The little things

I'm starting to reach the holiday panic. It's a bit early but I didn't sleep much last night for some reason (I worked 15 hours yesterday, I should have been out like a light!). Anyway, when I was awake I started thinking about all the things I need to do. I have a Stampin' Up Stamp Camp to get ready for, a card demo exchange to do, a tree to put up, wreaths to buy, my own Christmas cards to make, Christmas crafts to do. So tonight I'm starting to stamp. We'll see what I can get done.

But I had a moment today that made my day. It wasn't anything fantastic or earth shattering, just something little which made my day. Last week when I purchased the red and black lace dress with the shawl I received a garnet and silver necklace and earring set as a purchase bonus. They were very pretty. I wore them for my first Stamp Camp. I also wore them to work a week ago this past Monday. Within 15 minutes of being at work, I had lost one. I had been in two exam rooms, the front desk, and my secretary's office. We looked everywhere and couldn't find it.

Today, I got to leave work around noon because of the long day yesterday. I was wandering by the Lost and Found desk and thought I would stop. I didn't have the other one with me but was able to describe it in pretty decent detail. The little elderly volunteer pulled out the big box of lost jewelry and she found it! They had my little garnet earring! I was so excited to have it back even though I owned it for a mere four days before losing it. Take pleasure in the little things in your day and put a smile on your face because of them! Maybe I'll feature the sneaky little bugger in my next HNT :)

Thanks for....Dr and Mrs B, and the soon to come Mr and Mrs H

My friend Jami said "I do" this weekend. I'm so proud of her and I love her now husband as well. I first met her in 7th grade and we have been friends ever since. I was honored to be a part of her wedding this weekend. I have included an array of pictures and there are a few stories to go with a few. I'm sure there will be more to come as we all share our pictures with each other.

The bride and her dad

Dr and the soon to be Mrs B

Bride's sister and her boyfriend after getting their cards from the bride.

We had a weepy moment! We got the bride all into her dress and let her go look at herself. She started getting teary eyed but her youngest sister came to the rescue with some left over Halloween candy. Isn't she a LOVELY bride?

See...She really is beautiful!

This turned out to be one of my favorite candid shots of her. I love this girl so much and I'm so proud of her!

This was a few minutes before the start of the wedding. She looks radiant...I looked worried but I so wanted everything to be perfect for her.

Before the wedding we had to entertain the groom's niece. A little DVD player with Toy Story, her thumb and a blanket were all we needed.

These are all a bit out of order now but you get the idea.















Again, another favorite picture of mine.






Here is a picture with a story. I still want to cry telling it but shit happens and at the end of the day they were still married. The lightening at times sucked so this picture is a bit dark but it will put the image in your head to sat up the story. I was responsible for the readings. I was standing in high heels on a carpeted 3 inch high podium. The readings were perfect and I nearly had them memorized so it wasn't a problem. Exiting the podium was! I fell to me knees minus one shoe in front of 100 + people when I turned and stepped off and according to the bride's mom, me heel got caught in the carpet. I wanted to die. I stood up as calmly as I could with the congregation's gasp still echoing through the church, put my shoe back on and walked back to my pew. The crazy part...I had to go back up 10 minutes later to do the next reading! Yes, it was caught on video, Yes, I felt like an ass. Yes, the bride forgave me. Later her own mom fell off a ledge and she actually got bruised a bit so other than my pride I got off easy.

It's official!

We did it!

She almost had the Chicken Dance figured out and then the music ended :(

The bride and groom took the money raised from the dollar dance and the garter auction to donate to the Children's Miracle Network Danceathon that the U did every year and they were both very involved in. I thought that was pretty darn sweet.

The bride was a Theta in college and it is a Theta tradition to be sung too at your wedding. The two bridesmaids are her sisters, a couple of us all went to Gifted camp together and we all knew each other in college.

A congo line made for some fun pictures...

This is the groom's dad, who after my swan dive off the alter gave me the nickname of "Happy Feet" at the dance. For the record, I danced the entire night away with my high heels on and didn't have a stumble at all.

So all in all, a fabulous time resulting in two amazing individuals promising to share their lives together. I love this girl like a sister and the groom has stood by her for the last few years with a heart of gold. I'm thankful I could share in their weekend.


Oh yeah, I was able to go to church with the family this morning as well. Even made it on time...in spite of the very nice State highway patrolman that pulled me over doing 83 in a 65 mph zone. He was kind enough to record it on my ticket as 80 mph and saved me $83 on my ticket :) First time I have ever every been pulled over and I wasn't even on the interstate! Why wasn't he on the interstate...did he forget it was a hoilday weekend and there were hundreds of people driving home on I-90 NOT Hwy 25?

I also have other big news...if you check the title there were two couples mentioned. On Thursday night, before I headed back to SD for the wedding my other best friend called me. We always call each other on holidays. But this time, she had a tear and a giggle all at the same time in her voice...Her boyfriend was a bit late coming to the table with the excuse of having to use the restroom. When her dad gave him a hard time and said they didn't wait just on anyone, he pulled his chair back, got on one knee and asked Heather to marry him. I'm thankful to say she said yes and was presented with this...
JAMI AND HEATHER...I am so thankful to have both of you in my life and I am happy you have both found the one to share your own lives' with. I'm so proud of both of you and am grateful for your friendship through the years. I LOVE YOU!

Thanks for...giving Thanks!

For the last 23 days I have listed something to be thankful for. Some days I was in no mood to be thankful for anything but I had made a statement that I was going to do this and therefore, every day I made a point to stick to my guns. Doing so has made me more ready for the Christmas season I think. My point in the past series was to put off the commercialism of Christmas in an attempt to avoid forgetting about Thanksgiving. Christmas lately seems to start in October. In Christian traditions Christmas is proceeded by a season of preparation and longing, of anticipation and reflection. Taking the time to reflect on what I am thankful for has now made me ready to prepare for Christmas.

Today I spent the morning watching the Macy's Day Parade and then I went to a friend's house. She and her husband had invited me to join both of their families on this day of gratefulness. My parent's are an 8 hour drive away and the boyfriend's parents invited me too but they are four hours away. My options would have been driving 8 hours starting yesterday afternoon to get to my mom and dad's and then driving 4 hours tomorrow to get to the wedding. The other choice would have been the four hour drive to the boyfriend's family's house only to do the 8 hour drive tomorrow to get to the wedding. So I joined Lisa and her family today.

They welcomed me literally with open arms, treated me like one of their family and it was truly a joyous place to be today. The love, the stories, the laughter, and of course, the food are something I am very grateful for sharing in. For the time to be thankful this past month, I'm grateful. I haven't decided if I am going to finish up the month with "Thanks for.." posts but I did what I sat out to do and I'm happy for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for...friends and a pedi for HNT

I visited a blogger friend this week...Sandi and I chatted Saturday afternoon away while she gave me a beautiful pedicure in time for this weekend's wedding. The red matches the colors for the wedding as well as the satin underneath the black lace of my dress. I'm thankful Sandi is here in town and I could spend a little time with her this past weekend. Now I owe her a tag, I"ll get to that this weekend when the wedding hubbub has calmed down.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...be grateful for that you have, remember those that have not, and take the time to reflect on both today.

Thanks for...a good glass of wine

...and a great glass to drink it from. I enjoy a nice glass, bottle, or two of wine. I go in streaks with it. This week, I have been on a streak. The local liquor store that still hand carries your goods to your car for you has a wine special that runs all the time. 12 bottles at a time and you get a pretty hefty discount. It takes me a while to get through 12 bottles but I stop in a few times a year to stock up.


I don't have any preference really, I like to mix it up. The stash always includes whites, reds, sweets, dries, well known brands, fun finds. This particular 12 included several bottles from a new favorite Barefoot from California, a bottle by a winery called Three Blind Moose (Duh, you think i could pass that up?), as well as one from Menage a Trois.

I also like to give wine. Since I started my little stampin business I have come up with a new craft. The same hometown feel liquor store gave me a supply of tall skinny paper bags and I have taken to decorating them. This is one I have made for my Thanksgiving Day hostess. There is a bottle of Rawson's Retreat Semillon Chardonnay tucked safely inside.

The goblet is a one of a kind creation. It was a gift from my boss made by his wife. For more of her stuff check out AmyCass Pottery. She does just amazing things and I have started a little collection. These are heavy, chunky and beautiful. Mine is currently filled with a red Zinfendal from Barefoot. I'm going to start a movie, turn off the lights and sip my glass of wine.

For the quiet time to relax before the holiday and reflect on the last month with a nice glass of wine, I'm grateful.

Thanks for...a pair of good shoes

That's not what I'm really thankful today but I had to get a picture of my new kickin' OR shoes in this week. I have been whining about being slow at work for the last three weeks. We have been hidiously slow. Maybe one OR case a day.

Today...not the case. We got a subtalar ankle fracture dislocation that was unreducable in the ER, a car versus semi involving open femur fractures and upper extremity injuries, one septic patient with possible source being his shoulder and wrist, a couple "usual" hip fractures, and a few other things. We were BUSY! Oh yeah, somewhere in the middle of the day I had a patient code too.

These new shoes got to scrub in on TWO surgical cases this afternoon and if I hadn't had a hair cut at 6:45 pm I could have stuck around for the two cases we still have left. So for a busy day that got me into the OR, I'm grateful.

Thanks for...a night with the boyfriend

Tonight, we decided to head out and see an early Christmas light display. This whole month I have been posting about things to be grateful for in an attempt to hold at bay the ever earlier and earlier onset of Christmas celebrations. However, the local NBC news station combines with several other local businesses to convert a local camp ground into a light display from mid-October to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It isn't so much of a Christmas theme as it is just "Lights in Bluff Valley".

This past weekend I was super busy with the art show, pedicure, and card workshop. I felt like I had short changed the boyfriend in the time I had to spend with him plus I got a bit on the snippy side on Saturday night when I was down to the wire getting things done and he felt like he got a bad rap in the deal. We spent last night watching my Broncos get beat but I started snoozing just after halftime.

So, tonight we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed north to the Lights in Bluff Valley. We drove through the light display, got "lost" in the light maze for a bit, and finished up watching the evening musical group. We took a few pictures and considering we were driving and trying to take night pictures I think they turned out sort of neat. We didn't take a picture of everything but here are a few of our favorites.

For the night alone with my boyfriend on a nice winter evening outdoors, I'm grateful.

Thanks for...this afternoon

This afternoon I spent the day with 7 other woman at the 40 cards in a day workshop that myself and another Stampin' Up demonstrator put on. It was fun to watch everyone put their stuff together. Plus we got several new recipes out of it as well. It was a nice girl orienated afternoon. I don't "do" girl time well. I'm usually too much of a tom boy and I don't like being in large groups of woman. But lately, I've felt like I need a little girl time. I got a good dose this afternoon, and for that I'm grateful.

Now I need to go make dinner and sit down to watch my Broncos game :)

Thanks for...my friends

When I was in junior high and high school I wasn't one of the "cool kids". I played sports but wasn't the sterotypical jock. I was in the band but I wasn't the sterotypical band geek either. School was easy for me. My hometown too small for me. In the summers instead of hanging out with everyone I traveled as much as I could with my grandparents or any school sponsored trip I could. I also spent 2 weeks a summer at Gifted Camp. Yup...nerd fairly comes to mind.

It was here I met my best friend. The one getting married next weekend. I'm so thankful for her as well as the other kids from camp that I made friends with. We have continously moved farther and farther from each other physically and getting to see each other and talk to each other doesn't happen as often as it always does but when we do see each other or get to talk, it's like we just saw each other yesterday and pick up right where we left off.

Then came college and a diasterous semester with my first roommate and a world of worry over the first Christmas break as I waited to meet my new roommate. When I walked in the room and she had COW stuff all over, I knew it would be okay. I urgently called my mom and while crying, wailed "Mom, she likes Cows!". Again, physical distance has us 1200 miles apart but we talk weekly, email almost daily and know what the other is thinking without saying things. There is an unspoken "she's here with me" that we both know about.

There's that big lovable old guy too. It isn't Santa but the guy who stole his blogging start from my blogging start. He's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of me and stuck around through it all.

I can't forget the new friends, the passing friends, and those that watch out for me whether I know about it or not.

For all of these friends, I'm grateful. For the friends to be made, I'm thankful.

Thanks for...A chance to be busy

The reason Friday's post is getting posted this morning (Saturday) is because I was a bit busy. For the past few weeks at work, things have been pretty slow. I don't like that, I would much rather be busy and scrambling to get things done at the end of the day, then sitting for hours on end trying to find something to do.

Well, work didn't get busy but this weekend sure is and it started last night. I left work around 3:30 and started at the north end of town and worked my way back south running errands. Home Depot for tin and tin snips, Staples for printer cartridges, the mall for a dress and a pair of shoes, Michael's for magnets, glass stones, and ribbon. Once home, I cut the ribbon needed for the workshop on Sunday, started printing the instruction booklets for everyone, showered.

I have a lot to do today and tomorrow morning but I'm looking forward. An idle mind finds crevices to get stuck in. I like being busy and for this weekend's tasks I'm grateful.

Thanks for...a good night's sleep

last night I got one of the best night's sleep I have gotten in a long time. So good that I decided to extend it for an extra hour and skip my 6:45 meeting. No big deal, I'll catch the topic the next time around. now for hopefully another great night...thanks for a good night's sleep.

Thanks for...family

I know I earlier posted about being thankful for the time my mom, sister and I had together this summer. Tonight, I'm thankful for family in general. I know it sounds generic and "politically correct" but i am thankful for my family.

Both sets of grandparents grew up with large familes, particularily on my mom's side (14 kids on the one side and there is one of those great uncles still alive). My grandparents subsequently each had small families...My dad has a sister and my mom has a sister. In the small town where I grew up, grandma and grandpa Kahl were the equivalent of a city block away through the trees or down the country road. I can still vividly remember the nights Grandpa lugged me through the trees to take me back home after I got scared spending the night at their place. But by the time I was in junior high, if Grandma and Grandpa Kahl were traveling I was in the back seat from mid-May through the end of August.

My mom's dad passed away a month before I was born. I don't know much about him other than pictures and stories. But my Grandma Rose was a big part of my childhood inspite of the four hour drive to her house in the country. If you remember the big red barn picture from earlier this year, that was her place. She took care of it by herself. She always had a crystal dish filled with those Neopolitan nougat candies and a tin of dried fruit in the refrigerator. If you ask my dad what he remembers about Grandma Rose is her homemade donuts. We would travel to see her at least once a month when we were little. She passed away when I was about 8 years old, I still have her rosary and use it often.

As far as my two aunts...Dad's sister lived on the way to Grandma Rose's house, she is also how my mom and dad ended up together. She and my mom were both nurses at the same hospital. She and her first husband spoiled me rotten. Even though they separated when I was pretty little, 20 years later I still keep in touch with "Uncle" Lee. My aunt now lives in northern Minnesota and we both go back to the farm whenever we can.

My mom's sister is more of a mystery. She left SD as soon as she could and I don't remember her much, nor have much interaction with her. However, her daughter and I are 13 yrs, 364 days apart in age and she use to come to the farm every summer. We aren't as close now as we once were but I'm still grateful for my small family.

My mom, dad, and sister still live in the farm house where I mostly grew up. Initially, dad's parents lived in the farm house but all farmers "retire", which simply means by a house in town and drive out to the farm everyday. When that happened, we got rid of the trailer house and moved into the big farm house. Grandma and Grandpa's house in town was in the perfect location...two blockets from the community center/gym, two blocks from the school, and one block from the Catholic church. We always had a place to go as kids.

I only have my Grandma Kahl left and this Tuesday she is having a mastectomy because of a malignant breast tumor too large to remove with just a resection. As most of you know, my mom has ovarian cancer and time is precious there. So even though it's a bit cliche', I'm thankful for my little family.

Thanks for...a good eyebrow wax

Seems a bit cheesy but it can make you feel wonderful. I hate plucking and over the last few months have just not made the time to stop in for an eyebrow wax. Since I'm in a wedding coming up next week I thought I better get it taken care of. Man, the eyebrows look a heck of a lot better. For that, I'm thankful today.

Thanks for...a creative release

I'm about to sit down for a bit of an evening project. This next weekend I am co-hosting a "40 cards in an afternoon" Stampin' Up workshop. Each participant is provided with a pre-fabricated Christmas kit including cardstock and stickers plus all the extra cardstock, adhesive, ribbon, etc they need to produce 40 Christmas Cards in one afternoon. It should be fun.

I have a couple candles lit, my crafts spread out on the table and I'm ready to start cutting. I'm thankful I have a few creative bones in my body to allow me to take a chilly night like tonight and turn it into a creative release. By the time I go to bed I will have cut out 160 card bases plus all the bits to make them work.

I have a few other creative Christmas projects up my sleeve but details will have to wait or I'll spoil the surprise :)

Happy Monday!

Thanks for...my boys :)

Currently the boys are tormenting a lone box elder bug on the living room floor. I'm not sure they are sure what to do with it. But today I'm thankful for my cats...Reggie (orange) and Romeo (gray). I adopted the brothers from the local human society in February of 2004. They have evolved into true companions. They know when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I need to cuddle, when I want to play. They never judge me, they look at me with adoring eyes and they make me laugh. I could write more but I want to watch the wrestling match between them and the bug so I will leave you with a few photos instead.

Thanks for...a lazy day in bed

Seriously people, sleeping in for me is 7 am or later. So today's 11:30 wake up with a crawl back into bed at 12:30 until 3:45 was a serious change for me. I was wiped out. Also woke up with a huge headache the first time so that's why I was back into bed later. I'm thankful I was able to do that and grateful for the time to relax, let my headache meds go to work, and happy my headache is finally fading. And thankful the boy agreed to drive me around to run shopping errands.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Thanks for...The First Snow

UPDATE: 11.8 inches of snow today!


Thanks for...THE FIRST DAY OF REAL SNOW!! This is my favorite non-holiday, non-birthday, non-scheduled special day of the year. I absolutely love the first day of a good snow. And as you can see we are getting dumped on. All that rain in the Pacific Northwest made it to the cold midwest and is dumping currently around 7 inches of thick, heavy white stuff on southern Minnesota. Isn't it pretty?

Now I'm going to help the neighbor get his car up the driveway :)

Thanks for....uhhmmm (HNT)

Today was tough. I had a very long night, little sleep, and I still don't feel all that great. I have no motivation to do HNT either today. I could give you a shot of my red, raw nose, or my cracked, peeling lips. but instead I'll try to find a few things I'm thankful for today instead and go from there.

I'm thankful for my best friend Heather. She's 1800 miles away and on a day like this even a little email from her can set my unrest at ease.

I'm thankful for my coworkers...I have an amazing medical secretary and appointment secretary. They are more like moms than coworkers. My desk staff makes me smile when I have frown, includes me in their parties so I have some woman to hang out with, and help every single day to make the day go better for all of us.

I'm thankful for my ability to communicate with others...if I couldn't connect with my patients in one way or another, my job would be a lot harder. Now, if I could just do that in my personal relationships a bit better.

I'm thankful for a few moments this evening with a new friend here in town....for the time to spend alone with each other just chatting.

For these things I'm thankful. Even if today was a challenge from the get go. Have a great night


EDIT: This was my attempt to make myself feel better...a hot shower, putting on decent make-up and fixing my hair. When I flipped my head back up after blow drying it, I realized I can be thankful for my hair. Sounds cheesy but I'm having a good hair night and if that's the only good part about today, I'm sharing it...Happy HNT