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AWARDS!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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.

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!