Sister Mary Berit

Yup, I was a nun for Halloween. It's kind of sad that my request at Party City for a non-slutty costume that wasn't too expensive yielded this...Oh well, at least I was super warm and comfy!

Quite the trio, aren't we (goth girl, nun and baby)? :)

Tardy for the Party

Oh man...I am a bad, bad blogger. I even made myself a little editorial calendar of posts and then promptly forgot to do them.

Anyways, a very happy belated birthday to these ladies! Photo cakes are so fun...nothing like slicing into the guest of honor's face!

Decorah Memories

My post about Homecoming made me think back to a wonderful trip this summer, when my mother and I went to Decorah, Iowa for a weekend visit. When I was in college, we often talked about things we wanted to do around town. But whenever she and my father were in Decorah, they were busy picking me up, dropping me off or or attending some Luther event that didn't leave time for exploring.

A couple Christmases ago, I got my parents a gift certificate for a night at Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah. They didn't get around to using it, so finally my mom suggested that she and I go down for the weekend, which we did in July.

It was pretty jam-packed! Let's see...we:

• Ate at Mabe's...best pizza in Iowa!


• Walked around the Luther campus and saw the new union


• Went to Dunning's Springs


• Drove around Decorah and up to Phelps Park


• Got coffee from the Oneota Co-op


• Shopped at Van Beria, where I got the first blue and white tea cup for my collection


• Had dinner at the always-fabulous Rubaiyat


• Drank a few drinks at Albert's


• Enjoyed the night in our beautiful room at Hotel Winn

On Sunday, we headed home with a few stops...first off we went to Seed Savers Exchange on the edge of Decorah. Really a cool place. They are devoted to biodiversity and collect seeds from all sorts of heirloom fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. There were even a few rare chicken breeds. Mom bought some really cool tomatoes there...green, orange, yellow and red. I wanted to get the black tomatoes too...maybe next time!

We drove on to Burr Oak to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum there. I love the Little House books, so it was awesome to see a place where she lived...and I can't believe that many people crowded into beds at hotels of that era!

Lastly, we stopped in Lanesboro for lunch at this 50s-style diner before heading back to the Twin Cities. It was an amazing trip with my mom, and I am looking forward to doing it again next summer!

Homecoming

I have been AWFUL about taking pictures lately. But I had to post about Homecoming, even though I never took my camera out of my bag.

Five years since graduation from Luther...I can't believe it. I keep thinking that it is five years since I started college, and then I realize my mistake. Can't believe I'm this old!

The five year reunion was great. It was wonderful catching up with people, but kind of stressful. I'm one of the class agents for my class, so I co-chaired our reunion. So I felt kind of responsible for people having a good time...probably the reason I'm a bad hostess!

But I only lasted until about midnight at Roscoe's...it was too crowded, my feet hurt and that place is just DIRTY! Sometimes the slightly sad realization comes to you that you're not 20 anymore. On the other hand, there are good things about that, too. Let's hear it for 27! Can't wait for the 10 year!

Photo courtesy of Luther College.

Racing for Myeloma Research

We had another successful Multiple Myeloma Race for Research today! Thanks to everyone who came to support Team Lisa! Last year the Twin Cities race raised over $150,000...I hope they raised even more this year. It all goes to researching treatments to help multiple myeloma patients like my mom. It was a gorgeous day and Lake Phalen was beautiful...I really should go over there to walk more often.

Team Lisa is coming back bigger and better next year, so please mark your calendars for the last Sunday in September!

For more information about the race, visit http://www.mmrfrace.org/. To learn more about myeloma, visit the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

For A Good Cause!

The Multiple Myeloma Race for Research is this Sunday (September 27) at Lake Phalen in St. Paul. Please consider being a part of Team Lisa! We are walking (or running, if you want) in honor of my mother, a multiple myeloma patient.

The Twin Cities race raised over $150,000 last year for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation! Please sign up to be a part of this. For just a few hours on a Sunday morning, you can help myeloma patients have the chance to lead longer lives.

Plus, you might have the chance to win a medal like these Team Lisa people did last year.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me!!

Spoonriver

I got to catch up with a good friend on Saturday at an awesome restaurant! It's kind of a funny story, but we'd planned to meet at Cafe Brenda since neither of us eats meat, and we knew there would be some good veggie options there. Unfortunately, we hadn't realized it would be closed for lunch on Saturday. No tempeh Reuben sandwich for me...Seriously, doesn't Saturday seem like a weird day to be closed for lunch?

Luckily, Brenda's other restaurant, Spoonriver, was open, so Joyce and I trekked from the Warehouse District over to the river. I've been to Spoonriver before and it's really good, but a little more expensive than Cafe Brenda.

Joyce's spoon dip duo:

My mock duck udon noodle salad:

Our chocolate mousse dessert:

J hadn't seen the new Guthrie yet, so we went there after lunch to look at the Endless Bridge. I love this picture! It looks like someone spliced two backgrounds together, but it's really just the sky reflecting from the metal on the rail.

It was a fun Saturday afternoon. I love downtown Minneapolis, and never get down there enough despite living close!

Fair Fun

The end of summer is the time for the Great Minnesota Get Together! Growing up near the Fairgrounds, the State Fair has always been easy for me to get to...good thing, since I don't last too long.

Unlike a lot of people, I avoid the Mighty Midway...I don't have the stomach for the rides! Seriously, how is getting swung around and flipped upside down fun? No, what I go there for is the food, the people watching and the animals.

This year I decided to be organized about my food consumption. I went to the Fair's website to figure out exactly what I wanted: cheese curds (A MUST!!!), corn on the cob, chocolate-covered watermelon on a stick and a Fudge Puppy. I missed the watermelon, which was OK, since I was quite full. And Sweet Martha's had about a hundred people in line, so we skipped that, too.

My mother, sister and I spent a lot of time just watching the crowds go by and looking at various barnyard animals, like these cute little piglets.

Here's Minnesota's largest boar. Looks similar to me after I finished those cheese curds! :)

Except for a cow deciding to explosively poop on Mom's shorts, a good time was had by all.