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.

Happiness comes in the form of 3 day weekends.

                                          Weekend Update Special (Memorial Day) Edition.


Since I have limited time and about 12 hours of work to catch up on (not really but it kinda seems that way) I will make this short and sweet.

The first part of this weekend was spent getting ready for the second half of the weekend. Literally. It's crazy how 10 years ago, if we wanted to take a little weekend trip up to the lake, it would take 5 minutes, a duffel bag of clothes and a tooth brush and we were on the road. Now, it's a day long process.

Once we finally got there it was a lot of fun. The rain held off and there was a crisp feel in the spring air, but that's what is to be expected on Memorial Weekend in Minnesota. Well, that and sitting in hours of southbound traffic on the drive home Monday afternoon.

It was great to see my grandpa out and about. I have to say I was shocked. He was out walking around and sitting by the camp fire with us. It was a very nice surprise.

Ferny and Dubz got a round of golf in, too. From the sounds of it, they had a lot of fun, but I wouldn't know because I wasn't invited to go...no, I'm not bitter at all  :/

We had a great campfire, made s'mores, had tea parties, disturbed wood peckers, spot light dances, and did some four wheeling. Great weekend.

Tea party with Uncle "Jeter."

Back in the saddle again.

First ride of the season.

Little devil ruining the tree!

Cozy.

Look at that determination!

Sitting by the fire...maybe texting each other?

Until we meet again.

Random Acts of Kindness Challenge

There are some days that I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of 'life' and I don't stop to think about the little things in life (I think we can all be guilty of this every now and again). I've really put some thought in to this. Think about how you feel when someone purposefully goes out of their way to make your day better. It's a great feeling. Sometimes, I think it's an even better feeling to be the person who is going out of their way to make someone's day a little better. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle in life, and you never really know what that person standing behind you in the grocery store line might be going through that day.

Here are a few ideas that I have found that wouldn't take a whole lot of work and are not very costly:

• Give coupons (or leave coupons) for someone to use at the grocery store.
• Tell your boss/co-worker how great of a job you think they are doing.
• Do yard work for an elderly neighbor (or anyone).
• Give an unexpected gift (a red rose to an older lady, a grocery gift card to a single mother, etc).
• Let the supervisor or a manager know what great service you received from an associate at a store or restaurant. 
• After you purchase something out of a vending machine, insert a few more coins for the next person who comes along.
• When going through the coffee drive thru, pay for the person behind you as well.
• Leave diapers and wipes on a changing table in a public restroom.
• Be a friendly driver-let others go in front of you, don’t get mad but wave them ahead and SMILE ***this is going to be #1 on my personal list!***
• Wait and hold the door open for someone.
• Give complements to people in your life or strangers on the street.

Until we meet again.

Spring is in full swing

I haven't blogged in a month, a month. How do you sum up a month in a few paragraphs? Well, here is my best attempt...

I have taken a few road trips in the past few weeks up to Duluth. My grandpa still isn't doing that well, but we're trying to stay positive in a not-so-great situation.  He recently suffered a second heart attack and was air lifted from their home to Saint Mary's Hospital in Duluth. I hate to say it, but just in the few times that I have been up to see him in the hospital, it's been hard. After recently going through all those days with my grandma in the hospital back in February and the end result being what it was, it has brought back all the sad feelings that hospitals tend to bring.

On a brighter note, Sadie has started karate. I didn't know how she would take to it at first, but she absolutely loves it. The class is mostly boys, but there are two other little girls that are right around her age. She already has "earned" her first belt. She was so proud of herself.

With the weather finally turning nice, it has been so great to be spending the evenings and weekends outside and enjoying the warm temperatures. We were also finally able to start softball a few weeks back. The season isn't exactly off to the greatest of starts winning wise, but I am just happy to be out playing again this year.

Work has been an absolute mad house! The phones are ringing off the hook every day and I barely have the chance to keep up with any work (which is a good problem to have!). We are looking to hire on more employees and I have been doing interviews for weeks. Interviewing is normally one of my favorite parts of my job, but lately I just can't believe how many candidates I confirm interview appointments with and then they just don't even bother to show up! If I were looking for employment, I would never dream of confirming a time with a potential employer and then just not show up.

Lastly, we took Sadie to her first game at Target Field. It was a lot of fun. She got to meet Tony Oliva before the game and even got to run the bases down on the field afterwards. Definitely a day to remember.

So, that's about as good as it gets for a summary of all the main events for now.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, an overabundance of some photos  :)

Receiving her white belt

Hiiighyaa! 

First and only tulip of the season

<3

I love this picture of her

Mother's Day shot

Trying out the new panoramic feature on my iPhone

MS Walk

MS Walk

Snow covered Canal Park

Meeting Tony Oliva

Running the bases after the game

Until we meet again.