When Texas Freezes Over, Head to the Inaugural Ball

Last Thursday, Jon and I found out that his office was giving us tickets to the 2007 Texas Governor's Inaugural Ball on my birthday - January 16th (my 30th by the way). We thought, sweet! Free food, free drinks, meet some of Jon's fellow Republicans. It was also a good business opportunity for Jon. We immediately realized we had some important tasks to get done before Tuesday. I needed a floor-length ballgown, Jon needed to rent a tuxedo, we had to get the tickets from a girl who got the tickets from a guy who got the tickets from another guy...you get the idea, we had a lot to do. As the weekend progressed, I realized that all ball gowns are designed for 6-foot-tall women. Ok, no biggie, I'll just buy one and run it out to my mother-in-law to hem it for me. So what if she lives 45 minutes away, it's free. Jon's tux was a little easier to come by once we found a shop that could measure him on Sunday and get us the tux on Tuesday. Everything was falling into place.

That was, until the "Great Ice Storm of 2007" wreaked havoc on the City of Austin. It started Sunday, on my way back from dropping off the gown, and continued to keep us essentially trapped in our house for the next three days. See, what happens around here, is you get a full day of pounding rain followed by three days of below freezing temperatures. The kicker is, even though it's below freezing - it keeps raining. So now it's raining ice. Then it started snowing. All of these people were freaking out in the streets, rushing out to show their children what snow looks like. All of the Colorado people are laughing their asses off right now because they are still buried under about 7 feet of real snow. Honestly, I would take 7 feet of snow over 1/2" of solid ice any day. Here are a couple more photos of the frozen plants around our house as well as a photo of the ice chunk Jon pryed off my car:

If you've done the math, you've realized that the ice storm coincided with our plans to attend the inaugural ball. You may also recall that I dropped my gown off 45 minutes away and Jon has yet to pick up his tuxedo. When Tuesday arrived, we were certain the event would be cancelled. We were disappointed since we'd both spent money on attire and had been looking forward to the event for days. As the day went on, there was no word of a cancellation. See, this made it even worse, since we would feel extra disappointed if it wasn't cancelled but we still missed it. It didn't help that I had been calling the tux shop all day and they still hadn't opened. Jon started making his way out to his parent's house to get my gown (a 45 minute drive that was looking like it would take 2 hours with the weather) and had just decided to turn around, come home, and we would skip the whole thing. No gown to wear, no tux to wear, roads were barely drivable - it didn't look good. Moments later, all of the threatening phone messages that I left at the tux shop payed off when I got a call that they were opening for one hour so all of the partygoers could get their tuxes. Jon turned around, I rushed out the door to get the tux, and we scrambled like mad to get ourselves ready.

This story is getting a little long, so I'll cut to the highlights and the lowlights (not many of those!) of the evening:

Highlights:

An enormous map of the State of Texas. Who doesn't want their picture taken in front of one of these babies?

This guy won the Congressional Medal of Honor. We can't remember his name, but he was a cool guy. He looks unhappy, but I think he was just really uncomfortable due to the massive amount of metal hanging off his jacket. We're pretty sure he was having a good time.

At the afterparty, we met a 3-Star Marine General. He was very nice and equally hilarious (ask Jon about the General's now-famous men's room quote).

Finally got a copy of our picture with Governor Perry (courtesy of David Hill Photography). He's a nice guy and was gracious enough to let everyone in the room grab him for a photo.

Last, but certainly not least, our new friend, Buttons McGee. It would be rude of us to use his real name, but that just gives you all a reason to call us up down here for once in your life. We met Buttons on our way out of the ballroom as we were heading to the afterparty. He was selling political buttons (hence the nickname) and Jon of course needed to buy one as a souvenir. We caught up with him there, and he became our favorite person in the room. We even found out that he used to live in the Highlands (all of you Denver people know where that is). Crazy.

Lowlights:

Unfortunately, the night did have a couple of lowlights. The biggest for me would have to be the performance by the evenings headliner. And who else to headline a massive Republican gathering in Texas but Ted Nugent. I apologize to all of our hardcore Ted Nugent fan readers, but anyone who comes out on stage at an otherwise elegant function wearing a Stars 'n Bars sleeveless t-shirt, playing an American flag guitar, screaming at the top of his lungs about how much he loves 'W' and the Republic of Texas while simultaneously showing images of him and his buddies shooting deer on his latest bowhunting trip is an f-ing idiot. I giggled the whole time I took these photos. Until I saw the dead deer - then I cursed and left.

I couldn't publish this post without including this priceless piece of journalism sent to me by my good friends Dawn and Kent. They read about Ted's (unfortunately) unforgettable performance all the way in Wyoming (click on it for a larger version):

After some slurred goodbye's and a short cab ride, we were back at our house. By this time we'd indulged in plenty of the governor's libations, so we left Jon's car at the hotel. Unfortunately, our house key was in Jon's car - at the hotel. We had a couple of choices here: I could either hang out with our neighbors next door (who were up watching a movie) in an uncomfortable and embarrassing buzzed silence while Jon broke into our house, or I could count on the last couple of vodka tonics I drank to keep me warm while I sat on the front stoop while Jon broke into our house. I chose to avoid the embarrassing silence. Jon was surprisingly adept at ripping the screen off and getting us in there. For your enjoyment, he documented his escapade:

I think maybe we're going to lose some of our security deposit.

New Year's 2006

I managed to take zero pictures while we were with my family for Christmas. Here are a few from our New Year's celebration. Kona was the unofficial mascot of the New Year.

Kona with Mom.

Kona with Dad.

Mike doesn't look as happy to see Kona.

The infamous coaster-dodging incident.

This hideous creature is the Northwoods Pirate Monkey Staff:

I do not know if that is real fur, I do not know what kind of animal skull it is made of, and I do not know how said animal met its demise. All I know is that Jon would not leave a truckstop in Southern Minnesota without buying the damn thing. Ask him how much it cost. Go ahead. Ask him.

Christmas in Texas

Since we are traveling to Minneapolis for Christmas this year, we had Christmas with Jon's family last Friday. The weekend before Christmas, I decided it would be a fun idea to bake cookies with our niece and nephew. My niece had a ball, and my nephew got into the cookie decorating in between bouts of X-Box playing. The cookies turned out awesome if you could get past the fact that most of the sprinkles were in one large heap in the center of the cookie. But who am I to judge the artistic musings of a four- and seven-year-old?


I made them little aprons with their names on them to use when we do projects at our house. Oh yeah, who's the cool aunt? Me.


The finished products displayed at our family Christmas gathering.


Our tree and some of our Christmas decor.


We gave our niece a tea set that was a big hit. The coasters doubled as bundt cakes - mmmmm, bundt cake.

In honor of our new home state

I die laughing every time I hear this on the radio out here.

Bud Light's Real Men of Genius Mr. Way Too Proud of Texas Guy. You don't have to live here to find it funny, but it does take on new meaning when you do.

See ya

I should probably let everyone know that I survived the gallbladder surgery. It was fairly uneventful, really. I was able to go home the same night (in a decent amount of pain covered by a Vicadin-induced stupor), and by the following Friday I felt well enough to leave the house for some errands. In case you are into this kind of thing, here is a link to my surgery photos: http://tinyurl.com/y6sukj. Some people have found them fascinating, others notsomuch. My squeamish friends should probably avoid them.

The house is now completely packed up, and the movers will be here tomorrow to take everything down to Austin. Not much else to say here really. It's sad to leave, it's happy to finally get down there. I've worked in the same office for six years and can only hope the people at my new office will be just as great. We've had a lot of help from our friends these past few months, and at times it feels wrong that they put so much effort and their own time into helping us move farther away.

Gallbladder Surgery - Everybody's Doing It

...aaaaaannd I need to have my gallbladder removed. It turns out the excruciating upper abdominal pains I have been experiencing for the past couple of months are not stress-related heartburn. Who knew, right? If you want the whole down and dirty saga leading up to the decision to ditch my defective organ, drop me an email. The bottom line is - it's gotta go. Since a lot of family and friends have had questions for me, I compiled some information that might interest you (or completely freak you out, whichever). Info from Mayoclinic.com:

Where is my gallbladder and what the hell does it do?
The gallbladder is a structure on the underside of the liver on the right side of the abdomen. The function of the gallbladder is to store bile that is produced in the liver before the bile is secreted into the intestines. Bile secreted into the intestines helps the body digest fats.



What are gallstones?
Like many people, you may have gallstones and not know it. In fact, gallstones — solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder or nearby bile ducts — often cause no symptoms and require no treatment. But some people with gallstones will have a gallbladder attack that can cause symptoms such as nausea and an intense, steady ache in their upper middle or upper right abdomen. In some cases, the pain can be severe and intermittent.

How do I know if my gallbladder is crapping out on me?
You may not know you have gallstones until they're discovered during tests done for other reasons. But sometimes gallstones may cause certain signs and symptoms:

- Sudden, steady and moderate to intense pain in your upper middle or upper right abdomen. This may signal a gallbladder attack. The pain may occur one to two hours after eating but may also occur at other times — even at night. It can last from 15 to 30 minutes to several hours. Gallbladder pain starts in your upper middle or upper right abdomen and, on occasion, may shift to your back or right shoulder blade. After the pain subsides, you might have a mild aching or soreness in your upper abdomen that can last for up to a day or so. Gallbladder attacks tend to occur infrequently — weeks, months or even years apart.

- Nausea and vomiting. These signs and symptoms may accompany a gallbladder attack.

What is the treatment?
Laparoscopic surgery. Most often gallbladder surgery is performed using a laparoscope, a pencil-thin tube with its own lighting system and miniature video camera. A surgeon inserts the laparoscope into your abdomen through a hollow instrument (cannula). Only small incisions are required. The video camera then produces a magnified view on a television monitor of the inside of your abdomen. This allows the surgeon to see the surgery in detail. To remove your gallbladder, he or she uses tiny instruments inserted through several other small abdominal incisions. Because laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) uses smaller incisions, you'll likely have less postoperative pain, less scarring and an earlier return to your normal activity — often within just a few days. Laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder is effective in the majority of cases.

Is the surgery safe?
Every year, about 500,000 people have their gallbladders removed. The gallbladder is not an essential organ, and even today, only surgical removal of the gallbladder guarantees that the patient will not suffer a recurrence of gallstones.

When are you having your surgery?
Not sure yet. I should know in a day or two. I am also not sure if I will need to have it before or after I leave Denver for Austin. Stay tuned to the ongoing saga of Shannon's gallbladder...

Wanna see the new crib?

I thought it might be fun for everyone to see some photos of the house we will be renting in Austin. It is just a couple of miles from downtown and close to both of our offices. All of these photos show the owner's belongings and are from the rental listing. We, of course, have a lot cooler stuff to put in there. Enjoy!


Front


Living Room


Dining Room


Kitchen


Back patio/yard (a.k.a. Kona's Domain)


Back

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been awhile since the last real update, but we've been pretty busy moving pets around (they now live in Austin and are anxiously awaiting our arrival I'm sure) and getting our house ready to go on the market. Sorry to say, there is not much else to tell on the move right now. Finding a rental house to our liking in Austin is proving much more difficult than we had anticipated. Apparently, this is one of the hot places to move in the country and the good houses are flying off the shelves faster than we can apply for them.

I have been so busy, I almost forgot to post a photo from the heavily anticipated Wedding #5 in New Jersey. I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely area in New Jersey where Julie and Sam held their wedding reception. Lots of nice trees, a big old mansion, great food. I'm not sure New Jersey is a place I would ever relocate to, but they love it and that's what matters.

Leaving the chapel. Aw, aren't they cute?


Only other halfway decent photo I have of the happy couple.

Next big event: Jon and I are throwing ourselves a going-away party to see all of our Colorado friends once more before we skip town. I guarantee there will be some winning shots from that one.

Our Soon-to-Be New Home.

More details to follow...we promise.


Source: mydreamhome-austintx.com

Say NO to mass dog slaughter in China!

Don't mean to get all politcal on everybody, but this really bothers me. As of this morning, a second Chinese city has begun a mass killing of an estimated 500,000 dogs. If you haven't already signed this petition, please do so. Every signature helps.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/131317412?ltl=1154704207

Text/Photo from the petition website:

Officials in a southwestern Chinese county brutally slaughtered 50,000 dogs in a government-ordered crackdown after three people died of rabies. Dogs being walked were seized from their owners and beaten to death on the spot. Killing teams also entered villages at night creating noise to get dogs barking, and then beat the animals to death. Had the government been more attentive and proactive about rabies vaccination, the killings wouldn’t have been necessary. Only 3 percent of dogs are vaccinated against rabies and more than 2,000 people die of the disease each year. Regardless of culture, the brutal killing of innocent life, human or not, is unacceptable. This must not happen again in the future! It is essential that the Chinese government place an emphasis on widespread rabies vaccination to ensure human health and prevent the unnecessary loss of animal life. Sign this petition to call on the US Ambassador to China, Clark T. Randt, to urge the Chinese government to adopt rabies prevention as a rule.

Blog Entry for Christine

...and all the rest of our nerdy (raising my hand) friends. I can't take credit for this list since Christine actually compiled it, but I decided it warrants a post. I keep it on the wall in my office for when I need a laugh. Keep in mind that every single one of these quotes were actually said in class.

Collection of Quotes from Our Freshman Calculus Professor

"I guess that you've noticed by now that 'sine' and 'cosine' are the same word, it's just that one has 'co' in front of it."

"I've got to get rid of that case of Jack Daniel's in my office."

"We have two things left to do with inverse trig functions, and they're both _really_ strange."

"All of the stuff I've done today is really confusing..."

"I'd rather not talk about this right now because it's a pretty confusing subject."

"Elvis appeared to me in a dream last night. He said, 'no more real long homework assignments.'"

"Pretend I'm dragging something heavy across the floor. Say, Arnold Schwarzenegger's leg...."

"The nice thing about the topic we're going to do today is that you don't need to know it."

"Of course now you're screwed if you don't know how to do this integral."

"The integral looks like a big S. Let's call it 'big S.' The rest is just junk. Let's call it 'junk.' So you get '2 x S = junk.'"

"Does this mean ln of x plus x? No, it means ln of x plus x."

"If there's one topic that you're not going to study, this should be it."

"So basically I'd say nonsense equals nonsense. But it's still right."

"Unless you have a good reason for not doing this..."

"Now we use the junk method, and this is the junk."

"Wait a minute... I don't want to do something stupid here."

"Here's where the fun begins!"

"I can't explain it very well, so you certainly wouldn't get a good explanation from another student."

Wedding #4 - Check.

The summer of 2006 wedding season is beginning to wind down. We just returned home from Wedding #4 of 5 - Jon's cousin Jessica and her new husband Chris. The setting was a historical hall at the University Tampa, FL. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. Jessica and Chris' wedding was preceded by the wedding of Shannon's cousin Nick and his new wife Laura in Minneapolis, MN. Oh, but there's more. Shannon also attended the wedding the weekend before that of her friend Ryan and his lovely wife Carrie. Since everyone loves other people's wedding photos, here are a few for you to check out.

Ryan & Carrie - June 18, 2006

Leaving the church.


Carrie's bouquet flying directly into the chandelier.


I'll give you $100 if you can prove you've seen a llama favor before.

Nick & Laura - June 24, 2006

First dance.


Partying in the limo.


Shannon's clan.


Grandpa & Shannon

Jessica & Chris - July 1, 2006

The happy couple. Her mother made the gown!


Our niece - Jade. Go ahead, ask her if she wants to put the dress on.


Our nephew Jax caught the garter.


Mmmm...cake...


Jessica & Jon


A wonderfully flattering picture of Derek.


That's better.


Bob, Beth, and Chuck probably plotting when
there will be more grandchildren.

That's all for now! Next up - a wedding in beautiful Pomptom Plains, New Jersey. See you on the East Coast.

Email From Our Friend Chris

Friends/Colleagues/Family -

Most of you probably know by now that I got in a terrible accident on Wednesday AM on the way to work. I am in a good amount of pain right now, but it pales in comparison to what could have happened to me.

I wanted to send you all these pictures to give you a visual example of what can happen when you take your eyes off the road for 2 seconds. In my case I was sending an email out. I'll warn you - my car is a twisted hunk of metal so if that may bother you than don't open these. I am extremely lucky to be walking and talking right now.

Please let my mistake be a lesson for everyone. Every time you get in your car I beg of you to please:

1 - put on your seatbelt - even if you are just running to the store around the corner
2 - there is no email or text message that cannot wait until you are not driving. Nothing is that important.

Feel free to send this to your wives, husbands, friends, anyone - to show them the end result of not paying 100% attention to the road when you are driving.

You all know that I'm always joking around, but I cannot be more serious about this. I would hate to lose any of you to a situation like this that can easily be avoided.

Buckle Up Please - it saved my life.

Take care

Chris

Cowboy Quote

We are all travelers in this world...
From the Sweet Grass, to the Packing house.
From Birth to Death. Traveling between Eternities...
Now take your Canteen and Tin of Crackers, and 'Git.

-- Robert Duvall as Print Ritter in Broken Trail (adapted)

Here, Learn Something

I felt like adding something to the blog, but since I am in limbo between Summer Wedding #2 and #3 (of 5), I have no interesting events to recap. In lieu of a story, I have chosen to post something potentially useful:

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet
(you know you want to know how to do this)

1. Spread out the sheet with the elastic facing up and all edges folded in.
2. Fold the sheet in half (bottom to top) and place the two bottom corners inside the two top corners. Then smooth out the sheet so that it resembles a semicircle.
3. Fold the sheet in half horizontally, turning it over so the elastic corners are on the bottom.
4. Fold the sheet into thirds, horizontally. Then fold it in thirds lengthwise. Voila -- You should have a perfect square!

-- Courtesy of Springmaid Home Fashions

How About Some Random Pictures?

I just had a chance to upload some new pictures. There is really no rhyme, reason, or story here. Just good clean photo fun. Enjoy!

Shannon's graduation ceremony on May 12, 2006.

Jon and Kona

Jon, Shannon, Louriann, and Mac in Hawaii.

My cousin Jamie's wedding and her new husband, Brian.

Spend Your Money Here

Last year, my sister and brother-in-law took a chance on a dream and purchased a gift shop (with much more than just gifts inside!) in a town called Emily, MN. If you can't tell already, this blog entry is shaping into a shameless plug for their store - the Rustic River Trading Company. The risk they took in opening the store paid off in more ways than one. Not only has the business thrived by bringing amazing North Woods inspired furniture, artwork, clothing, and artwork to the Brainerd Lakes Area, it completely changed their formerly urban lifestyle. They became an important part of Minnesota community that relies on quality businesses like the Rustic River Trading Company to attract tourism (and keep all those fishermen's and hunters' wives and daughters happy).

Here's the shameless plug part: go there and spend money! Come on all you Minnesotans that read this blog from time to time, get up there and send that Minnesota hoodie to your college roommate freezing his butt off on the East Coast. Ladies, ditch your guys on the lake and stop in for some gourmet coffee and some handmade jewelry. Support my sister and brother-in-law and have some fun doing it. They work really hard to make customers happy because they know how they want to be treated as consumers. The best part - no mosquitoes inside the store!

Visit their brand new website with pictures, maps, and contact information! http://www.rusticrivertradingcompany.com/