Friday, May 27, 2005

huge pile

I watched "Rob and Amber Get Married" on Tuesday night. It was fantastic and beautiful!

I walked home in the rain on Wednesday. I tried a different route but I was still soaked when I got home.

Two old co-workers, Kevin and Edmund, came into work to visit yesterday! It was great to see them both!

I bought banana split supplies last night and I ate a banana split.

All week I have been ignoring this huge pile of clothes that I keep transporting from my bed, to my chair, to my floor...I wonder when I will actually just breakdown and put them away...??

I am debating what to do this weekend. I just got back from work and will have to decide shortly.

I hope that everyone has had a good week and has a good weekend!

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

world go around

I walked home from work today. My route takes me through downtown on 5th Street, a gravel parking lot, up a hill on a sidewalk right next to cars honking and driving too fast. Half way up I have to cross this busy street. I desperately hit the "I want to cross the street and not get killed. Please flash the little white walking person" button. I finally cross it gets better, I move away from the hussle and bustle of the cars and walk up a well worn dirt path...once I get to the top I am on Selby Avenue. Along the way I see on the sidewalk, "All the colors of the rainbow make the world go around" written in chalk (isn't that fantastic?!), today I stopped at a little card shop two blocks from my apartment (I bought two homemade caramels that I ate before I got home). People were out in abundance because the weather is almost perfect, you can feel the rain in the air but it is not yet here.

While walking home I smiled and said hello to the people that I passed. All it takes is a smile to connect with someone. Why don't more people smile? Why are we taught to never talk to "strangers"? Why isn't everyone just turning to one another and exclaiming how utterly incredibile it is to see them, asking them who they are and what is their story?!!?!?!?

Something else occured to me on my walk home today. As I was waiting to cross the busy street I hear someone honking like crazy. I recognize the driver as a regular customer, apparently the car in front of theirs was not moving fast enough. Their impatience was ridiculous. Everyday I "serve" impatient people...I feel frustrated with them because sometimes they don't even say hello. I found myself even more disappointed and realizing that impatience is cruel, rude, insensative, but most of all selfish.

Maybe the actions of others (or more importantly our own) teach us who we want to be.

Monday, May 23, 2005

i am quitting my job

Today I told my manager that my last day with Starbucks is July 1st!

allisa's garden

Today I started my day off right with an almond croissant.

Then I worked all day.

After work I headed over to Allisa's to see her new kitchen. It is a beautiful robin egg blue with new cabinets, counters and a sink, it looks fantastic!

In her back yard she has planted a garden full of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, sweet corn, garlic, rosemary, basil, mint, lettuce, beans, lavender and much more! It looks awesome and I can't wait to see it in full bloom (and share in the feast).

Today it is beautiful out and it feels great. I left for my apartment with a bouquet of lilies of the valley. Thank you Allisa!

Saturday, May 21, 2005

field day

I surprised my Mom on Thursday for her annual Field Day she organizes for the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. My Mom has been the Elementary Physical Education Teacher for Lake Crystal Elementary almost 35 years. She will be retiring next October (so this is her last Field Day and last "end of the year" for her).

She was completely surprised and screamed when she saw me! The Field Day was fabulous and so fun to watch! It literally has been raining for the past three weeks but the sun showed up for my Mom's Field Day!

The kids love Field Day, they get split up into teams, each enter three different events, and get scored and timed by the big high school track team volunteers. The relay is the finale and it really is so exciting! Two girls and two boys from each class race their little hearts out for about 100 meters and then hand off the baton to their classmate. Everyone cheers and screams for who they want to win!

After school Mom and I drove home to Mankato and had leftover spaghetti meat pie and waited for my Dad and Peter to come home. We talked and talked and then I had to drive back up to St. Paul.

I love going home, it always feels....just good.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

to do lists

I am an obsessive "To Do" list keeper. I have notebooks full of lists and lists of things I need or plan on doing for the day or week or month. My friend Amanda gave me a pack of 12 little notebooks for my birthday. They are numbered so they stay organized and they are small enough to fit in my purse!

To Do for Wednesday 5/18:

1. Drop off film at Ritz
2. Eat lunch while waiting
3. Pick up film
4. See if there is a Body Shop store at Mall (buy mascara)
5. Watch Oprah (if it looks interesting)
6. Show apartments at 5:30 appointment and 6:00 appointment
7. Cook some dinner (pasta and broccoli)
8. Go to YWCA for Yoga class
9. Go to bed early

This is just a glimpse of what my "To Do" lists look like....!

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

change is good

Even though my weekends and my entries might make me sound busy...it doesn't mean I am completely satisfied. The past few weeks have been crazy and I haven't really expressed what has been going on in my life.

I want a different job. My one year anniversary at Starbucks is coming up and I can't believe a year has already gone by. I don't like working there as much as I used to and it is getting really hard putting on a happy face.

I really miss Jake and being apart for almost six years is really sucking right now...so I started to think about moving to Ames! Being from the same hometown has been a blessing and being in school had always been a good distraction (from actually being apart). Now that school is over for me (Jake has one more semester for graduate school)...it really has been hard being apart. I never (really) wanted to live in Ames but lately the move seems like the right thing for me and for us. It is exciting to think about actually being in the same state, let alone the same city!!!

After a few weeks of really thinking about moving...I got a call from The College of St. Catherine, in St. Paul, about a job opening for Admission Counselor (a few months ago I had started applying for different jobs and had contacted St. Kate's and never heard back from them until last Monday). I did apply for the job, however, I also am applying for jobs in Ames. All of these moves would not occur until the end of the summer...

I feel overwhelmed, I feel nervous, I feel excited, and I feel weird.

Through all of these emotions I have spoken with Jake, my parents, my brother, my aunt, my cousins, my grandma, Jakes mom, brother and sister, and my good friends here in St. Paul and in Wisconsin...Everyone has been so encouraging and supportive. Thank you!!

Nothing is definite but I can't wait to find out what happens! Change is good.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

mini b


me pissed
Originally uploaded by akl.
Friday night Jake arrives and we head to Punch Pizza for a late dinner.

Saturday we have breakfast at Bachman's (wonderful almond croissants), then head to IKEA and buy Jake some more stuff for his new apartment, then back to Grand Avenue to Evla Pottery, then to Pad Thai for dinner, and then to Izzy's for ice cream. We were exhausted.

Today we went to breakfast with Paige and Luke at The Birchwood in Minneapolis. We all went for a walk around my neighborhood and marveled at the houses (mansions really). Jake and I took a nap and then he had to leave. But not before we headed to Izzy's one more time! I had the Mini B, which is a wonderfully small banana split.

The photo was taken just before Jake had to leave...I have his shoes on and really don't want him to leave.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

graduate

Congratulations to my cousin Abby who graduated from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse today! I am proud of you!

Friday, May 13, 2005

dream site


dream site
Originally uploaded by akl.
I wish I was back here with Jake and Ben. I took this picture last June after we had hiked up this mountain and found the most unbelievable site. We felt like the only three people in the world. I wasn't cold there.

i am cold

I am so cold. One of my storm windows is broken in my apartment so it will not shut properly. This week it has been windy and rainy and freezing. I am cold.

I had a day off yesterday and I did nothing but sleep and watch movies.

I am waiting for Jake to arrive any minute. My apartment is a mess and I don't even care (what is happening to me!)?

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

st. peter


st. peter
Originally uploaded by akl.
This past weekend was so much fun! I had a great time home with my family and Jakes family. We ate and played all weekend.

Friday night we all waited until midnight for Jake to come home. He had "36 hours of Misfortune" (you will have to ask him to tell you about it). Once he got home there was a French Silk Pie for him to enjoy. He told us his "36 hours of Misfortune" story and I have never laughed so hard!

Saturday my Mom baked chocolate chip cookies (I love going home). My Dad went up to Minneapolis to visit his Mother for the day and then picked he picked up my other Grandma and drove back to Mankato. My Mom made the most delicious meal for all of us that night. I headed over to Jake's (my parents and Grandma went to a movie) and we played baseball with Hope. It was so cool to see her go from not knowing how to hold the bat to actually hitting the ball and running around the bases! She is only four and is an absolute delight!

Sunday was Mother's Day! I made rosemary potatoes while my family was at church. My Mom had prepared the other dishes and everything was delicious. My Mom finally got to open her present.

This past month my Auntie Sue and I have been recreating the corner piece from the parkay floor from my Great Great Grandmother's house. Her house was on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. Years ago my Grandpa had cut a piece from the original floor along with two corner pieces right before the house was destroyed...he had always wanted to recreate another corner. The process was so much fun and the piece turned out beautiful!

Ran errands Sunday afternoon and then Jake and I headed over to his Grandparents house in St. Peter. They are about to put the 1895 house up for sale. His Grandmother just moved out and they had painted and wallpaper and redone the floors. The house looked beautiful. There are tons of lilies of the Valley all around his Grandparents house. They are my favorite part of their house. Later that night we had Jake's Stadium pizza for dinner with my family.

This weekend I went to good old DQ West twice and had the classic pecan cluster blizzard.

I drove my Grandma back to Minneapolis yesterday morning and then headed home to St. Paul.

My parents did buy a fridge and it was delivered yesterday! We didn't go "downtown" on Saturday night, but no lose there.

Friday, May 06, 2005

mankato

It is 82 degrees hot in Mankato Minnesota today. I just got home and saw the temperature on my old high school message board.

My parents just left to go buy a new fridge, I decided to not go with them. My old dog, Patches, is into her same routine...she was excited to see me for about 1.5 seconds and then she went about her business as usual...sniffs all around the kitchen and then goes straight to her bed and naps..she is so old but I still love her.

My brother Peter just found out he got a job for the summer! He is going to be working in a bank. Congratulations Peter!

Jake just finished up his school year today and will be heading up to Mankato for the weekend. Ben, his brother, is home from La Crosse and our friend Wendy is home from Washington. We are going to have the best weekend! We might even head "downtown" on Saturday night!!!

Sunday is Mother's Day and I can't wait to give my Mom her gift! (I haven't been able to blog about the process because I wanted it to be a surprise for her).

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

jerabek's new bohemian

Allisa and I walked home from work together, we eventually part and she goes over a bridge and I go up a hill. It is fantastic outside today, sunny, breezy, and beautiful (is that from a commercial?). After we both got home Allisa came to pick me up and we headed over to A to Z rental. She needed to rent a tiller to get her vegetable garden started. The tillers are huge and there was no way we were going to fit one in her car...so she and Delip will have to get a trailer this weekend.

After A to Z we drove to Jerebek's New Bohemian Coffeehouse and Bakery, which is this amazing little shop with delicious cakes, pies, cookies, bars, vintage clothes, dishes and knickknacks! It feels so good there and I wanted to eat and look at everything. We sat outside and I had a slice of cherry pie and Allisa had a rhubarb bar, we both had iced tea with lemon. It was pretty much a perfect afternoon.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

sebastian solved

I met the owner of Sebastian tonight! As I was walking back from my car to my apartment building I saw this guy walk towards the alley and then call out "Sebastian"!!! I couldn't believe my luck.

I smile and say to the guy, "Who is Sebastian?"

He says, "Oh, he is my cat."

I then tell him, "I have been wondering because I can hear you from my window call out his name. So you just let him outside to wonder around?"

He replies, "Oh yeah, I let him out every two or three days."

"Does he always come back?," I ask.

He says, "Yes, he is a really great cat." He then asks, "Am I keeping you up at night?"

I say, "Oh no, it was just a mystery who Sebastian was...so now I know."

"I'm David," he says.

"I'm Anne, nice to meet you."

race tonight

Walked home from work and there was finally some sun out!

Watched an amazing Oprah this afternoon. The show was about healthy living, which foods are best, how much water to drink a day, etc. I wrote everything down and it was very informative. Nuts, whole grains, fish, fiber, omega 3, Vitamin D, folic acid, vegetables and fruits, coffee, and red wine are all a must!

Going to watch The Amazing Race tonight, only four teams remain. Paige and I are going to apply soon, we think we would be a perfect team.

Monday, May 02, 2005

boxes and boxes

After the longest post ever (May 1st) I started to get sick (sore throat, head cold, etc)...but I had to still help Jake move all his stuff from his old apartment into his new apartment. You wouldn't believe how much stuff can be packed into a little room in an on-campus apartment. We moved, what seemed like hundreds of boxes, on Sunday and unloaded them all into the new apartment. Jake has so much space now! I love his new place and even though I felt like crap I was glad I could help.

I had to drive home 3 1/2 hours last night, there was sleet and rain most of the way. I got a chocolate shake at DQ because I thought my throat was going to close for good, it hurt real bad. I didn't go to work today. I slept all day. I feel better right now. My throat is not so bad.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

lebeda

Went to IKEA after work on Friday (work was only 5-10 am). As I am stocking my cart (all for Jake) with sets of dishes, glasses, silverware, bathroom towels, comforters and shower curtains I look up and see Mary, Jake's Mom!!! It was hilarious and so great to see her! We had fun walking around IKEA together and definitely decided we needed more time to really explore, there is so much tempting cool stuff!

On the drive down I called Jake and found out that the flowers I had had delivered to him for his birthday had not arrived....hmmm...I called the florist and asked if they had been delivered. To make a really long story short, the flowers were delivered to his old address (my mistake) but the current tenants had ACCEPTED the flowers after the delivery woman asked if "Jake" lived there! I was shocked. When I arrived in Ames I knocked on their door and saw the flowers and said, "Hey those are not yours! You freaks! Can I please have those back?! Gosh, idiots!" I didn't really say it exactly like that but you get the idea.

After I recovered the flowers Jake and I went to pick up the keys for his new place, the office closed at 5 pm and we made it just before five. When we got into the apartment we discovered that the electricity was not hooked up. Again, it is Friday, after 5 pm now. Do you think the electric company is open? No, of course it is not. Do you think the woman at the apartment office said anything about hooking up the electricity before we arrived...No, of course she did not. What were we to do for the entire weekend? Sixty dollars later the emergency electrician came out and hooked us up. This was frustrating because this service is free Monday through Friday 8-5 pm.

Friday night we went shopping at Target to get the essentials. Jake literally has nothing. Another two hundred dollars later he had oven mitts, dish towels, toilet bowl brush, bath towels, two garbage cans, and a knife!

Saturday. Jake had a Lego League/Invent Iowa thing. I watched him present to a group of parents and their "gifted" kids what FIRST Lego League is all about and how it is so great. In the middle of Jake telling this powerful story about the letters they get back from kids explaining how Lego League has changed their life....A girl in the front raises her hand and asks, "Are you going to demonstrate the robot?" Typical.

"Lebeda, Lebeda, Everybody Knows ITS...Lebeda." Have you ever heard this jingle? Jake was convinced that he has heard this jingle his entire life. I said that I had never heard it and it was probably just an Iowa thing. The guys at the mattress shop said that it was just successful brainwashing. We left the place with a queen size wonderfully soft mattress!