wow it is already fourth quater of my senior and i have not done a very good job at updating considering the last time i updated was about a year ago... well i guess i will give a brief overview of mypast year.  This is my senior year and now i only have until may 18th and i will be done.  I haven't been doing much knitting because i have been pretty busy this year.  I got a full tution waiver to the UA because i am in the top two percent in my class.  hmm what else has happened this year i am sure lots but nothing really stands out now... oh i was one of the four nominees for prom queen this year ( i didn't win but thats probably for the best my family would have never let me live that one down)... and they set the ranks and i am #7 in my class of about 450.  So i just wanted to give a quick update of my year and apologize for being so AWFUL at updating.

Hello!!!  It has been so long since we've posted that there is probably no one out there reading anymore.  It seems things have been very busy.  I haven't been doing as much knitting as usual, although I have been doing some.  The thing I *have* been doing is buying yarn.  I'm afraid now that I (we) have cleaned out the bedroom in my house I called the box room that it will soon become the yarn room.  I think I have a problem.  Is there a yarnaholics anonomous? 

Hannah and I went to Purls, our lys today so she could get some eros to make a bday scarf for a friend of hers.  She came out of the store with one ball of eros.  ONE BALL.  I came out of the store (blush) with.... 2 sets of circular needles (more on what they are for later), a ball of crystal palace squiggle (just because I've been looking at it for a long time, may not make anything with it... may just touch it), 2 skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted in lotus pink and a ball of Plume FX (to give to my friend Eli to make a purse like these new cool one's Hannah has been making... pictures later).... and from the half off table.... four hanks of Berroco Linet (a couple for a scarf with Light Pipe and a couple for another scarf), two balls of a trendsetter yarn called Farfalla (for a scarf with the Linet), and one hank of Berroco Denim Silk (Hannah and I can't remember why I bought it... lol)

The last time I went to Purls I got the coolest book.  It explains the special cast on techique for knitting moebius loops for scarves.  It has a bunch of great patterns.  They require really long circular needles (47 - 60 in).  I started one, but it ended up too long and I didn't have enough left to cast off... so I'll start over.  Pictures later... :)

I'll take and post pictures of the cool purses Hannah's been making.  And... in other news our other two sisters (one who said she would NEVER knit) have started knitting and love it.  So we'll have all sorts of pictures to post eventually.

A

Gail asked what I have been doing since there haven't been many knitting updates.  Admittedly I haven't been doing much "productive".  A lot of watching Meg play basketball. 

But, Donna (the queen of stamping- it is amazing!!!) has been stamping for the past couple days.  And YEAH she's letting me help.  I'm enjoying this!!!  Fun fun.  Apparently Mark says, "For $1000 in stamps anyone can make a free card."  But, I'm thinking this is great fun!!! 

I am sooooo excited because we are doing this tomorrow.  They are laughing at me a bit for being so excited about this card, but I think it is the coolest.... a jar, a bug, the little star thingy... so cute!!!


Look at the fun they are having!

I admit it, I could spend all day listening to NPR, and occasionally have.

Today on Talk of the Nation, Neal Conan had a story on blogging.  They talked about all blogs that react to the news or have a political focus or provide "news."

I news related thoughts, but who would want to read them (especially when they can listen to and read the commentary of actual news people).  I am not nearly intellectual enough to say anything about politics or the news worthy of others reading.  Yet, reading some of these blogs I find myself thinking, I could say things like that....  But, thankfully I lack the ego to branch out too far.  I'll stick to listening to the news and knitting.

And documenting my knitting for myself (and a few others) on my humble little blog.

A

.

Well, I haven't done much knitting in the past three days.  But, I was feeling like I should blog, so I'll blog about my morning today.

It started with waking up at 4 am.  I actually only had to be up by 5, but I heard a beep that I thought was my alarm.  Think it was probably in my dream, but I got up nonetheless. 

At 5:30 Sonja and Mark came to pick me up to go biking.  Thanks to the day of mourning for President Reagan he had the day off.  We had plans for our first Fantasy Island outing!  We'd heard (and read) that this was a great mountain bike trail within our skill level and within an easy drive from home!  So, off we went.  We picked up Kate, someone he knows through work, who wanted (brave soul to put up with us) to bike with us. 

It was a fun morning.  Great trail.  Lots of ups and downs (I'm getting used to the downs, sort of feel out of control going down the rocking downslopes - can relate to the Chris in the Fantasy Island link)

Despite a few skinned knees (A and M) it was a GREAT morning.  Can't wait to do it again. 

There is a great Christmas Tree on the trail decorated with bike parts, race metals, and various other goodies.



And don't we look cool???

We have been busy having a relaxing vacation and although we have been doing A LOT of knitting, again we are not blogging much.  Hannah is now in ND - with dial up internet - so I don't know how much posting of pictures she will be able to do.  Should be able to blog in words if she has time, but likely not pictures.

Well, no great excuses other than being busy, but we haven't posted for a while.

I've moved so now instead of being 1500 miles apart, Hannah and I live about 5 miles apart.  Its nice. 

So, now that I am approaching settled in, we had knitting at my house last night so I actually have some knitting news to post about.  We had a bunch of Hannah's friends over.  Also invited Jenny, who, gasp, FORGOT!  Next time we'd better see you Jenny!  LOL.

It was fun.  Many new knitters, much FAST talking that I couldn't begin to keep up with.  Overall a great night.

Here are some pics.

Ready for people to arrive.


Learning










Showing off at the end





What a great night!!!  Fun fun!

For a week I am back in the town where I spent 6 years.  Undergraduate and the first two years of medical school.  It is simultaneously wonderful and odd to be back here. 

You know how some places just get into you?  Other than my home town and perhaps on par with that, this place holds more for me than any other.  Being here is bringing back such a rush of memories.  Driving up the highway to get here felt like coming home.  Driving to places, seeing places I've biked (I've biked everywhere in this town)... it is all so nice.

I hate to post without any pictures, but I also hate to wait so long to post... so.... Well, I've been busy lately. Moved out of my Bismarck apartment Wednesday. So, I'm officially on my way to not being a North Dakota resident. It was good to be out of that apartment. It was a decent sized place and the landlords were great, but it was kind of a musty smelling dump. I should have taken some final pictures for on here and for my own memory book. But the day I moved out my digital camera wasn't there. It was an upstairs apartment that required going up one set of five stairs and then around a corner (180 degree turn??) and up more stairs, and then around a normal corner and up about five more. Needless to say, after literally shoving my queen sized bed frame down the stairs and out the door (I had to put all my weight on it with my feet while he pulled) my dad is glad that my house will have NO stairs. I'm not disappointed either. Feels sort of weird to finally be at this transition point. I'm basically done. I have one week of "school" and then I graduate on May 8. How quickly these four years of medical schoool have gone. I can't believe it. I'm looking forward to being back in the town where I did undergrad and the first two years of med school for a week. Lots of coffee shops to visit :) Then a bit more transition time and then a big move to Arizona. Wow! Can't believe this is real. Very exciting but very scary at the same time!!! In knitting news..... I have lots of pictures to show but a slow computer connection. So Monday when I am at the medical school I'll post a bunch of pictures. I finished about 6? scarves while I was in Arizona. There is a picture of them somewhere I'll have to get my hands on and post. I'm almost done with one sock from my new favorite sock yarn. I'll have to post a picture of that as well. I'm also working on a white baby sweater for a family (my adad has 11 siblings) reunion charity craft auction. Pictures to come....