Friday and Saturday... Saturday, Saturday... Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Wow, got a little Elton John tune coming out with that Saturday. Anyway, thought I fill you in on the last 24 hours.

Sandra and I had a very good trip over to Bloomington to spend an Evening with Kathy Griffin... that is technically what our tickets said, "An Evening with Kathy Griffin". She did not disappoint, playing for 2 hours! I thought she'd be on stage for at least an hour and we'd be lucky to get 1.5 hours. I laughed quite a bit and my checks were hurting by the end of the night. Definitely glad to go on the little adventure with Sandra. We also came out buying matching t-shirts... love it!

Woke up this morning to my internal alarm clock. Thank goodness I have one because my radio station was off the air this morning, so I didn't hear my alarm go off. Sparky and I made it to Jubilee State Park in plenty of time before Whitney's walk started. He did really well around all the people and only got scared when we got to close to the port-o-potties and the doors slamming shut.

Thanks again to everyone who donated and helped me raise over $300. It was quite the experience to see all the faces pinned to the backs of walkers shirts. I had Lynn's on my back as we walked. Hopefully the extra funding raised will help make an impact and save some lives. I truly appreciate all the support and generosity from everyone!

Sparky after the long day.
Kathy Griffin Video Intro

Day #5 of Memories

I've had a pretty relaxing day today. Ran a couple errands this morning... made over $8 on all the cans I collect from work. And now that Steve, my neighbor, figured out I recycle cans, I'll have twice as many cans to turn in next time. Right now I'm just enjoying the cool indoors before I head down to the ballpark tonight with Tom and the Angell's.

What is your favorite birthday memory? - Anonymous
I wish I could remember all of my birthdays, but that just isn't the case. One that sticks out is one that was spent with my mom. When she worked for Crafts Magazine while I was growing up, there was a series of years that she was consistently out of town for a trade show during my birthday. Then one year, I got to tag along with her.

The show was in Charlotte, NC and I got to walk the trade show floor with her. We got to do a bit of sightseeing while we were down there. I remember not getting the chance to put my hands on the static ball at the Childrens Science Museum. Someday I'll get all my hair to stand on end.

We also ate at some local restaurants where I got to absorb the local accents. I remember ordering a Mountain Dew and the lady couldn't understand me. It was quality! My midwestern accent was too much for her, go figure.

If I remember right, we went to an old gold/coal mine. I'm a bit fuzzy on that one because I know we also did that on a family trip up in South Dakota. But for some reason I can picture the pamphlet for this place, which we would have picked up at the hotel.

I think I'm quite fortunate that I've been able to take one-on-one trips with all my family members. With Dad to New York City, Tom to Cubs Spring Training, Mom on numerous road trips. And I can't forget the fun with extended family, Colorado trail-blazing, East Coast adventures, and concerts & ballgames from coast-to-almost-coast. Each one being a priceless adventure!

Thank you all for being a part of my first 30 years!

One Concert Down, One to Go This Week

I think I may be recuperated from the concert this weekend. Gosh darn it if those allergies and sore throat didn't have me knocked down on Sunday. We had a good visit with Brian, Joyce and John, and then headed to the hotel to relax a bit. After a good dinner at Bob Evans, Mom let me get a drink at Starbucks... 4 shots of espresso = Jane was good to go for the show. The only thing I regret was I forgot to bring my birthday sombrero on the trip.

Here's a collection of pictures from the evening put to music by Sugarland. They create a remix they play during Everyday America and I love the 2010 remix. I actually have all the songs in my iTunes. I was rockin!

Whitney's Walk Update

Today I picked up my t-shirt for Whitney's Walk, which is next Saturday. I also added the $26 my coworkers donated to my total. At this time, I'm $86 away from my lofty goal of raising $250. If you haven't had a chance to donate, please do, you'll be helping honor life by donating to depression awareness and suicide prevention programs. Plus, I'm not quite sure I'll be able to scrounge up $86 in my couch cushions. ;)

Day #4 of Memories

I'll begin with the answer to the sombrero I'm sporting in the photo below. My crazy coworkers threw a pillowcase over my head at noon today and hijacked me to Chevy's. It was a surprise super fun lunch that ended with Happy-Happy Birthday, a sweet ice cream treat, and the sombrero. I got another round of 30-something presents. All useful or edible items (colorful paper clips-big and small, fragrant tea light candles, different candies, animal crackers, and Starbucks giftcard).

My desk had been hit the evening before with balloons, streamers, and a butter tub full of teeny tiny confetti. I'll be finding that for the rest of the year (thanks Jenny!) Oh, I can't leave out Ryan's serenade of Happy-Happy Birthday with mini-dance first thing in the morning. Birthday celebration #2, a fun time with the coworkers. If you're wondering, I wore the sombrero the rest of the day at work.

I'd like to know what was the best advice you ever received from a family member? - Momma
Off the top of my head, nothing really sticks out. It's not often that people sit you down and say, "Hey, listen to me, I've got some good advice you should follow."

My mind goes towards memories of my Grandma Olson who passed away when I was only 14. Maybe she was just spoiling us grand-kids, but it always seemed like she was having fun, whether it was taking us to Valparaiso to play mini golf and race go-karts or letting us know that if we misbehave in the car that she'd flip the ejector seat switch. She must have got a kick out of that one, I was convinced for years that my seat could eject from the car with a flip of the switch. (Best photo representation I could find online)

She always joked about her age and stayed on 49 for quite a few years. She'd always play card games with us kids and r0de us around the neighborhood on the golf cart. We had so much fun together! She never officially said it to me, but in her actions I picked up the idea of bringing smiles and happiness to others with the little things and having fun at any age (What's it matter how many years you've been around? The older you are, the more things you've found to do, so you can have fun.)

I remember one of our road trips to Valpo and we were listening to an "old school" country station. The song changed and the next thing I heard was yodeling (for the first time, other than the Price Is Right). I must have been around 11 years old, and I completely lost it! I was laughing, kackling, crying and imitating the yodeling. I probably talked about it for days and no doubt told my parents when we got back home.

My memory is a bit fuzzy on the time of the year for this story, but I do know that the next birthday or Christmas (whichever came first), I received two cassette tapes that include yodeling favorites from Austria & Switzerland. Priceless!

Day #3 of Memories

Took it easy tonight because of the crazy hot heat index. I did spend some time picking fleas off Sparky. Don't quite understand that one because he's not due for his drops until the end of the month. So, I gave him a bath, hoping that would "flush" some of the little buggars away. Staying in the pet mode, let's move along to a question.

Which pet was your favorite, and what's your favorite pet memory? - Anonymous
I'm going to have to go with Cubby, the dog I had growing up. He was born in 1990 if I do remember correctly. Tom and I had finally convinced Mom and Dad to let us get a dog. It had been a few years since our previous family dog Ruby, an Airedale that died at a very young age.

The dog had to be small, and the animal shelters didn't have what we were looking for at the time. One of the pet stores in town had a very unique 6 month old dog on sale for 1/2 price. They put the little 10 -12lb dog in a baby crib for us to pet and look at. He peed upon us petting him, and it was love at first wee.

Dad, who was the most hesitant to get a dog, came up with the name for Cubby because the rest of us were so indecisive. I remember Cubby sneaking between the gate pole and gate fence because he was so skinny. There was one time we didn't realize he was gone until about an hour later, and he had only sniffed his way two houses down the block and across the street. Another time we couldn't find him, he had managed to get locked in the van, in the garage, when we were unloading groceries or something. Funny to open the garage door and see the dog at the drivers seat. Then of course there was the time that we died his hair blue, using Koolaid.

Day #2 of Memories

Folks, this isn't looking good. After today, I'm down to one question left, and I'm going to answer that one on my birthday. I suggest asking a few things, or you are just going to get a bunch of randomness. Now's your chance to put your stamp on my blog.

How many performers have your heard live in concert? - Anonymous I didn't start going to concerts until I was in college. I guess it's a good thing I didn't know how much fun they were, otherwise I would never had had any slushy money.

You would think that only being 8 years removed from college, I wouldn't have too much trouble answering this question, but when you go to a concert you don't care for or see opening acts you've never heard of... it's kind of difficult.

I'm also including the comedians I've seen live. Those are technically concerts too, and bring just as much fun as any good concert.

- Goo Goo Dolls - Bradley U.
- Blues Traveler - Bradley U.
- Vertical Horizon - Bradley U.
- Five for Fighting - Bradley, U.
- Blessid Union of Souls - Springfield
- comedian Wayne Brady - Bradley U.
- comedian Ellen Cleghorne - Peoria
- comedian Ellen DeGeneres - Chicago
- Rascal Flatts - Civic Center
- Darius Rucker - Civic Center
- Jake Owen - Civic Center
- Little Big Town - Civic Center, Sangamon County Fair, U of I, Quad Cities
- Jack Owen - Civic Center
- Carrie Underwood - U of I
- Zac Brown Band - Quad Cities
- Dixie Chicks - Quad Cities, St. Louis
- Joan Osborne - St. Louis
- Norah Jones - St. Louis
- Amos Lee - St. Louis
- Eagles - St. Louis
- Sheryl Crow - St. Louis twice, Bloomington, Quad Cities
- Brandi Carlile - Quad Cities
- John Mayer - St. Louis
- Jack Ingram - Bloomington
- Sugarland - Civic Center, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Peru, IL, Denver, CO
- Keith Urban - St. Louis, Denver
- Matt Nathanson - Milwaukee
- Billy Currington - Milwaukee

28 that I can remember. There are plenty of opening acts that I don't recall. A couple acts I wish I had seen when they came through Peoria, Aerosmith and Matchbox 20. And yes, there are many I would love to see in concert! P!nk, Toby Lightman, Kelly Clarkson, Dave Matthews Band, and Gavin DeGraw just to name a few.

Let me note that I will be adding the following to the list by the end of August:
- comedian Kathy Griffin - Bloomington
- Sugarland - St. Louis, Des Moines
- Little Big Town - St. Louis, Des Moines
- Danny Gokey - St. Louis
- Sheryl Crow - Des Moines
- Colbie Caillat - Des Moines

That's 3 new people and few of my favs!

Day #1 of Memories and Other Stuff

Let's start out with the other stuff... I think I should also be noting the different things that happen that are proof that I'm getting older. I don't necessarily feel almost 30, but I think there are some things you can't deny. Good example would be finding my keys hanging in the back door this morning. Goodness Gracious!

"How many of your 30 years have you been a Cubs fan?" - Anonymous
Well, I don't have any baby pictures of my sporting a Cubs outfit, but I can trace it back to age 8. The first Chiefs team baseball card set I have is from 1989 and that's also the year I started collecting baseball cards. At the time the Chiefs were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, so I imagine it was just a matter of time before I became a full-fledged Cubs fan.
I remember wearing Andre Dawson t-shirts in middle school and of course traveling to a baseball card show with Dad up to Rockford to get Andre Dawson's autograph in person. I remember Dad getting a warning for speeding, Andre wearing a "Bill Cosby" sweater, and the film getting ruined when the camera opened too early. Partly why I was so excited to meet Andre in my adult years.

Don't forget to submit your questions!

30 Birthday coming up

So, the big 3-0 is about a week and a half away. On the Road to Wrigley, Theresa asked if I was going to blog about what if feels like turning 30. At this point, I can't really say I'm going to feel any different than any other birthday, BUT...

...I do think it would be fun to share some memories from over the past 30 years. There's quite a few that I could pull from and starring many different people.

Do I have any requests, or question you would like answered?

Productive Sunday at home

It drives me slightly bonkers that on the weekdays I can't seem to wake up in the morning, but on the weekend I'm ready to go at 6:30. I took advantage of the early morning and went over to Hyvee to check out the new store. I got some good deals on fruit, but didn't really need much else. It's a nice store, but seems to have an odd layout that I'm not used to. They do seem to have a wide variety of brands. For now, I'll be sticking with Schnucks.

After Hyvee and dropping my items off at home, it was over to Kmart to browse a bit. I found good deals on dog and cat treats and found a knock-off version of one of the "rock fit" type of shoes. The shoes fit my feet better than the $100 Skechers and are comfy in general. Then I made a brief stop at Walmart and made my way over to Barnes and Noble to buy Country Weekly with my Sugarland on the cover.

Back home I went to vacuum, do dishes, wash all the pet bedding, and straighten up around the house. I had a couple movies on while working about the house. This afternoon I tried to continue some of the work I brought home, only to find out there still isn't enough direction from the client to finish. I got pretty honked off about that. I really wanted to work ahead, but that just wasn't in the cards.

Shortly after that, Tom came over, which helped clear my head. He stopped by to pick up my TomTom, Susie, for his trip to Cincinnati this week. He really helped wear the Sparkster out. I'm glad the visit went as well as it did.

I got my butt off the couch late this evening to take Sparky for a walk. I saw two deer tonight and my first ground hog in Springdale. Now I'm waiting for my last load of laundry to buzz before I completely call it a night.

Summertime

I've found that as the temperature has risen and the heat index doesn't get much below 90 in the evenings, the temperature in my house has also risen.

I went to the Chiefs game last night with Tom and the Angell's. After sitting outside in the super hot stagnant air, I returned home to my 80 degree house. As usual, I bumped the temp down to 76. As I tried to fall asleep, but it felt like ice crystals were trying to form between my toes. The AC was running more than usual to keep it 76 and it was too cool for me. Out of bed and up to 78 it went. I slept just the same as any other night.

This evening I've been chilling at a temperature of 78 too. It just seems slightly odd to me. Last week I would have been uncomfortable at 78 in the house, but with it more than 90 out, 78 is cool enough.

Is this all because I'm getting closer to the age of 30. Is my internal thermostat changing to that of a little old lady already?

The Chiefs at Wrigley

Tom, Jim, Theresa, Vince and I all drove up for the Chiefs game at Wrigley Field last night. A big THANKS goes out to Theresa for driving through the thunderstorms, fog, and other various "incidents". Also, may the suicidal raccoon rest in peace.

I left most of the picture taking up to Jim last night. When it comes to dueling cameras, his wins by far. I hope to share some of the field shots, once I get them from him. But then again, I think you can probably use your imagination regarding what the game looked like.

It was proven once again last night that Jim is a professional seat squatter. Our seats were on the aisle, 7 rows up from the backstop about halfway between the end of the dugout and the center of home plate. Our awesome view was slightly obstructed by the net. Driven to get photos without the net in the way, Jim staked out some seats a section over, just outside the reach of the net. I do believe he was livin' it up, getting to say hello to the higher-ups of the Cubs front office. Here's Jim as Tom Ricketts, one of the Cubs owners, gets up to leave the seat next to Jim.
We all eventually joined Jim and never got booted the whole evening. The game was fun, with the Chiefs winning and the entertainment of the Famous Chicken (should have photos coming of that one). Did I mention I got to catchup with Stacy, my fellow intern with the Chiefs? Can't believe she happened to be up at the game, considering she lives in Omaha.

Tom and I teamed up for a meal at the ballpark we won't soon forget. We split a foot-long bison dog. I so kindly shared my portion of the sauerkraut with Tom ;-) The plastic helmet Tom is holding is our order of nachos. We think it weighed a good 3 lbs, chips, chili, sour cream, onions, olives, jalapenos, nacho cheese and goodness knows what else. We enlisted Vince and the Angell's to help us out.
I believe it was around 9:00pm when Theresa treated me to a large Diet Pepsi. Dare I say that I was good to go for the evening! On the ride home, I busted out the glow sticks I got for my birthday.... yee-ha! I got back to my house around 1:30am and wasn't quite ready to fall asleep. Seeing that I didn't wake up until after 8:00am and and took a nap this afternoon, I'm pleased with my decision to take the day off. Time to get back to the grind tomorrow and finish out my two day week.

Olson Extravaganza... oh and a Surprise 30th Brithday Party

Yep, I was totally bamboozled. I arrived at Mom and Dad's around 10am to Happy 30th Birthday Jane decorations all over the back porch. I ran a couple of last minute errands for the party and started thinking too much. By the time I got back to the house I was completely overwhelmed with the thought of people making the trip for a happy birthday Jane party. It was a very warm happy, fuzzy, overwhelming, but glad Mom helped level me out before the company started coming in the afternoon.

Now that I think about it, it kind of cracks me up that I helped the masterminds behind the party plan it. Mom wanting help with the prizes, talking menu with Mom and Dad, and planning the games with Tom. Yep, they totally got me!

Here's a small collection of photos from the fun night. I tried to get as many people in the photos as I could. I have too many shots to show them all.

Here's Tom and I playing the frisbee golf course with three of the Muno's, Steph, Dan and Zach. Glad I twisted Steph's arm into playing the round with us... even happier she didn't decapitate anyone. ;-) Special thanks to Tom for rescuing my frisbee from behind the raspberry bushes. Keeping my fingers crossed you didn't get poison ivy.
Up next is the bags. Somehow the horseshoes didn't get a photo op, but it did get played. We've got Coker, Jim and Vince playing it up on the bags set Dad constructed and Grandpa painted. I just wish Grandpa hadn't put so many glossy coats of clear paint on it because I had at least 4 bags slide-hop right over the hole. That's my excuse for not doing well, and I'm going to stick with it.
Here's a nice shot of a relaxing game of croquet. We didn't have quite the cut-throat competition this year. But I do believe all had fun. Below is Mikelle, Laura, and Sarah.
Moving on to the ever exciting ladder golf game. I love this set Tom made. It's so much better than the store-bought one I really need to pitch/drop off at the Salvation Army. Anyway, here's Taylor and John taking their turn with the ladder golf. (So glad I brought over a Cubs hat for John, those Cardinal shoes and shirt needed to be evened out a bit.)
Those who just wanted to take in the atmosphere of the festivities, could be seen from the "lookout tower" on the deck. Here's Grandpa and Aunt Kathy watching over the croquet course.
After all the game playing, we all needed to replenish our energy, so Chef Daddler worked on cooking up a meal to serve us all. With a baseball chef cap and two grills going... I dare say that Dad was livin' it up.
Here's the tail end of the chow line. It was fun for me to ring the big cow bell to let everyone know that dinner was served. Gotta love the cheesey posed photo! I still giggle at this one.
Here's the setup of the deck with the kids making themselves at home. The cleanup crew (Sparky and Lizzie) hadn't been unleashed yet. We lucked out with the weather. It was absolutely beautiful, making it so easy for us all to enjoy the time outside.
The fire hazard was brought out after dinner. Dad, Jed, and Aunt Joyce tag teamed to get all 30 candles lit in a timely fashion. Sadly, I was unable to blow out all candles at once. But then again, when you have a cookie cake from Jim... it makes it pretty easy to overlook the inability to get all the candles in one breath.
Here's the beginning of the gift opening, as Uncle Gary tries to dart out of the photo. :) Apparently, Mom encouraged bringing fun small gifts in the quantity of 30. People definitely put their thinking caps on for this one.

Below was me looking at the Q-tip sculpture my cousin John made for me. He used 30 Q-tips to spell out my name... pretty cool. Sarah and Jed gave me 30 pistachios, and the kicker... each was was numbered! One gift arrived in a cooler, the Muno's gave me 30 of my favorite Eggo waffles... classic!
Let's see, below we have Old MacDonald's farm, courtesy of the Iadiapaolo's. I was unaware the the farm had a hermit crab, rubber chicken, dragon, gigantic bunny rabbits and an elephant. Let's see, Sparky and Jinkies also got hooked up pretty good thanks to the Angell's and Jenny/Chris. Between the two gifts, I've got kitty poo bags, cat & dog treats, and cat & dog toys. I should be able to bust those out tomorrow... they're both sleeping this Sunday away.
Laura hooked me us with a "few" rolls of toilet paper, which she creatively made into a gigantic caterpillar. I hear that I may have a hard time getting them apart. It was definitely the longest and most sturdy chain of TP I've ever seen. Tom hooked me up with 30 Dawson cards. I guess I found out what he's been doing with his summer, surfing ebay. ;-) I can't wait to get the cards arranged to hang up the 2nd bedroom... they are too cool not to display!
There were several other gifts, like Grandpa's 30 1 dollar bills, Dad's 30 scratch of lotto tickets (I got $13 and a free ticket!), and Mom's 30 swatches of fabric. I'm blanking on the other fun creative gifts at the moment. Between the super fun yet long day and getting up there in age, I just can't remember all the goofy gifts. I did love the card from Uncle Bob and Aunt Kathy that read "It's easy turning 30 years old, The hard part is staying 30." Quality.

After the gifts and finishing up the games, we had nice little prize ceremony for all who participated. Zach, Tom, Dan, and Jim had a toss-off in the bag game for the Grand Prize, which Tom walked away with. Oh, I should mention that Aunt Cheryl won the booby prize. Love it.

The evening capped off with a bunch of fireworks and quite a few unwanted guests. Thank goodness they weren't all as large as the huge rhinoceros beetle. The mosquitoes were the only pest of the evening, so I'll take it! Definitely a day I won't soon forget.

Thanks to everyone who was able to come . If only Apple had released their new iphone with a teleportation device, then Aunt Chris and Uncle Ken, Matt, and Emily could have made it. I love getting the family and friends together. Sometimes I think I might as well just say family and family. It was awesome, also, I may have set a record for myself, most hugs in one day. It was great!

July has Arrived!

So many things are coming up this month! We've got the 3rd of July Olson Extravaganza, a Chiefs game at Wrigley, Little Big Town and Sugarland, my 30th birthday, Kathy Griffin, and my participating in Whitney's Walk for Life.

If you see the little box I've made sitting around somewhere, I hope you take a moment to drop in a donation or just throw in your spare change. If you want a bit more information, please see my donation page and click around on the Whitney's Walk for Life Website.