These Are The Days Of Our Lives: The Browns

Have to Brag a Bit....

2010-12-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Obviously I am biased, but take a peek at what a cutie my little neice Kailey is. She'll be exactly 6 mos. on December 27th. Just love how happy she is in this picture with Santa!! Happy Holidays...

Paul, Make a Wish!!

2010-11-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

A birthday cupcake at Salut!

Happy Birthday to the Best Husband a Girl Could Ask For!

2010-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Just returned home from a lovely dinner with my hubby for his birthday! Due to my travel we don't always get to spend our actual birthdays together, but tonight we had a great evening walking to dinner at one of the great restaurants in our new 'hood! Today's fantastic weather was an extra birthday treat!! Now we just need to decide where we are going to go for a short birthday celebratory Fall trip before we get into full blown holiday madness....

Fall Winery Fun

2010-11-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago Paul and I traveled to New Ulm for a winery and bed and breakfast weekend with our friends Leslie and David. We had AWESOME weather on Saturday and decent weather on Sunday despite horrible predictions for sleeting rain!

We started out at the Morgan Creek Vinyards which was very cute! We did a tasting and ate some yummy appetizers in the sun and then by the huge fire pit before moving on. After a quick check-in and clothes change at the Bingham Hall Bed and Breakfast we ventured out to dinner at the local German restaurant, Kaiserhoff, for some German fare (well, I must confess I ordered fried shrimp while everyone else had German fare, but it was good nonetheless).

We also got to see the end of a fantastic Mizzou Tiger win as well at a sports bar near the Kaiserhoff. It was a full day of fun!

On Sunday we visited a couple of local "attractions," stopped by the Schell Brewery gift shop for some goodies, had lunch at a "wild west" style restaurant in Jordan, MN and stopped to pick up fresh apples and other assorted goodies before heading back to the Twin Cities!

A perfect fall getaway!

Bad Blogger!

2010-11-08T09:23:00.002-08:00

Ok, so I must confess... I have been the worst blogger over the past few months. Between our move that seems to be never ending, projects on our new home, trying desperately to try to regain some level of physical fitness, work and general life "stuff" I can't seem to get much posted. However, I am renewing my commitment to blog! Hopefully you'll be hearing from me more regularly going forward! ;-) Cheers! Becky

2010-11-08T09:23:00.001-08:00

Congratulations Dani and Josh - Welcome Mallory Ann Boehm

2010-07-10T07:46:00.001-07:00

Ok, so the 2010 baby fest in my family is fully underway!! My cousin Dani gave birth to a healthy, darling baby girl this week, so now my new niece Kailey will have a playmate. Just a couple more weeks until another cousin, Emily, has her second baby, so Christmas will be tons of fun with three babies and Bella (Emily's toddler) crawling around!

To add to the intrigue are guesses about whether Emily will have a girl or a boy. On my mom's side of the family there are four daughters (including my mom) and a son. They produced 8 girl grandchildren altogether. My sister and 4 other cousins that have children already have produced 9 grandchildren with 7 girls and only 2 boys. Looks like the girls rule by a landslide so far!

Introducing Kailey Reese Robb - 5 lbs 4.8 oz

2010-07-06T18:21:00.001-07:00

I am so excited that my sister Katie's baby girl, Kailey Reese, arrived while I was home for her baby shower on June 27th! We had joked for weeks that having a shower so close to the delivery date (1 week before due date) was a bit risky and that if my sister went into labor we would just celebrate without her... but we never really thought it would actually happen. But, it did! Congratulations to Katie and George, she is just perfect. Good things do come in small packages!! More pics to come...

2010-07-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

Fab Weekend in Philly with Dear Friends

2010-06-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

You know you are getting old when you can say you've been friends with someone for over 25 years... but on the bright side, it is an absolutely wonderful feeling to have such dear life-long friends that you are still in touch with and enjoy spending time with. So, in celebration of wonderful friendships several of my good friends (Swati, Mariam, Holly and Kate who lives only 30 minutes from Swati coincidentally) from Junior High/High School got together with our spouses in Philadelphia May 14-16 with the hope of making it an annual tradition! For the first annual, Swati and Claudio hosted us all at their lovely home in Gladwyne, PA. They definitely set the bar very high for the rest of us with all of the great food and spacious accommodations!!! We had an absolutely amazing meal Friday night and an equally amazing birthday cake dessert to celebrate Mariam's birthday (May 13th). Saturday the boys checked out a pub and the historic area of Philly while the ladies had a trip to the spa for pedicures, a wonderful lunch at a French Bistro Cafe and did some window shopping. Saturday night we went to a fab Asian fusion restaurant "Nectar." The weather was amazing too and we can't wait until next year! Rumor has it we may be going to Berkeley, CA to Holly and John's and maybe even a little trip to the wine country???

2010 Transfer Wine Party

2010-06-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how May flew by so fast, but we kicked it off with a fun night at Leslie and David Niemoeller's for the 2nd annual JLM Transfer Wine Tasting Party. Had so much fun, forgot to take many pics but here is a fun one of me with friends Leslie Niemoeller (host) and Gail Colonna.

Spring Fling 2010

2010-04-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last night, Paul and I headed out to the Wayzata Country Club to attend the Junior League of Minneapolis first annual Spring Fling fundraiser. It was a terrific time and we had so much fun seeing so many friends, meeting a few great new people and supporting all of the wonderful Junior League projects. The night just flew by. I am already looking forward to next year! Unfortunately we were having so much fun we forgot to take many pictures! (Sorry mom, I know you wanted to see my dress!) At least we got one good one of the two of us.

I Gotta Feelin'....Black Eyed Peas Rock St. Paul

2010-04-18T14:17:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back, Paul and I had a date night with dinner and Pop!! St. Paul followed by an absolutely rockin' concert at the Excel Center. Ludicrous opened for the Black Eyed Peas and it was an awesome show!!! We also were pleasantly surprised at how some of our pics turned out given we were pretty far back from the stage! Next concert on the horizon, U2 in June...we can't wait...

Easter Sunday Brunch with the Brown Family

2010-04-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

This Easter Sunday we hosted Paul's family for brunch like last year! Paul out did himself this year with an awesome egg casserole--a recipe we will definitely use again--and many other yummy treats!! Thanks to Heather and Pat for bringing the tasty coffee cake, cupcake and banana cream pie! This will be our last holiday celebration in our current home! We look forward to hopefully hosting again next year in our new home...

Third Annual Bunny Brunch

2010-04-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Easter we took Spenser and Abbie to the Junior League's annual Bunny Brunch! As always a good time was had by all! Spenser and Abbie enjoyed all of the games and prizes even though they were geared toward younger kids. Abbie also made a craft necklace and colorful puzzel with our little friend Bea Bassi. It was also fun to see many of our good friends and their kiddos! (Pictured Geri Datus-Ward and Brody)

Happy 4th Anniversary!

2010-04-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

When April 8th rolled around this year Paul and I could hardly believe we have been married for 4 years and have known each other for nearly 8!!! We celebrated with our first visit to Manny's Steakhouse downtown in the swank Foshay tower. The restaurant has a great vibe and we loved it, but as I mentioned in my prior post if you aren't looking for an obscenely huge piece of meat (see the infamous Manny's bludgeon of beef pictured) and don't mind driving a bit further, we discovered you get the same quality at Pittsburgh Blue for about 25-30% less money. For example, the exact same filet I had at Pittsburgh Blue was $10 more at Manny's...the same fab hash browns and asparagus each several dollars more, etc....shocking, I know! Who would have thought? We knew both were Parasole restaurants of which we are big fans, but had no idea the menus would be so similar. The downtown location and fast passed vibe at Manny's along with the nearby W Library Bar are still worth the trip downtown, however! Cheers to many, many more anniversary celebrations in the future!

Celebrating 75 Years!

2010-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Marv's (Paul's dad) 75th Birthday (and also to thank Pat and Marv for all of their help while we were on vacation in February (dog sitting for Ace and SHOVELING the mother load of snow we received while we were gone), we went to Pittsburgh Blue and had a way-too-big, but fabulous meal. If you have not been to Pittsburgh Blue or Manny's you MUST try the hash browned potatoes and the asparagus. On a related note, if you aren't aware, Pittsburgh Blue might as well be called Manny's West as the menu is remarkably similar! Not realizing this, we got a double dose of excellent red meat with a trip to Manny's one week later to celebrate our anniversary! Not necessarily heart smart or wallet friendly but yummy!

Busy Spring!

2010-04-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

So far, we are lovin' the fabulous Spring here in Minneapolis, but boy is it going fast!!! Once again I am way behind on my blog posts, so am going to try to get up to speed this afternoon. Pictured here, Ace our nearly 12 year old "baby," is basking in the sun on one of our 70+ degree days. Ahhhh, to have a dog's life...

Our Next Home!!

2010-04-07T19:40:00.001-07:00

Finally, after literally looking at 100s of houses over a long period of time, we have sealed the deal and signed a purchase agreement tonight!!! Closing is set for July 1st! We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will actually be able to take possession on the same day, but if the current owners can't find a home in time to close by then we have agreed to rent back to them for a few weeks if absolutely necessary. They are very ready to move to a bigger home in the same neighborhood with their three boys, so we will be thinking positive thoughts for them as well over these next weeks as they search for their perfect next home!

After all this looking, it is logical to ask why this house over all the others? It is a good question and one that we can hardly even answer. We have asked ourselves this several times over the past few weeks as we are almost surprised at the decision ourselves after some of the wild scenarios we've considered such as huge (massive even) rehabs, building new, unique homes in random locations, etc.! This cozy cottage just feels right for us "right now." I guess it really was a combination of things, but once I got out of the mode of thinking our next house had to be forever the two main deciding factors were: 1) it is smack dab in our favorite area, walking distance to all of the conveniences and shopping of 50th and France, parks, Edina schools (just in case!), close to friends (Can't wait to be able to walk over Rachel and Anna Lee), city lakes and downtown, plus easy access to many other areas of the cities and 2) extremely particular current owners who have lovingly cared for the home since they moved in in 2004. We decided it was worth compromising on size as we can always move up to a bigger house in a few years if we find the perfect one or we've had a builder look at the home with us and the builder felt that it is better candidate than many homes in the Brucewood/Country Club area for an addition off the back if we want to do it because it has good access to the lot. Of course, now we need to get ours ready to sell and my mind is already churning on decorating ideas, etc. ;-)

We can't wait to get settled and have friends and family over!

Noel Coward's Brief Encounter at the Guthrie

2010-03-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday night Paul and I went out for a lovely Sunday evening with Karl and Heather, Paul's Brother and sister-in-law. The night was a very thoughtful Christmas gift to the four of us from Paul's parents. We ate dinner at the Level 5 Cafe and then attended the show. We really, really enjoyed the play and the Guthrie sure is simply a great place for theater--we'd been to a concert there before in another theater, but not a play. The play was very well performed and it was also a semi-musical; I was not expecting this, so it added another dimension. There were some great special effects as well. We took time before the show to enjoy the weather on the Guthrie "deck" over the river and snapped a couple of pics. Thanks again Pat and Marv for the great gift!! Paul and I both commented we MUST get out to the Guthrie more often.

Best of the Best Party and Restaurant Week 2010

2010-03-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

On President's Day we met up with our good friends Dawn and Julian Janes for our third annual trip to the Guthrie for the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine Best of the Best Party! What better way to sample many of the Twin Cities best restaurants for a mere $35/person, not to mention the featured wine and drinks. We had a great time!! The Best of the Best Party kicks off Restaurant Week every year, so we met up with Julian and Dawn again the follwing Friday at Jimmy's Food and Cocktails in Minnetonka! It was our first visit and we really loved every bit of food and drink that we ordered. We definitely plan to go back.

Chile Part 9: Santa Lucia

2010-03-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

It seems as though there were fantastic unexpected surprises each day of our trip. Chile really is such a beautiful, diverse country and we couldn't have been more impressed, especially considering that we had less than 24-hours of planning before arriving! Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Chile as they rebuild and struggle after this recent earthquake. On one of our last full days in Santiago we stumbled across Santa Lucia, an amazing park/monument. We found it to be one of the more beautiful and interesting spots on the trip. It was a winding series of steps and paths leading up a huge hill/mountain within the Park Metropolitano (in a different section of the park than San Cristobal which I posted pics about earlier). It was very hot that day, but we are so glad we did the climb!!

Chile Part 8: No vacation would be complete without a little shopping!!

2010-03-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

We had a good time exploring both the traditional artisan market of Central Santiago as the artisan community of Los Dominicos as well as the luxury shopping district on Avienda de Cordova and many shops in between!! I am especially thrilled with the purchase of my traditional Chilean Pig Pot originating from the town of Pomaire Chile.

Chile Part 7: Becoming Gaston Acurio Groupies?

2010-03-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

Paul and I think we may be groupies now--groupies for the fastest rising Celebrity Chef out of Lima, Peru. We first discovered Chef Gaston's amazing Peruvian Cuisine at his flagship Lima restaurant, the hip La Mar cebecheria peruana in Fall '08 during our trip to Peru and LOVED it!!! The food and the atmosphere! We were so excited when we learned of his decision to bring a bit of Peru to America last year, opening a La Mar on the wharf in San Francisco!!! During our trip to San Fran/Santa Cruz in October '09 we were able to have dinner and it was even more amazing than in Lima (perhaps because I could actually read the menu!!) While in Santiago we learned that Gaston has opened three restaurants in Santiago and we made it to two of them. We've now eaten at three of his La Mar restaurants and each one has been fabulous--they even had my favorite soda in the world, Inka Kola from Peru. An all around wonderful evening. Later on during the trip we ate at Tanta a new concept where we were able to sample yummy Chilean empanadas which were delicious and slightly unique compared to other empanadas I'd had before!!

Chile Part 6: Maipo Valley and 4X4 Tour of the Andes

2010-02-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

Chile Part 5: Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

2010-02-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

Chile Part 4: Chilean Wine! Casablanca Wine Valley

2010-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

Part of one of our full day excursions was to visit a Chilean Winery in the Casablanca Wine Valley. The tour was interesting and the vineyard grounds were stunning to look at, but the wine tasting was definitely the highlight!!

Chile Part 3: In Search of the Superbowl

2010-02-19T15:39:00.001-08:00

Paul's one request was that we find a place in Santiago where we could catch the Superbowl. We managed to find an "American stayle" sports bar of sorts called "Publicity" that achieved our goal of watching the game. In retrospect, I wish Paul had been wishing for a place to watch the game with good (or even DECENT) food, as this was probably the only bad meal we had on our trip--oh well. I also made Paul snap some pics after he told me about the funny pictures on the men's bathroom!

Chile Part 2: Exploring Santiago: San Cristobal, the National Zoo and Bohemian Bellevista

2010-02-19T15:16:00.001-08:00

We just loved exploring Santiago--definitely the cleanest and most modern of the South American cities we have been to. We also checked out the largest shopping mall in South America and a number of neighborhoods on our first couple of days in the city!

Chile Part 1: Our Home Base, Santiago

2010-02-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

After a fun night in Hollywood we headed toward LAX (again!) for our LOOOONG trip nearly 6,000 miles SOUTH of the border via DFW (guess you can't be picky with flight plans when booking less than 24 hrs notice!)

We could not have been more thrilled with our Hotel upon arrival. While it is no surprise from prior posts that we like W Hotels, our expectations were definitely exceeded by the 4-month old W Santiago!!! From the amazing staff to the lobby,the lounge, 21st floor roof-top pool, 4 restaurants, skybar, and our HUGE room with glorious shower, we immediately felt like our decision to avoid hurricane battered Bora Bora was the right one!

We immediately hit the pool with our newly purchased guidebook and tried to relax, rest up and decide what to do first.

Hooray for Hollywood!

2010-02-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

After semi-recovering from the shock and disappointment from the forced cancellation of our Bora Bora/Moorea trip, we had one night to kill before departing for Santiago, so...we figured a night out in Hollywood might help us get our groove back! Paul picked our hotel, the Roosevelt, as he loved it when he went to it on a past trip for work. It was very cool, but no big celebrity parties scheduled during our visit. After walking around Hollywood and West Hollywood in the afternoon/early evening we settled on dinner at Asia de Cuba, a restaurant we really wanted to try. Paul had been there for drinks in the past, but never for dinner. The setting was wonderful and the food fantastic. We had a great table overlooking the Hollywood Hills and the pool bar which was really nice. After dinner we checked out a couple of bars, one at the Standard Hotel and then the Chateau Marmont. Unfortunately, Chateau Marmont was so smokey I couldn't take it and we had to leave shortly after arriving, so no Lohan sighting. HA HA!

Palm Springs: Part 2

2010-02-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Another highlight of our Palm Springs trip was riding the Arial Tramway to the top of the mountain and playing on the trails and in the snow for a couple of hours. Now, I wouldn't have thought I'd have ANY interest in seeing MORE SNOW, but it wasn't too cold and was very peaceful and sunny! Our last stop on this leg of the journey was to get a quick peek at Joshua Tree National Park. We didn't have too much time to explore as we were anxious to make sure we made it to LAX on time to catch our flight to Tahiti that night (little did we know what was in store...)

February 2010 Vacation - First Stop: Palm Springs, CA

2010-02-17T11:15:00.001-08:00

Paul and I were so super excited to head out on Monday February 1st to Palm Springs for the first leg of our two week (desperately needed) vacation! Neither of us had ever been to Palm Springs, so were eager to see it as I'd heard rave reviews from a number of friends. With both of us being architecture and design fans, we were also excited to see a bit of the mid-century modern vibe in Palm Springs, to hear about the glory days of Palm Springs decades ago and drive through the neighborhoods where many stars, like Frank Sinatra, had homes. I was particularly excited to stay at the Viceroy Hotel as I am a fan of designer Kelly Wearstler! As we drove up to the hotel it still looked reminiscent of the "motor lodge" type motels I used to have to stay in on family trips across the country as a kid, but inside, the hotel was transformed into a vibrant and sleek place to relax and get away from the "real world." We had some great meals in Palm Springs, particularly Matchbox, recommended by my friends Brian and Rick who frequent Palm Springs from the OC. We also loved the Mexican fare and margaritas at Maracas. Both restaurants are right in the older section of Palm Springs and within walking distance from our hotel along with many fun shops--not to mention the great people watching! We loved strolling the streets of downtown palm springs, window shopping and I particularly loved the opportunity to go to the only Trina Turk residential store in the country. I have always liked her clothes, but after meeting her in LA last fall, I am an even bigger fan. Paul even got a really cool shirt at Trina Turk, the only shop to sell her small men's line. We also checked out Palm Desert, which is super nice and had the unique opportunity to meet up with Paul's dad, Marv, for a little while who was visiting friends who live nearby! Here are a few pics of our experience in Palm Springs!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

2010-02-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

Make #&%*#$) lemonade, right???? Well, after having an amazing first leg of our vacation in Palm Springs, Paul and I were really getting psyched for French Polynesia when we got a dreaded airline call.....a Hurricane/Tropical Cyclone bearing toward Bora Bora our ultimate destination....the worst storm since 1980....flight cancelled, panic setting in..you get the idea. Flash forward about 28 hours, after many, many hours on the phone and our original plans are aborted...it was not meant to be....we have now picked ourselves up from a very DARK place (can you say mental melt down on my part and dragging Paul down with me) and are now in Hollywood at the Roosevelt Hotel prepping for a great dinner out...place TBD....tomorrow we will head to Santiago, Chile ..stay tuned as the adventure unfolds!!!

Dear Friends Make the Drive Worth It!

2010-01-31T21:26:00.002-08:00

Last Monday I drove a treacherous drive through some of the winter road conditions I have ever experienced to central Iowa for a client presentation. Just missing a 25+ car accident involving multiple fatalities, I would have rather been just about anywhere than on I-35S that day! But...once I safely made it to my friend Kayla's warm, cozy home in Huxley, IA, I was very glad I had to make the trip! Kayla and I and her two girls (Reese and Rylee) had a short, but great visit. Of course, we stayed up too late and ate too much, but it was all worth it! Can't wait to have Kayla and family up for a visit once the weather warms up this spring!

Great Meal with Great Friends!

2010-01-31T21:07:00.001-08:00

Saturday night we had a wonderful dinner with Lorenzo and Glynne Bassi and Glynne's mom visiting from VT. Glynne went all out making a tasty meal of short-ribs, potatoes and beans with a lovely lemon tart for dessert! I think Paul may be sending me over to have cooking lessons from Glynne! ;-) We had a great time catching up and really enjoyed seeing how much Grayson has grown. After Grayson had to go to bed, Bea was the real highlight of the night, staying up past her bedtime to play with us. She was full of spunk and smiles and is a real super cutie!!

OM.......Yum!

2010-01-31T21:02:00.000-08:00

On Friday night Paul and I tried out a great new restaurant (on the edge of downtown Minneapolis and the Warehouse district) with our friends Leslie and David. We thought OM was great and sharing the experience with good friends made it even more fun! If you check out the restaurant, I highly recommend the various kinds of Naan and the Kashmir Margarita...proves a margarita goes with just about any cuisine, plus this one had a ginger twist complimenting the Indian spices of the meal!!

Pajama Party Fun!!

2010-01-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

Weekend before last, after hemming and hawing for weeks, I got a ticket for a unique, girls only fundraiser benefiting the Junior League of Minneapolis. A handful of us met up at the Westin Galleria and had a good time eating yummy appetizers, trying the specialty "Pink Slipper" cocktails and doing a bit of retail therapy. I was pretty good, but did pick up a couple cute things at the Stella and Dot jewelry booth!! If we are involved again next year would be a great girls night out for a big group of friends. This post represents my personal opinions and is not an official statement of the Junior League of Minneapolis.

Designing Duo in the Family

2010-01-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

Taking a break from teaching middle schoolers math, my sister has been pursuing an interior design degree the past couple of years and recently put her newly discovered talents to work on a new bathroom in their home. It used to literally be a basement dungeon and now it is a bright, sleek, clean space!! Katie did all of the tile work herself after using her new computer design skills to map all of it out! The quality of the tile work looked great! Now, I would be remiss if I didn't also mention her husband George's "can fix anything" handyman skills which were essential for installing the new electrical and plumbing! I think I may have to buy them plane tickets and a bribe of some sort (maybe free babysitting???) to come visit and assist whenever we finally find a new home as I'm sure there will be renovation projects needed! ;-)

JLM Impact Day at World Vision!

2010-01-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

With all of the sadness and mourning surrounding the recent Haiti earthquake, it is a reminder to us all how important it is to give back whether it be with our time, our money or preferrably both! Last weekend, I had an opportunity, through one of the Junior League's January Impact Days, to learn about an organization in SE Minneapolis (only 10 min. from my house) called World Vision (www.worldvision.org). In just a couple of hours 30 of us Leaguers were able to help in a meaningful way by providing hands on assistance sorting donated supplies, stocking shelves and breaking down boxes to make room for new donations. We were also given the opportunity to view a short, powerful video showing the amazing impact this organization has had all accross our great world! It was so fun to bond with girlfriends while giving back! One of the organization's founders asked Glynne Bassi (pictured in the dumpster above) and I to help with a slogan for World Vision to promote volunteerism in a different way. In contrast to the large groups of volunteers that World Vision routinely attracts, like the JLM, World Vision also hopes to attract pairs/smaller groups that would come in for a an hour or two to volunteer; the concept being that girlfriends or couples could gather to socialize and volunteer at the same time, an alternative to meeting at Caribou for coffee or going out to lunch. We suggested "Catching Up While Giving Back." With a possible tag line, "It only takes an hour..." Their initial reaction was very positive, so we'll see if our slogan pops up anywhere! I know I would definitely consider volunteering at World Vision again! The comments included above are my personal opinions and not an official statement of the Junior League of Minneapolis ;-)

Aunt Becky and Uncle Paul are very excited about the arrival of Baby "Peanut" Robb anticipated on or about July 4, 2010!

2010-01-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

We had some excitement on Christmas morning when my younger sister, Katie, and her husband George, announced they are expecting their first child this summer! They have decided to affectionately call the baby Peanut until born, hence baby's first gift pictured above!!

Only 10 Days to Go 'til Sun and Fun!!!!

2010-01-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

So, I know I've already blogged about our upcoming vacation once and we haven't even left yet, but I just cannot express how EXCITED we are!!! I still have a couple of work trips and we both have lots of work to wrap up until our departure, so we must hunker down and concentrate, but its getting harder and harder!!!! I know it will all be worth it to know we've wrapped things up once we get there as we will then be able to let our minds relax for 2 weeks before returning the real world (and, alas... the cold).

My mind is already churning on what to bring while still packing light enough to carry on and have room for souveniers! Although...I told Paul you don't need much room for Tahitian Black Pearls [ha ha ha, he was not as amused as I was by that comment ;-) ] I stole a moment this morning to consider what to bring and was psyched to find the cutest Kate Spade voile sundress at 70% off this morning online! I tried this on and liked it during our San Fran trip last fall, but now am so glad I did not pay full price!! The bargain makes the purchase that much sweeter, and I think it will be perfect for the hot tropical weather and so light to pack! I can't wait to shuck winter duds and frolic in the blue waters...

Meet Miss Bella Brown...

2010-01-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas we finally got to meet Miss Bella, the latest addition to my side of the family. She is a cutie and a very, very happy little girl!! Miss Bella lives in Sedalia, MO and she brought her mom and day (my cousin Emily and husband Chris) with her to visit my mom's house on the day after Christmas! We had a lot of fun playing with Bella and are glad to have a baby back in the family as it makes the holidays so much more fun and festive!! Emily is expecting her second baby in August 2010.

Holiday Cheer with Dear Friends!

2010-01-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

As we are mid-way through January 2010 I still find myself catching up from 2009... I was so happy Paul and I had an opportunity to get together with two of my dearest friends, Swati and Mariam, and their terrific husbands Claudio and Tyler, while we were in MO for Christmas! It is so hard to believe we have now been friends for 25 years (since 7th grade)!!! (How did we get this old so fast???) We had such a great time as we always do when we have a chance to get together. Swati had the fab idea of doing a once a year weekend get together with the six of us, plus our friend Holly and her husband John! We are tenatively shooting for April at Swati and Claudio's home outside Philly. We were also so excited to meet the newest addition to the Waller/Gupta household, sweet little Sonya!

The Countdown Begins....!!!!!!

2010-01-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

I can hardly contain my excitement...10 years ago I first learned of magical Bora Bora in French Polynesia when friends went there on their honeymoon! Their pictures are still etched in my brain! Now, in just 21 days, we will be on our way to paradise!!! After not getting any big vacations planned for 2009, we have been dying to go on another international adventure--especially with the brutal weather of late! We had planned to go to Australia in 2009 and so the logical choice would have been to continue with that plan, but then we threw New Zealand in the discussion mix...and then finally, after much discussion, decided that as much as we really, really want to see Australia and New Zealand, what we need right now is to GET AWAY FROM IT ALL!!!! Relax!!! Chill!!! Do nothing unless we want to! So...I tossed Tahiti in just to mix things up and tonight finally got flights booked...I hope to get hotels booked tomorrow--we will likely be splitting time between Bora Bora and Moorea after arriving in Tahiti--unless something else catches our eye and distracts from the decision making. Most importantly of all, I hope we will return with enough money left to pay the mortgage!! ;-)

There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays

2010-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

After a horrific time getting both Paul and I to Kansas City to meet up for the last 2 hour drive to Columbia, we finally made it in just in time for our traditional greasy cheeseburgers and chips with my family at Columbia's finest--Booches Pool Hall--on the night of the 23rd. It is simply the best and has been a mainstay in my hometown's downtown shopping/dining district for many years!!! We started this family tradition after Paul and his groomsman discovered Booches during our wedding weekend (if truth be told I think they were in their stuffing their faces and having beers until about 10 minutes before the ceremony), and now that it is thankfully smoke free it has become a family tradition each Christmas!!

Columbia was wet, snowy and cold these year compared to the last few Christmas visits which were very warm, but seeing as how it is like -10 outside right now, I feel sort of silly even mentioning that the 25 degree weather we had was COLD!

A Chinese Christmas with the Browns!

2010-01-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

While you may be more familiar with Chinese New Year celebrations, this year Paul and I hosted the Brown family at our house for an early Chinese Christmas celebration on December 20th! Paul cooked up a tasty Chinese feast for 8 of us and I took charge of the table decor, shopping and gift wrapping for Spenser and Abbie--the things I do best, of course!! ;-) It was an American Girl Christmas for Abbie this year and I can't wait to see Abbie's doll, Kit, dressed up in all her new winter wear and snow accessories. Spenser will certainly have some fun lego creations for us to come over as view as well!!

Breakfast with Santa

2010-01-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas we took Spenser and Abbie to the Wayzata Country Club for a Junior League Breakfast with Santa event! It was a fun morning of lots good food and pics with Santa. Catching up with the Bassi family and seeing sweet Bea and Grayson spiffed up in their holiday wear was a highlight. We always enjoy spending time with Spenser and Abbie and were happy to see several other good friends and their cute kiddos before the Christmas Holiday as well!!

More Pics of John's Surprise Party

2009-12-14T17:40:00.001-08:00

Happy 70th John!!

2009-12-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, while I am finally diving back into blogging...and (gasp) trying to get caught up on about 3 months of fun events, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the other big birthday we celebrated as a family this fall.

My step-dad John turned 70 in October and we had a SURPRISE party for him here in Minnesota and let's just say it was a big surprise! he thought he was going down to the hotel lobby for a casual dinner, but found about 70 friends and family members waiting for him. He was totally shocked! A few friends came that he hadn't seen in many, many years.

Lindsey, his oldest granddaughter did a great job planning locally while my mom got things together and orchestrated getting him to Minnesota for the weekend from Missouri. In addition to providing the cake, Paul and I were the "excuse," John thinking he was coming to MN to look at a house we were thinking of buying.

Happy 70th Pat!!

2009-12-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

Paul's mom turned the big 7-0 on December 11th. I hope I can be as active and look as young when I turn 70! We all went out for a nice birthday brunch on Sunday at Majestic Oaks CC and it happened to be a Breakfast with Santa event so I'll have more pics to post shortly.

Third Time is the Charm, Apparently...W San Francisco

2009-10-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

After two failed attempts this year to stay at W Hotels in Minneapolis (see earlier post about Valentine's Day disaster) and NYC (my Spring illness causing us to bail on our 5 day trip to NYC), we finally spent a fun filled 3-days in San Francisco at the W Hotel, which we really loved. The interior decor was much more "eco friendly" and different than other W's I've stayed in, but we loved it just the same. One of our favorites was the little light up Buddah in our room. His message, "the greatest meditation is a mind that lets go," was definitely one that we both needed on our short get away!! If you are ever in San Francisco the Blackberry Lemonade cocktail at XYZ Bar is also not to be missed! Cheers!

Go Spenser!!

2009-10-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

We finally made it out to see one of Spenser's football games a couple of weeks ago! He played hard and we sure had fun watching him play and playing with Abbie on the sidelines.

Cupcake Break!!

2009-10-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

Given the fact I have been too tired/busy/lazy/overwhelmed the past couple of months to blog about anything and given the fact just this week I (again) renewed my VOW to stop talking about getting healthy and getting in shape and actually DO IT, I find it humorous and, I admit, a bit sick that I am taking a few moments to blog about the heavenly cupcake I stopped to pick up on my way to the airport at the famous Sprinkles of Beverly Hills (Scottsdale, AZ location)! The vanilla with milk chocolate cream cheese frosting was so good I think it was worth a couple steps back on my fitness plan. In my opinion, some of the frou frou cupcake places I've been to just don't live up to the hype, but I was impressed with Sprinkles. For some time now rumor has been that they are coming to Minneapolis and I encourage all friends and family reading this to go to www.sprinkles.com and click on locations to vote for Minneapolis as the next city for a shop to open!!!

Last Saturday's Date Night

2009-08-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Pazzaluna and Kooza, I am ready for another Cirque show asap!! Maybe a winter trip to Vegas is in order... ;-)

Kooza Pallooza!

2009-08-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

Paul and I had a fab Kooza-Pallooza date night on Saturday (Well, actually I guess it was a Kooza-Pazzaluna date night). We had a great dinner at Pazzaluna in Downtown St. Paul (pic forthcoming), followed by great seats at the latest Cirque du Soleil show under the big blue and yellow Chapeteaux!!

If you like Gnocchi, definitely check out the tomato basil Gnocchi at Pazzaluna.

It was a great night to be out and about and Kooza did not dissapoint. Being confined to a smaller stage under the tent it was not quite as elaborate as LaNouba, which I saw a few years ago in Orlando (highly, highly recommend if you find yourself anywhere near Disney World) and also different than "O" which Paul has seen in Vegas. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic show. We both agreed the "Wheel of Death" was probably the best part. "O" and The Beatles Love Show are both at the top of my list to see next! Maybe we can find a time to go to Vegas in 2010. I think Kooza is playing through August 8th, so catch a show if you can!

St. Paul Shops, Eats and Sweets!

2009-08-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I met up with friends on Grand Avenue in St. Paul for a great lunch at Cafe Latte (if you have never been to Cafe Latte I highly recommend it for a casual dining spot), ice cream at the Grand Street Creamery (is that what its called?) and fun shopping. One of my favorite shopping spots in St. Paul is Karma, a cute little botique on Grand Aveune. I almost always find at least one cute little gem at a reasonable price point! This trip, a cute little green corduroy cropped jacket for a steal! Can't wait to wear it. Despite the rain, we had many, many laughs all afternoon.

Tavern on France

2009-08-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we finally checked out Tavern on France with our friends Julian and Dawn Janes. It was a great casual dining option and I thought the prices were pretty reasonable. It also looks like it has a good Sunday Brunch which might be worth checking out with our "Brunch Bunch" some month and some nice Happy Hour specials! We had eaten on the patio at Via before the restaurant transitioned to Tavern on France and are so glad they kept the patio in tact. It was a beautiful night to sit on the patio and get caught up with old friends. I particularly liked the build your own salad--quite tasty!! If only I had remembered the camera...

Our Brunch Bunch!

2009-08-01T13:00:00.001-07:00

Paul and I are very excited to join the Smiths, Wahls and Datus-Wards as part of their monthly Brunch group. Each month a different breakfast/brunch place is picked as a meeting destination, ensuring we can all get together at least once each month! Even though there was a service meltdown at Redstone, we had a great time and are already looking forward to our next Brunch date at the end of August. Next up, the View Restaurant overlooking Lake Calhoun--should be fun!

Happy Friday!!!

2009-07-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

I was just all of a sudden feeling very smiley and needed to blog it! ;-) Why, you might ask? I have had a couple of brutal weeks of work, tough schedule, tough situations, clients facing tough recession-driven decisions, etc...but today, I just secured a really big project for third/fourth quarter which is very good for me personally, but also very good for our whole team! What a way to end the week. But before I celebrate, I still need to get back to work for the rest of the afternoon... Have a great weekend everyone!

Colorado National Monument - July 6, 2009

2009-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

When I was out in Grand Junction, CO for work just after the 4th of July, I decided I needed a mini-vacation, so I spent a couple of hours one evening exploring the Colorado National Monument. It is about a 25-30 mile drive through the park with various "look out" points and trail entrances along the way. I only had time for hiking a couple of the short trails, but would have loved to have had more time to explore and get more exercise. Even in the 95+ degree heat it was a fun short diversion from the work week. I snapped a few pics with my cell phone, not the best way to take landscape photos, but you can get the idea! ;-)

Pork Fest II

2009-07-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Our dinner club dared to reprise the original 2007 Pork Fest last weekend!! We all came to a consensus that we may only be able to handle it once every two years...it takes nearly that long to recover from all that salty meat and gluttony! Emily and Eric Backstrom graciously hosted us along with the Farleys, Doseks and Wilds for a yummy backyard soiree completed with various pork dishes and accompanying side items and salads. The Backstroms outdid themselves this year with not one, but two extra special piggy desserts! Both were awesome, but the piggy cupcake put me over the edge...I should have stopped with the ice cream sandwich pig!! I am rationalizing that playing catch with the kids worked off all those calories....yeah right... ;-)

Our Baby, Ace!

2009-07-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ace has really been lovin' the slightly cooler temperatures this week since he has his permanently thick coat of black fur! He loves to travel with mom and dad wherever we go!

Bar-B-Q at the Shores for the Youngquists

2009-07-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed to South Minneapolis for a Bar-B-Q at the home of Wade and Christa Shores to see the Youngquist clan (Mark, Darla, Lauren, Courtney and Hannah the dog) who made their first trek back to the Twin Cities since they moved to St. Louis last summer! Jeff Hames and his two boys, Nick and Alex also joined us, so Paul got some great catch up time with his best college buddies. It was the MOST BEAUTIFUL day and we just hung out all afternoon soaking in the sunshine. We also had some unexpected entertainment from Wade and Christa's girls, Sophie, Olivia and Emma, along with Lauren and Country Youngquist who played dress up for us.

Aftermath of the KY Derby Brunch...

2009-07-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, we all thoroughly enjoyed the food at the Kentucky Derby Brunch and some of us more than others...Paul nearly overdosed on BACON...or was it the Bloody Marys????

Kentucky Derby Dinner Club

2009-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

We hosted the last official JLM dinner club of the year at our house a few weeks ago. The theme was KY Derby Brunch (although we were over a month late with the date) and a few of our dinner club members arrived donning hilarious hats and other redneck "accessories"--unfortunately I didn't capture pics of everything. The food was awesome and we all ate way, way too much!!!

Absolutely Too Cute!!!

2009-07-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Kayla Scherder shared these pictures of her two girls Reese and Rylee this morning and they are too cute for words. I haven't seen the girls since Christmas when we stopped by to see their new home in Iowa on our way back from our Missouri visit. They are even cuter today than 7 months ago! We definitely need to get down to Iowa or have the Scherders up to the Twin Cities soon!

Thursday Night Out with the Bassis

2009-07-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

Last night we ventured to South Minneapolis to try out Cafe Maude with friends Glynne and Lorenzo Bassi. Cafe Maude is a cute little bistro with a French flair to the menu. I must admit I am not really a fan of French food in general, but the menu had some interesting and tasty items with especially great desserts. The real highlight though was catching up with Glynne and Lorenzo. What a year they've had since little Grayson was born at 25 weeks in Italy last July! A big Happy Birthday shout out to sweet baby Grayson who recently celebrated his first birthday!! (Note: I shamelessly got this pick from FB as I forgot to take camera to dinner)

A visit to "The Land"

2009-07-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

Well, after putting a significant portion of my pay check toward paying off "The Land" as we refer to it during the first years of our marriage, I finally got to see more than just a drive by view of our land investment over the 4th of July! It really is a beautiful undeveloped piece of land with rolling hills, a small lake, etc.(about 1 hr 15 minutes from the Twin Cities adjacent to the Kimball, MN Golf Course.) Paul, Ace and I did a bit of hiking around the interior of the land, which was an adventure which Ace LOVED, but it was quite hot and sort of buggy so we called it a day and headed back to the Twin Cities. Paul even brought home a few wood ticks unexpectedly -- what a treat!>@?#!

We do not know exactly what we'll eventually do with this land, but in the short run I guess we are very thankful we invested in this rather than putting more money in the stock market over these past couple of years. Also, regardless of the future appreciation potential as my mom might say, if all "goes to Hell in a hand basket" we can pitch a tent and live off this land!!! (Let's hope that never happens as about 3 days of camping is about all I can take and wood ticks are not an acceptable accessory!!) LOL!! We hope to make another trip up this winter and do some snow shoeing or maybe even cross country skiing. Paul has even been talking about maybe having a guys "shooting day" if we can find a time this Fall.

4th of July at the Brown Family Cabin

2009-07-15T09:56:00.001-07:00

What beautiful weather we had for the 4th this year! It was a terrific day to spend with Paul's parents, Pat and Marv, Karl (Paul's brother) and Heather along with Spenser and Abbie, frequent stars of our blog. Along with Ace, Paul's parents lab Sammy (Ace's "girlfriend") and Bruno (Karl's family dog) also joined in the fun at the cabin. A few highlights were getting Ace and Sammy to pose for a picture together, watching Spenser climb trees like a true monkey, playing with Spenser, Abbie and Ace by the lake and eating all the good food prepared mostly by Pat and Heather with Karl manning the grill.

Summer BBQ with the Datus-Wards...Fun...Fun..Fun!

2009-07-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is in full-swing and I am trying very hard to enjoy every second of it without letting myself get bummed by how fast it is flying by! We have had very good weather pretty much every day I've been in town this summer (I am knocking on wood right now) and I REALLY hope the fabulous weather continues. At the end of June we ventured out to see our friends Geri and Jason Ward, baby Brody, and Emily and Joe Serrano for our second BBQ of the summer. From the pulled pork sandwiches to the YUMMY Cowboy Caviar (we thank Jason for passing Emily's recipe on to us so that we can enjoy again. It was so good!!) we thoroughly enjoyed all the food and ate a belly full for sure. Baby Brody has grown so much since I saw him when he was just a few weeks old. What a cutie!! You can see many more adorable pics of Brody on Geri's Blog (Baby Ward 2009) by clicking on their icon on the right hand side of this blog.

2009 (Belated) Bunny Brunch

2009-07-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

I didn't quite get caught up with all my belated posts over the Holiday weekend! This year we took Spenser and Abbie to the 2nd Annual Bunny Brunch at the Golden Valley Country Club. We had such a great time watching the kids pick out their Easter treats, hunt for eggs and interact with the other kids. I might be a bit biased, but they are the sweetest kids! We are looking forward to Bunny Brunch Part III next year!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

2009-07-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!! We had a great day at the Brown family cabin today. I'll write more and post pics very soon, but in the meantime, if you are interested in what we've been up to since I last posted (over one month ago, shame on me...) I am finally getting caught up with seven, yes SEVEN, new posts below!!

Blog Worthy Hotel

2009-07-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Just as a I wrote about the Wigwam Resort that I stayed at in Phoenix for work earlier this year, I think the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica, CA is blog worthy! ;-) Now, let me be clear it is NOT on par with the Viceroy down the street which is absolutely FANTASTIC and AMAZING, or The Huntley or Shutters on the beach which are both also awesome...but, for a business oriented Sheraton property the Delfina is QUITE nice and has very, very good food (esp. the fresh chocolate chip cookes and vanilla bean ice cream).

Check Please!

2009-07-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Last month I was so happy to be in town for another Check Please event, this time at Rinata, a cute little Italian Restaurant in Uptown. The Check Please concept was introduced by my friend Anna Lee Wahls as a way to try out new restaurants around town while getting together with girlfriends and meeting friends of friends. About 16 of us showed up at Rinata and I had a great time getting caught up with Anna Lee and some of her friends from Target. The food was yummy and the wine refreshing. I'd like to go back to Rinata on a date night with Paul sometime--very quaint and not loud like many restaurants! Only "downside" was the conversation led to a lively discussion about the fascinating ridiculous-ness going on with the show The Real Housewives of New Jersey and now I might have to add ANOTHER guilty pleasure show to my TiVO list (Paul will not be so thrilled! HA HA HA)

Summer Evening at the Ballpark

2009-07-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

While out at the ballpark to watch Spenser play ball Paul, Pat, Marv, Ace and I had a great time goofing around with Abbie!!

Our Little Slugger...

2009-07-04T19:12:00.001-07:00

Our nephew, Spenser, is playing baseball again this year and continues to show promise as the Brown family baseball star! ;-) Paul and I always enjoy going to Spenser's games and hope to catch at least one more game this summer during the playoffs!

It's Greek To Me!

2009-07-04T18:50:00.001-07:00

The title, of course, refers to my rare appearance as a "cook" in the kitchen. LOL! Despite my reputation (well deserved) as "girl most likely to order takeout", I did manage to do most of the preparation for our May dinner club outing. After some scheduling challenges, we finally got together for Greek Night and the menu was excellent! Katy and Dan Farley's very nice new kitchen/dining area remodel was a great setting for lots of good food and laughs. Pictured is our whole dinner club gang and my contribution, the Artichoke Cheesecake appetizer. It was a unique recipe but VERY tasty!! I also prepared a garlic shrimp appetizer that was messy, but tasted awesome!!!

Memorial Weekend Visitors

2009-07-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to have the opportunity to squeeze in a quick visit with my dear friends Becky (sorority sister from Mizzou) and Chad Wood over Memorial Weekend while they were in town for a wedding. As a quick side note: for readers who don't know my friend Becky personally (or Rebecca as many people call her these days), she has been the one to design and create all of the FABULOUS Junior League Transfer Committee invitations for me over the past 2 years! She rocks and her custom stationery business, The Plaid Pen www.theplaidpen.com, has been doing great things in Kansas City and with customers all over the country! The above statement is my personal opinion and not an official statement of the Junior League of Minneapolis (<---newly JLM req'd statement)

Paul and I decided it would be fun to meet Becky and Chad for brunch at Hell's Kitchen on Sunday morning. It was so great to catch up with them and it was a good thing we had lots to catch up on because the wait was VERY, VERY long. I think we laughed and shared stories for at least three hours before we got to eat. Unfortunately, the food was not worth the wait. I am sorry to say I was very underwhelmed and disappointed with Hell's Kitchen. I had been so excited to try it out for the first time as I had heard so many people RAVE about it as "THE" breakfast/brunch place in Minneapolis, but I was NOT feelin' it. Our food was average AT BEST. Oh well, the good conversation made up for mediocre food and I suppose it was still fun to check it out. If you are ever looking for a breakfast/brunch spot I swear by The Bad Waitress on "eat street" as the best brunch spot and this experience just reinforced this. You may or may not agree, but I'm just sayin'...Hell's Kitchen is overrated. LOL!

Celebrating Amanda and Baby Kate Reierson

2009-07-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to gather with Amanda Reierson and other friends several weekends ago to shower Amanda with darling gifts for Baby Kate who will be making her debut later this summer! The shower was so much fun and a great way to brighten up a cold and rainy early summer afternoon. We chatted, ate great food and also played some of the best baby shower games I have ever been exposed to (no joke!) I will have to make a mental note to remember them for future showers.

First BBQ of the Year!

2009-05-20T11:47:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we went to see the house our friend Jeff Hames just purchased and all of the renovation work he has done. He has been very busy!! Our friends Wade, Christa and two of their three little girls also turned out and we all had an oooey, gooey good time roasting marshmallows and making smores in the backyard. I think the adults enjoyed them almost as much as the kids (uh, for some of us maybe more!)

Welcome Jackson Ryan!

2009-05-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

One week ago, my friend Jennifer Ryan gave birth to her first baby boy, Jackson. Isn't he just precious!! A big congratulations Jennifer and Scott.

Who's Been Visiting Spenser and Abbie Brown...

2009-05-14T14:47:00.001-07:00

...can you guess? If you said the Tooth Fairy you would be correct!! ;-)

Celebrating Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

This year Paul and I took Paul's mom Pat, along with his dad, Spenser and Abbie out for brunch at The Bad Waitress on Eat Street in Minneapolis (highly recommend it!) to celebrate Pat's 40 years of motherhood! It was great fun and, as always, Spenser and Abbie were the entertainment for the group. Then, we were able to celebrate Mother's Day again (albeit a day belated) with my mom, Mari Ann, and John during their visit to the Twin Cities. Once again, we shared a great meal at Yum! in St. Louis Park (another one my Becky's recent favorites). Thanks Mom for all you've done the last 36 (eeek!) years!

Beautiful Double Rainbow

2009-05-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Recently from our backyard we saw one of the most beautiful rainbows, a double one (though the upper one is hard to see once the photo is uploaded the blog), that I have ever seen outside of Hawaii. If my sixth grade memory serves me correctly, we say at least a dozen of these in Hawaii over a two week trip. ;-) I hope all my Minneapolis friends and family also had a chance to see this beautiful site!!

Baby Shower for Jen Ryan!

2009-04-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend a few of us had a mini-shower and farewell luncheon for my friend Jen Ryan, who recently moved to Dallas, TX. We met at CRAVE for a yummy lunch and some dangerously good chocolate turtle cupcakes from the Franklin Street Bakery (BTW: I highly recommend this awesome Minneapolis bakery!). What fun it was to hear about Jen's plans as she and Scott prepare for Baby Ryan's arrival while also getting settled in their new home. We are all going to miss Jen a lot, but are very excited for Baby Ryan's arrival in just a couple of weeks!

The Wigwam Resort and Spa

2009-04-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

It is not too often that my weekly work travels allow me to stay at places "worth writing home about," but this week I am in Phoenix staying at the Wigwam Resort and Spa. My camera phone does not really do it justice, but the resort is quite quaint and I have the cutest little individual casita to stay in. The resort also has great paths to walk along while soaking up the heat and beautiful flowers and an Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa. Now...if I just had time to lay by the pool all day with a margarita in hand it would be a perfect week! ;-)

2009-04-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been slow to update the blog these past couple of weeks! We had a great time last weekend at the Junior League Transfer wine tasting event. About 40 people attended this year and it is a good thing we decided to have it at the home of our friends Leslie and David Niemoeller rather than our house because their home is much bigger, and better suited to entertaining that many guests! We had so much fun, I got distracted and unfortunately did not take any pictures--big bummer. Last Sunday we celebrated with Paul's family with a nice lunch for his dad's 74th birthday!! (Pics to be posted soon). This weekend, we took Spenser and Abbie to the 2nd annual Jr. League Bunny Brunch and had a great time. (Pics to be posted soon)

A Little Tribute to the Diffleys!

2009-03-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

On Saturday night Chef Paul cooked up some tasty Mexican food and his favorite bloody marys as we prepared to surprise our good friends Jim and Shelley Diffley with a little photofetti treat when they arrived for dinner at our house. Jim has always been quite intrigued by the photofetti product, confetti made out of photos (www.photofetti.com, now based nearby in Lakeville, MN), that we used at Paul's 40th Birthday as well as during our wedding festivities. It is a fun, unique way to decorate and add some fun pictures to any event! Jim and Shelley were both very surprised and we all had a few laughs at the pictures we chose to include. We had such a good time with Jim and Shelley at dinner that I forgot to take their picture, but I have included a older photo anyway (pictured Jim, Shelley, Anna and Marie)! We are also very excited to CONGRATULATE Jim and Shelley on their latest news---they are expecting their third baby this coming September!!!

Restaurant Week 2009!

2009-03-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Paul and I decided to partake in Restaurant Week this year and we highly recommend it to all our friends. Its a pretty simple concept...a number of the cities top restaurants come up with a special 3-course meal priced at $30/person (they do lunches as well, I think for $15/person). Some restaurants have choices and for others it is a fixed menu. First, we went to Masa last Sunday night with some of my work colleagues (pictured). A shout out thanks to Katie Sexe and Kevin Talbot for organizing the reservations. Paul and I thought the menu was very good, but both wished they had offered their yummy chocolate cake for the dessert course rather than the vanilla tres leches cake which was just "ok." Friday night we went with friends Julian and Dawn Janes to Ruth's Chris and it did not disappoint!! The menu choices were simple and pretty much flawless from my perspective. A fabulous Cesar salad to start, a main course of a petite fillet with grilled shrimp and finished off with fresh berries and chocolate mousse! Great wine pairings were also offered for each entree selection. I liked the Estancia Pino Grigio. We just may have to go back next year during restaurant week, if not before. As I write this I am unfortunately reminded that I have royally failed my 2009 New Year's resolultion to lose weight/get fit..oh well, there is always tomorrow right?

METRO's Fashion Fight Night III

2009-03-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

On Saturday February 28th, I attended the third annual METRO Magazine Fashion Fight Night at the Upper Cut Boxing Gym in NE Minneapolis (very close to our house) with Jen Smith, a new JLM friend. Before hand, we had a great time at the W Lobby Bar sipping a cocktail and sampling the W's great small plates. At the event we ran into another friend, Laurie Dolan and the ladies from Corset Styling. The event was a lot of fun even though the fashion shows in between the fashion "fights" could have been better!

A Visit with Geri and Baby Brody!

2009-02-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that I made it out to Plymouth this Sunday to visit my friend Geri Datus-Ward and to meet her new pride and joy, baby Brody. What a cutie he is!! He was so sweet and slept almost the entire hour I held him. It was especially cute when he would fight to keep his eyes open to see what's going on. A sure sign he'll be a social butterfly like his mom! (well, maybe more masculine than a butterfly, but you get the picture) ;-) Brody is simply precious! I can't wait to see how he changes and grows.

Welcome Annaleigh Janes!

2009-02-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our friends Julian and Dawn Janes on the arrival of darling baby Annaleigh (pictured at 4 weeks)! Annaleigh joins big brothers Alex and Kyle.

Best of the Best Bash!

2009-02-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

On Monday night we headed down to the Guthrie to the annual Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine Best of the Best Party. This is our third year to attend and it was a great event. We enjoyed it much more than last year at the Walker. We both sampled way too much food and drink and had a great time hanging out with our good friends Julian and Dawn Janes who were surprisingly ENERGETIC considering they have a 4 week old baby girl at home along with their 2 boys!! Stay tuned for debut pics of baby Annaleigh coming very soon!

No Reservation??? @(&!@$%

2009-02-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say, I screwed up...

Several weeks ago Paul and I decided it would be very fun to plan a mini Valentine's "getaway" to stay at the W Hotel at the Foshay in downtown Minneapolis. I embarked on the simple (so it seemed at the time) task of making a reservation online and finding a restaurant for dinner!

When V-Day arrived we dropped Ace off at Grandma and Grandpa Brown's and headed downtown...so excited!

But...when we arrived to check-in we learned that my reservation attempt apparently had not gone through... *#*%@) ...after desperately searching online for a confirmation number and my online banking/credit card accounts for some sort of a charge that had hit my account, I finally accepted the fact that the W Hotel email that I had received (and ignored, never opening it) was not a confirmation number at all, but just a reminder of upcoming W specials...

To the credit of the W Staff, they graciously brought us complimentary wine while we assessed whether to go home for the "down time" between our check-in and our dinner reservation or to wait it out--we opted for wine and food in the Library Bar which made for better good people watching and a bit of "decompression time."

Alas, we had a great dinner at Bar Abilene (perhaps a bit casual for Valentine's Day, but tasty and the only place we could find a reservation with only two weeks notice) Our yummy dessert, pictured above, may have been the thing that saved the day! ;-) Overall, it was nice to spend quality time together even if at Casa Brown rather than at a hip & swank hotel.

The moral of this story is that Paul will be making our Valentine's Day reservations next year!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

2009-02-14T08:43:00.001-08:00

To all of our friends and family near and far, Happy Valentine's Day! - Becky and Paul
(Pictured, Paul and I celebrating Valentine's Day last year Cabo Style - February 14, 2008)

Dreaming of Cabo...

2009-02-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have to admit, I am feeling a bit "wintered-out" today, I am ready for WARM WEATHER!!! As if its not depressing enough that warm weather is likely at least three months away, it just dawned on me that last year on this day Paul and I were enjoying the beautiful ocean views and strong rays from the Mexican sun in Cabo San Lucas! Note to self: remember this and plan a fun, warm weather escape again next February!

Welcome Broderick Malcomb Ward!!

2009-02-12T10:38:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Geri Datus-Ward and Jason Ward on the arrival of their adorable bundle of joy, Brody!! Can't wait to meet you soon, Brody!

Celebrating a Successful Work Year

2009-02-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

2008 was an insane work year that truly pushed me to my limits, but right now with the state of the economy I am particularly thankful to have had a very successful 2008 and grateful that I work for a company that (at least so far), continues to fare well despite the economic challenges all around. I attended the Kansas City annual party at the end of January and then Paul and I went to the Minneapolis annual party this past weekend! It was fun to have a chance to get dressed up and socialize with some coworkers that I literally had not seen all last year because of my travel schedule.

November Dinner Club...In January...

2009-02-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Well, life had gotten so busy for our dinner club during the last part of 2008 we found ourselves in late January finally getting around to the November 2008 menu. The theme, "Minnesota and her Friends," comprised of comfort foods like cheese fondue, beef brisket and deep dish apple pie, was actually quite timely given the cold temperatures. There was just one glitch, yours truly somehow got our "assignment" wrong and we, along with the Wild's (who for the record were the ones who were supposed to bring the fondue, showed up with Wisconsin Beer Cheese Fondue, leaving the group with no side items (beans and risotto/rice). It is a good thing the cheese fondue was very tasty and that the Backstrom's made plenty of beef brisket (which made all of the carnivorous husbands quite happy). But for the apple pie crust, you would have thought we'd all made a New Year's Resolution to follow the Atkin's "No Carb" diet.