We made it!

Well after a pretty uneventful trip we are here in Idaho.

The roads ended up being pretty clear most of the way, except for a 50 mile stretch from Idaho Falls to Twin Falls, and a few windy spots in North Dakota. We ended up stopping in Bozeman to get some much needed sleep before I killed my husband and he killed me. We finally got to McCall at 6 pm tonight. Mad is already loving all the dogs and new stuff to destroy, Tony and I are already loving all the good micro brews and relaxed atmosphere.

Lots to do in the short 7 days we are here, seeing high school friends, teachers, and coaches will take up a lot of our time.

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone holidays are full of joy and laughter.

I'm outta here!

I'm leaving the freezing tundra of Minnesota for 10 days today.... the family is all packed up and cozy in the car ready for the long (22 hours) and BORING drive across the flat lands (really, the states between Idaho and Minnesota are the worst! There's nothing there to entertain even the most imaginative person.) Unfortunately mother nature didn't cooperate with us and she decided to dump snow and wind on us. I usually love the snow but not when I know we have to drive through it, we'll just have to go slow and take our time. Hopefully I have enough DVD's, toys, and books to entertain Mad for the long trip.

I haven't been home for Christmas for 4 years now so I'm so very excited, I'll hopefully get to enjoy some snowboarding on some real mountains, and some great cross country skiing through the beautiful ponderosa pines. Mostly I'm excited that my parents get to spend some quality time with Mad, they deserve it and she deserves it. It's really not fair that they only get to see her a few times a year, life is too short! But nothing I can do about that so better not to dwell on it. I'll update with pictures and a post when I get home.

I hope everyone has a very Happy and Merry Christmas and even better New Years.
We'll be home just in time to say goodbye to 08 and celebrate the upcoming year with all our favorite people in Minnesota.

Be safe!
Happy Holidays!!

"Scrappy Tappy"

I have to start out by saying that I was given this nickname by my husbands BFF from HS, whom we refer to as "Slapshot" so take it all with a grain of salt. Because I'm not the one that broke a girls hand with his crazy shot, but that's an entirely different story.

I'm an extremely competitive person, I HATE losing, I'm serious, even at something as simple as cards or video games, I don't take it very well. I have to admit that I'm somewhat of a sore loser.... I don't mind it so much in actual events, like running. But I have been know to throw darts when things don't go my way, in my defense I may have been a little drunk at the time, and it was awhile ago. Pre mommy hood, I know better now. ;)

Broomball is basically field hockey on ice. Super fun but there's a lot of slipping, sliding, and lots of falling involved and since I always give 110% I'm all over the place. Between the months of November and February I'm covered in bruises and loving every minute of it.

I believe I received the generous nickname because I won't put up with these huge hockey player like guys trying to push people around, especially girls, not cool. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm meager and can't hold my own on the ice. Because I can, I'll run right around you and shove you into the board if I must (which techically isn't allowed but c'est la vie).

I grew up playing sports with guys and not taking there shit, so I believe the nickname is pretty appropriate. I kind of enjoy games where the guys think the women are just there because it's a coed league and they have to have women. It doesn't take them long to figure out that I'm not just a spot filler, and they actually have to play defense against me.

Sports are good for the soul, especially when you have a lot of pent up aggression from being passive-aggressive your whole life.

I just got off work at Dunn Bros, we have a drive thru, more than 10 people came through this morning and had to open there door because there windows were frozen shut and they acted all surprised. Well no kidding people, it poured rain all day yesterday and it's -4 degrees outside today, of course your window won't open.
I can't wait to leave Minnesota, stupid windy flatlands!
That's all....

My sweet little peanut

Mini Mad is getting smarter by the day, and more sassy by the day too. She cracks me up, her favorite thing to do is dump out the dogs water and food all over the floor, whenever she does that we always grab the kitchen town and mop up the spill. Well now as she's heading over to reek havoc she grabs the towel on her way and mops it up for me, hilarious.

She has yet to speak besides the usual mama, dada, and dadee (doggie). She also is very demanding, pointing and waving her arms at what she wants as she says, "dat." If that doesn't work she will grab our hand and pull us where she wants us to go, I'm trying to convince her that if she'd just talk it would be less frustrating for the both of us. Ah well, eventually I'll never be able to shut her up.

She's really starting to enjoy puzzles and book, which is fun because that means she will sit still for longer than 5 minutes. Every time she gets a puzzle piece in the correct spot she gives a great big grin and claps, so proud of herself.

I'll have to try and get a video of her dance moves, she shakes her butt and hips, very cute.

Those are just some of the things that makes me smile and so proud of my little one.

PS. These updates are few and far between.... work is kicking my ass, and trying to be a little social butterfly is taking its toll.... I'm definitely not getting any younger.

PPS. Broomball starts on Thursday, I CANNOT wait.... this is what gets me through the winter. Maybe I'll write a post about how I received my broomball nickname, "Scrappy Tappy"

work, work, work

All I've done for the last week is work and sleep, and attempt to take care of the child without having a tantrum of my own along with hers. Seriously, this full time mommy business/ part time work business really SUCKS!!!

All I want to do while I'm at work is come home and play with Mad, but when I get home all I want is for Mad to nap so I can nap too.... then I start feeling really guilty because I've been working all day and I should want to spend time with my family and play with them. So then I get angry, and then I get angry at myself for getting angry.... it's a horrible vicious cycle. I'm in bed at 8:30 or 9 pm every night but I can't sleep because I'm feeling so sorry and angry at myself. Stupid.

I didn't really mean to start this blog to whine and moan, because I know I really don't have it that bad. My life is fairly easy, and Mad is a peach. I'm just feeling a little down. I know I need to start exercising again, this always happens when I don't run. I go a little crazy, crazy Tap isn't much fun if you ask me.

Hopefully once I figure out this working 30 hours a week thing, I'll get out of this funk.... it has to get better, and it will.... I'm sure of that.

I just keep reminding myself that I'm going home for Christmas is less than a month!!

I'm not 21 anymore...

My little Mini Mad alarm clock went off at 6:45 this morning and I came to the conclusion it's really not as much fun as it used to be to drink all day and stay up late. Granted I went to bed at midnight so really it wasn't that late. However I'd do it all over again (and again and again, I'm a masochist).... I had such a fun day hanging out with friends and watching a GREAT football game. Ugly football game at times but really who cares, as long as my team came out on top.

Then we played some Left, Right, Center, which I haven't played in a few years. I LOVE this game, this is really the only time I will gamble with my money. I was given this game by my wonderful and extremely talented friend, Judson. If you haven't played LFC before you're welcome to come to my house, I'll take your $3 and show you.

Then there was some heavy conversations about how crazy females are, I tend to hang out with a lot of males so I'm always the one trying to explain us, which doesn't work, ever.... I can't even understand us. Being the good wifey I am, I sent the boys off to the bar, because what's better in a time of crisis but beer.

I've gotten way off topic, but when I was 21 I'd be out with those boys trying to drink them all under the table until they kicked me out of the bar. Now I stay up past 10 PM and I'm exhausted and a wreck the rest of the week. I look back on those days with such fondness.... it was so fun to be carefree and stupid.
But then I walk into Mad's room in the morning and she gives me the biggest grin and I wouldn't want to go back in time for anything.

football saturdays

I absolutely adore college football, I usually spend all day Saturday from September through November in front of our two TV's in the basement watching all the games.

This Saturday my favorite team, UW Badgers will take on the Minnesota Gophers. This is my favorite game of all of them, nothing is better than rivalry's, and in my opinion this is the greatest football rivalry of them all (the Michigan-Ohio State game is a close second). Even though the Badgers are having a down season, I'm pretty sure if you ask any of the players they will tell you that winning this game and retaining possession of the ax means almost as much as winning every game (ok, maybe winning it all would rock way more than this one game, but I'm sure it ranks right up there).

I wish I could be down in Madison doing the usual tailgating activities, brats and beer bongs, and then at Camp Randall cheering till my voice is gone. I will instead be hosting a party of badger and gopher fans, cheering and taunting each other, there will be brats and home brews (we're too old for beer bongs now).

Even if the evil gophers end up on top, I will still have a great day, because there hasn't been a badger/gopher game that I've attended yet where I haven't had fun. My favorite, thus far, is 2005, where we started tailgating at 5:30 AM, had beer and brats in hand by 6 AM and it was a beautiful unseasonably warm November. The badgers won by blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown and I cried (top 3 days).

Hopefully this year will be just as memorable, and really, as long as my friends are there how could it not be?

GO BADGERS!!!

i'm here

Well I've finally did it, I started a blog. I've been meaning to for awhile since most days I sit on the computer reading other peoples blogs, however i was having a hard time coming up with a good name. I figured since I enjoy a good brew now and then (or every day, if I get the chance) and my nickname is Tap, "From the Tap" seems to fit well . I don't really know if I'm that interesting to have my own blog but might as well give it a try. If all else fails I can post pictures of my adorable baby girl, "Mini Mad" and call it a day. Because really, could anything get cuter than this.....