Kristys Spring Break

I am still trying to get this blog caught up to speed - so last week was Spring Break at our house. Lisa had off of school (Laura had off a few weeks back and went to Oklahoma for her break) and Rich and I had off of work. We went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin for a few days. I know most people wouldn’t rank Eau Claire as a top Spring Break destination, but the three of us had a great time.

We went to Action City and raced indoor go-karts, played laser tag, bumper cars, hit a million balls in the batting cages and played quite a few arcade games. It was a lot of fun. We stayed in a really nice hotel so that made the trip special as well. One day we spent at the mall shopping at all of our favorite stores and one day we went bowling. It was a really nice family vacation. We all got along wonderfully and just enjoyed being together. I wish I could feel that happy every day, but I guess not every day can be Spring Break!

I promise to post some pictures soon!

Operation Welcome Home Retreat

I have a lot of updating to do so I better get busy. The weekend of March 27th-29th Rich and I went to Ironwood Springs Ranch for a marriage retreat called Operation Welcome Home. It is a special retreat for Iraq or Afghanistan war veterans who have recently returned home and their spouses. It was AMAZING! The ranch has a huge log style lodge that is more like a five star hotel than anything else. We were pampered all weekend long and it gave us a chance to reconnect. It was really romantic and I am so glad we went.

We took a horse drawn wagon ride through the woods, pet some animals at the petting zoo, played with sling shots, took a romantic walk by the river, watched a movie on the big screen, learned a lot about marriage, explored the grounds and just had a great weekend relaxing - no kids, no Tvs, no phones - it rocked! The best part of the retreat was on Sunday when we did a vow renewal. It was really special and I think Rich might have had a tear in his eye - I guess he really does love me afterall (-:

Bob Bardwell, who owns/runs the ranch, has a really cool life story and if you ever get a chance to meet him, take it! He is one of those guys you will never forget.

The retreat was free thanks to a sponsorship donation from Tee It Up For The Troops - so thank you to them! What a blessing! Coincidently, the Minnesota Wild game I attended on 3/17 had a special presentation for Tee It Up so I was familiar with the organization and I had a chance to talk with the owner and his wife for a bit.

There was room for 20 couples at our retreat and only 10 showed up so that was disappointing. The event was free, where was every one? I told Rich we have got to get the word out about this awesome facility and opportunity to reconnect with your spouse. Sadly, a lot of military couples divorce so this retreat is definitely needed. Rich knows several guys personally who got divorced shortly after returning home - I can testify that being a military wife is not easy so I am thankful for Bob and Ironwood Springs Ranch for their prayers and assistance in keeping military marriages strong!

Kristys Blog

Yowsers! My blog is a bit behind. I will get you an update in a jiffy!

Nice People Rock

Being a ticket broker at Ticket King has it’s advantages and it’s disadvantages. The advantages are numerous including a fun work environment, the thrill of buy low - sell high and being involved with things I love like sports and music. One disadvantage of being a ticket broker (a.k.a. scalper) is dealing with people who don’t understand or approve of the business. So when a day goes by and I don’t have to deal with the icky people, I call it a good day.

Today I had a cool guy stop in the office to purchase Minnesota Wild Tickets. He lives in Hastings (where I used to live), he works at the Lakeville Cub (right by my mom and dads house) and he believes in Jesus (I am wearing my cross necklace today). We chit chatted quite a bit and I feel thankful to have got to meet him. He was ultra patient when I couldn’t get the printer to print and I sort of feel like I made a new friend today. He gave me this cool pamphlet about being Free and I think I am going to incorporate some of the stuff into my Freedom Race Team web site (which isn’t up yet- ugh!). I better get working on that!

Hockey Game with my Sis

My sister and I went to the Minnesota Wild Colorado Avalanche game on Tuesday night and had a great time! The Wild won 3-2 in a shoot-out. It was very dramatic (-: Here is a picture of us happy Minnesota Wild Fans all decked out for St Patty’s Day. Highlight of the day: I got carded by one of the Eagle Street Grille bouncers – who says 31 is old!?!??! It must have been the pig tails!

Gopher Basketball March Madness

It is March Madness at work! My Gopher Basketball Tickets site has got tons of hits today and we are selling NCAA tickets like crazy. It feels good to be busy. Michael is in Mexico all week so Cortney is filling in for him and I am filling in for her. It has been a pretty busy office day in St Paul - a lot of people asking about ticket prices and even a few buyers (-:

Family Car Trips Make Me Laugh

I headed out west on Saturday with my sister LaVonne and brother Al to see my grandpa. Car trips rock with my siblings - the time goes by pretty fast (maybe because LaVonne was speeding?) and we laugh a lot (my brother is hilarious and managed to quote Peter Griffin from Family Guy and Dr. Phil in the same conversation, not to mention all of the “that’s what she said” remarks).

My grandpa is now an official resident of the local nursing home. He is 88, but it is still hard to imagine that he may not be with us much longer. He can’t see, but he still knows my voice and he is sharp as a tack about what is going on around him. He told me he loved me and that he really appreciated us visiting him. I made a mental note that I have to get out west to see him more often.

I am certain our family was the talk of the nursing home - there was 15 of us there for most of the day Saturday - 15! We caused quite a ruckus and plenty of people commented about our “tribe.” The surprising part for me - I didn’t see any other families there. It was Saturday, I figured a lot of families would be visiting…but I didn’t see any. What’s up with that? If you have grandparents in a nursing home, be sure you visit them or write them or call them - let them know you love them!

Kristy loves the Theater

Tonight I went to Lisas play “Pom Pom Zombies” at CGJH. She was cast as a cheerleader that turned into a Zombie. She did a WONDERFUL job and I was BEAMING with pride. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The play was funny, creative and full of song and dance – everything I love about the theater.

Afterwards she gave me a huge hug (a moment I will treasure as I don’t get as many hugs in public as I used to) and I told her she was the prettiest cheerleader on stage (she was). One of her cast friends said, “Lisa, that’s your mom? I thought it was your sister!” Insert huge smile here. All is right with the world.

Kristy Fixes Things

Yesterday, I was the queen of fixing things. It was my day off and I was supposed to meet my mom and sister for lunch, but my sisters SUV broke down so the plans changed.

I told my sister I would pick her up at lunch and we would go back to her house and give her Jimmy a jump…good thing I have jumper cables. I got it all hooked up, but was nervous because I couldn’t get the second negative to spark so I ran across the street (I ran fast! It was freezing out!) to get her neighbor to help. He said I had it all hooked up right and we just had to wait a second and sure enough, the Jimmy started right up. She drove her SUV to the repair shop and they put in a new battery. After all that excitement, we decided to stop at this little Mexican place by her work for lunch – it was yummy! Then I went over to my moms to visit for awhile.

When I got home, I got to work on fixing the washer. Sunday night, it was leaking all over and generally just misbehaving. It took me about an hour, but I found the culprit hose and tightened it down and the washer was back in commission (much to Lisa’s delight – she “needed” her skinny jeans). I also fixed one of my dresser drawers – I often stuff too many clothes in the drawers and then the bottoms fall out so I have to re-screw the bottom panels into the frames.

Once I got all that fixed, I took Lisa to the Mall of America to get a formal dress for this weekends Fireman’s Ball (she is Richs date as I am going out of town). After MUCH deliberation, we both agreed on a cream strapless number that is classic and beautiful and EXPENSIVE. I spent way more than I wanted to, but her and I couldn’t agree on any dresses in the lower price range (she probably picked ugly dresses on purpose so I would buy the more expensive one– j/k). Shopping with teenage girls can be stressful. Lisa has such different tastes and although I support her individuality (I try), I want her to look presentable and find flattering clothes that will last her. She has a 9th grade formal dance in May and I told her she will need to wear the dress to that as well – she reluctantly complied...

Kristys Happy Birthday Pictures

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!

Here are a few birthday pictures!

Kristys Birthday

AHHHHH! Another Birthday! They seem to happen so quickly. I had a WONDEFUL birthday with all my favorite treats and people. I bought my favorite donuts from Cub for breakfast (the fried cinnamon roll is the best pastry ever, but I am sure it has enough sugar to put me in diabetic shock so I try to stay away from it) and then I cooked dinner for my family at my mom and dads. We had Sloppy Joes, french fries, beans, potato salad, chips, pickles and three desserts! It was delicious and I loved putting the party together and having every one there celebrating with me. I got a lot of great gifts (including the Jon & Kate plus 8 DVD’s!) – I am so blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life. I felt so loved. I will post Birthday pictures tomorrow (-: Stay Tuned.

Kristy loves Tournaments

But not as much as Katelyn! On Saturday, I judged the Bloomington Jefferson invitational Speech tournament and had a great time. I heard some really great speakers and I had the opportunity to give some kids some much needed feedback (i.e. be on time!), but Katelyn was the real winner of the day. She won a placement award in TWO categories (the only person to do that on the entire team) and she received the highest speaker rating achievable. I was so proud of her. We went out for ice cream right after to celebrate and then I took her out to Olive Garden for dinner. It was a great day…even if I did lose an hour of sleep. BTW, Olive Garden was PACKED...recession? what recession!

Kristys Friday was a Rollercoaster

Last Friday was full of ups and downs. I had a super busy day at work and I worked more hours than I had originally planned, but on the happy side I got enough done that I don’t feel overwhelmed due to pending tasks. Plus, the whole staff brought in tons of food to celebrate my birthday which was a super nice surprise! I was stuffed when I left there. I think it was the biggest food day ever. My boss also gave me a nice birthday gift so that made me feel appreciated and it couldn’t have come at a better time since I was feeling a little overworked.

Then I went over to my brothers to pick up the heads for the racecar. My brother had brought them into the engine shop last week for me (thanks Al!) and I needed to pick them up so Mike could get them back on the motor. The bill was more than I expected so I was fretting about that, but on the happy side Murgic said the motor is freshened up and that it should last us all year.

Just when my brother and I were going to part ways, we got a call from our Dad that Mom was in the hospital. Apparently she had a dizzy sweaty puking spell and they took her by ambulance to The Ridges. At first, Mom didn’t want us to come, but I really wanted to see her and hug her so I convinced her to let us come for a short while. I felt better once I saw her because I just knew in my heart she was going to be okay….but I do confess I cried in the car on the way home because I am just not ready for my mom to be sick. I pleaded with God to give us more time. I heard His voice say it was going to be OK and it is.

Kristy’s Cell Phone Has Been Ringing Like Crazy

I am not a huge cell phone person. I don’t text that much and I really don’t even talk on the phone that much. I email quite a bit, but mostly I talk to people in person (crazy, I know) or use my landline. Lately, my cell thing has been going crazy. Here is a just a sample of the last few messages:

-Hi Kristy’s Cell Phone, it’s Karen. I don’t want to be 47. That’s all I have to say. Love you, bye.

-Hey Kristy, thanks for getting me in the house, see ya when you get home.

-Hi Mom, I took the bus home because play practice is later. Don’t worry I will be there on time.

-Is Cortney getting married, you should check her blog.

-Hey, I made the best birthday card for you in the world.

-Am I still coming over this weekend and why don’t your hands smell when they sweat?

The messages are always short and they definitely make me laugh – I am just amazed at the amount of them lately!

Kristys Life Update - Race Race Race

Last weekend was all about the RACECAR. Friday - Mike, John, Rich and I met Randy at the shop and pulled apart the front spindles and ball joints and talked about an overhaul on the chassis. All I see are dollar signs.

Saturday – Mike, Wyatt, Keith, Danny, Al, Rich, Lisa and I went back up to the shop and the boys pulled the motor and transmission and we transported the chassis to Randy’s shop. Again, all I see are dollar signs. Randy is supposed to help us get the chassis set-up to give the car more bite on the track and help the overall handling. I have faith in his abilities, but the cost just keeps going up. I am freaking out. All I see are dollar signs. I realize he has to make a living, but I just wish it wasn’t at my expense. Every time I think about how much we are spending, I think about all the nice things I could buy for the house or the new shoes I want.

I know it is Richs dream to race cars so I try to be supportive, but the financial part of it is a little scary. We are also having the heads redone by Murgic Automotive and we still have to get the car put back together in time for the season to start. AHHHHHH!!!!

I am thankful for all the help – I know Rich and I could not do it alone….wish us good fortune as the crazy racing season is almost here!