Do you Facebook?! It started so innocently in October 2007. Angela, my dear little sister was visiting and the conversation was very similar to this:
Angela: You need join Facebook
Me: No, that's for college students - I'm too old
Angela: It is not - you can join
Me: Still, I'm too old and I doubt any of my friends would be on there anyway
Anglea: Ok - but you can chat with me on there since I'll be in Arizona
Me: Hmmm - I'll think about it
Well that opened the door and she pounced to the computer like a cat hocked up on catnip. In minutes she had created my facebook page and added me as a friend. My first friend - lucky me!
That's pretty much how it stayed for several weeks and then some of her friends added me as a friend. I'm convinced Angela told them to add me - out of sympathy of course. Please add my old sister - she has no Facebook friends.
At best I logged on weekly, really just to check out what Angela was up to. Was she enjoying Arizona? Is the weather nice? All very innocent. Then I added my maiden name to my profile and suddenly it was a MSHS Class of '93 Reunion. I've also been fortunate enough to find friends from our three years in St. Louis - people I was sure I'd probably never see again since we'd lost touch after all these years. Voila - they are back in my life just like that and I love it!!
I don't think my story is much different from many who have joined the Facebook ranks. Take my BFF Molly for example - while in Marquette over the 4th of July she flat out said "NO, you will never see me on Facebook - never!!" And I believed her - I really did...until she left a message on my wall a few weeks ago. Welcome to the darkside Molly - we've been waiting for you!
So, almost 200 friends later and I come across an article titled '10 Warning Signs That You May be Addicted to Facebook'.
Ok, I'm game - here's my self-assessment!
10 warning signs that you may be addicted to Facebook
1. Facebook is your home page. No, it's not - but that's a really good idea!
2. You update your status more than twice a day. Gosh, depends on my day and if I have a lot to share that day. This one is a sometimes.
3. You have over 500 "friends" half of whom you've never actually met. Nope, just under 200 friends and I truly do know them all.
4. As soon as you step away from your computer you're on FB on your phone. Ok, guilty but only because Facebook is always open on my phone. Did I mention I heart my iPhone too?
5. You are a FB stalker. You qualify as a FB stalker if you
a) click on someone's profile more than once a day even if they haven't messaged or tagged you in a photo. No...okay, maybe! I may have stalked someone but I was really waiting for answer to my question!
b) have dragged and dropped more than 3 FB photos (not from your own profile) Nope! I can
confidently say I don't steal photos from other FB pages.
c) actually go to a place mentioned on someone's page in hopes of seeing them in real life...creepy! Not guilty of this one - creepy is right!
6. You change your profile picture more than a 12-year-old girl. Wrong again! I JUST changed my FB profile picture only because I was getting grief that it was so old. My current picture is only the 2nd picture I've had on FB since I joined in 2007.
7. You have checked your FB page while reading this article. No, I waited until I was done
reading the article and then felt compelled to check.
8. You clean up your "wall" so it looks like you spend less time on FB. No, although I do think my wall could use a good cleansing.
9. You are a member of more than 10 groups and respond to every event invitation "attending" even if you have no intention of going. No way - that's rude! You should never RSVP if you don't plan on attending. Haven't you people heard of Dear Abby?! That's a big no-no!
10. You change your relationship status just to mess with people. Never thought of this - that would be funny! But I also heart Ryan and wouldn't want to confuse him too!!
Based on my responses - I don't think I'm addicted...but I do keep doing things very Molly-like! For example, there are FB notes going around and I never thought I would actually spend the time doing them but here's my track record with those:
25 Random things - did it and then I swore I would not do another Facebook note.
My first born - did that one too. I guess I was wrong.
iPod Shuffle - didn't do it, but want to. However, I think some of my friends would suddenly disappear - my music choices can be so random.
So, that's it - verdict is not addicted! And you act so surprised!!!
PS - I'm so glad they didn't do 11 questions. I'm sure the 11th would be "You blog about your Facebook fetish" - whew, escaped that one!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Happiness is in the skip
Last Sunday we spent a family fun afternoon at the Elm Creek Park Reserve tubing hill. It was the first tubing adventure for each of us and while we planned to have a good time we didn't realize how much fun we were really going to have.
We arrived to a jam-packed parking lot - I guess a lot of other families had the same idea since the thermometer was above 30! We forged ahead and within minutes we found ourselves standing at the top of 10 perfectly manicured snow lanes. We took a cue from the family in the lane next to us and we tied our tubes together - with Teagan in the middle, of course. Once the lane was clear of human targets we pushed off...down we went!!
About halfway down the hill I thought "Oh no, she's going to be so scared"! I did not think that we would achieve the speed that we did in such a short period of time. Before we knew it we were at the bottom. I looked over at Teagan and she was laughing hysterically. She pounded her fist on her tube and said "Stop it! That was so much fun! Let's go again."
We all agreed - again was a must! We pulled our tubes over to the magic carpet ride and it carried us and our tubes back to the top. I could get used to this - when I was a child we had to haul the sleds and ourselves back up the hill! Not here - I guess this is part of what you pay for. On our journey back to the top Teagan was still chattering about how much fun it was and said "next time I'll keep my eyes open!"
We repeated the process many times over for the next two hours. I know that it was a successful family outing because between each slide down the hill Teagan skipped everywhere. I've learned in her 4 short years that when she skips, she's happy! It made us both giddy to watch her enjoy our afternoon.
We're already anxiously awaiting our next trip to Elm Creek!
We arrived to a jam-packed parking lot - I guess a lot of other families had the same idea since the thermometer was above 30! We forged ahead and within minutes we found ourselves standing at the top of 10 perfectly manicured snow lanes. We took a cue from the family in the lane next to us and we tied our tubes together - with Teagan in the middle, of course. Once the lane was clear of human targets we pushed off...down we went!!
About halfway down the hill I thought "Oh no, she's going to be so scared"! I did not think that we would achieve the speed that we did in such a short period of time. Before we knew it we were at the bottom. I looked over at Teagan and she was laughing hysterically. She pounded her fist on her tube and said "Stop it! That was so much fun! Let's go again."
We all agreed - again was a must! We pulled our tubes over to the magic carpet ride and it carried us and our tubes back to the top. I could get used to this - when I was a child we had to haul the sleds and ourselves back up the hill! Not here - I guess this is part of what you pay for. On our journey back to the top Teagan was still chattering about how much fun it was and said "next time I'll keep my eyes open!"
We repeated the process many times over for the next two hours. I know that it was a successful family outing because between each slide down the hill Teagan skipped everywhere. I've learned in her 4 short years that when she skips, she's happy! It made us both giddy to watch her enjoy our afternoon.
We're already anxiously awaiting our next trip to Elm Creek!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
'Ears' to Ownership
"Blow Tinker Bell a kiss goodnight from your fully furnished vacation villa at Disney Vacation Club’s newest resort, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, scheduled to open fall 2009."
When we read the caption and saw the pictures we just couldn't resist and we are now proud owners at the newest Disney Vacation Club Resort - Bay Lake Tower! We're very excited about this and can't wait to see the construction progress on our Disney visit in May. Imagine being able to sleep in your bed with Cinderella's Castle lit up in the background.
I know many people enjoy places like Mexico or sandy beaches - we feel this gives us the best of both worlds - we can visit Mexico at Epcot and enjoy Bay Lake Beach right outside our hotel.
Ears to Ownership!!!
Generation WTF!
Ok, I know it seems a bit harsh - not as nicey-nice as Generation X, Y or Z, but seriously...WTF! Daily I am faced with the reality that there is a huge gap between my childhood and that of the kids of today. It's so evident in the mannerisms and activites that I have witnessed. Of particular annoyance to me is the fact that teens these days show blatant disrespect for anyone or anything around then. Case in point: yesterday I was driving down a side street to pick up Teagan when I was suddenly faced with a row of 4 teens on their way home from school. Since the street had no sidewalks they are forced to walk in the street. I get it - not their fault right? Ok, so WHY do they have to walk 4 across and not look or care if there is a car coming??? This chain-of-teens was entirely in my lane and I had to drive on the other side of the street simply to pass. Not a single one of them looked or moved.
After picking up Teagan I encountered the same group of teens and the street was busier so I had to come to a complete stop and wait for traffic on the other side. Finally - one of the teens turned and looked - right at me - and CONTINUED TO WALK IN THE STREET! He didn't move even an inch to the side.
I did the only thing I could think of that was reasonable for this situation. I pushed the gas pedal on my 3,000 ton SUV and slowly went around this group of rude, I-own-the-earth teens. I then used the situation to educate my daughter about respect and safety. I can only hope that I have taught her to make better choices then those in Generation WTF!
Thanks - I feel better now!
After picking up Teagan I encountered the same group of teens and the street was busier so I had to come to a complete stop and wait for traffic on the other side. Finally - one of the teens turned and looked - right at me - and CONTINUED TO WALK IN THE STREET! He didn't move even an inch to the side.
I did the only thing I could think of that was reasonable for this situation. I pushed the gas pedal on my 3,000 ton SUV and slowly went around this group of rude, I-own-the-earth teens. I then used the situation to educate my daughter about respect and safety. I can only hope that I have taught her to make better choices then those in Generation WTF!
Thanks - I feel better now!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
One word makes a big difference...
While in Marquette over Christmas we had the opportunity to enjoy an evening at Teagan's Great Grandma (GG) and Great Grandpa's house for dinner. It was a full-house with 9 of us there to enjoy a wonderful ham dinner (my favorite)! This was the first time, in a very long time that Teagan had visited GG's and she found it rather fascinating to explore the house that Poppy grew up in. By far she enjoyed the laundry chute in the bathroom and tossed down rolls of toilet paper and towels to unsuspecting people below. While she enjoyed this the rest of us enjoyed the hilarious-ness that ensued over dinner.
As a good mom should, I made Teagan's plate so all the food was perfectly placed and the perfect temperature by the time she made it to the table. Because of this, Teagan was able to get the first bite of dinner before any of us were even sitting down. As I pulled out my chair to sit beside her I hear her say something that sounds a lot like;
"This tastes like crap!"
What?!?!
She doesn't know that word?! Don't get me wrong I know kids pick up words from all over the place but I'm really confident she doesn't know it and even if she did, it's so unlikely that she would use it correctly in a sentence the first time she tests her new vocabulary on us!!
I was horrified but the looks on the rest of the faces varied from puzzled to 'I'm really trying hard not to laugh'. Meanwhile I am searching her plate to see what I would have given her that she didn't like. I spotted the unlikely cultprit - a spoonful of Ranch dressing. It was then that it dawned on me and I said "What did you say?" and she repeated it again…
"This tastes like Kraft"
Ohhhhh--- now it makes sense! For months I was throwing away bottles of Ranch dressing because she said it tasted bad and then one day she says "Mommy, can you ask Ms. Theresa (daycare) what kind she buys- I really like hers!" Turns out little miss finicky will only eat Hidden Valley Ranch Lite and don't try to pull a fast one on her - she knows the difference.
So all through dinner we're having this conversation about Ranch dressing. GG thinks it was Hidden Valley - but she threw the bottle away after she put the dressing into the serving dish. Teagan politely asks "What color was the top - because Kraft is blue and Hidden Valley is green - I only like the green." So now, we're all really curious and after dinner GG pulls the bottle, with it's blue top, out of the garbage and shows Teagan. This little 4-year old Ranch conniseur smiles and says "See, I told you it was Kraft".
Morale of the story - speak your words clearly and never try to tell Teagan she's wrong about Ranch dressing.
As a good mom should, I made Teagan's plate so all the food was perfectly placed and the perfect temperature by the time she made it to the table. Because of this, Teagan was able to get the first bite of dinner before any of us were even sitting down. As I pulled out my chair to sit beside her I hear her say something that sounds a lot like;
"This tastes like crap!"
What?!?!
She doesn't know that word?! Don't get me wrong I know kids pick up words from all over the place but I'm really confident she doesn't know it and even if she did, it's so unlikely that she would use it correctly in a sentence the first time she tests her new vocabulary on us!!
I was horrified but the looks on the rest of the faces varied from puzzled to 'I'm really trying hard not to laugh'. Meanwhile I am searching her plate to see what I would have given her that she didn't like. I spotted the unlikely cultprit - a spoonful of Ranch dressing. It was then that it dawned on me and I said "What did you say?" and she repeated it again…
"This tastes like Kraft"
Ohhhhh--- now it makes sense! For months I was throwing away bottles of Ranch dressing because she said it tasted bad and then one day she says "Mommy, can you ask Ms. Theresa (daycare) what kind she buys- I really like hers!" Turns out little miss finicky will only eat Hidden Valley Ranch Lite and don't try to pull a fast one on her - she knows the difference.
So all through dinner we're having this conversation about Ranch dressing. GG thinks it was Hidden Valley - but she threw the bottle away after she put the dressing into the serving dish. Teagan politely asks "What color was the top - because Kraft is blue and Hidden Valley is green - I only like the green." So now, we're all really curious and after dinner GG pulls the bottle, with it's blue top, out of the garbage and shows Teagan. This little 4-year old Ranch conniseur smiles and says "See, I told you it was Kraft".
Morale of the story - speak your words clearly and never try to tell Teagan she's wrong about Ranch dressing.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Our Twelve Days of Vacation
We had a wonderful Christmas trip to Michigan and are now home in MinneSNOWta! Our trip to Michigan can be summed up in the 12 days of Vacation below!
12 days of vacation
11 inches of snow
10 hour drive to Michigan
9 questions of "Are we there yet"
8 Breadsticks from the Portside (probably more)
7 Stupsky's jammed into a church pew
6 hours of Wii Yahtzee!
5 hundred trips up and and down Whitman Sledding Hill
4 Doting grandparents
3 (G) iPhone for Danielle
2 days of presents
1 Happy 4-year old girl
Okay, so there was so much more to our trip. We had such a great time that Teagan cried for almost two hours as we were driving out of town. I can hardly blame her - when she's there she has all her grandparents doting on her and she gets to spend quality time with her cousins; something we don't have in Minnesota. For her it's like a perpetual party and I get it - I totally understand how she feels. I remember when we first left Marquette coming back home was the best feeling - coming back to what I know; the people, restaurants, atmosphere. It's been so many years and it's not exactly the same feeling, but there's still that magic and excitement when we see the sign "Welcome to Marquette".
As you can see it was a fun Christmas morning for Teagan. She must have been a really good girl - she earned her first set of wheels from Nanny and Poppy! For now she can ride it in the basement - but once the snow melts watch out world!!!
It was also really nice to spend some time with Sierra - she's been living with Nanny and Poppy (and her dog-brother Max) since we put our previous house on the market. She's been spoiled since she arrived there and spent the summer running around at the Lake. In the winter she spends her time roaming the woods next to the house - she's a pretty lucky senior dog-citizen.
As I mentioned - we're home. No magic as we crossed the "Welcome to Minnesota" state line but it sure feels good to be back in my own bed. We're still trying to unpack all of the suitcases and boxes from the trip so it'll likely be a few weeks before I'm back on here. Here's to wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Since you only have a day or two you better hurry and complete your 2008 resolutions...in just a few days you'll be making more.
12 days of vacation
11 inches of snow
10 hour drive to Michigan
9 questions of "Are we there yet"
8 Breadsticks from the Portside (probably more)
7 Stupsky's jammed into a church pew
6 hours of Wii Yahtzee!
5 hundred trips up and and down Whitman Sledding Hill
4 Doting grandparents
3 (G) iPhone for Danielle
2 days of presents
1 Happy 4-year old girl
Okay, so there was so much more to our trip. We had such a great time that Teagan cried for almost two hours as we were driving out of town. I can hardly blame her - when she's there she has all her grandparents doting on her and she gets to spend quality time with her cousins; something we don't have in Minnesota. For her it's like a perpetual party and I get it - I totally understand how she feels. I remember when we first left Marquette coming back home was the best feeling - coming back to what I know; the people, restaurants, atmosphere. It's been so many years and it's not exactly the same feeling, but there's still that magic and excitement when we see the sign "Welcome to Marquette".
As you can see it was a fun Christmas morning for Teagan. She must have been a really good girl - she earned her first set of wheels from Nanny and Poppy! For now she can ride it in the basement - but once the snow melts watch out world!!!
It was also really nice to spend some time with Sierra - she's been living with Nanny and Poppy (and her dog-brother Max) since we put our previous house on the market. She's been spoiled since she arrived there and spent the summer running around at the Lake. In the winter she spends her time roaming the woods next to the house - she's a pretty lucky senior dog-citizen.
As I mentioned - we're home. No magic as we crossed the "Welcome to Minnesota" state line but it sure feels good to be back in my own bed. We're still trying to unpack all of the suitcases and boxes from the trip so it'll likely be a few weeks before I'm back on here. Here's to wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Since you only have a day or two you better hurry and complete your 2008 resolutions...in just a few days you'll be making more.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
We are thankful...
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! I know I'm a bit late in posting our Turkey Day fun, but I just came out of my turkey coma and I'm ready to get back to reality.
This year we had a very laid back Thanksgiving, for the first time in as long as we can remember it was just the three of us. We tried to keep up some of the long-standing traditions like playing a new game, watching football and skipping lunch in lieu of dips, chips and other snackies but it just did not feel the same.
Teagan woke at the crack of dawn and was so excited to be able to wear the new dress she got from Nanny and Poppy. She looks to find any excuse to wear a dress, I guess there's no better reason than a holiday! She looked adorable and complimented her look with white ballet shoes (did I mention her ballet shoes have become a very important fixture in her life?).
Teagan had hoped for some snow on Thanksgiving so we could go out and play - the weather called for snow, just not in Minnesota. I write this blog 6 days post Thanksgiving and we still have yet to enjoy any type of snow accumulation. This was as close as she got to snow this day - still pretty cute!
Even though it was just the three of us we still managed to cook a meal fit for an army. My favorite part, as always, are the rolls. Teagan and I watched them rise all day until they were FINALLY ready to go in the oven. Teagan was happy (as was I) that she could stop asking "Are they done yet?" I promised her she could butter them when they came out of the oven and she was happy to help!
After dinner the fun began! Really, I have no pictures of dinner. I've never really understood why people try so hard to coordinate the cooking times of things such as the turkey, sides and wine pouring only to spend 20 minutes taking pictures of everyone sitting at the table ready to dig in like gluttens...when it's finally time to eat it's a surefire bet the potatoes are cold and the wine bottle is almost empty due to the stress of trying to figure out how to work the automatic timer.
I do, however, have pictures of the pie - simply becuase Teagan's only request this year was that she get to try Pecan Pie. What? A 4 year old wants Pecan Pie? We humored her even though neither of us have ever had a pecan pie and it seems so unbearably gross. To my surprise a Pecan Pie is filled with creamy caramel - very rich and delicious. They need to come up with a better name - Pecan Pie just does not sounds as tasty as Gooey Caramel Pie topped with Pecans. Here's a picture of heaven in a pie pan along with it's proud owner:
To top off the day we received a visit from a cute little Elf! He arrived while we were outside lighting up the house. When we got back in the house Teagan noticed him sitting on the ledge and could not believe her eyes! He brought along some special treats for Teagan and his book so we would know what to do with him. Santa sent him to watch her and each night he flies back to the North Pole to report on Teagan and her activities. If she's well behaved she might find a small holiday treasure the next morning near the elf. It's really been a lot of fun watching her try to interact with the elf. Each night when he returns from the North Pole he lands at a different location so each morning she runs around the house to find the elf. Did I mention she named him Elfie; quite appropriate! If you want to learn more about Elfie and his other elf friends you can at http://www.elfontheshelf.combut please don't ruin the magic for Teagan.
I'm hopeful you all had as much fun as we had on Thanksgiving! Now get out there and get your Christmas shopping done!!
This year we had a very laid back Thanksgiving, for the first time in as long as we can remember it was just the three of us. We tried to keep up some of the long-standing traditions like playing a new game, watching football and skipping lunch in lieu of dips, chips and other snackies but it just did not feel the same.
Teagan woke at the crack of dawn and was so excited to be able to wear the new dress she got from Nanny and Poppy. She looks to find any excuse to wear a dress, I guess there's no better reason than a holiday! She looked adorable and complimented her look with white ballet shoes (did I mention her ballet shoes have become a very important fixture in her life?).
Teagan had hoped for some snow on Thanksgiving so we could go out and play - the weather called for snow, just not in Minnesota. I write this blog 6 days post Thanksgiving and we still have yet to enjoy any type of snow accumulation. This was as close as she got to snow this day - still pretty cute!
Even though it was just the three of us we still managed to cook a meal fit for an army. My favorite part, as always, are the rolls. Teagan and I watched them rise all day until they were FINALLY ready to go in the oven. Teagan was happy (as was I) that she could stop asking "Are they done yet?" I promised her she could butter them when they came out of the oven and she was happy to help!
After dinner the fun began! Really, I have no pictures of dinner. I've never really understood why people try so hard to coordinate the cooking times of things such as the turkey, sides and wine pouring only to spend 20 minutes taking pictures of everyone sitting at the table ready to dig in like gluttens...when it's finally time to eat it's a surefire bet the potatoes are cold and the wine bottle is almost empty due to the stress of trying to figure out how to work the automatic timer.
I do, however, have pictures of the pie - simply becuase Teagan's only request this year was that she get to try Pecan Pie. What? A 4 year old wants Pecan Pie? We humored her even though neither of us have ever had a pecan pie and it seems so unbearably gross. To my surprise a Pecan Pie is filled with creamy caramel - very rich and delicious. They need to come up with a better name - Pecan Pie just does not sounds as tasty as Gooey Caramel Pie topped with Pecans. Here's a picture of heaven in a pie pan along with it's proud owner:
To top off the day we received a visit from a cute little Elf! He arrived while we were outside lighting up the house. When we got back in the house Teagan noticed him sitting on the ledge and could not believe her eyes! He brought along some special treats for Teagan and his book so we would know what to do with him. Santa sent him to watch her and each night he flies back to the North Pole to report on Teagan and her activities. If she's well behaved she might find a small holiday treasure the next morning near the elf. It's really been a lot of fun watching her try to interact with the elf. Each night when he returns from the North Pole he lands at a different location so each morning she runs around the house to find the elf. Did I mention she named him Elfie; quite appropriate! If you want to learn more about Elfie and his other elf friends you can at http://www.elfontheshelf.combut please don't ruin the magic for Teagan.
I'm hopeful you all had as much fun as we had on Thanksgiving! Now get out there and get your Christmas shopping done!!
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