I didn't die....

I haven't blogged in a century!!!! Therefore, I did not die!

I have a found a great reason to enjoy coming to work and now I've found out that it's only temporary... :( 1) Jerico. He's 8 years old and SUPER cute and yellow with soft ears! He's the ICE labrador and BOY does he love to be pet and loved! He's super adorable! When I get to pet him, I can't wipe the smile off of my face! 2) Boomer. He is a guide dog in the building and he's SOOOOO cute!!! No, I have not asked to touch or pet him since he's a "working" dog. One day I will ask though... The worst I can get is No but I'll still have a smile on my face from seeing such a cute puppy!

That's all for today! Merry Christmas!

One Day at a Time

I'm back from my wedding/honeymoon/not-long-enough vacation from work. I'm finding that I want to move a mountain every day. We have an unfinished basement that will soon house a big bathroom, bedroom, walk-in closet and projector. We have quit a bit of work to do and I just want to snap my fingers and have it done right away! As with all things in life, that just isn't possible. So, with a heavy heart, today we will pick out our bathroom vanity so that we can start planning for the next steps of the basement. One thing at a time and one day at a time. I know that the house needs to evolve but I wish that the "evolution" process would move a little faster.....

I loved travelling but it's just nice to be home again. I enjoy being married and I enjoy being a wife. Now it's time to move forward and learn to love remodelling!

Insanity

I just feel like chaos is happening, all around me. Work is crazy (with emotions from those that were dealt a big blow yesterday) and now personal life is crazy with Andy moving out of his house this week. I also had two fillings put into my mouth yesterday and I'm REALLY sore. I'm starting to feel like I just want to run away. So, last night I worked a little more on the rug. I'm about two third's done now!!! You can actually tell what it is.

Monday Monday

It's DEFINITELY a Monday. I all ready have a laundry list of things I need to do after work. T-5 days until my first wedding shower. I'm excited and nervous all at once. There's so much going on that my head feels like it's going to spin and fly off. Hopefully it'll land in the front row of a theatre in London.... :):) I'm also actively trying to wear green as it's Saint Patty's day on Wednesday. I don't really celebrate but it definitely gives me an excuse to wear items in my wardrobe that sometimes become forgotten.

Yesterday was SO beautiful and I hope my wedding day is as nice as that!

Today's Creative Efforts

Today, I walked into the bathroom and stared at my THREE curling irons. All of which are different sizes. I grabbed a newer one and plugged it in. I wanted to see what would happen so I just started curling until I got bored and VOILA! There are the curls! I have yet to figure out a way to hide my gigantic forehead but I can tackle that mystery tomorrow!

LND

Yesterday evening, Love Never Dies officially opened at the West End. I'm quit happy to report that the opening performance seemed to go very well. It seems like ALW has created quit an interesting weave of emotions for the three main characters. I can hardly wait to receive my copy of the albumn in the mail. Amazon has kindly informed me that it is on it's way. I can now only hope that Ramin and Sierra will be performing the night that we see the show. Ah to be on the heals of seeing two beautiful musicals in the West End.

Not to forget the following nights performance of The Phantom of the Opera. :) It's almost impossible to keep the wedding and the honeymoon straight. Priorities.. Priorities.

Caught Up

I'm planning a dream honeymoon. One that I could never have imagined that I'd be going on. When I was a little girl, I made a precious scrap book that, to this day, I have not shared with anyone. It's a cute intermingling of my heart and some goofy teenage interests. I shared my feelings about songs, my favorite musical, and my wishes for my future. I remember feeling that nothing would stop me from my dreams and that I would achieve them no matter the cost. I even made my own sequel to my favorite musical. So, now I get to live the dream and really find out what happens to these two characters with the utmost interesting and beautiful souls. Of course, no trip to London would be complete without seeing the musical that has been the one thing I've been interested in and have enjoyed for the majority of my life. No trip to Paris would also be complete without seeing the Opera house either. I reflect at this trip and realize that I truly am a lucky lucky woman.
The dream trip has swept me so far in that I've almost forgotten about the events prior. Possibly because this dream is a lot easier to plan and it's plans only involve 2 people as opposed to many more. So, as with everything, I'm going to take life one day at a time and enjoy the little things. Yesterday I bought the most perfect pair of shoes. They are TSA friendly, extremely comfortable for walking in and could be either dressy or be worn with jeans. Keep focusing on the small things.

Just another day?

Sometimes weddings and change bring out the best in people and sometimes they bring out the worst. Some days are easier to cope with and some are not. Sometimes I lay awake in my bed before it's time to get up and I feel like my heart is racing a thousand miles a minute. Am I having a heart attack? I need that warm comfortable place to visit every once in a while. A place that can only be found through a farmiliar song, a joke, a picture, or a cup of tea. My mind is flooded. What color paint should I use, which picture should go where, how many musicals will I see and how will I get into the Paris Opera house? So many things need attention and yet, which one requires it immediately? The wedding and the honeymoon will win that battle.

As with many things, I anticipate that I will learn more about myself and maybe even "find" myself in the approaching months ahead. It will be a good to know those things.

Andy's Bathroom

I finally got my dirty hands on Andy's downstairs bathroom! The walls and ceiling were the same disgusting dark grey. So I picked a paint color and took a trip to target to grab a shower curtain. Voila!!! The new bathroom.

I like how the grey I picked still has color but not too much color! :) We also painted the light panels white.

This project was monumental and took forever and yet it was just the beginning...

Lake Harriet

I took Abby out to Lake Harriet yesterday after work. I'm not always a winter fan but she needed exercise! So I threw on my warm boots, under armour, and snow pants. I walked out to the middle and realized that I just loved it.


She clearly loved it as her mommy threw her yellow fish around for her to dig for and play with.

I realized that I loved to be out there alone... well with Abby. I loved the calm and silence of being out there. I loved that the only people that I could see were little specs walking around the lake. With all the chaos that's going on, I loved to just be alone with my dog.

Feeling Overwhelmed

I've been feeling extremely overwhelmed lately. Andy and I have SO many things that we need to do in the next month that it's practically impossible to peice it all together in my head. I wish that I was not at work and was at home so I could get all of these things done. I'm learning to enjoy the peaceful moments. Like, meeting up with a friend and attending the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Or watching the olympics with a a bunch of candles lit. These moments will be so few and far between but yet so important in the coming months.

So many people have asked me if I'm excited about this wedding and sometimes I feel like I've had to fake it a little. I know that's AWFUL. It's hard to be in excitment when you have so much to do and so much money to spend that you aren't sure which way is up and which is down anymore. I'll be glad when life even's itself out and I can look to working on hobbies again.

My baby

It recently dawned on me that I have never blogged about my dog that I adore. Her name is Abby Lott and she's a 2.5 year old Yellow Lab. In my humble opinion, she is the world's most adorable dog.
She is a 60 lbs. lap dog with the biggest heart. We took a nap up north one day and I snapped this picture of her sleeping. She looks like a little bat dog.

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to come home to Andy every day. I'm also excited to come home to this little face staring at me and wiggling uncontrollably in excitement.

I Love my doggy!! :)

Our Story

In light of my least favorite holiday (sorry to be a scrooge), I thought I would post my story with Andy. It's not the world's most captivating story but it's ours.

I used to work for my dad at his flight school (RIP Wings Inc.). One day this handsome young man walked in who worked for the FAA (tisk tisk). I thought he was so attractive and of course mouthed it to the entire nation.. ok just everyone at Wings. Brian, a guy that I worked with mentioned that he knew him and had gone to college with him. I said that it would be fun to meet him sometime but thought nothing of it since Brian can be a little flakey.

On the Wednesday after MLK day in 2004, Brian told me that we're meeting him at Moose Country in Mendota Heights. I was SO excited. I thought... what are the odds??? So I ran home and put on a cute outfit and even did my eye makeup (now you will only see that at my wedding showers and on my wedding day). I had a friend of mine come with me, for support. I walked.. ok marched into Moose Country and sat down right next to him. We started talking and did not stop talking all evening long. I have no idea what we even talked about. At the end of the night I thought that I'd never see him again. I mentioned that I'd never learned how to ski and he said he would teach me. A date was set. That Saturday we met up in the morning to go flying, skiing and end the day with a going away party. Now we'll be getting married in exactly 3 months and 1 week from todays date!

One Thing that I Love!

I always preach about doing one thing you love. Well, yesterday I did just that! My friend Shannon's dad purchased the guitar below. This is the actual guitar. I HAD to get my picture taken with it or I knew I'd regret it for a lifetime.

So, here is myself with the Prince guitar!! Although my outfit is not nearly as flashy, I had to sport the purple. That was quit an experience! How often does a person get to touch the guitar of their favorite musician. Ok, my favorite rock musician. I love all kinds of music so I could not possible have one favorite.

The Tiger

I'm back at latch hook! I call it: knitting for dummies. This peice is missing some blue (I ran out) so tomorow I'll be visiting Michaels for som yarn! This will go to my first child! Notice both blue and pink. It could go either way!!


This peice is about half way done and he'll go up north. OR maybe he'll be a gift for my daddyo! My dad likes wolves though so maybe I'll find something like that for him instead. I like doing latch hook. It's peiceful and there's very little thought involved.

The Good Life

I am in disbelief that January is almost over. How the time flies even when you're not having the most fun you've ever had... That is more evidence to bring to the table that you should do something that you love every day. Yesterday, I assisted my parents and I love them so that would be one thing that I love. Today, I'm going out to all-you-can-eat sushi with Brittnie! I LOVE sushi more than one human should love any food item. I am also going to get my eye brows waxed today. That hurts, but I'll love the end result! As far as tomorrow, I'm not too sure. Maybe I will bring a new book to work. That's right, a book to work! I finished one today. I have read it before so that made it a much faster read. I also think that one of my grey hairs fell out. I hope that my body is rejecting them!!

Are you doing one thing that you love every day? I always imagine that I should live as though my life will be cut shorter than I anticipate. Tomorrow is never a guarantee. I keep those with friends close to me who care and try to stay in touch with my family as much as possible (thank you facebook). Wherever this life takes me, I know that I have lived it to the fullest of my capability and enjoyed as much of it as possible.

It's Tax time

I got my first W2 and realized that this will be my last tax return as a single woman. Oh fun! So many changes coming up! I am about half way done packaging invitations lovingly printed by yours truly. I think they turned out nicely! I saved hundreds of dollars by doing them myself! I'm also taking a lot of time to personally deliver any of them that I can to reduce the amount of stamps used. 6 years ago, Andy and I met on this very day as well! How romantic! I do find it somewhat difficult to be excited about the wedding with all of the tasks in front of me that need to be done. I'm staying focused and positive though! I'm marrying a wonderful man and we're building a stable future for ourselves so I can't ask for much beyond that! Not to mention I have discovered that Yahoo music now has a Valentine's Day station and I am getting all of these wonderful ideas for songs I'd love to have played at the wedding! I'm confident that it'll be a wonderful wedding!

Crafty Night

I'm having a crafty evening!!! I just finished printing all of the RSVP's and now on to finishing the invites! I am led to the conclusion that Anna Nicole just likes to hang out in the shop with the guys! The boys couldn't reproduce her braking problem. I thought that was particularily hilarious since the minute I drove away her brakes went "clunk clunk clunk!" Not only does she love to hang out with the boys but she performes for them. I should make sure to sell her to a man when I'm done with her. She'd most likely be MUCH happier!
Thank heavens this weekend is a three day weekend! I NEED one of these!!! Unless you are forced to sit in a cubicle/stall all day, you would not understand. I feel like a caged horse sometimes. I should say all the time.
We lost 1 baby clown today because he (yes I decided it was a man) choked on a brine shrimp egg. I figure that if the clown was that stupid, then we could afford the loss. Only the smart survive in our tanks!! Well, back to the printing invitations grind!!

Day 1

I decided to name my blog Running Down a Dream. I think, because I feel like I've been doing that a LOT lately. Whether it be in my personal or professional life, it seems to be the common denominator. Works become so slow that I can't even begin to express how much my brain hurts. My car keeps having little "breaking down" spells so I have lovingly given her the name "Anna Nicole" because she never hesitates to take all of my hard earned dollars.

I'm ready to print out my wedding invitations! I'll be doing that tonight. I'm so excited to see them come together. Everything about this wedding has really turned out to be just the way Andy and I want it. The only thing more that I could ask for is for someone to rent out his home in Minneapolis!!! Haha! That seems to be the last peice of the puzzle. If you don't count paying for all for the fun little parts of this wedding, moving and making sure all of our rentals are moving along. Oh and planning some kind of honeymoon! But here we are, almost 4 months to go. According to theknot.com, my invitations need to be mailed out 3 months in advance! I think I'll be 100% ready with those. It'll be a great day when I start to get the little RSVP's back in the mail. Hopefully all of the guests are on top of it!