The Blog Is Back!

For months now, I've been meaning to catch up here, to post about travels (Duluth! Northfield! Chicago! Grand Forks! New York City!), dinners with friends, parties, political musings, adventures with Chloe, etc, etc, etc. Okay, let's be honest--that's probably never going to happen. Sure, I tell myself that "maybe someday when I don't have anything else to do," I'll go back and blog about some of the highlights of the past few months. (Though with Facebook, time-wrenching mistress that she is, there's always something to do....) In the meantime, it's time to move forward. My friend Amy (mom of Ripley) suggested I post once a week leading up to my 40th birthday and talk about what I've done during those last few days. So that is my new goal: On Wednesdays when Tomkin is at poker, and after I've talked with my mom, I will try to tear myself away from "Dancing with the Stars" and whatever project I'm editing to blog about what I've been up to during the week. And once I get to 40? Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there...in 364 days.So what has this last week entailed? It's been busy, productive, and incredibly fun. Last Wednesday, October 1, Tomkin and I took Chloe to the Minnehaha dog park. That place is absolutely incredible. And it will only get more beautiful now that the leaves are changing. Chloe ran around, climbed up a tree (one that had fallen over), waded in the river, and rolled around on God-only-knows-what. In other words, she had a fabulous time!
Wednesday evening I went to the Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association's annual "magazine celebration," which was held at Open Book in Minneapolis. I've been trying to go to more editorial-related events around town, and it's nice because I'm seeing some of the same people at various places and getting to talk with them. At this particular event, I was also doing some networking, getting my business cards out to people who might be looking for a freelance editor. (If you, by some chance, happen to be looking for a freelance editor, check out my services here.)

On Thursday, Tomkin and I checked out the free Metro happy hour at Restaurant Max in Minneapolis. We've been going to some Metro-sponsored parties lately (including the Sugar party at the aloft hotel and the Metro 100 party at the Chambers hotel) and, again, we're seeing some of the same people at the various events and getting to talk to them, which is fun. It's also a great way to check out new places around town. We had a great time at Restaurant Max--the place itself was really cool, the vibe was relaxed, and the food and drinks were delicious (and free!). Tomkin with Dena from Metro magazine and Dawn and Eden from Fabulous Catering.

Friday night we met up with our friend Peter (with whom we reconnected at this summer's Carleton reunion) and his girlfriend, Mandy, for dinner at Christo's in St. Paul. We spent about three hours eating, drinking, and talking. One of my favorite things in life is having dinner with friends, especially when the conversation is as satisfying and delicious as the food.Saturday was a very busy day. In the afternoon, we took Chloe to Doggie Palooza in St. Louis Park. The main thing I was interested in was getting Chloe to try out lure coursing. It's something that Rhodesian ridgebacks often do competitively, but Chloe (who turned eight in August) had never done it before. We waited for about an hour-and-a-half, and it was fun to watch the other dogs have a go while we were in line. One speedy greyhound lost control, tumbled over, and broke straight through the plastic fence! By the time it was Chloe's turn, she had built up a little fan club. Tomkin got her excited about "chasing the squirrel," and then a whole bunch of us cheered her on while she raced around the field! The first time around, she was totally focused and gave it her all. The second time around, she got about a quarter of the way through...and then turned around and trotted back to us. Even so, we were very proud of her! I couldn't help but wonder how Scout would have fared, as well. (It was almost five months to the day since he died.) We walked Chloe around the vendors' booths and let her run loose in the play area for a while. She seemed to have a great time, and we were really proud of her. Not bad for an old girl!Originally, I had thought about throwing a big party for my 39th birthday, but eventually I decided to scale back and just get together with a few friends. So that's what we did Saturday night.Tomkin picked up a cake for me from Wuolett's, and we had pizza delivered from Pizza Luce. We had about ten people over for dinner, cake, and champagne. It was a low-key but really fun evening.
We took it easy on Sunday. Tomkin had a meeting with a couple, and I did a little work. We went to REI and got some new winter clothes. Tomkin got me totally outfitted last year, but I still had a few cold spots (nose, butt & thighs, and hands), so he got me a long down coat, a face mask, and down mittens. Now I should have no excuse not to go for walks, even in the dead of winter! We also went to Goodwill to check out their furniture. I wanted to find a couch for my basement office--and I did! For only $30, no less. We also found a chair and lamp for Tomkin's dressing room (aka the spare bedroom). Tomkin drove me home and went back for the couch, which he brought home in his convertible. Chloe and I have already napped on it, and we give it our seal of approval!
On Monday, I finished editing the novel I've been working on for the last few weeks. Phew! I had finished up another project just a few days before. Work has been really steady lately--a lot of people are finding me through my Web site, thanks to the online talents of my amazing husband. Monday evening, we took a bunch of ice cream and headed over to Becca & Omar's. I still can't believe they have four sons. Wow! Those boys have a lot of energy. They're all really sweet and cute, though. And I can't believe how good baby Leo is! We ate and talked--it was nice to hang out and catch up.Then yesterday, October 7, was my 39th birthday. It was an absolutely incredible day. First of all, Tomkin hung gift bags in all the rooms on the main floor. He had gone to eight different stores on Grand Avenue (Avalon, Bibelot, Common Good Books, Flirt, Garden of Eden, Paper Patisserie, Patina, and Picky Girl) and bought me a gift and a gift certificate from each one. All the stores are within walking distance of our house, so now when we're out for a walk, I can go in and pick something out! I thought that was a really cool gift. I also opened presents that my mom had sent. I got e-cards, Facebook greetings, phone calls, cards, and other good wishes (including an Indian singing telegram!) throughout the day, which was really fun.Tomkin and I got lunch at the new Punch Pizza on Grand. We both got goat cheese and prosciutto--my favorite! We headed into Minneapolis and got coffee at Dunn Bros, then went to the Mill City Museum. We had originally planned to spend the day at the zoo, but we switched up our plans since it was raining. And we had a fabulous time at the museum! It was really fun--I highly recommend it. We learned a lot about milling, flour, and Minneapolis. (I know it doesn't really sound that fun, but trust me, it is.) We headed home to rest for a bit (and check in on Facebook), then we went out for dinner at Barbette in Minneapolis. Neither of us had been there before, but we'd heard great things about it. And we both loved it! It was warm and cozy, with a bit of a Moulin Rouge vibe. We split three appetizers (mussels, cheese fondue, and pomme frites), and I had a glass of champagne. For dessert, I had chocolate pots de creme. Fabulous! Our last stop for the day was Prohibition, the new bar on the 27th floor of the Foshay Tower. I ordered an Epiphany (pear vodka, elderflower liqueur, and Veuve champagne--Carrie and Lisa, you would have loved it!), and we sat in shiny white leather chairs and looked out at the lights of the city. It's funny how my birthday ended up being such a Twin Cities-centric day, but that's certainly appropriate! It was a really amazing birthday--quite a way to kick off my countdown to 40!