Snowy Days Are Here Again

Last Thursday the weather started to turn chillier. I worked all day, and Tomkin had two wedding rehearsals. That evening, I attended the Minnesota Magazine and Publications Association's Excellence Awards ceremony. I had served as a judge in two categories (Best Technical Article and Best How-To Article). Stephanie and Lauren from NEED magazine, and Kathy from Daisy Mae Design

Before the awards were handed out, we had some time to mingle, eat, and drink. I ran into Kathy Forss, who owns Daisy Mae Design. I've met her at a couple other MMPA events and really enjoy talking with her. Stephanie and Lauren from NEED magazine were there, so I sat with them during the awards ceremony, which was hosted by local news anchor Jason DeRusha. He was pretty funny and kept things rolling right along. The evening's prizewinning magazines included Beef, Minnesota Law and Politics (whose tagline is "Only Our Name Is Boring"), Marine Fabricator, Bowhunting World, Minnesota Monthly, Corn and Soybean Digest, Street Thunder, Minnesota Bride, Trailer Boats, Pheasants Forever, Twin Cities Metropolitan Magazine (my favorite local mag), and the Carleton College Voice. When I got home, Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk. It had been raining most of the day, and the forecast called for snow....

Sure enough, Friday morning it was snowing! Even though I really, truly hate winter after a while, at first I think it's actually kind of cozy and fun. I did some work, went to Target, and then Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk. Me and Tomkin with the bride and groom

Tomkin performed a wedding ceremony at Fort Snelling, and then he picked me up for the Asian-themed reception, which was held at Ideal Hall (owned by the caterers who did our wedding). Everyone was really nice, and the food was delicious (of course!). We talked to Tony and Stacy (the caterers) and raved about their fabulous food. They are so sweet and wonderful. With Stacy and Tony of TST Catering

And we had some interesting conversations with other guests. One of the men at our table was an 83-year-old named Otto. His wife, Barbara, was there with him. Otto got married for the first time (to Barbara) when he was 73! She had been married to his best friend--in fact, Otto was the best man at their wedding! After the friend passed away, Otto married Barbara. He was quite a character, and she kept right up with him. He said he had ridden a motorcycle until he was 79 years old, and I could tell he missed it. I could have listened to his stories all night!

Barbara, Otto, and another wedding guest

Saturday morning Tomkin and I exercised in the basement while watching "Project Runway," and then I worked while Tomkin officiated a wedding. We took Chloe for a walk--it was lightly snowing. Makes me excited for the holidays! Our friend Mark came over for dinner and showed us pictures of his trip to Chicago, where he covered Obama's election-day win for Liberal Arts Radio. (There are some great pics on his website.) Then Tomkin and I went to the Northrop Auditorium to see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet perform "Carmina Burana." I absolutely loved it! Surprisingly, Tomkin's favorite part was a Balanchine piece that they performed first. After the show, there was a reception with free wine and popcorn, and some of the dancers came out and mingled with the crowd. We talked to Grace Hanley (from Winnipeg) and Yosuke Mino (from Japan--and a fan of "Dancing with the Stars"!). It was interesting to chat with them and get some insights into the dancing life.
Sunday morning Tomkin and I picked up Pete, and we all went to the baptism of JimDog's son, Andrew. I hadn't met him before--what a cute kid! And so good-natured. He never fussed at all. After the baptism, we went back to JimDog and Jen's house for a reception. JimDog's brother and sister and Tomkin's folks were there, as well. We ate and talked and hung out for a while. When we got home, Tomkin took a nap and I caught up on a little TV and did some work. We walked Chloe, and then Tomkin did some house repairs while I did more work. I knew it was going to be a busy week, so I figured I should get a jump on it.

Chloe and Julie not working

Monday I worked all day, and Tomkin took the Lancer into the shop to have a tire replaced. Turns out it needed a number of other repairs, as well. Sigh. It is a six-year-old car now, so I guess it's about time to start fixing some stuff up. And since we're driving up to Fargo this weekend (for my cousin Kristin's wedding), it's nice to have it in good running order. We walked Chloe to the repair shop to pick up the car and stopped for coffee along the way. Phillip and Alex just sent me a Starbucks gift card as a belated birthday gift. We will make good use of it! After dinner I worked some more, and then we exercised and watched "Project Runway." We were all settled in for the night, reading and watching TV, when we heard a bunch of fire engines right outside our house! We threw on shoes and coats, I grabbed my camera, and we ran outside. Turns out it was just a false alarm. Well, probably better than having a big fire next door....
Yesterday (Tuesday) was another busy work day. We knocked off about 5:00, ate dinner, and then headed to the Minneapolis Central Library. They have a series called Talk of the Stacks, and last night's speaker was Garrison Keillor. We arrived early enough to snag seats in the second row! It was fun listening to Mr. Keillor tell stories and read his sonnets. And of course the crowd just loved him. At the end of his talk he asked if anyone had questions. Tomkin threw his hand up right away. He asked if a famous person such as himself minded having people come up to him when he was at, say, a neighborhood coffee shop (such as Nina's, where Tomkin has seen him a number of times, right above Common Good Books, which Keillor owns), or if he prefers to maintain his privacy. He gave a long roundabout answer (mostly about Meryl Streep) based on the fact that he's "not really a celebrity" and said (with a smile) that he was dismissing the question based on its irrelevance. Ha! When we got home, we worked on our Spain itinerary. We've found the hotel we're going to stay at while we're in Madrid (Hotel Europa). If you've been to Madrid or Toledo and have advice about what we should see or do (or where we should eat), please let me know!
This morning when we awoke, the ground was covered with snow. But it was warm enough that it had melted by day's end. I skipped lunch with Tomkin's folks today so I could work. Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk, and then I headed to Weight Watchers. I lost 2.2 pounds this week! I was really happy with that. I'm down 7.2 pounds overall now. I have to say, I am really fortunate to have a husband who likes to cook and who makes such delicious food! He's really good about cooking healthfully, and he makes a variety of delicious meals. Tonight we had pizzas on whole-wheat crusts, salad, and sparkling water, with a lit candle and a vase filled with fresh flowers decorating the table. It's our 7-month anniversary today! I'm definitely a lucky woman.
Have a wonderful week! And thanks, as always, for reading my blog.