Last Friday, Tomkin and I and a few of the other neighbors brought our leftover desserts to Lucas and Shawn's house for a "leftover pie" party. I love that idea! We chowed down on all kinds of goodies and had a great time hanging out with a fun group of neighbors.
Everyone is so laid-back and friendly, I knew they'd all get along swimmingly. Phillip and Alex spent much of the day watching football downstairs. We all enjoyed an incredible meal, which included a fruit salad, lettuce salad, wild rice salad (sorry, Kerri--no pear & mayo salad), and scalloped potatoes provided by our families. We had coffee and dessert (three kinds of pie!), and Tomkin demonstrated his dog-training skills. 
Scout and Chloe were happy to finally be let out of their crates so they could scrounge for food and get lots of attention. Of course we also took a number of family photos--everyone was very patient and accommodating. The day was a huge success; Tomkin and I both felt very loved and thankful.
Monday night, Tomkin and I went to Becca & Omar's for dinner. Becca made some incredible Pakistani food (freakin' delicious!!), and then we played a game called "Who? What? Where?" It was a drawing game, which is usually not my forte...and this was no exception. But it was still really fun. Each person selects three cards per round--one names a "who" (such as "the loch ness monster"), another a "what" (such as "turning into a werewolf"), and the last a "where" (such as "in New York City"). 
Then you have to draw a picture of all of those things, and the other players try to guess what you were attempting to draw. And then hilarity ensues! Not to mention great confusion. After the game, we all strolled down memory lane by looking at some photos from the year that Becca and Cat and I lived together in Chicago. The laughter! The fun! The parties! The hair! It was a really fun evening--always a pleasure to hang out with Becca & Omar. (I'm so glad we're in the same city again!)
I started out the week by getting breakfast at the Neighborhood Cafe with Heidi, a friend I've known since high school. She lives nearby, and I'm excited that I'll get to see her more now. It was fun to hang out and catch up. We're both looking forward to our 20-year high school reunion next year! (Ack!)
On Sunday afternoon, Tomkin and I saw "The Home Place" at the Guthrie. It was a great show--incredible acting, engaging script, and one of the most beautiful sets I've ever seen. (There's a video clip on the "Home Place" link.)
Belated condolences to my mom and Dick, who had to put their cat Ellis to sleep last Monday. He was 18 years old and had lived a full and happy life. He was quite a stinker, but also very sweet. "The Guy" will definitely be missed!
Today was a very busy day for the dogs! This morning we went to the dog park. Scout and Chloe were both well-behaved--they listened well and didn't bark at other dogs. And they really enjoyed getting off the main trail and exploring different parts of the park. (I'm still amazed at how huge that place is!) As soon as we got home, the dogs crashed on the couch. But then we headed to PetSmart for a make-up dog-training class.
In spite of being tired, the dogs did really well. We worked on "leave it," "drop it," "down," sitting while walking, and "saying hello" to other dogs. After all that, Scout got his nails clipped. I think everyone in the store could hear him barking--he HATES getting his nails cut. After a day that was both mentally and physically exhausting, both dogs have been sleeping hard.
Thursday night Tomkin and I skipped dog-training class and went with Amy, one of our neighbors, to Art of Grand. We meandered around Grand Avenue and went into a number of stores to enjoy free food, drinks, and music, and check out work by local artists. It was fun to go into stores I hadn't been in before and cool to hang out with Amy (herself a photographer--check out her blogs, Picture St. Paul and Petite Flower). The weather was surprisingly nice. I know I'll regret saying this soon, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to having some snow! It's weird that it's still 50 degrees in mid-November. Anyway, the browsing and the holiday decorations got me into a Christmas shopping mood. (Now I'm just waiting for some of those freelance checks to arrive!) Once we (well, Tomkin really) got tired of perusing Grand, we headed to neighborhood favorite Pizza Luce. I love that place! Tomkin and I have made a decision to eat out less, so it's really a treat now when we do go out.
Monday morning Lisa and I went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast, then sat there and talked until we were ready for lunch! We headed to Hot Doug's--she'd never been there before, and I hadn't been there in months. Delicious! 
We hung out back at her place for a while (so crazy to think that that was the last time I'll hang out alone with her in a very long time!), and then I caught the train(s) to Midway. It was such a fun weekend! So great to see so many friends again. I'm sorry I didn't get to see ALL my Chicago friends--hopefully I can catch up with more people next time.
Sunday morning, Lisa and I got breakfast at Einstein Bros., then went to church. It was so nice to be back at Holy Covenant! Unfortunately, a lot of people weren't there, but I did get to catch up with some folks, including Pastor Trey. Carrie, Lisa, and I headed to the nearby Paddy Long's pub for lunch. Then I went back up to the Andersonville neighborhood and went to Kelly's Chicago Chamber Choir concert, "Sing Me to Heaven" (songs about death). 
Kerri was there, too, so we got to visit a little more, which was nice. And the concert was beautiful. (I'll miss going to their Christmas sing-along this year!) Afterward, I walked up to Carrie's place and got to spend a little time with her and Charisma (her rabbit), which was cool. (She recently got back from a wonderful trip to Spain--you can see pictures of her trip here.) Then we walked down to the Hopleaf (it was another beautiful night out!), where we met up with Lisa, Adolfo, and Carrie. 
The place was packed, as usual, so we just ate in the bar area, which was fine. It was just fun to hang out with everyone again, back at the old haunt. Unfortunately, I missed the Surly Brewing folks by one night--they were there on Monday to debut Surly Darkness. We all ate and drank and talked for a few hours, and then I headed back with Lisa to her place. The next time I go back to Chicago, she'll be getting ready to move to Hawaii!
Saturday morning, Carrie (from PIL) picked me up, and we went to the Fiddlehead Cafe for brunch. Delicious! I had french toast that was covered in peanut butter then dipped into a "crust" of crushed Cap'n Crunch cereal, with Crunch Berries sprinkled on top. (Unhealthy eating was pretty much a theme of the whole weekend.) It was wonderful to see Carrie again; we had a really nice visit, and I got to see her adorable apartment. BTW, Carrie's episode of "What Not to Wear" will be airing on Friday, November 23rd. (Check your local listing for the time--it says 9:00 on their Web site.) Be sure to look for me, Tomkin, Lisa, and Carrie D. cheering Carrie on, since we were at the big reveal!
I went back to Lisa's, and we got all bundled up (thanks to my shopping trip the week before--Tomkin took me to REI and bought me all the warm clothes I'll need for the winter--coat, boots, long underwear, hat, etc.). Then we walked to Welles Park for Rebekah's annual birthday football game. 
It turned out to be a warmer day than we'd expected--in the 50s, which was perfect for playing football. Though when I say I "played" football, it really means that I ran back and forth on the field, took some pictures (while on the field), and drank a couple beers. I did rip someone's flag off once, which was exciting, although Rebekah scored two touchdowns while I was "guarding" her. After the game, we all hobbled back to Rebekah and Mike's for chili and other delicious food (including birthday cake!). 
Joanna and Mary Beth picked me up, and we headed to Kelly's for Game Night. It was lots of fun--we gorged on Chinese food, played with Evie and Sophie,
and actually played four games (CatchPhrase, Encore, Oodles of Doodles, and SongBurst)! We've been such softies lately.... 
We also gave Jo a bunch of presents for Alejandro--things that we had enjoyed when we were kids. The biggest hit was the Sit-N-Spin from Mary Beth. So cool! Do they make those for adults? We gamed until about 1:00, and then I headed back to Lisa's. (She was just getting home from Rebekah's birthday celebration!)
Where did the week go? I went back to Chicago last weekend for the first time since moving to St. Paul and am just getting to blog about it now. I'll split up the posts by day, rather than cramming everything into one.... 
I got to Chicago on Friday afternoon and hung out at Lisa's. It felt a little surreal to be back, but since it had only been three weeks since I moved, in some ways it seemed like I hadn't left. And it was great to see my friends again! Lisa, Carrie, and I got dinner at Jin Ju, which was fabulous. I love their spicy Korean food! 
Lisa and I had shared a bottle of champagne before we left, and then we all had a couple martinis at the restaurant. After dinner, we cooled ourselves off with ice cream at Sweet Occasions and debated whether it was too early to have Christmas decorations up. I don't know if it was the food, the drinks, the travel, or the fact that I'm an old woman, but I was falling asleep by 9:30! Thankfully, Lisa was tired, too, so we made it an early night.
Next, Tomkin and I headed to Becca and Omar's house. We got to see Max, Spencer, and Calvin before they all went off to bed. Then we grown-ups drank gin & tonics, talked, and relaxed in the hot tub. Heavenly! 
On Saturday afternoon, Tomkin and I walked the dogs to Grand Ave. and ran some errands. Scout and Chloe shopped with us at Frattallone's Ace Hardware (the people there are so friendly!) and then carried back the items we bought. Such good workers! (They're earning those treats!) Tomkin recently performed a wedding for his friends Cassidy and Angie. As a thank-you, they gave us a gift certificate to La Grolla, so we enjoyed that on Saturday night. It was fun to dress up and go somewhere swanky--especially since it was free! 
On Sunday we went back to the dog park, and that night we had one of the best dinners ever--pizza with chocolate mousse for dessert. Tomkin and I agree that we should use special things all the time (rather than just on holidays or special occasions) and create our own traditions, so we've been using a tablecloth crocheted by my great-great grandmother and eating off the china that used to belong to my great-grandparents. We drink out of crystal glasses that were a gift from friends who went to Prague, and we always have fresh flowers on the table. And we enjoy dessert out in the screened-in porch, even as the temperature starts to dip. In fact, yesterday we saw our first flurries of the season. (Just minor, though--no actual snowfall yet.)
