Happy BBQ

Saturday night we had some friends over to commorate summer and an expanded deck/BBQ space at the new house. The usual includes: lots of yummy, grilled food; Catch Phrase and the new group favorite, Apples to Apples (men love this one);croquet, bocce, et al. I had to take a picture of the driveway--it's so economical for get togethers! To everyone's summer: may it be full of sunny days, BBQs, and anything else that reminds you of what we cherish so greatly in the frozen tundra.

They actually grow up

I had to steal this picture from my sister because during this event, I realized the need for me to take pictures was about 0. My family is a bunch of shutterbugs, and I easily default to getting them later. I was kind of struck by how grown up Amanda looked this weekend; it forces you to take stock in how fast time goes by. It was really nice to go down and see the Despins and then spend some time with my family at Karla's. I think the number of kids has superceded the adults. Be very afraid : )

Ladies about town

Kerrie, Carrie, Carrie & Carrie



This weekend a group of six of us gathered to celebrate CR's bachelorette-dom. We stayed just outside of downtown, so everything we ventured out to do was nearby. To summarize the weekend, we basically ate and relaxed in various forms. Keep in mind that 4 of the 6 attendees were named Carrie/Kerrie. This got really confusing. We tried calling each other by our initials or our middle names. However, most of the time someone would call one of us and all 4 would respond. My favorite places we went this weekend (most involve food, of course): the French Meadow Bakery (I had the zone omlet w/ sundried tomatoes and goat cheese), True Thai, Chino Latino (CR and I actually ordered drinks called the Crack Ho Mojito), and the Aveda Institute for a beauty afternoon. Surdyk's had an amazing chocolate and cheese selection (women could live off of these two things alone) and I was introduced to the cheese monger--yes, they are actual people who cut cheese. Saturday night after dinner, we ended up at a highbrow club/bar where apparently Timberwolves, Vikings (CR said they were there; I wouldn't recognize them since I know nothing about football) and various model/plasticy mannequin-types seem to frequent. There was a very funny incident involving a man who said we were invading his "roped off space" and we got a good laugh out of that. The weekend was so much fun and was a great way to kick back and to celebrate CR's upcoming big day. Congrats to the bride-to-be!

Feeling loved

This weekend was great as I got to celebrate my birthday with lots of people I love. Also, I can't believe how many times I got a treasure or a card, reminding myself how thoughtful my friends and family are and how thankful I am. Thanks for making it so special! Monday night my parents had us over for teriyaki steak, twice-baked potatoes and mom's new famous flourless chocolate cake (made with garbanzo beans!). I brought the remnants into work the next day and no one could believe it was actually good for you. (I am digging for the recipe, but I know for sure it's from Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet). My co-workers and I went out for lunch on Friday, then CR, Shandiz, Corey and I went out for dinner that night. We met up with Joe, Em, Aaron, Lenae, CB and Jodi for some bowling. We had a great time. Saturday was CR's bridal shower and it was great to celebrate at Melissa's uber-cool Victorian house. (The flourless cake also made a successful appearance). By Saturday night, the proverbial truck had hit me and the bragging about not being sick had evaporated. I've been chugging down tea and using my Neti pot, so I'm hoping for a quicker recovery.