Pieces of Me

Like Butter

2012-01-04T09:28:00.000-06:00

He never ceases to amaze me....never disappoints or let's me down. I guess there are a few men that I could describe using those words but the man of the hour that I'm talking about is Mr A-Z himself.....

JASON MRAZ.

[I'm pretty sure I use any excuse to post these pictures...]

My love for him has only grown in the 9 years I have been listening to him. I've seen him live in concert at least 7 times - mind you, each of those shows was at a completely different venue - which only shows how much he has grown in popularity. Each show is unique in its own right and his voice sounds just as good live as it does recorded.

Yesterday, Mraz released a new single in which I am HOH [headoverheels] in love with.

Watch, listen and melt away....

Do You Believe?

2011-12-29T15:00:00.001-06:00

I couldn't help but watch these videos, as I was doing my daily lunch look-over of People.com.

This 18 year old ~~man~~ boy was born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. I can barely say the word, let alone live with such a scary disease. This young man's lifelong health struggle made him face some pretty tough things from a young age. The way he so beautifully told his stories through note cards and youtube is just breath-taking. Unfortunately, the reason for this video to start on its viral journey is because Ben Breedlove passed away on Christmas Day. These videos are bringing the family a small piece of solace that Ben is okay and that he believes.

Every now and then [more than I would like to admit] I always need something like this to jolt me from my pity party and realize that my life is pretty great compared some so many battles that people fight on a daily basis.

All I can say after tearfully watching Ben's last two videos is - I believe.

It's a Pajama Jeans kind of Christmas

2011-12-29T11:24:00.000-06:00

I mean what I said. 2011 was a pajama jeans kind of Christmas as I received a pair of beyond comfortable pants. They look like jeans and feel like pajamas. Can't go wrong.

Here I am sporting the PJs. Tell me they don't look like regular jeans!

My parents were also beyond generous and bought Rian and I (and my sister and Bryan) an HP Touchpad. It will be perfect for skypeing when the Pershings are off in sunny Florida for January and February!

Overall, it was such a blessed Christmas and was so happy to spend time with family. The older I get, the more I appreciate that time and wish we could all be together more often. Maybe it's on me to start that!

30 Days....

2011-06-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

I have 30 days to do something cool. To live a little more life than I usually do. That is my goal for June 2011. I find myself more and more struggling to get through each week...not the weekends, really, but the week days. I wish away the days during the week...the days I have to work....thinking that they are only preventing me from living a great life on the weekends. Now I know that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm [still] not satisfied with my job and work life. BUT, another huge goal of the upcoming months is to dig deep to find out what I might want to do career wise. Now that my fantastic husband is employed [thank ALL of the Gods that I've been praying to for that] - I feel a little more free to really discover what is going to make me happy in my work life.

Career Searching Tip - I suggest keeping a work journal on your desk for you to write down things you like and don't like about your job - or what some dream/nightmare aspects of a job would be for you.

So as I set out on this 30 day journey...please bare with me. I may miss a few postings, I may not do extraordinary things every single day, but I will do my best to live a little more and a little better. I know I have so much to be grateful for and I should treasure every day A LOT more than I do. Every day is a gift that is never promised to us, but we should acknowledge how special each day is and appreciate the people around us who make our lives worth living.

10

2011-04-06T13:48:00.002-05:00

1. Vacations – planning, counting down, taking them, experiencing them [but not coming home from them] You know those people who say, "it's been a good trip, but I can't wait to get home to my own bed, etc" Well, I am NOT one of those people.

2. Concerts - As you can see from my previous post, I have a thing for live music and entertainment. There is no other rush like it that I get when the lights completely go dark, the music begins and the show has started. Nothing like it.

3. Owen - My nephew and Godson is one of my most favorite people in the world. The closest thing I have to a child of my own and I love him just like that. Every minute I get to spend with him and watch him grow up and teach him things and hear him call me 'TeeTee' is a blessing.

4. Time with good friends - As I grow older and my world starts to change, more and more I realize the value of friendship. I am blessed with some amazing friends, some I've known forever and some that I just feel like I've known forever. Day after day, our lives grow more and more busy, so the time we spend together is limited, but it only makes me appreciate the time we DO get to spend together even more.

5. All Things Disney - Anyone who knows me probably knows about my love of Disney. It started when I was probably 4 years old and has multiplied every year. All the trips to DW and DL, watching vacation planner videos every Saturday morning, listening to Subsonic Radio every day at work {wishing I was in DW instead of a cube}, sharing information and watching Disney videos with my Dad, taking my husband on his first {of many} trips to DW and seeing him enjoy it and thinking about how happy all things Disney makes me.

6. My Workout Buddy - Never have I ever worked out and gone to the gym on such a regular basis as I have since I found my workout buddy, Kelly. Since January, her and I have had a pretty good weekly schedule of what days we do which classes at which YMCA location. {For me} the motivation for going to classes and keeping to that for a long time has been huge. Not only has it helped me with myself and taking care of myself, but it has been a huge gift to have a friend supporting you along the way. It is SO different having someone you can talk to before, during and after class - but most importantly - someone to look over at, roll your eyes and say 'I'm dying!'

And yes...Kelly and I wore our wedding dresses last summer for the Bachelorette finale!

7. Sun - Something that we haven't had much of in the past couple months. I cannot believe the winter we have had and how much I am looking forward to nice weather. With sun comes sand volleyball, outdoor patios, backyard BBQ's, outdoor baseball, zoo trips with Owen and of course walks around the lake with my dog and my husband.

8. My Future - If I have learned anything this year, it is that you cannot completely control or predict your future. But, I am learning to embrace the unknown and realize that wherever life takes me - my future will be amazing. Down the road, there are so many adventures that await R and I and I am happy and excited to get there.

9. My Family - Without the love and support of my family, I would be nowhere. Every day and I more and more appreciative. And one thing I appreciate more and more each day is how much I LIKE my family. I know not everyone does. But I am lucky enough that I like my family and enjoy the time we spend together. Liking your family and loving your family are two very different things -- I do both!

10. Scrabble - Someday I will beat my husband at this tricky, tricky game...

It has been quiet a while since I have been this excited about new music and concert tours. I definitely go in spurts of being an active compact disc buyer (yes, I still buy CDs and don't think I could ever give that up) and concert attendee. There really hasn't been anything that great out in the last year or so.

Thank God for Pop Music.

No matter how people classify 'pop' music - I will always believe it to be the universal feel good music that is easy to listen to and makes you very happy, even happy enough that it makes you want to dance!

My girl Britney is BACK! Unlike most people, I never stopped being a fan and listening to her music and KNOWING that she would eventually make it back into the spotlight. Her new CD Femme Fatale is a perfect example of Britney. Dance. Pop. It is great for working out, dancing and singing in the car. I cannot wait for her upcoming tour (with or without Enrique?) Here is just a sneak peak of what Britney has to offer....this song is incredible. I dare you not to move when you hear this song.

I just love this girl and know she is going to continue to Rock It.

Took this picture at Britney's Dream Within A Dream Tour in 2001

And then there was NKOTBSB. Never in my wildest dreams did I think something like this was even possible. But here it is and in a mere 3 months...I will be seeing them all LIVE! After our NKOTBSB night last Saturday, I have been rejuvenated with my ~~love~~ obsession. I've come to realize that is it embedded in me and that I am completely okay with that. I have people right there with me (kristine) who understand what that ~~love~~ obsession is all about.

It will be an unforgettable few weeks in July. And I will savor every moment BEFORE the shows, in anticipation for a couple of the greatest nights of the ~~year~~ century!

Just a taste of what NKOTBSB will bring....

Over.Whelmed.

2011-04-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

Definitely feeling completely OVERwhelmed these days. Sometimes I feel like I can't catch my breath long enough to figure out where I am and what I'm doing. So much has happened/continues to happen over the last six months. Sometimes I forget what it was like to have everything in life nailed down and figured out and not *really* have many things to worry about. {although I usually find a few things to worry about at all times.}

I never quite understood the ramifications of what it means to be unemployed. Certainly never had to deal with it in my life. But man, does that smack you right in the face and make you look at everything COMPLETELY different.

R and I never imagined that only 3 months after our wedding our whole world would be turned upside down. I have never been on a roller coaster like this in my life and it has proved for some real testing of strength and character.

Things that I have learned through this experience...

1 - I will never take for granted having a job ever again. (and neither should YOU)

2 - Sometimes it's okay to ask for help and rely on people who ARE able to help

3 - Many people forget about your 'situation' and do not provide extra support that is needed

4 - Other people step up to the plate and are more than supportive and understanding

5 - Money management. (Do I really need that dress? Well, yes, but I can't afford it right now.)

6 - Playing a game of scrabble (via facebook) against your husband on a friday night is the
best.

7 - Our appreciation for the small and the big things has been beyond enhanced

8 - Letting go of 'planning the future' - we never really know what a week, month or year will bring us

Because of what we have gone through and continue to go through every day - we have a new found appreciate for so many things. We have learned things that we will keep for the rest of our lives and will definitely make a difference in the long run. We have learned so many lessons that some people never learn in their lifetime. We eventually will look at this time as one of the hardest but most influential times in our relationship and in our life. And until that point of closing this chapter in our lives and in our marriage....we wait...we persist....we laugh...we cry...we hope...

What am I doing?

2011-01-08T13:35:00.005-06:00

Had a though last week.....

Some of my very favorite music includes boybands, britney spears and broadway...

One of my biggest online news sources is people.com...

I am addicted to horrible reality TV, including the entire Real Housewives franchise...

My favorite vacation destination is Disney World...

What in the hell am I doing working at Minnesota Public Radio?!?

I have had that thought more than once and continue to struggle with it. I'm not sure I'll ever be as "serious" as everyone around me. Not that I don't care about it all or feel that it is important. I just do not bleed public radio - like so many of my co-workers.
I wonder if I will ever find another job that I actually have the fire and passion for. Sometimes I feel like a poser, but I can't help what makes me happy in life!
I can be very serious at times - too serious even - but most of the time I am a 10 yr old girl and those things that made me happy then, still make me happy to this day.
I guess I am okay with that. I just hope people can always accept me for who I am, what is important to me and what makes me happy. I never pretend to be someone I am not - and I hope people can always see that in me.

But for now, I will continue to love pop music that makes me sing and dance, bad reality tv that makes me feel "less crazy" and disneyworld will always be my happiest place on earth.

2011 - Oh Boy...!

2010-12-27T09:45:00.005-06:00

2009 - 2010 - 2011 and beyond. I cannot believe how much time flies. 2010 has definitely been a year to remember. So many amazing things happened and I'm very grateful.
But it has also been one of the most difficult years of my life as well. Either way, I'm grateful for all of the things that have happened that have led me to this point in my life and am hoping and praying for an amazing 2011.
Like everyone else at this point in time - I am re-evaluating my life and everything in it. Looking toward the future with hope and fear and uncertainty.
I feel very blessed with the year I had. I planned a wedding in 7 months and married the love of my life on May 22nd. We had a fabulous wedding and honeymoon, and I am so grateful that all of that happened and had so much support from all of the people in our life that mean the most to us. Summer was great. Lots of time with friends and playing sports and busy as ever. Then bad news hit in August and we found out that Rian was losing his job. It was quite a blow, especially after all of the years and dedication Rian has given to the company.
We knew that in the long run this would be the best - but it still was/is a difficult thing to go through. We are still struggling with this, but luckily I was able to find a new (better paying) job and started working at Minnesota Public Radio in November. The bump in pay was huge for us and we are happy about that. We are still plugging away and trying to find something for Rian.

I always heard about people dealing with layoffs and unemployment, but I never fully understood what it was until this happened to us. Luckily, Rian and I have each other for support and also have my parents who have been amazing throughout this tough time. I realize that there are so many out there that have no support and I can't imagine how difficult that would make things.
Trying to look at the silver linings - at least we don't have any children we are trying to support or huge amount of debt (although having to buy a furnace in October wasn't a fun thing to do) and I still have a job and am able to cover both of us for insurance.
Overall, it is a huge learning experience for Rian and I and maybe something that happened to teach both of us and something that will help us for the rest of our lives. Lord knows I will never take for granted having a job ever again. And, I think we will take away some heavy lessons that will benefit us for the future. We have learned (what we already knew) how fun a night at home with movies or catching up on our DVR is instead of going out to dinner or to a bar. We enjoy cooking meals at home for each other or cooking together. We cut out the little things that we don't necessarily need (but sometimes enjoy buying). We have appreciated even more being able to go over to my parents house for dinner and enjoyed their company. I am realizing how lucky I am that Rian really likes my parents and is okay hanging out with them. I know that doesn't always work that way, so I really appreciate that from both sides.
We have and continue to learn a lot about life, our life and our situation. I am still completely keeping the faith that things will turn around for us and Rian will find a job soon. I am hopeful that 2011 will be a positive year full of new beginnings and opportunities.
I am ready to start enjoying being a newlywed and doing all those fun things. Creating our home together and our life together. We are still able to do a lot of that now, I just can't wait when we have more freedom to enjoy this time in our lives. We will get there and we will appreciate it even more.
Professionally, for me, I have started on a new adventure that I'm still trying to get used to and figure out. As anyone who is even remotely close to me knows that I seem to always be looking for a new job and a new opportunity. I do believe I have found a good place to be - yet (of course) I'm still desiring more/something different. Not sure if I will ever be satisifed with any current job, but I still feel like there is something more out there for me. Something that will actually fulfill whatever it is that has seem to have been void in my life all these years. Someday - Somehow!

Who knows - maybe 2011 is the year of the Heaslip's winning the lottery and all of these problems will be behind us.....for good.

Either way, I'm still searching, still hoping and still dreaming - I don't think I will ever stop dreaming.

Fashion is Chaos.

2010-08-31T10:53:00.007-05:00

I'm convinced that all of my exceptional outfits, accessories, everything put together can only be done in a chaotic state. Whenever I have an idea in my head of what I am going to where and how it is going to look - it never turns out that way.
Yet, on random mornings when I have no idea what to wear - I seem to just put together a complete outfit and it just works.

Fashion cannot be forced. Fashion is a life style. Fashion is a (my) driving force.

Fashion is ever changing - which is why I can easily get bored of my clothes - yet cannot seem to part with them in case they come back full circle.

Carrie Bradshaw - one of my style icons - taught me to show my personality and my emotions through my clothes, to never be afraid of color and that accessories make the outfit.

When I'm (trying to) put an outfit together, I simply say to myself - WWCBW?

{What Would Carrie Bradshaw Wear}

Married Life....

2010-06-24T11:27:00.009-05:00

Is GREAT!

Sorry I haven't updated in forever - but now I'm writing to you as Mrs. Noelle Heaslip. Crazy, I know. I don't have much to say at this moment but I will paste a few wedding pics!

More to follow, but here is a sneak peak!

ENJOY! More to come.....

Hard Work

2010-04-16T08:04:00.003-05:00

No one ever said being a woman was easy - but man it is a lot of work. Just last night while I was getting ready for bed and it was taking me forever to do all the things I need to do before bed - I thought about how ridiculous it is and how much work we put into looking our best.
I really am not total high maintenance but with all of the wedding things coming up (ahem*my bachelorette party*ahem) I have been trying to pay more attention to the beauty things I could be doing to look my best.
This is what my "getting ready for bed" ritual has been for the past couple months.
Of course start with taking out my contacts. Then I wash my face with proactiv. I use the astringent and wipe all the dirt off my face. And finally end with the moiusturizer.
On the occasional nights - I will use the biore face strips to get all the crap out of my pours. Or will use the proactiv mask which you put on your face - wait ten minutes and then wash it off. Scared the hell out of Rian the other night when I laid in bed next to him with that thing on my face. lol
Then - because of an odd eczema flare up on my ankle (which I'm pretty sure was caused by stress and apparently likes to show itself on my leg/ankle) I have to put some cream on that spot as well.
Of course add in the q-tips to clean out the ol' ears.
After that - I brush my teeth and then I prepared my teeth molds for my whitening. My very kind dentist gives you (and your fiance) a free whitening kit before you get married as a nice little gift. They take the molds of your teeth and everything. So I had to put the gel in those and stick those bad boys in - giving me an uncomfortable lisp and possible drooling in the middle of the night.

All of that work - just to be somewhat presentable, or at least try to look the best I can. Now I'm not necessarily complaining. I enjoy knowing that I'm putting effort into my apprearence and doing what I can do look nice - but man it is a lot of work.
I won't even get into my "getting ready for a day" routine - with the shower and shaving and lotion and make up and hair spray! Oy! Too much!
Let's just say that I hope men (and women) appreciate the effort put into looking our best!

It's 10 O'Clock - - - Do you know where your manners are?

2010-04-09T08:07:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to even apologize for my lack of blogging because I don't feel guilty that I haven't done much lately. I have about a million and one commitments right now - oh and planning a wedding in 6 months. ;-)

Here is my rant though....

Since when did everyone loose all manners and etiquette when it comes to weddings? Or maybe people never had it in the first place. Either way I just don't understand.
I will preface all of this with the fact that now that I am in the shoes of the wedding planner and organizer - I do feel guilty for some of my wedding etiquette in the past. I am guilty of some of it - but not to the extent of what I am dealing with. But I do feel bad and vow to always remember what it was like for me to be planning my wedding and how difficult people can be - and to understand the responsibility that comes with being invited to a wedding. It is not just a given - it is an honor. And I promise to treat it with much more respect than I ever did in the past.

With that said...what is wrong with people?!? I am dealing with stress upon stress when it comes to invitations and guest lists and numbers. I understand there is some unspoken etiquette with invitations and who is invited. I thought everyone knew that if your name is on the invitation - you are invited. If it isn't - then you aren't. And just because your name is written on it alone - doesn't mean that you are automatically allowed to bring a guest.
Apparently, some people do think they are allowed to bring a guest.
And yes - maybe I am starting things right off the bat with me having bad manners with the fact that I'm not able to invite everyone I want, let alone give everyone a guest. Maybe I'm in the wrong with that - but in my heart I just don't think so.
I (we) made a choice at the beginning of this process and picked a venue which does have space limitations. Forgive me for picking a place that unfortunately doesn't hold a crap load of people - but it does hold a special place in my heart for its uniqueness and beauty. I'm sorry that my tastes have offended people because I was unable to invite their truck load of children to my wedding.
ok - i'm getting off course.....
What I'm trying to say is that - I'm sorry I cannot please everyone and that I may have offended people by the limitations of my decisions. But at the same time - I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry that I decided what I wanted for ME and MY wedding - and it just so happened not to work out so well for you.
I have had multiple people write on their RSVP & guest, when the invitation was only sent to one. I don't understand why. If someone had a question - they should come to me and ask - before they just assume and then make me look like the jerk and stressing out more having to tell them that they cannot bring a guest. Or just leaving it as it is and working with the fact that they are bringing a random person that I've never met and I'm having to eliminate inviting a friend of mine. It is altogether so frustrating.
I've also had family members go through different people and channels to ask about their kids being invited. Which, unfortunately, their kids were not invited. I don't have space for my cousin's kids whom I don't even remember their names. I'm sorry - but I'm not okay with that. What I AM okay with is the same people not coming b/c their kids were not invited. All the more room to invite people that I actually WANT at my wedding.

I know this is a terrible vent/rant - but this really bothers me. It really bothers me that other peoples decisions have been bringing me more stress than I already have and it is so ridiculous.
I know I am probably in the wrong when it comes to family things. But at this point, I know who my family is whether they are blood related or not - and my true family will all be at my wedding. Others who may share blood with me but haven't spoken to me in years dont really constitute family to me.
I'm sure I will create some enemies after this event - but whatever. The people that matter are doing all they can to help me and be there for me. And the other people just dont' give a damn.
I just hope that the people who really don't give a damn and would just go to my wedding for the free meal would just stay home. But PLEASE RSVP No SOON so I can invite more of the people who actually matter.

Sorry for the rant - who knew bridezilla could sneak up on you so easily? ;-)

Peace OUT!

Why?

2010-03-18T07:29:00.002-05:00

Why is it that I haven't really cried during the "big stuff" for the wedding - like buying or trying on my wedding dress, picking the venue or asking people to be involved in the wedding.....But it's those moments where I just happen to be doing random wedding things or just thinking about the day.
Like reading love poems online at work and crying in my cube or imagining what the day is going to be like and what it will be like to walk down the aisle and see everyone in the world who is important to me all in one place while running on the treadmill and starting to cry on the treadmill but being able to make it look like sweat and can easily be wiped away with my sweaty towel.

Both events happened yesterday. What is up?

You really CAN shorten them and wear them again!

2010-01-26T11:20:00.004-06:00

Okay - maybe you can't shorten them, but I swear you can wear them again! My bridesmaid dresses that is! Honestly, I really did pick the one that I would want to wear again. I'm actually kind of jealous that I didn't get to buy one too! lol
The only thing that is really missing is I REALLY wanted pockets in the dresses. Unfortunately, that couldn't really happen and I figured it wasn't worth the hassle of stressing out trying to find the perfect dress with pockets. I can just imagine that they are there.
In any case, I really wanted to find a green dress but the style of dress was more important to me than the color. I figured if I found a dress I liked but it didn't have the green I wanted, I could still go with black. And that is what happened. But black totally works considering we are doing black, white/ivory and green as wedding colors. Very classic. Plus, with black dresses, we can totally jazz them up with accessories! As I always say - Accessories make the outfit!
So, I am on the hunt for some fun and funky green jewlery that my maids can wear and look FAB!
I also know from someone's personal experience that this is a super comfy dress. The material is NOT like the regular bridesmaid dress material, which I think is great. I wanted to get as far away from the "typical bridesmaid dress" as I could. You know me, I like to do the opposite of what everyone else does. lol We're all lucky I'm wearing a somewhat traditional gown. For my first communion, when i was 8 years old, I didnt' want to wear the traditional white dress that all little girls "should" wear for their First Communion - so I wore a colorful, flowery dress. lol It started early and probably will never go away.
But for now...here the the picture of the dress. Remember - it is black and it will be shorter, like knee length. It will be May after all! :-)

Where It's At!

2010-01-21T09:23:00.006-06:00

I'll try to do some wedding recaps of planning so far (if anyone really cares. lol)

We will be having our ceremony AND reception in the Gilbert Building at 413 on Wacouta in Lowertown Downtown St. Paul. Ironicaly, Lowertown has become a new hip and happening spot with new bars opening up like The Bulldog and Barrio. A great historic district with beautiful sights like Mears Park and in the warmer months the St. Paul Farmers Market is perfect on a sunny, Saturday morning. I feel really lucky that we will be in such a neat area and also in a vintagey, historic building.
Since I'm kind of a history nerd - here is a little bit about the building where all of these amazing things for us will be happening...

The Gilbert Building is named in honor of its creator – architect Cass Gilbert. Examples of his art are still admired throughout the United States. The Minnesota State Capitol Building. The Woolworth Building in New York City. The United States Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. Before undertaking these famous projects, Cass Gilbert made a name for himself designing some of the most stately buildings in what is now known as Lowertown, Saint Paul’s warehouse district.
In 1893, Gilbert designed a five-story building at 413 Wacouta Street for the Boston and Northwest Realty Company. Records from the early 1900s describe the building as “one of the best business structures in Saint Paul.” The building is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Cass Gilbert’s achievement is reborn as the Gilbert Building.

I just love the fact that the building where we are getting married has an amazing and rich St. Paul tradition. (now that I have converted Rian to the right side of the river!)
This building is a new space, especially for weddings. They are still in construction building the ceremony suite which is where our ceremony will be held. I'm a bit anxious knowing that I have no clue what that important space will look like, but I'm keeping the faith that it will be beautiful. I think our wedding will be maybe the 2nd or 3rd wedding held in that space, so it will be all spiffy and new for us!
The reception area is in the basement of the building and has its own uniquness as well. It looks very old school and vintage. I love the exposed limestone and the green piping. I also love the pictures all around the walls of St. Paul back in the day. Here is a sneak peak...

I also love all the different things you can do with lighting in a room like that. Not much decorating has to be done when you already have a neat space.
Another part of Wacouta that I love is the bridal suite and getting ready area. That helped to sell me knowing that I would be able to get my hair and make-up done all there. It will help my stress level a ton just knowing that we only have to go to one place and once I am there I can relax (or try to) and enjoy the getting ready process and know that I am set. That is one of the things I am most excited for. lol There is plenty of room for all of my girls to be around, which will be amazing.

This is the actual Bridal Suite...

This is the fireplace room which is off of the Bridal Suite so there is a ton of room to have lots of people hanging out - plus they have a bar area where we can put some breakfast trays and champagne of course!

That is just a little recap of where it's all happening! Wish I had a picture of the ceremony suite - only in my mind I guess. ;-)

Register, Schmegister

2010-01-19T10:39:00.003-06:00

Considering that it is exactly 123 days until I become Mrs. Noelle Heaslip - things are really starting to roll and I'm really starting to freak out.
Did anyone freak out about changing their name? I never really thought about it, but its kind of weirding me out now. Just typing it all out freaks me out. lol I guess it is a reality, but it is still a weird thing to consider. Rian will tease me and call me Noelle Heaslip and it weirds me out, yet it is happening soon. Like 123 days soon!

On top of that, I'm just getting weirded out that everything is actually happening. I honestly never thought this day would come and now I'm planning my wedding. I'm also stressing planning the wedding as well. For someone like me who has an INCREDIBLY difficult time making any decisions, you can understand how this would only multiply everything and stress me out even more.

But right now I have a question for all who are reading and could REALLY use the help and advice. I'm just wondering....

*What things about your wedding did you love and are so glad you did?
*What things about your wedding do you wish you wouldn't have spent the time or money on and would not have done if you had to do it again?

And the same goes for registering....

*What are you so glad you registered for and love?
*What do you wish you wouldn't have bothered with on your registry?

I keep telling people how frustrating it is planning a wedding because (hopefully/usually) you only ever plan one, so its everyone's first time doing everything!

Any other advice being four months out? I know it seems like forever away, but of course it isn't and there is much to be done, especially in the next couple months. I know I can't control having a lot to do close to the wedding, but I would like to try and get as much done as I can now so that I can enjoy the months leading up with showers and things.

So.....comment away - or if you are feeling really ambitious - email me! noelle.fastner@gmail.com

Thanks Ladies! :-)

ps: I will try to show pics of some of the main things I have picked for the wedding in my next post!

B-I-N-G-Ohhhh Yeah!

2009-12-11T09:21:00.005-06:00

This past summer, we found Bingo. Well, actually, we feel that Bingo found us.
Yes, of course I (we) have all played Bingo in the past and enjoyed it on a random basis - but only this past summer did I truely find and LOVE bingo.

I probably blogged about it this past summer, but one day after enjoying some races at Cantebary - Rian, Dirty Steve, Andy and I decided that we were still itching to drop some money and went over Mystic Lake. Thought we would give Bingo a shot. And ever since then, the four of us have had Bingo Fever!

Although we hadn't met for official Bingo play in a few months, last Monday night the four of us met at the 5-8 Club in Maplewood for some bingo action. It is $1/game and there are 12 games. Let's just say that the Bingo Gods were smiling down upon us on December the 7th because out of the 12 games played - our table won 4 of them!
Steve won twice (lucky bastard!), I won once (a whopping $36!) and Andy finally popped his Bingo winning cherry with a $41 win!
Here is Andy with his big cash winnings....

And Steve with his lucky Bingo move...you must actually see it to truely appreciate it....

Poor Rian was the only non winner at our table. Next time, Rian, next time!
We throughly enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to go back again on Monday. Also - the food is excellent and not too expensive. They are known for their burgers - juicy lucys especially. Both Rian and I were happy with our dinner selections.
Then, we saw someone order a bloody mary and damn did it look good. I think the whole beef stick in the drink was the kicker. So, Andy, Rian and I had to give it a shot. Rian and I are HUGE bloody mary fans - always looking for a good bar bloody since they are hard to find and can often be hit or miss from each visit. Rian's homemade mix is still the best!

In any case - our Bingo adventure was a success and we can't wait to go back and win some more!

here is the whole bingo gang - which we have even made a group page on facebook for our bingo club....very exclusive....

Done and Done

2009-12-01T08:28:00.005-06:00

You know how you always make those lists of things you want to do before you die or things you want to do before the end of the year....? You know - those things that you rarely ever actually do but like to think about doing them?

Well I feel like this year or at least a lot in the past couple months I've done a few things that I always said I wanted to do.
Earlier in the year - I started volunteering and became a Big Sister. It was an amazing experience, very eye-opening about struggles of single parent homes and kids growing up without much of anything. I feel like Nina and I bonded a lot - and I really felt like she was proud to be my "little" and that she really trusted me. Unfortunately, that relationship came to a startling hault. A few months back (I believe it was September?) I got a phone call from Nina in which she told me that her Mother had passed away. It was surreal enough for me - it was hard to believe how Nina was dealing with it. Especially because her Dad is in jail and has not been with Nina's mother in many years - so 13 year old Nina lost her only parental figure. I was overwhelmed with the fact that Nina trusted me so much that she called me only a few hours after her Mom died to tell me. It was pretty brutal going to the wake and having Nina hug me and cry. I can't imagine all she was goign through. And then, to make matters worse (at least for me) Nina ended up moving to Texas to live with her sister. I know that was the best thing for her but the last time I saw her was her Mother's wake - she moved like 3 days later. I asked her to keep in touch and call me and let me know how things were going - but I haven't heard anything from her since. All I can hope is that she is doing well in Texas and starting a new life and most importantly that she is happy. I do miss her though.

On to more happy things that have happened.

Of course getting engaged was one of the biggest things to ever happen to me this year (lifetime). Coming from a girl who ever since she was little never thought she would get married - never thought anyone would ever feel that strongly about her that they would want to spend the rest of their life with her. All overwhelming that I've gotten to that point in my life and things are coming together. I'm lucky. (watch for the lucky theme!)

Another pretty amazing thing that happened to me this year was the fact that I got to shake President Obama's hand!!! Now I know that sounds lame to most people but it was incredible. My Mom and I went to the Target Center when he was here this fall to talk about Health Care. By no means did we get there super early or anything but we ended up about 15 feet from the left of his podium. AMAZING! His speech was amazing and I took some incredible pictures. But the really amazing part was after he spoke - he came around and shook hands of people in the front. Of course, using my past experiences of working my way through a crowd to shake a hand, get an autograph or take a picture - I grabbed my Mom's hand and shoved us toward the front. Lucky for us - it worked. Both my Mom and I were able to shake Obama's hand! (They were pretty dry and rough for those of you wondering. He is definitely selflessly putting his mosturizing needs aside in order to help this country!) In any case - we were amazed by this and even more so - check out this picture......again - this is NOT the first time I have had to work my camera and hold out my hand to be shaken all at the same time. I actually snapped a picture of Obama and I touching hands. Its blurry but you can make out my hand in his hand - I could feel the power!

Next - one thing I always said I wanted to do but never did but now finally did - was start a book club! I always thought it sounded fun and wondered if anyone else would want to join. After some positive feedback from people - I decided it was worth it. We have 8 official book club members and continue to meet on the last Monday of every month. We have had three meetings so far. Last night was our November book. We read - Big Fish - and then watched the movie. It was a fun change of pace and fun to discuss the differences we saw in each medium. So far things are going well with book club and I'm really happy I mustered up enough people who wanted to do it with me. Always a good thing to get together with girl friends, eat some food, drink some wine and be together.

My last achievment but not final achievment is the fact that on Thanksgiving morning, I ran a 5K! Now, if anyone knows me - they know I am NOT a runner. Never have been, probably never will be and certainly never claim to be. BUT - KC (my work buddy kelly chad) and I have been working out after work for the past month. We have a gym at our work and are finally taking full advantage of it. We have been motivating each other to go - it helps to have that other person who is depending on you to go with them. We have been helping each other and it has really worked. So not really training for a 5K or a anything - the day before we heard about this thanksgiving 5K and just decided to do it. Now - mind you - we are used to running in doors at room temp - and running at 8:30am on thanksgiving was a rude awakening. It was definitely more difficult than I thought with breathing. Definitely walked and ran - but ran for probably 2/3s of it. We finished at 43 minutes and some seconds - and honestly I was okay with that. I was just so proud of us for doing it. Waking up early - on a day I didn't have to - to RUN?!? I MUST be crazy! lol But it was a wonderful guilt free Thanksgiving!

Here are Kelly and I after the race. They asked people to write signs on their back for what they are thankful for - and Kelly made us awesome signs that said - Giving Thanks for her with an arrow pointing to the other. Super cute!

And of course we ROCKED the sweatbands!

I'm happy to say that I have accomplished those things this year and hope to continue to do more and more. Nice to put check marks next to those things on "my list."

Oops.....

2009-11-25T14:53:00.006-06:00

So I usually use the excuse when I haven't blogged in a while that I had nothing to blog about because my life is not very exciting. And while I still believe that my life really isn't that exciting - I have probably had a couple of the most exciting months of my life. I've felt bad not blogging but my pictures are never on the computer that I blog on so I might just have to add those another day. If I even have pictures to add. We will see.

Of course probably anyone that even reads this blog knows why its been an exciting couple months. Starting with Friday, October 2nd, 2009. It really was like any other random Friday. I worked a half day - and then with no other plans on the agenda, I decided to spend the afternoon on the couch catching up with my DVR. I was enjoying many episodes of Oprah saved up from the week. It was nearing 4:30 and I knew Rian would be getting home from work soon. I remember exactly that I was watching an episode of Oprah about young girls and rape in Africa. (weird i know that I remember that) Anyways - Rian finally got home from work - heard him come in the back door and he said hello. Again, thought nothing of it. I continued to watch Oprah. He then comes right over to me sitting on the couch - he hands me a brown paper bag and says nothing. I open the bag and pull out a bottle of (very expensive and very delicious) champagne that I always wanted for a "special occasion". I remember holding the bottle in my left hand and taking a second for me to really understand what this all meant. Once it clicked - I remember my heart starting to beat very rapidly and I turned my head to Rian and said, "Seriously?" Before I had the chance to say anything else - he dropped to one knee in front of me, told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. All the while I'm thinking - should Oprah really be here at this moment?? haha Didn't think of it too long because of course (knowing me) I just lost it and starting to bawl my eyes out. That is no surprise to anyone that has met me! I seriously started hugging him and was wailing on his shoulder. It was perfect. All the time that I'm thinking about getting engaged and all the times I thought it was going to happen. It would have been no fun if I really saw that it was coming. Not that I wouldn't have loved every minute of it - its just that this was so wonderful because I really was completely caught off guard - I was so surprised and that was what I was hoping for all along. Rian was also very thoughtful in the fact that he knew I was concerned about us getting engaged and then my sister being far away in Chester - and I wouldn't be able to tell her over the phone so I would have to drop everything and drive down there. Fortunately, timing was perfect that my sister and Bryan and Owen were coming up for the weekend - going to be at my parents literally 30 minutes after we got engaged. My parents would obviously be there as well, so we could tell everyone all at once.

So - we got to my parents, with the champagne and the green champagne glasses that my mom bought me for that very purpose. I had to wear my sweater so I could pull it way down over my left hand. Of course everyone was late and I was dying waiting.
When everyone finally got there - I ran to the other room to grab the champagne. I made sure everyone would look at me and then I pulled the champagne out from behind my back and said - "Is anyone thirsty?"
Of course my sister knew right away because she saw the bottle of champagne and knew exactly what kind and how expensive it is. lol She jumped up right away and said - "Really?" So then I pulled my hand out and showed off my bling!
It was perfect being able to tell my whole family all at once. Rian knew that was really important to me and timed everything perfectly.

Thus what has been keeping me busy the past couple months and my lack of blogging. It has been a blast though. For someone who never in their whole life thought they would ever get married (or would find someone that would WANT to marry them) - this has all been pretty amazing. It has been a blast telling people - I have been very concerned with telling my important peeps in person (or over the phone if need be) - it has been more fun that way to see people's reactions. I was VERY worried about peeps finding out on facebook, but I kept a close eye and warned many people not to let the FB beans spill or they would pay (for my wedding).
All in all - October was probably one of the best months of my life with many more time to come. November has been a little more stressful with planning but we are doing amazingly well with setting plans. And also not wasting anytime considering we set our wedding date for Saturday, May 22nd, 2010. For those of you counting (ME!) that is only 178 days away, less than 6 months. Many people would freak out about that - but I'm quite excited that I'm not having to wait an entire year to get the show on the road. We are happy to get married as soon as possible and get all of the fun things going. Plus - that means I get to go on a honeymoon in six months! I don't think I could wait a year for that. lol At this point we are thinking Sandals Jamaica - anyone ever been? Have any suggestions or recommendations?
We are also set for the location of the ceremony and reception. It will all be held in the Gilbert Building at 413 on Wacouta.
It is a gorgeous, old school, vintage space in lowertown in downtown St. Paul. It is a new space, which I love. I also love that it is very unique and different from most of the weddings I've been too. You know me - gotta be different!

Anways - that is a short (or long) summary of the last couple months. I will be better with updates - as now I have a life full of changing and new things.

Happy Gobble Gobble!

Reunited and it feels so good....

2009-08-20T16:18:00.005-05:00

PEACE. LOVE. MRAZ.

SIMPLE PLEASURES

2009-08-10T09:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I was at the grocery store picking up a few things - mainly fruit since I've been lacking with having zero groceries in the house. It was great to get a watermelon (which I cut up the whole thing and filled up every little container we have in the house with its juicy goodness), cherries (mainly for Rian) and some bananas.

Anyways - as I was in the produce section, all of a sudden I heard some added music on top of the already overhead playing music. I looked around and finally heard what song was playing.
I finally found the source and realized that it was coming from the area of veggies. As I looked closer - I realized the mist (that sprays maybe every 20 minutes - ok i have no idea how often but maybe something like that) begins to spray the veggies to the tune of Singin' In The Rain.
I couldn't believe how awesome that was and how happy that made me. I'm weird - I know. But how cool was that? Adding theme music during a grocery store trip?

Spendid.

Tweety Funny

2009-08-07T09:13:00.002-05:00

I don't know why I'm laughing so hard at this - maybe because I'm in such a good mood that it is Friday.....

To quote #johncmayer on twitter...

"This guy on the treadmill at the gym gave me a dirty look today. All I did was ask if he minded scooting up so I could run behind him."

double lol

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Neighborhood Watch

2009-08-05T13:32:00.002-05:00

Two nights ago - after some house work and some fun time (Rian and I actually both had our laptops out and were playing Gin against each other on Yahoo! Games) - we decided it was time to get Clifford out of the house and time to get us some ice cream. lol
We walked just a couple feet before we saw a couple of our neighbors outside chatting and playing with their dogs. Being that we live where we live - they came over to us to meet Clifford and meet Rian and I as well. We had already met a few neighbors (them coming over to us to introduce themselves) but were happy to meet a few more.
We all chatted about the block and the people. They pointed out who lived where and also pointed out all of the houses that have dogs as well. They ended up pointed to probably 3/4 of the houses on our block. Needless to say, Rian and I were pleased that our street was such a dog friendly street.
The more we chatted, the more Rian and I were realizing that we moved into a "Pleasantville-esk" neighborhood. Very ironic since I always make fun of Elizabeth for living in a Pleasantville/Stepford type area.
The houses on our block certainly aren't perfect or the newest models out there - but we are learning that we do live on a block where the values from back in the day still exsist. As one of our neighbors so candidly put it - "Tomorrow is National Night Out - we aren't really doing anything for it because every night here is National Night Out." lol
They obviously don't need a specified night of the year to mix with their neighbors - it is a daily occurance.
As Rian and I broke away from the pack and went on our way to Creamy Cone for a Monday night treat - we talked about how lucky we to have bought a house where we did. To have the qualities in a neighborhood and neighbors that you always want. We are living next to friendly, helpful and caring people. One of the nice things is that we know (have heard) that the neighborhood/neighbors aren't the kind that are watching your every move or judging you for missing your weekly lawn mow - but they are the kind that will bring out a dog treat to coerse your dog to safety when they get out - or the kind that you can borrow some tools from and they offer to help you fix whatever needs fixing and hopefully the kind that we can invite over for some backyard beers and enjoy a wonderful summer night.
Without us even trying or making the first move - we have met probably 10 or so neighbors in less than two weeks - simply them coming to us to welcome us and let us know if we need anything they are here to help.
Either way - we will get to know our neighbors more - and feel really blessed to have already started off on a great foot with our new block.
This house just keeps getting better and better.

JINX

2009-07-30T15:57:00.004-05:00

For a while there, I was a bit apprehensive about doing anymore blogging about the house situation. Everytime I got excited about something and started to blog about it - another phone call came, another e-mail was sent and we were back in the pits of worrying and frustration. So I gave it a rest for a while and decided not to jinx things anymore by blogging and then back tracking my blog words. No more.

Until Now.

The curse has been broken. WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE! Miracles do happen, people.

Last Friday, July 24th - at 1:00pm - Rian and I signed our lives away for the next 30 years. Like I proudly stated on facebook, I have never been so happy to be in so much debt! Of course, anyone who remotely knows me or Rian and has talked to us in the last 4 months knows about everything we went through for this house. We just hope it's worth it!

The most hysterical (not really) part of this whole deal is that the closing went off without a hitch. It was completely unsymptimatic of everything we went through prior to signing. We sat down - signed some papers for maybe 20 minutes and then sat around and BS'ed with my Uncle Denny (who is a VP of the title company we went through) and our realtors. We could believe that that was it. That was all we had to do and the keys were just handed over to us. Of course, that wasn't all we had to do - we had done A LOT to get to that point, but it was frighteningly easy.
Holding the (our) keys in our hands - one of the most surreal experiences. We got to the house and I remember looking around and realizing that it was just Rian and I there. No realtor - no inspector - no other people that needed to be there while we were there. This time - it was just us.

With a couple more errands to run - we decided it was time to celebrate. And what do Rian and I eat when we celebrate? Of course that is what we eat - whenever we can! Since it had been a long day and we didn't want to stray too far from Rian's (former) residence, we decided to check out the sushi restaurant at the Mall of America called Tiger Sushi. Neither of us had been there before and were a little unsure since it was in the mall, but we gave it a fair shot. And it is a good thing we did because DE-LISH!
Started our meal with edemame, of course - then we got a couple big rolls - a crunchy roll and a rainbow roll. After our long hard day and a day full of celebration - we were still hungry and decided for one more - the scorpion roll. The scorpion roll was dressed to the nine of course and looked delicious. But, I always think of my sister when I get a roll like that - I think of how if Elizabeth was within 20 feet of something that looked and smelled like that, something that people actually ate, that she would barf. All over.

Just like she did at the library when we were little.

Our dinner was topped off with a beautiful dessert of fruit - very complimentary - since i decided to tell our server that we were celebrating because we bought a new house. Always good to tell anyone about those things because you never know what you may get out of the deal. I figure I can use the, "we are celebrating because we bought our first home" for a while - see how much more we get out of it. I mean, you only buy your first home once! And I'm definitely not afraid to let people know!

What an experience this all has been. One that could not have been predicted and one that could not have happened where we made it through alive if it weren't for the countless supporters behind Rian and I. I can't tell you how many calls, e-mails and texts I sent people crying or complaining about this house. If it wasn't for you people - mainly my sister who knows it is ALWAYS her job just to tell me that everything will work out - I couldn't have gotten through this. Also my parents for their support in every sense of the word.
And of course there is Rian - who has ALSO learned that it is his sole job to always calm my fears and worries - without him I wouldn't have stayed (semi) sane through the process and be able to focus on our future together and that all of the crap we went through would all be worth it.
I'm contiuing to believe in the mantra - Everything Happens For A Reason.
It helps me through things and gives me hope when I need it the most.

I look forward to having more and more of you over to see the house. The more people I see in my house, laughing, talking and such - the more I see the home that I know it will be - filled with love and happiness and the people in the world who mean the most to us. We are very blessed.

It is finally time to make this house a home.

The show must go on....

2009-07-16T10:49:00.004-05:00

For those of you who even slightly know me - you know I am a Broadway nerd and concert geek. Not hard to fight it - and I don't want to fight it. We all have our "things" and we should be proud of it. I definitely am.
I've been lucky to seen many shows and get a different experience than most. From my time interning and then working at the Hennepin Theatre District - my passion has only grown. Since I left the theatres, it has been hard to feel like that part of my life is gone (in so many ways) but I'm happy to report that part of that is coming back to my life in a very unique form. I was invited and asked to be a part of a new group that the non-profit part of the theatres, the Hennepin Theatre Trust, is creating for young professionals, ages 21-39. There is a HUGE need for involvement and education in that age group - one that has been ignored for a while. There definitely are YP groups that have recently been formed, some successful and some not. But this really is the group that needs to be engaged and focused on. Yes, it is fantastic for people to have the appreciations for theater and the arts - but from a monetary aspect, it is important to keep those people interested and excited because they are the future donors; they are the people that will keep organizations alive with their financial support. If you only focus on the current donors and money that is coming in today - pretty soon those donors will have all died off and you are left with people who put their money elsewhere and then what? It is crucial to involve and educate people our age in order for the survival of the arts and arts organizations. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who were never introduced to the arts when they were younger and therefore don't know about or care about its well being as they grow older.
Okay - enough of my preaching. Last night was the first meeting of the board members of this new group called, "The Scene". And for those of you counting (at least I know I am counting! lol) I was the person that came up with the name of the group. Back in March when I attended the show Rent with some former co-workers - they told me about this new group they were in the beginning stages of forming. I was so excited about it that the next day I started brain-storming names and ideas. I quickly e-mailed them to my co-worker and the next thing I know, I find out they picked MY idea for the name of the group. I was pretty excited and honored to have been a part of that. And then when I was asked to be on the board - I was even more ecstatic. Bascially the board is consisting of young professionals who have some connection to the theaters/theater arts/downtown mpls. People who are passionate about getting others involved and excited about what we already know is an amazing asset to our community. Minneapolis is actually the #3 city in the country when it comes to theater. How about that?!?
In any case - I guess I'm sending this out into the blogsphere - Have any of you ever been involved in a "young professions" group? What did you think of it? What did you like? Dislike? What worked and what didn't?
We are really trying to learn from other groups and hope to not make the same mistakes they have made. We are also trying to distinguish ourselves in a different way from other YP groups. Many people believe that what YP groups are becoming just a meat market and way to get hooked up - just parties and cocktails. While we definitely know that the social/cocktail aspect of the group is an important one to get people involved, we are also looking to reach out as a philanthropic group - not only helping ourselves by being involved but looking out into the community and support Hennepin Theatre Trust as a non-profit and helping it succeed. There are so many ideas out there and we are at the very beginning of putting these ideas down and finding out what works. But we are looking to others for ideas as well in what they would find attractive about a group like this. We are still in between if there will be a small fee to be a part of the group or if the first year is free and then we will start charging. We are already thinking about the benefits of being a member including discounted tickets, pre/post show parties, discounted merch, partnerships with restaurants and hotels and the list goes on. Another part of this group is helping to maintain the Hennepin Ave Arts District. The president of the trust has worked long and hard to get Hennepin Ave to what it is today - and if you think it is still pretty sketch - you should have been there 10 years ago and seen how far it has come. We are hoping to maintain the viality of downtown mpls and the theater district as an important part of the city.
While I could ramble on and on about things - I will stop and hope you would take a minute to write me back and let me know any thoughts or ideas you have about this group. Any interest or none - what would draw you in or push you away. What would you pay annually to be a part of this group? What excites you about the theatres and the shows?
Anything you would like to share is important and will really help the growth of this group. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be a part of this and how pumped I am to get this group off the ground. Looking forward to hearing what you (and everyone else) think!

Moonwalking to heaven....

2009-06-26T09:21:00.002-05:00

June 25, 2009 - One of the saddest days in music history. An incredible loss for music in all forms and for the world. Now I know at this point there are a lot of conflicting views of Michael Jackson, which there always has been and always will be, but at this point in time I choose to ignore any of the negative feedback or ideas people have and focus on Michael Jackson the performer, musician and artist.
No one can deny the incredible influence that he had on music and performance in all forms. He practically invented music videos and what it meant to be able to perform a song in a new medium. As a dancer, he was out of this world. In his own respect, he (re)invented dancing and what it meant to move your body to the beat.
His live performances were like no other. He used his everything - his body, heart, mind and soul in his performance and NO ONE can deny him of that.
He has and always will leave his mark on the music community. I don't think there is one artist in the last 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years that hasn't been influenced by his career and innovation in music - and if not that, at least there are no artists out there that do not have the utmost respect for Michael Jackson as an artist and performer and what he did in his career and for music in general.
One of the saddest parts about this loss is that Michael was gearing up for 50 sold out shows in London. He was ready for his comeback/second coming/whatever way you would want to look at it. He was ready to come alive again as a performer and to do what really makes him happy - more than anything in this world. He was ready to put the past behind him, be a part of the world and human race and connect with people.
Yes, there are so many tragic stories and "stories" in and about his life. I don't think there is one person in the world that can relate to what he went through because it was like nothing that any one in this world has ever been through. He was one of the, if not the MOST known person in the world. MJ was known in every country across the globe; is music transcended language, religion, sexual orientation, race and more.
What he has seen in his life and what he has gone through is something that I don't think anyone could ever begin to imagine. He had a unique journey in life and it is a tragedy that he was taken at such a time in his life where he was about to start new and fresh. It seems as though the last 5 or 6 years his mind and world was very clouded - and now before he was tragically taken away the sun was just beginning to peak its head out and MJ was ready to live again.
To me, that is the saddest part of this situation.
Life was just about to begin again for him and he was taken away.
At this point, I choose to remember the amazing mark he made on history and music as we know it. Michael Jackson is a universal artist who has made an impact on more people than can be imagined. How many people know not just one or two but 7 or 8 MJ songs? People never seem to think they are "too cool" for Michael. His songs will ALWAYS live on because they are CLASSIC and TIMELESS.
I know I have been influenced by his music and he has made his mark on me. Just listening to his music on my ipod this morning as I walked to work - I just started to cry because of how much I love his music and how much it means to me in my life. Very few artists can make you dance the way you want to dance every time you hear one of their upbeat songs. Maybe this is more for me because of my attachment to the "popular music" which is fine because music just does something for me. It effects me in a way that I can't even describe. And the music that MJ has created will always be important to me. And the dancing.....OH the dancing. Like no other - there never will be another.
Many can (and will) have their opinions - but while those of us who are mourning his loss, hoping that others will keep their negative thoughts to themselves.
Now, we must celebrate his life. Celebrate his music and his influcence on our lives, our childhood through adulthood - his music that has been the soundtrack to our lives.
Listen to his music - sing, dance and remember why music is so great, so powerful and so influential in our lives.
You are a legend, an innovator and a pioneer of pop music.
You will be missed, Michael - but your music will never EVER be forgotten.

Who is sick of me blogging about house drama???

2009-06-23T15:02:00.004-05:00

I AM!!!!!

Seriously - I would gladly welcome any other drama (besides really icky things) into my life right now if it got rid of the house drama. At this point, I think I'm just blogging for myself to get it out of my system and be able to vent about how frustrated and emotionally drained I am from this whole process.

I guess my biggest frustration at this point are the people that we've been dealing with - some of our own even. Our realtors have been awesome - no problems there. But we've DEFINITELY had problems with our mortage guy - aka Bill the complete MORON!
From the beginning I have not been impressed by him. Yes, I know at this point in time it is a bit more difficult and different in the mortgage industry - yet at ths same time - you probably dont' have as many people come to get loans, so shouldn't you be more prepared?! Either way - you have a job to do and you should be doing it.
My first impression of him was correct and I should have stayed with that and found someone else. I can name so many different things that I haven't liked about this experience with him and how he has made things 100% more difficult for Rian and I.
Let's start with this fun fact. From the beginning, I was the one that called Bill, emailed him and basically set everything up. When we finally met him - this is what happened. We were in his office and he was going through all of our paper work and explaining things while we signed. At this meeting - he looked at me maybe 10% of the time and looked at Rian the other 90%. Not cool. And yes, this kind of stuff still happens all the time. I'm sure you ladies have experienced this one way or another in your life. Ridiculous.
After that things got worse because he started to only call Rian or only email him. I mean, how hard is it to CC someone on an email. Eventually I finally had to email him and say - I would really appreciate it if you would include me on all e-mails and not leave me out. Of course he appologized but I'm sure he is still clueless.
Past that sexist issue - he is just a DUMBASS! I am confident in saying that he doesn't know what he is doing half the time and probably needs help dressing in the morning. Maybe his wife leaves him directions on the bed every morning....Right leg...Left leg....
There have been a number of instances where we came to him with certain ideas ie: down payment assistance and he says that he can do it only to come back a couple days later saying that his company isn't approved to do that. DAYS LATER.
Excuse me Mr. Z but isn't the mortgage and banking and loans industry VERY time sensitive? Because yes - yes it is. He has ruined a lot of hopes we thought would help pull us through - given us the false hopes only for us to come crashing down.
And speaking of being time sensitive.......I won't get into too many details but things with our bank changing and having to get re-approved have been a mess and right now what it comes down to is that we have until July 10th to get the final approval from the bank (including underwriting and appraisal) or the sellers will walk. So, it is do or die at this point. And I'm a bit upset to find this information out only today - but that is a whole other story. From the past week/s, we have been on top of this information and getting Bill whatever he needs in order to do these things quickly. Again, TIME SENSITIVE INDUSTRY. Last wednesday, we dropped off a check for the appraisal and here is Tuesday and we hadn't heard anything yet. So I sent an email to Bill - only for him to respond back saying that he needs this and this and this from Rian and I. SO FRUSTRATING! We have 13 business days to get all of this done and approved and it takes me sending him an email about HIS job for him to get back to us saying he needs more from us. LIVID! What would have happened if I didn't email him? How long would it have taken him to get back to us and how much time would have been wasted in the process considering that we are on a very tight schedule. Scares me to think about.
So this little man has done it to himself - now I will be emailing him every day until all of this is done and finished. If I don't hear from him in an hour or two, I will be calling him. And calling him all day until I talk to him. Apparently he needs to be reminded and babysat to get a job done. We are too far in for anything else to go wrong and I will nto allow it. If I have to take matters into my own hands I will. Not Bill or the sellers or anyone else is going to wreck this for me.
This just needs to be over. For my piece of mind - I need to be done with this one way or the other. Its just too much. Like I've said - I have never been on such a rollercoaster of ups and downs. The highest highs and the lowest lows.
Yes, I understand that it is "just a house" but in looking this much and doing so much work and through everything it is more than that. It is also the beginning of me and Rian's life together that has been again and again put off and delayed because of outsiders. Our life has been jerked around enough already and we are ready to get on with things - have our house and have our family all together and start our life.
I think we deserve that much...

I think I'm ready for my close up...

2009-06-18T14:54:00.004-05:00

Coincidentally, the title of my blog is a line from a Ms. Britney Spears' song which I put on my facebook and everyone thought I was talking about House Hunters.
NO.
I was talking about Britney. lol

But while I'm on the subject of House Hunters.....we had our casting interview on Tuesday night. And, I feel like it went pretty well!
Our realtors Michael and Lisa Lynch came by and we were able to chat with them about everything going on. Soon, the camera guy/interview guy got to the house and we were off and running. Funnily enough (I always use the word funnily but I'm still not sure if that is a real word or not, but I'm using it anyways and waiting for Webster to get his/her act together) the camera guy is someone I sort of knew from my days at TPT. Never worked WITH him but definitely knew the name and face. Having that in common was a good ice breaker which made me feel a lot more comfortable.
First, Cully (the PA-Production Assistant) interview Mike on his own. We didnt' hear the interview but we can imagine he asked him things about Rian and I and what our process has been like from his prospective.
Only taking a few minutes, Mike and Lisa were shortly on their way - hopefully to work on our house to get us in ASAP! lol
Next, Cully had Rian and I sort of take him on a tour of the house. Basically just wanting us to do a mock House Hunters going through and saying what we like and dislike about a house. It was funny to be followed around by a camera but after a while I didn't even realize it was there - must be a natural.
After the tour, we set up in the porch. Rian and I stood next to each other while he asked us questions. He asked me the set of questions first and then Rian answered all the same ones after I was done. I piped in on a few of Rian's - doing the playful, entertaining thing. Making sure they know that we are fun and funny and entertaining for all of the HGTV viewers. It was fun to hear Rian answer the same questions after I answered them. Fun to hear what he had to say - similarities and differences. Also fun to hear him answer the questions about how this house is a symbol of us starting our life together. He even got asked a question like, "Why did you choose to buy a house when you are first living together instead of starting off more slowly and just rent?"
I guess I never thought about it like that but since we are sooner than later getting engaged and married - it has just always felt like the natural next step.
After our interview and after my sweating from nerves and adrenaline - It felt great to be done with all of that. Its one thing to actually film and do everything for the actual show, but when it is just for an interview - it is not as fun.
So now we wait. We wait to hear back from the folks at High Noon Entertainment in Colorado - yay or nah - like us or hate us.
Either way, this has been a cool experience. I know some people might think it is dumb or pointless but what is life without taking advantage of unique opportunities that present themselves; to step out of our comfort zone and do something different for a change. I am flattered that we've gotten this far in the process and will continue to keep my fingers crossed until we hear back. Should be in about a week or so.
Either way - how fun. We've had a good time and even learned a little bit.
What more can you ask for?

Just another day...

2009-06-15T14:48:00.006-05:00

Hangin' out in Wrigleyville.

That's just how we roll.

This past weekend, Rian and I were lucky enough to make it to Chicago for the Twins/Cubs game on Saturday! We had been planning on going since they announced the dates - but then with all of the house stuff, we thought it wasn't a good idea. Especially since we SHOULD have already been in our house right now - but I won't get going on another rant!
Last Sunday, Rian and I were talking about the weekend and how once we DO get in our house, we will have no time or money for a while that isn't going into the house - plus, this is such a rare occurance of the Twins playing the Cubs AT Wrigley on a weekend - but what it really came down to was "You only live once." This was something that was important to us and in the scheme of things, we could afford so we decided to go for it. In the words of Brother Martel - "You never see a U-Haul following a hurse!"

So come Monday morning, we were on the hunt for tickets and a hotel. I felt Rian up to those tasks and he didn't let me down like always. He is a master on craigslist. He actually found 4 tickets for $50 each. He was able to buy all 4 and then we turned around and sold the other two tickets for $100 each - I know, bad but hey we are as broke as anyone else! So basically we didn't pay for our tickets. Then, Rian got us a fabulous room at the Crown Plaza for under $200. Beautiful hotel.
So we were off and running. And after the week we had last week - we deserved the vacation away from ANYTHING house related.
Friday night we stayed in Milwaukee with our very good friend, Renee. Her and her husband Larry are in the middle of a move to Kansas City - so it was great to be able to catch up with her during this time. The three of us chatted and then we sent Rian to bed so Renee and I could girl talk and finish the bottle/s of wine.
Saturday morning came all too quickly and we were up at 6:00am to get a jump start on our day. We arrived at our hotel in Chicago around 9:15am and were able to park our car and leave our luggage. Unfortunately, it was raining and instead of wandering around for the train - we took the easy way out and hopped in the taxis that were lined up at our hotel. And we were off to Wrigleyville!
Loved my first few glances of the stadium. Very exciting.
Our next stop - The Cubbybear! We were joined by a TON of Twins fans already enjoying the morning and some adult beverages. We were lucky enough to snag probably the last table in the joint and grabbed a beer and bloody mary to start off our baseball day!
By 11:00am the Cubbybear had definitely been taken over by Twins fans! It was great!
The TVs were tuned to ESPN (of course) and they began playing shots from the game the day before. The screams were loud when Joe hit his homerun but even more loud when Milton Bradley made some DUMB mistakes - like throwing the caught ball into the stands for the fans when that was only the 2nd out of the inning. HA
Anyways - soon enough a couple of our friends met up with us for a beer before the game. And then game time was upon us and we headed on in.
And boy was I excited! One of those giddy moments where you are just so happy. It reminded me a lot like Yankee stadium (the old one) and how it was built and set up. Pretty soon we were in our seats and the game began! AMAZING! We loved every minute of it! A pretty amazing feeling to be at Wrigleyfield of all ballparks and watching your home team play! Thanks to Mauer and Kubel, the Twins pulled it out and won 2-0. I was sad though that Cuddyer was injured and didn't get to see him play.
After the game - we ran down close to the field to take some pictures. I was quite surprised that no one was yelling at us to get outta there - they were very accomidating to the fans getting a closer look. Rian and I of course took our obligitory shot of us with the field to our back to add to our collection!
After the game, we met up with our friends again to visit the drinking establishments in Wrigleyville. Made it to the great bars like Harry Carey's and took in all that wrigley had to offer. Later we decided to check out the Ribfest that was going on. Very cool street fesitval with all sorts of tents and music and people.
As the night was approaching - we all realized that we were old and could not stick it out too late and check out the Chicago nightlife. Especially since Rian and I had woken up at 6am (after getting maybe 4 hours of sleep) and starting to consume adult beverages at the early hour of 10:00am - once we were nearing 10pm we realized it was time for bed. lol Oh well - a fabulous day in the city of Chicago. A city which grows on me more and more everytime I am there.
All in all, we had a great trip and we are go glad we did it. Rian and I decided a couple years ago that every summer we want to visit a different ball park together. Last summer we were lucky enough to visit Miller Park in Milwaukee as well as Yankee Stadium to see the Twins play they last stint at the park before it was demolished. Very good times. So this year, we can cross Wrigleyfield off of our list. And if we are able - we might make it to Kansas City in August for the Twins weekend series!!

As we were sitting at The Cubbybear - Rian and I talked about how lucky we are that we both love baseball as much as we do and we are glad that we have that interest and passion in common. I think its pretty cool to have a lot of common interests as your mate. Makes life that much more enjoyable when you get to do those things you love with the person you love.

More pictures to follow.........

House Hunting...

2009-06-11T15:03:00.007-05:00

6 months ago - if someone had told me how incredibly stressful house hunting/buying would be - I would never have believed them.
What is so stressful? Looking at lots of houses and choosing which one you want to live in - sign a few papers and BAM you are cooking your first meal and sitting around your new dining room table.

NOT SO MUCH.

Since April 22nd - the day we put an offer on our house - it has been nothing but non-stop stress, emotion and a rollercoaster of UPS and DOWNS.
It seems like just when we started to relax and really let ourselves get excited - something else happens and brings us down.
I never knew I could go through so many emotions of excited, sad, nervous, frustrated, angry, happy and the list goes on....
First there was the problems we had right when we put the offer in.

Then a couple weeks later we found out that our closing was delayed to an unknown date.

And yesterday was one of the worst days of them all. I won't bore you with details but let's just say it was not good and everything was almost lost. Having to deal with that at work all day yesterday was not good. It's not good to cry at your desk when everyone is always walking by.

One of the most frustrating parts of all of this is most of the turmoil we've dealt with is all because of the sellers. This house is an estate - so we believe it is the three children of the older couple who lived in the house and have died. Through everything - they have not once made things worth our while - or helped us out because of the delays and the problems that they have caused. Maybe its just me, but in these troubled real estate times, the last thing a seller should do is be difficult and not willing to comprimise. From the very beginning they were barely willing to negotiate. Our realtor practically had to threaten their realtor for them to make a counter offer since they were just rejecting everything we sent their way and not even coming back with a counter.
And through all the frustration - the emails - the phone calls - the tears and everything else - they have done nothing to sweeten the deal for us or at least try to make up for everything we have endured. Just not right or fair. But - since when it life fair, right?
In any case - this has been one of the most difficult processes I have ever been through - a lot harder than most people who buy a house (our realtor has told us). But we also know that we are getting a ridiculous deal on a house that we are very much in love with. I have just been trying to focus on the end result when the papers are all signed and the keys are in our hands. Then it will be all worth it....

Until then - we will keep signing the attachments and addendums, waiting for all of the sellers paper work to be finished and to finally have a set closing date. And then of course waiting for that day to come. Its looking now more like the end of July then June. Once again - everything keeps getting pushed back. UGH.

To keep us entertained until then......get this.....

Last Friday, I saw an ad on Yelp that the HGTV show House Hunters was looking for people in the Twin Cities to film an episode of their show.

Sent an email asking if we were qualified and I got a quick response from the lovely Heather saying that we were absolutely qualified. She sent me the application and I quickly filled it out and sent it back to her along with pictures of our house, Rian and I and of course Clifford.

I went to get my hair done that afternoon and as I check my phone after my appointment - I check my messages and hear Heather from HGTV leaving me a message about chatting with me further. So I get in my car and just start driving around aimlessly while she basically asks me questions about myself, Rian, our relationship, our house and so on and so forth. She seemed to really like me/us and of course gushed about how cute Clifford is. She then calls Rian and asks him the same questions. She also got a hold of our realtor to ask him questions about us and how things have gone.
She was a delight to talk to and told me she would get back to us soon either way.
So yesterday, in the midst of me freaking out and thinking that we are going to loose this house - I get an e-mail and phone call from Heather telling me that she would like us to do a casting interview with a camera and everything - to make a tape to send to the higher up folks at HGTV. So come Tuesday at 6pm - a local PA (production assistant) who coincidentally used to work at TPT will be coming to my parents house to make our tape! They will be interviewing Rian, myself and Mike our realtor - together and seperate. We have our list of instructions....what to wear, to repeat the questions in our answer, be happy, have fun! I think we got those covered!

And honestly, I figure - if we have gotten to this point - I don't see why we wouldn't go all the way to the show. We have personality coming out of our....hmmm I don't think you can say that on TV.

If you've seen the show - you know that not everyone on it is actually very interesting, funny or attractive. lol So things are looking good for us! :-)

After we film our tape on Tuesday, we should hear back in about a week or so. And if the big guns at HGTV like our tape - WE'RE IN!
We do get a cash prize if we get on the show - but either way, what a cool experience and what a fun memory we get to take away from our first home together.
Plus, Rian and I figure that once we get on TV someone is bound to give us our own reality TV show....and if not us, then Clifford. Everybody loves Clifford.

Sounds like the new name of Clifford's show!

STAY TUNED......

BINGO.....

2009-06-03T14:17:00.004-05:00

Is awesome. I don't care what anyone says.

Two weekends ago, myself, Rian and our friends (well, technically I guess you could call them Rian's friends but I hang out with them a lot too so I'm claiming them as "our" friends) Andy and Steve went to the race track to get in some sun, ponies and gambling. We were having such a fun time that we decided after the races we should check out some bingo at the casino near by. Some might call that dangerous - I just call it a damn good idea.

So, when we get to the nino - we grab some food - which for casino fast food wasn't too bad - I got the shrimp pad thai - pretty decent. We checked out the Bingo stuff and decided to get in on the 7:30pm warm up before the 8-10:15pm full game. We looked at all of the packages and decided to go for the electronic game board with a few of the bonus games. All in all, I think it was around $40/person for over 3 hours of Bingo. I know to some that might seem like a lot. But if you were at the slots or tables - how quickly would you go through $40?

We also splurged with the electronic boards - which was definitely the way to go for a little extra because some of the games actually gave you 30 boards to play. We were unsure of the e-boards at first because we all really like to dobber. They showed us some of the fancy things on the board - like how you can choose from a number of different dobber symbols or colors.

And it is basically fool proof because it starts blinking - YELL BINGO NOW - when you have a bingo, so you can't mess it up.
We came to quite enjoy the e-boards, mostly because usually in Bingo you are concentrating the whole time on making sure you don't miss a bingo and cannot really socialize with your friends. (Hopefully you are going to bingo with friends and aren't alone.) It was that much easier to talk and laugh and enjoy the time instead of getting a neck cramp from looking down for 3 hours.

In the Bingo hall - you can all sit at this nice round tables - very easy to chat. They also have TVs around - we were able to watch the Twins game. They even have a cafe in there so you can buy food or treats whilst you dob. The boys (aka: dirty steve) made me buy waffles fries for the table with some of my winnings.
Long story short - we ended up playing bingo for about 6 hours. lol We started with the warm-ups and regular bingo game at 7:30pm - after that they had cosmic bingo - and we couldn't say no to that - then they had a second session of cosmic bingo - "since we are here we might as well...."

Of course with the cosmic came the black light - music and an overly excited/annoying MC.

I don't think we left the casino until 1:30 in the morning! HA
All in all - the only winner out of the four of us (3 guys and 1 girl) I came out the big winner with a whopping $50! Rian won once as well but there were 32 other winners and so Rian only won $10 - better than nothing though! lol

I highly recommend this fun activity with friends.

Namaste

2009-05-28T16:04:00.003-05:00

For all those people out there who thought I was crazy to be happy that I got a job at the Dept of Revenue......
How many people can say that at their job they can do yoga during lunch?
I know many jobs have their perks or seem more enjoyable, but I have found that there are a lot of upsides to working where I work and I'm very grateful.
One of my co-workers very generously donates her time to teach some classes during her/our lunch time. Not only that, but as an employee, I only have to pay $50 for the entire year to have access to our weights room and work out room. The facilities are actually pretty decent too. How many people can go work out on the treadmill or lift weights during lunch???
So this is how my week goes...
Monday: Weights Class taught by Jazmine (who is an actual instructor) Tuesday: Used to be walking but Jazmine invited me to the pilates class she teaches, so I will be going to that now instead.
Wednesday: Weights on my own usually or walk
Thursday: Yoga Class with Jazmine
Friday: I don't take a lunch on Fridays because another perk of my job is working 9 hr days during the week and then every Friday I am off by 11:30am!

But back to Yoga - I can't even tell you how amazing it feels to have a yoga class during the middle of the work day. The mind and body aspect of it is exactly what I need towards the end of a work week. It is a great work out - stretching and balancing and centering. I feel refreshed after and excited that I only have another day of work til the weekend!
At the end of every class, she also takes a couple minutes to meditate and center ourselves - which is also an amazing thing to have in the middle of a crazy work day. As I was listening to music and meditating in the dark at the end of class today - I honestly forgot where I was and was able to focus on the bigger picture of things. Amazing.

I highly suggest some downward dogs and tree poses to you all.

Namaste.

I'm a Yelper - Are you?

2009-05-14T10:17:00.004-05:00

Its been a while, but I sort of forgot about the other blog I created! I decided to start another blog that isn't so much about my personal life, but more about what is happening in the here and now. ie: movies, restaurants, music, fashion...

I enjoy talking about and sharing my opinion on things that are "in the now" and thought I would make a blog of it.

http://trendy-mode.blogspot.com/

On a different note - when it comes to different reviews and things....have you guys ever heard of the website called Yelp? www.yelp.com is a unique, fun and helpful website that I've been newly aquainted with. Basically, there are chapters of Yelp all over the country, in most major cities. Yelp is a website designed, not necessarily as social networking, but more as an informative and fun connection among strangers turned friends living in the same city, helping people in their quest to discover all that their surroundings have to offer.
The basis of Yelp is reviews - reviews on everything from restaurants to dentists to shoe repair shops. Most of the reviews are on restaurants, which I find to be extremely helpful, especially if you are like me and want to find new and different dining establishments to spice things up instead of always going back to the same places. Most of the reviews are not only informative and useful, but they can also be pretty witty - very entertaining. With the reviews, there are all sorts of things to do on the website. There are message boards galore - which are constantly being added to and updated. You can become "friends" with fellow Yelpers (as we are called) as well as send compliments or messages to them.

I was exposed to this website through my good bud, Andy. He has been involved with Yelp for quite a while. He is part of the "Elite" Yelpers because of how much he participates on the website and so on. One of the best parts of being an Elite are the special events you get invited to. For example: a few weeks back, Andy invited Rian and I to an event at the Summit Brewery. This event was exclusively for Elite Yelpers and their friends. Basically, we went to the Summit Brewery in St. Paul and drank FREE Summit Beer in their "pub" area for 2 hours. They had a shortened version of the tour, but since it was during the week, all of the machines were running and it was very loud so we couldn't hear much. During our time in the pub, Pizza Luce came with all sorts of yummy pizzas - again, for FREE! We drank, ate, conversed and had a great time. This was basically my first exposure to Yelp and I was totally impressed. It was such an eclectic group of people from all walks of life, coming together and just hanging out. I met a few Yelpers and knew this was my kind of people. Some came with friends, some came alone, but everyone was welcoming and friendly and a big happy Yelp family!
Andy also posted a Yelp Pub Crawl in Nordeast Mpls the other weekend. And just with people that were involved with the website on a regular basis - there were probably 12 or 15 people that showed up to join! Again, some came alone and some came with friends. But it didn't matter because everyone was there to just have a good time with friends and enjoy NE Mpls' finest - PBR and other delicious beverages. It was great to be out with a group of "strangers turned friends" and step out of the comfort zone. And let me tell you - it was one of those nights where I laughed until I could not laugh any longer.

People honestly do make friends being a part of this experience. They are open to new things and different people. It is so refreshing in this day and age.
I also had a thought after talking to a fellow Yelper about his experience moving to MN. Everyone talks about MN Nice and the friendliness of the MN folks. But honestly - in my opinion which you can take or leave - Yes, Minnesotans are/can be nice, but for the most part, it doesn't go much further than that. We are there with a smile or wave, but when it comes down to really getting to know other people and getting out of our shells and our own groups to extend to another, MN is very lacking. I just think of different places like school and work and how clicky people are and how hard it can be to break through that. Yes, I know that lots of places and people are clicky, but I think MN is extremely good at that. It's one thing to say Hello and smile - and another thing to spark up a conversation and not be afraid to expand your horizons and give people/strangers a chance. You never know who you can meet and how that person might effect your life. Think about it.

In any case, I encourage you to take a look at Yelp. If anything, it is a great place to find new restaurants and explore your city more. You have no idea what is out there until you actually take a look and give it a chance.

Unfortunate House Update...

2009-05-11T11:17:00.005-05:00

So right now, I don't exactly have the greatest update.

In my last post about the house, I said that we would closing on our house on May 28th - which is two weeks from Thursday. And now......wait for it...........there is a delay. :-(

The house we are buying is an estate. And for estates, whoever is the executor of the estate has to go through probate with the courts and fill out the correct paperwork saying that they are authorized to be the head of the estate and make the decisions...and so on and so forth.
And last Thursday, we get a call from our AWESOME realtor (if anyone is looking for a good realtor who will work hard for them and has a ton of knowledge on the subject - let me know and I"ll get you in contact with them!) - saying that this paperwork was never filled out by the seller. Not cool.
Because of this, there is probably a 90% chance that our closing at the end of May will be delayed. Till June - maybe even July. Again - not cool.
It is SO frustrating because this was completely their fault. We had/have no control over this situation and now we are being punished and have to deal with the consequences.
If this road to Maywood hadn't been rocky enough - I knew SOMETHING had to go down.
It is called the Noelle factor.
We actually tried to get a deal from them considering they are the ones that wanted to push up the closing date and we accomidated. And now we are completely put out b/c of this. Rian's friend taht he lives with has already found a roommate to take over - so Rian most likely will end up having to sleep on the couch in the basement at his current house come June until whenever we are able to move in. Once again - not cool.
We could have been really screwed if one of us had a lease that was up and had no place else to go. After our Realtor talked to the sellers, they said they hope we still buy but will not give us any kind of deal because they are "already giving us a huge deal in the price." Either way, I still think they should do SOMETHING for us. But we don't hold the cards, considering we want this house; we know this is our house.
So all we can do now is wait.....

Our House.....

2009-05-01T08:37:00.005-05:00

Is a very very very fine house - or so the song says.
But I know for a FACT that one house really IS a very fine house.
And yes that is my sly way of saying that Rian and I bought a house!
After many, many months of searching and figuring things out, we found the house, put an offer on it, did some negotiating and made a deal that was a little lower than what we were already willing to pay! So YAY! :-)
Here she is...isn't she cute as a bug?!?!

It has been a crazy couple weeks here, as anyone would understand that has gone through this process.

We went through the purchase agreement signing and finally making a deal - the loan/mortgage process and the inspection. All is coming along as we inch closer and closer to our closing date - Thursday, May 28th.

We originally set our close date for the end of June but the sellers moved it up to the end of May - which at first freaked us out because it was so soon - but now I'm glad because there is no way I could have made it through another month of just waiting. Rian and I have been trying to down play things just because everything seems too good to be true. We know things come up and its hard to believe this is all happening, so I think we are saving up our true excitement and will finally believe that this is real when we sign the papers and have the actual keys in our hands. hehe Until then - it is still a dream....

A dream that became a little more real to me this past weekend.

Rian and I wanted to show Bryan the house since he hadn't seen it in person yet - so we drove over and as we are pulling up, I notice something different on the sign. As we get closer I realize that there is a SOLD sign hanging on the for sale sign. I don't know what happened, but something in me clicked even more that this was really real and happening. I think seeing it in real life - something physically saying that the house is SOLD and the buyers are US!
Just made it a little more real but a very good real.
Now comes the fun part - waiting. Waiting until three weeks from tomorrow when we sign all the papers and actually close on the house. It's gonna be a long couple weeks, but the anticipation will be exciting.

At this point, I think Rian and I decided that we want to spend that first weekend (29,30,31) painting and getting the house ready for our move. Which is ANOTHER fun but stressful part of things - deciding on coloring for each of the rooms to paint. I need all the help I can get in that department, so if anyone has any ideas - PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Or any good websites or things I can look to.
So hopefully we can get those big things done throughout the weekend/week and maybe even start moving some smaller things beforehand, but we are hoping to have the big move on Saturday, June 6th - which I just realized is one month from today. lol We hope to have some help with that - even though we really don't have a ton of stuff to move. Considering that I JUST moved a month ago and have most of my things still in boxes while living at my parents house - and Rian lives in a fully furnished house where he doesn't really have many big things to take. I think we shoudl be okay with the move. And I know even if we say we don't have that much to move, but it will turn out that we really do have a lot to move - I don't think it will be too bad. The more helpers we have, the easier it will be - so come on down anyone who loves to help their friends move! haha

IF you are wondering - where are all of the pictures - I will put a link here to a lot of pictures I took last week at the inspection. Hopefully it will give you a sense of the house and how cute it is! hehe And again - if you have any design or color suggestions - please speak up!

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/detail.sfly?imageIndex=0&sid=0BZtHLZyxcMWHv&fid=67b660f9b768db54

I would love any and all new house/moving/decorating suggestions - so keep them coming!

Her heart did go on....

2009-04-23T09:58:00.004-05:00

Kate Winslet - one of my most favorite actresses ever. From The Holiday to Titanic - she can do it all. She is one of the classiest actresses out there. She is never in any scandals or a trouble maker among Hollywood. She has always been a lady and also an incredible performer.

Finally, this year in The Reader she was recognized for her amazing abilities and received the Academy Award for Best Actress. She had some pretty stiff competition as well.

One of my favorite things about the awards this year was how they did the presentation of announcing the nominees for the Best Actor/Actress awards. If you have no clue what I'm talking about - instead of just regular presenters they had 5 of the past winners of the award come out and talk about the nominee, their performance and their overall character and career. It was very moving.

Now after Kate Winslet won the award for The Reader - I kept forgetting to go see the movie. And months later it is now on DVD and I finally rented it!

Now for those of you who know nothing about the movie, it is set in Germany beginning in the 1930s I believe and goes up to probably the late 80s. I can't give too much away but it begins with Kate Winslet's character Hannah having an affair with a teenage boy. During their affair, she always had him bring home books from school and read to her. Further down the line their affair ends- they go their seperate ways - Michael goes to law school and unfortunately, Hannah joins the SS and works at a Nazi concentration camp. I don't want to give too much away but later in life their paths cross again and Michael is torn between his love and care of Hannah with his moral obligations.

This movie took so many unexpected twists and turns for me. So, hopefully if you have any desire to see it you don't know too much about the film and can be surprised all the way through. I also was very intriged with the movie because of the Holocaust/Nazi Germany/Germany in general part of the movie. For anyone that knows me, you know that I have a morbid fascination with the Holocaust and can't get enough of learning about it in all aspects. I'm a weirdo - I know. But for whatever reason, it took a hold of me and I will always be interested in it.

All in all, Ms. Winslet gives an incredible performance (like always) and I'm so glad that her as an all around artist and actress was finally recognized.

I HIGHLY recommend this movie. It was one of the best I've seen in quite a while. Well, not including 17 Again - but it was up there. hehe

After browsing through blockbuster, which I hadn't been in quite a while, I realized that there are so many movies out on DVD that I want/need to see....Milk, Doubt, Henry Poole and so on.

Definitely looking forward to those - but I most definitely recommend The Reader for your next trip to the video store.

PS: They will eternally be my favorite couple together. I think they are soulmates.

This is the last chance....

2009-04-08T21:55:00.003-05:00

Tonight I spent a couple hours with 20 some teen/preteen girls painting nails, doing hair and putting on temporary tattoos - and the best part was High School Musical 3!!!
That's right - tonight my "little" and I attended a fun filled evening of girlie stuff.
I've been matched with my "little sister" Nina for about the past month and a half. This was our second outing and we had lots of fun.
Not to mention the fact that I got to watch High School Musical 3 and felt better about it because it was "for the kids." haha I'm a closet HSM fan and secretly wish I was one of them. I wish I got to sing and dance like that all over high school! Those years would have been SO much better. lol
In any case, things have been going well with my match. She is 12 years old, going on 18. It's kinda crazy because she is 12 yet she is taller than me. haha I guess I never had that growth spirt. She also looks about 16, which to me isn't the greatest thing for a young woman. Either way - she is a very nice girl, but definitely in need of a mentor type person, which I guess would be me. She comes from a different kind of home - including having a father who is in prison. She also lives in a pretty bad neighborhood. And to tell you the truth, I am actually nervous being at her house and in her neighborhood at night. I'm pretty sure she isn't comfortable either because she always wants me to walk her to the door and its not far from where the car is parked. She is a tough girl who has been through a lot but she is very sweet. She can be very shy at times, but other times I can tell she wants to open up to me and talk about things more, which I like. I think every kid should have an adult like that who they can talk to about anything - things they don't feel comfortable talking to their parents about.
We are still getting to know each other - so I'm sure the comfort level will ease up and things will be more fluid.
I'm still really happy that I decided to become involved in this program. Not only am I (or at least I hope I) am making a difference in a young person's life - which is the most important part - but selfishly, I'm happy about it because it continues to give me perspective on so many things. There are so many people in need of help right here in our community that most of us don't realize it because we just don't see it. Yet, it is all around us. There are so many disparities and so many differences in communities and ethnicities and economic backgrounds.
Here is an example of this: Tonight at the HSM party - the room was full of white woman as Bigs and 90% of the littles were african american. This is in no way a racist comment - just a reality in our community of unfortunate circumstances. But it is so nice and hopefully to see a room full of committed women who take time out of their busy lives to be a mentor and give back.
I definitely have to hand it to the BBBS organization for all that they do and how committed they are to making this program a success. They plan SO many different events, mostly free of charge, that are fun for bigs and littles alike. It helps to have events and ideas of keeping the mentor/mentee relationship fresh and exciting. The worst thing is the idea of people going through the program and then once the novelty wears off and they actually have to start doing and planning things - they are over it. The events are wonderful! I can't wait for our pizza party next week! Woohoo!

I encourage all of you to do whatever you are able to do to give back. And if any of you are interested in being a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization...please let me know and I'll hook you up!
Here is their website if you're interested in learning more...
BBBS

PS: I have a massive crush on Zac Efron - guilty as charged.

I'm like the ring leader...I call the shots....

2009-04-01T12:46:00.005-05:00

It's gonna be a CIRCUS!!!!!!

Friday night - Britney Spears LIVE at the Target Center!

With Special Guest - The Pussycat Dolls!

It is FINALLY here!!! Not only have I been waiting since December 1st when we bought the tickets, but I've been waiting since the LAST time (and only time) I've seen Britney in concert which was back in 2001! That last show was the only time brit has ever been in concert in MN, besides when she was here as an opener for *NSYNC at the Orpheum. Can you even stand it???? I can't!

Here is a picture that I personally took from when I saw Britney in concert. YES, I was that close. She had a big stage and a walkway to another little stage and we were in the second row of that little stage. It was AMAZING!

As most of you probably know - I LIVE for these pop concerts. It is the greatest time for me; I'm in my own little world and I scream and sing and dance and am completely in my element. As many of you that have been to concerts like that with me, you know. hehe My latest pop adventure was back in October when my sister and I went to see New Kids On the Block! One of the most fun nights I've ever had with my sister. I still remember when they first came out on stage, we are going nuts, and then my sister turns around and points to her eyes and is mouthing to me, "I have tears in my eyes!!!" lol It was great! It was the first time Eliz and I had seen NKOTB in concert and considering that we were NUTTY over them when we were younger, it was long overdue! hehe

ANYWAYS - focus...britney....

So this Friday, my very good friend Theresa and I will be taking on downtown Minneapolis for an amazing night! Since now I'm working 1/2 days on Friday, Theresa was able to get a 1/2 day as well so we will start our night early!

We will be getting together at her house around 2. We will get our hair and makeup did and gear up. Heading down to Mpls around 4...we will stake our place at whatever restaurant/bar we end up at. The earlier the better, because with a concert like BS on a Friday night it is going to be CRAZY!

The show starts at 8:00pm - so we will be in our seats and ready to go. The Pussycat Dolls are opening which I am super pumped about for two reason...

A) They kick ass. They are so entertaining - AMAZING dancers and just put on a great show. Always fun to have a fun opener to get you even more excited for the main act.

2) I'm excited because I am friends with the tour manager of the Pussycat Dolls and he is totally hooking us up with tickets! Wooohooo. Our current tickets are decent, even though we bought them right away when tix went on sale, but they aren't the greatest. I'm not sure where the seats are of the tickets that Bryan will leave us at Will Call on the day of the show - but I'm pretty positive they will be SWEET! He hooked me up with tix the last couple times PCD was in town opening for Christina Aguilera and Black Eyed Peas. I have no doubt that these tickets will be just as good! :-)

After the show, T and I will be hitting up downtown and dancing like only britney can. haha We were thinking about hitting up the 90's - you KNOW they have to have a britney after party going on there!

All in all - I couldn't be more excited to see my Britney once again. One of my very favs - who I've been a cheerleader for from the very beginning. Even through the rough times when everyone said she would never bounce back. I kept the faith and always knew she would be back and better than ever!!! That's why I heart you, Britney!!! I almost bought this t-shirt I saw online once but I haven't been able to find it lately - but on the front, all it said was - Britney Spears Changed My Life

I WANT IT! haha

I've been with Brit since that ugly yellow jumpsuit...lol....and I'll be with her 4 ever.

If only she could meet me - I know we would be great friends....

ps: I'm never giving up hope........

I'll Cover You...

2009-03-26T14:45:00.006-05:00

With 1,000 kisses....tear, tear, sniffle, sniffle

Last night, I was at opening night of the touring production of Rent at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN.

A-MAZ-ZING!

I have been listening to the music from Rent for years, but this was the first time I had ever seen the actual show - and it did not disappoint.

I started the evening with happy hour at Palomino with some of my former co-workers from the Theatres. I always refer to it as "the theatres" and what I mean by that is the Hennepin Theatre District, which consists of the State, Orpheum and Pantages Theatres located on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Mpls. I interned there for a summer during college and stayed in touch with the folks enough that I was able to work there a couple years later for about 2 years.

Side Note: I miss my co-workers there dearly. I never realized how lucky I was to have so many friends around me at work. I know I had problems with some of the higher up people, but for the most part, I had some truly amazing friends there - people who are still dear friends to me and in retrospect, things weren't as bad there as I had made myself to believe. All in time though learning those things.

Anywho - Happy Hour was fun catching up with old friends and meeting new friends. Then, onto the show. Kathryn and I sat down - and I had already warned her about my emotionalness. lol I had no doubt there were going to be tears, so as long as she was warned, it was fair game. That is just how I am with music and theatre. It brings something out in me and I cry for reasons of being moved by the music, lyrics, dance, or anythign else. That's just how I roll. Poor Rian had to deal with me at Wicked a couple months ago. haha

Minneapolis is lucky to be able to have this production include two of the original members of the Broadway cast: Adam Pascal (as Roger) & Anthony Rapp (as Mark). They were two of the most important cast members that brought this show to life and help to make it the incredible show it is today. They were also featured in the movie they made of the show. So it was pretty amazing to see them do what made them who they are today in the world of Broadway.

So the show is amazing song, song, song, tear, tear, tear, clap, clap, clap.

We rushed out at the end to go over to Manhattan's for the Cast Party after the show. Kathryn had to "work" at it and do the schmoozing and make sure everything was going accordingly. It was so fun to be there - I miss those cast parties with free food and drinks and great company. I was a little nervous for this one because Anthony and Adam would be there - and if you know me, famous people make me nervous. Except if I'm in word mode. If I'm working and part of that is to be around that I'm okay b/c I feel like I have more of a purpose since I'm working - when I'm not though, I'm a mess. haha

Adam came in first and he looked good. We just huddled around to stare at him occasionally. A little later we heard that Anthony was in the hall, so I had to go see. I was even more nervous to meet him b/c he is so, well its MARK! haha Right when I saw him I thought I needed to get a picture with him right away so he doesn't get away from me and I loose my chance. There were a couple stray fans that followed him from the theatre to meet him and everything. And honestly, I think he just wanted to get inside the restaurant and relax for a minute. Then here comes me, the goofy girl with the camera. My new friend Michael grabbed my camera and I quick went up to him to get a picture. The picture of us is not good. haha He looks pretty unhappy or at least he looks distracted. Oh well - I was happy to meet him and grab a pic with him. Even if its the most akward picture ever. haha At least it is something. I haven't put my pics online yet, but I'll post when I do. A little later we actually went up and talked to Adam for a few minutes. Super nice guy. Super cute and friendly. This was his first trip to MN and he was saying that he wanted to get out a bit but there isn't much time between the shows and them only staying until Sunday/Monday. He said he was always looking for good restaurants - so right there I jumped in. I said - do you like sushi? There is an amazing sushi place downtown called Koyi Sushi. You should go - really small but always good. He asked how to spell it and he said he would google it and try to check it out. I figure I should get at least one cool point for that one. After chatting for a few minutes, we grabbed a picture with him. Should be super cute. I don't have it on my camera but once I get it I will post it.

UPDATE -Here is the picture of me and Anthony...Not the greatest, but hey - it works! hehe And below it is the picture of Kathryn, Adam Pascal, Me and Michael.

So all in all, it was a great night. I loved seeing some of my old co-workers and loved that they were all excited to see me too. We are definitely going to plan some happy hours. Since the show didn't end until like 10:30pm and then we went to the party, I didn't get home until 1am and had to wake up 5 hours later, but it was totally worth it, even though I'm sooo old b/c I'm just dragging today! lol

I would recommend this show to anyone -esp if you have never seen it. And to see it with Adam and Anthony is just the cherry on top!

For more info check out the Hennepin Theatres District Website

**Esp after last night - I know those theatres have not seen the last of me and things are actually cooking right now where I'll jump back in. Not a job or anything - but there are some things in the word that I'm getting excited about...stay tuned....

Attn: SATC Fans

2009-03-23T11:24:00.005-05:00

To all you Sex and the City fans out there...

Lately, I've been watching/listening to the Sex and the City audio commentaries on the DVDs. I have basically watched every single episode of the series at the least maybe 8 times - give or take. There is just something about that show that I can watch it over and over and OVER again, and not get sick of it or not think it is amusing. I have a problem. lol

Also, my nightly ritual is sitting in bed watching SATC episodes on TBS (and other stations) while I do sudoku. It helps calm me and ready me for sleep.

I just can't get enough of the show and am fascinated by episodes over and over again. To me, there is so much depth to every episode, so much relatability, so much humor and so much beauty. I love the four very unique and extraordinary women; I love their life experiences and I love them as they were my own friend. I know people might think it is weird, but I connect with the show and with the women and their struggles and triumphs. I also am in love the New York City and everything out it. I feel like I can live through the women and experience NYC as I would always hope to. Silly - I know but I have weird ways of connecting with certain movies or tv shows. The art form is important to me and to me it is a part of my life.

In any case - I will continue - I have been watching and listening to some of the audio commentaries on the dvds and for anyone who is as big of a fan as I am, this is a completely hidden treasure of the show. All of them are done by Michael Patrick King - the producer and creator of the show. He has incredible insight and fun facts galore!

For someone like me who has seen every episode a multitude of times, this is a great way to re-introduce each episode. MPK speaks almost throughout the entire episode. Along the way he shares the great tidbits of the show - pre/post production, waredrobe, extras, NYC, lines, takes and so much more. I enjoy hearing about the behind the scenes type things and secrets of the cast. I love hearing about waredrobe things - Patricia Fields is the mastermind behind the fashion of Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte and does a beyond incredible job.

I have learned so much more about the show and all involved and it makes me happy.

I know not everyone enjoys any kind of audio commentaries and might feel bored, but I throughly enjoy these. Even as background noice to listen to. I have a portable dvd player and I use that all the time for times like when I'm doing hair or make-up, cleaning or anything.

And an update for those of you who did not know - Sex and the City:The Movie 2 is a GO! I have heard many accounts of rumors and things, but a couple weeks ago I saw Cynthia Nixon on Regis and Kelly and she CONFIRMED that it WILL be happening!!!

I have the most mixed feelings on this one though. I cannot get enough of SATC and the movie, but at the same time, I'm scared that something bad is goign to happen in the movie and it will ruin things for me. I REALLY liked how they left things in the movie about how all of the girls were happy and in good places, even though they had been through a lot. I'm just not sure how much more drama they can take and what else would happen that would create an whole new movie! I understand that I was concerned about the first movie and what would happen, but it makes sense. For the next movie, I'm not sure if more children are in the picture or more relationship drama. But the numero uno thing that I am SCARED for is if they decide to kill one of them off. Like, let's say Samantha's cancer comes back or something. I just dont' think I could handle the idea of one of them dying. Terrible!

None the less, I will anticipate the sequel like I did the first one. A midnight show will probably be in order! :-)

What is your favorite episode???

You've Got Soul...You've Got Class...

2009-03-19T14:53:00.003-05:00

Does anyone even remember what I decided to name all of my blog titles?? If you remember what I said I was going to do - leave me a comment and if you get it right I will give you a gold star.

So I know....I'm bad...no blogging in a month and SO much has gone on. I'll try to not bore you with the same old since most of you would have known...in any case....

As all of you know, Owen Charles Pershing was born on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 7:33pm. He was 6 lbs and 10 oz (I think 10 oz) and as beautiful as little boys come. You've all seen pictures and many of you have met him and know how perfect he is. I was lucky enough to spend a good amount of time with the new family after Owen was born. I stayed for 4 days after he was born, went home for a couple days then came back for another 3 days. Then left but came back a few days later for another night. I was okay the first time I left b/c I knew I was coming back really soon, but after the second visit I had a bit of a crying spell when I was getting ready to leave. I knew I had to leave in like 30 mintues so I asked Eliz if I could hold him for a while before I left. I started to hold him and just broke down - I could barely tell why I was crying - except that I was feeling like I was never going to see him again! Terrible! I think I cried a couple more times, but eventually was able to leave and cry all the way home. lol It was just really hard leaving both Elizabeth and Owen and knowing that they would be (semi) far away. It was hard leaving Owen since I had been waiting to meet him for 9 months and then I only had a week with him! And it was hard leaving my sister too because I can't remember the last time that we had spent so much time together just hanging out and talking and I miss that a lot. All in all, I just have to keep reminding myself that they could be a LOT further away - so a short car ride is nothing in the scheme of things. Either way, Owen is here the the most beautiful baby in the world and I couldn't be more proud or happier to be his Godmother! :-)

Another big change in the last month was me finally getting a new job and leaving the world of tpt. It wasn't very hard to leave tpt since they didn't much care that I was leaving. I knew I was onto bigger and better things. And so far everything is going really well at the Dept of Revenue. My job, albeit not very interesting or exciting, is a upgrade from my last as far as actually having work to do and being more of an independent worker. I cannot believe the things I DO NOT have to do for my supervisor. I catch myself feeling like I should be doing more, but at the same time realizing that I'm not in that place anymore and that now I have a lot more freedom and a lot more reponsibility as well as respect. Like I said, it is not my dream job and I certainly don't plan on doing this for the rest of my life - but it is giving me a solid point in my life where my job isn't ruining the rest of my life. And I really can take the time to focus on figuring out career-wise what is going to be satisfying for me and fill that void that I know I have. But at least now I'm being treated like an adult, I'm being trusted and I'm in a healthy environment. I am completely overwhelmed at my current supervisor and how NOT like my previous boss she is - it is unbelievble. She is genuine, respectful, understanding of the fact that we have lives outside of our jobs and it is a joy to work for someone who appreciates me and the work that I'm doing. If you could only see the difference...
The other huge bonus for me with my new job is my schedule. I am able to work a flex schedule where basically Monday through Thursday, I'm working from 7:30am-5:00pm and Fridays I will be working 7:30am-11:30am!! A half day every single Friday?!?! Yes, that's right!
It is SO worth it to work that extra hour and have a reward at the end of every week by having a half day. Tomorrow is my first one and I'm SO looking forward to it. Especially when the weather starts inproving, it will be amazing to have that much more time in the sun! Definitely a bonus too if I want to drive down to Chester for the day/night. This is a perk that is worth money to me, so I'm very grateful for it.

That is all for now - but those are the two biggest changes that have happened since my last blog. Talk to me next week and I'll have another big change for you.

Stay tuned....

iTunes

2009-02-16T17:42:00.003-06:00

If you even know me slightly - you know that music is a huge part of my life. Formerly (and maybe again someday) it was part of my job - which was fantastic. It has always been a huge part of who I am and how I live my life. Most people know this about me and know how much music drives me and really is what gets me through it all.
With that said - I have been a horrible iTunes/iPod owner lately. Its honestly been close to a year since I updated my ipod. For whatever reason, I've just been slacking at it. Partly because of my laptop troubles and lack of internet at my apartment. No excuses - I've decided.
So, when I was planning my night tonight, which I'm very excited about, I decided I would gather all of the CDs in my car and start adding them to my iTunes and eventually my iPod. With all of these changes going on, I'm really feeling like I need to start doing things like this. It may not seem like a big deal - but little by little, the more I organize my life and myself, it really helps me overall. Especially with me making the change of moving, it is good for me to start doing organizing even small things, just to get me into the mood and remind myself how good it feels to do these things. So here I am - on my favorite couch, with my laptop in front of me, my ice water to my right and a bag of cds on my left. I am ready to start organizing my music and make it more accessible.
This could honestly take me a really long time to put all of my CDs on my iTunes. Again, if you even casually know me, you will know how much music I consume and surround myself with. As I'm just sitting here in my living room - I look over to where my broken stereo sits and look underneath it and see piles and piles of CDs (most of them mine). So much music I've forgotten about. And let me tell you, there is nothing better than finding an old CD, listening to the music and bringing you back. It is purely magical.
Just an example of the diversity of music in my life...I will name off some artists and CDs that are on or awaiting to be on my iTunes...
-Disney's Greatest Hits Vol. 3
-Sex and the City: The Movie Soundtrack Vol. 1

-Backstreet Boys - Unbreakable
-John Mayer - Continuum

-Rent
-Billy Joel - Greatest Hits
-Raul Midon - State of Mind

-Ultimate Dance Party Mix
-Bob Schneider
-Avenue Q Soundtrack

There is so so SO much more and I could go on and on about how fabulous my music makes me feel. Music is something so personal to me. And it should be to anyone. It is the most personal thing because you pick exactly what you like and what you don't like. It is your personal choice for what moves you and what makes your heart happy. I've felt so privileged to have discovered so many different kinds of music and tastes in music. I love sharing it with other people and I love connecting with people through music.
Music is a part of my heart and soul - always has been, always will be.

Good Morning Starshine

2009-02-13T09:56:00.003-06:00

The Earth says Hello!

So I'm at Caribou this morning getting a delicious vanilla latte and piece of banana bread. As I'm looking around I see one man enjoying his morning cup 'o joe and reading a book. He looks to be maybe late 40s early 50s - and I started to wonder what he does for a living that he is able to enjoy this time. Next to him was a man and a woman who seemed to be working. The woman was on an Apple laptop (which also made me think about how much I want an apple laptop) and I was curious as to what they were working on. I'm always intrigued to find out what people's deals are - what their story is. Someday when I'm brave enough I will walk up to someone at a coffee shop and ask them what their deal is. lol
People have so much going on in their lives that you would NEVER know at first glance. I wish it wasn't socially inappropriate to go up to strangers and just start asking them questions about their lives....I think it would be interesting and I think we could learn a lot about others and ourselves.

On that note - job update 2009: I got a new job! HOO-RAH!
Now some people might think I'm crazy being excited for my new job because of where and what it is - but they can suck it. Seriously.
My new job is working at the MN Department of Revenue as an Office and Administrative Specialist - Intermediate for the Corporate Tax Division. Now for those of you who do not know, I actually worked there for about a year, a couple years ago. When this job opening was out there, I emailed me old co-worker and found out that this job opening was her former job because she was just promoted. She talked to her old supervisor about me and put in a good word. She helped me through the process and gave me great advice for the interview. She emailed me soon after to let me know that 457 people applied for this job! 457!!!! But that I was chosen for an interview! I took the math, grammar and typing tests and passed and had my interview. That was last Friday and then on Tuesday afternoon I got a call saying that they would like to offer me the job!!! It was so surreal! So two days ago I wrote up my resignation letter and told my boss I was leaving. For as nervous as I was to go in and tell her - it felt AMAZING!!! For once I had the upper hand and felt in control of the situation with her. She was totally shocked and didn't really have much to say. Since then she has barely said two words to me. Its awesome. She has no more power over me and I feel free at work for the first time in a year. Since word here spreads like wildfire - people have been coming up to me and congratulating me and everything. And in them asking me about my new job most have asked why I'm leaving. I have felt very relieved about the fact that almost every person I've talked to has commented about not blaming me for wanting to leave since I work for Claudia (my boss/supervisor/headcase) - they have totally understood and have said that they couldn't work with her. lol So at least that confirms the fact that I'm not crazy and it is pretty apparent who she is, how she works with others and how she is persieved. So, I feel good about leaving. haha
So I know my job may sound so boring that you want to die - but I promise you, compared to what I'm dealing with right now, it sounds heavenly to me. I actually had one person say to me (when I told her where and what I was going to be doing) she told me that it sounded like the most boring thing ever. Seriously - who says that to someone? Especially when they are excited about it? People are really inconsiderate. Anywho - the fact is, I'm excited because this job will be so much more independant than my current job. I won't feel like I have to constantly check in with my supervisor and that they will actually trust me as a competent individual. I will have my own work to do - I will have my own space to do it in and I will actually feel like I'm doing something and contributing. That is something I do not have currently. It will also be STABLE! Which is huge right now since Rian and I are buying a house - I can't risk having a chance that I'll get laid off - and there would be a definite chance at tpt. Not messing with that at all. The biggest thing right now in having a new job is not stressing about work when I'm not there. I think about work all of the time and it really gets to me. I worry about being there even when I'm not there. I hate it. I am ready to have a job that I can leave everything there and not think about things and worry about things. It has put a damper on my entire life and I'm sick of it. I'm excited to have this new opportunity where I'm not anxious before, during and after work - so that i can put more energy into other things in my life. I've been thinking about possibly taking a class in the fall. Things like that that I can do in order to make steps towards really figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. Its been hard feeling like I can do that and feel good about it, when my work situation has been so miserable and hopeless. Once I can get in a better mindset about things - I feel like I can really dig into things and explore what I'm meant to do. Obviously, I don't think I'm going to be working at Revenue forever - but I think it will be a safe place for me to feel good about work, my co-workers and figuring out what I really want to do. Not to mention, I already have friends there - friends that I know I already connect with. And I know there are other good people to be working with - and that makes a WORLD of difference. If the people around you are good at work - it makes time fly and work that much more bareable.
So that is my great news - after blog after blog of me bitching about work - if anyone actually reads all of it - I have finally found an out and am moving on.
I know I'm not crazy for wanting to find a place to work where I know I'm an asset and am appreciated. All I can say is that tpt missed out on an incredibly intelligent person who could have really made a different. Their loss and the State of MN's gain! lol
Okay - I'll stop rambling now - but it feels good to get this information out.

Onto bigger and better things........new job, new baby (SOON hopefully!) and new house (sometime in the near future)! For someone who doesn't like change - there are a lot of POSITIVE changes happening - so I'm going to focus on that.

My final parting words are this........I heard this quote on the Real World - Brooklyn last night from one of the housemates and it really stuck with me as something I need to hold true to and remember -
"Never value the opinions of those you don't respect."
Pretty wise for a Real World person - but something that is very important to me coming from feeling bad about myself b/c of what someone else's opinion (that I don't even like) has been telling me. Not worth it when they are someone you don't respect.
Don't let anyone bring you down when you know what is really known to be true.

Peace and Hair Grease.

Time

2009-02-03T09:56:00.003-06:00

Time and time again....it never fails....confusion ensues...and so it goes on...

That's just how I feel sometimes. I talk and talk and talk and make no sense - just going on and on spewing craziness. I guess I've spewed a lot worse things than craziness, so that should be okay. So right now I am completely feeling in limbo for a number of reasons.... I hate my work/job situation right now. I am completely in limbo because right now at work I'm working 20 hours down at the front desk answering phones, greeting guests, etc. and the other half I am up at my regular desk doing my regular job. So I'm feeling a little off just having two different jobs I'm really doing. Within all of that, I've been lucky enough to have a couple job opportunities to present themselves as possibilities (if they think I'm the right one), but with all of that, I've been stressed out with taking time off during the day to be able to interview and things and it is just stressing me out completely. It is a bit complicated because I am also taking Family Leave pretty soon to be with my sister for about a week after the baby is born since Bryan will be busy working. So I'll be taking a significant amount of time off pretty soon - and also unsure of when exactly all of that will be happening. I'm know I'm lucky that people here are flexible and understanding in my situation - but this is also my time off that I'm taking. Basically my Family Leave thing that I had to have Eliz's doctor sign basically let's me use my sick time when I take time off to help her out. So either way. Its just a complicated mess but I would go through it all again in order to make sure I get to help out my sister.

I'm definitely feeling in limbo these days because I feel like I'm constantly on call and waiting for my sister to call me and tell me she is in labor. She already scared the crap out of me last Thursday night when she called me at 11pm saying that she had been having contractions for a couple hours and they were 10 minutes apart - and to just keep my phone near by just in case. So I freaked out, starting packing my overnight bag and started charging my camera battery! lol That night I didn't get ANY sleep! lol I was thinking the whole night that at any moment the phone would ring and I would be on my way to Chester the Molester. But no such luck. Now, though, I feel like I'm still on call for the next couple weeks and cannot make any solid plans. I follow everything up with - there is a chance I won't be there b/c I'll be in Rochester while Elizabeth is in labor or for the week after. lol It is crazy - but I can't believe that it is almost time! I keep wondering to myself what that little boy is going to look like. Will he have a big head? (hopefully not for Eliz's sake) Will he have chubby little legs? (Gosh I hope so) Will he be long? What will his smile look like? These are all things I will soon find out! hehe Let's just say I'm pretty much the most excited Auntie that ever lived. And anyone else can challenge that - I will stand my ground. hehe

I'm also feeling limbo'ish with my living situation. As of February 1st, Laura and I gave our 2 months notice. Since Rian and I are deep into the house hunting and are still a couple weeks out from actually considering putting any offers in - by April 1st there is not way we will actually have a house. So its off to live with a couple of my former roommates - that's right - Mom and Dad. I'm shackin up with my parents again. Hopefully for the last time. haha I figure that since my parents are very generous in the fact that I would save a TON of money by not paying rent or utilities or food - this would help Rian and I out SO MUCH! I can put up with living with my rents for a couple months in order for things to be a little financially better for us. So I'll be packing up and getting ready to move in two months. I"ll make this a gradual move that way I don't have to move everything in one weekend - I hate that. Plus, I will have the entire upstairs of my parents house as my domain - and yes I will fill it up. So from April on I will be living with my parents and anxiously awaiting me and Rian's move into our new house. I cannot wait!

I only wish that I was as good as dealing with being/feeling in limbo as I am at the fun party game of limbo.

Hold On Tight, Spidermonkey

2009-01-27T10:23:00.003-06:00

Okay....if you know what my title means...we have to talk! :-)

I'm having a Carrie Bradshaw moment...I remember there was an episode of SATC where she talks about the 3 big things you're always looking for...
-The perfect man
-The perfect apartment
-The perfect job

At that point, Carrie had the perfect job and apartment - but was missing the man. She talks about "when we have 2 out of the 3, it should be a great thing - but why do we let the one thing we don't have bring us down even though we have the other two?" That's a bit how I am feeling currently. I definitely have the perfect guy for me in my life and couldn't be happier in that respect. I am also truly lucky because me and my guy are looking for and going to buy a house together. It is a process but it is so much fun and so exciting for us and our future. So here I am with two amazing things in my life - yet the one thing that I don't have - a decent job - seems to be bringing me down. This has been a constant struggle for me for the past 3 years, pretty much. My current job has been a disaster. Nothing about it has been what I thought it would be. It was actually a step backwards for me from my previous job - I didn't think that was possible. Because of certain people around me and what they think I'm capable of and the potential I lack - it has lead me to start to believe some of those things. It is hard not to start to believe things when they are presented to you day after day - hard to not let those negative things seep in. I wish I had my college-self back. My mind was so much more clear about what I could do if I set my mind to it. I did SO MUCH in college - so much of what I set out to do and what people didn't think I would be able to do. But, I did it - and things just kept falling into place for me. My career was one of the biggest motivators for me and through that it became so much of my identity. It was a part of who I was and I clung to it. I had so much passion for what I was doing - it was always such a rush for me. I would sit back and look at all I have done and all I wanted to do, and I would be so proud of myself. It lasted for a little bit after I graduated college - but definitely completely disappeared when I left my last job working at the Hennepin Theatre District. That was where I wanted to be, I just wasn't in the position I wanted to be in. And, I wasn't going to make any more money there or move up in the near future - so I left. Among other reasons - I also left because I wasn't being treated the way I thought I should be - definitely lacking in respect from authorities. On the contrary, I had/have so many amazing friends there. People that I am still in contact with and who definitely care about my happiness in the work place. It is so hard when the head people ruin things for you and don't see the potential and passion that people have. But, you can't control other people - trust me, I've tried - and sometimes you just need to move on. So I moved on. Moved on to a job that I thought would help me develop my skills more and give me room to succeed. Boy, was I mistakened. I know that I could ramble on and on about this - and probably have to most people reading this - but it comes down to the fact that my job shouldn't even exsist. There is not enough work or responsibility for this position and it is a waste of time and money. It doesn't quite make you feel too good when you know that you aren't really needed. And there isn't as much purpose for your job or your time doing any work. I'll try to wrap this up, because the "poor me" get's old. Like I've told my sister, at this point, sometimes I feel a little guilty that I have a job yet I'm looking for a new one since there are SO many people who have gotten laid off and are looking for work. I understand the situation and I completely sympathize. I FULLY know that I am extremely lucky to have my job and have insurance and the whole nine. but at the same time, I think-I KNOW- I deserve job happiness. I know that not a whole lot of people love their job - I get that - but I would just like to go to work and not get a stomach ache or feel anxious about what will go wrong or who will be upset and unfairly let it out on everyone around them. I don't have to LOVE my job (at least for now), I just really want it to be bareable and for me to walk away knowing that whatever I was doing was making a difference, even in the smallest way. And I want to be surrounded by people who have a bigger sense of the world and of life. People that enjoy my sarcastic humor and inappropriate jokes. I'm just looking for people with a little perspective. That is so lacking these days - and I am constantly in need of it. Perspective is my word of 2009. So often we need it to pull us back to reality. In my reality, I'm looking for a satisfying job or more fulfilling way to spend 40 hours a week - if you know of anything.... ;-)
So there is my job/work shpeal.
I know I have to practice what I preach and put things into perspective of how lucky I am to have a job, but more importantly that I have people around me that love me and care for me and are there for me when I need them. In the end, that's all that really matters.

Sunshine and Lollypops,

noelle m.

Lucky

2009-01-09T16:35:00.002-06:00

Check out this brand new video of Jason Mraz's song Lucky featuring Colbie Caillat!

One of my very favorites....

Typical Situation....

2009-01-07T13:28:00.010-06:00

2009 - Who knew?!?!

I still can't believe that this decade is almost over!!! Where did the time go?
2008 was a good year. Got a new job - wait, that wasn't a good move. haha
But I became (kinda) an aunt this year, so that is an EXCELLENT thing!
Went on some amazing vacations -

Disney World..... New York City.....

and some fun mini trips - ie: Milwaukee, Kansas City. All in all, it was a good year - but I'm onto bigger and better things.

Christmas was nice though - I had so much fun watching others open the gifts I gave them and had some fun opening gifts of my own! hehe

Here is a picture of Elizabeth & Bryan with their gifts from Rian and I. We made them a big basket full of different movies and all of their favorite treats to go along with movie watching! That is one of the only things that they get to do together and spend time with each other because of the busy schedule of Bryan - and we figured movies would come in handy for those 3am feedings as well! :-)
Including the best gift of all - from my nephew - he wrote me a card and everything! He gave me a picture of him in his Momma's belly! The best part of it all was that my sister asked me to be his Godmother and it is one of the most special things to ever happen to me.
I cried, of course, cuz that's what I do. But it just really adds even more to everything.
I keep thinking I can't love that little guy any more than I already do - but I do! :-)
Here is a bad picture I just took of the frame that I got with an ultrasound of the little guy. He really is a tiny miracle that I can't wait to meet!!!

New Years Eve was fun as well. We went to my friend Kelly's house for a party. The theme was - What is going to come back and be big in 2009?
I have no idea how I got Rian to do this but Rian and I wore a couple of my old *NSYNC shirts! It was great! I would die if they came back in 2009, but I think I have to wait a few more years for that reunion. lol
All in all, it was a super great night and so much fun to be with my high school friends who I love so much but do not get to see very often. Here is Monica, Me and Kelly on the couch at Kellys.

It is funny how when you are in high school - the friends that you have, you are around them 24/7. I remember entire weekends I would stay at my friend's houses and not think twice about it. Pretty much every single weekend I would spend at least one maybe two nights at either Monica or Kelly's houses. Of all the ages that we are, it seems like those high school years are the most friend intense years - and then college comes along and everything changes! Stupid growing up! But I will say that I treasure those years of friendship - and even though living that way and seeing friends that often isn't really plausible from now on - it is amazing to have those memories and a blast reliving those times. These days, it certainly isn't the quantity of time you spend with people, it is the quality of that time, even if it is limited.

So far 2009 has gotten off to a decent start. Looking forward to many changes in the coming year....relationships and babies (not mine) and houses and lots of change - which I'm awesome at adjusting to...maybe not....but maybe 2009 will be the year of the good, not so scary changes!
That sounds like a plan!

I'll drink to that!

Happy 2009!!!

**This blog is in part brought to you by Jaclyn Davern - who consistantly reminds me to update my blog....without her - many of these blogs would not be possible. This one's for you JD!

LOVE

2008-12-03T10:05:00.001-06:00

This video speaks for itself....

FunnyorDie.com

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Live it - Love it - Learn it

Love is Love.

Running to catch up again....

2008-11-18T14:15:00.000-06:00

Jason Mraz - Once again. Love love LOVE him! And I'm seeing him in concert tomorrow night!!!
Let's just say that this week has been shotty from the beginning and if I didn't have Mraz & Mickey to look forward to, I don't know what I would do! Not to mention 10 days off in a row - I haven't had that much time off all together since college!!!

So back to Mr. Mraz - this will be "technically" my 6th time seeing him in concert. The first time I saw him was at First Ave back in 2003.
Since then I've seen him in Milwaukee at Summerfest, at Coffman Hall at the U of M, Northrup and open for Alanis Morrisette. All have been wonderful Mraz experiences. Especially the two times that I met him.
The best was after the Alanis show - I took my sister as her wedding shower present and got us tickets in the 4th row. It was an AMAZING show, both Jason and Alanis. I was wearing my Geek in the Pink Mraz shirt and after the show - I made Elizabeth stick around the buses with me, waiting for Jason. And low and behold, he comes out and meets and greets.
When it is finally our turn, he looks at me and says - Oh I saw you in the crowd - weren't you in the first couple rows on the left side?
And I never looked back after he said that to me. haha And here we are (the first time I met him - after stalking him to Cities 97) I can't help it - stalking is a gift!

Either way, both times meeting him were great experiences and I look forward to many more. haha The only thing is that the show tomorrow is at the Myth. Not a fan of the "club concert." I like when I have my own space, enough to sing and dance and not be bothered. When I saw Jason at First Ave - I literally almost got in a fight. My sister was going to have to pull me off these chicks. I definitely could have and would have kicked their asses. lol
In any case, its me and jason tomorrow night. And I guess Rian is coming too - but when I'm in my concert zone - there IS no one else. hehe Sorry Rian!

Now if me going to a concert of my FAVORITE singer ever isn't enough excitement for one week - on Thursday night, I will be heading to the airport for a 7:15pm flight on Northwest - nonstop to ORLANDO, FLORIDA!!!!
We've been planning this trip for a while - so that all of us are able to be there and I just can't believe that it is already here! It is going to be an amazing trip - filled with fun and laughter and shopping and food and MICKEY!
I already told Rian that we are taking a picture of the three of us! :-)
It is pretty special to me though because Rian has never ever been to Disney World - and I'm so glad that we get to experience it together. Disney World, etc has always been a very important part of my life and I finally get to share it with him.
Words can't even describe how much I'm looking forward to this vacation and how wonderfully magical it will be. I'm a lucky girl!

**My parents are already in Orlando and are at Epcot today. My dad has been sending me pictures on his phone and it has been torcher!! Here is a picture of Belle and the Beast that he sent me...
But soon I will be there enjoying the Florida weather, surrounded by my family and being in my most favorite and happiest place on Earth!

ps: This post is especially brought to you by my cousin Jaclyn, who insists that I update. I will do a better job, Jaclyn - I promise.
Peace Out - Excel.

Bones

2008-10-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

Bones is one of the greatest shows on television to date. Reviews have called it a "sexed up version of CSI." I love it! It really is a great drama/crime/comedy/love twisted show on the boobtube! Check it out!

Speaking of Bones - currently, I am watching/listening to an episode off of a great website called Surf The Channel. It is basically a site that has thousands of movies and tv shows for your viewing pleasure. Everything from Family Ties and Growing Pains to Dancing With The Stars and The Hills. Not to mention the movie portion has some movies that have been recently released in the theatres! Some versions are better than others - if you've ever bought a bootleg copy of a movie in New York City from a random street vendor whose entire inventory fits nicely on a wheely cart - you know what I mean!!!
This site is great for people like me who sometimes need background noise at work to help the time go faster. I like following shows even if I can't see what is going on. It really gives me something else to focus on besides work! HA!

Surf the Channel is the best - check it out....I'm just waiting for them to add episodes of Blossom! I LOVE that show!

Song For A Friend

2008-09-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

Song for a Friend is the last song on Jason Mraz's previously released CD - Mr. A-Z.
Cleverly hidden in the name is Jason's last name - Mraz. Gotta love him.
I'm counting down the days until we are together again - how ever many days it is from now until November 19th...
This will be the 6th time I've seen him in concert?? I think?? But this time Rian is going with me and he will see a whole other side of me.
The concert Noelle is certainly a completely different everyday Noelle. I wish I could be concert Noelle every day!

Is anyone else a little ( or a lot! ) freaked out about the economy and money situation of this country?!? It is bad enough that I'm on an intense job hunt with no jobs to be found (at least no jobs that seem to be for me) - and things just seem to be getting worse. It isn't making me or anyone else feel any more confident about spending money or making big decisions or opening the front door!
I'm not sure if this comes at a great time or a horrible time for Rian and I to begin out (most likely long) journey of searching for a house. We had our first (of many) talks this weekend about the beginnings of our house hunting. Neither of us have ever bought a house or anything of this magnitude, so we are feeling a bit overwhelmed, but also excited. We are wanting to do this right and be smart. I know we have a lot of figure out as far as money stuff and bank and loan stuff and a million other things. So with that, if anyone has any advice for first time home owners and the buying process - I'm all ears!!!
I'm incredibly excited, and a little nervous, but it will be all worth it.
So any advice - don't be shy - let me know!!

With that, I also need some suggestions for a part time job! I know I don't pull in as much money as Rian - so it is really important for me to have money saved and figure out a way to really get that extra amount and put it towards the house and all the fun things that go along with it. I am looking into doing some sort of seasonal, holiday work at a retail establishment - but it is not my first choice. I played the retail game for many years off and on and what a jolly good time that was. I'd love to do something where I can work at night at home or somewhere like that, but I'm sure that is what everyone is looking for.
I wish I had some sort of a craft I could hone to make some side money or figure out something like that - but it is tough, especially now. Once again - any ideas that you folks out in cyberspace can think of - please send them my way. Or my sister's way for that matter. We are both looking to make some extra cash - although I don't have to worry about another mouth to feed in just a few months! At least they start out little and don't eat as much. hehe I already love my little nephew SO MUCH!!!!! :-)

I know I probably complain a lot about my job and money woes - but I'm blessed beyond belief. I can't imagine the people that are struggling so much worse than I am and all of this financial crisis is going to push them lower and lower. I'm scared shitless of the upcoming election - but I'm working on regaining my faith in the American people that they will see through this apparent "Change is Coming" and know that that direction only leads to a deeper trouble and saddened Nation of care towards the wealthy and backs turned to those in need.
The truth is that the change IS out there and change WILL come if we choose the right leader and that leader chooses the right people to surround themselves with. I will not name names - but if you even know a sliver of who I am, you know who I'm talking about. I'm sure I'll rant more later about certain someones and their lack of truly believing in WOMEN'S RIGHTS!!!!!!!
Now I've said too much. But that's what I'm good at so sometime soon I'll say MORE!

Peace & Love

Sweet Nectar of the Gods

2008-08-19T10:10:00.001-05:00

As you must have read in my earlier blog---for our 2 year Anniversary, Rian bought me a certificate so that we could go make our own wine together. I chose to make a Cab Sav.
First we did the mixing of the ingredients at the end of May--which didn't take long at all. Then the mixture had to sit for 6 weeks. Then, at the beginning of July we went in to bottle our wine. It was an interesting set-up with all of the pipes and bottles and everything--but Rian and I had lots of fun fill up our 30 bottles of our own wine!
Here is a picture story of how we made it:

This is the bottle that our wine was made in and where it fermented.....

This is the actual bottling machine....the tube from our big jug hooks right up to it and you are able to stick the bottle in there. You press a button and it knows exactly when to stop filling the bottle!

Here is Rian pressing the button and watching the bottle fill up with our yummy wine!Now this is the corking machine. Here I am putting the cork on top and then sticking the bottle under it...

And here Rian and I are moving the lever down to push the cork down into the bottle. MUSCLES!And here is our finished product! One of THREE cases of wine!

I am happy with my present and excited to drink the Rian & Noelle wine!
It was a great present and I really cannot wait until we can drink it. The downfall is that we have to wait NINE MONTHS before we can drink it! Man....I don't know if I can wait that long!
In the meantime, we bought labels that we are going to put on the bottles---we can print them out on the computer and knowing us, Rian and I will be putting funny picture of us on the bottles. They will be big items on Ebay--so watch out for that!

I'll See You When You Get There.....

2008-08-18T14:41:00.000-05:00

Man---Life is so nutty. It really is. Its up and down and all around.
I haven't felt like I've had a steady lull of good stuff (or bad stuff)--everything is just all over the place. I feel like I'm back to square one with so many things, and boy is that frustrating!

I guess I really haven't updated in a while--I'll try to do an overview of some fun things....

Rian and I went to New York and had a blast. Although it was hotter than hell, we braved the heat and enjoyed the Big Apple. We had an amazing time at the Yankees game (even though the Twins lost) and we had fun walking around and exploring the city. Here are some pics...
The Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite NYC spots)
This is where Rian and I had our fancy dinner----Koi. A wonderful meal of sushi, shrimp and melt in your mouth Kobi Beef! YUM!Central Park....Rian and I...all nice and sweaty by the BB....

Rian and I in our sweet shades---riding on the open top bus ---enjoy the nice cool breeze!We literally just walked off of the subway---and this is what you see.......YANKEE STADIUM!
Rian and I at Yankee Stadium!!!
We really had a blast--but definitely next time, I would like to go NOT in the dead heat of July!

Rian and I want to try and take a trip to a different ballpark every summer. We are maybe thinking San Fransisco for next year!

I can't believe it is already the middle/end of August! This month really has flown by.
In August, we celebrated my Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary! Can you even believe it? How many people reach that milestone?!? It was a great night! The only thing missing was Rian but he was hard at work at an airshow in WI.
There was a mass said in their honor as well as they renewed their vows. (Which I of course cried during it all) After dinner, we went to The Lexington for dinner. It was a great time -- nice to catch up with so many family members.

Here is the back of my Grandpa Jim and Grandma Carol---
My family---missing one very important Rian....
Just another typical Sister picture.....We are so cool, or something--at least we make each other laugh.......
This is me and my Great Aunt Dodee from California.....she is so sweet!
Me with the happy couple....still so in love!SO much going on....I'll write more updates SOON!
This quote is something I've been trying to focus on the past couple weeks.....

"If you're going to do something, make it right and make it as good as you can. Don't waste anybody's time, especially your own"

2008-07-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

YAY!!!! I am so excited that Jesse got DeAnna's final rose last night!!!! Laura and I have been waiting all season for the finale and it did NOT disappoint! This was honestly my FAVORITE Bachelor/Bachelorette season EVER! I usually don't get into reality TV this much (okay, maybe sometimes I do) but this time--I was so into it.

It was so weird. At the beginning of the episode, I was still up in the air and wasn't sure who she was going to pick and at that point, I was okay with either guy. But somehow throughout the two hour finale, I kept rooting more and more for Jesse and wanting to stick up for him. Especially at the family date when both guys met DeAnna's family. It seemed like the family was leaning on Jason's (the other bachelor) side. But DeAnna would stick up for Jesse and say how nervous he was. Even so, the next day when both Jesse and Jason came to the house to be with her extended family, Jesse came out of his shell more and also asked for DeAnna's Dad's permission to ask her to marry him. And of course her Dad was happy about that and they bonded.

Then DeAnna met both guys for one more date in the Bahamas. The more I watched the two of them together and how perfect of a match they were--I started realizing how much I wanted Jesse to win! Jason is nice and cute and all--but it just didn't seem to fit for DeAnna.
So throughout the whole episode, they made it seem like Jason was the obvious choice, so by the end, I'm thinking along the "reality tv" lines and realizing that they are just trying to fake us out! And then, right when the first guy was going to get out of the limo, I just knew it would be jason and that she was going to choose JESSE! AND SHE DID!
And it was perfect! Here is a clip of Jesse's proposal and DeAnna's acceptance!

What was even more perfect was the next show called "After the Rose"
DeAnna was confronted by Jason about why she didn't chose him. It was sad--but Jason had plenty of ladies woohooing for him that I'm sure he won't be too lonely.
And then--Jesse came out and after the months apart since the show ended, Jesse and DeAnna were finally back together. And I tell ya, I've never seen two people so in love and so right for each other. They could not stop staring at each other, telling the other that they love them and they definitely couldn't stop kissing and hugging. It was adorable.
And honestly, during that show--you could finally see DeAnna and how much she loved him and she was finally able to actually show it. And boy did she ever.
They also announced that they are getting married on May 9, 2009. And Chris Harrison handed them an all expense paid trip to Greece for their honeymoon! Super cute.

Overall--it was one of the best reality TV show moments I've ever watched--and as sappy as it sounds, I honestly believe that they are going to stay together and be happy forever! They are both so real and honest, and always have been. And I really think they are genuine about their feelings and will be happy forever!!!

CONGRATULATIONS DEANNA & JESSE!!!!!!

It's All An Illusion...

2008-07-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

I am currently listening to Madonna's 2nd most recent release---Confessions on a Dance Floor. It is by far my favorite Madonna in the recent years. Super fun disco-y type music. I definitely jam out at work as much as I possibly can.

Considering that this is only a three day work week for me--I'm doing pretty well. I actually cleaned up my desk area today at work, which is a pretty big accomplishment for my day. lol
It is only a 3 day work week because Monday I had to take off because we drove back from Kansas city for Larry and Renee's Wedding Weekend 'o Fun!
And it certainly was.

We left MN on Friday afternoon around 2:30pm. Rian and I, along with our good friend Colin (who was also in the wedding) started our roadtrip. I was the spoiled girl who sat in the backseat the whole time while the boys switched off driving. It was nice! hehe I enjoyed sleeping, reading, sudoku and of course I brought my portable DVD player and enjoyed episodes of Sex and the City and Bones.
We arrived on Friday night around 9pm and decided to check into the hotel and then went to grab some food. We ate at Fred P. Otts Hamburger Business--pretty funny.
Then we went back to the hotel to see the bride and groom and others in the hospitality suite that they had rented out the whole weekend for people to hang out in. We stayed up pretty late, just chatting and having fun. I went to bed around 2:30 and Rian didn't come to the room until after 4am.
On Saturday, Rian had to get ready and go for their groomsmen outing which was bowling. I on the otherhand was lucky enough to have a friend in Kansas City that I hadn't seen in a while--Janell along with her baby boy, Ryker--who is 7 months old and I still hadn't met him!
So--Janell and Ryker picked me up at my hotel and we headed off for lunch. It was so nice to catch up and also to hang out with Ryker--who is getting so big but it soooo cute. Here is a picture of me and Ryker at lunch!
After lunch, I got ready for the rehearsal dinner and met up with some new friends to give me a ride - since Rian was at the actual rehearsal and went right to the dinner. And you guessed it--we had good ol Kansas City BBQ for dinner. YUM! It was from Jack Stack BBQ--very, very good but VERY filling. Because of course you have to try a little of everything. This is Rian and I at the rehearsal dinner.
Then of course, Larry's family got up and embarrassed the hell out of him with stories and pictures. We all felt embarrassed for him. lol
After dinner, we walked down the street to a bar called - Tom Fooleries. But we actually were all so tired from the long days that we didn't stay for too late.
Sunday morning, Rian had to get up pretty early to head over to the Synagogue. And yes, it was a Jewish Wedding--therefore it was on Sunday. It was also my very first Jewish Wedding as well as even being in a Synagogue-so I was very excited. Later in the afternoon, I decided to treat myself to getting my hair done since Rian was gone all day and I didnt' have anything to do! So I did---and honestly, I didn't really like what she did, but fortunately I was able to fanagle it enough to make it look cute. And after getting dressed and everything--I hitched a ride again with my new friends to the ceremony.
Now, if you've never been to a Jewish Wedding--I'd love to fill you in on some of the traditions. It is very beautiful and very rich in old traditions. Very refreshing after all of the same old Catholic weddings I've been to.
A couple of the cool different rituals they did include:
Chuppah - Wedding Ceremony Under the Canopy (The Bride and the Groom are under a canopy--but it is open on all four sides to always welcome family and friends) Here is Larry and Renee's Canopy -
The Seven Circles (The Bride circles the groom seven times)
Ketubah - Marriage Contract (This is a separate ceremony before the actual ceremony where the bride and groom sign the Ketubah--and in Jewish tradition, as soon as they do they are actually married)
There is so much more I could talk about but those are a couple of the neat things I learned at the wedding.
All in all, it was a beautiful ceremony, led by an amazing set-up and beautiful reception. Along with a live band--the whole room was up dancing from beginning to end. It was a blast! Rian was even up dancing the whole night with me! hehe Everything went really well and it was one of the most fun weddings both Rian and I have ever been to! Here are some pics from the fantastic weekend.....
Rian and Colin walking down the aisle...
Here is Rian and I with the lovely Bride and Groom

Bittersweet Baby

2008-06-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

I guess I'm just starting to have the titles of blogs to come right out of the lyrics of whatever song I'm listening to---because I can sit here for so long trying to think up a clever and witty Subject Title and nothing ever comes to mind. So there it is. Let me take a look at my ipod and see the actual name of the song and artist....
Song: Six O'clock News
Artist: Kathleen Edwards
Apparently this song is from the Cities 97 Sampler, Volume 15. So there you go.

I've been terrible with blogging---I know, right? And I was always lead to the impression that no one ever read my blog and that I was just sending my thoughts and words out into cyberspace for my own pleasure--but I've had a few requests to keep up the blogs, so I'll do my best!!!

I guess it really has been a few months (I believe my last blog was at the end of April), so I'll try to catch my peeps up with some highlights!

*In May, Rian and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! I still can't believe its been that long, but then it feels like forever all at the same time. I was thinking really hard about what we should do and where we should go for our special night. And we finally came to the conclusion to just go to our favorite sushi place in downtown Mpls. (I believe I talked about it in my last post) We just realized that whenever we want to go to a fancy dinner, we just go. We never really need a special occasion. So for this very special occasion--we decided to go to a place that is very special to both of us. To just be able to spend time with each other at one of our favorite places and enjoy each others company. So that is what we did and it was PERFECT! And of course, we walked to the bar across the street after dinner to watch the twins game--perfect form for us! Here is a picture of us after our fabulous dinner at Koyi Sushi!
And this year, we had very unique and special gifts for each other. Thanks to Ms. Carrie, I had my gift picked out for Rian months ago. Baseball is a huge part of Rian's life - he is a pitcher and he played in high school, college and still plays in an amateur league. Anyways -- Carrie put something on her blog from Red Envelope that they have Ballpark Cuff links. Basically, they are cuff links and you can pick from a number of Ballpark Stadiums all over the country--and they use the paint and material from the seats from those stadiums for the actual cuff links. I got Rian the Wrigley Field ones. And he really likes them.
And with my gift from Rian, he was very creative and meaningful with his gift. Basically what Rian gave me was a brochure for Vine Park Brewing Company which is a brewery on W. 7th in St Paul. I got to pick out what kind of wine that we would make there together. With the whole experience, you actually make enough wine for 30 bottles as well as you get to make your own labels to put on the bottles. And it was so sweet because when Rian was explaining all of this to me, he said that since we have 30 bottles of our own "Noelle and Rian Wine", every year on our anniversary we can open up a bottle of anniversary wine. That was the best part of the whole gift was just him saying that and knowing and thinking about our future and all of the time we will have together and things we have yet to experience together. Overall, it was a perfect evening and perfect anniversary!
I would also suggest to anyone with any interest in brewing or anything to check this place out. They do wine, beer and cider, as well as brew their own kinds of beer that you can buy. It is also a smart move for big events like weddings or bachelor parties or any parties because when it comes down to it, the cost per bottles of wine or beer is pretty cheap--plus you get to put your own labels on to personalize it. Check out their website and take a look!
We are making the Cab Sav --- Mmmmm red wine!!!Life really has been crazy these days with so many changes and happenings going on. We helped Elizabeth and Bryan move into their new house--which is wonderful. And I even got to spend a fun weekend there last weekend--enjoying the weather, deck, friends and lawn games! hehe
The weekend before that I hosted a baby shower for my good friend Theresa. It was a lot of work but it was fun and I'm so glad I could do that for her and baby boy DeWaay!
And then, the last weekend in June, Rian and I are driving down to Kansas City for a wedding! The wedding is our good friends Larry and Renee, who we always have a blast visiting in Milwaukee! It will be a fun filled, busy weekend because Rian is in the wedding, so it will be especially busy, but I cannot wait to see Rian all dressed up in a tux! I've never seen him in a tux before!!! And hopefully, it won't be the last! ;-) It will be quite an event and I'm so excited to be there for their special day! Here is a picture of Rian and I with Larry and Renee on our last visit to Milwaukee...And last but certainly not least---RIAN AND I ARE GOING TO NEW YORK CITY IN JULY!!!!!
Not that I'm excited about it at all---its just that NYC IS THE GREATEST CITY ON EARTH! lol Basically, I'm using the tax money I got and we are going to have a blast!!! Rian has never been there before, and its been 3 years since I've been there, so it was time. ALSO, a big reason why we are going at the time we are is because the MN Twins are in town playing the NY Yankees (boooo) BUT, it is the last season of Yankee Stadium before they tear it down and neither of us have ever been there and wanted to see it before it was demolished. And to see the Twins play there as well....I am just super pumped! My friend Jeff from CSS lives in Connecticut and him and his wife are probably going to join us for the game. I'm so pumped to be the obnoxious out of towners rooting for the away team! ESPECIALLY against the Yankees--the team I dislike the most!
Besides the game, I think Rian and I are going to play it pretty laid back and not plan too much. Like our trip to Chicago last summer, basically we just walked around and explored. That is what Rian and I are best at. And there is SO much to see in NY without having a game plan and just exploring. So that is what we will do! And this time, I refused to stay in an even slightly crappy hotel, so I found us a deal and we are staying at Hotel Metro in Midtown. My biggest selling point on this place (besides looking through endless reviews to make sure this place is legit) is the fact that they have a Rooftop Lounge that overlooks the Empire State Building. It looks absolutely amazing and I was convinced this was the place to be! I cannot wait to sit up there and enjoy the view!

I am all about advice with traveling to different places, so if you have any tips, suggestions or advice on NYC--please let me know!!!

Also--if you've actually made it through this much of my longass blog---It is with great sadness to say that I'm looking for another job. After all of the hard work and excitement of looking and finding this one---it just is not for me. I'm looking for something more challenging and definitely to NOT be anyone's assistant. That ship has sailed! lol So if you hear of anything or have any suggestions with that as well....please let me know!

Okay I'm done now! I guess that's what happens when you don't post for 2 months. But I promise I'll really try to keep up with it now and inform you all on the fabulous and exotic life that I lead. Or something like that....

Reality Check...

2008-04-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

Things seem to be headed towards spring/summer and it feels good.
Just to walk outside for 5 minutes to grab lunch was so nice today.

I haven't blogged in a while--but mostly I think it is because I don't think anyone actually reads my blog. haha Oh well.

This last weekend was really nice. Saturday morning I got up early, grabbed some caribou and went to get my hair did. I chopped it and dyed it and I think it looks decent. I get afraid though that people just give you the "Oohhh you got your hair cut!" And then they don't say anything else. It is always hard for me to know if people actually like it or not. lol Oh well, I'm the one who has to live with it and I think it is cute, so that's all that really matters. The color is fun too b/c it is dark but also there is some violet in there that really comes out in the sun. I love it. I think I look like a flapper from the fourties. Someone at work told me I look like Amelie. Either way, it is different and different is good. On Saturday afternoon, Rian and I drove down to the St. Peter/Mankato area.
We were going to go on a adventure around there but after driving around for 20 minutes, we realized there wasn't much to explore. But, we drove around and enjoyed each other. Then we went to dinner and headed to Gustavous Adolphus (sp?) to see Ben Folds in concert. And boy did that put things into perspective!
Me being 25 and Rian 28, we sure felt old being surrounded by 18-22 year olds.
These kids weren't even born when the Twins won their first World Series!!!
It was quite a reality check to be on the other side of things....being the older looking people at something that I've always been so used to being the youthful one. Such is life though. Either way, Ben Folds put on a kick ass show (can i say kick ass if I'm 25??) Mr. Folds actually sings Me and Rian's "song" but unfortunately didn't sing it on Saturday evening. Oh well. I'll just have to hire him to play the piano and sing "The Luckiest" on the cliff overlooking a waterfall in Hawaii where Rian and I will get married. lol Or something like that.
The only downer of the night was the Wild losing and ending their season.
Oh well---now all of my concentration can go to the Twins!

Here is a picture of Rian and I on Saturday night before the concert. You can kind of see my haircut. lol

Otherwise, this week, I'm just looking forward to catching up with friends I haven't seen in a while.
Tonight, I'm going over to my good friend from high school Monica's house for dinner and a walk around Como Lake.
Tomorrow night, I'm going to be meeting some of my past co-workers from the Hennepin Theatres at Chambers downtown Minneapolis for a nice night. Chambers is having an event for their partners and since the theatres are a big partner, they are invited and inviting me! hehe Free drinks and apps from 530-730 on the rooftop lounge! I cannot wait! I certainly do miss my friends from my old job. But I'm lucky that they miss me too and want to get together!
Friday night, Rian and I are going out for sushi happy hour at our favorite place--Koyi Sushi in downtown mpls.
We haven't been there in months because it is really close to my old office and Rian used to pick me up after work and we would go over there for a fantastic happy hour! The prices are great and the rolls are even better!
I cannot wait to go there again. And I recommend anyone that loves sushi to check it out! Happy Hour is 4:30-6:30 Monday thru Friday! Check it out!

Life is just rolling along these days. May and June are both already filling up with me and Rian's weekend getaway with Elizabeth and Bryan before they move, the actual move, Rian is gone a couple weekends and also Larry and Renee's wedding the last weekend in June in kansas city! Crazy but I cannot wait.
I love being busy in the summer and having so many fun things to do and look forward to!

I'm hoping sometime this week I will catch a move---I want to see Smart People. And also, I'm challenging Rian to a game of tennis, which I know he'll kick my sorry ass, but I'm going to make him help me improve my game so I can eventually kick his ass. ha Just hoping the weather continues to hold up and I can actually bring out my summer clothes. And of course go shopping for more!

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

2008-03-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

MATCH DAY!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So my sister asked me to update her blog to let everyone know what happened today at 11am, so instead of telling the whole story AGAIN, I'm just going to send you all to my sister's blog to read a recap of my hellish morning with a beautiful ending!

http://pershe.blogspot.com/

Go there and read the news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*noelle

Clifford

2008-03-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

I told Rian and someday I would have a post dedicated to Clifford and since I just put a bunch of Clifford pictures online...here goes....

This one is for clifford.

Clifford Snoop Deville Heaslip The First came to live with Rian in December of 2005. Rian got him from an animal rescue of pets from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. (Even though Rian is convinced that Clifford ran all the way up here from New Orleans to live with him!)
Cliff is an American Staffordshire Terrier...part of the American Pitt Bull Terrier family.
Here is a little info...... American Staffordshire Terrier

Although there is a big stereotype on pitt bulls and any dog that looks like them, I can honestly say that clifford is one of the most loving dogs ever. His favorite thing to do (besides play wrestle with Rian) is to scratch at us until we lift up the covers for him to sneak underneath. He loves to cuddle like no dog I've ever met. He loves to be close to people and keep them warm.
I actually have the pleasure of taking care of him next week while Rian is off playing in Vegas, but I don't mind because Clifford and I always have fun together. I know he'll always be my cuddle buddy. If anything, to set the record straight and to stop this stereotype---Clifford and all kinds of dogs like him are NOT violent or mean or anything even close to it. They are the sweetest, most loving dogs you could ever ask for.
Rian and I can't wait until we eventually buy a house so we can get ANOTHER puppy! hehe

Here are some pictures of Clifford so you can see how truly handsome he is!!!

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

Can you even stand it?!?! I can't! After 6 looooooong months of job searching, endless resumes and cover letters, uncomfortable interviews and even more uncomfortable rejection letters and emails, I GOT A JOB!!! Sadly, my last day here at the theatres is Friday, Feb 15th. And tonight will be my last show here as an employee.....Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I'm excited to see it and it is definitely bittersweet for me, but I am definitely on to a better, healthier job atmosphere.

I have been hired at tpt (twin cities public television) as the Development Assistant in the Philanthropic Funding Department. Pretty fancy, huh??
I couldn't be more excited! I will be making more money (so Rian and I can start saving for a house), I will be a lot closer to home and I just have the feeling that it will be a great atmosphere to work in along with great people. For the first time in so long, I feel wanted in a job and feel like I'm not just an employee but that I'm part of a team where I'm actually making a difference and using my skills. And especially, be challenged and excited by the work I'm doing.
My new boss sent out an email this morning to all of tpt welcoming me to the tpt family and she had so many nice things to say about me. That just solidified to me that I'm moving in the right direction to a positive work environment.
It will be a bittersweet end to my time here, but lord knows I'll be back for as many shows as I can go to. The people here (that I actually like) I will keep in touch with for sure.
I've already gotten emotional about leaving but know that I cannot stay here any longer and that I'm meant for bigger and better things than being a front desk/admin asst for any longer.

I am so excited to start this new chapter in my life. And start off with a clean slate....see where the world decides to take me now.
And of course, what goes better with a new chapter in your life and a clean start?
A NEW WARDROBE!!!! That's right folks, its time to go SHOPPING!!!

Trendy Mode

2008-01-07T16:11:00.000-06:00

I've boldly started a new blog.

It is not so much the personal side of my life...but other fun and interesting things...

Check it out to see exactly what I'm getting myself into.

http://trendy-mode.blogspot.com/

The Year of Noelle

2008-01-02T16:26:00.000-06:00

Apparently, according to Rian---2008 is "The Year of Noelle."
In any sense of the word, I hope he is right. I am hoping for some great things to happen this year...who knows. But some changes would be nice. Especially in certain areas of my life. Because at this point, I'm not too jazzed about starting the new year still at my current job. I'm struggling like hell to find a new job; one where I am happy and challenged and respected and enjoy my co-workers and bosses. I'm going to continue to bust my ass (like i have been for the past 4 months) to find a new job where I can look at those 40 hours a week as a contribution to my life instead of a burden.
Enough of work crap....Here are some pictures from my trip to California to visit my fantastic family that I started to miss the second I left.

But we had a wonderful time and I can't wait to go back!My fav pic of the trip! Alisha and I at Santana Row.

Nancy and I.

Me, Ashley & Lish

My Cali fam at Christmas in the Park in San Jose.

Alisha and I at the San Jose Sharks hockey game.

Alisha in her dance studio where she takes classes AND she teaches the most adorable little girls!

Alisha and I out in downtown San Jose

Our matching CONS!

Out with Lish and her friends in Downtown San Jose.

So there are some lovely pictures of my trip to No Cal...as the kids call it.
Can't wait for Alisha to come visit me! But only in the warmer weather months! hehe LOVE YOU LISH!

Otherwise, I have some pics from Christmas and misc that I'll have to post as well. SO glad it is Wednesday and the day is almost over. And then Friday is our second week of Broomball! Can't wait!

Tila Tuesday

2007-12-11T16:17:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know I'm ridiculous but I cannot wait for the finale of Tila Tequila: A Shot At Love! Tonight is the night she decides it all! If she wants a man or a women. Or more specifically: Danni or Bobby!
The plan for the night sounds great to me. Laura has stuff for dinner that we will make. And when I say we, I mean mostly Laura and if she needs help stirring or something--I will jump in. Otherwise, the concept of our roommate dinners is Laura cooking diligently and Noelle opening a bottle of wine and poking around seeing what is easy enough to help out with.
So....dinner and wine with roommate---check!
tila tequila and a shot at love finale---check!
Next on the agenda for tonight is Laura is going to dye my hair. She is wonderful at it and pretty much the only non-hair expert person I trust to mess with the color of my hair. Because like my mom told me yesterday---"if you dye your hair too much, you will get cancer." Thanks Mom. But I love my hair dark! So tonight it will become Brownest Black!
And if all of that excitement weren't enough for the evening...I must begin packing for my trip to CALIFORNIA!!!!
I leave in 2 days, people----2 DAYS!!!!!
Which means that this week has been/is the longest work week ever! The minutes just tick by so slowly. But two days from now I will only be mere hours away from boarding NW Flight # 355 to San Francisco! Alisha has SO many fun things planned that I can't even think about it or I get too excited! I could care less though....we could sit around and BS for 4 days and I would be happy with that!
Since the last picture of me and alisha was messed up for some reason, I'm going to add another one so you can all see my beautiful cousin that I love so much and cannot wait to see in only 2 days!!!
Here we are when Alisha was here for my sister's wedding....at the slots

And here we are at my cousin's wedding...being silly like always!

I couldn't be happier to spend time with her and my other family as well!
CALIFORNIA HERE I COME!

You know you hate your job when...

2007-12-07T09:59:00.000-06:00

You really don't mind going to the dentist if that means you can leave work. ha
That's where I'm at today because I have a cleaning at 12:20 and then I'm NOT coming back to work. I'm driving over to hang out with my Mom. Maybe some Christmas shopping or a pedicure. I definitely need a pedicure before my trip to Cali!!! I can't believe I leave in 6 days!!! My cousin just texted me and told me that next Friday night the whole family is getting together at their Grandma's house so everyone can see me! I'm like the guest of honor at the party! hehe I better start thinking up jokes and funny anecdotes so I don't disappoint!
So although I do not like my job---I still need to plug a show that is coming to the State Theatre in the first two weeks of January.
AVENUE Q!!!!! Check out the website for more info... www.avenueq.com
I promise you won't regret it....You will laugh until you can't laugh anymore!!!

Otherwise....I am not too happy with the Metro Transit of the Twin Cities right now. I understand that this past week was crazy with the snow and the traffic and I get that. Even though I was late getting home on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.....but what really bothers me is that last night--when there really wasn't much traffic AT ALL, my bus was ONE HOUR LATE!!! And let me tell you, it wasn't warm out last night. I couldn't feel my feet or hands or anything after I finally got on the bus! It was RIDICULOUS! My feet are still thawing. Sorry for the rant but it was soooooo cold! I really shouldn't complain though considering I will be in 60 degree weather in only 6 days!!!
And my sister and Bryan get back from their crazy trip today. Luckily, Rian works at the airport so he is right there to pick them up and drop them off!!! What a nice guy!
Looking forward to the weekend and my 4 day work week next week!!
Here is another collage that I made....lol....it is pictures of me and my beautiful family from my cousin's wedding last September...

photoshop fun.

2007-11-29T14:41:00.000-06:00

This is what I have to show for....for about 2 hours this morning. I was reintroducing myself to photoshop after the class I took in college. I had a blast with it! This morning...not with the class. I was very frustrated with the class because I felt like I was creative and then I looked around at everyone else and they had SO much more awesomer stuff! lol Oh well. Maybe I'll buy Photoshop for Dummies. That would help me out a bit. If I got good enough, I think it would be interesting to use it in the work setting. I know I barely skimmed what photoshop can do with my collage but it was just a rough draft. Still....I think it is pretty cute. I might make a copy for myself!

Thank GOD it is Thursday and this week is almost over! And soon begins December and my many days off of work! Speaking of....long story short, yesterday I booked my plane ticket to San Francisco, CA!!! I leave 2 weeks from TODAY!
I actually decided on Tuesday that I wanted to go....talked to my cousin Alisha (who lives there--who I just adore but don't see very often) about it and she told me I had to come, so that's what I am doing! I love this spur of the moment traveling!
The only concrete plans we have is that we are going to the San Jose Sharks hockey game one afternoon I'm there. Otherwise, we are going to fly by the seat of our pants and just hang out. It will be great to be there and be with my family, who I don't get to see very often. Especially Alisha...she is one of those people who I don't have to see very much but whenever we do see each other, we pick up right where we left off and it is like no time has passed. It is wonderful.
Here is Alisha and I...November 2006 (the last time we saw each other)

Can't wait for all of the pictures we will take in a couple weeks!!! You know we will!

Otherwise, life is staying busy with Christmas things. Busy with travels and Elizabeth and Bryan going everywhere for Bryan's interviews.
Looking forward to a fun weekend. Saturday night is girls christmas night!
Then Sunday, Rian and I are going to the Wild Game!
But tonight, going out after work for happy hour for Mary's Birthday!!! Yay!

Things are just rolling along.............

14 Days until my trip to Cali....
26 Days until Christmas....

UUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

2007-11-21T15:28:00.000-06:00

Wow! What a day! That's all I can say. It has been a rough one, but I only have 2 hours to go! And then I have a four day weekend! Wooooohooooo
I won't go on and on about it...but let's just say....
Happiness in the workplace is VERY underrated. Think of how much time you spend at work each week---and how much time you spend with others. The work time adds up...and life is too short to be unhappy that much time out of your week.

THERE! I'M DONE! No more crying!!!

On a happier note, I'm excited to hang out with my best buds from high school...Monica and Kelly. Should be a good time. Wine and good friends--what else do you need?
And then tomorrow morning, Rian and I are leaving for Duluth to spend thanksgiving with his family. Good Times. Here are some pictures since they make me happy...
PICTURE I TOOK IN ROME

PICTURE I TOOK IN DISNEY WORLD

PICTURE OF ME IN NYC BY MY SHOW---AVENUE Q

My Sister.

2007-11-19T16:44:00.000-06:00

Since my sister is probably the only person that has read this so far...and even commented...and in her comment bugged me about not having a picture of her up....this is for you Lizard Breath....

*Me and my sister at the Michael Buble concert this past summer*

happy now elizabeth???

Birthday Presents

2007-11-19T15:31:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, Rian and I did some fun shopping. For both of our birthdays...since mine is 10/17 and his is 11/9...we decided we could go together to get our presents.
Rian originally bought me a necklace but when he got it, didn't like it so he sent it back....so we were on a mission to buy me a necklace. And for him, he wanted some clothes or something like that. But since he is the PICKIEST person I've ever met when it comes to clothes, it is better for us to go shopping together to make sure I get him what he wants.
Over the weekend, we got Rian a nice winter coat and he wanted these shoes from me as his present. For those of you who do not know, Rian played baseball in college and throughout his whole life...still plays...so obviously these are something he would want....

They are super cute and are perfect for him.

And as far as my present goes.....I am very excited about it so here is a picture of my beautiful necklace that Rian bought me for my 25th birthday....
It is so wonderful and I love it. I'm very happy with the purchase....and glad I could make up my mind on what I wanted!

It was fun to do that kind of shopping together and to make sure we both got what we wanted. And we did!

One More Can't Hurt...

2007-11-19T14:45:00.000-06:00

I figure....I'm on every other site like myspace...facebook....etc. Might as well start a blog on here too. I keep up to date with my sister and her friends (even if they don't know it!) Maybe I can get some of my friends to start this up too. It seems fun and definitely a nice distraction from work or in my case, a nice distraction from job searching at work.
I wonder if I can figure out any pictures to go on here....I just put all of my pictures on CDs at Target, so I think that is a good way to store them at this point. We'll see what pictures I can scrounge up that are on my computer already.

I'm exhausted today--but SO glad that it is a short work week. Although, it is a busy week in itself. Thanksgiving morning, Rian and I are driving to Duluth to have Thanksgiving with his family. Then we got a room at Blackbear that nice which I am super pumped about. It was only $45!!! They have a pool and hot tub and sauna that we will take full advantage of. Not to mention gambling! ha We'll see if I can win anything---but I usually leave that up to Rian. Then, we are driving home Friday afternoon. We have to make some desserts and cupcakes though for Saturday because it is Rian's mom and aunt's 50th birthday party. So we have that on Saturday then on Sunday it is Rian's Mom AND Dad's actual birthdays....and so Rian can be with both of them on their real birthdays...me, Rian and his mom are driving up to Duluth to have dinner with his Dad and driving back that night.
CRAZINESS!!!
But it will be a fun crazy. I'm excited to spend Thanksgiving with Rian's family--even though I'll miss my Grandma's cooking! I'll just make up for it on Christmas.

Busy Busy week....but at least it is a busy week with days off of work!

Hope you like my new blog. I'll probably update it quite often since it like I said--I need plenty of distractions from work!

Here is a couple pictures I found.......ENJOY!

Rian Blaze & I (2 summers ago I think....)

Rian and I in our hotel room in Chicago

Here is a picture I took in Chicago this past summer...

I'll probably do more posts today since I'm getting into it and it is a lot of fun!!!