Making Plans to Move!!! June 3, 2008

Finally! We are going to move home! Steve and I have been stuck in the middle of nowhere long enough! It is time to move on to a city that has better-than-Wal-Mart stores and things to do! While Pierre is decently pretty and has a good community… I am ready to move home to Omaha.

Back in high school, I used to complain that Omaha was a boring place and I was excited to be able to leave it. Unlike a lot of my friends who moved on to bigger and better places, I was silly and moved on to South Dakota. Small town life just plain sucked in my opinion. There are a lot of appealing factors about small towns, but I really grew tired of being so far away from a Target. Oh, and I missed being close to family… I actually like mine!

We have no immediate plans to move, but we hope to be out of here before the summer is over. We need some time to plan on where to live, work, and all that jazz. I am hoping for a house so I can be done with moving altogether, but I am also trying to keep an open mind in case God has other plans. We are really looking forward to being in the same place as our families! It has been lonely in Pierre. We have had an awesome apartment here but no one wants to drive through South Dakota to see us!

We will miss our friends and church, but we will stay in touch and probably visit every once in a while. It is just time to move on!

Went for a Ride May 31, 2008

Stephen and I tried out a trolley ride this evening. We rode it across the river to a steakhouse, had some dinner, had some wine, and rode home! It cost us $4.00 each, round trip… not really sure if that was worth the 10 minute ride or not. It was fun though. I took some pictures from my phone, which surprisingly came out well.

We pretended like this was a celebration dinner for our upcoming anniversary. And we also celebrated the fact that Steve could afford to take time away from work to go out for dinner. But, that was just a small celebration because as soon as we got back, he jogged around the corner and went back to work. I am with him now, sitting in someone’s desk beside him. It is sad. It is a beautiful day out and he’s stuck at work. At least he got to have a margarita!

We are doing our best to brace ourselves for the next couple of weeks. Steve has his work deadline in a few days and then he’s off to Mexico! And me? I will be busy being supportive and helping him get through the deadline and helping him prepare to go to Mexico.

June 11th will be our 3-year anniversary. It will be a little disappointing that we won’t be together that day. But I just realized that we have so far not been able to actually celebrate our anniversary on our anniversary. Let’s recap, shall we?

Year 1… we had just moved to Pierre and didn’t know much about the town. So, we went out for dinner. Of course that day was a Sunday, and we soon realized that the nicer restaurants around here are not open on Sundays. I don’t even remember what we ended up doing, but we were too overwhelmed with the move to worry about it. And, we were planning saving our wedding cake to eat, but the cake was so good, there was nothing left to save. In fact, the only part of our wedding cake we ate were the pieces we fed to each other.

Year 2- Steve was in Mexico… I was in Omaha.

Year 3- Same as year 2!v

Ding Ding Goes Pierre’s Trolleys! May 25, 2008

I’m not quite sure what the chamber was thinking when they decided to purchase three trolleys for the city, I don’t feel like this is a big enough city to support them. But regardless, they are really fun to see driving around town on the weekends. I have been hanging out with Steve in the office when he works late… which is all the time. The office is along the trolley route and I have been seeing them drive by every fifteen minutes. The picture above is the green one zooming by (taken from my phone, by the way). They also have a red one. The sad part is I haven’t seen a single person on them… yep, sad. Like I said, this town isn’t big enough for three to be running… maybe just one.

Next weekend we may go for a ride. I know they go across the river and stop at one of our favorite steakhouses… sounds like it could make a nice date (early anniversary dinner perhaps!) That is, if Steve ever has a night off!

Playing With Puppies May 22, 2008

I love dogs and puppies and the whole bit. I would get one if I could, but I have not lived anywhere that will allow it. I’m not sure if Steve will be up for owning a dog either, but he won’t have a choice. I feel like once I can have a dog, I’ll finally feel like an adult. The funny thing about that statement is I probably won’t ever be able to have one until we are in a house… owning a house should make me feel like an adult… but I’m pretty sure I won’t until I adopt a dog.

I frequently mention that I wish I could have a puppy to Steve and he goes through the classic “parent” response. “You have to take care of it, you know. And clean up after it. If you want it, it will be your responsibility. Puppies are cute for a minute”. So do you see what I mean about finally feeling like I’m adult. I’m 27 and if I want a dog, I will get a dog. Sheesh.

Steve isn’t a dog hater, he’s just practical. He seems to be impressed with how smart and active they are and I think he would enjoy having one. Or maybe he just knows that no matter what, I will have a dog and if he has a problem with that, he wouldn’t have married me. I must have come with a disclaimer: “WARNING: this woman will own a dog no matter what you say! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!”

Our local humane society is a kitty palace. These cats have the entire space catered to them so they can roam free and play with all the toys they want. The dogs… they are all in foster homes. Last weekend, though, they brought in a couple of dogs plus a litter of puppies, so I went down there to play with them. Let me just say it was chaotic. I don’t think those people are comfortable around dogs. They only kept them in a small space for people to view them. There were about 6 volunteers roaming around in the room, two black Labs that they kept on a leash, and a bin with with the puppies inside. Nobody seemed to know much information about any of the dogs. They wouldn’t let the puppies out because they didn’t want them to pee on the carpet… the very carpet that their kitty queens get to vomit and spew hairballs on. Whatever. Anyway, it was very uneventful and I feel bad that the dogs do not have a proper way to be viewed by the public. So sad. If I could donate money, I am sure it would go towards Kitty Land and not to a better facility. I am acquainted with the organization’s president and she seems to be all about cats.

Anyway, one day I’ll rescue one.

Grocery Cart Judgment May 6, 2008

I went to Wal-Mart to shop for groceries today (nothing good ever follows that statement). I despise going there. Always. You know how driving brings out the ugliness in people and road rage? Well, Wal-Mart brings out the ugliness in shoppers. It surprises me how an average stay-at-home mom can become a vicious carnivore near the Spaghetti-O’s. Even I find myself losing patience. Here are some of the typical scenarios and shopper stereotypes we all face when going to this store.

1. The Tailgaters- What is it with the people who are in such a hurry that they nearly run you over with their cart??? I do my best to maneuver cautiously, keeping myself and my cart out of the way. But every once in a while, I get in front of a speed shopper who cannot go around me… and I am clearly not moving fast enough for their liking… so they nip at my heels with their cart. What if a kid ran out in front of my cart and I had to stop suddenly. BAM! They would run right into me! My insurance won’t cover that type of collision!!! Are they so worried that someone will buy the last bag of Doritos that they are willing to risk lives? Steve has another name for tailgaters… Bumper Humpers.
2. The Roadblockers- These people are usually sweet old ladies who leave their cart in the middle of the isle while they compare a loaf of Sara Lee wheat bread to a generic marble rye. It will take them a good ten minutes to decide, meanwhile, other shoppers have to detour and go down another isle just to get past her. Another Roadblocker may be the husband who has his wife’s grocery list and is shopping for her. He stands in the middle of the isle staring at the list, then the goods on the shelf, unable to find what he is looking for even though it is right in front of him. The worst of the Roadblockers is the large family all huddled together while mom shops. They stand side-by-side and move slowly down the isle. There is absolutely no way to get past them… it is best to continue shopping on the opposite side of the store and work your way back as a means to avoid them at all costs!
3. The Judges- I have recently seen an increase in the number of people who stare at my cart when I pass by. They look like they are judging me by what is in it. Do not judge me by what is in my cart!!! Besides, I have nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone needs to buy a hefty bulk of toilet paper… that is just nature! Do they think they are better than everyone else? Do they look down on those of us who like buying water chestnuts or heavy whipping cream? Such elitists! If they are really passing judgment on me based on what is in my cart they would discover that I am American…. *GASP*! Yes, I buy baby carrots and Tostitos just like the rest of you!!!
4. The Race-Cart Drivers- Have you ever headed to a check-out lane and had someone race in front of you just to get in the line first? It happens all the time. I have seen people practically run to the open lane. They sometimes come out of nowhere too… as if they were hiding in a clothing rack unsuspecting to everyone else and suddenly pounced at the cashier as if they were pray. Often times the people who do this end up having an unpriced item or have to ring up their items as separate purchases, or end not having their wallet and have to leave empty handed.
   

You know, I really could go on, but for the sake of time, I will stop. Next time you are at the store, do yourself a favor and evaluate who you are and how you shop. And consider getting insurance to cover grocery shopping.

So So Funny! May 5, 2008

If you are not familiar with the comedian, Brian Reagan, then…. what is wrong with you?! Watch this short clip for a sample of his work. I have had youtube vidoes of him playing the background the last couple of days. My sides ache!

A New Day, A New Blog May 5, 2008

Well, here it is. The first post of my new blog. After some exploring and consideration, I decided to sign up with WordPress and try it on for size. I have been using Blogger, but WordPress will be more flexible for what I want. Although I have the ability to insert my old blog here, I have opted to start fresh. If you feel inclined to see my old blog, go here: clickme! This blog will soon be incorporated into my personal website… as soon as Steve shows me how.

For now, I’ll try out some different themes, add some widgets, and get this blog rolling!