take me out to the crowd

take me out to the ballgame, originally uploaded by conniemg6.

although i am not (nor will i ever be) a minnesota sports fan, the reality is that the metrodome is about 10 blocks from my house and lambeau and brewer stadium are a few hundred MILES. so, i settled last night. it was the first pro baseball game i had attended in about 15 years. and although it does not have the same ambiance as an outdoor stadium, this is minnesota and so i need to go a little easy on them.... it was enjoyable. just being able to stand up and cheer, have a beer and some sunflower seeds. it was baseball!

signed, sealed, delivered

aiesec!, originally uploaded by conniemg6.

what a saturday. @ and pure goodness. throwing money into the wind (literally), a bus ride, shuffle board, reminiscing, making new memories, german food and bier.

i got soul but i'm not a soldier

as stated in previous post, rickesh is coming to town today. this makes me fairly excited, and i'm not quite sure why. i think it is probably because i still miss the goodness that @ brought to my life and any hint of that past life gives me a warm, fuzzy hug.

lately, i've started to have mild panic attacks regarding my upcoming birthday. they are QUITE MILD, but they still creep up on me... that quarter-life crisis, oh my god, my life's nothing like i wanted it to be by now, type of panic. don't get me wrong, i'm cool with where my life is headed. but, well, you know?

spending someone's hard earned pay

it's been crazy and random lately....

-new ceo arrived last monday. i'm very excited about his visions for us.
-friday..worked late, went to coworkers for more work stuff after work, as soon as lights out, phone call for a wing-man and so a re-dressing and re-face-painting and out until bar close
-saturday..early morning work thing, nap and then theme park with friend and children.
-sunday... no call back to confirm brunch..sad me.
-monday... confirmation that dissing brunch was legit due to labor. rowena born in early monday am!!

...this weekend may prove to be random as well. ricky-g landing friday. night at lyles with he and angie. i'm stoked!

if you fell down a well i would bring you a rope and take all of your pain

singing with a skip through the office... weird look from the doorway of VPF

vpf: did you drink before work today?
me: no....
vpm: but we prefer her when she does.
main investor: eyeroll and semi-smirk as he passes this conversation.

i am the one with the clientele

group huddle, originally uploaded by conniemg6.

group huddles at work... secretive open & honest time... many times around my cube! ducking so no one can find us...and using our inside voices while mastering lip reading :)

i'm trying not to stare, it's too late

i'm curious as to whether someone was in my apartment yesterday or if i have a ghost or if my things just spontaneously break. when i set my mail on my coffee table yesterday, i noticed a ring around my wine glass. i thought i had left a full glass of chablis on the table before bed the night before. but when i picked up my very awesome wine glass, the ring around the glass was actually a perfectly straight break that happened all the way around the top inch of the glass. i'm not sure how that may be explained... is there a logical or scientific explanation to that?

spring is definitely in the air and dancing in my head! i'm quite enjoying it this week... 70 degrees yesterday. gorgeous compared to the 25 plus snowstorm that was just this past friday. had vivid dreams of the lake last night.... hot summer days and swimming, sunscreen, bbq's, fishing, boating... summer gloriousness. i'm ready for it to be here! for the ice to be gone from the water! for flowers to come up! for the smell of fresh-cut grass!!

engulfed with happiness this moment...

i am an opera singer, i will sing when you're all dead

will be renting on a month-to-month basis. recent developments make me believe this is my best option.

twin, i may see you soon....

weekend #4 back in medford. then 2 off and my birthday weekend (well, the one before) will be there again. oofta....lots of visiting to the land of dairy.

making my way downtown, walking fast

conscious decision... really concentrating... on making my life healthier. starting now.

two miles closer to a better me.

cooking down the sap

cooking down the sap, originally uploaded by conniemg6.

as the steam from the shower crept into my hair, the bathroom was engulfed in the smell of roasted marshmallows. but it wasn't marshmallows that the smell actually was. it was the combo of fire and maple syrup fumes.

my uncle called yesterday afternoon letting us all know that he was cooking down that night and having a little shin-dig if we wanted to come out. of course we did!! there's not much better than getting together with the fam, huddled around the warmth of the vat, feeding the fire to make the gallons and gallons of sugar-water tasting sap into caramelized heaven.

in our house, we do NOT have log cabin, or aunt jemima. ...we eat pure smola-made maple syrup. and we do NOT leave a drop on our plates. lots of time and effort go into cooking down. and it would be a sin to waste any of it!

Pure Maple Syrup

licking the vat, originally uploaded by conniemg6.

it's pure gold! licking the vat is the best part of cooking off. all the kiddos gather around with a spoon..... or their finger. enjoying the pure sugar of the trees. ever since i can remember, this has been one of my favorite times of the year...and one of my favorite impromptu family gatherings.

we distracted the little'uns with four-wheeler rides while we (my sister, my cousin and i) wrung out the cheese cloth that we strain the silt out of the syrup with and enjoyed just a little more golden goodness!

everybody dies famous in a small town

there are a few things that i've learned this week while on my vacation back home to wisconsin:

1- i have great friends back home. ...i walk into an establishment and the person on the other end of the phone has bought us our first round ... and they all laugh when i tell them i'm not drinking.

2- my mom doesn't really want to be a grandma as much as she implies. my older brother almost gave her an april fools heart attack... "mom, you're gonna be a grandma... just some girl i know". it was priceless.

3- i never thought i'd miss it here... but i think i'd get sick of it again if i lived here. i AM getting tired of Mpls....not sure why, or if it's just because i've not experienced the city yet. maybe this summer will be better. or maybe this summer will be back in medford more often, getting a tan at the cottage.

4- i don't want kids anytime soon. good birth control here, god children and their siblings. whoo... it's nice to hand them back to the parents!

5- i'm pretty sure that i've gotten as much done working remotely as i do in the office. perhaps i should propose that i do this more often..and then figure out a way to make the company pay for my trips. mumken....

6- i burn easily.

i'm excited for the upcoming nuptials. i LOVE weddings! the next two weekends are going to be lovely.