wow i haven't written on here in forever!
we are currently planning a fall harvest party!
my birthday is less than a month away.
i'm watching it's always sunny in philadelphia.
i'm happy that the weather is finally changing and fall will soon be here.
life is bittersweet right now for me.
hopefully with the change of seasons will always come a change in seasons of life.
xoxo
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
little 'ol stillwater, minnesota
driving fast down highway 36 through the misty rain that falls splattering on my windshield. i seem to be passing everyone in a quest to find a place that i have been to a hundred times but still couldn't give someone directions to. suddenly everyone comes to a halt as we move our way slowly down the hill towards old downtown stillwater, mn. i then decide to call my dad again to ask where to turn. oops i guess i was supposed to turn a mile back to avoid this line of cars trying to enter downtown. oh well. i like driving through old downtown stillwater. it reminds me of a place i was as a kid, frozen in time because it is exactly the same as i remember it when i was six years old. i finally make it past the one lane stoplight that is the entrance to many memories; which is the reason that there is always a lineup to get here. driving three blocks down mainstreet i remember my grandma betsy taking me to the stillwater art fair when i was ten. she said i could pick out one thing to have. i chose a wooden cutout of a unicorn with a rainbow behind it. very ten year old paula. that unicorn sat on a shelf in my room for many years. i still have it packed in a box somewhere. i miss my grandma betsy.
i drive past the antique store where eric and i went to when we stayed at a bed and breakfast in stillwater not long after we were married. i bought an old green glass seven up pop bottle. it is in my kitchen cupboard. eric and i spent a whole weekend going in and out of the shops along main street. the old time candy store, the book store, the camping supplies store, a couple antique stores and of course the old malt shop on the corner. the room we stayed in at the b&b was alice and wonderland themed with old lewis carroll books on the shelf and an old looking rabbit in a waistcoat stuffed animal on the mantel.
but i shake these memories off me as i continue trying to find the place i'm going. dad asks if i can remember how to get to nelson's - he will meet me there and then i can follow him. i say yes i do remember but i doubt myself as i say it. if i drive around in enough circles i bet i come to it eventually. left on myrtle and up the hill. now things are starting to look familiar. i pass the aveda salon and spa where nellie, BJ and i each got a gift certificate from dad for christmas one year. of course we all got the same thing - a massage. this aveda salon is inside of what appears to be a log cabin from the outside. once you walk in though you see that you have entered pure relaxation territory. i love the smell of aveda products. earthy and sweet, rosemary and citrus with a hint of lavender. wonderful. the massage was amazing and i remember that i used the complimentary shower afterwards cause the oils got into my hair. why would i go home to shower with my target brand soaps when i could use all aveda's for free? it was late fall and when i was finished showering and dressing i tried to leave but the women at the front said they wouldn't let me until i dried my hair because they didn't want me getting sick. so i went back and dried my hair and then was approved to go outside again once they saw my locks sufficiently void of all water.
anyway, across the street from this spa is nelson's. i can remember going to nelson's when i was too small to see over the counter. dad would lift me up to see inside the glass cases so i could choose from thirty flavors of ice cream. i remember when there was still one very old and small vinyl booth in the corner where you were lucky to sit if no one else had nabbed it. when they still sold an array of candy along with all the ice cream the world had to offer. trays and trays of candy of all shapes and sizes lined up behind the ice cream so the workers were literally standing in between every kids dream. since then they have removed the booth and got rid of all the candy. they now focus entirely on ice cream. they certainly did take some of the charm out of the little living room sized shack when they removed those though. it's quite plain inside now. but one thing that hasn't changed at all is the size of those scoops of ice cream. a child's size can feed a grown man. if you don't believe me and get a single which is the next size up you'll be sorry when they hand you a cup or cone filled a foot high with your confection. and i will bet you $50 you won't be able to finish it. that is if you can eat the mushroom cloud of ice cream that is sitting atop your cup without making it fall to the ground. walk outside and you will see a scoop of cookie dough melting on the ground not too far from a scoop of peppermint bon bon being licked up by someone's dog. my dad used to take me, nellie and BJ there when we were little. after dad ate his he would finish our bubblegum or rainbow sherbet cause it was always too much for us. i bet he would eat a quart of ice cream in one sitting. he always enjoyed it though and then would work it off the next day working outside in the minnesota summer heat. oh nelsons. everyone that works there probably has carpal tunnel - that's not spelled right but you know what i mean. scooping countless balls of ice cream for hours a day will do that to you.
i pull up to nelson's and see dad's car outside so i follow him as he gets back onto the road. turn past the hospital where grandpa o spent some time years ago. i remember cause we went to visit him there. past the preschool. past where the purple house used to be that i always wanted to buy and live in when i was little. then we park and walk inside.
a restaurant that hasn't hardly changed a bit in 25 years. they did move the three foot high wood carving of a native american man that used to greet you as you walked in the door. he's in the corner now but nellie and i would always say hi to him as we passed by following mom and dad to a table. polka music fills the air as you enter the dark little german restaurant. everythings red and black with dim lighting. trinkets hanging from the ceiling, ancient beer ads dot the walls and the same waitress who has been there over 40 years still serving even though her hair is all gray and she's hunched sightly. burger meister. if you have never been to this little restaurant hidden away in stillwater you must go. i have never had anything but the signature burger meister burger. it comes to you on a plate that is only big enough to hold the burger. yesterday with dad, my stepmom billie and billie's cousins visiting minnesota from kentucky we ordered five meister burgers and a basket of fries. somehow we also got a basket of onion rings from our favorite waitress but she has been working there over 40 years so she's bound to make a mistake now and again. the burgers are amazing. perfect seasoned beef patty with a slice of american cheese, your choice of fried or raw onions (i always skip the onions) and the best part - bacon. but not just a couple strips of bacon thrown on top. they crunch up the bacon so that your burger is thoroughly covered in tasty bacon bits. add a couple pickles, some ketchup and mustard and it is easily the best burger in the twin cities and for me the most nostalgic. the hand cut fries always served piping hot and a pitcher of coke make for the most perfect high calorie dinner ever. when i first came back from australia in february this is where nellie, BJ and i decided to have our first sisters night out dinner. it's always the same, never changing, always delicious.
so many memories in little 'ol stillwater, minnesota.
i drive past the antique store where eric and i went to when we stayed at a bed and breakfast in stillwater not long after we were married. i bought an old green glass seven up pop bottle. it is in my kitchen cupboard. eric and i spent a whole weekend going in and out of the shops along main street. the old time candy store, the book store, the camping supplies store, a couple antique stores and of course the old malt shop on the corner. the room we stayed in at the b&b was alice and wonderland themed with old lewis carroll books on the shelf and an old looking rabbit in a waistcoat stuffed animal on the mantel.
but i shake these memories off me as i continue trying to find the place i'm going. dad asks if i can remember how to get to nelson's - he will meet me there and then i can follow him. i say yes i do remember but i doubt myself as i say it. if i drive around in enough circles i bet i come to it eventually. left on myrtle and up the hill. now things are starting to look familiar. i pass the aveda salon and spa where nellie, BJ and i each got a gift certificate from dad for christmas one year. of course we all got the same thing - a massage. this aveda salon is inside of what appears to be a log cabin from the outside. once you walk in though you see that you have entered pure relaxation territory. i love the smell of aveda products. earthy and sweet, rosemary and citrus with a hint of lavender. wonderful. the massage was amazing and i remember that i used the complimentary shower afterwards cause the oils got into my hair. why would i go home to shower with my target brand soaps when i could use all aveda's for free? it was late fall and when i was finished showering and dressing i tried to leave but the women at the front said they wouldn't let me until i dried my hair because they didn't want me getting sick. so i went back and dried my hair and then was approved to go outside again once they saw my locks sufficiently void of all water.
anyway, across the street from this spa is nelson's. i can remember going to nelson's when i was too small to see over the counter. dad would lift me up to see inside the glass cases so i could choose from thirty flavors of ice cream. i remember when there was still one very old and small vinyl booth in the corner where you were lucky to sit if no one else had nabbed it. when they still sold an array of candy along with all the ice cream the world had to offer. trays and trays of candy of all shapes and sizes lined up behind the ice cream so the workers were literally standing in between every kids dream. since then they have removed the booth and got rid of all the candy. they now focus entirely on ice cream. they certainly did take some of the charm out of the little living room sized shack when they removed those though. it's quite plain inside now. but one thing that hasn't changed at all is the size of those scoops of ice cream. a child's size can feed a grown man. if you don't believe me and get a single which is the next size up you'll be sorry when they hand you a cup or cone filled a foot high with your confection. and i will bet you $50 you won't be able to finish it. that is if you can eat the mushroom cloud of ice cream that is sitting atop your cup without making it fall to the ground. walk outside and you will see a scoop of cookie dough melting on the ground not too far from a scoop of peppermint bon bon being licked up by someone's dog. my dad used to take me, nellie and BJ there when we were little. after dad ate his he would finish our bubblegum or rainbow sherbet cause it was always too much for us. i bet he would eat a quart of ice cream in one sitting. he always enjoyed it though and then would work it off the next day working outside in the minnesota summer heat. oh nelsons. everyone that works there probably has carpal tunnel - that's not spelled right but you know what i mean. scooping countless balls of ice cream for hours a day will do that to you.
i pull up to nelson's and see dad's car outside so i follow him as he gets back onto the road. turn past the hospital where grandpa o spent some time years ago. i remember cause we went to visit him there. past the preschool. past where the purple house used to be that i always wanted to buy and live in when i was little. then we park and walk inside.
a restaurant that hasn't hardly changed a bit in 25 years. they did move the three foot high wood carving of a native american man that used to greet you as you walked in the door. he's in the corner now but nellie and i would always say hi to him as we passed by following mom and dad to a table. polka music fills the air as you enter the dark little german restaurant. everythings red and black with dim lighting. trinkets hanging from the ceiling, ancient beer ads dot the walls and the same waitress who has been there over 40 years still serving even though her hair is all gray and she's hunched sightly. burger meister. if you have never been to this little restaurant hidden away in stillwater you must go. i have never had anything but the signature burger meister burger. it comes to you on a plate that is only big enough to hold the burger. yesterday with dad, my stepmom billie and billie's cousins visiting minnesota from kentucky we ordered five meister burgers and a basket of fries. somehow we also got a basket of onion rings from our favorite waitress but she has been working there over 40 years so she's bound to make a mistake now and again. the burgers are amazing. perfect seasoned beef patty with a slice of american cheese, your choice of fried or raw onions (i always skip the onions) and the best part - bacon. but not just a couple strips of bacon thrown on top. they crunch up the bacon so that your burger is thoroughly covered in tasty bacon bits. add a couple pickles, some ketchup and mustard and it is easily the best burger in the twin cities and for me the most nostalgic. the hand cut fries always served piping hot and a pitcher of coke make for the most perfect high calorie dinner ever. when i first came back from australia in february this is where nellie, BJ and i decided to have our first sisters night out dinner. it's always the same, never changing, always delicious.
so many memories in little 'ol stillwater, minnesota.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
not enough time in the day
wow i haven't written in a long time. does anyone besides me ever wish they could stop time? time is just going too fast for me. i have a hundred things i need to do and a thousand things i want to do and zero time to do anything. (the picture above is of me enjoying some horse riding time with daisy duke!)
i just started my new part-time fun job at patina. i think it will be a good fit for me; its a small husband and wife owned business that is located only in st paul and minneapolis. i have training tonight so hopefully all goes well.
i have too many appointments to go to, friends to see, places to check out, family to check in with for me to ever feel like there isn't somewhere i need to be. does that make sense?
why do i stress about all this? i don't know - i don't want to. but i can't help it!
if i could do anything i wanted i would paint and read and bake and ride horses and go swimming and eat chocolate and of course take naps! that would be a lovely day.
but for now i need to work and work and work and then come home and spend the evening trying to forget about the stresses of the day and relax and then go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again.
at least i enjoy almost everyone at my full time job which is good cause the work is quite monotonous. and my new part time job should be really fun cause i love the store and the people seem really great.
well i think that i might go for a swim it is a sunny 76 degree day and i am home now so i might as well enjoy the free time while i can. see ya!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
cars, cupcakes and crayons
hello 4 people who read this blog! it says i have 5 followers but my little sis anna is on there twice ;) so this has been a crazy week! last weekend i got back into horse back riding going on a horse-trail-riding-camping trip with nellie and my dad. i got to ride daisy duke my dad's new horse he got for my step mom billie. i was a little apprehensive at first since i haven't been riding in like 5 years but daisy duke was great and turned out to be our best trail riding horse we brought with.
on saturday we got up early and left in search of some easy/medium trails - we ended up on the triple black diamond hardest trail ever! we were basically scaling a rock and dirt mountain with horses. apparently the couple who owns the trails, the husband has recently been getting really sick and hasn't been able to groom the trails like usual. well since they didn't warn us of this we got really lost and stuck a couple times but after 3 hours in the wilderness we made it back to camp in one piece! it was so bad that we had to get off our horses and walk them up the cliffs at some spots.
anyway we had fun riding, eating junk food, watching friends on nellie's little dvd player and just relaxing. sorry but i don't have any pics yet of this trip but when i get them i will put them up! nellie has to make me copies.
anyway monday after that weekend was not a good day for me. i was SUPER sore. everywhere.
tuesday i got to work at 6:30am and at about 7am started to have chest pains. wasn't sure if it was cause i did something over the weekend but it freaked me out a bit when it didn't go away after a half hour. i have a blood clotting disorder so that kinda made me worried too. so i asked the nurse what she thought i should do. she went and asked one of our surgery center nurses who came back to me and said she was going to have to call 911 for me! i was like wait can't i just walk two feet over to st. joe's hospital right across the street? she said no i couldn't walk someone would have to wheel me over. i was like oh alright - not believing that it was entirely necessary. so i got to st. joe's and had an iv started, which really hurt cause she had to stick me like 5 times! i was thinking i can do a better job than you lady! oh well. then i had a ct scan and they said that everything looked fine and that i was probably just having chest wall pain and that it can be from stress. eric got a ride to the hospital from josh cause i had our only car downtown with me. he thought it was an elaborate way for me to get outta work that day. yeah elaborate and fricken expensive. i went home and rested up for the rest of the week.
thursday eric and i got into a fight about getting another car, his fall class schedule, his not working a ton right now and basically we were both just stressing out a ton. money sucks. i hate money. all i need is $50,000 and everything would be perfect... okay maybe not perfect but i think that i would be a lot more relaxed!
so i went and indulged myself in one of my favorite comfort food restaurants - panera bread. most amazing chocolate chip cookies i have ever had in my life. better than homemade. trust me they are gold when i am stressed out. they don't solve any of my arguments with eric or pay any of our bills but they are the best.
i'm listening to lily allen right now. my australian family introduced me to her and i love her.
anyways... lots of stuff to do this weekend. grad party, father's day, hang outs with friends that are long overdue. nothing tonight though.
well i guess thats all for now peeps.
xoxo
p.s. its titled cars, cupcakes and crayons cause those are things i wish i had at this moment :)
on saturday we got up early and left in search of some easy/medium trails - we ended up on the triple black diamond hardest trail ever! we were basically scaling a rock and dirt mountain with horses. apparently the couple who owns the trails, the husband has recently been getting really sick and hasn't been able to groom the trails like usual. well since they didn't warn us of this we got really lost and stuck a couple times but after 3 hours in the wilderness we made it back to camp in one piece! it was so bad that we had to get off our horses and walk them up the cliffs at some spots.
anyway we had fun riding, eating junk food, watching friends on nellie's little dvd player and just relaxing. sorry but i don't have any pics yet of this trip but when i get them i will put them up! nellie has to make me copies.
anyway monday after that weekend was not a good day for me. i was SUPER sore. everywhere.
tuesday i got to work at 6:30am and at about 7am started to have chest pains. wasn't sure if it was cause i did something over the weekend but it freaked me out a bit when it didn't go away after a half hour. i have a blood clotting disorder so that kinda made me worried too. so i asked the nurse what she thought i should do. she went and asked one of our surgery center nurses who came back to me and said she was going to have to call 911 for me! i was like wait can't i just walk two feet over to st. joe's hospital right across the street? she said no i couldn't walk someone would have to wheel me over. i was like oh alright - not believing that it was entirely necessary. so i got to st. joe's and had an iv started, which really hurt cause she had to stick me like 5 times! i was thinking i can do a better job than you lady! oh well. then i had a ct scan and they said that everything looked fine and that i was probably just having chest wall pain and that it can be from stress. eric got a ride to the hospital from josh cause i had our only car downtown with me. he thought it was an elaborate way for me to get outta work that day. yeah elaborate and fricken expensive. i went home and rested up for the rest of the week.
thursday eric and i got into a fight about getting another car, his fall class schedule, his not working a ton right now and basically we were both just stressing out a ton. money sucks. i hate money. all i need is $50,000 and everything would be perfect... okay maybe not perfect but i think that i would be a lot more relaxed!
so i went and indulged myself in one of my favorite comfort food restaurants - panera bread. most amazing chocolate chip cookies i have ever had in my life. better than homemade. trust me they are gold when i am stressed out. they don't solve any of my arguments with eric or pay any of our bills but they are the best.
i'm listening to lily allen right now. my australian family introduced me to her and i love her.
anyways... lots of stuff to do this weekend. grad party, father's day, hang outs with friends that are long overdue. nothing tonight though.
well i guess thats all for now peeps.
xoxo
p.s. its titled cars, cupcakes and crayons cause those are things i wish i had at this moment :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
wishin for a happy snap
i wish i had a little pocket camera; a happy snap as dannii would say. we only have eric's huge camera that he always brings places but then never uses cause its such a big thing to lug around.
if i had a little camera i would have taken photos of the horse auction that i went to on saturday morning where my dad brought home two new horses. i would have taken a picture of hunter's face when the auctioneer started off with the first horse of the day. they must go through some serious training to learn to talk that fast. it was a gloomy, rainy saturday but we made the most of it. later on eric and i went to the j kids where we ate chicken and watched 40 year old virgin and the hangover.
sunday i went with my mom, my cousin amanda and my auntie lisa down to grand ave for grand ol days. we met up with my auntie debbie who was working for salut at grand ol days and when she was finished we took her out for her birthday.
we parked and made our way down 5 blocks of crowded, dirty street to where debbie was working. there is some great people watching to be done at grand ol days. debbie wasn't quite finished yet so we wandered a couple more blocks until we made it to the bonfire restaurant. it was so packed in there we couldn't even make it up to the bar to order a drink. it was just like a mosh pit except everyone else had been there for a long time and was sweaty and drunk and we, having just arrived, were still smelling pretty and sober. debbie met us there and we decided to go somewhere else so we walked back to our car and drove over to the muddy pig. we stood around for a bit waiting for a table to open up while a plump server pushed her way past us quite rudely a dozen times or so until we could finally find a seat. we ordered washington apples for everyone which was fun and then had some brushetta and chicken wings and talked and sat for awhile. later on i had eric come pick me up because the blaring music was starting to give me a migraine. i really can be a grandma sometimes :)
i went home and curled up in bed watching BBC's life while eric rode his bike over to old chicago to meet up with some friends for a $2 burger and beer.
all in all it was a pretty good weekend... just wish i had a camera so i could show you. xoxo
if i had a little camera i would have taken photos of the horse auction that i went to on saturday morning where my dad brought home two new horses. i would have taken a picture of hunter's face when the auctioneer started off with the first horse of the day. they must go through some serious training to learn to talk that fast. it was a gloomy, rainy saturday but we made the most of it. later on eric and i went to the j kids where we ate chicken and watched 40 year old virgin and the hangover.
sunday i went with my mom, my cousin amanda and my auntie lisa down to grand ave for grand ol days. we met up with my auntie debbie who was working for salut at grand ol days and when she was finished we took her out for her birthday.
we parked and made our way down 5 blocks of crowded, dirty street to where debbie was working. there is some great people watching to be done at grand ol days. debbie wasn't quite finished yet so we wandered a couple more blocks until we made it to the bonfire restaurant. it was so packed in there we couldn't even make it up to the bar to order a drink. it was just like a mosh pit except everyone else had been there for a long time and was sweaty and drunk and we, having just arrived, were still smelling pretty and sober. debbie met us there and we decided to go somewhere else so we walked back to our car and drove over to the muddy pig. we stood around for a bit waiting for a table to open up while a plump server pushed her way past us quite rudely a dozen times or so until we could finally find a seat. we ordered washington apples for everyone which was fun and then had some brushetta and chicken wings and talked and sat for awhile. later on i had eric come pick me up because the blaring music was starting to give me a migraine. i really can be a grandma sometimes :)
i went home and curled up in bed watching BBC's life while eric rode his bike over to old chicago to meet up with some friends for a $2 burger and beer.
all in all it was a pretty good weekend... just wish i had a camera so i could show you. xoxo
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
memorial day
memorial day weekend. i was ready for the long weekend what with the hard week of work behind me. i don't think i even did anything friday night, i was so tired. i needed one night of nothing just to recharge.
saturday eric and i ran errands to aldi (our new favorite super cheap grocery store) cub (cause you can't get everything at aldi - i.e. produce), target, the usual. we spent our little bit of money and that was all we had until our next paychecks. i hate living paycheck to paycheck. and we've been living like this since we left for australia in december. it is a constant stress. always in the back of my mind. how are we gonna pay bills? i hate that feeling, that little voice that says you're broke! you're broke! six months of that can make a good girl go crazy! i am thinking of giving plasma twice a week. eric used to do it when he was at bethel for extra cash. sounds easy enough - too bad its not worth more than $20. i have been bugging eric to post an ad on craigslist for his senior picture photography. a ton of high school seniors get their pics done the summer before they graduate while the weather is nice. he took my sister BJ's pictures and my cousin maggie's pictures. BJ is the super blond and maggie is one on the train tracks. recommend him to everyone you know!
saturday after we were done being sad that we have no money i went to my sister nellie's. she got an above ground pool and it was hot out that day! of course the water was ice cold cause it was coming straight from the hose! it felt refreshing though. then nellie, my nephew hunter and i drove to somerset wisconsin to babysit my cousins (would my cousin's kids be my cousins?) cole age 7, jack age 4 and vada and cash 2 month old twins. and we also had hunter age 5. i'm so glad i had nellie with me! i was almost going to be all alone - waaaayy too many kids for one person! the twins are adorable! we had fun - didn't get home til 1:30am but it was fun.
sunday we went to mom's for a bbq and it rained but the food was good. craig made his famous ABT's which are a jalapeno with a little smokie and cream cheese inside wrapped in bacon and grilled!! super good! i made a practice corn salad that i was also gonna make for BJ's graduation party but it didn't turn out the best so i think i will have to go back to the drawing board and try something else... good thing it was a practice!
monday we went up to chisago to the j kids cabin. then eric had to work so he dropped me off at my aunties house where she was having a small picnic. i got to play with another baby - a different cousin's baby - 9 month old ethan and he is cute! all in all it was a good memorial day weekend. lots of good food, good rest, good company.
p.s. just a few samples of eric's photography for you to enjoy!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
horse back riding and french fries
last saturday my sister invited me to go on a trail ride with her and my dad. i said sure i wasn't doing anything and i knew eric would have to work all day. she met me at mom's and we drove up to dad's together. dad already had the horse trailer hooked up so we climbed into the truck and made our way to the barn. nellie has a horse named phoenix that i was going to ride, she was going to ride a friend's horse spud (because spud's a bit crazier and i'm a beginner) and dad was borrowing a horse named trixie from another friend. so we get to the barn and grab spud first cause he's hardest to get into the trailer. we get him in without much trouble but as soon as we shut the door behind him so that dad can get him tied in he starts bolting out backwards and slams the trailer door wide open! nellie and i run to get outta the way - luckily he is cornered cause of the way we parked the trailer near the barn so it was easy to grab him. nellie threw him back in the pasture though cause we knew it would only get worse if we tried to force him in there. so nellie decides that she is going to take my other sister BJ's horse, gunner. gunner is a young ex-race horse so she warns us that if we take him we can't go any faster than a trot or he will be flying so fast she won't be able to stop him. we round up gunner and phoenix (who have both seen spud flip out) and try for an hour to get them into the trailer! so far this isn't looking so good and we still have one more horse to go. we ended up resorting to snapping a whip behind them and they FINALLY went in. we drive over to get dad's loaner horse and she is penned up in a riding ring running circles. another red flag i think. the owner says she usually has no problems getting trixie into a trailer but today was just not our day. we tried for 40 minutes to get her into the trailer with the others but she just wasn't having it so we gave up and threw her back in the pasture. it is now seven o'clock and we've spent 2 hours trying to just get the horses into the trailer! we ended up just taking the two over to dad's and playing around in his riding ring. it was alright but not the trail ride we all thought it would be!
sunday we hung out at mom's, monday i worked and then hung out with mom and my cousin amanda, tuesday i worked and then some of my girlfriends came over and picked me up and then we went and picked up another girlfriend and the 4 of us went to the happy gnome in st. paul for drinks. when we got there is started to rain and there was a hostess outside. we said "your patio is probably closed huh?" she said "yes there is no seating in the patio or the dining room at this time - you can try to find a spot at the bar but its crowded." and thats all she said. no can i take your name? or this is about how long the wait time is for a table. no nothing. so we went somewhere else. we ended up at salut on grand ave where my auntie debbie works. she just happened to be working that night so we sat in her section. we talked and drank blackberry mojito martini's, ate their delicious french fries (best fries in st paul!) and also shared 2 desserts of creme brulee and red velvet cake! it was so much fun! it was amazing to just spend some quality girl time sharing stories and catching up.
tonight i am headed up to my dad's again to celebrate his 56th birthday!
write more later
xoxo
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
3 months back in the US
so we've been back in minnesota since february 1st. it was cold, snowy and depressing but it is getting warmer now. today is was 75 degrees out, too bad i was stuck inside at work all day. i got my job back at summit orthopedics in mid feb. i miss australia a lot.
my minnesota bff went to ecuador on feb 17 but she decided to come back and i have been really happy to have her around! we are planning what we want to do this summer. last summer we thought it would be the last minnesota summer we would have together so we tried to do as many fun things as we could but now that we have another shot at it we are going to try to do even more fun things than last summer. 2010 is going to kick 2009's butt! anyone know a good place to get a lollapaloza? is that even how you spell it? i don't know...
anyways work is work. trying to make some money so that i can go meet my australian bff next may in vegas! that sucks that i won't get to see her until then but i guess thats all i can hope for when one of your best friends lives on the other side of the world. sucks.
eric is going to be starting chemistry classes in june - then he will be a studying fool. i will be the money-earner of the house for the next 2 years so that eric can work on his dream of becoming a middle school science teacher. he's gonna be a great teacher someday - hopefully sooner rather than later!
well i have to work at 6:30am tomorrow so i better get going so that i can get some good sleep before the next day starts.
xoxo prae
my minnesota bff went to ecuador on feb 17 but she decided to come back and i have been really happy to have her around! we are planning what we want to do this summer. last summer we thought it would be the last minnesota summer we would have together so we tried to do as many fun things as we could but now that we have another shot at it we are going to try to do even more fun things than last summer. 2010 is going to kick 2009's butt! anyone know a good place to get a lollapaloza? is that even how you spell it? i don't know...
anyways work is work. trying to make some money so that i can go meet my australian bff next may in vegas! that sucks that i won't get to see her until then but i guess thats all i can hope for when one of your best friends lives on the other side of the world. sucks.
eric is going to be starting chemistry classes in june - then he will be a studying fool. i will be the money-earner of the house for the next 2 years so that eric can work on his dream of becoming a middle school science teacher. he's gonna be a great teacher someday - hopefully sooner rather than later!
well i have to work at 6:30am tomorrow so i better get going so that i can get some good sleep before the next day starts.
xoxo prae
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Last days of January summer
Eric and I are coming home on January 30th. Eric will be going to Denver to see his family and pick up our car and I will be coming home to snowy Minnesota. It's bittersweet because we don't want to leave all our new friends, its summertime, we love Australia. But we have not had any luck with jobs and we are running out of money and we decided that it was wiser to come home now while we still have enough to buy our plane tickets home. So we bought tickets to come home on January 30th which means we spent exactly 2 months in Australia. Our friends are sad to see us go but we have to do what we think is best. It will be strange to go from 80 degree weather to below zero weather in 24 hours! I am going to have to go get all my winter clothes out of storage. Anyway, Eric and I are trying to get in a few last Australian things we wanted to do before we come home. We took the train into the city yesterday and walked around. We got an awesome watermelon berry fruit shake from a little cafe in one of the alleyways. We also window shopped a bit and then rode the train back to Dannii's work. Dannii was about a half hour from closing so she played dress up with me (she works at a women's boutique) and I tried on some crazy clothes. She took some photos of me pretending to be a model so that was fun. Then we decided that we wanted to try out this asian restaurant that Dannii has been telling us about since we got here - it's called Jack's Satay Bar. Dannii and I had the sizzling beef and I was so hungry I scorched my tongue trying to eat it. It was really good. Then we were thinking about going to the night market which is this cool artist market that happens in the city on Wednesday nights but Eben was tired so Dannii decided that she wanted to use me as a model for a real mini photo shoot that she has been wanting to do (Dannii does professional photography on the side). The sun was starting to go down so it was getting cooler but we thought we would go for it anyway. The shoot was me in a swim suit while Eric and Eben were on either side of me and they threw buckets of water on me. Dannii would take the shot just as the water hit me. We are going to try it again next week on another hot day. Today Eric and I rode the bus to the mall and I picked up my last paycheck and told my work that I wouldn't be back. Then we went to this place called the pancake parlour (sorry if you're hungry I know I'm talking about a lot of food but I love food okay). Anyways, there were 4 birds that got in somehow and were flying around the restaurant while we were eating. I had a chocolate pancake with ice cream and strawberries and Eric had a buttermilk pancake with banana's foster and ice cream. YUM. Then we walked around some more until our stomach's settled and then we had to go buy stuff to make dinner. We made a chicken shepards pie basically it was really good and I have the recipe if anyone wants it. I got it out of an Australian food magazine. I told you I love food! Tonight Eben, Dannii and Eric went to see Charlie Parr a Minnesotan musician that they like. I decided that since I don't care that much about seeing him that I would stay home and save us the money from an extra ticket. Maybe tomorrow we will go to the beach or to Brunswick Street - those are 2 things that I want to do again before we leave. This weekend we are going to go to Phillip Island. I'm not sure what's there but I will be sure to tell you about it when we get back. xoxo Paula
P.S. like me and Eric's "family photo" :) the other one is me and the lovely Daniella!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
68 degrees... I can't believe I think this is cold!!
It's 68 degrees outside today and I actually think it's chilly. I am a little ashamed in saying that since I'm from Minnesota and it is probably below zero there right now. I worked at the cafe this morning and when I was looking at the schedule for next week I realized that I am not on it. I have to call the manager but I think that might be a discreet way of telling me not to come back. Our trip may be ending sooner than planned. Neither Eric or I have had much luck finding work and I guess we were counting on the fact that we would have jobs while we were here.
Yesterday we celebrated Dannii's mom's (Bella) birthday! The whole family went to the Melfi house and we had drinks, coffee and cake; It was fun! So far since Eric and I have been here we have celebrated 4 people's birthdays all in the month of January actually. We went to Mark, Dean, Lucie, and Bella's birthdays. Not to mention my fabulous sister BJ turned 18 on the 6th of January!! I still have a present for you BJ I just haven't sent it because I might just bring it home with me depending on when we leave.
Dannii and I took a tour of a fancy day spa because we went to pick up her mom's birthday present from her dad there. It was amazing! If I was rich I would spend a whole day there!
Sorry this isn't very long or terribly informative but we haven't done a lot of exciting things lately! I hope everyone who reads this is staying warm and having a good 2010 so far!
Yesterday we celebrated Dannii's mom's (Bella) birthday! The whole family went to the Melfi house and we had drinks, coffee and cake; It was fun! So far since Eric and I have been here we have celebrated 4 people's birthdays all in the month of January actually. We went to Mark, Dean, Lucie, and Bella's birthdays. Not to mention my fabulous sister BJ turned 18 on the 6th of January!! I still have a present for you BJ I just haven't sent it because I might just bring it home with me depending on when we leave.
Dannii and I took a tour of a fancy day spa because we went to pick up her mom's birthday present from her dad there. It was amazing! If I was rich I would spend a whole day there!
Sorry this isn't very long or terribly informative but we haven't done a lot of exciting things lately! I hope everyone who reads this is staying warm and having a good 2010 so far!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's been awhile
Wow! I haven't written anything in awhile! Well let me get you caught up to speed...
New Years we were at Dannii's parents house and it was really hot all day and then as soon as it was time to go it started storming. Luckily the boys hooked a tarp from the garage to the back of the house so that we could still dance and have fun even though it was raining. It was weird bringing in the new year and knowing that everyone else back home would be doing it tomorrow. We had fun though - dancing, laughing, talking and eating!
Since then Dannii has been on holiday so her and I have been hanging out a ton! The four of us, (Eric, Eben, Dannii and I) went to a beach that was about an hour and a half away which was amazing! I love being near the ocean! We set up a tent and read magazines, the boys played catch and went boogie boarding. Dannii and I didn't go swimming because the water felt freezing even though the boys said we would get used to it if we just went in. It was a hot day but there was a cool breeze coming off the water. Dannii and I got gelati, which is the same as our American gelato, which is like ice cream. It was awesome on that hot day. On days when it gets up into the 90's we pull our mattresses out into the living room and have a slumber party in there because thats where the air conditioner is.
Yesterday it was 108 degrees and it was gross outside. It's a dry heat but its bad because even when there is a breeze its like someone blowing their hot breath in your face. We went to Dannii's mom's house and went swimming because she has a pool. It was great! We had to stay in the water though because if you got out then you would get too hot. We made iced coffees and listened to lady gaga and swam the afternoon away. Then later we met up with Dannii's cousins Sarah and Mark and went into downtown Melbourne for some ice cream. We went to where the docks are in the bay where everyone rich keeps their yachts. It was fun to walk up and down the boardwalk - there are a ton of waterfront restaurants there which look fun but expensive.
Today Dannii and I left Eric at home (and Eben was at work) and went to the mall for a girl's afternoon. It was stifling again when we left the house. We walked around and window shopped, had lunch, got pedicures (because Dannii had never had one!), and went grocery shopping for dinner. When we left the mall it was getting cooler and the sky was getting dark like it was going to storm. We were driving Eben's car because he took Dannii's since her's has air conditioning and he has to drive around for his job. Eben's car is like a tin can. It's terrible. Anyway we were on our way home with our groceries and whatnot when it starts sprinkling. We're thinking great now we have to carry all our stuff in through the rain. Dannii comes up to a roundabout to go left and pauses to let a car go past and then turns. The car doesn't stop turning though and we hit a tree!! The tires are completely bald and the wheels locked up and we couldn't stop. Not to mention he doesn't have power steering. We screamed we were so scared! Like I said Eben's car is a tin can and I thought that it would just crumple but it felt worse to us than what appeared as damage to the car. I banged my knee on the glove box and got some seatbelt burn on my neck but other than that I'm fine and nothing happened to Dannii. The front left headlight was busted and the car dented. But what made us really mad was that 4 or 5 cars drove by and saw us in the tree and didn't stop to see if we were okay!! How rude! One woman came out of her house because she heard the crash but that was it. Then we got back into the car and drove home and discovered that the alignment was off because the steering wheel was way off when we were trying to drive straight. Overall though we are fine - just had a bit of a shock!
Hope you feel a little more caught up now!
Love you!!
New Years we were at Dannii's parents house and it was really hot all day and then as soon as it was time to go it started storming. Luckily the boys hooked a tarp from the garage to the back of the house so that we could still dance and have fun even though it was raining. It was weird bringing in the new year and knowing that everyone else back home would be doing it tomorrow. We had fun though - dancing, laughing, talking and eating!
Since then Dannii has been on holiday so her and I have been hanging out a ton! The four of us, (Eric, Eben, Dannii and I) went to a beach that was about an hour and a half away which was amazing! I love being near the ocean! We set up a tent and read magazines, the boys played catch and went boogie boarding. Dannii and I didn't go swimming because the water felt freezing even though the boys said we would get used to it if we just went in. It was a hot day but there was a cool breeze coming off the water. Dannii and I got gelati, which is the same as our American gelato, which is like ice cream. It was awesome on that hot day. On days when it gets up into the 90's we pull our mattresses out into the living room and have a slumber party in there because thats where the air conditioner is.
Yesterday it was 108 degrees and it was gross outside. It's a dry heat but its bad because even when there is a breeze its like someone blowing their hot breath in your face. We went to Dannii's mom's house and went swimming because she has a pool. It was great! We had to stay in the water though because if you got out then you would get too hot. We made iced coffees and listened to lady gaga and swam the afternoon away. Then later we met up with Dannii's cousins Sarah and Mark and went into downtown Melbourne for some ice cream. We went to where the docks are in the bay where everyone rich keeps their yachts. It was fun to walk up and down the boardwalk - there are a ton of waterfront restaurants there which look fun but expensive.
Today Dannii and I left Eric at home (and Eben was at work) and went to the mall for a girl's afternoon. It was stifling again when we left the house. We walked around and window shopped, had lunch, got pedicures (because Dannii had never had one!), and went grocery shopping for dinner. When we left the mall it was getting cooler and the sky was getting dark like it was going to storm. We were driving Eben's car because he took Dannii's since her's has air conditioning and he has to drive around for his job. Eben's car is like a tin can. It's terrible. Anyway we were on our way home with our groceries and whatnot when it starts sprinkling. We're thinking great now we have to carry all our stuff in through the rain. Dannii comes up to a roundabout to go left and pauses to let a car go past and then turns. The car doesn't stop turning though and we hit a tree!! The tires are completely bald and the wheels locked up and we couldn't stop. Not to mention he doesn't have power steering. We screamed we were so scared! Like I said Eben's car is a tin can and I thought that it would just crumple but it felt worse to us than what appeared as damage to the car. I banged my knee on the glove box and got some seatbelt burn on my neck but other than that I'm fine and nothing happened to Dannii. The front left headlight was busted and the car dented. But what made us really mad was that 4 or 5 cars drove by and saw us in the tree and didn't stop to see if we were okay!! How rude! One woman came out of her house because she heard the crash but that was it. Then we got back into the car and drove home and discovered that the alignment was off because the steering wheel was way off when we were trying to drive straight. Overall though we are fine - just had a bit of a shock!
Hope you feel a little more caught up now!
Love you!!
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