Long time no blog :)

It's been sort of a crazy busy week and I haven't been able to post at all. I apologize if some sentences don't make sense as I'm typing with on less finger. I was cutting up apples last night to make the Snicker Salad for work today for our potluck and totally sliced open my finger. It KILLED! And would no stop bleeding, in fact it's still bleeding a little this morning. I guess if it doesn't close up by the end of the day maybe i'll head to the hospital and get all stitched up :( Maybe I shouldn't be allowed to cook!

So last Friday I made a split decision to go down to Iowa for the night and visit my grandparents, aunt, cousin and her kids who were down in Story City for the week. I really wanted to see my grandpa because I've been so busy I just don't have any time to go down there and see him. I wish I could go more often, to listen to my grandparents talk about when they were young and all the years lived, is facinating. He knows EVERYTHING, about history, seriously you ask him anything and he'll be able to tell you what year it happened and what went down....quite a spry guy :) I'm so lucky that I've been able to be so close to both sets of grandparents all my life. I lost my Grandpa Ellson a couple years back and it was tough since I was so close to him, but I wouldn't trade being close to them for anything. Your grandparents are an essential piece of your history and a vital piece of your future...with out them, I don't think I would fully know who I was! Anyways, here's a shout out to them, I love you all!

I had a wedding on Saturday I had to get back to, which turned out great, in between the off and on rain (it was an outdoor ceremony), it stopped right in time for the ceremony :) It was Lumberjack days in Stillwater and two of my good friend's birthdays so I hiked my way that way to meet them for some dinner, drinks and a fun time! I was the Designated Driver, so it was a fun time rounding them all up at the end of the night! We even got to try out an Ice Bar that they had, the entire bar was made out of ice and it was -5 degrees in there. Before you went in they gave you Parka's and mittens. It was really cool, I did ask myself why we would go into a -5 degree place when in Minnesota we try to get away from the cold in the summers??? haha, I had a dress and flip flops on so I got a little cold

It was the Bachelorette Finale on Monday, and Jillian picked Ed. They did look really happy, even though I wanted Reid to win! It was fun to watch though!

Tonight my friend Alicia is having her bachlorette party, so Natalie, Robyn and I will be going to that, then it's off to her wedding in Rochester on Saturday! Fun filled-Busy-Week :)

Shoulda been a Doctor

So here's my rant on going to the Doctor, and bills. First of all, I don't really understand the whole insurance thing, where I can go, who I can see, how much I pay, how much they pay, it's all quite head spinning confusing. That and I get impatient trying to learn this stuff. So anyways being sick for what seemed like a month, I decided to go to the doctor, literally the front desk lady took my $25 check for my co-pay and told me to wait for the doctor. So I go in, they swab my throat (checking for strep,side note- I'm a pro at this throat swab thing, I had it so much as a kid), then I wait...and wait, and wait. And the the acutaly doctor comes in tells me the dreaded "it's a virus, wait it out", and prescribes me this weird numbing gel crap I'm supposed to sort of gargle in and spit out, but don't swallow cuz it could numb my insides....sounds safe, huh! Well, I thought all I would have to pay for little appointment was my co-pay....NOT TRUE! I got a bill in the mail today for an additional $50 I need to pay for all this random lab crap. Seriously $75 to see a doctor for a total of 2 min and for him to say 5 little words! This is why I should have been Doctor, I would have been a much more rich woman! Well, I've decided this is rediculous so unless one of my limbs is about to fall off of my body, I'm not going to the Doctor...seriously $75 I wasn't expecting to pay this month....on top of that I got some random bill from the City of St. Paul saying I need to pay $50 for some upkeep of sewers and stuff...I thought that was in the $3,000 I pay in taxes each year!!! They milk ya dry I tell ya! haha, well that was my small rant on bills and money. Gross, I hate them. When do I get to work and use my money for fun??? Ever? hehe. Self pity again, it's ok, sometimes ya need it to get through the day!

On a bit of a strange note, I had 2 odd things happen with brides lately, today met my bride for Saturday's wedding to get her final payment, which she gave to me in CASH....yes $4,000 in cash. Who has that laying around the house?? I felt like a drug dealer, meeting in the parking lot and her handing over a unmarked envelope with $4,000 of cash in it. Now just gotta make sure I don't get mugged on the way to work tomorrow! I also had a bride that I met with and went over details for her wedding in September write me an e-mail that started with, and I quote "Thank you for being a sweet baby last night" What!?! I'm thinking she meant sweet heart???? If anyone can explain what this really meant...please do enlighten me. Then she invited me to her rehersal dinner....strange.

"It's all about hiding the crazy and acting like the most confident girl in the room." -Scrubs

Movie Madness

I love movies and books, especially books that are made into movies (the books are usually better though). It's just interesting to see how someone else sees the words on the page come to life. Abbey and I went to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Thursday. I've read all the books, so I'm always excited when a new movie comes out. I was a little disappointed, they left a lot of key elements out of the movie that were in the book. I do want to marry Harry Potter now though, he's a little cutie :) haha. Then I went to the Hangover last night with Matt.....so funny. I hadn't laughed that hard at a movie for a while. I think I love movies and books so much because when life gets so hectic and crazy, I can just lose myself in that world. It's great!

I actually had most of this weekend off, shocking, I know! I had a wedding Friday night, which I ended up staying until about 10 pm...13 hour work day, gets a little tiring after that. They had these s'more roasting things that were the dessert at each table, so I want to make sure we got those out and didn't burn the place down before I left. It turned out great and was such a hit! The bride and groom were adorable, and I loved the groom's mom. I had been working with her a lot since the bride and groom had lived in California and just moved back here. She was just the sweetest lady.

Tuck and I came to stay at my parents this weekend, sometimes I like bringing him here because he has more room to run around, than he does at my condo in the city. He loves Shasta too, so he had a friend to play with. It's a beautiful day today, after hitting up the farmers market this morning (I love getting fresh vegetables and fruit), we're about to hit up the boat. Another great Sunday :) I think i'll bring out one of the books I bought yesterday....


"never let your success go to your head and never let your failures go to your heart"

Bridezilla

I suppose by my header you can already tell what this will be about. I have to deal with many a bridezilla and momzilla in my job, and you have to do this with a smile on your face and a calming voice even though you are screaming on the inside. They can literally be screaming at you and you have to smile and find a way to get done what they need. I've decided some clients don't think we are human beings, just meer robots that have no feelings or no limits.

Anyway, with that said, I had a planning meeting last night with a bride, groom, and sister of the bride for an upcoming wedding at the Boat Club. Now, let me first say that, there was no working around my schedule, only theirs. So I had met them at the venue at 6:45pm. Of course, I didn't actually leave that meeting until around 9pm....this is why I get crabby. That was just the tip of the iceberg. The bride came in just annoyed with everything, I was charging her too much for things (I told her I don't have control over the prices). I got yelled at for having milk cost $2 a person. Unless you want to milk the cow yourself, there are costs involved in everything. So we did away with the milk. At one point I was asked if our servers were "trashy". I was so caught off guard, I akwardly laughed and had the most shocked look on my face. The groom was mortified and I just reassured her that was not the case at all. Then it just spiraled from there, nothing was good enough, the plaques on the wall were not symmetrical, etc. I showed her pictures of a previous wedding at the venue and I got a glare and a "that bride's ugly"...it was a disaster. The worst part of this, is that the wedding is the same day my cousin Marcie's wedding is in Colorado, hence why I freaked a bit because I won't be able to be at this wedding. I'm nervous everything is going to go wrong. Luckily, my co-worker Natalie, said she would be there that day...I told her the whole story and said "I wish you luck" :) haha. When I get married, whenever that day may be, I will be so easy no one will even know what to do!

My work laptop decided to get a virus today while I was in the middle of work and has basically crashed. So I have to head out to Bloomington tomorrow to drop it off at our tech place and hopefully they can fix it. In the meantime I'll work at home and run out to the Boat Club when I have meetings. I never realized how lost I am without that, I can't get anything done!

Side Note to everyone out there not married yet or know someone not married yet, when you plan your wedding, go easy on the Event Planner....

"You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all." -J. Askenberg

Tired Tuesday

I'm exhausted. I have always known my body just doesn't do well if I don't get a lot of sleep and lately that has been the case. Stress messes with your body too, and I've had heaps of that lately. So I'm back to being sick again. boo. Hopefully it won't last long. I got a pretty good nights sleep last night and am going into work a little late today, so it's been a relaxing morning, which I think, is just what I needed. I'm working until about 9pm tonight though, so long day.

This weekend was great! Saturday after not finding the dog park, I went to my wedding to check on. Which was great! Of course I found out on Monday that one of the guests got a little unruley because the bartender had to cut him off. So as angry as he was, he went into the bathroom and kicked in a door and took some granite off the wall (how you take granite off a wall, drunk, is still beyond me). Why some weddings turn into such fiasco's I will never know! Then it was Justin's birthday so I went over to their house for some fun games, a few drinks, and some food. It was great! Sunday we got up early and headed out to the boat. It looked like it wasn't going to be a very good day, but turned out perfect! Being on the boat is my favorite summer memory, so I'm glad I've been able to head out there a few times this year! Hopefully this weekend will be the same! I have a wedding on Friday and Saturday, but Sunday...cross your fingers for it to be nice :)

"Draw a line. Live above it. "-Anonymous

Fact

Fact: I didn't find the dog park. haha, I drove around forever, I think the dog park disapeared, not that I'm challenged at directions. I did find a path along the river, so Tuck and I walked along that and it was gorgeous.

Friday Facts

Fact: My wedding last night was a success, woohoo! It helps when the weather is great and the rain/wind doesn't stop a great time. The bride looked beautiful and the groom was so happy. I love watching the ceremony when the bride walks down the isle and you glimpse at the groom as he first sees her....priceless. This is when I love what I do.

Fact: I had an awesome night with Abbey. We went to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant we love going to...if you couldn't tell by previous posts, we enjoy eating Mexican food. haha. Actually we just enjoy eating! We went back to her house and had a bonfire with a few glasses of wine....seriously, just what I needed :) It took a while to get the fire started, we decided if we were stuck on an island somewhere, we probably wouldn't survive because we can barely start a fire. Apparently those survival instincts weren't part of our gene pool! It event started to rain while we were out there under the porch and it was just awesome and so relaxing. We chatted about anything and everything....that's what I enjoy the most about our friendship, we always are on the same wave length, that our conversations could last forever, and we'd be none the wiser. We decided to start planning our trip, we're shooting for January, February to go some place warm and just escape from the hectic, cold reality that usually takes place around that time. Something fun to look forward too. I think it's good to always have something on the books to look forward to!

Fact: The weekend is off to a great start :) Tuck and I are off to the dog park...that is if I can find it!

"Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory." -Susan B. Anthony

Dreams...big or small

I think it's a good thing for everyone to have a dream of some sort. I personally have many, many small dreams that all make up the person that I want to be. Someday, slowly, hopefully I'll get around to achieving all of them. Some are trivial, like I want to own a boat before I'm 30, some are about life, like I just want to be a good person to everyone I meet and make a difference in the lives of people around me, and some are big, like I want to travel the world (which is difficult when I'm scared to fly), some are family oriented, like I want to marry a man that loves me for just me, all the imperfections, quirks, and crazy emotions I posses, and I want to be a good mom, daughter, sister, etc. And today I realized another dream, I don't know if I'll ever achieve it, but it's another goal to try and reach for. I love to write and I would love to write for a magazine of some sort. I still haven't got the exact details down, but I'd love to be an editor of a magazine, whether that be on a small or large scale. Writing articles about people, places, cuisine, etc. Now that sounds like a dream worth pursuing. The one thing I do know, is that you only truely fail, when you decide to stop reaching for your dreams. So I hope you all never stop :)

We Won!!

Just a quick note, I just got back from my awards dinner for work. It was the Minnesota Bride Best of Awards. Which is a local magazine that publishes a quarterly magazine, and has a website that helps brides all over Minnesota with wedding ideas. One of Mintahoe's venues was up for an award this year, best large reception venue and we won!!! It was a great party with exquist passed appetizers and an appetizer buffet with live music and a hosted bar. The atmosphere was very different as it was in a old vintage theatre in Minneapolis. The centerpieces were deep read flowers with old candelabras...it was really cool. The best part was that we won..even though it's not my venue, I book, it was still cool! And we got the fall issue of Minnesota Bride and I was quoted in it for an article they wrote about new trendy ways of serving food at weddings! So all in all....it was a good night :)

Tuesday

Well this week hasn't been very eventful, usually I have a good story, but alas, it's been a pretty ordinary week thus far, minus the usual stressors of work.

The weekend was good, minus having to work and feeling sick. Next year will be better though! My friends and I have thrown around maybe renting a cabin next year...so we'll see :)

Like usual, this week has turned out to be pretty busy! Tuck had a vet appointment last night...he weighs 29 lbs now! I remember when he was 8 lbs when I got him :( My baby is growing up! I stopped by my parents and watched the bachlorette...addicted. Haha, my favorite is Reid...I hope she picks him!

Today I actually had time after work to make dinner, which is rare. It's hard to make food for 1 person though, you always have so much left over! So I made a yummy salad, spaghetti pie, and am in the process of making fruit pizza...more so for the weekend, but it won't hurt to sneak a bite. Unfortunately, I've got quite the sweet tooth! I have a ton left over though, so anyone is welcome to stop by! The rest of the week nights are filled with work.

I have an awards dinner to go to tomorrow, which I found out today I have to get dressed up for....blah. Then a grooms dinner at the Boat Club Thursday night, a wedding at the Boat Club Friday night, and a wedding at the James J. Hill Library on Saturday night. Plus it's my friend, Justin's birthday, so I"ll be hanging out there after the wedding. The boating Sunday...woohoo :) Busy, busy, busy.

I'm sitting here watching the Michael Jackson memorial right now.....sorry if this typing is not gramatically correct, my eyes are a bit blury. I swear, I cry at everything! It's pretty sad, as controversial as he was, his music was great, and just like many others, I grew up listening to him. It's just a weird feeling, kinda makes me feel old.

Anyways, I hope you are all having a fabulous week, life's too short to have anything but a fabulous time :)

"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap." ~Cynthia Hiemel

Pity Post

So I'm going to indulge in a little self pity in this post...as my Grandma Johnson would say I'm on my "pity pot"...haha which never happens...right grams?

Anyways, as I sit here at 8am on Friday, July 3rd, I'm getting ready to go into work. It's a beautiful day outside, and I would love to be anywhere but working. I was just watching the news and they said there was no traffic today because everyone was off work or already at their 4th of July destination. Not the case, newsman, I'm going to work, along with about 20 of my fellow co-workers...we can all wallow in self pity together, hehe. So since we have to be at work today (even though there will be nothing to do because absolutely no one will in at their work to e-mail or call today), I made some fruit pizza last night to bring into work for a treat for everyone. We mise well have a bit of fun if we have to be there, right?

I'm White Bear lake bound tomorrow, it will be fabulous. That is until I have to go into work...on the 4th. Blah. Like I said....work too much. Maybe this time next year, I'll have figured out a way to not work as much. Keep your fingers crossed!

Oh and I'm still sick, I woke up not being able to breathe again and cotton mouth because I had to breathe through my mouth all night, I hate that! See I told you this would be all about self pity! Feel bad for me. Haha!

I hope everyone has a fabulous 4th of July. Enjoy the Fireworks :)

Doggies

Here are a few pictures of the boys...




Nemo is really leery of Tucker, anytime Tucker gets near him he growls at him, which doesn't stop Tucker at all, he continues to try and play. That dog is going to get his nose bit off sometime, when he finally realizes not everyone wants to play with him. Anyways, here are a few pictures when I could get them close enough together. Nemo likes to stick my me as much as possible and Tucker just does his own thing!

Oh and I'm pretty bummed, I just found out I have to work on the 4th, I thought I wouldn't have to go to my event, but now I do :(

" I think every day is made up of tiny little tests. Some are tests of character. Some are tests of fortitude. Others are tests of friendship. And if you're lucky, when it really matters, you'll pass with flying colors." -Scrubs

Dogsitting-Day One= Complete

I don't think that Nemo likes Tucker very much. Every time Tucker gets near him he growls at him. Haha, so I've had to keep the separated. So while I took Tucker for a walk, Nemo stayed in the bathroom, and while I took Nemo for a walk Tucker stayed and played with his other buddy, Logan. Yes, I had 3 dogs in my house yesterday...it was craziness! So far so good though, hopefully by the end of the week they'll be friends! I'll take some pictures and post them soon.

Still trying to kick this cold, man having colds are the worst! Especially summer colds. I think I would be fine if it weren't for the pounding headache and stuffed up sinuses....makes sleeping very difficult! I'm hoping by the 4th it will be a little more manageable, but I know how long these little bugs can hold on for :(