I'm Here!

I'm still here, and I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I know you've missed me.

I returned from my Minnesota trip on August 1st. I left my mom's house bright and early, and got back to Rock Springs around midnight. My friend Marty's demolition derby was the night before, and I was so wound up I had a hard time sleeping, so some naps were needed along the way. No major mishaps, just one near-death experience, and I was home.

I had a BLAST in Minnesota. Tuesday nights my friend Sarah, the aforementioned Marty, and the occasional collection of parents and siblings and other friends would attend trivia night at Zorbaz. Lots of the questions were actually fairly difficult for us. The questions were written from the perspective of a middle-aged man, and since we're not quite middle aged yet, it was a stretch for us at times. Of course, when my second mother, Mary Lou, came along, there was no stopping us. With her help, we won some t-shirts and a pitcher of beer, and when we wandered to Vergas for trivia at Billy's Corner Bar, we even got third (which meant a $10 gift card!).

I also had the pleasure to go to the Cities to see my Soul Sisters and spend some time with them. I call my friends from Concordia that because I love them like they are my family. Meghan, Sarah, Robin, and Amber are the ones I get to see the most often. I would also include Stacy, Jenn, and Amberleigh in that little group as well. Anyway, Sarah got to listen to me snore while she drove to St. Paul so we could stay with Amber and Robin. Friday night we went to this bar in NE Minneapolis called Psycho Suzie's. It was a really interesting place--It was kind of tiki-themed, but they had really interesting food. The special that night was the "Archie Bunker" which consisted of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a rice krispie treat. We also indulged in deviled eggs and tator tots. I had some sort of caramel rum custard dessert. It was atrociously delicious--and I even got a little buzzed from it. lol :)

Over the course of the weekend, we went to two Twins games (versus the Chicago White Sox. Booooooo to Asshat Jerk Pierzynski!), Amber and I went on a 5 mile hike on the banks of the Mississippi River, and went to our favorite neighborhood pub, the Chatterbox (if you're ever in St Paul...you totally need to go!). I feel like I'm forgetting lots of things that we did. All I know is that I had a great time with my friends. Robin and Amber are off to graduate school this month: Robin will be going to the U of MI for social work, and Amber is off to SCSU for speech therapy. I am so excited for both of my friends and former roommates. They are amazing young women who will do great good for humanity. Speaking of great good for humanity--Sarah is working hard in DL as a social worker, and Meghan is beginning her new job working for a co-op as a school psychologist. I am so excited for all of my sisters as they begin these new chapters in their lives.

Another thing I did was go to the fair. I've loved the fair since I was little and my grandfather spent weeks and hours there being in charge of the livestock barn. With the loss of so many family farms, the fair isn't what it used to be. There are hardly any pigs, cows and goats any longer. My friend Marty, his brother David, and his dad Jon participated in the demolition derby at the fair. I had the pleasure of helping them to paint their cars and video tape the actual contest. I had an absolute blast.

Some other highlights of my trip were going to ceramics with my mom, spending time with my mom and sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins, going bowling, and just enjoying the greenery and mild temperatures of HOME. This trip kind of confirmed it for me--Minnesota is where we belong. We'll be back one day.

Anyway, since I've been back I've been working on getting my classroom in order and cleaning house. My mother-in-law just visited for a few days...but that's another blog.

I'll share some pictures in the next post. :)