Christmas break has been a bit exciting so far. I got a job at the city ice rink taking money and dealing skates. I have been working most days, usually 5-6 hours a day. They don't pay much, but at least it's a positive contribution and I have something to do. Christmas was fun, my family in Boulder came over and I made a mostly vegetarian meal for them. Spanikopita was the main dish and actually turned out to be really good. I also made apple crisp and a artichoke salsa. Everything was very nice and it was great to have some company at the house. Too bad Bernie had to work.
I have seen my grades and got a 4.0, which is very exciting. My planning for Bernie's 30th did not turn out so well and it looks like we'll be the only ones in attendance. We still plan on going up to one of the ski resorts for the weekend. His parents plan to stop by sometime in January on their way down to stay with Bernie's sister and brother-in-law in Arizona for awhile . That's the other exciting news. Bernie and I are going to be an uncle and aunt again in August. It should be an exciting summer, with four weddings to attend and an internship in Great Falls.
School starts again on January 15th, which I think I will be ready for. At least I will be ready to not go to the skate trailer every day!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
One more week...
That's right, only one week of school left until January 15th! I had two icky finals last week and two more on Tuesday and Wednesday. I haven't decided what I'm going to do over Christmas break, hopefully get a job of some sort.
We went to a North Dakota/Denver hockey game last week, which was my first trip to a hockey arena. It was interesting and we had a good time...I might be persuaded to go again. I can't think of anything else new going on. We did get a shit ton of snow this weekend which ended any fantasies we had about the warm weather down here in Colorado. Actually, it's still better than Montana because the wind rarely blows.
That's all for now I suppose, sorry to be so boring!
We went to a North Dakota/Denver hockey game last week, which was my first trip to a hockey arena. It was interesting and we had a good time...I might be persuaded to go again. I can't think of anything else new going on. We did get a shit ton of snow this weekend which ended any fantasies we had about the warm weather down here in Colorado. Actually, it's still better than Montana because the wind rarely blows.
That's all for now I suppose, sorry to be so boring!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Home again
Well, officially we've been home since Friday. We successfully spend one entire week in Great Falls without too much drama. We actually had quite a bit of fun and got to spend time with everyone we wanted to. My ex-step-sister Nicole recently became a Pampered Chef Rep, and my mother has jumped head first into helping her. For me this meant sitting through three parties in three days. It definitely got old, but I did get some free stuff.
My mother and I had our moments during the stay. We both have very strong opinions (as most of you know) and they happen to be opposite most of the times. I'm not sure how that happened with her strong influence on me growing up, but it did. And she doesn't like it much. Usually we can have a decent debate about an issue, but she got pretty upset with me a couple of times. (and yes, I do enjoy getting her wound up) For example, we had a conversation about work, pay, retirement, etc. I told her I felt that CNA's at nursing homes are undervalued and underpaid. After all, they get yelled at, hit, and shit on all day. She took that to mean that I undervalued her work somehow and proceeded on her in-public rant about all she sacrifices for her job (weekends, evenings, vacations). Then she told Nicole the next day that I said people at McDonald's should make the same as her. Never mind McDonald's was never mentioned. Maybe the alcohol had something to do with it. Sometimes I think she's disappointed that I have opinions of my own, even though she taught me to have the strong personality I do.
We also got to spend some time with Marlena which I had not done in some time. It always reminds me that no matter how different we become, we will always be friends. I can count all of my friends on one hand and I thought about all of you over Thanksgiving.
We went out too much, drank too much, ate too much-a fairly normal vacation. I managed to get hardly any homework done, but I am catching up now. Only three more weeks left in the semester.
Thoughts and love to Sara who lost a good friend of hers last week. RIP Maggie!
My mother and I had our moments during the stay. We both have very strong opinions (as most of you know) and they happen to be opposite most of the times. I'm not sure how that happened with her strong influence on me growing up, but it did. And she doesn't like it much. Usually we can have a decent debate about an issue, but she got pretty upset with me a couple of times. (and yes, I do enjoy getting her wound up) For example, we had a conversation about work, pay, retirement, etc. I told her I felt that CNA's at nursing homes are undervalued and underpaid. After all, they get yelled at, hit, and shit on all day. She took that to mean that I undervalued her work somehow and proceeded on her in-public rant about all she sacrifices for her job (weekends, evenings, vacations). Then she told Nicole the next day that I said people at McDonald's should make the same as her. Never mind McDonald's was never mentioned. Maybe the alcohol had something to do with it. Sometimes I think she's disappointed that I have opinions of my own, even though she taught me to have the strong personality I do.
We also got to spend some time with Marlena which I had not done in some time. It always reminds me that no matter how different we become, we will always be friends. I can count all of my friends on one hand and I thought about all of you over Thanksgiving.
We went out too much, drank too much, ate too much-a fairly normal vacation. I managed to get hardly any homework done, but I am catching up now. Only three more weeks left in the semester.
Thoughts and love to Sara who lost a good friend of hers last week. RIP Maggie!
Monday, November 12, 2007
fun goings on
Well, I don't know if writing papers and preparing for a stats test is actually fun, but I'm certainly giving it my best effort. This update is my break time.
We took Hailey back to the vet today, after she chewed her bandage off twice since last week. Luckily he did not yell at us and the wound seems to be healing. I feel so guilty. She gets hardly any attention and hasn't fetched her frisbee in over two weeks. Then we put the lamp shade on and she looks at us like her life is the most awful doggy existence ever. Hopefully she can play on Friday.
Which reminds me, we are headed to Great Falls for a week long "vacation" on Friday. By vacation I mean doing homework in a novel environment. Actually, I hope to finish the bulk of it in the vehicle. We'll see. Oh, I almost forgot to talk about my advising appointment last week. I have official permission to teach an undergraduate section of the gerontology class next fall! This development makes me especially happy because I get 4 credits for it.
I did a little bit of shopping today and successfully spent the rest of my birthday money. I bought a small wine bar to free up some much needed cupboard space. And best of all, it was on sale at Dillard's from $350 to $90. I was a good little bargain shopper.
Lastly, Bernie and I have set out weight loss goals for June. I hope to see 125 (137 now) and Bernie hopes for 150 (I don't have permission to post his current weight). I think we can do it. The main problem (like everyone else I suppose) is that we love to eat.
We took Hailey back to the vet today, after she chewed her bandage off twice since last week. Luckily he did not yell at us and the wound seems to be healing. I feel so guilty. She gets hardly any attention and hasn't fetched her frisbee in over two weeks. Then we put the lamp shade on and she looks at us like her life is the most awful doggy existence ever. Hopefully she can play on Friday.
Which reminds me, we are headed to Great Falls for a week long "vacation" on Friday. By vacation I mean doing homework in a novel environment. Actually, I hope to finish the bulk of it in the vehicle. We'll see. Oh, I almost forgot to talk about my advising appointment last week. I have official permission to teach an undergraduate section of the gerontology class next fall! This development makes me especially happy because I get 4 credits for it.
I did a little bit of shopping today and successfully spent the rest of my birthday money. I bought a small wine bar to free up some much needed cupboard space. And best of all, it was on sale at Dillard's from $350 to $90. I was a good little bargain shopper.
Lastly, Bernie and I have set out weight loss goals for June. I hope to see 125 (137 now) and Bernie hopes for 150 (I don't have permission to post his current weight). I think we can do it. The main problem (like everyone else I suppose) is that we love to eat.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Dog Days
Hailey has had a ruff couple of weeks. I took her hunting with me back in ND and the morning after the first day of hunting her paw swelled up like a club. A piece of wood or a thorn pierced her paw and went half way in. This is what the Vet. in ND told me after x-rays. The infection area on the paw swelled up so big that it burst and left a big wound on her paw. Last week we took her to the vet again and they cleaned and wrapped it and told us to come back next week (yesterday). Then yesterday they knocked her out and sewed shut the paw. So far its been 3 trips to the vet. Let's just say those pheasants better taste real good cause the cost of them keep going up.
Here is a picture of her with her e-collar (lamp shape) on so she doesn't lick it.
Here is a picture of her with her e-collar (lamp shape) on so she doesn't lick it.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Crunch Time
I'm definately feeling it. It's over halfway through the semester and the big projects are looming. This week I have to spend two days in a nursing home to collect data for a needs assessment I'm doing and complete what's shaping up to be a fifteen page paper for a different class. My brain is feeling a bit academicized (no, I do not know if that is a word), but it's exciting at the same time.
However, I have been reconsidering the whole PhD plan. I have always harbored fantasies of being a professor, but a dissertation may be too much. And I am surprised by how much I miss direct practice. I really, really miss my residents! Instead, I will probobly complete an MSW eventually. I should be able finish that in a year or less and then I will be eligible for a state license. I suppose I should finish the degree I'm working on now first...
Bernie has been in North Dakota hunting for the past few days so I have been flying solo...which translates into lots of homework and HGTV. He's coming home tonight and I have informed him that he's taking me to dinner for a little socialization. After all, the research shows that socialization and goal-directed behavior are protections against the development of Alzheimer's Disease! That's the kind of shit swimming around my head at any given moment.
In other exciting news, I bought two baby plants last week and potted them today. Before we moved, I had two plants. One in particular I had grown successfully for two years. They were not going to live through the trip, so I gave them to my mom and cried a little bit. So now I will try the whole plant mommy thing again and try not to get so attached. I also got tree/shrub and flower books so I can start planning for next spring.
However, I have been reconsidering the whole PhD plan. I have always harbored fantasies of being a professor, but a dissertation may be too much. And I am surprised by how much I miss direct practice. I really, really miss my residents! Instead, I will probobly complete an MSW eventually. I should be able finish that in a year or less and then I will be eligible for a state license. I suppose I should finish the degree I'm working on now first...
Bernie has been in North Dakota hunting for the past few days so I have been flying solo...which translates into lots of homework and HGTV. He's coming home tonight and I have informed him that he's taking me to dinner for a little socialization. After all, the research shows that socialization and goal-directed behavior are protections against the development of Alzheimer's Disease! That's the kind of shit swimming around my head at any given moment.
In other exciting news, I bought two baby plants last week and potted them today. Before we moved, I had two plants. One in particular I had grown successfully for two years. They were not going to live through the trip, so I gave them to my mom and cried a little bit. So now I will try the whole plant mommy thing again and try not to get so attached. I also got tree/shrub and flower books so I can start planning for next spring.
Friday, October 19, 2007
goings on
Wow...I'm really bad about the regular updates. Actually I told Bernie I was not going to update until he contributed, but here I am.
Things have been busy lately with the visitors we've had. My dad was here for a week and we are currently entertaining my mother. Needless to say, she is the more exciting of the two. We have been doing plenty of shopping and also toured Anheuser-Busch yesterday in Ft. Collins. Today we ate too much Mexican food and shopped in Boulder. Tomorrow it is on to Denver for the tall shop search. She wanted to buy me fancy salt and pepper grinders today at one store, to which I reminded her that the only time I could tell the difference between regular salt and kosher salt was on my margarita glass, and I can buy that already made. She has been doing her normal thing, making friends wherever she lands. I dropped her off in Greeley (per her request) yesterday. She wandered around and succeeded in making three friends, including a Mexican couple who told her to contact them anytime she needed anything in the future. Where did I miss that gene?
I also bought a new computer yesterday...a Macbook pro. The new OS comes out next week and I get to update for only $9.95. For those of you who have been closet Mac fans all along, the time has come to switch. The new OS will run Leopard and Windows.
Plans are in the works for a trip to Great Falls over Thanksgiving, pending Bernie getting the time off.
Things have been busy lately with the visitors we've had. My dad was here for a week and we are currently entertaining my mother. Needless to say, she is the more exciting of the two. We have been doing plenty of shopping and also toured Anheuser-Busch yesterday in Ft. Collins. Today we ate too much Mexican food and shopped in Boulder. Tomorrow it is on to Denver for the tall shop search. She wanted to buy me fancy salt and pepper grinders today at one store, to which I reminded her that the only time I could tell the difference between regular salt and kosher salt was on my margarita glass, and I can buy that already made. She has been doing her normal thing, making friends wherever she lands. I dropped her off in Greeley (per her request) yesterday. She wandered around and succeeded in making three friends, including a Mexican couple who told her to contact them anytime she needed anything in the future. Where did I miss that gene?
I also bought a new computer yesterday...a Macbook pro. The new OS comes out next week and I get to update for only $9.95. For those of you who have been closet Mac fans all along, the time has come to switch. The new OS will run Leopard and Windows.
Plans are in the works for a trip to Great Falls over Thanksgiving, pending Bernie getting the time off.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Settling in
I think we are finally getting there...boxes are unpacked and things are looking somewhat normal around here. We are also getting into somewhat of a routine, although I am still adjusting to the whole school scenerio. It's strange to manage all of my own time again. Graduate school is dramatically different than undergradute. I'm taking 12 credits which is considered over full time. The reading alone is a bit suffocating after about seven hours of it in a day, but I'm coming along. Now...I just need to get a start on all of the big class progects.
Another interesting thing I have noticed since starting is they type of people who go to grad school. In a class or group before, there were always a lot of quiet or middle-of-the-road talkers and usually one or two that dominated the conversation. Now everyone wants to talk and everyone thinks they're right. And I'm included. I leave class with a ton of energy and ideas, but with a bit of a headache also. So many type A's in one room. Of course, three of my classes have 6 or fewer students, so that may have something to do with it. Ahh..and we cannot forget the multitude of wonderful smells I contend with on school days. When I get to Greely it's cow shit all the way related to the fertilizer plant. Tonight, about 10 miles out, it was the distinct smell of canned cat food (related to???) and then moldy musty dirty laundry smell. It's sort of a gamble on the backroads, but at least I don't have to deal with the interstate.
I am also in the process of planning Bernie's 30th birthday party. Most likely it will be a ski weekend at Vail or Breckenridge in mid-January. If anyone out there wants to visit around that time, let me know. It's a good thing I'm studying gerontology.
My dad is still dragging his feet about buying his plane ticket, which wouldn't be that big of a deal if he wasn't supposed to be here in 10 days. He needs to pull his head out of his ass because he and my mother CANNOT visit at the same time.
Another interesting thing I have noticed since starting is they type of people who go to grad school. In a class or group before, there were always a lot of quiet or middle-of-the-road talkers and usually one or two that dominated the conversation. Now everyone wants to talk and everyone thinks they're right. And I'm included. I leave class with a ton of energy and ideas, but with a bit of a headache also. So many type A's in one room. Of course, three of my classes have 6 or fewer students, so that may have something to do with it. Ahh..and we cannot forget the multitude of wonderful smells I contend with on school days. When I get to Greely it's cow shit all the way related to the fertilizer plant. Tonight, about 10 miles out, it was the distinct smell of canned cat food (related to???) and then moldy musty dirty laundry smell. It's sort of a gamble on the backroads, but at least I don't have to deal with the interstate.
I am also in the process of planning Bernie's 30th birthday party. Most likely it will be a ski weekend at Vail or Breckenridge in mid-January. If anyone out there wants to visit around that time, let me know. It's a good thing I'm studying gerontology.
My dad is still dragging his feet about buying his plane ticket, which wouldn't be that big of a deal if he wasn't supposed to be here in 10 days. He needs to pull his head out of his ass because he and my mother CANNOT visit at the same time.
Monday, September 10, 2007
busy busy time
It's been awhile since I posted, but I don't take all the blame. My husband does not seem to want to take equal responsibility for this blog...
Anyway, we are finally moved into our house. It is a huge mess right now trying to unpack and get things ready for Bernie's parents who will be here in about 45 minutes. Yay, our dog is coming home! The paint colors mostly turned out OK, except for the yellow, which was somewhat institutional. I think it actually gave me my first migraine headache. So Bernie painted over it with a more tame orangy yellow, which looks much better.
School is busy, busy, and more busy. I have hundreds of pages to read every week, a paper due every week, and numerous huge projects to get started on. So far my time management hasn't been the greatest, although it was better this week.
I just got my mom her plane ticket to visit for my birthday. She plans to stay one week and is coming a few days after my dad visits for his own week. Planning his trip down has been complicated as he originally thought it would be fun to take the bus to Longmont and back. This might have been okay if it weren't for the 12 hour over-night layover in Billings. Now he's talking about taking the bus to Billings and flying from there. People who have a lot of time on their hands think in a very convoluted manner. I would think it would be worth saving the time for the extra $200, but whatever. A week with my dad should be interesting enough.
Congrats to Sara, Tyson, and Grace by the way! Welcome to the world Jack!
Anyway, we are finally moved into our house. It is a huge mess right now trying to unpack and get things ready for Bernie's parents who will be here in about 45 minutes. Yay, our dog is coming home! The paint colors mostly turned out OK, except for the yellow, which was somewhat institutional. I think it actually gave me my first migraine headache. So Bernie painted over it with a more tame orangy yellow, which looks much better.
School is busy, busy, and more busy. I have hundreds of pages to read every week, a paper due every week, and numerous huge projects to get started on. So far my time management hasn't been the greatest, although it was better this week.
I just got my mom her plane ticket to visit for my birthday. She plans to stay one week and is coming a few days after my dad visits for his own week. Planning his trip down has been complicated as he originally thought it would be fun to take the bus to Longmont and back. This might have been okay if it weren't for the 12 hour over-night layover in Billings. Now he's talking about taking the bus to Billings and flying from there. People who have a lot of time on their hands think in a very convoluted manner. I would think it would be worth saving the time for the extra $200, but whatever. A week with my dad should be interesting enough.
Congrats to Sara, Tyson, and Grace by the way! Welcome to the world Jack!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Weekend activities
We had an eventful weekend around these parts. On Saturday, we braved the trip into Denver to explore a bit. We went to a Rockies game-which was my first professional sports event. I actually quite enjoyed it and would not hesitate to go again. Yesterday we drove around in the mountains and went about 3/4 of the way through Rocky Mountain National Park. It was....very high. The road we took went over 12,000 feet which is the highest point on land that either of us had ever stepped foot on. For wildlife we saw a herd of about 30 elk (Bernie wishing for his gun and legality to shoot it there), ground mice/chipmunks, a marmot (yes, Sara, I will post pictures as soon as I can find a USB cord), and a furry catapiller. He was the highlight of my trip.
Now I am doing fun activities like laundry and ironing. My first day of classes are tomorrow. I'm with Kristen, feeling silly for being a bit nervous for yet another "first day of school." I actually already have homework in preperation for my statistics class-reading only, but still!
Congrats to Melanie on her new job with MSU Great Falls. Getting out of retail can't be a bad thing.
Our new house closes on Wednesday and then the ceiling removal and painting commences. I have almost settled on colors-yellow, light brown, and blue for the bedroom. I promised myself more bravery the second time around painting a house. Hopefully we can move in mid next week. It will be nice to cut 30 minutes off of my commute to school.
Now I am doing fun activities like laundry and ironing. My first day of classes are tomorrow. I'm with Kristen, feeling silly for being a bit nervous for yet another "first day of school." I actually already have homework in preperation for my statistics class-reading only, but still!
Congrats to Melanie on her new job with MSU Great Falls. Getting out of retail can't be a bad thing.
Our new house closes on Wednesday and then the ceiling removal and painting commences. I have almost settled on colors-yellow, light brown, and blue for the bedroom. I promised myself more bravery the second time around painting a house. Hopefully we can move in mid next week. It will be nice to cut 30 minutes off of my commute to school.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Hotel days
The wedding was a fairly good time. The service was a Catholic Mass, so it made little to no sense to me and it was a bit long. I loved that they had a small band playing Beatles music throughout. The reception was at a casino on an Indian reservation which was interesting. The food was really good (the london broil was anyway...there was no way I was trying the salmon) but it started at 2pm, which meant it was over by 6. Amy and I went out for awhile after that with some of our cousin's friends to a dueling piano bar. That was probobly the highlight of the whole trip. If you haven't been to one, try it out. Three Faggs married, ten to go!
We have been spending most of our time lately getting things sorted out for the new house. The biggest headache thusfar has been finding and scheduling someone to remove all of the popcorn ceilings (eeewww) and paint the inside. I hope to have all of this done so we can move in about two weeks. That means I will have to commute over an hour each way to school for the first two weeks. Amanda is not accustomed to traffic and the interstate, it is an awfully scary situation. Luckily, none of my classes start until 2pm which means my days of getting up early are over for the forseeable future. Not so for Bernie, who has to be at some of his shifts at 6am.
I am definately tiring of hotel life. Although I am enjoying Boulder...too bad the average house price is over $400,000. We are missing our dog quite a bit also. Bernie's parents plan to bring her back after we move it. Then my dad plans to visit the second week in October and my mom wants to come down for my birthday. I will admit that I am missing her too.
I had a strange dream last night. I was in my dad's house and two moose broke in and were chasing me around trying to kill me. Then Amy came to my rescue and the moose were as tame as kittens towards her. Strange.
We have been spending most of our time lately getting things sorted out for the new house. The biggest headache thusfar has been finding and scheduling someone to remove all of the popcorn ceilings (eeewww) and paint the inside. I hope to have all of this done so we can move in about two weeks. That means I will have to commute over an hour each way to school for the first two weeks. Amanda is not accustomed to traffic and the interstate, it is an awfully scary situation. Luckily, none of my classes start until 2pm which means my days of getting up early are over for the forseeable future. Not so for Bernie, who has to be at some of his shifts at 6am.
I am definately tiring of hotel life. Although I am enjoying Boulder...too bad the average house price is over $400,000. We are missing our dog quite a bit also. Bernie's parents plan to bring her back after we move it. Then my dad plans to visit the second week in October and my mom wants to come down for my birthday. I will admit that I am missing her too.
I had a strange dream last night. I was in my dad's house and two moose broke in and were chasing me around trying to kill me. Then Amy came to my rescue and the moose were as tame as kittens towards her. Strange.
Friday, August 17, 2007
In Washington
I am currently in Washington for my cousin's wedding. Here are a few photos of me with the Fagg clan:
My cousins Mary, Amy and Sarah with myself.
Sexy Ladies!
My aunt Jennifer and I
My cousins Mary, Amy and Sarah with myself.Sexy Ladies!
My dad and I
My aunt Jennifer and I
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Our New House
Well, we have a house under contract to close August 27th. If anyone wants to see it go to coloproperty.com and search by MLS number (536793). It should bring up a house on Beech Circle. The listing price was $299,900. Our offer was $285,000 and we got it for $292,000. Exciting times as we will only have to live in this hotel for about twenty five days. They have done some updates to it already, including a new roof. The biggest downside is the popcorn ceilings which we may get a bid to have removed. I will also be doing some painting before we move in.
Most importantly, out dog will be pleased with the big yard. The yard feature is not as easily found in Colorado as it was in Montana. All of the new construction consists of large houses on tiny lots...I swear some of the yards are 5x5.
Most importantly, out dog will be pleased with the big yard. The yard feature is not as easily found in Colorado as it was in Montana. All of the new construction consists of large houses on tiny lots...I swear some of the yards are 5x5.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
We have arrived
After a 12.5 hour trip on Sunday, we have made it to Boulder. We are staying at the Homewood Suites on the south side of town near where Bernie is working. He actually starts tomorrow. Then I will have to entertain myself for a while, at least until school starts on August 28th. I will be starting my MA in Gerontology at the University of Northern Colorado (the same school where the back-up punter stabbed the starting punter for his spot on the football team...nice!).
We were down here about three weeks ago for a househunting trip which did not yield a home. We looked at 50 houses then and 10 more today. We will be making an offer on one tonight. I will post more about it later.
We were down here about three weeks ago for a househunting trip which did not yield a home. We looked at 50 houses then and 10 more today. We will be making an offer on one tonight. I will post more about it later.
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