video

anyone out there know how to post video to the blog?

while kayaking chris's mom accidentally had my camera set on video and they turned out really cute but i can't get them to post :(

memorial day in pictures

the drive out to willmar

the second part of my holiday weekend was spent in willmar with chris and his family. it was wonderful!

some highlights:

the drive out there - it was beautiful!

i went kayaking for the first time ever and am in love with it. i'm trying to convince chris we need to live on a lake so i can do it every day!

boating - the first half was choppy but the rest of it was great :)


and because i don't feel like typing out any more detail than that - here are the pictures!

motivation update

i have made the 'motivation for movement' blog viewable by authors only. if you are interested in joining the exercise challenge please let me know and i'll add you to the list of authors!

figures....

1-35 southbound

...that the weather would get nice the day i decide to leave. for the third time - wtf?

the weekend was good.

i arrived on saturday and chatted with my friend kari on the phone - haven't talked to her in awhile (hi Kari!). we chatted about our upcoming visit! :) very much excited about that :) then i met my mom for dinner at fitger's latest eatery called burrito union. it was kind of like a sit down funky chipotle. while i like their style (really cool chandeliers!) i still think that chipotle tastes way better. but it was still enjoyable. i had the veggie burrito with fresh jalapeño's and there were insanely hot. i know they're supposed to be but i thought i had done damage to my upper lip! so i cooled it off with the yummy apricot beer (soo good!). after dinner we stopped by hepzibah's - the candy store i used to work at - for some goodies :) i got some cordials and anise mints - mmmmm! then we picked up ross and it was time for......

Jesus Christ Superstar....

i LOVE this play! this made the third time i've seen it but the last time that ted neeley will be playing Jesus. while he is very very good - he is a bit old to be playing jesus. but i still loved it nonetheless. cory glover played Judas (whom i think deserves more credit but that's another blog...) and his voice was astounding! i loved him!

the play took on a new twist this time around. it was more industrial - i guess that's how i would describe it. the previous two times there was more color and a warmer set. i preferred that. this time around they also sang a lot slower - which was slightly annoying. i am huge huge fan of the original cast recording and am used to the pace of that. so there ya go - that's my review. i guess it sounds bad - but i did have a great time! afterwards i spent money buying a poster with ted on it and two magnets cause i have to buy stuff....

after the play ross and i went to fitger's brewhouse. we had some beer and some nachos and good conversation. unfortunately i was dead tired and so we ended the evening after two hours.

so there ya go. my weekend. here are some pictures. included are some of the cat kennel. not very good photo's - i should try again next time i'm up.

finn's finest ale #5

choices....

rosca

yours truly

the kennel

and now i wait for chris to get home so we can venture off to willmar for the rest of the holiday weekend.

WTF....again....

seriously.

i think duluth may be mad at me for moving. that is the only reason i can come up with to explain Why The Fuck it is so freaking cold everytime i come up here! as i was driving up it was 70. then i crossed that magic line about 20 miles outside of duluth that made the temp go down 23 degrees! good god. honestly.

it sucks.

at least this weekend i won't be attempting a yard sale. soon i will be in a warm restaurant wtih mom. then we will be in a warm theater with ross to see Jesus Christ Superstar. then tomorrow i am leaving for back home where it is normally a lot warmer.

what else?


i purchased the plane tickets this morning! August 25th - September 1st we will be in Ohio! I also made the reservation for our rental car! after my last incident with a rental car i would like to get the insurance but it is fucking $24.99 a day ON TOP of the rental car! good gravy.

hmmm.....

i think that is it. i'm going to go get ready to meet my mom and also call kari :)

Motivation for Movement

i have a new blog - motivation for movement

check it out!

it is for the sole purpose of the exercise challenge. anyone wishing to join can be added as an author and publish their own posts to the site. if you're interested just send me a message!

goodluck!

welcome back!

i would like to take this opportunity to welcome back the capri pant and the open-toed shoe! that's right - my new job allows me to wear BOTH of these items - without stockings (old folk terminology for hose - not pantie (that word is just nasty) hose - just hose. So....WOOHOO!!

now if i only had the money to go out and buy me some.....sigh.....

needless to say i LOVE my new job!

for those of you who don't know i work as a receptionist for The American Red Cross.

for the first time in years i feel really good about my job. it's not about profit-profit-profit but about saving lives - who wouldn't feel good about that? it's wonderful to see all the people coming in daily to donate their time and blood. i myself will become a first time donor very soon and am looking forward to it!

so there ya go - an update on the job situation :)


as for other news - here is....

the good:

- loving my job!
- going to see Jesus Christ Superstar with my mom and ross tomorrow!
- buying plane tickets for our trip to OHIO in August!


the strange:

- seeing a chicken walking along the edge of the road on my way to work this week. in the city. for real.
- knowing that very soon my 'home' will no longer be mine as my parents move to the suburbs


the bad:

- no one has joined my exercise challenge. this makes me sad.
- aside from that i got nothing else to add :)

let's work together!

feel like this sometimes?

you know those days.....

you wash your clothes. you put on your jeans and discover that they have shrunk! you frantically search through the rest of your clothes to assess the damage only to come to the realization that your clothes did not shrink. you are just too fat to fit into them....

your stomach rolls extend to your sides and beyond.....

your thighs rub together (this is especially annoying in the summer....ow!)

you wave and realize you have grandma arms....

your stomach sticks out farther than your boobs without poofing it out.....

you have major muffin-top....

the straps on the sides of your bikini undies disappear into your side chub......



want to end these days? then join me in an exercise challenge! maybe you want to not be mortified wearing that new swimsuit. maybe you have a big event coming up. maybe you just want to feel better. maybe your stressed out or depressed. then please join me!

i can attest to the fact that once you get started exercising is amazing! last summer and fall i lost a total of 38.5 inches and 17 pounds! I also managed to completely kick the depression that had weighed me down for so long. unfortunately i got lazy this year. i slacked off and 'nested' and because of that got what i refer to as 'happy fat' but trust me - there is nothing happy about it.

i've been trying to get back into a routine and it's just not happening. i need some motivation. and i'm hoping that you all need some too. so join me in this exercise challenge!

what to do:

- write me or post me and let me know you are joining (j.michellemcmullin@gmail.com)

- ideally i would like to be posting daily about this. just a short little blurb. i know that this is kind of difficult but it is a challenge. if not every day than At Least once a week.

don't have a blog? the bloggers can do this via e-mail as well to include all!

what to post:

- routine:
create an exercise routine for yourself. throw in some variations so it doesn't get old. share your ideas! have an exercise that you think is fantastic? post it! found a great new dvd? post it! discovered some great music to work out to? post it! share your ideas - not only will you find new inspiration but you'll also inspire others! :)

- eating habits:
have a goal? post it! share your healthy meal/snack suggestions!

- thoughts:
frustrated - share it - we can all encourage each other! happy - share that too! :)

- results:
this might be the most difficult but do it - and don't lie! :) every month we can do a weigh in! i go to curves and they do your measurements (arms, waist, abs, hips, and thighs). i encourage you to record those measurements. sometimes you don't always see results right away in the actual weight but you'll definitely lose some inches and it's always good to see those numbers go down!

the key is to NOT weigh yourself daily or even weekly for that matter. it takes time and there is nothing more depressing than getting on the scale and seeing no results! stick to once a month - trust me :) try to do it at the same time of day and not after exercising - always before!



what do you think?

these are just my ideas and i would be happy to get suggestions so send them my way!

i'd like to start the challenge on Wednesday May 30th (but join at anytime!)
hopefully this will give you all time to read it and think it over. and also a chance to have a last hurrah this holiday weekend :)

let me know what y'all think :)

hee hee
my parents always bough exercise
equipment and then did just this! that is
until i took the treadmill so who knows
what they do with the laundry now :)

check it out...

those of you who know me know this - i am rather fond of jack white.

what's that?

you think i'm obsessed?

fond of...obsessed...same difference.....

anyhow...

the point is that The White Stripes are about to release their new album 'icky thump' the title track of which is now my profile song - check it out :)

you should also check out the Cold Mountain soundtrack. jack performed most of the music on that c.d. and it's amazing. as is Tim Eriksen - anther artist on that soundtrack you should definitely check out. his voice - aside from jack's of course - is just utterly astounding! i have his c.d. (thanks chris!) if you want a copy just let me know :)

and you should also check out Loretta Lynn's c.d. ' van lear rose' which jack produced and performed on. also amazing.

okay - that is my music/artist plug for the day.

notice how i didn't go on and on about jack. no need to make myself appear all crazy now :)

but seriously...check out this music.

in an age where so many singers start to sound the same I think jack's and tim's voices just stand out and give me goosebumps. in short i think they are pretty incredible.

discoveries on the path

pine point park

Chris and I went for a walk yesterday through the Pine Point Park. It was lovely. The weather was that perfect warm/cool combination. We started walking and I began to get irritated by my bra - I should have worn a sports bra! So we decided to back track and not take the long walk but opted for the shorter one instead.

As we walk I stop Chris multiple times to give him a kiss (I'm incredibly cheesy...I know...). Usually we are on a hill when this happens and that just makes him all the more taller than I. So when I spot a flat topped rock I jog over thinking I can stand on it and be closer to the same height for once. Instead - I find this........

It says:
Pine Point Cemetery
Here Lie The Remains Of
75 People Who Were
Residents Of The
Washington County Poor Farm
Located Here In The
Late 1800's And Early 1900's

For anyone that knows me - I'm rather fascinated with cemeteries. I know this may sound odd - and it's not for everyone - but to me they are so interesting! I've always thought this but became even more intrigued with them when I took a course in college called 'Graveyard Culture.' We studied the different types of stone that were used. What all the carvings mean. The history of the layout. You can tell a lot about the time period by looking at all these things. I was hooked! I even thought about becoming a thanatologist - someone who studies death. Now I know this may sound horribly morbid and I guess it is - but it's not like I'm into poking around a corpse. I'm interested in - well - what I mentioned. The layout. The stone. The history.

So - as you can imagine finding this was awesome! I've seen one once before (a poor farm cemetery that is) in Duluth. If you live there and are interested it's on Rice Lake Road. Park along the road on the wooded side across from the college apartment complex. There is a path. Follow it and it will lead to a large clearing. All the graves are marked with round cement stones with numbers. A few of the graves have an actual marker that was put in at a later date by a family member. Check it out.

Anyhow - that is what this was. I was sad to see that there were absolutely no stone markers. There were a few flags - but I'm not sure if these were meant to mark graves. There were only a few and as I found out from this website there are more than forty people buried here! Only one grave (seen below) was marked with a stone - which was unfortunately cracked. While it was incredibly interesting to find this - I was shocked at it's state and location. In a state park on the side of a trail. Vegetation covered the whole area! There were no boundaries. No attempt to respect the dead by putting in even simple number markers. I plan on writing the county to show my disappointment . The one in Duluth - while out of the way and completely hidden to the passerby is at least kept up. The clearing is clearly marked. It it mowed regularly...etc...etc. I'm sure that Washington County could do better - spend some time on that rather than large unsightly developments....

Ideally I would love to have a job that involved locating, researching, and maintaining cemeteries. Maybe someday I can do this.

me

chris

38 !?! WTF?

the drive up to duluth
1-35

My mother had a yard sale this weekend. It started on Friday. Friday was beautiful! Sunny. Bright. Warm. Perfect day for a yard sale.

She asked me to come up and help run it on Saturday along with her co-worker Annie as she had to work. I said sure! I packed up a skirt and tank top and hit the road!

I arrived Friday evening - still beautiful. Before I went to bed it started to pour. Thunder. Lightening. The works.

Saturday morning it is still raining. We manage to get it all set up despite the drizzle (which eventually stops). The sun started to peek out. You could almost feel it's warmth! I thought - This might not be so bad after all!

It gets cold.

Very cold.

Wet cold.

I being an idiot have a skirt. I did bring jeans but they are in the wash and I it's taking forever and a day for them to get done. I sport a yellow poof ball winter cap (borrowed but never returned from/to my friend Dan - if you read this - sorry!) that my mom had in the sale. I put on my fleece. I am estatic to find my winter boots in my car. I wrap myself in a wool blanket. Annie who was smart enough to wear jeans, tennies and a sweatshirt also puts on a winter hat and scarf along with a bathrobe from the sale. We are a sight.....

The yardsale was supposed to last until 4. We packed up at 1. It was so butt fucking cold! Our fingers were just raw and hurt more than I can remember them ever hurting in the dead of winter.

It sucked.

And to make matters worse Chris called and reported that the weather in Woodbury was bright, clear, sunny, and nearly 90! 90! Needless to say I packed my bags shortly thereafter and went home.

So there was my yard sale weekend extravaganza. I also want to point out - in case none of you have experienced it - that it is extremely weird to have your parents rent out your room. That's right - they rented out my room. Evidently a co-worker of my moms needed a room for the summer and she volunteered (I think she may have thought she wouldn't actually be taken up on the offer....) Anyhow - she had stuff in the yard sale. She was supposed to help on Friday. She did not. My mom woke her up along with me at 7am. I got up. She got up - moved her car - and went back to bed! She conveniently woke up well after we had everything set up and then proceeded to sit on her ass. She did nothing to help. In fact she hindered sales by parking her butt on the steps blocking potential porch shoppers.

So - I was very unimpressed. And to top it all off she was sleeping in my room - in my bed! I could have dealt with this - she needed help and my mom was kind enough to offer it. But the fact that she was so freaking lazy irritated me a lot. So - yeah. Ick.

Alright - I will leave you with some fabulous pictures! I would have posted them earlier but Chris's computer decided that it hated me and shut down 7 times whenever I tried to post. For now it is being nice and I'm thankful.

Enjoy!

p.s. There is one picture of Albus in the new kennel. It turned out great! I keep forgetting to put pictures up! We forgot to really take any while building. Perhaps I'll get some good ones this weekend - that's right - I'll be in Duluth again! I have a ticket to see Jesus Christ Superstar with my folks! I love that show :)

p.p.s. My jeans eventually dried. I put them on only to discover that I'm fat. They almost don't fit. This sucks. I need to exercise. Should I be exercising now? Yes! But I'm blogging...sigh...

downtown duluth

more downtown duluth

and again....

albus in the kennel

me in the yellow hat!

the sale

annie and i
this was during the happy few minutes when
the sun peeked out and fooled us...

more sale

lil' old lady me
aka - me trying not to freeze