FUMO Photoshoot

My friend, Chad Jewell; owns a company distributing electronic cigarettes. He's riding a wave into "the future of smoking" with his smokeless tobacco products.

for more information, visit www.fumo.biz

To the left is a photo from a recent shoot we did at Chad's home. Showcased are a few of his products.

What am i?

I am a common household item in uncommon form; i get really hot, but i cool things down in the kitchen. What am i?

Saturday Visitors

My sister Christy and her husband Matt came up to visit me on saturday. Our fun included lunch at my work, a small tour of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at UMD, and a short walk around the Canal Park area. There was plenty of conversation and pictures in between. Thank you to Christy and Matt for making the trip, and for buying me lunch. Much love.

Yetty

Christy: "Don't get so close to his camera!"

Family portrait, for you Josh. :-)

Farm Equipment

Shot on my way to Menomonie, WI to visit a dear friend of mine. Beautiful farm fields everywhere.

Another Picture, Another Chapter

Duluth, Minnesota; the famous lift bridge in Canal Park only solidifies the beauty that surrounds it. The lights brighten up the first bone chilling evening of the season, as i click a 30second exposure with my brand new camera. :-)

It's been about 4 months since my last post, and in that time; much has undoubtedly happened. This i do know for certain; the summer went by WAY too fast, and the school year is no longer just upon me; it's in full gear.

Life has been good to me in the time that's lapsed; my photos and stories will speak to that. I look forward to sharing a thought, or a photo; in between class and the remainder of my hectic schedule that follows.

I love you all, and there's nothing you can do about it. -Yetty

North Shore Driving

Above: Copper :-)

Above: Melissa, Nikki, Rick, and myself in "The Shaggin' Wagon"

Above: Rick

Above: Rick, Myself, Nikki, Bill, and Melissa.

Our friend and coworker, Melissa; recently put new tires on her RV. The only request of the mechanics: put 50 miles or so on it and bring it back in for a look. That's exactly what we did with a trip up the Scenic North Shore. We stopped at a beautiful restaurant, Nokomis; which is right off the scenic north shore drive and boasts an incredible view of Lake Superior from virtually every seat in the dining room. On the way back, we took advantage of delicious mussels and half price wine at The Scenic; another wonderful restaurant that sits right on the lake. The staff was great, and the dining room had interesting art hung everywhere. The evening's pace was slow and relaxed; the food was absolutely delicious, and the company was warm. Thanks to everyone for a good time!

Burger Jones is the new "cool"

It was about 8 o'clock PM when i got off the phone with one of my best friends, Joey Swanson. He persuaded my to leave Duluth on a whim and meet him in Uptown (Minneapolis) for a drink, before bar close. Ok, maybe it didn't take much persuasion. :-)

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I left Duluth about 8:30 and the temp was 43F. As i pulled into Uptown, i was sweating bullets in my hoody, only to look at the temp and discover it was 86F. A 2 hour geographic distance, yet it was double the temperature!

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I met Joey at his apartment, where we walked to Burger Jones; a new restaurant and bar that had it's grand opening earlier that day. We sat on the patio and enjoyed some drinks until it was time to shut down the patio, where from we moved inside. We chatted it up with some of the other patrons in the bar, and i left with a 40 yr old mother of 3's phone number. It was all too funny, and nooo i didn't call. (just in case you're wondering, MOM!)

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It was good to see my dear friend Joey, and catch up. Thank you Joey for a good time, and letting me crash at your apartment. YOU, are a great friend!

Fun down by Lake Superior

These images were captured with my cell phone, down by the Twin Ports in Canal Park. (forgive me, these photos are some weeks old.) Some of the ladies and myself decided to crash one of the local hotels "s'more making" parties. Yes, some hotels along the great lakes have fires, s'mores, and hot cocoa available on their back area patios which face the lake. Of course, the s'mores are meant for the guests, but isn't guest such a loosely defined term? :-) Only kidding. Aside from stealing some s'mores and hot cocoa, we had a good time enjoying the sunset on Lake Superior.

Canoe Trip!

Above: Nikki, Rick, and Copper

Above: Devin

Summer has been extraordinarily busy, hence no updates since my last final. I've been having far too much fun to be posting everyday. However, some documentation is necessary. :-)

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Yesterday, a group of us verged on the Brule River in Northern Minnesota to embark on a kayaking and canoe trip. The weather was partly cloudy, with the sun peeking out here and there to provide us with some warm sunshine. The river was calm with the exception of some small "rapids" and everyone navigated the waters with very little trouble. Well, most of us. :-)

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After we completed the 6 or 7 mile trip, it was time to fire up the grill. Our tired and sore bodies enjoyed sustenance in the form of ball park franks, homemade burgers, pasta salad, and other delicious delicacies. The sun began to set, as we headed out for the evening.

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(I wish i had some more photos for you fine people, but unfortunately i forgot my camera, and my cell phone battery died quickly.)

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Chad, Olivia, and Myself headed to Wendy's on the way home, for some ungodly reason (laughs) and after i sipped down a frosty float, i rested my head on my pillow at the late hour of 10:30. :-) Thanks to everyone for a damn good time!

Put Your Party Hats On

I'm counting my eggs a little early, but finals are over! My spring semester concludes at 2:00 PM, where after i intend on wearing one hell of a party hat figuratively speaking. :-)

Hawk Ridge

With finals approaching this week, i've been keeping busy needless to say. Unfortunately, the photog suffers too. However, i did find some time to escape to Hawk Ridge with a group of fellow tree huggers and enviromental enthuesiasts (just kidding guys) The day started out beautiful and quickly turned to clouds that would later promise rain. We were left with plenty of time and good temperature to explore some of the largest parks Duluth has to offer.

That's right, my cookies; made with love.

Indeed, they are my cookies; but made with love. Keep lookin' for that one on the spice rack!

Today, my mother decided to visit me in Duluth. She brought her husband and some delicious cookies with her. I showed them around the UMD campus and highlighted LSBE(Business School) which boasts itself to be the only "Green" building on campus, receiving the Gold rate i believe. I had to leave them to attend class, but we met up again for dinner at a little Chinese place i love called, "Chinese Dragon." It was enjoyed by all, and i was sent home with plenty of leftovers as well. :-) Today was a cold and rainy day, but perhaps i can look forward to them coming on a nice, warm; sunny day. At which point in time i will expect more oatmeal raisin cookies. :-) I love you, Mom! Thank you guys for taking your time off to come and visit me!

Thirsty Thursday

There isn't a whole lot that i could really say about these pictures. I think they speak for themselves in many ways. I wouldn't normally post stories or pictures about parties, mainly because my family and others have become good at utilizing the internet in an attempt to keep some tabs on me. Last Thirsty Thursday was an absolute blast though. I had no intentions of drinking, other than at a wine training that i attended for work. We sampled about 6 different wines and ate delicious fruit and cheese, as we learned about each one of them and how they could benefit our customers' dining experience.

There is a "tradition" i suppose, in which the employees gather in the bar at Bellisio's to drink the remaining open bottles left over from the tasting. I spent 3 hours in the bar, polishing off a bottle of merlot by myself (although i was sitting with three other women) and helping them with the other bottles. It was a good thing i was riding my mountain bike that day, because when i got out of there, i was one wino that had definitely tasted his share. It was an interesting ride home from Canal Park up to my house on the hillside.

The night didn't end there though, i proceeded to the liquor store 15 minutes before closing to make my final purchases for the night. Thereafter i ventured to my friend Shelly and Chelsea's house to continue on with the nights' festivities. Needless to say, we wound up having a good time. We meandered down to Lake Superior about 2am to throw some rocks in and enjoy the waves crashing on the shore, while we sipped on some beverages.

Thanks to Shelly for letting me crash at her place!

"People die every year from cheese graders." -Joe Yetman :-)

Jim Gaffigan (Live)

Jim Gaffigan (a famous standup comedian, who is known for his "hotpocket" routine) was live at the DECC on the 16th, so Bobby and myself decided to go. Jim is hilarious on his standup specials on Comedy Central, however, i would have to say i was overall disappointed with the show. He only presented material from all of his previous acts, and had nothing new. It was still fun, and it was a good experience. It was the first time i had attended a professional comedy show, other than the open mic nights the local bars have in Duluth. I'm not sure i would see Jim Gaffigan again, i don't believe the show was worth 50 dollars a ticket in the nosebleed section. As i said though, it was still a fun experience. Thanks to Jim Gaffigan for making the venture to Duluth.

Gettin' Worked

It's hard when something that you feel so passionate about is constantly wreaking havoc on your body. I've skateboarded for 9 years now, and ever since the day i started my tall, spaghetti like body has had quams with it; but i continue to love skateboarding so. This season probably will be my last season skateboarding (although, i've said that before). It is sad, but it's something that i have to come to grips with if i wish to lead a normal healthy life as i get older, without encountering any large surgeries. Doctors already believe i will be in need of back, neck, and rotator cuff surgery, all i can do is try to limit the damage that skating continues to cause, and move into physical therapy to prevent anymore complications.

Below are two videos, the top one...well...you'll figure it out. :-) enjoy! (Mom, don't watch!)

I suppose i could stop skateboarding, that would be the most intelligent thing to do; and for most probably the only option. Then i would miss moments like the one below...just a simple 50-50 frontside 180 out. :-) Life is full of simple pleasures.

Two Cities, One Beautiful Day

The day started out absolutely pefect begining with the weather. A comfortable 72 degrees in Duluth and not a cloud in the sky to block the warm rays of the sun. After wasting some of the day waiting for my work to decide if they needed me or not for the night shift, i decided to hop in the car and head for the cities to fufill some personal goals and plans. As the night fell and the drinks were poured, myself, Seth, and Brittney found ourselves in downtown Stillwater enjoying the beautiful evening on the St. Croix river. The river had flooded up past the beautiful walkways and stairs along the river, bringing the water even closer to us. Thanks goes out to Brittney for letting me crash at her place(oh, and the delicous cookies!), and to the both of them for a good time!

Burrito Union with Roberto!

Good friend and old manager, Rob Vespa; met me at a local brewhouse and burrito heaven named Burrito Union. Rob is my old manager from a lovely restaurant i used to work at called Vespa's. He absolutely hates it when i refer to him as my old manager AND friend, so over the years he has evolved into a good friend of mine, and i suppose we can leave it at that. :-) Rob is in Duluth every tuesday for his job, and ironically works just down the street from me. Burrito Union is famous for its home made burritos and delicious locally brewed beers. My favorite happens to be the Apricot Wheat. Life gets busy sometimes, and it's often a shame; but regardless it is always fun to sit down and catch up over a few beers with my friend Roberto. In fact, i would deem it a neccesity. So, do me a favor, call up an old dear friend you've been out of touch with and relax over a cup of coffee or something. The break from the ever increasing pace of life will prove to be worthwhile and strengthen your relationships with others. It also never hurts to enjoy a half price bottle of cabernet, white chocolate cheesecake, apricot wheat beer, and a two fisted imperial chicken burrito. :-) Thanks goes out to Roberto for a good time, and our waitress Ana for the wonderful and paitent service she gave us.