A Grand Weekend (with Another Reunion!)

I went back to St. Paul this weekend and had a wonderful time with Tomkin. The trip didn't actually start out too well--thanks to thunderstorms between here and Minneapolis, my flight was delayed 3-1/2 hours (which meant I got in at 12:45--ugh!). But the rest of the weekend was great. Friday we lounged around the house, watched a couple episodes of "The Dog Whisperer" (Tomkin already loves having satellite TV and a DVR--another convert!), and took a long walk around the neighborhood. That night we stayed at the Grand Hotel in Minneapolis. Tomkin had won a free night there at a charity auction. It was so luxurious! The bathroom alone was the size of my first apartment in Chicago. Saturday we picked up some Mexican food and had a picnic in the park, then we walked around the lake and enjoyed the gorgeous day. That night we went to the Country Club in St. Louis Park for Tomkin's 20-year high school reunion. It was fun to meet some of his classmates and hear the gossip about them. (And it got me excited for my own 20-year reunion next year!) Sunday morning, Tomkin officiated at a baptism, so I went along for the ride and did some work at a Perkins while he performed the service. I had a smooth trip home last night and will be heading back up to St. Paul again on Thursday! This morning I picked up the dogs from the PetSmart Hotel--since Bill and Laura were out of town this weekend, I had to board Scout and Chloe. I was nervous about it, but it sounds like they did well. They were VERY excited to see me, but seemed to be in good spirits. They've been zonked out since they got home.

Dinner at Dorado

Tonight Connie, Joleen, and I met for our bi-montly dinner at Dorado, which serves a fusion of Mexican and French food (it was my turn to pick a place). The food was delicious, and we had a great time catching up on news and gossip, sharing stories, and laughing. It's always a lot of fun to hang out with these ladies. (FYI--There won't be any new posts for the next few days because I'll be up in St. Paul!)

Walking the Labyrinth

Last night a small group of folks from Holy Covenant met at St. James Cathedral in downtown Chicago to walk the labyrinth there. I'd never walked a labyrinth before; it was an interesting experience. Afterward, we walked to the Rock Bottom Brewery for some dinner and drinks and good conversation. It was a lovely evening all-around!

Introducing Basil!

Tomkin adopted a mouse lemur for me! Isn't she adorable? (Thanks to John H. for scanning the photo!) Her name is Basil, and she lives at the Duke University Lemur Center in North Carolina. She was born in Paris on August 8, 2001, and made her way to North Carolina in February 2005. Her favorite food is mealworms, her favorite toys are boxes, and her favorite pastime is vocalizing to other lemurs. Her keepers often report that she is "running around screaming" in her room, but apparently that's a good thing! She is very social and also enjoys eating crickets and monkey chow. She sounds like quite a girl! Tomkin definitely knows the way to my heart. :-)

Mira & Eric: The Blog

Mira and Eric are a very cool couple who've been attending Holy Covenant for about the last year. A few weeks ago they moved to the Pilsen neighborhood because Mira is now preaching at a United Methodist Church there. We were all very sorry to see them go, but this is an exciting new opportunity for them. And they're great about keeping in touch and coming to Holy Covenant events (such as tonight's labyrinth walk--separate post to come)! To check out their blog, go here.

Let Us Now Praise Editors

Hey, it was Salon's title, not mine, for this article about editors that was on their site today.

Happy Half-Century, Michael!

Today my uncle Mike (a friend of the blog) hits the five-decade mark. Happy half-century, Michael! You don't look a day over 50. His lovely and not-old-like-her-elderly-spouse wife, Renee, will be celebrating a birthday on Wednesday. Happy birthday to you both!

Game Night with Guest Gamers

Last night Kerri, Kelly, Mary Beth, and I went up to Jill's house in Deerfield for Game Night. Her sons, Kyle and Evan, played CatchPhrase, Apples to Apples, and Blurt! with us, and then we played a new game about books (best game EVER! see photo below) and one of our standards, SongBurst. (Last night's highlight was Kerri and Mary Beth's duet of "Almost Paradise.") We also Skyped with Joanna in Guatemala. It was great to hear her voice, but hard, too, because we miss her so much and are anxious for her and Alejandro to come home.

Chowing Down at Charlie's

Today after class at the gym, I met up with Dereck and his girlfriend, Celia, for lunch at Charlie's Ale House. It was fun to meet her, and we all had a nice time catching up and enjoying the gorgeous Chicago day.

Fun Times in Andersonville

Last night Carrie and Lisa and I had a great time hanging out in the Andersonville neighborhood. We started off with Mexican food and margaritas on the fabulous outdoor patio at Angel's. Then we made our way to Sweet Occasions for some delectible ice cream. (I had "Fat Elvis"--banana ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate. Delicious! Thank you very much....) The neighborhood was hopping with Harry Potter fans both young and old, since many of the businesses were having specials and gatherings in honor of the last book's release. We went to the Hopleaf for a beer, and then Carrie headed to the Women & Children First bookstore to get her copy of the book.

Gym Dandy

Thursday night after class at the gym, Nicole, Mandy, Helen, Julie, and I went to Charlie's Ale House to make up for all those calories we'd just burned off. Nicole is, IMHO, the best teacher at Cheetah Gym, and the rest of us are regulars in her class. I love her class, but it's even more fun when we socialize outside it.

Oh, Happy Day!

Through the magic of domestic printing, Armchair Reader: Grand Slam Baseball has already printed! Never in my life have I been so excited to see a copy of a book that I worked on. And it looks great, if I do say so myself! It should start appearing on bookstore shelves within the next few weeks. (But it's available on Amazon.com now!)

Catching Up with Adolfo

Tonight Adolfo and I met up for dinner and beer at the Hopleaf (best mussels in town). We had a lot to catch up on! He recently got a new job as a senior economist at Mesirow Financial, and his wife, Juliet, is performing at the Glimmerglass opera festival in New York. (For the first show, she was the understudy and--at the last minute--had to take the place of the ailing soprano on opening night--to rave reviews!) For both of us, 2007 has been a pretty amazing year!

Minnesota's Finest Minister

If you're getting married in Minnesota's Twin Cities or you know someone who is, be sure to check out Tomkin's Minnesota Weddings Blog. He's got an abundance of helpful information about wedding and reception sites, musicians, caterers, etc. You can also see photos of him in action and find out more about his services at mnweddingminister.com.

You Gotta Have Faith

Last night my friends Kelly, Mark, Pastor Trey, and I met up at Trinity Pub to have a discussion about faith, organized religion, passions, concerns, and various other topics. Throughout the summer, Trey is meeting with non-Holy Covenant members to get their insight into matters both religious and secular. We had a really interesting, thought-provoking conversation. All of us were reminded of our college days when we had talks like this all the time....

A Few of My Favorite Things

Speaking of favorite things....Kelly recently posted a list of some of her favorite things on her blog (and Jo did the same for Alejandro), so I decided to follow suit. Here are a few of the things I love, in no particular order:

1. When Scout and Chloe excitedly meet me at the door, like it's the best part of their day.
2. The smell of fresh lilacs.
3. Going out to dinner with friends.
4. Falling asleep on the couch.
5. Walking the dogs so early in the morning that everything's still and quiet.
6. Tivo!
7. Peanut M-n-Ms, Toblerones, Chippers, malted milk balls, honey roasted peanuts, and Nutella.
8. Reading (or writing) a beautifully crafted sentence.
9. Reunions.
10. Being with Tomkin.

Have a list of your own? Post it in the comments section.

The Fountain of Our Youth

There's a beautiful fountain on the grounds of the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks, next to the English Coulee. When I was a kid and went to work with my dad, we'd spend lunchtime near the Coulee, and it was a favorite place for my friends and me to hang out at when we were in high school. Even now when I go home, Brenda and I try to make a point of visiting the Coulee and getting a picture of the fountain. And now (I have learned from Brenda) they just fixed up the Adelphi Fountain, as it's officially known. It's nice to see one of my favorite spots looking better than ever.

Summer in the Twin Cities

This weekend I went back to up St. Paul and had a great time with Tomkin. We took some walks around the neighborhood, explored the stores on Grand Ave., and went out for Mexican food and pizza. Friday night we got to go sailing with Tomkin's friend Sid and her fiance, Dave. It was so relaxing to be out on the lake at night. Tomkin officiated at three weddings on Saturday, which gave me time to hang out with some friends of my own. I had lunch with Heidi--it was great to catch up with her. Then she dropped me off at Becca's, and we spent some time at the park with her husband, Omar, and three sons, Max, Calvin, and Spencer. It was a beautiful day--perfect for playing in the park. I flew back to Chicago last night, but I'll be heading back up to St. Paul again in just ten days!

Weekend in St. Paul (the first of many!)

Friday I flew out to St. Paul to spend the weekend with Tomkin. It was very low-key, which was nice. We went out for Middle Eastern food on Friday and Indian food on Saturday, took long walks, and went to the amazing dog park/beach. (It's huge!) My flight was delayed so long yesterday that Tomkin came and got me from the airport and took me out for dinner (so it wasn't so bad to be delayed after all!). I'm heading back up again on Thursday (can't wait!).

Dancing in the Air

Last Thursday, Heidi and I went to see Cat's performance with Ameba Dance, an aerial and acrobatic dance company. This is my third year going to see Ameba, and I always look forward to it. The choreography is innovative and unexpected, and the dancers are also incredible (and graceful) athletes. (Cat was amazing!) The show was great again this year (and it's playing for another weekend, so you can go check it out!). Afterward, Heidi, Cat, and I went to Blue Agave for some Mexican food and margaritas (surprising, I know!).

Happy 30th, Diane!

Last night we departed the BBQ with full bellies and made our way to the Hopleaf (one of our favorite places to go), where we celebrated Diane's 30th birthday at a shindig hosted by her girlfriend, Maria. We enjoyed some tasty beer (so many choices!), toasted the oh-so-young birthday girl, and had a great time mingling and chatting.

Burgers, Beer, and the End of British Rule

Yesterday Rebekah & Mike lit up their grill and hosted a fabulous 4th of July BBQ. Rebekah set up tables outside for us, and we had all kinds of delicious food and drinks. The neighbor dogs enjoyed it, too!

Carrie Is Cool (and Looking Hot!)

Monday night I went to the Grafton Pub with Carrie (still looking diva-licious post-"What Not to Wear"--her episode will air sometime in November). She spent a year in Madagascar in the Peace Corps, so I enjoyed hearing about her experiences there and learning more about the country. We enjoyed some tasty bar food and drinks and had a very nice chat. She's such a cool person--it's been fun getting to know her better.

I'll Drink to That!

Last night Lisa hosted a delightful martini party. We all dressed up in cocktail wear and enjoyed pear-tinis, Pom-tinis, cosmos, and other fabulous concoctions. Of course we were also treated to lots of gourmet yummy things. (Lisa loves to cook.) We toasted and danced and laughed and had a really fun time.