Don't You Hate it When....
When I was in the 9th grade I went to Space Camp.

Yes! I did! I wanted to be an astronaut. Now I work in higher education. Go figure.

Anyway, while at Space Camp I met my best friend, Julie. When camp ended, we promised to keep in touch. In the time before text messages, e-mail, facebook and Skype, we sent actual handwritten letters back and forth.

In our letters, we always included two things: Gossip of people in our high schools and a little thing called, "Don't You Hate it When..." I thought I'd bring that back to life on the blog.

Here is an edition of Don't You Hate it When...

• You find a recipe that you think sounds really good, you make it and it wasn't as great as you thought?
• You make said recipe and when you're finished you look around the kitchen and it looks like an 8 year old made dinner due to the mess?
• You make lunch plans with a friend to have lunch downtown, but you pack a lunch anyway?
• You're listening to the weather forecast and it says "4-6 inches of snow possible" so you plan accordingly by leaving early and dressing warm....only to find that it's raining and 42 degrees outside.
• You get in the shower, only to remember that you forgot to toss out the shampoo bottle because it was empty? Now you have to get out of the shower, dripping wet, to make your way to the linen closet to get a new bottle of shampoo.

What about you? What is your Don't You Hate it When moment?

I Love Me The 80's....

Last weekend the Big Guy and I had grand plans for a date night that included dinner and seeing the new movie Duplicity. Well, those plans went out the window after the Big Guy spent Saturday with his buddies and I was wiped out from just a long week. As our time of departure approached, we both looked at each other and said, "Wanna skip the movie?"

Notice how we decided to skip the movie, but not dinner?

As my friend Heather would say, "...a girl's gotta eat!"

Anyway, we went to dinner and then over to Target to get some cold medicine for the Big Guy. As he was browsing the cold and flu aisle, I headed over to the DVD's.

That's when I saw it.

You have no idea how much I love this movie!! I can seriously put this in and watch it over, and over and over.

So many parts of this movie crack me up--22 years later (TWENTY TWO YEARS!).

Since I've purchased it, I've watched it almost every night. I even watched it on Wednesday night and forgot about watching LOST.

Now that's saying somethin'...

Just don't tell the Big Guy!

Flashbacks, Circa 1997....

When I moved back to Minnesota in December of 2001 I was so excited to be able to connect again with my friends from the University of North Dakota. One of those people was my friend Amy. I've talked about Amy a lot on this blog. Amy and I have been through a lot together.

Including the Grand Forks flood of 1997.

I wasn't there in person, but I was there--on the phone--when Amy needed someone to vent with, cry with, share her anger and to tell her that it will get better and it will be OK. Amy's parents had major flood damage to their home. Amy's room was in the basement--so you can imagine that many of her childhood things were lost.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard that Fargo, North Dakota is having a bit of a water problem. The Red River is rising, and the city is in full-blown emergency mode. They are sandbagging around the clock to do all that they can to save the city, homes, businesses, the university (which shall remain nameless...). The latest predictions are that the Red River will crest on Saturday. They are saying it will be the highest it has been in a century.

While I was with Amy in spirit in 1997, I have been there when it comes to preparing for a flood. In 1996, my last year in Grand Forks, the Red River was going to flood that spring. In the spring of 1996, the option to get out of class free to go help sandbag was granted and I was all over it. Anything to get out of my Norwegian class.

I, like many Fargo residents over the last week, have sat on the cold, cement floor of a warehouse and tied off sandbags as they were made. As soon as they were tied, they were snatched out of my hands and onto a pallet or truck. That pallet or that truck were then moved to make room for more. The large Sand Octopus--a machine that helps to fill the sand bags--worked just as hard as the people who were shoveling sand into bags outside of that warehouse. It was a 24 hour operation.

But 1997 was the year that changed everything in Grand Forks. That winter they had 98.6 inches of snow.

NINETY EIGHT POINT SIX.

We may like our snow, but that is the perfect ingredient for a flood if anyone has ever seen it. This year was no different. Lots of rain in the fall, paired with lots of snow this winter, as well as rain and more snow over these last two weeks, have made for quite the mess in Fargo.

When the levees broke in mid April 1997, not only was Grand Forks flooded, it was literally under water. We've all seen flood photos before, but these that I found online at the US Geological Survey are by far, the best.

Whitey's Bar and Restaurant.

Yes. The water is at the TOP of the doors.

After the levees broke and the water receeded

this is what was left of the sandbag dike.

Grand Forks. My home from 1990-1996.

The two bridges in the photo seperate East GF and

Grand Forks. East GF is in MN. GF is in ND.

You know it's bad when the water that flows

FAR BELOW the bridge is now flowing over the bridge.

For those of you who don't live close by, or have never been a part of a flood effort, you don't think much of it when you see it on TV. You think "...oh, wow. I feel bad for them!", but as soon as the newcast switches to a new story, the flood is out of your mind.

Since the flood of 1997 I have made my way back to UND and Grand Forks. It is still a city I love and a city I wouldn’t mind living in for the rest of my life. My friend Mike--who was also at UND during the 1997 flood--said this morning, "I'm glad I'm not there, but also wish I was to be able to help." The people of Fargo love their city and they are in a fight that they didn't think they would ever have to face.

These people are tired.
They're cold.
They're angry.
They're scared.

As you thank your lucky stars that you're not in Fargo, I hope that you remember them in your prayers each night.

They're going to need it.

My Blog. My Rules.
This is going to sound very self centered, but I like my blog.

I do.

I know others do too. It humbles me that people like what I have to say. My ramblings and off the wall posts are actually read by more than my mother! The best is when I sometimes get a comment left by the author of blog that I frequent. When I get those comments, I sometimes feel like a celebrity stopped by and said "hi".

It's crazy. I know.

But I have to draw the line at people who come by my blog for the first time ever and ask me to vote for them in some online contest or participate in a give-away. While I appreciate them stopping by my blog, I have to wonder--did they even read what I had to write?

Doubtful.

While I'm guilty of following blogs but not always commenting--I do read the blogs on my blog roll every single day. So, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it is possible that this person has been reading my blog and now felt comfortable enough to leave a comment.

But I doubt it. Because if you're in-it-to-win-it, your focus is on the prize.

So, I've now turned on the comment moderation. It may take a bit before your comment may appear, but I promise that I cherish every single one of you who come by to say hi. As my friend Tracy says, "....it makes me feel popular."

But if you're asking for a vote in some contest--and I don't know you or don't read your blog--I'll make you a deal. You go to my team's 3-day page and make a donation to the Breast Cancer 3-day 60 miles walk. If I see your donation on one of our donation honor rolls, then I'll toss a vote your way.

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, right?

I'm Ready for my Closeup....
So, if you haven't heard, I'm doing the Breast Cancer 3-day again this year.

Oh. I'm not walking. I'm crewing. Actually, I'm driving a van around the route picking up people who can't go on. Amy will be with me, hanging out the window making sure people are OK.

I'll be sure to take photos because me + Amy + a van + 3-day excitement = photos worth at least 1000 words.

About 2 months ago, I was contacted by the head of PR for the Twin Cities 3-day to be an Ambassador. This means that if the 3-day gets a request to do interviews, we could be called to help with that request. She wanted me to do this because of the card project. I told her I was happy to do it, but I'm also including my team. While the project may be mine, the team is just that--a team.

Actually, I hate being the center of attention--so a team effort makes it less daunting.

I was sent press releases and was told to fill them in and send them off to local newspaper, radio, television....anyone who could give us and the 3-day a little PR. As a good little 3-day participant, I filled it out and sent it to some different places including KARE-11, the NBC station in Minneapolis.

I got an e-mail from the editor of the "Extra" segments that are aired during the 10:00 news a few times a week. Extra produces "feel good" stories. Apparently ours fits into that category. Go figure. Per the editor, she said, (and I quote), "I like the story! Can I call you in a few weeks?"

I will be sure to keep you all posted if we end up on TV! Not only is that exciting, but it really is positive PR for the 3-day and the card project.

I now need a hair cut and some hi-lites.
Did I spell hi-lites correctly (hi-lites? highlights?)?
I also need an outfit that makes me look slim on TV. The camera adds 10 pounds.

Or so I've heard.

She's at it Again....
Last summer I wrote a post about the little old lady who lives in the end townhome unit. I wrote about how she yelled at me and my mother last summer for parking in the now established visitor parking.
I haven't parked there since last summer.

Until tonight.

And true to form, she came out of her unit and the conversation went like this:

Her: Are you supposed to park there?
Me (rolling my eyes): I'll be here for about an hour.
Her: Because that's for visitors!!
Me (fake smiling): I'm aware of that.
Her: So you won't be there for long?
Me (no smile, but definitely wearing my "don't mess with me" look): You know what? This is really none of your concern how long I'll be parked there.

She stiffened up and went back into her unit. I walked back to mine saying a few words that were definitely not lady like.

I came into the house and not only composed this blog (my way of venting), but also to be sure to take the landlord's number with me tomorrow so that I can call her and file my own complaint. This has to stop. I've parked there 2 times in the last year and a half and both times I get scolded by her. Our friends and family get scolded when they come to visit--and they're visitors!!

I'll keep you posted. I'm a woman on a mission, people.

Edited to add: The landlord has been called. They know her by name! I was assured that it would be discussed. Thank goodness!!

This Has my Grandpa Written All Over It....
My Grandpa Osmundson is a pretty cool dude.

For 25 years (or so...not sure of the exact years) he and my grandmother owned a livestock exchange. Their slogan? Sale Every Tuesday. You gotta love marketing and branding slogans. Simple. To the point. Never a question of when the sale was.

As a kid I loved going to the Sale Barn (that's what we called it in our family) and sitting in the ring while my grandpa made sure that bids were being seen. I got to sit in the ring during the miscellaneous sales. That was when we sold items like bales of hay, crates full of baby chicks and boxes full of random farm items.

Of course, the auctioneer would always attempt to sell me. "Now, up for bid, one little blonde headed girl, wearing a brown winter coat, green hat and mittens. She looks about 10 years old. Starting bid will be 50 cents." This would cause me to giggle and shout "GRANDPA!! I'm not for sale!"

Nothing says fun like a barn full of old farmers who just want to get a good price on a trailer full of cows.

Today I was sent the following video and it made me think of my grandpa. Not just because it has livestock in it, but because if I don't post it quick, I'll get it in an e-mail forward.

I love my grandpa more than anything!

He's funny.
He's smart.
He's sharp.
He's handsome.
He's still highly independent at the age of 80.

But he's Quick Draw Grandpa when it comes to those e-mail forwards. Funny thing is, when he got e-mail he said to me (in his thick Minnesotan/Norwegian accent), "Ya, see, dat der e-mail is fine, but all I get are jokes dat I've already heard a tousand times!"

And what does he do? Forward the jokes to me, my mom, and his other children.

So, I'm sending him the link to my blog so that he can read my post about him, but also to beat him to the punch in sending me this video. Because you know one of his old friends has already sent it.

Jeg elsker deg, bestefar!

What's Wrong With This Picture.....
So, have you seen the commercial for Activia Yogurt, now with fiber?

You know the commercials. Yogurt with the culture "bifadis regularis" to help you stay regular.

Did you know that in Northern MN, outhouses at camp grounds are called Biffys? When I first heard the name of the yogurt culture, I instantly thought that the person who created it must have been from Northern MN. They went on a camping trip and ate so much dehydrated camping food that it caused them to not be able to go. So, they came home, developed the culture and said, "...well, this will certainly help me regularly go to the Biffy!"

OK...I digress.

Anyway, I see a commercial last night for the new form of Activia--now with fiber!

Does anyone else see what I see?

Activia is supposed to make you go.
Fiber is supposed to help you go.

Why would I need to add fiber to my Activia yogurt? It's already supposed to help me go. Is it not doing that?

I don't get it why the fiber is added. What I do know is that I won't be eating it. I am happy with my favorite brand o' yogurt, thankyouverymuch.

Believe It or Not, I'm Not Irish....
Happy St Patrick's Day!

Every year on St Patrick's Day I get asked if I'm happy to celebrate my heritage. I then have to think "Do Norwegians celebrate St Patrick's Day?"

Then it dawns on me. With my last name (it's a "Mc" last name), my fair skin and a few freckles, and the unique spelling of "Kelley", it's no wonder that people think I'm Irish. I then have to say, "..actually, no, I'm not Irish. Just Norwegian, German and English." Then I have to explain that my Grandfather (my dad's father) was adopted.

But I do make sure to wear green.

And speaking of the Irish, I want to wish my friend Ed a Happy St Patty's Day. He's Irish. Well, technically he's half Mexican and half British. His father was from Mexico, his mom is from the UK. As a kid he lived in Ireland, so he claims to be Irish. Go figure.

Anyway, Happy St Patrick's Day, Ed! Have a Guinness for us!

Here's a picture of Ed so you can see who he is....

While you can't read it, the bumper sticker on the car reads, "I break for Leprechauns".

I can't make this stuff up.

Edited to add: Well, it has happened. At 7:45 a.m. I was asked if I was wearing green to celebrate St Patrick's Day because of my name. Can I call it or what? ha!

Update on the Fur Kid....
This is Stella, my cat. She looks sweet and innocent, but really, she can be a brat some days.

A few months ago, I posted about how she was doing some of her business outside of the litter box. Specifically on my bathroom rug. That poor rug. It got washed multiple times a week because of her.

I asked for some feedback on what to do. My cousin, Jennie, said, "...try a second litter box."

I did.

And the problem is solved (so far).

The queen of the castle now has two litter boxes--her original and the new one in the guest room. She now prefers the guest room litter box and rarely uses the one in the bathroom. Go figure.

Thanks, Jennie, for your suggestion!

Where the Big Girls At?
If you haven't heard, I'm getting married.

I am so not a center-of-attention person. Therefore, for me, this wedding is uber small. So small that it is only our family, and a set of friends each.

Oh. No need to worry. We're having a big ol' reception later for all our friends and family. Or at least the friends and family we can afford to feed. Have you seen what it costs to host a reception with any sort of food? Goodness!

Anyway, my best friend, Julie told me that I had to join The Knot for wedding ideas, their super-amazing check list and so on.

Like a good little bride, I went online and joined. While the ideas are super cute, and the discussion boards can be enough to make me raise and eyebrow and say, "...really? Is it that important to know when to bustle your dress?" I can't help but notice one thing.

There are no big & beautiful brides in the Featured Weddings section.

Here's what I mean. Check out this screen shot....


In the circled area above, they showcase different weddings so that you can see what the bride and groom wore, what the table scape was like, color choices, etc.

Over the last few months, as I've seen these featured weddings pop up on every page of The Knot that I look at, I find that there are no large brides featured.

Not one.

Large bridesmaids? Yes.
Large grooms? Yes.
Large brides? No.

Trust me, I've looked. I've searched by state. I've searched by location. I've searched by color scheme. You name it, I've searched. Oh, I'm sure they're there. But why it is that when I scroll through the endless featured weddings, I don't see any? What am I missing?

My beef is that not every bride is a size 4. While many brides try their hardest to be a size 4 by their wedding day, let's be realistic. Many are not. I'm not talking about only seeing brides that are a size 26, but I am talking about brides that have a little meat on their bones! Show the spectrum....show those size 4 brides, along with the size 12, size 18 and the size 26. Larger brides need to see different dresses on body types that they can identify with. The bride in the strapless dress who is as tiny as a lamp post doesn't help.

From one big girl to the folks at The Knot, I ask you....where are the big girls at?

Vegas. Though Pictures....
The photos have been uploaded and it's time to share our Vegas trip with all of you!


When we were talking about going on our trip, I told the Big Guy, "I'm going to pack some snacks, oatmeal for breakfast and some fruit." He gave me a bunch of grief for that and said, "We can get that stuff there."

When we had a $31 breakfast on the first day he didn't think that oatmeal was such a bad idea.

Funny thing is...we didn't eat it. Starbucks was calling. Actually, their banana nut muffins were calling.

Damn muffins.


At the MGM Grand, we checked in and I have to say, their staff was AMAZING. The woman checking us in said, "We're going to put you in the West Wing, where the rooms were recently updated. The shower is a stall type shower. If you don't like it, come back in the morning and we'll switch your room."

We thought, "no tub? Who cares!" So, we get to the room and when you walk in, you walk right into the bathroom.

No door.
No nothing.

When we went to check out the shower, we realized that yes...it's a stall.

But so was the toilet.

I felt like I was in a public restroom. Granted, public restrooms don't have a phone in the stall, but you get what I'm saying.


That, my friends, is a TV.
In the mirror.
In the newly renovated room.

To say it's modern is an understatement.


The next morning we went to the desk to ask for a new room. The other room was nice, but too small (sorry, no photo of the other room). The woman at the desk said, "Oh, yes. Those rooms are nice if you're a single guy. As a couple, you're on top of one another."

She hit the nail on the head.

This is a photo of our new room. Much better! And yes. The bathroom was normal.


On our first day, the Big Guy was all about seeing what was on the Strip.

Here is the lion outside of the MGM Grand.


Here is the New York, New York hotel.

Yes. That's a roller coaster.


View from our new hotel room (if you looked to the left).

At night, the hotel is green and gold. The Big Guy said it looked cool. I said it was green and gold for a reason. The color of money.


View from our room (looking straight ahead).

Yes. That's the airport.
No. It wasn't loud (it was quiet actually!).


The Big Guy outside of Circus Circus. He said that we "had to go" and visit that hotel and casino. I wasn't sure why, but he said it was because of some movie he loves (or maybe it was a book. I don't know...). We went in. After we came out he said that we never, ever, ever had to visit there again.

Why you ask? Well. No offense to those who like Circus Circus, but I think it's a huge dive.


MESA Grill at Caesars Palace where we had our "fancy" dinner on Sunday night. This restaurant is owned by Bobby Flay.

In a word? AMAZING.


Remember my photo a few posts back of my face next to the Eiffel Tower? I told the Big Guy that he had to have a matching photo.

This was our attempt at that.

The Bally's sign makes an appearance here too.


The Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand.

Each day, the lions are in the habitat to play, sleep and to educate the public about lions. The trainers are in the habitat with the lions each day. When the lions are sleeping, the trainers are a bit bored (to say the least).

I noticed that their blue ball was no longer a ball....because it's been pawed and torn apart.

If you had paws the size of your head, you'd do that to a ball too!


Lions at the Lion Habitat in the MGM Grand.

Just chillin' and relaxin'.

And watching hundreds of people take their photo.


Me putting my feet up after a long walk down the strip.

Something to note: these are the same tennis shoes that I wore while walking in the 3-day last year. Ahhh...the shoes I can count on.


While in Vegas, we did go to see comedian Louie Anderson (photo coming soon--it needs to be scanned). Before the show, we went to eat dinner at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in the MGM Grand.

While it wasn't as great as MESA Grill, it was still very good.

The Big Guy got a burger and it came with his own personal ketchup bottle. If you're wondering, yes. He used it all.


After the Louie Anderson show, we walked over to the New York, New York hotel and this was what we saw. The photo is a little dark, but I loved seeing our hotel lit up at night!


All in all, our trip was great. We enjoyed it and plan to be back.

After all, I have a penny slot machine with my name on it!

Viva Las Vegas....
We're back!

We had a great time! More of an update later today with some photos.

Highlights of the trip:

*Meeting comedian Louie Anderson. We have the pics to prove it!
*Eating at Bobby Flay's restaurant MESA Grill at Caesar's Palace
*Winning $75 in a combination of playing roulette and the penny slots
*The warm weather & getting to wear sandals
*Amazing service and friendly nature of the MGM Grand staff
*Being able to walk the 6 mile strip and thinking "This is nothing! I walked 60 miles last year!"

The other big news from the trip....the Big Guy and I decided not to get married in Las Vegas. Upon telling my mother, she said, "...you know, we would have gone anywhere for your wedding and supported you in your decision. But deep down I can't help but say, 'Thank the Lord'."

A Little Taste of Vegas...

Elvis has left the building.

Proof positive that left unattended, the Big Guy will get into all sorts of things.

Taking a Small Break....
I have started quite a few posts over the last few days but all are a jumbled bunch of nothing. I think this is a sure sign that I need to take a little bloggy break.

We are headed to Las Vegas and will be back later next week.

Oh. You know I'll have lots to write about. Hello....it's VEGAS!


Here's a photo of me in Las Vegas in 2004. You know...in case I never get to the real Eiffel Tower, at least I can pretend like I was there (minus the Bally's sign...).