Just a touch

For now...just a touch of what I owe you. I will try and complete another update tomorrow.

So, it's a four day weekend, and it doesn't feel like it. I'm sad that tomorrow is already Sunday and school is looming on Monday again. I'm still tired. I really would like to sleep and sleep some more. That was my intention this weekend but it didn't turn out that way. I still managed to get to the fitness center, made HUGE progress in reorganizing the basement, got the yard mowed and some of the plants cleaned up for the winter, did some spoiling of myself, movies with the hubby, dinner with Dad and Mary (and Lizard)...LOTS of stuff, and good stuff...just not sleep. And tomorrow is a late night...the Packer/Viking game doesn't start until 7:30ish. Monday will be miserable at school, especially if the Packers forget to show up and play. On the other hand, if they pull their heads out of their butts and play like they know how...then the adrenaline will help we through the week!

Ok, so that's what is CURRENT...now for the first part of the back log of things to share with you.

In late July, Duane and Kurt headed out west on the Boys Motorcycle trip. I was jealous they were going but this is the same time I was having Lasik surgery. It was scary doing the surgery with NO ONE there but me...but I stayed in a hotel, pampered myself, and did just fine. We won't mention that they knocked a couple hundred bucks off the price since I had to pay for a hotel! Anyway...I would post pics from his trip, but he prefers not to put them online. If you're interested, ask and he'll share!

On the Zumba/PiYo/Curves Challenge front:

Zumba is AWESOME, I will take a class again. Our instructor teaches in several places so I think I'll track her down again in the near future. They usually go in 8 week cycles and my last class is this Thursday. Due to end of the semester stuff at school, I will likely sit out this next cycle but then start again with her in the new year!

PiYo (Pilates & Yoga mix) is WAY cooler (and harder!) than I thought it would be. I will have to miss the last session in our 8 week course due to a home playoff game for the football team, but I will be joining the next session beginning November 8th at my Curves. I will only have to miss one week in that session due to our Holiday concert so it's well worth the $50. I think I really like this course because it's not only a strengthening thing, but MEGA stretching and balance. Plus, I ALWAYS sleep really well after a PiYo session!

The 6 Week Curves challenge is over. Elizabeth and I both did awesome. I won't go into details because I'm not sure she would want them posted here, but let's just suffice it to say that between the two of us we swept all the awards categories. Part of the prize package I won included a gift certificate for a session in the chi chair (I've talked about here in the past) at Body and Sol; and a free pedicure and shampoo/style from "By Shear Design" in Onalaska. I took advantage of those things today to spoil myself a little at no cost to me. It was WONDERFUL...and I found a new place to get my hair done! LOVED IT!!!

So tomorrow (if I decide to write), I will include some school info. and some pictures from a Brandi-dandy day when Wendy visited.

I owe you

I know I do. But it's not going to happen tonight. I am tired, and there is a book calling my name. SO...next week, we have a FOUR DAY WEEKEND due to convention. I WILL fill you in then.

Things to look forward to:
A few pics from Duane's trip out west with Kurt
Zumba
PiYo
Curves challenge
School stuff (Parades, homecoming, and HAUNTED HOUSE)
Wendy's Visit and Brandi Dandy-day pics
...MAYBE even some before and after of work in the basement (MAYBE!)
...and anything else I can randomly think of...

A Fast Start

So the school year is off and running...running fast. We have now completed our first week of school (4 days because of Labor Day) and my band has had 4 early morning rehearsals and 4 performances. We've done 2 football games and 1 volleyball game (all Spring Grove Victories!) and the Mable-Canton Steam Engine Days parade. I was prepared for a difficult year with some rough transitions. To this point, my bands have 100% exceeded expectations. I'm starting to get pretty excited about all our prospects for the year, it looks like it could be fun after all! This coming week we only have one performance for volleyball on Tuesday night. It looks like we'll finally get to take a little breath and get into the grove of daily school life (until it's disrupted by homecoming the week after!)

Life at home is as happy as ever too. I'm done with JCPenney and loving it. It means that I get to come home after school (except for Pep band nights!)and have time for whatever I want. I'm still managing to get some reading in which doesn't normally happen during school, I've got me and those that eat in this house working on eating properly again and I've found a new love. It's called a Chi Chair...and it's awesome. I only get to use it a couple more times because I only bought a month pass and don't really have too much time over the school year for it, but one day I WILL own one of these things. It's like a really light touch massage and energizer. It makes me feel so energized and relaxed all at the same time. Pretty cool!

I'm also involved in the "Fall Off" challenge at Curves. I love it when a challenge is on because it helps with motivation. So far so good. This time around I'm also taking a yoga and zumba class that Curves is offering. Yoga is Tuesday's and Zumba on Thursdays, both classes running for 8 weeks. In September I'll be missing one class a week (yoga once, zumba thrice) because of pep band, but in October I'll be able to crank it up a notch and do both. So far, I've had just the one Yoga class and I actually liked it. It kicked my butt. This week, it's Zumba and I'm REALLY excited.




I guess that's it for now. Nothing else new or exciting to share...until next time!

I don't know what to tell you

It's raining here. We don't need the rain, we've had plenty. I DO hope that it will help cool things down.

I wish I'd left JCP earlier. The last 2 weeks without being there at all have been amazing. I've had time to get the house together and get my thoughts together for school.

Band Camp went well. Better than expected by far. I think that I have some people who just needed to step out of the shadows of those that just left. Hopefully that keeps up throughout the year. The music level will be a bit easier because we are a very YOUNG band...but it will build. I'm no longer dreading going back.

The Brownlee Reunion was wonderful. We rode the motorcycle to Rochester on a PERFECT day for riding and got to spend some time with Duane's parents. I didn't know many people at the reunion but I DID know the immediate family and met several others. So many people and personalities in the same place make for an interesting experience. Duane made Kathleen's day when he took her on a ride. Picture a very tiny, very excitable, slightly older lady in an old fashion helmet and leather coat....she very nearly cried with excitement. Very cute to watch!

I took Brandi swimming on Monday. We had the beach to ourselves in the morning and it was VERY pleasant. Perhaps we'll go again on Labor Day if the weather cooperates and we can get there before it gets busy with people that have the same idea.

Inservices started today. It wasn't great getting up in the morning and I missed cuddling with Brandi all day but other than that it was fine. We go Wednesday and Thursday as well. Friday is no school, but we do have PEP Band for a football game. I'm off the weekend and we start full force on Sept. 7. The 25th is the only other day I have totally free in Sept. It'll be fine though...a fast start towards next summer's vacation!

I'm taking a Yoga and a Zumba class. Yoga will be Tuesday nights and Zumba on Thursdays through Sept. and Oct. All of September I will only be able to do one or the other, not both, due to the band schedule but in October I'll be able to both all month. It should be a nice lift as we are starting Phase 1 of our diet again after "maintaining" for the summer and I'm participating in the "Fall Off" challenge at Curves. Hopefully it will be a great way to help get through Pep Season...

That's all right now. Sorry no pictures...I'll try and post again soon, but forgive me if it takes a while. September is BUSY!

Sigh

There is nothing terribly interesting going on for me right now.

Duane left on July 26 for the Boys Trip out west. He calls nightly and by all accounts is having a good time. Brandi and I on the other hand...miss him terribly. Tonight we were outside playing with a stick and she heard a Harley drive by. She dropped the stick, perked her ears, and ran in circles barking and looking for her pa. After she realized it wasn't him, she brought me her stick and didn't want to play anymore so we went inside. Now she's staring out the living room window and whining...poor girl, I know how she feels.

My Lasik surgery went very well. It was a really scary thing to do with no one around that I knew, but it's done and it's AWESOME. They say it takes a few weeks to let the vision stabilize so every now and then one eye feels fuzzier than the other. It's worst when I first wake up because they are SO dry...kinda feels like I slept with contacts in. Already though, every day sees less and less fuzz and more time very clear. I was seeing 20/20 the day after with both eyes together so it looks like everything went perfect. The actual procedure is weird. There are no "lasers" coming at your eye, you really just stare at blinking lights...kinda like your annual eye exam. The difference is that this blinking light clicks and your eye is held open with a suction ring that also monitors eye pressure. Honestly, the worst part of the procedure was putting this thing on! I knew it was totally worth it during the procedure when the blinking light I was supposed to be staring at went from fuzzy to a solid pinpoint when the clicking stopped. Thanks again to EMILY for watching Brandi-dog Thursday night!

Yesterday (Saturday), I did my back to school shopping. I needed new slacks that fit (woo hoo!) and picked up a few new tops too. It was earlier than I tend to like to shop for back to school, especially because I KNOW that I've earned a few more $5 star coupons (JCPenney money for employees) that I could have spent, but I am leaving JCP soon and I wanted to make sure I got to use my discount. Today (Sunday) I stopped by JCP and officially submitted my resignation. My last day there is Aug. 14 (although my last scheduled day is Aug 13). I've moved up my hair appointment to tomorrow instead of Sept. so that I may partake in that discount one more time too. Leaving is bittersweet. I've enjoyed the job, my bosses, and the discount...but during the school year I teach in a JH/HS...I don't need to spend my time working in one too. The people in my department are worse than the most dramatic JH students and I'm simply tired of it. PLUS, I can always wait to do my shopping for friends and family days for the discount and now I can also do the surveys and get the extra 15% off...so really, I'll be just fine when I have to shop.

Next up, well...not much. Monday I have a hair appointment, and Tuesday I'll have to go to Spring Grove to get out band camp letters. Other than that, Brandi and I are hanging out waiting for Wednesday when Duane gets home. I work Thursday-Monday. Also Monday I have a follow up appointment for my eyes. I'm hoping Duane will go with me this time. It should be just a simple up and back (which is good because I either work that night or have to find someone to work for me!). After that, I'll only have 3 shifts left at JCP! My last shift is Aug 13, and hopefully Aug 14 will be a motorcycle charity ride for something or another (Duane doesn't remember which one, I'm just hoping he'll let me go with him!) Then I take a week off, go to the BROWNLEE FAMILY REUNION in Rochester (Woo Hoo!), then 3 days of band camp, then inservices, then pep band, then school starts...etc...

Where did the summer go?

Kiss Me Kate Photos

In a recent post I told you I was directing the pit orchestra for the musical "Kiss Me Kate". This musical was a production of the Opera House in Spring Grove and took place in "Ye Olde Gray Barn". For those that aren't familiar with the summer musical in Spring Grove here is an overview.

Dinner is served "on the green" starting at 6:30. The meals and deserts are catered and awesome. They are also "show specific" meaning that they are meant to go with the time period/genre/ambiance/etc...of whatever show is being performed. After dinner in the billowy white and decorated tents, you find your chair on the hillside and watch a the show starting at 8:30 so that the sun is setting. The show is performed in a barn. The side walls open up to the stage, the orchestra sits in the hayloft on the upper right side (as you look at that stage), the dressing rooms are the horse stalls on the lower level. This is a horse barn in current use...with the horses moved out for the duration of the rehearsals and shows.

They have been doing this for YEARS in Spring Grove and the shows are well attended (hundreds of people attend over the 4 day run). It is a truly incredible sight to see if you've never done it before. Next year's show will (hopefully) be Fiddler on the Roof, so keep that in mind. Now for you viewing entertainment: pictures from the life of the "lofted pit orchestra people". Pictures are all compliments of trumpet extraordinaire Mike Ehr.

The Hillside
The dinner and snack tent

From Backstage
The catwalk in the loft. David (the director man in the pic.) spent most of the show up there running backdrops and curtains.

A Proud Norwegian Heritage in the community

The Barn
The Show
And Finally: My lofted PIT people






The view from the 3rd riser in the PIT orchestra's Loft

2 weeks from today...

Heading to the Lasik Institute in Edina, MN. SUPER EXCITED and very happy that it's a steal of a deal $2600 total. Gundersen STARTS at $2300 per eye...and yes, my eye doc. at Gundersen recommended them!

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Kiss Me Kate

KISS ME KATE JULY 15-18, 2010

TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR
KISS ME KATE

http://www.yeoldeoperahouse.org/

Directed by Rachel Grippen and David Storlie
Choreography by Anna Smerud
Orchestra Directed by Andrea Brownlee
Produced by Mary Deters, Patricia McManimon-Moe and Jacob Grippen.

KISS ME KATE CAST
(in order of appearance)

"Pops" ~ Kristi Anderson
Hattie ~ Mary Deters
Wardrobe Mistress ~ Sara Kroshus
Ralph ~ Peter Zaffke
Nathanial ~ Kathrine Myrah
Philip ~ Annie Galloway
Dance Leader ~ Kaley Cross
Hortensio ~ Marley Benedum
Gremio ~ Tate Burcalow
Harry Trevor ~ Abe Mendez
Lois Lane ~ Rachel Gulbranson
Bill Calhoun ~ Alexander Lefebvre
Fred Graham ~ Mark Schroeder
Lilli Vanessi ~ Lindsay Mackie
1st Gunman ~ William Fried
2nd Gunman ~ Lee Epps
General ~ Tyler Engen

SYNOPSIS

Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate is a musical loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Director Fred Graham plays the lead role as Petruccio, and his ex-wife, the diva movie-star Lilli Vanessi, stars opposite him as Katharina (the "Kate" of the title) in an off-Broadway musical called "The Shrew." It's "Another Opening, Another Show" for them, and the pair bicker backstage as only people who have been in love can argue.

Meanwhile, Fred's new mistress, Lois Lane, who plays Bianca, explains to her broke boyfriend, Bill Calhoun, an actor playing Lucencio, that she's "Always True to You, Baby, In My Fashion." Bill loves her as much as he loves gambling. To settle both accounts, he signs Fred's name to an IOU for $10,000, causing the mob to take an interest in the financial success of "The Shrew." Meanwhile, the bouquet of flowers Fred sent to Lois for opening night is mistakenly delivered to Lilli, who is convinced that Fred still loves her, and she realizes she still loves him too.

In the middle of performing "The Shrew," Lilli storms off-stage when she discovers that the love poem in her bouquet was really written to Lois Lane. To this fol-de-rol, we add a pair of gangsters who join the cast to prevent Lilli from leaving the show. Lilli calls in the military: her fiancé General Harrison Howell, who is being courted as the next vice-president by President Truman and Candidate Dewey. The pace quickens after much sparring, on-stage and off. After the gangsters remind them to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," the large cast comes together to finish the show, and Fred finally gets what he deserves after singing "Kiss Me Kate

DINING ON THE GREEN

Ye Olde Gray Barn, located just 1/4 mile east of Spring Grove, is a picturesque setting for outdoor theater. Since 1978, we've held a production in this historic horse barn.
Starting at 6:30pm, we invite you to come to the green and eat with us. Meals have been themed to go with our shows for many years, so this year, the menu has been dreamed up to fit with our Shakespearean theme, as well as our 1950's Baltimore crowd, where the play is set. We'll post the menu items and prices here as soon as we have them. Plan to come and enjoy the atmosphere, food, and crowd. We Spring Grover's are known to be a friendly bunch, and you might be able to sit down with us at our picnic tables and comment on the wonderful food.
You're likely to hear someone say "This is different." Though you won't know whether they are complementing the food or not, until you see them going back for another plate. We pride ourselves on having a 'different' menu each year, and we leave much of the creativity up to our local caterer, Angie Burns, who never lets us down with mouth watering food at low event prices. Let's make sure we use up all of her food. And remember to clean your plate.

PARKING

Parking is easy at the barn. The Strinmoen's have co-ordinated parking for as long as I can remember (at least since 1988). They will show you to the closest spot, and then, if you need assistance, will take you to the ticket booth and to your seat in an electric golf cart. The field where you will park is entered at the grain elevator 1/4 mile east of Spring Grove on Highway 44. Signs will show you the way.

The End

So...that pretty much the end of our vacation. We got up Saturday and were sent off with a french toast breakfast, said our goodbye's and road off into the...er...daylight. We hauled all the way to Wall, SD that night. It was a good ride and yes, we did stop by Wall Drug so that we could say we were there. There was a MASSIVE storm that night but we were already off the road. Several other bikers (from WI no less) were staying at the same hotel so that was fun. On Sunday, we visited friends of Duane (the Gundion families) in Plankton, SD. This was a great stop for the afternoon and much fun. We hadn't seen them since the wedding, and I'd never met Skip. After we left them, we went to Sioux Falls where we stayed with Aunt Joyce for the evening. We also had the chance to visit Mark and Nicole as well as Aunt Diane and Uncle Jim. Hopefully next time we'll get to stay a little bit longer.


So. That's it for now. I'll try not to wait too long before writing again. I just have to find the next semi-interesting story to tell.

Friday, June 18

Today, I have a massive headache so I don't intend on writing much...just posting the goods...








Friday we took a road trip to pick up Jon from a scholarship informational camp he'd been to. On the way we visited Rifle Creek Park. More BEAUTIFUL waterfalls (but this time ones you can climb around!)and some caves you can climb in. There is a campground located here and I would love to visit again and spend some more time. The pictures posted today are all from Rifle Creek. That night, after we got home from Grand Junction with Jon, Duane and I took the entire family out for pizza. It's the least we could do for their hospitality, and we'd be taking off in the morning. Check out these pics! (and please refer to earlier posts for the link to our account on snapfish if you'd like to see more).

Thursday, June 17

...see...now I'm doing pretty good at getting these up daily!

So Thursday of our Colorado vacation saw the Lee family with a Doctor's appointment for Caleb's toe. Duane and I were again treated to a magnificent breakfast and then took off on a ride in the mountains. Wednesday night, Paul had helped Duane come up with a scenic route that would still be bike friendly (meaning no gravel roads!) so we had a plan and took off. We headed back toward Steamboat Springs but instead of heading directly in we took a detour on "20 Mile Road". This was a beautiful stretch of road, and I only have a couple of pictures of it because the camera battery died. I REALLY wish I'd been able to catch a picture of the sheep stampede we witnessed. Yup. A full out stampede. Of sheep. It was cute. 20 Mile comes out near Steamboat and we used a pit stop opportunity to buy new batteries and then continued our trip. These 3 pics are coming into Steamboat after "20 Mile Road".




From Steamboat, we re-traced our path from Wednesday and went back over Rabbit Ears pass...we wanted to see it from the bike...and it was WAY worth it. This time, we went entirely over the mountain top and stopped to pose for some pictures on the other side. After a while, we just turned around as it was the only way we KNEW to get back where we needed to go. It was a 250 mile ride overall and it was AWESOME!






When we got home, it was play time with the Lee family! Duane got to help organize the toys from the Issiah and Aaron's room. Wish I'd gotten a picture while he was still seated in the middle of it all! After that, more Rock Band, movies, dinner, reading, etc...another perfect day!






...if you want more of our pics, cut and paste this into your browser (let me know if doesn't work!)...

http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2293315021/a=154363634_154363634/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Wednesday, June 16

Wednesday morning we woke up in the Rocky Mountain air and were treated to a bacon and eggs breakfast. The plan for the day was to be taken on a tour of the area. We were going to go through Hayden (where Jon graduated HS) on the way to Steamboat Springs. Our first stop in Steamboat was Fish Creek Falls. This is an absolutely, stunningly beautiful area in the mountains. We did some light hiking here and took lots of pictures of the falls and surrounding area. We later found out that this waterfall is the one pictured on Coors can...neat trivia. Next time, I'd like to try the 5 mile hike back to the lake that is the source of this waterfall. Pictures from Fish Creek are included here.







After Fish Creek we were taken up the mountain over Rabbit Ears Pass through Routt National Forest. The mountain scenery was again beautiful. Colleen stopped at one of their family camping spots so we could get out and hike some more. (Apparently, you can camp anywhere in this area, it doesn't have to be in a campground). High river water in the creek here prevented us from strolling too far but we did enjoy the scenery, found some moose tracks, and dodged snowballs thrown by the boys. Much laughter and merriment! On the way back down the pass, we stopped briefly for another photo. The following photos are from this hike and photo stop.





After descending the mountain, we stopped in Steamboat Springs for lunch at Qdoba and dessert at ColdStone. Yum. Bad for the diet, but on vacation...who cares? The rest of the evening was spent chilling "at home". We got Duane into playing Drums on the game "Rock Band", did some reading, sleeping, etc... Stop back tomorrow for Thursday's tale!

...and if you want more of our pics, cut and paste this into your browser (let me know if doesn't work!)...

http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2293315021/a=154363634_154363634/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/