Exhale

Well, the aquisition and move are complete. Whew! Last Friday I spent 12 hours at the new building doing inventory, auditing their teller drawers and vault, and getting all the books closed out for the aquisition. Saturday I was back by 7:30 a.m. to help the tellers get situated and comfortable with our proceedures. Our tech people were there setting up the teller machines and getting everyone's computers set up in their offices. By noon the "Great Move" began. It is hard to imagine how much stuff was in that old building. I think the last load came over about 6:00. Then I spent time trying to find the items I would need to use on Monday when the door opened. Sunday was spent training on our policies and proceedures. Monday I was back by 7:00 a.m. to get try to get the Saturday drive-up and walk-up work through the teller machines. When the door opened it was like black friday at Walmart!!!!! People everywhere complaining about the free checks we sent them, wanting to get their debit cards activated and wanting to get re-set up for internet banking!!!! I finally went home about 8:00 on Monday. Tuesday was a little bit better, but still very hectic. I left at 7:00 because of the nasty weather, but I should have stayed and uploaded a few more internet banking agreements. Yesterday we had a blizzard here so I was expecting a very quiet day. WRONG!!!! It was just as busy as Tuesday. Even though we got all the internet banking uploaded, there were still things to deal with. I spent time dealing with some of the "backroom" issues. I even left the office by 6:00! I hope that today will be the beginning of my quest to get to a normal day. Now, off to work . . . .

Take a Deep Breath

Well, this ahs been a very productive weekend. I completed all of the Christmas shopping, we got the lights on the house and I finished the Christmas cards. Whew! I know tomorrow will be a long day at work, but when I get home I intend to decorate the house and start (and hopefully finish) wrapping all the Christmas gifts. Tuesday will be a long day at work packing up a lot of the stuff in my office. Wedensday I have a VIP trip to Minneapolis. We leave at 7:30 a.m. and won't be home until about 8:00 p.m. I don't think I will get much done when I get home. Thursday I will finish packing up my office. Then Friday is a huge day. I am going to spend most of the day at the other facility making sure that at 3:00 we are ready for the aquisition. I have to make sure their cutoff is smooth and everything is accounted for. At 3:00 we will start moving things and getting the equipment set up. It will be a very long day. Saturday I need to be at the new building by 7:30 a.m. to help them open up and start training. The balance of the day will be spent deep in training on our systems and setting up my new office. I am guessing I will get out of there around supper time. Sunday I need to be at the office by 1:00p.m. to do the policy and proceedure training with the new staff. We need to make sure they understand the policy and proceedures that are specific to us - dress code, time clock, non-frat rules, etc. But the real stress will begin on Monday morning when we open to the public. The will be a lot of customers coming in with questions and issues that we wouldn't have known about before hand. believe me, we have had a ton of calls in the past 2 weeks. Friday was a nightmare!!!!! I suppose a lot of people didn't have to work so they took the opportunity to call or stop in and complain about some aspect of the aquisition. I understand that they have concerns, and quite honestly I probably would too if I were in their position. It just sucks up so much of my time that I can't get my daily work done. Anyway, I am guessing that the first 2 weeks we are open inthe new facility are going to be very long hours just trying to get everything done. Not just for me, but for the entire staff. So, tonight I am going to take a deep breath, have a glass of wine, and go at it full force tomorrow.

Holiday Blessings

Work continues to get more and more hectic!!!! As we get closer to D-Day there are more things to think about and plan for. Every time I turn around I am adding things to my list of things that need to be done. I have delegated as much as I can, but it still seems to be overwhelming. The phone never stops ringing. Customers with tons of questions, management with things for us to do and other branches giving us more work.

On the other hand, at this time of year I always like to stop and take stock of the blessings I have. I have a job which is wonderful with the economy the way it is. I have my health. I have a nice house to live in (even if it is small). I have a wonderful family. And I live in a warm and caring community. The only thing I wonder about is my sanity. Sometimes I feel that slipping away from me. :)

I am sad that Randi, Travis and the kids won't be with us for Thanksgiving this year, but Denver and Danielle will be here. I am blessed that they live so close that they can come for holidays. And now I better get ready for work so I get back to the madness and mayhem!

Madness and Mayhem

Well, the merger mania has begun!!!! I have been putting in 10 hour days lately and I have to say, it is getting old already. The projects that need to be accomplished are beginning to all blurr together. Even with 10 hour days, there isn't enough time to get everything done.

Thankfully I had a little bit of a respit this weekend. Randi, Travis and the kids came home for a few days. They actually came home to see Rachel in her roll as Belle (Beauty and the Beast) in the high school musical here in town. It was so nice to see them. I still cried when they left. Denver and Danielle were home too so that was very nice as well. I haven't seen them for quite awhile either. They will be home again for Thanksgiving and then they will all be home for Christmas.

Well, back to housework. . . . . . . . . .

Just Relaxing

Today is Veteran's Day so that means a day off. It is the only minor holiday that close. It is wonderful. I am cleaning and doing laundry and just putzing. It has been a very long time since I had a day like this. It seems like our weekends are so full that we don't have time to just sit and relax. For my mental health I need time at home once in awhile. I can tell when I haven't spent enough time at home. I get depressed and edgy. And we are coming to that time of the year when I start feeling depressed anyway. It seems like the less sunlight we have the deeper my depression. I seriously think I suffer from SADD.

We got word on Monday that D-Day has been finalized. D-Day will be after the close of business on December 4th. That is going to be a very long, busy weekend!!!! The 2 weeks between Thanksgiving and D-Day are going to be a whirlwind of activity. I had a meeting yesterday about it. I will be overseeing the conversion on the operations side. That includes a ton of training and overseeing of personnel. I am honored that they think I am capable of this much responsibility. I hope I can live up to it. My big questions will be after conversion. What will be my roll in the new organization? Who will I report to? What will be my responsibilities and job title be? So much to think about . . . . . . .

Fall is here!

It was a pretty busy weekend. We finally have had some nice weather so we took advantage of that. On Saturday we worked outside doing yard work. We got rid of some leaves and cropped off all the perennials and put stuff away. Then of course Saturday night I passed out candy to all the little gouls and goblins that came to the door. Leon was at the fire hall to pass out treats. Sunday we finished up some yard work, cleaned the house and then settled in to watch the Vikings game. The game was a little unnerving. I thought they were going to lose it in the 3rd quarter!

Then today it was back to work!!!! I just feel snowed under again. I can't get caught up. I feel like I get further and further behind. I need to get as much done as I can. D-day is coming up fast and I need to be on top of things when that day comes.

Starting to Feel Better

Well, more than a week has passed since I ahd to say goodbye to my babies. I feel a little better right now. At least I don't cry so much. I have talked them a few times on the phone and Randi and I email back and forth almost every day. It sure helps. I sent the kids a Halloween package and they got it today. Lauren was so excited about it. She called tonight to thank me for it. It was fun to talk to her.

On a different note, I think there is a chance the kids have their acerage sold. I am very excited for them if it does sell. This has been such a worry for them. Cross your fingers and say an extra prayer.

Things at work are progressing. They have set a tentative date for December 4th. It will be getting very busy now. We have a lot to do before December 4th, but it will be the days following December 4th that will be the busiest. There is a lot of training to do and there will be a lot of trying to figure out what everyone's place will be in the new comination bank. I am excited, but a little nervous. I don't really know what my place will be. I have thought about it a lot, and there are several ways this could all play out. I guess we will see!

My heart aches

Well, I am back from Michigan. The trip out there was pretty trying. The flight from Sioux Falls to Mpls was 2 hours late so we nearly missed our flight from Mpls to Kalamazoo. We were about 2 seconds from missing it! Once we got there it was nice. Randi and Travis had a few trying times during the closing of new house. They got it done on Tuesday though. The movers came on Wednesday with all of their things. It took them 6 hours to unload the semi that they had everything on. Randi and I unloaded some of the boxes to find essentials - towels, toilet paper, dishes, etc. Thursday we unloaded a bunch more boxes then we went for a sight seeing drive to see Battle Creek. Thursday night I spent a lot of time with the Logan and Lauren. I gave them a bath and read to Lauren. I couldn't help crying through the whole thing. Lauren kept saying "don't be sad Grandma. I will call you and make you pictures and things." I didn't sleep much that night. Then it was up early and off to the airport for the flight home. I cried all the way home. It was very, very hard for me. My heart aches. . . . . . . . . I am so glad Denver lives pretty close. At least we can see him almost whenever we want to.

Seriously, winter?????

I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning and there was snow on the ground. I actually woke up to the pager. There was a one car rollover by Hadley and they were calling for the fire department and ambulance. then I heard there was a one car rollover by Jackson. They were detouring traffic off of I90 and the helicopter was going to land at the sceen. After I heard all that I got up and discovered why - an inch of snow on the ground. Yipes, it is not even the middle of October yet. Geez, it is going to be a long winter.

The movers have been out to Randi's and everything is packed up and on the road. She and the kids have been staying with us the last two nights. We headed back out there this morning to fininsh up cleaning and finding a home for all of the stuff the movers wouldn't pack. We have a little more to do tomorrow. We didn't get the fridge cleaned and we need to wash windows again.

Monday I fly out to Michigan with Randi and the kids. They close on their new house on Tuesday and the movers come on Wednesday. Randi wants to do a little painting so maybe we can get that done before the movers get there. I fly home on Friday. That is going to be so hard. I just know I will be sobbing the entire time I am on the plane.

Well, I better go start packing. . . . . .

A New Day

Yesterday was a very very hard day. It started with a message on my voice mail when I got to work in the morning. This customer was understandably frustrated, but it wasn't anything I did or the bank did. He took out all of his frunstrations on me. After his tyrade, the day just kept going down hill. I finally got home from work and had a message from Randi. They are having some difficulties with the sale of their acerage. Something new popped up yesterday. She is a very strong person, but I think that being a single parent back here and having the responsibility of all the work involved in selling the acerage are weighing hard on her. And you know when your children are stressed, then mom and dad are stressed. I didn't sleep well last night and all day today I worried about everything. We all have those kinds of days from time to time. We just have to work through them. I hope tomorrow is different. I hope things will work out with the sale of the acerage. I hope that things start looking up at work. A new day.

This and That

This past week was Homecoming at MCC. The parade was yesterday afternoon, but I didn't get a chance to see it. It was really busy at work so I was not able to go down to main street to see it. Then last night was the big game. We actually won. That was very nice.

Today was a day of doing things around the house. This morning I cleaned and put things away. This afternoon we cleaned the garage. It feels so good to get those things done. Tonight Leon is singing at the Methodist church. When that is done we will light the fire pit and have a couple of friends over.

That brings up something I have been thinking a lot about. We have had friends for a long time here in Slayton. There were actually 4 couples that did everything together. There is one of those couples who all of a sudden don't want anything to do with the rest of us. It is the husbands birthday today and they are having a house party for his birthday, but the rest of us aren't invited. This makes me very sad. I don't know what happened in the last few months that they don't want to do anything with us. It makes me feel like we are no longer good enough for them. They have a whole new circle of friends. Well, I guess I just have to live with it. Maybe some day they will tell us what happened.

Back to Reality

Well, I have had 3 months of maitenance on my lifestyle managment program. Now I have to buckle down again and get back to business. I only gained a couple of pounds while on maintenance and that is good. I am back to journaling my food intake and keeping track of my "activity". I need the meetings as well to keep me on track. I guess it is kind of like Weight Watchers because we weigh in at every meeting. We talk about the difficulties we have in our battle with weight loss and healthy lifestyles, and it is a battle! I am very good during the day. I can stay on track all day long . . .until about 8:00 p.m. Then it is like there is this overwhelming urge to eat chips and dip or popcorn or something really salty. I have to find a way to overcome those evening urges. So now here is to losing my next 10%!!!!!

Thank god for long weekends

I think everyone works with someone like this. . . . . . . this person isn't really my supervisor, but higher up in the pecking order than I am. For the sake of argument in this blog I am going to refer to this person as "she", but it could be a "he". She hasn't been at the bank much longer than I have. Actually, if you count the years I was at TCF before we were purchased by FNB, I have been there quite a bit longer than she has. I guess this person just knew who to shmooooz and how to do it, to get to the position where she is at. I don't really know how she got to where she is. I do have a great deal of contact with this person though and I try very hard to smile and be very cooperative with this person. After all, she is higher up than I am and I don't want anyone to say I am insubordinate or can't get along at work or anything. I am the kind of person who just wants to get along with everyone. I hate conflict and I really can't handle those people who think they have to put everyone else down and show their power or influence or whatever. I guess putting other people down makes them feel better. Anyway, this week I had more contact with her than usual. She always says things like "let me put this in words you would understand", or something similar to make you feel like she is talking down to you. I am not the only one she treats this way. She treats anyone with a "lower" position this way. In fact may people have quit because of her. I guess because I had more contact with her than usual this week, it made me feel worse than usual. One day I got home from work and just cried. I just couldn't take it anymore. I guess it is a good thing that we have a long weekend. I need to recharge. It will be a weekend or fun, family, friends and food. Ahhhhhh :)

My Grandma Fix

What a nice weekend. We had the grandbabies all weekend as Randi flew out to Michigan so they could do some house hunting. It is always fun to have the kids. I am exhausted, but it is a nice exhaustion. The weather was perfect this weekend. Not too hot, not too cold, no rain. Just perfect. We started the fire pit last night and had some friends over. That is always nice. Lauren thought it was great too because she could make smores. Today was church and then playing outside. Logan thinks it is a blast to go crazy with his walker out on the driveway. He is just a crazy man. After an early supper we headed to Gullord park for an hour of planing on slides and swings. Then it was back home for baths and to bed. They both went to bed without a whimper. Now if they just stay asleep all night! :) Randi won't be back from Michigan until Wednesday so I took a few days off of work to watch the kids. It was a win-win form me. I got to take a few days off of work (and that is always fun) as well as get my grandma fix before they all move.

Continuing Ed

Well, I made it! I made it through 2 days of continuing ed. Don't get me wrong, I always learn somthing at continuing ed, but it is darn hard for me to sit all day long listening to an instructor drone on about rules and regulations etc. At least this instructor tried to make the classes fun. She told jokes and said whoooo hooooo a lot. But then as soon as class is over I have to head back to work. Back at work there is a lot of catch up stuff to do. I guess it is one of Murphy's laws, but every time I am gone something weird comes up that I end up having to deal with when I come back. This time was no exception. I don't even want to go to work tomorrow because I know I have to deal with this particular issue. Then on Friday I have to head to Lakefield for a whole day of strategic planning. YUCK!!!!! My least favorite thing to do. I can't stand to sit around while senior mangement goes over everything and tries to make the goals harder and harder to achieve. I swear we spend so much time on strategic planning for the next year and auditing the things we do, that we don't have time to do the things we are suppose to do. I suppose that happens in a lot of industries, but this just seems to be out of hand.

On a lighter note, I canned another 36 pints of salsa tonight. (Well, the last batch is almost ready to come out of the pressure cooker) Randi and the kids came in so she was able to help as well. Lauren thought she should help, but everything is either very hot or involves the use of a sharp knife, Most of what we made was medium hot. The next batches will be hotter. It is nice to have some mild, some medium and some hot. Then I will start on "soup starter". Soup starter is just tomatoes, peppers and onions canned together. No spices or anything. That way you can use it for chili, or you can use it for spaghetti sauce or pizaa. Just depends on the spices you use with it. Anyway, I need to get the last batch off of the stove now and then get to bed - 5:05 a.m. comes way too early!!!

Murray County Fair

Well, the 2009 Murray County Fair is history. The bank did not have a booth in the commercial building this year and we did not have to help with the demolition derby this year, so I actually enjoyed the fair. Staffing the fair booth was always a pain. Trying to keep the office running smoothly as well as keeping someone in the booth was the pits. And then Saturday of fair week was terrible. We went from staffing the booth to the parade to the demo derby. And the demo derby ususally did not get over until 11:00 or so. I was always exhausted by end of fair week. The community band did play in the parade however. The parade was great, but at the end of the parade it started raining!

Today was nice as well. Travis flew home for a few days. They came to church today and then came over for lunch afterword. We kept the kids while Randi took him back to the airport in Sioux Falls. It was very sad to see Travis leave. Randi and the kids are taking it pretty well though. I guess they know it is a short term situation so . . . . They did show the acerage twice this weekend. I hope they get an offer from one of the couples who looked at it.

The coming week is going to be busy. It is time for strategic planning! My least favorite time of the year. We spend an absorbitant amount of time on strategic planning. Along with strategic planning comes performance reviews. My second least favorite thing to do! Well, off to bed!

We had a wonderful weekend with the grandbabies. Randi worked her last couple of shifts at the hospital so we took the kids for her. Travis is coming home for a visit in a couple of days so that should be good for them. Then in a couple of weeks Randi is going to fly out there to go house hunting. She has been looking on the internet so she has a few in mind to look at. The time for them to complete their move is getting closer and closer. Good news for them, not so good for me.

Work has been getting very interesting. I got a call Friday from one of the members of Senior Management. Things are finally moving along. D-day should be about mid November. Between now and then it is going to be very busy!!!!! I'm guessing there will be a lot of long days in October. I sure will be glad when D-day comes. It has been consuming all of my idle time since the end of March. I am tired of dealing with it.

Well, I am exhausted, so I am going to relax in my recliner for a few minutes and then go to bed! I know, it is way to early for this girl to go to bed, but I really need it tonight.

Kruse-a-palooza is done

Well, the festivities are over. I have all the bedding and rugs washed. I have the floors scrubbed and almost everything is put away. I am feeling bad because I was so busy cooking and getting things done that I didn't have as much time as I would like to visit with everyone. The few times I did have time I was very tired and didn't do very well making conversation with the people that I really wanted to visit with. I worry and hope that everyone had a good time. I spend months getting ready for Kruse-a-palooza and in a flash it is over. I miss everyone so much.!!!! I went to church this morning and had a difficult time maintaining my composure. I cried through most of it. I just felt so depressed that it was all over. Then after a flurry of cleaning and putting things away, we went out to help Randi clean and stage their house for the market. The real estate agent is coming tomorrow to take pictures of their house for the website. Again it made me very sad. Tomorrow it is back to work. Ugh! Not that I hate my job, but I really am not ready to go back to work.

Kruse-a-palooza

Wow, Kruse-a-palooza is less than a week away. I am officially on vacation right now. I have started the pre-party cleaning. I have lists of things that have to be done and lists of groceries and supplies that need to be purchased before everyone gets here. I sure hope I haven't forgotten anything. Oh well, if I did I guess I will just have to figure it out later. Tuesday I am heading to Sioux Falls for some last minute things to complete the sidewalk that leads to the new patio. While we are there I may hit sams club and get massive quantities of some things we go through a lot of during Kruse-a-palooza.

Okay, enough cleaning and such for tonight. Time for a cocktail or two!!!!!

Happy & Sad

How can a person be so happy and yet so sad. I am so excited. Kruse-a-palooza is less than 2 weeks away. It is going to be so fun to have everyone together. I always love the time we spend together. It is a family connection that I feel would not happen if we didn't have Kruse-a-palooza. There is nothing more important than family. It is the one time a year where I get to see many family members. Especially the family members that don't live around here. I think there is a special relantionship exists between myself and the family members that don't live here because of Kruse-a-plooza. I hope they feel the same way.

Okay so that is the happy part. The sad part is that my daughter, son-in-law and kids are moving. Not just moving, but moving to Michigan - 11 hours from here. My heart just aches! I am so used to having them right here. I take the kids to daycare, I pick them up from daycare, on Sunday after church we have lunch together . . . . I am going to miss all of that. I just can't think about it. When I have a few minutes to think about things, I just cry. I know it is a good move for Travis and his career, but it still makes me so sad.

Life Changes

You know what they say about life - the only thing constant in life is change. I guess I wouldn't want things to stay the same all of the time. How boring would that be? I generally embrace change. It keeps things fresh and keeps the mind working. But there are some changes in life that are harder to embrace. Not that they are bad, just not easy. I try to be open minded and look at all of the positive aspects of change, but sometimes it is very hard.

On a different note, it is only 2 1/2 weeks to Kruse-a-palooza. I have been busy cleaning and planning. I need to get bedding washed, bathrooms scrubbed and carpets cleaned. Then I need to do heavy duty shopping. It takes a lot of food to feed that many people for a week!!!!!! I am so excited to see everyone. I can hardly wait.

Responsibility

Sometimes the responsibility of life seems overwhelming. There is the responsibility of home - making sure laundry is done, groceries are purchased, bills are paid and the house is clean (at least for the most part). Then there is the family responsibility - your spouse, parents, in-laws, children, siblings. Being the oldest in the family and the only girl, I feel that my brothers depend on me to take care of my mom. You know what they say about the "sandwich" generation - parenting both your children and your parents. There is the responsibility of friendship. I work hard at being a good friend as well as a good family member. Sometimes the friend and family thing kind of intertwine! The responsibility of my faith, and I know that I shouldn't feel that my faith is a responsibility, but sometimes I do feel that way. There is a certain responsibility to stay on task. I am ashamed to say that my faith sometimes waivers. I don't doubt my faith, I just worry A LOT and I guess I equate that with not having enough faith. The hardest responsibility of all however, is the responsibility of a job. Some days I can roll along and it is no problem. Other days the responsibility is overwhelming - the responsibility to bosses, co-workers, customers and all the others that you deal with on a daily basis. I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I am always trying to find a balancing point. Hummmm - just thinking out loud!

Stress

We had another beautiful weekend. We took advantage of the weather and spent most of the weekend outdoors. We got the lawn mowed, weeded the gardens and worked on the patio. We even ate all of our meals outdoors. Of course the weekend went way too fast, but it was a nice change of pace from the stress lately. I am taking Wednesday off and just doing some "me" things. When I requested the day off I said I needed a mental health day. Senior management laughed, but it truely is a mental health day. The rest of the week is full! Tomorrow we have rehearsal, Thursday is our concert and Friday Leon will head to the races. Then Saturday we have a parade in Fulda so we will have to get the band wagon out and wash it off. Maybe Sunday I can relax a little. The weeks just seem to be getting longer and the weekends shorter.

the past week has been soooooo busy. Whew! What a blurrr. this weekend however has been so nice. The weather was perfect. We got so much done outside. We worked on the lawn, the garden and the patio. I feel good. . . . . . . We really got a lot done. That is a good thing because this week is going to be very stressful!!!!!! I will make it through this though. Just need to do a little damage control.

Get r done

Well, it was a cool rainy weekend. It was definately to my advantage though. I got so much done. I got cleaning and laundry done, then I started on a big project. I got my sewing room re-organized!!! I got it done early so I started re-organizing the back area of the basement. That feels so good to get those things done. I have wanted to get my attic areas cleaned out though and I didn't get to that project. Leon has a fire department drill tomorrow night so maybe I can get started then. Especially if it is cool and rainy again. If it is nice and warm I will end up being outside working in one of the gardens. That is what summer in Minnesota is all about - being outdoors.

Tomorrow it is back to work. I have that pit feeling in the bottom of my stomach. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow. I really want to be home getting things done. I guess maybe I just need a few days of vacation. I better get it taken now, I may not have a chance to take it later.

Take a Breath

Wow, the last 2 weeks have been crazy busy! I knew we would be busy, but this was beyond my expectations. We got tons of things done in the yard so that was great. We started our community band concerts in the park. That takes 2 days a week - practice on Tuesdays and performances on Thursdays. Then there is the races of course. Leon goes down with the firetruck every Friday night. On top of that we have meetings for church and work! Whew. This weekend it is raining so I think I can take a breath and relax just a little. I got my cleaning done and now to finish laundry and get some groceries. If it stops raining, maybe we can light the fire pit again. I need to reload for another busy week next week. So many things going on there. I am worn out trying to be responsible for everything. I hope it is all worth it in the end. I guess we will see . . . . .

It has been an absolutely perfect weekend. Denver and Danielle and Travis and Randi and the kids were here over the weekend. Don't get to see Denver and Danielle very much so it was nice to see them. We kept Logan and Lauren over night so Mommy and Daddy could go out to eat and to a movie. We also got nearly done with the new patio. We would be done if some of the pavers weren't broken. We need to find 8 more pavers to finish the project. I am so excited about that. We also were able to spend time with good friends. I alwasy say that good friends are just as important as family. You need both - but for different reasons. The weather was perfect as well. Not too hot, not too cold, just enough breaze to keep the bugs off. Just perfect.

Now it is back to reality. Back to work tomorrow. :( It will be a short week, but hopefully an exciting week. Any time we have a day off, we pay for it the rest of the week. I know tomorrow will be REALLY BUSY!!!! I hope by Thursday it will all be worth it. We will see!!!

It's a Hurricane!

I cannot believe how much wind we have had this spring. Not just a little wind - hurricane strength wind. And not just a day or two - many, many days! It is just insane! I thought the wind was done, so I planted my veggie garden Monday after work. Oh no! The last 2 day have been a constant wind of 25 - 40 miles per hour. My poor tomatoes. I think I am going to have to replant my crops! We are suppose to get some rain in the next few days. I sure hope we do. Maybe my tomatoes can make a comeback. The lawn was getting really long. the big guy has been gone every night for the past 2 1/2 weeks so I guess it was up to me to mow again. So I got the entire lawn mowed before he got home. Then we got the new trees planted. Maybe since we got the trees planted the wind will go down. . . maybe! Hummmmm Well, at least I only have 2 more days of work before a nice long 3 day weekend!!!!

Finally Friday

I don't know why, but this week has gone by VERY slowly!!! I wasn't a bad week, just long. One of those weeks when I had something going on every night after work. Now I need to get some laundry done and clean the house. Just didn't get a chance to get at it all week. I was going to plant my garden this weekend, but now I think I will hold off a few days. They are talking possible light frost tonight. I think Monday night I will plant - we should be past the frost warning by then. This year I am going to plant a extra row of snap peas as well as the green beans, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cucumbers. I better go check the asparagus now though. I think I have some more ready.

The Big Weigh In

Well, tonight was the final class for my Lifestyle Management Program. We did our final weigh in. I lost a total of 20 pounds. I was trying for 25, but I am content with 20 - so far. I think part of it was that was sick for 2 weeks. I didn't exercise at all for those 2 weeks. In fact I hardly moved at all. If I hadn't been sick, I may have lost the full 25 pounds. Anyway, we got some last minute tips on maintenance and how to keep off the weight as that is just as important as losing the weight. There are maintenance classes every 2 weeks if you want to go to them. I think I do need to go. I need the accountability to the plan. The only way I can be accountable is to go to the maintenance class. I also need the support of the other people in the program. I think that losing the rest of my weight will not be as hard, as I will be outside more now - working in the yard, weeding the garden, going to water aerobics, etc. I am going to make more of an effort to walk as well. I would like to start walking to work, but then I am all sweaty by the time I get to work. That is not the impression I want to give to my customers every day. Yipes. Maybe I will just stick to walking after work.

Weekend projects

It was a wonderful weekend here in Lake Woebegone! The weather was perfect so we decided to get some outdoor projects done. First, yesterday, we dug the gravel out of the area between the house and the garage. We got a Bobcat from the shop and got it all dug out. Then we went back behing the house and dug out (by hand) the decorator rock by the bedroom window. After lunch we got that all tilled up and it will become my new herb garden. I think the herbs will do better in the garden than they did in pots the last few years. When we were done with that we headed out to Randi's house and got a garden area tilled up for her. The hardest part was raking all of the clumps of grass out the area once it was tilled.

Last night was prom here in town. Randi and I went up to the Grand March. Some very beautiful dresses and some "not so beautiful" dresses. It makes me wonder - what they were thinking?

Today we mowed the lawn, put some new edgers in around the new garden area, and weeded a few of the perennial beds. We picked up some garden fertilizer and mulch for the flower beds, but didn't have time to get to those things. Just as we were getting done and getting ready to make supper, Leon got called to a fire. I have no idea what time he will get back. I got hungry so I ate some leftovers. I will see what time he gets back before I decide if I am going to fix something else. I can hear them on the scanner and it sounds like the fire is still not under control. It may be awhile before he gets home!!!! I guess I'll see him tomorrow!!!!

Morning the loss of a friend

Today I feel as though I am in mourning. It was the last day for one of my co-workers. She works in another office, but she and I have become very good friends. She and her husband have purchased a resort in northern Minnesota so I am pretty sure we won't see much of each other any more. We had plans to get together this evening for one last supper out together. It didn't work out though. She is the kind of person you just loved being around. She always has a positive attitude and good things to say. she always looks at the bright side of everything and is always there for everyone. The kind of person I strive to be, but will probably never achieve. Work will never be the same and neither will I. Good-bye Marjean. I'll miss you more than you know.

Well, it has been a pretty interesting week. The weather has been pretty nice. I got the gardens cleaned out today. Most of them were packed with leaves and corn stalks, etc. I got all of them cleaned out this morning. Now tonight it started raining! Is that good timing or what???? Lauren has pink eye though. The kids were here yesterday afternoon and we helped Randi put drops in her eyes. I didn't even think of it at the time, but I hope I don't get pink eye. Oh well, if I do, it is a reason to call in sick. I guess I wouldn't mind that right now. I am kind of tired of what I do at work. I have been doing pretty much the same thing for 26 years. I just need a change. The other thing is, I think my husband is still going through some sort of male PMS. Even one of the guys on the fire department said he let loose on him at a drill the other night. Geeze that is just not right. I don't know what to do . . . . . . No matter what I say he snaps at me. I am just tired of it I guess.

Well, another Easter has come and gone. We had a lot of fun this year. Lauren was old enough to hunt for Easter eggs. She loved doing it. Next year Logan might be old enough to get in on the "hunt". Of course I ate too much over the weekend. We had lots of food everywhere all weekend. I think that blew my diet big time. We will see when I go weigh in on Thursday. Today it was back to diet! Our last class is May 7th and I desperately want to hit my goal by then. I have about 8 pounds left to lose to hit my goal. I know I can do it, I just have to try very hard. Then I get to take a month off of the diet before I attack it again. Then I can lose another 10% of my body weight. That should take me right up to Kruse-a-palooza. That is my long term goal. I just have to focus. The weather has been getting warmer. I think it was close to 60 today and will be again tomorrow. I probably should dig out my spring clothes. I don't want to be wearing heavy sweaters too much longer!

I firmly believe that men suffer from a testasterone version of PMS! A simple innocent question leads to a volcanic eruption on a scale equal to Mt. St. Helens! And it happens when you least expect it. It catches me so off guard that I can't keep the tears from coming. Does that make me a weak person? Then comes the question - should one just turn and walk away, or should you get right back in their face? Either way, my nerves are on edge for days after the event. It effects my every thought which in turn effects my work. It could lead a person to heavy drinking that is for sure!!!!!!

What a difference a week makes

Yipes! We got about 6 -8 inches of new snow yesterday. It was such heavy wet snow! Not to mention the wind was blowing!!! I can't believe this winter weather. It just won't go away. it is April 5th for goodness sake.

Randi worked last night and Travis was afraid he would need to blow out their road this morning so we kept the kids last night. That is always nice. So then we took Lauren to Sunday School this morning and took both of them to church with us. It went very well. Today the temp has warmed up and the snow is really melting. Hopefully it will be gone in a day or so.

This afternoon I got all the laundry caught up and did the cleaning I didn't get done yesterday. It really made me feel like spring is on the way. I aways feel good when I get done cleaning.

Hopefully tomorrow my new appliances will come. I have tried to be patient, but it has been more than 3 weeks. I called the appliance store last week and they thought they should be in this past Friday. Maybe they were and they just didn't have time to deliver them.

Well, I better get my stuff ready for tomorrow.

Well, it is a little warmer day today. I think it is about 45 right now. I did a little tour of my flower beds today and the tulips are popping up! That is always a promising sign!!!!! By tomorrow though we may get a little more snow. :( Maybe it is warm enough that it will just come as rain. The rain would actually welcome. It may continue to green up the lawns and ditches. That would be nice.

Yesterday afternoon I continued to put kitchen things away, but didn't get quite done. We ended up going out to Randi and Travis' and help them take down a couple of trees that were dead. They needed to come down so the guy coming to install their Dish Network Internet could put up the receiver. He is coming tomorrow.

Well, I need to get busy. I have so much to get done today - laundry, scrub floors and organizing. It will take me the rest of the day! I need to get done though as I still have not gotten started cleaning out the attic spaces. That is the next thing on my list.

I have spent a lot of time this week putting more things away in the new kitchen cabinets. The hardest thing is to decide which cabinet to put certain things in. I have moved things around a couple of times already, and will probably move things a few more times. Now I am not sure what to do with all of the things that are not coming back into the kitchen. I hope to finish up this project tomorrow. I work tomorrow morning, but after that I hope to finish up.

I had class last night. . . . . . . . . I gained a pound this week! AHHHHHHHHHH I am going to look at it as a waker upper. I need to try a little harder to watch what I eat. I sort of quit journaling my food intake because I was so busy in the kitchen. I need to get back to that to make sure I am staying within my boundries.

The weather has certainly cooled off. The high yesterday was in the upper 20's. We probably won't warm up again until late next week. At least the snow is gone, so it doesn't seem so cold.

Well, I better get ready for work.

DONE!!!!! (well almost)

Yes, we are finally done with the construction work on our kitchen (with the exception of a few little things Leon is going to do). Whoop whoop!!! The carpenter came today and finished putting the counter top in. It looks maaaavelous! I have put a few things away, but not everything. I am still thinking about it. Some things may not come back to the kitchen. You know how it is when you don't even think about certain things being somewhere. They have just been there for as long as you can remember and you don't know why. So I am only bringing back things that I know I will use. Many things may get thrown away or go to a rummage sale.

The weather has been good up until today. We had weather in the 60's on Saturday. It was beautiful. Randi and Travis stopped with the kids. Lauren decided she needed to have a picnic. I have an old picnic basket with plastic plates, cups and eating utensils in it. We took it outside and had a picnic with juice boxes and fruit snacks! We put Logan in the Jumperoo outside as well. They both had a great time.

Today the weather is a different story. It rained on and off all day. I think it is great as the grass should green up really fast. The down side is, it could turn to snow real fast. In fact central South Dakota has a tornado warning out until about 10:00 and then a blizzard warning after that. If it does turn to snow here, we are only suppose to get an inch or so. BUT by Friday we could have a major winter weather system coming through. We'll see!!!

Well, I have to leave here very early tomorrow to be in Owatonna tomorrow for my meeting, so I better get to bed!

Almost done

Well, we went to Sioux Falls today to get what I hope is the last of what we need for the kitchen remodle. We picked up the counter top at Menards - which was a very frustrating experience! Now, once the carpenters get it installed, we should be pretty much done! I did start putting things in some of the cabinets. Only the cabinets on the north wall and the uppers on the south wall. The rest will have to wait until the counter top is on. Then comes the job of figuring out where everything goes. I have a home for some things, but I'm sure I will move things around several times before I am comfortable with it.

Tomorrow will be a day of cleaning. Cleaning everything in every room. There is sanding dust and carpentry dust everywhere. It will definately take all weekend to do this cleaning. Maybe even more than the weekend!!!

The weather has been pretty nice. Today it was about 55 and tomorrow should be around 66. Then starts several day of rain. Let's hope it is just rain and doesn't turn to snow or sleet. I have to go to Owatonna on Tuesday for a meeting so I don't need bad weather. And I certainly don't want more snow. It is the first day of spring. We can't have more snow!!!!!

Why do I live in Minnesota

All but one of the cabinets are in. They have to wait with the last one until I am done mudding, taping, sanding and painting. they put a new window in which is smaller than the old one. So there is new dry wall that has to go in around the window. I told them I could do the rest of it. No sense paying them to do something I can do. Yesterday I did the mudding and taping and some of the sanding. Today (after Millie's birthday party) I will finish sanding and then prime and paint. I hope the carpenter comes back tomorrow to install the last cabinet. Then all we have left is the counter top. They probably won't be here until Friday. :( Until then the kitchen will remain in a mess. I don't want to start putting anything in the cabinets until they are done. That part drives me insane as I can't really clean. I try to clean and then the carpenters come back and there is saw dust everywhere.

The weather has been beautiful! Yesterday the temps reached about 52 and today are suppose to get to 57. Now this is why we live in Minnesota. Days like this are so wonderful. You are reminded that we are done with winter and spring is on it's way. A great deal of the snow has melted already, but the rest should be gone this week. The grass will start truning green now and my perennials will start peaking through. It just puts everyone in such a good mood.

Yes, as I said, today we are celebrating Millie's 85th birthday. I got a cake and everyone else is bringing munchies and some BBQ & buns. Denver and Danielle cannot come and Randi has to work, but everyone else should be there. Any time the Kruse family gets together there is fun. A lot of the time it is at my expense though. I have dropped a crock pot full of soup, accidentally used a can of tuna instead of chicken in the chicken wild rice soup and things like that. They never let me forget all of the stupid things I have done. Oh well, what can I do. Smile and waive boys, smile and waive!

construction update

Well, the carpenters started after lunch today. I came home from work and the cabinets on the north wall were in. No counter tops yet, but the cabinets were in. I guess tomorrow they start on the south wall. That one will be a little more complicated as they have to work around the water lines. It may be a little difficult around here for a few days as I don't have a kitchen sink or a stove. Anything we have needs to be microwaved or ordered in. I like the thought of ordering in for a coule of days. :) I also need to get the "above the stove" microwave. The appliance store here in town has a really good deal on them. And when I talked to him, he said if I got all 3 items there he would give me a really good deal. I can't believe this is all finally coming together.

The weather isn't as good. The temps got up to a high of about 8 today with a windchill of -25. It is suppose to start warming up tomorrow. By Sunday the temps will be in the 50's. I hope this is the last bout of cold weather. ONLY 9 DAYS TILL SPRING!!!

Tomorrow is weigh in day at class. I sure hope I do well. I have been trying very hard to stay on track. For the most part it isn't hard. Sunday I kind of cheated when we took Randi out for her birthday. I had a beer and a large pasta dish. Yummmmmmm, but lots of calories. I guess we will see tomorrow!

Mini-Kruse-a-palooza

Well, the cabinets arrived on Thursday. Of course it couldn't be without incident! The delivery company dropped off the cabinets and then left. Right after he left I discovered there was no counter top in what was delivered. After several phone calls and a couple of faxes, we discovered nobody at Menards actually ordered them. Hopefully we got everything straightened out and the counter tops will be here soon. I hope the carpenter will still start the work on the cabinets on Tuesday.

Last night we had a mini-kruse-a-palooza. We went to Jaime and Brian's in Pipestone and had a great time. We had a WII bowling tournament and of course had a little beer and some munchies. It was a great time. Any time the Kruse family gets together there seems to be a lot of fun. We decided we might need to have one more mini version before the big Kruse-a-palooza - just for practice.

And now it is off to work.

Tomorrow is the Day

Well, I think everything is falling into place. The cabinets are being delivered tomorrow afternoon. I think the window is being delivered at the same time. I talked to the carpenter today and he said he could possibly get started by Tuesday, but for sure by Wednesday. YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are a couple of things left for us to do. We have to tear some siding off to get ready for the new window placement. The new window is not the same size as the old one. Then we have to tear out the old lower cabinet. I don't want that to come out till the last minute as I don't want to lose the use of the kitchen sink for any longer than absolutely necessary. I can't believe this is finally going to happen. I have been waiting for this for 25 years.!!!!!

A Really Busy Weekend

Well, I didn't leave the house at all yesterday and today I only left long enough to go to church. I taped and mudded and sanded. Then mudded and sanded some more all day on Saturday. I worked from 8 a.m. to about 9 p.m. I was very tired. Today I did the final sanding. Then I washed down the walls and primed and painted. Once again I am very tired. It is a good tired though. Everything is done now until the carpenter gets here. He should be here this week. I sure hope it is tomorrow!!!!

Well, I woke up yesterday and much to my dismay, all mudding and taping I did Friday night seemed to have problems. I must have used too much mud in the corners as it was all cracked. In other areas I didn't use enough as I could still see some of the tape. I almost cried! So I started sanding where I could and then re-mudded where there were cracks. The entire house had a layer of sanding dust on everything!!!!! I tried to clean up a little, but then I decided it wouldn't matter because there was more sanding to do today. Today when I woke up things look much better. There is just some sanding left to do. So after church I will finish the sanding, wipe down the walls and prime them. Hopefully after supper the primer will be dry and I can paint. Maybe I will be done before Leon gets home from Nashville.

An update to my Lifestyle Management classes - I am now half way thorough the program and have now lost 10 pounds and drastically improved my blood pressure. I think I have improved my cholesterol too, but they have not done any blood work yet. So, 10 pounds done - 15 to go. I can do this! After that, I have to go on to a maintenance program for 4 weeks where I can't gain or lose more than 2 pounds either way. After 4 weeks of maintenance I will do another 12 weeks of classes. Then hopefully I can lose another 25 pounds in that session. My goal is to be "a new me" for Krusapalooza!

Work Weekend

Well, the snow and wind are done - for now. We got about 4 - 5 inches of new snow yesterday and then the wind came up. Just enough to make travel miserable. Leon headed for Curt & Jayne's and what usually takes a little over 3 hours, took 6 1/2 hours. He took off this morning on a flight for Nashville. The weather was fine this morning so his flight should have been on time. He will be back Sunday night. Randi worked last night and Travis had a difficult time getting home, so I kept the kids overnight. Logan actually slept all night!!!!! I took them to daycare this morning and then picked them up after work. Travis came after work tonight and blew out the driveway. What a sweet thing for him to do. So after he was done we all went out for supper. We had perhaps the worst waitress EVER!!! Anyway, after I got home, I started working on the kitchen again. I taped and mudded for 2 hours. Tomorrow it should be dry so I can do some sanding and then paint. Hopefully the cabinets are delivered in the next couple of days. But, they aren't going to put the cabinets in until the new window is installed. The window is not installed yet, but it must have come in at the lumber yard because I got the bill for it already!! Well, I really tired, so I better go to bed.

Winter Storm

Not much going on right now, but we have a winter storm warning for this area for today. It is starting to sleet in Sioux Falls right now, but nothing here yet. By the time the system gets through here we could have 8" of new snow. It all depends on how much comes as sleet and freezing rain and how much comes as snow. The worst part of it is that Leon is suppose to head to Mpls this afternoon. He is going to stay with Curt & Jayne tonight and then fly out to Nashville early in the morning. They have their trade fair there this year. I think he should head out early today so that he makes it up there. The system is suppose to be out of here by 10:00 so the flight tomorrow should be fine. I also told Randi to pack extra clothes for the kids. Just in case Travis doesn't get home after work tonight, I can get the kids from daycare and keep them overnight and then back to daycare in the morning.

New Work Week

Once again the weekend has flown by. Most of the weekend was spent working on the kitchen. We put a new electrical box in along with a new box for a light. Then filled in some nail holes and did a ton of sanding. My shoulders can really tell it today. Yesterday we had to go to Marshall for some things we can't find in Slayton. It was nice just to sit in the car for a little while and get out of town. When we got back I was refreshed and ready to get back to the project. It wasn't all work though. Friday night we went to the basketball game and Saturday we went to the 50th birthday party of one of the guys on the fire department. Now today it will be back to work! Ho hum!!!!!

Good to be Home

I feels good to be home. On Wednesday afternoon myself and 2 co-workers from the Fulda office headed to Mpls for classes. The classes were on a new update that is going on our processing program at work. A lot of it was over my head. They talked about setting up specs for different capaabilities. Since I am not the person in our group that sets up or changes specs, I didn't understand some of it. We also learned a bunch of changes coming for the deposit side and the loan side. That stuff I did understand. The thing is, this update isn't going on until about the 18th of April. Plenty of time for me to forget everything I learned. We got home last night about 7:30. Just in time to watch Grey's Anatomy!!!!

I did very well with my diet while I was gone. I ate green salads and chicken and stuff like that. Believe it or not, they had cheesecake for desert at lunch yesterday and I passed it up! I weighed in before I left on Wednesday and I only lost 1 pound last week. I guess I was hoping for more, but I should be happy that I lost weight and didn't gain.

Well, I better go get ready for work!!!!:(

A time to tear down

Well, it was a day of destruction. I worked the morning shift at work. Since it is President's day, we only have the drive up open and 2 of us split the day. We each work 4 hours. Once I got home Randi was here to help me and we started emptying the kitchen cupboards. All of the uppers were empty and only one of the lower ones still had stuff in them. As soon as Leon and Travis got here, we started tearing down the uppers. They are all out. YIPEEEEE!!!!! We are not going to take the bottom ones out until the new ones come in. I don't want to be without a kitchen sink for any longer than I have to be. I am exhausted tonight, but it is a good feeling. Hopefully by this time next week I will be putting the new ones in.

Valentine's Day Weekend

What a great weekend. Yesterday I spent cleaning house, doing laundry and grocery shopping. Instead of going out for a Valentine Supper, we grilled steaks here at home. Pretty good to be grilling in February in Minnesota. They turned out great! It was a very relaxing day. Then today we went to church (we picked up Lauren from Sunday School, Leon had to sing in choir and I was one of the communion assistants). We left for Sioux Falls right after church and met Travis and Randi at Menards. I got my new kitchen cabinets ordered as well as the patio pavers for the new patio! I can't believe I talked Leon into getting both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoot. Now I just have to wait for them to be delivered. Anyway, as soon as we were done with that we headed to Brookings to see Denver. We all went out to eat together and celebrated his birthday. I had 2 beers with supper and we had birthday cake afterwards. Yipes. That isn't so good for the ole' diet!!!! I am going to have to work out twice as hard tomorrow. That is okay, it was worth it.

Denver is 30 Today

A nice end to the week. It was fairly busy at work today, but not so busy that we couldn't take a breath now and then. Then tonight we went out for supper with friends. I love it when I don't have to cook! I can't believe Denver is 30 years old today! Boy does that make me feel old! We are going to up to Brookings on Sunday to have supper with him and maybe his new girlfriend. Another meal I don't have to cook! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tomorrow will be the regular Saturday stuff - grocery shopping, cleaning vacuming, etc. I don't mind cleaning, I just wish I had more time to do other things as well on Saturdays. Oh well!

Another Hectic Day

Wow what a hectic couple of days we have had. Yesterday we received another list of compromised debit cards. The difference this time is that there were hundreds of cards on the list! We (the 3 of us in the office) spent all day calling all of the card holders to explain the situation and get permission to status those cards and re-order new cards. It was a horrible day. We got in touch with a majority of the customers yesterday. Those that we didn't get in touch with, we left a message to call the office. Most of them called back today. There are 12 people left to talk to. Then came the big job of statusing the compromised cards and ordering new ones. I was exhausted when I left work today. Then tonight I had Lifestyle Management class. I actually looked forward to that class. I have only had 2 classes, but I have learned so much. This week we started learning about super foods. The first super food is beans. It can be kidney beans, baked beans, green beens - what ever. Beans are high in protien, but more important, high in fiber. Also whole grains - whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, pasta - anything that is whole grain. Most foods that are whole grain are high in fiber. We need to have about 25 grams of fiber per day to keep our digestive system working the way it should be. I guess the nest shopping trip I take will be looking at lables for whole grain and fiber. The best news of all though was our weigh in - I have lost 5.5 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is a start and I need it so bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And even better yet - tomorrow is Friday. YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Humm, it is Tuesday and nothing noteworthy to talk about. The weather is pretty nice. We got rain last night, but it did not freeze so all it did was get rid of some of the snow pack. We have auditors at work (they come every year) so we are busy getting stuff for them all day long. Our carpenter was her tonight with the final plans for the new kitchen cabinets. I am pretty excited about that. I will be more excited when the cabinets are actually ordered and get here. He said it will take about 3 weeks after they are ordered before they get delivered. Then I will be excited!!!!!!! Leon is at the basketball game so I have a short time do laundry and get ready for tomorrow's workday. I always figure out what I am going to wear and get it ironed or what ever needs to be done. That way I am not rushed in the morning. I go work out at 5:15, get home at 6:00, then shower, read my emails, do my hair, eat breakfast and take the kids to daycare so that I am to work shortly after 7:30. Hummm, makes me tired just thinking about it.

Another Weekend Ends

I can't believe how fast the weekends go by. It seems like I just left work a couple of hours ago, and now I am planning what to wear to work tomorrow. Yesterday was so nice. Leon had to work in the morning and he spent the afternoon down at the fire hall changing oil on the fire trucks. That gave me most of the day to myself. I really enjoy time to myself as I don't get that much of it. I love just rambling around the house getting laundry and cleaning done all by myself. Last night I cranked up the fire place and we sat in the basement and watched TV after supper. That was nice and relaxing as well. Today we had a baked potato diner at church after the service was over. I helped with the clean up. It wasn't too bad. We served about 150 people, but we used paper plates and stuff so we only really had serving bowls, roasters and coffee pots to wash and then clean tables etc. I was home by 1:15. This afternoon we decided that we would head to Marshall and do a little shopping. I have not been out of town for many weeks so it was nice just to get out of town. We bought a few thing that we cannot get in town. Then we ate at Arby's on the way home. Once again I did not have to cook! YIPEEE!!! And now that I am home, I am feeling sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow. I wish banking wasn't such a stressful occupation. :( Oh well, I think I need a glass of wine to help me sleep!!

Let the weekend begin!

Well, I finally got the taxes done. It really wasn't a big job as we don't have enough expenses to itemize. It is just a matter of working through all of the little worksheets they have for you to do before you can get to the end. Anyhoo, we won't be getting much back, but that is okay. At least we don't have to pay in either. I went to weigh in yesterday for my Lifestyle Management class. I am so excited. I have lost another 3 pounds!!! I have to keep up this momentum. I have been working out every morning and really watching what I eat. I have to journal everything - "you bite it, you write it". I don't want to go to the next meeting with my journal saying that I ate a whole pizza or anything. There are 8 other people in the class and I hope I am keeping up with what they are doing. I won't know until next Thursday. Tonight we went to the boys basketball game. They were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "New" gymn. One of the fellows who played on the team that year got a big thing together and they had members of the basketball teams from 1957 to 1963 there. They made a pretty big deal out of it. It was pretty fun! Then since First National Bank is a sponsor of the basketball programs I helped with the flag presentation. They have this huge flag that is 8' by 16' that they use at special games. All of the business who support the athletic teams were invited to have someone help with the flag. There were about 25 of us who helped. that was very emotional. Plus the MCC Chamber Choir sang the national anthem acapella. WOW! That was so impressive. Now I am relaxing with a glass of wine. My favorite!!!! Yummmmm, it is heart healthy - plus it really helps me sleep. I might even have another.

Mid week break!

Well, it is Wednesday - half way through the work week. And the best part is that I have the day off. Lauren has her first dentist appointment today so I am going to watch Logan when Lauren and Randi go see Dr. Platz. This afternoon the kids may nap here when Randi gets the oil changed on her car. That will be nice as well. After that I start the big job of doing our taxes. I shouldn't say "big job" because we don't have that much. We don't have enough to itemize so we just do the 1040A form. After the 1040A is done, it is a breeze to do the state forms. I don't understand something though. We both claim "0" dependents all year long. When it comes to tax time, we still end up paying more federal taxes. It doesn't make sense to me. Anyway, I should be able to get all of the taxes done today. That will be a good feeling. Once that is done I have vowed to start my attic clean out project. Every week I will fill our little dumpster to the top. I am in the mood to purge - part of the "simplify my life" new year's resolutions. When I am done with that, I hope the carpenter is ready to tear into my kitchen. I hope that having my kitchen done will be the thing that brings me out of this overwhelming feeling of . . . .

Post Super Bowl

Yesterday was a fun day. Had our friends over for Super Bowl as well as Travis and the kids. Randi had to work. Of course I was cheering for the Cardinals since they were the underdogs. They almost pulled it out in the end!!!!! At least it was a close game. So many of the Super Bowl games are blow outs. And wearing the 3-D glasses for the half time commercials was pretty fun as well. And now for the all important update on the diet. I actually didn't do too bad on the diet. I had 3 light beers, and a few muchies. I didn't eat any supper so I got to have those calories for munchies. I had a lot of raw veggies so that helps. I thought I might really blow it, but because I knew I had to write everything in the journal, I didn't eat nearly as much. I also did very well on the diet today. The down side of today is that I started working on our taxes. Not fun!!!!!! I think I have the federal form done - for the most part. Tomorrow I will have to do the state! :(

We finally had a really nice day today. The high was close to 50 so we had a lot of melting. I think it kind of lifted everyone's spirit. I had Dan Conway come over this afternoon to do some measuring for my new kitchen cabinets. I can't tell you how excited I am about that. The cabinets I have were built into the house when it was built in 1952. Dan gave me some additional ideas as well as things to think about. This project will probably be more costly than I bugeted for. Oh well, I have been waiting for this for 20 year!!!!!! I hope he can get started soon!!! The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry, scrubbing floors and cleaning. I know most people don't like to clean, but I don't mind at all. It really takes my mind off of work and all the other stresses of life. Tonight I am getting all of my foods ready for our Super Bowl party tomorrow night. That should be really fun as well. I think there will be around 12 of us. The party will be fun, however, it is going to challenge my diet. I have to be strong willed tomorrow. I did cup up a lot of raw veggies and most of them are free foods on this "lifestyle plan". I will just try to concentrate on the veggies. Well, back to food preparation!!!

Back in School

Whew! I am done with training a new employee. It isn't so bad to train a new employee, but it is a new employee for another office. I hope I did a good job. The weather is still cold. I think the high was 22 today, but the winds were a little stiff so the wind chill was 0 or below. What I wouldn't give for even 70 degrees right now. I am pretty excited. I went to my first Lifestyle Management class tonight. I have 3 chapters to read, I have a pedometer to wear, and decisions to make. I have to drink water or decaf/calorie free beverages. I need to journal everything I eat - if you bite it you write it! And I need to make some decisions as far as how I am going to reduce my calorie intake. There are 3 methods, the plate method, the 75% method and the meal replacement method. I will probably do a combination of the plate method and the 75% method. I need to start this all right now. Heck I have already taken 169 steps and I just got home!!!!! I sure hope I can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yipes, another cold day. I think the high was 6 today. A regular heat wave!!! I don't know what I was thinking, but I agreed to help train in a new employee for the Plymouth office. She was the office this afternoon and will be there until Thursday afternoon. She is very nice, but I am not used to this stuff. Once again I don't get my own stuff done. Tonight we had a gathering of the "elbow band". We went out to Keylargo and had their burger special. I had 3 beers and a hamburger and salad and it came to $7.86. Wow, that is good! It was very nice to be with the elbow band members. Well, I better get to bed, tomorrow is going to be a long day.

Wonderful Weekend

It has been a very nice weekend at the Kruse house. First of all I didn't have to work. That always makes it nice. Then I went with Randi to take the kids to "Family Fair" at the schoool. They have all kinds of fun things for the kids to do there. There was a nutrition booth where the kids could make themselves a 100 calorie snack. There were several booths were the kids could make crafts. There were baby pigs and ducks, a snake and an alagator. Lauren had a great time. Denver came home for the day on Saturday as well. He bought a pickup a few weeks ago and we all wanted to see it. He also brought Danielle home with him. She is very pretty and very nice. Hope things work out for them and she will come home with him again. Anyway, Leon got called out on ANOTHER fire call. This time it was a fire. Someone had a chimney fire. When he got back all 8 of us went out for supper. Such a nice day . . . . . Today was a very lazy day. I haven't really gotten anything accomplished this afternoon. There are so many projects I would like to do, but I just can't make myself get started. I think once I can get started I will be fine. The one at the top of my list is to clean out the attic spaces. I feel the need to purge a bunch of stuff up there. I haven't really gone through those spaces for many years. I just keep putting stuff in there and now it is full! Maybe when it warms up a little. Those attic spaces are a little chilly. I can't wait too long though or the attic spaces will be hot! It just goes show - it's always something!

What a difference a day makes!

Ya, what a difference a day makes. Today the high was 15 and that was at 5:00 this morning. The temps fell all day. Right now the temp is abaout -15 and the wind chill is about -30!!! No more melting. This afternoon Leon had to respond to a fire call. It wasn't a fire however. It was a car rollover. I don't know how badly the people were hurt. We went out with our friends for supper as usual on a Friday night. I was very nice and the food was great!!! Now I am busy cleaning and tidying up. I have one more load of laundry to do today and the scrub living room and kitchen floors. Not too bad. And I don't have to work tomorrow morning. Yay, I can sleep in. That is going to be fabulous.

The last 2 days have been so nice. We have seen temps in the 30's and lots of sun. It was warm enough to get rid of some of the snow we have. Too bad I can't enjoy more of it. It is dark when I go to work and dark when I get home!

It has been really busy at work, but not unbearable. I just can't seem to get caught up. It is a good news/bad news thing. It is good that it is busy, but if I can't get things done, it doesn't do me any good. Kind of ironic I guess. I had a meeting today with my field rep that does the backroom stuff for our non-bank products (annuities, mutual funds, long term care insurance, etc.). The meeting was on sales and goal setting. I just had to laugh. I am too busy doing what I was hired to do, to sit and do all the reports they want me to do - those kinds of reports that tell managment what you do all day. Yipes.

Tonight we went to the girls basketball game. I love going to the games, but I don't get anything done at home. That makes me a little crazy. I have to be home at least a couple of nights a week or I can't deal with it. I have to learn to say "no". No to congregational president at church, no to the new Hospital Foundation, no to Community Ed board meetings . . . . . . .all those things that crush me and such out all of my spirit.

Tomorrow is Friday! Yipeeeeeeeee We will be going out for supper with our friends tomorrow. That is always so much fun. I look forward to it all week. Then Saturday Denver is coming home. We haven't seen him since Christmas. He is bringing his new girlfriend home with him. I am so anxious to meet her. I hope she likes us!!!!!!!!

typical Tuesday

Another typical Tuesday. I took the kids to daycare and then off to work. Since yesterday we only had the drive up open, today we made up for it. Whew!!! But on the up side the weather was finally decent. The sun was shining, there was no wind and the temps were around 25. Quite possibly the best weather we have had since Christmas. Tomorrow and Thursday are suppose to be in the 30's. YIPEEEE Maybe we can melt some snow. After work I picked the kids up from daycare and fed them supper. Then we all went to the basketball game. Logan slept through a lot of it and Lauren thought it was great - especially since we won. Randi and Travis met us at the game and then took the kids home when it was over. Now she doesn't work until next week so I won't have the kids until Tuesday I think.

More Winter Weather

I finally had a day off. I guess that may be perhaps the one advantage to working in a bank. Anyway, I had thought about going to Marshall or Worthington and do some shopping and visit with some friends. When I got up the scanner was on and I heard the dispatcher calling the cops to all kinds of cars in the ditch. I decided right away not to go anywhere. I did go uptown and do some shopping. I never get up town anymore. I am usually at work by 7:30 and work until after 5:00. I have a half an hour lunch break which is bearly enough time to eat something, but usually I have a least one errand to run on my lunch break as well.

This afternoon I just putzed around the house. It sure felt good. I felt a little "re-charged". At 5:00 I picked Lauren and Logan up from daycare. Travis got here about 7:30 to pick them up. He said the roads were really bad. The visibility was terrible. The scanner kept announcing more and more cars in the ditch and semi's jack knifed etc. They quit sending tow trucks out to tow the cars. They just started bringing the people home or into town to the hotel. I tried to talk Travis into staying here, or at least leave the kids here. He said he would be fine. He called when he got home. He said he went 10 - 15 mph with the lights off most of the way, but he mad it. Whew!!!! I was pretty worried.

Well, tomorrow - back to work. I sure don't want to go back to work. YUCK!!!!

The tears just flow . . . .

I guess it has been a typical Sunday at the Kruse house. Leon went to church early to practice with the choir. I picked Millie up and took her with me to church. Randi and Travis and the kids were in church despite the fact that Randi worked all night. They came over for lunch after church and then went home so Randi and the kids could all nap. A very nice Sunday, but none the less the tears came. I don't know why. I cried in church, I cried while I was making lunch, I cried after the kids went home. Oh of course I hid the tears. No one knew - except me.

The weather has greatly improved. I am sure the high was 30 - 35. Somewhere in that area. The sun was shining brightly and there was some melting going on. What a nice winter day. Well, except that now it is cooling off and there is some snow drifting. Leon (the fire department) just got called out on their 3rd car accident in the last 2 days. Very slippery. Thankfully the injuries were very minimal. The scanner has been going all weekend. There have been dozens - yes dozens of cars in the ditch around here. Many of them on I90 between Worthington and the SD border. Some of them roll overs and some of them just slid in the ditch and couldn't get out.

Tonight I am cacooning myself in my sewing room. I cleaned it last weekend. Tonight I am purging a bunch of things I haven't used for several years. They going in the trash. My theory is "Less is More". I have come to a point in my life where I don't like clutter. I am getting rid of a lot of it. I think it will make me feel better. Maybe. . . . . .

I don't know . . . .

I don't know . . . . The dark cloud of depression seems to be taking over once again. I feel like crying all the time. I feel an overwhelming sense of dread - a feeling like I won't ever . . . . I don't know, I just don't know. Just a dark feeling that is taking over my brain and my soul. Maybe it is the cloudy days that we have had. I am drowning and can't save myself. I just want to curl up under a blanket and cacoon myself in my room. What can I do to overcome this terrible feeling. I don't know. I just don't know . . . . . . . . . . the tears just come.

More Minnesota Winter

I woke up yesterday to a temp of -27. Keloland news said it was the coldest day since 1996! There wasn't any wind however sit it was not unbearable cold. Yesterday was also my VIP Club Pie and Coffee party. I thought I would have quite a few people call and cancel due to the cold temps. Out of the 40 people I had signed up, only 3 canceled though. We did have 2 more that didn't show, but I 6 people that came that didn't sign up so I ended up with 41! What a nice suprise. And everyone had such a good time.

We kept the kids overnight last night. Randi worked again last night (7 to 7) and Travis had a small emergency at one of the cheese plants. I think it is the one that make the Tony's Pouches. Anyway he didn't get here until 11:00 last night and he needed to be back to work early this morning so we just kept the kids and I will take them back to daycare this morning. Then after work I will pick them up from daycare and we will see what time Travis gets done working. Randi works another night shift.

I can't believe it, but we are suppose to see a high of 27 degrees today! That is a difference in temp of 50 degrees from yesterday!!!! A tropical heat wave. Well, I better get dressed for work so I can get the kids up and dressed.

More Winter

Well, another day of snow. It snowed all afternoon. Not much for winds, but snow none the less. It is suppose to snow most of the night as well. After that, a cold front is moving in. I am a little concerned. I have my VIP Club Pie and Coffee event on Thursday. I am afraid that if it is too cold on Thursday, we won't have many people show up for it.

Our new teller started today. So instead of getting caught up on my work, I spent quite a bit of the day get the new hire paperwork completed. Yipes. I can hardly wait until she is up to speed on the daily routine. The piles on my desk just get deeper and deeper.

When I got home I found a nice suprise. Randi, Travis and the kids were here. Apparently Travis worked from here for most of the afternoon (they don't have DSL available in their neck of the woods) while the kids napped and Randi watched a movie. It was nice to have them here. Tomorrow night the kids will spend the night. Randi has to work the night shift (7 to 7) and Travis is flying to Wisconsin for work. I will just take the kids to daycare before I go to work on Thursday. Ya, Thursday, the coldest day of the season. Burrr.

Winter Weather

Yesterday was so nice. We went to church - yes we took Millie along. She was in rare form, complaining about everything and everyone!!! After we took her home, it was a relaxing day at home. I cleaned, and organized a few drawers and just putzed. My favorite thing to do. We watched football play off games and a few movies.

Today however was another story. I got up expecting to see a ton of new snow. There was only a little new snow, so I went and worked out. by the time I got home it was snowing a lot harder. It snowed all morning and then about noon the wind came up. By 1:30 we couldn't see more than a couple of blocks so Diane and Ann decided they needed to go home. Being there by myself is not safe so I had to lock the front door and ran just the drive up. It was crazy. Trying to answer the phone and work the drive up window was insain until about 3:30! We had about 40 - 50 mph winds so that snow was moving around!!!!! Tomorrow is suppose to be pretty windy as well. I hope not. I have so much to do to catch up.

Leon had a fire drill tonight so I am home alone and loving every minute of it. I can do what ever I want and nobody is messing things up behind me. :) Well, I am going to have a glass of wine and then get my clothes ready for work tomorrow. A nice way to end the day.

Relaxing Weekend

Well, as I suspected, yesterday was another wild day at work. Whew! Maybe it was the weather. It snowed most of the day. Not a storm or anything, just 3 or 4 inches of new snow. For some reason, every time we get winter weather, it challanges people to get out and get things done. But then last night we went out for supper with our friends. That was very relaxing. I worked again this morning. I got caught up on all the things I had to set aside yesterday. That is the best part of working a Saturday morning. This afternoon is all about cleaning and cooking. I don't mind either one. In fact I love to cook, I just never know what to make. Well, I better get back to the cleaning part.

Lifestyle Modification

Well, I had my first meeting for the Lifestyle Management classes. This was just an informational meeting. They explained how the classes will work and what the expectations are. The first real meeting is January 29th. We will get weighed that night. Yipes. That scares me. We will get materials that we will be expected to read and willbe setting up a sort of game plan. After we set that up then there will be choices we can make on how to reach our goals. We will be wearing a pedometer to monitor our activity and journaling all of our food intake. Stacy says this isn't so much about dieting, but modifying your behavior to live a more healthy life. We will get our books in a couple of weeks - just before the first class. We will also be meeting with her one on one 3 times during the 12 week session. Cross my fingers and say a prayer. The weather tonight is not very nice. It is snowing a little bit right now. Soon we will be getting freezing rain. Then tomorrow more snow and 30 mph winds. could be an interesting day. But tomorrow is Friday so we can go out to eat with our friends. YIPEE!! That is what I look forward to all week.

Midweek Blahs

Another cold day in Minnesota. The wind chill was -14 this morning when I went to work out. Burrrrr. But - Only 2 1/2 months till spring! The good thing is I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 2 pounds since January 1st! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A good start to my weight loss plan. And tomorrow night I get to start my classes. I am so anxious to start the classes. I really want to lose 50 pounds and I want to get started on this as soon as possible. I am hoping it will help my back pain and lower my blood pressure. Only 2 work days left this week. I am pumped!!!!!

A slower day - finally!

Finally we had a little bit slower day. I started to get caught up. Whew. I still have a big pile of things that need to get done. I sure hope I have another day like this tomorrow!!!!! I really need to get my VIP Club stuff done. I have the pie and coffee kickoff coming up next week and I need to have the Valentine Supper details worked out by then. Always something!!!!!

A Busy Monday.

Another really wild day at work. I don't know how many more days I can take like this. I didn't even really get a lunch break. I just have to think about next week when the new person starts. I almost have my sewing room reorganized. Just a little bit more work. Travis is bringing the kids over soon so they can stay overnight. Randi is working and he has to be in marshall by 6:00 tomorrow morning so he can fly to Kansas City. It is just easier for the kids to stay here and I will take them to daycare in the morning. The best thing that happened today though was that I got a call from Stacie and I was accepted into the lifestyle management program. I hope this is a good sign. I need to lose some weight to aleviate some back problems.

Weekend life

I had so much I wanted to get done yesterday. I did get most of it done. I got some laundry done. I need to finish that up today. I also got a lot of cleaning done. Then in the afternoon I spent 3 hours reorganizing my sewing room. It is mostly done. I have a lot shredding left to do. I shredded so much that I over heated the shredder! Then last night we were going to go to the chili challenge in Hadley. The weather did not cooperate however. There was a light mist most of the afternoon so the roads were pretty slick. They ended up postponing the chili challenge until January 17th. We will see how the day goes today!

Wow, I knew yesterday was going to be wild at work, but it was way beyond that. I was so exhausted when I got home from work!!!! We went out for supper with our friends - we call ourselves the "core group". I did very well with the meal. I had nachos, but only ate about half of it. I did have 2 beers though. Yipes! When we got home I sat down in my chair and fell asleep. I sure feel better today. In fact, I think I will clean out my sewing room today. I am in the mood to start throwing things away and get the rest of the stuff organized. Tonight there is a chili challange in Hadley. The proceeds will go toward a little baby that is Logan's age who has had 2 sugeries already and needs at least one more. Unless we get bad weather, we will be going to that.

It is 6:30 a.m. and my favorite time of day. I just got done at the wellness center and my shower. Now I have a cup of coffee in my hand and checking email, facebook etc before I get dressed for work. I did very well with my eating yesterday. My only downfall was a handfull of chips.

Randi and Travis were here last night with the kids for a little while. Logan is starting to have a personality. He giggles if you tickle him and loves to have you talk to him. Lauren always wants to be in the basement with the fireplace going to watch a movie. Of course the Shrek movies are her favorite.

Today is going to be wild at work. The first work day of the new year is always wild, and now we are short staffed. I am going in early today and probably won't get out of there till late. That is the pits when you are salaried. I sure hope we get a new person hired soon!!!!!

It is New Year's day. A day for resolutions. I have many resolutions I would like to make today, but many times my resolutions fail. Hopefully by posting a blog as often as possible I can stay on track. My New Year's resolution this year is to lose 50 pounds. I also have goals of "destressing" my life. Both of these goals is going to be difficult, but I am determined to succeed at both.