Pump It Up!

This was a relatively quiet week on the activity front, but Tomkin and I kicked our exercising up a notch. Last Thursday we biked to the gym and worked out, and later we took Chloe for a nice long walk. I got another new gig, working as a freelance editor for Idea Girls. For the life of a freelancer, it's all about multiple income streams!After working hard on Friday morning, Tomkin and I indulged in some retail therapy at Target. There's something very soothing to me about shopping there. We took Chloe for a long walk, and that evening we exercised in the basement (taking turns on the stationary bike and treadmill) while watching the first season of "Project Runway." Neither of us has seen the first season before--it's fun to see how much has changed! (Heidi was so much chattier with the contestants back then, but hardly said anything as a judge.)Saturday was my aunt Nancy's birthday, and I forgot to send her birthday wishes! She's a regular reader of the blog, so I'm sending my belated birthday wishes here. Happy belated birthday, Nancy! :-)Tomkin played paintball on Saturday morning. He hasn't done that in a while--he had a great time! After he got home, we took Chloe for a walk to a nearby park and let her run around. Then we all lounged around. It was such a gorgeous day! We went to a wedding in the late afternoon that Tomkin officiated. It was an outdoor wedding (at the Nicollet Island Pavilion), which seems to me like a risky move the end of October in Minnesota. But the risk paid off! The temps hit 70 degrees, and the autumn leaves made a beautiful backdrop. It was a little chilly, though, so the reception was held inside. Everyone was very nice, and the place was beautiful. I realized, however, that the real fun of going to weddings is getting to see family and friends who you haven't seen in a while. It didn't help being on Weight Watchers and not being able to indulge in delicious wedding foods. We did have a nice time, but we cut out a little early. We had another event to go to, anyway! Our neighbors across the street, Wayne and Sheila, had invited us to a game night at their place. Tomkin had thought he was banned from their game nights after a previous instance of answering trivia-game questions before they were fully asked...but apparently all is forgotten. I was pretty sleepy, so we didn't stick around too long. Just enough to answer some trivia questions--but not in an obnoxious way (I hope!).
Remember when I mentioned that it hit 70 degrees on Saturday? Well, on Sunday it snowed. Not enough to stick, but still--it was snow. Tomkin and I braved the slushy cold to head to Adam and Cheryl's on Sunday afternoon for their annual pumpkin-carving party. We didn't actually end up carving a pumpkin, but we did hang out and talk for a while. They had quite a spread! Later that day we bundled up and took Chloe for a walk. I thought I could get away with a "light" winter coat--I was wrong! A stop for some hot coffee helped, but I was still really cold by the time we got home.Monday morning we started out the week by going to the gym. Tomkin rode the exercise bike while I did the elliptical machine and then lifted weights. It was a nice, healthy way to start the week, but not such a good way work-wise. I spent the rest of the day playing catch-up. Live and learn! Monday night I had dinner with Jill at Sawatdee. I'd never been there before--it was delicious! (Even just ordering light appetizers...and wine.) It was really fun to see Jill and catch up about everything. Both of us still miss Holy Covenant. She has actually found a local Methodist reconciling ministry that she really likes. I haven't even started looking for churches yet, although I have a list of good ones to try.
Tomkin and I worked much of Tuesday, then took Chloe on a nice long walk to the post office and bank. That night we exercised while watching "Project Runway," and then I watched "Dancing with the Stars" while Tomkin read. (I'm rooting for Lance & Lacey!) Adolfo and Juliet gave us a pair of headphones for our wedding, which work really well when I want to watch TV and Tomkin wants to read. He can't hear a thing!
Today we had lunch with Tomkin's folks, then went shopping at Trader Joe's. I love that place! We're supposed to be getting one less than a mile from our house by next summer. I can't wait! It was a beautiful day (about 60 degrees), so I got my work done quickly, and we took Chloe for a walk. Then I headed to my Weight Watchers meeting. I lost 3.2 pounds this week! That's a total of 4.6 so far. All that exercise and not eating party food apparently paid off! I had my weekly phone call with Mom tonight. She and Dick are hoping to get their dog, Bosley, in for some experimental treatments since it looks like his skin cancer is back. Thankfully he seems to be feeling well, but it's still pretty scary. Tomkin is off at his weekly poker game. And we have a very eventful week ahead! By the time I blog next week, we'll have a new president-elect. And I really, really, really hope it will be Obama. I truly believe he is the leader our country needs to help heal our wounds, both domestic and foreign. He's a thoughtful, intelligent man of vision, and I believe he will do great things. If, by some chance, you're on the fence about who to vote for, I encourage you to check out Obama's website to see where he stands on the issues. To me, he is the clear choice.Have a wonderful week!

Eight Days a Week

This past week has been fun, although it has involved less dining and drinking (and no Happy Hours), thanks to me being on Weight Watchers. Last Thursday, Tomkin and I decided to go shopping at Cub (we usually get our groceries at Super Target and Trader Joe's). While we were there, we noticed that flu shots were available. I'd never had a flu shot before, but Tomkin convinced me to get one. (He got one, too.) Wow, did that hurt! My arm was sore for a couple days afterward. Hopefully it'll be worth the pain and keep me healthy!

Thursday night we met up with a big group of neighbors at Pizza Luce to celebrate Shawn's birthday. It was really fun, and we got to meet some new neighbors (at least new to us). Since it was Day One on WW, I didn't actually eat any pizza, but it was still fun to go hang out with everyone.Friday night our friends Cassidy and Angie came over and brought along their dachsund, Fergie. She made herself right at home, chewing on Chloe's bone and checking out her crate. Poor Chloe gave up and just climbed onto the couch. We hadn't seen Cassidy and Angie for quite a while, so it was good to catch up with them. Peter and Mandy came over, too, and we all sat and talked for a while. We had intended to play board games, but we ended up just playing Rock Band, which was awesome. We have some very talented friends!Saturday afternoon I met up with my friend Heidi for coffee. (Her daughter, Hannah, came along, too.) We started planning a mini-reunion of high school friends. We're hoping to get a group together here in the Twin Cities next summer. There are some people I haven't seen since we graduated, and I'd love it if we could all reunite, even for just a few days. We're working on it....Tomkin had three weddings on Saturday, so originally we hadn't made any plans for that night, figuring he would be tired. But then on Friday, we six decided that we should meet up the following night and see a movie! So after Tomkin's weddings were done, we met up with Cassidy and Angie at the Riverview Wine Bar. Such a cozy place! Then we headed over to the Riverview Theater. I hadn't been there before--it's really cool! It was built in the 1950s and still has one large single screen and cheap prices ($3 for movie tickets, $3.50 for a large bucket of popcorn). Peter and Mandy had gone to a wedding, but they met up with us for the movie. We all saw "Tropic Thunder," which was hilarious. Good silly fun.Sunday morning Pete came over, and Tomkin fixed brunch. It was a nice, mellow morning, just chatting and hanging out.Tomkin and I took Chloe to the dog park that afternoon. It was such a gorgeous day, and the leaves are hitting their autumn peak. We went home and took a nap, then we lounged around and got some stuff done. More Sundays should be like that one....Monday was another beautiful day, so we decided to take a bike ride. We headed down Summit Avenue, then rode along the river. The stunning houses and rich array of fall colors were really breathtaking. It was one of those times that made me really happy to live in Minnesota! The rest of the day I ran errands, and then I finally got some work done in the evening. My schedule's a little screwy that way sometimes, but I kind of like it.Yesterday it was exactly one year since I moved to St. Paul to live with Tomkin. I was reflecting on how much has changed in a year.... On October 21, 2007, I woke up at Lisa's Chicago apartment (she's now living in Hawaii--and expecting a baby!), took Scout (RIP...) and Chloe to the Blessing of the Animals service at Holy Covenant, then drove off to go live with my boyfriend, Tomkin, who became my fiance in January and my husband in April. It's been a pretty amazing year!
Yesterday afternoon I had an interview at Need magazine. I had met Stephanie, one of the magazine's cofounders, at a recent MMPA event, at which point we agreed to meet up later and see if I might be a good fit for their editorial team. I went in yesterday and spoke with Stephanie and two of the editors, and they agreed to give me a shot! My first assignment will be for Issue #6, which is already underway. I am SO excited about this opportunity. Not only is it a beautiful magazine visually, it's also doing some positive, life-changing things. I feel really proud to be working on it.
Last night Tomkin and I went to the Acme Comedy Club. If you sign up as an "Acme Insider," you can get free tickets to a show there once a month. We've gone a couple times now, and it's really fun. Last night the first two stand-up acts were okay. The headliner, Ryan Stout, was really funny. Borderline offensive at times...but funny.Today we had lunch with Tomkin's folks. Chloe came with us and was very well-behaved. I got some photos while we were there. Aren't Tom and Nancy adorable?!I went to my Weight Watchers meeting this afternoon. I lost 1.4 pounds this week, which was okay. I was hoping for more, but at least it's better than gaining! While I was in the meeting, Tomkin went to Party City to get some items for our Halloween costumes. I'm going to go as Sarah Palin, and he's going to go as a skinned moose. His costume will be very creative....

The other exciting thing we did today was apply for the Vaughan Town program in Spain! We're hoping to go in February 2009. My friend Carrie went last year, and she loved it. Tomkin and I actually got accepted to the program last winter, but we ended up not going. (Too much else happening!) It's a little expensive to travel to Europe right now, but this program makes it feasible. We have to pay our own airfare, but the program will put us up for the week and provide food and social events. In exchange, we will converse with Spanish-speaking people who want to improve their English skills. I think it'll be an amazing trip.

Until next week...thanks for reading!

Another Week in the Life...

Thanks so much for all the positive responses to the return of my blog! It was nice to be welcomed back with open online arms. :-)

This was another fun and busy week. Last Wednesday Tomkin and I had lunch with his parents, as we try to do each week. I haven't been going as often lately since I've been so busy. But I try to go when I can. Tomkin's dad always makes a delicious and healthy meal, and I enjoy catching up with Tom and Nancy. They are busy, busy, busy!Tomkin and I decided that we needed more shrubbery in our yard, so he recently planted four evergreen bushes and a lilac bush. On Thursday he planted three raspberry bushes. We have a little "rabbitat" in the yard--piles of leafy sticks, where we hope rabbits might want to hang out. Tomkin also just hung a bat-house in a big tree in our yard. Plus we've been putting out food for the squirrels. Next on our wish list are birdhouses!

Thursday night we attended the Think Water fundraiser at the Weisman Museum, hosted by the group Surge. We had met three of the women who organized the party when we were at the Sugar party at the aloft hotel a few weeks ago. This was their first event, and they really did a great job. They got sponsors to provide most of the food and drinks, and people volunteered to work the tables and take photos. So all the proceeds from the ticket sales and silent auction went toward building a well in Ethiopia. I'm not sure how much money they raised, but I know it was more than the $5,000 they were originally hoping for. Inside an installation art piece at the Weisman.

Tomkin and I enjoyed wandering through the museum (I'd never been there before) and chatting with other guests. We had some drinks and sushi, but we eventually decided we needed some heartier fare. So we headed to nearby Grumpy's Bar and got Juicy Lucys and tator tots. Delicious! Then we popped over to the Target Lounge at the Guthrie, where Dena and some other folks from Metro magazine were hosting an event called Creative Context. We chatted with Michael the publisher, Barbara the editorial director, Steve the photographer, and Dena, who is an advertising director. They're a really cool and interesting group of people.It was an unseasonably gorgeous day on Friday, so we decided to go for a bike ride. Our plan was to ride to the gym, work out, then go to a bookstore and coffeeshop. Tomkin actually bought me a bike last summer before I even moved here, but I had never used it! I honestly don't remember the last time I was on a bike. Tomkin had to fill up the tires, and then we realized my brakes didn't work. So we went to the Express Bike Shop, which is just a few blocks away. We waited about 20 minutes while a guy fixed my brakes, and then we headed out...only to discover that my brakes STILL didn't work. So we went back and waited another 20 minutes, and then we were finally good to go. We biked to the YWCA and worked out. By the time we were done, we were starving! So we walked to Costello's and took advantage of their happy hour. What better way to reward a good workout than with beer and a big plate of nachos?! We walked across the street to Common Good Books (owned by Garrison Keillor), and I used the gift card that Tomkin had gotten me as part of my birthday gift. I got Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors and The Big Book of Personality Tests for Women. Then we biked home. We were pooped!
Saturday morning I went to a program about book design that was sponsored by the Twin Cities chapter of the American Society of Indexers. If you want to read more about these work-related events, please check out my new blog, Writes & Wrongs. It was another beautiful day, so Tomkin and Chloe and I walked to the Merriam Park branch of the library. Tomkin and Chloe waited outside while I went in and checked out a bunch of books. (Tomkin goes through books more quickly than anyone I know!) We packed all nine books into Chloe's backpack, and she carried them home for us. She's such a good and helpful girl! When we got back, we gave Chloe a bath. (Well, Tomkin did most of the work, and I took pictures.) There was a time when Chloe hated being bathed. But Tomkin realized that all he has to do is give her treats throughout the process, and she's fine. He's really got a way with dogs.

Saturday evening we went to the Pilot Arts Group show at the 801 Lofts in Minneapolis. Our friend Dena, who works for Metro magazine, is married to one of the artists who was showing there. We saw Dena and her husband, John, and we got some food and drinks and then checked out the show. Tomkin loves to strike up conversations with people--sometimes they're boring, and sometimes they're really interesting! We spent a long time talking to L.K. Hanson, whose editorial cartoons appear regularly in the Star-Tribune. Tomkin with Dena and John Alspach at the Pilot 801 art show.Once again, by the end of the evening we were in need of substantial food, so we headed back to Grumpy's, where we devoured a Juicy Lucy and crispy, salty, delicious tator tots. Mmmmm....On Sunday (our six-month anniversary!), Tomkin and I drove up to Monticello, where we met Dad and Sandy for lunch at Guadalajara's. We did a combo celebration of my birthday and Sandy's--had a good lunch, opened presents, and sat and visited for a while. It's so nice getting to see them every month now! That evening, Tomkin and I took Chloe for our daily walk down Summit and Grand, and we happened to see Kris (aka Syd) and Dave eating at Salut. Tomkin and I went and got some coffee, and when we came back Kris and Dave were just heading home, so we all walked back together. (They live just a few blocks from us.) We all remarked on the incredible fall weather--what a treat!I got to have lunch with Rebecca on Monday. She and baby Leo picked me up, and we headed to Mango Thai, a new restaurant on Selby. It's a really cute place, and the food and service were both excellent. It was fun getting to hang out and talk with Becca, and Leo was really sweet and contented. They came back to our place and hung out for a bit, so Tomkin got to visit with Becca, too. Later that day, Tomkin and I checked out the happy hour at Salut. We hadn't been there before. It's a really cute place! And they've got a great happy hour ($3 drinks and food from 4-6). I actually started compiling a database of happy hours in the city because there are so many of them! It's a nice, inexpensive way to check out new places around the city. At Salut we got two pizzas, a plate of fries, and a beer for $13! Tuesday morning I got a call at 8:00am from someone whose brother in Shanghai needed an MBA program application edited asap. So I rushed to get it done (and made it!) before I headed to downtown Minneapolis to have lunch with Joe Weisman. I ran into him at last year's Carleton reunion but hadn't seen him since I moved to St. Paul. We went to Zelo and had a fabulous lunch. It was great to catch up with him. Last night Tomkin and I saw "A View from the Bridge" at the Guthrie. I found the first act completely riveting--one of the best things I've seen at the Guthrie. The second half lost me a little, but I still really enjoyed it overall.

This morning I attended an editors' roundtable sponsored by the Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association. (Again, check out Writes & Wrongs for more about this event, if you're interested.) Then this afternoon I joined Weight Watchers. All these parties and happy hours are catching up with me! I had my weekly phone call with my mom tonight. We started talking about getting the whole family back to Grand Forks for Christmas with Grandma next year. She would love that more than anything. Tomkin is off at poker now--when he gets back, we're planning to watch the finale of Project Runway. I think the show has been pretty weak this season (though I still love it). I'm opting (once again) not to watch the presidential debate. I tried a couple times, but it's just too frustrating. I prefer to read everyone's comments about it on Facebook!

Have a good week everyone, and thanks for reading my blog!