Observations...

I'm learning a lot about life as a Minnesotan. The following catches my attention the most:

There are more ice cream shops here than anyplace I've ever been. And DQ started here? Don't get me wrong, we all know I L-O-V-E ice cream, but ne'er do I crave the stuff when the temp falls below 70. A blessing in disguise, me thinks.

There are also more salons per capita of any other city I've been. Why is that when half the year women are covering their hair with hats because it's so damn cold?

At the change of a season, clothes go FAST. You practically have to be at the loading dock to get the size or color of the thing you need. On top of that, because the women in MN eat and drink beer, unlike women in, say, Scottsdale, it is nearly impossible to find anything over a size 8 (unless you're patiently waiting at the dock). Perhaps another incentive to drop a few pounds?

Everyone has a dog. Everyone. And Wheatens are especially popular.

You really shouldn't run around the lakes at dusk, unless, of course, you require a run high in protein (made available by the bugs you inadvertently inhale or swallow).

Here in MN, Mother Nature is really on the ball. She literally flipped some sort of switch, and Fall was here. No joke. One day, it was sunny, beautiful weather (pretty sure it was a Thursday), and the next day (which would be Friday), there are yellow leaves littering the streets.

Driving on the small roads of SW Minneapolis, with their tiny intersections and mini stop lights, is not a good idea when you're left turn blinker is out. And, in the rain, it's a lot less fun to stick your arm out the window to signal (it's also scarier...you could lose a hand with how close you get to oncoming cars).

That's all for now. I'm sure there will be plenty more of to come...

Catching Up

NOTE: 99% of this was written at the end of July...

So...it's been awhile. Much has happened in the last few weeks. I shall debrief and then post pics later this week...

An amazing amount of work has been done to the house since I wrote last, thanks to los padres/Mom & Dad/Grandma and Grandpa. They arrived the evening of July 16 and spent most of their time here helping me get the house in order. We tackled unpacking the remaining boxes, painting the horrid, cranberry office, and just about everything in between. I don't think I can begin to count the number of hours we spent working, nor can I correctly add up the number of trips to Costco, Home Depot or Target. The end result is pretty darn amazing, and while there is much still to be done, I love that my family has put their blood (no, really), sweat, and love into making my new house a home. I can't begin to thank them enough.

There are many fun stories from our time together, and I will elaborate soon, but here are a few teasers:

• Dad gave a precious little nickname to my basement, though I think this blog will be flagged should I write it out.


• Mom cleaned my entire basement from ceiling to floor and brought the laundry tub/sink back to life with merely a sponge, white vinegar and Lime Away.


• Dad and I cut up yards and yards of carpet and carpet pad, which, I am proud to say, will fully be disposed of by tomorrow morning.
• Dad and I spent an entire day painting my office. What was once the deepest, darkest cranberry color is now a lovely Silver Sage. It's a new room.


• Mom took on the yard and garden, watering, weeding, fertilizing, and planting a lovely window box outside the kitchen window.


• Dad introduced me to Famous Dave's pickles. Yum.


• The three of us were trapped in a Super Target when a tornado warning took affect. I suppose there are worse places to be stuck...


• We spent two very fun evenings with Linda Nucci - one grilling at the house, and the other eating a Nucci family specialty at Linda's - and playing fetch with the largest, most agile sheep dog ever, Puttney (sp?).


• Linda agreed to pick up my new work desk from Crate and Barrel and transport it home with the back door of her MDX half-open (thank goodness for good friends...especially friends with SUVs). Later that evening, dad and I struggled getting the desk into the office, and we all went to bed thinking we would either have to dismantle it completely and rebuild it in the office or wait for a miracle. The next morning, out miracle came. With clear heads, we carried the desk into the room with little effort.


• We skyped for the first time with the Smiths and B.D. Rileys. Noah, Nolan & Pen stole the show, while Nolan introduced us all to naked skyping.

It was so much fun to have the folks in town - they were kind enough to put up with some questionable sleeping circumstances (office, living room) on top of all the manual labor they did. I wonder if they will ever come back? Even with the promise of a proper guest room and less work?

Random Tidbit

With regards to blogging...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEeGskOyEJk

Window Weather

My windows were open all day today. It was desperately needed considering my house still smells of varnish. Tomorrow isn't supposed to be as pleasant...in the low 80s, but with rain. There's a lot more rain here than I thought there would be. Better the rain than a higher water bill, I suppose.

So, I think I have mastered the art of recycling here in the Twin Cities. It's a rather complicated process with lots of dos, don'ts, separating, and bagging. While confusing and somewhat time consuming, I'm glad that I no longer have to transport my recycling to a different locale (thanks, Mom & Dad, for the use of your recycle bin over the last few years) just to be a greener citizen.

Speaking of recycling, I ran into my neighbors as I was putting out my recycle last night and received an update on my lawn care. It's $55/month to have my lawn mowed once a week...that's with my "Neighborhood Discount"...A.K.A. the "I only have to walk 10 ft to mow your lawn" discount. Whatever you call it, you have to call it a good deal. Best of all, I never have to worry about my lawn getting out of hand. Actually, the real "best of all" is that I don't have to do it myself. They have kept the service up even though I haven't seen them since I moved in, and I certainly haven't paid them yet (I will). They do snow removal in the winter, too. Hmmm, I wonder if they rake leaves in the fall...

El Cuatro de Julio

The unpacking seems never ending, and I'm SO done with packing paper and cardboard cuts. Yet the show must go on. The kitchen is almost complete, and my bedroom is, too. Next comes the office. I still don't have office furniture, but I'm working on it!

I did take the evening off last night to celebrate our country's birth. God bless America AND Alexis and Patrick, who invited me to join them for dinner in Northeast MPLS. What better way to celebrate America by overeating and watching fireworks? It was a beautiful night for fireworks over the Mississippi...unfortunately, the mosquitoes were out in full force. I was lucky enough to avoid them, but Alexis drew them in, and within the 30 minutes we were out of the house, she racked up 19 bites. I'm convinced that any mosquitoes that were thinking about attacking me found her much more appetizing. Poor girl...

I hit the gym (Lifetime Fitness) for the first time in a long time this evening with my friend Cheri. We went to a great class called "Strike!", which is pretty much a cardio kickboxing class . It was tough, but it felt great! I will probably be joining this gym in the next couple weeks. I'm looking forward to getting into a routine.

Until then, here's to more unpacking!

Minneapolis vs. Iceland

Did you know that Icelandair has very reasonable direct flights from Minneapolis to Reykjavik, Iceland? Well, I did. And I just booked myself a ticket to head there Oct. 1 - 6. Three years after our first European adventure, Katie Hoole and I will be returning to explore the land of waterfalls, moonscape, glaciers, and geothermal pools. The question that begs to be asked is whether Iceland is colder than Minneapolis in October. I will let you know...

El Blogo no es Muerto

I had no idea my readers would take my few-day hiatus so hard. Frankly, I'm not surprised. My life is fascinating. Why, just today I spent an hour in Target trying to figure out a shoe-arranging solution for my closet.


So, where did I leave off? Ahh, yes. Wednesday. On Wednesday my belongings arrived. Four very kind and extremely competent movers took only 5.5 hours to successfully empty the truck and arrange my things. That time includes a couple donut breaks and a pizza break (I was told donuts and pizza go a long way for movers, and it couldn't be more true. Although, donuts aren't easy to come by here in MLPS...thank goodness once again for Alexis and Patrick). Anyway, the delivery went very well, and I spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking.

Simultaneously to the unloading, the bathtub refinisher came to work on the tub. Luckily, he stayed out of the way of the movers. He did a BEAUTIFUL job...the bathtub looks brand new. Unfortunately, I would not be able to use if for a couple days...

I was just ready to call it a day when Katie and Evan called. They had spent the day wandering Mall of America and then went to see a movie. We decided to grab some pizza, and, when Katie heard me mention Trader Joe's, I arranged a stop there as well so they could replenish some of their groceries. It was lovely to see them again. I think they were going to take off for Duluth the next morning...

So, that brings us to Thursday...I worked at the Broker's office and then ran back to the house to meet the un-crater and washer and dryer hooker-upper. Four hours later (ugh), I was good to go. I had a table (the glass top had been crated) and a washer and dryer!

Friday was a work-from-home day. I purchased 3-days worth of internet from the city and have been good to go. It has been tough to not unpack during the work day with all of these boxes staring at me, but I've been able to make progress in the evenings.

I am learning more and more that the kitchen cupboards are not ideal for storage. The insides are a dark, dark brown, which seems to make dark things (such as pots, pans and just about ANY of my baking pieces) disappear into a black hole when you put them away. I have purchased some white lining material, and hopefully it will help.

Along with the kitchen, I hope to have my bedroom complete today, too! I changed my mind on the furniture arrangement in my room, so I just finished moving things around (good thing I'm strong). Hence, the reason I chose to take a little unpacking/moving break and hop on-line.

So, now you know what you've been missing these last few days!

Dad, I've started a list for you to work on when you're here...

Phoenix Friends, Mexican Food, and a Parade

The title pretty much sums it up...

The lovely and always adventurous Katie and Evan David officially win the title of my First MPLS Visitors. They made a little detour on their cross-country trip to stop by and say hello...so wonderful! I gave them a little tour of the house, and Evan properly christened the new home with a couple Coronas he pulled from the cooler in the back of his truck. We then proceeded to Northeast MPLS to get some recommended Mexican food at El Taco Riendo. It was more than a little tricky getting to the restaurant, as the Celebrate Northeast MPLS Parade closed down many of the roads (unbeknownst to us - with the police out in full force, we thought there had been a mass murder or an explosion); however, like good Arizonans, we don't let much get between us and our Mexican food. We persevered, found prime parking and ate a delicious meal all the while taking in a somewhat bazaar (and never ending) Tuesday evening parade. It was great to see the Davids and catch up...they were a nice taste of home.

So, day 5 complete, and I've been to a wedding, a brewery tour, a parade and already had out-of-town visitors. Oh, and I bought a house and sold a house, too. Yes, 10220 N. 12th Pl. #1 closed yesterday. I loved every moment in that home, and I hope the new owner loves it just as much as I did. Adios.

Check List Update

So, day 4 is coming to an end. The Five Hundy arrived this evening. It shared a trailer with a lovely black Range Rover...I was not allowed to take my pick, though the question gave the nice Lithuanian driver a good laugh. Alexis and Patrick continue to go above and beyond and helped me return the rental car, etc. SUCH great friends!

Check the Five Hundy off the list. The bedroom floors are almost done (one coat of varnish to go). The bathtub refinisher is scheduled, and the basement asbestos tile/adhesive removal team is coming next Monday. The to-do list is pretty long, and rest assured that as soon as my things come (WEDNESDAY!), I will be able to post pics. Yea!

Is this thing on?

So, I have a blog. Cripes. While I do think this will be the better way for close friends and family to keep current with my goings-on here in Minnesooota, I am still shocked that I am blogging. Although, I think I may actually like this...like a really long status update that only the coolest people get to read. And much, much more of my inner monolgue on display. Good thing, or bad thing? That's for you to decide.

For now, I'm calling it a night and making one last Happy Father's Day wish to Dad, Brian and Greg...you guys are the cream of the crop and have the coolest kids ever to roam the planet.