Way back on Monday, July 20th, we had a fairly standard day. Tomkin went into the office, and I got stuff done at home. Chloe's certificate of being a
Canine Good Citizen arrived from the AKC, so that was kind of exciting!
Tomkin and I both took Chloe for a walk, and that night I led a premarital counseling session and Tomkin met with a couple. (The photo below is us in our work duds.) We took Chloe for a second walk, then relaxed at home.
On Tuesday, Tomkin met with a couple, then went to the office. I did some editing then went grocery shopping at Target. That evening I had a premarital counseling session, and Tomkin went to the library. Our friend Mark came over, and we all went for a walk down Summit and Grand before heading to Pizza Luce for some food and drinks. Mark is moving from New York to California to get an MBA in "green" business. We wish him all the best!
That Wednesday I ran some errands, and Tomkin researched stuff for us to do in Hawaii. We also ordered a few items we'll need (water shoes, a waterproof bag that will allow us to use our digital camera underwater, prescription goggles, etc.). Less than three months now until our trip!
We brought Chloe along to have lunch at Tom and Nancy's. Their yard is so lush and beautiful!
Then we went to the Dunn Bros coffee shop in St. Louis Park to see an exhibit of paintings by Jessie Marieniello of
Stray Dog Arts--she's the art who's going to paint Scout and Chloe's portraits. I just love her stuff!
We went home and exercised to the first season of "American Idol," and then we took Chloe for a walk and let her run off some steam. That evening, Tomkin had his weekly poker game (at Ben's new house in Eagan this time), and I led a premarital counseling session and then talked to my mom. We're both getting very excited for our trip to Grand Forks, which is just a couple weeks away now!
Thursday morning we exercised to "American Idol" again, and then Tomkin had lunch with his friend Fletch (who will be moving here soon with his wife, Liz!) before heading to the office. I ran errands and did some editing, and then we both took Chloe for a walk. That night Syd and Dave picked us up and brought us to dinner at
Solera.
Neither of us had been there before--it was quite a treat! We had planned this months ago as a belated celebration for Tomkin's 40th birthday. Once a month, Solera has a
"Flavors of Spain" tasting menu, and this month the region was Galacia.
We had three courses of amazing seafood, plus dessert (eight dishes all together)! It was all delicious, but my favorites were the octopus and the cheese course.
We also had incredible wines to go with each course.
We were seated at a table for eight with two gay couples, and we had a great time talking with them. One couple had been together 18 years, and the other couple had been together 21 years! By the end of the night, we had all exchanged e-mail addresses and we hugged good-bye like old friends. It was quite a fun and festive evening!
Friday morning we got tickets to see the live tour of "
So You Think You Can Dance"! The show in Minneapolis is on my birthday, so that will be a fun way to celebrate. I spoke with Jessie Marieniello about the dog portraits she's going to paint. I had to decide which amazing photo of Chloe I wanted her to use. You can see all the possibilities from Jessie's photo shoot with Chloe
here. I decided to go with the last image, #3129. To me, that really captures Chloe's personality. This is the photo of Scout Jessie's going to paint:
It's from his birthday party, when he was just a couple years old. I love how he looks like he's smiling and ready for any adventure--that's exactly how he was. I am SO excited about these portraits. Jessie is hoping to get them done by my birthday in October. Tomkin worked on house projects and then went to the office. I went over to see Heidi, who's due with her third child next month. She's been put on bed rest for a few weeks. I picked up a slice of cake from Cafe Latte and also brought over a huge stack of magazines. It was fun to sit and chat with her for a while. Her daughter Hannah is leaving for a year-long Rotary trip to Japan in just a couple weeks, plus the family is moving to a new house soon, and of course the baby is coming, so she's got a lot going on! Tomkin and I went to Helena's yoga class at the
Center for Happiness. That hour-and-a-half just FLIES by, and I always feel so good when the class is done. We headed home to change clothes, then went to Helena's house.
We brought her a gift basket inspired by the scene in
It's a Wonderful Life where they give the family bread, wine, and salt when they move into their new home. We changed it up a little--in addition to bread and salt, we brought sparkling water, grapes, a chocolate bar, and toy mice for Helena's cats. The three of us walked to
Mirror of Korea for a delicious dinner.
Then we got an outdoor table at the fabulous
Gingko Coffeehouse. Marcus joined us, and we all sat and talked while we enjoyed yummy drinks.
We went back to Helena's house, sprawled on the floor with her cats, Solomon and Norma, and just kept talking. It felt like being back in college! It was really a wonderful night.
On Saturday, Tomkin met with a couple, then performed a wedding. I worked on editing and grant-writing stuff, blogged, and got some stuff done around the house. We took Chloe for a walk and then just hung out and relaxed at home.
Sunday was a nice, quiet Sabbath day. We walked Chloe to the library, then at home we read and relaxed. We watched a documentary called "
Dogs That Changed the World," and then we exercised to "So You Think You Can Dance."
On Monday, I officially accepted an offer to write my first federal grant proposal. It just so happens that one of the guys at Tomkin's office is applying for a USDA grant, and he was happy to get some help. I have to wrap everything up by Friday, August 28th, which means August is going to be incredibly busy (especially since we also start dog training, I've got a few counseling sessions booked, I'm going to Grand Forks, Jenny & Allison are coming to town...). Tomkin headed into the office, I went shopping at Target, and then we both walked Chloe. That night Tomkin and Chloe hung out in the basement while I led a premarital counseling session, and then I did some editing.
Tuesday morning I went in for a physical (turns out my vitamin D is low, which is fairly common in this part of the country; otherwise things look good). I worked on grant stuff, and Tomkin went to the office, then we both walked Chloe. That evening we saw "
When We Are Married" at the Guthrie, which was quite entertaining.
Then we went downstairs to the new restaurant
Sea Change and had a drink at the bar. Tomkin is always such a fun date!
Wednesday morning Tomkin had a physical (his vitamin D is low, too, and his cholesterol's a little high). They took an X-ray of his arm to confirm that nothing's broken (it's not). Since he's still in so much pain, they might do an MRI. In the meantime, he's supposed to use his right arm as little as possible, which means I need to help out more with cooking and other stuff. Tomkin had lunch with his folks, and I sat on the front porch with Chloe and worked on grant stuff.
That afternoon, I met with Jerad (the man who hired me) about the grant--it was very productive, if a bit overwhelming. We took Chloe for a walk, and then Tomkin went to his weekly poker game, and I talked to my mom. Then I did a little more work and wrote out the invitations to Chloe's birthday party, which will be on August 29th.
On Thursday, Tomkin went to the office and met with a couple. I mowed the lawn (first time using the push mower!) and worked on grant stuff. We walked Chloe to the
Mississippi Market and picked up some vitamins and a few groceries. Lucky Chloe got to carry everything home! I did some editing work, and Tomkin talked to his friend Scotty. Then we both exericised to "SYTYCD." That really makes the time fly!
Friday (yesterday) was one of those days that felt like "the best of times, the worst of times." We got some good news from a friend but some bad news from a family member. It really feels like there's a lot going on right now.... Tomkin went to the office, and I ran errands, led a counseling session, then worked on the front porch. (It's been really fun to watch all the birds and squirrels outside. At one point there were five bluejays!) By about 7:30 I was feeling pretty drained, so Tomkin, Chloe, and I all headed over to W.A. Frost and got some dinner and drinks on their beautiful patio. That was just what I needed! Then we all went home, curled up on the couch, and watched "
Dan in Real Life," which we both really liked.
And now, somehow, we're into August already! I hope that you're having a wonderful summer. Thanks, as always, for reading my blog!
Last Saturday, August 8th, Tomkin and I braved the hot, muggy weather and finally made it to the farmers market (we've been meaning to go all summer!), where we got some wheat bread with walnuts, kohlrabi, big juicy tomatoes (one of which I dropped--splat!), chunks of pork, and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. 
Back at home we took a nap, and then Tomkin headed out to officiate two weddings. I stayed home and worked on the grant. Later, we both took Chloe for a walk--it was lightly raining out, but it actually felt kind of nice. 
At the Caribou Coffee on Grand, we ran into Chris and Hannah, out for a walk. Hannah (Heidi's 16-year-old daughter) just left yesterday to spend a year in Japan on a Rotary program. We made our way home, and Tomkin read while I worked on the grant. (There is definitely a learning curve, and I still feel like I'm on the incline!)
I was really grateful for our Sabbath day on Sunday. We started by taking Chloe for a nice long walk down Snelling and Grand. We stopped in a vintage clothing shop, and Tomkin found a cool shirt and hat. Then Tomkin took Chloe to the hardware store while I did some shopping in Avalon. By this point we were pretty hungry, so we ordered a couple slices of pizza at the Italian Pie Shoppe and ate outside. 
Once we got home, Tomkin worked in the yard, and I read my People magazine on the front porch. (That has become one of my favorite Sabbath traditions!) Then Tomkin read while I wrapped presents to take along to Grand Forks. Tomorrow (Friday) night, my mom and I are hosting a combo birthday celebration for my aunt Candy (who turns 60 on the 19th!), my friend Brenda, and her mom, Barb. We exercised to part of the movie "Fame" (Tomkin had never seen it!) and watched the rest of it upstairs on the couch. We decided we're going to see the new version on opening night in September. Even if it's not very good, it'll still be fun to see it and how they've updated it for 2009.
Monday morning we were back to the grind. Tomkin had a dentist appointment and then worked at the office. I made my weekly shopping trek to Target. We both took Chloe for a walk, and we tried using her new "cool bandanna," but it didn't really seem to cool her off much. 
That night I finished wrapping presents while Tomkin read. Then I tried to work on the grant, but it was making me so miserable that Tomkin suggested we watch a movie instead. (Hooray for Netflix and the instant queue!) We ended up watching the documentary "Helvetica" about the font called Helvetica. It was fascinating, thought-provoking, and really well done.
Tuesday I actually did work on the grant, and I also did some shopping at Trader Joe's. Tomkin met with a couple and then worked at a restaurant. (Love the freedom of laptops!) We both took Chloe for a walk, and I kept her Gentle Leader headcollar on the whole time. (She wasn't thrilled about it, but she eventually got used to it.) That night Tomkin met with a couple, and I had my first therapy dog training session with Chloe at the Golden Valley Humane Society. 
I was so proud of her! She really did a great job. First of all, she was fearless going into the building and the training room. There were six or seven other dogs there, and she seemed very comfortable with everyone, both human and canine. We and one other team (handler and dog) were new to the class. We started out by just walking around the room and getting Chloe used to the wheelchair, crutches, and walker. We practiced the down-stay, meeting new people, moving out of tight spaces, "watch me," and "leave it," which was no problem for her until we got to the Kong. (It might have peanut butter in it!) They tried to stress out the dogs with a bouncing ball, a stroller, and a funny waddling duck toy, and we talked about calming signals dogs use (such as licking their lips, yawning, or looking away). Chloe was good and mellow the whole time, and she got lots of praise and treats, so I think it was a positive experience for her. We've got reading and homework assignments for next week--I'm already looking forward to the next class! If all goes well, we should complete the training in October, and she'll get evaluated and be ready to start volunteering by November.
Wednesday morning we brought my car in because the "Service Engine Soon" light has been on for the last week or so. Turns out the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced--for a total cost of about $400. Ouch. Tomkin had lunch with his folks and then worked at the office. I worked on grant stuff at home. We took Chloe for a walk and picked up the car. 
Tomkin got the results of his MRI--turns out that nothing is torn; his elbow is just inflamed. Basically, he should have started treating it right after his bike accident but since he didn't the injury was exacerbated. He's going in for a cortisone shot soon, and we're really hoping that will do the trick. Tomkin brought Chloe along to his weekly poker game, and I led a premarital counseling session, talked to my mom, and did more grant work. I am definitely feeling a little overwhelmed right now with all that needs to get done in the next couple weeks. I have a lot of fun things to look forward to (this trip to Grand Forks, Jenny & Allison coming to town, dog training, hosting some parties), but having the grant work on top of everything else is really stressing me out. Some of it's starting to come together now, but I'm just getting started on the Project Narrative, which is the real meat of the proposal. I know it'll all get done, and it helps to have such a wonderful and supportive husband, but I'll be really glad when the grant is finished....
This morning (Thursday) Tomkin and I exercised while watching the documentary "Wordplay," about the New York Times crossword puzzle and related tournament. It's a really fun movie. Tomkin headed to the office, and I ran some errands and started preparing for my weekend trip. We took Chloe for a short walk, and then Tomkin worked while I packed. I was supposed to have a grant meeting tonight, but it got canceled. Just as well--I had plenty of other things to keep me busy. We were able to get together with JimDog, which was fun. 
He came by the house, and then we all walked over to Pizza Luce. He took the bar exam a couple weeks ago, so we haven't gotten to see him much lately. It was good to catch up. And now I need to finish getting ready so I can hit the road to Grand Forks in the morning! Have a great weekend everyone!
