Great post to follow "Married Life is Great!" right?! Well, he doesn't really tick me off, he just frustrates me a little bit. I'm sitting at my kitchen counter, overseeing he and our friend, Chris, doing some electrical work to prepare for the new range that we're putting in (yes, this spoiled brat got a gas stove/oven for christmas/her birthday!). I tell him to be careful and just a moment later (as he's reaching behind an outlet with a needle-nose pleiers [sp?]) he starts shaking and screaming, "aaah! aah! aaahhh!"

Then comes the laughter as he looks at the shock and freak-out factor on my face. Then comes the punch from me when I realize it was a joke.

My husband is a butthead!!! :)

You know when it's coming - you can feel it building under your skin even before it shows it's ugly face. You've been stressed out, had a little too much on your plate, and now you know that you're REALLY going to have something awful to show for it. Then it happens - the zit of the century pops out on your face and it seems like there's nothing you can do to get rid of it.

You? Oh no, wait, that's right - this is happening to ME! Ugh. 10 days before my wedding, I have a monsterous zit on the side of my nose - bulging over my eye (and making my nose appear to be twice its normal size!) and I can't seem to get rid of it!

Whatever is a woman to do?!!!

:)

I hereby tag all of you to do this ...

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse - in the closet.

2.Where is your significant other? On his way to work.

3. Your hair color? I wish it was still brown, but it always fades back to blonde :(

4. Your mother? Completely amazing!

5. Your father? There when I need him.

6. Your favorite thing? Spending time with my Monte!

7. Your dream last night? No dreams - just a hard sleep after a full day of shopping with my sister, Tanya.

8. Your dream/goal? To raise my kids in the path of God.

9. The room you're in? The kitchen.

10. Your hobby? Right now it would have to be doing laundry, changing diapers and cleaning the house!

11. Your fear? Losing people I love.

12. Where do you want to be in six years? Here with Monte and the kids - with some more kids too - loving life, serving God, working hard, reaching people and touching lives.

13. Where were you last night? At the Mall of America with Tanya.

14. What you’re not? Awake .. I could really use a nap!

15. One of your wish list items? An office (we're working on this one after the wedding!).

16. Where you grew up? Perham, MN

17. The last thing you did? Watched the boys eat breakfast.

18. What are you wearing? Pajamas - and I just might wear them all day long!

19. Your TV? In the armoire.

20. Your pet? Just an iguana and a bunch of fish, none of which belong to me!

21. Your computer? A Dell Latitude.

22. Your mood? Soooooo tired!

23. Missing someone? My Monte - we've been so busy with wedding stuff that we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together lately.

24. Your car? A 2003 Chevy Tahoe .. or when we have the car, a 2008 Pontiac G6 (Monte usually drives the car).

25. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes.

26. Favorite store? It's a tie between Maurices and Express (depending on what I'm shopping for).

27. Your summer? Was absolutely wonderful!

28. Love someone? My God. My Monte. My step-kids. My family. My friends.

29. Your favorite color? A really passionate shade of RED!

30. When is the last time you laughed? Last night after dinner with Tanya .. she was getting all giggly and slap-happy :)

31. Last time you cried? A few days ago - I finally let loose on the emotional breakdown that had been building.

So, as a treat to myself, I have began a ritual of daily taking a little bit of "Me Time" when Colin is down for his nap. During this time, I am allowed to do NO work (this was at the request of my wonderful Monte!), but I am allowed to relax and use the time to do whatever my heart desires. Today, I want to blog. So here I sit at my kitchen counter, staring at the insane MESS around me! Somehow, after my trip to the grocery store this morning, I made the command decision to clean out some of the cupboards in the kitchen. WHAT A PROJECT!! And now I'm sitting here, eating peanut m&ms and drinking a diet coke, just watching this mess stare me right in the face ... and it's driving me crazy! I just might have to break the 'me time' rules today, cause this project is one that needs to be tackled again soon!

I'm happy to say that I believe wedding planning is almost complete! My sister, Tanya, and I are off to another full day of wedding shopping and meeting with vendors tomorrow .. and I'm really hoping for a majority of things to be taken care of in that day. I still can't believe that I'm getting married to the most wonderful man I've ever known ... and that the wedding is just a mere 18 days away! Holy moly!

It must be said, though, that the only thing about wedding planning that truly irritates me is the lack of RSVPs we've received! At this point, I want to call people and say "I don't care if you're coming or not, just send the stupid card so I can let the caterer know!" Bad attitude? I think so. However, it has totally changed my perspective on the importance of this. I'm even thankful to the people who have called or emailed to let me know whether or not they are able to make it! If there's one thing I can guarantee, it's that I will return every single RSVP I ever receive from here on out - cause oh my goodness it's annoying to not get them back!!! :)

And that's all the "Me Time" I'm taking for today. Tune in next time ...

<3

Here I sit, 19 days away from my WEDDING DAY, and all I can think about is how the last seven weeks have flown by. I remember the day that Monte and I decided to move the wedding date up, and when wedding preparations began. I have gone from that phase of having nothing figured out, to almost being completely set and ready to go (thanks to a LOT of help from my sister, Tanya). I am so completely excited to be married to such an amazing man - and I can't imagine what life would be like without him or his four awesome kids. I think it's almost beyond belief that, in the course of a year, I went from being a single woman living with her brother and his family, barely making ends meet (or not making them meet sometimes!), just wanting to be married and life to move forward .. just wanting love; to go from that to being married with four step-children in the course of a YEAR ... holy moly! I am so thankful to God for all He has blessed me with, and I pray that I will never take these awesome blessings for granted. I pray for patience every single day, for order to my chaotic home, for love that surpasses anything, for joy and laughter and a great home for our kids to grow up in.

Life is amazing and I'm so blessed for where my life has come!

I can't really show you a picture or tell you anything about it being the fact that my Monte has access to my blog as well ... but I HAVE A DRESS!! :) I'm so excited - it's so elegant and gorgeous! I picked out my bridesmaid dresses as well and will have the last of those ordered by this weekend (Michelle, this is the reason you need to call me ASAP!). It's going to be completely amazing! :)

I'm excited ... :)

Things seem to be coming together wonderfully for the wedding, and I'm really excited about it! We've got our church (Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Excelsior), the reception site (BayView Event Center in Excelsior), looking into DJs, dress shopping with my sister tonight ... it all seems to be falling into place! I am really beginning to enjoy planning for this, and have yet to feel stressed out over the wedding planning. I will admit that, when we decided to move the date up to December 6th, I was a little nervous, as we were leaving ourselves with only ten weeks to plan - but God has been so faithful to open doors for us and to provide venues and details -- and to do it in a hurry! I must say, however, that I'm incredibly excited to start dress shopping tonight ...... Tanya - let's get going! :)

On top of that, I'm thrilled that my best Michelle will be able to make it back home for the wedding! Monte and I were blessed that almost everybody that we wanted in the wedding party will be able to be a part of it with us - with the exception of one very dear friend who is unable to commit to being in the bridal party due to the fact that she lives in Nashville - and I hardly gave any notice when we moved the wedding up. She's still attempting to be able to attend the wedding, and that's what really matters anyway!

Running alongside the wedding details, life has been just wonderful! I'm having word freeze right now, so this is going to be the end. Love to you all!

You read correctly! My wonderful Monte proposed to me last night! He took me to a wonderful dinner at Kincaid's restaurant, then proceeded to tell me how much he wants to spend the rest of his life with me, how he and the kids love me, how we're perfect together ... then he asked me if I would marry him. I was in shock - he even had to tell me that he was being serious - and he waited until I said YES to pull out the ring! Oh my!!! :)

I just had to share that wonderful news!

Per Michelle's request, here you have it! In the month of August I have:
-Gone to camp with WyldLife (the youth group I work with)
-Become insanely ill and can't seem to shake it (going on two weeks now)
-Met some of Monte's extended family
-Finally got to see my family
-Had Jeremy and Missy (my brother and his wife) and their kids out to the house for dinner
-Tory was there too
-I realized how much I miss my family
-I've kicked butt on the insurance project I'm working on at work
-I've realized that I'm entering step-motherhood to a pre-teen girl, and have started preparing myself for this :0
-Missed writing and blogging and reading and relaxing, but know that, for now, there are too few hours in the day
-Missed you! :)

I love that today is Friday! I'm working only a half day today, then I'm meeting my mom and my sister at my townhouse and we're going to go crazy - shopping and decorating and deciding on paint colors. Eventually, it will be a warm, cozy place to be. Now it's just a cozy place to be with WHITE WALLS EVERYWHERE! So they're helping me to remedy that problem. Don't get me wrong, I can likely do it myself, but why would I choose to do that when I have two immediate relatives who have degrees in interior redesign?!?! :) So that is my tonight.

Tomorrow is the best, though .. I get to take my niece and nephew, Lexie and Zachary, for the day and I am sooooo excited! It has been really weird coming home to an empty house, as opposed to when I used to live with them and came home to them eating dinner. The second I would walk through the door they would both yell, "Auntie Kami!!" and come give hugs and kisses, as if I hadn't just seen them that morning! It's a routine that I miss to no end, so I am thoroughly excited that I get to see them!

Sunday is church, likely followed by some time with Monte and the kids. I love that my Sundays aren't planned out (beyond church) and I can figure out what I'm going to do when the time comes. All I really know is that my weekend is going to be great and I am really looking forward to it!

This coming Thursday (the 24th) is Monte's birthday, so I'm headed out there for the celebration with the family. I'm going to leave work a couple of hours early so that I can get out there and bake his birthday cake with Claire. She loves to bake, and I love that baking is something we can share because we have such a great time when we do! We're also in charge of dinner that night, as I just couldn't make Monte prepare his own birthday dinner. That being said, his request was steak on the grill - uh oh! I can't grill worth anything, so I realized I was stuck - until Monte came up with the fabulous idea of inviting his parents over for the celebration and asking his dad to grill the steaks. Fabulous! Not only do I not have to worry about me being the one to ruin dinner (hehe!), but now I get to meet his parents as well, and I am totally looking forward to it. It's going to be a great evening, with dinner, cake, presents and lots of time with the family. I love birthdays - this one is going to be great!

Soooo .... what's new with all of you?!

I've been thinking a lot lately about some cherished memories I have in my life, and realizing the significance of each of those events in shaping me for the future. One such memory is my youth group's many missions trips to downtown Chicago. On one particular trip, we spent our free day at Six Flags. I remember sitting at the top of the Giant Drop (much like the Power Tower at Valleyfair), just waiting to plummet to the Earth, and singing out (along with my friends, Michelle and Marie), "Be bold! Be strong! For the Lord thy God is with you. I am not afraid, NO NO NO! I am not dismayed, uh uh. I'm walkin' in faith and victory, come on and walk in faith and victory, for the Lord thy God is with you!" And with that, the ride would fall to the ground and we would scream every second of the fall!

It's moments like that that make me realize just how much my family shaped and impacted my faith, how much of a huge role my youth group played in solidifying my beliefs, and how much the role of my close friends played in my life. Had it not been a 'normal' thing to be a Christian in my group of friends, it likely would have been something that I would have ignored or walked away from, for fear of being rejected. Instead, I was blessed with some phenomenal Christian girlfriends, a great mother who continually reminded me of God's love for me and of how much I can and should have faith in Him and His promises for my life, and a church youth group that provided the fellowship I needed and the lessons and instruction I craved to grow as a Christian.

I look back and I see how much I was fed in my Christian walk, and I am so grateful for it. My knowledge of the Bible started from the time I was a young child learning memory verses in Sunday school ... and it continues to today, when I am spending time in the Word, growing closer to my Savior every single day.

God is so wonderful and He has blessed me so much in my life! Thank you so much to all of you who have been a part of that blessing - you are loved more than you will ever know!

Well, I can finally say that most of my transitions are over! What an amazing feeling that is! Now it's just a matter of bringing more order and organization to my life, but that will come in time. Where to begin? How about I back up to last month. One of the best blessings I had last month was to get to see my best friend, Michelle! Monte and I drove to Forest City, Iowa and met up with her and Ethan (her husband) for a day of food and mini golf (a typical combination for Michelle and me!), and it was so wonderful! She's in her last month of pregnancy, so it was fun to see her with that big belly (because pictures truthfully do not do justice!). Unfortunately, our time together felt all too short, but was still completely worth every moment of the drive there!

Shortly after our mini-trip to Iowa, I got to go to Colorado for five days of relaxation! We spent most of the trip in Breckenridge, and about two days in Vail. We hiked, shopped, (the girls) had a spa day, went white water rafting, ate at LOTS of amazing restaurants, and just enjoyed the feeling of being a tourist in a new city! It was a trip that I can't wait to repeat, and one that I will hold in my heart for a LONG time!

Right after our return from Colorado is when the crazy really began! We got home on Thursday night, and the chaos started early Friday morning. Missy helped me pack up all of my stuff, and we hauled the first load of it to my storage locker in Plymouth. We met Monte and Claire for dinner at Benihana in Maple Grove (which was amazing, by the way!) and then back to Monticello to pack up the rest of my stuff. We got it all in the Tahoe, and I brought the load back to Plymouth where I met Monte and Chris. We unloaded at the townhome and took a few trips back and forth to the storage locker to get all of my furniture and belongings. What a busy night it was! I am so thankful that they were there to help me, though, as I'm not sure what I would've done without them! Afterward, we went to dinner at Bonfire and all headed out on our own separate ways. Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and drove to Jamestown, ND to my brother, Tory's, house. Spent the evening with he, Lisa (his wife) and Eli (my nephew) in preparation for Jack and Yvonne's (Lisa's parents') 30th Anniversary party. The party was great - Eli and I jetted out around 9:30pm and I brought him back to Tory's house and put him in bed. Sunday morning consisted of a quick trip to the High School (where Lisa works), an overly long visit to Babb's coffee shop, and then a drive back to the cities. I had to make stops at my sister's house and my brother's house to gather the rest of my things, but it worked out and I was back in Plymouth by about 5pm. Spent lots of time unpacking and am still completely unorganized and can't find most of my things! :)

I'm anticipating that, over the next couple of days, the townhome will become much more organized and comfortable for living. I'm excited to have it done and to have guests over! Will you be the next guest?! :)

That can't be a good thing! :)

Wow, where has the time gone since my last blog on May 13th?! Lots of transitions are still going on in my life, but I'm beginning to see the light at the end of this tunnel of insanity, and it's a very glorious light! The main thing on my plate right now is the move to Plymouth. I can't wait - but unfortunately I have to. The move-in date got pushed back yet again, so it's looking like the end of the month before we get in there. I think the difficulty with waiting is knowing that I'm ready to be there - and I just can't. I've got all the furniture for the dining room, living room and my bedroom (with the exception of purchasing a boxspring and mattress for my bed!) - and it's all sitting in my storage garage just waiting for a home. A home that I'm not allowed to move in to until ... who knows when?! :) I've come to the point where I have decided I can't be upset about it anymore - it's completely beyond my control, there is nothing I can do to change it, so I need to just be content in the situation being exactly what it is. But it still bites! :)

I just learned the most wonderful news ever - that my best friend, Michelle, and her husband, Ethan, are coming to Iowa for a week - and I'm going to do everything I can to get down there and visit them! For those who are uninformed, Michelle and Ethan moved to Arizona shortly after their wedding last summer (VERY shortly after!) and that results in my best friend and I communicating entirely via email, due to the lack of cell phone signal in the middle-of-nowhere Arizona. I miss her like crazy and can't wait for her to meet the wonderful man in my life (yes, indeed, I am talking about my Monte). I'm hoping with everything in me that a trip to see her will be easily arranged. Look out Iowa .. here we come! :)

I must admit, the thing that I am not looking forward to about this move is no longer being so close to my family. It's absolutely wonderful (most days!) to come home to my brother, his wife and their two adorable kids -- what am I going to do when I live in Plymouth and don't hear the, "AUNTIE KAMI!!!!" every time I walk through the door like I do now? *SiGh* Oh baby. Looks like Auntie Kami is going to have to grab the nieces and nephews and have a weekend slumber party at her new place. It will be great! I miss the babes already, and I'm not even moved out yet ...

Alright, this thing has taken me over an hour to write (thus why I don't blog at work!) so I'm out! Expect to hear more in the near future - but until then .........

Have a marvelous afternoon!

Life is insane, where do I even begin?! Reno was great! It ended up being long enough that it felt like a decent vacation, yet short enough that my homesick feeling didn't last long! I'm such a home body, it's ridiculous. We flew in on Thursday, May 1st and back out again on Sunday, May 4th. We spent some time touring Reno, ate at a Basque Restaurant, chilled at Norris and Angela's house, visited Lake Tahoe and drove up through the mountains on the Nevada/California border .... I cooked and baked for them .. life was good! To view the pictures go to: http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g313/kamiandie/Reno/ --- if it asks for a password, I think it's: anderson.

Since then (only a mere week later!) I have made some MAJOR transitions in life. I consolidated my debt, bought a new car (this one wasn't in the plans, but made a lot of sense in the end), and have made the decision to move - and it's all happening VERY quickly! I will be moving to Plymouth (just off of Hwy 55 and Vicksburg Ln) in the beginning of June. I will be living in a townhome with one of my best friends, Shawn (it must be noted that Shawn is a female!). The townhome has some renovating to be done, but we intend on living there during most of it. Shortly after we move in, I will be leaving for a week long vacation to Colorado with some of the best people in my life! I'm truthfully anticipating this vacation more than anything right now, because I need some time to sit back and be still. Rest has been something that has NOT been in my schedule as of lately, and I truthfully feel as if I am wearing myself thin. Thank God that the transitions will be ending right as this vacation arrives!

So ... if you don't hear from me in the next couple of weeks, please don't take offense! Just know that I am thinking about all of you and praying for all of you and can't wait until our next coffee date. Maybe Shawn and I will have to have a BBQ once everything settles down. We'll see ...

Until next time ... loves!

I've been harassed that I'm not updating enough, so here's my update for you all (by the way, for those of you who are complaining, buy me a computer and I'll update more!! ... just playin' just playin'). This past weekend was an absolutely insane adventure, as I was in Perham (my hometown) for my friend, Lindsey's, wedding. Normally being involved in a wedding is something I enjoy to no end, but this one brought about a few surprises including about 10 inches of snow! God must have an absolutely amazing sense of humor to allow that much snow in the end of April - I can't wait to meet Him and get His reasoning for that one! :) So Saturday morning I woke up to find a three-foot snowdrift surrounding my car, and that was just the start of the day! Other events included a bridesmaid stranded in the ditch, roads that were nearly impossible to drive on, the photographer and entire wedding party arriving late for pictures, a ceremony starting almost a half hour late, a bridesmaid (the one in the ditch) flaking out after the ceremony and going home ... just a nutty day! The reception and dance were wonderful, though, and the entire weekend came together in one beautiful wedding ceremony, a great reception and an insanely fun dance! Congrats to Lindsey and Mike - I'm so happy for you!

Amidst all the crazy of my life, I've decided it's time to take a vacation, so I'm flying out to Reno tomorrow morning to visit my lifelong friend, Angela. I'm only going to be out there a few days (Thursday through Sunday), but I'm anticipating it to be the vacation I've been dreaming of for awhile! I haven't seen Angela in almost a year (I believe the last time I saw her was at her brother's wedding last fall), and I am SO excited to see her! I'm just hoping that, being I'm flying in on Sunday and already have plans for Sunday late afternoon/evening, I will be able to not only function but function to full ability at work on Monday. Pray for me! :)

Beyond that, my schedule is already crazy for the month of May! I'm taking a weekend trip to Perham for Easter with my dad's extended family and to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, I'm taking a weekend trip to Jamestown, ND to spend time with my brother and his wife (and to babysit for them while they celebrate my sister-in-law's parent's 30th wedding anniversary) and am just crazy busy in between all of that traveling! YiKeS! Lord have mercy :)

That's me in a bit larger than a nutshell! So .... how are you?!

I have learned that you can't judge a person by their lifestyle - you don't know where they have been or what they have gone through to get them where they are today. I have learned that God really knew what He was talking about when He said "be still and know that I am God". I love to be still. I have learned that kisses really do make some of the pain go away. I have learned that my family will always be irreplaceable in my heart. I have learned that true love lets you be who you are 100% of the time. I have learned that sugar-coating my words hurts more in the end. I have learned that not everybody follows my schedule. Surprisingly enough, that one took awhile to learn! I have learned that laughter really is the best medicine and a hug between friends is priceless. I have learned that a phone conversation with mom is a treasure. I have learned that ice cream and chocolate truly are therapeutic. I have learned that going out of your way to help others is essential in life. I have learned the importance of knowing how to drop everything and be there. I have learned the joy of keeping a childlike spirit. I have learned the freedom that comes with dancing in the rain. I have learned that life goes by too quickly. I have learned to breathe in the moments. I have learned that children are always a blessing, whether coming to you with cheery hugs and kisses or a screaming temper tantrum. I have learned that my nieces and nephews know far more about true faith than I do. I have learned that I don't have all of the answers. I have learned the importance of trusting God. I have learned that it's okay to be scared once in awhile. I have learned the necessity of always telling people how much I love them. I have learned to live life passionately. I have learned to follow some of my spontaneous whims. I have learned to ignore the irresponsible ones! The best thing, however, is that I have learned that I still have so much to learn ....

Here I go - copying Katie's blog, sheerly because it was so enjoyable to read her 100 things! If you have a blog of your own, I hereby tag you to share your 100 with me! :) So, without further adieu, I bring you my 100 .........

1. I am incredibly random and off-the-wall.
2. 90% of the time I am an extreme extrovert.
3. My relationship with God is the number one priority in my life.
4. My family means the entire world to me and I don't know how I would function or survive without them.
5. I tend to hate and love the exact same thing a lot (i.e. I hate to work out, but I love to work out).
6. My heart's true desire is to be a wife and a mom. This will happen someday, of that I am certain.
7. Ice cream has the ability to make everything bad in my life go away for awhile!
8. I take my 4-year-old niece, Lexie, on a "girls day" date at least twice every month and always anticipate the arrival of our next date.
9. My 10 nieces and nephews are the joy of my life. I have never been so much in love with anyone or anything as I am with each and every one of them.
10. I absolutely hate having a messy house or room.
11. My bedroom is rarely ever clean.
12. I'm incredibly organized with my schedule and can't stand it when people have to cancel or change plans around.
13. I'm trying to learn to be more flexible!
14. I have a passion for working with youth.
15. I'm fairly high maintenance and won't leave the house unless I know I look presentable.
16. I love to grocery shop.
17. I hate all other kinds of shopping.
18. I'm extremely claustrophobic because my brother, Tory, put me in the dryer when we were kids and turned it on.
19. I love to cook.
20. I would rather crawl back in bed and call in sick to work than have to go there looking less than presentable.
21. I oversleep a LOT.
22. I skipped more class my senior year of high school than I attended.
23. I really enjoy a good cup of coffee.
24. I hate scary movies, but if I start to watch one I have to watch it to the end.
25. I love being in my car and truthfully do enjoy parking in a lot, opening the sunroof, reclining my seat and reading a book.
26. Deep down, I am a huge nerd.
27. I would rather play football with the guys than go shopping with the girls.
28. I'm allergic to all forms of fish and seafood.
29. I love to run.
30. I love chicken fries, but hate them because I always eat too many!
31. My 12-year-old niece knows more about today's music than I do.
32. My family tree branches out in so many different directions that I would have to draw it out for you to truthfully understand it ... and that's what I love the most about my family life!
33. My brother, Tory, and I used to play "boy band" on road trips.
34. I can stick my tongue up my nose.
35. I love cheesecake.
36. I manage a physical therapy clinic and fitness center - and I love it!
37. I meet a lot of professional athletes at work and rarely recognize any of them.
38. If I'm upset, it generally takes me about 30 minutes tops to get over it.
39. I'm incredibly blunt and honest.
40. I wear my heart and all of my emotions on my sleeve for the world to see.
41. I am completely incapable of hiding how I feel, and it's always obvious when I'm trying to do so!
42. I love the Minnesota Vikings.
43. My grandma taught me to drive when I was 10.
44. She denies that fact to this day!
45. More often than not, I feel like a 40-year-old living in a 24-year-old's body.
46. I would rather spend time talking with people my parent's age than people my own age.
47. I hate beer.
48. I think it's essential that someone invents a drive-thru fast food restaurant with truthfully healthy food.
49. In the last two years I have discovered that I have a weak stomach when it comes to medical things and pass out easily.
50. Somehow, the only time I override my weak stomach is when the medical emergency involves someone I love - then I take charge and am in complete control.
51. I tend to think logically far more than I think emotionally.
52. My dad gave me the nickname of "Goose" when I was really young.
53. He even had a theme song to go along with the nickname and he sang it to me every day when he drove me to school.
54. I love old films, especially those starring Audrey Hepburn.
55. I'm a sucker for acoustic music.
56. I have a hard time accepting unexpected gifts.
57. I am most comfortable in jeans, a cute shirt and flip flops.
58. I truthfully hate lounging in my pajamas all day.
59. I love to write and am currently working on my first book.
60. I mentor a teenage girl named Ashley whom I love with all of my heart!
61. God has recently blessed me with some amazing friends.
62. I love road trips.
63. It's not uncommon for me to make up my own words and use them frequently ... words like "relationshippy".
64. Most of the closest friends in my life live nowhere near me. I guess that's what happens when you grow up.
65. I love steak.
66. I enjoy vegging in front of the TV when old shows are on (i.e. Walker Texas Ranger, The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, etc).
67. My 12-year-old niece, Breanna, is almost taller than me. This I find irritating! :)
68. My purse is always equipped with a toy car and a plastic chicken.
69. My brother's opinions mean more to me than they will ever realize and it truly breaks my heart when they are upset with me.
70. I love going to the beach with a good friend and fresh fruit to snack on.
71. I enjoy playing cribbage.
72. I have learned to play poker several times ... and forgotten how to play poker several times!
73. The people in my neighborhood are some of my very favorite people to spend time with.
74. I truthfully never want to move out of my brother's house, but I SO want to move out of my brother's house!
75. Jesus is my best friend.
76. I enjoy playing sand volleyball.
77. I'm not artistic, though I really wish I was!
78. I love hosting parties and can't wait to have my own home to do so.
79. I really enjoy reading my Bible.
80. I very much dislike getting out of bed in the morning.
81. I hate blind dates and the pressure that comes with them, though I love meeting new people.
82. I almost always have a song in my head that I'm singing throughout the day.
83. It's not uncommon for me to dance around the clinic at work.
84. I truly do believe that I can do absolutely anything.
85. I hate that my sister's dogs never stop barking.
86. I love video games.
87. I have been pulled over by the police more times than I can recall, but have only received one ticket in my life (on my 17th birthday!).
88. I'm insanely high maintenance, but well aware of it, so I plan accordingly.
89. I love to laugh until my stomach hurts.
90. When my sister, Tanya, and I are together, we're insanely goofy and giggly and I just love it!
91. I want to make a huge difference in the world.
92. I love acting and miss being on stage SO much!
93. My favorite place to be is in my mom's backyard on a hot sunny day, laying in the hammock with a lemonade, a good book and a cool breeze blowing off the lake.
94. I'm 24-years-old and my brothers and I still wrestle.
95. My brothers are 27 and 32. We'll never grow up!
96. Benihana is my favorite restaurant EVER.
97. I have a huge list of goals that I want to accomplish by the end of 2008 and I plan on doing each and every one of them.
98. My two best girl friends are both expecting their first baby.
99. I love making snow angels.
100. I make the best chocolate chip oatmeal cookies EVER.

:) Tag, you're it!

Does anybody know where it is?! I'm not completely certain as to why I'm losing sleep, but my schedule is seeming to allow less and less of it, and it's starting to have it's effect on me more and more. Like this weekend, for instance. I absolutely guarantee my sleep will be little to none. I should be snoozing right now, as I'm waking up tomorrow at 6am. 6:00 on a Saturday morning?! Why would anybody choose to do that?! My neighbors, my sister-in-law and I are having a garage sale (yes, in the midst of this snowy, ridiculously cold weekend, we're going to sit outside and attempt to sell things) that opens at 7:00am. Missy (my sister-in-law) and I have much to set up in the morning, which means rise and shine at 6am. Ish. It's all good, though, I'm going to treat myself to a glorious 10 minutes in the tanning bed after sitting in the cold all morning long. Somehow I feel that it equals itself out. :)

Then I have plans to be with a friend on Saturday night, which means there's no chance that I will be in bed early, and no chance that I will want to leave so I CAN be in bed early ... which in turn means less and less sleep. Steve needs to go to the ridiculously early service at church on Sunday, and we all said that we'd go too ... though I'm thinking I may have to bail on that one, as the sleep needs to come SOMETIME.

When did it happen that, in order to LIVE and enjoy life, you all of a sudden became required to sacrifice sleep for that? Holy wow I am one tired chica. Then go to bed! Nope, still waiting on a phone call.

I'm a hopeless case! If you can catch some extra Zzzzz's for me, definitely do it -- someone needs to! :)

Loves!

I don't think that I could have asked for a better weekend than this one. I was completely on my own schedule, spent time with some of the most important people in my life and have had huge amounts of fun! Friday night was spent with the two cutest little kids in the world, which (for the uninformed) is my niece and nephew, Lexie (4) and Zack (2). My brother and his wife went out to celebrate her birthday, which meant the babies and I had the night to ourselves. Unfortunately, due to my huge amounts of missed sleep this past week, I was beat by the beginning of our night! We started the evening with chasing each other around the house, followed by a movie and lots of delicious popcorn (or "piecorn" as Zachary likes to call it!), and ended the evening with reading books, singing the "jammies" song, and tucking babies into bed. I even got a bonus, as Lexie wanted to cuddle - so we snuggled up together for awhile and talked about my friend that I had been on the phone with (she likes to know who the people are that I hang out with) and about our upcoming girls night (she and I are getting ice cream and going to the park this week, weather permitting). It wasn't long until she was asleep. Aaah yes, beautiful dreamin' babies!

Saturday was quite possibly the best part of the weekend. I woke up to a phone call from my step-Bob (my step dad), as he was in Monticello and was ready to get breakfast. This was definitely a change of plans, as we were supposed to have lunch together, but he said he was hungry and was ready to eat. At his request, I wasn't even allowed to shower -- he was THAT hungry! So I got my high maintenance, unshowered butt out of bed, dressed and made myself somewhat presentable, then got Lexie and went to pick up Bob. We had a great breakfast at Perkins and then I went with him back to the middle school where the special olympics basketball teams were competing (he drives bus for them). It was absolutely amazing to watch! After the game was over (I only watched one game), I scooted back to the house and finally got to shower and get ready for the day. Aaah satisfaction! Then I was on the road again, off to Maple Grove where I met a wonderful friend and spent the rest of the evening hanging out, laughing and having one of the best nights I've had in a long time! We went to the Sports Show at the Mpls Convention Center, followed by a VERY long walk in downtown Minneapolis, which was complete with great conversation and lots of laughs! Following our walk was dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe, then a bit more walking and the decision was made to go see a movie. We drove back to Maple Grove (as I was aware that they have a theater that only charges $3 for adults, and if you know me at all, you know I'm always up for saving money!) and killed some time at Caribou Coffee (as the movie wasn't going to start for another hour), then off to the movie. We watched "Juno". I'd rate it a B. It was an alright movie, not quite what I expected. Nonetheless, the company was great, which made the movie even better! After the movie, we decided it was time to be responsible adults and head home (as we had church to wake up for in the morning!). So I was dropped off at my car and we parted ways ... I think I lasted maybe 10 minutes before phoning him for company on my drive home. Does that make me a dork? If so, I'm more than content being that dork! :) I arrived home to find people sleeping on the floors of both living rooms (my sister-in-law's family stayed with us this weekend) so I snuck down to my room and tried so hard to sleep, but SOMEONE who was sleeping in the basement happens to snore louder than I've heard in a LONG time, so sleeping was a lost cause. Instead, I turned on a movie (I watched "Along Came Polly" for the second time in two days!) and hoped it would make me sleepy. It did .... eventually.

Today (Sunday) I woke up bright and early, battled for time in the bathroom, and then woke my brother up. Unfortunately for him, I was in an insanely goofy mood this morning, so when I went and jumped on his bed yelling, "JEREMY, It's time to get UPPPP! GOOD MORNING JEREMY!" and things of the sort, it was not well received. Thankfully, however, I left with no bruises, he was smiling, and I promised to start a cup of coffee for him! After getting ready, I jetted off to church, picking up my beloved Kristin on the way. Church was amazing - Pastor Peter preached on the beauty of God and how His beauty is in everything we see, we just need to learn to slow down and acknowledge that beauty. Like the verse says, "be still and know that I am God." After church, Kristin, Steve, Chris, Shawn and I all headed out to Cafe Latte to grab a small bite and chat. Lots of fun! Proceeding the light lunch, Kristin and I danced in the rain and jumped in every puddle we came across on our way back to the car (which was delightful, I must add!). I dropped her off and headed on my journey back home where, upon arrival, I discovered it's going to be a LAZY night in the Anderson home! It's not quite 6pm and I'm already in my pajamas and ready to curl up in bed with anticipation of finishing my book that I'm so eager to complete! Life was very good to me this weekend -- thanks to all who made it better!

Now I'm out, as my brother and his family just returned from a walk, and he's claiming to charge me for using his computer! :) Aaah the life of my favorite Jeremy ....

Life is good. Very, very good! :)