Something Creative » Out & About

Hooking Up With Gym

Nil17 — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:27:00 +0000

Last Friday I was invited to try out a Zumba class with my sister-in-law at her gym. She had recently joined & convinced me to take the free month she had to give away. I said okay & off we went on Friday morning. I had recently (within the last month) purchased some yoga pants & a tennis skirt (the skirt is frickin’ cute! Gray with pink accents & I like the little ball pocket…very hand for holding mom-type stuff) so I was excited to wear my new gear for more than just being Mom. The Zumba class was pretty fun for all that I was trying to figure out the moves, stay in-sync & not hurt myself.

With my trial membership activated I decided to go as much as possible during the month in hopes of getting into the habit of exercising every day. Not that chasing a 17 month old & carrying a baby aren’t exercise cuz believe me they are… but I need a formal program to get my butt into a better shape. So I’ve been to the gym twice more since Friday. Monday I did stair stepper, walked the track to cool down a bit, did the elliptical & then some free weights. Wednesday I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes on the treadmill (this included ACTUAL RUNNING—I blame the running on Shadow Gallery…their song Venom is in my workout mix & it just doesn’t work to walk to that song) & then 15-20 minutes of free weights. I woke up Thursday morning & my whole body hurt like hell…my muscles ached & I woke with a sore throat too.

I did force myself to go to the gym on Thursday night. I did some time on the elliptical and then went to the treadmill. I started out walking at a decent pace—no ambling, sight-seeing type walk. Then Disturbed came blasting through my headphones & off I went ~~running~~ jogging. I say running because it’s as close to running as I’m willing to get. Not only am I not in running shape (if I trip I’d roll like an ever growing snowball in a cartoon) but I’m not built for speed…In fact I don’t think there’s a sports bra in existence that would withstand the punishment I’d unleash on it.

Anyway, after my elliptical & treadmill I headed over to the free weights for some strength training. I did my usual lifts & then grabbed the small medicine ball for some oblique twists. As I finished with the oblique twists the guy that was working the desk walked by & we started chatting. He told me that I looked like I was killing it on the weights & twists. I was glad to get the positive feedback from a total stranger. Good to know that I don’t look like a total fool.

Friday I went to the main gym & Zumba’d with my sister-in-law Zia. It was a good time but I feel like I spend so much time trying to figure out the steps & keep pace while modifying some of the moves that I’m not getting as good of a workout. I was sweaty after the 45 minute class was done though so I may keep trying that class once a week.

This morning I only got in 15 minutes on the elliptical before I had to go as children/life butted in quite rudely. However, I pushed myself those 15 minutes & felt okay about it. Tomorrow was going to be a day of rest but now I’m thinking I may try to go just to keep the momentum going.

After the workout I did a little shopping in the afternoon. Well, mostly I returned a bunch of workout clothes I had purchased to try on. I kept one top & returned 3 pairs of pants. The biggest reason I returned the pants was I couldn’t decide which size to keep. Currently I’m in a size 18/20 but I tried on the 14/16 and while they are form-fitting they aren’t ridiculously tight. It’s been a long time since I could even think of trying on 14/16 pants so I decided to wait on purchasing anything and see where I am after the beginning of 2012. Especially since I’m participating in the 2011 Reverse Resolution Challenge over at Fit This, Girl…I am excited to see how I fare through the holiday season.

Today I had the wild idea of participating in the 2011 Jingle Bell 5k run/walk here in Sioux Falls. It is Friday, November 26th in the evening. I’ve done 2 5k run/walk events in the past (I walked both) & would like to do some again. What better time to start then while I’m working hard at working out?

I’ll keep you posted on what I decide to do…now I better go cuz Marit is missing her mommy.

Duluth!

Nil17 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:59:51 +0000

Wow I’ve been busy lately & haven’t made time to write (okay well write here…). Anyway, we took a trip to Duluth just before Halloween & it was so wonderful to see family. My bro-in-law was home on leave from Iraq & it was fantastic to see him. We spent a couple days with him and his family which felt “normal”. We used to spend so much time with Pete, Beck and the kids that not seeing them for months at a time feels unnatural. The Saturday we were up there we spent in Duluth walking in Canal Park along the lakewalk. It was a crisp, sunny fall day (temps were in the 50s) with a slight breeze coming off Lake Superior. We walked, watched the kids play, introduced Magnus to the Lake & watched a ship enter the port through the Aerial Lift Bridge. After we were all tired & chilly from our walk we headed over to Old Chicago for drinks & food. It was so nice to just be in that space. It made coming back “home” hard. I feel like I’m only living half of my life here. We go out sometimes & we see my family but a big piece of my heart still lives near Duluth. I was SO homesick for the sight of the tamaracks, golden in the dying light of fall and that expanse of blue water on blue sky… I took a lot of photos which I’ll share in a separate post. Time was too short of course but it was restorative to see everybody & introduce our little Marit to them. Magnus adored playing with his cousins & they all got lots of spoiling from Grandpa Bob & Grandma Trudy. We have lots of nice memories added to our older ones & they will be pulled out often as winter sets in…seven more months until Pete is back home safe & then we will celebrate!

Yep, I’m Still Around

Nil17 — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:46:30 +0000

Oh my goodness! It has been a busy week around here. Wednesday we made a trip to the clinic for Magnus who was feeling punky & out of sorts. Sure enough he has an ear infection so we got a ‘scrip called into the pharmacy & off we went. I decided to reward my little guy for being so good at the doctor with a quick trip to Starbucks. He loves their petite vanilla bean scones…plus mommy wanted some Passion Tea Lemonade. We were standing at the counter ordering when I felt a warm, wet liquid hit me. I look at Magnus, who is in my left arm, just in time to get hit with a second wave of him throwing up. Delightful…nothing like needing a change of clothes for two people & not having them. Needless to say we did a quick cleanup in the bathroom, grabbed hoodies from the Jeep so we could go home w/o wearing our icky clothes and forgot about the treat.

I did get to go out later that afternoon when Abe got home to finish running my errands. Abe was wonderful & kept both kids for the hour I was out. I hit Verizon for a portable wifi device & then Wal-mart for the antibiotics. There was a lot of standing in line which tested my patience. Walking to checkout I spied the women’s section & something in bright pink. A quick detour showed that yoga pants (the nice ones from Danskin) were not only in my size (I was hoping) but a very reasonable $12. I knew time was running short so into the self-check lane, a quick stop at Subway & off to home. Everything was well under control when I got home (much to my relief but not to my surprise). Marit was ready to eat so everybody had dinner & we vegged out on the couch. I tried on my new pants and after a ~~little~~ LOT of obsessing decided they don’t look awful & I can wear them in public w/o being openly ridiculed.

Wednesday night was not a good night. Magnus was up a lot with his ear ache & Marit decided she didn’t want to sleep her normal 4 hour cycles. Thursday dawn found me blearily dealing with diaper changes & finding all the stuff I needed to take along for a day at my sister-in-law’s house. Her usual daycare helper was gone so I went over to lend a hand with the 5 kids she watches. Add in my 2, her 1 & the one kid that comes after school is out & it was chaos. All of us were exhausted when we crashed at home later that night.

In the meantime (great, now that song is gonna be stuck in my head for the rest of the day…) I was listening to Falling Deeper by Anathema & trying to formulate a review for Dante’s Prog Blog Inferno. I was procrastinating as I much prefer to be the silent editor & gal Friday over there. However there was much insisting that I get with the program & just write already.

Friday morning I was able to sleep a little later & we had a nicely relaxed start to our day. Errands & browsing for home decor with my sister-in-law Jilli in the afternoon went fine & the kids were great. We ended the night with dinner out at Tinner’s (mmmm… egg & cheese burger), dessert at PeachWave (blueberry cheesecake fro-yo is teh nomz) & eventually home to tuck the kids in bed. I attempted to write my review that night but didn’t get more than the opening paragraph done.

We were out again on Saturday morning & moving considerably more slowly. Abe helped my brother & sister-in-law pick out doors for their basement which is slowly being finished. Then the guys went to unload the doors & do “man stuff” while we girls (Marit included) went to the giant craft show at the convention center. I popped Marit into her sling & into the hoard we went. There was a lot of nice stuff but I was mainly there to browse. I did find a very cute dress, knit hat & headband w/flowers for Marit in one of the doll clothes booths. I looked in some of the other booths for a Halloween costume but didn’t get anything. I may have to look again & get one of the fairy dresses…they are too cute for words.

After all our roaming about was done we spent the night in & relaxed. I finally managed to write my review & then it was bed where we all got a pretty decent night sleep. Today is football day & the Vikings haven’t totally fallen apart….yet. This week should be a quiet one though we are hoping for a visit from Grandma B. Hope you all have restful weekends & can face the week ready to tuck & roll as each day comes.

General Updates — Part 1

Nil17 — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:24:00 +0000

It’s been a long month…well July was anyway. We did some traveling, partied, sweated & spent a lot of time being sick. It was a busy month. It all started with a trip to the Cities (The Cities, for those of you who don’t live in Minnesota or surrounding states, refers to Minneapolis/St Paul) over the July 4th weekend.

We took off at a very decent hour on the Friday before July 4th & made great time. Magnus enjoyed the ride & took some decent sized naps which helped. As we were driving up Hwy 169 the sky to the west was very stormy & dark. We tracked parallel to the storm all the way up from Mankato. As we stopped for a quick bathroom break (that darn preggie bladder) I got a text message from my mom. All it said was, “The barn is gone but we are all fine”. Needless to say my stomach dropped out of me & I immediately sent a return text asking for a call ASAP. I tried every family member at least once in the next 1/2 hour. Finally I connected with my brother Rob who was on vacation in Wadena, MN. He had talked to my mom & my sister M. The news was sketchy but a tornado had touched down in my hometown area & the physical damage was extensive. No injuries were reported at that time & thankfully there were no injuries at all when all was said & done.

Anyway, we arrived in the Cities and were settled into Abe’s mom’s house in short order. We watched the storm roll in & the torrential downpour that followed. Magnus was undisturbed by the thunder & spent a lot of time trying to catch Grandma W’s new kitty. Soon we were joined by our sister-in-law Anne & her three kids (her husband was at Ft McCoy at the time). The cousins had a lot of fun playing at getting reacquainted.

Saturday found us getting up early so we could arrive at Como Zoo fairly early. It was hard work getting 6 adults & 5 kids (ages 5-3 1/2 months) ready & out the door. We got to Como & met another family with 5 kids (arranged by my MIL…) and everybody set off into the zoo. {I should mention at this point that we had never met the other family, it was the Saturday of Independence Day weekend & the state of Minnesota had shut down all government services so all the state parks, rest areas etc were closed.} Soon it became apparent that there was no realistic way to keep a group of nearly 20 people together. The older kids wanted to run in different directions, the crowd would inevitably part us & the little kids didn’t want to spend too long in one place. So we explored the zoo on our own (much to the dismay of my MIL…but then pretty much everything we did that weekend was met with disapproval…*sigh* such is life).

After finishing the tour of the zoo we all met back up at the main entrance & headed out toward the vehicles so we could get lunch. I will skip the lunch as it was barely above disaster & move right into the “surprise” birthday party for Magnus. My MIL had decided to throw a party for Magnus who had turned one the week before. She ~~neglected to~~ purposely didn’t tell me for some unknown reason…again I won’t go into it all here as there just isn’t enough paper to discuss the issues involved. Saturday was an exhausting day overall & we were looking forward to Sunday and the Erickson family picnic. I will include more on the rest of our weekend & month soon.

Arrowhead Park Visit

Nil17 — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:42:21 +0000

I took these photos on Father’s Day. We had taken a little jaunt to Arrowhead Park, which is near our house, for a walk. The waterfowl area is well-kept & fairly clean considering all the birds. The paths are perfect for strollers and easily navigated. We walked around the quarry & up to a beautifully shaded picnic area which includes modern restroom facilities. There is a barn from the 1880s that is being restored near the picnic area. It will be interesting to see what the barn will be used for once the restoration is complete.

Father’s Day Firsts

Nil17 — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:11:46 +0000

Some photos from Father’s Day (Abe’s first). We started the day with breakfast almost in bed. The guys came down just as I finished fixing the plates. After breakfast Abe did a little mowing (I’m sidelined from mowing again as our rider died). While Abe mowed, Magnus & I made a card. Magnus liked the feeling of the ink pads on his hands & feet…I was not as excited about trying to get the ink off. I had thought that it would wash off easily… I was wrong. However it is all gone now so all is good. After we showered we headed off to Arrowhead Park. We drive by the park every day but haven’t stopped so it was a good time to go. The main feature is a water fowl feeding area. I will share more photos of that in a later post. We had a nice walk and Magnus caught a little nap. We came home and had a quick lunch, watched movies and just relaxed. I made ribeyes on the grill for supper along with some steamed sweet corn. All in all it was a nice, relaxing day. Happy Father’s Day to Abe…you are so great with Magnus & he sure loves his Dad.

Clubbing with David

Nil17 — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:33:49 +0000

My brother R turned 27 this week. To celebrate, his wife invited a bunch of his friends & siblings to go out to dinner followed by dancing. Abe & I were glad to go out for dinner & Magnus is always enjoys checking out somewhere new.

We had a nice time at Granite City Brewery & after eating the votes were in to go out to Club David for dancing. As we had Magnus along we needed to make quick arrangements for a babysitter (a huge deal for me since we’ve never left him with one). R’s little boy had a sitter & she agreed to watch Magnus too. We dropped him off; after a quick feeding, diaper change & clean jammies…. He was playing quite happily with a pair of pacifiers when we snuck out the door.

SWEET FREEDOM!

As we drove toward the club we discussed ditching my brother to go see a movie in the theater or heading home for some uninterrupted sleep. Although we were tempted our Jeep was soon parked near the club. Walking along the sidewalk, Abe reached for my hand & laced his fingers through mine. It was the first time in 10 months there wasn’t a baby between us. We sauntered into the club, presented ID & met up with the rest of the party.

The music was pumpin’, videos playing on flat screens scattered throughout the room and lights flashing off the dark red walls. The décor was very nice. Beautiful dark red/maroon walls with clean white accents on the pillars & around the ceiling, random statues & framed photos of Michaelangelo’s David and strings of lights around the bar.

Other than our group of ten there were few people in Club David when we arrived. There were a couple of 60 something men sitting at the bar doing some serious drinking, a 50 something lady with crazy person hair (think electroshock) & bib overalls and a couple of girls in their mid to late 20s. A rather motley crew for a gay bar (or at least it used to be).

Drinks were ordered (a beer for Abe & a cranberry juice for me) and the few of us who like to dance hit the floor. R, my brother D & his wife Z and I were enjoying ourselves…in the groove and having a good time. As R cut loose on the floor two girls started dancing closer & closer to him. Pretty soon they were bumping & grinding on R…and his face showed more than a little dismay. He slipped away as graciously as possible & made a beeline for his wife who was standing on the edge of the dance floor. Meanwhile we kept dancing, chatting & having a good time.

Soon R was back on the floor with us & a Britney song was on… (sorry, bad pop culture reference). Not only did the two girls quickly join us but they wasted no time in once again getting all up in R’s business. This time one of them decided that a quick grope was in order. R jumped about a foot in the air, screeched in horror & RAN off the dance floor. I nearly collapsed I was laughing so hard. After his groping R would no longer dance unless his back was securely against the wall. Somehow the two girls didn’t get the message that R is quite happily taken (how they missed the wild & disturbing (to me) public displays of affection between R & J I will never know).

Anyway, the crowd was starting to grow & the people watching entertainment grew exponentially. A group of 3 men came in & grabbed a table in the back. There was nothing to call attention to them at first…then we noticed that one member was “Hipster Gay Man”. It wasn’t that he was gay but rather the tragically hip air & clothes that offended me. Classic dark hipster glasses, shirt & tie and the clincher—skinny white linen “man-pris” (you’ve probably never heard of them). No I’m not kidding…it was hilarious & sad all at the same time.

All in all it was an entertaining night out & one that we will hopefully repeat if we can find a babysitter.

Carnaval Birthday

Nil17 — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:51:22 +0000

Friday was my 35th birthday. I was not excited about the big day—okay that’s an understatement…I was prepared to avoid the day. Not because of the age I am—I like the idea of 35 & I feel like I’m growing into it with more grace than I thought I possessed. Anyway, I ended up having one of the best birthdays in recent memory.

My morning was low-key & filled with many birthday calls & messages. After a truly fun phone conversation with a friend I spent the afternoon playing with Magnus & then made a quick trip to Starbucks to meet my sister-in-law Jilli for coffee. Then home where we got ready to go out for dinner. Abe had gotten a gift card to a local restaurant & he saved it so we could have a night out on my birthday. As we were getting ready I sat down to nurse Magnus before we left when the dogs went nuts, barking & running around. I checked the front door to find my brother D standing on my front porch. He and his family had stopped by as a birthday surprise. Since we had reservations we invited D & Z along.

Our reservations were for Carnaval Brazilian Grill. This Brazilian steakhouse is a unique dining experience from the design of the building to the menu. We had heard some good things about the food & were excited to try something new.

The restaurant is spacious & the lighting is perfect for a quiet dinner for two (or more). Dining in the round is great for people watching as you can easily see more of the other patrons without having to be too obvious. This is especially true if you are lucky enough to reserve a booth along the wall. There is a small stage at one end of the main dining room where we were lucky enough to catch an acoustic guitar player that night.

We were seated & the very friendly staff helped us get situated with seats for the babies & menus. Our waiter was quick to get water for everyone & answered questions about wine. When he didn’t know something I asked he not only didn’t try to fake his way through but he went to find the answer. We didn’t spend much time perusing the menu as our objective was to partake of their signature specialty dishes.

Our Signature “Gaucho Meal” includes unlimited trips to the salad bar (hot & cold), and “Pao de Queijo” (CBG version of parmesan cheese bread stuffed with ground picanha) brought to you table-side. The selection of Churrasco roasted meats are served to you table-side straight from the churrasqueira skewer by our “Gauchos”; turn your wheel to red to signal you are finished or just taking a break, turn it to green to start again! (Coconut fried bananas are available by request and are prepared at the time of your order).

The menu has three versions of the Rodizio meal. They all include a great selection of top sirloin, parmesan chicken breast, flank steak & bacon-wrapped filet. This also includes truly delectable grilled pineapple with cinnamon. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It was a fantastic meal—the meat was all done to perfection, the salad bar was extensive with a variety of salad greens and other cold salads. The hot bar had a smaller selection but it was as well prepared as everything else.

Since it was my birthday I was given the choice of one of the superb looking desserts from the cart. I chose the fresh papaya ice cream. The staff gathered around our table & sang Happy Birthday in Portuguese and I blew out my candle that was on my ice cream. The ice cream was served in a martini glass & had a light drizzle of vanilla liqueur. After the steak, pork loin & chicken this was a light, refreshing conclusion to the meal.

We have talked about our night out with the whole family & have intentions to treat ourselves there again. Especially when we have friends/family visiting.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Nil17 — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:13:37 +0000

Well it is the first weekend in December & there is just a touch of snow on the ground here. The fields are still pretty bare though there are a couple inches of the white stuff in the yard. It has been cold here but we haven’t gotten the snows storms yet. I’m sure that will change with the coming of 2011…after all January & February can be fierce here on the prairie.

Thanksgiving was our first official holiday with Magnus. We traveled almost every day from Wednesday to Sunday. On Wednesday we drove to the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area (the Cities as they are known around here). We spent the night & Thanksgiving morning with Abe’s aunt & uncle. It was fantastic to see them & Magnus was his charming self.

Magnus & Great Aunt ML

Thanksgiving day we left the Cities & headed for Cloquet to see Aunt SA & other family. Magnus spent his first Thanksgiving (which was also his 5 month mark) riding in his car seat. He was rather non-plussed with the situation at times but overall was very good. He got to visit Uncle at the fire station & even got to sit in the heavy rescue truck. Then we drove over to Aunt SA’s house & introduced Magnus. It was SO good to see her & Magnus gave some excellent snuggles. In the evening it was back in the car & off to Grandma & Grandpa Erickson’s house. This was Magnus’ first time meeting them & there were many snuggles & giggles.

Sitting on the front of the ladder truck with Dad

Where's the keys for the heavy rescue truck?

Snuggling with Grandpa Bob

Cuddles with Grandma Trudy

Friday morning we took a quick trip to Minnestalgia Winery where we said hello to our friends & again showed off our sweetie baby. Magnus had no issue being held by all these new people & he kept his pleasant disposition in spite of having a very nasty cold. Then Friday afternoon evening was spent with the Erickson aunts, uncles & cousins. There was lots of food (all very tasty), wine & of course everybody chatting. We had originally planned on traveling back to the Cities on Friday night to stay with Abe’s mom but due to both of my guys having such bad colds I made the Mommy/Wifey decision to stay put for one night so they could get some extra rest.

Talking & laughing with Aunt SA

The cousins: A (5), E (2) & Magnus (5 months)

A serious discussion with cousin A

Thanksgiving Pimp

Saturday we were up at the crack of dawn (okay it was still pretty dark…I was up before the sun which is rare) to pack the Jeep & get ready to head south again. We got to Grandma & Grandpa Wolf’s about noon (Grandpa Bob wouldn’t let us leave without having some of his tasty pancakes first). After a quick lunch Abe went to work (he had a few little pieces of trim to put on in the living room) while Magnus & I napped. I won’t talk about Saturday evening other than to say from there on my weekend went to hell on a greased pole. Even thinking about it now sets my blood to boiling…it doesn’t help that the offending persons don’t seem to care. Needless to say I was ready to head home but first we had to get through Sunday.

In the morning Abe & I went to Wolf’s church for a pancake breakfast. We left Magnus at the house….this was a HUGE deal for me. Fortunately we were only gone about 30 minutes. I was relieved to see that the house wasn’t burned down or anything like that. We had a wonderfully prepared lunch in celebration of Abe’s 35th birthday (which was Monday the 29th) & shortly thereafter we packed up & headed for home.

Overall it was so amazing to see family & introduce Magnus around. We miss the northlanders & seeing them as often as we did. I have many pictures of Magnus with them so he will be able to see how much fun we all had.

Falls Park

Nil17 — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 03:39:42 +0000

We spent a little while in Falls Park in Sioux Falls over the weekend. Here are some of the photos that I took. It was cool but so nice to be outside enjoying the last of the nice weather before winter arrives.