Labor Day Weekend

Friday:

Michael and I rode up to Michael's parent's house in Isle, MN on Lake Mille Lacs on the motorcycle after work. Michael's cousin, Jim joined us on his bike too. We got up there around 7:30 pm and it was already a party. Most of the other family member were already there. While we have gone up to his parent's house on Memorial and 4th of July weekends, I had never been there for Labor Day Weekend and it was my favorite trip up there yet. We ate shortly after we got there and then once it got dark, we each took a bicycle and took the traditional bike ride to the Buzzie's on the Bay, a local bar less than a mile away. There are usually no cars on these roads and it is very dark so there is usually an injury every outing. Most of the injuries come on the way back though and this year was no different. Nothing serious, but a few scraped elbows and a little ride into the ditch. Michael's dad has about 15 bicycles, that would be considered the equivalent of a jalopy for a car. He buys them for $5-10 at garage sales and keeps them in the garage for weekends just for this. Struggling with the bike and the brakes and the chain makes the short journey that more exciting! Here are some pictures from the night at Buzzie's with the final picture of that night as a toast to Cherrie.







Saturday:

We had a purpose for Saturday. This was the day that we would have the 1st Annual Cherrie's Cherry Ride. Michael sister, Cherrie passed away from liver cancer on August 6th, 2008. Before she passed, Michael had a conversation with her that he would like to have an annual motorcycle ride in her memory and he asked her if she would mind and also if we could use her name. Cherrie liked the idea and now the 1st annual ride has already taken place. Michael sent out an email a little over a week ago to anyone that would have interest in participating. This was very short notice and limited to family and friends this year. The charge was $20 a motorcycle with all the proceeds going to liver cancer research. It was a success. We had all the bikes meet at Michael's parent's house early afternoon and we were on our way to ride the 60 or so miles around Lake Mille Lacs with a few stops along the way at bar/restaurants. Next year's ride will not be on a holiday weekend and will be open for anyone to participate so come and join us next year! Here are some pictures from the ride. The first picture is at the scenic overlook of the lake but not all bikes were there yet. The second picture is our whole group after we completed the ride, with Cherrie's husband, Greg and son, Chad, in the middle sitting on the tires of the bikes.



Around sunset, Michael and I walked over to his uncle Jerry's place across the street to sit on the dock and watch the sunset and enjoy the scenery. I wanted Michael to take a picture of us so he thought it would be funny to actually record us instead of taking the picture. He didn't let me know this and he wanted to see how long I would sit there and pose for a picture before I either finally caught on to what he was doing or either just got sick of waiting. I posted the video below. You might want to turn up your speakers because with the wind of the lake, it's a little hard to hear but I think it's funny! Below the video is the actual picture we finally ended up getting and a picture of Michael and the adorable puppy next door named Sugar!



The night ended pretty low key with everyone hanging around the fire and relaxing or going back and forth between Michael's parent's house and his uncle Jerry's house.

Sunday:

We left Michael's parent's house about 10:30 am after a delicious biscuits and gravy breakfast and taking a quick walk to the dock to look at the lake. Michael and me, Jana and Johnny all left together to ride back on our bikes together. Almost home in Hugo, we stopped at the gas station because Johnny needed to get gas. Once we were ready to leave, Jana had an issue with her bike so Michael got off the bike quickly to help her. My foot was not on the peg and when he turned the bike, my leg hit the exhaust pipe and burned my leg. This was after riding 100 miles so it was HOT! Michael learned something in his motorcycle safety class....there are people who have been burned by the pipe and then there are the people that will be burned. Well, I have now been burned. I guess that makes me official now. Below is a nice and ugly picture of the burn just just above my heel area. It's got neosporin on it so that is why it is shiny. The picture isn't the greatest. My leg is on Michael's leg so he could take the picture but you get the idea.



After we got back home, we relaxed for a short while before heading out to my sister Jamie's house. We had a BBQ over there with my parents and just talked and relaxed on their patio. My nephew Keith, was so cute. He kept telling us stories about everything and each story would start out with, "One Time Ago..." and each story would end with "The End". Each one of us went around and said a word and he made up a story about each word. He definitely has an imagination! He came back out onto the patio in his Incredible Hulk pajamas and red robe and posed for a few pictures.

Heading up North

Right after work, Michael and I are riding the motorcycle up to his parents house. I'll fill ya in on the weekend when I get back. Have a safe Labor Day weekend and relax!

Thoughts for Thursday-Social Networks

Remember back when the social network websites were Classmates and Reunion in order to get in touch with people? They are both still around but they seem very archaic compared to what is most currently offered. Now there's Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, LinkedIn and I am sure many others that I am not familiar with.

I am on both Facebook and Myspace. I signed up for Myspace (after much hesitation, mostly because I felt too old to do so) because it seemed like everyone was on there and I thought it would be a good way to connect with others. After signing up, it became very addicting trying to search for people from high school or from the past or just trying to find that perfect layout and song to compliment your page. Now, I rarely use Myspace. I sign on every 3 weeks or so and peek around. Everyone started to gravitate towards Facebook. Facebook may not be as flashy and fun as Myspace but I find it keeps you more in contact with true life friends, not with musicians and celebrities like Myspace does. I also use LinkedIn, which is best described as a Myspace or Facebook for work. It allows you to add professional contacts that you currently work with or have worked with in the past. It also allows you to add your credentials if you are looking for a job and lets you give or receive recommendations from coworkers.

Through both Reunion, Myspace and Facebook, I have had people contact me from the past. Three people have sought me out on these websites this year that I truly lost contact with. One was a girl I was friends with and used to work with at my very first job. I hadn't talked or seen her since I was 19. We recently went out for dinner to reconnect and now we are at least acquintances in each other's life again. I also was contacted by a very good friend this past March. I went to high school with her but we didn't really become good friends until we were about 19 or 20. We hung out and were best of buds until around 23 years old. Some of the best times of my life were hanging out with her. She now lives in Florida and I will be meeting up with her down there in November. Another person contacted me after not speaking with him for 2 years but I hadn't seen him since 1999. It is amazing to hear how of his life has changed and the destructive path he was headed down to how he is a now a mentor for kids and tells of his story to avoid that happening to them.

So to me, these types of websites do serve their purpose, if not just for entertainment value.

My question to you is do you use some sort of social networking website like Facebook or Myspace to keep in touch with people? Do you like it? Does it make you still feel like you are in the loop with people you have lost touch with? Have you had anyone contact you after an extended period of time? Have you contacted anyone after an extended period of time? If you have kids old enough to have their own page, do you look at their information or monitor what they are posting? What do you think the next generation of these type of websites will be like?

Here is a link to another Thoughts for Thursday:

Michelle on Blogs: Being Candid and Why You Read Them

The Old RFC Crew

Tonight I met up with a handful of my favorite friends from my last job at RFC. Jodee, Money, Michelle (Kus), Jessica and myself all met at Houlihan's in Richfield. I haven't seen any of them since we were laid off last October. It was a lot of fun to catch up with everyone and hear about their new jobs and what they're up to. I miss these girls and wish we could all work together again. And Kus, your sense of humor is still the best! I've missed it! We had the server take a picture of us when we were about to leave so of course the table is full of dishes and debit cards and receipts. Disregard the mess!

My computer is.....FIXED!

So last week I told you that my computer didn't work anymore after the power went out and had a surge once the power went back on. I took a chance that it was just the power supply and nothing more serious. I ordered a new power supply on Ebay and it finally arrived today. Michael and I installed it and voila!, my computer works and my hard drive and everything else is in tact. I was so scared that I lost all my music and pictures. The PS/2 inputs in the back of the computer for the keyboard and mouse no longer work so tonight I had to buy a new keyboard and mouse that have USB ports but if that's all it is, I am glad to spend the money to do so. I'm back up and running so I will be putting up catch up posts shortly.

State Fair

Michael and I went to the State Fair yesterday afternoon. We got to go for free through Michael's new company, Minnetronix. They let each employee leave at 1 pm to go to the fair. Each employee could bring up to 5 guests for free. We each got a Minnetronix t-shirt to wear. Hey, I can wear a Minnetronix t-shirt and give them free advertising at the State Fair if they are going to take me to the fair for free. Michael's company is fortunately just blocks from the fair. I was able to park in their lot for free and walk over the railroad tracks to the fair. It was a gorgeous day! We walked around for awhile before eating but I had to start with the corn on the cob. This is my absolute favorite food at the fair. I love the smell of the roasted corn and it just tastes so good. Corn is not filling so I probably could eat 6 cobs before I even got full but I only had one. Michael's favorite was the Big Fat Bacon. It's maple glazed bacon on a stick. So here is our list of what I ate and what Michael ate at the fair. See the pictures of the pig lickers (chocolate covered bacon), deep fried pickles and bacon on a stick below.

Dana's Food: (in this order)

Corn on the Cob
Cheese Curds (split with Michael)
Chocolate Covered Bacon (split with Michael)
Sprite
Thin Crust Slice of Cheese Pizza
Deep Fried Pickles with Cream Cheese and Ranch
Lemonade
Root Beer


Michael's Food: (in this order)

Corn on the Cob
Cheese Curds (split with Dana)
Chocolate Covered Bacon (split with Dana)
Sprite
Thin Crust Slice of Pepperoni Pizza
Beer
Jamaican Jerk Sausage
Bacon on a Stick
Root Beer
Andouille Sausage

Weekend Recap August 22-24

Friday, August 22nd:

Friday night was relaxing as Michael and I just hung out in the living room with candles lit, listened to good music, drank some wine and just talked and enjoyed each other's company. We haven't done much of this all summer but I would imagine it will become more frequent now that fall is almost upon us. In the winter, we do this almost every weekend. It's one of our favorite things to do! We usually go to the liquor store for a big trip in the fall and stock up and fill the wine rack with all the different wines that we like.


Saturday, August 23rd:

Michael and I woke up bright and early and went to breakfast and then just hung out until late afternoon when it was time to go to tailgating for the Vikings game. It was just Michael and I this time and it was so much fun. We parked in a lot that we had never been to before. The people around us were nice and the weather was just perfect. We made cheese bread to dip into marinara on the grill as our appetizer and each had a bacon cheeseburger and chips. Michael's burger was full of cheese and piles of bacon. I enjoyed the lettuce and tomato better. I bought what I thought would be a fun drink to have a couple swigs of but it was really strong. It was 99 Bananas, which I think is a schnappes but the 99 means 99 proof. I thought it would be very banana tasting but it had a hint of banana and more of a nail polish remover taste. But mix that with some kiwi strawberry vitamin water and it becomes a nice little drink. :) The game itself wasn't the most interesting. I am normally pretty into the preseason games, just like regular season but for some reason this year is different. The Vikings lost 12-10 with a field goal from the Steelers with just seconds left. I am just happy that the Vikings held them to only 12 points. The Steelers are not my favorite team but they definitely have a very strong following, which annoys me when it's home. There were so many Steelers fans. The fans were very nice on Saturday but during the regular season, I do not remember them to be that way. After the game, we went home and I watched the movie, PS, I Love You. Have you seen it? There are many cheesy parts but overall, I liked it. It's a chic flick for sure. And I cried, but that's not saying much. I cry at everything!







Sunday, August 24th:

Michael and I took Keith and Hunter to go see Wall-E. Michael had seen it before and actually we found out that Hunter had already seen it too. The movie was really cute. Oh, and I cried in this movie too. Any rush of emotion, good or bad, there's tears for me. :) Hopefully we gave my brother in law, Tom, a little break from the kids so he could do whatever he wanted before my sister, Jamie came home. Jamie left her last trip in Branson, Missouri for work. She was there for the majority of the summer from before Memorial Day to now. Now she can hopefully focus on working here at the hotels in the Twin Cities. The kids actually wanted their pictures taken so I took advantage of the moment and let them pose in front of whatever they wanted.

Thoughts for Thursday (TFT)

A couple of my blogging friends have been part of a post that happens each Thursday called, "Thoughts for Thursday". I have wanted to join in and participate with this but either I forget about it or I don't have a topic ready. So today is my debut. Thoughts for Thursday appears to be started by Nicole, a blogging friend of my friend, Kristi. It was started about a year ago and each Thursday, anyone can participate. Being it is my first one, today's topic will be light.

Who were your crushes/idols growing up?

I have a few that I remember clearly. I particularly want to talk about when you were a teenager or those adolescent years but feel free to discuss anyone throughout your lifetime. First of all, I am 31 years old. My first crush would have to have been in 1984. It was Michael Jackson. My sister and I loved Michael Jackson. We listened to the album, yes, actual album, Thriller over and over again and danced to it in the basement of our house. As far as girl idols, my sister and I both wanted to be Madonna not too long after our Michael Jackson crush. We would make our clothes and wear gawdy jewerly to mimic her. And of course we danced and danced and danced to her songs in the basement.

Around 12 years old, my super crush was Corey Haim. I thought he was the hottest guy ever. I would take my allowance each week and ride my bike to the store and buy magazines like Teen Beat. I would cut out any and every picture of Corey Haim and tape it on my walls until my walls were plastered with his face on all 4 walls. (Corey Haim is on the left, Corey Feldman is on the right in the photo below)


Picture Provided By: TeenIdols4You.com

I can't remember how long this phase lasted but it couldn't have been too long because soon after came New Kids on the Block. The 1st and 2nd concert of my life was NKOTB. I started out with a crush on Donnie Walhberg then I moved on to Jonathan Knight. I would watch their videos, play their music and again plaster their pictures all over my walls. I remember buying as much NKOTB merchandise I had money for at Spencer's in the mall.




So who were your crushes/idols? During what year(s)? Please share all your details with me!

This is where I will link you to other Thoughts for Thursday bloggers. I'm still getting into this whole blogging community so in the coming weeks there should be more links to others.

Kristi on Speeding

Kim on the State Fair

Michelle on Random Thoughts


Have a great day!

Last Game of the Year

Michael and I went to the last home Saints game of the year. I won the tickets from The Onion, a satirical newspaper, which were general admission and we were so crammed in with everyone. We decided to take a chance and find other seats. We sat behind home plate and no one ever came to claim those seats so we had a great seat upgrade. We go a couple of times each year (the game we went to in June) and every time I go I realize how much fun they really are. The Saints got their butts kicked but we had a great time. It was fan appreciation night and they had fireworks at the end of the game but we left shortly before to beat the traffic. My camera's battery was low so we only got a few pics in before it died. For those of you who know who the Super Fan is, check out the mini version of Super Fan below.

I'm finally caught up!

I have not had a computer for a couple of weeks now so I haven't had much opportunity to post much so I finally caught up tonight on Michael's computer. I believe my computer's power supply went out so I ordered the part and it should be here on Friday for me to attempt to replace it. I hope that is all it is wrong with it because this is a cheaper fix and I don't want to fork out more money to have a professional look at it.

Tonight Michael and I went to an advance screening of the movie, The Rocker, starring Rainn Wilson, or better known as Dwight K. Shrute for you Office fans. I don't know what I was expecting but it's not like I thought it was going to be. I'm glad I went since it was free, but you might want to wait until it comes out on DVD. :)

Michael's Job

Michael finally started his new job on Monday. He was supposed to start a week ago but had to postpone his start date due to the visitation and funeral. He was laid off from Restore Medical on July 18th, after being acquired by Medtronic. His new place of employment, Minnetronix, is a medical device and design manufacturing company. He is a quality assurance technician. Michael likes working for medical companies as he feels he is giving back by helping people's lives and the advancement of their health. He just started but he really seems to like it there so far. They seem to treat their employees very well. Michael even saw 3 pictures of me on their intranet! We went with his friend, Efren, to the Saints game back in July with Minnetronix so they posted some pictures from that event on their site. I took Michael out last night to celebrate for dinner at Mansetti's in Shoreview.

This Past Weekend Recap August 15-17

Friday, August 15th:

We went to North St. Paul to check out their weekly car show. During the summer, anyone can bring their car and put it on display on 7th Street in North St. Paul on Friday evenings. I honestly was not looking forward to this when Michael said he wanted to go but I ended up really enjoying it. There were lots of cars, mostly from the 60's and 70's. We ate at Neumann's and then met up with Michael's brother Ray, cousin Chucky and his girlfriend, Trina. We ended up at the VFW where we bought tickets for the meat raffles but none of us won. We each put $5 in for pulltabs and ended up winning $54. We put $50 back into pulltabs and we ended up winning $111 collectively. We tipped the pull tab lady and we each walked away with $20. Quit while you're ahead!

Saturday, August 16th:

I went with my parents to the first annual pig roast for Vadnais Heights Heritage Days. We each got a pork sandwich and it was delicious! We bummed around for a bit and then later in the evening, Chris came over and we watched the Vikings game. Around 9:30 pm, we heard fireworks so we looked out the window and you could see the fireworks show for Vadnais Heights perfectly. We went outside and watched the from our front yard. We finished the night watching Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal and just hung with Chris, drinking, listening to music and having fun.

Sunday, August 17th:

Michael and I went up to get booya at Heritage Days for Vadnais Heights. If you don't know what booya is, it's a type of soup that is slow cooked for hours and hours and hours. The Vadnais Heights Fireman cook it overnight. Ok, so I got booya. Michael won't touch that stuff. We just got there at the tail end of the parade and I ran into my old neighbor from when I was a kid. We met up with my parents, brother in law, Tom and my nephew, Keith. Keith is hiding under the table in the picture of all of us below. If he knows you are taking his picture, he does his best to avoid it. I just love the picture below of Michael and Keith. They were just chilling together watching the band, Free Fallin', a Tom Petty tribute band.

We had to leave the booya at 2:30 so we could make it in time to see Greg, Cherrie's husband, get baptized. This was for Eagle Brook Church but it was held on the grounds of Northwestern College. First of all, the weather was just beautiful. Second, I have never seen anything like this before. Greg was getting baptized in the lake along with five hundred and twenty-something other people! Each person or family was baptized individually. Eagle Brook only does this once a summer but there were an additional 300 people that signed up to be baptized in the 2 days before the event. Kim, Greg, Debbie, Chad, Chelby, Michael and myself were all there to witness Greg getting baptized. He was so excited. He was baptized by Sue Lennartson, the same pastor who conducted Cherrie's celebration of life service.