What would you do if you won a million dollars??
We all have dreams and I am sure that everyone has thought of something. We would pay off debts, give money to our parents, siblings, invest some, save some, but most importantly I would give a majority of it to find a cure for Diabetes!
It’s not often that I complain about this stupid disease, but this weekend has been a rough one.
I have good control of my diabetes. I check my blood sugars, and watch what I eat, and I am so very lucky that my parents fought to get me on an Insulin Pump at a young age. I have so much freedom – for a diabetic. I had a really high blood sugar on Saturday because my tube on my Insulin pump wasn’t primed correctly (which happens from time to time with technology), and I wasn’t getting the correct amount of Insulin for about 4 hours. We were enjoying the movie “The Proposal,” so I didn’t really feel it until we got home.
My Saturday and Sunday were wasted with feeling sick. I had to correct the problem – which took about 6 hours to do, and now I am dealing with the aftermath – severe headaches, loss of appetite, drowsiness, and now - frustration.
Frustrated that there isn’t a cure yet. Frustrated that it takes so long to snap out of a high blood sugar. Frustrated that I spent my Saturday night (which was our date night) feeling sick. Frustrated that I had to wake up every ½ hour to re-check my blood sugar. Frustrated with the headache that I have. And frustrated that it’s 5:18 p.m. on a Sunday night and I don’t feel better.
Okay. That's it. I apologize for this "venting post," but I had to share my frustrations...
There is a lot of fun events to attend this summer that will directly go to finding a cure for this disease. I know Parish and I will be attending a few. Check out the link above and if you are interested - I encourage you to attend. I think I can speak for thousands in Minnesota alone when I say - we would greatly appreciate it!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Jackson is 3!!
Our little yorkie turned 3 today!! Here is a video of him opening his present. :) What did he get - you ask? Only his favorite T-bone treats and a new bone.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
More 2009 pictures
Our little Haylee Bean...
Parish and Chaston, our nephew who is now walking!! We can't believe it!
This is my best friends daughter - Brynn. She is going to be a big sister at the end of August/beginning of September. Parish and I went to her Dora Fiesta birthday party and this was her present from her mom and dad! She is so cute!Spring 2009 pictures
Brooklyn and Hannah at her spring dance recital
Brookie - I can't believe how grown up she is getting!!
Gavin and I - we have a family trait of "big eyes" so every time we take a picture - we do a "big eye" picture
This is the before picture of our dining room/kitchen
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Parish
When I started blogging, I had no idea what our blog was going to be about. At first, I thought it was a good way to let our friends and family know what was going on in our lives – and I think that I do an okay job at that – but I am certainly not consistent.
I think part of the reason why I am so inconsistent is that we don’t have any kids yet. Well, besides Jackson – but we can’t really post a whole entry on how adorable he is everyday when he steals P’s socks while he is in the shower, or how at night when we say “let’s go to bed”, he grabs a baby (his stuffed animals) and when we wake up we have about 10 more in bed with us, or when he wants to cuddle – he comes right up to you curls under your neck – like a fur collar. Maybe, I could write a whole post on how darn cute he is, but I thought we would do something different this time.
I am the main author of this blog, and after surfing the many other blogs that I view daily, I came up with a plan (well, I am borrowing this idea). I am going to have P take over this post! So, here is it, straight from the mouth of the man of my dreams, the one and only – Parish William Barten…
What is your favorite thing about your life?
Life in general is good. I love my family and friends.
What did you think when Sarah told you she was starting a blog?
I think part of the reason why I am so inconsistent is that we don’t have any kids yet. Well, besides Jackson – but we can’t really post a whole entry on how adorable he is everyday when he steals P’s socks while he is in the shower, or how at night when we say “let’s go to bed”, he grabs a baby (his stuffed animals) and when we wake up we have about 10 more in bed with us, or when he wants to cuddle – he comes right up to you curls under your neck – like a fur collar. Maybe, I could write a whole post on how darn cute he is, but I thought we would do something different this time.
I am the main author of this blog, and after surfing the many other blogs that I view daily, I came up with a plan (well, I am borrowing this idea). I am going to have P take over this post! So, here is it, straight from the mouth of the man of my dreams, the one and only – Parish William Barten…
What is your favorite thing about your life?
Life in general is good. I love my family and friends.
What did you think when Sarah told you she was starting a blog?
I thought it was typical - she's my busy little bee.
If there is one thing that you could say to your “readers” what would it be?
Smile. I am a one-word answer type of guy. It's what I do.
What is your favorite memory of you and Sarah?
Everyday. It seems to me that we laugh about something new everyday.
In your words, how did you ask Sarah to marry you?
Actually, it was in my own words, I prepared a note and with a drop of a knee and a few paragraphs later - I asked her if she would marry me. And she said yes.
In a typical day, what do you do at work?
Preventative maintenance of a water and sewer infrastructure.
Why did you choose the profession that you are in?
I did it while I was in high school for a part time job. And I am a third generation public works employee.
Where would you want to retire?
Grand Rapids, MN
Would you let Sarah get another dog? Why?
No way, they are too much work. Plus, we want kids.
What is your favorite thing about your home?
The chance to finally be able to see my wife, my TVs and I am partial to the hardwood floors that I installed with my grandpa.
Any fun summer plans?
To go North as often as possible.
What is the best trip that you have ever been on?
Probably, our trip to Michigan last year, because it was the first trip we experienced as a married couple.
What do you love about Sarah?
Her kindness, her personality, her ability and desire to achieve more. And I love just her.
Who is the person you look up to the most?
Grandpa Walter. His work ethic is astounding. The way he loves my grandma is priceless and his personality.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I love to spend time with my wife and dog, watch Gopher hockey, and lay on my ass.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Oh, boy...nobody set their alarm clock.
###
There you have it. Parish. And his one-word answers. :)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
A new found love...
We are finally back in the land of technology. We just got a new laptop (our old computer was infested with the WORM), and we now have the pleasure of surfing the web while curling up on our couch - it is fantastic!
While we were on break from the internet - we managed to pack in tons of fun these last few weeks! Here is a recap...
- We spent three weekends in a row with the McDonald family. We did everything from spend time with the godchild, playing "over the fence" volleyball with our little JJ, and Parish helped Josh build a rock wall at the cabin - which ended up falling back into the lake. At no fault of their own, of course.
- I started to get back into photography a little bit and had the pleasure of shooting my first wedding of the season on May 16. Congratulations to Kris and Dan Lavigne. I am especially excited because Parish bought me design programs for our new laptop for my birthday. Now I can edit, create slideshows, and doing pretty much everything I want to make all of our memories that much better. After this post, I plan on starting up the program and taking it for a stroll.
- I had the opportunity of getting a personal tour (with my boss) of the new gopher football stadium. I was so impressed with the locker room - it is in the shape of a football, 65 yards long, 25 yards wide - it is incredible. I just might become a football fan now...
- We ended up snagging a GREAT deal on a new cuddle chair for our living room. It matches the couch that we bought last year perfectly, so we did a little rearranging...
- And speaking of that, Parish and his Grandpa put hardwood floors in our dining room and kitchen and it looks like a brand new house! It is so beautiful and I am so lucky that Parish and grandpa are so talented.
- Finally, today was an awesome day. I rediscovered how much I like shooting a bow and arrow. Parish and I were slightly bored this morning, so we went out and explored the town of Princeton and discovered Whitcombs. What a great place. I used to do archery back in the good ole days, and loved it - but never took it any further than deer camp. I picked up a magazine and am looking at bows to purchase. I think it might be a great new hobby for me. Who knows - I could get really good at it.
Once I find the connection for our camera I will post updated pictures! I hope all is well and we are glad to be back in the world of technology!
While we were on break from the internet - we managed to pack in tons of fun these last few weeks! Here is a recap...
- We spent three weekends in a row with the McDonald family. We did everything from spend time with the godchild, playing "over the fence" volleyball with our little JJ, and Parish helped Josh build a rock wall at the cabin - which ended up falling back into the lake. At no fault of their own, of course.
- I started to get back into photography a little bit and had the pleasure of shooting my first wedding of the season on May 16. Congratulations to Kris and Dan Lavigne. I am especially excited because Parish bought me design programs for our new laptop for my birthday. Now I can edit, create slideshows, and doing pretty much everything I want to make all of our memories that much better. After this post, I plan on starting up the program and taking it for a stroll.
- I had the opportunity of getting a personal tour (with my boss) of the new gopher football stadium. I was so impressed with the locker room - it is in the shape of a football, 65 yards long, 25 yards wide - it is incredible. I just might become a football fan now...
- We ended up snagging a GREAT deal on a new cuddle chair for our living room. It matches the couch that we bought last year perfectly, so we did a little rearranging...
- And speaking of that, Parish and his Grandpa put hardwood floors in our dining room and kitchen and it looks like a brand new house! It is so beautiful and I am so lucky that Parish and grandpa are so talented.
- Finally, today was an awesome day. I rediscovered how much I like shooting a bow and arrow. Parish and I were slightly bored this morning, so we went out and explored the town of Princeton and discovered Whitcombs. What a great place. I used to do archery back in the good ole days, and loved it - but never took it any further than deer camp. I picked up a magazine and am looking at bows to purchase. I think it might be a great new hobby for me. Who knows - I could get really good at it.
Once I find the connection for our camera I will post updated pictures! I hope all is well and we are glad to be back in the world of technology!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Through the storm, there is light.
Sounds ironic to post this today, especially since we are covered in blowing snow in April. No, that’s not a typo – I said blowing. And snow. In the same sentance. But, I am not talking about that kind of storm. I am talking about the “bad weather” that my mom has been facing for almost a year.
It was May 1st last year when she found out that there was something spotted on her mammogram. Days later, she received the diagnosis that no woman wants to hear – you have breast cancer. GULP. Cancer? That word hasn’t been spoken too often in our home and never did we think it would affect us directly. But it did. It has been a long road – full of many rain clouds, heavy storms, blowing wind, and sunny days full of twists and turns. Through her journey, we had unforgettable 7 day forecasts that predicted what the outcome could be, quickly followed by the possible unforeseeable cold front that could move in and totally change the outcome.
Until now.
The forecast given yesterday was warm, sunny, and clear. “She looks fantastic,” the nurse said. “Your scans were clear.” There has been no reoccurrence. This was a breath of fresh air for our family, especially for my mom. This check-up was probably the hardest that she has been through because it was so close to the 1-year mark. But she made it. She is in the clear!
We can pack away the umbrellas, store the rain boots and dance in whatever rain may come our way, because we are done.
Yes, she will still have check-ups (yearly now), and will continue to meet with her oncologist, and get her results the day of her mammogram for the next 4 years, but that’s all standard procedure.
It’s terrific news and even though we are facing this winter storm in April, our family can see the light. And it’s a great thing to see.
It was May 1st last year when she found out that there was something spotted on her mammogram. Days later, she received the diagnosis that no woman wants to hear – you have breast cancer. GULP. Cancer? That word hasn’t been spoken too often in our home and never did we think it would affect us directly. But it did. It has been a long road – full of many rain clouds, heavy storms, blowing wind, and sunny days full of twists and turns. Through her journey, we had unforgettable 7 day forecasts that predicted what the outcome could be, quickly followed by the possible unforeseeable cold front that could move in and totally change the outcome.
Until now.
The forecast given yesterday was warm, sunny, and clear. “She looks fantastic,” the nurse said. “Your scans were clear.” There has been no reoccurrence. This was a breath of fresh air for our family, especially for my mom. This check-up was probably the hardest that she has been through because it was so close to the 1-year mark. But she made it. She is in the clear!
We can pack away the umbrellas, store the rain boots and dance in whatever rain may come our way, because we are done.
Yes, she will still have check-ups (yearly now), and will continue to meet with her oncologist, and get her results the day of her mammogram for the next 4 years, but that’s all standard procedure.
It’s terrific news and even though we are facing this winter storm in April, our family can see the light. And it’s a great thing to see.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Prayers for Stellan
I have followed Stellan's story since before he was even born, like many other bloggers. He needs our prayers - this poor little baby is back in SVT, where your heart beats so rapidly it is in danger of stopping. His McMama is by his side, keeping us all updated. Be sure to check out her site for updates (www.mycharmingkids.com) and make sure to view the Stellan Name Gallery. You will see what I mean - prayers are coming in from all over the world!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Not Me Monday!
This will be my first installment of “Not Me Monday!” It’s really quite clever really, check it out at (www.mycharmingkids.net). I will try to post this each Sunday night for you Monday readers – this is your chance to check out what I haven’t been doing over the last week.
This week, I did not run out of checks, pay all of our bills by phone (with some additional fees), because I was too preoccupied to reorder our checks two weeks ago when I saw we were getting low. That would be ridiculous. I am always on top of the ball and things never slip my mind. Nope. Not me!
Because of my newfound interest in politics, I haven’t missed an important Presidential speech for the last year and a half. So I totally did not skip over the President’s speech last week to stay up watching movies with my sister until 11 p.m. and miss all of the information that I was waiting to hear, partly because I was annoyed our regular programming wasn’t on for the evening. Nope. Not me!
I did not jump for joy because of the snow that we received last Thursday because I knew that Parish had to go to bed early to get up and plow (at 2 a.m.) and I could actually get some cleaning done. No way would I have done that. And obviously, there was NO WAY that after I got our whole house cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, that it was a complete disaster on Saturday morning. Nope. Didn’t happen here.
On Friday night, P and I went to a Chamber Gala in the cities. I was excited for a fun night away, with great company and a delicious meal. You could imagine my surprise when I found out that the dinner option was steak and shrimp. I did not forget that that one – it was Lent (and took a few bites of my steak) and two – my allergies to shrimp before moving the shrimp to the side (after it was laying on top of my steak). I also did not have to give myself medicine for the hives I had on my face and arms when I got home. Nope. I wouldn’t forget those things.
P and I spent the weekend at Josh and Kris’s house – we were all planning on going to the Science Museum on Sunday. I most certainly did not wake up Sunday morning only to realize that I didn’t pack any undergarments. So I didn’t make my husband travel to the store to buy new underwear for me. Nope. Oh, and my husband definitely did not return from the store with granny panties for me to wear. Nope. Totally didn’t happen.
I wasn’t just as excited as a child is on Christmas when we all arrived at the Science museum. Nope. I didn’t run around (with our friend’s 3-year old) pulling every lever, turning every crank, and pushing every button in order to see how science works. Nope. After all, I am an adult. And I certainly didn’t step in front of other children so that I could experience it first. WHO does that in public? Not me.
This week, I did not run out of checks, pay all of our bills by phone (with some additional fees), because I was too preoccupied to reorder our checks two weeks ago when I saw we were getting low. That would be ridiculous. I am always on top of the ball and things never slip my mind. Nope. Not me!
Because of my newfound interest in politics, I haven’t missed an important Presidential speech for the last year and a half. So I totally did not skip over the President’s speech last week to stay up watching movies with my sister until 11 p.m. and miss all of the information that I was waiting to hear, partly because I was annoyed our regular programming wasn’t on for the evening. Nope. Not me!
I did not jump for joy because of the snow that we received last Thursday because I knew that Parish had to go to bed early to get up and plow (at 2 a.m.) and I could actually get some cleaning done. No way would I have done that. And obviously, there was NO WAY that after I got our whole house cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, that it was a complete disaster on Saturday morning. Nope. Didn’t happen here.
On Friday night, P and I went to a Chamber Gala in the cities. I was excited for a fun night away, with great company and a delicious meal. You could imagine my surprise when I found out that the dinner option was steak and shrimp. I did not forget that that one – it was Lent (and took a few bites of my steak) and two – my allergies to shrimp before moving the shrimp to the side (after it was laying on top of my steak). I also did not have to give myself medicine for the hives I had on my face and arms when I got home. Nope. I wouldn’t forget those things.
P and I spent the weekend at Josh and Kris’s house – we were all planning on going to the Science Museum on Sunday. I most certainly did not wake up Sunday morning only to realize that I didn’t pack any undergarments. So I didn’t make my husband travel to the store to buy new underwear for me. Nope. Oh, and my husband definitely did not return from the store with granny panties for me to wear. Nope. Totally didn’t happen.
I wasn’t just as excited as a child is on Christmas when we all arrived at the Science museum. Nope. I didn’t run around (with our friend’s 3-year old) pulling every lever, turning every crank, and pushing every button in order to see how science works. Nope. After all, I am an adult. And I certainly didn’t step in front of other children so that I could experience it first. WHO does that in public? Not me.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Hi! I'm Sarah, What's your Name?
I spend countless hours a week after work perusing the internet in hopes that my favorite blogs (see side panel) have been updated, I get so excited to see what else is happening in their lives and when I realize its not updated, I get a bit sad…and then it hit me. I HAVE A BLOG! What in the world am I doing not updating mine? As usual, it’s a combination of we’re busy with this, and busy with that, but I am not going to bore you with those cockamamie excuses – let’s just get down to business, shall we?
Where do I start? January 11 was Parish and my 5th year anniversary of our first date. Some may think it’s elementary to keep track of that stuff. It may be, but not with the story that we have. Milestones like this are meant to be celebrated. We’ve accomplished so much together (more than we could have without one another) in those 5 years and are only looking forward to what else we have in store for us in the future.
Here are some fun facts about us (and I promise to keep this short, because I could go on and on)
- On January 2, 2004 we saw each other at Buffalo Wild Wings and literally smiles just peered on both of our faces. I had never felt butterflies like that before, still do.
- On January 11 we went on our first date (Bri, you might remember this) – he serenaded me to “You’ve Got That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers, had the women in the bar in hysterics, and we received endless compliments about our chemistry – on a first date? Who knew?
- In the first Valentine’s Day card he gave me, he wrote – “who would have thought we’d go from playing basketball with Ben to a romantic evening on Hwy 10. He used to come over to my parent’s house (on rollerblades) and shoot hoops with me, then we had a poor man's getaway in St. Cloud at an establishment on Hwy 10.
- The first time he ever said, “I love you” to me was the day after St. Patrick’s Day. He drove to my house at 7 a.m. and caught me before I left for work. What a day that was!
- The first time I ever said I love you to him was a slip up. We went to a Gary Allan concert, and we were on our way home. I meant to say that I loved it when he wore his hat backwards, but I slipped and looked at him and said “I love you.” I said it first.
- Parish was my 8th grade crush, and promised my parents that he would be back in 10 years to marry me. We got married 10 years, 2 months and 14 days later.
So 5 years after our first date, and 2 years and 3 months into our marriage – he surprised me with an upgrade of my wedding ring! I am still in awe of this wonderful man that I am proud to call my husband.
In other Barten news –
We have a new cousin!!
Clayton Lawrence Reintjes was born at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2009 to my cousins Dan and Lisa. He was 8 lbs, 8 oz, 22 inches long. His siblings are Gavin and Brooklyn (you may remember those little cuties from our wedding).
We had a pretty low key Valentine’s Day. We went to a wedding (our old neighbor Sherri and her fiancé Mike tied the knot) for a little while and then headed home to snuggle up and watch some movies. The night before that, Parish and I watched JJ and Kallie McDonald – how sweet are they!
Parish is looking forward to Hockey State – he and his buddies are planning on painting the town for a night in Minneapolis. I am looking forward to relaxing as much as possible this weekend – we had WAY to many people sick at work and I am so thankful that I have fought it off and haven’t caught this bug yet – I know, can you believe it?
Oh - and Parish's mom and grandparents are coming the first weekend in March. We can't wait to spend some time with them.
Have a great weekend!!
Where do I start? January 11 was Parish and my 5th year anniversary of our first date. Some may think it’s elementary to keep track of that stuff. It may be, but not with the story that we have. Milestones like this are meant to be celebrated. We’ve accomplished so much together (more than we could have without one another) in those 5 years and are only looking forward to what else we have in store for us in the future.
Here are some fun facts about us (and I promise to keep this short, because I could go on and on)
- On January 2, 2004 we saw each other at Buffalo Wild Wings and literally smiles just peered on both of our faces. I had never felt butterflies like that before, still do.
- On January 11 we went on our first date (Bri, you might remember this) – he serenaded me to “You’ve Got That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers, had the women in the bar in hysterics, and we received endless compliments about our chemistry – on a first date? Who knew?
- In the first Valentine’s Day card he gave me, he wrote – “who would have thought we’d go from playing basketball with Ben to a romantic evening on Hwy 10. He used to come over to my parent’s house (on rollerblades) and shoot hoops with me, then we had a poor man's getaway in St. Cloud at an establishment on Hwy 10.
- The first time he ever said, “I love you” to me was the day after St. Patrick’s Day. He drove to my house at 7 a.m. and caught me before I left for work. What a day that was!
- The first time I ever said I love you to him was a slip up. We went to a Gary Allan concert, and we were on our way home. I meant to say that I loved it when he wore his hat backwards, but I slipped and looked at him and said “I love you.” I said it first.
- Parish was my 8th grade crush, and promised my parents that he would be back in 10 years to marry me. We got married 10 years, 2 months and 14 days later.
So 5 years after our first date, and 2 years and 3 months into our marriage – he surprised me with an upgrade of my wedding ring! I am still in awe of this wonderful man that I am proud to call my husband.
In other Barten news –
We have a new cousin!!
Clayton Lawrence Reintjes was born at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2009 to my cousins Dan and Lisa. He was 8 lbs, 8 oz, 22 inches long. His siblings are Gavin and Brooklyn (you may remember those little cuties from our wedding).
We had a pretty low key Valentine’s Day. We went to a wedding (our old neighbor Sherri and her fiancé Mike tied the knot) for a little while and then headed home to snuggle up and watch some movies. The night before that, Parish and I watched JJ and Kallie McDonald – how sweet are they!
Parish is looking forward to Hockey State – he and his buddies are planning on painting the town for a night in Minneapolis. I am looking forward to relaxing as much as possible this weekend – we had WAY to many people sick at work and I am so thankful that I have fought it off and haven’t caught this bug yet – I know, can you believe it?
Oh - and Parish's mom and grandparents are coming the first weekend in March. We can't wait to spend some time with them.
Have a great weekend!!
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