Just a Piece of Quiet

The Vintage Pearl: a few new pieces (in time for Christmas!) GIVEAWAY

2010-11-23T12:59:00.000-06:00

The Vintage Pearl: a few new pieces (in time for Christmas!) GIVEAWAY

Check out this great giveaway!

I can blog via email now!

2010-01-12T13:13:00.001-06:00

Not sure if that is an improvement or something to be avoided, but "hail technology!"

I am still wondering if a blog is a beneficial thing for me. For right now, I'll squeeze it in when I can.

Happy 2010!!

Been awfully quiet around here - for months even!

2009-12-26T23:15:00.002-06:00

Again, still alive, still plugging along, still searching for the meaning of life. (Well, probably not that last one.)
We are spending Christmas with friends in Canada. Surprisingly, the weather is better in Calgary than at home in Minnesota. I hear that we are getting lots of the lovely white stuff. I'm sure we'll be shovelling like mad when we finally get back. (Our housesitter isn't know for her proficiency with a shovel.)
Christmas has been mellow. The kids have friends to play with, the husbands have video games, and my friend and I have duelling laptop keyboards (at least tonight.)
Most of my gifts are still at home under the tree. Dear husband bought me a bunch of lovely things that wouldn't make it through customs. A GPS with topographical maps of the US lead to federal forms to fill out insuring that we would not export said tool. Can't let the Canadians know about the geographical features of the States!! My new knives are also resting quietly at home. I wanted at least one opportunity to carry them before someone tried to take them away.
As usual, I received a lot more from DH than I was able to give him. I'm still waiting for a Christmas list. He took the opportunity to shop for himself on Black Friday and intermittantly between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Leaves me without any ideas of good gifts, as he has taken the "it's on sale, I want it, I will buy it" to a new height this year. :) Well, he'll get gifts whenever he comes up with something he can wait long enough for me to purchase rather than buy for himself.

I don't go back to work until Jan 6th. Woo hoo! I miss my coworkers, but can't say that I am actively missing the job.

New years resolution time is fast approaching - once again, I'll attempt to make blogging a priority - we'll see how successful I manage to be.

My blog doesn't do a very good job of representing me.

2009-10-16T22:28:00.003-05:00

I've had far too little time to devote to making this little piece of the web look like a little piece of me. I've been far too disinterested in making this "cop central" or devoting vast lyrical pieces of writing to the fun and exciting world of law enforcement, although that is a large piece of who I am and what I do.

I'm a wife, a friend, a mom, a sister, a daughter, a crafter, a reader,a homemaker, a crossfitter, a coworker, a believer, a christian, a republican, a scholar, and a deputy sheriff.
At least, that's a bit of me.

I envision changes to this blog, someday, somehow - hopefully soon.

It's been a while

2009-08-18T23:33:00.003-05:00

Well, it appears that I will never been a very proficient blogger, like my good friend Holly. I'll never been the person with whom people check in daily for my pithy insight into life and kids. Darn.

Today was a good day. This "stay at home vacation" we've been taking really isn't too bad. Some sort of fun thing each day and our own beds at night. Not too bad at all.

Anyway, back to today. I got up early, started laundry, and mowed the wilderness around our home. The dog was refusing to do her business in the backyard, for fear of whatever might have been lurking in the underbrush. I was a bit afraid that we'd send her out and she'd never come back. Now, there have been days where that was more a wish than a fear, but she's becoming a pretty pleasant companion, so I think I'd miss her.

Then we went on a family adventure. We went to Taylor's Falls and rented a canoe for the afternoon. We travelled from Interstate Park down to the Osceola landing. We had a few issues with steering and paddling in the beginning. We got it figured out eventually and had a pretty nice trip. I have a few pictures (maybe tomorrow I'll figure out how to post them!) It was a gorgeous day - sunny, breezy, mild temp (70's), with little to no humidity. We saw freshwater mussels, tiny fish, and turtles - we were all impressed with the 8 turtles on one small log in the middle of the trip. We found out that minnows like to eat raisins and mini chocolate chip cookies. :) We made it to the landing just in time for the 3:00 shuttle. (MAJOR overuse of the "we" pronoun - sorry!)

Dinner was a pleasant surprise. I signed up for a sneak peek at SmashBurger in Roseville (it opens officially tomorrow). Our whole dinner was free. Wow! The food was good - SmashFries are excellent - tossed with rosemary, olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Yum! Not even close to my attempts at paleo eating (but the 90 day challenge starting next month should make up for it.)

Now, the girls are in bed, John's killing things in majorly gory ways (Gears of War 2), and I'm actually blogging. We should vacation more often!

I Wish You Enough

2009-05-27T11:13:00.007-05:00

My Dad sent this to me recently.

I've read it before, but I think it bears passing on.

I Wish You Enough

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed.. I wish you enough, too, Mom.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?' 'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'. 'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.

'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

She began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.'

Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH!

I'm still alive - really!

2009-02-26T12:37:00.002-06:00

Life has been.....well, life.
I'm here. I'll blog more about it soon.
Now I have to go clean house. :)

Now I have to create a new cover!!

2009-01-26T18:13:00.002-06:00

Your International Spy Name is Lady Little

Your Code Name: The Pharmacist

You Reside in: Tokyo

Why You're a Good Spy: You have total recall

What's" Your International Spy Name?

Total Recall, huh? My kids better remember that! :)

Hey Baby, let's go to Vegas!

2008-12-14T22:39:00.002-06:00

My darling husband surprised me with tickets to Vegas for our anniversary. I've been so busy and distracted that I haven't had the opportunity to even think about the trip. Well, we leave on Tuesday morning - think it's time to consider planning and packing? HELP!!
Of course we're currently in the middle of our first blizzard of the season - going somewhere with no snow is sounding more and more pleasant.

Face fight

2008-12-09T09:40:00.003-06:00

I got into a face fight with a friend's dog the other day. I'm calling it a face fight because it sounds so much smoother than "bent down to pet the dog who then launched himself upwards like a rabbit on steriods smooshing my face."

Now this is no little yippy dog, no chihuahua, no peekapoo, nothing small enough to put in ones pocket. This is an american bulldog, a breed of dog who's head is just slightly softer than those enshrined on Mount Rushmore. He effectively made mincemeat of my lower lip against my teeth. It was lovely. Blood and ice make for a memorable ending to a day of Christmas cookie baking.

It gets better though. Later that night I noticed that my chin was bruised. It's about the size of a penny. Now I know that doesn't sound like much, after all the penny is the smallest unit of currency that we currently have. But here's an experiment for you: take a penny and tape it to your face - in the area between the point of your chin and your lower lip, slightly right of center. Looks great, doesn't it? It could be a new trend. And the color - wonderful! It was red the first night and dark purple yesterday. I'm hoping for green today, yellow tomorrow, and gone by Friday. Think I could be that lucky?

I'm hoping that if I have to deal with the uneducated public tonight at work, I can say "face fight" fast enough to sound like "fist fight" and not have to explain myself. :)

My dear Rum Drinking friend sent me a meme - here goes!

2008-12-03T22:25:00.003-06:00

Bold the One You've Done
(Now I have to figure out how to BOLD something.)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars - in a tent
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (world?)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee Jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - I think we saw one of these on our cruise.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill - listen, visual impairment is a real illness "I just couldn't see myself going to work today!"
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon - ran a couple of 5K's - wish that would count
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had Chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury - this has a whole different meaning in my career :) translation - "baby-sat a jury"
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake trust me, you wouldn't WANT to.
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Well, 44 of 100 isn't bad - guess I have some work to do!

OOPS - guess I didn't read far enough down on the Great One's meme blog. I did the wrong thing. Oh well - not going to change it. If you want me to put those award box thingies on my blog, you'll have to send them to me personally.

I think I'm going insane (a.k.a. Where's my Piece of Quiet?)

2008-11-25T18:07:00.004-06:00

It seems the more I try and focus, the more scattered I get. I will say it again - MOVING SUCKS. What seemed like a very good idea some time in the beginning of the year, has become the on-going "too many tasks to complete, too little time to succeed" ultimate stress recipe. Now, we like our new neighborhood (what little we've taken the time to see and learn), we like the girls' new school (even after conferences today), the commute to and from work has gotten easier (4 miles from the county line and I get home at night before I fall asleep), but all the "making the house ours" projects that must be done before we completely unpack are making me crazy.
Today I spent the day painting the third garage stall. I still haven't had a chance to get groceries for Thanksgiving, but I managed to put the second coat of paint on the walls and ceiling. Thank God for friends with portable heaters. It was about 30 degrees outside, but I had 65-70 degrees inside and loud music to make the task a bit easier. Hope none of our new neighbors were wandering around outside.
Even with that painting project completed, my "to do" list is still as long as my arm.
Hubby wants me to send out Christmas cards yesterday - I may have mentioned that before - but our Christmas card list is stuck in our desktop computer, which is still not completely unpacked and definately not useable. Yippee.
The kids are out of school this week. We haven't managed to do anything exciting, but they don't seem too concerned. They set up the teepee in the living room today and kept themselves entertained while I painted. No blood, nothing broken, it's all good. Hopefully we'll find something fun to do this week. Not sure yet what that will look like - I've got boot camp, siding and window contractors, and work to keep us occupied all week.
A bit scattered tonight - a cookie for you if you actually made it through this drivel. :)

Just a small correction

2008-11-24T23:31:00.003-06:00

I only have a quick minute, but I wanted to get this out there, just in case there is someone who really wants to know how to create brain melting effort with minimal equipment. The killer exercise protocol is called a "tabata." Here's one article I found: Four Minute of Pain to Gain
We did a few more today - I won't say I liked them, but they are getting a little bit easier.

What's good for me?

2008-11-20T23:09:00.006-06:00

I was considering titling this "Feeling Hedonistic" because I've done quite a few nice things for myself this week, but I'm in such pain today I feel anything but hedonistic! :)

Back to the nice things: Monday after Boot Camp I went to a local beauty school and indulged in a facial and a back facial. One of my new neighbors is a student and gave me her card. It had been a LONG time since my last facial! I had forgotten how nice it felt to lay quietly and let someone pamper me. I think I actually relaxed so much I snored for a minute. Ooops! The back facial was nice, but not having any skin issues that needed tending on my back, it wound up being more like a very cleansing massage. In any case, it felt lovely. I was so relaxed I either fell asleep or entered some alternate consciousness.

Monday night hubby and I actually went on a date. We celebrated our 13th anniversary at The Melting Pot in Minneapolis. Fondue for two was very nice. The dinner took a lot longer than either of us had anticipated, but it was fun. I think we're going to invest in a fondue pot. Not sure if we can trust the girls to cook with pointy sticks....

Tuesday I saw my new chiropractor and had my shoulders worked on. Not exactly comfortable (active release on my supraspinatus muscle is PAINFUL!!!!) but necessary for my health. I also got my hair cut again. I'm really liking this short and sassy look. Takes no time at all to "style" and doesn't get messed up when I wear a winter hat. (Very important consideration this time of year.)

Wednesday was Boot Camp. Holy heck, was it Boot Camp! Our fearless leader had us do something that sounded like Ciabattas - nothing like the flat seasoned bread. These were intense exercise sets - 4 minute sets - 20 seconds of high intensity activity, 10 seconds of rest, 20 seconds high intensity, 10 rest - etc. to 4 minutes. Then a different type of exercise. Then the next 4 minute set. Somewhere in the middle I lost track of everything we did, but it started with rapid fire squats for a set, military crawl on elbows and toes across the gym and back, rapid fire pushups, military crawl, rapid military presses with a weighted bar, military crawl, then my brain melted and ran out of my ears. I vaguely remember doing high knees, mountain climbers, and bicycles; but it's mostly a haze of sweat, grunting, and "oh my God, no way I can continue!" I should have had a clue when our fearless leader told me that she was feeling sick from working out with the early class. I should have suddenly remembered that I had to wash my hair and run away. No such inspiration. I think I oozed out of the gym, because I'm sure I didn't have an iota of strength left at the end of class.

Today I am IN PAIN. Sitting hurts, standing hurts, stairs hurt. I tell myself it's a good pain, proves that I did something good for myself, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself. Someday I'll look back on this and smile, right?

Anyway, started the week being super nice to myself, finished it out by beating the heck out of my body. Well rounded week!

Awesome, thought provoking song

2008-11-14T21:49:00.006-06:00

"Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

The video Slow Fade shows this as about infidelity and the breakup of a marriage. I think the lyrics here cover all kinds of bases. To me, it's all about tolerance. I never really understood my mom's stand on romance novels and horror movies when I was young. She always talked about how you should feed your spirit and that filling one's mind with questionable food would be poisonous to the spirit. The older I get, the more I understand where she was coming from. I work hard to protect my girls from seeing and hearing things that are poisonous to their young minds. The way I see it, it is a "slow fade" when you allow things to be okay that really shouldn't be. Small steps can lead to big problems. Whether it be what I eat, or how I speak, lettings things slide or thinking "it's just a little" has sent me places where I'd rather not be. I'm struggling with my weight again. My speech is a lot "saltier" than I would prefer. My girls probably know more about the bad things in life than they should at their ages.
I think it's time to work on focusing on the good and the positive - instead of a slow fade, I'd like to see a slow gain in my life.

A little heavier than I thought I'd be tonight, but I wanted to share.

Frustrated...

2008-11-07T23:04:00.002-06:00

Who pulls an ab muscle? What the hell can you do about a pulled ab muscle?
Whoever comes up with a way to make this thing heal quickly will be treated to mass quantities of liquid refreshment. (Most likely water - it's all I have on hand.)

Anyway, had a lousy morning. Dh and I weren't getting along, more stupid house shit. Kids were fighting. One had a crying jag because I dared insist that she wear a coat - it was snowing! I was angry and hopped up when we got into the car, I backed into the recycling bin, and spread recyclables across the street. I said a few unsavory words at that action. (Junie B anyone?) Called dh and told him that I would quit next time I had a morning like this. Of course, the response I wanted to hear was "I'm sorry you had a lousy morning." That's not quite how the convo went.

SO, I headed into my boot camp fitness class; hoping to run, lift, twist, bend, and sweat out some emotion. Last week, with an errant sneeze, I pulled an ab muscle. A little bit of caution and rest, and I thought it was healed. Slung sheetrock through the weekend, mowed lawn, moved boxes - all normal activities, so I thought I was all good. Even Wednesday's class had gone without a twinge. BUT today, when I really needed to pound myself into a puddle, the damn thing went crazy - I swear I felt it pop on my first box jump, but the pain didn't hit until the tenth one. It was all downhill after that. I couldn't manage any of the ab stations. I wound up crying on the gym floor from frustration. (Not that I didn't manage a good sweaty workout, just not the one I really wanted.) So much for Superwoman.

Oh well, I'm scheduled to give blood in the morning - I may not be able to leap tall buildings, but I can help save a couple of lives, right?

And I'm still frustrated.

What was I thinking???

2008-11-06T22:23:00.002-06:00

Yep - started a blog in January. Haven't written since. Darling Hubby saw the blog start, made some kind of unsupportive (as interpreted by me) comment, and I didn't blog again. Heck, I have a hard enough time returning emails from my best friends - when would I have time to write about my uneventful life? So anyway, here I am again - maybe I can be a bit more timely.

I just came back to work after a week off. It was a wonderful week, made me want to retire. UNfortunately, I still have at least 15.25 more years before I can consider hanging up my vest and moving to my mountainside. A girl can dream, right? Of course, daylight savings time ended during my break, so it gets dark almost as soon as I get into the squad and head out - makes for a very long night.

Peer pressure - one of my many nemeses

2008-01-22T19:52:00.000-06:00

Yes, I did spell that correctly - dictionary.com verified! :)
I'm succumbing to pressure and starting a blog. I may not be witty and sly like my favorite bloggers, but I will plug away.
You are welcome to share my "Piece of Quiet" during a hectic day.