Leap Morning

I'm too Excited to Sleeeeeep.  Not sure that is totally the case, but 3:30am rolled around this morning, and apparently I was ready to be awake.  I'm quite disapproving of this, but despite many efforts, I decided to just accept it.

I feel as though my mind and body is a bit restless for the following reasons.  

1. Its the end of the month.  (Big deal for us at work).  We wrap up the month, either hit or miss our revenue goals, I have to do Inventory, and get things set up to rock the next month. 

2. Its a LEAP DAY!  Sweet.  I'll get back to this later in the post. 

3. I have a Chiropractic appointment at 8:15 in Eagan.  I've been in quite a lot of discomfort for 2-3 weeks now, so I'm really looking forward to getting some of these issues resolved. 

4. Its a big ol' slushie outside right now, and I'm anticipating a rather interesting commute to work.  

(3. and 4. combined: I can't just leave for work early, go in and get stuff done and my commute out of the way, because I have my appointment in Eagan. Argh).

5. My body woke me up.  Both my bladder and my stomach.  I was hungry and had to urinate.

6. Conversely to #1, a new month is upon us.  And MARCH at that!  I love new starts, and could use one. 

7.  Two of my FAVORITE people are coming to town this weekend.  Brianna Joy & Leah Lien.  We are going to be doing more wedding planning/shopping, some quality girl time, loads of laughing, etc. etc.  So excited!

8. Did I mention that I got hungry?  (and that I don't like ending numbered lists on an odd number)

Wiki - Leap Year Info  I was reading up on Leap Year and Leap Day, as today is February 29th.  For those of you that DO NOT know: a complete revolution around the sun (a year), takes 365 days and 6 hours.  So every 4 years, there is an accumulation of an extra 24 hours.  Therefore, we have a LEAP DAY.  Score.  There is a bunch more math and historical science that goes with all that, but that is essentially what it is all about.  What I found most entertaining was in the Folk Traditions section.

Apparently there is a popular tradition that women may propose marriage to a man on February 29th.  So all you fellas, beware.  Your significant other may take advantage of this Leap Day and get down on one knee.  Maybe I should go wake Peter up right now too.  He He. 

Well, I know one thing, I'm going to need some major coffee to get me through today.  Good thing there is a BOGO deal today at Caribou.  Have a great bonus day, and Happy Birthday to all those Leaplings!

Check Engine: Lent

I love my job.  But to be honest.  The last few days at work, I feel as though my mind is a whirl wind of information, responsibilities, tasks, ideas, etc. etc.  At a weekly meeting today, I felt as though I was in the middle of a passionate whirlwind of a discussion, and honestly felt as though there was a lot, A LOT, of talking...but I still don't know what was actually SAID.

Therefore, I was SO SO ready to head to Ash Wednesday service at Easter Lutheran.  On my drive to church I was CRAVING the peace, love, warmth, and clarity I experience when attending service.  I'll admit my faith hasn't been at the top of my to do list lately, with work, family events, and...life...and I truly have been missing it in my life.

Tonight, Pastor Paul gave a great sermon that focused on Apps.  No not the ones at Applebee's that are half price after 9pm.  Applications.  It seems to have become a buzz word in today's society.  There is an APP for pretty much everything.  He told an anecdote, of a company that has the ability to provide you with an APP that can, throughout the day update your net worth.  Depending on the housing market, the stock exchange, your bank accounts, your assets...it gives you, your net worth.  But what about all those intangibles he asked.  My social, spiritual, and community worth.  How do we know how we are doing in regards to those.  Now THAT we could use an APP for. Lent, as he explained, gives us Christians an opportunity to check in with how we are doing in the areas of faith and community.

This couldn't be a more timely season in the faith community for me.  I'm in need of checking in with myself on how I'm doing in my faith journey and my contributions to the greater good.  So when I turned my car on today, I can't say I was surprised to see that check engine light on.  I think my internal faith check engine light is on, and asking for attention. 

When thinking about blogging about today and Ash Wednesday, I thought I would explain my plan for addressing my "faith check engine light"; until we explored one of the passages this evening.  Matthew Chapter 6.  Thought this was a good reminder for everyone with special intentions for Lent.

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.   

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.   

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

  

 

Caution: May cause heart to melt.

Greetings ya'll.  I just wanted to blob quick (opposed to blog...this is going to be short, and oh so sweet).  Sunday Pete and I slipped into the pew at St. Joe's just as mass was starting, I hadn't seen any of the Pechacek Family yet this weekend...so I gave a "pssssssssssssst" down the aisle to say hi to Dain.  He looked down  my way, and his big brown eyes lit up, and he gave his classic big smirk that he always give me when I first see him.  Seriously, this melts my heart EVERY time.  Immediately he squeezed past grandma and grandpa Reichert and came and sat on my lap.  Serious warm fuzzies.  A bit later in the service, he was having me put dots on his magna doodle so he could trace them - a make shift connect the dots game.  After a few pictures, I ran out of things to draw, so I just wrote I <3 Dain.  By this time he was back sitting by mom, so I passed it down the aisle.  He looked at it, and had Steph read it to him to confirm what it said, he looked over at me and smiled his big smile again.  A minute or two later, I saw the magna doodle coming back to me...with this heart melting message.

Typical Abby, I'm going to make this longer than anticipated.  Because I just remembered another heart melting moment from this weekend.  Saturday night Pete and I stayed at my Dads place, and stayed up WAY to late, but loved every minute of shooting the shit with my dad, and catching up.  We got talking about work, his work, unions, etc..and eventually came to my dad telling me the story from start to finish of when a pipe blew up in his face at work.  I was roughly 3 years old, and my dad had been working at Koch Refinery for only about a month.  Long story short, a piece of equipment malfunctioned, and blew up in my dads face, leaving his face as he described it, "like he had been dragged across a parking lot".  Additionally his eyes were violently speckled in particles from the pipe, leaving him blinded.  After many hours at the doctor getting medical attention, having these particles picked out from his eyelids and eyeballs, he was brought home.  He said that in talking to my mom on the phone after the incident, he had down played the severity, so when he got to the door, and I saw him for the first time, I just started crying because I was terrified.  I remember being scared of him for a few days because of the severity of the injuries to his face.  This last Saturday night, as my dad told me this story, he was tearing up and saying all that he could think about initially after the incident, was "....I'm never going to be able to SEE my girls again"; and how hard that was for him.  Incredibly, after several appointments to get all the particles out of his eyes, his vision was restored.  He still has some visible lacerations and flecks of debris in his eyes if you look close.  But he was incredibly lucky.

 My dad, is...phenomenal.  And it might surprise some people to find out, he is a big teddy bear.  He has quite a sentimental side, and if HE cries, its game over for me.  Hearing him tell this story, for the first time, made me realize again (I've always known this), just how lucky I am to have such an AMAZING father.  AMAZING.  My heart was SO full of love sitting with him, and Peter on Saturday night.  And again, sitting with Dain in my lap at church.  GOD IS GOOD.  PHENOMENAL.

Found an old scrapbook while helping my Mom move this weekend.  Love him. 

Flexing my Gratitude Muscle.

Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have to use it on your behalf. If you do not practice gratefulness, its benefaction will go unnoticed, and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished. To be grateful is to find blessings in everything, This is the most powerful attitude to adopt, for there are blessings in everything.

Alan Cohen

I'm SO ridiculously grateful for SO much in my life.  And a few of these things I wanted to share for my blog followers. These things straight up make me smile.  They give me a wicked case of Perma-Grin. 

My Sister Finally got Dain to draw a picture of him and me.  LOVE  that little man, and will cherish this picture FOREVER.

Tulips that Peter Sent me for Valentines Day.  Or any flowers for that matter.  :)

More flowers from Peter.  Although I have told him it is SO not necessary to get me flowers, they DO give me a Smile a Mile wide.  So grateful for his desire to make me the happiest girl around.  He is quite successful at it.

No, moving of any kind does not make me happy.  Or watching other people work. But after this weekend, Peter will have helped my Mom and Jack move for 3 weekends straight.  I LOVE what a hard working, helpful, generous young man Peter is.  Warm fuzzies and perma-grin.

Big toothless giggles and grins.  Doesn't get much better than that.  So Grateful for my nephews and niece, and the love and happiness they radiate from every inch of their adorable little bodies.

This mischievous, tough, adorable little girl.  Her not so toothless grin, and her babbling.  Can't wait for her to start actually making sense; and calling me 'Auntie Perfect'. ;) 

So grateful for little artists, the way he shouts my name when I enter their house, and his big bear hugs.

Grateful for Valentines/Date nights with Peter.  This is the gift I gave to him with the Riddle Game.  We went to see the Wolves play the Mavs last Friday night.  This is actually a picture of the TV when we got home and watched sports center.  Look at the top right corner of the backboard, the person in black, leaning over to the person next to the aisle.  Yea, that's us. :)  Williams had a killer dunk that night, and the play was on the top ten.


An attitude of gratitude creates blessings.
Sir John Templeton

Have a great weekend everyone.  We will be going to Primetime in Burnsville tomorrow night to listen to some Johnny Holm Band; Going to Prescott to help my mom and Jack move some more on Saturday; and will be celebrating Nolan Jonathan's Baptism on Sunday (I will be a Godparent x3 now!).  So we will have a jam packed and blessed weekend.  I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited to have this weekend off, and I will be enjoying me some coffee.  Coffee also is something that gives me Perma-Grin.  Not because of the caffeine, but just because I thoroughly enjoy the experience of slowly taking in and enjoying the morning.  Till next time...be grateful, and be blessed.

Quotes & Riddles

  

Hokay.  I've had this blog post up and waiting for about an hour now.  But I got lost on StumbleUpon.  I LOVE that site...or is it an app?  Either way.  I love it.  I know most people are going crazy about Pintrest these days, but I'm staying loyal to SU.  I like it for its randomness, and best for its quotes.


I have many, many, many favorite quotes, but I just wanted to share a few of them this evening, as they have recently come across my StumbleUpon account.

Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused. -alan cohen

Awesome quote and thought that I had actually never come across.  Rarely is a quote completely new to me, as I've searched out so many in my day.


In emailing with a friend tonight, I thought of this quote, and it is one that definitely rings true to the chapter I'm at in my life:

"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." —Antoine de Saint-Exupery

For Christmas my Personal Trainer, and one of my dearest friends, gave me an awesome canvas with an even awesome-er, yes...awesome'er quote:

For Valentines Day, I got Peter a Surprise (I'll blog about the details later), but I decided to play the Treasure Hunt Riddle game to present him with the gift.  Yes, I know Valentines isn't until Tuesday, but this gift is time sensitive and needed to be delivered early.  Since composing all the riddles, I've had the urge to speak in rhymes all day.  If you aren't familiar with the Treasure Hunt Riddle Game.  It goes as follows, or so it went for us this evening.  

I gave Peter a little card, and inside it said: 

"I made up a game, I hope you'll play, clue #1 is by the door of a gay".  

(Pete's Cousin/Sister or Custer as we call her, is a fabulous young woman, about to graduate from the UofM might I add in Food and Nutrition Science, and she is quite openly homosexual.  So this clue isn't inappropriate, it was just clever. (; )  So I hid the next clue near Kate's bedroom door. 

This clue read: "A special treat awaits for my boo, Where you put your plate when dinner is through".  (Next Clue in the Dishwasher)

"Find this spot, and a surprise you will get, clothes go here...when they are wet." (Clue in dryer)

"Here's another Riddle, just for fun, This has four legs...but doesn't Run." (Next Clue near dinner table) 

And the last clue riddled like this: 

"The REAL treat is yours...I swear.  Just look where you keep your underwear.  

In his underwear drawer was where I put a riddle/poem, this one explaining his gift.  But I'll save those details for my later blog.  I don't want to ruin the surprise for you guys.  You'll just have to stay posted.  I think I had more fun than he did, making up the riddles, watching him go from clue to clue.

So here is to riddles and quotes galore, that is all my friends, for I have no more.  Buenos Nachos.

Good Golly!

Forgive me follower, for I have sinned.  It has been far too long since my last edition.  Shame on me.  I have truly missed my blogging time.  And it seemed as though the longer I waited to post, the more difficult it was to figure out what I was going to write about.  Therefore, I just have to sit down and crank out a catch up post about the last two plus weeks.

Hokay.

Eat.Sleep.Workout.Eat.Work.Eat.Sleep.Repeat x20.

Catch ya later.

Kiddddding.  Almost.  The last weekend in January I traveled to my alma mater - La Crosse, to rendezvous with my college friends/teammates for our annual Alumni weekend.  Friday night I trekked to Shawna Koss's Casa, and began catching up with a bunch of the gang.  We went to The Varsity to checkout the Johnny Holm Band, whom my buddy Tyler has been recommending me to do for a couple years now.  I thoroughly enjoyed the show and getting to meet up with Tyler at a live music event.  He is my link to the music industry and always has great recommendations.

Saturday morning we all got up after a brief nights sleep, to hit the hardwood at Mitchell Hall.  In years past we have had pretty good turnout for our Alumni basketball game, this year was different.  Our turn out was ridiculous.  We had about 26 alumni return.  That's pretty awesome.  Our skills, meh, maybe not so awesome.  But we had fun, and no one got hurt.  That's all that matters.  And I believe I'm successfully 'Old'.  There are younger alumni that I don't even know, and as far as the women on the college team, yea...I'm way out of the loop on who they are as well.  Although the chick wearing my number is doing a good job of reppin' the 53.  That afternoon the UWL Eagles took on Oshkosh, and pretty much had their way with them.  And as no surprise, the alumni men and women could be found across Campbell St. at The Eagles Nest for the majority of the evening.  I escaped to have dinner with Tyler at one of my favorite La Crosse establishments - Buzzard Billy's.  Soon upon returning to the Nest, we rallied the troops and got everyone down to 3rd street for the remainder of the evening.

I've wanted to blog about alumni weekend for quite some time now.  But have had troubles for a few reasons.  Some of the things I've wanted to say, are difficult, but positive to some extent.  To begin.  I am so grateful for my experiences in La Crosse, the phenomenal women and relationships I have formed as a result, and the lessons I have learned from my time there as well as the time I have now spent away.  However, I'm an absolutely different person now, than I was in my college years.  And no, I don't think that this is any different than most people who go to college and have similar experiences.  The biggest difference for me, is that I don't consume alcohol anymore, and really haven't for some time.  This always makes college reunions, to be honest, sometimes painful for me. (Here is the difficult stuff I was talking about).  I understand my friends perspective that this Abby is different from the College Abby; and their requests for College Abby to return.  But to be completely honest.  That Abby was not happy in the least bit.  It wasn't the real me.  I started to indulge in alcohol only at the very end of my Freshman year of college (yes, I abstained from drinking almost an entire year of college...in Wisconsin...in La Crosse...as an athlete).  And I think I did so for the reason that I was so tired of being ridiculously lonely and just wanted to fit in.  I actually spent a lot of my freshman year wanting to transfer elsewhere because of this.  Okay.  I didn't intend on totally going off about all this.  On to the positive part.  This year, I don't think that any of my friends/former teammates realized this, but I really enjoyed our reunion.  For many reasons: slow claps, chants, ripping on one another like we always do, but mostly because with the exception of maybe two times...no one tried to get me to drink.  They just let it be.  I can not express how much more pleasant...scratch that...how flipping awesome, that made my trip.  As lame and cliche as it is: "The most beautiful discovery that true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." rang very true to me this Alumni trip.  And I appreciated it more than they will ever know.

The week after alumni carried on as usual.  Bulk cooking on Sunday when I got home. Work. Workouts. Etc.  Last weekend was the kick off to the 90 Challenge at work.  So it was all hands on deck for that, as my trainer (and PT DH) had knee surgery Thursday and was unable to be there physically to oversee the kickoff.  I enjoyed getting to greet Challengers, and actually weigh some of them in.  I have actually not set my 90 Day Challenge goal yet, as I've been waiting for the arrival of the fancy shmancy scale that will do a detailed weigh in, including body fat % among many other stats.  I'm wanting to commit to a 90 day goal of a specific body fat %, and a slew of other actions I wish to commit to.  Tonight was the first of the Try-It-Tuesdays (Every Tuesday there is a featured event/company inside event), and today was the Nutrition Seminar, with one of my favorite people, ever.  Jen Ahlberg.  (aka, Master Splinter).  As always, she gave a great seminar, loaded with inspirational education, and mind blowing nutrition nuggets.

Unfortunately, I decided to 'treat' myself to a non-paleo food item last week, to get it out of my system before 90 day kicked off.  And I honestly feel as a result, I've been battling a wicked cold.  Thursday evening I had 2 bowls of Raisin Bran.  Friday morning, I woke up with a raw throat, and stuffy sinus'.  Often times when I have wheat products, I feel my sinus' and respiratory system get funky.  Then Saturday afternoon, after I got home from 90 Day Kick Off, I felt like I was hit by a bus.  I pretty much slept from 3pm-9am the next morning.  Too fatigued to do much at all, and feeling like the flu was settling in (not stomach flu).  Now, I don't know for sure if the wheat products was the sole reason, but I know that it compromised my immune system, and very well had something to do with it.  Luckily, with plenty of rest and fluids, I did not let it get the most of me, and I'm left with a leaky nose and some bronchial issues.  Bleh. Haven't been able to get after it on my cardio workouts, but I'm workin' on it.  With that said, I better get to bed before this gets too lengthy.  Little late for that, but whatev.

Glad I got to catch up, and can now keep up with the fun to come in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned! :)