So much to update

I feel like there is SOOOO much to update. Right when things started to get settled then it was time to come back to CA.

Hopefully in the next couple days I can finish all the drama of the trip.

My trip...so far....

WOW what a trip it has been...the first 18 hours were just insane. On Tuesday Perkins took me to the airport and we arrived 3 hours early. This is the beginning of my waiting for the entire day. My first flight took off at 12:30 from San Francisco to La La Land. Arrive at 1:50 and leave LAX to Denver at 4pm. I arrive in Denver 30 min early around 7pm. My flight left from Denver left at 9:24. I arrived in Bismarck at 11:30pm. I turned on my phone and checked facebook. Lacey has it updated that it says she hit a raccoon. uh oh! I got nervous that something was wrong.

I called Lacey to let her know we had arrived. She said you have got to be kidding me you are here already? She was stuck about 40 min from the airport at the rest area. She said she hit the raccoon and now her car was over heating. My parents left the house to come pick up Lacey and then get me. Lacey had come to get me so my parents could sleep since mom gets up at 4am every day.


I get my suitcase and Lacey said it would be about an hour until they arrived. This is very typical I have NEVER been picked up in 4 1/2 years on time. I always have to wait or there is some type of ruckus each time I arrive.

Everyone left the airport except me and one other guy. We were both waiting for our rides. Security comes up to me and asked when my ride would be arriving. I said in about 30-40 minutes. He said well I am locking up in 10 minutes. I said the airport? He said yes, we are closing. WHAT?!?!?!? who locks the airport? He wanted to know where my ride was coming from...I told him Beulah. He said well they won't be able to get here because it's flooded, so you better take a taxi some place. What a rude dude! Well finally after 10-15 minutes I got a taxi and went to the nearest 24 restaurant. I go strolling in with my suitcase. I waited there for about 30 minutes.

My parents and Lacey arrived to pick me up. We drove home and stop to see the car on the way. My dad thought the radiator hose was just broke and he would come pick it up the next day. Oh boy here is where the rest of the story gets insane.

On Wednesday mom calls to tell us to be ready by noon to go meet dad & the police at the rest area. In North Dakota if you hit an animal you have to call the county police to have a sticker place on your car. Lacey ended up having to call the State Police! The state police said to call them only if there was more than $1,000 worth of damage.

Dad calls and tells us to leave the house...this is at 11:30am. Lacey and I threw on clothes. I put a little make up on and threw my hair in a ponytail. We had to go to town to get gas in the spare car. We called dad once we were almost at the rest area. He did not sound very happy and hung up on Lacey. I called dad back and he said he was having issues with the trailer.

We arrived at the rest area to wait. Dad calls us to say he is on his way and it would be about 30 minutes. Lacey and I were starving at this point, so we decided to go to the next town 10 minutes away to get something for lunch. We also wanted to get dad some food so he would be in a good mood :)

Well as we are driving and I looked at the gages and the car is OVER HEATING!!!!!! I told Lacey to pull over and I cranked on the heat. I called dad and said I don't even know what to say at this point, but we are stranded in New Salem with the car over heating. He kind of laughed and said you have got to be kidding me. He said don't move and I will be right there.

The sheriff pulls up behind us with his lights on. Lacey gets all upset and I told her I would talk to the cop. I let him know our dad was on the way to help us and our car was over heating. He was super nice and said ok I just wanted to make sure you girls were ok.

My dad arrives and he put water in the car. We parked it at nearest gas station and jumped in with dad to go pick up Lacey's car. By this time it's 1pm. Dad got the trailer all ready and started to drive the car on the trailer. Well with the weight the ramps started to come up and hit the bottom of the car. Lacey gets a great idea. How about she drives the car onto the trailer and dad would stand on the ramps. My stomach was KILLING me thinking of this and what could go wrong.

Well it worked....Dad jumped off the ramps just in time for Lacey to pull the car the rest of the way on. Dad strapped the car down and we took off to get the other car. Dad put more water in the car and we had to watch the heat gage. Off the road we went.

Thank God that everything was going according to plan. We drove to Hazen to drop off the car at the mechanics. I told mom to meet us ASAP to take me home. I didn't want to see anyone this grubby!

Turns out Lacey entire radiator and condenser...something else is wrong too, but I don't know all these car terms. One raccoon caused such a ruckus for 18 hours.

North Dakota Bound!

I am heading to ND to visit my parents and sister. My mom will be turning 50 years old on Saturday!

I can't wait to see my family! I will only be there a short 4 days. I haven't told my grandma I am coming to visit. I am planning to surprise her on Wednesday. I want to show up to the restaurant she goes to every Wednesday morning for breakfast. Maybe I can ask the waitress to let me bring her out a cup of coffee. I am sure someone will spot me and my cover will be blown. I am related to 50% of the entire town. lol

At this moment I should be packing, but I am blogging...I need to get my suitcase packed!

PS - I sent this picture to Lacey and told her to be looking out for this person tomorrow at the airport!

April 12, 2009 = One Year of Marital Bliss

April 12, 2009 Art and I celebrated one year of marriage!!!! Below is a picture we took on our anniversary. I kept saying we can't let this day pass without a picture. 9:30 at night here we are snapping a quick picture together.


On Saturday we celebrated our Anniversary since Sunday was Easter. Originally we had booked a mystery dinner cruise. On Thursday we received a call that it was cancelled, so we had to make new plans. We went to Redwood City to explore. We went to the movies and saw Fast & Furious. It was a very good movie and Vin Diesel is in this one =) Then we went and toured the Redwood City Museum of History. Below are some pictures of the museum. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

Please take note this is a turkey shoot and raffle. Mom and dad's turkey better run for cover.

Becky in the trolly

This is Art making fun of me. He said could you imagine if you had to call your mom and talk to her on a phone like this..."oh hi mom aunt Betsy did what? You are kidding me"....this is him mocking me.

I can't believe a year has gone by already. The past year has been a great year!!!! I have to admit there were some hard times. I am use to running the show and it's hard to not be in charge. When we got engaged Art said he wanted to spend the next 40 years with me. Art will be 80 and I will be a young 68 in 40 years. LOL I can't imagine us being that old...but I can't imagine growing old with any other man!

Art is the first man that I could ever picture myself marrying and growing old with!!!! When I realized this after about 6 months of dating I knew he was the one. I took a chance with this man by staying in California and I haven't regret one day!

Here is to the next 39 years of marriage!!!!

Rain, Flour & Traffic

Today is the first time in probably 10+ days I have been stuck in traffic. Normally I would be screaming as to why we are just sitting on the freeway! Not today...I was very calm and just listned to the radio. I look down at my hoodie sleeve and I see this white stuff around most of the edges. I investigate further and it's dough.

Yesterday I decided to make home made tortillas. Well I pushed my sleeves up, but I guess some flour got on the edges. I was out in the rain today and now I have dough all over the edges of my sleeves. I just busted up laughing. I had been walking around all afternoon like a dough girl.

Chicken & Shrimp Tortilla Soup

6 ounces fresh or frozen shrimp - peeled and deveined

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon cooking oi

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 - 14/5 ounce can mexican sytle stewed tomatoes *I just used a regular can of stewed tomatoes

3 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice *I didn't have any lime juice so I omit this

1 2/3 cup shredded cooked chicken

In a large saucepan cook onion and cumin in hot oil for about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Carefully add broth, undrained tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, simmer, covered for 8 minutes. Stir in shrimp and chicken. Cook for 3 minutes more or until shrimp turns opaque. stirring occasionally. Top each serving with tortilla shreds.

Crisp tortilla shreds - preheat over to 350 F. Brush four 6 inch tortillas with 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, sprinkle on tortilla. Cut tortillas into thin strips. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

1 Week

In one week it will be our one year wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's almost been a year!

How to know if you grew up in North Dakota

You know how to polka

You know what knee-high by the Fourth of July means.

You know the difference between 'Green' and 'Red' farm machinery, and would fight with your friends on the playground over which was better!

You buy Christmas presents at Fleet Farm or Tractor Supply Co.

You hear someone use the word 'oof-dah' or 'Holy Buckets' and you don't break into uncontrollable laughter.

You or someone you know was a 'Beef Queen or Dairy Princess' at the county fair.

You know that 'combine' is a noun.

You let your older siblings talk you into putting your tongue on a steel post in the middle of winter, or peeing on a electric fence.

You think Lutheran and Catholic are THE major religions.

You know that 'creek' rhymes with 'pick'

Football schedules, branding calves and weaning, hunting season and harvest are all taken into consideration before wedding dates are set.

If the sun is out, its really windy, and you're getting wet.... better get on upwind side of the livestock.

A Friday night date is getting a six-pack and taking your girlfriend shining for deer.

Saturday you go to your local bowling alley.

Cruising 'main' lasts for 6 blocks.

There was at least one kid in your class who had to help milk cows in the morning... phew!

You have driven your car on a lake.

You can make sense of 'upnort' and 'batree'.

Your definition of a small town is one that only has one bar.

If a road you're driving on has more than 3 curves to a mile......you are nearing or in the Black Hills .

The local gas station sells live bait, next to the local jerked beef and homemade jam.

At least twice a year some part of your home doubles as a meat processing plant.

You understand that brakes on silage trucks are considered a luxury.

Bulldoggin'' is an event.

As the American flag passes, you are on your feet and have removed your hat, your hand is over your heart, or someone behind you gives you slap on the head as a reminder to do so.

You grow up thinking that the opening day of deer & pheasant seasons are national holidays.

You understand the true meaning to 'snipe' hunting.

Pop is the only name used for a soft drink.

The trip into town for school, takes longer than your lunch period.

'Crown Royal' has nothing to do with nobility.

You actually understand these jokes and will forward them to all your North Dakota friends!!!!!