Land of a Thousand Lakes

Nathan had a three day weekend (which NEVER happens in the Navy Band in the summer) so we decided to pack up the dog and head up to see his sister in Minnesota. The drive was six hours and isn't too bad, but it isn't something I would want to do often! One of Nathan's other brothers was also visiting so we got a nice double dose of family. We hung out, talked, ate, played games, gave Nathan a mani/pedi, went to church and went to the Spam Museum. Yep, I did say Spam Museum...I swear I did not throw that in to just see if you were paying attention. Overall a great time was had by all...and most importantly, many calories were burned laughing.

Here is a plethera of pictures. If you want to see more, (because lets face it, I am freaking adorable and so is my family...not to mention there are lots of pictures of the Spam Museum should your curiosity be peaked by what magical mysteries might be hidden behind those Hormel walls) you'll have to check out my album on facebook. Not my facebook friend?? Well, whose fault is that?!?

Besta. So happy to be out of the concrete jungle. I know he doesn't look happy...in fact he looks like he could jump up and bite my face off. Maybe he's just feeling a little anxiety over doing this to me:

To tell you the truth, I am not exactly sure what happened. I was throwing the frisbee for him to fetch and one time when he brought it back to me he misjudged where I was standing and ran into/bit my leg right on the back of my knee. I am pretty sure it was on accident. Only one semi-puncture wound...my pants didn't even get a hole in them. But man oh man does it hurt! The flash washed it out a bit, so you'll just have to take my word that it is WAY more purple in person.

The girls and I took Besta on a nice long walk to a park. I was mean and made them pose for lots of pictures.

Nathan getting the full spa treatment.

Pedi. Right

Pedi. Left. I think the hairy feet and toes add to the look, no?

Uncle Nathan and all the nieces...pretty sure he clenched the favorite uncle title with this.

Showing off the mani.

Horse face. It is funny, I promise. I guess you just had to be there.

Grant hoisting away to get Spam to the troops.

Michael and Andrew packing Spam.

The whole crew at the Spam Museum. (I hope Cindy or Janus' picture turned out better, I think the tour guide lady sneezed or something when she took this one)

Lard. Yummy.

Hormel's newest Spam Recruits.

Spam Head.

Stop staring at me swan...

So I tripped...again. This time in the parking lot of Wal-Mart...I was walking trying not get get run over my some white trash psycho in a beater car and I stepped on a rock (which was big and shouldn't have been out in the open like that anyway, maybe I should sue...but I digress...) and FELL on my hands and knees - on the hot asphalt and the white trash psycho just slows the car down and STARES at me...open mouth, bug-eyed stare. It was all I could do to keep that middle finger from springing up (and be accompanied by a couple of my favorite four letter words of course) and yelling "Stare Hard Retard!" She stared at me like she had never even seen a human being before...Sheesh, and NO ONE even asked "Are you ok?"

I don't like going to Walmart much...you know, associating with commoners, etc... but I needed this little white fence they have to put up around my little flower beds to keep that retarded dog of ours and his HUGE CRATER feet out of them!

The garden is doing ok...well parts of it. All the beans and peas we planted didn't fare so well...in fact, a majority of them didn't even come up, and the ones that did got choked by Morning Glory and were all yellow and dying so we just pulled them up...So a list of the survivors:

3 Sweet Red Peppers
2 Green Peppers
2 Chili Peppers
4 Spaghetti Squash
1 Zuchinni Squash - which sadly enough may be on the way out :(
2 Butternut Squash
3 Straight Eight Cucumbers
2 Ice box Watermelon
1 Yellow Meat Watermelon
1 Big Beef Tomato
1 Super Fantasitc Hybrid Tomato
2 Roma Tomatoes
1 Cherry Tomato
4 Yellow Pear Tomatoes


mmmmmmm :)

...blue...

So I have to first apologize for not updating sooner...but TRUST ME...you would not have wanted to know what horrible dark thoughts were swimming around in my head. I have been dealing with some deamons off and on for a few years, and they are trying with all their might to surface lately...scary things...scary, dark things...

Also, my little heart is broken, again......I am pretty sure we lost another baby just over a week ago..in fact I would bet my life on it. ...I had a hunch I might have been pregnant...especially after passing out and falling in my closet. But it was not until it 'ended' that I was pretty sure...the way it happened mimicked almost exactly the way the first one went...it would actually explain a lot...I had been extremely tired, moody, my face broke out something terrible and I was a little bit of a Bee-otch to all around me...more so than I EVER get with PMS...I just don't know how much more I can handle...I got an invitation to a baby shower for a friend in the mail and this is the friend who let me find out she was pregnant in a mass e-mail...after a very deep heart-to-heart (or so I thought) about infertility...(it took her like 6 months to get pregnant)...and it is being hosted by the friend that I think is pregnant again...the one who won't return my calls or e-mails...the only real friend I have made here is pregnant too...on their first try. A few in my family are also pregnant or have just had babies...It just seems to be EVERYWHERE, and it makes it hard to do even the simplest of things, like go to church...family gatherings...grocery shop...

Just when I feel like I have the whole thing under control and I can deal with it...something else pops up and kicks me in the stomach...and it is never one at a time...that I could maybe deal with but this 1-2 sucker punch stuff is really knocking the wind - and life - out of me...

The legend lives on...

Remember a while back I mentioned all those stories about tripping...and how my nickname on the Drumline was trip?

This morning I was getting ready...I went into the closet and put one shoe on, reached for the other, and then WHAM...I fell. I smacked my left shoulder blade and back of my head against the wall, my right leg shot out, hitting the legs of my 4' tall jewelry case and it then tipped over onto me hitting the front of my stupid skull, my left leg got smashed up against the little set of stairs I have in the closet to reach the top shelf, and it is scraped and bleeding...

Still not sure how it happened...I think I rolled my ankle...the bummer is that I got new shoes last night...they are super cute but they have a narrow wedge heel...I fear only more accidents are to come... :(

Klutz

So Yesterday I woke up late - missed my first class - then when I got to the parking lot I got out and then SLAMMED my elbow onto the door's top corner...instantly my arm went numb, it hurt so bad I couldn't even get a @#&% out...only tears came. I couldn't even pick up my cell phone after...it is still a little tender this morning...ouch

Then last night I dreamed we were in Newport - and it was the day we were supposed to leave - I was crying and trying to take pictures of everything...I woke up and I had a big wet circle on my pillow - my eye mask was soaked and I swear I had dried tears around my eyes...can you actually cry in your dreams??

The good thing is that in my Economics class when the professor was handing back the tests - he called 'Dear John' up to get his and said "Good Job"...if you get above a 20 I think he comments...well I was hoping for something and when he called my name he said: "EXCELLENT!"....whoo hoo....PLUS I was wearing my killer stilettos (didn't have to walk across campus cause I missed my first class) AND I didn't trip when I walked down to pick up my test...double whoo hoo...

how embarrasing...

I was reading someone else's blog and they mentioned some pretty embarrasing stories...and got me thinking of my own moments during which I wish the earth could have swallowed me whole to avoid the embarrasement that was sure to follow...so I thought, why not share...everyoone needs a good laugh now and then...BUT the deal is, if you read, you too must share - via the comment section - because I am not the only one getting embarrased today!

Ok...so I was a bit of a band nerd in High School and College...ok, more than a bit...I was a BIG band nerd...

My freshman year at college I was on the USU drumline. We were practicing our first day at drum camp out on a patch of grass and it was getting late and we were all tired and hungry..well JT (our leader) was NOT going to stop yet...so we were marching around fast and crazy and I tripped...and within a matter of milliseconds the entire drumline was on the ground...a guy named Jeff (funny, funny guy) yelled "The Hell?" - complete with a southern accent, hysterical - it became the catch-phrase of the season - anyway there was some blood and one guy actually needed stitches and there were many bruises...when they found out it was me, man I NEVER lived that one down...way to make a great first impression huh? oh, but the funniest part was there were a couple old people watching us practice and when we fell they all just kinda looked around and walked away - he he he

So then my sophomore year I was on the drumline again...and we were marching from the practice field to the stadium right before the game and I totally biffed it...dented my drums (I marched the tenors/quads...big nasty 45lb things), ripped holes in the knees of my uniform and I did it in front of the ENTIRE USU football team...to make matters worse (as if they could have been) the team doctor took me into the team's locker room to fix my knee up...talk about embarrased...

So by now I had earned the nickname 'trip' and everyone always joked about it and teased me...

Junior year comes along and This one time at Band Camp we were doing drills on the hot pavement and it was almost lunch-time (once again, not good to leave me hungry) and I tripped (couldn't let the pattern die now could I) and got pretty nasty road-rash on my knees - in fact I still have a ocuple tiny bits of asphalt stick in my left knee - blood was running down my legs, soaking my socks but T Rohrer was not going to let me get out of marching...so at lunch I hobbled to my friend Jenny's apartment and she tried to get all the asphalt out of my knees...you know how sometimes something hurts so bad you feel like you want to throw-up...that is how this felt. At least the first time I fell it was on grass...and the second I had pants on...this time there was nothing inbetween my knees and the 105 degree asphalt...OUCH!

Nathan still calls me trip...and I don't let him down, about every other month or so I trip on something...stupid feet

Ok, I have shared - now you must too...bring 'em on!