This Is What Really Happens

Ho Fo Sho

2009-10-24T00:53:00.002-05:00

You down with OPP (Yeah you know me)
Who's down with OPP (Every last homie)
You down with OPP (Yeah you know me)
Who's down with OPP (All the homies)

Salt and Pepa's here, and we're in effect
Want you to push it, babe
Coolin' by day then at night working up a sweat
C'mon girls, let's go show the guys that we know
How to become number one in a hot party show
Now push it

Push it real good.

None of you aint gizell, cat walk and imagine
Alotta y'all Hollywood, drama, passed it
Cut bitch, camera off, real shit, blast it

And if I had to give you more
It's only been a year
Now I got my foot through the door
And I aint goin nowhere
It took a while to get me here
And I'm gonna take my time
Don't fight that bull shit in your ear
Now let me blow ya mind

So to you all the kids all across the land
Take it from me
Parents just don't understand

From the weave to the fake eyes to the fake

nails, down to the toes. Ha, ha, ha,

ha! We love these hoes! Ha, ha, ha,

ha! We love these hoes! From the

weave to the fake eyes to the fake

nails, down to the toes. Ha, ha, ha,

ha! We love these hoes! Ha, ha, ha,ha! We love these hoes!

I seen a rainbow yesterday
But too many storms have come and gone
Leavin' a trace of not one God-given ray
Is it because my life is ten shades of gray
I pray all ten fade away
Seldom praise Him for the sunny days

.

2009-09-23T21:48:00.001-05:00

See You at the Fair, Homie.

2009-09-07T22:05:00.003-05:00

Elsa and I hit the fair earlier in the week. She was begging to go back so we brought Aaron, Paul and Lindsey along with us.

First thing's first. Try out large lawn mowers. The consensus is that these lawn mowers are big.

Lindsey and Aaron do their best Mona Lisa impression.

Paul had to stop a number of times to dig for his wallet. His new purse is big and does hold lots of very necessary things but sometimes those things are hard to find.

This little baby lamb was born at the fair. I love this lamb. I wanted to take it home with me. Aaron put the kibosh on that.

Corn dog with mustard.

Corn dog with ketchup.

I think some of the buildings at the fair are pretty cool looking.

The Summit guys finally figured out how to put beer on a stick. Naturally, because we are at the fair and because we love us some Summits, we HAD to have us some Summits, on a stick. Yum!

Elsa and her Daddy-O.

8th Grade Redux

2009-09-06T21:53:00.005-05:00

We brought Royal on a much needed trip to the dog park this past Friday. I must say, this dog is truly A-MAZE-ING. We were at the dog park for a good hour and this dog did not stop running. Not for nothin'! He blew my mind! He is a fast dog too. Real fast. No joke. In addition to his impressive endurance and stamina, Royal demonstrated how he is able to climb very large trees.

Royal was also willing to demonstrate his fearlessness in jumping off of said large trees. He is such a show off!

I am not sure if you have ever been to the Minnehaha Dog Park? I have to say that it is a beautiful park and a lovely place to spend some time. I would suggest a visit even if you don't have a dog. You could hike around for hours, climb some cliffs, chill by the river, be one with nature, the whole kit 'n caboodle.

Here are my Boys. Are they not the handsomest pair of handsome devils you have ever seen?

Here's me and my Girl. Rip was amused by my outfit. He thought I looked like an 8th grader. I thought that was funny.

A Day in the Garden

2009-08-31T22:36:00.005-05:00

Oh, don't I know it!

Today we took Elsa to the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center. You must know that if you are in the sculpture garden, you must never pass up a photo op with the Spoon Bridge and Cherry, it is terribly un-Minnesotan if you do. And who wants that?

Family photo.

Elsa travels 1270 miles, meets her Grandparents, goes to a wedding and laughs her ass off.

2009-08-26T13:40:00.004-05:00

We took Elsa to meet her Grandparents in Minot, ND. Of course they were smitten! After a week in Minot we hit the road to get to a friends wedding at Lake Metagoshe, just seconds away from the Canadian border.

The weather was beautiful, as was the wedding. Elsa was a good Chicky and we managed to get our first official family photo. Go Team Ripplinger!

Pretty Pretty Lady Babies

2009-08-10T16:20:00.006-05:00

My all time Friend Anna and her hubby Matt welcomed their girl, Navie May, into this world on August 3rd. Elsa and I paid our new Lady Friend a visit this afternoon. The girls got along famously! Navie is so pretty and I have a feeling there will be a lot of sleep overs and clothes borrowing in the future for these two!

Announced

2009-08-05T15:13:00.002-05:00

Elsa has been announced in the Brainerd Daily Dispatch.

http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/080509/fyi_20090805034.shtml

Cool. It's official now, I guess!

We Got A Baby The Other Day........

2009-08-04T14:57:00.004-05:00

Elsa Mary Jane Ripplinger was born on 7/16/09 at 3:56 in the afternoon. She is AWESOME! No joke. Our days have thus far been filled with some activities that we were not, but now are, accustom to. These activities include, but are not limited to baby gazing for hours on end, having one sided conversations, coming in contact with human waste and not being too bothered by it, making up songs about babies and things that rhyme with Elsa or baby and having my boob hang out more often then not. She's a real peach of a girl and I just can't help but gush over her!

Stay tuned for more Elsa news!

31 Weeks and Counting

2009-05-10T22:29:00.002-05:00

We're cookin' right along here. I finally took that pesky piercing out and am sporting that bizzaro line down the middle of my belly. Can't wait for this Babe to make her debut!!

Photo: Aaron Ripplinger

Babies and Bellies

2009-02-03T20:06:00.002-06:00

I have had my navel pierced since I was 18 years old. I am now 30 years old, on the verge of getting married and expecting my first child.

With my expanding belly it has occurred to me that it would probably be a good idea to take this stainless steel barbell out of my belly button. It has never crossed my mind to remove it until now. People have commented on its cliched existence and my ever climbing age as well as the out-dated-ness of the whole thing and suggested that these things might contribute to its removal. But previously I had found the idea of removing this abdominal adornment comical and unnecessary. Alas, the necessity is looming and soon my belly will be bare.

Let it be known that I do not think that I am old. I just think that I am not as young as I used to be.

Instant Karma's Gonna Get You..........

2008-09-30T22:35:00.004-05:00

The Great Spring Thaw

2008-04-20T19:32:00.021-05:00

Hi.

Welcome to Spring. It is awesome. Truly, truly awesome. I feel new, renewed.

Here are some things I have been up to. Just thought you should know about them.

My good, good friend Crash had all us Ladies over for a sleep over. No, I am not too old for a sleep over. Neither are you. We spent the evening hanging out in her husband's heated workshop and getting super stoked for the upcoming NKOTB reunion tour.

My other good, good friend, Anna brought me on a date to see Cat Power at First Avenue. Anna had never, ever, not even once, been to First Avenue. This was completely unfathomable to me. Over a piece of pizza during the show I met Chris & Franny. Chris grew fond of me rather quickly. Franny did not.

Jocelyn, Blestos and I decided to take an early morning road trip on a hunt for photographic inspiration. This is one of the two photographs I took. The trip was a bust, the travel companions were great!!! Car rides and Comrades.

Obligatory photograph of Royal. What a funny dog!

I went shopping with Scoops for some pregnant lady clothes. We liked this all green ensemble.

2nd Annual Ski Weekend. We rocked Lutsen. Hard.

J.V. and James custom made an Apples to Apples game. It was fun and funny. Well done Friends, well done!

Our cabin had a hot tub. It was really gross. J.V., James and Rip now know what it is like to take a bath together. The temp didn't go above 90˚.

We did ski. Here is the proof. It was a real nice day and J.V. and I skied on some black diamonds. We are extreme. Extreme like the Dudes in the Mountain Dew commercials.

I got a job. Yea. I did. Not a freelance gig, not a temp. gig. A real full time gig. Back to the grind for me I guess.

We had a work party at GameWorks last Friday. It was fun! Here are some of the Duders racin'
some race cars. Yea!!

Then, Rip picked me up and we went to the Twins game with Doogie and Lindsey.

We thought it would be a great idea to drink Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade. I don't really remember if it was a great idea or not.

I got some good, good friends that play in a band called The Plastic Constellations. There CD release/last show ever party was on Saturday. It was a bitter sweet night. There were swords and shields and confetti cannons, the works. Best show ever! Saddest show ever.

This is James at the after party. I like this picture of him because he is looking especially spiffy and especially suspicious. I wonder what he was up to?

This could quite possibly be the worst picture of me to date.

But you should know that Todd is back from a 3 year stint in South Korea. I am happy about this. He is my favorite kind of T.R.O.U.B.L.E! Watch out for this guy.

Pretty Kitties

2008-02-05T15:13:00.001-06:00

Sarah and Olive, 2008

Photograph-Rip
Styling-Colzoz

Chance Encounters, Loss of Faith and True Tests of Character

2008-02-03T14:46:00.000-06:00

Picking pockets without a persons knowledge or approval of you picking their pocket is a crime, a form of larceny which involves the stealing of money and valuables from the person of a victim without their noticing the theft at the time. It requires considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. Someone who picks pockets is known as a pickpocket.

Pickpockets and other thieves, especially those working in teams, sometimes apply distraction, such as asking a question or bumping into the victim. These distractions sometimes require sleight of hand, speed, misdirection and other types of skills.

The crime used to be punishable by death.

Today I got the chance to cuss at a stranger in public. Standing ones ground can be a very powerful thing. Today, I hold this power. I will carry it with me forever.

Watch your shit people. Others are after it.

Accidental Deliveries

2008-01-26T13:28:00.000-06:00

Look at the size of my pizza!

2008-01-12T16:17:00.000-06:00

I just returned from 4 days in the Colorado Rockies. I love the mountains!

While I was there I got to do some skiing, see some sights and eaves drop on foreign ski instructors as they point out the size of their pizza.

Here are some photographs from my trip.

Did I mention how much I love the mountains?! I love the mountains.

The Sculptured House

The Woody Allen movie, Sleeper, was filmed here in 1973. I have not seen the movie but it has been categorized as a science fiction comedy. I am intrigued. It will be added to my Que!

View: Day 4

FYI-Outdoor hot tubs rule!

Ullr Fest Parade

If you love dressing up like a Viking and drinking a ton of beer, then you will love Ullr Fest! Imagine a bunch of ski bums and bunnies whoopin' it up in the name of the Viking Snow God, Ullr.

Whoa, Brah! This party is rad!!

Refrigeration Appreciation

2008-01-04T12:06:00.001-06:00

Pre Wii

2008-01-04T10:54:00.001-06:00

In 1930 the British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie and his team of archaeologists discovered all sorts of primitive bowling balls, bowling pins and other materials in the grave of an Egyptian boy from 3200 BC. It appears that the ancient Egyptians played a primitive form of bowling and that bowling is more than 5200 years old.

One of the biggest appeals of bowling is that you get to throw something in order to try to knock down other things, and nobody yells at you for it.

My cousin Brad, in visiting from 28°32′01″N 81°22′33″W / 28.533513, -81.375789. Orlando, FL that is.

29 Years and 0˚ Later

2008-01-01T18:21:00.000-06:00

In honor of my Birthday, the night before, Jeff and Alison take Rip and I out for breakfast. The wait for a table was an hour and a half. Yea, that's awhile to wait. We get our name on the list and the four of us head to the nearest bar for Diet Cokes, Newcastles and the best Irish coffees around. While we wait, Rip and I show the Allens our new sunglasses.

Alison insists she try on Rip's new "Fit Overs". They are specially designed to fit over your prescription glasses. How very elderly chic. No?

Jeff gives the "FitOvers" a whirl. It is concluded that they do, indeed, fit over glasses AND block out the suns harmful UV rays.

We head to Crystal's to ring in the New Year. The night starts with a friendly game of analog style celebrity catch phrase. The folks at the party had no idea that I am a closet celeb gossip scholar. Unfortunately, even with my expertise, my team, Wearable Leather, loses by 1 point to Werewolf Nine Eleven. Damn it!

Happy New Year!

You gotta love fireworks in the dead of a Minnesota winter!

Holiday lights in the bathroom. A necessity for any New Years celebration!

Get a load of this!

Rip jumped into a frozen lake at approximatly 10:30am on 1/1/2008.

True story.

Last year, our buddy Jeff and Alison's Uncle John took this plunge. Jeff somehow convinced Rippie and Alison's brother Mike, to join them.

They did.

So cold. So so cold!

From Left to Right: Walleye, Minnow, Minnow.

Christmas '07

2007-12-28T16:24:00.000-06:00

I had a nice visit with my Family over Christmas. Check out what a trip to Brainerd looks like during Christmas time.

At every family gathering there is an impromptu Foos Ball tournament, provided there is a FoosBall table in the vicinity.

Team Awesome vs. Team Olds. Team Olds usually dominates, depending on how much my Dad has had to drink. They dominated Christmas Eve, leaving Team Awesome not feeling so awesome.

On Christmas Eve we all head out to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. This year on the menu: Roast Beef, Spare Ribs, lefse, mondu, cheesy hash browns and plenty of apps. That's my Grandpa hittin' up the crab ball.

It was DELICIOUS!

Trust me, you missed out.

My cousin Megan brought her fiancee, Jeremy, to Christmas. This is the first time he has been exposed to all of us. I was chatting with him and discovered that Jeremy has had very little exposure to snow. This limited exposure has deprived him of things like skiing, skating, sledding, snow forts, snowmobiling, ice fishing and the like. In honor of Jeremy joining the Family, we popped his snow cherry and took him sledding down the hill right outside the front door. This was awesome! I'm not sure he was too into it, but we were.

Because this hill was not fast enough for us, we moved on to some stair sledding. First, the stair case off the deck on the side of the house. It was fast, but not long enough. We then move next door to the stairs leading down to the lake. Perfect. It's fast and a good run.

Andrew got some serious air here!

I too went down these stairs. My trip resulted in this:

A broken sled, as a result of landing on this:

Hidden Rocks, 2007

I'm not sure if you can see them. They are hidden.

Everyone cleared them except me. I have a bruise on my ass. It's a bit painful, but worth it!

Here is Radio being scary in the eyes.

By the way. Surdyks is selling Absinthe. Seriously. I just now heard this on the news. Whoa!

Just in time for New Years. Careful People. Careful!

Celebrations and Appreciations

2007-12-10T10:44:00.001-06:00

Cold Winter nights call for warm Winter gatherings.

Anna, 2007

Friday night was spent in a cozy South Minneapolis home with two of my oldest and dearest friends.

Friend Feast Table, 2007

Saturday night was spent in a Downtown Saint Paul loft. Fourteen of my most favorite people on the planet were gathered to dine and drink and fight off the frosty nip in the night time air.

Van's Room, 2007

A sleepy Sunday afternoon was spent in Savage making photographs of the most adorable little boy and his four legged friends.

Fatty, 2007

Lucy, 2007

Most Photographs-Nicole Olson
Friend Feast Table-Aaron Ripplinger

Swish, Swish, Swish, Swish, Swish.

2007-12-10T09:30:00.001-06:00

It's almost that time of year.

To get you pumped up for the annual ski vacation, I thought I would give you a small taste of last years adventure.

Blestos dressed as an explorer a la Louis and Clark. Rip and Sam opted for winter ninjas.

Sam demonstrated early on what NOT to do when you are skiing. Despite his injury, Sam was a trooper and took full advantage of the Hot Toddies and good conversation.

Over a friendly game of Domino's, Big Time Fuller shows us her amazing melt face.

Daaaamn Big Time! Tell us how you really feel!

Contrary to popular belief, this ski trip is not just for the die hard downhill ski enthusiast. Big Time, Jules and I went skiing for a total of 3 hours. That is nothing in ski time.

Things to do when you are not on the slopes include, but are not limited to: drinking Gin and Tab, small dance parties, drinking coffee and Jamison, playing domino's, drinking beer, playing Wii, watching the George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer in the critically acclaimed romantic comedy One Fine Day, taking advantage of the whirlpool bathtub, preparing and consuming friend feasts.

So get ready.

This Serious People! Real Serious.

2007-12-07T15:55:00.000-06:00

This is really happening.

My Mac is sad. Real sad.

It has been in and out of consciousness all day.

I am sad. WTF?!

Failing hard drives are NOT COOL. I repeat, NOT COOL!

Your thoughts and well wishes are appreciated durring this difficult time.

Thank You.

Art Sales and Caged Beasts

2007-12-05T10:06:00.001-06:00

Brian's Photographs, 2007

I have been helping install the MCAD Art Sale. That's hard work! I'm glad it's over. All that work makes me tired all over.

Arm, 2007

In honor of Scoops' Birthday, we took a trip to the MN Zoo. My favorite are the Lemurs and the Loris'.

Not a Slow Loris, 2007

Loris' are nocturnal animals. The MN Zoo has two kinds of Loris', a Slow Loris and the Loris shown in the photo above. Did you know that Loris' douse their young with toxic saliva to protect them from predators? They do. Cool huh?

Flamingos, 2007

These are Flamingos.

Shark Face Killa, 2007

Sharks live at the Zoo too. You can see them get fed everyday. Unfortunately we missed feeding time. They are pretty amazing creatures. Be careful though, if you run into one of these things, they will most likely eat you. Not cool Shark, not cool.

Case Number: MP-2007-991606

2007-11-21T09:57:00.001-06:00

WTF, 2007

I woke up this morning freezing.

It's that time of year.

I made a pot of coffee and jumped in the shower, all in an attempt to warm myself up. I dried my hair and sipped on said coffee, the chill of the morning had finally left my bones.

I quickly bundle up, step outside and briefly appreciate the chill in the air as I shuffled to my car to get to work. It's then that the cold reality of living where I live hits me, once again, square in the gut.

$200.00, 2007

Only A-holes do this.

Items taken (courtesy of NetFlix):

1 DVD-Drugstore Cowboy

1 DVD-The Fountain

valued at: $40.00

I have one word for this A-hole: Karma.

Shots, Ships and Road Trips

2007-11-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

Royal got out of his box the other day. Normally when this happens we have to throw things like shoes and mattresses away. This time he just got the garbage and we were already going to throw that away. So, no big loss.

We spent the weekend downing shots in Fargo ND. We were attending a friend's wedding, it's always a wedding!

Here are some interesting things that we discovered about Fargo.

1.) You can smoke in the bars.
2.) Fargo hates breakfast.
3.) There is a viking ship in downtown Fargo. It is a replica, but so cool none the less!
4.) Rooter's Bar has $1.75 Long Island Iced Teas every Saturday. Whoa.

Zach (He is the duder on the right.) came to the wedding with his 10 year old son, Jake and his preggers girlfriend, Aleesh. Our fully grown family man turned in with his brood around 11pm. We are so proud of him! You can't keep a good man down though! To make us even more proud, our good buddy Zach returned about an hour later, in his jammies, and had a final shot with Rippie and I.

Zach's choice, Wild Turkey. Here is what I learned about Wild Turkey. You WILL emphatically profess your love for your boyfriends friends after consuming this stuff. It has been tested and proven to be true. Myth busted!

A Bum Leg

2007-11-12T19:46:00.001-06:00

Oliver, 2007

Say hello to Oliver.

Oliver lives with my Dad and Oliver is 125 lbs. or pure dog. He is currently a bit under the weather due to an operation to remove fluid from his hip.

Poor Dude.

Photograph-Nicole Olson

C'mon Down!

2007-11-11T19:08:00.000-06:00

Right now, I have claimed my place in contestants row and I'm waiting. I'm waiting for the next item up for bid.

I hope it's something good.

I hope it is a flat screen t.v. or a pair of diamond earrings or a juke box. If my bid is the closest without going over, I win. I win a chance to go up on stage and try my hand at winning again.

Drew Carey totally wants me to win. He wants everyone to win. He does. I have never seen a more sincere game show host. Ever. Alex and Pat got nothing on this dude. I don't think Bob himself even had it in him. I just don't.

Drew, get ready, cause I'm winning this. I'm taking it all home, Drew Carey.

Get ready!

My heart is beating fast. It has sunk all the way into the acidy pit of my stomach and I can barely keep it together. I can barely keep it together but I can't stop smiling the biggest cheesiest smile. It makes my face hurt. But I am going to keep on smiling. Yea. I'm gonna.
I am going to win. My hands are sweating. My armpits are sweating. My temples are dripping with salty salty sweat. I feel nauseous and dizzy and I think I want to cry. I can't feel my feet and my skin is all tingly. It is tingly and hot and cold and hot again.

I look into the crowd. I scan it quickly and recognize familiar faces. I knew they would be there. They always are there. They are good for that. Being there.

I want to scream and jump for joy. They are. They are screaming and jumping for joy. The familiar faces are screaming and jumping and shouting prices at me. They hold up their hands and they are twisting their fingers into number like shapes. They gesture with their hands to form some sort of sign language. Some sort of secret language. I know exactly what they are telling me. I know exactly what they are saying. They are telling me to bid. They are telling me to win. They are telling me to win big and smile and sweat and cry and jump and scream.

I will. Promise.

Research Report Part 2

2007-11-07T13:37:00.001-06:00

Cat shows are weird. Cat show photos are even weirder.

F.Y.I.-I don't know who took these photographs. I did not take them.

Anaesthesia Awareness

2007-11-05T09:41:00.001-06:00

?, 2006

Photograph-Nicole Olson

Name Twins

2007-11-04T12:13:00.000-06:00

We all do it. Don't pretend you haven't. I know you Google your name. I know you do.

It's perfectly logical that there are others out there with our names. It is also perfectly logical to be curious about these people. Through the magic of the Internet we can find these folks and see what the different versions of us are up to.

I would like you to meet a few of my Name Twins. They seem alright.

Nicole Olson #1:

Nicole is a Realtor for Re/Max in the lovely state of Illinois. She is also a personal wine consultant, loving wife and Mother of two. She also is a web site developer. I found Nicole's website a few years ago. I check in every once in a while to see what she's been up to. She used to sell Tupperware.

Things we have in common: We both live in the Midwest. I like wine.

You can click on Nicole #1's picture for more information.

Nicole Olson #2:

Finding Nicole Olson #2 was a bit unsettling. She's a great lady. Has a handsome husband and a beautiful baby. These things don't bother me, not one bit. In fact, I am glad that things are going so well for her. The unsettling thing is that her husbands name is Matthew. My brothers name is Matthew. It's just weird seeing my name and my brothers united in Holy matrimony.

Things we have in common: We both live in the Midwest. I too, am related to a dude named Matthew Olson. Blogging.

Click on Matt and Nicki's picture to find out all about them.

Nicole Olson #3:
I don't have a picture of Nicole Olson #3. I wish I did. That is a key part in getting to know your Name Twins. Maybe she will find my blog and feel compelled to send me a photo? (Yeah, right.) I like this Nicole the best.

Things we have in common: She is a photo stylist. Isn't that something else?

I wonder if we would like each other? You should check out her website.

http://nicoleolsonstyle.com/

Now, this is just a select sampleing of other Nicole Olsons. I know there are more. I just know it. Maybe someday I will organize some sort of convention where once a year all the Nicole Olsons will gather in one spot and do convention-like things. There will be workshops and presentations. There will be award ceremonies and happy hours. There will also be hotel and dinner discounts available with the use of a special discount code or password or something.

I may be onto something.

Research Report

2007-11-03T10:29:00.002-05:00

I'm doing research. On dog show photography. It's weird. Pet pageantry, it's weird. In fact, it is so weird that I am into it. Yea.

Now, in my research I found something totally totally awesome.

If this is the only thing you do all day you will be completely satisfied, I promise. Scouts Honor.

Do not fear, it is not ishy. It is safe for work. It is pure brilliance.

Check it out: http://www.thewinningimage.com/twi/gallery.asp?flag=5

Photograph-Rob Gerity of RKG Photo

Concept Records + Jesse James = Genius

2007-11-02T15:08:00.001-05:00

Jesse James' Childhood Home, Kearney, MO, 2006

I'm into Jesse James. I'm not sure you knew that about me? But I am.

It has to do with danger. It has to do with the freedom of takin' what ya' want, when ya' want it. It has to do with shootin' guns and taken' names. It has to do with dime store novels. It has to do with the Wild, Wild West/Midwest/Southwest. It has to do with building things from scratch. It has to do with struggle. It has to do with discovery. It has to do with six shooters and gamblin'. It has to do with saloons and swingin' doors and shots of whiskey. It has to do with tippin' your hat and sayin' "Ma'am".

I could go on and on.

Today, though, it has to do with this:

(click on this image to find out some AWESOME things)

I can't wait to hear this!

Photograph-Nicole Olson
Album Art-Someone Awesome

48°13′59″N, 101°17′32″W

2007-11-01T09:34:00.001-05:00

On The Drift Prairie: Coolies-Minot, ND, 2007

Photograph-Nicole Olson

Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.

2007-10-31T10:16:00.001-05:00

March in My Backyard, 2007

This may be a bit premature but I have been thinking about Winter a lot lately. The bulk of Winter is usually a huge inconvenience with the shoveling of sidewalks and the scraping of car windshields and the struggle to keep our homes and our bodies appropriately heated and figuring out how much extra time to add to our commutes to anywhere. In light of these hurdles I have compiled a list of things that keep me keepin' on through these long, cold and sometimes hopeless nights that lie ahead.

Adding a "kick" to my hot cider or coffee.
Seeing my breath.
Hats, mittens and scarfs.
Winter coats.
Holiday lights.
Feeling the drastic change in temperature when going from inside to outside and outside to inside.
Fireplaces.
Icicles.
The guys who want to shovel my sidewalk so I don't have to.
Sledding and ski vacations.

What do you like about Winter? Let me know.

Stay warm Friends!

Photograph-Nicole Olson

She might catch a bug, She might catch a bee, But that big 'ol black spider will never catch me!

2007-10-30T19:23:00.000-05:00

The Scariest Thing I Saw In 2005, 2005

Photograph-Nicole Olson

Hey, Poochie!

2007-10-29T15:13:00.001-05:00

Radio, 2006

Photograph-Nicole Olson

What Happens in Vegas...

2007-10-28T11:16:00.001-05:00

Lions of the MGM Grand, 2007

Photograph-Nicole Olson

Into The Wild. Sorta.

2007-10-27T12:57:00.000-05:00

Wild River, 2007

Photograph-Nicole Olson

Dudes and Dogs

2007-10-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

Hett and Mena, 2007

Photograph-Aaron Ripplinger
Styling-Nicole Olson
Assistant-Jocelyn Chase

In the beginning...

2007-10-26T14:42:00.001-05:00

MaryJane, 2004

Photograph-Nicole Olson