Trying to learn from my mistakes growing up, I want my kids to visit different colleges to help figure out what the best fit is for them.
Jake’s youngest cousin and her fiancé were open to Lincoln and me visiting them at NDSU this weekend. (Unfortunately, Jake wasn’t feeling well, so he didn’t make the trip.)
S&J gave us a personal tour, we saw the engineering buildings, the union, the health complex, one of the dining halls, and the main dorms for freshmen and sophomores. The first hand knowledge they were willing to share about their experiences was fantastic. Mom and Dad can tell their kids about how things were 20 years ago when they were in school, but to have someone closer in age share has a different impact.
After our tour, we went back to S’s apartment and chatted before heading downtown for dinner at Pounds and dessert at T and Crepe. Both were delicious!
We ended our Fargo tour with a stop at Scheels and a drive by the mall and shopping of West Fargo.
Jake and I took Shecklet #3 and Shecklet #4 to a Gopher Women’s basketball game this afternoon. The league the girls played in partnered with the Gophers to offer discounted tickets. The Gophers didn’t end up with a win, but it was still fun to be back in The Barn to watch the game. Afterwards, the girls got to go onto the court and have their picture taken with teammates who attended. We had friends capture a picture for us in our maroon and gold.
My cousin, Jared, was in town today to watch the Huskers cream the Gophers. He was kind enough to share an extra ticket with Jake. (He went knowing the Maroon & Gold really didn’t have much of a chance, but at least he got to check out the new stadium.) After the game, we met the guys & my parents for dinner. Once everyone was finished eating, the boys had to show Papa the gumball machine in the lobby of the restaurant. They both came back with gumballs. When asked how much they cost, Lincoln said, “they cost one money!”
My mom and I took a trip to the U of M Bookstore today to find Gopher gear. On our way to campus, we could see downtown from the freeway. I asked Nolan what city was in the distance. He responded, “It’s Saint-apolis!” Jake and I have been telling him about St. Paul and Minneapolis and how they’re Twin Cities. I guess he decided he’d come up with his own name 🙂
Once we made it to the bookstore, the boys had a blast checking out all of the maroon and gold shirts, hats, balls, and toys. Anything with Goldy on it made them shout, “Go Gophers!” Or in Lincoln speak, “Go, Go-Go!” We received a lot of smiles from the bookstore workers thanks to the fact that class is not in session and the place was pretty quiet – except for our little Gopher fans.
I gave myself more than 5 minutes on this one because of all I attempted to cover.
Friday night we had a Rody rodeo at the house. Jake gave Rody a little extra bounce and the boys loved it!
Our 7th anniversary was yesterday (10/18.) It’s hard to believe how fast the years have passed. I recently realized how close Jake and I are to having been together for 10 years – we started dating in 2000 when we were at the U. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be spending this crazy, fantastic life of marriage & kids with than my husband. For all of the ups and downs that life brings our way, he has been (and continues to be) a source of calm, strength, and consistency for me.
Saturday morning we were planning on bringing the boys to Jake’s parents’ house for the day so we could go on our anniversary date – a day early. Jason, (Jake’s brother) called and offered us his Ford Mustang for the day, so we altered our plans a bit and exchanged cars and transferred kids at his house instead. I didn’t know where we were going until we left our house. All I knew was the attire for our date. It was great to be surprised!
Short side story. My mom and I had the most successful 10 minute shopping trip on Friday night. I didn’t have anything fall-ish to wear on Saturday, so my mom agreed to meet me to do a little shopping. On my way to Maple Grove, she called and suggested we try Nordstrom Rack. When we arrived, it was 10 minutes until they closed. We hustled in, found a couple of dresses to try on, found one, scooted over to the shoes, and successfully found a great pair of red heels. Love them! Not too bad for a “let’s just see what they have” stop.
Back to Saturday. Once we picked up the Mustang, we headed east on 94 and traveled various small highways up through Wisconsin to St. Croix Falls. We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant called Grecco’s on the St. Croix. The place is quaint and has an intimate feel. We sat near the fireplace, which was great because if you know me, I’m always a bit cold. We ordered an appetizer and each chose the herb crusted walleye for our main dish. To our surprise, the host came over a short time later with a different appetizer, Ahi Tuna, “compliments of the chef.” I had never eaten pan seared tuna until Saturday. It was delicious! In fact, every part of our dining experience was amazing. We plan on returning and would highly recommend Grecco’s – it’s worth the drive to St. Croix Falls!
We drove back to Jake’s parents’ place through Minnesota. It was such a beautiful day and the leaves still had some color. We stopped in Afton and got an ice cream cone (my 2nd dessert of the day) and then finally arrived back in Hastings. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football (poor Gophers :(), letting the boys and dogs run off energy (and ride) outside, and finally having dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, the boys, Larissa, Jason & his girlfriend B. It was a nice way to end the fun day Jake and I shared together.
Our actual anniversary was pretty laid back, which was ok with us. We went to mass in the morning, came home and had donuts – Nolan’s favorite 🙂 and then watched the Vikings game. Jake also worked on a few things around the outside of the house since the weather was so beautiful! Later in the evening, my mom came over and watched the boys so we could go to a movie. Neither of us would recommend seeing Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunately, it was a depressing movie with no real plot. I’m glad I know the book is good because had I not read it before, I don’t think I’d even pick it up. It seems we’re 0 for 2 lately with picking movies to watch at the theater. We seem to do better with our picks from RedBox. Plus, in my opinion, it’s way more comfortable to watch a movie at home. I’m guessing we won’t be hitting the theater again for a while – unless someone can recommend a really good flick for us to see.
Today was business as usual. Nolan went to school and Lincoln and I headed to the gym. I feel so much better when I get a workout in in the morning. After school, we came home for lunch and then everyone took a much needed nap. We spent the afternoon outside – took a walk, played with chalk, and took “cheesy” pictures with the bale of hay we received from the local volleyball boosters we supported.
We have a piano in the living room that doesn’t get played as often as I would like. I took lessons from the time I was 5 until I my 1st semester in college. I wish I had kept it up. I keep saying I’d like to take them again, but at this point, I don’t know when I’d find the time. For now I have to settle for the random 5 minutes here and there when I can sit on the bench before the boys come join me. Today they climbed up and tried a duet.
Jake and I both went to the U of M, so naturally, we’re Gopher fans. However, it seems that Jake’s sister, Stacie, would like to see our boys wearing red & black instead of maroon & gold. Shecklet #1 has been asking to wear his “Badger socks” for months (probably since we stopped wearing socks for the summer.) With today’s temps in the 50’s, I figured today he could bring Bucky out of summer retirement. Shecklet #2 naturally followed suit.
Here’s the kids’ feet all decked out in their Wisconsin footwear. We miss you Auntie Stacie!
When I was getting my masters at the University of Minnesota, blogging was still an “up and coming” craze. I wonder if that dates me… There were a couple of professors in my department who were said to be “authorities” on the new phenomenon. I thought the idea was just odd. I couldn’t imagine who would want to follow the random craziness that is often MY life. Never did I think I would jump on the blogging bandwagon. Yet here I am, attempting to write about the daily goings on of the our house.
Being a stay-at-home-mom, I don’t usually get much time to reflect back on what has happened during the day. Life with a husband, 2 boys, and 2 dogs is pretty…let’s just say, “busy.” That said, Jake suggested I set a timer for 5 minutes every day and write down my thoughts. I liked the general idea and so a blog was born. (We’ll see how I do with the every day thing.) I have no idea what direction this adventure in thought-publishing will take, but I’m excited to see where it goes. Feel free to join me for the journey!
