The one about driving to Alexandria

We drove to Alexandria Friday after I got done with work. It started well, McKenzie and Rachel practiced the wedding song. McKenzie is getting the words down and Rachel figured out the best parts for her and Ellen. Now we just have to let Ellen know. I googled the directions to see if there was anything that would avoid traffic and technology told me to take 35E to 694. The best part about Rachel is that she has a few superstitions and one of them is about traffic in the city. She firmly believes that if she complains about the traffic it clears up, and if she says anything positive about what good time we're making, something happens. 52 to 94 to 35E to 694 is 4 miles of parking lot, but we got through it in about 20 minutes with Rachel complaining the whole way. It worked, because soon as we passed 35W traffic lightened and were to 94 in no time flat. It must have surprised Rachel, because suddenly she said "Hey, I can't believe we're already to ..." and we looked up and an ominous sign read "Crash west of Cty Rd 30, expect delays." 2 hours later we passed the "accident" in Rogers. So the superstition stands, as long as Rachel is complaining about traffic, we'll be fine.

We got to the Broadway Ballroom on time for the taste testing. We tried the potatoes first. There were little red ones that were quartered and seasoned, however they had no taste. Next was the garlic mashed, which had a ton of garlic, but none of the flavor we were expecting. The last was "Smoked Gouda Gratin," which I won't describe because that was the one we chose and you'll have to try it yourselves. For the meat we tried beef tips in some sort of sauce, which was good, but not appropriate for 300 people since so many people won't like it. Next was Chicken Courdon Bleu, which obvoiusly came out of a plastic bag. Mine didn't have cheese in it. The third choice was Grilled Chicken with Tomato Basil Pesto with some sort of cheese. Again, I can't describe it because it's the one we chose. We also selected a vegetable medley and chose to do a party sub after the dance, rather than appetizers before the meal.

The hall was decorated for a class reunion, and it looked really cool. The director showed us where the head table is going to be, where the dance floor is, where the bar is set up, where the DJ sets up, it's going to be great. The hotel is about 30 feet from the main entrance, so people can go back and forth as much as they need to. We also checked out the hotel. It still has that "new car smell" to it. We have at least a fifth of the rooms, so you won't be able to walk down the hall without running into someone there for the wedding.

Tomorrow is dinner with Dave's parents. They live on Lake Mary, one of the few full time residents among a lot of resorts. It's like every day is vacation.

~Bill

The one about the dancing lessons.

I'm taking dancing lessons for the wedding dance. I have always wanted to dance, and I'm very bad at it. I think what helps me most is that I'm aware of what I don't know. Some people think they know everything there is to know about dancing, they just don't do it well. I'm pretty sure that if I can dance well during this one song, anyone in the world can do it. We'll be dancing a slow rumba, which will allow for some very cool and showy turns.

Angie blogged about the use of periods in a sentence, and how you're only supposed to use one space. Since I've become aware of this practice, I now notice who uses two spaces and who uses one. It's almost right down the line, if a manager is under 30 their writing will have only one space. If the writer is older, two spaces. If they're uneducated, two spaces. I firmly believe APA uses it as a litmus test for education. "If you've been to college in the past seven years, you'll know this." I'm offended, yet at the same time I am completely on board.

~B

The one about the bachelor party.

Last week-end was my bachelor party. It was a lot of fun, Brian came down from Minneapolis, Chris and dad came from Albert Lea, then Tom, Charlie, and I were already in Rochester. We golfed nine holes and only got chastised by the staff once for having too many people in our group. Tom is by far the superior golfer of the group, I'm glad I was teamed up with him. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and had the worst server in the world. She was worse than me when it comes to waiting tables.

After spending just as long in BW3's as we did on the golf course, we drove up to the hotel and met up with the other crowd. We had free drinks at Embassy Suites, so we stayed there and played poker, then went to a comedy club. The comedians weren't the best, but we had fun.

Then we met up with the girls at the Lone Tree bar. Ryan decided he didn't need to stay with the group, and he was quickly abandoned. He ended up taking a cab and meeting up with us, but not without a little drama along the way. The girls were there within a few minutes and they were having way more fun than we were. Sister Angie and Aunt Brandy were among the group. We danced. They danced. I flailed.

Then we went back to the hotel, crowded into a couple of rooms, and did our best impression of sleep. Then the door opens, my eyes slowly adjusted to the light, I was groggy and sort of hung over and I thought I could see my mom in the hotel room, but there's no way it could be my mom, it's my bachelor party and my mom is 120 miles from here. I started to wonder what kind of mushrooms were in the omlet that morning, but then Angie and Brandy and Kailey walked in. I came to a slow realization that my bachelor party had just been crashed by my mom, my aunt, my sister, and my neice. I suddenly became aware of the beer cans strewn about the room, the full ashtray overflowing onto the table, the clothes piled in a corner, I guess I felt the way any college dorm occupant feels when their relatives show up unannounced. The other room, the one I didn't stay in, was spotless, even the beds were made.

The drive back was uneventful, and Rachel and I slept forever.

The one about the haircut.

I got a haircut yesterday. My usual hairstylist is getting too popular for me. When she was new I could cancel and get a new appointment fairly quickly, and when I could make it. Now I have to cancel and she's booked out for over a month. It's not like my hair is so horrible that only one person in the world can cut it, I guess I've just felt a loyalty to her. My friends use her, and they are fairly exclusive. I've never had a problem with her cutting my hair, I just have a busy schedule and she has a busy schedule and we haven't been able to meet up more than twice this year. That's two cuts in six months. My loyalty to her cost me horrible hair in my engagement photos (which won't be released for other reasons.) So I decided to get my hair cut on the spot yesterday. It's not the best haircut I've gotten, but I got it on my terms. I'm taking back control of my hair.

On a more serious note, my bachelor party is tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about that when it happens. For now, I'll be satisfied with a new haircut.

What a Week-end

It all started with McKenzie's party on Friday night. The kids were pretty well behaved, most of them had a softball game in the morning, and we had to drive to St. Cloud for my cousin Ben's wedding the next morning. The party was fun for McKenzie, she got to have 2 friends sleep over. I'm still picking up the mess, but they had a good time.

Ben's wedding was fun. For future reference, just because a vehicle claims to fit eight comfortably, it rarely does. There were seven of us and one is an infant. You might think that an infant is small and therefore takes less room in a vehicle. Any recent parent knows better. In true Olson fashion, we got lost on the way. It turns out almost everyone there got lost at least once during the trip. The wedding was short and sweet, they had a string quartet that played, short sermon, ring and candle ceremony, and they were out the door. No receiving line, no bubbles, rice, or cars honking their horns. I took good notes, because Rachel and I want to cut out most of the stuff they did.

The reception was more than fun. The girls got to play with Denise's daughters, Morgan and Kaitlyn, and with Ben's sister, Emily. They danced like nobody was watching, and they got to sing with the band. They stayed up way too late and woke up too early, and we had to drive back to Rochester. We got home in time to meet up with Rachel and have Father's Day dinner and mow the lawn and get to bed.

Who needs sleep? Angie sure doesn't.

Names..

Rachel and I attended two graduation parties over the week-end. One for a cousin on her dad's side and one for her brother. Knowing she would have a lot of relatives there, Rachel was quizzing me on everyone's names. Despite having been quizzed in the past, I was still around 30% and getting worse as the drive wore on. I would remember an uncle's name and forget a sister's, it was getting excruciating.

We got to Rachel's grandparents house standing with the dogs trying to keep them out of everyone's way. Rachel was quizzing me on who people were, pointing and whispering and I'm whispering back. I called her uncle Chris someone from her mom's side of the family, and she laughed. So what it boils down to is people see us pointing, whispering, and laughing. People were curious, they overheard what we were talking about, so suddenly I was in the middle of a circle being grilled on everyone's names. I'm not 100% proficient and I know 4 generations of the Thomes family. To be fair, I felt the need to quiz Rachel on the way to Alexandria, she knew more of my family than I did.

Anyone remember a great uncle named Fat?

~B

Summer is on the way!!

It's almost summer, and the girls will be out of school on Thursday. They're pretty excited, I almost wish they wouldn't have a summer break. A few weeks off two times would be sufficient to give the kids a break and allow for vacations. No need for three months away from learning.

I've been planning my bachelor party. It's been quite fun, as Rachel is planning hers for the same night. I'll be doing a little golfing, some poker, then the comedy club. Should be a great time.

Have a safe week-end everyone!

Cashed In!!

Huge thanks to Angie, Brandy, Darlene, and mom for putting on an awesome shower!! The girls, Braydon, and mom put a really cool skit. Mom would ask questions, the kids would answer "Kids Say the Darndest Things" style. I think the funniest line was from Madison, when asked how old you have to be to fall in love, she said "Older than third grade."

We got a ton of stuff, and I immediately made waffles for breakfast the next morning.

McKenzie is planning her Golden Birthday party for next week-end. I get to deal with screaming 12 year olds. It should be a very fun time.

~B