GOOD LUCK JAMEY!!

Congrats and good luck with your new Job tomorrow!! We're VERY PROUD of you!!

What a Weekend!!

Well...I began my days of leisure with a fun packed trip to St. Paul and Minneapolis with my daughter! As most of you know we would never miss the State Dance Competition! After 15 years...why stop now?! It's always AMAZING! My only regret was not to be witnessing my home team on the floor this year. But we got to sit in the stands with them and take notes and compare, laugh, and cheer for all the other teams. It was nearly as much fun! Soooo...now the KM dancers are all fired up for next year! Look out world...here they come! As usual...I forgot my camera so I have no pictures but I may be able to grab a few from Megan if she took any. I'll check on that lata! We (Megan, Me, and Heidi K.) stayed in St. Paul one night and watched dance on Friday and Saturday. Then Heidi went back to her apartment in Mpls. while Megan went to spend some quality time with her brother. I met my wonderful sis-in-law (Michelle) and her friend Sherry downtown at the Marriott! We love to stay here because it's close to everything and we can walk to most of the things we do downtown. Saturday night's agenda was: dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery (Yuummmmy!) and witnessing Colin Mochrie (from "Who's Line is it Anyway") in a comedy act at the State Theatre, then a quick cab ride (because it was soooooooooo cooooooold!!) to a dance club to groove the night away. Meanwhile, Megan got to go out to dinner at "Pop's" (a wonderful and yummy restaurant near her brother's house)
and then a fun night of bowling with Jamey and friends, and cousin Brice! A good time was had by all! So much fun that Megan and I decided the next day would not include a day of shopping (I knoooowwww...it's hard to believe!). We were both too tired. Oh well...she's home all week so we can make up for that later. Ha! I'm glad I get to spend some time at home now with my family and my kitties. They all missed me while I was away slaving hard....I just know it!
I will leave you all now so that I can go watch the Olympics. I hope you're all watching and cheering for our strong and courageous athletes who are representing our country. If you're not...get to it! Show your Olympic pride by watching and supporting them. They deserve it! Night All!

This is It!!!!

Yeeeehawww! Only 4.5 hours remaining!! Then I'm FREEEEE!! Look out world. Here she comes again! Ha Ha!

Good Luck Girls!!

A HUGE SHOUT to my wonderful KoMette Dance Team!! Good luck tomorrow!! I'll be there with Bells on!!

6 Days left!!!

Oh Yah! It's almost over! Only 6 days to go! I need to have time to go visit "My Boy"! He needs his Mom! I just know it! Oh yah...Meggie Lou...you too!

7 more days!!

And counting!! I'm sooooooooooo tired! Burnt out!
ugh!

Blah!

Will this madness ever end?! Only 10 more days! I feel like crap! Uhh.

Happy Ground Hogs Day!!

I hope you all heard the news!! Another 6 weeks of winter...but wait a minute! Have we REALLY experienced winter yet?! I think not! Soooo...I guess it's ok if we have another 6 weeks of balmy springlike temps. Who am I to complain? Oh...and a BIG THANK YOU goes out to "You Know Who" for visiting me at the Mall!!! You know who you are! Thanks for making my day! :^)

A Day at the Mall

ok....I will admit that I am quite enjoying my time at the mall. The hours are reeeeally long and I get reeeeally bored at times but I've brought my laptop (or should I say Rick's Home Inspection laptop) and so I have something to pass the time with. All my friends seem to have deserted me for the warmth and comfort of their homes and I have no one to visit with (feel sorry for me and come visit soon).I will finally be done on the 15th of February so I'm counting the days! While I'm here, however, I am doing research for my new business next Christmas season. I've been having a lot of success finding the products I want so I think it will be a great success! In the meantime...I have been keeping myself entertained with people watching and chatting with other mall workers. It's all good.....except for the occassional stalker. I have come to realize that sometimes you can be too accommodating to those people who have nothing better to do than pester the kiosk business owners. Seriously! I finally had to contact security and the housekeeping manager in regard to one of their "Stupid" custodians who thinks it's a real "kick" to talk about inapropriate subjects and hang out at my cart at closing to "gawk" and pretend to be cleaning the garbage can! Good Lord in Heaven....save me from this madness! Go take your sick and perverted comments and stares to the Class Act in Cannon Falls....PUULLLEEEEASE! In the meantime...I'll try to keep you all updated a little more frequently. I just don't have anything new to say except..."HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIANNA"!!!! Love you loads!

Must Be Nice...

Here is a most recent email from my oldest child. I sure wish I had the luxury he has been allowed. Jamey, you're a most desired commodity it seems. Must Be Nice!!

Email to Mom & Dad:
Well, in case you were wondering how my little meeting went last night, it
went very well. They actually put out the idea of bringing me in as a
Senior Designer on their interactive team (which is one of the best in the
midwest). It basically would have been a better position (with some actual
leadership) and a much higher salary. BUT, all things considered, i'm not
going to take the job. Its not what i want to do with myself. I don't want
to be a senior designer at some big agency doing work for Nike, Target,
The Minnesota Wild, etc... i just want to do my own thing. So yeah... in
case you were wondering.

We know you'll be successful...whatever you choose to do Jamey! Congratulations on your successes so far! May you be blessed with many more! Yeah!

.......................................................
Jamey Erickson
www.sevnthsin.com

It's all about SPAM!

Sooo...my wonderful husband tells me yesterday to be dressed and ready to hit the road to go on an adventure with him. I am shocked that he would be so impulsive and creative. Soooo....we get in the car and he won't tell me where we're going. We travel south on US Hwy. 56 to I-90. Can you guess where we end up? Yep! That's right. He hastily pulls into the world reknown parking lot of the SPAM MUSEUM!! In utter amazement I cannot help but laugh out loud! "You've got to be kidding me?!", I exclaim. "No!...this is going to be cool!", replies Rick with the glimmer of excitement in his eyes. So "In" we go only to be greeted by one of the most cheerful SPAM ladies I have ever met in my life...complete with samples to taste (Uuugh!). I must admit, however, I learned quite a bit about Hormel and how much the city of Austin owes to this great company. If you ever get the chance to visit Austin make it a point to stop in...it's free to the public and just a little bit fun too! Oh yeah...I forgot to mention the best part...the Mexican lunch we had at one of the downtown restaurants. It was delicious...somewhat better than the SPAM samples! Ha!
This is what we do to escape the boredom of our lives here in Minnesota. Sad but true.

Starting a New Year!

It's done! My son is moved into his new home and getting settled. My daughter is moved into her dorm at college and settled in too. I woke up this morning thinking she was still in her room sleeping. I immediately felt the emptiness of the house when I realized she wasn't there. It's strange how you can feel a sadness and longing yet be anticipating the move into independence again with just your own schedule to focus on. Rick and I are anticipating great things ahead and have much to be thankful and look forward to. Number 1 on that list would be the health and welfare of our two Amazing Kids! Knowing how successful they've both become so far is a testament to our Parenting Skills...Hee Hee! Just kidding. But seriously folks, teaching your kids that working hard while respecting those around you is the way to receive the best in life is one of the most important things you can teach them. I am excited about things to come! My only wish is that we can all live the good life (working hard to get it, of course). I hope you can do that. Remember....it's truly up to you!

Looking forward to the New Year

So we started the New Year moving my son, Jamey, into his new home. We are soooo excited with the new space he can call his own! Within a few days they get to rescue their cat they had to find a new home for when their landlord found out they had him illegally. Yes, Carcass will be coming home at last! Silly name for a cat. Leave it to four guys with a sense of humor. Sheesh. Next we will move my daughter, Megan, to her new home on campus in Winona. She's excited to see her friends again and to be on her own. We will miss her enormously but we know she is in a good place so that helps. Before she moves back we will do one last girl "Hurrah" up in the cities. On Saturday we'll go to our first dance competition with the K-M dance team. We'll travel to Fridley and yell and scream our support from the stands. I can't wait! It will be the first time to see them dance this season! Good luck girls! "Show me whatcha got!" Then Megan and I will drive to a hotel and pamper ourselves for the evening and wake up to shop the next day. It will be "Mega" Fun!! Have a great weekend everyone. Oh!....and Happy 30th Birthday to cousin "Holly"!! We love you!

Lilly is SOoooooo Happy to have Megan Home!

I know it's been Awhile...

I finally have a moment to breathe and catch up. For those of you who know me...you know I've been VERY busy lately. So it's now January 1st and I have much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. Megan made it home from the UK safely. Jamey had flown over to visit her for a week and they came back together on Dec. 23rd. That's the only gift I needed to make my Christmas celebration complete :^) !!
We got to spend good quality time together! I wouldn't trade that for a million dollars! With the new year looming ahead I have a few new business ventures in mind. There will be lots of work involved to bring these new ventures to fruition but that's why I have about 6 months to prepare. It will all be good! I'm excited! For those of you who are far away I have posted Christmas pictures. Sorry it's so late but hey! At least I got to it! Have a Happy New Year Everyone!

Getting all Prettied Up for the Big Day!

Getting all pretty for the "Big Day"! Isn't he going to look lovely? Rick is checking in with Grant to see if he is excited about Santa coming tonight. Excitement in the air.

All Accounted For...and Blessings too!

They're Hoooooome!!!
Wrapping christmas presents and cleaning up after themselves! Yes! I taught them well! Thank God for bringing them home safely! I love you both!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ok...so now we can see you're having fun! Enjoy it all and then God speed you home safely. Mind the Gap!! I love you both!

Guess who's been here? Is it really an Angel?


The Glow of Christmas Warms the Heart...and the Home

9 MORE DAYS!!

I miss you! I can hardly wait!

Only 16 days until my "Megan" comes home to visit me! It will be the best Christmas EVER!! I can hardly wait! Merry Christmas everyone!
Love...Lilly

Have Fun Megan! Godspeed!

Ok...so I'm traveling home from work late last night and I get this call from Megan (pictured above). Apparently, she had a near death experience and I'm freaking out about it on the way home while talking to her! So...I tell her I will hang up and have her father call her. Here are the details of what happened:
Megan gets ready to go out with friends. Megan walks down the flight of stairs to her flat. Megan trips on a stair, lands hard on her bottom, flies off the stair and SCREAMS! Megan hits her head "HARD" on the floor (hears a loud crack and realizes it's probably just the barrettes in her hair hitting the floor and not her head cracking open)!! A young man traveling up a few flights hears the event and runs down to see if he can assist her. Thank God she wasn't alone. Megan can barely move but after several minutes, sits up and realizes she is battered but still in one piece! So Megan goes out with friends and later that night, upon her trip back to her flat, realizes that maybe she isn't ok. She believes she has cracked her tailbone! This leads us back to the phone conversation between Mother and Daughter. "Mom, I am in sooooo much pain!" Mom replies,"Do you think you have a concussion?" Megan, "I don't know! My bottom hurts so bad I can't think about anything else!"
As Mom freaks out (silently) she says Dad will call her back. Dad calls, asks the usual questions and dispels fears of concussion. We suggest taking Advil and sitting on some ice. Have someone keep an eye on you and Call us every few hours and let us know you're ok (Gut wrenching fear is knotting my stomach)! Then try and get 3 hours of sleep before you have to leave (by yourself) for Ireland. Megan calls several hours later to say she's doing better and will try to get a little sleep before she leaves for the airport. I received a text message early this morning (1:30am) saying that she was at the airport and was doing fine. RELIEF!! I fall back to sleep. Since then she has called me to say that she has reached the hostel and all is well! God Bless You Megan!! I KNOW your Guardian Angel was watching over you last night! Did he have that mischievious "Glint" in his eye? (You know who I mean...the one who visited you 2 nights ago in your dream). He truly IS WATCHING over you!! How comforting! I LOVE YOU!!

YOU DID IT!!!

After Many loooooong months of studying...You finally DID IT!!
CONGRATULATIONS RICK!!

It's official! You're a Home Owner!! Wow!

CONGRATULATIONS JAMEY!!

Wow! A homeowner!! Hard to believe! Congratulations! We're soooo proud!

Tis the Season...

So far the Holiday shopping season is going well. People are generally still smiling. This will all change however. 1 week before Christmas day, people turn ugly. Smiles are replaced by furrowed brows and frowns with impatience and grumbling becoming the norm. I, however, will continue to smile and bring a ray of hope and a reminder of patience to those I serve. I have sold many crystals to people whose lives are limited here on earth and who buy my products in the hopes of leaving a reminder of their love to their family, doctors, caregivers, & friends before they leave for a better place. I sometimes get tears in my eyes as they tell me their stories (imagine that!). And then I am reminded of how thankful I am to have a healthy and happy circle of family and friends. Thank you all for being there for me. And for those of you who have turned away from yours, please take this to heart. We are limited in our time here and should be thankful for all we have. Take a look at your life and those who are connected to you. Are you fulfilled and happy? I truly hope so. Bless you all and have a joyous and happy Christmas Season!

Megan the Tourist

Megan and Danny in Scotland. Megan standing in Lochness. Watch out for the monster Megan!!

Beautiful Country

I just received an email from my daughter Megan. She has been touring the country of Scotland. I am soooo impressed by the beauty of it all! I can't imagine how overwhelmingly beautiful it would be to see it in person! Megan, I am glad you did not get eaten by the Lochness Monster! I am also thankful that each individual in my family are all safe and sound. Even though we will be separated from each other, (Megan comes home right before Christmas), I will keep you all in my heart and pray for happiness and good health. God Bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving! I love you!

Just A Quick Note

OK....soooo...you haven't heard from me in awhile. I'm soooo busy right now I have no time to chat unless, of course, you visit me in the mall. Business is picking up so it's becoming more difficult to do that as well. But don't let that scare you away from stopping by to say "hi". It may be the only way you hear from me for awhile. I'm having fun, however and will not complain about the business. "It's a Good Thing"! Hee Hee.

A Much Needed Break...

After working nonstop for the past 2 weeks I finally get a much needed reprieve. My two employees are covering the weekend shifts for me! Even though I have the days off I don't really have time for rest. I'm busy catching up on cleaning. I honestly believe Rick has obliterated this activity from his brain as he has not offered to do any of it. I will admit he has been doing his own cooking and he does clean up after himself, so that earns him a few points. However, since cleaning is not the activity I would choose as a priority on my days off, I do realize that it must be done by someone. And if not me...than who? Maybe while I work I should hire a maid. I think that sounds like a good idea. I have more than enough work to do for the business and, quite honestly, it is stressful enough to say the least. I realize it is short-lived so I have fun with it and enjoy the challenge. Today we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday. Most of the family was there (minus our kids) and it was much fun. Happy Birthday Mary (on the 14th)! I talked to my daughter, Megan, yesterday. She had a wonderful time last weekend in Paris and visited Stonehenge yesterday. She tells me that she met and spoke to a famous actor (who apparently is reeeeeally cute) the other night. I don't have details but suffice it to say that she was hoping he would ask her for a date (hee hee). It's all sooo amazing over there! She is soooo lucky to have this great opportunity! I'm glad she's having a great experience but I will miss her over the Thanksgiving Holiday. I'm just hoping that one of my children will be able to spend time with us. Ahem....and you know who I mean! Well...no more random thoughts. It's late and I'm exhausted. I'll bid you all adieu and wish you well. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Crystal Notion is now officially open for business in Apache Mall. This will be my new home for the holiday season. Stop by to visit!

Rick, Crossing Abby Road, Barefoot. He thinks he's John Lennon!

 
 

Wherefore Art Thou London?

We had a sensational time in London! Only tapped the surface of all there is to see and do! I have posted many pictures below for your enjoyment. Of course, we have at least 200 more but that would take too long so you'll just have to enjoy what is posted. At least until I make a CD and get them all developed for others enjoyment. It was sooooo good to see Megan and visit her temporary home and family (the other students she is with). I miss her and the wonderful city already! Cheers London!

Rick outside one of the homes of John Lennon. It was also home to Paul McCartney (John was nice enough to rent it to him for a few weeks) and Jimmy Hendricks! 

I couldn't resist having Rick take a quick snap of me in a very typical London Phone Booth. We were on the Beatles Walking Tour! 

Just one of the many wonderful chimneys in London. Very Mary Poppins style don't ya think? 

The slew of parents and a handful of the students who attended and performed the play "Our Town". We went out to dinner. attended the play, and then to a local Pub for a celebration of the final show! 

The Wimbledon Theatre where the crew from St. Mary's performed their play "Our Town"! It was a smashing success! 

Megan cooking her favorite thing to eat...a grilled cheese sandwich! 

Megan's Room she shared with 2 other girls. It was nice and plenty of room for all of them. Rick is peeking around from an area desk that was a work station for Megan and her computer. 

Megan pointing to her Flat located on the 2nd level of the building. 

Megan outside her London Flat located on Auriol Road. We were about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. 

Our Hotel! The Brook Green Hotel located across from the Brook Green lawn across the street. The Pub in the lower level was amazing and had entertainment (Jazz, Blues, Comedy, etc.) every night of the week. Our room was on the very top (first window to the right of the southern corner). Every night we would hike up the 67 steps (no Lift/Elevator in the Hotel) to our room. We were usually exhausted so it took some doing! Each morning we had a Full English Breakfast - included with the price of the room! The construction on the sidewalk out front was pretty typical everywhere you went in London! 

An outside view of one of the buildings of the London Tower where many Kings and Queens and accused traitors met their doom. They were beheaded. We could have spend hours on this tour but were limited in time because of an evening show. A Must See for all History Buffs, however! 

The legend of Ravens at the London Tower is that Ravens flocked to the tower to eat the remains and refuse from the bitter and gruesome wars (where body parts were a raven delicacy) and daily refuse from the inhabitants of the tower were deposited outside. It was said that if the Ravens were ever prohibited in their visitation to the Tower that it would collapse along with the Kingdom. Today there are 6 resident ravens whose wings are clipped so they will remain on the grounds.  

A view of a wall at the Tower of London. Lower part of wall has been dated to have been built in Roman times! 

Part of the London Tower.