check

1. Christmas cards are ordered. Check.

2. Christmas letter is written. Check.

3. Piles of laundry are decreasing. Check.

4. Dishwasher is full of clean dishes. Check.

5. Big plans to clean the entire rest of my house tomorrow before my sister comes to spend the night Thursday night. Yikes....and.....check.

Snowman

I love my job. Where else would it be perfectly acceptable, if not encouraged, to do such things as bring a big bucket of snow inside to make a snowman in the kitchen sink. THen, move him into the freezer where he would live happily for the next few days.

I love my life.

Engagement Pics

I took some pics of Josh and Michelle for their engagement and Christmas card. We took A LOT of pictures, and only a few turned out, largely due to a certain SOMEONE who was not cooperating. I promised not to place these on Facebook. Good thing this isn't facebook (and he doesn't know i have a blog!).

A few turned out ok. The lighting was bad and the only time we had was 7pm. So, we'll try again in the spring.

Booked

That's right.

Vacation is booked.

WOO-HOO!!!



In just 5 months, Josh and Michelle will be married and they, along with me, Ryan, Brad, and Kirsten, will be headed to this beautiful resort in MEXICO!

Again.... WOO-HOO!

I don't know if I will sleep til then.

Ryan @ 25

Ryan turned 26 this week. We celebrated by going to Culvers on his dinner break with Nick (haha). Same place we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. :)

Since I did one for myself, I thought I'd add a few things about Ryan at this point so that, of course, I can scrapbook it eventually!

Ryan @ 25

Works as a 3rd shift lead at Wiseway in Hudson
Just got a job as a cook weekends at the 5-8 Bar & Grill in St.Paul
Has a chevy truck.
Has a civic.
Has a sport bike.
Has a 66 Impala.
(a bit ridiculous...I know!)
Rabbitt to his RF friends.
Bubba or Bubbs to his old friends.
Just plain Ryan to me.
He's a hard worker.
Focused on getting us out of debt.
Frequently gets the itch to buy a house.
Is really good at researching things before he does them.
Is a really, really good friend.
Doesn't have much of a filter. :)
Big on electronics ( I-pod, computer, touch screen phone, etc.)
Watches lots of TV (when he has time) and is especially big into the CSI type shows right now.
Just built a workbench in the garage which means he'll have lots of projects ahead.
Wants land. Bad.
Is developing a pretty good relationship with his dad.
Has much better control over our naughty dog than I do (no contest).
Made my day this week by buying me a super cool new phone.
Wishes his wife was a better housekeeper. ;)
Love that he is in control of all of our finances.
A pretty darn good guy.

:)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I'm not one to get super pumped about Christmas stuff. Don't like Christmas shopping, don't get too worked up about it, etc. I did, after deliberation, put up my Christmas tree today. Thing is, only one who is going to see it other than me is Ryan and he could really care less about it. I did the right thing and put it up anyway. I feel like Christmas is so close that it will only be up for a few weeks, but I ended up liking it. It does create a nice atmosphere to have the tree with the lights on and I can appreciate that at least. :)

RF Reunion

It was a fun weekend! We went out to dinner with Nick, Kari and Ty on Friday night. It's been a while since the couples club has gotten together, so it was great to see them!

Saturday Ryan worked a long day at his new PT job, the 5-8 Club Bar and Grill. I joined Slink and Nicky C in RF while he was at work, joined up with Nels who was in town for the weekend and Ty soon after. We hung out and played cards at Nicks before heading downtown RF. Ryan was surprised to find me sitting in Nicky C's apt when he got off work. :) It was a super fun night. I felt like I was 18 years old at Club Kaos again. Those boys are just so fun!

Needless to say, it was a LATE, LATE night so I was thrilled not to have anything at all to do today. LOVE THAT!

So, I've been hanging out in my pjs all day re-watching chick flicks. Am I the only one who can watch movies regularly multiple times? I just can't go wrong with Sweet Home Alabama and the Notebook. Could watch em a million times.

Ryan is at work again until 10--I should point out that the 2nd job was HIS idea, not mine! That makes me feel a little bit less guilty for him working so much. I work hard during the week too, so having a free weekend is SO nice. Hopefully his 2nd job won't be too long term!

Anyway--hopefully I'll be refreshed and ready to go for another week ahead.

11.10.08

1. Chipotle for dinner (after no breakfast or lunch!!!)

2. A little scrapbook therapy tonight

3. Pictures to capture the best of times

11.9.08

1. Being able to blow $100 at Archivers without my husband getting mad.

2. The cute pictures I got of Anna and Ryan

3. A W-A-L-K with the dog tonight. There was a nice chill and I had fun shuffling through the leaves. :)

11.8.08

1. A lunch date with the hubby

2. Time to scrapbook tonight!

3. I'm alive {phew. It's hard to think of 3 new things every, single day!}

11.7.08

1. I laugh a lot.

2. It's FRIDAY!

3. A relaxing weekend ahead

Holiday Extravaganza

I woke up this morning with the intention of going to Archivers because i heard it was a good sale weekend.

Well.

Little did I know that A) Archivers didn't open until 11 (I got there at 10:40) and B) that there would be a line of ladies waiting for the door to open.

Yes. I joined the masses, swallowed my pride, and stood in line too. Boy was it cold. Turns out the first 50 people got a coupon book {totally not worth waiting in the cold}.

Needless to say, I did the 2 free make and takes and did a lil' shopping. Somehow, the total came to $100, but I just don't know HOW that always happens.

I called Ryan sheepishly on my drive away with my confession {though really, a few things I bought were Christmas gifts! that doesn't hardly count}

Anyway- lots to work on now on the weekends. Pretty good day so far. I just had to get that off my chest so I don't need to be embarassed anymore...

My lil' Halloween pumpkins

11.6.08

1. a super low-key day at "work"--we had our awards gala tonight, so we had a full day to prep for it. that meant that once our work was done, a whole group of us went to the mall! :)

2. a great GALA! Our house got recognized twice--an impact award and one of our staff here was chosen as the #1 staff out of about 700 in the company. SO PROUD!

3. the decision to not wear nylons tonight. ew! I put them on and then someone convinced me that if they aren't comfortable, then I shouldn't wear them. what a great concept! :)

11.5.08

1. A successful surgery!!!

2. That my little niece is okay--she got 5 shots yesterday at her check-up and passed out this morning. :(

3. a new business venture

Memory-Works

Woo-hoo! I'm now a consultant for Memory-Works! Wanna buy some great scrapbook stuff!? ;)

11.4.08

1. A healthy, virus-free computer!

2. One of my guys is having surgery tomorrow. I'm thankful that I was able to spend time with him today, he called by my name, and I told him I loved him. Now I just hold my breath...

3. A day with lots of laughing

11.3.08

1. Another beautiful day

2. A Monday feeling refreshed and excited to go back to work

3. An evening spent scrapbooking. Not having my computer for a night proved to be a much more productive use of my time!

11.2.08

1. A beautiful day with a visit to the dog park with Tytan and Ryan

2. Sunday night! Best night of TV of the week!

3. An extra hour in the day

11.1.08

1. Getting to have dinner with the hubby

2. A whole room for scrapbooking

3. The possibility of a new business venture & a husband that humors me enough to let me! :)

10.31.08

1. Having the day off!

2. A beautiful drive to my sister's house

3. Getting to hang out with Anna and Ryan and to share trick-or-treating with them

Business Venture???

My sister-in-law owns a consignment/discount grocery store www.dentbent.com. They are adding a 2nd location and at the new store she will be renting out "booths" for vendors to sell their stuff.

That got me thinking. I'd love to sell cards, baby books, brag books, etc. at her store. That got me thinking more. I'm not a fan of the Creative Keepsakes line, so I googled to see what else was available.

That's when I found out about MemoryWorks. www.memory-works.com/admin/. Has anyone heard of this??? It sounds like a pretty good deal (all the awesome products that I already love). I'm really, really contemplating starting this. I think that it would be ok to sell stuff at her store then too. It wouldn't be a major money making venture or anything, but it's all stuff I buy from Archivers normally anyway.

HHmm...maybe I'll just pay the starter fee and see what it looks like???

10.30.08

1. A relaxing day and an evening ahead watching "Made of Honor"... yippee!

2. Purple toenails and yellow daisies

3. Having a boss who won't call or email me today because she really is happy for me to take the day off (though I did email her...no response yet!).

Strengths

For Sarah H:

Developer
Empathy
Learner
Individualization
Positivity

Love it. So much fun! :)

10.29.08

1. A house that is STILL, miracle of miracles, clean.

2. An afternoon consisting of a pedicure and a haircut with a friend tomorrow...woo-hoo!!! No work for the rest of the week! At the same time--a job that I really don't mind working a little even on my days off because I want to be kept in the loop and updated. :)

3. I got called Swarah yesterday by one of my residents with no reminders! LOVE LOVE LOVE that. That makes my day every time. It's few and far between these days so when it happens, it is a J O Y.

See...I have TWO nieces and nephews! ;)

Here's my photographic attempts with Colton and Linse, my older niece and nephew. I obviously have a number of pics of the two little ones, so it was fun to get some of these guys too.

I like the idea of natural kids pictures; however, when I have someone like Linse to work with, it doesn't SEEM natural because she is such a little poser. I think she's ready to be a cover model by looking at the way she hams it up for the camera.

I wanted them to hold hands. Yea right. That wasn't happenin.

This one cracks me up. :)

They live on top of a ridge, so it was incredibly windy. A few good ones came out of it at least! It was pretty fun though. It's amazing to me to look at Colton and Linse and think about how old they are. I was in 7th grade when Colton was born. He's in 5th grade now. That is also weird because Ryan and I met in 6th grade...that seems so long ago and Colton is so young to imagine that I met my future HUSBAND at his age. Weird, weird, weird.

Kids. They grow up so fast. ;)

10.28.08

1. I went grocery shopping after work, came home to a clean kitchen, and actually cooked (this is almost miracle proportion).

2. Tomorrow is technically Friday for me! {Still feels very, very strange, but I'm VERY excited to take 2 days off just for the heck of it. I feel guilty, yes, but excited!!!}

3. I'm planning a career fair type open house for work. I got to work on the brochure today with our Recruiting Director and I just loved it. I love when I get to do planning and coordinating type tasks. Very fun!

10.27.08

1. A nagging to do item is crossed off my list.

2. I'm having a staff meeting in my apartment tonight. Great motivation to C L E A N it and that feels great.

3. A text from a friend made my day.

Weekend

To clarify--the post about the wine, the bar, and the sleeping. The "sleeping" part came from the night before the wine and the bar. The wine and the bar were actually not at all related to the fabulous sleep...other than the fact that I'm grateful for all 3 of those things.

Anna and lil' Ryan's bday parties were this weekend. Ryan didn't join me. He stayed here and did who knows what {though I think it had something to do with a part and his truck...maybe}.

My mom and I did some shopping yesterday which is usually disastrous, but it went well. I'm excited about the couple of items I purchased and we both made it out of the mall alive. I'd call that a success! :)

I did a little photo shoot with Colton and Linse today and will put pics up a different day this week. It was kind of fun, though it was incredibly windy up at their house.

I'm super excited to only be working 3 days this week. The best part of it is...I'm not taking Thursday and Friday off for any real reason other than just to do it. I have PTO for a reason, apparently, so it might as well get put to use {a LOT of PTO actually, which really shouldn't be seen as a problem, but it bugs me just sitting there accumulating!}. So...the plan= sleeping in on Thursday, running a few errands I never make time for otherwise, meeting a friend at Woodbury Lakes for pedicures (bday gift certificate from Ryan!) and haircuts {and dinner too, possibly. she and I do that on a weekly basis after all}. Friday I'm going to hang out around home and do some cleaning and organizing, then head to Brenda's for the night to go Trick or Treating with Anna and Ryan. I'll spend the night, come back Saturday, then still have the whole weekend ahead of me. That is BEAUTIFUL!

Here goes the 3 day work week! woo-hoo!

10.26.08

1. My brother. The older I get, the more of an understanding we develop. I'm his favorite sister, obviously. :)

2. Friends that let me crash at their house last night.

3. A good weekend with my mom (despite the fact that she told me I need therapy...it was probably the best weekend I can remember in a long time with her. ha. I'm not even being sarcastic!)

10.25.08

1. Movie theaters that serve wine--what an amazing idea that was (not to mention very LARGE glasses of wine!!!)!

2. Hanging out with 3 people at a bar in LaCrosse last night...one HS classmate, one 2 years younger than me, one a year older than me. We've never hung out together before, yet it was perfectly normal. I love my small town and my small high school!

3. Sleeping so soundly that I forgot where I was. No tapping on the wall in the middle of the night, no baby monitor from upstairs, no footsteps, no dog, no husband getting home at 3 in the morning. Just sleep. Fabulous, uninterupted sleep.

10.24.08

1. Texting and Facebook. Perfect ways to keep in touch!

2. Being far enough away from home town, and being away from there long enough to really love and appreciate it.

3. Getting to take a bath in my parents extra big bathtub

10.23.08

1. I got to have a yummy dinner with an awesome friend who always makes me laugh.

2. My house is cleaner than usual.

3. Tomorrow is Friday!

{Heading home for the weekend. Anna and Ryan are having their 5th and 3rd birthday parties at Chuck E Cheeses. Where did the last 5 years go? Jeesh!}

10.22.08

1. I laughed a lot today

2. I got to sleep in

3. I got to text back and forth with my roomie and hope to see her this weekend.

Gratitude

We had a training at work today and the CEO's wife, co-owner of the company, gave us her annual talk on the importance of maintaining balance in our lives. She always starts with a written survey with questions like:

1. What did you eat yesterday? Did you have breakfast this morning? (I ate a piece of cake and a Smart One yesterday; No, no breakfast this morning)

{uh-oh}




2. How much water did you consume yesterday? Caffeine? (NO water; about 20 oz of caffeine)



{not good}


3. How much sleep did you get last night? Do you ever take naps during the day? (This is the one area I'm GOOD in. I was so exhausted last night that I had to bide my time until I could finally feel ok about going to bed at 8:30...it's embarassing, but boy do I love my sleep!)

{it mostly went downhill again after this point!}





The survey went on to talk about procrastination, exercise, dates with friends/spouses, etc. There were lots of guilty looks and hanging heads in that room--believe me. It's always a good reminder from her and it's nice to know that the leading lady in the company is ok with us getting a pedicure in the middle of the day or taking an extended weekend.





The other thing she talked about was having an attitude of gratitude or a critical spirit. She gave all of us journals to encourage us to keep a gratitude journal of 3 things we're grateful for that day.





Since one of my last posts was positively mopey, I thought that the gratitude idea sounded good (not to mention I was envisioning how i could turn that into a SCRAP-project!). Instead of a paper journal though, that would give me something worthwhile to blog about (at least something worthwhile to me!).





Here goes! I am grateful for...





1. Getting to work with people who make me laugh on a daily basis.
2. Being able to appreciate the little moments with a very special person in my life who is going downhill slowly but surely. His little whispers and bursts of laughter today absolutely made my day.
3. A job where I get to make a difference in the lives of the people I work with.

We'll see how long I can keep up with the idea of posting these daily!

Week in the Life of Me

2 weeks ago already! The album is very much in-progress. I'm using a chipboard album with rings and my beloved 2" square punch. I think I'm in love.

Life

Work is stressful. I still love it, but my morale is low (along with many of my co-workers).

I have clutter everywhere and hate it.

I haven't talked on the phone to my mom in weeks.

I only see Ryan on the weekends.

I'm sad that my friend isn't talking to me.

I work 10-12 hour days and this week I'm working all 7 days.

OK...that's the negatives.

There are a few positives...

I have regained a new appreciation for where I started with my job. I love spending time upstairs with the guys and the staff. They are fantastic.

I've grown closer to all my co-workers lately and am starting to develop more "friendships" there...even outside of work. I love that.

We were supposed to book our Mexico vacation today, but will wait til Monday. Then, we get to spend a week in May with some of our very best friends in the whole, wide world.

Speaking of them, I am a much better friend to them then I had been for a long time, but no grudges were held.

I did the "week in the life of" project on Ali Edwards' blog and almost have the finished project. Love that.

Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win

When things go wrong, as they will,
When the road you're traveling seems all up hill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to cry,
When life is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is a challenge with its twists and turns,
As each and everyone some day learns,
And many a failure would hve turned out,
Had they not given up, had they stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

You can never tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
'Cause quitters never win, and winners never quit,
When the time arrives that you might give in,
That's when you know you're about to win.

Me @ 25

Tomorrow is my birthday.
Today, my last day of being the good ole' # 2 5, I reflect on me @ 25 ;) ....



I believe friends should be based on quality, not quantity
I am me, not my mom
I don’t like talking on the phone
I like my space
I love my job
I like photography
I love all things crafty
I love my dog
I am happily married
I am extremely laid back about most areas of my life
I usually cry on my way to or from Stoddard
I love sleep
I buy myself flowers
I have a ton of student loans to pay back, but no credit cards
I drive a 2004 Mitsubishi Galant
I’ve worked at ACR for 6 years
I’ve dated Ryan for 8 years
I like remembering trivial facts about new people I meet (like their coffee drink)
I love relaxing weekends to craft and watch chick flicks alone
I adore my nieces and nephews
I am chronically disorganized in most ways, yet really organized in others
Our apartment is rarely clean
I want to be a mom sometime (sooner rather than later)
I hate going to the bank and post office
I love facebook and blogging
I could eat Mexican food every night of the week
I love to wear sweatpants
I’m entirely a people person during the day, so really appreciate being alone sometimes
I like my personal space
I don't like clingy people
I really like squares and linear things
I value my long-term friendships like no other, though I just pulled through a phase when I wasn’t a very good friend to them
I’m too empathetic and it really gets to me sometimes
I’m horrible at returning phone calls
I still believe that high school was the best time of my life
I love still being referred to as “Rob” or “Raabel” by my old friends
I am always “Sarah-Abbott” at work (one word. not 2.)
I take multiple baths each week
I love garage sales
I have horrible eating habits
I can read a book in a day if I have time
I work too much
I pay for a gym membership but never go
There are some things that I am horrible about procrastinating
I'm a really positive person
I like making people happy

Fun w/Anna & Ryan

It's been too long, but I finally got to go see Anna & Ryan. They have a brand new house and I just got to see it for the first time. Very nice.

We went to the pumpkin patch which was very fun. Lots of pics of Anna feeding the animals...Ryan preferred to just throw the corn in the air.

Ryan has a new toy obsession--dinosaurs. For a little boy (he's 2, almost 3!) who talks very little, he is able to name which kind of dinosaur is which (brontosaurus, stegosaurus). It's pretty darn cute, that's for sure. Lightning McQueen is still on his list, though he might be coming in second these days to the dinosaurs.

I spent Friday night there and came back Sunday with the dog so Ryan could go to a bach-party. I re-watched all my favorite chick flicks and had a fantabulously relaxing evening. Good times.

Absolutely random happenings

Such a bad blogger!

Recap:

This past weekend was Scrapfest 2008 with Christy. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our scrapbook weekends together and especially the fact that we go months away from one another but, because we blog, we have very little that needs to be caught up on. We just pick right up where we left off. That is something I can say for my very best friends and I just love it. We started creating a mental list of all the things we will never do at Scrapfest or in real life...just because we are "scrapbookers" and go to "Scrapfest" it does not mean we fit in there. Oh no. No. Never will.

Ryan dragged me around the boonies the weekend before to look at houses. I swear that something in the crisp Fall air makes him go stir crazy and want some "land". Ryan is not content in the city and won't truly be content until he has an acre or 2 to his name. The thing of it is that he would be fine living in a 1-room shack as long as it had land. Not I. It has calmed down again this week after the one house we were POSSIBLY interested in was sold. Darn. Better luck next year maybe. :)

Since then we have been trying to see if his brother Keagan can come live with us. I don't think my work will let it happen, but we're trying. We're both all for the idea, but I'm not holding my breath.

Today Michelle asked me to be a personal attendant and reader in her and Josh's wedding. I'm super excited and honored. I've known Josh for 20 years and Michelle for almost that long so it is going to be a pretty special day. Can't wait! (not til May though)

Work is going really well and has been busy, busy, busy. I've been picking up new job requirements like interviewing and LOVE my new role. It's fun to try new things and get new experiences.

Can't believe the week is half over tomorrow. Could time fly by any faster? Really? No big plans for this weekend I don't think. We're sticking around here until the last week of September--our next trip home. Again, I can't WAIT.

Life is good.

90210

is back on and it was actually pretty good. It's kind of like a mix of Gossip Girls + The Hills + a couple of characters from the 90s version of 90210 (Brenda & Kelly).

Maybe its just that I've been deprived of TV for awhile and am dying for my shows to come back on in the Fall.

I think I'll tune in again next week.

Don't make fun of me. :)

Labor Day Weekend

Us @ 2 Years

2 years

Today is me and Ryan's 2 year anniversary. We both worked today so we met at Culvers at 7:00 for a romantic dinner break! It was just another day, but we had a blast this past weekend and our going to the drive-in this weekend for a real date.

2 years! I can now say from experience that the 2nd year was quite a bit better than the first. It is all kind of a blur, but we've learned so much along the way. I feel like I've learned a lot about myself this past year too, so that helps me learn more about us as a couple.

I feel really happy and lucky and can't wait for the years to come.

(We took our 2nd annual anniversary self-portrait tonight in the Culvers parking lot...I'll post it tomorrow!)

Toby Keith

I know that what I'm about to write sounds a little far-fetched. It is a true story though--no lie.

Ryan and I were in Stoddard, WI (pop. 800) this weekend for a Labor Day tournament. Last night we went with a couple of friend and their family to a little hole in the wall bar, The Thirsty Turtle. We were all going to have a burger and a drink and then head back to the park. As we were sitting there, someone said something along the lines of "That guy looks like Toby Keith." I didn't look up at that point because I knew there was no way in the world that the REAL Toby Keith would be in Stoddard, Wisconsin. A few people gawked and then our friend Brad went over and asked him if it was really him. It was. No lie. We gawked a little more (I was completely and utterly starstruck). Brad chatted with him for a bit and then asked him to come into the room off the bar that we were in with Brad's family so Toby could have a little more privacy. He came. He walked into the room and shook hands with every single one of us then stood next to the pool table with his wife and buddies and waited for their burgers. Of course our small little town got the gossip meal running and people started flocking into the bar for autographs and pictures, but for the most part they were able to sit and have their meal. By SIT I mean SIT at the table that we had been sitting at which we then sat about 5 feet from him the whole 30 minutes or so that he was there. Then, they rode off on their motorcycles. Unbelievable I know, but it is a true story. Ryan has a really poor quality picture on his cell phone and a couple others got pics too. I, on the other hand, got his empty beer can from his table after he left....haha! ;) That is big news for my little hometown...that is for sure!

Review

Still not much happening in our world.

Due to my injury at the kickball tournament, I limped around for a week and then decided, after hearing about staph infections and surgeries, that I should go get it checked out. I left with a tetanus shot, an x-ray, antibiotic cream, and a prescription for codeine. Yes, codeine. No staph infection, but it was infected. Still hurts though Ryan says I'm just a big baby.

We went tubing last weekend with Ty and Kari on the apple river for a bit on Sunday. This weekend we headed back to LaCrosse with Josh's birthday and hung out with the Jeff and Josh the whole weekend. Lots of driving, but it was good to be back. We're actually turning around and going back there again next weekend so Ryan can play in the labor day tournament. I haven't seen him play in a really long time, so I'm actually looking forward to that.

I'm taking Josh and Michelle's engagement pics next weekend too. THAT should be an experience...I need to study up this week!

Other than that, we're just relaxing and enjoying what is left of the summer. I am starting to look forward to fall though since today was such an absolutely perfect early fall/late summer day! :)

OUCH

Kickball today.
2 games.
Sprints.
Fell down. Didn't catch ball. Big gash on leg.
Stiff.
Tired.
Won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
OUCH.

Neglectful

What a bad blogger I've been lately. Work has been a bit busy and emotionally draining lately--still wonderful, just tough in a lot of ways. I haven't had much exciting that I can actually write in a public forum. ;)

Tomorrow we have our 2nd annual company kickball tournament though, right smack on a Friday work day. We'll have about 100 employees from numerous positions--direct care staff, supervisors, maintenance, and office employees playing against each other all day. It's great fun! :) Ryan even plays!

Should be a relaxing weekend again which is always appreciated. I'm going to cross my fingers (but not hold my breath) that Ryan and I can squeeze in a trip to the drive-in this weekend. I've been wanting to all summer!

Good samaritans

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s536551.shtml?cat=1

Wow! You might have caught this on the news last night or in the paper today, but it was definately passed around our office today. 2 of the 5 people on this bus were residents of our company. To think that less than a minute could have made the difference between life and death for a few of these people is just amazing. It is nice to hear a story that could have had such a tragic ending end up ok. Everyone is safe and healthy thanks to the quick response of some strangers who literally risked their lives for the safety of those stuck inside in their wheelchairs.

Woo-hoo! I'm going to Mexico!

Well folks, I might get a honeymoon! :) A group honeymoon that is!

Ryan and I went the cheapo way out after our wedding and went up North to Duluth. It was fun and relaxing, but I had always imagined warm and tropical (and fun and relaxing).

When we were home last weekend, Brad and Kirsten, who just got married the end of June, asked if we would go on their honeymoon with them. They planned on taking one this summer since Kirstin had to hurry back to St.Louis the Monday after their wedding to start her residency.

Then, Josh and Michelle, who are getting married this next May, were invited and we decided to hold off until next summer and make it a triple honeymoon. We'll wait until right after Josh and Michelle's wedding and then when it is their official honeymoon, we'll all go. Michelle met with a travel agent yesterday and got all the info...super excited!!!

A group honeymoon? Sound weird? Kind of--more for them than us I think, but we're pretty darn good friends and we all agree that it would be way more fun if we were together than if we went as couples (Ryan and I have been married for almost 2 WHOLE YEARS after all and Josh and Michelle have been dating for close to 8!!!! We've done the "couple" thing! haha). And, let's face it--if we don't go on this one...we're NEVER going to go!