360 of my world

Moving & Additions

2009-07-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hello once again! Figured it was time for an update! Things have been crazy lately!

Chris and I just moved onto a farm, located about seven miles away from where we used to live. this has been a chaotic, yet exciting, move! I'm beginning to remember all of the things I loved about the farm, and those that I didn't care for...

We have a rather tiny place, but we finally a YARD again!!! We are continuing to get settled in and making it feel like home. In the process we are battling bugs (flies and yellow jackets mainly) and of course Chris enjoys my freak-outs when I see a mouse in the garage!

However, the most exciting part so far is that we got a puppy! Her name is Ruger! Chris chose the name, because apparently it is a kind of gun, and most of us know what a fan he is. I agreed because it sounded "cute." Ruger was supposed to be a boy, but as soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one and I didn't care that she wasn't a he! She is a cross between a yellow lab and a great pyrenees; she may have been an accidental puppy, but she's our little "love-puppy."

So, everyone meet our little Ruger!

(Please excuse the browning grass!)

Walk MS

2009-05-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in May, I was asked to lend a helping had at the MS walk in Willmar. As some of you know, Chris’s sister was diagnosed with MS a little over four years ago. Since the diagnosis, his family as become extremely involved with the Minnesota Chapter of the National MS Society and all of their efforts to raise money towards finding a cure.

As one of their many efforts, Chris’s family was a key driver in running “Walk MS” this past weekend. They had over 100 walkers attend this event, raising over $10,000. One of my favorite groups to watch was “The Blue Crew” (wearing yellow). They were a group of Best Buy employees and their families. The Blue Crew actually had some runners… these runners finished the 5K route before I could even get the finish line set up!

All-in-all we had beautiful weather and a great turnout! A sunny afternoon filled with family, friends and fun!

Chris’s family and I will once again be participating this August in “Ride MS.” Ride MS is a motorcycle tour through Minnesota and Wisconsin; this two-day event provides hope and encouragement for those living with MS across the nation. Because Chris’s mom and I don’t ride, we volunteer and drive the truck/trailer behind Chris’s sister in case she needs to take a break.

Right now I am in the process of raising money for this event by organizing events near my hometown and receiving donations for the silent auction. If anyone would like to help, please let me know. Any monetary donations can be submitted by clicking on the webpage below.

UPDATES!!!

2009-04-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

So after six months or so, I figured it was about time for an update!

November
November kicked off with a trip to Duluth (as seen in my last post). The month continued to be full with working both Schwan’s and Movie Gallery. I attended a Vikings game with my family, and was happy to have witnessed the Vikes beating the Packers at a home game! November ended with a wedding, a weekend with just DaShawn and myself, and of course Thanksgiving with the family.

December
The crazy holidays continued… making December full of family! Lots happening no matter where I was, and as always the Toys-For-Tots drive. Chris also moved in during December making my townhouse seem smaller and far more cluttered, but it typically seems just about right! Sad Note – December also marked the graduation of one of my best girls, Kim. We all knew it was coming, but it was sad to see her go. She headed down to Kentucky to pursue a new career along with her daughter, Theran. (We offered to keep Theran, but for some reason Kim wasn’t understanding…)

January
The year started off extremely busy. It seemed as though both jobs were taking their toll. The girls made sure to get me out at least once a week, and there was a shopping day with Mom and Tiana. With all the chaos a break was needed, so we ended the month with a trip to the Toughest Man’s Rodeo with family members.

February & March
The months are supposed to be filled with Love and Luck, but for me it was filled with travel. There were numerous trips to the cities for various events, including working in the MS booth at the International Motorcycle Convention and SIFE Regionals. Chris, his dad and myself volunteered one weekend to work at the convention in the MS booth registering riders for the charitable motorcycle tour this summer. And I made sure to head down to the cities for SIFE Regionals to watch my little brother present for the DSU SIFE team, in addition to cheering on my former SMSU SIFE team. March also marked my last days at Movie Gallery, deciding to leave so that I had more time to spend with family and friends, not to mention housework… boo…

That brings us to April, while the month is nearly over, I thought I would mention some of the highlights. The month started with a trip to Fargo and last weekend we attended a bridal shower. Sunday night, Schwan’s was a star on the hit TV show The Celebrity Apprentice! Be sure to check out the new products at http://www.schwans.com/. (I so deserve a raise!)

Spring has come, and with that it was time to put out my bird feeders! As of right now, my selection of birds has been limited to purple finches, but given that I live in a newer development with very few trees (none of which as full grown) and no water, I am happy that I have attracted birds at all. Chris is not a fan, as they love to hang out on his grill…

This month I have also attempted to start up a few new hobbies, like there isn’t enough going on already. I’ve tried my hand at knitting, and have to admit, I am not very impressive… I guess I need to start taking lessons from my cousin! But, last weekend I also gave quilting a shot, and I am proud to say I have completed my first quilt!

I made it out of old jeans and flannel shirts, leaving all the seams exposed so that they would fray. I also used my handy-dandy embroidery machine to embroider one of the corner squares. I plan on giving the quilt to a silent auction later this summer for the MS River Road Run.

Last Tuesday, I was able to go see my favorite little man in the world! The little guy celebrated his third birthday today! It’s hard to believe that he is getting to be so big!

Last, but certainly not least... this weekend I worked on my mom's birthday gift... I embroidered her a brown sweatshirt that had "Fish Whisperer" in pink writing on it. She loved it! Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Minnesota Oddities!!!

2008-11-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

I am only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have.

On November 1st my best girl (Beth) and I set out on a road trip. We decided a week earlier that we just needed a weekend away... so we decided to go to Duluth! A three day trip that would not be about the destination, but about the journey! There will be a few posts on this trip (or at least that is the plan), so I thought I would start out with the oddities! We recalculated our route so that we may see more of what Minnesota has to offer! Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite photos, yes it is simply us in the car, BUT we are in Wisconson! We crossed the bridge, but once we got there... we were scared to get out of the car, so I guess this is as good as it gets for the cheesehead state!

Here are some of the roadside attractions we saw during the weekend. Some of our favorites including the world's largest ball of twine, the grasshopper church in cold springs, a pantsless man, and our most favorite... a random guy chillin' in his trunk!

This is my favorite picture of the whole trip, and the very first picture taken! It makes me think of that tune... "which one of these is not like the other ones, which one of these just doesn't belong"... do you see which one doesn't belong?!

Apple Jelly!!!

2008-10-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd give an update on the apple jelly us Johnson girls made a few weeks back. Mom ordered a bunch of crab apples and using Grandma Ardy's recipe, we made our jelly! Tiana took lots of pictures so that she can use them for 4H, so I thought I'd share.

So we cut up all the apples, it really helped once Tiana learned the correct end to cut off :-) We followed the directions, and it turned out beautifully!

Dad and Jared held down the couch for us so that it would be there when we were finished... they were a huge help!

We had a great family night, and again the jelly was gorgeous! That is what's important! However, it did taste wonderful, so that's just an added bonus!

Quick Post

2008-08-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

DaShawn and Jackie came to visit earlier this week... my goodness is he getting big. He found a birthday card that I received from a friend, and thought it was the funniest thing on the planet.

Weekends At The Lake

2008-08-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, so it has been a long and crazy summer... sorry again about not posting... so I figured I would update you on some of our weekends at the lake! As some of you know, my family spends a months worth of weekends at the lake every summer.

This year we have had a lot of luck fishing! We've brought in some rather large northerns on a lake I am not at privilege to disclose. I enjoy fishing, but I don't touch fish, so dad has to hold mine for me to take photos!

We've also been able to spend a lot of time with family and friends. One of which was an old friend of mine that I have not talked to in what seems like forever. We've spent nights around the campfire enjoying smores, conversation and spirits.

Cruises around the lakes in our new boat have provided many great pictures and lots of fun on the tube. I just got a new camera and have taken lots of pictures, so hopefully my blog posts will begin to increase! Tiana is also enjoying her new camera, an awesome new Canon Rebel!

Well until next time!

SIFE Nationals 2008

2008-06-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hello once again! Thought I would put in a little plug about our SIFE Nationals trip to Chicago. We did well again this year placing within the top 8 teams in the nation (pretty impressive seeing as how there are over 900 teams in the U.S.)! We had a great time leaving early in the morning on May 13th and getting back late on May 16th. We competed against some great teams, and meet many new friends. Here are some pictures from our trip!

This is Kim and I during opening ceremonies at McCormick Place. We were both really excited to get to go there. Our entire conference was held at this location, and what a location it is! Gorgeous views and a great facility!

These are our "runners"!!! For all gathering in the big hall during the event, our team had fabulous seats due to these four gentlemen. A few minutes before the doors were opened and the masses stormed into the auditorium, the four of them would sneak to the front of the line, and make a made dash to the front by the stage! We never had to seat further back than second row all because of our runners!

Kim's finger on the top of the Sears tower! I know pretty exciting right?! Haha!

Jared and I outside of McCormick Place, sorry that it is so dark! Chicago was rainy and windy... imagine that!

And here was one of my favorite things about Nationals this year... look at the top of this huge banner at the competition, see the picture that I have circled? And the red head in the top left of that picture? That's me!!! They used one of the pictures that they took of our presentation team last year for all of there signage this year! We were plastered across signs, banners, video, and many other marketing tools! I have the picture from last year too so that you can all see it!

Rosie

2008-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I took some grief last weekend for not updating my blog more often, sorry. So here ya go... a new post!!!

I would like you all to meet Rosie. Chris and I adopted her on April 19, 2008. She is a three year-old Tricolor Bluetick Beagle. She lives with Chris in Brookings, and I get to see her most weekends.

She is a honey of a dog. When we adopted her we knew very little about her. She was a stray that an area farmer found one day, and after weeks of listing her in the newspaper, to see if he could find her owners, nothing turned up. So he dropped her off at the Humane Society where Chris and I found her three days later.

Knowing little about her we were somewhat nervous, would this mean months of potty training lessons and late-night howling? After studying her short hair, it seemed as though she must have been a house dog, because she didn't have a winter coat. And as it turns out we were right (or maybe just lucky)! She was fully house-broken! And just a side note she is not a fan of baths.

Even though we try to convince her they are essential, as I am allergic to dogs, she doesn't seem to care. All she knows is that she is wet and miserable! So most of the time, I just stay juiced up with allergy medicine.

Nor was she very impressed with her new kennel to sleep in. But she does enjoy trying to "bury" things underneath her blankets!

We have really enjoyed her! Lots of walks, and trips to the park! Stay tuned for more updates!

Happy Birthday Sunshine!!!

2008-03-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Bowling Night

2008-03-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

The other night a few of us SIFErs took a night off to have some fun. We decided to go bowling, guys vs. girls. We still say that the girls had a slight disadvantage and that's the reason that the guys won... Just thought I would share some photos. SIFE regionals are less than two weeks away, so I have to run!

My Kimberly...

2008-03-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

Look! Two posts in the same week!

I'm on a roll!

I wanted to do a post about my Kimberly. I met Kim last May and she has become such a great friend! She joined the SIFE team, and quickly took a leadership role to help me run the team this year. I really don't know what I would have done without her. She is an extremely creative person, and almost an clone of myself. She has the cutest little girl named Theron, who has become our official SIFE baby, and she comes to more meetings than some of our other members.

Kim has been such an asset to our team this year, and I couldn't be happier to have gotten to know her!

New Post!!! Woo Hoo!!!

2008-02-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

How is everyone?! I thought I would post an update on what's going on in my life... it's been hectic, as always.

Well my motto to get through everything has now become, "Third week of May."

School is crazy. I was an idiot and didn't cut myself any slack for my last semester. All of my professors seem to think that now is the time for everyone to work in groups, so in all five classes I'm in a group. Great for some, horrible for others where people don't want to do anything. The worst part about groups with senior students, is that we all have crazy schedules, and finding time outside of class when six people can meet, is impossible. But I graduate on May 10th! Yay! Can't wait! People are giving me grief about not participating in commencement, but that's a whole different thread about money and my wising up.

Next there is work at Schwan's University. We are currently going through the process of accredidation, to become the first accredited corporate university in the world.

Alright, now we get to SIFE. {{Play scary music here}}

Regional competition is one month away. I do not have an annual report, a script, or a video. I am freaking out!!! I have soooo much to get done, as far as projects and the like. If anyone has any connections with elementary schools, I could use some help getting an interactive ethics story into some classrooms, if you can make a recommendation and get me a contact I could do the rest. I am working with Unilever corporation to launch a project internationally, secure exclusive internships and establish scholarships. (Unilever is a HUGE company, most known for brands like Ragu, Slimfast, Vaseline, Sunsilk, AXE deodarant, Ponds, Lipton, Hellmann's, Dove, and Bertolli. They also own Target department stores.) Okay... simply stated, SIFE currently has 29 projects, we have completed 11. Regionals is March 26th, and Nationals is May 13.

THIRD WEEK OF MAY!!!

A Long Overdue Update

2007-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

Okay... so things have been extremely crazy around here lately. So this is now what I look like 24/7...

With the holidays arriving fast it always means more things crammed into the same amount of time... lets break it down.

Work: I've had two huge projects, preparing for a large conference in the cities this week, and creating informational binders containing anything and everything that is Southwest Minnesota to send to a national talk radio host in Fargo in hopes of gaining sponsor for a national movement we have begun. Well, I am proud to say that I finished them on Tuesday, so now I move on to two other major projects... Speech Spectacular 2007 and taking on a major role in the application process for accrediation of the first corporate university in the world (Schwan's University). So things are just going to get crazier from here...

School: Well I have one and a half weeks until finals... so of course all of the large projects that I have avoided all semester are all due next week. Figures... but hey, I work best under pressure and as my mother would say "it's a rush!" Only one more semester after this, and I have to admit I can not wait!

SIFE: Well as most of you know SIFE is a major part of my life. Lately I have been freaking, because I have a little over two months to complete 29 projects... wish me luck! Nature's Backyard is taking up a lot of time lately, as well as the rest of the projects. I'll keep you all updated on how these go. I am hoping to start sleeping again after our directors meeting on Saturday; we will be going through all of our projects and breaking them down... we're looking at 8 hours... ugh.

FAMILY/FRIENDS: This is what is keeping me sane! Thank you all! Mom, Tiana and I went shopping in the cities last weekend and had a great time! We got to see my aunt Kim and cousin Aubrey while we were there, not to mention all of the fabulous shopping (IKEA)!!!

Also, last month my family and I attend the Vikings/Chargers game in Minneapolis. Wow, what a great game!

Saying Goodbye to NYC

2007-10-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

So day seven was sort of bitter-sweet. I finally got to go and see the two major highlights on my NYC itinerary, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

The day began with me having a little fun with the "Techno Echo." Just so you know, this giant mega phone is located underneath an interstate overpass. I'll be needing awesome benefits to cover hearing aids next week!

Another interesting point... they look like normal bricks, right?! Nope, these are made of wood. They are located at an old railroad terminal where the ferry from Liberty State park departs.

Ellis Island!!! This was the only major tourist site that I had hoped to see while on this trip. I was so happy to be able to do this today! I only have one hour on the island so I ran to see the major areas such as the registration room. Due to this lack of time, I did buy a DVD all about Ellis Island, so I look forward to learning even more!

After the island the ferry went to Liberty Island, where I got to view the famous lady up-close and personal. She is magnificant, although not as large as I had imagined, still astounding! I only had an hour here also, so I made sure to walk around the island and take a few different pictures. Hopefully, I will be able to share a few more pictures in future posts.

And like I said at the beginning of this post... a bitter-sweet ending. I have fallen in love with this city, it's history, and it's scenery... I am very sad to be leaving... BUT I could not be happier to finally getting home and spending some much needed time with family and friends!!!

I miss you all!!!

Simply Beautiful

2007-10-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

I moved into my new hotel in Jersey City on day six and I must say... it is beautiful! Below are a few pictures from the hotel property.

The beautiful bridge connecting Statten Island and Brooklyn.

Lady Liberty and Ellis Island.

A giant duel sundial right behind the hotel.

Incredible Manhattan!!!

This was probably one of the most interesting things I have seen in some time. My hotel is actually located atop a pier in the Hudson river. Along the pier are many fisherman... ok so not that interesting so far, right?!

Well... they are not baiting their hooks... The lures that they are using are HUGE and all have at least three giant hooks on them! And what they are doing is dropping the lure to the bottom of the river and yanking the line so that they hook through the fish.

I was amazed to see them all drop in a line and immediately pull out fish. Some of these fisherman had numerous hooks on one line, so they were able to pull out multiple fish at a time.

Now... was that interesting?! Maybe not, but I liked it :)

Big City Squishin' Mission

2007-10-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Day five was a extremely thrilling day. I decided to spend the majority of the day touring around NYC on my own.

So I set out on a mission... squished pennies!!!

For those who may not know, my little sister collects pressed pennies and I do have to say it is a great item to collect! They are inexpensive, easy to pack/lightweight AND they help big sisters who are travelling to find destination points.

So I set out with my list! I went to visit the Empire State Building, Times Square Info Center and many other numerous places, but then I found my favorite squished penny location... M&M World!!!

M&M World was was a total blast! I was shopping, sampling and kickin' it with Blue!

There was this "machine" there, and when you stood on a mat in front of the TV screen, ti would determine your color mood! Mine was Electric Green! I have to say, what a great way to pitch your M&Ms! I can't tell you how many kids I saw do this and then throw fits until thier parents bought them some (might I add that they are $9 per pound!!!). I will let you all know, that although I was seriously craving some M&Ms by the time I left, I didn't buy any there... I went to the local drug store! And that's why I go to college, Mom will be so proud! :)

I also had to include a couple extra pictures from that day. I decided to go to a clothing store that was about 15 blocks away. **Keep in mind that I didn't bring a jacket or an umbrella on this trip! Bonehead move on my part!** Well when I stepped out of the hotel, it was down-pouring! I had intended to take the subway, but didn't want to walk the 3 blocks to the station in the rain. So I decided I would take a cab!

Well, when it rains in Manhattan everyone takes a cab. So after standing in an extremely long line for 30 minutes, and only moving 3 feet, I decided to take a ride in a cart behind a bike! So I took a few pictures!

To finish my story... I got to the store, made my purchases and then figured I would go back to the hotel. Well now I was in the middle of no where, with no cab in sight. By this time the rain had intensified (I didn't believe it was possible, but mother nature proved me wrong!). So I ran 2 blocks in the torrential rain and bought an umbrella! I then stepped outside and opened my umbrella to walk to the subway station... no rain. Haven't seen a drop since :)

Work Hard - Play Harder

2007-10-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well I am sorry to inform everyone, but on day four I did not take many pictures. I spent the majority of the day in my hotel room working on school assignments, sife projects, and schwans work. But that day was also the opening ceremony for SIFE World Cup.

SIFE World Cup, happens to be smaller than the United State's National Competition. I just heard an update on the number of teams around the world, and we have reached 1514 teams! This number allows us to continue to hold our title as the largest student network in the world! At the World Cup, there were representative from 54 different countries, and getting to see some of these many diverse cultures was astounding!

After the ceremony many of us decided to hit the town and have a couple of drinks. All together there were probably 50 of us that invaded this little Irish pub. And throughout the night we all got to know eachother on a more personal level, leaving the suits behind!

The City That Never Sleeps

2007-10-12T18:38:00.001-07:00

Day three was quite a long day. I participated in a finanical literacy forum all day, but it did have many highlights. I had the opportunity to learn many interesting facts and about the experiences of others. There were 100 students choosen from around the world to participate in this forum, so needless to say networking with such a diverse group of individuals was amazing.

That evening we split into three groups to go on a couple different outings. Two of the outings included the Statten Island ferry and the Empire State Building... well seeing how I had already gone on the ferry ride and had visited the Top of the Rock, I decided to go with option three.

Myself and 24 others walked up to Times Square! WOW!!! This was absolutely wonderful! We walked around for about an hour and then went to eat at the Hardrock Cafe. It was a wonderful time!

And I got to meet Samual L. Jackson!

OK... so maybe he was made of wax...

but I can dream can't I?! :)

Ongoing Journey in NYC

2007-10-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Day 2 of my NYC adventure!!! Well this was my last day with Jenny and she let me sleep in, woohoo!!! So in the afternoon we went and checked into my hotel and then went to do some final site seeing together.

But first Jenny insisted on taking some unpacking and "the room before the invasion pictures" pictures!

We then walked a few blocks to visit Saint Patrick's Cathedral, one word... gorgeous!

After the cathedral, we walked across the street to the Rockefeller Center. Jenny has a friend who works the "Top of the Rock" tours, and she was able to hook us up with passes and audio tours. This was probably the neatest thing I've done thus far!

The Top of the Rock tour takes you up 67 floors to an open-air roof top with spectacular views! Jenny has been to the Empire State Building and says that the Top of the Rock offers better views just because you are able to see the Empire State Building and you get a better view of Central Park (from the Empire, Rockefeller blocks this view). It was an amazing experience, and I couldn't be more pleased to have had the pleasure to do it with Jenny!

These last two pictures are of the views from the Top of the Rock. In the picture of Central Park there are many interesting sites visable, including Yankee's Stadium. The bottom picture shows an incredible view of the Empire State Building and on the right-hand side near the middle of the picture, there is a little "speck" in the middle of a river... that is the Statue of Liberty!

The Big Apple

2007-10-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well here is where it all began. I flew out of Minneapolis at 7:00AM on Sunday (10.7) and this was my view! I love flying above the clouds! Absolutely gorgeous!

My cousin Jenny met me at the airport and then we went back to her place in Queens. I had to do some work on my computer quick, so Jenny played with the camera. Then we took off to Central Park!

First we got on the wrong train, but still managed to find our way. Luckily we made that mistake because it lead us into the park right by a penny pressing machine! Tiana is going to be so happy!

Central Park was absolutely beautiful! We got to see many interesting people and places! There were these giant rocks that so many little kids were climbing, so Jen and I decided that we would at least take a picture on them!

There were many different statues throughout the park. Here are two, the one is a angel that stands on top of a giant fountain, and we believe that the gold statue is George Washington being lead into battle by an angel.

We met up with Jenny's boyfriend and another one of their friends. We went over to Strawberry Fields and seen the memorial for John Lenon. Very neat to see!

Another park perk were all of the performers. We got to see many great "shows" and some not so great ones...

After Central Park we went down to the tip of Manhattan. We grabbed some food, saw ground zero and rode the Statten Island ferry! Then we walked through the financial district, and I got to see the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street. Then we went to Bedford and to meet and hang out with some of Jenny's friends. All in all, it was a great day!

Three Days in DC

2007-10-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been absent for the past couple of weeks! Last Monday (09/24) I found out that I need to be in Washington DC on for work, so things got crazy very fast, as I am leaving for New York on the 7th. Well anywho... myself and two others from Schwan's University flew down to DC on Tuesday (10/2) and came back Thursday.

We had a great time! We got there Tuesday afternoon and got ready for the BEST Awards Ceremony that evening. Everyone attending knew that they had received an award, but the ceremony is where you find out your rankings, we came in at 42nd. Anywho... after the ceremony we decided to do some quick nightime sight-seeing.

We went to the WWII memorial, the Korean memorial, and the Lincoln memorial. Then we had our driver give us a tour around the city. We saw many wonderful monuments and then went back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep.

On Wednesday we finished up our work by giving a presentation on leadership development and then continued being tourists. Beth and I walked all over DC and our feet are remembering Capital Building, the Botanic Gardens, some of the Smithsonian museums, the Holocaust Museum, the National Archives, White House, Vietnam Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. In addition to these, we also got to see the Presidential Motorcade... as we were coming up on Pennsilvania Avenue, we saw that they were shutting down the entire street, then all of a sudden there were numerous cop escorts and black SUVs, as well as a helicopter circling above us. Both drivers that we had that day, also gave us tours of the city! Our drivers were great and we could not have been any more pleased with the hospitality in DC, it was very impressive!

Eventually, Thursday came around and we decided that we still wanted to head up to Arlington National Cemetary. Although our feet were killing us we figured that we had to make this trip. So we ventured out once again and saw all of the famous memorials within the cemetary. We saw JFK's gravesite and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was taken back by the size of this place. There are over 310,000 people buried there, and they have an average of 28 burials each day. Below is the view from JFK's grave, looking out at the capital building.

Also, there are a couple pictures of me that Beth took on this trip. The first is me, posing as a statue at the Korean Memorial (they told me to play "tragedy" so I'm playing "broke"). Then there is me at the Botanic Gardens and then in front of the Jefferson Monument. Mine and Beth's motto for the day was "Strike a Pose!" So I thought I would share... :)

I'll write from New York! Talk to you all soon!!!

My Summer Project

2007-09-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

As many of you may already know, I am the President of the SMSU SIFE team, and we own and operate our own store. The store is called Nature's Backyard, and we sell wild bird supplies, lawn decor, and a variety of gift items.

A little background info - Nature's Backyard is located on the corner of two streets, Main and Third. Well Main street has been closed, due to construction, since last May. Main street is the main enterance to our store, so this made the summer tough for us, especially with it being our typical busy season.

So with the slow down at the store, I decided that I would take this opportunity to undertake a large project, sprucing up the "Yard." I pooled all of our resources and dramatically increased our inventory! In addition, another volunteer and myself decided that we wanted to revamp the interior. We landscaped the inside of our store with pavers and mulch. Then in a spur-the-moment decision, we also put in a pond. With the help of our other volunteers, we were able to complete the landscaping. We also gathered antique items to use in our new display areas. The entire project could not have turned out any better! The store looks wonderful!

With the grand opening of Main street happening next week, we still have some work to do. We have two huge walk-in displays surrounding our main enterance that could use some rework, and we need to make a new store sign.

Wish me luck!

Pictures - The picture at the top of this post is the new view of our store when you come in the main enterance. To the left is a picture of a section of our extened Droll Yankees line. To the right is a picture of the landscaping and merchandise surrounding our porch. And below is a picture of two of my favorite products at Nature's Backyard! Please forgive me, there was a smudge on my camera lens, and it shows up in the majority of these pictures.

Summer Review

2007-09-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been an extremely busy summer. But hopefully I can get everything caught up this week. Where have I been?! Schwan's University... I have been working full-time all summer. Also, Nature's Backyard. I'll post some pictures of Nature's Backyard sometime this week and show you all of the things I have been working on this summer. I promise... I'll be back!

Get Motivated!

2007-06-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

On June 20th, myself and five other interns left Marshall at 4:00AM and went to the Get Motivated Seminar at the Target Center. It was a great time and we got to hear some pretty amazing speakers including, Jeff Taylor, Tom Hopkins, Suze Orman, Zig Ziglar, Bill Cosby and Colin Powell.