we had a great weekend. friends bridget and shane came to visit with their kids (kallie & wyatt)
we had a great time catching up and we managed to do quite a bit.
we went to a timberwolves bb game on friday night. the kids enjoyed it. griffin liked watching the mascots and all the lights. the game itself was pretty unmemorable and boring.
saturday we went to the moa. it was SOOO busy. i have not seen it that busy before, even at christmas. but, it was still a good time and the kids liked going on rides.
that night we just hung out at our house, had some drinks and food and enjoyed the company.
griffin loved hanging out with their kids. they were so good with him too. dan and i barely had to lift a finger all weekend...they kept him pretty entertained!
yesterday what i thought were allergies has now turned into a full-blown cold and i feel like shit. hopefully i can shake it soon!
this week is dan's birthday. wednesday night. he's looking forward to a night watching Lost. (not much different than any other Wednesday night). his request is to have one of his comfort foods from his childhood....$5000 casserole. Not sure of the exact ingredients, other than it has cream of mushroom. of course. all caseroles have that.
nothing much to report. griffin continues to be funny and sweet.
dan and i have started our running training. he's got a 14 week program for his half-marathon he's running in may. I've just got my "couch-to-5k" program. the couch is way better, in my opinion.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
finally updating!
wow, it's been awhile since i've posted.
i'm super busy at work, and then after g goes to bed, when i typically would update this blog...i've been obsessing about taking a trip, so pretty much spent every night looking for deals.
so, what's been up with us...we've been really busy and having lots of fun.
a couple weeks ago dan had his work party at the office. g and i came and ate our way around the party. the fish head with the eyeballs didn't appetize us, but plenty of other junk to eat! his parties are always great. we spent another weekend evening at pete/kims house having s'mores and watching the kids play. g, haugen and burke are becoming quite chummy.
i was able to go out one night to my friend myra's party. she had just gotten back from a 2-week trip to africa and she had her photos. it looked to have been an amazing experience...helping be part of an orphanage clinic being built and also climbing mt. kili.
last weekend we got out of town. we went to THE DELLS! it was a nice little valentines day get-away. and it was just what we needed to feel a bit more rejuvinated! we spent a lot of time in the waterpark. griffin is pretty timid of the water still..but he loved watching others splash around. there were a few things he was comfortable doing and he had a great time with that.
we had a new experience for him as well - we went bowling! he liked that, and it was nice to be able to do something fun, and he kept himself entertained.
in addition to that - we saw family, spent time with our super friend, and just had a great long weekend.
oh, a couple of concerts have also highlighted our past few weeks. we saw michael franti and spearhead...which has to be one of my top 5 concerts of all times. it was amazing...a totally positive vibe and lots of energy. dan saw some metal show, which i can't really report on...but he's been talking about it alot since then, so it must have been good. i have no idea how to spell the name...but it sounds like more sugar. i think it's meshuggah. on a positive note - he was worried he'd get forearm acne from all the mosh-pitting and that didn't happen - so score one for dan!
the past weekend we took g to the aquarium at the moa. he liked it...i thought it was a rip-off. luckily we had discount tickets!
saturday night dan and i had a babysitter and had a date! we went to a great restaurant in sw mpls - la chaya. it was GREAT. after dinner we were able to see our friend steve from london who was in town visiting.
yesterday griffin got a cute new haircut and then we went to choo choo bobs. he loves that place, and always has so much fun watching the electric trains going around and around. he could sit there for hours.
last night i rounded out the weekend by going to a concert at the varsity with some work friends. we saw gary louris and mark olson (of the jayhawks). it was a fantastic show and i love that venue. luckily it was an early show, so i was able to get home and get some sleep!
griffin has been a lot of fun lately and he's really articulating what he wants to say and saying the most adorable things.
he did say "poopyhead" yesterday - so dan and i had to let him know that wasn't funny to say. ooops. all of our "poop talk" from his younger days must have caught up.
he's been so much better in the eating department. he's trying at least a bite of everything so we are thrilled about that.
music class has been fun...he seems to enjoy having all his little friends over. i'm getting sick of the songs, but i'm trying to come up with new stuff to do each week (the kids don't always like doing new ones, but i can only stand to hear some of these songs so much)
last tuesday at class he and haugen were jumping on his bed after class and it was funny to hear them talking to one another. it's so crazy how quickly time has flown by. they are carrying on conversations! i called griffin out to the living room to tell him something and i heard him tell haugen: "haugen, i'll be right back, my mom needs me. ok, haugen? stay here, i'll be right back".
he comes running out and is like "yes, mama?"
i doubt he'll be obeying like that in a few years from now! but at least for this moment dan and i the most important thing and he will come a-runnin when we call him. he's a sweetie for sure.
i got some new running shoes and am going to really try sticking to a training program. this is my last ditch effort at running. i think i hate it...but i want to be sure. i know it's mostly mental - so if i can get over that hump, i really WANT to like running - it's easy, convenient and a good workout when your crunched for time. but, if i REALLY try for the next couple of months to stick to a program and still hate it at the end - i think i'm going to just accept it and do other things that i do enjoy.
dan has been AWESOME at running. he was a runner in high school, so i think it comes naturally. he's been going regularly and saturday he ran for an hour straight. wowza. his goal is to do a couple of half marathons this year, as well as a duathalon. i'm amazed at how motivated he is. now if some of that would rub off on me...
i will post some photos one of these days. i don't think we took any photos since christmas - so we really need to get the camera out.
i'm super busy at work, and then after g goes to bed, when i typically would update this blog...i've been obsessing about taking a trip, so pretty much spent every night looking for deals.
so, what's been up with us...we've been really busy and having lots of fun.
a couple weeks ago dan had his work party at the office. g and i came and ate our way around the party. the fish head with the eyeballs didn't appetize us, but plenty of other junk to eat! his parties are always great. we spent another weekend evening at pete/kims house having s'mores and watching the kids play. g, haugen and burke are becoming quite chummy.
i was able to go out one night to my friend myra's party. she had just gotten back from a 2-week trip to africa and she had her photos. it looked to have been an amazing experience...helping be part of an orphanage clinic being built and also climbing mt. kili.
last weekend we got out of town. we went to THE DELLS! it was a nice little valentines day get-away. and it was just what we needed to feel a bit more rejuvinated! we spent a lot of time in the waterpark. griffin is pretty timid of the water still..but he loved watching others splash around. there were a few things he was comfortable doing and he had a great time with that.
we had a new experience for him as well - we went bowling! he liked that, and it was nice to be able to do something fun, and he kept himself entertained.
in addition to that - we saw family, spent time with our super friend, and just had a great long weekend.
oh, a couple of concerts have also highlighted our past few weeks. we saw michael franti and spearhead...which has to be one of my top 5 concerts of all times. it was amazing...a totally positive vibe and lots of energy. dan saw some metal show, which i can't really report on...but he's been talking about it alot since then, so it must have been good. i have no idea how to spell the name...but it sounds like more sugar. i think it's meshuggah. on a positive note - he was worried he'd get forearm acne from all the mosh-pitting and that didn't happen - so score one for dan!
the past weekend we took g to the aquarium at the moa. he liked it...i thought it was a rip-off. luckily we had discount tickets!
saturday night dan and i had a babysitter and had a date! we went to a great restaurant in sw mpls - la chaya. it was GREAT. after dinner we were able to see our friend steve from london who was in town visiting.
yesterday griffin got a cute new haircut and then we went to choo choo bobs. he loves that place, and always has so much fun watching the electric trains going around and around. he could sit there for hours.
last night i rounded out the weekend by going to a concert at the varsity with some work friends. we saw gary louris and mark olson (of the jayhawks). it was a fantastic show and i love that venue. luckily it was an early show, so i was able to get home and get some sleep!
griffin has been a lot of fun lately and he's really articulating what he wants to say and saying the most adorable things.
he did say "poopyhead" yesterday - so dan and i had to let him know that wasn't funny to say. ooops. all of our "poop talk" from his younger days must have caught up.
he's been so much better in the eating department. he's trying at least a bite of everything so we are thrilled about that.
music class has been fun...he seems to enjoy having all his little friends over. i'm getting sick of the songs, but i'm trying to come up with new stuff to do each week (the kids don't always like doing new ones, but i can only stand to hear some of these songs so much)
last tuesday at class he and haugen were jumping on his bed after class and it was funny to hear them talking to one another. it's so crazy how quickly time has flown by. they are carrying on conversations! i called griffin out to the living room to tell him something and i heard him tell haugen: "haugen, i'll be right back, my mom needs me. ok, haugen? stay here, i'll be right back".
he comes running out and is like "yes, mama?"
i doubt he'll be obeying like that in a few years from now! but at least for this moment dan and i the most important thing and he will come a-runnin when we call him. he's a sweetie for sure.
i got some new running shoes and am going to really try sticking to a training program. this is my last ditch effort at running. i think i hate it...but i want to be sure. i know it's mostly mental - so if i can get over that hump, i really WANT to like running - it's easy, convenient and a good workout when your crunched for time. but, if i REALLY try for the next couple of months to stick to a program and still hate it at the end - i think i'm going to just accept it and do other things that i do enjoy.
dan has been AWESOME at running. he was a runner in high school, so i think it comes naturally. he's been going regularly and saturday he ran for an hour straight. wowza. his goal is to do a couple of half marathons this year, as well as a duathalon. i'm amazed at how motivated he is. now if some of that would rub off on me...
i will post some photos one of these days. i don't think we took any photos since christmas - so we really need to get the camera out.
Friday, February 6, 2009
wheel of sickness
we have been trading off who has been sick in our house. i was feeling a bit crappy a few weeks ago. then griffin, then dan...and now me again! i think i'm on the upward swing, but this week has been a long one.
we had music class tuesday night and though it was a smaller class, everyone had fun. i tried to incorporate a couple of new songs in our repertoire, but g didn't want to have anything to do with them. he voiced his opinion loudly telling me, "i don't like this song, shut it off!" who doesn't like james taylor??? apparently griffin. i guess he doesn't have a friend in grif.
this yo, gabba gabba show that i mentioned in my last post...damn. seriously. THIS is the kind of show i need to create. just complete trippy nonsense that has catchy tunes and you are wondering how on earth people are dancing around in these costumes and singing about snacky snack snacks, but yet your kicking yourself that it wasn't your genius idea. i make up at least a few songs each week that has as good of lyrics as dj lance and his gabba land characters.
anyway, this has been the show of choice for the past week. we let griffin watch 30 minutes of tv each night before bed...and this has been his pick. i will just have to be jealous that i didn't come up with this idea before nick jr. picked it up.
the weekend should be swell - tonight dan has his company anniversary party. g and i will head over there for a bit to eat some snacky snack snacks.
tomorrow we are going to get our taxes done. our tax dude is awesome...he makes all kinds of fantastic noises while doing our taxes. he takes his spit and swishes it around in his mouth in many different ways. and he does all of this clicking and clucking with his mouth. it's really fascinating to listen to. i have to make sure not to laugh out loud.
tomorrow night i will go out to celebrate myra's belated birthday and hear all about her trip to africa and climbing mt. kili! looking forward to catching up with some friends.
we had music class tuesday night and though it was a smaller class, everyone had fun. i tried to incorporate a couple of new songs in our repertoire, but g didn't want to have anything to do with them. he voiced his opinion loudly telling me, "i don't like this song, shut it off!" who doesn't like james taylor??? apparently griffin. i guess he doesn't have a friend in grif.
this yo, gabba gabba show that i mentioned in my last post...damn. seriously. THIS is the kind of show i need to create. just complete trippy nonsense that has catchy tunes and you are wondering how on earth people are dancing around in these costumes and singing about snacky snack snacks, but yet your kicking yourself that it wasn't your genius idea. i make up at least a few songs each week that has as good of lyrics as dj lance and his gabba land characters.
anyway, this has been the show of choice for the past week. we let griffin watch 30 minutes of tv each night before bed...and this has been his pick. i will just have to be jealous that i didn't come up with this idea before nick jr. picked it up.
the weekend should be swell - tonight dan has his company anniversary party. g and i will head over there for a bit to eat some snacky snack snacks.
tomorrow we are going to get our taxes done. our tax dude is awesome...he makes all kinds of fantastic noises while doing our taxes. he takes his spit and swishes it around in his mouth in many different ways. and he does all of this clicking and clucking with his mouth. it's really fascinating to listen to. i have to make sure not to laugh out loud.
tomorrow night i will go out to celebrate myra's belated birthday and hear all about her trip to africa and climbing mt. kili! looking forward to catching up with some friends.
Friday, January 30, 2009
january - be gone
tomorrow is the last day of january - thank goodness. we are tired of the cold and this month has been a long, cold one.
the boys wound up sick last weekend. griffin wasn't himself last thursday and by friday night he had a fever and was just really tired. dan and i had a feeling...and we were right. he woke up around 11:30 with the croup cough. ugh. so, we spent the rest of the night/early morning outside in the cold, or in the steam shower. that seems to help him. he finally fell asleep for an hour or two around 6 a.m., so dan and i were able to get a bit of sleep.
saturday morning dan babysat for burke while i tried to get g feeling better. we did a lot of watching tv and laying around. that afternoon i managed to get out to have a bit of fun. dina, nena and i met for pedicures and an early dinner. we decided that since jes and julie were soaking up the sun in mexico and we were stuck in the crap -20 weather that we should treat ourselves. it was great hanging out and getting pampered.
by the time i got home saturday evening, griffin was starting to feel better, but dan started feeling sick. griffin managed to sleep most of the night on saturday night, only waking up once, but with not too bad of croup symptoms.
sunday brought griffin feeling better and dan feeling worse. i took g to choo choo bobs to get out of the house for a bit...we all needed a break from the tv watching.
monday griffin was pretty much back to normal, so we decided that i should go ahead with my work trip as planned. dan stayed home from work that day to fully recover.
my work trip was good. i went on a couple of press checks and managed to have fun with my co-workers. i got home wednesday night and it was great to see my boys.
dan was feeling better and g was good.
this weekend is pretty low-key. tomorrow night we are babysitting george and jimmy overnight. i'm sure it will be fun...especially for griffin and jimmy to play together.
apparently it's supposed to warm up to 30 tomorrow. woo. a heat wave.
not much else to report...except that whoever created the tv show "yo, gabba gabba" had to be tripping on acid.
the boys wound up sick last weekend. griffin wasn't himself last thursday and by friday night he had a fever and was just really tired. dan and i had a feeling...and we were right. he woke up around 11:30 with the croup cough. ugh. so, we spent the rest of the night/early morning outside in the cold, or in the steam shower. that seems to help him. he finally fell asleep for an hour or two around 6 a.m., so dan and i were able to get a bit of sleep.
saturday morning dan babysat for burke while i tried to get g feeling better. we did a lot of watching tv and laying around. that afternoon i managed to get out to have a bit of fun. dina, nena and i met for pedicures and an early dinner. we decided that since jes and julie were soaking up the sun in mexico and we were stuck in the crap -20 weather that we should treat ourselves. it was great hanging out and getting pampered.
by the time i got home saturday evening, griffin was starting to feel better, but dan started feeling sick. griffin managed to sleep most of the night on saturday night, only waking up once, but with not too bad of croup symptoms.
sunday brought griffin feeling better and dan feeling worse. i took g to choo choo bobs to get out of the house for a bit...we all needed a break from the tv watching.
monday griffin was pretty much back to normal, so we decided that i should go ahead with my work trip as planned. dan stayed home from work that day to fully recover.
my work trip was good. i went on a couple of press checks and managed to have fun with my co-workers. i got home wednesday night and it was great to see my boys.
dan was feeling better and g was good.
this weekend is pretty low-key. tomorrow night we are babysitting george and jimmy overnight. i'm sure it will be fun...especially for griffin and jimmy to play together.
apparently it's supposed to warm up to 30 tomorrow. woo. a heat wave.
not much else to report...except that whoever created the tv show "yo, gabba gabba" had to be tripping on acid.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
updates
it's been awhile. i have actually been busy at work and then don't have a ton of time at night to update. i could say because it's all of the freelance work i've been doing (which is true), or the exercise i have been doing (umm, yeah), but in reality...i've been spending my nights searching caribbean destinations. not to say those dreams will become reality...but it gives me something to think about, other than this crap weather.
just to be ready if anything ever came up...we went this past weekend to apply for a passport for the little man. (and renew mine). a total racket. they charged $17 per picture (and your required to have 2), so between mine and g's...it was $68 for the pictures alone, as well as $100 for my passport to be renewed and $85 for his! there goes our trip money. i guess we just get in our swimsuits, flash our new passports around and eat chips/salsa while wearing fanny packs, large brimmed hats and a camera around our neck. oh, maybe to be real authentic, i can go get some braids put in my hair. sweet.
in other news...our music class has gone surprisingly well. the parents really get into it, which is awesome, and the kids all seem to enjoy it. it's cute watching them all interact with each other. i'm guessing our neighbors are wondering what kind of kinky shit we are into...as they probably see a bunch of grown adults marching around while doing hip moves and hand gestures. (the windows are just high enough they probably don't see the cute little kiddos that are also in our train line as we pass the windows).
anyway - it's going great and all (but 1) parent came back last night for round 2.
dan is going to have to lead it next week, as i have to go out of town for work. he'll be great. although - he may try to mix it up with his metal music (griffin calls it "cookie monster" music)
last weekend i went out to dinner to celebrate emilie's life. it was on her birthday. it was great to celebrate such a wonderful person - with people that knew her in the same capacity as i did. it was fun to catch up, chat with these lovely women and of course eat loads of carbs at buca.
just to be ready if anything ever came up...we went this past weekend to apply for a passport for the little man. (and renew mine). a total racket. they charged $17 per picture (and your required to have 2), so between mine and g's...it was $68 for the pictures alone, as well as $100 for my passport to be renewed and $85 for his! there goes our trip money. i guess we just get in our swimsuits, flash our new passports around and eat chips/salsa while wearing fanny packs, large brimmed hats and a camera around our neck. oh, maybe to be real authentic, i can go get some braids put in my hair. sweet.
in other news...our music class has gone surprisingly well. the parents really get into it, which is awesome, and the kids all seem to enjoy it. it's cute watching them all interact with each other. i'm guessing our neighbors are wondering what kind of kinky shit we are into...as they probably see a bunch of grown adults marching around while doing hip moves and hand gestures. (the windows are just high enough they probably don't see the cute little kiddos that are also in our train line as we pass the windows).
anyway - it's going great and all (but 1) parent came back last night for round 2.
dan is going to have to lead it next week, as i have to go out of town for work. he'll be great. although - he may try to mix it up with his metal music (griffin calls it "cookie monster" music)
last weekend i went out to dinner to celebrate emilie's life. it was on her birthday. it was great to celebrate such a wonderful person - with people that knew her in the same capacity as i did. it was fun to catch up, chat with these lovely women and of course eat loads of carbs at buca.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
the first week of 09
so far 09 is off to a fairly decent start.
things are picking up a lot a work, which makes the days go by quickly.
this weekend was a good one. we were able to see some friends, fit in some exercise, get some cleaning done and put together our plan for our music class.
we did have to make a pit stop to walmart yesterday. that is the only place that sells the filters for our brand of humidifier. sorry in advance if this offends anyone...but that place is a shithole. dan and i were immediately put in foul moods just by stepping foot in the store (actually, for me it started in the parking lot). it is dirty, poorly laid out, completely disorganized and it just gives you a nasty feeling. after spending about 10 minutes looking for something particular, i asked an employee and they just stared at me and said, "i don't think we have that". (a shower curtain liner? really?) anyway - besides that awful 30 minutes of our day, the weekend has been great.
so, we had taken griffin to music together music classes when he was a year old. we took about 5 sessions of this and griffin seemed to enjoy it...but it's gotten super expensive and didn't seem to be worth it anymore. i had some lame-o idea that we could recreate the music class at our own house. dan went along with my idea and we promptly put off doing anything about it. well - class starts on tuesday! and we actually have a bunch of friends and their kids coming over. this will be humorous.
we just burned our master "class" cd today. next we have to practice. we were dancing around the living room this morning (ummm..maybe it was just me), while griffin looked at me as if saying "who's mom are you? i'm not going to claim you, your embarrasing yourself".
usually singing to a captive audience is right up my alley, but it usually involves alcohol and the lyrics to alanis morrisette on the karoke screen. i'm not sure if my antics will hold a bunch of 2-3 year olds attention! if nothing else - it will be fun to have griffins buddies over (i imagine in 15 years the same buddies will come over and be like, "hey, remember when your mom showed all of us her awesome musical abilities? she is so cool, how do you even stand it? your so lucky g-dawg!" - or, you know...something like that)
things are picking up a lot a work, which makes the days go by quickly.
this weekend was a good one. we were able to see some friends, fit in some exercise, get some cleaning done and put together our plan for our music class.
we did have to make a pit stop to walmart yesterday. that is the only place that sells the filters for our brand of humidifier. sorry in advance if this offends anyone...but that place is a shithole. dan and i were immediately put in foul moods just by stepping foot in the store (actually, for me it started in the parking lot). it is dirty, poorly laid out, completely disorganized and it just gives you a nasty feeling. after spending about 10 minutes looking for something particular, i asked an employee and they just stared at me and said, "i don't think we have that". (a shower curtain liner? really?) anyway - besides that awful 30 minutes of our day, the weekend has been great.
so, we had taken griffin to music together music classes when he was a year old. we took about 5 sessions of this and griffin seemed to enjoy it...but it's gotten super expensive and didn't seem to be worth it anymore. i had some lame-o idea that we could recreate the music class at our own house. dan went along with my idea and we promptly put off doing anything about it. well - class starts on tuesday! and we actually have a bunch of friends and their kids coming over. this will be humorous.
we just burned our master "class" cd today. next we have to practice. we were dancing around the living room this morning (ummm..maybe it was just me), while griffin looked at me as if saying "who's mom are you? i'm not going to claim you, your embarrasing yourself".
usually singing to a captive audience is right up my alley, but it usually involves alcohol and the lyrics to alanis morrisette on the karoke screen. i'm not sure if my antics will hold a bunch of 2-3 year olds attention! if nothing else - it will be fun to have griffins buddies over (i imagine in 15 years the same buddies will come over and be like, "hey, remember when your mom showed all of us her awesome musical abilities? she is so cool, how do you even stand it? your so lucky g-dawg!" - or, you know...something like that)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
the year in review
2008 was a good year. some sad moments, some scary moments and some amazing moments.
i will try to briefly recap some of the highlights:
january:
• we started the year out right...bringing in the new year with good friends.
• the next weekend, we got a quick overnight visit to dan's dad in wi. rapids. we followed that up with an overnight stay with friends sam, marta, bridget, shane and kids at sam/marta's near menasha, wi.
• i was also able to enjoy a 4-night vacation with my girlfriends. i went to isla mujeres, mexico with nena, jes and julie. we had an amazing time. it was tough being away from griffin, but he and dan enjoyed themselves.
• upon getting back from mexico, unfortunate circumstances brought melissa, martin and the girls to mn (for a funeral). it was great to see them though, even if it was brief.
• griffin wound up in the emergency room with a case of croup. we had to call an ambulance because we had no idea what was going on. we woke up to a faint wheezing sound and when we went to check on him, he was not able to take a breath and he appeared blue. we freaked. as soon as we went outside with him, he caught his breath. we were in the hospital for the night, and upon receiving treatments...he was as good as new. no further symptoms. thank goodness.
february:
• i can't remember too much about february! apparently nothing too thrilling happened. lots of hanging out inside. i'm sure we also went to the mall of america alot...we were there on weekends to walk, and we would let griffin go on rides.
march:
• dan's birthday was at the beginning of the month. he spent a night in chicago with his brothers, then another night in wisconsin dells.
• we had another major scare that led us to childrens hospital icu. griffin again had severe croup. this time we felt a bit more prepared so we rode it out a few days doing the steam shower/going outside. it became worse, so in we went to childrens. it ended up turning very severe. the doctors told us they hadn't seen a case turn so extreme so quickly. he was hooked up to heliox for a few days and was under a watchful eye until he could breathe on his own better. such an eye opening experience. as scared as we were about griffin - we knew that he'd get better...but other children that were there - weren't so lucky. it was definitely an experience that made us appreciate this precious life, and hug our baby tighter.
• we followed up this ordeal celebrating griffin's 2nd birthday. (got out of the hospital the day before his birthday).
• we rounded out the month with my parents coming to visit.
• i also started a new job on march 24. it was a much needed change and i love it. malt-o-meal is a great company to be a part of!
april:
• we spent april trying all kinds of malt-o-meal cereals that i was able to bring home from work. i think we ate enough to last us awhile.
• besides that - april brought a visit from dave, cindy, aidan and reese. a great time hanging out with them!
• i think the rest of the month was spent resting up for the busy summer that we were about to have.....
may:
• i spent a weekend in wisconsin. i went down for my friend lisa's wedding shower/bachelorette party. i spent friday with my parents, and then saturday drove to wisconsin dells to spend the night at a cabin to celebrate!
• we went to denver memorial day weekend to spend it with melissa, martin, chloe and nicollette. we rented a place in aspen and had a super time exploring, driving around the mountains, swimming and just enjoying the scenery.
june:
• started the month out with a visit from dan's dad. he took the amtrak up. it was great to have him. we took him to a few places around town, and dan took him to a twins-yankees game. sunday i did the 8k rollerblade race for the grand old day. dan and bruce joined us for the parade.
• we had a cabin trip to phil's place near bemidji. a great time and nice to get away. griffin loved it!
• later in the month, dan and i celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary with an overnight in stillwater at a bed & breakfast. it was awesome.
• we spent another weekend in wisconsin for our friend lisas wedding...griffin enjoyed the waterpark with grandma lawrence! on the way home the 3 of us went to the jack johnson/mason jennings concert...g LOVED it.
• the month finished with us leaving on a week-long family vacation.
july:
• we enjoyed our family vacation. first was waunakee where we got to see some friends, a parade, and spend time with my parents. we met up with wendy, andrew and addi at the zoo in madison. the grandmas joined us too. we headed to milwaukee for a couple days and enjoyed summerfest, waterpark and the zoo. we rounded out the trip in chicago visting dave, cindy, aidan and reese. we had a great time and were able to celebrate dave's birthday with him with a night on the town. grandma lynne was there so the kids were in good hands!
• later this month i took a trip out to boise, idaho to attend my cousins wedding. it was a lot of fun and good to spend a weekend with my parents and brother, as well as grandma and aunts/uncles and cousins.
• towards the end of the month we did another cabin trip - this time to pie's cabin. griffin had fun on the paddle boat!
• we had a couple of concerts - saw our wedding band play at an outdoor pavillion. g was cute dancing around.
august:
• the month started out with me doing the st. paul inline marathon.
• dan enjoyed a long weekend with his dad....they went up to powers, michigan to visit family and go on a fishing trip.
• another weekend brought the krugers back into town...this time for a happier event - a wedding! it was great to spend the weekend with them. we babysat the kids while they went to the wedding.
• the unfortunate passing of my dear friend, nuala brought a sadness to august. she had ovarian cancer. she was an amazing person, full of life. she is sadly missed.
september:
• labor day weekend brought a fun visit from grandma lawrence. we went to the state fair, on a long bike ride, trolley rides and had a great time.
• the big news of this month: griffin is potty trained! we started in august and he was officially trained by labor day!
• we saw a couple of concerts this month.
• i did the iron girl duathalon! biking and running. it was tough, but felt great to finish.
• baby mal had her 1st birthday party, so we had a good time going to that, as well as a benefit for jes' dad.
• we said goodbye to the jeep. after 18 years of being in my family - the last 2 with us - it finally bit the dust. we are attempting to be a 1-car family.
october:
• another great visit from melissa. she came alone this time, so it was fun to hang out.
• we were able to go to sandusky, ohio to visit dan's brother and family. dave, cindy and the girls surprised us all and joined us out there..great to see everyone. we went to the zoo, cedar point amusement park, hung out at the waterpark and had a good time seeing matt/wendy's new house and their new town!
• dan and i had a date night and saw mason jennings in concert. beau and amy hung with the little man while we were gone!
• towards the end of the month, another person i know passed away. katie was my friend julie's good friend and i'd met and hung out with her on occasion. the cause of her death is still unknown. very shocking and sad.
• on a happier note - it was my birthday on the 26th and we went out with friends and had a great time singing karoke!
• we finished the month out with my parents coming to visit for halloween weekend. griffin enjoyed trick-or-treating dressed as thomas the train, and we enjoyed some fun time in stillwater with my parents too.
november:
• i hosted a soup night with my neighbors. we all made different types of soups and exchanged them. it was fun!
• i was able to go see wicked with some co-workers...it was amazing!
• dan and i, along with friends, went to see the hold steady and drive-by-truckers. it was the best show i went to this year. laura was awesome and came over to watch griffin.
• thanksgiving came and we had a great visit with grandma lawrence. we went on a polar express train ride, saw the holidazzle parade, got our christmas tree, and dan and i finished the weekend by going to a vikings/bears game. it was fun, even if we don't like either team!
december:
• started the month off with a couple of cookie exchanges. i have had enough cookies to last all of 09 i think.
• dan's holiday party was in the middle of the month...we enjoyed an awesome dinner and wine and his company was very generous this year. our friends beth and jason spent the evening with g.
• we hosted a holiday party at our house. it was fun to have our friends over and enjoy their company before we left on our trip.
• we left for wisconsin and spent time with the lawrences. great to see everyone. we missed seeing bruce, dave, cindy and the girls this year. we were sad about that. we wound up at my parents house where we had a wonderful time and griffin really enjoyed christmas.
• car problems kept us there a bit longer than we expected, but it turned out alright in the end.
• a friend passed away from cancer toward the end of the month. emilie was a friend i met 6 years ago when planning our weddings. she was an amazing person with such zest for life. she was a person that truly lived her life to the fullest and she will be missed deeply. i am very sad for her husband and her 2 young children.
• to end on a happy note - we spent new years eve with wonderful friends. we started out at pete/kims where the kids all hung out. from there we headed over to dina and lyles where griffin promply went to sleep and we were able to share a great meal, drinks and laughs with close friends.
overall - the year was decent. griffin has been a constant joy watching him grow. we are amazed at how much he's learned this year and how his personality has developed. dan and i couldn't be luckier to have this little man in our lives.
we are looking forward to 2009 and all the changes it will bring our country. we are hopeful we can get through the year healthy and no er trips. dan and i want to make a change to our health and increase our fitness level and make healthy eating for our family a priority.
i want to work on treating people with more respect, not being judgemental, be more kind and patient and try to be a better friend, wife and mom.
my thoughts go out to everyone that has lost loved ones this year and i hope they can find peace.
i am thankful for my amazing family, friends and job.
here is to a great 2009! happy new year!
i will try to briefly recap some of the highlights:
january:
• we started the year out right...bringing in the new year with good friends.
• the next weekend, we got a quick overnight visit to dan's dad in wi. rapids. we followed that up with an overnight stay with friends sam, marta, bridget, shane and kids at sam/marta's near menasha, wi.
• i was also able to enjoy a 4-night vacation with my girlfriends. i went to isla mujeres, mexico with nena, jes and julie. we had an amazing time. it was tough being away from griffin, but he and dan enjoyed themselves.
• upon getting back from mexico, unfortunate circumstances brought melissa, martin and the girls to mn (for a funeral). it was great to see them though, even if it was brief.
• griffin wound up in the emergency room with a case of croup. we had to call an ambulance because we had no idea what was going on. we woke up to a faint wheezing sound and when we went to check on him, he was not able to take a breath and he appeared blue. we freaked. as soon as we went outside with him, he caught his breath. we were in the hospital for the night, and upon receiving treatments...he was as good as new. no further symptoms. thank goodness.
february:
• i can't remember too much about february! apparently nothing too thrilling happened. lots of hanging out inside. i'm sure we also went to the mall of america alot...we were there on weekends to walk, and we would let griffin go on rides.
march:
• dan's birthday was at the beginning of the month. he spent a night in chicago with his brothers, then another night in wisconsin dells.
• we had another major scare that led us to childrens hospital icu. griffin again had severe croup. this time we felt a bit more prepared so we rode it out a few days doing the steam shower/going outside. it became worse, so in we went to childrens. it ended up turning very severe. the doctors told us they hadn't seen a case turn so extreme so quickly. he was hooked up to heliox for a few days and was under a watchful eye until he could breathe on his own better. such an eye opening experience. as scared as we were about griffin - we knew that he'd get better...but other children that were there - weren't so lucky. it was definitely an experience that made us appreciate this precious life, and hug our baby tighter.
• we followed up this ordeal celebrating griffin's 2nd birthday. (got out of the hospital the day before his birthday).
• we rounded out the month with my parents coming to visit.
• i also started a new job on march 24. it was a much needed change and i love it. malt-o-meal is a great company to be a part of!
april:
• we spent april trying all kinds of malt-o-meal cereals that i was able to bring home from work. i think we ate enough to last us awhile.
• besides that - april brought a visit from dave, cindy, aidan and reese. a great time hanging out with them!
• i think the rest of the month was spent resting up for the busy summer that we were about to have.....
may:
• i spent a weekend in wisconsin. i went down for my friend lisa's wedding shower/bachelorette party. i spent friday with my parents, and then saturday drove to wisconsin dells to spend the night at a cabin to celebrate!
• we went to denver memorial day weekend to spend it with melissa, martin, chloe and nicollette. we rented a place in aspen and had a super time exploring, driving around the mountains, swimming and just enjoying the scenery.
june:
• started the month out with a visit from dan's dad. he took the amtrak up. it was great to have him. we took him to a few places around town, and dan took him to a twins-yankees game. sunday i did the 8k rollerblade race for the grand old day. dan and bruce joined us for the parade.
• we had a cabin trip to phil's place near bemidji. a great time and nice to get away. griffin loved it!
• later in the month, dan and i celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary with an overnight in stillwater at a bed & breakfast. it was awesome.
• we spent another weekend in wisconsin for our friend lisas wedding...griffin enjoyed the waterpark with grandma lawrence! on the way home the 3 of us went to the jack johnson/mason jennings concert...g LOVED it.
• the month finished with us leaving on a week-long family vacation.
july:
• we enjoyed our family vacation. first was waunakee where we got to see some friends, a parade, and spend time with my parents. we met up with wendy, andrew and addi at the zoo in madison. the grandmas joined us too. we headed to milwaukee for a couple days and enjoyed summerfest, waterpark and the zoo. we rounded out the trip in chicago visting dave, cindy, aidan and reese. we had a great time and were able to celebrate dave's birthday with him with a night on the town. grandma lynne was there so the kids were in good hands!
• later this month i took a trip out to boise, idaho to attend my cousins wedding. it was a lot of fun and good to spend a weekend with my parents and brother, as well as grandma and aunts/uncles and cousins.
• towards the end of the month we did another cabin trip - this time to pie's cabin. griffin had fun on the paddle boat!
• we had a couple of concerts - saw our wedding band play at an outdoor pavillion. g was cute dancing around.
august:
• the month started out with me doing the st. paul inline marathon.
• dan enjoyed a long weekend with his dad....they went up to powers, michigan to visit family and go on a fishing trip.
• another weekend brought the krugers back into town...this time for a happier event - a wedding! it was great to spend the weekend with them. we babysat the kids while they went to the wedding.
• the unfortunate passing of my dear friend, nuala brought a sadness to august. she had ovarian cancer. she was an amazing person, full of life. she is sadly missed.
september:
• labor day weekend brought a fun visit from grandma lawrence. we went to the state fair, on a long bike ride, trolley rides and had a great time.
• the big news of this month: griffin is potty trained! we started in august and he was officially trained by labor day!
• we saw a couple of concerts this month.
• i did the iron girl duathalon! biking and running. it was tough, but felt great to finish.
• baby mal had her 1st birthday party, so we had a good time going to that, as well as a benefit for jes' dad.
• we said goodbye to the jeep. after 18 years of being in my family - the last 2 with us - it finally bit the dust. we are attempting to be a 1-car family.
october:
• another great visit from melissa. she came alone this time, so it was fun to hang out.
• we were able to go to sandusky, ohio to visit dan's brother and family. dave, cindy and the girls surprised us all and joined us out there..great to see everyone. we went to the zoo, cedar point amusement park, hung out at the waterpark and had a good time seeing matt/wendy's new house and their new town!
• dan and i had a date night and saw mason jennings in concert. beau and amy hung with the little man while we were gone!
• towards the end of the month, another person i know passed away. katie was my friend julie's good friend and i'd met and hung out with her on occasion. the cause of her death is still unknown. very shocking and sad.
• on a happier note - it was my birthday on the 26th and we went out with friends and had a great time singing karoke!
• we finished the month out with my parents coming to visit for halloween weekend. griffin enjoyed trick-or-treating dressed as thomas the train, and we enjoyed some fun time in stillwater with my parents too.
november:
• i hosted a soup night with my neighbors. we all made different types of soups and exchanged them. it was fun!
• i was able to go see wicked with some co-workers...it was amazing!
• dan and i, along with friends, went to see the hold steady and drive-by-truckers. it was the best show i went to this year. laura was awesome and came over to watch griffin.
• thanksgiving came and we had a great visit with grandma lawrence. we went on a polar express train ride, saw the holidazzle parade, got our christmas tree, and dan and i finished the weekend by going to a vikings/bears game. it was fun, even if we don't like either team!
december:
• started the month off with a couple of cookie exchanges. i have had enough cookies to last all of 09 i think.
• dan's holiday party was in the middle of the month...we enjoyed an awesome dinner and wine and his company was very generous this year. our friends beth and jason spent the evening with g.
• we hosted a holiday party at our house. it was fun to have our friends over and enjoy their company before we left on our trip.
• we left for wisconsin and spent time with the lawrences. great to see everyone. we missed seeing bruce, dave, cindy and the girls this year. we were sad about that. we wound up at my parents house where we had a wonderful time and griffin really enjoyed christmas.
• car problems kept us there a bit longer than we expected, but it turned out alright in the end.
• a friend passed away from cancer toward the end of the month. emilie was a friend i met 6 years ago when planning our weddings. she was an amazing person with such zest for life. she was a person that truly lived her life to the fullest and she will be missed deeply. i am very sad for her husband and her 2 young children.
• to end on a happy note - we spent new years eve with wonderful friends. we started out at pete/kims where the kids all hung out. from there we headed over to dina and lyles where griffin promply went to sleep and we were able to share a great meal, drinks and laughs with close friends.
overall - the year was decent. griffin has been a constant joy watching him grow. we are amazed at how much he's learned this year and how his personality has developed. dan and i couldn't be luckier to have this little man in our lives.
we are looking forward to 2009 and all the changes it will bring our country. we are hopeful we can get through the year healthy and no er trips. dan and i want to make a change to our health and increase our fitness level and make healthy eating for our family a priority.
i want to work on treating people with more respect, not being judgemental, be more kind and patient and try to be a better friend, wife and mom.
my thoughts go out to everyone that has lost loved ones this year and i hope they can find peace.
i am thankful for my amazing family, friends and job.
here is to a great 2009! happy new year!
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