Christmas 2006

Just wanted to write and say I hope everyone had a very merry christmas. I can't believe it's over already!! Now on to New Years. Hope you have some fun plans lined up. We are going out to dinner with some friends in Johnson's Creek, then going back to Kory's mom's for drinks and hot tubbing. Should be fun. Tonight I am hanging out with Tina. She is home from Arizona, so I'm pretty excited about that. I think me, her, Beth and Casey are going to go out to dinner and then hang out afterwards. Then tomorrow Tina and I are going down to IL to see Dawn & Aamer. As if I didn't drive around enough last weekend :) HA HA OH well. It will be a good time.

I thought I'd post some pics from the holidays:

Here is Mikaiya being so cute in her Christmas dress-

Here is a family picture that was taken of the entire family at my house:

Here is Kory playing with his nephews, Reese and Tyler:

And lastly, here is a really nice picture of Kory and his brother and sisters:

(Kory, Kristen, Kalli, Kacey and Kurt)

Christmas is coming

Well, it's the last few days of work before the holidays arrive. I can't wait for everyone to come home!! Kory's whole family will be there (including all 5 nephews!!) and hopefully his grandparents if we can get them home. My sister and her family will be home as well. So this will be a very full christmas with lots of friends and family to celebrate with. Only 4 days of work this week! Yahoo!!!

I feel so bad it's been a long time since my last blog. I never even posted me in my Amy Lee halloween costume. So here it is:



















Not too bad huh? To see the real Amy Lee, scroll down in my blog.

Anyways, things have been busy around here. We're getting ready for the up coming Christmas holiday. Thanksgiving was great. Kory's sister was home with her 4 boys, so it was nice to spend lots of time with his family. We also had Kory's 5 year high school reunion on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was a blast! Good old Fort Atkinson high school!!! Kory had a really nice time hanging out with some friends he hadn't talked to in a long time. I got to hang out with Nan, Tiff and Brenda so that was really nice too!!

Kory's been working 6 days a week now, getting Fed Ex ready for the holiday season as well. Next week is his last Sunday...thankfully! I miss our sunday evenings together!!

Nothing really too exciting going on. I will write more soon...

Life is good! I've been so busy at work. It's been a little crazy. I am busy this week preparing for our halloween party that is happening this Saturday. I can't wait to see everyone.

Last weekend we went to see an 80's rock band at a bar in Sun Prairie. It was a really fun time. Here are a few pictures:















This is a pic of Kory and Scott-his drum teacher from when he was younger!! How funny is that? Ends up he's the drummer for the Heartbreakers!!

Here's a pic of the girls (from L to R): Amy, Sarah, Casey, Me, Kacey and Melyssa (drummer's wife)

Here's Casey and her boyfriend (or is it just a friend?) Mike....

Life has been a little strange lately. I've just been feeling under the weather. I think it's the new medicine I am for my jaw. It's a muscle relaxer, but it's making me feel kind of weird!! Anyways, I have a call into my Dr hoping that I can get my medication switched.

Kory and I went and saw the band Evanescence last saturday. It was a great show. We were at The Rave in Milwaukee. It was a neat show. The lead singer, Amy Lee, is AMAZING! I think I might dress up as her for Halloween...I know that is weird, but she's Kory's 'IT' girl and thought what a cool way to show how how different I can be!! She's kind of goth, but yet she's still very pretty. I'm hoping my sister can help with my make-up and stuff! She's so good!!

Work has been super duper busy!! I am working lots of hours, and so is Kory. Seems like we keep missing each other.

I don't really have any fun pics to post...so here's a pic of Amy Lee that I've found...we'll see how close I can get to looking like this VERY HOT WOMAN!! HA HA

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. I got lots of relaxation time in which was much needed! Friday night I started my dog sitting duties taking care of Casey's dog, Winnie for the weekend. I also went over to Beth's to meet her new dog, Elroy...or is it Nacho? Well they haven't decided on the official name yet. He's a Puggle...pug and beagle...he's so darn cute!! Went to bed early friday. Then saturday, got up and let Winnie out, then headed off to work for a few hours. It's amazing how much more I get done at work when nobody else is there!! Then I came home and pulled out all my old flowers and put out two big pots of rust colored mums. They are georgous!! I figured they were needed for our Halloween party! Then Saturday night we went out for Matt Reel's b-day. That was fun. We didn't stay really late, but had a nice time. Today, I did payroll, worked on Vosberg's books for a few hours, did laundry and watched the race. I taped the Bears and I'm watching it now!! GO BEARS!

I got this new picture of Mikaiya, so I thought I'd post it:

I survived my 10-year high school reunion this weekend. This is a picture of Kory and I that mom took before we headed out for the big night. It was a fun time. There weren't too many people there, but a few that I hadn't talked to in ages. Here is a pic of some of the girls there. Sorry it's a little blurry, but it was a dark shot, so I brightened by myself :)

Picture left to right (using maiden names!!): Melissa Kinast, Andrea DuBeau, Kristy Dorsey, Rae Marotta, Katie Smith, Allison Dent, Jen Johnson, Cortney Schmitt, Sarah Babchak, and me!

Sorry I haven't written in so long again...not sure if anyone reads this anyways!! I have been super busy at work. It's been insane. Kory and I have been doing really well. He is busy with work as well and hasn't had much time to get stuff done around here. We keep passing each other when I'm on my way home from work and he's on his way to work! Luckily we have our weekends together. We really look forward to our Nascar Sundays!!!

Also-incase you haven't heard, my Chicago Bears are 3 - 0!! WAHOO!!!

Well...I am officially a godmother for the first time!! I just got back from Texas yesterday. We had a great time visiting with Cori and Jeff. Mikaiya is getting so darn big!! Thanks for letting me be such a special part of her life.

I am apologizing now for having not written in so incredibly long. Life has been busy this summer. The last time I wrote was just an adorable pic of Morgan--isn't she so cute? Well let's see...where to start...Scott (Morgan's Daddy) is graduating from the police academy today and we couldn't be any prouder of him. I can't believe he is now officially a police officer. Way to go Scotty Boy!!! Or shall we say Captain??

Last weekend was Sarah's bridal shower in IL. It was a fun time had by all. I can't believe the wedding is just a month from today!

This saturday is Allison's baby shower. She is officially 6 weeks from due date and counting. I can't wait to see everyone at the shower. Then next Saturday is Kelly's baby shower...there are baby's everywhere! It's fun though.

On a sadder note, my friend Dawn's mom passed away a few weeks ago. Casey and I were able to get off work and head down to the funeral. It was so hard. I have not been to many funerals, thankfully. I have been quite lucky in my life. She died of gliablastoma which is a fast spreading form of brain cancer. The illness started in March, she was diagnosed in June and died in July. It all just happened so incredibly fast. I know Dawn and Aamer are staying strong and just wanted to say you are in my thoughts and prayers guys! And I can't wait to see the new puppy, Lola!!!

Lets see...what else to write...OH, Kory and I went and saw Sugarland in Eau Claire and got meet and greet passes. That was super fun!!

Last Saturday after Sarah's shower, we met up with a bunch of friends for dinner at Laredo's. It was Casey, Amy, Beth, Paul, Matt, Brenda, the 2 air force boys (Dave and Jeff), Sarah, and Kory. It was really fun. After a few margaritas and dinner we headed off to Pooleys for a few beers, then on to Waunafest. It was hot and they only served Miller Lite, so we didn't stay there too long. It was about 1am or so when Kory and I headed home.

Nothing too exciting to write though. Casey and I are going shopping tomorrow after work. I have to head to the west side to get my dress altered for Sarah's wedding, so figured as long as I was already over there I'd go shopping for a dress for Mikaiya's baptism which is Aug. 19th--yep, back to Texas in the middle of August. But the little peanut is SOOO worth it!

Okay, back to to doing what I really should be doing which is Kacey and Tony's books. I promised myself I would get deposits done tonight. I need to work for my shopping money.

Hopefully I will write again soon.

Cutest baby ever! I got this picture from my friend Alison. This is her baby girl, Morgan. Is she not the cutest? This is her first time at the beach.

I think this is needed now. I found this quote in a book I read. It made me think of my friend Lisa who is going through some difficult times with work right now--well I shouldn't say difficult times--but a possible difficult decision. Then yesterday I get a call from one of my good friends and found out her mom was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I love you Dawn and Aamer. Please hang in there...

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls-family, health, friends integrity--are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls you will have the beginnings of balance in your life."

Guess who is coming to see you tomorrow??? Your Auntie Teresa!!! Can't wait to see you Mikaiya!!!

I was so happy to see Sugarland win at the CMA's last night!!! YEAH!! Is Jennifer pregnant? I've heard rumors! Maybe it happened while we were all in Punta Cana!! HA HA

I also was really happy to see Sara Evans finally win Female Vocalist of the Year. She is one of my favorites and has deserved this award for a very long time!!

Congrats!!

Weekend PAR-TAY!!!
Well this Saturday is our official kick-off to summer party. I will post some pictures next week. I have been busy this week with getting the house and yard ready to go. Looks like we have about 30 people coming on Saturday, so it should be a great time. Weather is supposed to be georgous!!

Tonight my neighbor Kathy and I are going to plant our flowers together. I hope they come out nice! I went to the nursery yesterday and got lots of pretty flowers and pots to plant them in. I only spent $100 and that includes 4 pots and 2 hanging pots that I plan to re-use each year. I think I might go get one more hanging pot for the third hook in the back, but we'll see!!!

Casey is officially moved into her apartment here in Madison. She started her new job yesterday at CUNA. She said it involved mostly meetings, but hopefully today she will get to see a bit more of the facility! Sounds like the place is huge!!

I don't have too much else exciting to write about. The Country Music Awards are on tonight, so I hope I can be done planting before those start. Then tomorrow I have to watch the finale of American Idol. I like both Taylor and Catherine, so it really doesn't matter to me which one wins! They are both great.

Okay...I should get to work. Will write more next week after the long weekend.

Well I have not blogged in a while, no excuses other than it's just been busy around here. The last blog I did was about Lisa's birthday. We went out that Friday night and had a fabulous evening!! Her husband had a whole spa day planned for her as a surprise and he pulled it off! It was awesome. Then we all met for dinner and drinks. Had a great time.

Let's see...last weekend we took 1/2 day off thursday and all day off friday and had what is known as our 'concert weekend'!! Me, Kacey (my sis in law) and Beth (a friend from work) drove down to Casey's (my sister) place and picked up her and her friend Amy and we headed down to Moline, IL to see Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley and Sugarland. We had an awesome time. Then we spent the night at a hotel in Moline--Kacey got shot at, and then we came home Friday morning extremely hung over!! It was a LONG DRIVE!!

Here we are in Moline after the show:

Then Friday night the five of us, along with Kelly Doyle, drove down to Chicago to see Keith Anderson at Joe's Bar.

Here we are at Joe's Bar:

Now...for those of you who have never seen Keith Anderson--here he is---

Now you can see why we went to go see him...HOLY SMOKES HE'S HOT!!! It was a great show. We also got to see Rodney Atkins who is an up and comer and he isn't so bad looking himself. Well anyways, after the show we drove back to Madison and got home at 4am!!! I am way too old to do that. It's now a week later and I am still recovering!!!

Happy 30th Birthday Lisa!!! Lisa's birthday is on Monday, April 24th. She is my first friend turning 30 and I am so excited to celebrate with her!!! Lisa and I met about 3 years ago where we work. She has been an amazing influence on my life. We've been through so much together in only 3 years and I hope that our friendship continues to grow for many years. She is not only a great friend, but an amazing mom and wife. She has a 5 year old son, Calvin and a wonderful husband, Josh. We used to live right down the street from her, but about a year or so ago she moved VERY far away...okay....so not VERY far away, but about an hour from where I live. We still work together and our cubies are actually right next to each other so we can talk right through the wall. I'm sure all the people around us LOVE when we start chatting :)

Anyways, Lisa--You are a such a special person to me. You have taught me that life doesn't always make things easy for you, but that if you are determined enough--you will prevail. You have come from so little and have become a woman of so much. You have a wonderful heart and I love you so much!! Thanks for being my friend and letting me be a part of your life. I can't wait to party with you on Friday!!! YEAH TO BEING 30!!!!!

Happy Easter!!!
Just wanted to write and wish everyone a Happy Easter!!! Hope you all are having a great week. Mine has been pretty busy so far. Had a great weekend this past weekend. Took my mom-in-law to a play that I got free tickets too. It was super fun and nice to spend some quality time with her. Then Saturday I worked out (YEAH FOR ME!!!) and then helped Kory on the semi. It was beautiful outside. Then Saturday night Casey and Amy came up and we went out with a big group of people to a new mexican restaurant in Madison called Frida's. It was tasty and the service was excellent!! Then we went to a bar and partied it up. Sunday we got up a little hung-over, but Kory and I had a nice day just bumming around and watching the race. Glad to see Kahne win again! He's so darn cute!!

Well off to get some work done here. Talk to ya'll soon!!

A New Baby!!

I officially have my first niece!! She arrived about 4 weeks early on April 2, 2006 at 6:08pm. Her name is Mikaiya Grace and she was 6lbs 7oz and 20 inches long. I am so happy for Cori and Jeff! What a beautiful little girl!!! Welcome to the world Mikaiya!!!

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine, but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim,
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And ! distance between us grow s and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
Remember to always say what you mean.
If you love someone, tell them.
Don't be afraid to express yourself.
Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.
Because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late.
Seize the day.
Never have regrets.
And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family,
for they have helped make you the person that you are today.

Thought this was a great poem to blog today. I received it via e-mail from one of my bestest friends in the whole world. Her name is Tina and she lives far away in Phoenix, AZ. It's fitting I received it today, because this weekend two of my friends were hit by a drunk driver. Thankfully they both survived as did their baby who is still growing in my friend's belly. So I just wanted all my friends and family to know how much I love them.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Well today is a great holiday. I love St. Pattie's Day. I'm not sure why, but I think it's fun. I have my green on today to celebrate.

So my previous post was about my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and their issues with identity theft, well they were on the news again last night...just so happens Channel 27 called the Transunion Credit place that was giving them a hard time and WAHLA!!! Magically their credit report will be returned to normal by the end of the week!! Can you believe it? She's been working on this CRAP for 8 months and now in two days it's all magically fixed. I mean thank GOD that it is fixed, but I think she's finding this a bit frustrating. Channel 27 even called Kacey and Tony and couldn't believe it themselves. They totally understood their frustrations.

The trial for the idiot that did this to them is next Friday (March 31st) in Appleton. Kory wants to go with them, so we'll see. Not my idea of a good time, but I know Kacey and Tony want to read a statement they've put together on how this has negatively affected their young lives.

Any whoo...nothing too exciting to post today. I worked from home yesterday and got so much done. It was amazing! I love working in my jammies!!

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law were on the local news last night for their ordeal with identity theft. Check out the story here: Check this out: http://www.wkowtv.com/index.php/news/story/p/pkid/23508

It's so frustrating for them that they can't get help to get this crap off their credit report. They found the guy that stole their credit, but the companies still won't remove things he bought. So frustrating!!

I have not blogged in a while. Life is good right now. I was away travelling for work last week. It was fun, and we got a ton accomplished. We're supposed to get dumped on with snow again tomorrow, I am so ready for spring to get here. Last Saturday was like in the 50's and it was so beautiful. I got to take my dog, Otis out for a walk. He was in heaven!!

I took this personality test. What do you think?? Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion 63% Stability 56% Orderliness 73% Accommodation 50% Interdependence 76% Intellectual 16% Mystical 16% Artistic 10% Religious 30% Hedonism 70% Materialism 63% Narcissism 36% Adventurousness 23% Work ethic 50% Self absorbed 43% Conflict seeking 43% Need to dominate 30% Romantic 56% Avoidant 23% Anti-authority 23% Wealth 36% Dependency 36% Change averse 63% Cautiousness 43% Individuality 10% Sexuality 43% Peter pan complex 10% Physical security 83% Physical Fitness 30% Histrionic 16% Paranoia 30% Vanity 36% Hypersensitivity 70% Female cliche 63%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Stability results were moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.
Orderliness results were high which suggests you are overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense too often of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

trait snapshot:
clean, self revealing, open, organized, outgoing, social, enjoys leadership and managing others, dominant, makes friends easily, does not like to be alone, assertive, hard working, finisher, optimistic, positive, likes to stand out, likes large parties, respects authority, practical, high self esteem, perfectionist, dislikes chaos, busy, not familiar with the dark side of life, controlling, high self control, traditional, tough, likes to fit in, conforming, brutally honest, takes precautions

Looks like we have a winter blizzard headed our way tonight and tomorrow! Stay warm!!

Well I am back from my trip to Punta Cana. We had a wonderful time. We traveled with the Madison Q106 radio station. They were absolutely wonderful people. I listen to them all the time on the radio, but never had a chance to meet them. We also traveled with some great fellow Madison-ites. It was a blast. The country band Sugarland was there the entire week along with new solo artist Keith Anderson. They hung out with everyone the entire week and were just so great. They just seemed like such normal people!! HA HA

We did end up with some sore tummies. That was no fun. Seemed like the food or something made us sick the entire week. Unfortunatly, my sister got it the worst, and didn't seem to hit until we landed back in the states. She is still not feeling well.

The resort was beautiful the ocean was beautiful! It was amazing!! We went on an Outback Safari where we got to see how the locals live. They let us tour a home and farm. It was awesome. Other than that, we just bummed around the resort and got some R&R.

Well it's almost official! I fly out tonight for my work travels, then back in Friday night. Then off Saturday morning for Punta Cana. I can't wait! Man do I need a vacation!! It's been a long couple of weeks and I am exhausted. Just one more day of focusing for work, then on to the beach to relax and read some really good books.

Happy Monday!! I had a great weekend, spend Friday night at home enjoying all the snow. Spent Saturday working out (YEAH!!!), hanging with my hubby and going out to dinner. Spent Sunday with my hubby's mom and step-dad for lunch, then worked on my in-law's business books ALL DAY!! It was insane. Kory and I actually watched TWO movies this weekend....for those of you that know us, you know that we NEVER watch movies. We saw the 40-year old Virgin on Saturday and Catch Me If You Can on Sunday. They were both pretty darn good.

I leave on Saturday for a week long vacation in the Dominican Republic. We are staying at the Ocean Blue Beach and Golf Resort. We are travelling with the Madison radio station Q106 and Sugarland!!!

It's been too long since my last blog! Work and life in general have been really busy. I just got back from my first lunch date in ages! That's when I know I've been working too hard. Thanks for meeting me Lisa!!

We recently went to our Annual WI Dells weekend trip and had a blast. I got a massage at the wonderful Sundara spa. Had a great time. We stayed at a condo at the Wilderness Hotel and Resort--they have an awesome waterpark there as well. We had a great showing of about 30 people. It was awesome. We did our usual gift exchange. I stole from one girl and got a pink WI t-shirt and some cape cod drink mix. Kory got his original gift stolen, but still got a good one! He ended up with this mini Coors Light keg of beer, and some pornos. He was pretty excited about that.

I found out that week that one of my bestest friends from high school, Rae, is expecting a child. Not only that, but they are moving back to the midwest from NY! I am so excited. They'll still be about 2 1/2 hours away, but that's nothing compared to the distance from WI to NY. They are do mid-July and I'm so darn excited about it!!!