One for the Christmas Card...

I went out to Kat's house this morning with Sasha to see if she could get a picture of us for our Christmas card. She got a few cute ones. Kat has an acreage outside of Brookings with great areas for pictures. Thanks again Kat! Can't wait to come out and take the other ones we talked about.

Our Christmas Card Photo

Can't believe she stood still long enough with her nose out of the snow to get a picture!

My favorite picture of the day.

Kathy, Thanks again. I love all the pictures.

Curtains...finally!

I have wanted to put up curtains since I moved into my house over 3 years ago but could never find ones I liked. Well, I like them. I just got done putting up all the fixtures and making them look somewhat even. I think I might actually be done with the living room.

So I am downstairs switching the laundry today and I come up and Sasha is napping on my end table between the couches. Really...does she think she can just sleep where ever she wants.
Oh yeah - I forgot - she does get to sleep where ever she wants. Spoiled Dog!

Quote of the Day!!!

I think many of you will appreciate this quote. I saw it on the bottom of an email from a customer and felt I needed to share...

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

I hope every one has a good day.

My new deck

So I am a little behind but here it is, the deck my dad built me. It is so perfect for my little house. I can't wait until next summer when I can sit back and enjoy it. Thanks Dad, I am still loving it.

I think it will be a while until Sasha can lounge on it again in the sun...It is now covered in snow. Maybe it will melt and she can go back to enjoying it.

Also, I finally got my screen door and the construction for the year is officially over. Thank goodness. This summer was a busy one but it is all done even the electricity in the garage and the new garage door opener. I have only had it for 4 days but I can't remember what it was like without it. Thanks again dad for installing it. I was glad you could take the time to install it during a Vikings game (don't worry I won't mention how they lost to THE BEARS!)

Well that is all I have for now...

Congratulations Christi and Dusty

Preston James

October 15, 2008

7 lbs 4 oz

19 1/2 inches

Cycle to Break the Cycle

Last weekend September 6th Mom and I rode in the 2nd Annual Cycle to Break the Cycle. It is a 17 mile bike ride raising money for the Domestic Abuse Center. We rode last year also (in the rain). This year was cold but it was dry. I think we did this years ride in 15 minutes less than last year and there was 99 riders this year versus 82 last year.

About half way through the ride this year mom and I switched bikes and I got to ride her bike that is only 1 year old. Lets just say next year we are going to finish much faster because I am getting a new bike. That bike was great. Thanks Mom. I am sure the bike shop thanks you also for the sale. Do you think they will cut you the commission check for the sale?

The finishing touch on the privacy fence...

I am so happy to finally check something off my list. The flower area next to the privacy fence is finished. It was a long Monday but I got it all done. Time to sit back and enjoy.

New Entry Door

I had a new entry door framed in and replaced the ceiling in the entry way. It had water damage from before I got the new roof.

I would also love for you to notice my new screen door...Oh wait he was supposed to be back over a week ago to put that on. So maybe someday I will update you on my new screen door.

Probably not anytime soon.

New Egress Window

Old Window

New Window. My dad made the window well.

From the inside!

I got this card from a friend the other day. It is great so I thought I would share it!

All of us have moments when we look at our lives and ask, "How did I get here?" Living is so full of unpredictable twists - sometimes it's hard to keep up, adapting to the life we have while letting go of the life we planned. I think you may be experiencing some of that now... when some days are better than others and nothing seems as certain as it used to be. Just be sure to be good to yourself - give yourself time to adjust, to rest, to reflect...And know that anytime you need someone to talk with, I'm here for you.

I just thought I would share the words of the card because they were really great. Hope you all got something from it.

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.

--Mary Pickford

Some Things to Think About...

This months topic at church is TODAY! The last two weeks at church these questions were asked. Take a minute to really think about them. They really make a person think...

• Are there things in your past you haven't thoroughly dealt with in order to move on?
• Do you think we can live our lives today to the fullest if we are in some way still stuck in the past. What kind of consequences do you think it could have?
• Is your life in a place where you can fully embrace today and play your part? If not, what steps do you need to take?

I think those questions pretty much say it all!

Finally...An Update!!!

It has been a busy summer and I have not had my camera with me much but here are a couple things for those of you that read this blog.

First of all CONGRATULATIONS to my friend Jenn. She had a baby boy, Barrett Owen, on July 8th. Also, staying with Jenn's family...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Izzy. She is three today. Hope your birthday was fun.

Back on Old Timers weekend my friend Ashley and I were sitting in the driveway enjoying a beer and she asked if I was busy on January 17th and if not if I would like to be apart of her wedding...HELL YEAH. Until Friday night I had not met Luke yet. He is currently home on leave so Luke, Ashley, Travis and I got together Friday night for supper. You two are so cute together. Luke...Can't wait until you are home for good and we can go out again...It was fun.

GARDEN UPDATE!

It has been a really good year so far for the garden. Everything is growing strong. Right now we are enjoying plenty of peas and shortly the beans are going to be out of control. I have even had a few zucchini already. They were so good.

This is the first cut of lettuce. It over flowed my wagon. I gave away so much. Second cut was almost as much. It was SO good.

Well hopefully this is enough to hold you over for a while. My cousin Wade gets married this weekend and I just got a new dishwasher from my Grandparents tonight so until the next update...

Happy Father's Day!!!

Happy Father's Day Tommy. Hope you had a great and relaxing day!!!!!

Congrats Chad and Kyndal

Saturday night Kyndal and Chad got married. It was a beautiful day and things were perfect for them. I was the maid of honor and it was a fun day. Here are a few pictures from the day!!!

Kyndal, Christi (played piano for wedding) and me
Christi and me

Travis and me!!!

Happy 4th Birthday Sasha

PRIVACY FENCE - SAY IT WITH ME...AHHHH!

My dad is my hero. Monday (which should have been a day off for him) he did a bunch of stuff of his own around his house and about 4:30 in the afternoon he showed up at my house ready to install my sanity...I mean fence! There is still a little bit that needs to be done to finish it up all the way, then I need to move plants over there to make it look a little nicer (that is where my mom comes into play) then it is done. Maybe sooner or later I will have a summer in my house where there is nothing for me to do.

Keep watch for my new deck...

2008 Garden

Here it is...It is finally planted. I planted yesterday and tonight I went and checked on it and something has pulled out some of the onions. I was able to replant them so we will see what tomorrow brings. I bet it was the damn rabbits!

6 Years at Alltech Today!!!

Like my new ride...

Okay so really it is my Uncle Rick's that my dad borrowed but I still got to drive it on Sunday all day and it was a fun time. Now the yard is ready and I guess it is now time for weekly mowing. That is not going to be as fun as this was. But at least it is kind of spring out now.

So it was more like...

So the 6 inches that was in the forecast turned into 10.5 inches. Will it finally be over now. Here are some pictures of my driveway. My dad and my neighbor came over to do the driveway. I was not able to go anywhere.

Will It Ever End!!!

You have got to be kidding me! April 25th and we are in a snow advisory until 10 PM with the possibility of 6 inches. Right now small pellets of ice have replaced the rain and oh did I mention the wind.

I HAVE HAD ENOUGH...I WANT TO MOVE TO WHERE THE SNOW CAN'T FIND ME.

Yes, if you think I sound crabby...I AM!!!

Stepping Outside the Box

Sometimes you have to step outside the box and take a chance. I am taking a chance.
I am sorry that I can't tell everyone what I am doing but someday when the time is right I will share with you all.
Until then there is one person out there that knows what I am doing and looks like she will just be the keeper of the secret. Thanks for keeping the secret.

Kitchen...

For a while I have been meaning to finish the kitchen. I took a few days off of work last week to finish this project up. Here are the before and after pictures. It sure looks different and BRIGHT!

Before
Before

After

After


I don't plan on remodeling this house and putting in a new kitchen before I leave so this is the next best (and cheapest) way to make a big change.

Keep watching this summer for a few more changes to this house!!!

We will miss you Jazz!!!!!

There is not much more to say on this very sad subject. Just that she will be missed and we are all happy that she now has her puppy legs back.

Please keep Shane, Jodi, Shelia and Steve in your prayers. They lost a family member on Saturday and even if you are not a pet lover you know how it feels to lose something you are close too.

Hang in there guys. We are all thinking about you!

It's is finally here...

I am so excited. My Heavy bag arrived today. I have wanted one for the longest time but have only been able to find one that needed to be hung, until now. I found a free standing Heavy bag. I can't wait to get it filled and ready to go for an awesome workout that is sure to kick my butt for a few weeks until I get the hang of it, not to mention the stress relief that can come from hitting something over and over.

Allergy Update

Well Sasha is allergic to 16 different inhalants. I am not even going to try and list them all. Lets just say she is allergic to some very common things, one being Blue Grass. Now tell me, is there a yard out there that does not have Blue Grass in it. Probably not.

So I have started to give Sasha shots. I have to give her two at a time because one shot can only hold 12 inhalants. Right now the shots are every 3 days soon to be 7 then 14 days apart then someday we will only have to do this every 21 to 30 days. I can't wait for those days. With spring right around the corner I really hope this helps her.

The routine consists of Benadryl 45 minutes before the shots then the shots then watching her for at least 2 hours to make sure she does not react negatively to them.

So far she accepts the shots very good (probably because she knows she is getting a treat for not biting me) but I sure feel like a bad dog owner every time I stick a needle in her. And lets just hope no one decides to go through my garbage with all the used needles in there it might look like I have taken up a new extracurricular activity. Yeah not a chance on that one.

Prayer Request...

Hi everyone,


I have a favor to ask. Shane's dog Jazz got word last week that she has cancer. She is 13 years old and for those of you who have pets you can imagine how much a part of the family she is. She is not in the advanced stages yet but if you could throw a few prayers in the way of Shane, Jodi and Jazz that would really mean a lot.


She is an old girl who has had a great life. Not spoiled at all! Ha! For those of you that don't know Jazz she is a great hunting dog, I would guess Shane can't even count how many hunting trips she has been on. She is a terrific swimmer, but I think she only goes swimming so she can have a sand massage when she is done with her swim. The fishes in the live well really need to watch out she is quite the fisher. But then again she is Shane's dog so the hunting, swimming and fishing is not really a surprise. About a year and a half ago she got to play probably her biggest part in the family...she was the flower girl in Shane and Jodi's wedding.


So as you can see she is a pretty damn special dog that really needs your prayers! I know Sasha and I think about her a lot. She is definitely loved.

New Car...

Okay so it is already a month old and this is the picture from the website and not a picture of the actual car that I am driving but this one is the right color and clean. So here it is.

Thursday night before Chirstmas, I got a call from the Billion guy in Sioux Falls. Kind of weird because my lease is not up until March. Anyway, he wants my car early and I was already thinking about what I was going to do in March so I talked to him about the Matrix. He called me back on Friday morning with payment options (good ones actually) but I kind of hesitated a little. Then he called back again with better options and told me that a 2008 Toyota Martrix just came in off the truck with 7 miles on it and if I could come in on Saturday to pick it up he would make my first payment for me. SOLD!!!! I might be slow somedays but they are making my payment for me. That one was a no brainer. So my sister and I took off on a very cold Saturday morning and picked up my new car. I love it. Tons of room and a nice car to drive.

New hair cut!

Okay Yoda here is it. Not much of a change but something a little new.

And don't worry I will put a picture of the new car on here very soon.

Update on Sasha

As some of you may know, I had Sasha tested for allergies. We have always known she was allergic to something but never knew what and with every season the itching gets worse and worse so I decided to try and end the pain for her. The food allergies are in and we are still waiting for the list of inhalants to come back.

TOP 5 FOOD ALLERGIES:
1. Pork - Sasha loves pork chops
2. Turkey - but not chicken...explain that one.
3. Eggs - I don't like them so no worries there.
4. Potatoes - she really likes sour cream and onion chips.
5. Soybean - currently in the food she eats.

Poor little fat dog, now I have to take away some of her favorite things that have really been beneficial in her fat dog lifestyle.

As soon as I know the list of inhalants (which I am sure will be very long), I will pass it along.