Deep Freeze

My blogging schedule has gotten all out of whack! And it looks like our schedule is going to stay pretty crazy for the next couple of months, so I need to squeeze in some blogging whenever I can. Anyway, back to last Friday, the 9th....Tomkin had lunch with his friend Bill, and I did some editing work. After a short nap, we took Chloe and George to a nearby park and let them run off some steam. That evening we watched "Volver" (getting in the mindset of going to Spain!) and then started watching "Colonial House." Fascinating, although the people they picked were awfully whiny.

Tomkin napping with the dogs

I spent most of Saturday working on Brenda's birthday gift. I bought her a digital picture frame, and I went through scores of photo albums and scrapbooks, taking photos from our decades-long friendship. We met when we were about ten years old--our moms worked together at the Area Vocational Technical Institute. Then we were in ballet together for years, starting at the Nancy Pasley Ballet School and working our way into the North Dakota Ballet Company. We made crafts, ordered "free stuff," went to horse camp, collected stamps, adored Princess Diana, went hiking in the Rockies, celebrated my 30th birthday in Florida, went to London, and last year she was my maid of honor. It was quite a trip to look back at all our years together--we've had a lot of fun adventures (and a number of questionable style choices)! Tomkin and I worked out to "Project Runway" (it was too cold to take the dogs out), and that evening we met up with Carol and Steve for dinner at The Peninsula. We spent three hours talking, and the time just flew by! It was a really fun evening. When we got home, I was picking up dog toys and rawhides, and it must have sent the dogs into protective mode. They got into a fight, and George ended up biting Chloe under her eye. Right after it happened, they were both wagging their tales like it was no big deal. We've been putting some antibiotic ointment on the wound, and Chloe seems to be doing fine.
On Sunday the 11th, it was one year since Tomkin and I got engaged! So last year at this time, I was busy making phone calls and wedding plans. What an amazing year it's been! I spent a lazy day watching awards shows ('tis the season!) and uploading photos to Facebook. After working on Brenda's photo project, I decided to digitize the photos I had of Tomkin from college, my five-year-reunion, and Becca's wedding. Back when I took those photos, I certainly never thought I'd marry him! (But, wow, am I glad I did!!!)

Tomkin as Buffalo Bill during a summer theater showTomkin on a return trip to Carleton in 1992

At my 5-year Carleton reunion, with Christopher, Virginia, Johanna, Tomkin, and Amy

We brought Chloe and George over to Roxanne and Jim's house to run around in their fenced-in backyard with Watson. Good to get them worn out! That evening we watched more of "Colonial House," and then I watched the Golden Globes. (I'm dying to see "Slumdog Millionaire"!)Monday I was busy responding to inquiries for both editing jobs and premarital counseling. It was a really snowy day, but I still made it to my Profitlancers group, as did two other women. Our topic of discussion was using Twitter for business. They've both started doing it; I'm planning to start soon. I was supposed to have my first digital photography class that night, but it got cancelled because of the nasty weather. Tomkin still had to meet with a couple. When he got home, we curled up and watched more "Colonial House." (Boy, do these shows make me thankful for the time and place in which I live!)

Chloe and George helping Tomkin with his workout

Tuesday morning, Kris stopped by to pick up George. She and Dave had gotten home from Jamaica the night before, just before the coldest weather of the year. I skipped an editors' event and Weight Watchers, but did go shopping at Target. Tomkin and I watched a couple episodes of "30 Rock" (in the middle of the day--naughty!) and did some cleaning. That evening I talked to Mom and then watched "American Idol." I'm so excited that it's back!

Our house may look cold from the outside, but it's warm and cozy inside!

Wednesday the 14th I went to a lecture hosted by the Minnesota Book Publishers Roundtable. The topic was "digital book technologies," including ebooks and print-on-demand books. It was fascinating to hear about how the publishing world is changing and adapting. I'll be curious to see if eReaders (like Kindle) take off as much as they're predicted to. I spent the afternoon editing, and Tomkin had lunch with his folks, then went into the office. That evening he joined me for the book-release party of Lilac, a novel I edited earlier this year. I had never actually met the author (Helm Matthews) before, so it was good to finally meet him face-to-face. After the party, we came home and finished watching "Colonial House." Of the PBS shows in this vein we've watched so far, this was my least favorite. Still entertaining (and educational--for instance, I hadn't realized that the colonists were really more focused on commerce than on religion) and definitely worth watching, but just not as fun as some of the other series.
Thursday I spent much of the day preparing for our Third Thursdays party. (This month we served champagne cocktails.) The air temperature was 20 below, and Tomkin's car wouldn't start. Thankfully, our kind and generous neighbor Shawn came over and gave him a jump. I did some work and ran a few errands. We got two boxes of birthday and Christmas gifts from Brenda with lots of cool stuff, including some beautiful pottery. (In fact, for that evening's party, all food was served in ceramics that Brenda made!) And Chloe LOVES the food cube Brenda sent her. Tomkin had to go to a wedding rehearsal. I finished getting ready for the party, and everything came together just in time--phew! I was expecting 5 or 6 guests, but we ended up having 11, and people had a really good time! Funny, though--most of the guests were neighbors, and everyone lived in St. Paul (didn't have to travel far through the brutally cold temps). One of our guests was a next-door neighbor who I had never met before. Around 9:00, my friends Marcus and Helena arrived. They were friends of mine in college, and I probably haven't seen them in 16 or 17 years! Marcus is the Artist-in-Residence of St. Paul, and Helena owns the Center for Happiness. I knew Marcus was coming to the party, but seeing Helena was a total surprise! We were both art history majors at Carleton and spent a semester studying in Amsterdam. Of course I had to get out a couple photo albums, so we could look back at ourselves 19 years ago. The whole evening was really fun--just what I needed in the midst of this bleak winter weather!


Yesterday (Friday) Tomkin and I exercised to "Project Runway" (we've really been missing our walks). He headed to the office, and I caught up on my work blog. I didn't actually leave the house at all yesterday.... Just after we'd finished cleaning up from our party the night before, we set out more food and got ready for an evening of Rock Band 2! Jill & Chris and Adam & Cheryl came over, and everyone really got into it! I think everyone, to some extent, dreams of being a rock star, and it's amazing how real that can seem, even if you're just playing plastic instruments in your friends' living room. We played for hours, and everyone took turns switching instruments and singing. Eventually the girls dropped out, but the guys just kept on playing. After more than three hours, we all laid the instruments to rest and just chatted and ate for a while. It's hard work being a rock star!
Today (Saturday the 17th) the temperature shot up to a balmy 20 degrees! After a relaxed morning around the house and a nice long conversation with my friend Heidi, Tomkin and I took Chloe for a long walk. It felt so good to get out again! Instead of buying coffee during our walks, we have now started bringing hot drinks along with us. Much more economical! Tomkin is now at a wedding, and this evening we're heading over to my uncle Rick's house--my cousin Danelle is in town from Texas, and I haven't seen her in eight years!
Wherever you are, I hope you are doing warm and staying well. As always, thanks for reading my blog!