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!