I have to get this off my chest

If one knows me well enough, they know my absolute hatred for traffic. Who really likes traffic I'm not sure but I have heard people try to calm my gripes by offering to take the chance for a little music and me time while battling the stop and go insanism but it just doesn't work. EVER. I am obsessed with finding out why people are slamming on their brakes. I can't help it.
Unfortunately, every single day, I have to fight one of Minnesota's grossest highways: 169. There is no way around it. I have to take it. Unless I invest in one of those car/boat/land truck things, I'm screwed. You see friends I have to cross a very large river, and the one bridge that goes across it is the gateway to work. Not just for me, but for zillions (yes zillions) of other commuters we all have to use this bridge to cross the river to get to our destinations.
I can see this post spiraling way out of control so before I let myself get to heavily invested in my annoyance with said Highway, I am going to get to the point.
The following is a list of reasons why (I think) traffic gets so horribly screwed up. I'd say 98% of them do not make any sense, but rest assured, they are all true (the way I see it anyway).
Eh hmmm....here we go!

• Rain
• It looks like it MIGHT rain
• Snow
• It looks like it MIGHT snow
• Accident
• Accident from previous day
• Fog
• Fog in distance
• Sunshine
• Fed Ex truck on fire
• Leaves blowing
• Wind
• Utility truck with orange blinky light on side of road
• Person checking man hole in median with orange vest on
• Dead deer
• Dead deer from yesterday
• Dead deer from 2 days ago
• Dead deer from 3 days ago
• Merging idiots (just let people in for crying out loud. I don't care how long you've been sitting there. They might be lost. Sheeesh)
• Broken traffic light
• Car on side of road
• Cop pulled someone over (nice timing)
• Cop on side of road just sitting there
• An enormous bag of leaves in the lane (OK, this is possibly the only acceptable reason due to the fact that from a distance it looked like a very large animal)
• I don't know, there doesn't seem to be a logical reason

Keep in mind that I am not an angry person sitting in traffic, I just want to know why. And knowing is half the battle, no?
Toodles.

A New Super coming soon.

Give me an N!

One of my favorite blogs to poke around on is Clever Girl Goes Blog. She had a challenge recently for all of her followers and it was that she would assign a letter of the alphabet to you and then you would write about 10 things you lurve starting with that letter. The lovely CGGB assigned me with the letter N. So here goes nothing friends (and you can certainly bet that I will label this post 'work with me'):

1. Noodles. Duh. Like I even have to describe why I love noodles. Who doesn't?
2. Nothing. Mama loves to do nothing. Be it starring at the tv or starring out the window. I find myself being blissfully happy doing nothing.
3. Nieces. I looooooooove my nieces. Every single last one of them. I want to gobble them up to pieces.
4. Night. Night + starry nights + sleeptime + sleeping + quiet + uninterrupted + warm blankies = happy mama.
5. Neighborhood. What can I say? I love my neighborhood. When I first moved there I sorta thought it was like living in the Twilight Zone because everyone mowed their lawns on the same day but after a while I grew accustomed to seeing the same houses, people and pretty lawns day in and day out. It's comforting actually.
6. Nerds. Like the candy. Who doesn't love Nerds? I don't know who doesn't but I do. I had a little box of them just yesterday. The strawberry kind. Mmmmmmm...nerds.
7. N*SYNC. Shut up.
8. Nacho cheese. I could dip just about anything in nacho cheese. Chips, fruit, bread, veggies. You name it, I'm dippin'.
9. News. I have some.
10. Newborns. :)

Anyone else game just let me know. I'm bossy so assigning you a letter and telling you to do something isn't a stretch for me.

Toodles

Super

Happy New Year!

We arrived back safe and sound from our skiing adventure in Lutsen. I'll post more details and photos in the coming days. Whew! What a great time we had!!!
Quick special thanks to NorCalMrs who changed her blog, so I changed mine too.
I never claimed to be a leader, so why start now?
Kidding of course.
Not really.

Tell me who you are, don't be afraid!

I thought I knew the 4 people who read this, but my site visit counter tells me another story...

I DID IT!

I finished my 8 week running program today with a bang!


I ran my longest ever today, 2 miles consecutively, no stopping in between. What a great feeling! I even accomplished this at the mini mall gym (where I have found that I sweat like a banshee but whatever, it prevents people from using the treadmill next to me. I must look like a slobbering pig, beat red face with sweat running down my lovely face. Oh well).


So now I am on to my next task which is another running program by the same people/website as the 8 week one. This one is 6 weeks. Updates to share in the coming weeks I'm sure.


On an unrelated topic, here is my WOM selection for November:

Flying Dog Classic Ale. Yes, I realize this is a beer but it is good enough to make my wine list. If that makes any sense. I know it doesn't but just go with it ok? I received this as a birthday present (high class friends I have). I didn't drink it with any food. I just had it alone. Not by myself alone but not with any snacks.

Highly recommend. Go ahead, try it. You won't regret it.

Picture update

Husband downloaded some pictures (finally-sheesh) so I thought I'd post some to share.

Here is the pot roast that I successfully made

And the cinnamon rolls

One slow Sunday afternoon we had this floating in our backyard

Here are the pretty flowers that I planted in the front of the house and had to yank out of the ground to plant the tulip bulbs. That was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be. They were doing so well!

One weekend we ventured out to a MN Apple Orchard. It was such a great warm fall day. Sunny and 75. The fall colors on the tree's were amazing. Everything was perfect minus the ladybug community that decided to reproduce in large quantities and bite. Not cool.

That same weekend, French Kitty went out on the deck, forgot where the door was, and tried to get back in thru the window.

You can always check out my flickr! photos. I try and update that site as well. Just click on What is this? on the badge to the left and then click on Super8080 to see some fun photos.

Later gators.

Running is hard

So, I started this 8 week program to 'Run effortlessly and with ease' thing. I have graduated to week 3 recently and suddenly things are rather difficult.

The past two times I've been out, I hated it. Sorry, rather strong words for something so new to me, but I can't help but hate life while running. I'm not running effortlessly or with ease. It's more like I am a two ton elephant and every step is not breezy and airy, it's more like a stomp. Followed by another stomp. I don't even think I'm going that fast. I try to keep a good pace without over doing it, but I want to get a good workout in and feel like I need to at least jog faster than I would walk.

I start out the run with a positive attitude, thinking 'this is going to be great' and by the time I get home, my attitude stinks (as well as my feet).

Anywho, I know there are at least a couple of veteran runners who read this lowly blog, so do you have any advice for me? I really want to do this, so I think that is half the battle, but any encouraging words would be much appreciated.

Oh-I have not forgotten about my WOM selections for August or September, I am just waiting for husband to down load some super rad pictures I took of the selections. I know you are all waiting on pins and needles for my advice on semi-decent cheapy wine, so I promise I will post soon about it.

This is for you