Work, Walks, and a Wedding

This has been a really busy work week, mostly for my new client, Idea Girls. After a long, hard day on Thursday, it was fun to go out with our new friends Bill and Karen and relax with some delicious food, amazing wine, and delightful conversation. Bill has been attending Tomkin's weekly poker game; I hadn't met him before, or his wife, Karen. We all went to Pazzaluna--a much fancier restaurant than we usually go to! We split a bottle of wine, and Tomkin and I got shrimp and scallops. It was really incredible food, and we had a great time.Friday was another busy workday. I took a break to go shopping at Target, and we took Chloe for a walk down Grand Avenue. We went to Bibelot so I could use another of my birthday gift certificates from Tomkin. I got a pair of earrings that I LOVE, plus a few other things. That store is so much fun! That night we exercised to "Project Runway," and we started packing for our road trip to Fargo for my cousin Kristin's wedding. It was nice to have a quiet night at home.
Saturday morning, Tomkin dropped off Chloe at Kris and Dave's, and then we hit the road. We made it to the hotel in Fargo with enough time for Tomkin to take a nap and for me to paint my nails before getting ready for Kristin and Shaun's wedding. Tomkin had intended to wear a suit but then realized he had left it at home. Oops! Fortunately, he had dressy enough clothes, so he looked fine. The wedding was held at Peace Lutheran Church. Kristin was gorgeous and absolutely beaming--I don't think I've ever seen a happier bride. It was a really lovely ceremony, with some of the couple's own special touches (like having everyone in the wedding party wear Chuck Taylors). Afterwards, we got to chat with family before taking some photos. This was the first time in 11 years that my dad and both his sisters (Mary Sue and Carol) had all been together. My cousin Chris was there from California, and I finally got to meet my cousin Gretchen's husband, Josh, and cousin Ben's wife, Jen (plus their baby daughter, Sophia).

With my uncle David, the proud father of the bride

Carol, Dad, and Mary Sue

The crowd goes wild!

We headed back to the Doublewood Inn for the reception. We had a delicious meal, watched a slideshow of the couple, and did a little dancing. The best part, though, was getting to talk with relatives, some of whom I hadn't seen in years, like Mary Sue and David, my cousins from Montana, and my uncle Rick. I didn't even recognize him at first! Tomkin had a great time, too, and especially enjoyed talking with my cousins Chris and Ben.

The bright and cheerful wedding cake was very fitting!

Rick with my dad and Sandy

Jen, Ben, and Sophia

Josh and Gretchen

Chris, Sandy, Dad, Tomkin, me, and Phillip

The Happy Couple

Another happy couple

Laughing with Carol and Mary Sue.

Tomkin headed up to bed, and I waited around to see the bouquet throw and garter toss. The party was still going strong when I left. I don't think I've ever seen so many people dance at a wedding! Everyone was very happy and celebrational.
Sunday morning, Tomkin and I met up with Chris, Phillip, and my dad and Sandy for brunch in the hotel restaurant. Then we went to Kristin and Shaun's gift opening. It was hard to pull ourselves away--we were having so much fun chatting with everyone!

Kristin and Shaun opening their gifts.

David, Chris, and Tomkin staying connected.Mary Sue with her daughters, Kristin and Gretchen.

However, we needed to get back and pick up Chloe. We stopped a couple times on the way home, once at a really nice rest area and another time at a truck stop so Tomkin could get some food. When we got back to St. Paul, Tomkin picked up Chloe--she was so happy to see us! That night we exercised to "Project Runway," and then we watched the most recent episode of "Dogs 101"--one of the featured dogs was Rhodesian Ridgebacks! They called them "the bravest dog." I can see that, to some extent, although Chloe and Scout always ran and hid when the cats hissed at them....
Monday we were back to work. Tomkin spent the day working at a coffee shop. When he got home, we walked Chloe to the liquor store to buy gin for our Third Thursdays cocktail party tomorrow night. (A new montly party we're going to be throwing, featuring a different cocktail every month. We're kicking things off with gin & tonics.) Chloe carried the bottles home in her backpack. Such a helpful girl!As we were walking, Tomkin said that he had spent much of the day researching cameras. He could tell I had gotten a little frustrated with my point-and-shoot at the wedding, so he wondered if I would want an SLR. We stopped in the ProEx camera store on Grand Avenue so I could check out the Nikon D40. Tomkin went back later and bought it for me! I'll still carry around my point-and-shoot for everyday use, but the SLR will be great for parties and special occasions. It's the nicest camera I've ever had, and I'm really excited to see what I can do with it. That evening I worked on a couple photo projects. I ordered wedding photos for Kristin and Shaun so I can send them an album, and then I put pictures from our wedding into two collage frames. I managed to include at least one photo of each person who was at the wedding. We hung the photos in the spare bedroom. It's so fun to look at them and remember how amazing our wedding weekend was!
Yesterday I had lunch at Tum Rup Thai with Becca and Leo. He is such a good baby! It was fun to chat with newly short-haired Becca and catch up on the goings-on. I came home and worked, Tomkin and I walked Chloe and then exercised to "Project Runway," and then I did more work while watching "Dancing with the Stars." (Can't wait to see the finals next week. I'm torn between Brooke and Lance!)

Note the hilarious location of my Weight Watchers meeting site.

Today was another busy workday. We didn't even have time to walk Chloe! I went to Weight Watchers this afternoon and was very surprised to learn that I lost another 2.2 pounds this week! That brings me to a total of 9.4. After dining out and going to the wedding, I actually thought I might gain this week. Needless to say, I was very happy! I got a rush editing job for a new client, which I worked on after talking to Mom tonight. Tomkin just called to say that the poker gang is heading to Pizza Luce for a beer. I was tempted to join them, but I opted to stay home and keep blogging.

Until next week...thanks for reading!