College Friends » Mi Vida Ocupada

Photo Shoot { In Manual Mode!}

College Friends, Family Gatherings, Photography 8 Responses »

Jul 162011

Yesterday afternoon my college roomie Laura (brown) and I spent some time with my SIL Michelle so she could give us some lessons in photography. Michelle offered a beginning photography course in the spring of last year, shortly after Laura and I both bought our first D-SLR cameras. The class was a Godsend to both of us! It is from these lessons that I began to understand how a SLR camera works and learned how to do more than set the camera to ‘auto mode’.

My photography has improved in the past year but I still had not learned how to shoot completely in manual mode. While still adjusting almost all the settings manually, for the past year I have shot in Aperture mode. This all changed yesterday when Michelle spent time with us and we forever switched our cameras to Manual Mode. There is no turning back now!!!

I was aiming at getting the proper exposure, composition wasn’t the main focus in these photos but I still got some that are pretty cute. Of course my nieces and nephew make adorable subjects to photograph. Michelle is a lucky lady!

This one is totally overexposed but I still like it

Annika is turning six this week. I can’t believe it.
This little stinker is too cute for his own good. He has the famous “Sauer” disappearing eyes when he smiles. Little whipper snapper ;)

Michelle is so pretty, I took a few shots when she wasn’t paying attention. lol! I probably have more photos of her than anyone, since she is always behind her own camera

Thanks for the lesson, Michelle. I look forward to shooting only in manual from now on!

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Happy Hour {Just before the BIG snowstorm}

College Friends, Friend Time 3 Responses »

Dec 162010

Last Friday after work I met up with some of my friends from college for a delicious Happy Hour at Flame Rotisserie Grill & Bar (review to come!). Our HH date was somewhat short notice so many of our girls couldn’t make it, but those of us who were there had a good time. I didn’t take photos (of people!) until the end of the night (just before we parted, actually) so I didn’t get any pics with Jessica or Cathy before they had to leave but I did get some of Me, Heidi (her son) and Janet!

Janet and I happen to work together this year which is very cool

I had planned to go shopping in the mall after Happy Hour but Heidi and Janet both came later so I stayed to hang out with them until the staff practically kicked us out for hanging out too long when other customers were waiting for our booth. Only slightly kidding. Since the big snow storm was due to arrive within just a few hours, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to stock up on food for the weekend. Good thing, I didn’t really leave for days since they canceled school (which rumor has it will have to be made up. boo)

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Long Awaited Girls Dinner at Chino Latino

BFF, College Friends, Friend Time 3 Responses »

Aug 282010

I had made future dinner plans with some of my college girlfriends at our last dinner together and unfortunately needed to change the date twice to accommodate my travel schedule this past summer. We were finally able to get together the week after I came home from Texas and had a fabulous dinner at Chino Latino (click to read my review). Many of the college girls weren’t able to make our dinner, but it was great the my bffs could join us. Kim, Mary and Sonja spent so much time at my apartment during college that they are honorary alum. Here we are:

Planning another dinner for early October sometime, should be fun!

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Barrio Babes: Mini-Reunion of 9th Floor

College Friends, Friend Time 4 Responses »

Jun 072010

So…… many, many years ago when I was a freshman in college, I lived in the dorms. The 9th Floor of Stearns Hall at St Cloud State University, to be exact. A lot can be said about living in the dorms but I think the most positive of all is that you get a chance to meet new people and you live within a small community. Many of the friendships that I formed that year changed my life and helped me map out the people I would be closest to throughout college. Many of these bonds have remained tight over the years and I try to see many of these college friends several times a year. There have been a few of these friends over the years that moved away, got married or we just simply lost contact but thanks to Facebook, many of those lost connections have been refound.

Last week six of us girls who lived on the 9th floor together met for a delicious time at Barrio Tequila Bar in St Paul. What a fun place! The food was also excellent (I am working on my review and will add it to this post when it is finished). It was great to spend time with my college girls and especially awesome to see Heather for the first time in 10 years!!

Looking forward to our next planned outing at the end of July when hopefully more of our girls can join us :)

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Brunch with the Girls

BFF, Birthday Parties, College Friends, Friend Time 2 Responses »

Feb 252010

Last Sunday Kim hosted a nice brunch with me and some of my closest friends (we used my birthday as an excuse to get together!). It was really nice to see some of the kids and just hang out and relax. Laura (brown) has also just gotten her first D-SLR and will be taking Michelle’s online photography class with me this spring, so we both brought our cameras along to practice using them.

Old college roommies, Laura (blonde), Me, and Laura (brown)

Laura and her daughter Keira

Me and Bradie

Keira and Neven

Me, Kim and Bradie

Laura, Me and Kim

Everyone else was shy about getting photos taken but the Three Little Pigs showed up and didn’t mind me taking their photo (over and over again!)

Thanks for hosting, Kim! It was fun to get together :)

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Sally & Sam’s Big Day!

College Friends, Friend Time, Weddings 1 Response »

Jan 252009

It was a cold but sunny day for Sally's wedding! I have known Sally since my freshman year of college. We first met because her cousin Laura (blonde), lived next door to me in the dorms (with Farrah) and became a very good friend of mine. Laura (brown) lived next door to me on the other side. The Lauras and I got an apartment together our sophomore year. We all hung out together all the time. Junior year, Sally and some of her friends moved into the apt. across the hall from us. We were all together every single day- the most fun days of our lives! I moved out a year earlier than the other girls (I moved to AZ) and when I did, Sally took my room. Sally and many of the other girls were roommates even after college, until they all started getting married.
Sam, Sally's new husband, used to live downstairs from us in that same apartment building. There were only 8 (4 bdrm) apartments in the building, so we all got to know each other pretty well. Sally and Sam were friends back then and maybe even smooched a couple of times. They didn't see each other again until about a year and a half ago when they reconnected online! They started dating, fell in love and the rest is history!!!
I only took a fraction of the photos I would usually take because my camera kept dying, but here are a few.
They were married at Assumption Catholic Church in St Paul, the same place where D & D were married.

Me and Sally

College friends Laura (brown), Kelly, Greg and Lindsay
Laura (blonde) and her husband Jeff (Here I blogged about their wedding)

My dinner companions

And then my camera died! I will add more pics later when I get the rest from Laura!

The reception was a lot of fun. It was great to have all the college girls and Sally's fun friends together. Many of Sam's old college roommates (the guys who lived downstairs from us) were also at the reception. I hadn't seen or thought about some of these people in 10 years, what a blast from the past!

Party time for Sally!

College Friends, Friend Time, Special Events, Travel 7 Responses »

Dec 162008

Attended a bachelorette party last Friday night for Sally, one of my college girlfriends. I always have fun when I am reunited with these ladies :) It was a Black (with Sally in white) theme and we had a green party bus. Fun stuff!

I am by no means a downtown party girl, but there is ONE club downtown that I have consistently had fun at over the past 10 years because it is such a good place to dance…its had many names over the years but has gone by The Annex for many years now :) We spent the last couple fo hours at that bar shakin our groove thang and then slumber party.

Golden Birthday Bash

Birthday Parties, College Friends, Friend Time 5 Responses »

Jun 022008

Saturday night was my dear friend (and former college roommate) Laura's 31st birthday. Since she was 8 months pregnant last year on her 30th and couldn't really celebrate, she threw a party for herself this year in honor of her 31st Golden Birthday. Fun times! I had been really looking forward to hanging with our other college girls, Laura, Sally and Kelly, but another severe storm in the southern 'burbs where those girls were prevented them from being able to come :(
I had a good time anyway….glad I know Laura's sisters and a couple of the other girls who went out with us. We had a big party bus and went bar-hopping. Here are some photos:

This is a crazy picture, but I like it anyway!

At the last bar we were at, Laura jumped on stage and jammed with the band!

Nothing like staying up 'til 4am, having a good time!
Love ya, Laura! So glad I was able to come celebrate with ya!

Stearns Hall Flashbacks!

College Friends, Friend Time 3 Responses »

Mar 202008

I met with Laura, Laura and Farrah today for lunch at La Casita. We were talking about when we all met in the college dorms. Laura (blonde) and Farrah were roommates, I was two doors down from them and Laura (brown) was next door to me on the other side. I believe it was Farrah who first nicknamed them "blonde" and "brown" to differentiate the girls by hair color but those are nicknames that stuck with the girls when we all moved off campus together for the rest of our college years and to this day….13 years after we all met!

Looking forward to the holiday weekend!

All aboard the Pink Panther Bus……

College Friends, Friend Time, Showers, Special Events 4 Responses »

Mar 012008

Last night was a really fun night…..a personal shower and bachelorette party for Kelly, one of my college girls. Up until Friday night I wasn’t sure if I’d even make it, having been sick earlier in the week and overworked the rest. Laura (brown) told me I better go…it was too long since "party Kristi" had come out with them. Too true…I couldn’t let my girls down and I knew I’d have fun. It was a pretty wild night, very few of the pics Laura and I took will actually make it to this blog!
We started with a personal shower for Kelly. Whoa, nelly! I think the "cleanest" gift that she received was this pink John Deere hat (Kelly will soon be living on a farm after her wedding) I don’t dare show you any of her other gifts, but you do realize this was a bachelorette party….use your imagination!

Here is Laura (blonde) with her 10-day old baby girl, Keira. I’d kill to have a body like hers just days after having a baby! Laura didn’t come out with us on the bus, but we sure missed her…

After the shower 19 of us girls piled into this bad boy: The Pink Panther bus.

We started the night at Shamrock’s, then to Moose Country to shake our booties, then finished the night at Bogart’s to see the Johnny Holm Band. Such a fun time! I still had a ton of fun even though I kept it pretty tame…I tried to drink but they just didn’t want to go down so good. Being there with everyone and seeing the drunken fun was worth it!

Me and Laura. Notice the wavy hair? I used my three-barrell for the first time since this time. I kinda felt like a had a fro! I also bought a new outfit on the way to the party. Gotta love that!

We got back to Kelly’s sister’s house late at night, ate a ton of munchies and then had a giant sleepover. Laura and I stayed up most of the night, looking at all of our pictures and laughing our asses off! Ah, it was almost like the old days when we all lived together in college. I miss those days so much when I hang with these girls. I love them! I will post a group picture when Laura sends me her photos.