My Family

 

Birthday Flowers

I just wanted to share my beautiful birthday flowers with you all. Thanks Ron, Laural, Mel and Robert! 

And the thunder rolls...

Its crazy around here right now!

For the first time in my life, lightning struck so close to me that I heard a dull sound (like a full oil drum being slapped) and was scared out of my mind.

I think we are out of the woods now for a tornado, but I am hanging out in the baement still ;)

Yo! We Won!

Since my team was not really enthusiastic about our win last night I have to do a little online celebration here...

We were in the womens city sand volleyball league, and had a really great average, going into the final last night in the #1 spot. We played two matches last night and won all our games, 2 to win the first match, and 2 more to win the second!

Go Team!

Ok enough celebration. 

Here is the little man.. Brandons nephew Isaak!

 

So you think you can ....

DANCE!

I love this show :)

I'm watching the finale right now on Tivo. I wish I was a real dancer, they are having SO much fun! Every week they make me just want to get up and dance.

Heidi, Travis, Benji and Donyelle... I guess I voted for Heidi and Travis... so if I had to choose one.

I like Travis best. I'll post later and say if I was right.

The motly crew of weary travelers.

 

The newly engaged couple in Alaska!

 

My Superhero Survey

I am Catwoman:

I have had a tough childhood,

I know how to be a thief and exploit others

but I stand up for society's cast-offs.

MEOW!

See below for further results...

Catwoman		80%
Supergirl		67%
Superman		65%
The Flash		65%
Robin		62%
Wonder Woman		57%
Spider-Man		55%
Batman		55%
Green Lantern		50%
Iron Man		50%
Hulk		45%

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Fitness Fluke

Well still working on the fitness front, but thought it would be very borring for you all if I just went on and on about all those successes or failures (as the case is right now).

So moving on to other things.

Big things in my life right now.

I called my mother yesterday. We chatted for a very short time and set up a time to meet up when I am in Anchorage this coming weekend.

Yup, in less than 1 week I will be back in the state I was born in! I started doing tourist research yesterday, but didn't spend enough time to actually narrow down anything. I think I'll consult with my cohorts about that.

Wish Me Luck!

Renewed Effort

Renewed effort on the fitness front means I need a plan.

Some wrist issues recently made me drop Jazzercise for May, but the nice weather has brought some alternatives.

• Walking with Kelly (and Abby in the stroller)
• Hiking at Quarry Hill during the week
• Treadmill in my basement
• Workout DVD's
• Jogging in my neighborhood
• Bike rides on the bike trail near my house

So whats a good plan. For the week of May 22nd I will...
1) Pack a lunch 3 times a week (include a large salad)
2) Instead of my default breakfast of v8 juice and toast or cereal... have fruit
3) In addition to the items above which are more "activities" than workouts, strengthen my wrists by starting light weightlifing 3x a week
4) GO TO BED always by 11pm during the week

Those of you who know me are free and encouraged to ask me how I'm doing on my goals next week.

Mel, where you at? What are your goals!

March Madness

No I'm not into basketball, or whatever sport that is that has March Madness. For me the last two years March has ment... Jazzercise water bottle contest!

I belive me and my 2 partners are just about to get enough points to earn it. I can't wait! I have stepped it back up to 2 times a week (having to go some Saturday mornings) and we are going to get enough points when I go to class tomorrow.

Monday 9-5 Work, 5:30-6:30 Jazzercise, 7-8 Girl Scout leader meeting, 8-9 Volleyball...

Dont ask me when I'm going to be grabbing a bite to eat or how I'm going to make the 15 min drive to Volleyball with 10 min to spare to get my shoes on etc.

This only happens once a month Volleyball and my GS Leader meeting on the same Monday night and if it were not for the Jazzercise contest I would just cut that part out of my evening and make it less "mad dash".

March news:

• Taxes kinda suck, even when I actually get them filed I will have a nagging feeling that I missed some deduction or tax law that would make my refund more...
• A good friend just got engaged, Congrats! I hope you invite me to this wedding :)
• There is one last Girl Scout Cookie Booth sale to sell Cookies. It will be our last chance to make the money we will need to use for our 2 night camping trip at the end of the year.
• I love my Sci Fi/ Fantasy Book club, I feel blessed to find people who like to discuss books and are always willing to read something new, even if its not what they voted as their first choice.
• Ive been Ice Skating 3 times this month! It started as a Girl Scout thing (Winter Sports Badge) but both Brandon and I really want to make it back for open skate some nights in April.
  

Deadwood 2006 Mardi Gras!

 

Ice Skating for Scouts

My friend Kelly and I, she was helping me with my Girl Scouts on the ice. Some had never been skating before... kinda scary, but everyone tried hard and we had some good progress! 

2006... Is it really here already

Can't I just pretend that 2006 just started on March 1st... The last 2 months have been busy and fun... but not healthy or productive. I have had a lot of things going on.

Best of 2006 so far:

We are going to AK for a hiking trip. All planned out by REI Adventures and 2 of our great friends from Rochester will be on the same trip!

Girl Scout cookie sales are almost over :)

Celebrating Mel's birthday out on the town in Minneapolis.

My own Techno Dance night out on the town in Minneapolis in late January.

A 3 day weekend in Deadwood SD for the Mardi Gras Celebration.

Anyone else have best of 2006?

Aches and Pains

• I have the memory of an 80 year old woman. (no offense grandma)
• I have a right shoulder pain for 2 weeks with no apparent cause.
• I had mild back pain for the last 2 weeks that I attribute to sporadic exercise (ab routines).

I'm beginning to think I am no spring chicken anymore! A friend was telling me about his plan to start going to a gymnastics gym on Saturdays during open Gym and practice falls and rolls... so he can start jumping out of tree's and leaping across the building-tops. Aside from the building tops and tree's that is always where I picture myself in my dreams... and somewhere I wanted to try to become in real life.

Returning from Christmas vacation has been a shock for my system physically. Before break I was sick, and during break I took a vacation from working out as well. This week I tried to get back and managed 3 workouts (M, T, R). Two of them were Slim in 6 BeachBody videos and the other my Jazzercise class.

'Cheers! Here is to hoping that the aches and pains of starting up my workouts again go away soon!

Sign of a borring blog..

Its sad when you dont have any posts for a month and no one asks you "Whats been going on, post already"!

Means that I don't have a lot of readers :(

That is ok I guess. It is still a fun place for me to write about what has been going on.

I spent the first part of the holidays vising family in ND, and the second part hanging out in Rochester. While in Rochester we did a lot of sleeping in and bumming around the house. Got some much needed rest.

So much so in fact that trying to wake up for work this morning was a big shock to my system!

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Workouts Urg

I had reasons yesterday to not workout, and I had reasons to workout.

Yes: scale creeped up about 3 lbs, big eating over Thanksgiving, big eating over lunch Wednesday, another point for the Jazzercise contest...

No: my evening plans meant I have to go to the 4:15 class, and then work from home later to make up for leaving early.

So Yea for me I went to Jazzercise

To Chicago and back to ND!

I went to Chicago last weekend, and just returned from ND today. All over the place we have been!

Chicago was just a trip for fun sort of. It started out because a friend was going there for an audition and she didn't want to stay alone in the big bad city. She only planned on staying one night but I figured while I am going I should see if Brandon would come along and make a weekend trip out of it.

We spent Saturday at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, and then on to Magnificent Mile for some window shopping. After cleaning up at the Hotel we headed to Joe's Crab Shack (after getting an hour wait at the swanky steak place a block away) for dinner.

Sunday we hit a nearby shopping mall (Woodfield if you know the area) and actually managed to find 2 things for other people on our Christmas list.

This last weekend was Thanksgiving. That day we spent in Stephen and the rest of the weekend was all about hanging out with the Family. Friday we did some morning shopping and Saturday we went to Harry Potter IV: The Goblet of Fire. Pretty good flick!

Today was a pretty crappy day, a long stressful drive back in some bad weather that took most of the day, some serious anger at my computer when getting back when we couldn’t figure out how to get my scanner to work with our Macintosh computer, and the bitter realization that the work week is starting again and I feel painfully behind. I am in the middle of what has become a HUGE project that I started about 3 years ago.

While visiting my grandmother I was looking through some old photos and asked if I could take some home to scan. That started an avalanche of photos I have agreed to scan and I have yet to get through that first group that I brought home.

Don't get me wrong I really WANT to scan these pictures, photos are not much use to me unless they are digital. I like to adjust and crop things and hope to create a digital archive of as many pictures of my family as I can. I just haven’t been spending much time doing it. I hope this winter I will find a few empty weekends to really get into this project... AND I apologize in advance for any pictures I have taken saying I would scan them, and not yet brought them back!

Hope you love me anyway (Linda I am working on the ones from Mary right now!)

On with the project!

Tired of ND? I think not!

Ive been in ND for the last two weekends in a row. I couldnt blog much about last weekends activities because it was a suprise party for my Dad's 50th.

Last weekend was SO fun. My friends attended my dads party so I got to mix my frineds and my family. My dad was SO floored, he had no idea we were throwing a party.

1) it was the day after his birthday
2) We hid all the cars out back at the farm
3) there was already a few people planning on coming over that night just a small gathering
4) his parents were supposed to be visiting on Sunday

We rocked! Way to go Linda on all the planning!

This weekend I'm in New Salem (30 miles west of Bismarck) as Brandon hunts. I rode along today but as anyone who knows me will certify, I don't actually hunt. No serious moral objections or anything, just the trapsing around outside in the hopes of seeing somthing you might get close enough to shoot, and then you have to have good enough aim to actually hit the moving target and then track it down to the spot where it eventually dies. Phew, that just doesnt sound like a ball of fun to me!

I'm glad to be here with the family though, Brandons grandma and his mother both have Birthdays this weekend and we have spent some time with Issack, his nephew as well.

So we are heading out tomorrow and I'm bummed. I like coming here and I'm sorry it was only for 3 days this time.

Till next time ND!