Birthday Weekend!

Two weekends ago was my birthday!!! It was a pretty crazy weekend just in general. And I feel like I've been going non stop since. Ill bulletpoint it!

Friday night was spent running all over town between Blaines and Walmart gather supplies, and then proceeding to design and create our Color Run t-shirts of glory.

Saturday:
Tim and I drove down to Des Moines for the Color Run.
Ate a glorious Whole Foods breakfast.
Found the perfect parking spot downtown.
Perfect parking does not equal perfect weather.
Windy, cold (40s), with no sun. Not ideal for running in a specially designed thin tshirt.
Finally got to visit the Lululemon Showroom, disappointing, only three racks of miscellaneous clothes.
Brief walk to Runners Village, freezing.
Saw Ryleah, a former video board kid. Loved it.
Sat in the car making the rough decision.
Cold, had a 2hour wait, still having neck pain.
Decided TOTALLY randomly to drive up to Minneapolis to go birthday shopping!
Got to Minneapolis, straight to the Athleta store.
Shopping efficiency, 90 minutes.
Slightly double the limit spent. Oops.
Thank God Minnesota doesn't have sales tax.
But I did get more than workout clothes! I got some work clothes and holiday options too!
Tim made for a great shopping buddy. He holds AND advises. Without complaint (as long as he has his smartphone).
There MIGHT be a cupcake store between the car and Athleta….but we saved them for after dinner!
Big dinner conundrum of where to go.
Best decision all day, The Anchor.
An amazing dive, packed super early on Saturday.
Best fish and chips since Australia (that's saying something)
Second Whole Foods run for stocking up.
Headed home via the parents house for a quick hello.

Sunday:

Red Velvet & Cake Batter...mmm

Slept way too late. (Yesterday was jam packed!)
Princess delivery service took me to Hot Yoga
First time back after medical issues and injuries.
Been way too long.
Hyvee run for birthday breakfast and a caramel apple.
Nixed breakfast for birthday lunch with the family.
Knee pads, fro yo, and a workout rounded out the hang out afternoon.
Mini fashion show for family at birthday dinner!

Got a new NLXF shirt, massage gift card, a halloween plate and halloween socks!
Grandma and Grandpa came over for the awesome meal of rouladden, cucumber/tomato/mozzarella salad, and spaghetti corn.
Sweet potato cupcakes from Scratch for dessert!
Evening concluded with mom's travel questions from a box!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!!!

Sunday Funday.

So in a manner very unlike myself, the only pictures I have from this past Sunday are a few super pixelated cell phone pictures, so you will just have to hear about it and visualize. Think deep thoughts. Although, I'm sure this is actually a pretty boring entry for most, almost repeatitive perhaps. Deal with it. Start your own blog and complain about how all other blogs say the same stuff over and over. Don't worry, I'd still probably read it. ;-)

Quick back story. Tim and I love Craig Ferguson. You know, the guy with the robot sidekick on CBS late night. The Scottish one. Yeah, that guy. He's hilarious. I've read his book and I saw tickets to see his stand up in Minneapolis and just couldn't resist.

We've spent quite a bit of money recently between summer trips and my extra stupid medical stuff, so we weren't really super up for shopping, but driving all the way up to arrive right before the show and drive right back afterwards seemed kinda silly, might as well make at least a half day out of it!

We left town around 11 to make it up just in time for a late lunch at Common Root, which as much as I usually totally love it, left something to be desired. They prepared my toasted bagel immediately and let it sit for the 20 minutes it took to get Tim's out, so it was cold, chewy, and cream cheese congealed by the time I got it....unpleasant.

So after a quick yogurt parfait (the ONLY thing I'll eat from McDs, and thats in dire need) Tim dropped me off at Corepower Uptown for a Fusion Hot Yoga. I cannot begin to explain how much I love this place. Not just Uptown, but all of them. I wish Minneapolis wasn't so freaking cold. I would move there in a heartbeat and IMMEDIATELY get trained by Corepower. Everytime I go I get closer and closer to just sucking it up and figuring out a way to get my certificate up there anyway. I just love the facilities and the style and their philosophy. Their style is the most perfect match to mine, it brings in the mental meditation, but its not totally hippy enough to exclude the athletic and exercise aspect of it. But yet still completely traditional. I feel like every time I go I have a mini break through in some aspect of my practice...anyways. Enough yoga talk.

By the time I got back to the car, the bad lunch long drive dreariness was gone and I was totally ready for the rest of the day! Not that one can be in a funk for long once they get to Whole Foods. We didn't spend too much time there since we had to drive a bit for the show, but we stocked up on a few nights dinners, Love Crunch, and driving snacks for after the show. I want Whole Foods in Cedar Falls. Please? Anyone? Make this happen for my birthday (which, ps. is a week from Friday ;-) ).

Made it to the casino in good time for the show. Now, I don't really feel the need to talk about it a lot, and I don't think I would do the disgust sadness feeling justice. But it was actually my first time in a casino and it was sickening. This wasn't Vegas, here for a good time occassion gamblers. It was the morbidly obese, crippled grandmas, can't afford to eat chain smokers playing the digital slots. Just gross. And repulsive.

BUT. Craig Ferguson was funny. His opener was really good too. I like the comics that don't go fear going to the jokes that might take it just a little too far. That's where I start to find things funny. And both the opener and Craig did not disappoint. The venue was pretty good too, minus the fact that it was a really big igloo. I wouldn't have been surprised to see penguins waddling around in scarves and mittens. Show started at 7, and Craig wrapped at 8:30. Normally I would feel ripped off, but I was so cold and the drive ahead was long enough that I was ok with it. Plus it took us a solid 25 minutes to get out of the parking lot for seemingly no reason...

Drive home went fast though, pulled back in a little after midnight. Somehow I managed to stay awake the whole drive home, but that definitely didn't last long once I pulled the blanket over me.

On the way to Fargo: Minneapolis Eve.

Last weekend (which felt more like a month long experience), Tim and I headed north for the wedding celebrations of one of his college friends. By wedding celebrations, I mean not only wedding, but rehearsal/rehearsal dinner, and bachelor party. And by north, I mean FARGO NORTH DAKOTA. And let's be honest, that might as well be Canada. I figured Fargo is well known, it should be a decent sized city, wrong. This speck that we live in in Iowa is more culturally diverse than the capital of North Dakota.

But first was the bachelor party in Minneapolis, a city I could definitely dwell in, if it weren't for the arctic tundra that takes up reidence from September to May of every year. Heated seats can only get me so far. But mid-August, I can handle it. Especially when, as the female, I am left on my own to wander the city while the boys go get blitzed and watch baseball. But first things first, food. Not just any food, but the Common Root Cafe, a friend of ours works in the catering department and had them cater her wedding, so we knew it was the place to hit up. And since we ate there a total of three times in three days, I think that speaks for it self. But if it doesnt, feast your eyes on what our stomachs feasted upon. (Josh, our hotel room partner on this leg of the trip also joined us for this early lunch).
My Tomato & Mozzarella Panini

Tim's Bison (yes, its Minnesota) Tacos

Dark Chocolate and Orange Bread Pudding.

The funny thing is that that took an hour, before noon. And the 12 hours, I only have two pictures to show for it, and they don't even involve me! The boys half of the itinerary had them on a Pedal Pub around to different bars (which I heard incessant bitching about) and then a Twins baseball game before I was called to come pick up Tim and Josh a little before midnight (and then on a wild goose chase of a Perkins hunt for muffins).


So yeah, it looks like they had fun. But I have to say that aside from the driving portions of the afternoon and evening (I have no idea how people get anywhere in Minneapolis, its like Picasso painted the map of the road system, completely illogical and insane), I had a great time. I had the opportunity to catch a hot yoga practice at the Corepower at St Louis Park, which was absolutely amazing. I wish I lived up there so I could get certified through them. The practice was great, the instructor (Dylan) was fantastic, and the facility is just, awesome. Can you tell I dug it? Hit up Mall of America for a titch bit of shopping. I only got through the first floor, but it took much longer than it usually does. I ended up with a $75 pair of Gap jeans for $23. Score. But I ended up spending far more than the difference at Lululemon....oops.

Picked up dinner at Whole Foods after getting caught up in a hot mess of traffic. Thought I made a great decision by getting a to go meal of steamed salmon, veggies and rice. Not thinking that I had no way to HEAT said food. Now, dont get me wrong, I can eat a lot of things cold, but rice? Ehhhh....bad choice. Plus I felt like my mother in the fact that I would have done ANYTHING to find a speck of salt. But it was tasty for what it was....and Love Crunch was on sale. I mean, that alone is happy.

Hotel gym was next. I ended up watching the same episode of Jersey Shore twice in a row, but whatever, that facility was killer. It's ALMOST the biggest hotel gym I've seen. A full room for weight lifting, and at least a room and a half of cardio equipment. Good stuff too. I'd work out there on a regular basis. Ok, I just realized I dedicated this much space to a hotel workout. I clearly have priorities messed up. Im not even picky, I just like my vacation workouts, and when its at that level, it makes my sweaty heart happy.

Then as I said before, drove downtown (made me think and miss Boston hardcore) and picked up Tweedle Dee and Tweedle "I need a bathroom, my head hurts, Im going to blast AC even though youre sweaty and cold, the Pedal Pub sucked, people suck, I have to pee" Oh my.

And yet, that was the best day of the weekend.....