Sleigh Bells Ring...are YOU listenin'?

After a grand total of 17 inches fell in the greater FM area, it was time to get out of the house, dig out the cars and get going. I went to work for a few hours to help out since there were still a few of my co-workers stuck in SD, MN, and the surrounding areas of ND.  With the radio blaring and the Pontiac scraping the snow on the road, I heard about the sleight rides! Yahoo! Something fun to do! So off the McKotch family went, to Viking Ship Park, located in Moorhead, MN...to which neither of the Kotschevar boys have ever been. We jumped on the sleigh and off we went...on a trail of white beauty.

He was getting anxious to get the ride going...

This was the sleigh that went ahead of us, bye bye!

This is the Cathedral that was rebuilt in the park

He could barely look away!

This is the top of the Cathedral

Mathisen got to pet the horses

All I really wanted to do was touch it...stupid sign.

Next we drove home...the streets lined with snow almost 4 feet high. It was a pretty sight...especially while dodging the snow blower streams and parked cars hidden by the whiteness.

Looking down 17th Ave in Fargo

This is the ginormous pile of snow outside the building next to us...that used to be a parking lot....

So that was our day...the sleigh bells ringing on the beautiful black horses, the Cathedral spotted in flakes and the dodging of snow and ice. It's been a crazy weekend...slow and crazy. New traditions have emerged from the storm and new outlooks. Up next is New Years...I wonder what kind of crazy resolutions I will set that I wont keep this year...but I know it'll be another picture perfect year...no matter what.

Sticky Christmas

The bags were packed...the mania had begun. House was cleaned, some laundry was done. The doors were closed, windows down tight. Car warmed up and food aplenty for the ride. It was going to be a great Christmas.

That was until the National Weather Service turned into a scrooge. Stealing Christmas away with a simple phrase, "Blizzard Warning in effect". WHAT?!?! It can't be true...just couldnt be true. Oh...wait...there...it...is...a snowflake. The snow had begun to fall. The local businesses had started to post bullentins of future closings. And our family was supposed to return on Friday, Christmas day, to the Red River Valley...the worst day to travel of all.

Ryan and I made the decision last minute to not drive to St. Cloud, MN, where they also were getting close to 20in of snow by Christmas.  Christmas eve was now upon us. I had promised Mathisen a trip of sledding. Candi and Kristy came over, we piled into the Envoy and headed to Dike West in downtown Fargo.

Mathisen got a face full of snow but loved it!!!

Me and my sweet little boy!

Take a ride little man...

Kristy was downed by a bum ankle but the medic (Candi) was to the rescue!

And then there was Christmas day. Mathisen woke up a little before 9am, (much better than last years 5am with the Starman family), we walked into the hallway, and Mathisen let out, "Ooooooh!!!!", he had just seen that Santa dropped off some goodies for him. No words will ever explain what it's like to watch a child open presents, so pictures will have to do:

From Nana and Papa (X-Mas Eve)

Blocks! Awesomeness!

Big present from Santa first :o)

He gets it this year...rip OFF the paper. (He got more blocks! Not pictured)

Elmo book

This face brought to you courtesy of Pen markings, candy canes, and cheetos. Thanks Christmas!

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta...eating a candy cane.

Merry Christmas Tito!

Oh...I forgot to mention we are local celebreties...check out the Fargo Forum. Rockin' dude. New Christmas traditions have started. Sledding on Christmas eve, eating the decorations, and embracing blizzards. Sometimes, it might get a little sticky, but Im all for a sticky Christmas, it has certainly made traditions easier to come by.  Merry Christmas :o)

Hello 4.0

Hello 4.0 semester GPA! How nice to meet you!!!

I have finally done it! I have managed to get a 4.0 GPA for a semester. It feels amazing. It feels like I'm at the top of the world!  I aced both my Mass Comm class and my Leadership Tech class.

Christmas is right around the corner but I already have my present, a perfectly fashioned GPA. I know it's cheesey to be this proud, but I can't help but smile.  It's my right to feel this awesome for a little while...after all, work does come again at 500am.

Next semester I have 4 classes, still working 32hrs a week, raising a beautiful sassy...er...outspoken little boy. And I am going to get ANOTHER 4.0 :o) Just because I know I can!

Google Essay- Mass Comm Final Project (required blog for class)

Describe Google's effect here and abroad on 1.) Traditional media (print, broadcasting, and advertising); 2.) Computing (includes telephones); and 3.) Government policy and Law






When googling Google's effects on media, one of the first hits that came up was something to the effect of, "Is Google making us stupid?" With a little further research, I found that Google was expected from an early start to take over each type of traditional media. In this featured link: Internet News the writer discusses the possibilities of future advertising from Google using radio, print, television and streaming media, such as YouTube. Google has their own streaming media service called Google Video. This particular article from internetnews.com is from 2006. The writer and the CEO of Google projected that more growth would come with Google advertising. Google advertises everywhere one can possibly look. They have advertised on cell phones, park benches, maps and have even been found on streaming video as a commercial seen here Google Finds Love. Google has replaced atlases and road maps. Google has replaced the traditional phone book to look up a loved one or store. Google has even replaced the hand written letter containing portraits with this blog and uploaded pictures of my child. Google is present in every type of traditional media. If Google isnt making us stupid, it sure is making us lazy...but in a quick way.



Google has redefined computing for my generation. It has created a new search engine that is faster, more technological and safer, calling it Google Chrome. It is like a house with stainless steel, everyone wants what is shiny and new. Google also came up with another big idea, cloud computing. Cloud computing simply means that no hardware is found in your brick of a computer, but is somewhere....out there....around you...beneath you. It is out there. In the article pulled from Business Week, the writer talks about cloud computing. Google appears to be the largest search engine available on the internet today, competing with Bing, the Microsoft search engine. When looking at other search engines such as lesser known AltaVista and Dog Pile, they do not seem to have the same vast amount of applications as Google is known for. Computing is now also done with our phones. In an article from the first quarter of the year by MSNBC, it states that 31% of phones sold in the U.S. in the 4th quarter of 2008 had QWERTY keypad which is a rapid jump from 5% just 2 years prior to 2008. This enables the user to quickly and efficiently hop on the web and surf as needed and continue to jump on Google to find a map, get a phone number or just play around.



Google has face many obstacles in regards to laws and policies, namely in China. The Chinese government would like to limit what its citizens search for. In a brief article from the BBC from 2006, it states even the BBC's website is unavailable in China, as are other services such as Google's blogs, email and chat rooms. Google has many restrictions with the Chinese laws. Google has also been entangled in other legal battles. The New York Times reports that the chief privacy counsel at Google, Peter Fleischer, is facing criminal charges for defamation and privacy violations in Italy. This article was printed 12/13/09, which clearly shows that Google is not out of the woods. Better yet, Google may have just entered the woods of legal battles with other countries. Google make searches easier, posting easier and insures the public's right to freedom of press. Google also appears to pay off copyrights to books and adds them to the list of Google Books which can be found for free along with most of the pages of the book with one simple click.  Google simply copies the book into their system of data and it can be retrieved by any such user looking for it. Here, you can set up your own online library. This is another form of cloud computing where your information is stored somewhere else. Most books are offered in a "snippet" view, which are just a few pages to get your interest. Then you can buy the book from Google. Another profit made by Google in this instance.



Google is a very powerful tool. It has embarked on journeys other search engines didn’t think were possible. Google initiated a revolution. From traditional media, to computing and fighting laws, Google has surprised us all by being very powerful. Google strategically places ads on websites and phones. They have become the new atlas for every turn by turn direction including the picture of your destination. The very word Google has become part of an everyday vocabulary for most Americans. Snippets of books, phone numbers, pictures of homes and businesses, maps, shopping, showing ads, streaming video- is all a part of Google.

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

And our snowpants are not all that delightful.  It was the first day I have fully dressed Mathisen up in snowpants, snowboots and all.  He loves getting stuff on...but apparently after the 3rd layer, it wasn't so much fun anymore. I checked the weather...once...twice...three times. Making sure the temperature hadn't dropped below -10F.  It mercury had frozen around -7 with the windchill. Perfect. Right? Sun is shining. Time for a little outdoor fun, followed by home made hot chocolate.

Mathisen outside our apartments...ours is on the 2nd floor on the very left.

He fell down and wanted me to wipe off his gloves...cant you see mommy is busy taking pictures???

So we came back inside, ate a leftover dinner for lunch. Macaroni and cheese with baked fish is one of Butter's favorite meals.  Being the creative mom I am, I decided to go ahead and make hot chocolate. (Ryan and I had decided when I was pregnant that our child would under no circumstances be drinking chocolate milk...) Well...I dont have any chocolate sauce. No plain chocolate bar. Dang. As I dug through the Christmas and Halloween candy, I found mint and cookie Hershey Kisses. Perfect. So I warmed up some milk and dropped in the kisses to melt. When all was said and done, it had floating cookies (like marshmellows), a quaint aroma of mint, and a slight chocolate taste. None of which my blue eyed child would drink.

We decided to put on some slippers that were given to Butter by Grandma and Grandpa...I mean...St. Nick for St Nick's day and putz around...and then cuddle...and then take a nap.  Long winter days sure are fun :o)

Elmo!

Hat hair!

Picture this!

This blog post is mainly just an update on cute pictures from the last couple of months. Please feel free to browse, comment and most of all, have a couple of laughs. Enjoy.

Megan

The end :o)

Livin' on a dream

As I sit here, at 244pm CST, in my star PJ pants, USBank red heart walk shirt, mismatched socks and my work badge dangling from my neck...I begin to think about everything. Why is it 27 below zero out when it was 45 degrees above doughnut 2 weeks ago?  Why do some prescriptions cost 80$ and some nothing?  And why exactly do I have a blog?

Although none of these questions come with a great answer, they do come with a semi-trained fraud analyst trying to...well...analyze them. It's what I do. It's what I'm good at.

2 weeks ago in Fargo, the temperature was 45-50 degrees above zero everyday. With no warning, it dips rapidly below zero and the wind begins to blow. Ah...yes...for this is the Fargo I know. I was getting strangely worried that Global Warming was real...then I remembered I couldn't feel my toes. 'Nuff said.

Prescription costs. Most times I am lucky enough to go to the pharmacy for whatever medication I may need at that particular second of that particular week of the particular month and pay nothing. That's right. NOTHING. And then there is Karma. Helloooooooo Karma. For those medications I truly wish to take, for instance, a "months" worth of migraine medication called Zomig, I find myself forking over 80$ for 6 nasal sprays...one dose in each. One freakin dose in each? Are you kidding me? No, Im not kidding myself. This is real. This is the real pain most Americans feel when they go to the pharmacy for their diabetic medications, blood pressure meds, their childs asthma inhaler or simply an antibiotic that could be life saving. They, as I, have had decide whether or not to pay this outrageous price or put food on the table. "There isnt a salvation army for medications," I tell myself. So I slide oh so gingerly, my debit card through the machine. There it goes. I waive good bye to Karma...and my 80$...for 6 freakin doses. Prescription costs- 'Nuff said.

Blogging. Known also as web logging...hence the shortened version of BLOG. I have it because I was trying to be a cool as my sister. I realized after my first post,  I will never be as funny, as sincere , or as cool as she is. And that's ok. Im still younger than her. And that's what counts in horseshoes and hand granades, or so the proverb goes. Right now...this McKotch (McAuliffe-Kotschevar) family is just livin' on a dream. A hope and a prayer, baby. It'll all turn around. Ill see more mercury rising, less karma, and hopefully more blogging.