Playing Catch-up...

What we're gonna do right here is go back.  Waaayyy back.  Back into...August?  Yep, that's right - I have not posted anything of any significance since AUGUST!  This wedding is taking up most of my free time right now, so hopefully in a few weeks I will have ALL KINDS of time for blogging (and cleaning - one of the other things that has been pushed to the back burner around here lately...)

Anyway, so there have been many significant goings-on around here in the past month and a half or so...starting with my "friends" wedding shower!  It was a fabulous party thrown by Natalie and Betsy at their house (with additional help from their mom, Karen!), and was something that I wanted to do before my long-time friend Annie took off for the Navy.  Luckily, we were able to schedule it in the nick of time, though the quick planning meant that some good friends were unable to attend.  The shower included a lot of delicious food, some great, cold drinks (perfect on this VERY hot day), and plenty of fun!  The "Megan and Andy Trivia" game was probably one of my favorite things.

Natalie reading trivia questions

Meanwhile, while Jen, my Mom, and I were having an enjoyable afternoon, Dustin, Andy, and my Dad were back at our house installing our new front door.  All.  Day.  Long.  The door that was there was probably the original door from when the house was built in the 1950s, so needless to say they weren't able to just take out the old door and slide the new one in in its place.  But they were able to retro-fit the new door, and it looks great!  We just have to patch the plaster around it and put the trim back up, and it'll be like new.  We also have a new storm door to install - hopefully soon...

The new door

The old door - partially removed

 Our ugly storm door - soon to be replaced by a much sleeker one

Looking at Herb, who'd just escaped

Rosie - looking intently for her chance to escape

The product of a day's hard work

Coming soon:  Bon Voyage Annie, State Fair, and Adventures in Eau Claire

Absent Blogger

Hey "everyone" (both of the people that will probably read this) - I just wanted to write a quick note to say that I'm sorry I haven't been keepin' up with this thang!  It has been crazy and hectic around here lately with wedding planning, 5K training, and life in general!  I have a TON of pictures to upload, so I am hoping to get back at it this weekend!  Stay tuned...

Phew...It's Been Busy Around Here!

Although I started out with the best of intentions, I've obviously let the ol' blog get away from me. Already. So, there is a lot to catch up on!

First of all, shortly after my last post, I bought a sweet-ass bike helmet. I've never been overly thrilled with wearing one, but being that when I do bike to work I ride on a busy road with lots of semis, buses and potentially inattentive drivers I thought it might be a good idea.

Sooooo...here it is:

It kinda reminds me of the Rocketeer or something...but so far it's doing the trick, because my skull is still intact.

The purchase of this helmet also had an additional benefit, as you can see here:

Rosie was a HUGE fan of the box the helmet came in.

   
      Fast forward to two weekends ago...it was our friend, Jon's 40th birthday.  Holy cow - he's old.  We celebrated by going to Canterbury Park to watch the horse races.  Horse racing holds my attention for oh, about one race.  There was WAY too much time in between the races, and no one came out a big winner, but it was pretty fun.  After Canterbury we went to dinner at Nye's Polonaise Room in NE Minneapolis.  Nye's has been around for sixty or so years, and I'd always wanted to go there, but I think that it is one of those 'try it one time to get the experience' type of places.  The food was good, but kind of spendy, and the atmosphere was...interesting to say the least.  I don't think they've done much remodeling since the place opened - I think this is supposed to add to the "kitschy" appeal, which it definitely did.  I wish I had some photos from inside the restaurant, but no such luck.
     The plan for after dinner was to bar-hop around NE, but we ended up staying at Arone's, the first bar we went to, for the rest of the night.  It was a blast.  If you're ever in NE and looking for cheap beer, pool tables, and a jukebox, Arone's is the place.  Plus, you'll get to meet Donna - I think she's pretty much there everyday from open to close.

Jimmy - the only one who really knew what he was doing betting on horses.

And the lovely Betsy and Brad even made an appearance!  Betsy brought one heck hell of a birthday cake for the occasion.  (See what I did there? The cake was so good, I changed heck to hell for extra emphasis on its deliciousness.)

Me with two of my favorite people.

The boys were playing pool for awhile, but then Sara started playing, and they didn't wanna look bad, so... 

They figured being wallflowers was the best way to go.

I even got a pic of the old man himself!  And, as Jimmy would say, look at those two "hot bitches" he's sitting with.  Jon leads a charmed life - the best life EVER, right Jon?

Sunday was Paws on Grand, so I volunteered to take Lucy and Herb.  Cici had to stay home to take care of her mom, who was recovering from the night before.  The dogs had fun, I think - except when Herb slipped out of his collar while trying to avoid some giant Golden Retrievers.  Luckily I used my lightening-fast reflexes to grab him before he ran out into the street. 

At the begninning of the afternoon

At the end of the afternoon

Yeah, they're pretty much the same in both pictures.  But they were sad at the end because we didn't get a chance to make hats like a lot of the other dogs were wearing...  Oh well, there's always next year.

.2? Are you kidding me?

Well, for all of those non-existent readers of my blog who don't already know, I signed up for a Biggest Loser competition at work. I figured it was a good way to stay even more motivated to get in better shape for the wedding, along with a way to win some extra cash. So far, the exercising part has been really easy: I do the Couch-to-5k program three times a week, and work out with a trainer at my gym every Tuesday and Thursday. The eating, on the other hand, has been more of a challenge. I've been trying really hard to eat better - I cut my portion sizes and have been making sure I eat a healthy lunch everyday, but some weeknights and the weekends have been really hard! I know all of the tips and tricks of weight loss, but today was our week 3 weigh-in, and I lost...wait for it...


.2 pounds.


Less than 1/2 of one pound.


What a downer!

So, after a sympathy lunch at Raising Cane's (it was, after all, National Chicken Finger Day), I resolved to work out harder and longer this week so that I can kick this competition's ass.


Now, onto the good stuff. Dustin, Jen, and Brandon (our friends from Eau Claire) came to visit this weekend, and on Sunday we went to breakfast at Keys Cafe in the Foshay. After getting our grub on, we took Brandon to Como Zoo - a place that I hadn't see probably since high school. Here are some highlights of the day:


The boys walking (well, Brandon was running) to meet Jen and I at Keys in Downtown Minneapolis




The Foshay Tower - one of my favorite buildings in Minneapolis

Brandon was in awe of all of the big buildings - not too many skyscrapers in Eau Claire. We gotta get this kid out more!



Then we went to the Zoo.





The sea lions were a big hit. I think we could've watched them for at least an hour. But alas, we had to move on.














I don't think these zebras were too happy to see my camera...which leads to my favorite picture from the zoo:
















This guy looks a little out of place in his surroundings...


















After our friends left, Andy and I relaxed at home for a bit and then went to Brasa to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our engagement!

Oh, and I almost forgot - a few pictures of my green thumb in action:















The first ripe tomatoes of the year! Picked 'em and ate 'em this morning on my way to work, and they were delicious.















My heirloom tomato plant (it's actually more like a shrub) and basil plants















Tomatoes in the back, peppers in the front. Hopefully by next summer this area and my other "gardens" will be sectioned off - Herb has been enjoying some green heirloom tomato babies for the past week now...ever since he figured out how to pick them off of the vines. Not cool, Herb.

My very first post...on my very first blog!

Well, with all of the changes that have been going on in our lives over the past year, I figure it's time to get my blog on! I have no idea if I'll be any good at this. At all. But, it's worth a shot - what's the worst that can happen? No one reads this? It'll be their loss. :) So, check back when you get a chance, and we'll see how this goes!