Where has time gone???????
Jun 072008
May 192008
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
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
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 :)
Mar 042008
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
Nov 162007
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 :)
Nov 112007
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 :)
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 :)
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!!!
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!
Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)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"
**********************************************************************************************************
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 :)
Apr 202007
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!!!!!!!
Jan 182007
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 ias 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 :)
Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)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!
************************************************************************************
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?!
***********************************************************************************************
In the News:
T-wolves: Bring on AI!
Dec 112006
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.
Oct 102006
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??
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…..
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!
Mar 072006
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.
Recent Comments