Chili from a box? Not here in Can Land...

I have no idea what the title of my blog means...but I read it on the front of Sunday's Pioneer Press and I could not stop laughing...I want to go to Can Land...it sounds cantabulous! Does anyone else want to go to Can Land with me?

cheating

so I finally went and got my hair cut all short again...and the whole time all I could think of was that I was TOTALLY CHEATING on my hair dresser Emily...she no longer works at Regis but mailed me a letter saying where she went and yet I still chose to go to Regis because they are programmed into my phone and I knew they would have time for me today...don't get me wrong, Jenny was nice and I really like my hair cut...but it just wasn't Emily..I've been going to Emily for like 2 years!!! I feel like such a cheater. I guess I will have to just find that letter she sent me and get that number in my phone so I don't cheat again! I wonder if I should tell her about Jenny? :-)

loving a person just the way they are

so last night I hung out with my two sisters...first Anika going to the movies and then with Jess on the phone for almost 2 hours (the reason I'm so tired today!). These two girls love me just the way I am and that is no small thing. I am blessed.

words from a waiter

so last night I went to the target fireworks (aka "the big oooahhh") with a bunch of my friends...only to realize that all my friends are couples...married within the year and some even within the month...and to quote our waiter at Old Spag where we went for a late night dinner "you two on one check, you two on the other, and you on your own...the third wheel huh? I know how that feels!" to bad he wasn't a little taller, I would have let him even our numbers out...

my favorite moment of the day

my favorite moment of today was when the snack lady came and told me that one of the kids was rumored to have eaten a cup of hand sanitizer instead of jello and that if he did the label said we should call poison control...so off I went to investigate...I found the boy and asked him about it and you could tell he'd been asked a few times by other people and was annoyed to be asked again by me..."I didn't eat it!!!" was all he said over and over...with eyes rolling, hands raised and teeth clenched...ahhh...i love kids.

so hard to fathom

If those who read this could pray for the Reiter family that would be good. Yesterday, father and son were driving and got into a horrible car accident that killed the father, Pat, instantly and the son, Kyle, is in ICU with head injuries...he is 13. Pat's daughter Faith was my roommate for a couple years after I got out of college. They have a few other sons as well, Kyle is the youngest. He needs serious prayer for healing and recovery and the family will need a ton of prayer to survive this loss. I am in shock about it still and am grieving along with this family. I am guessing the funeral will be on Friday. The link below is the news report of what happened.
http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S17627.html?cat=1


On a different note, VBS is going good. Besides the angry swarm of bees after a few kids treating their hive like a pinata, and the couple kids who have puked...it hasn't been so bad :-) Considering we have over 250 kids here and it's grown each day so far (we think by the end of the week it will be 350 kids) those things are minor!

I touched Josh Gracin

yup...I sure did. last night was the big downtown block party kick off to the "ten best days of summer" aquatennial. It was soooo fun! I met my friend Callie down there for a night of pure country. Cowboy hats and guys waving their beers in the air to the beat of the music. Good times.
Jake Owen was the first act we caught...he sings the song "Yeehaw" and is currently opening for Kenny Chesney so that was cool. The next guy was Eric Church, he sings "how 'bout you", another fun country song...the final act was Josh Gracin. He was sooooo good and fun to watch, great performer. The crowd was going wild the whole time with him. When his set was mostly done he left the stage and his band did some stuff that was fun to watch, while they did this they snuck him to the back of the crowd and then all of a sudden the band starts playing a Garth Brooks song "Ain't going down 'till the sun comes up..." and you hear Josh singing and everyone is trying to figure out from where...he worked his way through the middle of the crowd from the very back, up to the stage and in the process he walked right by Callie and me and I touched his arm...yup...totally cheesy and funny but true. It was a very fun concert and I was soooooooooooooo glad to get away from church for a few hours and just enjoy the night and some great music.

Soggy

things that are soggy...my jeep, the things I had in my jeep, the pants I was wearing trying to put the top on my jeep in the rain, my outlook on life today...yes, all very soggy. But the sun is shining and I am hoping it will do a wonderful job today of getting rid of all things soggy. yeah.

crappy crap crap crap

so I am in my office with no windows, walked out to the hall to look outside only to see it is raining cats and dogs...big ones...and my jeep top is off...and I am here at church in jeans...I am about to get very wet...dang dang dang and crappy crap crap...

things to look forward to Current mood: Overwhelmed
Free country music at the Aquatennial block party tomorrow night (more so because it's my guaranteed night away from my job in a week where I will work at least 90 hours)
The moment I leave the building after VBS is done and I'm still alive
The Big OoooAhhh fireworks with friends the saturday after VBS
Being at home long enough to do a load of laundry
Wearing shorts to work tomorrow
Having a minute to call someone that is related to me or is a friend...not someone I work with or for or who volunteers.
Eating at home...even Taco Bell gets old after this week and next...
*These are a few of the things I think of to get me through this big event...sigh...I spent most of last night and today at the top of a lift tying plastic onto the rafters of our atrium about a gazillion feet in the air..and did I mention that I got put in charge of a huge carpet project this week, have a huge nursery equipment project that is in the works for the sunday after vbs, prep for the charter school coming in and the day care leaving, and that they decided to paint our office yesterday with no warning and moved all my things off my desk into boxes that I still haven't located all of yet? sweet.

Frost Like Ashes

So my brother and his band were in town this last weekend for a gig. I went out to dinner with them all saturday night and learned their real names...but on Sunday when I saw them again they had new names and faces :-) just part of the charm I guess. My sister Jess drove up to see the show with me...which I was glad for. I love doing stuff with her and this was just one more memory made. So I spent 5 hours listening to christian black/death metal...with earplugs...I listened to about three songs with out and could feel my hearing going away :-) It was cool to see my brother doing what he loves on stage and plus the guys he plays with are cool. I had a really great "ministry" talk with the key board player who is going to school to be a pastor and talking with the rest of them at White Castle (don't worry, I still haven't broken my life long oath to not eat there!) was good too, getting to know them a little better was good. One funny thing that happened at this show was that their was actually a show right next door going on that was country music, well two of the guys all dressed in their metal gear and crazy face paint walked in with Jess and I to watch for a little bit and the country music singer dedicated a song to them, after which they joined them on stage for a few photo's...super funny...I got the country guy's email to send him copies of the pics. After the show was over and we were headed home at some crazy hour of the night, Jess and I decided to try to take a pic of the city at this certain place I knew about...well, their are a couple crazy intersections in the area we were headed and we ended up going through one wrong and then having to back out...well, wouldn't you know it...their was a cop right there! figures...so we got pulled over and warned...sheesh! what a way to end the night...and then the pics didn't even turn out that great and we were freezing cold! all in all it was a very fun day...and it was so good to see my brother who I haven't seen in sooooooo long!!!
I'm pretty sure I will never fit in as a metal head or whatever they call themselves, but I did buy a cool leather eyelet bracelet from one of the bands that I think I can pull off :-)

a blast

...so I pretty much love fireworks...I went to fireworks three nights in a row last week and I may go again tonight...and for sure in a couple weeks I am going to the big ooooh ahhhhh target fireworks...my fav of all the fireworks...
...so last night I saw my brother Mike who I haven't seen in a few years. It was nice...I got to meet his band as well and they are all very cool guys...funny with big personalities just like him...kind of fun. Jess and I are going to their show this afternoon...should be interesting...I'll post a few pics later on for all to see...I have never actually been to one of his shows before...I have a feeling earplugs will be required so I don't lose hearing from it! I already know I'm going to look like a misfit so I may as well protect my hearing :-) If you've never heard his music check out my top 8, Frost Like Ashes is the band...good times...should be a blast! maybe better than fireworks...
Happy Sunday to all who read this!

Wedded Bliss

So Twon and Beth are off in Paris having a grand time I'm sure. They got hitched on Saturday and a fun time was had by all. Jen Dale and I drove up together in my jeep (btway, my AC doesn't really work I guess). We followed Twon all the way there, minus getting left at a stop light...my favorite part of the drive was the big huge dots on the road outside of one town and all the signs telling people to leave two dots in between you and the car in front of you, they really wanted you to pay attention to those dots, a new sign every so many feet telling you a new fun fact about the dots...I wish I could have stopped for a pic...it was to funny...
Anyhow, we got to Paynesville (beth's hometown) and checked into the hotel after which we went to the church to rehearse for the big day...the bridesmaids walked alone down the aisle and joined the guys up on the platform, that was the first time I've done a wedding like that and it was nice actually...Andy Strandquist was my "guy"...nice to be with a tall man for a change in a wedding...the other two weddings I've walked in I was with shortie short short short guys...ish...plus Andy's fun so we had a good time laughing the rehearsal away. After the rehearsal we went to dinner with everyone at a restaurant on the lake, it was a very pretty view and good food. Beth and Twon said nice things about everyone and gave us amazing gifts...girls all got a small Coach purse/clutch thing..plus jewelry and the guys got ipod mini shuffle's...very generous but that is to be expected from those two.Later that night a few of us went and saw the new Superman..I totally want to have a movie marathon to watch all the old ones..I really enjoy my superhero flicks :-) The big day was seriously a day of picture taking fun...seems like we got up, got ready and got our pictures taken, over and over and over and over...lucky it was a beautiful day so I didn't mind so much...poor guys in their tuxes though looked very hot...The wedding itself was very simple and beautiful...Andy kept making me laugh during the ceremony...I'm sure the video will show me chuckling here and there and no one will know why, "it's the voices" will have to be my response I suppose :-) My favorite part of the wedding was Beth and Twon kissing...only because I know how PDA shy Twon is so it was very sweet. Pastor Rob made a few jokes about it during the wedding actually so that made it even funnier you could say.After the wedding we went to Beth's grandparent's farm for more pics...she's always talking about their farm so it was really fun to see for myself. The reception was very nice, they introduced all the bridal party a couple at a time and we had our grand entrance (grand makes it sound so grand don't ya think?) then off to eat, drink, toast and be merry...it was a very nice time. All in all it was a great wedding experience, I think it was so great because I knew everyone in the bridal party and a lot of them I hadn't seen in a while or talked in person to in a while and that made it just very fun and comfortable.
It was so nice to talk to Sunia in person (Paul too) myspace works good but I'm much better in real life. And I always like seeing Andy who now lives in California. I hadn't seen Jeremy Gates in months so it was nice to catch up with him...also DJ Stein was their, pretty much haven't seen him since college. Twon's roommate (that would be ex roommate now) Seth was there too, also a friend from college. I finally got to meet Beth's friend Tarra, she is so sweet. And spending time with Jen was fun (she just got engaged herself!). All the River Valley pastors were there too and the Skoog's and man I could list a ton of others too I suppose...it was great.
I am very happy for Beth and Twon and it was great to be with them on their wedding day. I posted a couple pics of the day if you want to take a peek...kind of fun!