Is he dead? No just bored.

I know, I'm totally that person that talks about their dog all the time. I even annoy myself at times. But really, Tucker has got to be the most special needs funniest dog of all times.


Tucker is in his kennel throughout the day because he's naughty and we don't trust him to be alone. Usually when we go downstairs to let him out after work he's sitting and waiting and panting and smiling.

Apparently Andy got home a few minutes early today and Tucker was not ready to get out of his kennel. Andy actually thought he was dead. Nope, he's just a lazy ass 4 year old lab. He didn't move as Andy reached to his pocket, took out his phone and snapped this shot.

Mama Vicki

If you know me, you know have this mom named Vicki. Vic called me yesterday and without giving a reason why, she asked me to come over after work. Now, I get this phone call from time to time and I never know what I’ll be getting when I get there…

Mama Vicki is the kind of mom that would pretty much do anything for her kids.

Mama Vicki is the kind of mom that if you say in passing you like or dislike something she will make sure you see that item again or never see that item again. Like Andy, he mentioned he liked my mom’s brownies and now there is a fresh batch of brownies whenever we go to their house. Or Kristy, isn’t so much a fan of red meat, so along with the main dish, there is a little piece of salmon just for her.

Mama Vicki is the kind of mom that carries dog treats in her pockets when she visits, even though she’s a little allergic to her grandpuppies.

Mama Vicki is the kind of mom that all through college would send me cards, but write on a sticky note inside the card so that I could reuse it for someone else. (And there was always a filled out Subway Card tucked inside, even better.)

Mama Vicki is the kind of mom that even though I’m almost 29 years old, bought me my favorite candies from a bulk candy store the last time she was in Vegas.

So when I told mom that Andy and I were hot for oranges but didn’t have an orange peeler – you know that stick with the curve at the end that was always just in your silverware drawer when you grew up? Ours was orange, Andy’s was yellow – Mama Vicki just gave us hers.

Unfortunately, we somehow lost that thing within 3 days. Damnit. I searched high and low and we must have just tossed it out with the orange peels one night. I then searched the Fargo/Moorhead area for another one and don’t waste your time people, they don’t exist.

…So I arrived at Mom’s this evening, wondering what she might have for me. A new orange peeler! (2 actually) Tupperware, who knew?! And a classy purple!

And Mom said, if I lose this one, she has 8 more because she had to buy them in bulk. Now that’s a mama.

Birthday Party!

It's official. I'm old. I attended my first 30th birthday party celebration. The victim, Liz - who is just celebrating the 1st Anniversary of her 29th birthday. Liz and Josh rented out a suite at the Radisson and catered in from Stella's. I could have eaten an entire loaf of bread, ok I did almost eat an entire loaf of bread. Carbo loaded, we headed out downtown.

There were lots of friends out celebrating, even Kris and Nate came in from the Biz, Uncle Larson was out in full force and even my favorite party goer made an appearance: Fun Andy. I would love to post some pics of elusive Fun Andy, but Husband Andy says it's not allowed. Boo huh!?
Here are some others from the night:

Blackout

Our power was out for two hours last night. The whole neighborhood was pitch black. The house was silent. No TV, no DVR, no internet, no lights, no heat. We hung out by candlelight, navigated by flashlight and waited for the power to come back on. I won’t go into detail on how we entertained ourselves; it isn’t that kind of blog.

It’s crazy how dependent we are on those everyday things. I get home from work, immediately turn on the TV, just to have some background noise. I turn on my favorite light. Yes, I have a favorite light. It’s the one above the sink. I don’t know why, but it has to be on when I’m home. I sit down at the computer and check my Facebook, blogs and bank account. I use lights in every room, the microwave and the landline. I try to be a tree hugger, energy efficient when possible, but really all of these things are pretty basic.

Andy asked if he thought we could survive without power. I would love to say yes, we could handle that; we would spend hours reading and talking about our feelings - mid sentence Andy was already surfing the internet on his phone. Oh technology, what would we do without you?

At 10:30 the power came back to us and thankfully I didn’t have to think about what I would do the next morning without power. No ironing for Andy. No blowdryer, no straightener, just candlelight for make-up application. I think we’re all thankful the power came back!

Pre V-Day

Saturday night was the reveal of Operation Sneaky Pete.

Peter, one of my favorite employees (I like them all equally of course) is leaving for CHINA...yes, the Orient.

Jeana, a fellow GCBer and bestie of Peter, planned a surprise Fun Bus party for Peter. And unfortunately it's frowned upon for the boss to get Fun Bus Drunk with her employees, so I had to just meet everyone out for a drink.

Alicia, Pam and I met the kids at the 3 Lyons Pub. We had a terrible waitress, but great nachos, great conversation and great drinks of course. The kids headed off into the night and the old ladies headed home...pretty sure we felt better in the morning though. :)

Pam, Kels, Peter and Alicia

and a little plug for my brother: http://www.thefunbus.net/

2010 A.Dvr.

Remember when you didn't have a DVR? And you planned your night around TV? You had to get errands run and get home by the time whatever amazing show was on, like Dawson's Creek or Friends. Or heaven forbid two of your faves were on at the same time and you had to flip between the two during commercials?

Not so much now with the invention of the amazing DVR, which ranks right up there with Astrostart. Now I find myself trying to skip my show for at least 20 minutes, so I can jump in and fast forward through all the commercials. And then, has it ever happened that you're watching regular TV and automatically you pick up the remote and try to fast forward through the commercial - only to realize you're watching it live? So disappointing.

The only problem I have with the DVR is that now I watch too many shows. I used to have a handful of faves that I couldn't live without. Now that list just keeps expanding. It's just so easy to set a series recording and by the end of the week you have a dozen shows to catch up on! Pathetic as it is, last night Andy and I were forced to watch TV downstairs, because the DVR upstairs was recording too many shows at once for us to be on a different channel. Damn Survivor and its 2 hour premiere.

So this weekend, I will be catching up on all of my favorites: High School Reunion, Millionaire Matchmaker, The Deep End, Greys, Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters, The Good Wife, a handful of Chelsea Latelys, some Oprahs, The Family Guy, and the 16 and Pregnant Reunion Show.

Don't judge me, I live in North Dakota and it's supposed to be 10 above today, there's nothing more productive that I could be doing.

SuperBowl Sunday

It was a lazy day at the casa de Fellows this Sunday. Watching it snow, trying our hand at homemade pizza and waiting for the Superbowl. Andy was waiting for football and I was waiting for commercials and the Puppy Bowl.

Well, the commercials were terrible as was the half time entertainment. What happened to wardrobe malfunctions and nip slips of Superbowl's past? The Who? No really, the who?? Not even all the lasers, lights and fireworks kept me from dozing off.

The best commercial was the preview that showed Jeff and Jordan - last season's Big Brother showmance couple - returning to reality tv in the next Amazing Race. I'm so very excited about this. I'm not an avid Amazing Race watcher, but I will be this season, so thanks for that CBS!

And with Andy in the man basement actually watching the football game, I had to rely on my favorite cuddle buddy to watch tv with me keep my feet warm. He's not actually allowed on the couch, but how can you resist this face?

Red Wine & Bleu Cheese Burgers

Here is the recipe for the Bleu Cheese burgers from a few posts ago. Alicia, I hope they make Super Bowl Sunday that much more amazing.

2 lb ground beef
3 green onions
2 tsp grill seasoning: McCormicks Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c red wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 c buttermilk
1 c bleu cheese
1 tsp hot sauce


Combine the ground beef, onions, seasoning, worc. and red wine in a bowl. Thoroughly combine. Split into 4 parts. Heat skillet med/high heat with the olive oil. Add patties and cook 4-5 minutes on each side. While burgers cook prepare bleu cheese sauce:

Combine buttermilk, bleu cheese, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly.

Place burgers on toasted bun, top with bleu cheese sauce.

So like described previously, the skillet situation did not work well for me. The George Foreman was awesome though. I halved the burger recipe and sauce recipe as well...and my main tip is to not open bleu cheese prior to cooking - I almost ate it ALL before getting it to the sauce - oh and of course drink the remaining wine.

(And do I look like an a-hole for spelling Bleu like this? I thought that was how you spelled it?)

She's come a long way since Speed

I heart Sandra Bullock.

I think I’ve always like her, but I really love her ever since I saw The Blindside. She always looks amazing on the Red Carpet and her acceptance speeches are to die for. I mean, she said bullsh*t at the live Critic’s Choice Awards and then made out with Meryl Streep and at the Golden Globes she mouthed a big F-Bomb when they called her name. Could she be any funnier? And the fact that she is still madly in love with her husband makes me happy.

My new found love for Sandra Bullock is also making me love this award season, well it’s that or the endless winter cold that has me in a perma lockdown at home.

I’ll be intently watching the Oscars in March hoping Sandra Bullock sweeps the Award Season – I also have a special place in my heart for Steve Martin so the night just couldn’t get any better.


And her reaction to her Oscar nomination is another reason I heart her: “When asked how she would prepare for the Oscars, Bullock joked, ‘I do believe some liposuction is in order, a very strict diet regime, and I will acquire a very light English accent.’”

And in other celebrity gossip, it appears that Chelsea and her long time lover have called it quits. I need to give her a call and see if this is true.