Mafia Party

Steve and I channeled our inner "gangsta" to attend the End of Spring semester "Goodfellas" gathering hosted by Marcia Williams.  It was a great time complete with two Mafia themed trivia contests.

 

I thought Steve looked the part of a "goodfella". The inspiration for my "Gangsta" look was Carmella Soprano from the HBO "Soprano" series. Probably more of a miss than a hit, but thanks to borrowing a fedora from my niece, Miranda, I was in the ballpark.

 

Steve's new ride

Good-bye Soccer-Mom-Mini-Van of the past 8 years, you have served this family well.  Numerous family vacations, camping trips, soccer games, family events, birthday parties, hailstorms and general running around. Over 150,000 miles, almost all driven by Steve.  He didn't complain {too much}.




 Some concerns over the continued long-term viability of our 2001 mini-van, including the heat going out over Christmas and the starter-thingy beginning to be temperamental, caused Steve to begin the hunt for a replacement.  This has been going on for the past 4 months.  But finally, this week, he found a vehicle with the features he wanted (V8 with towing capacity), 4 wheel drive,  room for extra passengers (seats 7), low mileage and the right price.




 Meet Steve's new Armageddon vehicle...  2008 Jeep Commando Commander in all black.  It looks like all that is missing is some type of mounted machine gun on top.  I think he was looking to "man-up" his vehicle after the mini-van.  I think he made a great choice.  Although the boxy shape makes me want to call it the "Sponge-bob Square Pants" vehicle.  Although I think Armegeddon is going to stick.

Celebrating Steve

on his 29th 43rd birthday!  Steve got to indulge his sweet tooth with some homemade double chocolate brownies, Butterfingers (his favorite candy bar) & a delicious dessert at Bello's. A painted paperweight rock, compliments of Kippy, with his motorcycle gang inscribed on it and an iphone made his ibirthday complete. We all had fun spoiling our favorite "man guy" on his special day!

Celebrating Steve

I think the girls and I did a great job surprising Steve for his birthday this year (March 27th). He isn't very easy to surprise... and he isn't very easy to even get presents for... but this year we scored!

One of the things that makes getting gifts for Steve is that he never, ever, says that he "wants" something for his birthday, or for Christmas or for any day. OK, maybe never is a little strong, but it seriously rarely happens. And because of that, it is hard to know if you are choosing the right thing for him as a gift. I always have doubts... will he like it? Will it be a home-run-kind-of-a-gift?

This time, I had scored some insider information from my brother, Russ. He told me that Steve was really checking out a Harley coat and had even tried it on, but didn't buy it about 4 weeks ago when they were out at a Gun show together in Grand Forks. I asked Russ to go ahead and buy it and keep it at his house so I could give it to Steve for his birthday. Winning! I knew I had a home run gift this time!
Steve had no idea what was in the box. I loved watching his facial expression change when he figured out what his present was. And he makes that leather jacket look GOOD!

The girls wanted to give their dad gifts that he would love as well. After the success with the giant chocolate chip heart for Valentine's day, I suggested they each bake him something.

Kippy decided to make lemon bars, which is one of her dad's favorites. She squeezed the lemons and mixed up the filling herself. Abby helped out with the crust. And it was all a surprise, because we did the baking while Steve was gone for a Sportsman banquet the night before his birthday.
We fancied the bars up with some extra powdered sugar, wedges of lime and a candle. The Lemon bars were delicious and definitely loved and appreciated by her dad.

Abby wanted to combine her dad's love of chocolate chip bars with brownies and found a recipe for Brownie/Cookie bars. Steve came home in the middle of the assembly, but as soon as we told him it was a surprise, he didn't ask any questions and stayed away from the kitchen.

The layered bars were fabulous, especially with the extra chocolate drizzled on top and another candle to blow out. It is true, the secret to Steve's heart is definitely with his favorite desserts (and his girls). Happy birthday to my wonderful Husband and the best Dad in the world!

19 years & counting

I feel so very blessed to have had the foresight to pick this man to date when I was a senior in high school and 18 years old. Today we are celebrating the 19th anniversary of our wedding and I love him more than ever. He is kind, generous, giving, loving, hilarious, insightful, strong, intelligent, comforting and so much more.
The first song we danced to on our wedding night was (Everything I do) I do it for you by Brian Adams and the lyrics still resonate with me.

Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

Look into your heart - you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am - take my life
I would give it all - I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

There's no love - like your love
And no other - could give more love
There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way

Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you

Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Do Pet & Owner look alike? Judge for yourself!

I have heard the myth that owners and pets begin to look-a-like over time, but in this accidental photo, it appears that Steve (owner) and Bella (pet) have now become one!Oh, the fun of messing with the angle of the lens.

Both Steve & Bella do enjoy a fast boat ride, so they do have that in common.

Dads Rock!

Let's hear it for DADs because let's face it, they ROCK and don't HEAR it often enough.
The girls did some shopping and some creating to show both their dad and Grandpa how much they are loved.
Kippy put together this picture frame for Steve. She had a hard time deciding on a picture because she originally wanted it to be just a picture of her and her daddy, but conceded {with some gentle nudging from me} that the best picture was one her daddy with both his girls.


Abby did a made a custom card and inserted a poem she wrote.

"I sure hope this Father's Day
is your very best by far.
Extra nice and extra fun
the way you always are.
You're the greatest kind of dad
any kid every had."

Steve got some new grillin' gadgets and some spicy Thai sauce for him to try.
And this year, we were at the farm and got to celebrate Father's day in person with my dad.
Abby & Kippy got to snuggle in and watch their Grandpa Rod read his card and open his gifts.
And as always is the case, the giving and receiving of hugs is the best gift of all. Hope the two most important men-in-my-life know how special they are to all of us!

Quiz time!

I realize that I haven't been so great on documenting and keeping up with activities going on in our household. So I thought I would have a little fun with some pictures and make a game out of catching up on our Lindgren-style Life. How many questions can you get right?



1. Who is this masked individual?


2. Where are Abby and Nixin headed to?

3. What store did Kippy get her new 24" bike from?

4. Where is this picture of Steve taken at & what is up with the hat?

5. What character did Abby play in the Night of the Wax Museum production put on by the 7th & 8th graders?
6. Can you correctly guess the number of miles Renae logged in her Mizuno's (running shoes) in the month of April?








Check your answers below:

1. Angelique (a.k.a. Kippy) Kippy was one of the girl scout detectives working to solve the crime of Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar at the lock-in held in March. After examining all the clues including a foot print and bite marks, it was discovered that Jan, one of the leaders, had stolen the cookie from the cookie jar.
2. Mayville, ND. On March 27th, Nixin and Abby were traveling buddies in Kristy's vehicle, while Noah & Kippy were my companions in a 4 vehicle caravan from Esko to Mayville. Russ drove the H-haul and Steve drove Russ' truck/trailer. We were excited to help Russ, Kristy, Nixin and Noah move back to God's country (North Dakota, of course). Lovin' the fact that they are less than 2 hours from Fergus Falls!
3. Walmart. It was a gorgeous Easter day and the family wanted to go for a bike ride. The only problem was that Kippy had outgrew her little bike, which meant some shopping needed to happen before we could hit the road. Steve & Kippy found this bike at Walmart and we took it out on its maiden voyage that afternoon.

4. Don Pablos, Fergus Falls. In a Lindgren family tradition, Steve celebrated his 41st birthday with his favorite girls and was serenaded with Happy Birthday in Spanish while wearing a sombrero. Steve shared his big ol' bowl of birthday fried ice cream with us... mmmmm!


5. Mary Read. The play was very funny and a good experience for Abby, even though they only got to perform it once.
6. 75 miles. The Fargo Half Marathon is less that 3 weeks away (May 22nd). I feel like I am better prepared than I was last year when I did it the first time. Praying for good weather (meaning no wind or rain/snow) and a better time. My time to beat is 2:01. I am shooting for 1:54 or better.

How did you do on the quiz?

Flashback Friday

I found a photo from almost 11 years, when Steve & I were on a Caribbean cruise. It was June 1999 and I was wearing the now vintage red dress.

THEN....

NOW...

Kinda fun to do a little comparison between then and now. Steve looks so much the same! I like my hair & jewelry better in the now version. What do you think?

All dressed up.

And finally, someplace to go to! The occasion? The first annual OLV Steak & Wine Dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 10th.

My tall, dark and handsome date...

A fancy up-do for me. And for those who are wondering... No, I didn't do this myself.

Anyone who has ever seen my regular hair, would never even ask such a silly question. I had to go to a professional to get my limp, straight hair to look good. Gayland, from the JCPenney Salon in Fargo created this in just under an hour. It would be even more dramatic if I would have taken a before picture, but trust me when I say it was my usual cr@p hair.

I recycled this dress from 1995 or 1996. I think I have only worn it twice, but haven't parted with it because I just love it. It was a bargain from Filene's Basement a bazillian years ago. Does that store even exist anymore? Anyway, the dress is now so old,I think it has earned the title of vintage.
Both girls were helping me with jewelry choices. So many opinions it really cracks me up. I think they were just happy that I wasn't wearing pajama pants or workout clothes for once.

The fundraiser event was fantastic! A lot of work went into transforming the school gym into an elegant environment. The food was scrumptious. Our table mates and great friends, David & Kelly, made the evening even more fun. We acquired several great live auction items and cheered on many others who were bidding. Social pressure makes everything more exciting!

And to top it off, we got to do some dancing. I sure do love a good jitterbug with my handsome partner! Oh, and I almost forgot... we can't say "we never win anything" anymore because we won a $100 raffle drawing at the end of the evening. Talk about icing-on-the-cake!

Gold Stars for Steve

My hubby is amazing and definitely goes above and beyond. I will use this post to just point out a couple of examples so the next time one of his habits seems a wee-bit irritating, I can put it in perspective and remember his many outstanding traits.
Steve is very thoughtful. He brought home this gorgeous hydrangea last week. It is so perfect that it looks fake! I love, love, love me some flowers. Especially ones that last and last.

Flowers make my heart sing!

Steve is romantic. About a week before we went on our second honeymoon in Vegas, Steve gave me a customized silver pendent necklace. What a surprise! It says, "Live Laugh Love Lindgren Style" on the outside and "Steve*Abbigail*Angelique" around the inside. It has a mother-of-pearl charm in the center. I added the heart charm that Abby gave me for Christmas to it which says "A mother... holds her child's heart forever." I love it & wear it all the time. It keeps my family close to my heart.

Steve is generous. After 4 days of me prancing around in the robe provided at the Trump hotel in Vegas saying how much I loved it and randomly shouting "Your fired!", Steve ordered me my very own Trump robe.
It is completely floor length on me and irresistibly soft and cozy in the inside. OMGosh - it is the best memento from a vacation I think I have ever gotten. My hubby has been earning some major gold stars! Steve, YOU.ARE.THE.BEST!!! and the earlier comment about irritating habits.... ummm... I was just kidding. ;-)