Eco-Dinner Part II

Tanya and I loved Ecopolitan so much last month that we decided we are going to go there monthly until we either experience the whole menu or get sick of it.

We went there again last Tuesday.  Instead of both of us ordering the same thing like last time, we ordered different items.  I had the chili cheese burrito but if you look at it, it's nothing like a chili cheese burrito since it has to be vegan, raw, organic and gluten free to even be served at Ecopolitan.  I thought it was really good and I loved the collard leaf it was wrapped in.  It was so sturdy!

Tanya had the Rawvioli, which wasn't her favorite and I tried it and it wasn't mine either.  It had a very distinct ginger-marinara sauce that overpowered the whole meal.  

The first time we came here, we said we would for sure try dessert but Tanya didn't want to so I ended up ordering a cookie, which I believe was orange-pistachio flavored and I think it was some sort of date sauce all over it.  Looks unappealing but it was good. 

Until next month, Ecopolitan!

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to you.  

A big thanks to my model for allowing me to make him look kinda silly carrying a globe circa 1980's just so I could put it here for your enjoyment.  I knew that globe that I've been holding on to since elementary school would come in handy one of these days! (Actually, I've kept it all these years because it's interesting to see all the countries that are still on there with different names than what they exist as today, like the USSR and different parts of Eastern Europe.  

Michael didn't just come out in the yard to hold the globe for me.  He was actually out there to plant his hops that he's going to grow for use in his own home brews.  He's growing both Cascade and Chinook hops.  They shouldn't grow much, if at all this year but next year they should take off and then it's hard to keep them from not growing like wildfire.  We're hoping the critters in the backyard don't get them but we'll see.

New growth on the trees

Words with Friends

Last Saturday night, M and I went over to Chris and Tanya's house to visit.  Everyone's schedules are whacked so we don't get to do it very often but we'd been planing this day for over a month.

We were greeted in a super excited manner but the best bulldog in the world, Cosmo and a little more of a shy greeting from Asher.  I hadn't seen Asher in person since Chris and I went to the Twins game with him at the very end of September.  He's turning one in June and looks just like his mama.

M brought over some of his coveted beers and we shared bottles together so we could try a little of everything.  I bowed out only after a few small glasses and switched to water.  We ate a bunch of relatively healthy foods since all of us are on a diet or watching how we eat in some way or another.  We had meatless meatballs, carrots, celery, hummus, guacamole, salsa and different kinds of grain crackers.

We always have fun hanging out with each other.  We stayed until almost 3:30 am when this picture was taken.

Everyone Can Have One!

No more need to work out.  Developing your abs was never so easy.

Promotion

Last month, I had my annual review at work and I was promoted.  Let's pretend that my job title is Wickity Wickity Wack.  Now, after my promotion my title is Senior Wickity Wickity Wack.

I will still stay in my current department but I will play a larger role in training others, presentations as well as being a mentor and example to others.  I've already felt the stress of my new duties though.  There are three new people starting in my department starting this past Monday until the end of the month and I'm a big part of training them.  Unfortunately I can't get to my daily work and I'm having to come in on weekends.  I know it's temporary and it's a busy time of year for us but I'm getting a little burned out.  I know it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm trying my best to stay positive and as stress-free as possibly can!  I'm truly excited to have been promoted to this title.  This is something I had been striving for!

My new business card:

Ok, the only thing real about that business card is the picture. That's really where I work...the building shown in the back at least.  

  

Birchbox- April

First off, THANK YOU so much for the blog love I received in yesterday's post.  I really needed to know you guys are out there reading and it keeps me going.

Moving on, I received my Birchbox for April in the mail last week and I was disappointed.  I know I keep rambling about how I plan on cancelling if the next month is bad but I think I just want to make it a year and then I'll probably cancel.

This month's box included, get this, laundry detergent.  Ok, the little drops look cute and convenient but I want beauty products, not household products.  If I didn't get a mini Zoya in the color Lotus (which I almost bought at one time), I would have been even more disappointed. The box also included a sample of Taylor Swift's perfume, which isn't too bad but not very exciting and an organic moisturizer and a hair mask. I don't know how this equates to at least $10 worth of product. Let's get it right for next month, Birchbox!

Blog Love

I'm feeling a little....insecure.  I haven't had many blog comments for a while and I need my blog self-esteem boosted a bit.  I have a couple of people that are habitual commenters, which I super duper appreciate but do me a quick favor and leave a comment telling me hello so I know you're still reading.  Come out, lurkers.

Thank you!

Easter

The Easter Bunny stopped by our house and Michael must have been a good boy because he received two baskets and definitely skipped on the candy and went straight for the beer.  The Easter Bunny told me that he didn't get to the store in time and was going to do it the next day but I think the Easter Bunny forgot or wanted me to forget because I haven't seen a basket yet.

Easter is most often at my aunt's house in Wisconsin.  I love it when it's there because they live on a hobby farm and it seems so natural to incorporate animals and Spring and Easter.

Colton loved Sasha the horse

Easter was good as always with good food and my mom's side of the family.  The weather was chilly and especially windy but when it was sunny, it wasn't too bad. I actually remembered to take photos of people this time!

Lift Bridge Tour

Last Saturday was a rainy day for most of the day and while it sounded appealing to laze around and do nothing, we got up and went to tour Lift Bridge Brewery.

Lift Bridge is located in Stillwater in a building.  They had a tap room in the front with a bar and benches and even a popcorn machine.  We listened to one of the owners, Jim, talk about the history of the brewery since it's inception in 2008 while we were poured one of the samples of the day.

The tour continued into the other area where all the action happens and another 3 samples were poured for us.  I liked all of the beers I tasted from there, which is kind of odd because I'm not a big beer person.  M has me taste a lot of his beers for just a sip and just by doing that, I've started to like some of them.  Here comes the beer gut.

Michael and one owner, Jim

This was our fourth consecutive monthly beer tour and I have to say it was my favorite.  I bought a shirt and M bought a growler, a pint glass and two jar glasses.

Beers sampled:

• Farm Girl Saison
• Chestnut Hill Nut Brown Ale
• Crosscut Pale Ale
• Spring Fling Ale

Guster

Last Friday, I got to see my favorite band for the fifth time.  Guster played at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis but before that happened, a couple of comedians took the stage.

I've never seen a comedian open up for a band before.  And after the first comedian, maybe I know why.  The first comedian wasn't that good.  He was trying but the crowd wasn't that into him and I'm pretty sure I heard some laughs just for the sake of empathy.  What made this comedian's night even worse was the hecklers that were just three rows ahead of us.  First, I hate hecklers.  I think it's ridiculous what they do and the reasons they do it and if you want to learn more on that subject, watch the documentary, Heckler. The whole experience was just uncomfortable to watch.

After the first comedian bombed due to multiple circumstances, Jeff Garlin took the stage.  If you don't know who he is, he is best known as Jeff Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm.  He came out and he said he doesn't have an act and that he just improvises.  I wasn't sure if I believed him at first but yes, it seems to be true especially since a lot of the dialogue on Curb Your Enthusiasm is improvised.  He was already well aware of the hecklers and he was just waiting for the right moment for them to speak so he could rip them apart and that's exactly what Jeff did.  He went off on them for minutes to the point where he wanted one of the guys to come on stage and told him he gets 30 seconds to talk.  He came on stage and sat there for a minute all stupid-looking (really) and then finally started into a bit about the metric system.  I really think there was more than one screw loose in this dude's head.

Jeff and the Idiot

Jeff finished his show and I was finally ready for the part I came for....Guster!

Guster was acoustic all night and it was so awesome. We've been lucky enough for the past few concerts to be pretty close to the stage and so we were in the 4th row on the right side on the aisle.  The sound was perfect!  I also loved the style of show and they played some oldies and didn't always play their popular songs and for a true fan, it a great show.  There's some songs I still would have loved to have heard but maybe next time.  Video was strictly prohibited, more than any other show I've been to.  I had the usher chic come up to me and ask me if I was taking video or a picture.  It was a picture!

Fun fact:  The guitarist/bassist/banjo-ist (?) guy in the band named Luke used to be the singer in a band called Blue Merle and his voice sounds so much like Chris Martin from Coldplay.  Listen!

I tried to find the best song that represents Guster and their happy-go-luckiness and this is what I came up with.  

Roma

Last Wednesday M and I picked up my grandpa and we headed to Roma in Willernie for our biweekly dinner date.  I had no idea how popular and busy this place is but we had to wait 20 minutes on a Wednesday to be seated.  I suppose it's partially because the place isn't very big.

I had given blood earlier that day so I was so tired and kind of lethargic but I still think I made pretty good company.

I liked Roma, but I thought it was kind of expensive.  I had a coupon deal and it still ended up being too expensive, especially considering I had purchased the coupon deal.  I would go back but only with a coupon and I'd probably get something cheaper.

Gnocchi Bolognese for me

Pizza for M

Hot Dago for Grandpa- It was REALLY hot.

Sample Society Beauty Box

I found what looks to be like another great monthly subscription beauty box.  It's called Sample Society which is a collaboration between Beauty Bar and Allure magazine.  It was just released this past March and here are some of the goodies that went out in last month's box:

The first box—the March box included: Fekkai Advanced Glossing Cream (1.6 oz), Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (.45 oz), REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask (15 ml),Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Pen (.14 oz) and Oscar de la Renta Espirit D’Oscar Eau de Parfum Rollerball (.1 fl oz).

 

A Sample Society membership introduces consumers to the latest trends and innovations in beauty through sampling. As members, customers receive the following every month:

• Five deluxe-size samples from premium brands such as By Terry, Dermalogica, Fekkai Advanced, and Bond No. 9. Samples are deluxe-size, meaning they are intended for more than one use, allowing customers to truly experience and test products’ efficacy.
• Original content written by Allure editors with each month’s samples, giving the customer relevant expert information that can optimize her experience and ultimately help her make purchase decisions.
• A $15 gift code that can be used toward the purchase of any product from the featured brands received that month (not just the specific product sampled), meaning that each box pays for itself.
• A one year subscription to Allure magazine

The monthly cost of $15 seems like a good deal, considering that if you are interested in purchasing one of the featured brands for the month, the $15 gift code can go towards the cost of the purchase so your box ends up being free. 


The program is so popular right now that there is a waiting list for new customers who want to try it out.  I've put my name in and we'll see how quickly I can get signed up.  Do you think you're interested in signing up? 

Beauty Army- March Box

I received my Beauty Army box in the mail earlier this week.  I picked these items myself so when it arrived in the mail on Wednesday, I didn't getting around to opening it.  In fact, I just opened it up today, Saturday.

I do love the box it comes in and can be used again for organization or using as a gift box but when I opened up the box, I thought, why would I have chosen that product?  I looked online and yes, I did choose all of the products in the box, however I probably chose those six because there wasn't that much to choose from in the first place.  I'm like all the other Beauty Army subscribers, which want more makeup samples and a little less skincare products.  I think for the past two months, it's pretty much been exclusively skincare items.

Anyway, here's what I got and I'll use the products but let's see some makeup next month or some more variety in products otherwise I'm cancelling!

It's the Weekend!

To all the Dexter lovers out there, enjoy.

Benefit = Success

This past Saturday was my aunt Pat's benefit and it was a success socially and financially.  I don't know how many people showed up officially but my guess is between 250-300 people.  There was good food and drinks, a bake sale and silent auction with TONS of items as well as the band.  I contacted the MN Twins and M contacted the MN Vikings and they both gave great donations which raised a good amount as well as M's sister Kim donated a quilt that she made that also made a lot of money.  I also donated a canvas photo print of Split Rock lighthouse that M's brother's girlfriend won.  My uncle who is an artist, sold a lot of his art. And I won an auction for a makeup basket.  Go figure!

My cousins did a wonderful job putting it all together and making it as successful as it was.

I want to thank all of the people that came out that aren't a part of this side of my family including my grandpa, uncle John, aunt Donna and aunt Terri and uncle Ken.  Thank you for supporting Pat!

And a super thank you to M's side of the family that came out including his parents Ray and Karen, sister Kim and BIL Greg, and brother Ray and girlfriend Dolly. You didn't have to be there but I appreciate along with many others that you guys are thoughtful and kind enough to support my family as well, even if you've never met some of them.

The band, Duck the Oyster

Little Amelia and her grandpa (my uncle) in the background

Packed house!

My aunt Pat and me at the end of the evening

I'm a Winner!

Remember when my family went out to dinner at Yarusso's in February?  They had a contest during that time to write a review of the restaurant on Google and if you let Yarusso's know that you wrote a review, you'd be entered into a drawing.  Well guess who won?  Me! What did I win?  A $50 gift certificate to the restaurant!

I'm going to take my parents and Michael for sure and maybe I can fit in an Italian grandpa as well.

Whole Living Thoughts-April

Happy April Fool's Day!  I don't have anything funny or a trick to post but I thought I'd post the Whole Living's monthly 10 thoughts as I've been doing for a couple of months.

Happy Birthday Greg Lindy, you April Fool!

1. Action is one of the best remedies for fear.
2. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help the next generation.
3. Worth asking: Where in my work is the opportunity to improve the world, even in the smallest way?
4. Making waves may be riskier than treading water-but it's also more productive.
5. Going green is like protecting your health; it comes down to respecting the place you inhabit.
6. Often it's not our values that are faulty, but our priorities.
7. It's impossible to learn to swim without jumping in the water.
8. Follow what makes you naturally curious; it will lead you to your passion and purpose.
9. Try not to confuse one defeat with total defeat.
10. Each time you turn on the faucet, remember to go with the flow.