new reality show called 'On the Lot'

i am not really much of a reality tv show watcher. i maybe have watched a total of 5 American idol shows, watched a season of the bachelor and than had enough of that, watch 'deal or no deal' sometimes, but get tired of it always being the same thing over and over again. fear factor....i like the reruns, hardly ever have watch survivor. haven't gotten into dancing with the stars, but i will admit i watch it sometimes. anyways- you get the idea. i am not much of a reality tv show watcher; until today! there is this new reality show that just started last night. it is called "on the lot' and airs on channel 9, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. it is about up and coming directors making short films, getting them judged, America votes...and than you find out who gets kicked off; just like every other reality show. the only difference is that my cousin Mark is on this reality show. ok, not really on it...but on it. let me explain. one of his really good friends is one of the 15 directors on the show and has asked Mark to be his lead actor in all of his short films. thus, you see Mark on this reality show when Andrew Hunt's films are up for viewing, being judged and being voted for. last night was his first one. If Andrew wins this reality show he gets a contract from Dream Works to make 8 movies, all of which Andrew has promised my cousin Mark that he'd would star in them. so....you need to start watching and voting for Andrew; and Mark! if ya wanna check out Andrew's film, and my cousin's acting go to
www.thelot.com click on the contestants- click on Andrew Hunt and than press play and watch his first 1 minute comedy film. Andrew was safe tonight and will be on next week. something fun and different to share with the world.

camping

Went camping this weekend to St. Croix State Park, which is located about 15 miles east of Hinckley, with the young adults (singles) group from Eagle Brook Church. It was a great weekend, even if the weather wasnt perfect. Sara, Jen and I are kicking it low key at the camp fire. We spent most of our time at the campfire since it was cold most of the time. But, i will not complain...cuz it only rained for about 1/2 on saturday- otherwise the rain stayed away and we stayed dry!

here is one of my tent mates for the weekend. Heidi. Her and I were being silly (imgine girls being silly when it's late at night) and had out head lights on. Heidi's was actually her's, mine i stole from Sara so i could use the port-a-potty and actaully see what i was doing. they work great and i need to invest in one for sure. I hardly knew Heidi at the beginning of this outting, and know- we're pals. Jen and Jill also stayed in the same tent! it was fun times.

so for those of you that are aware of nature and the tiny little grose thing found in it will completely understand this. the tics are insane and probably will remian that way all summer long since there was no late freeze this year. When you go camping with a bunch of 'city it' tics become the thing to talk about. so...i thought i'd be extra stupid and collect all the tics people found on them. I did this all day saturday and had so many people bringing me tics. a couple of us went on a walk mid-afternoon and at one point i picked 26 tics off my jeans....yeah, 26~! i know you cant tell from the pics above, but there were A LOT of tics in my little sandwhich bag by the end of the day. caleb and kristin are both checking them out, telling me "that is so grose!" at the end of the day i burned them all...awaiting the noise tics make when you burn them.

heidi, ben, joe, joann and jay- enjoying the fire waiting for devotions to start. in this picture the thing you cant see is that we are sitting very close to the fire cuz it was butt cold out- and for some odd reason the wind really liked to blow the smoke directly into our eyes. at times...we had our hats, hoods and hands over our faces to prevent our eyes from burning from the smoke.

jason was one of the leaders for this little camping get away and he does not like to get his picture taken. i am not really sure why...he just doesnt. i spent many pics trying to check him off gaurd to get a good one of him and it never worked. finally i convinced him to take one with 3 of the coolest women around. jason is a tons of fun, and he did a great job leading this weekend. he made us all pancakes this morning for breakfast!

jill and i enjoying those pancakes that jason grilled up for us. jill and i mixed the batter...so we helped too. we mixed 4 boxes of pancake mix to feed everyone! holy pancakes.

just some more pics...it was a good time. a good trip. lots of laughs had. we all stayed dry. it only rained for about 1/2 hour. no one got sick. no one encourter any major animals. burned about $20 worth of fire wood. eat all day long. slept some. went on a nature hike. went on a bike ride. played some games. snuggled a bit. meat lots of new people. and am super tired!

emotions

today was an emotional roller coaster ride. and sometimes when i blog i feel better, sort of like journaling...so here goes my roller coaster ride.

early this morning i got a voice mail from my mom (she left it last night...i forgot to turn my ringer back on after bible study and didn't hear it) telling me that my dad went to urgent care, than to the emergency room due to some heart issues. I guess he wasn't feeling so hot and he was experiencing some heart palpation's. he described it this afternoon when i chatted with him..."i can feel my heart not beat"- i asked how often and he said "about every minute or so." holy buckets. anyways- the doctor last night keep him for a couple hours to observe him and found nothing. so they sent him home. they did tell him that he has a very low heart rate (low 40's) and if that doesn't change could be a serious issue. he sounds very good and doesn't seem to be worried about it at all. me, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about it today at work. sometimes i have a hard time with my parents getting older and entering that scary 'death' stage. i love my parents and am not sure what i will do when i have to face the day they die...that will suck! so that was what i processed today- while i tried to teach still.

plus, i had a department meeting this morning that did not go well. i don't want to get into detail about the 'what happened', but it was a very rude meeting- sort of attacking people in the meeting without really saying names! it made me sad to work there, and i usually enjoy my work. i know, everyone has there bad days...and today was one of them.

on a positive note....thank goodness for exercise. i got a new trainer today that totally kicked my butt. she is awesome. i don't think i have ever worked that hard in one hour than i did today. it felt horrible, that's right...horrible, i felt like i was going to throw-up, die even. so much pain. of course, a good pain; we will see how i feel tomorrow. my trainer, Fawn, lost close to 65 pounds in 8 months and knows how to kick my butt into shape. my whole shirt was drenched....no lie. my goal, in training with Fawn, is to lose 40 pounds in the next 12 sessions, which she think will take about 10 weeks. i am not sure i will be able to down that much weight that quick...but we are going to 'die' tyring. she is super cool and i like her way more than the trainer i started out with. she ended up being a wacko.
than- i ended my day doing grad school homework. yuck!!!!!
so my emotions were all over the place today. i am glad that it is 10:46 and time to close out my day. bed is going to feel great.

the girls

Krissie (the one behind the chair) throw me a little "fair well from coaching at NWC" party tonight at her house....and as you can see some of the girls showed up to hang out. it was a really nice time. just sitting around being girls...catching up on life, laughing about the past, teasing Taylor (little girl in all pink), eating, eating more, scarp booking; ok the girls were scrap booking a basketball book for me- so i did a lot of watching! We grilled out and i must say that Linda (lady holding the girl in pink) did a great job grilling steak, hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken for all of us on the tiniest grill i have ever seen! Julie (blue shorts) is trying to get me a summer job...funny how she was taking orders from me on the court and now i might be working with her at a golf course...(PRAY THAT I GET THE JOB, I REALLY NEED ONE FOR THE SUMMER). Aimee ( blue sweatshirt on the far right) caught me up on her life and her move to Georgia. Tracy (hat on) came late from a softball game and always has tons of things to talk about...she was on the first players i coached. Joni (the one in the chair) had many many questions to ask me like: what are you favorite top 12 players from your 7 years coaching? (joni might make the cut!) She always has weird crazy things to talk about. Toews (gray sweatshirt) is moving to Montana beginning of June so we had lots of things to talk about. and last but not least is Jess...who probably was one of the easiest players to coach, and maybe the most talented as well....talked about normal everyday stuff and is always a joy to be around. So thanks so much Krissie, well done!!!!! i have so enjoyed being around you the past couple of years and will miss seeing you everyday. LOVE YOU LADIES A LOT

whao....

SO I GOT HIT ON TONIGHT...
IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN FOR ME AND IT MADE ME SMILE LOADS TONIGHT SO I THOUGHT I'D SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL (the few that read this). AFTER A 12 MILE BIKE RIDE AND WORKING UP A GOOD SWEAT...I WALKED INTO GOLDS GYM TO TAKE A QUICK RUN ON THE TREAD MILL (it is easier on my knees running on the tread mil instead of running outside) AND LIFT SOME WEIGHTS. AFTER MY QUICK MILE RUN AND MORE SWEAT....TO SAY THE LEAST I WAS LOOKING GOOD (can you hear my sarcasm?). I HEADED OVER TO THIS SIDE SIT UP MACHINE AND STARTED IN ON WORKING OFF MY BABY FAT ROLES...AND THIS DUDE NAMED SHANE ASKED "CAN I WORK MY SETS WITH YOU?" "SURE", I SAID. "HOW MANY SETS AND REPS ARE YOU DOING", ASKED SHANE. "OH ENOUGH TO GET ME TIRED". SHANE SAID, "WELL YOU LOOK GOOD ALREADY SO YOU WONT HAVE TO DO MANY...BUT MAYBE YOU COULD BE MY SIT UP PARTNER FROM KNOW ON.". OH GOODNESS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING. AFTER ABOUT 2 SETS OF 20 I FOUND OUT ALOT ABOUT SHANE, AND HE IN TURN ASKED ME HOW OLD I WAS, WHERE I LIVED, IF I WAS DATING ANYONE, HOW OFTEN I CAME TO THE GYM, AND WHY I WAS WORKING OUT SO HARD. SO...GOOD TIMES GETTING HIT ON! HE MADE ME SMILE- IT'S GOOD FOR MY CONFIDENCE TO GET HIT ON !
MORE TO COME...

BIG FAT JAM

i know, i know- the picture is hard to see. this is big fat jam...one of the coolest bands ever. at least according to me; and i guess it's probably cuz i know the band members really well. Lance Dalbey- the led singer in the green tie - and i have known each other since 2nd grade. we grow up together...went to elementary, junior high and senior high school together, went to church together, played the same sports together...(ok, him on the boys team me on the girls team)...and stayed in touch all these years. Keith Anderson (the dude on the drums that you cant really see) and i met the summer of 1993...he moved to Mora that summer and we started our friendship out by playing lots of sand volleyball together. he and i went to Northwestern together and became fast friends...and still are today. Matt- on bass to the left...married my roommate of three years and Pete - on guitar in the pink shirt - also went to Northwestern. i watched these guys do there many years as big fat jam...and loved them. the had a reunion concert on Friday for kicks and man oh man was it fun. gobs of people came to hear them rock it out. Tattoo is my all time favorite song of theirs, which they played and than Come to Papa, which was promised to me that they'd play it - and than didn't...big bummer. Anyways- at the concert i was surprised by two old school peeps (friends) of mine.

Brian Larson (on the far left) and Andy Vanaceck (not sure if i am spelling his last name right at all - but is to the far right). i sort of thought Brian would be there since he and Lance hang together and coach basketball together, but never in my dreams did i think Andy would be there. He moved to Sweden many years ago, got married there and recently moved back to MN. i was so excited to see him and i cant wait to get together and hang with him, and Brian more. I found out the Brain and i live about a mile away from each other - so that should be easy to kick it with him and his wife and 2 kids! fun times!!!!

all in all fat jams show was awesome and i think they should have a show every years...but that's just me!

Brooks Michael Miller

Brooks Michael Miller was born Tuesday afternoon (not sure on the time) to the proud parents of Chad and Jen Miller. He is by far their biggest baby weighing in at 9 pds 6 ounces, i think, and is 22 inches tall, again- i think. he has bright eyes, chubby cheeks, a double chin and lots of extra skin behind his head....looks just like Chad!!!! hehehehehe. i got the chance to hold him and he must really like me alot already cuz he spit up lots, and farted lots....and kept his eyes open for like 4 whole minutes- it was awesome!
Chad and Jen are like pros when it comes to stuff like this. Jen looked amazing- no lie, and up walking around looking at an outfit for Brooks to wear home, walking to get food and up and out of bed. she, according to chad, pushed him out in 5 pushes!!!! she is my hero for sure. i am excited to see this little Miller, like the other 3, grow up and be all he can be. He's got great parents.....

In Orlando w/ the Lefto'ss

spent some time with a 93 grad from Mora high this past weekend. flew from Fortlauder Dale to Orlando to hang with Kara Lynn (Ostrom) Lefto and her family. I was excited to see her and to 'play' in Florida for a couple extra days. I arrived late Friday night and kicked it with Justin (her husband) cuz she was at work...

Saturday I woke up and was super tired and ended up falling in and out of consciousness all day long. it was sort of a bummer of a day in Florida (compared to MN, so i heard). cloudy and dim all day long...low 70's - so we just sort of kicked it old school all day- did a lot of catching up with Kara and that was so nice. that night Justin took the boys and Kara and i got to go out on the town. We ended up in Orlando at The Rainforest Cafe where there was a 2 hour wait unless we could find two seats at the bar...so, the bar it was. while at the cafe we had good conversation again, along with good food!!!! and a very funny, and some very attractive bar tenders. nice. after that we walked around...than drove around...than ended up at the cheese cake factory for some desert and coffee. had to take this picture of light up palm tress.

Sunday woke up and went to church, which was very cool. (Justin- i need your Church's web site) and than Kara, the kids (Jakin, Asher and Eli), and I got in the van and headed towards Clearwater beach....oh the beach!!!!! i was so excited. it was about 1 1/2 hour drive...but when we got there traffic was backed up like i've never seen before and it took us 3 hours before we finally found a beach to park and play at. We asked a police dude why it was so busy and he mentioned that there was a volleyball tournament going on- man, so cool. Of course laying around the beach was awesome! the boys seemed to enjoy it. it was a beautiful day out - just right. not super hot...but hot enough that you could feel your skin getting tan. i love that feeling. after about 4 hours on the beach we packed up. on the drive home Kara had the best 'parent' convo with her middle child (Asher) ever...made me smile. Asher was so overly tired that he was talking nonsense. at one point Kara looked at him and said "Asher...I have a challenge for you. Can you close both your eyes and your mouth at the same time...and keep them closed. It's really hard....try it." Asher- "ok"...and he tried it. Of course this went on for about 15 minutes. Kara's intentions were of course to help Asher fall asleep...needless to say- it did not work. but, about 5 minutes from home he did fall asleep. good times with a 4 year old. Monday was my last day with the Lefto's and was spent packing, going to lunch and getting my last hour or so in the sun. I had a fabulous time with them and cant wait to return. Fell in love with freshly squeezed orange juice, and grapefruit picked right from the tree for breakfast - i will never be able to drink normal o.j. again. thanks Lefto's.