Kristy 911: One Minnesota Emergency After Another

Kristys Spring Break

2009-04-08T12:11:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-07T16:59:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-07T16:03:00.001-05:00

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

Nice People Rock

2009-03-25T17:10:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-19T13:29:00.006-05:00

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

2009-03-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-12T13:00:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-10T15:02:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!

Here are a few birthday pictures!

Kristys Birthday

2009-03-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-09T15:47:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-09T15:45:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-03T13:30:00.003-06:00

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

2009-03-03T13:19:00.002-06:00

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!

Kristy’s Blog Update Time

2009-02-25T14:32:00.001-06:00

There has been a lot going on and I haven’t been doing well at updating this blog – that seems to be a regular theme these days! Anyway, here’s the low down on the last few days:

Last weekend I worked all day Saturday in the office and had a super good day. I got a lot done and I remembered why I like being in the ticket business. Saturday night, Rich, Lisa and I went to the Gophers girls hockey game and had a blast. It was a big crowd and a competitive game against St Cloud State. The Gopher Girls are ranked #1 in the nation – I am amazed at how little press they get!

Mainly, I enjoyed the family time with Rich and Lisa. Lisa even said it was one of the best days ever. I think she liked getting babied by Rich and me. I really liked it too – it makes us seem like a real family and just for a minute you can forget that there was an ugly divorce and that I am merely a stepmom filling in for the real one.

Sunday, we all went separate ways. Rich wanted us all to go bowling, but it didn’t work out and he was really disappointed. It was his weekend to have the girls, but their real mom pulled a fast one and made plans to take them to the Mall of America on Sunday. Rich was upset, but he didn’t want the girls to miss out on a fun day at the Mall so he gave up his time with them. I hope some day those girls realize what a great dad they have and how much he gives up for them and how much crap he puts up with from their mom. I have never seen two people with such different ideas on raising kids – Rich and his ex are the opposite on just about every issue…which is probably why they divorced in the first place, but it sure makes it tough on the kids.

I went to Brianna’s play “Cinderella” on Sunday and it was good. She is a great little performer and I think she liked the chocolate rose I brought her!

Monday was a regular office day except we had an early morning meeting. It was the first time in 3 years we have ever had a group “meeting” – it was scary. I get what the boss had to say and I hope things get better…mostly I hope every one else “got” what he was saying, too.

Tuesday I worked a bit from home and then went to the grocery store – boring stuff, I know and now today I am working in St Paul.

PRAYER REQUEST: My grandpa is sick and he had surgery on Monday – thankfully, he pulled through, but please pray for a comfortable recovery. He is 88!

Kristys Week Update

2009-02-19T09:56:00.002-06:00

Let me quickly chronicle the last few days…

Monday: I worked in the Minneapolis office. I almost called in sick because I was feeling yucky, but I didn’t and I am so glad because two (yes two!) other girls in the office called in. I haven’t called in sick to work in about 10 years and I am glad I didn’t break my record. The day wasn’t too bad, I just worked a little slower than normal since my head felt like it was going to explode, but I still got a lot done.

Tuesday: Lisa was really sick and stayed home from school. I worked from home and got a huge looming project done so I felt good. I checked on Lisa through out the day and brought her small comfort foods like crackers and sprite and plenty of advil and cough medicine. She hasn’t been sick from school in 3 years so I was sad that she broke her record. I was feeling better and went to the grocery store – good thing because the cupboards were looking a little bare.

Wednesday: Ryans Birthday! My nephew Ryan turned 17 yesterday! 17! I can hardly believe it. He is a wonderful young man – smart, funny, kind, handsome – he’s amazing and I love him to death even though I hardly see him now that he has a girlfriend and a driver’s license. I bought him a Guitar Hero handheld game and gave him a little cash. We all gathered at my mom and dads for Famous Daves and homemade German Chocolate Cake (thanks mom!) It was fun to spend time with the family and I know I am going to miss those big traditional gatherings as all the kids are getting bigger and moving on to their own lives. Brianna is the youngest and she is already 11!

Thursday: Today I have to work and get this house clean so we don’t have to do it over the weekend (-: Rich called this morning and thanked me for making his lunch (I make it every day, but I guess today was special). He said I make him lunch like he’s a king and I told him, he is a king in my book (ahhhh!) Some days we can be so wonderful.

Kristy Rested All Weekend

2009-02-15T21:07:00.000-06:00

My fever broke yesterday, but I still feel icky today. I hate being sick and it put a damper on my Valentines Day weekend for sure. Thankfully, my Valentine (Rich!) was sweet and showered me with gifts and didn’t feel the least bit irritated that we stayed in all weekend.

Tomorrow is my office day and I hope I feel better. I NEED to go to the office because I have so many things piling up. I am pretty sure I am no longer contagious so I won’t get any one else sick, but I don’t know if I will be able to keep my eyes open all day and my cough is irritating to me, I am sure my co-workers won’t appreciate it either! I have a whole bag of cough drops to bring with me.

It was a crummy Minnesota sports weekend which didn’t make my time on the couch any better. The Gophers tied Alaska Anchorage on Friday night at Mariucci Arena and frankly a tie to Alaska might as well be a loss and the Minnesota Wild BROKE MY HEART with their Valentines Day loss not to mention the Gopher basketball team lost as well….oh gloomy days.

Kristy has a fever – is that an emergency?

2009-02-12T16:46:00.001-06:00

I am not feeling well today. I worked a little in the morning and then I took my temperature and it was 101.1 ! That’s high for me, I am usually 98.3. I told Rich I wanted my mommy (he didn’t like that and he was already in a bad mood - oops.). My mom is the best at taking care of you when you are sick, she always knows exactly what to do and say and she always covers me up just right.

Since I am now a grown-up, I had to take action on my own so I took some advil and some cough medicine and now I am laying down. I yelled at Rich to bring me some mittens because my hands were cold and he said no – then I told him my mom would bring me mittens and he quickly found my favorite pair (I took them off after my hands warmed up so I could blog about my illness – weird, I know).

Well, I better get back to resting because that’s what mom would say!

Kristy Still Catching Up

2009-02-10T21:47:00.002-06:00

AHHHHHHH! I am still behind on this blog! The office days have been killing me lately and totally wiping me out – I am exhausted…but that is no excuse for neglecting my blog, so here is what has been going on….

Friday: Worked in the office. Stayed Late. Lots and Lots to do. Worked as fast as I could. Still didn’t get it all done. Felt bad, but finally went home.

Saturday: Judged the High School Competitive Speech Tournament at Lakeville South High School (I judge for Rosemount High School, my alma madre). It was an all day affair, but I was glad to do it and I got a chance to spend some time with my niece Katelyn who is on the Rosemount team and my niece Kayla even came and watched a round and helped me time the speakers. After she heard the first speech, she looked over at me and said “man, these kids are smart!” and I just laughed. She is right, the kids are very bright. I heard all sorts of speeches on current events including labor unions pros and cons, Chinas economic growth potential, future of the Airlines in 2009, comparison of Condi Rice and Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State, comparison of Bush and Obama on domestic issues, why Vladimir Putin is so popular in Russia, 2012 US election predictions, speeches on effective Energy Policies and more!

These high school kids wow me and I love critiquing their speeches in hopes of them refining their skills and becoming our next group of great leaders. Some kids talk way too fast, some say “ah” and “um” way too much and some don’t have the evidence needed to support their topic, but this is an early tournament and I know that when I see these kids again in a later tournament they will be even better.

HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY: I was selected to judge the final round in the top category of the tournament. It was such an honor! Usually these judges are lawyers or life long speech/debate coaches, but they picked me to be on the three person panel. I confess I was a nervous wreck, but tried not to show it. I was on a panel with a lawyer that told me he reads all of the top newspapers every day and the Economist front to back so these kids won’t be able to slip anything by him (I told him I read the Pioneer Press front to back – does that count? LOL!) and an old Mounds View debate coach of 20 years! These two guys have been on the circuit for years and I consider myself a newbie (it’s my 3rd year judging, I also competed for 4 years). They don’t usually let newbies judge the final rounds that determine the trophies, but the tournament managers thought enough of me and my skills to give me the job and I think I did well. I had evidence to support my final decision and I had fun doing it!

After the Tournament, Katelyn and I hung out at my sister LaVonne’s and played one of our favorite games APPLES TO APPLES …. I LOVE that game! It’s quick and fun and we always laugh and laugh. It was a great way to wind down after an intense day of competing. BTW, I am the Apples to Apples champ. I beat Katelyn by one card after a tie-breaker on BIG…I picked waterfalls, she picked monsters – the judge (my sister) went with waterfalls and I won the game! Overall it was a great day.

Sunday: Church. Sermon about divorce. Good stuff. Had my favorite Cassini’s Pizza. Good day.

Monday: Worked in office. See Friday description – it was the same.

Kristy Where Are You and What Have You Done?

2009-02-05T10:37:00.001-06:00

Well, right now I am at my kitchen table blogging – one of my favorite activities – LOL!

What have I been doing the past few days? Here is the run down…(comma separated list style – less detail with each day – really, how much detail can one stand?)

Wednesday: Talked on the phone to mom (loved that! seriously, my mom is great), Ran errands, Bought Rich another Valentines Day present since he found the movie I had previously bought him and watched it (he is so sneaky! I have to learn to wrap presents faster), Ate lunch at Arby’s (used a coupon for a deluxe sandwich that comes with lettuce and tomato – yummy), Set-up our wireless network again (my old router bombed out – the new one took an hour to set-up! I learned a lot though), Had Dinner, Brainstormed new website ideas, Watched the Gopher Basketball team get creamed, Read Magazine, Went to Bed.

Tuesday: Worked at the Ticket King St Paul office, Kept busy with customers and websites, Disposed of another office mouse, Met a creepy furnace guy that spoke French, Wondered if anyone else thought the parking lot was dangerous, Ate at Culvers with the family, Filled the Fire Department pop machine, Watched TV (I am addicted), Went to Bed.

Monday: Worked at the Ticket King Minneapolis office, Kept busy with Bruce Springsteen on-sales and phone calls (yes we get tickets just like every one else – the internet and the phone), Filled category orders, Shipped packages, Tried Sushi for the first time, Went Grocery Shopping (milk and bread are cheap this week at Rainbow), Went to Bed.

Weekend: Happened exactly as I charted out below. I have cute pictures of me baby-sitting Emily and Joe – I will have to post them later.

Finally Friday

2009-01-30T16:19:00.000-06:00

Ahhhh…It’s finally Friday. My favorite day of the week. Here is what is on tap for the weekend.

FRIDAY
Build my Ole Miss Site (I will link to it once it is decent)
Play Bingo with LaVonne (yeah!)
Spend the night at LaVonnes

Saturday
Sleep in late
Eat Marks home cooked breakfast (I love it when a man makes me breakfast)
Play games with Kayla and Brianna
Baby-sit Melindas kids (Joe 2, Emily 8mos.)

Sunday
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Watch TV and eat junk food!

Kristy Loves to Bake

2009-01-30T12:16:00.005-06:00

Before I post my weekend plans, I want to post some pictures of my latest baking creations.

ABOVE are what I call Oreo Cupcakes. I made them for Laura's family birthday party. They are a devils food cupcake baked without wrappers (it's a lot of work greasing and flouring all of the individual cupcake pans, but I prefer the smooth look over the ridges), then sliced and frosted with a fluffy buttercreme frosting and topped with a mini oreo. They are delicious and easy! A huge hit with kids and adults.

ABOVE is the best chocolate cake ever! I made this chocolate, chocolate chip cake for the fire department and thankfully they didn't eat it all so Lisa and I got a piece as well. I made it in a Bundt pan and it turned out perfect. I used a chocolate glaze over the top and then some mini chocolate chips for garnish. The yellow cake holder is rather ugly, but I don't send my good dishes down to the fire department.

This is me looking happy in the kitchen.

Kristy’s trip to the Emergency Room

2009-01-29T08:37:00.001-06:00

The ER trip wasn’t for me, it was for Lisa. She got hurt in gym class playing volleyball yesterday and the school nurse was worried because Lisa couldn’t move her fingers. I went to school to pick Lisa up and then called the clinic to see if they could get her in. The earliest appointment was 5:40pm. Lisa was in a lot of pain and the triage nurse recommended we just go to the Emergency Room. I hate the ER, but we went anyway and Rich thought it was best, too. He rushed home as soon as he heard she was hurt, it was kind of cute to see him all worried.

Thankfully, Lisa just bruised her bone and the doctor gave her a brace/cast thing to wear for the next week. The doctor said she isn’t done growing yet and there is a growth plate right where she bruised it so that makes it extra painful. It is her right hand which is her primary hand so Lisa is fretting about school work, but I told her she would have to try her hardest.

The Emergency Room can be an exciting place. We saw a belligerent man come in handcuffs with a Police Officer. He was shouting all kinds of things. We saw a guy come in on a stretcher and a few other sick people, too. Overall, I am glad it is over and I hope she gets better soon!

Kristys blog Update

2009-01-27T14:23:00.005-06:00

I have a lot on my plate right now and this poor little blog gets shuffled to the bottom, but I know all of you anxious readers are wondering what is up?! So here is an overview of the past few days:

Thursday night was Lisa’s parent teacher mid-term conferences and they went well. She is getting all A’s and B’s except in Science – a C! (mainly because of a personality conflict with the teacher, basically Lisa just doesn’t like her). She is doing great in math and she scored at a 10th to 11th grade reading level on her standardized reading test! (she is only in 9th grade) She was so proud of herself she was jumping up and down and I was glowing with pride.

We have been working very hard on Lisa’s reading. When Lisa first started living with us, she was reading below her grade level and now three years later she is ahead! I give her and the Cottage Grove Junior High English teachers most of the credit, but I have been pushing her at home, too. I try to do a lot of little things like having her read me a cool magazine article or the directions of a recipe. I am really proud of her… I took her out for Culvers French Fries (her favorite) afterward.

Friday night I went out to dinner with my niece Katelyn (who now has her own car!). I haven’t seen her in awhile and I like to keep up with what’s going on in her life. She always makes me laugh and I LOVE hanging out with her. She says I need to get on Facebook (but who has time!). We discussed the election and other current events and enjoyed a good evening out. She is growing up so fast, I wish she would slow down! I am going to miss her terribly when she goes off to college. We went to Chili’s in Burnsville and the place was packed – Recession? What recession.

Saturday I worked in the office all day (it was busy!) Elton John Billy Joel at the Xcel Energy Center went on sale so people were calling like crazy. St Paul Concert Tickets were flying out the door. In the evening, I went to the Swarm game at the Xcel Energy Center. The Swarm lost, but it was still fun and it was something cheap and different to do as a family – well, almost a family. Laura had a drama moment and decided not to come. Rich and I love her so much, why can’t she see that? Her teen angst is exhausting. I hope she grows out of this stage quickly!

Sunday we went to my moms to celebrate Laura’s birthday with the family. My mom is a life saver at organizing these things and making sure that even difficult teenagers feel loved. I made awesome Oreo cupcakes - I will post pictures soon!

Monday was an office day. I kept busy filling category orders, shipping and answering the phones. I always feel like I do a lot in the office on Mondays. It is usually one of our busier days, but I still wonder who does all that when I am not there?

Thursday is Firefighter Drill Night

2009-01-22T09:51:00.003-06:00

Tonight is drill night for the St Paul Park firefighters. I am going to put together some food for after drill, but it’s not going to be fancy this week because I have a lot to do today including work and Lisa’s parent teacher conferences.

On the SPPFD menu tonight:
Chili Dogs with all the fixin’s (onions, cheese, sour cream etc.)
Chips
Chocolate Cake (yummy)

Hump Day has plenty of Bumps

2009-01-21T17:48:00.000-06:00

Today was a good work day – I got a lot done including some clever entries on the ticket sites. I am feeling smart today (-:

I am thankful for my work and my solid family foundation. I have a friend that isn’t doing so well right now and I think it’s because they don’t have that solid foundation to fall back on. No matter how bad things get, I know I still have my God, my parents and my siblings – they have never forsaken me. I am so blessed and when I see my friends world falling apart, my heart just breaks that not every one has that foundation to go back to.

I am going to dinner with my good friend Brinda tonight (no, she’s not the friend having trouble). I haven’t seen her in awhile and I miss her so I am excited to go out. I am looking forward to a little adult girl time gab! She is a safe outlet for me to discuss my teenager troubles and although I think she is glad she has boys and not girls – she reminds me what it was like when we were teen girls ourselves (it wasn’t that long ago!).

Monday Blues Can Be Beat With A Smile

2009-01-19T14:06:00.003-06:00

I have the Monday Blues today. I did hear on the radio that today is the saddest day of the year because people are tired of winter and darkness and by now most people have given up their New Years resolution (I can’t even remember what mine was!). I am feeling sad because Rich and I had a bad love day yesterday. Ugh! To counteract that negative energy, I am going to post a happy picture of Rich and I at the Gopher hockey game on Friday night. I took the picture myself –aren’t we cute????

GOOOO GOPHERS!

Kristy Loves the Gophers

2009-01-16T23:13:00.002-06:00

Last night, Rich and I stayed up late to watch the Gopher Mens Basketball team beat the Wisconsin Badgers in overtime at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin (on TV, of course) – it was the first time in like a decade that the Gophers have won in Madison. It was a very exciting game, the Gophers were down by 14 points in the fourth quarter and I told Rich to just turn it off and let’s go to bed. Just as I said that, the game changes and the Gophers hit a three pointer and had a couple of steals and Paul Carter had the block of the game and I was on the edge of the sofa shouting at the TV at 10:15pm. Lawrence Westbrook made shot after shot for the Gophers and the Minnesota Men could do no wrong in overtime. That puts the Gophers at 15-1 on the season – I think I am in love with Tubby Smith, he’s an amazing coach and I am excited about what he has done with the Golden Gopher basketball team.

Really, basketball is not my passion, hockey is and tonight Rich and I scored some Gopher hockey tickets and went to the mens Gophers vs St Cloud State Huskies game at Mariucci Arena – it was AWESOME! The Gophers won 5-1 and our seats totally rocked. We sat in the second row, yes the second row from the ice! I didn’t realize how big some of those Gopher skaters really are (Ryan Stoa is enormous). I took some pictures that I will load in the next few days. A five goal Gopher game also means FREE Culvers ice cream with my ticket stub for the next week – yeah!

I do love the maroon and gold! Go Gophers!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2009-01-16T22:54:00.002-06:00

Brrrrrrrrrrr. Need I say more? -41, Seriously - that's crazy.

Things I am Thankful for when it is Waaaaaay Below Zero:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. A Car that Starts
3. Attached Garage
4. Working Furnance & Automatic Thermostat
5. Mittens

Kristy Loves her Parents

2009-01-14T12:40:00.000-06:00

On Monday, I took my dad to Methodist Hospital to get some tests done. My mother hates driving in traffic and gets nervous on new roads so I was the designated driver and I was happy to do it. The roads were slick thanks to the snowstorm (yuck!), but we got to the hospital and home safely and we made good time.

When we were waiting for my dad to go back to see the doctor, I told my dad he better be fine because I still need him (and I do!). It is hard for me to accept that my parents are getting a little older and that I may have to help take care of them soon.

I am blessed to have wonderful parents (thank you God!). I can’t imagine my life without them. They are both so loving, supportive, understanding and funny. Who else would tell me to just drive with my high beams on because no one will notice how bright they are since I don’t clean the glass any way (dad!) – he’s right, I don’t clean it and no one has noticed I have been driving with my high beams on for weeks! (because I need to replace the bulb on my drivers side low beam, but it’s been too cold) and who else would tell me that meat is on sale at Cub this week and that I should make it with beefy onion soup mix in the crock pot because it gives it good flavor (mom!) – I may be a grown woman, but I still need my parents. I know they will love me and be there for me no matter what and when days are tough, I rely on that foundation to keep me going.

I am also thankful that all of my dads tests turned out fine (he will probably live to be 99!) and thankful that I have a job that is flexible enough to allow me time to do the things with my family that are truly important to me and thankful for a husband that is willing to support me so that I don’t have to work at a job all the time! (yes, that is a run-on sentence, but I say that if you are counting your blessings, you are allowed a run-on sentence or two!).

Call your parents today – tell them you love them!

Kristys Busy Weekend – Laura’s Birthday Weekend

2009-01-13T13:48:00.005-06:00

Our Crear family weekend was great – Friday night I surprised Laura with her birthday cake (a few days early) – I ordered her a Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard Cake and it was delicious! I added some pink heart decorations and 18 pink candles to dress it up a bit (see pictures below). Laura spent the whole weekend with us so that was nice. I wish she would spend more time with us, but she turned 18 yesterday and these days it’s all about the friends. Rich definitely feels last and that is hard for him. I keep telling him to hang on, she’ll come around.

Saturday, Laura, Lisa and I joined LaVonne and Brianna for an afternoon movie. We saw Bride Wars at the Lakeville Theatre. It was a classic chic flick and a good laugh. Rich had guard all weekend so the girls and I got to spend some quality time together which was nice. Saturday afternoon Laura helped me shop for a birthday present for one of the firefighters wives – it was quite an adventure! I don’t know the girl very well, but didn’t want to just get her a gift card so I went with some jewelry (and included the gift receipt of course). Rich and I went to the birthday party at Park Place (I have been hanging out there a lot lately!), but didn’t stay too long. Rich had to get up early so we left about 10pm.

Sunday, the girls and I went to church and had our traditional Cassini’s pizza lunch while we waited for Rich to get home. Laura helped me clean out my closet (she informed me that jean shirts were no longer in style…unless I was a “hick”) and then the four of us went to dinner at TGI Fridays (Laura’s birthday choice). We all had a good time. It’s hard to believe she is 18! She grew up really fast! I tried my best to make her birthday weekend special – I hope she knows how much we really do love her.

Laura's Birthday Cake - 18 candles!

Laura & Lisa with frosting on their faces

Laura at TGI Friday's - 18 years old!

Kristys Weekend Plans

2009-01-09T14:46:00.001-06:00

Friday
Work
Pick-Up Laura’s Birthday Cake
Pizza with the Fam
Sleep (I am tired today)

Saturday
Pay Bills
Stop at Unique (a very weird thrift shop in Burnsville)
Movie with LaVonne and Brianna
Out with Friends

Sunday
Church
Organize Closet
TGIF Birthday Dinner for Laura

Power of Prayer Even for Tailgaters

2009-01-08T11:29:00.002-06:00

I admit I am a tailgater. Not on the road (or at least not very often), but in my marriage. I follow Rich and nag him until he does what I want him to do. In reality, following too closely doesn’t get me any where because what do you do when someone tailgates you? You slam on the brakes.

Tailgating doesn’t make any one happy – not the tailgater (me) because they didn’t get what they wanted (Rich to hurry up) and not the person in the lead (Rich) because tail gating is just plain irritating. I have been trying to relax a little bit and give Rich more space and turn my anxiousness over to God through prayer, but some days (like yesterday!) I get frustrated, too. I truly believe in the power of prayer and I believe in the Holy Bible and when the Bible says turn your worries over to God and do not be afraid – I try to listen (most of the time, good thing we have a forgiving God).

Last night, I called Cate to see how she was doing and to ask for her prayers as well. I have been praying for her health for a couple of weeks now and wanted to know if she had heard anything about her tests. She is easy to talk to and I am blessed to be a part of her family. She is rational and loving and faithful – all the things I wish I could be all the time, plus she knows my husband probably better than I do - she grew up in the same household as him so she “gets” why he does some of the things he does and talking with her reminds me that I need to “get” it too.

When things get tough, I have got to remember that I am surrounded by lots of loving people including my God who will never forsake me. Amen! (Hebrews 13:5)

Did I always want to be a Ticket Scalper?

2009-01-08T11:00:00.000-06:00

Someone asked me once if I always wanted to be a ticket scalper. I had to laugh a little because it’s not a “normal” career path necessarily, but I do like it. I like sports, I like music and I embrace the buy low sell high free market concept of America. My particular job is more than just scalping tickets – My main role is to build web sites to increase our on-line commerce. I do this in various *secret* ways, but it includes a lot of writing/typing.

When I was younger my career dreams included being a judge/lawyer, a mechanic or a computer programmer - - that’s a wide array of choices, but anyone who knows me knows they all fit and they have the same theme – Kristy likes to fix things. I am a fixer. My current job includes a lot of computer work so I feel good about it; I didn’t abandon all my dreams. I would like to go back to school some day, maybe after Lisa graduates. I don’t see me in school right now as a good life fit, but when she is graduated and doing her own thing I am going to want to fill that void with something and more education would be a good idea. Maybe I could be lawyer yet – LOL!

Another Office Day…What? It’s not Monday

2009-01-07T16:25:00.005-06:00

Yes, I am in the office again. I am in the Ticket King St Paul office while Cortney is at a work conference. Today was a good office day except I was freezing most of the day. For whatever reason it was only 60 degrees in here this morning – brrrrr! I think Nicole, who worked yesterday, turned the air conditioning unit on thinking it was the heat – it does have a heat setting, but trust me NO hot air blows out of it. We have hot water/boiler heat and it takes forever to warm the space.

Cortney called to check on me a few times. I assured her all was well. She did call and give me good news that Ticket King has the most online web orders than any other ticket broker at the conference – she said there were over 600 people there – yeah for us! I am so happy to hear that what I do is making a difference. I left Coca-Cola (and my large salary) behind because I didn’t want a job that was so demanding and stressful, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want a job where I could make a difference. It was nice to hear Cortney say that the web site work I do makes a difference and has helped us become leaders in the industry. I LOVE to win and to hear that we are the best is awesome. I am truly blessed to have this job!

Kristys Christmas Pictures

2009-01-06T20:45:00.006-06:00

Here are a few of my Christmas 2008 pictures…I didn't take nearly as many pictures this year as I usually do....oops.

At LaVonne's, before we open presents we spend time munching and playing games - my favorite game? ROCK BAND! I love to rock out. Usually I play the bass guitar, but in this picture I am the singer. Meet my very own girl band - this is me and my nieces - we rocked the basement!
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Richs' Girls. Aren't we pretty?

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Laura & Lisa lookin' good

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diggin' in
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Rich with two new books and my mom looking happy in the background

Homework should be automatic

2009-01-05T20:48:00.001-06:00

I just need to vent about Laura and Lisa not doing their homework – I just don’t get it. Homework is NOT optional, it is a requirement. In Lisa’s defense, she got amazing first trimester grades (4 A’s, 2 B’s), but I get frustrated that I have to push her – doing homework should not be something I have to nag about, it should be automatic.

Last night, I had to rush home from the Vikings game to fix the Internet (our router has been on the fritz) because Lisa did not have a major project completed. I was not happy! I asked her last Tuesday before she went to her moms if she had it done and she told me “yeah.” Apparently, she didn’t have it printed and when she went to print it she lost her work. She and I had a discussion and redefined what “done” meant. I hope she doesn’t pull that again.

Laura is a whole different story. She needs to pass every class in order to graduate in the spring (class of 2009) – she knows this and we are constantly reminding her to get her work done, but we don’t get any support from her mom (who Laura lives with and spends 99% of her time with – according to Laura they are best friends…you would think your best friend would help you graduate, wouldn’t you?) Right now, Laura has one F and one D (the grading semester is over January 16th). The F is a direct result of NOT turning in homework. She is missing a ton of homework points. We are going to have to talk to the teacher and see if Laura can turn in some of the work late just to pass. I still do not understand why her mom doesn’t think there should be consequences for not doing homework. Laura stays out late with her friends and runs around doing whatever teenagers do, but apparently not homework. It is so frustrating to me; I don’t understand parents who don’t teach their children the importance of a good education and hard work.

Kristy needs to get blogging

2009-01-05T15:09:00.001-06:00

Cortney is right, my blog is totally neglected! I have got to get better at updating every day – that is blogging 101! Even my mother mentioned to me yesterday that I needed to update the site. I was so proud that she even reads what I have to say (I have such a great mom, she is so supportive).

I need to get some of my Christmas pictures on here, but Rich has our camera hostage and I haven’t had a chance to ask him where he put it. I promise to put Christmas pictures on here tomorrow!

A quick recap of the past few days:

Thursday January 1st – HAPPY NEW YEAR! I worked in Minneapolis and had a great day doing all the things I love with the ticket business. It wasn’t too busy that I couldn’t handle it by myself, but I helped a lot of customers and got a lot done.

Thursday night I went to Grease at the Orpheum. We had tickets thanks to Ticket King in row L on the Main Floor – the seats were great (even if you are packed in like a sardine), but the show wasn’t the best I ever saw. It was fun, but I wouldn’t pay big bucks to go see it.

Friday January 2nd – Worked again in Minneapolis trying to sell some Vikings Tickets. Had a good day, Rich surprised me with flowers when I got home. He also bought me some stuff at Bath and Body Works (I may have to exchange the scents, he is terrible at picking out gifts for me and he never gets my hints…or even listens when I throw a fit, I really want some Gopher mittens, I don’t know how many times I will have to tell him!)

Saturday January 3rd – Rich and I went to Red Wing to do some shopping. We were going to stay in a hotel, but the roads were bad and Rich wasn’t in the mood (I cried, I was really disappointed)

Sunday January 2nd – Not a good love day, Rich and I fought so I just went over to my parents to watch the football game. I had a great time with my sister and mom and dad watching the Vikes (even if they didn’t win). I am still outraged at the lack of effort by the offense in the second half. One bright spot, I am 100% certain that Tarvaris Jackson is NOT (I repeat not) the Vikings quarterback of the future.

Monday January 3rd – Office Day! It’s a pretty slow day at Ticket King, but I always have things to do updating our web sites (I am really behind due to the holidays and other ticket priorities…i.e. $elling tickets). I am also filling category orders, they are never ending!

Kristy used to be a poet

2008-12-30T17:34:00.001-06:00

In my younger days, I used to write a lot of poetry (where did that girl go?) and today, I found my old journal and some poems I had written. I used to write in "journals" (I never called them diaries) all the time, I guess I was a “blogger” before I even knew it! Here is a poem I wrote when I was 17 years old – funny, how most of it is still the same!

Dreamer
If I could be anything I would be a football player to run free with a purpose at mind.
If I could be anything I would be a mechanic to fix and tinker with cars of all kind.
If I could be anything I would be a leader to change the ways of this land.
If I could be anything I would be a mother to hold my children and then let them stand.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve, I love this time of year because it is all about lists (top *fill in the blank* of 2008) and about reflection of the past year and looking forward to a New Year and all the possibilities that brings. I look forward to the New Year and filling this online journal with ideas and life happenings just as I did with my lined note book paper and pen many years ago.

Kristy Parties Tonight, but Plenty To-Do's will await her

2008-12-27T09:01:00.001-06:00

Tonight is my company Christmas party! I am sure it will be a good time even though parties aren’t necessarily my thing. I have a tough time mixing business and pleasure. I prefer to keep them as separate as possible. I will print my post-party reaction tomorrow!

Anyway, here is my home to-do list for the next couple of days:

Take Down Christmas Decorations
Find Pictures for 2009 Calendar
Touch Base with Cate about Crear Gathering
Clean my Bedroom
Organize Wrapping Paper box
Squeegee Garage Floor

Kristy survived Christmas

2008-12-26T11:52:00.001-06:00

There is a reason that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. As a Christian you would think Christmas would take the cake, but the Christmas holiday has become so commercialized and requires so much work, that it just doesn’t beat out Thanksgiving which has many of the same benefits – family, food, blessings…

My Christmas Eve eve was spent with a few tears in my eyes as I realized that Rich had only bought me one gift and I had actually bought it myself. I tried to seem up beat because as I tell the kids, Christmas isn’t about gifts, it’s about Jesus, but inside I was disappointed. His excuse was that he has been working a lot and just hadn’t had a chance to get to the store. I tried to be forgiving and put a smile on my face as I remembered it was better to give than receive.

Christmas Eve morning, Rich woke up early and decided he wanted to take me to Victoria’s Secret to pick out a few things – whew! I felt better already. I picked out some of my favorite Vicky’s fragrances and some pretty undies. He wrapped them up and I forgave him for not putting me first on his to-do list – my biggest beef was that he bought his friend a gopher hockey hat at the Gopher store last week and didn’t even think to buy me the Gopher mittens that I want so bad! Men!

Lisa was in a crummy mood on Christmas Eve as well so my Christmas wasn’t all that it could have been. I did have fun playing games with my nieces and nephew (who aren’t nearly as moody as my own kids) and the food my brother-in-law makes is amazing. Right now I am enjoying my new Liplicious Daiquiri lip gloss courtesy of my wonderful sister, LaVonne.

I hope every one had a great Christmas! I will post pictures later!

Kristys Weekend Review (a little late)

2008-12-23T17:47:00.001-06:00

Oops. I didn’t post all weekend – my bad. Let’s quickly review…it has to be quick because I have a million things to do to get ready for Christmas! Plus I am eating dinner right now, too. I know that is not healthy…maybe that will be my New Years resolution, to not multi-task while eating.

Anyway, the weekend review looks like this:

Friday
Worked in the office
I brought in yummy chocolate chunk bars
Michael bought us lunch (thanks!)
Picked up Katelyn on my way home
Entertained my mother-in-law (who spent the night)

Saturday
Woke up early and shopped
Brought my mother-in-law Marcie to the airport for her holiday trip to see her brothers in North Carolina - She needs a special wheel chair so that was a bit of a challenge
Shopped some more (Did any one know that Steve & Barry’s at Burnsville Center is going out of business? What a bummer)
Nagged at Rich about driving too quickly in the snow
Went to White Christmas (again!) at the Ordway Center. I got free tickets from Ticket King, I brought my mom who has never been to a big production like that before and my niece Katelyn, Rich and firefighter Danny (who even admitted the play was pretty good)

Sunday
Vikings game with Melinda and LaVonne. The Vikes lost (insert frowny face here), but I had a total blast at the game. Rich was a prince and drove us there so it made the whole experience very relaxing. He was late picking us up so we decided to have drinks and dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. I had so much fun hanging out with two of my favorite people in the whole world. We laughed and chatted and I felt young and carefree again. I have got to do girls outings like that more often. I even made some new friends with the people around me in the Metrodome Section 100 (holla!).

It was a great weekend! Plus, it's almost Chritmas - I love this time of year!

Firefighter Cookies for Drill Night

2008-12-18T18:00:00.002-06:00

Tonight is drill night for the St Paul Park firefighters (that includes my handsome husband) and that means I am preparing a meal for about 20 guys (not every one stays to eat).

On the SPP Firefighter menu tonight:
~Spaghetti & Meatballs
~Buttered Bread
~Special Firefighter Cookies

Below is a picture of the cookie tray I prepared for the firefighters – yes, I made each of these cookies by hand (cookies are my passion). It was a time consuming task, but I am so proud of the result and I know the firefighters will appreciate the extra special holiday treat.

I used my set of firefighter cookie cutters that include a helmet, badge, hydrant and truck. I couldn’t find the truck (I searched every where!) so I ordered a new one online and just made stars and mittens instead. I bought the red frosting at Cub and the lady in the bakery gave me a great deal. I complain about my crummy Cub store a lot (mainly because my sister LaVonne has an extremely posh Cub in Lakeville), but today I am thankful for the nice lady who loaded my up with red frosting for a great price. I dug out my pampered chef easy accent decorator and went to town. Of course, these are only the ones I made for the fire department, I have a dozen more that I saved for Rich, Lisa and I. Yum! I love this time of year!

Kristys Christmas Cookies

2008-12-17T10:19:00.001-06:00

Tis the season for baking! I thought I should put together a list of my favorite Christmas cookies.

My Top 5 favorite Christmas Cookies:
Peanut Blossoms (peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss on top)
M&M Cookies (red and green M&M’s rock)
Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs (stars, bells, trees, stockings galore – even fire trucks)
Chocolate Chip Cookies (we make ours in the shape in snowmen!)
Fudge (it’s kind of a cookie, right?)

Here are pictures of Brianna, Lisa and I baking cookies this past weekend - they turned out great! Rich thinks he has gained 5 pounds just eating our yummy cookies!

Last Weekend Review

2008-12-16T22:07:00.003-06:00

I am finding that I am a predictable writer. On Mondays I like to blog about my office day and then on Tuesdays I blog about the past weekend and on Wednesdays it’s a list of some sort, Thursdays are random and Fridays are a weekend schedule. I guess there is nothing wrong with being a creature of habit – I do *heart* a good plan.

My personal motto: Plan your Work, Work your Plan.

Anyway, let’s do a quick weekend review. Friday night was fun hanging out with Brianna (11!), she is so adorable and the things that come out of her mouth crack me up. She wanted to know why everything had to match at my house – I laughed. Yes, I like things to match. The bed we made up for her on the couch had matching sheets and a throw blanket, she found that very unnecessary. I loved her chatter and listening to her play the trumpet. She is a talented young lady and I have no doubts that she will some day go to Harvard as she plans!

Saturday I worked (again!) and then baked cookies with Lisa and Brianna (check back tomorrow for pictures) – we skipped the Holidazzle parade and went to Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Ordway Center Saint Paul instead. The show was AMAZING. If you want to do something different for the Holidays, go to this show – the set, music and costumes were second to none. I got tickets from Ticket King St Paul for cheap and I am so glad that I went. I think Kayla, Brianna, Lisa, LaVonne and even Rich also enjoyed the production.

Sunday was church. I love how the church looks all decked out for Christmas and I love singing the traditional Christmas songs (albeit with a rock band twist, our church is not boring). Rich and the girls were in a bad mood all day so that stunk. We went to the mall where Lisa threw a fit because she didn’t get something she wanted so she sulked around the rest of the day which put Rich in a bad mood and caused me to yell more than needed. Overall, it was not a good day, but I did my best to survive it. I think Rich and Lisa may be on the same “cycle.” Ugh. Good thing I had Brianna to cheer me up!

Monday Means an Office Day

2008-12-15T22:52:00.000-06:00

And what a day it was. For starters, I was late! I have not been late to work in YEARS! I am never late, but traffic was so bad (the roads were icy and snowy) that I was 15 minutes late. I felt terrible. I think it is so important to be on time, more as a sign of respect to your boss more than anything and I really felt awful being late.

The Ticket King Minneapolis office was a busy little place today. At times I kept thinking I don’t get paid enough money for all this stress and hustle and bustle, but most of the day I was thankful to have a productive day and to be doing work I truly enjoy. I love the ticket business. I love the challenge of buy low, sell high and I like talking to customers about sports and music. I am exhausted, but thankful for having a job I actually like.

Kristys Busy Weekend

2008-12-12T18:09:00.000-06:00

If you heard about that huge Hudson fire, take a moment to thank all the firefighters who gave up so much of their free time to fight the fire. Our local St Paul Park fire department sent the big tanker over to help with water supply for 10 plus hours today. I heard Bruce’s voice on the pager this morning answering the call. Firefighters Rock!

Here is my weekend plan:

Friday
Work
Have Brianna for the weekend

Saturday
Work
Bake Cookies
Holidazzle Parade!

Sunday
Church
Sleigh Ride at Golf Course
Mall
Bring Brianna home

I am packing a lot into Saturday and Sunday, but ‘tis the season!

Crossroads Church Cottage Grove

2008-12-11T15:56:00.002-06:00

My church updated their web site and it totally rocks. Check it out: Crossroads Church

Our church just opened up a *new building* on Cty Rd 19 just north of the Cottage Grove border in Woodbury. It is a beautiful facility and I feel blessed to be able to worship there. Rich and I usually attend service at 9am on Sundays (sometimes at 11 am if I am too tired at 9am). Lisa & Laura go with on the weekends they are with us and Lisa regularly attends the Wednesday night youth gathering called Hangtime.

The people at Crossroads Church are totally amazing Jesus-like people. I have felt God pulling at my heart to go there long before I was a regular attendee. In fact, when Rich was deployed to Texas in 2004, I was renting out our basement and the newest member of the Crossroads staff (at the time) called to inquire about the space. In the end, we decided it wasn’t the right fit, but every time I see pastor James Brown (yep, that’s his real name) speak, I think – he could have been my roomie!

One of the reasons I came to Crossroads was their excellent military support system. I joined the A Touch of Home group the second week I attended services. We pray for and support military personnel and their families - that is something I am very passionate about! One thing we do is send monthly care packages to military members – I look forward to our monthly packing days and always feel so good about life when they are over. The ladies of this group rockl! They surrounded me with love and prayers while Rich was gone and gave me something tangible to do to keep my mind off the loneliness.

If you know of any military family that could use our help or a soldier that is deployed, please email me! kristy@ticketking.net I would love to add them to our list! If you are looking for a church home, check out Crossroads - you won't be disappointed, it's not high pressure - I promise!

Kristy should get hazardous duty pay

2008-12-10T17:50:00.000-06:00

Today at work I had to dispose of TWO mice – not just one, two. The first one I saw right away in the morning when I was taking out some trash, but the second one I didn’t see until later in the day when I was vacuuming – it was disgusting. I screamed really loud at the second one because I thought I saw him move (I didn’t, he was dead).

The first mouse was on a sticky trap so I wrapped a bag around my entire arm and carefully picked up the trap and through it in the dumpster. The second one was clamped in a traditional mouse trap. The mouse was fairly large so I scooped it up with a gigantic snow shovel and carried it back to the dumpster. I am pretty sure these types of activities would qualify for hazardous duty pay.

I am not so sure about this Recession thing

2008-12-09T12:22:00.000-06:00

I was looking over my weekend to-do list and I realized I got everything done! I am so proud. On Friday, my sister and went to the Albertville Outlet Malls and we had a great time –all I have to say is RECESSION? What recession? The stores were packed! Particularly the Coach Purse store. The check-out line was super long and they had 3 cashiers. It was gobs of women buying $150 to $300 purses and some had more than one! Obviously these ladies weren’t too worried about a recession.

Saturday I did everything on my list as well. I just realized I didn’t take one picture of Rich nor I dressed up for the ball – oops. I didn’t have a great time, I hardly knew any one and I wasn’t in the right mood to be there. I liked everyone at our table, but after dinner (a 2 hour dinner!) everyone went their separate ways. Then, I convinced Rich to just go home. He was crabby about it because he loves to socialize, but I was tired and I didn’t have any one to visit with. Next year, he is threatening to leave me home. We were there from 5:30pm to 9pm so it wasn’t like I was a total party pooper.

Sunday was a huge hit. My dinner turned out awesome! I love the holidays! I went to the grocery store to pick-up some last minute items for dinner and the place was PACKED – I just don’t know about this recession thing, it seems every where I shop these days, there are other people spending money, too.

Monday Means Another Office Day

2008-12-08T15:53:00.000-06:00

Actually every day this week will be an office day. Cortney is in Aruba so I am covering for her (yes, Aruba!). So far it has been a super day. I dropped off my brownies and magazines for the troops this morning on my way into work and I still got here really early. The internet has been behaving all day and there have been lots of happy customers. One of my favorite lines that came across on an order was “Referral: Search Engine / I have used your website previously to buy tickets and it is great!” That makes me so happy. I love repeat customers.

Cortney was out of printer ink so Michael brought me some and after I put it in about a million things printed off. I will have to call over to Minneapolis and ask what I am supposed to do with all this stuff.

It is really snowing hard, I am betting the commute will be yucky driving home tonight – oh well, I will just take it slow! The snow sure is pretty!

Kristys Holiday Weekend Kick-Off

2008-12-06T07:24:00.000-06:00

This weekends To-Do List is the official kick-off of the Holiday Season for me! Holiday Parties, Holiday Dinners….I love this time of year!

Friday:
Shop, Shop, Shop

Saturday:
Grocery Shop
Get Hair Cut
Prep for Ball
Military Brigade Ball (I love my hubby in his dress uniform and I have a long black gown)

Sunday:
Church
Clean House
Start Cooking
Host Dinner Party (I pray the mini meatloafs will be a hit)
Dessert and Socializing (I still haven’t decided on a dessert choice!)
Quick Clean-Up
Early to Bed

Friday Shopping Day

2008-12-05T08:01:00.000-06:00

Today is a SHOPPING DAY for my sister LaVonne and I. We are heading up to the Albertville Outlet Mall for the day. I hope I don’t spend too much money! I am excited to get some of my Christmas Shopping done and spend the day with my sister.

Next week, I work in the office all week so I need a shopping/vacation day to mentally prepare myself – LOL! I don’t think I have worked 5 straight days in an office in over 3 years. I am actually looking forward to it, but not as much as I am looking forward to TODAY! I hope the stores aren’t too crowded.

Over the Hills to Grandpa’s House

2008-12-04T22:02:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday my brother, sister and I went to visit my grandpa for the holidays. We drove 3 hours to southwestern Minnesota to a little town named Canby. My mothers family is all from Canby and I love visiting my grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins. My moms family is pretty close (like mine!) so I have made the 212 west trip many times in my life span. I know the route so well, I think I can drive it in my sleep. It is a 3 hour drive there and 3 hour drive back. We usually stay the weekend, but this particular trip we just drove down for the day. It was great fun.

I love spending time with LaVonne and Alan (2 of my 3 sibs) and car trips are a great time to laugh and enjoy their company (6 hours of it). I am so blessed to have them in my life – I never understand the families that go months or even years with out talking to their siblings – I barely go a week! LaVonne is my best friend and although I drive her crazy some times (I am still the pesky little sister) I think she loves me, too.

My grandpa is getting old and I am not sure how many more holidays we will be spending together. He is my last living grandparent and although he is blind and I have to shout for him to hear me, I love him to death. Every time I visit I am afraid he won’t recognize me (or my voice rather), but he hasn’t let me down yet. He always says, “Is that you Kristy?” I will miss him dearly when he passes.

Here’s a picture from Saturday of Grandpa and I:

My Top 5 Things From Saturday:
1. Seeing Grandpa
2. Visiting with Aunts/Uncles
3. P.K. Egan's Pizza (yummy)
4. Canby Drug (it’s one of a kind - I bought the cutest ornaments)
5. Driving with my Siblings

Top Ten Christmas Movies

2008-12-03T12:05:00.001-06:00

My bloggin’ buddy Cortney over at Style and Sports did a TOP 10 Christmas movies list and she didn’t even include Christmas Vacation – I am so disgusted that she left out the ultimate classic, I am doing my own list:

My Top Ten Christmas Movie List
In order of preference. . .
1 Christmas Vacation (Chevy Chase)
2 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
3 Beauty and the Beast, Belle’s Christmas
4 Home Alone (the original)
5 Charlie Brown Christmas
6 Christmas Story
7 The Christmas Card (soldier alert!)
8 How the Grinch Stole Christmas
9 Frosty the Snowman
10 Elf

ABC Family is doing a 25 Days of Christmas programming right now and they are showing all kinds of awesome Christmas Movies – I am hooked on that channel! Last night we watched Meet the Santas or something like that where Crystal Bernard married Santa Clause and she became the next Mrs. Claus. It was good! Here is a link to the 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family – look at all those great Christmas shows! I love this time of year.

Tuesday Thoughts

2008-12-02T22:32:00.001-06:00

Today was a great day with my husband. He has the week off, so today we spent some time reconnecting. He even took me to Annies in Dinkytown for lunch! That’s our special place and it makes me fall in love with him all over again. After burgers malts and a little hand holding in the booth, we had extra time on our meter so we walked over to the Gold Country apparel store and looked at Gophers stuff. They have some super cute Minnesota Gopher sweatshirts and I gave him about a dozen Christmas ideas. I wish the shirts weren’t so expensive, but they sure are cute!

My niece Katelyn is going through a tough time at home right now. My sister Karen means well, but being a mother to a teenage girl isn’t easy and some times Karen forgets that. I will be praying for both of them to see the others point of view and to treat one another with more kindness and less anger. I also will be praying for my own strength in raising two teenage daughters of my own. Lisa was in a terrible mood after basketball practice and she totally frustrated me. I was probably sterner with her than I needed to be, but some times I think she needs me to be tough on her so she can see the forest through the trees. At least now with Rich home, he can swoop in and coddle her when she needs it. We do make a good parenting team.

Tomorrow I have a million things to do for work, but I plan on getting up early and working extra hard. Ohhhhhh, it is snowing out and it looks beautiful! I am so glad Rich and I hung up our outside Christmas lights earlier – I didn’t even know it was going to snow.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” is now in my head!

Monday Means Minneapolis

2008-12-01T18:46:00.002-06:00

Oh how I love alliteration, but Monday does mean a commute to the Minneapolis office and here is how it went.

It was a busy office day. Our usual staff of six was a staff of four so that means I do a lot of things I don’t usually do. For example, I shipped about a million packages. I actually enjoyed that, but I didn’t enjoy that my to-do list is still a mile long because I didn’t plan on being down two staffers. Therefore I resolve from now on to make a Monday to-do list that will include items that can be skipped in case of a small staff day and I will try not to be mega irritated about it.

The other part that irritates me about the office (especially today) is the lack of job definition. I get that every one needs to help out, but some times I think certain tasks should belong to certain staffers especially when they know how to do them fastest. I also think that job definition helps out with accountability and streamlining. This is probably the corporate Kristy talking because the truth is when you work for a small company, the job definition just isn’t there – every one does every thing. I get that, but I still like to vent! That’s why I am a blogger! LOL!

Here it goes: I don’t think it is the best time to be passing off tasks that people don’t know how to do when you are short staffed. I am pretty sure that the passer spent more time explaining to me what to do than if she would have just done it herself – in the end, we were both irritated. Me, because I thought she should just take care of it herself (the “it’s her job mentality”) and her for having to answer my questions (the “just figure it out yourself mentality”). The silver lining is that I now know how to do a part of her job that I didn’t know before and you know what they say – knowledge is power!

Another large chunk of my day was building our Green Bay Packers Ticket web site. It has huge potential and I am pretty excited about it . . . even though promoting the Pack goes against everything I believe in – Vikes all the way, baby!

The fam is at the Gopher Girls basketball game tonight – hope they have fun. A little dad daughter time is always nice. We got tickets for $4 from Ticket King – wow, what a deal!

Another Busy Weekend for Kristy

2008-11-29T07:12:00.000-06:00

With the upcoming holidays, every weekend will be busy, this one is no exception. Here is this weekends list:

Saturday:
Pick-up siblings at 9am
Drive to Canby (three hour cruise)
Visit Grandpa and Relatives
Drive Home

Sunday:
Church (remember to turn in order form)
Family Pictures at Fire Dept.
Cut Down Christmas Tree (remember to pick a small one)
Decorate Tree
Clean House

No Thanksgiving Emergencies and Good Morning Shoppers

2008-11-28T05:46:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving at my sisters was a blast, no emergencies to report. The food was totally amazing (as always) and we had a great time visiting and playing games. Laura, Lisa and I played Sing Star Country for at least an hour (probably closer to two hours). We sang our hearts out. I love that game; I may ask Santa Claus for it.

I also had fun playing A to Z, which I won both times and Scattergories. Ryan beat me by two points in Scattergories mainly because he wrote Ed, Edd and Eddy for a TV Show that started with “E”. He is a clever one! It was fun to just relax and hang out with all the people I love the most. My sisters boyfriend was “sick” so he didn’t make it. I think she just chickened out on bringing him.

Poor Rich ate too much food and woke up this morning with a turkey hangover. He had to go to work this morning and he was complaining of an upset tummy before he left. We did have a ton (and I mean a ton) of food. Mark cooked the turkey and the main hot food. My mom brought pies and a delicious coleslaw. I brought two salads, veggies and a trifle dessert that rocked. I was very proud of my contributions. I am turning into a regular ‘ol martha stewart (or I wish I was). Maybe I am just getting more grown up. I even brewed a pot of coffee this morning! I need some caffeinated joe to get me moving so early – afterall, this is the biggest shopping day of the year! I am going to Target this morning for a couple of things and then I am taking Laura and Lisa to the Mall of America later today (I hope it isn’t too crazy).

Good Morning Shoppers, I hope you have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve from Kristy and Talladega

2008-11-26T08:34:00.007-06:00

It is Thanksgiving Eve! I love Thanksgiving and it’s almost here. Today I was up (and working) at 5:30 am. That is so early for me! Rich *kissed* me good-bye about 4:15am and I rolled back over to sleep for a bit, but Talladega (crazy cat!) decided she was not feeling well. She howled (and I mean howled, I think the neighbors heard her) and gagged until I woke up. I knew she was going to puke so I jumped up in a panic and moved her on to some newspapers so she could throw-up. Gross, I know. Not exactly how I want to wake up in the morning, to the sounds of cat gagging, but life goes on.

As long as I was up, I figured I might as well start work. I have to get to the grocery store this afternoon so I thought I better log some work hours before I go. I took a quick break to bring Lisa to school and STARBUCKS! It’s the end of the trimester and she has been working hard so we celebrated with a Peppermint Mocha in a pretty red cup, it was yummy! We saw Michelle from church there, too. It has been a busy morning!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, everyone!

Things to Get Done This Week…Seriously

2008-11-25T07:39:00.000-06:00

I have been such a procrastinator about getting things done around the house so this list will be my accountability partner in getting this stuff done once and for all.

Grocery Shop
Clean the Kitchen Floor
Clean the Bathroom Floor
Pick-up Bedroom
Laundry
Vacuum Stair Steps (really good)
Get out all of my Christmas Stuff
Cook for Thanksgiving
Attend Thanksgiving
Christmas Shopping List
Clean Garage
Clean Lisa’s Closet (this could be scary)
Gather Family Pictures

I will make another list of all the funny things that happened at Thanksgiving for Friday morning. Check back, my brother will have some good one-liners that will leave every one cracking up. Besides my sister is bringing her boyfriend for the first time ever, does anyone else suddenly have “Feliz Navidad” stuck in their heads?

Monday Means an Office Day

2008-11-24T14:22:00.002-06:00

Monday’s I head to the Minneapolis office for some face time with the other employees and my boss. I hate the commute, but I really do enjoy the work and the opportunity to hear what’s going on. I have been working 80% from home for 15 months. I do miss working in a real office every day, but my office is just too far to commute every day.

Working at home has its own challenges (not traffic related, though) and I struggle with having work life balance – sounds crazy, because you would think that working at home would give you the MOST work life balance, but I struggle with the ability to turn the computer off. I literally wake up in the middle of the night some times and check my email or write an idea for a blog entry. There are days that I should be cooking dinner or talking with Rich and I am trying to multi-task and check emails or draft a blog entry. Besides I have kind of a mess on the kitchen table most days with blog ideas, site enhancements, to do lists, etc. There are many more positives to working at home than negatives and I am so thankful that Ticket King has given me the opportunity to do it.

Working in the office has its challenges as well. Not just commuting and the frustratingly slow internet connection some days. But remembering what it is like to work on a team. Some times I get a little bossy and I get frustrated at what I perceive to be an inadequate workload distribution. I know every employee feels this way at times and I just try to remember that I need to do my very best and not worry about what everyone else is doing. Right?!?! I love my job and I enjoy the business tremendously.

Happy Saturday Everyone from Kristy and Katelyn

2008-11-22T07:49:00.000-06:00

Katelyn and I are enjoying our quiet Saturday morning together. I thought I would post some pictures of her from this summer at the Minnesota State Fair (it was her first ever trip!) Rich and I were so proud to take her – we love her very, very much. She is growing up fast and we are so proud of her – I can’t wait to see how she is going to change the world as an adult. Love ya forever, Katers!

Kristy’s Weekend Plans

2008-11-21T08:36:00.002-06:00

It’s time to build my weekend…list style! Rich has National Guard up at Camp Ripley all weekend and the girls are at their moms, so I am flying single with my niece Katelyn!

Friday:
Work
Pick-up Katelyn
Ci Ci’s for Dinner (I love it there)
Clean the House

Saturday:
Stop at Subway for Lunch
Work 11am-6pm
Gopher Iowa Football Game – Come on Gophers!
Sloppy Joes for Dinner

Sunday:
Church
Eggs and Sausage Brunch
Start Decorating for Christmas (no, it’s not too early)
Grocery Shop
Drop Off Katelyn
Laundry

Tonight is Drill Night

2008-11-20T20:29:00.005-06:00

Tonight is Drill Night for the St Paul Park Firefighters so that means Rich will be gone from 7pm-10pm. I made food for tonight’s drill per Rich’s request. Apparently, they haven’t been having food at drills lately because no one wants to pay for it or make it. Rich with his huge giving heart (and hungry stomach) asked if I would be willing to put together some food. I said, sure.

Tonight’s Menu: Sloppy Joes, Beans, Chips and Chocolate Cake (yum, yum)

Rich is going to ask the Chief if he just wants Rich to take care of the food from now on. I am not sure I think that is fair, but I know it is important to Rich that we give back to the community and supporting the local fire department counts (I hope this is tax deductible).

I put together a list **yes, another list** of other menus for future drills so I can prepare myself and watch for sale items. Keep in mind we need to feed approx. 20-25 firefighters and it has to be kept warm in a crockpot until after drill.

Firefighter Drill Food:
- Spaghetti, meatballs, salad, italian bread
- Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, buns
- Pizza
- Chili, fixin’s, homemade bread
- Hot ham sandwiches on buns, potato salad
- Tacos, chips, salsa

Our New Truck is So Big

2008-11-20T12:02:00.003-06:00

Our new GMC Sierra ¾ ton pick-up truck is so big it doesn’t fit in our garage. Well, at least I didn’t think it did. Last night, we had firefighter Danny over to help us measure and it turns out the truck does fit in the garage...if you back it up all the way to the wall – you have about ½ inch clearance. That is a little too tight for my liking so we are going to cut out some of the studs and put in a new header and a brace – that will give us about 2 inches more of clearance. I know that is not a lot, but I am sick of our brand new vehicle sitting outside all the time getting rained on, snowed on, pooped on etc. I thought I could handle it, but I can not.

Danny, Rich and hopefully another firefighter friend are going to retrofit the garage soon – hopefully by mid December at the latest. I am so thankful for Danny, he will make a great husband some day – he is super handy around the house, he always entertains my crazy ideas and he knows how to avoid a fight by calming me down. If you are a single female between the ages of 20-24, perhaps I could play match maker! LOL! I don’t know if he would appreciate that or not…

Happy Birthday Lisa

2008-11-18T21:40:00.007-06:00

Tonight we celebrated Lisa’s birthday at my parents. It was a blast. I love my family and all of us talking and laughing at once, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was a riot. My niece Kayla missed the party because she was grounded (Kayla!) so we missed her, but Brianna and Ryan were both there. Brianna got to report that she is working on fractions in math (I love fractions) and she got 100% on her math test (she is so smart!). Ryan reported he got 100% on his first paper for a tough teacher that I had at Rosemount High School (he is amazing at school, probably smarter than me). Laura came tonight, too, so it felt great to have all of us together. Rich’s mom even came, I think Lisa had a great time and felt really special (she is so loved). Lisa got money and gift cards, she is already begging me to take her to Hollister to use the money (such a fashion diva!).

I made her a guitar shaped cake. See the pictures below.
It was yummy!

Pray for our Troops

2008-11-17T17:19:00.005-06:00

Thank you firefighter Danny for sending me the prayer below.

For new readers to Kristy 911, my husband just got back from Iraq in August. He served 11 months flying as a door gunner (gulp) in a Blackhawk helicopter. The deployment was extremely tough on our family and we are still adjusting back to life as “normal.” I am a huge advocate for soldiers and their families and am active in a group called A Touch of Home based out of Cottage Grove Minnesota. ATOH sends monthly boxes to troops filled with personal necessities, baked goods (richs favorite), letters and other fun stuff to give our soldiers a touch of home (thus the name). We also spend time writing to and praying for soldiers and their families. If you have a soldier deployed and would like to add their name to our monthly box mailing list, email me! kristy@ticketking.net

Here’s a quick prayer for right now!

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.

Mondays equal a trip to the office

2008-11-17T12:24:00.002-06:00

On Monday’s I commute to the office in Minneapolis and today the commute was rough. I am not sure if people forgot what a teeny tiny amount of snow looks like or what, but it was a parking lot on 94 West. I am ALWAYS on time to work (my mother instilled that in me long ago, thanks mom!) and today was no different. I arrived at 8:45am with 15 minutes to spare. Yeah!

Rich has vacation this week so it was super hard to leave this morning plus I *snapped* at him because he was taking a tone with me and I told him to just stop talking before he ruined my day. I called on my way to work to apologize. I have to learn you can’t always fight fire with fire.

I can be a bit owly in the morning. I remember at our wedding, one of my old Coca-Cola employees Bill Brang even told a story about how I was cranky in the morning. He told the story about him coming in the office one morning to ask about paperwork and I told him to get out and not come back until after I was awake and had my make-up on! Those were the days when I started at 4am; just think I had 5 hours of work in by 9! I miss those days some times . . . it was nice to be the boss, but I don’t miss the stress and the crazy hours. Have a good week every one - I will post every day!

Sunday Night Review by Kristy

2008-11-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

Well, it was a pretty busy weekend - I didn’t get to any of the “other stuff I need to fit in this weekend” column, but we did get a bunch done on the racecar (thanks Al, Danny & Jim). I learned how to use a pickle fork tool to take apart these crazy suspension parts. It was fun stuff. I will post pictures this week.

What wasn’t fun this weekend:
--Waiting 2 hours for WalMart to repair my car tire – it cost $9.50, but took two hours? The math just doesn’t work.

--Watching the Wizard of Oz with Rich, why do I dislike that movie so much? It’s his one of his favorites, but I just cringe.

--The Gopher football team getting annihilated in the second half – I am still depressed.

--Realizing my husband doesn’t love football as much as I do.

--Putting my foot down on cell phone use at the kitchen table (again).

--Fighting with my husband about the bowling league, communication, the brigade ball and every thing else – I hate it when we aren’t in sync.

This Weekend Kristy Will Be Busy

2008-11-15T08:06:00.002-06:00

Only two days and I have a bunch of fires to put out – I always like a good plan to keep me focused - these are the MUST DO activities and the time they will monopolize:

>>Go to Jims and work on Racecar (Sat 8am-2pm) – we need to pull the body panels off and take a look at the frame and make a list of new parts to purchase (how to finance those new parts will come later)

>>Dinner with Rich (Sat 4pm – 6pm) – I am hoping we can stop at Annies in Dinkytown, it is *our* place and Rich and I need a little romance this week to re-light the fire

>>High School Football Game at Metrodome (Sat 7pm-10pm) – Rich and I love high school sports and my alma mater Rosemount Irish will be facing off against Wayzata for the evening game. I hope the Irish can put on a good show for us. If not, Rich will be teasing me all week.

>>Crossroads Church at our *new* woodbury building (Sun 9am-11am) – I absolutely love the new building, but I have to say I am cautious about all the changes. I am praying that God will continue to bless, lead and guide Crossroads and myself. There are Greater Things ahead!

>>Gopher Hockey Game at Mariucci Arena (Sun 1pm-4pm) The Gophers mens hockey team are playing an odd Sunday Afternoon game this weekend and my wonderful husband got free tickets from his work for all four of us! I am so excited to go – I love hockey at Mariucci Arena and we rarely go because Gophers Hockey Tickets are so expensive.

Other stuff I need to fit in this weekend:
-Cleaning the House
-Paying the Bills
-Grocery Shop and Plan Menu
-Help Rich fill pop machine at Fire Department
-Print Pictures from Digital Camera

Blog: Take Two!

2008-11-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

I have tried this Blogging thing before, but I am trying it again. So this is Kristy’s Blog: Take Two!

First of all, the Top 5 Reasons I want to Blog (again):

1. I love lists
2. I have blog envy
3. I have a lot to say
4. I have cute pictures to post
5. I need a diary space to organize all of the above