KO-CHO-RINA

Date Night

2012-01-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight Brad and I are going on a date to Olive Garden. We got a gift card for Christmas, so tonight we are going to use it! We started Date Night back in November. We agreed that we would go out every other Friday, just the two of us. I'm really looking forward to this tradition because a lot of the times I work weird hours and we don't always get to see each other. Yay, for DATE NIGHT!

Day 2...it made me miss her!

2012-01-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

I went to work last night hoping that It would get my mind off of her. When I went to work I had co-workers hug me and express their sympathy. We talked about our dogs and it was nice to know that there were other people that loved their pups just as much as we loved Lucy. I hosted a Pizza Night at my work and had a great evening laughing with everyone.

On my way home, the song "Life ain't always beautiful" came on the radio and I looked down at my passenger side car seat and all I could see and think about was Lucy. I cried the entire way home.

That night after he came in we both sat on the couch and cried. We talked about Luc for hours. Brad said that Crowley came int he garage tonight and was chewing on a piece of wood, the same piece of wood Lucy was chewing on the night before. It made him his her.

Crowley is so sad. We don't know what to do to make her feel better. She just keeps sniffing and looking for her. I wear sweatpants around the house at night, usually the same pair all week. Crowley keeps following me around sniffing and licking my pants. She must smell Lucy and it breaks my heart. It makes me miss her.

This morning brought more tears as I felt myself moving my legs at the end of the bed to try to find her. She slept at the bottom of our bed most nights. Mostly in between my legs. It made me miss her.

Crowley came in our room this morning and I sat there waiting for Lucy to start barking. The nights that she didn't sleep in our room she slept in the living room with Crowley. Crowley would then show off by jumping the gate and then come into our room. Then little Luc would stand up on the gate until one of use would come pick her up and bring her in our room. It made me miss her.

Everything reminds us of her...

Lucy 10-28-11 to 1-11-12

2012-01-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Sad day today because today is the day that we lost our little puppy Lucy.

I got home from work around 10pm last night and Lucy met me at the door to say hello. We played for about a half hour and then she went to lay down and just couldn't seem to get comfortable. She would lay down for a little bit, groan and then get up and move to another spot. It seemed as though her back legs were stiff and she was limping. I woke up Brad to see if he had noticed anything different and he said that she was her normal self, spent most of the day outside being rowdy with Crowley(Our yr old Husky/St. Bernard mix. From there the night just got worse and worse. Around 11pm she began to scream frantically in spurts like she was in pain. She did this prolly 4 times every half hour. I then was scared so I called the Vet and described the symptoms. He wanted me to look at her stool to see if stool and urine to see if there was blood that would suggest poisoning. Lucy had just been out to go to the bathroom and went both 1 and 2, and there was nothing wrong or unusual about either of them. The vet suggested giving her water and keeping her calm and to call if anything changes.

Again things began to get worse. Lucy began to breathe really heavy but then was able to lay down and rest. I had her sleep with us in our bed and seemed to be more relaxed as I petted her the whole night. At 4am she got up and began whining and stood still. Her body felt like a statue. She wouldn't move and she wouldn't open her mouth. I called the vet and started the car and headed to the clinic.

Lucy laid in my front car seat and appeared to have a hard time breathing. About half way there Lucy opened her mouth and began gasping for air.

I saw her take her last breath and then she was gone. I got to the vet a few minutes later and he came and got her out of the car. I could barely stand I was crying so hard.

It was now 4:30am and the Vet had pronounced her dead. I wrapped my arms around her and cried. The vet said that he would do a post mortum exam to see what the cause of death was in the morning when the office opened up.

I drove home. It was the longest drive of my life. I got home and we both lost it. We were devastated. We both tried to lay down again to get some rest, because it had been a long night.

We both woke up to Brad's phone ring at 9:30 or so, it was the vet. He explained to Brad that Lucy's heart was too small. Her heart was the size of a cat's heart and that one of the blood vessels had detached from the heart and she bled internally.

It was a birth defect that this vet has only ever seen one other time.

Lucy would be 11 wks old on Friday, we had he for 4 weeks. It's seems like she has been a part of our family forever. I never thought that losing a dog would be so painful. I never considered myself a dog lover until we got Crowley and then Lucy. Lucy was a wonderful puppy, that had a lot of energy. the last couple weeks Lucy and Crowley became really close. They wouldn't do anything without the other. Lucy just learned how to sit this last week. She made us both so happy and now we are both so sad.

We went and picked her up from the vet a couple hours ago. We got home and then buried her next to our pond.

Crowley is moping around the house whining looking for Lucy. It is so sad to watch.

Good-bye Lucy. We loved you so much.

Teaching 6th Grade

2011-10-18T08:31:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is my final day of teaching 6th Grade. As scared and intimidated as I was to teach them at first I have really grown to love these kids. I looked forward to getting up every morning to go to school just because I wanted to see them, and I knew that they wanted to see me too. Over the past (almost) 2 months I have seen these students laugh, cry, get upset, tell jokes, open up to me and most importantly learn. It is amazing how these students have grown even in the short time that I have known them. I'm going to have a hard time leaving these kids. I don't know how teachers do it. Come the end of the school year I'm not gonna want to let my students go. This experience has made me realize that I love teaching and I am so blessed to have had these students in my life.

At conferences last week one of my students moms was telling me how her son talks so highly of me. That comment is something that I will never forget. I realized that day that I may not make a difference in everyone's life but I just made the difference in one persons life and that is all that matters. That student then brought a cupcake cake to class to celebrate my last full day of teaching.

Here are some pictures I took of my students reading. These photos make me SMILE:)

update

2011-10-18T08:04:00.001-07:00

Once again I haven't wrote on my blog in a very long time so I thought that I would fill everyone in about what I have been up to since my last post.

Brad and I are getting cows. Yup, you heard me COWS!!! We plan to get 3 Jersey cows no later than this coming spring. We have been getting the barn reading and have been Baling Hay. Here is Brad Baling away on the tractor.

My sister Jessica came to visit and to see the new house. The kiddos had such a great time. :)

We spent our time trying to catch kittens

Drawing with chalk

and playing with Play-Dough

Brad and I went to the Ren. Fest this past fall. We go every other year, switching between the Ren.Fest and the State Fair. Here is a picture me and a pirate. Arrrrrr...

Here was a great shot of the both of us!

and here is Brad by the Dungeon.

On the way home from the Ren.Fest we stopped at MN Largest Candy Store! It was a great time. They have lots of goodies there...

and I'm proud to say we didn't leave there with too many things!

2011-08-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well to start off Brad won the Derby on Friday Night of the Nicollet Co. Fair

We Went to Halfway Jam again this year and had a great time with our friends!

Brad turned 28 in July!

We have been working on the house here and there. Here is what it looks like so far...

Student Teaching

2011-06-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

I received my first student teacher placement for this coming fall. I will be teaching 6th grade in Cleveland, MN. I excited that I will be so close to home, and a little scared of working with 6th graders. They are intimidating to me, so I hope all goes well.

Odds and ends

2011-03-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some other random photos of the last month in our house.

This is what our farm looks like from the road

I'm finding that life after buying a house is all about compromising. In this case Brad got the upstairs closet in the spare bedroom for all of his hunting stuff and I got the white cast iron sink:) Yay, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

If you haven't noticed in the posted pictures below...everything in our house is yellow, the house is even yellow. Yellow just so happens to be my favorite color but not so much when anything and everything is yellow. So I painted my yellow door Red. This was one of the many compromises I had to make with Brad, I can't remember what Brad got out of the deal but all that matters is that I got a red door. :)

My new looking counter tops. I used Rustoleum Counter top paint and painted over the old yellow laminate. It looks amazing if I say so myself.

The new bath tub/shower, waiting to be put in

Turns out that you need to read/look at the post below....from the bottom up it was posted backwards...only I am capable of doing that I think. ha

2011-03-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

Before/afters and in the process

Pepper Spray and Origami!

2011-03-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend there has been 2 sexual assault attempts on the little campus of Gustavus. CRAZZZZZY! Sooooo I now have pepper spray in my back pack at all times and never walk alone.

On a happier note, there is an origami guy coming to campus this week. This announcement was on our college homepage and the picture next to this article was none other than a...

MOOSE! SO now I have to go, because it's my favorite animal of all times and I just gotta know how to make one.

oh yea and we close on the house on WEDNESDAY! Yipppy Skippy!!!

Last semester of college

2011-03-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

This semester has been flying by already. All my classes are with the same 14 girls and we have really gotten to know a lot about each other and have become very close. We spend most days practicing our teaching and if we are not practicing we are pretending to be elementary students.I have now become a pro at morning sing-alongs (not to mention the silly little dances that go along with them), reading picture books,raising my hand, show and tell, handwriting and last but not least... sitting Indian style(cross legged). These are all things that have consumed my 7 hour school days, and I'm absolutely loving it.

My show and tell the first week of class was Crowley, my new puppy that Brad and I just got. Brad had brought Crowley to class so that my prof and all my girlfriends could meet and see Crowley. She was loved by all:) It was also funny cause Brad's face was beat red when he came into my class...I don't think he has every been surrounded by so many women.

I consider this semester to be my "how to..." semester, meaning that I am learning how to teach math, science, social studies and language arts. I never thought I would say this but school is actually fun and I look forward to going everyday. Each week we get to teach a lesson in these subject areas, which has been helpful because we get to practice both writing lesson plans as well as get to teach.

This week we had to design our ideal classroom and provide a rational as to why we chose the layout we did, now I wont bore you with my 4 page rational but I was thinking it would be kinda cool to share my classroom with you.

So here is my ideal classroom

and to end this post I will share a couple more picture of my adorable little puppy:)

Life reflection

2011-01-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

This year I will be 23 years old. I feel as though this year is a huge turning point in my life. I would like to take a few minutes to recap my 22 years. In my 22 years I have had 6 families. My biological family, 3 foster families, 1 in which would remain my family to this day and 2 adoptive families, 1 that didn't quite work out and 1 that became who I call my mom and dad:) This year will mark 10 years since I have been adopted, making it the longest time I have been with 1 family and lived in the same town. I was a member of the basketball team and softball team and was a 6 year member of the swimming team in which I was the captain my Senior year. I graduated from High School with Honors and then furthered my Education and went to College. I went off WI for a year to major in social work at Carthage College only to move back to St. Peter for the love of my life and went to Gustavus for Elementary Education in which I will graduate this May. I have had 5 jobs my entire life which include, Holiday Gas Station, Michaels, Post office, Custodial and a Group Home. I have been dating my best friend for 4 years this April and we have currently just bought a 5 acre farm. This fall I will be student teaching and then will be looking for a teaching job.

I have come so far and have accomplished so much in my life but there is so much more to look forward too. I get to look forward to decorating a house, living with my boyfriend, having a career, getting married, having babies and making a family, watching my children grow up, all the moments and adventures with family and friends, growing old with Brad and becoming grandparents. These are all things that I want to accomplish in my life. I still have over half of my life to live.

All these thoughts have been on my mind this month, especially with the anniversary of my brothers death on Friday. January 14th 2007 was the day that my brother passed away at the age 23. When I think of all the things that he had accomplished in his life and all the hardships, moments and memories we have of his 23 years of life just makes me think about all the things he never got to do and experience. What would he look like, what would he be doing, would he have a family? I'm so fortunate to have all these things to look forward to but I feel guilty that I get to do so and Zach never did. I miss him a lot this week.

This weekend I went up to Cambridge to visit my family and every time I go there It stirs up so many emotions. Every thing about that town makes me miss Zach. Usually every time I drive there I stop at the cemetery on the way into town. The last time I went up there I found it hard to go but eventually stopped on the way out of town but this time was different. I couldn't bring myself to go this time. This year it just really hurt. It brought tears to by eyes even driving through the intersection by the cemetery.

This year I plan to live life to the fullest, so this year is for you Zachy. Miss and love you

2011-01-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

Our friends Scott and Amanda Jaeger had their second child in November. Older sister Addison got a little baby sister, Ella Jean. She is just so precious!

Christmas has come and gone. Here is a picture of a couple of girls in my sorority and myself at an UGLY Christmas sweater party!

And to bring in the new year... Brad and I got a house. We close on the 20th! We both are very excited!

update of my life in photos

2010-11-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

ROOMIES

2010-09-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Pope Family Get together!

2010-07-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

Life.

2010-06-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have started a new job this summer. I am working at Gustavus in the custodial department cleaning academic buildings and dorms. I really enjoy it, I work from 5am-1pm. I would have never thought that I would be a morning person, but turns out I actually love it. I work at Gustavus Mon-Fri and then work part time at Holiday int he evenings. I'm staying pretty busy to say the least.

I also just moved into a new house. I will be living there with 3 girlfriends of mine. 1 of them I lived with last year, and the other 2 both sorority sisters of mine. I am living there over the summer by myself and they all will be moving in right before SENIOR YEAR starts....Yup that's right!!!!! I am going to be a senior in college this year, that is so hard to believe.

Today I went to Mankato for a dermatologist appointment and on the way there I got a call from Best Buy saying that I was going to get a brand new computer!! :) I had brought my computer of 3yrs in to get fixed because my service plan ends in 6 days, well it turns out my computer was so bad that they decided to give me a new one. So I am writting this blog on my new computer as we speak (or type I should say). So what a unexpected suprise.

I got my wisdom teeth out a week ago this past Friday and leave it to me to get dry sockets...urrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhh. It was the worst pain ever, but tomorrow is my last appointment with the dentist, so I won't have to get my gauze changed every other day anymore. yipppeeeee skippppyyyy!

Brad and I will be attending our first Demos this weekend. We are going to Waterville and Mapleton. I can't wait, it's going to be fun.

That is all that is new for right now, off to bed I go 4am comes pretty quick.

I remembered my username and password!

2010-05-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's been so long, that I forgot my username and password...and today I remembered! It's almost been 2 months since I have blogged last. YIKES! so much to tell. Check back later and I will have hopefully posted something

Homework Overload

2010-03-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

I still blog don't worry. This semester is off to a running start. I have an overload of homework, and can't seem to catch a breath. I make regular dates with the library,and found out that it's my new best friend....as long as I'm on the 3rd floor(the quiet floor). This weekend thus far I have had the chance to get a lot done, but we will see if it stays that way after this next week.

Carhartt's

2010-02-03T22:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a catch up to whats new with me since the Halloween post

2010-01-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas with my Delta sisters

My dad came to visit me

I turned 21!!

and went to a HAIRBALL concert

Here's me and Anne at the Hairball concert for my bithday

Here is Katherine and I on my 21st birthday

Here is an oldie to throw in the mix! It's me when I was younger(middle)

Delta Phi Omega!

My roomies and I

Yay for Fall grades

2010-01-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Yay for having a 3.444 GPA for this past semester!!! I'm so excited that I did so well, and this means that I am in the Ed program for good, no probation and I am eligible to be active in Delta's again!!! yay!!! :) Just wanted to share!

:)

2009-11-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Ren.Fair.09

2009-10-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Im still alive.

2009-10-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with life I havent ben able to blog in quite sometime, so here's a lil note to say hi and let you know im still kickin!

Pictures just for you mom (of your babies) EMIT'S 1ST BIRTHDAY

2009-07-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Our best frined's baby!

2009-05-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning at 1am Scott and Amanda Jaeger became parents to a beautiful baby girl...

Addison Mae

She is perfect. Brad and I went to see her today! Here is Brad and Addi.

Odds and ends...

2009-04-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Saw this ring online the other day,and I have honestly been dreaming about it. It's beautiful. love, love, love it. Hope this ring is still around by the time I decide to get hitched.....anyways....

Brad's cousin Aaron and my friend Nikki are now engaged. Congrats to them. Niki had comented on one of the photos I had been editing so I decided to make her and Aaron one.....so heres that.

I am planning on making a calendar for Brad this month as an anniversary gift. 2years already. So here are so of the edits that I am going to be putting in the calendar.

Off-brand

2008-10-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

READ THW POST POSTED BEFORE THIS ONE (BELOW) TO UNDERSTAND MY THEME....

The story below reminded me of another conversation that I had happen to overhear in Walmart in August.

A mom- Okay on your list it says you need colored pencils
Mom's daughter- Okay

They both are looking down the isle when mom picks up a pack of colored pencils when the daughter(7 or 8) replies with

...No mom thats an Off-Brand we need name brand supplies, they are better.

once again...............WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

old people trapped in young bodies...

2008-10-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but most couples dont do this noramally on Sundays mornings...but Brad and I do. Yup this is a picture of Brad and I last sunday morning working out on the farm on the tractor bailing hay. how precious right? haha this just kinda makes me laugh!!!

Breast Cancer Benefit

2008-10-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

HELP SAVE SECOND BASE. HELP STRIKE OUT THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER!

The Delta Phi Omega sorority at Gustavus Adolphus College is preparing to hold its 10th annual Breast Cancer Benefit Lunch to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The benefit will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 in the St. Peter and Heritage Banquet Rooms in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center.

The benefit lunch will conclude a month’s worth of events organized by the sorority during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All proceeds from the events will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Last year the sorority raised more than $5,700 for the foundation.

“The Deltas have supported the efforts of this foundation and its work through numerous fundraising campaigns for 10 years,” said Jamie Dufek, Gustavus junior and co-chair of the benefit lunch. “We are a sorority that prides itself on giving back to the community in many forms and the fight against breast cancer is one of our greatest efforts.”

The benefit lunch will include a silent auction with approximately 50 to 100 items for attendees to bid on. Anyone interested in donating an item for the silent auction should contact Dufek at jdufek@gustavus.edu. The event is open to the public and tickets are available at a cost of $15. To reserve tickets contact Emily Degnan at edegnan@gustavus.edu.

Besides the benefit lunch the sorority has several other fundraisers throughout the month of October. They are collecting Yoplait yogurt lids in the Evelyn Young Dining Room, selling T-shirts for $10 throughout the month in the Campus Center, and organizing an Oct. 24 fundraising night in “The Dive.” The sorority has also secured a $1,000 donation from Wal-Mart to add to this year’s fundraising effort.

If you are wondering what's on my mind today...

2008-10-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

yup...Can't stop seeing his face and hearing his voice.

Our Story

2008-08-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

One afternoon on Sunday, April 14th, 2007 a handsome boy stopped down at the Holiday Gas station in St. Peter, Mn. He had been noticing this girl who had worked there but never had the ambition to ask her out, until this day.

It was when he had just checked out at the register and walked out the door when he noticed that she was right behind him. He then held the door for her and gave her a blank stare and said,” Would you want to go out sometime? “ she replied with, “Do you know how old I am?” The girl thought that he might think she was older. The boy replied, “20 or 21?” The girl smiled and informed the boy that she was 18 and was still in high school. The boy was a bit thrown off and really didn’t know what to say. The girl didn’t want to turn him down so she said that she would think about it. Before the boy left the gas station he said , “Well let me know if you change your mind.”

The girl was so thrown off by the offer but yet was so crushing over this boy. She later realized that she wanted to go on a date with this boy but didn’t have a number to call…then she realized that this boys little brother worked at the local grocery store and she could get the number from him.

She had texted the boy one night and didn’t get a reply back, she was close to giving up until she got the urge to just call him…

after having a nice long talk with him they set up their first date.
The boy picked up the girl from her house on April 18th, 2007 and he took her out to dinner.

This is how it all started…

...he has me...he stole my heart...

2008-08-14T23:06:00.001-07:00

For some reason this picture sums up why this blonde haired, blue eyed man stole my heart 16 months ago... Bradley is a one of a kind guy, the guy who...

-sets his alarm to 5:23am instead of 5:30am(which drives me up the wall)

-makes his sandwiches with 3 times more cheese than meat and gobs on the mayo(seriously to the point you could almost drink it)

-take's an hour long shower, twice a day

-that can sweat up a storm at work, and loves every minute of it

-thinks that every meal should have cheese all over it

-will not throw away a pair of jeans no matter how many holes he has in them, or no matter how many new pairs he gets

-will only wear red wing socks, Carhart double knee jeans, and a dirty greese shirt

-is in love with 80's rock music, and seriously jams out to it when one of his favorite songs comes on

-his favorite response to anything anyone says is...yup, probably.

-his favorite color is green, but insists that everything he gets is black

-His favorite number is 71. (the year of his first truck)

-the guy that hates plans, and lives day by day

Oh and my favorite... Bradley is the guy that will not allow the time to show in the truck...he will make it so the station shows rather than the time, and freaks out if you check to see what time it is.

Once again the picture above captures all of him for me, the smile...man...you can't help but smile when you see that.

He brings out the best, the worst and everything in between out of me. He has taught me so much, like patience, and to live life for what its worth, day by day.

...he wanted me...he got me..he has me...he stole my heart

Emit Allan

2008-07-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

Proud to say that I am Anty Kiki(as the kids call me) for the 3rd time. but all together this will be 10. I am so blessed to have so many. So here he is Mr. Emit Allan Huseby, and he is as cute as they come. Wieghing in at 7 lbs 12.5 oz. and __in long. Cant remember that part. All's I know is that he is longer than 19in and less than 21in. I will blog again as soon as I find out for sure. :) He is beautiful and I love him to death already. I missed getting to watch my sister have the baby by 10 min or so. I was really sad I didnt make it in time, but I got up there soon after and was able to spend all night with him and my sister. So here are a couple of pictures to share with you. I am sure I will have more pictures soon.

Finally Alanna and Peyton get to see Emit

I CAN HOLD HIM BY MYSELF :)

Alanna, Peyton and their new baby brother Emit

what do a 5 and 2yr old do after they get a new baby brother...? Play in the cupboard DUH!

Emit and I

Daddy and Mommy with their new baby

Pearl Patricia

2008-04-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well I have some great and exciting news everyone....I'm an aunt for the 9th time. :) Yes, my sister gave birth to a beautiful little girl today. Pearl Patrica, weighin in at around 11lbs and 23in long. Don't know how that felt..nor do I want to...haha. Thats why I leave the baby making up to all my siblings. I'm very glad to add another Niece to my collection. Although I dont have any pictures of the new baby her are some pictures of all my others. (Dont worry I will get a picture up of the new baby ASAP)

Alanna and Peyton

Gage

Lilly

Finn

Sylvi

Laura and Julia

Crazy In the Mirror... its what us college girls do!

2007-09-07T12:40:00.000-07:00