All the News That's Fit

• Ok, so he won. No, not him, him.
• The cops in MN are looking for a kid and his Mom who fled the state to avoid having chemo. The kid doesn't want it, he's 13, his parents agree. Why is the state so bent on bringing him back? He's old enough to understand that without chemo he will probably die, but he wants to try some other alternative methods. He's 13, not 3, he knows the risks. If it was all his parents idea then yes, step in, but come on, aren't there more serious things happening that require police time and effort?
• TV channels are introducing their fall line ups. Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies get cancelled, but NBC made another season of I'm a Celeb, Get Me Out of Here? AND cancelled Medium?? Tragedy. Luckily CBS picked Medium up.
• It was 97 degrees here the other day...I hate the heat.
• LOST was AWSOME. Now I have to wait until January or February to find out what happened AND it'll be the last season. I am stocking up on anti-depressants and kleenex now.
• Facebook is lame. Can anyone explain to me it's purpose/relevance? And while you're at it, explain to me why I keep logging on and checking my profile?
• SYTYCD starts tonight...wooot wooot! I should be on that show.
• How does anyone know how to go about obtaining a surface-to-air missile?? I wouldn't know the first person to talk to about that, maybe it's just me.

Minnesot-ah!

Here are a few reasons I am happy to live in Minnesota right now.

• Still no sales tax on clothes or shoes of ANY price.
• We'll definitely have a white Christmas this year.
• Even in snow, driving doesn't hurt as much anymore.
• The end is in sight.
• This store at the MOA.
• This restaurant being 20 minutes away.
• Heaven less than a mile away.
• Being close enough to home to get the ingredients, if I run out, for the Christmas treat!

The Sun Will Come Out....Some Day

So what do you do after a long, cold, windy winter (that apparently still isn't over)? Well, if you're Mark...you snap about 2 weeks ago and make life very difficult with the constant cursing and muttering. If you're Melanie...you grin and bare it - I grew up in a colder place, so it could always be worse, right?
The one thing I have noticed during our first winter in Minnesota (and this goes for all cities I have ever lived in), is that EVERYone talks about the weather. It's like your own real life, real time weather channel. You don't need to turn on your TV, just poke your head outside and the first person you see will shout something about the weather at you. "Cold enough for ya?" is my favourite. Or the "Can you believe how cold it is?" Yes actually I can, we live in MINNESOTA. Apparently no one bothered to inform these people that Minnesota is not located adjacent to Florida, California or Hawaii (how rude!). I can completely understand someone's shock over the weather if they have just relocated to MN from one of the previous listed warm states. I would probably remark at the temperatures too. However, most of the people complaining about the weather are either native Minnesotans or people who have lived here for years and years. I don't get it. Minnestoa + winter = cold (beyond cold to many). Maybe they don't teach geography in school here, so that's why they don't understand the utter chilliness of Minnesota winters?? We've had plenty of nights of single digits plus windchills, and mornings of minus 5 plus the windchill...it's just winter folks, put on your toque (hat) and mitts when you go out. Seems kind of obvious to me. But as I said, where I grew up, it was routinely -40 or less with the windchill, so maybe I am just a heartier breed than others. I'm not one to say I love the -40 degree weather, but yes, I am the crazy one who would rather suffer through it than suffer through 100 degrees plus humidity. Like I always say, when it's cold, I can put more clothes on...when it is that hot, I could run around naked and still sweat profusely. I would rather shudder than boil.
Minnesota winters just make you appreciate Minnesota summers a lot more, because they are really fantastic. Not scorching hot, not completely soaked with humidity, and the evenings cool down. Perfect.
So to answer the first question....what do you do after a long, cold, windy winter?? Most people head south for surf, sun, sand and fun. Us? We're going to NYC! Hey 45 degrees is a heatwave next to the -2 with windchill we woke up to this morning!
Wild Ginger, Black & White cookies and Century 21 (when did they get an actual website?? Love it!!) - here we come!!

Perks of the job

Since high school, I have worked a good number of jobs for all sorts of companies. Currently I work for Target Headquarters, and I have to say, it, hands down, has the best work environment of all my jobs. My first week there, we had food and snacks almost every day, how can that be wrong? We have monthly social events, volunteer opportunities (you go on work's dime), training classes, speakers, tours, poker games...you name it - anything you want to participate in, no problem!
One of the most exciting things that Target does is bring in "guests". When I first started I was told that Brad Paisley, and Kenny Chesney had performed, a few American Idol contestants (Elliot Yamin - I would have loved to have seen him!), Fall Out Boy, Hoobastank and others. Since I started in July, there has been Trisha Yearwood (not a country fan, but she is a funny lady!), some race car drivers (didn't go to that one), and my (so-far) all time favourite.... Isaac Mizrahi!!!!


The ladies I went down with were able to slide past the crowds and get right to the front - we had a great spot! He spoke for a few minutes and then took questions. He is quite an engaging speaker. Then came the autograph session!! I can now add his to my collection of celeb autographs!
I have been a huge fan of his ever since I became aware of the world of high fashion. I used to dream of being a fashion designer and I would spend many nights in front of the television watching Fashion File and Fashion Televison (my Dad loved that). I loved his shows, and his designs. During my teenage years you would find pile upon pile of Vogue, Flare and numerous other fashion magazines in my closet, the pages dog-earred with the designs I could only dream of coming up with. Over the years, as I realized I did not have what it took, or what was needed to become a fashion designer, the piles slowly shortened and I stopped spending all of my allowance on magazines, but I have always kept the love of high fashion - even if you would never imagine it in a million years by looking at me.
It was so great to listen to Isaac today, he is so funny (who knew??), and you can tell he loves everything he does whether it is runway couture, home goods, or his line for Target - it's all Isaac.
As Mark frequently says "who do you work for??" Ahhh the perks of the job! Who will be next?

Information Overload

Ok, so maybe not THAT much info, but much more than usually goes on in our lives in a weeks time! First of all, we just got back from a trip to Idaho for Mark's 10 year reunion, and a visit with his family. Almost everyone was there this time, just missing two brothers-in-law. I think Mark got to do almost everything he intended on doing during the trip... fishing, golfing, eating Papa Kelsey's and bambino's, sleeping in (ok just once), visiting with family and neighbourhood friends, and seeing old high school friends. Oh, he also got to show off his new bathing suit.. I told him I was going to put a picture up on here, but I think it might cause a little too much tension in our house if I did! I promise if I get permission I will post it, but this one I can't just share with the world without his okay.

Mark with a few of the grandkids

Hamlet

Life was also quite eventful before we left for Idaho. We never have two crazy things happen so closely together, let alone in the same week!! Crazy.

This would be my new employer! Yes, I have re-joined the workforce AND they give me a discount to do it... awesome! I think we will be shopipng there even more in the future. While it is nice, and needed (for both of our sanities) to be back at work, there is something to be said for sleeping in until whenever you want, getting dressed whenever you want, spending the day doing whatever you want... but it also gets boring. I will have to find another way though to keep up with the shenanigans of the Bradys, Hortons, Cranes, Lopez-Fitzgeralds and all those other crazy folks on DOOL and Passions. I know, but there really is nothing else on in the afternoon, and I go crazy just listening to my brain all day long. Well, my brain and Rachel Ray.

Ok, so the last piece of info/craziness to have happened since last we posted... come the middle of September, we will no longer be apartment dwellers. Yes that is correct, we have switched teams and will be joining the ranks of homeowners!!!!! I am so very excited to not have to listen to a next door neighbour ever again, well at least through my wall, ceiling or floor that is... I am sure we'll have some crazy across the street neighbour who will sit on their stairs and howl at the moon or something insane like that; Just our luck.
Here are a couple of pictures of the new homestead.

My guess is that the next few weeks will go back to the regular uneventful pace that we usually live, but these tidbits should suffice for awhile! Appliance shopping will probably be the next big event in our lives! Is it sad that I am excited for that?

The wait is over.

I know you have all been waiting patiently for this, and I am proud to have you wait no longer!! I am sad to say the best video of the bunch would not load... so the allusive dancing Mark will remain hidden for a little while longer. Until then though... enjoy the Village People!!

There are no words....

Ok, so this weekend was awesome for so many reason. The first reason... I kicked Mark's butt at miniature golf! The second reason... we got a new cordless phone! Say goodbye to constant static and dead batteries.

BUT, the best reason this weekend was awesome.... the Taste of Minnesota. So we heard about the TOM and decided to check it out. We had been to the Taste of Times Square on previous years and enjoyed it, and figured Minnesota has some good restaurants, so it should be a good time. Well, let me tell you... it wasn't like the Taste of Times Square. Here in MN, they seem to pride their Taste of, to be more like the county/state fair. The food vendors consisted of burgers, fried cheese curds, french fries, pork chop on a stick.... not quite what we were expecting, and it was a little pricey for what it was. Anyway, we won a coupon for a free pizza thanks to my inate ability for random celeb/tv/pop culture trivia, so it couldn't be that bad, right? Of course not!! Especially since I haven't even told you about the BEST. PART. EVER.

Yes, that is the ORIGINAL Village People! In all their glory. Here's some more of them...

I wish I had been able to get a clear shot of the Indian in his YMCA headdress, but the crowd wouldn't let me have it! There were arms everywhere, swaying back and forth, heads jumping up and down... there was just no good shot! There's nothing quite like 6 men all in their 50's or older, shaking their bums, and thrusting their pelvises (is that the proper plural form??) in our general direction.

Now the bonus part about this concert experience was the crowd. It was quite the cross section of people. There were the cool kids like us, the moms bringing their 10 year olds, random dancing guys by themselves, and the grandfolks like these...

This picture cannot do justice to the amount of entertainment this lady and her husbnad provided to us. From the moment the guys took the stage she had her camera glued to her face taking thousands of pictures and/or video, it was hard to tell. She did take the odd break from her camera but quickly went back to it when the boys started with the pelvic thrusts!! Never have I seen such excitement over the girations of 50+ year old men.. well not from someone wearing a fanny pack. In addition to this lovely lady, was her husband, who also had his camera glued to his face the entire time. I guess they thought one camera would not suffice in capturing all that is glorious about the Village People. Now don't get me wrong, I am the first one to sing along to Macho Man... but that night was probably one of the most fun nights ever. Just the crowd, the music... and finally seeing Mark let loose of his inner disco moves. It was like a Mastercard commerical... Priceless.

It did bring around a question to ponder.... do you think the Village People are having a great time, or do you think they feel a little bit of sadness to the whole thing. We tend to think there is a bit of both, but this group is constantly touring. The day after they busted a move at the Taste of Minnesota, they whisked off to a concert in California. They've been playing in Europe... it seems nonstop. I never would have guessed they still had such a busy touring life! I think it is just the younger crowd that might feel a little of the "sadness", not the tear inducing, tug at your heart strings kind, but the "sad", sort of pathetic, feel sorry for them kind. Looking around, the older folks were going to town loving it up. Maybe that's what we will be like 30 years from now, when any of the current bands we like go on tour and we find ourselves at the concert, rocking out while we wear our fanny packs being laughed at by all the young whippersnappers!

I am in possession of some great video, but can't for the life of me figure out how to upload it!! If anyone knows, will you please pass on the info either in the comments section or email me, video this good MUST be shared with the world.

Oh, did I mention the concert was FREE! Another reason it was so amazing!

One more thing, for anyone who finds themselves at an event when the YMCA is played, just a bit of advice, straight from the mouths of the Village People.... the "M" in YMCA is not done with your fingertips meeting on your head (like monkey arms they said) you make the point of the M in front of your body, elbos out to the side. So let's all make sure we do it right from now on!!

Slow Summer Days

Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the new city, or maybe it's the lack of a job... but summer sure seems to go by slower than other seasons. TV shows take a break, or new craptastic reality shows, not worth watching (Age of Love anyone??), pop up... people take vacations, the world just decides it's time to take a break. Seems that break is applying itself to blogging. My blogging specifically. There's just nothing going on to blog about, so I am left to blog about nothing to blog about? Although, I have loved reading other people's blogs and their summer adventures!! Guess I need to either take a fantastic vacation, blog about my toddler, or be having a baby.... I vote for the fantastic vacation!! I'm thinking the upcoming long weekend trip to Winnipeg for a wedding and the Idaho trip for the school reunion won't count as FANTASTIC vacations right? It's always good and fun to go and visit family and friends, but it's not a trip to Prague or Reykjavik by any means!

Luckily the city seems to have some cures for the summer slowdown. There is a Jazz festival in St. Paul this weekend and again in Minneapolis the weekend after. There is also a Taste of Minnesota (or Minneapolis) in a week or two... who knew? Plus countless free outdoor concerts at many of the parks and lakes thoughout the area.

Minnesotans seem to love every minute of the summer they can get (perhaps to counter every minute of winter they get??). Every Friday about 3:00-4:00 the traffic rolls north to cottage country! Every truck pulling a boat, every SUV with jetskis on top... Minnesotans love the lake! Hard to imagine why.... close to a lake, trees everywhere, peace and quiet, relaxing... as long as the cabin is fully equipped with electricity, running water and a flushable toilet of course! Big surprise... who know I wasn't a "let's rough it" kind of girl, right?

A nice weekend day trip should suffice though, check out some Falls, have a picnic, take a nap under a tree maybe? I am guessing it wouldn't be too hard to convince Mark to spend a Saturday that way.

Breakin' it down MSP style

So this weekend Minneapolis has their Mosaic street fair, cultural event downtown. It was a free event, so Mark and I decided to check it out after a day of neighbourhood shopping. We weren't too sure what to expect as we approached... but it was a pretty decent time. We got there just as it was starting, so there wasn't too much going on. We got some food from the local vendors set up. They had a few restaurants or something set up and you could get Mexican, African, Chinese and some other types of food. So we sampled a few things and listened to/watched a local drumline/dance team perform. They were pretty good, very entertaining.

After the drums, we moved along to check out the St. Paul Irish Dancers. I am not a huge Irish Dancer fan... well, I've never seen it too much, so I wasn't overly excited. It was a group of young kids and a few teenagers, and they were really good!! There was this one little girl, the crowd absolutely loved her! She was so little, and she couldn't have been more then 7 or 8, she was so much fun to watch! She is the littlest girl in the picture to the left. So cute!! And al the girls had their hair curled so when the danced and jumped their curls went up a foot or two in the air!! Must have taken forever to curl their hair like that!

Alright, so after drumlines and Irish dancing... what comes next? Hip Hop obviously!! We made our way over to the theatre with the Hip Hop "exhibit"... what would we find there? There was a group of 6 people, probably in their mid 20's, and they broke down the history of hip hop for the crowd, did some examples of 4 styles of hip hop, and then did a routine they put together. I think the funniest thing was the audience make-up. There were some families with kids, some younger couples (Mark and I), and some 20 somethings... but there were also some much older people in the crowd. At one point the girl doing the history part asked if everyone knew what something was (I can't remember, but most people would have at least heard of it) but there was an older couple (60's maybe) sitting in front of us, and they leaned over to each other and both said "what? what is that?", it was funny. Everyone had a good time though and the dancers did some pretty sweet moves. (the picture to the right isn't the group we saw, but one guuy did do this move!) The whole time we were there I kept thinking of Suzanne and Melissa, and how they would have loved this and would have probably been dancing along!! It was hard to get pictures because we were a few rows back, but I got some video of them... but apparently I don't know how to upload that to this website, so I can't share it with everyone!! It was a fun night though. We actually ran into someone we know from our ward here too... very strange since we have only been to the ward a few times and what are the odds?? We are looking forward to discovering the other fun, free, city events they have going on in the summer here... there seems to be a lot! Should be a fun summer!

We're Back!

Ok, so this isn't our apartment, but it's pretty much what it has looked like the past 2 days (add 58 more boxes and 6 or 7 larger piles of paper and bubble wrap!!). The end is in sight though... just odds and ends to put away and organize, an of course the 9 boxes of books to put in the bookscase, but that is Mark's job. So far it has been good. We took a roadtrip over the Memorial weekend to my parents in the 'Peg. I got to see my Mother dance in bellbottoms and an afro (picture will come later -don't you worry Mom!), visit some friends and see family I haven't seen in awhile.
The first week here was loads of fun... an air mattress, TV, and crossword puzzles until my heart was content! Who knew unpacking could make you feel like you have a purpose when you wake up!! Although now that it is coming to a close.... I suppose job hunting will have to take its place. Or I could be a procrastinator and not job hunt, it's not something I enjoy.

Perhaps when the apartment looks a little more together I will post some pictures I won't be embarassed by, and I will take some time to post some blogs that have some substance in case anyone wants to know what we've been up to

(LOST finale anyone???)!

Hail Minnesota

Hail Minnesota
Minnesota, hail to thee!Hail to thee, our state so dear,Thy light shall ever be A beacon bright and clear.Thy son and daughters trueWill proclaim thee near and far,They shall guard thy fame and adore thy name;Thou shalt be their Northern Star.
Like the stream that bends to sea,Like the pine that seeks the blue;Minnesota, still for theeThy sons are strong and true.From the woods and waters fair;From the prairies waving far,At thy call they throng with their shout and song;Hailing thee their Northern Star.

So that is the official state song of Minnesota, don't ask to what tune it is sung, because I do not know! My guess is we won't hear it being sung while we are in Minneapolis this weekend, but maybe they will have a lovely quartet awaiting us as we exit the plane...? Probably not, but you never know!

Could you live in a place named something that made you laugh every time you said it? Mark has been doing apartment hunting online and setting up times to go check them out over the weekend and one of the apartment complexes is called the "Minnehaha" it just MAKES you laugh... it has "HAHA" right in it!!

I am trying to decide how I make the apartment decision... what's the most important factor? Price? Location? Square footage? I think for me it is neighbours. I wish they had a way to let you know how noisy your neighbours were going to be. I swear if we pick a place and 2 days into it the people next door are blaring their music all hours of the day and someone has a parrot they keep right next to the wall... ugh, how DO you test for noisy neighbours when you are only in the apartment 10 or 15 minutes max? Cross your fingers we find a place beside someone quiet, and non-bothersome, instead of the crazies we have had out in NYC!!

Tasty Minnesota Tidbits!

In anticipation of our upcoming move, I thought I would do a little digging on Minneapolis, and Minnesota, and see what we could all learn! Here is what I found:

* Minneapolis is first in the nation in literacy and second in per capita theaters
* The Mall of America in Bloomington is the size of 78 football fields --- 9.5 million square feet

* Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined
* Minneapolis was ranked in 1998 by Money magazine as the best large Midwestern city in which to live

* Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than any other city in the country

* Minneapolis was named one of the safest cities in the United States.
* Minnesota is the nation's 12th largest state. 4,854 square miles of Minnesota's area is covered by water.
* “Minnesota” translates literally to “sky-tinted water.”

* Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state

* Minneapolis ranks fifth in the country in total downtown retail sales, only behind New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco. There is no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota (Yay!!)
* The first Automatic Pop-up toaster was marketed in June 1926 by McGraw Electric Co. in Minneapolis under the name Toastmaster. The retail price was $13.50
* For many years, the world's largest twine ball has sat in Darwin. It weighs 17,400 pounds, is twelve feet in diameter, and was the creation of Francis A. Johnson.

* Tonka Trucks were developed and are continued to be manufactured in Minnetonka

* The world's largest pelican stands at the base of the Mill Pond dam on the Pelican River, right in downtown Pelican Rapids

* Minneapolis’ famed skyway system connecting 52 blocks (nearly five miles) of downtown makes it possible to live, eat, work and shop without going outside
* Minnesota Inventions: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables
* Alexander Anderson of Red Wing discovered the processes to puff wheat and rice giving us the indispensable rice cakes.

And now we are all a little more Minnesota educated! :o)