And now for something completely different just because I feel like it, I present random letters to various things/people/inanimate objects.
Dear Caribou Coffee - please, please, please do NOT get rid of your Classic Black Ice Tea. I do not drink it, but it is my husband's favorite drink and yours is the only coffee shop he even likes the ice tea from. He deserves a caffeine fix too and he deserves to not have it tainted with fruit flavors if he so chooses.
Dear Sunshine- thank you for being around so much! I hope you keep sticking around, specifically on Saturday, June 16th. We really do not want a repeat of last year.
Dear MPR - Yes I support you and I have chosen to be a sustaining member of your fine organization, but I really do not wish to up my level of which I pay. I like you and you're good for our community, but I can't do anymore. So please leave me alone.
Dear Inconsiderate Neighbor - if you are talking on the phone outside after 10:00 pm and my windows are closed and my air conditioning is on and I can STILL hear you, then you are probably too loud. Just thought you should know.
Dear Dairy Queen, C.C. Oreo Cookies - thank you for existing. That is all.
Dear Neck of mine - thank you for starting to feel better after I strained you golfing. My apologies for not stretching you properly. It won't happen again.
Dear Portlandia, or maybe this should go to Fred Armisen - thank you for being hilarious. I wish it was already time for season 3.
Dear Reader - thanks for reading! Have a great day!
6/5/12
6/4/12
Taking care of my soul
So lately I've been thinking a lot. They say with age comes wisdom and I guess I've been rather contemplative since turning 30 and I think I've learned and figured out some things.
I think it's human nature to find fault in others when we're less than satisfied with ourselves. I'm guilty of it. During Lent I tried to be less that way, but fell back into the old pattern. Now I'm really trying hard to give it up again. Everyone is fighting their own battle in life. Who am I to judge their choices or how they live their life? I certainly don't want anyone judging me. So, I have made a fresh resolve to not make myself feel better by bringing others down.
As I've considered this, I've thought of relationships I've had and some hurt feelings or even bitter feelings I've had with some individuals that maybe weren't fair. And I'm letting them go. Water under the bridge. Starting fresh and forgiving. And it feels good. And there has even been some re-connecting with some in my life that I thought I had lost and that has felt good too.
I think it's no coincidence or accident that shortly after I decided to really try harder at being a kinder, less cynical type person that I stumbled onto an online community of women who are doing a bible study together. And I will admit, I have never been great at reading the bible. Like, I probably haven't even so much as looked at it since I was a youth minister and even then, I only read what I needed for Confirmation lessons. So I found this group, this community - first it was just a handful of bloggers posting on Twitter and now it's become www.shereadstruth.com - and the first thing they did was suggest a plan for reading a daily scripture - the Soul Detox plan from the Youversion bible app for iPhone (yes they make these!). So I started silently following along. And I feel like this plan was designed just for me - because the very devotions this plan has have all been about to trying to rid ourselves of the negative things in our life. The "toxic feelings" and "toxic thoughts" we have.
I'm just over a week in and I love it. I feel refreshed. But I'm far from perfect. And I certainly don't have a "I"m holier than thou because I'm doing this" attitude. I just feel this is something I need in my life right now.
I love that there is a community of other women doing this as well who I can share with. I have friends in real life of all walks of life - others who are religious like myself and many others who are not at all. And I love and respect all of them - but it's nice to have a place online where I can be a little more open.
I may blog about this from time to time here, because it doesn't feel like it belongs on my fashion blog. If you feel so inclined, check out Shereadstruth.com and join in as well. When the Soul Detox plan is over another one will begin. And if you are one of my non-religious friends, I just ask you respect me in the same way I respect you. You can skip over these posts and it won't offend me. And not all of my posts will be about this, just when I feel like I need to write about something.
I'm just feeling such a sense of peace. And no matter where you're coming from in life, I wish you peace as well.
I think it's human nature to find fault in others when we're less than satisfied with ourselves. I'm guilty of it. During Lent I tried to be less that way, but fell back into the old pattern. Now I'm really trying hard to give it up again. Everyone is fighting their own battle in life. Who am I to judge their choices or how they live their life? I certainly don't want anyone judging me. So, I have made a fresh resolve to not make myself feel better by bringing others down.
As I've considered this, I've thought of relationships I've had and some hurt feelings or even bitter feelings I've had with some individuals that maybe weren't fair. And I'm letting them go. Water under the bridge. Starting fresh and forgiving. And it feels good. And there has even been some re-connecting with some in my life that I thought I had lost and that has felt good too.
I think it's no coincidence or accident that shortly after I decided to really try harder at being a kinder, less cynical type person that I stumbled onto an online community of women who are doing a bible study together. And I will admit, I have never been great at reading the bible. Like, I probably haven't even so much as looked at it since I was a youth minister and even then, I only read what I needed for Confirmation lessons. So I found this group, this community - first it was just a handful of bloggers posting on Twitter and now it's become www.shereadstruth.com - and the first thing they did was suggest a plan for reading a daily scripture - the Soul Detox plan from the Youversion bible app for iPhone (yes they make these!). So I started silently following along. And I feel like this plan was designed just for me - because the very devotions this plan has have all been about to trying to rid ourselves of the negative things in our life. The "toxic feelings" and "toxic thoughts" we have.
I'm just over a week in and I love it. I feel refreshed. But I'm far from perfect. And I certainly don't have a "I"m holier than thou because I'm doing this" attitude. I just feel this is something I need in my life right now.
I love that there is a community of other women doing this as well who I can share with. I have friends in real life of all walks of life - others who are religious like myself and many others who are not at all. And I love and respect all of them - but it's nice to have a place online where I can be a little more open.
I may blog about this from time to time here, because it doesn't feel like it belongs on my fashion blog. If you feel so inclined, check out Shereadstruth.com and join in as well. When the Soul Detox plan is over another one will begin. And if you are one of my non-religious friends, I just ask you respect me in the same way I respect you. You can skip over these posts and it won't offend me. And not all of my posts will be about this, just when I feel like I need to write about something.
I'm just feeling such a sense of peace. And no matter where you're coming from in life, I wish you peace as well.
5/30/12
Summer is upon us
So this past weekend, Nate and I celebrated six years of marriage. Holy cow. Where does the time go? We're more than halfway through our first decade of marriage. And don't get me started on time together as a whole, next year will be 15 years. Crazy.
And May has just flown by too, seriously, it was like a flash. I suppose having weekly activities like golf lessons has made the time go faster. Not to mention during the week we were going to the driving range at least once in the evenings too, so yeah, blink and May is over. I do not want the entire summer to fly by like this!
Last summer really kind of sucked. And fortunately it did go by fast, but there's just no other way to say it, it sucked. We were busy all the time, Nate was so stressed at work to the point that he was making himself sick, it started out cold and rainy (remember Rock the Garden last year?) and then it was hotter than hell the rest of the summer. We did have a fun family vacation (yes I said fun, I know there were issues on that trip, but looking back it was mostly fun). We did do some fun activities as we were able, but overall looking back, I did not enjoy Summer 2011.
This summer I really, really want to try to enjoy more. Some things I already know will be better - Nate has a partner again at work so that will help, plus, he's getting his Flex Fridays back for the first time since his first summer at MSIT. So he is going to be far less stressed I think. We get to go to our favorite place in the entire world, Itasca State Park in August.
As for the weather, well we can't control that. Who knows if it will be hot, cold, rainy, dry or average this year. I just plan to make the most of the good days as much as possible. For example, today it is nice, we will go to the driving range. If it's hot on the weekends we plan to take a clue from my parents and get up early to golf before the heat of the day. Or get our yard work done earlier or what have you. We might be turning into old people, but Nate was laughing with me the other day that he realized he can get so much more done in a day on the weekend if he's up earlier. Especially on a day we have a Praise Project gig. It might mean we don't stay up as late on Friday night, but you know, it's not such a bad thing.
There are other plans in the works for this summer but not going to stress about them. We will do as much as we can, biking, swimming, running, golfing, barbeques with friends, eating on patios, whatever we can fit in.
I am just going to stick to my one day at a time mantra as much as I possibly can! I say it all the time and I struggle with it, but I'll do my best to lather, rinse, repeat. And this summer WILL be better than last year!
And May has just flown by too, seriously, it was like a flash. I suppose having weekly activities like golf lessons has made the time go faster. Not to mention during the week we were going to the driving range at least once in the evenings too, so yeah, blink and May is over. I do not want the entire summer to fly by like this!
Last summer really kind of sucked. And fortunately it did go by fast, but there's just no other way to say it, it sucked. We were busy all the time, Nate was so stressed at work to the point that he was making himself sick, it started out cold and rainy (remember Rock the Garden last year?) and then it was hotter than hell the rest of the summer. We did have a fun family vacation (yes I said fun, I know there were issues on that trip, but looking back it was mostly fun). We did do some fun activities as we were able, but overall looking back, I did not enjoy Summer 2011.
This summer I really, really want to try to enjoy more. Some things I already know will be better - Nate has a partner again at work so that will help, plus, he's getting his Flex Fridays back for the first time since his first summer at MSIT. So he is going to be far less stressed I think. We get to go to our favorite place in the entire world, Itasca State Park in August.
As for the weather, well we can't control that. Who knows if it will be hot, cold, rainy, dry or average this year. I just plan to make the most of the good days as much as possible. For example, today it is nice, we will go to the driving range. If it's hot on the weekends we plan to take a clue from my parents and get up early to golf before the heat of the day. Or get our yard work done earlier or what have you. We might be turning into old people, but Nate was laughing with me the other day that he realized he can get so much more done in a day on the weekend if he's up earlier. Especially on a day we have a Praise Project gig. It might mean we don't stay up as late on Friday night, but you know, it's not such a bad thing.
There are other plans in the works for this summer but not going to stress about them. We will do as much as we can, biking, swimming, running, golfing, barbeques with friends, eating on patios, whatever we can fit in.
I am just going to stick to my one day at a time mantra as much as I possibly can! I say it all the time and I struggle with it, but I'll do my best to lather, rinse, repeat. And this summer WILL be better than last year!
5/14/12
Good and full weekend
She's posting again? GASP!
I just felt like sharing about our weekend. It was a good one, even if it was super full.
Friday and Saturday were full of Praise Project stuff, a rehearsal and a Mass. And somewhere in there was our 2nd golf lesson. But, we had a fun date night at a new restaurant in NE Minneapolis - Eli's East. There is also an Eli's Downtown, but the East location is not terribly far and quite easy to get to. And they had outdoor seating. That was kind of my only requirement for dinner on Saturday. I didn't care where we went as long as we could sit outside because Saturday was all kinds of gorgeous outside. We even briefly considered sitting out on our own deck and having dinner at home, but then I remembered I wanted to try Eli's (my parents tried it first actually - can you believe that? Usually I introduce them to new places!) so we checked to see if they had the outdoor patio and they totally did.
I love this restaurant! They have a couple of local breweries on tap but even without that the food was really good! We split this crab cake appetizer that was to die for. I then had a smoked salmon Caesar salad since smoked fish is my new obsession. It was so good and was nice and light - perfect for an outdoor meal. I was also worried it would be super busy and packed there, but it still wasn't terribly busy as we were leaving around 7:00. It was steady, just not packed. There are plenty of other things on the menu we want to try, so I think we'll be going back there soon!
Sunday was Mother's Day and my furry children did not gift me with much more than just tons of cuddles and love. I swear they were both extra affectionate yesterday which was kind of sweet. We got up a little early and took my mom to Caribou and then to Isle Bun and Coffee, awesome bakery in Uptown that has the best cinnamon rolls in the Twin Cities. We were nervous when we pulled up - the line was out the door and halfway down the street. My dad is like "they are not going to keep up with demand, we'll be in line for an hour or more" but we decided to chance it. It actually wasn't so bad, we got through in about a half hour. Mom and I chose strawberry rhubarb scones instead of the cinnamon rolls - because they are some of the BEST scones I have ever had and they only have them around this time of year. Dad got a cinnamon roll and Nate got a caramel bun. We took our goodies down to Lake of the Isles and sat for a bit. Came back to our house so mom and dad could get some kitty love for a little bit. Then they headed home.
Later in the afternoon we went to Nate's aunt and uncle's house in Lino Lakes and had a barbecue with his family. It was so nice, we sat outside the whole time and visited and ate goodies. The guys cooked for the ladies, even this lady who technically isn't a mom didn't have to lift a finger! Just got to sit and drink margaritas and beer and relax! All the fresh air really wore me out though, we got home last night and crashed in front of the TV for about three hours and zoned out. Slept good last night though!
This week calms down considerably. I have a girls movie date tonight, but then the rest of the week is calm and quiet and in fact, I took Friday off! It's been crazy at work and just in life in general. So I'm really looking forward to a me day. We all need them!
I just felt like sharing about our weekend. It was a good one, even if it was super full.
Friday and Saturday were full of Praise Project stuff, a rehearsal and a Mass. And somewhere in there was our 2nd golf lesson. But, we had a fun date night at a new restaurant in NE Minneapolis - Eli's East. There is also an Eli's Downtown, but the East location is not terribly far and quite easy to get to. And they had outdoor seating. That was kind of my only requirement for dinner on Saturday. I didn't care where we went as long as we could sit outside because Saturday was all kinds of gorgeous outside. We even briefly considered sitting out on our own deck and having dinner at home, but then I remembered I wanted to try Eli's (my parents tried it first actually - can you believe that? Usually I introduce them to new places!) so we checked to see if they had the outdoor patio and they totally did.
I love this restaurant! They have a couple of local breweries on tap but even without that the food was really good! We split this crab cake appetizer that was to die for. I then had a smoked salmon Caesar salad since smoked fish is my new obsession. It was so good and was nice and light - perfect for an outdoor meal. I was also worried it would be super busy and packed there, but it still wasn't terribly busy as we were leaving around 7:00. It was steady, just not packed. There are plenty of other things on the menu we want to try, so I think we'll be going back there soon!
Sunday was Mother's Day and my furry children did not gift me with much more than just tons of cuddles and love. I swear they were both extra affectionate yesterday which was kind of sweet. We got up a little early and took my mom to Caribou and then to Isle Bun and Coffee, awesome bakery in Uptown that has the best cinnamon rolls in the Twin Cities. We were nervous when we pulled up - the line was out the door and halfway down the street. My dad is like "they are not going to keep up with demand, we'll be in line for an hour or more" but we decided to chance it. It actually wasn't so bad, we got through in about a half hour. Mom and I chose strawberry rhubarb scones instead of the cinnamon rolls - because they are some of the BEST scones I have ever had and they only have them around this time of year. Dad got a cinnamon roll and Nate got a caramel bun. We took our goodies down to Lake of the Isles and sat for a bit. Came back to our house so mom and dad could get some kitty love for a little bit. Then they headed home.
Later in the afternoon we went to Nate's aunt and uncle's house in Lino Lakes and had a barbecue with his family. It was so nice, we sat outside the whole time and visited and ate goodies. The guys cooked for the ladies, even this lady who technically isn't a mom didn't have to lift a finger! Just got to sit and drink margaritas and beer and relax! All the fresh air really wore me out though, we got home last night and crashed in front of the TV for about three hours and zoned out. Slept good last night though!
This week calms down considerably. I have a girls movie date tonight, but then the rest of the week is calm and quiet and in fact, I took Friday off! It's been crazy at work and just in life in general. So I'm really looking forward to a me day. We all need them!
5/7/12
I'm ba-ack!
You knew I wouldn't avoid blogging here forever right? If you did, then you don't truly know me. Those who do know me, know at times I need Bloggers Anonymous. Hey, at least I'm back writing in an existing blog instead of coming up with yet another one!
Quite frankly, I have nothing that exciting to say, but I wanted to babble about what we've been up to lately, just cause I felt like it. And hey, maybe no one is reading anymore after my last post, but that's ok! I'll just babble for myself then!
So first of all, Nate and I have started intermediate level golf lessons. Four weeks plus a round of golf at the end. It's not a bad deal all in all, each lesson is just an hour and should help us kind of fine tune our skills a bit. We chose the intermediate level because we both have played golf and know about golf, so I felt we'd be bored in the beginner level. We had our first lesson this last Saturday - squeezed in right before the monsoon, hooray for that. We worked on putting and already I learned something new. Always room for growth!
Secondly, back in March Nate bought a smoker for smoking his own meats. At that time we did some bacon and a pork shoulder that was then shredded for pulled pork sandwiches. It was so delicious and I've been on him to try it again and also do a brisket. And other than our golf lesson, this last weekend was totally free and clear on our schedule so we decided it would be a good time to do it. Then Mother Nature decided to go all wonky on us and we weren't sure if we could do it - but Nate is a smart man (which is why I married him of course!) and figured out a way to put up a canopy on the deck that the smoker could sit under. Problem solved and the meats were fantastic and worth it. I'm such a friggin carnivore. I love meat. Mmm, meat.
Otherwise, it's been day to day normal stuff. I'm dreaming of vacation. Several people I know have just taken amazing looking long weekends away - and I'm craving it. We are going to Itasca with Nate's extended family in August and I am SO looking forward to that - but I think even more I'm craving the adventure of going somewhere new or even somewhere I haven't been since I was young. Unfortunately with house repairs and car repairs coming up I don't see us really having a chance to travel like that for awhile. But it's not going to stop me from dreaming. Sometimes I wish Nate and I could get in the car and just drive until we feel like stopping.
I'm also seeking creative outlets - I don't know what I'm looking for, but I have had this sense of wanting to do something meaningful or inspiring to others the way others inspire me. If that makes any sense whatsoever. I guess that's a big reason that I'm back to blogging here, I just need to explore myself a bit. We'll see if I find any answers anyway. Or I'll wake up tomorrow and be like, self-discovery? Too much work!
So here we are. And we move along.
Quite frankly, I have nothing that exciting to say, but I wanted to babble about what we've been up to lately, just cause I felt like it. And hey, maybe no one is reading anymore after my last post, but that's ok! I'll just babble for myself then!
So first of all, Nate and I have started intermediate level golf lessons. Four weeks plus a round of golf at the end. It's not a bad deal all in all, each lesson is just an hour and should help us kind of fine tune our skills a bit. We chose the intermediate level because we both have played golf and know about golf, so I felt we'd be bored in the beginner level. We had our first lesson this last Saturday - squeezed in right before the monsoon, hooray for that. We worked on putting and already I learned something new. Always room for growth!
Secondly, back in March Nate bought a smoker for smoking his own meats. At that time we did some bacon and a pork shoulder that was then shredded for pulled pork sandwiches. It was so delicious and I've been on him to try it again and also do a brisket. And other than our golf lesson, this last weekend was totally free and clear on our schedule so we decided it would be a good time to do it. Then Mother Nature decided to go all wonky on us and we weren't sure if we could do it - but Nate is a smart man (which is why I married him of course!) and figured out a way to put up a canopy on the deck that the smoker could sit under. Problem solved and the meats were fantastic and worth it. I'm such a friggin carnivore. I love meat. Mmm, meat.
Otherwise, it's been day to day normal stuff. I'm dreaming of vacation. Several people I know have just taken amazing looking long weekends away - and I'm craving it. We are going to Itasca with Nate's extended family in August and I am SO looking forward to that - but I think even more I'm craving the adventure of going somewhere new or even somewhere I haven't been since I was young. Unfortunately with house repairs and car repairs coming up I don't see us really having a chance to travel like that for awhile. But it's not going to stop me from dreaming. Sometimes I wish Nate and I could get in the car and just drive until we feel like stopping.
I'm also seeking creative outlets - I don't know what I'm looking for, but I have had this sense of wanting to do something meaningful or inspiring to others the way others inspire me. If that makes any sense whatsoever. I guess that's a big reason that I'm back to blogging here, I just need to explore myself a bit. We'll see if I find any answers anyway. Or I'll wake up tomorrow and be like, self-discovery? Too much work!
So here we are. And we move along.
4/17/12
Hai
Oh hai blog. You're still here? I'm not? Oops.
You have to just assume when there is a lot of static on the ole blog here that things are going on a pretty even keel for me. Nothing over the top fabulous and nothing down in the dull-drums of ick. And that is SO ok with me. And of course, I told you my "theme days" wouldn't last. Part of the problem is, I haven't been super inspired by any music as of late to keep up with Music Mondays. And I have been finding things "fabulous" so to speak but then I forget by Friday sometimes too. I sound like I'm making excuses here. Maybe I am.
Anyhoo. Hello. What's new?
We did Easter "round 2" with Nate's family on this past Sunday. I'm happy we're keeping the Russian Orthodox tradition alive in honor of his grandfather and aunt and what not. We had some delicious Russian delicacies and of course, ham. And I love me some pork but I am super hammed out right now. I don't want to look at another ham for awhile.
Nate and I trying a more laid back approach to our running this year. Did I mention this already? I'm too lazy to go back and look. Anyway, for his stress level we're going to do the famed "Couch to 5K" program this year that only has you going three days a week. We're also trying going right after work instead of first thing in the morning. It's different so far. Not going to lie and say I love this change. There is more traffic and it is making dinners more challenging and I don't know how I'll feel in the middle of a heatwave in July. But I love him and I want him to still want to do this, so we'll make it work. I'm also trying to figure out what to do on the off days. So far I've been adding in some strength training and some elliptical and some walking. If anything I'm getting quite a bit of variety, so I do like that.
So yeah. That's where we are at right now. Super exciting right?
A reminder if you truly need a daily dose of Beth (and come on now, who doesn't?) I am blogging daily at my fashion blog: http://fashionableadventuresboo.blogspot.com - but while I am throwing in tidbits from daily life it's still fashion-y and stuff. So you kind of need to like that sort of thing and I respect that not everyone does. But it's there and I'm there and if you miss me you should go there. I'll continue to try to come here and play occasionally too though.
That's enough for today. This post brought to you by the letter "S" for sarcasm and "B" for babble-y cause apparently that's how I roll today.
4/10/12
Tuesday Thoughts
Decided to do kind of a random thought, stream of consciousness type post today. All the things currently on my mind.
It's really cold outside and seems harder to take because it had been so warm.
I refuse to dig out my winter coat. I did however break out winter gloves.
Running is coming back to me easier than I thought it would when we started last week. I miss our old program but I am glad we're doing something.
I miss my cat. My parents' house feels so empty without her. I wonder when that feeling starts to go away. I don't dare say that to my mom, because her recovery is going so well.
It is really cold outside.
Nate's spaghetti is one of my favorite meals of all time. It will easily be the highlight of my week tonight. And that makes me think that my life must be getting kind of boring.
I think I'm getting old. I actually enjoyed watching the Masters with my dad on Easter.
I think I'm getting old because I'm making sort of responsible adult choices and actually feeling like a true adult. On the one hand I kind of don't like it. On the other it feels oddly...normal?
Construction has started at my work and it reminds me of being in high school all over again. Pounding. Drilling. Random noises disrupting the work day. Awesomeness.
Did I mention it's cold outside?
I'm in a baking mood. Might have to make cupcakes again. It's actually been awhile now.
Now that I can shop again, I'm surprised by the things I want to buy. Or maybe the things I don't want to buy. Maybe it's that whole adult thing I was talking about.
Sometimes when I get lost in my own head I think I must be one of the strangest people in the world. But don't we all feel that way sometimes?
And oh yeah, it's cold outside.
It's really cold outside and seems harder to take because it had been so warm.
I refuse to dig out my winter coat. I did however break out winter gloves.
Running is coming back to me easier than I thought it would when we started last week. I miss our old program but I am glad we're doing something.
I miss my cat. My parents' house feels so empty without her. I wonder when that feeling starts to go away. I don't dare say that to my mom, because her recovery is going so well.
It is really cold outside.
Nate's spaghetti is one of my favorite meals of all time. It will easily be the highlight of my week tonight. And that makes me think that my life must be getting kind of boring.
I think I'm getting old. I actually enjoyed watching the Masters with my dad on Easter.
I think I'm getting old because I'm making sort of responsible adult choices and actually feeling like a true adult. On the one hand I kind of don't like it. On the other it feels oddly...normal?
Construction has started at my work and it reminds me of being in high school all over again. Pounding. Drilling. Random noises disrupting the work day. Awesomeness.
Did I mention it's cold outside?
I'm in a baking mood. Might have to make cupcakes again. It's actually been awhile now.
Now that I can shop again, I'm surprised by the things I want to buy. Or maybe the things I don't want to buy. Maybe it's that whole adult thing I was talking about.
Sometimes when I get lost in my own head I think I must be one of the strangest people in the world. But don't we all feel that way sometimes?
And oh yeah, it's cold outside.
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