Catching Up

I haven't blogged since August. Fall is always so busy, but I can't believe I let 3 months go by without a peep. So yeah, not much has happened in 3 months... you know I was busy turning 25 (OK... 31), Ferny is gainfully employed again (temp position, but hey, we'll take what we can get), I went to a few concerts, finally saw Wicked at the Ordway, found out that my sister is going to have a baby, and celebrated a nice Thanksgiving. So no, nothing really to mention at all.  :)

Sadie was also in her first karate tournament a few weeks back. It was the cutest thing ever. I know she's only 4 and I know for her level it was mostly just for fun, but I was so proud of her! She got a first place trophy in the individual competition and second place medal in her team event. Chances are, she is going to be our one and only so I tend to bask in those little moments.

The two concerts that I got to check out were Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton (two different nights). I've seen Miranda a few times now, but this was by far the best show because we were so close. She's probably hands down my favorite.

Thanksgiving was nice, but a little harder this year. It was the first without my Grandma. All I could think about how she was with us last year having seconds on the delicious turkey, playing a card game after the meal and just laughing hysterically together. I am thankful for the good times, but it will never be the same. 

A few randoms from the past few months...

Until we meet again.

Now, BACK on the unemployment line.

So, I have no clue what happened with my last blog entry. It went a little haywire. Even the pictures were pretty distorted. Anyway, I think I fixed the problem so it should be viewable. I was impressed on how well the night shots came out.

This week, Sadie achieved her green belt in karate. She is really making a lot of progress and really likes it. Although she tells me she wants to join dance and do archery when she gets bigger, we'll stick with karate for now. She earned the belt in her Tuesday class and then they had a little "graduation" ceremony for all the kids who were graduating up to their next color belt on Friday afternoon. I had to work on Friday, so daddy got to see the special event. I felt a little awkward asking for an afternoon off for a karate graduation after just coming back from a week long vacation (you may wonder why daddy was able to take her on a Friday afternoon after just starting a new job... but I'll get to that momentarily). So, I was sent a little snippet video via the good ol' iPhone, and of course I started tearing up after watching the first few seconds... crazy what being a mommy does to you.

My little green belt karate kid

As I mentioned, Ferny was home on Friday to take Sadie to her event, but here's the kicker... he was also home on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday too! He was supposed to start this new job on Tuesday morning. He agreed to meet the owner of the company at 6:30am. He arrived promptly at 6:30am and waited. And waited. Then waited a little more. Finally around 7am, the guy (we'll call him "Sam") shows up at the shop. He gets out of his vehicle and can barely look Ferny in the eye. "Sam" begins to tell Ferny that he sold the shop over the weekend and he couldn't hire him on any longer. No phone call, no email notification, nothing! "Sam" preceded to tell him that it was "out of the blue" and he hadn't expected this deal to go through so fast, and half mumbled an apology. When I received the phone call from my husband, it took every ounce of my being not to call this guy up myself and let him have it. He screwed him over so badly. Who in the world does that to someone?!? I am refraining from giving this guy's real name and business name because I don't really want to take that road. I'm electing to be the better person and not name-bash; but Ferny was so disappointed and I felt so awful for him. You know, it's just that feeling you get when someone does something awful to hurt a person you love, and you just want to intervene. He had his heart set on this position and "Sam" was stringing him along this entire time that he could have been employed elsewhere. So, back to the drawing board on the job search!

It was a waiting game all week long, because as soon as he was blasted with this crappy news, he got right on the phone and called up one of the other dealerships of which he was interviewed the week prior. He was pretty much offered the job on the spot at this place because they liked him so well. However, when he got the phone call that he was hired for this management position in Roseville, he called and left a voicemail for this dealership that he was offered the management position and that he wouldn't be moving forward with them (keep in mind, he also turned down the offer from the D.O.T.). He more or less went back to this dealership with his tail between his legs and explained what happened to him. The owner of this dealership liked him and his qualifications, but he told Ferny that there was one other candidate now in the running and he would have a decision by Thursday afternoon. Well, Thursday came and went and there was still no word. We held out hope because no news is good news, right? Wrong. He was informed on Friday they went with the other candidate because they were fearful if something better were to come along for him, he would jump at the chance to leave again. It's too bad that people have to be so skeptical, because he is one of the most loyal people you'll ever meet...

There was a reason that the first one didn't work out. It was meant to (not) be, I guess. I am thoroughly convinced that God has a better plan for Ferny at this time in his life, and that's why it didn't pan out. For now, I am going to be thankful that I have a fantastic job with an even more fantastic boss. I honestly could not work for a better company, and I couldn't be more grateful.

Until we meet again.

No More Walking the Unemployment Line!

I realized I haven't wrote a blog in quite some time, so I guess there is a lot to fill in since the end of July. This past week I have been on vacation from work. It has been a nice week (for the most part) but it feels like I have been gone for an eternity. We took a little trip up the North Shore and the weather was just picture perfect. No matter how many times I go up there, the scenery just gets me every time. It was nice taking Sadie along this time. The last time we were up there with her, we had just celebrated her first birthday. She really got enjoyment out of Gooseberry Falls. We were supposed to be road tripping in South Carolina all this week, but that didn't exactly go as planned...

Around the last week in July, my husband lost his job. It was kind of rough because it was really out of the blue and unexpected. We recently have been spending a lot of time searching for something...we didn't really know what would pan out, but we knew something had to turn up, eventually. It was time for something bigger and better. He had been going on interview after interview and it was all just a wait and see game. He was even on the verge of working part time as a delivery driver for Jimmy John's! Not that there is anything wrong with that, but he is not exactly "freaky fast" delivery material. Finally, he was hired on by the D.O.T. (Department of Transportation). It was an excellent opportunity which was a little outside of his field, but it paid very well. Once you get in with the D.O.T., they provide seasonal work, but you have the opportunity to make good money rather quickly working long days and sometimes 5-6 days per week. The only catch was right off the bat they had him out in Iowa for a six week stay on a project that was going on.

I wasn't really handling this idea too well. For a couple who hasn't been apart more than two nights in the whole 6 years they have been married, a weekend away is hard enough let alone SIX WEEKS! Yes, Sadie and I could have drove down on the weekends, but for what? Just to say goodbye again for another week. It would have just been too much. Long story short, 12 hours before he was supposed to be on the road to Iowa, he received a follow up phone call from one of the interviews he had been on earlier that week offering him the position! Needless to say, he pounced on it. The job offer was the one he was hoping for all along because it is more or less his "dream job" as he puts it. He will be managing an automotive service center in Roseville. I am so proud of him and he couldn't be happier!

It's funny what going through something like this does to a person; as well as a marriage. It's so easy to get upset, feel defeated, and place blame but it really doesn't do much good. You learn to look at the other side of things and say yes, this is a really crappy thing, but things could always be much, much worse. At the risk of sounding extremely sappy, I believe that it only makes a relationship/marriage stronger to go through things such as this. Couples divorce for much less than the things we have been though, so it kind of gives me a reassurance that we really were meant to be. OK, yes...that was sappy. I apologize. ;)

Along with this huge change, I feel as though we are going to really flip the remaining months of 2013 around with other positive changes. As I've stated several times, this year has been one of the worst, but I have a really positive feeling about how the rest of it will turn out. Now for a few photos of our little vaykay...

Until we meet again.

Future Mrs. Bret Michaels

Okay, okay, well maybe Bret didn't put a ring on it, but his hand shake was close enough for me! I'll get to that in a sec...  :)

This past week has been non stop go, go, go. I feel as though it's all just a blur. We started the week with going to an awesome show. Bruno Mars played the Xcel Center and it was amazing. He is so talented and it was just an all around great performance. 

Tuesday night we skipped karate class and caught a show at the Children's Theater. It was a production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. I will definitely take Sadie back there! She, along with the rest of the crowd was laughing the whole time and just really enjoyed herself. She loves going to events like that. If you have the opportunity, check it out; it was very good.

I just got home from one of the best 3 day (anniversary) weekends ever! My husband and I have been volunteering for the Lakefront Music Festival in Prior Lake every year. It doesn't ever really feel like much of a volunteer effort because truth be told, I would probably pay to have the chance to do this. We got to work back stage security for all of the shows. The headliner for one of the nights was Montgomery Gentry (country music duo and one of my husband's fav's) and the other night the headliner was BRET MICHAELS...my fav! Judge if you will, but I think being backstage for his show probably ranks in the top 10 best experiences I've had. Warrant and Firehouse opened up for Bret that night so it was a total 80's/early 90's rock-n-roll, hair-band kind of night. The weather was perfect and we had such an amazing time watching the entire show from back stage! I even got to briefly meet Bret. He gazed lovingly into my eyes and he shook my hand and was thanking me for volunteering.  Anytime Bret, anytime... <3 <3 <3 I could go on and on about all the stories I have from the weekend, but I might save that for another time. I'll sum it up in one sentence; women become very trashy if they have liquor in their system and a serious urge to get backstage with the band. Yuck.

After all of the concert events, we took a drive north and had a little overnight for our 6 year anniversary (I can't believe it; time seriously flies by). We packed a lot into our time, did some golfing, caught a movie, and even gambled a little. At dinner that night, we over-heard an older couple talking about how they were celebrating their anniversary that night as well. So of course, my husband Chatty Cathy had to go and strike up a conversation with this couple who shared the same date as we did. By the looks of the two of them, I would have guessed they were married for about 40 years. Turns out, they shared the same date as well as the same year as we did. Both of their spouses had passed on, and they met each other on E Harmony! The old man was so proud to tell us this story, and they were just the cutest! 

Today, I was so eager to go and pick up Sadie! Two days without seeing her is too much for me. We picked her up and spent the whole afternoon at the zoo and let her go on a few rides.

Best shot I could get of Bruno and his crew.

Cheesy smile because people were looking! :)

Back stage set up.

Warrant

My future 2nd husband ;)

He was pointing at me!

Horribly blurry, but this was right as we were talking. Ferny took the picture.

Kind of a cool shot I got of Ferny golfing.

Zoo fun...I think he was trying to bite the sun!

Family selfie!

I don't think I have ever seen him out before.

They're twins!

Conductor Sadie 

She did not enjoy this one: note the terror on her face.  :(


Until we meet again.

Birthdays, boat rides and no sleep for the hubby.

Nothing is better than summer time, especially the month of July. It goes by so fast, but there are so many fun events going on. It starts with the 4th of July and just keeps going right on through.

The 4th of July weekend was fun. On the 4th we went to the Shakopee Raceway. It was an interesting experience. It was extremely packed with people and it was definitely Nascar kind of crowd. At least there was a nice fireworks display. We went up north the next day and had half and half weather. The first day we got there it was nice but super humid and a million mosquitos. The second day was pouring rain and a billion mosquitos. I think between Sadie and I we could have made a nice little donation from all the blood they sucked from us!

On Tuesday, my husband went in for his overnight sleep study. He has had this problem for as long as I have known him, so he finally went in for a consultation and got the process going to find out what could be wrong. I really think that he is narcoleptic. He can literally fall asleep anywhere doing anything. Not only has it been extremely frustrating to me, but it's horrifically dangerous. Most recently, he has fallen asleep behind the wheel at a red light with Sadie and I in the car; so that was kind of the last straw. We will find out in the next couple of weeks what the results are.

Wednesday night we took Sadie out for a preliminary birthday fun night. We went out to Como Lake and had a little picnic then went out on the paddle boats. It was a beautiful night and we had a really fun time.

Thursday was the big day. My little lady turned the big 4! We took her to Chuck E. Cheese and had a little party for her. We had never taken her there before, so she just had a ball! For those of you who know me well, you know that we never have taken her there before for a reason. That place is germaphobe's worst nightmare; but I got through it!  ;)

This is a little survey I found on Pinterest that I asked Sadie to do. It was pretty fun to see what answers she came up with...

Annual Birthday Survey: Sadie – Age 4

favorite food: "Strawberries"

favorite sport: "The Vikings"

favorite show: "Austin and Ally" (Disney show)

If you could go on an airplane anywhere, where would you go: "the beach"

favorite color: "purple"

when you grow up what are you going to be: "a dress maker"

favorite song: "This Girl is on Fire" Alisha Keys

favorite book: "The Cat in the Hat"

3 words that describe you: "that I love, princess, and a grown-up."

When you were little, you used to: "play all the time."

Favorite time of year: "spending time with my family" (she got an awwwww, from me on this one!)

Favorite snack: "fruit snacks"

Favorite breakfast food: "waffles"

Yuckiest food: "carrots and celery"

My best friend: "Adeline and Jonathan"

Favorite toy: "toy purple necklace"

What is your favorite holiday: "halloween because it's scary, rawrrr!"

Favorite thing to do outside: "play in the sprinklers" 

Places I want to go: the "Airplane Park" (favorite playground in Lakeville)

People I miss: "Great Grandma"

Favorite restaurant: "Rockin Robin" (Red Robin)

Favorite pets: "Pumpkin" (Stephanie and Davis's dog)

What did you do on your birthday: "Chuck E. Cheese's" 

Happy 4th of July!

Shakopee Raceway

Boat ride

<3

Barbie birthday cake made by David's mom

A birthday feast...and apparently manners go out the window ;)

A friendly game of skeeball with grandpa

Until we meet again.

Happy birffday 'Merika!

What a beautiful way to end the week and start the weekend (3 day work week!) can't go wrong with that! The 4th of July week is usually good for a few days off, but a 4 day weekend is excellent! I love my job, I really, really do, but lately we've needed some additional help...

We have needed to hire an additional office member for quite some time. We finally selected one and she seemed great. Her first day went well and everything seemed like it was going to work out. Her second day, she came in the morning like normal and started to shadow someone for a little while. The lunch hour rolled around and she asked to take her break. 12:30pm rolled around and she hadn't come back yet...12:45pm and she's still not back. 12:50pm...she calls and says she is quitting. AFTER A DAY AND A HALF!!!

We found another person to fill the position about a week later. She seemed great; super bubbly, sweet, and experienced with the type of work we do. I called to offer her the job and she was thrilled. She was supposed to have her "first day" about three different times, and never showed up.

So, needless to say we have had a lot on our plates, but I always enjoy a challenge.

My husband works such odd hours all the time (closing almost every evening) and I feel like he misses out on so much. For example, Sadie and I are heading Up North tomorrow buy ourselves because he is working all day tomorrow as well as Saturday. It's been this way for quite some time now, because he has done the same type of work for years now, but Sadie is at the age now where she notices when he is not around consistently and it's kind of sad. At least we always have Sundays. The dealerships are closed on Sundays, so we try to jam pack family time into Sunday Fundays every week!

ANYHOO, on a positive note...

Sadie earned her gold belt this week! She was so proud of herself. It was certainly a proud mommy moment too! She is really taking to this karate thing. It was a surprise to me because let's be honest, karate is more of a boy's sport, and Sadie is the biggest girly-girl I have ever seen! There are a few other girls in her class that she has become buddies with, so I think that might have something to do with it.

She is also getting more used to fishing. She tried it last year for the first time and seemed fine with it, so we gave it a whirl again this year. She was FREAKING OUT when she caught her first couple of fish (not in a good way!). She literally started crying when it was on her line. We went a second time last weekend, and she was a lot more relaxed. She even touched a worm! That one shocked me!

 A few weeks ago sad face...

Last weekend so proud of her catch!

             

Lastly, my husband and I received an early birthday gift from my parents. Blake Shelton tickets for this September when he comes to the Xcel! Row 15 tickets at that; we are so excited!

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone, enjoy!

Until we meet again.

Summer bucket list (to-do list)

With summer now in full swing, there are a few things that I really want to do/accomplish. It's a proven fact if you write something down that you need to do, you are more likely to do it (hence a to-do list).

My summer bucket list:

+ spend a day fishing out on a boat
+ read The Great Gatsby once more before seeing the movie
+ get all dressed up with the hubby and have a night out downtown
+ save up for and purchase the camera I've been wanting for years
+ pay off my car loan
+ photograph another special event
+ go to the drive in
+ volunteer for a day
+ complete a new painting or two
+ learn how to use photoshop
+ have family photos taken
+ see some place that I haven't seen
+ have a day out and take Sadie to the Minnesota zoo and science museum

So, by September, hopefully I'll have at least 2 or 3 or these done! ;)

Until we meet again...

"Ain't it funny how a melody, brings back a memory."

It's so funny how our senses are tied into our memories. I find it to be ironic that every time I smell a certain scent from Victoria's Secret, it brings me back to a summer love almost 15 years ago. I wore it every time I saw him because I knew how much he liked it. Every time I see a really pretty bow on a package or a gift wrapping reminds me of how my grandma would take so much time hand making each bow for every single person's gift in our family for their birthdays. Every time I hear a certain Elton John song it reminds me of a neighborhood who lost a young, beautiful girl when we were barely just teenagers. Anytime I feel soft, warm sand under my feet reminds me of my first vacation with my husband when we were first starting out. It was all so uncertain back then, and now we have a great little family together. I really have no idea what got me thinking about this, but now putting it in a blog has me strolling down memory lane.

It's amazing the things that you take out of life as you go, and the memories that you keep for a life time. Things that may not mean a whole lot to one person, could mean the world to the next and could be something that they will never forget. As I'm getting older I am learning this day by day. I used to look forward to things and wish life away. Now, I try so hard to take each day as it comes and live it the best way that I can. I try hard to make a difference and just sit back and take it all in. I want to emphasize "try" because its still a work in progress. I think most of these thoughts have been stemming from the fact that my daughter is going to be four next month. I feel as though I've spent most of her life looking forward to the next "big stage" and in a blink of an eye, her babyness is gone.

Some would suggest that since I feel that way, that I should have another baby. While my husband would love to have 4 or 5 children, I just don't know if it's in our cards. I usually refrain from getting too personal in this little blogger I have, but I love the life we have now, and I know I would with another child as well, but it would obviously add a whole new dynamic. I stress about this topic day in and day out: are we making the right decision? Should we try again or are we perfect just the way we are? Is there something missing? If we go for it, will he or she be healthy? Will Sadie end up resenting me because we chose to only have her and she'll never have the experience of having a sibling? Literally, EVERY DAY this goes through my brain. I wish I just knew what the right thing to do was. My thought (for now) is, if it was meant to be, one way or another it will be.

Until we meet again.

The Ultimate Thriller

It's been a great weekend. I managed to squeeze a lot of stuff in to three days. On Friday night, me and the hubby had a one night get away at Mystic Lake. Sometimes, as a married couple you get so caught up in 'life' in general and forget what it is like to just be together with no work, no child, no outside distractions, just together. It was such a great time. We even caught a show that night. It was "The Ultimate Thriller" show. Normally, we're not really into tribute shows, but the guy who starred as Michael Jackson was amazing. Had all the moves and grooves down to a t. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought it was really Michael up there!

The best my camera phone could get :(

On Saturday we had my uncle and aunt's 25th anniversary party. It was a lot of fun, and I was asked to photograph the event. Saturday evening was also a memorial mass for my grandma. It was nice to be back at St. Bernard's with my family knowing that we were there for her. Today we went out to lunch and finally saw the new movie Epic. It was a cute show.

Last weekend, we did the Lymphoma walk. We all got in to it when my cousin Jody was diagnosed. She has been in remission for a few years now and is even able to do the walk with all of us. We had a beautiful morning for it, and in general, it really was just a nice celebration of life.

Until we meet again.