oh, charlie brown!

If there's one thing you should know about me by now, it's that I not only adore Fall but also, everything about Halloween. This has taken some getting used to for D so I have been "breaking him in" with baby steps. I've kept the decorations to a minimum...at least for now! Yes, this means there are no spider webs at a five foot level...much to my Mama and old college roommate J's dismay, I am sure!

I just love the crunch of leaves, carving pumpkins, eating apples and going to the orchard, brainstorming for costume ideas, decorating and most of all, listening to little footsteps outside turn into whispers just before that knock on the door and a sweet little "trick-or-treat" spurts out of their candy-eager mouths...seriously...what's not to ADORE?

In addition to this, I am an avid Charlie Brown and Peanuts fan. One of the things I look forward to most are holiday specials around Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas when one special television station decides to make my day and air my lovable, irresistible Charlie!

Well folks, that just so happens to be tonight! A big THANKS to my Mom who told me about this but at 7pm ABC will be airing none other than It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

Since D will be heading to Valley City to scout Viterbo University, whom they play at 12:00pm on Saturday, I will be snuggling up with some warm apple cider and some fresh seasoned pretzels [thanks for the recipe, L!] and indulging in a classic favorite. Perfection!

right up my alley.

I have several blogs that I check periodically...multiple times a day. Mostly I am looking for updates on free samples, coupons or one-heck-of-a-deal, but the other day, to my surprise, I came across a post for a DIY autumn wreath.

Now a few weekends ago, my good friend A [and former boss while I was working at The Forum] gave D and I our wedding gift. A is an Uppercase Living representative and has been struggling to find a frame to fit our names but finally found the perfect one and gave it to us. We absolutely LOVE it! So much in fact, that I changed where I had originally thought I wanted to hang it and decided rather to make it a focal point in our "entryway" right when you come into the apartment.

Well, after looking at it, I realized that what I currently had hanging on the wall wasn't going to work at all. So I took an old cupboard door that I bought at Habitat for Humanity Restore [in Moorhead] about two years ago, and decided to make a chalkboard to hang underneath it. I completed that little project and found myself with another empty space on the wall. And that's when I remembered the blog post I had read...and I knew right away it would be the perfect piece to my entryway puzzle.

The end result? An arrangement I am not only in love with, but also rather proud of how well it turned out. Not to mention, it cost me next to nothing to put together. The picture is a little fuzzy but you get the general idea!


If you are interested in creating your own wreath, check out the original post with step by step directions at Centsible Savings. I made mine pretty "fluffy" but you can do it any way want - so fun and easy!

boots = love

So after finishing my last post, I checked my email for approximately the 63rd time today. To my surprise [not really] I had a couple email blasts I hadn't seen yet, one of which was from Nike. Now because of my fanaticism with free samples and coupons, I have found myself receiving TONS of email. But the stuff I really take the time to read comes right to my gmail account, which is where the Nike emails just so happen to land. Although I choose not to buy regular priced Nike clothing or shoes [or anything else regular price, for that matter], these winter boots were too cute to resist posting. They come with a rather hefty price tag but perhaps an end-of-the-season-super-duper-clearance will emerge in June and they just may make the $15-or-less rule I tend to stick to with purchases. Who knows! But if you aren't as 'frugal' as me, perhaps you'd like to add these to your Christmas Wish List. These are my two favorites:

These beauties appear to be very warm,

but I'm not sure they can handle a true
MN/ND winter. You can find them here.

These are cute as a button if you ask me!
They come in black or brown - check them out.

a perfect day to post.

It seems dear Mother Nature has issued us a bit of a wake-up call today so since we are bundled up inside our apartment [still putting off turning on the heat] it's a perfect time to get this baby updated. Instead of offering a futile attempt at an explanation as to why I haven't posted, I decided that I'm just going to jump right back in with what's been going on with us over the last several months. Enjoy the photos and a bit of a rewind...

In June, D and I celebrated our one year anniversary! It's hard to believe how quickly the past year [and then some] has gone by, but we were able to take a weekend getaway to Bemidji. The hotel was fantastic [RIGHT on the lake] and we spent our time enjoying canoeing, hiking/trail walking, sight-seeing, soaking in the indoor/outdoor hot tub and eating some yummy food! It was only a few hours away but it was a really special weekend basking in our growing love!

The view from our room.

The trail we explored.

We thoroughly enjoyed the statues before heading back to Mayville [and before the rain hit!]


D + Chief Bemidji

A trip to Bemidji wouldn't be complete without Paul and Babe. Fun!

My "little" cousin marked a big milestone in her life: high school graduation! I made the trip down to Big Lake, slowly crawling through 5mph traffic, hail and torrential rains, but eventually got there in one piece. It was a fun day with family, but boy was it sticky and hot!

The graduate

Releasing balloons for the grad's future

I let loose the final three.

My good friend J got married at the end of July and I was lucky enough to share in the special day. Unfortunately, I had to miss out on good friends J+S who got married that same day, so Dave and I split up and I headed south and he went a little north so at least half of our duo could be present at both special events!

M + S + L

J and S

D's basketball season got going last weekend with the first home opener. There was lots of excitement, anticipation and perhaps a little bit of nervousness, but even though they ended up in a 91-93 loss, it's exciting to see the talent and potential on this year's team! I'm so proud of my hubby; it's truly where he belongs and hopefully that is evident in the next few photos [try to ignore the lack of skill from the photographer!],

introductions.

Without further ado...allow me to introduce you to our dear fish pals. The first photo is of our three fish all together. You may wonder why in the last post we only had two fish and now we suddenly have three. It's a good question but it can be explained relatively quickly. We bought another one. 

Crush, Belle and Meeko (respectively)

 Crush (dominant male) and Belle peeking in the back

Fair Belle (fertile female)

Crush and Belle are both creamsicle lyretail mollies, although you can see that Crush has a much more vibrant orange hue and Belle is more subdued and yellowish. Their tails are what set them apart from other mollies (and Meeko) as the lyretail looks like a giant "C" that seemingly floats and glides through the water. These two are often inseparable, although that's not for lack of trying on Belle's behalf. Crush is quite the brute and since he is the only male in the tank, tends to chase the females every second of every day.

Sweet Meeko (peace keeper)

Meeko was our latest addition and is a beautiful silver molly. Although we wanted another lyretail, we arrived at the pet store only ten minutes before close and didn't have the heart to ask the guy to fish out a different molly after struggling for what seemed like forever to get Meeko into the container. So although you could say we didn't really want Meeko in the beginning, she has quickly become one of our favorites due to her curious behavior and quick wit. She is definitely a keeper, although her tail isn't the "fairest" of them all.

These three together keep things very interesting in our household; as I am sure you will soon find out.

fish tales.

Since I have absentmindedly ignored updating the blog for several months, I feel the need to get you up to speed on the latest happenings in our "house." Don't worry, I will keep it short; or at least I will try.

About two months ago, my wonderful husband finally convinced me we were ready for parenthood. NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT. But since we aren't allowed to have dogs or cats at our apartment, a perfect little ten gallon tank that has sat empty for many years, started calling his name. If you don't know that story, follow along.

Once upon a time, I had two beautiful roommates who blessed me with this complete ten gallon fish tank set for my birthday. It came complete with gravel, water heater, lid and decorations. I, of course, jumped the gun and immediately hopped in my car and went to the closest pet store. I carefully chose the "prettiest" fish and brought 14 of them home to my new tank. I named them all. And when I woke up in the morning, I rushed to that tank to greet my new scaly friends; and found a graveyard of what had once been neon tetras.

I tried out a few more fish, but those too died. The only thing I seemed to be able to keep alive was a pretty little beta, also a birthday gift, given to me by my good friend Brandon and appropriately named Sheena Fish. But eventually, Sheena Fish died too. And it was then that I swore I would never try to become a fish mama again; I just didn't think I was cut out for it.

Back to present day, I found myself staring aimlessly at the selection of fish at the pet store. We walked up and down and examined them all very carefully, knowing this was a large step we were about to take. I walked gingerly past the tank filled with neon tetras, remembering vividly the smile on my face as I brought them home and the sinking feeling in my stomach six hours later when I found them all lifeless and strewed about in miscellaneous fashion. Was I ready? We talked for a long time with the "fish expert" each time we visited the store before finally making an educated decision the fourth time around. Each person we talked to seemed to know just a little bit more than the other and so our knowledge, in turn, continued to grow.

Finally, we had made up our minds and decided we would begin with just two mollies based on their hardy nature and ability to fit well in a ten gallon tank. We were given a male and a female, which we didn't realize until many weeks later; one was a subdued yellow hue and the other, bright orange. Appropriately, they were given the names Belle and Crush, and they are the very beginning of our ever fascinating, fish tales.

now more than ever.

Eight months ago, I found myself in the middle of a dream come true. Sitting next to me was a handsome man I now call my husband that years prior to that moment I didn't even know. While I sat, staring at water that appeared to be so pure, so perfect and full of hope, I waited for the creatures I knew would soon appear. Anticipation. Excitement. Hope.

The music started and they appeared. So majestic and surreal to me - this beautiful animal that I had only seen pictures of or read stories about - was now right in front of me. I smiled, as though they were smiling back at me; as though our hearts were now connected somehow that I saw them in person. I envisioned myself there; in the tank as though I belonged there with them, just as I had done so often growing up. My face continued to beam as my heart filled with joy; my love at my side and this dream taking place before my very eyes.

Today, I have a difficult time with my emotions; reliving the picture, the sounds and the feelings all while in the back of my head I fight the issue of captivity as brought forth in the documentary, The Cove. Today, in those very waters photographed by our camera in Orlando, a trainer by the name of Dawn Brancheau, lost her life to one of these majestic creatures. A trainer that we, along with millions of others, watched in amazement as she worked with these animals. You can read the story here. The sinking feeling in my stomach cannot be explained but for reasons beyond my control, I fought back tears as I watched the numerous videos documenting the whales in their tanks thinking how unfair their existence has become. This life that they have been forced to live, is not truly a life at all but merely a captive existence.

I was one of the millions who dreamed of going to Sea World; I was one of probably thousands who dreamed of working as a marine mammal trainer to these very whales and dolphins someday; I was one that completely bought into the captivity industry. But I don't know if I can find joy where I only see sadness...if I can find purpose where I only see dollar signs...if I can find hope where I only see suffering.

In the words of a man I not only highly respect but admire, Richard O'Barry states that " Dolphins [and whales] are free-ranging, intelligent, and complex wild animals, and they belong in the oceans, not playing the clown in our human schemes." We need to see the bigger picture...we need to end it...now more than ever.