Happy Valentines Day

It looks like this little boy didn't want to be the girl's Valentine.

Found what I am craving?

Well...could the sewing maching from Bev be the very thing that satisfies my itch to do something creative with my hands? Could very well be. More details later, but on Saturday morning I drove down to Mankato for a lesson at Stelters. It was a fantastic 2-hour lesson. Since then I've managed to chop up 2 old t-shirts, one of mine and one of Curt's, to craft more form-fitting creations. I'm enjoying it! And I've rehemmed some pants, both shortening and lengthening, for work!

Year of the Rat

Happy New Year! That is...according to the Chinese/Vietnamese calendar. This is the year of the rat! Look forward to a year of hard work, activity, and renewal. Looking forward to the activity and renewal part!

Anyway, after busy mornings on Saturday, me and Curt ended our day at my parents's house for a dinner to celebrate the Chinese new year. Josh, Carolyn, Jillian, and Calvin were there too.

An adventure....

This spring will be interesting. After a hiatus from running, I am eager to get back into some serious running time! About 2 or 3 years ago I did Grandmas Marathon for the first time. It was a fun experience, but I would like to think that I am more focused and goal-oriented. And this time I will have Curt with me minus the scary cat situation.

It was at Grandma's where I discovered my fear of furry felines. I was planning on staying at a friend's house in Duluth. But when I saw, to great horror, her bouncy, skinny cats in the living room...I was struck down by an unfathomable fear. Yes, it's a true phobia.

It's a good day

It's a good day. It was a great week. I'm also relieved that the weather is more suitable for running errands like grocery shopping and getting gas. Last night we watched the Untouchables. It was an entertaining movie about the Prohibition. Unwinding at home on a Friday night is so nice, especially with taco salad, cheese fondue, and yummy ice cream.

Lately, we've been talking a lot about this itch I have. I'm really craving a creative outlet that would have a worldly imact and make people happy. It's an itch that won't go away. It's kind of hard to explain too. Anyway, I'm hoping that things will become more clear to me soon. In the mean time, I'm very content and grateful for my daily routine. I love my job, my co-workers, my home, and Curt.

In other news...it's official. I'm registered for Grandmas Marathon. I did the online registration about two weeks ago. Since then I've been diligent about staying on a plan that Curt created for me. The plan is documented on Microsoft Excel and is color coded and everything. It's super cool.

Mr. Dedicated

My husband Curt is a very dedicated person. And he always adds so much integrity to everything he does. It's almost annoying :). This past weekend he spent all of Sunday and Monday at a high school business conference working to help some teachers run their job. He went above and beyond the call of duty...keep in mind that he was already done with his student teaching and was not paid for any of this. it's amazing to me how he managed to keep his cool under less-than-ideal situations.

Which leads me to another thought...if you make a mistake, try to own it. No sense in making someone else look bad for your own shortcomings.

Some of our favorite dishes

1. Curt's stir fry....so tasty. Every stir fry is an individual creation that can't be repeated.
2. Pizza. Curt normally preps the dough. Then we put on our own fav toppings.
3. Chicken Pot Pie. This is a Christine creation. Perfect for a cold, winter evening.
4. Cheese Fondue with Bread.
5. A meal at Broder's Pasta Bar. It's the most satisfying meal ever.
6. We like to end a meal with ice cream....mint chocolate chip, espresso chip, coffee flavored, butter pecan, cherry vanilla, you name it...we scream for ice scream.

My view from the couch....

After sitting for a long time on the couch one day over Christmas break I decided to take pictures of what I saw around me. This is what I came up with....

Wieland Christmas 2007

Christmas celebration at Josh's parents' house

Me and Curt were able to spend some time at Josh's mom and dad's house this past Christmas. Tim and Jill live in Stillwater. It was really fun to drive out there and hangout. Even more amazing was the snowfall that day. We were able to look out the windows and see the wondrous flakes fall.

My car is resurrected!

Well...could this be a blessing in disguise? I took my car in afterschool because the oil gauge went to the "h" meaning it's getting hot, hot, hot. Couple of thoughts...leaky oil somewhere (apparently my car has problems maintaining it's oil), a leaky hose, the cold caused something to breakdown, or it could be the thermostat (which would explain why my A/C doesn't work and my heat barely works). Sure enough...the thermostat needed to be replaced! Total damage: $170. Not too bad. Now my heat works. I can drive to school in the morning without having frozen feet and hands. I even cranked up the A/C. A/C seems to be working now too...but it is minus zero out there. The true test will have to occur in summer when it reaches plus 90 degrees!

I can't even imagine...to drive in a nice air conditioned car in the summer...it's something that I don't take for granted. A/C allows me to drive with the windows up which reduces sound pollution and dust pollution. A/C allows me to drive to places without arriving drenched in sweat. A/C allows me to have a conversation with Curt without yelling because the windows are down. A/C allows me to avoid smelling the farm smells when we drive down 169 to get to Mankato. A/C allows me to not dread being stuck in rush hour with the sun beating down on me and burning my skin. Oh....A/C...i hope you work this summer!!!!

Wedding Pictures of the Day

Doug and Bev
Than and Thanh

Meet our parents. A lot of people have commented on how the wedding was filled with lots of happiness. Well, we have our parents to thank for this. The day was fantastic and we could not have done it without their support.

We have been newlyweds for only 2 months. It's been so great. I know, cheesy, but true. My heart seriously just swells! speaking of cheese...we tried some cheese fondue tonight...we added a secret ingredient...cherry brandy...not too bad. We got this tip from anton and nicole.

Back to school...

It's been a tremendous three days off. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everyone. I guess I don't have very many people who I consider heros, but MLK jr is someone who I've always been fascinated with even at a very young age. Maybe it was his vision, way of writing speeches, and message of non-violence that I really was attracted to...

Today actually felt warmer to me than the wknd did. Curt and I survived the artic blast by eating lots of food, working out at Lifetime, and hanging out with people. My brother Calvin went back to school today. For that reason on Friday night we had a 'you are going back to school' dinner for him at my parents house. I ate almost to the point of passing out. If it wasn't for the interesting conversation I would have spent the night at my parents house. Our Saturday was exceptionally leisurely...Lifetime in the morning, nap in the afternoon, and then dinner and a movie. We saw "There Will be Blood". Mixed reviews here. I loved the movie. Curt thought the movie was mediocre. I liked it because it was very stylistic and it vividly portrayed the downfall of mankind when greed and money come into play. Sunday was more of the same...relaxing in the morning, then a trek to Mpls to visit with our wedding photographer , followed by dinner with Anton and Nicole.

back to school!

Brrr...

The newlyweds are trying to stay warm this wknd. If you haven't noticed it's dangerously cold out there. Think frozen flesh and dismembered appendages. Update on the wknd and what we've been up to will come shortly!

WCCO News Reports...

What's the #1 cause for teacher burnout!?!?!?!

PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 Movies We Enjoyed

Over Christmas break we were able to enjoy the following movies:

Juno
Atonement
English Patient

We recommend all three although each are entirely different from each other.