It's Official(ly) Scary!

These two dorky, outdoor loving, enginerds are getting hitched. Who'd a thought?

We haven't picked a date but we have the place and we are both pumped. Mr. Anderson pulled all the right moves, asked my Dad's permission, secretly picked out the ring HIMSELF (and it is gorgeous), got down on one knee and melted my heart. What a guy!

Ben please look at this picture and remember it is never too late to back out, my looks are only going to get worse, I do not photograph well and I go by the name sweetwhitelady.

Mile Marker 184, 18 miles south of Mason City Iowa on Northbound I-35

Oh boy yesterday was not good, I left home at 5 am to drive to Des Moines for software training. Smart people would have driven the night before, maybe printed out directions, and then brought along a map, all things I did not do. I did stop to get water, use the bathroom and gas up at about 6:30. That was when I noticed my underwear were on inside out. That was THE SIGN to go home!

To make a long story short I got lost, was 45 minutes late for class, sat through a class for software we DO not have, and ran out of gas on I-35 just shy of Mason City. In my defense the Chevy Cobalt is the crappiest car around especially when it does not have cruise control and the low fuel light means in 22 miles your engine will shut down. I also blame Iowa for not having a gas station for 32 miles. Oh Iowa I hate you so. An Iowa State Trooper stopped to make sure I was okay, he rapped on my window, I opened up. "Are you okay?"
"Yep I am fine, just stupid, don't worry my insurance agent is sending someone"

I think the only good thing Iowa has ever done is to allow wind turbines to be built (about 800 of them!). Oh and they are letting a certain biker ride in this years RAGBRAI. Yes I will be there!

Ben how'd ya get so fly?

My nephew drew this beautiful picture of Ben. My sister and I requested the moustache but the giant eyebrows and Fred Flinestone feet, oh he picked that up all by himself. Lovely.

Wowzaas I can't believe it is the 4th already. The cynics of my family will say that the 4th is the halfway point of summer but in reality summer has just begun, come on people. We have a nice slew of fireworks brought in by Dad from SoDak, with the highlight piece being a large firework called Salvation with a crucifix and John 3:16 printed on the side. Hmm I didn't know there were Chinese Christians? In any case good find Dad, controversy is good, then we forget how many bottles of mustard we had, who parked where and what drank all the beer.

We caught the Tom Petty - Pearl Jam concert on Tuesday night in St. Paul. Tom was pretty rocking, I mean he still wears the same duds from 30 years ago (purple shirt with vest?) but he also rocks and sings like he is 30 years younger. It was great entertainment with the crazies in front of us dancing and carrying on we had plenty to look at. In general the people watching rivaled that of the airport..........

But doesn't hold a candle to the folks at the DMV. Wow I have never seen such a hodge podge of people as I ran into at the Columbia Heights DMV. Some of the oddest ones were employees to boot. Gov't offices = scary, don't go unless you HAVE to.

Oh Grandma, Grandma's and Ghana

One nice little piece of advice for ya, don't get old because this is what happens. My grandma got her knee replaced and she is doing well, is in good spirits and even seems to enjoy sporting the scar and showing everyone but gosh-d that looks like it smarted. To a fast recovery Grandma June, may you soon be cruising around in your Town Car delivering socks and other necessities to your loved ones.

Oh boy Grandma's Marathon was a doozey this year. I got into the half but couldn't attend and now realize that was a pretty good deal for me. Apparently it was the most humid conditions ever at race time and me and humidity are not friends. The person who did use my bib ran a 1:38 which I found pretty impressive, plus I beat Ben, I mean the person that ran in my place beat the person that ran in Ben's. Sweet!

Ghana beats U.S., what? Why I care I am not sure but I did listen on the radio this morning and it sounded pretty bad. And I think this is only the second win for an African team on European soil. Jeez just another reason for the world to look down us.

VOTE JOE!

Oh Joe, how you be so awesome? Local Twin Joe Mauer is everything a baseball star should be, humble and handsome, loyal and minnesota nice. After his scary first season knee injury, Joe has been nothing but exciting, too bad his teammates can't seem to follow suit. Hmm too busy grumbling about your salary to worry about your game, hey Lohse how were the minors?

The Twins have launched a campaign to help him become an All Star, check it out and VOTE here. I voted 25 times, yes it was a pain but worth it if this St. Paul slugger gets the spot he has earned on the American League All Star Team. (for non baseball folks, vote J. Mauer, right hand column under American League catcher)

YAO Zaas

Yao Ming is about 7 feet 5, I saw him play against the T-Wolves last winter and wow he is tall, runs like a clod, can't jump and blocks like a grizzly bear.

What a sight it would be to see this Yao play basketball, Yao Defen, also Chinese but not related to Ming, is 7 foot 7! Sadly she probably cannot walk, it appears in the photo she is having trouble just sitting.

Does anyone else see her resemblance to a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon?

Looking for a deal?

I use craig's list quite a bit and have actually found some pretty good deals. For example here is one I want to share FREE 3 boxes of cereal (adult) . I am not going to bite on this so if you are interested you go, my treat. Or how about this? What a nice offer.

-Well I survived Iowa, not without a broken treadmill and a hairy sandwich but hey I made it. Ben picked me up from the airport Thursday night and we had dinner at the 5-8 Club, which was where we went on our first date. I thought it would be cutesy to wear the same shirt, you know recreate the first date ala The Parent Trap. Well it got a little freaky as Ben had the same idea and also wore the same shirt and in a packed club we ended up in the same booth with the same waitress as a year and a half ago. I probably didn't help things by ordering the same meal with the same beer but Ben mixed it up, got the Juicy Lucy and we survived the deja vu, even had some fun.

-We have been hauling a 16 gallon root beer keg around for the last 3-4 days. It lived in my bathtub for a night and then moved to a giant garbage tub and now it is plopped down right in my kitchen. Man those things are heavy but I guess worth it as we got it for Ben's Dad's 60th birthday party. Saturday was cold, definitely more of a coffee day then a root beer day, but fun. Ben commented it was like a graduation party but for an older gentleman, which is totally what it was, same cake, pictures,and congratulations.

-Wow, how come this is the first time I ever heard of this?

Go Hawkeyes

No wait I hate the Hawkeyes, all because of that one game at Joe Sensor's, stupid crazy fans. But anyways I am in Iowa and it sucks, the Baymonts Suites, they aren't sweet, they smell like crappy hotel and my Kia Rio makes a weird whooshing sound if I go over 55 and seriously reeks inside. Uffda, at least there are a couple of decent restaurants and I can always go check out the University of Iowa. Wait, why would I do that? Anyways I am here until Thursday evening, please keep me in your thoughts.

Hope you all like radishes and kohlrabi and beans, peas, squash, tomatoes and corn, because we planted a garden and it is bigger than we can eat. Here is Ben trying to disc up the garden, yep he is stuck, but he gets himself unstuck, not without looking a little concerned though.(correction, he was not stuck, only had the disc set too deep, sorry Ben!
Yah-Hoo Lance has been proven innocent, I never doubted it. Now when is that sweet movie coming out about him?

Now for bad news, my little sister who has been AWOL since March has been found. She and her 3 siblings are in foster care, and here I was mad that she never got back to me. I know it isn't her fault she is super rude and only wants to go out to eat when we get together. Poor kid, her whole world is turned upside down.

Hey this is Sherman

-The weddings have begun, oh good grief. I think between Ben and I we have a wedding every month right up to 2007. My intentions to be prepared and avoid the pre wedding rush has never worked out and this wedding was no exception. We had even bought the present 6 weeks ago and still were frantically wrapping it 15 minutes before we left will simultaneously shaving, ironing and applying make-up. Good grief who needs the stress.

-July's wedding is in Flint Michigan and Sunday I was on the phone trying to book a hotel room.

Operator: "Comfort Inn Hotels, can I get your name?"
Me: "Sure it is Mindi"
Operator: "Okay Sherman how can I help you"

-Ben bought an old lawn tractor on eBay and Sunday morning we went and picked the relic up. Well the thing is so old Ben didn't even know how to work it. He hopped on it to back it off the trailer and pushed in the clutch. "The brake, where's the brake?" It is not on the right and Ben started rolling backwards. All the sudden the flip trailer flipped and Ben went flying into the corner of the garage. There was some paint exchanged but I was not run over and Ben did not get hurt so we are all good. Not smart but all good.

Family Time

Hah, who says I don't have a sense of humor, I still posted this picture even though everyone said "oh that is going to go on the blog, that is so funny" Check out my mom's, my sister's and my shirt, we look like a walking stoplight.

Oh sad day, the Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth is closing its doors. It's a bummer I never stopped, all the times I went by.

Check it! Trader Joe's opened in St. Louis Park today. Yah!!

Chopsticks are big news

• Who knew the rising cost of oil could made disposable chopsticks a luxury item. Check out this article, Japan uses 25 billion chopsticks a year. Holy Hanoi, that is alot of chop. Have they ever heard of reusable utensils?

•The rain is getting a little old especially for people like me with short legs and long pants. I think my jeans are finally dry from the morning walk. What a drag, literally they drag all over.

•Check out this totally necessary e-mail I got today.

Did anyone order a water slide from JC Penny's?
Let me know. Thank You !!!

Nikki
Receptionist / Clerical Assistant
enXco

I guess if you put that on a dumb scale, all my e-mails look pretty smart now, thanks Nikki.

•Mother's day is here again, Happy Mother's Day all you mothers. I have been checking out this blog, which is a mom blog, but didn't start out that way. Dooce is the blog of a woman in LA who was fired from her job for blogging about co-workers, I remember hearing about it long before blogging was really a thing. Oh and if you have a mom please call her. Mine just called me, obviously disgusted with me for not calling 2 days. Yep Mom I am still alive and Ben and I are still together.

•Okay I am out, have a nice weekend.

28 Miles, ugh

Ben and I had been dreading this past weekend for quite some time. He had a final presentation, paper and exam all due and I had a half-marathon that I had not been training for. Well let's just say they both passed, we are both still alive and my dead toe will come around.

In between all the stuff we had to do, we got to do a canoe race. It was fun, but long, 15 miles in a canoe on a lazy river is not fast or comfortable but it was a gorgeous day on Saturday. Check out the photo, we got passed, passed like we were standing still, passed like we had a 80 lb canoe. Oh wait we did have an 80 lb canoe, a big old cooler and a lazy paddler in front (yep that's me). But like I said it was fun, you all should try it.

Love Builds a Bridge

That spans 71 years?!? Wowzaa a 33 year old man has wed his 104 year old sweetheart. See Article. Excuse me Mr, I think you overlooked a couple of key pieces of information here, she is 104 and has been married 20 times before. Just let the poor woman die in peace and stop interfering with her. I mean seriously look at the photo she is mesmerized by a shiny piece of paper, she has little valuable time left and does not need the burden of another husband.

Can you read this?

Check out this letter we got from a landowner. Man alive this poor guy has some hand control problems but still we were able to decipher a phone number and give him a call. Turns out Neil is also deaf but not stupid. He wants us to put a turbine on his land by the end of the year. Yep that is how it works, you just order the turbines, anybody else want one?

This fire is outta control.........

And this is my worst photo ever. If you have ever ridden in a car with me in the back seat you already know, I am a car sleeper and an excellent one at that. Maybe next time I should try for a little more flattering pose and take that noose off my neck, that looks a little dangerous. Oh and did I mention I am on the clock here, my boss took this photo with his camera phone.

Last night I went to the Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand show. I am not a real big fan of Death Cab but I really like FF, unfortunately I was late as I had to make the rush hour drive from Worthington to Mpls and missed the first part of their set. Bummer. But they were good and looked nice too, as nice as any boys in skin tight pants can look.

Worthington, hmm it is kind of a crappy town. I think 3 days and 2 nights is enough time for any one person to be there. Ignacio said he could live there though because they have a Wal-mart. Oh barf.

I'm there!

But probably not to run, I just want to watch this time.

I ran the NYC Marathon in 2003 and I don't think I ever will again. The set-up is just goofy. We were on the subway at 5:30 am to catch a 6:30 am bus to get on Staten Island and then the race wasn't until 10:00 am. Apparently that is how long it takes to get all the traffic cleared from the bridge and surrounding areas. I think I was tired even before we started.

I have been to New York City a handful of times and one of the times was shortly after 9/11. Being able to see the World Trade Center while it was still rubble was pretty amazing. The enormity of the building and the loss just cannot be fathomed unless you saw it in person. Now that it is all cleaned up it is still pretty cool to visit.

New York City is someplace I think everyone should see, I know one guy in particular that I will be taking if I go.

Thunder From Down Under and Darcie

Wow, I haven't posted much lately, haven't really had much to write. SO it is really nice when something interesting just lands in your inbox.

My buddy Darcie now lives in Vegas, here is her latest celebrity encounter!

I was down working out in our little community gym in the place where I live and I had been there for about 40 minutes on one of the treadmills and then this really good looking guy came in and got on the treadmill next to me. I'm looking at this guy wondering where I have seen him before and then about 10 minutes later his twin brother comes in! I had my headphone on most of the time but when I was switching songs I heard them talking and they had aussie accents. So I asked them if they were from there and we talked for a bit then I realized where I had seen them from...they are strippers from the the show Thunder From Down Under!! HA! I thought that was pretty funny. One of them must live here.

I have to say it is pretty funny that she recognized them out of character. Or is it pretty sad? I'm not sure.

Oh Sweet Jesus Juice

Ben and I are not smart. Not at all, I mean who plugs in a 30+ year old fridge that neither of us has ever used and then fills it to capacity with beer, about half of it in glass bottles. Yep we did and look at the sweet mess we got to clean up.

I think partial blame has to land on all of last week's party goers who did not drink enough beer, it is your fault, too!

This is the Oldest Woman Alive

Well maybe not but she is 96 and still lives in her own home. My mom does odd jobs for her like changing light bulbs, taking out the garbage etc. and she pays my mom line item by line item. $0.50 for changing a light bulb, $15.00 to change hearing aid batteries, $20.00 to mow the yard, $5.00 to deliver juice to her younger sister. The numbers are all across the board.

Saturday she called our house and I answered, all I hear is "MARY, MARY", I reply "nope this is MINDI", and then I hear "MAREEEEEEEEE I CAAAAAAAAAAAN'T HEARRRRRRRR" and then a click............ Apparently that means the hearing aid battery is dead.

So we finished the game we were playing and headed over to her house. The poor lady had been standing by the door since she called because she was afraid she would miss us. So for 20 minutes she just stood there waiting, not knowing if she had even gotten ahold of anyone.

I have always thought she was a little off her rocker and my suspicions where confirmed when she later told my Mom she thought Ben was a nice boy and he was very shy. Hmmmm Ben shy, I don't know about that.