Vikings vs. Texans

I talked about the state fair yesterday and today I'll discuss the Vikings game but they happened in the same day.  After spending several hours at the fair, we went home for a bit and went back out to go to the Vikings game.  Because it was so hot and not enough hours before the game, we didn't tailgate but ended up spending some time hanging out on Metrdome Plaza.  We went down to the game with M's cousins and ended up meeting our friend Loren and his son and ran into my cousin's cousin's husband Troy and their son (got that?!) so we had a nice little group with us.

We were able to experience our season tickets for the first time since we had different seats for the first game.  We moved down two whole rows, which is a very big move and pretty exciting since we weren't able to move at all the last two years.  We are now in row 9 in the upper level and about the 40-45 yard line.  I love our seats!

The Vikings beat the Texans 28-0 but I have to admit, I didn't pay close attention to the game.  We sat next to one of the other season ticket holders we've known from years past so we spent a lot of time catching up with her and chatting the night away.  This would never happen in the regular season though!

Minnesota State Fair

M and I went to the State Fair for a handful of hours on Thursday, September 1st.  M works next to the fair and his company pays for all employees and their families to go the fair with only one condition....you wear the company t-shirt that is designed for this occasion.  It's the least you can do for free admission (which is now $12), right?  I had the day off and M wanted me to meet him at noon and I told him I would be there shortly thereafter and I told him I had an appointment.  He was surprised when I showed up because this is what I looked like:

This is what I looked like just a few hours earlier:

We didn't experience too much at the fair.  It was damn hot and humid and at least 90 degrees but I think it was even hotter than that.  The first thing we did was sit down so M could try a craft beer sampler and  I got my standard root beer. 

We went on the sky glider and the parade was going on below us.  When I saw Ronald McDonald, I yelled, "Hey Ronald, up here!" so he would look up and we could get a picture of him.  Man, is he creepy! 

The first thing I needed to eat was a fish taco.  I had it last year for my first time and I've thought about that taco so many times throughout the year.  Unfortunately they don't have a restaurant outside of the fair.  I got it at San Felipe Tacos inside the food building.  

Here's what I ate: 

Fish Taco

Potato Buffalo chips (shared with M)

Corn on the cob

A cheese curd

Crab cakes (They were gross so I threw most of it away)

I feel like I barely ate anything considering I was at the fair. I think it was just too hot to eat.  I suppose that's a good thing but I'm already missing some of the items I didn't get that day....like Sweet Martha's cookies! 

Us in our stupid t-shirts 

Hi Ronald!  You're creepy!

Bacon!

Vikings vs. Cowboys

It's two days past the official kickoff of football and only one day before the Vikings actual season starts but here I am writing about the third preseason game which was the Vikings first game at home.  The game was on Saturday, August 27th and the game didn't start until 7 pm so you'd think we'd be out there all day tailgating and maybe we would have if we M didn't get stung by a  bee that day, which he is allergic too.  After a quick run into the bathroom and an adrenaline shot into his thigh, he was ok but we hung out a bit at home just to make sure he wasn't still going to have a reaction.  We finally got down to the tailgating lot around 4:30 pm where we met up with a group of people we know.  It was a perfect sunny and warm day to tailgate.

Upon walking into the Metrodome, it would be the first time we would have been there since December 2010 when the roof collapsed due to a magnitude of snow. The new roof is whiter and brighter which allows you to see the hint of blue sky outside.  There are many flaps/panels that hang from the ceiling now that assist in the audio but I'm not sure what exactly they do.

Remember when my friend Vince won the planking contest at work?  Well he wasn't able to use his prize, which were tickets to this game so he gave them to me!  We were able to sit on the 50 yard line, lower level on the visitor side.  They were great seats and it's one of the very few times I've sat in the lower level for a Vikings game.

The game was good as we were able to see most of the starters play at least the 2nd half and some into the 3rd quarter.  The Vikings lost 23-17 with a chance to win with seconds left.

After the game we went to M's cousin Lorrie's house.  She was celebrating her 50th birthday party and there about 5-6 poker tables set up with at least 4 people at each table.  There were also people out by the fire in the backyard where M and I spent most of the time we were there.  Happy Birthday Lorrie!

Wanna Party?!

As I sit here and write this, I wonder how it can be September 7th already.  Cooler temperatures are upon us and before you know it, the leaves will be turning.  Now that summer is winding down, it's time to kick back and relax and enjoy some football!  Before you decide to plop down on the couch on Sunday, September 25th, consider coming out to the Metrodome to watch the Minnesota Vikings take on the Detroit Lions.  It's the 5th Annual Cherrie Jones Tailgate Party and we want you to be there!  I'm very excited that they'll be some new faces at the party this year.  Come show your face!  We even accept Packers fans! :) If you are interested in further details, check out the Facebook page otherwise email me!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/216454233383/

Last year's group

Target Field: Twins vs. Tigers

M and I went to the Twins game on Friday, August 26th.  The weather was perfect and it was really a nice night to enjoy (bad) baseball on a day where you don't have to wake up in the morning and go to work.  The Twins played the first place Detroit Tigers. The Twins scored 1 run in the 2nd and that would be the last time they scored.  The Tigers however would go on to score 8 runs which simple math tells you that Tigers 8 + Twins 1 = Twins suck.  At the time of this writing, the Twins are 1 game ahead of being on the bottom of the division.  I took a handful of pictures of my baseball boyfriend Jason Kubel as it looked like he was going to be leaving the team after being put on waivers but after not officially being claimed by any team, he remains a Twin until at least the season is over. After the game, M and I hit Tuggs in St. Anthony Main for a beer.

A Family Affair and Meatballs Too!

In place of my regularly scheduled dinner outing with my grandpa, I got as many as I could from my mom's side of the family to come out for dinner at Yarusso's.  I think our final count was around 23.  Not too bad for a week and half notice!  Yarusso's is small and we took up almost half of the restaurant.  We were scattered all over at tables and different booths so I couldn't get a great group picture of all of us.  My cousin Ryan and her boyfriend came with their newest addition PJ (Paul Jr.), who was born in early August and my uncle John loves being a grandpa. As always, the food at Yarusso's is fantastic!  We're going to try and get together again in October.

John really doesn't have a pompadour.  It's a shadow.

Hi Colton!

Crave

A week ago last Wednesday, I met my friend Ben at Crave in downtown Minneapolis.  We hung out on their new rooftop patio that opened earlier this summer.  I can't quite remember the last time I had met up with Ben but I know it had been at least a year and maybe even two.  We've known each other since I was 17 and even though we don't talk often, I'm glad we've stayed in touch through the years. 

The weather that day was gorgeous except it was really windy. I had a couple glasses of wine and we had some appetizers of sushi, Korean chicken nuggets and french fries with truffle aioli.  Yum!

American Burger Blah

M and I went to American Burger Bar in St. Paul a week ago Tuesday.  This was my third time there.  The first time I went it was good.  The second time I went with my grandpa and it was great.  This past time was horrible and I doubt I'll ever be back.  There were more people in there than I'd ever seen before which we figured out was due to the Katy Perry concert at Xcel just blocks away.  Oh excuse me...I just vomited while I typed the name Katy Perry.  Can't stand her!  Anyways, our server was HORRIBLE and their air conditioning wasn't working so it was so hot and stuffy in there. It took big efforts just to get our waters refilled.  We were both craving milkshakes and a big reason why we went there in the first place only to find out their machine was down.  The best part?  Having to literally shoo and wave off flies and gnats while we were trying to eat.  The food wasn't terrible but it was just ok.  

The best part of the night was stopping down the road at Candyland for a couple of caramel treats!

Lazy Weekend

Not last weekend but the weekend before I really had nothing planned and I LOVED every minute of it!  I ran over to my parent's house on Saturday to drop off something and I ended up staying over there for five hours.  I don't know if I have ever visited my parents for that long.  We hung outside on the deck and talked mostly and then my sister and her family came over for a bit.  They had just been shopping and bought Colton his first pair of shoes.  The kid will be one year old in the middle of September and he already started walking before the middle of July.  My dad played some ghetto game of baseball with Keith using a soccer ball and a broom.  They were having fun though...whatever works!

Japanese beetles that are eating up my parent's rosebushes! 

On Sunday, M and I went to a park by our house and fooled around on the basketball court.  We played a game where we each shoot 10 baskets and see how many we can get in.  I shot 7 for 10 and Michael shot, well, let's say it was much less than me.  Look how fantastic our form is!

After basketball, we took our bikes out and went for a ride to trails around our house.  Michael says I hinder his bike riding since he's Mr. I ride 150 miles and I'm Ms. I ride 1.5 miles.  Ok, not that bad but let's say my endurance (or my ass) isn't quite ready for those long rides yet.  

I have to say I don't have that many rolls!  It was the wind coming through my shirt!

Break time!  And don't laugh at the helmet!