- Having my husband travel to celebrate Thanksgiving with me
- Sharing a candlelit meal with my closest family
- A wonderful brother who is nice enough to let us live with him
- Two pies baked by yours truly – both of which turned out great
- Nice conversations with cousins Sarah and Rachel
- A big extended family that provides a festive Thanksgiving atmosphere
- A healthy, happy puppy who gives her mom love every day
- Getting to see two cute pups every day
- The lovely weather we’ve had this month of November
- A fulfilling, challenging job in a great little city
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Ten Things I'm Thankful For
In the spirit of the day, I wanted to share ten things off the top of my head that I feel grateful for:
Monday, November 23, 2009
Pioneer Woman at the MOA
I had been planning this all year.
Or at least the last few months, ever since I found out that my idol was coming to the Mall of America.
See that stage? She'll be RIGHT THERE in front of my own eyes! Ree Drummond -- Pioneer Woman -- would be there that very afternoon!
Ree has just published her cookbook (one of her many talents) and is on her Griswold-style book tour around the country. My cherished pre-ordered copy was safely in its bag (MOA "rules" stated you had to have your cookbook in hand before being given one of the wristbands that would allow you to enter the line). And yes, I included the Amazon link in case you'd like to order one of your own. Actually, you SHOULD order one of your own because I can promise you that you'll get hooked on PW too.
Anyway, back to Saturday morning.
When I first took my place in line, the line behind me looked like this:
A few hours later, there was no hope of escaping:
(and yes, like people warned me, the MOA cops occasionally embarked on power trips that took the form of them yelling at people to get up off the floor, or move that line six inches further to the left. Hey, I guess they have to do something to at least pretend they're real cops.)
See how there are a few people sitting on the floor, but lots of people standing?
After an hour just about everyone was sitting.
It was like one big girlfriend slumber party right in front of Nordstrom's. Mall cops aside, the women were friendly, cool, fascinating, and awesome at watching your bag and your spot in line if you wanted to sneak out for a minute! A girl can't ask for anything more. But ask I did. My loving husband was all over MOA, getting coffee, then lunch, taking pictures for me ... while I sat with my new friends and bonded over our shared Pioneer Woman love.
Like any party with your girlfriends, there was conversation about shoes. We all drooled over these fabulous boots:
I'm almost ashamed to even show this, because mine look so drabby in comparison!
The crowd kept gathering. If you look real close, you can see me waving at the camera.
When Pioneer Woman came on stage, she looked every bit as cute as all the pictures on her blog.
And no matter what she tells you -- or how much butter is in the Burgundy Mushrooms -- she is thin and gorgeous!
There were tv cameras and hundreds of flashes from all her fans as she answered a few questions and got down to the business of book signing.
She was so gracious and friendly. Every person that went on stage got her full attention, and got to sit in a chair next to her and chat while she signed their books. It didn't seem to matter that there were another 300 people in line; Ree made everyone feel special!
After a few minutes there were ooohs and ahhs as she was joined on stage by Marlboro Man and their boys.
I don't know if this makes him dutiful or well-trained or just plain nice, but Marlboro Man instantly grabbed her camera and started taking pictures of the crowd.
And we all took pictures of him. And the boys. I'm sorry, aren't those boys just so darn cute?? One thing's for sure ... they were smaller than I expected! When you read about them as cowboys and ranch hands, you start to think they are older and bigger. Seeing them in person made me even more impressed with what they do on the ranch.
When I have boys, they may have some big boots to fill ;).
But PW's boys are still boys ... and within just a few minutes they were goofing around on the stage, with one poking his finger in the other's mouth.
Great entertainment for all of us still waiting in line.
Finally, it was my turn. Oh gosh, what do you say to someone you think is just so cool? I don't even really remember ... but at least I have photographic evidence.
And if you need further proof, look inside my cookbook:
To make the day even more wonderful, PW gave each of us the cutest t-shirts.
On the drive back to northern Minnesota, I found myself reflecting on the lessons that have been gleaned from my brief acquaintance with Ree:
Always be yourself. Ree's web site is uniquely her own, and she has managed to put together a web site that incorporates seemingly disparate areas -- homeschooling, cooking, photography. She created a blog and web site simply to reflect who she is, and I find that very inspiring.
Be positive. There is wonder in the world around you, in your kids and dogs and everyday work.
Laugh ... especially at yourself. Part of what makes us all feel that Ree is just like the rest of us is that she isn't afraid to admit silly mistakes or embarrassing moments ... and poke fun at herself!
Put yourself "out there" for the world to see. Ree shares with all of us the stories of her life, and if she hadn't started her blog a few years ago she never would've gotten to where she is today ... with a published book and a tour around the country! You never know what can happen if you put yourself out there for the universe of opportunities.
Or at least the last few months, ever since I found out that my idol was coming to the Mall of America.
See that stage? She'll be RIGHT THERE in front of my own eyes! Ree Drummond -- Pioneer Woman -- would be there that very afternoon!
Ree has just published her cookbook (one of her many talents) and is on her Griswold-style book tour around the country. My cherished pre-ordered copy was safely in its bag (MOA "rules" stated you had to have your cookbook in hand before being given one of the wristbands that would allow you to enter the line). And yes, I included the Amazon link in case you'd like to order one of your own. Actually, you SHOULD order one of your own because I can promise you that you'll get hooked on PW too.
Anyway, back to Saturday morning.
When I first took my place in line, the line behind me looked like this:
A few hours later, there was no hope of escaping:
(and yes, like people warned me, the MOA cops occasionally embarked on power trips that took the form of them yelling at people to get up off the floor, or move that line six inches further to the left. Hey, I guess they have to do something to at least pretend they're real cops.)
See how there are a few people sitting on the floor, but lots of people standing?
After an hour just about everyone was sitting.
It was like one big girlfriend slumber party right in front of Nordstrom's. Mall cops aside, the women were friendly, cool, fascinating, and awesome at watching your bag and your spot in line if you wanted to sneak out for a minute! A girl can't ask for anything more. But ask I did. My loving husband was all over MOA, getting coffee, then lunch, taking pictures for me ... while I sat with my new friends and bonded over our shared Pioneer Woman love.
Like any party with your girlfriends, there was conversation about shoes. We all drooled over these fabulous boots:
I'm almost ashamed to even show this, because mine look so drabby in comparison!
The crowd kept gathering. If you look real close, you can see me waving at the camera.
When Pioneer Woman came on stage, she looked every bit as cute as all the pictures on her blog.
And no matter what she tells you -- or how much butter is in the Burgundy Mushrooms -- she is thin and gorgeous!
There were tv cameras and hundreds of flashes from all her fans as she answered a few questions and got down to the business of book signing.
She was so gracious and friendly. Every person that went on stage got her full attention, and got to sit in a chair next to her and chat while she signed their books. It didn't seem to matter that there were another 300 people in line; Ree made everyone feel special!
After a few minutes there were ooohs and ahhs as she was joined on stage by Marlboro Man and their boys.
I don't know if this makes him dutiful or well-trained or just plain nice, but Marlboro Man instantly grabbed her camera and started taking pictures of the crowd.
And we all took pictures of him. And the boys. I'm sorry, aren't those boys just so darn cute?? One thing's for sure ... they were smaller than I expected! When you read about them as cowboys and ranch hands, you start to think they are older and bigger. Seeing them in person made me even more impressed with what they do on the ranch.
When I have boys, they may have some big boots to fill ;).
But PW's boys are still boys ... and within just a few minutes they were goofing around on the stage, with one poking his finger in the other's mouth.
Great entertainment for all of us still waiting in line.
Finally, it was my turn. Oh gosh, what do you say to someone you think is just so cool? I don't even really remember ... but at least I have photographic evidence.
And if you need further proof, look inside my cookbook:
To make the day even more wonderful, PW gave each of us the cutest t-shirts.
On the drive back to northern Minnesota, I found myself reflecting on the lessons that have been gleaned from my brief acquaintance with Ree:
Always be yourself. Ree's web site is uniquely her own, and she has managed to put together a web site that incorporates seemingly disparate areas -- homeschooling, cooking, photography. She created a blog and web site simply to reflect who she is, and I find that very inspiring.
Be positive. There is wonder in the world around you, in your kids and dogs and everyday work.
Laugh ... especially at yourself. Part of what makes us all feel that Ree is just like the rest of us is that she isn't afraid to admit silly mistakes or embarrassing moments ... and poke fun at herself!
Put yourself "out there" for the world to see. Ree shares with all of us the stories of her life, and if she hadn't started her blog a few years ago she never would've gotten to where she is today ... with a published book and a tour around the country! You never know what can happen if you put yourself out there for the universe of opportunities.
Monday, November 16, 2009
First Annual Pie Social
Mmmmmm, doesn't that pie look scrumptious?
This is my mom's over-the-top-delicious peanut butter pie, and it joined the ranks of lemon meringue, apple, French apple, caramel apple pecan, heavenly cherry, coconut cream, chocolate cream, chocolate banana cream, banana cream, blueberry ...
I bet you're starting to drool right now.
That's what we all did, anyway -- at my mom's first annual pie social. My mom is a world class baker, and baked 19 pies in one day to serve to her guests! The weather outside was cold and wet, but inside our fall wonderland (decorated with the help of Brooke and I), it was warm and welcoming.
And of course, in addition to all our family and friends, dogs are always welcome at the Reed house! Hannah combed the floors looking for crumbs. Sorry, Hannah, I think those pies were too delicious to allow any morsel to drop on the floor!
Friday, November 06, 2009
A Friday of Highs
Today was all around a pretty awesome Friday. For starters, I didn't have to be at my off-site meeting today until 9:00 ... so I got to get a bunch of errands done before work. Bumming around West Duluth, I decided to stop at Beaner's for coffee. That caffeine was the first high of the day. I used to order coffee from Beaner's every day, when I worked for my aunt's realty company across the street. Walking in the front door, the specific smell of Beaner's jolted me back to a million mocha memories!
For the past three weeks I've been working with a small team of people charged with creating a new department at City Hall. This has involved a lot of intense work, and the culmination of these three weeks was today, when our team presented to the mayor and City Administrator. It's crazy -- somewhere along the line in my life I've gone from being terrified about public speaking to being excited about it! I only presented for a few minutes, but really enjoyed it, and felt like I was reveling in the energy in the room. I was so pumped I was flying until the end of the day. There are a lot of changes up ahead for my job, and I feel really excited about all the opportunities.
It was nice to come home at the end of the day and not have to travel anywhere or have any plans. And I got to come home to this cuteness:
That is Hannah using her stuffed raccoon as a pillow. She likes to take her toys to her bed for just that purpose!
I opened a bottle of wine, played and took care of the pups, spent a few hours talking to my friend Chad (even though we're 150 miles apart we can still enjoy each other's company on a Friday night) ... after such a nice day, I can't help but feel that all is well!
For the past three weeks I've been working with a small team of people charged with creating a new department at City Hall. This has involved a lot of intense work, and the culmination of these three weeks was today, when our team presented to the mayor and City Administrator. It's crazy -- somewhere along the line in my life I've gone from being terrified about public speaking to being excited about it! I only presented for a few minutes, but really enjoyed it, and felt like I was reveling in the energy in the room. I was so pumped I was flying until the end of the day. There are a lot of changes up ahead for my job, and I feel really excited about all the opportunities.
It was nice to come home at the end of the day and not have to travel anywhere or have any plans. And I got to come home to this cuteness:
That is Hannah using her stuffed raccoon as a pillow. She likes to take her toys to her bed for just that purpose!
I opened a bottle of wine, played and took care of the pups, spent a few hours talking to my friend Chad (even though we're 150 miles apart we can still enjoy each other's company on a Friday night) ... after such a nice day, I can't help but feel that all is well!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
First South Dakota Hunting Trip
South Dakota is known for its pheasant hunting, and now I can say that I've had the experience of chasing wild pheasants through fields of grass and corn.
Before I make any claims of being anything resembling experienced, tough, outdoorsy, or any other adjective normally associated with people who take hunting trips in South Dakota, let me say ... I know I'm a bit wimpy and am definitely a fair weather hunter.
See this?
This ain't easy walking. No matter how many hours I've spent walking the dogs, I am not prepared for walking through sage (at least, it looks like sage), grass, alfalfa, maize, sugar beets, and corn. Friday was our first day of hunting, and not only were my legs sore, but it was cold and gray and wet. And Saturday morning after just two hours in the field with Matt and Hannah, I felt like I had pulled a groin muscle or something like that.
Standing out in a grassy field (legs throbbing), we heard the sound of birds.
Matt said "geese." I said no, those don't sound like geese. Well, not exactly the geese I am used to, anyway. We discovered they were snow geese, which may just be a life bird for me. And there were hundreds upon hundreds of sandhill cranes soaring, swarming, overhead. I looked at Matt - "this is my favorite moment of the trip right here, standing on this hill watching birds with you and Hannah."
Lucky for me, there were more favorite moments to come.
I loved being out in the sunshine.
I loved the wide open fields.
And even if I didn't appreciate the muscle strains as I was trying to climb over and through chest-high grass, I loved the way my body felt afterwards, after working hard for a few hours and being pleasantly exhausted.
I may not be tough or hard core, but at least I was out there, doing what I can, walking through fields, and crawling under barbed wire fences. Don't believe me? Check out this video of me crawling under a barbed wire fence.
And I shot at birds. Didn't actually get any, but I figure it's a huge step forward if I simply learn to bring the gun up and pull the trigger.
At the core of the trip, I deeply appreciate the sport of hunting (and the part of me that was vegetarian when I was twenty years old is still surprised to hear me say that). It puts you in touch with nature in a way few other things can ... you become an integral part of the food chain and in so doing, a part of the ecology that surrounds you.
This rooster is so gorgeous. The iridescent feathers awe me!
Being so close to my food source, I felt incredibly alive and rooted to the earth. And we enjoyed the tastiest honeyed pheasant, cooked by my mother-in-law, Gail!
Speaking of my in-laws, this is them, cleaning pheasants with Matt.
Now that I've actually started to do some hunting, I can truly appreciate the knowledge and skills possessed by experienced hunters.
They have the process of cleaning birds down to a science.
I could not imagine trying to hunt in South Dakota without their guidance.
Sunday was, in my opinion, the best day of the trip. All four of us were out hunting, and we brought Hannah with us. I felt physically better than I had the previous two days, so I spent nearly the entire day in the fields. It was hard to not be frustrated at the shots I missed, but I kept telling myself to keep trying. Thankfully my father-in-law was shooting a few to make up for the missed birds ;). Late in the afternoon, a rooster flew up directly in front of Matt and I. We both fired two shots, but thought we missed him. Gail kept a keen eye on him as he flew over a low hill, and then she saw him tumble to the ground.
We combed the hillside looking for that pheasant. Back and forth for several long minutes. Even though Hannah is a hunting newbie like us, I told her, "use your hunting nose. Find the bird." Eventually she stood rooted to the spot, and when Matt told me to go see what she was smelling, I took two steps forward ... and my heart soared when I saw two tail feathers sticking up alongside her nose. She had found our pheasant!! I told her, "I have never been more proud of you than I am now!" She was my hero of the day.
Earl had us pose for a video that captures us praising Hannah for her find.
Every hunting trip is a learning experience. I suspect that we will have more such experiences in our future!
Before I make any claims of being anything resembling experienced, tough, outdoorsy, or any other adjective normally associated with people who take hunting trips in South Dakota, let me say ... I know I'm a bit wimpy and am definitely a fair weather hunter.
See this?
This ain't easy walking. No matter how many hours I've spent walking the dogs, I am not prepared for walking through sage (at least, it looks like sage), grass, alfalfa, maize, sugar beets, and corn. Friday was our first day of hunting, and not only were my legs sore, but it was cold and gray and wet. And Saturday morning after just two hours in the field with Matt and Hannah, I felt like I had pulled a groin muscle or something like that.
Standing out in a grassy field (legs throbbing), we heard the sound of birds.
Matt said "geese." I said no, those don't sound like geese. Well, not exactly the geese I am used to, anyway. We discovered they were snow geese, which may just be a life bird for me. And there were hundreds upon hundreds of sandhill cranes soaring, swarming, overhead. I looked at Matt - "this is my favorite moment of the trip right here, standing on this hill watching birds with you and Hannah."
Lucky for me, there were more favorite moments to come.
I loved being out in the sunshine.
I loved the wide open fields.
And even if I didn't appreciate the muscle strains as I was trying to climb over and through chest-high grass, I loved the way my body felt afterwards, after working hard for a few hours and being pleasantly exhausted.
I may not be tough or hard core, but at least I was out there, doing what I can, walking through fields, and crawling under barbed wire fences. Don't believe me? Check out this video of me crawling under a barbed wire fence.
And I shot at birds. Didn't actually get any, but I figure it's a huge step forward if I simply learn to bring the gun up and pull the trigger.
At the core of the trip, I deeply appreciate the sport of hunting (and the part of me that was vegetarian when I was twenty years old is still surprised to hear me say that). It puts you in touch with nature in a way few other things can ... you become an integral part of the food chain and in so doing, a part of the ecology that surrounds you.
This rooster is so gorgeous. The iridescent feathers awe me!
Being so close to my food source, I felt incredibly alive and rooted to the earth. And we enjoyed the tastiest honeyed pheasant, cooked by my mother-in-law, Gail!
Speaking of my in-laws, this is them, cleaning pheasants with Matt.
Now that I've actually started to do some hunting, I can truly appreciate the knowledge and skills possessed by experienced hunters.
They have the process of cleaning birds down to a science.
I could not imagine trying to hunt in South Dakota without their guidance.
Sunday was, in my opinion, the best day of the trip. All four of us were out hunting, and we brought Hannah with us. I felt physically better than I had the previous two days, so I spent nearly the entire day in the fields. It was hard to not be frustrated at the shots I missed, but I kept telling myself to keep trying. Thankfully my father-in-law was shooting a few to make up for the missed birds ;). Late in the afternoon, a rooster flew up directly in front of Matt and I. We both fired two shots, but thought we missed him. Gail kept a keen eye on him as he flew over a low hill, and then she saw him tumble to the ground.
We combed the hillside looking for that pheasant. Back and forth for several long minutes. Even though Hannah is a hunting newbie like us, I told her, "use your hunting nose. Find the bird." Eventually she stood rooted to the spot, and when Matt told me to go see what she was smelling, I took two steps forward ... and my heart soared when I saw two tail feathers sticking up alongside her nose. She had found our pheasant!! I told her, "I have never been more proud of you than I am now!" She was my hero of the day.
Earl had us pose for a video that captures us praising Hannah for her find.
Every hunting trip is a learning experience. I suspect that we will have more such experiences in our future!
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