20.) Electricians
We now have a super electrician! Unfortunately a storm raged in the Twin Cities the same weekend Eric, Mindy, and the kids came to visit. We were without electricity for four days, but with wonderful neighbors offering up generators and assistance with trees we got through the ordeal. Best line of the weekend though - "Man, you look like you had a rough weekend" as I stepped off the elevator with wet hair.
19.) Camping at St. Croix
We went camping with Stacie and Matt on the St. Croix for a long weekend. A ten-mile canoe trip and a wilderness-y hike were highlights of the weekend. Remember to always bring three cans of bug spray :)
Car Craft was held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds and Evan was PUMPED. He even ordered tickets before we went to the event and informed me that the burnouts started at 5pm sharp. Needless to say that I am probably not the best companion. He loved looking at the engines, and I tried to associate it to something I understood. For example - Rat Rods are similar to Shabby Chic. Definitely a must if you are a car enthusiast!
This was a blast. I happened to sit in the right sit at work and win two amazing tickets to this event held at Target Field! We were serenaded for six hours by Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, and the Eli Young Band. My co-workers all agreed that I was the right person to win because I am a cowgirl from South Dakooooota.
What a pleasant surprise from my brother and sister-in-law! Jake won four tickets from his work place for the 16th row. I had never been to a professional football game and was pumped to spend it with family in such awesome seats!! Unfortunately, Evan nor I have Vikings gear and were heckled slightly for being out of sorts with a Twins shirt and pink shirt!
We went fishing with Kinsey and Bennett over the 4th of July was awesome. They had never gone before and I really didn't know what their attention span would be. Kinsey however surprised me and picked up on the concept really fast! She learned to cast a line and even caught some seaweed :). Bennett tried too to reel up the line… he did pretty good for being a little over 1! Overall it was great to fish with my brothers and sister, and watch the kids experience a first. It definitely is tough being away and not seeing these type of things!
Hosting family and friends has been a blessing. We have had tons of people visit this summer, which translates into that Evan and I had to learn to host! I give props to everyone who hosts because it is fun, yet hard. Advice from my mom, "stick to a recipe that you know you can make." Translate into you probably will get brownies, banana bread, and something grilled :). Thank you everyone that have ventured our way!!! Keep it coming!
Evan and his co-worker, Andy, decided to go fishing at Lake Mille Lacs, and boy was it interesting. That lake is HUGE… 16 miles wide and 60 miles round. So when we went six miles out it was established that there was no going back for bathroom breaks. Let's just say I'm awesome. Anyways, the fish we were trying to catch are trophy fish for SD, but MN this is ordinary. Every walleye had to be between 18-20" and we could only catch 2 each. So when I caught my 27" walleye, I was a little teary-eyed throwing it back into the lake.
You have to remember to water your plants. And don't be fooled when the garden people tell you it would take a lot to kill the plant. Well I have killed, re-planted, and killed again. Succulents are awesome, but not my friends. Also tubulars need to be planted in the fall verses the spring. I have mastered hedging though. Three hours later every bush was hedged into a nice egg-shape. SDSU grounds keeping skills have served me well. Ps. There are no pictures because I have killed all my plants including my succulents :(
11.) Brainard International Raceaway
This was apart of Evan's weekend. I admit it - I am spoiled by my husband. So this weekend was going to be all about Evan! The first thing we did was buy a grill. This was a double win because it reduced how much I had to cook. The next thing was heading up to Brainard to watch some racing.
I feel we have only touched the beginning of different ethnic food places here in the cities. This is what I have learned though - Ethiopian Food looks like baby food but you have to convenience yourself that it isn't brain puree. Pig Ate My Pizza is one crazy-loud, speciality pizza joint in Robbinsdale. Delicious Chow Mein is totally ghetto and totally delicious! This place you can see the people cooking the Chinese in sandals, but it comes in those cute white boxes, which obviously trumps the gross factor!
We broke down and bought a Smart TV. This thing is huge in our little living room upstairs (I cannot wait until our renter moves out of the basement so we can make it an entertainment/family room downstairs). When Evan measured it the type did not make it seem that big - looks are deceiving! Football games and 3D movie viewers are welcome always! Oh yes, we also bought a dehumidifier… but I have yet to get a smart phone :)
I used to hedge at SDSU all the time when I worked grounds keeping. I was a horrible hedger. I even cut through the extension cord once! Anyways, I had the goal to hedge everything in our yard. At first I didn't think it was going to be that much, but as the afternoon wore on and the bushes seemed to multi I realized it was a daunting task. Three hours later I had made dino-egg shaped trees and oval bushes. Next time I may shape my trees into hearts.
This was a bucket list item for me; however, I didn't ever imagine that it would become a staple event! One day I received a text from Evan saying "I bought a clippers." My initial reaction was to groan because I knew it was for his hair, but I still asked "Is that for the bushes or your hair?" I never heard anything and when I had gotten home he had given himself a haircut and I was supposed to 'feather' it in. You all know I am not crafty and I have had my own mishaps trimming my bangs, so this was not going to be good. Well we finished 'feathering' it in, it was going to be the way it was going to be. Luckily it didn't turn out bad, but next time I probably should not use the same scissors that I used with glueing items ;)
6.) Food Truck Fair
Imagine this greasy, gooey grub that awaits you on sticks and baskets that you pay an arm and your six pack abs for…. this is that mystical place in Uptown with twenty various food trucks.
When Evan hits the tennis courts he transforms into Andre Agassi, and when I serve I become Ana Ivanovic. That's right we play tennis. Evan even joined a tennis league, which I proudly say that he is 2-0! Anyways, our first night we decided to play tennis we decided to ride bike. After going 1/2 mile Evan's bike pedal fell off and my tire was warped, so we turned around. Our neighbor had been watching us and saw our failed attempt as we awkwardly pedaled back up. He came over and offered his spare pedal. How nice! How weird! Who keeps a spare pedal in their garage?! After we replaced the tire we were back on the road en route to Wimbledon. Dare you to challenge us to a volley!
Work is work. Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. I never know what I can say and what is still confidential. Here is some things I have done: helped deploy external marketing to 600 MSFT Shop-in-Shops, Fantasy Football event, category sales, built this years holiday plan and taught it out, ran the external marketing for back to school student deals, filled in as a insert marketing lead for the tablets business team, and much more. I have played in the print insert, digital insert, SMS texting, dot.com, m.dot, CRM, Deal of the Day, affiliates, SEO, and paid media. Needless to say I have learned a lot and grown a lot. Just when you think you know how to market, there is a twist!
The best advice I have received when moving to the cities is be a tourist in your own city. This means go to those tourist traps, take a segway tour, and embrace the little things. One weekend when the nieces and nephew were visiting we headed over to St. Paul to the Minnesota Science Museum. There are multiple levels with various cool science exhibits and demonstrations. I hate science, but was actually really impressed!! So if you have a kid or you want to learn to make music with a banana check out this cool place!
Family traditions will not die :). I love to take the backroads home on Thursdays and Fridays… weaving from one Yard Sale sign to another while heading north. Sometimes if I am running early to work I will even stop at an estate or rummage sale. So far I have uncovered an eight foot toboggan, hand painted fishing bucket with antique pole, a wooden futon frame converted to a lawn chair, and a drill press. Next summer I'm taking off a Thursday and Friday and will hunt until my little heart is content! If you join me please bring your bargaining attitude and running shoes!
Best part of this summer has been spending and sharing all of these memories with my best friend and the Husband of the Year - Mr. Jones.
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