Wonder Woman

Busy, busy~!

2010-06-22T07:59:00.000-05:00

Looking back the past few months have been busy. I don't expect that to change anytime soon, as David is still preparing for deployment sometime around next spring. That means it will be just the girls and I, but still a lot will be going on.

Last week we spent four nights in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada and had a really nice time. We were able to relax, and not worry about looking at a clock so much; no deadlines, etc. It is so beautiful up there.... We headed back to the U.S. on a beautiful day, versus the day we left all it did was rain, so no ability to make stops to look at scenery. We stopped in my second-favorite city of the north, Grand Marais for several hours. I love just looking in all the shops, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and of course, eating lunch. We spent the night in Tofte, MN, which was quite eventful due to the fire alarm blaring, and having to evacuate the hotel. Coincidentally at the same time a bad storm was going on; thunder, lightning, and hail, so the manager thought the storm caused the alarm to go off. Luckily we we under the awning of the hotel, and not in the pouring rain! Prior to the excitement we enjoyed dinner at the Bulefin Grill at Bluefin Bay. Not at all over-priced, as I would have expected; great food, great service, and a great view!

Our trip up north could not be complete without a stop in Duluth. We were also able to attend David's uncle's 50th wedding anniversary vow renewal. It was so sweet. They were remarried in the same church as 50 years ago, using the same vows, and even the same maid of honor and bridesmaids. The celebration continued at the Proctor Moose; with dinner and dancing. It was a great time! Of course, our time with family in Duluth is always too short!

WHERE does the time go?

2010-03-26T13:53:00.005-05:00

Crazy long time since I've blogged! Spring is here, and Easter soon will be here, and again I wonder where the time goes!! Busy lives, busy kids; well, that's just a start.

Our girls are well and growing like weeds. Ashley is busy with school, her job, and a new beau named Jordan. Funny thing is his dad went to HS with David and I, and now they live here. Amanda recently obtained a prized "American Girl" doll, named Julia. The majority of the money came from it being a Christmas gift from us along with other Christmas money. Amanda's friend down the cul-du-sac also has an American Girl so they play with them often. She has only had to be reminded a few times about cleaning up all the "stuff", and to keep it out of Abby's reach. Abby is busy, busy, busy! She talks up a storm, and is always singing her own little songs, which are really different songs she puts together. It begins with "Veggie Tales", and ends with something like "twinkle star". She has grown so tall now, in the 50th percentile, which is strange considering neither David or I are tall. I guess his dad's genes and my grandma's are coming in there.

Above is a photo of how Abby decided to fall asleep one night with a bunch of her "buddies", as she calls them.

Deployment news; we just hurry up and wait on details. We know the approximate time frame and the "new" location supposedly. This destination is a welcomed change, let's just say that. I will post updates as the come. His job is fortunately still with the state, but with that, we hope every day for no budget cuts that affect it...We are grateful and feel blessed.

As for me, I feel like I spend the majority of my time...doing homework! I wish it wasn't that way, but I am a perfectionist. I'm exaggerating probably on how much time, I really try to do as much as I can during the day, while Abby plays, ect. At least I can be home with her. We try to get out for a walk or time at the library for story time. Now that it's nice out, we can walk. Nights are spent with the two little girls, with everything from homework to videos, and everything in between. Someday I will graduate, but like being able to do things at my pace. That pace and homework load will be lightened once David leaves, however. My girls are the number one priority, obviously, then.

Scrappin' Time!

2009-10-23T09:17:00.001-05:00

My friend Stacy "kidnapped" me to go on a scrap booking weekend last weekend. We went to the Lady Slipper retreat house, located in Meadowlands, MN. I have been there one other time with her; but she gets there a little more often as it is closer to Duluth. There were 12 of us that stayed for a two-night weekend. I had an opportunity to complete one scrapbook, for Ashley. (Very long overdue!) It was especially fun to use the Cricut of a few different people, which is totally addicting! Lots of chick-flick movies were watched over the weekend, as they have a plasma t.v. in the workroom! The price of the place is not bad for a two-night weekend, if you get 12 people to go, and we split the cost of food which came to a whopping $10! The prices are even cheaper if you can go during the week, which is when I went last time. The "house" is absolutely immaculate, and has the warmest, most comfortable beds! The only downfall is the "odor" of the well water.

Everyone was more than happy to stay in their comfy clothes all weekend, including me; which consisted of my warm-up pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt. Talk about roughing it!

Birthday celebration

2009-07-09T20:26:00.002-05:00

A few days beforehand, David informed me that he had to be out-of-town for work on my birthday...Disappointing, but at least he was just out-of-town rather than out of the country, as he so cutely reminded me. We had been deciding how to celebrate, and had been given a few dinner suggestions from friends; one was Kincaid's and the other Ruth's Chris. I coordinated dinner reservations for the evening on the Friday preceeding the 4th of July; which David has off. We voted on Ruth's Chris as our choice and were not disappointed. First we had a cocktail; I chose a pomagranate martini (after being carded) and David had a scotch, and shared some crab-stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer. We each had steak, which comes off some crazy 1800 degree grill...and shared some augratin potatoes. Very good. Then we got to share a complimentary dessert of choice--we picked a banana cream torte; it had a white-chocolate vanilla bean custard and a creme' brulee top; spectacular! Many phone calls and of course, FaceBook messages on the actual day made me feel very blessed!

R & R time!

2009-06-30T08:33:00.003-05:00

The "couples" vacation we planned with our friends way back in December finally happened! For years, the "boys" of our National Guard friends have been going camping at Birch Lake in Babbitt. A few years ago, some of the "veterans" voted to start staying at the resort, Timber Bay Lodge.

The largest cabin, which we stayed in, sleeps 12-16 people, has a large plasma tv, air conditioning, 2 fridges (plenty of room for beer, etc.) and very comfortable beds. Certainly not roughing it, but certainly more my style... In the large cabin, we had 6 couples and one very adorable Golden Retriever, named "Chief". In two other smaller cabins we had more couples, along with 2 chocolate labs. The dogs were all very well behaved and hilarious to watch on the boats...One of our friend Jack's two chocolate's is still a puppy ("Guiness), and liked to jump in the water after Jack's bobber...sure that scared the fish away! Guiness' big brother, "Chip", was not impressed by the water or floating "ball" at all.

The first day we got there we were suddenly greeted - right behind our cabin, by a black bear cub. Pretty cool! The resort owner has a HUGE NewFoundland dog, which they then used to scare the bear up the tree until the DNR could get there. The dog, known as "Timber", could be more of a bear than a dog at a quick glance! On day two, they ladies drove to Ely, only 15 miles from Babbitt. We had breakfast at the Chocolate Moose; yum! We just strolled around town looking at all the giftshops and then went to DQ for ice cream. The boys were almost always fishing in both the morning and evening. The ladies opted for a little less fishing time, and usually only went after dinner. Every day we had a "pool" for the biggest walleye caught; just $1 to put your name in. Very serious competition, however; more about the bragging rights than the size of the prize! On Friday, the rookie fisher of the group (ME) caught the winning fish, at 16". I think I was so excited, because I got to beat Jack who is very competitive about the fishing. It was all in good fun.

The rest of our time was spent playing Cribbage, cards and just visiting. Oh, and did I mention drinking?! Many people woke up in the morning and made a bloody mary; which I now like if the proper mix is used, and needs to have seasoned salt on the rim.

We had so much fun spending time with our close friends who we don't get to see often, along with some new friends as well. The boys have officially invited the girls back for next year. In Sept, the boys have their annual trip planned, which I guess the really big fish are out for. That trip can include two of our friends who just returned from Iraq.

I have a picture of my winning fish below: To my right is our good friend, Glenn. I was in Glenn's boat, with him and his wife Deb.

Confirmation

2009-05-17T09:27:00.006-05:00

The past two years of preparation towards Ashley's Confirmation has come to a close. It is so hard to believe she is this grown up... (tear). The ceremony was held at St. Paul Cathedral; which I had only been inside once to look around. It is so beautiful, I could have spent hours looking at all the details. Our church is gigantic, having 150 of the 200 Confirmation candidates for the service. I was truly impressed at how well they "ran the show" with so many candidates and observers (the place was packed). The service lasted about 1 1/2 hours, and then they had time afterwards for group pictures with the Bishop. Pretty cool. Pictures outside were difficult due to it being extremely windy and cold, but Ashley was a trouper. I love this photo; thanks to my dad-he had the capitol as the backdrop.
Inside the Cathedral - Sheila (sponsor) and Ashley

One-third of the St. Ambrose of Woodbury group-(Ashley 4th from L)

After the service we had a small lunch reception back at our house, there were about 12 of us. We had ham, turkey, cheese, harvest potatoes, fresh fruit, and mini cheesecakes for dessert. It was a long day but a beautiful service which we were able to share with family and friends on such a special occasion.

"The Nook"

2009-05-08T14:12:00.002-05:00

It's kind of funny that our friends who live in Duluth actually highly recommended a fabulous burger place in the cities... It's called Casper's and Runyon's Nook. Located in St.Paul, off Hamline and Randolph Ave's. Then David asked one of his "local" co-workers about it, and her response was "yeah, really good burgers!!! To my surprise, David asked to take today off work so I decided we would go on an adventure and find it. We get there at about 5 minutes before opening and there's already a line forming outside the door... The burgers were spectacular....I had something called the Triple-B; cinnamon-brown sugar bacon and cheddar cheese. The fries were also very good; not overly greasy, skin-on fries and really crispy. Not the biggest place in town by any means, but darn good place if you're in the mood for a realy good burger. David had the Paul Molitor; a pepper-jack cheese stuffed burger. Speaking of stuffed, I am very stuffed! A fun way to splurge at a local favorite!

Back to the floods

2009-03-23T09:25:00.002-05:00

I knew after the record amounts of snow there would be problems in the Red River valley again, as they predicted. A few weeks ago they announced that National Guard units would be sent in to help. But honestly, we just kind of put it out of our minds. But then yesterday, David's section leader called, and the unit was put "On Notice". This basically indicates they will be sent in the next 72 hours. So now we just wait. It's hard to believe the last time the Duluth unit did flood duty in East Grand Forks, it was 12 years ago. We also only had one child then, which is strange to remember! Anyway, it was sobering to hear David's stories about things that happened while he was there. This included him and his best friend almost literally, floating away in a three-ton truck when a levy broke. I just take the days they'e gone one day at a time. Hope for no rain!

Playdate

2009-02-14T08:09:00.002-06:00

A few weeks back, since I knew there was no school, we had planned a playdate with my sister Krista & her kids. The little girls and I drove down to their house and they played while Sydney was still sleeping. Then once the princess woke up, we decided to head to the mall food court for lunch. After we ate, we went to the play area in the mall and let them burn off some energy. The kids were all very well behaved, and even earned the frozen yogurt treat Krista promised them. Yummy! The only slight injury happened when Abby and Nathan were hugging, and they knocked each other over onto the tile floor. They are just too cute together!!!

January update

2009-01-31T16:18:00.002-06:00

I have no idea where the month has gone! All of a sudden, it's January 31. But no weather complaints from me today, as it was a wonderful 46 degrees today! Yea for snow melting! Although, when I was standing in the garage, I felt a drip on my head. When I looked up, there was wetness showing on the ceiling boards of the garage... Being new to this house, I don't know if this is normal or not...

This month my "baby" turned 16 years old, and now is the owner of a savings account with an ATM card. I wasn't quite ready to go beyond that yet. :)

Otherwise, the main thing keeping me busy is keeping up with my homework. In Dec, I started college on-line to finish my associate's degree in business. We're now halfway through the first block of two classes, and I love it. I enjoy the challenges involved; those of time and hard work. I don't yet know what I want to specifically do once Abby goes to Kindergarten in Fall 2011. But, I mainly want to go back to the workforce more marketable. Another possibility weighing on why I want to wait until Abby's in school is a Spring 2010 deployment for David. Luckily, these are lasting (only) 12 months... Now, we just wait.

Christmas, etc.

2008-12-30T17:11:00.002-06:00

This year we planned to stay in town to celebrate our first Christmas in our new house. David took X-mas Eve off, but ended up working from home for about 4 hours. Then we enjoyed a nice meal of Shrimp Alfredo with yummy garlic bread sticks. For what ever reason, after dinner David was craving something sweet, and decided to make a deep-dish apple pie, from scratch! Including the crust! It was really good! I showed him my mom's trick about dusting the top crust with cinnamon sugar; it just adds something special to it. I think my husband could honestly be a chef! Christmas Day was quiet and relaxing, and everyone pretty much hung out in their pj's most of the day. Amanda & I watched a marathon of Hallmark channel Christmas movies, it was fun. For dinner we made a scrumptious ham, cheesy potatoes and green bean casserole. We had apple pie and cheesecake for dessert.

The Tuesday before Christmas we received sad news that one of David's former army medic colleagues had passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. We made our way up to Duluth on Friday, as the funeral was Sat. morning. It was a touching service, it always brings tears to my eyes when the honor guard does the flag ceremony. It was very hard for all of the fellow medics to see a man so full of life pass away so suddenly. He was a mentor to so many of them. After the service we enjoyed visiting at the fellowship lunch, and then went down the road to the Sunset lounge. Evidently the boys had many-a Captain Morgan occasions with our friend during fishing trips in Babbitt, MN, so they had to toast to him with a shot. It was very nice to see our extended guard families, although during a difficult time.

We also managed to spend time with both of our families, which was very nice, especially for the girls. They enjoyed as did we, having some quality time with them.

"A Million Thanks"

2008-12-10T12:29:00.004-06:00

Here is a way to thank U.S. service members for their service and sacrifice. It only takes a few minutes of your time and effort to lift someone's spirits.

http:amillionthanks.org/How_To_Mail.asp

Back from the stone ages...

2008-12-10T12:14:00.003-06:00

This past Saturday our home modem decided to unexpectedly die. After many failed attempts of re-configuring it, our internet provider deemed it as faulty. Great... No replacement can be received until Tuesday, 4 WHOLE days away. Of course, this had to happen on a weekend, and while my computer guru (David) was out of town. I even tried having my dad help over the phone, with no luck. A few short years back this would have not been a problem; and goes to show how much we rely on the internet/e-mail, etc. UGH! Thankfully we live within a half mile of the local library, which has internet access and Wi-Fi available. So once a day, I would trek over there and try to remain "connected" to the world. Nothing earth shattering happened during our hiatis, luckily! I know it could have been a whole lot worse...

The morning after

2008-11-28T07:30:00.004-06:00

All I can say (still,18 hours later) is UGH, and full! But I think our day(after many years of going elsewhere) went pretty well; although I should ask our guests?! We had pre-big meal h'ordervs of cheese & crackers, veggies & dip, shrimp cocktail and deviled eggs. We enjoyed the big meal even a little ahead of schedule, because Mr. Turkey was done earlier than we anticipated. This was good, after I spent Wednesday wondering (and freaking a little) if he would be thawed safely in time. Thankfully a friend talked me through it over the phone. Ok, so tragedy was diverted and the turkey was SUPER moist! David used what he called the "Liz" method (my mom) of stuffing the cavity with apples and celery. Worked like a charm. Although mom was unable to attend, we still had her famous homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin and apple pies. Yummy! I know my girls thoughly enjoyed doting on their cousin Sydney, and playing with cousin Nathan. They are all just too cute!

Thanksgiving 101

2008-11-17T12:56:00.002-06:00

This year our family is hosting a small-ish Thanksgiving. My mom and dad, and my sister Krista & her family will be coming. It's been a few years since we have cooked the big meal, so I have been prepping by watching (and recording) the numerous Food Network shows about it. Geeky? Yeah, maybe... But I did learn some new things. David likes to take his time doing meals, where I'm more the type to hurry and get it done. Example, he wants to put the turkey in a brine. I would probably be more likely to baste it. He wants to have 3 vegetables, I want to have 2. Altough I did convince him to let me make Waldorf salad. Mom is bringing her homemade apple and pumpkin pies, and her cranberry sauce. I will be doing more research for cooking tips this week!

This Thanksgiving I will be praying for our family members and family friend who have some medical obstacles they're facing.

What are your family traditions on Thanksgiving?

62,000 crazy people

2008-10-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

When David heard the MMAF (MN Military Appreciation Fund) was offering free Vikings tickets, we jumped at the chance. Usually with MMAF, you can get discounted tickets, so free is even better. The crazy day began with David dropping Amanda & I off at church for Sunday school, while he waited at a nearby park reading a book. Then we drive like crazy people and get into Mpls a half hour before the game. Park the car, check. Walk to the dome, check. Get through the MASS of people, check. Get through security, check. Climb to our seats, check. So of course the dome is what I would call loud, as it's sold out. But then the Vikes are on defense and it gets EVEN LOUDER; 62,000 crazy people yelling. I saw Amanda plugging her ears a few times but she had a blast. By the end of the game, she was giving high-fives to people!~Nothing like seeing a game live!

Good and bad news

2008-09-16T06:20:00.006-05:00

When our neighbor dropped by last night, unfortunately it wasn't a social call. He told us that evidently our garage door had been left open on Sunday night. Somehow the door didn't shut because something was in the way of the sensor. He found David's army medic bag laying in his yard (it has our last name on it) and brought it to the police station because he didn't know our last name. Literally one minute later (glad the tax dollars are working!) a community service officer was at our door. We also found out that about 10 places were hit that night in our area; which he said is very common and had just happened in his area 2 nights before. Luckily we don't park our cars outside, because cars had been broken into-windows broken. They rifiled through my glove box (all the stuff was laying on the seat), but nothing was gone. They must not have seen my cd's in the driver's side door. From David's car all they took was a $30-40 ipod player. SO weird, because there's numerous tools and valuable fishing poles in the garage as well...Luckily our new bikes are up on hooks in the rafters, which they would have to climb on David's car to get down. The burley (baby cart for the bike) was wedged in by David's car. Some people had garage door openers and house keys taken. Um, I keep my keys in the house, duh...I am grateful the situation wasn't worse, but if the thieves are found, we can charge them with burglary since they were in our garage. I am also grateful it wasn't one of the 2 prior nights, since David was gone on guards. We are so careful about locking up everything at night, so I guess this is a lesson learned to double and triple check everything.

First day of school 9/2/08

2008-09-04T16:07:00.001-05:00

Hard to hear

2008-09-04T13:42:00.008-05:00

Amanda started 3rd grade this week...Boy how time flies. And she's even "older" for her grade, since her birthday is in the fall. In first grade her teacher noticed she was "behind" the level of her classmates. So special services did some evaluations to see if she'd qualify for help. And she did. She has been doing small groups in reading and math, this year adding writing. The school gave us a diagnosis of Developmental Cognitive Disability. An outside psychologist gave us an ADHD diagnosis. And for the record, we are completely against medication. But we are afraid that she will never completely be mainstreamed with her regular class. I know we have to celebrate the leaps and bounds the things she has achieved. It's just very hard to hear that your child is struggling and there's nothing you could have done differently. She just is the way she is. I just don't think it helped having had her father deployed 2 times. She definitely regressed during those changes. I mean I'm an adult, and I had a hard time dealing with it.

I'm looking into some other resources for help but if anyone has suggestions, please let me know. Hopefully I can stop having tears stream down my face every time I think about this. :)

Things people say...

2008-08-27T13:44:00.010-05:00

Lately there's been a lot of political lawn signs popping up. One of the many around our district is for Karla Bigham. So all of a sudden, Amanda asks "why are they selling BIG HAM?" It took me a minute to realize what she was saying and then we couldn't stop laughing. Very creative, Amanda!!!

Then yesterday while finishing dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, they started playing "Born to be Wild". When we were leaving, Abby started saying "born to be wild". That's my girl, the wild child. It was so cute and very spontaneous; she has been kind of a quiet girl until lately. You know, the older one usually talks for the younger one. So true.

On another note, tonight is Open House for my big 3rd grader, Amanda. Next Wednesday we have it for the new H.S. sophomore, Ashley.

WHERE did summer go?

2008-08-14T15:41:00.004-05:00

I am partially referring to the calendar, partially to the weather. Although the days remain warm and beautiful; and greatly, a little less humid, the nights have sure been cooling off. And we don't even have a "cooler by the lake" effect... Yesterday I put the little pool out for the girls and figured I may as well water the grass in the back at the same time, so I turned on the in-ground sprinklers. Abby had a blast. It was funny watching her trying to run away from one spray only to get hit with another. So while she was happy playing, I pulled weeds and dead leaves from my garden. My lilies have diminished in my front garden, but these have been going wild in my back garden:

Today I took the little girls to the "beach'. It's a county park with a sand-bottom pool which is also surrounded by sand and gigantic beach umbrellas. So we spent a couple hours in the water and it felt great. Unfortunately the rain clouds were rolling in, so I figured we had better leave while it was still dry out. We hadn't been home for more than 10 minutes and it started pouring! Last Saturday we attended the Irish Fair. In the past it has fallen on the same weekend as the Pig Roast. It was so much fun. I felt like I was in Ireland without leaving St. Paul. David & I each had a pint and the girls enjoyed roasted corn. Before we know it, the Great Minnesota get-together will be here; a sure sign to summer ending. :(

reflecting

2008-08-03T13:40:00.004-05:00

1 year and 1 week later. So hard to believe....

"But none of them- none of the 5,000 soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard-came back unchanged by their 22-month deployment, and their sojourn into the cauldron of Iraq." Their time at war won a commendation in Congress as "the longest continuous deployment of any United States ground combat military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom." (source: Associated Press)

David has been back to his "real job" for just under a year now. He loves it and they love him. He made it to the next "level", obtained a new job title, received an achievement bonus, and a raise. It was very nice to hear his boss sing his praises at our housewarming. That really means a lot.

Still in the guard, presently at the Duluth unit. Hoping for a transfer to a unit in the cities due to the distance factor. That should be effective starting in October.

The last year has really flown, but I still get emotional when I think of how long he was gone. So , hoorah to the men and women who defend our freedoms, and Godspeed!

birthday blessings

2008-07-09T09:02:00.004-05:00

The day was quiet and relaxing; as it should be. My first "bonus" item was a large Andes Mint cooler from Caribou. Way yummy! Then for dinner we decided to head for Buffalo Wild Wings, as my birthday just happen to fall on 40 cent wing night! We asked for outdoor seating, which had a great view of a peaceful fountain. The weather was perfect. Sometime during the dinner Amanda went to the restroom and managed to tell the server it was my birthday. (aw, so sweet!) It's kind of funny, because when I GOT CARDED for my Blue Moon, she didn't notice. So when she brought our dinner, she asked if it was really my birthday and said I'd get a free dessert! Cheesecake with raspberry sauce was shared and enjoyed by the girls and I.

Not to mention, I got phone calls from mom, Stacy, dad (who sang to me) and my friend Sheila-whose been staying in Texas since June. And the many Facebook messages made it all complete. It's the small things that make me happy!

new house photos, part III

2008-06-24T15:09:00.009-05:00

The master bedroom: hopefully someday I will paint over the "leaf" border. Also on display, the beautiful quilt mom made as a welcome home present when David got home last summer.

The master bathroom: "on suite" to the master bedroom on the lower level. Pretty basic bathroom except shower stall is larger.

The master closet: all of you ladies can appreciate this. It's actually about double this size.

The deck: with our lovely patio set. Not to be forgotten; the Dora table set as well.

Our back yard. Garden in right back corner.

Close-up of the garden.

Another view of the back yard.

house pics, Part II

2008-06-19T14:06:00.009-05:00

Last weekend I was busy painting Ashley's room PURPLE. I thought the color was a little too dark, but it turned out really pretty and she loves it:

More house photos as well:
Amanda & Abby's room

Ashley's room (before painting, after border was taken down)

Main bathroom: light purple

Family room: with gas fireplace, built-in bookcases and tv armoire (love it!)

Family room: one the other side of the room "divided" by the couch is David's office. I told him this was the area he could hang all his awards, diplomas and photos.

what color?

2008-06-14T11:50:00.003-05:00

I'm debating about painting my kitchen; the question is: what color???

My dining room area is open to the kitchen. So, I will paint my entire kitchen, and one wall of the dining room. The other wall of the dining room is tan. My curtains (in the living room and dining room) are a cranberry color with an off-white curtain behind. I love the color cranberry, but I think painting my walls (even in a small area) would be way too bold for me. The possible colors I have thought of are: pumpkin, olive green, or a shade of darker yellow. So please help me! Post a comment with any ideas or suggestions you have.

The kitchen cabinets are a lighter oak color with white and gold handles. I will likely be update those as well, possibly to brushed silver.

new house photos; part 1

2008-06-12T18:40:00.011-05:00

First, because I'm usually a pretty neat person; please excuse any leftover boxes or random things laying around. I'm getting to those last few boxes this weekend. I also hope to tape around the trim in Ashley's room to start thinking about painting it. At least I got the charming "sports" theme wallpaper down!

the foyer; inside to the left are stairs going up and down. to the right is the door to the garage.

the stairs leading down

the stairs leading up

the living room; a light brown color :)

another view of the living room, obviously the window. I love the cranberry curtains.

again, the living room. The dining room and kitchen is to the right. The girls' bedrooms (2) and the bathroom is down the hall to the left.

To be continued....

one week later...

2008-06-08T19:52:00.005-05:00

One week after the move; we've gotten the majority of the boxes unloaded The garage has some random stuff in it still to find a "home" for, but no biggie. Last weekend we stopped into Ikea; we needed something to put silverware in. For some reason they didn't design the kitchen with a drawer wide enough. So, we found these:

Functional and they look appealing. We made another visit to Ikea yesterday. We got a clothes sorter for the laundry room and a new pair of kitchen tongs. Very exciting (HA!) But really, they were good prices for everything. We're still debating on which file cabinet and bed side tables we want. It's so fun to look at all the dream kitchens they have there. Maybe someday that makeover can happen...

I also got to hang some pictures and put some decorative items on our built-in bookcase shelves. It's coming together slowly. David leaves for AT this Wednesday for 17 days, and during that time I hope to remove the wallpaper border in Ashley's room, prime and paint. Plenty to do!

Relocated!!

2008-06-04T12:52:00.006-05:00

Well, we survived the big move day with no broken furniture and only a few minor scrapes and cuts! Of course, Saturday had to be hot, but we made it. Moving cannot go without a hitch, however. Our phone was supposed to be transferred on Friday by 5 p.m. At 6 pm it still wasn't working at the new house. So I had no phone and no internet (DSL) for about 24 hours; I thought I was living in the dark ages again! Thankfully the library is now in walking distance; I made a stop to check my e-mail. Saturday night we got a welcomed reprieve from moving and attended a fellow guardsman's going away party. Well, he lives in Bloomington. We were just finished eating and the wind kicked up about 5 notches and we decided we had better go...Except the storm was moving east and we had to travel east. While going though Bloomington, we saw the hail that collected on the ground----it was CRAZY, it looked like it had snowed! Sunday we got the last of our stuff from our townhouse; it looked so weird empty.

Congratulations-

Krista & Tom on your new beautiful daughter, Syndney Noelle. What a cutie pie! I think I'm a bit biased though! I can't wait to meet her!
Carrie & Corey on the purchase of their new home! And congratulations to Corey on his new job.
I am so happy for all of you! xoxoxox

it is really REAL

2008-05-23T21:43:00.005-05:00

We signed our closing papers today; so it's really REALLY our house! WOO HOO! Besides buying the house, we have slowly been accumulating things for the new house; although some are more functional than fun. For example, our shiny new ladder and lawn mower. We also found a great patio set (pretty cheap) to dine outside on the deck. Sunday we'll slowly start moving boxes and smaller items over. Of course, its supposed to be hot that day. At least I'm not pregnant during this move, unlike the last one. When I come up for air I will post photos, soon.

house countdown

2008-05-17T06:59:00.014-05:00

Spring (finally!) made its arrival. Now we get to the point where it becomes too warm in the house but I will not cave and turn on the A.C. It becomes a difficult battle in our house; because we face southwest and get all that afternoon sun. I've taken down our drapes which blocked out some of that heat.
I wish I could be working on stuff in our new yard. One week and one day to go! That's when we can "officially" be in the house, and we will make the transition over a week. The girls are looking forward to their own yard again, David & I are looking forward to our own 4 walls.... Sounds like a small perk, but we've been in multiple-housing for our entire marriage. (3 locations) The navy housing was the worse. Now we will have no houses directly in front or back of us...and a privacy fence in the back. Sounds very tranquil to me. I can't wait!

so precious....

2008-04-29T09:22:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday was Amanda's First Communion. It was so freaking windy and cold, but still a very special day. Amanda wore the same dress that Ashley did, made by my mom. The service was beautiful; I had tears streaming a few times. This is a very big milestone; two years of classes to get us to this point. Not to mention that David was actually here to celebrate his little girl's day. My mom, dad, aunt Mary, Carrie, Krista, David and myself attended the service, while Ashley was back here handling the two 2 1/2 year olds. Afterwards we came back to our place for dinner, DQ cake and presents. It was fun to see Abby and Nathan play; and they look so much alike they could be siblings instead of cousins. We hope to have a play date again with him next week. So thanks to dad for the great pictures; I just had to post a few.

I don't get it! (yet)

2008-04-26T05:30:00.005-05:00

I've always wanted to learn how to crochet. My husband's late grandmother made those killer, ever-lasting washcloths and hot pads. She also made us a beautiful blanket. If at 96 (and half-blind) she could do it, I should be able to...Enter over-experienced crocheter, MOM. Somehow mom and Ashley got talking about crafts, and next thing we know, she was teaching Ashley. -I've had the yarn and hooks for about a year, just sitting here. Ashley picked it up pretty quickly, and before long she had a few different stitches down. Then came me. I had read Crocheting for Dummies, but easier to learn with a person. I get the idea, I just can't coordinate my hands quite right yet. Maybe having a little less wine (mom too) would help during the next session. I think we were laughing so hard we were crying; because I make things harder than they need to be. Mom said she won't give up on me until I've learned; hopefully that will be before she leaves!

We ran to the store yesterday. When we got back Abby, mom and Amanda went in the house. I propped the door open so I could bring in the bags, and the next thing I knew, Abby ran outside in the rain, in her socks...So I chase her down the driveway and carry her back. I was laughing so hard I couldn't catch my breath. Well, she had fun anyway. Maybe the next time it rains, we'll put her new pink rubber boots and pink raincoat on and let her splash around.

cheesecake heaven

2008-04-12T09:09:00.005-05:00

We met our friends for dinner in St. Paul, and then came back to our place for dessert. They treated us to an indulgent cheesecake from Cafe Latte' on Grand Ave. I kid you not, this was the best cheesecake I've ever had! It was not overly rich like most cheesecake, but very light and creamy. The best part was the sugar-cookie crust; YUM! I guess Rachael Ray has visited there on one of her shows. I will have to go and check it out! Then they insisted on leaving the remaining pieces for us; this could be dangerous! Anyone in the area up for coffee and cheesecake??!!
AND, to top the day off, the sellers of our new house bought a house and we're all set! YEAH! We have our inspection on Monday, so here we go!

F I N A L L Y!

2008-04-08T22:01:00.005-05:00

We finally found and bought our first house! I can't believe everything finally all came together; considering how many properties we looked at. This house is still in Cottage Grove, all of maybe a 1/2 mile away! The seller has to find a new house and have until May 15, (per the P.A.) but shouldn't be an issue at all. We could still walk away if we decide not to wait until May 15 or even extend the time they have. So for now we are set to close on May 23. Not concrete on what day we'll move but that will all come together when they find a house. Stay tuned!

Ashley's big day

2008-04-02T06:36:00.006-05:00

The big day finally came. I couldn't even take her to the orthodontist to have her braces taken off because I was still gone. So daddy and the girls took her. She looks so different, and her teeth are beautiful.

Scrapbook getaway

2008-03-30T06:26:00.004-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for this! My friend Stacy in Duluth has gone to this scrapbook retreat 2 other times, and this time she politely insisted that I needed to go. Hmmm, kids have no school all week, this could work. I checked with David while at work and he volunteered to take 2 days of vacation so I could go; and he could have bonding time with the girls. We stay at an 11-12 person retreat house in Meadowlands with a complete kitchen. People offer free-will potluck-type items for the meals,-taco salad, take and bake pizzas and egg bake for brunch (yuck!) I have my rice cakes and peanut butter all set to go since I hate eggs. Stacy and I will share a 2-person room with its own bathroom. The workroom has huge banquet tables for us to set up on and go to town. I have neglected my Florida pictures, so I plan on working on that. We'll be there from 3:00 today until around 11:30 on Tuesday. I don't know if I will know what to do with myself... No chores and no children will be very strange! She said its very relaxing; sounds like just what I need. Not that I'm complaining but that 22 months while he was gone was challenging!

So the only downfall is I've been fighting the cold-crud since Tuesday, but finally starting to feel normal. Now I just have a little congestion and occasional cough.

A.I.: Sad to Chikizie go. I kind of thought Ramiele would leave. Actually liked how Kristy Lee Cook sang. My favorites last week were: Carly, David C., David A. and Luke. AND, the best news (in t.v. land) is Grey's Anatomy comes back on April 24!!! YES, YES, YES! FINALLY! I recently watched an old Patrick Dempsey movie- "Can't Buy me love", he was sooooo geeky! Much improved now days!

A.I. review/house stuff

2008-03-13T06:10:00.004-05:00

Ok, um why is Kristy Lee Cook still on there???! But I was having 2nd thoughts about David H. anyway. I hope David A. can come back down to earth and remember the words to a song. I LOVED Chikezie's performance! Brooke, Carly, David C. and Chickezie were my fav's this week; sometimes that'll change from week-to-week.

I had a crazy morning yesterday. I spent 1 1/2 hours at a mortgage place filling out and signing papers, and asking a lot of questions. Last week we were pre-approved at a credit union but our realtor wanted us to check one more place. She had me working with the "first-time homebuyer's guru", but it turns out she could get us the best deal through the V.A.; mostly due to not having to pay P.M.I. So again re-pre-approved and being shown 10 houses in Cottage Grove on Friday. I found out that likely our landlord will show our place furnished (with our stuff in it) to perspective renters, so I'm stressing a little. Ok, A LOT. I've got to just stop and breathe. I don't know how fabulous the place can look but I will try. I'm going to buy some boxes for personal items-pictures mostly. Now I feel like I have to stage this place and it's not mine, per se. Here we go, my craziness gets crazier. I had jokingly told my mom that when they come for Amanda's first communion they'd be sitting on boxes. It won't be that bad, but there probably won't be too many decorative things and such around. Our lease ends June 30 and we have to give 60 days notice, so our tentative goal is to notify her by April 30. This could all change depending when we find something we want to buy.

spring finally?

2008-03-11T17:43:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful day!!! IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME! Excuse the anger, but we've had snow on the ground since December 1st, it gets really old really fast! I let Amanda and Abby color with chalk in the driveway-they had an absolute blast!!! You could really tell they had cabin fever when I tried oh, like 3 times to get them in the house. Abby just ran right back out with the chalk in her hand. She was so angry when she had to come in. We bribed her to eat dinner while watching a DVD, so it was seriously serious. I looked at the temp several times and it was a balmy 50 at one point. We look forward to daylight a little longer although the time change has kind of been rough.

For the AI fans; the top 12 tonight! Randy & Paula appeared on the Today show and their favorites are David A., David C., Brooke and Carly. I agree with those choices. Can't wait to watch! If I had to guess, I'd say probably Kristy Lee Cook will go next. Thoughts? Comments?

house shopping

2008-03-06T14:20:00.002-06:00

Since David returned from Iraq we've been wanting and preparing to buy a house, finally! I look on-line all the time just to see what's out there, but we now have the official green light with a pre-approval! I couldn't even call David to tell him, as he's in EMT classes at Camp Ripley. So I had to settle for sending him an e-mail and he'll call home tonight. We are very much wanting to stay in Cottage Grove, but would also consider Woodbury as it's the same school district. Our landlord gave us the name of her realtor and she's coming over to talk to us on Saturday. I really couldn't be any more excited. We hope to be settled before the fall school year starts, to make it easier for the girls. A yard will be a nice bonus feature, one we have missed since moving from Duluth. Yet, I don't miss mowing that big lawn we had on Niagara Street! Hard on the allergies...

Clumsy or bad luck?

2008-03-04T07:24:00.003-06:00

On Saturday the little girls and I had cabin fever. David had gone to Duluth on Friday for drill and was back in the cities about 24 hours later. Then on Sunday he had to leave again for Camp Ripley for a week-long school on EMT re-certification. So our window of opportunity was very short. When he called to say he was on his way home, I asked if he was up to it and he said yes. We hit the road and headed towards MOA; crazy but I wanted to do some walking.

We parked and I was getting the girls and the stuff ready to go. David was in the back of the van getting the stroller. I walked around the back and CLOCKED me on the head with the tail gate as it was coming down-David had hit the button and didn't see me. Oh my goodness, that HURT! It literally brought tears to my eyes. I also managed to bite the tip of my tongue and it was now bleeding. David made sure I was ok of course, and then we went inside to walk around. The day it happened my head really didn't hurt, just my tongue; and it was hard to talk normally. Sunday I felt better. Today I woke up with a headache and the spot on my head hurts. Of course it has to be on my forehead, and it'll will likely turn black & blue....Oh yeah.

I'm hooked

2008-02-22T09:19:00.002-06:00

Since I used to watch Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights, it was a little difficult to find a worthy replacement. I'm so tired of (partially watching) Omorosa rant and rave....So when they announced a new show coming on Thursday nights, the previews looked decent. I started watching Lipstick Jungle and now am totally hooked. It doesn't hurt that there's a couple gentlemen on the show that are easy on the eyes....I missed watching last week for what ever reason and thanks to the shows on-line, I could catch up. Now I just have to wait until next week to see what happens. It started about three weeks ago, so I don't know how they managed to have writers but I am happy they did somehow.

Ash-a-lee

2008-02-07T20:20:00.000-06:00

Today Ashley got what could be considered the best news (so far) of her life! We went to her routine (every 6 weeks) orthodontist appointment today. We knew the Dr. said she would probably be able to get the braces off sometime in the spring. Hmmm.... not very specific, but I'm sure they have to wait and see what happens. So as we were driving there, I mentioned to Ashley that next time could be the last appointment with braces ON, and I was correct! She gets them taken off on April 1st and April 10. I don't think she could be happier! I will post the before and after pictures then. I fortunately cannot relate to this, but her Aunties can! She said the first thing she wants to eat is a bag of apples and caramel dip. How cute is that?

over the river and through the woods...

2008-02-01T14:06:00.000-06:00

Where else would that lead, but to Grandma's house?! The little girls and I are heading up to Duluth for the weekend, and David has drill. He drove up early this morning. We really miss being only 5 minutes away from the grandparents, but this makes the visit that much more special. My plans include: meeting Margo's new baby Trevor, going to a baby shower for a different friend, and possibly squeeze in some time for a cocktail with a girlfriend. We could possibly end up at the Brewhouse on Saturday night with friends too, hard to tell. Last time we forgot to bring our growler jug to be filled, so it's already in the car. Amanda has been talking about the visit all week, she can't wait to see the grandparents! (Photo of baby Trevor, he's SO adorable!)

In the Queue

2008-01-26T08:36:00.000-06:00

Awhile back we switched from Blockbuster on-line to Netflix as Blockbuster changed their program/prices. As Krista mentioned, I don't usually get out to too many non-child movies, and with the writer's strike, there's not too much on t.v. It's been nice to have, as most of these aren't really movies I would have seen in theater, but as a rental would be ok. And a lot cheaper than going even 1 time to rent videos.

Movies we have currently at home are: Spiderman 3, and Live Free or Die Hard

Movies in our Queue: The Soprano's: Season 6, Part 2, disk 3 & 4
The Kingdom
I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry
Psych: Season 1, disks 1-4

Movies "saved": That 70's Show: Season 8
(This means it hasn't been released yet to Netflix)

Psych is a show my good friend watches and keeps telling me about; she said it's hilarious. I think it airs on the USA network. I have been half-watching Celebrity Apprentice, only because it's on at the same time/night as Grey's Anatomy is. But now that's all reruns until September....I will be having major withdrawals!

What's in your Queue?

January update

2008-01-17T08:02:00.000-06:00

Not too much has been going on, other than the normal day-to-day stuff. I've already gotten all our stuff entered into Turbo Tax, just waiting for 1 last thing. Yesterday I received the last W-2, the only one we couldn't obtain on-line. I was bored so I just decided to plunk all the numbers in there. The state program isn't available quite yet, but Federal is pretty much done.

Ashley & I went to her high school (for next year) last week for a parent meeting; it made me feel very old being there. We also had to sign up for classes; she chose journalism, Spanish II and photography along with her core subjects. No driver's ed yet; we want her to concentrate on school, then she can take it in the summer after her sophomore year. She's in Advanced Theater this year, and will be in the school play. She also has Confirmation (year 1) classes twice a month, so she's quite busy. After homework, she plays her Guitar Hero game. I, on the other hand, am NOT a guitar hero. I cannot even play very well on "easy". Oh well!

Amanda will start her First Communion preparation classes starting in February. We're in a small group with 3 other families so we take turns on hosting and teaching the class. It's a lot of material to cover and nice to have some friends to share in the learning process. We also discovered that Ashley's First Communion dress will fit Amanda, and I'm very excited. Of course, grandma Taylor made it, so it's very special. Now we start the hunt for white dress shoes in the winter time, and white dress gloves. First Communion takes place in April. I hope to have our family here to help us celebrate this special day.

Abigail continues to be very busy and sweet. She's started saying more words (recognizable) so it's been fun. For her birthday and Christmas she received 2 baby dolls, to join the one we already had. So she now walks around with all 3 of the babies, feeding and laying them down in her bed with 3 "buddies" for nappy time. She is SO motherly, it's sweet. Earlier in the month we took all the girls sledding and Abby had an absolute blast. She just sat in sled in awe of her frigid, white surroundings. I think daddy had the most fun of all, after not having seen snow in almost 2 years! We are so glad to have him home.

Florida photos

2007-12-31T07:39:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to my on-line photo album, which include the Florida trip pictures. It seemed easier than posting all of them here, because there's so many. (You are welcome to comment on the photos here, though.) Double click on the photo to open each album.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wallace.karla0

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-27T06:57:00.000-06:00

Of course, it turned out to be another massive snow storm(s) on a high-travel weekend. We listened to numerous weather reports and drove to Duluth on Friday night to try to avoid the storm that was supposed to happen on Saturday. Yes, it did snow a little on Saturday, but much more so on Sunday. My brother came over to our parents house to use his truck plow on the driveway. Then his truck got stuck in the snowbank. David & Craig spent quite a bit of time trying to dig it out before Craig walked over to his house to get his other truck to pull the other out. It was quite a process to say the least. Now I just heard that we have double the amount of snow normal for December; definitely winter, not sure about the wonderland part!

yummy treats

2007-12-14T16:22:00.000-06:00

I was the "queen of treats" today. I created chocolate-dipped pretzels, homemade caramel corn; and peanut butter ritz crackers dipped in chocolate. Those remind me of 'tagalong" cookies from the Girl Scouts. I had quite a mess going in my kitchen, needless to say! Now we'll see how long they last! Next week I hope to tackle spritz cookies; as I just acquired a spritz cookie gun off of e-bay. Gotta love e-bay! My mom has always made spritz, and they're one of my favorites. I've never bought anything off e-bay, so it was all new to me. If you're in the neighborhood, stop in for a treat! yummy!

Florida trip- 11/30/07-12/7/07

2007-12-08T06:52:00.000-06:00

Yes, Florida was fabulous; warm and sunny almost every day. Some days it even got too hot. But we had fun...for the most part!

One thing that really wasn't fun was the TOLLWAY~! Having to pay to use the freeway was frustrating, because you never knew how much it was going to be. Of course, the only way from/to the airport was taking the tollway so we planned for that one ahead. We got on the tollway once by accident; after that we made sure we had a map and plenty of change handy!

We also had tickets to view the space shuttle Atlantis take off on Thursday 12/6, but unfortunately it got scrubbed. Since we were leaving the next day, there was no chance to view it at the new day/time, and unfortunately the tickets were non-refundable, but we figured it was a chance worth taking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Here's a breakdown of our activities:

Fri. 11/30- Fly into Orlando. Get lost trying leaving the airport en route to WDW. Make a stop at Shades of Green (military resort) to purchase WDW tickets for later use. Head to hotel to unwind and relax. Girls and I hit the pool. Nice resort. (brother's time share)
Sat. 12/1-Head off to Sea World. Walk around to all the exhibits. Saved the best for last; the Shamu performance. Little did we know that we would get soaked by Shamu. Oh well. It was fun. At first the killer whales started jumping and splashing a little; I thought they were big. But then Shamu came out; and he is HUGE!
Sun. 12/2-Went to the pool at 10:00 a.m. This is rough... Made a trip to the nearby mall. Too hot to be outside! Went to see a movie, called Enchanted. Also went to a big outlet mall, fun to look around. The main parts of that mall were outdoors, although some areas were covered by awnings. All the stores were indoors. It was kind of neat.
Mon. 12/3-Went to the Magic Kingdom. Very busy, even though its a Monday. Fun rides but again, almost too hot for us Minnesotans. We got Amanda to ride all the "big girl" roller coasters, including Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain. After we got off we asked her if it was scary, and she said no, it was totally cool! LOTS of walking around, though!
Tues. 12/4-Relaxing time. Hot and sunny again. Girls and I went to Wet-N-Wild water park for the afternoon. David burns super easy, so he stayed back to read and relax. Lots of fun water slides, and the wave pool was cool! Very strange, walking around in my swim suit in December, while they're playing Christmas music....this is rough!
Wed. 12/5-The day we were on the tollway when we didn't want to be. I had David pull over and we asked for directions. Once we got our bearings again, we went to spend the day at Epcot. In my opinion (and David's) this was sooooo much cooler than Disney World. More interactive rides, and more for all of us to do. We got to ride and see everything, including the "countries" in the world showcase. I think every one's favorite ride was Test Track. You climb into a 6-person convertible "car". It's made to simulate what tests a car goes through before it goes to the dealer. Bumps, hairpin turns, and going 70 mph. Very fun! Left after dark we were having so much fun.
Thurs. 12/6-Off to Kennedy Space Center. Found out once there no space shuttle launch, but stay to look around. Lots of neat exhibits, and a learning experience as well. Got lots of neat pictures there, will post soon!
Fri. 12/7-Time to go home. Leave Florida (where it was going to be 80 that day) and come home to MN, where it's 6 degrees without the wind chill. We found out while gone we also missed the first 2 snowstorms of the season, so we come home to about 8" of snow. This, in a word, sucks. But, we're happy to be home and look forward to getting back on a normal schedule (work, school, etc.) on Monday.

I'll have to finish downloading the photos from the camera and then I will post. Stay tuned!

I almost forgot the most unforgettable part; once we returned home. I went to unlock the car using the remote and nothing happened. So I tried it again. Nothing. So then I proceeded to unlock the van using the key (don't remember ever doing that way) and David and I discovered the battery was DEAD. The light switch was switched off, so then we realized that the cell phone charger was left plugged in, and the little LED light on it (over a week) drained the battery. This has never happened to me with this car. No biggie, he jumped it with his car and we were all set. Just feel a little silly, is all!

Abby's "big girl" bed

2007-11-16T08:22:00.000-06:00

I will never under estimate my 2-year old again. I should listen to my husband.... We bought Amanda & Abby new bunk beds about a month ago. I was nervous about letting Abby sleep in the bottom bunk, so we just kept letting her sleep in her crib. Last weekend we got a bed rail, because for some reason the bottom bunk didn't have one built in. She did so great the first night. Not a peep out of her! The next night, we got woken up by Abby's crying, because she managed to squeeze between the bed and the wall. But since then, we've had no problems. She loves her new bed. I just couldn't "let go" of her not being a "baby" anymore, I guess! I was having thoughts of her not wanting to sleep in the bed, but it was the exact opposite. She's becoming SO independant!

Reward for "time served"

2007-11-15T13:52:00.000-06:00

The story has been featured on the news everywhere; but I guess its different when it affects you personally. My husband's deployment was extended, and the extension orders read 729 days. I would have never believed this number would be an issue, until now. Basically, their orders were 1 day short of them being able to receive G.I. bill benefits....Give me a break... A soldier was interviewed on the news, wondering if this was done intentionally...While in Moorhead, we filled out (literally) one piece of paper to see if he could get the benefit; they were reviewing them "on a case-by-case basis". Yesterday we received a letter of approval, and now we just wait for it to go through the system. David said that normally getting approval usually takes 6 months, and in this case, it took literally two weeks. He said he heard that other state senators (besides Pawlenty) were complaining about this and chewed the Army review board's agency out. This is a huge deal, because it means the difference of receiving up to $1000/month of education benefits or not. David has yet to decide whether to get a Master's, or a second Bachelor's. It's not usually a benefit granted to National Guardsman, but for Active Duty members; but due to the length of deployment (22 months) they were almost eligible.... Patience and persistence are a virtue!

this and that...

2007-11-09T22:15:00.000-06:00

Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment. It was a Friday and the girls had no school. So we had a girls day out at the Mall of America. Daddy had to work. It wasn't overly busy, although looking at the parking ramp it seemed so. I have a routine of parking in the same area so I don't forget where I've parked. I don't even have to write the aisle, row, etc. on my hand anymore! P.S. to Krista-Nathan's "shopping list"?

I really needed some new casual shoes, as my "summer" crocs are very worn out. Baby needed new shoes. Sucess, all found in one store; which is easier said than done sometimes as I have wide feet. Not too many stores carry more than a couple pairs, some carry none. Oh yes, I would love to buy more cute shoes, but they would not be comfortable.

We probably walked at least 2 miles in the shopping/browsing adventure, which is good as well. Have to walk Aunty Anne's pretzel off... Amanda always wants to take the escalators, but not with the stroller. She was slighlty disappointed when the Build a bear worksop line was really long; but I told her Christmas is coming, as is Disney World!

On that note, our trip to Orlando is now exactly 3 weeks away. Time has flown. We previously planned it for this past June, but rescheduled when David's deployment got extended until July. My brother and his wife have been generous enough to offer their timeshare to us, which will save us a great deal of money. And due to MAJOR glitches with Northwest, Abby is going to stay with grandma Taylor. My mom is a true saint and goes above and beyond! The older girls, along with David and I are very greatful for this selfless act. We've never been on a big trip. And she's only 2 and won't remember it other than by photos. Photos to come! Hopefully the weather will cooperate! Oddly enough there were many things I had to turn down for the weekend that we're leaving; a fashion-show for a new designer (friend of a friend), and a baby shower for a very old friend in Duluth. Its also Krista's birthday. (Happy 30th!)

I will likely venture out shopping again on Monday with just Abby and David, as he has the holiday off. Yay, for our Veterans!

Halloween '07

2007-11-01T09:10:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Here's some cute photos of the girls in their costumes. The wind was so cold last night, I really bundled them up; luckily Abby's costume was already "furry", so she was really warm. We voted to not have Amanda wear her eye patch outside; two eyes are always better than one! But, I do love the pose of her saying "ARRR!"

Adventure time

2007-10-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

David & I had to attend Reintegration this past weekend in Moorhead.... Yes, in the middle of nowhere, basically. On the way there while driving on I-94, we came upon a large number of very slow moving vehicles, and then were suddenly at a dead stop...it was long enough where I was actually putting the car in park because we basically weren't moving. We started noticing a lot of cars trying everything imaginable to get to the exit; going over the median, driving the wrong way on the shoulder. So I started thinking this was not good news. We decided to call 511 and see what was up, and found out they were GOING TO BE CLOSING THE FREEWAY there at that moment. So luckily I squeezed my way out to the off-ramp. We proceeded, and then ended up taking a DIRT ROAD trying to get around the mess. Finally, we got our way back to 94 by going through Monticello. I have a new found appreciation for uneventful driving, and the compass on our van. Too bad, though because it was right at the Albertville exit, so there was no possible way of stopping there even if I wanted to. You physically couldn't get there by going west. Oh well I'll have to venture up that way again, if anyone's interested in outlet shopping!

"Dinner and a movie"

2007-10-14T08:08:00.000-05:00

As per the suggestion of the reintegration "experts", we've been trying to schedule outings alone. David says we always go on the "All American Date", dinner and a movie. Although last time we just went to a movie. Last night David said he is was in the mood for Red Lobster, and he didn't have to twist my arm. But of course, Saturdays are very busy anywhere you go, so we checked in and headed for the bar. We don't drink a lot, but a margarita was calling my name. After dinner, we headed off to the movie, "The Heartbreak Kid", with Ben Stiller. I don't know what it is but I find Ben Stiller hillarious. The movie did not dissapoint!!

Oddly enough, that one margarita must have been stronger than the ones I make at home, because I woke up with a headache.... Maybe I'm gettting too old for those? Well, maybe just have it after I've eaten something!

Abigail turns 2

2007-10-10T19:35:00.000-05:00

Today Abigail turned 2 years old. She's talking SO much more nowadays. She repeats almost anything you say to her. No, this isn't a revalation, but she was just kind of a quiet kind of girl. So of course, today, HAD to be cold and windy, so we couldn't go to the park. But instead daddy came to the rescue and asked Abby & I to go to lunch with him. No this isn't a revalation either, but this man doesn't even usually leave his desk for lunch. So we ventured (Abby all bundled up) into downtown St. Paul to pick David up. It's amazing that I actually know my way around now. We decided to try Mickey's Diner-decent food in a cool nastalgic atmosphere. It's just about 3 blocks from his work, so very do-able with an hour. Then we made Abby homemade waffles for "dinner", and had birthday cupcakes for her. She had a wonderful day!

Amanda's special day

2007-10-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Goodness, time has flown. Amanda tuned 8 on Friday. I can remember the day she was born, it seems like yesterday... Although her birthday was on a Friday and a school day, I got up earlier than normal to make her favorite french toast breakfast. While she was at school, Abby & shopped for a cake. Once David got home, we went to dinner at Amanda's choice; TGI Friday's. She didn't want to be sung to at the restaurant. Then we came home so she could open her gifts from us and have cake. We even had Grandma Taylor on speaker phone to sing "Happy Birthday". It was a very nice, fun relaxing day of events.

What's new

2007-10-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

We have a busier than normal schedule due to all the church events we have going on. Both Amanda and Ashley are in Sacrament preparation classes this year; Amanda for First Reconciliation (Dec) and First Communion (Easter), and Ashley's in year 1 of 2 for Confirmation. So, just in the month of September, I had 4 various meetings relating to this. Last night I spent 2 hours organizing a schedule for Amanda's activities that works for 4 families. Not an easy feat... For Amanda, we have weekly meetings for the next 6 weeks; for Ashley, it's twice monthly until May. Thank goodness we have David back home to help with driving, or whatever! This process has been good for me too, and allows me to spend one-on-one time with each of them. Sometimes getting dinner eaten and getting out the door on-time is challenging, though! Getting it made isn't the challenge so much, but sometimes David gets held up at work, or in traffic! Gotta love the cities!

David returned back to his civilian job on August 15th. All is going very well. He's proven (again) that no amount of time away from the job seems to slow him down, and picks right up where he left off. Originally when hired at the state, he was given a "temporary position". Usually people have that about 1 year and then either leave or get hired "permanently". Although his boss had every intention of keeping him. He's only spent about 6 months actually at his job thus far. His boss' boss said he had more than proved his worth recently and waived the remaining temporary period and made him officially permanent. Kudos, honey. I remain ever so proud...

Recently I attended a life-long friend's Pampered Chef party, which she did as a fund raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of her late father. Then I come to find out that her mother recently learned she has breast cancer.... Enough already! Luckily, it has a 95% cure rare. I feel like these people are an extension of me, and my family. Please keep them in your prayers.

Too Funny!

2007-09-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

Abigail has a certain imp-ish personality. When she's at Grandma Taylor's, she walks around with her hands behind her back because she knows she's not supposed to touch anything... my mom thought that was hilarious. She found Ashley's tube of mascara, opened it and proceeded to color her entire face with it. Another day she found the only 2 markers in an entire school-box of crayons and colored her face red. When she eats cereal or ice cream now, she lifts up the bowl when it's almost gone and drinks from the bowl. Hmmm, I wonder where she got that from? Her big sisters, I'm sure. Earlier today I took the older girls to the dentist so Abby was home alone with daddy. Evidently while David was going to the bathroom, she started trying to undress herself and sat down on her potty chair. Well, since daddy hasn't been here in awhile, he didn't know that it played music when something goes into the little bowl. That must have impressed David, because then he proceeded to call me (while I'm at the dentist office waiting room) to ask me "why didn't you tell me Abby's potty chair played music?" I was a little bit curious as to why he called me to ask me that, but he seemed so excited that I just went with it. He said he was going around the house trying to figure out which phone was ringing - his cell phones or home phone, when it was just the potty chair.

One of the words that Abby now says is "chips". We have her big sister Ashley to thank for that. Abby now loves doritos or any chips. She calls most everything chips, even if it isn't chips; but it usually means she wants a snack. I've snuck in plenty of pretzels and grapes instead of chips, and she doesn't seem to mind. So, like Krista said we have to watch what we do and what we say because she wants to do exactly the same things. Her favorite "copy" move is to walk around the house with every bag, purse or otherwise and hop on her Dora car-I wonder where she thinks she's going to go.... to Grandma's house I'm sure! Looks like she's taking after her Aunty Carrie-with her love of purses; already!

Too many birthdays?

2007-09-20T06:30:00.001-05:00

I'm not really saying this; but there are 3 birthdays and 1 anniversary within 5 days of each other in our family. Amanda-10/5, Nathan 10/8, Tom & Krista (anniversary) 10/9, and Abigail on 10/10. That's crazy, but its also fun. No, this really wasn't "planned", but once Krista & I realized our babies (Nathan, Abby) were due on the same day....I think it's kind of cool. Nathan decided he wanted to have his own day to be born, and then Abby wanted to wait to make sure her daddy could be here. As far as Amanda & Abby, it was sort of "planned", in the respect that I didn't want them more than 6 years apart. Little did I know that they would end up being exactly 6 years and 5 days apart!!! This year we're considering a triple-birthday in Duluth for all three of them; complete with the entire family. Sammy's pizza is sounding better by the minute! Oh-this isn't the end of the "October mayhem", we also have cousins and kids of cousins which is like 7 more birthdays. No more babies from the Wallace clan though. :(

this is me then...

2007-09-19T07:33:00.000-05:00

I've seen this on several blogs; so here I go!

20 years ago: 1. I was a sophomore at Duluth Central H.S. 2. Met my now husband in gym class 3. Was a "band" geek playing the clarinet

10 years ago: 1. I had been married for 4 years 2. Only had 1 daughter 3. Had been working at Republic Bank for 2 years

5 years ago: 1. I now have 2 daughters 2. Was still working at Republic Bank

3 years ago: 1. Was still working at Republic Bank 2. My husband returned from Bosnia deployment 3. My husband's best friend passed away unexpectedly at age 35

1 year ago: 1. I had lived in the Twin Cities for over 1 year 2. My husband was 12 months into a 22-month deployment 3. Abigail turned 1 year old, Amanda turned 7 years old

So far this year: 1. Ashley started high school 2. David returned home safely from deployment in Iraq 3. Did a lot of painting inside the house-every room except our bedroom

Yesterday: 1. I laid on the couch with a serious sinus cold watching DVD's 2. I talked to a friend in Duluth on the phone 3. I read half of a (very good) book

Tomorrow: 1. I will go grocery shopping 2. I will try to tackle some laundry, because I still don't feel well today 3. Take Abby to the park

In the next year: 1. Our family will go on a long overdue vacation to Orlando! 2. I want to learn how to make those cool washcloths that David's grandma used to make 3. Make time to use all the scrapbook stuff I have

A sick hubby...

2007-09-18T06:11:00.000-05:00

David went into the E.R. a week ago Monday with pain in his side. He had this problem once before while he was in Iraq and suspected a Gall Stone; but with no ultrasound, hard to confirm. Well, the E.R. did confirm it was a large stone and had no way of passing on its own. They referred him to a General Surgeon for a consult. The surgeon felt it would be much better to remove the Gall Bladder than just removing the stone to allow this problem to reoccur. So, he's going to Woodwinds in Woodbury on Friday for day-sugery. Then he'll have the weekend, plus next Monday & Tuesday off from work to recover. His boss already said if she thinks he's come back too soon, she'll call me and ask me if it was too soon and send him home. Too funny; he can't argue with a wife and a boss! I'm sure they'll give him something good for the pain, but the girls and I will take good care of him. Don't we always, though? I told a life-long friend (Dawn) about this, and she said "hasn't your family been through enough already?" I can't agree more, but want him to feel better....

Grey's Anatomy Addicts Anonymous

2007-09-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

The countdown continues... exactly only 2 weeks to go until the season premiere!!! AHHHH! I got even more pshyched yesterday when Krista & I were talking about the show. So, hang in there a little longer and watch the re-runs; or in my case, watch Season 3's shows on-line! I have to laugh though, because of course my dear husband over-analyzes any medical show... or teases me about it being "soft porn". Ha ha, no worse than a soap opera and those are on in the middle of the day! But I will admit, McDreamy and McSteamy are awfully cute!!

Things about me...

2007-09-10T07:29:00.000-05:00

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE:
Various restaurant jobs: cashier, hostess, waitress; Personal Banker

FOUR PLACES WHERE I'VE LIVED:
Duluth, Great Lakes, IL, Duluth (again), Cottage Grove

FOUR PLACES I'VE BEEN ON VACATION:
Mississippi, Florida, Chicago, Wisconsin Dells

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
Steak, Chicken Caesar salad, Chocolate, Twice-baked potatoes

A Freshman???!!!

2007-09-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

Ok, now I really feel old... (no comments, please from the younger siblings :) My eldest daughter Ashley is now a Freshman in High school... Still will attend same school this year and switch over to the High School next year. She also got into the Honors English class and Geometry this year, and also has Acoustic Guitar (maybe she can teach Carrie!) Time has flown way too fast. She and her girlfriends are already talking about going to the "Spring Fling" dance as each other's dates, rather than going with a boy... Makes her daddy very happy!

Home away from home

2007-08-23T06:57:00.000-05:00

Visiting Duluth is always like being home, while we're away from home. Mom and I play plenty of cards, and she enjoys spoiling the granddaughters. This visit was so David could attend a conference for work, but when we can all go it's a bonus. I love seeing how much Duluth changes every time I go. Had a few chances to eat out at "Duluth only" restaurants; inlcuding The Brewhouse, and Bellisio's. Gotta love when $20 of David's dinner is being reimbursed by the state....so much eating ensued.

Settling In

2007-08-01T09:03:00.000-05:00

Time is going by very fast. David's already blown me "out of the water" and gotten so much done around here. Amazing what a difference another adult in the house makes... We put up more shelves in the garage and re-organized. We purchased (long overdue) a new dining room table, with 6 chairs. It seems our family of 5 outgrew our table for 4 as soon as he returned. I really wanted him to pick it out with me in person rather than on-line!

A Long Awaited Arrival

2007-08-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

Today David arrived home after 22 months of depoyment; 16 months of that in Iraq. We are all very excited to see him, finally. Abigail also happens to be 22 months old, which coincides almost exactly with the deployment. I kept wishing time would go by faster, and he would get home; but then I realized that meant she was also getting bigger by the day as well.