Why I love December

December 17th: Celebrated the wonderfully beautiful wedding day of my future sister-in-law, Callie

Same day: Watched my fiance proudly walk his sister down the aisle, giving away the bride, while tears in turn streamed down my face

December 20th (tonight): spent the night in our living room next to the Christmas tree, listening to Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album while my mom and I both address our Christmas cards. Dusty and I are sending out Save the Dates this year for Christmas. Our amazing photographer, Britt, captured our engagement session a couple of weeks ago and you can check them out on Facebook, here.

December 19th (last night): had an unplanned night with Dust to PARROT VIDEO in White Bear Lake, your one-stop shop for tanning, consignment, and video rentals. Being that Dusty and I are huge movie people, the sudden disappearance of the neighborhood Blockbuster has gotten us down. We found this old hidden gem on a drive recently, stopped in (it's kind of ghetto, not gonna lie) and rented PIRAHNA (1978!) as well as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (I didn't watch it). What an amazing thing to be able to rent videos again! (I think the tanning is what keeps the place running)

December 16th: A student of mine (rather shy) waited until the end of her class period to find me and give me an envelope with a card inside. It was simple, but thanked me for being her American Government teacher. It made my entire day.

Last night, again: Woke up at 2 a.m. to a lonely beast (my dog) who decided to sleep in my room for the rest of the night. Right at my feet.

I have had a pretty good December, so far. I can't wait for the rest of this week. Merry Christmas!

If you are interested in seeing what our Christmas cards look like, check out my last post! I changed them slightly by getting rid of the wreath, but you get the general idea.

Photo Card

Wreath Monogram Christmas

Shutterfly has classic, elegant Christmas invitations for your party.

View the entire collection of cards.

Guys with long hair: Yay or Nay?

A couple weeks ago, I was ranting on Facebook about how sick I am of the "hipster" black rimmed glasses look. This is largely due to the fact that half the people I encounter sporting this look have perfect vision and don't NEED the glasses. Thus making it an annoyance to me.

If you type "hipsters wearing glasses" into Google, this image pops up. Bleh.

My rants aren't ending with the black hipster glasses today. I have a new irritation that I feel I need to vent about. It seems that I can't turn on ESPN or any other channel really without having to look at a guy who's hair is longer than mine. It's the Clay Matthews syndrome. It's gross, it's unnatural, and it's kind of unnerving to know that there are males out there in the world who have the ability to grow hair longer than mine.

I'm sorry... but I just can't. I can't see the beauty in it. I think there is something wrong with being a dude who can put his hair into a bun. I simply can not appreciate Clay Matthew's (because I am a Vikings fan) or his long greasy hair (because I think it's ugly). I can't handle that he makes probably millions of dollars in being a spokesperson for Suave. It makes me mad.

The thing that makes me laugh is that it's become a fad. My dad coaches college football, and I can count maybe six players who are currently donning this look, proudly. The guy athletes at my school are all about the long locks. They are also big into the pony tail, the half pony, you know, hairstyles that I usually rock on a good hair day.

So what I am wondering, is how other long haired male celebrities fare in your eyes... is it sexy or simply stupid to be a guy with long flowing tresses? Here are some fairly current examples I came up with. I'll let you be the judge.

Kid Rock. My vote on whether his look is okay: NO.

David Beckham. My vote: Yes. As far as I'm concerned, he can wear his hair any old way he wants and I won't find a single thing to complain about.

Bruce Jenner: not so sure about the hair, but could someone get me the name of his plastic surgeon?

Russell Brand: No.

Troy Polamalu- Personally, I like Troy's hair. But that's because it has character. It's not stringy, greasy, and straight like Clay's. Fun Fact- did you know that in the NFL, long hair is considered part of one's uniform, therefore, one may be legally tackled by the HAIR?! Ouch.

I guess I'm torn on the issue. Some guys look great with long hair, and others look stupid. Maybe I am biased because I'm marrying a guy who's best look (in my opinion) is when he is bald, but that's just me. As my grandmother Bev would say, it takes all kinds.

***

In other news, I'm in a bit of a slump. Who ever heard of pouring down rain in Minnesota, in DECEMBER???? White Christmas comes on the radio and I roll my eyes in disgust, because for once, I ACTUALLY WANT IT TO BE TRUE. Can you believe it? I'm complaining about there being no snow in MN. Check back in with me in a few weeks and see how my opinions have changed about that. It's okay though. I am trying my best to get in the Christmas spirit by doing the following:

-Painting my nails red

-Buying red lipstick for the first time! (it's for Callie's wedding)

-Watching Christmas television episodes on Netflix

-Lighting a spruce scented holiday candle in the kitchen, which is where I am currently sitting now. 

Also, to get myself out of the slump, I treated myself to a Target run today and bought this:

My favorite blockbuster of Summer 2011 came out on DVD. And Dust is currently on his way over to watch it. He doesn't know that I've bought it yet, but I don't care. I'll make him watch it.

The next week

Dust and I took our engagement photos today and I am SO excited to see how they turned out. I was pretty nervous all week long about the fact that it had been nearly NEGATIVE degrees outside with this crazy MN weather and I was just praying that somehow, we would have a little warmth. Well, God answered our prayers today by giving us a GORGEOUS 40 degree photoshoot. Originally, we had planned to photograph in downtown Stillwater, but over the last few days, Dust and I changed our minds and decided to use his own house for the pics! I am not regretting the decision one bit. The snow has blanketed the ground here in MN, the lake is frozen, and we got some really cool shots with the sun shining out- I can't wait to post some pictures here after they have been edited!

This weekend was fun- but once again went by all too fast. Friday night was a bachelorette party for Callie~ my future sister-in-law! It is blowing my mind that she will be a married woman by next week. We ate at Crave in Mall of America, did the whole unlimited ride wristband thing in "Nickelodeon Universe" (I miss Camp Snoopy...) and hung out at a hotel near the mall into the late night watching Callie open up scandalous presents. After the bachelorette, I realized something: I love my new family. Anytime I get the chance to hang out with the Wahl clan, I have to remind myself that I will soon join and become a part of that amazing group.

I spent Saturday basically napping the day away. I don't know what it was about this past week- I fit in a lot of material in all my classes and also had a bout of horrible sickness a couple of days that didn't help my motivation OR my energy. By the end of the week, I was spent and I stayed out fairly late on Friday night so I decided that I wasn't going to do a single thing on Saturday. I forgot to turn my alarm off on Friday night, however, and so Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:20 a.m. in a panic thinking that I was already late to work. It took a couple of minutes to remind myself that it was, in fact, Saturday, and I was NOT late for work, or anything. Don't you hate that? When you completely freak in a dazed slumber and give yourself a minor panic attack? Not the biggest deal in this case because I went RIGHT back to sleep, but still. I then woke up at 10. Ate breakfast. Sat on the couch. Watched Elf. Fell asleep for two hours. Woke up. Showered. Went shopping with Dust (sweater shopping, for the engagement pics!) It was a well spent Saturday. We wrapped up the night by attending a family friends' Christmas concert with Joe (Dusty's roommate) and Char (future mom-in-law). I got boots at Target. It was a good day.

Do you ever feel like no one is going to read your blog if there aren't pictures? I kinda do. I tend to skip over blog posts that aren't littered with images to keep me interested. Well, I suppose I just ruined today's post for everyone then, at least for those who feel the same way as I do. Too bad. I didn't take any pictures MYSELF this weekend- so you will just have to wait patiently like me to see the professional photos soon :) Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed my weekend recap. On to the next week- it is going to be a busy one. Six days until Callie becomes Mrs. Wayt. AH!

The Kiss... OF DEATH {Sort of a history post}

Never before did I think that there would be a time in my life where I spent $50 on Hershey's kisses.

There's an explanation for it, of course. It's for class tomorrow. And I bought for the whole Social Studies department at school, because tomorrow a good chunk of us are lecturing on THE PLAGUE.

We've been covering the Middle Ages now for almost two weeks, and tomorrow is the dreaded discussion on the Black Death. To be honest, I've been looking forward to the Plague talk for awhile because I'm hoping the students will respond well.

Mass hysteria at the hands of mass illness.

So I've had to brush up a tad on the causes, symptoms, and results of contracting the Plague, especially in the Middle Ages. So I have learned now that it was largely transmitted through rats and small rodents (ick) and killed in a matter of days. It was often called the Black Death because of the black swellings (called BUBOES) that covered the bodies of those afflicted. You can google pictures of this online- but I want people to come back to this site so I am choosing NOT to gross you out with the images.

So why the Hershey's kisses?

There were three major types of Plague that afflicted Europe during Medieval society.

1. The Pneumonic plague: attacked the lungs, killed in less than a week. Mostly transmitted by cough. Does not show buboes on the body, but causes extreme chest pain, uncontrollable sweating, and coughing/throwing up blood.

2. Bubonic plague: Transmitted mostly from fleas or insects. Causes swelling and pain in the lymph nodes. Causes buboes to form on the neck, in the armpits, and on the inner thigh. Eventually the buboes split open and ooze puss and blood (I can just see the looks on the kids faces now). Causes high fever, extreme nausea. Eventually, internal bleeding occurs. Most die within a week of contracting.

3. The (dreaded) Septicemic plague: Rarest form of the Plague illness. Also the most deadly. Carried mainly by rodents, and transmitted through them too. Causes red bumps to form all over the body that look similar to insect bites. Eventually leads to severe abdominal pain, bleeding, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and very low blood pressure. Kills within 24 hours.

Aren't they cute? Just don't get too close.

When my kids walk into the door tomorrow, they will have to grab a holiday themed Hershey's kiss.  Green, Red, or Silver. I will allow the students who DON'T like chocolate to NOT grab a candy.

Anyone that picks a GREEN kiss has "contracted" the Pneumonic plague.

Anyone that picks a RED kiss has the SEPTICEMIC plague.

Anyone that picks SILVER contracts the BUBONIC plague.

The lucky few (I don't even know if anyone will choose NOT to take the candy) who choose not to eat any chocolate? DON'T contract ANY form of the Plague. YAY!

Pick your poison.

This is what my Thursday at school will consist of. A mock trial of contracting the Plague. Invoking the "kiss" of death to illustrate a horrible epidemic that eventually led to the fall of the Middle Ages.

So, what are you doing at work tomorrow?

Save the Date Banner: CHECK!

So yesterday I posted about my ambitions to create, by myself, a "Save the Date" banner for our engagement pictures next week. The cheapest banner I could find on Etsy was about $13.00 without the shipping. I didn't feel like paying for something that I felt like I could create myself. Today was a day full of nothing but relaxing so I rose to the challenge and successfully made our banner for next week's pictures!

My dad dropped me off at Michael's right after church this morning and I was in and out of the store in five minutes. I picked up some red acrylic paint, two spools of green and red ribbon, and four pieces of card stock. My total for all these items= $5.46.

Now, I am by no means a painter. In fact, I can't remember the last time I sat down with a paint brush just itching to PAINT something. And then I realized that I had forgotten to buy paint brushes at the craft store! Luckily, I have an avid fly-fishermen for a father who has small brushes on hand to create his own flies. Dad gave me two small brushes that ended up working perfect.

So then I turned back to the internet for inspiration and instructions. This is the original picture that gave me the idea for a Save the Date banner....

I figured we could replace the "Merry Christmas" with our wedding date to send out as Christmas cards to close family and friends as Save the Dates. That was when I was linked to the Etsy site and found the picture that I posted yesterday. I decided the easiest way to transfer the numbers to the card stock would be to simply print out and trace the outline, and paint. That is precisely what I ended up doing.

Me attempting to paint - surprisingly, it turned out pretty good!

After everything was painted onto the cards, I hole punched the top corners of each number card so that I could string the ribbon through.

Finished! You can even see evidence of the punched out holes in the corner.

I then had my brother take some pictures of the completed banner so that I could show my work off here on the blog.

Beau's first attempt at a banner picture turned into a crappy zoomed in Blackberry phone image. Let's try this again, Beau...

 

 

 

There we go.

So then I decided to take things even further. In the original picture, the cards were outlined in black to make it "pop." I found a black sharpie, used my dog's latest Vet newsletter to outline, and drew away. It does give it a little bit of a sharpness, if I do say so myself.

So here is the finished product!

 

I'm hoping that it turns out the way that I envisioned it originally on Pinterest when we take the pictures next Sunday. Luckily, the snow has fallen, winter is here and it is FINALLY starting to feel and look like Christmas, so I'm not too worried! I can't wait to have some fun next weekend and snap a few photographs to send to fam and friends, AND while using the banner! The best part about my project is that I saved over half off by doing it myself. I didn't have to mess with shipping/handling and I feel good about contributing to this idea all on my own. Hopefully by next Sunday, I can update with actual PHOTOGRAPHS of our engagement session! YAY! Can't wait :)

Project time

So lately when I have a spare minute for the internet, I find myself perusing one of two sites:
1. Pinterest
2. DIY Blogs

I get so much inspiration to MAKE things off of Pinterest, but never follow through because I simply can't find the time. I've been overwhelmed by all the friends I met in college who have started and updated their blogs by filling posts with crafts and easy projects that cost so little. I LOVE to make things, but I usually only ever START a project- it takes a lot to get me to finish. Two of the projects I've completed, successfully, are ones that I got inspiration from on both of the above-mentioned websites.

The first successful project was a DIY Christmas Wreath that I made my mom for Christmas last year. I got the inspiration from "PS... I made this," a site all about DIY projects. It was fairly time-consuming, but well worth it in the end when I could marvel over a job well done, and see the look on my mom's face when she opened it up on Christmas Day.

This was midway through the process- I bought the styrofoam wreath at Joann Fabrics for about 6 dollars, and then purchased about a yard and a half of white felt. You cut the felt into circles, fold them into fourths, and pin the corners onto the styrofoam. It took FOREVER- but luckily, I remember, there was a Harry Potter Marathon on ABC Family.

The finished product, and not the best quality photo, but I LOVE how it turned out. 

The second project I attempted and mastered was one I found on Pinterest. I actually blogged originally about the idea of making a Mason Jar Soap dispenser in this post. This project, in contrast to the wreath, did NOT take long at all. I spent maybe a total of fifteen minutes total to construct it, after buying the Mason Jar at Michael's for about $2.99.

I used a screwdriver to drill a hole for the dispenser, which was sitting in my mom's bathroom closet. I used a jug of bathroom soap to fill the jar, and hot glued the dispenser to the lid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So my next attempted project is to make a banner for our upcoming engagement photos next week. Our photographer is great and has a lot of awesome ideas, and she recently sent me the link to an Etsy store that makes banners of your wedding date to use in pictures. I really liked the idea, but I don't necessarily want to spend the money when I think it's something I could at least try on my own. So today, my goal is to find the materials needed to successfully complete this project. We are sending Save the Dates to close friends and family and want to do Christmas cards with our date on a banner. I'll check back in this week to let you know how it worked out. The goal is to have it look something like this:

Check back in later! Off to get my craft on.

My Saturday.

If you couldn't tell by my last post, I had a bit of a long, rough week. Since I started my job, I was spoiled with two consecutive weeks of having no school on Friday. They were work days, but still much more laid back than a typical end of the week school day. Either way, my complaints probably make me sound pathetic.

Despite the difficult week of work, it was well rewarded with a (so far) wonderfully relaxing weekend. John, a good friend of ours, is currently in town from Colorado so we spent last night out to eat with him and other friends at The Village Wok in Dinkytown. We're talking portions so big you barely make a dent in them, for next to nothing in price. We always go there with John, and I always order the Chicken Chow Mein. The friends and the food did not disappoint last night. It was a great Friday evening.

Today I woke up on my own around 8:30 a.m. and realized that I have officially become an adult. I don't think I am capable any longer of sleeping in, at all, past 9. And that's okay. Anyway, I did have a glorious morning spent watching countless episodes of The Wonder Years in bed until 10 a.m. And something crazy happened-- an episode of my new favorite show?

It made me cry.

Quick version: The episode deals with Kevin (Fred Savage) and his brother Wayne's friend Wart (horrible nickname) who has recently come home from the Vietnam War. Wart seems changed. Kevin steals the rival high school teams mascot, a real live owl, sets it free, only after a spectator at the game points at Wart and yells "MURDERER!" Kevin then finds Wart sitting on a park bench stripped down to his boxers. Wayne then finds Wart and notices his emotions are running high. Wayne then takes off his shirt, covers Wart, and Wart breaks down in his arms crying. And I broke down in my bed, crying. That show usually has me snickering from the depths of my pillowcases, but today it had me in tears.

And the best part about this emotionally charged episode? Wart is played by Scott Menville, probably best known for portraying Duane, the boyfriend of Kimmy Gibbler on Full House, whose vocabulary on the show consisted of this one word: "Whatever."
*I tried to include a Youtube video of this example, but it won't let me embed :(

So after my teary morning spent watching The Wonder Years, I headed upstairs to my brother Beau's room where he and a friend were watching Braveheart. Typical Saturday morning movie choice. The next two hours were spent watching TV, napping, waking up to snow, and playing with the dog. It has been just absolutely blissful.

I also got fitted for a bridesmaid dress for my friend Jackie's wedding. She is getting married two weeks before me! June will be a busy month. A fun one, though, that I am DEFINITELY looking forward to.

Dust and I are in search of a well-priced big screen TV. Any suggestions? We also booked our engagement photos for a couple weeks from tomorrow. YAY!

Thus concludes my more cheerful, less cranky blog post of the weekend. I love relaxing. It's a two day work week for me next week. I can't wait to catch up on grading, sleeping, hanging out with my family, and wedding planning with Dust.

Happy Monday: Things that annoy me.

1. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The one show that almost ALWAYS seems to be on when I am in a bad mood, with a headache, and extremely tired. I can't stand the humor, I can't stand the girl character's voice, and I can't stand Danny Devito.

2. Our engagement ring jeweler
They have had my engagement ring for 3+ weeks now. It was supposed to be re-sized and polished in 1-2 weeks. Yup. I'm annoyed.

3. The Mahtomedi High School Blood Drive
Okay, I should be more understanding. Blood drives are a good thing. Students volunteering to donate blood for free is an even better thing. But I was missing over 25 students today through out all 6 periods. Today was not a good day for students to miss. I feel bad, but I'm still annoyed.

4. McDonald's off County Road E
This is the second time in two weeks that they have given me regular coke instead of diet. Am I ridiculous, or is this not legit?

5. Kim Kardashian
No need to explain this one. Actually, I will. Here is a miniature list of things that last longer than 72 days: most non-perishable goods, each season of the year, a pregnancy trimester, biking the Tour De France three times, and sailing around the world once.

6. Dog Hair
Especially on a day like today when I wore black to school, and hugged our yellow lab before walking out the door.

7. Occupy Wall Street
I just don't really seem to get it.

8. Extreme Couponing on TLC
How is this legal? These women get $800 worth of groceries and goods from the grocery store for like 20 dollars.... Something is not right. Where's the loophole?

9. The Green Bay Packers
Ick.

10. When avocados turn brown after a day.
Why does this happen? Can anyone relate? UGHHH!! I love avocados but they are so resistant to freshness!

Thus ends today's list of things that annoy me. Have a great Monday.

What have you been up to, Casey Miller?

Well, it's funny you asked. As it turns out, teaching (even long term subbing) takes quite a toll on the spare time I manage to find at the very end of my days... However, the following list is comprised of the things that I HAVE managed to find time for despite my busy schedule.

#1 The Wonder Years. 

Never before had I experienced this classic '80's-Early '90's television gem until I was perusing Netflix late one evening. I go through phases where I watch a show until I finish it, and then refuse to start a new one because I convince myself that the new show will never be as amazing as the last completed show. This has happened to me on numerous occasions with 30 Rock, Law and Order SVU, and Desperate Housewives. Well, I bit the bullet and decided to give TWY a chance. Instantly I knew, I had made an amazing decision. I don't think there was ever a better television combination than Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold, cruising through the teenage years all while experiencing late 1960's to early 1970's America. I can't get enough of the sticky situations and goofy sitcom humor and I know this is going to be one of these shows that I miss like an old friend once it's finished. I am currently on Season 4 and there are 6 seasons total. This will be a difficult show to part ways with. *Added bonus: an early episode features Ben Savage, brother to main character Kevin, who happens to play Cory Matthews in one of my favorite television shows of all time, Boy Meets World.

#2 Pinterest. 

 

Need I say more? Actually, a couple of weeks ago Dusty texted me asking... "WHAT THE HECK IS PINTEREST?!"

The only complaint I have about this brilliant social media mecca is that realistically, I will NEVER attempt any of the DIY pins I have posted to my board, and I will never attempt to use any of my Wedding pins in the future because I'm too afraid that they will show up in someone ELSES wedding. That's the problem with Pinterest. But I keep on pinning anyway. 

#3 Fantasy Football.

I didn't initially care about Fantasy Football. I was only doing it because a lot of our good friends were and I wanted to join in on the fun. Now... I'm kind of hooked because instead of disregarding my line up every week because my team was sucking, I'm highly interested because with a little change of luck (and lineup last week) I ended up defeating Dusty 94 to 98. I won for the second week in a row against another friend of ours 90 to 71 (that could change since I still have one player currently in play). I guess I've gotten a taste of winning and boy does it taste good.

And in all honesty, that kind of completes the list for right now. School has been busy with parent-teacher conferences, and Friday we had a staff day. We also don't have classes this coming Friday because of the third round of conferences. So that means that in the entire month of November, we have school on one Friday. Meh.

I also have now been without my precious engagement ring for two weeks now, and after a phone call from the jeweler yesterday, it appears I have to wait another week until we are again reunited. Meh.

Stay tuned this week, for: more conferences, lesson plans on the United States Congress, the Byzantine Empire and a class discussion on legalization of marijuana.

Anybody feel like switching lives for a week?! :)

 

 

Sorry for slacking

I have been a bad blogger... I'll admit it. So I now apologize for the umpteenth time on my lack of blogging habits. This post won't be anything to write home about either. I am completely exhausted. I started my job, I teach 5 classes a day and it's a LOT of work... but completely and totally fun and exciting. In three words... I LOVE IT.

And in other news.... I have been having a pretty good time with my fiance lately. Dust, if you're reading this, I think you're pretty great. We had a blast today just listening to music that we may want to use in our wedding, and it was kind of a weird way of realizing how excited I really am to marry this guy who I can just sit around with enjoying myself. Here are the things that I am loving about Dusty Wade these days:

1. His work ethic (can you believe my guy works two jobs and NEVER complains? He's got the best attitude out of anyone I know and I have the UTMOST respect for him and his hard work!)

2. His laugh- After spending a lot of time these past few weeks with various members of the Wahl clan, I can say confidently that they have the best laughs out of anyone I know. Dusty is no exception. I could listen to him laugh all day. His laugh makes me happy.

3. His support. I've been crazy busy lately, but he hasn't said a word about not being as available or more busy than usual... In fact, he has offered up words of encouragement, advice, and love. Thanks Dust! I love you so so much!

Don't mind the man thigh. Say hello to the future Wahl family! Except for that is not our dog. That is Duke, who belongs to my future mother in law. I would never allow Duke to be a part of my family. Sorry Dust.

Hopefully one of these days I will have time to write something of more substance. I will fill you in on my new job very soon :)

Timeline of Events

January 30th, 2011: I wake up for the day. It's a Sunday. I go to church for the first time in probably 3 months. I have a pit in my stomach. I am slowly inching through the day waiting for bed, but dreading it. Because tomorrow, on January 31st, I start student teaching high school students. I don't like change. I hate having to walk into situations where I am new and feel like I don't fit in. I secretly go to my room and cry because I feel alone and completely unsure of myself. My boyfriend is living in Florida. My self-confidence is low. I pray to God that he will be there with me, although at the time I feel like my faith isn't at its best. I'm completely nervous and force myself into bed at 9 p.m. Surprisingly I get enough sleep and wake up the next day at 6. Day 1. Pick out an outfit- Black pants, cream colored shirt with a t-shirt sweater over it. Wearing my new boots that I got for Christmas. I hit the road, it's freezing cold. But at this point, I have to go. I feel like crying again. Did I mention, I really really don't like change?

May 13th, 2011: I wake up for the day. It's a Friday. I quickly turn on E! as I get ready for my last day of student teaching (the Royal Wedding festivities are still creating a buzz). I have lasted three months as a student teacher of 105 tenth graders. I really feel like I fit in. I love the people I work with. I love my students. I love what I did for three months, without pay. I pray to God that he will help me not to cry because oddly enough, I feel a sort of emotional attachment to this place where I have been a fixture for so many weeks. I pick out an outfit- Jeans (hey, it's my last day, plus a Friday!), and a short sleeved t-shirt (it's getting pretty hot out these days). I'm wearing my new Toms shoes that Dusty got me for my 22nd birthday. Did I mention, he was home now? Moved back in March, much to my surprise and happiness! I'm almost done with college. Did I mention, I really really don't like change?

June 23rd, 2011: I just completed a site visit for a youth organization I interviewed with after graduation. It went horrible. The interview had been great. I loved the people I interviewed with, and I felt like this just might be a great fit. The site visit was awful. The people I met with weren't relational and I felt like a complete outsider, unwanted and not really needed. It's a 95 degree day in hot Minneapolis. I am sweating profusely through my clothes. I burned my neck on a curling iron and so it looks like I have a hickey. I can't throw up my hair because how would that look to a group of young troubled youth to have a potential new leader with a mysterious red mark on her neck? This sucks. I am interviewed unknowingly for a second time after the site visit. I'm completely unprepared. The director doesn't shake my hand as I leave. I pray to God... why didn't this work? Why did I set my hopes so high on working here? Why haven't you opened up an opportunity for me to be a teacher? Why do I feel like I have no direction? I'm done with college. I'm not married, far from it. I feel like I'm going nowhere. Did I mention, I really really don't like change?

August 22nd, 2011: I just spent the previous night at the wedding of two close friends. I couldn't enjoy myself because my mind was on this morning. First. teaching. job. interview. Yikes. I feel completely unprepared. I'm wearing a new outfit- a navy blazer with black flats and pants. I try to look as professional as possible, although the people I am interviewing with are people I know. I am lucky to have an interview at the school I student taught. I know this job is part time, but it's good experience. I can't decide how I feel about it all yet- am I really ready to start teaching again? Is this really a good fit for me? Am I cut out? What questions are they gonna ask me? I pray to God that he will speak through me rather than disappear when I need him most. I've been a regular attendee of my church- people there know about this interview and are praying for me daily. I feel like this is it- if I don't get this job, than I am giving up. I'm not cut out for teaching. I don't know what else I'll do, even if I don't get the job. Did I mention, I really really don't like change?

October 23rd, 2011: I am currently laying in bed, writing reflections on those past 3 dates. I feel great. I got up this morning for church, where I have been attending regularly since that cold Sunday in January. I had lunch this afternoon with my grandparents, and ate until I was full. I spent a couple of hours preparing for my next great adventure- my first teaching job as a long term substitute- at the school I student taught at. Tomorrow I will be reunited with some great co-workers who I have really missed. I will be reunited with several former students who I have REALLY missed! I haven't picked out my outfit yet- I'm sure I'll figure it out tomorrow morning. I'm anxious, but I'm excited. I haven't shed one tear. I just got done talking with my fiance, who prayed for me over the phone for guidance tomorrow. Oh, did I mention we are getting married on June 22nd, 2012? I am really going to be a teacher tomorrow. I'm going to get paid for it, too! I am cut out for teaching. I didn't get hired at the youth organization. I didn't get the part time job, but they offered me this instead. And this really is God's work- making this all happen for me. Will I find something when this is done? Yes, I will! There will be something out there for me, even when I wrap up this job, in January. By the way, you'll have to check back with me on January 23rd, to see if I still don't like change or not. We will see :)

Wow. Crazy what can happen in a year, huh?

Ms. Miller.....

Today I was back at my old student teaching grounds, this time preparing to start the long term substitute job teaching Government and World History! It felt so great to be back, with all the teachers I got to know last Spring and much to my surprise, a LOT of students that I had in U.S. History also! Hearing their excitement upon seeing me again gave me a boost to NOT be so nervous, because they are GREAT kids.

I did get a little bit annoyed when I overheard two girls talking during 4th hour- I swear, high school students don't realize that teachers can, in fact, overhear conversations! The conversation went a little like this....

"Oh my gosh!! That must be our long term sub!!" -Girl #1

"It is, I asked. Oh my gosh, though, she looks SO young." -Girl #2

Me: Hm. Embarrassing. I am 7 years older than them... but... Really? I look young?!

I guess I was just bummed that the morning I spent trying to find the outfit that gave me a perfect balance between mature and casual didn't work out as I thought it would have!! Oh well.

With that being said, be prepared for what I'm sure will be many more stories coming from the hilarious minds of juniors and seniors in high school! Gotta love em!

The Steve Jobs Hype

I'm sure most of you readers know that the founder of Apple Computers, Steve Jobs, died of cancer on Wednesday at the age of 56. I myself was out in Minneapolis at a concert when I took to Twitter and read the news. My feed was flooded with messages like "World Changer" "Innovator" "Mastermind"-- I really didn't know much about Steve Jobs other than the fact that he was extremely brilliant, and had recently stepped down as the CEO of Apple in recent months due to his illness.

Well, like I often spend hours of my life doing when I am bored, I got home and decided to do some research on Steve Jobs. I had no idea that he founded Pixar Studios, which has produced some of my FAVORITE animated movies of all time like Toy Story, Up (cried and cried), and Monsters Inc. I also had no idea that he was adopted as a baby, unwanted by his biological mother and given up by his first selected adoptive parents because he wasn't a girl. I had no idea that he was responsible for the high point of my childhood, developing OREGON TRAIL! I also never realized that Jobs invented the computer mouse--- where would we be without THOSE?!

 

There was definitely more to Steve Jobs than I knew or thought. I guess I never realized the significance of his life until I realized how much I am literally glued to my computer, a Macbook that has lasted me four years now, or my Ipod, which pretty much holds my sanity in the format of 2000 songs, or even my hopes of receiving an Iphone for Christmas this year (fingers crossed) as I have been wanting one since they came out years ago.

If Steve Jobs never existed, then I'm sure my life would have been quite different in some aspects. Some people posted on Facebook that they didn't get all the hype surrounding his death. I understand where some might think that- however, after learning just a little bit more about this man, genius really, who invented one of the most popular brands in the world in the garage of his parents house when he was 20, I realize that his death is actually quite significant in the times we are living in now. A technological time where literally life can seem kind of scary if we aren't glued to our computer, phone, or MP3 player. Maybe that sounds sad, but it's really kinda crazy that the success and popularity of our modern age of technology can be traced back to the mind of one guy who had ideas.

I saw a clip of this video on the news and finally took the time to sit down and watch it in its entirety last night. It's a commencement address given by Steve Jobs at Standford University in 2005. It is an incredible speech, I really encourage you to watch the entire thing and really listen to the words. They are encouraging with a touch of conviction.

 

Sometimes I get a little irritated with the media when they hype up celebrities- but I really think that the attention Steve Jobs has received in the wake of his death is well deserved. I'm actually pretty bummed that he is gone and relatively still young, but what a legacy he leaves huh? Everytime you see someone playing Angry Birds on their Ipad, think of Steve! Thanks for all you contributed to the world!

Betchya thought this was another engagement post, didn't ya?

Reflections and the past few days

I was having a bit of a hyperactive evening Tuesday when I was over at Dusty's watching "Bridsemaids" with him and his sister. Since Dust decided to nap through out the entire movie while I was practically dying of laughter the entire time, when he finally woke up during the credits, I was kind of an energized little devil. I think I was just finally happy to be not talking about wedding plans for once and have him all to myself so I was just being weird and I'll admit, obnoxious. He was being a good sport in return by just letting me be myself and occasionally laughing at how dumb I was acting... to give you an idea, I actually created my own dance recently to the Mario Party theme song... I know, I am weird. I was definitely doing the dance the other night.

So I finally decided to let Dusty get to bed and head on home when I got a call from my newly established fiance as I was driving- He had called just to say, "I think you're kinda fun."

I immediately smiled because I remembered back to our first date in 2008 that had me completely nervous, super excited, and a little freaked out. Katie, one of my best friends, and I actually had huge crushes on Dusty during our freshman year and would always talk about how cute he was even though we knew he would never be available-- at least to us! So it came as a total shock when I moved in with Katie going into my sophomore year of college and Dusty randomly, very randomly, asked me to hang out with him one night after not talking to each other for months. Katie freaked, I freaked, but I also agreed, obviously.

That night is one I will never forget because we ended up going to "The Island" at Northwestern College, a staple of both our childhoods, and talked for nearly four hours. I was still nervous upon arriving to the destination that I actually squished a bug on the sleeve of my WHITE t-shirt, tried to laugh it off after Dusty pointed it out, and also fidgeted with my hands when he picked me up from my dorm in his silver Mazda. When our date was over and he dropped me off, I immediately ran to my room to tell Katie all about the night, but honestly I couldn't read him on where things were going to go from there. I had a blast and couldn't shut up basically the whole date... and Katie was dying to know if I felt like he was into me, I literally couldn't confidently say. Until I got a call from Dusty about ten minutes after getting dropped off- He called just to say, "I just wanted you to know Casey... I think you're kinda fun."

I reminded Dust of that memory just the other night when he called me after I left. It's so crazy to me that it is now three years later, three fast years containing some of the best memories I have, years that ushered me from my teen years into my 20's, years where I finished college and have moved around three different residences, and years where I fell more in love with Dusty every single day. Not to be a sap, but I am so excited to be marrying him. I feel pretty lucky to be the girl he's gonna have fun with for life.

I guess you could say the first date went well enough to go on a second one- Here's a pic providing evidence! At Benihana, September '08- I was 19 in this picture!

Wedding planning is going well- as well as it can be! We have almost set a date. We found a reception location that we LOVE and are trying to think of creative ideas to use at our wedding that will also save us some money :) I'm feeling good about my teaching job- I spent the day today reading up on VOTER RIGHTS in American Government and I think I'm ready to teach my first lesson come October 24th! Time is just flying. I'm trying to soak it all in one day at a time because I know before I know it, this season of life will be past me and I will be preparing for the big day. I'm also EXTREMELY excited to announce that my best friend and roommate from college, Jackie, got engaged tonight to her boyfriend (now fiance!) Elliot! I love this couple and I am so excited that they are entering this exciting time along with Dusty and I. They are a blast and we always have so much fun with them in whatever we do. Jackie is a bridesmaid in my wedding and she already declared to me that we will have many nights doing extreme planning over a glass of wine in the near future- Cheers to that!

The future Mrs. Wahl on the left with the future Mrs. Risbrudt on the right!

I've been going through music that we want to incorporate into our wedding day and I found this song that I just absolutely love. It reminds me of all the fun times I've had with my guy over the years, and makes me excited, especially, for what the future holds for us together. Hope you enjoy.

Life

Thanks for all the love you have shown me these past few days, blog people!! I have never felt more incredibly blessed and supported in my life, and I have definitely felt the love whether it be through facebook posts, emails, texts and calls or personal visits from friends and family. It literally is crazy to wake up in the morning and remind myself... "I am getting married!" I'll admit that I love to immediately glance toward my left hand and stare at the gorgeous ring that is now occupying my ring finger. Of course, in all this, I feel like the greatest gift I've received is Dustin. I still can't believe he pulled all this off, and I can't believe that I can officially tell people now that I get to spend the rest of my life with him. I really can't believe it. I am so incredibly blessed.

I have been thinking a lot lately just about how much God has played into the last few days of my life, and really, it's quite overwhelming. I wanted to share a little story with you to explain just how crazy this all worked out, and how much God really proved to be faithful in making everything possible. Recently, Minnesota changed the process for obtaining a teaching license by adopting a new licensure exam called the MTLE (Minnesota Teacher License Exam). Previously, MN had been using an exam called the Praxis to test for licensure, but for whatever reason, they have switched over to this new test. Quite great for me as I was entering into my senior year of college (can you sense the sarcasm?) Anyway, these new tests have a passing rate of about 15% right now... much bleaker than the Praxis rate of about 60%. I was pretty discouraged when I failed the Social Studies content exam not once, but twice. In fact, I found out I didn't pass for the second time on Thursday evening at about 7 pm when I was driving in a rush to get to choir practice at my church from work. I was so bummed out and really frustrated, naturally, and almost thought about not walking in to practice, but I had driven all the way out and knew that I had to go. I rushed upstairs to our rehearsal room to sit next to my mom (we joined the gospel choir together!) and whispered to her that I hadn't passed. She looked as bummed as I did, rubbed my back, and told me we were on to the next song, called "Anything". I hadn't practiced this song yet and when we went through the lyrics, I was kind of shocked.

"God can do anything, anything and everything, there ain't nothing he can not do. God can do anything, anything and everything. He can do anything but FAIL." 

We sang through the song and I was almost annoyed... Really, God?! I just fail my exam and we're singing praise about how you can't fail anything? Do you ever have those moments where you kind of feel like God is being a little more than obvious about something? I had that moment at choir practice, as we sung the song "Anything."

So after choir, my mom could tell that I was pretty bummed out and she asked me to go sit with her in the car to chat. I basically burst into tears the second I shut her car door. I didn't understand the way things were going. I felt lost and unsure about my future in anything... and all my mom could do was try to comfort me the best she could. I do remember her saying to me, "Case, even though it doesn't seem like it tonight, God has something BIG in store for you-- something beyond your wildest dreams. You just have to trust and have faith that he will work everything out for good!" You know how it goes sometimes when moms give advice, I gave her a little hug, mumbled a "Thanks, mom...." and got into my own car for the drive home. I appreciated what she had to say, but really just felt like being sad for a minute.

I got home and really just wanted to crash and so I headed straight to my bedroom. That's when I noticed this note on my pillow...

Little did I know that the very next day, not only would I be offered the substitute job, but I would also be getting engaged. And God, in his funny way, proved his faithfulness in everything once again.

After the engagement night was over, I went to bed around 3 a.m. after a full night of celebration. I was exhausted, and yet there was another note on my pillow that just about moved me to tears from my mom...

I love my mom :) Mostly I am just grateful that she was encouraging and really speaking the truth into me the night before when I was really struggling to make sense of ANYTHING... If you're wondering, I sang that song with a smile on my face Sunday morning, because I knew that the words were true. God really can do anything, and will do anything for those who love him. I learn that more and more each day that I'm alive! I still feel so blessed, and I am so excited for what's to come in the near future.

*****

For those that are wondering, we have not yet set a date (that's the most common question I've gotten in the last few days). Right now, we are thinking this upcoming summer. Today we had our first official planning day by 1... heading to the jeweler to figure out a few things (my ring needs to get resized) 2... planning out a first round guest list and 3... discussing photography. After about 3 hours, we have our guest list down to a somewhat reasonable number. Also, we realized my side of the family alone, just EXTENDED family, is 59 people. You think that's big... The Wahl clan comes to a whopping 90 people. Put that together and you already get 149 with just our families... so yea. We love our families, and there is a lot of family, so we are probably going to have a decent sized wedding. Unfortunately, it sounds like it is going to take at least a week to resize my ring, and since our dear friends Molly and CJ are tying the knot this weekend, I want to have my engagement ring to be able to show people. Can you blame me? :) So that is where we are at. Planning is a lot of work, I am learning that just four days in. But it's completely fun as I expected it to be. What a crazy ride we're on together!

9/23/11

About a month ago, Dusty and I went on a little trip to Stillwater, MN for some ice cream and decided to drive around. If you've never been to Stillwater, you are seriously missing out. It's been one of my favorite MN destinations since I was a little kid... I love the river walk and the cute little shops and just the quaint-ness of it all! Well, if you know Stillwater, then you surely know it's Wisconsin counterpart, Hudson, just across the river by way of the Stillwater Lift bridge. Hudson was a popular Sunday afternoon family trip that we Millers would take growing up.. mainly because it's one of my dad's favorite places to fly fish and my mom and sister and I loved the shops downtown. The whole area of MN-WI small towns right on the border= amazing!!

Well back to our trip, I tried to convince Dusty that we should just spontaneously head over to Wisconsin (it was at about 9 p.m.) just for a random adventure. Dust wasn't really having it and just wanted to go home. I was kind of bummed but I told him that eventually, someday, we had to do a Wisconsin trip... just random and out of the blue! He reluctantly agreed.

Fast forward to last weekend- Dusty had his cousins, Kevin and Lindsey in town from Iowa to celebrate the first birthday of their beautiful little daughter, Ayehush. There was a big huge party at the Wahl house with tons of family from Dusty's side and at the end of the night, Dust and I, Callie and Andy, and Kevin and Lindsey hung out in the living room for a couple hours just chatting when Dusty started to crack jokes about getting engaged. Now, keep in mind, I am kind of an emotional basket case when it comes to talking marriage because I will admit that I'd been wanting it for awhile. I was trying very hard to be patient but sometimes (okay, majority of the time) I would get really sick of waiting and put a little a lot of pressure on Dust to just finally ask. Dusty, being the unique and equally stubborn as I am person that he is, told me that I simply would have to wait and that everything, when it happened, would be a complete surprise. Not what I wanted to hear, but whatever. Anyway, that night, Dust was started to hysterically laugh talking about how I better not hold my breath thinking anything's coming soon... he actually once said that he could use the money in his engagement ring fund to buy "two McDoubles" (direct quote) to which the entire room CRACKED up... except for me. My blood was BOILING!! I was so upset and angry with him that I wanted to slap him across the face!! I couldn't believe he'd be so inconsiderate that he'd joke like that in front of his family... and on the other hand, I couldn't believe that his family thought this was so funny!

Little did I know that earlier that day, Dusty had actually PURCHASED my engagement ring, told all four family members, and was throwing in jokes (still not sold on whether I think this is actually funny or just plain cruel!) to throw me off. Literally, after that conversation, I was convinced that I was dating the guy with forever cold feet.. and I was pretty mad at him. Later in the night he apologized to me for being a good sport, and I scolded him for a long time (overnight, in fact) for being inconsiderate and mean about something that I take very seriously. Looking back on it now, I actually feel bad- considering that he had let in his family on what was going to take place, and the ring was purchased.... wow!!!

So earlier this week, Dust asked me if I was busy Friday night and I had no plans. He wanted to take me on a date because we hadn't been out together for a nice date in a long time. I was all for it considering I had worked four days in a row from 6 am til 2. Friday came and I got off work and asked Dust what I should wear, for any inkling of what might be taking place that night. I literally had NO idea what was in store for the evening.

Then that afternoon about 3 p.m., I got a call from the high school I student taught at... offering me a job teaching history classes for a teacher who will soon be gone on maternity leave!! Literally a shock-- and so amazing!! I accepted their offer and KNEW that since Dust was surprising me with our date plans, I had to surprise him with this awesome news. I also called everyone I knew close to me, parents, siblings, Dusty's mom, his sister... To tell them the great news- I got a job! However, their reactions were weird... When they answered the phone, they acted like they knew I had something BIG to tell them. I didn't think much of it, and headed over to Dusty's house for the first part of our date- Lion King in 3D!!

I forgot how much I loved this movie from my childhood as I looked to my right and saw a little girl snuggled in her dad's lap (my dad took me to this movie when it first came out almost 18 years ago) and listening to the music made me feel like a little kid again. Dusty was silent and kind of on edge the entire movie.  We have terrible luck in that every time we go out to the movies, those sitting close to us feel the need to verbally express every emotion and thought with every passing minute- didn't change with Lion King. The girl behind us was pretty distracting (not to mention about 20 years old) and Dust was getting pretty annoyed. I actually thought it was kind of funny and was curious as to why he was so upset about it, but I shook it off and the movie ended. We got in the car and I asked what the next phase of the date was, even though I knew that we were headed to Wisconsin :)

Sure enough, that was the plan. Dusty explained that we could go to dinner, or go do something he had planned that would only take "20 minutes or so." I didn't really care but at this point I was pretty hungry, but Dust decided that our little "activity" would be best to do first. So.. off we drove across the Stillwater bridge into Hudson, Wisconsin. I KNEW IT! I was pretty pumped up, but really curious as to what we'd be doing. I'd assumed we'd just kinda drive around and then head back into MN. Dust explained that we would be doing something illegal and dangerous, and also mentioned that we could get into huge trouble. Okay-- by this point I was really confused. I had no clue what those descriptions meant, but knew that if Dust had planned it out, it had to be interesting.

So by this point, we pulled up to a house for sale along the St. Croix river... a vacant home with nobody living in it. It was a pretty cool house with an awesome view, and I was pretty intrigued when we first got there. I still thought nothing of it as I was on my phone, tweeting, and looking across the street as Dusty told me to stay put while he set some things up. Again, no clue in my mind as to what was about to happen. He came and got me from the car and brought me to the roof of the abandoned home- you can actually climb on top of it!! When we got on top of the roof, I saw a set up blanket and a lantern, nicely planted by Dust minutes before. I asked if we should sit down, and he said no. We started to talk -- First, he explained that he was excited to be there with me because he knew how much I wanted to visit Wisconsin and he was happy to be able to do something like that for me on our date. Dust then apologized for the previous weekend, making fun of getting engaged/married and said that he had been a huge jerk (Ya think!!!) He went on that he took engagement very seriously and didn't want to joke about it any longer- he also explained that he WANTED to marry me, and knew that he loved me (I was still unaware at this point- I am somewhat oblivious don't ya think?!) I nodded and just kind of went along with what he was saying- until he started to mumble and kind of mix up his words... That was when I started to think that something was up. He then got down on one knee, pulled the ring box out from under the blanket, and said those four words....

"Will you marry me??"

Me: ...... ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

I honestly could NOT believe it. I was totally shocked. When Dusty finally made it clear that this was in fact for real, I screamed YES! Jumped into his arms and hugged him for about 2 full minutes, laughing, crying, giggling, tearing up again, jumping up and down, and repeating WE'RE ENGAGED about a million times. It was literally completely perfect. I was wearing a gorgeous diamond ring on my finger, completely alone with the most amazing guy on the planet, just reveling in the fact that he asked me to marry him, and so thankful. We looked out on the river at the most beautiful sunset, and it was then that I realized how amazing God's timing and plan is. I had a job and a fiance within a matter of hours, after weeks of uncertainty toward what life held in store for me. Pretty sweet how this all panned out :)

Not only that- but I now realized how everything had been working out the week before- Dusty's attempt to throw me off by joking with his family the previous weekend, my family's reactions to me telling them about the job... it was crazy. I still can not believe it. I am totally shocked and excited and just unbelievably happy to be marrying the man of my dreams, my best friend, and my absolute favorite person. I know how cheesy that probably sounds but I can't think of any other way to describe the man that I've found in Dusty. He is perfect for me and I feel so lucky to be the one he wants to marry. Not only that, but I'm getting a pretty sweet deal in his family as well. I am absolutely thrilled to officially be a part of the Wahl clan. My family (as you can imagine) is so incredibly excited as well. Dusty asked for my dad's permission earlier last week and since then, my mom described that she feels like her and dad won the lottery. That makes me so happy to know my parents love Dusty so much. What a blessing!!

So that, in a nutshell, is the story of how the love of my life asked me to marry him. I wanted to write it out so that friends and family who aren't here to hear all the details can get the story... and let's be serious, I wanted to brag about how great this was :) I was totally shocked. It literally could not have been more of a surprise. I am so blessed. THANK YOU GOD!!!

Oh and I will add details as they come- for now we are just enjoying this time together and so excited about what has happened this weekend. It's been quite the celebration and I have felt so much love from so many- friends, family, and even a few strangers! Life is pretty great and I will never forget this day. It was perfect in so many ways. I love you Dust! You made me the happiest person alive for pulling off that surprise-- even if you had to do a few things to throw me off. Good job! I wouldn't have changed a thing!!

Right after he asked-- Happy couple!

The most perfect engagement ring- I had no say in any of it, he did it all himself! Not bad, don't you think??

Against the rooftop of the abandoned house- WE ARE ENGAGED!!

Mr and Mrs- soon to be anyway :)

Skol.

The following post strictly contains my angry rant opinion on what the future holds for Minnesota football. Read on if I have sparked your interest.

This is my first year belonging to a Fantasy Football League. To be quite honest, I have NO idea what I'm doing. I know I drafted a somewhat decent team, despite the fact that they haven't allowed me to win against the "teams" I've played in the last two weeks.... But! I have a team stocked full of Packers. Aaron Rodgers. Dennis Driver. Greg Jennings. The Packers Defense. I've been told those choices are pretty solid.

The question you are probably asking yourself, like I have been for the past few weeks- "WHAT IS SHE THINKING?" A Minnesotan, tried and true, pledging Fantasy Football allegiance to members of the Green Bay Packers???!

Here's the thing.

I've lost all hope in the Vikings.

I thought we had it two years ago when Favre spent his first season in the purple and gold. But like all good things... that came to an end. The multiple embarrassments of last season (Childress can't decipher a good challenge flag, Favre gets caught sexting, Childress gets fired, Favre beats interception record by 5000, Randy Moss: the Rise and fall) really have got me to thinking if I very seriously should consider pledging my loyalty to another team. It didn't help matters much this past Sunday, when apparently the Vikes didn't realize that you do in fact have to attempt to keep winning into the second half of a football game. Sadly... we did fall victim to the smarmy group of pirate Buccaneers.

Happier Times in 2009... my sister in her T-Jack jersey (useless now)

Where can the Vikings bring happiness now? I dream of a year when the Vikings were the beam of hope this great state needed to carry us through another harsh winter. A year when the Metrodome was sold out to the thousands of fans boldly waving their PURPLE PRIDE towels while hoisting beer into the air, clashing with horned braided drunkards.... Shouting SKOOOOOOLLLLLL VIKINGS with no shame. I dream of the year: 1998.

It was the best of times.... It was the worst of times (Ventura was elected governor that year, after all). But Minnesota had a winning NFL team. Who could forget those days when the Cunningham jerseys weren't faded into a nearly violet purple? When Randy Moss was the rookie WR we had been waiting for? When Denny Green was a household name? When Will Smith provided the tune for a hit KDWB morning show song??

Man... those really were the good old days. Now I'm stuck in a time period of utter despair... where we acquire yet another washed up old quarterback who's glory days are long behind him. Where we have to get rid of a starting defense men because he's too fat. Where each week I shudder to think of whether it could get any worse... Is there hope for the Vikings? Is there hope for Minnesota sports? Do I dare say that I'm going to have to start cheering for the Lynx because I've lost my faith in all other professional sports teams here? Do I dare say that I have to search elsewhere in the Midwest for another team to cheer on??

I could be a Lions fan? Clearly they do exist....

What's a girl to do... when I've already turned my back on my team to try and make something of myself in the world of Fantasy Football. When I can't help but revert to the glory days of 4th grade when the Vikings seemed to be truly the Kings of the world... When life was just plain better for everybody. Come on Vikes. Turn it around.

At least give me reason to believe in the Packers, only for the sole purpose of boosting my fantasy team.