Is it possible to write a post which can summarize June through October 2015? I’ll hit just a few of the highlights…
A few photos from June 2015
That Grandbaby
- Baby August Edward was born on 9/27/15 at 3:08 PM. I had the pleasure of witnessing the birth, and it was amazing and beautiful. Marissa was so calm and excited to meet her little man and he is perfectly beautiful. He was born on what would have been his Auntie Abbey’s 31st birthday, and that night was the Harvest Blood Super Moon.
Ah, I love being Nana Nette.
A few photos from July 2015
Travels
- Early June, we took a drive on windy roads to Chippewa Falls in an attempt to go through the Leinenkugel Brewery. It was a popular destination that day and we couldn’t get a spot on a tour, so we bought some beer and drove on home. On the way home we drove through Ellsworth, WI and saw signs for “Showdown in Curd Town,” a tractor pull, so we stopped in! We had a burger and curds and watched FOUR HOURS of a tractor pull! What good people watching that was!
- Later in June was our week at the Lake. We had family time, alone time, time in the Cities and time at the end of the dock. We enjoyed searching for a winery in Waconia on our way to St. Cloud to watch the All Star Football game on a blisteringly hot Saturday. We saw the touring company of “ONCE” at the State Theatre in Minneapols and watched an airshow in Mankato. No pelicans at the lake this year, but it was still great to be there!
- The 4th of July was filled with family fun, minus Chris as he had to work. The boat parade was fun, the weather was hot, and the food was good. Due to the epic road trip coming up in August, Ferragosto was condensed to a weekend this year; relaxing time with girlfriends, meals at the resort, and good cocktails at the end of the dock.
- After Ferragosto we took a whirlwind road trip in the Mini – across South Dakota, through Wyoming, and to Colorado. We drove beautifully scenic roads through Rocky Mountain National Park, stayed in Vail, and then drove to the top of Pike’s Peak. We slept in a retro motel, stayed at a beautiful resort, and in the lovely company of family. It was a great time with great weather and great roads. Chris is a great driver but I was still very nervous on those windy roads!
- Late September into October we celebrated the Birthdayversary in the Cities. We planned to stay close to home due to the impending grandbaby arrival, and he arrived just in time to complete the celebrations that week with hours of baby cuddling. 🙂 We also had great meals out (Pizzeria Lola, Salut, Louis Ristorante, and Christos), and went on the Surly Brewery tour and ate at their delicious gastropub. We stayed at the lovely Covington Inn – a B&B on a boat – and had wonderful family time.
August 2015
Taylor Swift
- Koni and I accompanied Gracie and her friend Taylor to the Taylor Swift concert in St. Paul in mid-September. We thought we were going to hang in the Parent’s Lounge, but Dana surprised Gracie with floor tickets and we took her seats she had since her birthday. Gracie and Taylor were noticed by Taylor Swift’s mother and got backstage passes after the show, and we tagged along to chaperone and moderate the emotions. 🙂 Ms. Swift doesn’t have to meet her fans, but she does and it was really a sweet time.
A few from September 2015
Movie Minutiae
- Spy – Melissa McCarthy vehicle; was fine, but not very memorable 🙂
- Ted 2 – I never saw the first Ted movie, but I indulged my man and saw this one. Maybe I should have seen the first. 🙂
- Inside Out – a great movie; that’s all.
- Minions – I haven’t seen Despicable Me, so the love of Minions is lost on me. But it was fun to take Kaydee to her first movie in the theatre.
- Magic Mike XXL – a great time with the girls. I still am going to try to get Chris to watch this! it was so much lighter than the first and a lot of fun.
- Trainwreck – Saw this one twice; I’m an Amy Schumer fan and this movie was great. So much fun. LaBron was amazing!
- Ricki and the Flash – This was an unexpected treat! Fun to see Meryl Streep in this role alongside her daughter. Very thought-provoking and it had great music!
- A Walk in the Woods – An adaptation of Bill Bryson’s book with Robert Redford (looking old!) and Nick Nolte (acting old!). A fun romp.
- The Martian – a great movie! I don’t like to feel tense during movies and this one was light and fun.
- The Intern – pretty predictable, but still lots of food for thought. A fun night at the movies!
October 2015 – just a few on the computer so far!
Book Briefs
- The Rumour – for book club; Elin Hildebrand’s Nantucket is always a fun place to visit.
- Paper Towns – I didn’t see the movie, but the book was fascinating.
- We’ll Always Have Paris – a memoir about mother/daughter travels and facing mortality
- Someday, Someday, Maybe – an actress-wanna-be in NYC; light and fun.
- Summer Blowout – a good summer read; very light
- You’re the Best – the Satellite Sisters ode to friendship – great essays and conversations.
Work continues to be challenging and humbling, the Cosmo Girls are up and running for another year, the baseball season turned into the football season and now we are looking forward to basketball. I love getting to as many events as work allows!
At the last football game of Trajan’s junior year I was talking with Kai, a 5 year old we know and love, about my new grandson. He was very astute when he said, “So you’re a grandma AND an aunt!”
“Best jobs ever,” I said. The best.
Walkie Talkie Book Club 