Vranicar Family: Party of 5

I received beautiful bamboo kitchen utensils from my mother in law for Christmas. I've been handwashing them which got me thinking...is there actually something special I should be doing with them? Bamboo Utensils: After further investigation- I guess I have been doing it right. It seemed to simple. Handwash. A couple cleaning tips... Crowns :) Spray with windex and pat dry (it will bring their sparkle back) Bathroom: Clean however you wish- once your spouse comes home and comments on how it was done, "suggest" that in the future they should be the one to do this task- they are probably right, they would do a better job at it. :) NOTE: These instructions should also be followed for washing the floor, loading the dishwasher and driving.

Kevin and I made our now annual voyage to Vegas for a long weekend of relaxation and the Miss America pageant. It was an even better trip than last year, minus one painful migraine. Our adventure started at the airport where were interviewed by the Star Tribune! They took pictures of us checking in and then asked us some questions about why we fly SunCountry and what we thought about Southwest coming to the Twin Cities. Next we ran into John from Twin Cities Live who was also traveling to Vegas. We had the opportunity to meet him when Kevin was "competing" for MN's Hottest Hubby contest. He is a very friendly guy who was also on our flight home on Sunday. We stayed at Planet Hollywood again and coincidentally were placed in the Mighty Ducks themed room. We had a beautiful view of the strip, the Bellagio water show and the mountains, my favorite part. Thursday night we walked down to the Mirage to see the Cirque de Soleil show LOVE featuring songs from the Beatles. T...

In Minnesota we joke about all the pot holes on our roads and how if it's not winter it's construction... well on my way to work this morning I think I managed to run over every pot hole on 35W and 494. I actually thought maybe I would end up with a flat tire after a few of them. I pictured myself on the side of the road calling my dear husband, who would still be in the warm bed sleeping, to come and change my tire. I frankly am not strong enough to muscle the lug nuts off the tire to change it. But here I am safe and anxious to get home to pack. :) We leave for Vegas this week- I am just so excited. We are going to see a show, eat fun foods, and just enjoy a long weekend together. For now, back to work. I have a full day before I can drift back to day dreaming about all the bright lights.

In the past three years I've experienced a number of losses- each of them equally devastating. I know that everyone experiences grief in different ways and "deals with" their loss in their own way. That still doesn't stop me from wanting to figure out how I can help my sister in law. How can I take away or shelter her from the pain, anger, confusion, etc that she will forever feel. The saddness that she feels from Kurt's death won't go away and I think that's ok. The hurt that we feel is a badge of the love that we share with those that we have lost. The pain will change and won't weigh on her mind someday but I doubt there will be a day that Kurt isn't thought of or missed. It is hard to understand what happened last week. I suppose its not my our job to understand but to trust that things and us will be ok. Right now it just hurts. The Next Place By Warren Hanson The next place that I go Will be as peaceful and familiar As a sleepy summer Sunda...

Growing up my mom would wake us up very early in the morning, we'd run outside and see the Northern Lights dance across the sky. It is a memory that I will treasure forever. It has been years now since I've seen them so on my way to work this morning I had to do a double take when out of the corner of my eye I caught the pink streaks across the sky. I was awe struck. After such a beautiful morning I could not have imagined how quickly that feeling of happiness could be ripped away. My sister in law's brother Kurt committed suicide. I ache from the sadness I feel and more so for the sadness and pain Delayne and her family feel. It's not as if he was just my sister in law's brother, he was part of our family. The pain that he must have felt to lead him do this is unimaginable . I have the same feeling of hope as when my mom died... that it wasn't real. That I could figure out someway to save them. He turned 27 on Tuesday. When life has its dark moments- its ha...

Today I can't seem to get it right. I feel incompetent, confused, inexperienced and therefore.... irritated about it. What I would like to do right now is pack up my bag and head home. However I realize that by doing that all of the things I can't seem to get right today will be waiting here for me once I return tomorrow. On days like this I consciously try to just "get over it". Sigh I simply don't feel inspired to be here. I sit here and think-- "oh to be able to not worry about how much money I make and just do what I want." As soon as that thought occurs I hear my mother's voice reminding me that I am not that kind of person; with poor me syndrome. Many, many people are working jobs much more stressful than mine and many more are wishing they had any job to go to. It's just an off day. Work has been slow. I feel like I am being dumped on by those I work with and that I am expected to read minds or that I am speaking some foreign obscure lan...

In third grade my mom borrowed a book from the library about how to make friends. I've always had friends, good ones, but I have always felt that I should have more. Kevin reminds me that it is quality not quantity. Lately I've been looking at some of my relationships and wondering what to do. Sometimes I feel a little like I put more into some of them than the other person. When do you learn to just let go? I guess if I were to stop trying to keep the connection strong I would see just how strong it is. Within the last year I have had two girl friends come back into my life. The first was one of my best childhood friends. We did everything together and could make each other laugh like no one else. When we graduated high school it just stopped- almost as if it never happened. And just as suddenly as we had lost each other we were back. Thanks to email and Yahoo! chat we've made up for the five years that we missed out on. I'm thankful I have her back. The second of th...