Fun @ the zoo

So yesterday I went to a concert at the Minnesota Zoo with my mom. My friend Amy got us hooked up to go see Kevin Costner and his band play! Yes, he has a band! I would say its country music thats fun and upbeat. The venue at the Zoo was so much fun- it was an outside ampitheatre and reminded me of the Hollywood Bowl which is my favorite venue of all time! My mom and I had a really great time, and the weather even cooperated. It didnt rain until the encore started, so as we trekked back to our car, we got sprinkled on but nothing too bad. This is the view from where we were and you can see Kevin under the spotlight on the right side. So much fun!!
Thanks again Amy- you're the best!

Good/bad stuff

So, through the last few months I have dropped quite a few lbs and sizes. Don't get me wrong because I love it, BUT, I have nothing to wear!! I am at an awkward phase where everything is too big or too small for me- nothing fits right! I have a lot of clothes in various sizes but just none that fit me. The biggest issue right now is pants- the ones I can actually wear are really saggy and look ridiculous! The next smallest size dont quite zip. UGH. The one thing I am most worried about is if I get a job interview- what will I wear?? I would HAVE TO buy something so that it looks decent! Oh well, I know this is just part of the process, so I will not worry too much about it :)

Ahhhh, I love the fair

I am the type of person that loves going to the fair. I don't really mind the chaos, masses of people, bad parking and fried food. I just like walking around, looking at people and hanging out with people I like. This past weekend, I went to the Anoka County Fair with my brother and sisters. We walked around for a while and got some food- I had a limited selection so I opted for a taco salad that was OK. Then we headed over to the demolition derby and it was CRAZY!



I have never been to a demolition derby before, and it was quite the sight! I get that the point is for these junky cars to crash into each other until only one car still works, but is the mud really necessary? I am still not sure. My two favorite sightings for the day were: 1. The guy in front of me had literally NEVER cleaned out his ears before. I swear there was something living in there! 2. The best T shirt of the day said "My drinking team has a racing problem" hahahaah! Classic!



So anyway, here is my sister Kristin, Me and my sister Katie catching some rays watching the car-smashing action!



And this pic is from a year ago- me and my CG's at the Minnesota State Fair!

Really dude? Seriously?

So I was driving home earlier this week when I came upon the most unsettling paint-job I have ever seen on a car. Ever. Seriously. I grabbed my phone and snapped a pic because I was afraid I would miss this opportunity. Can you see the car up ahead at the light?


Lucky for me, as I turned at the light, I realized the car was to my left, so with glee I snapped more pics so I could laugh about them later. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA




I am gonna go out on a limb and assume this guy is single. And NO, I am not interested. The purple car is bad enough, but he had to add the Vikings lettering and horns? Come on dude! I mean, I love the Gopher Hockey Team, but I would never, I repeat NEVER decorate my car in the maroon and gold! Ahhhh, some people....

Oops

Oops! I accidentally cut off some of my eyelashes while doing my eyebrows. Thought I would share because its funny :) HAHAHA

Random TV moments

Lately I have found the strangest shows on TV and so I took pics of the TV screen because I didn't think anyone would believe me if I told them about it without evidence. This first one was a husband and wife duo that were hilarious! They were on a public access channel and I couldn't stop watching. It was like a train wreck!
Here is the lovely couple


Then they had some hokey segment that they thought was the funniest thing ever and they whipped out these boxes


Just when you think it cant get any funnier, the old man pulls out this giant hat and tries to act like he is from the "hood".




Just in case you want to contact these people, here is their PO box you can send letters to


And then last night I came across an infomercial for an amazing new product. They kept showing "before and after" pics of women. In the before pic, they would have saggy chin skin and in the after picture they didn't have a bit of excess skin. It looked so dramatic I assumed it must have been plastic surgery, but NO! It was THE NECKLINE SLIMMER! (Such a crock!) I had to post pics of how ridiculous it was:





Wow, that's all I have to say about all of this....

Tons o fun

Well I had a really fun weekend!! It started Friday night when April and I went to see a band play up in Big Lake. They were really good and we had a nice time!

Here is my before hair:


And after hair:


Then on Saturday morning we got ready and had a bridal shower for my cousin's fiance! I made some more chocolate covered strawberries!
I started with big ripe juicy berries


Then I used some brigt colored sprinkles (non pariels, actually)


And voila! Here they are, all colorful!


Then, at the shower, I had to take a pic of these gorgeous flowers my Aunt brought from her garden- they are absolutely magnificent!




And these are so cute- they are antiques that my Grandma has and the used to be used to hold salt so you could dip your radishes and green onions in them, but my grandma used them for tiny vases for some flower buds. SO CUTE! And notice the little bride and groom figurine.


After the awesome shower, I went with April to our friends parents house for a birthday party and it was a ton of fun. Her parents live on a small farm and have all kinds of fun stuff to do!

They have the most adorable donkeys!




And chickens


They also have an amazing pond in the back of there house that has all sorts of decorations and I think its so cute!


Here is Suzi and Donalds daughter Katlyn playing in the dirt


And here is my friends mom (Trudy) with her horse who is "Smiling" :)


And finally, here is the three amigos- Suzi, April, and I

Self Control

I just wanted you to be proud of me for having self control. Pre-op, one of my big vices was potato chips and french onion dip. I could eat a TON of it and not get sick of it. Well, at work today, someone brought in this snack to share and I wanted to eat all of it. My head told me to chow down, but my common sense said I didnt need all those empty calories and fat grams. I compromised with myself and had one and it was AMAZING but I had to walk past it the rest of the day without touching it. I know its worth it to stay away and as the book I read says "Nothing will ever taste as good as being thin feels" and I am going to make that my mantra today! :)

Short but sweet

Yesterday on my afternoon break at work I decided to walk out to the mailbox and mail some things, then walk for the rest of my break. There are some beautiful sites outside of my building so I took a picture of one.... Right in front of our building are some plants and flowers that make it look like a prarie. I know the pic is small but there are gorgeous purple and yellow flowers mixed in there that make it absolutely beautiful! Enjoy! :)

Happy 4th!!

So I have a lot of pics to share- hope you're ready!!!!!

The 4th of July began at the park in Anoka with my family


We were there to see the North Suburban Community Band in the bandshell


My Aunt Joni and cousin Caleb had fun on the swings!


And my Aunt Joni also made some AMAZING (and festive) foods. As you can see, she made red velvet cake but there was a layer of blue cake, white frosting, then red cake. It was frosted in white then the outside was decorated like an American Flag. To go with it, she made these Uncle Sam ice cream cones which were prettymuch the cutest thing ever!!






Then, I went to my friend Josh's sister Amy's house for some more fun! (Josh is visiting from Cali so its always good to see him, plus his sister is awesome so it was fun to hang out with her too!) Here is Josh and April in the pool house...


For this party, I made chocolate covered strawberries, but I used white chocolate and blue sprinkles to make the all 4th of July-ish!


And this is me and April out by the pool, catching some rays :)


All in all it was a great weekend!

Nice call, Minnesota!

Meet your new Senator. Aren't you proud??

Just because its funny....

Its July????

So I have been gone for a while, no reason in particular other than sheer laziness. Well I thought I would stop by and say hello and update you on whats going on over here. I have been doing good still going to the gym several times a week, it really helps that my mom and two of my good friends also have joined YMCA so I have a ton of support in that area! My membership officially starts today! Tonight we are going to a Latin Hip Hop class that is for sure my favorite class so far! I like to pretend that I am some backup dancer on tour with Britney or something and I have to really do a good job with the choreography. That way I pay attention to my arms and make sure they are strong and high, and I make sure I am putting all my effort into what I am doing and not wimp out. It makes it more fun, I think!

Other than that, I started reading a new book last night and I absolutely love it! I have never EVER read a book that was like this before. Its like the book was written for me to address where I am right now in my life. The book is called "What a Girl Wants" and its by Kristin Billerbeck. I knew this book was for me when the tag line on the cover said "All I want is a cute Christian guy who doesn't live with his mother- and maybe a Prada handbag." THAT IS SO ME! I started reading the first few chapters and am absolutely in love with it. The character in the book is similar to me, and she is at that point in her life where all of her friends are getting married and having babies, and she isn't and she cant figure out why. She thinks something must be blatantly wrong with her, but she cant figure out what it is. And she is happy for all of her friends that are married and procreating, but she cant help but almost cry she hears about another success because she cant find her own. She is searching for meaning and acceptance as a single woman and I can relate so much its scary. She can figure out why everyone else around her is single, but she cant figure it out for herself and I cant wait to see where this book goes. (Although I have a feeling she is gonna fall in love and then I will no longer relate to her, but still, maybe there is hope....)



So anyway, I guess that's my rant for now... LATER!!