theslowlane.net

Snow Day

2012-02-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Spicy Sausage Chili

2012-01-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: 1 package Johnsonville spicy Italian sausage 1 packet of McCormmick's Original Chili Season 2 cans 14 oz stewed tomatoes (chopped, 1 with juice, 1 without) 1 can spicy chili beans (don't drain) 1 can black beans (drained) 1 can pinto beans (drained) 1 can garbanzo beans (drained) 1 can tomato soup 1 dried ghost pepper 1 chopped large white or yellow onion 1/2 package whole

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:17:00.000-06:00

This year we really took the Halloween costume up a notch. And by "up a notch," I mean even fewer people would guess who we are. I'll give you a three hints to figure it out: How can you not love these guys? Hint: one of them is still out there rocking (he was just on SNL). "Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again..." Makes me recall Will Ferrell

Courage Classic 2011 Photos

2011-08-02T12:41:00.002-06:00

We made it! Another Courage Classic in the books. Three days of brutal climbs, white knuckle descents, and nonstop sunshine. I can not believe how well the weather worked out. An afternoon rain storm in the mountains is typical but they stayed away again this year. Brad and I stuck together most of the weekend with some exceptions on the climbs where he easily pulled ahead of me. He has

Courage Classic 2011

2011-07-16T14:31:00.001-06:00

It is July in Colorado and that means it is time to get dressed in head-to-toe spandex and pedal a bicycle through the mountains. Well, maybe not for everyone but it is for me. The Courage Classic starts soon and I need your help to raise money for The Children’s Hospital. The Courage Classic is a three day road bike ride through some of the Rocky Mountains’ most challenging climbs and

La Crosse Memories

2011-07-06T06:06:00.002-06:00

One of the fun stops during OFFW was my old alma mater, UW - La Crosse. There was a lot of things on campus that have not changed but a surprising amount that has. There must be two or three new dorms and a new stadium. Good old Laux Hall is exactly like I left it. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a closer look because the WI state track meet was going on and campus was a total zoo.

Lunch in Denver

2011-06-30T13:37:00.002-06:00

I never dreamed all three of us would meet up for a casual weekday lunch but it happened today.3Bs at Illegal Pete's

Fun in FL

2011-06-24T06:24:00.001-06:00

I just got done with a project in Florida and decided to spend the weekend with Sarah. Growing up in WI, I’ve always feared Florida’s summer heat but found the cure while we were there. It’s cold drinks and the beach. We spent the weekend enjoying both. Sarah on Ft. Myers’ Beach Pool side

It’s almost time

2011-04-27T06:27:00.000-06:00

Any day now…

The Big 3 Oh

2011-04-25T06:25:00.000-06:00

It isn’t easy keeping a secret from your wife but I managed to pull it off last week. Sarah thought we were going out for a fancy dinner. She did not see the party coming until the last second and was very surprised. Everyone else did a pretty amazing job keeping it a secret (especially Patti)—thank you for coming out on a Sunday evening. On Monday morning, Sarah learned first hand why you can

Things I've learned in Nebraska

2011-04-21T07:51:00.001-06:00

#1 God doesn't want us to beat our kids.#2 Don't ever acknowledge a good job.

A Target is born

2011-03-22T06:22:00.001-06:00

A couple of works ago, I got the privilege of taking a special Very Important Guest tour of Denver’s newest Target. Despite being at work for twelve plus hours Brad waited for Sarah and I to get to his store then gave us a behind the scenes tour. Your average Target carries about a ga-jillion items and they don’t magically grown on those shelves. Brad showed us how everything gets from the

New Jeep Cold Record

2011-02-02T14:20:00.001-07:00

The previous lowest temperature I have noticed was –9. I remember it very clearly because it happened on the way to the airport. It was December of maybe 2005 and had been in the single digits for a week or so which was not helping me get over a cold. Out of the blue, I received a call from my boss that they wanted me to get to Miami as soon as possible because an important client was having

The Biggest Loser

2011-01-20T14:40:00.001-07:00

My office started a The Biggest Loser competition December 1st of last year. My team really latched onto the idea and all entered bringing the total to twenty employees. Based on the popular TV show, the contest has weekly weigh-ins each Wednesday morning to track progress with the overall goal of loosing the biggest percentage of body weight. Unlike the The Biggest Loser, we don’t get to quit

Car Trouble

2011-01-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

The day before our wedding, I walked out of the hotel and hopped into my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo and turned the key. To my surprise nothing happened. The engine did not turn over, the starter didn’t fire, not even a light on the dashboard—nothing. Not great timing for a battery to go dead but no time to complain, there was so much to do. My (mostly) trusty ‘99 Jeep A quick jump start

Wedding Fun

2011-01-13T07:13:00.003-07:00

After the ceremony, Sarah, Matt, and I had a fifty mile drive to the reception and decided to stop for a few photos. The result was some of the most fun photos of the whole weekend. We pulled over on a dirt road a few miles from the church to take a photo in front of the corn. Matt was trying a few angles when I noticed a farmer driving by on a tractor. I waved and he did a solid double take.

Reception Elation

2011-01-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Given the short nature of our engagement, choosing music was on the back burner for most of the summer and then became a frantic scramble. We took a chance on a band called, Pawnee Creek, which happens to be fronted by the same woman who runs the Prairie Loft Center. They played a mix of old-time country, bluegrass, folk, and got everyone involved by calling dances. Sarah and I hoped for lots

Reception Jubilation

2011-01-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

After the speeches, Matt grabbed his banjo and took the stage. He performed a riveting cover of the Avett Brothers’ “The Greatest Sum”. It was really awesome but you don’t have to take my word for it (see below). If you like the song, I recommend buying the whole album from Amazon’s MP3 store or iTunes which has an acoustic and electric version (it is still only $7). Also on that album is, “

Reception Coronation

2011-01-04T07:04:00.002-07:00

We arrived at the farm and made our grand entrance to a crowd of people waving flags that said Yay!, Love, and Awesome. It was pretty exciting. Once everyone got settled, Best Man Brad and Maid of Honor Lindsay took turns on the microphone toasting the both of us. Arriving to a cheering crowd Our grand entrance, thanks Patti for this video Being roasted and toasted Brad enjoying his

Reception Anticipation

2010-12-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

The reception took place just outside of Hastings, NE in a newly restored horse barn (aka The Prairie Loft Education Center). Everyone chipped in and turned the barn into a beautiful place to gather friends and family and celebrate. Our thanks go out to everyone who spent the day transforming a dirty barn into a cozy party space. While the guest gathered at the barn, Sarah and I were running

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a year. Knowing what was in store last Christmas I told Sarah that 2010 would be our best yet. Traveling. Engaging. Wedding. I wasn’t mistaken. And just like that it is Christmas and a new year. Still no snow in Denver which makes it hard to get into the Christmas spirit but I hear MSP has enough winter wonderland for both states. I’m actually heading there right now and looking

The Wedding

2010-12-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Three months ago Sarah and I got married in beautiful wooden church surrounded by our friends (to write and family would be redundant, right?). John walking Sarah down the isle Chris handled the reading like a pro The new couple Leaving the church

Pre-Wedding Photos

2010-11-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

It was beautiful and sunny the day of the ceremony, one I will always remember. Guests arrived from all over and took advantage of the nice weather and beautiful scenery to take photos and chat. Special thank to Matt for taking all of these photos (and almost everything from the weekend). The guests rolling in Dave and Mary Pam, Bridget, and Mike Tyler, Brad, me, and Ryan—damn good

Wedding Prep

2010-11-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

The bridesmaids had fun getting ready at the hotel and the church hall. Lindsay and Marty compare bumps Hair dressing No doubt, a team effort Dressed, fabulous, and ready to go

BBQ

2010-11-18T07:02:00.002-07:00

The wedding photos are here! Matt actually finished them up a few weeks ago but hey, I’ve been busy. I’m going to post a few of my favorite photos from each event. Keep in mind that you can click on a photo to see a larger version as well as additional photos in my Flickr stream. Drop me a comment if you have any questions. Instead of a traditional rehearsal dinner, we invited the whole