happy Day of LUUURVE!! Chateau Blanche, etc...

it's Valentine's Day!! who's excited!!!

ME!

this is an extra special valentine's day for me because of two reasons. oh i mean three. here they are, in no particular order...

wait, i just added a fourth.

1. James and I get to "celebrate" Valentine's Day today, in the same state, together!! that has not happened for a very long time. 

2. today I had an unexpected exciting surprise - I talked to my dearest friend Ladunni! We haven't chatted much lately due to busy lives and the fact that she is living in NIGERIA and me in the States (obviously) and the time difference is quite inconvenient. Anyway, I am so happy that we connected...she is my sole mate. and when i say "sole," it's meant like the shoe. she is the left and i am the right. politically, that's pretty accurate and really, what good is one shoe without the other? that's the real clincher. Happy Valentine's Day to my best gal, college roomie, sistahh from another mistahhh, Ladunni. 

3. I am super thrilled to give james his little Valentine's gift!! it's more of just an "i love you, thanks for being awesome, and i believe in what you're doing every day" gift, but i've been holding on to it for a few weeks for THIS NIGHT. tonight! yes, i am truly that excited to finally give it to him!

4. tonight we are having a very special Valentine's dinner... James so thoughtfully made reservations a couple weeks ago, thank goodness, because this place is very difficult to get into on tonight. for one night and one night only, White Castle goes 5-star dining and accepts reservations for their romantic dining experience! they put tablecloths on the tables, dim the lights, and serve you at the table!! oh gosh, i wonder if we leave a tip!? i've never tipped on a Crave Case before, but i guess it is appropriate tonight! seriously, i am so, SO excited for White Castle tonight, i cannot even fully explain it!! I am so thankful that James puts up with my quirkiness!! heck, i don't even know if he likes Sliders! i guess he will, tonight!

moving right along....HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to everyone!! and PS how CUTE are these Target brownies, made with HOT PINK frosting and hearts!! ......

this morning i had the pleasure of taking sweet baby Nash for his morning walk. well, it had snowed a bit overnight and after our 5:15 AM gym class (yikes), we got home and while james went a'shoveling, Nash and I went a'walking....in this winter wonderland!

it was so gorgeous, i swear! and it was about 30 degrees (almost), 

so it was very warm.

this one was while Nash was looking behind me at a person shoveling.

i think he wanted to help the guy - or play with him.

Aren't those gorgeous pictures? or are they just that to me, since I was there? it was so serene and really a very relaxing walk... a great workout, my dog emptied his tank, and the sidewalk and driveway were all shoveled before 7 AM today! an amazing start to a great day!

have a LOVELY night - celebrate something, someone you LOVE!

'snow face like home! winter in Minneapolis

Lucky me! I had Thursday off of work, so I decided to treat Nash to some open fields in the heart of Minneapolis...and by open fields, I mean the size of a football field fenced in, courtesy of the City of Lakes, Minneapolis! the latest and greatest addition to Minneapolis' off leash dog parks is located on King's Highway (Dupont Ave, South) and approximately 38th Street. Nash LOVED frolicking, sprinting, and rolling in the open area with his fellow canine friends. The weather was a nice 20 degrees with little to no wind; in other words, warm enough to be out for almost two hours! we had a nice time walking to the park, playing around (still working on the whole "fetch" game with him!) and walking back home. For anyone interested, he pooed three times!! THREE TIMES! luckily i had enough bags to pick up after him. so, note to self (and others), bring extra bags with to the dog park!

Lily: great dane/black lab mix, 

Coco: great dane, 

Nash: Redbone Coon Hound/shepherd/goofball mix

Once Nash felt comfortable enough with Coco, he was running under legs like she was just another bridge. pretty hilarious...and she didn't even mind! Lily and Coco were both very sweet dogs and were quite polite to Nash.

Wednesday night I worked pretty late - by the time i headed home, it was just after bar close so the streets were very bare. except for this snow mountain! What!? since when do the snow plows leave gigantic now piles in the middle of a street? DOWNTOWN!? It was kind of fun to see, at least. 

that's a ~10 foot snow pile! 

completely blocking a lane in downtown Minneapolis!

I swear it was huge, in person! 

it was certainly higher than my SUV, 

and about 4 car lengths long.

Each day on my way to Orange Theory Fitness, I see these awesome snow sculptures. I think they were put into place in celebration of the Loppet that was held last weekend in Uptown (Loppet = Cross Country ski race). This is just one of the sculptures - I snapped this pic Thursday from my car and hopefully will get a chance to stop by and loop at all of them before they melt on Saturday. My favorite is a horse...might be a unicorn even! these sculptures are pretty amazing, to me, and are huge! i would guess they are about 8-10 feet tall and 4 feet across. Yes, that's a huge face! Something else I think is pretty cool about these sculptures and their locations is that in the summer time we have sand sculptures just down the street. I love Minnesota - we really do find a way to embrace each and every season.

so, word on the street is that the NE is supposed to get clobbered with snow this weekend. No offense, but why is it always such an earth-shattering news story whenever the NE states are forecasted to get any type of storm? they get hit with one big snow storm EVERY WINTER! get over it already! be prepared! i feel like they are just always making a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to weather (not including Sandy. I will give them that one). You don't hear Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Iowa or Minnesota crying whenever we get hammered with snow! we know where we live, we know what winter brings... it's not a surprise that sometimes it snows 10+ inches. duh.  I feel like it's as much of a no-brainer as FLorida getting sunshine... hello!

anyway, we are supposed to get some heavy snowfall starting Sunday morning and it's rumored (if you listen to WCCO they will try to scare you into thinking the sky is falling!!), depending what station you tune into, we could get up to ten inches of snow! in one day! I am really excited!! I think we will rev up the snowblower saturday to make sure she's primed and ready to rock on Sunday - because that's a lot of snow in a short amount of time, which means it's snowblowing a couple times during the day OR nonstop shoveling. I like the first option better! well, i mean I think James does. ;) Love my "man power!"

as my friend Lisa Christine says, Enjoy the weekend. Like, really...enjoy it!

OK!

what's in a name?...Nash and, of course, BOOTS. Let's GET 'EM

ok. WHAT is up with people naming their kids ridiculous names? no, they are not even names...they are WORDS. Hi, my name is "Chaos." Hi, my name is "Barbados." Hi, my name is ridiculous. I recently read a blog of a distant acquaintance (sounds redundant, I know, but that's who she is) and the names of the new babies in her family are flat out silly. One of the names, I will use Michael as an example, is simply the same sound but the first letter is replaced: Tichael. Another name is the name of a tropical island but just spelled differently.  If you ask me, which NO body did, I think these names are trashy and obnoxious. Oh well. I am very thankful for my unique name, but still admire my sisters' names, Jessica and Kristin. They are both simple and both of these women have personalities that far exceed their semi-common names. Anyway, I think those bogus names are just outlandish cries for attention and quite tacky. No thanks.

wow, how about a positive post for once, eh?

Sorry. I have had this terrible, nauseating pain in my neck/shoulder/back for about three weeks and I think it's really making me much more sour than usual. Please, excuse me. 

While at a used furniture store the other day, I ran into this little gem that will soon be my Grandpa's birthday gift. it's beyond perfection.

I hope he loves it. he will!

Last night Nash was being his usual goofy self and allowed me to hold an impromptu photo shoot, with him serving as my main model. mo-dellll. look how handsome he is!! 

it's almost a mug shot! he's under arrest...for being too cute! and funny.

Sorry, was that too corny?

and here he is, smiling his little grin when 

he knows he's being too cute for me to say "no." stinker.

yes, i am officially one of those pet-parent people who is constantly doting over her pet, as she has no human children. i love to talk about him, how my life has changed because of him, take and post pictures of him...and yes, i absolutely speak to him as if he can and does understand the english language. right now i am trying to train him to understand my facial expressions and body language. so far he seems to understand my death-stare (when he needs to chill the heck out!), my smile and kisses face, and when i wave hello to him. more useful things I need to train him on are commands such as "stay" and "down," in terms of jumping up on us when he gets super excited. I am telling you, he just has lots of love and energy that he can't keep contained! 

we are supposed to get some more snow coming up in the next day or two, so I hope to snap some pics of him wearing his new super-sporty jacket. really, he is just the most stylin' doggie on the block...well, along with his BFF Brutus, of course!

I cannot wait to get home tonight - my new Sorel boots finally arrived and they are waiting for me!!! ahhh! BOOOOOTSSSSS!!! LET'S GET'EM! I am pumped. so are my feet. both of them.

watch THIS - it is the most amazing song ever and every female worthy of $300 boots must see this. it's a life changer! thank me later. OhMyGod.

check it OUT!

Super Bowl brings a Super Warm UP!

Super Bowl weekend FLEW by! Is it just me, or did it seem like ghost-town Sunday? I kept wondering if stores would be open regular hours...then I would remember that it's just Super Bowl Sunday...not a real holiday like President's Day or MLK Day or...well, you get it.

So anyway, we started off Sunday morning with some coffee...and fancy-schmancy mustache mugs. 

sexy and he knows it!

We also had some shoveling to do....correction: James also had some shoveling to do. What a champ. I think i should give him a golden shovel trophy or something. He's earned it! What a relief that I haven't had to bust my butt shoveling! I can just take Nash for a walk while he takes care of the snow. GREAT trade off! And afterwards, our worlds collide: my little boys enjoying each other (maybe Nash is enjoying this more than J?). 

say it with me, "awwwwe!!"

After a quick run to the gym for some StairMaster domination (hardy, har-har), it was time to prepare the Super Grub! I had a fantastic idea about taking before, during, and after pics of our food, but...well once there was edible food in front of my face, all "ideas" flew out of my head. Girls Gotta EAT! So I have ONE picture I can share. at least it turned out pretty well...in the pic and real life!

bacon wrapped Brussels sprouts with peppercorn. EZ-PZ.

We headed to the Hardestys for some football watchin', commercial critiquing, and face-stuffing and had a great time! James passed out on the couch (food coma?) a few times and i took it upon myself to constructively criticize Beyonce's half time self-obsessed seduction... mehhh, i wasn't impressed... I was happy to see Kelly and Michelle, but the positive feelings were washed away once Bey-noying gyrated herself to the floor, ending in a disgusting crotch shot. I am so happy she faked her pregnancy and was therefor able to keep her almost-svelte physique, otherwise it would have been really painful watching her shake her leg-jelly in that pleather teddy! somewhere out there is a surrogate mother i need to thank!

deep breath.... ahhhh.

James and i hit up OTF this morning for a fun 5:15 AM workout class..holy smokes, 4:45 AM comes quick! Luckily for us, the workouts are great, fun, and make a pre-dawn wakeup call totally worth the struggle. we have 30 days until we arrive in Fort Myers, so i think we are officially down to GO time. And i love it! 

The snowfall last night and this morning was beautiful!! I love the big fluffy, sticky snowflakes. On my post-gym walk with Nash this morning I saw a handful of runners heading towards Lake Calhoun and found myself feeling positive pangs of envy. Running outside in the cold, especially in the snow like we had this morning, is absolutely amazing. It's very peaceful, calming, and very rewarding! I miss my cold-weather snow runs...maybe I can get one in this weekend. Trust me - as long as you dress appropriately for the weather and activity, it's an awesome experience! and the sights are BEAUTIFUL! 

Today's high is about 27 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a definite warm-up! hooray!! I think i may even have to bust out my *new* Sorel boots for our evening walk with Nash! they are totally waterproof, warm, and cute!! my current ones are alright in terms of warmth, but are not waterproof - which in this weather is a must-have attribute! 

Like the lights in the SuperDome, I'm out!

Happy Tuesday.

rodeooooh, so tough!

Friday is here. It's upon us. Do you feel it?

I had the great fortune of kicking my Friday morning off with a fantastic workout at Orange Theory Fitness, and a SUPERB soundtrack...ready? set? JOCK JAMS! yah! Like, the original Jock Jams, peeps. ARE YOU READY TO RUMMMMMBLE!! it was great!! i would like to have my alarm clock to play back some Jock Jams mixes ("Are You Ready TO RUMMMMMBLE" announcer, included!) each morning. What an exuberant delight it would be to wake up to those jams each morning. 

this weekend should bring us tons of fun... Saturday we have all day to lounge and do as we please, as James finally has the day off!! So we have a 6:45 AM workout, then we can come back home and be as lazy (or productive!...wink wink) as we want. I mean, we do have to finish plastering our bedroom and kitchen....but...doesn't a lazy Saturday sound delightful? I think so, too.

Come Saturday night around 7:30 you will find us, along with our neighbors the Hardestys at the World's Toughest Rodeo! YESSSSSSS. I cannot wait! I LOVE the RODEO!!! Pretty sure "Rodeo Rick" is the most excited of the four of us....but his excitement may be mostly for the whiskey flasks. ha! Look out Saint Paul, here come the cowboys...and cowboy BOOTS! yes! YEEEHAW.

hoping to see some of THIS...

and hoping this hackey-sack of a man is ok!

Sunday, of course, is the Super Bowl! I might bust out my "vintage" Randy THE BOSS  Moss Vikings jersey... I think I can find it! ha. I don't know who I am cheering for...I think this year I'm in it for the binge eating. OK, and I guess Randy Moss...so maybe the 49ers. ehhh. whatever. I think our smorgasbord of grub is going to be quite impressive, so I'm happy with that. And bloody marys, of course.

uh oh, here comes the snow. just in time for the weekend kick off!! 

just wanted to share this pic because i think it might be the Gospel. 

just sayin'

ok, ok...and we might hit the mall tonight and someone feels like SHOPPING!

Sorry James! but come on... we are going to Fort Myers in a month and it's spring break shopping season! I cannot resist.

Happy Weekend! 

Save the CATS!

You GUYS! Please, PLEASE do NOT waste another moment! READ THIS:  THIS IS SERIOUS LIVES are at stake!

The worst part? IT IS TRUE! Cats DO kill billions of poor, innocent cute animals every year. We should BAN them immediately! Yup, you got it right... I am calling for CatControl. Action must be taken like, five minutes ago! We must rid our cities and streets of these lethal, crazed animals. Feline lunatics, I tell you!!

What? You think I am insane? Did I have crazy pills for breakfast? No. I am just following suit that when something in our society is linked to lives lost or destruction (or anything "unpredicted"), we just wipe it out. So, according to what much of our government is insisting, we need to get rid of the Kitties! It's not at the hands of the irresponsible people who own these murderous four legged weapons who recklessly let them out of the house to feed on small rodent prey...no, let's not look at those individuals as the problem. It is the CATS. The CATS are responsible for the lack of human control (and sanity).

OR....WHAT IF.....Instead of trusting these vicious nine-lifed fur balls to just ANYONE on the street (or the crazy lady who seems to have a serious feline addiction), do you think we should just teach people how to care for their cats in a responsible manner? Keep them indoors, where they are safe and out of harms way? Don't let them run rampant through the alleys, searching for mice and other small rodents? How about we encourage responsible ownership over these cats? Maybe make it a little more strict to obtain a cat, instead of just banning all cats for EVERYONE...? *Some cats will still be permitted. If you're a law maker/senator/congressman/President, etc... YOU still get to have Cats in your house. You make the rules, and you need to have cats so you can stay in reign and keep the rodents away.* 

I mean, what if one day, the rats and mice join forces and try to overrun the people?! And we  have no cats to serve as protection to save our lives...and liberty? then what happens? I will tell you what will happen...RATS will run our great nation! (bigger rats than we have now, believe it or not!) They will take over!! We have no means of keeping these pesky rodents under control once our cats are gone. The only people who will be exempt from this attack are the people who still have cats protecting them and their families. The law makers, the President...why do they still get to have protection from the rats, when we, the people who make up this nation, are not granted the same protection and rights!? It's my belief that these rats and mice (and the like) are held at bay because they know there ARE cats on the prowl. As long as there are cats, these rabid, disease-carrying rodents will remain in the sewers and alleys, where they belong. And once other countries know we no longer have our cats to keep us rodent-free, they too will send their rats to invade and destroy us!

Does anyone get what I am saying? Anyone see how crazy it is to just take something away, from everyone, just because some people don't know how to manage themselves and their belongings in a responsible manner? Taking one thing away from everyone will not solve the problems. Violating the Second Amendment will not prevent wacky people from hurting others. Has anyone seen "Speed," with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves? What was the threatening "weapon" in this seemingly outrageous movie? A bomb-carrying BUS! Yes, a BUS, even one that is not armed with a bomb, can be used as a lethal weapon and harm and kill just as many people as a gun. and maybe more! My heart definitely breaks for ALL victims of senseless shooting at office buildings, stores, schools, etc... but it's only at the fault of the mentally ill people who STEAL the guns (just as they can STEAL a bus, make explosives with household items, etc). For every nutso who gains access to a gun, there are dozens of SANE and RESPONSIBLE people who would never, ever dream of playing ANY role in harming another person. So why punish them? Why punish the good, for the small percentage of evil?

And if "we the People" cannot have guns, then why would the President's secret service still get to have guns? Why would his family be allowed to be protected by armed forces, when WE are not granted the same?? Is his family more important than ours? 

It seems to me that since "Gun Control" has become such a hot topic (Sandy Hook shooting) in the media, they've been reporting many more gun-related assaults and deaths. People, think about it! Mentally unstable people harm and kill innocent people every day by stabbing them, running them over with cars, baseball bats, torture, you name it! Why are THOSE crimes not reported?? Because the liberal, one-sided media wants to SCARE the public into thinking guns are bad, for everyone. Please don't be one of those mindless zombies! THINK FOR YOURSELF. Do some research! Apply your critical thinking skills. Taking away guns is not the answer. All it will do is shift the resources for the mentally-ill individuals who want to harm others. Instead of a gun, they will make bombs. they will burn down buildings. they will FIND a WAY to carry out the destruction they want to cause. Just think about it.

On another, less ranty-note, I would like to send a shout out to the hottest couple in town on this sweaty day (it's currently NEGATIVE 1 degree fahrenheit outside. no joke)...

Happy ONE MONTHIVERSAY to Rick and Jill Hardesty!

Congrats on your first month of BLISSFUL marriage!

Mother Nature has a great sense of humor!

it's winter time in Minnesota. January typically brings what I call a "cold snap." well, I think (and hope) we just experienced out annual January cold snap. we had a couple days of crazy gusting winds and highs that did not even reach ZERO DEGREES Fahrenheit. DO you know what that feels like?? no, you probably do not because of the 2 people who read this blog, I doubt either of them are in a climate so similar to mine in Minnesota. BUT in case you DO know what less than zero degrees feels like, for the HIGH, then you get what I am saying! While walking Nash, or even while walking from the car into Target, my lungs start to hurt and feel tingly because the air I'm taking in is that frigid. The little hairs in your nostrils will quickly freeze, and if your scarf is pulled up over your nose and you're out long enough,your eyelashes and eyebrows develop tiny icicles from the moisture of your exhale being directed upward on your face because the scarf is blocking your clean exhale from your mouth. Yeah, it's cold and you feel it everywhere! 

Now, although that may sound like a complaint, it's actually NOT. It's not necessarily a bad thing to experience this type of weather. the key is being prepared for it, both mentally and physically. Dig out the big ol' parka, the moon boots, heavy duty choppers (mittens, not motorcycles), and do NOT forget the scarf and hat! with the proper equipment, and the right attitude, everyone is fine. another plan many people choose to take is to stay indoors. simple enough! do you REALLY have to go out side for very long, anyway? probably not. Monday I had work off (MLK day!) so I decided to celebrate the -14 degree temps all day by plastering some of my walls that were in need of a little touching up. Ain't no thang! I know people who had to work outside all day, and even they said as long as they kept moving, they stayed plenty warm. seems like a no brainer to me! 

if people do choose to venture into the near-tundra like outdoors, perhaps to walk their dog, they are sometimes rewarded with witnessing some pretty unique sights. what do I mean? well, let me demonstrate with the image, below...

think about it.

Yah. James saw this little (....erm, big??) gem down the street from us, outside the cleaner's dryer chute thing. 

what is it? really, you have to ask? 

a penisicle, of course!

is this rare? I think so! I've never seen anything like this - and I am thankful James was brave enough to take his hand out of his glove long enough to snap a pic of this amazing piece of frozen condensation! seriously, could anyone look at this and not instantly giggle? laugh? at least raise an eyebrow?? ha! Mother Nature, in all her humorous glory!!

We drove by this Tuesday and saw that it was already gone. James and I are both pretty sure someone else saw it and didn't have a camera (or realized that a picture just was NOT enough) and stole it. No worry for us, as another one is already forming. I wonder if it will form to this same shape again? Will we ever witness such a piece of natural artwork again?

(And Jill, THIS is the surprise we were talking about on Saturday night... we thought you'd get a great kick out of this. :) Be sure to bring Brutus down to visit it and check in on it's, um, development?) 

too funny. 

so there you have it...it looks like we got a couple good chuckles out of below zero weather for a few days, after all. it's not all that bad!

enjoy your Hump Day today! the weekend is already creepin' in. creep. creep.