Viva Obama!

On top of everything else, he looks mighty fine in a cowboy hat.



(Thanks to Matt for the video!)

Aloha, Lisa!

Tomkin and I had planned to go to Chicago this past weekend so we could see Lisa before she moves to Hawaii (and meet the man she's moving there for). Unfortunately, the trip didn't work out, so I didn't get to say good-bye to Lisa in person. She's heading out from Chicago tomorrow, making her way across the country and then across the sea. Safe travels, Lisa! I'm already looking forward to your wedding in January 2010--although I certainly hope I'll see you before then! Aloha!

My New Sister!

Congratulations to my mom and Dick, who are adopting a new dog! She's a year-old bichon frise named Cinderella ("Cindy"), and they'll be bringing her home tomorrow. Bosley will be so happy! I'm not sure how Keesha will feel, though.... It's so fun that we'll have a new dog in the family! Scout and Chloe are very excited.

Oscar Par-tay!

Sunday night, Tomkin and I went to Becca & Omar's for a fabulous Oscar party. In past years, I ran the Oscar pool at work, and I made a point of seeing as many nominated movies as possible and doing thorough research about the predicted winners. This year I think I had seen one of the nominated films ("Once," which I loved), and I filled out my Oscar ballot just as the show was about to start. Hey, it's been a busy year.... Becca & Omar just refinished their basement, and their new couch is big enough that all the guests could comfortably fit on it. (Sweet!) We watched the show on their 52" HDTV, which was very cool, although a little disturbing. People look much less attractive in high definition! It was actually sort of humanizing--it made the movie stars seem more like real people. Anyway, we had a lot of fun chatting with the other guests (heard a great story about a couple who literally ran off to Vegas for their wedding) and eating lots of delicious themed foods (they served a course to go with each of the Best Picture nominees). We enjoyed some wine and Surly beer--well, Becca didn't, since she's pregnant with their fourth child! Wow! Congrats to Becca & Omar! This is shaping up to be quite a year. Loved the Oscars, had a great time--and now I want to go rent some movies!

A Blooming Lily

On Sunday afternoon, Tomkin and I went out to my aunt Carol's for an open house (she and her husband, Steve, live in the 'burbs). I hadn't seen Carol since I moved here, so this was Tomkin's first time meeting her. The occasion for the get-together was that my cousin Chris was in town with his wife, Marlene (who I'd never met) and their baby daughter, Lily. (They live in Texas.) It was so fun to see everyone again! It's been way too long (literally--years). Tomkin and I really enjoyed talking with Chris and Marlene before the party officially started, and then we hung out for a little while after it was over. Lily is absolutely adorable--and such a contented, happy baby! Carol may be the happiest (and youngest-looking) grandma I've ever seen. We both had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing all of them again sooner rather than later.

Cheese!

On Saturday, Tomkin and I went to our neighbor Lucas's house to have our engagement photos taken. She has a studio in her basement, and she did a great job with the pictures! She really made the shoot fun and relaxing. We all laughed a lot and had a good time. And we loved how the photos turned out! (You can check out more of Lucas's photos here.) If anyone in the St. Paul area needs their portrait taken, you should definite have Lucas do it! She's awesome!

Reflections on Four Months in St. Paul

So I've been living in St. Paul for four months now. (Four months already?! Only four months?!) I started reflecting on how my life has changed since I moved here in October. Well, the biggest change, of course, is that I'm engaged. I hadn't really expected that to happen so quickly--but I'm glad it did! Even with all the changes and planning for a wedding, life on the whole feels easier now--living with someone...in a house...in a smaller city. I don't have to take the dogs down three flights of stairs--or carry the groceries UP. I'm happy to be dealing with less traffic now, and since we have a driveway I always have a place to park. My pace of living has slowed, and the way I spend my time and money has changed. My work life is dramatically different. I'm not commuting or sitting in meetings or having to be concerned about other people making their deadlines. Now I'm just responsible for myself. I have realized that freelancing requires a lot more marketing than I had expected--thank goodness Tomkin's so good at that! And we're definitely tightening our purse strings. But I believe that the trade-offs are worth it.

The best part of working from home is how much time it allows me to spend with Tomkin. We're constantly amazed at how time flies by when we're together. We spend a lot of time just sitting and talking--at the dinner table, curled up on the couch drinking tea, or snuggling with the dogs on the futon. We really seem to have fun together no matter what we do. Tomkin had been worried that I would be lonely and isolated here, but we've kept plenty busy. It's been especially wonderful to be so close to Becca & Omar again--they've wanted me to move up here for ages! I'm also happy to get to spend more time with Heidi and Jill--they're both such cool, fun, interesting women. And it's been a real treat getting to see my dad and Sandy every month rather than just once or twice a year. I've also loved getting to know Tomkin's family better--they're all so fascinating and wonderful.

Tomkin has a wide range of friends, and it's been fun hanging out with them, too. I do get "friendsick" for my Chicago friends, though. Sometimes when I get an e-mail or see a blog post or come across a picture that jogs a fun memory, I get a little achy for the Chicago friends I don't get to see as often anymore. I'll miss seeing Kelly's latest Chicago Chamber Choir concert and Cat's spring show at the Stage Left Theatre. I miss going out for beer and mussels at the Hopleaf and dressing up for Girls' Night Out. And we do have some game-playing friends here...but it's not quite the same as having Game Night. I've really enjoyed going to shows at the Guthrie and the Walker, and I'm excited about exploring MSP more. There's no shortage of art and entertainment here. I will miss this season's shows at the Chicago Opera Theater, though (it looks amazing!), and going to Bravo Club events. I miss Holy Covenant (and especially the people there), and I know I'll never find another church quite like it. I haven't actually started looking for a new church yet, although I'm planning to.

We've had some incredible meals here, but on the whole the restaurants don't really stack up to the plethora of delicious options in Chicago. However, I'm eating more healthfully than I have in my entire life. Since Tomkin cooks, I'm eating lots of vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy snacks and very little unhealthy food. I'm also getting more sleep than I have since high school. I feel like I've uncovered some kind of hidden secret--who knew that getting more sleep would make you less tired? I can't believe how much more alert and awake I am now. Also, we hardly watch any TV. In fact, sometimes I feel a little isolated from what's going on in the world. We watch TV while we're on the treadmill/stationary bike (an idea we delightedly borrowed from Amy!), so Tomkin's probably watching more TV than he ever has, while I'm watching less. I love working out together, although I do miss Nicole's class at the Cheetah Gym. It's also been a treat getting to spend more time with the dogs--they love it! We've been a little lax about walking them during the cold spells, but they still get plenty of attention.

Overall, I really love St. Paul, and I've never once regretted making all the life changes it took for me to get here. I miss my friends and my church and some of what Chicago has to offer--the city will always be dear to my heart--but I also believe that my life has never been better than it is right now.

Twin Cities Bibliophiles Rejoice!

According to America's Most Literate Cities 2007, Minneapolis is the most literate city in the United States. (St. Paul came in third. Chicago is #40.) The rankings are based on newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources. Here's a great list of Twin Cities book resources, whether you want to buy books, read them, or have them read to you. Want to know what's on my bookshelf? Check out Shelfari--you can create your own shelf there, too (and share it with other book lovers!).

Delightful Duluth

Sure, Tomkin and I just went up to Grand Forks earlier in February. But we decided that just wasn't cold enough. So we headed to Duluth. His sister's partner, Allison, is teaching poetry and literature at UMD this semester, and Jenny is currently visiting her from NYC. So we and Tom & Nancy (the folks) drove up to Duluth yesterday to see them. We hung out for a while in Allison's apartment, and then Jenny treated us for dinner at the Timber Lodge Steakhouse. Family friends Julie & Joey also joined us. Tomkin tried walleye for the first time. I had it, too--it was delicious! He also proposed again so he could get his family's blessing right there on the spot. We've realized that we started out being insufferable when we were dating, and now we're insufferable being engaged. Next we'll be insufferable as newlyweds. Then we'll think of another stage to be insufferable at! Anyway, after dinner we went to Julie & Joey's beautiful home for tea and dessert. Joey put on some Dixieland music and started playing the spoons. This inspired much dancing and merriment. Once we were all full and exhausted, Tom and Nancy headed to a hotel, and Tomkin and I sat up talking with Jenny and Allison. This morning we went out for breakfast, and then Tom drove back to the Cities with us. (Nancy's staying in Duluth for a few more days.) This was the longest amount of time I'd ever spent in Duluth. When I'd driven through it before, it always seemed very industrial and unattractive to me. But this time, going into different neighborhoods, seeing the gorgeous view of the lake, and spending a little time in the fun touristy area, I really warmed up to it. (Ironic weather pun intended.) Tomkin and I are looking forward to going back for another visit when it's a little warmer and we can spend some time walking around outside.

Family Lunch & Wedding Update

Tomkin and I drove up to St. Cloud today to have lunch with Dad, Sandy, and Alex. (Phillip had to work.) We went to a place called Guadalajara's, which was really good. Sandy just had her second chemo treatment and is doing pretty well so far. Tomkin and Alex talked about exercise and working out. Of course we also talked about wedding plans--Tomkin and I have been figuring out more details, such as how we'll enter the ceremony, where we'll stand, and what our recessional song will be. Also, Tomkin's friend Scotty has agreed to serve as an usher and help us as needed, which is a huge relief to me. The invitations have been sent. Only eight more weeks to go!

Engagement Celebration

Last night our neighbors AC and Luke threw a lovely engagement party for us. It was really fun! They served Tomkin-friendly food, including a homemade sugar-free cheesecake that was to die for. We drank champagne--had a couple toasts--and got advice from all the other couples there. (Tomkin always likes to ask people how they met and what their secret is. He gets some very interesting answers!) It's cool getting to know our neighbors better--some of them are so funny!--and last night was an especially fun celebration.

Wintry Dog Park Fun

Tomkin and I had planned to go to the PetExpo this morning, but since it was almost 40 degrees, it seemed like a shame to be inside looking at pet stuff when we could be outside with our own pets. So we opted to go to the dog park instead. Scout and Chloe were VERY happy about that! They ran and romped and played and had a fabulous time. Well...except for when they stepped out onto the ice, which then broke, sending them both tumbling into the icy cold water. They scrambled right out and kept on having fun. We were a little surprised to see motorboats going by with water skiers behind them! They were wearing wet suits (or dry suits), but it still seemed a little on the "not really warm enough" side for that. But, hey, 40 degrees on a February day in Minnesota--why NOT go water skiing? Anyway, we all had a great time at the dog park, and the dogs are now sleeping peacefully....

Love & Snails

For Valentine's Day on Thursday, Tomkin and I went to dinner at Forepaugh's, a mansion-turned-restaurant here in St. Paul. (It sounds to me like a place where the dogs should be able to go--"Four Paws.") Tomkin performs a number of small weddings there, and I'd never been there before, so we decided that would be a special place to go. We got a seat by the window on the second floor overlooking a park--it was beautiful. We started out with some escargot, which I'd never had before. It was good! We had a lovely, relaxing meal--a wonderful first Valentine's Day together.

Ben-Tastic

Tuesday evening, Tomkin and I took Ben out for dinner at Everest on Grand, which serves Nepali and Tibetan food. We wanted to thank him for replacing my hard drive after my computer crashed and for watching the dogs while we were in Grand Forks. The food was delicious (Ben tried the yak), and we had a great time talking politics, education, and dogs.

A Refreshing Mini-Vacation

JimDog called us up on Tuesday and asked if we wanted to play hooky for a bit in the afternoon and go to the Como Park conservatory. What a fabulous idea! It's so warm and lush inside, it really felt like we had magically traveled to some sort of tropical environment, even for just an hour. The coolest thing we saw there was a sloth sleeping up in one of the trees--totally unguarded. The flowers and plants were pretty cool, too. That JimDog is a genius!

Hangin' With Heidi

Yesterday, Heidi took me out for breakfast at the Seward Cafe (a vegetarian-friendly co-op that uses locally grown and organic ingredients). It was great to catch up with her. After we ate, she came back to the house, and we and Tomkin took the dogs for a walk. We went to a nearby park and let them run loose to play in the snow. It was chilly out, but the walk felt great for all of us! It was 20 years ago that Heidi and I graduated from high school together. We're not sure yet if someone has planned a reunion for this year, but if they haven't, we've decided that we'll throw a 21-year reunion in 2009. Go Green Wave!

The Year of the Rat

Friday night we rang in the Chinese New Year with a party at Jim and Roxanne's. (They're the neighbors who have Watson, the chocolate lab who comes over to play with Scout and Chloe.) As requested, we dressed in red (Tomkin wore his very dapper smoking jacket), and we enjoyed some Asian-themed food and drinks. After the party, Tomkin and I joined AC and Luke for a drink at W.A. Frost, the place where Tomkin and I got engaged. This time, though, we sat on the bar side, not the restaurant side. It was nice getting to spend some time and chat with them. A fun evening all-around!

Gynt Without Peer

Wednesday night, Tomkin and I saw "Peer Gynt" at the Guthrie. It was quite an odd show, but very well done. The title role is played by British actor Mark Rylance, and he's amazing. The entire cast was impressive, as was the script and the set. It's a long show (3 hours), but definitely worth seeing.

Super Fat Tuesday

Almost as soon as we got home on Tuesday, we headed to the caucus. I wasn't really sure what to expect--but I certainly hadn't expected to see lines of people all around the block! Apparently the turnout was three times higher than they've usually had--and not just in our district. Tomkin and I crammed ourselves into Ramsey Junior High, eventually found our district's room, voted for Obama, said hello to our neighbors who were working at the caucus, then turned around and left. The place was hot and packed. Even though we didn't stick around to get the full caucus experience, at least we got to place our votes--and Obama rocked the state! In our district, he got more than three times as many votes as Hillary did. (Edwards received four votes, even though he's no longer in the race.) I just hope Obama (and his supporters) can keep up the momentum until he earns the party nomination. After the caucus, Tomkin and I went out for dinner at Pizza Luce. I'm giving up the usual chocolate and pizza for Lent again this year, so I wanted to celebrate Fat Tuesday in style. I also gorged on Widman's candy. Good stuff!

The Forks Are Still Grand!

Last weekend, Tomkin and I drove up to Grand Forks, North Dakota, so he could meet some more of my friends and family members and see where I grew up. We drove up on Friday, February 1, and went straight to my grandma's. My mom had just gotten in, too (from Texas). Tomkin's excited to have a grandma again! We ate pizza and had a nice visit, and then Tomkin and I met up with Brenda at the Blue Moose. We caught the very exciting end of the UND Fighting Sioux vs. MN Gophers hockey game, then went back to Brenda's, where slept for the weekend.

On Saturday, we braved the cold to explore downtown Grand Forks. First we went to Badman Design and got a tour of the place from David Badman himself. (Brenda owns one of his tables.) Then we went to the Amazing Grains co-op, where Tomkin did his grocery shopping for the weekend. And of course we went to Widman's candy store--always a necessary stop. Dan Widman was working, so we chatted with him and tried some different treats. Tomkin even got some sugar-free Chippers! Keeping in the food theme, we headed to LaCampana for lunch--it's another of my favorite places in town. Then we checked out the Ralph Englestad Arena on the UND campus, "Home of the Fighting Sioux." And even though it was well below zero, we decided to walk around the English Coulee, one of the places in Grand Forks that's most special and meaningful to me. Well, we lasted about two minutes, didn't even make it all the way down the coulee, took some photos, and headed back to the warm car. Tomkin was ready for a nap, so Brenda and I dropped him off at home, and then we drove around a little more. At a nearby park we spotted some horses and a horse and buggy, so we decided to see what was happening. They were offering free rides, so we accepted! (Eons ago, Brenda and I went to horse camp together.) That evening, Tomkin and I went back to Grandma's to have hotdish for dinner with her, Mom, Mike & Renee, Ben, Alex, and Laura. We just sat and talked the whole evening and had a great time. Tomkin provided extra entertainment with a couple magic tricks.

It was still really cold on Sunday, but Brenda and Tomkin and I took her three dogs to the new dog park. Trixie and Itsy are hers; she's fostering Missy the border collie. Despite the frigid temps, the dogs had a great time. We were all a little frozen by the time we piled back in the car. Brenda and I dropped Tomkin off at home and went out for some Chinese food. That evening, Tomkin and I had dinner at Mike & Renee's. One of the highlights of the evening was playing Rock Band. Tomkin sang "Ballroom Blitz" like he was on stage with thousands of people watching. (Do any of you Carls remember Malt-o-Gasm?) Mom rocked out on the bass and drums--in fact, we took turns with the different instruments, along with Ben and Alex. It was awesome!

On Monday, I drove Tomkin around the East Side and showed him my old high school and a couple of the houses in which we lived when I was a kid. We even did some shopping at the Columbia Mall, where I used to work at a jewelry store. That evening, Tomkin joined the ladies (me, Mom, Brenda, and Barb) for our traditional Girls' Night Out. This time we dined at the Toasted Frog, which was delicious. Then we went back to Brenda's and enjoyed a chocolate cake she had made from scratch.

Tuesday morning, Tomkin and I headed back to Grand Forks. We literally just talked the whole time--didn't even listen to music. And the five hours flew by! We stopped at Rosedale Mall on our way home and got some new shoes. (I found some for the wedding!) We got home a little after 5:00, just in time to unload the car and get ready for the caucus....