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new location

2011-05-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

This blog has moved!

Visit me now at me-and-serendipity.com

more chewie!

2011-04-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Sleepy boy :)

Chewie has been in our lives now for almost a month. He turned 4 months old on the 19th, and I'm pretty sure he's gotten bigger. I might be crazy, but I always think he looks a little taller or bulkier than when I last saw him (yes, even though I see him every day!).

A little size comparison, this was a week or two ago (?I can't remember)

For the first couple of weeks Chewie was obsessed with the carpets. We're assuming that over the years enough has been spilled on these carpets that there were maybe some buried goodies. Anyway, he'd try his hardest to nibble and take a bite out of it!

We've learned some of his quirks along the way, but I'll share a lot of pictures here as well. It has been tough to get some great pictures since he is always moving! I swear, he will be out like a light in his bed and the second anyone moves he perks up. I've tried a few distractions that didn't quite work (you'll see in a second), so I've succumbed to using flash for a lot of these. Not the best quality in pictures, but it works for now.

Puppy in motion! This bone comes out at meal time to keep him away from begging

Watching me take photos of the spring snowfall

Chewie LOVES his toys! This was something we were told the day he first came for a visit. It has grown since then, and he frequently tries (and sometimes succeeds) in putting two toys in his mouth at a time. In the list of things I wish I could photograph about the puppy, this is probably #2 (of a top 5 or so).

The first toy we bought for Chewie (before he even arrived!)

I don't care if this makes me a horrible puppy mommy, it was cute!

#1 on that list would definitely be the way he runs around the furniture. It's hard to explain without drawing a diagram of our living space. I don't have that much ambition right now though. Basically he goes into hyper speed mode and SPRINTS around the dining room table, behind the couch, around the coffee table, and around the big chair, making a speedy path around the space. While doing this he is usually carrying his favorite toy, a stuffed elephant my coworkers gifted. It's hilarious to watch, you'll just have to trust me :).

That's his elephant at the bottom of the photo

First bath - Skinny puppy!

Training has been going pretty well for what we can do at this time. He is doing GREAT at potty training. We are crate training him, and he has always been able to make it through the night without dirtying his crate. During the day when we aren't at home he is locked into the kitchen and never does his business in there. When we are home we just keep a close eye on him. We've learned his signal that he's gotta go. He will sit at the top of the steps, and just stare. As long as we pay attention to those times and take him out at reasonable intervals, we're good! He has really only had a handful of accidents total since he came here, so I don't think we can take all of the credit for how well he is doing.

In the morning Chewie just sits here while I get my jacket on and everything waiting for when I'm ready to take him outside.

Other than potty training, he has definitely learned his name and the word "off" (although could use some work on that one). I decided before a dog came that I didn't want him to be on the furniture. While I would really like to have him up and cuddle on the couch with me sometimes, I just think it can lead to bad habits otherwise. He will start puppy kindergarten next month and that's when we'll work more on the "sit" "stay" and other things.

Ugh! I'm so sad that the part of this picture in focus is his hindlegs

He did this on his own, too adorable

Ok, so I thought this was mostly going to be photos, oops.

i'm stuck

2011-04-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

I need some help, and I'm looking to you fine folks. I'm looking into changing this blog to a different web address so that my full name is not associated with it anymore. The problem with my current blog name is that I don't want my address to be comingsoon.com, that's just silly.

So I need a new blog name, which will become the new web address. I'm struggling with ideas and haven't latched on to anything yet. It might be easier if this blog had any sort of theme, but it doesn't.

I'm open to any ideas, so throw them at me!

To the winning idea... I'll send you a free 8x10 of any of my photos, why not? :)

the day the dog came home - part 2

2011-03-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Need to catch up on the story? Start Here.

When I left off we had decided that the Corgi option (at least from a breeder) was not going to work out. I started back up on searching for any puppy in the area on petfinder. One of the first puppies I saw was this cutie named Clyde.

Clyde is ¾ Shiba Inu and ¼ Rat Terrier, and both Mr. Y Not and I agreed on him! The next day I contacted this shelter to get more details. Surprise! Surprise! They emailed me back that very day. Thank goodness someone out there knows how to do business (the two breeders still have not gotten back to me and it's been over a week). However, it came with a bit of bad news. Another family was interested in Clyde and was having their home visit that day. With Mr. Y Not's approval I went ahead and filled out an application for adoption anyway. Crossing my fingers that this home visit went poorly and that we would have our chance. I got the message later in the day that the home visit had to be rescheduled.

While this was somewhat good news, I still went home a little down and started my search back up again. This other family had put in their application first and had to be given top priority. With a little more digging Mr. Y Not and I settled on a “Plan B” in Phineas here. I wanted to wait to hear the status of the home visit with the other family that was looking into Clyde before going ahead and filling out an application for Phineas.

I love that Phineas has eyebrows,
his fur is a different color where the eyebrows "should" be

My answer came the very next day when a lovely lady from Clyde's shelter let me know that they had received my application and wondering if I wanted to continue with the adoption process. WHAT?!? First I said “OF COURSE!”, but quickly followed that with, “what about the other family?” As it turns out, the way this particular shelter works is that while there can be several applications for one pet, the first person to have their home visit gets to decide whether they want to adopt. If not, they move on to the next application.

This was intriguing, but couldn't have come at a stranger time. Alright, to catch up, this conversation about continuing with the process happened on Wednesday, Clyde was set to get his lovely bits removed on Friday. If I wanted to schedule my home visit (and get that done before anyone else) I had two options. Thursday evening or Saturday morning. I wasn't available on Thursday because I was helping out my brother-in-law with their twins overnight.

That left Saturday. Funny story about this Saturday, it was also the day I was set to move in with Mr. Y Not. Wow, puppy home visit (Clyde would be coming too) AND a Uhaul all in one day? Gotta do what you gotta do. Mr. Y Not and I spent Friday evening cleaning up the house to prepare for the home visit. We also bought a few puppy items, but things that we could use with any puppy we got.

I had been a complete spaz since Wednesday. The woman from the shelter heavily implied that we would have a puppy on Saturday. She said that not many home visits are turned away, and once people see the puppy they can't say no. She even went as far to say that she is a pushover and as long as the home isn't dangerous, it will work out. WE'RE GETTING A PUPPY!!!!! I started counting down the hours until Clyde came to see us.

Saturday morning came around and I could not contain my excitement! I woke up randomly at 6:00 am and couldn't get back to sleep. Our home visit was scheduled for 10:00, only 4 more hours to go. At about 9:58 Mr. Y Not said he saw a different car in the driveway. That drove me crazy! It felt like she took ages to get out of the car and ring the doorbell. But she did, and she had Clyde cozied up in a crate. I wanted to see him so bad!

She took him out, let him play around, and commented how much she loved the house (and she had only seen the first floor, we do most of our living upstairs!). When we got upstairs she continued her admiration for the house after seeing a wall that is painted with a unique texture. Mr. Y Not calls it the suede wall because that's sort of the feel you get from it, and he went on to explain how it was done. Enough chit chat! She finally took out the paperwork, explained anything we needed to know about Clyde (meds since he just got neutered, type of food he's been eating, that he LOVES his crate...) and that was that!

WE HAVE A PUPPY!!!!!!!

Meet Clyde, now known as Chewie (or Chewbacca) :)

He is only 5 pounds right now!
I will get a photo with some perspective on his size later.

He has definitely been a joy so far, and I will have to dedicate a different post to everything we have learned about him, since this one has gotten quite long.

the day the dog came home - part 1

2011-03-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

This is the long story about how a small dream of mine came true.

Last July or August sometime Mr. Y Not and I were talking about dogs. His father has been raising and mushing (is that a verb?) dogs for about 30 years. Mr. Y Not eventually had a home pet of his own in a toy poodle. Yep, you read that correct, a TOY POODLE! My family on the other hand had a few pets over the years, but one dog that I believe meant the most to all of us. Norm, the yellow lab.

A toy poodle similar to Mr. Y Not's pet

A few years after Norm was sent to the “big farm” I was in college and wanted a dog of my own. Of course, I never lived anywhere that would allow a dog. Plus, there was no way I would have been able to afford it, if I was honest with myself. Still, I REALLY wanted a puppy! When I was living with my sister and brother-in-law their two dogs did the trick (a few of them, lol). But then they kicked me out to start their family and I once again was living in an apartment, still no dogs allowed.

Back to that conversation in July or August. Mr. Y Not mentioned that he wanted a dog. BAD MOVE BUDDY! I'm sure it was just an innocent “Sure, a dog would be great someday...” comment, but lil old me ran with it. I started pestering him to get a puppy. It was perfect, he could have it at his home and I could come and visit! Just when I thought I was making progress with him, he said he wanted to wait until spring to get a dog.

Why? Because it would be easier to potty train without the snow. I get this, I really do, and I accepted it. I accepted it without thinking through that we had this conversation in August and the snow wasn't going to start for months! Oh well.

Just because I accepted it did not mean that I stopped looking for a beloved puppy that I could cuddle up someday when spring came. Mr. Y Not had a few requests in my searches. He wanted a smaller dog (even a lab was too big) and would prefer little to no shedding. His first desires for a breed were Jack Russel Terrier and Dachshund. Eh, I wasn't crazy about either of those.

I won't go through every dog that I pined over (I was searching for months, and puppies that I fell in love with eventually were either adopted or ended up on the “young” section instead of “baby”). I started leaning greatly towards a Corgi.

An adult Corgi, so awkwardly adorable!

I thought I hit the jackpot when petfinder brought me a listing for a purebred Corgi. A breeder in Northern Minnesota was donating the cost of this Corgi to a local shelter. JACKPOT! I loved that I could get a purebred pet and still support a shelter. The listing was up for awhile, eventually I contacted the shelter to check, the deal seemed too good to be true (this was probably early March).

It was true, and I started getting nervous that a puppy wouldn't be available in mid to late April when I was actually allowed to get a dog. So I did a search to try and find the breeder (the name wasn't on anything), and found one that was fairly close. I contacted the breeder about their litter. This is where my time line mixes all together.

I asked the shelter about the puppies and found out that one of the volunteers' mom was the breeder (no name, just “my mom”) and those puppies were 6 months old, they had two left. The breeder (who ended up not being the same as “my mom”) had a litter due in April. Mr. Y Not did not want a 6 month old, he would prefer a newer pup, so the shelter was out. I had been wary of the breeder from the start because of a few factors and ended up emailing them with a list of questions which to me would let me know if they were a reputable breeder or not.

After not hearing back for a couple of days I decided to look around. I found another Corgi breeder closer to the cities and was excited. They had a website and I could see that they had a few puppies available. So again, I contacted them with the same questions. After not hearing back from either breeder for several days I went back to square one. With no breed in mind I went back to petfinder to see what new puppies were available (this was last Monday).

TO BE CONTINUED...

losing the love weight

2011-02-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

I can't say I wasn't warned, but when I put on some weight after Mr. Y Not and I started dating I assumed it was very temporary. You know, like it was holiday weight that would go away naturally. No? That's not how it works? Well, needless to say, spending more time with him, less (way less) at the gym, eating out more, and eating Mr. Y Not portion sized meals (have I told you that he is 6'6" and has the metabolism of a 5 yr old?) has not bode well for me. My clothes are tighter and I just don't feel good in general.

So! I'm doing something about it. I have never been, nor do I think I will ever be (unless very desperate), your normal dieting person. Not entirely sure how to explain this, but I don't like your typical diet regimens. Counting calories? I don't have the patience to look up everything I eat. Cutting carbs? PLEASE! Like this girl can stay away from her bread and potatoes. Vegetarian? LAUGHABLE! Not only am I a potato girl, I'm also DEFINITELY a meat girl. Especially red meat, the bloodier the better. I don't think I'd ever like diets like Nutrisystem where you have to eat the meals that they send you. They're all frozen not very high quality foods (I think, never actually had one). Also, they make it seem like this is the food you will have to stay on because once you stop you'll gain all of the weight back.

Here is where I become a semi-hypocrite. I'm doing the Special K Challenge. If you don't already know, here is how it goes. You replace two meals (usually breakfast and then either lunch or dinner) with one of the Special K foods like cereal or a protein bar. Then you get one full healthy meal a day. In between you can have two snacks of their cracker chips, cereal bars, fruit bars, or crackers. Also, you can eat all the fruits and veggies you want.

Yes, I realize this means I am cutting things out of my diet. But not entirely because I can still have a healthy meat and potatoes dinner. I'm also committing to one brand of food for most of the day. This I will admit is something that bugs me a little, but I'm ignoring it. They created this plan to make more money and have you buy more of their stuff, I get it. It worked on me!

However, it only lasts for two weeks. I have done this before and did lose the 6 pounds they advertise. I'm not necessarily expecting the same results this time (no more gym membership), but have hope. I truly like my veggies and fruit and they taste even better when all you've had all day is cereal! Haha, I'm not joking...

One thing I don't remember from the last time is feeling this much pang towards the foods I'm not allowed. All of the food commercials that come on, I want it! When a coworker talks about the delicious cheesecake in the break room, I have to pass. This protein bar that I'm clenching is about all I get. sigh...

After this, I will still have to work to lose the "love weight" as I like to call it. That will involve in general eating healthier and taking correct portion sizes. I have to remember when I'm eating meals with Mr. Y Not that his body needs and can handle a lot more food than mine. Eventually I will join the gym again, but until then I am doing some workouts at home.

For now, I'm going to go drool at the cheeseburger on TV.

lessons earned

2011-02-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This post ended up being longer than I thought

Let's talk about education. More specifically, education in the dating world. Before Mr. Y Not I dated some, although never had a serious relationship. However, I still learned something from each guy. Every one of these lessons showed me what I really want (and don't want) in a life partner. They also helped open me up and accept another person into my life.

Here are the lessons that I learned along the way (in no specific order, and each number does not necessarily represent one person).

#1 taught me to be more a part of the relationship; this is hard to explain without going into one of the few details of our “relationship” that I always think back to. I was 15, he asked me to join him for his track event one day, and I didn’t go. I had reasons that I felt were justified, but I didn’t tell him what those were. Even though that only lasted 3 weeks, I pin point that occurrence as one of the reasons we didn’t work out. (And, hello, I was 15! It wouldn’t have lasted anyway)

#2 finally taught me to talk about anything. This dude seriously NEVER shut up. Our first date lasted 5 hours, not because it was anything fantastic, but because he wouldn’t stop talking! It wasn’t always interesting either. But, I finally got the hint that I don’t have to keep my thoughts in, I can share them with my partner.

#3 taught me that I deserve better. He wasn’t there for me, and he didn’t really care at all about building a relationship together. Eventually I accepted this (although I admit it took longer than it should have).

#4 is a lesson I learned later, but relates back to this person. I was really picky about the smallest things, with this guy, I didn’t like his face. Now, it wasn’t that he had a massive mole on the tip of his nose or that he had a third eye. There wasn’t anything wrong with his face, I just came to the conclusion that it looked too plastic. Yes, too plastic. It was like he had just gotten Botox or something and his face never showed emotion. I eventually realized I was petty to even list this as a flaw, and that no one is perfect.

#5 taught me that just because I like some country music, that doesn’t mean I should date a cowboy. (oh wait, #4 Plastic Face was also a cowboy)

#6 taught me that I wanted someone who was responsible and financially stable. Even though money can't buy you love, I like to know that my man can take care of me.

#7 taught me to just go for it! Alright, this was the result of more than one guy that I didn’t give a chance to. My friends would tell me “so-and-so likes you, do you like him?” For some reason I always got defensive and said no, even if I didn’t really know the person. I needed to give these guys a chance so that I could learn lessons like everything above.

My list of what I was looking for in a guy became something like this:

Taller than me (this has been on my list FOREVER, and let's admit, it's not too difficult to find)
Makes me laugh
Honesty (a HUGE requirement for me)
No games (this goes along with the honesty, but I've had guys play the game with me and I was so over it! I vowed to be so open with my guy that I could tell him ANYTHING.)
Makes me/our relationship a priority
Responsibility/Financially stable (see above)

I'm sure there was more, but not that I can think of at this moment. This list, along with the lessons I had learned eventually led me to Mr. Y Not. Why? Y Not? (hehe, I've been wanting to do that!)

Mr. Y Not is 6'6”, big fat check mark on the taller than me requirement. We laugh together, and he definitely has the responsibility and financial stability down pat. Since I held honesty as such a high priority, he knew about this before we even met in person (have I mentioned that we met online yet?). We tell each other anything which goes along with no games. This telling each other anything has proved very valuable in our relationship. I believe this is why we don't fight (yes, I know, everyone says that we will fight eventually. While I'd like to think that we will keep up our streak, we both understand that there could be a fight at some point.), whoa, long tangent. Anyway, we disagree once in awhile, but we discuss it rather than argue.

I am the #1 priority in Mr. Y Not's life. Let me explain how this came to be so important. This goes along with #3 from above. This person played a lot of video games and a common occurrence would be me going to visit him, and him playing a game for HOURS, leaving me to fend for myself. Mr. Y Not is also a gamer, but it doesn't cause a problem for us. This is entirely because he makes our relationship a priority. He still gets plenty of time to play his games, it just doesn't have to happen during our time together.

Are there things I would change about our relationship? Yes. However, there are only 2 things I would change if I could. I don't want to go into them, but they are out of our control. Besides, I'd say 2 things is pretty small a number.

I could go on about all of the things I love about Mr. Y Not, but this post was more about the lessons I've learned along the way and how they have played into my current relationship, besides it's gotten long enough already. He is a fantastic person who has proved time and again that we are a great match. He meets my requirements and then some.

four eyes for me

2011-01-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

Growing up I was always so proud of being immune to some of the normal teenage... ummm... dysfunctions? I don't know the right word for this. But basically, I never had issues with acne, never needed glasses, never had allergies or asthma, never got braces (although I had the opportunity and sometimes I regret not taking it).

Then in my early 20's I started getting acne, bummer. I'm pretty sure I have minor allergies or asthma or both, but don't want to go ahead and get tested. Like I said, I regret not getting braces because I look now and wish my teeth were straight. Then a few months ago, I got glasses.

It started because I noticed that street signs were becoming less and less legible. Then digital clocks were nearly impossible to read. Most of what I noticed dealt with light or reflections being fuzzy. So I finally went in and got tested, knowing I would need glasses. While my prescription is minor (I don't know the actual number), I definitely notice a difference in everything and not just street signs and digital clocks.

At church this morning there was a statue behind the alter. I looked at it through my glasses and then without. Without I couldn't see any details in the face, it was a big blur. With the glasses on I could see Mary's eyes, nose, mouth, she became complete. These were definitely more needed than I originally thought, but my eyesight still isn't as bad as it could be.

For a reference point, here are two photos. One clear, and one edited to be about as bad as my natural eyes are. (you can click for a larger view)

Left: clear Right: blurry

New Years Eve

2011-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

I've never had any consistent New Years Eve plans, and neither has Mr. Y Not. So for our first New Years together we decided we had two options. One, should an opportunity present itself (ie, party invitation) we would go. If not, we would spend the night in and have a nice dinner together. No plans beyond that, keep it simple stupid!

We ended up spending a relaxing evening together. I had a nice meal all planned out, Mr. Y Not was responsible for getting the groceries. That night I told him to go downstairs and play his video games until I told him he could come upstairs again. I wanted to make this meal for him myself. Even though I enjoy cooking WITH him, this was my treat that night.

So, on to the food. Here are the inspiration photos for our dinner.

Lettuce Wraps

Cranberry Walnut Salad

Pineapple Soy Glazed Salmon

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Beautiful dinner, right? While I will never claim to be an expert chef, NOT. EVEN. CLOSE. I thought I did ok, and Mr. Y Not said it was delicious (he wasn't being nice, I could tell!). :)

I forgot to take a picture of the salad, but let's just say it looked exactly like the above photo. As for the other items, here is what they ended up like (with flash pictures because I was more concerned with the constant cooking even throughout the meal).

Lettuce Wraps (these were VERY good)

Salmon, Rice, Green Beans (I was hoping to get the salmon to have the pretty coloring on the top like the above photo, but at least it still tasted good!)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (No, we didn't eat all of these at once, but spread it out throughout the night)

After dinner we just watched some movies and then eventually watched the ball drop. Of course we had some champagne, which neither of us are really fans of but I think it is required for New Years.

i don't know what to do without you

2010-12-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

Due to financial reasons, I had decided to cancel the internet and tv service to my apartment. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but it had to be done. Since I was already paid through December 8th, that was to be my last day of home electronic entertainment. I mourned this loss, deeply.

Let me explain one thing before I continue. I'm a couch potato. On days that I have nothing planned after work, I get home, change into the comfy sweats and tshirt (maybe even my pajamas already if I'm feeling especially lazy), sit in front of the tv and veg for the rest of the night. I don't always watch the tv, but it is always on in the background. I'm someone that NEEDS to have noise going on, especially when I'm alone, so the tv was often just noise. When I'm not focusing on it, I am browsing the internet looking at useless things. Mr. Y Not calls this caching (well, I guess a lot of IT people do, I just didn't know what this really meant until he told me).

So for me to not have internet OR television at home is an entirely strange change. I can no longer just sit and read facebook posts or my favorite blogs. However, besides the financial reasons, there is one more benefit to this transition. I will clean. Yes, my apartment needs a cleaning. I've been slowly working on this the past couple weeks and it's actually getting somewhere. Also, I still have boxes lining my bedroom wall from when I moved in a year ago. Now I will have time to go through those and either get rid of or make use of things.

The first day that I was home with none of this to keep me, well, not busy, I watched White Christmas. I still do have a DVD player after all. After that I watched the White Christmas interview of Rosemary Clooney. Then I watched White Christmas with commentary by Rosemary Clooney. Yes, this was getting ridiculous. Part way through the commentary version I had to leave because it was time to meet Mr. Y Not, thank goodness.

Except today it got a little interesting. I mentioned getting rid of tv at work, and my coworker said I should still be able to get basic channels just by connecting to the cable. It's not that this never crossed my mind, but I could swear that I tried this when I moved in and it didn't work. That's why I starting paying a company for BASIC cable. Well, now today I try again, and voila! I HAVE TELEVISION!!!!!!! You can't imagine how happy I am about this. I even still have Bravo! I LOVE Bravo!!! (I called Mr. Y Not simply to tell him this, I could hear him shake his head in shame for me)

So it looks like I can still keep some of my couch potatoness in tact. Although, since I had plans for big cleaning and going through boxes and whatnot, I will do my best to keep this up. Oh, also, this shouldn't mean that my posting goes away. (I'm not promising it will be more consistent either) Right now I'm at Panera enjoying the free wifi. Me and this place are going to become good friends.

font love

2010-12-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

My mom has this book that has always sat in the living room. I suppose you can call it a coffee table book, but it serves more of a purpose than to just be there. I'm not really sure what it is called, but my best description is that it is a perpetual calendar which is used to mark birthdays and anniversaries throughout the year. I used to once in a while page through this book, and really liked it. Now, I want one of my own.

What does this have to do with fonts? Well, my search for a similar book has turned up with nothing. I did happen to find one that fit almost exactly what I was looking for on blurb, but if I'm going to buy one from there, then I'm going to design it myself. So now I am working on putting together my own perpetual calendar. There is a lot of work with creating my own layouts with this, but I'm kind of excited about that!

Here is the one I found, my layout will be very similar, so just to give you an idea: Every day is a New Day

Ok, maybe I'm not getting to the point quickly enough here. I L-O-V-E fonts! The best place I've found to download interesting fonts is dafont. I have downloaded numerous font to test for my calendar and now I'm stuck and need your opinion. Below are a few page mock ups, which one do you like the best (I'm also debating whether or not to have backgrounds)?

(click the image to view larger)

learning the real way

2010-12-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

About a month ago Mr. Y Not and I took a cooking class at Kitchen Window. (no comment on whether I dragged him or he came willingly) We did the pizza class where you learn to make 3 types of pizza from scratch. Upon arrival it was obvious that this is something that mostly couples do together. I'm sure it depends on the type of class (baking may be more attended by females and their friends) but this particular one was a majority of couples.

I got a glass of wine, Mr. Y Not a beer, we strapped on our aprons and awaited instructions. The 3 pizzas we were making were a flat bread, Chicago deep dish, and hand tossed. Everyone was broken into four groups and rotated through the four stations (each pizza and then a dough making station).

Although the two of us were going to have to wait for the fun pizza making part, we were put on dough duty first. This would be a really great thing to do for dinner if either of us had a nice mixer. We did get the dough recipes and will possibly try making it without the mixer, but I'm pretty sure that Kitchenaid was a huge help!

Next we were at the flat bread party. This pizza was DE-LISH-OUS! A garlic base sauce with caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, chicken, goat cheese and arugula. Oh! Also, it was baked in a Kalamazoo oven. Something I'm sure I will never have, but was a lot of fun to use.

The deep dish was what Mr. Y Not had been eying and waiting for. Since this station only allowed one pizza per two people, I let him do all the work. I have to say, the sauce they had for this was amazing! I'm super glad this came along in the recipe book we were given because I'd like to try it out again.

Finally it was hand tossed time. No, I did not throw my dough up in the air. I didn't trust myself enough for that. This also used that amazing sauce and we topped them with mozzarella, basil and prosciutto.

We were able to try all of the pizzas throughout the evening, and even took home leftovers. Basically, everyone shared and ate some of everyone's pizza. We also got coupons for the store which were used for a pizza stone (necessary based on using the skills that were learned in the class), and Mr. Y Not got a fancy new knife to add to his collection.

It was a great night, and I highly suggest taking a class from them. The one that we did was participation based, but they also hold seminars, demonstrations, and restaurant crawls. I would really like to go back for another class, just have to think of what I want to learn next!

first date

2010-11-16T17:13:00.001-08:00

I'm glad someone asked to hear this story. Honestly, I might have told it anyway because I like it so much. Mr. Y Not and I met through an online dating site and after a few short exchanges, he asked if we could meet in person. We planned to meet for lunch on Saturday, May 29th.

Short tangent: Earlier that week I had a date with a different guy from the same site. I had had more conversation with him than Mr. Y Not and was therefore initially more interested in him (Mr. Y Not has never heard that, oops!). The coffee date went downhill quickly. I felt like I was interviewing for the position of his girlfriend as he rambled off the typical questions about hobbies and family and work. We had nothing in common and couldn't have a normal conversation. That date ended with a handshake (yep!). He said he would call me, never did. I'm glad that guy never called me though, my next date went so much better than expected.

Finally, it was time for our lunch date. I met him at Friday's where he was already waiting for me. Mr. Y Not's most obvious physical trait is his height, and I was not quite prepared for this. He is 6'6'' (I'm 5'5" on a good day) and as we walked to the table I gawked in my head at how tall he was. I ordered a soup and sandwich combo of broccoli cheddar and California club, Mr. Y Not ordered the Jack Daniel's burger. How do I remember this? I have no idea, but I remember registering it when we were eating, maybe I was trying to log the memory for exactly this moment. I also remember I was wearing a blue striped t-shirt and he was wearing a red polo, although he has several and I don't know which one it was.

The difference between conversation on this date and the coffee date earlier in the week were night and day. It was an actual conversation! We still talked about hobbies, family, and work, but we had a comfortable flow which felt refreshing. He was able to take my teasing him of his nerdy tendencies, an important aspect in my future partner!

Here's where it gets interesting! About half way through our lunch, the couple at the next table got up to leave. They stopped at our table and the man asks us "Are you two on a first or second date?" I hesitantly responded, "Yes...". "Well," says this man, "we have been married for 25 years. You two are great together, you work really well."

WHAT?! Did that just happen? Mr. Y Not and I both agree that this is the strangest thing that has ever happened to us on a date and continue with the conversation we left off.

As we finish our meal, he asks me if I would like to go for a walk. Ah! I've got you all sized up now mister! You have a system of taking girls out for lunch and then if you like them enough, invite them to another activity. Happily, I said yes. I quickly made my way to the bathroom so that I could text my friend before we left to tell her that this date was going soooo much better than the previous one.

Our walk was nothing too exciting. It was at Como Park, which was extremely crowded. After one walk around the lake we said our goodbyes. A hug and an almost kiss (I thought he was too nervous, but he later told me he just didn't think it was time) ended the date.

This time I was excited about the promise of a call. I also later found out that Mr. Y Not had a date the next day. She was no competition though, he called me that following Monday and we've been together ever since. Even though we didn't become "exclusive" until a couple weeks later, we count the 29th as our anniversary.

i can't stay away

2010-11-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Miss me? Of course you did. My plan for this blog was actually to just let it fall to the wayside. This project per se was the lowest on my totem pole, and I would really like to get the photoblog and etsy back up and running. Speaking of, have you been to the photoblog? There's a new post! Anyway, I have decided to return to this blog because I have had moments lately where I say to myself "Self, this would be a good blog topic". Then I would catch myself and remind me that I'm not blogging anymore. Well, it has happened enough that I m just going to give in!

Right about now is when I start to make excuses for my absence. It is all a sort of spiral effect. I started feeling like I didn't really have anything to blog about, then I met a guy, started dating, had things to blog about, but was too busy to blog. Speaking of the guy, he's kind of a big part of my life now, and most of the things that I do will involve him. Since he doesn't have an online presence of his own (no facebook, myspace, blog, etc) I'd like to keep him somewhat of a mystery and not mention his real name. Instead I will refer to him as Mr. Y Not (a nickname he has been given at my work). I do realize that most of you know who he is, and may not see the point in this, but since this blog isn't exactly hidden from public view, there are still strangers who could stalk him! And if you know him, then you are in on a secret, don't you feel special? :)

Now, I wasn't necessarily planning on recapping all that has happened in the last 5 months of my absence. Instead I'd like to leave it up to you. Yes, YOU! No, not that guy over there, YOU - THE ONE STARING AT YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN! Below is a list of some of the blog-worthy events that have happened and I would like you to tell me which ones you want to hear about. This isn't a most votes wins type of thing, but rather one vote and it's in. All a topic needs is one vote and I will be sure to include it on here sometime soon. I already have a few other topics that I will be bringing up as well. So let's get this show on the road!

What do you want to know about?

Vote:
- Our first date
- California
- 5 Weddings
- Camping
- Game night
- Kickball
- Twins game

unbelievably unbelievable

2010-05-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

I love receiving cards from people, especially when they are given "just because". Those are the cards I enjoy the most, and tend to keep. I've kept the cards that mean something to me, and that remind me of times in my life. Like the card my sister gave to me when she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, or the cards I have gotten from my pen pal Allison. Allison moved to Iowa a couple of years after high school and is horrible at keeping in touch through phone calls, email, or text - she doesn't even have facebook! :)

The most recent card that has found a home on my bookshelf is one that a coworker (you know who you are) gave me "just because" a couple of months ago. It says "You're organized, efficient, hardworking, motivated, and dedicated". These words ring true in my work life. I try my hardest to stay organized and keep on track with what needs to get done.

However, my home life is a COMPLETELY different story. When I caught a glimpse of this card today and took a look around my apartment, I couldn't help but be frustrated with myself. Even though I moved in over five months ago, I still have unpacked boxes laying around. The mess that has overtaken every room would make my mother cringe with every fiber in her being. I need help... BAD.

The disarray that has taken over my life outside of work has jumped into high gear. I am dedicated, at procrastination. The entire apartment needs to be cleaned, my bills need to be paid (late), you don't want to know the last time I got an oil change. I honestly don't know how to force myself to make these things happen consistently.

Remember those New Years Resolutions I made? Goodness gracious! I'm not organized, obviously, my bills are still being paid late - mostly because of my procrastination, rather than financial reasons. I have let my etsy shop fall to the wayside, and this is something that I was really enjoying and REALLY want to return to. Obviously my blogs are not being updated! I was doing really well on going to the gym, until this month. I don't know the last time I cooked for myself (even though those dishes are still waiting to be cleaned), and I haven't picked up the 50 Photo Projects book in a couple months.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I am a procrastinator. I know I need (or want) to do these things, so why don't I do them?! I've been telling myself for a few weeks now that I just need to hit the restart button. I need to do a major cleanup job, bring the bills up to current, take (and post) some photographs, and revive my etsy shop. After that, all I need to do is keep it up. Except here's the issue - I'm procrastinating on pressing the restart button!

At work I am focused, I am there to get a job done. Even when I say "I'm done for the day" (sometimes when the day is barely half done), I know that I am there for a reason and continue to work on another task. At home though, there is no one else depending on things getting done. I won't be written up if the dishes don't get clean. If I don't pay my bills on time the only one hurting is me (and maybe the company I pay).

I need to take the words on that card to heart, and transfer them to my home life. I need to be organized, efficient, hardworking, motivated and dedicated. I honestly believe that if I come up with a plan (my biggest worry is the bills, I need a surefire way to organize myself there) that I can make it work. But it can't be any plan, it has to be well thought out and catered to the way I go about my life. It has to have checklists (making lists is one good habit I've inherited from my mother). How am I supposed to do this when Top Chef is on tonight? :)

april fools

2010-04-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

For just over four months now, the owner of the hotel I work at has been pulling double duty as our general manager. This is his first job in an office environment, and has led to his enjoyment of the show The Office. My co-worker suggested that we pull an april fools day prank on him, which sparked an idea in my head.

If you aren't familiar with The Office, here is a clip from the pilot episode:

So I really wanted to put something in Jello, but I obviously didn't want to ruin a company stapler, so instead I bought a cheap calculator. This task is actually much easier than I expected. Have you ever made Jello with fruit floating in it? Same concept... different object.

Before...

During...

After

My boss really loved it! He had just seen this episode the night before, so it was perfect. Now I want to put other things in Jello! :)

bakon vodka

2010-03-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I saw a few posts on Facebook from my friends about Bakon Vodka. I was intrigued, and knew my father would want to see this. I emailed him the link to their website and the response I received said "I think you should drive to Iowa and get me some of that." Something I didn't realize is that Bakon Vodka is only sold in select states right now, Iowa being the closest.

Daddy didn't know it, but after his email I decided to take a mini road trip last weekend to "get him some of that" for his birthday. I called up Lisa to see if she wanting to join in the adventure, and luckily she did so that I could have some company. What followed was definitely an adventure.

On Friday I started calling liquor stores, trying to find the closest one to the MN border that sold Bakon Vodka. All of the conversations went like this:

Me: "Do you have Bakon Vodka?"

Clerk (obviously confused): "Bacon??"

Me: "Yes, Bakon."

Clerk (giggling): "Uhhh.... No."

Eight stores laughed at me, literally LAUGHED. They must have thought it was a joke and they were being pranked or something. Until I called Cyclone Liquors in Ames, Iowa. When I asked if they sold Bakon Vodka, the response was a simple, confident, "Yes". FINALLY!! I had them reserve two bottles for me (one for my dad and one for my brother-in-law).

On Saturday, we left Lisa's place in Apple Valley at about 5:00pm. Did you know that Ames is halfway through Iowa?! Google said it would take about three hours to drive there. Of course, Google doesn't count bathroom breaks, dinner, oh and of course - the outlet mall!!

As we drove past the outlet malls in Medford, MN Lisa mentioned that she has wanted to go there. Why not? It's still early (about 6:00), let's do some shopping! The Medford outlets aren't that great though, Albertville is definitely better. We still spent almost an hour there, and I was getting nervous about not making it to the liquor store on time. Wouldn't that be great? Drive all the way down to Ames, IA and end up getting there minutes after the doors close!

So we get in the car ready to leave Medford and continue the journey. As I'm pulling out of the parking spot I hear HONK! immediately followed by a THUD! Great! I've just backed into the side of another car. All I can think about is how much will this cost me? I get out to asses the damage and the girl who was in the passenger side of the other car also gets out (that's the side I hit). She looks at the car door, which has a large obvious dent, then looks up and says "that was there before".

Uhhh... ok... She continues by saying that there isn't any new damage and maybe we should just exchange insurance information. I agree and go to get my information from the car. This whole time, Lisa is outside the car also examining my car (no damage there either). By the time I get back with my insurance card, the passenger is switching seats with the driver. As the driver (who was the passenger) is getting into the car she says "We cool!".

WHAT!? They drove off leaving Lisa and I STUNNED! How did we get off so easy? We are assuming that either they didn't have insurance or the girl who was driving didn't have a drivers license. Good enough for me :)

Alright, back on our way. The rest of the drive through Minnesota and a lot of Iowa was uneventful. Other than the fun inside the car of singing along with the stereo :). I didn't want to stop anywhere else that would take time because we were getting close to not making the store on time.

We get to Ames a little after 9:00 (the liquor store closes at 10:00). Neither Lisa or I are very good with directions, especially in the dark. I thought we drove too far, turn around, find a gas station, look at a map, see that we didn't drive far enough. Go back, find the right roads. We are ON the road that the liquor store is on and can not find it ANYWHERE! Ok, one reason is that Lisa said it was on the left side according to my directions, but the directions actually said it was on the right. Whatever, another small setback.

Cyclone Liquors is found! So excited, we go into the store and the clerk asks if he can help us find anything. "Yes, we are looking for Bakon Vodka." We follow him to the vodka section and he says "Oh, it looks like we're out."

WHAT? NOOOOO! YOU CAN'T BE OUT! WE JUST DROVE FROM MINNESOTA! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!?

Wait, I had asked for two bottles to be set aside for me, are they still here? The manager (or owner?) comes out and says he has two bottles reserved but there is no name on it. I told him it HAS to be for me, I called last night, reserved two bottles, and DROVE FROM MINNESOTA!

Phew! They sell us the two bottles, and were very interested in the fact that we were from Minnesota and started telling us about the vodka. It has a strange smell (more like bacon than vodka) but is really good in bloody marys with some hot sauce. Unfortunately since it was the only two they had I couldn't buy one for Joe (the BIL).

Proof that we went all the way to Iowa

Luckily there was a grocery store with a liquor store just across the parking lot. They also sold Bakon Vodka - THANK GOODNESS! Now we have three bottles of bacon flavored vodka sitting in my trunk.

That's all we needed! Well, we did debate looking for a party in the college town since it was Saturday night. But alas, it was time to turn right back around and drive home! (Although I did stop to get an Iowa postcard for my dad as his birthday card) Again it was a fairly uneventful drive through Iowa (I mean, seriously, it's fields, in the dark)

Real close to the Iowa/Minnesota border is Diamond Jo Casino. When we got close it was time for a bathroom break anyway (and there was a rest stop next to the casino), so we made a stop. The rest stop was in a barn, actually so was the casino. When I turned into the parking lot for the rest stop I drove a few yards before I realized that I had turned onto the grass! OMG! I was headed straight for the flower path along the sidewalk. Oops, let's backup back onto the street :).

The casino is unique. It is very small, I could actually see from one end of the casino to the other. There was a Subway and a Burger King inside (it was set up so that underage people could go to the fast food but not the casino). They also had a really neat stage (we JUST missed the band for the night) which was behind the bar. If I can attempt to paint a picture for you: The bar counter is in a half circle with the bartenders right behind that (duh!), there is a counter behind them where the registers and liquor are kept, THEN the stage is behind this. Since you have to be able to see over the heads of the bartenders, the stage is actually raised about six feet above the ground. (Karen, they have banquet events, think we can tour them as a comp set? haha)

Ok, time to go home. I dropped Lisa off back at her place at 2:00 am (or 3:00 since it was daylight savings time). So the trip took 9 hours! All for a bottle of Bakon Vodka to make my daddy happy. :)

Yesterday was the birthday celebration for the paterfamilias. I was sure he would know exactly what was in the bag after seeing the postcard. But nope, he was entirely surprised! As a review: yes, the vodka smells EXACTLY like bacon, judging by the faces of the guys after sipping a shot it's not very good by itself, Joe made a bloody mary and it was good in that.

The happy birthday boy

Food for Thought - 50 Photo Projects

2010-03-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

The next section of the book 50 Photo Projects by Lee Frost that I have tackled is titled "Food for Thought". Here is the leading paragraph to this section:

Is food just fuel to you, or culinary art? I guess I fall somewhere in the middle in that I like a good feast. However, when food is prepared with passion and skill it also deserves to be appreciated for its creative beauty as well as its amazing flavors. And what better way to do that than with a camera?

While he talks about cooking and meals in this chapter, I decided to start off simple with just fruit and vegetables. I HIGHLY enjoyed this project and was very pleased with the results. It is a great project for these days when the weather is less than desirable. Being someone who has been used to outdoor photography, bringing it inside was a part of the challenge.

Luckily, I found a wonderful time of day for these images. Right around high noon is when the light in my apartment was perfect. All of these were taken on my kitchen table, the white background is just a simple posterboard. One of the main "setups" that I wanted to do for each different subject was a slice of the fruit or vegetable backlit in order to highlight the veins and levels inside the food. Here are a few of my favorites, although there are more on the photoblog, and maybe more to come! :)

second grade reports

2010-02-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

My report card from second grade has a lot of notes from my teacher, Mr. Larsen. He was an awesome teacher and I was lucky to have him twice in a row. No, not because I repeated a grade. He was my first grade teacher and then moved to second grade when I did as well. Here are his messages to my parents (signs of future performances).

2/12/93:
Amanda is still "daydreaming" too much and not focusing on completing assignments during study time. Daydream and quiet conversation is fine after assignments are complete.

6/11/93:
Amanda has improved in her use of study time but she still needs reminders. Amanda and I were both sorry she did not qualify for the Homework Award because she had too many late and incomplete homework assignments especially in paragraph writing.

2/12/93:
Amanda is making good progress in all cognitive areas but I don't think she is working to her full potential. Amanda needs to improve her concentration, her rereading skills and her exgeting(?) attention to detail. Amanda seems to work at things in a slow and relaxed pace. Amanda's concentration might improve if she can speed up her work rate.
Amanda's test scores in math and reading have been in the 80%-89% range. She has the potential to be working in the 90%-100% range.

2/12/93:
Amanda is still a pleasure to teach and real positive member of the class.

6/11/93:
We will miss the Reichelt smile and pleasant personality at Burroughs. Amanda and all Reichelts have been great to teach & work with.
(this was the year we moved from Minneapolis to Lakeville)

Second Grade class - I am in the top row - far left

I always had problems with that "turn homework in on time" thing. I still have issues with it (obviously not homework, but like bills and the homework of the adult world), it's my procrastination!

my first year

2010-02-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

The last item in my box of memories was my Baby's First Year Calendar. I found a few things really great, especially the letter my mom wrote me, thanks mom!

Born Monday September 10, 1984 at 8:05 am, 10lbs 5oz, 22in long

Letter from mom at five months (on a page that was originally for recording my height & weight):

Dear Amanda,

I decided to write you a letter instead of filling in your height & weight. You are five months old this month and you are such a joy to the whole family. Daddy loves to hold you and play with you. He sits you in his lap when you're tired and you are so content that you fall right to sleep. Rebecca adores you. She carries you, holds you, bounces you, climbs into your crib with you. She even tries to change your diapers. She gets upset when I need to feed you because she can't be holding you. She teases you about looking like a "lizard." You're getting your first teeth and you stick your tongue out to massage your gums - that's when she calls you a "lizard." Ben thinks you are very special also. He likes to have you sit next to him on the couch and always asks Daddy to take your pictures. You are just starting to sit by yourself now and you love to roll around on the floor. Sometimes you roll right under the coffee table. You are the most happy baby we've ever seen. You hardly ever fuss, you always have a smile for us and you eat & sleep very well. We all love you very, very much Mandy, you are truly a gift from God.

Much love,
Momma

Sleeping habits (I didn't know about the singing, which I think is cute :) this was on the eight month page):

You always wake up happy. In the morning you are singing a song. That wakes up Rebecca and the two of you play until I come get you. You sleep all night and are so precious.

the scare

2010-02-16T17:40:00.000-08:00

The Scare
Written by: Amanda Reichelt
11-7-95

(DISCLAIMER: 5th grade - I cannot be held responsible for misspellings, lack of creativity, and many many technical errors)

It was the night before Halloween. Nancy, Steve, Helen, Rob, Andrea, Dan, Anna, and Katherine all were power rangers. They gathered at Rob's house to plan who they were going to be. Nancy was the pink ranger, Steve was the blue ranger, Helen was the yellow ranger, Rob was the black ranger, Andrea was also the yellow ranger, Dan was the red ranger, Anna was the white ranger, and Katherine was the pink ranger. They all slept over at Rob's house that night. The next morning they all helped Rob decorate their house. After that they decided to go to Nancy's house. "Mom," said Nancy.

"Yes," yelled mom.

"Steve Helen, Katherine, Dan, Rob, Anna, and Andrea are here," she yelled.

"Lets do our homework since we all have it here," Dan said.

"Do you have enough pencils for all of us?," asked Anna.

Finally they got to go trick or treating. They all got in there suites and went out. First they got Twix. Then they got to chose whatever and how many of what they want. The next house was spooky. It had two jack-o-lanterns in front of it, the paint was coming off, shingles were broken, and the shutters were coming off. They went up to the house. There was a letter on the door. It said I'm gone there's some candy inside. So they went in. Out from nowhere popped out a clown and said, "Have some candy kids." We all jumped towards Anne's mom and screamed. Sorry I didn't mean to scare the little cridders so much. Here have a few pieces.

After a few more houses we went to Katherine's house to trade candy. Then her dad brought all of them home but Katherine. The next day at school they all were talking about how scary it was. "My mask fell off," said Helen.

"So did mine," said Dan.

"I fell over on Rob," Steve said.

"I got piled on," said Rob.

"I ran into six people," said Katherine.

vintage goodies

2010-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

While etsy is mostly known for its handmade goods there is also a large section of vintage sellers. Enjoy these finds and click on the image to see the item in it's shop!

goals for a lifetime

2010-02-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, I found an interesting piece of history. Well, my personal history. In eighth grade my history teacher (Mr. G) gave us a task which I think a lot of students do at some point. We were given a sheet of paper with instructions to list goals that we would like to accomplish in life. It would then be mailed to us the next year to remind us what we always wanted to do, and to continue pursuing those goals. I just found my list in a box of my stuff, wow, that's all I can say.

The twelve things I want to do in my life (c. 1998) and how I'm doing on them.

1. Bungee jump - haven't done, and would still like to do this
2. Read bible - I remember at the time wanting to read the whole bible in order to really understand the religion I was a part of. Never happened.
3. Sky dive - relates to the bungee jump, also haven't done it and would LOVE to cross this one off
4. Fly to another country, stay there for a month or two - let's see... I've never been outside the US (not even to Canada). This is like the DREAM vacation, too bad real life gets in the way of this goal.
5. Hold a world record - yeah, never gonna happen
6. Win lottery - with weekly powerball drawings at least this one is in the works!
7. Be famous at something - HA! (hold on to your cotton panties, it gets better!)
8. Take a road trip - DONE!!!!!!! Several in fact! Once in college I just wanted to get away, so a friend and I drove as far into Iowa as we could, went to a restaurant for dinner, then drove back. It was hilarious, especially since at the time my car didn't have a CD player so I put batteries in my boom box (yeah, I went there) and my friend held it on her lap the whole way.
9. Find Chris - long story, don't ask
10. Go to (a good) college - apparently I added the "a good" as an afterthought, with one of these ^ - can we call this basically done? I started at a GREAT college, and then graduated from a party school, but I did it.
11. Start and finish project you know what for art - uhh.... I don't know what for art... Maybe I just meant an art project? In which case - DONE!!! :)
12. Be in a singing group - WTF 14yr old Amanda? Have you REALLY heard yourself sing? Seriously - does being in choir in school count?

Well, a lot has changed since 1998. I still haven't accomplished all of the goals I set out for myself, and definitely won't finish this list based on the crazyness of some of these. My handwriting and spelling skills are much better :) (I spelled "country" as "contry"). Still, it's nice to look back. At the end of the paper, this message:

"Good Luck. Life is awesome - enjoy every second" - Mr. G

Go Graphic - 50 Photo Projects

2010-02-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

One of my new years resolutions is to work my way through the book 50 Photo Projects by Lee Frost. The first project I've posted photos for is Go Graphic. Here is the beginning excerpt from this chapter:

Striking photographs don't have to be of anything in particular - it's the way you compose them that counts. Bold shapes, strong lines, vivid colors and arresting camera angles can turn the most everyday subjects into exciting abstract photographs. And the further removed from reality they are, the more successful they tend to be, simply because the viewer is left wondering exactly what it is they're looking at.

Here are a couple photographs I've taken with this project in mind. Although I would like to also find something even more graphic, this is a good start.

mysterious interest

2010-02-07T10:12:00.001-08:00

When I first made my Magnifying Glass Notepad for my etsy shop, it was just another idea on another day. I liked it, but wasn't as excited about showing it off to the world as I was when I made the Fist Bump Notepad. That one was an idea well before manda marie designs became real. Well people seem to really like the Magnifying Glass, which proves that I will not be able to predict what will do well.

The first time it received some nice promotion was when the image (and link) were included in an etsy sellers email. I was really excited upon receiving this email and immediately thought a sale would be made on the item. It wasn't, but that's ok.

Now just the past couple weeks it appears to be generating some buzz again. I will admit that I didn't work as hard on my shop during January as I should have. Without going into all of the details of running a shop on etsy, I will say that what came last week was a huge surprise. Three orders were made for the Magnifying Glass Notepad!

This may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but let me put it into perspective. In the entire month of January I made one sale - to my father. February 1st comes along (I didn't suddenly start doing anything different) and I get four orders in the first week. Two of these were for multiple items, and three of them included an order for the Magnifying Glass.

Next step - take a look at Google Analytics to see if I can find out where all of the interest is suddenly coming from. I did end up finding that the notepad was featured in a blog on Friday. (if you go to the blog you won't see the picture because it links to a sold listing, but it is #8 on her Fawned Friday list) However, this doesn't explain a whole lot because all of the orders took place before Friday. I checked where the blogger lives and she isn't one of the customers who ordered one either.

That's all I can do at this point, I'm very happy for the exposure, even though I can't tell how it happened. That's the way it will have to be.

chicken for everyone

2010-01-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I had Lisa and Kirsten over to my new apartment for a sleepover. Yes, I'm 25 and still have and call it a sleepover. Lisa spent most of the day working and was coming over right after so I offered to make us all dinner. This will be one of my go-to dinners where I have everything I need always in the fridge. It is super simple, and extremely delicious.

Here is the "recipe":

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Fry on both sides (not cooking all the way through). Add a couple sprigs of rosemary at the end and cook together for about a minute.

2. Set chicken aside and cook veggies in the same pan with olive oil. This is where it will vary, the first time I just used carrots and onions, then I added zucchini the second time. Really just throw in whatever veggies you like. This time again, season with salt and pepper and just brown the veggies.

3. Place veggies and chicken (individually) in foil and completely wrap together.

4. Cook in 390 degree oven for 20 minutes.

I realize there is nothing new about the chicken/veggie in foil meal, but I'm doing it myself and that's the point. The cooking part of my new years resolution is doing wonderfully. I've made most of my own meals and am happy to have recipes that I will be making again and again.

Lisa Loved It!

photo inspiration

2010-01-14T18:06:00.000-08:00

My motivation needs your help. On Sunday I went out to take more photographs and came back with nothing really good. It was freezing outside, I wasn't feeling good, and just really wanted to sleep forever. So, I'm still somewhat stuck in the same spot. Although the weather is a little warmer, I'm still drawing a blank on what to photograph. Which leads me to my questions for you:

Do you have a good location idea?

Do you have a subject idea?

Where is a good spot to get the St. Paul skyline? (does this exist?)

Where can I go to get a shot of the UofM library? (Preferably from the vantage point of the Washington bridge. Can one go on the bridge?)

(oops, I meant the art museum, not the library)

I'd like to hear your ideas, because I am running low on inspiration.

onion soup

2010-01-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't even lived in my new apartment for a week, and I've already started tackling my resolutions. Tonight, I made dinner for myself. For five days all I've eaten has been crap! McDonalds, cookies, pizza, funyuns and coke does not make for a healthy diet. But today the first grocery trip finally happened.

My mom got me this great little cookbook from Ikea. It has 365 recipes and is organized by month (so ideally making one recipe a day). No, I won't be making one recipe a day, but I will try random recipes that sound appealing. They are laid out simply and are quick to make. Each recipe has a photo, since I'm very much a visual learner this is awesome! Tonight, Onion Soup. I have never made a soup that didn't involve opening a can and heating it up!

I cut the onions myself and browned them and even used cooking wine! I ended up leaving some things out because I couldn't find them at the store, or I didn't want them. It was pretty good, although would have been much better with the ingredients I left out (caraway, scallions and cranberries).

PS: the apartment smells so much better after a home cooked meal rather than McDonalds :)

don't super size me

2009-12-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

After watching the movie Super Size Me and getting all of the gross facts about fast food, a challenge arose. Joe suggested that we (Joe, Becca and I) spend 30 days WITHOUT fast food. I definitely have the most fast food visits, with Joe behind me, and Becca rarely. We had to lay down some ground rules to start.

1. No Fast Food (for me this included the little deli/cafe I go to for lunch sometimes)
2. No Pizza
3. No Coffee Shops
4. No Vending Machines
5. No Convenience Stores

Although there are a couple exceptions - I've allowed myself items from the gas station as long as it is the same brand and product I can get at the grocery store. Becca is allowing herself coffee from the coffee shop she frequents.

It has been two weeks so far, and it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. A couple times I thought about how simple it would be to go get fast food, and then was a little sad I couldn't. I actually haven't been to the gas station for snacks yet (there's one right across the street from work). I really thought I would feel more deprived, but it's been just fine. I'll let you know when it gets closer to the end!

mailing list

2009-11-22T11:30:00.001-08:00

I am going to be putting out a newsletter once a month (that's the goal) for Manda Marie Designs. It will include information about what is new in the shop as well as some specials for subscribers only.

If you would like to receive these emails (I promise it's only me, and only once a month) just sign up on the right hand side --->

Or, follow this link: Subscribe!

The first newsletter will be in December!

resolutions

2009-11-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big believer in setting New Years Resolutions and making them work. Which probably has something to do with the fact that my procrastination is really strong. However, this year will be different. I have things to prove and things to do.

The biggest change this coming year, and what is going to help with my goals, is that I am moving out on my own. For the past year and a half I have lived with my sister and brother in law. It has been wonderful, and I know they have enjoyed this time as well. But they are starting their own family, and they deserve to do that without me creeping around. So, this brings us to my resolutions.

1. Get Organized! - this is a constant struggle for me, I can get myself to the place of being organized, but it is so hard to keep it up. This also goes into many other subcategories.

a. Bills - sometime this past year I found a Real Simple (the brand) product that helps organize bills and their due dates etc. It has been great because my monthly bills are in one place and I know whether or not I've paid that month. Believe me, this was a big hurdle. This part of my resolution is to continue this system, but start paying more on time. I frequently end up paying a week or two late because I gather the monthly bills and then pay them all at once. No more!

b. Manda Marie Designs - this isn't in a huge disarray at this point, but knowing me it's headed there. Luckily I got the apartment with enough space for me to have a dedicated workstation for the business. I will get my paperwork and accounting organized as well as product inventory.

c. Life! - I am going to get really busy. With work, devoting time to the gym (see below), getting back to donating plasma (gotta make ends meet), running Manda Marie Designs, and more, I am seriously considering making a schedule for myself.

d. Blogs - this blog, I know, really doesn't get the attention I should give it. But my photoblog has been consistently updated daily. I hope to continue the daily posts there, and get better at posting here.

2. Continue gym membership - it's not always easy to WANT to go to the gym on a regular basis, but the funny thing is, when I am going regularly I really love it! So I don't want to lose momentum and slack off.

3. Cook for myself - My family is rolling their eyes right now, but I'm serious. I don't want to eat fast food and microwave meals all the time. I am going to start cooking my own dinner (and maybe bring my lunches to work). Sure, it won't be the gourmet quality food that Joe makes, but that's not the point. I'm not in a cook-off with my brother in law.

4. 50 Photo Projects - I recently bought this book by Lee Frost and am really excited to do every project in the book. This will require doing some things I've avoided in the past, using equipment I'm not used to, and perfecting some things I already do. Don't worry, blogs posts on every project WILL come.

I know it's only November and new years is over a month away, but these were some things that I have been thinking about. Who knows, I may end up adding more as time goes on here. At least this has put everything out there, holding me responsible to follow through.

check it out

2009-11-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

mandamariedesigns.etsy.com

Open and ready for business! I will continue to add items as I get them ready (which is happening slowly)

Things to come are: more photographs, other colors for Zig Zag Notebook, more notepad designs, more notebook designs

I will make sure to keep you updated!

please help me out!

2009-10-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

I am having a hard time deciding which photos to sell in my etsy shop. Of course, all of the photos from my blog will be available to print, but a certain number also need to be listed for sale. I am having trouble deciding which ones to post on etsy. Not because I think they are all fantastic, it's actually because I don't know which ones someone would want hanging in their home.

Please help me out by going to my photoblog and either search by day or search by tag, however you wish, then tell me YOUR favorites. (10-20 would be great, but anything helps really)

mandamarie.aminus3.com

THANK YOU!!

a great night

2009-10-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

OK, I realize it's been a long time. Let's just forget about that and focus on what a great night I just had. This night will definitely go down in the list of memorable moments. Make a mental note: remember October 15th 2009.

I have talked about etsy here before, and it's about to get a little crazy with the love I am going to pour down on them. For months I have been researching and planning (no, not the ENTIRE time, but a reasonable portion) for setting up my shop on etsy. Then a week or two ago I found out that the CEO of etsy was going to be in Minneapolis and was planning a meet up with other etsy folk. Maybe this doesn't sound like a big deal to most of you, but just imagine your favorite author or band coming into town and you would get to see them in person! This woman is in control of the virtual world that I so wanted to be a part of. A community which is missing real human connection, finally became real.

I decided at that moment that I had to have my shop set up before Maria came to town. I was going to go to that meeting being able to say that I was a seller on etsy, not just a buyer with the admiration to one day become a seller. Well I did it. Yesterday I set up my shop. I am not going to tell you what the link is just yet, or give out my user name. Right now my shop is like a store front with half filled racks. It was something that had to be done, but not ready for full on visitors yet.

That brings us to today. I was very excited to go to the meet up, which was at Nye's Restaurant in Minneapolis. The night turned out to exceed my expectations. I only had one technical question I wanted an answer to, and I got it. Along the way I learned so much more, met other local etsians, and received some great tips that will help with my business. OMG! I HAVE A BUSINESS!

I have not had a single bad experience with etsy. Not even a disappointment. I love this site, and tonight just proved I am committing myself to the right company. Everyone was so welcoming, I walked away very happy.

That's not even the end of it. I came home and had to make muffins for tomorrow's pot luck breakfast at work. I checked my email, facebook, and etsy just to see if there were any updates and then got to work. Two hours later I log in to etsy and notice they are asking me to give feedback on an item. I had to do a double take - etsy has only asked me to leave feedback when I've made a purchase, and I don't remember doing that. Quickly I realized SOMEBODY BOUGHT SOMETHING FROM ME!!!

Again, I cannot begin to describe how shocked and happy this has made me. Not only did I just sell my first item within 24 hours of opening my shop, it was to a new etsy member, who lives in Australia. SOMEBODY IN AUSTRALIA BOUGHT SOMETHING FROM ME!!!!

Tonight, October 15th 2009, is a GREAT night!

birthday blast

2009-08-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

What if I could promise you a night filled with friends and professional stand up comedy for free?! Well then I would be offering one of my all-time favorite Free Minneapolis events. Acme Comedy Co. has an amazing deal for the month of your birthday. On one night you can get six free tickets for the nightly show. That mean you and five of your favorite people (or people you just kind of like) can enjoy a hilarious night together.

I have taken advantage of this many times, most recently for my brother-in-law Joe's birthday (July 31). This last time we happen to be there during Acme's comedy competition. Locals looking to get into the stand-up scene compete for the most laughs. So we ended up getting to see about 6 different acts. Yes, some bombed, but that's what gives you time for a bathroom break! :)

They also have amazing specialty drinks that come in a carafe. Try the Root Beer Float (not in a carafe), made with vanilla vodka, root beer, and cream, tastes exactly like a root beer float!! Acme runs several other discounts and specialties including Dinner & Show Packages, Stimulus Plan 09, and College ID discounts.

Celebrate your (or a strangers) birthday with some great laughs, and check out the website for who will be performing!

play in the park

2009-08-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have three Free Minneapolis activities to write about that I took part in this past week. I'll have to start with the one ending the soonest. On Sunday I was looking for somewhere new to go out shooting. This brought me to Boom Island Park on the edges of the Mississippi River. A great park, but not the subject of today's post.

Apparently this park is pretty popular because there was so much activity going on. A carnival for what I'm assuming was a company party, boaters headed out on the river, men fishing off the docks, and a Shakespeare play! The play is what I found most intriguing.

With signs all over the place for a "Free Play!", I just had to check this out. Perfectly positioned chalk arrows lead me to the location of the "stage." I ended up getting there later than the start time, so many people were already gathered around. The play was As You Like It by William Shakespeare, and the actors a part of the group The Strange Capers.

One of the members quickly came over and handed me a program, also asking if I was a member of the media. I understand that I look more important with my camera bag and tripod than I am. I said no, but figured the least I could do was throw a shout out on here (any exposure is good exposure). I wasn't planning on it, but I did end up taking a few photos.

It was a great play. I will admit to being Shakespeare-dense, but I still enjoyed the talent and humor I saw here. The Strange Capers have a Facebook page here, and judging on the photos it looks like I missed some great parts that I need to go back and check out. I ended up leaving before the end because it was soooo hot out that day!!

At one point when I had my tripod and camera situated towards the actors I was politely asked to put my camera away. Because they already had a photographer and with contracts and such they couldn't allow any "professional" photos. I completely understood and stopped shooting, I kind of liked being thought of as a professional photographer for the day.

I HIGHLY suggest taking advantage of the entertainment here. The Strange Capers will be showing As You Like It every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 until August 16th. Two more weekends to visit Boom Island Park for an amazing show with a beautiful view of Minneapolis.

announcing

2009-07-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have now joined the ranks of photobloggers! Now, I know what you are going to say. "Amanda, you rarely update this blog, how are you going to deal with another one?" Well, my doubtful friend, I'll be happy to explain the difference to you. This blog (Coming Soon) requires me to think, and sometimes that just hurts! I need to think of something to write about, and then actually do the writing. With the new photoblog (mandamarie.aminus3.com) I just need to post a photo a day. Which I have done, every day, since July 4th.

You may have noticed the link on the right side of this page (if you don't read this in your reader) which has been up for about three weeks now. If so, congratulations, you are a step ahead of me. I decided upon the name Manda Marie Photography because that was what I had wanted to name my studio (which isn't likely to happen). Amanda Reichelt Photography just doesn't flow like so many studio names do and should. My siblings all call me Manda, so it seems like a nice fit.

I wanted to get some photos posted before I told everyone about this new venture so that there would be some substance to look at. However, I will only be posting one new photo a day. I am going to try my best and post photos that I haven't already put on this blog. I've also had some time to recognize a few quirks of the site. So for your benefit, please continue...

Vertical pictures appear to be sized a little larger, making it hard to see the whole image without scrolling. At the bottom of the page though you will find an option to view small or large, I suggest to view small for the vertical pictures. Also, when you are viewing the blog in Google Reader, the image is cropped slightly and you don't get the description. So please, click the link and view the full image.

It hasn't been difficult for me to post one image a day, so don't expect me to miss one anytime soon. The hardest part will be having new photographs. I have already posted some that were taken years ago, although I still consider them some of my better shots. This will be my motivation however, to actually get off my butt and get out with my camera.

for sale

2009-07-24T18:00:00.001-07:00

My life is a work in progress, continually, and I am ok with that. I kind of like not knowing what the next chapter is going to bring me. However, I have started to make a loose goal, or plan if you will. I would like to sell my photography.

Preferably on etsy at this point. If you have never heard of etsy, please go check it out. Wonderful handmade items from all over the world are sold in a somewhat ebay or amazon-like manner. There isn't a bidding war, but nothing you see there is mass-manufactured (other than maybe some of the vintage items, but those are vintage, they don't count).

Here are the issues as to why I have yet to just go for it and start selling on etsy.

The items that sell on there are so amazing and so intricately handmade, I'm not sure if my photography really can stand up to these artists and crafters.
Along with #1 I don't know if photography is a large portion of what actually sells on this site. Even if Ansel Adams himself was trying to turn a profit, is photography a large market on etsy?
I would want to devote time to making this endevor really last, and be entirely worth it. Meaning spending hours of my freetime keeping up to date on everything from listing to marketing to taking more photos.
IF this became a decent source of income for me, I would then have to know what I was doing tax-wise and business-wise. These are areas I'm definitely not an expert in.
I have no idea what to price my photos at.
I think there were a couple more, but we'll leave it at that for now...

So, here is what I am doing to try and combat all of these obstacles.

Attempting to keep up with updating this blog on a regular basis (training for keeping track of my listings).
Starting a photoblog (more to come on that). Again for training on daily upkeep, also to get my name out there in the photography world.
Joining jpgmag.com, this one similar to the photoblog, but also connects me with a photography magazine where I could gather interest in my photography.

When these things start to pick up maybe one day you will see my photos for sale. However, I still don't know where to go with the business side of things. I am open to any suggestions, but please bear with me as I don't plan on this happening just overnight.

home grown green

2009-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

I just started submitting some photos to the JPG Magazine photo themes. For every issue they choose a few themes and hold judging on the photographs submitted. The top choices will get published in the magazine. Here is a link to my first submission, for the theme Color Theory. It's a simple explanation, photos that are mainly one color. Also, just taken today from part of Joe's garden extravaganza!

Submitted to JPG Issue 22: Color Theory. Is it a good fit? Vote Now!

over easy

2009-07-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

This was taken at a time when the dogs were getting into a lot of things they weren't supposed to in the house. Like bags of potatoes, butter, avocado, anything off the counter they could find. However, this sad egg committed suicide when I opened the fridge. I thought it was so perfect that I had to pose Duke as if HE had opened the fridge. Here are a couple others:

dream a little dream

2009-07-11T10:38:00.001-07:00

I have been having some really strange dreams lately, or maybe I'm just remembering them better. Either way, the oddities continue nightly. One even involved meeting a friend's newborn son for the first time, only in my dream he was a Barbie! I didn't want to insult the new mother, so I went along with it.

This one from a few nights ago made me really think. I enjoy reading about dream interpretation, but take the results with a grain of salt. The dream in question is riddled with symbolism, and I just couldn't resist. Here's the dream:

It was a wedding reception, of people I couldn't recognize, held at my parents house during the springtime. Although the house in my dream looks nothing like theirs or any other house I currently know. The reception was pretty casual, more like a housewarming party. I was in the upstairs with a group of people and suddenly noticed it was snowing. A beautiful full flake snow that fell beautifully on the huge tree in the front yard. When I ran down to tell the bride (no one was upset at the snow, because it was so enchanting) I found her sitting outside on the porch, where it WASN'T snowing! Crazy as that sounds I turned around looking inside the house and saw the basement engulfed in flames. Trying to bring attention to that fact I was yelling FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!, but no one was listening. Even my father, who was standing just inside the door with another group of wedding guests, ignored my calls of emergency. I woke up screaming FIRE! And that's where it ends.

I've picked out some of the main interpretations from this mess of a dream. All found at dreammoods.com

Wedding - To see a wedding in your dream, symbolizes a new beginning or transition in your current life. They reflect your issues about commitment and independence. Alternatively, your wedding dream refers to feelings of bitterness, sorrow, or death. Such dreams are often negative and highlight some anxiety or fear. If you dream that the wedding goes wrong or ends in disaster, then it suggests that there is more negativity that needs to be dealt with.

Snow - To see snow in your dream, signifies your inhibitions, repressed/unexpressed emotions and feelings of frigidity. You need to release and express these emotions and inhibitions. You may also be feeling indifferent, alone and neglected.

To dream that you are watching the snow fall, represents a clean start and a fresh, new perspective. It is indicative of spiritual peace and tranquility.

Fire - Depending on the context of your dream, to see fire in your dream can symbolize destruction, passion, desire, illumination, transformation, enlightenment, or anger. It may suggest that something old is passing and something new is entering into your life. Your thoughts and views are changing. In particular, if the fire is under control or contained in one area, then it is a metaphor of your internal fire and inner transformation. It also represents your drive, motivation, and creative energy. Alternatively, the dream may be warning you of your dangerous or risky activities. You are literally "playing with fire".

To dream that a house is on fire, indicates that you need to undergo some transformation.

(PS this wasn't my first dream involving fire in the past couple weeks)

Yelling - To dream that you or someone is yelling, represents repressed anger that needs to be expressed. If you are yelling and no one hears, then it suggests that you are being ignored. You feel that your voice does not matter or that your opinion doesn't count.

Father - To see your father in your dream, symbolizes authority and protection. It suggests that you need to be more self-reliant. Consider also your waking relationship with your father and how aspects of his character may be incorporated within yourself.

There are many others I could have included in here. Like, the house, patio, basement, party, tree... But that would have taken forever.

So just based on this information, what do you think?

hard hat required

2009-07-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

Everything in my life is under construction! My house (well, the house I live in), my hotel (well, the hotel I work at), my road (the street I take to work), and my gym (the place I work out) are all making fixes at this very moment. It just seems a strange phenomenon to have so many areas being worked on at once. I don't mind that this is happening, in fact each one is bringing good things with it, it's just strange.

I'll start with the house. A few weeks ago the basement flooded. Laundry was being done, the pipes backed up, water flowed through the walls and into the living area. Becca, Joe and I spent a good hour soaking up, mopping and dry-vacing the good inch of standing water. Well, I won't go into too much detail with this, but long story short the basement needs new drywall and new flooring. Joe took on a lot of the demolition work himself and ripped apart the carpet, wallpaper and paneling (yes, there was still 70's style paneling down there). This is why it is semi-good news here. The basement needed a re-model eventually, and this way the lovely folks at the insurance company will split the bill! Workers started coming this week to make the necessary fixes, and hopefully it will be done soon. My bedroom is in the basement, but luckily did not get injured in the process. However, this makes it so that I walk through the construction zone daily (at least twice).

The hotel construction was expected, and very much needed. It was recently sold to a company that is finally willing to make the changes that have so desperately been forgotten. What this means is that everything is changing! From the light fixtures in the lobby to our bubbling carpet to the leaking roof. Oh, and speaking of the roof! I know that it needs to get done, but oh the noises! Today we started experiencing the worst of it. They were obviously working directly over our heads and all day it sounded like it was raining rocks on the ceiling. It was difficult to hear the person right next to me, and she was supposed to be making calls to clients! Then I heard what I can only describe as someone making a snowman out of rocks. Debris was falling through the vents, and I was just waiting for a construction worker to crash down on top of my desk. Many things are happening at once at this property, and it is exciting to get to see them finally get done and see the end result. I know it will take many months to get to a place where we won't need daily caution signs though, but I'll just be ok when I can hear myself think again.

The gym and the street are two small projects (I think). Since I am not directly involved or informed of these, I only know what I see. Central Ave had a small section being worked on the past few days. The bright orange sign said it would be done July 1st, but we never know how well to trust those. I really have no idea what they are doing because I haven't gotten close enough. This one is right in the middle of my drive to/from work and I always forget about it until I get there and have to take a (unmarked) detour. At the gym they are replacing a small carpeted section/ramp leading into the classroom. I don't know why, and it didn't really affect my workout, other than having to find a different space for stretching. I'm sure that one will be done today.

It's odd to go about your normal day and see everything in disarray. I am most excited to see what the hotel will turn into, and to paint the basement! For now, I may have to invest in a hard hat to go about my day.

(I was going to put some pictures here, but forgot to take them of the hotel. I will post basement pictures once that project is done and I can show a progression.)

stone arch bridge

2009-06-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Minneapolis is a great city and full of fantastic activities to take advantage of. Many that can even be done for free! I have decided to start experiencing all that Minneapolis has to offer. This particular day I went for a walk along the Stone Arch Bridge. This a beautiful and historic site in Minneapolis that gets plenty of daily traffic.

A view of the bridge being built. I honestly always wondered how they got the arches so neat and even.

When it was first built in 1883, the Stone Arch Bridge was used as a railway across the Mississippi. Made entirely out of stone, it is the only bridge of it's kind crossing the Mississippi. Wheat was the main import, suppling to the nearby mills. For almost one hundred years the bridge was used to transport people and goods. However, it wasn't until the early 1990's that it transformed into what it is today.

The Stone Arch Bridge is now a part of the Heritage Trail in the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. People daily enjoy strolling and biking across the bridge. Enjoying the scenery filled with not only historic mills (like Pillsbury and Gold Medal Flour), but also the St. Anthony Falls.

PS: all images were taken with my film camera (but edited on the computer), with the exception of the first image which I did not take because it was over 100 years before I was born.

summer meltdown

2009-06-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I love my gym. Let me say that again, I LOVE MY GYM!!!! Never in a million years did I think I would have been one to say those words. Working out was something I did every once in awhile, and even then it was only walking for a short time. People who had a desire to work out and ran for fun just puzzled me. What's the fun in pushing your body so hard you are gasping for breath anyway?

Sure, I tried to get into it. In high school I joined YMCA and then Curves. The Y is great because it offers everything under one roof. Aerobic machines, weight machines, free weights, pool, track, plus more. I never knew what to do with weights or weight machines, so I typically stayed on the treadmill, track, and sometimes swam laps. But I lost interest, working out still wasn't fun. Curves was nice for what it was. Basically machines and walking steps alternating in a circle. It was nice because I wasn't gasping for breath at the end of my workout. However, they didn't have the variety or freedom to do what I wanted.

College offered free reign of the school gym and pool. I rarely took advantage of this, unfortunately. Again, just ended up walking and never actually got to the pool for some laps. Don't get me wrong, walking can definitely be a workout, and I still do it. I just don't have enough motivation to really push myself. So this always just ended up feeling "ok", not "great".

Then comes November 2008. Becca dragged me with her to the kickboxing class she had been going to for awhile. She found this gym through a friend at work and fell in love with it almost immediately. I had never been to a kickboxing class, or even a class at a gym before (excluding school courses). Sure I had little to no idea what I was doing, but I had fun and more importantly, I felt great!!

The gym is Fitness Crossroad in St. Anthony. I ended up joining the next week. Why do I love this gym? Besides it's convenience (a mile away from work) Fitness Crossroad has a living-room-type atmosphere. I feel so comfortable there and never feel like other members are judging me. At other gyms I always felt like I should be perfectly fit, perfectly dressed, and have perfect form. The staff and members at my gym now don't care what size you are or how intense your workouts are. It is like a neighborhood gathering, where everybody knows your name! :)

The free classes are pretty fantastic and in themselves a reason to join. Kickboxing is the one I go to regularly, twice a week, almost without fail. The instructor Melissa is amazing! She remembered my name from the first day I went there, when I wasn't even a member yet. The class pushes me and I truly enjoy the feeling I get when I leave. As if all of the toxins have been released from my body. Stress, fatty food and hangovers disappear at the end of the hour. This class is nothing without Melissa. Seriously, she's had subs and it just wasn't the same.

I finally have a place to go where I can get a good workout and be motivated. I am so refreshed when I leave and enjoy that feeling. I LOVE MY GYM!!!

this one goes out to you

2009-05-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

I had stopped posting, if you hadn't noticed. I really couldn't think of what to post about, and I figured no one really read this anyway and wouldn't miss me. Well, out comes my sister who says that she checks it everyday hoping that when I'm sitting at home on my laptop a new blog will appear. No such thing was happening. Then an old co-worker Jill asked me when I was going to post again. Ok, I get it, people DO check up on me once in a while :).

So here we go. Becca and Joe were on vacation last week in San Diego and I was put in charge of watering the plants outside, among other tasks. This left me some good healthy motivation to take some photos of the springtime blooms.

There are a couple different lilac trees in the yard. These are the smaller ones that were just getting to the stage of opening up.

These on the other hand were out in full force, I love the closeup here.

Now, this plant I found very interesting, it appears to be growing out of the sidewalk (or crawling on it). Even though it is clearly in the ground/plant/garden area. I really liked this shot and the next one. Then when Becca came home she informed me that this is actually a weed. Oh well, I still appreciate it's beauty :).

This has been one of my favorites. I love the tiny flowers, although I wish they were a little bigger.

I tried so much to get a good shot of the Irises and I'm just not that pleased with what I came up with. But here a few of the better ones.

These are the two garden friends Becca has hanging around. The first image was actually taken when last fall was turning into last winter, but it's my favorite of this little guy. I got him for Becca at Target one day thinking she'd throw him out, but she loves him! We thought he had a name but neither of us remembers what it is. The second is one that came with the house. Since we moved in during winter I assume the previous owners forgot about him.

PS - all of these were taken with my point and shoot, proof you can still get good shots without an SLR.

jumping lili

2009-03-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

The dogs' toys were recently found after in hiding for a few months. When Joe started juggling them Lili couldn't help but jump in the air. She is really not the active, fetching dog, so I think that made this even better. Oh, and that's Duke whining in the background because Joe won't throw the ball for him, what a baby.

sleepover food

2009-03-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had Lisa and Kirsten over for an old fashioned sleepover. We've been friends since elementary school, so many a sleepover were had in our day. This time was a little different. Instead of our parent's houses, we were at my sister's; instead of drinking pop, we had Smirnoff (the malt drinks, it's my beer, don't judge); instead of sleeping bags, we each had a bed or sofa to sleep on; lastly, I made a different kind of junk food. We always had chips and puppy chow, other classic rot your teeth crap our parents had around the house. I found a couple of recipes that were easy and tasted D-E-licious.

First was this interesting version of a rice crispy treat. Made with marshmallows, chocolate and butterscotch chips, and rice cereal. After mixing the marshmallow and rice cereal, it gets spread out thin on a cookie sheet. Then cover with the melted chocolate and butterscotch. Now for the interesting part, roll it all up! To eat, the roll is sliced like bread. Here is what it looked like.

I also made this salsa thing. It was labeled as a nacho, but it doesn't have cheese, so I don't feel comfortable with that term. This one had much more steps, but was also, very delish! Some tomatoes, spices, chicken, beans, corn, and topped with avocado made this salsa a keeper. Also, it was pretty filling. I could see modifying it a little bit to create a main dish.

rainboots

2009-02-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago when the snow was really melting and we could see some green grass, I honestly thought spring was coming early. I haven't been excited about this winter much at all, and had a bad feeling about it from the start. Even though I have desperately wanted to get out and take some winter photographs. It has just been too cold for me to make the trip. So when green grass and clear parking lots started showing up, I saw the end. Snow and ice were melting so fast that puddles covered every walkway I went on. This ignited my desire for a pair of rain boots. One day I gave in, went down to Target, and bought this beautiful pair of lovely galoshes. They are actually quite comfortable. I wear them to work where I then change into one of the two shoe options that I have been leaving at the office. Becca, who scoffed at me for buying them, even proudly wore them out once.

delicious cookies

2009-02-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

Time for a post from the pages of my sister-in-laws blog, it's all happening! A few weeks ago I had the urge to bake, this comes once in a while, sometimes I listen. Not just bake though, I wanted to make my Grandma's Delicious Cookies. I can't even think of how to explain these cookies, because they don't follow the lines of any traditional cookie. With ingredients like sour cream, nutmeg, and cloves, Delicious Cookies aren't extremely sweet, they are something different. All of my siblings will tell you that these cookies were a staple when visiting Grandma in Sioux Falls. I have made these once before, but they were not perfect. This time I think I came much much closer.

One of the main qualities of Delicious Cookies is their intense thinness from being rolled out.

The raisins are meant to be ground (grinded?) but I just chop them. It's a little easier, but leaves for bigger raisin pieces.

my job, the never ending to do list

2009-01-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

It seems there is some confusion as to what I really do at my job. My official title is Catering Assistant. However, if you look at the hierarchy of positions at my hotel you would see that I am the only assistant/secretary/random tasker in any department. This means that a lot of little things fall on me. This also means that while I do have some tasks that I do everyday, every week, or every month, I also do a lot of random ones. So in an effort to make this a better world, I took a couple days and wrote down everything I did. I also realize that this is a very long list. I've took the liberty of coding for you. Blue are things I do daily, Red is as needed but happens often, Green is as needed but not often, Black is a one time event. Also, this way if you really don't care about the description part, you can just skip over that.

This is my desk (before and after another David Hill edit)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

- Turn 15 contracts definite (When a sales or catering manager gets a signed contract back from a client I have to give it another once over to make sure all of the details are correct. Then I am the one turning that booking definite in the system. Fifteen is actually a lot more that I usually get in one day, this took me 2 hours.)
- Deposits with Mary (I hold the second half of the cash bank code. The accounts payable person and I open this bank every morning and ensure that all of the deposits that should be, are there.)
- Answer incoming calls (All of the calls going to the sales and catering department come to me first.)
- Enter forecasted numbers in the slip report (The slip report keeps track of what the managers expected for income and what actually happened. I had to enter the numbers from those 15 contracts that went definite.)
- Daily adjustment (Every day I get a report of all the adjustments made throughout the hotel the day before. Some of these need to be entered in another system, and that’s my job.)
- Showroom setup (When a sales manager needs to show a room to a client I find a good one in the morning and prepare it for the appointment.)
- First Trinity question (I wrote this on my list and now I’m not sure what the question was. But First Trinity was a client we had coming in that weekend.)
- Confirm AV bills are correct (We get all of our audio visual equipment and service from another company. When they bring me the bills for an event I compare it with the information we have to make sure we are charged correctly.)
- Enter definite numbers in the slip report (Remember the slip report from earlier? This time I entered what actually happened.)
- Close out purchase orders in Starsource (Starsource is our program for office orders. When we receive an invoice for a particular order I have to go into the system and basically mark it as received.)
- MACSSA adjustment traces (One of our clients gets a discount on their AV equipment. I made a note for myself (a trace) to do this adjustment after each of their events for the coming year.)
- Email brides about name change and their websites (I set up a website for clients where their guests can make room reservations within their block. This day I had to email the brides informing them there would be a wait on the websites due to the name change.)
- Accounts receivable checks (Any checks that we get in the mail go through me first. All I do with these though is make a list of them and pass the information on to the interested parties.)
- Run check approval (I sent a few checks through our authorization system. This was one of those random tasks that just took a minute.)
- Stuff envelopes (Because of the hotel’s name change we were sending out letters to about 500 clients and about 800 vendors. I was put in charge of stuffing, sealing, addressing, and sending out these letters. It took me one hour to stuff (just stuff) 211 envelopes. You do the math.)
- Take notes at the operations meeting (Every Thursday all of the managers/directors at the hotel have a meeting. I take the notes.)
- Email notes to Joyce (After the operations meeting I type out the notes and then send them to my GM. She approves them and I can send them along to every manager/director/supervisor.)
- Talk to Liz about office order (I put in all of the office supply orders for the hotel. I think she received a wrong item this time, so I had to call for a return.)
- Showroom shutdown (It’s nearing the end of the day by this time and that showroom that I set up earlier in the day needs to go back.)
- Print Daily Events and distribute (I print the report for events that are happening the next day and give them to necessary persons.)
- Print postings and door cards (These are what the public sees as far as daily events. They go to security who will post the information overnight.)
- Print pre-order menus (The next day we had a client who wanted their participants to order lunch. I printed the menus and bring them down to banquets.)
- Spoke with Terry about excel forms (I was having an issue with my formulas not calculating, my director of operations took a look at it, he couldn’t tell what was wrong either.)
- Walked client through filling out a credit card authorization form (For some reason this client didn’t know what information to put where, even though it was clearly labeled. Sometime people are slow.)
- Make sales kits (Sales kits contain all the information a client would need to know about planning an event at our hotel, I typically have about ten on hand. They also have the catering options.)
- Print Change Log and distribute (Any changes that a catering manager or I made to a current event is on this report.)
- Walk Daily Events and Change Log down to Banquets (Every day at the end of my shift I walk down to the banquet department and post that Daily report and the Change Log for the next day.)
- Change Log entries in BEO book (We keep all of the banquet event orders in one big binder for the month. Any changes that happened, I also change on the hard copies.)

Thursday, January 8, 2009

- Deposits with Mary
- Took message for August wedding (One of our catering managers was out all week. This was one of her clients who is ready for a contract to be sent to her. I also made a change to her event.)
- Look up group commitment (Sales managers don’t have access to look up how many reservations have been made in a particular block. I do, so I’ll look up this information whenever they request it.)
- Set new hours (My hours were cut, however I got to make my own schedule. So I sent it on to my manager.)
- Folders for definite contracts (I had to find a bunch of folders for accounts that I didn’t get to the day before. Definite contracts go into their account folders and then into a manager’s drawer.)
- Mailed out contract and other letters (Anything that needs postage on it, I do that and then send it out.)
- Answered call about name change (Just a random caller asking about our name change and what it means.)
- Enter rooms forecast on Daily Focus (The Daily Focus is a report put out by the HR department. It just shows what events are happening, whose birthday or anniversary it is, and the forecast for that day. Once I get the 11 day forecast from our revenue director, I put that information in this form.)
- Email about bookings (This one I can’t talk about…)
- Took inquiry call (Since I am the first point of contact for the department I take inquiry calls. This is anyone looking to book space or a block of rooms. I get some of the initial information, and then hand it off to the correct manager, depending on days and markets)
- Turn two contracts definite
- Create new account (One of those contracts that I had turned definite was a new client, so I put the information into the system in order to create an account for them.)
- Make door cards (Needed more for that day’s event)
- Daily Adjustment
- Enter forecasted numbers in the slip report
- Sales manager rental tracking (Monthly I print a report that shows what events a manager had the previous month. Then, looking at room rental alone, I enter those numbers in a different report. This determine if a manager has bonuses for the month.)
- Make group reservations (The person who takes our reservations was gone this day. So I took care of this task.)
- Guarantees (Typically done every day. I call the contact for events that are three days out and find out how many people they are expecting. Also a time to get any last minute information we may need.)
- Email groom about website issue (I was trying to set up a website for this wedding and he wrote a two page story on how they met. It was cute, but way too long to fit on the website.)
- Talk to Joyce about office order (I have to run the office supply order by my GM every month before I submit it.)
- Submit office order (Everything was fine! So I sent out the order. We got it the next day, which I think is a record.)
- Distribute On Own Group Report (Every week the director of operations puts together a report as to what groups may be using our restaurant for meals. I just need the managers to sign off on it, then I distribute.)
- Email guest confirmation numbers (Those reservations I made earlier? The manager wanted me to email the client the confirmation information.)
- Accounts receivable checks
- SPP Points (SPP is our loyalty program. I am in charge of awarding points to our clients once their event is over and paid for.)
- Gather website information (I have a few more clients who want websites set up for their group blocks.)
- Distribute starred BEO (OK, every Tuesday I put together the “Pack” which contains all of the next week’s events and their BEOs. Any BEO that is not ready to go out gets starred on the daily report. Once they are ready to be sent out, the BEO is starred (matching up the two) and sent out.)
- Make comp reservation (We have a client who contracted for some comp room nights, I had the privilege again to make these reservations.)
- Put up additional restroom signs (There was a big event going on that day which required that we open up a couple guest rooms so that those bathrooms could be used. Apparently nine stalls is not enough for the ladies.)
- New phone list for Anna (Anytime there are changes on our phone list I’ll print a new one and give it out to everyone in the hotel with a phone. This day just one of the managers needed a copy.)
- Take notes at operations meeting
- Email notes to Joyce
- Print Daily Events and distribute
- Hold sales managers hand (This one is silly, but one of the managers needed some very elementary things explained very slowly.)
- Lower group rate (A conversation with one of our clients led me to make the decision to lower their room rate.)
- Took marathon phone calls (My phone started ringing unusually off the hook.)
- Print postings and door cards
- Print Change Log
- Walk Daily and Change Log down to banquets

David Hill

2009-01-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

A while ago (I'm talking close to a year a while) I was reading my blogs and came across a post about David Hill. He is a young photographer who created a digital technique that no one had seen before. David's photos are transformed to appear almost cartoon like. This blogger (I'm sorry I can't remember which blog anymore) found a way to recreate the look, or at least come close to it. I thought I'd give it a try, no harm no foul right? Well, I tried it out with a few photos. I gave it up after not seeing results that I really loved. Now that I am going through trying to make some more space on my laptop I've run into the photos again. Here is a photo of my sister's dogs, before and after. Let me know what you think... (click the images for a closer look)

"The Incident"

2008-12-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a case of Diet Cherry Coke. A twelve pack of soda pop in a convenient refrigerator package. Chosen as one of many sodas to occupy the humble home of Joseph and Rebecca Williams. Like most Diet Cherry Cokes this particular package yearned to be happily consumed. Alas, with the great variety of choices given to the residents of this home, it was not one of the first to be opened. In fact, Diet Cherry Coke never received the opportunity to fulfill it's destiny. Because of "The Incident."

It was a cold December day, late afternoon, when Amanda (a resident of said household) was overcome with a feeling of thirst. Trekking out into the frozen tundra toward the garage where all soda pops are kept cool and refreshing. Upon opening the refrigerator Amanda was greeted not with joy, but sorrow.

Sometime in the previous day Diet Cherry Coke must have been overwhelmed with the chill in the air. Many of it's passengers suddenly burst from the aluminum containers out of the cardboard box (which had yet to be opened by the residents) and escaped to all areas of the refrigerator. Unfortunately, none survived. Cans were found split at the seams and frozen shards of soda laced the walls. Diet Cherry Coke never had a chance.

Two shelves below where the original package was stored. How do they get there?

The Diet Cherry Coke, never opened by human hands. However, notice all of it's friends had been.

We find one victim on the door of the fridge.

A wider look at the door, which shows the shards of soda on the wall.

PS. During the writing of this blog, the cold December air claimed another life.
All sodas will now be stored indoors for the winter time.

christmas cooking

2008-12-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Yay! Another post within a week, I'm doing better!

So yesterday I spent some time in Lakeville making holiday treats that my family has every year. Ok, admittedly I didn't do to much baking. I did keep the young child busy though, important work. Mom, Laura, Becca, and Becca's friends Lindsey and Katie were the cooks. We all also received copies of old family recipes, score! Here is what was made, if I can remember it all: caramels (x2), fudge, peanut butter balls, peanut brittle (x2), white chocolate covered pretzels (x2), chocolate covered peanut butter Ritz. A few of the items had to be remade because of mistakes made on the first batch.

Katie's son Julian - CUTE!

So when I said I didn't do to much baking, it wasn't a lie, I had my hands on two dishes. The first attempt at peanut brittle was a disaster. Because not a lot of people were interested in peanut brittle, Mom thought of using this microwave recipe she got when she bought her first microwave. Why wouldn't it work? It's 24 years old and was created for microwaves with much less power. Did you know that in 1984 they actually had classes to show you how to use a microwave, we've come a long way. Anyways, I tried out the recipe. Microwave a bunch of sugars and peanuts for 10 minutes, easy enough right? Well, maybe that was too much time, the sugar burnt and was smoking up a storm. You can only imagine the smell that permeated from the glass bowl. We decided this recipe wasn't much of a keeper and to go back to the classic which has proved itself time and again. Laura made the second batch (I added the salt at the end!) which turned out as expected, delicious.

Oopsie! Burnt peanut brittle

Becca was working hard on the caramels all day. Her first batch wasn't as much of a disaster as my treat. It cooked well, set in the pan perfectly, and went out on the deck to cool. The problem came when it was time to cut up the pieces. Apparently the caramel was cooked too much as well, making it still edible, but not the chewy goodness we all know and love. So another batch was made, keeping the first because it was still good food. The second attempt on this was perfect.

Caramels cooling outside

Peanut butter balls, before and after dipping

I think a lot of people had their hands on the making of the peanut butter balls. Laura mixed up the ingredients, Mom and Lindsey rolled them, and Becca and Katie dipped them in chocolate. Yup, that's everyone but me. At least I tasted them, I was the inspector! And they are yummy, peanut butter balls are one of my all time favorite holiday treats. So easy to make, it looked like.

Mom had made some fudge earlier in the week, but Katie also wanted to try her hand at this dish. I'm sorry I don't have much to say on this one. At this time I was either taking photos or watching her son Julian (cutie!). I didn't even get to taste them as they were the last item to get cut up and dished out. Although from the looks of the pan of chocolaty goodness, I'm sure they were just as amazing as usual.

Fudge, during process and spreading to cool

Becca had to make one dish that isn't on our list of usual suspects, the chocolate covered peanut butter Ritz. I guess this is one of Joe's (her husband) favorites so they were mainly for him. Another one that appeared pretty simple although I had no part in. Take Ritz crackers, spread peanut butter in the middle, and dip into chocolate.

Ritz treats, peanut brittle, and peanut butter balls cooling out on the deck

Finally, Katie and I (yes, I helped!) made white chocolate dipped pretzels. The first batch on these weren't so much a mistake in cooking, as a trial in chocolate shopping. Katie bought the expensive chocolate dip not knowing that we typically use the cheapo almond bark. When we dipped the pretzels in the expensive dip it wasn't covering them like we are used to, the color was a little yellowish, and the chocolate wasn't hardening. After careful examination of the samples it was decided to use some almond bark Mom had. These were, again, just as expected and delicious.

A lot of fun was had and a lot of sugar consumed by all. I think the main thing we learned was to just stick to the classic recipes, trial definitely equaled error this day.

did you miss me?

2008-12-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

What have I been up to you ask? Well I guess a lot since I haven’t posted in a really long time. Sorry about the delay, I’m very much a procrastinator, something I need to work on (but never get around to). Ha Ha!

Anyway, life has been grand for me. I ended up working at the portrait studio for only a few weeks. They kept making mistakes with my scheduling and the other employees were constantly complaining about management (complaints that were proven daily). It just didn’t end up being worth my time. Not only that, but I quit over a week ago now, had been working there for three maybe four weeks and have yet to be paid for ANY of the time I spent there. I’m better off.

I still love my catering assistant job. The people that I work with are great, each with their own little quirks. We are doing Secret Santa this year and I’m trying to figure out what to get for my person. I’m not giving away any hints here though (she might be reading!).

Thanksgiving flew by, I participated in two this year. Neither of them were actually ON Thanksgiving. The first was with my immediate family (yeah, 10 people!). We are a growing bunch and with that came lots of food since everyone brought something. It was delish! My favorite treat around the holidays is lefsa and I definitely came out with plenty of that.

MMMMMM..... Lefsa!!

My second Thanksgiving was in Arkansas at my uncle’s house. Here we had not one turkey, but two turkey’s, a ham, and two tofurkey’s. It was a feast fit for a king! I was a little hesitant on the tofurkey, having tried a vegan dish before and not liking it. Although I have to say I liked it. It didn’t taste quite like turkey, but I can’t really pinpoint what it was.

Can you spot all the different meats?

My cousins who live in Arkansas have a Wii and so the entire weekend was filled with playing video games. I set up a bowling tournament that even the grandparents participated in. In fact, grandpa got the high score of the whole tournament, however, the six year old won.

Grandpa getting into the game.

Well that brings us up to date. I really am going to try harder to post more often. If you want I wouldn’t mind being reminded of this, and if you want to be a REALLY big help you can tell me what to post about. :)

just when you thought it was over...

2008-10-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sure, I have a new job that I enjoy. I'm away from the front desk and everyone at work says that I look happier and more relaxed. That's most likely because it's true! Still, the job search is not quite complete.

Now that I have a consistent schedule, I've decided to do something I've been thinking about for awhile. Last week I applied for a part time photography job. When I graduated and started searching for photo jobs there were slim pickings. I even applied at Kiddie Kandids, a portrait studio inside a Babies R Us. Now that I don't have the requirements of full time, benefits, and the ability to pay rent, I can be less picky on the locations I apply for a position.

So I found out that they were hiring at the portrait studio at Target in Roseville. This is super close to my current job and I figure I can go straight there after my shift and work a few hours. I had an interview this past Wednesday that went great. The woman I interviewed with is the manager at the Target Studio and said that she really wasn't looking for anyone on nights and weekends right now but that the JcPenny in Rosedale was. Basically she still interviewed me but for the job over there.

The two studios are owned by the same company and it would be great to work at either. I told the woman I interviewed with that I wasn't looking for a big paycheck, all I want is somewhere to continue learning and building my portfolio. I'm pretty sure that I got the job, so I'm really excited to continue with my photography!!!

finally over, somewhat...

2008-10-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

An update on the job front. After a long time searching for a travel agent position, I was exhausted. The few openings that were around were looking for agents with 2-3 years experience, which I don't have. I also started looking for hotel sales positions. Along the way with travel classes and job searching I found myself interested in this area as a goal to reach once I gained some sales experience.

I was propelled by the thought of selling meeting spaces at hotels and organizing the weddings and corporate events that happen there. Sounds a bit boring when put that way, but basically is an event planning position. And who doesn't love event planning?! Anyway, this is also an area where open positions wanted 2-3 years experience, can't get away from that these days. So I applied at hotels for sales assistant positions where I wouldn't be doing any selling, but would be working with the sales department and gaining some much needed experience.

That still wasn't getting me anywhere. After months of job searches applying for dozens of jobs, I got nothing, not even an interview. I was sick of working at the front desk and starting to get bitter. Finally, three months after I gave my two month notice at the hotel, I decided to look within for an opportunity.

There seems to always be a sales position open at my hotel, and the one that had been around the longest was for a business travel sales manager. This job would require keeping track of the number of times a business stays using their negotiated rate, searching for new business, and a basic upkeep of the relationships that have already been built. Sounds easy enough, right?

I arranged a meeting with my general manager so that she could tell me more about the position and see if she thought I would be good for the job. I walked into that meeting confident that I would be successful, I walked away with a slightly different perspective. She told me that the position I was asking about wasn't as entry level as I thought, but that she might have another arrangement for me.

Now pay attention, this gets a little confusing. The other sales position that was open at the hotel was for a catering sales manager. The current catering assistant was being set up to move into that position, but would not be able to get that promotion until there was someone to take her position. However, the hotel could not post an open position until there was officially an opening. So the general manager suggested that I would be wonderful for this spot, and that she would set up a meeting for me to speak with the director of sales and catering so she could tell me what the catering assistant was responsible for. We talked, and I decided to take the position.

Nope, we're not done yet! Next a lot of talks had to happen between the general manager, the HR director, and who would be my new manager. Apparently everything had to happen according to corporate procedure. It took maybe another week or so and they offered the catering manager position to the current catering assistant. Whew! Well, now I had to wait 5 days, an open position must be posted internally for 5 days in order to give other interested candidates opportunity to apply themselves. I wasn't worried about anyone else, there was not one single applicant that could have beat me out of this position. Why? Because I'm PERFECT!!! That's why!

Ok, now we're done. I am the new catering assistant and officially start training tomorrow (Monday)! I am soooooooo excited to finally be away from the front desk. I am going to gain my sales experience and work with a great group of people. Officially I will be doing a lot of this and that around the hotel. If you spoke with anyone they would tell you that the previous catering assistant was the lifeline of that department, and they would not have run as smoothly without her there. I am happy to be this new lifeline and even happier to be able to learn from the master herself.

meet dennis

2008-10-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

My latest craft craze has been making paper. More on that another day, for today I would like to introduce you to Dennis, my paper making buddy. I have a basin that my pulp and water sit in while I'm working on this project and on this particular day a grasshopper ended up in the water. He appeared to be fighting his way out, and I was on my way out to run some errands figuring he would be gone by the time I got back.

Lo and behold, I returned and there was the grasshopper, sitting in the corner of the water as still as can be. Being the good samaritan that I am, I helped the little fella out of the water, saving his life! He would have been sitting in there for quite some time; I believe I was gone for at least an hour. Immediately after releasing him from what would have been an early death he started to dry himself off. I love how you can see him actually doing this in some of the pictures.

I named him Dennis after Dennis Hopper, funny right? Dennis stuck around for at least half an hour, wringing out his antenna, walking along the water hose, and even letting me pick him up and hold him. I think the only reason I was allowed to handle him was that he was still too soaked to hop away. Eventually he was all well and jumped back home, but Dennis made my day a little brighter. :)

my published life

2008-09-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I took a trip up to Duluth. I wanted a random vacation, so I went by myself for a little last minute photo tour. Working for a hotel has really made this worth it. Two days in Duluth, one night in a nice hotel at $49/night, can't get too much better! I drove up early and stopped in Hinckley to take photos there as well.

I really enjoyed my time there. Not sure if that is strange or not being as I was all alone, but oh well. Most of my time was spent walking along the boardwalk. One of the best times I've ever had in Duluth was when I went with Kirsten and Lisa before our senior year in high school. So I also took a boat tour, which reminded me of that time. It was quite strange but I remembered most of where that tour went and the sights I expected to see from six years ago.

I ended up getting a lot of great shots, but just recently actually got around to editing them (I will never be as quick as Erin). Part of this plan was to compile the best photos to be put into my first photo book. Well, the book is just about complete, just a few finishing touches are needed. I found a great site, Blurb, that publishes your books, of any kind. Just download a program, put images and text where you want it, and submit! If you choose they will even put your book up for sale on their website. I will let everyone know when this is final and you are able to buy my book (yes, I believe I do get a cut). For now, here are a few sample images from Duluth...

"graduation"

2008-09-05T11:28:00.001-07:00

Last week I completed my schooling at the Travel Academy. It was an interesting experience. After two months I "graduated" (no one I've talked to really likes to call it graduating) at the top of my class. We had an interesting group of people. Most from Minnesota, but also a girl from Miami and a guy from Puerto Rico. The different backgrounds provided for endless conversation topics.

I really did enjoy learning Worldspan (the reservation system they teach). It reminds me of what I have used at the hotels so it came kind of easily for me. I almost did switch back to becoming a flight attendant, since the class caters to both that and travel agents. Although I have still been swayed away by not enough pay. I just simply would not be able to pay my bills. So I'm hooked on the idea of being a travel agent.

Unfortunately what I was hoping for (getting a job before "graduation") did not happen. The agencies that are hiring are typically looking for someone with a few years of experience. But I have not given up. I have a few applications out there stewing in the minds of employers. Also, I'm debating taking on an internship to get the experience. This would mean staying at the hotel a little longer though, but I may just have to accept that.

If anyone has connections at a travel agency... GET ME IN!!!! I'm really excited to start and just need someone to give me a chance!

finally done

2008-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

For years and years now I have been building my collection of Friends seasons. Just this past Christmas I was given the last addition to the series. As a celebration Becca decided to join me in a Friends marathon, or at least what was supposed to be a marathon. Starting from season 1 in January, we finally finished the last episode of season 10 last week.

It has taken much much longer than expected, but it was great! Being my favorite show, I do know some of the lines maybe a little too well. But even after finishing all 10 seasons, I don't remember watching all of the earlier episodes. Maybe we need to start over and do it all over again! ;)

Anyway, I promised Becca I would blog about this adventure. Now for a picture of the two of us looking soooooo happy!

movie excitment!

2008-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't been much of a presence on my own blog lately. But in my defense, I'm busier than you can imagine. Most days of the week I go to class early in the morning, come home and then go to work until late at night. Enough excuses though, lets get to the nitty gritty. Some of you have been asking me for more posts (apparently you are all bored at work!), so here you are!

While I was searching my brain for something, ANYTHING, to pop in and scream "BLOG THIS!", only one came to mind. For quite some time now, possibly years, I have been wanting a way to organize my dvd's in a database. Not just any database, but one where I can search for an actor, director, or genre and it will come up with all the movies I own with those options. I've asked people to make one for me, I even tried to do it myself after that one computer class I took. Anyway, my brother Ben came up with the best solution EVER!

He figured that such a program must already exist. Since it was easier for him to find such program than to write one, he did that favor for me, Thanks Ben! What he found is EMDB (Eric's Movie Database). It is unbelievable! The program is free and does everything I wanted and more. Instead of having me fill in all the information about a movie, the program pulls all the info from the website IMDB. Then, exactly like I wanted, you can search around for the movie you want to watch.

I can not stress how much I enjoy having this. No, I do not own many movies and it isn't that hard to just look at them. But what if I want to watch one of Becca or Joe's movies? I haven't yet, but I will be entering their information in too. Then guess what!? EMDB has an option to fill in a location field. This is where I put who owns the movie, aaahhhhhh!

I highly suggest the program, especially if (unlike me) you own too many movies to mention. Here is the link: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/emdbmovie.html

Enjoy!!

making ends meet

2008-08-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

While I am a full time employee, many know that it requires a second, third, or fourth source of income to really live. I have fallen prey to a couple of ways to earn a little extra money here and there without being committed to a second job.

As I have mentioned before I starting assisting a wedding photographer this summer. I have only done two weddings at this point, but in my defense she has two other assistants, works out of Mankato, and doesn't really take on too many weddings a year. This position makes me an extra $100 for a ceremony plus reception. When she is only hired for the ceremony she makes half of her pay, so in turn I do as well. The other deal is that when photos are ordered off of her website, say it is one that I took, I get the profit from that sale.

I see this job as more than just money though. One reason is because I have had to drive quite a ways for these events and most likely burn through most of the money in the gas it takes to go there and back. What is best about photographing these weddings is the experience. I am able to see how a professional photographer runs her wedding business and how she works. In addition, I gain product for my portfolio.

The other way I am able to afford life is donating mine. Let me explain... Since my days of college (I know, not THAT long ago) I have been donating blood plasma. I call this my "second job." Twice a week I go into Biolife Plasma Services for a little over an hour. They run my blood through a machine, take out the plasma, return red blood cells, replenish with sodium chloride, then pay me. Biolife then uses the plasma to make medicines and other healing items for the sick.

It is possible to make up to $260 a month here. I can go twice a week, with at least a day between visits. The first visit will pay $20, the second in a week (must be same week) pays $45. This money gets put on to a debit card, giving me more accounts to keep track of. When I first started they paid $20 then $30 and paid in cash, I like the current procedure much better. Cash I throw around all willy nilly, but when it is on the card it builds up pretty quickly.

This is probably my favorite form of income. I sit in a bed for an hour while reading, and make money doing it. All the while saving lives, which of course is my main interest. The downside is when you are rejected. There was a time when I would be rejected once every couple donations for low iron. When this happens you cannot donate that particular day but, depending on the situation, can usually come back the next day. Other things they reject for are; low/high blood pressure, bruises, sickness, protein levels, small veins, and body temp.

All in all I have gotten in to a habit of this extra money. When I look at my finances and see what I can or cannot afford, I do not include these in my income. This helps so that I am still underestimating what I can afford and therefore saving me from wrong decisions (like the hot pink pumps I want so bad).

Gail & Brian

2008-08-01T20:05:00.001-07:00

Here it is, the long awaited wedding post! This was the first wedding I ever assisted on. It was outdoors in the beginning of June, actually in the groom's parent's backyard near Mankato. It was really hot that day (seriously, I think I almost fainted)! Weddings were never something I wanted desperately to do for a living. Interested in the process? Yes. But what I found out is that my first instinct was correct. While I would be happy to continue assisting on weddings, it is not a segment of photography I would like to do for a lifetime. There is so much stress involved and I am more interested in getting a good portrait than making sure I have shots of every person the bride wants to see. Well... on for the photos... enjoy! (click on photos for a closer look)

Flower girl and ring bearer - He held her hand down the aisle, it was cute

The harpist

Here is the entire wedding as it sat in the groom's parent's backyard

Bridesmaids

The grooms phone rang during the ceremony, here is the reaction of the bride. What was so funny is that the bride TOLD him earlier that his phone better not ring during the wedding!

After the ceremony a bunch of the kids ran out to the dock with fishing poles

Father of the bride

flight attendant

2008-07-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Becoming a flight attendant has without a doubt been on my list of careers to consider since junior high. It is one that has stuck around, maybe been out of my mind for a certain amount of time, but always returning. Unlike other prospects such as a coffee shop owner or comedian, both of which came and quickly disappeared from the ranks. This list has a wide array of careers; I can never seem to settle completely on one thought. I would love to have a life filled with little bits from all these industries and levels.

I was drawn to being a flight attendant by the idea of travel and how much fun it would be to go so many places, and get paid for it. I could come home with stories of who I met along the way. Like Joe Schmoe from Indiana who is 47 and on his first flight ever. He runs a llama farm but had to rush to Minnesota because his mother was in the hospital. Then there would be John and Jane Doe, on their way to Hawaii celebrating their honeymoon. That would just be fantastic to be able to meet all of these different people from all walks of life, and be a part of their trip as well, people remember their flight attendants.

The biggest difference with this career is the extensive training a flight attendant must go through. It's not something one normally thinks of while they are flying, but those flight attendants are responsible for much more than just serving your drinks and making you put your seat back in the upright position. Airlines looking for flight attendants will generally hold an open call, yes, similar to a model open call. At this time the room full of prospects is told all about the company and then about the position, then they open up for questions. Once accepted, a qualified person (I've been told a perfect candidate was not hired simply because she forgot to sign her application) will go through 4-8 weeks of training. This training period runs Monday – Friday, 8 hours a day, sometimes even on weekends. They must keep up on all information because if you do not pass with an 80-90% (depending on the airline) you will not be hired. That's right; at this point a flight attendant is not technically employed, yet has to be in training 8 hours a day. In addition, training can either be paid or unpaid (again, depending on the airline).

Let's imagine for a moment that one gets through this process. Now they are hired, and have a steady income with great travel benefits (fly for free!). Wrong, well partially. When a flight attendant is just starting out they are put on reserve. This means they do have shifts they are scheduled for, but they are not always set to fly on those shifts, and are typically given the unwanted flights (holidays and destinations to Kalamazoo). Sometimes they will be on call and must be prepared to go at a moments notice. Reserve attendants are called when a senior employee calls in sick or is not able to make the flight for any reason. The biggest problem with this is that pay is not determined on your scheduled shift. A flight attendant only gets paid from the time the door on the plane is shut to the time it opens. So, when they are greeting you or telling you to have a great day, that's unpaid time that they are required to participate in. Depending on the airline a flight attendant can stay on reserve anywhere from two months to twenty years! After which time you are able to bid for certain flights and have some say in your schedule.

Well, this is a HUGE deterrent, but there are some major benefits to being a flight attendant. Mostly the free flights. If I were a flight attendant I would definitely fly out some morning to wherever would take me, spend a day photographing and enjoying the local culture, then fly back that night. When scheduled for a flight that has overnight layovers an airline will pay for their employees' hotel room and often meals. This time, while not a part of normal wages, is still paid about $1.50 per hour. So, while they are sleeping, while they are eating, while flight attendants are getting drunk on the beaches of Miami, they are being paid (minimally). From what I gather these times aren't always as exotic and exciting as they sound, you may fly in at midnight and need to be back at the airline only hours later.

My dream of being a flight attendant never covered the business of things. I just wanted to get out there and explore the world, not be unemployed for two months while my new job trains me (without a guarantee of employment). I envisioned conversing with patrons excited to venture on their own journeys. Even though those free flights are OH SO tempting (I mean its killing me), I am putting the flight attendant dreams on the back burner once again. I know it would be a great time in my life for this adventure, I'm not attached, no kids. But right now I am longing for that 9-5 desk job. Nights and weekends off are a dream in my book, and that just wouldn't happen as a flight attendant.

PS: Becca and Joe loved the bathroom, we are doing theirs next!

down to one

2008-07-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently I work at a revolving door, just no one told me when I started. It's the front desk at a hotel. This isn't a department that needs a hundred employees, but it does need enough competent employees to cover the shifts. IF we were fully staffed there would be a manager, a supervisor, two night auditors, and at least three agents. This happened magically for about two weeks.

When I started they were short a supervisor and an agent. Then a night auditor left, then a supervisor was hired, then a night auditor was hired, then an agent left, then three additional agents were hired, then another agent left. All three of the new hires have now left (it's only been a week!). If you were keeping track here's the score; we have a manager, a supervisor, two night auditors, and an agent (me).

Since we are on to summer months and we tend to get busier we really need to have additional agents. Especially since I am on my way out (in two months), I will feel really guilty if I leave with barely new employees. When I leave there will be an entirely new staff from the time I was hired (other than the manager and a night auditor). I am not completely stoked about having all new people around as there is always a period of time for getting used to a job and how things work. There will be times when they call the wrong department for an item, or give wrong directions, or not take a deposit when need be. These are all things I will have to live with, after all I did them too.

my week home alone

2008-06-30T12:23:00.001-07:00

This past week my landlords (Becca and Joe) went on vacation to San Diego. In the meantime I had decided to be the greatest sister/in-law ever and surprise them with redecorating my bathroom. The basement is most definitely the area of the house that needs the most cosmetic retouches. The bathroom in my "apartment" (where the carpet turns to concrete floors) donned a maroonish/tanish sponge painted wallpaper, white plastic cabinet handles, stained green rugs, and an assortment of dark woods. Not entirely horrible decor, but not really in the taste of me or my landlords. Here is what it looked like before moving in.

The (my) idea was always in place to eventually strip the wallpaper and paint it sort of a spa blue color. For a week or so before Becca and Joe left I was looking at paint samples trying to find the perfect color. I also found what to use to take down the wallpaper, DIF works amazingly well by the way. Finally Monday came along and I brought them to the airport. I had to work that night, but right afterwards I started on stripping the walls. It took a couple different techniques, but I got a system down and then everything worked like clockwork. I was working during this part as well so the wall stripping took a few days to get done. The most difficult part was that whoever put up the wallpaper did it before putting anything else in. This meant that there was wallpaper behind the cabinets, light fixtures, and mirror. I ended up taking down the mirror, light fixtures , and a few other items to get behind those. It was also tough to get behind the toilet, and unfortunately there was no way I was going to take that out. Even though people say taking down wallpaper is horrible and some would rather just paint on top of it, I actually had a lot of fun taking it down. Since it came off fairly easily and I got to have fun making a mess, I think that helped.

The color I picked out is called Graceful, it's a lighter slightly grey toned blue. Painting was a breeze. The only issue there was getting behind the toilet, it's a tough spot to paint. The cabinets on the other hand were interesting. They had wallpaper on them as well, inside the frame of the doors. When I took one door off to check out what was behind the wallpaper I found it was just a piece of plywood. That wasn't going to work out so well. So here is actually where I decided to paint on top of the wallpaper. However, I did have to re-wallpaper the one door I had stripped. I wasn't about to buy a whole container of wallpaper paste so I just used spray adhesive. This ended up not looking the greatest, but it works.

After painting it looks amazing! The color matches well with the wood around the room and really brightens it up. I HAD to replace the hardware on the cabinets. What was there just looked so ugly. I went out and got some new handles, a pretty brushed nickel goes great with the new look. Well then the hinges didn't match (nickel with gold), so I went back to the hardware store. When I put the doors back on I found that the hinges are a slightly different size (on the decorative part) than the old ones. So they overlap in one spot, I don't mind.

Well now the other hardware in the room is out of place. This was starting to look like an expensive pattern though. I did get a new toilet paper holder and towel ring (both were the same ugly off white like the cabinet handles), but went for inexpensive ones. I took down and did not put back up a towel bar that sat next to the toilet, always seemed useless to me anyway. Because of the expense I choose to leave the towel bar and hooks inside the shower the same, since no one really sees those.

A couple things that went... unplanned, were issues with the shelf and the mirror. The shelf that sat over the toilet was secured strangely to the wall. In such a way that I spent a lot of time tugging and pulling and twisting until it finally broke free. Not without some battle scars though. I needed to patch some holes there, and bought a new shelf because I was so upset with the one that was put there. When I went to get the shelf I also found a nifty seat/storage thing that I really liked. It matches with my new spa, but was a pain to put together.

The mirror was a strange situation all around. When it was taken down I noted where and how the screws were placed so that I could get it back up with no problems. PROBLEM! Don't ask me what went wrong, because I'm not quite sure myself. I got the mirror back up, but one side seemed a little loose. I realized this was because I needed anchors for the screws on that side. After taking the mirror back down, and breaking a clip in the process, I couldn't get it back up. Yes, I bought new clips, yes, I put anchors in the wall, yes, I was putting the screws back in the same spots I took them out of. What was causing me trouble was the side going into a stud. The screws just would not go all the way into the wall. I was ready to give up right then and there. It was upsetting mainly because I had been working so hard to have this ready for when Becca and Joe got home. Now it was going to be mostly ready with a major part missing and me needing Joe to finish it. I tried everything I could think of. Even got out Joe's drill and stud finder but was wary because the stud finder's AV light was going off. I worked my muscle (yes I have some) and eventually got the bottom screw in tight enough for the mirror. Because I had to buy new clips though, the spacing ended up being a little off. I'm leaving this for Joe to take care of, I was WAY too fed up with it!

Alright, alright, almost done now! The bathroom looks great, and I have been waiting all week to show Becca and Joe how wonderful I am (I hope they like it, and aren't mad). I was photographing a wedding on Friday at the Arboretum, so I went early to get some pictures of the flowers. I wanted to print a couple larger sizes and put those up in the bathroom. I think Erin could spend a month straight there taking pictures, it is amazing. I ended up getting two 8x10 prints and found frames that matched quite perfectly with the room, so that went well. I can't stop looking at it, it looks completely different and I love it.

And now for the before and after...

here we go!

2008-06-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Alright, it has been done. Yesterday I went to The Travel Academy and signed up for their next class. I should be starting my new career by the end of August. The classes are Monday through Thursday from 8-1. Since I still have to keep my job during the time so as not to go broke, looks like I will be having some very busy weekdays. Class from 8-1 then work from 3-11, lather rinse and repeat. I am really excited!

While I realize this decision puts a somewhat unofficial end to my job search, I will still be discussing what ventures I ALMOST took. From secretary to flight attendant to stripper, I've thought of doing it all. Ok, that stripper comment was just to see if you were still paying attention. My photos from the wedding I shot a few weeks ago are minutes away from being fully done. When those are complete I will be sure to post a few. Although I won't be taking those few minutes to finish them immediately, I have another project in progress that cannot be revealed until Monday. :)

information makes the heart grow fonder

2008-06-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve been doing a lot of research, at least I consider it a lot, around becoming a travel agent. You would be shocked as to how many travel agencies there are in the Minneapolis area. I emailed about 15 of them with about five questions. I wanted to keep it short so they wouldn’t think it was a waste of time yet get the answers I needed. As of today (Friday afternoon), only three have responded. I received a nice blend of answers however, which was nice.

Monique, from A1 Travel Store, has been in the business for over 26 years and is still loving it! She moved here from Arizona with 8 years of experience under her belt so doesn’t really know the starting salary (after what I’ve gathered now she guessed quite high at $32,000). Kim seemed to have spent the most time on her response, which I really appreciate. She actually recommended the Travel Academy as a great starting place, and put beginning salary at $9-10/hr. As the VP of Advent Travel she doesn’t work as an actual travel agent, but said that her agents enjoy what they do for the most part. Kim was the only one to mention that it can be a stressful position, which is expected, I know what travelers can be like at times. Rick from Northern Lights Travel says that agents aren’t really willing to train others. It’s one of those businesses where there are more people wanting jobs than there are jobs, and that creates competition. He also said that he enjoys what he does, but has been in the industry for 18 years.

Today I went to the Travel Academy for a visit and met with the owner himself, Curt Armstrong. He had a nice spiel set up for potential students, all information I had heard before through the website and brochure I had requested. Still, it was good to get all the facts. My two biggest questions about whether or not to go forward with this is if I can afford it and if the position they set me up with will pay enough for me to continue payments. I know they say that they place most of their graduates with an employer before graduation, but you have to read into these things. “Most” meaning some of the students aren’t placed in a position and I’m stuck at the same crappy job I have right now. Lets say I do get placed, is it going to give me the regular hours with better pay and a good company like I’ve been looking for? What are my chances of coming out the other end of this training and being able to nicely pay for it while still living. After a trip to the library and a little more research I decided to go for it! Although not a firm yes, because I would like to wake up tomorrow with my decision and see if I still feel it is the right one. Monday is my new deadline. At this time I will either be signing up for the Travel Academy or sending an email of regret to Mr. Armstrong, who has been so helpful this past week.

travel agent

2008-06-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have been job searching for a few months now. Very little has jumped out at me as my next career. I’ve applied for a couple positions, but never heard anything from them. This past weekend I was thinking about it and the idea of becoming a travel agent popped in my head. The problem I have been having with my job search is that I can’t get pumped up about certain industries. I really have enjoyed working in hotels these past two years (is that all it’s been?) and I would welcome almost any position in the travel field.

So we consider travel agencies.

I came across a place called the Travel Academy in Bloomington. They will train people interested in the travel industry for jobs such as travel agents and flight attendants (more on that in another post). It is a 6-8 week course where you learn the ins and outs of the job. Plus when you are ¾ of the way through they will help you find a position. I haven’t found a number from them but they do say that most of their graduates obtain a job before even finishing the course. Even better, the school will assist you with finding jobs your whole life. Sounds great right? Well here is the kicker … it’s $3000 for the tuition. The next classes for travel agents starts July 7th and runs until Aug 28th.

I’ve decided I am going to think about this for the rest of the week. I'm still looking into what travel agents get paid, and how much I would enjoy this job. If I think that this is really the way I would like to go, and that I can afford it, I will sign up for the Travel Academy. Although I am still getting people’s opinion, if you have anything you would like to add…

welcome back!

2008-06-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my brother Ben and his wife, Erin, and their consistent (but not annoyingly so) blogging, I have decided to breath new life into my Coming Soon... blog. I will not be changing the name as I see it fitting towards my life and what I have decided to, mainly, write about.

As a somewhat recent college graduate (my graduation date depends on who you ask) I have fallen prey to something I didn't think would happen to me. My current job is not what I received my degree in, and it's also not satisfying in any form of the word. I have a bachelors degree in photography and I am now working at the front desk of a Minneapolis hotel. The hotel I work for is in major need of restoration, and they won't do any of it. I also get paid less than I am worth to have the opportunity to get yelled at and blamed for everything that is wrong with the hotel.

This has led me to restart my job search. What's the problem you ask? Not only is the job market not the greatest right now, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Getting to the point of discussion, I change my mind weekly, daily, or hourly as to what my next career choice will be. Sure, I could attempt to get a photography job and make my degree worth the 4 1/2 years I put into it, but I'm not even sure where I want to go with that. Besides, I would love to dabble into many different industries. So follow me in my minds adventures, thoughts, and plans for the future.

Side Note: The one decent position I am currently holding is as the assistant to a Mankato area wedding photographer. I will be posting some photos and experiences from the weddings that I shoot, the first was a little over a week ago, so keep an eye out!