A Vacation Video

Finally got pictures from my mom that were taken on our Monterey trip. Also got this video of Kate "talking" on the cell phone. It's pretty cute!

Vacation report

I'm finally getting to details of our vacation. Yeah!

We left the morning of Friday, November 7th to fly from MSP to San Jose, CA. It was Kate's first plane ride. The plane left a little late, but arrived almost on time. Kate did really well on the flight and she sat between my mom and I. She stayed in her sit with the seat belt on for take off and landing and didn't kick the seat in front of her much. We arrived at the SJC airport and headed over to car rental. While on the rental car bus, 2 women sitting next to my mom were talking about the young dad with one arm who was taking car of his daughter and how they felt sorry for him with only one arm. My mom decided to interrupt their conversation and say the young dad was her son-in-law and that he was one of the best guys she knows and how it's easy to forget he's only got one arm once you know him, etc.

We got the rental van and headed for Monterey (~1 hr drive). We didn't really do anything else after getting to my aunt and uncle's house. We just used the down time to get Kate settled and keep her out of a seat. My cousin and family (with 7 month old Bree) arrived later in the evening.

Saturday we got up and headed to Carmel...specifically Carmel Beach.





Joe and Kate with my cousin Erin


I think she enjoyed the beach!

Kate loved the beach and we almost had to drag her away. Saturday afternoon we (cousin Erin and her husband Sean, Joe and I) left Kate and Bree with the grandmas and went to see Madagascar 2. It was a nice time out and the movie was very good. Saturday evening brought dinner with my aunt and uncle, Erin, Sean, and Bree, step-cousin Jodi and her daughter Olivia (who loves Joe), and step-cousin Chip and his wife Pam. Kate had just woken from a nap when everyone arrived, so she wasn't her usual social self, but that quickly changed. Hugs and kisses for everyone a short time later.

Sunday was Fisherman's Wharf...specifically lunch and getting Kate's picture drawn. My favorite place at the Wharf is Abalonetti's. They have awesome calamari and it's not just fried rings and tentacles. The only annoying thing was Kate was wearing a bright pink sweatshirt and the waiter called her a "he". Hello! Just because Kate has short hair doesn't mean she's a boy. Getting Kate's picture drawn was another task of the day. The drawing is just a quick sketch profile. The drawings are a tradition going back to my first trip to Monterey in 3rd grade. We did them every time we went out there, although the last one with me is from Joe's first trip out with us while we were in college. My mom commented on how we've done the sketches in the past and she said she's been doing it at the wharf the last 23 years. I still haven't looked at my old ones, but there's a good chance she did them.






Monday morning brought a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I thought a Monday morning would be a great time to go (less crowded), but didn't take into account that Veteran's Day meant no school. Kate was in a mommy mood and wanted me to carry her the whole time. We had a nice time anyway.


Kate checking out the river otter.


Kate and I are a dark pair in the middle of the picture...but it's us!

Monday afternoon we headed north. Our destination: getting north of San Francisco. We drove until late and found a hotel to crash in. We didn't feel like setting up the play yard and thought we'd see how Kate did sleeping in a regular bed. She ended up sleeping between us. We'll leave at Joe and I not getting much sleep that night as Kate is a squirmy sleeper. Tuesday we got up and headed further north to arrive at the Avenue of the Giants (aka the coastal redwoods). Wow! These aren't just big trees...these are amazing, majestic, awe-inspiring, etc. It was raining most of the day, but we enjoyed the short walks anyway. We reached Founder's Grove while Kate was sleeping and Mom stayed in the car so Joe and I could walk the trail. We spend the night in Eureka and then headed back south. It was a sunnier day, so we stopped in Founder's Grove again so Mom could see it. She was as impressed as we were.








Dyerville Giant



We made it back to Monterey on Thursday. It was a great road trip (Kate did really well!), but it was nice not to be in a car. Thursday night Mom watched Kate while Joe and I got an evening out. We went down to Cannery Row to a restaurant called Paradiso Trattoria. Yumm! Artichoke appetizer. Yummy! Calamari steaks. Yum yum!!! The moon was out (full or near to). November is low season for tourism, so we walked into the restaurant about 6 and had our pick of tables by the windows (overlooking the water). After dinner, we drove along the ocean and stopped at some of the turnouts where we could just sit and watch the waves. It was a great evening that Joe and I really appreciated since we get so few nights out.

Friday we went to the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary. I've never seen the monarchs flying about so much. It was a nice warm day, so that helped.




Saturday was our return home day. Kate did pretty well on the flight, but she was a bit more antsy and hard to keep entertained. Overall, the trip went really well, it was fun to show Kate one of our favorite vacation spots. It was also great to have my mom along to help.

The Great Minnesota Recount

While we all wish the election was over, we're not so lucky here in Minnesota. The Coleman/Franken Senate recount is underway. The Minnesota Public Radio website has ballot examples for some of the challenges. Kind of entertaining and yet astonishing. Obviously people do not know how to follow directions. Or maybe they didn't ask. When I voted, the guy who signed me in said I could get instructions 2 tables down or pick up my ballot 3 tables down. I chose to receive instructions even though I was sure I didn't really need them. I wanted my vote to count and figured it'd be better to double check I knew what I was doing.

So what do we need to do by the next election? Require voting instructions for all voters. Obviously people don't know how to vote/fill in a ballot. If it's questionable, it's your fault for not getting it right. If you need help or have a question, ask!!! If you made a mistake, go ask for a new ballot!!! Not that hard people! If you care enough to show up at your polling place, care enough to get the ballot filled out correctly.

I think all the ballot examples should be rejected. The exception would be the one with the finger print. Maybe the person was reading a newspaper and got ink on their fingers. On the other hand, they could have gotten a new ballot (assumes they had known an identifying mark would make the ballot invalid...see, education!).

My favorite ballots are Day #2/Ballot #4 and Day #1/Ballot #5. Franken's campaign is challenging both and they look like the same kind of issue to me. Apparently it's okay to reject the ballot if the vote is for Coleman but it should be kept if the vote is for Franken.

Finally, I just might have to vote for Lizard People next election.

Dreading Doctor Appointments!

The one thing I dread about the monthly doctor appointments is the weight check. I gain weight a little faster than I should and at 22 weeks, I'm definitely higher than I would like to be. I know this, don't need a nurse or doctor telling me this. So, at my 22 week doctor appointment this afternoon (conveniently after lunch), I had to "weigh in". I had my excuse ready..."I was doing great until last week and then vacation did me in" which would then divert his attention to what we did on vacation. Turns out, I didn't even have to use my excuse. He said weight was fine and it wasn't worth lecturing about weight gain since it would hinder more than help. There was little point in making a pregnant woman feel bad about how much weight she's gained when she's already aware of it anyway. Thank you Dr. Bryz-Gornia! I knew I loved ya!

Okay, one more post

I've decided as my way of getting back to running after baby #2 is born, is to sign up for an event. Instead of just a running event, I thought I'd go all out and train for a duathlon. I'm planning to do the Aflac Iron Girl Bloomington Duathlon Women’s Event in September. Gives me a little over 6 months post-baby to train. Might be a bit ambitious, but it's nice to have a goal!

Want to join me? You know you do!

Pick me up!

Feeling a little down today. Might be the cloudy weather or that Kate has a doctor appointment (yeah, 18 month checkup) or I still need to pack. I have pictures rotating on my desktop and the one below came up and now I feel better. Kate is 4 months old here and it's one of my favorites, if not THE favorite.



Okay, I feel better.

Trying new things #2

A couple weekends ago, I took a weaving class at the Weavers Guild MN. I had seen the Guild booth at the state fair and couldn't resist giving it a try. The class I took was called Try It! Weaving on a Floor Loom. Well, I loved it. It just felt right. I have crocheted for years and tried knitting last year. The knitting has been a struggle for me. The instructor had never taught a lefty and I thought I had it figured out, but then another instructor got involved and said I was doing it wrong. Needless to say, I almost quit the class, especially after being told I should just learn to do it right handed. Anyway, weaving uses both hands equally and no adjustments had to be made. The floor loom I used was a Schacht Baby Wolf.

Here's a picture of the final project from the Try It class. It's a plain weave wool scarf.



After completing the Try It class, I knew I wanted to take the Beginning Floor Loom class. Last night was the first session. I think I am even more excited to continue with the weaving. Joe asked if I wanted a loom. I do, but not yet. I want to get a little more experience (like actually doing a whole project from start to finish) and a loom doesn't just take up a small amount of space. Basement has to get finished first. But, I think I'll start saving for a loom.

So, here's to trying new things!

At the farm!

Last Thursday we (Pat, Brenda, and I) spent the day at the farm (Ironwood Farm) harvesting. We arrived and met Karen and Kris and the other CSA members there to help. I noticed 2 horses were harnessed up began to wonder what the horses were for. Pretty soon, over comes Karen and Kris with the horses and a plow. What's up with this setup?!? One of our tasks was to dig potatoes. They decided to use the plow instead of handing us pitchforks. Yeah! It went really quick and worked great! Next step for us: find the potatoes and put them in the furrow to get picked up with the wheelbarrow...in the pouring rain. Kris and Karen kept saying we could go inside to get out of the rain, but we all knew the harvesting needed to be done "rain or shine" and had rain coats with us. At least we were looking down and not up!

After the potatoes, bean picking started...still in the pouring rain. By this time it was getting very muddy. We had milk crates to sit on since the bean plants were low to the ground. Not sure what kind of bean plants they were, but there were lots of beans to pick. It probably took five of us an hour to get them all. Following the beans we moved into shelter and did some sorting and packing. Then, lunch! Everyone brought a dish to share and Kris had made a stew. Everything was tasty and satisfying. After lunch we packed up the cars with the produce to take to the drop spots and then headed out.

Overall, it was a really fun day even though we got soaked in the rain. It was nice to see the farm and meet Kris and Karen and a few other members. Wish it was a little closer to home, but it also made for a fun little road trip.

To Do list

Here's a new To-Do:

1) Do Sarah Palin's children go to public school and if so, does their school teach traditional or abstinence-only sex ed? I've been assuming that traditional ed is currently taught in schools, but people (including Palin) want it changed to abstinence-only. I've seen people's online/blog comments (here's an example) that Bristol is a good example of abstinence-only not working, but how do you know she didn't get a traditional education in school? If you know what kind of education she got, please share, but until then, let's not assume she's a good example of abstinence-only not working.

2) Not write a scathing and angry response or comment on Cribsheet. I read the Star Tribune's Cribsheet blog (not sure why some days). There have been a couple Sarah Palin blogs. People of course have comments and a lot of them have revolved around the pregnant daughter. I read comments about abortion or marriage but have yet to read one word about adoption! Hello people! What a great example of a teenager making an adult decision this would have been. I've since re-read comments and admit to an over-reaction. I won't write anything. Still wish adoption had been mentioned as an option though.

Side note: I'm not big into politics, but wish people wouldn't fly off the handle at comments, statements, or situations. Sometimes we get a little too emotionally wrapped up in candidates. I know there will never be a candidate with whom I totally agree, so I have to choose what's important to me and compromise on the rest.

Trying new things

How many had Grandmas that canned fruits and vegetables? Mine did! I remember when we cleaned out their house (well, more my parents did the cleaning) that jars and jars and jars and jars and jars, and then more jars were thrown. There was tons of canned goods still in the basement. Can't say I ever thought I'd try canning, but I was proved wrong this weekend.

My family has a half-share in a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture). We get a bag of produce each week. A recent delivery included a pickle pack. It had the cucumbers, onions, garlic, and recipe for making pickles. Sounded good to me, so we decided to try making them and possibly canning the pickles if they looked good. Well, they looked really good, so I went searching for jars and lids. Found some and away we went. The recipe resulted in about 1.5 quarts. I could not resist sampling them the next morning after they had cooled. I have no doubt I'll make pickles again. They were wonderful! Flavorful but not tangy or sour.

Here's a link to our CSA's blog. It's called Ironwood Farm.

Fair Fun

We went to the MN State Fair yesterday and had a great time. Granted, we were only there 3.5 hrs, but it was plenty for us to see a lot (and wear ourselves out). We arrived a little before 10 am. Weather was beautiful, perfect really. Sunny and low 70s. Parked the same place as last year and walked about 10 minutes to the gate. No real standing in line to get tickets and in we went.

Started by going into the Horticulture building. I don't think we'd been in there before. Checked out the plants, flowers (lots of orchids), followed by the bees and honey, and crop art. Lots of landscaping displays by youth groups and businesses. Samples of honey were available along with being able to buy lots of MN honey. I never realized how many different bee keepers/honey makers there were in MN.

On to the animal barns next. Checked out the goats. Kate saw them and said 'puppy'. No, goat. "Puppy". We never got her to say goat, but she was having fun looking at them. Back across the street to the cattle barn. Didn't spend much time here. Once again, "puppy". No, cow. Personally, I felt sorry for the dairy cows. We skipped the pigs, and headed to the horses. This time we got "puppy, no". Hmm, slight improvement. She enjoyed watching the horses though. We walked by a pair of American Cream Draft Horses from the MN Zoo right as one decided to stick his head out of the stall. Definitely caught her attention. Someplace around the animals I got a Scotch Egg. Hmm. But I dropped only 2 bits in. Good way to diet. =)

Next up, more walking. Wound our way over to the grandstand and some Sweet Martha's Cookies. Joe bought a bucket and we ate the overflowing cookies until the lid would fit on. They need a size between the cup and bucket. Cup, too small, Bucket, too big. Lots got brought home, but it's as I stated in an earlier post, warm chocolate chip cookies are hard to screw up, but as room temp, it becomes easy to tell they are not the greatest. My mom's chocolate chip cookies and Brenda's chocolate chip cookies are better. We sat for a short while under the grandstand. It was almost cool sitting in the shade and there were only a few others sitting in the area too. Very peaceful.

On to the Creative Activities building. Probably my main reason for going to the fair. It's part of what defines the purpose of the fair to me. Got to have contests where MNtans can enter their wares. What else is the reason for a fair...oh, the food. Ick. We spent over an hour in the Creative Activities building. So many quilts, afghans, wooden items, and other things handmade. Beautiful quilts. Lucky for us, Kate fell asleep just as we got there, so we could take our time. I wanted to take pictures of some of the quilts to show my mom, but didn't. I'm doing my best to remember what they looked like anyway. She wouldn't be happy we saw a couple Mariner's Compass quilts that we liked (a lot of work to make). There was one quilt made by at least 20 people that was over 10,000 pieces. The little squares were all about 1/2 by 1/2. It was amazing to think how much work went into it. The actual quilting on it was minimal which made sense considering that the quilting would distract from the piecing. We also saw a beautiful black whole cloth quilt where the "blocks" were color changes in the quilting thread. I wish the fair would post pictures of the work on display. Also in the building were some weaving and spinning demonstrations. I decided I want to take a weaving class and grabbed a classes brochure.

After the Creative Activities building we headed next door to the 4H building. Happened to be walking by some judging of quilts. Glad I wasn't being judged. I figured they'd be hands-on about it, but I like the idea of them just hanging it up and standing back. Yikes! Some clothing (more like prom dresses) were on display and seemed impressive for teenagers to create. A couple 4H groups had Wii's set up, which didn't seem very 4H-y to me. Kate was still asleep and we were walking by a "Rock Band" group getting set up (as in Playstation or Wii "Rock Band"). We moved by quickly so they didn't start and wake up Kate.

I'm getting tired about this point, but we continue on to the Fine Arts building. Kate woke up shortly after we got here and I was tired, so we cruised through pretty fast. Some very nice art work though.

Lunch time! I'm starving. I read online that one place had kid's meals for $1.50. Kate got 2 chicken tenders in the shape of smiley faces, a bag of mini-carrots, and sherbet (well, she didn't get the sherbet). I found the Gizmo stand and had one of those. Like the Scotch Egg, I dropped the Gizmo when I had a few bits left. Oh well, more dieting. Joe wasn't hungry...or rather, didn't want fair food.

Overall, we spent $22 to get in, Scotch Egg was $6, Cookie bucket was $14, 2 large pops was $8, Kate's meal was $1.50, and my Gizmo was $7. Just think if we hadn't bought the bucket o'cookies!

Headed out shortly after eating since we were tired and had seen what we had wanted to see. The only we didn't do was the Giant Slide. I think Kate would have liked that.

Vacation!!

Yeah! I bought CA tickets today for a trip this Fall. We love visiting Monterey, CA and it works great to have family there (free lodging!).

We'll do lots of outings, but the Monterey Bay Aquarium is always on our to-do list. It never gets old for me. Making that visit even better is yesterday's release of a white shark in the Outer Bay exhibit. This is their 4th and we've been fortunate that 2 of the previous 3 we have seen at the aquarium on other trips. Obviously we've had great timing!

It'll be Kate's first airplane ride and we're (or at least I'm) a little nervous. 4 hrs is a long plane ride when she typically gets antsy on a 3 hr car ride. But at least we'll be able to move around a little more.

I give up already!

I finally decided reading Life of Pi was not worth it. So, it officially moved to my "read" list and the new shelf "i-give-up-already" on GoodReads. Once I realized I didn't care what happened to Pi, it was all over. I would have been just as happy to see Richard Parker eat him for lunch. Of course, that would mean no story to tell. Not a big loss in my mind.

Next up: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.

Oh the Fun

You're probably thinking Fun, like at the State Fair, amusement park, swimming pool, etc. But that's not the kind of Fun I'm talking about. This kind of Fun is found at a restaurant in Columbia Heights called Asia Chow Mein. The dish is really called Chicken Curry Fun, but we just call it Fun. I was first introduced to Fun over a year ago. Some coworkers would talk about getting Fun for lunch, but I never joined in. One day I was convinced to go with them.

There's a reason Fun is so good, but we have a difficult time expressing the specifics. With each bite, you know you want to have more...even though you are full. When a group of 13 goes to lunch and 10 of them get Fun, you know it's got to be a good dish.

So what's in Fun? Well, Fun noodles (similar to fettuccine noodles), chicken, green peppers, onion, curry, and spices. There might be some other ingredients, but they all blend together. There's usually a few orders of hot hot (along with extra peppers available at the table which has recently been dubbed the 'bucket of pain') and the rest are medium. Even I get medium and I'm a wimpy spicy eater.

I've only ever had one other thing (Beef Chow Fun) which was nothing like Chicken Curry Fun other than using the same noodles, so I can't speak to their other dishes.

Here's where to find them since I know you're going to want to try Fun.
Asia Chow Mein
4905 Central Av NE
Columbia Heights, MN
Phone » 763-571-4425

State Fair time

I drive down Snelling Ave everyday and I'm not looking forward to the start of the MN State Fair. Ugh! It'll mean finding another route for 2 weeks and even that route will be slow since everyone else who drives Snelling does their best to avoid it too.

But, who doesn't love the state fair? Oh, wait...ME! Now before getting up in arms and hate me, I do have my reasons. They are as follows:

#1. I admit to being biased: I think the Iowa State Fair is better. Check out Wikipedia's entry on the Iowa State Fair. Scroll down to "A national cultural event". You'll notice MN State Fair's page doesn't have anything like that.

A side story: My mom is not a big fan of the Iowa State Fair, but the last few times I'd been there, it was with my parents who were volunteering in the Hall of Flame. The Hall of Flame is an exhibit about fire safety, etc and is largely staffed by volunteer fire departments. The first year we volunteered, we found Smokey the Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog costumes in a back room. So, my dad got in the Smokey costume and I got in the Sparky costume and we hit the fairgrounds. The costumes were roasting hot (head to toe foam and polyester and temps in the 90s), but it was a lot fun. Kids would come up and want to shake our hands and get pictures taken with us. We got a free ride down the giant slide (not that I could see anything). I have fun memories about being in those costumes. I don't think anything at the MN State Fair can top that.

#2. I don't really care about the food. Sorry, stuff on a stick is not a "must have" for me. There are a few things I like, but overall, I can pass on most of it (cheese curds come to mind...ick!). Yes, there are Sweet Martha's Cookies, but then again, how can you screw up a warm chocolate chip cookie?

#3. Better people watching at other events: You know what you'll see at the state fair. Nothing is shocking there. You expect to see scantily clad women and lots of mullets. A favorite people watching place of mine is the opera. You may think I'm nuts, but it really is more interesting.

#4. Food stands as your destinations: See #2, but I don't get mapping out your day based on food stand locations.

#5. Sitting for hours at a TV News stations broadcast site so you can get on TV. I'll preface this with not being a big local news devotee anyway. Just give me the news, I don't care who you are. I think the biggest turnoff for me here is one year sitting for over 2 hrs to get on TV and then the TV lady out in the crowd talking to people on camera seemed disingenuous when close-up. I felt like she couldn't wait to get backstage so she could laugh at the people in the audience with her fellow news people.

#6. Getting stuck in a crowd of screaming Fergie fans with a bawling 4 month old. Nuff, said.

#7. The animal barns are close to empty of animals. Being a farm girl in my youth, I kind of like seeing the animals and I've always been disappointed by how few there are in the barns.

After all that, you may be wondering why we go to the fair. Each year we think we'll like it better, but each year that never seems to happen. This year, I have a plan...okay, I saw the plan in the Pioneer Press and it made the fair actually seem like fun. So, I think we'll plan our day better and go as just the 3 of us.

Maybe next year I can write a post saying I love the fair.

Surprise!

Joe sent me chocolate-covered strawberries from Shari's Berries. Of course he sends enough to share with coworkers (I can't eat 2 dozen by myself!). They go quickly and people really enjoy them. If you are looking for a tasty edible to send someone, these are perfect. Joe has sent them 5-6 times over the last 6 years and they have always been wonderful.

Now, one rule we have is that flowers/edibles/etc should not be sent for the typical holiday, birthday, or anniversary. That means I don't want to get flowers on Valentine's Day as it says to me you waited for a reason to send something. I don't want you to have a reason for sending something! So while my coworkers are enjoying that tasty chocolate-covered strawberry, they are asking what's the occasion or, better yet, what did he do wrong. I am always please to say there is no reason. And the follow-up (usually from the guys) is that Joe needs to stop doing that as it gives the rest of them a bad name. Hmm, maybe you should send something to your wife.

Additionally, I think sending things goes both ways, especially when there are so many more options than flowers available. Joe (and of course his coworkers) have enjoyed the same chocolate-covered strawberries.

Still reading...

I'm still trying to read Life of Pi. At the moment, I've made a deal with myself that I won't read the 4th Twilight novel (Breaking Dawn) until I finish Life of Pi. Seems like I need some incentive, but maybe I should just give myself permission to give up. On the other hand, part of me thinks I'll get more into the book and I just need to give it more time (although with being at 180 pages of the 300 page book, it's also had its chance).

So, give up or keep chugging along?

Currently reading...

I'm trying to read Life of Pi right now. A number people have highly recommended it. It's a story (according to the back of the book and lots of reviews) about a boy who finds himself on a lifeboat with some zoo animals, namely a Bengal tiger. At this point I am on page 80 and we're still on dry land. It looks like I have another 20 pages before we see a life boat.

This book has got to get better in order to get rave reviews when the main storyline doesn't even happen until 1/3 of the way through the book. At this point, I'm forcing myself to keep going. Please say the pain goes away! I could quit now, but so many people have said the book is great that I'll at least wait until he's on the life boat. Better go read.

Universities asking for money...

Sitting at home relaxing (okay, spending time on GoodReads) and the phone rang. Joe answered it, then passed it to me saying it sounded like a telemarketer. Almost, not quite. It was the local university's vet school asking for money. Now really. Neither Joe or I attended the university, but our sweet cat Boots was a patient. She had Iodine Radiation Therapy there almost a year ago for hypothyroidism. Not cheap, really not cheap. Didn't they get enough money then? Not that I don't care about animals and getting medical attention, but still.

We get enough phone calls from our own alma mater that we don't need another calling. Does the cat being a former patient count her as an alumnus? Something tells me no, at least not until it fundraising time.

More company for the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile!

Last week we met our friends Chad, Tina, and Anna at a neighborhood park. Kate and Anna had fun playing and Kate loves slides now (it was a rocky beginning and the swings are still not good). It was fun to watch them play together and Anna took good care of Kate while climbing through tubes.

While watching the kids play, Chad casually asked about my plans for running the Twin Cities 10 Mile in October. It is a popular event and a lottery is used for registration. He decided to sign up along with his brother Scott and sister-in-law Angie. Today the lottery was held and I get more company for the run. Had to call Tina and heckle Chad a bit. Guess I'll have to work not just to finish, but to finish ahead of him. =)

Mmm, Barbeque

Thanks to a blog post by our friend Tina, we now have a new recommendation for BBQ that is close to home. It's called Q Fanatic (www.qfanatic.com). We tried it out last night with Tina and Chad. They were a little short staffed, but the food was worth the wait...not quite sure Kate thought so, but they were nice and brought a roll for her to snack on while waiting. Of course, our little sweetheart promptly threw some of it on the floor. Sometimes we can't win.

On another topic, I am ready for Construction season to be over. The DOT has kindly decided to redo parts of 35W in Roseville as well as Snelling in Roseville at the same time! Nothing like working on 2 major north/south routes at the same time.

And in other news, I got Joe hooked on Good Reads.

Fun at the Parent's

This past weekend we went to my parent's house in central Iowa. My cousin Erin from California was visiting with her 3.5 month old daughter Bree (short for Aubrey). Kate did well with Bree and was very curious, but didn't get in her face. Kate was not happy when I held Bree, so we did a lot of looking. I took a few pictures of them, but they are on my mom's camera. I'll post some when I get them.

It sure made me think about when Kate was that little...trouble is, I can't really remember Kate at that age. I ended up looking at old pictures to remind myself. Here's one where she is 3.5 months old (in other words, it's about a year old).



Anyway, it was a lot of fun to spend time with my cousin. She has matured in the last year and we really look forward to seeing her, her husband Sean, and Bree again. Our plan is to visit Monterey this Fall (ahh, our favorite place to visit!) and Erin and Bree will be in town too.

Public Speaking 101

At the end of May, I sent a meeting topic suggestion to my org's VP at work (I know, what was I thinking!). Initially he said thanks and he'll address it at the next meeting. Then, he suggested an alternative of myself speaking in front of the organization. Ahh! That meant speaking to over 300 people. Of course I said I would...how can you turn down something like that.

Well, after one postponement, today was the day. In preparation, a few people thought my topic seemed unnecessary, but others, like my manager and director (manager's boss) were very supportive. My presentation was so short I'm not sure it qualifies as a presentation (a whole 2, maybe 3 minutes), but by all accounts, it went well. Joe was there and was impressed. He thought I didn't seem nervous at all (if only he knew!).

And I didn't think I'd have any presentations to make this year...

Running

I added a ticker so I can keep a mental eye on how long until the Twin Cities 10 Mile takes place. Sunday, October 5, 2008 is the anticipated day. Training was getting started again, but then a slight mishap occurred. Friends were visiting and I went for a run with them. Somehow I got distracted (okay, one of them pointed out an owl on an electric pole), I turned my ankle and went crashing down to the asphalt. That was almost 2 weeks ago and it still hurts. I'm hoping it's better by this weekend so I can restart training.

Oh, but wait! We decided to put in a patio this weekend, so I'll probably be exhausted by all the manual labor and therefore too tired to run.

Cars and stickers

On my way to work this morning, I saw a Toyota Prius with an Al Franken 2008 sticker. I couldn't help but wonder if it'd be ironic to see a Prius (or other hybrid or smart car) with a McCain sticker or an big SUV or truck with an Obama sticker. Do people who put political candidate stickers on their cars follow party lines to the point of their mode of transportation reflecting their political leanings?

Let's just say my drive this morning was a little slow.

First Post!

We have a "family" website, but I can never remember the passwords to update it, so over to Blogger I came. Haven't decided how I'll use this or how often it'll be updated.