tiny dancer

Spring Break

2010-03-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

So it is spring break. While most people are off in Florida or some where else warm, I am stuck in rainy Minnesota. It wouldn't be so bad if the latest I woke up this week wasn't 7:30am. Monday, I worked at 6:30am. Tuesday I worked at 8:30. Wednesday I woke up at 5:30am to do homework at Caribou. Thursday I worked at 6:30am. Today I was going to wake up at 6:30am to workout and do more homework, but after going to bed after 2am due to loud roommates and loud neighbors, I decided I should try to sleep till 7:30. So now I am fed but super tired and I am not sure if there is enough coffee for me this weekend to accomplish what needs to be done. I work tomorrow and Sunday at 5:15am and Sunday is Daylight Savings time so I lose an hour of sleep. lucky me, just what I needed. Also, Saturday night is also 2 of my friend's birthdays so we are going out and celebrating those. And once I get off of work on Sunday, I gotta go back to Winona and do this stupid number theory take home.

Last night I went to the Luke Bryan concert. Oh and Jason Aldean was also there. It was a great concert but would have been more fun with a beer in my hand!

(I wrote that above on Friday. I'm too lazy to change it and will only add on to where I stopped)

The concert was great. Not my favorite Luke Bryan concert but it was definitely fun to know every single word to his songs. Jason Aldean did a great job entertaining the crowd and keeping us wowed with the different lights.

Then on Friday I ended up getting pretty sick. I had to deal with it at work Friday and Saturday but after I went home from work on Saturday and slept, I felt a ton better. Sunday I made it through work and then came back to Winona to work on a god awful Number Theory take home test. Overall.... the break was kinda sucky. The latest I got to sleep in was 7:30am and I was sick for 6 days of it. Not the way I really wanted to spend it. This week is a time to catch up on homework I was too sick to do over break and get back into my workout routine. Right now though, it is time for bed. Good night!

Happy March!

2010-03-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

So I figure now I have had this blog for about a year. I started writing in it when I gave facebook up for lent as to give myself something to do since I had more free-time. I know not many people of read this, but it isn't always for everyone to read, but for me to get stuff out that is bothering me/me being able to record what goes on in my life past my brain. I did realize recently that even though people might not talk to you or comment on something say on facebook, doesn't mean they aren't reading it and it doesn't mean they don't care. Facebook is a great way to keep up with people, even if you don't speak with them every year. So Just know, even if I never say anything to someone for months or years, doesn't mean I don't care because I do.

March brings some exciting things for me. First, is spring break where I will be working a ton of hours and hours = money! Then, during spring break, I get to see Jason Aldean/Luke Bryan. I also will have a meet and greet with Luke and meet him for the 4th time. I might also have the chance to go to Chicago to see Meghan but that is pending on some financial things. March also means spring training starts for the Twins. I NEED baseball season to be here. Gives me motivation and something to look forward to every day. I am lacking that right now. I am finding myself lonely which I know is to be expected. And as I was talking to my brother's friend Nick, you can be with friends and family as much as you can, but at the end of the day when you are alone ready to go to bed, the loneliness is still there and there is nothing that can cover that up except finding someone, someone that isn't your friend or family member.

Anyways, my life is pretty much boring. Other than some major drama in one of my classes, I don't have much fun stuff to report. Usually I find drama in my life when it comes to guys but I have no one. I don't really even have an interest in anyone so once again, no drama. If I find drama... I'll let you know!

work

2010-02-24T19:17:00.000-08:00

I was trying to figure out a good subject to write about tonight since my life is so dull until something came to my mind. Work. It's a big deal right now in my life and so many changes have been happening that I feel like is important to address.

So at the beginning of the year, my Caribou got a new manager. Our last manager was AMAZING and it was really sad to see him move to another store. However, this isn't the first time that I have had to deal with a new manager coming into a store I'm working at. I don't think I could even count how many different managers I have worked with during my time with the company (rough estimate is 10, many more if you count all the different stores I have helped out at). Needless to say, I'm used to having to deal with different managers and know that when a new one comes in, there will always be turnover within the store. For me, I'm shocked at how people at my store are handling the new manager. There are a few of us that know how to deal with it but for some, change is a scary thing and having to step up and prove yourself to someone new is just something that someone doesn't want to do. Maybe it is because I don't have to directly work with the new manager all the time, but I haven't had the problems that other workers claim to have.

On saturday when I worked, I couldn't believe at how much bashing was going on. I understand that it's hard to just pick up in a store that is used to their ways so you need to allow for some difficulties at first. Many people have been complaining about the schedule problems (including the person who did the scheduling before him) and I just want to remind everyone that when our old scheduler started doing the schedules, everything was horrible. I know I wasn't getting the hours that I should have been getting and there was so many people who would just complain about the scheduling. Basically, I just wish people would try to accept the change and learn how to go about it and to stop complaining so much. I don't need to hear about it and I'm not going to agree with you because I have no problems really. I am getting the hours I want and am very thankful to have my job.

New Blog

2010-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

So to start things off, I made up a new blog strictly for Twins stuff. that is http://twinschat.wordpress.com So any twins talk will be on there. Of course expect tidbits of twins stuff here since it is something that occurs daily in my life!

Anyways, I just wanted to share some thoughts and ideas that have been circling my head for a week now. The first that I've been mulling over is if a TV show can help you in your own life. If you didn't know, I'm in love with the show One Tree Hill. I have all the seasons and never miss an episode. Sadly since I have seen it so many times, I notice myself saying something that is so similar to a line that was said in the show. Then, about two weeks ago, I was watching my newest season that I got for xmas and there was a scene that just hit very close to home. This is the text from the scene.

Julian: You choose your own path
Brooke: But you can't choose who you love.
Julian: You're right, you don't. But you choose whether or not you open your heart to love.

...

Julian: I think you do love me.. Or you could love me.. But you're just too stubborn and scared to admit it because the last time you really gave your heart to someone, it got broken. And I get that. I've been there. But somewhere along the line you gave up on the idea that you deserve to feel this way again.

This episode has always hit close to the heart for me. Because I have said it since the beginning of college that I am scared about opening my heart to someone else for the reason that Julian says above. And oddly enough, I think my previous relationship with Ben had this happen, just opposite than what I would have thought. Ben told me after he read my last post that since he's been in love before, he knows that feeling. And he didn't have those feelings with me and didn't want to lead me on. After I heard those words pretty much saying he didn't see himself falling in love with me, I thought about things. And this is what I said back to him:

>

I don’t want this to sound judgmental since I don’t know exactly what is going through your mind, but in my opinion, you never really opened yourself up to me. Between having your ex pop-up in the middle of us dating saying she wanted to get back together with you, you always seemed to have some kind of wall up that I could never tear down. I mean, you would not even call me your girlfriend so how were we ever going to get anywhere. Trust me, I understand not being able to let your heart fall for someone else because you are afraid of being hurt or not over your previous relationship. I’ve been there, but I think that saying you didn’t feel us falling towards love only after knowing each other for 3 months and the situations that came up is hard for me to reason with. I know that I was finally trusting myself with you and falling in love once again but I was only able to do that because I didn’t hold back like I did previously. Since I have done it so many times, I feel like I can recognize it pretty easily and that is what you were doing. And it sucks for me and it just sucks in general but that is my opinion on it all. Take it or leave it.

I know what I say won’t change anything and I can accept that, but if you want to find love in the future, you need to know that by not opening yourself up completely, you won’t find it. I don’t want you to turn out miserable like I have been the past four years and not being able to open yourself up to people after a bad split. It is not a fun position to be in. So I hope that you will think about what I say and hopefully find some meaning in it.

Remember, if you don't put yourself 100% into a relationship you obviously won't have those feelings. Because you won't let those feelings happen.

Ben never said anything back to it but all I can hope is that there was some truth in what I said and that he takes the advice that I gave him. Because I've been there.

So last Sunday was Valentine's Day. My least favorite holiday of the year. I don't think it helps that I have been single for 21/22 valentine's days. And now with the recent split from Ben, I was really worried that i was going to be a mess. But I wasn't. I got through the day without one tear. And that made me really proud of myself and let me think that I was okay with all of this now and ready to move on.

However, last night, drunk me still wasn't ready to move on I guess. I went out drinking for one last hurrah since I'm giving it up for Lent. The end of the night at the bars is really fuzzy and I don't really remember leaving or walking home, but what I do remember is balling my eyes out on the way home because of Ben. Why exactly, I am not sure, but I just remember crying. And not being able to get the keys out of the door. But that isn't important. Anyways, I ended up texting Ben last night saying how it sucks that I'm still in love with him. And I guess I tried calling him. I don't recall any of this. All I know is that it was stupid and I had no reason to say those things because I don't know if I really mean them. I guess drunk me does but sober me believes that I am okay. So Ben, if you end up reading this, know that I am really sorry again and I want us to go back to how things were going when we were just talking and goofying around.

Anyways... I stumbled upon this website tonight looking for recipes and found something else that hits close to home. It is titled "Do you Miss Him or the Relationship?" http://collegecandy.com/2010/02/13/lh-do-you-miss-him-or-the-relationship/#more-50838

When I read this part of the article I just couldn't believe at how true it was and how I couldn't figure it out myself. But either way, it is insightful and worth a thought:

College relationships bring comfort and ease during a time in our lives that is filled with uncertainty. We’re unsure about our future, our jobs, our grades, our finances, and are generally stressed out. We look at our guys as the one thing we can count on always; to support us, to love us, to cuddle with us after a long day of class and studying. Not to mention that being single is exhausting!

The part I bolded is exactly true in my eyes and is probably what I really miss. So thank you collegecandy for that insightful look into an area I couldn't see.

Alright... I gotta update my other blog now. Hoping that this hangover headache will go away by morning!

Update on New Years Resolution

2010-02-04T18:37:00.001-08:00

So my new years resolution this year was to get back into shape and to lose 25 pounds. I was going to do that by a low carb diet and exercising 4 times a week (that would start once school started). I was able to do pretty well on the low carb diet. the 3 weeks that I was on the diet, I lost 11 pounds. However, I was not able to exercise like I had hoped. I worked out twice the first week of school. But then the next week I was sick and the week after that I had an injury to my hip. But now, I am switching to a low calorie diet and so far this week, have worked out three times. I am doing lifting twice a week and cardio 4 times a week (harder cardio on the days I don't lift). I am hoping that by the end of the semester, I will have lost the next 15 pounds that I want to lose. I figure if I make this kind of public I will stick to it more. I really want to get back into the shape I was the summer after my Freshman year of college. That's the goal.

See why I want to be back in that shape??

It gets easier everyday pretending like I don't miss you...

2010-02-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was supposed to be a great weekend. It was Twinsfest and I got tickets for christmas so it would work out perfect. Plus, I was going to be able to see Ben after going two weeks without seeing each other. However, the weekend turned out to be pretty crappy. I don't usually show my emotions to people or get personal so this is a big stretch for me. I'm sorry if this turns out really long and I seem to ramble. It is just me trying to work out the thoughts in my head.

I drove up to the cities from Winona and get into town a little after 3 on Friday. I stopped by my work to see if I was scheduled the next week. While there my boss asked me to stay and do some back office work which I did. After that, Ben drove down to my house. Between the time when I got home and he got there, I was doing some stuff online and cleaned/unpacked my stuff in my room. Ben got to my house and I told myself that I wouldn't go rushing to him because I was really and truly very excited to see him, but instead, play it cool. I let him into my house and talked a little bit. I went into my room to finish getting stuff together for Twinsfest but Ben didn't follow me. So I called to him to come into the room. I told him how I wanted a hug and when he hugged me I knew right away; I knew that something was wrong by the way he was hugging me. He told me then that he had something to say. I said "I"m not going to like this" and he told me, "no, you're not going to like it at all." I figured it was two things. Either he cheated on me or he wanted to break things off. So I sat on my bed and he sat on my futon, sighed while looking down then finally looked up at me and said, "I don't think we should see each other anymore." With that, I sat there processing everything in my head. I kept thinking "Great, just when things in my life started to look promising" and "just when things started going right for once." And then I had to figure out what i was going to say. He tried to explain that the past few days he had been thinking and realized that he can't do a relationship after all. (at least I hope this is the actual reason and not that he actually wanted to date someone else or something like that) It only took him 3 months to realize this... (oh and he also said if I wanted to punch him he totally understood. Too bad I'm not the violent type.)

I mumbled under my breath "just when things were going good for once," then took a big breathe and asked if he would still go to Twinsfest with me. He seemed really shocked that I would still want to hang out with him and even I was, but Twinsfest is like my christmas and I did not want to go alone. So I explained how I became so wrapped up with the Twins in the first place because I wanted something to hide behind and maybe to love since I couldn't find someone to actually love that would love me back. So I collected myself, dried some of the tears that formed and a few minutes later we were out the door heading to the metrodome.

I was very surprised on how well we were able to just hang out and talk. I am sure he felt the big wall that was put up after what he told me. I know I was crossing my arms a lot more during the night and I kept my distance from him when possible. But I was able to laugh and smile while hanging out with him which made things worse probably since I knew that I wouldn't have this happen again with him, and that sucked because it was so easy and I really enjoyed his company.

One thing that really sucked was when we would walk up to get my picture taken with a twins player, the people working it would always make comments about how "he is being a gentleman and letting me just be in the picture" and how "we just couldn't be away from each other" when we asked if he had to pay for the picture if he wasn't actually getting his picture taken. I just wanted to yell at everyone who said something that no, he really isn't that nice of a guy since he just broke up with me!" but I couldn't. So Instead I put on the brave face and kept going on with the evening.

To conclude the evening with Ben, we went and got ice cream. While eating our blizzards, Ben slightly choked on a piece of brownie. Ben said something that I can't remember but my response was "no, I was just trying to figure out if you actually were choking if I would save you." Ya, I was putting on a good face for the night but there was a part of me that was really bitter. And I am glad that I let some of that show because i wanted him to see that i really was hurt.

That night when I got home, I still had not told my mom so I went to bed because I had to work the next morning. But really and truly, i went to my room and bawled. I talked to the people who were online, one of which was my exboyfriend from high school. It was actually really nice to yell at him since I never got to really when we broke up and he was able to realize how much of a dick he was when he broke up with me. Either way, it left me feeling better and I was finally able to fall asleep.

The next morning I got to work and one of my co-workers asked if there was something wrong because I looked like "death". Not exactly what you want to hear but I didn't say anything and I just tried to get through work. One co-worked knew because I texted him the previous night so when he came into work i was able to get a hug from him which only made me tear up. Then that night I was supposed to hang out with my friend Kelli because she got dumped by her bf the same day so we were gonna order chinese food and drink wine to try to feel better. However, Kelli didn't get to her place till after 10 so I ended up only have a glass of wine with her and no food (which means I barely ate all day because god knows I didn't really feel like it the rest of the day).

Then the next day, it was horrible. The night before I had tried to find my Twinsfest tickets that my grandma gave to me for christmas but with no luck. So when I got home from Kelli's place, I kept looking and couldn't find them. I really wanted to be able to go since I would be going with my best friend and I wanted to meet Rod Carew and get Trevor Plouffe's autograph. I posted something on my facebook about how I couldn't find my tickets and one of the star tribune blog writers, Howard Sinker, sent me a message saying he had 2 extra tickets that he would be more than willing to give to me. I was so thrilled and grateful! I met with him in St. Louis Park and we headed to the metrodome where I was able to have a great time talking to my best friend and getting excited about baseball season. When I got home I had to pack up my stuff to go back to Winona and then my mom made a homemade turkey dinner so I had that before I went down.

Since coming to Winona, things have gotten a little bit better. I have more distractions here I think but I'm still really lonely. Ben and I talked to each other every day I'm pretty sure for 3 months and now not talking to him really hurts me. I didn't cry Monday or Tuesday but tonight, it has been a lost cause. I miss him right now and i almost feel like I shouldn't because i was so stupid in falling for him. I'm pretty sure I cared for him more than he cared for me and that is my problem. And therefore, since I fell for him I get hurt worse than if I would have just tried to keep my distance. But at the same time, you can't move on in the right direction if you don't open yourself into the idea of loving someone. I told this to ben that he was the first guy since my high school boyfriend that I didn't feel like I would miss out on another guy if i was with him. I was so content and happy with him and we got along great. He was someone that I could talk to about sports and not get treated like just a friend because of that.

One thing I hate is when after you break up with someone how people say "you're better off without them" or "You'll find someone better". While that might all be true later on in life, at this time right now I was very happy with Ben and he was just what i was looking for and desired. It just really sucks that he didn't feel the same way. then I play the whole "I wonder if I did something wrong" of "I wonder if I could have done something to keep him around" mind games. To quote a Lady Antebellum song, "could I have loved a little deeper, Or did I hold on too strong?"

I'm sure that in the end everything will be fine and blah blah blah but at the same time, it took me over 4 years to let myself trust another man. How do I know that it won't take that much time again to find happiness? My chances as I see it right now seem grim since I go to school during the week and then go home to the cities and work 20 hours a weekend so therefore, no social time. It obviously isn't high on my list to find someone but I am scared that I won't be able to trust someone again. I was hurt bad when I first got to college and now I'm hurt again.

Then there are the things that are in a sense "ruined" for me. Like the movie "you got mail". that was the first movie ben and i watched together and he was able to quote the movie with me. And whenever we saw it on TV we would watch it or let the other person know it was on. now every time I see that movie it will make me think of him. Then there is the Darius Rucker song "alright" that Ben sang Karaoke for the first night we met. Ever since that night whenever I hear it it makes me think of him. Song ruined.

All in all it just sucks what happened because it came out of the blue when I thought we were both happy. I guess it was just bad timing on it all and I have to suck it up and accept it. I've been so disappointed in my life and it just keeps piling on. I guess I really do need to learn that everyone will disappoint you and cause you pain. I can turn to music and they seem to always understand the pain that I'm going through. Mostly though, I need to keep myself around people. The more that I am alone, the more that i realize that I am lonely and that I really and truly miss him. Every day I wonder if I should tell him that I miss him or just say hi but part of me thinks I should stay silent and if he wants to talk, he'll say something to me. It's that whole waiting game and uncertainty that kills me. He was becoming such a big part of my life and now that has been ripped out.

The way we ended things is something that I try to figure out in my mind all the time. We never talked about still being friends or still talking. And by him saying "I realized I can't do a relationship right now", does that mean that maybe later on we might have a future or that you just don't ever want to talk or see me again? Knowing my luck it is the latter and I should hope for the first one, but then again, if I hope, I will only end up being let down once again.

Luckily for me, spring training is right around the corner so I can hide myself in the twins to help fill the void that is once again there. Expect possibly more blog entries about this but for the most part, I will concentrate on the Twins. Like I said at the beginning, I don't let me emotions show for many people and I end up being the person who just puts on a smile and pretends everything is okay, and most of the time everyone believes me.

What am I excited for?

2010-01-25T17:27:00.001-08:00

So what I was excited for never appeared! How crazy. Okay. Here is an updated one that will go more in-depth with what I am excited for in the next few months.

First and For most, TWINSFEST!!!! I got tickets to go to Twinsfest at Christmas time. I'm going tomorrow (Friday) and plan to get my picture taken with Kevin Slowey, Kent Hrbek (I already have my picture taken with him from last year tho), Denard Span and Bert Byleven (I already have a picture with him as well). I also want to get a baseball that was thrown to me during spring training from Trevor Plouffe signed and see Toby Gardenhire <3. So dreamy :) I will also be going on Sunday to get my picture taken with Rod Carew. Just saw Harmon Killabrew won't be available for a picture like was scheduled before so that is not okay but Brian Duensing is an okay person too. I really want to get Pat Neshek's autograph this weekend too!

Today, I got Luke Bryan/Jason Aldean concert tickets for March 11th! I am so excited to go to this concert. My brother and two of his friends will be joining me in Mankato to go to the concert. Only reason I can go is because it is spring break. Also during that week, I am going to try to fly down to Fort Meyers and go to a spring training game with my parents. However, we will have to see if that can happen between getting on a flight and if there will be tickets available for when we can afford it. I really hope this will turn out good!

There are a lot of other things I'm excited about, especially warmer weather and the start of baseball season. The blogs are already getting fun especially with the signing of Jim Thome. Cannot wait to see what happens with Mauer's contract!!

new year

2010-01-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

So it's the new year and already I have failed at keeping up-to-date with this. My bad, please forgive me. So let's try to get everyone up-to-date with my life.

The holidays were good. Pretty relaxing. Once my father started to go into the hospital almost every christmas season, our christmas' became less formal. We don't open gifts on anymore on christmas morning. My mom usually doesn't have our presents wrapped anyways. I did get to open a gift from my aunt in utah on xmas eve, and got a scarf I had my eye on when I went out there in October. We also got to open 3 gifts xmas night. I got my new Twins jersey, the new away jersey. And also season 6 of One Tree Hill. Quite exciting for me.

Funny story. On my dad's side for christmas, I opened my grandma's gift up and found 2 tickets to Twinsfest. So right away I texted Ben because I was hoping he would go with me. Right after I texted him, he called me and told me how that was his christmas present to me and was just waiting for the tickets to come in the mail. Really funny but at the same time, really sweet because it was definitely a present I was going to love. :)

Most of my break was spent at work. It went by so fast. I got to spend a good chunk of my days not working with Ben so that was nice. Now my life is back to school during the week and coming home on the weekends to work. This weekend however I will not be going home. I have a leadership conference on Saturday and my cousin's girlfriend and her sister are coming down to visit Winona and get a tour of the campus. And I'm sure I will finally be able to go out on the town in Winona.

For now, I am watching Twins website to see what days I want to go to Twinsfest. And I am also checking when Luke Bryan's tickets for March in Mankato go on sale. Alright, I'm done for the night. I've been sick the past two days and hopefully going back tomorrow morning. I really hate being sick. Blah.

For Grandpa

2009-12-07T19:05:00.002-08:00

For Grandpa

A year ago today I lost the only grandpa I knew.
His name was Gordon Crichton and he was 78.
He was married to his sweetheart Sue Bonnie Hilgers
And together they raised three boys and a girl.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and 4 in the morning
When my mother got the call we had been dreading.
Grandma called and told us that he finally passed,
And asked us to come over right away.

She came into my room, woke me up from my slumber
And told me the bad news about Grandpa.
She gave me the choice to stay home or go with her,
So together we went to comfort my Grandma.

We got into the car and started driving towards the hospital
For that’s where my mom believed him to be.
It wasn’t till we were searching around the ER for him
When mom remembered Grandma called from home, not there.

Back in the car we went, and raced to her house.
The cops that were waiting with grandma got a little worried
After we told them about our wrong stop and threatened to give
a speeding ticket if we were the family over 20 minutes away.

That small little humor helped my grandma on a day of sorrow
And now that we were there, the cops left us alone.
The daughter from 20 minutes away showed up soon after
Bringing along my cousin Dane to keep me strong.

As the morning dragged on, the rest of the family showed up
And soon enough Grandpa was carried away from the house.
I was amazed that I never saw a tear drop in Grandma’s eyes
And wondered how she could keep staying so strong.

We spent the rest of the morning remembering the great times.
The kids remembered the homemade popcorn he’d make
And how he would fix everything around the house with duck tape
And the days pitching batting practice to the Minnesota Twins.

The grandkids remembered all those homemade malts,
And driving trucks up and down Grandpa’s back.
All the years he played “Santa” at Christmas time
And walking down to see the trains at the railroad track.

So as I remember him this day, and every other day too,
I am thankful for the many years I did get to be with him.
I miss my Grandfather more than I could ever say
But I know that I will see him again in heaven someday.

Family Tradition

2009-12-07T19:05:00.001-08:00

Family Tradition

Popcorn, Popcorn-
Oh how you mean to me.
You’re not just another food,
Left on the shelf in the pantry.
You’re the dinner of choice
When we’ve had an early dinner.
You’re the munching of choice,
While watching my favorite movie.
I love the way you sound
When you make your first pop.
And when you start filling the pan,
You make my taste buds water up.
For your salty taste makes me smile
And appreciate every kernel that pops.
You let me and my grandpa
Share a special bond.
Making you each and every 4th of July
For all the visitors that come.
Now that he is gone,
We still continue on the tradition.
So popcorn you’re not just another food,
But more of a family tradition.

By the Passing Creek

2009-12-07T19:03:00.001-08:00

By the Passing Creek

I went on a hike today
Up a mountain in Logan Utah.
The trees filled with so much color
Spread across the land in awe.

As we started on the uneven path
Made up of colorful fallen leaves,
I passed by a slanted gray rock
With just a single yellow leaf.

How special it seemed to me
That this leaf was all alone.
Looked like someone had placed it there
To be discovered by someone unknown.

I stopped and admired the beauty
So simple, yet so rare.
I took a picture of that lonely leaf
To keep in my memory and share.

Finals Time

2009-12-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

Classes are done and that means it is finals week here in Winona. The past few weeks have fun flown by and it's hard to believe that some people will be leaving Winona forever. I've had a lot of great times this semester and became close with some really great people. I have also found myself a special someone and things have been going great so far. He will be graduating in just a few days but lucky for me , he is from the cities so I will be able to see him often and I will be coming home enough during the next semester to work so I will see him then as well.

As far as my work load, I'm sure I could have done more stuff this weekend than I have. Friday night I wanted to relax because I had a big project that was due that day that I stayed up late doing. I ended up getting really smashed and my memory of the night is like a cow... spotty. I also realized that I have to adjust to this whole "being taken" thing since I have been single all throughout college up till now. Saturday I spent most of the morning sleeping, then did some errands and such, and then at 2:30 the roommates and I headed over to Valencia to watch Caitlin dance. Watching all my fellow dancers made me miss dance so much and I am excited to be going back to it next semester. The show next semester will be doing a Ballet, Tap and Jazz piece. I hope to make at least the Tap and Jazz and hopefully the Ballet. I don't know what kind of pieces they will be so we will just have to see. The rest of Saturday was spent eating dinner with the roommates that Krista cooked up and nerf gun fights in our living room.

Today, I have done not a lot again. The roommates minus Erin met up with our friend Dan for a Perkins breakfast. Then I got back home and just relaxed under the covers until Ben stopped by to see me and watch the first quarter of the New Orleans/Washington game. After he left, I took a nap while catching glimpses of the game. Very disappointed with the result of the game. Now I am watching the Giants/Cowboys game and writing this, getting in the writing mood to finish up my creative writing portfolio.

Vikings game is tonight. I am very VERY excited to watch it. I absolutely love watching Brett Favre and I feel like we something different every time he plays.

Okay, time to go and finish this portfolio. Have a great week everyone!

more about me!

2009-11-22T22:15:00.000-08:00

Three names I go by:
1. Trisha
2. Trish
3. TC

Three jobs I have had in my life.
1. Server
2. Ice cream cone master
3. Barista

Three Places I have lived
1. Richfield, MN
2. Winona, MN
3. Grandma's House

Three Favorite drinks
1. Diet Coke
2. Coffee
3. Water

Three Favorite drinks (alcoholic):
1. Beer
2. Gin and Tonic
3. Long Island

Three TV shows that I watch
1. One Tree Hill
2. Bones
3. So You Think You Can Dance

Three Places I Have Been
1. Ireland
2. Utah
3. Fort Meyers

Three people who e-mail/Facebook me regularly
1. My Mom
2. Caitlin Kaman
3. Meagan Teal

Three of my favorite 'chain' restaurants
1. Noodles
2. Chipotle
3. Applebees

Three things I don't leave home without:
1. Phone
2. Keys
3. Contacts

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. Thanksgiving!
2. seeing the Blind Side
3. Christmas Music

Three foods I LOVE to eat:
1. Ice Cream
2. Mashed Potatoes
3. Corn on the Cob

Three best movies ever:
1. Sweet Home Alabama
2. The Notebook
3. Remember the Titans

Three things (not people) I couldn't live without:
1. My Phone
2. My computer
3. Caffine

Abstract Algebra

2009-11-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

The title of this post is what I am avoiding... studying for my Abstract Algebra test. I will start here soon enough but it was nice to just relax most of the morning/early afternoon. I spent last week working 38 hours! We didn't have school on Wednesday which is my busiest day and since I don't have classes on Tuesdays since golf is over, I went home and worked for 10 hours. Then on Friday I went back and worked for the rest of the weekend, 27 hours in total. My body was exhausted and being able to sleep in till 7:30 on Monday was a blessing since I was getting up at 5:15 each morning that weekend. However, I have to get used to the getting up early. Next week I will be working at Caribou. Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday I start work at 6am. Thursday I start at 6:30 and on Friday my mom and family always go out shopping at the mall so we usually get up early to do that. No sleeping in for me... which means I will be taking some good naps. Also I will be working on finding my room and organizing stuff so I can donate it to goodwill.

Last night I was able to see some shooting stars! Okay, I got to see meteors shooting across the sky but it was really neat. We went up to Garvin Heights and were entertained by a bunch of people singing horrible songs off key. It started with Disney songs and then went onto dirty ones. Gave us a good laugh. We didn't stay long because it was on the cold side but we did get to see some really neat stuff.

I'm starting to really look forward to the holidays. However, with the holidays right around the corner, that means classes are almost done too. After Thanksgiving is done, I only have one week left of classes and then it is finals. Wow that is really scary. Now it's time to buckle down and get stuff done.

I am also looking forward to seeing friends from home and being able to hang out with them. I am really hoping that I will be able to see Meghan if she comes back from Chicago this Christmas. If not, some of us will be road tripping it down there to see her after the 1st of the year.

Well that is all for right now. Hope everyone has a great week and I will be writing back shortly. I also put something new on my Christmas list that I didn't know would be on it. The Twins released two new jerseys and I want the new road jersey. Crossing my fingers I will see it on me soon! :)

A Very Personal Sonnet

2009-11-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

I wrote this sonnet for my creative writing class. My professor usually chooses 3-5 poems to have read in class and mine was one of them. he said I did a great job on this and I just had to make some changes. Here is the poem. Emjoy.

I’ve always been careful with my bruised heart;
Been scared about breaking off another part.
Haven’t found love in over four long years.
Maybe this time I won’t drown in tears.

We haven’t even known each other very long,
Yet these past two weeks have left me with a strong
Feeling that things are going right this time
And I want everything to be sublime.

I am scared that I might go and screw this up,
So please let me know when I’m talking too much.
Just reach out and give me a soft touch.

I admit I’m not good with being patient.
Sorry if this seems a little rushed.
I’m just scared to be heartbroken and crushed.

Gomez/Hardy Reaction

2009-11-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

On Thursday I was talking to someone about the Twins and some trades/people we could see leaving before spring training. Gomez was one that we talked about. Then the next day, I'm sitting in electronics and I get a facebook chat from another big Twins fan telling me about the Gomez/Hardy trade! I couldn't believe it! I started freaking out in class but had to keep it cool because the professor was teaching.

My view on the trade is positive. I think both teams will benefit with the person they got. I am sad to see him go because he had so much energy and was interesting to watch but I won't miss his horrible at-bats and crazy throws into the infield. Don't know much about Hardy other than he was on my fantasy team this year and got kicked off when he kept doing really bad. I'll write more later but I need sleep. been awake since 4:30 this morning!

Happy November

2009-11-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

So it has been a while since I have blogged. My greatest apologies. I have a hard time keeping up with some things, this included. So I will catch up from where I left off, game 163.

The day started off with me driving from Winona to Richfield. Then from Richfield to St. Cloud to pick up Greg then back to Richfield to get Abby then off to the dome. We should have taken the light rail because parking downtown was absolutely ridiculous. We finally parked at the U of M visitor parking lot and walked. Got into the game around the 2nd inning and got to our seats. The crowd was electric and we couldn't believe we were actually there.

As the game went on, the more stressful it was. Detroit scored, we scored. Back and forth. Leaving runners on base and not getting those clutch hits. So hard to watch. Sometimes I thought that I was going to have a heart attack from all the anticipation and stress. Anyways, when they finally won, we went nuts, as did everyone else. We didn't get out of the metrodome and to our car till an hour after the game ended. After we decided to go and celebrate till 5am (which was rough the next day). The playoffs were disappointing but that game was the best game I could have asked for, especially it being the last one in the dome. Very excited for next season and Target Field.

Homecoming was good. I was drunk by 8:30am but lost it when the Twins game started. Never really got it back. But it was good seeing everyone that I did. Just wish the weather would have cooperated better and we would have been able to hang out outside.

The weekend after homecoming I went up to St. Cloud for their homecoming/my cousins 21st birthday. I got a lot more drunk than I planned on. But got to meet some cool people and hang out with an old friend.

Weekend after that I got to get on a plane and head to Utah. It was amazing to say the least. We weren't sure if we were going to get on the plane. Actually, we didn't think we would at all once we saw the wait list and the people going on. But after everyone boarded, they called my name up to the podium and I told the gate agent that I wouldn't be able to get on the flight without the two below me getting on as well. She checked her computer and sure enough, she had enough seats just not by each other. We were fine with that. Just happy to be on the plane heading out of cold weather. My mom got on the flight after us and we all ended up spending the night in Salt Lake City because my cousin Ty had a Special Olympics competition the next day in the city.

Needless to say, I'm very excited to move out there next fall (fingers crossed that my university will allow it) and experience a different place and scenery. We got to go on a hike up between two mountains and the colors were gorgeous. We also went golfing at a course just a few blocks from their house. We also went onto Utah State University campus and got ice cream and went to their bookstore. Needless to say, I didn't want to leave and it was a very needed break.

The weekend after Utah I stayed in Winona and did nothing. Just relaxed and caught up on some things. Then last weekend was Halloween. That was a lot of fun. I usually hate Halloween because I hate spending money on a costume that you won't ever wear for the rest of the year. So I figured I would just find something in my closet to wear. When it got closer to evening, I didn't like what I had and had to think of something really quick to make. The end result? Going as a bag of Jelly Beans. Everyone loved my costume, especially after when they asked me what I was. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone in costume and seeing some old friends that I haven't seen in a while. The night was a complete success and I couldn't be happier about it :).

I'm missing watching the Twins terribly but the Vikings are making things fun and NCAA basketball starts soon! Go Tar Heels! Just hoping the Phillies and pull off another win and win this world series!!!

Game 163 Pregame

2009-10-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

As I just looked around my room and saw all my Twins stuff up on the walls and the Twins blanket I was sitting on, I couldn't help but smile. I absolutely love being a Twins Fan!!

I'm sure I will end up writing about the game so I had to do the "pregame" in this title. Yesterday while the game was till going on, my dear friend Abby texted me asking me if i would want to go to the game. My first reaction was "OF COURSE!" but the responsible me had to figure out if I could afford it and such. I decided that I needed to go to this game. I would be mad if I didn't. So when the game ended, she got on the phone and internet to try to get those tickets. She, like thousands of others, spend hours online in a virtual waiting room to get tickets. She finally got through online and got tickets for General Admission section 237 right by the left field foul line! I couldn't do expensive seats so that had to do but that is plenty fine with me! I am beyond excited to be able to see my final game in the Metrodome and hopefully see them win another Division Championship!

Homecoming Weekend Ahead!

2009-09-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

So not only is this time exciting right now because the Twins have the chance to win the division and go to post-season play, it is homecoming week here at Winona! Now I don't do much stuff during the week but you can bet your ass I am excited for the weekend! Still not sure if I want to do anything Friday night since I will be waking up early on Saturday. Saturday we will be having people at our house all day. We will be going to the parade that starts at 10am and then more partying at my house. We have our beer pong table, 2 sets of corn holes that my brother made and a tiny MN Twins one my mom bought. I was also able to bring back a fire pit so we will have that at some point as well!

Then! On Sunday one of my roommates and a friend of ours will be driving up to the Cities to watch my roommates boyfriend run the Twin Cities Marathon. We are going to watch at mile marker 12 so we can wait to leave till 7am and then after we see him, go back to my house for pancakes from my mom! The other reason for mile marker 12 is it is the closest to my house. Then after breakfast we will be going to the state capitol to see him finish the race! It will be a very busy but exciting weekend for me! I cannot wait. Then to top it all off, we have the Twins game! My roommate is from Chicago so she will hate having to listen to the game on Sunday but too bad! 2 Twins fans against one Sux fan. We Win!

Running

2009-09-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

So back during my Freshman year of college I began running. I have my reasons why I did it but they don't need to be explained here. I ran in a total of 4 5k's since then due to my family and their encouragement. Now, I'm having a hard time finding a good reason to run. So I am hoping if I post it on here, showing the entire world that I want to run 6 times a week, I will get motivation to actually do it. But... I need to go to bed so I can actually get up to go running. More to come on my life and updates. I really have been meaning to write more stuff but my lack of motivation has taken over. Peace!

Short Story from Class

2009-09-02T11:31:00.001-07:00

I had to write this short story for my class. My professor read it out loud to the class. he liked everything but the end so I have to work with the ending. enjoy!

It was a bright and sunny Saturday in my small little town in Utah. People were out and about running errands and taking in the beautiful sight of the rocks gleaming with sunlight, making them look almost like gold. I was looking forward to driving out into the mountains with no boundaries. Before I could head out onto the highway, I had to stop and get gas for the car. As I pulled up to the gas station and got out of my car, a man in his late forties ran up to me. He was telling me how there was a man inside who was having a hard time breathing and was lying on the counter. He thought that at any moment, he could die. I looked around me to see if I could see any police or ambulance but saw nothing so I did not believe the man. I continued to pump my gas when another man, this one in his thirties came up to me and tells me the same news that the older man told me. This man however, actually showed me where the man was lying down on the counter. You could clearly see him lying on the counter through the window, clutching his chest in agony because he could not breathe. I got very worried and could not understand why everyone around him was not carrying about what was going on. People kept going into the store, buying their cigarettes and soda without a care in the world about the man. I started frantically asking around if anyone had dialed 911. The only response I received came from a woman who told me that they called his wife and she was on her way. I knew that this man had no chance to wait for the wife and that he needed to get to the hospital immediately. I ran to my car to get my cell phone to call 911. Just as I opened my car door, I hear my cell phone ringing. I kept trying to answer it but it just kept ringing. I frantically tried to yell at someone to help the man when all of a sudden I opened my eyes to realize that it was all a dream and that the cell phone I couldn’t stop from ringing was actually my alarm was going off.

reconnected

2009-08-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Winona, which means I have internet again! Like I said before, I lived at my Grandma's most of the summer which had no internet so I barely was on my computer which means I was barely on here! But now that I'm back where I have internet whenever I want, I'll be writing more. I'm not going to talk much about Twins in here, but expect a response to how they are playing from me soon.

So to start out, I'm loving my room right now. It's a little warm since I can't open any windows but I have a fan blowing on me. But i'm just laying in bed with 4 candles going and DMB playing and it's relaxing. I'm taking this time too to upload pictures onto my Facebook from the summer. My room in Winona is small but I found some great ways to maximize storage space. it's connected to the kitchen and was once a pantry i believe. But it has a little closet that I was able to find a dresser to fit in it so it is tucked away allowing more space. and I have a really cool night stand with 6 areas to store stuff plus stuff on top. my favorite thing on it right now would be my signed picture of Luke Bryan that I took myself. Amazing :)

By tomorrow, every wall will have something Twins up. one wall has a clock, another has 2 posters: Mauer and Morneau. Another has 2 infatables, a bat and an inner tube and the other will probably have a homer hanky. I also have a Twins rug and fleece blanket/pillow to go along with everything. I of course have other random Twins stuff including a Joe Mauer picture and framed trading card, bears, troll and more. But my favorite piece right now is my newest addition which is a Joe Mauer jersey shoulder bag! Perfect for me and school!

school doesn't start till next Monday but i'm here a week early for Orientation week. I'm an orientation leader for the 3rd year and love it. We have training tomorrow for 7 hours and on tuesday for 4. Probably won't go that long, at least it better not!

Well that's all for now. I need some sleep! Picture will have to come tomorrow...

t-rish photography

2009-07-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon...

2009-07-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

So I love taking photos. It can be of a sunset, a flower or just something else really interesting. I'm going to start posting them on here. I have thought about starting to sell them. Not for a lot but for a profit at least. I want to be able to share it.

I should have some of the pictures up on Sunday. Otherwise, just keep checking!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

2009-06-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

People, in case you needed to know, there is only 6 months till Christmas Day!!! One of my favorite things to tell people is "I get more presents on my half birthday than my real birthday." It's a very true statement (especially this year; I'm not sure if I will get a card for my birthday even). Anywho, this even for me consists of a softball game, then a BBQ at my Grandma's house that I am house-sitting for while she is in a nursing home. Then we will be heading down to Dinkytown for some drinks! Hopefully it will be a very fun night. Got more stuff to do before then tho, so I'm out!

As always, here is a picture of me and my new haircut. I'm at country splash from last weekend with my friend Brittany.

Country Splash

2009-06-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time to write, but it's been a busy couple of weeks for me. I've been working 40 hours and playing a good amount of softball. Last Saturday I had a tournament where I hit a ball to the gap and got a homerun outta it. Last Thursday I was running home on a play and got a softball to the back. I was quite surprised because as I was running, all I could think about is how I don't know how to slide and I hope I don't have to.

This weekend I am off in Somerset WI at Country Splash. Last night I got to see one of my favorite artists, Luke Bryan. I have a picture of him in an earlier post. Tonight I get to see Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, and Lady Antebellum. Tomorrow is Darius Rutcker, SheDaisy, Clay Walker and Rascal Flatts. Should be a fun weekend for me!

Time to get ready to drive out to Wisconsin though. Have a great day!

Chatroom Anyone??

2009-05-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!!

I created a chatroom that requires no signing up.... and no refreshing needed to get everyone's message! Makes it faster and more convenient. If ya wanna join in on the talk... go for it. Just click the link below!

http://www.chatmaker.net/chatap/rooms/TwinsChat/

This chatroom is available for EVERY Twins game so save it and go to it every game!!!

This Just IN!!!

2009-05-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

In the Twins blog tonight we did some investigating and thinking and have come to this conclusion:

Casilla is back on the Twins roster after being in AAA getting help to get "back on track". Hopefully this little AAA Stint helped.

Punto is on the 15 DL with a sore groin.

Tolleson who has been doing very well in AA is now in AAA. Hopefully his numbers can stay impressive there.

That's all I have right now. GO TWINS!!!!!!!

sorry!!!

2009-05-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my lack of blogging (again). My internet time is very limited. Since I don't have it at home and the only other time I am usually online is when I am in my class, I don't really get time to type on here and make it look like I'm listening.

Currently, I am at Panera waiting for class to start. Then I will be driving home after class to play my 3rd softball game of the year! Last weeks game went really well for me. I played catcher which I didn't do too horribly at (minus my scrape on my hand) and left field which I rocked at. I had 3 hits back to back to back to me and i caught them all (two I barely moved and one was a running catch). My one plate appearance was a single to left field. We had practice on Monday and while I got beat up, I hope it will pay off for today and this weekend's games. I got hit in the knee twice by wicked grounders (one left the laces mark on my knee and the other left a nice black and blue bruise on the kneecap). I also got hit in the foot twice and my arm twice. But I'm tough so I can handle it!!!

Like I said I have a game tonight and then we are in a tournament this weekend. I don't know how much I will play Saturday but I should play on Sunday. Hopefully that goes well. I also have a busy weekend unpacking my stuff from school because I finally am out of my house! (almost... I gotta grab a few things on my way to school on monday because my car is too small; that or I have too much stuff =]) June 1st I move into my Winona home and I cannot be more thrilled.

I'll try hard to write more either tonight or tomorrow. One thing that I will say now is that I have been loving the Twins lately. Their homerun spree is fun to watch... especially Mauer. People may be thinking he is on the juice but think of this: When he was having his back problems and having a hard time running, he was working on his upperbody. He is also 6-5 and 225. He has power and is finally using it. It is fun to watch.

Leaving you with another picture. It is of me, my mom and my grandma after my dance performance a few weeks ago!

Dance Show = Little Blogging

2009-05-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys. Sorry I have been MIA of the blog lately. With school being out, I don't have that much internet since I don't have it at home. So the only time I do get it is when I decide to go to the library like I am right now.

I'm currently in Winona spending my week getting ready for my dance show that unofficially opens tomorrow (we dance for school aged kids tomorrow morning. Then open to the public Friday.) It's going alright I suppose. I still am struggling with the flooring in the theater but I need to figure out how to overcome it and just dance.

Next week I start my May-term class that only lasts 3 weeks. I will be in a middle school observing the students. Should be pretty fun. Next Tuesday I get my new computer from the school and then June 1st I move to a house in Winona which I couldn't be more thrilled about. It's been annoying these past few days being woken up by music; especially this morning. Someone decided that playing Miley Cyrus would be a good idea. It wasn't. Now it is stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Anyways, gotta run to rehearsal. Here are links to pictures from the show that I took last night!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146719&id=45803432&l=12258fe210

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146712&id=45803432&l=7e3133c4bf

AND VIDEO!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtNWvOF-lLQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNTL5xbnqo4

today = not good day

2009-04-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

It is a rainy, yucky day here in Winona. Only makes me want to crawl into bed and watch movies and read a good book. But no, where am I? In the library, procrastinating hard core and having a hard time getting myself motivated. I'm tired, worried about my dad who is in the hospital as we speak, and really not liking my back.

My back has been giving my problems the past 2 weeks. I'm afraid it means that the flu that I caught a few weeks ago is still in my system. I feel fine tho, minus being tired. No nausea. So lets just hope it stays that way. In the meantime, I just want to ripe out my shoulders and make the pain go away.

My dad is in the hospital. He went in yesterday and it looked like he was only going to stay overnight to be observed but they ended up admitting him after he complained about terrible stomach pain. He seemed fine today when I called him with no complaints about pain, just being tired. He has had 2 heart attacks before and numerous angina attacks so for him to be in the hospital is no longer a new thing to our family. Every Christmas he goes in. A few times he has been in the hospital on Christmas day itself. This year he got his hospital visit done the week before so he was actually around for xmas dinner. It is to the point that we expect it (the family) and his work and his friends. You would think the guy would take this hint and maybe quit smoking to help his chances of maybe staying alive long enough for my wedding but so far, no such luck. I think it is time to keep pressuring him to though. Or for the sake of our family, take his smoking outside. It is amazing how I can smell it on my clothes when go back to college even if I wasn't around him at all.

As far as school goes, I have 2 finals next week. Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully they will turn out okay. Then I get a break until the 18th when I start my 3-week summer class. During that time I will be playing softball in the cities Thursday nights and working weekends (close to 30 hours in 3 days). OH! And I have my dance show the week off between school. I'll be busy getting that show together even though I am only in 1 out of the 3 pieces. I do have a mini-solo tho! :)

Enough for now. Just want to get through this day and have tomorrow come. As always, I'll include a picture. This picture is from last May from our dance show. I was playing a character of a Janitor at a high school. I'm the one on the right. It was a tap piece with some hip-hop as well. Definitely one of my favorite dances ever :)

Luke Bryan

2009-04-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Last summer I got to meet Luke Bryan, and up and coming country artist who is one of my FAVORITE artists. In June I get to see another one of his concerts, this time at Country Splash in Somerset Wisconsin. AND I just found out he will be playing at the Cold Spring Brewery on July 25th so I will be taking full advantage of that! Here is our picture from last time :) Summer cannot come soon enough! Okay... back to my final assignments.

One more thing about the Bridge

2009-04-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

On StarTribune.com, they had asked for readers comments about the 1-year anniversary of the bridge collapse. I decided to create a comment to send them. Here is a link to the entire article and below is what I wrote. In the paper, when they ran it, my quote was selected out to be displayed in a larger font. Pretty cool.

No bridge will be crossed again without remembering that day

With the one-year anniversary of the bridge collapse upon us, I am in disbelief on how quickly the time has passed. Not a day goes by when I don't think about that dreadful day. Every time that I pass over a bridge or go underneath one, I am reminded of how lucky I am to still have my life, and how scared I am to this day to go over any large bridge.

I was on a section of the bridge that did not collapse, only to be five cars away from the edge that did. To see that bridge fall in front of my own eyes is a sight I will never forget.

I know it was a day that changed many Minnesotans' lives, lives that are still being rebuilt. To know that the bridge is almost finished being rebuilt, only one year later, is remarkable to me. When the time comes for me to cross over it for the first time, I know that it will be very difficult, not only to me, but to many other Minnesotans.

Bridges can be rebuilt, but the lives that were lost will never be brought back. All I can hope is that we keep learning from this tragedy, keep making our lives safer and keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers still. Until we know that no bridge will ever fall down again, I will continue to be very fearful of any bridge I pass over.

TRISHA CRICHTON, RICHFIELD

http://www.startribune.com/local/26194774.html?location_refer=$urlTrackSectionName

35W Bridge

2009-04-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know my story about the 35W bridge collapse. If you don't know me, Here is the story:

The tragedy that happened in Minneapolis on August 1st, 2007 will be a day that will never be forgotten. So many people were affected in so many different ways. I would be one of those people. I was just seconds away from being on that bridge. Here is what I saw and my story... I was on my way home from work, about a half and hour later than I usually would. I entered onto 35W going south from the Johnson Street exit. Traffic was bumper to bumper and I merged in. Slowly I made my way, stopping and going. I had gone under the 4th Street bridge and then the University Ave bridge when something caught my eye. On the bridge, I saw the lamp posts swaying from one side to the other. I also saw the cars getting tossed around on the bridge. I thought to myself, "what the hell kind of construction are they doing on that bridge to be making it look like that. I don't want to get on the bridge if it is doing that." Before I could even figure out what it could be, the bridge was gone and the dust from the bridge started toward me and the other cars. I had turned off my car but quickly turned it back on so I could roll up my windows and hide from the dust. I grabbed my cell phone and called my mother, and tried to explain what happened. People around me were getting out of their cars as well and looking at what used to be a bridge. A man in a van 2 cars away from me was looking out his window and said, "Is the bridge really gone?" A man on a motorcycle went up to him and said, "yeah, it collapsed." People just had a stunned look on their face. They did not know what they should do now. I counted how many cars I was behind the person who was next to be on that bridge. I would have been the 5th car.THE 5th!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I was about 75 feet away from where the bridge broke off. I saw construction workers running away from the bridge. It was true, the bridge was gone. When I had first gotten onto the interstate, a man on a motorcycle let me in. I had watched him behind me for a while and then he went into the other lane later down. When we were getting closer and closer to the bridge, he was right next to me. When the bridge went down, he was probably the 2nd person in his lane who would have been next onto that bridge. I was so relieved to see that he wasn't on that bridge and was safe. The cars ahead of me turned around and went up the entrance ramp onto the University Ave bridge. I then turned onto the 10th Street bridge to try to cross when I decided to park my car and take a look. I was in disbelief. So many cars, seeing some in the water, some on top of each other, and some crushed by the beams above the bridge that display exits. I took pictures from my phone to show what it looked like right after it happened. During this whole time I was shaking. I was in shock and disbelief. Soon, the police came on the bridge that I was on and ordered us off. I then just wanted to get home and be away from bridges all together. To know that I was just seconds away from being on that bridge scares the hell out of me. Everything that afternoon was different. The mom I babysat for was late, we ended up talking longer than we usually would. I also had to stop and get gas and had to go into the store cause I was on the phone with my mom and was distracted from using my credit card at the pump. Having to go into the store to pay probably is what saved my life. It's weird to think that there were people on Johnson street ahead of me that would have been on that bridge. I really did have someone looking out for me that day.

Since the bridge has collapsed and been rebuilt, I haven't been able to get myself to go over it. The only time I have been close to being near it is when I go to Dinkytown. Instead of going over the bridge and getting off at University Ave. I choose to take the way I learned when the bridge was being rebuilt. On the year anniversary of the collapse, I was at Sneaky Pete's in Downtown Minneapolis. I was in the middle of the bar balling my eyes out when they played a tribute to the collapse. I felt stupid for crying but I had some good friends there at my side to help me through it. I know that I was a lucky one for not being on that bridge but it still seems to have the same impact as if I was.

On Wednesday night, I was getting told how to go home from the dome to these guy's house that my friend knew. Before I could figure out where we were, we were driving across University Ave bridge. The same bridge that I went up the on-ramp to get myself onto the 10th street bridge. I saw the BP gas station that I turned around in and I started getting tears in my eyes. It brought back too many painful memories.

Then, the following morning, I had the chance to drive over it. But as we came up to the turn, I couldn't get myself to do it. I know that the only way I will get across that bridge without crashing from tears in my eyes is if someone else is driving. I have a big fear of going over bridges and think about the 35W bridge every day. Wednesday was the closest I have been to that bridge and I wasn't even on it. I can't imagine how I will be when I am crossing over it the first time.

The photo included in this post is one that I found months later that shows well where I was. The X is where my car was, the star is the end of the bridge approx.

I'm back

2009-04-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

So I haven't written since Wednesday and I figured it is probably a good idea to update on the past few days. So here I go. Warning, it will probably be long.

Wednesday's game was pretty much depressing. The good thing for me is I stopped watching after the score was 5-2. (that's the last score that I remember seeing) My friends and I polished off a liter of Rum before the game so my memory is kinda fuzzy. I did get to talk to an old friend of mine that I haven't actually had a decent conversation with in over 3 years at the game. It was nice to be able to talk to him again since he was such a good friend back in high school. I also saw a few more friends from high school wandering around the concourse which isn't a surprise since I grew up only 15 mins away from the Metrodome. When did we leave? I don't know remember. All I know is that we crammed 7 people in my car and made it to Dinkytown without getting pulled over (thank god). We ended up heading back to Winona the next morning bright and early and made it back in time for my 9:30 class.

I'm not even going to try to analyze the game. All I will say is that since the Twins decided not to give 100% towards the game, I didn't either. I also got told twice (once from my mom and once from my friend Drew) that I was not allowed to go to more Twins games (Drew said without him there too.) More on that later.

Thursday I came home after my dance class at 8:30pm. All I was looking forward to was having a gin and tonic. However, when I got home, half of my gin was drank and all my tonic water was gone. I was pissed off!! My roommate had her 18th birthday party that night at the house and so we had a lot of people over so I couldn't put up a fight. It would of been one thing if I would have gotten a call or a text asking if they could use my stuff, but no. They didn't even try. This only makes me more anxious to get out of this house! I also found out yesterday that the gallon of water that I had at the house was gone. I can't stand the water from the tap so I bring my own filtered water and it was gone. Again, not happy.

Friday was a GORGEOUS day out! After classes got done, I got lunch and sat outside where I take dance classes and tanned for a little bit. I was actually able to see a tan line! After I had my dance rehearsal, I went home before going out for Laura's 21st Birthday celebration (Laura was one of my roommates last year). I had listened to the Twins game on the radio on the drive home and was really upset when we gave up so many runs in the 7th inning I believe. Anyways, I started driving to the U of M when we started our rally. Right as I was about to pull onto the freeway, Jason Kubel hits the Grand Slam to have the Twins up by 2 runs and him complete the cycle. I was so excited and knew I was going to get a phone call from my mom, I pulled over on the on-ramp to find my phone. As I was searching, I ended up accidentally breaking the strap on my top! Luckily I had a spare shirt in my car to change into once I got to Dinkytown. Either way, I was too excited about the grand slam and eventually the win to care. I then made it to Dinkytown when a lot of the Twins fans were coming in so the energy at the bars was fun!

Saturday I worked all day, then went home and relaxed with my mom. I was in bed by 10:30pm and didn't care. I had to wake up at 4:50 the next morning to go to work. I worked till 11 and then went to the Twins game with some work people (Including Drew. Hence why I could go). This game was A LOT better than Wednesday. I actually watched the entire game and was able to pay attention to it. Shocking, I know. Perkins pitched a GREAT game and it was really nice to see a quality start from our pitching staff. As always, it was fun to watch Gomez get infield hits and beat out the throw. Harris has been ON FIRE lately and I hope he gets more playing time with the hot bat.

Sunday after I got home I started feeling like I crap. I ended up getting really sick by the end of the night and still didn't feel better the next day. I'm feeling better now (minus the fact that my stomach is upset right now) so I hope it isn't something super serious.

I have less than 2 weeks until finals!!! After finals are done, I have a week of no school, just dance rehearsals/shows. Then the next week I start my 3-week long class. Since I don't have a job, I'm guessing my days will be this: wake up, go to class, nap, go out downtown Winona, repeat. Ya, hard life right? :)

This week shouldn't be too bad for me. I get to spend my Friday night in Winona and that usually means great fun for me. More late probably from me. See ya!

Twins Game!

2009-04-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Today I get to go to the Twins game for the first time this season! Not only are we coming off a big win last night against the Blue Jays where we lost 10 straight to them, but Scott Baker is back on the mound for the Twins after being on the Disabled List. It should be a great game!

One of the most reoccurring themes throughout these games the first week or so has been our lack of ability to get runners home when they are in scoring position. It is really frustrating to have a runner on 3rd with no outs or one out and no one can bring home. I hope the Twins can find a way to not strike out so more and get those runs in that we need!

Here's a picture from Twinsfest with Justin Morenau. Let's hope he can hit one into the student section for me in Right field :)

last straw

2009-04-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

So last night I was the first one home at my house. Because I had nothing else better to do, I went to bed early, say around 10:30pm. At 12 something, I was woken up by people coming into the house, namely my roommate and her boyfriend and they were being loud. Then the mom comes home and she was loud too. I obviously was there, since my car was there and my bedroom door was shut. But they still were really loud and it pissed me off that I was woken up. Needless to say, that settled my choice of moving out. I keep realizing how unhappy I have been all year and I think a big chunk of it has to deal with me living there. I am no where near the city (15 mins from campus driving) and I only have my room to call my own. It's too far to go there to make food and come back because I only waste gas that way. So then I am left buying meals in town. Needless to say, it's been a really expensive year buying food. And I think that it has to do with my weight gain so far too. The fact that I am not able to make food to eat and instead have to eat what other people make.

So basically I am beyond excited to go and find my own place to live where I will be able to make myself dinner and be able to shower after dance before going out downtown and be able to drink as much as I want because I don't have to drive anywhere. It will be so nice and I now cannot wait till June!

summer please

2009-04-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I'm starting to get burnt out. School is wearing me down and all I want to do is go out and see as many Twins games as possible and hang out with my friends and make lots of money working. This is a picture that I took last year at my cabin one August evening. we have some of the best sunsets there.

I guess in the mean-time, it's back getting closer to summer by doing homework.

Last Night

2009-04-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

So I hate to say it, but I was kind of a bad student last night. I had a test this morning and what did I decide to do? Go out to the bars of course. But I did study before hand so it's not like I didn't do that!

Anyways, I wanted to write about something that happened last night. I have a friend from high school that I have known for a while since we did graduate together and we worked together. At the beginning of this year, he told me that he likes me. I didn't know what to do with that information so I just disregarded it. At the beginning of this semester, I decided that it might be a good idea to see what it would be like bringing out friendship to another level. Well, it happened at the wrong time so I just let it go again. Then this past weekend, we hung out and things seemed to be going good but I found out that he still has stuff going on in his life that he needs to work out. So I told him that when he figures out what he wants, to talk to me and I will give him his space and wait to hear from him. Well, I walked into Brother's bar last night and I didn't see my friend there right away, but eventually I did. And it KILLED me not being able to go up to him to say hi. Instead, I stayed on the other side of the bar and just watched the distance between us. I didn't want to go up and talk to him since I told him I would give him his space and he needed to talk to me first. All I know is that this sucks.

Anyways, my only other complaint in life is that people like to complain about something that isn't true. I don't want to go into it too much because I get very worked up over it. But it basically consists of people bashing on twins players that haven't done anything wrong and have benefited our team in many ways. But they don't have any good supportive evidence to back up their claim. Maybe it's because I am a "scientist" and I feel like my claim should be supported with facts, but if you don't have good facts to back up your claim, just don't say anything at all.

I'm going back home to the cities for Easter tonight after dance. Then I am lucky enough to work all day Friday and Saturday. But thankfully I get Easter off. I'm hoping that this weekend I will be able to see some high school friends that I haven't been able to see for a while. Maybe even tonight!

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it!

Exciting News for me!

2009-04-08T16:16:00.001-07:00

If you didn't know, I live at a place that doesn't have cable, internet or basic cable for that matter. So finding times to watch Twins games are pretty impossible unless I want to go to the bar or bribe a friend to watch the game at his/her house. So today, I was able to talk my mom into buying me the Gameday Audio package off MLB.com so I can at least listen to the games all year long! That will help me out a TON! Way excited.

Another big thing that is going on with my life is the fact that I will be staying at college an extra semester. Kinda sucks but I think it is for the best. Part of the reason is because I don't want to have to cram 22 credits next semester. Another being I might not pass some classes that I need this semester. So now I am on the apartment hunt and am excited to be moving out of my house in the middle of no where come the end of May. AND I won't have to live with psycho crazy mother all next year.

Okay, I have a Twins game to listen to in 40 mins and a test tomorrow with homework due in another. Probably should start being productive.

opening day remarks

2009-04-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Last night as I sat at a bar stool at the end of the bar with a twins game on in front of me and the UNC/MICH game to the left of that, I was in heaven. I had my two favorite sports on with two of my favorite teams (I am a Tar Heels fan). I'm sure I looked a little strange because for a while, I was sitting all alone with only twins fans till the NCAA game started. Once the Twins game got a little bit more interesting, I got a little bit louder and got talking to the other twins players and bartenders. Finally my friends joined me and we made plans to go to the Twins game next Wednesday. I'm hella excited.

Last night, we got out-pitched. We could NOT produce runs when he had runners in scoring position. It was very disappointing. I have my best and worse players from last night as follows:

Worst: Cuddy. And I love cuddy so this breaks my heart. But he couldn't get a darn run in to save his life when there was runners on base. Instead he looked like a young Torii Hunter going after a slider way out of the strike zone. I know that he doesn't have good numbers against Hernandez but I was hoping he could change that. Yes he did get a single but still should of produced better.

Best: Redmond. When I saw him get hit with the bat, I gasped. It looked pretty bad. I knew that Redmond was used to getting banged up a lot but he usually can work through it since he only has to play one game a week. However, we NEED him. And i was really impressed when he led off the next inning with a typical red-dog double. It really showed us his leadership in the clubhouse. I was really excited then when Nick Punto hit a single after that too.

I was surprised at Casilla's defense this game. It looked like to me that he should of had two balls that fell for base hits. I hope that he can step it up because he is a great 2B and can save us a lot of hits with his range.

I was happy to see Crede playing smoothly at 3B. He had a lot of balls hit to him and he didn't seem to have problems with fielding the ball and his bat. Now we just have to wait around for his offense to spark.

All in all, I was disappointed with the game, but at the same time, still insightful for the upcoming season. We have Blackburn pitching tonight and it should be a good match-up. Hopefully our offense will get something started and we can still take this first series at the metrodome.

Opening Day

2009-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day to be a baseball fan. After months and months of waiting, the great season of baseball comes back. Many people think that 162 games just gets to be too long but I think it isn't long enough. I love every part of baseball season. I personally cannot wait till June when I will be back in the Cities so I can go to many games, especially Wednesdays when I can go with one person and see about 15 people that I know once I get to the game. Plus it costs me only $4 bucks and dollar dome dogs. Cannot get better than that!

I'm saddened that I will not be able to attend tonight's opener, the last at the Metrodome. Money for me right now is very tight and school rules my life. However, I am currently planning on going to a bar to watch the game. It will be on FSN here in Winona (or so I have checked) and that will allow me to watch the UNC and Michigan game tonight as well. I really hope UNC takes all because they have deserved it for the past 4 years. But mostly, I will be watching the game. However right now it looks like it will just be me sitting alone so I gotta find a buddy to go with.

Side note: I have seen a lot of people wearing Twins clothing. I personally am just wearing my hat and spring training zip-up. Tomorrow I am wearing my Mauer jersey just to piss-off the Sox fans in my Circuits class. I already made fun of one them since the Sox won't be playing tonight due to the weather. Lets just hope we win tonight so I can brag about something.

My weekend was pretty uneventful. I had a good time Friday in Winona. Then I had to go to a meeting all day on campus for Orientation Leader Training. However, this was my third time doing this so now it is just old news and not as exciting as it should be. Luckily, I got to leave for 1.5 hours to go to dance rehearsal. Then I had to drive to the cities. My mom made an excellent dinner that included steak, twice baked potatoes and green beans. It was amazing. Then Sunday I worked till 3:45, had another great dinner of Ribs and then relaxed and watched One Tree Hill with my mom. I got her hooked now and it makes me happy.

I have a short week here at school. They give us Good Friday off so I will be back home Thursday night. I am really excited to see my family once again. It feels too long since I have seen some of them and there has been good news since Christmas. My cousin Emily found out that she will be having another boy in August.

Well, here is a toast to hope that the Twins can get a W tonight. We got a good chance with LIriano pitching. I cannot wait till 7:10 tonight! GO TWINS!

Central Air

2009-04-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was born, our house has never had central air. Instead, we had the air conditioners that you put in the window. We only had two of them, one for the living room that was supposed to cool the entire first floor, and one in my parents room, on the first floor because my dad can't sleep in anything warmer than 60 degrees. More background history: During high school and before, I lived upstairs, where there was no air condition whatsoever. Some nights when it was really hot, I would sleep downstairs on the couch but most nights I braved it out. Now, since college, my brother has my old room since it is bigger and I have his on the first floor. Last year, he got an air conditioning unit for his room so now the upstairs was cool. My parents still had theirs and the living room had theirs. The only room that wasn't cooled off then was my room. This sucked major. Especially now when I am used to sleeping in <60 degree weather at school. But then, some good news came about.

I had forgotten all about the MAC decision that certain areas around the airport would get X amount of money for central air/windows/doors. Turns out, our house will get about $14000. My parents were going back and forth on windows or central air/new doors. If you can imagine, I was rooting for central air because I wanted it in my room! Well, my parents went to a meeting last night and it turns out we will be getting the central air. Mostly because we will probably end up getting a new furnace and circuit breaker at no extra cost since the central air will need those to operate correctly. Therefore, I will get to sleep in a cool room in my house in my own bed for the first time this summer! I cannot wait!

short, but hopefully sweet

2009-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

My professor is going off on a tangent again, just writing down his notes that he has already given to us, but now on the board. Like that will make it all better... any who.

my life right now = boring. so I won't write about it because you might fall asleep.

Instead, I'll write about the Twins. We had some major news today. Our starting pitcher, Scott Baker, is on the 15-day DL. This means that Fransisco Liriano will now be the opening day pitcher against the Mariners. This then leaves the Twins without an 5th-day pitcher. Some see it being our knuckleball pitcher, Dickey. Some see it as Humber, who has played well in AAA as a starter there. Either way, it will make our defense have to play extra awesome to back them up.

Coundown till opening day keeps getting shorter and shorter, and we still have no word on who will be our bench players for the season. In my opinon, I would really like to see Harris and Tolbert be on the bench. They provide a lot of flexiblity for our infield and Tolbert has shown that he can play some outfield too. Buscher wasn't in today's line-up where you might of seen him (Cuddy played for Morneau who was out with a sore back. Buscher is one that is known to be able to cover first base but was selected not to today.) Could this mean a possible trade?? It would be great to get some bullpen help with a trade from Buscher. Guess the waiting game continues.

Reports have showed that Mauer has been playing catch. Haven't heard if he has tried to run yet; guess we'll have to hear about that later. Mauer has said that he hasn't had any pain with the throwing, so let's hope this new medication is really working and that he will be back in the line-up not long after we go north.

Class is done... write more probably later. Thank god tomorrow is Friday!

No fun History of Math class...

2009-03-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

What is great right now is that by typing in class, my professor thinks that I am taking notes, as long as I look up frequently enough. But it doesn't make sense to take notes since he posts them for us on a website. Therefore, no paying attention for me!

Yesterday on one of the Star Tribune Twins blog, I was asked how well I am at multi-variable regression, and that I should know it because it can land me jobs almost anywhere (including the Twins). I replied back saying that if I knew I could get a guaranteed job with the Twins by knowing multi-variable regression, that I would do it. Then I was told that I would have a good chance of getting a job and that I should seriously think about knowing my stuff. I have some background on multi-variable regression from my Stats class that I had to take, but in no means do I know a lot about it.

Working for the Twins would be a dream of mine. I am seriously thinking about spending my free-time in the summer learning about multi-variable regression to increase my chances of getting my dream job. Of course I would have to teach myself this but I understand stats pretty well so I would hope that it wouldn't be too difficulult. I would put teaching on hold if I could get that job.

Thoughts on what I should do??

The First

2009-03-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

So I have never had a blog before, but I used to write journals all the time. However, since last year I haven't kept up with that. Granted I won't write what I would have written in my journals, I still think that I have a good amount of things to say that could be worth while to others.

Any who, I will take this time and say a little something about myself. I was born and raised in Richfield, Minnesota and currently I go to school at Winona State University. I am graduating in May of 2010 with two degrees, one in Math Education (secondary) and Mathematics. I will also have a minor in Physics before I graduate. The plan after college is to teach High School math somewhere, probably in a suburb of the Twin Cities. Although who knows what will happen in a year...

My biggest love of my life right now is the Minnesota Twins. I don't know what exactly started my current tangent of knowing as much as I can and watching every game possible, but I know I should blame my Grandpa for getting me hooked. He pitched batting practice in the 1960's to some of the greatest Twins players to wear the uniform. Those include Killebrew, Allison, and my favorite, Oliva. Not going to lie about this, but I love to brag about the fact that my Grandfather knew these extraordinary people. I still remember when my brother and I would be over at his house and we'd play baseball in the backyard. Those are memories that I will never forget.

Lately, since I gave up facebook for lent, I have been wasting my time on the internet reading a lot of Twins articles and blogs. I find these to be pretty interesting and I am learning a lot through them. I have also been putting my two-cents in and have somehow been able to make it look like I know something about the game :)

Other fun facts about me. My mom works for Northwest Airlines (now Delta) and I have been able to do a good amount of traveling since she started working there (at least a lot more than if she didn't). My favorite trip with her would definitely be one of our shortest. We went to Fort Myers at the beginning of March for the day to watch a Twins Spring Training game. That was it. We had a blast! I got a lot of autographs (my favorites being from Denard Span, Carlos Gomez and Toby Gardenhire). You should of seen their faces when they saw what I had them sign. I have a stuffed bear from Bulid-a-Bear and I bought a small t-shirt for it so it could wear the autographs that I would get from Twins players. I got weird looks thinking that I would actually wear the shirt.

While at the game, we were sitting next to some fun people. We were right next to the Twins dugout in the second row (I could touch the dugout). In front of us there were two couples, one from La Crosse, WI and the other from La Crescent, MN. If you know any geography, you know those cities are right next to each other. (Oh... and they didn't know each other coming to Florida. They said they met in the parking lot. what a conscience). Then you had me from Winona. And then there were three girls next to us who went to school in Rochester. It was crazy being next to so many people that were not that far from where I live all down in Florida at the same time.

About the game, Twins played the Netherlands for an exhibition game. We ended up winning the game. I got to see Slowey pitch (one of my favorites) and got Cuddy to smile at me twice. One of my other favorite parts of the game was when the twins were coming back from warming up in the field. I yelled to Trevor Plouffe to come over and sign my shirt. Instead, he decided to throw me the ball he just had been warming up with. Trevor is now one of my favorite minor leaguers because of that. My other favorite minor leaguer is going to be Toby Gardenhire. Somewhere around I want to say the 6th inning, the girls next to us and my mom and I decided to start a "TOBY! TOBY! TOBY!" chant. I talked to Toby after the game in the dugout and he said he liked our cheering.

Enough about that game though. Other fun places I was able to go to was Ireland the summer after I graduated with my high school band. We had a blast and I actually turned 18 there. We weren't supposed to have alcohol on the trip because it was a high school trip but I still bought a bottle of wine for my bday. :)

To finish out this blog I will talk about my dancing background. I have danced since I was 4 and started competition dance when I was 6. My studio closed right before my Senior year but I still found a way to dance in college. Right now I am dancing at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts where I take classes in Tap, Jazz, Ballet and sometimes Pointe. I have also been in two Nutcrackers with MCA and will be in the 3rd Dance Repertory Company show this May. I love dancing and could not imagine my life without it!

Enough for now... I'll probably write another one while bored in History of Math class.