Family Summer Vacation 2009 - Longville, Minnesota

On Saturday morning we loaded the car, waved good-bye to the house and the puppy (who was watched by my friend S), and started our 8-hour drive to the most northern parts of Minnesota.
Longville - to be exact. "Camp o' My Dreams" to be even more specific. Below is the cabin that we shared with my mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, her husband and two kids.

The cabin and the lake were charming. The weather was gorgeous.

Here are a few landscape shots. As you can tell, I loved that dock. :)

I also loved the smell of the pine in the air, as well as the clear lake and water lilies.

Here are more views of the location.

Nephew caught a big fish...

I jogged to the nearby town (population 180)...

And I took bike rides and played with the niece...

Picture of myself and husband, who refuses to take normal pictures...

And here is my husband's "work of art", as he would describe his photography skills.

It was nice, and relaxing, and gorgeous. But it's also nice to be back home.

2009 Des Moines Arts Festival

I volunteered again at our city's arts festival. It attracts great artists from all around the country. This year, the art has been exceptionally impressive.Above is the view of the festival location.
I helped set up the booths for the artists. It wasn't open to the public till 4pm, so I got to see all the art without having to deal with crowds.
I also always meet very interesting people at these events. It's definitely worth doing every year.
There was so much different media of art there, from textile, woodworking, mixed media, oils, photography, sculpture, jewelery, etc. My heart aches to own a neat piece of art - and there were so many amazing pieces I wanted. Alas, I can't afford it. So I only admire it from the distance. :(
If you haven't been, I would recommend you go check it out. Next year, it is taking place on June 25-27. I plan on being there again. I have a blast every time.

Now I got to go prepare for the trip to Minnesota this weekend. I won't have internet access, so I won't blog until we get back on Tuesday. But I shall come back with lots of pictures and things to blog about. Yay!

Massage, sushi, and great company

I had a full body massage after work yesterday at the East Village Spa, courtesy of my friend BL.
It was heavenly. I may have to go back for some pedicures. Afterwards, I met up S and N at the Samurai Sushi place. (I know...more fish.) I almost chocked on one of them when the rice paper got stuck in my throat (from now on, I am eating sushimi only). Regardless, it was delicious. Here they are... S and N, respectively. I love these gals!
Afterwards, we went shopping at Old Navy for some cheap shorts (for my weekend trip to Minnesota), and then went to Culvers for dessert. Yum!
It was a gorgeous night. So glad we got to do this.
We are definitely doing it again soon.

PS - RIP Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

The Butt Dance

Watched "So You Think You Can Dance" tonight, and voted for the first time for Evan and Randi. Loved the choreography!

An evening with my clothes

Tonight I organized my husband's closet, put away our winter clothes, did a load of laundry, and ironed the night away (12 button-down shirts, 12 pairs of pants, 11 long-sleeved shirts, 1 vest, 1 dress, 2 t-shirts, 3 tank tops, and 3 pairs of shorts). I cannot put away clean laundry without making it wrinkle-free first. It's a time-consuming habit I inherited from my mother.
Four hours of my life spent on organizing and maintaining things we wear...

I think I might get mercury poisoning

I had fish for lunch and dinner yesterday...and today. Not entirely by choice.

You see, my best friend wanted us to meet for lunch at an Indian restaurant. Unfortunately, the road to the place was under construction, so I kept getting lost on the detour route. After finally getting to the place, I found S waiting in the parking lot for me. The restaurant was closed.

Since I had to get back to work, and the closest thing around was Burger King, that's where we went. I had a fish sandwich because that's the only thing I could get on the menu. There is S, feeling regretful about the meal. I swear, it had a billion calories. I am glad I worked out really hard beforehand.
While at work, I received a call from my doc about a 25 (OH) Vitamin D test they did on me. My levels are now optimal, 43 ng/mL, which is way up from the 20s range I had tested before. Yay!

After work, I met my husband and S to renew my cell phone contract and get a new phone. It's pretty nice - no extra frills or anything. I gave my old phone to S since hers broke.
After that, I met my friend BL at a local Japanese steak house for some sushi. (More fish... she picked the place, and I couldn't refuse since she was treating me to dinner). They had fish swimming around inside the restaurant. All that fish...
We ordered some good stuff. Miso soup and ginger salad were delicious. Sushi was great, except for this weird concoction. Don't remember what it was called, but it had the weirdest texture and the fishiest taste.
There is my friend BL. She got me a gift certificate to the East Village Spa. Awesome gift - can't wait to use it. I really do need a massage or a manicure or something. I look pretty rough. Nothing like my friend here, who is impeccably groomed.
We also had the most delicious cake at a nearby coffee shop. It was yummy. Mmm... I will have to go back for this. Some lady makes these at home and sells them through the coffee shop. I think I am going to find her and make her my personal cake chef. Yum!

What a busy weekend

Okay, so much happened since my last post, so I am going to be as concise as I can be.

Friday:
Took a day off to help parents with the garage sale. It was a gorgeous day and we made some money.
Afterwards, I felt inspired to organize and get rid of junk in our own home. Husband and I spent the evening organizing and cleaning out the storage in our basement. Most of the earned money went into buying plastic tubs.
Saturday:
Continued working at the garage sale. Here is a shot I made while driving to my parents house on Saturday morning. Pretty!In the evening, we went to visit our good friends A and G, and their baby B. They are expecting their second daughter in a couple of weeks. Baby B is so adorable!
Here is my husband holding her. It so suits him. :)
Here he is, grilling with G and Baby B.
Baby B is so independent, yet affectionate. She was a blast.
And here she is with her mommy. Baby #2 is on the way any day now.
Sunday:
My cousin and my sister came over. I made lunch. My cousin showed me photos of his latest international trip. I was jealous. We chilled out and watched the U.S. Open. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. We were all pretty tired.
I also received a really cool bag and a sweet card from my cousins in Canada for my birthday.
In the late afternoon, we went to grandparents-in-law's house. We played with the nephew and the niece.
I also received some sweet gifts from hubby's grandparents, uncle, and sister.
A decorative jar from my sister-in-law, $40 and a card from grandparents, and a Handi-Vac set and the Monty Python's Flying Circus calendar from uncle P.
Neat stuff! That was totally nice and unexpected.

P.S. I also wanted to once again wish my dad the happiest Father's Day. You are the best!