Snarky Librarian

Minnesota Fringe Festival...ACK!!!

2012-01-29T12:06:00.000-06:00

Soooo...I'm in another show...maybe...

My friend Kris, who once "encouraged" me to audition for a show with her and another friend (neither of whom got in, leaving me to be in it alone), auditioned for a Fringe Festival show called "A Capella Love", an ensemble piece with eight cast members, focusing on the various aspects of falling into (and out of) love.

After her audition, the director said they needed tenors. She suggested me, and the director said to contact him. I did, and auditioned the day before Christmas (with the composer "Skype-ing" in from Los Angeles...no pressure there...!).

Kris and I made it to callbacks, which were on January 16th. I got cast. She didn't. So...ONCE AGAIN...I'm doing a show that she's not in. Perhaps I should start paying her a "finders fee"...WHEN I'M NOT MAD AT HER ANYMORE FOR, YET AGAIN, GETTING ME INVOLVED IN SOMETHING FOR WHICH I'M ALL BY MYSELF...!!!!

All kidding aside, because I really AM grateful for the chance to be a part of this...I'm TERRIFIED! The music is REALLY difficult, and will involve getting everything memorized before our first "official" rehearsal in April or May. FOURTEEN songs...fourteen DIFFICULT songs...ugh!

I've started going through the music (besides the snippets I learned for the audition and callback), but am having a difficult time getting motivated to put much effort into it yet. With the Fringe Festival, all shows are put into a "lottery". Not all shows get chosen...so I guess I don't want to put too much effort into it until I know we're "in".

It's frustrating to think that I've made it this far (auditions and callbacks)...worked this hard...been this stressed...and we might not even get to do it! The lottery is Monday, February 13th at the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis...wish us luck!!!

Even though I AM freaked out, I can't wait to learn my part. I'm playing "Wesley", the cynic. The songs are really well written, and will TOTALLY stretch me as a singer (and, apparently, a dancer too...ack!!!!). It's such a weird thing to be "fleshing out" a character for the first time EVER. When the director called to say that I'd been cast, he also said that they had written "my" song earlier that day! I've never had a song written specifically with me in mind...pretty cool!!!!

I'm also a little freaked out about the rehearsal schedule. We will be having daytime AND evening rehearsals to start...which presents a problem...since I have a job! I guess I know what I'm doing with all of my "personal days" and "comp time" this year...!

Hmmmmm...I guess I should calm down until February 13th...

Anyway...here's hoping YOU succeeded at a recent challenge, and that YOU are pursuing something you love as well!!!!

Dining Room UPGRADE!!!

2012-01-15T14:19:00.000-06:00

I FINALLY found dining room chairs that weren't

A. TOO EXPENSIVE
B. TOO UGLY!!!!

Menards was having a sale, and I got each chair for $30.00! Not sure how long they'll last, but they sure look good NOW!!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

NICE to get away from the 80's/90's BLAH, and move toward something a little more stylish!

Here's hoping YOU were able to make a "spiffy" upgrade recently too!!!!!

St. Simon's Island, Georgia!!!

2012-01-01T19:38:00.003-06:00

Duane and I were able to spend the last few days of 2011 on St. Simon's Island, Georgia...one of my FAVORITE places on earth (and where, in the waters of the Atlantic, I want my ashes scattered after I die...which is funny since I've had a fear of water since I was three...but that's another post...!).

Looking back through Duane's travel journal, we haven't been to St. Simon's in about EIGHT years! To get there, we have to fly into Jacksonville, Florida, and the flights are ALWAYS full. We just haven't been able to make it work...until now...which was PERFECT timing...I needed the opportunity to get OUT of Minnesota for a few days!

We were able to fly first class from Minneapolis (which is always delightful), and arrived in Jacksonville. We rented a car, and headed north to Georgia (with, OF COURSE, stops at the Florida Citrus Center...one of the MOST obnoxious tourist traps EVER (but I LOVE it!), a Waffle House for a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (to go), and a gas station that still sells Stuckey's merchandise).

There have been a TON of changes on the island since our last visit! Instead of a stop light on Frederica Road there is now a roundabout...the fish store is now a bbq restaurant, the Piggly Wiggly is gone, the donor bricks around the whale sculpture have been replaced by a bronze plaque, and our hotel, the Ocean Inn & Suites wasn't even THERE last time we were on the island!

Luckily, MANY things are still as they were before...the village and the pier are mostly the same (with a few different shops), the lighthouse is still there, the King and Prince Hotel hasn't changed at all, Mullet Bay and 4th of May are still there, and the beaches are still MAGNIFICENT!!!!

We arrived around 4:00, checked into the hotel, then started exploring. The sun was shining, it was 65 degrees, and everything was clean and shiny...gotta LOVE "off season" travel!

We shopped the village, walked along the beach by the lighthouse, drove to the Winn Dixie (because we LIKE exploring grocery stores in the places we visit!), then headed down Frederica Road to have dinner at Bennie's Red Barn Dinner Club.

I had an ENORMOUS ribeye steak and baked potato, and Duane had the shrimp and steak platter...also enormous! The barn has a HUGE fireplace at the back of the dining room and had a GORGEOUS Christmas tree in the middle. It was a lovely dinner.

After that, we drove back to the village, started to walk out onto the pier (then turned around because it was REALLY, REALLY cold and windy), then went back to the hotel.

Friday morning we were up and out early. We walked out onto the pier (it was warmer and not windy this time!),

hit Sweet Mama's for coffee, then drove out to Christ Church. As we were walking around the cemetary, a church member, who was leading a tour a little later, asked if we'd like to go inside the church. I've never been inside (on ANY of the six trips I've made to the island), so said YES, and we proceeded to get a private tour of the sanctuary...TOTALLY cool!

It was GORGEOUS, and the history of the church was really interesting. We saw the Tiffany stained glass window, heard about the other stained glass windows, saw where FOUR different presidents have sat throughout the years (including Jimmy Carter, and George and Barbara Bush), and enjoyed the salty comments about "Yankees" and the work of Charles and John Wesley on the island from our guide.

After the tour, we walked to the cross commemorating the Wesley visits (no one ever mentions that Charles left the island in 1737 "with an utter despair of doing good there"...), then headed back to the village for lunch at 4th of May...an island institution.

After lunch we headed to the beach. We've never been to Georgia in the winter, and I must say the lack of humidity was nice...except that the breezes off the beach were REALLY chilly. We saw an AWESOME piece of driftwood that a local had decorated for Christmas. It was a very popular "photo op" for all the people walking along the beach...us included!

After a walk down the beach, we headed back to the hotel, then went to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the view. The ticket office and gift shop are now in a new building to the side of the lighthouse, which was another change, but a good one...the gift shop is bigger and had more cool stuff in it.

The lighthouse keepers residence (at the base of the lighthouse) is now all museum, and included a section on Eugenia Price, a local author, and the reason any of us started going to St. Simon's in the first place. Had Scott S. not read her books (set on the island), and fallen in love with the place through her writing, he wouldn't have visited the island, and none of us would have come along for the AMAZING ride!!!!!

After the lighthouse, we took a walk down the beach near the pier,

then headed to Southern Soul BBQ (formerly the fish market on Frederica Road). It was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives", and was REALLY, REALLY good! I had the barbecuban (barbecued beef in a cuban pressed sandwich), and deep fried green beans...wow! Really good food! If you GO to St. Simon's, GO to Southern Soul!!

Saturday morning, we got up, packed, checked out, took one last walk along the beach near the lighthouse, then headed to Waffle House for a parting breakfast. I had the "usual" (bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich with hash browns "scattered, smothered, and peppered"), then we headed to Jacksonville to fly back to Minnesota.

SOOOOO lovely to spend the end of December in shorts and flip flops walking along beaches, climbing the 129 steps to the top of the lighthouse, and enjoying a laid back, relaxing, DELIGHTFUL coastal getaway.

Here's hoping YOU were able to spend the last part of 2011 enjoying a place that YOU adore too!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

And a Christmas Show to Finish the Year...

2011-12-08T13:04:00.010-06:00

I was fortunate enough to be selected to sing in the Chrismas show at the theater at which I did a couple of AMAZING shows this year..."Bye Bye Birdie!" this past spring, and "Children of Eden" this fall. All of the "adults" in the show were in the cast of "Eden", so it was AWESOME to not have to say goodbye, quite yet, to some of them.

"Fortunate" is a relative term, however, as we had FIVE rehearsals to memorize seven ensemble numbers, a solo, and blocking for the entire show. I was the only tenor, so NO PRESSURE THERE... It was intense, but I think it went WELL!

Here's a shot of the six of us performing one of our numbers...

Me, Peggy, Pat, Kim, Annie, and Joe

The week of my birthday was "tech week", and there were a couple of REALLY rough "run throughs" of some of the songs (especially the ones for which we got the music the Saturday BEFORE), but we PULLED IT OFF!

Here's our version of "Where Are You Christmas?"...

I also managed to re-memorize "Strange Way to Save the World" (I sang it in the Christmas show three years earlier). Except for a "hairball" in the middle, it went pretty well....

It was a REALLY fun show, with some REALLY great people, and I REALLY enjoyed performing in it!

Here are some shots from after the show...

A "final" shot of Peg and me"!!!

Duane and me!!!!

Here's hoping YOU had a chance to experience something recently that got YOU in the Christmas spirit!!!!

Birthday Celebration!

2011-12-06T18:52:00.000-06:00

I'm a little behind in my blogging! Even though the show is over, I've still managed to be overwhelmingly busy. I went right from "Eden" into the Ashland Christmas show, so had two weeks to learn the nine ensemble numbers that we did, and memorize my solo. I'll post more about the Christmas show in my next entry, but wanted to write a quick note about my birthday...

I turned 47 (gasp!) on November 30th, and Duane and I went out for pizza at Italian Pie Shoppe. I wanted a low key, mellow celebration (after the last few months of crazy), and it was delightful! Duane and my sister were in "cahoots" to surprise me with her and my nieces waiting for me at the restaurant, and it was AWESOME! I walked in, and there were the three of them, waiting to sing (really embarrassingly loudly) to me as I walked in.

We had a FABULOUS smorgasbord of pizza, caught up (I hadn't seen the girls since before Thanksgiving), and Duane even managed to bake and bring a cherry pie (my birthday cake of choice for the last six or seven years) to the restaurant. (TOTALLY CUTE ASIDE...I came home from rehearsal last Monday to the smell of burnt popcorn. I didn't think anything of it, until Robin told me at the restaurant that Duane burnt the popcorn to hide the smell of the pie that he'd baked earlier that evening...how CUTE is he??!!!!!!).

Here are some shots from the FABULOUS, FABULOUS celebration:

SURPRISE!!!!!!

THEY MAKE JALAPENO BACON SALT??!! WHO KNEW??!!! Thanks Davey!!!

My "London/Paris/Roam" shirt from Amy!!!

A "chicken fan" from mom and dad!!!!

CHERRY PIE!!!!!!!!

The "co-conspirators" doing the Shepherd HIGH FIVE!!!

Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy a lovely celebration/surprise recently too!!!!!!

"Children of Eden"...FAREWELL!!!

2011-11-17T08:00:00.004-06:00

It's been SO crazy busy with the show the last few weeks, that I haven't had a chance to post for awhile! I also haven't been able to find the words to express my feelings for the musical "Children of Eden", and, since I knew this would be the next thing I wrote about, haven't even tried. What I say won't do it justice, but here goes...

I'll admit right here that I didn't want to audition. My job took a turn for the IMPOSSIBLE this year, and I just didn't think I had time. I also saw the show a few years ago, and wasn't that crazy about it. I remembered a few songs that were kind of cool, and a really neat number involving a lot of animals, but really wasn't enthused. LUCKILY, my friends Kris and Rachel were persistent, and FORCED me to go (the last time they did this, they didn't get cast, and I ended up doing the show without them...DISLIKE...). I'm REALLY glad they did, because this was the EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!!!!!

I think "Children of Eden" is now probably my FAVORITE musical in which to have performed! I LOVED playing Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors" because the music is so AWESOME, and the part is so much fun. I LOVED playing Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (the THIRD time I did it), because I got to return to my home town, after having moved away a year earlier, to do the show with all of my old friends, and the production was really fun to be a part of. I also LOVED playing Albert Peterson in "Bye Bye Birdie!" this past spring, because the music is FABULOUS and I got to work with my friend Shana, who is AMAZING, and got to share the stage with a group of UNBELIEVABLY talented teenagers!!

I can't explain WHY "Children of Eden" is now my favorite...I don't think there's just one single reason. The music is BRILLIANT! Our staging and lighting were AMAZING! The cast was SUPERB! The orchestra was FABULOUS! The crew was EXCELLENT! I think all of these things together made it so special.

It is also my favorite because Adam was such an AMAZING part to play!! I typically get cast as the "funny guy" (not sure why...ha!). Don't get me wrong...I LIKE that type of role. It's fun, it's easy for me, and I don't have to work very hard on delivery...it's what I do. This part was different....Adam is complex. He starts out very simple and childlike, then goes through the metamorphosis of becoming the concerned (and somewhat obsessive) parent of Cain and Abel. That transition was AMAZING to portray.

Backstage before the final performance

A friend who saw the show gave me the greatest compliment...she said "Your voice is gorgeous and I loved your characterization of Adam. It was sweet but not stupid -- endearing but not cloying. The show was FABULOUS (I cried the whole first act) and you were a magical part of it. Congrats!!"

Another friend said "I also wanted to thank you for a wonderful gift of your performance in this show - great character, and growth in the character from a child-like personality to one who has to take the 'father' role, and make the hard decisions. You were amazing. Your voice is beautiful, as always. Thanks for a wonderful - thought-provoking evening!" He and I tend to compete for the same roles, so I considered this HIGH PRAISE indeed!

My sister made the comment that she thought this was my best role to date. She said that all the other stuff I've done has been "easy", and was just me being me on stage. She said that she could really empathize with the decision Adam had to make in the garden, and my portrayal made that very real. She actually started tearing up describing it to me on the phone the next day...excellent!!

Peg, Tena, Me, and Alisa after the show!

A friend stated that because my co-star Eve (BRILLIANTLY portrayed by my new dear friend, Peg) was so good in the role, I was better too, because I couldn't just "slide by"...I really had to work at it to bring my performance to her level. I KNOW I was better in this role than I otherwise would have been, because of her AWESOME talent!

Countless friends and family came to the show (thank you all for being there....I REALLY appreciate your support), and many cried through the entire first act. I had friends who came to see it TWO or THREE times...it was THAT special.

Casts of shows typically get pretty close during the rehearsal process, but the cast of this show was SOOOOOO close, and SOOOOOOO amazingly talented!!! We went out after MANY rehearsals, found whatever excuse we could to meet (why yes I DO need to get gasoline at 5:00 at that gas station...see you there!), and ended up having dinner each Wednesday during the run because we couldn't stand to be away from each other for the five days between shows. Many of us are already making plans to see each other in upcoming shows, and, as I put it on Facebook recently, "I'm not ready to let this go, so don't be surprised if I just SHOW UP on your doorstep some day soon".

"Adam's family" after a performance (not the "mysterious and spooky" ones...!)

I LOVE these people. I LOVE this theater company. I LOVE this play.

Here's a "private" copy of one of my ballads from Act I. Stephen Schwartz can SURE write a song...

I started rehearsals for this show on the first day of school WAAAAAAY back in September. My entire school year has been wrapped around all of those blocking rehearsals and choreography sessions and vocal practices. I'm having a difficult time "just" working now.

Here's hoping YOU were part of something amazing recently too, and that you are a better person for it as well!!!

New Friends!!

2011-10-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

Theater is such a CRAZY, CRAZY thing...you are thrown together with a bunch of people, some that you might know (from previous shows), but most that you don't. You spend every day together going through the tedious process of blocking, learning lines, choreography, vocal rehearsals, tech rehearsals, and form an intense "symbiotic" family. It's CRAZY, but I wouldn't trade it for the WORLD!

Last night, a bunch of us went out after rehearsal for drinks and food. It was a HOOT! One of my new friends, Kate, wrote the sweetest things on her blog, and about the evening. Click on "blog" in the previous sentence to go to her site to see photos of the evening, and to read what she wrote.

Thank you new friend...you're a delight to "play" with!

Oklahoma City!!!

2011-10-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

Okay...I have to admit that when the Middle Years Programme coordinator at the high school in which I work said that there was a "media specialist workshop" through the International Baccalaureate (the "umbrella" under which all three programs (Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme) operate, I was excited...until I heard WHERE it was taking place...Oklahoma City. Never been....never wanted to go...

BOY WAS I WRONG! Wow! I really LIKE Oklahoma City! It was a little like St. Paul, in that it COMPLETELY closes down on the weekends, so I don't know if I got the "real" experience of being there. It was CRAZY! Skyscrapers...restaurants...hotels...the convention center...and absolutely NO PEOPLE ANYWHERE...!!!

Anyway...I flew in on Friday afternoon, and checked in at the Renaissance Hotel, across the street from the convention center, in which all of our workshops took place. I planned to stay in my room the entire weekend and memorize music for "Children on Eden". OF COURSE that didn't happen, because, even though it WAS Oklahoma City, it was a new place, and I can't resist wandering around. My friends often tell me that I can find interesting things to do no matter WHERE I go, and this was no exception.

I wandered around for awhile, trying to find a Carl's Jr. that Yahoo! said was about seven blocks from my hotel...there was no Carl's Jr. I ended up at the Murrah Federal Building Memorial, and it was REALLY, REALLY somber, and cool, and sad, and well done!

After watching the sun set over the memorial, I headed back to the hotel and ordered room service (LOVE room service!), then spent a little bit of time working on that memorizing thing...UNTIL I looked out my window and saw a really cool glass "tube" that kept changing colors. OF COURSE, I needed to explore, so headed out into the night, and discovered the COOLEST botanical garden! The "tube" was the actual indoor garden, but there were waterfalls, landscaped terraces, a "lagoon", tables, fountains, sculpture, and an AMAZINGLY cool park surrounding it!

After taking a ZILLION photos, I headed back to the hotel, and went to bed.

Saturday morning, I headed to the convention center for the workshop. I was the only one from Minnesota to attend (which I hate), but, luckily, found some nice people from Missouri to sit with at breakfast. They were a Primary Years Programme school, and I've spent MOST of my IB career in a PYP school, so was able to "talk the talk" with them, and even do a little networking!

After breakfast, we headed to our sessions. I WISH I could say I learned a lot about the MYP, but, unfortunately, since there aren't many media specialist sessions, they combined category 1 AND category 2 into the same workshop. This means that participants ranged from those JUST starting in an MYP school, to media specialists who have been working in the programme for several years. TOO broad a range to be effective for anyone.

It was also unfortunate that I recently went through the PYP academy (to become a workshop leader myself). I had more recent information than the leader of this workshop, and, since I've spent the last two years as PYP coordinator at my school, am no longer afraid to assert my opinions, or offer my advice. I, apparently, spoke up too much that first day. People started coming to me for answers, and I REALLY don't know that much about the MYP...just IB, in general, which is the focus of what the category 1 participants were there to learn.

In fact, on the second day of the workshop, several of the participants came up behind me on the escalator and told me that they wanted to vote the workshop leader "off the island" and put me in charge. After that, I vowed to talk less (although it was a boost to my confidence, and helped me to get "off the fence" about whether I want to be a workshop leader or not....I DO)!!

Duane flew down to join me for the evening, which was AWESOME, since I really DIDN'T want to spend the evening memorizing music. UNFORTUNATELY, that's when the rain started. Oklahoma City had been in a streak of 175 RAINLESS days. OF COURSE we arrived, and it started pouring...terrific (by the end of the weekend, Oklahoma City ended up getting FOUR INCHES of rain...soggy...).

Rain be damned, our first stop was the Murrah Federal Building Museum, which was amazing! The museum is housed in the building that was behind the Federal Building, which was razed after the explosion. It used to be the home of one of Oklahoma City's newspapers.

The museum visit started with everyone sitting in a room, listening to an audio recording of a water board meeting, which took place across the street from the federal building. As we listened to the meeting leader setting the agenda, the audio is taken over by the sounds of the explosion. The audio continued to play, and we then heard a few seconds of these people reacting to the chaos. As the recording ended, the pictures of the victims of the explosion were projected onto the wall in front of us...very sad, and a REALLY powerful way to set the mood for the rest of the exhibits.

the door of a nearby building after the blast

A reconstruction of one of the rooms in the newspaper building after the blast

After spending a couple of hours walking through the displays, and following the timeline of the day, (and weeks and months to follow), we walked around the memorial site for a little while. It was MUCH MORE POWERFUL and SAD to look at the memorial after seeing all that took place during that very dark time in Oklahoma City's past.

After spending some quiet time at the memorial, we headed to a cafe Duane found on TripAdvisor...Cheever's. REALLY great food, and a COOL place! I TOTALLY fell off the "dieting wagon", and ordered the chicken fried steak (well I WAS in the south, and if anyone can do chicken fried steak well it's the south!!!). It was divine...especially with the jalapeno cream gravy and garlic mashed potatoes...YUM! It was so good, in fact, that I would return to Oklahoma City, just to eat there again!!

OBVIOUSLY not our photo...since the sun is shining in this one!

After dinner, we headed to Bricktown, which was a few blocks from the hotel. We found an AWESOME cupcake bakery/candy store called Pinkitzel. I WANT TO LIVE THERE!!!!! Totally cool "retro" candy, AMAZING cupcakes, and a really "kitch" ambience. FUN!

After satisfying our sweet tooth, we headed to Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City, the new (opened this year) outlet mall. We found some good deals at Banana Republic, and saw some stores that we don't have in the "north", so it was fun to explore (WET, but fun...).

Again...NOT my photo...no rain...

We then headed back to the hotel, with a quick stop at the botanical gardens so Duane could see it, then went to bed.

Me and Duane's umbrella (THANKS FOR BRINGING

THE UMBRELLA DUANE!) under the sculpture at the botanical gardens

Sunday, I said goodbye to Duane (who headed back to the cities later that morning), then went back for day 2 of the workshop. I spoke less, but people were still coming to me for answers. We worked on an MYP planner, focusing on recycling, and how the media center can "plug in" to the unit.

After the workshop, my new buddy Lisa and I went to Target (Delta lost her luggage, and she needed some "things"...). Our cab driver, Turtle, was a TOTAL hoot, and we had a great (and EXPENSIVE) trip there and back. It all worked out, though, because we were able to "reserve" the cab for the next day's trip to the airport (the hotel had TWO, seven seat shuttles, but there would be 150 people trying to get to the airport at the same time, so we didn't want to take any chances...).

After Target, we headed to Bricktown for dinner at Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant (FABULOUS!).

We then walked to a nearby bar to hook up with some other new friends to watch the Green Bay Packers play. Okay...to be honest, I walked her there, and headed back to the hotel as soon as the game started... I spent the rest of the evening actually working on my lines!!!

Monday, we had a half day workshop to wrap everything up. We were all WAY more focused on checking out, getting to the airport, getting our flights, etc., than the "wrap up", but it was all good. After the workshop, Lisa and I had an hour to kill before the cab ride to the airport, so we walked over to the botanical gardens again (the sun came out OF COURSE...since we were leaving). It was a LOVELY day, and it was AWESOME to see the sun again!

We then headed to the airport, had lunch at Sonic, said goodbye, and boarded our flights home!

It was a GREAT trip! Oklahoma City is surprisingly AWESOME, and I met some AMAZING new colleagues with which to collaborate!

Here's hoping YOU were pleasantly surprised by something recently too!!!!!

Aunt Dixie's Visit!!!

2011-10-14T15:55:00.001-05:00

I've been SOOOO busy with work and the show that I haven't had a chance to post for awhile, so I'll try to chronicle SEVERAL events over the next couple of days, because it's FINALLY the weekend...!!!!!

My dad’s sister Dixie paid her first visit to the Twin Cities a couple of weekends ago! It was SOOOOO cool to have her here! For as long as I can remember, Aunt Dixie has been one of my FAVORITE people. My first sentence, in fact, (according to my mother) was "Dikie go to school". Her brothers used to tease her mercilessly, and when I was little, it would make me cry.

She's spunky...and fun...and sarcastic...and nice...and sarcastic...and did I mention sarcastic??!! AWESOME!!!

Anyway...she drove up to mom and dad’s from her home in Oklahoma, and the three of them continued the trek north the next day. They arrived on Friday afternoon. I had rehearsal Friday night, so didn’t get to hook up with everyone until Saturday morning. OF COURSE our first stop was the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market! We hit all of our favorite spots, and, as always, it’s fun to watch someone who’s new to it all, experience it for the first time.

We spent a couple of hours there, then went back to Robin and Dave’s for awhile before heading to a GREAT restaurant on Nicollett, Sun Street Breads. Duane and I split an AWESOME meatloaf sandwich.

After lunch we went back to Robin and Dave’s for a couple of hours, then I headed home to start on dinner, since everyone was coming over. This must have been my biggest “dinner party” to date…I had to set up an extra table in the living room. I ended up cooking for the rest of the day, since I made Greek lasagna, and a tiramisu cake…which took A LOT of work!

It was a GREAT evening, and it was fun to have so many people crammed into my tiny townhome!

Sunday, we went antiquing in the afternoon, and had a great dinner Sunday night. Duane had taken the Riviera out of storage, and we took her for a ride to Minehaha Falls before we ate. Apparently, one of her memorable dates (??!!) was with a guy in a Riviera, so she thought the ride was AWESOME!!!!

A FUN, FUN weekend! Can’t wait for her to come back again!!!!!! Perhaps this could be a YEARLY event!!!!

Here’s hoping YOU caught up with family recently too!!

Ethnic Market Tour and Cooking Demonstration

2011-09-25T16:14:00.012-05:00

I LOVE that there are so many cool opportunities to experience stuff here in the Twin Cities!!! Yesterday, Robin, Davey, Dan and Sherry, and Duane and I went on the "Ethnic Market Tour and Cooking Demonstration" offered by THE KITCHEN WINDOW in Uptown.

We met at Robin and Dave's, then headed to Uptown as a group. We were WAAAAAAY early, so had a chance to have a cup of coffee, and chat for awhile before boarding the bus to head to our first destination...Holy Land Bakery & Deli.

Robin practicing restraining Davey from spending money...Duane practicing restraining me from spending money...Sherry practicing restaining Dan from spending money (it didn't work...)!!!

We got to sample some AWESOME middle eastern classics (hummus and pita, falafel, fig pastries), and I went CRAZY buying stuff I'm not sure I'll ever use (I get "caught in the moment" like that sometimes...!).

I found fava beans in a spicy tomato sauce...I NEEDED THAT! I found nuts soaked in honey...I NEEDED THAT! I found a sheet of dried apricot paste...I NEEDED THAT TOO!!!! I bought olive tepanade, harissa paste, Red Rooster sauce, and a BUNCH of other stuff...I NEEDED THEM TOO!!!!!

Kirsten, from our tour group (and who knew a TON about middle eastern food!), and Davey, Duane, and me sampling the falafel!!!!

After Holy Land, we headed to St. Paul to look around El Burrito Mercado, a Hispanic market:

I found all SORTS of fabulous stuff here...crema, spices to sprinkle on fruit, lime and pineapple empanadas, sour orange, and AWESOME chicken and chipotle bouillon cubes. The "alley corn" behind the market was AMAZING, as well!!!!!!!!

Our next stop was Ingebretsen's Scandinavian Gifts. I have to admit that I didn't buy ANYTHING here, but it was a GREAT shop with some LOVELY Scandinavian foods (lefse and lutefisk, notwithstanding...ish!). They DID have a lovely Swedish meatball mix that I will probably have to go back and try. The butcher said that they sell a THOUSAND POUNDS of it a day during the Christmas holidays, so it MUST be good!

I'll pass on the smoked salmon...thanks...!

I was VERY tempted to buy a can of "fish balls" (meatballs made of cod) to put on my kitchen counter to FREAK everyone out, but decided it was just TOO GROSS to have anywhere NEAR my house...!!!! Ditto the tube of "fish roe"...EEEK!!!

After Ingebretsen's, we headed to our final stop in Minneapolis, Bill's Imported Foods. Bill's is another middle eastern market. They had a few things that we didn't see at Holy Land, but by this time, I was COMPLETELY exhausted, so only found a FEW things that I couldn't live without...!!!

We then got back on the bus, and headed back to THE KITCHEN WINDOW for a LOVELY taco dinner...beef and chicken tacos...made with ingredients from our stops during the day.

I bought all SORTS of interesting ingredients, and can't wait to figure out what to do with them! I may mix "ethnicities"...combining the crema from the Mexican market with the zahtar from Holy Land to marinate chicken breasts, or using the spicy fava beans in my homemade chili recipe...SUCH possibilities!!!!

Here are some photos of my purchases...

Here's hoping YOU were able to experience some diversity and "other cultures" recently too!!!!!

Willow River State Park

2011-09-05T20:03:00.000-05:00

Duane and I got the Riviera out of storage and drove to Hudson, Wisconsin for lunch at one of our favorite cafes....Urban Olive & Vine. I had a LOVELY basil chicken flatbread sandwich, and Duane had the Thai Peanut (without the peanut and a substitution of the tomato viniagrette). A TRULY lovely little spot at which to relax and enjoy DELIGHTFUL food!

After lunch, we headed to Willow River State Park. We had NO idea such a great place was so close to home! One of Duane's co-workers recommended it, and I'm glad she did...it was cool. Camping, a lake, a dam, and a really cool waterfall (that you have to hike, like, 28 miles to get to, but the path is well graded, and it's TOTALLY worth the effort!).

Here are some shots from the day...

It was a LOVELY last day of "summer vacation" before it all begins again tomorrow!

Here's hoping YOU were able to do something to help you relax, and to help you NOT think about whatever DOOM is crashing down upon you...!!!!!

YUM!

2011-09-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

Tonight we tried a pizza crust recipe that I saw on "Ciao Italia" on PBS, and it was REALLY good!!! I actually had to order Pizza Crust Yeast on e-bay (since the Twin Cities, seemingly, doesn't even KNOW WHAT IT IS), but it was worth the wait...no rising time needed at all...just add and bake...!!!!

Here's the recipe. SOOOOOOO good...

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (115 to 120 degrees)
1 T. honey
1 T. olive oil

Place pizza stone on the bottom rack of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Combine the 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Add the water, honey and olive oil. Combine to make a smooth ball of dough.

Place the 2 cups unbleached flour in a large bowl. Add the dough mixture to the flour. Mix well.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it with your hands for a couple of minutes. Use a knife to divide the dough in half. Use ONE HALF of the dough recipe for each pizza (you can refrigerate or freeze the other half of the dough for later use).

Press one half of the dough to desired thickness with your hands.

Top pizza with your favorite toppings (we used tomato sauce, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, green olives, and mozzarella cheese).

Just before putting the pizza into the oven to bake, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Bake pizza for 12 to 15 minutes.

For more fabulous recipes from "Ciao Italia", visit their site at: http://www.ciaoitalia.com/.

Here's hoping YOU were able to create something amazing for dinner recently too!!!!

OVERWHELMED!!!!

2011-08-31T19:20:00.001-05:00

I'm SOOOOOOOOO not ready for this school year. My job has "evolved" into FIVE full-time jobs, and I'm having a REALLLLY hard time adjusting.

In addition to running all THREE media centers in the district (.2 at each school), I'm also "officially" a .4 reading intervention teacher, and part of the PYP coordinating team.

So...

job 1...elementary school media specialist (original school in the district)
job 2...elementary school media specialist (the "other" elementary school)
job 3...middle school/high school media specialist
job 4... .4 reading intervention teacher (technically a "less than half time" position, but since I've never DONE IT BEFORE...there'll be a HUGE learning curve...)
job 5...1/4th of the PYP coordinator team...responsible for resources/literacy

I'm ASSUMING that bursting into tears at the slightest "provocation" is probably not a good thing...

I also auditioned for "Children of Eden", and got cast as ADAM, which will add an ENTIRELY different level of stress, but, it was my choice (needed SOMETHING to "distract" me from my job), so I can't really count it...

Is it JUNE yet????

Baltic Sea Cruise; Part V

2011-08-25T15:50:00.020-05:00

I'm completely SAD to be blogging the final full day of our trip to Scandanavia and Russia, and I'm completely SAD to not still be on the ship...what a GREAT experience it was!

Our final day started with an early breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe. We were in the first group to disembark upon arriving in Stockholm, so gathered up our stuff, and headed to deck ONE, where we met Gary and Daryl, who were ALSO in the first group to leave the ship.

After all the friendliness and courtesy of the crew up to this point, leaving the ship was a bit of a let down. The crew was very brief in their dealings with us, and we were off the ship VERY quickly. I'm sure the fact that they had 2,500 people to get off the ship, and FIVE HOURS to clean the rooms and reset for the NEXT group that would be arriving to cruise to Estonia, had something to do with it...!

We had decided that, since we only got to see Stockholm from the window of the cab upon arrival, we would take an extra day at the end of the cruise to spend more time there. We got through passport control easily, and headed to the taxi queue to get a cab.

Gary and Daryl were in front of us, and we SHOULD have been right behind them, except a REALLY rude Italian guy and his family cut under the ropes, and pushed in front of us. I HAVE to say at this point that I have NO IDEA where the term "ugly American" fits into international travel. From my experiences on this cruise, the Italians won that title...hands down!

Caveat...I'm SURE not ALL Italians are pushy and seemingly clueless of the concept of standing in a line to get to the buffet (as opposed to just pushing your way in to get what you want), but those that we encountered were, as a general rule, rude...obnoxious...and really arrogant...

Anyway...the Italian family cut in front of us in the taxi queue, but, luckily, Gary got a cab that would take the four of us to our two different hotels, and I was able to HAPPILY push my way past the family and, while loudly stating "EXCUSE ME! COMING THROUGH! GOOD BYE!", get in the cab and head into Stockholm. (As I looked back, they were still standing in the taxi queue and, if there IS ANY JUSTICE IN THE UNIVERSE, are still standing there now...).

Deep breath...

After a short cab ride, and a quick exchange of cell phone numbers so that we could meet up with Gary and Daryl after checking in, Duane and I entered the Radisson Blu Strand Hotel next to the Harbor. It was a BEAUTIFUL old hotel (recommended by a work friend of Duane's), complete with a lovely tower.

Unfortunately, we got there REAAALLLLYYYY early, so our room wasn't ready yet. We dropped off our luggage, and decided to explore the neighborhood. I texted Gary to figure out our agenda for the day, then we headed out to look around. The desk clerk told us about a tourist information kiosk located in a shopping center nearby. Shopping was all we needed to hear, so started walking.

On our way to the tourist information center we passed some REALLY cool department stores (which weren't open yet), and I found a sweater that I TOTALLY wanted to buy at a boutique:

SEROUSLY...how FABULOUS would I look in this??!!

The boutique was closed and, when we went back later, looked through the ENTIRE store and didn't see the sweater anywhere inside. Oh well...it was $150 US, so I couldn't afford it anyway. Maybe I'll start knitting again, and make it for myself!

We also passed a really cool church, St. Clara's, so went to look around. It was closed (??), so we only got a view of the outside, but it was very beautiful...

We then continued working our way down the street, and eventually found the tourist information booth. We had expected to hear from Gary and Daryl by this point, but still hadn't, so got a map of the city, explored the possibility of a "Stockholm Card", which would let us ride public transportation and would get us into many of the museums in the city. We ended up NOT getting one, because everything looked "walkable".

We went back to the hotel to see if our room was ready by this time (it wasn't), so decided to go back to the department stores and look around. After a couple of hours of shopping, we decided to go on ahead to the Vasa Museum, where we had planned to meet Gary and Daryl at noon (before exchanging phone numbers and trying to get there earlier...which wasn't working out).

We bought a "Hop On/Hop Off" boat pass, since it would take us to the Vasa, and we could then get back on and see the rest of the harbor on the other stops it made after touring the museum. UNFORTUNATELY, we could have spent 80 kroner on a "one stop to the Vasa" ticket, and walked back, but THOUGHT the 24 hour pass would allow us to get back on the boat after 5:00 pm (which it didn't), so instead spent 200 kroner and were only on the boat to the Vasa...sigh...

I have to say that the Vasa COULD be one of my favorite museums EVER! The Vasa was a warship that was built in the 17th century, and sailed the seas...for approximately 20 minutes...before being "done in" by a gust of wind. The ship had two gun decks, and was REALLY top heavy, so listed to the side, then sank. Because of the brackishness of the harbor water, and the lower salt content, the ship, and items inside were REMARKABLY well preserved.

The ship sat, undisturbed in the mud and clay of the harbor, for 333 years. It was discovered in 1956, and raised in 1961. An AMAZING museum was built to house it in 1990.

The stern (back) of the ship (above) was, apparently, brightly painted and very ornate. The powders below were used to paint it, and the photo following that shows examples of some of the ornamentation.

A model of the Vasa (aft)

A model of the Vasa (stern)

Painstakingly restored, 95% of the wood of the ship is original. Items found on board when it was raised included hats, boots, clothing, pottery...and skeletons (13, I believe). Things were so well preserved, that the skeletons still had their clothing!

A reconstruction from the skull of "Gustav", one of the skeletons found on the ship

A reconstruction of one of the two female skeletons found on the ship

More reconstructions of victims of the sinking

We DID run into Gary and Daryl as we were coming out of the theater, in which we watched a movie describing how the Vasa was raised and restored. It turns out Gary's phone wouldn't work in Sweden.

We spent a little more time looking at the various exhibits...

The Vasa being built in the harbor

Duane would NOT have done well on board!

Personal effects found on the ship

Backgammon sets found in the ship

After a quick run through the gift shop, we left the museum, walked along the harbor...

...and headed to Skansen, described by Rick Steves as "Europe's first and best open-air folk museum, with more than 150 old homes, churches, shops, and schools from all over Sweden." Skansen is also the model for most other open-air museums in Europe.

We started our tour of the park in "Old Stockholm"...a collection of buildings which included a glass shop, a school, a general store, and a bakery. I had a DELIGHTFUL small round loaf of light rye bread. The others had sweeter varieties of breads and rolls...which looked REALLY good!

After touring some of the shops, we headed to the rose garden for a LOVELY view of the city:

We even spotted our former cruise ship WAAAAAAY off in the distance!

After the "scenic overlook", we wandered through various farmsteads, churches, manor houses, garden houses, and shops. It was very well done, and the architecture was lovely...

Seglora Church, from Vastergatland. Erected in 1730. Moved to Skansen in 1916. One of Sweden's most POPULAR places for weddings

Me on the dock at the Oktorp Farmsted

Duane on the dock

the Oktorp Farmsted

the wood pile

A windmill, also built in Vastergatland, in 1750

A summerhouse from Bellmansgatan, Sodermalm, built around 1700

After touring the grounds for a couple of hours, we walked back to our hotel, via the harbor...

The Swedish Folklore Museum

Cheery flowers on a dreary day

GORGEOUS penthouses along the harbor

Daryl and Gary went back to their hotel for dinner, and Duane and I were FINALLY able to check into our hotel. We "regrouped", then met Daryl and Gary again for a walk around Gamla Stan...Stockholm's Old Town.

We walked around the Royal Palace, Tyska Kyrkan (German Church), and shopped some of the touristy stores on one of the quaint side streets.

We then had to say goodbye to our AWESOME new friends, and headed back to the hotel to go to bed, so that we could begin the long, TEDIOUS journey home the next morning. Luckily, our flight wasn't until 11:00 a.m. Gary and Daryl weren't QUITE as fortunate, with their 4:00 a.m. departure from the hotel!

We hadn't had dinner, so before we went back to the hotel we stopped at MAX, a McDonald's-like fast food place in the shopping district.

I had the GREATEST taco burger...it had salsa, a creamy sauce, and tortilla chips on top of the burger...complete with bun...YUM!!!!!!!

The next day, we had an AWESOME breakfast in the hotel lobby (included in the price of the room!). There were LOTS of great things to eat, including bacon, eggs, cheeses, salmon (I passed), pastries, cereal, juices, smoothies, assorted meats, and fruit...wow!

We then checked out, walked to central station, took the Arlanda Express to the airport, and, FABULOUS SURPRISE...ran into Venessa, Sarunas, and Teddy at the gate...we were on the same flight, and had a LOVELY mini-reunion!

It worked out that we were able to get business class to New York (after intense efforts to do so at the ticket counter...at which they had no idea what our travel class status was, or whether we were able to upgrade...but they were very helpful and patient, and it all worked out in the end).

It was an AWESOME flight back to the states!! We flew over Iceland, which was cloudless, and could see icebergs in the water around it, and the mountains covered with snow across the continent...breathtaking! We also had an AMAZING flight crew working the cabin. One in particular(Nichole) was one of the BEST flight attendants I've ever encountered. We bonded so closely, in fact, that we hugged, and kissed cheeks on the way off the flight in New York! She was AMAZING!!!

So...that's it for the blog posts on the Baltic Sea Cruise/Trip. It was TRULY a wondrous adventure! We saw AMAZING sights!!! Met FABULOUS people!! Enjoyed the trip of a LIFETIME!!!!!!!

Here's hoping YOU recently spent time exploring parts of this wonderful planet too!!!

Baltic Sea Cruise; Part IV

2011-08-24T16:14:00.020-05:00

Our final day of the cruise was an "at sea" day...which was good! After three INTENSE days of touring, it was nice to sleep in and be mellow! The only problem with a day at sea, however, is figuring out what to do. We don't gamble, so the casino was out. We don't swim, so the indoor and outdoor pools were out. We aren't particulary "exercis-y", so the fitness center was out. We aren't TWELVE, so the arcade and game room were out. The only thing left was walking the deck...

...and EATING, so we had breakfast, explored the top deck, watched a towel folding demonstration in the main lobby (think "towel-gami"...)...

The "towel-gami" elephant awaiting us in our room!

...watched a cake decorating demonstration (also in the main lobby), had lunch, and sat on our balcony, enjoying the Baltic Sea.

Duane being "contemplative" on the balcony!

We DID sign up for a wine tasting in the Atlantis Dining Room, which was TOTALLY fun! All of our table mates signed up, and the head waiter told a couple at the next table that we were WAY fun, and that they should sit at our table, so they did! There were A LOT of people who signed up and didn't show up, so we were able to enjoy THEIR samples as well! It was HOOT!

After the wine tasting, Duane and I walked the deck again for a little while, then got ready for our final dinner with "the gang". I have to admit, I was REALLY sad that it was our last time to have dinner together. SERIOUSLY fun group to spend time with!!!!!!

Teddy, Sarunas, and Venessa

Gary and Daryl

Table 214...Sarunas, Teddy, Venessa, Daryl, me, Gary, and Duane...THE table at which to sit!!!!

At the end of dinner, the serving staff sang us a song. Here's a FUZZY shot of Yanka, our server (we were FAR away from the staircase on which they sang!).

She is from Bulgaria, and the running joke during the week was that there's no word in Bulgarian for "fabulous" (which she was), so we had to settle for "better than good"...ALL WEEK LONG!!!!

After dinner, we weren't quite ready to part, so all headed to the Masquerade lounge for the "Tribute to the 70's" show. It was a HOOT! ABBA...need I say more??!!

After the show, we DID say goodbye to our new friends. There was LOTS of hugging, and promises to "keep in touch" via Facebook and e-mail (which we HAVE done, and it's AWESOME to remain in touch!!!!).

We then took one more walk around the top deck...

...then went back to the cabin, started packing, and got ready for departure from the ship the next morning. Surprisingly, this was the only night that I felt like I was on a ship. The Baltic was a little "wavy", and it was WEIRD to be swaying back and forth in bed...STRANGE feeling (that didn't leave me for DAYS after we disembarked. I SWEAR that every time I was in the bathroom in Stockholm, I needed to hold onto the wall to counteract the swaying...REALLY CRAZY!!!!)...

TO BE CONTINUED (one last time...)...

Baltic Sea Cruise; Part III

2011-08-22T14:50:00.033-05:00

Our second day in St. Petersburg started EARLY! We had to meet our bus on the other side of passport security at 7:20!!! We were worried that we didn't have a "passenger visa card", but, apparently, the card that we submitted the day before was valid for both days of our stay.

Luckily, we had time for a quick breakfast in the dining room, and I'm glad we did (since I don't typically eat breakfast)! They had a cold oatmeal-type dish on the buffet that was AMAZING!!! I think I've found a recipe for something similar that I'm going to try to make. Here it is...

Soak rolled or quick oats in skim milk with 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 cup chopped almonds in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, stir and enjoy, cold or warm. The version on the ship had golden raisins and dried apricots in it, which had absorbed some of the liquid during the overnight soak. YUM!!!!

After wolfing down our food, we got through security, boarded the bus, and headed through the city to Catherine Palace, which was about a 50 minute ride. It was LOVELY to see some of the "non-city Russia" as we drove through countryside and smaller towns to get there.

I don't know much about Russian aristocracy, but Catherine (the Great) must have been quite powerful. Her palace (I think it was only ONE of them) was huge and ornate and gorgeous. What we saw was, largely, reconstruction, since "the nazi" (again one badass dude..see previous entry...) occupied the palace during the war, and, as the nazi's seemed to be quite good at, burned it when they had to evacuate as they were losing the war.

The renovations were based on first-hand knowledge, floor plans, and old photographs, so it was very similar to the original decor, and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was a foggy morning when we arrived, and the fog added a romantic mystery to the grounds...BREATHTAKING!!

After standing in line for about 15 minutes, we FINALLY got to the interior of the palace (luckily, the band, partially shown above, kept us entertained). It was VERY ornate, and beautiful inside...lots of gold leaf and colorful ornamentation...

The grand entry foyer

The grand entry foyer after "the nazi"...

From this point on, we had to wear "booties" to protect the parquet floors...

Apparently, tin foil was a BIG DEAL during this time period. The red stripes in the "red room" are tin foil, dyed red with crushed minerals!

Ditto the "green room"!

Catherine II (the Great)

A replica of one of Catherine the Great's dresses. Apparently, the skirt had to be as wide as the woman's arms, raised straight to the sides. Irina, our guide, said that when Catherine the Great died, the treasury was empty, but she had THOUSANDS of dresses in her closet, and HUNDREDS of pairs of shoes (the ORIGINAL Imelda Marcos!)...

After a couple of hours, the palace started to get REALLY crowded, so I was SOOOO ready to leave and tour the gardens...!!!! It was rainy, and still a little foggy. VERY serene and beautiful!!!

A "mini-palace" at the back of the Catherine palace...built for one of Catherine's more "spoiled" lovers...

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?? Nope...a statue outside the "mini-palace" of one of Catherine's lovers!

Duane...channeling his "inner sith"...!!!

Catherine's private "hide-away" on the palace grounds...

After touring the gardens, we went to a restaurant on the palace grounds for another "traditional" Russian meal (AGAIN with the caviar...). This restaurant was even BETTER than the one from the day before...we were able to enjoy a Russian folk band while eating. They were VERY talented, and it was fun to soak up some Russian music while dining. After a FABULOUS meal, we got back on the bus, and headed to Peterhof...

On the way to Peterhof, we passed the palace of Dmitry Medvedev, the current president of Russia, and who is from the St. Petersburg area. TOTALLY cool to think that the president of Russia lives in the area!!!!

Peterhof was a retreat for Peter II (the Great), and contains approximately 150 fountains, as well as beautiful gardens, overlooking the Gulf of Finland.

The Sun Fountain, in which the force of the water spins the "sun dial" in the center...creating a moving sculpture of water...VERY cool!!!!

Apparently, Peter II was quite the prankster. He had a series of fountains built which were activated by stepping on "trick" stones nearby. Irina said that many noble women, dressed in their best finery for dinner with Peter II, got doused by sitting on a trick bench, or in a "rain gazebo"!

After a tour of the "lower gardens", and a quick look around the "upper gardens", we headed back to our bus...

Duane and me with Irina, our AWESOME tour guide!!!!

...drove back into St. Petersburg, and got back on the ship. We then went to the dining room to have dinner with our "table mates", then headed back to our cabins to go to bed!!!!

TO BE CONTINUED...AGAIN...!!!

Baltic Sea Cruise; Part II

2011-08-19T16:55:00.045-05:00

Day THREE (Friday)...St. Petersburg, Russia! We arrived around 7:00 A.M., after cruising all night. After a quick breakfast in the dining room, we gathered up our papers (passports, cruise card, Passenger Visa form, etc.), and headed to the Masquerade Theater to get assigned to buses, which would pick us up after clearing customs on the pier.

I have to admit that I was REALLLLY nervous about going through customs. I don't know what I expected, but was bracing for hassles and attitude and difficulty. It ended up being a breeze! Granted...NO ONE smiled at any point during the process, but, the cruise ship took care of everything, and we got through with no hassles at all.

We booked a two day guided tour, so that we wouldn't have to deal with trying to figure out where to go, or how to get there. Luckily, Gary and Daryl booked the same tour, so we were able to get on the same bus, and spent most of the tour together.
We met Irina, our Russian guide, and headed out on bus 16 (henceforth known as TEAM 16!!!). Irina was AMAZING! She was VERY knowledgeable, and very nice! She DEFINITELY kept us on track! The running joke for the rest of the cruise was her tagline..."Take your time. No hurry." This was usually followed immediately with something like "Be on the bus in TWO MINUTES!!!!", or "Now we'll go!". We learned quickly that "take your time" actually meant to walk slightly faster than usual!!!!

We left the pier and headed into St. Petersburg. We started with a quick stop at St. Isaac's Cathedral, a GORGEOUS golden domed church (the FOURTH largest dome in the world, in fact!). St. Isaac's was used during World War II to hide precious works of art. removed from the Hermitage, to keep them away from the nazis (or according to Irina, who sometimes lost her plurals, "the nazi"...who must have been A REALLY BAD person!).

Apparently, there was a lot of condensation in the art that was stored there, because she told us that changes in weather (while items were being stored) made moisture that condensed on the walls of the cathedral. When the weather turned cold, FOOT THICK ice encased the interior of the church. It's amazing that the paintings and sculpture survived at all!!!

After a "drive by" (and quick parking of the bus for photos), we headed to the Hermitage for a tour. We got there as soon as the museum opened, and were the first group to get into MANY of the rooms. It was a good thing, because it got REALLY crowded later, and we wouldn't have been able to see ANYTHING, had Irina not been so good at getting us to where we needed to go!

The Hermitage is BEAUTIFUL! They had an IMPRESSIVE collection of Rembrandts, Van Goghs, impressionist artists, sculpture, and Dutch masters. We passed through gallery after gallery of gorgeous art, while enjoying the exquisite furniture and ornamentation of the former residence of the Russian imperial family.

A clock that Irina said she had only seen work TWICE in her lifetime. Various pieces move on the hour...the peacock's tail opens up and fans out, the rooster flaps his wings, and various other animals "move"!!!! SOOOOO cool!!!!

Rembrandt

Picasso

After three hours of exquisite art and architecture, we headed out of the Hermitage. One thing that CONCERNED me about the museum was that there is NO CLIMATE CONTROL at all inside. Windows were open. It was humid and warm. I HOPE the masterpieces inside survive over time!!!!

We spent a brief time on Palace Square, looking at monuments to Russia's past...

The "winter palace" entrance of the Hermitage

...then headed to a plated lunch at a lovely former palace (aptly called "Last Palace"...literally the last palace to be constructed in the time of the czars). We had an appetizer plate of caviar and salmon (needless to say I didn't eat either!), borst (beet soup), and other Russian specialties.

The "scenery" on the walk to the "last palace"

Daryl and Gary

After lunch, we headed out on a "city tour". We stopped at the Alexander Column, a series of red towers with replicas of prows of ships that were conquered during various wars with other countries.

Apparently Friday is a big day for weddings (since no one has to work the next day, so can celebrate late into the night), and saw ten or twelve newly married couples having their pictures taken around the park.

After a BRIEF stop at the park, we headed to a souvenir shop for the obligatory "souvenir purchasing" opportunity, then headed to the Peter and Paul fortress. The fortress was beautiful, and had a GORGEOUS cathedral in the middle of the complex.

Jesus dressed in the "finery" of a Russian czar

We got to see the tombs of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, Alexandra, their daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, and three servants who stayed with them through the arrest, and execution in 1918. Apparently, the tomb is many feet deep. The three servants are buried at the bottom, and each of the members of the family are buried a little higher up in the burial pit.

The story of the execution has always fascinated me (especially when the whole "is this Anastasia?" thing happened a few years ago, and it was then discovered that Anastasia's bones WERE found in the pit with her other family members a little while later...).

After walking around the fortress for awhile, we got back on the bus (after "taking our time", and then RUNNING to catch up with the bus!), and headed to the Church of the Spilled Blood. Of ALL the sights that we had planned to see in St. Petersburg, the Church of the Spilled Blood was the ONLY one I knew, and it was SOOOOO worth it to have time to look at it. GRANTED....we only had FIFTY MINUTES to explore, but it was AMAZING!!!!!!! Very ornate. Very grand. VERY beautiful!!!!!!

The ornate design of the fence surrounding the Church of the Spilled Blood

We had, LITERALLY, 36 seconds to glance at the tourist shops across the street...

...then boarded the bus, headed back to the pier, and boarded the ship. We shared our day with our AMAZING table mates, then headed back to our cabin (after a walk around the deck), and went to bed!

An AWESOME, fabulous day in St. Petersburg!!!!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Baltic Sea Cruise; Part I

2011-08-17T16:01:00.030-05:00

Wow! I TOTALLY didn't expect to like "cruising" as much as I did, but it's REALLY, REALLY cool! As a caveat, I should qualify the previous statement by clarifying that I don't think I could actually go on a cruise on which you are on the ship for any length of time, but...as a floating hotel on which you spend a few hours in the evening, and then spend the days at "ports of call" it's AMAZING!!!!

Our journey began last Tuesday with a flight from Minneapolis to Stockholm, Sweden, via New York (with a TEDIOUS five hour layover). It was a LONG journey, but was not a problem, since we got 1st class/business class on the flight from Minneapolis to New York AND from New York to Stockholm. SUCH a treat!

We arrived in Stockholm around 10:00 on Wednesday (I think...everything is a blur at this point, and we NEVER really seemed to know what day it was while we were gone). We took the train from the airport to Central Station in Stockholm, and then took a taxi from the station to the Royal Caribbean berth in the harbor.

We had NO idea what to do, but watched everyone around us, and eventually got checked in, and, after awhile, boarded the ship.

Waiting to board the ship!

We got on the ship before we were able to go to our cabin, so had lunch at the Windjammer cafe, walked around the deck for awhile, explored the ship and then went to our cabin when it was ready.

LUCKILY Duane got a room with a balcony, so we were able to go "outside" for air (even though the balconies around us were, apparently, "smoking platforms"). I can't imagine having a room on a lower deck (or on the interior of the ship). I think they'd be REALLY claustrophobic!!!!!

After unpacking, we hung out in the room until the mandatory 4:00 MUSTER drill, in which we had to go to our lifeboat station and stand in rows to be ready, should there be a disaster at sea.

Duane then FORCED me to go to the dining room for dinner (I was feeling anti-social, and crabby). I'm SOOOOO glad he did! We met our table mates, and they were AWESOME! Gary and Daryl were friends from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Venessa, Sarunas, and their son Teddy were from Plantation, Florida, and all were COMPLETELY the coolest people ever!! Had we missed the first night, we probably wouldn't have bonded as we did...(and we DID!).

We left port around 6:00 and headed to Helsinki, Finland. The channel we followed out of the city was AMAZING! There are hundreds of little islands as you head out to sea...all with quaint little cabins/houses. It was AWESOME to sit on our balcony and watch them all pass by! It was even MORE awesome to see Venessa and family peek around the corner of their deck at us after dinner. We were "cabin neighbors"!!!!!

After walking the deck a few more times, and continuing to explore the ship, we went to bed (since we were totally out of sinc with time in the U.S. and were EXHAUSTED!!!). The water was VERY smooth, and it was a LOVELY night!

The View from our balcony!

A lighthouse on the way to the Baltic Sea

Thursday morning, we woke up in the port of Helsinki, Finland. Finland is AMAZING! As it turned out, this was the ONLY day of sunshine we had on the trip (between rain showers throughout the day!). We got off the ship, and, following Rick Steve's guide book, headed to Market Square. Market Square had stands selling local fruits and vegetables, crafts, souvenirs, and local foods.

Getting ready to head into Helsinki!

Helsinki, Finland

After wandering through the market, we climbed the hill to Uspenski Cathedral...it was SOOOOO beautiful!

After touring the church, we headed to Lutheran Cathedral to look at another example of Finnish churches.

We walked through Senate Square, did a little shopping, then headed back to Market Square to continue looking around. It started pouring, so we headed to Rick's recommendation for lunch...Kappeli Cafe. In the 19th century, this was a popular hangout for local intellectuals and artists. As we were sitting down to eat, I looked at the couple at the next table, and they were reading through Rick's book as well...TOO FUNNY!!!!!

After lunch, we headed back to Market Square, so that Duane could buy earrings for his friend Jenny,

then walked down the esplanade to Stockmann Department Store...a HUGE, old, ritzy, shopping mecca. Surprisingly, neither of us bought anything!

After Stockmann's, we headed to the botanical gardens, looked around a little bit, then headed back to the "pickup" location for the shuttle back to the ship.

We had time before dinner, so sat on the deck and enjoyed a glass of wine (well...I DID, anyway!), watched various seacraft pass by the ship, and relaxed.

We then went to dinner ("formal" night), and shared stories of the day with our table mates!

Our "official" ship photograph!!!

After dinner, we walked the deck for awhile,

then caught the shipboard "Broadway Revue" show in the Masquerade theater (NOT fabulous...but they sure looked like they were enjoying themselves....), then went back to the room for some time on the balcony, and bed!

TO BE CONTINUED...

AFTER!!

2011-08-07T10:56:00.009-05:00

SO...see my previous post for the details, but here's where I am after five weeks of doing Weight Watchers Online. I haven't been able to get into these 32 inch waist jeans for a couple of years!!!!

Theoretically, I'm still THREE POUNDS from "AFTER", but...the cruise is coming up soon, and I'm PRETTY SURE the weight loss will stop...at least for awhile.

I'll be happy, if after the cruise is over, I haven't gone too far in the opposite direction. I'm REALLLLLLY hoping to take many walks around the deck, and keep an eye on what I eat, but, as one friend put it..."WHY? Are you cruising to hell??!!". Can't argue with that!

Here's hoping YOU are meeting your personal goals...whatever they might be!!

Weight Loss

2011-07-28T17:39:00.009-05:00

I NEVER thought losing weight would be an issue for me...I was COMPLETELY scrawny through high school and college, and remember actually WANTING to gain weight. SOOOOOOOO not my reality any more. Food is TOO MUCH of a temptation, and there's SOOOO much good food out there to enjoy!!!!

Anyhoo...I signed up for Weight Watchers For Men online a month ago, and I HAVE to say that it's AMAZING. I've been "working on it" for four weeks, and have lost TEN POUNDS!!!! It hasn't been easy, and it hasn't been particularly fun, but it HAS worked! The whole premise behind Weight Watchers is that you CAN eat what you want...you just have to focus on portion size, and throw in a bunch of fruits and vegetables to keep you full.

The online version is AWESOME, because you don't have to attend any meetings, and you can track what you eat and how much you exercise from the privacy of your own home. I SERIOUSLY don't know how people do "weigh ins" at meetings. I remove EVERYTHING I'M WEARING before I step on the scale. I'm pretty sure that's a "no-no" at a meeting site!

I always thought the notion of "journaling what you eat" was STUPID. How could that POSSIBLY help you lose weight, I wondered. Well...IT WORKS! I'm TOTALLY aware of how many points I have to use each day, and TOTALLY work to stay within that boundary (side note...you get FEWER points as you get nearer your goal...WTH??!!!).

So...four weeks in...a week and a half until the cruise...six pounds to go. I'm FAIRLY CERTAIN I can reach my goal (but had to LAUGH when I entered my weight loss for the week...the message that popped up said congratulations on my progress, but that I was losing weight TOO fast!).

Here are my "before" and "now" shots ("after" comes when I reach my goal!):

BEFORE

NOW

Here's hoping YOU are "winning the war" with one of YOUR personal battles too!

COOLEST Version of "Don't Stop Believing" EVER!

2011-07-26T16:19:00.022-05:00

I was trying to run down the battery on my ipad, so decided to surf YouTube and play a couple of videos. Ran across this AWESOME version of "Don't Stop Believing". It's posted by KurtHugoSchneider, and sung by Sam Tsui. I have NO IDEA who this guy is, but he's REALLY good! He sings all of the parts, with multiple images of himself on stage...VERY cool!!!

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIoSTbPt_PI

Here's hoping YOU found something online recently that made YOU smile!

Wild Turkey Family Out for a Stroll...

2011-07-24T13:13:00.000-05:00

I was sitting on my deck this morning, reading a magazine, when I heard a "clucking" noise. One of the turkeys that has been hanging around the complex the last four or five months was, apparently, parenting the nine "turkey-lets" that were born about a month ago.

After trying to locate her on the ground, I realized that she was in a tree across from my deck. I then noticed that the remining nine turkey chicks were also in several of the trees nearby.

After about 10 minutes of clucking and cheeping back and forth, they all flew down and started wandering around the yard. I then noticed that the two males and the other female were also in the yard...just "hanging out".

Here's a REALLY grainy video of their wanderings...

It's AWESOME to live close to a wooded patch of land. In addition to the turkeys, we also have deer, coyotes, and any number of rabbits, squirrels, and birds...right here in the middle of Eagan!

Here's hoping YOU are able to enjoy nature where you live too!!!

Kim's Visit!!!

2011-07-17T20:57:00.003-05:00

It's been QUITE the summer for visits! First Tena, then Amy, and now my cousin Kim...all within the span of about a month!

Kim came up on Friday evening, and we HIT THE GROUND RUNNING (as is usually the case when someone comes to play!). She got stuck in traffic, and bad weather, and road construction, so didn't get here until about 9:00. We rushed right off to Houlihan's to enjoy some "small plates", since we were all STARVING (since we waited to have dinner until she got here).

We were GOING to go and do karoake at Bogart's in Apple Valley, but, after we got done eating it was 10:30, so we opted for coming back to my place and going to bed (we're old...what can I say??!!).

Saturday morning, we got up, got ready, and headed to Colossal Cafe (of course!) for flappers...actually Kim got flappers, and Duane and I had breakfast sandwiches. YUM!

After breakfast, we headed to A Baker's Wife Bakery so that Duane could get some bread (and we could pick up some pastries to take to Robin and Dave's). We then spent a little while at Robin and Dave's, so that Kim could see the new interior design stuff (and the new patio).

After chatting, we headed to the 133rd Airlift Wing Minnesota Air National Guard base for the 90th Anniversary Air Expo Program. NOT on the scheduled agenda, but Dave mentioned it while we were at their house, and Duane really wanted to see it (THANKS A LOT DAVE!!!).

It was actually pretty cool. The base is off the side of the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, so, in addition to touring through various military jets and cargo carriers, we were also able to get really close to the runway, and were able to watch planes taking off and landing.

It was BEASTLY hot, and I got burnt to a crisp, but it was cool to see the various planes up close.

After our adventure with the Air National Guard, we took the light rail from Ft. Snelling station to downtown Minneapolis, and, after a brief shopping spree at Marshall's, went to one of my FAVORITE places in the cities...the Foshay Tower!!! I LOVE the view from the 30th floor, and it was LOVELY to, again, look down over the city from such an AWESOME vantage point!

After "observing" the city from the tower, we headed to Brit's Pub for beverages (I had a Pimm's, of course, Tena!!!), and ended up having dinner there too. I had the beef and potato pastie...YUM! We then headed back to the suburbs, stopped at Ring Mountain for a quick gelato (I had the watermelon lime sorbet!), and spent the rest of the evening watching "Here's Lucy" on DVD, and called it a night!

Sunday (today), we met Robin, Dave, and the girls at Wise Acre Eatery in South Minneapolis for breakfast. OH MY GOODNESS...if you are anywhere near 5401 Nicollett Avenue, GO THERE!!!

I had an AMAZING "toad in the hole" concoction, which involved cutting a hole in a slice of meatloaf, filling the whole with an egg (fried), which was place on a couple of slices of home made bread, which was resting atop a scoop of pureed carrot/mashed potatoes...AMAZING!!!!! Approximately 80% of the food cooked at the restaurant is grown locally on their farm north of the cities, and it is REALLY, REALLY GOOD!!!!!

After breakfast, Robin and Dave and family headed back to South Minneapolis, Duane headed back to Eagan, and Kim and I went on a mini shopping spree at IKEA. Kim then headed south to Iowa. What a FUN, FUN, FUN weekend!

Kim will, HOPEFULLY, be back soon for another adventure in the cities!!!! Here's hoping YOU were able to ENJOY spending time with family recently too!!!

Amy's Visit!!!

2011-07-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

Just spent a LOVELY few days with our friend Amy! It's been a delightful couple of weeks having friends come to the cities for some "catching up"!!!!

She arrived on Tuesday, and spent the day with Robin and the girls. They all came over for dinner on Tuesday evening. I made my mock Carl's Jr. Santa Fe Chicken sandwiches, which are CLOSE, but not an exact match. But...for those of us not lucky enough to have a Carl's Jr. anywhere close, it'll have to do!

Wednesday, I went over to Robin and Dave's and Robin, Amy, and I headed to the Galleria in Edina to shop (actually Amy and I shopped, and Robin had her nails "done"). After Robin was finished at the salon, we picked up the girls and headed to St. Paul so that they could all try the food trucks at Kellogg and Wabasha (see previous blog entry for MY first experience).

We got there a little later than my previous visit, so it was more crowded and the lines were longer at each of the trucks, but, they STILL had food (they run out the closer it gets to 12:30). I had the El Paso hot dog at the Magic Bus Cafe. Chipotle corn salsa, avocado, and sour cream on top of an all beef hot dog on a bun. It was REALLY, REALLY good!

Amy had fish tacos, Robin had sweet potato and black bean tacos, Abigail had a hot dog, and Emilie had the bacon bratwurst...yum!

After the food trucks we walked around St. Paul for a little while, then headed to South Minneapolis for more shopping.

We went to several new shoppes in the area, and stopped at Sebastian Joe's for an ice cream break. I had the coffee oreo ice cream on a chocolate dipped cone...WOW!!

After shopping, we headed back to Robin and Dave's and relaxed for awhile. After Dave came home from work, we had an AWESOME carne asada dinner on the new patio...VERY nice (and it wasn't unbearably hot, so we were able to remain on the patio for the entire meal!).

Today, Robin, Amy, and the girls went to a lake in Eden Prairie for the day, and I stayed home and cleaned out cupboards and the refrigerator (I'm SO exciting!), but Duane and I joined them all for a FABULOUS barbecue at Robin and Dave's this evening. Hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, corn on the cob...AWESOME!

Amy heads back to Sheboygan tomorrow morning. It was SOOOOO nice to spend some time together this week. SUCH FUN!!!!

Here's hoping YOU were able to spend time with good friends recently, too!!!!

Tena's Visit!!!

2011-07-01T12:44:00.013-05:00

Duane and I just spent a LOVELY week with our friend Tena. She made the trek north for a visit and it was SO GOOD to catch up, and explore the cities together again!

She arrived Monday night, and we hit the ground running! We met Duane at Italian Pie Shoppe for dinner (because it's THE BEST PIZZA in the Twin Cities!), then Duane came home and Tena and I walked around Lake Nokomis. It was a BEAUTIFUL evening, and we found SEVERAL "photo ops" (which is a recurring theme throughout this post!).

Tena had never seen Minnehaha Falls, so we drove over to look at them after we circled the lake. We've had a lot of rain, so they were POUNDING over the edge.

While we were looking at the falls, two guys walked by the edge of the bridge we were on with a bow and arrow. The arrow had a rope attaching it to the bow, and they were shooting grass carp that were swimming under the bridge. They got two while we watched, and each HAD to have been around 20 to 25 pounds. They were HUGE.

You can't, apparently, throw them back after you catch them (they are an invasive species), so they left them on the bank for wildlife to eat. They said the two that we saw them catch were their thirteenth and fourteenth! It was crazy!

After the falls, we headed home, and spent the rest of the evening "catching up"!

Tuesday, Duane took the day off work, and we went to Colossal Cafe for flappers (yeasty pancakes). Tena had the fresh fruit topping, and Duane and I had the honey, walnuts, and brie. YUM!!

After breakfast, we drove up to Taylor's Falls to look around. We stopped in Stillwater on the way there, because Tena is into "geocaching"...using longitude and latitude to find a network of containers placed by people around the world in which a log book, and various "trinkets" are placed. You have a geocaching device which you use to locate the object. Once found, you log your "find" on the geocaching website.

It was kind of cool, but the container we found was REALLY difficult to see. It was a peanut butter jar that had been wrapped in camouflage duct tape, and was placed at the base of an evergreen bush near the war veteran's memorial. We almost gave up after about 20 minutes of looking, but Tena saw it just as we were about to leave. OF COURSE the entire adventure was another "photo op"!!!

The Veteran's Memorial

After geocaching, we went into the Stillwater Courthouse to look around. It's a REALLY cool old building, and one of the historical society volunteers saw us wandering around and gave us a "behind the scenes" tour of the old jail cells. Some U of M students were filming a movie in the lower cells, so we went up to the part that no one ever sees (mainly because they use it for storage, so amongst the historical grafitti and turn of the century "prison-abilia", we also saw Christmas decorations, a gazillion file folders and a crock-pot...).

After the tour, we continued up the road to Taylor's Falls. We started with a climb on the rocks near the river. Taylor's Falls is such a COOL place! Very rustic...very beautiful...very fun!

After the "obligatory" SHAKYFACE "photo op" (a recent tradition in which you shake your head back and forth REALLY FAST and have someone take your picture while doing so...don't ask, BUT, as Tena so succinctly put it "hour's of fun!!!")...

...we took a cruise up and down the St. Croix River on the Taylor's Falls Princess, a flat-bottomed, paddle wheel boat, that's been in operation since the early 20th century.

After the boat ride, we headed to the Taylor's Falls Drive-In, for homemade rootbeer and FABULOUS greasy, fried foods (the deep fried green beans are AMAZING!!!!!).

We drove back to the cities after the drive-in, and vegged for awhile at home. Tena and I then made a run to Trader Joe's so that she could stock up on some favorites to take home. After loading our carts with dried green mango, honey wheat pretzels, chili lime cashews, chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, and a plethera of other goodies, we headed home, watched a little television, chatted some more, and went to bed!

Wednesday, Duane went back to work (boo!), and Tena and I headed to St. Paul for the day. We started at the Science Museum. We got tickets for the King Tut exhibit, and looked at some of the exhibits.

After about an hour, we then met Duane for lunch at the corner of Wabasha and Kellogg. There are about seven food trucks that congregate at this location every Wednesday during the summer. We read about it in the Pioneer Press, and wanted to try it. It was SOOOO cool! Check out this blog for details: http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2011/04/food_truck_food.php.

I had a pulled pork and grilled cheese sandwich from "Fork in the Road", Duane had the pulled pork and sweet potato tacos from Chef Shack, and Tena had the Thai Chicken tacos from Gastrotruck. AWESOME!

Tena even got interviewed by KARE-11 news, which was doing a feature on the food trucks and local, sustainable food. It hasn't aired yet, as far as we can tell!

After the food trucks we walked around downtown for a bit, and OF COURSE found a lovely "photo op" at Rice Park.

After walking around St. Paul, Duane headed back to work, and Tena and I went back to the Science Museum to see the King Tut exhibit. If you are anywhere near the Science Museum, I highly recommend seeing the exhibit. Very well done, very informative, very beautiful, and it's ASTOUNDING to me how old and well preserved the artifacts are. They have King Tut's reed woven bed...HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY HAVE LASTED THIS LONG??!!! Very cool!

After a few hours at the exhibit, we headed back to Eagan. We made a quick stop at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I recently watched an infomercial for "The Magic Bullet", and had resisted the temptation LONG ENOUGH. It was WAY cheaper than we thought it would be, so was a TOTAL deal!

After drooling over the recipe booklet for awhile, we met Duane at Chevy's for dinner near the Mall of America. Chevy's has the GREATEST homemade salsa, and their chips are amazing too. It was delicious!!!

Duane then went home, and Tena and I went to IKEA to look around. On the way back from IKEA, we stopped at the grocery store to buy frozen fruit with which to experiment in making smoothies in the Magic Bullet.

By the time we got home, and got everything unpacked, we were too tired to actually MAKE smoothies, but still had time left in the visit to do so, so left it for another time, and went to bed.

Thursday, we got around, and headed to the OTHER Twin City...Minneapolis. We took the lightrail from the 28th street station (WAY easier than driving downtown, fighting traffic, and wrestling with parking). Thursday is "farmer's market" day on the mall (instead of their usual location near Target Field).

It was crazy busy, and there were vendors with booths all along Nicollett Avenue. I was VERY excited to find that "Chef Earl" and his wife are there on Thursday! They make the BEST barbecue sauce EVER, so I OF COURSE had to buy another bottle of their "hot and spicy" sauce.

After walking amongst the stalls, and shopping our way down the street, we ended up at Brit's Pub. Tena introduced me to a DELIGHTFUL beverage called Pimms. It a lovely fruity beverage...QUITE refreshing!!!

Me with my Pimms!

After Brit's we headed to Hell's Kitchen for lunch. I had a FABULOUS ham, pear, and gruyere panini, and Tena had bison benedict, and their AMAZING porridge.

It was BEASTLY hot on Thursday, so we cut our downtown tour short, and headed back to the suburbs. We spent some time shopping at the Mall of America, then went over to Robin and Dave's so that Tena could see all the renovations they've made on the place in the last couple of years. They've done some AMAZING stuff with their house (and now yard), and it was nice to spend a little time chatting with them.

After Robin and Dave's we came home, regrouped, and then Duane joined us and we went to Houlihan's for dinner, followed by gelato at Ring Mountain...yet another DELIGHTFUL DAY!!!

This morning, Tena packed, which is always a SAD, SAD thing, and headed back to Iowa. It was SOOOOO great having her, and we've already started working on our "To See" list for her next visit!!!!

Oh...and I'd love to tell you how AWESOME the Magic Bullet is, but, after all the talk, and a trip to Rainbow to buy twelve different kinds of frozen fruit for smoothies...we didn't actually have time to play with it! Tena will JUST have to come back again soon!

Here's hoping YOU were able to spend time catching up with dear friends recently too!!!!

Washington D.C.

2011-05-30T11:44:00.014-05:00

Duane and I just got back from a lovely whirlwind trip to D.C. for the Memorial Day weekend! I don't know WHY I say "whirlwind" anymore, because ALL of our trips are like that. Flying stand-by tends to limit flight options, so, we headed out Friday night, and headed back last night (Sunday), as the return flights on Monday looked REALLY full.

This was my NINTH trip to D.C., so I'm not quite as "spazzy" about doing stuff. Our first trips there were a little frantic, as I wanted to see EVERYTHING, and had very little time to do so. Now that we've seen most of the stuff on my "To See" list, we can just focus on enjoying our time with Duane's friend Peggy, and pick and choose what we want to do.

We started out with breakfast at a cool diner near Peggy's place, and were joined by her friend Alberta, who we met on my second or third trip there, and who we always enjoy being able to spend time with. We all caught the metro after breakfast, and headed to Arlington National Cemetary...A LOVELY place to honor those that have served our country, It's very peaceful, and quiet there, and the lines of tombstones are very sobering and serene.

We were able to see the "changing of the guard", and had a chance to walk through the "old part" of the cemetary, where soldiers from the Civil War are buried. We spent a little time at the graves of the Kennedys, but it was "HIGH SEASON" for tourists, so couldn't get very close. I DID see the graves of Bobby and Ted Kennedy for the first time. It was an honor to be able to pay my respects to them.

After a few hours (and acquiring a nasty sunburn) there, we headed to the Pentagon to see the 9/11 memorial. Wow! What a sobering thing to view. They've created "benches" for each person who died in the tragedy. Each bench, arranged by birth year of the victim, has the name of the person inscribed on the bench. There is a pool of water, with a spotlight to reflect at night under each. The benches of those who died on the plane face away from the Pentagon, toward the sky. The benches of those who died in the Pentagon, face the Pentagon. The youngest vicitim was three. The oldest was 79.

After two very contemplative, hallowed, sober "tourist spots", we broke the heaviness with a trip to the mall at Pentagon City. We found a lot of great stores, and had a good time walking around. Pentagon City is a fairly new area, near the airport, and we'll need to explore it further on our next trip there.

We then took the metro back to Peggy's, regrouped, and then went to an Irish Pub for dinner. We finished the evening with a movie in Peggy's basement. A full day, but we saw some new things!

Sunday was very mellow. We got a late start, did a little shopping, stopped at a cemetary near Peggy's house so that she could pay her respects to a former boss, and then headed to Maggiano's for lunch! The Maggiano's in the twin cities closed last year, so we've been going through "lasagna withdrawal". It was DELIGHTFUL to be able to enjoy some again!

We watched a movie back at Peggy's after lunch, then headed to the airport, and caught the 6:30 flight home, snagging the last two remaining seats in first class (!). It was a BUSY weekend! I think I was in bed by 8:30!!!!

Here's hoping YOU were able to pay tribute to those who have served our country, and that you are enjoying the Memorial Day weekend with family, friends, and fun!!!!!

Chicken Cam!!

2011-05-22T09:30:00.006-05:00

Chickens are cool!! As part of our 1st grade GROWING AND CHANGING unit of inquiry, we hatched eggs this month. It's the first time in a LOOOOONNG time that we've hatched eggs at our school, and I'm TOTALLY not sure why...it's been a HOOT!

It's also been a little stressful too....starting with having to find a different supplier of fertilized chicken eggs when our original source wasn't able to fill our order. We found one in Iowa, and they arrived about 25 days ago via UPS.

The next stress was making sure the incubators were at the proper temperature, and that the humidity level was high enough to facilitate the hatch. After that, we worried because none of the eggs hatched on day 21. LUCKILY, they DID start hatching on days 22 and 23, and we now have 15 peeping chicks melting the hearts of everyone who sees them!

I've been AMAZED at the reaction people have had to them...from the music teacher wanting to "free them all from the brooder" and run with them (!), to the teachers who don't typically participate in anything sneaking up for a peek when they THINK no one is around! I have to admit...I ADORE them, and will be sad to see them go to the farm tomorrow. I've taken on the unofficial role of "chick watcher", and, so far, have been in three times this weekend to check on them.

It's been a HOOT to hear from people via e-mail and on Facebook who have been watching the progress on the CHICKEN CAM! that we set up....from streaming video from the incubators during the "hatch", to watching the hatched chicks flop around in their temporary chicken house, people have enjoyed watching them!

Here's a screen shot from the camera:

Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy a rewarding project lately too!!!!

Charice Pempengco is AMAZING!!!!!

2011-05-18T03:05:00.003-05:00

I am SERIOUSLY loving Charice Pempengco and her "cameos" on GLEE! Wow!!!

Here's hoping YOU have a muse to inspire you as well!!!!!

Rhubarb!!!

2011-05-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

Two of my recent FAVORITES came together this weekend...the beginning of rhubarb season and the Minneapolis Farmer's Market! I have a LONG history with rhubarb. One of my earliest memories is sneaking into my neighbor's yard in Chariton, Iowa, and stealing stalks of the stuff, then running back to my yard and eating it...right there...no sugar...nothing sweet...just plain, sour, FABULOUS rhubarb (I think I remember this incident because I got my BUTT KICKED by my mom for stealing it!).

I love both (rhubarb and the farmer's market...not getting my butt kicked), and was able to snag some DANDY stalks at a little farm stand in the middle of the market yesterday. Five stalks for a dollar seemed like QUITE a deal, so I bought three bundles, and have just finished mixing together and baking a RHUBARB CREAM PIE.

Duane and I found a couple of rhubarb pie recipes a few years back, when we were trying to use up a similar bunch, but none of them seemed quite right, so, we pulled a few ingredients from here, and a few directions from there, and came up with the following:
_____________________________________

RHUBARB CREAM PIE
1 ½ cups sugar
2 rounded tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 T. tapioca
1 cup Half & Half
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 GENEROUS cups rhubarb (cut into small pieces)
⅛ tsp. cinnamon
sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon for top of pie
Mix all ingredients together and put into pie crust.

Place top crust on filled pie. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and wrap edges with foil.

Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, then at 350° for 50 minutes or until crust is browned, removing foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.
___________________________________

Here's hoping YOU are enjoying the bountiful rhubarb now popping up at farmer's markets, grocery stores, or in your very own yard! Oh yeah...if your neighbor has rhubarb, please ASK before taking any...I'm just saying...!!!!

My NEW Favorite Karaoke Song!!!!

2011-05-14T17:28:00.013-05:00

Okay....I CAN'T RESIST posting this!!! I'm now singing this EVERY time I do karaoke!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aGsQ35FndE

Here's hoping YOU have a "go to" song that makes you laugh, too!!!

Devastation in Japan

2011-05-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

My friend, Kyl, who lives in Tokyo, spent time recently volunteering with ALL HANDS, an organization that is helping with the cleanup effort in Japan.

Here's the link to his blog about the experience:
http://www.volunteeringintohokujapan.blogspot.com/. I HIGHLY recommend reading it...wow...!!!!

A photo from Kyl's blog of the HUGE job to be done!!

Here's hoping YOU have the opportunity to TRULY make a difference...like Kyl!!

Weekend in Fairfield

2011-04-15T04:44:00.004-05:00

Just got back from a LOVELY weekend in my hometown...Fairfield, Iowa. MAN, I LOVE that place! GREAT restaurants...GREAT stores...and GREAT friends with which to "catch up"!!!!

Crashing the cast party as soon as I got to town!!!

Tena in front of the mural on Revelations Bookstore/restaurant

Me in front of the mural

Waiting for my mocha

Tena waiting (and waiting...and waiting...!) for her chai

"Into the Woods" starring TENA!!!!

Last day of the "old" Hy-Vee grocery store

I really LOVE Hy-Vee!!!!

Andrew and me at Revelations for lunch

I was also able to stop in at the 40th anniversary open house for Roger and Diane. It was a TOTAL "time warp", as it was held at the First Baptist Church...in which I spent MANY Sundays (and otherwise!) growing up!

Me and Diane at her 40th anniversary open house

My main reason for coming down was to see my friend Tena play the baker's wife in "Into the Woods". WOW! She was FABULOUS!!! I think this is probably the FAVORITE role I've seen her play. I LOVED her as Miss Hannigan in "Annie", and I've loved every other character she's played, but she has a special "nuance" with this role (which she played about 15 years ago at Spayde Theater) that is very touching and sweet. I actually CRIED during her last song. I was SO PROUD of her!!!!!

LaDawn at Vivo...looking GOOD!!!

Outside the Sondheim before the show

Sunset by the Sondheim

Denyce and Eric before the show

Me and LaDawn before the show

Intermission!

Me and Tena after the final performance of the show...did I mention how AMAZING she was in this role??!!!

It was an AWESOME weekend, all around...from mochas and (later) wood fire pizza at Revelations, to shopping the "quirky" stores around the square, to dinner with LaDawn at Vivo, to the play, to brunch with Denyce and Eric on Sunday...a truly FABULOUS visit "home"!!!

Hey! Look at My New GLASSES!!!!

2011-04-13T05:41:00.001-05:00

FINALLY went in for an eye exam, and here's the result...!!!!!

I've actually wanted glasses for YEARS...(I won't tell you how many...!), as I've always thought my blond eyebrows and blond eyelashes left me looking really PALE and PASTY.

I'm assuming that SOME DAY, I'll get the hang of the whole "bifocal" thing...right now, I can't figure out WHICH part of the lenses to look through for what!

Here's hoping YOU made a "cosmetic change" recently that helped YOU feel better about yourself too!!!!

End of Spring Break!!!

2011-04-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

What a CRAZY week of spring break!!!! After getting back from Amsterdam, I threw my clothes into the wash, dried them, and repacked for a workshop on pedagogical leadership in New York City. Wow...crazy!

I LOVE New York (I know...how cliche!). I really do! SO MUCH TO SEE...SO MUCH TO DO...SO MUCH TO ENJOY!

I got to play tour guide, as several of the people who went (including my superintendent...no pressure there!) have never BEEN to New York before.

It was actually fun to do the "touristy" thing...we hit Canal Street, had FABULOUS food in "Little Italy", viewed the city after dark from the "Top of the Rock", took tourist-y pictures in Times Square, walked through Central Park, took a SUPER FAST tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and sauntered down 5th avenue.

Lynn and Terry at Ray's Pizza

Terry and me in front of Ray's Pizza

Me and Lynn on Rockefeller Plaza

Lynn being a tourist!

"Newbies"!!

Lynn and me on the red steps

Terry, Lynn, and me on Canal Street

Dave, Lynn, and Terry waiting on the subway platform

Ahhh...Central Park in the spring

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dinner...day 2

Lynn being a tourist!

Me being a tourist (and a "ham"...big surprise there...!)

I "bit the bullet", and paid A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE DOLLARS to see "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" on Broadway, and have to say it's probably the BEST "almost two hundred dollars" I've ever spent...WOW! What an AMAZING show!!!!

Here's a clip from one of the numbers...you can see more at the following link: http://www.priscillaonbroadway.com/video.html!!!

Will and me before the show

I REALLY loved this musical!!!!

FABULOUS trip....FABULOUS company...FABULOUS chance to explore one of the most AMAZING cities in the U.S.!!!!!

Here's hoping YOU were able to experience the COOLNESS of a great American city recently too!!!!!