The End

Well. Cat's out of the bag by this point. I give up. My pictures were getting dull. My stories were boring. I had to start backtracking and re-take pictures I forgot. It just fell apart. If I ever tell you I want to do one of these again just say "remember those two attempts you didn't complete... yeah. No. Don't do it." Seriously.

However, I am glad I did what I did of this one. I got to capture a lot of really great things. My last month at Gustavus. Senior week. Graduation. Summer. My return to Minnetonka Theatre. I thought I would get to include first job but since my internship was extended that didn't seem to happen. 

So, I guess thats all for now! If you want to know what I'm up to I guess you will have to just ask :)

C'est fini.

But here are more videos!

Neil deGrasse Tyson is awesome.

A new song - it's just so catchy!

If you haven't seen this yet. Watch it right now.

Another song

Last, but definitely not least, the closing Olympic montage. And definitely one of my favorite things. It brings on all the feels.

Except I can't embed it like the others for whatever reason so you'll have to put in a bit of extra effort and click the link!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZBh4kQtFEg

Best time of the year

Girl Scout Cookie time!

There is really nothing better. After buying some from the St. Peter girl scouts who would sell cookies on campus the past four years, I was worried I wouldn't get any this year. That is until today I woke up from a nap hearing my mom ordering one box of each kind of cookie the girl scout who came to our door was selling. 

Seriously. The best thing ever. Now lets just see how long they last.

Good Leadership

Back at my side job (or something) today! Once a month I work as a photographer for the Good Leadership Breakfasts (if you remember from a previous post). We were at a new location this time, the Edina Country Club. It was odd seeing how "the other side" lives. I can't even imagine what it would be like in the summer. I am so not a golf person...

The rest of the day included Valentines date night with a few friends from college. We went to see Winter's Tale (don't see it) and got frozen yogurt. Delish. 

Just for the Halibut

BROOMBALL DAY!

Sometimes I work for an awesome company. The broomball tourney at work gets kinda heated. There are 88 teams of 10 this year. Our team? Just for the Halibut. One of the girls on our team is from Texas and had never even walked on ice before (in the frozen pond or lake sense) so seeing her get her bearings was pretty amusing. We put up a valiant effort, even kept the ball on the other teams side of the ice for the majority of the game. But still lost 2-6. Oh well, the other team had been playing together for 3 years but had never won. So really... we just let them win.

Yeah. We'll go with that.

Happy Heart's Day

Ok, so its a few days early. But since no one comes into work on Friday I decided to make cupcakes to bring to work tomorrow. I couldn't decide on vanilla or chocolate so, naturally, I made both. I think I overestimated how many that would make though.... More sugar for me!

Sometimes I can't decide if I'm more addicted to cupcakes themselves or the process of making them.

Also, remember these guys? Here is their Valentines song!

Here we go again

It's official. The 3-Day 2014 is a go. My walking partner MS and I have officially signed up, paid our registration fee, and are now on a mission to train and raise $2,300 by August. I don't know why I keep getting myself into this. (This will be my third 3-Day after completing my first in 2008 and my second in 2011). 

Bonus! Here M and I are back in 2011. We walked the first two with our moms, though this time we are flying solo. We will see how that goes for us...

Site Visits

Heading to off site meetings with classrooms we are working with means raiding our giveaway closet for goodies to hand out! Well, not really. The project leader basically dropped boxes of stuff on our desk and said "here" but what can you do. The project we have been working on for a few months now is finally about to hit the ground running. Eek!

Jett Black

Sometimes I'll be working on something then look over and find Jett looking all adorable. Today was one of those days. 

Video/music time!

This guy. 

Fitz always wins

Pura Vida

Welcome to one of my new favorite companies. For anyone who has known me, I always have some sort of bracelet tied to my wrist or ankle. If I had discovered this company a few years ago I could have been in trouble, though I guess thats not saying much since I bought 6 about three days after I discovered this. 

I'm obsessed. Check it out!

SOCHI2014

The day is finally here. The Olympics officially kicked off today at 10:14am Minnesota time (or 20:14 Sochi time - well played, Sochi). Needless to say, I was pretty excited all day long at work just waiting to get home and watch the opening. I had a few friends come over to watch. Overall I was pretty impressed. 

My favorite part was at the end with the rollerbladers and the constellations. (I couldn't find a way to embed this video so its linked here). Also, from a theatrical point of view - all of their floating pieces - mountains, horses, constellations - were really impressive. 

I approve. Let the games begin!

Like the Annie song...

Only 1 more day!! 

1 for the number of official Olympic postcards I have. I bought this one at some little boutique shop in Athens last year. They still had postcards leftover from when Athens hosted the olympic games back in 2004.

I have no idea who else to watch. Its time for me to do some more research before the games officially start tomorrow. Some events start tonight however including team figure skating. How that scoring/point system works is something else I need to figure out...

1+1

Number of days left?

2

Or the number of US Official Olympic hats I own. Back when the Canadian company Roots was responsible for creating our opening ceremony apparel. Ironic that it was from a Canadian company...  Maybe thats why they switched to Ralph Lauren. Also, the hat on the top was the first non-cowboy hat for the US team in years. 

Ones to watch: The ice dancing pair. Holy crap are they good. They won silver in Vancouver in 2010 and have been skating together for 16 (I think) years. Adorable and impressive.

Trois

Days left: 3. Or the number of things I brought for lunch today.

Ok, so today's post isn't as exciting. Here is another one to watch. Again, another one from the skating world. Mostly cause those are the only ones I really know heading into the games...

On a personal note: I wasn't a huge fan of Gracie Gold until I saw a story about her on Olympic Gold last night on NBC. I've been turned into a fan. She's adorable.

The Countdown Begins

After one of the biggest sporting events in our nation, the countdown begins for one of the biggest sporting events in the world. THE OLYMPICS. My own personal Super Bowl. The upside? It lasts 2 weeks instead of 4 hours. PUMPED. Things I'm excited for? Skating, slope style for both skiing and snowboarding, hockey, half-pipe, Jamaica making a bobsled comeback, and the opening and closing ceremonies. Ahhhh I'm so excited.

# of days left: 

4. Or the button on my phone at work.

In case you forgot about Jason Brown, here is his amazing qualification onto the Olympic Team. He will be one to watch through these games for sure.

The Mini-Apple

It was a lazy Sunday morning in Duluth. Spent some time watching tv, dreading the drive back home. But, it is Super Bowl day so... eventually it had to happen. I ended up driving back around 2:30 to make it home just in time for the game. The best part of the drive home is driving into the city on 35w. It's got one of the best views.

Also, what was up with that Super Bowl?...

Taking over Town

After a fun night out in Twig on our friends Bison ranch/farm, we had a full day of things to get through today. Starting with seeing Frozen which CS hadn't seen yet (SHAME). After, we ran to the store to grab some things for dinner. We ended up making Avocado Mac and Cheese (which was delicious) complete with avocado (duh), peas, and, cheese. Mmm.

Then we got ready for a night out and hit the town. Tested another Bloody Mary. At some point I should probably take pictures of something more exciting...

D-Town

It's Friday!!! 

Because it's Friday, I got to take off from work a little early and head north to one of the best cities in MN. Time for a fun weekend in Duluth! Plus, bonus for me CS now has this cutie to take care of. We bonded. I love him.

Also, here's a video for you!

The Eatery

And thus continues the quest to find the best Bloody Mary in the twin cities! Tonight's was found at Urban Eatery as I went to happy hour with a friend after work. I'm always happy to see menus that have Bloodys at a discounted rate. This one was good! Spicier than I am used to restaurants serving, though I like them with a bit of a kick so I wasn't upset. It came with less fun stuff as others but, I'll take it. I also got the buffalo wings from the Happy Hour menu. Big fan.

Burn baby burn

Well, since its been so fricken cold this winter my room has been colder than normal. Since it has two outside walls it likes to stay cold. In order to counter that I tend to light candles to warm up the room. Does the heat from one or two candles actually heat up my room? Probably not. But at least it tricks me into thinking its warmer. So, onward candle lighting!

The Union's State

I'm ashamed to say it took me until the show The Newsroom came to be a thing that I "got into politics" (Not really... just enough to know whats going on). So now that I'm "into politics" of course I sat down to watch the State of the Union address tonight, and managed to follow what was going on. So many wins. Things I loved: The shout out to Punch Pizza (which I frequent about once every other week). And this reaction to the event brought to you by Min Lee, producer and radio host of Cities 97.

Word.

The Pack

As excited as I am for the Olympics (which start in 11 days...) I am almost more excited to get back up to DULUTH to visit the crew I have up there. Especially with my awesome new Duluth Pack metrodome purse! Which seems even more fitting now that the Dome is being torn down... The white part of my purse is made out of the old collapsed roof of the Metrodome. Its kinda awesome (and it's super easy to clean). Its also my first Duluth Pack item, which is exciting in and of itself.

Anticipation

Anticipation for the Olympic games is BUILDING. And its building fast. It must have been at least 4 years ago that LT and I came up with an inside joke about Ted Ligety. Now anytime he shows up I think of her and laugh to myself. And since he's now the face of almost every Olympic ad that happens quite a lot. Today the only picture I took was of this to send to her. Sorry for being lame...

12 more days!!

Game Night

The chill evening I was expecting was about the last thing that happened. Probably for the best. I was expecting a movie night with JO and the second he got here he was all "or we could go play games with my parents and friends at my place." So thats what happened. We played Tripoli which I had heard of but never played. I didn't do so well. But needless to say it was a riot. Its always bound to be an adventure when JO and family is involved.

Bringing it back

To St. Paul that is. A group of us Cities 97 interns got together tonight in St. Paul. A place we frequented all too often as interns. Typically out in the cold, handing out flyers for something odd during a large event like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, or Maroon 5. We ended up meeting at The Downtowner (which was delicious). It was the first time I saw a few of them since they were abroad in the fall. It was fun to catch up. Our goal is to make it a monthly event.

Here is my less exciting picture of the cathedral that I snapped at a red light... 

Mac Throwback

Seems appropriate enough now that we are coming up on the 30th anniversary of the Macintosh. We used to have a collection of old Macs in our basement. Slowly but surely we are starting to get rid of them. Including these two. 

More songs!

Build Your Own

I never knew places this awesome existed. Went to Tavern on France today with a friend. Neither of us had been there. Turns out you can build your own burger, salad, pizza, and/or bloody mary. Now thats my kind of place. I decided to go with a burger tonight. Though I'm keeping my eye on that bloody mary... mmm.

Wings

Eh. Not much to say. But I found this awesome new song thats in probably 4 movie trailers right now.

Life Lessons

Every now and then in my house we will be minding our own business. Then Dad will walk by and say "come here I gotta show you this" or "I have something to teach you." Well, today was an in depth look into how to fix a toilet. Nothing you want to know but something you need to know. 

I also saw Her today. Real good. Here is my rundown on Oscar Best Picture runners so far:

12 Years a Slave: Amazing. Tough. Great story, kept me engaged the whole time. Great acting. So far its my bet for taking the Oscar (its also the one I want to take the Oscar so far).

Her: Very creative. Not the social commentary I thought it would be, but after seeing it I realized thats not what it was about. Great writing and great acting.

Gravity: The effects were stunning. I'm still mad I didn't see it in 3D. The story was only so-so. Bonus points for you if you catch the "rebirth" metaphor that runs through the movie.

Dallas Buyers Club: Haven't seen it. (It's next on my list).

American Hustle: The acting was outstanding. Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were phenomenal. The story was slow, especially in the middle. Loved the costumes. 

Nebraska: Haven't seen it.

Philomena: Haven't seen it.

Captain Phillips: Super stoked for Barkhad Abdi for all the nominations he is getting. The movie was well done. Didn't really like it. The end makes you feel all icky. (At least it did for me).

Wolf of Wall Street: So. Long. Good writing. Interesting story. Something I didn't really know happened/is happening. It was a good look into Wall Street (especially back then). The swearing, drugs, sex got excessive. But overall I enjoyed it.

Game Night

AA and KB came over today. I think the intention was to watch movies and cook something but all that changed when The Bro decided he would be cooking dinner. So instead of cooking and movies we played games and ate food cooked for us. It was a ton of fun and just super goofy. Plus I get tomorrow off so I didn't have to worry about getting to bed at any certain time! (Though I still think I was in bed by 10:30...). 

We all had a good time.

Timber-puppies

Went and saw 12 Years a Slave this morning. I was amazed. It was so great. Tough. Not as brutal as I was expecting. But you kinda forget that all of that happened and was such a large part of our history. I recommend it. 

On a lighter note: I got to hang out with SF and RW today as we went to dinner at Gluek's and then to a Timberwolves game! I haven't been to a Wolves game in YEARS. So it was fun to get back to the Target Center and see a game. Plus our seats were great so that always helps. It was a fun night out on the town. "Out" on the town... I got home by 10. 

I blame exhaustion from seeing 12 Years earlier in the day. Woof.

Glass Optional

Its always nice when my plans fall through on a Friday and the bro is cooking. Then its almost like a win-win. I reschedule plans and get a delicious meal out of it. This time he made lobster risotto (which I'm not a huge fan of, lobster that is, but the risotto part was delicious). Anyway, my mom found this new kind of wine. On the bottle is a "who, what, where, when, why, how" description. Its awesome. This is my favorite part. =]

Rewind

Throwback Thursday! I don't have much to throwback however. Tonight my family tried someplace new for dinner. We went to Bar Louie. I thought it was pretty good! I'm on a buffalo sauce kick so I, naturally, got a buffalo chicken sandwich (which was originally a burger but I switched it out for a chicken breast. Which they do for free at BL. Kinda cool!)

But how delicious does this look. Honestly.

Also, here is your new music for the week!

A year ago today...

Remember when I said I was reminiscing about my j-term trip last year? Well I still am. So here is a boring picture of a souvenir I got in Venice followed by some pictures from my trip from last year! (Technically a year ago today I was in Nafplion, Greece... can I go back now?)

My roommates (on the trip) and I at the original Olympic stadium at Olympia. (Technically this was the finish line... complete with original marble).

The girls in Venice (with the Bridge of Sighs in the background)

More Venice! On the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal.

And my favorite picture from the trip. Put a group of kids together who have never met before they travel overseas and soon enough they become a family. Complete with family goon who tries to ruin pictures by taking out other family members. This picture sums up the trip perfectly. (Taken outside of some shop in Innsbruck, Austria.)

Puppy!

Here is another day when I have nothing to take pictures of. So I stalked my dog around the house for a while. This is what my life has come to...

New videos for you to make up for it!

How awesome would this be?

Or this...?

Olympic Quest

I got pretty reminiscent today as I started reading the blog of the current Olympic Quest trip. Olympics have always been my thing. I love them. I got this from my dad a few years ago after he visited the Vancouver site before the 2010 Olympics. 

Also, if you haven't seen this performance yet, see it. See it right now. If this doesn't get you excited for Sochi, I don't know what will.

Globes

Awards season is upon us! It's one of the most wonderful times of the year. My boss and I piled all of our guesses of who we want to win and who we think will win. I didn't do very well. I got 7 and my boss got 13. Time to get my act together for the Oscars.

However, Tina and Amy were amazing. As always. Their one liners were great. I wish they were hosting the Oscars too. But Ellen should be just as funny. 

Country-living

Phew. Got my fix today. 

Packed up and headed to Keith Urban (and Dustin Lynch and Little Big Town) and had a blast. Both Dustin and LBT were great openers. Keith was just down to earth and looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself. Definitely an entertainer, not a performer. Plus he was just so appreciative. I was so pleased with the whole evening. Here are several pictures of the evening:

Dustin was super cute. Said this was the biggest crowd he had played for on tour (apparently people in other cities only start showing up during LBT or before Keith).

Little Big Town

My date for the night, SK. 

Not too bad of seats if you ask me.

And then Keith brought up LBT and Dustin to sing with him several times throughout the night.

What happens when the main artist asks everyone to turn the light on on their phone. Lit up the whole arena.

Symptoms

The downfall of going to so many concerts (yes, this is about to be a first world problem thing) is that you start to miss going to them when you haven't gone in a while... even though the last concert I went to was about a month ago. (Wow - this is just pathetic... I blame Cities97 and my bi-weekly Studio C adventures for getting me hooked). ANYWAY. Good thing I have one to go to tomorrow!

It's like a drug. Or an anti-drug?

Raw Fish

Just kidding. Ew. Thats gross. I'm trying to work my way into the sushi lifestyle but I started off with a nice vegetarian roll. I got too lazy to pack a lunch today so I bought myself some sushi instead. For some reason it looked really good. And it was. Maybe I'll have to keep expanding my sushi taste buds... if I can ever get over that raw fish thing.... 

I also saw American Hustle tonight. Cross another one of the "have to see before the Oscars" list. Acting - amazing. Plot - eh.