From the North Star to the Lone Star

Biggest Loser Day 2

2011-01-05T21:39:00.002-06:00

So I had a great plan to run an errand during lunch, find something good to eat, and go biking after work. Well, this turned out to be a fast-paced and crazy day, and for lunch I was asked to a business meeting to a great seafood place, so my errand would have to wait until after work, which meant no biking. But I did make a good choice at lunch. Everyone at the table has entered in the biggest loser competition so they were eating salads and veggies, though a couple compromised with lobster bisque. Well, I'm not much of a salad eater, but I did want to stay away from the fried seafood (you feel a little guilty ordering it when it somes from the category "Fried Seafood" as if to warn you with a big sign) and still have something authentic. So I ordered a seafood pasta with grilled seafood, and a creamy marinara sauce so it wasn't the healthiest, but ate only 1/2 at the restaurant and took the other half home and had it for dinner. So instead of wolfing the whole thing down and feeling sick later, I had just enough to keep me comfortable and then had the rest at home.

Blog on the go!

2011-01-04T23:33:00.001-06:00

Wow, all this new fangled technology even allows for posting by phone... nice!

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Welcome 2011!

2011-01-04T22:33:00.002-06:00

Wow, year and a half since my last post... oops...

So with the start of the new year comes resolutions and new plans. No, I have not made a formal resolution, but I will share the funniest resolution I've heard... a few years ago, a friend made the resolution to gain 5lbs. He's a slender guy so if he gained the 5lbs, yay for keeping a resolution and if he didn't gain the 5lbs, yay for not gaining weight! Win-win in his book.

Well, the company I work for has decided to help those of us who overate during the holidays or made a New Year's resolution to lose weight by starting a "Biggest Loser" contest at work. Pretty simple, pay $50 to enter and if you lose 10% of your starting weight by April 29, 12% by August 29 (or kept off what you lost), and 14% (or kept off what you lost) by December 29, you win $200 for each of those goals you hit. Plus the top 3 losers get additional money on each of those 3 dates - if you're the biggest loser every single time, $3600 is yours! (Hopefully tax free!). After being asked on 3 separate occasions by coworkers if I was entering, I took that as the peverbial "Holy 2x4" as well as kick in the pants to join, though it did take a couple heart-to-heart therapy sessions. But I'm in it, and since I took out an IOU for the $50 entrance fee to come out of my winnings, I better work at it!

So, as part of my changing lifestyle (health only, don't read into that one!) I've decided to post here every day 1 good thing I did for my health. So here goes...
Today, I got back on the spin bike and rode for about 25 minutes. I forgot how much those little seats hurt until you get used to them again! Yes, I became an MS150 statistic by finishing the ride and not riding again until the next year. My excuse was I was playing softball right after the ride and it's hot in the summer in Texas, and my bike doesn't have air conditioning that doesn't involve me pedaling. Lame excuse, but still an excuse. But I've gotten back on the spin bike, took a couple tries to clip in, but I was there, and got through the songs I planned on. Next time, I'll stay on for 1 more song and just keep building up that way.

If you've made any resolutions, good luck with them!

Flashback in Technology History

2009-06-01T18:22:00.003-05:00

I started cleaning out some old totes this weekend, trying to consolidate, and came across all my old floppy disks and CD backups. I remember using these floppies like it was yesterday to back up all my files from my first laptop. Now, a mere 11 years later, I have taken all these floppies from 4+ years worth of work, and copied all these files onto a USB stick... that's right, what took dozens of floppies to back up now is on technology smaller than my thumb. I look at the microSD card in my phone, smaller than my thumb nail, and marvel at the 5555 floppy disks worth of information that can go on this 8GB little piece of plastic... then I wonder how much smaller can we get technology.... and how long will it take us to search for it when we lose it in the couch cushions...

Long Overdue...

2009-04-09T13:44:00.003-05:00

I'm posting my long overdue update. Yes, I realize it's been, wow, 4 months, but hey, when you work with computers all day long, often the last thing I want to do is sit on the computer at home, even though I took a long time to put together my computer... but that's another adventure.

In the last 4 months I've gone to the Houston Rodeo, Johnson Space Center (NASA), finally hung pictures on my walls and unpacked a little more, gone to New Orleans with my community band, and help out on Saturday mornings with people from work who are training for the MS150 coming up. Details on all these will be coming along with pictures.

Now for some sad news I figured I'd better share since it's on Facebook. I came home from New Orleans on Sunday to find that Spork (my boy guinea pig) was sick. He's been sick before, but this time he didn't drink anything for at least 2 days. So Monday I picked up some fresh veggies and tried to get him to eat them, but he did nothing, didn't even notice they were there. Tuesday morning he looked even worse and didn't even have fight when I squirted water in his mouth to get some water in him. I came home from work that evening, and Spork didn't make it. So it's just me and Turtle now - she's doing ok, I think she realizes now that he's gone, but we've had some bonding and she's not sick so she'll be fine.

I'll post more another time.

Take care! Happy early Easter!

2008-12-11T17:38:00.000-06:00

I sat in church the last 2 weeks just looking at the Christmas trees and garland all decorated with soft white lights singing Advent/Christmas hymns, and it feels like December. Then after the service, I get up and walk outside without a coat into the sunshine and think I'm back in summer. Friends have emailed me and mentioned the massive amounts of snow and say "beat that!"

Well... when was the last time your town made national news for snow FLURRIES! Yes, in case you haven't heard, Houston had snow yesterday. About 3:40pm, I got the news that it was snowing outside. Of course this is from multiple sources since they all know I'm from the north and used to seeing snow in December. So I ran out along with a few others who were all bundled and shivering... I'm in short sleeves... to look at the few flakes falling from the sky. Of course started wandering around like a kid trying to take pictures of A snowflake. Later after work, I came out and there was accumulation!! Snow actually stayed! My band had our annual Christmas party so I went to that, slid a bit on the road so there was even ice. When I came out, well, people from Texas were just fun to watch as they just looked at the snow dazed and confused as to how to drive.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Boxes, boxes, fewer and fewer boxes!

2008-11-23T21:55:00.002-06:00

I am pretty proud... after 109 items delivered to my home, only 10 are left to be unpacked!!! Here are the updated pictures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It's hard to believe that in only 4 days it is Thanksgiving... and I'm still in shorts. I have the opportunity to join the Rice University band for the Houston Thanksgiving parade so I'll be marching... in a 3 piece pinstriped suit... in 70 degree weather. Then later that night I'll be playing at a tree lighting ceremony with the Houston Concert Band. Hopefully I'll have pictures to share of that as well! In the meantime, enjoy the pics below!

New pics!

2008-11-16T19:48:00.002-06:00

Well, I've only been in my new apartment 2 weeks and I've actually done some major unpacking... of course the pictures I'm posting now are of when the boxes came... a little behind! :)

There's also pictures of what else has been happening. In mid-October, Jonathan, September, and I checked out the Texas Renaissance festival. It was fun! The next few pictures are of Jonathan's desk - gotta make a big deal for the 40! :)

It's starting to look like... fall... well, it felt like fall the last few days. It's been under 70 the last few days. I even woke up to frost on my car! I still have my hopes for snow!!

Soon, pictures of my apartment unpacked! :)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

November Nutiness

2008-11-08T23:48:00.002-06:00

At the request of a friend, I am updating my blog... really, I planned on doing this earlier this evening but being an adult and doing laundry (in my own apartment!) got away from me...

So, close your eyes... wait, then you can't read the blog... open your eyes and imagine what it's like outside if you can't see out a window. It's the first week of November, children are still on a sugar high from Halloween, the leaves are almost gone, I've heard reports of snow already up north. What season is this? Easy, FALL! Now I look out my window... should it be daylight I would see green leaves on trees, a gentle breeze, and people walking around with shorts on. What season is this??? Um... summer still??? It's very interesting now that I'm not around children as much, I almost missed the fact it was Halloween, and even though I see what month t is daily, it still doesn't feel like November. It's like I'm caught in some weird time warp where summer never ends... I am being honest, I still have my AC on. It's 80 during the day still... and last night when it got down to 57, yes, DOWN to 57, I finally wore my sweatshirt for warmth, not just because it's comfy.

I've noticed things like this before, like going to Lowe's and seeing the Christmas tree display with all the lights (again, I'm wearing capris and a T-shirt) and the fake snow around the base of the tree. I then wondered, why on earth would you put fake snow around a Christmas tree in the south. Sure, in most of the country, like where evergreens are more native, there's snow. But only in extreme rare cases is there actually snow that falls to the ground here... so white Christmases are NOT normal here, so why try and create something fake? It'd be like people up north decorating a palm tree instead of an evergreen. I can already tell this will be a weird Christmas!

The apartment setting up is coming along nicely. I got my things about 2 weeks ago and am down to about 10 boxes left to unpack... and then hang up pictures and other decorating. Most of my clothes are unpacked, and I was glad I got rid of those extra sweaters and sweatshirts... I'm already looking at the 16 I have going, "When am I going to wear these?" I know it get's colder........... eventually.......... Pictures will be coming soon of the progress.

The new apartment

2008-10-16T23:03:00.002-05:00

Well, here you go, the first set of pictures of my new apartment! I called again today and my things should be here sometime next week for sure, and may even be loaded onto a truck this weekend. Here's hoping!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pictures!!

2008-10-15T17:28:00.003-05:00

Yes, finally I have uploaded pictures from my move! There will be more as I haven't taken pictures of my new place yet, nor what it looks like with my things in it, considering they're still not here... :( Soon...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I have an apartment!

2008-10-09T17:59:00.002-05:00

Finally, the apartment hunt is over! I found a cute 1 bedroom that's got everything I was looking for - washer/dryers in the unit (and new ones, too!), dishwasher, 1st floor, storage, double entrance to the bathroom, open kitchen, pool, and it's a little larger than most. Plus they happen to drop the price the day I went to see it! They base their rent on market value, so prices change frequently! So tomorrow I pick up the keys!

I also got a job, I think I posted that, and so that's been going well! I'm getting used to laptops again and having fun with the Blackberry. Every day I get to add another piece to my job, which, I can tell, may quickly pile up! For now it's trying to get things organized which will take time, but once that is done, hopefully keeping things up won't be so time consuming! The office I'm in got some of the worse damage from the hurricane (the HR getting the worst - they can't even be in their office) so there's drywall dust everywhere, no carpet, and lots of ceiling tiles missing. Repairs are being made all around the building (trust me, we hear them) so soon hopefully this will all be repaired and get everything back where it should be... then we move to a new building in a few months... hopefully! :)

Ignorance is bliss...

2008-10-02T14:41:00.002-05:00

Many people have had to choose an apartment, usually on their own. I've lived in 3 apartments in the last few years, each one different. None of them really required much thought. My first one I found online, I knew the area so that helped, and a friend had lived there for years previous. 2nd was one that my friends lived in, again easier to decide. My 3rd was a total act of faith, agreeing to it without ever seeing it, but I had little option being in a small town.

Now an apartment in Houston has been significantly more difficult. First off, I'm trying to learn a new city and good areas/bad areas. Next, I'm moving from a gorgeous and roomy 2 bedroom back to a 1 bedroom and trying to have the same open feel. 3rd, I found a website where people can rate apartments so, of course, most people just put the bad. I understand this is only 1 person of sometimes hundreds of apartments, but still, it's hard to willingly go a place that has bug reports. One of my friends I'm staying with also said that he heard some apartment managers will go on pretending to be clients and post negative comments. He read a post by someone giving specific reference to unit number that doesn't exist and a manager posted, calling that to attention.

I went to an apartment search company yesterday, first time I've ever used them, and the lady found 2 places for me to look at. It's more than what I really want to pay, but if I feel comfortable there, that's what counts. So I visited one today (since the other doesn't have office hours today) and really liked it. The unit itself is small, but it's got quite a bit of storage space between the pantry, cabinets, storage locker, and walk-in closet. Oh, and this is a NEW complex, only about 60% filled. I got to ride on a golf cart to get around! :) It's nice and in a quiet and up-an-coming area. We'll see about the other one which was a little cheaper, but I think further out.

Hopefully I'll have pictures soon!

Arrived in Texas

2008-09-30T10:49:00.003-05:00

So, I just realized that I never posted here to let you know I've arrived. I pulled in Saturday evening and was VERY ready to be done driving! The guinea pigs made the trip alright. Yesterday I had another interview with the same company as before and so I should know by the end of this week what's going on. I saw a few apartments yesterday and today I have a list of places to see. Hopefully by the end of this week I'll have a job and a place - you never know!!

On the road...

2008-09-26T07:55:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd let you all know that I have indeed left Walker. Yesterday the movers came (and were very nice and professional so I didn't fire them) and loaded everything into the moving van... a pink semi with a pink trailer! It looked like Pepto Bismal was pour all over it!! They were there about 3 hours and everything was gone. After another 2 hours of cleaning and packing the car, I was on the road! I stopped by a few friends for dinner so I didn't actually get on the road until after 7pm. I made it as far as Lakeville (south suburb of the Cities) and spent the night. After a little breakfast, I should be on the road. I hope to make it to Tulsa today. It's about 10 hours, but I figure if I'm no the road, even by 9am, that still gives about 13 hours to drive a 10 hour trip. We'll see... around 9pm we'll start reevaluating and see how far I get. I'm SOOOO glad I got a GPS - it can tell me where there are nearby hotels! :)

I'll post more if I can, but probably not until I get to Houston. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement!!

Not moving...

2008-09-22T13:40:00.002-05:00

So, I'm not moving today. In a nutshell, the company we booked through wasn't the most professional before the moving date and today the guys that showed up were condecending, rude, and wanted money upfront. After almost an hour talking with the moving company, the driver, and my parents (whom I had to call from work), we decided to just cancel our contract with this company and we'll go with one that is professional. It has been quite an ordeal, but at least everything's packed and ready to go when the time comes!

Moving Day

2008-09-22T08:35:00.002-05:00

Well, it's moving day... a day I thought would take forever to come to, and then the last 5 days or so went in the blink of an eye. Wow...

The moving van is coming this morning... sometime... but at any rate, the only thing left for me to pack is the computer and that will only take a few minutes and comes with me anyway. After everything is loaded on the truck, I'll clean the car, pack the car, clean the apartment, run a few errands in town, and head out. Hopefully I'll be on the road in the mid afternoon, stopping somewhere in Iowa for the night. After that, start truckin' it down to Texas.

I'll post here when I get to Texas safely... and maybe in between if the hotels have a public computer.

Thank you for all the support and prayers!!!

Moving...

2008-09-09T22:32:00.002-05:00

So, as you know, I have been praying (and crying) long and hard about what to do with my life... I am moving to Houston, Texas. The van is booked, I've given notice to my current job (and then was talked into an extra 2 days), and I'm making it public. Many questions have been asked and so here are a few with the answers as much as I know...

1. Why Texas? I started out thinking of places to move to and Houston was one, I have a few GREAT friends that live down there. After researching the housing market, job market, and pursuing work with a specific company, I have decided that the best place for me right now is Houston. It took me a while to realize why, other than a gut feeling that God was leading me there, now it's a matter of trusting him that something will come through.

2. Do you have a job? At the exact moment, no. But I have interviewed with a company that has many opportunities so now it's just waiting to see what happens. I may know in a week or so. Otherwise, it's back to the job hunt with temp agencies...

3. Will you ever go into teaching again? I don't know. Honestly, 15 months ago, I didn't see myself in a town of just over 1000 in the middle of northern MN with more trees than people. 4 months ago, I really didn't see myself having to look at relocating. I've learned that God's plan is more important than our plan and that nothing is certain, except that Jesus loves us to much, He died for our sins, not because of our works, but because of His love, and that we will go to heaven. Period. The only thing I'm certain on. Oh, and if you throw things out of a window, they will hit something, usually the ground, but occasionally people.

4. Isn't it hot in Texas? Yes... for someone who loves seeing leaves change colors and playing in the snow (for a month or so, not 6!) that will be one of the biggest things I'll miss in Texas. Though I have heard that parts of northern Texas may have leaves changing colors! And yes, it's hot... though I was told if I could survive August/September, I'd be able to handle the rest of the year, and I survived a week of it. Thank God for AC!!

So I hope this clears a few things up. I'll be arriving in Texas September 24-26, depending on the moving company and how driving goes. I do have a GPS, I just got it yesterday (while they were on sale and plus employee discount) so that will help with directions and getting me down to Houston and find things along the way. Stay tuned for more stories and any updates! And thank you to all of you who have been praying for me and the school during this difficult time. I'm the one leaving, they still have the responsibility of taking care of students with 1 less full time teacher. I KNOW they'll do well, they just can use prayers as well.

Hurricane Update

2008-09-02T15:33:00.002-05:00

Several of you have been wondering how I'm doing a hurricane looming on the horizon... actually, the hurricane's path shifted and so it's not going really affect us. We may get some rain, but that's about it.

It has been interesting watching how it affects everyone. There are highways that have a sign below the highway number sign that says "Designated Evacuation Highway" with a little hurricane symbol. The electronic boards over interstates that normally list if there's a crash or what the drive times are now flash between "Hurricane season is here" and "Keep your gas tank full". Coming from the Midwest, we've had blizzards and tornadoes. Blizzards are somewhat predictable... you know roughly where it's going to go and its intensity, although that sometimes changes when it actually comes. Tornadoes can pop up in minutes... there's severe storms that may produce tornadoes (tornado watches) and then they spring up if the conditions are right. With hurricanes, this process takes days for it to come. I knew almost a week ago there was one that may hit the Gulf Coast. It's all over the news, the looming hurricane, so you're living with this threat for days. Sure, once you weather a few, I'm sure it's not as big of a deal, but still... days for it to change to more intense and right for you or dissolve and change directions. At least it's not earthquakes, when you know about them, it's too late! :)

I have arrived!!

2008-08-29T13:47:00.002-05:00

I have now arrived in Houston!! It's different than I expected it. The area I'm in has houses right next to shopping strips, next to hotels, next to skyscrapers. It's different... course music from Schildler's List was playing so that didn't help the ambiance. Today I got to venture a little on my own and it was much better... I also had different music! :) I am within 5 minutes of litterally dozens of restaurants!! I've already eaten at a few places that aren't in MN that I have visted before from other trips I've taken like Chick-fil-a and Sonic. We plan on venturing around the city more. I'll keep you posted if I get any news...

Have You Ever...

2008-08-27T15:30:00.002-05:00

Eh, still killing time before the shuttle...

gone on a blind date? Yup, a few, but obviously nothing came of them
skipped school? In college, yes, mostly due to wanting to sleep, or something else important...
watched someone die? Close, we were about 5 minutes shy from watching my grandfather go. We were by his side, went home just 5 minutes away, and no sooner did we get home and the nurse called us saying to get back immediately before he goes. Well, he was already gone by then, but it was still weird being next to someone who is dead, before they do all the makeup stuff at the funeral home.
been to Canada? Yes, Stratford for a Shakespeare festival, Thunder Bay for 19th birthday :), and Toronto for choir tour in college.
been to Mexico? just barely in Nogales, right on the border
been to Florida? Yup for band tour my sophomore year of high school
been on a plane? Several times, was even planning on being on one today!! :)
been lost? Mostly in thought, but I have the nack for saying "we need to head to that general direction" and find my way. I love city driving!
been on the opposite side of the country? Texas!! It's the opposite side vertically! :)
swam in the ocean? Once, but it was too cold...
had your booze taken away by the cops? No, almost by an RA, but I was too paranoid so we threw it all out
lettered in high school sport? Yup, soccer my senior year, but I also lettered in band and drama
cried yourself to sleep? yes, more than ever lately, but that will change, I'm sure of it! :)
played cops and robbers? probably, my best friends were boys growing up... explains a little bit, doesn't it!
played dolls? Yeah, but not with much enthusiasm. I usually ended up being the guy because my friends had most of the Barbies and they were girlier than I was...
sung karaoke? Yes, very very very late one night after a beverage or two... and on a school night, too. Never again...
paid for a meal with coins only? Yes, what college person hasn't??
done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Too many to mention, but somehow I always talk myself into it... I easily give in to peer pressure, and I'm thankful for the friends God has given me not to push me into anything bad!
cheated on an exam? maybe... depends on the technical rules...
made prank phone calls? yes, but only to my friends
laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose? I don't think I've ever projected it out, but it's come close
caught a snowflake on your tounge? Of course, I grew up in WI!
danced in the rain? Yes!!
written a letter to Santa Claus? Yes, for me and my brother when we were little
watched the sunrise with someone you care about? No, the only sunrises I have seen were either at work or pulling an all-nighter
been kissed under the misteltoe? sadly, no...
ever been arrested? no
blown bubbles? Yes
gone ice skating? Played ice hockey, of course!
been skinny dipping outdoors? nope
had a nickname? a few, the latest being "Happy Mary" or "Happy" from this one person at the other Reeds store because of how I answer the phone
been to Africa? nope
eaten cookies for dinner? I'm sure I have
been on TV? no
been in a car accident? Yes, 3 while I was in the car, 2 when it was parked
What is your...
mother's name? Susan
favorite drink? Long Island Iced Tea
favorite alcohol? Cider
birthplace? Milwaukee, WI
favorite vacation spot? Ireland
favorite salad dressing? Ranch
favorite pie? Dutch Apple
favorite number? 31
favorite movie? too many to mention
favorite holiday? ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!
favorite food? Chinese, Mac n Cheese
favorite day of the week? any day I don't have to work
favorite brand of body wash? whatever smells good.
favorite toothpaste? whatever I have left, I've got at least 2 more tubes scattered around
favorite smell? apple cinnamon
Do you have any...
tattoos? yup, only 1 - Celtic cross on my back
body piercings? only 5 on my ears that are still open (6 have closed)
Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door Subaru
What do you do to relax? swim
How do you see yourself in 10 years? hopefully married with kids and closer to being out of debt!

Texas Sized Adventure

2008-08-27T14:50:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I'm planning taking a trip down to Texas. Well, that didn't exactly go to plan. First off, I was planning on packing my classroom up last week, but that didn't happen. I first finished yesterday. Then I had planned on getting to the Cities by 7pm, but I didn't get in until 11pm. But I got up in time, we drove to the airport, and I opened my bag, no ID... it fell out in my car late last night and I forgot. So my friend, who was already on his way back, picked up the ID (thank goodness I left the keys with him!), and brought me my wallet. Plane leaves in 40 minutes now so I race back to the counter, hand my ID, plop my bag down, and the rep at the counter says, "um, it looks like you don't fly out until tomorrow..." What... no... I have an interview tomorrow IN Houston. Sure enough, somehow when I was booking, I selected Thursday, not Wednesday. He tries to get me on the flight but after 40 minutes of computer work, he tells me that the earliest he could bump me would be an late morning flight for $600 extra. Now, I'm in tears... I explained I had a job interview, I had to go, and I just sobbed at the counter. What can I say, I was tired!! So I sat down and called home. Then I got paged by the rep again and he told me there's a flight to Houston through another airline for $300 but I'd first arrive at 7pm tonight. I called home again, and we decide to book this flight. I didn't want to be an inconvenience to my friends and have them come get me again, and I really just wanted to get to Houston - it has been a long and emotional week. Well, that flight is booked and in addition, if I don't cancel the flight tomorrow, I forfeit my whole package including my return trip since they were sold together. So I call the company I booked with and they're computers are down so they can't do anything. More crying follows... so after sitting at the airport for 4 hours, my mom and I decide the best thing is to just go to a hotel and relax for a night. Called around and got a room at the Country Inn by the Mall of America (MOA). They even were still serving breakfast when I got there! The room rate was similar to those in the area, but I got the King sized suite - I have a little living room with couch, chair, and TV and then a separate room for sleeping, again with a flat-screen TV. Plus the room was even ready by the time I got to the hotel so I got to check in early. By 11am, I was out! So I'm blogging from the hotel lobby, waiting for the shuttle to the MOA. The interview was canceled, the first time to reschedule was next Thursday, after I've left, but I also found out a little more about this position and it was a Sales/Marketing position for a company that sells health insurance to seniors... yet they don't have a website. What kind of company in the sales industry doesn't have a website?? So it sounded sketchy so I'm not too bummed. In the meantime, I'm going to relax, get some Chinese food (since I'm sure I won't have it in Texas!), maybe go swimming, and just relax. No time deadlines, no one to meet, just me... and my suite! :)

I'm not sure if I'll have much opportunity to blog while I'm in Houston, but I'm excited to go. I love flying, and seeing new places and old friends, and I may get to weather a hurricane! I've been through severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and even a forest fire, but not a hurricane. We'll see, the projected path changed since yesterday when it was pointed right at Houston, and is now headed towards New Orleans. I'll let you know how it all goes!!!

From the North Star to the Lone Star...

2008-08-21T18:59:00.002-05:00

This will be probably be the new title of my blog... if you can guess, yes, that means I'm moving.

In a nutshell, due to the financial situation of the school, the church decided that the budget must be balanced in order to start the school year and the only option, after cutting everything else, was to cut a teacher, hence me. After much soul searching, crying, praying, crying, talking with others, and crying I have decided that the best solution for me is to leave Walker. I can't afford it here and I think it's just best for all of us in the long run to leave. Don't get me wrong, I love the staff here and many members of the congregation and leaving is not my first choice, but my personal finances will not allow me to stay with what I can find for a job around here.

With that decided, the next decision was where do I go to next... I have thought about many different options and scenarios and I am feeling called to go to Houston, Texas. A great friend of mine (and former employer) moved down there and so I think there may be more opportunities for me in Houston. So come the end of September I will be moving everything from here in MN to WI, drop some things off there (like snow boots and heavy coats) and then take the rest of my stuff to Houston. There are a few prospects, but nothing concrete yet. Keep watching here for more updates (now that things are more out in the open, I can talk again...).

In the meantime I am still working at the hunting/fishing store in town and continuing to spend time outdoors swimming, fishing, and even shooting... yes, I have now shot a real shotgun and rifle. I am taking hunter safety online and hopefully soon I'll be able to take my field exam and earn my hunter safety certificate. Grouse hunting starts in mid-September so I'm hoping to go with a few friends before I leave. We'll see how I like hunting, and if I like it, maybe I can find a way to go in Texas... or just shoot targets... :)

I'll keep you posted as things develop here. Oddly enough, this post is coming from my computer at school as I'm packing things up. It's a pretty-for-sure-done-deal now, but not quite since the voters don't vote on it for another week. Got to love technicalities. Thank you for all your prayers and support as this chapter closes and a new one begins.

Busy, busy, busy...

2008-07-20T18:22:00.002-05:00

I've now noticed, after going through a few of my friends' blogs that it's been a while since I've posted. Here's the quickie update... **deep breath**
-eye is fine, no more bloody eye
-went to WI for a wedding, saw family, swam in pools alot, had fun
-came back to MN with parents, saw fun touristy stuff, watched alot of movies
-saw friends from TX
-worked... some...

Ok, that's my last, um, 3 weeks in a nutshell. I'd say more, but it's gorgeous outside and I want to go out. But just so you don't feel gypped out of info, here, a personality test I took (thanks for the link Esther)...

Eye Issues

2008-06-24T18:37:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted, but it's been a bit of a long 2 weeks. It started 2 weeks after school got out with our school ABC sale... basically donations from the community (including beds, appliances, and even a motor boat) turn our church/school into a large consignment store for a week. Lots of hours, but worth it.

Next, just 2 days after the sale, I started a new job working at Reed's Family Outdoor Fitters, the local hunting/camping/fishing store. My goodness... I wonder how I ever catch fish with as few fishing items as I have... it's fun, but more fast paced with it being tourist season, and also long hours standing that I'm not used to (or in shape for!). It's getting better, now that I have better shoes.

Well, after only 4 days working, I found out what to do if you are injured on the job... and I found out the hard way. I was vacuuming before the store opened and trying to get it done quickly, but the cord got stuck. So I bend down to unhook it and I didn't notice the peg sticking out that normally holds merchandise. The other 11 pegs that are about 6 inches long and 1/4" diameter all had things on it... except this one so that's how it got overlooked. Well, I found the peg... as it was jabbed into my eye. At first my eye just watered and I kept checking if it was water or blood, cause it hurt! Then on my way to the back where I was working, I looked in the mirror and there was a red dot on the whites of my eye... ok, a little bruise and scratch since my eye stings, not to worry. But wait, now it's getting really hot in here and I'm turning flushed... hmm... so I talked with a few people at work, no one really knew if I should go in. After almost 2 hours, it started feeling better, but the red was still there and I was still a little "out of it" so I called home and under mom's advice (mom's always know what to say!) I called a friend and went to the Eye Clinic 30 miles away... that's the closest thing open on a Saturday! I only scratched the white part, no serious damage, but now I've got eye drops to protect it. I'll post pictures soon (now that I have my camera in my known possession). Funny enough, I haven't been asked to do any vacuuming since then... :)

Lost and Found

2008-06-10T21:29:00.002-05:00

Have you ever lost something months prior and then wonder where you put it and then look everywhere for it, trying to remember where you were the last time you had it? Well, you'll have to forgive me for not having any updated pictures, but my camera is my missing item. You see, at my school, we do so many fun things that often I like to get pictures of what goes on. I also take pictures for other teachers of what happens in their classroom. Well, I always had my camera in the same spot on my desk. Then I started thinking I should upload pictures to my computer so I don't lose them, but every time I was at home, I remembered my camera was at school. But then when I was at school, I didn't see my camera and so I remembered that it was at home... see a problem? It wasn't until the first part of May when I realized that it wasn't in either place, and that I had no clue where it was. So I started checking as many places as I could remember. I tried thinking of everywhere I was with my camera, checking what the last place was I had it. Almost a month this process goes on. I felt horrible - this was my nice digital camera that I loved. Well, today, as I was helping set up our church garage sale, I was listening to my Irish music and then it occurred to me, the PS/PK studied Ireland last, not Egypt like I thought. I'll bet my stuff is with my Irish CDs. So tonight, I was very tired and sore (first time I had a sore back from lifting things - I'm getting old) and after a nap, I happened to stumble upon the bag. And what was in the bottom? My camera. I've had to hold it in my hands a few times to make sure it was real since I've been dreaming of this moment. Ah, how attached we can get to things. Lesson learned, not leaving my sight again!

Fishy smelling hands...

2008-06-01T01:05:00.002-05:00

As I'm sure you can guess from the title of this post, yes, I went fishing today. This was my first time out with a pole AND people to tell me how to fish! It's alot more fun when you're with people who actually know how to fish. I was a little nervous, mostly because I didn't want to end up all squeemish about touching a fish (I've only touched a fish one other time, and it was one I bought from the store to use for a class project and I couldn't bring myself to even touch it - by the way, don't ever bring dead fish into a classroom unless you have excellent ventilation). So my friends helped me set up my line (it broke from what I set before) and pulled off my cute fake bait and pointed at the minnow bucket. Ick! I'd have to touch a fish now, the moment was here! Well, one guy grabbed the minnow for me and showed me how to hook it. I cast, nothing, I cast again, my bait fell off. So he got another minnow but made me put the hook in him... I can do this, baby steps! A few more casts, and I lost the bait again. Now a few more people are out to help, but this time, they were all fishing and I felt wussy asking to have my hook baited, so I bit the bullet... and after several tries at catching a minnow (they startled me every time I felt them move in my fingers) I got a minnow and baited him myself. If I didn't fear falling in the water, I would have done a happy dance. I now can bait my own hook... with minnows. Leeches, well, nope not ready to touch those yet!

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, with all this trouble, did I actually catch something? I only caught 3, the least of anyone that went fishing. My first one, I don't remember, I was just so excited and surprised I caught something. The second was a bass of some sort (can't remember the name now - little guy about the size of my hand), and the third was a Sunny. The first 2 others took off for me, but I did get to throw the bass back, but by the time I got to the third fish, I was feeling pretty proud of myself that without even flinching, I grabbed the fish like they showed me, and after some wriggling, got the hook out, even with the bait, and put him back myself. Hence, the fishy smelling hands. It was fun, more fun than I expected, and I've learned that there's more than just sticking a hook out and pulling it up. There's timing to learn and techniques. I'm sure I'll learn more this summer and have future posts on fishing.

By the way, I've been told that now I'm fishing, next comes hunting... we'll see! That could be fun!! :)

Scary Movies...

2008-05-29T22:55:00.003-05:00

I love movies. I really do. Maybe that's why 2 of my jobs have been working at video stores and when snowed in, I preferred to stay at a video store than a house. So the latest new movie I watched was called "Untraceable". It looked great! In a nutshell, a guy gets a website that they can't trace where every time someone viewed it, they saw live footage of a person getting killed. The more that went to the site, the faster the victim died. It looked more like a suspense film than horror, but I was wrong... It was a good story, though I have to say I wasn't prepared for how gory and torturous these people died... and 1 kitten.

BUT I think what made it more creepy was that I watched a movie about a guy creating a killing website... while I was on the computer. I had the movie in 1 window and my work in another window. Not doing that again!

If you like scary movies and can stomach some gross scenes, I'd recommend this one. It had a great plot and is labeled "The 'Silence of the Lambs' for the Internet Age."

Open Windows...

2008-05-25T08:05:00.003-05:00

I have always loved open windows. Something about breezes gently rolling through the house just calms me. And being in the city, as the cars drive by, if you have your eyes shut (and use a little imagination) it sounds like waves crashing on the shore. Very relaxing. I've also wanted a window without a screen. I realize they keep out bugs and protect a little more against intruders, but how many shows have you seen where people are hanging out the window waving or sitting in an open window.

Well... I had my window open and all of a sudden I was woken up by my blinds rattling. They normally move from the wind so I didn't think anything of it... until I heard something flapping against them. A bird perched in my window sill and I think it was going to try to fly in but met up with the blinds. So I kinda laughed, rolled over, and went back to sleep. A short time later, same thing happened except I saw shadows on the ceiling and thought the bird got in. That woke me up quickly and I shut the window before taking anymore chances. Last thing I need is a bird in here!

My First Fish!!!

2008-05-25T00:46:00.002-05:00

Today, I caught my first fish!! I went sucker spearing with a few friends and their family today and caught my first fish. I'm getting credit for it, anyway, although he was mortally wounded before I got him (a lung was speared out of him) so he would have died, but I took him out of the water therefore I get the credit... that's what I was told. I didn't plan on getting in the water, but you know how it goes, first you just put your feet in, then you realize that maybe you'll have better footing if you take a step in, then the next step looks better, and before I knew it, I was knee deep in water. It wasn't the most attractive water, lots of planty things floating and growing in it, but it was fun. I even got to see a spear move the eyeball of a caught fish... kinda gross. I guess this is what I missed growing up in the city without any younger brothers. :)

For those of you who want to see what a sucker fish looks like, here ya go... no this isn't my fish, I didn't have a camera because I didn't plan on going (I would have worn something other than capri jeans - not the most comfortable when wet).
Not the most attractive fish, huh? But it was fishing! I may be going this weekend with the grown-ups next weekend! I'll have to start carrying my pole in the car, just in case...

Budding Trees!!

2008-05-19T22:40:00.002-05:00

Yes, another post about the changing season... but, let's face it, up here, there's not a whole lot more to talk about... sometimes...

I was driving to school today and noticed that the trees are starting to bud. I don't remember seeing them budding yesterday, but today, half the bare trees now have little green buds on them. I decided that finally, we can talk about the seasons. Really, how can you tell children that in spring, the rain comes and flowers bloom and trees get their leaves when they can look outside in the season of "spring" and there's snow on the ground. I guess there's different seasons in northen MN... in August there was summer, September all the leaves turned colors, October the leaves were gone, November was snow, December through March was snow, April showers came in the form of blizzards, and finally halfway through May we see signs of spring.

So let's see, so far there was a month of summer, month and a half of fall, 7 months of winter, and now 2 weeks of spring... hmm... I may have to redo my calendar cutouts next year. Can't really have umbrellas for April if there's 3 blizzards in the month and not a single drop of rain... that would just be confusing. I wonder when summer will start... any bets?? :)

Ouch!

2008-05-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

Sunburnt... yes, I am writing with sunburnt arms! There was a time when I thought I would never see enough sun to get sunburnt up here since it's been a frosty spring, but I was proven wrong. Sure, we had to go southwest 2 hours, but still, my sunburn layer has been created. Now to turn to tan and I should be set for the summer!

Oh, and the kids did well in the track meet today (where I got the sunburn). We had several people place in top 5, and we won the all-school relay! Not bad for being probably the smallest school at the meet!

Ice is gone... finally!

2008-05-12T23:05:00.003-05:00

So this weekend was fishing opener, and it was interesting to see all the boats in town. However, in all the times I drove past Leech Lake (which was quite a few, in quite a few different spots) I saw 1 boat all weekend... 1. There was still a nice layer of ice over most of the lake. We even had sleet/snow mix on Saturday - I have pictures of accumulation to prove it! I guess there's a story circulating that someone accidentally hit the ice with his boat and wrecked the boat, but that's a story around town... and we all know how true those stories can be!

But after looking at the lake this morning, after all I pass it in 4 spots, I noticed that the ice was pretty well gone and this afternoon, it was pretty well completely gone. About time!! It's May! We're supposed to be learning about spring already and there are no signs of it up here! :) Finally, a sign that spring is coming... good thing since summer starts in just over a month! :)

The Tourists are Back!

2008-05-10T09:39:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I live in "God's Country" as I've been told, which means beautiful trees, lakes, and animals. Put them together and what do you get? Tourists. Tomorrow is fishing opener, I think specifically Walleye. Already there's boats everywhere, big trucks that normally aren't here, and lots of extra people all wearing some form of camouflage. Tomorrow will be interesting seeing everyone on the lake... especially since there's quite a chunk of the lake that still has ice!! :)

The snowbirds are also back so I'm learning more new names of people that I had met briefly at my installation. The first few months being up here consisted of bi-weekly or even weekly trips back to the Cities for various events, functions, etc. that I had committed to before I left. And now?? Well, aside from the LEA Convocation 2 weeks ago, I haven't been back since February. How times have changed.

Oh, and the guinea pigs are doing just fine again. I have learned that they are not adapting to the country like I had hoped. They will only eat stuff boughten at a PetSmart or PetCo. It's weird, it's the same food between those places and Walmart/Target, right?? I've even mixed them, hoping to fool them, but no. My little connoisseurs have eaten the good, expensive city stuff and picked out the cheap stuff. They go through the expensive food 4x as fast and with the cheap food, they sit and stare at the dish, then squeak when I walk by like "This isn't food! I want real food!" Grr... even hay cubes, they only eat the expensive ones, even if that's the only thing to eat. The closest PetCo/PetSmart you may ask? St. Cloud... 2 hours away! :( At least they have an order online option I'll have to check into...

Pray for Rain!!

2008-05-02T23:51:00.000-05:00

Very few times in my life can I say that I've prayed for rain. Usually people pray for rain to water crops or to try out new rain boots. Well, I pray for rain... so that it's not snow! We've had 3 in the last month... more snow fell in April than the whole winter! We're to get more precipitation this weekend and I am praying for the rain. If the temperature stays warm enough, we'll get rain. Really, it's May, there is no need for snow storms. Besides, if we get thunderstorms, maybe that will wash away the snow mold!

Taxes

2008-04-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

I have now discovered another of the annoying consequences of being an adult... taxes. I have never done anything with taxes before, just handed my W2s to my dad and that was it. Well, for church workers, there's quite a bit more to do since some things can be tax deductible, some aren't, some are only partially. And then there's a housing allowance which is part of our salary we're not taxes on so I had to estimate how much it would be and found out I wasn't even close so that may mess things up...

I used an accountant for the first time this year and they had this nice worksheet for us to fill out and then they fill out the tax forms, but their worksheet was 11 pages long! It was overwhelming! So what do I do with anything that is overwhelming?? Do the ostrich - stick my head in the ground and hope it goes away. Well, didn't work... go figure... :) I finally got everything done and am now just praying that I don't owe taxes... and the best news? One church worker told me a statistic he heard was church workers would be audited 3-4 times in their lifetime, and if there's problems they can keep going back and back for many years looking at their taxes. Eeep... not good for someone with organization problems!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2008-04-11T11:26:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks, it has started to warm up here in the great white north. The snow started melting, the ground started getting muddy, ah, spring was on the way. So the spring clothes started coming out and the sweaters were being put aside since everything was warming up.

Then last week, there was a winter storm warning issued for my county. I started driving to a friends house as the warning started, laughing since it was 45 and clear skies. 9pm, a few flakes started coming down... 10pm, there were 2 inches of snow on the ground with white-out conditions. I started to go home, but the roads were too slippery so I stayed with my friends. We went to their church in the morning, out to brunch with family, and then back to the house to relax. All morning was clear... 30 minutes after going back to the house, white-out again. I, again, attempted to beat the weather an hour later, but, alas, the roads had not been cleared from the night before let alone this new inch of snow. I went to their family business (a video store) to wait out the storm. Well, that turned into being snowed in at the store and spending the night there with a few friends. I have to say, if I had to be snowed in, a video store with video game systems and game and a viewing room with couches and an LCD projector was not a bad place to be. Luckily school was canceled for the next day. I finally got home the next day around 9pm... 50 hours away from home because of snow...

Surely a snowstorm like was a fluke thing that couldn't happen again, right?? Of course not! We packed the winter clothes, so of course it would keep snowing. I write today from my apartment after yet another snowstorm came through, causing school to be canceled for the 2nd time this week. And it's still flurrying with more snow predicted for later.

When was the last time you had snow on the ground for 6 months straight??? :) I know this is a first for me!

Spork Illness Update

2008-01-21T17:25:00.000-06:00

A few of you know that 2 years ago, almost to the date, I became the proud mother of not only 1 guinea pig, but 2. Long story short, just over 2 years ago, I bought a guinea pig... from the boy side of the cage since I knew there was a chance that girls could be pregnant. Poor little guy was getting picked on by the others so I took him in. Well, I noticed he started getting fatter and thought it was just due to lack of exercise. Well, I came home one night and there was another guinea pig in the cage, but much smaller than the first. Turtle, the first one, was not a boy, but was put with all the boys... biology took over and a few months later, I had Spork.

Well, the other day I was looking at Spork and he wasn't looking good... yes, Spork is a genuine "he". He was lethargic, his eyes were sunk in and crusty, and had lost a ton of weight. Saturday I went and got him fresh veggies and hay and all he had energy to eat was the hay. I panicked. I thought maybe his teeth grew too much and he couldn't eat. Yesterday after church I gave him more veggies and after my nap, I woke up to find that he broke one of his 4 front teeth off. Again, I panicked. After franticly searching the internet, I found out that it will grow back and he should be fine, as long as he can eat. Well, he's eating better every day and drinking more water. Today after school he had apple, parsley, and lettuce. I think he'll be just fine.

All I can guess is that he didn't like the new food I got. It's hard being up here without a pet store that sells food they eat around. The closest is 45 minutes away and so when I was up there last time, I had to try a new food because the other pet store was closed. They've never had a problem switching food before so I didn't think anything of it... oops... guess this time we had a problem since Spork wasn't eating it, just burying it.

Trivia Contest 2008!!

2008-01-12T12:52:00.000-06:00

That time of year is coming... the annual St. Cloud State Trivia Contest. For those of you who don't know, SCSU holds a 50 hour trivia marathon every year in the beginning of February starting Friday night running through to Sunday night. It's intense... but fun. They have some of the most random and obscure questions, but all it takes is for you to know the answer to a big question that no one else knows and you're hooked... quite a few of our parents have been hooked that way. They don't stay up with us the whole 50 hours, but they are put on standby that weekend and willing to take our calls at any hour of the night to help.

Anywho, part of this trivia contest is a Visual Trivia section. Several pictures are given to the teams and teams must figure out anything and everything about these pictures. We have figured out most of the pictures, but there are a few we need help with. Look at the pictures and if you have any ideas/leads/information, please e-mail me. Every idea is important because even if it's no the right answer, it may spark our thoughts into the right direction!! :)

For team advantages, I'm not going to post what information we have on these pictures - this may be a blog only a few people know about, but it is on the internet where anyone can see it! And believe me, I've run into Trivia people in the most odd places... even at a restaurant a group overheard me mentioning it to a friend and they leaned over and started about the contest!

Here are the pictures...

Illness challenges

2007-12-12T22:41:00.000-06:00

I've been told that since this is my first year teaching, I'm going to be the sickest I have ever been... great pep talk, huh?

Thinking I survived 3 other schools and their germy kids with only getting sick at the last school (and from my teacher, no less) I would be ok. Well, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I started feeling a little congested and achy. I just thought I was tired and really needing a break. So I went to the Cities and then flew to Milwaukee on Wednesday. By the time I got to Milwaukee, I was starting to cough and getting a dry/sore throat. I slept a good chunk of the day after my flight... and some Chinese food. :) Thanksgiving day was a little more congested so we got some cough medicine. By Friday, I was coughing and in pain with my throat that I thought I had bronchitis and strep throat. After waiting in the lobby for over 3 hours, I saw a doctor who seemed to talk more about the education system and it's problems more than about how I was feeling. (he's not the first person to start rambling on about education policies and districts to be after finding out I'm a teacher... funny thing is I have nothing to do with public ed!) He said Upper Respiratory Infection and sent me home telling me to let it run it's course. By Saturday, I had only a squeaky voice, still coughing to the point I couldn't lay down at night and had to keep turning the shower on hot to get steam to breathe. Then the fun begins...

Monday, I had no voice... none... zip... nada.... I could whisper, but that was about it. I'm sure you're thinking I had to write everything down for my kids... I thought of that then remembered... mine can't read most things! My first graders are learning easy words and working on decoding words, but not enough to read directions. I haven't been that nervous for school since the first day. So I texted a friend and got a website to learn American Sign Language. I looked up the basic commands they would need to know like clean up, line up, snack/lunch/food, water, milk, etc. They responded pretty well to them, until a few days later when they realized that their teacher couldn't yell at them and get them into trouble. I then discovered my referee whistle and they didn't like it that much so they started listening again. Also, since we're practicing our musical, that was a chunk of the day where I didn't have to figure out what to do. The other teachers helped out quite a bit so it wasn't as bad as I thought.

Tuesday, I'm still coughing, still stuffed up, still can't talk, still can't lay down, and now, my throat is swelling. At first I thought it was just my vocal cords, but then I started noticing myself laboring to breathe. At 11:30pm, I couldn't sleep and figured my luck my throat would close in overnight and then I'd be in trouble. So I typed out what was wrong as well as a brief medical history, got directions to the nearest ER, and drove out to Park Rapids to get help. I was diagnosed with Pharyngitis which is an infection of the throat and given Augmentin (good stuff!!) as well as a refill of my inhaler. I got back home around 2:30am, took a dose of medicine, and was asleep within 30 minutes. Went to school the next day (ER bracelet and all - forgot to take it off) and was scolded for not taking anyone with me to the ER by a total of 5 people. Gotta love people who care!! :) Wednesday afternoon I started feeling better and day by day, I felt better and better. By Friday, I had a real hoarse rasp of a voice, but a voice again!

It's been 2 weeks since I went to the ER and I'm almost recovered. I still get a dry throat at when I wake up, but that's just cause it's dry up here. My speaking voice is almost completely back to normal, but my singing voice is still in rough shape. I just hope the damage I had to it already didn't get worse. (something similar happened in 2001 and I was told I now have nodules on my cords so hopefully those didn't get worse!)

But God really doesn't give us more than we can handle. There could have been no musical practice and I'd be with my kids the whole time, my new student could have come a week early and then I would have tried to acclimate him to the class with no voice, I could have had kids who really took advantage of me, and I could have been with a staff that thought my kids were my problem and they wouldn't help. And I got my voice back in time to help with the fine-tunings of the musical and lead devotions when it was my week. All in all, it was a good experience to go through, to learn from, and it forced me to use other resources with my kids like books on tape and computers, something new so now I have more tools to use in the classroom. And it made them want to learn to read because then they would know more of what I wanted. Plus we learned ASL out of the deal! :)

Snow!!!

2007-12-12T22:30:00.000-06:00

I love snow, I really do. It covers the trees that are bare from falling leaves, covers the dirty road and dying grass, and reflects light so beautifully. Plus out here, the snow doesn't turn brown nearly as fast as in the city!

So our first major snowfall came 2 weeks ago. We got about 8 inches. After being couped up in my apartment for most of the day, I decided to venture out. I have a Subaru, I have AWD, and when I first got my learner's permit, it was January so I know how to drive in snow. Well, I thought I was fine, others scolded me. But it was good to get out. A few days later we got another 8 inches so it's pretty snow-covered up here. Plus, the highest the temp has gotten since is 20 so it's still all here. I got to wear my new snowpants (hey, I'm a little-kid teacher and we go outside, like I'm not going to climb on the snow with my kids!) and my big fur hat (it's windy up here and I don't want to get frostbite) and I was ready... course, it's been years since I was in those bib-snowpants and, well, it's taking a while to be able to maneuver in them. I've also ripped them already so I'll have to go get new ones... :(

I also have discovered that the town of Walker doesn't like snow piling up on the sidewalks... I guess that's a sign that we got alot more snow coming. So at 12:30am, after I've fallen asleep, I hear a loud thump outside my window and then loud scraping... I roll over and go back to sleep... must have been dreaming. Then another thump and scraping... now I start to wake up. Then another loud thump and the scraping sounded like metal... now I get scared for my car! I ran to the window and pulled the blinds open and there outside my window was a bulldozer! They scrape the snow off the sidewalk into the street and then plow it somewhere after that... it was late and I wasn't about to stay up to find out. My car was safe so I went back to sleep. They've done this again since, but at least that was at 5:30am... better??? I'm still debating that one! :)

Fishing

2007-11-04T21:39:00.000-06:00

A second attempt at fishing once again leaves me with an empty hook, aside from the rubbery plastic worm... but at least I didn't lose anything to the lake this time! The first time fishing, I lost 2 lure, a bobber, and the top half of my pole (it was a pole that comes apart for easy transporting). I have since replaced the pole, got lighter lures, and new bobbers. I walked down to the dock only to find they have taken out the bridge to the boardwalk for the winter. So I had to fish from the shore. I could see the bottom of the lake, but there were no fish so I didn't expect to get anything. Oh well, maybe I'll have to wait until ice fishing season starts... shouldn't be too much longer until that!

Pies

2007-11-03T18:36:00.000-05:00

So, for a fund raiser at school, we make and sell homemade pies. It's pretty interesting! I've never made a pie from scratch before... Sara Lee or one of her friends always did. But, I have (sort of) learned how to make apple, cherry, and blueberry pies from scratch! Last week I spend 2 hours scooping out Crisco for the dough balls and this week, ladies rolled it out while I helped cut apples and mix the apple pie filling. I guess you could say we cheated for the blueberry and cherry - we just used can filling. And, ok, so I didn't get to see how the dough is rolled out... we have a few more pie dates, I'm sure I'll see that.

After these last few weeks I have come to a few conclusions...
1. Recipes should have 2 versions - the "real cook" versions which include words like "some," "heaping," "dash," and other various descriptive words AND the "detail oriented cook" version where 5 cups of apples really means 5 cups, not 5 heaping cups, because really, there is no accurate way to measure "heaping" because depending on how wide the mouth of the measuring cup is could impact how high this "heap" goes. Take a guess as to what cook I am - give you a hint, my 5 cups were not nearly as much as everyone else's 5 cups, but in my defense they didn't tell me to heap the cups... :)
2. I am not teaching anyone how to cook. My type of cookbook... "A Man, A Can, and A Plan." Maybe that's why I haven't done cooking activities with my kids yet...
3. I need to learn how to cook.
4. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've been called "sheltered" or "city slicker." Don't get me wrong, it's kind of funny that others think that I'm a city girl, not just me, since I've never caught a fish, fired a gun other than squirt guns, baked a pie not made in a factory, or seen milk come from a cow.

When all is said and done, I still come to this conclusion... yes, I may be in the country, but I'm loving it up here... I'd love it even more if we had Chinese food, McDonalds, Coldstone Creamery, Target, or Chipotle closer than 45 minutes (2 hours for Chipotle), but it's nice and peaceful up here!

Chainsaw Festival

2007-10-25T20:10:00.001-05:00

So on My first weekend in town, I went to the Chainsaw Festival in Hackensack, MN. It was pretty fun! Dozens of people (men and women) all carving large chunks of wood with a chainsaw. Check out some of these pieces!

Fire Safety

2007-10-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we had fire safety today and a few firemen came with a fire truck. So that the kids aren't scared of all the firemen in their masks and gear, they had a teacher dress up in the fire stuff... and since I am the new teacher, I got volunteered for that. I really didn't mind, it was kind of fun. :) Anywho, I got the boots, pants, jacket, hat, and even the oxygen tank. Well, they put the mask on, but it was a little loose and so I could still breathe out around the seams. I had just exhaled when they pushed the mask all the way on so it was a tight seal... but I had no air in my lungs and they hadn't turn the oxygen on. So here I am, head to toe gear with a mask pushed on my face and a vacuum is now being created so there was NO AIR! Scariest moment of my life! I started grabbing the mask and trying to pull it off, but the firefighters kept pushing it back on until one guy figured out that they never turned the air on. Everyone laughed... except me... :) I found out some of the older kids turned around and asked the principal if I was ok since I was starting to thrash around a bit... oops... I panicked! :( I felt like Tommy Boy when they were demonstrating the inflatable children's life vest... I hope you've seen the movie Tommy Boy, because if not, that really doesn't make sense.

Moral of the story... make sure the air is turned on when putting on an oxygen mask.
And yes, I was pointed out the irony of suffocating in an oxygen mask... :)

Welcome to the Country

2007-10-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the country... and my blog. Since this is such an incredible (and funny) experience I've been having so far I thought it best to share my, um, wisdom that I've gained over the last 2 months.

Since I'm new to blogging, it may take a while to get things organized, but I'll be posting my stories, good, bad, and ugly, and hopefully it will make you laugh!

I love it up here, don't get me wrong. This is just a whole new way of life up here... I've only lived in very large cities (born in Milwaukee, WI, school in St. Paul, MN!) so to move to a town over just over 1000 people is a bit of a change!