The Year In Review -- 2011

Everybody's doing their "2011 Year in Review" and I almost forgot I do that too!

What a year!  I spent the first half of it traveling through Central and South America and the second half of it working.  My 2011 by the numbers:
11 countries.
18 states.
3 jobs.
302 blog posts.



Here are some highlights from my 34th year:

I spent January through March on the beach in Costa Rica, suffering through Anna Karenina.

While I was there I bought a "car".

...and hung upside down over a canyon and...

...discovered the Human Pyramid.

Then I got a visit from a Bestie, and we jumped in a crater lake in Nicaragua.

And then I went fishin' in Brazil and...

...saw the Iguazu Falls.

Then I went to Peru!!  Where I...

...hiked the Inca Trail with my Motley Crew.  Here we are at the highest point along the Trail...

...made it!  We totally walked to Machu Picchu.

Caught (and released) the biggest fish of my life.  Minnesota.

Got to live with this lovely lady.  Louisiana / Michigan / Arizona.

Got a boyfriend.  (In his late seventies, but hey).  New Orleans.

Lived around the corner from Brad and Angelina!  (There they are, to the left of that pink house with green shutters.  This photo was taken from our bathroom.)  According to my binoculars, they were never there.  New Orleans.

I became a water meter Installer.  Kind of.  Michigan.

Finally saw the Grand Canyon.  Arizona.

My hair grew back!

My parents got me a new brother,  "Rowdy".  Minnesota.

Went Ice Fishing!

Drum roll please...my favorite post of 2011.  What was yours?  Please let me know in the comments.

UPDATE: A Link to Davin and Kelly's favorite post (see comments), and my most-commented post EVER: Surprise for Kelly.

Friday Blog Love

Ever written a note to a coworker?  Roommate?  And were you just a little more bold than you would have been in real life?  Did you know that there is an internet website dedicated to the sole purpose of documenting and exposing those passive aggressive notes?  Remember that next time you're tempted to warn others to keep their hands off your food in the work fridge.

Passive Aggressive Notes

This is the kind of blog that you can stay up until 2am just reading and laughing and clicking to the next page and laughing some more.  You're Welcome.

Try these at work.





*Language Warning!  Due to their passive aggressive nature, some of the notes have naughty words.

Reasons Why Not

While in Costa Rica, I was talking to an older gentleman about my next big travel dream, in which I fly  to France, pop over to Switzerland (where I'll meet my niece Karley for an epic snowboarding extravaganza) and then get on the train.  I'll head up to Denmark, over to Poland and then make my way down down down through Eastern Europe seeing as much as I can on the way to Greece and Turkey.  Then I bop on over to Egypt and the Middle East and finally fly to India/Nepal/Burma, stay there for several months and then come home via Japan.

(And it might even happen if I could ever make more than $35 in tips during a shift at the Lodge.  Stupid ice...)

Anyway, he had a reason why I should NOT go to any of those places.  The two most memorable were:

Turkey.

This man was quite sure I would be kidnapped and then sold into the sex trade -- "they love the blonde haired/blue eyed's, you know".  My roommate Nicole squashed that notion by informing him that I'm too old for that.  Ouch.

India.

"They don't have toilets in India.  People go to the bathroom in the streets.  And, you -- being blonde haired/blue eyed, people are going to want to see what you look like down there."

Thanks, Creepy.

Now That's Good Parenting

When I was growing up, my family managed an apartment complex in South International Falls, Minnesota. All of us six kids had chores to do, including mowing the lawn, shoveling the sidewalks, picking up trash, etc. As a family we painted each unit between renters. My job was to scrub with a Brillo pad the plastic baseboards to remove any paint splatters that happened while the older kids paint-rolled the walls.

In addition to all of that, once a week we were each responsible to tidy the common areas of one of the buildings. This meant picking up cigarette butts, vacuuming hallways and stairs, sweeping and mopping the laundry rooms and wiping walls and laundry machines as needed. You can read about our compensation for this work here.

One day my dad came into the house, brandishing a fresh, crisp $20 bill. "Kady!" he called, "Look what I found behind the washing machine in your building!" I immediately began spending saving that money in my mind. For an actual minute I really thought he was going to give ME the money he found in MY building. Ha.

Instead, he folded it slowly and dramatically placed it in his wallet. "If only you had done a better job of cleaning, this could have been yours", he said, and shrugged his shoulders as if it really weren't his decision to make. (Remember that $20 when I was eight is the equivalent of about $1,000 today.)

You better believe that for the rest of my tenure as a cleaning person at the South Falls Apartments, I was scouring that laundry room with a toothbrush, hoping for another cash money windfall that never came. It was only last week that I asked my dad on the way to ice fishing if he really found that $20 bill behind the washing machine in my building.  

"I never found a $20 bill in my life."  He said.

Now THAT'S good parenting.

"Just take out your anger on this target Kady while I protect my hearing."

A Lady Reveals Nothing.

LOVE THIS fifteen second French film. You'll probably be able to figure out why.



 
15-Second French Films: TREIZE from Molly Green on Vimeo.

Hal-isms, Vol. 18

"I really don't litter.  Well, I just did, but..." 

"I got a lotta work to do in this County"

"There's no wind today. I thought we could sit here in peace and harmony.  Buncha bull.  We can't." 

"Me with my smaller portions I'm kind of like losing weight every second."

"I like it when my blood just flows through my body without hitting any lumps or bumps."

Sunday Favorites: Frozen Tampons

New to A Lady Reveals Nothing?  You've missed SO MUCH.  Not to worry.  Every Sunday, I dig through the archives to repost an old favorite.  Mostly because I'm too lazy to come up with new content every single day.  Enjoy!  This story first appeared on September 2, 2010:


Kady Hexum Got Grossed Out:


Not possible, I know.  But tonight I heard a real doozie at the Lodge.  APPARENTLY, in Southern Indiana and other parts unknown in this country there are MEN who FREEZE bloody TAMPONS and thaw them out when it's time to go deer hunting.  Then they tie them to tree limbs and wait for the big bucks to come in.  These poor bucks think there's a doe having her embarrassing time and they go NUTS.  And then the hunters shoot the big bucks.  When I heard this story I buried my head in my hands.  I could not believe it.  GROSS!

I have a few questions:

1. What woman saves her used tampons for this purpose, or any other?
2. How do these women give the used tampons to the hunting men?  Ziplock baggies?  Tupperware?
3. Where are they frozen?  The kitchen freezer, alongside popsicles and brocolli?
4. Does the hunting man touch the bloody tampon with his bare fingers?  To tie it to the tree?
5. Where does the bloody tampon go once the deer is shot?  Do they remain in the tree for all eternity?
6. Just how many bloody tampons does it take to lure a male deer?
7. Why do men, when talking about tampons, always call them "Tampax"?
8. Why can't I stop thinking about this?

Ice Fishin'

Finally home in northern, Northern Minnesota.  The part of Minnesota where people's conversations revolve mainly around (depending on the time of year) the harvest, fishing, deer hunting, snow and ice conditions.  

In an effort to secure my place as Favorite Daughter, I agreed to go ice fishing with my dad.  Cold doesn't begin to describe it.  Hopefully my photos capture that.

Eat your heart out, Kelly.

Lake of the Woods on the horizon.

Watch and wait.  I should have brought my ice skates, for how perfectly smooth the ice was.

Yah, that's a bucket of fish I'm sitting on.

Friday Blog Love

A couple girls.  A camper trailer.  A vintage shop.  Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  

Check 'em out.  They're adorbs!

Etsy / Twitter / Blog

Shash-age Links

Shash

Do you have a friend who's always in the know?

The kind of girl you call when you spill on your laptop keyboard, because you know she'll know what to do? The kind of girl who actually catches fish on a Girls' Fishing weekend?

Creative?

Smart?

Beeeeee-utiful?

For me, this friend is Ashley. I call her -- affectionately -- Shash.

Well I asked The ol' McShash to do a link roundup for A Lady Reveals Nothing because man, she is good at this stuff! She's the one who clued me into postcardly.com. She's the one who introduced me to yesandyes.org. And she's the one who makes the Best. Mixed. Tapes. Ever.

So y'all. Check out these amazing links. Straight from the Shash:

_________________________

Do you know where the term “cup of joe” came from? I didn’t either. This comic explains 15 amazing facts about coffee.



Get your cheaper, BETTER grade B maple syrup while you can! Grade B isn’t inferior syrup, it just tastes more like maple. But soon, the maple syrup grading system is going to change.

If you live in the Midwest, you remember how horrible last winter was. It’s the end of December and we have hardly any snow, but they’re still predicting a re-run of last year. Hold onto your butts....

You probably don’t have 36 minutes to watch this lecture by illustrator Kate Bingman Burt, but you should definitely visit Kate’s website and take a look at her daily purchase drawings. Makes you think about your own consumption.

Doughnuts are the new cupcakes in the Twin Cities. Heavy Table, a Twin Cities based online food & drink magazine that focuses on the cuisine of the upper Midwest, made a handy flow chart to help you figure out where you should get your sugar fix!

I have a cat, Data. He’s super awesome. Now all I need is the baby and I don’t even have to take care of it. Data can handle raising it. Cat Soothes Crying Baby Back To Sleep

I’ve always loved staring at maps. I could stare at this illustration forever: U.S. Routes as a Subway Map

Most of us take more photos with our phones than with “real” cameras these days, and everyone’s bad at getting prints made. I love the concept behind the new iOS & Android camera/photo printing app, Dotti. It acts like a disposable camera. When you’re done with the “roll” of 12 exposures they will print and send your photos right to your door!

I recently went to a Bon Iver  concert with my husband and some friends. They were phenomenal, of course, but I really loved the opener too. Watch the take away show La Blogotheque did with Lianne La Havas. [BONUS: She’s walking through the streets of Paris, when it was warm out. Remember when it used to be summertime?]

People Be Cray Cray

In response to this article about Angelina Jolie, Facebook fans of US Weekly had this to say:

Why did I 'xxx' out their last names?  I don't know...they don't really deserve anonymity, do they...having posted their comments on a PUBLIC FORUM?  But, I'm making fun of these people, and I don't want them to google themselves and then kill me for revenge.  (I tried to clean up the language a bit and so you're not reading an exact copy/paste below.)

• Madeline xxx GO FOR IT...Love it
  

  15 hours ago ·  ·  5
• 
  

  Michelle xxx Puke
  

  15 hours ago ·  ·  4
• 
  

  Bekah xxx No she don't even have time for the ones she has,.
  

  15 hours ago ·  ·  4
• 
  

  Michelle xxx They can have a million kids because they hire people to take care of them
  

  15 hours ago ·  ·  12
• 
  

  Viviana xxx Hey if she wants to put her body through the ringer that's her right. Just please remember that children are a responsibility not an accessory!
  

  15 hours ago ·  ·  15
• 
  

  Samantha xxx I think they are going for a co-ed softball team.
  

  15 hours ago ·  ·  3
• 
  

  Michelle xxx all these babies out of wedlock I loathe hollyweird and the sick ones like her and brad hat live there, neuter this witch and put us out of our misery, cocky cow!
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Heather xxx Honestly its her and Brad's business as to whether they have anymore kids or not...its really not for any us to say.
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  8
• 
  

  Lauren xxx I agree that it is up to them and hell they could afford it so go ahead and its not like they have to worry about if they could handle it they are not the only ones trying to watch these kids like the rest of the normal people they are rich they have nannies and all that so hey more power to them
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Alvin xxx well they should adopt me. i think they need more asians
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  4
• 
  

  Tommy xxx Project to promote ... of course she says all the same nonsense to get people to pay attention!
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Dana xxx I adore this woman!!!! She's seriously gorgeous and amazing in every way!!
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  6
• 
  

  Astrid xxx Yeah they can handle it. They are rich and can hire help! Are you stupid?
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  3
• 
  

  Velinda xxx She's rich, her nannies can handle it!!
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Sarah xxx Having lots of babies is becoming a trend...Again !
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Patricia xxx It seems that wealthy parents hire people to do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc. Which frees the parents to just enjoy their kids.
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Davina xxx of course they could, because they have 15 nannies
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  3
• 
  

  Sherice's xxx Another kid, another nanny.
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  3
• 
  

  Michell xxx They can have as many as they like
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Jayne xxx Just get on with it without having a press announcement for everyone
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Miriam xxx I wish them all the best, more power to them
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Letha xxx No way...What are they trying to be? The hollywood version of the Duggars?
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  2
• 
  

  Vivian xxx Beautiful pictures!! As long as she and Brad are happy with more kids, why not. She's also lucky her best friend is her other half.
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Tracey xxx I'm not really convinced with their lifestyle and schedules they can handle what they already have...but it's not my call or my decision...they will do what they want to do no matter what anyone thinks...
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Rebekah xxx And why should we care????
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Lisa xxx Sounds like they just wanna have sex all the time and the end result is more kids to pop out.
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Sofie xxx ‎@rebekah, oh you dont have to, but others do as you can see. just ignore it if you so dont care. anyways,, we get too much information about all celebritys. do we need to know everything?
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Sofie xxx ‎@Michelle, i had to puke when i saw your pic.
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Hannah xxx can THEY handle the ones they have? No. Their NANNIES do. 24/7 nannies. what a way to show your child you love them.
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Cyndee xxx better than having tons of kids and being on welfare I guess
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Valerie xxx Didn't the doctors tell her not to have anymore babies cause she could die? I love kids just as much as the next person but if my docs said that to me I would be VERY careful.
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Sofie xxx mel gibson and his first wife have 7 kids, so what?
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Jessica xxx If they adopt that is great. They are giving kids a chance at a great life that they would not have had otherwise.
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Rozzy xxx They only do it for publicity. Just like Paris Hilton gets dogs they get kids. Not Cool.
  

  14 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Susan xxx She is superwoman God bless them
  

  14 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Crystal xxx I think she should do the Bio of octomom... almost looks like her
  

  13 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Chuck xxx Stick with me, Angie. You will end up pregnant again.
  

  13 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Janel xxx They probably could because they can have nannies take care of the kids for them. They can afford that.
  

  13 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Rosie xxx She needed something to make headlines because she's probably bent out of shape that Jennifer Anniston got all the news outlets talking yesterday by being voted "sexiest woman ever" by the Men's Health poll. Haha
  

  13 hours ago ·  ·  6
• 
  

  Tisa xxx An Octomom in a different form.
  

  13 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Crystal xxx What's wrong with having nannies? They are taking children into a home and giving them opportunities and a family they wouldn't have otherwise. Yeah, so they are working parents, they work to earn their money and they choose to spend some on ensuring there are additional people to help care for their children- a responsible choice. I have 4 children, my youngest, 4months old has Cystic Fibrosis, a terrible life threatening disease. If I had to/needed to work full time I would do whatever I had to to make sure I could hire a nanny/nurse to be in our home with her. No one knows their personal lives and nobody should. Just saying...why begrudge the success of other people? Create your own. Because personally, I'm just thankful I don't have to pay for their nannies- you know like how our tax dollars go to pay for free childcare for some people that have 5 and 6 kids and a sense of entitlement to go with them.
  

  13 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Pat xxx Why dont you concentrate on the ones you already have?Quit trying to mother the world and spend some real mommy time with the kids you have instead of putting it all on nannies.If I had didnt have to work,I couldve spent more quality time with my kids.You have that ,but still run off to make more.You only have one chance to be a kid.To bad your to busy to see that...Grow up..
  

  13 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Linda xxx who cares.............................
  

  13 hours ago ·  ·  3
• 
  

  Kelly xxx I hope not. I wonder how many milestones she's witnessed of her children...she's so busy being someone she's really not (look at her past) that she's missing out on the best part of having kids and they're missing out on having a real mother who's present in mind and body.
  

  12 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Kylee xxx I love that the majority of people are commenting as if they know these people personally. You really don't. You don't know how many nannies they have. And even if they do, when you work, don't you have someone babysit your kids? If not a nanny, then a day-care, for sure. It's her body and their choice as a couple whether or not to have more children; same for those Duggars. People need to seriously stop judging so much. Do you want to be judged? Didn't think so.
  

  12 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Richard xxx They have enough money to handle 20 if they want.....love these two!
  

  12 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Mike xxx Thats funny s* right there... I could end up pregnant. lmfao.. WTF?? Keep your leg close and you might not end up pregnant. skanky
  

  11 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Mike xxx Another thing.. "WHEN THEY GONNA GET MARRIED"??? LOL!! TOO MANY KIDS AND AINT EVEN MARRIED YET. hmmm!!!
  

  11 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Jamie xxx she is beautiful. & if she & brad pitt want to keep reproducing let them! if i looked like her & he was my boyfriend i'd probably have like 10 kids by now. haha ;)
  

  11 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Rosalinda xxx I love how Kylee shields is commenting as if she knows any of these judgemental people personally. Kylie, you really don't. You don't know if they know Brad and Angelina or not. You don't know if they know Brad and Angelina's nannies. You don't know if they have kids or jobs. It's their opinion and their choice to voice their opinion as individuals or as a collective unit on a Facebook post that beckons their comments. Same for judging the Duggars. You need to seriously stop judging judgmenetal people so much. If you stop judging judgmental people, I will stop judging you for judging judgmental people. But I will not stop judging Brad and Angelina or the Duggars for that matter. I don't care if they have more kids. I just want him to stop saying things like perfunctory and impervious. I want him to take his shirt off and shut his mouth. I want her to put on about 5 pounds. If she gets up to 115 she'll be perfect.
  

  11 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Mandy xxx I kind of understand why they haven't gotten married. Marriage in Hollywood is kind of a bad omen. Not many people make it past 5 years together. Maybe not getting married is better when you're a celebrity.
  

  10 hours ago ·  ·  1
• 
  

  Kris xxx stop!!!!! enough
  

  9 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Kylee xxx ‎@Rosalinda: Wow. All I have to say about that response. :)
  

  9 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Rosalinda xxx ‎:)
  

  7 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Aileene xxx yes!!
  

  4 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Mao xxx no.
  

  4 hours ago · 
• 
  

  Summer xxx Me and my man have only ever been with each other, and we have been engaged since June 5th 2002, but we have actually been living together for 11 years. And we have 4 gorgeous children together (our 3 girls and 1 boy are perfect to us we won't be having any more). At the moment we ar...e not married. I will marry him, when I feel the timing is right for both of us-he needs to be ready as much as I do. We have had the rings (diamond tiara ring and celtic mens band from 2004), since before our 2nd child came along in 2006. But eventually we want to sell our house and get a new one that we both think is our dream home. We also want to get a few things out of the way before we go ahead with a wedding-Wedding is a very special event between two people, and does not need to be rushed. Since relationships can't be rushed, and marriage-which focuses on a relationsip between two people really is the beginning of what is supposed to be a lifetime of love between two people. His parents are divorced and my parents are divorced. What is real happiness to me and anyone who loves my children, is that me and those that love my children are greatful for my 4 children existence in this world. So our 4 children are loved now and loved always and to one day make a life for themselves. All 4 of our children are kind hearted children, each with there own unique personality and there own looks. ED-Creative, Imaginative and thoughtful. Energetic. Son considerate and tolerant of others, he cares for his sisters, and wants to help look after the youngest 2 girls, comical and very sensitive. 2nd Daughter, driven and focused, enjoys role playing. Loves to interact with others-brings people together. 4th just 2 months-3rd Daughter, a sweet heavenly lotus flower, draws others to her, not shy, very alert, is always looking here and there. When you hold her she might look at you but then proceed to look to the side of her then look up and around, so she can take in all of the world around her. She is very content, like my 2nd daughter was as a baby.
  

  15 minutes ago · 

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/angelina-jolie-i-could-end-up-pregnant-again-20111312#ixzz1gUOkk2Nm