Trip to Bemidji

The weekend of the 8th we went to Bemidji. Natey kept saying Burmidji and it was cracking me up. I forgot my camera, so all these pictures are from my phone.

It took us six and a half hours to get to my sisters house. The kids traveled very well. We were quite surprised. We left on a Saturday and came back on Monday. On Saturday, Justin, my brother-in-law, and one of his friends went fishing. I sent him a message and asked him if they were catching anything. He sent me back this picture.....

I started bawling. Apparently it was harder for me than it was for him. It was something I know he would have called his dad about. The conversation would have gone like this... "I caught a 6 pound bass todaay - what did you do?". I was so happy for Justin I bawled then beamed.

While the guys were out fishing, Shannon and I took the kids to a place called the Science Center. It was really cool. The kids had a great time.

Here are some pictures.....

Here is Claire "building something".

The kids were scared to death of this guy. He was walking around the center like he owned the place. You could tell where he was because not far from him/her you'd hear a shrieking Meyer.I found it interesting that they were scared to death of a turtle they could by far out run, but they enjoyed the rabbit and .... whatever that other thing was. YUCK!Remember the Spirograph? This is the same idea just a much grander scale. It was fun!

Here are the kids (minus Jack) in the astronaut cutout.

Nathan

Evie

Claire

Izzie

Before we went to the Science Center, Claire and Izzie had a picnic on this fun table at my sister's house.

Izzie was a huge Aunt Kerrie fan. She's so stinkin' cute!

When Izzie was a toddler, she was quite the spit fire. She went from one thing to the next getting herself into trouble. After we got home from Shannon's, Nathan said "Mom, Izzie isn't naughty any more". That may or may not be the case, but it wouldn't hurt her to say a quiet Thank You to Jack for taking any of the naughty attention off of her and putting it on himself. As you can see in this picture, he provided the entertainment for our family that weekend.Before we left Bemidji, we took some pictures with Paul Bunyan and Babe.The next time we make the trip, we'll have to stay longer. It's beautiful country up there, but not near warm enough for me. The next time we go, I'll for sure remember my camera, too. We had such a good time in spite of it.

The Twin Cities

Here are some things you've missed due to me not blogging. Jack has become a gamer. Yeah, he's 2 1/2 and addicted to the computer and anything else that he can get his hands on. If I can't find my cell phone the first place I look is Jack's hands.

We went to the Cities the weekend of August 1st. These wind farms creep me out. I'm not talkin' a little - I'm talking BIG TIME.Do they have to be so big and slow and.....creepy? Ack!

The motel we stayed in was beautiful. I've never stayed in a Hilton, but it was very nice - and inexpensive. Jack could have sat here all day.....

One guess at what was out there......

That's right. The airport. It's a very busy airport, so about every 30 seconds to a minute he'd clap and say "Come meeere! Dare's another one!!!" He was in heaven.

Justin took Natey to his first Angel's game. I wasn't sure if Nathan would watch the whole game or if he'd get bored. I sent his PSP with him just in case. Justin said he was content through the whole game. He loved every second of it. Justin was kind enough to take a few pictures for me. Mike Napoli is Nathan's favorite player - or one of them at least. He's the catcher. He signed Nathan's ball. Natey was beside himself with excitement because there were a couple of other kids standing next to him with their Twins garb on and Mike only signed Natey's ball. I would guess it was because Natey had his Angel's stuff on. He loved it!

While they were at the game the little kids and I went swimming. The pool was just the right temp and the kids had a ball.

The next day we went school clothes shopping and then to the Mall of America. My sister sent us passes for the rides so the kids could hardly wait to get there and ride, ride, ride.

At first Justin had the camera, but his shots were, um, interesting at best. Here are a couple of examples:
It's ok, you can laugh. I did. I decided to take the camera back so I'd know what I was getting. I got Justin and his mini-me's and a bunch of other fun stuff. We had a super duper great weekend!

Taylor Swift Pranks Keith Urban

Did you see this? I'm pretty sure I would have pee'd myself if I were Keith. They were kinda scary! Good one though. You've gotta love a girl that can run with the big dogs.

When the end result is the same

When we got the call about my father-in-law, our lives changed. We all knew that it would. I started to hyperventilate. Justin was calm. He went down to his knees, but he remained calm. He was on the phone with his Mom until I heard "Hi ________, my name is Justin and I'm with the Madison Police Department. Can you please tell me what you know?" He was obviously talking to someone in law enforcement.

I immediately called Tracy. What was in my head was clear as a bell, however, what was coming out of my mouth was not. "Ker! Ker! I don't know what you're saying. You have to calm down." I was crying and coughing and trying really hard not to throw up. She told me she'd be right over. At that point I believe she understood enough that Gary was gone, but I'm not sure how much more she was able to understand.

Justin got off the phone with his Mom and started packing his things. He called his work to let them know he would be gone for a while. All I could think of was 'if he's leaving, who on earth is going to tell the children?'.

I've never experienced shock like I did that night.

Many times when I was a dispatcher I'd have to send an officer over to someones house to let them know of a death in their family. I'm curious by nature. You can call it nosey if you want - I don't care. I call it curious because I actually care about the information that I'm getting. I think if you're nosey you're just getting information to feed your need to be in the know. That's not me.

One time Justin went with an officer to give a death message to someone I ended up becoming friends with later in life. Their daughter/sister was killed in a car accident out near Rapid City. I wanted to know every detail. I wanted to know if they fell to their knees when they heard the news. I wanted to know if he gave them a hug - to let them know that he cared. I wanted to be able to feel a part of what they were going through.

The shock of never seeing my father-in-law again was very hard for me. He and I sparred so much that I wasn't positive that he knew that I loved him. I didn't realize how much I loved him until he was gone.

When I got back to work, I felt comfort in talking about my loss. It was hard at first, but then I realized the more I talked about it the better I felt. I started to wonder and ponder a question; is it easier to lose someone the way we lost Gary, suddenly in an accident or to be able to say good-bye but watch them die of an illness that possibly robs them of who they are?

One day my dear friend Lucy and I went out for lunch. Her uncle had been battling cancer for a good year plus at that time. She'd just gotten news that his cancer was back and the prognosis didn't seem good. I asked her the question that I'd been pondering. She said she didn't know, but she knew it was hard to watch her uncle go through such a rough time.

From the start of Uncle Paul's cancer, I'd been there for Lucy. At the same time she was going through that, her dad found out he had prostate cancer. Her Dad's prognosis was much better than Paul's. Her dad had surgery and recovered with no problems. Paul wasn't as lucky. His cancer started in his lungs - as a non smoker. After that was taken care of, it came back in his brain. They were able to remove that tumor with no problem. Then, it came back "like a carpet on his brain", as Lucy explained it to me.

It seemed she and I would get the answer to the question she and I both now pondered.

On July 13th, Paul went Home. He was surrounded by family and was given the gift of love by so many. What was even better was that he too was able to give gifts of love to them as well. He'd been pretty out of it but somehow found the strength to thank his caregivers. He gave Lucy a hug, patted her on the back, and thanked her for taking care of him. He died the next night.

I went to Paul's prayer service, never knowing the man that was being honored and remembered. I was there for my friend and her family. I heard high school kids talking about their ROTC instructor whom they respected more than themselves. I heard from Paul's family who knew that his death ended his suffering, but left an open wound in their hearts - their souls.

I would have loved to have been able to say good-bye to Gary. I would have loved to tell him that even though many days he was a huge pain in my ass - I still loved him like my own father.

I'm glad that Gary didn't have to suffer. I'm sorry that Paul did.

I realized when the end result is the same, so is the pain left behind.

Whole lotta nothin'

I'm not sure why I keep this blog. I mean, I'm not going to delete it, but I don't really feel like writing on it anymore. I'm busy. It was fun when I had time to do it. Most of the times I don't think of it - unless there is a KU even I think you should know about.

You came in droves when my father-in-law passed away. That was nice.

I feel like I have more to say about that - and will at some point.

Random.

Ramble.

Justin and I are taking the kids to Minneapolis on Aug. 1st. Justin and Nathan will see an Angle's baseball game. Nathan is pee your pants excited. It was all he could talk about today. He even thanked Justin for taking him - and it's a month away. The little kids and I will do something else while they are at the game. During the weekend we'll hit the Mall of America too. Should be fun.

I've been really busy at the salon. That's been great. Sure hurts my legs though. At night my legs jump like crazy from standing up all day.

I've lost 3 pounds. Three. I guess it's better than gaining, but.....3. I bet it would come off faster if I would exercise.

OH! I was just about to sign off when I realized I wanted to tell you this. Guess who I met in Pierre this weekend? None other than Sarah. It was sure nice to meet you. Sorry again for Jack whacking you in the face...on more than one occasion. He's kinda naughty like that. Next time we'll visit instead of watch fireworks. =)

I think that's it.

For now.

Sound Bites - Keith Urban style

Sound Bites - Taylor Swift style

Picture slide-show

Concert pictures

I'm working on getting my pictures the way I want them. Until then, these will have to do.

I know - everyone hates a tease.

~Yum~

Video blog - KU concert

Father's Day

Today we're celebrating Father's Day. It's another first that we must go through. I worried that Justin wouldn't be able to let us celebrate him being a great Dad and husband due to not being able to spend Father's day the way he'd like to,with his dad.

We're getting through it.

In honor of Gary and Justin, I'd like to post this really great song by Keith Urban called Song for Dad. I've also posted the lyrics below.

We miss him - more than we knew we could. I'm just so thankful that Gary was able to see what a wonderful man his son became and an even better father.

I love you, Justin, and I sincerely feel your pain.

Lately I've been noticing

I say the same things he used to say

And I even find myself acting the very same way

I tap my fingers on the table

To the rhythm in my soul

And I jingle the car keys

When I'm ready to go

When I look in the mirror

He's right there in my eyes

Starin' back at me and I realize

The older I get

The more I can see

How much he loved my mother and my brother and me

And he did the best that he could

And I only hope when I have my own family

That everyday I see

A little more of my father in me

There were times I thought he was bein'

Just a little bit hard on me

But now I understand he was makin' me

Become the man he knew that I could be

In everything he ever did

He always did with love

And I'm proud today to say I'm his son

When somebody says I hope I get to meet your dad

I just smile and say you already have (so true)

The older I get

The more I can see

How much he loved my mother and my brother and me

And he did the best that he could

And I only hope when I have my own family

That everyday I see

A little more of my father in me

He's in my eyes

My heart, my soul

My hands, my pride

And when I feel alone

And I think I can't go on

I hear him sayin' "Son you'll be alright"

Everything's gonna be alright"

Yes it is

The older I get

The more I can see

That he loved my mother and my brother and me

And he did the best that he could

And I only hope when I have my own family

That everyday I see

Oh I hope I see

I hope everyday I see

A little more of my father in me

A little more of my father in me

I hope everyday I see in me

In me

In me

I hope everyday I see

A little more of my father in me

Believe me, summer's here

If you live in SD, you'd never know that summer was here by the weather we've been having. I told one of my TX friends that our high was 65 the other day and he said that it hasn't even been that cold at night where he lives.

Although I'm not talking about the weather in my title, a little warmth would be fabulous. Today when I got off work it was perfect. Keeping it like that would be nice.

The reason I know summer is here is because I'm booked at work for at least a week in advance. When I go to work on Tuesday, I'm usually booked for that week. It's not a horrible problem to have - that's for sure. However, it does make me so, so tired. On Wednesday we had a color class (that was awesome btw) from 9-noon. Then I worked from noon until about 8:45 (by the time I got out of there). Standing for almost 10 hours straight *KILLS*! Thankfully, Shayla came for a haircut and wanted to make my night, so she swept my hair for me. Such a sweet girl.

Since we're so busy, I worked early this morning and am scheduled to go in early Friday and Saturday, too.

Phew!

Summer sure pays well, but it SURE makes me tired!

I LOVE FACEBOOK!

When I bought my BlackBerry back in August, the sales woman told me that Facebook came standard on my phone. It didn't matter to me, I hardly used it.

Who knew how much that would change in almost a years time? Crazy!

My best friend from elementary school found me a few months ago on there. Catching up with her was beyond great. It felt like home. I loved it.

Now I've found 3 other friends that she and I hung out with too. SO! MUCH! FUN! I love reconnecting with them. The last time we were all in school together was when I was in the 7th grade....in 1987. Talking to each of them has brought back so many fond memories. It was a time of big hair, mullets, denim jackets and many nights spent at the skating rink.

Memories.

All thanks to Facebook.

Did you know

In 17 days I'm going to be looking at HIM?

I'm sorry. Did I say looking? I meant listening.

Oh good lord - just look at him. Whew!

Oh!

And did you know that Taylor Swift will get things started that night?

Oh my goodness I'm so excited!!!!

This means war

After reading the title did ya kinda wish I was going to go off on a tirade? I know. It's only because I'm good like that.

On Saturday we met these beautiful people in Sioux Falls for supper. The lovely lady is Justin's cousin, Amanda. Nathan *loves* him some Amanda. Actually, we didn't tell him that Justin and I were meeting them because he would have insisted on going....and he wasn't invited. That adorable man with her is Scott, her boyfriend. They are such a sweet couple and we love to get together with them whenever we can. (I totally stole that picture from her facebook. If you're reading this, Mandy, I hope you don't care.) =)Scott made mention that he might move to WY for his job. Justin gave him a look much like he's giving me in this next picture.

Justin's a little protective of Amanda. They've always been close, like brother and sister close. Hopefully Scott won't have to move to WY - we'll see.

Anyway, lets get to what this post is about. Remember this post? Well it lasted about a month. I was happy to lose 4 pounds, but I guess I wasn't as ready as I thought I was to be committed to losing weight.

However, last night Amanda posted the following picture of Justin and I on facebook. Take a gander.....

Ack! I can hardly look at myself in that picture. Ish! I know that I'm over weight, but Eeek! I told Justin I was going to print that horrible picture out and put it on the fridge so that I'm reminded why I need to be on a diet.

So, I'm back to counting calories. I really do hate it, but it works. It's unbelievable how many calories are in things.

If you're not my facebook friend, you probably don't know that I went off caffeine a week ago today. I had to. I was getting migraines again. The headaches I get from going off the caffeine are nothing compared to the ones I get when I drink caffeine. Plus, this way I don't drink near as much pop. I've been drinking decaf tea with Splenda™ in it. (Seriously, the ™ cracked me up.) Today after lunch I wanted something sweet. Normally I would eat cookies or something just as healthy. Instead I'm chewing gum. It works. If I'm hungry when I'm cooking and I don't have fruit or veggies to eat, I chew gum to keep me occupied until we eat. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Anyway, I'm back in the game and I thought you'd want to know. Aren't you glad you stopped today?

What you've missed

Nathan and I went and watched two of his favorite people run track in Sioux Falls. It was SUCH a big deal to him. The boys got first in their heat.

Out with the Old......

In with the new!

I started saving money at Christmas to buy Justin this new TV for his birthday (May 18th). His Mom and Dad wanted to go in on it with me as well. I saved. I planned. I researched. Finally, I bought the TV on Monday, May 4. Justin's parents were coming to our house that weekend to celebrate Nathan's birthday. Justin's dad was going to put it all together and we were going to surprise him with it that Friday night. To say that I was excited is a complete understatement. Tuesday I went to work and told every single client about my purchase and impending surprise.

Then Tuesday night at 9:30, Justin's Mom called to tell us that Gary had been killed in an accident.

I didn't want the TV anymore. I didn't want it in our house. I didn't care about it.

While I was in Pierre for the funeral, Sharelle (Justin's Mom) said that I had to go through with the surprise. Ferber agreed to put it together. He felt it was the least he could do for Justin.

Justin got home a bit after 1 on the 16th. It was all hooked up. He'd found out he was getting a gift - a surprise, but he had no idea it would be this. He thought it was going to be a new grill. SURPRISE!

He was - shocked - for sure. I told him that this gift was extra special because his dad knew about it and was beyond excited to get to see his face when he saw it. Of coarse, down came the tears. It was - super, duper special.

Moving on.....

Coach pitch baseball has started. Nathan loves it. Here he is being the catcher.

They've played 2 games so far. They've lost both - by one point each game. Such a bummer.

Here are two of Natey's biggest fans.

We went to Pierre this past weekend. It was bright and sunny. The weather was perfect. You for sure needed your shades..........and if you don't have your own, your sisters will work just fine.

Peach took a break from her day to sip on a soft drink.

Later that night we made S'mores. YUM!

And last but not least

LOOK WHAT MOVED IN NEXT DOOR!!!!!