Monday Bacon: Step Together Step

Posted on May 12, 2014 by tosabarbell

Pilots and Dancers

Words cannot adequately describe how incredible the last 72 hours of life has been. From the moment the kids arrived on Thursday afternoon up until we finished laughing about a few funny moments about the party with Matt’s folks last night, it was amazing. I think the words that best identify my frame of mind right now would be Exquisite Exhaustion. I’m so tired I can barely focus and it was 100% worth it.

When I’m more able to just recognize basic shapes, I’ll tell you more. But for now, the phrase, “Step together step” is all I can keep thinking about. See, when you work the equation of Hawaiian singers and dancers PLUS a group of ProStrongman, Highland Games athletes, and other athletes, it can only add up to an awesome hula dance lesson. (Yes, we have video, hang on a minute.)

Malia, Angel, and Greg of Ocean’s Three entertained us from the moment we walked into the door until we left. They were incredible. The singing was some of the most beautiful I’d ever heard and Malia’s wedding song dance made me cry.  When Angel demonstrated the motions for the boys, Malia walked them through it. It was awesome. “Throw your net!” “Cast your fishing pole!” and everyone’s favorite “From the hips“, etc. But between it all, there was always the Step together step. 

The step together step kept the rhythm, kept pace, kept the guys on track, brought the dance back to the ground when it started hitting the rails. Step together step. All I can think of is how this is a perfect tone for our marriage, step together step. Bring us back to walking together in difficult times.  Step together step. When we get caught up in life, competition, work…step together step.

I’m hoping we keep this simple mantra throughout life, step together step. I think we’ll be okay if we can.

Special thanks to the guys who were good sports about getting out there and dancing, I know you’d be so sad about not being able to see how awesome you all were, so here you go!

Matt, you may kiss your bride. And if you’re lucky, she’ll kiss you back.

Swede

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Stunning?

Posted on May 6, 2014 by tosabarbell

stunning

So I’m just sitting here minding my own business, eating my pre-workout carbs (Mmmmmm, carbs) and I check a Drudge  article about Tom Brady’s stupid outfit for some event.

Slow news day. Silly article but I’m busy enough not to want to get caught up in anything deep right now, so I scroll down and read about silly people doing silly things when this photo catches my eye. Well, maybe not the photo, but the caption underneath it:

Blonde beauties: The star was also seen partying at the event with Toni Garrn,

who looked stunning in a black top and leather skirt.

Uhhhhh, huh? THIS is stunning? This is meth chic, not stunning. Gawd.

The only thing I want to do when I see pictures like this being glorified by the sheep media while eating my carbs is to go squat. So off I go.

She got her looks from her father. He’s a plastic surgeon. 

Groucho Marx

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Monday Bacon: Crunch Time

Posted on May 5, 2014 by tosabarbell

Now that we’re in T minus 5 days to wedding kick-off, execution is coming down to the wire. Which leaves details.

Yuck. Details aren’t much fun. Broad, nondescript, things that are fun to talk about but have no idea how to make happen. That’s the fun in wedding planning. We have an increased sense of urgency to pull this thing off without many hitches and frankly it just makes me want to curl back up in our new Ikea ginormous, pillow top bed and have someone wake me up when it’s all done (the planning, I’ll show up for the party.)

This weekend, Matt and I figured out a great way to pleasantly run two consecutive days full of 6 hours of errands. Stop for food. And drinks. On Saturday, we shopped a little; ate a little. Of course we had to get in our Mint Julep for derby day. It wasn’t good but hey, it’s the thought that counts. Then we shopped a little more; ate a little more and since we were at Cooper’s Hawk to pick up wine-I drank wine. One more stop and then home. But wait a minute, cuz nothing’s ever easy, let’s change up our Friday evening meal with our out of town family and guests.

As much as we love the local brew pubs here, as we got more into the details of what our dinner would look like, we really wanted something different than just hanging out in a loud bar for our intimate little gathering. Add in the fact that it would add another $1200 to a budget and we said nope. Plan B. Uhhhhh, we need a plan B. Crap.

Enter friend’s who are not only award winning mixologists, but also run one of our favorite restaurants and talked the head chef into working our larger than their normal Friday night table’s group into the mix. We could not be more thankful. The fact that it’s about a quarter mile away from home and a mile from folks hotel and it’s a total win. Hit it out of the park! Thanks Brian!!

But now we only have about 150 small things to get done in order to breath easy once friends and family arrive. But we’ll get it done. And what we don’t, folks won’t even realize we wanted to. But now I have to get off the computer, cuz I’m supposed to be working.

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

Yogi Berra

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All In Until The Win

Posted on May 1, 2014 by tosabarbell

The Minnesota Sports radio guys were having fun talking about the upcoming Game 7 between the Wild and the Av’s yesterday. Excitement was in the air, folks were stoked.

As usual in sport talk, there were speculations and predictions. Lot’s of “If this or  that happens we can win” and such. And then someone stated the ultimate cliche’…They’ll need to give 100% for 60 minutes.

Hate. Sports. radio.

Well okay smart guy. What if they give 100% for 60 minutes but the game lasts for, oh I dunno, 65 minutes and 2 seconds? What then? We’re no longer playing 100%? But what if the other team has prepared to play 100% for 80 minutes, or 100 minutes? What then? They win just by preparing better?

Dunno. All we needed was 65 minutes and two seconds so I guess some brilliant coach decided to prepare his team for the whole game, not just the part that was originally scheduled.

The point being, obviously, that we need to prepare for the game; the event; the entire competition whatever that looks like. Those of us who compete don’t just get ready for the scheduled day. We prepare for weather conditions, food, the other competitors, equipment, everything. Everything. There is no “100% for 60 minutes.” There is only “All in until the win.”

OH! The Wild won (obviously.) They now face the Blackhawks. I don’t know how many folks remember the North Stars and Blackhawks games but they were the finest sports had to offer in my childhood. I can’t remember EVER going to a game and not seeing beer being thrown. In fact, the last time I went, I took my Dad to the old Met Center with tickets given to me by a work contact from Chicago. We marched up to a clearly Blackhawk section and the groans were immediate when they saw the Green and Gold Stars shirts we were wearing. I whirled around and took the bull by the horn by stating loudly, “Look! This is the FIRST time I get to be the one to take my DAD to a North Stars game instead of the other way around and we’re going to have a good time and get along! GET IT!” They bought us beer, so it was all good. Heh.

Go Wild! But not for just 100%, but all the way to the win.

If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is a winner. You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can, who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed, it means that they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner.

Walter Payton

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