Friday, October 29, 2010

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Halloweenie...

When I was a little girl, my favorite holiday was Christmas. I took every opportunity to celebrate the wonderful holiday. Sometimes I would watch a Christmas movie in July and call it Christmas in July. On top of this I one time played Christmas music in July while working outside at a boat rental shop. I called it Christmas in July then too but today I would call that insanity! I would beg my parents to keep the tree up well into January! The twelve days of Christmas end on January 6th so no doubt the tree must remain up till at least then.

My favorite compilation of Christmas and another holiday was for sure Halloween. My all time favorite costume was when my mom dressed me up as a Christmas tree when I was 5. I loved it so much I repeated it when I was in middle school. The first tree costume consisted of a piece of cardboard, spray painted green with a hole for my face and adorned with ornaments.

The second time I dressed up as a Christmas tree, we took a sheet and spray painted it green. We then attached wire around the bottom to create a hoop. Then we hung real Christmas ornaments from the sheet and I look like an authentic dream. Best part, I know everyone was jealous of my couture creation. Bad part, I was twelve and my mom put real Christmas ornaments on me. Lets just say they did not all make it home!

So that was my favorite Halloween costume...what was yours?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

time for a break...

I really need a vacation. I realize this will maybe not happen till after Christmas but I would love a vacation to a warm weather destination where I could drink pina coladas and lay on the beach all day. I guess I would even take a cabin up north where I could drink hot cocoa and read all day. Really, anything to look forward to would be nice!

We are going to Colorado for Thanksgiving, and that will be a blast cause I love Colorado and my family there, but that will not be as much of a relaxing trip as I want to get in as much time with family and run around enjoying the scenery and doing some outdoor activities and baking for thanksgiving and getting in some Christmas shopping and enjoying the mountains and loving on my cousins and YOU GET THE PICTURE! I am talking about needing a trip where I can just check out. This has made me day dream which in return as made me compile a list of places I would love to go to!

Mexico-think swanky resort
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
San Diego, CA
Australia
Duluth, MN
Bahamas
Miami, FL
Paris
Aspen, CO
Lake Tahoe, NV
Dublin, Ireland
San Fransisco, CA

Saturday, October 23, 2010

BoDy...

Dear body,

Let’s have a little heart to heart. I love you. I really do. In fact, I probably have a little too much confidence in you. You have some flaws, and we could for sure correct some, but generally I give you props and I enjoy your flaws. I need to not enjoy the flaws that make you internally unhealthy however. Like for realz, you could stand to lose some of that buldge around the middle. Sure some of it is due to stress and some to the overeating of luscious and decedent desserts and grandma’s lefsa, but really, you know you want to live a long, healthy lifestyle, so let’s just do it and be done with it. And your arms, those guns are just a little too big and a little too flabby! They should not wiggle that way!

However, as we strive to make you a little healthier, let’s try really hard to not lose that firm derrière! It looks great in a nice swimsuit, fantastic in jeans and we can’t even touch that pencil skirt! Let’s just say, you got it going on in the rear! Thighs? Sure, let’s shape those a bit, but truly, let’s do a lot of squats to keep the butt!

You have a few blemishes, but that is nothing a little Mary kay can’t fix and your hair gets a bit frizzy, but I am so impressed how versatile it is. It really can go from one style to the next with just a little work! Let’s just say, you impress me!

So let's work together and just figure out what we need to! Should be a fun time!

Love,
Adara

Friday, October 22, 2010

Flashback Friday: Durgin Style







Will I ever be able to run my a** off?

I have been trying to get outside and run for the last few weeks. You know, TRY and train for a 5k! Uh! Anyways, I was running Lake Calhoun, but have only been able to go like once or twice a weeknight as it gets dark so fast or else I have crap going on. While running, I am just not getting into the grove of things like I know I can. I am maybe running half the lake, if that, so maybe around 1 mile of it. For sure not the three I need to get to. This lead me to believe that maybe my heart is just not as in shape as it usually is due to being busy and not exercising enough. So this week, I have decided to take a break from outdoor running and do some cardio at the gym. I have been doing elliptical, walking at an incline, some running on the treadmill. It is feeling good and I believe I am getting a good cardio workout, I just hope it translates to the pavement well. One thing I know for sure, I can not train for a 5k by running on an indoor treadmill. To me, running on the treadmill and running outside are pretty different. I always have to work a little harder outside. But as I said, my main focus right now is cardio and I will just have to hit the pavement when I can! Wish me luck!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

8.5 years...

My husband and I have been together 8.5 years…some days it seems longer and some days it seems shorter. I guess it depends on our mood and how we are feeling. The one thing that is always a constant is the love that we have felt for each other almost from day one.

Chaz asked me to go to prom with him on April 19, 2002. If we are being completely accurate, it was actually around 1:30 am on April 20th but more on that later! So Chaz asked me to prom after being prodded by numerous people to just ask someone so he wouldn’t miss out on the experience. So he did, and I said yes as I was expecting it. I had told Laine, his sister who is my friend and played the role of matchmaker, if he wanted to go, he had to ask soon as I would only have two weeks to get a dress…that seemed to move the process. And after he asked, I could not fall asleep. I was excited and giddy and a whole boat load of teenage hormones. The best part, I was sleeping over that night, so there I am, huddled into a bed with two other girls, one being his sister, unable to fall asleep. Just precious, right?

So the next day I went to JC Penny with my mom to find a dress. We went back a week later as my dad needed to approve since I was a bit young for prom (I was 16). The day of Prom arrived and we went to dinner and prom in the cities and after we drove home, just the two of us, and I was in heaven. I had my hand on his knee and it felt so grown up. And he was so sweet and told me how lucky he felt to have gone to prom with me. It truly was one of the best nights my little teenage self experienced.

I have no clue how our relationship evolved from there as we did not go to prom as a full fledged “dating” couple. We went more as intrigued friends. And both of us were so fricken shy that I really do not know how we even started dating. I remember after prom it being a little awkward to see each other in the hallway because we were both confused. And, having a boyfriend seemed so foreign to me so I actually felt weird about it.

Somehow, the end of May rolled around and we went to a movie and dinner in Maple Grove. This was probably our first “real” date. We feasted on Red Lobster and saw Undercover Brother! When May 19th rolled around, I was anxious to put an anniversary out there so I bought him a little 99 cent card and gave it to him. Years later it dawned on me that the 20th may have been more suitable (see above!) but alas, I was impatient that one May 19th and hence our anniversary is the 19th!

We spent the summer totally obsessed with one another. We spent a ton of time together and pondered where our relationship would go as he was leaving for college in the fall and I was starting my junior year of high school. Our last “Anniversary” we celebrated that summer was on August 19th, right before he left for college (just a side note: when you are an enthralled teenager you celebrate anniversary’s monthly…it is so ingrained in us now that we still tell each other, happy eight years and six months if we remember). So back to the August night…He took me out his parents boat and we had dinner with sparkling grape juice, and a carrot cake for dessert. It was the sweetest gesture and I realized then that this was for real. He had talked about really wanting to be together and I felt the same way, so we decided to try it out.

The day he left for school, at the end of August, was an incredibly sad day. We said goodbye and as his parents and him drove off and I stood in the yard with his sister, I felt a heavy wave of sadness. I held it in as I was dropping Laine off at a friend’s, but as soon as I dropped her off, I lost it! I just started bawling and was sad and scarred and confused, completely normal for a teenager right?

Needless to say, things calmed down. We spent a crap load of time on the phone, hours nightly. We saw each other every two to three weeks. Sometimes longer. It was hard, and we questioned a lot of things, but something told us to stick it out and boy am I glad it did. When we would see each other after weeks apart, it was always new and took some time adjusting but I always got a wave of butterflies when he pulled up. And I think that because of all this time apart and the countless time of being reunited, when his keys turn in the door now, I still get butterflies and I am super excited to see him.

I have experienced the best years of my life with Chaz. He has been there through the ups when everything is falling into place and he has been there during the darkest hours of my life, offering support, love and comfort. I am so glad we made it this far and I am ecstatic that we have made the commitment to spend the rest of our lives and beyond together!

I love you baby! Happy Anniversary!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Why I fricken love October and Halloween!

We have had our place decorated since Labor Day but since it is actually October, I can brag about that fact now. Prior to October you would have looked at me like I was crazy.
Conclusion: I love fall, October, and Halloween. And I happen to be married to a man who shares my sentiments.

The main reasons that I love this season are as follows:

I love the pumpkins and scare crows and dimmed lights that create a creepy illusion when their shadows are cast upon the walls.
I can't say enough about fun size candy wrapped in shiny brown, orange and maroon foils. Or the oreos stuffed with decedent orange cream (insert licking lips!)
I love the scary movies that play on tv, whether they are old or more current, back and white or color. And since I don't like to be too scared, I really love the Halloween movies that play on such stations as say, the Family Channel or Disney! lol

I also love the costumes that people try and shove there kids into...some are so completely ridiculous that you can not help but laugh. I can't wait till I have kids as they will be the ones you laugh at!

October...

fun fact...last post was my 100th post! Woot woot!

This week and last, we have had unseasonably warm weather. It has been in the 70’s and 80’s and sunny. This weekend there were people laying out at the lake; On October 10th…it seems so weird, and I can’t get my brain to fully comprehend why I am not submerged in layers of warm fabric, but I am digging this extension of summer! Soon enough we will have tons of snow and be slipping around on patches of ice while pulling our scarves a little closer to our faces. Winter can be a pretty time, but I can wait for it!

With the weather being so nice, I have not wanted to be inside, but my bedroom needs a major cleaning. It is not messy, just unkempt. And I need to go through all my clothes and desk drawers and purge like crazy! I am thinking of even putting my summer clothes away in storage, just to help make the closet less cluttered. That is kind of a crazy concept for me as I usually wear most my clothes all year round but I know there are things that could be put away for the cold months.

So by next week I should have an organized closet where I can easily find the clothes I want when I actually want to wear them. This will also be good as I am starting a seasonal job at Bath and Body Works and will need to wear white or black…definitely should have a section dedicated to clothes I can wear there!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

I almost forgot....

to tell you about Chaz's 26th Golden Birthday and our first wedding anniversary!

We decided to make it a special day, do a little shopping, go out for a wonderful supper, and stay the night in a hotel! We did all that and more!

Saturday started out with some beautiful flowers from my baby! He sure knows how to pick them!
Then we headed off to the Embassy Suites in Bloomington.
We had a great two bedroom suite with lots of space to spread out and relax.
And it was Chaz's birthday but also our anniversary so since we had celebrated the week prior with birthday cake, we decided to do a more wedding specifiic dessert the weekend of! We got cupcakes designed like our wedding cake from the same bakery.
I made Chaz do a little posing outside our room.
And then it was off to the MOA!

We shopped our hearts out and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Crave. Chaz had a steak and horseradish mahed potatoes and I had salmon and lobster mashed potatoes. And we enjoyed some wonderful drinks and appetizers as we had recieved a giftcard from my parents that was generous enough to allow so!
Sunday was the actual day of Chaz's birthday and our anniversary but we made it a more birthday specific day. We decided to head to my grandma's to take advantage of her big kitchen while she was away and made a wonderful supper of Chaz's favortie foods!
That of course included stroganoff and chicken wings! Weird combo but sooooo good!
We had a beautiful weekend! Thank you to all who sent love, well wishes, and cards! It was great knowing that others remembered our special day and Chaz's birthday!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

hello weekend...

Well hello there. I have missed you! What has it been, like, 5 days....too long! Well, let's make the best of this time we have as it usually flys by and then it's like,what?, another 5 days till we meet again? Dear wonderbread! So what should we do? Nap? Eat nummy food? Catch a flick with a friend? Nap again? Lay in bed looking at the ceiling? Nap? Take a walk outside? Lay on the couch? Whatever you want to do, I am so down with it.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Fall

Fall is slowly encroaching on Minnesota. The leaves are changing from bright, lush green to a more muted brown and vibrant orange. The air has gone from a sweet, warm musty smell to a sharp, brisk tingle in the nose. The nights are closing in on our days bringing the warm welcome of our beds to the fore front of our thoughts. Activities have transitioned from picnics and the beach to apple picking and big family dinners. This is a season to rewind, to recoup, and to take the time to relax and refocus.

I embrace fall and welcome it’s comforting traditions. The upcoming winter makes me cringe but I try and take the time to really enjoy this glorious season that turns Minnesota into a scenic adventure.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

the ups and downs...

So tonight I started my first real training for my 5k. It has been busy around here with wedding prep and such so I have not had much time but tonight, it all begins! Next week school starts back up for me and I am hoping to not get side tracked! I will just need to stay on top of things and stay organized as I am also looking to get a seasonal part time job! Kind of a lot to take on but I really think I have the time and can manage.

So why a side job you may ask? Well, we have been lucky enough to have had unemployment for Chaz from his job at Coke and since he has been in school, we have had this blessing to help us along the way and we have taken full advantage of it. But, as often happens, all good things come to an end and truly, this good thing was a bonus with all the exceptions, so now it is time to get our hands dirty and really get some extra income the good old fashion way. Chaz is currently looking for a part-time job that will work with his schedule at school and I thought, well, I could use some extra money for Christmas so why not jump on the band wagon! Hopefully all goes smoothly. I would really enjoy a part-time job but more importantly, I am hoping Chaz can find a good job that will work around his schooling but will give him the money he needs to pay his bills. Money to help pay our bills. No matter what happens, we try and stay positive, but it can get tough. We can get down about it, but we both value each other, our families, and our friends and that makes any situation so much easier!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Going to the chapel...

This past Saturday, my best friend Laura got married in Middle of Nowhere, WI. The weekend was a blast. Friday we prepped and got pampered, and Saturday involved up dos, mimosas, Subway, strapping into dresses and sending our bff down the aisle!

The reception was in Burnsville and was such a great celebration. The food was amazing, the dancing was non-stop, and the drinks were flowing! It wouldn't be kosher to say it was better then my special day but it sure came close! It was a great time had by all. Well, maybe not my husband who spent the evening in the car sick! Poor guy!

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Kruschke!