Mi Vida Ocupada: My Busy Life!

Come One, Come All ~ Jacob's Hope for Sight Benefit

 Friday, September 18^th, 2009 4:00 pm-12:30 am 

FRIDLEY VFW, 1040 Osbourne Road, Fridley MN 55432

I would like to invite all of you to the Fridley VFW this Friday, September 18th, 2009 for a special Benefit that my best friends and I are hosting for Jake Cartier-Airhart (the infant son of our best friend Kim), who was born with a rare genetic eye disorder called Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy, aka “FEVR".  With this diagnosis it was discovered that Jake has only “light sight” and minimal peripheral vision. On July 16^th & 17^th, 2009 at 5 months old, Jake underwent double eye surgery to reattach his retinas and remove fluid blockage. With his first surgery there are hopes of him to have the chance to see at least shapes and shadows. It will be 4-6 months before they will know if the surgery was successful.  What is known is that Jake will need extensive eye therapy, glasses and most likely multiple surgeries. FEVR is a progressive disorder with no known cure. The only thing that is certain is that Jake will be fighting for sight for the rest of his life.  

Because of all the therapy and ongoing care that Baby Jake needs, his mother (my friend) is unable to return to work.  As you can imagine, this has caused a great financial burden on the family.  We are holding the benefit to help cover the cost of his medical bills, extensive therapy, surgeries and the loss of income.

It is going to be an awesome event! $5 at the door ~ includes an entry into the Raffle Drawing

• Bake Sale (Tons of yummy treats for sale )
• Chili Feed
• Silent Auction  (4-8pm)
  
• Raffle- $5/ticket for chance to win a variety of items including gift cards to local restaurants and a  LG 42" Flat Screen TV
  
• Live Bands  (7pm-12am)
  • Freedom Station
  • Arena
  • Bad Apple
• Cash Bar

Some of the items in the Silent Auction include:

Scrapbook Basket

5 sheets 7 Gypsies patterned paper 2 sheets/ Basic Grey ~ Mellow line/ 5 sheets My Minds Eye ~ Lime Twirl line/ 7 sheets My Minds Eye ~  Screen Door line /9 sheets Pixel Decor ~ Hunky Dory line / 2 sheets KI Memories ~ Pop Culture line / 3 sheets Cosmo Cricket ~ Love Notes line (2 sided)/ 4 sheets Three Bugs in a Rug ~ Rhapsody line / 3 sheets Cherry Arte ~ Little Friends line /3 sheets Daisy Buckets Design ~ All Wound Up line /9 sheets Daisy D’s ~ Fruit line / 3 sheets Flair Designs ~ Hit the Beach line/ 5 sheets Basic Grey ~ Scarlet’s Letter/ 3 sheets Imaginisce ~ Black Tie Optional line/ 3 sheets Basic Grey ~ Two Scoops line /10 sheets miscellaneous patterned paper / 1 Bazzil Cardstock scalloped textured/ 1 Archiver’s 8 x 8 Mini Album Kit / 1 Basic Grey ~  Holy Cow Paisley Rub-ons/ 1 Marcella by K ~ Dome Stickers/ 1 Wordsworth ~ Alphabet Rub-ons /  1 Making Memories ~ Defined stickers /1 Crystal Alphabet stickers / Assorted Silk Flowers

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Romance Retreat Basket

1 night White Bear Lake Country Inn Suite, 1 bottle Chardonay, 2 wine glasses, 1 candle ,  1 pair chenille socks

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 Romance Basket

1 night Whirlpool Suite at Stillwater Country Inn and Suites ,  2 champagne glasses, 1 bottle champagne, 3 scented candles

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Botanical Spa Essential Kit

2 shower gel, 2 foaming bath, 1 Nature CD with incense, 1 scented candle, 1 decorative hand towel, 3 botanical shampoos, 3 botanical hair repair, 2 glycerin botanical bar soaps

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Longaberger Handwoven Basket

1 bottle Château Ste Michelle Riesling,  $50 Kincaids Gift Certificate

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Man’s Best Friend Kit

1 free dog groom at Roseville Animal Hospital, 1 oatmeal dog shampoo, 1 dog brush , 1 pet travel bowl, 1 box doggy cleanup bags, 1 tug toy, 1 rope toy, 1 pack of tennis balls, 1 vinyl dog toy, 1 plush dog bone, 1 chewy bone

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Arrowwood Golf Basket

1 night stay at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria, MN, Golf for 4 at Atikwa in Alexandria, Breakfast for 4 at Lake Café at Arrowwood, 4 sleeves of Top Flight XL Golf Balls, 3 boxes Wilson Pro Staff Golf Balls, 1 bottle Shiraz, 

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Michelle Sauer Photography Package

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One Swift Click Photography

1 digital photo frame, 1 photo session

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Cozy Warm Basket

Hand-knit eyelash scarf, 1 Pair chenille socks, 1 Gourmet cocoa mix, 1 large pizza of choice at Mama’s Pizza

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Game Informer Basket

Game Informer Magazine 2-year subscription,
Game Informer Sweatshirt, Transformers Video Game for Wii,

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Crystal Clear Basket

Lead Crystal Bowl 9”,  Tulip Garden Block Crystal Vase 7” 24% Lead

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• Tastefully Simple Basket (3 bottles spices, 1 beer bread mix)
  
  

•  11x14 Fairy Picture

•  Here Comes the Sun Framed Art

•  Hand-painted Wooden Santa Carving

•   DVD Player

•  Picnic Time Portable Grill and Cooler

•  Maximum Security Door Handle Set

•  Recessed Lighting Kit

•  Mary Kay Basket

•  Booze Basket from The Country Lounge

•  Old Dutch Snack Tin Basket

•  Handmade Silver Bracelets

•  Custom made Crochet Blanket

•  3-Wick Candle from Partylite

•  Assorted Wii Games

• And Many more items!!!

We are hoping to have a really good turnout at Jake's Benefit and it would be wonderful to see you all there.....  we sincerely appreciate any support you can give!

Jay Leno's last night on the Tonight Show

After 17 years, Jay Leno hosted his final episode of the Tonight Show this past Friday night.  As many of you know, Conan O'Brien is taking over as Host starting this Monday.  For Jay's final show he had Conan on as a guest, a nice way to pass the reigns.  In case you missed it, you can watch the full episode of Jay's last show here.  I especially liked the ending when Jay shows us his legacy....so very sweet!  I wish both Jay and Conan good luck in their new positions :)

I'm a Published Photographer!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Schmap! to see if I was willing to submit a photo I took of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park for consideration in their New Minneapolis Attraction Guide.  I was notified this afternoon that my photo was one of the ones selected.  Awesome! Here is what the online version of the Schmap Attraction Guide looks like:

My Photo can be found here.  Hopefully this is just a start!

Breast Cancer 3-Day ~ Everyone Deserves a Lifetime

My dear, sweet roommate from college, Laura, is preparing herself to do something amazing this summer.  This year will mark the third time that Laura will walk 60 miles over a three day period in an effort to raise money for Breast Cancer.  Laura runs an amazing campaign to raise money for such a great cause and I can't thank her enough.  Breast cancer is some scary stuff.  I am sure it has effected many of you and it robbed me of a Grandmother.  My dad's mom died of breast cancer a few years before I was born and I never had the chance to meet her.

There is Hope! One of my mom's sisters has been a breast cancer survivor for 20 years now. There are many success stories  yet it is extremely important that research continue until a cure for breast cancer has been found. If you are able, please consider making a donation to Laura who I think is a true inspiration. She has pledged to raise $2,300 but her personal goal is $3,400.  Check out her flyer and her video! 

My personal 3-day experience. from Laura Lamson on Vimeo.

Governor's Fishing Opener 2009 ~ White Bear Lake, MN

Being that I am NOT a fisher-person, I had no idea what a BFD (big frickin deal) the Governor's Fishing Opener is.  The reason I now know is because the Governor has chosen White Bear Lake as the hot spot this year, and White Bear Lake is just 3 miles away from my house. 

I drive by it every day on my way to work and often stop to take pictures like these:

 

 

We are expecting a very busy weekend around town with everyone here to do some fishing!

Is anyone planning to be out fishing this weekend????

Hope you all have a good one!

Bittersweet....

Today is a glum day around the school district I work in, especially at the school I teach at in the afternoon.  Last Friday was the deadline for Principals to notify individuals whose positions were eliminated due to budget cuts and at least 11 teachers from our building were cut (including several tenured teachers).  I can't even imagine how this will impact our building next year.  District-wide we had to cut $25.4 million from our schools in one year, the biggest hit of all time.  It is very likely that an additional $10 million will be cut due to an Education Bill that the MN House of Representatives passed next week.  If this bill gets signed into law by the Governor, all teachers in our state will have our salaries frozen for the next two years. (That majorly stinks considering I am now at the point where my salary jumps up significantly each year!!!)
This time of year is one that always makes me nervous because my position as Gifted Services Specialist has been on the chopping block too many times.  This year my prayers were answered and my positions are being kept intact.  That is wonderful news for me, but I am feeling very sad for my colleagues that have to move on :(

Sweetsauer Photo Hunt #1

April 1st....and so IT begins!

 

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Here is the List!!  (All items are subject to photographer's interpretation )

1. Cool or interesting architecture
2. A sign of Spring/Autumn (So. Hemi)
3. Something musical
4. Something sweet
5. Something metallic
6. A landscape
7. An interesting doorway
8. A reflection
9. A cemetery
10. A pair of shoes
11. A body of water
12. A drink
13. A mosaic or mural
14. Rain
15. Classic car (1970 or older)
16. A work of art
17. A church
18. A statue
19. An interesting sky
20. Something in motion
21. Lights at night
22. A silhouette
23. Something historical (pre-1900)
24. A shot from an unusual perspective
25. Flowers
26. Self-Portrait

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It is preferred that you try to take your photos between today and April 30th.  If for some reason you are stuck on the 30th without a few of the items on your list, then you can dig into your archives ( lets just say a max of up to 3 photos taken before 4-1-09 can be used).

It is up to you whether you post your photos on your blog as you go, or wait until  April 30th to unveil them and make it a surprise.  One thing I ask is that everyone who participates posts all 26 photos in one single post on their blogs or in a set in an online gallery by April 30th. 

A new post will go up here at www.sweetsauer.com on April 30th.  I will have an auto-link widget set up so that anyone who completed the Photo Hunt will just add their name & the url of where their Photo Hunt photos will be posted and your name will automatically be displayed with a link to your Photo Hunt entries.  Everyone who adds their name to the auto-link will have their name added to a Poll for Voting.  The Voting Poll will be open from May 1st-May7th.  Voting is also open to anyone and everyone.

Please leave a comment if you will be participating and include a link to your blog or online gallery. If you would like to recruit others for the Sweetsauer.com Photo Hunt or announce your participation, please feel free to post the above badge on your blogs and remember to link back to this post.

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Participants:

Kristi
Michelle
Ella Press
Ang
Lindi
Lesle
Denise
Karry
Samara
Jennifer
Sarah
Dana
Faith
Denise
TC
Gina
Nicole
Jientje
Lisa
Stacey Jean
Kaye
Charlotte
Liz
Carrie
Mojo
Kelly
Anne
Jan
Becky
Mindy
Michelle
Pink Monkey
Cherre
Jen
Ashley
Elizabeth
Hope
Alexa
Sherrie
Ladynred
Mari
Krisu
Carol
Laurie
Jutta
Rolana

Time to check out the Photo Scavenger Hunt entries!

The Photo Scavenger Hunt that I posted about a month ago is now over and its time to look at all the contestants from around the World and VOTE!!!!!!!
Nicole has all of the links on her blog and also the poll for voting.  Make sure to visit her site and if you like my photos, vote for ME!!!!
See all of the photos in my entry on my Daily Photo Blog

PS I appreciate you all looking at my photos and even leaving a comment and voting for me in the contest.  I have been slacking on this blog because I have been spending more quality time with my camera!!

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Last night I posted on my Daily Photo Blog that I have decided to enter a Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by Nicole (who lives in Hungary) that runs until March 15.  Most of the 25 items on the Scavenger Hunt List are local-themed and since it was such a nice morning, I decided to start taking a few photos to mark off my list :)  Rather than duplicating what I already posted on the Photo Blog, you can Check them out here. 

For those of you who love to take photos, you should also consider entering the Challenge.

PS While I was driving down one of the roads that lead to White Bear Lake, I drove past this house that was on stilts!!  Apparently the house was actually MOVED ACROSS THE FROZEN LAKE!!!  Check out the video footage

Welcome, Baby Jake!

 As I announced yesterday, Kim and Brent's Bundle of Joy made his appearance into the world at 10am yesterday morning.
Kim is feeling much better today after a very rough bout of labor (22 long and horrible hours) and recovering from the whole process.  Despite her fights and protests of allowing me to take a photo, I made her do it anyway.  I think she looks beautiful as a new mother!

I  visited Kim and the baby for a little while over my lunch break today and I think I fell in love.  Jake is so sweet!

A slightly closer view of Jacob.

So there he is!

Congrats to Kim & Brent!

Just wanted to announce that my BFF Kim had her baby boy at 10am this morning!
7 lbs 11oz, 21 inches
I will post pictures when I can :)

Photo Blog Unveiled....

Here is the link to my new Daily Photo Blog!  Today is Day 1 :)
Check it out if you'd like and make sure to subscribe if you'd like to keep up with my daily photos.
Thanks for looking ;)

Done, Done, Done!!!!!

After taking my final exam this morning, I have successfully completed all of the requirements for my graduate program.

It is now all a distant memory!!! That means no-more-bitching-about-school-ever-again.

Celebration is in order!

Sweetness!!

I finished my practicum today!!! That means four weeks of vacation for me until I go back to work :)

I also got my test results back today from my final Praxis test (Middle school language arts) and I passed!!!

I just have one more assignment and the final for my literature class.  Hoping that will all be taken care of in the next couple of weeks!!

Ahhhh, it feels great!!  This has been such a busy year for me with graduate school and work between two schools (three if you count this summer).  So glad its all behind me now!

On the way!

500 cards of each color!

Thanks to those of you who gave your input!

I combined Kim and Dana's ideas for the back side. Thanks for your help, ladies!

Victory for Celtics!!! KG gets his Championship ring!!!!

I am ecstatic!!!!!!!!!
KG and the Celtics kicked the Lakers A$$ 131-92 to win the 2008 NBA Championship!!!
This was totally worth getting only 5 hours of sleep to see!!!!!!!!

Kevin was so emotional after the game.....made me cry a little too....tears of happiness!!!!!
My man finally got his ring!!!!!!!!!!

The Purple Prince turns 50 today!!!!!

Where has time gone???????

35 Years strong!

Happy 35th Anniversary to my parents today!

New Reviews on Twin Cities Restaurant Blog.....

I spent some time last week trying to catch up on restaurant reviews for my Twin Cities Restaurant Blog.  Its been just over a year now since I launched the site and I am up to about 60 reviews/restaurant profiles!!  It has been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work.  I am NOT a food critic (some have asked!), just giving information and impressions of the restaurants I visit. (I think the most popular feature is the photos of the food!)
I have never advertised the blog other than sending a brief e-mail to my friends when I launched it and a few mentionings on this blog.  Despite that, I am getting nearly 100 hits a day just from search engines.  Its becoming much more popular as the reviews continue to grow.
Please go check it out, subscribe and comment!!
Oh, and the restaurant review blog now has a profile on Facebook.  Be my friend!
Muchas gracias, amigos.
xoxoxooxoxoxoxox

Thinking of Kelly & Rob.....

Congrats to my friend Kelly and her new husband, Rob who got married today!!!!

Unfortunately I am really sick with a cold and couldn't make it to the wedding.  I thought I would try for the reception, but it is at least an hour away....and a scary night time drive.  I really wanted to be able to eat, drink and be merry but I know I wouldn't be doing myself or anyone else any good by being there :(
My itchy, red nose and eyes just can't be concealed and I am afraid I would cough up a lung over all the guests.  You get the drift....

Kelly, thinking of you and I hope you have an AWESOME honeymoon!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Big Sisters!

As of last night at 6pm, my nieces now have a baby brother, Bennett James!

Go on over to Michelle's blog to congratulate her and Brian, get the details of the birth and see a photo of Bennett!
I will be visiting him today at lunchtime, and will post photos later :)

Hot Mama Contest.....

My friend Amanda has been chosen by the hip store Hot Mama as one of their Top 5 Finalist in the running to be in a pregnancy magazine modeling their clothing!  This is really exciting, so Please take a second and click here to Vote for Amanda!
Visit Shopmama.com

TGIF!!!!!!

I can't recall how many Friday posts have started with this title, but some weeks just need to end already, kwim???
I am so irritated today!
So earlier this week I was bragging about Firefox, right?  Still lovin' Firefox, but can't figure out for the life of me why everytime I try to print from Firefox, there must be a default set up somewhere telling it to print 4 x 6.  So everything I print from Firefox only shows the top 4 x 6 of the page.  WTF???!!!  I seriously spent 2 hours trying to figure this out last night and this morning.  Under page setup I am not given the option of paper size and it does this on any printer I try to print from.  All docs and pages from Internet Explorer print just fine, so it is definitely a Firefox isssue.  None of my tech-people have been able to help and I haven't found anything useful on the internet either. Grrrrrrr!!!!  I even re-installed Firefox this morning and that didn't solve the %(*&%*^&$*$ problem either!!  If anyone can point me in the right direction, you will be my new BFF.
I hate being frustrated.  Nothing makes me more irritated, I swear!
My new Macbook Pro won't be here for another 2 weeks either, so that is irritating me too!

I am so glad its Friday.
Its been a long week and I have a lot planned for this weekend.

In the happy news department, Brian and Michelle have some BABY NEWS.  Go check Michelle's blog to find out more :)

Tai Pan is back!

Tai Pan, my favorite chinese restaurant of ALL TIME is back in a new location after a 2 1/2 year hiatus.  If you have been with me on my blogging journey, you may remember my post the last time I ate there on 5/23/05.  I still can't understand why it took the owner (Chuck Chin) so long to reopen with such a loyal following of customers, but Tai Pan is indeed back.

Saturday night was my first time back in its new spot.  It is much smaller and is geared more to the take-out crowd, but the food is as good as ever :)

Oh, how I had missed Tai Pan......

They have the BEST sesame chicken of anywhere on earth (Spicy!)

I will be writing up a restaurant review (the first in 4 months) ASAP and will link here when its finished :)

Categorizing Old Posts...

After blogging for 2 1/2 years and publishing 600+ posts, I thought it was about time that I start putting old posts into categories.  If you look to the left sidebar you will see a list of categories, which is helpful for finding and navigating through old posts.

I am making my way through the process of categorizing posts slowly, but surely.  It is kind of fun looking back at some of my old posts!

I hope this new feature is one you will enjoy and use :)

Back to School......

This time I am the STUDENT!

That's right! After facing budget cuts for four years straight, I decided last spring that I needed to go back to school to get my K-8 classroom endorsement added to my current teaching license.  You see, back when I was an undergrad at St Cloud State University (95-99), dual majors in special ed and regular ed were not offered.....I opted for a degree in special ed because that is what I thought I really wanted to teach at the time.  After teaching bad-ass kids with learning disabilities for just two years, I went back and earned my Masters degree in Gifted and Talented Education at the University of St Thomas (00-02).  I am considered an expert at both ends of the educational spectrum.   This will now be my 7th year of teaching GT kids and as much as I love it, I felt that I would greatly benefit from getting my classroom license as well.  Not to mention this will be my back-up plan just in case I am unable to find GT jobs in the future (we are always hit hard by budget cuts).  Since I already had all of my graduate work done at St Thomas, that is where I decided to go again.  There are five methods classes in the core content areas, and then since I will be specialized in communication arts/literature for grades 5-8, I need one additional literature class and one class specifically for this licensure.

I am taking three classes this semester.  Yes, I am totally effin crazy!!!! Two of the classes are on Wednesday nights, back to back.  They are "Teaching Math & Technology" and "Teaching Science and Health" .  Last night was the first night of what is bound to be a LONG semester! I almost crapped my pants when these four books came to $350!!!!

The third class that I am taking meets all day on Saturdays this month and is focused on my 5-8 content area.  Tuition has gone up 75% since I graduated five years ago too.  This is not going to be cheap, by any means.  It was interesting to see how the Minneapolis campus of St Thomas has changed in the five years since I last attended.  They have added an entire Law school with a state -of the-art building and also remodeled and expanded the cafeteria.

The classes are going to be great, but there is a TON of work.  Hopefully this will not be the end of my social life!!!!  I am expecting to have everything I need completed by the end of next summer, so it is going to be a very, very busy year.

Wish me luck!!!

Devastating 35W Bridge Collapse

I am in shock...

Just a few hours ago at 6:05pm the worst catastrophe to ever hit Minnesota happened.  A 2,000 ft stretch of 35-W interstate that travels over the Mississippi River collapsed into the river.  More info about this story.  This happened in the middle of rush hour, they have no idea just how many vehichles were actually on the bridge when it went down. ETA: Check out this slide show  Download I-35W_Collapse.pps

I am okay....not sure if anyone I know was involved in this.  This is a major stretch of bridge as you head in/out of downtown.  I take this route all the time, as do many people who live here in the Cities.  It is just unreal.

Please say some prayers for the people effected by this tragedy.  Anyone who lives here in the Cities....please let me know you're okay!

The future is bright....

So a few weeks ago I was still stressing about my job situation.  Then I got calls to go on two interviews, both for .5 gifted/talented positions.  I was really hoping something would pan out because if I didn't find a match for my current .5 GT job (the school that is keeping me next year), the district would probably pull me out and find a full time job for me teaching special ed.

Interview  at school #1 took place in the morning on a Friday (june 1).   There was a panel of teachers and the administrator asking me a ton of really good questions.  I thought I answered the questions really well, but I just didn't get the best vibe from the interview team.  Its hard to explain, but they just didn't show much emotion.  At the end of the interview they were very nice but told me that I was only the first of 6 interviews, so they would call me in a week when a decision had been made. (This is a very good school, with a  GT specialist who is retiring after this year, but the school is pretty far away from my current school.)

Interview at school #2 took place last Tuesday after work (June 5).  I was really sick that day with stomach/headache, but I stuck out the day for the sole purpose of interviewing for this job.  The school is about 2 miles from my current school and one that I was very interested in.  The previous specialist is relocating to northern MN, but has an excellent program established at the school.  The questions that this team asked me were much more vague than the other school, and I felt like I had so much more to tell them at the end of the interview on why I was the person they needed to hire.  This team also told me they had about 6 interviews, but they would give me a call when they made  a decision.  Despite feeling really crappy that day, the interview went very good and I had a very good feeling from the team.

I waited and waited all week, trying not to get my hopes up.  If each school was interviewing 6 people for the position, I wasn't sure I had the best chance of getting an offer.  I didn't even tell anyone I had the interviews!!

BUT THEN...

School #1 called me Friday afternoon and offered me the position!  I told them I was still waiting to hear from another school and asked if I could think about it and let them know Monday at 10am(today).  I tried calling school #2 and also e-mailed the principal to see if they had made a decision yet and to let them know I already had an offer that I needed to have an answer for by Monday morning.

I did not hear from school #2 all weekend, and was really thinking hard about which position I would take if #2 offered me the job (I was confident they would).

I still did not hear from school #2 by 9:45am this morning and became convinced that I had read the interview wrong and that maybe they had already selected someone else.  I didn't want school #1 to recind their offer, so I was thinking I was going to call and accept it.

BUT THEN....

School #2 called and offered me the position!!  The principal asks me "Will you accept?" Nothing like being put on the spot!!!   Think quick, Kristi!  Schools #1 and #2 and both very good schools.  I wouldn't mind teaching at either of them, but not if it means giving up this program that I only just established this year.  Once I make a commitment, I am in it for the long-haul.

So I said yes and accepted the position at school #2 :)

Then I started feeling really bad that I would have to turn down school #1 after making them wait for my answer all weekend.  I sent the principal a nice e-mail letting him know. "Dear Principal, I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to interview and even more for offering me the GT position at school #1. As it turns out, I was offered another position on Friday as well and took the weekend to consider all of my options. As much as I think school #1 is a wonderful school and as tempted as I am to accept your offer, I have decided to go with the other school. I feel terrible that I cannot accept at both schools, but that would mean abandoning the program at my current school that I only just started this year, and once I make a commitment, I am in it for the long-haul.".   He responded and said, "The interview committee was impressed by your wealth of experience and background. And saw wonderful possibilities for our students here at school #1. Your current school is very fortunate to have you. We had a funding change and were able to consider offering you a full-time position at school #1 that would have fit well with your LD background and Gifted Services Background.    Best regards, Principal"

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It feels great to be wanted, although I still feel bad that I had to turn one of them down!

I am relieved to know where I will be next year......a happy start to my summer :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Blog!

This week marks the 2nd anniversary of this blog, Mi Vida Ocupada aka www.sweetsauer.com.

Wow, did that two years go fast!

Check out these stats...

Posts: 481 Hits: 56,622  Comments: 2511 

I've even had visitors from all over the world :)

Thank you to everyone who has supported this journey.  Thank you for reading, I truly appreciate the audience.  This blog has been an important outlet for so many different aspects of my life and it would be weird not to have it now.  What did I ever do before?!

Please help me celebrate this anniversary by leaving a comment telling me what you have enjoyed about this blog.

Is it all my pictures? Scrapbook layouts? My random thoughts? Book reviews?

Or just that it is a way to stay connected to me?

I'd love to hear from everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lurkers come out!!!!  Friends. family, other bloggers.  Come out, come out, whoever and where ever you are!

Have an awesome weekend and enjoy today!!!!!!!

Spirits lifted :)

I am so happy and relieved to let everyone know that I got the results of the biopsies last night....both were benign!!! That means I'm cancer-free, baby!!!!!  I was pretty sure this was how it was going to turn out, but it is great to hear it anyway :) My allergy tests all came back negative as well, which is very weird. The Doc wants to see me again next week, so we will have to see what needs to be done next. I am still battling the headaches and nasal congestion, no fun at all.

I was hanging out with Sonja when I got the call....it was great to be with one of my best friends when the good news came.  She just moved much closer to me (near one of my schools) so we will be able to see each other a lot more often now.  Her little Angelina ia almost 2 now...getting so big and so darn cute and smiley.  Her little hug was the sweetest thing, made my heart melt and made me even more thankful.

The three of us went out for Mexican to celebrate my good news :) La Casita, of course!

This has been a totally crazy week.  Not only was I a little stressed waiting for the biopsy results to come back, but I have also been administering the test to identify kids for the G/T program at both of my schools.  We test all kindergarten and 2nd graders district-wide.  We didn't have school on Monday, which left the testing window short by a day.  That really bites if you have two schools to test like I did!!  I called in some help, but still was able to administer the test to 16 groups in 3 short days.  Yikes!!!

The sunrise this morning was stunning! The sun was a huge red ball...had me captivated enough that I stopped at the beach on my way to work to take a couple of pics.  Too bad my camera is crappy, this pic doesn't do it justice! Did anyone else around here notice it??

Have a happy day :)

Prince playing Superbowl half-time show!

Have ya'll heard? It looks like my man (Prince) will be starring in the Super Bowl half-time show this year! Thanks Dana for sending me this link! This will be the biggest reason I watch the game this year (after the wings and beer, lol).  I am curious as to what he will play...a mix of old and new, I'm sure. Either way, I won't miss it!

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How cute is this kitten? He belongs to a friend of ours who got him from the same breeder we got our Abyssinians from.  This cat is supposed to be a pure-bred Burmese, but these big ears, the shape of his eyes and the shape of his face have Aby written all over them!! I could be wrong, but I suspect that maybe he is a cross?! Like maybe to spread out the gene pool, the breeder mixed a Burmese and an Aby.  He is darn cute, but I would be kind of upset to have paid the amount of money you pay to have a pure-bred to not have the real-deal, kwim?

Which do you think he looks more like? Pharaoh is my Abyssinian on the left and the one on the right is a purebred Burmese I found from a registered cat breed page on Burmese

 

Do you see what I mean?!

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In the News:

T-wolves: Bring on AI!

More talk about the i-94 serial killer

In Memory of Teegan

Just got the devastating news that one of our Scrapjazz girls' (Sarah aka Gemmysnap5) little girl passed away this morning.  She was sick with a viral infection, had a cough before going to bed Sunday night and never woke up Monday morning.  Poor, poor Sarah and her family.  Keep them in your thoughts, one can only imagine how awful it would be to lose your child so unexpectedly.

Here is a layout I did of Teegan for Sarah a year ago.

News Flash!!!!

Chipotle Mexican Grill is coming to Vadnais Heights!!

They are putting it into the strip mall near Target and Festival, in the location where New York Burrito used to be.  This is pretty exciting!  I don't crave Chipotle as much as I used to, but it is nice to know there will be one closer to where I live :) Should be opening soon....

My standard there is the Chicken burrito with black beans.  Tomatoes, medium salsa, cheese and sour cream with guacamole on the side (I like to evenly spread it on with each bite).

Barbacoa burrito bowl with pinto beans is a close second!

How do you like your Chipotle??

Goodbye, Crocodile Hunter

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Steve Irwin, the beloved Crocodile Hunter,  was killed yesterday by a stingray.  So tragic! I loved his show and felt like I got to know him and his family over the years.  Those poor little kids of his will now grow up without a daddy.  So sad!! He will be missed.....

On the Road to Recovery....

Just checking in so ya'll know I made it through my surgery okay!  Things are about what I expected....I am feeling quite a bit of pain, so I am popping my Vicodin every 4-6 hours and laying on the sofa with my leg elevated and iced.  They gave me this cool contraption called a cryo/cuff that is wrapped around my leg and I am constantly filling it up/draining it with ice cold water.  I feel pretty good as long as I lay here, but moving around has proven to be painful and difficult.  It is pretty effin boring, actually!!  I cannot shower or remove the cryo cuff until Friday, so I am just trying to bide the time by watching Travel Channel, etc.  I ordered a ton of books from Amazon last week that will hopefully be here today because I am longing to start a new book!

I am curious to see what my knee looks like under all the bandages....I was in recovery for a few hours, so I did not get to talk to my Dr after surgery, but he talked to my partner and let him know how things went.  They started the surgery arthroscopically, but my things looked worse inside my knee than they originally thought, so apparently they had to make a large incision on the outside of my knee to get in at my knee cap.  I knew this was possible, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to have a giant scar!  I guess I will see what it looks like in a few days :(  I got some pictures of the inside of my  knee that I will scan and post when I am up and about...I know you must all be dying to se them! LOL......

Thanks for all the well wishes...it looks like I will have plenty of time to read blogs and message boards.  Good thing for the laptop so that I can surf while laying here! 

Goodbye, Kirby

I am no longer a huge baseball fan by any means, but I was still saddened to hear the news that the great Kirby Puckett of the 1987, 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins had died yesterday after a massive stroke. 

I grew up during Kirby's hay-day and was a HUGE fan of the Minnesota Twins, especially Kirby.  I grew up going to games with awesome season tickets....Puckett was my guy!  I also attended both game #7's when the Twins won the World Series and there is nothing like the excitement of being the World Champs!! I also attended the special game in 1996 when fans said goodbye to Puckett after his announced retirement due to eye problems.  Today our city mourns this baseball hero.  Rest in Peace, Brother :)

You can read more about Kirby in this article in the Mpls Star Trib: Goodbye, Kirby. 

I'm going to VEGAS!!!!!!!

I am soooooooooooo excited, and I just can't hide it!!!! 

I have to give the biggest shout-out to my girl Heather who is taking me, E and Rich to Vegas in April!!!!!!!!!  I had all but given up on going somewhere for Spring Break (since we have to come up with all sorts of $$ to fix our damaged garage) when Heather e-mailed me a few weeks ago, wanting to know if E and I wanted to go to Vegas with her and Rich.....for FREE! As a frequent visitor to Vegas, she has a million travel perks saved up with the airlines and room comps at several of the hotels on the Vegas strip.  How could we say no to that????? Especially when she wanted to go during the time when I already had a week off work. 

So our trip is now completely booked....and we are staying at The Luxor!!!!!!!!!!  This hotel is amazing!! It is like a trip back to ancient Egypt.....with a giant pyramid and an Egyptian motif.  Check out the website and the videos they have.  I am soooo pumped!!  This is an even bigger motivation for a diet right about now!

While we are there we are going to see a band that E and R really like, God Forbid, at the House of Blues, and we are also in the process of trying to score tickets to see Lance Burton.  I love magic shows and he is The Best!!  We will only be there for 3 days, but we plan to pack a ton of excitement and adventure into our short stay. 

Can you tell I am excited???  The last time E and I went to Vegas was for New Years Eve 1999.  That was way too long ago! I cannot wait to see all that has changed!! Good thing my memory card holds 500+ pictures, because I plan to take about that many!!

***Today is the 1st of the month....CJ ship-out date.  I hadn't had any time at home to finish Chriselda's 2nd layout for her CJ (the color one), so I took my stuff to school yesterday and worked on it during my lunch!  Sooooooo bright...soooo totally April's favorite colors! And I just realized it has no title.  Oh well!

And here is the layout that I made on Saturday while scrappin with Shannon and Sarah.  Old pictures from Halloween that were not working out with the original paper I had chosen to use, so they sat there for almost 4 months!!  Glad to have it done and put into its place in an album.

Have a wonderful, glorious, (and as April would say), humpday-alicious!

A sad day....

I had a very tough week.  Just when I thought this week couldn't get any worse, we received word this morning that E's grandmother had suffered a massive stroke and was in the hospital.  By the time we got there early this afternoon, she had just passed away.  This death is especially hard for E, as she was his last living grandparent.  His grandma had been living here in MN with E's parents for the past two years, ever since she had a stroke that left her needing 24-hour dependent care. It is Japanese custom to take care of your elders, so it was never a question that they would take care of her.  She and E's grandpa settled in Chicago after immigrating from Japan in the early 1950's and she lived there up until the time of her stroke.  She was a wonderful lady and I am glad that I got to know her prior to the stroke....  She was there the first time I ever tried sushi and was the very first person to offer me sake.  She made the first sukiyaki that I ever had (and she made it the best!) She had a great sense of humor.  She also made beautiful Japanese dolls as I mentioned in my Memoirs of a Geisha post. She had three wonderful children  and six beautiful grandchildren who will all miss her very much. She was a great lady.  I wanted to share a few pictures in her memory :)

 

Rest in Peace Bacha, We Love You.

Introducing Annika....

I am officially an Auntie now!!  Michelle's C-section went great and Annika (pronounced On-ick-ah) was born just after 1 pm today.  She and Brian are going to be such great parents, I am so incredibly happy for them.  We are all so blessed! Check little Annika out :)

I splurged and bought.....

The Canon Powershot SD500 camera.  I have been wanting a new, smaller, high resolution point-and-shoot camera for months now, and I had done some shopping around and decided this was the one I wanted.  I ended up buying it at Best Buy after looking at many other stores.  It is pretty tiny yet still has 7.1 megapixels!  I have just started to read the manual and haven't had a chance to take any pics yet, but I have tons going on this weekend so I'll be able to practice.

I am sooooo excited to start using it!! Gone are the days of being disappointed by the crappy pics my old camera takes!!

Be sure to check back for pics from this weekend!

I'm a proud big sis!

If my little brother reads this, I am sure he will be very embarrassed, because he is a very modest kind of guy.  But I cannot help but toot the family horn after reading this mass e-mail that my brother's employer send out to its' company's nation-wide staff. (He works for a health-care consulting company, his current project is in Washington DC).

"Before the month of June ends, we want to be sure to provide communication on who the May Mission Award winner was. Please review the attached write-up which will soon be posted on our Newspage.

We would like to congratulate Brian Sauer on being awarded with the May Mission Award. Brian is a lead senior associate on the Inova project, and is being recognized for his leadership and attitude that has served as an example for the rest of the team.

As it specifically relates to our Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles, Brian has shown a strong desire and ability to "Provide Fulfilling Career Opportunities for Those Who Join our Team". Brian consistently takes steps to develop a solution-oriented culture within the team, and ensures that even the least experienced associates at Inova are equipped to have a significant and immediate project contribution. Brian is a champion of ensuring project morale is high, and ensures that the team has a clear sense of not only what we are trying to do, but why our project activities are important.

Brian has also made a major impact on the Innovation of the Inova project team. In the words of one of his nominators, "The (Innovation) theme has been hardwired into the project team, as evidenced by our success at winning company-wide Innovation Awards, and providing multiple, viable entries to the Innovation Committee".

Please join us in congratulating Brian. As part of his award, $100 will be donated to the charity of his choice."

He chose to donate money on his to the Kidney Cancer Association because of my dad's sickness last spring. It means that much more to me because of that. Brian is also looking forward to the birth of his daughter, who will be arriving via C-sect. in about 4 weeks,( or sooner, hopes his wife Michelle!) So I am proud of him in many ways, these are just to name a few :)

Word on Budget Cuts

Okay, so my principal finally e-mailed me back this morning and told me that because of budget cuts, they are eliminating my .5 position next year. I would be feeling bad about this, except that I was already offered a full-time position at the other school I teach at. Ha ha ha!! I "forgot" to mention this though of course, until he writes me a letter of recommendation for future use!!

I ran to Kowalskis Market to grab hot dog buns and chips for dinner.... I left with just two bags and it was $70. Man! Good thing I didn't grab the $19 T-bone that was calling my name. At that price I am better of going to my favorite Steakhouse, The Lakeside Club, and have someone cook it for me!!!

Today is my brother Brian's bday, cousin Katie's bday, and neighbor Jeremiah's bday!!!