190.4; Friday Fives

1.  Thank goodness for Fridays.  Honestly.  I don't know how I'd get through the week without them.  Well actually it's Saturday that I look forward to.  Friday is the just the lead in.  And even though Sunday is the weekend, it signals going back to work, so that doesn't count.  Yep.  Saturdays are it.

2.  My 10 year old niece sent me this text: 

Is she really just 10?  Because who references going on a cruise and needing to play with a dog prior to that?  Earlier she told me she was "confussed" which is really confused.  But Pete said this only confirmed that she was my relative, given all my misspelled words in my texts to him. 

3.  I'm a winner in my work's Passport to Health program for 2012.  I completed 11 of 13 items and was in a random drawing.  My prize?  2 tickets to a movie.  Hello Popcorn with butter and salt!  (listen, I know it's not the right thing, but it tastes so freaking good!  and I only get a kid's sized.)

4.  As you can see from up there, I'm borrowing my 10 yr old niece and 7 yr old nephew this weekend.  We're either going toThe Rollerdome to go rollerblading or to Mall of America Ice Castle.  By Sunday I should be well worn out and have little to no patience left.  Just in time to take the kiddos back.  HA!

5.  Sunday starts the Mpls St. Paul Restaurant Week.  YUM!  Pete and I split the $30 meal because neither of us can eat a whole one any more.  So how can you beat a $30 +great tip meal from restaurants that usually mean $100-$200?  We have reservations at Murrays, Copper River Fish & Chop House and The Capital Grille.  When we go to Murrays we're taking my 88 year old grandma with us.  Pete calls it a date.  And I love him for that. 

198; Baking vs Shoes

I've been slacking.  Oh, sure I had my excuses.  I worked out at the gym 2 1/2 weeks ago and realized afterwards that I needed new shoes desperately.  I knew this because my foot hurt so badly for 2 days that I could hardly walk.  I couldn't do cardio and despise the bike and can't do Body Pump.  So I didn't go. 

I went that weekend and got shoes.  I know that I've said this before, but shoe shopping for me is hard.  I want all the cute pink and green and orange shoes, but they do not want my feet.  So I end up with the sturdy shoes that are ugly and big.  Usually the top of the line in New Balance.  But this time I decided to try Brooks again.  They've worked in the past and I wanted to try something different.  So they came out in all their AQUA glory and my mind sang!  I tried them on and they fit.  I wondered to the sales girl if I needed the wide, because I usually get the wide and she said she thought I didn't need it in this brand.  Angels sang and I went home with cute shoes!

Guess what?  After running two days in a row my feet hurt again.  Damn pretty shoes and their allure.  The thing is that the store closes at 6pm and I can't physically get there after work in traffic to exchange them.  So it had to wait until Sunday.

In those two weeks I've been baking up a storm.  Pumpkin scones, pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting....  Oh yes, fall baking.  And will fall baking comes fall eating.  So I indulged.  Because I'm good an indulging only a little and maintaining weight.  But here's the thing, Pete's not a fan of that baking.  So guess who are 3/4 of a recipe of scones?  And 2/3 of a recipe of pumpkin cupcakes?  Me.

Sunday night I planned to workout every day this week.  But Sunday night I didn't have insomnia meds and was up every 15 minutes, unable to stay asleep.  So I didn't work out on Monday.  Tuesday I got up and my eye had been giving me so many troubles I went into see the doctor.  (see what I did there?  Excuses).  This morning I got up to let the dog out at 4:40 when my alarm went off and weighed myself.  198.  I was down to 195 at one point and I'd squandered that loss away. 

So I took my new shoes and headed to the gym.  I ran for distance, not intervals and ended up with 3.7 miles in 50 minutes.  THEN, I headed into Body Pump for the first 45 minutes before I had to head home and get ready for work.  1200 calories burned in 1 hour and 35 minutes. 

I felt awesome.  AWESOME.  I haven't needed coffee to stay awake all day (but talk to me at 9:30 when I'm nodding off during the news).  I'm not hungry all day and haven't been eating cupcakes or candy.  And have I mentioned that I feel awesome?  It's my wake up call and reminder that working out is good for me and I need to limit my excuses to real ones.  I also need to limit my baking and indulging.

And in other news...
4 years ago today I was doing this:

Happy Anniversary to my love!

And to show how much we've changed, this is us now:

Pete & Michelle: Unpplugged

Friday morning at 5 am Pete and I were headed here:  Gunflint Lodge.  We unplugged.  There was no internet or cell phone service within an hour of the lodge.  Nico cashed out in the backseat on the way there:

It was heaven.  I spent lots of time with my Nook and A Child al Confino looking at this:

The book was awesome. I've really been into biographies and real life stories lately.  The book was a freebie from BN that I heard about online.  It was haunting and funny and at times very sad.  But it is a great reminder of how the human spirit can overcome.

We had our own cabin and the view out the main window was this:

Right beyond the trees is Gunflint Lake.  There is a walking path between the window and the swing that takes you to other cabins or the lodge or down to the lake.  The snow drifts were perfect Nico playing areas and he loved going on walks and sniffing for all he's worth.  Pete and I loved bundling up and heading out to walk hand in hand.

My first blog video!  The lodge requires that you help feed nature in the winter.  So we would bring back big lunch sacks full of corn and dried seeds for the deer and the birds.  Pete decided to put the corn about 6 inches from the window and see what happens.  The deer came, Nico barked to protect us and the deer were gone.  But we kept trying.  Eventually Nico wouldn't bark, just whine a little and watch them.  It was cute.

The lodge has a wonderful restaurant.  The food was awesome considering it's in the middle of no where.  And the staff was very friendly, helpful and knowledgable about the area.  Pete and I asked question after question and they were all answered.  The owners even cam over during dinner to talk and welcome us there.

That's the view of the lake from my table at lunch. 

Unfortunately we had to head home Sunday.  I told Pete that I felt like we ran away for the weekend to hide and didn't want to return.  No internet/cell phone really forced us to relax and connect with each other.  We sat in front of the fire at night watching movies, cuddling and talking.  Really talking.  I'd suggest this to anyone. 

As we headed home, Pete had to drive about 3 hours in this:

Whiteout conditions along the North Shore.  Superior had 10-15 foot waves hitting the shore when we drove past several areas.  By the time we got to Duluth the snow had all but stopped. 

We've decided we need to unplug more often.

April in Paris Chicago

In one of my past lives I used to be a scrapbooker/card maker.  I was all kinds of into it.  I was part of message boards, involved in teaching classes, went to conventions (near and far), worked at a store and even got paid for my creative work.  But part of me never quite fit in with all the rest of the paper crafters.  I was spouseless and childless.  While they were completing pages about their husbands and 2.5 children, I was completing pages about travelling and scenery and dreams. 

At the time, the majority of the products centered around family because the industry was based out of Utah and the Mormon Church.  The idea of completing a record of their family history lead to an industry in the crafting world that consumed it for a decade or more.  But I had no immediate family.  And the cute kiddie products and family products weren't me.

Eventually I found a message board dedicated to people like me in 2004.  People who didn't didn't fit the mold.  We spent time on the message board and got to know each other.  We talked about our lives with each other on the message board and through emails and chats off the board.  It became a place were I could go and speak freely about what was happening in my life, good and bad.

In 2005 I went to Arizona, where my family had a condo, for a winter vacation.  I met 4 of those women. 

That's me in the green shirt on the right hand side.  I had the best time and it was so cool to see some of the women that had been supporting me and that I had been supporting too.  In the mean time I've met a couple of the others.  We've all kept in touch and we've all laughed and cried with each other.  It's where I go when I need to vent or listen and I know that it's a safe place.

A year ago last December I got a call that one of these women had died.  I've done a lot of thinking since then about what these women mean to me.  When I try to talk about them, people in my immediate proximity stare at me confused.  They're unable to understand how friendships can be formed when you've never met the person face to face.  Yet, they don't take into account how powerful the Internet is.  How connected it makes you feel.

So this April, 13 of the 34 of us are getting together in Chicago.  We're going to celebrate Traci's life.  We''re going to hug each other in person.  We're going to talk and laugh and cry.  We're going to plant a tree in Traci's name.  We're going to vent and get angry about her death and other things.  Mostly, we're going to make the connection we already have, just that much stronger. 

I can't wait.

Anniversary

Pete and I got married by water. Unconsciously, we started a tradition. Because when we took our anniversary we went to a city by water. So when I planned our first anniversary trip, I planned it by water. That's when we decided that each anniversary would be spent by water.

For our second anniversary, we're going south. Way south. We're headed to North Carolina to visit some of Pete's relatives. After spending a couple of days there with the relatives and checking out the area, we're headed to South Carolina. To the ocean. Water. For our anniversary.

We're going to spend a couple of days in Charleston. I'm pretty excited about this and have been researching places to see and do and EAT!

Then we;re headed to Grorgia to visit more realtives. After spending a couple of days with the realtives and checking out the area, we're headed to Nashville. Pete used to do security for the Grand Ole Opry and I've always wanted to see a show. So, we're in Nashville for a couple of days to see the area and see a show.

Then we're headed home. It's a lot to cram into a week of vacation, but it's how we do it. Always on the go, finding new places and things to do. I can't wait.

HI/Low

Did you ever play that game as a kid? What was your one/two/three high points of the day and the same for the low points. I learned about it as an adult. I suppose that in a round about way we did this at the dinner table each night with my parents, it just wasn't structured the same.

At any rate, here I go:

Weekend Low Points: 1. Migraine. The imitrex only made me feel worse. So much worse that at this point, I'd rather suffer with the migraine. 2. My sebaceous cyst (warning, pictures on the link) is back. It's located on my breastbone. I had it taken out 2 years ago and the result was one raised, red, hard scar about 1 inch in length. I massaged the heck out of that scar, but the surgeon just did a really bad job on it and nothing I did made it go away. I wanted to have a plastic surgeon look at it and I guess now I'll get my chance. It's about the size of a marble currently. And not only is it pressing on my breastbone, but it's pressing out against the skin, pulling the scar flat and hurting the skin. It's making it impossible to lift weights will my arms and walking/running/elliptical is difficult because it hurts to breath fast.

Weekend High Points: 1. I fit into my pants, tops, motorcycle jackets and chaps that I bought when Pete bought his bike 2 years ago. It's a relief to be able to wear those things. It's a boost to keep doing what I'm doing. And frankly, I just feel better about myself. 2. Pete decided on Friday that we should take all 4 nieces/nephews to the MOA and Nick Universe on Saturday. So we did. They were wonderful! And we all had fun. My niece Alison is such a little daredevil - just like her mom at that age. She went on all the big rollercoasters with Pete and LOVED them all!

Grant on the left, Matthew walking a little ahead of him, Pete and Allie. Alison must be running ahead of Pete.

Alison, Grant and Allie on the Thomas the Train ride. Grant is OBSESSED with Thomas and wanted to go up front and say hi to him. The ride girl had to shepard him back to the cars to get on.

I know it's not the best picture, but look at the smiles! You can tell they all had find on this ride, no matter their ages. Matthew, Allie, Alison & Grant.

And finally, because I actually like the picture that Alison took of me...Me.

All signed up

I did it. I signed up for a free kettlebell class at the Y next week. Have you seen these kettlebells ? I saw them a couple of years ago at Target and made fun of them with Pete in the exercise aisle. I can't wait to see how they use them. Truth be told, I'm a little anxious that I'll look like the big dork in the corner who can't follow a class. But I'm trying, right? And if it works out to be a good exercise, I'll probably get a set of kettlebells to take on the weekend camping trips so that I can work out.

I have to get weighed today. Yearly physical and all. I'm hoping for a good number on the doctor's scale. It's usually different than my scale at home. Maybe it's better? lol

Tonight I get to see my guy. No, not Pete. this guy. Although Pete is reluctantly coming with me. He's doing it because he loves me, not because he loves Bon Jovi. Actually he can't stand one of the new songs that I'm sure they will play. But I love him for loving me enough to go to this concert. I was referred to American Burger Bar for dinner before the show. It looks delicious. Right now I plan on having that turkey burger with a side salador sweet potato fries. But the number on that scale at the doctor's office may change that. If it's really good I'll get a real burger. If it's bad, I'll be getting a salad with all the bad stuff left off.

12 days

You know that song from Christmas? The 12 Days of Chirstmas. Anyway, I got to thinking that I could make my own 12 days. That it could be a gift. And that I could do with those days anything I wanted.

What I ended up doing was taking an area of our relationship where Pete and I were at a crossroads in. I thought about it for quite a while and came up with 12 things that I could text him or give to him to share with him. They were extreamly personal things so I'm not going to share them.

I started out the days by sending a text explaining what I was doing and why. He seemed excited. And my intention was to have tags or cards most days, but I wasn't feeling well and it ended up being all texts. If I didn't send a text early enough in the day I got a text from Pete asking where that day was. lol

It really did give us a chance to reconnect. To connect on a different level. And to talk. One day we kind of opened up to each other and had a wonderful conversation about an issue. I think it was because we were open already and because we were in the habit of really talking to each other during this time.

When the days ended Pete asked, "What now?" and I told him that we continue the idea. It doesn't have to stop for Christmas. We can make it whatever we want.

I loved this idea and I can't wait to use the 12 days of Valentines or the 12 days summer or the 12 days of just because...

The people they can become

I really believe that sometimes we have to have enough faith in someone to let them become who I know that they can be. Does that make sense?

Somtimes the people in our lives are so battered and bruised that they are fighting for their life. Not that they are in danger of being killed. More like they are in danger of letting go of all hope inside them and letting go of the dream for a good life. They've been fighting with themselves, with others around them, bad influenses, for so long, that they don't know how else to act. They don't know how else to just be.

They need someone, anyone to believe in them. To know that inside of them is a better person just waiting to come out. Someone who is happy to live life. Someone who fights for the right reasons, not just to fight. Someone who learns that people can be nice. Someone who thinks that caring about others is a good thing. Someone who not only needs believing in, but also believes in others.

I've seen it in my life. Lived it. Believed in someone. Watched as they grew. Watched as they changed. And saw the benefits from it. Saw the life that arrose from all that fear and fight. It's a magical thing. And yet I know that there are those out there who may read this and not understand. Sometimes you need to believe in someone else. Not just for them, but for yourself. You need to give the benefit of the duobt so there are no "what ifs" lingering on into old age. You need to know that you did anything and everything for that other person so that you did anything and everything for yourself.

Like I said, it's a magical thing. One that not everyone experiences, but those that do, are touched forever.

Giggling and Food

There is a blogger named Pioneer Woman. And I love how she writes, photographs and mostly cooks. So I'm stalking this cookbook and plan on attending this book signing in November. I'vbe never attended a book signing. Hope it's cool!

Yesterday Alison and I went to the party store where we intended on getting some balloons for my parent's anniversary parrty. $80 later we walked out of the store. Yes, I bought $80 of party decorations. Don't tell anyone, ok? Anyway, on the way home Alison and I were playing rock paper scissors while Pete was driving. BUt my shoulder got tired of leaning back to her and I stopped. Next thing I know she is in the back seat playing it...against herself. I asked her how she was doing and she said good. Then she admitted that it was always a tie because it was too hard to do different things with your hands. Ah, the lessons a 7 year old learns.

Can I just say that I am in love with her giggle? Is it possible to be in love with a child's giggle? I hope so, because I am. It's so light and airy and the smile that goes with it even makes Pete smile. Gosh I love that giggle, I hope she never loses it.

My Romantic Husband...

Sometimes he just surprises me and my heart melts for him all over again.

We went to Dulanos Pizza last night for first Thursday. I don't know how it started or why, but every first Thursday in the spring, summer and fall, people with all kinds of motorcycles come to see and be seen. We got there early and got a good spot where most of the bikes come in. We went in and ate a pizza and by the time we got back outside it was packed. Awesome seeing that many bikes. Just think, next month I'll be adding to the number by riding mine down there!

It got to be about 8:30 and we headed out. On the way home Pete stopped at our favorite place. The place where we got married. He sat me down on a park bench and got out his phone. I thought he was going to be texting. Only he played this song:

Just you and I,
Sharing our love together.
And I know in time,
We'll build the dreams we treasure.
We'll be all right, just you and I.

Just you and I
Just you and I
Sharing our love together
And I know in time,
And I know in time, W
e'll build the dreams we treasure.

We'll be all right,
Just you and I.

Chorus: And I remember our first embrace,
That smile that was on your face,
The promises that we made.
And now, your love is my reward,
And I love you even more,
Than I ever did before.

Just you and I
Just you and I
We can entrust each other,
With you in my life,
With you in my life,
They'll never be another.

We'll be all right,
Just you and I.

Repeat Chorus

We made it you and I.

*sigh* my heart melted. It's the first song we danced to after we got married. And he looked at me the same way that he did when we first danced to it. I fell in love all over and thanked the universe for bringing this wonderful man and I together.

100 miles

Yesterday Pete and I drove about 1.5 hours west of our house. To a small town airport. To pick up a motorcycle. When we got there, I spent about 15 minutes riding around the taxi-ways, getting used to the bike. I think Pete was more nervious that I was. He watched for a little bit and then left the area. *grin*

I spent made sure to go about 45 on the straight taxi-way (sans airplanes..) so I'd know what it felt like to go that fast. Wind in my hair, for I forgot my helmet for this little ride. Face in the wind, for there is no windshield. And smile plastered on my face! It was fun. Then I played around starting and stopping so that I could get the clutch down.

And I was ready. *breath in, breath out*

I suited up with helmet this time, gloves and that ever presant smile and we took off. We were both worried about having to go through town and all the stoplights, but I did it. Then the back country roads and getting that little 250 bike up to 55 miles and hour. Smile on, hands gripping the handlebars. Vibrating away from the motor trying to stay up to speed. Wind, lots of wind. Side wind making me lean to left or right. Going into the wind and my helmet lifting off my head (I needed to make it tighter). All the while smiling. I did it.

We'd stop at a stoplight or stop sign and Pete would pull up next to me. And any stranger would have had to look twice to see who's smile was bigger, his or mine. I did it. I rode on the streets with my husband behind me all the way. I can't wait to do it again. I can't wait until I have my bike, one that fits me and that I buy. I can't wait until he and I can ride side by side, in the sun, smiles all the way.

I truely have embraced the journey.

I am going to marry a wonderful man

Last night Pete decided at 8pm that he had to go to the store. HAD to. Said that he needed to return things and wanted to look for something for the car. So he left and I went upstairs to do laundry and read. And hour later I called him because it had been so long. He said that he was on his way home.

He got home and came upstairs and I asked him what took him so long. He said that he was just wondering around. I kept thinking, "How weird."

This morning, as always, he kissed me goodbye before he left. Then called me to wake me up later on his drive. We talked and hung up and I got ready for work. I came down and got my lunch ready and put dinner in the crockpot and found a vase of roses and a wonderful card. The card described how our life together will be, in his eyes.

I cried. Then I called him and left him a message thanking him for it all.

I hung up and got my work back to pack my lunch and there was another card telling me that he is going to marry his best friend and a candy bar.

I cried again.

I cried because I have found that man who loves me unconditionally. Who cares for me. Who makes me feel like a million bucks every day.

Want to know how I know this? We were in Ikea looking for things for the wedding. One of them was a vase and I made a flip remark about still waiting for flowers from him. Well he did it. 3 days later. And beautifully at that.

"You ain't got class..."

"...until you've been burned with brass." by Pete.

So I shot the .500 yesterday. It's huge and fast and all you see is red flash. But I hit the target both times at 20 feet out. Then I got a .380 shell down my shirt. I was trying to rapid fire my carry gun to figure out why it jams for me. So I had a little conversation in my head about whether to stop shooting to get the brass out or not. The brass won and I have a .380 sized blister on my chest.

Friday night we went to dinner at the place that is catering the wedding for us. We got a ridiculously low price on a heavy appetizer meal. It's seriously half of what the ordiginal caterer wanted for heavy appetizers. Half. I was pretty excited.

Saturday we went to Alison's 6th birthday. What a cutie. Then off to a wedding outside at someone's house. It was pretty and they are so in love. Interesting to see what other people do for weddings and this was so very different from what ours is planned to be.

Sunday we got up at the crack of dawn. Ok, maybe not the crack, but early for a weekend. We got on the bike and rode to Mankato thinking that we'd hang out with the group and then ride back. Only we never got to the campground because they were on their way home. So we had breakfast with them and rode home. It was windy & not a fun ride. From Friday to Sunday we were on the bike for about 12 hours.

Last night we looked and called around for motorcycle campers. We're going to look at one this week. I'm excited to camp again.

My Guy

Have I told you lately how great my guy is? There are times when I'm on the back of the motorcycle going down the road that I hug him and whisper how much I love him. I wonder at the ability of two people to find love and keep love and be in love. Not just be. He is my world and I can't imagine it without him.

Back to his greatness. He bought me a beautiful engagement ring. I love the thought that he put into it and all the questions and information that he gathered from me without me knowing. I love it. We went this week to see about custom making a ban or bands to go with it for the wedding. It's not that I needed more jewelry. It's that I wanted something to signify that I wasn't just an engaged person I was a married person. Does that make sense?

When we got to the shop I expressed how much I love the ring I had and how the gallery was important to me. The woman there showed how you can have a ring made to slip in the underneath of the center of my ring. Such that it doesn't show on the side of the gallery, but adds diamons and another small band to the shank of the ring.

That was it. Really IT. She wrote it up and sent it off for an eztimate. And I waited. When the store called they called with an estimate for one side of the band only. We had asked about both sides so they called for another estimate. It wasn't double, but a little over half as much as the inital estimate. My heart sank a little. Then I felt guilty. I was being way to demanding and greedy. Greedy.

So I called Pete and told him about the estimate and he asked me what I wanted. I told him that he felt guilt for asking for both sides, but he told me to order it. To make me happy.

Have I told you lately how much I love him. How wonderful he is to me?

I love him.

Love Letter to Pete

Gosh how much I love you! We met with the Pastor last night and I know that you were somewhat worried about it. But the Pastor only confirmed what we both knew - we're very similar in our views and ideas and a strong couple.

This morning, like every morning, you touched my nose to wake me up. I woke slightly, gave you a kiss and told you that I loved you. In turn you kissed me back and as I was rolling over to grab the covers, you covered me up. I love the tender,t houghtful things that you do for me. And I love you.

When I close my eyes...

When I close my eyes I smell the minty air from the grove of trees we just passed. The fresh clean smell of the lilac bushes in the last yard. I smell the exhaust frm the truck in front of us. The smell of rain drops on hot pavement that signal summer. I smell Pete's cologne wisping past my face.

When I close my eyes I hear the low whine of the SUV's tires on the road and the high whine of the little car's tires. I hear the honking of a horn and the honking of the geese above. I hear the radio from the vehicle that just passed us on the right. I hear the air slip past my face and ears. I hear the rumble of the engine as Pete accellerates.

When I close my eyes I feel the vibration of the cycle all through my body. I feel the air separate at the tip of my nose and slide back past my ears. I feel the whisps of hair tickle my nose and cheek when it flies forward. I feel Pete's back warm against my front. I feel the leather collar on my jacket rub my chin. At times I feel Pete's phone vibrate if my hand just happens to be over it.

When I open my eyes I see the man I love, on the motorcycle he loves, with me on the back. It's a wonderful thing.

Just getting it done

There is something to be said for just getting it done and over with and not dragging it out. What is the it I'm referring to? Well Pete and his sister have had some hard decisions based on things related to their father's death. He's decided to just get it done. Not to linger about waiting. It's a good thing. I think that he needs some closure to the process and this will help out.

Memorial Day was Monday. We made our way to his parent's gravesite and spent some time there. We rode the bike because Pete wanted to show his Dad what he bought. It may just be wedding emotions, but I cried. I cried that they are not going to be with us at the wedding. Their physical presence will be greatly missed.

Then we stopped at the little building to find another site. I wanted to see Dave P's grave. Dave was a great friend of the family. He was happy go lucky, always laughing, tons of fun and great to be around. Unfortunately hidden under all that was a very sad and depressed man. He struggled for years with his depression and finally took his own life. It was a sad day for everyone. Even worse that it left my Dad with one less friend to do things with. It happended in the midst of 2.5 years in which we attended 7 funerals. I miss Dave and wonder what would have been.

I've been remiss...

In blogging. I have good intentions, but sometimes I just don't get here to post. I have been updaing the wedding blog a lot.

Last weekend was so much fun. We went to the races Friday! Raceway Park had their Friday Destruction night and it lived up to it's name. There was an awesome flagpole race that I got some cool pictures of. At the end there was a Dukes of Hazzard jump. I think there were about 12 cars/trucks. The last one was a t-top camero or something like that and it went 112 feet. One guy lost his back axel and another lost his front. I'm so happy that it's racing season.

Saturday we were to meet with the pastor, however, he forget and didn't show up. So we went up to the Harley dealer and joined in on the pig roast they were having. Pete talked more to the dealer about his bike and got all excited. Saturday night we took Grandma to the Glockenspeil for dinner. We talked about the wedding and told her some of the details. Then we went to The Anoka River Run and walked around. It was the first night and not many cars, but still cool. I told Pete that I thought it was cool that this was something that the city ok'd. When I was in school the thing to do was cruise the mainstreet. People would come out with families in lawn chairs after dinner & sit along the mainstreet to watch the cars. Only it got to be too much for the downtown and people living nearby complained. This River Run show blocks off several blocks for cars. Only they advertise and get people into the downtown stores and restaurants. We're going to go back again one of the weekends when it's got more cars.

Sunday we got up and ran down to the gun/knife show in Anoka. Nothing was purchased, but it was entertaining. Then we went to meet with the pastor. He was incredibly nice and didnt' charge for the meeting with him, only the compatability test. Pete giggled during the test and we talked about some of the questions afterwards. I can't wait to see where our strengths/weaknesses are as a couple. Then we went to the State Capital Building for the 150 year celebration. Can you believe that I have never been in and toured it? We got some cool pictures and even went out on the top where the golden horses are. Then we ran over to the MN History Center to see a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It was cool!!! Pete thought I was a dork, but in true Pete fashion, he never shows it and always goes along with what I want to do. Great man, isn't he?

*huge sigh of relief*

Hear that? It's me letting out all the worry. I finally called my insurance guy. I would have thought that he would have been calling me to update me, but he wasn't. I've been with the agency for 22 years and until these 2 accidents, nothing. So it kinds of makes me made about the lack of follow up. Anyway, he said that the insurance company finally decided yeterday that they would back date the policy and cover me for the accident. (yes...the man knew prior to close of business yesterday & never called me, letting me think they were not going to cover me)

Pete is bike crazy. Really. We have looked at several bikes, rode several bikes (him, not me) and visited several dealers and private owners. Right now he is leaning toward the Road King Classic. He likes the Road King and has always said that's what he wanted. The Classic makes it look like a bike from the 50's, just updated and it's cool! His money comes in in 14-21 days and he has intentions on purchasing the day it comes in! LOL

Do you know what Friday is? It's the start of the racing season. I CANNOT wait to be out in those stands again watching racing.