Jillian Michaels+ work out= The original pancake house!

      With the new year, came the strong desire to finally get fit! With my roommate leaving in a month to vacation to Florida to meet a very special boy, we decided that it was time we kick out butts into gear and start working out! Being that we have very busy schedules, it was decided that doing a daily work out video was going to be the best way for us to work out, enter Jillian Michaels. Jillian has a 30 day shred video in which each segment is just 20 minutes. 20 minutes seemed feasible for both of us so we began the 30 day shred. I am proud to say that I am on day 5 of the 30 day shred and loving it. With this great feeling of accomplishment for actually completing 4 days of this difficult video I decided that we should reward ourselves by going out for breakfast. Being that we live in Richfield, I decided that the Original Pancake house would be a perfect place to go. When we entered the lobby of the restaurant we noticed that 10 people were already waiting for seating, we thought the wait might be 10-15 minutes but after checking in with the hostess we were assured that it would just be a few minutes. All 10 people in front of us were seated quite promptly and we continued to wait while more and more people flooded the lobby. Each time a group would check in with the hostess they were told "It will just be a few minutes". This made my roommate Kathryn and I chuckle, because eventually there were 17 other people waiting with us in the lobby waiting to be seated, and each one was told "it will just be a few minutes". Really?? We couldn't understand why the hostess didn't just tell people their wait time would be about 10 minutes, rather she gives every customer false hope that their wait time would be just a few minutes.
     
       With the Original Pancake house being located near the galleria in Edina, one would assume that most of the people in this restaurant would be rich, retired people. Our experience with the customers in this restaurant was quite to the contrary of this assumption. Although everyone in this restaurant was well over the age of 30, the people we encountered were very interesting. Upon entering the restaurant we were seated in the lobby near a bunch of 70+ year old women. The one we enjoyed the most had shrimp colored hair. We overheard her talking to her friends about the fashion these days. She said, "Fashion really hasn't changed much in past years, only boots are different." When I turned to look at who was saying this comment, it was then I realized that she had shrimp and white colored hair and she was wearing a bright neon pink windbreaker! She's right, fashion hasn't changed!

    
   The rest of our experience at the Original Pancake house included an odd couple that appeared to be on a first date, who talked about how weird giraffe's look, and a table of 8-10 Grandma's. While Kathryn and I ate our breakfast of, apple crepes, pigs in blankets, and the most delectable hot chocolate I've EVER had, we observed the grandma's sitting and conversing at the table furthest away from us. They were all so cute. One had her hair in a tight bun (which we decided would be Kathryn when she gets old), and the rest had short bobs. Their conversation traveled from medical procedures that they had, MRI's, EKG's, CAT scans, to different medical conditions, and finally to their grandchildren. It was so sweet to see these grandma's all getting together to have breakfast together. It made me wonder, how long they had been friends..... a few months? a few years? since grade school? Their conversation just flowed and they seemed to have the best time.

I sure hope that by the time I'm 80 years old, I still have close friendships with those around me today.

So, I decided maybe a blog is necessary

So, the new year has finally arrived! It's 2011 and I'm optimistic that this year things will be different. This year I will study more, have more fun, make more friends, and embrace life more than ever before. How am I going to accomplish this you ask...... That is a very good question, and when I discover the answer I'll let you know.

Rather than start the year out with a million impossible resolutions I've decided to make a list of 3 goals for 2011.

              1. Graduate from college
              2. Run at least a 5k
              3. Finish everything I start

As I look forward to the events of the upcoming year which include countless weddings, vacations and birthdays, I can't help but think about all of the memories that I have from last year.

At the beginning of 2010 I began a journey of "newness". In January I started school at the University of Minnesota which I quickly began to love. I didn't know a single sole at this school of over 51,000 students, but I was excited to start this new journey. The University of Minnesota truly is a perfect fit for me and I enjoy going to class (almost) everyday! 2 of my goals for 2010 were to move out of my parents house and buy a new car, I can proudly say I accomplished both of these goals!!!! Over the summer I realized that working for leaps and bounds on a part time basis was not going to allow me to go to school and pay for my everyday necessities so, I decided I needed a new job. After weeks of searching for health care jobs, I interviewed for a nursing assistant position at Melrose Institute and was hired! Melrose Institute is an eating disorder clinic, which helps patients with a full range of eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia and overweight patients. My main responsibility is caring for those who are admitted to the clinic who need intense care. 
    Upon entering this position, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I quickly learned that everything I thought I knew about eating disorders, was completely wrong. I absolutely love my job and look forward to going to work and hanging out with my patients every day. There truly is nothing more rewarding than going to work, enjoying what you do, and leaving knowing that you helped make someones day just a little bit brighter.
The beginning of my new job brought the opportunity to fulfill both of my goals, I was able to buy a new car and move into a townhouse! 

Although I love having a new car and living in a new place with my bff Kathryn, there were also many other amazing memories from 2010.

My top memory of the entire year occurred on Christmas Day, when my Uncle Jared proposed to his girlfriend in front of the entire family! It was such a special occasion to be apart of.

Happy New Year!!!!

2010 was such a fun year and 2011 is sure to top it! I can't wait! In the meantime here are some of my favorite pictures from this past year.....