Bomb Threats and Cowboy boots

I wore my cowboy boots this morning (given to me by Chuck's sister Katie!) as a symbol of my desire to kick butt today at school. I had a beast of a paper to finish and hand in... I finished it in record time (well considering it was already a day late :)

Then my night class was just cancelled because someone made a bomb threat on the West Bank of campus. I don't know why people feel the need to cause such pandemonium and fear in the hearts of faculty and students. However I would like to publicly thank the crazy bomb threat stranger for saving me the 3 hours in Management lecture. I hope you were just some bored burnout joking around with your friends and not a psycho with a bomb.

Please don't actually blow anything up.

The semester is almost over... just have to barrel through finals. My motivation has been limited all semester and it is getting even worse with the summertime and of course my wedding on the horizon. One week to go.... YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Please don't shun me!

Yes, I did just come home from Mexico... but I DO NOT HAVE and am NOT CARRYING the Swine flu... promise. :)

Even though one of my roommates might try to convince you otherwise, I am healthy as can be. All joking aside though this is serious stuff, death toll is over 80 in Mexico City.

However the University of Minnesota Swine Flu Update reported this morning that there have been zero cases reported in Minnesota as of yet. But I am thinking of purchasing my own face mask just in case... I wonder if they come in green?

autotune news

I found this video on another Blog... It cracked me up becuase I have had many conversations with people about how funny I think Autotuned songs are. I think this is pretty clever and quite funny. I am going to have the Katie Couric hook stuck in my head all day.

And just as a side note... the subject matter was not what I found most humourous. I do not support the use of illegal drugs, or gay marriage. Just in case you were wondering.... I would be happy to elabortae that further for anyone who is interested.

Una aventura con mi familia en Mexico.

Hola! Escucha la musica mientras usted lea este post.... es muy bueno.

Well my friends... I finally did it. I left the country and went to Mexico! Drove in actually from El Paso and crossed the border. Which is an interesting experience if you have never had it before. There is definitely no doubt that you are in a new country... everything is so different there. We stayed with Chuck's family in a little town called Colonial Juarez (not to be mistaken with the big scary city where all the drug wars are happening). It is in the State of Chihuahua, which I never knew Mexico had states! Which reminded me how amazed I am that I know so very little about geography!

Chuck's dad actually grew up there (and no he is not Mexican)... his pioneer ancestors settled there long ago and much of Chuck's family still lives there today, including his grandpa, who is the sweetest man and is going to be the one performing our marriage in the temple in May.

The purpose of our trip was to go to Chuck's brothers wedding. Which was in the colonial Juarez temple high up on a hill in the city (absolutely breathtaking).

This trip was quite educational, I learned a lot about Mexico, my family and myself. Where shall I begin.

About Mexico
Mata Ortiz is a tiny little run down town near Colonial Juarez where the famous Juan Mata grew up and discovered he was really really good at making beautiful pots... which now sell for thousands of dollars (US).

We got to go and see how the pots were made and painted... it is crazy pretty much everyone who lives in the town makes amazing pottery. When we pulled in people started coming from everywhere to display their work for us, and try and get us to buy as much as possible. Chuck and I got a pot for our future place together.

I also learned that in Mexico buildings are bright colors... and signs for stores are usually painted on the building.


I especially liked the yellow buildings... so cheerful.


I learned that people in Mexico Love Coca Cola... There was one of these signs painted on almost every store.
Pinatas are not only fun to break, but beautiful to look at.

We also had a chance to go to a workshop where stones were cut and made into jewelry. I was amazed at the colors that come out of the earth, it gave me a greater appreciation for rocks.

About Mi Familia This is Parker... He is Chuck's youngest brother, and probably one of the coolest 12 years old I have ever met. I learned in Mexico that Parker could eat an entire plate full of Milenesa (which is a huge steak pounded flat breaded and fried). Although in the aftermath he looked like he was going to pass out.... but he was back in action in no time flat.

I learned that my new brothers really enjoy rocks too!

Especially showing their brute strength as they pick them up and hurl them into the air. This Dan... the one who got married.


This is my fiance power lifting a boulder... comforting to know that he will be able to protect our family, I mean seriously who would mess with that?


I learned that my soon to be Father in law Mark is full of knowledge and interesting facts.... here he was showing us how to find water in what appeared to be a rock desert.

I learned that Parker likes to play pretend as much as I do... this is us swimming in the pool, it was really a shame that there was no water in it.

I learned that Chuck's sister Katie is a really great mom, full of love and patience. I am glad that I will have her around to give me pointers when I have some babes of my own.

About Myself

I learned that I love the simple life. Yet I love to be busy... kind of a paradox. Even when I am on vactation I like to be out doing, learning, seeing, running and eating. I have been told that the animal that my personality most resembles is the bumble bee... this is a picture of one up in the orchards owned by Chuck's uncles. And I think they life a very simple yet busy life.

I learned that I LOVE botas!!! I wanted to buy a pair of boots so bad, but like a good little out of work college student I resisted. Someday I shall have cowboy boots!!!!

I learned that I am more in Love with Chuck everyday. I am soooooo excited to get married I COULD JUST BURST!!!! I loved being able to see him each and every day... a luxury we don't currently have. I will try to contain myself.... but sometimes I just want to attack him, in a very loving way of course :)

Him and I are going to have a very happy life together, busy, simple, beautiful life.


Ps... Donkey's are not as friendly as I would have imagined. This one tried to bite Chuck's hand off.

Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)

Ok... so my friend Karen showed this to me. I LOVE this video for a couple of reasons. First of all because I have always wanted to be a part of a "happen stance" large group choreographed dance number (the kind that seem to always break out in movies).
But whoever put this together is a genious... I wish I was one of the random people who were there to witness it all happening... I think I would have joined the dance :)

Plus... who doesn't love this song!

Have a happy day... don't forget to dance a little.

5,000!

My site meter hit 5,000 when I was in Mexico!!! I always said I would have some sort of celebration when this happened. Perhaps ice cream after dinner is in order. Thanks to everyone who stops by and reads my ramblings. I have really enjoyed blogging these last two years, and love peeking into other people's blogs to see what they are up to.

Hopefully as I learn more and more about Nutrition I will start a new Blog about food.... Mmmmm food. I haven't eaten lunch yet and I hungry!

Keep on Bloggin!

Ps... Can't wait to tell you all about my Mexican adventures. Karen you will never beleive it, I DID stop by New Mexico, but only for like 30 minutes on a layover.... not nearly enough time to say hello.

Get me outta here!

It is Monday, and yet it feels like Friday. Tomorrow I am leaving for Mexico... chime the mariachi music now. If you had images of me soaking up the sun on the ocean you can erase those... I am going to Colonial Juarez which is far far from the beach (tragic), it is 3 hours south of El Paso Texas. Yet I am going for a very fun and happy occasion. My new soon to be brother in law Dan is getting married, and Chuck and I are going down for the event.

I am excited to escape but no doubt school will slap me in the face hard with an iron glove when I return from missing a week of school... touche... touche.

So in other news I am hours away from completing my wedding invitations and getting them in the mail... wowzers that was a BEAST of a project. I had no idea what kind of an undertaking that was. I guess I never really understood how wedding invitations were created.... My hats off to all those ladies who make really intricate invites... I think you are nuts!!!! I think I am going to have a little ceremony at the mailbox when I send them off to thier various destinations... I have been humbled, and need to have a good cry about it... perhaps I should awkwardly do it IN the post office in front of all the postal workers, they like drama right?

Hasta leugo Muchachos!!! ARIBA! Hope you have a good week while I am eating tortillas and wearing sombreros in the sun.

Love Tacy

Coccinella septempunctata... insects with a hidden agenda.

Do NOT let the polka dots fool you. Lady bugs are on the hunt and they are after YOUR BRAIN!!! It was about 4:00 in the A.M. last night when I subconsciously reached to scratch my ear... I was horrified when my finger came into contact with a small object which was then shoved INTO my ear during my scratch. I awoke with a fright... "WHAT JUST WENT INTO MY EAR!!!!!!" I was horrified, had a hallucinated it... was it nothing, a big ball of ear wax... WHAT!?!??!?!?

As I sat there momentarily in a slight state of confusion, I felt something crawling IN my ear canal. It was so close to my ear drum I could hear every little movement of it's tiny feet. I began to violently shake my head to the side... "Oh please come OUT! GET OUT!" I was envisioning some critter gnawing on my brain... causing me to go deaf... laying eggs of it's prodigy in my head, and many other weird science fiction plots I have seen in the past.

I ran down the stairs in a panic! I was staying at Chuck's parents house and so I ran to wake him up on the couch. "Chuck Wake up! There is a lady bug in my ear!" I laid down on the floor and began once again to shake my head to the side.

And soon after it fell right out. Which was a relief that I could show Chuck the evidence of there being a bug in my ear... instead of just looking like a crazy person shaking my head at 4:00 in the morning.

The whole incident was short lived, however... I am not happy about having one more thing to be nervous about when I fall asleep each night. As if the thought of spiders crawling into my mouth was not enough. Above is a photograph I snapped of the Lady Bug right before I brutally squished him. He really did whisper that in my ear too and let out an evil cackle.

Well looks like I am going to be sleeping with cotton balls in my ears for awhile until I work past this new phobia. I hope you never have to experience this for yourselves.

Sleet, and other confusing indecision's of Mother Nature.

Happy April 6th 2009. I thought I might awake to the peaceful sounds of birds chirping, tulips blooming and the ripe buds of spring bursting forth from the beautiful Minnesotan trees. Yet I found myself driving home last night in the pouring sleet (which if you are not familiar with is a nasty snow rain combination)... and rolling out of bed this morning I opened the blinds to a bright white blanket of snow. I think snow is wonderful yet....

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven..."

-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I just figured with it being April and all we would have moved past the jacket weather, but I live in the frozen north... perhaps I shouldn't get my hopes up so much.

SPRING!!! Where art thou? And why must thy face be hidden from the earth, wenst all I want is to bask in your warm loveliness?

In other weather news... Fargo, North Dakota is still in high water (the Red River Valley is flooding) and they are still expecting another crest when all the snow melts. My sister lives there and she says that it is craziness with all the people filling sandbags, including the National Guard. The Fargo Forum reported:

"Fargo and Moorehead, Minn. -- which sit on opposite sides of the state line -- escaped major damage when the Red River crested at almost 41 feet last Saturday, breaking a record set in 1897. The National Weather Service said Friday there is a good chance the river will crest again at a similar level between April 15 and April 22, ."

Please continue to remember the good people of Fargo in your prayers... Especially Miss Beth Krause :)

Love Tacy