Christmas in January

Last night was my annual work Christmas party, yeah end of January same dif. We rented out a room at the GastroPub and had a great time. With private pool tables, a Wii set up on one of the tvs and the Sioux Hockey game on the projection screen (and a waitress that I'm pretty sure forgot to charge for half my drinks)...what more could you ask for?

A few weeks before this fun Christmas party, it was Jenni and Peter's responsibility to organize and clean out the storage area of our office. Loads and loads of crap were hauled out and the basement now looks amazing. During their nesting session, Peter and Jenni ran across two matching (hideous) two foot tall stuffed snowmen. They wondered if we should keep them and of course I responded over my dead body. Oh who knew my clever little smart asses employees saved these snowmen only to prop them in my vehicle during the party. It was pretty hilarious.

We ended the night at Hooligans (Jeana insisted on riding with me, only to ensure my arrival at the next bar...tricky Jeana, very tricky) where the paparazzi came out in full force. Thanks for the photos Pam, though Andy's missing the top of his head, the flower looks amazing.

what...a day

If my blog had sound you'd be hearing a little Monica circa 1995...It's Just One of Them Days...

Some days (Tuesday to be precise) you wake up and as much as you try to get out on the right side of the bed....you sprint to the phone and trip over your shoes at 6:15 in the morning to hear your employee's voice - calling in sick. Sick, dead, school's opening late...whatever. I now have to haul it to shower (unfortunately I had already pulled the extra-snooze-hair-in-pony look Monday so I had to shower), get ready and drive a solid 15 minutes to get to work to open the bank by 7am...oh and Andy has to snow blow me out of the drive way.

Obviously there was retail therapy needed to survive the rest of the day. Cute top. Score. Super cute dress. Double score. Thanks Macy's. Return to work and Google Bing my new dress to send a picture to Jeana. Oh fun, this dress is also sold at Sears for half the price. Um, WTF Macy's, Marshall Fields, Dayton's...whoever you are now I remember why I hate you.

Add in no breakfast, a really annoying customer that just walked into my office, as I was seconds away from leaving, sure that my employees could not handle her private banking matters (um, yes, yes they can actually that's why they're here), a terrible experience at ghetto Hornbacher's and driving behind the slowest people ever on the way home and I was about to explode.


The only thing to slightly calm my nerves...a package awaiting my arrival at home. I need something cool for Chelsea to sign right?!

You win some...

...and you miserably fail some.

W: The new coffee and end tables we ordered arrived and look amazing!
L: We had to put them together ourselves - damn catalog ordering.

W: In our attempts to stay busy during the so called blizzard, we tried new recipes, one being Red Wine Bleu Cheese Burgers.
L: The smoke was still in the air the next morning from the burger frying debacle. (I don't know if it was the organic meat or too much EVOO, but it was a disaster.)
W: We tried again with the trusty George Foreman and 3 minutes later we had delicious burgers! With a bleu cheese buttermilk sauce, you just can't go wrong!

W: Andy was so bored this weekend he actually wanted to go to the mall.
L: Well, that was just a loss for Andy, not me.

L: While we were at mom and dad's for Sunday night dinner, Tucker "Houdini" Fellows escaped his kennel again - the kennel that has had additional bungee cord reinforcement in place since the last escape.
W: The only thing he ate was the cover to my hair spray.
W: He thoughtfully threw it up on the laminate instead of carpet.

L: The Vikings.
L: Yeah, that's just a loss.

Purple Pride by Default

So apparently there is some football game happening on Sunday?

Just kidding. If you live in the Midwest and you’re not under a rock, you know the Vikings will be playing their hearts out this Sunday trying to prove that this Farve thing hasn’t been a fluke. I’m a Vikings fan by default. I think purple pride was somewhere in our prenup.

Now, Andy isn’t a fool and he’s had his Viking’s heart broken in the past so he’s not getting too worked up about the game…but that is not the case for everyone else. Usually when I’m sick of hearing about sports, I ask Andy to turn off ESPN (whose logo is probably burned into our tv). But now it can’t be avoided as the hype has hit the local new channels, Facebook and even TJMaxx. I scour through the racks at TJMaxx to find the greatest deals on cute things – not VIKINGS apparel! The first rack I saw when I walked in was filled with Vikings crap and there wasn’t even a cute pink Farve jersey in sight, just big bold purple and gold sweatshirts.

Though I’m ready for the hype to be over, I’m excited for another Sunday afternoon spent cheering on the Vikings (aka curled up napping on the couch while the game is on).

*And I was kidding about the prenup by the way. Married at 24 our net worth included tips from Dagwoods, a ton of Pearl Jam crap memorabilia, and a papasan chair.

Dogs are Kids

We dogsat my brother's dog, Hogan, this weekend and it's funny to me how much dogs act like kids. Yeah, that's right. I'll compare my dog to your kid any day.

We all know if Tucker was a real kid, he'd ride the short bus. But I found out this weekend, he'd also be that kid - the annoying one that no matter how much you ignore him, he keeps trying to play with you. Hogan was usually minding his own business each and every time Tucker tried to start a fight. But Hogan, the smart little fella...knew he probably wouldn't win in a fight with someone double his size, so whenTucker came by, he faked a paw injury and hobbled away until Tucker left him alone.

Nobody likes to share, I get it. But when the only bone you want is in the other dog's mouth, it gets annoying. So how does Andy deal with the fighting? You fight - you get no toys. Yep, all bones and toys removed from the house..thanks dad...our kids better have amazing imaginations!

Single child syndrome. Tucker was super protective of mom and very jealous when Hogan got any attention and almost flipped his sh*t when we let Hogan on the couch. Apparently somebody isn't used to sharing his parents either.

Never wake a sleeping dog. The point came in the day when the dogs were played out and finally asleep! But, if you made a sound, both heads perked up. Andy and I whispered our conversations, cheered silently for the Vikes, and I probably developed a bladder infection from not moving off the couch in fear of waking the sleeping pooches.

So again, I say dogs are like kids in lots of ways - but hopefully your 3 year old doesn't weigh 90 pounds, shed constantly or eat his poo on occasion.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

I'm a Chelsea Handler Super Fan and proud of it. I saw her stand up a couple summers ago and laughed my ass off. And I'm going to do it again on April 3rd! This time, from the 5th row. With Josh Wolf as her opener I can't imagine a better way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus than an evening filled with Suck Its, Coslopis talk and other Chelsea-isms.

Cooking Club

I attended another successful cooking club this past Saturday night. Food, friends, drinks and of course some good gossip. We had lots of apps, wine and the most amazing caramel martini you've ever tasted (the good news: it's all alcohol and tastes like a dream...the bad news: it's all alcohol and tastes like a dream). Here is the martini recipe and a yummy blue cheese number from Trisha.




Pam's Holiday Martini
4 oz Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka
3 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz Frangelico

Fill shaker with ice, add liquor, shake and pour through strainer into martini glass. Garnish with caramel or chocolate cubes.

Parmesan-Blue Cheese Toasts
1 C mayo
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 C fresh parmesan cheese
3/4 C crumbled blue cheese

2 baguettes sliced 1/3 inch thick
Olive oil

Combine the first 6 ingredients and blend. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, brush each side of bread slices with olive oil. Bake until golden, about 5 minutes. Add cheese mixture and bake again until topping bubbles, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.


These two are sure to be great additions to any party!!

Questions and Apologies

Questions:

1. Can you use profanity in your blog? If so, this blog is about to become a lot more interesting.

2. What exactly are followers and how do I get more? If you're my follower, I promise never to ask you to drink the Kool-Aid.

3. Now that I'm a blogger, do I need to use the word "musings"? It seems this word is in every blog.

4. Is there a protocol as to how often one should blog? I mean what if I don't have anything to say...

5. What about Facebook? Do I abandon FB and focus solely on my new blog? I don't know if I can come up with quipy one line status updates and blog postings all at the same time!

6. When is the correct time to use the strike out function to cross out a word and replace it with a better funnier one? I see this done a lot and I don't want to be over, under or incorrectly using it!

Apologies:

1. To my friends. If you choose to read my blog, you're probably going to hear my stories more than once, so I apologize in advance.

2. To anyone I will probably offend at sometime. Chances are there will come a time when I forget my mom, grandma and potentially coworkers will be reading this blog, so in advance I apologize for that as well.

3. To my husband. You know I'm going to throw you under the bus in this blog. You do many funny things and I think people should be aware of how silly you really are; I think you'll appreciate it one day. So I apologize in advance to you as well.

On the Wings of LAME

Nothing gets me more excited than seeing Chris Harrison's face telling me this is the most dramatic season of The Bachelor yet...until it was announced that Jake was the new Bachelor. LAME. I'm boycotting this season.

Okay.....well since I have nothing better to do on a Monday night than sit lifeless on the couch for two hours, maybe I'll just take a little peek and see what's going on.

Running on the beach. Half naked. Shower scene. Naked. Using power tools. Half naked. I will admit this guy is not at all bad to look at.

ABC, where did get you the girls this season? Was a VH1 casting call next door? Did you take anyone that stumbled off Bret Michaels' bus? I mean c'mon I thought you had better standards...did one girl actually just say "I'll cut a bitch" within the first 10 minutes of the show?

Alright, this could have potential.

Add in the fact that you have teased me with a little Jillian & Ed and 30 minutes later - I'm hooked and I'll be your faithful viewer one more season - damn ABC you're good!

B-I-N-G-O

The Fellows (and Alicia) decided to start the new year off in a super classy way...playing Bingo in a dive bar in West Fargo. The M&J Saloon...where a Bingo card was $1, a round of Caesars and chasers was $10.05 and the gal next to me was missing her two front teeth.

After playing Bingo for a good 5 hours and Alicia being the only winner of the group, we decided to do the responsible thing and call my parents for a ride home. Once Mom and Dad arrived to drive their nearing 30 daughter, husband and friend home - we thought going to another bar was a better idea. Parents, real impressed I'm sure.

We opted for Mr Gs...it was dead but we had some drinks, played some pool and got "fun Andy" onto the dance floor. All in all it was a great way to bring in the New Year.

What didn't make the blog:

I was awake until 5am because I had a shot made with an energy drink.

I spilled a drink on myself which made its way to my toes via my tall boots.

That gal with no teeth was giving sex tips.

This Blog's for you Alicia.

Yes that’s right, ask and ye shall receive. Alicia has been requesting a blog for quite some time…so I figured 2010 is a good place to start. (You better leave a comment so I know you’re at least reading it.)

I’m not exactly sure what this blog will be about either…but I do know there will be some stories about my Marley-like dog Tucker, my entertaining husband, and life in general I guess. (Trust me, I realize my life isn't that interesting, but sometimes it's routine life that is the most entertaining.)

There is sure to be some sarcasm, maybe a recipe or where I found the latest greatest deal. I’m also open to suggestions!

2010 - full of hope and happiness.