Monday, November 8, 2010

Squirrels!

What a weekend!

Many of you who know me, know that I love being busy. I would much rather have a million things going on at once than have nothing to do at all. This weekend was no exception.


On Friday I told you that we were going to Famous Dave's Blues and BBQ Club in Uptown for dinner and music. We ended up going a little after 6:30pm to beat the cover charge and wound up having a really great time during the Happy Hour with Gregg Inhofer. After a few beers and BBQ, we didnt end up staying long enough to hear the main act of Magic Slim and the Teardrops which was disappointing, but overall it was a really fun time. I would definitely recommend Famous Dave's in Uptown if you are looking for a chill night with some good blues and good food. I wouldnt necessarily go there on a date if you wanted to talk to someone because the music is really loud, but I heard that during the main acts there is dancing and toe-tapping on the floor, so bring your dancing shoes after 9:00pm ; )

Saturday started off early as I am dog-sitting for the Theisen's while they are in the Dominican Republic for a wedding. Their very loveable pup is Rosie, and she can be a handful. Although she is a very well trained dog, when Rosie starts running around, its hard not to smile and get just as excited! On Sunday morning I took her for a walk and realized quickly that next time I would need to bring my running shoes, and some doggie bags! Whoops! Sorry City of Maple Grove, I'll pick those up tomorrow.....Anyway, jumping around a bit, this morning I got up early to go on a run with Rosie and it was insane! Not only did we get kind of lost (I really dont know anything about the streets in Maple Grove) but Rosie was practically dragging me the entire time! You know those dogs in Up that hate squirrels? I think Rosie watched Up and decided that attacking the squirrel race was a good idea. We would be jogging along nicely when BLAM! Rosie would practically rip my arm off to chase a squirrel up a tree. Needless to say, it was a long run. But I forgave her, and it still breaks my heart every time I have to leave her for the day :(


Back to Saturday, after feeding Rosie and finishing my book at the MG Caribou (I am rereading the Lucas Davenport books by John Sanford which are awesome!) I scooted on down to Adrian's Tavern on 48th and Chicago Ave to chat with my Uncle Steve and cousin Molly. Adrian's is said to have one of the best burgers in Minneapolis, and I will say, they do have a mean Juicy Lucy. The burger goes delightfully with my favorite brew on their tap, Summit EPA of course ;) It was nice to catch up with the both of them, even though Uncle Steve whooped my butt in cribbage. I even got to see my aunt Barb who just got back from her African adventure! I can't wait to catch up with her and hear about her trip!


Sunday was jammed packed. After the run around with Rosie, I came back to Uptown to have lunch with Miss Lindsey, who was in town for the weekend from Lacrosse. Unfortunately, she got a little bit lost coming to my apartment and ended up in North Minneapolis, which is not anywhere close to where I live. I felt terrible, and to make matters worse, our lunch wasnt the best either. We went to the Uptown Cafeteria, and although the decor was interesting, the service and food werent the best. I have heard good things about the Uptown Cafeteria during the summer when they have their rooftop patio open, so I guess I would have to wait until I can get up there to give a final verdict on the place. I would recommend the Uptown Cafeteria for their Happy Hour specials ($1 additional drinks and $3 select foods) but not necessarily for the dining experience.

After lunch with Lindsey, I had a running date with Krissy around Lake Calhoun which was wonderful, but not a good idea after eating spicy sausage hash for lunch! Regardless, we had a good time and the weather was absolutely beautiful!


Next was a "quick" drive back up to Maple Grove to feed Rosie, and then down to St. Paul where I met Heather, an old friend from Madison, at Bonfire for dinner. Bonfire always has awesome food, and last night was no exception. I had the chicken bruschetta salad and it was amazing! I also had a glass of Malbec, which is my favorite red wine : ) The atmosphere at Bonfire is great, perfect for sitting and chatting with friends! It was great to catch up with Heather again and hopefully we will get to hang out more since we both live in the cities now!


So like I said, it was a busy weekend seeing people and doing things! But I wouldnt have it any other way! Another busy week of seeing people and places coming up, cant wait to keep you updated! :)



Also I know I am doing a bad job of integrating my ideas/thoughts about events and things like that into the blog, so I am going to try and do a better job of that. If anyone has any suggestions on what they would like to see on the blog in that regards, please let me know! One little tidbit I have, I am in the midst of my third event for The Family Partnership; the National Family Week Leadership Celebration. Among my list of duties, I need to create center pieces for the tables at the event and would really like to do something in the paper/tissue paper/duct tape flower arena. I did a tweet/facebook post about it a couple of days ago, but does anyone have any other pointers on how to make these? I think it would be a fun and personal touch for the event, and the nominees or their families can take them home with them once the banquet is over.



Song of the day: Today I thought I would give a shout out to a local artist that I really love. His name is Tim Montag and he does all his own writing and recording out of his studio in Becker, MN. I really like all of his songs, but my favorite is "New Love", an lovely little upbeat song that brings a smile to my face when I hear it. Please check him out, he is under Tim Montag on facebook and you check out his album at Tim Montag store.
"And when my lips touch yours you'll know, You and I will write a new meaning for, Love, in a way the world could never dream of. Love, love, You and Me will be in New Love" :)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Chipper Friday!

Good Afternoon!!

I am so sorry for the long hiatus, after my Italy trip it took me FOREVER to get all caught up with work and my events and everything! Also I just moved to Uptown so I was busy unpacking and exploring my new city! I am going to try and get a fun, new place on here everyday (or so) so keep checking back! I am also working on my Italy posts, I just havent had time to sit down and remember all the fun things we did! But dont worry, I will be getting them done this weekend, so look back for those!

Anyway, here's a recap of some fun things I did this week. : )

On Monday is was the lovely Ms. Sarah's birthday so a couple of us went to Lyndale Tap House for dinner. According to the website, The Tap House was opened in 2009 to bring residents of the Lyn-Lake neighborhood (which now includes me!) together for some high quality, original food and drinks at affordable prices. Their big draw is the Baltimore Style Pit Meat, which is specially marinated and seared on a specialty grill for maximum tenderness and juciness. When we got there we weren't terribly hungry so Dani and I split the Habenero chicken lollipops (sadly not as spicy as you would think) and a bowl of chili which was wonderful. I would definitely recommend the Lyndale Tap House for some down-home quality barbeque, and they have a great beer selection as well : )



Tuesday was election day, and after a long hard day at work I was bummed that I forgot my license in my apartment and had to go from Edina, back to Minneapolis, and then all the way to Eagan to vote. It was a double bummer because once I got there, they were out of "I Voted" stickers! So sad... :( But the evening got better when I went and had snacks and a photoshop lesson with Beth. It was great to catch up with her and I got to hear all about her recent trip to LA! I'm thinking a trip out to California will be in the works soon ; ) Plus I got schooled on Photoshop so I can make all my Italy pictures look really cool!

On Wednesday Megan's boyfriend's mom got us all free tickets to the Twin Cities Live "Girls Night Out" showing of Morning Glory, starring Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, and Harrison Ford. The movie was really cute; it was about a young executive producer taking a job at a failing morning talk show and turning it all around in time to save the show from being canceled. Its a definite chick flick, and I've got to tell you, Harrison Ford looked ANCIENT as one of the co-anchors! Long gone are the days of Han Solo I guess.


Thursday was another crazy day at work, pay day and month end billing are not fun times, but I was able to have dinner with Maddy at one of my favorite Thai restaurants, Sawatdee! It was really interesting because I am used to going to their St. Paul location which is a little bit bigger and has a wide selection on their menu. However, the Uptown Sawatdee was really small and had only about 10 items on their menu, including the delicious Pad Thai that I had : ) I liked the small business feel, and the owner was really friendly and chatted us up about how everyone seems to disappear on the streets once the weather gets cold! Brrr!

Today I deemed "Chipper Friday" because, well, I'm just in a chipper mood! I am really excited because a) I am finally blogging again ; ) and b) we are going out tonight to Famous Dave's Blues and BBQ club in Uptown! I have heard some good things about the music here, so it should be fun to chow down on some good BBQ, drink some beer, and jam out to some blues! I'll let you know tomorrow how everything goes!

Song of the Day: After a crazy week at work and my excitement for some good music and of course beer tonight, I thought this song by Josh Thompson would be perfect! "Beer on the Table" is a classic kind of country song about workin that 9 - 5 just to get some food in your belly and beer down your gullet ; ) Three Cheers to Chipper Friday! : D



"It puts the gas in my truck, butter on my biscut,


Couple bucks when I'm itching, for a scratch-off ticket.


That poker makes me broker every Saturday night,'


but I still got running water and they ain't turned off the lights.


Come Friday night my friends and I start peeling off them labels,


working hard all week, puts some beer on the table!"