ND Girls Weekend

The last time the ladies had one of these was two years ago, and I was just shy enough not to go on the trip. I've been regretting it ever since, and we finally planned another. What a blast!!

We decided on Billings, MT because it is fairly close (4 hours), there is more shopping there than Bismarck, and there was a Color Me Rad 5K happening there this past weekend. We did the run on Saturday morning (after staying up WAY too late the night before). The run was so much fun; clouds of color everywhere. Hop on over to Clare's blog for more pictures of the actual run.

Shopping, food, and lots and lots of visiting completed the weekend.

Lorina, Clare, Margaret, Alanna (Williston), Jessica, Kath (W), and Lori

At Red Robin for a late dinner

And more food- Panda Express before heading home on Sunday

Each and every person commented on how truly fun the weekend was. I agree. We really solidified our friendships, and they feel even more like the "family" they are- we are all on this ND adventure together. I cannot wait until next time!

P.S. Maybe you noticed, maybe not, but Mark and I are having another baby in February. He or she really enjoyed the weekend too, kicking and rolling anytime I was still. :)

Perfect for a park

Julia, Jocelyn, Clare, Margaret, and Alanna

It was the perfect day for a park visit with our Williston friends. As both congregations grow, it's fun to get together and meet new friends and reconnect with old ones. 

I've been thinking of my northern MN family and friends today after the big fire.  Hope all are doing well!

Dear friends

I miss these ladies when I'm out in North Dakota.

Congrats to the one on the right who is newly engaged; I'm so happy for her and her fiance (my cousin)!

Friends!

Kayla and Sara K came to visit! I really loved having them here. I think Mark did too, as they did all his dishes.

How pretty are these hollyhocks? What an awesome way to dress up a boring alleyway.

Lorina had the ladies over for a fire. It was fun, and we stayed until after 1 (very late for me these days).

Melissa, Clare, Lorina

Lana, Jen, Jane

Sara, me, Kayla

On Saturday, I took the girls up to Williston.

The trip isn't complete without a stop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Even though it rained, we got to see the awesomeness of it.

Lowell S was in our state for services, so we went in Williston on Saturday night. There were about 50 people there, including kids (and my mom!). Sunday, church was in Dickinson, and there were about 75 people! Us ladies (thanks for your help, girls!) made lunch, and everything went well (enough food, meeting place was big enough, etc).

More ladies time

to come- R ladies weekend! We are going to a cabin in northern MN for a weekend of crafting. It will be a grand time.

Next week is my scheduled move to ND. Mark got a new job (yay!), and is training until next Friday, so I'll help hang out with Joce until then.

Duluth and a deer

We've been trying to do a girls weekend in Duluth for a while, and it finally worked out! Annika, Sara, Karen and I had so much fun chatting, laughing, and chatting some more. Being up there brought back good memories of Duluth Kyds Weekends past.

Friday night we had supper at Green Mill, then walked around down by the canal. Picture credits go to Karen.

Saturday was spend driving around and enjoying the AMAZING fall colors. We went over the Seven Bridges (there are actually 8), hiked around some, then drove up the North Shore.


We ate pie at Betty's Pies, and watched rock climbers at Palisades Head. I found some coffee cups at a flea market, and some fabric at a darling fabric store. I can't wait to figure out what to make with it.

However, I'm not an old married lady yet- I can still jump up and click my heels :)


I'm so glad this trip happened! Thanks to Sara for hosting it and driving us around! I got some good girl time in before the move to ND, which will hopefully happen before November.

To end the perfect weekend, my husband came to visit me. And then he went bow hunting with Brian L and got a doe! He was so excited about the whole thing, I didn't even mind him being gone for 8+ hours. We thought he wouldn't get any hunting in this year, so it was pretty neat that he went AND got something.

While he was gone, I got to visit with Annie J and Leah, old roommates of mine. I love when relationships don't change. Like Leah said, it feels like we're still roomies when we're together.

I said good-bye to Mark this morning, but I get to see him again in 3 days. Three days is nothing to us! I'm hitching a ride out to the ND services, so it'll be a chance for me to visit Mark in his place and meet the other couples out there. Should be fun!

Goodbyes

2 girls arrived Monday, we all went out for yogurt, then 3 left Tuesday.

The week rushed by with a whoosh, it's Saturday, and time to say goodbye to 2 girls.

We made Sarah quick sit up from her nap on the floor for this picture...

It's been so much fun getting to know new people, and having old friends visit. We have three days of quiet until 3 more girls arrive from MI on Weds.

I only have 5 days left of work, then a whole 6 days to enjoy AZ to the fullest before I go back to MN.

One day before One PM

We got up early, early to hitch a ride to Echo Canyon with An on her way to work. Up we climbed...

Then down Camelback, and back up. A little bit sunnier on the top this time.

It's tourist time in AZ, so it was a good thing we climbed when we did. Going back down Echo was crowded!

Next, we ran to catch our bus, then made it to the transit station. We got more $ from the bank and waited for our next bus. Jane taught us coolio tricks with the bus fare- $1.75.

Soooo hungry. We walked to NYPD pizza for lunch, and took some pics in front of the strip malls down the street.

Typical sister stuff.

After we scarfed our pizza, we decided to check out the huge culvert under our road. It was creepy, and we only dared go in a little way before hurrying back out. It would actually be an ideal place for the homeless to congregate (unless it rains).

Huh. Good to know.

Spoooooky. So dark, and weird lumps on the ground.

Kayla and I have a fascination with silhouette pictures. I think we took one on our Mississippi River Mini-cation last year....

Then it was out to the pool for their last day in the sun. Cor was already settled in on her lawn chair, with some heat rash protection.

Kayla-bayla.

After a while, we get tired of laying there. Monopoly Deal is the current IN game. We've played multiple times here, and it's always fun. Try it!!

It's been an awesome day, and I will be sad to see these girls leave tomorrow morning. But only about 2 weeks until I join them back in MN. And until then, we've got more guests to hang with (two girls from MI: Tessa A and Hannah K) :)

The company came

Thus far, we've done quite a bit with the two girls who are here.

Heidi and I went to a SF Giants vs CO Rockies spring training game at the new stadium here. We got lawn seats, which were actually pretty nice as far as view and crowds go. It was a HOT day, and we got very sunburned. We hung out by the Rockies bullpen and got free balls from their pitching coach.


An took us to her favorite store- Buffalo Exchange. I love it now too! It's a great mix of vintage and current previously owned clothes. Lots of funky styles.



We went shopping at other stores too. I got a new dress, which I can't wait to wear. Christina, me, and Heidi chillin' in the back seat.

Volleyball! We actually had 3 on 3 (instead of our usual 2 on 2). It felt just like summer during our game.

Out for coffee late at night. Tina being her usual BA self. Haha.

Looking forward to more good times with another girl arriving today, and two more tomorrow.

Just because we're not home doesn't mean we're not having a big dinner

We are! Ok, so we only bought part of a turkey, but we have a lot of other food too; squash, mashed potatoes, salad, green beans, cranberries, bread, pumpkin pie and ice cream. Yum. Can't wait to eat.

I called my mom yesterday and got a little sad about not being home for the holiday. Viv was chatting away in the background whilst stealing candy from the cupboard. She has Grandma (and Grandpa) wrapped around her little fingers. Christmas isn't that far away though, and I'll be home before I know it.

What I am thankful for:

-food
-family
-friends
-faith
-MRK
-shelter
-laughter
-the opportunity to be here in AZ!

A day off = shopping with An

Work is... going to consume my life until I leave for home on December 21ish.

Except today. My boss called just before I left and said I didn't need to come in. Whoo-hoo! An and I drank coffee then went shopping; Trader Joes first, and the (outdoor) mall next. I bought my first Christmas gift. It feels good to get that started!

I've been slightly boycotting the Christmas spirit, but at the mall today, there were carols blasting over the speakers and wreaths, lights, and trees everywhere. After a bit, it broke through my grouchiness. I'm starting to feel it... the excitement of the season!

NICE

Such a nice day today!!! Cor and I laid out on a blanket and napped, and we both got sunburned. Crazy that it's still March and so beautiful.

Now I'm just sitting here wishing the week would go faster. Kind of experiencing weekend let-down. After a wonderfully fun SLW, on Sunday a bunch of us went mudding. Out by Lehto's there is a big swamp, and the shore of it was a mudhole. Grease got his truck stuck right away, so the rest of the afternoon was spent trying to get it out (eventually they went for the tractor). Meanwhile, us girls had mud fights, push fights, ate mud, and laughed and laughed. Time just flew by. I love those kind of days.

I know this weekend will be almost as fun. Steph is coming down, and she is so much fun to be around.

This is from two weeks ago, the Sunday at the guys house:

Kurt just had to get involved in our jumping pics :)

A day out

I came around to the fact that spring is here, and now I'm excited about it! I've been rockin' my mud boots (more about them in a post yet to come), and my coat that is newish from last year :)
Kayla, Cor and I headed out one day last week to the Institute of Arts. I love that everytime I go there I see something new. The purpose of our trip was to look at the painting I chose for Art In Bloom. Art in Bloom is a show held at the Institute every year where florists choose a painting and make a fresh arrangement to go with it. I went to see it last year, and it was amazing! I decided to participate this year, and picked this Van Gogh painting...

I haven't decided exactly what I'm using yet, but probably some curly willow to emulate the trees. Lynda suggested mums because they have a similar look to the brush strokes, and I like her idea. We'll see how it turns out. The show is at the end of April. I get one free valet parking pass during that weekend, so if anyone wants to come, look me up!

After the art museum, we drove around looking for fun. We found some in just hanging out together, and then at Solos for dinner. It was a great day out!

Din Din

The progressive dinner was just as much fun as I thought it would be. Actually, more!
Cor and I hung out in the kitchen, chatting and chopping food, before the guests arrived at our place, and that set the tone for the evening... Lots of girl talk and laughter.

Our apartment hosted appetizers, with help from Kendra and Meghan.
Some of our food...

Hanging out, chatting, deciding what to text a guy...

Group pic! 26 girls total.

The main meal (yummy tacos) was hosted by the Greenfield gals.

Dessert was at the Daav-Honk townhome, with help from Rita and Anna. Amy even made gluten-free brownies for me, so sweet of her!

Stripes....

The Daav girls taught us an exciting new game that they learned from their grandma :) Two teams, sitting across the room from each other, with two chairs in the middle, facing each other. A blanket is held up in the middle, and then dropped, and the two girls (opposite teams) on the chairs try to be the first to say the name of the other. Whoever wins takes the loser onto her team.

Both teams were trying all sorts of tricks, covering their faces, flashing, bunching up around the girl on their chair...

Classic mid-name shout.

Ahhhh. Can hardly wait until next year's dinner. The guys were really hoping to be invited to this one, but maybe we could do one in the summer with them.

Girls Annual Progressive Dinner

It's tonight.... Can't wait!
It's our third year doing this, and there has always been good food and lots of laughs.
The first year we went all out with places for everyone to sit, and napkins and REAL silverware (we even bought more knives for the occasion) for all. Last year we had an Italian theme. This year is more relaxed. Just three courses and yummy food.
I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

Girl Time

Joce, Claire, and I introduced our sister-in-law Brittany and her daughter Mya to the Mall of America. None of us bought much, but we still enjoyed our time together.

We kept Mya Mouse happy in her stroller...
Sistas!!!

We all decided to save our change jars for what is going to be an annual trip to the mall after Christmas.

Girls Xmas Party

This is a flash-back to last year (haha) and the city girls Christmas party. I kept forgetting to blog about it.

Becky vs. Erin in a quick thinking game.
Merry Christmas from Apt 109!

There were 35 girls total there. It was hosted by the Greenfield apartment gals, in their unreal new party room.

It was nice to get all the girls together for a good time, because we don't always hang out, especially in the winter when everyone halfways hibernates.