WI WI WI WISCONSIN!!! AND MY BIRTHDAY!

So my week last week started like any other until I got this!!  My friend Justin made me a package and sent it all the way from Washington D.C.!! What an awesome friend!  Love him so much!  The pictures, lotion, card, photo album, and personalized CD's (my favorite!).  Justin just knows how to make a girl feel special!  

So since we were leaving early for WI, My co-workers decided to celebrate my birthday the Wednesday before I left.  They decorated my office ( I can't show you all the pictures until later since I am not done decorating) :/

Then they treated me to Bonanza for lunch (Chelsie please hold back on your jealousy!  And it was pretty good I have to admit!) Kim and I laughed when she suggested it and then my other co-worker Natalee (who was not in on the previous convo) wanted to go there so we went.  It was funny....maybe you had to be there! 

My Heart shaped chicken breast! Just what I needed  SOME LOVE!

Umm who knew my fork was a TREKY! LOL

Thursday we started out on the road for WI.  I had the furthest drive of anyone on this trip. :(  I drove from Dickinson to Bismarck.  Jumped in with Lindsey, Scottie, Rick, and Colby (the pup). Then we ventured to Fargo, dropped Colby off and got Mardee.....LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!!!

1ST LEG OF THE TRIP!!

Mardee giving the camera some leg....we were hanging out in the camper we stayed in! It was a legit situation not going to lie.  Loved that thing!

Lindsey with one of the four dogs.  They are all the same breed.  Loving dogs!!

Scotty, Me, and Mardee at Jolene's softball game! This was on my birthday and it was such a good day!

Scotty's aunt Leeann got me a bottle of Mascoto Champagne and a cool glass with a straw to drink it out of!  It was the best thing ever!!  So thoughtful!  And then Scotty's Aunt Lana made me some brownies!! So sweet! This family just embraced us and took us in as if we were part of the family!  Mardee and I couldn't have asked for a better mini vacation and better people to spend it with!  I just love them!!!!
They took us up a butte where we got to see all of Lacrosse.  There was history about the town and such.  So neat!  

Then afterward we went to the River.  Down at the river three rivers meet the Mississippi, Black, and Lacrosse.  I believe....  The picture down below is me standing infront of the area where all the rivers meet.  You can take rides on a river boat as well!  We didn't get a chance to do this but I will return for that ride!! Dinner and music on a boat.....HECK YES!!!
There was also this garden that was made with different countries in place.  There was like one decorated for China, Japan...etc.  It was neat to walk through and we found two different plants that Lana liked! One was a fern with a rose/carnation flower at the end! I have never seen such a thing!  It was just beautiful and I can't imagine what it looks like two weeks later with some sun and rain!

Ok, I just put this picture up of the Buffalo to set the scene for this story.  Mardee brought her camera with us and wanted to take some pictures of whatever she could find.  Anywho while we were out there these Buffalo (one pictured below) were down the road from the house we stayed at.  So Lindsey, Holly, Mardee, and I all went to the gas station and planned on stopping to take a picture of these on the way back.  Mardee jumps out of the pickup and gets right up to the fence and is taking pictures (I stayed in the vehicle the whole time).  Mardee started out just taking what she could from the fence and then she wanted to get as close as she could so she starts feeding them with thee DELICIOUS grass on this side of the fence.  I know that many of you "ranchers, farmers, intelligent people who know about buffalo" are yelling in your head right about now "NOOOOOO don't do it!"  What does Mardee do?!?...She DOES it!!  Lindsey and Holly were those people saying no and to get back in the car.  Me.... well I was cheering for Mardee!! "get it girl!! You're just fine!"  Something along those lines.
Well.... as the feeding progresses Mardee starts to hear a snort from afar and it is the BULL!!  He stomps and snorts his way over.  Lindsey and Holly proceed to get in the vehicle and start telling Mardee that she needs to get in.  Mardee's response "Do you think I could feed him?!"  Lindsey is like "Mardee GET IN THE VEHICLE!!"  Holly..."umm you probably shouldn't do that."  My response "DO IT!!!"  So Mardee gives me her camera and I proceeded to capture the moment!  The Bull slowly approached the fence and Mardee takes the DELICIOUS grass and makes a nice ball for that beast!  I continue to encourage Mardee and take pictures.......Lindsey: "You guys are SO your mother's kids!!"  Mardee hands shaking....she reaches out...the bull snorts and then he slowly approaches the fence ...opens that huge jaw of his and grabs that grassball and chomped it like it was Christmas Dinner!! We were all like tense in the car and freaking out!!  I wish I had her pictures on here because I have a picture of Mardee running back with her arms in the air and a HUGE victory smile!! We all were screaming in Victory!! It is the coolest picture! Conquering the world one day at a time!! Proud moment for this sister right here!!!

We had Lindsey and Scottie's picnic reception and then the following night we played Apples to Apples with the family!  It was just a great time.  One thing I don't have a picture of which I am super sad about is this "meat butter."  So what is meat butter you ask?!!  It is this meat that comes in a roll (kinda like summer sausage type of roll) and they spread it on buttered toast.  Now I am not one to judge, and I will usually try anything once....but this woooo I could not!! Bruce even tried feeding me it and it got all over my face....YUCK...and no I did not ask him to feed me!...AND not only do they eat this but it is for breakfast out of all of the meals in a day!! The whole family just loves this stuff!  And it isn't really called meat butter...this is something I somehow someway made up and they thought it was just funny!  So now its called Meat Butter! This truly was a great weekend and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday!! Thanks WI family!!

I come back from the WI trip and Katie is waiting up for me! Guess what this girl did for me!!! Yup made me cookies!! How awesome is this!! Love this girl....this was such a great surprise to come home too!
Now back to business.....I got this awesome name plate for my desk!! So fancy I know!

A little project I did..on break of course!  This is my co-worker Kim showing us her fanny pack!   Isn't she such a good model!!  No one does it like Kim does it!

Katie and I were watching TV in our last week  together (TEARS!!)  She looks at me and goes "did you hear that?  Me half asleep and deaf to begin with go "No what,"  She replies "There is a mouse!"  So after she unplugs the heater, turns the TV off and goes over to my counter she points to this spot and goes "right here".....Now seriously!  How she heard that thing I have NO IDEA!  Anyway there WAS a mousey in the housey! OK!! We sent the picture above to her mother (who was at the store) and she brought traps for us to put up!  So nice!! And nope there was no mouse caught and they (Charlie and Kris) took all that stuff and threw it so if it was in one of the bags it is gone now!  Great parents!!

Below is Katie and I at this carnival thing that came to town.  It was a mini one....I just wanted that Lemonade! It took me 3 days to get it! And to be honest it wasn't as good as I was hoping....but at least I got one!

POPCORN 30!!! That is what popcorn time is in our office!! We got this cool little popcorn maker and I make us it at POPCORN 30 time!! So delicious!  I just love popcorn and we don't have a Stop-n-Go here in Dickinson so I have to make my own...however ACE-Hardware does make a competitive comparing popcorn to Stop-n-Go!!

Ok so here we are at a fancy restaurant in Dickinson.  This was Katie and my's last night together.  We went to a Jazz concert thing at the Brick House Grill.  Remember those little paper things you made and you would have to pick a number, then you picked a color, and then you opened up one of the corners and it told you what guy was going to be your boyfriend or something of that sort!  Anyway they folded their napkins that way, so here I am explaining to Katie how awesome this was!

Like any adventure I go on there is a story about the Brick House!  We walked in there and I immediately felt under-dressed.  Like it was call and make a reservation fancy!  Katie told me that I was making it more fancy than what it actually was but I don't know it was fancy!! Just saying!  So we were sitting at our table and this guy in jeans, t shirt and suit jacket walks up and stands right in front of the chair next to me.  Thinking he was wanting to sit down at the chair behind me I go "did you need to sit down"....obviously I was confused as to what this man was doing.  He looks at me and starts laughing "hahaha yeah let me just sit right here" and then pulls out the chair next to me....Now ....I know what you are all thinking "Nicky just met the man of her dreams and they are getting married".......NO stop that thinking,  it's not true I tell you!  Then this happened....After pushing the chair back in the guy goes "I'm just kidding" and walks away.  Now I sit there WAY confused at what in the world just happened.  Katie looks at me red in the face and goes "That's the owner".....YEAH...way to go Nicky!!

This is the front of Bruce's card that literally took me 1/2 a day to do with the paint program!  The joke behind this is that Jesse (the face on the Turkey) kept saying this quote one night when we were in WI. They were drinking the Wild Turkey and he would repeat over and over "Did you know that Ben Franklin petitioned to have the Turkey be the National Bird" For those of you who don't know that is Ben Franklin pointing at the paper in the card! Bruce loved the card so it was well worth my time!

Found an old friend at the party...who also happens to be Bruce's friend and Neighbor!! The world just gets smaller and smaller!

My beautiful sister and I at the party! Love her sooooo much!!

All in All I can tell you that my life continues to be one adventure after another!  I moved into my apartment this last Saturday and week one is going well!  I will update with photos and such next week when I put my clothes away! Right now I can't even walk on one side of my room! I finished my first home assessment and got "this was beautifully done" from my boss!!  Such a great feeling!!

Thank you as always for the continued love, support, and prayers!!  You all mean so much to me!!

So Much Love,

Nicky

I chose this song for my sister Mardee!! So proud of you and your BULL accomplishment!! haha...YES!