Life and Times

Happy Birthday Julie!

2008-07-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday Jules! Even though we can't spend the day with you, we are thinking of you. We love you.

Happy Birthday Dad. And America!

2008-07-04T08:30:00.002-05:00

Dad, while you never quite get to do what you want on your birthday, I want you to know that it's one of my favorite days of the year. There is no other way I'd rather spend it than with you. I love you.

July!

2008-07-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

And, just like that, it's July! My goodness, the summer is certainly cruising on by. Here we are, the seventh month. It's my favorite month. The month of birthdays. Not only does my birthday fall in July, but so does my dad's, both of my sisters-in-law AND my mother in law. As well as many, many friends. It's a good month. And I'm enjoying the kick-off to this month in my home state of Colorado.

One. Un. Uno. Eins. один. 1.

2008-06-30T08:00:00.009-05:00

The Art of Marriage, by Wilfred Peterson

The little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

************************************
One year ago today, I married my best friend. In front of a group of 80 friends and family, we exchanged vows of love and devotion. We promised to love and cherish one another. To encourage and inspire. To stand by the other in times of struggle. Not just for that day, but for the rest of our lives.
It was the most beautiful, perfect day. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the mountains framed our setting, birds were singing, a light breeze lifted my veil and as cheesy as it all sounds, it was the best day of my life. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more. Everything went by in a blur and it's incredible how quickly I forgot about the little details. But, I do remember the feeling of overwhelming happiness. As I said, it could not have been more perfect.
Today, a year later, I am even happier--if that's even possible. This past year has been full of ups and downs. But it has been amazing and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. I am more in love with my husband today than I was a year ago, which I also never thought could be possible. If the first year has been any indication of what the rest of our marriage will be like, I'll gladly accept it with open arms.
To Matt: You are my rock. The calm in the middle of our storm. You love me for me. I love you for the little things just as much as I do for the big things. You have taught me that the little things are the big things. You know me. And I know you. There is no one else I would rather grow old and wrinkly with. And raise a family with. You recognize that our life is far from perfect, but you accept it and make the best of it. I love you. Here is to a great first year and many, MANY more to come.

Vacation!

2008-06-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

I am sure you're all sick of hearing about my upcoming trip. The good news is that it's finally here! For the next week plus, we'll be driving from Milwaukee to Kansas City (Kansas), seeing whatever there is to see in KC, eating BBQ, hanging out with our friends, attending a wedding for a pretty awesome couple, celebrating our anniversary, driving from KC to Telluride, hanging out with our friends and family, eating and drinking good stuff, celebrating my dad's birthday, celebrating the 4th, playing with our doggy, driving from Telluride back to Milwaukee. In no particular order.

Pictures and a recap of all of our fun when I get back!

Vacation?

2008-06-26T14:04:00.001-05:00

I love vacations. I LIVE for vacations. However, the few days leading up to a vacation are some of the most difficult, most stressful days ever. There is always a million and three things to get done and all I can really think about is how much fun next week will be, but I have to focus and get those things done. Whew!

The good news is that I'm making headway.

I've figured out the perfect outfit for the wedding we'll be attending this weekend. After searching high and low for the right necklace to accompany said outfit. I thought I would find it, but I didn't. So instead, I went to the craft section at WalMart and bought up some beads to make my own. It's completed and I dare say it looks great. I'm a little worried that it will break and I'll lose millions of tiny beads all down the front of my dress mid-wedding, but I shall manage and carry on.

I've also gone to the library to get books to keep me entertained through Kansas, bought up the entire stock of Pets Supplies "Plus" to keep Indy entertained through Kansas and burned a few CDs to keep Matt entertained. I've worked on a few posts to be published next week*. I have done laundry. I have gotten things pretty much squared away at work. I have made arrangements for the care of my plants. I still need to pack.

Come tomorrow morning, I'll likely look like a chicken with my head cut off getting everything packed up in the car. The good news is that I've made a list of everything we need to bring. Yes, the list of Indy's stuff is longer than Matt's and my lists combined. So what?

Even though the few days leading up to a vacation are tough, they are absolutely worth it. A hundred times over. I love vacations that much.

*And accidentally got a little too eager at publishing one. The situation has been remedied, but y'all using GR already know what's up next week.

More of Indy

2008-06-26T13:50:00.003-05:00

I've been a little slow on posting lately, getting ready for my upcoming trip. I had some pictures to share, but have, quite frankly, been too busy or too lazy to do so and now the moment has passed.

We've been spending every weekend out at the lake, enjoying the sun. The water level is so high that the pier was about a foot under water, so that leaves us with little to do out there (we can't take the boats out due to a no wake policy in effect). But, we like to take Indy out there to let her run around with Nellie. And, she LOVES the water. She's a great swimmer (she does have webbed feet, after all) and with the pier being under water, she has mastered jumping off the pier to fetch her toy.

Being the crazy dog lady that I am, I've been taking lots and lots of pictures and videos of her playing in the water. Here is a short video of her swimming. Please ignore the disgusting algae/seaweed/grossness that has grown over the water due to lack of activity.

An update on my garden

2008-06-22T09:58:00.004-05:00

After about a month, my little garden seems to be doing quite well. This is fairly exciting for me, considering that I've managed to kill just about every plant I've ever owned. (Except for the bamboo stalks that I had in college and kept alive for about three years. Though, those didn't require daily watering and only needed to have its water refilled about once a month. So, I guess that doesn't really count.)

Do you see that? My plants are producing! The strawberries have really been doing well and we've been eating a few berries here and there every few days. Both our yellow and red pepper plants have flowered and now are producing teeny tiny little peppers. Our tomato plant flowered and is now sprouting little green tomatoes!

I am still slightly concerned about my chile pepper plant. Mainly just because it hasn't grown one bit in the last month. It doesn't look dead, but it doesn't really look promising either. But, if the other plants continue to do well, I would say that this little project was pretty successful.

the suspense is killing me!

2008-06-20T13:02:00.003-05:00

I can be patient. I promise, I can. It just depends on the situation. If the situation involves presents, gifts or surprises? Forget it. I am the least patient person alive.

When I was younger, around Christmas and my birthday (okay, fine, and Easter and Valentine's Day and my brother's birthday and any other gift receiving related holiday), I snuck around the house looking for my gifts. Yes, I realize this is bad. But that's not the half of it. When I found my gifts, I shook them, felt them, stealthily untaped and opened them and then taped them back up. I told you it was bad! I just could not handle the suspense of waiting. I have ruined just about every surprise of my life. But, that doesn't mean that I wasn't still surprised when the appropriate time came.

But, the thing is, I LOVE to be surprised. Sure, I might torture you with questions and sneaking around trying to figure out what said surprise is, but if you can keep a secret from me and actually manage to surprise me? You are pretty awesome. If, someday, someone was able to throw me a surprise party that stayed a surprise? I could die happy. Just know, that you'd definitely have your hands full in keeping that secret.

For instance, my birthday is coming up (a month from yesterday if you're keeping track). I have casually been dropping hints to Matt about what I might want. But, yesterday entered the final stretch in which I need to stop being so indifferent and really let him know what I want (just so he doesn't get me socks or something--which I would totally still love if they came from him, because it's the thought that counts). So, in a super serious, totally normal conversation about quantum mechanics, I might have let slip that I had finalized my birthday list and that he should let me know in what form I should submit it for official review. His response? "What if I already got you something?" What?!

Matt, dearest, you can't just say that and expect me not to notice. I immediately had to know what he got me. Like, this second. And, can he give it to me early? But how did he know what I wanted? But how can I possibly wait another month to find out what it is? And, if he lets me see it now, I promise I'll act surprised when I actually open it. I am a pill, I tell ya. He is truly a saint for putting up with me.

And what's more? The gift that I am giving him for our anniversary just arrived yesterday. It is awesome if I do say so myself. Just thinking about it makes me giddy and I can't wait to give it to him. As much as I love getting gifts, I love watching people open theirs too. So, does he want it now? No. How about now? No. I think he actually told me to wait until our actual anniversary to give it to him. What an odd duck. How can he have the patience to wait another 10 days to find out what his present is? The force is strong with that one. He just sits and laughs at me. Oh, the lengths that man goes to in order to keep things a surprise for me. It's pretty much a full time job.

I realize that maybe all of this makes me seem pretty awful, but I just can't help it. This probably makes me seem like I'm really greedy too, but I'm not--I am equally excited about any gift, big or small. Wrap up a stinky, smelly gym shoe and I will drive myself crazy wanting to know what it is. It's a curse, I know. But, we all have our own strange quirks and weird habits. This is mine. And, I can deal with that.

1985

2008-06-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

(1982-1984 can be found here)

tugging at my heartstrings

2008-06-18T13:37:00.005-05:00

When Matt and I decided we wanted a puppy, we decided adopting from the Humane Society or a shelter was best. Little did I know how much that decision would affect me emotionally. I would browse the website for WHS and petfinder, looking for a dog that might be a good match. We eventually went one step further and actually visited the Humane Society to meet some of the dogs. Now, I don't consider myself to be an overly emotional person, but visiting WHS was HARD for me. Like, really hard. Every time we went, I left in tears. Not so much because we didn't find the right pet, but because I wanted to rescue all of the dogs. I learned that WHS is a no-kill shelter, which made me feel a little better. But having the dogs watch me with their big, sad eyes was heartbreaking. Even more so were the older dogs that had been brought in as a "surrender". Who in their right mind could just decide one day that they don't want their 12-year old dog? These animals had all been through enough. They deserved good, loving homes.

In addition to visiting, I continued to stalk WHS's website. I knew the status of every dog there. Equally as heartbreaking as visiting was seeing dogs come back up for adoption after they had been adopted out. This happened several times and I can think of at least three puppies that came back more than once. Who are these people who are adopting puppies and then not realizing how big of a responsibility it is only to bring them back?*

When I sat down and added up the costs of puppy shots, spaying, microchipping, etc. that are already completed on the animals adopted from WHS, I quickly realized that the adoption fee barely covers everything. And, taking into account the veterinary care that the animals receive prior to being put up for adoption, it's very apparent that donations are crucial in allowing them to continue operating. I make charitable contributions every year to a few organizations that I have taken interest in. After adopting Indy, I decided that I would add the WHS to this list. While I don't have much to give, every little bit helps.

And then, today, I got an email from WHS, asking for help. Two little puppies, Luke and Tucker, need help. I cried while I read their stories (I dare you to go read them and not feel a little sad for them) and contributed to their care. Not a lot, but some. In addition to caring for these two pups, WHS has taken in almost 40 dogs that were displaced from flooding in other areas of the midwest. Local shelters became overwhelmed with the large number of animals coming in and many were sent to other shelters across the country that would have a better chance at adopting them out (this was also how we got Indy--she came from a shelter in Indiana). Like all animals up for adoption at WHS, the animals will be vaccinated and sterilized prior to being available for adoption. While some may take some time, it really is impressive how quickly animals are adopted out from the Humane Society.

Now, after having adopted a pet, I have a greater admiration for rescue shelters and the WHS. Many of these folks are volunteers and they operate solely on donations. I'm not going to tell you to go donate, but I certainly won't stop you, should you feel so inclined. I tell just about everyone that is looking for a pet to check out a shelter. It is such a better option that buying from a pet store. Indy is the best thing ever and, while we don't know much about what happened to her (she suffered some seemingly significant trauma to the entire right side of her face) or where she came from, we are happy knowing that she will spend the rest of her life in a loving, caring home.

My Dad

2008-06-17T15:30:00.001-05:00

My dad can fix anything. I remember how special it was when he'd surprise me and pick me up from school instead of making me take the bus--and he brought candy! He is funny. He is smart. He is laid back. I remember him teaching me how to drive a stick shift and was surprisingly patient with me. He taught me to ski. The first time I cried on my wedding day was when I saw him. When he says "I love you", I smile, every time. He is one of my best friends. With my mom, he has given me everything I could ever have asked for.

Love you dad. And, thank you.

Though this post is tardy, I did wish him a Happy Father's Day and I still love him just the same.

Getting Close

2008-06-17T14:19:00.005-05:00

Geez, I've really been bad about blogging lately. Actually, that's not entirely true. I've been writing posts. They're just not getting posted. Not yet anyway. I have a few posts scheduled for the week of my upcoming vacation and I want to make sure that they're just right (since I won't be around to edit 54 times after officially posting them, I need to tweak them now).

Vacation? you say. Yes, vacation, I say. While I don't really think of our trips to Colorado as real, actual vacations, I suppose that's the technical term for our upcoming trip.

We have a wedding to go to in Kansas City (the one IN Kansas, not Missouri, in case you were wondering--and, yes, I'm the ass that always asks "the one in Kansas or Missouri?" when people tell me they're going to Kansas City) at the end of the month. It just happens to fall the day before our one-year anniversary. Or, actually, due to leap year, that's technically the day that is 365 days after we shared vows. But, whatever, I'm not keeping track or anything. So, we're going to a wedding to celebrate our love for each other. Really, I am so happy for Larry and Renee and am thrilled to see them get married. I couldn't imagine missing their wedding.

And then on the actual day, we're driving from Kansas City to Telluride. Romantic, right? I think so! But then, we'll spend several glorious days in one of the most beautiful places on earth with friends and family and it will basically be our wedding, version 2.0. I'm excited! And, yes, I do plan to go back to the exact spot where we were married to gaze into his eyes lovingly and reaffirm my undying love and affection for him.

And (and? there's more?) we'll be there for the 4th of July. And this just happens to be one of my favorite days of the year. It's my dad's birthday and we always have a fun party. The weather is usually spectacular that time of year, the fireworks display put on by the Fire Department are incredible and it's just FUN!

We are taking Indy and I really think she'll enjoy it. Sure, she might not enjoy the many, many hours in the car to get there (really, who does?). But, I promised her she'll love it when we finally arrive. I expect her to be ecstatic about meeting my parents' dog, Timber, and less than thrilled about the cats. She loves the water and my parents have a pond on their property, so I suspect she'll be doing some swimming. We'll also probably take her hiking, on the gondola, or whatever else strikes our fancy. I wouldn't be too surprised if she tried to stay when it's time for us to come home.

Truth be told, this trip has sort of snuck up on me. A year ago, I was so busy with wedding stuff that we got to the end of June and didn't even realize it. This year, I'm still pretty busy (though not with wedding stuff--thank goodness!) and I am suddenly noticing that we're leaving next week. I've been thinking a lot of Renee lately and how she's holding up. Having been there a year ago, I can only imagine (though, I handled the planning fairly well, I did have a meltdown or two). She is going to make one beautiful bride. And Larry won't look half bad either.

So, that's that. I'm really excited about my vacation and wouldn't want to spend that week (or our anniversary) any other way.

What did YOU do last night?

2008-06-12T15:57:00.005-05:00

I met people from the internet. Fellow bloggers, if you will. And, you know what? It was FUN!

I had met three of these ladies previously in some way or another*, but it was most excellent to meet the others. We spent the good part of three hours chatting, laughing, eating and drinking.

And now, I have some welcomed additions to my blogroll.

From left to right: Julia, Erin, Julia, Me, Kelly, Andrea, Natasha, Harmony and Katherine.

*Okay fine, I met them through the internet too.

100th Post!

2008-06-06T09:27:00.010-05:00

Wow, I did it. I made it to 100 posts on my little blog. Granted, it took me a little longer than some to get here, but it is what it is.

I'm not sure if this is totally passé, but in honor of my 100th post, I have compiled a list of 100 things about me. Really, I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. One might argue that it was the reason I started a blog. Or not.

Since I've labeled my blog as "the story of me", I thought it would be fitting to give readers an actual story about me. So, as much as this is things about me, it's also a brief history of me and how I got here. I've also finished that face-lift that I was talking about in honor of the occasion.

And, so, without further ado, I present to you 100 of the most exciting, entertaining things about me. Enjoy!

1. I was born July 19, 1982 in Norwood, CO. At a little after 2:00 in the afternoon.
2. I tell everyone that I was born and raised in Telluride, CO. It’s easier and more people have heard of Telluride than Norwood. And, if you want to get technical, I actually resided in Ophir, CO.
3. I was born with a rare birth defect called Craniosynostosis.
4. I had head surgery when I was two months old to correct it. Doctors removed a 3"x5" piece of my skull.
5. As a result of the surgery, I have a scar that runs the length of my head.
6. It makes me really self-conscious and I try to cover it with my hair the best I can.
7. My blood type is O+.
8. My brother was born at home, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a blizzard, when I was two years old. I really wanted a sister.
9. He turned out to be okay and we were pretty good friends growing up. This might have had something to do with living in the middle of nowhere and having no one but each other. But, I still think he's pretty okay, so maybe not.
10. My mom kept journals for both me and my brother when we were kids.
11. Eleven is my favorite number.
12. It became my favorite my freshman year of high school when I had to pick a volleyball jersey.
13. I figured if #1 was the best, #11 must be double best.
14. In addition to volleyball, I played soccer and softball, danced ballet and skied.
15. Growing up in a ski town, our school had Ski PE Thursday and Friday afternoons. We got out of school early to go skiing those days.
16. In fourth grade, I decided skiing was lame and took up snowboarding instead.
17. In sixth grade, I went back to skiing and joined the freestyle team.
18. I started skiing competitively in moguls, acro (ballet skiing) and aerials.
19. I traveled many places to compete. The farthest being Sunday River, Maine.
20. I had so much fun competing and met some really incredible people. Many of those people went on to compete in the Olympics several times.
21. I first got my ears pierced when I was 3. The holes filled in and I got them pierced again when I was 7. I got a second hole in each ear when I was 14. I got the cartilage of my left ear pierced when I was 18.
22. In the past four years, I’ve only ever worn earrings in the first holes. But, the other holes never filled in and I could still wear studs in them, if I felt so inclined.
23. I met Billy Joel on a street corner in Telluride. I was fundraising for the ski team, he was standing there, I asked him to donate and he did!
24. Growing up, I traveled a lot with my family. I’ve been to 23 states (plus DC) and 16 countries.
25. My grandma took each of her grandkids on a trip of their choosing, in order of age. I got to go first and she took me to England, Scotland and Wales when I was eight.
26. Despite being all over the world and most of the Western United States, I have never been to Canada or New York City. Both are on my list of places I want to see before I die.
27. In elementary school, I took hula lessons. We did a dance for closing day of the ski area every year. One year, mid-dance, my skirt fell off in front of everyone. Even though I was wearing a bikini underneath it, I was SO embarrassed.
28. My dad is a builder and I was pretty much raised on a construction site. I know more about building things than most guys I know.
29. Before I was old enough to have a real job, I alternated between babysitting and working on construction sites with my dad.
30. One summer, I set up a hot dog and lemonade stand at the end of our driveway to earn enough money to go to a special rock climbing and whitewater rafting summer camp.
31. My first real job was when I was 14. I worked at the pool at the Peaks Resort for two summers. It was the second best job I’ve ever had.
32. I never worked the closing shift except for one time. It was a disaster. I had to cover the pool and the roller for the pool cover (thing was HUGE) ended up IN the pool. I cried and exclaimed that I was never going back! My mom made me call my boss to apologize. I went back. The roller magically made its way out of the pool and no one ever said anything to me.
33. The next two summers, I worked at the ski company in the group sales department.
34. When I was 10, I read an article about hormones in beef and decided to stop eating meat. I have since lost the taste for it and I think all meat is pretty gross.
35. I eat fish and sometimes I’ll crave meat, so I’ll eat it. But, for the most part, I’ve been meat-free for over 15 years.
36. I don’t use the word “vegetarian” to describe myself. Instead, I say “I don’t eat meat”.
37. I don’t think it’s that weird, but apparently others do.
38. Growing up in a small town was hard. I wanted nothing more than to get out.
39. When I was 16, I convinced my parents to let me live with my grandmother and go to a private high school in the northshore of Milwaukee, WI.
40. Almost ten years later, I still cannot fully explain this decision, but I don’t regret it.
41. My junior and senior years were spent living with my grandmother and going to the same high school my mom attended.
42. I met my future husband at that school. We weren’t friends though.
43. He did, however, take me to the senior prom. We were set up. He spent the night playing cards with his friends. I spent the night dancing with mine. It worked out much better than I had thought.
44. I was really, really homesick in high school. I knew I wanted to be back in Colorado for college.
45. I was accepted to all four schools in CO that I applied to.
46. I was rejected from three out of state schools that I applied to.
47. I was convinced I wanted to be an Engineer and was thisclose to going to Colorado School of Mines.
48. At the last minute, I decided to go to CU, Boulder instead. I am so happy with that decision.
49. My future husband decided to go to Boulder too. It was purely coincidental.
50. I found out quickly that I did not like Engineering. So, I switched to Architecture. (Good thing I wasn’t at Mines).
51. I didn’t like Architecture either. But I liked the public speaking course I took (I got a 100% on every exam in that class and, if CU had A+ as an option, I would have gotten one), so I switched to Communication.
52. I loved Comm so much that I ended up being a tutor, TA and intern in the department.
I still graduated in only three and a half years with a BA in Communication and a Certified Business Certificate (basically a Business minor).
53. Matt and I actually became friends in Boulder and spent a lot of time together.
54. And then we fell in love. We started dating January 23, 2001.
55. My first job in college was as a telemarketer. It was just as bad as you imagine.
56. Then I was a nanny for a little boy that didn’t speak. I learned sign language with him and tried to help him with his words.
57. After a year and a half of working with him, hearing him say my name was one of the best sounds in the world.
58. 2004 was the worst best year of my life.
59. We experienced great joy as well as horrible tragedy.
60. I was head over heels in love with Matt and was convinced that I would marry him.
61. Matt broke up with me in June of that year and moved back to Milwaukee.
62. I was convinced that my life, as I knew it, was over and moved back to Telluride.
63. It turned out, that was the best thing that could have happened to me. I grew up a little, learned about myself and enjoyed being on my own.
64. I am so glad I didn’t marry him when I thought I wanted to. Looking back, I know that breaking up was the best thing for both of us.
65. I started working in real estate and that was the best job I’ve ever had.
66. Matt and I worked things out and remained friends. And then started a long-distance relationship. After some time, I decided to move to Milwaukee to live with Matt.
67. On December 28, 2005, while he was in Telluride to help me move, Matt proposed.
68. I moved into a small apartment with Matt on the east side of Milwaukee.
69. A month later, we bought a duplex in Shorewood, remodeled the kitchen and moved in.
70. Matt and I were married on June 30, 2007 at Gorrono Ranch on the Telluride Ski Area.
71. It was the most perfect, happiest day of my life.
72. I am slightly sad at how quickly it was all over.
73. I still feel giddy looking at our wedding pictures and remembering small details of the day.
74. We spent a week in Telluride after the wedding on what we like to call our pre-moon.
75. And then took our real honeymoon to St. Lucia for a week.
76. I loved being a bride. But, I love being married even more.
77. Sometimes, when I’m really excited, I forget to breathe when I’m talking to someone.
78. I really prefer summer to winter. Strangely, the two places I ever see myself living (Wisconsin or Telluride) have a lot more winter than summer.
79. I don’t really have favorites. No favorite movie, color, band. It all changes with my mood.
80. But, The Wizard of Oz, black, The Beatles and Matchbox Twenty will always be my fallback favorites.
81. I have never broken a bone.
82. I also have no known allergies and rarely ever get sick.
83. But, I did sprain my ankle doing the dot drill on my third day of pre-season volleyball practice at my new high school. I was so embarrassed. Who does that?
84. I secretly judge people who put bumper stickers on their cars.
85. Especially if they’re for Presidential candidates from many years ago. And definitely if that candidate didn’t win.
86. On May 11, 2008, Matt and I adopted a puppy from the Wisconsin Humane Society.
87. She is a Boxer/Shepherd mix and we named her Indy (short for Indiana). We are both in love with her.
88. Matt also traveled a lot growing up and we can only hope that we can do the same with our kids.
89. I grew up without television.
90. We had a TV and VCR and watched tapes. But we were limited on how much we could watch per day.
91. I never missed TV, but do feel absolutely clueless when people talk about shows like Full House, Saved by the Bell, Doogie Howser, M.D. and the like.
92. Pasta is the one food that I think I could eat every day and never get sick of.
93. I have weird issues with drinking water from the tap. If I can see where it is coming from, I don’t like to drink it. But, fill up a glass and put it in front of me, I’ll drink it and ask for more.
94. I love wearing flip flops and wear them at any chance I get. This is one of the things I really miss about living in Boulder—I could wear flip flops almost every day of the year.
95. I have a really hard time committing to doing things. I have no idea what I’m holding out for in most cases. Nothing better has ever come along.
96. Every car I’ve ever owned/driven has been a manual.
97. I have no tattoos.
98. And, I’ve never had any overwhelming desire to get one.
99. I am an extremely sarcastic person and have a strange sense of humor. I don’t think most people get it. Instead, they just think I’m weird.
100. I tend to embarrass myself a lot. I have learned not to let it bother me, but to laugh and never take myself too seriously.

Whew! If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading!

Halp!

2008-06-05T21:56:00.003-05:00

So, I have to ask. What are y'all using for your photo hosting these days?

Because, I was using Shutterfly (well, I was using Snapfish, but that's a different story). But, apparently, they're getting all wonky and sensitive about third-party hosting. Looking back through my posts, it's not pretty. Pictures are missing. Pictures are fuzzy. I don't like what I'm seeing. And I was using Mpix, but I quickly learned that was more for the actual ordering of prints and than the infinite sharing of them.

Really, I just want a nice, user-friendly photo site that will let me share my pictures with my favorite people, from which they may order prints if they feel so inclined, and which will allow me to use those pictures on my blog and other things too. Like, maybe my signature and bio on the Nest (what? Yes, I am addicted.).

So, what are the kids using these days? Photobucket? Flickr? Kodak? Dealing with the oddities of Shutterfly?

Crazy Dog Lady

2008-06-04T08:51:00.003-05:00

Okay, I promise not to overwhelm everyone with pictures of my puppy. But, I really can't help it. I can only imagine it will be a million and ten times worse when I have kids. Don't worry, that isn't any time soon. So, you're stuck with Indy.

We've been taking Indy out to the lake with us on the weekends. She loves it! She loves the water and is a natural swimmer! She has no problem jumping right in the water and swimming around. Hopefully, we'll have her jumping off the end of the pier before the summer is over.

Here are a few pictures of my baby, including one with her and "Aunt Nellie" (Matt's parents' dog. A Boxer. One of the sweetest dogs EVER. Indy adores her.)

A Recap of Last Week

2008-06-03T12:43:00.002-05:00

Last week, my mom and brother were here visiting. We had so much fun with them. They did spend a lot of time with my grandmother, but we got to see plenty of them. As I had said earlier, they were here to help my grandma move, but ended up helping her in other ways instead.

Tuesday, we went to the Fox Bay theater to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I had heard some really bad reviews about it, but I went into it with an open mind. And, you know what? I liked it! Sure, it wasn't a quality film by any means, but it wasn't horrible. It was dumb and cheesy, but so were the other movies in the series. It was good for a few laughs and I enjoyed it.

Wednesday, we met up with my family and my aunt and cousin for dinner. I don't see much of my aunt, so it was nice to see her.

In keeping with the theme for the week, my mom and I hit up the new Sex and the City movie on opening day last Friday. We went to the new Ipic theater at Bayshore. The theater was great! And the movie? Fabulous! This was another movie that had not gotten the best of reviews. However, we both loved it. I started watching the show while I was in college. My roommate and I rented all of the DVDs to catch up and then I watched the rest my senior year while I lived with Matt. I vividly remember kicking him out of the living room every Sunday night to watch the show. I remember crying at the finale and being so happy at how it had all been wrapped up in a nice little bow. That summer, I was back at home, living with my parents and introduced my mom to the show when it started airing on TBS. So, going to see the movie with my mom seemed perfect. I also figured that I wouldn't tell her that the versions on TBS were a little more "family friendly" than the real thing. I'm sure she figured that part out though. Anyhow, the movie did not disappoint. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more. It was fun! And, I will definitely be back to the Ipic!

After the movie, Matt and I made sushi for our guests. They loved it, which I knew they would. Then, it was off to bed early. We had to be up at 3:30 Saturday morning to get to the airport. I was a little sad saying goodbye to them, but I will be seeing them again in less than a month! Their visit went by way too quickly (even though they were here for a week and a half), but that's just how things are. Thanks for visiting guys! I love you.

My Garden

2008-06-03T09:50:00.007-05:00

I fully realize that sometimes I say I am going to do things and I never actually follow through. So, do you remember when I talked about starting a garden? Well, I did it.

About a week and a half ago, I went into the basement and dug out a bunch of the pots that I had found. I dragged Matt to the garden center and we bought many plants, more pots and some soil to get us started. We bought a tomato plant, habanero peppers, chile peppers, red peppers, yellow peppers, onions, cilantro, basil and strawberries.

So far, so good. I haven't killed anything yet and I've been really good about remembering to keep them watered. They've all grown considerably now that they're in bigger pots and their roots can spread out. (Though, I am slightly worried about my chile pepper plant. It is so little and it hasn't been growing nearly as much as all of the other plants.) All of the plants are getting plenty of sun on our back balcony. Now, I just can't wait for them to actually start to produce.

I am very excited to start enjoying some fresh salsa, as well as other deliciousness from my little garden!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-06-03T08:47:00.003-05:00

Enjoy your day! I love you.

In which I say nothing at all

2008-06-02T20:06:00.004-05:00

I tried giving my blog a facelift and blogger rejected all of my changes...and refused to let me do anything. So, I'm stuck with a standard template until I can get it figured out.

And, I have a plethora of posts to share, all of which include pictures. Unfortunately, I cannot find my camera cable. Perhaps the dog ate it? It's just not my day technically, I guess.

On the plus side, I found my sunglasses!

Distraction

2008-05-27T14:49:00.002-05:00

It's somewhat hard to get work done when I have this cutie trying to distract me all day.

Yes, we take our dog to the office. And, yes, I realize that I probably need to vacuum my carpets.

Poor Bird

2008-05-27T13:06:00.004-05:00

A pair of birds have taken up residence in the awning over our back porch. It was as if they built their nest overnight. One day the awning was bird-free, the next day, they were hanging out in their new home.

I suppose it is our fault for not evicting them as soon as we noticed their nest. Instead, I just swore at them under my breath every time I went in and out of the back door. Every single time I opened the door, those damn birds would freak out and try to dive bomb me. It's a wonder I am still alive to tell the tale, really. And that I have all of my fingers, toes and eyeballs intact.

After about a week of this, Matt and I decided that, at this point, they've likely laid their eggs and it would be cruel for us to move the nest. We made the executive decision to wait until the eggs hatched and that we were certain there were no babies left in the nest. We would just deal with the barrage of attacks any time we dared to get near the nest. And, again, by "get near", I really mean go in or out the back door. It can't be that much longer until the eggs hatch and the babies move on, right? We'd just deal with it.

Well, that was until last night.

We came home and I opened the back door only to be attacked by the momma bird, per usual. But then, I heard a thud on the porch as she flew off. Upon further inspection, I deduced what had fallen.

If you are guessing baby bird, then you are 100% correct. A baby bird, still pink and gross looking, fell from the nest to the porch when its mother tried to scare me off. This is a drop of about 7-8 feet, so I was convinced the thing was dead. I looked closer and it was moving! I called for Matt and he came over. The bird was still alive and we had to figure out how to get it back into its nest without contracting the Avian Flu.

After several minutes that involved plastic bags, ladders and me trying to protect us from momma bird (once she realized what we had, she REALLY went into attack mode as she thought we were trying to kill the baby), we deposited the baby back into the nest.

Poor thing! I have no idea if he will make it. We really tried not to touch it directly so that it wouldn't get rejected by its parents (and, again, so that we wouldn't contract the bird flu), so I hope that he'll be okay.

A hint of summer

2008-05-27T12:12:00.004-05:00

We had a great weekend. It was nice and long and had the perfect balance of chores with a sprinkling of play and relaxation.

As I may have mentioned earlier, my mom and brother are here visiting this week. They have been splitting their time here between our house and my grandma's place. They were originally going to be helping her move. Unfortunately, the buyer for her condo is not working out and so she is not moving this week. They have been helping her in other ways with some things that have come up, so not all is lost. Plus, I am glad they are here.

Saturday, we worked around the house. Played in the backyard with our pup. Just relaxed and tried to enjoy the weather. Tried being the operative word there--it was a bit chilly. The tile work in our tenants' bathroom got done and it looks really good. The four of us met Matt's parents for dinner that evening and had a great time with them, catching up and enjoying the company. Also on Saturday, I cracked open my first Summer Shandy of the season. Deliciousness in a bottle.

Sunday, we went out to Oconomowoc. Matt's family has a house on Oconomowoc Lake and this is where we spend most of the weekends during the summer. It is so close--about an hour from our house--that we can go for the day and come back home. I love it out there. Due to everyone's hectic schedules (and a trip to Jamaica at the beginning of the month), we didn't even have the piers in the water yet. This is usually done by the end of April and the boats go in a few weeks later. Saturday, we* spent the day putting the main pier and boat lifts in the water. Two wave runners and the pontoon boat are also in. All that is left is the ski boat and sail boat, both of which are much easier than the others. This was Indy's first trip out to the lake and she LOVED it. She ran up and down the hill about a million times and even jumped into the water twice and swam around. She's a natural! Matt made pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and even I had one. It was delicious! I mean, it's not something I would eat all of the time, but it was tasty.

Yesterday, Monday, my mom spent the day with her mom. She doesn't see her very often and wanted to be with her. Matt, my brother and I went out to the lake again. The weather was gorgeous and we just relaxed all day. The water is still a little too cold to go swimming, but soon enough. I hope to water ski a little more often than I have in summers past, so I am excited for the ski boat to finally go in the water. Again, Indy loved being out there. And, this time, Nellie (Matt's parent's dog) and Zoey (his sister's dog) were out there to play. She really loved running with the big dogs. I was relieved and happy that they all got along. It really did feel like summer. We even went to the Kiltie for dinner. It's an old drive-in with greasy burgers (veggie for me!) and frozen custard. Matt tells me stories of how he and his siblings used to walk from their house over to the Kiltie after dinner for custard. It just goes along with summer.

And, now, it's back to work. There is still quite a bit of work to be done on our house. We have to get the trailer to pick up our fencing and take stuff to the dump. Our new tenant is coming over tonight to pick up keys and then they start moving in tomorrow.

Also this week, we have plans to see Indiana Jones with my mom and brother and my mom and I are going to see Sex and the City on Friday afternoon. Downtown Dining Week starts Thursday, so I hope to drag my family to experience some of that before they go. And then they leave at 5am on Saturday. So, it will probably be another busy week, but probably worth it.

I am also well overdue on seeing some of my friends--my BFF and I have been trying to make plans to get together for weeks now. But, she's moving this weekend, so we might have to push it out until next week.

Ah well.

__________________________________
*Of course, by "we", I really mean Matt and the boys--my brother and our friend Ryan were there to help. I help out by staying out of the way and observing the work from a distance.

Body Worlds

2008-05-27T12:07:00.002-05:00

This past Friday, I finally got to see Body Worlds at the Milwaukee Public Museum. I had been waiting for my mom to be here to go. We went with my brother, mom and grandmother. It was every bit of fascinating that I expected, and then some. Seriously, wow. Every display had me in complete awe. From the simple skeleton to the cross sections of a smoker’s lungs to the plasticated horse to the fetus development display. It was all incredible. I had no idea what some of the human body parts looked like. Take, for instance, the uterus. I really had no idea it was so small to start with. Or how many arteries there really are in our heads. No wonder head wounds bleed a lot.

The display did a great job at relaying just how impressive of a machine the human body truly is. Each and every system has a purpose and they all work together to keep us going. However, it was very apparent how greatly disease and illness can impact it all.

It was so interesting. However, somewhat morbid. Many bodies still have their eyeballs, eyebrows, toenails and fingernails. It was a reminder that these are actually real human bodies and not just plastic replicas. And, while the fetus development room was my favorite, it was pretty sad. Overall, the entire exhibit was incredible. I just wish I had a better way to describe how interesting it all was. You just have to see it for yourself.

We finished up our time at the museum with a walk through the Streets of Old Milwaukee—a favorite for all of us. We had wanted to see the butterflies, but that exhibit closes early so that they can get their rest. But, I will be back.

If you haven’t seen it yet, go visit Body Worlds at the Milwaukee Public Museum. It must close June 1, so you have only a limited time. It is well worth it.