Well, it's been too long since I last posted. Life has been pretty busy around here. Work has been non-stop since we've been short-handed as everyone takes their vacations. But, overall, I haven't got much to complain about. This post may be a little long, though. So, buckle up.
First things first. Over the 4th of July weekend, Geoff and I decided to take an extra day and headed down to the cities on the Thursday afternoon before the 4th. We piled the pups into the Optima and loaded the bike rack on the back, checked the weather forecast and ventured out.
Thursday was a hot, hot day up in these parts, so we were glad to have the air conditioning in the car. Although at the rate the dogs were panting in the back seat, you'd think we were in a sweat lodge. We made it to the hotel around 5. We unloaded the car and crated the dogs back in the hotel room and investigated places to go for dinner. On Yelp we found a rotisserie grill called "Brasa." It was this delicious, outdoor, organic restaurant. All the food comes a la cart...and we ordered way too much. Including Crispy Yucca with Citrus and Garlic, Fried Plantains, Cornbread, a Spicy Masa Corn Cake (so good). I got the rotisserie chicken and Geoff got a slow roasted pork sandwich. We couldn't finish it all, but it was fantastic.
Friday morning we got up and checked the forecast. We were in for another hot, muggy day so we decided to stick to indoor activities. We went to the Mall of America and did some retail therapy. We picked up a gift for the baby and a whole slew of games for ourselves at the games store. In the evening we went bowling at the bowling alley on the 4th floor (and ate more delicious - if not too much - food). The bowling alley was a blast and I even beat Geoff at one of our two games!
Saturday the weather finally calmed down and we were in for a beautiful, sunny day in the mid 80s. So, we broke out the bikes and went out to bike a portion of the Grand Rounds Bike Path. It's a loop that goes all the way around Minneapolis. We started out by biking along the river to Minnehaha Falls. We then biked north up along the Mississippi into downtown Minneapolis. We stopped for Thai food at lunch then biked across town to the sculpture gardens. It also happened to be the first Saturday of the month, so the modern art museum across the street from the gardens was free. The air conditioning was a welcome treat.
After the gardens, we biked backed to the car down the Chain of Lakes (three lakes in a row). It was a cool stretch to bike...but we (I) was getting pretty exhausted at that point. We'd been biking for about 4 hours and 25 miles. My 5 and 1/2 month pregnant body was feeling it!
After some good rest on Saturday night, Sunday rolled around. We decided to pretend like it wasn't Sunday ;) and went mini-golfing (I beat Geoff by a single stroke!) and to Ikea. We picked up some things for the baby's room. At this point we decided that rather than try to drive back to Fargo on the 4th of July, we'd drive back that day. So we checked out the hotel and head home. We got home around 7pm and decided to sneak in Transformers 3 before the day ended.
Monday we had booked a tee-time to go golfing a a 3-par course in Detroit Lakes and planned to go tubing down the Otter Tail River. However, I wasn't feeling up to more sun and was feeling kind of overexerted from the previous (super fun) days. So, we ended up staying home and getting life back to normal. We went to shoot fireworks with friends in the evening, but a storm and tornado warnings put an early end to that (we went out the next night and shot them all off). It was a wonderful weekend together.
This past weekend, I decided I wanted to paint the baby's nursery. I've still got enough energy to undertake such a project, so I wanted to get it done before I get too pregnant. I showed Geoff my top three baby-bedding ideas (I'm planning to sew the bumper cover and bed skirt myself) and he helped me zero in on our favorite. That led us to choosing the paint colors - sky blue and chocolate brown.
Saturday morning I dragged Geoff out of bed around 8am to go pick up all the supplies. When we were getting ready to head home and get started, he got a call from someone who wanted to test drive the Mercedes (they bought it!!). So, while he went out a met the guy, I started taping off the room. When Geoff got home I had just finished and was ready for him to help me put a level line across the room to divide the blue area from the brown. The pictures don't really show the previous color very well. It was a green. Kind of an olivey-green. Not terrible...just not what I wanted. Below, see the patient, prepped for surgery.
Then he went to work on some homework while I painted the blue.
While the blue dried, I went out and bought another paint tray (the one thing I forgot when picking up supplies). Then we ate dinner while waiting for the paint to dry. Once the blue was dry, I re-taped so we could do the brown. Geoff helped me paint the first coat of brown and then got called away (by his brother) so I finished up the second coat.
And voila! Painted nursery! It was a really fun project and I enjoyed the opportunity to do something for Baby.
And, lest anyone is concerned about me painting, I wore a dust mask and read plenty about whether it was safe to paint (with latex paint in a well ventilated room) and was assured all was well.
I leave this week for a business trip. I get to see Stephanie - one of my best friends from Utah - while I'm out there, so that should be a great treat!
I can't wait to see what you do when the late pregnancy nesting kicks in. GO AMANDA!
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