Christmas in January?

Nicole and I have had a busy weekend so far. On Friday night we went to Stillwater to take all the Troy Burne trophies to the engraver. Just one of the many glorious jobs of the co-commissioner of the Men's League. Jeb and I have taken the duties over this year and have already spent a lot of hours on it and it's the winter. At least now we have all the events setup so the only thing left to do is push for good attendance at the events.
After that we bought these cards that benefit Cystic Fibrosis, called Best Burger in the Valley. They were $20.00 each and get you a free burger at 6 different restaurants in Stillwater. After eating each burger (have to be completed by March 31st) you vote for the Best Burger in the Valley. We started at the Dock Cafe with their Barge Burger and it was very good, fries were also good. We stopped by another Stillwater hotspot called Marx for a nice glass of wine also.

On Saturday we had a full day planned. Our annual homeowners' association meeting was at 9:00 a.m. This is just an informational meeting of the last year and is a great time to see all the hibernating neighbors. We had 80 people show up this year, the most by 20 people. We do have an ongoing lawsuit pending against our homeowner's association that was certainly the hot button topic of discussion. All this over a stupid trampoline, kind of hilarious if you really think about it. Our association is up to $9,000 in legal bills and the couple who is suing is up to $12,000, all for a $500 trampoline. Does it get any dumber than that. The only bright spot, and I mean the only one, is that the state of Wisconsin will get the tax revenue on the money and hopefully make their kids smarter than their parents. Oh yeah, I am now the Vice President of our Homeowner's Association and hope to prevent anything like this from happening again. After talking with legal counsel both Jeb and I ran for the board and were elected and yes we are protected from this lawsuit, but not from future lawsuits if any arise. Sounds like another "bunch of fun" that I have gotten myself into. Jeb and I were simply minding our own business on a beach in Maui having drinks and talking smart and we got the call saying we were both nominated for the board and if we wanted to run. Well, we both decided that if one would do it so would the other. So, hopefully the two of us together can make things a little smoother. Honestly, according to the past board members, 99% of the dealings with residents is positive, but it is that 1% that takes up 90% of your time.
After the meeting Nicole, Brian Gagne and I went to Country Air, which is an outdoor/heated golf range to hit golf balls. It is a very nice place and actually keeps you very warm with just a sweater on hitting balls. It was a perfect winter day yesterday. We needed to knock the rust off our golf swings as we are heading to Sea Island, GA in 2 weeks to play some of the best courses in the US.
Saturday night we met Mark and Karen Schultz (Mark is my boss I'm sure you all know) at Salut in St. Paul. We enjoyed a nice dinner before heading to the wedding dance of one of our co-workers Luke VanderAarde. We had a good time dancing and socializing with some of my favorite coworkers.
Today, Sunday, we are headed to Mapleton, MN for my Dad's Christmas. My Dad has been in Florida since Thanksgiving and they are back in town so we are all getting together for Christmas and the Vikings Game.
I have tomorrow off as the markets are closed in observance of Martin Luther King, so we are just going to take another day and relax.
I hope everyone has a good weekend enjoying the warmer weather and hopefully we can get a Vikings victory today. I'm nervous, but optimistic. I sure was hoping Arizona would beat New Orleans so if we won we could stay in Mpls but New Orleans looked unbelievable yesterday. If we win at New Orleans it will be a small miracle. Have to get past today first though. Enjoy the weekend.

FIVE YEARS AGO!

Boy does time fly......Jason and I moved in to our home in Troy Burne 5 years ago today----January 15, 2005. It was the coldest day of the year, but we had lots of good help. Over the past five years, we have made some changes and additions to our home that we are enjoying. We finished our basement over the past year and spend a lot of time down there. We love to entertain so it works out well when we have friends over because we now have "The Ward Bar" as Jason has dubbed it. We both love wine, so we decided to add a cellar and are now starting our wine collection. While we were finishing our basement, we decided to paint some of the rooms upstairs. I love the new paint, especially the kitchen (see before and after pictures below of the kitchen). It just made it feel so fresh and new. I hope five years from now, we are still here. Maybe there will be some more new improvements in that time such as re-doing our deck or a patio in the backyard with a fire pit and maybe a boche ball court? We will have to see. Since you haven't see the finished product yet DAD, I thought I would post some pictures. I hope you can come and visit soon!

BEFORE KITCHEN:
AFTER KITCHEN:
"THE WARD BAR"
BASEMENT LIVING AREA
WINE CELLAR
Have a wonderful weekend.

An Update from Nicole

Jason keeps telling me that I need to write on the blog more. Well, ok then....here are a few things that I/we have been up to lately that Jason has not written about yet.

Yesterday I had to drive the Land Rover because Jason had to go meet a client after work. So, I ask Jason on Sunday night if the truck has gas (b/c it usually doesn't) and if it has been running okay, all to which he says yes. So I go to drive the truck Monday and forget that the BRAKE light, which used to flicker on and off for the past 6 months is now just ON in red. So I panic a bit and immediately look in the owners manual and see what this means. Now, the same thing happened to me last year when I was driving up north and Jason's take on it is, "don't worry about it, nothing is wrong." Well, last year I drove it right to a mechanic and he added some brake fluid. So yesterday, this mechanic wife went to NAPA and purchased some brake fluid. I read all the directions and eventually filled the reservoir which wasn't even close to the MIN line. And what do you know the BRAKE light is now off. So I tell Jason because I am so excited I fixed the truck and I say to him, "so what was your plan about that brake light." He replies, "I was just going to let the thing die." Of course, I should have know that he wants to get a new vehicle so bad that he was just going to let it die and didn't want me prolonging the life of the vehicle. Well, one of my worst fears is the brakes going out in a vehicle and I wasn't going to let that happen.

We went to recipe club last night and enjoyed some good recipes prepared by our neighbors. The attendance was a little poor compared to past months with only 16 people in attendance. However, we still had a great time. I made tiny twice-baked potatoes. I know Jason said I was going to make the Orange Chipotle-Spiced Pecans, but they did not meet his standards of quality, so they were nixed.

I am going to be joining our Neighborhood Ladies Book Club for my first time next Wednesday evening. I am looking forward to this. The book for this month was Still Alice. This is a great book. I read most of it while on the Elliptical machine at the YMCA. There were moments that I had to close the book and listen to my headphones or I was going to start crying. Well, those of you that know me well, I do cry rather easily especially happy moments when like my niece and nephew are opening gifts (I just get so excited for them----I know Em, Ash, and Ally you are all laughing at me right now). Anyways, this book is about a 50 year old Harvard Psychology Professor who develops early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. She eventually has to quit working and within a short time (less than a year) doesn't even recognize herself in the mirror. I found this book fascinating in that there are so many of our families that are affected by this terrible disease, which there is not yet a cure for, and how quickly one's life as they once knew it is no longer. I also found it quite sad the reaction that this intelligent well-known lady got from her colleagues and friends once they knew she had Alzheimer's Disease---basically wanting nothing to do with her, assuming she wouldn't remember them anyways. You will have to read the book to find out more.....

I have also been trying a few new recipes that are worthy of making again lately. I love to try new things and Jason is a good sport. I sometimes feel that he is too critical, but for the most part, we usually agree on if it is worthy of being made again. Below are the 3 recipes. I have the links below, but if you cannot click on them, just cut/paste into your browser. Otherwise, you can find all 3 recipes at www.cookinglight.com and they are all in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue. ENJOY!

1. STEAK TIPS WITH PEPPERED MUSHROOM GRAVY

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dynaction=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1949742

2. ROAST CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC BELL PEPPERS

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dynaction=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1949749

3. FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH BACON

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dynaction=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1949744

Hope you are all doing well---enjoy the warm weather that is coming for the next few days.

Sunday Snoozer

We went next door to Brian and Dina's last night. It was the Wilson's and Gagnes. Everyone is doing well, we watched some football and ate Red Savoy pizza. We played a fun new game called Smart Ass, it is a new board game and it is basically a trivia game. We then played Pictionary, guys vs. girls. The men started strong and then FADED and we lost, such a bummer. I am serioulsy the worst pictionary player that exists. We are going to have a neighborhood playoffs at the end of January and I "pity the fool" who draws me as a partner. I couldn't draw a dog or a cat to save my life.
Today Nicole and I slept in, which for us is 8:00 a.m. We went to the Y for some running and then we made breakfast at home. We took a nap this afternoon during the first football game and have been watching the Packers/Cardinals this afternoon and evening. We are having chili tonight, a recipe out of cooking light.
I have a busy week of work this week, 2 seminars, one on Tuesday in Clear Lake, IA, and one on Thursday in Rochester. Tomorrow night is Couples Recipe Club at the Porter's and it is Super Bowl Party Recipes. Everyone who comes brings a recipe with 20 copies to distribute. Nicole is making Orange "Chipolte Spice" Pecan Mix. We'll see how it goes.
Thank God it is going to warm up this week. Enjoy the weather!

Spending The Weekend Working And With Friends

Nicole and I have a low key weekend planned. Last night we spent the evening with our best friends The Snyder's. We tried a burger joint in St. Paul called the Blue Door Pub which is a hole in the wall off Fairview and Selby. It is very similar to the Nook but only smaller. If you like loud, crowded and great burgers it is a good place. You certainly have to be comfortable in tight quarters. We waited nearly 1 hour for a spot to sit, but spent some time at a vintage "antique" store next door. The place was huge and we actually lost Courtney for a while. Brent and I were walking around looking at what we thought was mostly "crap" and the girls were looking at some vintage jewelry and clothes and the store was closing. So Brent, Nicole, and I made our way to the front entrance and waited for Courtney. We waited and waited and waited, and then Brent started to get nervous. He really was, then I got nervous too so we spread out to find her. It was nothing serious, she was just enthralled with all the clothes, very similar to a kid in a candy store. You put Courtney in anything that relates to fashion and that is her element. Her and Nicole have a lot in common in that regard. After everyone was safe and sound we headed next door to the Blue Door. I ordered a ridiculous burger called The Breakfast Blucy which was 1/2 pound Juicy Lucy with Bacon and a Fried Egg on Top! Had to be 2,000 calories. Nicole had the standard Juicy Lucy which she said was very good, Brent had what is called the Luau which was mozzarella stuffed with pineapple and canadian bacon on top. Courtney ordered a PLAIN HAMBURGER, her favorite, yeah that's right, NOTHING ON IT. She said she could taste pickles on her burger so they must have put pickles on and then taken them off, she wants NOTHING on her burger. Funny!
I had read about this place and also had heard about it from some guys at the office and last year they won Best Burger in the Twin Cities by City Pages. I pasted the burger of the year below (yes we tried one) I ordered it and had them cut it into 4 pieces. It tasted just like you think it would, a burger with peanut butter on it. Weird! No, Courtney would NOT eat it! The rest of us tried it and thought it was fine, but we certainly wouldn't need to order it again.

Jiffy Burger - $7.75
You’ve got to try it to be a believer. We cover our burger with peanut butter, a little mayo, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and a few pickles – just like Mom used to make! Awarded Best Burger in the Twin Cities by City Pages!

Afterward we made it back to our house to watch The Hangover which was good for a few cheap laughs.

Saturday we had planned to start Yoga at the YMCA. Brent has recommended Yoga to us for flexibility in our golf games and the Y has a class that is called Heat Strength Yoga where you are in a heated room and you really "sweat it out". Well, Nicole was called into the hospital this morning so I have been home doing laundry and watching the 1st PGA Event of 2010, the SBS Championship. It is held each year in January at Kapalua's Plantation Course in Maui, HI. Nicole and I played there in November so it is fun to watch the pros play the same holes that we struggled on.
Saturday night we are going to a Pizza, Games, and Football party at our next door neighbors Brian and Dina Gagnes'. It will be Men Vs. Women and I'm sure the game will be Pictionary (Women are going Down)! The NFL playoffs also start tonight with Philadelphia playing at Dallas.

Stay warm everyone!

Old Truck Still Running....

The last 2 mornings driving to Mpls have given me a lot of time to think. My commute yesterday was 2 hours and 20 minutes and my commute today was 1 hour 20 minutes (this is 1 way of course). I start to envy my sister in law and brother in law (Ryan and Em) living in DL where commutes are 10 minutes no matter where you go. There simply is nothing good that can be said about a commute that long, but I found the silver lining so I thought I would share it. My old truck, it continues to run, it continues to start and I feel safe in between the steel walls of that beast. I looked down this morning and the odometer said 162,000 exactly. That made me nervous, so I won't venture far with her, but it continues to get me safely where I need to go.

New Years Update

We hope everyone had a happy start to the New Year! Nicole and I both worked a full-day on Thursday, New Years Eve Day. Nicole had 2 evals at Fairview in the afternoon so we got a late start on our New Years Eve plans, but all turned out well. We left for Garrison, MN about 5:00 p.m. We were going to spend New Years Eve and the weekend with The Snyders at their family lake cabin. Brent picked us up and we then went to Rosedale to pick up Courtney to begin our trip. We stopped at Frank's Super Valu in Garrison for groceries and arrived at the cabin at 8:30 p.m. The cabin is 2 hrs 15 min from Hudson so nice and close. Brent's parents, Bill and Paula were also at the cabin and we had a blast. It was just the relaxing weekend that we needed to recharge the batteries before 2010. We drank some good wine for New Years and spent some quality time with good friends. Their lake cabin is beautiful and we were very thankful that they invited us.

It was so cold this weekend that we could hardly spend anytime outside at all. We tried on Friday to do some snow shoeing but we couldn't last more than 15-20 minutes outside. Otherwise it was a lot of game playing (Scattegories, Apples to Apples, Things..., cards, Bananagrams.. and eating of some great food, too much food. We came home Saturday afternoon and went to Barker's last night for burgers and just took it easy and watched a movie. Sunday is a day of football. I needed the Steelers to win and Houston and the Jets to lose in order to make the playoffs in my survivor league, which did not happen!
Thanks to the Snyder's for a great weekend, we look forward to many more. To everyone else a prosperous 2010, Happy New Year!

"Bundled Beauties"

The Snyder's Cabin, what an unbelievable place

The Snyder's, Brent and Courtney