The Macro Adventures of Microgirl

Living Intentionally

2010-05-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

I've been hit with that a few times in the last two days. An article about living as a Christian single-person, part of Sunday's sermon, another article about communal living, and even in a song. Think God is trying to get me to hear something?!

It's easy for me to have a "whatever" attitude. I have no goals. No aspirations. But is that God? Because I have no goals or aspirations, does that mean I have no desires? Do I not desire to please God? Do I not desire to help my community? To change my surroundings? Of course not! I desire all these things!

So if these are in my heart, what am I doing with them? Do I wait for 5:30 a.m. to arrive to see what my day holds? Yes. And that's the problem. Not only do I not anticipate my path, I hardly walk it some days. When did I stop seeing, hearing, caring? When did my life become my own?

Like everything else that is a process, I need to start small. Right foot. Left foot. Start walking and making my life full-on God's life. Put some purpose (and maybe a little pep) in my step and start living! No more floating through life. Start Living Intentionally.

How about you? How are you living intentionally?

This time of year...

2009-11-23T09:16:00.000-06:00

I was dining and chatting with a few new friends and few old friends this past Saturday. The main topic turned to (of course) what we are thankful for. Naturally, my mind started spinning and I was coming up with very simplistic things. Considering I'm a fairly simple girl, I wasn't surprised. But I felt like I had to dig deeper. Life shows us that simple things aren't all that simple. So, what am I truly, deep-down, bottom of the soul grateful for?

Let's start simply:

I'm blessed with an amazing family. Supportive, goofy, easy, loving.
I have a stable job, an affordable roof over my head, and food on my table.
I want for nothing.

Little deeper now:

I'm thankfully for an intense past two years. With almost everything being so easy for me, I thought I would have no problem getting a job, finding housing, finding a church, making a new life in Roch. I knew my relationship with God could always go a bit deeper, but I didn't realize just how deep I was supposed to go.

Deep as I can share:

I'm thankful for a city that has absolutely broken me. For a place that didn't just let me slide in, set up a quick-easy life, and continue my fun. This place, these people aren't letting me slide through life. I'm being challenged nearly daily to keep my heart open. The walls of my heart were broken and this town isn't letting me build them back up. Painful at times, but the joy is... peaceful, strong, light, life... I am very thankful for this - a community, a family, a God that never leaves.

Amen and Amen. Go Deep.
<><

Another great MN day spent outside!

2009-11-18T16:30:00.001-06:00

I found my favorite MN state park (well, to this point atleast!). Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is exactly that. Big Woods! Big, sturdy old trees. Rolling hills, wildlife, well groomed trails, wonderfully marked trails! I'm so tired of going hiking and not knowing where I am or which way I want to go! I'm generally on some sort of time line and it's incredibly frustrating to be spinning circles trying to get on the desired trail! And yes, I know it's not all about the destination, but I haven't been that impressed with the journey's up to this point either :P I'm definitely a land person. If I'm not in the water, I don't care about seeing it! River overlooks? Boring. Looking at a waterfall? Lame. Reaching the tippy-top of a mountain? Exhilarating. Wandering through meadows? Exquisite. I'm a land person.

I digress. It was a great morning for a hike. I'm super excited to head back up there for some snowshoeing this winter! It was just nice that every time I turned I saw something that made me smile. A deer bounding off, rich-green moss, blue sky, sunshine, leaves galore, gray squirrels (red one's are feisty. i don't have issues with gray ones yet!). It was just nice.

On the way home I was hoping to stop at a ma and pa type cafe, but I couldn't find one. Thought that was weird considering I was in small town MN. Oh well. I'll research and maybe find one for next time!

So grab your mittens, I'll bring the hot chocolate, and come on out for snowy MN in a month or two! I'll be waiting :)

Rochester Love

2009-11-15T20:01:00.003-06:00

I love living in Rochester.

I was at a friend's going away party last night and met quite the array of people! My friend is from Colombia/Spain/FL and is a software engineer. I met and chatted with a neurologist from Libya, a biomedical engineer from France, a researcher from Kenya, a Jamaican, some other Africans, tons of folks from Spain, a guy with an eye-wear fetish (I was thankfully wearing contacts!)... and a pot-smoker from Roch. Good Times! And people say Roch is boring...

Life is Meant to be Lived

2009-11-08T08:40:00.003-06:00

You know something is going right when you wake up in the morning excited for the day!

Beginning of Nov. 62 degrees out. Heat-wave Minnesota-style! My plans involved NEVER being inside :) So, I grabbed the bike and headed to Eastwood Pard to check out the mtn. bike trails. It. Was. Fun. The last/first time I went biking like that was in Colorado at a place called Devil's Backbone. Does that sound fun? Does that name just exude a good time?! I thought it was a partial beginners course. I was wrong. Single track, sheer drop offs, loose dirt. Add a klutzy Colleen and we're in for a good time! (Upping the anti of adventure I guess!)

Eastwood was mostly single track, but if I fell, I'd fall on trees. Not down and a 50' incline. Actually the only time I did fall, I was standing up! Not even kidding. Walking up an incline, slipped on the mud and leaves.

Today, I'm looking forward to a brisk paddle around Silver Lake. Shout out to the glorious odd-ball days of Fall!

Peace. <><

Before the Month is Up

2009-08-24T21:37:00.004-05:00

Boundary Waters: A. Maze. Ing.

Pops, Shawn and I took each others lives in our hands and headed into the remotest wild of Minnesota. There were bets being made about which Fagan would get left behind (or "mysteriously" disappear), but we all came back no worse for wear!

I loaded into the solo canoe (YES!) with the food bag (Double yes! Snacks!!) and we headed to our first portage. Boy, was this going to be an introduction!

Our first portage was the toughest of our journey. One mile of varying grades. A trail covered in heavy, thick, wet foliage. Forty pound pack on the back, forty-ish pound canoe on the shoulders. Hello challenge! I did great for about the first ten feet. Seriously. Then the foliage became a difficult factor and I couldn't get the canoe settled properly on my shoulders. I was using my neck and head to balance it so much that I was quickly in pain. I made it a little over half a mile (I think!) and only fell twice. My dad was behind me and encouraged the best he could. I finally gave in and the two of us carried the canoe by the ends.

During all of this, Shawn (with his 20 foot stride!) blew by me. As I've mentioned in previous posts, he's a pretty great brother and came back to help us. And by that, I mean he picked up my canoe and took off. I was at a pretty good trot trying to keep up! I'm still not sure how he managed it.

So. First portage is conquered! We are finally in the Boundary Waters. Away from the world. Away from cars and trucks and electricity. Away from man-made sounds. I was in heaven. I think we all were. At one point during the trip, the only sound I heard was my breathing. No wind. No birds. No bugs. No creatures stirring. Nothing. Absolute, sheer, unequivocal... silence. It took me a moment to recognize it! I had never heard anything so unfamiliar and beautiful.

We had two more portages to go through before we reached the lake of choice. The next one up was a wet portage. I stood ankle deep water, pulled my canoe over a beaver's dam and continued on my merry way. I say "my merry way" because Shawn and Dad were having some navigational issues. They found every rock and log possible in that pond!

The third and last portage was probably my favorite. It was short. It was muddy. It was smelly. Did I mention short?! I carried everything my self this time and got a good victory boost. The added obstacle of mud meant that we had to be wary of our steps. I took one and sunk in to my knee. With a canoe on my head. Not so much fun! Thankfully, I have strong legs and was able to pull out of it. I was also starting to laugh and that would've meant the end of me!

Portaging complete. Shawn and Dad fished. I enjoyed the fresh air and watching Shawn squirm when he caught a Northern Pike. (For an outdoorsy guy, he sure is a wuss!) We found a spot to make camp. Settled and peaceful.

And then the weather came. Almost as soon as camp was set up, it began to pour. So we took shelter in our tents and took much needed naps. We did that alot. Napping... Weather stopped. Fishing and exploring ensued. Fish for dinner. GREAT start.

Then the weather started in again. Wind. Rain. WIND. I thought my tent was going to blow away with Shawn and me in it! I think we slept around 15 hours that day. We'd wake up during weather breaks, eat, stretch and then head back to the tents for more napping. We ate. We napped. We ate. We napped. It was great!

The weather finally broke for good late afternoon. I was in charge of water, so I purified water while the men fished. Pancakes, fish, potatoes and clean water. The food of adventurers!

The day to leave had me a bit nervous. The lake didn't have white caps anymore, but it was decently windy and my canoe was off-balanced. Shawn and Dad took off and made good time getting across the big lake. I was having mad issues. For the life of me, I couldn't keep my craft perpendicular to the waves. I kept getting parallel. Dangerous. I almost got pitched. Twice. No joke. I had my vest on, so I wasn't too concerned, but I had the food and my pack. They were not tied in. So getting pitched would've been bad!

I fought. I dug deep. I dug hard. I prayed. And then prayed some more. Every-time I would pause because my arms were spent, I would start to spin, so I stopped stopping and just kept digging. I was using my entire body. Pulling from the core. Every muscle being used. Yowzers. I finally reached Dad and Shawn. But we had a bit further to go to be "safe".

Finally. Calm waters. Muddy portage. Still fun. Still muddy. Still smelly. Found the hole again.
Water portage. Still funny watching Shawn and Dad trying to maneuver it together.

We found a campsite just outside of the final portage. We wanted to be rested and have a game plan together on how to best do the final portage. It was an amazing site. Our first one was on a fire-hit area, so there was hardly any foliage or cover. This one was deep woods. We were definitely more aware of the possibilities of a bear sneaking up on us! No dawdling when going to the bathroom at this site! It was a great spot though and a beautiful day. Sunshine and free. We ate. We napped. Read, journaled, prayed. Slept and ate some more!

The mile portage wasn't as bad this time. Probably because Shawn carried both canoes! I carried the packs and made the trek three times. Shawn still blew by me! The entire time, we all were smiling, laughing, joking, trying to scare me...

It was the best trip I never thought possible to have with the fellas in my life. Can't wait for next year... :)

Quick Recap

2009-08-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

I finally went camping! I had a really nice long weekend for July 4th and was able to head to a state park for camping and hiking. It was great and exactly what I needed!

There was a trail there that was "strenuous" and about 4min long. I thought "Hey! No biggie! I can handle that easy-peasy." I was doing great for the first mile, but then my amazing skills at falling kicked in. I was crossing the river on concrete stepping-stones. I wasn't paying the best of attention I guess because I biffed it big time. My left shin hit the edge of one block, my right knee hit the edge of the next block and my hands saved my face (by an inch) from hitting. I wanted to curl up and die. No joke. I thought my knee was disconnected. Once I stood up, climbed the hill and got going, things seemed to stretch out and right themselves (mostly). Finished the hike and had a mostly (decent amount of pain) good time! Got back to camp and fell asleep in my chair! Moved to the tent and took an even longer nap:)

Whitewater State Park hasn't seen peregrine falcons for 30 odd years until this year. Two chicks! There was an outing put on by the park and we got to see the chicks with some high powered binoculars. Very cool. And that was camping!

I had a bbq at my house on the 4th. The city firework show is behind my place at the lake, so it was the perfect setting for friends and food!

Blame the Manny

2009-07-08T21:11:00.003-05:00

Jonas is turning into a big boy, so he likes to use the boy's bathroom when he gets the chance. So after watching Kung Fu Panda on the big screen and before heading to lunch, he and Lucas headed to the bathroom.

Lucas was in and out in no time. Jonas... He was taking a while.

I asked Lucas to check on him and got a big negatory. So the shout outs began:

"How you doing Buddy?!"
"I need help!"
"With what?"
"I need you to wipe me."

Seriously?

"Jonas, you're a big boy, can't you do it?"
"NO!"

I ask Lucas to go in and help and to speed things up.
Another (seemingly) 30 minutes goes by.

"Boys? What's going on?"
"There's a bug on me."
"Well, swipe it away. Have Lucas get it."

"Hold still Jonas, I almost have it."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

As a super aunt, I rush in to the screams, praying that I didn't miss any guys walking into the bathroom and give them a surprise!

I open the door to the stall and there's little Jonas on the toilet with tears streaming down his face.

I look to Lucas, "What's going on fellas?!"
"There's a bug on Jonas."
"Where?!"
"On his penis."

Say what?!?!?!! Yep. On the underside of Jonas' little penis is a bug. Not a fly. Not a ladybug. A tick. Jonas has a TICK on his PENIS!

Now, Lucas is a very smart boy. So as soon as I say it's a tick he starts going on about how the tick is sucking Jonas' blood. Jonas begins his next freak out!

"Jonas, look at me", I say all smooth and calm. "I'm going to take care of this and you're going to be just fine!", I say with a big smile.

Let's deviate from this story for a minute to another... The previous night, I was at the gym. The gym has great lighting and mirrors. I like to pluck my eyebrows at the gym. What is needed for eyebrow plucking? Tweezers. And not just any ol' blunt style tweezer, but pointy ones! Back to our story...

As I'm talking down Jonas I'm going through the next steps in my head:
He has a tick. What do we need to do to ticks? We take them off with tweezers. Who has tweezers? Should we go the studio? Run to my house? OR???!!!! HOLY BUCKETS! I have tweezers in the car!!!

"Ok guys, let's pull our pants up and head to my car. I have some tweezers and we'll get the little bugger off. Ok?!" All smiles.
"Ticks bury their heads in your skin and suck your blood."
"Thanks Luke. Please stop."

We get to the car, I have Jonas drop his pants in the parking lot and hop onto the front seat. I find the tweezers. I have Lucas hold Jonas' hand. I start pulling on the tick. The tick SQUIRMS! The tick had just latched onto Jonas, so it was still super flat and was moving. Creepy. I need to go about this a different way! So with my left hand I held Jonas' penis and with the other hand... I used my pinky to keep the penis taught and maneuvered the tweezers with thumb and forefinger. Have I mentioned that the tick is near Jonas' tip? Well, I did my best to not pull his skin and I ripped that tick out! The head came with and so did some skin. You could see Jonas' skin attached to that blasted tick!

I was prepped with alcohol wipes (car 1st aid kit!) and hand sanitizer. I disinfected the child, my hands, and the tweezers. We called Momma Shel. We turned into entomologists, examined the creature and wrapped it up for later exam.

Turns out the boys' manny had taken them through some pretty tall grass a few days prior and it had taken a while for the tick to work it's way up to a warm spot. The manny feels bad.

I have never heard the word penis used so much and I have never said the word penis so much as I did that week telling this story! This is one for the yearbook... Penis.

Did I mention...

2009-06-01T21:34:00.002-05:00

...that there was a BIRD INSIDE MY HOUSE last Sunday morning? I woke up around 6:30 a.m. to the sounds of mad fluttering and something banging against my window. I flew straight up in bed and just stared. There was a BIRD caught between my drape and the window! Thankfully, I changed drapes a couple of weeks ago to longer, stiffer ones. Otherwise, I would've been chasing a bird around the house with who-knows-what trying to catch it! As it was, a bajillion thoughts were going through my head on what to do, what to use to catch the bird, what to use to shoo the bird, etc. Thank You Jesus, the bird found its way out of the window. Needless to say, I don't leave the windows wide open anymore!

I went back to sleep wondering if this had actually happened. And yes. It did. I found feathers.

Tangoing Cheek to Cheek for 3 Minutes in the Park

2009-05-29T16:07:00.001-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/nyregion/25summer.html

Play of the Game

2009-04-29T22:34:00.002-05:00

Tonight was our final indoor game for the season. We won all three games and took 3rd of our division. WooHoo! They were all great games. Well played! But, the best play happened tonight.

They started the game as friends, but left as brothers. Or maybe something a little less cheesy!

Sean forgot a cleat. Not his cleatS, but one, singular, solitary cleat. Knowing the odds were slim, he still asked if anybody had an extra size 12 cleat. We all looked at each other with unexpectant stares. We all laughed. I mean, seriously. How do you forget ONE cleat?!

But what was that? Did somebody say something in the back? Brandon has an extra set of cleats! Size 12 even! The right one has a gaping whole in the front though. It literally flops open and closed. So which shoe does Sean need? The left! And it just so happens that Brandon has an intact left one... sans shoelaces.

Sean promptly pulls his sneaker shoelace out and cleats up. He looks like a football punter. But it works! We win the game with a shutout.

Thanks to Sean for his stellar footwork and to Brandon for the assist. And to them both for the most random startup of a game.

Menards is my new best friend

2009-04-15T22:40:00.002-05:00

Yea, yea, yea... I'm a homeowner. That's exciting... But what is more exciting than that? Power tools! And what could possibly be more exciting than power tools?! (I know it's verging on blaspheme to say there could be something better than power tools, but stick with me here.) So. More exciting than power tools? A power tool with really sharp teeth!!!

I bought a hedge trimmer today :D Sadly, I had a soccer game to get to, so I am postponing its use till tomorrow morning. I thought about using the car headlights, but a teammate swayed me to wait. I think she just wants me around for next weeks game! I'm curious as to what the bushes will look like after I'm done. Two of the trees are conical and the other two are sort of boxy. Maybe I'll end up with a couple of round bushes and a tree shaped like a giraffe...

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-12T15:08:00.005-05:00

If "home is where the heart is", then I have homes all across the country. But, I think I have found a safe haven, a place of rest for my heart, a good home. The time over the past year has been intense and (in the long run) a complete joy! I spend oodles of time with the nephs...

I am also able to spend times with my BFF Rachel (who just HAD to move further away as I moved closer... now that I think of it, that is kinda suspicious!) We had a chance to bake together a short time back. This is what we were shooting for...

This is what we ended up with!

We ate it anyways:)

I bought a house about two weeks ago!!! It would take forever to upload photos, so if you're so inclined, check out the FB album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=229573&id=562965064&l=af90c

Everybody keeps asking if it's weird being in the house. Weird being alone. Bothered by the odd noises. And everytime, I give the same answer... NO! The first night, I slept in the empty house in a sleeping bag and it felt amazing. Everytime I look around, I see it as my home. Not a building, not a project, not a temporary situation. But permanent. Safe. Mine. It's my home.

There's plenty of room, so if anybody feels like vacationing in SE MN, come on over!

Peace and Love my friends
<><

Bizzarro-Land

2009-01-12T18:19:00.002-06:00

I live in a place called Bizzarro-Land. There was an addition of a Bizzarro-Suburb today.

Three weeks ago, I was making phone calls and viewing apartments. Two weeks and five days ago, I was making phone calls and emailing a real estate agent and a lender.

Three weeks ago, I wanted to move out of the Fagan home. Two days ago, I could barely walk out the door.

One week, three days ago I went kayaking on a mostly frozen lake. There was a dead goose frozen to the top of the lake.

One week, two days ago I was sure about the house that I wanted to buy. Two days ago, I wasn't sure about which house I wanted to buy. Two and a half hours ago I am reassured about the house that I want to buy. Maybe. Possibly. I'm almost pretty sure.

Two mornings ago, I got in touch (holler to Facebook!) with one of the few friends I've wanted to find from high school. He has been living in Fort Collins the ENTIRE time I was living in Greeley. He even works at my favorite outdoor gear store. Never knew it.

This past week I ran into a fellow soccer player twice, at very odd places. He works at IBM (across town) and was having lunch at Mayo. Then, we ran into each other at Salsa lessons. Thing is, he's Latino. But he doesn't salsa. He is disgraced and that's why he is taking classes (so he says).

Eight and a half hours ago my supervisor at Mayo told me she took a new position and is leaving in Feb. She then said that she recommended me, ME, to take her place. I've been there not even two months!

Miss Me?

2008-12-16T22:17:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't heard, I am an employee at Mayo Clinic! I've been there for a month and it feels great! It's an odd realization, but I love wearing a lab coat. As soon as I slipped mine on that first day, it felt right :) Yes. I am a nerd. (But maintaining that "cool" nerd status!)

I am a Clinical Lab Tech in the Immunodermatology unit. I check serum and biopsies for various skin/intestinal based diseases NOT including cancer and acne. There are no more than seven people in the lab on a given day and I don't work weekends or holidays!! Pros: I'm learning tons. I'm in a lab. I'm surrounded by my "own" kind. Con: DRAMA central. There was an actual fight yesterday! Yelling and crying, but no fisticuffs. It's pretty ridiculous. People just need to talk less and work more!

My building is located downtown, which I'm super stoked about. I love the atmosphere down there. I can have lunch with the Studios crew, there is a Starbucks and Caribou in the subway, and I get to ride a bus to work! I've listened to many 'This American Life' podcasts on the commutes.

I wasn't really finding the job challenging on a manual level, but yesterday/today we had a minor crisis situation! I feel like I thrive on those days:) We generally do 700-800 samples a day of EMAs. But all 700 of yesterdays samples didn't work. So, we had 1500 samples to do today! That's insane!!! We did 1100 of the samples and are holding over the rest till tomorrow. It was very exciting to challenge ourselves to see how many we could bust out! We could've done more, but we didn't want the powers-to-be to think that we can do that regularly, so we shot (and hit) for mediocre.

Other aspects of life are good! I'm on the search for an apartment or possibly a house. The temp is generally below zero now, but there have been some great walks in the snow. Today, I was walking around downtown after work. It was snowing (without the wind), I was listening to Christmas music and Jamie Lidell, and I had a Truffle Espresso from Starbucks in one hand and Christmas paper in the other. It was a beautiful afternoon!

I can't think of anything exciting right now. Christmas is around the corner and I'm anticipating the marathon of Christmas movies!

A Season of Patience

2008-10-24T15:29:00.002-05:00

My parents used to have a plaque with a cartoon drawing of an Irish monk on it. It was about 4x4 in size, sitting next to the record player. The monk is sitting on a hill of clovers and speaking to God. He's asking "Please give me patience. And I want it RIGHT NOW!" It might as well have been a picture of me. I couldn't stand that plaque.

The last 10 months have been a roller coaster of emotions and learning! Sadly (Greatly) the lessons continue. I have not been offered or denyed the position and it's been a business week since my follow-up interview. I was told that I would know in a week if I had the job or not. I heard my phone ring at work and I ran across the studio to see Shel's name on the caller ID. Aaagg! God has a wicked sense of humor! I'm checking email every 10 minutes. There is a pile of mail sitting on the table and I don't want to look through it yet for that letter. I'm sort of enjoying this place. The chance, the hope, the possibility!

Either way...

Driving -- MN Style

2008-10-06T22:40:00.003-05:00

#1) What does a solid, double yellow mean?
A. That both lanes may pass
B. That neither lane may pass
C. That the North bound lane may pass
D. None of the above
Answer: B

#2) When a school bus is stopped with red flashing lights and the stop sign extended_____
A. all traffic must come to a stop.
B. all traffic must yield.
C. on-coming traffic may speed by, without care of child-safety.
D. it is now a good time to start the driving license machine on fire.
Answer: C

Seriously. MN throws caution to the wind when it comes to child safety. PC version of birth control perhaps. That question/answer was one of the nine questions that I got wrong. I FAILED my written test. (I'll wait while you die of laughter...)

Still laughing? Alright, just a bit longer...

I have been driving since I was 14 (student driver). That is 13 years of driving. No accidents (well, one. But I was rear-ended at a traffic light) and minimal moving violations (none in the last...6 years). Granted, I barely passed the written the first time. But I totally aced and schmoozed the driving section! The gal administering the test when I was 15 flunked the first two people of the day and actually had a reputation around my school for flunking people. I ACED it! I am a good driver!

But, apparently, my non-haphazard, commonsense way of driving isn't good enough in MN. When passing a bicyclist on the road, I give as much room as possible. I would give a car width if possible. But that's too good for MN. Bicyclists only deserve six feet. But let's go crazy and allow folks to turn left on red! Because that is totally safe and smart.

I had a feeling I was going to fail the test. Honest, I did. But not that badly! The conversation at the counter after the test went like this:
Guy: "Uhh, do you want a manual?" he said with shock and disgust.
Me: "No thanks. I have one."
Guy: "Uhh, okay... You can come back in a day or so and try again." he said, maintaining the disgust.
Me: "Sounds super! See you in a few! I'll bring the coffee."

Okay. I didn't really say that. But what was I supposed to say?! "I'm sorry, but the rest of the country obeys this set of laws and not those. It stinks that Canada has infiltrated our society enough to make us believe that we can turn left on red. Too bad we didn't see it coming, because they look just like us. Pity."

So, I'll be having a study session on Wed evening if anybody would like to make a study group. Test time is hopefully on Thursday! Friday at the latest.

Peace out and safe driving. Keep on eye on those buses and hit as many children as possible, because that's MN Style!

2008-09-29T21:53:00.002-05:00

"We want to be in charge, and when we can't be, we worry. We need to humble ourselves before God and let Him have His way."
-L.W.

A Staggering Statistic

2008-09-22T17:17:00.007-05:00

Join the Journey is an event/group that raises awareness for breast cancer. They also raise money for prevention education, for cancer patient care, for research, and to publish/hand out a book with questions and answers about the cancer, treatment and coping with the disease. They do a lot!

The 10-mile walk was yesterday and it was impressive! There were 965 registered walkers and over 100,000 dollars was raised! Both of those numbers are astounding, but the other set of numbers is what got me. Literally took my breath away.

5-10% of breast cancer cases are inherited. 5-10%, people!! Inherited! That means that 90% of cases are from diet, lifestyle and whatever else is being studied and blamed these days. I thought it was the other way around. I thought my biggest fears, my ONLY fears were skin cancer and heart disease. Both of which I will inherit, but both of which I can keep at bay for a very long time. I make healthy choices. I make smart choices. I eat properly, I exercise, I wear loads of sunscreen.

But for all the good choices I make, I don't do one big, huge, ginormous thing to keep myself healthy. A REGULAR self exam. Ladies, this is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Once a month. That's it! Fellas, you love your sisters? Wives? Mommas? I know it's awkward, but ask them, remind them, slip them the info. Would you rather discuss breast exams or funeral plans?

http://cms.komen.org/komen/AboutBreastCancer/index.htm

As staggering as the statistic is. As much as it has made an impression on me, one other thing was staggering. I saw more "In Celebration of..." signs than i saw "In Memory of...". It's fantastic! Strides for prevention and early detection have been a huge part of that. I pray that this pattern continues.

Sis-in-law, Mom and I had a great afternoon of speed walking (swing those arms!) and talking. Of paddling a dragon boat and of stashing loaves of bread into butt-bags (funny if you were there). I'll look for you all next year! Peace and love my friends!

This man's celebration sign made us go "awwww". Pitter-patter went our hearts! It reads "In Celebration of ... My Wife/BFF"

Rosie's Newest Accessory

2008-09-17T00:10:00.006-05:00

I have lived, played and worked in MN long enough. I decided it was time to "cross-over". Plus, my tags are about to expire and I was supposed to do this seven months ago. 'Oops' (she said sarcastically)

I also realized this week that this blog has deviated away from its original purpose. My apologies! I have a few things in the mix that will hopefully put the Adventure back in Microgirl! Till then... a few random local wanderings.

I took part in a study that compares soccer player legs with the everyday man's legs. Apparently all my ligaments are still attached (a load off my mind!) and my left leg bends further than my right. That was a big deal I guess, because the two doctors making measurements were all "Really?! Wow!". Sadly, I couldn't take the award for furthest bent leg. That honor goes to Big Bro. Still beating me! He just can't let me win! :) Some of the reading of the release form was pretty funny. i.e. "You will not be billed to be part of the study." Thank goodness! I get charged to help them right a silly paper?! "Why take part in the study? The reimbursement may be a motivating factor." Well yeah. I already know that soccer players are superior to everybody else. I was paid better for my not-quite-an-hour spent at the study than I would've being at work! Which made me think that I need to find more studies to be part of.

There are two MASSIVE spiders sitting around the homestead. One is making a web directly outside the front door. I'm not allowed to remove the spider b/c the family wants to see how big it gets. The web isn't totally blocking the door yet. So, there's really only one problem. The last time I was bit by a spider, I was paralyzed and spent a good amount of time in a hospital. So, I offer this challenge. Whoever identifies this spider wins a lunch. (I'm praying that you live in Italy!)

Yes. It is eating a bee. Very cool! I just don't want it to eat me. And I believe it could.

Beautiful Fall

2008-09-06T13:31:00.004-05:00

I LOVE coaching! I love walking the sideline with a scratch pad and pen in my hand. I love cheering on the girls. I love getting them motivated. I love teaching them how to play the game. I. Love. Coaching.

There was a little bit of chaos at the game, but that's what happens with the way that the league is set up. 22 girls. One practice team. Break the group into two teams at gameday. Can't make a great lineup, since I'm not sure who will show. But, I had a general one made up and changed it as we went!

Granted this is only the first week, but I think we'll do great. Lots to work on, but that's what practices are all about. Even the slightly crazy girl had a smile on today!

<><

ps. does anybody else get choked up when watching 'The Incredibles'? Especially the ending.

A Brief History of Labor Day

2008-09-02T22:20:00.002-05:00

The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working citizens".
The End.

Things accomplished on this weekend of non-Labor in Sioux Falls @ a music fest:
1) Spent loads of time with BFF Rachel. (she forgave me for not remembering her b-day. probably b/c i was holding her child on a leash.)
2) Spent quality time with Tom, Mike and Yuri (aka MxPx) Great show as always. They sure can rock for being over 30!
3) Checked out, loved/disliked some new bands -- Sorry guys, I'm just unable to enjoy Michael W. But John Reuben was sweet!
4) Ate raw s'mores -- too windy for fires
5) Learned new ways to not be bored at a festival -- people hurdling
6) Learned proper etiquette of Lifelight -- no showering allowed
7) Dancing cardboard robots rock
8) Jolly Green Giant -- nuff said
9) Road. Trip.
The End.

The Snuggle Party Conversation -- True Story

2008-08-25T22:39:00.003-05:00

--A conversation between a five year old and a twenty-seven year old.--

"I want to come downstairs with you."
"No."
"I don't want to be alone!"
"You aren't. You have Ruff-Ruff."
"I thought you were snuggling with him last night."
"Nope."
"Why not? Why weren't you snuggling with him?!"
"I'm not a snuggler."
"Come onnnnn. Everybody is a snuggler."
"I'm not."
"Pleaasssse. Take him."
"No thanks. You take him. Here's Monkey-Face too."
"You take Ruff-Ruff. You need someone to snuggle with."
"No thanks! I'm not a snuggler. Go to bed."
"Pleasssssse take him. Everybody needs to snuggle with somebody."

--Is it true?--

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

2008-08-11T23:03:00.002-05:00

Ah... the weekend. One week, there's nothing to do, the next... a full itinerary.

At my soccer game on Friday night I scored a goal. Made some okay saves. A goal is a goal and a save is a save though. We played a team with guys that were tons faster than I. It was all I had just to keep up! But it was great weather and a great game.

Friday night was also my church group's all-night prayer meeting. I got there late and left early. I wasn't that hyped about going there or the whole idea of it. But once I arrived I was good to go. But, instead of praying and studying, I ended up talking to a gal about her job and her week for almost two hours. She needed somebody to talk to and I had a little venting to do myself, but the vibe completely left me. I stayed for another hour, trying to get back into the spirit, but I felt like I was insulting what the others were there for. So, I headed home at 3 in the morning.

Six hours of sleep later, I was up and raring to go! It was IrishFest up in St. Paul and I was excited! Not to just be around "my own people", but b/c Flogging Molly was there. Oh, there were other great things too. I learned the Irish Jig and how to social dance. I ate Fish n Chips. I saw many a man in a kilt... I feel like I'm ready to head to the Emerald Isle and I'd fit right in!

Flogging Molly was a blast! Some of my favorite moments involved pushing others into the mosh pits to save myself from being sucked in. Seeing people of all ages in the crowd singing, dancing, jumping and loving the music. And seeing that chivalry is not dead. I have a few separate scenarios for that! The first was that a gal was trying to leave the crowd. It was an outdoor venue, but still insanely crowded and packed. Out of nowhere, this fella with a horn coming out of his chin yelled: "Hey! Let the lady through!" Needless to say, we were all stunned! But, the seas parted and she was able to pass. The next moments involved men watching out for their women. I was standing next to this girl who was holding onto this little Asian guy and the boyfriend was standing behind her. Now, she wasn't the type of girlfriend who is at the show (and having a horrible time) just b/c her boyfriend is there. She was singing along and didn't seem bothered by all the turmoil in the crowd. But, as soon as a mosh pit started up next to us, her boyfriend came charging in and put himself b/t the pit and his girl. How adorable is that?! He would then give a quick kiss on the cheek and they'd keep dancing.

Sunday was an easy day at the house. My back is a bit sore from the concert. (Getting hit and pushed around.) Made some cookies, made some dinner, played outside with the neighbors.

It was a great summer weekend.

Tequila: Friend or Foe

2008-08-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

Usually I would tell people that tequila is no friend of mine. Nothing good has ever come of drinking it! But tonight... Tonight feels wonderful! Let me explain.

Tonight was the final night for my women's soccer team. We had a great game! I started midfield (almost scored, almost passed out from running so much), moved to forward (I DID score!) and made my way back to defense (almost scored again, but saved some goals). So I have an overload of endorphins surging through my body from running so much and doing the thing that makes me happiest in this world. Add to that a weak margarita and my anticipation for Monday morning. I am flying high right now!

I'm just so incredibly happy and excited! I had a "melt-down"/crying-out session on Thursday and it feels like a total 180 right now. My brother gave me the advice to go big. I have to do more than sending an application through email if I want anything. Why have I not thought of this before? I've always said that if I could just meet people and explain to them that I could do the job, if they could just meet me, I'd be set! So first-ish thing Monday morning I'm going after a job. I have a cover letter (if you can call it that), a resume, and my heart. If they could just see my heart and desire for the position... I know I would be good at it.

I'm shaking I'm so excited! I KNOW that God has something for me. I've always been sure of that. I've just always questioned the time-line. I've never fully trusted that end of it. But I can feel it now! I KNOW IT'S THERE! I just need to be observant and growing in the mean time.

So, my friends, be vigilant. I've faltered and I've questioned. Many, if not all of us, have been there. God comes through every time. Give Him your Trust. Give Him your Love. Those are the hardest things for me to give anybody, but who could possibly be more deserving than our greatest fan? Our Father? The One who loves us no matter how many times we slam the door closed in His face? He's sitting outside, waiting. Every time... Every time...

Holy Orange Kayak Batman!

2008-07-26T17:46:00.003-05:00

Take 4 morning people. Add some kayaks. Mix in a dollop of sunshine and a dash of breeze and you have the makings of a beautiful Saturday. My new kayaking buddies (I have kayaking buddies!!) and I headed out this morning at the obscene hour of 8am to New Weston (or West Newton. I'm still confused.) and hopped into the Upper Mississippi. So much FUN!!

We paddled around some backwaters through huge "fields" of lilly pads. We saw a few species of cranes. Saw some other massive pterodactyl size birds and saw clams that were the size of my fist. Nancy and I belted out a great rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to Tony... So much more! I got beached. I got stuck in a "swamp". I got myself out of a swamp. I got myself un-beached. I dodged a speeding boat and relaxed on a beach. We even regaled each other with boating stories. (Think big-fish stories but with kayaks!)

Now it gets hard. My boat is more recreational than traveller. It's short and fat (the way I like my men! :D j/k). So I'm already working about 3x harder than everybody else just to keep up and to get through the lilly pad fields and swamps. But now we need to paddle up river back to portage. We enter the main channel of the Great Mississippi and I'm pushing. I'm pulling. I'm digging. My forearms HURT! Tony offered to exchange boats with me, but everybody was being so great in taking it easy that I was able to mostly keep up and not keep us back too much. Tony is really cool about reiterating that we paddle together for social reasons, not to race. It's always great to be doing something you love without getting a guilt trip!

We saw a group of kayakers heading down river and that was cool. They were impressed that we were heading up river. Actually, everybody who talked to us was impressed. I was impressed! We even received a few compliments on our sweet sculpted arms!

The only dim part of the day is that I DESPISE my carrier system. I pulled over so many times to tighten my tethers and to reposition the kayak on top of the car. I felt like a complete idiot. I cannot WAIT to get a different, BETTER system. There were so many times that I thought the hook at the end of a tie would swing up and crash into my windshield or that the kayak was going to slide off the roof!

Afterwards, we headed up to Slippery's in Wabasha and had some great chow along the river. I also found a few camping/boating places that I want to check out! What a great day.

MN Drivers don't Like Me Either!

2008-07-20T22:17:00.003-05:00

I was almost hit by another car tonight. Not nearly as close as the crosswalk incident, but this one was a MUCH higher speed. I was in the middle of the road and had to literally run to get out of the way. I barely made it.

Other news: I had a number of asissts at my soccer game tonight. Pretty excited about that. The top of my right foot is swollen. I kicked the bottom of somebody's cleat at full power, I was stepped on a few times on Fri, and at tonights game I thought I was about to break my ankle b/c of a tangle that took both of us to the ground. Instead, she landed with all of her weight on my foot and twisted it in a very nasty way. My veins are bulging! ps. we won:)

Auntie Maim - The Story of a RollerGirl Wannabe

2008-06-30T14:51:00.005-05:00

Why do we voluntarily subject ourselves to massive amounts of physical pain? Whether it's long term or short term, I don't think it matters. The point is that we do it. My reason for this weekends self-torture is to have no regrets. One of my dad's favorite lines from a song (and I'm in agreement. say what?!) sung by Frank Sinatra is "regrets. I've had a few, but still, too few to mention." That's how I want to LIVE my life. Without regrets. Without the "what-ifs". Without backward wishing.

On Sunday afternoon, I spent four hours of my life trying out for the MN Rollergirls. Yes! I tried out for a roller derby team! The 15min warmup was ladders of skating the rink at full speed, then at 80%, full speed, 80%, etc. For 15mins. I was done. I gave it my best, but I was literally about to throwup and then pass out in my puke. I'm not kidding! Within two minutes, all I could hear in my head is "What have you done! What have you gotten yourself into! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" Thankfully, I'm not a quitter. 15mins isn't enough for a life story! I stuck it out.

If you remove the passing out and throwing up scenario, but repeat the "What have I done" phrasing, you have my Sunday afternoon in a nutshell! We ran drills (all at full speed). We practiced falling and getting back up (at full speed). We skated as a jam. We had agility and speed tests. We did pushups, fly lifts, mountain climbers, situps and butt exercises with all our gear on. I should weigh everything, but it must be atleast an extra 20lbs of weight on my legs and arms. If that doesn't sound like much, I challenge you to do all those things in roller skates, without falling over, as hard as you can, while people are yelling at, for as long as they tell you to. I dare you.

The last drill we did is called "10mins in Hell". And it was. Again, they wanted us to put every last bit of ourselves into this. We had to skate the rink for 10 full mins at our max. No coasting. No dinking around. Push it until you collapse. Push it until you can't push any further and then go more.

For the last 3 hours and 50 minutes you've given every bit of energy you have. But they want more. They want heart! They want tenacity! They want RollerGirls! For 10mins you could hear people pushing themselves. Girls gasping for air. Girls cursing at the pain. You could hear girls cheering each other on. "You can do this!" "Finish it!" "Only 10mins!"

It was beautiful.

I didn't make the team. I'm not sorry for that. I went there, I gave my all and I left knowing I accomplished something. I left with a huge smile on my face. I left with a sore butt, shins, back, arms, hips... But I left with a smile.

I heart Thursdays

2008-06-26T15:51:00.002-05:00

Thursday is the day that I get to play nanny for the boys. And boy do I love it! We have our rough patches, but it's generally a great time. For example...

Last week we had a zoo/picnic/hiking/park/ice cream day. Then a nap. A long, long nap...

Jonas (2yrs old) associates me with cake and cookies. When he sees me he starts saying cake. Repeatedly. But he has recently learned two new words! Brownies and Kayak! So now when he sees me he rotates saying Cake or Brownie. And when I ask what he would like to do today he says kayak (he's been out once!). Love IT!!

Today, to celebrate Rochesterfest, the boys and I headed over to the Nickel Carnival. I had no idea what to expect, how many nickels would be needed or if I'd be able to get nickels there. So, after lunch we stopped by the bank and I withdrew $10 in nickels. As I was waiting to receive those nickels, I realized how many I was getting. 200 nickels. 200 nickels! I was starting to think that $10 in nickels may have been an excessive choice :) Especially after we got to the carnival and I saw what was there. Bean bag tosses, kiddie basketball, ring tosses, hockey shooting and a big bouncy thing. Then repeat. We had a great time! I think they really enjoyed being in charge of their nickels and handing them to the game bosses. The boys fell asleep on the 10min ride home and I now have 8 dollars and 40 cents in nickels sitting in my purse!

My Hands should now be referred to as Claws.

2008-06-15T00:13:00.002-05:00

Today was Carefest in Rochester. The churches in the community come together and do a massive cleanup of schools, parks and other community places. I worked at the local Boys and Girls Club. When I arrived I was asked if I had a preference for painting, landscaping or carpeting. I said I had no preference and to put me where I was needed! Oohhhhh, the lessons learned today!

I tore up carpet. I scraped glue from the floors. I laid new carpeting. I cut pieces of carpeting to finish the edging. I pulled weeds. I went to the bathroom at 8am and didn't go again till 6:30pm. I had two snack bars to eat throughout the day and had a 10min break the enitre day. As I drove home, my hands were in so much pain that I could barely turn the steering wheel! I'm waiting to see if my hands cramp in a claw position after all the glue scraping!

After Carefest, I got showered, grab a bite to eat and headed out for some Moonlight Kayaking! Amber (a new friend/coworker) met me at the Studio and I loaded up the boat. We were on the Hwy and I was keeping an eye on my back tie-downs. Then, it happened. The tether came undone and went one way, my kayak went the other! I'm FREAKING out that the boat is going to fall and start rolling down the highway! I quickly/safely pull over and assess the situation. Praise the Lord (!!!) the center strap was able to keep the boat on top of my car. It had flipped and was now sitting perpendicular to the roof of the car. Amber helped me get things put back to rights and I put the tethers on the front of the car instead of the back. We pulled onto the highway and the thought occurred to me "I'm on the wrong road!". I was heading towards the interstate instead of the park! So, we had a nice tour of the country and southern Rochester:)

The kayaking was AMAZING! as expected. I brought three friends along and they all had a good time! There were quite a few folks there this time, so it was great to meet so many people and to be on the lake!

After kayaking, Amber and I headed back to the studio to change and head out for Salsa dancing! We were all dressed up and crossed the street to Sontes. Sontes was closed. Salsa night was LAST Saturday:( Bummed, we headed to our cars and decided to go to the Redwood Room. Closed. Where else can we go??? Perkins. That's a big fat negatory! Off to our homes we went.

So a bummer ending, but what a great/busy/crazy day! My hands weren't too bad while kayaking, but they're really starting to hurt now. I'm watching the 1930s version of 'Frankenstein. The one with Boris Karloff. Good stuff:)

Just Wondering

2008-06-12T23:31:00.002-05:00

Going for very long walks is one of my favorite things to do. Going on these walks on a summer night is definitely in my Top 5.

I was all geared up to go for a run tonight. I started my warmup, had the music jamming, knew my route -- but I just couldn't do it. I very quickly felt that tonight was going to be a quiet night of listening. I changed the music over to Sigur Ros and started the walk.

For as little as I vocalize, I really do have a lot to say. So trying to get my head cleared out and calmed down took some effort and I had to remind myself often, "shhhhhh". But I ended up having good conversation. We spoke of how I was making similar daily life choices reminiscent of a year or two ago, but the present results and reasoning were different. We spoke of how I'm too guarded of my heart. We spoke of being welcomed into Heaven with circus music in the background. Much ground was covered!

A dear friend gave me some advice before I left Greeley. He said that I couldn't be so "rooaaarrrr". That's it. And, honestly, I took it to heart! When I speak with people, I try to be aware of my body position and what my face is saying. I try to speak a bit more softly, a bit more femininely and not so "Oh yeah! Well I can kick your butt!". I'm also trying to be less ornery. So I'm getting that area dealt with, but I still don't let people in. I don't let others see what's going on inside. I can count the number of people that I have been comfortable with, that I trusted enough to truly speak with, on one hand. You may even be able to cut off a few fingers and still count them!

If it's in my future to have a husband, to meet "My One", will I be able to open my heart enough initially for him to see me? To want me? Or am I going to miss out... miss him, because I just can't open it? Why do i have such difficulties in this area? I've never had my heart hurt. I know what it's like to be loved, so shouldn't I want to love others so they can feel it too? Why do I feel so unworthy of love?! Like I said, we spoke and I'm supposed to work on opening up, a little at a time. I don't need to give all of me to everybody, but I do need to give some.

As for my current choices, results and reasonings. Everything is awesome here! My past choices hid things inside me that I didn't want to deal with. I was so busy, occupied, tired that I didn't have the time/energy to deal with my innerbeing. Now, those same actions are for good! I'm just waking up my spirit and getting my confidence back!

Besides all that, I'm just stoked to be going to Heaven and to have some jammin, fun music to listen to on the way!

It's going to be a rockin' weekend, so stay tuned!

p.s.
I love feeling God's arm wrap around my shoulder.<><

There's a Reason They Call Me 'Clatters'

2008-06-10T15:19:00.005-05:00

I am a HUGE clutz. There's a hanging plant outside the front door. It's been there since probably April. I just nailed it big time with my head. I actually have a headache from it! Sadly, this isn't the only time I've run into it...

As I was walking into the house and closing the door, I somehow clipped my heel. It's not just a skin abrasion. There is a good chunk of skin missing.

I fall down stairs. I fall up stairs. I run into walls, doors, people and vehicles. I stubbed my toe bad enough the other day that it bled. I've dropped Lucas a good number of times when he was smaller. I've dropped glasses, plates, platters of food and expensive pieces of lab equipment. I trip over absolute nothingness.

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a clutz.

My Idea of Perfection

2008-05-17T23:28:00.003-05:00

What a great day and amazing night!

The day started off with a devotional on the topic of "The Habit of Rising to the Occasion". It spoke of how God allows adversities to enter our lives to see if we jump over them properly. Do we complain or do we God-Shine? Am I rising to the occasions or am I complaining? Do I have a readiness to face anything? Am I a true, life showing, speaking, thinking and emotionally evident of my faith, my God? Even as I'm typing this, more than 12 hours after initially reading it, parts of it are still striking me as "WOW, I suck!" God is giving me all of these opportunities to grow, to shine... and I'm treating them like burdens. Like my cross is so great because I don't have a career or because I can't find an apartment. Poor little Colleen! Suck it up and let your stinkin' light shine!!

Next time you see me, please check if my light is shining. If it's not, please ask me why? Then slap me so I wake up:)

The next neato part of the day involved Frisbee Golf! A friend and I headed to a course that neither of us had been to. It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon! Sunshine, slight breeze, good conversation, great 2 rounds of golf! Came home smiling!

But, the most bestest part of my day started at 9pm. I met a group of kayakers at Chesterwood Park for some moonlight paddling. YES! We paddled around this 140 acre lake by the light of the moon! It was perfect.

Obviously, sight was limited! I did get stuck on a log for a bit:) But, I was able to (eventually) maneuver my way off of it. I saw eagle silhouettes, heard beavers smacking the water with their tales, scared the bajeezers out of geese who in turn scared the bajeezers out of me! The moon rippled across the water as we made our silent wakes. You stop paddling and you hear... nothing. Maybe another paddler, but we often times got so spread out that it felt like I was completely alone. At one point, I was concerned that I had made a wrong turn and that I'd lost the leader, the group and my way back to the dock!

We had great conversations. We had great weather. I had a great time. It was peaceful. It was perfect.

2008-05-08T21:38:00.007-05:00

I've learned of couple of things this week.

The first:
I went Salsa dancing this past Monday for Cinco de Mayo. I took an 1 1/2hr lesson first and then the party followed. Party was a bit of a let down. Thought there would be TONS more people there. But that's not important. I danced and I had fun! I had good partners that were good leaders. Even the fella who wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, of what was going on, he still took control. He spun me, he moved me, he asked how I was doing! A courteous leader! Now, I don't like letting people "have control" over me. Totally unnatural and I don't have trusting nature. But I LOVED letting go! Why?! What was so different? I was letting complete strangers spin me, move me, control me! So the lesson I learned/realized/felt is that I need to let go. I need to let others take control sometimes and enjoy the outcome! Even if my feet get stepped on or I get spun the wrong way. I will always end up where I need to be for the next move.
I know. I'm hot:P

The second:
Cake decorating class has taught me more than how to make flowers, stars, letters and clowns. It has taught me that it's best to have a big rump! A big rump is essential. A big rump makes for easy holding on to!

My teacher didn't really care for the fact that my clowns had axes:)

The third:
Falling down steps hurts.

The fourth:
Changing your hair part can make you feel like a new person! Saucy even!

2008-04-29T21:46:00.008-05:00

In my quest for knowledge I have embarked on a journey of understanding, imagination, motor skills and artistic ability. I am enrolled in a...Cake Decorating Class! I've made stars. I've made borders. I've made roses and written a message. I have baked, layered, frosted, decorated and ate four cakes in the past month. Yet I am STILL not at the capacity of my knowledge! Class continues for a few more weeks until we are all able to make the perfect "every occasion" cake, "clown" cake and "doll" cake. The knowledge available is (not quite) limitless!

Now, the pictures you are about to see aren't quite Susie Homemaker. I'm more...avant garde. When Mrs. Lex (yes, I call her Mrs. Lex) tells me to use green for the leaves, I say "WOMAN! I will use purple for my leaves if I so choose!" Then she looks at me over the rim of her glasses and I mix enough green frosting to fill a rose garden. So enjoy and feel free to contact me for your next occasion! I make pretty stars*

Different day, same battles

2008-04-25T22:54:00.005-05:00

You wouldn't have to read more than three or four of my posts to know that I have NO clue as to what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. But, when I got the go ahead to leave CO and move to MN, I knew things were changing! God was speaking in a voice that I was able/willing to hear!

Granted my first week or so was rough. It took me awhile to get out of my funk (which never fully left till March!). But things were rolling! Things were happening! I was seeing God working around me!

My first week in town at my brother's indoor soccer game, I met a supervisor for one of the labs at Mayo! We talked about soccer, my work experience and how to get a job at Mayo. He gave me his card and told me to send him my info and that he'd take a look and help me out! A few emails later...It didn't work out.

So I keep applying for jobs. I'm spreading out into surrounding communities now.

The day after my birthday I received a phone call from a fella asking me out! We met for an awkward cup of coffee, we emailed, sent messages on Facebook. He turned out to be sweet, nice, honest, a gentleman. And he has this dry sense of humor that is pretty great. A few dates later...It didn't work out.

So I keep envisioning my life single. Living the Colleen version of Wild and Carefree.

I started looking at my finances to see about getting an apartment. I wrote out all my expenses and my income. A few calculations later...It didn't work out.

So I continue my life in the basement. Actually, this one is an awesome blessing!

The question is and always has been - What do you want from me?!? What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? How am I supposed to be growing during this period that I'm just not getting?!

I had the thought tonight that I'm pretty oblivious to things happening in my life. What I mean is, I don't see the lessons that I could/should be learning. I keep using the excuse, "Well I've been on my own for so long..." Am I supposed to be learning to share again? Have I become selfish with my life? Do I need to work on my communication and people skills more? Why is my job so hard for me? What can I be taking from that?

Surprise surprise. More questions. Maybe I should've been a journalist. I (half) jokingly ask people to talk to God about me and to come back with an answer. But, if anybody has any words of wisdom, I could use a book worth! Oh wait. I think that's called the Bible!

Peace out friends. May God speak to you in a language that you can/are willing to hear. <><

The Name Game

2008-04-13T22:52:00.002-05:00

I was reading an article in the NY Times the other day about how people forge "bonds" with others who have the same name. And these "others" are found via the internet. One of the craziest things is, the similarities found between the Googlegangers. Yes! there's a term for people with similar names. Similarities range from hobbies, to professions, to spouses!

So in the spirit of finding my other selves I googled! And I am stunned. And I am freaked. Here are my reults:
The first hit is for a spelling bee contestant in NY. I am also a spelling bee champion.
Second hit is a gal who graduated in 1971 from a Pittsburgh HS. I like cheesesteak sandwiches. (ok, so that one's reaching!)
Third...head coach for Eastern Oregon soccer team! Word to the third on that one:)
A tax deviant also pops up. I claim NO likability to that one!
A Maid of Honor, clothes designer, Katrina victim, math whiz, dead.
The real me pops up on pages 1 and 2! A facebook result, Roch Community Band and for this blog.

I have no message. No "Moral of the Story" or "Meaning of Life" to relay. I guess it's take it or leave it. This could prove that we are all somehow connected. This could prove nothing. I just thought it was an interesting/cool article! Maybe you'd like to check it out!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/us/10names.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=same+name&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

2008-04-09T13:45:00.003-05:00

I got a massage today. She started pulling sections of hair to "loosen my scalp". Apparently tight scalp is a bad thing...But now my hair is up in a ponytail and my scalp feels tight. I think I like the idea of a loose scalp.

Thanks Sgt Friday

2008-03-25T19:23:00.003-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The story you are about to read is true. Names have not been changed to protect the innocent.

1830 on Tuesday, March 25. A 10-84 is called in involving two dogs and a walker on the corner of Kenosha Dr NW and Monroe Dr NW. There were no 10-48s.

The walker, Colleen, heard running dog sounds, turned and saw two German Sheperds (GS) coming at herself and her dog, Annie. The GS wearing a blue collar proceeded to attack Annie at the throat. The second GS stood by and watched. Colleen screamed at the dogs. She kicked once, but became concerned with losing a limb. So she tried pulling Annie out of the 10-84. Annie's collar slipped off. Colleen then started hitting the GS with the leash and collar, still screaming at the animals. One GS headed back in the direction from it came. The GS fighting with Annie stopped and let Annie up.

Colleen and Annie backed away from the GS. Eye contact was kept and the leash was held at the ready incase of another attack. The GS watched Annie and Colleen till out-of-sight.

Annie is okay. Colleen called Big Brother and Animal Control. Annie had some nice treats with her dinner.

On March 25, there was no trial held in Superior Court, City of Rochester, County of Olmsted, State of Minnesota. Ergo, there are no results for this trial.

Quotes of the Week

2008-03-24T23:16:00.002-05:00

"Daddy! You didn't wipe me well enough and now my butt is rotten!"

heard while trying to get in the carseat -- "By the Power of Grayskull!"

Places in Rochester that Smell

2008-03-22T18:58:00.003-05:00

1. Sterling State Bank lobby. The one on Broadway. It's a weird mildewy, b.o., odd spice smell. I'm in there once or twice a week and it surprises (and sickens) me every time. They need some breath mints.
2. Section b/t Sterling State Bank and Post Office. The ones on Broadway. It has that cold, old, b.o. stank.
3. The armory. Granted, it's also a sports facility with international players. This one isn't sooo bad. Just during warmups.
4. Skyway section that does NOT go to the government building. I can't think of it right now...

I'm sure to add as I venture out more!

And the Band Played On

2008-03-16T19:15:00.003-05:00

I had my first Rochester Community Band concert Saturday night! It was soooo super fun! (And yes. Once a band nerd, always a band nerd.) I had a personal victory with one of the pieces. I was asked to switch parts the week before the concert. I've never been one to practice, but I DID look at the piece once outside of rehearsal. I had one rehearsal day to play the piece and then to perform it. I was asked to switch parts because of the difficulty level and the other guy playing it couldn't do it on his own. Rehearsal wasn't that great. But the concert! I nailed it! It was in a repeat section, so I nailed it twice!! Small victories;)

My mom was awesome and drove an hour to see/hear me/us. (She's the super coolest!) After the concert we went for the traditional post-concert ice cream! Good times:)

Next concert in early June in case anybody's in town!
<><

A New Record!

2008-03-16T18:53:00.003-05:00

What an amazing afternoon of caching!! I made a new record for myself! I found all 6 caches that I was looking for. 6 for 6!

My 1st cache was on a bike trail close to the house. Sadly, it was frozen in place so I couldn't sign the log! I hope that counts:) I may have parked illegally.
2nd cache was a park and grab. Sadly, my skills at park and grab are EXTREMELY poor. I had to walk quite a bit.
3rd cache was poorly hidden! It was a tupperware container with a red lid. It was hidden in the bushes, but the bushes had no leaves. So, as soon as you get close you see it! Somebody put a piece of sod over it and some sticks, but it was still super obvious.
4th cache was a fun trek down a hill. I was stabbed a few times by thorns and almost didn't make it back up the hill because of the ice and snow. I may have parked illegally...again.
5th and 6th caches were in a hidden park! Oooooooo. Hidden! Again with the snow and ice! A dangerous trek, put totally worth it! The trail is around an old quarry and it overlooks the entire city. It was secluded now, but I can imagine with all the tree leaves and grasses how secluded it'll be in a few months! This is currently my favorite place in the city. Aesthetics wise:) I'm looking forward to walking/running all the paths! I wasn't illegally parked this time.

So that's it. 6 for 6!!! An amazing afternoon!

This Post is for Gary!

2008-03-14T23:39:00.002-05:00

What my week has consisted of:
Friday night some new friends, my bro, sis-in-law and I went to the FLUX at the Art Center! The AC was decked out like a lounge/club, the galleries were left open, there was a blues singer and then some DJs. Fantastic! Just what Roch needs! Lots of young, professionals live here and not everybody wants to hang out at a sleazy bar after 10p!

Sunday night I subbed at an indoor game. All girl team vs an all guy team from Morocco. We may have won! Nobody was keeping close track. I then subbed for another team after my game. Good fun! I almost played a third game, but the captain wouldn't let me play on his team b/c I'm a girl. I hope I get to play him some time. I will crush him.

Monday afternoon I played soccer at the gym over the noon hour. Not as much fun as it usually is. The guys were playing too seriously for a pickup/lunchtime game. Then I went and bought new inserts for my soccer shoes. My feet were hurting. And then...I don't remember what else.

Don't remember Tues or Wed. Thurs night was a going-away shindig for one of Shawn and Shel's friend. I almost started crying! I have a pretty good idea of how he may be feeling!

Friday (aka Pi Day) I worked in the morning, had lunch at a disappointing restaurant and then nannied the rest of the day. I took a little nap w/ Jonas (2yr old) and then made wood model airplanes when everybody woke up from naps! I had a 2hr concert band rehearsal then went to the gym. Had yogurt for dinner. Jonas ate half of it. I am now stepping in play-doh and typing a blog.

Saturday I have some errands to run and then my first band concert in ages. Church Sunday and a Gaelic Storm concert on Monday.

Happy? ;P
<><

A good alarm clock

2008-03-10T11:02:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning to Michelle playing guitar and Jonas singing along. It's nice waking up with a smile!

2008-03-01T21:59:00.002-06:00

Have you ever felt like you are a part of something that doesn't exist?

I was sitting in a dark, empty theatre tonight, putting my scarf on, pulling on my coat and I felt like I was someplace different. It was familiar. It was comfortable. It wasn't a real place.

Tell me I've seen too many old movies. Call it movie magic. I all of a sudden felt glamourous (in jeans and a sweater). I felt like I was in a theatre in the early 1940s. All when I was wrapping my scarf...

side-note: I'm also apparently using UK English tonight! TheatRE?? GlamOUrous?? ok...

ow-y

2008-02-27T00:08:00.001-06:00

I think I pulled something wrastling with the boys...and Shawn...Come to think of it, who was on my side?!

Adventures in Babysitting

2008-02-15T14:04:00.005-06:00

Hide 'n Seek has to be in my top 5 games. So I was stoked when the nephews said they wanted to play. I had some pretty sweet hiding spots! Nephews aren't that great at it though. (No excuses! So what if they're 2 and almost 5!) I tried hiding under Jonas's bed and nearly got stuck. I then hid in a closet, but my legs were in full view! Oddly enough, Lucas didn't see me!

Annie (the dog) is pretty awesome at Hide 'n Seek. When she was a pup we played all the time. So, if you ask "Where's Colleen?" she goes berserk and starts searching the house. She found me everytime. Then and now! I thought she was going to attack me though the other night! She couldn't really see me, just smell me and she got this guttoral growling, I'm taking you down look. Hilarious when I jumped out!

This is Lucas' best hiding spot of the night:)

Seriously. That is not a staged photo. He really hid there.

Next we made an obstacle course. He had to jump from pillow to pillow and over Mr. Potatoehead. I did my best to tire those boys out! I had to increase the difficulty level though.

Yep. A Blindfold!!

Things I'm getting proficient at...

2008-02-11T01:14:00.001-06:00

We Rocked that Cradle

2008-01-28T23:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, the Fagan Crew + 1 (me) headed up to Minneapolis to "Rock the Cradle". It's a cool event put on by 89.3 The Current at a museum. Everything is geared towards the kiddie age bracket (about 5/6 and under). There was a disco, a 'Be An 89.3 DJ' section, an instrument room where various instruments could be played by the kids, an art room and a creepy, kid-song room. Ok, the creepy, kid-song room probably wasn't that creepy, but I haven't had much exposure to songs that repeat a letter, word or number. "A One, A One, A One one. A Two, A Two, A Two two." It haunts me.

It's just cool that arts and music are being encouraged. Especially at such a young age! I loved the Disco area! It was a sweet dance party that'd I'd go to with or without the kiddies. There were mini mosh pits:) I SWEAR!! I was following my 2yr old nephew around the dance floor and it looked like lots of mini mosh pits. The kids see something interesting that another kid is doing, they coagulate, they imitate (usually a kicking move), they form pits. Hilarious!

More kiddie tales to come. OOoooo! I have an adult tale to tell.

I played in an indoor pickup soccer game this afternoon. I NAILED a guy in the woo-hoo. He collapsed. Game was paused. He lopped over to sidelines. His teammates laughed and told me to do it again...only harder! :)

How Many Sheep did I Count?

2008-01-28T15:59:00.000-06:00

Imagine, if you will, a King sized bed. Lots of room to move and spread yourself out on. Now, imagine a healthy 5yr old. Small, right? Right. How about an adorable 2yr old. You have one in mind? Excellent! You all know what I look like. Fairly average sized 26yr old.

Now, put all of us on that King bed you thought of. Plenty of room! We could all make snow angels in the sheets if we wanted to...right? That's a big, fat NEGATORY! The 5yr old is curled up on the 26yr old and the 2yr old is somehow squeezed between us and I'm doing my darndest to NOT fall off the bed!

I literally had 7inches to my name on that bed. (Which means I slept on my side. But, I can't sleep on my side. So I laid on my side for about 4hrs till we had to get up.) Lucas eventually scooted over, but still remained on my third of the bed. Jonas started flipping his legs and arms all over the place to make a spot. He may be a 2yr old, but he has a mean kick!! And Lucas likes to swing his arms around. Thankfully, he only hit me in the face. (that's sarcasm folks)

Yes yes. I did try to move everybody over. But, I'm some sort of super-human, hot-baby-body magnet. Those kids produce SO MUCH HEAT! I was kicking the blankets all off. Then I was freezing b/c my gallons of sweat were cooling in the cold night air. So I had partial blankets on and off. That's not the end of the story! Jonas (remember, the one who kicks and was sleeping on me?) he didn't want the blankets on at all. Everytime he was touched by one, the kicking and arm swinging would start again.

So I'm laying on my side (going numb), I'm freezing, I'm burning up, I'm trying to not fall off the bed and did I mention snoring? I think you get the picture. :P

A Day at Fagan Studios

2008-01-15T23:07:00.000-06:00

Today was my official first day of work at Fagan Studios.

It started off with me getting there an hour and a half late. Then we went to lunch. Kidding:) I worked a little first. I furthered my electrician skills by installing a couple of thermostats. It didn't go so great! I had to drill new holes and the screws were stripped before I could get them into the beam. Then we went to lunch.

After lunch, using a hacksaw, I removed the stripped screw and got things figured out. (With a little help from the boss, aka Big Brother.) The second thermostat went much better! Until installation. Holes were too big ;( Had to use wall anchors. Jeepers. I'm an expensive electrician.

Okay. So, thermostats are figured out and my belly is full. Next project? Building a filing cabinet! Piece of cake, right? The cabinet is from IKEA and the directions only have pictures (albeit, some are hilarious!). I like words. Words are good. It took the REST of the day to put this thing together! It was backwards a few times and again, I needed Shawn to help me fix things. I'm an expensive carpenter.

And that was my first day at Fagan Studios!!

www.faganstudios.com

Long Version

2008-01-10T23:53:00.000-06:00

Starting late Saturday my thought process circled
around "What have I DONE?!?!" The freak-out was
beginning. I figured, no biggy! I was just sad and I'd
fall into happy/excited mode by about Kearney, NE.

No Deal. My brother pointed out that he hadn't seen me
smile ONCE since he'd seen me (first on Sun), and it
was Tues afternoon; I've been getting sick after every
meal; I'd been at the house for 30mins and had already
fallen down the stairs. Great start:)

So, obviously, some self-evaluations were going and I
had a great chat with my brother. The biggest...angst
is/was that I'm giving up my independence. I have as
much an attachment to my freedom as I do to inanimate
objects. So, it's pretty fierce! :) My family knows
who I am and how I get. They (being Mom) really
dislike it, but they raised me this way. The 'rents
wanted me to go to their town Tues night since my
bro/sis-in-law were outta town. I told the 'rents that
I needed "Colleen Time" and that I had a list of
things to get done by weeks end. Mom made fun of my
list. She said to throw it out and enjoy being there.
But, the list is what brought my sanity back. It
focused me. It brought order back to my life. And with
order, there is JOY!! Apparently, I'm Type A. (I find
that insulting!)

So Tues night I put together my room and the bathroom.
I cleaned/straightened up the house (my rent payment!)
and just relaxed. By myself. It was AWESOME!! Exactly
what I needed. My attitude totally flipped with that
list and focus:)

Last night I spent time with Shawn, Shel and Jonas
(youngest nephew) and it was great. Jonas doesn't
really know me, so it worked out great that Lucas was
staying at a b-day party in another town. Jonas and I
are pretty tight now. Lucas showed up this evening and
we've been inseparable. Apparently, he's been wanting
to paint my room since he found out I was moving (he's
4 btw). He wanted to do pink and red with hearts. I'm
not a pink and red with hearts kind-a gal, but he
wanted it b/c he "missed me and was glad I moved
there". That made my heart smile. We cut hearts out of
construction paper instead and he helped me hang them.
He then gave me a fat-lip with a cheap shot to the
face. He's a dirty fighter. :P Brother taught him
well! I love this kid. He chose me to sit next to at
dinner. He sat on my lap while we made hearts and
played with stickers (not grandma's lap, but MINE!).
He wanted me to put him to bed. Jonas has been asking
for MY help down the stairs. He wants to play with me
now too.

Being with this family is...heart-warming. My bro is
amazing to his wife. He's a leader and role model for
his boys. My sis-in-law doesn't nag or push and she
has her own power tools. She's a role model of a
strong woman and wife. And these boys! they have an
infectious laugh.

This is why I am here.
<><

And Here it IS!

2008-01-06T20:56:00.000-06:00

Today was loading day. A bit of a rough start. Pops got lost picking bro up from the airport, which pushed the schedule back. That made me nervous b/c we were on a VERY TIGHT schedule. But, we finished with plenty of time to spare!

My amazing friends Cola and Gary showed up ready to lift and move all the heaviness. What great friends. I'm going to miss them more than words could describe.

What a crazy feeling. I've lived here/there for over 4years. This has been my home! My adult life! And I'm leaving it all. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for what lies ahead. But like I told Shawn this afternoon--I'll be crying to Kearney b/c I'll be leaving my life. I'll be smiling and excited past Kearney b/c I'll be starting a life. Emotions are whirlwinding:) Still. :P

But now we're sitting in the hotel room, watching American Gladiators. Hitting the road before the sun does. WooHoo for a crazy loooong drive ahead!

2007-12-23T17:26:00.000-06:00

For those of you keeping up...

My indoor team took third:( Tough loss. Great season though! A break is needed greatly. My left knee is about three times it's usual size with a massive, oozey rug burn on it. Hot stuff! I can hear the fellas running!! :P

2007-12-21T12:28:00.000-06:00

I've been hanging with Shannon near Saratoga for a couple of days. It's a winter wonderland up here:) Problem is, my wishes keep getting granted! I know it sounds odd to call that a problem, but I've been feeling guilty getting my way lately. I wanted to get snowed in so I could be with Shannon longer and that wish is happening! Guilty part...I'm supposed to work this weekend and I was covering a shift already. But I DON'T WANT TO GO!!! I'm having a blast up here. Relaxing, hanging out, playing in the snow! (I introduced Shannon to a nice big, fluffy section;P)

We went GeoCaching this morning. It was only a mile away so we walked. 10-15min when dry. Closer to an hour with 2ft of snow! It was fun. The dogs had a great time:) I was supposed to go snowmobiling yesterday, but the guy with the sleds had to work longer than expected. But, I did get to help cut down a Christmas Tree! Shannon works 10-6 so her friends have been keeping me entertained. A seriously great time!

OH! I went snowboarding yesterday too! No chairlifts and snowmobiles are not allowed in that section. So I had to hike up. I'm getting some serious cardio this holiday:)

Appetites were Brought!

2007-12-16T12:58:00.000-06:00

I just had one of my BEST dinner parties:) And a great mix of music if I do say so myself:)

The Menu:
Spinach and Artichoke dip with carrots and bread as an appetizer
French Onion Soup for a starter
Penne Rigata with Greens and toasted Pine Nuts for the entree
Asparagus and Yellow Peppers with a Parmesan Butter for a side
Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Carmel Swirl topping for Dessert
everybody went home with a goodie box of Choc Chip, White Choc Macadamia Nut and PB cookies and Buckeyes
PumpkinTinis
Wine
VodkaFog (a vodka chocolate yummy concoction!)

I had quite the array of friends over, but there was atleast a small connection b/t 1 person and another in every "group". It went great! People were laughing, drinking, talking, eating and telling stories all night.

My kitchen was a DISASTER afterwards, but it was cleaned up in no time. I sacrificed a few chunks if skin to the cheese grater. (Lots of blood and banging of my head on the counter to distract from the pain.)

I'll get some pics posted later. The bike helmet was pulled out at one point:)
Good Eats everybody!!

Brian Regan is HILARIOUS!!!!

2007-11-16T00:16:00.000-06:00

This guy came through Greeley tonight. A riot! I was laughing the entire time. Check him out!!
Walkie Talkie

PopTarts

and one more:)
Food Labels

2007-11-13T22:49:00.000-06:00

Just told my stylist good-bye:(
Atleast the hard one's are out of the way. A good Dentist and Hair Stylist are hard to find.
Next round starts in a few weeks!

2007-11-11T21:48:00.000-06:00

Sang this song at church today and it really hit me. Brought a huge smile to my face:)
credit to David Crowder Band
"You make everything glorious, and I am Yours, What does that make me?" Pretty simple, ay?

The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than its hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

My eyes are small but they have seen
the beauty of enormous things
Which leads me to believe
there's light enough to see that

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

From glory to glory
You are glorious You are glorious
From glory to glory
You are glorious. You are glorious
Which leads me to believe
why I can believe that

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

From glory to glory From glory to glory
You are glorious. You are glorious.
You are glorious. You are glorious.

It's hard to say good-bye to the Dentist

2007-11-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

I had a dentist appointment on Thurs. Just a regular check-up and cleaning. I know that majority of people loath going to the dentist, but it was the most relaxing thing I'd done all week:) You have no idea how much I was looking forward to it! The hygenist is AMAZING! She has never stabbed my gums or pinched the inside of my cheek or caused my ANY pain or discomfort. I believe this to be a rarity in the world of Teeth Doctors/Hygenists. She's also insanely nice to me. Always complimenting my clean teeth and how easy I am to work on. She always says nice things about my hair or shoes...If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was hitting on me:) Dr. Heikes is super nice too. I've never seen his face though. He's ALWAYS wearing a mask and glasses. But he's nice. In and Out. He makes fun of my missing bicuspid, but it's become a sort of inside joke. Odd to have a joke with your dentist...

Anyway, they were saying "bye, see you in a few months" and I told them "Negatory. I am moving to MN in Jan." Dr. Heikes came back around the corner and I think he was actually sad. (As sad as one can be behind a mask...That could be the start of a deep thought.) But they became a difficult group to say bye too! I was NOT expecting that! But everybody was really nice about it and I told the hygenist (wish I knew her name) that she was the best I ever had and that I totally appreciated her. The receptionist lady then told me about her parents and how they like to VACATION in Rochester. It was awesome. I knew it'd be hard to say bye to my friends and a few coworkers and to CO in general, but I never knew it'd be hard to say good-bye to the Dentist.

<><

2007-10-29T22:57:00.001-05:00

I scored a goal at indoor! I scored a goal at indoor! Then I squealed like a little girl! Then I squealed like a little girl! :) Live it Love it:)

It's called Painting with Light.

2007-10-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

star wars V star trek

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God Plan 'PP' is in action!

2007-10-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

Plan PP
Step 1:
Pick a date to end my job
Step 2:
Tell boss what that date is
Step 2b:
Fire Chee
Step 3:
Decide where to move
Step 4:
Move

I can check steps 1-3 off the list:)

January 11 will be my final day with IEH! and I am moving to...wait for it...Rochester, MN!

What a week. I know I posted a few weeks ago about taking control back, but that only lasted a few days. But I held on to what I had and started making some decisions. They all feel great so I'm guessing that I'm FINALLY on track to what God has for me. And this weekend has been a reminder of what my life used to be like:) I stayed in my PJs till about 11 then went geocaching on a brisk, chilly Saturday afternoon. I fell into a funk when I went to WalMart, but who wouldn't be depressed at WalMart on Saturday! TOO MANY PEOPLE! and I got into my head too much. But, then, I went to Target and everything was better! I LOVE walking around Target! Even if I don't buy anything, there's just something about Target that I enjoy. That afternoon I realized that I had accidentally recorded over my Tae Bo tape. No more Billy Blanks doing "Double Time!" :( I have a small part of the tape left atleast. About half the double time. ahhhhh I'm so funny.

At church Saturday evening I saw a friend, went to say hey and completely fell apart. I was crying all over the place! Now: I cry at cheesy-sappy movies, I cry when I bring animals to the pound and I cry when I see other people crying on TV. These are all silly cries. I don't actually cry that much. But I've been stressed, exhausted and just a huge emotional wreck the last couple of months. All I wanted to tell her was HI! But she asked how I was doing and I just...I was laughing through it though too. I told her about my resignation and moving. She was excited for me (she's been praying for my guidance and talking to me for a little over 2 years now about God's plan!) but then she got a bit misty eyed and that set me off again. It felt good I guess. That release was needed and it hit me that I AM MOVING. I AM MOVING. In 2 1/2 months I AM MOVING.

The new adventures waiting for me in MN are very exciting. Watching my nephews grow up and being a part of their lives is very exciting. Being close to my bro and sis-in-law is very exiciting. Living near my 'rents...not so much:) (kidding Mom! I love your meatloaf!!) I'm just not looking forward to starting all over in the friends department. I've become a little more extroverted over the years, but I'm either super shy or come across as this wicked-tough, ornery chick. Still have some things to work on.

The soccer game that was cancelled three weeks ago was finally made up today. I couldn't have asked for a better Fall day for a game! FYI, I was on a Champion team:) And again, sad b/c it was my finally game in the shadows of the mountains. I have goose poopy fields to look forward to now.

Finally...

2007-10-14T19:23:00.000-05:00

I've taken control back. I refuse to let my job get me down any longer!

As many of my friends know, I've decided to quit my job after the new year. That decision has turned into such a blessing! My job stills blows, but I know I don't have to do it much longer which makes it easier to grin and bear.

As usual, I was pretty exhausted on Friday. But, I had made plans to meet a friend for Happy Hour and go to a party that night. So, I dragged my bum to OCs and we had a very nice chat. She's one of my good friends here and we talked out some of my options after leaving my job and what not. It just felt good to tell her what was going on and to give her a heads up that I may not be around in a few months! Neither of us are emotional people, but we both started to tear up:) We've sort of been each others rock over the last few months and it'll be hard to leave if that's the choice that's made.

So. Happy Hour was Happy, I headed home to change and headed to the party where I told everybody that it was going to be a short night for me. I gave the head's up so I wouldn't get crap later on when I left. Apparently, being tired, nay, exhausted, isn't a viable excuse though. One guy continually asked if I was mad. If I was mad at him. Did he do something wrong. Why am I mad. He was actually pissing me off for asking what was wrong when all I was was tired!! But, he's called "Drunk Jim" for a reason and what I was saying wasn't getting through. Friday's start and end were not very nice.

Saturday. Now Saturday was the day I'd been looking forward to all week! I had no plans for the day. I could sleep as much I needed. Nothing was pressing to get done. Except, did I mention that my computer broke on Friday? It did. I forgot till Saturday morning when I needed it! My carefree day now required me going to the library to get directions to the Apple store in Broomfield. I had to contemplate buying a new computer that day, I couldn't forget to email directions to a friend for a party that I was going to that night and I got a call that could lead to me working through Sunday night/Monday morning. So not only did I wake up and IMMEDIATELY think about work I was now angry driving down I-25 and thinking of nothing but work. I was listening to Christmas music and that wasn't even distracting or enjoyable!

Where have my weekends gone?! Where has the girl gone that doesn't let things bother her because it all works out in the end?! Where have I GONE?! I've been struggling with that question for months now.

And out of nowhere...there I was! The real me had just been sitting there. Waiting. I took control back. I made the decision to not deal with work till I was done driving. Then I decided to not deal with it till I got to the Apple store, made an appointment to check out my computer. Then, I decided what the plan would be so one person wasn't working straight thru the night. It'd be best to break it up. I found a quiet area, made the phone calls, updated the boss-man and went on my merry way. Done and Done! I was in control again. I was back:)

I haven't been to a mall in ages and Flatirons is a really nice place, so after the Apple guys squeezed me in (SUPER nice guys) I walked the mall, listened to music and hit some sales. Found some new work clothes (business-casual, right Shawn? wink wink 87% sure) that were on sale. I had my no pressure, pleasant afternoon after all:) Even got some Christmas shopping done! Shannon came down for the weekend and we went to a friend's 40th b-day party. Hung out, had a nice time, had an earlier than expected night. Soccer was cancelled, but it worked out. I got my apt cleaned and am working on some other presents for folks.

Turns out though that I am that person working through the night:) Oh well...3 more months...
<><

Peak or Bust...literally!

2007-09-19T21:54:00.001-05:00

With a heavy-laden bag on my back, 4 hours sleep and ambition to distinguish myself...to conquer something...I set off to climb Pikes Peak.

At 14,110 feet, it isn't even the tallest 14er in Colorado. But it was to be MY 14er. It was to be ME conquering the seemingly unconquerable. It was going to be between me and the mountain.

Aunt Mary Ann, Cousin Billy and I started on Barr Trail at 5:45am. We beat the sun to the trail! It was a beautiful and eager beginning. Aunt Mary Ann starts us off on a great pace and we have nothing but confidence that we would get to the top long before our ride down (the Cog) left. I even brought a book along thinking I'd get bored at some point! My how that idea changed after 7 miles:)

It was a beautiful trail. Steep, but beautiful. The crisp cool air on my skin. The smell of leaves turning yellow and red. The heat of the new sun on my face. Beautiful. Perfect. Serene. Tiring. There was about 5mins of level trail in the whole 9 1/2 hours that it took us to climb. We took every opportunity to rest and let our hearts catch up. Every corner offered a photo op:)

I'm not a quitter, but I'm not exactly a go-getter either. I'm very much a middle-of-the-road type of gal. So I was fighting with myself ALOT around mile 10 on whether I wanted to continue and finish the last three uphill miles or take the 10 down.
I took the three. It was a fight, but I went for it. And it was worth it...

Sadly, I had to leave my aunt and cousin behind. Every time they stopped to breath, my legs would cramp and I had the hardest time starting up again. So I told them I was going to take it slow and if they caught up, great, if not, I'd meet them at the top! So I soldiered on at my back-breaking turtle speed. I was walking so slowly that winter showed up. It snowed on me! We could all see the clouds moving in. The angst of the other folks on the trail was palpable. As the thunder started to clap everybody's pace quickened. High elevation and storms with lightning do not mix well! Thankfully, it started to snow and the clouds rolled by without incident.

Nine and one half hours later, I reached the top. Oddly, at the time, I wasn't excited. Sure, I was happy to be done. I was happy to use the restroom (not too keen on peeing behind a rock on a barren slope with people above and below me!). But I wasn't elated to have accomplished the goal. I was flat out exhausted. That's pretty much it. Exhausted. The last mile or two I was cursing what ambition I had to make me want to climb the mountain. I was cursing the mountain for being there. Yet, at the same time, I met an amazing group of people who had the same ambition, same goals. They were having the same struggles and every single one of them was an encouragement. At every new switchback you could hear people telling complete strangers "You can do it!" "You're almost there!" "Burn in Hell you Damned Mtn!" (ok, so that was in my head, but you could tell others were thinking it too!) I met some Army guys who had done the climb before. We were talking about the "16 Golden Stairs" at the end of the trail. He said that he liked the name because they were the stairway to heaven and it was pure hell going up them. But, once to the top, you were in Heaven. Things like that and "See you at the top!" is what kept my feet moving.

Two switchbacks left. One switchback left...

13 miles. 9 1/2 hours up. 1 hour down. Endless satisfaction. I can say that now. As I drove home Sunday morning, I was looking at the peak in the distance and kept telling myself "You climbed that. You CLIMBED that!" It's now starting to sink in what I have accomplished. Maybe I'm not so much of a middle-of-the-road type of gal anymore...

2007-09-08T13:50:00.001-05:00

A friend (Davida) and I have become fans of a band called The Elders. So much so that we headed into Estes Park Friday night for a Ceilidh. Pronounced Kay-lee, it's essentially an Irish Party.

Thing is, it didn't start till 10:30pm, didn't end till 1ish in the morning. I wasn't to keen on the idea of driving home through the canyon at 2 in the morning so we decided to camp out. A friend's, in-laws own property near Estes and they let us throw a tent in their woods. It was a fantastic, beautiful, serene sight. We got camp set up as the sun was setting and headed to town for dinner and the party.

And yes, I pitched a tent in heels and tube top. Kinda weird.

The party was awesome! Lots of fellas in kilts, great tunes and some decent dancing. Heading back to camp was scary. I thought the canyon was gonna be bad! I lost count of how many times I almost went off the road. There was a section of switchbacks that was absolutely INSANE! Turning onto the road to our campsite we saw a bear. Yes, a BEAR! It was a big cub, but a bear all the same. After we finished screaming we had a decision to make. Sleep with the bears or challenge the canyon by driving home. Of course, I liked the idea of sleeping by a stream under an unbelievable sky of stars and not worrying about the bears. But, Davida wasn't into it. I actually tore down camp while she sat in the car with a Mack flashlight. I had her roll her windows down enough that she could hear me scream, but not enough for a bear's claw to get into:)

I climbed into bed about 3 this morning and didn't roll out till 11. It's a beautiful Saturday (I'm still in my PJs @ 1!).

GeoSlasher Public Premier

2007-09-04T23:27:00.001-05:00

Okay. I THINK I finally have the guts to post my short film. I may remove it tomorrow.
I made this movie earlier this summer during a rough patch and it's probably the most fun I've had in a long time. It was a classic horror film setting, I was totally alone and I needed to leave my world for a bit.

I'm putting a PG rating on this. My 4yr old nephew watched it and got sorta freaked. It took the whole weekend to stress the fact to him that it was fake, it was a movie, I was totally fine...or was I???

So...check it out, enjoy it for the B flick that it is and don't judge me too harshly:)
Much Love,
COLLeEN<><
sorry, one more thing before you get your popcorn out. I'm still working on my editing skills, so there's about 4mins of dead air after the movie. feel free to stop it at the end of the credits and start it over! thx.

Can Our Lives be this Boring?

2007-08-31T23:18:00.001-05:00

I check out a few friend's blogs regularly. Nobody (besides Shawn, but he hadn't blogged in months) has written of their lives recently.

Option1: We are all sooooo insanely busy with work that there is nothing going on in our lives. Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
Option2: We are out of the country and have limited access for blogging (wink wink Karen!)
Option3: We all found a mountain to climb, climbed it, got misplaced (not lost!), spent some recovery time in a hospital, met the man/woman of our dreams and don't want to rub it in the faces of our single friends.
Option4: Our lives are boring.

I would LOVE to say that option3 is my excuse, I'd even take option2, but sadly I must opt for 1. Which, I guess, also contributes to option4. My excitement for the week? I have curly hair today. It'll be gone tomorrow. woohoo.

This is How We Roll

2007-08-21T08:08:00.001-05:00

Waiting for the Snow

2007-08-15T00:14:00.001-05:00

This is me:

2007-08-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

Exhausted, Defeated, Unmotivated. It's a winning threesome.

Exhausted: small apt + 2 rambunctious boys + "I don't care, whatever you want...but I can't eat that or that or do that..." + where IS all my stuff?!?!
Defeated: I had set goals, was meeting those goals (slowly, but surely), 8 million steps back
Unmotivated: left side says "Go for a run. It'll feel great!" right side says "relax, kick back, running hurts."

this is me...

Sledding in Greeley! (In August?!)

2007-08-13T21:57:00.001-05:00

2007-07-27T00:41:00.000-05:00

I almost got hit by a car today. Twice. A guy started pulling into my lane without looking, I layed on my horn and he stopped inches from my car. He pulled back to his lane, waved me forward and apologized.

The second incident occured while I was walking home tonight. I was wearing a very-white shirt, on a crosswalk, in a lit area. I thought he was just taking his time stopping. He wasn't. The guy was turning right on red, so thankfully, he was just rolling across the crosswalk. He didn't stop till I said HI! I was literally TOUCHING his car when he finally stopped! He was soooooo freaked out.

After my heart started back up both times, it was sorta funny. Both guys had that "deer in the headlights" look. Good stuff.

Moral of the story? Never ever leave your house.

Chuck Norris is AWESOME!

2007-07-24T23:27:00.000-05:00

Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds till." After you ask, "Two seconds to what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.

Chuck Norris has never blinked in his entire life. Never.

Chuck Norris once shot an enemy plane down with his finger, by yelling, "Bang!"

Chuck Norris does not use spell check. If he happens to misspell a word, Oxford will simply change the actual spelling of it.

JUST A FEW GOOD ONES!

I think geese pee standing on one leg.

2007-07-24T10:40:00.001-05:00

I learned that this "weekend".

I went camping at Flatiron Reservoir on the outskirts of Loveland Monday night. It was nice! It's a small reservoir and boats aren't allowed, but there were LOTS of fishermen there. Some nice folks too. Some grandparents had their granddaughters and they lent me some cooking oil. Another guy had a cute golden retriever and he was chatting up some other fisherfolk. The guy behind me, across the road is a snorer. And the GEESE! I've been camping and had deer take over the site. You go camping in the Badlands and the buffalo come into the campsites, but I've never had a goose issue before:) A couple were hissing at me because I wouldn't give them my breakfast. (I did give them my leftover rice from dinner though. Sshhh. Don't tell the rangers.)

And yes, I went camping alone. I even bought pepper spray before I went out. I love to go, but I don't know if I will anymore. WHAT?! says my captive audience. I have an overactive imagination at night and I startle WAY to easily. It was probably just the geese walking around eating, but I thought I was hearing footsteps outside my tent. And some guy came right up to my tent and did this weird, screamy, aargh thing. I think... I'm not entirely certain what happened last night. Similar situations have happened EVERY time I've gone out on my own. I need to bring people next time.

One more quick thing. Plastic bags and boiling water don't mix. I had a camping recipe for "Baggy Omelets" that sounded really good. Maybe my bags were too cheap, but part of it broke open (duh) and the parts touching the pot burned (obviously). But it worked out for the most part!

Peace out!

2007-07-06T23:51:00.000-05:00

When you think of me caching you should think of Wonder Woman. Except, maybe without the lasso or the invisible jet. You should probably take away atleast one of her bullet proof cuffs and the other is pretty chipped and broken. But I definitely have the magic tiara!

On July 4th, I wanted to go bike-geocaching along the Poudre River Trail. There were three caches to find and one was a multi-cache (5 stages!). So I got all the coordinates, got lots of water, a granola bar, bike pump, odometer/speedometer (just b/c it's fun to see how fast I can go!), bathed in some sunscreen, got the bike carrier on the car, got the bike on the carrier on the car...I was loaded up and ready to go!

After unloading my bike, getting the bag on the bike and putting on more sunscreen, I was ready to hit the trail and do treasure huntin'. First coordinate? Yeah. I gots the coordinates, but gots no GPS. Holla!

I didn't even look for the caches. That would've been a total of 7 coordinates! Granted, the clues for the multi were really clever, but there were way too many options. Which bench is it under, which grove of trees do I search, how do I get through an electrical fence...

The trail was awesome all the same. I haven't been out there for some time now. My sis has had my bike since April. I get to "borrow" it with advanced notice. I went back to the trail the next day, with GPS in hand. Found ALL the caches and had a GREAT time with my first bike-geocache.

So you're wondering about the whole Wonder Woman tie-in? Just that a previous post boasted my amazing, nay, super-hero-like ability to find hidden treasure without a map or compass. I'm not as super a super-hero, or as good a cacher without a GPS as I'd like to think.

I bet I'd look good in red boots though...
<><

2007-07-05T14:58:00.000-05:00


	Your travel type: Culture Buff The culture buff needs to see a museum, an art gallery, a 16-th century church every day during his holiday. When he travels he is always well prepared. He has read history books, speaks a few words of the lingo, knows about the strange habits the locals have.
	top destinations: Amsterdam New York Hong Kong	stay away from: Kashmir Ciudad Perdida Darien Gap

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Heartbreaks of Geocaching

2007-06-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Is it poosbile to Geocache without a GPS? YES! I did a multicache yesterday (a cache with more than one coordinate. One coordinate leads you to the next, so on and so on.) and found the final stage without my GPS. Here's the lowdown:

The first coordinate that I had had me in a guys backyard. Well, technically I wasn't in his yard, but I was close enough that I was just waiting for him to call the cops on me. I love Geocaching, but it's not worth getting arrested for! So, I left that area. Now, I had a travel bug that I picked up in HI and I needed to get rid of it. This was my last cache for a few days and I really wanted to get it done. From the description of the cache from the website I had a pretty good idea of where the final cache was. I wanted to place one in that same area, so I figured I'd take a look and hope it was there.

I parked my car and started the hike (without my GPS unit). I rounded the pond, found the tree, looked under the loose concrete and there it was! Exactly where I thought it would be and where I wanted to hide my cache (if I ever decided to hide one). I was disgruntled that day from previous caches, but I was glad to give the travel bug a new home and to be done for the day. I found 2 of 4 caches. Very disappointing.

So...I am super horrible at geocaching, yet super amazing at the same time. Maybe I should always go caching without a GPS! Maybe I'd do better:)

Mahalo Hawaii

2007-06-23T23:16:00.000-05:00

I had an AMAZING time in Hawaii. It was chaotic at times, but restful. Every time my mind started wondering towards work things, I'd look at a palm tree, the ocean, or start playing with one of the nephews and it'd all disappear. Amazing.

There's so much to tell, so I'll just give a few highlights:

Went snorkeling with my brother in the North Shore area. It was great. The fish were beautiful and colorful and it felt like I was in an aquarium. At one point my brother grabbed my hand (scaring the be-jeezers outta me. I thought he was a fish trying to eat me!) and drug me through the water. He brought me to a TURTLE! I couldn't believe it. The creature was huge with these beautiful, dark, almond-shaped eyes. It was looking right at me and it was so close that we could've touched it. I was snorkeling at "my" beach a few days later and came across another turtle. We swam together for awhile. Well, it swam, I followed.

Shawn and I went geocaching near our condo and came across a super-sketchy area. It was a trash dump that somebody was/is living in. We didn't want to hike all the way back the way we had come so Shawn (the big bro that he is) went first, picked up a club and cleared the way. I grabbed a huge nut (bolts and nuts, not peanut nut) to throw if somebody came at us. Once we found the trail we needed it was a fun rock climb up to the top. The views were breathtaking. We took his boys to an easier cache later that week. Lucas loves a good treasure hunt!

Lets see...we did some skimboarding, relaxing on the beaches, building "sandcastles", went to a Luau...just...existed. I'm usually a get-up-and-go vacationer, but this was perfect. Sitting, not thinking about things that bring you down, relaxing, had a few mai tais, hanging with the coolest boys...I need to vacation like that more often!

What I aspire to!

2007-05-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

Love ya Rach! :P

Find Your Addiction and Get Addicted

2007-05-20T21:50:00.000-05:00

Why have I chosen an activity where I stick my hands in dark, dirty holes that are infested with snakes, spiders, bugs, prairie dogs, and SQUIRRELS? Why have I chosen an activity where I have to climb over, through, and under pine trees and juniper bushes that I'm allergic to? (Remind anydoby of SAC?!) Because it's so FREAKING AWESOME! I almost died caching on Arthur's Rock, every time I go into a grove off the road I think I'm going to come across a dead body. I get to act like James Bond (and sometimes a statue) when muggles are nearby and I need to be inconspicuous. And because I get to crawl through slasher-flick-style woods.

I did mucho caching this week, but tonight was the most fun I've had in ages. I was gonna check it out last night around 10:30, but I got laid over at a friend's house longer than expected so I was gonna do it on the way home round 2:30am. 2:30 seems more like a slasher hour than 10:30 though, so I put it off till this evening. I made it harder than it needed to be. (I walked through the woods instead of around them. And by walked I mean crawled, hopped over and climbed.) I even made my own movie:)

I checked out roller derby this weekend as well. Fo Co Girls Gone Derby vs Sugar Kill Gang of the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. It was fantastic. My kind of people! Seriously thinking of trying out.

What'd you do this weekend? :P

Mid-Night GeoCaching

2007-05-18T01:38:00.000-05:00

okay...so it was closer to 11:30, but you get the idea. I was snooping around outside WalMart, looking for a cache. I was in the right area, but it's a tiny one and I'm supposed to be stealthy. I don't do dainty and I don't do stealthy! I figured people (or "Muggles" to the geo-cacher community) wouldn't be a problem at that hour. I was concerned about the security truck driving around. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to mind that I was digging through bushes, stooping near people's cars and walking (seeminly aimlessly) in circles.

I did not find the cache. Security was moving closer and I didn't want to cause problems. And the owner of the vehicle I was working round was coming over. I didn't want her to get all sketchy and get me kicked out of WalMart. Afterall, what would I do without my ghetto WalMart?!

I will try again for that cache though! Maybe with more people around I'll be less conspicuous. Maybe I'll bring some decoys along...

Happy Caching!

2007-04-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

I just watched 'A Fast Food Nation'. Boring. Dull. Lame. They showed the Kill flower of a slaughter house at the end of the movie. They got it wrong. People are all ablaze about the book and movie. "It's disturbing." "I'll never eat meat again." blah blah blah. I was more disturbed by what was on TV after the movie. 'Little Beauties: Kiddie Queen Showdown'. YIKES! These teeny-tiny girls look like they could go to a bar and buy me a beer! What are people thinking?!

Seriously, I'm more likely to have nightmares about the girls than about the cows.

moo. it's what's for dinner.

How many quizzes can I take?

2007-04-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Homework Help Night is going a wee-bit slow today.

What obsolete skill are you?

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the tongue of the ancient Romans is a real anachronism. With its profusion of different cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a language; it is a whole different way of thinking about things.You are very classy, meaning that you value the classics. You value old things, good things which have stood the test of time. You value things which have been proven worthy and valuable, even if no one else these days sees them that way. Your life is touched by a certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain fascination with the grotesque and the profane. Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad transplant. Your problem is that Latin has been obsolete for a long time.
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Which Prison Break Character are you?

You are Charles Westmoreland
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Which Flower are You?

You are a Carnation:You are friendly, energetic, cheerful, and bubbly. You love being around people. Outgoing and talkative, you rarely meet a stranger. Others feel at ease around you because of your playful nature.Symbolism: In Victorian times carnations were given to show fascination with another. They also symbolize friendship and whimsicalness.
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Perks of Volunteering

2007-04-15T23:18:00.000-05:00

I've always enjoyed the perks of volunteering at the UCCC. But tonight was FANTASTIC!!! It was the production of Aida by Big League something or other. I've been working there for almost four years and I've never seen such a strong and amazing cast. The story line was nice, the compostions were good, lyrics were heartfelt. But the singing and dancing were more than words could properly explain.

Thankfully, I was a program-jockey on third floor, so I didn't have to do much. Well, anything really.Third floor tends to be quiet:) So I was able to watch the whole show without being bothered. ;P

fyi. i'm loving grape soda this month

2007-04-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been very edifying. It makes me feel all warm and sunshiny inside:) The edifications ranged from work to soccer to a random guard, but they were all well appreciated!

So. Knowing that edifications aimed at me feel so great, I'm encouraging my "audience" to give a warm-fuzzy to somebody else. Now, don't be generic or general. Don't just tell somebody they look nice today or you like hanging out with them. BE SPECIFIC. (Specificity works best.) Tell them you like the way a shirt fits them or you like their taste in shoes. Say you like their smile or a certain laugh. You enjoy their company because _________. It'll lift that persons spirit for days. You'll feel pretty great too.

Try it. See how it goes. Let me know.

(I like how you read left to right. I enjoy that.) :P

I Have Squirrel Issues

2007-03-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

I was attacked by a squirrel today. TWICE!

I was out walking, rounded the corner and saw the squirrel. No big thing, till it started eye-balling me. I looked at it and the squirrel lunged at me! I screamed and jumped away. Then it came at me again! I screamed again and jumped into the street. I ran across the street fearing for my...ankles. I got the last word though. As I ran I trash talked at the squirrel.

On the way back home I had to walk by the same tree where the squirrel was. Before I came up to it I scanned the ground and I scanned the branches. Squirrely McMeany was nowhere to be seen and I got home safely.

The End.

Feb/March recap

2007-03-14T11:16:00.000-05:00

My blog would lead one to believe to that I haven't been doing much lately. That would be true! Well, somewhat. After getting back from Yuma I worked a week or two then went to Rochester for my nephew's (Jonas) 1st birthday. I haven't seen the tike since he was one month old. Toooooo long of a break! He was so big!

And then I went snowboarding (see previous post). It was Beautiful day! We had a great time. We accidentally ended up near/on the black diamonds though. I blame Nicola. I told her to check the map as I took a pic of some guys (on THEIR camera) and she didn't. She said to follow the kids. Well, that didn't exactly work out! We made it alright though:)

I made a trip out to Sioux Falls, SD this past weekend. Visited my very pregnant friend and her husband. Saw a few other friends whilst out there as well. I haven't road tripped for awhile, so it was fun driving 10hrs across NE, IA and into SD. Totally worth it. Rachel's so cute! We did some baby shopping, reminiscing, goofing around and just connecting. It was Super!

Finally, Indoor Soccer finished up last night. We made it to the Championship and took 2nd. It was hard fought, but we were just too tired from the previous game. 7-6 was the final score. Oh well. On to outdoor!

Spring is here in Northern Colorado, so I'll be getting into the mountains for hikes and I'm looking forward to camping more this summer. I have alot of new camping gear to try out! (Thanks Family!) I will do my best to keep up with the blog. But, I expect the same from all of you too! You know who I'm talking about...

2007-02-21T00:04:00.000-06:00

A beautiful day at Eldora! FINALLY somebody local to play with me:)

The Great Laugh

2007-01-28T06:45:00.000-06:00

It's beautiful, the "Before Dawn" world. It's quiet. Unassuming. You can hear the world catching its breath, relaxing before the gear up for the coming day.

As much as I dislike working night shift, I love that there's a whole other world that few people are a part of, or get to see.

I was at the Yuma Wal-Mart around 3am the other day. It seemed like absolutely everybody was in the parking lot collecting shopping carts! I don't actually know how to explain the feeling I had walking from the car to the doors. It was like being a part of a well-choreographed dance. Everybody was moving at the right pace and time to make it look organized, yet not planned out. Organized-chaos. My favorite oxymoron:)

People that are working, shopping, can't sleep...they're a special bunch. They're easy-going. They live a no rush, no pressure life. (At least the Wal-Mart and Del Taco employees do!) I wore my SDSU hoodie to Wal-Mart this morning (about 4am) and I chatted with a lady-worker for about 5mins about how she froze her nylons after she got married to a Marine and moved to his family's farm in Lincoln, NE. They were married in Minneapolis and she like the SD, MN, and NE area. It was an inane story to me, but she wouldn't stop laughing! She wouldn't have been able to chat like that with the customers that come during the day. I appreciate the story now and am glad that she was able to get me to stop thinking about work, even for five minutes.

She's divorced now, but she still has fond memories of that time and those places. I'm leaving Yuma in a few hours. I won't necessarily have fond memories, but I've relearned a great lesson about life. I've become too serious about things. I haven't had a great laugh in who knows how long. You know the laughs I'm talking about. The laugh that comes from the belly and hurts when you do it too long. The laugh that leads to snorting. The contagious laugh. The Great Laugh. I miss it. I need to find it.

yarg

2007-01-22T12:57:00.001-06:00

How is it that people still don’t know how to travel? It’s all over the news about what you can and can not have in your carry-on. It’s (was) all over the news that you have to remove your shoes at security. Even if you don’t watch tv, read news articles, or listen to the radio there are signs posted ALL OVER the airport! How is it that you can spend up to an hour waiting to go through security and not read any of the signs? How can you ignore the TSA agents walking around, “yelling” about the size of containers that are acceptable?

It frustrates me to no end. I’ve thought about taking out an ad that begs people to do things properly. (I’d list out exactly what to do.) But, as previously mentioned, majority of travelers apparently don’t read papers, watch tv, or listen to the radio. So they’d miss the ad.

It feels like I always get behind the folks who have to untie their shoes, take off a coat, a sweater, then their sweatshirt. The folks who STILL carry lighters, nail files, liquids over 3oz. Who STILL wear gobs and gobs of jewelry. THEN complain about having to take things out, throw things away, remove the jewelry store from their arm…No End.

Don’t misinterpret me. This doesn’t apply to the family sect with young kids. I can sympathize with them. I couldn’t imagine lugging car seats, strollers, diaper bags, snacks, and a kid or two around. This in NO WAY applies to them. They streamline what they carry around on a daily basis! This is for the traveler over 16. GET IT TOGETHER PEOPLE!!!

And done. For now. I still have to get back to Greeley;)

Quasi-Blizzard hits Hwy 85

2007-01-22T12:56:00.000-06:00

I’m going to Yuma, AZ again. This time for a week though. It stinks, cause I don’t want to go, but what’s worse is my sis has lived in Greeley for less than 24hours and I’m already leaving. What’s even worse is there was a quasi blizzard Sunday morning while I was driving to the airport. Fantastic.

I was going below the speed limit majority of the way. I was REALLY hoping the airport would shut down. Granted, they’d rather not since they already did that this winter☺ But, like I wrote earlier, I really don’t want to be in Yuma right now.

Anyways, it was kinda cool, lotsa freaky the drive. I was coming up to a stop light so I did a soft tap to my breaks and starting sliding like CRAZY. I had come across a rather large piece of ice. I ended up doing an 180degree turn☺ Almost nailed the car already stopped at the light in front of me! My heart was racing and my hands were shaking when I got my car turned back around and heading down the road. What’s sorta funny is that a Trooper was with another vehicle facing the wrong way (a previous spin out) and as I drove away, I saw another vehicle spin out! It was a nasty section.

I want to give a quick shout-out to my pops for the lessons on defensive driving and driving in winter conditions. Things could’ve ended up differently if I’d lost my head and let “instincts” take over. Thanks Pops!!

The rest of the drive was uneventful and I actually made my flight! Darn it all. I parked in the garage this time. I thought the company owed me;)

2007-01-16T22:43:00.000-06:00

The ICE raid last month didn't keep him down. Little Carlos didn't get deported!!!! I hadn't seen him since before I left for AZ in early December. I was afraid he'd been deported:( But I saw him today and his English is coming along. Still missing Angel and "Juan" though. :(

2006-12-31T15:31:00.001-06:00

A-WooHoo!

2006-12-23T22:04:00.000-06:00

Finally, after years and years of baking I've done it. I've made the perfect cookie! As you can see in the unaltered, untouched, non-photoshopped picture it's a perfect circle, with golden edges. There are plenty of chocolate chips, but not too many. It's cooked perfectly. Soft, yet not undercooked. And the taste? Well, ask around. I haven't had any complaints yet:) I actually made this batch for my aunt. It's the only thing she wanted me to bring to Christmas.

Now I'm watching "It's a Wonderful Life". I looooove Jimmy Stewart!

Merry Christmas Friends!
<><

ARGH!

2006-12-21T17:50:00.000-06:00

So much time, so much laundry, so few quarters.

Due to my car being snowed in, I walked to Wal-Mart to get some quarters since I forgot to get them Tuesday. It was acutally really nice out. Kids playing, people shoveling, cars getting stuck. It was great! Folks seem to be a lot nicer with all this snow too. I love seeing neighbors help each other out. And motorists were super nice to those of us walking. They slowed (some didn't!) when they passed and they waved and offered the road to the pedestrians more than they do when all is dry.

So I get to Wal-Mart with few mishaps (there were some spills) and I realize I don't have my checkbook to write over the amount to get quarters! So I go home without quarters, again. Before heading BACK to Wal-Mart I shovel around my car and wait for the plow to come through the parking lot.

Shoveling done, I head to Wal-Mart. Got cash for the quarters, but the line to get quarters was too long, so I walk a block south to a car wash and get the quarters there! With $20 in quarters in my pocket I head home. I take the "short cut" across the park. Since I'm already soaked from tredging across the park I take a few dives into the thick, deep snow. It was FANTASTIC! I love the snow!!

Sadly, the snow plow hasn't shown and I'm not expecting it to now. They'll probably come tomorrow. But, I have to get to work, so I dug out a path for my car. Rosie is so low to the ground...I hope I don't get stuck leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I walked the lot and lowered some areas. I think we should be good:)

This was just supposed to be a commentary on how it took me THREE Wal-Mart trips for quarters:) Hope the blah blah blahing of snow wasn't boring!

BTY, the snow was about an inch below my knee. That's close to 20inches!

2006-12-21T12:45:00.000-06:00

It's technically my day off, but since I live closest to the lab, my boss wants me to go in and pull some stuff! I don't think I'm going to make it out of my parking lot any time soon though:) I tried digging my car out, but it's just not possible at this time. Sorry boss-man, I'm camping in.

Blizzard 2006

2006-12-20T23:52:00.000-06:00

aka The Holiday Blizzard. You know how the media gets. They have to put a clever, cutesy name to everything:)

Colorado is literally snowed in. I-25 is closed from WY to NM. Heading West into NE or KS isn't possible either. Going through the mountains? Not without chains! It's been snowing non-stop since early this morning and isn't expected to quit till tomorrow afternoon! I love it! There's some good sledding in my future:) I'm mostly glad that I went to the grocery store last night. I cleaned out my fridge and cupboards before heading to AZ and didn't have anything, I mean NOTHING to eat.

So anyways, Greeley is up to 14 inches and rising. I'll maybe post some pics tomorrow if I can get out:P

The Moon is the New Sun

2006-12-05T22:30:00.000-06:00

I started typing a blog this a.m. while at work, but it was "late" and it would've been a bit senial. So I'm typing about 12hours later on my way to work. That's right kiddos, I'm now a part of the night shift. I AM the night shift.

I'm in AZ. It's 70 and nice out. I've been hanging out on my "balcony" at the IEH apartment listening to the thwap, thwap of the palm leaves in the breeze, getting some sun, and just enjoying my time off. So that's what I do for about 10mins. Then I go to bed. Jealous? Yeah, I wouldn't be either!

Last night between samples I cleaned, organinzed, unpacked, cleaned some more, and put together things for the lab. It's pretty now. Not pink pretty, lab pretty. Organized and ready to go! Mr. Big-Wig is coming tomorrow with some other hotshots, so it's a good things we got these things done yesterday, so I can do touch-ups tonight.

Tonight. I got up a few hours ago and I'm ready to go back to bed:) I actually need to leave now. I just drank an espresso shake. It was VERY good. Not very coffee tasting. Yummy.

Sleep tight!