!

Peach Time

2009-08-27T04:34:00.001-07:00

It's that wonderful time of year - I have a whole crate of delicious Colorado peaches. Yum! The other night I made a salad recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray that had grilled peaches and grilled ham. The ham and peaches were great! The salad was... a little over the top. There were too many flavors. Ben requested that we not have the leftovers for the next night's dinner.

That same night I made Peach Cobbler from BH&G cookbook. I used more peaches than it called for, but I think that only helped the recipe. So yummy served warm with ice cream.

I have about 1/3 of the crate left, so I'm sure I will be posting with some more new recipes.

Record Breaking Month

2009-08-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

I forgot to mention that this month I am on fire for new recipes! I made homemade pecan coconut frosting the other week for Ben's German chocolate cake. Friday I made Moroccan Chicken (anyone know how to smooth out spices? The dish seemed grainy to me). Today Ben wanted teriyaki shrimp but we didn't have teriyaki sauce, so I made some. And there's still more to come! Tuesday and Wednesday I have new recipes planned too. Whew!

Oh, deer! Oh, fawn!

2009-08-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally kicked ourselves in the butt and went to our old place to evaluate what needs to be done in order to get it rent-able. We were both pleasantly surprised at what we found - everything is still in working order, no vandalism, no animals, and not a whole lot to do. Our plan is to take part of each weekend for the next month to work on stuff. We will be doing a lot ourselves, but we hope to get someone to help with some of the projects that are time consuming. Our goal is to have it ready to go by the end of September.

After working on that, I kicked Ben's butt and convinced him to go on a bike ride with me. We took one of the Regional Trail loops for the most part. It was so pretty! The trail goes through some awesome nature areas. The trail also has a nice mix for up and down hills. It was very fun. As we passed through one area we saw a doe and her fawn. They were so close to use. It was so cool.

Then Ben fixed our garage door. In the morning, I tried to leave to go let out Andrea's dog (she was running in the Ragnar Relay) and the door would only open about 1/3 of the way. So, I used Ben's car (parked in the third stall and a different door). We looked at the door a few times and couldn't figure out what was wrong. After the bike ride, we really wanted to grill and in order to do that we needed the garage door open. So, Ben took another look. Turns out one of the pieces to allow you to lock the door was installed wrong. The bolts had worked themselves loose and the piece had turned to block the last wheel from going up. Ben removed the piece and it works again!

We finished up the day with root beer floats with my parents. Today will be doing new house stuff... mainly laundry. I'm hoping to get a run in too. We'll see.

Hungry, Hungry Puppy

2009-08-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

I know it's probably my fault because I think I forgot to give Zoey breakfast on Sunday. I know it's probably my fault because I left a few oatmeal cream pies and a granola bar on the floor of our bedroom...

Star Gazing

2009-08-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

The other night Ben woke me up so we could watch some shooting stars. We grabbed a blanket and a pillow and headed to our front yard to watch (our new neighbor friend, Cassie, might think we are weird since she witnessed us setting up). It was a pretty nice night out. No bugs and slightly cool. We were out there for about an hour looking at the sky and talking. We probably saw about a dozen shooting stars. Not nearly the number we were expecting, but that's ok - it was still way cool.

The other night Ben and I made Mango Chicken with Coconut Rice. So yummy! And just like that, I've made two recipes already this month. :) Anybody have other uses for fish sauce?

Last weekend, Heather and I did another triathlon. I learned a few things - 1. Training makes things easier (so I will train before I do another one) 2. Red Wing has some terrible hills. But I suppose overall it was fun. Next time in addition to actually training, I think we will pick one closer to home. On the road by 5:45 am is not that much fun.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

2009-08-11T18:37:00.001-07:00

Last week was National Night Out. Our entire development had an ice cream social. It was nice to finally get to know some of the people that live near us. Since Zoey and I walk the circuit every morning, someone just had to give a characteristic of their house and I knew where they lived. It was kind of funny... in our development we have houses and townhouses. The house people tend to have kids. The townhouse people tend to have dogs. Some of the house people were interested in us until they found out that we didn't have any kids. But the townhouse people accepted us. :)

Saturday night we were driving home and within minutes it went from a gentle rain to a complete down pour with tornado sirens going off. Ben was concentrating on keeping us on the road, I was checking the weather on my phone and keeping an eye on the sky for funnel clouds. It was only a 10 minute drive, but it was pretty exciting. We pulled in the driveway with plans to grab Zoey and head for the basement. We noticed out townhouse neighbors outside coming towards us. Katie came running up behind us asking if they could hide out with us in the basement. They had their niece and nephew visiting and they didn't want to all cram into the tiny bathroom that is their severe weather location. We quickly got them down to the theater room. I had the niece pick out a movie and got that loaded in. We were soon joined by Katie's husband and their dog. And the other set of neighbors and their two dogs. With Rick there we had 7 adults, 2 kids and 4 dogs waiting out the storm.

The storm did turn into a non-event. It rained enough to flood our "lake" in the backyard, but other than that, nothing, thankfully. I'm so glad that our neighbors felt comfortable enough with us to come over for shelter. We're looking forward to spending more time with them.

Three Little Speckled Frogs

2009-08-04T04:09:00.000-07:00

The other night when I let Zoey out before bed, there were three teeny, tiny frogs on the cement slab. They were so cute, I went and got Ben to see them. He wasn't nearly as impressed as I was. Oh, well. And now, every night since then, I have seen at least one little frog out there. So cute! Zoey has tried to sniff them, and that's about all.

100,000 Miles

2009-07-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Happy 100,000 Miles car! Here's hoping for another 100,000.

This past weekend we were up at the lake for the annual Waterama party with Ben's uncles and friends. On the way home, my car hit 100,000 miles. I noticed it when it was at 100,001. :)

This weekend was a lot of fun. The weather was great and the company was even better. Who could ask for more? Friday Ben golfed with the boys while I headed to town to see how the sale of Microwave Potato Bags was going. That didn't take nearly as long as the round of golf, so I tanned with the other girls. And tried to keep Zoey close by. Saturday was pretty darn windy. I was in jeans most of the day, but it was still nice to be outside. Sunday the weather went back to perfect. We ended up staying later than usual so we could go sailing with Ben's uncle and aunt. We haven't done that for a while and I am so glad we did. Such a nice day to be on the lake!

We didn't get home until late, so I still have to unpack, do laundry and catch up on some sleep. Not sure when that will happen...

Girl's Just Wanna

2009-07-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the 6th Annual Girl's Weekend at Lake Amelia. This year Cassie and I expanded our little adventure to include Andrea and Heather. It was so much fun!

Heather had to work late (darn 10K) so she drove herself up. She made great time - was there by 8! The rest of us left around 2. We stopped in Sauk Center to do some grocery shopping and relaxed a bit and made dinner - homemade pizza! For dessert we made a chocolate fondue. So yummy! I have no idea what happened to half a pan of brownies... Then we just talked, laughed, and giggled our way into the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday we made pancakes for breakfast then headed out to the lake. We read, talked and relaxed all while soaking up some rays (filtered by sunscreen). Heather, Andrea and I braved the water and went for a swim to the sand bar. Then we decided to call it a day and head in to clean up for dinner. We went to Lakeside and had a great meal on the patio. The weather was perfect and the scenery was awesome. We took a stroll to the beach then headed back to the house. Somehow Andrea acquired some splinters, so my father-in-law (yes, I know, he's not a girl, but since we were at his house, he was allowed) preformed minor surgery to remove them. Then we watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was ok. I wasn't nearly as disappointed as Andrea and Heather were since they had read the books.

Sunday Heather took off to get to a company picnic while the rest of us finished off the pancakes and started on lunch and packing. Cassie was able to figure out how to start the grill. All of us are so reliant on our men when it comes to grilling. :) Then we made some mighty tasty chicken kabobs.

We hit the road around 2:30. Guess what time I walked in the door of my house? (Usually it takes 1:40 to get home). You probably have figured out that it wasn't a typical drive. Nope. Some idiot decided to cut lanes to make an illegal U-turn causing a tanker with gasoline to roll. The freeway was shut down. Of course we didn't know this until we had no other legal option than to sit and wait to get off on the detour exit. It took us about 3 hours to go 10 miles. We all agreed that it was a good thing that it was girl's weekend and not couple's weekend because we are pretty sure that the guys would have lost it. But we kept our cool while singing old girl scout songs and Disney songs.

It was a super fun weekend and I can't wait until next year to do it again!

Whooah, we're half way there

2009-07-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we threw Andrea a surprise half birthday party. Her real birthday is close to Christmas and a few months back she commented to me that she doesn't like when her birthday is because people forget about it since they're so busy with the holidays. So, I thought it would be fun to throw a surprise half birthday party. The beauty was that she had no clue whatsoever. It was so much fun! We ate, played Catch Phrase (still not a fan of the scoring) and Rock Band and Guitar Hero. I was the party pooper and kicked everyone out. But it was 2 am, so I think that it was ok (especially considering I had been up since 5 am).

On Monday, I ran 4 miles. It's only note worthy because it put me over half way to my goal of running 100 miles this year. Only 48 to go!

And, I'm also half way through my recipe resolution. For June I made Spicy Halibut thanks to my wonderful husband who caught it in Alaska. The fish was fantastic! The spice combination was only ok. We used some of the leftovers to make fish quesadillas. That was pretty good. The second recipe was for the half birthday party. Andrea loves baked brie, so I decided to make it. It was super easy, and I thought pretty good. It was just a round of brie "frosted" with sour cream and then brown sugar, pecans and butter on top. Yum!

Tour de Minnesota

2009-06-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last I went on a little tour of Minnesota. Friday I went down to New Ulm with my mom to hang out with her Auntie Hazie. It was a beautiful day for a drive and we had a great visit with Auntie. She is doing very well. She was telling us about her newest grandson. His name is August. She kind of made a face when she told us his name. August is a family name, so I said that was nice that they are carrying on a family name. She said, "Yeah, well, I don't like that name." I thought it was pretty funny.

From there my mom and I headed to Inver Grove Heights to celebrate my uncle's 60 birthday. Age is a strange thing. When I was young, 60 seemed so old. But when I look at my uncle he doesn't look like he should be 60. The party was starting to wind down a little bit when it decided to rain on us. So we helped my aunt bring everything inside. By the time we were finished, so was the rain.

Saturday morning Ben left for Alaska to go fishing with his dad. I headed to Glenwood. Zoey and I got there just in time to go to the other side of the lake for a surprise birthday party for Ben's Aunt Janice (it was her 60th too). It was fun to visit with the aunts and uncles. Later that afternoon Jerry traded the mustang convertible for the pontoon boat. So my mother-in-law and I went for a spin through town and around the lake. It was fun! Although, it would have been more fun if it was a manual transmission. Oh, well. At one point I got Mickey to put her hands in the air and yell (I did too). It was great!

Sunday after church I headed back to the cities and made my way to St. Louis Park for Father's Day. We had a BBQ and my brother-in-law's parents from India were there too. This was the first time that I have met them. They were very nice and we had a fun time.

It was a great weekend, but I was almost glad that it was Monday the next day so I could slow down a bit. :)

Vegas

2009-06-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

June 4 Ben and I headed out to Vegas. This trip it was just the two of us. It was nice to be able to do whatever. We got there late at night and checked into the Monte Carlo. Our first room... a smoking room. Grr. Our reservation was for a non-smoking room. Sometimes smoking rooms aren't too bad, but this on was. Ben called down and they switched our room. So we had to go back down to the lobby to get new keys. Then back up. The new room wasn't a king, so the next day we switched again.

After we got the room figured out, we went down to the casino floor. Ben played craps and was doing pretty well. It was fun to watch. Then we ate some sort of meal... what do you call it when it's 4 am? The next few days were filled with pool, eating, gambling and relaxing.

Friday night we went to Sea Blue restaurant at the MGM. We both got the tasting menus there. It was fabulous! Everything was very tasty. From there, we went to Tao which is a restaurant by day and a club by night. We somehow got onto a list so we were able to get into a short line. We figured that I would get in for free (I'm a girl) but Ben was able to get in free too! Score. :) It was really packed in there. The dance floor was pretty non-existent. And what was there was filled with people coming and going. It was cool to be there, but I was happy to leave.

Saturday night we attended a "Tweet Up" hosted by some guy that Ben follows (and now I do) on Twitter. It was pretty fun. It was on the upper level patio of Diablo's at the Monte Carlo. $5 Margaritas! :) The people that we met were all very nice and fun to talk to. After a few hours of socializing, a bunch of us decided we wanted to go out. A lady at the Tweet Up works for the company that owns a bunch of the clubs on the strip. She arranged for a huge, stretch limo to come and pick us up and bring us to the Bellagio. Once there we got escorted to the lounge there and got 2-for-1 drink coupons. After chilling there a bit, some guy came and walked us right to a super special line and we walked right into the club. No cover. No waiting. It was awesome. I totally felt like a someone important. This club was pretty crowded too. That with the fact that there were 8 or so of us that were trying to stick together made it difficult to get a good dance spot. After a while we all gave up and headed back to the Monte Carlo and the food court there.

Sunday night we went out to Michael Mina's for nice dinner number 2. This meal was also great. Less flavors competing for my attention. And the wine sommeliers were very knowledgeable. After dinner we were walking around and we ended up in line to pick up tickets for O! I was so excited! We have wanted to see this show, but it either didn't work out with our schedules in the past, or it was closed for a break. And the seats were amazing! We were in row 5 - close enough to see everything, but far enough that the water didn't get us. It was so amazing.

Oh, and the Sea Monkeys didn't love me this time. I visited them several times and they just kept taking my money. :(

I'm Still Alive!

2009-06-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I successfully completed my first sprint triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike and 5 mile run). I was very scared about this for a number of reasons: 1. My first time. 2. I haven't really trained for the last two weeks with Vegas and family visiting. 3. It was my first time on a bike in a very long time (trained on a stationary bike and picked up a rental the day before my event). 4. Hadn't made it up to running 5 miles in training.... So, yeah. I was nervous. Honestly my goal was to finish. I wasn't worried about the time. I had figured that I wanted to complete it in 2 hours and 32 minutes + transitions since that would be the pace that I have had while training. My end time - 2 hours and 38 minutes (including transitions)! And this does include Andrea and I not finding the bike trail and biking an extra mile on streets (re: stop lights). I am very happy with my time!

The swim was harder than I thought it would be. I think this was partly because I haven't been swimming in weeks. I will definitely be better about swimming in the future especially since next time the swim probably won't be in a pool that I can use the ends to push off from. But, when I finished the swimming portion, my time was 3 minutes faster than the last time I trained for it, so that might explain why it was killing me.

The bike was great! Aside from not being able to figure out the map, the biking went very well. I felt pretty good. Towards the end my wrists were unhappy and my butt was sore, but it went well. Next time I will make sure I know the course. Although, since this was so small of an event (41 people) there weren't any signs. I'm assuming an official Tri would have some sort of markings.

The run went better than expected. I figured that since it was last I would be dying. But Andrea and I had a good pace and were able to keep it up despite hills at mile 3. Midway through the run I started to get blisters on my arches. I had put some body glide on after my swim, but it didn't help much. My theories are that my body absorbed it since my skin was wet, my socks absorbed it since it was so long between application and when I needed it or that it plain just wore off. Next time I think I will go back to Vaseline.

When we were nearing the last bit, we started to here bagpipes. Turns out they were for us! Every finisher had bagpipes (live) to bring them in. It was so cool! There was a lady that asked if Andrea and I were doing the "with a kick" version. When we said yes, she told us to kick it in. So Andrea and I took off sprinting for the last bit. It was awesome. It was a bit tricky stopping and not running into the people and bikes. Also at the finish line were Ben, David, Heather (who finished her shorter course before us) and Wanda (who also did the shorter course). It was so nice to have some fans at the finish line.

For me, this will not have been my first and last tri. I really did enjoy it, and hopefully will be doing it again sometime soon. Andrea and Heather and I are thinking about doing another one in August up in Glenwood. I think it would be fun to do a lake weekend with a Tri thrown in.

(Heather - Sorry that I didn't write much about you! But you did awesome! I am so proud of you!!).

Summoned

2009-05-31T06:51:00.000-07:00

The other day in the mail I got a letter from the 4th District Court... I have been summoned for jury duty! I have to say I'm a little excited. I kind of hope that I get picked so I can have an inside look at our judicial system. My two weeks start on June 29. There is a call-in option that I will do. That way, I just call twice a day to see if they need me to show up. If so, off to the courthouse. If not, it's just work as usual.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. It started off with a nice little run (4 miles!!!) - well, really it started with bringing our house guest to the airport at 5 am, then going back to bed. But anyway. Then we went on Grant's boat. It was really windy and a little cool, but we ended up in a little bay that was sheltered. Great fun! Then it was off to David's MBA grad party. So excited for David to have more free time. After that we met up with Grant for a little downtown action.

And now I'm trying to figure out what to feed 6 people for lunch... :)

What a Weekend

2009-05-27T17:52:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was a lot of fun and relaxation. Friday was our first 1/2 Friday of the summer, so Ben and I took advantage and went out to eat and then to the dog park (after picking up the little Zoey girl). Ben went swimming while I ran to Costco for some brats and buns and then we grilled and watched a movie with my bro (12 Monkeys).

Saturday we went to Albertville to do some furniture shopping. We found 4 bedroom sets that we liked, but we forgot to measure the room beforehand, so we didn't buy anything. The sales lady, Darlene was hilarious. That night Rick, Mickey and Malachi came back to town, so we hung out with them.

Sunday was my mom's birthday so the family got together to celebrate. After that we went to the Gale's for the annual Memorial Day party. I was relatively good this year. We had a lot of fun and the weather was perfect!

Monday we slept in and went back to Albertville to buy our furniture set. The bad news is that it is all over the country, so we won't get it until the end of June. Which really isn't all that bad, but we wanted two beds set up for this Friday because we have multiple house guests. Oh, well.

I've also caught up with my recipe resolution. Ben and I made an Italian Pasta Salad from our pasta cookbook the other night. It was easy and good. And then tonight I made Corn and Beef Creole with Olive Biscuits. Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it was pretty yummy. I am a little worried about how well the biscuits will hold up as leftovers.

Swimming Lessons

2009-05-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

The other night (last week) I looked out into the pond and saw 3 Canada Geese families out for a swim. This was the first time that I saw the little goslings. So cute! Since then we have seen them out several times. Boy, do they grow up fast!

Ben and I have been going swimming a few times a week. It is mildly frustrating. The schedule only has lap swim time from 6-7 pm and 9-9:45 pm. Prior to the 6 time slot is swimming lessons. After the slot is water aerobics. (Meaning no lanes open. Other times are just reduced number of lanes). The last time we were there there was a private swimming lesson taking up one lane, kids swimming in another lane, leaving only 3 lanes open for the 7-9 people wanting to swim laps. When we got out of the pool there were about 5 people standing around waiting for their turn to swim. Super annoying! I am seriously thinking about switching to the 9 pm swim time.

HOA

2009-05-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

Last night Ben and I attended the first annual meeting of our home owners association. It was an interesting time... One guy wants a special assessment for dog owners because some of his grass is dying... One guy was over analyzing the financial statements... Since our development is still in progress at the moment the builders run the association. Everyone had a bunch of questions for the guy that came to represent the builders. I felt bad for him. But he seemed very nice and had a great sense of humor. After the meeting we talked to him about trees and our "lake" in our back yard. He's going to swing by and look at the lake. It will be nice to get that taken care of.

The Lake - The backyards on our street slope down towards the pond (good plan). The problem is we don't think the slope is right. There are two spots in our yard that water will pool in. Last summer it was always so wet there, we couldn't really mow.

If the Swim Doesn't Kill Me

2009-05-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

I just might finish the triathlon. Tonight was my first swim training session. Yikes! I need some work! Heather totally kicked my butt. She's very efficient at that whole front crawl thing. I can do it lifeguard style (head out of water) but not the "real" way. I tried it several times tonight. I think I might need to ask some swimmers some pointers on how to breathe. My legs were fine, my arms were OK, but my breathing was my issue. But, since this was my first swim in a long time, I'm not upset. I just hope that Saturday's swim is a little better. I did manage to swim 26 laps (Heather did 35 in the same time).

April Update

2009-05-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

For Easter I made a Key Lime Pie Poke Cake from Betty Crocker. It was pretty tasty. I count this as my second recipe of the month. Ben said that I should only count main dish recipes. What do you think? Just in case he's right, in May I will do three recipes. So, to kick things off right, the other night we grilled some salmon. We made a rub of brown sugar, salt, pepper, and other seasonings. It was great! We used the leftovers for a salad.

On the weight loss progress... India kind of threw me for a loop. I didn't exercise at all while I was there (one day I swam 3 laps, but I don't think that really counts). But I am down 3 pounds from where I started. I think this next little bit will be a challenge. Since I'm training for the tri I am a lot more active. But I don't want to sacrifice muscle so I am trying to eat enough to keep my body in good shape. We'll see what happens.

5k Fun

2009-05-06T16:21:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday was the annual Run of the Mills (ROTM). It's a 5k race for families and friends of GMI. Team Tortoise was once again a part of the fun. This year we were going to dress up as the four elements, but none of us were really feeling it. So we came up with a better plan - Ninjas vs. Pirates! Katie and I were the dashing pirates and Dawn and Andrea were the stealthy ninjas.

We had joked about having little battles during the race. Turns out we did exactly that. Andrea was having some wardrobe malfunctions (shoe kept untying). So while she was fixing her issue, the rest of us had little fights (because of course we were running with weapons!). Mile 2 Dawn and Katie had to start walking. Both have bum knees. Andrea and I decided to keep running since really the 5k was our workout for the day for our triathlon training. As we neared the finish we kicked it into high gear and sprinted. It was so fun because all of our friends were cheering/heckling us. We went back to run through the finish with the rest of the team. When Dawn and Katie started to sprint, we stopped and just cheered.

Our official results? Andrea and I tied. Katie and Dawn tied. So the question remains: In battle, who will triumph - Ninjas or Pirates?

Blur

2009-05-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

As I eluded to in my last post, my India trip was very fast. I was surprised how little time I had to do "important" things like updating my blog. Here is a recap...
Monday: Worked the day shift. I learned that my team of 5 processors has been "reduced" to one. The workload has shifted in such a way that one processor can keep up with the work. The other processors have been trained in other areas and helps out in mine if the workload becomes too much. It was so fun to see everyone again. The day went be very quickly. After work I went to the mall with Levrette, Darshana and Sunita for some ice cream.
Tuesday: Adjusted day shift - mostly day hours but we came in late so we could get some time with the night shift when they came in. Got to see the night shift. This is the team that I work mostly with. I got to meet the new additions to my team as well as rekindle friendships with people that I met last trip. Not much other than work this day.
Wednesday: Night shift. I was invited to go down to the cafeteria with my team for dinner. It was fun! I learned that a lot of veg people (vegetarians) "can" eat meat on Wednesdays. This is because the rest of the week they are required to eat veg for their religion. On Wednesdays they don't have to. A couple of the girls were very excited for their chicken. I also got some laughs out of them when I was explaining tanning salons to them. In India light skin is coveted. They even have skin lightening creams much like our self-tanners.
Thursday: During the day I met with Neetha and Vaishali for lunch. These are the two from Ben's team that took me out last time I was there. It was fun to see them again. And lunch was fabulous. Night crew again. But Navin, the manager there, took out the leadership team to dinner. At a Chinese restaurant. So, actual time with the team was quite reduced. I was bummed. But did enjoy the great dinner.
Friday: Split shift. We wrapped up with the day team and presented awards to them. We had a short break where I headed to the mall. I ended up with a super cute pair of shoes. Then back to the office to wrap up with evening team and to again present awards. It was such a sad day as I had to say good-bye once again to all my friends there. I was given gifts by some of the associates. They are so sweet! After work we were back at the hotel to pack up and head to the airport.
Travel: Our flight out of Mumbai was delayed by about 2 hours. This made it so we wouldn't make our connection flight in Atlanta. They changed our flights for us so we wouldn't have to worry about that. After that, everything was fine. I was able to sleep in the plane. I got home around 1 pm. It was so good to be home again. And thankfully, I didn't really experience jet lag. I think the trip in general wore me out enough that my body just wanted to sleep. And being able to have a solid chunk of time on the plane to sleep I think helped too.

Sunday, a little late

2009-04-23T02:16:00.000-07:00

This trip is certainly flying by quickly! Here is a recap and some "snaps" of the trip so far.

Sunday: After 3 short hours of sleep, Pat and I met Koyel and our driver, Baba, for some sightseeing. We saw a lot of places. Unique to this trip was the laundry. It is a large area where the laundry is done all by hand. It was a maze of tubs and drying lines.

We stopped by Cafe Leopold for lunch. This name might seem familiar as it was one of the sites that was attacked last November. Bullet holes were still present in some of the walls and windows.

We also went by the Gateway of India and the Taj Hotel. Security is much tighter than when I was here last. (Side note: our hotel is also more secure. There are more guards when you enter. They do a trace test on every vehicle that comes in. In order to use the elevators, you must use your room key. If you take the stairs, you can't get out (learned this the hard way)).

After sightseeing, I took a short nap and then went to my friend Levrette's place for dinner and to meet him and his family. Levrette and I have known each other since I joined GMI, but when I was here last, he was in Canada for training. I had a very nice time with his family. They were all very nice. And his mom is an excellent cook! It was funny, his dad was playing CCR. I told him I knew what it was. The next CD was a sort of jazz remix of music from the 50's and 60's. We talked about the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Next CD - the Beatles! I thought it was funny.

Levrette's niece, Stacy, is super cute. I guess all day long she was asking when I would be there. Once I was there, she hardly talked and was very shy. But we blow some bubbles together and played with Barbies (my favorite!!). Below is Levrette's aunt, mom, Stacy, dad, Levrette, and sister.

Flat Tire

2009-04-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

On Friday I started my journey to Mumbai, India. There were 7 of us that were on the same plane to Atlanta. It was kind of funny to look around first class and realize that GMI employees took up more than half of the section. (Don't worry - we were from different groups so we were within GMI's travel policy about number of people on one plane). When the flight attendant took drink orders, I ordered a Mojito. Heather had to help me convince her that I was of legal age. We had a good laugh.

Upon reaching Atlanta we had some time to burn, so we went to the Delta Lounge. I ordered a beer at the bar. The guy looked at me and then said he wouldn't give it to me without ID. So, got my ID to retrieve my beer. He admitted that he thought I was 23. I pointed out that 23 is greater than 21. (I'm so smart!).

Then we got to board the plane - a 777-200LR. Doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but the seats would go to a flat 180 degrees for sleeping. They were pretty sweet. All of us were so junior high-ish - we all took pics of us in our seats (with Champagne, of course). Then we settled in for take off. After sitting around for a while (I hadn't really noticed) the pilot came on saying they were having some issues with the little thing that pulls the plane toward the runway. Apparently they couldn't disconnect us. After trying for a bit, they were able to, but the tire was damaged. So... back to the gate. They then decided they couldn't fix it for us. We got off the plane, got a $7 food voucher (only to find nothing open - except for Ben and Jerry's!!!) and waited for about 6 hours to get a new plane and a new set of crews. Instead of getting in at 9:30 pm, we landed around 4 am. But the flight was fine.

I do have to say that the first flight crew was very nice. I was sad they couldn't make the flight. And so were they. Many of them had made travel plans and shopping plans for their layover in Mumbai. The replacement crew was fine. Very nice people.

Anyway, more to come!

April Recap

2009-04-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I'm such a slacker. It's close enough to the middle of the month that I figured I would just do a quick recap of what's been going along re: goals.

Cooking: We ended March with Grilled Taco-Barbecue Chicken from Betty Crocker. Of course, I made some changes. We wanted to try out the rotisserie attachment on our grill, so we did a whole chicken instead of just breasts. It was pretty darn tasty. Although, Ben said he could do without the cumin in his BBQ sauce.
My first recipe for April was White Chili from Recipezaar.com. I only had one can of chilies on hand, other than that, I followed the recipe! But next time I would use two cans as it wasn't quite zippy enough for us.

Weight-Loss: I have remained steady. I suppose that means I should get my butt in gear. We think Zoey is down a pound or so. Today we went to the doggie park for the first time this year. She had a blast running around and playing with other pups.

I guess that's about it. Hope you have/had a great Good Friday.

Why I Love My Job

2009-04-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

I got this today from one of the members of my team in India:
"Hi Sarah,
Thanks a lot!!!!
we all have done the great work because of your moral support and help each and everytime help us to improve our productivity and flexiblity in our work.
we will definitely continue the same work to hit the target line every time.
Thanks for the appreication !!!!!!!!!!"

How can you not love your job when people are so nice and a simple email puts a smile on your face? Twelve days until I land in Mumbai!

Perfect Walk

2009-04-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

This mornings walk was fabulous!
1. There were plenty of stars to look at. I love looking up to see constellations. Although, I've been thinking of expanding my list to include more than 3-4 that I recognize.
2. An owl was out. I'm not exactly sure why I like it when the owl hoots at us as we walk along, I just do.
3. As we were coming down the home stretch, I saw a large dog cross the street. I thought it was very odd until I realized that it wasn't a dog at all - it was a deer! A second one followed it. I'm pretty sure that Zoey didn't see them. Or else she just didn't care at that point. But as we got to the part where our paths crossed, I know she could smell them because she got very interested in the air. I spotted the pair by the pond in the middle of our development. They looked so graceful and peaceful! I hope I will be able to see more of them.

Strange People

2009-04-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Ben, Zoey and I decided to take a break from relaxing to go on a little walk. We walked to Lawndale (the street that runs behind our house) and looked at the one neighbor's fence and placement of it. As we were making our way to our backyard to look to see where we want to put our fence in, an SUV with a trailer drove by. As he drove by something flew out of the trailer. I tried to wave him down, but he didn't notice me. A lady in a car quickly pulled off the road and got the thing out of the road. I figured it was his wife following behind. And I was happy that it was out of the road. As Ben and I were discussing the fence (and Zoey happily sniffing everything) an SUV pulled up and an older lady got out. The car lady was still there, so I figured it was her mom or someone else helping with the move that stopped to help. Nope. SUV lady started talking loudly and waving her hands at the car lady. Car lady tried to talk, but SUV lady kept cutting her off. Ben and I stopped our discussion to try and figure out what in the world was going on. SUV lady said something about license plate numbers and stormed back to her SUV. Ben walked across the street and asked car lady what was going on. The poor lady! I could hear in her voice that she was close to tears! Apparently, the thing that fell out of her husband's trailer wouldn't fit in the back of her car, so she moved off the road by the pond. SUV lady happened by and thought that car lady was littering. So on her high horse she told car lady a thing or two and was going to report her. Ben went over to SUV lady and calmly told her that we had witnessed the whole thing. At first she didn't want to believe that car lady wasn't guilty, but finally came to her senses and drove off. I suggested that car lady move her thing to our yard in case SUV lady came by later to check on the story. She looked so relieved that we had come to her rescue!

There are some strange people out there.

Happy Happy!

2009-03-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Last week was a week of celebrating. I am very and truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and a great bunch of friends. I worked on my birthday, but didn't get a lot accomplished. My team and friends from India called and emailed me throughout the day. My first phone call of the day was them singing "Happy Birthday" to me. I also had friends here sending their wishes to me. It was a fun day!

Last night we had the fam over and some friends to try out our new grill. We grilled up some salsa burgers. They were so yummy!! Luckily for me we made a bunch so we had some for lunch again today. :)

Not a whole lot else to report on. Crap! I just realized that it is 3/29 and I have only made one new recipe this month. Guess I better get my bum in gear.

Weight loss results: Holding steady = good on a birthday week where I have been eating a bunch of crap.

You Know it's Been a Long Time When...

2009-03-22T07:49:00.001-07:00

You know it's been a long time since you have been running when:
1. You can't remember how to put the harness on your dog.
2. You can't remember what your 2 mile route is, so you end up on the 1.5 mile route, which is ok because,
3. You and your dog are ready to stop after 1.5 miles.

Yesterday Zoey and I took advantage of the beautiful morning and went for our first run of the season. It was so nice to be outside! This weather is perfect - not too cold or warm to run, and comfortable to be outside without a jacket. I love it! Too bad the forecast claims it won't last. But it's Minnesota, so what do I expect?

After the run, I went on the exercise bike. Yes, I'm insane. But for a reason - my friend Andrea and I are going to be doing a mini triathlon this June. The tri is .5 mile swim, 15 mile bike ride and 5 mile run. It's called "Swim-Bike-Run Like a Girl With a Kick." Andrea did it last year and had fun. This year they are offering the "with a kick" version - longer distances - and somehow she "convinced" me to do the longer one. I figure this is a great one to get my feet wet with. It's low competition, and you swim in a pool instead of a lake (so if you get tired you can take a break), and it's fairly low cost compared to others. I'm looking forward to it.

Miles run this year: 7.9 miles. Miles to goal: 92.1.