RAVE - Hastings/Prescott

Yesterday, Jeff, my brother, Dan, and his girlfriend, Chelsea, and I went on a RAVE - River Action Volunteer Event. We grabbed our raingear and bug spray and headed out to Hastings to help with river restoration projects in Lake Rebecca Park.

The four of us in the parking lot waiting to begin

We split into groups. Some groups went to pick up trash; our group got to help with buckthorn removal. Buckthorn is an invasive species that has become very troublesome. It was first brought over from Europe to plant in yards as shrubbery but now plays a part in decreasing biodiversity.

Jeff and Chelsea pulling Buckthorn

Sometimes it was a two person job!

After we finished pulling buckthorns (no, we didn't pull them all - just worked for about 1/2 hour on the project), we donned our PFDs from Wilderness Inquiry and loaded up 6 24-foot canoes to head to an island to pull garlic mustard plants.

All the PFDs had different species written on the back.

While paddling we got to go under this cool bridge and see trains going by. We also saw 3 bald eagles and a huge eagle's nest. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the eagles. :(

The canoe trip was about 3-4 miles. The thunder started while we were working our way down the river. As soon as the last canoe (ours) was unloaded, the skies really opened up and the rain began to fall. Hard. Since it was accompanied with thunder and lightning, they decided to call the event early, and we loaded back into the canoes to head to Prescott, WI, to meet our shuttle to get back to Hastings. Luckily, Prescott was very close by, so we were soon back on shore. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to pick any garlic-mustard, as some people were talking about taking some home to make into pesto. Yum!

Dan and Chelsea on the shuttle back to Hastings. She claims to have been miserable, but I don't buy it.
Just look at that smile!

We were soaked through and through! Before hopping in the car to head back to St Paul, Jeff and Chelsea took off their pants for the 30 min drive. Have you ever tried to put back on soaked jeans? I'd imagine it would be difficult, so back at our apartment, these two just made a run for it in their skivvies.

Ok. Well, Jeff stopped to pose for a picture.

After we got dried off and cleaned up, we all went to the St Clair Broiler for some dinner. It was delish!

I don't know about the rest of them, but I know I'm looking forward to the next RAVE in July! :)

Cocina del Barrio - Edina, MN

Last night Jeff and I went to Cocina del Barrio in Edina for dinner after our dance lesson at Arthur Murray's studio.

We were in a bit of a rush because we wanted to get back to the studio for a group dance lesson, so we told the host when he was seating us that we were short on time.

Our server, Matt, greeted us at our table, having been informed by the host of our time crunch. He was fantastic. We asked him for suggestions on what would be quick, and he pointed out some areas on the menu of which to steer clear. Before he even left the table, we decided on the Chicken and Black Bean Tostada (per his recommendation) and the Grilled Flatbread.

The tostada came up very quickly - even before our drinks arrived!

At first we were skeptical. We weren't sure how it would taste or even how to go about eating it, but we dug in, and oh wow! It was fantastic!! It was a perfect combination of flavor and texture. Now, I really wish I had taken a picture with my phone.

The flatbread arrived just as we were finishing the tostada. I was pretty full by this time, I must not have been that hungry to begin with. so I didn't savor this dish as much. It was really good, too, but definitely not as delectable as the tostada. If I had to choose one over the other, I'd definitely choose the tostada. Hands down. I believe Jeff would second that as well.

Shortly after the flatbread arrived, our server dropped off our check. We really appreciated that, since we had said we were in a hurry.

Their menu appears to have a good selection of meat, chicken, and fish options. The service was prompt, friendly, and catered to our needs. Overall, we would definitely recommend this restaurant (and the tostada)!

Restaurant Review - Capital Grille

I met Jeff at the restaurant after work. I simply gave my name to the host, who immediately saw that Jeff had already been seated. She brought me right to our table, which was a perfect little booth nestled in a corner. After bringing me to the table, she offered to take my coat to the coat check and return with the ticket. What a great start to the evening! The server was wonderful as she made sure to ask if we were headed to the theater that evening or had any other time constraints.

We didn't.

We were just out for an evening of good food and good company together.

It was Restaurant Week, so they had a fixed menu at a really great price. We could've still ordered from the full menu as well, but we both opted for the special.

The food was absolutely succulent. We each ordered the 8-oz sirloin, cooked medium, and it was the perfect combination of flavor and texture. This steak simply melted in our mouths. The mashed potatoes and creme brulee were equally pleasing. The drinks were a little on the expensive side, but the atmosphere and food made it worth it!

If dining here on a normal, non-Restaurant Week evening, the dinner would have been much more expensive. I would recommend this restaurant but probably only for a special occasion, as it is a bit spendier than we'd normally like to spend on just a regular date night.

Update / Restaurant Review

OK, so I guess I've been pretty lackadaisical about updating our blog.

We've even taken some pretty cool road trips complete with great photos! We went to Lutsen, MN, in the beginning of May, and Nauvoo, IL (for my cousin's wedding) in the middle of May. Hopefully I'll take some time to blog about them soon.

About a month ago, Jeff and I found ourselves in a Slumberland Clearance center. While waiting to check-out, I sat on a couch by the register. I immediately fell in love with this couch! So comfortable, so soft! Too big, really, for our apartment.

So...we began again the discussion of whether or not to buy a house in MN. After much discussion, the search began. We found a house that holds lots of opportunity for us to really make it exactly what we want and that will fit our needs.

Being city dwellers at heart, this property is less than 1 mile from downtown St Paul, and within walking distance to the Xcel Center and the shops/restaurants on West 7th. We LOVE the location.

Unfortunately, we didn't get approved for nearly as much as we would've liked. Good news is, it is bank-owned, so hopefully they'll accept our very low-ball offer. If you don't mind keeping us in your prayers, we'd really appreciate it.

Last night, we decided to actually go out on a date--something we haven't done in quite awhile. Since I've always considered myself more of a Minneapolis girl than a St Paul, I thought we should go check out the area that we'll hopefully be moving to.

We decided to try El Patio.

This restaurant really helped sell me on the location and St Paul. We dined outside, and it was so relaxing! We leisurely talked about our future as we munched on chips and salsa. Our food was delicious and our server was great! I definitely see us returning to this restaurant and checking out the others that are close by.

Don't Hug Me!

Another New Year's Resolution that we made was to do at least one cultural thing every month. We missed January, but we have a couple of things marked down for February.

We have a relatively loose definition of cultural. We just want to get out and do more things than just go to the movies or something. We want to experience more things in life. Our cultural events will include: plays, museums, zoos, galleries, lectures, etc.

Our first event was this past Friday evening (2/8). We saw Don't Hug Me at the Hennepin Stages Theater in the Hennepin Theater District. It was hilarious--so much so that Jeff really had exert quite a bit of effort to control some of his guffaws.

You know it's good when we are still quoting lines from the play two days later. :-)

It was a Minnesota love story--poking fun at the Minnesota cold, accent, and unique sayings (e.g. "Ya, sure, ya betcha!", "Oh, for sitting on a cat!" or "Oh, for fartin' in church!"). The acting was great!

My parents joined us for the play and the 4 of us went out to dinner beforehand at Zelo. This was fabulous! Jeff ordered a NY Strip and it was the best he'd had in a long time--definitely worth the price. My pasta was delicious as well, and their tomato basil soup was SO good. The atmosphere was really lovely, too.

Best Birthday EVER!!

I had my 30th birthday last Friday (Aug 10th), and it was so awesome!!

As I was biding my time at Keewaydin, waiting for 2 p.m. to come around (that's time to go home on Fridays, 'cuz of summer hours), I got a much anticipated phone call with good news! I was extended on offer to cover a 6 month maternity leave for the Admin Asst at SC Johnson Target Team in Minneapolis. I had interviewed for the position on the 8th and was very hopeful that they would choose me...and they did! How exciting to have something lined up for at least 6 months. Plus, now I can hope that at the end of my temp assignment, they will love me working there SO much that they will want to hire me. :-) Hey, you gotta have hopes and dreams!

Shortly after receiving this good news, I got a text from my wonderful husband saying that he was awarded over $31,000 in financial aid! Whoo Hoo! And the best part of that is that over $20,000 of that is FREE money (institutional grants). That was such, such great news!

Who could ask for anything better?!

Well, after work, I went and got my hair all chopped off. It turned out really cute! (Even now, days later, when I'm styling it myself). I went to a salon here in Eagan, Ficocello's. My stylist, Erin (I think) was terrific. I wasn't all that specific in what I wanted, and she created something so perfect. I love it!

Here are a few pics of my new haircut, and some of me/us all dressed up for my birthday dinner. I apologize for the quality of these photos. I'm not sure what the deal was, but Jeff took these with the camera on his phone. Our camera phones usually take much better pictures that this (at least mine does), but at least this will give you an idea of how sexy I/we looked for my 30th birthday dinner.



Jeff, my Dad, Marna, and I went downtown (Minneapolis, of course) to our favorite steakhouse. My Dad and Marna had actually never been there before. Morton's Steakhouse is phenomenal! We love the ambiance (very classy), and their steaks are to die for! So tender and juicy and melt in your mouth! Jeff and I actually split everything--a NY Strip, a baked potato (I honestly don't think that anyone could eat an entire baked potato on their own; they're HUGE), and garlic green beans! Delicious! Oh, and I can't forget the cake! Molten Chocolate Cake with Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream. Divine! It was a perfect ending to a wonderful birthday.