We're almost half way to goal!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Don't forget we're doing the Walk for the Animals on May 5.  Thanks to some of you we've almost gotten to the halfway point of our goal.  Please consider a donation to help us reach our goal and help some cute furkids.

Click on the link below to donate (tax deductible!):  Walk for the Animals

The pups thank you!

Mad Men!!

Finally!!  Its been almost 18 months since we saw a new episode of Mad Men!  And it was soooooo good. Who's still singing "Zou Bisou Bisou"??  If you want to hear it - click here (warning - it will be stuck in your head):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnatBlYTq1c.

Jax Cafe' in NE Minneapolis hosted a Mad Men premiere party last night - I think this was their 3rd year hosting?  Jake Rudh, a local DJ who looks the Mad Men part, hosted the event.   There were so many amazing outfits!  OMG it was total eye candy.  Minneapolis knows how to wear vintage!  There were even a few classic cars parked out front.  Jax set up some vintage "sets" for photo ops (those pics will probably be up on the internet at some point - I'll post the link when they are).  We were served vintage drinks and a 60's style dinner (caesar salad, a choice of chicken kiev and rice pilaf, steak and baked potato, salmon with creamed spinach, or pasta and of course pineapple upside down cake for dessert).  There were playboy bunnies serving drinks and a big band playing oldies.

Cannot wait til next year!  Let's hope it doesn't take 18 months.  Here are some pics from the night:

It was hard picking a dress.... 

 Went for the red flowers!

Thank you Brittany for Betty Draper-ing my hair!

 

Gimlet please.

Jake Rudh - we had good seats - we watched Mad Men on that giant screen behind him.

 Thank you Julie Abnet for getting us hooked on Mad Men.

Vic Volaire and his orchestra.

The following pics are courtesy of the very talented Julie Abnet:

I loved their dresses.  Ok I loved everyone's dresses....

Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce!

Yep, it could have been 1965.

Birthday Week winding down

I had a small get together last night with a few friends to celebrate my birthday.   Here are a few pics -

I think my hubby is pretty cute....

Thank you to my rockstar neighbor Andi for making my cakes!  They were both delish!

Stay tuned tomorrow for pics of tonight's Mad Men premiere party!

Travail: work especially of a painful or laborious nature

I wouldn't say our experience last night was painful but it was certainly laborious - in a good way.....

I'm sure many of you saw me tweaking out on Facebook last night about our dinner at Travail.  I'm telling everyone I know to go there (its in Robbinsdale just off of 100 and 42nd)!  I've never tasted such amazing food.  There were moans and groans and four letter words coming out of our mouths.  Lots of eyes rolling in the back of the head. So awesome.  Its a small place and when we got there at 615 there was an hour wait (they'd just opened at 5).  We finally sat down about 730.  It was so worth the wait!  On Tuesdays and Wednesdays the "date night" special is a 10 course tasting menu for $65.  Plenty for 2 people - in fact even Julie was eating off our plates so plenty for even almost 3 people!  Their is an open kitchen so you can see the chefs making your food and then the chef brings it out to tell you what it is. So while I can't remember everything (seriously - there were like 3 or 4 starters, 5 meats, and 2 desserts and a soup and palate cleansers in between!) we ate here are a few pics:

These are the scallops served with edamame, mushrooms and radishes.  I'm not even going to try to describe all the ingredients or the flavors because words cannot do it justice.

Steak course with more mushrooms.  The meat courses we got were scallops, monkfish, lamb, pork and steak.  Yes I ate lamb and I liked it.  

This was a palate cleanser - remember dippin' dots from the Mall?  Yeah they make some kick ass dippin' dots - these were key lime pie flavored.

This is beef carpaccio - I tried it but I can't quite do the taste of raw meat so I let Lucas and Julie finish this off.  The homemade crackers were pretty good though. 

 Here we are making our own creme' fraiche dippin' dots!  Yep we dropped the batter into liquid nitrogen which turned them into little ice pellets basically.

And this was our finished product!  Along with chocolate cake, mango "fruit roll up", candied macadamia nuts and chocolate.  

I didn't get pics of 2 of my favorite things!!  There was a potato leek soup with pork belly served with mussels.  OMG - I died and went to heaven eating that soup!  I have no words.

Secondly one of the pasta courses - OMG again - the pasta was like a ravioli but it was stuffed some with lovely lemony buttery goodness and served with jalapeno foam - yes FOAM.  Like I said - there are no words.  You just need to go.  Go. Go. Go.  Hurry. :)  

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/140019913.html

Birthday Week Begins

So today is my last day in my 20's.  Don't worry - I'm not having a crisis.  Everyone I know over the age of 30 tells me their 30's are wayyyy better than their 20's.   I welcome my 30's!

What did I accomplish in my 20's?
* Graduated college
* Moved to Minneapolis
* Got married
* Had 4 canine children
* Bought a house
* Traveled to Hawaii, New Orleans, San Diego, Lake Tahoe, and Denver
* Lost 80 lbs

What do I want to accomplish in my 30's?
* Sell our house
*Simplify our life (smaller house, live closer to work, have less "stuff")
* Travel to Europe (my friends are waiting!)
*Support Lucas in his dream to have his own custom furniture shop
*Slow down and enjoy my 30's

I started off the birthday week of festivities on Friday - my coworkers trashed - I mean decorated - my cubicle and we shared treats.  Then we headed to Rochester.  My parents (and extended family) threw me a party.  I got gift cards, a Nook (that I have to figure out how to use), and a new watch.  Here are a few pics:

My cousin made these little bibs for the pups.

The cake

My new watch from mom and dad.

Tomorrow on my actual birthday I had planned to drop Chuck off at the vet for her teeth cleaning and then run a few errands.  Lucas surprised me by taking the day off too so we're going to drop Chuck off at the vet and have breakfast at The Lowry.  Then we'll go run my quick errands and maybe do a little shopping before we pick up Chuck with her sparkly teeth.  :)

Stay tuned for posts this week including a birthday dinner at Trevail on Tuesday, another birthday party Saturday and a Mad Men party on Sunday at Jax Cafe in NE.  I took next Monday off to recover.  :)

And I forgot to mention one of the great gifts from this weekend - the weather!  80's in MN in March?  Whoa.  

Skipping Spring?

Look at that forecast!  80 degrees on Monday AND I have the day off.  Happy Birthday to me.

Struttin' for the Mutts

Lucas and I signed up for the 2012 Humane Society Walk for the Animals being held on 5/5/12.  To donate please click on this link:  http://events.animalhumanesociety.org/site/TR/Walk/General?team_id=12570&pg=team&fr_id=1180#.T1gqHD0Cic8.facebook

Thank you to everyone who donates!  We so appreciate it!  And to celebrate here are pics of the mutts:

Day 30

Day 30 — Your favorite nail polish.

Essie, duh!  I have quite a few colors.  Some of my faves:

Jamaica Me Crazy

Mochachino

Crab Bake

Wrapped in Rubies

Dive Bar

Can't wait for some of the new summer colors coming out!  

Day 29

Day 29 — Photo of a makeup look you would love to try out.

I'm going to be trying out a 30's look for our next mystery party.  My inspiration is Reese Witherspoon in Like Water For Elephants.

Day 28

Day 28 — Top beauty item you can't live without.

Ohh that's a hard one.  I would probably say my Urban Decay Primer Potion.  Love that stuff!

Day 27

Day 27 — Your favorite skin care product.

I don't have a favorite - I use lots of different things because I've never found a favorite.  I do use the same thing to wash my face every night - good old Dove soap.  :)

Do you have a favorite skin care product?

Day 26

Day 26 — An Item from your wishlist

A Sephora gift card - then I can go splurge on the expensive make up I otherwise feel guilty getting!