Black Friday

Ok, I promise this is my last post of the day and the month.  I've posted six already today and two yesterday so make sure you are all caught up on my exciting and important life.  40 posts in one month?  Definitely a record for me!

Did you go shopping on Black Friday?  Did you have the day off?  What did you do?

I actually did a lot of my Christmas shopping online this past week as well as on Thanksgiving, which some of the deals that were being offered in store on Friday were being offered online.

I debated going out at midnight on Black Friday to go to Kohl's.  Not because I wanted to shop that badly or because there was something that I needed to buy for me or anyone else but because I had two $10 coupons to spend.  That's $20 for free and I have a hard time passing up free.  I left my house around 12:10 am and headed to Maplewood Mall which is a mere 3 miles from my house.  I had to drive by Best Buy on my way to the mall and saw that it looked like a busy New York City street with people crossing the street every which way and that's when I had the realization that it's midnight, I'm on my way to the mall and I'm an idiot. I also drove past Toys 'R Us where people had their little kids with them (it's midnight!) and pulling them across the street with no regard for traffic.  Anything for a deal, right?

I luckily found a pretty decent parking spot for Kohl's, walked in and saw the lines.  Holy lines!  The lines were backed up half the length of the store at least for every single register.  There were hundreds of people in line at each one and it was only 12:20 am.  I figured that I had a lot of time to shop then while the lines died down.  I did have a couple of things in mind for my family so I picked them up and was ready to check out but the lines were still very long.  I decided to outsmart the system and went to the jewelry counter to check out.  They were calling numbers.  "Number Forty Two!"  I didn't know where to get a number but I looked all around and finally found a sign that had numbers you could pull off.  My number?  47.  Nice!  I only waited about 10 minutes until my number was called.  Once called, they asked me what they could show me in the jewelry cases. "Oh, nothing.  I'm all set, thanks." and I was out the door and home by 1 am.  I wish I could tell you how great of deals I received but I can't because my family reads this blog and the presents I bought just might be for them but if you give me $20 free and 15% off on top of that, I can do pretty good.  Thanks, Kohl's.

As for the rest of the day, I had to work from home for a little bit in the morning and then M and I went out to breakfast at The Neighborhood Cafe (so good) which turned out to be breakfast at noon and then down to First Avenue to buy some concert tickets.  We then went back to St. Paul and stopped at The Wine Thief & Ale Jail, which has many rare beers which makes M extremely happy.  M is a major beer enthusiast so he was like a kid in a candy store when we went in there.  I do have to say that it did look pretty impressive in there and if I was into beer, it would have been exciting for me too (but it wasn't).
 

M went to see The Immortals in 3D while I went shopping again.  We watched The Naked Gun and then M got sick which you can read about on my Thanksgiving post.

Thanksgiving

Is it too late to talk about Thanksgiving?  It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm Minnesota November day.  We tied the high temperature record of 59 degrees.  I went to my parents house where there was 26 people there. We had a delicious meal including all of the usual suspects; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, cranberries, salad, rolls and pie including pumpkin, apple and french silk.  I don't know how you guys roll at your Thanksgiving dinner but there are so many of us so we just help ourselves and mostly everything is in slow cookers.  What do you guys do?

My sister made this super cute turkey out of veggies.

Let's rewind to a little earlier in the day when I was still at home. Everything was going my way and I had lots of time to get the green bean casserole into the slow cooker, make a honey-orange broccoli salad and roast some sweet potatoes. I even made a pumpkin pie (for the first time) and it smelled so delicious when it came out of the oven.  I set it on a cooling rack on the counter and when I opened the counter above it, a few spice containers fell down and ploop...right into the not-so-cooled but now ugly pumpkin pie.  I bawled my eyes out.  Michael had to comfort me and now looking back at it, I was so emotional about something so silly.  I do hope that the homemade whipped cream that I made made up for the couple of divots on the pie's surface.  I don't eat pumpkin pie but my Aunt Terri attested that it was delicious.     

I didn't get a pic of the pie post baking, pre-accident so an in-process pic will have to do 

While I would have liked to have been with M and his family, I'm thankful I was not.  Why?  Because 11 out of 14 people (except for one family) at their Thanksgiving got sick with food poisoning...or Norovirus...or the flu....or who knows because they can't pinpoint what it was but either way, M was spewing from both ends and I was his nurse, cleaning up puke and well, you know. You know you love someone when you can clean up all that stuff.  My poor baby.  I felt so bad for him but in less than 48 hours, it was done and over with and he was his good old self again.

Vikings vs. Raiders

We woke up on Sunday, November 20th to a cold, 18 degree day.  M and I pulled out the winter gear including boots to keep warm while tailgating.  We had a pretty decent sized group with us this time.  M's friend Wayne and his son along with his cousin and his son met up with us as well as my cousin Tara and her husband Troy. Ok, Tara's not really my cousin, but my cousins' cousin but I still consider her a cousin.  That's four cousins in one sentence.  I ate plastic-looking veggie dogs while the others had burgers that looked and smelled delicious.  M even brought out some White Castle and warmed those babies up on the grill.  To keep semi-warm, I had some hot apple cider with butterscotch schnapps that tasted delicious.

This day was the first day they started using the hand-held metal detectors at the gates of the Metrodome and wow, was this a cluster f*ck.  We stood in line outside in the cold for 40 minutes before even getting in the dome.  I don't know where everything went wrong but they better fix it before the game this Sunday.  We didn't get into the dome until there was about 6 minutes left in the first quarter.  The guy who sits next to us in our seats said that at the start of the game that only half the dome was filled.

We played the Raiders and they've been pretty decent this year...decent enough to win against the Vikings on this day at least.  Vikings lost 27-20 and we lost Adrian Peterson due to a high ankle sprain and ligament damage.  At this point in the season, it doesn't matter much.  I would rather not win any more games so we can have a good draft pick.  

Thankful November: Day Thirty

The last day of Thankful November!  I stuck with it and posted every day.  Today, I'm thankful for...ME!  I'm not the smartest (but I know a little about a lot of things), or the prettiest (but I do alright) and definitely not the skinniest (always a work-in-progress) but I am truly happy with myself and my life.  Overall I've made good choices in life and do not regret what I've done and I hope to never regret what I haven't done.  I have a family that loves me unconditionally (I think...I haven't tested the waters that much!), good friends, my health, a stable job, a college degree, two loving fuzzy babies, enough money to pay my bills, save some and have some fun and a wonderful partner who shows me love every single day.  He cheers me up on my not-so-good days and when I'm having a bad self-esteem day.  He makes me laugh more and harder than anyone else has. He keeps me safe and comforts me when I need a little added security.  He says I always look good and thinks I'm cute, beautiful or sexy, depending on the day.  I am so damn lucky to have all of these things!  I truly am.  I'm so happy to be alive and be ME!

Me-Today!

Joseph Arthur

M and I have seen Joseph Arthur five times when he's come here in concert.  The first concert M and I went to (while dating) was Joseph Arthur on November 17, 2004. (Hey, I'm a girl and I'm good with dates.)  It was a very romantic night and Joseph Arthur is a special artist to us both.  When we found out he was coming in concert recently, we thought about going and decided that despite how good he is and how much we enjoy him, we decided to save the $20 ticket price and forgo seeing him this time around but it turns out that we did end up seeing him and we didn't have a pay a penny to see him.  M won an online contest which scored him two tickets to the show and so on Saturday, November 20th, almost exactly seven years since we had first seen him, we saw him again for our sixth time.

The show was at the Varsity Theater and while I just told you about the AWOLNATION show there and how they wrecked the theater and lights and sound, it wasn't true.  It was true for that show but this show was different.  The theater was back to its old self that I'm used to and the sound was just as I remembered.  There were tables on the main floor and we were lucky enough to share one pretty close to the stage with a couple of girls.  We also ran into one of our friends, Joey and his partner Chris, which was an added bonus.  Both of them love music as much as we do so it's always fun to sit and talk music that isn't stuff you necessarily hear on the radio, music websites and upcoming shows.

Michael, Chris, Joey, Me

Joseph played a lot of songs from his new album but mixed in some old ones too and he played for about 2.5 hours. He is truly an artist of all sorts. He paints while he sings and also did some spoken word.  He brought his main Minneapolis buddy, Kraig Jerret Johnson (Guitarist for The Lonely Astronauts, Jayhawks, Golden Smog and Run Westy Run) to the stage to help him with a few songs as he's done a few times in the past. After the show, a girl came up to Joseph and asked him if she could buy the painting he did while on stage for $500.  They hemmed and hawed for awhile as they said he could get $2-3K for that painting if they bring it back to his gallery but apparently it's a pain to carry them on the road with them so I'm unsure if they accepted her offer or not.  I looked on his art website and he had a 10' x 6 ' painting going for $20K.

Finally, if you want to do me a big favor today, listen to the song below.  It's on his new album and it's such a beautiful song.  If you can't tolerate the song, at least listen to until the 2 minute mark.  Thank you and have a nice day.

It's Bowling Time!

It's getting to be that time of year again...bowling season.  Bowling would not be fun in the summer as you don't want to be a dark bowling alley in the middle of summer but it's a perfect winter activity.  We went bowling for our first time of the season the Saturday before Thanksgiving week.  We met our usual partners, Greg and Anna for a couple of games and wow, was I rusty.  I did break 100 for the second game though. :)  When we came out of the building, it was snowing for the first time this season and it was slippery.  The bowling alley is just under 6 miles from our house and we saw two accidents on the way home.

We all have our own bowling shoes now-  M made his shoe debut

Check out this bowling shoe in the pro shop

Woodbury Dinner

It's been hard to keep up my daily "Thankful November" posts and it's been even more difficult to blog about all the other things going on in my life at the same time.  I'm going to sneak in several posts yet for the remainder of this month and start fresh again for December so look for seven posts between today and tomorrow. Yeah, I know.  

It's already been almost two weeks since my sister and I met with my Grandpa for dinner.  We went to Bonfire in Woodbury for dinner and then went next door to where my sister works.  She's a general manager of a hotel so she gave us a tour of the common areas and then showed us one of the rooms.  Once we came back down to the front desk, my Grandpa told the manager on duty that he liked the room and that the bed bugs were very friendly.  Of course they hate the words "bed bugs" in the hospitality industry and of course he was kidding but it was hilarious.  I told my Grandpa that saying "bed bugs" in a hotel is like saying "bomb" on an airplane!  We thought it would be kind of funny to take a picture of us behind the front desk at the hotel.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Nine

Today I'm thankful for slippers.  Our house is cold quite often and I wouldn't be able to live without slippers in the winter.  I have all kinds of fun fashion for my feet already but M's mom is making me a pair of "Happy Feet" which are slippers she's been making for people since the '70s.  I should be receiving them soon so I'll be sure to post them when I get them.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Eight

Today I'm thankful for my state, the state of Minnesota.  I was born here and I'll probably die here as at least a part-time resident.  I LOVE Minnesota and can't imagine living elsewhere.  I love that I live in the Twin Cities but just two hours away I can be on the North Shore next to Lake Superior.  I love that I can be in another state in about 25 minutes and even another country in about 5 hours by car from my house.  We're lucky enough to have multiple professional sports teams (and want to keep it that way...Vikings!), lots of great restaurants, tons of culture and a wide range of people.  There's not many places in the country where it can be -60 degrees as well as 114 degrees in the summer.  So for those that have never been to Minnesota but only know the stereotypes, it is not cold and snowing in Minnesota all the time!  Check out more about MN weather on Wiki.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Seven

Today I'm thankful for the ocean.  I didn't get to see an ocean in person until 2002 when I saw the Atlantic Ocean for my first time.  Then I saw the Pacific Ocean in 2006.  I am not a big fan of water but I love the beauty and mystery an ocean has.  I would take the ocean for granted if I saw it every day but on cloudy days like today in Minnesota, it's fun to dream of the ocean which makes me appreciate it each time I do get to see it in person.

My first view of the Pacific Ocean- California 2006

Thankful November: Day Twenty Six

Today I'm thankful for my health. My overall health is good.  I've been old enough for awhile now that I think about the big picture when it comes to health so I try and lead my life preventing diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease by eating healthier and paying attention to my diet.  I need to exercise more though!

As for the state of temporary health, my poor Michael got food poisoning and was violently sick all night long. I'm glad I'm here to be his nurse until he gets over this.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Five

Today I'm thankful for music!  I've always been into music since I was a kid and I know I always will be.  Music shapes my soul and I'm so glad I have a partner who loves music also, actually more than I do.  Today we went to The Depot at First Avenue to pick up these tickets to a concert both of us are extremely excited to see.  Now we just have to wait until February.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Four

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Today I'm thankful for my family, both immediate and extended family. It was hard to wait to until the 24th to say I'm thankful for my family as I wanted to be thankful for them on Day One of Thankful November but I thought it was appropriate to save them until today since I was with them all day today.  No family is perfect but I wouldn't change what I currently have for anything.  I love you Mom, Dad, Jamie and the rest of you, extended family.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Three

Today I'm thankful for dark chocolate.  Sometimes I just want it and sometimes I need it.  It's a perfect treat that makes me feel better and just a small amount tides me over...usually.

Thankful November: Day Twenty Two

I hate milk.  I stopped drinking it when I was eight years old.  Because of this issue, I can't eat cereal, traditionally at least.  Until now.  Even though it's been almost 27 years since I stopped drinking milk, I am thankful today that I've discovered soy milk.  I was definitely scared of trying new beverages that resemble milk so I've been reluctant over the years but finally sucked it up and tried it.  And it tastes good.  Good enough for me to be able to have cereal now!

Thankful November: Day Twenty One

Today I'm thankful for friends.  My friends have come and gone through the years from kindergarten to now but some have stayed with me for double-digit years.  You've all impacted me, whether it was good or bad, which ultimately has shaped my life.  Mass love to you all.

If you are not in a picture below, of course that doesn't mean I don't value your friendship!