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!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy new year! Last day of work before the new year begins. Looking forward to having a 3 day weekend. My plans are low-key for once, and I'm darn excited about it.

I called today for dinner reservations for New Year's Eve and my options were 4:30pm or before/9:30pm or after....so we're going to eat with the old folks at 4:30pm!! HA HA Should be a grand old time. Then we're planning on going to a friend's house that have two baby girls (2 years and 3 months old) to hang out and spend some quality time with them.

My other plans for the weekend involve finishing my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's business books through December, and Starting/Completing the baby shower invitations for my sister's baby shower on Feb. 11th. Should be a productive weekend.

Happy Holidays!!
Well today is my last day of work until Wednesday, December 28th!! YIPPEE!! I am very thankful this year that all my friends and family have their health. It has been a rough year with some illnesses, and I'm happy to say that most everyone is doing well. Aamer and Dawn are in our prayers because Aamer recently found out he has sinus cancer. He will be having surgery in January. We are thinking about you Aamer!!

It's tough to concentrate at work today because it's the last day before the holiday weekend. Many people are at home or travelling to visit family already. I decided I might as well work since we are heading out until tomorrow anyways. It's one of those lazy days where nobody really gets anything done.

I am going out tonight with one of my bestest friends who is home from Arizona for the holidays! I can't wait. We are meeting up with a few other girls from college and going to dinner, then out for drinks. Wish I wasn't the DD tonight, but it's probably good that I am considering Saturday is Christmas Eve. It's no fun to be hung-over on Christmas!! HA HA

Well Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

5 Days until Christmas!!
Today started out a little rough, but has gotten better. I woke up this morning feeling just fine, and I bent over to put my belt through the loops and my neck kinked...yep...my neck is stuck. So I thought as the day went on it would loosen up, but it hasn't. I have finally decided to go to the chiropractor this afternoon. I am a little nervous, but I hope they can fix it!!

My good friend, Lisa, invited me out to lunch today! I am so thankful for that. She is a great friend and I won't be seeing her again before the holidays so that was just wonderful. We went to our favorite place...Laredo's Mexican Grill! It was tasty.

Try this out:

AMAZINGLY ACCURATE
Whatever you do, don't cheat!

CHINESE HOROSCOPE : THE YEAR OF THE IRON DRAGON, WISHING YOU PROSPERITY AND GOOD FORTUNE IN THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS - DO NOT CHEAT OR IT WON'T WORK AND YOU WILL WISH YOU HADN`T.

TAKE 3 MINUTES TRY THIS - IT WILL FREAK YOU OUT.


DO NOT READ AHEAD, JUST DO IT.

IT TAKES ABOUT 3 MINUTES - WORTH A TRY

1st. Get PEN and PAPER
2nd. WHEN CHOOSING NAMES, MAKE SURE THEY ARE REAL PEOPLE THAT YOU ACTUALLY KNOW
3rd. GO WITH YOUR FIRST INSTINCTS !!!!! Very important for good results.
4th. SCROLL DOWN
ONE LINE AT THE TIMEDON`T READ AHEAD otherwise YOU WILL RUIN THE FUN.

1. On a blank sheet of paper, WRITE NUMBERS 1 through 11 in a COLUMN on the LEFT.
2. BESIDE the NUMBERS 1 & 2,
WRITE DOWN ANY 2 NUMBERS YOU WANT.DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE NUMBER?

3. BESIDE the NUMBERS 3 & 7,
WRITE DOWN THE NAMES OF TWO MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX.
CAUTION: DO NOT LOOK AHEAD or IT WILL NOT TURN OUT RIGHT

4. WRITE ANYONES NAME
(like FRIENDS or FAMILY...)
next to 4, 5, & 6.

5. WRITE down FOUR SONG TITLES in 8, 9, 10, & 11

6. Finally,
MAKE A WISH



1. THE NUMBER of PEOPLE YOU MUST TELL ABOUT THIS GAME is found in
SPACE 2

2. THE PERSON IN SPACE
3 IS THE ONE YOU LOVE

3. THE PERSON YOU LIKE but your relationship CANNOT WORK is in
SPACE 7

4. YOU CARE MOST about the PERSON you put in
SPACE 4

5. THE PERSON YOU NAME IN NUMBER 5 IS THE ONE WHO
KNOWS YOU VERY WELL.

6. THE PERSON YOU NAMED IN 6 IS THE YOUR
LUCKY STAR

7. THE SONG IN 8 IS THE SONG THAT MATCHES WITH THE
PERSON IN NUMBER 3

8. THE TITLE IN 9 IS THE SONG FOR THE
PERSON IN 7

9. THE 10TH SPACE IS THE SONG THAT TELLS YOU MOST ABOUT
YOUR MIND

10. AND 11 IS THE SONG TELLING HOW YOU
FEEL ABOUT LIFE

11. NUMBER 1 IS YOUR
LUCKY NUMBER


Isn't it funny how that works out? Mine was hysterical!!
1. 7
2. 10
3. Kory (my husband)
4. Lisa (my good friend)
5. Kacey (my sister-in-law and good friend)
6. Alison (my best friend)
7. Andy (my neighbor)
8. The Dance
9. Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off
10. Drunker than Me
11. Baby Girl

So I love Kory, the person I like but our relationship cannot work is my neighbor Andy!! HA HA
The person I most care about is Lisa :), Kacey knows me VERY well, and Alison is my lucky star.
The song The Dance matches with Kory. The song Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall off matches with Andy--which is too funny because I usually do lose some article of clothing when we are partying together. Great! The song Drunker than Me tells me about my mind, and the song Baby Girl tells me how I feel about life!!!!

ENJOY!

Today has been a good day so far. I've been pretty busy at work. Hoping to get my last bit of Christmas shopping done tonight. I also have a few more cards to finish stamping and get those sent out. Usually I am way ahead of the game when it comes to Christmas, but for some reason this year, I just can get anything done.

Tomorrow Kory and I are hopefully going 4-wheeling out on our friend's farm. Should be fun. He bought me a 'new' used 4-wheeler last night, so now we just need to sell my old one. I'm excited to ride it. No more shifting! Don't we love automatics!!

I am thankful today that it's FRIDAY!! I am happy that the weekend is finally here. I've had this nasty cold all week, so I'm hoping it goes away before the holidays get here.

Today I am thankful for my husband!! We got into a huge fight last weekend and finally sat down and talked Monday night. It was a well-needed talk and things went really well. We decided that we need to work harder at our relationship. We both work long hours, on opposite shifts, and can go days without really seeing each other. It can be difficult, but we're so used to it, that sometimes we forget that we do need to make time for each other.

Other than that, I have been miserably sick for the last 2 days. I went to Urgent Care today to make sure it wasn't strep, and it isn't...thankfully. Just a virus, so I hope it clears up before the holidays.

I can't wait to see all my family and friends that are coming home for the holidays. Tina is flying in on Monday the 19th, Alison is coming home on the 21st...of course I won't get to see her until the 26th, but I'll be glad to hear they got home safely.