Tied with a Black Bow Tie

The big formal wedding weekend has arrived, and gone. The exhaustion for everyone is very apparent on this Sunday morning.

It all started on Friday. K and D wen to the rehearsal a little before four ... and I worked through the day, planning to meet them at dinner (since based on time tables we determined there was no way for me to get home in time, get ready and for us to arrive at the destination we needed to be at.)

So, around seven, I met my two dapper gents at the Chambers Hotel. They both were sporting suits and ties and looked quite lovely. K was especially cute in his tan suit and bright teal shirt. The shirt was amazing against his complexion. Of course, it was a long day, so we knew that we couldn't stay too late. But wine and food was enjoyed by all - the adults, of course. And the kids enjoyed playing out on the balcony on the rooftop. The fare was a little unappealing to K, I think it was because mushrooms were sprinkled were through most of it. And I can say O did fine with his first non-familial babysitter.

The next day, I got up at 7 a.m., and started it off with a run. After the run, I had to stop at Target for a few items and then went to get a mani/pedi. My feet were in worst shape this time - so the massage part of the pedicure was nice, but I think she may have tried to clean up some of my blisters too much so now every once in a while, I have some pain if something rubs against my feet ... we'll be watching that.

Then it was time to get ready ... I donned my ballgown, my boys donned their tuxes and we were off! The wedding was perhaps the most over-the-top affair I've ever attended. Three officiants, a wedding party of nine adults and seven children (one of which was of course our very adorable son.) The ceremony reflected Catholic and Jewish elements. I will say the chuppah was beautiful and I really enjoyed the Jewish elements of the ceremony (as they were the first time experiencing them in person.)

After the ceremony, we moved outside for pictures ... D abandoned me, so I was responsible for making sure our son behaved. My heels kept sinking into the grass, and it was hard for the seven kids to stay entertained ... so all the parents gave a collective cheer when we were told the kids were dismissed. K and I went upstairs to the veranda for the cocktail hour before the reception. K became a fan of orange juice and seltzer water over the weekend, since that tended to be what was ordered for him. It was fun to look at the array of people's attire. (Unfortunately, there were a few women who looked at least on the farer end of the range of 40 ... who's dresses were meant for people in their early 20's. Too short!)

Dinner arrived, and we enjoyed an heirloom tomato salad with watermelon, arugula, goat cheese and balsamic as our first course (made for me and K, really!) Second course for me was a miso-glazed sea bass with wasabi potato puree and asparagus. It was lovely - Daniel had the beef tenderloin, that wasn't as good my fish. They even served a gluten-free option for dessert ... which was a pleasant surprise and provided me my chocolate fix.

The best part of the evening though was when the dancing started, as they did begin with some of the traditional Jewish dances. It was fun to watch, and K really enjoyed it. D is not much of a dancer (at all) so he just wanted to sit back... Alas, it wasn't a surprise. But with K's yawns getting exponentially bigger, we knew we needed to exit the festivities. We got home a little after eleven. O was fast asleep, and my sister I think was a bit exhausted from watching him, too.

Of course, just because we all got home late, it didn't change the fact that O wakes up when he wakes up ... and so now ... trying to recoup from exhaustion.

Plates of Local Goodness

The third Saturday of the month always gives me a happy belly and a pleasant experience. I do love my wine club. Tonight's outing had us dining at a the Corner Table. One of their guiding principles is that nothing on the menu should travel more than a hundred miles to get to you mouth. have to love local fare. And it's a quaint little place that provides a good vibe. I must say, the Minnesota food scene is definitely a good one. So good that it received praise in the latest issue of Food and Wine magazine (which makes me a tad nervous ... because I don't want it to get any more competitive to get a table when I want to enjoy good eats.)

The Corner Table had a lot of buzz about it the last six months, because it went through new owners and a new chef. Well, they new owners and chef pledged to keep it close to the original experience, and just improve upon it. Our server enjoyed himself, and was extremely helpful, guiding us through the menu, suggesting wines and interjecting humor when appropriate. He suggested we enjoy some vinho verde on the hot summer evening. I will say it is the first time that we ordered bottles of wine, instead of each getting our own separate glasses, and the light, effervescent wine was a  lovely complement to the meal.

I started the evening with a trout terrine with a  house made créme fraîche on a cucumber salad:



It was amazingly fresh, which is just want I needed on the ridiculously hot night. I will say that i don't think it is for everyone though. You have to enjoy eating raw tuna, and also the consistency of it is sort of like pate. So if either of those two things don't float your boat ... I would recommend sticking to the greens. For this lady, however, I am fine with both of those things and it tasted like summer on a plate.

I followed my starter with the recommendation from the server and enjoyed the pan roasted duck breast, sunchoke 2 ways, radish with black currant jus:

The fat on the duck was crispy, crispy goodness. It was cooked to a medium rare perfection. I could have passed on the black currants in the jus and the peas sprinkled with it didn't add much ... but I could have eaten even more of the duck! There was this delicious earthy layer and a hint of smokiness that just brought me to a safe place as I enjoyed each bite.

To top of the evening for dessert, I had a panna cotta with blueberries and candied orange zest:

 Panna cotta is always the safe gluten-free dessert. I fear that this may be what I am relegated to everywhere. It was okay, but definitely not the highlight of the evening. I enjoyed the fresh blueberries, but could have had them hold the orange zest, it actually gave the dessert an extra layer of flavors that almost seemed metallic, instead of citrusy.

All, in all, I definitely want to come back and try their 5-course tasting menu with D ... not sure if I can convince him ... but I'll work on it!

Oh, the Blimey Dentist

I can understand why dentists have the highest suicide rates ... no one likes them (I mean c'mon ... really.) My dentist is a nice guy ... but I am grateful that if I'm lucky I don't see him more than twice a year.

Unfortunately, I have horrible, horrible teeth. I think part of it was that I don't remember my parents being diligent about me having to brush my teeth (I on the other hand am like a Tiger mom when it comes to ensuring my children brush their teeth.) And I feel like I will be paying for these horrible teeth for the rest of my life.

Today was one of those days. I had to have a cavity removed/filled. And of course, I had to run a few errands afterwards. What I hate most is doing errands after having dental work. I am super, super self-conscious of my numbed face and the fact that when I have to speak with someone else, I know I look like I am having a stroke. I could tell that at one errand, the woman really did want to ask me if I was having a stroke.

And to make things even better, at my last stop at Target ... of course I run into someone I know. (It's very rare one can make a trip at Target without running into someone you recognize.) And of course, by this point, I had thrown my hair into a sloppy ponytail and was sweating a river down my shirt. I was a hot mess, both literally and figuratively. But I put on my smile and made small talk for two minutes.

And now ... six hours later the Novocaine is just starting to wear off (which is even worse ... the tingling sensation is just horrible.) Man ... I'm going to go floss right now.

Hurts So Good, And Finally Finding a Dress

Acupressure may be my new favorite thing. Today I got a massage - from the same woman who gave me a massage on my birthday. I shared with her some areas of pain, and she took copious notes. And then I entered a very intense 90 minute session of massage and acupressure. Sometimes, the pressure was strong I wanted to cry (just a little) but I could always tell when she was hitting a pressure point that needed some serious release.

My illiotibial band has been really tight and causing me pain that radiated down my leg (in all honesty, I've had the pain for close to a year, and the severity ebbs and flows ... when I am active and working out it actually feels better.) I don't know what type of voodoo magic she performed ... but the pain is almost completely gone. Bless her, bless her. She confirmed that my decision to get massages quarterly is going to be one of the best decisions of my life. Now, I'm a little sore where I can tell my muscles got some serious work done ... but I'm feeling good overall. Have to love it when it hurts so good.

After the massage, I was back on the hunt for a dress to wear to the black-tie wedding we have in two weeks. I went to the place of doom: Mall of America. Seriously, I typically go to the MOA as few times a year as possible (once for holiday shopping and then only when I have to go to a specific store that is only located at the MOA.) First I stopped at Macy's ... horrible, horrible selection - it felt very rundown and dowdy. I quickly high-tailed it out.

Based on some co-workers suggestions, I next went to White House Black Market ... unfortunately, they didn't have any floor length formal dresses and I vowed that I was only going to shop for this formal dress.

Next I went to Nordstrom's -- and I think everyone else who was attending a wedding this summer was also there. First I tried on this silver dress that had feathers all over the skirt. I fell in love, but then took a realistic examination of the wedding and who my date is. Yeah ... D would not be a fan of the feathers. Then I tried on a cute pinky beige dress. I liked this one, too ... but it was a little too tight in the bodice (and I wasn't a fan of the huge price tag.) So, the third dress I tried on was this one ...

And it's the one. Of course, I tried on quite a few others, but in the end, I felt like this one made me feel like a princess, elegant and graceful. Now ... I just have to find the shoes and any accessories ...

Holiday with my Boys

The eve before returning to the work week is always about reflection and planning. Reflecting on if you got everything accomplished over the weekend that you planned, and planning for how to re-enter work mode. This transition gets even more difficult when it is not a typical weekend.

I've been on holiday with my boys since Wednesday. And due to our original holiday plans not panning out, it was a holiday of busyness, impromptu fun and lots of family time. We started out Tuesday night with a dance party and singalong. Oh. yes. we. did. My boys love to dance, and so we spent hours playing with spotify to find the best music that we could all shake to. Nothing like starting out your weekend with pure bliss and fun.

Wednesday was the Fourth, and so we were able to attend a family event at D's uncle and aunt's home. It was good catching up with everyone. They have a six-month old lab-doodle that the boys were in heaven chasing. Fortunately, the dog was very good with the boys, because they just wanted to spend every minute with him. The conversation was light, the food was good, and the pressure was low-key. I think because it wasn't at D's parents, D didn't feel like we needed to be the last one's to leave, so it gave us additional freedom to make it fit our schedules.

Thursday we decided to go to the Minnesota Zoo. Because we're members, we try to go at least three times a year. It was hard for me to believe that we've been so busy, that this was the first time we've made it this year. It was so unbelievably hot ... so we made sure we packed the boys swimming gear so that they could take advantage of the splash pad at the zoo, too. (But I have to say, I have never appreciated the mist showers they have sporadically placed outside, because K and I completely took advantage of those cooling mists every time we walked by.)

Currently at the zoo, they have a special dinosaur exhibit. You have to pay extra to walk through it ... and I have to admit, the sound of animatronic dinosaurs didn't thrill me ... but my boys are all about the dinosaurs.
Here are two that they were particularly fond of:

The guy above was K's personal favorite, because he would sporadically spit out a big stream of water at you (and there is another one hidden behind the portal that gets you as you walk through.) Seriously, I think K could have spent hours just hanging out by these two dinosaurs. I have to admit, I was impressed with the exhibit ... it was much better than I had anticipated, and the boys LOVED it (so that alone made it worth it.)

Friday, K and I ventured out in search of a black tie dress that I need to get for a wedding at the end of the month. This is seriously stressing me out - either things look too glitzy (aka prom leftovers) or far to matronly. You see, when your on the south end of your mid-thirties, finding something age appropriate is really, really difficult. Alas, the trip was not successful ... K and I enjoyed some together time, but the end goal was not achieved.

Saturday was the only day I didn't spend the majority of the time with my boys ... as I attended the shower for D's cousin (who is the bride at the black tie wedding.) I enjoyed conversing with D's family (and I definitely surveyed the group to find out what other people's dresses looked like!) I also gave D's grandma a ride home after the shower, so I got to have a nice conversation with her, too. (The only downer was that the shower lasted much longer than I had anticipated ... so it pretty much ate up my whole day.)

Today, D had a fantasy football draft, so I decided to take the boys out, so he could have some alone time. We made our way to the St. Paul's Farmers Market. We found some great veggies, an organic granola for K for cereal, some kettle corn (always a must for us) and the first sweet corn of the season. (We happened to get the very last of their supply.) We also met up with my sister and her daughter, which the boys loved. They enjoyed hanging out with their cousin and it was a good way to spend the late morning.

To cap off the weekend, I spent my afternoon taking a turn at making a gourmet cupcake creation. I made a light gluten-free chocolate cupcake with a salted caramel chocolate ganache filling and a caramel frosting. I have so much more appreciation for competitors on the Cupcake Wars. Making the cupcake wasn't too bad ... but seriously ... the whole creation took me at least three hours ... how they create these in their time limits ... amazing.

Now, it's time to unwind, relax and prep for going back to work. I enjoyed spending every day with my boys. K and O are too hilarious and fantastic boys. I am so lucky to be their mom!

Vacation: Plan B

Tonight I should be packing for a mini-vacation "up north." Alas, I am not. When we returned from our "supply" trip to Target (y'know, when you pick up all the essentials like gluten-free cookies, fruit snacks, pellegrino, etc. for your road-trip) we received a phone call from my mom.

"We're okay." She started the conversation. (In my head, my response was "well, of course you are ..." but I let her continue. Apparently, there was a big, huge, lots of trees falling down storm at the camping resort that they have a camper at (and where we were planning on heading on Wednesday.) The storm was so bad my parents have to get a new truck and boat, because their current truck and boat were casualties of some pretty fierce trees.

She ended by saying she'd let us know how the situation looked on Tuesday and if we should still plan on coming up. The verdict? They still don't have power, and don't plan to for at least two more days. The damage is so severe that it still looks like a "war zone." So, what that means is I now have a five days of vacation time and no structure. Of course, D knows that we'd better participate in some "vacation-like" activities over the next five days since I using actual vacation time.

We'll go to his family's barbecue tomorrow, so that was a pretty easy fill-in activity. And now I'll be able to attend a shower for his cousin ... which of course means I now have to go and find a shower gift ... last minute ... how I love that, but oh well.

At least I get to spend some quality time with my boys ... and now maybe I'll go get a pedicure this weekend ...

Hello, July!

I cannot belive it is already July 1. June went by faster than anticipated. Who has time to do everything they plan for in the summer? A couple things I want us to do: go the farmers' market more often, go to Stillwater and play at Teddy Bear Park and get an ice cream so it can melt down our chins, teach my son how to ride a bike without training wheels, enjoy the warmth of summer, eat hamburgers and corn on the cob with a good glass of wine (okay, that one is just me ...), explore all there is to explore in this great state during the summer. (Knowing full well, I'm an autumn girl and September is when I get really happy.)

It's hard sometimes being someone who likes to get out and do things when you're married to a homebody who likes to just sit about and read. Not that I'm complaining, but it definitely creates some moments of extreme disagreement in the household when a beautiful day awaits us. So, here's to today's adventure, whatever it might bring.