Memorial Weekend Visitors

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

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!

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!

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...

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

Celebrating Mother's Day 2009

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

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!

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

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! ;-)

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)