finally, summer

It's been a gloomy June, and just when I was starting to despair that the entire summer would go by in a hazy blur, and then winter would be upon us (no, oh just, please, no) --- the sun came out. PHEW. I woke up this morning to a gorgeous and warm sunny day, which meant: a long walk with the dog to admire our neighbors' gardens (during which I underestimated just how warm it was, and we had to stop for a few minutes for a hot and weary Lola to rest in the shade of a tree); tinkering in my garden (the veggie plants are looking good, the hydrangeas are about to burst, and Sir Ian McGnomey's zinnia garden is in full bloom); a dog in the kiddie pool (instant cooling down for our Lola - well worth the $15 we spent on this tiny plastic pool last summer); Lola going crazy chasing the hose spray as I watered the lawn we just seeded yesterday; and feeling even more excited that I found an inexpensive little patio set at Target this past weekend (why is it so hard to find decent-looking patio furniture that doesn't cost a small fortune?), which will no doubt get plenty of use over the next couple of weeks when Kevin's parents come to town.

I'm off to the hardware store to buy some chicken wire to protect my veggie garden (those damn rabbits), and then it's dinner with friends at a Mexican place we've never tried. We have a fun weekend ahead, full of outdoor projects (weeding, mowing the lawn, moving some plants around, staining the deck and back fence), getting the house cleaned and organized in preparation for the in-laws' visit, a bachelorette party, a going away party, and a picnic and live music at the Lake Harriet bandstand on Sunday. If it's warm enough on Sunday, maybe we'll spend the first half of the day at one of the lake beaches. There is just nothing like summer in the Twin Cities.

I love this charming tiered garden in the neighborhood.

Tomatoes, basil, peppers, kale, and lettuce - in containers in the old sandbox we've been too lazy to dig out and replace with an in-the-ground veggie garden. Next year, maybe.

Those hydrangeas are looking to be spectacular this summer.

Sir Ian McGnomey and his zinnia garden. 

Hot dog in a kiddie pool.

Not too fancy, but it folds up for winter storage, so there you go. 

Happy weekend!

yes, we're alive

Proof:

It's summertime, and the living has been busy. Between all of the athletic events we've already completed this summer, and all of the athletic events we're still training (and fundraising) for, and all of the other things we've thrown into the mix over the past few months (moving, fixing up the house, trips to Chicago, the North Shore, and California, parties, bbq's, movies in the park, full-time jobs for both of us, Kev's part-time job tutoring, and school for Tam), the old blog has really suffered.

Things are finally slowing down a bit (a state of affairs that has taken considerable effort to achieve), and, without overcommitting myself (See Dad? I'm working on it!), I think I can safely promise some big updates over the next couple of weeks. Just not right now. It's a beautiful, rainy Saturday morning, the sun is just starting to peek through the clouds, and, for once, I have NOTHING TO DO today! I feel happy and relaxed, and ready to luxuriate in the freedom of having nothing to do. Maybe I'll go down to the river and fling my cell phone into the Mississippi, in a symbolic unchaining of myself from the pressures of being constantly available, constantly ready to committ to a new endeavor. Yes? Okay, maybe not.

I hope you too have a lovely day of nothing to do ahead of you.

olympics

Oh man, I've got it bad. It's the Olympics Fever, Pa!

Every night I tell myself that nope, I am just not going to stay up until 12:45 am tonight to watch the very last medal ceremony of the the very last event of the night. And then NBC goes and shows gymnastics as the last event! How can I say no to the men's and women's all-around competetitions? I can't! It's a family tradition (what with the former gymnastics coach Dad and all). Some of us don't have the luxury of TiVo or DVR (heck, some of us only get 12 channels) and can't record the Olympics to watch them at a more reasonable hour. Some of us have to stay up sorta late just to get our Phelps Phix (hehe) and to watch something other than gosh-darned beach volleyball. Some of us stay up late, crying tears of joy, alone on the couch, as we watch a completely awesome Nastia Liukin clench the gold.

Okay, I vow not rush date night tonight just so that I can be home at precisely 10:10 pm to watch Michael Phelps tie Mark Spitz in the seven-medal count. Right.

summer weekend

The weather this past weekend was delightful - sunny, in the high 70's, with a lovely cool breeze. To take advantage of the weatehr, we had plenty of fun activities lined up.

It all started on Thursday when I met Kevin at the 3M farmers market and then we went out to lunch with friends. It's been a nice treat this summer to be able to meet Kevin for lunch during the week a few times.

On Friday, I made an awesome Olympics-themed cake and when Kevin got home from work we watched the beginning of the opening ceremonies (yes, I cried), and then went over to the Koslowski's for a fun barbeque with friends. We spent the night in Lino Lakes in "our" room at the Koslo house (thanks guys!), and got up super early on Saturday morning to head out to Stillwater for Kevin's half-marathon. Kevin, along with our friends Matt and Scott, ran the Gopher to Badger race which goes from Stillwater, MN (U of M Gophers) to Hudson, WI (UW Badgers). Kev had a great run and finished 13.1 miles in 1 hour 53 minutes and 24 seconds...woohoo! I was pretty proud of him and this half-marathon got us both really excited for him to run the Twin Cities marathon coming up in early October. I got very very lost after dropping Kevin off a the race start, but I eventually found my way to the finish line and met up with Renee and Emily (wives of Scott and Matt) to cheer the boys on at mile 8.5 and at the finish.

After the race the six of us got some tasty burgers at a cool little restaurant in St. Paul, and then Kevin and I went home to take a long and luxurious nap. A post-nap lunch of pita bread and hummus sandwhiches with fresh veggies and mineral water, and then off to the Irish Festival on Harriet Island in St. Paul. At the festival we got to see some sheep herding, listen to traditional Irish music, drink Irish beer, eat soda bread, listen to a great celtic punk band called Flogging Molly with Matt and Emily, and Kevin got to wear his Irish cap (purchased on our honeymoon in Ireland) and hang out with his people (the Irish).

In bed by midnight and then up on a beautiful Sunday morning for church at 10 am. Great service with an especially relevant homily on overcoming fear in our lives, our usual cookies and lemonade after the service, and then I signed up for this year's Cuba trip coming up in January (more on that later!). After church we headed over to the amazing Isles Bun and Coffee to split a giant cinnamon bun and read the paper, then home to wash and put away this week's CSA veggies and relax before Kevin went back to the church to volunteer at Sunday Night Supper. When Kevin got home we headed over to the co-op to pick up some delicious chicken curry salad (a favorite) and some lefse (Norwegian flat-bread made from potatoes and flour) and then went over to Lake Harriet for a lovely little impromptu picnic. Home in time to watch Michael Phelps and the rest of the US men's 4x100 swim relay team edge out France for the gold medal (AWESOME race) and then Kevin got out the breadmaker and put in a loaf to bake overnight. Whew! Busy, fun, wonderful weekend.

Lovely farmers market flowers.

I know, it's awesome.

Up early for the Gopher to Badger race.

Sadie, Renee and Scott's boston terrier, cheering the boys on.

At the Irish Festival.

This week's CSA veggies...delicious!

Kev's homemade bread.

a busy summer in review

it seems i started off strong with this blog thing, and i have been what my friend becky calls "an absolute blogging slacker" for the past couple of weeks. well, here is the update!

kevin is still loving his job at 3M and has been bringing home all kinds of goodies from work (given to him by the company to try out at home, not stolen) so that we are now up to our elbows in 3M products -  sponges, dish cloths, lotions, hand sanitizer, hooks, tape of all kinds, post-its - if 3M makes it, we probably have it at home! i finally had to request that kevin start being a little more discriminating in what he decides to bring home, as it turns out that i do not need four rolls of electrical tape for "just in case." 

i started school this week at the local community college, and i am excited to be a student again. it is a very strange thing to be the old person at school when you are not even twenty-five - i heard someone ahead of me in line at the registrar's office yesterday being asked what her year of birth was, and she said 1989. i had my first real "i'm getting old" moment. despite my advanced age, i am very happy to be back in school, and if all goes as planned i will be graduating in the spring of 2009! yes! save the date as you will all be invited to the graduation party of a lifetime where we will be celebrating a degree nine years in the making. I took the long road. 

so, with school and work we have been busy, and we are looking forward to the upcoming long holiday weekend. kevin should be coming home from work a bit early today, and the plan is to go on an exploration of the museums in our new city, and perhaps have a picnic on the lake (the weather this week has been absolutely gorgeous). 

speaking of exploring this new city, here are some pictures we've taken over the past couple of months, of our first summer in minneapolis. 


happy weekend, everyone! 

Watching the Twins play our beloved A's at the Metrodome.

View of the downtown St. Paul skyline from a ferris wheel.

Fourth of July fireworks from the rooftop of the Science Museum in St. Paul.

 Exploring the Japanese Peace Garden and the Rose Garden at Lake Harriet.

Biking around Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet.

Enjoying the live music in Peavey Plaza.

On a walk at dusk in downtown Minneapolis.