Dum dum da dum.....

Well-it happened. My brother found the best girl and said "I do." Welcome Vanessa!

In no particular order...

The Bride and Groom (you might want to print this one out...Jeff is wearing a TIE! This may be the only documentation of this event)

At the alter.


I do, I do, I do........

Emma got to be the flower girl. She was so happy.

WE LOVE TYLER!

The kids patiently waiting......

Logan learning his verses...

The wedding from Logan's viewpoint (he loves to take pictures-thank goodness for digital cameras!)

All in all it was a great day!

Great Weekend

Big news everyone..... gather around....

Our Family had a wonderful weekend. Vanessa and Tyler both bagged turkeys this weekend!

(stories to follow)

Get Goin' for Owen.

Just a reminder that if you would still like to donate to Owen, let us know!

For those of you who already have donated-THANK YOU! That's awesome and the $ is going to a great family dealing with a tough situation. Thank you so much!

Here's the race info again:

Get Goin for Owen!
Saturday, May 16, 20095 K run/walk begins at 4:00 at Trailview Elementary School
Pig Roast dinner at the Grand Event Center (doors open at 5:30)
Silent/live auction following dinner more to come later....
See you on May 16!

FYI- Our training for the 5K is going well. Kirby has had to 'postpone' his training due to his recent visits to the chiropractor in the past few weeks. I have been doing very well and I am actually starting to enjoy running-I think. I never thought I would say those very words, but I think I am. I actually think I may look for other short races/events to sign up for to keep this motivation throughout the summer~!

Confessions of a shoe-a-holic.....

I said these very words to my husband yesterday, "Don't let me buy any more shoes."

I know that you're thinking "ARE YOU CRAZY WOMAN?!?!?!?"

I will admit, that I probably am a little crazy.

Kirby and I did some serious spring cleaning yesterday in our bedroom. The kind of cleaning where you take everything out of the room, clean, and then put it all back in.

I think we were inspired by our day date to IKEA on Saturday. It's such a good thing that I live 60+ miles from that store otherwise I would be broke.

Anyway, part of my cleaning was doing my annual event of putting away my 'winter' shoes (which I'm so sick of wearing and I'm soooo over wearing dress socks) and replacing them with my 'summer' shoes.

About half way through it, I stopped and observed how many pairs of shoes I was dealing with.... and was actually EMBARRASSED at how many shoes I owned.

What can I say, I love shoes, period.

Brown, black, white, green, red, light brown, dark brown, heels, no heels, high heels, low heels, straps, no straps, gym shoes, outside running shoes, causal shoes, you name it and I've got a shoe to cover that outfit.

Ugh.

We are outgrowing our house and I'm definitely contributing to that fact of the matter.

What is it with shoes? I'm not trying to be Carrie Bradshaw as I live in Pine County for goodness sakes! Half the population here wears camouflage boots 365 days out of the year.

I've always wanted to (secretly) be a shoe model I think.

On a positive note, I buy my shoes on clearance. I'm not the type of person to spend $350 on a pair of shoes. Just call me frugal if you will......

I won't give you the specific number of shoes that I counted after I laid them all out and arranged them in my closet. Just know that you would need all your fingers and all your toes and then some to achieve a final count.

I'm embarrassed.

Did I mean what I said to Kirby? I hope so.

I tried to compare my shoe addiction to his muskie bait addiction.....he wasn't buying that.

The point of my story is that: some women prefer chocolate to soothe their souls, I prefer shoes to soothe my soles.

Easter with the Ruds!

It's been awhile since we have visited our old college stomping grounds and with the 'possibility' of the BSU hockey team playing for the Championship on Saturday night, where else would a person want to be to watch the game other than IN Bemidji?

Unfortunately they lost on Thursday night so our dreams of watching them play Saturday night in the comfort of the Rud's living room were diminished. Hockey or no hockey though, we made the trip to spend some time with Brent and Becky, Matthew and Luke.

We arrived on late morning on Friday and after some lunch, dr appts and naps.....Becky and I stole away for some 'girl' time. A nice dinner of pizza and a funny movie and I would have to say that was the best date I've had in a long time. (sorry Kirby)

The 'boys' decided that their date would include some time up on Rainy River fishing for walleyes so early Saturday morning they (Brent, Kirby and Tyler) where on good ol' hwy 72 heading north.

Which left Becky and I at home with the 4 little ones. Thankfully the weather cooperated and we were able to spend a good amount of time outside playing, riding bikes and going for walks.

Somewhere in there Becky and I were able to pop in Mam ma Mia which I enjoyed and had been wanting to view for quite sometime. Warning: it's a chick flick.

We also had the chance to dye some eggs.

Four very patient little children..... Guess what though? No spills! Just one blue thumbprint on a white onesie........

Emma and Logan with their cups.....

Then, after the boys returned, a quick run for pizza, and then some 'other excitement' we got out the goods for a craft project I had seen in a magazine. Yep-that's right! I actually used one of the idea's from one of my many magazines I receive. How many of you can say you've done that? If you're anything like me, you read it-think it's a great idea-mark the page-and then never get back to it or can't remember what magazine you read that in......

Anywho...... it was fun and messy.


The little artists waiting for directions and paint.....


Luke and Logan having a very serious discussion about the economy and their 401(k)s.

Can you guess who was the one with the blue thumbprint on his shirt?

Then it was off to bed to await the Easter Bunny. The adults were all in bed by 10pm. Man we're old. About 10-12 years ago at 10pm we were all just getting ready to go out for the evening. Ahh how times change!

Matthew was kind enough to come downstairs and alert us that the Easter Bunny had been to the house and that Emma, Logan and Tyler should come upstairs and see their baskets.

Logan trying to reach his....... 'who put the short guy's basket up on the shelf?'

The kids in front of their crafty art projects...

Then it was time to head outdoors for the Easter Egg hunt. They kids were all excited but not one of them had any idea what an Easter Egg hunt was. They yelled and cheered when we told them though....

Matthew and Emma were quick to catch on.

Luke was right behind them.

Logan was doing just fine on his own.

The whole gang outside.

It was a nice weekend away and good to spend time with our friends and for our kids to spend time with their kids. Now if we could just convince them to move closer so we could hang out more often..... Brent? Becky? Whaddaya think?

Happy Easter!

Marley & Me

(We had a great weekend up in Bemidji....pictures and stories to follow.)

But, to end our weekend, Kirby and I were finally able to find/create time to watch Marley & Me last night. Our daycare provided was kind enough to lend us the movie last week and told a cute story of her 14 year old son openly crying at the end. I think she is secretly trying to 'test' Kirby to see if the tough marine/6th grade teacher can watch it without shedding a few tears.

I had read the book last Christmas and was also able to see the movie in the theater with my pal Becky and bawled/cried of course. The book had been passed onto my husband whom I had encouraged to read an actual book that wasn't about hunting/fishing. I asked last night if he had even opened the cover and his reply was "I looked at the pictures." (with a cheesy grin)

It was my goal this time to not cry because I knew what was going to happen and knew where all the sad parts were. Yeah-that didn't happen. I cried again. I think being a dog owner and really loving your dog and having a heart-there's just no way you could not cry. As Gunner is snoring on the floor across the room from us, it was hard to not think of what fun we've had with him watching him grow up into the great family dog that he is. (I admit, I'm not perfect and yes Gunner does get on my nerves at least once a day with his barking or all the dog hair he puts on my clothes or his big body knocking me over when I'm trying to get downstairs, etc.)

I think the best line in the movie is towards the end and it's something similar to Marley loving them everyday-no matter what they did or said to him, he loved them everyday.

I don't know if Kirby cried or not but I do know that when Gunner jumped up on the bed last night to curl up between us, that Kirby didn't kick him off.

So, the point of my post is that..... I don't need another dog Kirby. (I have been dropping hints, okay, strong hints that we should get another dog/puppy to Kirby in the past few weeks. So far Kirby has been resisting my charms but I think he was starting to weaken just a bit.)

Gunner is all I/we need.

Hell's Kitchen

Let me get right to the point! Emeril Lagasse I am not. As a matter of fact, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I even know who "that guy" is. 

I view my relationship with food as a strictly business transaction. While being raised by a mother and step-father that were over-the-road truck drivers, I learned that eating is something that you do quickly and with a purpose so as to get back to knocking out the miles of life. My beloved Marine Corps only cemented those ideas that food was something we needed -  although we didn't need to enjoy it. Want some instant entertainment? Watch a platoon of Marines dismantle the Chow Hall in the matter of minutes and be on their way.

Please don't get the impression that I don't like food or somehow don't enjoy eating. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I have multiple favorites that include Ma's Biscuits and Gravy, Michele's Chicken Dumpling Soup and Rose's Tater Tot Hot Dish. It's in the Preparation Department where I lack serious skills. To me, every kitchen may as well be Hell's Kitchen.

I think I'm guilty of False Advertising. You see, when I was courting my bride in the Ol' College Days, I invited her and a friend out to the lake house for a meal on me. The image is burned into my memory banks as perhaps the time when Michele may have subconsciously thought that she was embarking on a relationship with a fella that knew his way around the kitchen. This "Rocco DiSpirito" must now confess that the dinner delicacy that I whipped up for Becky and Michele that night in 2001 was one of those "meals-in-a-bag" concoctions. You know the mix of chicken and vegetables that merely requires a warm body to assemble a frying pan and that magical puck of sauces to be melted and stirred into the mess. I had not fussed over a garden for fresh vegetables. I did not raise, slaughter and season the chicken myself. I knew nothing of the contents of the magical puck. I only knew that enough fire would get me pointed in the right direction.

I won the girl.

But now 6 years into our wonderful marriage I am overcome with grief on a routine basis when I am asked to assemble anything remotely close to a unique and dynamic meal. I am completely honest when saying that my parents did not show me the mysterious ways of a kitchen. But as an adult I know that Ignorance is not an Excuse. I must be a "take charge" kind of guy and give it a sporting chance. And so I do. A few times there have been small triumphs. A "beer-can chicken" here or a "wild turkey Kabob" there.... but nothing to hang my hat on. 

I have a college degree and can follow SIMPLE instructions but have learned through this difficult process that unless things are EXACTLY as they are printed in the directions, I tend to stumble and fall. Contrary to popular belief, Marines are not Robots. They are trained to Improvise, Adapt and Overcome. I am proud to say that I am generally able to identify with that. However, when it comes to making dinner, if there is any Improvising to be done I am instantly thrown into a small panic attack. Seriously. Ask Michele. She politely giggles and offers support over the phone. I can hear the sincerity in her voice when she tells me that "it's not that hard honey." I can also hear the anguish as she realizes that the man that she married simply doesn't know that Soy Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce are two different things. Meal preparation is not in my Skill Set.

With food I tend to look at the Cost/Benefit Analysis. I struggle to see the need to put myself through the heartache I've come to associate with the kitchen when it rarely takes me more than 5 minutes to eat. I am the Marine son of a truck driver. This may be the perfect storm of high chloresterol waiting to happen -  I know. My caveman ancestors are also to blame for passing on their Ancient Kirby Family Recipe....

Kill

Add Fire

Eat

Repeat.

I will continue to TRY dear. I'm sorry the Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki (whatever the hell it's called) didn't work out. I ate it but that's not saying much. 

Logan did too but like Mikey - he'll eat anything. 

I appreciate all that you do for us. I love you -

 sincerely,

Your Wolfgang Puck wannabe

p.s.

The CornDogs are in the fridge.