Monthly Archives: March 2012

Friday Recap

Posted on March 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hello friends. Yes, yes, I’m alive. Sorry to keep prefacing my writing with “Hey, don’t worry, I didn’t croak between now and the last time you read.” This week was very busy – lots going on at work with events, staying late to work said events, and getting things together for designing our upcoming season brochure. I also work 3 shifts at my part-time job this weekend, and have to pack for a fun work-ish related Minneapolis get-a-way thing this Monday-Wednesday. I’m also planning to get a few workouts in, as well as going home to see The Hunger Games with my mom and Auntie. Phew!

Here are a few things I’ve been into this week:

1.) I sent my sister in France a link to these lovely ladies, The Staves. I like to think that this could be the Vetsch sisters if:

  • A) we could sing (At least sing that well. Gosh, they’re good!)
  • B) we were British, and
  • C) we all had dark, long, flowing locks.

Oh well. Can’t win them all. I hope you enjoy their beautiful harmonies and lovely video!

2.) My new haircut. This is actually an older picture (from about a month ago for our staff head shots) but my hair looks pretty similar since I only went in for a trim. Every time I go in for a cut, I’m more and more convinced that I’ll be rockin’ short hair for quite a while. I love it. In fact, I’m toying with going shorter. Look at my “Hair” Pinboard on Pinterest for some of my inspiration ideas for my next cut! Shorty short for summer. Whee!

3.) Running! I’ve been running quite a bit, and am up to approximately 5.5 miles as my longest run. Last week I hit a total of 23 miles pounded out. I’m still painfully slow, but I feel SO good after sweating for 60+ minutes. I’ve been watching episodes of The Biggest Loser on my phone via Hulu+, and I have to say… those trainers really know what they’re doing. It’s so motivating to push through those last miles while all of the contestants are doing their “last chance workout.” I’m kind of addicted.

Anyway, I’m actually headed BACK to work tonight, but this time as an audience member. We’re presenting this cool group called PROJECT Trio. They’re a classical trio of flute, bass, and cello, but they stir things up by putting a hip-hop/pop/jazz spin on traditional songs. Their flutist can beatbox. It’s insane! Check him out here:

Anyway, I actually have some posts planned for the next few days, so I won’t leave you hanging like I did in my last post. Oopsy! :)

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good stuff

Posted on March 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Good stuff’s been going down around here. For pulling quite a few long days at work, my energy level is high and I really can’t complain. I credit a lot of it to the sun shining and my uptick in running over the last few weeks. I am by no means fast, but I am trying to put those miles away, one by one. I plan to hit 20+ miles by Saturday – it’s nice enough outside right now, which I think will give me the push to meet my goal.

Today was great because I was able to leave work a bit early. Tomorrow I’ll be there extra long working two matinee performances and a dinner/evening show. I even GET to give the curtain speech tomorrow because the boss-man can’t make it due to a prior commitment. I’m not too nervous (yet), so wish me luck that I don’t fall down, puke, or forget to thank someone important. Eeep! Anyway, where was I?

Oh, I left early to run errands and wound up having a lovely afternoon. First stop was Goodwill, but I think I’m there too often because I didn’t see anything new. That’s rough… Next I stopped at TJMaxx in hopes of purchasing a new swimsuit (how ambitious was I?!) but instead found a beautiful retro-inspired wiggle dress for $15, a yummy green-tea scented candle, and a shiny new coffee mug. Last stop was Target, where I picked up a new nail polish and scored on a bundle of colorful tights for just $2 a pair. I can’t believe they’re clearance-ing them out! I’m not quite ready to bare my legs, even though the air is probably warm enough to warrant it. I just won’t go there. I’m practically see-through!

Saw this while out and about. Best vanity plates! OMG BBQ!
Smells like heaven

When I got home, Pete told me about some exciting news regarding the projects he’s been working on. I’m very proud of how hard he works and that he’s finally getting recognized for his talents and the massive amount of time and heart he puts into his work. He spent a bit of this afternoon finishing up a different project while I drank coffee, read blogs, and painted my nails. Ha – he’s so hard working and I chose to slack off. Typical. Afterward we celebrated at our favorite restaurant, Bravo Burritos. The weather was perfect, so we opted to dine al fresco, facing the parking lot. Very romantic.

And now I’m back home plotting my evening run on the treadmill. I totally missed sneaking one in while it was gorgeous out – I just couldn’t because that Bravos really fills you up! In other news, I’ve had some good luck thrifting lately, but I think that warrants its own post. I’ll be back soon with some (hopefully) non-Instagrammed pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy the weekend!
I can’t believe tomorrow’s already Friday!

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inked

Posted on March 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

I had a really busy week that was a bit out of the ordinary. Items of note that I will probably (hopefully) write about either today or SOON:

  • Getting my tattoo on Tuesday (keep reading for more about it!)
  • Seeing EMA with my pals on Thursday
  • Taking the day off on Friday
  • Thrifting some cute items on Saturday
  • Spending Sunday with my grandma seeing Shen Yun

So. Phew! Anyway, on Tuesday evening I drove to Minneapolis to get the tattoo I’ve been planning and posting about. I was really nervous but mostly just nervously excited about seeing what Jessie, my artist, put together. When I got there, she brought out the stencil and I think I audibly gasped because it was so pretty. And big. A little bit bigger than I anticipated, actually. But if I was going to go through with it, I thought “go big or go home.”

You can’t really tell from the picture, but the feather and three poppies cover my entire left shoulder blade, and sit over my scar from surgery this past November. I don’t know if I’ll put other pictures of it up, just because I don’t really think it’s necessary for my tattoos to be floating around the internet. But that’s just me… I’m excited about it, but it still feels kind of personal? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll get over it.

My girlfriend Alix came with to keep me distracted and talking throughout the session. I appreciate her being there because it took my mind off of the buzzing and pain. I was also distracted by my surroundings – Jessie decked out her space with a lot of her personal artwork, which was stunning, quirky and definitely up my alley – lots of flowers, skeletons, and birds. The three of us talked about thrift stores, puppies, old ladies with tattoos, and quite a bit more in the three hours I was there.

After the appointment, Alix and I were starving, so we hit up Brasa for some yummy dinner. At the end of the night I was sad to have to drive all the way back to St. Cloud – I’ve really been bummed about living so far away from my friends lately. Pete and I have been talking more and more about potentially moving into the Twin Cities. That might mean looking for a new job, which has me really bummed out but also excited. Is it possible to be both things at the same time?

Well, my tattoo is healing nicely, but is currently in that annoying itchy/peeling stage. I hope it heals quickly so I can go back for my color session. I can’t wait for color!

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CO is no joke!

Posted on March 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

No, not Colorado. Not company. CO, as in Carbon Monoxide.

{image here}

On Sunday, Pete and I were mulling around the house as we usual do at 8:30pm. He was downstairs in the basement and I was upstairs on my computer. All of a sudden, alarms started blaring: “BEEP BEEP BEEP! Warning! Carbon Monoxide!” My heart started racing as I looked out to the detector outside my door. Our detectors are for carbon monoxide + fire, so they don’t have those numeric displays of the levels in the air. At first I didn’t feel that concerned, because of how random the alarm was. I was just sitting, doing nothing. Nothing had changed in what I was doing to my environment, and nothing had changed in our house.

But after a quick call to my parents, who encouraged a call to the non-emergency fire department line, I realized that we were in a crappy situation. When the firefighters arrived, they immediately noted that the levels of CO in the house were three times what would normally set off an alarm. They told us we would have to leave the house until the problem could be pinpointed by a professional the next day. So while the house was airing out (we had to open ALL the windows, brr!) and the alarms were still blaring, Pete and I were calmly packing our things and getting together all of Leo’s bedding, food, toys, and carrier.

Luckily, the levels dropped enough by airing out the house for the alarms to shut off. We were also very lucky to be able to stay at Pete’s parents’ house, which is only two blocks from our place. Leo was definitely freaked out, but he did a very good job of adjusting to new surroundings.

On Monday morning we had someone come out to check on the furnace (the likely culprit) and although it is an old model (40+ years old!) it is still running like a champ. Apparently there was a piece of plastic that was simmering/melting on top of the furnace that was putting out the fumes? At least that’s what I’ve been told. An exhaust meter didn’t put out any scary readings, and the inspector told us we were clear to move back in. I trust him, and I now trust our alarms. I feel so thankful that we had those in place. I would have had absolutely NO idea carbon monoxide was building up – it is odorless and tasteless but definitely deadly.

So phew! We escaped danger. I feel pretty freaked out, and happy at the same time.

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weekend recap

Posted on March 4, 2012 | 5 Comments

Hello all! I had a pretty busy, yet relaxing weekend. It didn’t seem like I did much, but now that I’m typing, it all kind of came back to me. It looks like I actually did get quite a bit done!

Because I worked both nights this weekend at the Paramount, Pete and I had a Saturday day-date at our favorite place in the world – Bravo Burritos! If you’ve never been (which I’m guessing a huge majority of people who read this have not) please make it a goal of yours to get there. We both ate smothered burritos, which is a deviation from our normal fare. My personal faves are the chicken verde super burrito and the vegetarian smothered. Holy yum.


I spent a little time shopping this weekend, too. I hit up Old Navy, which for me is kind of weird. I haven’t set foot in that store in years and years, but for some reason… I think I saw a cute printed shirt somewhere online and was inspired to go? Anyway, the store was so bright and full of fun, trendy prints for spring. Not usually my thing to buy mass-produced trendy stuff, but eh. I couldn’t pass up this bird-print silky blouse.

And of course, I made the compulsory stop at Goodwill to atone for my big-box retailer outing. The place was overrun with screaming children and poorly managed carts getting in the way of everything. Let’s just say I wasn’t feeling very patient. But I found a set of dishes I really liked, but did not purchase. The pattern of the stoneware reminds me of my Grandma Mar’s dishes from her old house. A call to my sisters: Maim, Maddie, do you agree with me or remember? Or am I just crazy?


Today I found out my hair is still JUST long enough to curl, so I had fun with that, too. I also bought new nail polish and had to give it a go. The basecoat is a neat matte polish, but I covered it up with a new sparkle topcoat. Kind of pointless to use a matte underneath a glossy coat, but oh well. I feel pretty fancy now!


Pete drove to the Twin Cities for rehearsal this afternoon, so Leo and I spent some time hanging out around the house. I discovered a row of Thin Mints in the freezer (I think we stashed them to prevent ourselves from scarfing them down) and had a delish afternoon snack (not the whole row, don’t worry!). Leo has been a lunatic pawing at the back door to go outside, so I’ve obliged him with little 3-minute breaks. It’s about all he can take before he’s jumping up and down at the door to come back inside.

I spent the rest of my weekend watching silly movies, working out, and setting up a painting studio in our vacant downstairs bathroom. Yes, I’ll paint soon enough! Having a semi-permanent setup is half the battle. It needed to be somewhere I could get messy and leave things set up without the cat getting into it. Luckily, we never use the downstairs bathroom, and it has linoleum floors and a closeable door. Now I just need to figure out what to paint – I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

How was your weekend?

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