What I was doing...

Here is a fun little meme that I got from my friend Leah and my sister Jill:

20 Years ago....
1) getting ready to start my senior year in high school.
2) cruising around with friends in a little red Chevette (no, not Corvette) listening to our favorite Poison cassette tape.
3) spiral perming my hair and searching for the perfect blue shade of eye shadow.

10 years ago....
1) living in Kansas City, enjoying the DINK (double income no kids) lifestyle with my husband. You know: movies twice a week, trying out new restaurants regularly, meeting friends at a bar, shopping for myself…
2) attending the University of Kansas and working toward my Master’s Degree part time and working full time in the Trauma/Surgery ICU at KU Med Center.
3) probably picking my toes and staring at the ceiling. Besides #1 above, what the heck do people do when they don’t have kids??

5 years ago....
1) working weekend nights in ICUs for a staffing agency.
2) returning from a trip to Ireland for Brian and Nicole’s wedding.
3) just moved from Maple Grove to our new home in St. Michael.

3 years ago...
1) getting ready to send my babies off to kindergarten.
2) finally gave up the agency-nursing for a “real” job and started working in my current job as a Trauma Nurse Clinician
3) Training for my first Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. (At that time if you’d have told me I’d walk in 2 more – I’d have told you you’re crazy!)

1 year ago....
1) picking out flooring for our newly finished basement
2) developed an addiction to Caribou Coffee Carmel Coolers
3) walking the 3Day again. This time with 24 friends!

Yesterday I....
1) fixed some broken landscape lights
2) didn’t shower until 3:30 in the afternoon (it was a lazy day)
3) read “The Tale of Despereaux” with my kids

Today I...
1) am going to Costco and Trader Joes
2) will take the kids to do some more clothes shopping for school
3) meet with some friends from Swim Club to get ready for registration next week

Tomorrow I.....
1) go to the Minnesota State Fair with my family and Bill’s parents
2) will eat way too much greasy, fattening junk food
3) say that I’m not going to the Fair for another 5 years – had my fill of crowds, cheese curds, livestock, and carnival rides. Well, OK. Maybe not cheese curds.

In the next year, I hope to.....
1) lose the same 30 lbs I gain and lose every year
2) spend Christmas in Florida with my family
3) live happily ever after…


Your turn...

Ode to Birkenstocks

I think I’ve just stumbled across the oldest thing in my closet – my Birkenstock sandals. They are so old and neglected, that if it hadn’t been for a dusty and crumpled white tank top that fell from the back of my closet into an old box filled with shoes that I never wear, they might have gone unnoticed for several more years. They are stained, frayed, a little de-corked, extremely worn, and even a bit stinky. But I love them all the same.

I’d forgotten about them. I’m pretty sure I haven’t worn them in at least 8 years. Believe it or not, they were a very prized possession to me when I was about 21. I bought them in 1991, the year I met Bill. I was young and impressionable. And he and his friends in Rochester dabbled in the “hippie-wanna-be” culture a bit. And I thought they were cool.

These sandals have been by my side…or should I say “on my feet” during some of the most memorable times of my life: the summer I met my husband, spring break in Padre, my college graduation (party), my honeymoon, the birth of my children (since my big swollen feet wouldn’t fit into anything else), and on countless roads and paths from the tops of Mount Haleakala and Mt. Desert Island to the beaches of Key West and Maui.

And yes, I’ve even worn them with socks a time or two.

So, it may be reasonable to toss them out. But I won’t. In fact, they’ve been placed right back in the old, dusty box of shoes tucked into the back of my closet.

You can’t throw away history, can you?

Clothes Shopping...and Growing Up

We recently did a little clothes-shopping for school. I am realizing more and more every day that my kids are growing up. Some days it seems way too fast.

Since Maddie is definitely a better and more interested clothes-shopper, at her suggestion, we went to a couple “tween stores”. The last stop was Abercrombie -for kids. I told them each they could pick out one thing, of reasonable price, that I would buy for them.

Maddie buzzed about the entire store, carefully studying all the adorably and expensively dressed mannequins; gently lifting and then refolding items that required a closer look; examining the price tags of the potential purchases. She was in heaven.

Will, on the other hand, bypassed all the clothing with any hint of a picture or lettering or logo, and quickly bee-lined for a table covered with striped, multi-colored polo shirts. He plucked one of his favorite colors, orange, and returned to me for inspection (price and size). He got the OK, and it was over.

And then we waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Maddie was still searching for the perfect purchase. It took another 25 minutes and 4 trips to the dressing room before we found the chosen hooded, zip-up sweatshirt.

For me, the experience was a bit of an eye-opener. Most of the clientele was about 12-14. The girls were wearing make up (some a little too much) and talking on cell-phones. The boys sported their shaggy hair, backward baseball caps, and baggy shorts.

And then, there were my babies. Shopping at Abercrombie. Man, where has the time gone?

But the best part of this story was the end. As I paid for their picks and grabbed the bag, my little man grabbed my hand and said, “Thanks, mom. I love you.” Maddie followed suit and that’s how we walked out of the Abercrombie: holding hands, and hanging on to the sweetness and innocence of these fleeting childhood moments.

Hair Game

Since Maddie recently underwent a hair-makeover, I've been thinking about all the hair-makeovers I have done in my life.

Some were good choices; some where not.

And some seemed like good choices at the time.

So, I have a little game for you today. See if you can match the year to the hair.

Here are your choices:
1. 1979
2. 2001
3. 1999
4. 2003
5. 1988
6. 1998 (hint: the night before the twins were born)
7. 2000

Ready?

I hope you don't pee your pants laughing too hard.



A)


B)


C)


D)


E)


F)


G)






And no, I'm still not showing you my driver's license picture.

Maddie's Makeover

BEFORE:




AFTER:

Maddie decided she wanted to enter 3rd grade with a new, mature look. So after about 50 minutes, 6 inches, $25, and a hair-covered floor, she's got a brand new look.

She loves it...and I do too!

Rainy Parade

Geez...what a day for a parade!

This past weekend was the first annual St. Michael Daze & Knights celebration. However, it wasn't much of a celebration due to very uncooperative weather. In fact, it felt a little like a Seattle winter day.

The STMA Swim Club had a float, so the kids and I joined a few other crazy people to walk in the cold and rain along a 1.5 mile parade route lined with about 47 people. The kids handed out Freeze-Pops. Well...it seemed like good idea a few weeks ago.

Go Wildcats!!

Last night was a huge occasion for my 9 year old daughter. For those of you who do not live in close proximity of a girl age 9-12, you may not be aware of the phenomenon known as High School Musical.

Maddie and our neighbor Clare, have been planning a sleep-over for several weeks now, in celebration of High School Musical 2 which aired on Disney Channel last night. Throughout the day, we watched the official countdown. Literally. Seriously, there was really a countdown on the right upper corner of the screen. All day.

Prior to the 7 pm premiere, I've never witnessed a kid shower, clean a room, pack a bag, and eat as fast as she did. Hopefully the inhaled orange sesame chicken didn't give her indigestion too badly.

So, with the girls over at Culhane's house for the big event. Brendan and Will had a sleep over at our house. They watched the song, dance and hype of HSM2 for awhile before eventually opting for the XBox and a good game of Halo.

Hmmmph... boys...

Fun Effects

Here is just a little experimenting that I've been doing with our basic Kodak software. I'm really getting the bug to buy a nice (aka expensive) camera, tackle PhotoShop, and take some photography classes. Since every room in my house is already painted, my pantry is organized (more or less) and I've just finished filing my toenails...I think I need a new hobby.

Isn't this a great picture? I love it!

Balsam Lake

The kids and I spent a couple days with Nicole and Finn at Dave and Lynn's cabin on Balsam Lake. We had a great time on the beach and on the pontoon.

Lake Fun

Crazy kid going off the deep end

Shot down by a Jedi Knight. Pew..pew..

Fearless Finnegan

Crazy running boy

Miracle on Balsam Lake

Disco jump

Flying boy comes in for a landing

Awards Banquet

Maddie wrapped up her summer swimming season recently with team pictures and an awards banquet. The highlight of her night was receiving the "Most Improved Swimmer" award. She was honored with a nice little speech by her coach, Michelle, and a very cool piece of hardware!

Relay for Life 2007

Well the relay didn't turn out quite as planned this year. After only 2 1/2 hours of walking and only a small portion of the program performance, we were not only rained-out, but stormed-out. I felt really disappointed and sad for the people who put so much time and effort into planning this event.

But the good news is that this small community of barely 1,000 people raised over $51,000! Amazing!

The event begins with a Survivor's Lap.

The track field is lined on both sides with luminaries, each dedicated "in memory" or "in honor" of someone.

The survivors and their families start the program with a release of balloons.

Here is our campsite. My poor hubby looks like he needs a friend, doesn't he?

...and the sky quickly darkened as the storms approached. It was only a short time until the rain started falling, the wind picked up, and several tents blew away.

We'll hope for better luck next time.

Well I'm finally catching up on some blogging...sorry for the neglect.

We're off for South Dakota tomorrow to participate in the Relay for Life. I'm really looking forward to it.

Look for pictures and an update next week...



... and wish us happy walking and happy weather!

We went downtown yesterday to walk across the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mississippi River. The walking bridge was recently re-opened and has drawn an incredible amount of people since the I35 bridge collapse last week.


Minneapolis skyline from the Stone Arch Bridge.

The mood on the bridge was relatively quiet and somber. Most visitors just quietly looked over the twisted green steel beams and the vertical piece of highway that you could see in the distance.

The Guthrie Theater was allowing groups of people to look downriver at the bridge site from their cantilevered observation deck.

I wish closure for the families of the missing. It all still seems very surreal.

Dear Tooth Fairy...

Maddie lost another tooth a couple days ago. This is what I found when I went to tuck her in for the night:

...and then this is where it lead me...

Although "simple", the results from the handprint request were a bit of a disappointment since all she left was a sprinkling of flour.

Weird.

And $100???

That would be cool.

The Inherent Nature of Boys and Girls

Look closely at this picture.

What do you notice when comparing the two groups - boys and girls?

Interesting, isn't it?

Stunt Kids

4 neighbor kids...

+ red scooter thingy...

+ sloped driveway...

+ soft grass...

+ a little imagination...

= great summertime entertainment

I've finally peeled myself off the couch and away from the TV.

We've had several calls and emails from friends throughout the country checking to see if we're OK.

We are.

Like the rest of the state of Minnesota, as well as the country, I'm so saddened by the losses felt by so many today; I'm awed at the massive rubble of twisted metal and crumbled concrete; and I'm humbled at the fragility of human life and the instantaneous nature with which all things can change.

Local news link