T & Tasty

Flip 1217 - A success!

2011-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

Whoa... I am way behind, as usual. But in any case thought it would be worth it to document a pretty awesome project we took on in 2010. Flip 1217. The short of a long story goes something like this... we partnered with Matt's cousin and his wife to 1) start a company... Raybill (named after both the guys' dads) 2) combine capital to purchase a foreclosed property and 3) flip that shit! (apparently it's the corporate tag-line, FTS for short).

It started something like this.... According to our partner one of the most important things to do first was tackle a corporate logo.

Next was to secure a production crew in the hopes of making it big on ? HGTV, perhaps? (I really have no idea... at this point it was all the guys, which probably explains a lot). Until the "production crew" actually showed up it was imperative to take homemade videos on site.

Umm yeah, quality programming right there.

Finally we documented the "pre-flip" condition of the house. Please excuse my crass humor, I felt a little guilty attempting to make money off of someone else's misery. But at the end of the day, with condo living, Matt & I were in dire need of a project.

And then the fun began. We ripped carpet out of the main floor, completely demo'd the lower level, upper story and porch. As for one bathroom and kitchen it wasn't a complete demo but close enough. The entire main floor was painted in a beautiful pink color, hard to tell in the pics but it was a light shade of pepto. Thankfully the exterior, windows and mechanicals were relatively new and in good condition. And to top it all off we were blessed with a brand spanking new 2 car garage. Not too shabby for a big project at the start of the best time of year in Minnesota... summertime.

Overall, we logged way over 600 hours between 4 people. We did most of the work ourselves with the exception of carpet installation, mudding and taping, bringing the electrical box up to code and installing new flex plumbing in the basement. Everything else... paint, new electrical fixtures, tiling, bathroom install, framing, sheetrocking, egress window, curb appeal, new door installation, counter/cabinet install, trim and refinishing the hardwoods was all us. all raybill. It was a lot of sweat, a little bit of tension but overall a ton of fun. Would we do it again? You betcha! Here's the finished result... oh and we sold the house ourselves in a short 6 weeks! at a profit! Cha-ching!

The Great November Hunt.

2010-12-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

(consulting his trusted advisor, while scouting for the best spot)

It's December, which for me means getting used to having my husband home on the weekends again. We are in weekend #2, a vast improvement from weekend #1. I am actually starting to like him again ;)... well it does help when your bff is in town and you get to catch up with old friends. Anyhow, over the past few years, November has become the month of the hunt. The month of the disappearing husband. When I met Matt, I could have sworn he didn't even know what hunting was. He never did it. Never talked about it. Never came home outfitted in camo. Back in those days, I don't even know he owned a gun much less ever found it in the trunk of my car or back of his SUV as I was making a grocery trip. Nope, hunting just did not exist in our world. Not the case anymore. Now I find random game in our freezer, get text messages on the sweet sounds of nature and have to tend to my pretty, city dog's hunting wounds. I am really not a fan. It's another one of Matt's things I just don't understand. In my mind there is just something very odd about sitting in a tree, by yourself, with a gun. very odd.

Although I will say he does look pretty good in orange.

And nope, the hunting was not successful. Well not in term's of a hunters mind. But a lunch stop at the casino and $10 jackpot hit and I'd say it was a huge success! Hello winter shopping spree! Matt thinks it was luck. I say it was karma and mother nature's way of saying thank you.

Matt's Eternal quest to get me to like the State Fair

2010-09-21T15:38:00.001-07:00

For two years in a row now I have agreed to tag along with Matt as he does his annual trip to the State Fair. this is huge! We have know each other for uhhh... 9! years now and prior to the previous two years our trips together consisted of a whopping zero. I just don't get it... the concept of the MN state fair does not register with my idea of a fun filled day. Try as he may I am not sure he will ever be successful on this one. Now a county fair, a true-county fair, I'm down. But this fried food, fat, smelly festival is usually the last thing I want to do. Matt on the other hand LOVES it............ as evidence.....

How can you not love him? and all his State Fair infatuation?

Soon to be...

2010-09-14T18:11:00.001-07:00

RV'ing the BIG Sur! OMG... so excited! Cali! Cali! We hear you! We are coming.

Sweet, Sweet Unemployment!

2010-08-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

So far lots and lots of quality time with my fav peeps....

Sittin in the morning sun...

2010-05-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Now this, this can make a girl happy. It doesn't take much. Matt may argue with that one. but for real. one fav blanket, check. a big steaming cup of Joe, check. urban livin', check. tunes, tunes that make your heart dance, check. electronics that I can't live without, check. and best of all MAY! and SUNSHINE! This is starting out to be a best day ever. It is also practice day #1. so good so far....

At some point I will get around to updating on move numero dos. But today, today will be spent sittin' in the morning sun, watchin' the clouds roll on by....

2010...

2010-01-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

when the photo booth malfunctions, improvise.

Well, its that time again... we made it through another year of wedded bliss. And our reward... fruit! four years = fruit! Ours came in the liquid form via miami vices and mango margaritas poolside in Mexico. ahh... it was lovely.

And the past four years... lovely as well! We've ticked another continent off the list, visited my childhood home, witnessed mother nature in her prime, played realtor, kicked the country boy for the metro man and started paving the way to our future move to mexico - flip that shit!

Bring it to #5....

Move Numero Uno

2009-12-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

Still playing catch up here..... we got brave and put our house on the market in June. Matt extended his resume to include realtor via the for sale by owner route. We had no idea how it would go, all I knew is that we had to escape our teenage next door neighbor before I lost my mind. And so we played the game, we cleaned and made the house smell amazing. We made signs and strategically placed them around the area. And then we sat and waited... my weekends were spent in the park with Sonny while Matt played open house. In three short weeks it was SOLD! and then came the oh shit moment... where are we going to live? Downtown baby! It took a little convincing and few twists of the arm but one place with 15' ceilings and wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows took care of it. Matt was sold. And so we moved "temporarily" into a condo downtown. No way was Matt going to like it, no way was Matt going to stay longer than six months. We would have another house in the 'Minneapolis suburbs' before too long....

From..... To.....

Love your Mother...

2009-11-29T16:06:00.001-08:00

Go see what she created... we did... aka Dunjacks go west little miss sunshine style. I didn't think we could do it, I didn't think we would all survive... I am mean your talking about a ten day road trip with my mother, myself and if that's not enough throw my brother and husband in there. but we did it and we survived... all four of us with the help of a rad conversion van. We racked up a total of 3800 miles cross country. for reals, it was so awesome we might even attempt it again next year.

One night in Bangkok - Day 13 (Bangkok)

2009-11-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

it's our last day in Thailand. we are incredibly sad. this country, these people are more than we imagined. we have fallen in love with Thailand. and so we sulk. we wander the streets of Bangkok taking it all in one last time. We wander past street vendors and massage parlours. we venture to the mall and wander through stores. unknown to us Thailand is sending us off in style... we stumble across a sea of teenagers all going crazy for some asian rock band and then we are listening to a live concert the only white people in a crowd of crazy, crazy thai fans. just passed the concert we stumble upon a Thai celebration... something to do with the king or a water festival ?!?! who knows... but the food is amazing and people watching is at its best. We met a family of five, three teens and two parents. Mom is driving the kids nuts trying to get them to practice their english with us. they are clearly embarrassed. its too cute. and so we sit and visit with them. we learn about their lives, how they want to come to America, where they want to go to school and what for. we take pictures and exchange emails. and part our separate ways. really there is no better way to spend our last night in thailand.

And now we are back to wandering, it's getting dark. We catch a street style breakdance off one of the subway stops. its entertaining. its the early nineties all over again. we are exhausted but the city just won't let us go. and so we stay up all night enjoying the street fare. unbelievably with darkness comes shopping. the vendors come out. the mall closes and the street malls open. these people shop all night, every night. we're dumbfounded. when the shopping gets to be to much we settle for our old friend, one last time chaing. we are back on cowboy soi the street with the neon lights, you just can't go wrong in terms of people watching, complete with usual blind man and microphone, hookers and dirty white men. sitting at a bar on the end of the street we listen to one of the most hilarious conversations we have ever heard... a group of english men, one guy has been missing all day and before you know it his friends are shouting at a random man and a thai "masseuse" walking down the streets. it's their friend, dirty bastard! and so he proceeds to join his friends along with his "masseuse" for a round of drinks. The conversation is ridiculous, we can't stop listening. we are laughing and trying so hard to conceal our enjoyment at this ridiculous group of dirty english men.

sawatdee thailand! sawatdee!

Days of Beach & Karma Accruing - Day 11 & 12 (Krabi cont'd)

2009-11-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

we sleep in. we have coffee. it's going to be another great day in Thailand. after our hard days of diving we need some beach time. we jump on a longtail boat. off to railey beach. past cliffs, over turquoise waters. yep just like in a magazine. we're on the beach with a beach mat, a beer and a book. another beer, a dip in the water. yep another great day in Thailand. we eat lunch and decide to be a bit more productive. we tour railey east. we explore the island through "mini" rock climbing. we walk along the beach. it's amazing. we grab another longtail home. and we're poolside with drinks. ahhhh.......

Dinner is Ao Nang cuisine. excellent curry. we wander through "bar district" and the back, "back" bars. "hey mister want a massage?" "hey lady want a massage?" weird. time to go home.

Day 12 begins noisy. A thai wedding ceremony. loud! the groom, his family and his entourage make their way through the "village" to ask permission for the bride. drums. and percussion. and monks. its super interesting and super beautiful. we have breakfast. we watch the wedding. we start to get ancy for an adventure.

and the adventure... this might be the stupidest adventure we have attempted yet.. the tiger temple... the first part not so bad, the second just pain stupid. We enter a cave, aka monk temple. about a dozen monks performing their daily chant. the sound is beautiful.

the monks proceed to lunch and we are astonished with the feast they have, all kinds of fresh seafood, it looks delicious. on to the second part.... the buddha.... 1300 steps to the top... 1300. yeah, pretty sure we didn't think this through before we started. one word Yuck!! quite simply it sucked, it was hot and sweaty and there was no water. the stairs were inconsistent.. a short stair, a giant stair, a crumbling stair. it was bad. and the buddha... not that great. the views on the other hand, they were fantastic, although I am not sure they were worth the pain. story is that visiting this buddha and climbing this climb is worth a shit ton of karma... it better be. We hurried down as fast as we could go. towards the end... holy shit! a monkey sliding down the handrail. those buggers can freak a person out!

After that "adventure" it is definitely time for Ao Nang beach again... to lay in the shade... to read a book... to nap... to get a massage... to drink beer, now this is more like it! Matt wanders he finds wild monkeys playing in a stream, swinging on a swing and eating fruit, it's like watching a bunch of kids at a playground. pretty amazing. Next up, a repeat of yesterday... poolside with drinks. It's our last night in Krabi. we eat at Blue Mango it is fantastic. we can't leave without lighting our lanterns. Accruing yet another round of karma. Make a wish... I wish, I wish we never had to leave.......

Another hard day - Day 10 (Krabi cont'd)

2009-11-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

7:30am dive pick-up. This time we get the Dutch assistant. no keith. it's a long boat ride out to Phi-Phi Island. the weather is perfect. the Dutch guy is interesting. dive #1 is mostly for fun. AMAZING. AMAZING. absolutely AMAZING. these are the dives people dream for, and certainly should not have been our first one, nothing will ever compare. corals are beautiful, fish are beautiful. we see 5 sharks. 5 sharks!! are you kidding me? we're practically swimming in an aquarium. we finish our skills. we take a break on the boat. I am speechless. Matt is speechless. we've experienced something we never have before. it's simply great. dive #2 is for fun. we motor to a different island. right back in the aquarium. we see 5 giant sea turtles. 5! they are beautiful creatures. along the way one more shark this time a sleeping leopard shark. okay one more time... AMAZING! the dives wipe us out. a long boat trip back and we are officially certified divers!

for the evening we take a break from Thai food. it's pizza at lavinia. as we eat we watch the circus street show going on outside on the sidewalk. okay not really a circus but none the less great people watching. one man, one monkey and a floundering business. it's starts with a handshake and surprise there is now a monkey crawling up your arm, oh you want a picture? flash! okay 5 bucks. what? you're mad... oh you mean not everyone enjoys a live monkey crawling on them? people are freaked out. we are thoroughly entertained. On top of it the monkey man is chewing leaves "leaves that fuck up the mind" with an occasional drug run to get more supply. hmmm... any correlation with Chaing beer? The street show dies down so we wander. wander up and down the strip, through the street shops. we stop for hagen daas. we're back home. home? we wish.

Sit down take a load off - Eve of Day 8 + Day 9 (Krabi)

2009-11-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

Ahhh.... ocean air. this resort is amazing. the architecture is brilliant. there is not much else to ask for with the exception of a beer and a smoke on a fantastic balcony, now it's complete. We wander across the street for thai dinner. again Chaing, we love you. sound of waves, moonlit sky, floating paper lanterns it just doesn't get any better.

Day 9 starts with a bang. we are picked up by Keith. Keith, the english, rugby-playing dive instructor. 4 dives over two days. i am a bit nervous... i mean the pool scared me and now we're supposed to do this in the ocean? first dive is fun and beautiful! 2nd dive is for skills... mask on, mask off. we pass. scuba isn't that bad, it's peaceful and calm. we are back on land and ready for adventure. Motorbike #2 it is. we search for gasoline. the pump once found, is basically a glass container with a hose, interesting. we try to make small talk with the locals who own the gas contraption but they don't know english and every time we speak they laugh. and we laugh.

we're off, on a dirt path, along the ocean, to who knows where. Ao Nang beach it is. at the end of the non-descript path we land at one of the most fantastic strips of beach bars we have ever encountered. Outdoor massage, hammocks, drinks, food, shit... even elephants. we find a seat at the last Fisherman's cafe and order our friend Chaing. we watch the sunset. instant relaxation. it's dark and time for dinner so to town we go. food is okay, fried peanuts as app = one plate of peanuts, too funny. every waitress is a lady boy and ours ends every interaction he has with us with "one moment please." love it! we grab ice cream. we jump on the bike and cruise the strip. High on Chiang and motorbiking, its lovely. we don't last long... to bed by 9:30.

Weekend Market - Day 8 (Bangkok cont'd)

2009-09-27T11:07:00.001-07:00

More markets. More shopping. This time the most dizzying, intoxicating experience ever. hands down. we have our usual breakfast and head towards the largest open air market in the world. open saturdays and sundays only. Huge. Huge market. Selling again anything and everything. the people are in mass.

just the first step in the market is overwhelming. so far, the smells, well they've been pretty good. nothing too horrific with the exception of an occasional whiff of piss, shit or garbage. But today at market, well that's a different story. the first step into the tiny little aisles that separate the shops and we are hit with well quite frankly a smell I never want to smell again in my life. It was horrible. Our stomachs turned, our pace quickened and we had to do everything we could to not hurl in the middle of the market. and then.... fresh air. it never smelt so good.

We wander and wander. there are pets for sale and original artwork. Old books and cheap plastic buddhas. paper and scarves. Just a lot stuff. whole sections of the market dedicated to one type of item. Nice stuff too. I could have wandered forever minus the complete cultural overload. Asian fashion is awesome. My fav for sure. I could have purchased a complete new wardrobe barring any time constraints. best of all it was cheap! cheap! cheap! we sent 2500 baht roughly $75 dollars and left with a loot.

Next on the agenda.... a flight to Krabi and some much needed R&R.

Tour de Tong - Day 7 (Bangkok + Surroundings)

2009-06-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

7am pick-up. Hello Ning, give us the tour.

From Bangkok via hired car we drive to our first destination... the railway market. absolutely incredible. packed. prime time grocery shopping. every food imaginable for sale. Think curry paste, live eels, starfish, pink eggs, pig legs, fruit, live catfish, squid, water bugs, herbs, veggies. both sides of the tracks lined with food, literally lined right up next the iron tracks. we wander and wander, clearly spell bound. it's like the land of oz where are the flying monkeys?

there's commotion, crazy commotion. awnings go up, tables are pushed in, thai yelling, the tracks are suddenly empty. ahhh train coming! training coming! but business must go on. it's phasing no one except for the awe struck tourists, clearly the minority. we are pulled inside a shop. whistle blows. wind blows. the train does not slow, business must go on with or without a casualty. FDA? forget the FDA. the food is fine as the train passes right over just barely grazing the top. Awnings are down. tables are back out. just business as usual, 3 maybe 4 times a day, everyday. all just part of a normal day. Crazy!!!

next up the floating market. we rent a boat, more like a gondola. 400 baht. through the canals, passing boats, 'boat shops', vendors. its crazy busy and crazy hot. food everywhere. the photo ops are one in a million. we watch the boats, colors, people. we smell the smells. it's truly like nothing else. the canals are traffic jammed, watch your fingers! we paddle past banana farms and coconut farms and family homes. Ning feeds every dog in sight. we coast next to a noodle boat vendor and grab pork noodle soup and coconut pancakes. de-lish! we are satisfied. we are full of happiness. we are hungover on culture. we are warm, fuzzy times ten.

what's next? I mean really nothing can top this. it's a long drive. on the way we see salt farms and daily rural thai life. those hats why did i not purchase a few? we pit shop at the Thai handi-craft center. uber talented Thais. the carvings are elaborate. Ning makes a point to point out all the dirty ones, elephant penis, elephants pooping, humping monkeys. huh, really. Thanks Ning.

It's true, saving the best for last is always worth it. we are at a fishing village. no words. literally no words fit what we are seeing, feeling, smelling, eating. it just.... well no words. it does not and will not ever compare. another boat, this one with a mud motor. we stop by a farmers boat. they are cleaning nets. they are pure joy. big smiles. warm hearts. we can't communicate but I can see they are happy to show and they can see we are happy to be shown. fish for fish oil, funky little crabs and yes one red snake. Ning says no and I say thank you.

we drive out to sea. mind the bamboo road markers. wait, what is that? who is that? we coast up to a women dressed from the sun, shoulder high in sea water, just hanging out, floating. well not entirely she is spending six hours of her day in the water farming scallops from the muddy sea bottom. filling a laundry basket full. all day, every day. perspective. right there that is pure, clear perspective... that desk isn't so bad after all.

a quick detour off the sea into a channel. we sit. we wait. we wait some more. uhh what are we waiting for? what am I missing? Oh, oh is that it? Is that what we are here for? what the heck is that? fish? fish running on top of the water!?! what? yah! there's another one... and another. mud-skippers!! we giggle. we scream. our 'captain' who speaks zero English is laughing at us. a full belly laugh. it is awesome. we are done with the mud-skippers and so now he decides to show off. we are back out to sea but this time on the shallow side. well more like mud side. he revs the engine and takes us on a full out boat cruise through the mud. it's interesting. Matt thinks its awesome. Ning is with me. I think it's a guy thing.

Next up the mussel farm. they are green, attached to bamboo stakes in the sea. those fabulous mussels we love to eat take a year to grow. one year. oysters are next. little cement pieces tied to strings tied to poles hanging in the water. again another year to grow. there are bamboo huts on slits over the water everywhere. the oyster, mussel, scallop business is a hot business. huts serve as sleeping quarters and thieve lookouts. and impromptu dining places for western tourists. we carefully make our way up the bamboo ladder. it's a fabulous view. it's a fabulous lunch. Fresh, hot seafood. Did I say FRESH seafood, like literally nabbed right out of the sea we are standing above. shrimp stew, gigantic prawns, rice, catfish, whole fish, seaweed. we are left to dine alone. just the two of us and this great big sea. de-lish! we are full. and we are amazed.

we relax for a bit but the captain has one last adventure. for real I don't think there is anything left. it can't get any better. but we are back on the boat cruising through the sea. onto another channel. again we wait and we drift. and then we see them... one monkey, two monkeys... ten monkeys and before we know it more wild monkeys than we have ever seen before. That's why Ning bought all that ridiculous fruit. we are here to feed the wild monkeys. apple-like fruit and bananas. we throw fistfuls to the island, to the monkeys. they go crazy, they make crazy noise. Monkeys are coming from all over now swimming through the water, swinging through trees, cannon-balling from branches down to the water to get closer. all in an effort to get food. so happy to get food. there are big monkeys and little monkeys and mama monkeys with little baby monkeys clinging to their chest. 2 tribes. clearly one from the wrong side of the water. they are screeching and swimming and swinging and jumping and now fighting, viciously fighting. one tribe retreats. we follow. we feed until we are out of food. and we laugh. who does this stuff?!?!?

we say our goodbyes. we are back to Bangkok. Thank you Ning. Thank for showing us things we didn't even know existed. thank you for this awesome, awesome tour.

and where do we go when are full of happiness and culturally overloaded? back to the rooftop pool to float in all our joy.

we clean up, dress up and pump up. a night on the town. a splurge on a dinner in a fancy, fancy restaurant. Moon Bar. 59th floor of the Banyan Tree Resort. And when I say 59th floor I mean 59th floor open air restaurant and bar. It is incredible. It's breath taking. We are sitting at a bar on the edge of a freaking skyscraper. we test the waters and have drinks and smokes first. Our timing is right we can get a table for dinner. The menu is astonishing, $40 for f'in chicken and that is the only thing in that price range... the lowest price range. Didn't we just have lunch for two for under two bucks the other day? So we pretend to be vegetarian, it's the less expensive route and we don't appear cheap ;) Fantastic food. potato cream soup. Cesar salad. chilled pea soup. lemongrass sorbet. vegetable angel hair. vegetable? something dish. it doesn't sound super amazing but the flavors were to die for. followed by honey lavender ice cream. Wow! it's a top 10 dining experience.
amazing city views, spectacular dinner, complimentary photo and fantastic asian 20-something people watching (puerto rico all over again but this time in super short dresses). and another fabulous day ended in Thailand!

Sawatdee Chiang Mai - Day 6 (Back to Bangkok)

2009-04-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

we jet out of chiang mai on a early flight to bangkok. excited. what's next? what other beautiful things will we see?

oh but the "hired" drivers at the airport.. they can drive you crazy. we fanaggle with one. try to walk away but they already have our stuff and are starting to load in the car. what? you are too expensive we don't want a ride from you. okay fine. but, only if you take the highway. Matt this does not look like the highway... we are not stupid tourist (well not today). finally our hotel. the hotel of my choice, I am super excited about it. our room, enter. oh this is not at all what I expected. oh no. we can't stay here. Damn Conde Neste, this is no 2007 best hotel, this is crap.

Please don't let this be a continuation of last night and another day not in our cards. back to the admirial with the rooftop pool. no charge at the original hotel. this is a turn for the better. we are starving and instead of the pool this time, it is our friend, Chiang beer, calling our names.

we are full. we are happy. I feel funny, do you feel funny? we are fucked up. we heart Chiang beer. Spa time? Yep. I get a one hour hot oil massage. hot, not really. but good, yes. and a one hour facial. trust me we are at an actual spa, not a "massage palour." But still, it's a little weird. Matt gets a 2 hour traditional thai massage. weird. good. maybe sore. tired. Maybe weird because "Michelle" was his masseuse?!? did I mention there are a lot of lady-boys in thailand? Okay "Michelle" was not his masseuse but it could have been pretty damn funny.

Back to the hotel. Smoothies & internet. the pool, ahh the pool. breeze is lovely. sun is lovely. did I see that it was -7 degrees at home?!? ahh the pool.

Pizza for dinner. real italian pizza, I mean real italian pizza. it is awesome. time to wander. we venture from Asok to NaNa, along sumkuhvit road. Stall after stall of merchandise aka crap. shoes. jewelry. watches. bags. luggage. pornos. food. etc. etc. we see every culture. middle eastern. african. asian. european. we smell every smell. we see some of the strangest food. and burkas, real burkas. I've never seen real burkas before. middle eastern men have a staring problem. and don't forget the elephant, just wandering down the middle of the street. cultural overload. i feel high, again. did I mention we think Chiang beer is laced with opium?

It's late. more white men with asian women. hookers and drag queens everywhere. remember that neon street? this is it. Cowboy Soi. Oh my god. neon lights. sex for sale. street is packed. how many perverts are there? Matt doesn't think they are all for sale... really? trust me they are all for sale. close your mouth, terrin. don't look too shocked. damn I wish my memory card in the camera wasn't full. slightly distrubing. this is too much. It's time to go to bed.

Motorbike, Motorbike - Day 5 (Chiang Mai cont'd)

2009-04-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Please dont' let us die, get stranded or lost on the motorbike.

motorbike adventure to mountian of Doi Suthep. windy, curvy roads. Mountain temple is the ultimate goal. they drive on the wrong side of the road. we are behind a tour bus the entire way. but we survive. we make it. 350 stairs to the top. Look, see the monks. the views would be beautiful minus the smog. temple is beautiful. well worth the trip. but isn't everything in thailand? bells, bells and more bells. I am officially obsessed with taking pictures of bells.

we are back at the bottom. the markets are good wish we could buy more. And again, the food it's every where. tons and tons of fruit. fruit we have never ever seen before. those strawberries with sugar look delicious. wait that's not sugar, it's spicy thai salt, interesting. we buy more fruit, this time neon green. do you know what this is? no, no idea. but it's delicious. and the people watching is superb. not many westerners.

time to go. rut-ro we are out of petro... throw her in nuetral and coast down the mountain. it's beautiful. we are like little kids, look no hands, well not Matt, but me. we find a gas stations, petro is $2. for real $2 to fillup.

Off to Lamphun. Lamphun is not much of a town but just the motorbike ride through the country is worth it. we see local thais. we are in areas with zero tourists. look rubber trees, like Hawaii. and the monks, they are everwhere, going to school, collecting alms. the culture, i have no words. we stumble across a small restuarant. they apparently don't get many tourists because they can't stop giggling at us and staring at us. foreign, white people equals crazy excitement. that in itself makes the trip. When are we ever the miniority? and lunch 2 bowls of noodles + 2 bottles of H20..... 65 baht.... holy crap that is $1.75.. what?!? we are definitely a spectacle.

really? the super highway? you want to take the superhighway back? and man is it super. we drive 100 kmph on the shoulder back to Chiang Mai. on a motorbike. that's a holy shit kind of crazy. oh our butts and our legs. we are sore. time to give up the motorbike. we are tired. and Matt do you hear that? it's the pool calling our names again. we grab a tuk-tuk. all we want is the hotel. wait, this doesn't look right we are on the wrong side of town and the wrong hotel. tuk-tuk driver won't bring us to the right hotel. he leaves. what is with the tuk-tuk drivers? next up a songeaw. wait this can't be happening again. we are going the wrong direction. they giggle at us, but eventually find their way. and ahhh the pool. finally. with added entertainment... the japanese workout team.

we should have known after the tuk-tuk/songaew expierence to stay in. it was the first signal that it was not going to be our night. we leave for an art market in hopes of finding good art.... no market, no art, nothing. we leave for the night market in hopes of gourging ourselves on street food... no food vendors, what? every other time food is everywhere. we leave for night bazaar in hopes of finding good crafts, nothing. stumble across an old man and hooker, wierd. alright we give up. we leave for the city and the east gate, but nothing, not even a good photo op. Hello Chiang beer. time to call it a night.

Tour Day - Day 4 (Chiang Mai + countryside)

2009-04-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning, Thailand. here goes it, the tour. Please don't let this tour be hoaky.

First up, rafting. white water rafting. lots of instructions. too many instructions how am I going to keep this straight. wait, did i tell the guide I was uncoordinated and a klutz. he should know. 2 americans + 2 russians and one thai guide. go. pad-dle fo-ward. pad-dle four. voice like a song. peaceful. calm. oh shit. first out of 5 big rapids. here goes nothing. awesome. absolutely awesome. 3 more rapids. we are pros. last rapid, it's the biggest. hold on. wait, what's Matt doing? the raft, holy shit the raft it broke. don't even think of grabbing on to me. oh no, he's going overboard. wait, I'm going too. what the? oh no. remember the instructions, do I hang on? but wait don't put legs under raft or maybe I should float and coast it out? how do i do it again, head first? no feet first. oh shit. where's matt? screw matt he's stronger than me. somebody just grab me. ah back on board. so is Matt. that was ridiculous and hilarious. guide is laughing. didn't I say I was uncoordinated?

relaxing float back to camp. countryside is beautiful. it's hot. maybe we should go swimming. do you see that elephant? what's he doing? hmmm pooping in the water. yeah no swimming for me, thanks. lunch of chicken and rice + coca-cola and water. next up... biking.

They can't be serious. these are the bikes they want us to ride? bikes are shit. it's hot, like fry an egg hot. where do we go? what? up that huge hill, yeah right. is this one of those aha stupid tourist tours? This sucks. I'm hitching a ride with the tour pickup. Matt, tough Matt, he's going to do it. yeah stupid tourist... ends up walking bike up hill. But downhill, that's another story...... wheee!!!! Brake! brake! brake! finally we are at the elephant camp. that sucked.

the elephant camp is interesting. so many elephants. too many chained. it makes us sad. but we ride anyway. on a hilly path through the jungle. nice way to see the rural countryside. elephants are pigs. sugar cane & bananas... give me more, give me more. the ride is bumpy. Matt loved it although made him a bit sad too. but so did como zoo. touche.

lovely people on the tour with us. all young. 4 germans, 3 irish, 2 russians. germans off to krabi then dubai (Obama good for the world). irish going to Australia to work for six months. russsians spent two months in Dominican, wrapping up in Thailand. ahh the life of the jet set europeans.

Nap time. so nice to lay down. it was a long day. Matt leaves in search of a motorbike. only caution, don't die.

he survived. now it's off to find dinner. 100 baht tuk-tuk ride to east gate of old city. wandering, searching for House restaurant. finally find it. talk about a cluster. 2 restaurants. 5 menus. all at once. we are super confused. we eat in ginger cafe on big couches as dining chairs. Matt attempts to kick hit feet up. really? we are in a restaurant. odds and ends decor, loved by gays. Bon Appetit. dinner is good. dessert and coffee better. we are tired. it's 10:30 after all.

In transit, observations - Day 3 (Bangkok + Chiang Mai)

2009-04-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Another early morning. another quick breakfast. we walk the city. Sukhumvit Road in morning rush hour to be exact, Holy shit. talk about culture shock. what is with the food? everywhere? we need coffee. where is coffee? wait. do you see what those people are drinking. looks good, we must find. how the heck do we order. street vendors have no idea what we are saying. finally, chilled street coffee. 2 for 30 baht, literally just shy of $1. this is awesome. this is delicious.

more wandering. our senses are on overload. noisy, crazy mess of people. traffic is ridiculous. need a ride?... taxi, metered taxi, tuk-tuk, motorbike taxi, sky train. smog is killing us. hot and sweaty. what's that? yes pool you are calling our names. Quick dip. Grab coca-cola and beer and jet off for the jungle.

Chiang Mai. Resort is swank. no agenda. Matt lost his brain, we take a songtaew ride with no idea where to go or where it was going. another temple. another Buddha. not near as impressive as what we saw yesterday. that tree it's like the one in Panama, beautiful yellow flowered tree. Matt, where are we going? tired of temples. difficult day. wandering. hot. hungry. crabby. finally lunch... thai noodles please. we need a break. from what? from culture shock? from each other? back at hotel. peace.

it's evening, moods are much better. to the night bazaar. loads and loads of crap, some good, some weird, some just crap. you want to buy it, anything and everything, you name it. They say a picture is worth a thousands words, no, being here is worth a thousand words. can't get a picture to capture it quite right. Artist nook. we find the tile-man artist. beautiful paintings that we stare at forever. finally a purchase. no paintings but we get the tiles. every where we look we see ugly white men with beautiful Asian women. more overwhelming, but the good kind of overwhelming. we order gigantic beers x 2 + spicy ramen noodles. back to hotel via tuk-tuk. I feel fucked up, do you feel fucked up? first encounter with Chiang beer...

Night arrival & Exploration - Day 2 (Bangkok)

2009-04-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

how come every city you go you see the same thing? traffic signs, roads, billboards all look the same. regardless of U.S or Asia. What corner of the world do you have to crawl to to see something different?

city is eerily dark. all the skyscrapers are dark. city is quiet.

Oh wait.... here we go... sukhumvit road. 1am Sunday what are all these people doing on the streets? who goes shopping for clothes at this hour? There is food everywhere... on bikes, on motorbikes, plastic chairs setup on sidewalks, mini restaurants. wait what was that street? one full block filled with neon lights, women, bars. Oh our hotel... finally our hotel... sleep.

6:15AM. It's morning. Finally exploration. I think this may be one of those corners of the world. Thai people are NICE. Damn it is hot & sweaty here. and the motorbikes, they are everywhere. morning rush hour and it is crazy busy. culture shock. off to the grand palace. this is overwhelming. so much gold, so much detail, so beautiful. temples and buddhas are awesome. thank god for everything in english. again, food is everywhere, only thing they do is eat? wait Thai people aren't so nice.... tuk-tuk leaves us.... thai center aka government scam.

it's lunch. we eat pad thai + coca-cola, Gai + fanta. cheap 226 baht, roughly 7 bucks (and we are in the tourist area).

we visit the emerald buddha, standing buddha (release birds), mountain temple,Wat Po & leaning buddha (that sound is lovely... coins dropped in bowls), Wat Arun (treacherous climb). we ride tuk-tuks, water taxis, try street food. still hot. drivers are crazy. Matt will have good luck & happiness in life forever. free the birds. cats with chopped off tails.

Exhausted. hotel with rooftop pool. Ahhh. Order 4 Mai Thais + dinner all at once. server is confused were are your friends. no friends these mai thais are just for us. in bed by 8:30.

1st Impressions - Day 1 (The Jumbo Jet)

2009-04-04T10:11:00.001-07:00

Holy Shit this plane is huge. Japanese people are beautiful. How long until this plane starts to stink? How many people are on this thing, millions of $ worth? Hmmm what if I "accidentally" wander upstairs. We Americans ask a lot of foreign travellers.... mass confusion on seats ABC, DEFG, HJK. Bangkok time requires I sleep for 8 hours immediately after take-off. We are fucked. Matt thinks I am crazy. Where are all these people going? I will either be positive or very, very naive about the length of this flight....... Oh and Asians are micro-phobic, what's with all the surgical masks?

Lay over in Japan. the Japanese follow the rules. there is no breaking them even if it is ridiculous. such as a tripod that is 1/2 inch longer than the carry-on rule. for real 1/2 inch? and we can't speak to each other because the poor man who is following the rules does not speak English and we do not speak Japanese. at one point he will no longer let us carry or touch our own tripod. it really is quite comical. and oh-so quiet. like deafening quiet so when we start to giggle and laugh out loud, he looks at us very strangely. now this is going to be interesting.

Drum Roll Please..... THAILAND!

2009-03-05T17:40:00.001-08:00

Okay, here we go... I don't even know where to start; overall, we took close to 3,000 pictures while on vacation. Camera crazed for sure. But one can't really help themselves, Thailand is simply beautiful. I've been searching all week for a way to describe it and really, nothing works. The people are so generous, kind, friendly, and warm. The women are exceptionally beautiful, odd I know, but I couldn't help constantly checking them out. The culture is pure peace. The language is quiet and calm. The food is interesting. The Western male tourists are perverts. And the scenery is breath-taking. Forget the 23 hour flight and go already!!

I learned a few things while in Thailand..

1) We have quite possibly picked the single best president the US could ever imagine. The whole world agrees. From the second we sat in our first cab in Bangkok, the third or so statement from he driver's mouth and after "where are you from" in broken English was "Obama!", from the numerous Obama t-shirts on the backs of local Thais in every corner of Bangkok, to the politically obsessed Europeans... Germans, Irish, Dutch, Russians we visited with; it is clear the world loves Obama. When I mentioned that Obama was good for us, meaning us Americans, I was countered with Obama is good for the world. How right they are.

2) We are extremely privileged to live the lifestyles we do. Yes, we have a long ways to go in certain aspects.... crime, fear, reputation, greed, etc, etc. But overall we are educated, we are successful, our standards of living are high, we make good money, we are plentiful in employment, we have shelter, we have food. This is not to say that Thailand doesn't, in fact in ways Thailand is a lot like the U.S., but there are some things that are different. For instance, Thailand is extremely inexpensive compared to U.S. standards, the people make considerably less. Retirement is not common. Parents work their whole lives just to get their kids to school. There are not many government assistance programs, if you are out of work you are out of work, if you are disabled, well good luck... here's a bucket/microphone take to the streets for income. You get my drift in not so many words we are privileged.

3) Green. Green. Green. If you are not green yet, get green now. If you are half-assing it now, you gotta work way harder. Unfortunately, Thailand and I am sure many Asian countries or for that matter, less developed countries have not caught green fever. The waste and pollution is ridiculous. Think of countries that have unsafe drinking water i.e. no drinking water from the tap = limited use of reusable cups/bottles = millions of plastic bottles in the trash. I was absolutely astonished at the amount of plastic bottles in public trash containers... all ready to be put in a landfill. And that's just one small example. There is a serious amount of waste. We've got to double-time, triple-time it people, if we want to save this planet!

15 things in pictures

2009-01-27T19:08:00.001-08:00

Us.... One, Two, Three, Four, tell me that you love me more.

2008-12-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

Finishing three.... 15 things.

1. Bunk Housin it on Lake Viola

2. Devouring Coronas and Duffy Burgers

3. Scouring the Twin Cities for the premier photo opp

4. Hot Tea

5. $50 room service cereal and movies on demand

6. Waffles, Bananas and Pecans, anything coffee shop

7. Brewmaseter Matt

8. Two Kayaks, one set of skills, fast city rapids = broken paddle

9. Which one is the loud one... the ugly one

10. Mississippi River

11. Coffee shop stops + farmer's market visits

12. Rhyme out

13. Door knockers

14. One amazing visit to the zoo... where's the giraffes?

15. Obama

Starting Four....

Livin the High Life on 55 Wall Street

2008-12-22T19:08:00.001-08:00

Man it already seems like eons ago. The first weekend in December the Safar sisters and I travelled to NYC for a quick weekend getaway trip. We met up with Monica vising from London-town. For G it was her first time witnessing the city of concrete. On a side note, where did big apple come from, it does not seem appropriate it all, especially considering there are no trees unless you count the everlasting evergreens that are few and far between and spring up in unusual and random patches dirt throughout the city. I digress, anyways we saw the usual sites... radio city music hall, the subway, ground zero, statue of liberty from afar, times square, Rockefeller center complete with famous Christmas tree and ice rink and perhaps my favorite of all... Grand Central Station. I don't know what it is about that place but I could have stayed there for hours. It is a pretty beautiful place and during the holiday season they put on a holiday themed light show set to music on the hour, every hour. Totally cheesy but well worth the trip. Beyond that the city was much different than what I saw in the spring, too many coats all that wonderful fashion covered up. Although apparently everyone in NYC knows that if you don't have any boats, ya don't have any style. And I think I did hear fringed boots and cardigans are making a come back?!?

Hobby Haven

2008-11-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me during my last graduate class that I did not have many hobbies. Certainly, not enough to keep me busy... especially when you consider the outrageous amounts of free time was about to experience in just a matter of a few short hours. What was I going to do? Travelling, shopping and drinking (wine or coffee, you pick) can only keep you busy for so long. And then one day the mail arrived and with it the answer to my newly found free time... community ed classes. It's amazing what you can do in community ed.... manufacture your own homemade organic lip balm, whip up killer Chinese potstickers, enter the classroom again but this time as a photography student, you can even learn to belly dance if you so desire. While I was thumbing through the possibilities it also occurred to me that I was not the only one without a hobby, certainly Matt needed one and what did Ali and Alicia do with all their free time? The answer.... all of the above, although substitute wood shop for belly dancing. (I have not gotten that bored yet). And so for a couple of Monday nights, Ali, Alicia and I will make fantastic lip balm and potsticker creations, on Tuesdays I fly solo to photography class while Matt does custom cabinetry. Community Ed has produced some pretty good results. For example, we (aka Matt with some prompting) have finally completed our basement. I can barely wait to see what the winter semester catalog has in store for us. ;)

ELECTION DAY 2008

2008-11-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

Be heard, be seen, be proud, be a part of it, be American... get out and ROCK the VOTE! I am so excited I could pee my pants!!

Happy Halloween HomeSkillet!

2008-11-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Introducing Juno Mcguff, Little Red Riding Hood and Deb the Boy Scout. The girls and I had a blast partying away the Halloween night in NorEast. I forgot how much fun halloween is! It is the ultimate high for someone like me who LOVES to people watch.

Political Addiction

2008-10-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. I am addicted to the presidential race. I have become a severe political junky. Beyond reading policitcal blogs in my pasttime and trying daily to convince Matt to see the blue light I just can't get enough of it. Good thing i have so many supporters... certainly Davio and the Safar sisters have had nothing to do with it, well that and the fact that I am not interested in backwards time travel. Lucky for us the RNC was in home court and Matt and I decided to venture down river to St. Paul. Although the walking and baracades were ridiculous we were both happy we went. It was interesting to see and also inspiring. People of all different viewpoints and backgrounds. It's hard to believe that was that was already almost two months ago.... and election day is right around the corner. Happy Voting Soon!

I heart Chi-Town!

2008-09-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Absolutely, hands down one of my favorite cities. I finally realize that the reason I did not love NYC was because my heart belongs to Chi-town. Well that and the trip was courtesy of Ameriprise. It was an awesome trip. We were wined and dined and treated to outrageous parties every night. Everything from renting out the Field Museum to House of Blues to WigFest at the Navy Pier - it was obscene! First day was spent with a celebratory spa day at the Four Seasons - very fance, courtesy of Matt and obtainment of an MBA degree. Second day started with breakfast ala room service with the curtains drawn and Movies on Demand. The rest of the time we explored the city via boat, foot and bike. Millineum Park brings you back to being five all over again! I would move to the Windy City in a heartbeat.

Wow, before you know it summer's over!

2008-09-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

Summer was BUSY! Cabins and babysitting, weekend trips to Chicago, the zoo, bunk house building, wine making, even the RNC and school's out for the summer.... school's out FOREVER! It's nice to finally have a life again. The craziness started out at with our nieces and nephew at the cabin, so much for a vacation, 3 kids under 6 can keep you pretty busy.

From there is is on to Hilary & Sug's 1% cabin weekend. Lucky for us we were their first guest. Their lake is absolutely beautiful, we had a good time minus the insane wind storms.

Next on the agenda... babysitting. Love the kids but there is a reason why childern should never out number adults, it is physically and mentally exhausting. We attempted the zoo... Caleb was an angel, Alivia on the other hand simply sucked... she was not about to ride in a stroller all day and for that matter not in Matt's arms either, only mine, all 25 pounds of her and as for Amber all she wanted to see was the giraffes and do you think the Minnesota Zoo has giraffes? Of course not! Lovely day at the zoo.

Ridin the Rapids and Stimulating the Economy

2008-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I am not as skilled as Matt on our new kayaks.... 2nd trip down Minnehaha creek and I end up tangled up in a fallen tree with a snapped paddle and almost sunk the kayak... for those not familiar with the creek it is an intense kayaking experience.......................

Obama Rama 2008!

2008-06-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

We tried, full heartedly we tried... Obama accepted the Democratic nomination tonight in St. Paul at the X. G, Davio and myself joined the masses attempting to gain access to the event. Blocks and blocks of people lined the streets, 5-6 people deep, I can't even count the blocks. It is the most people i have ever seen waiting in line in my life. All waiting for one single, solidtary man well that and change and hope and a new America. Unfortunately, we did not make it into the Xcel, only 20,000 lucky people did. We listened to Obama's speech on the radio on the drive home, Dave with goosebumps, G with a few tears and myself with a lot of woo-hoo's. It is time for change and one of the few times in my life I can say I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN - now get to it Barack! Barack the vote! Obama for your Mama! Barack my World! Obama Rama coming at ya!

Made from the same mold

2008-05-26T16:14:00.001-07:00

Big Graduate = Big Apple

2008-05-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

My kick-ass friend Ali and I celebrated the end of my MBA in New York City last weekend. It was a ton of fun and a ton of walking - 25 miles to be exact! We a saw all the main sites, most popular for us was all the HTMs - Hot, Tranny Messes. Holy shit does NYC have a lot of them, but to Ali's point what better place to be if you are a HTM. NYC is truly the city that never sleeps, the epicenter of noise and the place of where fashion is whatever you want it to be. Though must-have's right now are definitely scraves, ballet flats, skinny jeans, leggings... still!, a hot light jacket, safari dresses and horrible 90's heeled shoes. Obiviously we did some people watching. Oh and the men are goregous! Gay, but goregous. And anytime you want a picture with a bull's balls just visit Wall Street, an American attraction sadly, a giggle for all. Next time I do NYC, I am bringing a fat wad of cash and doing some major shopping... until next time. Oh by the way the TSA says "no snowglobes allowed, spread the word".

Puerto Rico - Old San Juan the great door hunt...

2008-05-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

From Rincon to Vieques, from Vieques to Old San Juan. After meeting Jesus there is not much else you can do but relax! So the rest of the trip was spent in Old San Juan on the main island. The Spanish fort city is absolutely beautiful and where Matt and I found our shared love of doors and doorknockers. Yeah true geeks I know. But you can't help but love the city's winding streets and colorful doors and loads of character. We are pro-photographers in training afterall and we have the 100+ door pictures to prove it ;) We enjoyed the city so much that we went back twice until the cruise-shippers invaded. The views from the fort look out over the ocean and are breathtaking. It was also a great day for flying kites and the fields around the old fort were filled with children flying kites, very nostalgic. The rest of the time we did nothing but hang by the pool, play cards, consume as many mojitios as possible and catch up on cable tv while Matt gambled. My love for cable tv was fulfilled with my latest addiction real life housewives - for real could it get any better? It was the prefect ending to an awesome trip. Ah... can't forget the tourists, I don't know if anyone else has noticed how photo-obsessed Asian tourists are....dinner on a terrace across from a table of 6 early twenty-somethings.... it started with flash and then anther and another followed by five more then a lull.... then the drinks came out another 10 flashes... then pictures of each other.. pictures of themselves... wait the apps are out... another 10 flashes.... we made a bet, end of our entree half way through theirs, He bet 20 I went with 50 more flashes...by the time we finished dessert and coffee they were well over 50 flashes..... it was hilarious at one point we were both crying with laughter. You've got to catch the scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and you'll know exactly what I mean.... Cheap entertainment, right? Adios San Juan. Adios Puerto Rico. From Vieques to Old San Juan...From Old San Juan to Minneapolis....

Puerto Rico - Vieques, where we met Jesus

2008-04-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Vieques was the definitely the highlight of Puerto Rico. Small island off the NE coast of Puerto Rico's mainland. There is virtually nothing to do here but beach, drink, beach and drink some more. The island is beautiful as is the people and the town. So beautiful in fact that Jesus even makes an appearance, well for holy week of course. The town has a really awesome tradition for Good Friday.... The people parade around the island following Jesus, throwing stuff at him and beating him. It was a HIGHLY anticipated event especially for Matt and I since we had never been in such holy presence before. And what else to do after witnessing such holiness? drink! the whole town went nuts. Duffy's will long live in your minds and hearts - it was the best damn burger we ever had - in the span of 2 days we managed to eat 3. Beyond Jesus and burgers there is the bio-bay, hidden beaches and awesome restaurants. We have never and probably will never again experience anything like the bio-bay. Basically, kayaking at dark in a bay that lights up with any movement in the water. Picture those glow sticks from the 4th of July dumped in a lake and swimming in it.... every drop of water, every movement turns a florescent blue. It is indescribable and truly magical, or according to Matt phsycadellic. The hidden beaches are a result of top secret marine bombing tests on the west and east ends of the island. In the last seven years the marines have turned the land over to the US Wildlife Reserve who have since opened a good portion of it up to the public. The beaches were beautiful, anything from snorkeling, to body surfing, to just plain old beach bummin it. Good or bad, probably a little bit of both the island has a ridiculous amount of people from New England, vacationers, inhabitants, whatever. The good of it is that there is an awesome selection of gourmet dining restaurants. We ate like kings and queens!

Puerto Rico - it was rough few days in Rincon

2008-04-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

It already seems like forever ago... March brought a serious bad attitude as a result of never ending weather and so we ended up in Puerto Rico, it was awesome. We flew into San Juan, rented a car and drove to Rincon. It was dark by the time we made it to Rincon and the streets are seriously jacked up... no luck finding our hotel. After what felt like hours of searching and pure fustration we ended up with a police escort... which still makes me giggle, Matt's biggest concern was whether or not we had to tip the policia, wouldn't that be bribery? My only concern was to start my vaca with a beer as soon as possible. anyhow, Rincon is a small, sleepy surfing town on the West side of the island. The place we stayed at was awesome, small little guest hotel, maybe 5 rooms, with a full kitchen and private deck that was directly on the water. A few days before we arrived Rincon expierenced a massive swell "biggest waves we've seen since '68", which brought crazy-ass surfers, literally 25 foot waves and then some, surfers were towed out by jet ski, cars were lined up and down the road with people watching, taking pictures, video taping, none the less it made for good entertainment. There isn't much to do in Rincon which was exactly what we wanted... by day - hidden beach exploring and by night - the biggest event was figuring out how the hell to play with an Spanish card deck ohhh that and listenin to the waves, soakin a sunburn, drinkin a Corona and contemplating Jack Johnson or Bob Marley. all in all it made for a tough couple of days.........

Countdown....This weather is killing us

2008-03-08T17:07:00.001-08:00

Oh my god is it ever going to end? Is it ever going to be Spring? YES in 11 days!! may have to go to Puerto Rico to get it but it'll be warm and sunny and nice...... CAN'T WAIT!

True Minnesotans?

2008-01-22T20:53:00.001-08:00

In case you forgot it is winter.....

Happy Cotton Anniversary!!!

2008-01-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

2 years ago we were getting married on the beaches of Cabo and jammin with Sammy Hagar at the bar..... and now we've wrapped up year two and are moving on to year three in cold-ass Minnesota. Cabo sounds so good right now. Year 2 has brought a lot... an end to house projects, 3 trips - Panama, Vegas and Boston, the half-way point of my MBA, a boat, a new found love of Rock Band, first-time godmother, job changes, attempts at not smoking, self employment, a new fun car to drive but not so fun to pay for the stolen key, good intentions to work out, discovery of bao and the best ginger ale, Matt's addiction to gum ball machines.... Most of all it's brought a lot of laughs and fun and happiness. It's gone by so quickly, if only you could stop and watch your life for a moment and take it all in before it becomes a distant memory.....

Year 1 was paper which brought tickets to Panama, Year 2 is cotton which naturally brought cotton stuffed roses :)

I think G said it best Anniversaries usually help us to remember why we married those men ;)

Turkey Days = 2nd Birthday....

2007-11-23T21:43:00.001-08:00

In my world Turkey Day and the days surrounding it have always been one of my favorite times of year (ignoring my birthday). Especially the 25th of November, since 1986 it's been like a second birthday.... this November 25th Davio turns 21. For pretty much 20 years I have helped him unwrap his gifts, read cards and decide where to go for birthday dinner. He is so lucky to have a sister like me, always there to grab a gift and rip it open when he's to slow... always there to pick the restaruant when he can't make a quick decision... I mean really who could ask for better? So Happy Birthday to Kayla Ranae :) we've finally come to a common point in life... where we can drink in the bars together! Cheers!

Boston

2007-11-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Boston home of the missing r... wata, butta, monsta, fucka... great clam chowda and lobsta rolls... my summer dream home... Bobby and Leslie... oh and everyone knows your name..... Who knew Matt was such a Cheers fan, I didn't, til we got to Cheers - even had to buy the beer mugs and take several pics of JUST himself under the Cheers sign AND get an personally autographed picture of none other than Sam's lawyer on the show, ya no idea he was such a fan. Boston is great it has more pubs than any place I've ever been and the good kind of pubs - think D.B.'s but smaller. The first day we had our own personal tour guide - Leslie. We visited Cheers and Boston Public Gardens (probably my favorite part of the city) and created our own mini-pub crawl. It was a ton of fun. The second day brought Fenway park, which is pretty awesome even if you are not a baseball fan. It's the oldest baseball stadium in the country 1912, still has some of the orginal chairs and a manually operated score board. That night we went to dinner in the North End - Italian central.... streets and streets filled only with authentic Italian food, not to mention gelatio. The third day we visited Rockport (a little sea-side village), which consisted of a drive up the North coast and the closest I've ever been to a tropical storm / hurricane. I had some of the best clam chowda I have ever tasted. The night brought heavy drinking, although 50% of party wimped out. Our final day we drove to Cape Cod. I heart Cape Cod. That is the way to spend a summer... beach, wine, relaxation. It is exactly like you picture it in your head, straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine. Thanks to Bobby and Leslie for taking a chance and moving to Boston, we wouldn't have been able to expierence it without them... can't wait to do it again, only next time, summer in Cape Cod and I might not come home......

Dog's Best Friend or Man's Best Friend?

2007-11-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

The Honeycrisp apples this year ROCKED! We made our 2nd trip in 3 weeks to Hastings to stock up on Honeycrips and cider. It just aint' fall without them. The Fall colors were "peak", not sure I understand what peak means, if it equates to half color, half wind-blown then it was definitely peak. It is always slightly depressing when the leaves fall and everyting is gray. But on a brighter note dog and man did some serious bonding. We went hiking along the Vermelion River, pretty cool spot that Matt knew of (back to high school days and his extracuricular activities). The river actually had some strong rapids, to which Sonny discovered first hand after his "best friend" decided to play fetch in them. Needless to say, I don't think I have ever felt so bad for Sonny, he looked like he was going to drown - but he was determined to get that ball, and that he did.

We survived!

2007-10-14T18:09:00.001-07:00

Matt survived another grouse hunting trip with Mikey and this time no getting lost! Thanks to Jon, Matt managed to find his way around the woods with a GPS unit. And the only damage done was 7 birds - 5 shot by Matt. I'm starting to get worried, he is beginning to think that he is really good at hunting and that it's a lot of fun, despite my nice reminder that he had 7 years to develop a hunting addiction... and that chance has been long gone for a while now. I think I need to find a new approach... I on other hand spent my weekend shopping and hanging out with the dog. It was the first time in a weeks I've been able to relax and it was so nice. A fancy dinner for one at Al Vento (wine, scallops and rissotto), one good book (Kite Runner), 2 walks on a beautiful fall day (L. Nokomis & Stone Arch), a pair of the best, fitting tight jeans I have found in a long time (Martin + Osa) and an unlimited number of things to buy. All in all, makes for one good weekend. Plus, I survived running around the cities without the use of my personal GPS system "Jake". Maybe that's it the more Matt hunts the more I shop.... He'll figure it out once he looks at the bank account, right?

The Wild get Wilder

2007-10-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Amber's 3rd Birthday. It's hard to believe she is that old already.... precious time goes too fast. Not unlike any other family get together at Jon and April's the house was a zoo of people. So many little kids, we've barely learned who all of April's siblings are, let alone all of their kids. It was Amber's golden birthday, being the creative aunt and uncle we are, we could not think of anything special... but a Dora Explorer camera seemed to take care of that. Not only can Amber tell you thank you, but she can sign it and she is working on her spanish. Which is good since the bi-lingual camera we bought her only says Spanish phrases...

As always we left there exhausted. We tried to make the best of fall by stopping at an apple orchard and taking a walk along the Mississippi in search of fall colors, but it is hard to do when it's 90 degrees out on Oct 5th! The night brought a Wild game, with the biggest decision being by Matt "should I wear shorts? I mean I've never worn shorts to a Hockey game before" (and some say women have a hard time getting dressed) The game was very good and a lot of fun. We had 18th row tickets off the ice and on a corner. I've learned hockey is much better from there...

Yeah! Gina and Nicole come to town!

2007-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

We had visitors this weekend! Thank God for Matt, my week was so busy that I had to send him on errands, which included cleaning the house and buying an extra bed. But that's what husbands are for, right? Friday night G and N came to Minneapolis. The night started out with a fantastic dinner at Cue and then a night of heavy drinking ensued. For real, aren't we getting too old to do this?!? It took all day Saturday to recover.. so much that they stayed another night and B even joined. Saturday we tried to sweat out our hangover by shopping at the MOA all day long. The people watching, as always, was top notch at MOA and we also got the added pleasure of enduring H&M's SLOWEST moving check out line, for real. The combo of Movies, pizza, and a 5 pound bag of candy bars is always the cure for days that never end. Hey - at least we know now that there is fun beyond drinking a bottle of Rumpy :) All in all it was a SUPER fun weekend and I can't wait to do it again. Next time, Madison?

Judgement Day...

2007-10-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

We're Godparents! Ms. Alivia Catherine. We are so happy that Jon and April asked us and couldn't be more honored. We just hope we can live up to the high standards of being her coolest aunt and uncle. She's 5 months old and a chunker! Jon and April told us that she's so chubby she's getting diaper rash between her rolls and wearing the same size diaper as Amber! She's one of the happiest babies I have ever met. She definitely has the Jacobson eyes and for some reason I think she is going to have a sense of humor.

One Last Boat Ride....

2007-10-05T21:05:00.001-07:00

It was a sad, sad day.... the last boat ride of the year. Well not really, back to normal life - productivity again! The to-do list has been growing all summer long. Plus think of all the new ideas I've had time to come up with being I took the summer semester off from school... Matt is thrilled. I don't know what's more devastating for him, being without his boat for eight entire months or all the house projects.

Labor Day... the Day the Circus Made it up North!

2007-10-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

Labor Day at Punky and Jake's. It was the first time in 5 years Jon and April were able to make it up.... it was like a three ring circus came to town. Everyone had their new babies, a huge change from prior years. We got to see our top 3 kids. They kept everyone busy... especially Amber. She found our camera and wanted nothing but to take pictures of everyone and everything.... "Say Cheese, Oh d'there you are!". The weather was absolutely perfect. What a difference having a boat makes! Couldn't give Matt quite the ride of his life on the tube.... lack of health insurance always makes a difference...