Another Sunny Day!
January 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Lois and I did a little shopping yesterday and
had a little lunch. It was so beautiful out I
hated to be inside so when I got back and saw
Gary out on the porch laying in the sun with a
beer, I joined him! 
Sort of just hung out last night and chatted it
up with Gary’s dad & Lois. We dined on ribs at
the house (yum!) and sat around solving the
world’s problems! 
Kind of an early night but it was a really
wonderful day.
We are all checked in for our flight tonight
and will get in kinda late.
This trip went pretty fast but I guess short
ones do.
Next we hit Mexico for about 11 days, that should
feel like a month!
Sunny Arizona!
January 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Wow! I guess I didn’t realize how much I
really miss the warm weather. I mean, I
know that it’s cold in Minnesota but it’s
also January and it’s supposed to be cold.
We ordinarily set our warmth radar for the
end of February and just look forward to
Mexico. We’ve come to Arizona in January
in years past but it never seems to be quite
this nice. 70s. Indeed, nice! Oh, and not
a cloud in the sky so that’s always remarkable
too…it’ so beautiful.
I’ll back up a few days to Tuesday, the day
before we flew down only because I think
it’s worth it to explain that I worked a 12
hour day to make it possible for me to join
Gary on this trip. Then we were up until
about 11 or 12, set the alarm for 4, caught
the airport shuttle from the (my) Hilton over
to the HHH terminal, breezed through security,
hopped in seats 8 C & D for our 6am flight,
landed around 9:20 AZ time and then got an
early check in to our hotel, walked over to
the golf tournament, and proceeded to walk
the course for the next 4 hours! All the while
imbibing in the occasional beer
At around 4 we ventured over to the infamous
Birds Nest, a giant tent with live music, food
and libations galore! We ran into some friends
that live down here (Tony Schindler) and a
couple that gave me her wrist band and lanyard
to access the VIP area (nicer bathrooms, free
fabulous food and drinks)…well, I’m worth it!
We the took a cab to the “Tilted Kilt” and had…
shocker….PIZZA!!! back to the room around 11.
Need I say that this was a very long day and
it’s quite possible that I was “over served”!~
Um, yea, we slept in on Thursday and then drove
to Surprise and settled in to the cutest casita
on the planet! Owned by a couple from Oregon.
Donny & Cory live here full time now. Cory has
impeccable taste and a flare for fun. The casita
is just darling…a beachy theme.
Breakfast with Dean and Lois this morning and
now off to hit some balls and get in the warm sun.
More later….
CRAZY DAY!
January 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Much to do before one heads out of town.
Rendering the get away a necessity by the
time in finally arrives!
I think sunny and 70 sounds mighty nice.
It’ll be worth the craziness today.
I’m going to miss Boo horribly! 
We’ll get up at like 4 am (and oddly, some
of my SoCal friends finally make it to bed
about then) and catch a super early flight
so that we can have the whole day in Scottsdale
at the FBR golf tournament!
I’ll be detached from my camera as I will
be leaving it at home but I will have my
phone which takes pretty nice photos and
we will also have our Canon 1100.
I wanted to share a shot of the bar area
that Nicki painted for us…she’s amazingly
talented and I’m so proud to have her as
a sister (in law)!
We’re almost done! Measured for carpet, wood
floor is all in and all the painting is
complete. It looks so amazing! So different!
Our annual Final Four party will be the
unveiling! Carpet, fixtures and new furniture
will finish off the transformation!
I’ll flip it when it’s all done!
Have a fabulous Tuesday!
St. Paul Winter Carnival 2009
January 26, 2009 By 2 Comments
Gary and I went into St. Paul on Friday
to meet some friends at the Gopher Bar for
a Coney. I brought my camera along to hopefully
capture some of the sculptors working on their
entries in the Ice Carving Contest. I was in
luck! They were all finishing up, it was
FREEZING, of course, but Gary obliged me by
dropping me off for a bit so I could get a
few shots. I don’t know when the winners are
selected but I enjoyed getting them in action.
Then it was off to the Gopher Bar to warm up
with a Coney Dog! This is a spot in which Gary
and his friends meet once a month so I thought
I’d tag along for the experience. I’m told that
the Gopher Bar is steeped in tradition and I
was able to soak it all in first hand.
It was 12:30 and packed with folks from all walks
of life. George, his wife and his staff cater to,
and supports heavily, the military, Gopher Hockey
and the Vulcans of St. Paul. This was no ordinary
“lunch spot” for sure!
It started with a shot of whiskey (to my surprise,
I had to be in on that tradition as well!).
I was told you can only place one order for coneys.
Adding to your order is frowned upon, or should I
say~not allowed…so we ordered 3 to split. It was perfect.
I was allowed all access to the bar and the grill.
George decided that I should be in a photo so I
handed my Mark III off to his wife…the result?
(me, George, John & Gary)
I think my job is safe! ;D
Now if you are offended by the “f-bomb” or
any sort of snide remarks…this is NOT your
place. However, I know that I will return
and if not before, for certain on and
upcoming Saturday in May when George will
hold “Gun Day”. On this day (ordinarily one
Saturday a month) everyone brings their guns
in and lays them all out on the bar…that
should be quite the photo op!
I look forward to going again!
God is Good.
January 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I attended a new church today in Shakopee with
friends of mine. This was much smaller than the
church that I had been attending but I knew that
going in. It was so good to see Ann, Pete and
their children! And it felt great to get back to
church and the Word of God. The message today was
about living passionately, identifying obstacles,
plugging in and taking worthwhile risks. A terrific
topic to be revisited every January but particularly
for me, this message fits with my new “Sue 2009″
campaign! I see growth between me and the horizon
and I’ve made some might large strides already!
Change isn’t aways easy but as it was put this
morning….”a calm sea does not produce a skilled
sailor.” I like that. I like it a lot!
I have decided to stay on as an NILMDTS Hospital
Coordinator for both Minneapolis Children’s and
Methodist but the reality of cutting back the sessions
that I preform has come to a screeching halt in that I
have already taken 2 this month.
Wedding season is fast approaching and I cannot wait!
Several specTACular venues and, well, I just love
the thought of a warm, sunny wedding day in June about
now with all the sub zero temps we’ve endured lately.
In a couple of days Gary and I will visit his father
in Arizona…gonna love not having to warm up the
car for 20 minutes! I had to reschedule a shoot
yesterday to to the super cold temps~Rescheduled
for Valentine’s Day and should be sweet!
Now that I have removed myself from Facebook, I intend
on getting back to the seriousness at hand her on my
blog ;D
I know that this will be a fabulous year!
Can’t wait for God to show me the way!
God is Good!
God is Good.
January 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I attended a new church today in Shakopee with
friends of mine. This was much smaller than the
church that I had been attending but I knew that
going in. It was so good to see Ann, Pete and
their children! And it felt great to get back to
church and the Word of God. The message today was
about living passionately, identifying obstacles,
plugging in and taking worthwhile risks. A terrific
topic to be revisited every January but particularly
for me, this message fits with my new “Sue 2009″
campaign! I see growth between me and the horizon
and I’ve made some might large strides already!
Change isn’t aways easy but as it was put this
morning….”a calm sea does not produce a skilled
sailor.” I like that. I like it a lot!
I have decided to stay on as an NILMDTS Hospital
Coordinator for both Minneapolis Children’s and
Methodist but the reality of cutting back the sessions
that I preform has come to a screeching halt in that I
have already taken 2 this month.
Wedding season is fast approaching and I cannot wait!
Several specTACular venues and, well, I just love
the thought of a warm, sunny wedding day in June about
now with all the sub zero temps we’ve endured lately.
In a couple of days Gary and I will visit his father
in Arizona…gonna love not having to warm up the
car for 20 minutes! I had to reschedule a shoot
yesterday to to the super cold temps~Rescheduled
for Valentine’s Day and should be sweet!
Now that I have removed myself from Facebook, I intend
on getting back to the seriousness at hand her on my
blog ;D
I know that this will be a fabulous year!
Can’t wait for God to show me the way!
God is Good!
Facebook~the in’s and out’s.
January 23, 2009 By 3 Comments
Well, for those of you wondering and
contrary to what has been written, I made
a decision yesterday to yank my Facebook account.
I initially began with the intention of keeping
in touch with my niece who had gone off to college
in Missouri. Well, she’s home now and frankly
I was growing tired of it…Not G….Facebook.
Once I got “into” Facebook, as I look back,
I found it to be a great time waster.
So for me it was really a no-brainer to just
rip it off like a band-aide! And, quite honestly,
I am relieved of it’s strangle hold.
I feel that I have my life back and Gary is
happy to see a smile on my face!
I will continue to place my “goings-on” on my
blog and I encourage those of you that might
miss me on Facebook to just zip me off a line
or pick up the phone. Relationships can still
stay intact the “old fashioned” way! 
Tonight Gary and I are treating ourselves to
a night out at a Hotel. But first we are going
to venture into St. Paul to have a famous Coney
Dog at the “Gopher” then head over to Rice Park
and take a peek at the ice sculptures in progress.
Still a Mess.
January 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Altho’ things are still crazy around here from
the remodel, I’m getting some work done.
Blogging has not been a priority, however. :\
What has been a priority is clearing out my lap
top in preparation for two trips and getting
my lap BOTTOM to the gym!
Both seem to be working out just fine altho’ it
occurs to me that my lapTOP has more memory!
My desktop computer is out of the bathroom and
back on my desk but things are a little jumbled
so my external hard drives are not where they
should be…quite frustrating for a photographer!
The wood floors are done and as soon as Gary can
get Home Depot to mix up a 2nd gallon of the lighter
color (a total oops on their part) we’ll get all
the paint completed so that all that’s left to
do is get the new carpet in!
Who am I kidding…then it’ll be a new sofa, table,
lamps, rugs…yea, I’d say we’re a 1/3 of the way
finished!
I want to wish Nicola Craig a happy birthday!
She and I ran out for a little coffee this morning
and chatted it up…it had been awhile. I miss
our “coffee talks” Nic!
We head to Arizona next Wednesday to see Dean and
Lois…and to hit the FBR Open (formerly the Phoenix
Open) golf tournament and hit the Bird’s Nest!
That should be fun. Take a break from the snow
and cold for a few days.
I finally got a request from a Bride to plan a
“trash the dress” session the day after their
wedding! I am sooo excited! I never seem to be
able to convince anyone to do this but now I will
have some of my own images to showcase what a
wonderful session this can be…no pressure of the
day, guests or family…just the two of them,
relaxed and married! YAY! More on that as it
gets closer to the date (October 10th).