Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Perpetual State of Sneeze.


My spring allergies came to visit with a vengeance this weekend...and ever since, I've been in "pre-sneeze".
Funny thing is, spring is nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps the blizzard today threw me off a little bit,
but in my recollection, I remember flowers, sunshine, and light breezes in the spring...

If I have to suffer through seasonal allergies, at least give me some sunshine!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

But It's "Such A Lovely Place!!"

I came downstairs to find my husband rocking out on his Guitar Hero this weekend (and by rocking out, well...I should video-tape the entertainment...). We had a date to go head-to-head in Wii Bowling, so he said he'd wrap up his jam session by playing one more song. The next randomly selected song to come up was "Hotel California," to which he remarked "I hate this song." I figured he was just sick of hearing it too much, so I clarified "wait...you are TIRED of this song, or you HATE this song?" He said again, "I HATE this song." Wow. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone HATING this song! That's a really strong statement. Personally, I love the song- and not just because it mentions California. It's got one of those awesomely creepy minor-key guitar solos, and it grooves!

I bring this debate to you...
Are you checking IN or checking OUT of the Hotel California??

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Just Because I Need To Write Something...


Here's the last five on the 'ol ipod, in random order of course:

Love Me Like That (Michelle Branch and Sheryl Crow)
Peace Be Still (Rush of Fools)
Eleanor Rigby (duh...)
Hella Good (No Doubt)
Lovely (Shawn McDonald)

There you go. A bunch of oldies.
What's new on your playlist?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The State of Hockey.



I live in the self-proclaimed "State of Hockey". This has been more than obvious in recent days. My husband's family has been pumped to attend the annual MN Boys State Hockey Tournament, which took place this past weekend in St. Paul. It was my first time at a hockey tournament, and my 4th time at a hockey game- ever. Also, it was extra exciting that the alma-mater of the Stavenger clan had earned a spot in the tournament. Everyone came bearing their orange and black to cheer on the Moorhead Spuds. They survived the first game in the bracket, an upset against a favorite to win. Then they eeked out another win sending them to the final game! See our optimism above?

This is us after the game. A little disappointed, but proud of the team nevertheless. These are, sadly, my only three pictures from the weekend...most of it was spent "enjoying" my Holiday Inn accommodations, wrestling with a high fever. Consequently, I had to miss a whole night of games. Fortunately, I was able to drag my sorry butt out of bed for the championship game. Though I'm still learning the ins and outs of Hockey, I can appreciate the fandom- that's always a winning experience!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Tonsils the Size of Golf Balls.

And...just so you know I'm not kidding, I've included a picture. Sorry...it's disgusting, and highly unnecessary, but hey- I had to do it. As you can see, there is little to NO space between my tonsils, so all food must scrape by- and, as you can imagine, that's incredibly painful. My diet has been reduced to geriatric food. I DID make a trip to Starbucks today on my way back from the doc (if a Strep epidemic starts in Duluth, I'll take the blame)...I don't know if it's the fact that I haven't been to Starbucks in ages or the fact that there is an abundance of mucus swirling around in my head, but I stood at the pick-up counter in a semi-comatose state for about 5 minutes before realizing I hadn't ordered yet. I will tell you that Chai Tea Frappucino felt goooood on the throat.

Anti-biotics ordered, I'm ready to kill this thing.

Seeing Dollars and Sense.


Pardon the obvious homophone in the title. I was feelin' it.

One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make in married life is curbing my "instant gratification" spending. When I was single, I could shop whenever I wanted, answering only to myself. When it's not just MY money, however, I'm careful to run big purchases by my hubby first. And I've been REEEEEALLY good about avoiding frivolous spending.

BUT, I made the mistake of trying on a pair of jeans at the mall the other day. I've been wanting new jeans for QUITE some time, but have pushed it off. Well, after viewing some HORRIBLE pictures of me in borderline "mom jeans" recently, I decided new jeans were now a necessity. (Mom, I'm not talking about you specifically. Your jeans are very trendy.) The particular pair I tried on were out of my budget. After wracking my brain figuring out how I could justify the purchase, I did something I've never done before- I asked the clerk if they would be on sale any time soon. Sure enough, in two days, they were going on sale for 50% off! I picked up this tip from some Dr. Phil show...and it worked!

Long story short: I have new jeans. And it didn't break the bank.
Lesson learned: It doesn't hurt to ask. :)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Rock Chalk Jayhawk.


Our latest travel adventure brought us to Lawrence, Kansas, to fulfill a lifelong dream of Chris': to see a KU home basketball game. You should have seen his giddy little face on the nine-hour drive down, interrupted by an occasional "oh my gosh, we're going to a Kansas game!" It was special to be a part of this memory with him. I was sure to chronicle it well in pictures, so excuse the artsy-ness...I went a little crazy.


We arrived early enough to be the first people sitting in our section. The game was sold out, and COMPLETELY full by tip-off. Chris enjoyed the "alone time" to sit in awe and take it all in.


There were several bonus factors: First, I really, really like watching basketball. I like the fast pace and high scoring. And, I'll get quite animated if you give me a team to root for! (Just ask Chris). Second, the Jayhawks and U of Texas treated us to a GREAT game- a real nail-biter. That's the best kind. And, to boot, the Jayhawks WON, clenching their division title. Way to end the season!


We couldn't leave Kansas City without visiting cousin Chris- he was working that night, so we visited his restaurant and were sure to ask for Chris' section...we had excellent service. :)

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Settling In to the Passenger Seat.


We are taking a road trip to Minneapolis this weekend, and my hubby has informed me that I'm driving. We'll see about that.

One thing I've learned is that I'd rather be in the passenger seat if I'm in the car with Chris Stavenger. Otherwise, all I hear is "honey, get in that lane,""don't turn here, hun,""Jay, go around this car"...you get the idea. We were slated to share driving responsibilities on our latest multi-state excursion, but once on the road, Chris "offered" to drive the whole way. He explained to me that this is because he has a hard time trusting my driving (or anyone elses'...it's nothing personal.). OK- I'll give him the inclement weather perspective- I have much less experience with icy roads. But for day-to-day driving- come on! I've retorted numerous times with the following statistics:

1) I got around just FINE prior to meeting him! I must be semi-competent!
2) Not ALL California drivers are bad.
3) I have LESS accidents on my record than he does.
4) I have almost 4 years MORE driving experience!

He doesn't dispute any of this, and the whole thing is really amusing to me. Frankly, I don't mind the passenger seat. For one, I don't have the pressure of reaching driving perfection, AND it's the only seat that's heated. (smile) And if that's the worst hang-up my husband has, well, I'm fine with that.

Spill it....how do you split up the driving in YOUR family?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Snow Should Melt by May.

Well, I'm comin' atcha live from Duluth, MN, where the Weather Channel sent it's personalities to cover the "big storm" yesterday. Much to their disappointment (and mine), the "storm" turned out to be nothing more than about 5 inches of pretty, powdery snow and a few gusts of wind. Though, it left it's dirty fingerprints in the form of FRIGID early morning temperatures (it barely eclipsed zero as I picked up my Caribou Coffee this morning).

I'm still trying to find a good balance of free time, work time, and homework time in my daily life. This week has been made MUCH easier for me, as I'm on "winter break" from classwork. I found myself thinking on my way home from work today, "so THIS is what life without homework feels like!" I had completely forgotten. I'm taking advantage of the down time and cold weather by fitting in some recreational reading. I got The Memory Keeper's Daughter as a Christmas present, and have been plowing through it- this author is a great storyteller!

There isn't much purpose to this post, other than to let you know I'm alive. And I hope you are, too. :)

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Your Heart-Warmer for the Day.*

In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University.

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approached it carefully. He got down on one knee, inspected the elephant's foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and gently as he could, Peter worked the wood out with a knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down his foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on his face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Peter never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago with his teen son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Peter and his son, Cameron, were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted it's front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The elephant did that several times and then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter could not help wondering if this was the same elephant. Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped it's trunk around one of Peter's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant. ;)


*see comments

Monday, March 02, 2009

February Blues.


The stats are in, and yes...I'm aware...I suck at blogging in February. I'm optimistic that March will be much more entertaining! ;)