A wonderful weekend

Schooner Days! Schooner Days! Schooner Days!!! Each year on the last weekend in May/first weekend in June, the Eden Prairie Lions' Club hosts a carnival named Schooner Days. The carnival consists of rides for kids, games, lots and lots of food, as well as a giant tent for Bingo. I remember being a kid and going to Schooner Days with my parents and always had a great time.

My very first (and only) goldfish was won at Schooner Days (her name was Rosie). I remember having so much fun riding rides, and eating cotton candy and mini donuts (which have gotten spendy at $3.50 and $4.00 per bag, respectively). I always remember that my Dad would volunteer (he was a fireman), and Mom and I would come down to see him. We'd have hot dogs and then they would play bingo.

This is how I remember Schooner Days...I'm sure that if you asked my parents...the story would be somewhat different. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed playing bingo and the atmosphere of the weekend couldn't be beat! Every year since I have been back home (2004), I have been meaning to go to Schooner Days. This year, I finally made it!!! I brought my friends Tassy, Adam, and their 3 boys (Alex - 5, Max - 2, and Nick - 1), and my roommate Lisa. We all had fun, the two older boys rode rides, and we had a picnic in the soccer fields of the high school who shares the parking lot.

I have to admit that Schooner Days is much smaller than I remember it being, but I suppose that's what happens when you grow up. To complete our day, we headed back to Tassy and Adam's house where we taught Alex how to play spoons while the little ones slept. Talk about fun! Try playing spoons with a 5 year old...sober... I rounded out my evening with Tassy and Adam by playing Mariokart on the Wii with their boys and going back to Schooner Days to play bingo with Tassy.

It is still just as popular as I remember it being, but the people are so much younger than I remember... Such was my Saturday! Sunday was pretty low key with the spring purging occuring.

That's it from this end! I leave you with pictures from Kaity's visit to the Wildlife Sanctuary in Australia. She's still doing well in school, getting to get out and do more this semester. Sister night isn't the same without her, but she's having the experience of a lifetime.

One of those days

I am trying really, really hard not to let this blog become my personal venting space, but seriously!

If you didn't know me better, you'd wonder what color my roots really are (no offense to the blondies out there). Yesterday and today have been two of those days when you have to wonder how I get through the day...

Yesterday...didn't check the weather, wore a short sleeved shirt to work with my pants. Not a big deal, right??? Wrong...cloudy, cold, rainy...I was freezing!!! Today...checked the weather, partly cloudy, high of 62-67 degrees. So, I planned for Supervalu to turn the air on seeing that it would be "warm" outside. Little did I know...they didn't...I was very warm...

I can't win for losing. Can't dress correctly for any of the weather! Ugh.

That's it for now...hope you all have a better day than I've had.

It may be Monday, but it sure felt like Thursday...

This past Saturday, I got together with a dear friend of mine (Becca) who is getting married in October. I love her to pieces, and we spent a few hours together at her dress fitting as well as stopping to look for bridesmaids dresses...no luck there, oh well. What I did get was all of her invitations die cut, the last of the paper for invites purchased...and now all I have left is programs and gift bags.

For those of you who are confused...I'm designing and making the invitations, Thank you cards, programs, and thank you bags. It is more scrapbook-ish and I love doing it!!!

Roads were closed...it's Minnesota... The plans for this week are very small...work on invitations, etc., read my book, work, work, work, and on Friday...Nels and I get to go car shopping!!! I'm sooo excited.

More to come later!

I did it!!!

I did it!!!

I applied for admission into Graduate School at Roosevelt University. Acceptance aside, I still have to wait for them to get my transcripts from Western, and for the department to get my "goal statement".

So, if the stars align, and the moon is full, and the wind is just right...I'll get accepted in time to start classes in the fall at which point, I'll be taking 1-2 classes at a time throughout Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. The longer option (1 class/semester) will have me graduating Friday, May 11, 2012. Mark your calendars and consider this your advanced notice.

On to the details: I am/will be pursuing a Master of Arts in Training and Development. Roosevelt University is based in Chicago, with a campus in Schaumburg, IL. They offer 1 certificate, 1 Bachelor's, and 1 Master's degree online. I would be taking the same classes, taught by the same professors as the students in Chicago, but without the moving.

In the meanwhile, I'm putting the final touches on the "goal statement" - aka Cover Letter, which is used to help weed out the Education majors who want to teach in schools...this degree is not for that. Transcripts need to be ordered (something that I hope to do tomorrow), and I need to wait (with patience) for more details from the school.

So...6 months and 11 days later...

I warned you last time that I wasn't going to be the best at updating this blog...

Here's the rundown of the past 6 months...

I worked. I worked. I worked.

Sad, I realize... Other than work...let's recap in some kind of chronological order.

October:
-Happy Anniversary to Mom and Dad!!!
-Happy Anniversary to Misty and Nathan!
(I just know I'm forgetting something)
-Started working at Borton Volvo (see last post)
-Getting settled into the new work building
-Went to a bridal shower for Kelly
-Went to the Twin Cities Knit Out (I know, wild and crazy)

November:
-Thanksgiving with the Clark's in Red Wing (what a blast that was)
-Hair Care AND Color reset at work ($*%& on earth...let me tell you)

December:
-Christmas with Mom and Dad (stay tuned for the story on that one)
-Started thinking about the next Kreigoblemeyer Bash
-Katy gets ENGAGED!!!

January:
-Happy 1 year anniversary with Supervalu (rumor has it, I am supposed to get a pin)
-Kelly and How get married!
-Get ready for Kaity to go to Australia

February:
-Tassy's boys start spreading "the cold"
-Sadly, I resigned from my Bible study for the remainder of the academic year. Thursday nights were becoming to consumed with work and as it is the only night I can stay late....well...you get the point

March:
-Tassy's boys continue spreading "the cold" (I am no longer allowed to spend time with them until I am fully healed...cold, sinus infection, cold...)
-It snows
-Start talking about graduate school...the search continues

April:
-It snows
-My boss leaves the company
-I make a decision on Graduate school and am applying (Roosevelt University Masters of Training and Development - all online. Random: it's the only Masters program offered online)
-Find out that the Dad of one of Lisa's clients is quite possibly one of the greatest Celtic rock musicians I have ever heard! I'm hooked!
-Finally purchased an adapter that will plug my Sansa into my car so I can listen to all my wonderful music
-The TV dies...(never would I think that I was so attached, or that I could become so happy without - even if I did miss the noise and the ability to have a weekend movie fest)
-Go to Eau Clair for a book signing by Meg Swanson (and shopping at Yellow Dog Knits of course)

I'm sure that I have forgotten plenty that has happened in that time because it just doesn't seem possible that I could have remembered everything...I mean I'm good, but not THAT good.

And now...for the long awaited story about my Christmas Vacation...(take a bathroom break now, you'll be laughing pretty hard)

It all started on December 21st...a Friday. By all reasonable purposes, a great day! I have worked extra this week to leave early on Friday, and I have already packed so that when Lisa picks me up to go to the airport...we can drive and go!

Here ends the perfect plan for the "perfect vacation". I arrive at the airport in plenty of time to check in (more than plenty as it turns out). I know that I have left lots of work hanging, but due to the tight time schedule, I just wasn't able to get through it all and despite that I had asked multiple times to get a laptop to take along and do the work... one was not granted to me. Make no mistake, I brought plenty of work along with me to get done as soon as I get to DFW to see my family as I'm going to spend a few hours...get my work done, and start Saturday AM with a clean slate and a great vacation.

Enter hurdle #1: My flight from Minneapolis to Milwaukee has been delayed, as has the flight in front of ours. I am going to keep a positive attitude here because, even when we leave 45-60 minutes late, as they speculate we will...I will still be able to meet my connection from Milwaukee to Dallas as the gate is not far away. A couple of phone calls from work with questions handled. I assure them that I'll be in Dallas that night, and will handle any emergencies and they'll be ready to rock and roll on Monday.

Enter hurdle #2: Flight leaves late. I still have plenty of time to get to my connection...and I fall asleep on the plane. When I wake up (feeling refreshed), I wonder what time it is and why on earth we haven't landed. Minneapolis to Milwaukee is a 45 minute flight! SUPRISE!!!!!!! It's foggy. We are currently circling the Milwaukee airport in hopes that the fog will clear and we'll be able to land. We can't. We do this for about 45 minutes and get a message from the pilot that after circling, we're going to head out to Madison where it's less foggy and we should be able to land. It's foggy in Madison too! :) I'm maintaining a positive attitude here... if I got delayed getting into Milwaukee...I can still catch a connection to get to DFW (even if it is in the middle of the night).

Enter hurdle #3: As we circle Madison, our fearless pilot tells us that if we can't land in Madison, that the air traffic controllers are recommending that we head for Detroit. :) Certainly, it's not as foggy in Detroit. We continue to circle Madison and find out that the fog has barely left Madison so that we can land, but that we have no hope for Detroit. So we land. And we sit and wait. And wait...and wait. One of the passengers on the flight is an off duty pilot who jumps right in and gives the flight attendants a hand passing out more beverages and cookies as we wait for instructions. He occupies children who are getting restless, he answers questions from pesky people who want to know when they'll get to Milwaukee...and is an all around Boy Scout! I couldn't thank him enough for all of the work that he did that day.

Enter hurdle #4: Now that we have landed, and there are 2 planes to our right who landed before us, and countless planes behind us who have landed... we need to figure out a way to Milwaukee. Normally, about a 45-1:15 minute drive from Madison. Unfortunately for us, we can't fly and the busses that the airlines have contacted need time to get to us, get us to Milwaukee, and come back for the next round of people.

By this time, the pilot has told us that we'll be boarding a bus once the planes to our right have de-planed (yes, that is the technical term). A few passengers offer to de-board in Madison as it's they're final destination. Some of us (namely me) sit and hope that the fog will clear and we can fly on to Milwaukee, I can hop a plane for Dallas, and if I don't get my luggage until New Years... I simply don't care! (Yes - most of you have guessed that ALL the gifts are in the checked luggage, but come on! My family will understand and they'll be happy enough to see me that they won't care...I hope).

After 90 minutes of waiting...we are told that if we would like to stay on the plane, Milwaukee flight control has just cleared us for landing! :) We can stay on the plane, with the luggage, and fly to Milwaukee!!! Please keep in mind that being the "wonderful" daughter that I am...I have been in constant contact with my family keeping them apprised of all the latest developments. I choose to add in here that it's 9:30 and I'm starving!!!!

Enter hurdle #5: After landing in Milwaukee at 10:30 PM, the passengers of my flight are told that we should wait at the ticket counter to the left of our gate and attendants will be by shortly to arrange new flights for all of us (since the airport is CLOSED). I am near the front of the line (#2 to be exact) and meet with a lovely young lady who totally understands my ordeal. Bless her! This same wonderful young lady tells me that the ONLY way I'm going to get to Dallas is if I stay overnight (for which I get a $10 food voucher for any airport food and a hotel voucher). I politely tell her that if it has a bed and a pillow, I won't be picky.

She gives me a voucher for the Super 8 (I am guaranteed that it is the only hotel left in Milwaukee with a shuttle and available rooms - I find out later, there was another choice). I am scheduled to leave at 3:45pm the following day. The attendant gets me all checked in and hands me the boarding pass and vouchers and bids me farewell (all i have to do when arriving back at the airport is check my bags). Needless to say, when you're stuck on a plane for 6 hours, you get to know the people who sat near you. I got to meet a lovely woman and her daughter (age 6). We all treck to baggage claim where we retrieve luggage and head off to the shuttle waiting area to get some much needed food and sleep. Denny's for dinner then bed (at 1 am)! A hotel manager who understands I have gotten stuck, has offered to let me check out late (1 pm). A wonderful nights sleep follows.

Enter hurdle #6: It's still foggy. As I stand at the counter checking out of my hotel room I meet a family who's flight has been cancelled due to fog. I am now praying for all that I'm worth that I can get out of town. Get to the airport in "plenty of time" for my flight. Make the mistake of looking at the flight boards and find out that 80% of flights have been cancelled. Mine, luckily, only says "Delayed". Delayed I can handle.

I get to the counter after waiting in line for 45 minutes, the ticket agent tells me that my flight is delayed in Kansas City due to the snow, and they'll be deciding on whether or not to cancel the flight in 30 minutes. Do I want to wait for my flight?? Or do I want to go ahead and book on the next available flight?? (Quick...seats are filling fast...there's only 1 left and it's for tomorrow morning). "I'll take my chances on this one, thanks! If I get to the gate and they cancel, the agents there can find me another flight, right??" "Yes, ma'am. I'll go ahead and print your luggage...wait...I'm sorry, your flight has just been cancelled. May I book you on that flight for tomorrow morning now??" "I'm sorry, tomorrow morning?? Are you sure there aren't ANY other flights?? Are there flights going anywhere near Dallas?? Can I get to Chicago?? Can I get back to Minneapolis?? Can I get ANYWHERE???" "No ma'am, I'm sorry. The airport is closing. The best I can offer is the flight tomorrow morning." "Ok, thanks. I'm sorry to get so upset, it's now the 22nd and I'm just trying to get home for Christmas." Get booked for tomorrow morning(Sunday...by the way.) "Is there any chance I can get another hotel voucher as this is the second day I've been stuck in Milwaukee??" "No ma'am, I'm not allowed to give any more vouchers out, but I do have this pink slip. It's the (something, something) stranded traveler discount phone number. "

I call the number, I have my boarding pass for tomorrow AM...and I have my luggage... What the number can offer as it turns out is the La Quinta for $69/night, the Wyndham for $79/night, or something else for $89/night. I decide on the La Quinta, until the gentleman on the phone informs me that the Wyndham has a bar. I am now set that if I'm going to be stuck again, then I'm going to get the hotel bar! The Wyndham it is!! Off I shuttle to the hotel, check in, settle in, talk to my folks...and after a brief spot of relaxation in my room (which is hard to find, but beautiful and luxurious inside), I head to the bar. Let's be honest about this...

A night at the bar, some dinner, the company of fellow stranded travelers (all of whom are so nice!!!), I'm off to bed and dead asleep by 8:30pm. Here's the funny thing about going to sleep in with the help of a few cocktails, I was WIDE awake at 5:00 am. I really wish I was kidding. I get showered, I watch the morning news (including the weather). I have coffee from the in-room pot. I pack up, and am ready to go! Catch the shuttle, check in, check bags...looking good.

At last! I'm at the gate, I'm waiting...I'm hearing rumors of the flight being delayed because of weather in another part of the country. I'm trying desperately to stay positive. Continue phone calls with Mom and Dad...and at long last, I get on the plane. I relax...and just before 11:30 am, I arrive in Dallas. I have never, ever, ever, been so happy to get to Dallas.

The rest of my vacation was a piece of cake! My family vows NEVER to bother with connections around the holidays again, even if it does save money.

See?? I told you that you'd be laughing! You're glad it didn't happen to you and are wondering if there was anything else that could possibly go wrong.

Till next time! :)

Saturday Morning Update

Someday, I will be the kind of blogger who regularly updates their blog...but until then, you all will have to love me for who I am ( ;) ). So I realize that last time (almost a full month ago), I said that September would be busy. And it was. Here's the rundown:

Happy Birthdays: (Not in date order)
Tassy, Alex, Katy, Lisa

Happy Anniversary: (also not in date order)
Tassy and Adam, Becky and Derek

Told you it was busy! On the 29th, Alex and I got to spend the day together and went to see Schoolhouse Rock Live, and it truly was a blast! We had lunch together, saw the show, and ended our afternoon with some play time at Edinborough Park with Mom, Dad, and the brothers. It was such a great afternoon - I can't tell which of us had more fun. Also happening in September was the engagement of my dear friend Chris to his long time girlfriend Kate. Congratulations you two! I wish you a lifetime of happiness and great vacations! :)

As of October 1, I am officially employed by Borton Volvo in Minneapolis. I get to sit with beautiful new cars Monday-Wednesday evenings from 5-8pm and every other Saturday from 8:30-5:00pm. I answer phones and help people pick up their cars from service. I am still learning more and more about Volvo, but so far, I like what I hear.

This new adventure also means that I am occupied with events Monday - Thursday evenings, so as you can imagine, by the time Friday rolls around, I am pretty tired. The idea that I would be all kinds of motivated and clean my house was kind of a joke, although I am happy to report that I did make progress.

Knitting Update: I am still working on my colorwork scarf, hat, glove set for Tassy (and I have been dedicated to knitting nothing but that). I am fortunate that the dealership lets me knit while I am here. I still have the railroad socks on the needles and am determined to finish the second toe so that I can start cruising on those. Eleanor Roosevelt sweater is on hold as I have discovered that I am a looser knitter than I was when I started. As such, picking up the sweater to knit up to the neck shaping, I now have to rip back and re-knit that section (~5-6") because I am less of a tight knitter and either need to crank on it or change needle size. UGH!!!!!! I love that sweater and want to finish it so that I can wear it this year!!! (It's in writing, I have to do it now). Other knitting... I still have the striped sweater that I need to sew together and steek... I have the creative color shawls that I need to finish... I have tons of yarn to make the Fiber Trends Hedgehogs that I need to work on. Lots of felted bags either finished and ready to felt, or very close to... Mom's shawl, Dad's sweater vest, my slippers... Too many to count, but never the less...they need to be finished! My goal this year, come you know what or high water - I WILL FINISH SOME PROJECTS THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!

Ok, enough of my ranting, I'm off to work now (even if I am already here). Talk to you all later!

Updates, etc.

Ok, so as far as being a regular blogger with regular updates, I am failing miserably. On the other hand, I am no longer at Old Chicago, so my evenings have a little more freedom. My super busy nights are Wednesdays (knitting) and Thursdays (BSF)...Therefore, I have Friday through Tuesday to get things done. How well that will happen, who knows...

Meanwhile, I've been super busy as it seems like half the people I know were born or married in September. This month has been busy with birthdays and now anniversaries... And I thought that I would have some fre time now that I'm not at the restaurant anymore...silly me. Justifiably, I have been super busy at SuperValu because this week we moved into our new office building, which is genuinly really nice! I'm really pumped for the new space, and while the floorplan is way more open, I don't seem to mind it that much (we're all learning how to use VOLUME CONTROL). :)

So, since I am no longer at the restaurant, I am now working with a company called Arbonne International (who can be found at www.arbonne.com). I am really excited about them and can't wait to share all the products with you. I love the products for many reasons, one of which being that it is totally botanically based (not made "with botanics" which is tossing in some extract of with all the other chemicals). This is 100% botanical. It is not made with any animal by products and is not tested on animals. It is pH balanced, and dermatologist tested and approved (which means that fewer than 4 out of 10 people will react to the product). Arbonne, however believes that this isn't good enough and they want 0 people out of 10 to react to their product. On top of all the benefits that the lines carry, the company carries an amazing business plan. There is no limit to my earning potential, and I can sell as much or as little as I want!

Enough of my big plug for Arbonne, but seriously, if you are interested, please, please, please let me know and I would be more than happy to get together with you to let you try it or talk about building your own business.

And, as it is Sunday, and my laundry is just about ready to be flipped, I suppose that I should get back to the cleaning of the day.

See you all soon!