An Update...on Baylee

After many requests (by my mother), I am finally taking the time to update this blog. Did she want to see what I have been up to? No. She did, however, want to know how her baby, Baylee, was doing. Well mom, here you are:

Baylee has had a very busy summer. Her favorite activities have included playing with Chloe, going to the lake, and taking walks in the city. She has also amassed quite a wardrobe for a puppy of her size. As you can see above, she is prepared for the winter in her new green ski-jacket, Ugg boots, and matching collar, harness, and leash (all in chocolate brown with green polka-dots).

Notice the dark stains on her eyes? Those are a thing of the past. Late this summer we started her on a food additive that has made her eyes clear and bright. Need an example, check this out:

This is another of Baylee's favorite sweaters. She likes the blue ruffles...

This is a very sleepy Baylee in her Christmas outfit. In honor of mom's new favorite Christmas classic, Elf, Baylee will be sporting an elf hat and collar this year. I tried to wake her up for this photoshoot, but she has had a big weekend, and I couldn't get her to sit up :-)

This big weekend has consisted of multiple trips to her new home, and a trip to the groomer. Her new home, you ask? Nate, Baylee and I are moving into a house in St. Paul. It was one of the rentals that came available at the right time, and now Baylee will have a house to run, and a yard of her own. Here she is sitting on a blanket in the dining room (sorry the picture isn't the best quality).

We will be busy moving this week and next Saturday. Wish us luck!

Still here!

Hello all! It is WAY past time for an update...
I've been working! I am an Account Executive for Dominion Enterprises...an advertising and marketing company. I work specifically for property management companies looking to advertise their apartment projects, so I at least get to use my real estate vocabulary on a daily basis. I was offered another job yesterday by a client, but they couldn't touch what I'm making now...boy, that is nice to say.
It is true, I can't say right now that I am overworked and underpaid. I work just over 40 hours a week, make decent money, and have the ability to leave work at work...most days. It is a welcomed change of pace. My boss is fun, my coworkers are nice, and I am much more happy than I was. Thank goodness!
Nate and I are currently mourning the loss of summer. We have taken our last trip to the lake, marching band has started (which keeps him busy on Saturdays), and we wake up to a chill every morning. I miss it already.
I have taken a ton of pictures and videos over the last few months. Maybe I'll get them posted one of these days...but if not, know I've had a great summer and look forward to fall :-)

So here is a strange one:

When I was in college, I had a recurring dream that I was killed by a car hitting me as I was walking. Don't ask me how I knew, but I knew I was 22 years old in my dream, and I had this strange feeling that I was going to die sometime before my 23rd birthday.

Thank goodness I survived!

Then this weekend, while at the lake I had a crazy dream. I don't dream often (at least, I don't remember my dreams often) so this was particularly noteworthy. Here is how it went:

I was at the beach. Nate was there and some of our friends were there. I was wading in the water and everything was calm and beautiful. This was the majority of the dream, then all of a sudden I felt a strong undertow that pulled the water away from my feet. I turned around to see a humongous wave looming that shadowed my body. I'm talking a tsunami wave. It was instantly clear to me that I was going to die and my only reaction was to think to myself, "Thank you God, for everything," and then I went to inhale deeply (what would have been a lung-full of water) before I woke up.

It was weird because I remember being so calm...strange. Anyway, I decided I had to do a little Google research to see if I could decipher what this all meant. Here is what I found:

First, I thought I'd tackle the whole "death" thing, since that theme seems to haunt the few dreams I have. According to the online source, A Dummies Guide to Dreams, a dream about death, "...often symbolizes changes in life. Changing jobs, getting a divorce, moving to another city, all represent the death of old habits and way of life [the death and resurrection motif]. With every death there is a new birth; the new job, new home, new relationships. Treat death in a dream as getting rid of negative emotions and replacing them with positive ones." Whew! What a relief. Although the page briefly mentioned that dreams could potentially predict the future, it is highly unlikely that a big group of us will ever take a group vacation to an ocean capable of creating such a wave. It did, however, touch on a few of my life's, "current events," that made a lot of sense. I am going through a lot of changes in my life that have changed a lot of negatives to positives.

Second, the water played another critical role in the dream. On this subject, another online source, Self Healing Expressions, note that, " The size of the body of water denotes the amount of emotion that may be surfacing within you...an ocean may indicate your deepest feelings, serenity and emotional strength and force." For what it's worth, part of me feels more "at peace" than I have ever felt before. In my personal life, I feel both secure and incredibly happy. I don't question motives or second guess actions. Serene is a great word to describe it. On the other hand, the change in employment (or lack thereof) is incredibly discouraging. Still, a big change on that front may be in order as soon as the end of this week. All of my emotions are on some extreme end of the spectrum right now. Also, the beautiful, clean ocean was also symbolic: "Bodies of clear water imply that your emotions, intentions and purpose are aligned and clear. It also suggests spiritual purity and understanding." I think this is affirmed by my feeling of calm and acceptance of my impending death. All very interesting.

What did I get out of this research process? First, it satisfied my academic itch :-) I still love research and am a hopeless nerd. Second, it is interesting that my findings were so accurate with what is happening in my life. Hopefully my newfound clarity will continue to lead me into the right direction...and if this all this dream deciphering is a load of crap? Oh well. I still feel good about being right here, right now.

4th of July Weekend

Nate and I were fortunate to have 4th of July plans with his family at their lake place this year. The following is a brief photo and video account of our incredibly relaxing weekend.



Here is Nate after not shaving for three days. He thinks he looks rugged and manly :-) We spent most of Saturday afternoon on the Mullens' boat getting tan...



...or in my case, burnt. You can't tell here, but by Saturday evening, my legs were bright red. Oh well, I was having too much fun.





Meet Clara, Chris and Shelly's new addition. She is 6-weeks old now and the cutest thing you have ever seen. She spent most of the weekend in Grandma's arms, which gave Shelly a well deserved break.

The weekend, however, was really all about the dogs. Baylee and Chloe have become great friends and are very entertaining. They spent the weekend chasing each other and wrestling as can be seen here:

Baylee, our usually lazy pup, was active all week, with the exception of this moment. Nate was preparing for a little nap, and Baylee couldn't fight the urge to relax too.



And whatever Baylee does, Chloe must also do. Within a minute, Chloe also found a spot on Nate where they all shared their nap.

Baylee has been sleeping since we got home. Poor little thing is still recovering. I think I may still be recovering too...still feeling lazy. Still, I need to focus. It sounds like I may have my fourth (and hopefully final?) interview for this job late this week. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer! I need all the help I can get!

Sweet home, Minnesota

I've been away forever. I wish I had the energy to explain all the reasons why I have been missing, but I find it easier to just bullet point some highlights and move on so I can come back as a regular poster without the daunting "update post" hanging over my head.

• The big one first: Mom was in a car accident. I got the call on a
  Monday morning, hit the road for the Hoosier state, and found
  my way back to Minneapolis a full four-weeks later.
• In that time, I moved Mom to North Carolina. Long story - for another day.
• My cousin graduated from high school...and even before that my sister graduated from college. I don't think it was mentioned on here, but is incredibly noteworthy.
• I am in the running for a "good job." Still, the better the job, the longer the hiring process is. Yuck.
• I have been trying to get up to speed with people here. A lot
  happened in that month that I needed to catch up to. I am just
  about there now that I am in the middle of my second weekend back.

Enough of that. Now back to the, "here and now." I made a fresh pesto today with the basil from my "garden." By "garden" I mean the large flower pot filled with herbs on my balcony. It smells like Heaven and I am really excited to mix it with some pasta for dinner this evening. Take a look, and try not to drool.

I also have to brag about the garlic-chili roast turkey breast that I made earlier this week. It was so delicious that I haven't minded eating the leftovers basically by myself (which are still moist and perfect).

That's it for now. It is about time for dinner, and my mouth is watering!

Guess who's back?

Wow, it has been a LONG time since I've caught up on here! I guess I have been busy enjoying my new Minnesotan life. I have also kept busy making a little money. First that report:

I traveled to Nebraska with my mom to work the world's largest farm auction. Western Nebraska is not my definition of a great tourist stop, and I would not recommend it. Highlights included people with few-to-no teeth, bored and on ill-advised sexual escapades, rancid cow feed lots, and miles and miles of farm-equipment graveyards. However, if you smile at the thought of feeling dusty grit in your mouth every time you bite down, Nebraska may be just the place for you! There is nothing like the feeling of grit between your molars...I could write a book about this trip and will save more details for my best seller.

Speaking of molars (and completely off topic), MSN News published a list of cities with the best and worst oral hygiene. Western Nebraska was not on the bottom ten, but I'm guessing it is because it houses NO CITIES...or real civilization for that matter. ANYWAY, St. Paul and Minneapolis BOTH made the top 10 list, and I am proud to flash my pearly-whites in a metro teeming with full jaws of healthy teeth. Ft. Wayne made the top ten list for use of most Fluoride in the water, but Indiana cities made no appearances in the top ten overall lists. Sorry guys.

Back on topic: I have also taken on additional contract work as a Mystery Shopper. Is this a high-paying job...no. Is this a career...no. It is, however, a great way to entertain myself and allow me to earn a few dollars now and then. Yesterday I was shopping for jewelry, which is a LOT of fun. I spent my day draped in diamonds...what did you do? :-)

In other Dani-related news, I am (accidentally) a red head! Accidentally, you ask? Here's the story. Nate had a $20-off coupon at an Aveda salon, so I thought I'd spring for a professional hair color. I have been eying a short hair style lately, and decided I wanted a little darker blonde. That way, if I cut my hair short, I would still look like I had hair (instead of being all one color...my pale skin and blonde hair were dangerously close to monochromatic). Anyway, upon expressing my desire to go darker with the stylist, she asked, "Have you ever considered red?" I said NO quickly...I like being blonde...you can get away with so much more. She then suggested strawberry blonde which would, "Warm up my cool skin and bring out my eyes." I figured that couldn't be TOO bad, so I agreed to it and off she went. An hour later, she turned the chair around and to my surprise...I HAD RED HAIR.

The quality of this picture does not quite do the color justice. In the stylist's defense, in normal lighting the color does warm up my face, and my eyes look REALLY blue, but it just isn't me. I am not meant to have red hair. I'm trying to wait it out to see if it grows on me. I'm thinking about cutting it first, then having blonde highlights added if I'm still unhappy. Either way, I think the red will disappear on my next color. For my cut, I have fallen in love with an actress' hair style and want to try it. I'm not sure how it will look on me since I don't have the petite and cute features this girl has, but I'm going to ask Ann (who will cut my hair tonight) her opinion. For reference, here is the "longer" version of the cut, and here is the "shorter." Please ignore the fact that she is showing booty on the second photo...it was for Allure magazine...not Playboy :-) Funny how a women's magazine can print that and it is about being "comfortable in your own skin," and, "empowering." If she were in a men's magazine, she'd be trashy. Ahh, nothing like a little double standard.

Nate and I just rented out another property. Yep, that means that last weekend was spent cleaning and painting (my two favorite things to do). I signed the lease with the new tenants yesterday and think they will take better care of the place. I can't wait to sell these things... HURRY UP STUPID REAL ESTATE MARKET!

And finally for today, I should report that we are all happy and healthy here in the Minnie. Nate is doing very well and recently found out that he will be getting a promotion on June 1. It is well deserved, and Baylee and I are proud of him :-)

Stay tuned, more to come!

Traveling

After a quick trip to the Carolinas I headed to Vegas for an auction. I just got home, but tomorrow I leave for Nebraska for yet another money-making experience. Money is good. Being away from home is not...that's right, home. This really does feel like home, and I couldn't be more excited about it. We have a great little routine here. I make dinner, Nate does the dishes, Baylee cleans any dropped food off the floor.

In other news, my iPod was declared dead by the genius at the Apple store's Genius Bar. Lucky for me my mom gave me my birthday present early: an iPod nano. While it doesn't hold as much as my previous model, it is compatible with the Nike+ system. For those not familiar, it is a "training" system for runners (for a neat-o video, click here). I have had my eyes on this system for a while, but it would have meant buying a new iPod, shoes, the transmitter, AND the arm band. OY. Since Mom provided the iPod, I just needed the three remaining items. The transmitter itself was only $30. I found the arm band on sale...the only piece remaining was the shoes that accept the Nike+ transmitter. This leads me to my next subject:

I set out to find Nike+ shoes on sale. Not an easy task. All major retailer's prices started at $90. I decided to search at T J Maxx and Marshall's stores. As I was searching for locations, I discovered that there was a Marshall's in the Mall of America. YAY! While rummaging through the "stuff" at that Marshall's, someone asked an associate where the Nordstrom Rack was. That's right kids, the Mall of America not only has all your over-priced retail favorites, but also has my favorite discount stores! I practically skipped to the Nordstrom Rack where I quickly found a pair of Nike+ shoes in my size, on sale. Seriously. I am quickly discovering that the Mall of America, even though it is a suburban tourist trap, might just be one of my favorite things about this place. You can get everything you want under one roof...on sale. DSW, Marshall's, Nordstrom Rack...great places to start before you go to another store and pay full price. Anyway, I am now the proud owner of the Nike+ system. The weather is also bearable for running, so I will soon look like a marathoner...just watch.

Well kids, it is time for me to finish folding laundry so I can head to WalMart for some pre-travel necessities. I hope everyone is as happy and well as I am :-)