Nick ‘n’ Heather

I don’t have much time to write right now as I have to go back to work in a few minutes but thought I could write a few sentances. As many of you have already found out, we have the go-ahead for our new taekwondo gym!! The official opening is May 5 and we are already starting to establish the business and create wholesale accounts. Should be a wild ride going up to the opening. Gesh it is going to be a busy spring.

And yes Mom, I contacted the DJ but he has not returned my email yet.

I don’t really think I have much else to say…

So here is another update on our 2nd Dan journey. Last night I packed supper and picked up Nick at work so we could head to Elysian. Ran into some traffic on 494 but, luckily with two of us, we got to use the carpool lane once we got on 35. Nice! That was pretty awesome because we flew by and cut off a lot of time we would have spent at 20 mph. We got to Tim’s around 6:30 and found that they were having a 2 hour sparring session so we geared up and jumped in for a little bit. When sparring was done it was time for pattern and Tim had Nick and I go through all the patterns with all the color belts and then do Koryo for all the kids to watch. It was a fun way to do patterns. We took a short break and then began the adult class. After warm-ups, Nick and I paired up and got to working on black belt techniques. We have learned them before but it has been a long time so we kind of forgot them, hey, it happens. We learned 4 of the techniques before the class was over. After we finished, Tim went over taeguk 1 and 2 with Nick and I and went over 3 and 4 with me. Fun fun. We packed up and left after that to head home. We checked the clock and realized and we had been there for close to three and a half hours! Nice workout!

Today, I am kinda sore but it is a good sore. Oh yeah, when we got back last night, Nick realized that we had forgotten to get his car at work so he would take my car in the morning. Well, it rained last night and apparently Nick left his windows cracked…opps. And then to make matters worse, he forgot his car keys here so he could not even get in to close the windows. Instead, he grabbed some paper towels and stuffed them in the cracked windows to keep out the light rain that was still going in the morning. Tonight, I don’t think we have much planned. Tomorrow we are going to Hutchinson for Rumble in the Park, Tim’s mini-tournament. Should be a nice and fun day. Sunday it sounds that we will meet my step-brother, Bryan, and head to Alexandria where my parents will be waiting with the boat. We will spend a nice, relaxing day on the lake before heading home to fight traffic. I am looking forward to it!

Oh yeah, on the job front. Kind of happy. I talked to GfK yesterday. At first, they had said they would be done interviewing and would have chosen a candidate last week. I called to check-up and see where they were in the process. Turns out I wasn’t out of the running like I had thought. They were just running behind and told me that they hoped to be done very soon. I was happy with this news and Nick brought it into a new perspective. He said that if they were not even considering me, they probably would have told me that the position was filled. I hope he is right! So, keep crossing your fingers!

Tonight, Nick and I are going down to Elysian to train with Tim for a couple of hours. We will go over taeguks and work on the 10 black belt techniques. I will update on this later tonight when we get back. I am going to meet Nick for a picnic lunch today. He is all spiffy and dressed up because some clients are in the office today. He look very nice. I will stay home and do some laundry and apply for a couple more jobs. Kinda getting sick of writing cover letters, hell, I was sick of that a couple of weeks ago!

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE COMMENTS! It makes me want to keep writing! Today Nick finally got the photo book that I got him with all the pictures he took at the Star Wars exhibit at the Science Museum. He really liked it! After he drooled over the pictures, we had a little supper and then headed to TKD. It was fun and I realized that I don’t like sparring Nick because he is way too tall so I can’t get in close and when I do, he punches the crap outta me. He also came to the decision that he doesn’t like sparring me because I don’t try. Oh well. We both got some nice head kicks in on other opponents and then it was time to leave. We headed home and stopped at the Hostess outlet store to pick up some cupcakes…but they were out! So, we picked up some light twinkies and big cupcakes, both 2 points. When we got home, Nick had to pick up a book from the library and I had to drop one off so I came out with the great idea of running to the library. So we laced up the Nike’s and headed out, after all, why not get a little conditioning in with this little errand. When we were just about there I said to Nick, “Wouldn’t it suck if they were not open.” He did not think so and guess what…it was closed! Oh fun fun. I turned in my book and Nick beat me senseless. Well, not quite but he said he would never go anywhere with me again until he checked the hours of operation. Gesh, give me a break! Another day down, 57 more to go!

Nick and I started training today for our test. We are starting slow so not to kill ourselves on the first day. We did a walk/jog to the Brookfield park to work on patterns. The tennis courts were full so we made our way to a cleared area of land. 20 push-ups started the workout and then we both did Koreo two times while the other critiqued. After that, we learned two tae guk patterns; tae guk patterns are a different set of patterns just like palgwe’s. Yeah… hard to explain but just think of a different pattern that you saw us do at each of our color belt tests. We will learn 4 for our test, I think. So, in essence, we will learn the patterns for orange, yellow, green, and blue belt ranks. After we finished repeating the patterns about 5 times each, we ended the workout with 10 more push-ups.  When we got back to the apartment we started making supper. I handled the buttered noodles and corn on the cob while Nick took care of the chicken breasts that I took out of the freezer that afternoon. Pretty good meal! We were like real little adults! We have really been watching our points with the help of a new white-board that we got for the kitchen. The board is divided into 7 parts for each day of the week. Everytime that we eat something, we add the item and the point amount to the board. That way, we know what we are eating and can help each other out. Also, it is a nice reminder that all  your points add up! Well, thats about all for now.

First, before we get to anything, thank you mom for commenting! This weekend was fun and went by way too fast! I got to see Eric, a little guy I used to teach in TKD, and his family when they came down Friday to visit their great aunt for the weekend. It was a lot of fun to see him and we went swimming for the afternoon. It was awesome to see him and I had a lot of fun. After I left I headed to pick up Heidi so we could all take off. We got home late due to a late start. We dropped Heidi off and headed to my parents. They were out on the patio around the old grill that was in the back and was now a fire pit. We sat out with them and roasted some mallows. Nice night and it was good to visit. Saturday we headed over to MSUM to watch the extravaganza. Tim and Megan tested along with James. Pretty entertaining. Everyone was taken by suprise when Master Roy said he sould be testing for his 7th Dan this year! AWESOME!! After we left we headed back to my house to give my car a full vacuum and wash, ahhh a clean car! We then headed over to Lindenwood for the picnic and I was mobbed by little kids with squirt guns! The picnic was good and Master Roy even showed up. Nick talked with him about re-doing the Northwest website and we both talked to him about testing to 2nd degree this winter. Turns out, there is going to be another master test this fall so he wants to add some other tests along with it. So Nick and I will be testing for 2nd Dan on September 19th! Wow, not very far away, its going to be a tough next couple of months! We are both excited and nervous! We headed home and had another mallow roasting time around the fire pit. Sunday we headed to DL to hang out with the Olson’s. Carley finally got her birthday present and we got to watch the Water Carnival parade. I forgot how long of a parade it is! We got some good candy with the help of KK, Nick’s cousins 9 year old daughter. Nick’s grandparents wanted to check out the condo’s that my grandma is in so we headed over to view the open condo. After that, we walked back to the campground and had a good supper before heading home and dropping off Heidi.

Monday was pretty uneventful. This morning I must have been really tired because I normally wake up by 9 and I just couldn’t get up. I pushed snooze a couple of time and then fell asleep hardcore! I had a dream that we went to a resturant and I wanted a kids meal because I don’t like the big portions but they would not give me one. I got a beeper of a toy for some reason and it would not stop going off. I broke it open and ripped out the battery and it still would not cease! It was driving me insane and other people had them too! So, in case you haven’t pieced it together yet, the beeping with the alarm. I woke up after the beeping stopped and the alarm had stopped because it had been going off for an hour. Opps, guess I needed the rest. That’s all for now.

Today marks a sad day in the Olson-Haarstad apartment. Bernice kicked the bucket this morning. It is not unexpected because she was looking pretty bad the last couple of days but it is hard to realize she is gone. We had some good memories this last year and a half. Time spent in her first home and Marisa and my apartment, Christmas with the Grandparents, and the big move to Golden Valley. So for now, we say goodbye to fishies in the apartment, but maybe next week, or even tonight, there will be another.

So just a quick update. For the past couple of days my jaw has become increasingly sore. It feels like I am constantly clenching the right side of my jaw. Painful. It has gotten to the point where I have trouble touching the back teeth together. I’ve tried massaging it and hot packs to release tension. Mom thinks it is because I am so stressed over this week and hopefully getting a call from GfK. I hope that is the truth! Since I was interviewed in the early stages, I am going to call tomorrow and let them know I am still very interested and ask if any questions have come up that I could answer. I am still crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I finally finished my pottery today and I think it will turn out really nicely, it better after all the time it took! The woman who owns the place said that it will probably be on display when I come to get it. Tonight I am going to Hopkins to attend the Medical Reserve Corps training session. It is a network of various healthcare providers who can be called up in the event of a disaster. I signed up a year or so ago after getting my EMT certification and now that I moved I have to go through the Hennepin County training session. Kind of nervous but it should be okay. Tomorrow evening Nick and I and a bunch of people from his work are going to play Bingo. I am looking forward to it! Thursday I might be heading with Tim to Elysian to help teach TKD. I am very excited for Friday. Eric, a little guy I used to teach in TKD, is coming with his family to visit family in Burnsville. I am going to meet them somewhere and hang out for a little bit before heading back to Moorhead for the extravaganza this Saturday.

Also, I hope Heidi is feeling well and up to it to hitch a ride with Nick and I back home for some much needed time at the lakes. Everyone please pray for her and Brad during this journey. Click here for a link to her website where you can view her journal and wish her well in the guestbook area. We are keeping you in our thoughts Heidi!

What a weekend! Fun with friends that we don’t get to see much from Moorhead! But first, we must re-cap the exciting events of the week.

Tuesday we played Bingo in Brooklyn Park. It was a lot of fun and cheap entertainment at $5 for the entire night! Nice! To make it even better, I BINGOed! It was only for $10 at the concession area because other people won with me but it is still a win!

Thursday we went to The Paint Pot in Plymouth. It is just like Clay Your Way in Fargo. We both picked out items and Nick finished his that night. I, being the picky perfectionist, am still working on my project. I am going in to finish it tomorrow because it is supposed to be a rainy day. After we got home we decided it was time for some exercise. We checked the weather, so we didn’t run into another hail storm, and headed out on the bikes with a trip around Medicine Lake planned. Wow, didn’t realize it was a 12 mile trip! Nick and I both decided we did not like hills, at least the upside. Needless to say we were quite beat by the time we got home.

Saturday we woke up and did some cleaning before loading the bikes behind my car and heading off the Minnehaha Falls. It was a beautiful day and we biked around 5 miles and really took in the beauty. We saw the first lock and dam system on the Mississippi and watched a couple of boats go through. Pretty cool. The falls were gorgeous but we decided next time we were going to leave the bikes at home and hike around on foot to really go around the trails surrounding the river. There are a lot of trails along the river and even a small swimming area in the rapids! I can’t wait to go back! Oh yeah, how could I forget, we also biked over to a Dairy Queen that was nearby the park and I enjoyed a cone while Nick had a cherry slushy. We packed up the bikes again and headed for home to meet Tim at our apartment. We all watched a movie before going our seperate ways. Nick and I met Lindsay, Madi, and Rich at Maple Grove Days and walked around the blowup games. Madi, Rich and I even went on the bungee run and had a pretty good time. It was getting dark and there was fireworks on the agena so we walked over to the lake where they were going to be shot off at. Wow, awesome show! We were so close they practically filled the sky! The grand finale was so great Nick and I both commented that we could feel it pounding in our chests! Nice! After the show we met up with James and Sheena and headed over to Kyles place to sit on the deck before relocating to Perkins due to the rain. We made plans to meet for a fun filled Sunday afternoon at Valleyfair before saying our goodbyes and heading for home.

Sunday was awesome! Nick and I went to Valleyfair with James, Sheena, Lindsay and Rich. The lines were really short so we got the most out of the day! Right before we left I remembered that Rip Cord was having a sale for $10 a person to ride. I convinced James to go and we headed off to sign up to fly! Right when we were getting ready to be fitted for the harnesses, Rich decided he wanted to go to so he got in with us. I wish someone would have had a camera to capture the event but it was great! I got to pull the cord and wow! After the events we were all pretty tired so James and Sheena dropped us off and they headed to Sheenas place to take a nap before they came over later that night to watch a movie.

All in all a pretty great weekend. This week I am trying to be patient in waiting for the call-back from GfK. Please cross your fingers! We are heading home this weekend for the summer Extravaganza and to possibly see my Dad at Pelican. We also may be picking up a hitchhiker for the way home and if we do, it will be nice company! That’s all for now!