I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas...

we were thrilled to have the Schensted and Mulkey clan up north for Christmas.

unfortunately, we did not provide the snow that a traditional MN Christmas should have.

but no worries. we made due with board games, movies, shopping, and lots of laughter!

A very handsome pup in a very handsome Christmas sweater

Mike

Michele and David

Kayla and Julie - being silly

Best friends - Albus and Julie

Santa, Elf, and Albus


Happy New Year, friends!

we're kind of a big deal

official press release of our being the first broadband customers.

                                                         December 12, 2011

NEWS RELEASE                                        Contact: Dan Olsen, General Manager

For Immediate Release                                   507-662-7000 or dano@windomnet.com

FIRST BROADBAND CUSTOMERS IN LAKEFIELD

Pastor Andrew and Lisa Schensted First Southwest Minnesota Broadband Customers

Lakefield, MN – Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) fiber-to-home project became a reality on Thursday, December 7, 2011, with Pastor Andrew and Lisa Schensted being connected to SMBS internet and cable TV services.

Pastor Andrew and Lisa are impressed. Andrew said that their fiber-to-home connection provides, “obnoxiously fast internet.” The Schensteds moved to Lakefield from the Twin Cities and Andrew said that their SMBS internet is “at least ten times faster,” than what they had in the metropolitan area. They have been streaming video in full HD from TV streaming websites.  Lisa said that, “It’s just so great. I was feeling under the weather and all of the different channels kept me entertained!”

Dan Olsen, Windomnet Operations Manager/SMBS General Manager said that work on the fiber ring has been “fast and furious since ground breaking on July 22. We are thankful that the Schensteds have agreed to be our trial customer. They have been asked to use as much data as possible. SMBS is now analyzing the system to see if any adjustments need to be made before additional customers are connected.” Another small group of customers will be connected by the end of December with community wide installation fully underway in January. 

SMBS is also working on a wireless trial that will launch in the Bingham Lake area by the end of December. Olsen said, “The demand for higher speed internet in our rural area is daunting. People not only want faster speeds, they need it for their business operations.”  If the wireless trial is successful it could provide a better option to those not on the fiber system.

About Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services: Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) is a consortium of 8 communities including Bingham Lake, Brewster, Heron Lake, Jackson, Lakefield, Okabena, Round Lake and Wilder.  The 125-mile, $12.8 million dollar fiber ring is expected to be completed in September 2012. The fiber-optic communication network has the capacity to bring fast, competitively priced services for internet, phone and cable TV to residential subscribers as well as businesses and other community institutions. This government grant supported project is intended to provide Southwest Minnesota with the telecommunication connectivity required to remain competitive in the global marketplace. For more information on Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services, visit their website at mysmbs.com

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an ode to fiber-optic awesomeness

when we first moved to Lakefield, we heard rumors that fiber-optic internet, phone, and cable were coming. which was great, because we were kind of spoiled from having super fast internet and sweet cable from living in St. Paul. sure, Lakefield cable had it's charm with the local access channel telling us what was to eat at the senior activity center, but we missed being able to record programs and watch sports in HD.

like i said, we were spoiled.

so we waited.
and waited.
and waited some more.

then - there was even a big event commemorating the groundbreaking of the project. obviously, it was a big deal for the entire town, not just the Schensteds.

so then we waited some more
and more.
and more.

southwest broadband logo

then - the Southwest Minnesota Broadband moved in to town and set up shop. obviously, we are not patient folks and Andrew bustled over there to introduce himself (and no doubt establish himself as the town geek) and to politely inquire to the status of the project.

we waited some more.

Andrew popped back over to the office a couple more times to inquire about packages for our home and for the church.

more waiting.

then, a Christmas miracle. they contacted us to be customer zero. basically, this means we are the first people in Lakefield to get the new internet/phone/cable with the understanding that there might be some hiccups along the way. we (aka, Andrew) shares with them the details of how everything is working and they get a guinea pig.

they could not have picked a more enthusiastic customer zero than they have in Andrew, that's for sure.

so if you don't hear from us for another six months, it's because i'm watching NBA in HD, Andrew is watching How It's Made on the Science Channel, or we're watching the DIY network together.

did you miss us?

so apparently i took a 6 month hiatus from this personal blog.

my bad!

to catch you up quickly, i'll provide three bullet points per Schensted.

Andrew

• has had a very successful first year at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. they adore him and the feeling is incredibly mutual. 
• continues to board game like no other. we have quite a collection coming along, many of which are two player games so we can game on the regular.
• continues to be a seriously awesome cook. AND he cooks healthy things, which is awesome. now that it's winter again, we are having soups pretty regularly and i love it a lot. 

Lisa

• has been spending a lot of time on my YA lit blog. i've also taken on a little side project blog to help share debut author books with bloggers. 
• has been crafting and making bookmarks and other fun things. i'm slowly amassing paper and punches and all sorts of fun things! next step, a cricut. :)
• started a new job at Sanford in Jackson. i do scheduling of appointments, work with different specialists in the outreach area of the hospital, and generally do what i can to make sure patients get in and out without a hitch. i love it a ton.

Albus

• is now a full grown puppy. he's just about 28 lbs and is back in the sweaters for the winter. thankfully the ones from last season still fit! he's got a great temperament and is happiest when he is in or near a lap.
• we discovered that he has a fear of gourds/spheres. see the video as proof. 
• he had to upgrade to a larger office to accommodate his growth. he now goes in and out without whimpering. this makes life significantly easier for everyone.