.........no snappy title here

LOL. Okay so I am just not one to come up with snappy title lines.

It seems that the only time I have to update the blog is at work on Mondays after the weekend.

This weekend was no exception to the busy rule. Thursday afternoon, I got to meet up with a friend that I hadn't touched base with in a while and I had a great time. We had lunch and had fun. Thursday night, After I stood up Becky and Ben (which I am very sorry for, I totally spaced it out) Emma and I went and played Bingo at Big Louies! okay well I played Bingo, Emma played with her dolls! Friday we went to the State Fair with my Mom, Dad, Paul, Lindy and Baylen.. We had a great time and I was so impressed. My child (who complains after walking a block) did not complain once all day and we walked about 4 miles.

Saturday was spent mostly in the car. We took a family carvan trip to Ortonville and we burried my grandpas urn and hat next to my grandmother. It was sad but also gave me some closure so it was good. I do have to say there are better ways to spend the day then 8 hours in a car. My girlfriend Jessi and I had some chinese food and watched on of my fav movies the Holiday. We had a good time.

Okay so I promise to try to be better about updating a little more frequently.

tired

it has been one crazy week. I was on call for work and it was a pretty crazy time, so much so that by Wednesday I was a royal beeoch. I yelled at a guy at the Y, because he walked away with out wiping down his machine.. I decided that I needed a mental health day after that. I took Thursday off, and it was wonderful, I worked out and laid on the couch and watched movies. Friday, I was off with Emma and we went school shopping. It was quite an ordeal for her, I made her try on about 25 pairs of jeans, and let me just say she throughly hates shopping. But 4 hours later, she had some nice clothes. I am pretty much ready for her to start school, but I am kind of annoyed with the school. School starts in 2 weeks, and I still haven't even gotten the welcome letter this is the day of the open house, blah blah this is when you meet the teachers. Wouldn't you think they would know that were all neurotic about our babies starting school and i'm kind of a control freak and need to know everything and I feel very much in the dark.

I made Baylen a Elmo cake for his birthday yesterday and that was fun.. We had a family party for him and he seemed to have a blast!!!! We went out to play Bingo at Big Louies last night, and my brother won last night so that was cool.

Today, Lindy and I went shopping for my mom's birthday present, can I just say that there are a lot of birthday's in the month of August.

Well there's lots to do this week.

I am starting the 30 day shred in the mornings, goign to try to walk at lunch time, and get my strenth training work outs in at nights. I need to lose the last 20 - 30 pounds. It doesnt help that we are going to the state fair on Friday, but I think I am going to just limit myself to a couple of things that I really want, vs nibbling on a little of this and that.

Nice Weekend

So being on call has some perks I guess. I say I guess becuase being on call really sucks. When I'm on call I pretty much have to be within 5 mins of home. If the beloved pager goes off I have to call in..Usually its a matter of calling in and answering whatever questions they have, but there are the times that you actually have to log in and look at somethings. So this weekend, instead of going out, I took emma to the farmers market, we went bowling, and capped the day of by going to big louies for dinner and bingo. I did manage to get 5 loads of laundry in between all that too. Over all I would say its a pretty productive day.

Today wasnt to bad either.

All quiet on the dating front right now. Not really serious about anybody, had a couple of dates, but I guess I'm waiting for HIM to make the move!!!!

The next couple of weeks are going to be really busy, I have work and all and I still have to take Emma shopping to finish getting her school stuff, we have Baylen's 2 yr party, going to the fair, and going to make a trip to ortonville to bury my grandfather. Thats weird too, waiting weeks after someone dies to bury them. He was creamated though so I guess its not urgent to get em in the ground. I have a feeling that when we actually go down there and do it, is when I am going to lose it. I have kind of been waiting for the storm to come, but it hasnt.

Wonderful Days Off

Emma and I had the day off today, and it was awesome!!!

We hit the gym, and I got a great work out in, Emma loves it when we go there because they have kid stuff and she has a million things to do. We also hit the pool a couple of times, played go fish, watched a couple of cartoons.

This week at work should be pretty interesting. I am hoping to get in a few more great work outs, my girlfriend Jessi is coming over on wednesday night and were bbq-ing (that would be per Emma's request). Emma loves Jess, she was our old neighbor and she loves spending time with her. I might even go out with Derrick this week!

Camping

this was quite a nice weekend. Emma and I went camping, we left Friday evening and got back today. We spent a lot of time in the pool, we went in to the local town (They had their town carnival going on), and lounged around. I really enjoy camping sometimes. I really dont think its considered camping by most standards. My parents own a 30 ft trailer and its parked up at a campsite year round, it has a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, two couchs that pull out as beds, tv, air conditioning, etc....You wouldnt catch me on the ground in a tent though.

Emma and I are off for 1 more day tomorrow. My daycare mom had the long weekend so its nice to be able to just hang. I think were going to look at all her toys and start making some throw away piles.......She also wants to go swimming, so if it's nice out, I plan on lounging by the pool relaxing for a bit.

I can't believe that in less than a month my little girl will be starting a new chapter in her life, the chapter called school... Today on our way home she told me she couldnt wait to go. I am going to be a wreck when school roles around I just know it.

Summer Time

I have to say that it has been a pretty great week, all things considered. I miss my grandfather terribly, but it also feels so right to get back to normal living. I had felt like I pretty much abandoned my daughter over the past few months. Instead of doing fun summer things, I wanted to help out with grandpa. Well I decided that she's good and okay because she's happy she got to spend time with him, and I am making up for lost time. I know that I am spoiling her a bit, but hey she's my only child, and she's earned it.

I'm off work Fri and Mon, so tomorrow we are going to go to the coffee shop in the morning, then after my eye exam (i'm so excited to get new glasses) were going to hit the pool (if its nice out), off to dinner than movie in the park. Crystal Park and Rec puts on kids movies in the summer at a local park and its great! We have such a blast. Saturday were going to head up to the camper and spend a couple of days there.

I can't believe it, but Emma starts Kindergarten in 1 month. What happened to my little girl that was 2 weeks overdue, and loved falling asleep to the vacuum cleaner??? It makes me a little, okay a lot sad to think about it, but i've also reflected on what I've learned from her, and how much she has enriched my life.

oh, and good news on the allergy front. I dont have them! the bad news is that i have a horid sinus infection, and this thing called vasomotor rhinitis (which pretty much means that i have to continue to live on Allegra and Nose Spray)...Oh well, at least I know!!

50 Fun and Fabulous Facts of MN

Minnesota Facts and Trivia 1. Minnesotan baseball commentator Halsey Hall was the first to say 'Holy Cow' during a baseball broadcast.2. The Mall of America in Bloomington is the size of 78 football fields --- 9.5 million square feet.3. Minnesota Inventions: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables4. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 allowing oceangoing ships to reach Duluth .5. Minneapolis is home to the oldest continuously running theater (Old Log Theater) and the largest dinner theater (Chanhassan Dinner Theater) in the country.6. The original name of the settlement that became St. Paul was Pig's Eye. Named for the French-Canadian whiskey trader, Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant, who had led squatters to the settlement.7. The world's largest pelican stands at the base of the Mill Pond dam on thePelican River , right in downtown Pelican Rapids. The 15 1/2 feet tall concrete statue was built in 1957.8. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the largest urban sculpture garden in the country.9. The Guthrie Theater is the largest regional playhouse in the country.10. Minneapolis famed skyway system connecting 52 blocks (nearly five miles) of downtown makes it possible to live, eat, work and shop without going outside.11. Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than any other city in the country.12. The climate-controlled Metrodome is the only facility in the country to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship.13. Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California , Florida andHawaii combined.14. The nation's first Better Business Bureau was founded in Minneapolis in 1912.15. The first open heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant in the United States were done at the University of Minnesota.16. Bloomington and Minneapolis are the two farthest north latitude cities to ever host a World Series game.17. Madison , MN is the 'Lutefisk capital of the United States '.18. Rochester is home of the world famous Mayo Clinic. The clinic is a major teaching and working facility. It is known world wide for its doctor's expertise and the newest methods of treatments.19. The Bergquist cabin, built in 1870 by Joh Bergquist, a Swedish immigrant, is the oldest house in Moorhead still on its original site.20. For many years, the world's largest twine ball has sat in Darwin . It weighs 17,400 pounds, is twelve feet in diameter, and was the creation of Francis A. Johnson.21. The stapler was invented in Spring Valley .22. In 1956, Southdale, in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina , was the first enclosed climate-controlled suburban Shopping mall in 50 states.23. Private Milburn Henke of Hutchinson was the first enlisted man to land with the first American Expeditionary Force in Europe in WWII on January 26, 1942.24. The first practical water skis were invented in 1922 by Ralph W. Samuelson, who steam-bent 2 eight-foot-long pine boards into skies. He took his first ride behind a motorboat on a lake in Lake City25. In Olivia a single half-husked cob towers over a roadside gazebo. It is 25 feet tall, made of fiberglass, and has been up since 1973.26. The first Children's department in a Library is said to be that of the Minneapolis Public Library, which separated children's books from the rest of the collection in Dec. 1889.27. The first Automatic Pop-up toaster was marketed inJune 1926 by McGraw Electric Co. in Minneapolis under the name Toastmaster.. The retail price was $13.50.28. On September 2, 1952, a 5 year old girl was the first patient to under go a heart operation in which the deep freezing technique was employed. Her body temperature, except for her head, was reduced to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Dr. Floyd Lewis at the Medical School of the University of Minnesota performed the operation.29. The first Aerial Ferry was put into Operation on April 9, 1905, over the ship canal between Duluth to Minnesota Point. It had room enough to accommodate 6 automobiles. Round trip took 10 min.30. Rollerblades were the first commercially successful in-line Roller Skates.Minnesota students Scott and Brennan Ols on invented them in 1980, when they were looking for a way to practice Hockey during the off-season. Their design was an ice hockey boot with 3 inline wheels instead of a blade.31.. The first Intercollegiate Basketball game was played in Minnesota on February 9,1895.32. In 1919 a Minneapolis factory turned out the nations first armored cars.33. Tonka Trucks were developed and are continued to be manufactured in Minnetonka . (Now being manufactured in Mexico !)34. Hormel Company of Austin , MN marketed the first canned ham in 1926. Hormel introduced Spam in 1937.35. Introduced in August 1963, The Control Data 6600, designed by Control Data Corp. of Chippewa Falls , was the first Super Computer. It was used by the military to simulate nuclear explosions and break Soviet codes. These computers also were used to model complex phenomena such as hurricanes and galaxies.36. Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923. Mars marketed the Snickers bar in 1930 and introduced the 5 cent Three Musketeers bar in 1937. The original 3 Musketeers bar contained 3 bars in one wrapper. Each with different flavor nougat.37. A Jehovah's Witness was the first patient to receive a transfusion of artificial blood in 1979 at the University of Minnesota Hospital. He had refused a transfusion of real blood because of his religious beliefs.38. Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state.39. There are 201 Mud Lakes , 154 Long Lakes , and 123 Rice Lakescommonly named in Minnesota .40. The Hull-Rust mine in Hibbing became the largest open-pit mine in the world.41. Minnesota 's waters flow outward in three directions: north to Hudson Bay in Canada , east to the Atlantic Ocean, and south to the Gulf of Mexico .42. At the confluence of the Big Fork and Rainy Rivers on the Canadian border near International Falls stands the largest Indian burial mound in the upper midwest It is known as the Grand Mound historic site.43. Author Laura Ingalls Wilder lived on Plum Creek near Walnut Grove.44. Akeley is birthplace and home of world's largest Paul Bunyan Statue. The kneeling Paul Bunyan is 20 feet tall. He might be the claimed 33 feet tall, if he were standing.45. Hibbing is the birthplace of the American bus industry. It sprang from the business acumen of Carl Wickman and Andrew 'Bus Andy' Anderson - who opened the first bus line (with one bus) between the towns of Hibbing and Alice in 1914.. The bus line grew to become Greyhound Lines, Inc.46. The first official hit in the Metrodome in Minneapolis was made by Pete Rose playing for the Cincinnati Reds in a preseason game.47. Polaris Industries of Roseau invented the snowmobile.48. Twin Cities-based Northwest Airlines was the first major airline to ban smoking on international flights.49. Alexander Anderson of Red Wing discovered the Processes to puff wheat and rice giving us the indispensable rice cakes.50. The largest Dala Horse in North America is in Mora.

Whew

I don't even know what to feel anymore it seems. The funeral was yesterday and it was a nice ceremony, I felt the pastor was kind of stiff, but I think others liked him. It was amazing to see all the people come out to support Grandpa and us. I was a little dissapointed in some people, because I felt some were taking advantage of the situation but that's between them and god. I feel a little strange because I havent shed any tears yet. One of my cousin's asked me about why I hadn't and I dont have a good answer. I think maybe because greiving is private for me and I dont need to cry around anyone. I am sad about what happened but more I'm happy. I am truly happy for the man that is no longer in pain, and is with his loved ones that have gone before him.

I am so ready to get back to living my life. Speaking of which, I am starting my regiment of exercising daily again ( i havent been in the gym regularly for the last 3 weeks), I am going to start eating very heathly and watch my calories. I would like to loose another 40 pounds to be more truly satisfied with myself.. I have had a real hard time losing weight this past year. I've been in the gym 5 days a week for the last 8 months and I havent been losing any weight. I think that I am going to ask my doctor to make sure that I dont have other issues or anything.

The Funeral

This has been yet another surreal week. I worked from home on Tuesday, so that I could be around in case mike and jim needed help with Grandpa. Well has it happened I spent the majority of the day tending to him. Grandpa was unresponsive to anything except pain for the majority of the day. I think that everyone knew that something wasnt right and that his time was getting near.

I broke things off with the guy I was seeing that day, and I spent the night with grandpa and at 11:48 grandpa paul quietly went to heaven to be with his loving wife Judy. It was a sad night, yet for me it was really special. I got to be with him, and I told him that he was safe and we were all happy with eveything he's done and that it was time for him to let go. I got to say my good bye, and my see you someday's. The family game over then so they could say their goodbye's as well.

We have the funeral today at1, and then afterwards we are having a nice get together at Big Louies, and then later on tonight I think a bunch of us are going up to Louies to play BINGO. I just really want to get through this day and start moving forward.

I really appreciate all of everyones prayers and support, it means the world to me.