Just got back home last night from spending nearly a week in Oklahoma. I went down to visit my mom and see my brother and sister-in-law as they were driving through on their move to VA. Neal has been stationed there at Langley AFB. I got to meet my new niece Alice for the first time. She is only 6 weeks old! (And incredibly adorable). Blixie and I road tripped it down there, and she was very good in the car. We made the trip in about 12 hours.
We had a good time, Mom and I did some shopping and Blixie got to play with other dogs! I also took Mom out to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse as an early birthday/late mother's day treat. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with her. I also took the time to make a batch of my Dad's onion garlic bread while I was down there. Mom found an old copy of Dad's Onion Garlic Bread recipe while I was there, and I made 3 loaves. I let it rise too long and it turned out pretty heavy, but tasty nonetheless.
Wedding planning is about ready to go into full swing as I have one week left before classes start for the summer. I've got a dress fitting in two weeks, and I've got to get ideas for flowers, cake, and music in gear. I've also got to finalize the wedding registries and start addressing the envelopes for the invitations. The bachelorette party planning has sort of been taken over by Michal, and we'll be celebrating in Minneapolis. I'm excited!
Spring classes went well, I got good reviews overall from my students. Signed my contract for another year, job stability is good.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Travel Plan Headaches
I want to do something unusual for my bachelorette party, but the more I look at trips the more expensive and extravagant going anywhere seems. It is starting to look really inviting to just head to Minneapolis, get a nice suite room somewhere downtown, and run around up there having a good (less expensive) time.
Ideas we had tossed around included going to Vegas, Chicago, and tonight the girls and I talked about checking out a Disneyland trip. I just don't know what I want to do, other than possibly going dancing, staying somewhere nice, and being with the girls. A couple of them have suggested going for a spa day somewhere, which could be fun. I just don't know yet what I'm up for, and I need to book tickets soon. I will try to call the local travel agent's office this week to see what they might have in the line of packages.
In other news, John and I will be heading up to Chuck and Michal's this weekend for games and Chuck's homebrewed beer. Blixi will be staying at Gramma Yost's.
Speaking of Blix, she's been rather well behaved lately, though kind of barky. She went with me to Hutchinson to help clean out the basement at the house last weekend with Pam, Joe, and Emily. I'm excited to see how the remodel of the basement turns out!
I've been really busy with work, tests and review and dissection. My student's microbe identification lab projects turned out very well, the pamphlets were impressive.
Assessment day is tomorrow, a full day of meetings. I wish I could say I was looking forward to it more, but getting there at 8:30am and coming home at 9pm is not my idea of a great day. Makes the rest of the week look easier though.
Cadaver information here:
I opened up the abdominal cavity today and removed the heart for preservation. While opening the abdomen I found these neat looking mesh cones down in the inguinal area. When I asked the surgical tech instructor what that might have come from, she told me the guy had an inguinal hernia that was treated. He had also had triple bypass surgery and an appendectomy. I haven't determined whether he has his gall bladder, but I haven't found the little green thing yet after a cursory investigation. So, similar to last year with much less anatomical oddity.
Ideas we had tossed around included going to Vegas, Chicago, and tonight the girls and I talked about checking out a Disneyland trip. I just don't know what I want to do, other than possibly going dancing, staying somewhere nice, and being with the girls. A couple of them have suggested going for a spa day somewhere, which could be fun. I just don't know yet what I'm up for, and I need to book tickets soon. I will try to call the local travel agent's office this week to see what they might have in the line of packages.
In other news, John and I will be heading up to Chuck and Michal's this weekend for games and Chuck's homebrewed beer. Blixi will be staying at Gramma Yost's.
Speaking of Blix, she's been rather well behaved lately, though kind of barky. She went with me to Hutchinson to help clean out the basement at the house last weekend with Pam, Joe, and Emily. I'm excited to see how the remodel of the basement turns out!
I've been really busy with work, tests and review and dissection. My student's microbe identification lab projects turned out very well, the pamphlets were impressive.
Assessment day is tomorrow, a full day of meetings. I wish I could say I was looking forward to it more, but getting there at 8:30am and coming home at 9pm is not my idea of a great day. Makes the rest of the week look easier though.
Cadaver information here:
I opened up the abdominal cavity today and removed the heart for preservation. While opening the abdomen I found these neat looking mesh cones down in the inguinal area. When I asked the surgical tech instructor what that might have come from, she told me the guy had an inguinal hernia that was treated. He had also had triple bypass surgery and an appendectomy. I haven't determined whether he has his gall bladder, but I haven't found the little green thing yet after a cursory investigation. So, similar to last year with much less anatomical oddity.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Niece!
I am a new auntie! Neal and called last night and let me know that Alice Helena was born yesterday, 8lbs 6oz via Caesarian section. And, she's a cutie...
Mom and baby are doing fine, though mom is understandably tired and in a bit of pain. They will be going home this weekend.
Mom and baby are doing fine, though mom is understandably tired and in a bit of pain. They will be going home this weekend.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Irish Soup for St. Paddy's
Lots of good things happening lately.
Two weekends ago John and I went to the cities to work on our wedding registries. We're still not done figuring out what we want, so I'm not releasing our information yet. We went out with my friend Maren for the weekend, and she was an invaluable resource. It was a blast!
Last week was Spring Break, and I went to Fargo to work on wedding invitations with Leah. After 3 days of hard work, my thumb going numb from using a pattern punch on cardstock, and 4-5 movies at Rita's apartment, we finally got the invitations done. They are gorgeous! 87 handmade cards are sitting in my room. I need to remember to go down to the post office to get universal stamps.
John went to Hutchinson this weekend to work with his mom and brother on the basement of her house. His car isn't working so he took mine, and so I was at home for the weekend with Blixi. I worked on various craft projects and played with my new Wacom tablet. (I didn't get one for Christmas, so I got one for myself.)
After John got home yesterday I made a list and went grocery shopping. I decided to spend the evening cooking, and put together four different soups which will hopefully last us for the week.
I made:
-Zatarain's Gumbo with Sausage (Yeah, it's out of the box) I put it over rice. Yum!
-Golden Potato and Leek: Buttery and delicious, also easy!
-Fresh Tomato and Bleu Cheese: I roasted the tomatoes, simmered them with other veggies and seasonings, and then pureed them with milk and cheese. I froze this one.
-Irish Hamhock and Vegetables: Never tried cooking a hamhock before, made the whole thing from scratch today, stock and all. It has onion, carrot, cabbage, rutabaga, lentils, and barley in it. I didn't realize I'd be making an Irish soup on St. Paddy's until this afternoon, but I like it. John and I will try it tonight. I should have run to get bread this afternoon from the Backerei.
Tomorrow, back to school. Two days this week and then Easter Break until next Tuesday.
Also, my brother and sister-in-law are expecting on Tuesday next week... my niece is going to be here soon! I'm so excited to be an auntie:)
Two weekends ago John and I went to the cities to work on our wedding registries. We're still not done figuring out what we want, so I'm not releasing our information yet. We went out with my friend Maren for the weekend, and she was an invaluable resource. It was a blast!
Last week was Spring Break, and I went to Fargo to work on wedding invitations with Leah. After 3 days of hard work, my thumb going numb from using a pattern punch on cardstock, and 4-5 movies at Rita's apartment, we finally got the invitations done. They are gorgeous! 87 handmade cards are sitting in my room. I need to remember to go down to the post office to get universal stamps.
John went to Hutchinson this weekend to work with his mom and brother on the basement of her house. His car isn't working so he took mine, and so I was at home for the weekend with Blixi. I worked on various craft projects and played with my new Wacom tablet. (I didn't get one for Christmas, so I got one for myself.)
After John got home yesterday I made a list and went grocery shopping. I decided to spend the evening cooking, and put together four different soups which will hopefully last us for the week.
I made:
-Zatarain's Gumbo with Sausage (Yeah, it's out of the box) I put it over rice. Yum!
-Golden Potato and Leek: Buttery and delicious, also easy!
-Fresh Tomato and Bleu Cheese: I roasted the tomatoes, simmered them with other veggies and seasonings, and then pureed them with milk and cheese. I froze this one.
-Irish Hamhock and Vegetables: Never tried cooking a hamhock before, made the whole thing from scratch today, stock and all. It has onion, carrot, cabbage, rutabaga, lentils, and barley in it. I didn't realize I'd be making an Irish soup on St. Paddy's until this afternoon, but I like it. John and I will try it tonight. I should have run to get bread this afternoon from the Backerei.
Tomorrow, back to school. Two days this week and then Easter Break until next Tuesday.
Also, my brother and sister-in-law are expecting on Tuesday next week... my niece is going to be here soon! I'm so excited to be an auntie:)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
BockFest
Last weekend was BockFest in New Ulm. We had 9 people (ourselves included) at our apartment, and a good time was had by all, I think. I went on a whirlwind cleaning spree of the apartment, and we took tons of stuff down to the basement. We started on Friday night late, when everyone arrived, and went to the bakery the next morning to get delicious danish, coffeecake, and rolls. We went to the brewery around 11am, got in no problem, grabbed some bock beer and a brat, and then we hiked for 2-3 hours in the snow looking for the bocks. When we got back to the brewery it was PACKED! Record turnout this year. It really started to get cold after 3pm, so we headed back to the apartment, and then we went out for Mexican food.
When we got back home we played some Guitar Hero, sat around and had some more beer and snacks until late in the evening, and several guests passed the glass boot of beer around the apartment.
I was feeling a little under the weather, so I went to bed early, but the rest of the group stayed up until around 3am.
In other news, Blixi is doing well, though she is having a hard time being cooped up in the apartment so much with the cold weather outside. It has been difficult to take her out on walks because of windchill and ice. Yesterday she chewed a hole in part of the seat of the couch, which is a symptom of her frustration.
I joined Anytime Fitness last week, and I went on Monday and Tuesday this week. I managed to ride the stationary bike for 35 minutes while CSI was on:) I plan to go again tonight. No time last night, I was on campus until 9:30 putting the finishing touches on a test I gave to my students this morning, and making sure that it was printed out. Now I am grading said test.
All told, life is treating me well. My biggest concerns at the moment are getting the headlight on my car changed, doing some minimal upkeep of our clean apartment, and making sure that I do my laundry this weekend. John has a jury trial which will probably last until Monday, so I am reasonably certain that we will be home for at least part of this weekend.
When we got back home we played some Guitar Hero, sat around and had some more beer and snacks until late in the evening, and several guests passed the glass boot of beer around the apartment.
I was feeling a little under the weather, so I went to bed early, but the rest of the group stayed up until around 3am.
In other news, Blixi is doing well, though she is having a hard time being cooped up in the apartment so much with the cold weather outside. It has been difficult to take her out on walks because of windchill and ice. Yesterday she chewed a hole in part of the seat of the couch, which is a symptom of her frustration.
I joined Anytime Fitness last week, and I went on Monday and Tuesday this week. I managed to ride the stationary bike for 35 minutes while CSI was on:) I plan to go again tonight. No time last night, I was on campus until 9:30 putting the finishing touches on a test I gave to my students this morning, and making sure that it was printed out. Now I am grading said test.
All told, life is treating me well. My biggest concerns at the moment are getting the headlight on my car changed, doing some minimal upkeep of our clean apartment, and making sure that I do my laundry this weekend. John has a jury trial which will probably last until Monday, so I am reasonably certain that we will be home for at least part of this weekend.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Start of a New Year
I've been very busy lately, getting ready for classes and for the Yost family Christmas this weekend. We put it off because most of us were out of state for the holiday. I have been shopping after Christmas sales all week trying to get ready, and I have a bunch of goodies to snack on ready to take tomorrow with us to Mama Yost's for the day.
My first day back teaching classes was yesterday. My students are great this semester, I am really looking forward to working with them.
I had a great time over the holiday. I visited my family at Mom's in Oklahoma, where I saw my Grandpa, brother, and sister-in-law. I also saw Mom's nice new house, and did a ton of shopping. I got Mario Galaxy for the Wii (which I took with me to visit) and my brother and I dominated it until I had to come home. I have since beaten MUCH more of the game, and gained the ability for Mario to fly yesterday.
New Year's was also a lot of fun. John and I went to Gibbon, MN to hang out with my friend Michele and her husband Michael. We went to the local (tiny) bowling alley and bowled until midnight. They had a nice buffet at the alley and wine as the ball dropped. None of us are stellar bowlers, so although none of us got really high scores, a good time was had by all.
I went through my closet last week and sorted out all kinds of clothes that I either don't fit into anymore or don't wear. I had done this before, a few years ago, but didn't manage to take the clothes from that venture anywhere. I ended up taking 6 bags of clothes and a half bag of shoes to donate, and my room is no longer overflowing with clothes... it actually seems manageable.
I'm sure a lot more has happened, but I can't think of it all right now, and I have a bunch of things left to do before tomorrow. I hope everyone is well!
My first day back teaching classes was yesterday. My students are great this semester, I am really looking forward to working with them.
I had a great time over the holiday. I visited my family at Mom's in Oklahoma, where I saw my Grandpa, brother, and sister-in-law. I also saw Mom's nice new house, and did a ton of shopping. I got Mario Galaxy for the Wii (which I took with me to visit) and my brother and I dominated it until I had to come home. I have since beaten MUCH more of the game, and gained the ability for Mario to fly yesterday.
New Year's was also a lot of fun. John and I went to Gibbon, MN to hang out with my friend Michele and her husband Michael. We went to the local (tiny) bowling alley and bowled until midnight. They had a nice buffet at the alley and wine as the ball dropped. None of us are stellar bowlers, so although none of us got really high scores, a good time was had by all.
I went through my closet last week and sorted out all kinds of clothes that I either don't fit into anymore or don't wear. I had done this before, a few years ago, but didn't manage to take the clothes from that venture anywhere. I ended up taking 6 bags of clothes and a half bag of shoes to donate, and my room is no longer overflowing with clothes... it actually seems manageable.
I'm sure a lot more has happened, but I can't think of it all right now, and I have a bunch of things left to do before tomorrow. I hope everyone is well!
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