kickin' off the holiday season!

no better way to kick off the season than with a classic holiday movie!

really is a wonderul time of year.

holiday season 2010 has officially begun!

thanksgiving

my oh my do i love thanksgiving. i mostly love the wednesday before, or as we call it in our family "the breaking of the bread". we bake pies, make casseroles and stuffing-it's wonderful! we had to go grocery shopping first...boy were people surprised that we were hosting 20 people...it was like they had never heard of that before. then thanksgiving came along...i love this holiday! we had family over and it was very relaxing and enjoyable. most of all, the food was amazing. we had apple and pumpkin pies, chocolate cheesecake and apple crumb. mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, butternut squash, gravy and of course, turkey. uncle dan did a fantastic job carving the turkey. who knew he was the son of the butcher! and yes, appearence does matter!

bye bye liver

so, we went to this play we heard about on groupon called bye bye liver. it is an interactive drinking play. and boy that wasn't a lie. after every skit we had a "SOCIAL!" it also involved games with the crowd...never have i ever (if you had, you had to drink), would you rather, and battle of the sexes. it was super fun and entertaining. the skits included a scene about why girls go to the bathroom in groups and what really goes on in there, the beginning to end of a one nigh stand--plus the next time they ran into eachother, and my personal favorite...the girl who got taken out by her bf of 3 years and their anniversery, and got a big pen as a gift. and to drown her sorrows, she drank more and more and the truth came out, and it was hilarious.

while the play was going on, which was in a bar, we continued to drink along with buckets of beer. after the play was finished, we finished our beer and took a chilly walk to "the bulldog" for some after play grub. they have the BEST tater tots around...so good. and, to don's excitement, we managed to catch the tail end of the gophers beating UNC in puerto rico in the semi-finals. all in all it was a fantastic, fun night!

HP7

Well, I did it. For the 7th consecutive movie premier, I was at the midnight showing. I must say, I am getting OLD. I could barely stay awake for the 2 1/2 premier--which, was no reflection of the movie. I don't know why people are disappointed in this movie...clearly there was going to be closure--it cuts off half way through! The acting had become so much better. It was really fun to see the actors kinda grow-up. All in all, I LOVE IT! Never had a doubt that I would though. CAN'T wait for 7PT2 to come out though...it's going to be AWESOME.
I give it 4/5 stars. 

it opens at the close

So, the day I have anticipated since I was young, is finally here. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollow (book 7) will be released at midnight. I have waited for this moment since I was little...let's be fair--I became a fan at the ripe age of 10. Yes, that's right, 10. The book was first released in 1997--that's 13 years ago! I remember talking to my mom saying, "oh my gosh, I'm gonna be like...23 when the last movie comes out! And I'm still gonna go see it at midnight!" And, like a good girl always does, I've stayed true to my promise. 

I know many call me a dork for my love and excitement over Harry Potter (and ridiculous amount of knowledge and usage of terms), but I don't care. Harry Potter will always hold a special little place in my heart because it reminds be of having a wonderful time growingup.  It mostly reminds me of my club soccer team and all the friends I made while playingwith them. Coinincidently enough, we all shared the love for HP and it really became a strong bond between us all! We'd have sleep overs and enjoy HP marathons, go to the book openings and movie premiers together, and even enjoy HP at the drive-in. 

One of my favorite--and probably dorkiest moments--of HP is when the 7th book got released. I, of course, pre-ordered it and got it delievered to my house. It was summer, and YES I was in college. But I got a phone call around 9 am from Katie Kobayashi screaming, "My mailman came, I GOT MY BOOK!" and just as she called I looked outside and saw my mailman. I ran outside and greeted him at the mailbox. He laughed and said, "surprisingly, you're like the 10th person to be waiting at their mailbox for this book." So Katie and I spent the rest of the day laying out at the pool, reading as fast as we could. "Hey, what page are you on?? Wait til you get 232, you're gonna die!"

And that, my friends, is just a few reasons, why I LOVE HP. 

donation TIME

So, after a visit from a friend of the family, I decided that I was going to donate my hair. I woke up one day...and decided--YUP, today is the day! So, I scheduled an appointment and chopped it off! There is a quick pic of the hair--a bit flat, but you get the jist.

TJLS comes to visit

my baby boy came to see his favorite auntie! he was only here for a little bit, but I loved every minute that I got to spend with him. CAN'T wait for him to come visit for the holidays. The little babe is getting SO BIG! He is on the verge of walking, and will most likely be walking by then. Plus, he has the cutest little crawl...he doesn't so much "crawl" as to move hand-hand and then "hop" with both legs. He is adorable!!!

the BIG 23

Well, it has been some time since I've updated. It's because I'm 23 now, and super busy.

My wonderful mama made me the BEST CAKE EVER. It is the chocolatey-est, 3 layer, delicious cake I've ever tasted. Plus, it is homemade and difficult to make...so my mom only makes once a year--October 13. Isn't she wonderful? To make my birthday even more wonderful, my mother took all my favorites and I to Bar La Grassa--Mom, Katie, Meghan, Markie, Claire and Kristin. We had great pastas, salads, bruscettas and GREAT wine. 
My buddies also are so generous and gave me a lovely new charm to add to my bracelet! Thanks for making my day so special!

GO ANNA!!!!!

After making an early start home from the tommie/johnnie game, I decided that Katie, Don and I should go out for breakfast. So, after breakfast in GV, we headed back to STP to get my car. Only to be brutally reminded that the entire street of Summit was closed due to the TC Marathon. So, according to our friendly gas station attendent, our options were 2 fold: (1) go throu MSP back through the ford parkway bridge or (2) go through downtown STP. So, we opted for option #1. While we were driving through MSP we saw the runners and thought..."HEY, we know a person running (out of the thousands), lets stop to see if we can find her!" So, we parked and walked across the fp bridge and waited. and waited. and waited. Since we had no idea what time Anna was planning on running, what she was wearing, when she started or told her that we were coming, we highly doubted that we would see her. However, after about an hour of watching and cheering on random people--we saw her! Anna was still running (we think we were between miles 15 & 16) and spirits were high! It was so great to be able to cheer her on and she looks VERY surprised to see us. So glad we were able to give her the support she deserved! 

DAMN YANKEES!!!

It's a curse. We can be playing the best baseball...then the yanks come and we CHOKE! While attending game 1...it was exhausting...emotionally, physically, mentally. I mean, they make it hard to be a fan! First we're up, then it is tied, then we're losing, now we're on a rally...then BOOM. They bring in #42, and the morale is low, because EVERYONE knows what is coming. So, Twins, I beg, no-plead-that we win game 3. Maybe we won't win the series...but we can't go down 3 straight without a fight! So, I still have the faith...I feel like Saturday night is the night. So, I say it, I smell a win. GO TWINS!

guess who's back...back back...back again..

                           straight cash homie...we goin to the supa bowl!!

tommie/johnnie

While there was a BIG FAT DOWNFALL of this game (johnnies...didn't win) the day back in St. Joe was an absolute blast. Ran into tons of faces I haven't seen since graduation and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We couldn't have asked for a better day! Except maybe for a Johnnie win...

AND THE BEST SIGN EVER!!!!

OCTOBER BASEBALL!!!!!!!!

THE TWINS WIN IT, THE TWINS WIN IT, OH MY GOD THE TWINS WIN IT!!!!!!!!!


2010 AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


playoff baseball, here we come.


we're gonna win twins, we're gonna score. we're gonna win twins, watch that baseball sore. crack out a homerun, shout hip hooray, cheer for the minnesota twins todaaaaayyyyy!!!!

book club

Well, tonight was book club--my under 30 bookclub. Which, since school has started again, consists of Kristin, Claire (who are roomates) Mary Margret and myself. It also gives us an excuse to have a mandatory hangout session during the week, which is a nice treat. Plus, to add to the excitement of book club, it was also the premiere of Glee. We loved it. We laughed, were intrigued and the previews for next week look awesome--all Britney Spears music. LOVE IT! Another one of my favorite shows also premiered tonight--Biggest Loser. To make it even more exciting this season, apparently (we missed the first hour due to glee) there is a former Johnnie on the show!! Can't wait to watch him, and hopefully he succeeds in his weightloss goals...and msp/stp and csb/sju get a few shout outs!


Now, to the book. We all agreed, it was one of our favorites. Coming from a person who doens't love animals, this book was phenomenal. It's a story about a family--Denny, Eve, Zoe & Enzo. Enzo is the family dog, as well as the storyteller. Denny picks Enzo out as a puppy, when he is a single guy. Enzo is there for him during his marriage and birth of their daughter, plus everything in between. He tells us about the trials and tribulations the family goes through, in such an interesting way.  It is so cleverly written, and the best part--it's hilarious. It is so funny to read how a dog would view things we take for granted and rarely notice on a day to day basis. It also, nicely, relates life to racecar driving. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes a well-writte story. It's just a great book!

best.week.ever.

For those of you that know me, you all know, I love love love TV. There are many things I love in life, and yes, TV is one of them. That is why, this week is one of my favorites: PREMIERE TIME!! All our cliffhangers from May are about to be answered. Why is Paul back on Wisteria Lane? Will Rachel and Finn be together? What will happen to Seattle Grace after the shootings? Will L&O:LA be any good? Will we finally meet their mother? It's like a new school year! New episodes every week; new drama, characters and relationships coming through our TV. Everyone, enjoy premiere week of all your favorite shows! I know I will.  

skol

Sunday morning started bright and early with a trip to our favorite vikings pre-gaming spot--sneaky pete's. They have, by far, the best pre-game special. Not only are they conveniently located right across the street from the lightrail, they have a $7 all you can drink! Plus, for those of us that may have been a little bit under the weather from the gophers' game the previous day, a $5 bloody mary bar. So, Katie and I drove and met our buddies, Kristin, Kayla and Laura. We ironically arrived all at the same time, and what did we see? That Kayla and Kristin had  left their separate houses, wearing the same outfit. It was quite hilarious. So then we hit the lightrail and headed to Mall of America Field. 

So, we all thought that we had this one won. Well, unfortuntely, silly brett favre and the rest of the vikings were all on a different page with eachother. Brett's plan was to throw the ball wherever he wanted, just assuming, the rest of the team knew that they'd have to get there. Turns out, message was not received. This resulted in 3 interceptions and a fumble return that resulted in a touchdown, causing the vikings to lose 14-10. Not only did all of these things go wrong, but the vikings were at 4th down, on the 1 yard line...and failed to scored. That is asking for a loss. And in my father's words (for anyone that knows him, you know that he was in all his glory, gloating that the packers won and vikings lost) "Well girls, I had to deal with this crap for 17 years...have fun!"

Oh, and as I was walking through the mall today, I found grandpa jeff's christmas present 2010...thoughts? 

D.O.F

Sister and I had quite the dof on saturday. For those of you who don't understand the lingo, it's Day Of Fun. We started our dof with a light workout at lifetime. Oh, and by light I mean we did squats and lunges for 45 minutes. When we weren't squatting, we were jumping. Needless to say, we both couldn't move Sunday morning. After our workout, we grabbed a quick lunch at Panera. MMMMM Panera (catch the sarcasm). We then quickly showered and then headed off to the greatest, most awesome pedicure EVER. I highly, HIGHLY recommend the place. It's called perfect polish, right off 110 in Mendota Heights.  We then quickly rushed off to meet mama to go see the worst movie ever. Ok, I take that back. Sex & the City 2 was worse...but not by much. The dreaded film was "eat pray love". Now, gotta love Julia Roberts...but cmon. Listening to her "journey" through India...SNOOZE. It was about an hour too long. But, the scenery in the movie was beautiful, and it really made me crave pasta. Plus, Javier Bardeem...he's easy on the eyes.  Once the movie FINALLY ended, we met up with father to grab some dinner. Due to the love pasta shown during the movie, we all were wanting Italian. However,

at 7pm on a Saturday, you can't immediately get in to a restaraunt...who knew? We tried 3 that politely said, "we're filled for the entire night". So, we thought, why not Olive Garden? It had been a family favorite from when we were younger. So, we made the trek back out to Woodbury to meet at the OG. Well, Katie and I had called on the way to see how long a wait would be...35 minutes. Well, we thought, its Saturday and we have to wait for dad...if we went anywhere else, it'd be just as long. During the short 5 minute drive to the restaurant, the wait time went from 35 minutes to 65. Well, we instantly put the kabosh on that. Especially when we heard a family say, at 7:20, "when are we going to be seated??? we've been here since 5:45!!" On that note, we headed to Axel's, where we were seated immediately--nothing better. 
Then, the ultimte thing happened. In exchange for 3 pages of scrapping (Twins scrapbook), Katie has finally agreed to watch ALL SIX HARRY POTTER MOVIES!!!!!!! I don't think that I could be more excited for this. Since the first movie came out, in 2001--yes I was 7th grade, I have been trying to convice her to read the books, or at least watch the movies. And finally, my friends, that day has come. Katie "wanted" to watch them all so she could watch the 7th in theater. Which, from the preview, looks AWESOME. We have watched the first one, which we all know holds nothing to the ones to follow. I am beyond excited for her. I hope that she loves them as much as I do...although, I doubt anyone could. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EC2tmFVNNE

night of trickery

Friday night was chaotic. Kristin tricked me, yes tricked, me into trying SCULPT at CorePower. She said, "hey, wanna go to yoga?" I asked, "well, is it for beginners? I've never done yoga before." All she responded with was, "you'll be fine." So I thought, sure, yoga sounds great! So, once I get to her place, she says, "Oh, btw, its in 120 degree room and its a pretty advanced." Oh great--I thought. But, turns out, it wasn't that bad. It was almost...good. Not only was it a good work out, you really get a good sweat going. This might be something I look into more. Its a nice change from running or lifting weights. After yoga, we went back home and ate some dinner. We then continued to flip channels through various movies all night long. Roomie Claire returned not long after we returned home from a night with the fam at the Navity County Fair. Kristin left for a friend's house, and Claire and I continued to re-cap all our fond memories from CSB. It made us both very excited to go back for homecoming...which also happens to be Tommie/Johnnie. That won't be any fun at all...

summer 2010

The summer of 2010 was a memorable one; birthdays, vacations, twins games, basillica block party, and of course, moving home with mom & dad. Nothing says indedpendence like graduating from college and moving back to the exact place you were 4 years ago. 


Now, while living with mom & dad, comes the infamous 
post-grad job search. Which, to be honest, is as daunting as others have warned. Makes me really wish I would have stretched my courseload to that extra 5th year...

So, after 19 years of schooling, yes I've been in school since I was 3, I am having a very difficult time filling my days. Which, has led me to blog! I may be talking about nothing...but it's giving me something to do. Because, recently, I've spent my days sleeping, laying out, and watching all 5 seasons of How I Met Your Mother. Since the hot weather has gone, I need a new hobby. Along with a needing a hobby, I also need a 
j-o-b. 

I am also in need of some things to look forward to. Yes, we have twins playoffs, vikings season, wild season, my birthday, thanksgiving, harry potter 7 and christmas coming up, but that's still not enough!! I need the dream of one day not living at home. I had hoped that it would be by sept 1, not happening. Then, by             thanksgiving, which, let's get real, is not looking too promising. If this doesn't happen by jan 1, I think I may have to choose a new city.

 Will surely keep updates on the job search. To leave off in the encouraging words of brother #1 (birth order, of course) "Welcome to the corporate world, it's a bitch." Thanks bro, can't wait to dive in.