5.30.2007
5.27.2007
Paris, Je t'aime
Our date in Uptown on Saturday night was very chill. We had some fresh Vietnamese noodle salads at Jasmine Deli and took our time getting to the showing of Paris, Je t'aime at the Uptown Theatre. I liked the movie and give it a B+.
Brrrr....
I am so excited! The outdoor pool at Lifetime is now open. The water temperature was really nice on Friday evening, but we went for swim at 6:30 this morning and it was so very cold. Nevertheless, I love the outdoor pool. It makes me very happy.
Apple Duathlon Pictures
apples on table
curt finishing run at apple
run start
sea of bikes
hirschmans and bikesAnother fun morning of photo opportunities. we left Chaska really early...try 5 am so that we could get to Sartell, MN. Enjoy!
5.22.2007
Pictures from the Gear West Duathlon
Christine hanging out after race
Curt hanging out after race
Curt's busted uniform...check out the pins
Picture taken at a corner
The top finishersThis past Sunday Curt had a race in Orono, MN. The weather was frigidly cold. I had a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and rain jacket on, but still had a hard time keeping warm. It was definitely nice to have Nicole there as a spectator too. We braved the cold elements to take pictures of our men.
5.21.2007
The Bling!
Here is a picture of the engagement ring. Another project for summer is to pick out Curt's wedding band!
What did we get at Best Buy?!?!
For awhile we had discussed the fun factor and practicality of owning a camera that was better than
my Sony 2.0 megapixel digital camera I got for Christmas 5 years ago. Also, there are some major events coming up in our lives that would be really fun to capture on camera: my 1st triathlon, Curt's summer of tri races, Calvin's graduation, and not to mention our wedding festivities. I personally did not do a lot of research, but knew I wanted a Canon. 
Coincidentally, Curt's dad mentioned that Best Buy was offering some tempting package deals on cameras. On Saturday night we had a serious itch to buy a nice camera. With a budget of $350 in mind we made a trip to Best Buy. We did look at cameras within our budget, but somehow found ourselves drawn to the SLR cameras. Once we got our hands on the d
igital Canon Rebel XTI....there was no turning back. We fell in love instantly. We were so excited!
The pictures in the post were ones taken for practice. They are very amateur I know, but we are excited to become more knowledgeable of photog
raphy and the capabilities of our stealth bomb camera!
my Sony 2.0 megapixel digital camera I got for Christmas 5 years ago. Also, there are some major events coming up in our lives that would be really fun to capture on camera: my 1st triathlon, Curt's summer of tri races, Calvin's graduation, and not to mention our wedding festivities. I personally did not do a lot of research, but knew I wanted a Canon. 
Coincidentally, Curt's dad mentioned that Best Buy was offering some tempting package deals on cameras. On Saturday night we had a serious itch to buy a nice camera. With a budget of $350 in mind we made a trip to Best Buy. We did look at cameras within our budget, but somehow found ourselves drawn to the SLR cameras. Once we got our hands on the d
igital Canon Rebel XTI....there was no turning back. We fell in love instantly. We were so excited!The pictures in the post were ones taken for practice. They are very amateur I know, but we are excited to become more knowledgeable of photog
raphy and the capabilities of our stealth bomb camera!Ruby Tuesdays and More Swim Lessons
We (me, Curt, and Brent) finally got to eat at the Ruby Tuesdays in Chaska on Friday. It opened a few months ago and is only a 2 minute drive away. I'm glad we got to check it out too. There are plenty of options for soup and salad lovers. I had a veggie burger that was as big as a burrito. Yum.
On Saturday Brent and Shanna were able to go swimming with us at Lifetime Fitness in Chanhassen. Curt offered some suggestions that they could use to improve their swim and gain confidence. Shanna already had a good swim stroke. So she'll be good to go. And Brent was able to swim down to the other end of the lane...while getting his face wet! I'm getting excited because i feel like everyone on the Mai-Wieland-Wood triathlon team is getting serious about their training. Our goal is to finish and do our very best!
Look for these participants at the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon on July 15th:
Doug Wood
Brent Wood
Shanna Wood
Carolyn (mai) Wieland
Christine Mai
On Saturday Brent and Shanna were able to go swimming with us at Lifetime Fitness in Chanhassen. Curt offered some suggestions that they could use to improve their swim and gain confidence. Shanna already had a good swim stroke. So she'll be good to go. And Brent was able to swim down to the other end of the lane...while getting his face wet! I'm getting excited because i feel like everyone on the Mai-Wieland-Wood triathlon team is getting serious about their training. Our goal is to finish and do our very best!
Look for these participants at the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon on July 15th:
Doug Wood
Brent Wood
Shanna Wood
Carolyn (mai) Wieland
Christine Mai
5.16.2007
If I were to plan a high school grad party...
It is so random, but today while driving home from school I thought of some menu ideas for a potential high school graduation party. I also came up with a list a parent would need to go through to prepare for a party.
Menu:
Mini Ham and Turkey Sandwiches, Cheese and Cracker platter, Celery and Carrot sticks, Fruit Salad, Grilled Veggie Kabobs (peppers, onions, tomatoes), Mexican Bean Dip served with Pita Chips, Fried Rice, Egg rolls, Brownies, Cake, Beer, Punch, Pop, and bottled water.
Preparations:
Design menu, create invite list, choose date for party, send out invitations, go grocery shopping for paperware, order cake, assess chair/table/outside tent situation, prepare memory table of pictures and awards, clean the house, go grocery shopping, think of outdoor lawn games that can be provided at party (horseshoes, bocce ball, etc)
Menu:
Mini Ham and Turkey Sandwiches, Cheese and Cracker platter, Celery and Carrot sticks, Fruit Salad, Grilled Veggie Kabobs (peppers, onions, tomatoes), Mexican Bean Dip served with Pita Chips, Fried Rice, Egg rolls, Brownies, Cake, Beer, Punch, Pop, and bottled water.
Preparations:
Design menu, create invite list, choose date for party, send out invitations, go grocery shopping for paperware, order cake, assess chair/table/outside tent situation, prepare memory table of pictures and awards, clean the house, go grocery shopping, think of outdoor lawn games that can be provided at party (horseshoes, bocce ball, etc)
Sludge Lab and Favorite Pretzels
This is suppose to be a wedding blog, but I haven't posted a lot of wedding stuff lately. As soon as school is out I will be back in full wedding planning force.
I had an AWESOME day at school. We started the Sludge Lab today. Kids are given a sample of unknown substances. They need to use filtration, evaporation, and distillation techniques to figure out what they have. Today was Day 1 of sludge. I had everyone doing a filtration and it went very well.
After school I went to Target to pick up some mid-week snacks. I grabbed 2 bags of pretzels: Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided Twists and Rold Gold Honey Mustard Tiny Twists. Very yummy.
Finally, I am getting quite excited for the month of June. My brother Calvin will be graduating from high school; so we will get to celebrate this milestone in his life by attending his commencement ceremony and grad party. Also, last night Curt and I were talking about his triathlon schedule for June. BUSY!!! Every weekend he will be racing! We will be traveling out of the state for some of his races. He's been very disciplined with completing his workouts. We are excited to see what happens with the results.
I had an AWESOME day at school. We started the Sludge Lab today. Kids are given a sample of unknown substances. They need to use filtration, evaporation, and distillation techniques to figure out what they have. Today was Day 1 of sludge. I had everyone doing a filtration and it went very well.
After school I went to Target to pick up some mid-week snacks. I grabbed 2 bags of pretzels: Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided Twists and Rold Gold Honey Mustard Tiny Twists. Very yummy.
Finally, I am getting quite excited for the month of June. My brother Calvin will be graduating from high school; so we will get to celebrate this milestone in his life by attending his commencement ceremony and grad party. Also, last night Curt and I were talking about his triathlon schedule for June. BUSY!!! Every weekend he will be racing! We will be traveling out of the state for some of his races. He's been very disciplined with completing his workouts. We are excited to see what happens with the results.
5.14.2007
a positive turn?
i only have 2 or 3 mondays to go through before summer arrives! i am looking forward to the break. i had a decent day back from the wknd. i'm learning more and more that there are others who share my frustrations.
the wknd was so interesting in that there were so many good things to be thankful for, but I also had to deal with a lot of self-doubt and second guessing. this is not the way to enjoy the wknd!
saturday was so relaxing. we walked across highway 41 to pick up take out and a movie. it was nice to keep things low key. then on sunday we celebrated mothers day with my folks, curt's folks, and my sister's inlaws. we all met at my sister's house for a very healthy dinner. i now know how to make stuffed peppers and an interesting fruit salad that has a hint of cayenne peppers!
so happy mothers day!
the wknd was so interesting in that there were so many good things to be thankful for, but I also had to deal with a lot of self-doubt and second guessing. this is not the way to enjoy the wknd!
saturday was so relaxing. we walked across highway 41 to pick up take out and a movie. it was nice to keep things low key. then on sunday we celebrated mothers day with my folks, curt's folks, and my sister's inlaws. we all met at my sister's house for a very healthy dinner. i now know how to make stuffed peppers and an interesting fruit salad that has a hint of cayenne peppers!
so happy mothers day!
5.12.2007
We are under 20 days of school
I hit my breaking point with school today. Everything that could go wrong is going wrong. A teacher told me that I need to remember that I can't be too hard on myself. I can't let things that are out of my control get to me. I can't control attitude. I can't control when students make poor decisions. And I certainly can't control the leadership that we have in the building. With that said here are the redeeming things from my day:
1. I subbed for an absent teacher today and had the chance to really connect with a student who is struggling with his grades. He was so funny and candid. I hope he makes wise choices.
2. I've had the pleasure of catching up with former students. They are doing well! It's good to know that they learned something from me. They are so grown up, smart, and mature. They are surprised when I remember their names! How could I not remember such an awesome group!?!?
3. I realized that I should not feel isolated in the job. There are others going through what I am. Unfortunately, I truly cannot problem solve my way out of this. I've tried. I am dealing with brick walls and deaf ears. They think simplistically and cannot see into a situation for how it really is. Such a misfortune!
bye for now...
1. I subbed for an absent teacher today and had the chance to really connect with a student who is struggling with his grades. He was so funny and candid. I hope he makes wise choices.
2. I've had the pleasure of catching up with former students. They are doing well! It's good to know that they learned something from me. They are so grown up, smart, and mature. They are surprised when I remember their names! How could I not remember such an awesome group!?!?
3. I realized that I should not feel isolated in the job. There are others going through what I am. Unfortunately, I truly cannot problem solve my way out of this. I've tried. I am dealing with brick walls and deaf ears. They think simplistically and cannot see into a situation for how it really is. Such a misfortune!
bye for now...
5.06.2007
we are under 30 days and our early dating days
school is just about over. the kids at school are excited for summer. i think the staff are even more excited. we are almost done for the year!
i just did a google search on "hating mondays". i guess a lot of people out there hate mondays and are willing to write about it too! cool! for me the thought of going back to work on monday makes me cringe with discomfort. i end up napping to avoid thinking about it or telling Curt about how much I hate mondays.
this weekend was a blast. it was very stress free. on friday we got to see Anton and Nicole. The four of us dined at the Good Earth and then went to the AMC theatres in southdale to watch Spiderman 3. i totally dig the movie! even if it was a bit cheesey. then on saturday i spent much of the morning recovering from the week by brainlessly sitting on the couch. then i went to my brother's Grand March for prom. it was fun to see all of the colorful attire. then Curt and I went to Chipotle to chow down on burritos. I will never get sick of Chipotle. finally on Sunday I went for a really short run in the morning to clear my mind and prepare for the week. i worked up a pretty good appetite. i drove home from lifetime to meet up with curt's family for breakfast. we went to the original pancake house in eden prairie. the pancakes were really good this time. i sure am glad that me and curt share a love for breakfast.
can you believe it? cinco de mayo makes it two years that curt and i have known each other. it was cool to think back to the early dating stuff. here is a breakdown of our 1st four dates:
1. perkins in chanhassen on a thursday night in May. i remember running a bit late because i had a long run to do that night and needed time to shower and get ready. my first thought: wow. he is quite tall. if i stand behind him I have a very nice view of his butt. my second thought, he's easy to talk to and is a really good listener. my third thought, he has cute dimples.
2. broders pasta bar in mpls and then a walk around lake harriet. my first thought: wow. he is quite tall. my second thought: i enjoy talking to him. my third thought: it is very easy to hang out with him and I like him a lot. it was a really fun night.
3. a walk through the U of MN arboretuem in chanhassen and then a Jacki Chan movie. this was a really fun afternoon. i think we realized that we shared a lot of things in common. i also knew that we had a serious connection. we talked about life goals and shared what we most value in life.
4. we went to the Super T to pick up ingredients for a picnic dinner. we walked to a lake in Chaska and just hung out and ate our sandwiches and grapes. it was super low key and easy. then we walked back and rented a movie.
there is not a whole lot of conflict that occurs in our lives. the one time where i remember being really mad at him was after a triathlon. and really it was my own fault because i was getting really impatient and was terribly hot (i can't stand hot weather). how was he suppose to know that i was ready to go?
i just did a google search on "hating mondays". i guess a lot of people out there hate mondays and are willing to write about it too! cool! for me the thought of going back to work on monday makes me cringe with discomfort. i end up napping to avoid thinking about it or telling Curt about how much I hate mondays.
this weekend was a blast. it was very stress free. on friday we got to see Anton and Nicole. The four of us dined at the Good Earth and then went to the AMC theatres in southdale to watch Spiderman 3. i totally dig the movie! even if it was a bit cheesey. then on saturday i spent much of the morning recovering from the week by brainlessly sitting on the couch. then i went to my brother's Grand March for prom. it was fun to see all of the colorful attire. then Curt and I went to Chipotle to chow down on burritos. I will never get sick of Chipotle. finally on Sunday I went for a really short run in the morning to clear my mind and prepare for the week. i worked up a pretty good appetite. i drove home from lifetime to meet up with curt's family for breakfast. we went to the original pancake house in eden prairie. the pancakes were really good this time. i sure am glad that me and curt share a love for breakfast.
can you believe it? cinco de mayo makes it two years that curt and i have known each other. it was cool to think back to the early dating stuff. here is a breakdown of our 1st four dates:
1. perkins in chanhassen on a thursday night in May. i remember running a bit late because i had a long run to do that night and needed time to shower and get ready. my first thought: wow. he is quite tall. if i stand behind him I have a very nice view of his butt. my second thought, he's easy to talk to and is a really good listener. my third thought, he has cute dimples.
2. broders pasta bar in mpls and then a walk around lake harriet. my first thought: wow. he is quite tall. my second thought: i enjoy talking to him. my third thought: it is very easy to hang out with him and I like him a lot. it was a really fun night.
3. a walk through the U of MN arboretuem in chanhassen and then a Jacki Chan movie. this was a really fun afternoon. i think we realized that we shared a lot of things in common. i also knew that we had a serious connection. we talked about life goals and shared what we most value in life.
4. we went to the Super T to pick up ingredients for a picnic dinner. we walked to a lake in Chaska and just hung out and ate our sandwiches and grapes. it was super low key and easy. then we walked back and rented a movie.
there is not a whole lot of conflict that occurs in our lives. the one time where i remember being really mad at him was after a triathlon. and really it was my own fault because i was getting really impatient and was terribly hot (i can't stand hot weather). how was he suppose to know that i was ready to go?
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