Free tickets

Free tickets are not always free. They may start out that way, but life somehow gets in the way.

Last night Joel and I travelled down to the Twins game--not arriving quite as early as usual (I like to soak up the atmosphere and get my Twins' vibe on...o.k. I know, I always have my Twins' vibe on). Anyways, we found our super deal $4 parking space and got out of the car to head over to the dome. As we're walking from the car, I noticed that the car seemed to still be humming. I looked at Joel and posed the question, "You have the keys, right?"

Well, you all know the answer to that one. Not a big problem, at least it wouldn't have been if I had brought along my set of keys as I normally do. Nope, last night I had decided to lighten my load so I could handle the weight of our new digital camera. That extra 4 ounces was sure to weigh me down.

It gets better. After surveying the situation and making a brief attempt to get a rusty hanger through the edge of the window, we decided the best move was to call AAA. I pull out my trusty cell phone, which is nearing the end of its 2-year contract and of course, acting like it's on its way out. I attempt to place the call and get the "No Network coverage" message.

Not a big problem, at least it wouldn't have been if Joel had brought along his cell phone as he normally does. Nope, last night Joel had decided to lighten his load so he could bring that 20 oz. of mountain dew. So off Joel tread to HCMC to place the call to AAA.

I watched the trek of Twins' fans to the dome. Damn, free tickets and I was going to miss the beginning of the game. And they were good tickets. $29 a pop. $58 for the pair.

Joel returned with the news that someone would be out by 7:15 (the game started at 7:10). O.K. that's not so bad...and actually they arrived by 7 p.m. In less than 5 minutes our car door was popped open. To a tune of about $58.

I missed the introduction of the players and T.C. Bear wiggling his behind on the four wheeler as he's waiting for the players to come running out on the field. I love that stuff, but I got my weekly fix the night before. Midway through the first inning we made our way to our seats in a sold-out section (Sec 117, just past the first base line).

By this time I'm over the whole "free part" of these tickets. In fact, I have to say, these are the worst seats I've been in all season. The seats are close to the field, but at a horrible angle. The dome was, after all, built as a football stadium. To make matters worse, a rather hefty gentleman is sitting next to me and is encroaching about a quarter into my seat. I am having a hard time getting my Twins' vibe going.

In the end, Joel and I decide to relocate to the other side of the stadium--in the half-empty seats of the Home Run porch section. We joyfully had the row to ourselves. Here, I was able to get my Twin's vibe going full-swing.

The Twins' weren't swinging. Somehow we lost a game where the other team had 4 errors. Pitiful. But the loss seemed to be fitting for how the evening started. Still I got to enjoy the evening with my honey watching the great game of baseball. Nothing wrong with that.

(Note: After coming home from the game, Joel showed me the lovely piece he wrote for our baseball blog--about meeting me. You'll see why I fell in love with him. It's not just about baseball! He's a romantic too!!!

http://www.curlzandcurveballs.blogspot.com/ )

Groggy

I'm a little groggy. You see last night I went to the ballgame and it went 12 innings. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. The Twins pitched great and we DID win. It was a good crowd and most folks stayed till the end.

The really good news is that I won tickets to tonight's game! When we arrived on the Metrodome plaza the line for a spin at the KSTP prize wheel was very, very short. I gave it a whirl and came up with tickets for tonight's game. Sweet!

So, excuse me, I will probably be groggy tomorrow as well. (But if you want to catch a more complete replay of the game-- http://www.curlzandcurveballs.blogspot.com/ I know it's another shameless plug for my baseball blog)

NIKO

Once upon a time I adopted a dog named Niko. My son, nephew, and I made a trip to a shelter and rescued him from the kennel he had lived in for 4 months. He was full of spirit and lots of love. Like his owner (me), he had a love for chocolate. Fortunately, he also had a strong tolerance for chocolate...because dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate. One day my son called to tell me that Niko had gotten sick...and that it was making him sick (so of course, the mess was left for me!) Niko had eaten one of my bras! He survived that without even a visit to the vet...probably because he somehow managed to discard the underwires before ingesting the rest of it. Yes, Niko was a spirited pup, but also full of love. Niko could make me melt with just one look from those soulful eyes. I'll admit, most nights he slept beside me. If I was home, he was by my side. I loved him something fierce.

But then about 16 months ago I had to move and couldn't take Niko with me. It was just one of those hard decisions where finding a home for my family had to take priority. But it did tear me apart. I managed to find a loving home for him--by placing a flyer at the Y. Occasionally I would see his new owner and hear how he was doing. I missed him more than I thought I could miss a dog. I just think that, like people, a pet can come into your life and have a special connection with you. Niko was that pet for me. I did know that he had a good home and found some solace in that knowledge. But truthfully there is still a special place in my heart for Niko.

Tonight I got a call from Niko's "new" owners. They are likely moving to California and will likely be living in an apartment that will not allow keeping Niko a possibility. They wanted to check with me first to see if my situation has changed to enable me to re-adopt Niko.

I wish it was so. While dogs are allowed in our building, they are supposed to be small dogs. It's not about the space in the apartment, it's about the lack of proper space outdoors for a dog of Niko's size and breed to run and stretch.

So, if anyone out there is looking for a GREAT dog, I think Niko will be needing a new home. He is almost 4 years old now (a great age), has been neutered and is microchipped. He will make your heart melt. He did mine.

Change is good

I apologize for being a little slow on the blogging side. I did start my baseball blog this past week (check it out: http://www.curlzandcurveballs.blogspot.com/). But I think I've also been "catching up" with all the BIG changes in my life these past few months.

In the past 3 months, I have 1) moved into Joel's place (now "our" place); 2) gotten married; and 3) changed jobs. Change is good and all that...but it's still change. Even good change (and it's all been good!) is exhausting. This weekend, I'm sure due in part to hormonal shifts that are similar in nature to the tremors or whatever that precede earthquakes, I have been close to tears more times than I would like to count.

Let me just say, Joel has been super. This morning we went down to the Farmer's Market and Joel signed me up for a short chair massage. The massage therapist asked me where I wanted her to work and I told her that she would be able to tell. Umm, start with the rocks that are my shoulder blades. (It did help. So did the flowers that Joel bought me at the market on Saturday).

I think it's this-- that even with everything good that you gain with change, you are still giving up something to make room for that change. It's about loss. Even if it's things I'm ready to give up, it's still something I'm giving up.

So, going back to Change #1: I LOVE living in "our" place. For the most part, I feel at home here. I certainly love being here with Joel and creating our new home. But in order to make this change, I gave up being a live-in mom. It was time for that change to happen. Time for me and time for my kids. But I am a mom. When Joel's kids are here during the weekend, I'm more aware of missing my kids and missing "mothering" them. I miss having them spend time hanging with me at home. I miss cooking for them; including making their favorite foods and hearing their appreciation for fixing the things they like. I miss the easiness of our relatioships. The really annoying thing about mothering from "afar" is that it really doesn't mean you worry about them any less. I hate that. In a sense, I feel less able to care for and protect them. I know--they're adults. How DID that happen?

Change #2: Getting married. I think this is the easy one. 3 weeks today. I know, we're still newlyweds and it will get harder. But I'm confident we will be able to weather the changes that will keep coming our way. I like our lives together.

Change #3: Changing jobs. I think this change has already led to reduced stress. But today I was aware that I was also missing my "Y kids". Some of my staff were my children's ages, but plenty were actually my age or close to it. But in a sense, they were my kids. Given how I left my job, I don't feel like I can just drop in to say "hi". I hope they're all doing well. I think about them more than they can imagine.


So, I'll just keep plugging along. I think as my "new life" becomes more routine, the changes will feel...well, less like change. I'll be able to appreciate more and more all the new things my life now includes...like taking off with Joel on Saturday mornings to visit multiple Farmer's Markets (which we did this weekend).

Yes, change is good.

Saying good-bye

It feels like I'm slipping into the routine at Southside rather easily. I guess that should come as no big surprise since I worked there for 9 years before I left for the Y. While I feel "at home" at Southside, I am still working through the process of saying good-bye to the Y.

This past Friday night I met up with a bunch of my former Y buddies. I guess in a sense it was a "good-bye party". There are now more than a few of us that have left the Y more than a little unhappy with how things are being run. We've started calling ourselves the "Y Misfits R Us". Friday night's gathering included the growing number of "misfits", as well as current Y folks who are holding on.

It was a good time. It was good to laugh (and shed a few tears) with these folks who are former co-workers. I hope they remain friends. By far the hardest part about my departure from the Y was leaving behind some good folks. What I enjoyed the most about my job at the Y was working with my staff and the relationships I built with them. I was the 7th membership coordinator in as many years. The membership staff had seen a number of changes and was in the midst of another organizational change when I came on board. I'd like to think we navigated that change together. And as we navigated that change and the changes that have come since, we grew closer as a group.

Although I knew it was what I needed to do, it was hard for me to leave my Y team. I still want to be there working beside them, leading them through the changes that are happening now. There is much about my old job that I don't miss. But I do miss the joking amongst the membership team and the sense of family that was there. They are a feisty, passionate group of people.

You'll hear me say it here more than once I'm sure--I think there are two big reasons why people work for nonprofits (god knows, it's not about the money!)--First, people work at nonprofits because they are passionate about the mission statement of the organization. It's important to them that their work not only be valued, but also be valuable to society. I'm not saying that people who work in the corporate world don't care about these things. I'm just saying that people who get hooked into working in the nonprofit world are willing to sacrifice personal gain to support the mission of whatever organization they are working for. My membership staff at the Y are those types of folks--they are living the mission statement. And they are willing to challenge the management when they feel they are not living the mission statement. That has caught them some heat. But I have no doubt they will continue to challenge. GO TEAM!

Second, people work at nonprofits because of the relationships they have with fellow staff and their clientele. Nonprofit folks are people folks. Relationships, at work and at home, are important to them. In a sense, they get "fed" (or paid) by the relationships they build at work. A sense of community, of family even, exists at work.

I have worked at several nonprofits in my adult life. I have been fortunate to work at two nonprofits that have fostered this sense of community.

I just left one of them. I have returned to the other.

Wedding pics 2

Here I am following the ceremony with my mom

The dining area

Wedding guests enjoying the terrace

Joel seems to be enjoying removing my garter!

I just got a CD with wedding pics taken by my brother, Denny. Here's a sample of a few!

Wedding pics 1

Joel with his Best Man, Dave

My kids, Ana & Cyrus before the ceremony

Julie making sure I was making it done the stairs safely. Too plush of carpet for heels!

The ceremony with Reverend Maverick

Post ceremony with all the kids; Noel & Bree on the left, Ana & Cy on the right

I couldn't load all the pics with one entry--hence two separate posts. These pics should actually come first, but you can get the idea.