I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?

Are you there friends? It’s me, Jennifer. Remember me? I’m the one who had a bit of a breakdown last month…but I’m back.

Today began just like any other day.

There’s a scene in The Office where Robert California asks Erin to explain her morning to him. She starts by saying “Well, I woke up, and -” to which he replies “Erin, when you recount your day, never say you woke up. That’s a waste of your time. That’s how every day is begun for everyone since the dawn of man.” Enlightened, she says, “Very smart. Very Smart! … Suddenly, I was awake.”

Suddenly, I was awake. I ate my Pumpkin Spice waffles, pulled together an outfit for a fashion show viewing this evening, dragged my body to my car to follow (mindlessly) the windy roads to work. I made my rounds, updated the ERP system, and read through several taxing emails. The lunch bell rang and a sigh of relief inadvertently escaped me.

Just as I was routinely uncapping the steam-filled Tupperware for my Monday lunch, I noticed two visitors at the table next to me. After a brief introduction (artists (friends of my parents) from California who had been performing in MN over the weekend), one of the singers dove off into a pool of Creedence Clearwater Revival that instantly changed the pace of my day. He crooned out a couple of Vietnamese songs intermittent with funny (albeit foreign to me) banter. He capped the performance with a rendition of “Let it Be,” which always sends pangs to my heart, no matter the circumstance. There is something so sweet and tragic about this song that brings tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat, every.single.time. And the whole lunch room singing along? Guhhhhh.

While we’re on the subject, I thought you should know that I hope that song is played at my funeral. Morbid, but I’m a planner.

Perhaps it was more bittersweet that a blind man was singing this, especially the line “I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me…” because I can easily picture him waking to and breathing music all of the time. I can’t help but feel a little bad for people who have a handicap, even though I am sure they are in no need of my sympathy. This man is 32 years old, an accomplished musician who gets to travel and do what he loves, not to mention that his guitar skills are fascinating. And maybe if it was not for his blindness, he wouldn’t be so in tune to his tunes. Everything for a reason, right? 

"Someone told me long ago - there's a calm before the storm. I know, it's been comin' for some time. When it's over, so they say, it'll rain a sunny day. I know, shinin' down like water. I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain? I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain...comin' down on a sunny day?"

Anyway, this is the merriest of Mondays for his visit alone. It makes you stop and think and really hear the music.

Merry Monday

Hello you guys. It’s been a while since I’ve had something to write, and mostly because life is carrying on as usual and it’s harder to find inspiration in things when you’re busy keeping up with everything else. Last week I got sick and it has permeated into this week, so my head has been a little cloudy too. One thing is for sure, I’ve definitely been feeling the Mondays for the past few weeks and they are no fun. So, back to the Merry Monday side of things, where I drum up things that make my day happier and less like the programmed-ick-day that Monday can often be. 


We’ll make it through somehow: 
1. Today is the first day of ½ Marathon training for me. I like beginnings and challenges, so this is good motivation to kick myself into gear. I’ve been admittedly lazy these past two weeks. 
2. Fleurs. Last Friday, my manfriend brought flowers to my work as a surprise. They are in full bloom now and smell so beautiful! 
3. The Hunger Games. I get to read Catching Fire today and I cannot wait because I’ve had to wait a whole DAY between Book 1 and 2! 

{My favorite kind of flower}

{The boyfriend made a Jennifer-friendly light pulley}

{My puppy and her cutie feets}

So I have all of those things waiting for me when the day at work ends. A workout, some flowers, and a book that will keep me awake too long. What are you looking forward to today?

Merry...Tuesday?

Ah, the week has begun. I intended to post yesterday but work got in the way and I had to skip my breaks. So here I am, after a long day of audit torture.

But back to the good stuff, le weekend. Friday was spent at the bowling alley. My back was aching and my finger was crying over a wide papercut, so I didn't feel like bowling. But then I decided to stop being a poor sport (and an old lady) and look, I had fun. We ended up on my sister's couch watching lots of tv shows (how typical).

Saturday started out extremely lazy. Then I went for a 3.8-mile run with my sister along the Mississippi River. And once again, I was lazy and didn’t want to go and had to be dragged out there and was happier for it. Moral of the story is stop being lazy and complaining about everything!?!? Hmf. Saturday continued on and le boyfriend and I went shopping (nothing to show for it) and to dinner at W.A. Frost, which was yummy. Then we hopped from here to there and celebrated another birthday. I swear there is a birthday practically every weekend! I guess it makes sense since there are only 52 weekends in a year and there are many people in this world who have been born...

Anyway, Sunday was breakfast, lazing, hoopin’ it up at the nearby basketball court, dinner, then watching Night at the Museum. I would say this was my most laid-back and lazy weekend yet. It’s a nice change to not know what you’re doing until the day you’re actually doing it. It doesn’t happen that often in my book. And now, let’s try to get through this week, shall we?

How I Shall Survive:

1. Audits. Zero fun but there for a reason. We’ll only be better because of it. (And have to do a crap ton of work but whatever). I gotta think of the big picture here.

2. MSP Fashion Week. That’s right. A low-key, smaller-scale fantastic week of style events and sales. I plan on going to a trunk show and maybe some kind of designer showcase. We’ll see.

3. Concerts. I have a concert to look forward to at the end of the week. Then I have eight more planned for the future…oops!

And lastly:

Happy [Belated] Birthday to Mr. Kevin!

Kevin is my brother-in-law who is ultra-nice and will do a lot of considerate things for people. He livens up my work day by being hilarious. He knows how to make you feel as though you’ve done a great job at anything, even if my cooking does suck. He’s a great guy to my sister, and that’s the number one thing I look for in someone who is married to my sister. Go figure. Happy birthday Schmevin!

Merry Monday

Hello dearies! It's been probably over a month since I last wrote this installment since there were so many other things happening on Monday, like the day off of work for Christmas, the day off of work for the New Year and although I was working, MLK Jr. Day and Lunar New Year warranted other thoughts.

Now I am finally back to being at work on a regular, old Monday. Cue the trumpets! Wahoooie! It's 100% a Monday at work too. This weekend was fun and fast, as usual. I spent Friday celebrating Laura's birthday in Uptown (it was such a college reunion!), Saturday I attended the boyfran's high school alumni basketball game and we celebrated three years of going steady with a tarte from Chez Arnaud, a dinner at Rudy's Redeye Grill, a viewing of Super 8, and a night out with his friends who were in town. 

Sunday was a day of volunteering (you can read all about it here) and then I went and cuddled with my nephews for a couple of hours. Then, I saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and was blown away. You can also read about that movie here. All in all, a good weekend.

This month has been one of the best, with so many activities and what I feel are accomplishments. I planned to run 25 miles this month and am at 22 so far. I wanted to see at least three movies and I've seen 4x that amount. I did really well on my resolution chart in terms of the weekly and monthly goals, and not so well on the daily goals.

This is what I'm looking forward to and what will give me energy today:

1. My coworker comes back tomorrow. I'm trying to finish a lot of her stuff I was filling in for, so this day will be busy, busy.

2. Book club is tomorrow and I'm excited to see everyone. (Not as excited to see all of their tans from their January vacations, snots!)

3. Next weekend one of my favorite comedians (Chris Barnes) is coming to town and I'm definitely going to see him.

The days are long, but the years are short. This one is already flying by! I hope you have a great Monday! 

Merry Monday

{Catching snow / Creating / Oddly sitting}

Weekends come and weekends go, and they're always filled to the brim with good stuff. This weekend started off hanging out in the hospital with the new baby nephew, some birthday shenanigans, breakfast at Grandview, crafting, another birthday outing, photos, and hanging out with the fam (of course with new baby). I realized how close Christmas really was, and maybe started to panic a little. It's not that I have gifts to still procure or make, but there are Christmas cards that haven't been sent out, baking and packing to do before the weekend, all on top of some other obligations.

{Unintentional Christmas colors / Holiday brews}

So let's keep sane in this home stretch until Christmas! Oh pretty please!

{Two hats / Sheet music / Playing}

Today I am le thankful for:

1. Family. New babies have a way of bringing people together. Yeay!

2. Friends and their friends and their families. It's pretty cool when you have fun hanging out with your friend's boyfriend's sister and her friend. 

3. A short week. I can't wait for Christmas!!

Unfortunately, when my holiday cards were all ready to go, I forgot my stamps at home and am now at work. Rats and a half! I'm also planning on taking a page or two out of the blog Life's Simple Measures for holiday baking recipes. Can't wait to test my terrible hand at these.

Are you scrambling this week? Whatever you're doing, I hope it's a good one.

Merry Monday

Hello frannns! This morning was a little rough, even though I forced myself to bed last night at 10pm due to a severe migraine. Let me tell you, 10pm bedtime never happens with me, so I was hurtin' something fierce. This morning I was all achey too, but then my coworker gave me some medicine and it's getting better.

So here I am. The weekend was pretty low-key. I went to a Friday night yoga class, woke up early Saturday for a half day of work, then headed over to my sister's house to craft until I couldn't craft anymore. This crafting sesh was also filled with attempts of dougie-ing, too many desserts, YouTube videos and scary stories I couldn't handle. I finally finished  making my Christmas and Hannukah cards though, so that felt awesome. I finished working on some Christmas gifts as well. But now, I must write out all of these cards and while I definitely enjoy writing to people, it's going to take a block of time to get these out. 

Sunday the fam celebrated my parents' birthdays with Banh Xeo Brunch and playing on the lake behind our house. Then I headed over to boyfran's brothers to do some man-crafting. You know, ditching the pretty paper, brads and tape runners for drills, scrap wood and tape measurers. We made one of our two giant hockey nets for future broomball on the lake. I had never really played with a drill before or built anything that didn't come in a set in a box, so this was pretty fun.

Now, onto Monday and what is getting me through the day:

1. Hydration. Must. Fix. Headache.

2. Crafting. I'm on a craft-kick, if you couldn't tell.

3. Book Club. We're having a little gift exchange tomorrow with our discussion of a holiday-themed book. Yippee!

That's all. 13 days until Christmas, ahh!

Merry Monday

Oopsies, I'm a little behind on this one. Today was overcast with blah, so maybe that will be my excuse! 


I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over, but...the weekend FLEW by and was FULL of FUN stuff. Sound familiar? Thought so.

Dinner at The Depot, an absolutely spectacular Beirut show at First Ave. (plus I saw a long-lost friend there), No Coast Craft-o-Rama, Mapps chai latte, two days of crafting at my sister's house (I made 38 cards and prepared parts of my Christmas cards, whew!) and a hot yoga class were the highlights of my weekend.

And then…today happened. Nothing catastrophic, obviously. Just a sort of overall blahishness resulting from a domino-effect of small annoyances.

I just watched the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy (yes, I do still watch it), and the episode was about thinking you have it bad but not realizing that you should be thankful that worse things aren’t happening. It’s not meant to discredit small problems, because when you feel like crap, you feel like crap, but know that it could be much, much worse. The narration in the show talks about thinking your day is bad, but when the really, really bad stuff happens, you only WISH your problems were an IRS audit or fender bender. So there’s that.

Also,

That’s all for today. I made a dent in my winter to-do list this weekend. Yeeay!

Merry Monday

Happy Monday! (Is that an oxymoron? Heh.) Unlike about 78.1% of my weekends, this one seemed to last forever, in a very, very good way. Thanksgiving started perfectly with a Turkey Day 5k (an easy-breezy-fun-run), Friday was a very long day at work (mainly because I was thinking about the people who weren’t at work), but I ended it with a couple of games of pool and Big Buck Hunter (yep) in Uptown. 

Saturday was the loveliest day of all! It started out with a breakfast at Grandview Grill (my new favorite breakfast joint) to reunite with my friends from high school. Then my sister and I headed over to the new Anthropologie on Grand and did a bit of damage. Afterwards, we had dinner at Punch Pizza (also a favorite spot) before buying macarons at Surdyk’s (sub-par) and heading to First Ave. to catch The Pines and Mason Jennings. Mason was amazing, as always. He played a good mix of songs from his latest album, Minnesota, some from the album before that, and some from the 7 albums before that. He threw in a couple of covers too, which I was all for. After the show, we headed a block or two over to Kieran’s to meet my friend David who I studied with in Hong Kong three long years ago. And you know, I might have stayed up until 4am getting beat at card games. 

Sunday I headed to the mall with some girlies to do a bit of birthday shopping (thanks family for having holiday birthdays) and then bolted out of there to go to yet another Thanksgiving dinner, complete with cribbage and football.

Okay, so you might not care about the ins and outs of my weekend, but when I write about what I did, it not only serves as a little bit of a record, but also a moment at least to reflect on it and appreciate it before moving on. Sooner or later though, I’m going to be reflecting on something a minute or two after it happens…hmm…

Anyway, I’m super glad I had a couple of reunions this past weekend and can’t wait to have more over Christmas! But for now, it’s Monday, there’s a LOT to do this week at work (not so much socially), and I am, as usual, tired. 

What should I think about today?

1. Cyber Monday. Some might say I like to dabble in shopping. 

2. Running. I did surprisingly well at both Thanksgiving dinners, only eating one plate, minimal desert, and barely anything else those days. Still, I feel a bit guilty and am going to go running after work.

3. Connecting. Sometimes when I have reunions, I get addicted to the idea of them. Especially because David wants to go to Toronto together to visit all of our HK friends. So now I'm thinking about every possible reunion I can muster up.

Was your weekend long or short? Was it hard getting up for work today? (Yes over here!) Anyway, I hope your Monday is super-cali-frag-i-listic! 

Merry Monday

Ahh, this weekend was so full of activity that I can barely stay awake today. I guess I still need to master the art of sleeping with my eyes open at work. Heehee.

Friday was the boyfran’s birthday celebration, Saturday was dinner downtown and the Jerry Seinfeld show, and Sunday rounded it out with dinner (also downtown) and the Mat Kearney concert. I feel like I was either running around or laying on the couch watching reruns of 30 Rock. (So excited for its return!)

How am I going to get through today?

1. Being productive: I have a lot of work to do today and by golly, I am doing it.

2. Short work week: Only three days! Then a day off! Then back to work for a day! Then two off!

3. Thanksgiving: I’m going to teach some of my family (the willing and eager ones) a fun card game I played all Saturday night after the show. Plus, it’s le B-I-L’s birthday celebration so that will be fun too.

That’s all I can muster up right now. My other b-l-o-g is getting a makeover as we speak, so that’s kind of exciting too. 

Merry Monday [Work Edition]

Doesn't it sometimes feel like we go through the week to get to the weekend, only to have it flash by us and drop us at the door of Monday again? Rinse and repeat?

Well that has happened once again and my friends, we're back at day 1 of the work week. I spilled coffee on my boots, had to lug ten-thousand things to work and got here late. But once I got here, everything turned around.

So now I'm a happy Monday Camper, or Mamper:

1. Just kidding I don't like the world Mamper.

2. More time. I found out a HUGE audit at work has been postponed from the end of November to the beginning of January. Having an extra month to work is EPIC, and this time we won't procrastinate, but keep at our schedule like our audit is still early.

3. Coworker morale boosts. Last week my coworker told me I'd be good at a new lead position I will be transitioning into because I'm intelligent and people value what I have to say. That made me really happy, because it's easy to feel exactly the opposite.

4. Enjoying work and the people who surround you. Most of us spend at least 40 hours of our week at work. It helps to enjoy the tasks you're involved in and the company you keep. I used to not care about being friends with people at work...(sounds mean, I know) but then I realized I will see these people the most out of anyone I know so I might as well like them!

5. Noah and the Whale. Even though I'm a little peeved with them, I am excited to hear them tonight. They were pretty-darn-good at Lollapalooza last summer and I'd like to see what the show is like when I'm not sweating in blaring sun and fearing skin-sizzle.

I hope your Mondays are equally good or better! It can be hard to get up and do it all over again, but when you actually want to, it's a nice change of pace.

Merry Monday

Hey youuu guyyyyyys. That time of week has come once again, dreaded Monday. This monday is UBER exciting because I have an appointment, have to renew my library card to get my book club's book, then...drumroll, please...not one, not-a two, but three cavity fillings! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! 

But the weekend was great and relaxing and there's another one coming up in four days. So there's that.

Things to make me happy:

1. My room is finally clean-ish. It's taken some time and a lot of work, but the end result is a lot less stressful than the beginning one was.

2. Giving. I, along with many of you readers, attended a benefit breakfast on Saturday and donated to a worthy cause. More on this later.

3. Not going out. I didn't really "go out" either Friday or Saturday, and it felt a lot healthier, a lot less tiring, and maybe less fun, but it was good nonetheless.

Does anyone have ideas on how to seize the day? I am seriously struggling this November 7th. 

Merry Monday

Bonjour mes amis! It's been almost two weeks now, and I am happy to be back and ready to post again. I had a bit of a cold that I contracted from the plane ride home that had me out of commission for a few days. While I have not fully recovered, I finally have enough energy to write again, so here goes.

The weekend was brief, as usual, but much needed rest was had and that's all I could ask for. A trip to the apple orchard to pick pumpkins, Home Run Derby in le boyfran's brother's gigantic yard, a dinner honoring the passing of my grandpa, a night out with good friends (and polka music!), a Dora-themed birthday party, shopping, a stop at a friend's house, and finally pumpkin carving, burgers, and haunted tv shows filled my weekend up. Doesn't sound like I got any rest, eh? Well I did!

Here's what I'm grateful for:

1. Rest! On Friday night, despite the temptations of meeting friends for drinks or playing Yahtzee with another group of friends, I finally decided to stay in. This meant tv shows, unpacking my suitcase (long overdue), and an 11pm bedtime.

2. Family. My grandpa passed away 11 years ago and every year we honor him by coming together as a family for a meal, burning incense, and giving offerings at the shrine in my grandma's house. I also went to my cousin's fourth birthday party, and spent time with boyfran's family on both Saturday and Sunday. 

3. Pumpkins. I picked out a 27-lb. pumpkin while boyfran found a 35er. We, of course, picked them from the furthest patch and had to haul them around a bit. We gutted them. We carved them. We're going to bake those seeds to perfection! I didn't think I really liked the whole pumpkin-carving-mess, but it was fun and gooey. Also, I'm allergic to them (go figure) so I had to wear gloves, but my arms still got itchy. Blech. Anyway, the smell of pumpkin wafting around in the air was a nice touch to Sunday night.

And here is a tiny glimpse of my Paris trip, which I'll post about soonish.

Merry Monday

Today is a very happy Monday and I have little to no reason to feel bad about it being a Monday!

Why am I le happy?

1. Planning for vacation. It's sometimes tough to get all the work back-ups, ideas and packing worked out for vacation, but I must say, it is one of the best "problems" to have. C'mon, I know you've groaned about packing before. 

2. Halloween on the horizon. I'm already missing my boyfran after just three days apart. Since his favorite holiday is Halloween, I went to his apartment and left candies and caramels and cider and spooky things for a surprise. Surprise!

3. Dressing up. Zombie Pub Crawl makeup felt disgusting, but it's fun to dress up as something you are not. It's one of the only times you get to step out of your shoes and be not-yourself.

What's making you smile this Monday? 

PS: I'm going to be on hiatus for at least a week for this:

That is all.

Merry Monday

This past weekend was chock-full of activity and so I'm hanging on to the moments of the weekend a bit before I move on with the present. Cooking dinner with my boyfriend, hanging out at a going-away party, watching (and biking along) the TC 10k, sticking around for the TC 5k, attending a Rustic Harvest Fest (bluegrass fundraiser for Second Harvest), playing Yahtzee all night with friends, fervently cheering for the TC Marathoners, going for a warm boat ride despite it being the beginning of October, and finally watching Hot Tub Time Machine*, made this weekend a great one.

But alas, it is Monday and the start of a new week of spreadsheets, documents, production lists, and meetings. I have a feeling though, that this week is going to fly by because I have something planned every night of the week, weekend, and then I'm off to vacation. 

This is what I'm looking forward to:

1. Bush and Chevelle concert. I've loved the band Bush for a long, long time and to finally see them live is exciting! I saw Gavin Rossdale before when he fronted Institute, but it wasn't the same. He did sing Glycerine though as the encore. And he did sign a poster for me. And he did take a picture with me. And he did HUG me. And he did hang out with me behind what was then the Quest Club. I'm not bragging. [Yes I am]

2. Massage. I've been sitting crumpled in my work chair for months and months and lifting things at work and aching throughout. Time to fix 'er up!

3. MN Fashion Week events with friends. I pored over the articles and videos about NY Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, it's time to indulge in style in my own town. Oh, and I wrote about it here.

4. Grouplove concert. I first saw them at Lollapalooza in August and their energy was insane! Hopefully they've got some new songs up their sleeves since they are headlining.

5. Movie. Since my book club ladies aren't going to go see it, I'm going to see The Help with at least one of them. 

6. Boyfran. Boyfran is going up North and coming back the day I leave for a trip. Then he goes on another trip a week after I get back. Fooey! So I'm going to hang out with him as much as I can.

7. Birthday. I think my friend is doing something for her birthday, in which case I will join.

8. Head and Heart with Thao concert. OMG! I can't wait. H&H is one of the only albums I listen to thoroughly and know almost every word of every song, just from listening and not from practicing with lyrics in front of me like I've done in the past.

9. Zombie Pub Crawl. Braiiiins.

10. I don't have a tenth thing, but I can't have a list of nine.

*Hot Tub Time Machine is one of those movies that surprises you by how good it is compared to what it first seemed. (Among the ranks of The Girl Next Door and Easy A). 

Merry Monday (Elements Edition)

Last night I got home so late from being up North* that I didn't even have time to experience my usual 'Sunday Blues.' (Yay to that!) Instead I ate my really late dinner and watched the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy that I missed last week. Then I stayed up too late. Then I woke up too late. Then I didn't feel like being at work and attributed it to the fact that it's a Monday (and not to the fact that I stayed up late).

I stay cheerful by thinking of:

1. Earth. I mean this in the dirt/ground sort of way. Hiking through the woods allowed me to see various trees with roots that tangled through the ground. It was also splendid to see the moss and mushrooms and everything thriving in the forest. It felt a little bit like a Disney movie.
2. Water. Drinking it, kayaking in it, watching it flow, and being surrounded by it. Water is mysterious and magical and I’m not even kidding when I say that. (Lake Superior is SO COOL).
3. Fire. With it being so cold this weekend, the fire kept us warm and happy. It’s pretty astonishing how it fades and grows with slight adjustments, and how it allows us to cook food and boil water too.

I feel as though having a great weekend makes the most out of the time off of work, but it also makes the return to work that much harder. Oh well. Work hard, play hard. 

*Trip details to follow.

Merry Monday

Today is much different than last Monday! I love how things can turn around and be totally different from one day to another. (As long as it’s for the better). Since today is actually a merry Monday, it’s easy for me to take a minute to appreciate a few things.

Here they are:

1. Pho. My mom made homemade Pho, which is Vietnamese noodle soup for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying it. It’s particularly good to have when the weather is cold. It’s a little harder to eat when you’re in Vietnam in 90 degree weather with intense humidity, but still good. 

2. TV Shows. TV is back! Thank goodness for sitcoms and dramas and fewer reality TV shows. I love when all of my favorite shows come back for the fall. Situations have changed, characters and their hairstyles have morphed (eew Parenthood what were you thinking?), and it’s the beginning of a 20-something run of new episodes. I don’t mind being rather consumed by tv. (Oh and the Emmys were on last night to celebrate TV too).

3. The Fall. I can’t get over how much I love this season and everything about it. Yesterday I went with my mom and nephew to the Moon Festival at the Landmark Center which celebrates the autumn and Asian culture. It was rainy and cloudy out and to me, perfect!

What are you enjoying this Monday morning?

Tuesday Bluesday

Yesterday was definitely MONDAY. So much a Monday that I couldn’t even bring myself to the computer. Usually I get a little mopey on Sunday nights because the whole weekend is over and it’s time to hunker down. I also get mopey after being part of a wedding. When you’re part of a wedding, you get to attend the rehearsal dinner, be part of final preparations, get ready for the wedding, stand up in the ceremony, have fun at the dinner, and go crazy after dinner. Then you spend even more time with everyone when you go to the gift opening the next day. After that, the couple flies off to their honeymoon, the out-of-towners head home, and you’re left feeling mopey and you miss the big group you’ve been a part of for the last three days in a row. So that is where I am right now.

Plus it seems that everywhere I turn, I hear of a relationship crumbling. So that has added to the feeling of absolute ick.

But some things keep me afloat:

1.     Mason Jennings. Sunday night I attended his in-store performance at Electric Fetus in Minneapolis. While I was not that close to the stage, it made it so I was first in line for the meet and greet. I had a little conversation with him, shook his hand, got an autograph and photo, not to mention his new album Minnesota that dropped today. He is amazing.
2.     Book club. I really missed the mark on this one. I forgot I had a book club book to read this month (maybe I’ll attribute it to the fact I was busy with wedding stuff). Yet, it was still nice to spend time with friends after a long day at work.
3.     Healing. Sunday marked the tenth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy. It’s hard to watch all of the footage again and to hear stories of loss, but it’s uplifting (and heartbreaking) to hear the stories of healing and moving forward. What gives me hope is when people come together and are there for each other. I can’t imagine what it would be like to know or be someone so directly affected by it all; I feel lucky to have been where I was and to be a part of this country. I really do love the US.

So even though I’m still moping around I know it’s not not what I should be doing, these things give my mood a little boost.

Merry Monday - Labor Day Edition

Being that today is a holiday, this version of Merry Monday isn't as legitimate. I slept nine hours last night, I don't have to go to work today, the sun is shining, the weather is cool, and my only obligation is a Twins game in this gorgeous weather.

Still, there are a few things that make today one of the best:
1. Sleeping in. Almost everyone I know has a routine of when they go to bed and when they wake up. Mine is pretty erratic but the one thing that is somewhat regular is that I sleep fewer hours than I think I should. So when I don't really have to pay attention to any alarm clocks, external or internal, it's bliss.
2. Drinking coffee through a straw. Even though it's about 60 degrees outside (yeay!), I'm still enjoying iced coffee...through a straw.
3. Easy communication. Text messages rule.

That's it for today. Here's a little lyric from Vampire Weekend in spirit of labor:

"We only work to live. Until we live to work." I hope you have some kind of happy medium in your life.

Enjoy your labor day and celebrate what it means to you. Whether it's all of the people who have come before us who worked hard to provide infrastructure, freedoms, and convenience, or if it's about the end of summer, the start of something new, or the last day of the State Fair - celebrate it.

Merry Monday

Mondays are tough. The lovely, fleeting weekend is over and now we’ve got a whole five days until the next. There’s a reason that our coworkers so sweetly observe that “someone has a case of the Mondays.” In order to tip the scale in favor of happiness, I’m going to start posting three things that I am grateful for, that make me happy, or that make me realize that Mondays aren’t so bad after all. Plus, this can add a bit of regularity to my posts. (I know they’re a bit sporadic*).

To start:

1. Feeling sore after a good work out. Yesterday I participated in the Columbia Muddy Buddy event at Afton**. It may have been the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself and today I’ve got sore muscles to show for it. It’s a good sort of pain though. 

2. Cool temperatures. This morning the grass was dewy, the sun was shining, and there was a light, cool breeze. I definitely drove with the windows down.

3. Puppy noses. This morning I couldn’t find dear Lily, until I spotted a little nose sticking out from underneath the bed. She was hiding from one of fifty things she’s afraid of…cutest thing ever!

This sort of reminds me of 1000 Awesome Things, where Neil Pasricha celebrates the small joys in life (like pressing an elevator button and having the door open immediately).

*I like the word sporadic.

**More on this a different day, when more energy is available.

What gets you through Monday? Whatever it is, I hope it gets your week off to a great start!