Thanksgiving

Well Thanksgiving 2011 was a success!  I'm exhausted as I write this but we made it.  I passed my DC2 test Monday *yay*, worked Tuesday and we headed home Wednesday. I stopped and visited Kim and met baby Brody.  They are SOO tiny as newborns.  He was adorable and I was so happy I stopped.  We had a nice dinner Wednesday night followed up with Planes Trains and Automobiles.  I can't believe I've never seen that movie before.  It was hilarious.  I have to say Raleigh and I ran everyday so we couldn't have packed on TOO many calories over the weekend.  I helped mom make some goodies for the annual Holiday Dessert Bake Off and Vonne's.  We stopped at Grandmas to see Manwillers before we headed over to Clear Lake for the Secory Thanksgiving.  It was a great afternoon filled with bloody marys, bonfires, fireworks and football.  We were pooped that night and slept like babies.  Friday we woke up and went and got our favorite, Cabin Coffee and then I headed back to MC to spend the day with my mom.  We did some holiday decorating and ordered God Fathers Pizza that night ***YUMO***.  Saturday mom and I headed over to Vonne's where we met Kathy, Katie, Megan and baby Henry.  It was so nice to see everyone and to be backing wonderful goodies.  Baby Henry was adorable and Megan was really good having just got a new job in Denver.  We headed back home after that and we were POOPED Saturday night.  Slept like babies and just relaxed on Sunday.  Next weekend we're popping back down to Clear lake...Christmas by the lake here we come!

Ready for the Holidays!

What a great week!  Busy but great.  I guess we're just getting in shape for the holidays.  I took Friday off as I have a big test on Monday.  It's my final test of 4 that I've been working toward for 2 years...if I pass I'll officially have my QKA (Qualified Plan Administrator) designation.  I went to spin class and then headed over to the Maple Grove Library. Around 4 I headed home and was ready for a cocktail and for the weekend to begin!  Friday night Tim took me out on his date night choice...we went to New Hope Bowling Alley and followed it up with dinner at Sunshine Factory.  It was just a fun night...simple night but a fun night.  As much as we love the city life we're pretty simple people that enjoy a simple side of life.  Saturday my mom and Ellie came up and we went over to Arbor Lakes and did some shopping followed up with an AMAZING pedicure.   I changed things up a bit and went with black nail polish...I'm bringing out my inner Kim Kardashian.  We had our first snow fall which was actually a little nastier than I had anticipated.  There were something like 462 accidents in Minnesota alone yesterday...was glad to not be driving the Bug!  We headed out to dinner at Morgans and followed it up with a movie.  Mom and Ellie headed to bed around 10 and Tim and I enjoyed a bottle of wine in bed watching tv and me keeping him up as long as I could talking about probably nothing.  :o)  After church mom and Ellie took off and Tim and I loaded up the dogs and headed East to Lake Elmo to Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm.  It's a family run farm and we were SO glad we went today.  It wasn't busy AT ALL and it was great.  It was beautiful out as we surveyed the tree choices.  We zeroed in on a 7 1/2ft Spruce.  Tim did all the work cutting down the tree...I did help load it into the sled.  I included a little video of him in action.  It was fun...I've never gone and picked out a tree.  Tim and I both decided it's a tradition we want to keep.  Along with personalized pizzas and picking out a family ornament each year.  When we got home we put the tree up and decorated the house and we both LOVE it!  So cozy!  Makes winter a little more bearable.

Raleigh loves the first winters snow!!

Albert and Sandy living the rough life...

Off to get the Christmas Tree!

Krueger Christmas Tree Farm

Found our tree!

Tim at work...

Lets head home...

Home!  Time to decorate!

Our first Secory Christmas Tree!

Not too shabby!

Great weekend...

So Many Places To Go...So Little Time

Take a look at the websites I've added to the right.  Many of them are Tim and my favorite places restaurants or just places we like.  A lot of them are places we haven't visited yet but that I've found in my MSP Magazine (thanks Erica) and have loved their website.  The bakery's look AMAZING.  This leads me to my next topic...I'm on a diet. Haha...time to bite the bullet and just get rid of those extra pounds that have seemed to found their way to my midsection throughout the last few years.  It's hard...BUT...feeling great and healthy is priceless.

The days are getting shorter and the dark nights longer...that means the cold weather is just ahead of us.  We've had an amazing fall and can't complain.  But coming off of two record snow falls (one in Des Moines and then Minneapolis the following winter) we deserve all the nice weather God will give us!  It's funny...you can tell the temperature change by the animal movement (or lack of) in the household.   Here's a picture I just had to take this morning.

The cats know where the warmth is...in all the red fur!! "Albert, is that even comfortable??" Raleigh LOVES this weather...he's very comfortable all through winter often just sitting  in the snow watching traffic. It's kind of a pain because he's cool enough to lay on the bed all night long...and he's sure a bed hog.  Notice you don't see Os in these...that's because he goes straight from the bed to under the blanket on the couch and doesn't move unless we make him!  He definitely does NOT like winter...BUT, can you blame him?

Tim and I have started taking turns surprising the other one with a date night location.  We kind of started last week when we went out with 2 couples last weekend to Travail.  It was good food but they didn't take reservations and we didn't end up leaving until Midnight.  Too late for this girl who attended 5:45am spin class that morning...annnnddd possibly too much time to drink wine before hand. Needless to say next time I think we'll vote for a place that takes reservations.  Does that make us old?  We could have done it on a Saturday night...no problem. :o)

The First Post

Well here it is!  The first post.  I've come across a few blogs lately and thought it was a great way to "journal" a families journeys.  Tim and I moved up to Minneapolis, Minnesota in January of this year after he took a Sales Manager position.  We were married in June and here we are in November already.  Where does the time go?

The last few weekends have been nice as we've been up here (not traveling home). We've gone to the Elm Creek Dog Park quite a bit lately and Raleigh almost expects it.  I think the frigid cold is right around the corner so our frequent visits might be cut short here very soon.  I am looking forward to getting out and doing some cross country skiing.  I found an amazing park near us that has light trails from 5am-10pm.  Now, if I can get my husband out there with me.  :o)