Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Staycation...All I Ever Wanted, Staycation...Didn't Get Away

Going in to our staycation, I wasn't sure if we'd use the time to play tourist around town, catch up on all the projects we never seem to have time for, or just relax and unwind. Turns out we ended up doing a little bit of each. On Friday, July 3rd, Tomkin, Chloe, and I headed to the Elko Flea Market. At first it looked like they mainly had antiques. But then we found a vendor who had all kinds of cool jewelry. We spent well over an hour just looking through her tables. Tomkin found a bunch of pins to put on his jean jacket, and he also picked out a bunch of tie tacks and cuff links. I got an assortment of bracelets and earrings. Cheap and fun! We had left Dulsi at home, thinking that Becca and Omar would pick her up on their way from the airport. But they ended up going straight home. So Tomkin and I drove Dulsi over, which gave us an excuse to see their fabulous new house. It's huge! But I guess when you have four boys and a dog, you need a lot of space. It's a beautiful home--and great for parties! I'll be ready to head over with my dancin' shoes on. We came home, read, and relaxed, and then we took Chloe for a walk. That night we watched "Spring Breakdown" (not a great movie, but fun, and I was entertained by the three main actresses) and "So You Think You Can Dance."
Saturday morning, Tomkin slept in, and I watched the movie "Young at Heart." I thought it was really good! We both got some stuff done around the house--Tomkin patched up the back steps to prep them for repainting. We got a sudden downpour just as we were about to head out for a walk. Once the rain stopped, then we all headed out. Pete came over about 6:00, and the three of us sat on the patio to eat, drink (I even broke out the wine coolers!), and chat. It was great to see him and catch up. And fun to play with sparklers! Chloe had fun, too, and even got her very own hot dog. After Pete headed home, Tomkin and I wandered around the neighborhood to take in all the fireworks. We ended up by the rec center a few blocks from home, where a bunch of people had gathered to set off fireworks/watch the show. We ended up hanging out and watching their grand finale. Quite a spectacle!
On Sunday we set out for a bike ride, not exactly sure how far we'd go or where we'd end up. We followed the River Road along the Mississippi and eventually found ourselves at Minnehaha Falls. We decided that would be a lovely spot for a picnic. It was a gorgeous day, and the place was buzzing. We found a place to sit down near the falls (though they're so dry, they were more like a trickle!) and enjoyed some lunch. Then we made our way to a nearby DQ for dessert before heading home. All together, we biked almost 13 miles. And it felt great, although it put a lot of strain on Tomkin's arm. Apparently, when he had his bike accident, he hyper-extended his arm, but he's still been using it like it's fine. So now he's trying to cut back on using it and has even taken to wearing a sling. Unfortunately, that means no more bike rides for a while.... We went home and took a nap, and then we watched "The King of Kong." Great documentary! We took Chloe for a walk--there were lots of people out, which was cool. Then we relaxed and watched "So You Think You Can Dance."
Monday morning we slept in and spent some time just lounging around the house. We had originally planned to rent a canoe that day, but then we realized that wouldn't be good for Tomkin's arm. We drove to the Rosedale Mall to run a couple errands (and got out of there as quickly as possible). Then we picked up some food from Brasa, a new restaurant nearby, and all headed to Fort Snelling State Park. We hiked around until we found a good spot, and then we threw down a blanket and had ourselves a picnic. The food was okay--I wasn't blown away. Chloe sure liked it, though! After we ate, we hiked some more. The area was beautiful--I'd never been there before. It's amazing how lush everything is considering what a dry summer we've had. One highlight of the day was seeing a deer! That was really cool. Back at home, we ran Chloe up and down the block, trying to tire her out before we took her to the Humane Society for her Canine Good Citizen test. (You would never know she's almost nine years old!)We also did some last-minute practicing. We were pretty sure she'd do well on most of the test, but we were nervous about a few things. (Would she "stay" as long as she was supposed to? Not get excited when walking by another dog? Refrain from whining when we left the room?)We headed to the AHS in Golden Valley, filled out the paperwork, and joined 15 other dogs and their owners for the test. Tomkin ran all ten tests with Chloe, and she seemed to do really well. There were a couple times when she was like, "Hey, there's Mom! I should go over to her!" But the main things the test checks for is whether the dog is fearful or aggressive (in addition to having some training), and Chloe was neither of those. As far as we could tell, she did everything they asked of her. But we had to wait until the end, when the evaluators spoke with each dog family one-on-one to let them know the results. They had told us up front that most dogs don't pass the first time around. But Chloe did!!! We were SO proud of her! I'm sure she didn't understand what the big deal was, but we were both just thrilled. This was the first step toward having her become a therapy dog--we'll begin that training in August. I think she'll be great at that, and I'll really enjoy doing it with her.
Tuesday morning, Jessie Marianello from Stray Dog Arts came over to do a photo shoot with Chloe. For my upcoming 40th birthday, Tomkin is commissioning portraits of Chloe and Scout, which is something I've wanted for years. And I really love Jessie's work. Chloe was an excellent subject--it'll be hard to choose which picture we want Jessie to use for the portrait! I showed her some pictures of Scout and told her about his personality. I still need to send her some photos, and we'll agree on the one she should paint. I'm so excited! That afternoon, Tomkin and I headed to the Minnesota governor's mansion, which is just a few blocks away on Summit Avenue. We walk by it all the time, and so we jumped at the chance to go inside and take a tour. The house was beautiful, but not overdone, and we enjoyed learning about its history. They had a docent assigned to each room, and they really kept things moving along. I loved how one docent squinched up her face when Tomkin asked about Jesse Ventura. Not her favorite subject, apparently! The grounds and gardens were lovely; it was really fun to get a glimpse of it all. (Governor Tim Pawlenty, who may run for President in 2012, lives at the house part-time with his family.) After the tour, Tomkin got a haircut and ran to the library. Then we walked Chloe to the bike store so I could get some padded bike shorts. (We're still planning to do the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour in September, though it looks like we may do the 15-mile route now instead of the 30-mile route.) My dad, Sandy, Phillip, and Sandy's friend Judie had come down from St. Cloud for the day so they could go to the Mill City Museum. They met us at our house, and then we all went to Pizza Luce for dinner. They'd had a great day, and it was fun to see them all and share stories. That night I had my weekly phone call with my mom, and then Tomkin and I watched a little TV.
Wednesday morning, Helena picked me up and we headed to Red Nails for pedicures. She was about to embark on a busy week, so it was nice to enjoy a little time of pampering. Once our tootsies were all pretty, we went to nearby Tea Source for some iced treats. It was a great way to kick off the day! Back at home, Tomkin gave Chloe a bath, and then he had lunch with his folks and did some work. I checked out the new Trader Joe's here in St. Paul. I'm so happy it's finally open! Tomkin and Chloe and I all took a nap on the couch, and then Tomkin and I got gussied up for the Minnesota Bride "Best Of" awards, which were held at the beautiful Varsity Theater. Tomkin was a finalist for Best Officiant! Syd and Dave picked us up, and we all headed over together. We had some food and drinks, did some mixing and mingling, and waited to hear the results. Of course we all thought that Tomkin was a shoe-in, but the award in his category ended up going to a judge. Phooey! Well, next year he'll take it for sure. After that party (which was fun, regardless), we headed to Brit's Pub and snagged a table on the rooftop. It was a cool place--I hadn't been there before. (One of the fun things about Staycation was checking out new places!) We got some food (including cake!) and drinks (including champagne!). It didn't matter that Tomkin didn't take home an award--we know he's the best and love him no matter what.
Thursday morning we slept in, and then we walked to the Blue Door Pub for lunch. It was a beautiful day, and we had to wait to get a table outside. But that was fine. We had a great (though unhealthy) meal--Juicy Blucys and tator tots. Delicious! On our way home, Tomkin popped into his barbershop to have them trip up his hair. Chloe went inside with him. I checked out Rebel Ink Baby, and then we all went into Patina. (With so much breakable stuff in the store, I was surprised they let the dog in--but I was glad they did!) Chloe was nice enough to carry all our purchases home in her backpack. We napped and read for a while, and then Tomkin and I went to the Ax-Man Surplus store--another first for me. They've got a lot of weird stuff--but it was really fun! We spent a long time checking things out and ended up with some real "treasures." That night we watched the fascinating documentary "Devil's Playground" about Amish teenagers (can you tell we're making the most of our Netflix membership?), and then we just hung out and relaxed. It always amazes me how easily we can kill time. And we never get tired of just hanging out and talking!
We had planned to go to the Guthrie tour on Friday morning, but we decided to just sleep in instead. Good thing! After getting up earlier to let Chloe out, I slept until 10:00, and Tomkin slept until noon! I guess we needed it. Tomkin had to take care of some car stuff, and I focused on catching up on all the blogs I read. I had over 1,000 posts that I hadn't looked at yet! (Needless to say, I skimmed over most of the newsy ones and just read those that struck my fancy or were written by people I actually know.) A couple of my favorite blogs these days are The Black Snob and Michelle Obama Watch. Both of them are entertaining but also enlightening and educational. I've also recently started reading Jane Fonda's blog--she's really interesting and insightful. Another new favorite is Awful Library Books, just for the entertainment value. Of course the best blogs are the ones my friends and family members write--I always love seeing and hearing what people are up to! Friday afternoon, Tomkin and I went to the Midtown Global Market. Neither of us had ever been there before, and we both thought it was really cool! People never seem to think of MSP as being a place of great diversity, but this place shows that we have more than just Norwegians and Swedes around here! Tomkin and I had some amazing African food for lunch, and then we browsed around stores that sold Indian clothing, Mexican foods, Scandanavian books and treats, and all kinds of other goodies. We also got some sugar-free fudge and some delicious produce. After we got home (and Tomkin took a nap), we took Chloe for a walk. Then Tomkin painted our back steps, and I read more blogs. That night we had pizza buns for dinner (a childhood favorite) and then watched "Monsoon Wedding." I needed a break from documentaries!
On Saturday, Tomkin spent the day (along with some of his poker-playing friends) at a gun class, which went from 10:00 to 5:00. I did laundry, wrote e-mails, read blog posts, labeled photos from Spain (it's been five months since our trip, so I figured I should get moving on that), and even did a bit of work. Once Tomkin got home, we rested for a while, and then we took Chloe for a walk. We picked up pizza from Pizza Luce and came home and ate it on our patio. Then Tomkin read while I labeled Spain photos. Gotta say, it's slow going! I still have a few hundred more pictures to label....
Sunday was our last day of staycation. We slept in and then ate cold pizza in bed. (Chloe liked that, since she got the crusts!) We read and relaxed for a while, and then we took Chloe and headed to Lake Como. It was a beautiful day out, so we walked around the lake. We had hoped to rent a paddleboat, but they don't allow any pets on the boats. Ah, well. We still had a great time! We saw lots of cool birds--Chloe sure would have loved to chase after the geese!
When we got home, Tomkin took a nap, and I read on the front porch with Chloe. Then we both sat outside in the Adirondack chairs and read for a while. That night we watched a little TV, read some more, and relaxed. I really do feel like our staycation was a good balance of activity and rest. I can't wait to have another one!
Monday morning, Tomkin headed back to the office. I went shopping at Cub and then went to a Profitlancers meeting. (I hadn't been to one in months!) It was just me and two other women, and we basically sat around and chatted--some about work (we're all freelancers) and some about other stuff. It was fun to catch up with them. Tomkin's new Roomba arrived (we now have one for the main floor and one for the basement). Gotta say--they're doing a great job! We took Chloe for a walk, and that night I had a premarital counseling session. Tomkin took Chloe and went to the library, then hung out in the yard until my meeting was done. We sat in the front porch, and Tomkin read while I did some editing work.
Yesterday (Tuesday), Tomkin went shopping at Menard's then worked on some house projects. I did a big shopping trip to Target. We took Chloe for a walk and went by the vet's office for her monthly weigh-in. She was 108.8 pounds, which means she lost about three pounds this month! Just a few more pounds to go. In the evening, Tomkin met with a couple, and I had a premarital counseling session. Since Chloe had to spend time in her crate, I gave her a fresh beef bone as a distraction. She happily chewed on it all evening! Tomkin and I watched "Man on Wire"--great movie.
This morning Tomkin worked on the front porch and then had lunch with his folks. I swept the patio and sidewalks, then got the guestroom ready for Carrie's visit this weekend (yay!), cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, and got a spray tan. Tomkin and I took Chloe for a walk--it was another beautiful day. Then tonight Tomkin and a couple friends went to see Emo Phillips at the Acme Comedy Club. I talked to my mom (who I'll get to see in a few weeks, when we both go to Grand Forks!), and worked on the blog. We've got a fun weekend ahead, so I can't really complain about our staycation being over. It sure was fun while it lasted, though!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

New Homes, Old Friends, and Long Walks

Last Thursday, June 25th, was a beautiful day--perfect for moving! Tomkin, Marcus, Nick, and I helped Helena move into her beautiful new home. (Her dad and one of his friends helped, too.) Helena was impressively organized--all the small items were in labeled boxes, and larger items were all set aside and ready to go. It made the day go very smoothly, and we only had to take two trips to get everything moved. I've dubbed the new place Helena's House of Happiness and Healing, aka The 4H Club. Lots of positive energy there. We started the move at 12:30, and it took us less than three hours to get everything over to the new house and into the designated rooms. Tomkin and I headed home to shower, rest, and get a little work done. Then we met up for dinner at Pizza Luce with Helena, Nick, and Marcus. Helena gave each of her helpers a bag of fun goodies and she treated us to a delicious dinner (and dessert!). Of course the best part was hanging out with fun and awesome people! In other news, Thursday was the day that both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. Quite a sad one-two punch. That evening, Tomkin biked over to Kowalski's (I stayed home to start packing for my trip to Iowa), and he ran into his ex-wife, Claire. She told him that their cat, Naia (who we had renamed Mittens), recently died. So that was sad, too. Before I moved to Minnesota, Mittens was good company for Tomkin (then she went to live with Claire), and she was a beautiful cat.
Friday morning I finished packing, and then I headed out about 12:30 for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I had my GPS, a cooler full of snacks and drinks, and lots of books on CD. The trip went smoothly, and I arrived at Lisa's about 5:15. Right now Lisa, her fiance Richard, and their baby daughter Kaya are living with Lisa's parents. Lisa and Richard are getting married in February, and they're hoping to buy their own house sometime soon. (She showed me one that they're looking at--it's gorgeous!) I hadn't seen Lisa since October 2007! I stayed with her the night before I drove away from Chicago into the open arms of Tomkin and St. Paul. It was wonderful to see her again and good to meet the rest of her family. She and Richard seem like a great couple--he's really nice and fun. And Kaya is adorable! We all went out for Italian food that night, then just hung out at home and caught up. Lisa showed me her beautiful wedding dress (top secret!) and the invitations, which she's making herself. It was fun to talk about her wedding (which will be in Iowa) and shower (which will be in Chicago). Back in Minnesota, Tomkin had a wedding rehearsal, and then some housecleaners he hired came over for a few hours to do some deep cleaning. What a treat to have that done--especially while I was away!
Saturday morning, Lisa went to a bakery and picked up lots of yummy treats for breakfast. She drove me to the church where they'll be getting married, and then we went to Starbucks and got some coffee. We went back and hung out at home for a little while, then went to Zoey's, a local pizza place, for lunch. We stopped by a bakery to look at wedding cakes and went to Michael's to look at crafting supplies. We went back home, and I took a short nap. Unfortunately, Kaya wasn't feeling too well--she was both teething and gassy. So she spent most of the day either crying or sleeping. Poor baby! Every so often, though, she'd be feeling good and want to play. We watched much of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" marathon, and Lisa's mom made us all a delicious dinner. Tomkin was busy back in MN--Omar dropped off Dulsi, the housecleaners came back (they did 22 total hours of work!), and Tomkin officiated a wedding. He barely had time to miss me!
On Sunday I left a little after 8:00am and was home by 12:30. It was a beautiful day for a road trip, and my book on CD helped the time fly by. When I got home, we took a nap, and then we set out for a walk with the dogs. We found a great new walking place--it's just a few blocks away, along the railroad tracks. It's down in a valley--very secluded, and we could safely let the dogs walk off-leash. There are wildflowers and lush vegetation, the sky was blue, and it just couldn't have been a more gorgeous setting. We've nicknamed it the "Wardrobe" after the Narnia book, since going there feels like stepping into another world. We went home, relaxed, read on the front porch, and had dinner on the patio. That night we watched our first Netflix movie: "Billy Elliot." Tomkin hadn't seen it before. Such a great film!
On Monday, Tomkin started the week by getting his third root canal. Thankfully he has an amazing dentist, so it all went smoothly and painlessly. He went to the library and his office. I spent the day working at home. We went back to the Wardrobe to walk the dogs--another beautiful day. That evening I had a premarital counseling session, and Tomkin met with a couple. Tracy was nice enough to take the dogs while we were both working. That evening we planned our staycation. We had made a list of things we want to do and local places we want to go, primarily ones we haven't been to before. Then we charted everything out for the week. Some stuff is scheduled, and for other stuff we can play it by ear. No matter what we do, I know it'll be fun--and a much-needed break from work!
Tuesday was a stressful, annoying day. For one thing, all my grant work is up in the air since we're having some issues with funding sources. It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. (Although Al Franken was finally declared our newest senator, so that was good!) Tomkin met with a couple, then headed into the office. I did my weekly shopping trip to Target--since I don't want to shop next week, during our staycation, I bought even more groceries than usual. I honestly don't know if I could have fit anything more onto that cart! It was quite a feat of engineering to get everything on there with nothing getting squished. That night I had a premarital counseling session, and Tomkin took the dogs for a walk with Tracy and Wilbur. Then we went for a lovely bike ride down Summit Ave. That was just what I needed.Yesterday (Wednesday), we had lunch at Tomkin's parents' house. Nancy had cataract surgery in one eye last week and is having the second eye done next week. It sounds like her world is literally brighter and more colorful now! Tomkin and I went to a store that sells wild bird supplies (I didn't know there was such a place!), and we bought a hummingbird feeder. Then we went to Menards and picked up a birdbath. It looks beautiful in the yard, and we've already seen a few grackles splashing around in it. We took a little nap, then went back to the Wardrobe to walk the dogs. This time we took along some garbage bags, which we filled with litter as we walked. Tomkin had to go meet with a couple; I caught up on some e-mails and worked. Last night Tomkin brought the dogs along to his weekly poker game--it sounds like they all (Chloe, Dulsi, and Wilbur) got pretty crazy. But they had a good time! I had a premarital counseling session, then talked to my mom. We've set a date now to go to Grand Forks! We'll be going the second full weekend of August. My aunt Candy is going, too! That should be a lot of fun.

This morning (Thursday) Tomkin met with a couple, then biked to the eye doctor for a check-up. He's decided that he wants to bike as many places as possible now. I ran errands, had a phone date with my friend Stephanie (she lives in Chicago and is getting married in October), and did some editing. I was supposed to get one more report to edit before our staycation started, but now I won't get it until next week sometime. Oh, well--a couple hours of work isn't going to kill me, I suppose.... Tomkin suggested that we walk the dogs down to W.A. Frost and get dinner on the patio. That was such a good idea! It's a beautiful summer day, and the servers there could not be nicer or more friendly. They brought out a big bowl of water for the dogs, who--thankfully--were very well-behaved. The woman at the table next to ours even asked if she could give them some bacon. The walk home felt a little long (it's 1.8 miles each way), and we were all pooped by the time we got back. Now everyone is resting. Becca and Omar will be picking up Dulsi tomorrow. It's been really fun to have her here! She and Chloe have become good pals. We'll be starting our staycation by going to the Elko Flea Market. I hope everyone has a fun, safe, and relaxing Fourth of July weekend!