All I really need to know, I learned from subbing at Century...

So I was back at Century again today. I subbed for the teacher that runs the PALS (Peer Assisted Learning Site) room. Basically, I babysat study halls all day. It's also the testing center, meaning that teachers leave make-up tests there for kids to take. That kept me sort of busy. And on rare occasion, I got to help someone with some homework. It was quite the learning experience.

I learned that I really don't remember much from high school math. I couldn't even figure out a stupid find the area problem for basic geometry! And, by the way, it's totally haunting me!

I learned that it is really boring to be a babysitter.

I learned that I am way too laid back for my own good. The other teachers in the room with me kept shushing everyone and I just didn't care.

I learned that it's really fun when you have visitors! Thanks to Ashleigh, Kelly, & Molly for that :)

I learned that kids try to cheat A LOT!

I learned that Dustin is good to talk to, especially when the day hasn't been the best.

I learned that I do, indeed, love the choir kids! And that I'm super excited to hear them sing on Friday!

I learned that the PALS room is really hot, but the music hallway is really cold.

I learned that the kids don't care what you wear, as long as it isn't hideous? Haha! Thanks to Tessah & Sam for that one.

I learned that Matt & Beth's old math teachers really liked them :)

I learned that my former teachers are weirded out by the fact that I'm now a "colleague." Their words, not mine.

I learned that my 7th grade math teacher remembers me, but my 10th grade chemistry teacher does not.

Okay, I'm done now. I'm tired and going to bed. I have a very full week this week!

Today's Tidbit: I'm subbing for my favorite 2nd graders tomorrow. We're going on a field trip. It's my first one as a sub and I'm scared I'm going to lose a kid. You might want to pray :)

Wow

I just never stop being totally amazed by how God works... Bare with me, this blog is not going to be short. But I would definitely appreciate it if you read it anyway :)

Last night around midnight (maybe even later, I don't exactly remember), I was watching Sportscenter with my sister and brother. Beth turned to me and said, "Oh yeah, Christina wants you to go to her church tomorrow for their youth musical." I stared at her in disbelief. I asked why on earth she was telling me this now and not when Christina first told her. Of course, I knew right away that I would go. I went to my dad's computer and got online. I had to find the church's website (which thankfully was easy and it is a well-kept website) and figure out what time the services were. Thankfully, they have an 11 o'clock service so I wouldn't have to get up too early.

Since we were staying at my parents', I didn't have any church clothes with me. I finally made it to bed around 2:15. I got up this morning at 9 o'clock, drove home to take a shower and get dressed, and then headed to church. Man, it was so worth it, I can hardly believe it.

The theme for their service totally fit with everything that God showed me last weekend at TEC. It was all about finding God's love every day and sharing it with others. Honestly, had I gone to this service two weeks ago, I think I would have put some of it into my talk.

Those of you who were at TEC heard me say this, but I'm going to say it again. I have no problem at all telling people how much God loves them. I love to compliment people and do little things for them to show God's love (whether they know it or not). But I just really struggle with accepting that love for myself. Last Friday night I felt like God was screaming at me... "This is all for you too. I died for you too."

Today at church, I really felt God's presence. And I felt like he was saying, "Here is your gentle (or maybe not so gentle) reminder. I love you. You are my child. Don't let yourself forget it again. I love you."

They even included one of my favorite Bible verses of all time. When I was really struggling with depression in college, a good friend read me this verse one night as I cried. I even have a little frame in my office with the verse on it. Well, that little frame has been kind of hidden behind clutter lately and I guess I needed church today to be reminded that it still holds true.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." - Isaiah 43:2

After they read it, they sang a song called "Be Not Afraid" that contained lyrics from that chapter of Isaiah.

Be not afraid, for I have redeemed you. Be not afraid, I've called you by name. My love for you is everlasting; my love for you shall have no end. When you pass through the waters, I will surround you. When you pass through the floods, they will not sweet o'er. When you walk through the fire, you will not be consumed. You are my child, you are so precious to me. You are my child, and I'll love you always. Just hold my hand, and I'll lead you home. When you feel lost, always remember: I am right here, just call out my name.

Music has always really spoken to me. When I am singing in worship, I always feel so close to God. I love the time that I get to spend with God through music. Having said that, I tend to prefer contemporary music. I wasn't expecting to be touched all that much by the music this morning because it is far more traditional that I am used to. Boy was I wrong. It was like every song we sang just went to the core of me and really shook me. By the end of the service, I was fighting back tears and overwhelmed by how much I felt God's love in that church.

The prayer that we said together at the beginning was another very powerful thing for me. I actually had a heard time getting through it. So I'm going to close with that prayer. I sit her today in awe of God's power and love and grace. He is so good to me and I am so thankful for the ways that He is working in my life. I am learning to see Him in the little things and take joy in the simple pleasures that He has so graciously given to me. I pray that you can see God at work in your life each and every day.

You have shown us love, O God. In Jesus, you have shown us love that seeks, love that suffers, love that survives all things. You call us, even command us, to show that love in our lives.

Yet we turn away from what you would have us do. We confess that the ways of love are not our ways. We deny and ignore, hurt and hate, despise and reject. Loving others is hard. Loving ourselves is harder. Have mercy on us. Help us to receive your love in a manner that allows us to share love with others. Help us to receive your love in a manner that allows us to love ourselves. Amen.

I am certainly not perfect. There are days when I feel far from God and I don't spend the time with Him that I should. But on days like today, I know that I am a forgiven child of God and I can recommit again today to do better. I love you all!

Take me out to the ball game!

Well, it's time. Time for me to devote an entire blog to my Twins. Considering the fact that I'm engaged to one of the players, the least I can do is blog about them ;)

So, I'm pretty sure that today's game was one of the most fun baseball games I've watched. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard while watching baseball on TV, it was a little crazy.

The Twins played a great game. 8 of the players had at least one RBI and all 9 starters had at least one hit. Craziness! My incredibly hot finance had a single, a double, and a home run and three turns. Yeah, he's pretty awesome :)

The highlight of the game, for me, was the 5th inning. Oh man, I was cracking up. Gotta love it when players (and managers) get ejected. I think the Tigers made it a whole lot worse for themselves by freaking out about the whole situation. I mean, we had a bad call earlier in the game (the balk that wasn't called and got Tyner thrown-out at 2nd). Gardy argued his point, but then went back into the dugout. I think that's really all you can do. And I think it was a really bad call. The Tigers should have just sucked it up and they could have possibly gotten out of the inning without more damage. But that's just me.

Anyway, great playing by the Twins! The player of the game (on FSN) was the entire Twins Offense. Yay us! I can't wait to watch Sportscenter tonight and see what they say about the game. I'm hoping for a sweep tomorrow with Johan on the mound!

Today's Tidbit: 10 out of the 25 guys on our active roster have names that start with the letter J. That's 40%, I love it :)

God is Good!

Good News - I only had 9 kids at practice!
Bad News - I had to wait for parents for a long time, ugh!

Good News - I saw Jehrid and Leon at Kellogg.
Bad News - They had to leave to go to a choir meeting :(

Good News - They totally made my day!

They told me about Select rehearsal last night and that made me laugh. And then they told me that I'm THE choir sub and that made me smile. Yay for them making my day much brighter!

Thanks God for bringing me what I needed tonight :)

Today's Second Tidbit: I'm not sure who's stalking who here... Hmm...

Not so much a good day...

Alright, so I am going to copy Aaron who copied Shayla and give you the good and bad news of the day.

Good News - I got to sub for the first time this week.
Bad News - It was only a half day (but it's still money, right?)

Good News - I got to sub at Century.
Bad News - They were definitely NOT the choir kids.

Good News - I made it to my car before I had a breakdown.
Bad News - I had a breakdown in my car on the way home.

Good News - I did at least get to see some of the choir kids.
Bad News - I saw Kelly, but she didn't see me :(

Good News - I get to sub for my favorite class tomorrow.
Bad News - I have to get up early, ugh!

Good News - I'm going to Owatonna tomorrow!
Bad News - There is no bad news with this one!

Good News - It's only 10 days till the TEC 67 reunion!
Bad News - I miss my Wheat Family!
Really Good News - We're having our family reunion May 11th!

Random News - Apparently, my hair looks "really different" when it's up. And apparently, I never wear it up when I sub for choir (I disagree, however). I'm not sure if either of those bits of news is good or bad.

More Random News - The Twins finally won today, yay! And it only took them 11 innings... And Hunter got hit in the mouth, yikes!

Today's Tidbit: Big 9 is only 8 days away!

My favorite choir

So I got to head up to my favorite high school of all time (for those of you who pay no attention to my blogs, it's Century)... There was a Concert Choir concert tonight. It was their Big 9 Preview and Senior Recitals.

I should start off by saying that after I went to the OHS concert last month, I was pretty nervous for my favorite choir and the upcoming Big 9 Music Festival. However, after tonight, I say... Game on! Century sounded amazing tonight. I loved the last song they did, it was my favorite. They nailed it :) I also loved (and I do mean LOVED) the piece they did by my favorite composer of all time. Now, I am totally biased and have always been very moved by that song. But, in all honesty, they gave me chills.

To the seniors who performed... You all did a fantabulous job! I was totally impressed :) And to Miss Lucy... You amaze me! There doesn't seem to be anything you can't do. And finally, to everyone who gave me a hug after the concert... Thanks! I love hugs :)

Today's Tidbit: What the heck is going on with the Twins?!? We should pray for them ;)

Here's to the best Wheat Team of all-time!

I know, I know, it's always shocking when I post twice in the same day! I finally finished this. It was really hard because there are just so many good memories! But here you go... My TEC #67 Wheat Team Top 10... Drum roll, please...

10 – SUPPORT!... Us banning people to Support for doing silly things like wearing shoes in the Wheat Cave.

9 – John 4:4… So, during my pray-up, Kyle was reading the Bible verses that I wanted read. I had written down 1 John 4:4 which says, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Instead, he read John 4:4 which says, “Now he had to go through Samaria.” Pretty sure it was hilarious! Thanks to Kyle for making me laugh (and relax) before my talk!

8 – Nate’s Signing… The signing for “La La La” was probably my favorite, but all of his signing was hilarious! Along with this, goes his lip-synching. Oh, good times!

7 – Our Sing-A-Longs… We did have quite a few sing-a-longs over the weekend… Some of the most memorable were the National American University jingle, several Disney songs, and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

6 – “The Champion”… I cannot believe our team. I was so floored by them. They did such an amazing job with this and it was probably the best one I have ever seen. Angie and I stood in the back (doing the lights and sound) and were almost in tears. We were so proud of them all! I can’t wait to the practice run that Nate recorded for us all!

5 – Our Team Toasts… I don’t really know why this stands out to me so much, but it does. I can’t ever remember toasting at a TEC before, and we toasted a lot of things. I guess it’s just another way that I can see how close we really got. We had a blast together and were all so, very thankful for the amazing opportunity we were given to be on this team!

4 – Getting to have my team there for my talk… There is just nothing like having your own team do your pray-up. It was incredible. They were so calming and supportive. And knowing that they were listening in the hallway made my talk way easier to give. Thank you all so much!

3 – My other adults… First of all, I love Angie to death! We had such a blast together. Spending time with her was a huge blessing and I loved getting to pray with her in the prayer chapel. I also really appreciated her flexibility when I had to run around doing SD stuff. I could not have done it without her! I also love that the kids nicknamed us Jangie, we were such a great team! Secondly, Gary is amazing! Here’s to PG-41!!! He is one the most supportive and encouraging people I have ever known. Working with him at 65 was awesome, and this was even better. I can’t wait to work with both of them again sometime!

2 – Our Closing Prayer… What a way to end the perfect weekend. It was filled with tears and sniffles and joy, all at the same time. It was one of the most powerful and emotional prayers I have ever had. I continue to pray that God watches over us all and helps us keep in touch for a long, long time!

1 – My Wheaties… There is just no other way to put it. The best thing about our Wheat Team was the team itself. I am still kind of surprised by how much we actually bonded. I will never, ever forget these people. They are all so amazing and have touched my life in ways that they will never know. I could not have hoped for anything better, this was it!

Honorable Mention – Bubbles! (Thanks PG-41!), Our dance parties, Doing brain teasers in the Wheat Room like Green Glass Door, The Line Game, and Who’s in my frying pan?, Nathan’s ADD, and last, but certainly not least, our Wheat Team Intros. Enough said :)

Random Quotes from our Team –
“Oh Darren…” – Kevin
“What do I thonk…” – Alyssia
“Syphonated” – Emily
“Laura, Laura, Laura.” – Aaron
“Do the foldy-hand thing.” – Nate
“To the Wheat Cave!” – All of the Wheaties

TEC #67

Wow. I don't even know where to begin. TEC 67 was completely amazing. I am still just sitting in awe of the HUGE ways that God showed up this weekend. I kept praying that we would all be amazed by His love and presence at this weekend. I guess I didn't really know what I was asking, but boy did He ever answer that prayer and so many others!

I'm not sure that I can even put into words what this weekend meant for me. It was amazing, unforgettable, and so Christ-centered. I loved every minute of it and I already miss everyone that I was fortunate enough to meet. I have so many team memories from this weekend that I have to do a separate Top 10 list just for that. So, for starters, here is my overall weekend Top 10 list. Enjoy!

10 – The Talent Share… This was definitely one of my favorite talent shares. Doing Sister Act with the adults was a blast! My 3 favorite skits were probably Support: The Musical. Satan Bites the Dust, and the Leadership skit. Way to go everyone!

9 – Doing the SD thing… I feel so blessed that I was able to help Gary out and be a pseudo SD this weekend. Before the weekend, I thought all I’d be doing was the talk. But that was not the case. Everything that I was able to help with touched me and I think I got far more out of the weekend than I would have otherwise. Possibly even more than I ever have before when working team.

8 – Table Commissioning… This is always one of my favorite parts of the weekend. This was one of the best I have ever had. The tables were all incredible and it was a total joy to get to be a part of it!

7 – Praying with Amy… I like to end all of my days at TEC by praying with someone. It’s always been either Sarah or Laura before this TEC. I didn’t have either of them on Team, so I had asked Amy if she would be my prayer partner. The time that we were able to spend together talking about our days and praying was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I really was able to grow closer to Amy by spending time with God together. I am so thankful that we made it a priority to spend that time together every night.

6 – Candidate Sharing in the Sanctuary… So, I’m not going to lie. After sharing downstairs, I wasn’t expecting too much for sharing in the sanctuary. Boy was I wrong! It was incredible. I am not used to having more candidates share upstairs than downstairs. I totally bawled. Oh my goodness, they’re just awesome, awesome candidates!

5 – Stations… God just really spoke to me this weekend through Stations. Reading the prayer at the beginning was very touching and it was like He was yelling at me that He died for me too. I don’t know, it was just one of the most powerful moments of the weekend for me. And because of how I felt Friday night, I was able to add some stuff to my talk.

4 – Ashleigh… I always love it when I know candidates, but this time it was more than I could have ever hoped for. I am so proud of her and I love her so much! I am so glad she was able to come and experience this with me!

3 – Answered prayers… God always answers our prayers, but it was so awesome to see the answers so first hand. At every TEC weekend, there are many, many prayers answered. But this time, I just feel like every prayer was answered in ways that we could see before we even left the church. Yay God!

2 – My team… I have worked a lot of teams in my life, but I have never gotten this close to a team, ever. We all just really clicked and it was amazing. I loved that our whole room would talk at night and that we laughed together and cried together. Gosh, I just can’t thank each one of them enough. It was truly incredible.

1 – The candidates… It seems like the candidates are always my number one, but seriously, this group was amazing. There is just no other way to describe it. I saw so many prayers answered in this bunch of candidates and I cannot wait to have them all come back and work a TEC weekend!

Today's Tidbit: I was checking my e-mail last night and I read the Bible Verse that I got e-mailed on Friday. It was Mark 10:45, which we use a lot at TEC! "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Off to TEC

In just a few short hours I will get to leave for T.E.C. #67 in Blue Earth! I can hardly contain my excitement :) I just know that God is going to do AMAZING things this weekend, He always does.

If you think about it over the next few days, here are some things you could pray for:

* Pray that God reveals Himself in powerful ways to the candidates!
* Pray that the teams all bond together through serving our Awesome God!
* Pray that all of the speakers let God's words and His love flow through them.
* Pray that everyone at the weekend encounters Christ, whether that's for the first time or once again.

Thanks guys! I'm sure a nice long blog about the weekend will be coming on Monday :)

Today's Tidbit: Why is it that I never get much sleep the night before I go to TEC? Without fail, I am busy doing stuff till really late and then I have to get up to get more done. Hmm.

Laughing with my sister

Laugh (verb): to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.

I love laughing. I have always loved laughing. I do believe that laughter can be the best medicine. I love laughing so hard that your abs hurt. I love laughing so hard that tears start rolling down your cheeks. And I love laughing so hard that you feel like you are going to pee your pants.

In the past few months, I have spent a lot of time laughing. A lot of the time we just crack up laughing because we say the exact same thing at the exact same time. Yesterday, we even said something with the exact same intonation and about died.

We also have our moments of laughing at "Jeopardy." A lot of the time we laugh at Alex and the really dumb things he says. Sometimes, we laugh at the contestants. It's usually when they are trying to be funny, but it's totally not. And sometimes we laugh because I answer really stupid things that don't even make sense. That's why I'm not the smart one in the family.

Of course, some of the shows we watch together make us laugh. We have the comedies, like "The Office," "The Class," and "Ugly Betty." We have reality TV at it's finest, "The Amazing Race" when Charla was in the suit of armor or bad performances on "American Idol" or just everything on "America's Next Top Model." And we have the shows that aren't really suppose to be funny, but we never stop laughing at like "CSI: Miami." Yay for Horatio Cane :P

Also, we have our inside jokes. My current favorite is something about a bear going to the dentist. And it did come up last night while we watched the Twins game. And we do always laugh when they talk about shanking people on "24" or in the commercial for parental controls on TV.

So, the moral of the story. I love to laugh (Yes, I clearly love a lot of things. Thanks to Tim and company for pointing it all out). I can't wait for TEC to start tomorrow because I am sure some hilarity will ensue!

Today's Tidbit: It was country night on "American Idol" last night! Yee haw! I was so excited that one of the contestants sang a Carrie Underwood song, it totally made my night. It wasn't the best performance, but whatever. I was also happy that we got to hear a Martina song, a Rascal Flatts song AND a Tim song! Heck yes!

Reliving the Glory Days

So something totally crazy happened last night. Tim called me! I know, it's quite shocking. He and Karen were in town at his parents' house and wanted to hang-out. We decided to be boring old people and just have a relaxing evening, but it was so much fun! I realized that I don't think Tim and I have hung-out since high school. I mean sure, we've seen each other at TEC weekends and whatnot, but that's about it. It was fun to tell Karen some of our stories. Like the go-cart and the ravine story. Ha!

I also really appreciated being able to talk to the two of them about looking for a church and meeting friends when you're our age and life in general. It was just an all-around good night. I'm pretty sure that I said I should get going around midnight, but that's when the really good discussions started. I finally got home after 2:30. I am definitely going to try to get up to the cities and hang-out with them again. Good times to be had by all!

Today's Tidbit: Our 10 & Under Awards Celebration went really well today. I think I did a pretty good job with all of my kids' presentations. My favorite part of the day was when I was presenting on one of Steve's kids. His bio actually said, "He's a great gut to have around." I about died.

Painfully Shy

It is days like today when I wonder how on earth anyone can possibly think that I'm outgoing. Today was Lucy's senior recital. I had RSVPed on Facebook months ago and had told her several times since then that I'd be there. I also told Connie and Mary that I'd be there. But as it drew closer to the time when I was suppose to leave, I got more nervous. It wasn't the actual recital that I was nervous for, it was the reception afterwards. I don't do well in groups of people. Especially when those groups of people don't include very many that I know.

I went to the recital. It was amazing! I am so floored by Lucy, Tracy, and Tanner. It definitely makes me wish that I hadn't quit piano (yes, Mom, you were right!) and that I had stuck with choir longer. Anyway, I loved the duet that Lucy did with Tracy at the beginning, Lucy's song with her dad, and the song "O Polichinelo." It was so fun!

I got to the church at the same time as Joe, so I sat with him. Connie came in after us and sat right in front of me. So far, so good. Next up... The dreaded reception :P I will spare you the details, but mostly I felt pretty awkward standing around. However, I went to support Lucy and it really doesn't matter how I felt. And, I went. That's actually saying a lot for me. Normally, I would have just gone to the recital and bolted. But I didn't. So maybe I am changing for the better.

Tomorrow will be another adventure in overcoming shyness. We have our 10 & Under Awards Celebration for swimming. I have to talk about all of my Blue Group swimmers in front of about 200 people. Yay?

Today's Tidbit: I have definitely been the queen of procrastination this week. And now I'm feeling completely overwhelmed with how much stuff I need to get done before I leave for TEC on Thursday. But all is good and I'm so excited!

Tales from kindergarten

Alright people, you're going to have to bare with me on this one... It's kind of a long story. But to get the full effect of what happened today, I have to tell it all. Hopefully it will make sense.

So I didn't get any subbing calls last night, but I really wanted to work today. At about 6 this morning, I did get a call. I hung-up on the system, but the second I did, I was totally regretting it. Calls go out until 7:15 every morning. At 7:10, I had given up and was kicking myself for not taking the other job. Low and behold, at about 7:12, the phone rang again. The job was at Bamber (my favorite elementary school to sub at). It was for a kindergarten teacher. I knew that one of my favorite swimmers was in her class, so I was really excited.

At this point, I was already thanking God that He provided even though I'd been stupid. I headed to school and Mrs. Parker was there. She hadn't planned on being gone, but her daughter got sick. She showed me around the room and we went over the plans. I was feeling confident about the day.

I had a wonderful day! I loved being there. I was actually thinking to myself that kindergarten is a grade I can really see myself teaching as I walked back in from the buses this afternoon. I went back to the classroom to gather my things and another teacher was waiting for me. Her name is Mrs. Fink. I subbed for her back in January, but I had never met her.

She told me that she'd heard really good things about me, including that I can really handle a classroom and that I'm professional. She then asked me if I'd be interested in being her long-term sub next fall when she has her baby! It'll only be part-time because she only teaches afternoons, but I'm so excited! I'll actually have my own classroom for a few months. I don't think I've stopped smiling since this afternoon. I'm going to be a kindergarten teacher.

I'm praying that it all works out. I'm just really looking forward to it. I'm even excited about conferences and report cards. Gosh, I must really be a teacher or something. I never stop being amazed by how God works. If I hadn't subbed for Mrs. Parker today, I might never have gotten to talk to Mrs. Fink.

Today's Tidbit: Another solid performance from my Twins tonight. Cheers to my future husband for the walk-off home run! Woot woot :)

What a game!

Well, my Twins are back :) At least, tonight they played a game where they looked like themselves! Oh gosh, it was one of the best games I have watched in a while and I loved every minute of it. I had to record the whole game, so I just finished watching it now. Wow, what an impressive outing for the team. I would have LOVED to be at the dome tonight, but alas, I had to work until 7 so it wasn't so much an option for me.

Cheers to Ramon Ortiz! What a great game for him. It was so nice to have a pitcher who didn't already have us down by 2 or 3 runs in the first inning. He pitched 8 innings and allowed only 1 run on 3 hits. Way to go!

Cheers to Nick Punto (aka Uncle Tim... aka Tiny Superhero?) for scoring the first run for us and tying up the game in the 6th inning!

Cheers to Michael Cuddyer for his two RBIs!

Cheers to Castillo for stealing 2nd base (after his walk) and starting the 8th inning out with a bang for us!

Cheers to Mauer (aka Future Husband #2), Cuddyer, Morneau (aka Future Husband #1), and Hunter for 4 back to back hits which put us out in front!

Today's Tidbit: I can't wait till I can go to a game at the dome! Woot woot, go Twins!

April 11th... What a crazy day!

Well I most certainly did not expect to wake up to accumulated snow this morning, that is for sure! It's April 11th, for crying out loud. What is going on? I was driving to school and I heard a bunch of school closings! When I got to school I heard that the Today Show was in town filming us. What a completely crazy day!

I think the weather caused the kids to be nuts today too! I am hoping this craziness has worn off by the time I go coach practice... What do you think the chances are of that? I'm thinking not very good. Honestly though, school was pretty easy today. Lore has a student teacher, so she was in charge. We definitely had plenty of drama though. I thought the drama was saved for high school, but I was wrong. The little 2nd graders had more drama today that I've had in months!

Now onto my second subject of the day... The Twins. I was extremely disappointed in Ponson's pitching on Monday night, but I was hopefully that Boof would do better. I guess not. It's okay though, I'm a Twins fan through and through. Since it's Lucy's birthday, and since she's going to the game tonight, I really hope we can pull out a win! I think we should all start praying ;)

Today's Tidbit: I am counting down to some very exciting things in the next few weeks...

2 days till Laura comes to visit
4 days till our swimming banquet
8 days till TEC 67
17 days till Sibley East's prom festivities
23 days till the Big 9 Music Festival

The Frog Test

Since this is my 121st post, and 121 is my favorite number, I thought I'd use my favorite animal for the post. Okay, so that really wasn't my original intent. My mom just happened to send me this link.

Switch the frogs to the opposite side within two minutes. It is easily accomplished if you take a moment to THINK before you proceed. This is a 2nd grade computer test in China. The arrow in the lower left allows you to restart. Ready? Go...

The Frog Test

Let us all know how long it takes you!

Today's Tidbit: I am completely addicted to Sudoku now. Thanks a lot Beth!

Leaving Las Vegas

I made it home from Vegas safely and not too poor. I know you are all relieved to hear that. I know that it's 2:30 in the morning, but it only feels like 12:30. And if I was still in Vegas, I'd be up for at least a few more hours.

I really don't have too much to report for today. I did get another 3 of a Kind (Queens again) today at the Party Pit. Heck yes! And, Beth and I won $200 on a slot machine. Again, heck yes! Of course, we also lost plenty of money in slots today, but all is good. We're happy, we had a wonderful trip, and it wasn't our money anyway :)

If any of you go to Vegas anytime soon, here is my ranking of casinos. Note that this list only includes the ones where I played table games.

#1 - O'Sheas (AKA O'Janet's)
#2 - New York, New York
#3 - Bally's Party Pit
#4 - Hard Rock
#5 - Bill's Gambling Hall
#177 - The Venetian

Beth and I had a list of things that we wanted to see/do in Vegas. Here's what we actually accomplished.

* See someone get arrested (I actually saw two people!)
* See a 12 year-old playing slots
* Win big
* Lose big
* See a Cirque du Soleil show
* Get carded (yeah, it finally happened today)
* Get completely lost in a hotel
* Donate money to an airport slot machine

Today's Tidbit: We learned at the airport that Canterbury has Three Card Poker... This might be a bad thing ;)

I'm becoming quite the world traveler

It's my last night in Vegas and it has certainly been quite the trip. I have had an absolute blast with my mom and Beth. I had forgotten how much fun the three of us have when we travel. Both of our other spring break trips (Amsterdam in 2001 and NYC in 2002) were incredible too!

We got up this morning and walked to the south end of the Strip. We walked through the MGM Grand, Excalibur, and the Luxor. We also made a stop in New York, New York. We sat down and played some more Three Card Poker since Tim suggested it. We loved it! It's definitely up there with my favorite casinos. So thanks very much to Tim on that one!

After we were done on the strip, we took a cab over to the Hard Rock Hotel. I was not all that impressed, although we played at a table with some really funny guys, so that sort of made up for it. I think we bought my brother a glass, so mission accomplished?

Next up, over to Treasure Island. We played a few slots, had a great time doing it, and then went to a Cirque du Soleil show called "Mystere." Their shows are incredible, but pretty weird. And there is always random stuff going on that doesn't tie into anything. The acrobatics were really neat though, and that's why we went in the first place.

We walked back up the street and stopped at O'Sheas. Our luck had been really bad for the last day and a half, so we weren't expecting much. However, I got trip queens and then, a few hands later, a straight flush. Beth has decided that I have the worst poker face ever because I get so excited. I guess it's a good thing that doesn't matter in this game!

We got so excited playing tonight that we forgot to eat dinner. I think we finally ate around 1 o'clock this morning. And Beth broke her glass and spilled root beer all over me. Good times to be had by all. We also each put a dollar into the HUGE slot machine in our hotel. We didn't win. But we did get some funny pictures. There will be some lovely pictures posted when I get home, I promise.

Only one day left, and it'll be an awfully short one. I think we leave for the airport at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon... Er... This afternoon? But hopefully our morning will be good. I think we're planning on playing the party pit again. I will be back in the Minnesota snow with you all soon :)

Today's Tidbit: In the last three days, I have been to Rome, Venice, Paris, New York City, England, and Cairo. Yee Haw!

The Venetian

Well, first things first... I am still loving Vegas! Today was not as good of a day on the gambling front, but that's okay. We started this morning by playing at our hotel in the "Party Pit." It was pretty fun because you won prizes. We won 15 strands of "Lucky Beads" for straights, 2 decks of cards for getting 3 of a Kind, and even a stuffed orca for a straight flush. We left here $300 up. Next up, back to O'Sheas. We won more and figured we were up about $2000 for the trip.

Now this is when our luck changed :( We left and headed down to the Venetian. We lost lots of money. The Venetian is EVIL! After the show (which I'll talk about in a second), we went back to O'Sheas and lost more. We are still up a little bit on the trip. And my mom keeps saying that you don't come to Vegas expecting to win. So we shouldn't feel bad because we're playing on their money and we're having a blast. I suppose she is correct on that one.

The highlight of my day was definitely seeing "Phantom" tonight. I have seen it two or three times in the cities and I saw it on Broadway in NYC. But I don't think anything could have prepared me for how absolutely amazing it was! The special effects are surreal. And the theater is gorgeous! Oh my gosh, I loved every minute of it! I think the reviews that it's the best show in Vegas are probably right. I would highly recommend it :) I have to thank Katie for telling me that I didn't want to miss it. All three of us were so glad that we went!

Today's Tidbit: The lady sitting in front of us at "Phantom" kept turning around and joining our conversations. My personal favorite was the one we had about how there are too many women walking around this town with thier boobs hanging out. Seriously unattractive!

Tales from Las Vegas

I love this city! I am having such a good time. I don't suppose that it has anything to do with the fact that I won big today though ;)

We slept in this morning and then started walking down the strip. We had lunch at Margaritaville, which was quite good, by the way. Next, we found this smallish casino called O'Shea's. We sat down at a Three Card Poker table and were ready to learn the game. I put in $40 and ended up playing on that for four hours. I got so lucky, it wasn't even funny. I got 3 of a Kind twice and a Straight Flush once. On those three hands, I won $1000. My mom and sister were like $700 down, but then came back. We were up about $1300 between the three of us when we left. The people at our table were even joking that they should rename the casino O'Janet's :)

We headed across the street to Caeser's Palace and walked through the Forum Shops. I simply cannot believe how HUGE all the hotels are here. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Trevi, we saw the moving fountain statues (I'd skip that if I came back), and watched the basketball game.

The last thing on our list for tonight was going to the Stratosphere. It was such a rush! Oh my wow. I totally loved it. Nothing like riding the Big Shot (like the Power Tower that shoots you up) at 112 floors. Wow, it was incredible! We rode it three times and did one of the other thrill rides too.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped and watched the fountain show at the Bellagio. It was pretty sweet too. Finally, we stopped at another casino and played Black Jack and video slots. Beth was playing a game where she got to milk cows for her bonus. It was bueno. I love my party slot game. I love it when they throw me a surprise party!

I think we're going to go back to O'Shea's tomorrow. It was so laid back and everyone was so nice there. We had the most fun! We're also going to check out the Venetian before we see Phantom tomorrow night.

Today's Tidbit: The Twins won their season opener! And we got to see part of it while we played this afternoon. I got to see my future husband hit a home run which was followed up by Torii Hunter's homer. Woot woot!

What, you're getting married?!?

So thanks to Dan and Gary, there is now a rumor that I'm getting married. For the record, No, I am not really getting married.

So far, it's been determined that I am getting married in Chicago, in July, to Justin Morneau? My favorite part of the whole story was that after Gary announced it at the meeting, one of the other ATLs turned to my mom and congratulated her. Haha!

Sorry this is so short, but I'm going to go out and win some money. Or try to at least! We've been attempting to learn how to play 3 Card Poker. Or, we could stick with the staple, Black Jack. Anyway, I'm going to enjoy Vegas!

Today's Tidbit: Michael Phelps is totally amazing. 7 gold medals at World's last week! And 5 of those were world records. Incredible!