Halloween!

I haven't gone out on Halloween since 2002, so with this year's festivities on a Saturday it was time to do it up right!

Melissa and I struggled to come up with a clever idea (read: we didn't spend any time thinking about it until the last minute). So we opted for the classic devil/angel get up and tried to put a cute spin on it.

Melissa came over to get ready at my house and pass out candy. We get very few trick-or-treaters in this location, but there were some and they each got a giant handful of candy.

This was my first social event since the renovation. I didn't do much, but did have a spooky little spread on the new peninsula.


Melissa's costume was kind of 80s-rocker-devil!


Steve joined us for the festivities. His costume required eyeliner and nail polish. Always the sign of a worthy Halloween get-up!

His costume was Bret Michaels, formerly of Poison and currently of Rock of Love.

Steve almost looks more like Bret Michaels than Bret Michaels does.

A great time was had by all!

Movies and Cars

After a couple of harried weeks, this one has been a bit more relaxing. And hasn't the weather been perfect for it! On Wednesday, Jack, Chris, and I saw Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. It's a fun film and some of the 3D effects (especially at the beginning) are fantastic.

Ginormica kicks butt and is now among my favorite movie characters of all time (unlike Carrie Bradshaw) and I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that this movie ends quite differently than SATC. Ugh, that still bugs me when I think about it!

Here's Jack sporting the 3D glasses, which we definitely plan to keep on hand for upcoming 3D films (there are several).

In other exciting news this week... only 18 months after moving here, Chris got his driver's license and MN plates! He will give you many reasons why it took this long, but let's just say that it's good to have him as a legal resident.

Birthday Party

Last weekend, Mom, Dad, Jon, Amber, and Trevor came to visit. Activities included Saturday at the Mall of America followed by a party to celebrate Mom's and Jack's birthdays.

We ate fondue (meat in oil, bread and veggies in cheese, and fruit in chocolate) followed by a birthday cake. I baked the cake and Trevor added flair with his decorations.

Here's a closeup of Trevor's handiwork. I enjoyed watching how calculated he was with the M&Ms and candles. I had to limit the red sugar, but otherwise that's all his creative touch!

Alexes Update

A quick update for those of you who are curious about my Little Sister, Alexes ('e' not 'i'). I met her, her parents and her younger brother last Thursday. Most of the time was spent going over guidelines and policies with the Big Brothers Big Sisters coordinator, but Alexes and I spent a few minutes chatting afterward.

We scheduled our first outing for last Sunday afternoon. We went ice skating, which I hadn't done in years and Alexes had never done. We had a great time!

Here's a photo of Alexes at the rink:

and a video of her showing off her skating skills:

We ended our skating excursion in the best possible way: hot chocolate!

We haven't made plans for our next get together yet, but we did make a list of many activities we'd like to do. We are also thinking about starting a blog to chronicle our friendship. I have to talk to her mom first, but if we start a blog you will all be the first to know!

I'm Going to be a Big Sister!

Of course, I've actually been a big sister to my awesome brothers for almost 32 years. Now I'll get to be a Big Sister to a young girl through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program!

I've been thinking about doing this for years and finally signed up last fall. The wait has been long, but today I finally got word that I've been matched.

Here's what I know so far about my little sister:

Alexis
age 9
third grade

She lives with her mom, brother, sister and a cat. She plays basketball, dances and enjoys math.

I get to meet Alexis and her family on Thursday!

Flippin' our Wigs!

Mom and Grandma Dottie visited last weekend. Highlights included: meeting Bonnie and Mom downtown on Friday evening. They missed the Holidazzle Parade, but we were able to visit Macy's 8th floor Christmas wonderland. It really was quite amazing, but required quite a lot of standing in line!

Bonnie returned home and Mom stayed at our house. On Saturday, Bonnie and Grandma came to our house and after some tasty Puppy Dog Tails from Isles Bun & Coffee, we set out to find Grandma a new wig. (I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind if people know she's "wigging it" these days, so no secrets here).

After quite a bit of looking, we found a great one. It almost looks like Grandma's new hair was taken straight off Bonnie's and Angie's heads! They are quite the blond trio!

Have you ever wondered what I would look like with long, dark hair? Well, wonder no more!

Frankly, I don't think I've been missing anything. Or maybe it was just this color/style, but I look a bit like a My Little Pony brought to life.

On Sunday, we went to Bonnie's for her amazing waffles and other delicious accoutrements. Even Jack, whom I rarely see due to his 3-11 schedule and few days off, was able to join us!

In the Spirit

We had an enjoyable and busy weekend. There had been talk of Jon and Amber coming for a visit, but when they weren't able to come, we made the most of our days!

After the gym on Saturday morning, Chris and I stopped by Home Depot to buy a tree. We were woefully under-prepared for tying the tree to the top of our car. The wind chill must have been at or below zero and we were gloveless and hatless. Not to mention somewhat clueless about tree-securing methods. Not that we haven't done it before, but last time we were in Florida and the temperature was somewhere in the 70 degree range.

We recovered from near-frostbite and made it home with the tree - a lush and fragrant Noble Fir - intact.

The decorating commenced, under Chris' direction this year. What does that mean? Chris got to decorate the tree however he wanted. I helped, but I promised not to move or rearrange any of the ornaments.

In anticipation of "Chris' tree," I picked up multi-colored lights as well as gold and red tinsel after Christmas last year. He says these are essential for creating a "fun" tree. I have to admit, I agree!

The angel, along with several of the decorations, are a little fancy for the "fun" tree, but they do add to the eclectic look. I think I'll look for one of those obnoxious cool multi-colored stars on sale this year.

Photos can't truly capture how fun Chris' tree looks. Nor can you smell the fragrance that has overtaken the house. We are feeling the Christmas Spirit!

The house is not decorated extensively, but I love having a fireplace mantle on which to hang our stockings. Jack even has one. Chris is certain Jack wishes he had a Cartman stocking, too!

After decorating, Chris cooked ribs and our friend/neighbor/my former colleague, Rebeca, came over for dinner, wine and conversation. Chris lit a fire in the fireplace, as he has done several times since it was cleaned. Some may question how I can enjoy such an environmentally unfriendly activity.

I have given it much thought and have determined that I can live with the guilt, particularly since I bought TerraCycle fire logs made from cardboard waste. The cost per fire has increased, but you can't put a price on sitting by the fireplace on a cold winter day. Who says I'm hard to please?

On Sunday, Chris and I met Melissa and Steve, a nice guy she has been dating for a few weeks. Melissa and I had planned ahead and purchased tickets to Wicked at the Orpheum as soon as they went on sale back in June. We were smart to buy four tickets, although we could have made some cash as tickets to this sold-out show are in high demand!

For those not familiar with the plot, Wicked is a musical that tells "untold story of the witches of Oz" (as in Wizard of, aka one of my favorite movies of all time) and is based on a 1995 novel of the same title.

What a tremendous show! While it followed that typical musical story arc that can begin to feel long toward the end of Act I, Act II flew by and the ending literally brought me to tears! This may not seem like an achievement, but I don't think that happened since my first Broadway musical (The Sound of Music, another all-time favorite). I also didn't know how this one would end and the conclusion took me by surprise.

After the show, we grabbed a bite at Keys, which happens to be in the Foshay adjacent to the W. Jack was working so we stopped by to say hello. I spared him an embarrassing photo-op, since I know Mom and Grandma Dottie will get him this weekend!

Fun

It seems like it's been months since I actively blogged. Either I don't have anything to discuss or I'm lazy. Maybe both. I'm trying to get better, so will start with a couple of fun things:

- Melissa and I saw Matt Nathanson at the Pantages last night. We had 'nose bleed' seats, but were still able to see and, obviously, hear very well. To say Melissa was obsessed with going to this concert would be an understatement. I have never seen anyone so excited about a musician - before, during and after the concert. And I saw New Kids on the Block at the SD State Fair circa 1989 so I know obsessed fans!

- Chris and I stayed at the W at the Foshay on Saturday night. Jack works there and got us a tremendous family and friends rate. Keep it in mind - I think he gets the rate at any of the Starwood hotels. Unfortunately, his discount didn't carry over to our dinner at Manny's Steakhouse. Our meal was delicious and left me with enough steak for three lunches at work, but considering that dinner for two cost three times as much as our hotel room it is definitely a restaurant for special occasions.

- We had a company come in to clean and inspect our fireplace and chimney. I really want to use that fireplace and it seemed necessary to get it checked out. Chris just emailed me to inform me that "they found a whole squirrel family...dead..tiny skulls were raining down...." I'm so appalled and can't get that image out of my head! Sorry if the same happens to you... That certainly doesn't fit under the title of 'fun,' but no doubt it is interesting. EDIT: It's also not true. Just found that out. Ha. Ha.

- Another not fun but worth mentioning item: Bonnie suffered first and second degree burns on her hand last Sunday. It apparently involved nearly-boiling water in a sterilizing sink and a heroic effort to grab a falling tray. Glad to hear you're doing well now, Bon, but oh my that sounds awful!

That's all the fun and not-so-fun news for today!

What I'm Thinking...

I know it's been too long since my last blog post when Amber emailed me to say she's going through withdrawal!

Between busy days at work, work-related travel, housework, exercise and trying to squeeze in some fun here and there, blogging has been relegated to the back burner.

Frankly, the election takes up the majority of my spare thinking these days. Do you really want to hear me rave about that again? Great! I thought you did. I have some things to say on some critical issues but I will save (most of) those for a separate post.

I will tell you what I'm thinking about today...

~ Melissa and I are going to see Matthew Sweet at First Avenue tonight. I didn't know he still toured, but can't wait to see him. It makes me feel not so old to know a musician I liked in college is still touring. This time we have general admission tickets so there will be no incidents like at the Gear Daddies.

~ Mom and Dad are coming to visit this weekend! We're going to ride the Minnesota Zephyr dinner train. Reviews are mixed and it's closing at the end of this year (presumably due to low ridership), but it is sure to be an interesting experience.

~ Our guests will get to sample the apple pie I made (and froze) with apples we picked during Suzanne's visit. I also made an apple crisp, which was good but too much for Chris, Jack and me to eat before it became apple soggy.

~ Chris and I saw David Sedaris at the State Theatre last Sunday. Chris has read most of his books, so was happy to hear him read mostly new material. Sedaris was funny and ironic and refreshing to a theatre full of liberal elites two weeks before the election and two days after Michelle Bachmann's embarassed Minnesota with quite possibly her most ridiculous comments yet. Go Tinklenberg! Bonnie and Duane will get to cast their ballots in what's looking like a possible loss for Bachmann! I almost wish I was in the 6th District so I could vote for him too. Ellison certainly doesn't need my vote in the 5th. Is anyone even running against him?

~ Melissa, Chris and I saw W. last Saturday night. Admittedly, I slept through part of it so can't give a full review. As a film, it was quite mediocre. But it did increase my empathy quotient for our current president. I still would never have voted for him, probably for the very reason I empathize with him: he seems fun, like someone you'd want to have a beer with, kind of a screw-up who could never win his dad's approval. Does he seem like someone who would make a good (or even not worst-in-history) president? Not. At. All.

With that, I'll sign off. 13 days to go!

South Dakotans: if you're not registered, it's too late. If you won't be in your home district on November 4, get an absentee ballot.

Minnesotans: register on election day if you're not yet.

As Chris learned last week, you must be a resident (i.e., have a driver's license) 20 days before the election. Too late for him, but he'll vote absentee in Florida. He'll be more help there both to Obama and in the probably futile attempt to defeat their gay marriage ban. Californians will get to vote on the same issue, although that is an attempt to take away an established right. It's also less likely to pass.

I don't understand that issue at all. Why do some people care so much about what other people do in their private lives. Maybe I'll discuss that in a future post. That and South Dakota's Measure 11, which anyone who respects an individual's right to choose and/or the right of medical professionals to make decisions in their patients' best interest will vote against without second thought.

OK, I'm really done for the day now.

Suzanne's Visit

We were fortunate to have Chris' mom visit us last weekend! Here's a rundown of the events...

Chris picked up Suzanne from the airport on Friday afternoon. They waited for me to finish work and then we took Suzanne to the Marquette Hotel downtown. (We invited her to stay with us but she preferred the comfort and convenience of a room downtown. I can't say I blame her!)

We had a drink in the hotel bar before dinner at Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant. This is a great spot for both food and music, which is unusual because typically music venues don't serve good food. But we enjoyed beet salad, blue marlin, kobe beef tenderloin and white chocolate cheesecake brulee. All were fabulous. We didn't stay for much music, but it provides great atmosphere.

On Saturday, after lunch at Keys Cafe, we went to Minnetonka Orchards for some apple picking, donut eating and cider drinking!



We were exhausted after the orchard, so went back to our house for awhile. We took Suzanne back to the hotel, but stopped by the Newsroom for a drink and a bite first.

Jack was able to join us briefly on Saturday night before he went out. I must be getting old because I was going to bed as he was leaving for the night!

Jack joined us, as did Melissa, for Sunday brunch on the 50th floor of the IDS tower. We had a wonderful view of the city and it was a tasty brunch, although Chris is probably the only one who got value from the all-you-can-eat buffet!

After we digested our feast for a couple of hours, we took Suzanne to the Twin Cities' can't miss venue. The Mall of America, of course!


Although we didn't go on any rides, we made sure to have our photos taken with them in the background!

After the mall, we went home to relax and watch some tv, including Dexter. If you've never seen this show, you really should. It's smart and also creepy. Chris is a little disturbed that I'm so enamoured of a show about a serial killer. It's a good show!

That's the summary of our weekend! We took Suzanne back to the hotel on Sunday after Dexter and then Chris picked her up and took her to the airport on Monday morning.

Thanks so much for visiting, Suzanne! Come back soon.

Fair Fun

Last August, my first back in Minnesota, I was unable to attend the State Fair, the beloved Great Minnesota Get-Together. The timing of this event is really not user-friendly. If it were up to me I would never schedule the fair to include a holiday weekend.

Scheduling aside, I was intent on attending this year. I was also adamant that Jack attend. A life-long Minnesotan who's never been to the fair? I'm not sure one can legitimately use that moniker until one has eaten deep-fried-something-on-a-stick while perusing acres of farm animals without getting nauseous. I had a little trouble with the last part.

There's a reason they say no food or beverages in the Miracle of Birth building. It's definitely for your own good. Watching a calf come into the world may be amazing, but it's best done on an empty stomach. And possibly from a great distance. I suggest placing monitors outside the building. [Insert joke about irony of small town girl with zero farm sense here.]

But who can resist adorable babies like this two day old lamb? Kinda makes me wish I had some farm sense.

Chris, still in his inaugural year, can now call himself a true Minnesotan if he chooses (and who wouldn't?). Melissa - 10+ year Minneapolis resident and frequent fair-goer - rounded out the group.

Once through the gates, our goal was clear. FOOD. We made a beeline for the deep-friend twinkies and corn fritters (after a quick detour for a turkey leg and beer).


Next stop, food building, where I was told that I "must be Norwegian" because I asked for my lefse with butter and white sugar. Apparently, the Swedes prefer brown sugar and newbies go for lingonberries and other exotic toppings. Huh. Seems like the food version of blasphemy if you ask me.

We mostly wandered and ate and drank. And ate. And then I felt sick. I blame the animals, but some might say it was the cheese curds. Or the BeerGarita. Beer + margarita mix. Not recommended. Don't believe the "best of the fair" propaganda. Best = oddest. Though I suppose if you really enjoy sweet drinks the BeerGarita might be for you.

Here, a list of everything we consumed (most of it shared). Mind you, most of this was consumed in a two-hour period.

Turkey leg (small but tasty)
Beer (always recommended)
Deep-fried twinkie (yummy but not up to Chris' standard)
Corn fritters (delicious, but may seem too healthy for some)
Cheese curds
Gyro (stingy on the meat)
Nachos (freshly made guac was good, but otherwise kind of a waste of stomach space)
BeerGarita (don't do it)
...nausea set in...
Deep-fried reese's peanut butter cups (could've been more melted inside)

I think that's it! There was so much more I would've tried. I really wanted the chocolate-covered bacon, although I heard it wasn't nearly as good (cold bacon? ew!) as the hype suggests.

Next year's fair seems so far away...maybe I'll try to make it back before the fair ends. There's still so much more to see and eat!

Welcome to the 21st Century

Thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes! Between my blog, Facebook, email (and a couple phone calls), I got as many "happy birthdays" as if I'd had a party.

Chris, Melissa and I (Jack had to work late so was unable to join us) went to dinner at Porter & Frye at the new Hotel Ivy downtown. Chris had a ribeye the size of my head, Melissa had beef tenderloin and I had parmesean-crusted walleye. All amazing and I get to eat the rest of my walleye for lunch today. Highly recommended!

I received a number of thoughtful and generous gifts, but one does stand out as my favorite. Yes, I finally have my own digital camera. I'm now officially functioning in this century!

In my defense, I got my first digital camera in 1998 (I won it) and I didn't know a single other person who had one at that time. I got rid of it because it was clunky and I just didn't use it. I bought another one in 2005, but found that I had nothing to photograph so gave it to Mom (and Dad, but I'm quite sure he's never used it). Chris has a digital camera, so it's not like I've been a complete luddite.

Since I've had my blog and am on facebook, I've found that I want/need a camera more often. After extensive research, I chose the Canon SD1100 and Chris traipsed all over town to find it in silver. Thanks Chris!

Here's a picture of the camera along with the first photos I've taken.

Chris took this one. Does this look like the face of a 35 year old? I think not!

Jack looking fancy in his Rebel Power! tee.

Lovely flowers and balloon from Mom and Dad (plus last year's birthday plant from Bonnie - it's looking good!).

Gear Daddies at the Zoo

Does anyone who reads this blog remember the Gear Daddies? They're a Minnesota band who was quite popular in the early 90s. I loved them when I was in college. I still love them - most of their songs have five stars on my itunes (which means they get played often, for those unfamiliar with the ratings).

I saw the Gear Daddies in concert once at SDSU Spring Fling in 1992 and Martin Zellar (former lead singer who's been on his own since the mid-90s) at Skinner's in 1998.

Their songs are fun, kind of folk-country-pop (I have no clue how to accurately describe music genres) and includes references to driving a zamboni and dream vacations in the (Wisconsin) Dells.

About six weeks ago, I found out that the Gear Daddies had a reunion concert planned as part of Music in the Zoo at the Minnesota Zoo. I immediately went online to buy tickets, as I knew Melissa would be up for it.

Unfortunately, most of the other Gear Daddies fans seemed to know that the tickets had gone on sale in May and snapped them up. I couldn't get two seats together! Not to be discouraged, I looked for single seats and was able to find two. I bought them, figuring that Melissa and I are small and could squeeze together since it's bench seating.

Last Friday, we arrived early at the zoo since we could visit the zoo with our concert tickets and not pay additional admission. (I'll try to get some pictures from Melissa.) We spend about two hours walking around before the concert.

We made our way to the concert amphitheater (capacity: 1,400) and tried to figure out which of the two tickets was a better seat. One was Row F, but all the way over on one side. The other was Row E (yes, 5th row), directly in front of the stage. No question, we went for Row E.

Being center stage also means being in the center of the aisle. Together, Melissa and I probably equate to 1.5 average Minnesotans, particularly the 35-45 year old Gear Daddies fans. But these seats were not made for 21st century folk. As I heard one person behind me say, the seats are sized for 1960s adolescents. (Thinner people, if you're not catching my drift).

I think you can see where this is headed. I will spare you the excruciating detail, but it included the following scenario:
- the (large) guy next to Melissa repeatedly asking to see our tickets and me pretending like I couldn't hear
- me spilling my sob-story (i.e., we wanted to see the Gear Daddies so very bad but couldn't get two seats together and how could we not sit together - all true!) to the woman next to me who kindly scooted over a bit to allow more room
- us still packed in like sardines (which in my defense we would have been anyway since even I would take up the tiny space allotted on these benches)
- me spilling same sob story to large guy who was not at all sympathetic
- large guy's larger brother essentially crushing Melissa
- no one behind us standing so we thought it would be rude to stand and avoid the crush (although we eventually did - their cover of Little Red Corvette is irresistible)
- large guy and brother (looked to be in their 50s, but probably 40s) sitting like two large bumps on a log throughout an hour of classic Gear Daddies tunes; who pays $60 for a ticket to awesome rock-out music and then just sits there? Seriously!
- leaving for a bathroom break, knowing there was no way we would get those seats back
- moving to the 'dancing area' for the remainder of the concert; although the view wasn't as good, that was a much better spot for rocking out!

Despite the seating issues, it was still a fantastic concert. I hope they return next year. This time I'll be prepared when ticket sales start!

Saturday in Brookings

I really enjoyed my first Brookings Summer Arts Festival in over 10 years! I don't have photos from that, but I do have a few from our night on the town. First, Amber, Jon, Melissa and I had dinner at Bravo's (I refuse to capitalize the v).

The meal was fantastic and the setting sublime. Except that Jon's shrimp diavolo may have made him sick. Don't order that! Brookings has long been in need of a quality food in an upscale setting and this is top notch.

After dinner, Amber gave us a campus tour. I've been there quite often recently, but Melissa hasn't been there in a few years. For those who may not recall, Melissa and I graduated on the same day in 1995 (wow! that's a long time ago) and even sat just two seats apart during the ceremony. The guy whose name falls between 'Hea' and 'Hei' was either entertained or annoyed by us for over two hours.

In a somewhat successful attempt to 'relive the good old days,' we visited some of our old haunts as well as some of the new (i.e., renovated) ones.

Good times, good times, as evidenced by Melissa's disappearing act into the covers. Yes, she's in there somewhere!

Thanks for your hospitality, Jon and Amber!

Valleyfair!

Thursday morning, after getting everyone moving (some people were up until 3 am. I'm sure I don't have to tell you who they were) we were off to Valleyfair where we met Jon, Amber, Jon's friend Brett and Brett's nephew Andy.

We looked pretty lively when we arrived, but we only made it on a handful of rides before a serious storm - green sky, sideways rain - shut down the rides. Thank goodness we were able to ride out the storm in the bar!

The storm passed and within 15 minutes (just after I changed into warmer clothes), the sun came out and it was hot as before the storm. Since I'm not interested in the scary rides, Chris and I watched the kids go on some.



Then Chris decided to take a ride on The Wave. That's him in the center of the boat, grimacing. Apparently, he didn't expect to get soaked from head to toe!

After Valleyfair we went back to the house for a little more Rock Band and then went out for seafood. I won't mention the restaurant because we had really poor service. I think everyone liked their food, but it just goes to show that service makes all the difference.

Jack the recent hotel/restaurant management grad had a little talk with the manager. This resulted in a small discount, but I don't think anyone will request that place next time. Chris might as well add this to his list of reasons not to leave the house!

Jon was also irritated because he was convinced that they short-changed him on his king crab legs. Sorry brother, but I looked it up online and every source I found indicated that each king crab leg is 1/2 pound at a minimum.

Thanks to everyone who came to visit. Please come again soon! We now know that we have room for at least nine adults and three kids in our house and could probably accommodate more!

Rock Band

It's rare to have so much excitement in the middle of the week, but we were fortunate to have a house full of guests the past two nights! Mike, Deena, Austin, Madison, Mindy, Ben, Kailey and Jack all stayed on Wednesday night (Jack actually came on Tuesday).

The Footes arrived in time for dinner. We ate chicken - Mike ran the grill - along with potatoes, veggies and watermelon. After dinner, we took a walk to the creek and then drove downtown to show Madison the tall buildings.


The Andersons arrived later that night and we played Mike's Rock Band on xbox 360. I think I have to get this game! It was SO much fun. I'm terrible at guitar and bass, did OK on drums sometimes, but really, really enjoyed singing.

The game doesn't care that I was woefully out of tune (unlike the other players and observers!) or don't know the words. The key is to follow the pitch. I found that better I knew the words, the easier that was to do.

Here's the band in action:


Amber has some scary-sounding video of me singing that I'm sure she can't wait to post. Consider yourself warned.

Stay tuned for part two - our day at Valleyfair! - on Monday.