Good-Bye 2011.

Top Things of 2011 - In no particular order.

1. New Job: Working for KK Bold has been a great experience-something new every day. I’m excited to see what is coming for me and my clients in the coming year.

2. Living with my parents: As much as I joke about the torture, I owe so much to my parents for helping me out and letting me crash with them for 100 days this summer. It was nice to get back there and be on the farm again. I can't thank them enough.

3. Friend memories with laughs and miles: Whether it was a trip to the Sioux game, a trip to the Buckskin, shoveling the driveway, or having martinis, I realize I have surrounded myself with an fabulous group of supporting friends and love that I get to make memories with them whenever I can.

4. Elton John: Amazing concert with an amazing person, so glad that Grace and I were able to take this in.

5. Matt: Aside from being tall, dark, and handsome, he brings a smile to my face and has been there so much for me the past year. He's one of the best things of 2011, no question about it. The other wonderful thing about him is the package deal of his family and friends, who has been so good to me and has welcomed me with open arms…literally; they are huggers (especially his uncle)!

6. Selling my house: After much huffing, puffing, crying, pouting, and extra work, the house finally was sold. I miss many things about it, it’s hard to explain but gives great definition to the term bittersweet.

7. Cabo: My first trip to Mexico was full of sun, fun, and food. Amazing views and company, makes me want to plan another trip soon.

8. Moving…not once but twice: Moving to Mom and Dad’s house was once and then moving to a duplex apartment to rent with all my stuff. It’s working for right now but I do have an accepted offer on another place that is being built. I hope to close in April.

9. Summer: Whether it was camping or sticking close to home, it was a great summer full of sun. This season extended well into a wonderful Fall and a Winter that hasn't been too rough on me.

10. Discovered Yoga: I didn’t plan on this being a top 10 but I have really fallen for this practice and I look forward to it each week.

11. (This is from TonyDanza and Lola) No dogs after suffering for a year and a half. (I liked living with Bell, but they are anti-dog, especially anti-weiner dog)

Honorable Mentions:
-Saw Alaina receive her diploma
-Riding in a parade
-Made it through the Denver Airport
-Was elected for another term on the NDYP board
-Got a smart phone, again
-Went tubing
-Saw the new barn go up in place of the old barn
-Matt will actually take me camping again, because I’m really good at it
-Saying Good-bye to Mel and happy to hear she’s succeeding in her move
-Having my friends have life-changing events (babies, engagements)
-Bought some cows
-Playing matchmaker for a good friend
-Survived a hunting trip/Remynse Retreat
-Went to hockey games
-Had amazing food…whether it was camping, seafood in Mexico, or from Matt’s personal kitchen, I ate well this year. (Future gym visits are planned)
-Celebrated a birthday in Hebron
-Was continually amazed by my family

All in all, 2011 was a year of transitions and tears. These were not all sad or tragic but a year where everything was a moving target that has lead me to a great place in my life. I look forward to what 2012 can bring.

“I can’t hear “Auld Lang Syne” without a tear coming to my eye, especially if it has a saxophone.”—Amanda Lynn Moser

I Made the Nice List

Christmas really is my favorite day of the year. I’m reminded each year from start to finish. This year I felt behind, and I know some of it is an age thing, but I always felt like I wasn’t ready. I didn’t cook at all this season, I didn’t do any online shopping, I wrapped up to the last minute, I forgot fruit for dessert fondue, and I still have some wrapping to do for a few people I haven’t seen and all the hustle is worth it every time when it comes to spending time with my family.

On Christmas Eve, we went down south to Grandma and Grandpa’s farm. It was the smallest Christmas I can ever remember with them. We all fit around the table. I think there were 11 people. I admit I have grown accustomed to the crowded rooms and the grab a seat where you can. It’s nice to see those that were able to make it and catch up a bit with what’s happening with the family and their families.

Christmas Day also puts me in a good mood. We have a tradition with our family that I’m glad that we started. I know it changed how the extended families do things but I love that we get up, eat Christmas Bread that Grandma made, open presents one at a time (starting with Santa gifts of course), and then fondue-ing for lunch, which takes way more time than the average meal. We have really raised the bar in our fondue-ing practice. The first year we had one pot and did normal things. To tell you how far we’ve come, this year we did homemade onion rings, steak sandwiches, corn dogs, fries, and bananas among the growing list and in two+ pots.

After the meal and cleaning up, I took off to Dickinson, where there was another amazing meal waiting for me. Ham, potatoes, green beans, and stuffing…I’ve already picked out my gym. We opened presents there too, visited, and caught up a bit. I don't know who was happier, me getting a PanAm bag or Randy getting ground beef.

I got so many great presents but the time with family and those that I really care about is what made me smile and realize that I must have done something right to be this lucky. We still have a gift exchange with Matt and my parents, we are planning food and fun. I’m glad; I’d hate to quit the Christmas spirit cold turkey!

“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'.”—Bing Crosby

Amanda's 2011 List

-Yoga Mat (Gaiam, either green or black)
-Hand Gun
-Amazon Gift Card for Kindle Books
-Yoga Classes at Yoga for You
-Yoga Mat Bag (Gaiam also makes the kind I'm looking for)
-Scarves (winter or fashion)
-Circle Diamond Necklace
-Rings/Jewelry
-Onion Keeper (similar to Tupperware's)
-Pan Am Bag
-Upright small vac made for pet hair
-Food steamer
-Puffy vest (black, red, gray)
-Spider brand sweater jacket that's fitted.

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Okay enough of the fun stuff, while I’ve been working on capturing the trip, reality has still been happening and now I realize that it’s 5 days before Christmas and it seems too soon. I don’t know if it’s adulthood or the trip or what but I feel like Christmas should be a couple months away still.

This past weekend, I took Matt to the Dagman Christmas. There was 26.5 people there (.5 is new baby Tyler) and Matt didn’t run screaming. It was a great day with amazing food and great conversation. Matt made a cheese ball (under my direction) and it was deemed a success and made him an instant favorite. It was also fun to see Ambour’s kids open presents,

Other things that have been going on since we’ve got back is the smazing weather. It has been in the 50’s in December. It’s been great for multiple reasons including my own sanity and Matt’s snow removal involvement. It has gotten cold at nights so when Matt was in Bismarck, we put plastic on the windows. I did have a laugh when I came home after a day of the plastic being up and there was a Lola-shaped head hole in one. We’ll have to repair and figure out how to not have her “attempt” to get into the sill. Poor little thing probably had a headache after that.

This weekend is Christmas. I’ll be spending Christmas Eve with Dad’s family at the farm and Christmas day at the farm. I’ll then head out to Dickinson to spend the evening and Boxing Day with Matt and his parents. I’m looking forward to the family and plans.

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”—Burton Hillis

A special "Thank You"

So we are back and reality has set in but we want to give a special shout-out to Kim and Kevin. They were amazing to invite and include us on their annual trip. Not only was the trip and opportunity amazing but we loved having someone to experience Mexico with, give us guidance, and laugh with…and we definitely did all of these. Whether it was sharing beer or a burger at Billygan’s or sitting out on the patio or walking downtown or experiencing a piece of Mexico, they treated us right and we hope that we can repay our gratitude someday.


“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.” –William Shakespeare

Roller Coaster in Denver

So despite our plans to spend Sunday relaxing, unpacking, and prepping for reality of the real-world, we woke up at the Quality Inn at Tower Road in Denver to go to the airport on the last day of our vacation.

I won’t relive this entire day but say that we started the day with 3 missions: 1. Find our bags, 2. Get home, and 3. Get our bags home.

It only took us 14 hours to do this.
This is the most time I’ve spent in the airport.

Some things that we did:
1. Visit Great Lakes Customer Service
2. Eat Lunch
3. Walk around
4. Get on a plane to be kicked off based on weight restrictions
5. Have afternoon snack
6. Watch people board
7. Ride the escalators and walking escalators
8. Look at airplanes
9. Eat Supper
10. Read
11. Watch the snow come down
12. Watch the planes come in
13. Watch the Denver/Minneapolis Game
14. Wonder if the Minneapolis Airport is more fun and wonder if they are watching the Minneapolis/Denver Game
15. Watch people unboard because their plane couldn’t take off
16. Watch kids misbehave
17. Watch the Arrival and Departure TVs
18. Watch the ticket counter
19. Watch snow removal
20. Visited United Customer Service
21. Visit Delta Customer Service,
22. Visit United Customer Service, again
23. Call United Customer Service
24. Hang up on Bob from United Customer Service’s call center in Pakistan
25. Drink a beer
26. Read
27. Examine the tiles on concourse A to determine they are mosaics of people

And the saddest thing that we did:
28. Watch my bag sit on the runway
Oh wait, excuse me as I know that Mr. Airport will read this…not runway, the ramp.

They had told that both of our bags had gone ahead of us to Dickinson. They lied. I told them that. Ahhh, airports make me crazy sometimes.

We finally got on a flight, got through de-icing twice, and were finally able to take off. What a trip! I’m just glad that Mr. Airport was there to work through things and I’m glad that we made it back without having to rent a car and drive back.

“I don't like waiting in airports for my bags. Even worse, I don't like waiting in airports when my bags are lost.”—Steve Waugh

Leaving is the Hardest Part

Saturday was so sad. We woke up and had to put real shoes on and jeans. What a buzz kill. We even had our suitcase packed. Ick. We had our final meal in Mexico with Kevin, Kim, Matt, Nate, Sara, and Amelia. We had our bags packed into a taxi and headed off to the Mexican airport.

We had a little trouble with our bags. We were both overweight. We had to shift things into our empty carry-ons so that we could bring it all. We put heavy-ish things to ensure that everything would make it. (Remember that foreshadowing that I mentioned on day 1, which should come to mind again.) The only thing that was sacrificed was a bottle of Malibu Rum. The people behind us had their sand from the beach dumped out, while I remained VERY quiet and Matt gave me a dirty look.

From there we waited for the flight after a very lax entry through to the sterile area. The last thing we had to eat in Mexico was a hotdog and Matt had a Bloody Mary and a Modelo. We did some final shopping and was surprised at the difference in service and approach from our past experience. Before getting on Frontier’s Sammy the Sea Lion, we were frisked, had our bags gone through, and removed our shoes for a final time. Then, we took the walk of shame in the Mexican sun to the plane.

We arrived in Denver, sad and gloomy. We got onto the Great Lakes plane ready to be home and rest before joining reality again. However when we heard that they were combining the two evening flights because a flight attended didn’t bother to show up for work, Matt had to break the news to me that we were bumped and would be spending a night in Denver.

We then waited at the carousal for our luggage. In the meantime, I emptied our carry-ons to see the use in them. Matt’s bag: khakis, collared shirt, diving goggles, flip flops, swim trunks, deodorant, and a tooth brush. Amanda’s bag: Matt’s dive book, jeans, toothbrush, makeup, extra pair of socks, and a notebook. What a waste…I still hate carry-ons. We never got our bags so we went to the hotel and ordered pizza after making a trip to the 7-Eleven.

“A vacation spot out of season always has a very special magic.”—Max Von Sydow

Final Day of Mexico for the Fisher and the Gatherer

Matt woke up at 5:30 and he went fishing with Kevin. I, on the other hand, actually slept in for the first day during the whole vacation. After breakfast I went out with Kim, Leo, Luann, Sara, Nate, and baby Millie, to Billygan’s. I had the opportunity to finish up my shopping with the peddler parade. Leo was impressed with my bartering abilities; I just think I’m a tough cookie who knows what she wants! I was able to get a couple gorgeous wooden bowls with hand-painted fruit on them, some jewelry, a pair of designer sunglasses, and a gift for Matt.

Matt came back around 3ish and shared his adventure with me and his bag of fish! They caught 4 Dorado all together. Dorado is mahi mahi. They also saw pelicans, dolphins, a whale, and had a sea lion ride on the boat! I was jealous again! I thought the picture that he took of the sea lion was pretty cute but I guess he was pretty old.

When they got back to the marina, a boy under 12 cleaned their fish and they feed the skins to the pelicans. I didn’t realize how many pelicans we’d see in Mexico. They sit around and wait for the fish to be cleaned or the bait to be thrown out. When I saw fish being cleaned, the cleaners would have to kick the pelicans back.

We took the fish to a restaurant called the Shrimp Factory, they prepare it for $7 a plate in 4 different styles: blackened, grilled, garlic, and breaded. The meal is served family style. This was our second favorite of the trip. It was so filling and tasted so great. It also had special meaning in the sense that Matt and Kevin provided the meal by catching it that morning. We had a huge group; we had all the family present as well as a local, Trinidad, who Kevin and Kim have become friends with during their multiple trips down.

After the meal, I wrote our names on the wall that held hundreds of signatures. Maybe someday we’ll go back and look it up!

“We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings.” –Erma Bombeck

Office Time, Air Time, and Family Time

By Thursday, we were realizing that we were coming to the end of our trip. However that didn’t deter our mid-morning plans. We headed to “The Office” which was right next door to Billygan’s. The restaurant is tables and chairs sunk down in the sand and the ceiling is comprised of umbrellas. We enjoyed another bucket of beverage and chips and salsa.

Although we were told we may not be able to parasail, after asking we found out that we could go! We jumped the next boat and was taken out past the three cruise ships and hooked to a parachute by a carabineer and elevated into the sky. I loved the view from above but what amazed me was how quiet it was. You couldn’t hear the waves, or the boats, or the motors. All you could hear was each other. Matt didn’t handle the heights so well, so it wasn’t the romantic experience I had anticipated but the memory makes me smile for sure.

The day ended with a family meal at Hacienda Coyote, an authentic Mexican restaurant. I had an amazing cream of corn soup that I wasn’t 100% sold on it until I tried it! I had an amazing lobster meal with this great sauce. I couldn’t even tell you what Matt had as I was engrossed in my meal. I think I remember something about him having enchiladas, maybe, or a mole sauce, maybe. They also rolled a tequila cart over for a sniff and sample after-dinner drink.

We hooked up with the rest of the family for a final-final drink and Leo, Kim’s Dad, shared what a Mexican coffee was. I like a drink that involved fire, sugar, tequila, and a show.

Surprisingly, this was the only night that we didn't feel well. Based off the possibility of what could have happened, we’ll take it!

“I was taken in by the bravado and the sounds of Mexico... not so much the music, but the spirit.” –Herb Alpert

Spas and Scubas

Wednesday morning started early again. We had been waking up at 7ish each morning. I loved seeing the sun come in the sheer curtains and he loved hearing the waves at night. We separated ways this morning and each did our own thing. He went scuba diving at the places that we had been the day before and I took a trip to the spa.

I liked when we came back together and shared our experiences. I admit I’m a little jealous. I would have loved to see the things that he saw: the shark, the colors of the fish, the seahorse, the turtle, and the possibility of the sea lions in the water. I wish our underwater cameras could have gone that far. I was excited with how happy he was with it.

I had a treatment called “the Sea of Cortez” it was a hot stone massage combined with a facial. It was pretty amazing and not at all like I thought it was going to be. The stones were heated up hotter than I anticipated and put in certain spots: my hands, feet, back, back of knees, forehead, hips, eye sockets, and even my collar bone. I left the spa feeling amazing.

We relaxed a bit with each other while we shared what happened and went downtown to shop a bit. Matt had a tougher time haggling than I did. The funny thing about Cabo is that you don’t need to exchange your money, most people deal in US dollars. So when we had a majority of peso and we were dealing in dollars, we had to convert back. That made more trouble for some of the street merchants. When working over a gift for his parents, he finally got to the right price and the arguing actually began over what it was from pesos to dollars. However when Matt says 4x5=20 and the merchant says 4x5=9, you can understand that language wasn’t the only barrier.

We finished off the night with the resort’s Beach Night. The evening was a little mortifying for me especially after we were part of the couple’s balloon relay event. We had some trouble popping balloons and we were the couple to take last. I’m not a great loser, especially when I embarrass myself while doing it! Oh my! At least the night ended up nice sitting on Kevin and Kim’s balcony.

Found this quote and made me laugh when I thought of baby Amelia, and how rough her week was! Ha!
“Babies don't need a vacation, but I still see them at the beach... it pisses me off! I'll go over to a little baby and say 'What are you doing here? You haven't worked a day in your life!' ”—Steven Wright

And we were married…

For 90 minutes.
We went through a timeshare presentation for the neighboring resort and doing this granted us food credits at our resort. Part of being considered for the presentation (and the food credit) required us to be 28, married, and gainfully employed. After the 90 minutes and we did our walk of shame back to Playa Grande, our resort, we became unmarried and laughed about the possibilities.

After our morning matrimony, we finally got to go snorkeling. We took a “glass bottom boat” out to Land’s End and the Arch for a tour and ended up on Lover’s Beach. There I need to acknowledge what an amazing boyfriend I had. As we started to go in the water I became scared. I couldn’t breathe with the snorkel tubes, I kept guzzling salt water, I kept floundering when I lost my footing and I wondered what I was going to do. Matt was so patient and talked me through it; he waited while I became comfortable and stuck close as I fought against the waves and the urge to breathe through my nose. It was well worth the fight though. The experience was like anything I had ever seen. We went around Pelican Rock which was so deep. We saw schools of fish of all colors and the plant life. It was pretty amazing. We did take some pics with an underwater camera. I have high hopes that they will turn out.

After swimming, we beached it for a while. Between the gallons of ocean water and the novelty that I had gotten sea sick on our ocean tour on the boat, I wasn’t feeling too hot. I was also very aware that I was carrying a portion of the beach in my swim suit. I didn’t protest when he turned on the tv and I recouped with 7up and Ritz crackers. I'm sorry to the maid who cleaned the sand out of the tub.

That night we ate well again. We ate at the resort for seafood night. I enjoyed a huge plate of paella and Matt had an amazing tune steak. I ate off that paella for almost 3 days. It was even better recooked. It didn’t taste like mine but I was happy with it still.

“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. “ –Susan Heller

Just another Mexico Monday...

This was a Monday, but it was hard to believe when Matt woke up to take care of the set-up of our timeshare benefits. In the meantime, I made myself a bagel and took a stroll down to the beach. While the waves came in, I watched a man fish. There is something exciting about the ocean, a definite mystery that’s very alluring to me.

After breakfast, Matt and I tried to go out snorkeling. Unfortunately, the port was closed because the wind was so strong so Baja’s Sport wouldn’t take us out. Instead, Kevin took us to Billygan’s. This bar/beach spot is on the beach that you can actually swim on. They set you out 25 feet from the ocean, under an umbrella, with a bucket of beer. What a torture! At first I wasn’t too sure about the place as you have a constant parade of peddlers who are trying to push things at you; jewelry, necklaces, toys, dishes, sunglasses, bracelets, bags, hats, wrestling gear, massages, henna, braids…anything remotely touristy, they are right there trying to get your attention. After a while, I realized the awesomeness that had been blended together….beach, drinks, and shopping with the haggling twist! The only damper was the shot girl, who loved to hear her name and abuse people.

We each ended up with an item or two and finished a bucket or two! We even made friends with a couple of people that were either serving us or sitting near us!

We ended the night at a restaurant called Quesadillas with the family. I had a pork quesadilla; Matt had the chicken and we split a shrimp cocktail with this salsa/pico/clamato-like dip. Pretty good, however Matt liked my pork one better than his! We made a stop in a Mexican grocery store before heading back to the resort. We were hoping for the wind to go down the next day.

“Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.” –Bruce Beresford

Starting to Fall in Love with Mexico.

We started the day off with a little trip to Costco! After having so many meals in restaurants, we were very excited to buy some groceries that we could make on our own. With having a kitchen complete with stove, microwave, and large fridge, dishes, Tupperware, and pots and pans, we had options. Actually after a week of cooking on our own, we decided that’s a great way to travel. We’d eat breakfast and lunch on our own and then have dinner out on the town.

Shopping in a semi-Mexican grocery store became interesting. I wish I would have paid more attention when we reviewed the food portion in Spanish Class. I remember what ham, milk, and orange was before time but while we were there I was trying to figure out other things. It was interesting to say the least. I’ll admit after working with Cloverdale and their meat products, I did look for them in the store. No such luck though, but I did laugh when I saw Tony Romo ribs!
We bought bacon, eggs (lleuvos), croissants, bagels, cheese, crackers, juice, beer (cervezas), yogurt, pineapple, sliced meat, and chips and salsa. We actually did a pretty through job of eating it all. We did have to leave some things behind but it was definitely worth it.

Being Sunday, it was actually pretty relaxing. The wonderful Kevin, being a great host, took a few of us into town to explore and start haggling. We had a tequila shot in the world’s smallest bar, Slim’s. The bar could have fit maybe 7 people, on a good day, with a few standing.
We also had to find Matt a pair of sunglasses (he left his behind a Pepe’s, obviously distracted by the fish and bbq tacos). He got a pair of Oakieys, which are easily mistaken as Oakleys.

Kevin, being one to share wonderful experiences, took Matt and I to the Giggling Marlin. Where we shared a bucket of beer and Matt and I were hung upside down, like a Marlin. Once hung, you consume 3 shots, and then I received the experience of being twirled. Sometimes I can't believe what I get talked into!
That night, we had the best meal of the trip. One of my co-workers suggested this hole-in-the-wall called Maro’s. When we showed up, we did get a little nervous. There were plastic chairs, a fake ceiling, and things were a bit sketchy. The first thing they asked was where we were from. After telling us, he immediately ran us over to the record holding wall where their house drink record holder was from Mandan, ND!

We sat down still skeptical and I ordered house drinks immediately. They are Bulldogs, which are small Coronas poured into a tequila lemonade mixture. They were amazing! We ordered a shrimp cocktail, and a dinner for 2(which had fried shrimp, fish, lobster, and more shrimp, tortilla soup, and ended with chocolate cake). The meal was amazing and the service was awesome. We left there impressed, full, and had plans to return someday. We did have some issues with menu's right away, but I got Matt all straightened out.

The takeaway that made me laugh was that every time Matt saw plastic chairs, he’d elbow me and say, “They’ve got to have amazing food—they have plastic chairs.” I never bought in; I didn’t want to smash his dream.

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” –Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, "Pavarotti, My Own Story"

Enter Kevin!

If I know Kevin, he’s been reading anticipating Day 3, “Get to the good part!”

We woke up to the waves crashing on the beach and the sun coming through the blinds. I could do that every morning.

After breakfast we prepared ourselves for a tough afternoon of sitting by the pool! We read, swam, sunned, and drank. We hit the morning happy hour and afternoon happy hour! Matt even got a drink called a CocoLoco. It’s straight out of a coconut!

We were anxiously waiting Kevin and Kim with family. They came in the afternoon. We switched rooms and found ourselves with a southern exposure only 2 floors underneath their amazing room. We couldn’t believe how beautiful our new room was. Two bathrooms, two patios, kitchen complete with countertop, dining area, and a king bed. Both of us agreed that it would be amazing if Matt’s apartment back home was as wonderful (complete with maid service).

Kevin and Kim didn’t waste anytime treating us amazing…they took us out to Pepe’s that night for tacos. We tried chicken, beef, fish, and pork. Surprisingly, beef was our least favorite. It became a trend that the pork continued to be amazing in Mexico. This was one of our favorite meals of the trip.

It was also nice to have a relaxing night with his family, which consisted of Kim and Kevin, Kim’s son, Matt, and daughter, Sara, who brought her husband, Nate, and sweetfaced baby, Amelia. Kim’s uncle and aunt (Chris and Elizabeth) also came with us. We felt a “tundra-like” bond with them as they are Canadians. We could talk cold and snow and Elsinore’s. Just kidding, we didn’t talk any Elsinore just Corona.

What a great day of doing nothing! The only thing that was semi-terrible was the tropical shirt that Matt wore!

“Life is short, wear tropical shirts.” –Marc Lampe

Crossing the Line

Day 2 started like Day 1, early and in an airport but ended in Mexico!

We had no problems getting there and getting there early after eating any amazing breakfast at the hotel. We flow on Frontier’s Earl the Walrus!

We landed in the rain and Matt was surprised by the humidity. We made it through customs with little issues and exchanged our money. We were immediately attacked by a room of people who wanted to take us somewhere, show us something, or talk to us. Matt told them “No” and we heard someone say, “Canadians out of town.” What….we weren’t even out of the airport!

Getting a cab was the next issue. Suddenly someone that said he was a “Real Cab” came up and offered us a ride. We said okay and halfway home realized that we’d been probably had. Oh well, some times you learn the hard way, but we won’t forget.

When we got there, the resort was beautiful! The ocean was next door and we had nothing but time to play and get used to Mexico. The room was complete with a whirlpool tub, kitchenette, king size bed (which was too short for Matt), and patio.

We went down to the ocean, played in the waves, and even saw a couple sea lions that came up to bark at us. We did take a swim in the pool. This was interrupted by rain, which we found out only happens 4 times a year. Who’d have figured.

We finished the night with Asian Night at the Resort. We filled up on fresh stir-fry and sushi before trying a few desserts. Some were amazing and some were interesting and unidentifiable!

We left the patio door open and fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves.

"Can ye fathom the ocean, dark and deep, where the mighty waves and the grandeur sweep?" - Fanny Crosby

A Trip to Remember.

All the planning, waiting, and counting down are over, and so is the trip. What an amazing 12 days with Matt and Mexico. The trip was what we needed and I will live off of these memories for quite some time, especially since we came back to cold and snow and while I was there I managed to get the best tan of my life!

In true 236adventures blog fashion, I will break down the days into it’s own post.

Let’s start with a Very-Denver Thanksgiving.

We managed to get to the airport around 5 in time to make it on the first flight out of Dickinson. After arriving in Denver, we took a shuttle out to Quality Inn on Tower Road. They were awesome and let us check in early, giving us a chance to have a morning nap before swimming in their pool.

We had our Thanksgiving feast at the Village Inn, which was only a fabulous walk away. The weather was beautiful in Denver. At Village Inn, I had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, bread, and a fabulous piece of pumpkin pie. Matt had a Cuban sandwich with Tri-berry pie. You can lead a horse to water!

With our options limited at the hotel and being sick of TV, we took the shuttle back out to the airport to wander around and look at airplanes for a bit. Obviously, we were not sick of airports, yet (note this foreshadowing for a future blog post).

We ended the day with vending machine food and Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving special. Although it wasn’t your standard holiday and we were missing family, we tried to make it as traditional as possible!

“If you think Independence Day is America's defining holiday, think again. Thanksgiving deserves that title, hands-down.” –Tony Snow

Thankful.

It’s Thanksgiving week…I have so much to be thankful for. Good friends, family, health, home, the pets, memories, plans…I’m a pretty lucky girl!

I also am especially thankful for my mother. She knew how it was bothering me to miss out on the Thanksgiving experience and on Sunday night she put together a beautiful Thanksgiving meal for me complete with bird, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, squash, stuffing, and crisp. It was all so good and so nice to have that time with my family.

I have been spending the past couple days packing. Matt and I arrive in Cabo on Friday. We have some great things planned and it’s exciting to have the talks about it as we prep. I know I’ll over and underpack but it will be awesome!

I also am thankful for my amazing aunt who is catsitting TD and Lola while I’m gone. Lola has not enjoyed the packing process as she wants to lay in the suitcase and I don’t want her to. I got to admit, I’ve met my match in wills when it comes to that cat. They both know something is up and hate being alone.

In a week, I’ll be sitting on the beach. I’m thankful for that too!

“Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.”
-Wilbur D. Nesbit

Continued Controversy

My response to MJR regarding a Lab Puppy:It’s not like this stuff is all made up.
AND this was even the COLOR I was willing to negotiate with.

"If dogs could talk, perhaps we would find it as hard to get along with them as we do with people." - Karel Čapek

Working towards the WeekAway

It’s only 7 days until I can start my vacation. I have been corrected about this as I really won’t be in Cabo until 10 days, but once I get to pack things away, lock my door, and not think about anything work related…I’m on vacation!

I think both of us are ready for the break. Last week was a hard week for me regarding work. I presented in front of a ton of clients, wrote a couple proposals/bids, traveled, and had to analysis a ton of online stuff from banners to website. By the time I hit the weekend, I was needing it. I went out to Dickinson only to have Matt have to work while I was there. I knew that that was how it was going to be…and that he doesn’t have that many more scheduled weekends, but the idea of just going with the flow and doing whatever we want because we can…that’s half of the allure of the 10 day international excursion. We said good-bye on Monday and now won’t see each other until the night before we get on the plane (at 5ish in the morning).

Now I just need to plan what to pack….

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

A Scene from our "Romance"

Adventures with a Spider
Setting: the Bathroom

Scene 1:
ALM: AHHH! YOU get in here and kill this.
MJR: it’s just a little spider.
ALM: It waved at me.
MJR’s first miss at killing the spider.

Scene 2:
An hour later
ALM: He’s back…I’m serious, get in here.
MJR: I don’t know why you are making such a big deal out of this.
ALM: Because…and you are suppose to protect me.
MJR: He’s a spider…I named him Joey, he’s been here all summer!
ALM: If you want me here all winter, you will kill him.
MJR’s second serious attempt resulting in an undead spider.

Scene 3:
The next morning
MJR: Is that him?
ALM: Yes, that’s him…Just kill him.
MJR: I don’t know if I can, he’s eluded me twice now.
ALM: It’s a wonder you even shot your deer.
MJR transports “Joey” to the sink and washes him down.ALM: Did you kill him?
MJR: You watched me wash him down the drain.
ALM: He better not come crawling back up.

Scene 3.2
10 minutes later
MJR is brushing teeth, ALM is straightening hair
MJR: That’s interesting (staring at the sink)
ALM: I TOLD YOU that this was GOING to HAPPEN. You just kill him.
MJR: I didn’t think he’d come back. There, he crunched this time, would you like to verify and examine his corpse?
ALM: No, EWWW.

This discussion has given me two thoughts, Matt is very compassionate OR Matt is not a good spider-killer and I need to buy Raid.

Editor’s note: This was one of the biggest spiders I’ve ever seen out of a barn.

"The guy has to kill the spider and get the dead mouse outta the pool." -Leah Remini

Weekends of Orange

Hard to believe it’s November. Hard to believe we just changed the clocks back. I always think of my mother as it’s her favorite day of the whole year! It was also the first snow I’ve seen of the season. Glad to say that I don't see that snow anymore!

Matt and I have had a couple great weekends, makes me realize how I live for the weekends. He came out to Bismarck on Halloween weekend. We went out to the farm for a bit and helped my father with a few projects. He then proceeded to take me “hunting” which basically turned into me walking around with a loaded gun. The birds just weren’t showing themselves. It was disappointing, especially when I think how many I’ve hit around the place with my little s-10 when I first started driving.
We took in a hockey game. People were letting their kids behave like animals, that drove the two of us crazy and we decided to risk being thrown out for some other seats! It was a great weekend, I hated to see him take off Sunday night to go take care of the late night flights.

This past weekend I was fully Remynse-ed, Matt took me up to his parents’ house for the Second Annual Remynse Deer Cull. I met his brother, Eric, and his Uncle Kevin and Aunt Kim. Their family reminds me of mine in many ways. They love to give each other a hard time, don’t let jokes die, and have a few “hams” that love to be in the center of things. Within hours of arriving, they’ve planned Matt’s and I’s future, just makes me laugh! It was great to see Matt so relaxed and in a place that he loves and to top it off he got a great looking buck and was the hit of the chili-cook-off. I was so glad to be a part of things, made me feel special to be invited and share in their family time and jokes.

The holidays are coming up quick, I haven’t even thought about presents or places. I’m not sure how this will work out this season. I’ll be in Denver for Thanksgiving with Matt as we will be prepping to leave on the plane early the next day for Cabo. It will be weird to not be surrounded by people, ages 2ish to 80ish. It’s my mother’s favorite holiday, and as I get older I realize why. The holiday was created for food and family, no facades about what’s really happening but centers on the important things that we can’t live without. Funny thing about family, they are always there…the good or the bad, they are there. I appreciate that both Matt and I value this simple philosophy and come from families who have been an important aspect of our lives.

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” –Anthony Brandt

Fights, Flights, and Fall

What an end to a great week, I’m gearing up for a night out with the girls and I sent Matt off this morning to go play with boys and guns. The sun is shining and it’s a beauuutiful fall day. It’s days like this that I want to hold on to for cold Decembers and hard Februarys. Every day I breathe a sigh of relief that we do not have white stuff on the ground and realize that we are one day closer to that inevitable season. Is it awful of me that I am hoping we can bypass all that stuff and jump right into the spring?

Previous post update: Matt and I have come to a present-day agreement to the “dog” situation. We will get a big dog (with big poop and big barks) as long as I get to pick the color and the name. However, I’m not sure he understands the extent of this compromise because when I said that I’ve always wanted to name a dog WalterCronkite he vetoed it immediately. He said the dog won’t like that name, I said TonyDanza loves his name and it suits him well. So for the current time, fight over (regarding the dog, I’m still fighting the carryon bag of redundancy).

I’m getting very excited for our trip to Cabo in November. I’m not excited about cheating our Thanksgiving, but I get why we are making the sacrifice and I know we are only 30+ish days away from over a week of fun and sun. I’m starting to think of ideas and things I want to do/see. I want to scuba dive, Parasail, do yoga on the beach, swim in the ocean, eat paella, maybe do that surf board paddle thing, go to little random stores, and spend some time sightseeing. I know that list will grow but this is one of best parts about a trip….anticipation. The last trip I took abroad was to Guatemala, and this will be nothing like that one! I’m hoping to continue this pattern each year, the one where I use my passport!


“And that's the wonderful thing about travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.”—Dave Barry

Leaves, Leaning, Leaving, and Learning

Fall is here, I’ve had to prestart my car all week or scrape, and who wants to do that. There are things that I hate to admit that I like about Fall-the scarves, the mittens, the color in the leaves, the bring back of hot chocolate, but the cold weather and I always disagree. It’s days where I look out and see the sheet of ice on my windshield that I remember how I once planned to move to Arizona. Funny how that plan never worked out.

I’ve really been enjoying my yoga class. It’s not like what I’ve done before and I have actually woke up sore a few times. I am excited to move from beginner’s class to a Level 1 class…maybe I’ll even go two times a week….we’ll see. But I do like when I wake up on Wednesdays exited to have class that night.

Last weekend was pretty low-key, made a trip back to Dickinson. I’ll admit it’s weird to see my house as not my house anymore. I think they painted Mel’s bedroom already…made me sad.

The only catastrophe that I really had this past week was that I was a victim of the Tesoro bad gas conspiracy 2011. Tesoro sold a bunch of bad gas all over Bismarck and Mandan. I was at Unistop and thought, “hey, I’m here, it’s a bit cheaper, I never get gas here, I’ll do it.” Yeah, that thought resulted in my having to have my tank pumped out by Schwan Pontiac at 9:00pm on Thursday night. What a pain. And then to have to tell my father that I dare deviate from Cenex, we’ll that was a “fun” conversation.

“Every father says the same thing: "Where's your mother?"—Bill Cosby

Unsettled Argument

ALM: so…how do you feel about labs mixed with poodles?
Labradoodles?

MJR: No

ALM: It's a compromise….

MJR: no

ALM: Some times you can't always have your way. Give me 2 good reasons why "no"

MJR: I don’t like small dogs they’re a trip hazard and I have a long way to fall, shaggy/curly dogs are a pain to keep clean (especially this one since it has the lab, it will want to chase and be outside), neither one of us needs a dog right now for several reasons, small dog have a huge complex and are mean so they are not good with kids.
Look I gave you four in less than a minute.

ALM: But I like small dogs because they can fit in my lap and they don't rip my arm out when I walk them. They have smaller poop, which is not as scary in the yard. The poodle part makes them shed less, which is a benefit of the breed.
Some small dogs have a complex; Bell doesn't…she's good with kids.
Regarding your falling, I would catch you… and this isn't for right now, this is just testing the waters for "IF"
Response. I will give you 2 of your 4 as not bogus.

MJR: You have cats to sit in your laps not dogs, and if you train large dogs properly they don’t pull your arm off. What the difference it’s still poop that you have to clean up. IF you caught me I would end up breaking something on you too, remember I am a big guy falling at a high speed because of this little dog. Which what if I did step on the dog, I’d break something on it too.

ALM: Sometimes my cats don't want to sit on my lap. I agree on training, but I have never been good at that aspect. Do you feel that this was your strong suit? Big Poop versus little poop is a big difference, especially if you don't happen to get it picked up immediately and people walk by…they are not as likely to see little poop as they are to see Big Poop. And how are you about picking up poop…hmm?
Okay, maybe I'd just like the idea of catching you but you make a good point. However I'd like to think we wouldn't choose a dumb dog that is constantly underfoot.
AND we haven't even talked about the wagging tail.

Editor's note: I received no further response and therefore feel that I won this argument by default. In the future, if a puppy comes up again, I will bring forth these points/counterpoints. IF.

"It seems like all the good looking people have smaller dogs these days."- Elizabeth Perkins

Changing Seasons

It’s October and I’m ready for summer again! The weather is getting cold. I actually ran the heater in my car this weekend. UGH. I’m not ready for the winter and all the things that come with it.

Last weekend, it was beautiful! I was glad to be able to go with Mom and Grace and take in the Beer Run, Walk, or Crawl with the beautiful weather. This was a URL Radio event to benefit Designer Genes and Bismarck/Mandan Flood Victims. You walk to 2 stations, drink a beer, and return back. The best part is the strategy that we used to ensure that we did the BWRC in the best possible way. We crawled. We also consumed more beer. Met more people and had fun. We weren’t the only ones to realize the advantages in the slow and steady pace. We didn’t win the race by other’s standards but in our minds…we were champions!

This past weekend was also amazing. It was relaxing and fun. I went out to Dickinson and took in my first Firefighter’s Stag. It wasn’t what I expected…I think I was expecting a banquet with official ceremony but this was more of a casual event. They had 50:50 drawings and a meal that you helped yourself to and it ended with an auction. I am now the proud winner of a Dickinson Rural Fire Department sweatshirt blanket. And when I say winner, I won the bid! I was surprised at how much they auctioned off. I was glad that Matt’s parents were able to get out for a night and come visit! They were fun to sit with while Matt was “working the crowd”. They were proud winners too!

On Saturday and Sunday, Matt and I kept a pretty loose schedule. We got some stuff done around his house and got his pickup cleaned, I think my car may be a bit jealous! The Grand Prix did get some attention though, finally got my blinker fixed and new wiper blades installed. Just in time too as I drove home the whole way in the rain.

Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend! Matt took me to the Brickhouse to celebrate our biannual anniversary. I had amazing lobster ravioli and this sweet potato coconut soup, which I wish I could duplicate. We finished off the meal with crème Brule. Before meeting friends, he bartended me a Manhattan and we went out to meet friends for drinks. Yes, we stayed out late, which gave all the more reason to sleep in the next day!

The only thing that could have made the weekend better was warm, sunshiny temperatures! But we’ll have that in 44 days in Mexico! The countdown is on!

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”–John Burroughs

They say it’s your Birthday!

Matt and I both have September birthdays so it was fun to celebrate each other.
For his, we met in Hebron. We ate pizza at the Pizza Pantry, which we were both pleasantly surprised by. The service was pretty good and the food was great. We then took a self-guided tour of the city, which included the Hebron Brick Factory, the trailer park, the historical society, and Fort Sauerkraut. We didn’t find the lake or pond that appears to be part of the Game and Fish. Maybe, a future trip.

I feel like my birthday got a better shake! Matt came to Bismarck and we had sushi, took a drive, and finished the night with drinks at East 40. I was brave and tried raw oysters, which he loves. He can have my share from now on. It was nice that he was able to come spend time with me during the middle of the week, that’s been the hardest thing about this long distance relationship, is the mid-week stuff that we’ve wanted to share. The next day was great too. I spent it with the family. Mom made potato soup and frybread and my cake was peach cobbler! I’m such a lucky girl. My family took such good care of me.

And it’s like my birthday celebration continued, because KK Bold sent some of us to the Hostfest for marketing purposes and to experience the festival as we prepare for their next year’s media and signage. I ate at En To Tre and had a Viking on a stick and had great company.

I did recover from some sickness which happened between Matt and my birthdays, not really sure what it was, but it sucked and had me on a z pack. I was also out of work for about 2 days, which sucked more. I’m just not a good sick person and I think the cats were a bit sick of me!

On the other end of the spectrum, the healthy end, I started taking a yoga class. The class was offered through BSC as a beginner’s class. I’m really enjoying it. I may even continue on after this class completes, we’ll see.

And to top off a great September, the weather has been amazing. I keep thinking that it’s the last day of beautiful, then the next day comes and it’s another beautiful day that could be the last day of beautiful, and then the next day comes and it’s beautiful. Here’s hoping for a long fall, a short winter, and an early spring.

“Good seasons start with good beginnings.”—Sparky Anderson

Catch UP!

Okay, I admit it…I’m behind and there’s so much to report that I don’t even know where to start…wait, yes I do…
1. The house is sold! It’s official. It’s no longer mine. I know I’ve been keeping things hushhush but for good reason after the string of events that happened prior to this. I accepted the offer a month or so ago, inspection passed after a minor/major repair! The next thing was the appraisal, which resulted in fixing of 5 things, one of which was to paint the house! EEEks-I had looked at a house that had to something similar and they became a polkadotted house that went right back on the market. I was a bit nervous. However everything passed….and I closed last Friday. Feels so good on so many levels. I want to give a huge thank you to Matt for helping me through all the crap and the extra repairs and the time and the truck usage and the energy….I also want to give a shout out to my parents who have helped with other repairs and realtor “issues”. They have been so amazing to assist however they can 100 miles from location.

2. I moved (twice/kinda). Not only did I get EVERYTHING out of my house in Dickinson…but I also moved out of my parents’ house. I’m renting a little duplex just south of Hillside Park. It’s a temporary spot but it works. Two bedrooms, one bath, kitchen, and living room. I will miss the central air and garage but I know it will be okay. I moved in the week before Labor Day, Matt and I shoved everything into a stock trailer and his pickup and drove to Bismarck where we unloaded with the help of Mom and Dad. I can’t believe how wonderful those people are to me.

3. Unpacking has been slow…very slow.

4. Labor Day happened! Matt and I went camping at Beulah Bay. It was nice to not worry about things and just play a bit. There were two fails for the weekend; we had bad icky wind on Saturday and I didn’t get a smore again! I would like to say I continued to work on my DJ skills, but they went unappreciated by some. I’m afraid it was our last camping trip of the season. Just when I was starting to become a master! I made good salads, I think Matt was even happy/impressed about them.

5. I helped harvest. Dad had been combining like crazy so I took some time to bale straw bales. His grain crop was ok, but his corn crop is pretty amazing. Some of his stalks have three ears.

6. I’ve been busy at work…the flood has impacted a few of my clients so it’s been hard to hear, “It’s not normally like this” but I’m learning and I’m pretty sure that means it will be easier in the future.

7. Alaina is officially at school. Mom moved her and her thing to the Bismarck State College dorm room. I know she’ll do great as she’s awesome at things she puts her mind to. Seems like only yesterday we were riding the bus and she was sleeping.

Those have been the major things that I need to catch up on. I’m sure I’m missing a ton but I’m still living off the high of the weekend.

It was a great weekend, on Saturday, Matt and I helped Mom and Dad haul square bales. Not the best activity, but the people were pretty great. We also met a few friends for supper before going to the preseason Bobcats game.
On Sunday, we took in the 9-11 Benefit Breakfast at the Airport. Matt even surprised me by getting me up in the air! He managed to get a flight out to do a flyby my parents’ farm. Wow. It was amazing to see it in the air, a little surreal. Never had a boy do that for me! We did some running around town even hit a garage sale or two! Matt bought more than me (I didn’t get anything)! We did mini-golf a round too…and I’m embarrassed to say that Matt lost to me, and he even used his putter! I won’t brag too much, he’s not the best loser! We finished off the night with a movie, “The Change-Up” where we had the theater to OURSELVES! We ended the night with a moonlight dinner on the backsteps of the duplex. It was amazing the meal actually happened (as most things were still in boxes and had to be dug out). I thought it was pretty romantic.

“In a world where there is so much sadness and so much to be afraid of, good things do happen to people. Romance is still something we can find even if we're not consciously looking for it.”—Kathleen Quinlan

Weekdays & Weekends mingled w/Family & Friends

Weeks are going by so quickly. I love, love, love my weekends…Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not that I hate my job. I am loving the new job and have days where I know what’s going on and then there’s days where I don’t understand what I’m doing and how are we going to cut that radio commercial in 2 days without client approval and AHHHH! I actually have been dreaming about clients and being late on deadlines. Not exactly the best sleeps! But they have assigned a few more clients to me, which is great. Last week I even went to Mobridge to spend time at Grand River Casino and then the next day went North to visit with the Norsk Hostfest. I’m coming off my 3 month probation this week, I’m told that means they’ll give me a key to the place! Yes!

But back to weekends, Matt came to Bismarck two weekends ago. We celebrated Aunt Janice’s birthday and took in Alaina’s horse show. He also introduced me officially to sushi. I’ve had it before but not what I would consider actual sushi. It was fun to see him that excited but that food was also very good; I’m a fan of the spicy tuna roll. We also spent a little time helping my parents. We showed Matt how to “cake the cows” and I’m not too sure how he felt about being up-close and personal with them!

This past weekend I made another trip back to Dickinson. It was so nice. I hung out with friends as much as I could. I met someone for coffee, did a random drop in, and attended a barbecue. So good to catch up with people and their lives. That’s been the hardest part of this move is feeling so disconnected to friends and people that I have built relationships with. I know that it was the trade-off that had to chose. It was interesting to sit on Saturday night surrounded by friends and realize how different my life is now from one year ago. Almost startling. I have a feeling I’m not the only person to think that over the past little bit.

There is some positive news about the house. However I don’t want to jinx it yet, so I’m not sharing yet.

Alaina’s horse show that we attended a bit ago was somewhat surreal. It was the last 4-H event for our family. It was also fitting that our county’s extension agent retired this year. But Alaina and I have been in 4-H since 1990 and the Moser family ended their successful season with Alaina’s speed events. She had a great barrel run and I know that she will miss this time in the future. She will be starting college next week. Seems hard to believe right now…weren’t we just riding the bus?

More good news, Gracie and her family were able to move back home, I know this has been a hard summer for her. She’s been amazing with her updates and still makes time for everyone else. She’ll have to remove her pools in the front and the back, but I think she’s okay with that. It was fun to see her at Mom’s house this past weekend, even though she snuggled up to Matt, requesting a back rub! Shameless flirt! Good thing I warned him! I'm glad my family can be comfortable with him!

With all the good happening, it’s easy to deal with the little hiccups that manage to bubble to the top.

“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.” –John Barrymore

Camping Trip Part Tre

So I have shared about the learning/lessons that have taken part over the past couple trips and now I’m a quasi-expert. I didn’t even struggle once with that leveler this time!
This post is about the epic fails that have happened during this past trip….

1. I did not have one single s’more. What the heck?

2. I forgot to bring out my camera again. I have determined that when my camera is in my purse, it has a higher likelihood of capturing memories, however when I don’t carry my purse, we have a problem!

3. I had to leave early. Booo. Matt stayed until Monday night, I left Sunday night. It was hard to get in the car and go.

4. I received more bug bites. Obviously insects think I taste great. I even brought good bug spray. Oh well.

5. I did not eat a single roasted marshmallow. AHHH! Not One!

6. I didn’t get in the water…we had every intention of me getting there but just ran out of time. This isn’t an epic fail, this was just another example that I needed more time to play. Matt went diving and fishing...he had a bit more water time.

7. I still suck at horseshoes. I was great once…but seem to have lost the possibility of greatness in this sport.

So all in all…not too many serious offenses on the trip…as the food was still amazing, the camaraderie was great, the weather was beautiful for the most part, and making more memories is always my favorite.

“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” –From the television show The Wonder Years

Work Update, with Photo Included!

Okay, a little more work update…
I can call long distance, email, fax, copy, submit projects for the production team, call clients, meet with clients, take on some new clients (something Scandanavian maybe…update soon), rent cars, travel, hand out my fancy business cards, and it’s official….be photographed! My official kkBOLD pic …….
And my sweet Matt’s first response, “If you zoom in, you can see the veins in your eyes! Wow! That’s the sign of a good picture!” Great. Thanks. Back off ladies, He’s mine.

Highs and Lows of Summer

I love summer…I love the heat, the sun, the drinks, the smell, I just love summer. This summer has been weird because of the rain that just won’t seem to break, the flooding that is tearing apart the state and people’s lives, and my own personal displacement. For the most part, I will admit I’ve got it pretty good. I’m continuing to live in Baldwin from Monday morning to Friday afternoon and on the weekends I typically have been going back to Dickinson. I haven’t always been staying put but when I’m back I’m still continuing to work on the house. It’s frustrating as there are some things that we will have to bring a contractor in for and because of that, the house is struggling. I’ve gotten a few offers and have countered but nothing seems to stick.

This past weekend, I did some clean up, some painting and had Matt help me with slight repairs when he wasn’t working. I know that I need to have patience but between the realtor that isn’t doing his job and the cantilever situation, it’s just disheartening. People keep telling me that the house should go fast, but it’s not. I know it’s okay and everything will work out in the end. The hard part is when my Bismarck realtor automatically sends pics of new houses on the market that would be perfect for me and I don’t want to see them or look or whatever because I’m tired of getting my hopes up. If it wasn’t for that autosend, I wouldn’t know as I’ve quite looking at the Bismarck MLS sites. So for the next little bit, I’ll keep my weekend home in mountain time zone and I’ll do business in the big city. Ha!

This is the part of the blog where I brag a bit about my weekend situation. I have been going back to work on the house, see Matt, have some space and my things around me, but also Matt cooks me amazing food. I’ve had ribs, porterhouses, ribeyes, sirloins, pork chops, breakfasts with bacon, eggs, fresh fruit….he’s grilled for me in the past but he’s also been experimenting with smoking over coals…and I am reaping the benefit of this little experiment! Ha! I contribute to the meal; don’t think that he does allll the work. This time, I contributed the appetizer of shrimp cocktail and southwestern dip and the last time he cooked I think I had the appetizer of pistachios. I do try to take on the sides too! I need to step it up though; he is beginning to question my ability to cook anything.

Work has been going really well. I will come off official probation in a few weeks but I’m starting to find my groove and how things go and the scope of the projects. Some of the clients I’m working with are State Fair, Tires Plus, Medora, and Northland College and soon I’ll be working with Grand River Casino….it’s been fun to see each project and what they are doing. My co workers are fun too so that’s an added bonus.

This coming weekend, I’ll be heading up to the State Park again to help Matt camp. I’m beginning to think he kinda likes me there, I’m a good helper!

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”—John Quincy Adams

Adventures in Camping Part Deux!

So after my successes in camping last month, Matt decided he needed me to come along again! So with that:

Lesson #9: Once given proper instruction, I can conquer the world. This time there were no issues with the leveling and setting the camper up. I rocked out that job with no problems or “instructional sessions”.

Lesson #10: Food is still amazing…Matt cooked me pizza sandwiches. They were fabulous. I think I’ll let him do that again. I also liked breakfast the next morning with bacon, eggs, and sweet potatoes!

Lesson #11: Time is not relevant when camping. This is nice in theory but when it gets in the way of lesson #10, Matt and I got a little cranky! We ended up eating supper at 12:00 am on Saturday night/Sunday morning….I was so hungry I had to polish off a s’more!

Lesson #12: Sakakawea is F-UU-LLLLLL. There was no beach at the public swimming. You waded on the pavement until you reached the beach sand….I felt so bad for little Mason, one of the kids that was along. He is around 18 months old and wanted to play in the sand in the worst way but all that was there was grass, I broke up a little ground for him and taught him how to put rocks in his bucket.

Lesson #13: It’s nice to have a support system. Madelyn (Mason’s 5 year old sister) and I bonded while her dad and Matt went out diving. So at the end of the night when she was “all spun up” she informed Matt that she was my Prover, so when I needed to prove that I was right, she would back me up. I always knew I needed one of those!!

Lesson #14: Matt is still a sore loser at horseshoes.

Lesson #15: I’m better at horseshoes when I’m in the mountain time zone.

Lesson #16: Matt needs to pack bug spray in the camper. I swelled up so bad on Saturday from bug bites that it has taken me until Wednesday to start returning to normal. That part of the weekend stunk!

So aside from the bug bites and thinking that I accidentally locked the keys in the camper…it was a good trip! I’m not a pro at it but I don’t think I’m too bad. Camping Trip Part Tres is in two weeks. We are doing the state park again. We’ll see how that goes, I need to make it through another week of house repairs and realtor fun. Hooray for the good weekends!

“Campers: Nature's way of feeding mosquitoes.”—Author Unknown

Let Freedom Ring....

I’m still living off a weekend high…I won’t lie. I thought weekends were good but now, I think weekends are wonderful. I didn’t realize how much I like to sleep in, not worry about schedules, wander around the house, and just have the option to play. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying my job. I’m so in the learning mode and probably will continue to be for a while. It continues to be a great challenge where things are quick paced and I like the creative environment.

This past weekend was very good to me. I got off early on Friday (as KK Bold is on summer hours) and when I got to Dickinson I realized I had to hay my lawn. It was up to my knees in some parts. Ugh. From there Matt took me to wash fire trucks, which is not as romantic as it sounds. We ended the night with a walk down to the street dance where I got to catch up with Aubrey for a bit. Oh how I missed that girl!

Saturday was BUSY, especially for Matt. He let me ride along with him on the fire truck, which was newly cleaned, in the Roughrider Days Parade. I even got to do the horn and the sirens. From there he parked the truck at Family Fun Day where he let the kids play on the truck and hand out stickers all afternoon. I admit, it was pretty cute to watch. I stayed with him for a bit, did some stuff around the house, and then went back at the end. It was some great people watching!

Sunday was a do nothing day! Slept in…and it was great!!! Matt cooked me breakfast brunch but then we went to work on the house. I had to mow the lawn again, because it looked terrible. This time I had to bag it, he made me. Whoever invented bagging….was dumb. What a pain. While I did that, he ripped apart the old garage door. We cooled down with a water fight, I didn’t stand a chance!

On Monday, we went back to Bismarck. We took in the Mandan Art in the Park, the Bismarck Zoo, and finished the night off with watching the Capitol’s firework show. The weekend reminded me how great it is to be American.

“May I never wake up from the American dream.”—Carrie Latet

Something Old, Something New

I’m still playing blog catch-up…I guess I’m okay with that. I can give a rundown of the past little bit…

While I was off on my “adventure” learning the proper way to park a camper, Mom and Dad ripped down the old barn. I know this sounds absolutely silly but I actually choked up a bit. I have a ton of memories in that barn, both bad and good. It has always been there, was there before us, and I think part of me believed that it would always be there. They said it came down fast and a majority of the burning went pretty quick. It was very alarming for me when I came home and saw “its space” in the light of day. The new barn is already going up, Dad decided, because of how busy his spring has been, he was going to hire it to be rebuilt. So two guys, my age, come out every day and slowly it’s beginning to take shape again, slowly. I feel bad for the guys working in the mud and slop.

Also, in the past little bit, I attended the 2nd Great Plains Young Professionals Summit. I honored to be a presenter. The conference was a great opportunity to broaden my network and hear some amazing speakers. I attended the first summit, in Bismarck, and was impressed with how well Fargo had done in such a short amount of time.

House selling has become somewhat of a pipedream lately. After having the past 2 buyers back out, we were finally able to get our hands on a copy of the report. Nothing surprised us but we decided to try to fix a bunch to help with the next inspection. I put a new door in, repainted the porch, had the shower plumbing redone, reviewed the inside soffits, had a little electrical work done, and so on…and when I say I, what I really mean is my amazing family and Matt. They spent some time helping me, if it weren’t for them I don’t know what I would have done. I admit, sometimes this process has been so overwhelming. I am ready for the house to be sold and to move on, it’s just hard. Someday, I know all of this worry won’t matter….I’m looking forward to that.

This past weekend was great; Matt took me back up to Lansford, as he was the best man in his best friend’s wedding (Brendan and Claudia). We stayed at his parents’ house again, they are so good to me. It was fun to hang out with them while Matt was preoccupied with wedding stuff. I will admit though, my favorite parts of the weekend was seeing him dressed up in his tux, having fun on the dance floor, and being able to hear his best man’s toast. You can tell that him and Brendan have an amazing friendship and I like how genuinely happy he is for Brendan.

With as much good that’s been happening, there have been some dark spots; the flooding that happening around the state is devastating. Bismarck/Mandan has been dealing with the river for the past month. Houses are starting to be taken away, close to 500 families have relocated, and all people are doing is wondering when this will be over. In the meantime, Minot’s Souris has also flooded. It has incapacitated the city with over 1000 houses impacted, many businesses, the roadways, the surrounding towns, etc. It was a shock to see places that I had memories with from my college years submerged or had a levee running through the front yard. Then when the boil order was issued and the tornado sirens go, how much more can they take? While I was in a meeting, Matt assessed the downtown area, he ran into a woman who was crying. She had put everything she owned on the second floor of her house and when she pointed it out to him, all you could see was the roof. She had lost everything and kept saying, “It wasn’t supposed to get this high.”

This quote seemed to fit the weekend; it reminded me of Matt’s speech dedicated to the newly married couple. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” ~From the movie Annie

Lessons in Camping, edition #1

So I officially have been reintroduced to camping. I don’t think I did horrible, I could have done better, I won’t lie…but I did get another invitation at the end of the trip. Matt and I loaded up the RV and went to Richardton…within 5 minutes I informally reminded him that I haven’t been camping. I thought the block that he handed me was to put in front of the tires, to stop the camper from rolling forward, similar to what I’ve done in the past with the livestock trailers. Not really what that block was for….it was to level the camper out. Lesson #1. Oh he’s had a ton of laughs about that one.

Lesson #2 involved the shower. For those that don’t know me well, I like showers. I clean everything, including brushing my teeth. Matt “gently” reminded me that I had a limited number of gallons of water and he had just used one, so I would not be able to take my standard 7 minute steamy shower. It was an interesting 5 minute ordeal, which made me appreciate my home shower just a bit more.

Lesson #3, if I ask nicely Matt will start the generator which allows me to blow dry and straighten my hair otherwise, forget it. GASP!

Lesson #4, this one is my favorite…s’mores are acceptable for breakfast. When I saw 2 of the kids that we were camping with snacking on them for brunch, I realized the wonderful aspect of camping that made me forget about my onagainoffagain shower.

Lesson #5, Matt is a sore loser when it comes to horseshoes.

Lesson #6, second favorite, the food that is made is amazing. Matt has always made amazing food for me but the collaborative dinner was awesome!

Lesson #7, Brendan (one of the preteens that went on the trip) is excited to rat Matt out from previous camping adventures….I learned a lot in a short amount of time.

Lesson #8, I need to bring my camera and take pics…I forgot I left it in my purse…Boo to that situation. I would have liked to get a few pics of the experience. I didn’t remember my camera until Mr. Smartypants said as we were leaving. “We should take a pic of the ground where the leveling block dug into the ground because you put it the wrong way.” Oh, he’s real funny.

"I got into an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because then I tried to walk out and slammed the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zipper it up really quick?" -Mitch Hedberg
*Good thing we had a pickup and an RV (just kidding)

Floating on....

Another crazy week that has been influenced by water…expressway has been closed, the national guard is running around the clock, millions of sandbags have been filled, and people are being forced out of their houses. Grace and Rick along with Wade and Lynn have been forced out. There have been dikes built at both of their houses and our fingers are crossed that they don’t have to be used. I think the worst part is not knowing what damage will be done or when they can go back.

The real estate market has gone crazy…people are grabbing up north side house and south side houses are falling off the market like crazy with people surrendering their earnest money for the security of dry land. It has made it hard for me to look at houses. They are very here today, gone tomorrow. But maybe it’s a good thing that I can’t look as my buyer backed out of the offer. Oh well, there will be others, but it bummed me out for sure. I’ll keep waiting and things will work through this bottle neck.

It was another great weekend as I spent it in Dickinson. Aubs, Jer, and Becca met Matt and I for drinks on Friday night. I had some house showings on Saturday while Matt was off fighting fires but he was able to make some time for me for supper before we did some packing. On Sunday, I took off to cousin’s Lola’s house to celebrate my Grandmother’s 80th birthday. It was a packed house and 52 of us dined on fried chicken, sloppy joes, pasta salad, fruit salad and funfetti cake. Mom and I did wander around Brad and Lola’s for a bit and checked out the bum lambs…kinda made me think it’s time for a Spud Jr.

And work has been going amazing. I'm able to start working....like accomplishing things and learning. I'm still a little Bambi-ish on what is happening but the projects I've been starting have been fun and I've been enjoying myself!

"I love the lambs, not the sheep." --Roger Peyrefitte

Flooding and Family....

So now I know two things from this past week:
1. Water is awful
2. Family is amazing

My second week on the job could have stood to be a bit more boring as Bismarck has been impacted by the Corp-created flood. It’s amazing to see how much has changed in a week: the amount of sandbags, the fear in the unknown, and the rise of the river. A week ago, I was sitting eating lunch by the riverbank thinking that it’s awful high and now people are being forced to evacuate and change their lives. I hate it. I hate how this is impacting my family. Lynn and Grace are in danger of losing their houses, their lives are being turned upside down and their days are filled with words like levee, mold, 150,000 cfs, corps, whatif, and sandbag. Both families aren’t sure what will happen, when they can come home, and what they will come home to.

I’ve been amazed at how the family has come together to help them prepare and protect. Prepare their houses and remove everything that they can, from the photos to the carpet and appliances and protect their homes from the oncoming water. It’s not that I doubted it, but once again I feel safe knowing that my family would be there if I need them.

I also had the opportunity to meet Matt’s family as he took me home for a graduation party. I met his mother, father, grandmother, best friend, and family friends. I liked watching him in his element and he only squirmed when they started telling me Matt-stories and when his mom brought out the pictures. I will admit, thinking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas brings a smile to my face! His family was so nice and I’m looking forward to going back up later this month for his best friend’s wedding.

When we were coming back through Minot, we realized that Bismarck/Mandan is not the only ones fighting flood. The Souris was higher than I’d ever seen; it was coming over the bridges, rerouting traffic, and flooding the streets. I found out yesterday that they began mandatory evacs of parts of the city. Then this morning, I watched a convoy of military vehicles heading north. Breaks my heart.

House hunting has been slow and painful. I put an offer on a house and was rejected and I need to be okay with that…something will come along. I’m also not sure what’s going to happen with my house as the inspection ordered by the buyer came back and it wasn’t so favorable. I’m hoping the demanding market in Dickinson will continue to drive the sale.

The week had another highlight with Alaina’s graduation. We celebrated on Sunday with family and friends. She looked very nice and I’m excited to see her future start unfolding with her last “free” summer and starting college in the fall. I was there when she got her roommate assignment; I know she’s pretty excited. She’ll do wonderful…I know she can do anything that she puts her mind to.

“Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don't worry...I'm here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.” -Charlie Brown to Snoopy

"My First Week" (Matt named this one)

I’m between homes, no seriously. I’m officially living in two homes. I sat at mom and dad’s during the week and escape on the weekends back to Dickinson. This was my first full week on this new schedule as I officially started with KK Bold on Tuesday. It was a great week and think I’m really going to enjoy my job. I can’t wait to jump full in and get started. The office is gorgeous, the people are great, and the work will be amazing. I also will get Friday afternoons off during the summer! I think I’m going to like it! What’s also funny is that my childhood babysitter is also working there…sometimes it’s a small world!

In terms of houses, it’s been a big week for that too! Mom and I went house hunting last Tuesday. I’m looking at twin homes, condos, and houses. We saw everything, from nice and new houses to big pitholes that only could be improved with a wrecking ball! There were 2 that I liked and had Dad help narrow it down to 1 so we’ll see where that takes me. I also accepted an offer on my house. I’m very happy with it and hope that the sell goes smoothly, especially after the weekend that I had in Dickinson. I got back to water in the basement, which is not a huge new things, I’ve had a pool before. However, this time it was coming in in other places! Sad Face!! So Matt and I spent the day with the shop vacs and think we hauled out 100 gallons of water. Sad Sad Face! I can’t believe that he helped me or that after work he came back to help me! I’m so lucky to have him in my life, and not just for the yucky basement projects! Happy Face!

TonyDanza and Lola haven’t been thrilled with the move but they are actually handling it better now. Lola was curious right away, big shock. TonyDanza stayed in the “safe room” for awhile. He continues to spend a good part of his day there but he will travel around every once in awhile. I’m looking forward to having my own space again for their sake.

All in all it was a great week, despite the rain and the indoor swimming pool. I have some great summer plans and I’m looking forward to watching the changes start settling in.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” –Walt Disney

Putting My Life in a Box...

Who noticed the change?? I have unofficially changed addresses, well kinda, I have faux moved houses because I started my new job. I’ll be living with the parents until I can get the house in Dickinson sold and buy another house in Bismarck.

Here’s how last week went, I packed on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and then Thursday and on Friday, I rested, well kinda, ha! Friday was my last day of work at the Strom Center. I’ve been there for two years and seven month and I even had seniority. It was a great job that taught me a lot about me and the work that I wanted to do. I will miss some of the great people that I met and worked with.

Matt and I had a double date with Aubrey and Jeremiah. We went to their house, had pizza and wine! We even had a battle of the sexes with Guesstures and Partini. The girls dominated!! On Saturday, Matt and I wandered around town for a bit. We even took in the ducks and geese! It was a great weekend but I also realized that I had to start saying good bye to some great friends.

Have I mentioned I hate good byes.

“Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.” –Richard Bach