I drink a toast to innocence, I drink a toast to now....

So a look back of 2010 in Reader’s Digest terms….

I got a trash compactor.
I went to Guatemala.
Mel (and Dudley) moved in.
I used my snowblower, too much.
I went to Deadwood.
I started a wishlist of things I wanted to do sometime.
I played golf a bit.
I went to Kansas and saw family.
I learned how to use my lawn mower.
I tried to learn how to use my leaf blower….it didn’t suck, literally.
I got new flooring, still loving it.
I celebrated my golden birthday in style.
I got new furniture in the living room.
I got strep throat for the first time.
I was on the radio.
I spoke on a Women’s Panel.
I completed my grant review, which totaled closer to 50 sheets of paper.
I had ink done…twice.
I performed faux-plumbing efforts.
I tried to date.
I waited.
I volunteered.
I Yp’d on the local level and on the state level, I was elected to the state board.
I had a Scentsy Party, I became a Scentsy distributor.
I got new tires on my car, I blew out a tire, and I got another new tire.
I celebrated milestones with my family…Mom and Dad’s 30th and Alaina’s 18th, and Grandma and Grandpa’s 60th.
I went gun shooting and loved it…I want to start developing that hobby.
I went to Moline.
I sat on TWO brand new combines, one was at the JD museum, one was Dad's.
I went to a couple weddings and even was a bridesmaid in one.
Janice made me laugh, a lot.
I wakeboarded and got up.
I was busy at work with events like Community Field Day, Ladies Night Out, and Leadership Dickinson.
I celebrated my Saturday and Sunday mornings with Lola and TonyDanza.
I took a class.
I cheered for Tiffany, one of my best friends, a Rodeo Queen.
I started a writing project, I have stalled with a writing project.
I ate pizza.
I celebrated like a rockstar, whenever I could.
My most used word on facebook was “don’t” but I didn’t take it negatively.
I met a Tibetan girl and saw a Tibetan Monk creating a healing and purity mandala.
I was dubbed a princess.
My second most used word on facebook was “know” considering that my first word was “don’t” I’m not surprised.
I fell more in love with pie.
I watched reality tv.
Sat around a campfire, started a campfire with a Victoria’s Secret magazine.
I slept on a boat.
Taught Mel how to use the snowblower, the dishwasher, and the golf ball washer.
Taught my mother and my 72 year old aunt how to use Facebook.
I drank wine.
Heard great quotes from all sorts of people.
Became acquainted with a drain/sewer CEO.
Went to Fargo, Minot, and Bismarck.
Most importantly I realized how rich I am with friends and families. This year has been made possible by the amazing people that are in my life. I know that next year has a lot to offer and I hope the possibilities lead me to great opportunities. The best part is knowing that I will be surrounded by these people that continue to make me smile and support me.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

I'll Be Home For Christmas!

For the first day of Christmas, I spent it with the Dagman’s. We were at Grace’s and had an almost full house. A few of the “regulars” were missing but that didn’t stop the laughter or the alcohol from being passed around! The only thing that could have gone better was my Kemma crown. Mom got me a crown so that Kemma would remember me as the princess; however, Kemma called her bluff and said it was a birthday party hat. She also took my camera and took a ton of “Kemma-vision” pics, including ones of Dad’s elbows!

For the second day of Christmas, we spent it just the four of us at home! I love our tradition of opening presents, fondue-ing, and relaxing in the afternoon. We did have a party crasher, Uncle Harry came later that night as he was a Christmas-orphan with Lisa and Kayla taking a trip abroad.

For the third day of Christmas, we had the Moser’s out to Mom’s house. It was weird as it was a small group, only nine people, Way different from the Moser Christmases in the past! We played Whoonu in the afternoon.

The day didn’t end so positively tho…I ended up blowing out a tire just a mile out of Dickinson. At least I was close enough but it still made me sad!

I got some great presents from my friends and family….I got so many things on my list! But I really enjoyed the time to laugh and relax with family. I did get Dudley a special present from TonyDanza and Lola…I’m not too sure he likes it though!

Amanda's Holiday List

-a little handgun
-a golf caddy (roll cart)
-reebox easytone shoes
-Itune cards
-frame for Guatemalan gunrange souvenir
-cute boots
-rings
-emergency car kit
-Movie: Despicable Me
-cordless screwdriver
-ladder
-Airhockey table
-Yoga classes
-Cribbage Board

Less Than 12 Days Till Christmas (or the New Year)

Well some of the presents are wrapped and we are in the home stretch now for the holidays. I know next weekend will be busy. Christmas Eve is spent with the Dagmans at Grace’s house. Christmas Day is at Mom and Dad’s to open presents, fondue, and relax and Christmas with the Mosers will be on December 26 at Mom’s house. Mel has left for a bit to visit a friend until Christmas. The house will feel a bit lonely for awhile without her and Dudley.

This week, I finished my class on Interpersonal Communication. I had an amazing professor that I really enjoyed. I am anticipating a good grade and hope that she enjoyed my final that I had to write on Conflict Management. I decided to put it into a working example, so I explained a relationship between me and a dragon in conflict terms. I won’t be taking a class this coming semester as I’m not sure what’s going to happen with my grant and my workload.

This week was also the DYP Holiday Party. We had a great turn out…30 people. We had Scott Wild with the Wild Trivia Tour. I didn’t win but I had a pretty good team and we didn’t do too shabby!

I’m a bit worried about Lola….she has had a limp for the past couple days. It’s been hard to get her to day down and stay off of it. It reminds me of when she little and was declawed. Her hobbling around could just break my heart.

Nothing much else is happening in my life. Wish I had some big news!

Pre-holiday Potpourri

December is creeping by. I can’t believe it! I don’t know if I’m 100% ready for the holidays, I have much to be thankful for and to celebrate but I still have things to do…I guess that’s what weekends are for! Ha!

I’ve been pretty busy over the past couple weeks….I attended the Parade of Lights with Kiera and Mel. I loved that it was a backwards parade….we drove by and they came to our car! Ha! We also had a girls game night where we ate appetizers and hit up Taboo and Pictionary! I have to admit that Mel’s “dragon” drawing is on our fridge, just to bring a laugh!

After recuperating from Ladies Night Out, work has kinda slowed down, mostly it’s a game of catch up. We had done some intensive work with focus groups during October and November, so we are closing these up now and getting the report off to the Bush Foundation. I also have worked with Leadership Dickinson more lately. Suzi, who I met through DYP, has been coordinating the program and I have been a sounding board and a support system. Suzi has been volunteering a majority of her time and I have enjoyed working closely with her. I did nominate her for the Governor’s Choice Awards for the Volunteer of the Year awards, but she had some pretty stiff competition.

I know my mother reads this blog and I think she should skip this paragraph as I know she doesn’t want to hear it….I signed up to become a Scentsy consultant. For those that don’t know what Scentsy is…it’s a wickless soy candle that melts to emits a wonderful scent and there are a ton of scents to chose from. There is no flame, so it’s not a fire hazard. I’ve been using the product for a year and love it. I don’t plan to sell it the same way I sold Pampered Chef but I know I will use it. I like to do new things…what can I say!

I made a trip to Fargo this past weekend and spent some time with Janice and Jerry. I am continually reminded about the importance of family and am glad for the laughs that she continues to give me. We had in-depth conversations about Jerry’s snow-birding, Lady GaGa, the upcoming holiday, and her decorating skills!

This weekend I might bake a bit, have my computer worked on, work on Dad’s promo material for the spring sale of bulls, and finish wrapping presents…it always helps to have a list!

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah...Great Family and Friends!

Well after a few more inches of white stuff, we are getting closer to the holiday season. Thanksgiving was very laid back and nice. Mom served a wonderful dinner to our family and Grace’s. Afterwards we played a few games including Farkle where Mom had amazing beginner’s luck. We also played Whoonu…it was a great time to relax with family.
We also took in time with Dad’s side at Kate’s wedding on the following Saturday. It was nice to see Wendy’s and Hope’s families, we won’t get to see them for quite a while now!
The only problem I had with the week was my car’s heat gave out. There were some cold drives back and forth from Bismarck! It’s been nice now to have a hot car to get into!

This past week has been busy…We had Ladies Night Out on Tuesday. This event was created to help promote the idea of shop local. Businesses stay open late and offer a special, therefore giving the opportunity to showcase their store and support the community effort. This is the second year we’ve had this event. Our first year, we had 300 shoppers. This year we had over 450. It was a great event and we had a lot of positive feedback!

On Thursday, I hosted a Hanukkah Party with my friend Brian. We decided to hold this party as a great excuse to get friends together and enjoy each other’s company before everyone got swept away by the holiday season. I’m reminded by what great friends I have!

Today, I even spent a little bit of time decorating the house with holidays things! Mel even hoped to start thinking of New Year’s Eve plans. I guess you can say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.