My own MINI March Madness

April 1, 2015April 1, 2015Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment

Here we are again – the beginning of a new month! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I have an affinity for the 1st of any month. April 1 happens to be my half birthday, so now it is also my SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY! Wahoo! Seems like that just happened AND that he’s been in my life forever… life is so good.

Here’s a recap of all the goodness of March –

We started the month off with a double date with Beth and Doug to see “Almost, Maine” in Lanesboro. It was such a great play and a fun night out in Lanesboro! Highlight (outside of the theatre) was asking at the Legion if they served any food and the (harried, busy) waitress said, “No. We just have pizza.” We chuckled, ordered it, and it was sooooo good! Hegge’s pizza is the bomb!

We ended the month with celebrations for Beth’s birthday at Osaka for a Tepanyaki style dinner, followed by a Blues Fest at Wicked Moose. I got Chris on the dance floor, which was a first (and won’t be the last time!) So fun!.

In early March, Chris and I attended the Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Show at Target Field in Minneapolis! Jenny and I had planned to go for months, but she was ill so Chris went instead. We didn’t get even close to falling down drunk, like some that we saw, but we did enjoy the little corner of spirits and made sure to stop sampling with plenty of time for metabolizing before driving home. It was a lot of fun – and a lot of people!

March brought me my MINI! Chris and I drove to the Cities to look at a few cars one beautiful Saturday. I was certain I was going to get another Honda, but manual transmissions are becoming fewer and fewer… so we went in search of some different car dealers in the Cities. We never got past the first, as I knew I didn’t need to look any further after I drove the MINI Cooper S. So we went back the next week with my car and did the trade and then back the next week for my “Second Delivery Date” with an expert and to get the bonnet stripes installed. Ah. It’s a fun ride!

March also brought sunshiney warm days and a big snowstorm. We looked for patio dining and couldn’t find any yet, so we encouraged friends to open their patio and enjoyed a roaring fire with s’mores. Good stuff. And then the snow came and schools were closed. Crazy Minnesota March.

March brought $2 burgers with the family a few times.

During Lenten season, I went to confirmation with Gracie and got to talk with her about what we think it means to be a Lutheran.

A 3 movie month is pretty solid! I saw Cinderella with Gracie, the March birthday girl. We loved it – it was beautiful and romantic. The story you know and love told wonderfully. I saw The Second Most Exotic Marigold Hotel with Jenny – and it was very fun! Many laugh-out-loud moments, some tears, and a big old dance scene! Yay! And last night I saw McFarland, USA with the crew in Rochester. What a movie! It was so good. A story about coaching, field-working-high-schoolers, and the community. It was very incredible – and the end with the real guys was the best. Just so good.

I binge watched The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, and that is a hoot. Very clever and fun! (Dang, now I have the theme song in my head!)

I read The Kitchen House for book club and am listening to The Weird Sisters. It’s hard to know what to read next, as my TBR piles continue to grow and grow! Someone, help me out here!

And lastly, we celebrated Tony’s last night in Madison with Supper at Bandung Indonesian followed by champagne cocktails and martinis at Opus Martini Lounge. Tony and Chris left early yesterday morning for their trek across country to move him to Rhode Island. They arrived safely this morning, a mere 24 hours after leaving Madison. Tomorrow Chris will get to New Hampshire for some family time in before flying home to me on Sunday. Ah. Next time I’m going with.

Looking forward to April, although it will be a different sort of month with Chris starting to work overnights. I work overnights the rest of this week and again the end of the month, so that will keep things interesting around here!

Happy April, all!

February Fairly Flew!

March 1, 2015March 1, 2015Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment

Time just keeps “March”ing on, doesn’t it? Hard to believe we are moving into the end of the first quarter of 2015 – and creeping up on the 6 month anniversary of my wedding/birthday!

So far #marriedlife2015 is just grand. We both work crazy hours at our job, which means we have random days off during the week and every other weekend off together. We try to make the most of our time off. In January, we had a daytrip to LaCrosse, WI where we met Chris’s friend from high school who is moving from Madison to Rhode Island in a few months. We visited the Dahl Automotive Museum and Pearl Street Brewery, Buzzard Billy’s and the Starllte Lounge and then drove to the Ponderosa for movie time by the fireplace.

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Two weeks later we drove to Madison to see them before Tien moved mid-February. We weren’t able to make the going away party, so had our own time with them, which was very fun. Chris and I got there early and enjoyed a Restaurant Week restaurant, a Mustard Museum, and then we enjoyed a pub meal before retreating to their bar for darts and drinks. Saturday we walked on State Street, went to the Madison Modern Museum of Art and then visited my old “haunts” – Ella’s Deli and Few Street! Was quite a blast from the past. My old stomping grounds revolved around a 4 year old, so they weren’t too exciting, but it was a great reminiscence. We also had a delicious Vietnamese meal before we travelled back to Rochester. It was a great weekend. Next time we go there it will be to drop Chris off for his road trip to Rhode Island / New Hampshire with Tony! Less than a month away!

Mom, Marissa, Gracie and I had a little daytrip to the Cities for Mom’s birthday in early February. We went to Marissa’s apartment and said hello to the kitties, and then went to an art open house at Pam Weisdorf’s home Afterwards we had a delicious hibachi meal and avoided all malls. It was a nice little road trip!

In January, Chris’s new little granddaughter was born – Emilee Ashlyn. What fun to hold a baby! And what fun to witness Chris’s discomfort at the same. He says he’s afraid he’ll drop her. She is a little peanut, but growing every day, as babies are supposed to do. We took her big sister, Kaydee, to Soccer World one bitterly cold morning and played during their open gym time. That was a hoot. Fun to be inside, warm, and running around on fake grass.

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January and February means there is basketball almost every day of the week if you want. It was fun to watch Rees, Gracie and Trajan play basketball. And fun to witness Gunnar sign with SDSU for his collegiate football career. And I made it to section wrestling to see Trevor wrestle a few! Phew, there is an abundance of sports in the winter!

February also means SocialICE – a yearly festival of the cold! They moved it back a few weeks, so it coincided with Marissa’s birthday weekend. They were hoping that it would be warmer, but it just wasn’t to be. Chris and I went for about 45 minutes on Thursday night and it was sooo cold (-5). Hot drinks were not hot, cold drinks were freezing – literally. Chris had a beersicle. We eventually moved inside for a cocktail at the Doggery. Saturday we went back during the daylight with the kids, because the ice sculptures are really fun to see, but it got cold and windy and crowded fast, so we didn’t last long. We celebrated Marissa’s birthday with the family tradition of pizza and ice cream cake! Delicious…

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And the Oscars 2015 happened, as well! I haven’t seen all the movies up for Best Picture, including the winner, but I did see a few. I already loved The Grand Budapest Hotel and Boyhood. I thought The Imitation Game was ok and American Sniper was very hard to watch. I haven’t seen Birdman (the winner), Whiplash (looks painful), Selma or the Theory of Everything. I have seen a few movies in the theatre in 2015 – Into the Woods (Rees’s “worst movie ever,” but I loved it!), The Imitation Game (just OK, not super-great), Paddington (sooooooo fun… used to LOVE Paddington!), and Still Alice (the book is SO much better – this is a watered down version, but with a great performance).

At home we’ve watched The Long Way Round series (documentary about a motorcycle trip around the world! Love it! Ewan McGregor, so fun), The One I Love, The Wolf of Wall Street, They Came Together, The Hundred Foot Journey (nice little movie – I read the book!), The Edge of Tomorrow, and 84 Charing Cross Road (such a sweet story about this eccentric woman – so fun! Very true to the book!).

And speaking of books, we had book club last week. We read The Perfume Collector and had great fun planning our French food theme! Lots of fromage, French Onion dip, potatoes au gratin, quiche and croissants. Topped off by French silk pie! What was the book about? Hmmm… It happened in France in the 50s and was about gifts and independence and the role of our senses. I read it in December, so had trouble with the details but we had a good discussion anyway!

Other books I’ve read in 2015 include: The Beautiful Daughters (see review here – it is released soon!), Yes Please (audiobook read by the author, Amy Poehler! Loved it!), The Supreme Macaroni Company (Adriana’s book continuing with Valentine’s life in NYC), and Apple of My Eye (sooooo good! Helene Hanff is quite the character and brings NYC in the 70s to life! Loved it!)

I can’t decide what to read next… so I’m catching up on magazines. Looking forward to diving into that next good book, though!

Would love to hear what you’re reading, what you’re watching, what you’re doing, while waiting for spring weather to arrive! Comment below!

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~Hal Borland

How to sum up awesomeness?

January 18, 2015Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment

I like to end each year by looking back and thinking about the big things and the little things, summing it up and tucking it away to be recalled in the future. 2014 was a big year. Here is a sad attempt to summarize its awesomeness. (Lots of links you can click on if you want more info or fun videos! Anything underlined is a link.)

Movie chat!

I saw some movies in the theatre. In no particular order, I saw Inside Llewelyn Davis, Her, The Lego Movie, The Great Beauty*, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Saving Mr. Banks, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Divergent, 12 Years a Slave, Belle, Neighbors, Chef, The Fault in Our Stars, A Million Ways to Die in the West, The November Man, Boyhood, Unbroken, Wild, The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay Part 1, Dumb and Dumber To, St. Vincent, and Gone Girl. (*Rochester Int’l Film Fest)

Some were seen alone, some with girlfriends, some with family, some with Chris. Some felt like they were MADE FOR ME (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, Chef, St. Vincent); others not so much, but I love a movie in the theatre, no matter what. (Thankful for that Mayo discount and living within walking distance to a theatre!)

Netflix DVD watching also happened, including The Salt of Life, 20 Feet from Stardom, Austenland, Iron Man 1, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, 10 Years, August Osage County, Blazing Saddles, What’s Up, Doc?, Here Comes the Boom, Love Is All You Need, My Life Without Me, The Tiger and the Snow.

None of them stand out as wonderful, except 20 Feet from Stardom – that was fun. I blogged about that around Oscar time last year. Some were sent back without being watched – life was just too busy to sit on the couch in 2014!

Great seats for our first show!

The stage and Proscenium

In 2014 I saw some things on a stage.

Musicians – The Skivvies at 54 Below with Koni and Troy in NYC, Jeremy Messersmith at First Ave for Marissa’s birthday, Jim Brickman with Chris for Valentine’s Day, Paul McCartney at Target Field with Mom and Dad, Marissa and Chris

Comedians – Lorna Landvik at her Party in the Rec Room at Bryant Lake Bowl in January with John and Deadra, Mike Birbiglia at the Pantages with Marissa (on a whim, due to horrific driving conditions keeping me in the Cities longer – so glad we went! Thankful we weren’t later arrivers!!)

Plays – in Minneapolis Jenny and Chris and I saw Peter and the Starcatcher, and it didn’t disappoint the second time! We hung out after and listened to the actors talk about their magical performances night after night… So fun.

Authors – only one in 2014! Allison McGhee, a Minnesota author. I still haven’t read any of her books, but she was fascinating to listen to! I do love to listen to and meet authors!

And speaking of books – you can click the BOOKS I READ IN 2014 page on my blog to see the list of books that I did accomplish in 2014. I didn’t meet my reading goal (again, not a lot of time to sit around and read in 2014!) but I changed my goal and hopefully set a realistic goal for #marriedlife2015.

Heading in to the first show of our trip!

And speaking of plays, can’t forget Broadway! I had TWO trips to NYC in 2014! The first was in early January – a girl’s weekend with my sister-in-law/great friend, Koni. We ran through airports to catch planes, celebrated the arrival of our luggage, we braved their elements (12 degrees, which was 30 degrees warmer than we left) and were the only ones to show up for the cupcake walking tour of the Lower East Side. We ate delicious meals, we SHOPPED, we saw THREE Broadway shows (Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder – the Tony winner of 2014! – Cinderella, and Matilda!), we saw people singing in their underwear at 54 Below (the Skivvies – click to see a video!), we celebrated when our flight home was cancelled, as it meant we had a bonus day to see our 3rd show, hang around the Superbowl celebrations in Times Square, and enjoy more Cake Boss treats. Read ALL about it here.

One of everything! Yes, please!Also in 2014:

Also in 2014:

Birthdays were celebrated – at wineries, at the Lake, at restaurants.
I went to as many kids’ sporting events as my schedule would allow.
I continue to love my job, crazy schedule and all. Coming up on my 3rd anniversary on January 30.
Someone drove through our Target exit doors, right after Chris and I walked out. Quite freaky!
Choir continues to bring joy and happiness to me and all who participate – can’t wait to start up again!
Marissa met a man that she enjoys immensely, so that’s fun for mama. She continues in graduate school, hoping for an early spring graduation.
Cosmo Girls continued to meet monthly – a solid crew of amazing women that I am thankful for!

Cosmo Girls at RAC 2014

And then of course, last but not certainly not least,
we got engaged in July and married in October 2014!

The ring arrived!

Proof that he is the ONE? When we were discussing the hows and whens and wheres of getting married, he said, “Can we get married in New York City?” Um, yes! Most people think it was my idea, but it was his idea, which is why I love him so. He knows how to make this girl happy. I’m very lucky!

July to October was spent hammering out details, planning, organizing, and celebrating. Chris moved in with me in July and that adjustment has been surprisingly smooth (further proof that he is the ONE!). I had a wonderful, abbreviated Ferragosto week at the lake, which was almost like a Bachelorette week. So much celebrating and planning and laughing!

It was great fun to plan the week in NYC for family and friends. Everyone was so joyful and lovely. The blog detailing the events of Wedding Week 2014 can be read here: #woohoowedo2014. I’ll end this never-ending blog with the ceremony that Chris and I worked on in the hopes that we would have time in the chapel for more than just vows – and we did.

2014 was sure filled with blessings! Looking forward to #marriedlife2015! More adventures await!

LOVE Sculpture!

-NYC Wedding Ceremony October 1, 2014-

OPENING PRAYER – Dad
COMMITMENT TO THE COUPLE / RING WARMING
SCRIPTURE READING – Koni
POEM – Deadra
READING (If time before vows) – Robert Fulgham
VOWS
CLOSING PRAYER – Dana

OPENING PRAYER – Dad – He did his own prayer 🙂

Dear God, for the joy of this occasion we thank You. For the friends and family who are here today to witness this joy, we thank You. For the significance of this wedding day we thank You. For this important moment in an ever growing relationship we thank You. For Your presence here and now and for Your presence at all times, we thank You. In His holy name. Amen.

COMMITMENT TO THE COUPLE / RING WARMING – Beth

Your very presence here, in this city, in this building, shows how much you love and support Chris and Danette and their life together. Will you promise to continue to surround this couple in love, offering them the joys of your friendship? Will you support this couple in their relationship, at times of conflict, offering them the strength of your wisest counsel and the comfort of your thoughtful concern? At times of joy will you celebrate with them,nourishing their love of one another?

(Hope for enthusiastic “WE WILL” from all!) And they said “WOOHOO WE DO!”

During this ceremony, Chris and Danette will exchange rings. These rings are a strong and visible sign of their love and commitment to one another. Chris and Danette ask that you, very important and loved members of their lives, hold their rings in your hands for a moment and warm them with your love. Say a silent prayer or make a wish for Chris and Danette and their future together.

SCRIPTURE READING – Koni

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

POEM – Deadra

i carry your heart with me ~ e.e. cummings ~

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

VOWS – Jimmy

Benediction – CLOSING PRAYER – Dana

The wedding is not over – it has just begun. Marriage is not something said and done, but a promise, whose fulfillment is acted out over time.

So for Chris and Danette, we simply pray that the promises of marriage have a long and complete fulfillment; that their love is nurtured and shared by their families and friends; and that the seasons be joyous along the way. In God’s name we pray. Amen.

READING Union ~ Robert Fulghum ~ Read by Marissa at Starbucks

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point,you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed,you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included“someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another. Shortly you shall say afew words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –

This is my husband. This is my wife.

Where have I been? What have I been up to?

December 2, 2014December 2, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment

I’m overwhelmed. I like to blog about the “goings-on” of life, but wow. There’s been a lot going on. So, instead I’m going to give you lists of the good stuff with very little commentary – if you have questions, ask!

First, I got married in NYC. I have hundreds of photos but instead I’ll just share with you my “check-ins” from the SWARM app on my phone.

NYC via SWARM app

MONDAY-

RST – our flight was cancelled Sunday morning, so we had to re-book with a different airline, avoiding O’Hare on the way to NYC. Got in a few minutes earlier than we would have, so it was all good!
MSP
LGA
Brooklyn Bridge
Office of the City Clerk – Marriage Bureau – Got dropped off at City Hall, which was not open, because it’s not where you get married! I had the address, just not the correct name!
London Terrace Towers – Where Troy lives! Love his hospitality!
Toshi’s Living Room – a Funky place; met everyone here and moved on…
O’Reilly’s Irish Pub – good grub and quieter atmosphere!
230 Fifth Rooftop Lounge – beautiful place!

TUESDAY

London Terrace Towers – up and at ’em, heading out for a walking tour!
Staten Island Ferry – Whitehall Terminal
Battery Park
Bowling Green
Federal Hall National Memorial
Trinity Church
National September 11 Memorial and Museum
City Hall Park Gas Lite Bulbs Fountain
Wafels & Dinges – Pagadder Card
Wo Hop Restaurant
Chinatown
Becco – great Italian restaurant with a prix fixe meal before theatre! Toasts, tears and laughter!
Lyric Theatre – ON THE TOWN! A great musical during preview week. Appropriate for a bunch of people experiencing NYC for a short time – and getting the most out of it!
Times Square – the Red Stairs
O’Lunney’s – birthday drinks! I almost forgot that my wedding day was actually my birthday, as well! So after midnight we had a toast to the awesome day ahead! I still don’t remember that I turned a year older, so maybe I’ll remain 45 forever?

WEDNESDAY – WEDDING DAY!

Office of the City Clerk – Marriage Bureau – #woohoowedo2014 ! A perfect ceremony!
Starbucks – a brief reception, due to drizzle! Then on to our ROLLING RECEPTION!
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
High Line
Central Park – Bethesda Fountain
LOVE Sculpture
Empire State Building – 86th Floor Observatory
Archer Hotel New York – checked in and met the crew at the rooftop bar, Spyglass!
Periyali – Greek dinner!
Marie’s Crisis – singing along with every song!
Archer Hotel New York – what a beautiful day!

THURSDAY

Times Square
M&M’s World – met Rob here and also went to the Hershey store!
Pie Face
MSG Entertainment HQ
High Line – the newish part!
Joe the Art of Coffee
Archer Hotel New York – a disco nap!
Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar – dinner with Troy!
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre – “It’s Only a Play” – a fun play with a star-studded cast!
Junior’s Restaurant & Bakery – treats for morning
Shake Shack – treats for now! “Great White Way”
Times Square at midnight

FRIDAY

Carnegie Deli
Bethesda Terrace
Heartland Brewery
Stephen Sondheim Theatre – “Beatiful – The Carole King Musical” SO GOOD!
Swing 46

SATURDAY

Chelsea – leaving in a downpour!
Queens – Midtown Tunnel
LGA
ORD
RST
Whistle Binkies on the Lake – with Tony and Tien!
The Doggery

SUNDAY

Willow Creek Golf Course – our wedding reception!
Whistle Binkies on the Lake – with Kim and Eric, Maureen and Dennis! Yay!

MONDAY – Chris back at work, Danette unpacking!

That was a whirlwind of a week – and I know there were stops I didn’t “check in” but it is a fun way to keep track of a vacation!

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And then life after the wedding …

There was FOOTBALL! Gunnar’s senior year, filled with wonderful highlights and honors!
There were meals – at Burdey’s, at Panera, at Caribou, at Jessie Street Java, at Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery, at Victoria’s, at Chester’s, at The Thirsty Belgian, at Cowboy Jack’s Saloon, at Chipotle, at Brothers, at Pho Chau…
There were movies – GONE GIRL, ST. VINCENT, DUMB AND DUMBER TO, and HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART I.
Garrison Keillor came to Rochester and we enjoyed his live radio show
Basketball has begun and I look forward to watching TRAJAN and GRACIE and REES play during this season!
Thanksgiving was a blast – relaxing and fun. Highlights were sledding with Kaydee, listening to what everyone was Thankful for this year, and playing HEADS UP. Download it to your phone or iPad if you haven’t! It’s a hit!
Notice: Not a SINGLE BOOK WAS READ! Oh my. I have been catching up with my Oprah magazine, and slowly reading a great book. I am going to fail miserably at my Goodreads goal, but I’m really ok with that. Life is SO good.

Now it’s December. I am hoping that in December I can connect with many friends and family, enjoying TIME and conversations with everyone. I tend to enjoy Thanksgiving more than Christmas because I get stressed about presents, but I hope that I can focus on relationships instead of receipts this December, so that Christmas can be celebrated as it is intended.

Ah, life is good! I am blessed!

6/21/14: Summer Solstice! And summer begins…

June 21, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment

It is a pleasure to walk outside at night and feel the warm summer air! Aside from all of the rain we had this week and last, we have had good June weather so far! It’s also a pleasure to have some weekends off to enjoy the summertime! But, as I’ve said before, I don’t usually let a little thing like work slow me down…

Here’s what has been bringing me smiles from the past few weeks:

Movies

Saw “A Million Ways to Die in the West” with Chris – I’m not a Family Guy watcher or a Seth McFarland groupie, but this was fun. It’s a Western with modern language, with shocking humor and interesting characters.
I saw “The Fault In Our Stars” by myself on opening night. Well, not by myself, but with a theatre filled with Tweens and Teens, swooning and sobbing. I wish I hadn’t gone that night, because I felt more like an observer of the theatre than a movie-watcher. I thought the book was so much better (no surprise) because I liked the parents so much better in the book, I liked their relationships so much better in the book, and the movie felt watered down and immature. \
Tonight I saw “Chef,” which I think is my favorite movie of the year! I’ll have to think back for sure (“Grand Budapest Hotel” was this year, too… hmm) but it was so fun! A fun story about having passion for your work and doing what you love, about fathers and sons, and about Cuban sandwiches! I almost danced throughout the movie, because the soundtrack was incredible (and is now purchased!), and I had tears spring to my eyes twice, just because of happy emotions! Loved it!

Books!

There have been a few rainy days, so I’ve been reading on my Kindle and catching up on Oprah Magazine. I finished a smutty book while on the dock, “Bettie Page presents: The Librarian,” and then returned to the world of Pride & Prejudice with “Georgiana Darcy’s Diary.” Ah, there is something about that book and those characters. Good stuff. Now I”m working on “Wild” and almost finished with listening to “Whistling Past the Graveyard.”

Road Trips and Adventures!

For Jenny’s birthday, we had lunch at Trempeleau Hotel and went for a tasting at Elmaro Winery. It was a beautiful Sunday and the winery was in a beautiful setting, so we sat outside and enjoyed live music, a fruit and nut plate, and some delicious wine.
Chris and I went to the cabin for his June vacation. We had two great weather days, one washout day, and one very windy day. There was reading, DVDs (Breakfast Club, War Games, The Upside of Anger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and good cabin food. There were a creche (I think) of White Pelicans who must have stopped there for the summer, and they were amazing to watch and learn about! Who needs TV when you can watch pelicans? And as always, the sunsets were spectacular.
One of the days we drove to Northfield to have dinner with Deadra for her birthday! It was fun to explore Northfield and we had a delicious dinner in a Tavern there along the river. The day started out breezy, cloudy and cool, but it ended up clear and calmer.
When I got home from the lake, I joined some peeps at the rooftop of the Tap House for Sunday Night Trivia! We rocked (mainly one guy rocked) and got one free round of drinks and 3rd place overall. I love trivia. And the weather was perfect for a night on the rooftop!

Celebrating Jenny’s birthday at Elmaro Winery

Selfie at the end of the dock… a couple beautiful days!

The pelicans brought hours of entertainment!

Always a spectacular sunset at the lake…

Birthday dinner with Deadra in Northfield!

Rooftop cocktails and trivia – I’ll have what she’s having!

Looking forward to celebrating the first day of summer at an International festival in Rochester and then I’ll travel to Rushford to see Mom and Dad and hopefully some Rushford friends! I’m counting on a campfire to celebrate the shortest night of the year!

Chris has a Summer Solstice birthday, but he gets t work. I’ll bake him a cake for when he’s done with this 7 day stretch!

Yay summer!

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter

June 3, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club 2 Comments

Always so much to be thankful for! We are marching in to June and the calendar is filled with fun things on the days that work isn’t scheduled (and even on some days when work is scheduled!).

Here are a few things I am thankful for from the past few weeks —

Friday nights! Spent a seemingly rare Friday night off at Jabbers (and evidently the last Friday night we’ll spend there, as it just closed!) getting in some Jabbering with Jabber Juice. Fun fun. And even after work last Friday night, it was fun to sit outside on the patio at Fat Willy’s! Fridays still rock!

Love this selfie with Rushford in the background!

Rushford friends and family – had a lot of fun showing Chris around Rushford – the bluff, the new coffee shop – and hanging out with friends. Take Note! sang at the ExpoCulinaria and it was a lot of fun with good food tastes and good company! Followed by more good food and a good campfire at Brenda and Roger’s! It was chilly so that fire felt good! It was a Starry Starry Night!

Love this artwork at Jessie Street Java! Way to go 1st graders (and their teachers!)

Speaking of Starry Starry Nights – loved the time with Beth at the painting event by Wine & Canvas! It was a challenging painting but I think we did a respectable job – and it was so fun!

Love Starry Night with Rochester Wine & Canvas! And Beth!

Memorial Day weekend I had to work overnights, but I still was able to indulge in a last minute invitation to hear Temple Grandin speak on Friday night, followed by coffee at Chester’s! And Monday Chris and I went for a good meal on a rainy afternoon before I went in for night four. I always manage to fit in the important stuff!

Love last minute invitations and loved hearing Temple Grandin again! She’s something!

Trajan turned 15 in May and we celebrated him at Texas Roadhouse! I also love that I’ve been able to help out and drive him to his basketball practices in the Cities and to watch him play a few games. He’s on a competitive team and they are all so fun to watch!

Love this kid who isn’t afraid of the saddle on his 15th birthday!

The weather has been great so I have been getting in some great walks! Some with friends, some with Chris, and some with his daughter and granddaughter. It’s been fun to play with a 2 year old again!

Love this guy and love hanging out with a 2 year old every once in a while! It's been a while...

Love this guy and love hanging out with a 2 year old every now and then! It’s been a while…

Books – I’m finally on a little reading streak! I finished Allegiant, moved on to The Fault in Our Stars (heartbreakingly beautiful… just lovely), and Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares (a fun little read with dares all over NYC!). I bought a used Kindle so it’s exciting to fill it up (it holds a TON!) and look forward to reading it at the end of the dock.
Audiobooks – I’ve officially been an Audible member for a year! Yikes… I have purchased more than I’ve listened to (sound familiar?? I guess I’m growing my TBL (To Be Listened to) pile, as well!). I tend to buy the long books that I want to read but doubt I’ll have the time or stamina for. So far I’ve listened to 11.22.63, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Fin & Lady, Ready Player One, The End of the Affair, The Goldfinch, and The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog. I’m currently listening to Whistling Past the Graveyard for book club (if they don’t give up on me!). Love listening in the car, still, but much less commuting time so now it’s while puttering around. Love it!
Movies – always thankful for movies! Movie nights at home on the couch, movies while trying to sleep, movies in the theatre with a tub of popcorn. Love them! This month in the theatre I’ve seen Neighbors (pretty funny, Seth Rogan stuff) and Belle (interesting story about Britain’s position in the slave trade business). From Netflix on DVD I’ve seen Here Comes the Boom (very funny and fun!) and Love Is All You Need (unexpected story about Danish people traveling to Italy for a wedding, with Pierce Brosnon! Pretty good!). Mindless instant viewing includes Drop Dead Diva (series) and The Sweetest Thing (Cameron Diaz craziness that was pretty fun).
Of course, Jimmy Fallon always makes me laugh, which is a thing to be greatly thankful for. Fun stuff. Look for his clips if you can’t commit to an entire week of shows! 🙂

As usual, I have much to look forward to, as well. We are working fewer weekends than last summer, so I’m looking forward to that! I am penciling in fun plans with friends and family – so give a shout if you want to get together! Let’s make this the best summer ever!

If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. ~Bern Williams

4.17.14

April 17, 2014April 17, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment

In the name of Procrastination, I’ve been wanting to blog all week. It’s Palindrome Week, after all.

4.10.14 – 4.19.14. I love stuff like that.

I’m finally giving in, with the hope that getting a blog off my chest will allow me to actually write a paper on “Larry.”

So here, we go. Things that make me happy, with a PALINDROME twist! And there are random photos from the past 4-6 weeks in a slide show at the end of the post, if you have patience and can get there!

*NURSE, I SPY GYPSIES. RUN! /*NEVER ODD OR EVEN – Some random Palindromes for work stuff:

I am working on my clinical social work license, so I am taking a class to get more clinical content hours. It meets the first Friday of the month for 9 hours. I have three papers due by the first Friday of May and then it will be done. It is interesting and learning is always fun – but papers? Not so much. Oh well. Soon it will be behind me.
Driving to class was harrowing in April. Gross. I’m ready for the winter driving to be behind me, as well.
I worked a lot of overnights in March – 8 to be exact. I worked 5 in one week as an experiment. I think it worked for me – it’s nice to stay in the “up late, sleep all day” routine, so that transitioning back doesn’t have to happen as often. We’re short-staffed right now (after LeeAnn left), so the schedule is crazy. And it’s crazy spring time, so I think I will have to practice a lot of self-care on work days and on days off. Ah.

*IN WORDS, DROWN I. I’ve been reading some books.

I finished listening to The Goldfinch. It was looooong but a good read. Theo Decker (“Potter”) has his life changed forever while at a museum with his mother at around age 11.
I finished Divergent just before seeing the movie, and now am almost done with Insurgent. I hope for answers in the 3^rd book. I’m not as pulled in as a certain 12 year old I know. She loves the relationship. She said she’d loan me Allegiant but I needed to know that it would “hurt me.” She cried for quite a while when she finished.
I did a review of My Wish List: A Novel, which you can read more about here. I can’t wait to see the movie!
I’m reading The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog for my class, and it is interesting and terrifying. I put down Mo’ Meta Blues until I get through that Divergent series! Can’t stop now!
My Kindle and nook apps are filled with books that need to be read… I can’t wait for this class to be over!

*SO MANY DYNAMOS! Since I last blogged, I’ve seen a few movies:

12 Years a Slave – Certainly not a ‘feel good’ movie, but very powerful.
Divergent – I liked the movie a lot, much more than the book. I thought the changes they made were meaningful and the movie just flew by!
The Grand Budapest Hotel – This movie was made for me! Whimsical, magical, and unpredictable! I had a smile on my face throughout the entire thing!
The Great Beauty – The opening film of the Rochester International Film Festival and the 2014 Best Foreign Film Oscar winner. It was long, riotous, and a little obtuse. I read an article about it the next day which helped me understand it a bit more, but it was a joy to watch, so that’s fun, even if it was hard to understand.
Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 – For some reason I had the urge to watch these movies, so I got them on DVD from Netflix. They were pretty fun, but I’m kinda done with the superhero movies for a while.

I’m an *AVID DIVA – *“RUM… RUM…” I MURMUR. – I’ve had some nights out!

Chris and I had a Thursday night off so I was looking for something to do. And lo, and behold, there is Trivia Mafia in town! So we invited Kristine and Mike to join us for some beverages and trivia at Big Brad’s! I love trivia and we held our own!
We had a grown-up slumber party at Beth’s – margaritas, pizza, and girl talk! So much fun – and so needed!
Of course, there was Peter and the Starcatcher – you can read about that fun night here!
We had a work happy hour to say goodbye to LeeAnn! She relocated to the Cities and we miss her much!
St. Patrick’s Day was a hoot. Chris and I went to Dooley’s and parked in a booth and enjoyed bagpipes, funny costumes, good food and good company! We had to start early since I had to work very early the next day.
We also had a great night at Boomers, listening to the Jukes of Hazzard. Marie’s guy is drummer in the band and it was fun singing along and watching the clientele at Boomers. *YO, BOTTOMS UP! (U.S. MOTTO, BOY.)
Another recent weekend off (they feel so few and far between!), we saw The Grand Budapest Hotel with Jenny and Tammy and then met Kristine at the Loop for dinner! It turned into a Girl’s Night Out + Chris! He could hang with us and it was a lot of fun. Good conversation with good friends.
Cosmo Girls was a blast. We met at the Rochester Art Center and enjoyed a guided tour (two guides/curators!) and the art project they had set up for us afterwards. We laughed a lot, got a lot of good pictures, and learned a lot! We had so much fun together.

*WON TONS? NOT NOW. / *WAS IT A CAR OR A CAT I SAW? – Life is good in the simple things…

One of those precious Saturdays off I got to watch Rees play basketball and eat at his choice – the food court at the mall!
I hosted another Book Party – the theme was Books Into Movies and we drank Bridget Jones’ Daiquiries (strawberries and champagne!) and we talked about books and laughed a lot! This is going to happen again (and again and again…).
Girl time with a pedi is always the best. Ah.
On April Fool’s Day, I made a Screwy Lewie – so delicious! And such fond memories of childhood slumber parties – mine and Marissa’s.
Spring has finally shown its pretty head (every now and then) and we’ve enjoyed long walks outside and our first dinner and drink on a patio. Looking forward to more time outside with the nicer weather!
I took Gracie to B&N to shop for books for her birthday. It was fun to peruse the book shelves and talk about what kinds of books she likes to read. She’s growing up so…
The “blood moon” from the lunar eclipse was this week and we were able to see it. Small adventures in the middle of the night are pretty fun!
There’s a new coffee shop in Rushford and before choir (yay choir!) Mom and I went there to get a sandwich and coffee to go! It was delicious and I can’t wait to go again for a leisurely coffee with friends!

And now, because April is Poetry Month, here are some Palindrome poems I found online:

Poetry Is: (Palindrome)

Poetry
Words flowing
from the heart
written down
freely.

Freely
written down
from the heart
Words flowing
Poetry.

SMILE

day brighter
load lighter
SMILE
lighter load
brighter day

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Palindrome

BY LISEL MUELLER

There is less difficulty—indeed, no logical difficulty at all—in
imagining two portions of the universe, say two galaxies, in which
time goes one way in one galaxy and the opposite way in the
other. . . . Intelligent beings in each galaxy would regard their own
time as “forward” and time in the other galaxy as “backward.”
—Martin Gardner, in Scientific American

Somewhere now she takes off the dress I am

putting on. It is evening in the antiworld

where she lives. She is forty-five years away

from her death, the hole which spit her out

into pain, impossible at first, later easing,

going, gone. She has unlearned much by now.

Her skin is firming, her memory sharpens,

her hair has grown glossy. She sees without glasses,

she falls in love easily. Her husband has lost his

shuffle, they laugh together. Their money shrinks,

but their ardor increases. Soon her second child

will be young enough to fight its way into her

body and change its life to monkey to frog to

tadpole to cluster of cells to tiny island to

nothing. She is making a list:

Things I will need in the past

lipstick

shampoo

transistor radio

Sergeant Pepper

acne cream

five-year diary with a lock

She is eager, having heard about adolescent love

and the freedom of children. She wants to read

Crime and Punishment and ride on a roller coaster

without getting sick. I think of her as she will

be at fifteen, awkward, too serious. In the

mirror I see she uses her left hand to write,

her other to open a jar. By now our lives should

have crossed. Somewhere sometime we must have

passed one another like going and coming trains,

with both of us looking the other way.

Source: Alive Together: New and Selected Poems (Louisiana State University Press, 1996)

There Were Things Happening – 3.3.14 edition

March 3, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment

It gets a little old to start every blog post off with “Where did the last month go?” but here I am, once again, thinking the same thing! So I’ll recap my month in the only way I know how – by listing the highlights and the things that have made me happy since I last blogged! With pictures!

There were some games:

The Superbowl happened – I worked but made it to the party before halftime. Not much of a game, but the pool on the score always makes it entertaining when those final seconds tick down each quarter.
Got to a few of Trajan’s basketball games. His season is over now, but I look forward to watching him in the years to come!
Went to one of Gracie’s Rochester tournament games. Her season is over now, too, but again, many years ahead!

There were epic weekends:

SocialICE 2014 was a lot of fun! We warmed up with cocktails and Trivial Pursuit questions at my house, enjoyed some warm and cold beverages at the ice bar, went underground to The Doggery, and sang some karaoke at the Viking Lounge! The next day we went to Newt’s too late for brunch, but it was good nonetheless.
Marissa’s Birthday 2014 was also a lot of fun! The drive to Minneapolis was treacherous, so it took a long time to get there, but I made it with plenty of time to spare before the Jeremy Messersmith concert at First Ave! First we ate at Kieran’s, a favorite pub, and then we were at First Ave right after the doors opened – which meant we were there a LONG time before the main event!
Jeremy Messersmith is just such a good songwriter… I love that you can understand every word he sings and that his songs always have a little twist in them. So clever and fun. After the concert, we went dancing at a club where the average age was likely 25. Very much not my ‘scene’ but it was a fun night. Saturday we laid low and read and watched TV. I had decided not to face those roads again, so we worked on getting tickets to Mike Birbiglia, a great comedian! He was sold out, but we found tickets and we went!
Mike Birbiglia at the Pantages was amazing! It was nonstop laughter about “earlies and late-ies,” the uninhabitable city Minneapolis is, as evidenced by its skyways, and swearing in front of Muppets. Funny stuff. Afterwards we celebrated National Margarita Day with “made at the table” guac and fancy margaritas at Rosa Mexicano!

There was an early Valentine’s Date:

Chris and I both worked on Valentine’s Day and that weekend, so we planned to celebrate on Wednesday 2/12, so it was perfect that I won tickets to Jim Brickman in concert for his”Love Tour” for that night! Beforehand we went to Chester’s for a delicious dinner, and the concert was very fun! He has a good sense of humor and a good ‘tell’ that shows he’s done. Chris brought me the most beautiful roses and a box of chocolates. It was a good date.
The next night, the Cosmo Girls went to a local nursing home and made Valentine’s with and for the residents. It was a fun time, followed by a pot of tea at Press Coffee House.

There were books and discussions:

I had my first class of the semester, requiring a ton o’ reading, online discussions, and case study papers. Psychopathology will be good for me, good for my job, but it confirms my dislike for professional reading in large quantities. Ugh. I was nervous, as it’s been a LONG time since I was in school, but it will be good.
I had lunch with Cindy at India Garden, and that always involves mega book discussions. Planning the next book party is underway!
The ED book group discussion was held at Tonic last week – we discussed Winter Garden, which had been in my TBR pile for years! I always felt like it should be read in the winter, and I’m glad it was. It was a good book about mothers and daughters, forgiveness and understanding. And it had a secondary story which took place in Russia, so it was timely with the Winter Olympics! Next up is Divergent! We’re going to the movie together.
There was a brief visit with Sarah and her kiddos in the warmth of their home. That also means that books were discussed. Look forward to another visit!
I’m still listening to The Goldfinch and just started reading Questlove’s book Mo’ Meta Blues. Next TBR is a book for a book tour – I can’t wait! Details to follow…

There were movies and award shows:

The night before the Oscars, Jenny and I watched 20 Feet from Stardom, the documentary about back up singers. We also went to see The Lego Movie, which was a lot of fun! I loved the ‘meta’ of it and loved the voices. Maybe it’ll be Oscar nominated next year!
I love watching the Oscar’s every year. I blogged about the nominations when they came out and you can read that here. 20 Feet from Stardom was not a favorite to win the Best Documentary category, but it won! That was so fun… I loved the acceptance speech and that Darlene Love sang her heart out during it! Other things I loved were
Ellen’s selfie
Cate Blanchet and Lupita Nyong’o acceptance speeches
Pizza for everyone!
Spike Jonze winning for best screenplay for Her – the movie about relationships and intimacy. A great discussion piece!
All of the songs performed live
Following along on Twitter all night – until it broke for a while! Crazy selfie retweeting overload!
The jokes following John Travolta’s major introduction fail.
I’m sure there’s more, but for now, that’s it.

I’m sure that’s an overload. I either need to blog more often or remember that people probably only read one paragraph before moving on! If you made it to the end, I’d love to hear from you. What made you happy in February? It was a brutally cold month with horrible weather where I live, so you gotta look for the good to stay sane!

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Movie Chat

January 16, 2014January 16, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment

The Academy Award nominations were announced today!
And I saw two movies this week!
So it’s time for a little movie chat!

Movie chat!

Nominated for BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR:

American Hustle – I saw this the Monday before Christmas instead of seeing Anchorman 2, which everyone went to, but I’d already seen. I’m glad I saw this. I thought that the performances by the four leads were incredible. Christian Bale’s hair should get an award all by itself! I’d like to see this one again!
Captain Phillips – This was an incredible movie. It’s a shame that Tom Hanks wasn’t nominated, because his performance was incredible – especially at the end. It was tense and frightening and even though I knew the outcome, it was an amazing ending. Probably my favorite of the movies on this list that I have seen.
Dallas Buyers Club – Incredible performances (wow, I keep saying that!) by the two leads, discouraging story about the FDA and pharmaceutical companies and their snail pace progress in approving drugs.
Gravity – Another tense movie! Saw it in 3D and the visuals were spectacular, the storyline was so nerve-wracking, and the performances were very good.
Her – Saw this today! I was super sleepy and we were the only people in the theatre for the first matinee. My eyes closed a few times (gasp!) and we were able to talk through the movie, because of having the theatre to ourselves. It was thought-provoking and I thought Joaquin gave a great performance, again with no nomination. The depiction of the not-so-distant-future was fascinating and disturbing.
Nebraska – Didn’t see this one – yet. 🙂
Philomena – Really liked this little gem of a movie. Love British movies, love Judi Dench, love Steve Coogan, love the premise. Not a happy story, but a real-life story. No Hollywood ending here.
12 Years a Slave – Haven’t seen this one – yet!
The Wolf of Wall Street – Haven’t seen this one yet, either!

The other movie I saw this week was Inside Llewyn Davis – the story of a folk singer down on his luck. It’s a week-in-the-life, and comes full circle. It is another non-Hollywood ending, I loved the music and the 1961 era. It was anticipated to be a big nominee but it wasn’t nominated for anything big. The main man had quite a beard!

Performance by an ACTOR in a Leading Role

Christian Bale, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Bruce Dern, NEBRASKA
Leonardo Dicaprio, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Performance by an ACTOR in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Bradley Cooper, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Michael Fassbender, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Jonah Hill, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

I haven’t seen all of the movies that the men are nominated for, but I did think that Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey were both very incredible in their roles – and both had major physical transformations for their roles. I thought that Jared Leto was beautiful as Rayon in the Dallas Buyers Club, as well.

Performance by an ACTRESS in a Leading Role

Amy Adams, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE
Sandra Bullock, GRAVITY
Judi Dench, PHILOMENA
Meryl Streep, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Performance by an ACTRESS in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins, BLUE JASMINE
Jennifer Lawrence, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Julia Roberts, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
June Squibb, NEBRASKA

This is tough. I’ve seen four of the roles nominated in the leading actress category and would have a very difficult time picking one. Cate Blanchett’s Jasmine in Blue Jasmine is most memorable – she plays someone who is chemically dependent and mentally ill very well. It was quite the role in quite the movie.

So I have some movies to see if I want to see them all before March 2 – how about you? Have you seen many of the nominated films or roles? Who will you pick? What are your favorites?

It’s 2014 – and other things making me happy…

January 13, 2014Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment

Time… keeps marching, doesn’t it?

Here’s a list of things that have made me happy since Christmas –

Christmas with the family on the Ponderosa. A snowfall, a bonfire, good food and laughs with family. Bliss.
“Phantom of the Opera” at the Orpheum with Marissa and my mom (and Mo’s friend, Tricia). The music didn’t disappoint, the set was beautiful, and the chandelier dropping made me jump! Good stuff…
Lots of Laughs (LOL) with Land O’ Lakes (LOL) at their Christmas party at Goonie’s Comedy Club!
New Year’s Day movie watching with Jenny and Chris – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty at the Wehrenberg (loved it!), and take-out Chinese and Don Jon via my new AppleTV (also making me happy – thanks Chris!).
The day-after-New-Year’s-Day movie watching with Marie – Saving Mr. Banks – a tear-jerker, for sure!
A “Grand Getaway” to Minneapolis (and St. Paul) – the Minnesota History Center for Speakeasy Saturday, a double-date with Deadra and John to see Lorna Landvik at her Party in the Rec Room at the Bryant Lake Bowl, followed by a retro-bar crawl to Nye’s and Honey and brunch at Ike’s. Good stuff. I’m a lucky gal. 🙂
Celebrating Chris Riggle’s birthday with her today! Pizza and brownies… nothing fancy but it was sure delicious! It was fun to catch up!
I made my Goodreads goal for 2013 – 32 books read. I set my goal for this year at 36 and am optimistic that I can make it. 🙂 I’ll continue with Audible for a little while longer, but I’m collecting enough that I have a few banked up to read! Below is a list of the books I read in 2013 – looking forward to hitting more in my TBR pile in 2014!