My, how time flies...

Congrats, Jordan! We're so proud of you!!

(and BTW, thanks for making us feel so old...)

Are you ready to rock?

The "entertainment" at the graduation party this weekend was Jordan's X-Box Guitar Hero. It was so fun!

In my first and only attempt at playing, I got booed off the stage. In other words, I lost.

But all I need is a little practice. Alone. In the basement. With the door closed.

Then I'm sure I'd be able to rock.

Will took a turn...


and then Charlie took a turn...


and then I took a turn...


and then Bill took a turn...


and then Leif took a turn...



And now I can't get that damn Cheap Trick song out of my head.

Weekend pictures

Here are some random pictures from our Memorial Day weekend in SD and ND. We definitely spent a lot of time in the car, but it was so great to get together with family.

My Aunt Debbie, Uncle Charlie and cousins, Jordan and Mitch. Jordan graduated from Bismarck High School on Sunday.

A little gathering at the pool after graduation. Debbie, Gina, Marva, Dad, Nancy and Richard

Dad and Marva went on a beer-run. Keep in mind that this was on Sunday. The ability to buy beer on Sunday is a foriegn concept to Minnesotans.

Self-portrait

Mitch, Will, Campbelle and Maddie

Almost like twins...

Dad and Will doing a little "3-D reading" thanks to Aunt Nancy.

They're hee-ere...

Well, the long-awaited arrival of the Seattle clan has finally happened. Gina, Jill, Leif, Campbelle and Christian flew in last night. We’ve all been counting down the days for several months now. Will and Maddie couldn’t wait to play with Campbelle and Christian; I couldn’t wait to resume some late-night chats with my sisters; and Bill is so excited to have Leif here as his temporary live-in X-Box companion. We are all thrilled!

Since baseball and soccer were both rained out last night, the single open seat in the minivan was up for grabs. After a lengthy discussion between Will and Madison, Will came out the apparent “victor”. Although in exchange for the trip to the airport and being the first to lay eyes on Campbelle and Christian, he is now obligated to do her chores for 3 months. What a deal, huh?

The kids didn’t make it to bed until 12:30 am last night. I guess there were just too many Polly Pockets, Legos and dinosaurs to play. Good thing my kids have a field trip today – otherwise I’m afraid they’d be asleep by noon.

This morning, they all left for South Dakota and dad’s house. We’ll be meeting up with them tomorrow and then going to Bismarck, ND for my cousin Jordan’s high school graduation. This weekend should be a blast!

I can’t believe how big the kids are. It’s been almost a year since we’ve seen them last (I can hardly believe it as I’m typing). Christian isn’t a baby anymore, he’s this adorable little person; and Campbelle has become such a sweet, beautiful, mature girl. I get really sad thinking about all the things we’ve missed in each other’s lives during this past year, but thanks to near-daily phone conversations and the wonderful “Land of Blog”, it is much more bearable.

It feels so right having them here. We all just “fit together” very nicely. Almost as if they never left.

Just like it’s always been.

I think that’s what is so great about sisters and family…and that’s exactly what I love about mine.

WHAT IS GOING ON???

OK, LOST fans...WHAT IS GOING ON???

Who's funeral was that?

Who is that parachute girl?

Why was the Looking Glass station kept a secret from the "Others"?

What's with John Locke and Mikhail's immortality?

Who is Jacob?


OMG, I think I might go crazy. I don't think I can wait for next season!

And here's something freaky... When we went downstairs to watch the DVR recording about 1 hour into the episode, we found out that it didn't record for some reason. There was no red "record" light flashing, there was no episode listed in our scheduled to be recorded menu, there was no trace of any type of recording at all. Nothing.

After freaking out and shouting a few expletives, and then freaking out again, we decided to just watch the last half and try to catch the first part online tomorrow. As we finished watching the show, we were about to turn the TV off and just then discovered that it actually did record, on a channel we NEVER recorded on before, without the red flashing "record" light.

It was just like magic. Or a miracle. Or something like that.

Or maybe is just part of the mystery of the island...

I was born in a small town...

You all know that John Cougar Mellenkamp song, right?

Well, I’m typically not a big fan of the "forwarded-junk-mail-junk" out there. In fact, I despise them and usually delete them before I even open them. (Sorry to all my junk-mail-forwarding-friends…) But a high school classmate forwarded one to me last week entitled, “You know you’re from a small town when…”

And since I grew up in a very small town in (the middle of nowhere) South Dakota, it caught my attention.

I actually got a good laugh and it brought back some really great memories. But just to warn you "big-city kids", you might want to skip this post. I don’t think you’ll understand.

1) You can name everyone you graduated with. Of course I can – there were 24 in my class. Do you want me to alphabetize them? I can even tell you where each of them lived, what their parents names were (and some of their grandparents), what church they attended, how many bothers and sisters as well as their ages, and their approximate GPA. Piece of cake.

2) You went to parties at a pasture, barn, gravel pit, or in the middle of a dirt road. On Monday you could always tell who was at the party because of the scratches on their legs from running through the fields when the party was busted. Oh yeah. You wanna see my scars? This makes me think of my senior prom night. There was a huge kegger out at the sand pits and it got busted by a whole swarm of state and local law enforcement. There’s nothing like watching 100 kids trying to scurry up a 90 degree incline of sand. I wasn’t drinking that night (thank you for the brilliant advice/threat, mom) so my friends and I were in one of the first cars heading back to town. I think we picked up 5 kids randomly wandering along highway 47 that night.

3) You used to "drag" Main. I’m pretty sure we burned up a tank of gas every weekend cruising main or looping around the outskirts. It’s really quite amazing when you figure that Main Street is actually only 2 blocks long and the outskirts are just under 3 miles.

4) You scheduled parties around the schedules of different police officers, because you knew which ones would bust you and which ones wouldn't. I don’t think it’s that certain ones wouldn’t bust us…I think it’s that certain ones were just smarter than others. The night cop in my hometown was known as “Spook”. (I don’t know why and don’t care to either). He wasn't the brightest bulb, as they say, but some of my peers lived to torture that man. One of the best pranks that I remember was when some kids lured him over a hill in the middle of town only to have his police-car almost crash into a make-shift road block made of cinder blocks on the other side.

5) You knew which section of the ditch you would find the beer your buyer dropped off. Our “supplier” usually dropped off our Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill on the south end of the West Lake Road. It worked pretty well.

6) The whole school went to the same party after graduation. And after homecoming. And after the last day of school. And after the Eureka-Leola football game. And…come to think of it, the whole school was at the same party any given Friday or Saturday night.

7) You didn't give directions by street names but rather by references. My hometown had the best reference point of any. We had a camouflage house at the end of main, in the center of town. Everyone knew it. It was infamous. It was the party house. Parents dreaded it. Younger kids were in awe of it. With it as your point of reference, you could get anywhere.

And really, the streets have names??

8) You couldn't help but date a friend's ex-boyfriend/girlfriend. In a small school, there’s just not that many people to go around. And then, once all the hometown boys/girls were sorted through, it was cool to move on to the small neighboring towns.

9) Your car stayed filthy because of the dirt roads, and you will never own a dark vehicle for this reason. It’s true. The last 3 cars I’ve owned have been white. To get to our house, you had to drive ¼ mile on a dirt road surrounded by wheat fields To this day, I make sure my windows are up when I'm driving anywhere near a dirt road. Sure, the dusty car was a pain to clean, but getting nailed in the forehead by a huge, disgusting, flying grasshopper was even worse.

10) The town next to you was considered "trashy" or "snooty," but was actually just like your town. I have to admit, to this day, I still think of Hosmer kids as really dorky, and Selby kids as a bunch of snots. Sorry, didn’t mean to offend anyone.

11) The people in the "big city" dressed funny, and then you picked up the trend 2 years later. I’m pretty sure the big-city kids moved beyond tucking-and-rolling waaaay before we did.

12) Anyone you wanted could be found at the local gas station or the town bar. Yep, they were either at Al’s Place on Main, or the Cenex gas station on Hwy 10. Unless it was summer, then they might be at the lake.

13) Directions were given using THE stop light as a reference. What??? We didn’t have a stoplight.

14) When you decided to walk/run somewhere for exercise, people would pull over and ask if you wanted a ride. Really. This happened all the time. Sometimes in the fall when the farmers would be hauling their grain into the elevator and it was really windy and the dust would be blowing in my eyes…I’d take them up on it.

15) Your teachers remembered when they taught your parents. And sometimes they called you by their name. Our guidance counselor Mr. Neuharth called me Karen all the time.

16) You could charge at any local store or write checks without any ID. We would charge things regularly when we were kids. I think mom would just pay the bill the next time she went in to get groceries. I think you could probably get by without any form of ID at all in my hometown. For your whole life.

17) The closest McDonalds was 25 miles away (or more). It was 75 miles for us – Aberdeen, SD. I had my first McDonalds when I was in Jr. High. I remember loving it and my dad thought it was gross.

18) The closest mall was over an hour away. Again, 75 miles to any type of shopping. But if we wanted a real mall – that was 120 miles away in Bismarck, ND. And they even had a Maurices!

19) You've pee'd in a cornfield. What…and you haven’t?

Time for a haircut

We had a little fun with Will's haircut tonight.

Who's next?

Crazy

Whew. OK. I’m up for some air and to catch my breath for a bit. Man, what a crazy week!

Get this…I actually worked 5 days in a row this past week. That’s right. Monday through Friday. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. Ever. Not even when I worked full time several years ago. I’ve come to the conclusion that I would have to get a lot more organized and gain some time-management skills if I were to ever become a full-time worker again. (God forbid.)

In addition to my work overload, I was kind of like a single parent this week as well. Bill went with his fishing buddies up to Lake of the Woods for their annual fishing trip. He had a great time, they caught lots of fish (enough to eat for every meal), and he came home with a nice, bright lobster-y tint.

I’ve been extra busy with my chauffer-gig this week. Work. Home. Soccer. Swimming. Soccer. Home. Work. Home. Scouts. Soccer. Home. Work…. Too bad I don’t have autopilot for Mercy Hospital, Gutzwiller soccer fields and the middle school pool. I could really use the extra time to get myself organized. Or pluck my eyebrows.

Will had his first soccer game this week. His team lost by a couple goals. Both of us decided that we didn’t like when he played goalie. I’ve never experienced one of those bite-your-fingernails-and bury-your head-in-your-hands parent moments until that night. On the way home from the game he said, “Mom, I think I’m more of a basketball kind of guy.”

Madison had her first sanctioned swim meet this weekend. Our swim club hosted 7 other teams for the 2-day meet. Maddie swam in a total of 7 events and ended up with a C-qualifying time in the 50 Yd Freestyle and a B-qualifying time and 2nd place in the 50 Yd Backstroke. Very exciting!!

Tonight we had an end-of-the-year Cub Scout party. We all had a great time. Unfortunately I missed Bill’s heroic flip-over attempt at a double play during a very wild kick-ball game. But he’s been gimping around the house and downing Ibuprofen ever since we got home. It sucks getting old, huh?

So, now I’m going to bed to rest my weary mind and body.

Except I can’t get “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne out of my head for some reason.

Happy Mother's Day!

This is what made my day great:
1) sleeping in
2) cards, pictures, projects from my two little artists
3) a gift certificate for glass kitchen cabinet doors
4) tons of hugs and kisses throughout the entire day
5) my personal handyman completing a "to-do" list in the basement
6) an amazingly warm, beautiful spring day
7) a great dinner with my family, Bill & Jan, Nicole & Brian & Finn, and Dave & Lynn.
And 8) "I'm glad you got picked for my mom...I love you."

My sis-in-law, Nicole -- her mom, Lynn -- me -- and my mom-in-law, Jan.

Happy Mom's Day!!

SWIM STMA Fun Meet

Maddie had her first swim meet of this season last night. It was a home fun-meet, which basically means it's not USASwim-sanctioned. It was for fun, personal goals and bragging rights as it was just against one other swim club. At at the end of the night, our team walked away with the trophy! The kids were pretty excited.

Maddie was really exhausted. She swam in 3 events (50 free, 50 back and 25 breast) and 2 relays. That'll make you eat like a horse and sleep like a baby anyday...

Maddie and Bryttani sporting their medals after the meet

Will, and Bryttani's brother, Donald, passed the time playing Tamagotchi, drawing, making trips to the concession stand, and goofing off.

My Swimmer Girl

50 meter backstroke

50 meter freestyle

Prom Season

According to recent statistics, girls, on average, spend $1030, while boys spend $300 on prom night. However, I think that a more accurate statement would be include, "their parents spend..." How crazy is that?

Since this is the time of year when you can't take a trip to the mall without feeling inundated with prom dresses, or go out to eat on a weekend night without seeing tables of dolled-up teens or parking lots with limousines, I thought I'd share some prom memories with you all.

These prom photos date back to 1987 and 1988. And after going through our old pictures, I was laughing so hard I was nearly crying.

So enjoy...be amused...feel free to laugh...


And what the hell is with that huge helmet hair and blue eye shadow?

My junior prom, 1987. I'm not sure what that weird thing is on my shoulder?

Bill's Junior prom, 1987

Junior prom 1987. Bill with Brian, Paul and Scott. Nice studly pose, gentlemen...

My senior prom 1988. Me with Tim, Steph and Nathan. I hope you guys don't kill me for posting this...

Again, senior prom. My friends, Danette and Sandra, with our shiny, shiny dresses and great big hair. Notice how nicely we color-coordinated our boys...

Bill's senior prom. Nice teal cumberbund...

OK. Now I'll just wait for Bill's call. I think he'll laugh about it...

Are they twins?

The kids had "Big Woods Blitz" this afternoon at school. It's like a track & field day with about 20 different activities. I did take my camera to school, but ended up helping another mom in the "3-Pin Bowling" event, so no action pictures. We all came home dirty, sweaty, tired and overheated. What else can you do besides make a quick run to DQ?

After years of people telling me how much these 2 look alike, I've never really seen it. But on this picture I would tend to agree. It's funny, but as the kids get older, I don't get many "Are they twins?" questions. It's probably because they won't let me dress them alike in pink and blue anymore. Believe it or not, when they were babies, so often people would ask us if they were identical! Seriously.

My View: Spring Edition

Wow...what a beautiful day here in Minnesota. Kinda feels like mid-July already. I tried this view-thing once before back in January. Thought I'd post again now that the green is starting to fill in a bit.

This is the view from my front door. Each year I'm shocked at how fast these hosta's grow - I think you could literally watch them. About 4 years ago, Bill's aunt divided hers and gave us a few plants. They have turned into all of these. Hostas - the gift that keeps on giving!

That's Heather's house across the street.



This is the view from the side/front. I lost one clematis vine this year - note the empty trellis. I think I'll wait until the other 2 bloom and then tear them all out and start over. I was never too crazy about their pale purple color anyway. As you can see, I'm in desperate need of mulch. Or as one of Jill's friends referred to it, beauty bark. I'd never heard that before, but I like it.


This is the view from our back door on the deck. Like I said in my last post, I'm very thankful that there are no fences. I love the wide open space. Some day that little River Birch will provide some nice shade. It may not be until I'm an old woman...but I'll be an old woman sitting in the shade.

This whole area was a new addition last summer. We've really enjoyed the firepit, although we haven't used it this spring so far. And those cute Adirondak chairs were a bonus buy on Ebay. Have I mentioned my Ebay addiction? I really love that flowering crab, too. I bought it late last summer so this is the first I've seen it bloom. It's really beautiful. Tiny, but beautiful.

If you'd cross the hill and go one block, you'd see Cindy's house, and about 2 miles down the same road is Leah's house.

This is just looking the other way off the deck. The kids get on and off the school bus just on the other side of that house. It's really nice and close. So close, in fact, I can call them back from the bus stop if they ever forget something at home. Have I mentioned that I can yell really loud? I still haven't decided what to put in the planter - that's one item on the "To-Do" list for this weekend.

And finally, it's garbage day in good ol' suburbia.


I'd love to see your views too!

Happy Nurse's Week!

May 7-11 is National Nurse’s Week. After a meeting at the hospital today, I was strolling through the Nursing Exhibits on display, and a series of big maps and pins caught my eye. Each pin represented a location where a nurse employee had either gone to college or had been employed. As I was pushing my pins into the map, I recalled my own experience as a nurse, including the life-changing moments I've had, the rawness of human emotion I've witnessed, and all the amazing people I have met along the way.

So, at the risk of boring you, I thought I’d give you a little insight as to where my nursing career has taken me.

After graduating from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing waaaay back in 1992, my first job was at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. I worked on a solid-organ transplant unit. That means we transplanted things solid – like kidneys, pancreas’s, and livers. At that time it was one of the leading transplant centers in the world and I met my share of foreign dignitaries and “important” people…not that it really matters when you’re sick. Looking back on this experience makes me think of the close relationships with patients/families that I formed, the fear I felt toward our very terrifying nurse manager, and the constant challenge of applying my education into the real world and vice versa. Oh yeah, and I also heard, “Don’t f*** with the pancreas!” for the first time. (inside surgeon joke…sorry)

The end of my time there coincided with Bill’s college graduation from UW-Madison. He headed out to Virginia to work for the Department of Defense and I started a stint as a travel-nurse with Lisa, my friend from college. Our first assignment was in Charleston, West Virginia. It took me most of the 4 months there to finally understand the language and to overcome Appalachian culture shock. I worked on a Neuroscience unit and got my first taste of brain injuries, halos, and brain death criteria. It was also a wake-up call in racism for this Midwestern girl.

Next was a 3 month assignment in Bradenton, Florida, a small town just south of Tampa. I worked on a Women’s Unit that opened specifically for the influx of “Snow Birds”. And it was staffed primarily with travelers like me. It really made me realize how important it is for old people to avoid getting sick when they are south for the winter. It was during this job, that I realized that geriatrics and gynecology was not my cup of tea.

Last stop on the travel-train: Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut on a Cardiac Procedures unit. We took care of all the post-angiograms, post-angioplasties, and pre-op bypass patients. This was my first real experience with hearts and I learned so much. I really liked this job, I loved being so close to NYC (and all the New England states, for that matter), but I really despised their warp-speed pace of life and underlying harshness concerning most things.

Overall, this year of traveling was incredibly amazing, fascinating and eye-opening. I learned to appreciate different cultures, people and ways of doing things – both in nursing care and life in general. It was pretty much like being on a year-long vacation…and getting paid for it. It was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So, back to reality again. We got married and moved to Kansas City in 1995 and I took my “dream job” at the University of Kansas Medical Center in KCK. I worked in the Trauma and Surgical ICU in this very busy, urban, Level I Trauma Center. It’s what I had really wanted to do since nursing school. On that crazy unit, we saw everything….literally everything. Trauma patients, as a whole, are not typically known to be a gratuitous group. It’s a patient population that poses many challenges for the health care system. But I loved it. This job was harder than anything I had ever done before, I seriously remember not having time to eat or pee for 12 hours straight on several occasions. My co-workers were awesome nurses and became some of my very best friends. I still look back upon this job and really miss it.

The kids were born and we moved back to Minneapolis to get closer to family. I hopped around between about 7 hospitals and ICUs in the metro area while working for a staffing agency over the next 5 years. And again, I learned so much about nursing and myself, while totally enjoying the flexibility and financial compensation from this type of job.

I’ve been in this current job for about 2 ½ years. And I truly, truly love it! I’m a Trauma and Neurosurgical Nurse Clinician at a hospital trying to obtain a Level II trauma designation. I do care-coordination, I serve as a liaison with the physician, staff nurses, patient and their families, I do some lectures and classes for staff education, and I help gather data to improve trauma care. And for the most part, I don’t have anything to do with bodily fluids anymore. Not that I miss it.

Nursing has been a truly amazing career for me. The variety of experience and possibilities are endless. I’ve seen much of the country, observed a vast array of lifestyles and attitudes, and have met countless people. All these experiences have made me who I am today - and they've made me a pretty good nurse, too. As a nurse, you know that you can’t always make things better, but you can make a difference.

Happy Nurse’s Week!

TIME: Random Questions

I just finished reviewing this week’s TIME magazine, including their list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. And I have some questions.

How can you not just love George Clooney, Tony Dungy, and John Mayer?

How do you define hypocrisy, scandal or self-righteousness when you live in Washington?

How can you see those Mac vs. IBM commercials and not laugh?

How can you look and Donald Trump and not laugh?

As a woman, how can you not feel proud of Nancy Pelosi, Hilary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Elizabeth Edwards?

How can you witness the journey of Michael J. Fox and not be absolutely supportive of stem cell research?

How can you look at Angelina Jolie and not be a little bit jealous?

Why doesn’t Oprah run for president?

How can you look at children in war-torn and impoverished countries and not want to take them home with you?

How can you read about Darfur and not cry? Or scream?

What do you think Queen Elizabeth’s hair would look like sans hat?

Who in the hell are these 32 people remaining in the US that still approve of George W. Bush? (besides you, Shawn… :D)

When hell freezes over...

Well, I’m not sure that hell has actually frozen over yet, but we have welcomed a pet into the Gallagher home. Yep, you read it right. No need to rub your eyes. Nope, I haven’t lost my mind.

Some of you may know that I’m not exactly what you would call a pet-person. We had dogs and intermittent cats throughout my entire first 18 years of life. Granted, none of them were indoor animals. They were just 4-legged creatures that lived outside around my parent’s house. They would get fed regularly, amble around our huge yard at their leisure, and get attention from my dad, mom or sisters occasionally.

As for me, I was content to just look at them through the window.

It didn’t help that have animal allergies, either. I knew that one lick, scratch, or touch of dander from the dog or cat would rapidly present me with a huge welt, hives and physical deformity. Not to mention the excessive snot production and chest-tightening asthma that would quickly ensue.

So, I’m not exactly an animal-hater. I just really, really don’t like them. Over the past few years, my kids and Bill have tried their best to get me to come around. They’ve suggested rabbits, hamsters, and other rodent-y things. But they're too creepy, stinky and I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to them as well. They’ve suggested an allergy-free dog. But they still poop outside, come in the house and then sit on the carpet and leave poop-germs there, only to be picked up by hands and feet and tracked all over…you get the picture. They’ve suggested reptiles. I’d be OK with those – no hair, not much stink, but kind of spendy.

Then the turtle showed up. There was really no discussion to have or big decision to make. Bill just came home from work one day with a tiny aquatic guy in an old ice cream pail that our friend Rick found at the lake. He smelled alright, didn’t shed, and didn’t sit his poop-germy butt on my carpet. He has been named “Sparky”, “Flame” and “Kevin”…not sure which one will stick.

We made a family trip to the pet store last night to get Sparky/Flame/Kevin some supplies. Wow! I didn’t know a little turtle could be so high-maintenance.

The kids are absolutely thrilled beyond belief.

Bill is the hero.

And I’ve willingly accepted this new addition into my formal dining room décor.

Leap of faith

I took a really big step this morning. For me, it was an important milestone in motherhood. For the first time, I watched my kids ride their bikes down the street on their way to school.

It took every ounce of inner-strength I had not to chase after them screaming, "BE CAREFUL! I LOVE YOU! ARE YOU SURE YOUR HELMETS FIT OK?? PLEEEEEZE LOOK BOTH WAYS WHEN YOU CROSS THE STREET!! WAIT UNTIL THE CROSSING GUARD SAYS ITS OK TO CROSS!! BE CAREFUL!! PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE YOU ARE GOING!! JUST CONCENTRATE ON YOUR RIDING - DON'T TALK TOO MUCH!! BE CAREFUL!! I LOVE YOU!! AND SAY THANK YOU TO THE CROSSING GUARD!!"

They were so excited! They've been talking about this day since last year - it's a really big deal to them. The elementary school is only 3 blocks away and they are with "experienced" riders - Brendan and Clare from across the street.

It's a leap of faith I guess. I have faith in the fact that they've learned a few lessons over the past years regarding bike safety, street-crossing etiquette, and strangers. Bill and I have done our best to teach them independence - well, as much independence as you can expect from eight-year-olds. I know they are smart and responsible kids. But, you know...they're my babies.





So, it's been 45 minutes since they left. No sirens. No phone calls. I'm breathing easier now.

Have you ever...

Place an X by all the things you've done, and remove the X from the ones you have not done. This is for your entire life!

Have you ever:
( ) Smoked a cigarette? The only time I’ve ever touched one was when I would flush my parent’s down the toilet. Ewww. Gross. Yuck.
( )Crashed a friend's car?
( ) Stolen a car?
(X) Been in love?
(X) Been dumped?
( )Been laid off/fired?
(X) Quit your job? Never on bad terms
( ) Been in a fist fight?
( ) Snuck out of your parent's house? Too chicken...didn't want to get caught. Plus, my mom was pretty sharp...
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
(X) Been arrested? Are you all shocked??...I don’t know if I was technically arrested – it’s story for another time. Think 1988 - Bartles & James Spritzers - boys bathroom at the baseball park. Can you stand the suspense??
( )Gone on a blind date?
(X) Skipped school? Not in high school - just college
(X) Seen someone die?
(X) Been to Canada?
(X) Been to Mexico? Wild spring break 1991
(X) Been on a plane?
(X) Been lost physically and/or mentally? More mentally than physically :)
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country?
(X) Gone to Washington, DC?
(X) Swam in the ocean? Atlantic, Pacific and the Gulf
(X) Felt like dying?
(X) Cried yourself to sleep?
(X) Played cops and robbers/Cowboys & Indians?
(X) Recently colored with crayons? I love to color - I'm sad that my kids are out-growing this...
(X) Sang karaoke? “Oh Cecelia, you’re breaking my heart…” with my good friend Kelly at the Corner Bar in St. Michael. I got through the whole song before I realized by microphone wasn't really on. Looking back, that was probably a blessing for everyone present.
(X) Paid for a meal with only coins? I love to get rid of coins every chance I get.
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do?
(X ) Made prank phone calls? I think we asked if their refrigerator was running.
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose?
( ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
(X) Danced in the rain? I don’t think I really ever danced in the rain. I kissed Bill for the first time in the rain. My heart danced. Does that count?
(X) Written a letter to Santa? I’ve helped my kids; can’t remember if I did it myself.
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe? Every year.
(X) Watched a sunrise or sunset with someone you care about or love? Best sunrise ever was with my sister Jill in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. Best sunset ever was in Maui with Bill on our honeymoon.
(X) Blown bubbles?
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach? Never on a beach…how about in our backyard, or the old sand pit in Eureka?
(X) Crashed a Party? When you're a freshman in college, do you ever really know any of the people having the parties?
(X) Gone roller-skating? Too many years ago to even remember…Herried, SD
(X) Gone ice-skating? Just last winter. How did I get so uncoordinated?

The Queen of Recycle and Reuse

Remember that patio table top I was trying to create a faux granite finish on several days ago? Well, I know you've all been dying to see the end results. So, here it is:




I have to say, I'm quite proud of it. And the best part is...it didn't cost a thing!

Here's how I did it:
1) Sand off old faux mosaic paint with borrowed belt-sander from neighbor Randy.
2) Dig through all 42 cans of left over paint in the messy basement storage area.
3) Use base coat of "Meadowlark" (from entry and main hall).
4) Scrounge around every nook and cranny of the kitchen and laundry room to try to find something resembling a sponge. Settle on a gross, used-up, torn dish scrubbie.
5) Sponge on "Chocolate Truffle" (from Maddie's bedroom).
6) Sponge on "Firewood" (from the office).
7) Accidently drip "Cabernet" stain on this project while finishing another project.
8) Rub stain into table top (Hmmm...brilliant idea!).
9) Put more "Cabernet" stain along with "Red Mahogany" stain onto surface and gently wipe on and off.
10) Spray silver metallic spray-paint into an old tuna can retrieved out of the recycling bin.
11) Desperately search for the short-bristled stencil brush bought back in 1999 in case you ever wanted to stencil something.
12) AHA! Found it!
13) Dip stencil brush in sprayed out silver metallic tuna can paint and then flick it with your thumb to get little silver flecks.
14) Quickly try to clean up the huge puddles of silver metallic paint accidently spilled on husband's abnormally and obsessively clean garage floor.
15) Let dry for 2 days while you search for the exterior varnish you know you just saw in the messy basement storage area.
16) AHA! Found it!
17) Apply 2 coats of high gloss varnish and thoroughly dry following each coat.
18) Sit down at table while enjoying an icy cold beverage and congratulate yourself on being so resourceful.


You can just call me Thrifty-Martha, if you insist.