Blaine & Steph

Busy Season

2009-01-25T21:06:00.010-06:00

Well the title pretty much says it all. But I am doing my best to not let the 60 hours work

weeks intrude on my life, ha! The blog was one of the first things to slide, whoops. But I have managed to keep up the workouts (for the most part), and spend time with Blaine and friends on the weekends (and catch on sleep).

Unfortunately and sadly I know the next couple of weeks will go by TOO fast. At least my employer has been awesome and given me reduced work weeks, so I can spend some QUALITY time (not just sleepy time) with Blaine before he deploys. So until after that time, I am guessing the blog will once again be neglected.

Until then, enjoy a few pics: Christmas @ Stacy's!

Susy's gift - pop-up Britney Spears in a box!

Mmm...Stella!

Sexy Kinda

The fam : )

Train ride through the Mountains in Denver.

Christmas in Colorado!

'Tis the Season

2008-12-03T20:22:00.010-06:00

Here are some fun pics to wrap up the last week!

We finished our little project. I thought it would take a weekend. I think we started this, oh, sometime in August? HAHA. But it is done and I LOVE it : )

Happy Birthday to Stacy early!!!!

Merry Christmas to us from Pat and Janelle early!!! I CANNOT wait to use our new popcorn machine. In case you didn't know I LOVE popcorn, and now Blaine will have to learn to love it as well : )

Lots of family bonding at home.... (try not to look into the dogs eyes directly, slightly haunting!)

I had the urge to decorate for Christmas, and this is my proud creation. I put it together all by myself! It looks even better in person. Now I am just waiting for my sweetie to get back home, so we can go get a tree!!! More pictures to come I am sure : )

Back in the Bis

2008-11-26T19:48:00.002-06:00

We are happy to back home for Thanksgiving 2008!!! We plan on spending lots of time with family and friends. It should be nothing but relaxing and fun : )

Tomorrow a few us plan to participate in the annual 5k Turkey Trot! I missed last years, so I am a little excited for the challenge this year. It will actually be nice out, which isn't always the case! Hopefully, the previous weekends' successful run will follow through tomorrow as well!

I also signed up for the Fargo Half Marathon in May - yikes!! We'll consider tomorrow's run good training.

Well back to watching Susie take on Blaine in Wii darts, the smack talk is definitely on. Too funny!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Weekend Update

2008-11-16T17:21:00.002-06:00

Eeks...it has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged. Its not that I didn't try - there were a couple of times I started a post only to draw a complete blank on anything interesting to write, concluded I got nothing.

I still really got nothing, but here goes anyway.

The past couple of weeks involved two trips to ND (helped Stace move/paint, Sioux Hockey!!!, and more painting).

One trip to SD, very quick one day trip. Productive, none-the-less (work-related).

I had a night out in hopping Anoka with the girls, while the guys attempted to shoot a deer. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row Blaine did not get his deer. But the group all split the meat, so we do have lots of jerky to show for it!

Blaine got his Bday/Christmas gift from me. I am not usually the type to give a gift early, nor let the surprise be ruined. But I did. I proclaim thought that it is a one-time event. He loves the new lap-top btw! I was going to get him a Veteran's day card, but if you didn't know those don't exist. I was NOT happy to find that neither Target, nor, HALLMARK sold them. Not cool. I was/still am pretty upset about that.

This weekend I convinced Stace to come visit, enticing her with a 5k Turkey Trot! It SO worked ; ) We were both very impressed and happy with the results of the run. Not only did we not stop, we also completed it with personal records!!! It was definitely a personal victory, as I have been struggling with my running lately. Now hopefully the traditional Bismarck Turkey Trot will go as well, if not better!!

We also had great success shopping (I even got ahead of the game with getting one Christmas gift taken care of!)

I of course have no pictures to show for it, but I am sure if you check Stace's blog in the next couple of days she will post some lovely ones!

Tax Calculator

2008-10-30T19:08:00.001-05:00

AWARDS!

2008-10-29T19:19:00.008-05:00

I was given TWO awards for my blog, by a fellow blogger!!!

I am suppose to give the award back to 10 others, but really I only read a couple of blogs on a regular basis, and they have already been nominated! But I will follow the other rules: List six things you value and six things you do not.

Six Things I Value:

1. Blainer - who btw cooked a delicous dinner tonight, that was already in the oven when I got home from work AND fixed the hem of my pants this morning during my usual rush to get out the door AND is now baking several loaves of banana bread AND did all the dishes - wow! What a sweetie : )

2. My Family - I had a great time in Fargo last weekend helping Stace move in and paint. I enjoy every opportunity I get to spend with them.

3. Deja-kins - all I have to do is look at my sweet puppy, and I am just happy. Its weird how attached you can get to a pet. She is the BEST!

4. My job - I know most people don't like work, and I don't either every day. But I do value having a job that pays well, has stability during these crazy financial/economic times, challenges me on almost a daily basis, and provides me with so many opportunities to meet people and learn things I wouldn't have otherwise.

5. Friends!!! - we are SO fortunate to have some AWESOME friends - a couple of which cooked us a yummy meal last night - thank you!!

6. Sleeping - I have always like sleeping. In my tween and teen years I use to be able to sleep in past noon, and LOVED it. Now I can't quite pull that off, but I do enjoy every minute of sleep I get. mmmmm.....sleepy time is right around the corner!

Six Things I don't Value So Much:

1) The war - I don't want to go into much detail here, but not a fan.

2) Campaign ads - aaaaahhhh - 5 more days!!

3) Loud noises - I swear my hearing is not that great, but I hate LOUD noises. Including Deja's barking, Blaine's random outbursts (done I'm pretty sure to ag me on), and any repititive type noise (banging, tapping, snapping, etc...)

4) Ironing - oh it sucks. Especially for girls, with all the pleats and small areas...grrr...

5) Clients who think they can treat me like crap, because I am young and an AUDITOR (such a scary word to some)

6) TRAFFIC - my drive out to St.Paul (the opposite side of my world) is definitely my least favorite. I especially dislike it when I just want to get home and I am hungry, which then leads to carsick, which then leads to very crabby me.

Wow, I think I should have wrote what I valued last. Now I am all fired up over what I don't value - hehe.

Back to laundry now (another thing I don't value so much, well I value the clean, nice smelling clothes, but not the folding and hanging, etc...) TTFN

A Little Fall FUN

2008-10-21T21:04:00.003-05:00

We made the most of the 60 degree weather on Sunday, with a visit to a local farm that sold pumpkins! It is literally like 3 blocks away - that's Chan for ya, farms in the middle of a suburb!

The next two weekends we won't be around, so we had to enjoy Fall before its over (it is my favorite season afterall). We had fun bowling on Friday with friends. Saturday was spent shopping, I actually had luck finding stuff. The evening was spent helping friends put in a new water heater and sump pump. That is, the guys did the work, the girls watched movies! We are SO glad to have such awesome friends so close by, that we spend pretty much all of our time with. It wasn't a big deal helping them, because we know they would do the same no questions asked. They have basically become a second family. We are lucky!

Here is the end result of Blaine's artistic work:

No One Has Swagga Like Us

2008-10-12T17:15:00.006-05:00

The weather this weekend was perfect for our bike ride and our grilling party - 70ish degrees, no rain, slight breeze!

The Ride for Awareness went really well. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, but when they said it would be a casual ride, they were not kidding. Some of the people showed up all decked out in their crazy biking gear, then there was a guy wearing jeans - yeah jeans, and then there was us, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. We rode in a group, making numerous (too many) stops to make sure everyone was there, and to figure out where to go next. I am guessing because it was their first time hosting this ride, they weren't as prepared as they could be. But the paths we took we're gorgeous. I wish I would have thought to bring my camera. However, the leaf-covered paths proved to be a little dangerous for some, as one girl wiped out only a few miles in, needing to get stiches on her lip. Yikes. We opted to change the route to more of an urban trail ride, which meant lots of stop signs, and more waiting for everyone. In the end we averaged about 11mph, and both Blaine and I came out winners. He won a t-shirt and I won a new helmet!

Post ride pic - sexy kinda!

Even though the ride was not that challenging, it still made me very tired, sleepy tired. But we invited people over for grilling, and there was no time for a nap. The grilling turned out great, and some people even liked the duck Matt and Blaine cooked up. (I wasn't one of them, sorry). We even got a lessson on how to make yummy egg rolls! I may need to get myself one of those handy deep-fryers!

Unfortunately, all the fun of yesterday left us bums for today. Couch Potatoes - but hey the Vikings won! No one has swagga like us! (Jay-z and T.I.)

Book Club!

2008-10-07T19:54:00.005-05:00

Tonight I hosted our 3rd book club meeting to discuss A Long Way Gone. It was hard to choose a place to meet, since even though we all work for the same employer, our clients are all over the cities, not to mention our homes. I found a quaint little coffee shop in SLP, that turned out to be perfect! It had THE best ice cream - best surprise of the week!!! I had the Pumpkin Pie flavor, delicioso : ) I am sure their coffee would be great too, but we all know I can't have any of that after say 10AM. The discussion went well also; it was definitely a thought provoking book that I recommend to all.

I am now excited to go out and buy our next book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I haven't gotten all the details on it, but it sounds like its a long one, so we are going to break it up into two meetings. I am so glad that we started this - I am pretty sure I wouldn't get any reading in without it.

On a related note - I was invited by my neighbor to a monthly Bunko meeting with the ladies on the block!! HAHA. I have no idea what Bunko is, but I figured why not? I need to get to know who lives around us anyway, great opportunity!

Now, it is time to watch the "town-hall style" presidential debate. Should be interesting and exciting! Ok, maybe just a little intersting, and not so exciting at all. I already know who I am voting for, but we'll give the other guy a fair shot at winning me over ; )

OUT!

Here We Are

2008-10-02T11:06:00.006-05:00

September has come and gone before I had a chance to blink.

I managed to work-out 17 of 30 days, which I guess is not too bad for me. The work-outs included a variety of running/walking, Tennis, and Wii Fit! Unfortunately there was little to nil biking done.

I have registered Blaine and I to participate in the Ride for Awareness - a 25 mile bike ride done in cities across the nation on the same day to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. I got the idea from Stace, who is doing it in Fargo. It is next weekend, so it will be interesting to see how bad 25 miles hurts. I think the furthest I have ever gone is 12 miles - yikes!

The cool weather has definitely set in. I hate to turn the heat on already, but last night my nose was freezing! With winter fast approaching, I am hoping to spruce up the "work-out" room so I can stay/get in-shape indoors without an expensive membership. We have the treadmill, but now I would like to get a bike trainer (you put your own bike on it to cycle indoors!) and some DVD workout vids.

I am quite sure this month will go by just as fast, but hopefully I will maintain the blog a little better. We will be out-of-town for 3 out of the next 5 weekends - should be interesting!!

In the last couple of weeks we managed to take in the BEST Twins game EVER (swept the CWS in OT)! I got free work tickets to the Wild Exhibition game (Club Level!) - also a win in overtime! Participated in some volunteering, Sisters Weekend at a cabin with all my aunts and female cousins, got a promotion and raise, and other things I am sure just as exciting!

Here are some pics to keep you coming back for more - ha!

Back on the Wagon

2008-09-10T20:00:00.003-05:00

Well it appears some of my motivation has returned. I have manged to hit the treadmill several times while out-of-town this week and last, as well as, hit up my own treadmill, play some tennis, do a little biking, and a little walking around Chicago. Not too shabby, especially compared to the lack there of the past few months. Unfortunately the workout facility at my hotel in Chicago is complete junk - in the basement, small, and suffocatingly hot. So after my run today, I noticed that I now have some sort of rash along my jawline/neck/face. YUCK. Luckily you can't notice it that much, but I can feel it and its not cool. I thought it was a heat rash, but I'm not sure anymore. Hopefully it goes away soon.

My trip to Chicago has been pretty good. I traveled alone and knew no one upon arrival, but I have managed to latch onto some Milwaukee co-workers. They have been kind enough to invite me to dinner with them each night, so I don't have be a total loner. We experienced House of Blues - bad service, limited menu, and just ok food. Night 2 was a definite improvement - Signature Room. It is a restaurant on the 95th floor of the Hancock building. Awesome steak, service, and VIEW. Gorgeous. My camera couldn't capture the view through the window, but I recommend it to all. Tonight was a seafood place - Catch 35, also good, no view though! I also got to enjoy Michigan Ave. - more shopping than one can imagine. It is pretty crazy the difference between downtown Mpls and downtown Chicago.

Tomorrow I go home! Yay!

Oh, the Places you will Go

2008-09-04T21:01:00.002-05:00

Tonight another staff and I walked around the SDSU campus after dinner. It was great to actually get out of the hotel room, and enjoy the beautful evening. I was surprised to find how nice the campus was, with cute buildings and lots of paths. Also, since this is an ag school I got to visit the horses. Who knew! Walking through the campus brought back all the memories of college - the dorms, the frats, the people just walking around.... It made me realize that I actually miss that time, and wish I would have enjoyed it a little more while I was there. I think that is always the battle I have - to enjoy the moment more. I think that will be a goal of mine. Unfortunately I didn't even think to bring my camera to share the sights. Next time - I promise!

We have also discovered a Starbucks! This town is full of surprises!

Tomorrow is Friday, which means only a half day of work and a few hours in my car until the weekend!

Now I will watch McCain (right now it looks like a history channel special). Then I will hit the hay!

Night!

2008-09-02T19:52:00.008-05:00

I am back in Sodak this week, so I figured why not blog a little.

I just realized it is September already - where has this summer gone??

We have been really busy, but it has been a great summer and I am sad to see it end so quickly.

Some of the highlights of this summer include: 3 camping trips, 4 weddings, 1 bachelorette party, 1 trip to the MN state fair, 1 wedding shower, 1 book club meeting, 2 graduations, 1 boat cruise, 2 comedy club shows, 1 Canterbury Park horse racing experience, a couple of Twins games, lots of grilling, some house projects, OLYMPICS, endless hours in the car, many miles on my bike....

I am looking forward to all my fall favorites though (Caribou has out its pumpkin latte - yum!) And I am excited to get back into a workout routine (which should help with the purchase of our new treadmill). Who knows, maybe Stacy will be able to convince me to try a tri... PS - if anyone finds a Wii Fit, let me know - I really really want one : )

I also have gotten back into reading, which after doing a little browsing, I have realized there are endless books that I want/need to read thanks to my book club of fellow staff! I have already read The Memory Keepers Daughter, which I highly recommend, as well as, The Pilot's Wife. I am now reading A Long Way Gone, a memoir about a boy who is forced to join the rebel forces in Sierra Leone. I am welcome to any other suggestions people have.

Unfortunately, I hardly have any pictures to show for the entire month of August. But here a few highlights from July's trip to Itasca:

Trying to look as cool as Susie : )

Some hard-core kayaking/canoeing (not sure what you call this plastic banana)...

I just love this sign.

2008-07-11T18:10:00.008-05:00

Unfortunately I did not take enough pictures over our 4th of July vacation in Bismarck to document ALL the phone we had : ( We did have a wonderful looong weekend though! We got to see lots of family, and many we rarely get to see, golf, play slapnuts, jet ski, eat, eat, eat....good stuff!

This weekend I am looking forward to hanging out with the Kautzman cousins in the city for Brittany's Bachelorette party!!!! We will have to party hardy, b/c Britt and Chris fly in Saturday night and leave Sunday morning! I will try my best to get some good pics!

Here's a pic of our new shutters - exciting I know!

Camping, Round 2

2008-07-08T21:21:00.006-05:00

Minneopa State Park

A couple of weekends ago, we went camping about an hour south of our home with a couple of our good friends. Besides the constant rain/drizzle, we had a pretty good time. The best part was the little bit of hiking we were able to do, near a waterfall. I'm pretty sure it is the first waterfall I have ever seen. We managed to squeeze in small Brats grilling, s'more toasting, and a little slap nuts between rainfalls.

We are pretty busy the next couple of months, so who knows if we will get another camping trip in or not. If we do hopefully we will have some better weather!

2008-07-01T11:33:00.002-05:00

Another GREAT movie I recommend: The Other Boleyn Girl. I found out at the end that it was based on a true story. A interesting piece of history!

New favorite pizza: Papa Murphy's Herb Medittarean Delite - YUM!

Other random updates: the new sliding patio door is officially in and complete! New digital thermostat is installed and working efficiently (its flush with the wall so it looks sweet) Shutters are painted, looks much better than before. I mowed the lawn for the first time. It was a good thing Blaine was around, b/c it stopped like 6 times, and I can't get it to restart. The neighbor chick who was mowing her lawn at the same time and totally kicked my butt - dang. We bought a new mower, much needed. Now I can take her anyday! Today is the first day of July - crazy. Today is also like Friday, b/c we have the rest of the week off and heading to the Biz for some fourth of July fun!

Stay tuned for pics of our lovely (rainy) camping trip last weekend!!!!

Across the Universe

2008-06-26T13:38:00.009-05:00

I highly recommend the movie Across the Universe for any Beatles fan. The singers (all Beatles songs!) are just unbelievably awesome. The movie is a little "trippy" at parts, but each song fits into the story so well. Watch it! See some of my favorite clips below!

Let it Be

Blackbird

I Want You

Strawberry Fields

All You Need is Love

Ok, so I pretty much posted the whole movie!

Getting in touch with nature...

2008-06-15T20:58:00.010-05:00

Camping: Afton State Park

The unique aspect of this camping experience is that the campground is about a mile hike from where you can park. This was more work than we expected, and left us hot, thirsty, and eventually very sore (at least I am).

Deja's first time camping. We think she loved it. She was such a good girl the entire time.

Interesting.

Sweet view of the St.Croix river.

Down by the beach. Deja had a blast trying to chase waves.

We ended the night with a bonfire - hotdogs and s'mores. YUM. Well actually the night ended when we heard an siren telling us a sever thunderstorm was on its way. Less than a minute later it was downpouring and the wind was gusting over 60mph. No time to walk a mile back to the car, but our tent held its own and we survived. We were too exhausted to do more hiking in the morning so we packed up and headed home. We hope to return again soon!

2008-06-09T20:41:00.008-05:00

Blaine and I enjoyed a nice weekend with family.

Friday:

Sylvia's big debut - we love the pretty little peanut!

Crazy Kautzman's

(sadly had to climb through the window to access the deck - new door should be here anyday I hope)

Saturday:

BBQ and Blues Fest - downtown

(Nice weather and good music!)

Alexis' Open House

More Kautzman fun!

Sunday:
No pictures, but it was a successful day of Ikea, Dick's, grilling, and National Treasure 2.

We hope to have more visitors again soon - always a good time!!

Breaking Stuff..

2008-06-06T10:16:00.006-05:00

Ok so today I am working from home/taking a half day of vacation.

So the lawn desperately needs to be mowed. I attempted on Wednesday (Blaine was at the Twins game) to try it out myself. After struggling to get it out from the shed under the deck, I couldn't even get it to start. So I gave up. Well, then Thursday we got a nice storm, giving no chance to mow again. I might try to tackle it again today, but its kinda raining off and on.

Also, by the way things have gone so far today, I am a little scared to do anything else. First of all, part of our fence in the back yard fell down. Nice.

Secondly, while vacuuming a rug (I should have just shook it) the vacuum just quit. Great. At least I was able to get the upstairs completely vacuumed. Our poor guests.

I also sucked up part of my shirt ribbon and totally ruined it. hahaha.

Hopefully, the rest of the cleaning will be more successful!

Here are some pics of our recent updates:

The Upstairs Bathroom - We painted a taupe color (huge improvement over the spotted pee yellow)

Blaine took out the old nasty plastic light cover and put in a new one. It surprisingly looks really good, and adds a little modern flair. It will work until we can afford to put in new flooring and get rid of the mauve counter tops and tiling in the tub!

We painted the front door purple (eggplantish)!!! I am also surprised at how much I LOVE it! Blaine also painted the storm door trimming silver (the gold wasn't going with our nice door handle)
We ran out of time to finish everything we planned. But as soon as we get another free weekend we plan on painting the shutters. Right now they are the same color as the house, which makes no sense. Why even have shutter then? There are lots of little projects to do around the house this summer - can't wait!!

Have a great weekend!

Oh Monday...

2008-06-03T16:27:00.003-05:00

Monday was......interesting.

I am still not feeling all that well, but when to work anyway. So here's the fun part: after blowing my nose, I all of sudden felt it running. I thought to myself "wow, where did that come from". So I look down, blood everywhere - GROSS. On my new shirt, on my workpapers, on the table. YIKES. Fortunately, the bathroom wasn't too far, and I only passed by one person on the way. I was able to get it to stop, and get it out of my shirt. However, my workpaper doesn't look so pretty. Whoever has to review that is going to know how much blood, sweat and tears I put into it - literally. hahaha. I just felt bad for the girl I was working with in the conference room - she witnessed it all. FUN.

So I made it through the workday. When I got home Blaine was frantically cleaning the house. Also interesting. Turns out he found out through Matt, a guy at work who is looking for a temporary place to live. So we thought we'd let him check out, meet the guy, scope out the situation.

Well, I had to run Deja to her vet appointment. What a GOOD little girl. I was very impressed. So many other dogs, it was super busy, and she was quiet and good. She said hi to everyone sitting in the waiting area, sniffed everything, and then hung out quietly by me as we waited forever. She was good with the vet too. They had the darndest time finding her butt to take her temp. Had to call in reinforcements - too much hair. She didn't like that so much, and I felt bad as I witnessed the whole debacle. They took her out of the room to take her blood, but I still heard the big squeal. Poor thing. She did not want to be away from me at all after that. Everything looks good though! Just need to bring in a stool sample. They offered to pull it out of her, but gave Deja a break, and said we would wait for it to naturally come out. I hope Blaine will handle that part. haha. They suggested teeth cleaning, which we knew she needed. I just didn't know how much it would cost - YIKES again.

When I got home S. was checking the place out. Seemed like a decent guy. Apparently he spends most of his weekends at his cabin, and is active in softball and volleyball. Clean, doesn't party, looking for a house, check, check, check.

I was not really apt to the idea of letting a stranger move in below us and share the comfort of our home, which we have enjoyed by ourselves for quite a few months. But who can resist the extra income? I guess not us.

So that was our Monday in a nutshell!

This is my attempt at using my new camera to record. Only Deja wouldn't do her trick. oh well, watch it anyway.

The end of May

2008-05-31T14:09:00.003-05:00

Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes (via emails, texts, facebook, phone-calls..)!

Blaine and I had a great long memorial weekend in Bismarck and Jamestown. It was great just spending time with family. (and much needed after a crazy busy, stressful week of work in SD). I am so glad to be back home and back to working in the office!

My birthday was great. I told Blaine I did not want to go out to eat. Shocking I know. But spend a couple of weeks out of town, and you will understand the feeling. Instead I requested some yummy steaks from the grill, and Blaine definitely provided. I think they were the best he has ever grilled before. Rachel and Matt joined us, and afterwards we all went to ColdStone for a little dessert.

I volunteered to be a mentor for my firm's Summer Leadership Program. This program is for college students who are too young to intern, but want to get a feel for the choices out three. All the big four do a similar program. Its a pretty sweet deal. The students interview to get into the program, and once in, at the end usually they all get offers for a full time position when they are done with school or an internship. So the event for SLP on Friday was a high ropes course at a camp out west of the cities. It was awesome!! We were challenge to encourage each other to push our selves to do something we normally wouldn't. I made it to the top of the 40 foot rock climbing wall and rang the bell! What an exhilarating feeling. The second part of the day for our group was spent up 30 feet in the year, walking across ropes and beams from tree to tree - crazy!! At the end we all got to zip-line down - so much fun!

Today I am sore from my Friday experience. I also seem to have caught a cold at about 8pm last night. Weird. I don't know where it came from, but it sucks. I had a lot I wanted to get done around the house today, but I just feel like total crap. Blaine had something similar earlier in the week, so I guess that is where it came from.

Tonight the plan is to head downtown to watch the Twins kick some Yankee butt!! Right now I would much rather stay home, but I don't want to be the party pooper. I do feel a little better so that's good.

Keep your eyes open for some pics to come - Blaine got me a new camera!!!!!!!

Stuck in SD

2008-05-13T20:11:00.002-05:00

Not much to say this week - I am in SD for a year-end audit. We work, go out for lunch, work, go out for dinner, go back to our hotel rooms, and get do it all over again. FUN! We have even been so lame, that both last night and tonight we just went to Applebees since it is across from our hotel. Not that there is anything much more appealing than that, sadly. I managed to run 5k this morning, but I squashed the benefits by getting an oreo shake at dinner tonight...boooo...

Blaine is back home keeping track of the dog and the house. Apparently we need a new deck door, the baseboard was rotting out pretty badly. He found one for a good deal on Craigslist, but I'm not sure if I will like the way it looks. We'll see. His excitement for the night, as unfortunately he shared the details with me, was watching birds mating in our backyard. SICK. I guess it looked like the guy stole the girl from another guy, what drama! hahaha

We had a great weekend! Pat and Janelle joined us for a nice relaxing weekend, with a good ol' Twins' game in the mix! Go Twins!

3 more days : )

Night!

Updates about nothing...

2008-05-06T09:25:00.003-05:00

Friday: Dinner and Drinks at "the Office" (Matt and Blaine's name for their favorite local American Legion). That place is hopping every night of the week, so I had to finally check it out. I give it a 3 out 5. The guys find it humorous to call Rachel and I the secretaries. FUNNY. Afterwards more drinks and a movie - 27 Dresses. Pretty much a big disappointment. I give it a 2 out of 5. Thank goodness for all the drinks! I am pretty sure Blaine talked through 75% of the movie, but that's nothing new : )

Saturday: Blaine had drill. I went for a run and organized the house up. I also did a little shopping. In the evening we hit up the Twins game with some of my coworkers. Awesome weather, so it was very fun hanging out in the plaza for a pregrame drink and corndog! Twins Win - makes for a great night! We played old married couple and went home after the game, while everyone else went out....

Sunday: More drill for Blaine. I continued to clean the house, took the dog for a walk, ran a few errands....Another gorgeous day! We attempted to give Deja her "shocking" lesson. She is too smart. She just will not go across the flags, which is good because she is not suppose to, but she doesn't know yet that if she does she will get shocked. I just don't trust that a beep will stop her if she says a bunny run across the yard.

Yesterday: Work, bleh. Another nice weather day! Blaine and I took the bikes out for a near 10 mile ride. We biked to the EP community center to see if I should switch from Lifetime. It was nice, but I am just going to keep my Lifetime membership for now. Every day I am more aware of the fact that I am my mother's daughter. Mom, this is not a bad thing, but its true. Last night I cut my pinky slicing a banana. Such a mom move (you know what I'm talking about!).

Today: Work, still bleh (and its only 9:30am). I am not a fan of being unassigned, which I am all week. So I signed up for Employee Benefit Plan training tomorrow and volunteered for Junior Achievement Biz Town on Friday. Better than doing nothing....

On a side note, in the Sunday paper a couple of weekends ago, there was a featured article on a former MN couple. The young couple had their first baby, and less than 27 hours later, the wife died from an unknown blood clot on her way to hold her daughter for the first time. It is an unbelievably sad story. The husband maintains a blog of his own to share his daily struggle with the world and to help him cope with the situation. I highly recommend you check out the blog and read for yourself. He also has awesome pictures of his baby girl. The writing and pictures make you appreciate the small miracles in life.

Happy Tuesday!

Sunny AZ

2008-04-17T08:47:00.014-05:00

Stace and I had THE best time in Arizona. We did so much, and time flew by way too fast. I am already ready to go back!

The trip started a little shaky. Of course the day we were suppose to leave for sunny AZ, MN/ND had a nice winter weather advisory – aka a blizzard. FUN. Stace made it to the cities, against a nasty wind and a little rain on Thursday night. We went to check into our flight, only to find out it had been cancelled. I quickly called the airline, and thank God we were able to get on the next flight leaving at 11am (ours was supposed to leave at 8am). However, the 11am flight was already delayed to 12pm. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Luckily, the flight was not delayed further or cancelled, and we made it to AZ with time to spare!

Our first night there consisted of experiencing Pam’s crazy driving – mostly gas station incidents that involved doing a few loops around : ) But we stopped in Tempe, where ASU is located and strolled down Mill Ave, similar to Uptown in the cities. After that we headed to Pam’s crib – very nice apartment by the way, and got ready for a night out. We joined some of Pam’s fellow dental students for dinner at place called Cadalac Ranch. Afterwords we drifted over to a bar across the way. The area we were in was all open to the outdoors and even had a band playing outside – pretty sweet.

Mill Ave.

Cadallac Ranch

Saturday we enjoyed some quality time by Pam’s ice-cold pool, eventually forcing ourselves to jump in once we couldn’t stand the heat. It took us awhile to figure out where we wanted to go for dinner, but Pam is lucky to have a patient bf. We drove to Old Town and walked around a bit before dinner. It is in Scottsdale and has all these little western/Mexican shops. Pretty fun. Dinner was at the Roaring Fork, and was yummy : ) I love being able to enjoy dinner outside, and they even had a fireplace out there.

Poolside

Old Town

Roaring Fork

Afterwards we headed to the Scottsdale mall, which has unbelievable shopping. Every store you can imagine pretty much. To end the night we went to a club called Suede and had the BEST drink ever – Strawberry Cheesecake martini. I will have to try to recreate that one sometime. The club had great music, and it was a good time, but we didn’t get too crazy since we were heading to the mountains the next morning.

Suede

Sunday we hiked Superstition Mountain – well at least half of it. It was AWESOME, my favorite of the entire weekend. It was not easy, but the sights were amazing. I guess we came at a good time b/c everything was in bloom. Next time I will come back in climb to the top!

Hiking wiped us out pretty good. That night we enjoyed dinner at BJ’s brewery in Mesa. It was yummy, and the dessert was the best part – oreo cookie pazookie!!!!! Later we checked out Dana Park in Mesa, its basically a shopping strip mall with lots of fun stores. We had to stop at the Ra for an after dinner drink, and ended up having some sushi as well. We were so full it wasn’t funny, but it was still SO good!!
RA

Monday Stace and I were on our own while Pam had class. We ventured back to Dana Park for some coffee and some more shopping. After meeting Pam and Scott for lunch at Paradise Bakery, we drove ourselves back to Tempe for some more Mill Ave shopping! We were sooo proud of ourselves for our navigating skills (of course it helps that they are on a nice grid system). We relaxed a little by the pool, until Pam got done with class. Then we did a little TJ Maxx shopping - Pam somehow managed to by 5 purses – yikes! To end the night we did a late but OH SO delicious dinner at Kona, and Asian Fusion restaurant. We also headed back to Ra to get the dessert we wanted the other night, but were to full for – fried cinnamon tempura ice cream. YUM. We almost went back to BJ’s for another Pazookie, but just couldn’t do it!

RA, again

On Tuesday before we left, Stace and I got a quick game (volley) of tennis in! We made it back to the cities no problem. Only now its back to reality. At least it is gorgeous outside today in the cities!!

My Baby

2008-04-10T09:35:00.005-05:00

Well parents are always showing everyone pictures of their adorable babies, so I figured I would share pictures of our adorable baby : )

We heart Deja!

Deja and her friend Tiny doing tricks for treats.

Deja and Tiny taking a car ride to the park. Such good little puppies : )

Last night: Bathtime. It was much needed, and boy did she have the zoomies afterwards!

B-I-N-G-O

2008-04-09T09:36:00.002-05:00

Last night Blaine and I joined some friends in Brooklyn Park for a serious night of BINGO! Blaine had gone with them last week, and I kept hearing how much fun it was, so I had to see for myself. It was definitely cheap entertainment - $5 for like 10 games, which lasted about 3 hours. There were some pretty interesting people there, but I have to admit that I did enjoy myself. None of us won anything, so it looks like we might have to go back next week : )

One more day after today and I am off to Sunny Arizona! Pam has provided us with an itinerary, which includes hiking, a baseball game, clubbing, shopping, relaxing by the pool, as well as trying lots of unique restaurants!!!! There is also room to through in an art museum or whatever else we feel like. I feel guilty leaving Blaine out, but he told me he is going to work on finishing a desk and possibly starting another project. That should keep him pretty busy...

Happy Hump Day!

New Investment

2008-04-08T09:39:00.002-05:00

I have wanted a bike ever since I began cycling a couple of years ago. Moving to MN made me want a bike even more. I think there are as many miles of trails in the cities as highways. MN also has the scenery to go along with the trails, as most of them wind around the lakes. Well a couple of weekends ago, when my sister and her friend came to visit to do a triathlon, we did a cycle shopping. I did not know the first thing about bikes, and had no idea what I wanted.

Nothing really came from our brief shopping, except an even large desire to buy a bike. A few days later, Blaine broke down and spilled the beans (he can never keep a secret). Before I started all this talk about getting a bike, he was actually doing a little research of his own for a b-day gift me : ) But he figured that it was best I actually try out the bikes first to get an idea of what I want. Pretty soon he had the bike itch too, and we were both 10-ft deep in bike info. We went to a few bike shops and the cities and gained more knowledge. I really liked the feel of the road bikes, but I wanted to have a more functional bike that I could go trail-riding on if we go camping or anything like that.

Well last night we took a drive to Bloomington, and test rode some more bikes. Both of us ended up liking the Trek 7.5. It is a fitness hybrid, which means it is not as aggressive and fast as a road bike, but it is faster and lighter than a comfort bike. The guy at Penn Cycle was great. He ended up giving us a discount on everything we bought. Of course little did we realize how much extra things we were going to invest in – including helmets, padded shorts, gloves, pedometers, car bike rack, etc. We are going to look SOO fast - hahaha. We both switched our tires for ones with more tread so we would be able go on gravel, and I switched out my seat to a women’s specific. It wasn’t cheap, and it could have been a lot more expense, but we had already decided it would be our anniversary gift to each other. Happy early anniversary! Now I am just itching for another nice day like last Saturday to get out there and cycle! We plan on keeping these bikes for years, so I think the cost will be well worth it!

Steph's Bike

Blaine's Bike

"actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that."

2008-03-18T08:51:00.001-05:00

- Old School quote

Well, I am unassigned this week, which means I have a whole lot of nothing to do. There are about 15 other staff also unassigned, so the chances my time gets picked up are very slim. It is great having some free time to get the administrative stuff taken care of (i.e. submit expenses, clean up my email box, clean up my computer, etc…) However, a whole week is quite a looong time. So far I am loving it though! Yesterday I got a new work computer! It is so much faster than my old one (and nicer).

I signed us up for an online savings account. I did a little research to find the best rates, and ended up choosing HSBC. They don’t have the highest rate, but they have a lot of recommendations as well as really good security. I guess their rates fluctuates less too. So these online savings accounts are great. They get better interest than CDs, and there are no minimum balances required (well $1 at HSBC) and you can withdraw or transfer money as you please (with a minimum of 6 times a month). So currently the HSBC account has 3.55% APY, which it compounds daily and pays monthly – not bad!! Much better than our current Wells Fargo savings account, which earns like 0.03% or something ridiculous like that. I think the one downside is that it takes a few days to get the money out, but we just plan on using it to hold our savings and only withdraw for large purchases or emergencies. Smart eh?

Blaine’s house project over the weekend was to install new outlets and light switches. The old ones were this nasty cream color with dust and dirt in all the crevasses. We were just planning on picking up a few house essentials at Home Depot (carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguisher, etc), but then ended up spending all this money on the switches. It looked so cheap initially. You could get a pack of 10 for $11, but then we realized we needed lots of the three way switches for lights that had multiple switch locations, as well as fancy dimmer switches. Had I known the whole project was going to cost so much I would not have suggested it. But once you get Blaine going on a project, you can’t stop him. It also took a lot longer than I would have guessed. But now it is done and looks good : )

On a side note – I ran 5 miles in 60 minutes on Sunday! I have never run that far, so I was just happy to do it, and I thought my time wasn’t horrible considering my lack of being in shape : )

We are looking forward to a trip home for Easter to see family!!!

Have a good one!

Quick Update

2008-03-14T15:45:00.003-05:00

I know I have not blogged in a REALLY long time, but honestly there is not much to say.

I splurged and bought the new Asics I really, really wanted and needed. Totally worth it, I heart them. And since I bought them I have ran more than usual. That might also be related to the fact that busy season is officially over for me. My goals are to get back in shape and start reading again. Exciting stuff I know.

I think Blaine was in shock on Monday when he came home and I was already there! I had dinner at home every night this week (except one b/c I had a dinner with my intern advisee). It is nice to actually get to spend some nice quality time at home with Blaine and Deja : ). Although, I was not sure what to do with all that time! I think I will quickly relearn how to enjoy free time : )

I have to say that busy season was a lot of hours, but definitely rewarding in the end. I really got the opportunity to step up and take on roles that normally someone at my level would not get the chance to. The client I was on had lots of issues, which created more work, but also more learning. I am looking forward to next year, when I get to take on even more challenging tasks as well as be the person that the new staff go to with their questions.

Now I am looking forward to a fun, relaxing trip with my sister to sunny AZ to see my best friend!!!

Taking care of business...

2008-02-03T18:00:00.001-06:00

Today has been a very productive Sunday.

I slept in to start out with. I know that doesn't sound very productive, but trust me I needed it. I woke up with the strong intentions of getting a good workout in. I went to the gym yesterday morning, before heading to work, but it was one of those workouts that just seems forced. You know, you never get into a good groove, and you never really seem to perk up. I made myself do 15 min on thsi crazy stairstepper adn then 15 min run/walk on an incline. Today my butt is sore, so I guess somewhat of a success.

Well before I could head to the gym today, I had to take care of some other business - Deja's business to be exact. I think the snow melted last week, and an old layer of Deja's poo appeared. It was everywhere, and lots of it. Gross. Unfortunately it was also frozen into the snow, so it was a pain to pick up. Also, we appear to have a rabbit, who enjoys using every square inch of our yard to poop on. Double gross. I wasn't going to spend all day on that though.

Anyway, I finally made it to the gym and I swam. The last time I swam was back at college. Yikes. I wasn't sure what a good goal would be, but I thought I'll shoot for 10 laps. Well I did that, and figured I may as well shoot for a half mile. So I did 16 laps, and I think it took a little over a half hour. Not sure how horrible that is, but I did it. And it was a good workout. Done and Done.

When I got home I did the usually Sunday chores - laundry, clean the bathroom, dust, etc. I also went to the grocery store to by snacks for the game, but decided to make a real meal for once. A girl I work with told me her favorite recipe for baked ziti. I have to say it turned out pretty well (even though I accidentally got Sour cream with onions and chives), and Blaine appeared to enjoy it. Another success.

Blaine was busy at drill - doing another PT test this morning at 5:45. So nothing too exciting this weekend. We watched the Sioux last night tie the Gophers at Joe Sensors. I even ran into some people I graduated with! Love the UND bar in the cities! I also had a little success at Albertville with some friends. It was crazy how busy it was there. But now I know there is a Coach outlet, so I may have to come back!!!

Well I lost count of how many weeks of busy season have gone by, but I do know it is February now. There must be an end in sight.

Now back to watching commercials, I mean the Superbowl game!

Out!

Endurance

2008-01-26T17:06:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know it has been awhile. I apologize, but really not much exciting occurs when you are working 55+ hours and all you want to do is sleep and relax on the weekends.

Blaine is currently in the garage building a desk! I'm so excited to finally have an office (instead of an empty room used to iron our clothes).

I have managed to get up at 5am a few times last week and the week before to get an early morning workout in. I just don't have the motivation at 9 at night. Anyways, I get in the freezing car at 5am, and I am just mad at myself for making me do this. Then I get to the gym, and half awake begining cycling or running. After a some time I'm finally awake and getting an awesome workout in. I go home and have tons of energy. I go to work, and about 3 hours into my 12 hour day I am just sleepy. So that backfired, but I will still do it and hope my body adjusts.

Last weekend Stace was in town, and we celebrated a friend's b-day. It was a GREAT weekend. This weekend we have absolutely nothing going on - and I love it. I just need a weekend to stay home and relax. Check check!

Today I went to the gym for an endurance ride spin class. 90 minutes of hell. The class was packed, and I felt completely out of place. I think I was the only person not wearing some form of spandex. These people dressed like hard-core cyclists, but not all quite had the body yet. The class was packed, and unlike Grand Forks spin classes, there were more men then women. I think I was also the youngest person there too. But I held my own, and 38 miles later, I was pretty sure I had just gotten one of the best workouts ever. And now I understand why everyone had padded-butt shorts : )

I think the rest of my day will be spent enjoying my latte, and catching up on the book for Stacy's book club!

Next week I get to go to a Wild game with the interns (since I am a peer advisor for one from UND) - they play the Aneheim ducks, should be fun!

Other than that, Blaine and I are just staying warm and looking forward to whatever comes up next!

Cheers!

My day off

2008-01-04T11:55:00.000-06:00

I finally broke down and did it. I have been living in the cities now for about 6 months. I told myself that when we found a more permanent place to live and when the weather got too cold I would do it. After all the holiday fun (I'm talking about grandma's cooking and treats everywhere) I just could not hold out any longer. I joined Lifetime Fitness. I told myself I would never pay $85 a month to workout, and especially not at a place that pretty much has a monopoly going. Well, my other options were to buy myself a treadmill or to go to a 24 hour gym. Blaine kinda nixed the idea of the treadmill (they're a little pricey), and the 24 hour gyms seem so small and just don't offer any classes.

I went to the Lifetime in Chan - unbelievable. It was like the Wellness Center (UND's new gym) on steroids. It just sucked me in, as I was given a personal tour. There is a LifeSpa - an aveda salon, offering massages and the whole get up. There is a LifeCafe - which smelled delicious and offers nutrional meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were an unbelievable number of treadmills and other cardio machines, as well as weights (which we all know I avoid as much as possible). There were two basketball courts, 4 raquetball rooms, and a HUGE rock climbing wall. There was a lap pool, next too a huge kiddie pool with a slide. I also got to peak outside where there is another lap pool and more slides, as well as another cafe. The guy said you can just lounge out there too! It is one of the newest and nicest Lifetimes, and the corporate offices are right across the parking lot. With this membership I can also go to pretty much any other Lifetime. That will be nice, because this one is west of where we live and where I work, but there is one closer to where I will be working the next few months.

So I got a great work out in - for not working out in a LONG time. And I guess I can thank Stace for that - I believe she made the not-so-subtle comment the other day of it's about time you get a gym membership! Thanks : ) Oh also, each month I get 3 free visitor passes. One pass can cover my entire family. So when those people come visit, we can all get a good workout in together!!!! Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to get Blaine to join me!

Cheers!

Making a house a home...

2008-01-01T19:09:00.000-06:00

Well, after catching up on some sleep and having a wonderful day off, Blaine and I were finally able to get some things done around the house.

Blaine built a sweet bench for our entryway. We are still looking for the right cushion on top, might have to make a special request from a special seamstress I know (mom!). I think it turned out great though. His next big project is to build a leaning bookcase!

We got some great house gifts from family, and quickly put them on our bare walls!

Blaine and I also found some drapes and rods for our living room. But we have not quite completed the look. We were just going to do one on each window, but now are thinking two looks better. We haven't decided what color we like better yet either. We're open for opinions (not that we will necessarily listen!) We are leaning towards the maroon. It will look much better once we get two more pullbacks, but I love the crackled glass balls on the end!

Slowly but surely we will get this house looking good : )

Happy New Years!!!

New York, New York...

2007-12-30T18:18:00.000-06:00

I had a late flight Friday night, it was on time and ready to go, unfortunately the flight attendants were not. They were on a different flight that had been delayed, and we had to wait for them…The flight was quick, but not necessarily painless. I don’t know if it was because I had a cold or what, but the descent into LGA killed my ears. They are still plugged today. LGA wasn’t that impressive, kind of dirty and unkempt. I had to stand in a taxi line for quite awhile – outside. Meanwhile, there are these random men asking if you want a taxi ride. I opted for the long line, with the airport approved drivers. My taxi driver, not surprisingly, drove like a crazy man, and honked his horn before we even got of the airport area. Of course I couldn’t understand him very well, and he wasn’t exactly sure how to get to my hotel. Obviously I was of little help. Eventually we got there, and I don’t think I have ever had worse motion sickness in my life. I took some NyQuil and called it a night.

Today I figured I was waste my time checking out the city around me. I would a couple blocks north and found Times Square! So many big billboards and lots of lights. SO many people too. I have never seen so many people in my life. I walked down Broadway and saw where Lion King, Rent, and some other plays were. Of course I stopped at one of the many Starbucks. By my hotel was Bryant Park. There was a skating rink, with a looong line. I enjoyed the live music, and all the little booths with a variety of nick nacks for sale surrounding it. Later I went a block east to 5th Avenue. Here I found lots of shops – most too expensive for me. There were lines to walk by the windows of Sax and Lord and Taylor. I took a quick left before turning around, and found Rockefeller Center! Now there were even more people! I threw a penny into this huge area with millions of penny’s. It was some children’s charity project called Common Sense. On my walk back I noticed the Empire State Building. Didn’t seem as big as I would imagine it to be, but then again I did not go to the top. On my way back to the hotel, I grabbed a hot dog from one of the many vendors on each corner.

I attempted to hail a cab – ha! Some cabbie who originally turned my request to be driven to the Bronx (he said he was waiting for someone to take to the airport), eventually felt sorry for me and gave me a ride. Another crazy driver, but I got there I guess. The people at the store are very friendly, but in hyperspeed. They talk SOO fast. I can’t even get a word in.

Turns out everything that could go wrong with an inventory - did. I was on the phone with my senior all night long as I kept finding more and more issues. They forgot to count 3 different areas - one being a high dollar area. They kept asking me to overlook everything I found wrong, but I held my ground. Needless to say, we finally came up with a way to become comfortable that everything had been counted. And at 3:30 in the morning (12 hours later) I got back to my hotel, having had no dinner : ( I finally was able to relax a little and fell asleep for an hour. Woke up, caught a cab, and happened to get the airport for an earlier flight. The rest of my day was spent sleeping on the couch. Tomorrow will be a fun-filled day of documenting everything that wrong - yes!

I would still like to take a trip (non-work related) to NYC and really enjoy all there is!!

UGLY CHRISMTAS SWEATER PARTY

2007-12-16T22:07:00.001-06:00

Blaine and I hosted our First House Party! We thought it turned out great. There were over 20 people, and only 3 did not have an ugly sweater on. I made Pomegranate Vodka Lemonades, which at least I thought were tasty : ) And we had lots of snacks, which thankfully were pretty much gone by the end of the night. Some people played board games, some played drinking games, some played pool or darts! It was great getting a lot of my cousins all together, as well as meeting some of Blaine's work friends, and seeing some college friends I haven't in awhile! Thanks to those who made a long drive - it wouldn't have been as fun w/o you!

The Family

A very serious game of Apples to Apples...

Sisterly Love!

Hockey anyone - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

Holiday Party...

2007-12-09T09:25:00.000-06:00

Its always fun having an opportunity to get a little dressed up! We had a great time at my office holiday party, getting to see people I started with that I never get to see, and of course the open bar was a plus. It was located at The Depot downtown. Just for a little history, the building use to be the old train stop. Now it is a skating rink, which they can also turn into a huge party hall. Pretty sweet!

We are getting all prepped for our ugly Christmas sweater party!!! It looks like there is going to be a really good turn out. I just hope the roads are good for those who have to travel. We went to Sam's Club to get snacks and drinks. We also bought 40 ft of real garland for $7!! Our balcony now looks like it came straight out of the forest : )

I will be gone in SD all next week. Blaine and I STILL don't know what we'll be getting off for Christmas week...but we will be taking a trip to NY over New Years (its work related - so free flights and hotel!!). Its all coming sooooo fast - yikes. But I can't wait to get home for the holidays!

Laters all!

O Christmas Tree!

2007-12-02T19:51:00.000-06:00

Our First Chrismas Tree

Well there is not much too, but its ours! And it looks better in person : ) I guess you will have to come visit to get the full effect! (Only two more weeks until Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!!!!)

A New Day

2007-11-18T15:29:00.000-06:00

I love the fall. I love the warm cozy smells - caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin. I love watching huge snowflakes fall, even if they melt the second they hit the ground. I love the excitement of the approaching holdays - thinking of the perfect gift to give, looking forward to spending some quality time with family, and of course all the delicous treats : ) I love all the holiday parties I have coming up - even if I need to find an ugly Christmas sweater AND a black-tie event dress. I love staying in on cold nights and playing games and drinking lattes. Mostly I love it all!

So here's to enjoying the rest of November and December in a new home, with new and old friends and family, with no studying, no busy season, and lots of fun times!

I may be a little early on my holiday sentiment, but believe or not Thanksgiving is next week!

Studying....

2007-11-10T17:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry for leaving the blog unattended for so long. I am sure everyone is tired of being scared everytime the check the site for a new entry....

One more week until my last exam (well hopefully last). I have put off studying far too much this time around. As a result I am in now in cram mode for my exam. Today has been successful so far. Woke up at 7am and basically studied straight to 2. I quickly ran to the grocery store for some milk and other essentials than picked a coffee to get me through the second half of my day. (Thank you Stace for the thoughtful gift a Caribou gift card!)

Blaine is hunting in ND with his brother this weekend. Hopefully they have some luck.

So here's a quick recap of the last week or so: We went to GF for a Sioux hockey game. I thinkg I enjoyed watching it more this time than ever. Even though they lost, it was just so great to get a chance to go back for at least one game. I miss Sioux hockey. We also hit up my favorite local bar - always a good time. We got new furniture for our bedroom and the living room. But we decided to return the coffee table and end table - they were just too bulky. But I love our bedroom set! It actually feels like we have a grown up room now : ) I can't wait to be done with this stuyding junk so I can have fun decorating our place... We went to the comedy club again, but the headliner wasn't as funny this time around. I guess thats about it! (There is also a dresser with a mirror - hard to get a 360 pic ; )

Brief as it may be, its better than nothing. Back to studying.

PS Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!! I hope your half-marathon goes well for you guys!

2007-10-31T19:48:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE WILLIAMS!!!

Our First Home

2007-10-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

Blaine and I are officially moved into our first home!!!

Last Friday we closed successfully, and began the big move. We had 8 people helping (well 7, sorry Susan playing pool all night doesn't count as helping ; ). Actually by the time we finished closing, our families had already brought most of our things out from the basement to the driveway. It was SO nice having so much help. Saturday ALL day we painted, and wow did we accomplish a lot. The entire upstairs including ceilings (except the master, which apparently needed a new corner, don't ask me). Sunday we were all exhausted, and I was sad to see everyone go so quickly.

The week flew by. I now know what it feels like to not have enough time in the week. Between working, trying to get some studying in, and unpacking/cleaning/finishing the master, today I am completely wiped. AND there is still so much to do! But I love it! I look forward to coming HOME everyday.

Tonight Blaine and his buddy are having guys night (played pool for a good 3 hours, and are now carving pumpkins - how cute). I feel a cold coming on, which I thought I had kicked earlier this week. So I'm staying in, studying, and getting ready for a fun night out tomorrow - Swill-o-ween!

Here are some pics to appease everyone's curiosity!

(The kitchen - in progress)

(The Master - note the beautiful corner Blaine did, and all the dust in the air as a result)

(Second bedroom - now much cleaner, and someday to be an office)

(The living room, one room we actually have some nice furniture for)

(The dining room - the accent wall was a day-of decision, and I LOVE it!)

(Deja-kins! Can't leave my baby out : ) She loves the new leather couch, and still an awesome cuddler...She hasn't adjusted to having her own room, so we are working on weeing her of me)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Closing and Moving and Painting!!!

2007-10-19T14:05:00.000-05:00

This afternoon Blaine and I close on our very own first home!!! I couldn't be more excited. And our families will be here to celebrate and help us make the big leap! It will be lots of work, but I know it will be well worth it. Last night we had our final walkthrough of the house. It was unbelievably clean!!! I just got even more excited, knowing it will be OURS. I love it. It was a long, stressfull at times process, but in the end I think it work out for the best!

The Gay 90's

2007-10-14T10:29:00.000-05:00

My afternoon of volunteering on Friday was a learning experience. There were probably about 50 kids, and about 30 of us volunteers. We got there before the kids arrived, so we helped clean and organize the facility. I was at the Boys and Girls Club, which I learned is a place for 6 to 18 year old to go Monday through Friday. The kids can come and go as they please, which is something the Club has been criticized for. Once the kids arrived, we were able to help them with their homework, read with them, or play games. We played tag, and then a very long game of kickball. Although we only were with them for a few hours, I was exhausted. Of course the kids still had plenty of energy. Most of the kids seemed to be good kids, but a couple of were not the nicest. There were also a couple of little girls that were very clingy to the volunteers. You just have to wonder what kind of home they come from.

My Friday night was just spent relaxing. I was pretty tired from the whole week, so it was nice to just lay back and watch a movie. Reign on Me with Adam Sandler and Don Chidle is really good, really sad, but really good.

Saturday I got up with the intentions of getting a lot done. It started out well. Deja and I went for a nice run. Its been a long while, so I was impressed that I made it about 2.5 miles without stopping. It felt good.

I was planning on running some errands and then getting some solid studying in, but then my mother-in-law called. She was in town with her friend, and invited me to lunch and shopping at Ikea. Sounded like a good idea to me! After all that shopping, we decided to have an afternoon drink - martinis! Then they invited me to go to dinner with them, and then go downtown to the Gay 90's. Something new! I was excited. So I drove back home fed the dog, let her out, all that, and of course felt completely guilty for leaving her right away again.

The Gay 90's was awesome! There was a drag show, and those ladies were unbelievable! Some of them wore such skimpy outfits for their skits, it made you wonder "where is it?" Haha! Fun Fun!!

Today I slept in, and I am very sore from my run yesterday. I am hoping to get some studying in today, as this weekend has not been productive at all. I hope I can study and watch the Vikings! Blaine comes back today! Yay! After he hears what I did last night, he may not want me hanging out with his mom again!

Happy Sunday!

Lets Go M.A.D!

2007-10-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

Today the company I work for is having its annual volunteer day! They had about 6 different events you could choose from, and I chose Boys and Girls Club. So this afternoon I will be doing some cleaning, and then hopefully get to play with some little kiddies! After that we have a social! But I just realized I might not be able to make it to the social. Blaine has drill this weekend at Camp Ripley, and they left this morning! He has never had a drill that made him take the day off work, crazy MN guards. So that means there will be no one to let Deja out and feed her. I can't neglect her like that. And if I drive all the way home, chances are slim that I will want to drive back in, just to be late. I hate going to things by myself too, especially since I'm new and don't know everyone yet. Blaine's drills always fall on a bad weekend.

So the people we rent from are gone this weekend too....house to myself! Hopefully that means I will get a lot of studying done.

Blaine and I are extremely excited to be moving in ONE WEEK!!!!! It will be SOOO nice to have a place of our own for once. Renting has not been the worst, but its not the best situation either. Two married couples in one house (good thing its big!) However, it is not OUR house, so you kinda always feel like you are stepping on people's toes. Especially because the people we live with are tad anal. And by tad, I mean extremely. And they love to leave us little notes, which just really gets on my nerves. Its more the husband than the wife too. Anyway, they want to keep our deposit and get the carpets cleaned. First of all, the carpet is dark green, with not a stain on it. Second of all, we only have lived there 3 months. Thirdly, we aren't even living there the whole month, while we already paid for the whole months rent. Blaine asked if we could just clean it ourselves, because his mom is bringing a carpet cleaner for our new house anyway. They had to think about it. geeez. I guess I'm not surprised though. Hey we did have to live with mice for awhile...cut us a little break. Oh one more week....Seven days!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!

Hidden Lane

2007-10-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

Alright, well I kept my mouth shut as long as I could. Blaine and I found another house! We actually found it a few weeks ago. After a little negotiating, we felt we got a fair price and we're ready to finish the process completely this time. Last week was the inspection and the appraisal. Both went well! The appraisal came in yesterday, and was high enough to get us a loan for the amount in the purchase agreement! The inspection only noted that a lot of items in the house are orignal - water softner, furnace, those type of things. So we got the seller to pay for a one year home warranty. Good deal!

We close next Friday, only a week and one day away!!!! We were SO excited that a couple of weeks ago we went to Sherwin-Williams and picked paint colors for every room, haha! We can't to have family come help us move and paint, oh and also scrape the popcorn ceilings! The ceilings have glitter in them, apparently the cool thing to do back in the day. Painting over popcorn is a lot of work, so we figured we may as well just scrape it. Also a lot of work, but it looks more clean and modern. Hopefully that goes well!

Now we just need furniture, and lots of it....

PS - the comedy club was great! And Deja does not hate us : )

Comedy on a Tuesday?

2007-10-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

Today was a busy one. We are trying to finish all the work on this benefit plan by tomorrow. Our biggest problem is the client contact. They claim they don't get emails, and when we call their secretary always says (after we say who is calling) that they are out. Annoying. I feel pretty exhausted.

I know I will be even more exhausted come tomorrow. Blaine called me at about 5, and asked if I wanted to go to a comedy club with M&R tonight at 7. Thanks for the notice! Of course I want to though. Poor Deja is going to hate us. I got it arranged for the girl we live with to feed her and let her out. I hope she plays with her too. Sometimes when we are not around they just keep her in the basement. Sad, but I can't expect them to care for her.

I'm starving, I hope they get their butts down here soon!!!

Here's to lots of laughs (I hope)!!!

NIGHT

2007-10-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

I PASSED AUDIT!!!!!!!!!!

3 down 1 to go....

Bad Hair Day

2007-10-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

Today is Friday, but I can tell it is just going to be "one of those days". It's only 8:30 AM, and all signs are pointing to a crappy day. It started at about 3 this morning. I nice loud thunderstorm. Don't get me wrong, I love thunderstorms. I just don't like when they wake me up in the middle of the night, and then keep me up. So when I actually got out of bed at 6am, it was still storming. Perfect. In Minneapolis, one rain drop pretty much stops traffic. So I had that to look forward to. I can't complain about the bus ride. For some reason, it was quite empty on the bus, and the ride was pretty quick. Just the walk to the bus and from the bus to my office was not fun. I happened to be wearing pants that have become slightly too big for me (I chose them simply because they did not need ironing). So the cuffs got nice and wet. So here I am walking, trying to keep my umbrella over my head, and my pants up above my waist. Of course my hair can not handle any moisture, so it is all over the place. What a mess. Now sitting at work, my senior has decided to go to another client for a couple of hours before coming into the office. Super, since he left early yesterday because he felt sick, and the day before, and the day before that. So not only am I pretty much doing the entire audit myself (I really am, and I know this because I have the engagement on my computer and he has not logged into yet even), but I also am left alone with no clue of what I am doing. Well, I guess have fun reviewing that. Last complaint, I think I am catching whatever he has. My throat hurts, icky. Even the Caribou latte I bought to cheer me up isn't doing the trick.

Now that I have depressed everyone, let me tell you about last night. This is good though. Blaine and I bought a plasma on Saturday! 42"! So we had our friend, the expert in electronics (works at Best Buy Corporate designing media rooms for rich people!), help us pick it up. It did not fit in Blaine's car on Wednesday when he tried to pick it up. So I bought a Papa Murphy's pizza and some Blue Moon to thank him for his help. And he got it set up just in time to watch Grey's Anatomy!!! It was awesome. Since we are renting the basement of a house, we put the tv in our room. Whoa, I hope I don't get use to having that big of a tv in my bedroom. Then we would have to buy another one for the living room when we eventually get a house! Anyway, its great. And we got 2 years interest free financing, so we only have to pay $50/month for it. NICE!

Well I hope the rest of the day brightens up a bit. I am going to try to work now!

Have a good one!

FAR

2007-10-02T18:51:00.000-05:00

Well I finally did it. I scheduled my (hopefully) last exam for the CPA - FAR. Saturday, November 17th at 12pm. Eeks. It is definitely enough time to prepare for it, but I just need to get going and stop procrastinating. I have gone through about 2 1/2 of the 9 sections, so I have a little start. No more weekends of relaxation. I am going to go to the office on Saturdays so that I focus and get a lot done. I'm so excited! (Meanwhile I still have not gotten my score from the last part I took Sept.24). So if I don't post as much, you know why....

Turns out I kinda like benefit plans. Everyone else seems to cringe at the thought of auditing a benefit plan, but I don't find them that bad. I think maybe it is because its pretty easy, and I can actually do a lot of the work on my own without bothering my senior every 5 minutes. The only bad part is we can't find last year's paperwork. Since neither of us have done a benefit plan, we have to research how to test everything.

I think tonight is an ice cream night. It is just calling my name...mmmm...

Well back to the studying!

(PS - the cavemen from the Geico commercials have their own show on ABC - weird)

Unassigned

2007-09-27T11:24:00.000-05:00

My time at BS was dropped for today, because there really wasn't anything for me to do. And I'm guess there still won't be much for me to do when I go back tomorrow. But I am not upset about that. I get to be in the office, and actually get some studying done! I love when work pays me to study! And for once, no one has picked up my time, yet...

Of course, whenever I'm in the office I ended up going out for lunch. I ran into someone I started with, who is also unassigned, and he suggested lunch. Why not? So the Chinese was a little much, and I'm uncomfortable full. I'm sure in a half hour I will be hungry again. Crazy Chinese food.

Yesterday Blaine and I carpooled! It was nice sharing the long commute with someone. But he does like to be at work earlier than I do, and he stays later than I do. So that was one downside. I don't think we will tomorrow, because I have a feeling I will get done early, and then I'd be stuck with nothing to do. (And no Internet, BS has all websites blocked) hmmm...

I'm already starting to think about the weekend. Its been awhile since we've gone out downtown/uptown, so I'm thinking that'd be fun.

Tonight is GREY'S ANATOMY!!!! SO excited. I watched the spin-off last night, and thought it was ok. I'll probably watch it again. But it definitely is no Grey's Anatomy. Oh and I wanted to watch Top Chef, as they are getting close to the finale. However, for some reason I was uncontrollably, extremely tired last night. It hit 9:15, and my eyes were like "sorry, can't stay open". So I fell asleep, woke up to Brian being cut-off, which was what I called, no big surprise, then fell back asleep. (longest run-on sentence ever).

Well I better get back to studying (use this free-time wisely!).

Have a good one!

Buses and Bonuses

2007-09-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I was looking forward to riding the bus today. ERRRR.

I got to the bus stop a little earlier than I needed to, but a bus was still there, so I got on. Bad idea. I don't know why he was still there, b/c his bus was full! And he still had 3 more stops. So that meant instead of a nice, relaxing bus ride, I had to stand and grab hold of pole with both hands for a half hour. It is really hard to stand that long in heels, and this bus driver liked to drive like a maniac. So that was no fun.

I was glad to be in the office though...I missed the coffee! The stuff out at my clients is junk, compared to our Starbucks. I ran into a girl I started with, and so we had lunch together. That is the other thing about working downtown, I end up going out for lunch a lot more. I always run into people, and of course I want to catch up with them over lunch. Its fun though!

So here's the really good news of the day. I got an email today that my company, out of the blue, has decided to give bonuses for people who pass their CPA exam early on. I was soooo pumped. It only applies to people who started after May, so there are some unhappy folks out there. But this girl is just happy as could be. So I was thinking maybe $500, at most $2,000. Later in the day I got the email with the details. If you pass it in the first year after being hired, you get $5,000! HOLY @#$&*@#*!!!! So now I have SUPER motivation to pass that sucker. (well at least I thought I did, but tonight I haven't even opened the book).

After work, I apparently missed my bus (or really it was early). So I had to wait a half hour to get on the next one, and in the cold. Dangit. So the whole bus experience wasn't all I had remembered it as. Its a love-hate relationship, that's for sure.

Tonight, Blaine is helping M and R put in their new granite counter tops. I can't wait til we live in that area, so I don't always get left out. Someone has to come home and let Deja out ya know!

I would have liked to at least take Deja for a walk tonight, but getting home late, and the day getting dark early, just didn't work out. Hopefully tomorrow!

Mum's the word

2007-09-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

I have decided not to jinx Blaine and I. So NO MORE HOUSE INFO. The next time you will hear about a house is when we have one (I mean keys in hand). Which hopefully will be sooner than later. (but we all know I won't be able to keep that promise).

Tomorrow I work on a benefit plan, what that means I will be doing, I have no idea. All I know is that I get to take the bus tomorrow, because I'm downtown. How sad is that. I am excited to get to take the bus. The 20 mile commute the past week is not my favorite, so one day off from that is great. Plus I find the bus ride to be relaxing. I was hoping to be unassigned this one day so I could study, but my time was picked up today. I guess my utilzation rate will be higher, but my exam score won't!

Speaking of exam scores, people are starting to get their test results in. Maybe tomorrow I will get mine...should be coming soon. But if you don't hear anything from me, don't ask (b/c that means I failed and embarassed to tell anyone).

I think its bedtime though. Monday flew by!

PS: All you Caribou lovers: the Pumpkin Latte is in! mmmmm....

NIGHT!

HOUSE HUNGTING......

2007-09-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

Here we go again.

Long story short: We were negotiating with the sellers on a date to close, and they were adamant about one day. So we were willing to go with that. However, our realtor felt they were asking for too much, so he said we should just stick with our original date and see if they change their mind. Fine. The next morning I get a forward from our realtor. He had emailed the other realtor and told them we were taking our offer off the table completly. I WAS PISSED! We did not say that was what we wanted to do. He felt bad, I think. We could go back and make another offer, but we decided just to look a few more houses this weekend. So our Saturday night was spent looking at 6 houses. We found one that we like just as much, if not more, as the last one. So we are going to the open house today to look at it again. Its a little bit further out than I wanted to be, but I LOVE the neighborhood and the huge yard. The other house has a better basement, but this one has an extra room, and an extra 400 sq ft. We shall see....

Blaine helped Matt and Rachel paint their house yesterday, while I studied....ick.

I had the best drink on Friday night: it was a vodka strawberry lemonade at Ruby Tuesday. Just delicious, with fresh strawberries in it! Of couse it cost $7, but what can you do.

We had to make a trip to Target to get Blaine a nerf gun! haha. Apparently everyone at work has a nerf gun, and they all shoot each other for fun. ok. So of course I keep finding him shooting the gun at random times! Boys are weird.

ttfn

Hump Day Update

2007-09-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

Even though I feel completely exhausted right now, I am still going to attempt to write a decent post. Part of me thinks OMG its only Wednesday, and the other part of me thinks wow tomorrow is Thursday already. Weird, I know it.

So Monday I started at a new client, well new to me, sorta. I was at this client the majority of my internship. Its the client everyone in our office knows about, and not in a good way. Its known for its crappy execs, crappy internal controls, crappy accounting, crappy employees. Those are the technical terms we use. It does have a dees cafeteria though, and our team seems fun. Its all girls, with the exception of one guy who won't be out there all the time. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but I like them all so far.

Yesterday day I had to another cycle count at the client I was at last week. So that meant driving to St Paul, then to Eden Prairie. I'm glad we get reimbursed for that travel.

Enough work talk...Last night Blaine and I went to the Wild game with a couple of friends. The Wild got their butts kicked by the Redwings, but it was still really fun. Except for the driving (of course). It was raining yesterday, so naturally all traffic stopped. It took a good hour to get to the game, then we came back to Eden Prairie where our friends live, to drop them off, pick up Deja, and get my car. Then we still had to drive to Brooklyn Park. Needless to say, that is why I am so tired today : )

On a good note: The sellers all of sudden today had a change of mind. They were not going to budge from their counteroffer, but apparently our lack of response the last couple of days paid off. They came down to our offer price! Looks like we may have a house after all! Of course cross your fingers. Its not as exciting this time, thinking there's always that possibility it won't work out. So I'm holding back on the celebration just yet. I will celebrate when we have the keys to the house! (Feel free to check out pics, MLS# 3429895)

I really should be studying, but I'll be lucky if don't fall asleep before Top Chef!

Enjoy your evenings!!

Weekend Recap!

2007-09-16T17:54:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately it is already Sunday, which means its almost Monday, which means the weekend is pretty much over...(I think that is the "glass half empty" approach to Sundays).

Friday night was uneventful, but relaxing. We were invited to a friends for a "college-style" house party. It sounded fun, but by the time is was 9pm and time to drive a half-hour to get there, it didn't sound as appealing anymore. You just get tired after sitting around for a few hours, and driving for an hour after driving lots during the week just isn't fun. So we opted for the Red Box DVDs (found in McDonalds $1/night rental) and a couple of drinks. The Perfect Stranger was the movie we watched, Bruce Willis and Halle Berry. It was actually really good for a movie I never really heard anything about.

Saturday I woke up decently early. Deja is a good alarm clock on the weekends! I got some studying in (about a 3 hour lecture). Super boring, and definitely not any light material. This is going to be a brutal exam, or at least all the studying will be brutal. Blaine and I went for a nice run. Well nice and slow for him, killer for me. My bad for asking a cross-country star to go for a "jog". I think it was actually hard for him to go as slow as me, ha! But I did it, and felt good afterwards.

Saturday night was girls night! A bunch of us accounting girls from UND got together for the first time since we've all moved down to the cities. It was great catching up, and swapping work stories. We enjoyed some good food, good drinks, and wound up the night with a movie - Pride. Good movie.

Sunday was suppose to be a study day....whoops. We went to a twins game instead! It was a rough start, but they picked up towards the end (as usually). They almost came back to win in the bottom of the ninth, so close. It was enjoyable though. We even got a helmet sundae!!! I also gave Blaine a tour of my office while we were downtown. Too exciting!

Update on the house situation: We made an offer on a house on Thursday night. Friday we found out another offer was being made. Saturday the seller's countered our offer, with the original asking price, no espresso machine, and a move in date pushed back to middle of Nov. That was definitely not going to work for us, we need a house ASAP. So we countered with middle of October, and stuck with our original asking price. The sellers were suppose to close on their new home in Nov, but I guess were able to move up their closing date. So we are good to go on that aspect, now we're just waiting to hear back on the price....waiting again! We shall see....

Tonight Blaine is grilling a beer-can chicken! mmmm....

2007-09-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

Thank God its almost Friday!

Work was frustrating today. Its hard not ever knowing what you're doing. I can't wait until I can do work on my own for longer than ten minutes, not having to ask a million questions. ehhh, its tiring and I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Blaine and I made an offer on another house! Cross your fingers...At this point I have no expectations, as we have been on a roller coaster ride of house hunting.

I got a little studying in tonight so that's a plus. I need to kick it in gear though. This section has the most information, and I just want to learn it and take the test and be DONE. I should be taking advantage of this time I have in the evenings, you know before all the good shows start up again (Grey's Anatomy!!).

Blaine is enjoying his Wii, I got the boot to the other room : ) He worked late again tonight. I am impressed with his hard working self lately! Bringing home the bacon, haha. Hmm....its almost pay day! Yay!

Update on Deja: Her new thing is to take kleenex, cotton swabs, Qtips, etc. out of the garbage in the bathroom and apparently eat them. Yesterday at 2am she did it right in front of me, the nerve! So now we have to remember to keep the door shut. Plus I noticed in cleaning up her doo-doo tonight, she's not exactly digesting it if you know what I mean. Can't be good for her, hmmm... The "Calm Down" we bought her to help lower her anxiety, does not seem to have any effect on her constant licking of the air/carpet/bed. I don't know about our crazy little dog. Maybe Blaine is right, maybe she needs a friend (shhhh don't tell him).

Here's to almost Friday!

2007-09-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

Today was an interesting day. I had an inventory at Sam's Club, and I had to be there at 3am!!! So I was up before 2am today! The inventory wasn't too bad; I think I could have showed up a good 3 hours later and been able to finish at the same time, because they didn't have the reports we needed ready for us until after 7am. I was so tired when I got home at noon, and SO hungry. So I ate, and than crashed until 4pm. That felt good, but I made myself get up so I would be able to sleep tonight.

Tonight we are looking at two houses in Eden Prairie. One that we wanted to look at in Plymouth sold, go figure. I'm actually surprised these two haven't sold yet. An update on "the other" house as I will refer to it (still a little bitter), they rejected our offer for the appraisal value. The seller also sent us a crazy email, basically saying it was all our faults, and that he had proof the house is the listed square footage. Unfortunately he is not able to provide us with that "proof". Today it is back on the mls, and listed at their original asking price, CRAZY. I hope no one buys it for that price. I guess I don't know how they can if it won't appraise for that value. I guess he just thinks the VA doesn't know how to do appraisals. He should check the tax records, because is says right on there what the house is worth, a lot less than what he is asking for. Moving on, I don't want to think about how much time we wasted with this house, so we just have to put it behind us. Hopefully we can find something we like SOON.

Blaine is really working now, no more training. He is realizing the joys of work though, as lots of stuff was piled on him at the end of the day all at once yesterday. Hopefully, its not always like that for him. I am at a client in St.Paul this week, and the people there are unbelievably nice AND helpful. Its amazing. I wish I were always on this client. Well except for the drive. The traffic has been ridiculous this week, and I won't miss that when I roll off and head to another client next week.

We don't have plans for the weekend yet. I think we will try to go a twin's game, who knows! I should probably get on the studying too...ehhh...

Hope everyone is having a good week!

2007-09-07T08:56:00.000-05:00

This week has gone by SO fast. It was great having a four day week. My time on a client got dropped at work, so I thought I was going to have lots of time to study for my last section of the CPA exam (FAR), but of course it was picked up within a few hours. The client that I got assigned to is actually going through their year end audit....which means long hours...

Blaine thought he would be done with training this week and on the phone, but once again they added more training! (I think thats 8 weeks of training now!) Next week though he should be on the phones! This weekend Blaine has his first drill in MN. Its been a few months since his last drill...hopefully he likes his new unit!

I haven't decided what I'm doing this weekend yet. I was thinking of going to Fargo, see Stace! I haven't seen her knew place yet, so I need to get there sometime soon!

As far as the house goes, we are still waiting. We got the appraisal report in, and we submitted an amendment lowering the purchase price to the value of the house. Now we just have to wait to see if the sellers accept our amendment....hope to hear soon, either way.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

2007-09-05T08:39:00.000-05:00

Well we didn't exactly keep up with the blogging as planned...

Recap of the last couple of months:

We got married! Everything turned out wonderful, and we couldn't have asked for more. The rain during the vows only made it that much more special! The day flew by, and I only wish I had more time to talk with everyone. It was an unforgettable day though, and definitely the happiest!

We went on a honeymoon! We took a cruise to the Western Carribbean (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Caymans, and Belize). It was great getting away for a week. We did lots of new things, kissed and swam with sting rays, snorkeled, got ripped off by the locals, got nice tans, etc!

We moved to the cities! Technically we moved before our honeymoon, but right after we got back, we already missed ND so much that we went home for another week! Actually, it was for the 4th of July, and it was great to spend time with Blaine's family and enjoy the river for once this summer. The jet ski rides were great, except maybe when Susan got whipped off when Blaine was driving, and just couldn't get back on...we thought he was going to have to drag her into shore! I even got my mom and Stace to go for a ride! I don't think I made it too scary!

We are living with one of my co-workers. Her and her husband had recently bought a new place, and were still trying to sell their old place. So we are renting out their basement, which has plently of room for us, Deja, and all our gifts and things!

We began house hunting! Well pretty much from the moment we moved we started looked at finding a place of our own. Unfortunately we seem to have this horribly bad luck. One place we made an offer on, was not willing to negotiate, and two other places sold just a days before we went to make an offer on them (really odd considering only 1 in 4 houses will sell this year in Minneapolis).

We started new jobs! I started back with Ernst and Young. It feels good to be working again, and getting a paycheck is also very nice. Blaine found a job doing inside sales. The company is huge, and seems to be great so far. The only thing is that it is in Chanhassen, while we are in Brooklyn Park, so a little bit of a drive for Blaine.

We found a home....So we found a place we love, great neighborhood, trails, parks, cul-de-sac, in our price range, near Blaine's work, etc. Well the day before we were suppose to close we found out that the square footage was listed wrong and the house is not worth as much as we were going to pay, hence we can't get a loan for that amount either. It was very disappointing. We had plans for our families to come help us move over the holiday weekend, things were packed, fridge was empties....Now we are just waiting to see what it will actually be appraised for and whether the seller will still sell to us...the waiting game is no fun.

Other than that, its been a pretty uneventful summer!!!

We think the next time we will be home will be for Thanksgiving.

If you would like to see our professional photos feel free to go to:
www.previewgallery.com/diamondphotography/

I will do my best to keep this site better updated!

Current Status: 10 Days Until Wedding!

2007-06-06T16:59:00.000-05:00

Well our wedding is defnitely sneaking up on us. We have kept super busy with all the yard work and program making and painting a person can handle!

Please keep praying for nice weather! Apparently this summer is going to be a wet one, since you know the last 5 were dry!

We can't wait to see everyone though in just over a week!

Bachelorette Party

2007-06-06T16:28:00.000-05:00

Coordinator/Organizer/Party Thrower: STACY!

Stacy rented a really nice cabin in MN for all us girls to enjoy a relaxing weekend away from the boys! And that we did!

Night one: Martini Night! We mixed several different kinds of martinis, and played some fun drinking games!

Day two: Some of us were feeling the after-effects of last night more than others! Needless to say, we did a lot of napping while watching Sex in the City episodes. I'm pretty sure that DVD played over 24 hours the entire weekend! We did enjoy a brisk walk in the neighborhood and on the lake!

Night two: Ok, some of us, or all of us, were still not in the mood to start drinking again. What a bunch of girls, huh?! We still know how to have fun. We played more fun games! The best was the "TP Bride". Stace paired up everyone with someone they don't know that much. One person had to be a bridal gown designer, while the other had to be the bridal model! Everyone had 15 minutes to use a much toilet paper as needed and make the most beautiful wedding dress for me! It was a very difficult decision. Of course each designer had to explain their inspiration for their master pieces, which also was cute humorous. And the winners were....Meghan and Crystal! Good job girls!

Thank you Stace for doing all this for me. I had an amazing weekend, and really think we should come back! Thanks to everyone who was able to make it, I hope you had as much fun as me!

Jamestown Wedding Shower

2007-06-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

Hosts: Irene Williams and Nicole Williams!

This shower was a great opportunity for me to meet many of Blaine's relatives. It was a Pampered Chef Party, which made it even more fun!

Everyone drew on an apron for me, which turned out super cute. Nicole wrote, "Steph...you're the pick of the vine" and drew pretty grapes. Danelle put "The Perfect Pair" and drew two pears. There were many cute notes, and I had to laugh at Ashlee's which said "Dominos 252-8888"!

With the help of the Pampered Chef host Judy Baker, we all learned how to use some of the many neat cooking tools they offer. I got to help Judy make a delicious taco dip, as well as, roasted asparagus, which turned out to be SO good! We also had many other yummy treats to snack on, so I went home stuffed!

Judy brought door prizes that we drew names for, and everyone ended up giving me what they got! That was way too nice!

Now Blaine and I will have so many good cooking tools to use, so we can learn to make good meals! I can't wait! Thanks everyone for who made my shower so special and fun!

Bismarck Wedding Shower

2007-06-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hosts: Barb Kautzman, Diana Bopp, and Stacy Smith!

It all started off with a little go around the cirlce, say your name, your relation to me, and tell any good stories about me. (You know a teacher hosted this party!) Aunt Debby was one of the first ones to go, and of course I know which story she was going to tell. Running around naked outside when your 2 shouldn't be held against you when you're 22! From there I had aunts (Trichelle more specifically) making up naked stories about me from last Christmas...all lies! Thanks Trichelle for also asking Blaine's mom if she had any naked stories about me!

After all that commotion...I was told to sit in the middle of the room, and everyone got to draw me! Seeing the results was too much fun, we defnitely have some artists in the family, and some who should probably stick to their day jobs! I believe it was Diana who made me look like Jesus, and Robbie who drew a football player version of me! Stacy's was my favorite! Most creative would have to go to Brooke and Linds, who a Roman version of me (covered with leaves in the right spots!) That took team effort!

Then we all enjoyed some delicious cheesakes made by my wonderful mother, as well as Diana's yummy cake!

Thank you everyone who made it! I had a great time!

2006-09-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

The Present and Future

2006-09-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

Blaine: I am working on finishing up my last year at UND and getting a Bachelors in Industrial Technology. I hope to find a job in Minneapolis doing CAD work of some sort. To be honest I can't wait to move to Minneapolis, should be lots of fun and many things to do there. I am still in the National Guard currently serving my three year reenlistment. After this reenlistment is done than I am going to get out of the Guard, it has been an awesome experience for me and I do not regret any of it.

Stephanie: I am currently at UND, finishing up my last semester of college and getting my Bachelors of Accountancy. After I graduate in December I will start studying for the CPA exam, whoo hoo! I work part-time on campus in the Budget Office as an account temp, and most of my spare time is spent studying (DORK). In July I will start a real life job at Ernst & Young, as a staff auditor in Minneapolis, MN. I did an internship with them last winter, and I am very excited to be back in Minneapolis (such a fun city) and to work with all the fun people I met again. Blaine and I also have the cutest puppy ever, Deja (Papillon), who keeps us entertained and in shape (she has endless energy and if you don't play with her enough she will just whine until you do)! Deja is also the biggest cuddler I know, I love it! Other than that, I will keep myself busy (hopefully) with planning this big wedding of ours!

Guest Information

2006-09-12T14:37:00.001-05:00

Date: June 16, 2007
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Jim and Doris Smith's Residence
3152 Tavis Rd Bismarck, ND 58504

Hotels:
Expressway Inn, 200 E Bismarck Expy, 701-222-2900
Expressway Inn Suites, 180 E Bismarck Expy, 701-222-3311
Ramkota Hotel, 800 S 3rd St, 701-258-7700
(Mention Smith/Williams Wedding for discount)

Transportation/Parking: We are currently looking into transportation service due to the limited parking. Carpooling is encouraged!

Watch for futher updates...

The Wedding Party

2006-09-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

Best Man: Jason Williams, brother of the groom
Maid of Honor: Stacy Smith, sister of the bride

Groomsmen:
Andy Nielsen, friend of the groom

Matt Brummer, friend of the groom
Ben Moquist, friend of the groom

Bridesmaids:
Susan Smith, sister of the bride

Pam Nguyen, friend of the bride
Meghan Brummer, friend of the bride

Ring Bearer: Garrett Williams, nephew of the groom

Flower Girls: Summer and Autumn Smith, cousins of the bride

Watch for further info and pictures...

The Proposal

2006-08-21T18:58:00.000-05:00

If you know Blaine, you know it is not his style to get down on one knee in a fancy restaurant and spout off some sappy poem. Blaine is also not one to plan things too far in advance. We had talked about marriage quite often before he proposed, and I had already showed him the ring I really liked as an idea. So it was the waiting game for me, and if you know me at all, you know how impatient I am. But I knew I wanted to be surprised, and I wanted Blaine to do it however he wanted to make it more special.

In July we went to Florida with his parents to visit his brother, nephew, and niece. I thought maybe he would ask me while we were down there, but I had this thought numerous times before at other events. One day we went out on our own to St. Pete's Beach. Blaine has always said that we should go parasailing, because he had a really good time doing it with his brother before. So right when we got there, we signed up, and waited for the next boat to come in. Well, if you knew anything else about us, you would know that whenever we try to plan something fun, it usually ends up not working out for us. So in came the big dark clouds, the rain, the thunder, lightening.... The whole week we were in Florida, that was how the weather had been. Earlier in the week his family and I, and everyone else on beach at Fort DeSoto had been kicked off due to bad weather. We had only been there for an hour or so, and the drive there was almost an hour. I began to think, we weren't going to get our parasailing in.

While we waited and hoped for the storm to pass, we had delicious strawberry margaritas. Finally, the clouds cleared, and after waiting for awhile longer the boat arrived. There was one other couple on the boat with us, but we got to go first. I was really nervous at first; I didn't know what to expect at all. Once we got off the boat and started ascending into the air, I loved it! We got up above the Gulf of Mexico about 900 feet. It was SO beautiful; you could see so much of the gulf and the beach, and it was completely calm and quiet.

Right when we were about to reeled back in, Blaine pulled out of his pocket this ring with a HUGE purple rock on it! He asked if I would marry him, and at first I thought it was a joke because of the ring. But of course I said YES! He used the cheapy ring just in case one of us accidentally dropped it in the gulf; that would not be pretty. Well, go figure I did end up losing the ring when we were standing in the water. Bummer, but I did find a watch at the bottom of water. Would have rather had the ring : ) But it was a perfect proposal, and I'll never forget it!

History

2006-08-20T21:46:00.000-05:00

We met in high school when I was a Junior and Blaine was a Senior. Blaine was friends with Matt, the brother of my best friend, Meghan. Follow that one! According to many of our mutual friends, we flirted quite often. Although, if you asked either of one us at the time we would have both said we were "just friends". Blaine graduated and went off to NDSU. We stayed in contact, and thanks to many, many hours having sophisticated conversations on Messenger, we finally came to the realization that it would fun to date. Who knows were we would be without Messenger, Blaine and phones don't really mix : )

We continued to date that year, with Blaine making a few trips to see me, and vice versa. The next year I attended UND, while Blaine went on to his second year at NDSU. Many miles were put on that semester! The next semester Blaine transfered to UND. If you asked him at the time he might tell you it was because he didn't like the engineer program at NDSU. While I know NDSU is a second class school, I like to believe he came to UND for me : )

Well, he was only at UND for about a month, when the National Guards deployed him to Iraq. He was away for almost a year and half. It was hard, but we survived. Not to sound cliche, but I really think the experience made our relationship stronger. I knew after he came back that I wanted Blaine to always be a part of my life. And now we are going make the committment in front of all our family and friends; we can't wait!