At 5053

We're Moving!

2011-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Not out of our house! This blog is moving over to www.janelletubbs.com/at5053. Make sure to update your bookmarks and come check us out. This will be the last post here on blogspot. Thanks!!!

Clean Closet.

2011-02-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

I've been working in our larger closet this week. On Monday, I patched some of the rough spots on the north and west walls (Why? Because the dressers are really hard to move out of there.).

Then Tuesday, I started painting by trimming around the woodwork. I had a gallon of gray before the gray (yes, that's a Jersey Shore reference) that I used it in the living room before I repainted it a new better gray that was less blue.

Wednesday, I rolled 2 walls and half the ceiling.

Friday, Josh helped me move the taller dresser out of the room and the larger one over to the side of the room I had already painted.

Yesterday I started patching the south and east walls. This was more intense.

There were some cracks in the plaster, so I cut them wider and filled them back in with drywall spackle. There was also a water damaged spot above the window. Apparently we didn't have flashing around the base of our chimney. We have some now, thanks to the mason that rebuilt our chimney last fall. Saturday night, I applied another coat, so it could dry overnight.

Then, this morning, I was determined to finish this and get our closet back to normal. I sanded the spackle down smooth, washed the walls and painted. Here you can really see the difference. Pretty good for my first time I think!

And the final shot, with everything back in place. I'm glad I was able to use that paint, and now I'm getting closer to checking one more item off the project list.

Getting Caulk-y

2011-02-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Josh spend some quality time in the kitchen working on the caulking. It's part of my Winter Projects List (here), and it's been bothering us for awhile.

We got gray-colored caulk to match the grout from the Tile Shop. It looks grainy, just like the grout and it worked wonderfully in the corners where it was difficult to get the grout in the small gap. We also used it to seal the space between the back splash and the counter-top.

The problem was that the caulk cracked in the space between the back splash and the counter-top. I think it was because the wood pulled to much moisture out of it. We decided to rip out the caulk and find a new solution.

With a caulk removing tool we purchased during our Big Weekend two weeks ago when Menards was closing, Josh ripped out the bulk of the old caulk. Then, I came through with a chisel to remove what was left and Josh sanded the residue away. We're not sure what we'll do to seal it, but at least we have it cleaned up and ready to go!

Sledding

2011-02-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

Ryan Sledding from jvtubbs on Vimeo.

This was Ryan going down the hill. Only he and Christine were able to make it to the hill with us, but it was a BLAST. Then we warmed up at our house with spicy hot chocolate, while others trickled in.

Haircut.

2011-02-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

Click the picture to see the before.

London, England

2011-02-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

is where we're headed on vacation!

We're so excited to finally plan a big trip! I booked our flight and hotel today for the week before Easter. Since we're novice international explorers, we decided for our first time it would be best if there wasn't a language barrier. We also chose London because there are so many things to keep us busy. The only excursion we'll plan is to Stonehenge, otherwise we'll just get a travel card (good for buses and the tube) and do our own exploring. We don't like being tied down by structured groups, and only seeing the tourist sights. I'm glad we only have to wait 8 weeks!

Let us know if you have any advice in the comments!

Photo from London Met

Big Weekend

2011-02-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

We spent Friday night clearing out Lucy's room (the other bedroom that she stays in during the day) and repairing cracks in there and the bathroom.

Then Saturday we went up to the Golden Valley Menards. Everyday on my way to work their flashing sign has been "Store Closing, Everything __% off". I told Josh about it and we decided to check it out. Saturday was the first day of 40% off everything in the store. Everything was pretty picked over, but we managed to pick up bug repellant, seam roller, wallpaper adhesive activator and knife for wallpapering (when I get around to it in my office), more Restor-a-Finish for the woodwork, and a Handy Paint Pail.

We also snagged almost all the new gutter supplies that we need at 50% off! It was interesting trying to fit 16' long pieces in our car and driving home. Josh was super excited about these...our gutters have huge rusty hole in them.

That's the Handy Paint Pail. It's pretty handy.

Then Saturday afternoon we painted Lucy's room a light teal color and the bathroom a minty color. Doing pretty good on the list huh?

2010 Photobook

2011-01-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

One more thing I can check off the ol' list. Each year, Josh and I have been compiling our favorite photographs of the year into books. Our First one from 2007 was a collection from the wedding. 2008 and 2009 were mostly California adventures and this last year was a lot of house projects.

We have tons of pictures but we narrow them down to fit in about 30 pages, and everything gets labeled. It's nice to flip through and see some of the highlights from each year.

Privacy Please!

2011-01-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I drove down to Clarks Grove to learn to sew. Shelby was home for the weekend and has a machine that I could use. She showed me how to use it and I made these panels for our side door. I got the fabric from IKEA and we had some brackets attached to the woodwork by our french doors in back that we that we repurposed to hang them.

This is the look from the outside. We're glad to have some privacy. You can also see that new lock we installed, I don't think we ever took a final picture of that. Apparently the door used to be yellow (wish it still was!).

Winter Projects Update

2011-01-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

We are on a roll with these projects. Josh usually takes the week between Christmas and the New Year off (use it or lose it by Dec 31), so during that time he got some things done around the house including a couple things off the list.

First, he was able to bring our closet light fixture into Michael's for repair. Left you can see it dangling on the day we moved in. I know right, six months to get that squared away. When the bulb finally burnt out, we knew we didn't have anymore excuses. Michael's is a great little shop on Xerxes and 50th that sells lamps and repairs both lamps and light fixtures. For $35 they rewired and soldered it back together, and we love keeping original details in our house!

Secondly, Josh got our doorbell in working order. The chime has been up for a while with wires attached down to the basement where our transformer is, but everything wasn't connected and our new button hadn't been installed. We were finally able to take the "please knock, doorbell not working" sign off our front door.

Then this weekend we started tackling two items off the list simultaneously—removing paint, and restoring the woodwork ~~downstairs~~ on the stairs. We are using Goof Off to remove unwanted paint and Restor-a-Finish in dark oak to bring it back to life.

We've only tackled the bottom step (I just wanted to try the Restor-a-Finish so bad!), so we have quite a ways to go (on the stairs alone), but we'll post updates as we go.

Items listed...

2011-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

I got one more small thing crossed off my list! I just finished posting all my miscellaneous items on eBay including a lock and knob that I ordered for the side door before changing my mind on the finish, and a harness for Lucy that ended up not fitting. Here's hoping they sell so I can recoup my cash!

Winter Projects

2011-01-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Since we're on the theme of lists, this is what I'd love to be able to accomplish over the winter. I started this list before Christmas so I've gotten a few things crossed off already. It's quite ambitious, so it may spill into the summer, but here it goes:

Remove paint from lower level woodwork.

Restore lower level woodwork.

Refinish the glass cabinet we got out at the farm.

Finish scanning photos (no way this gets done over the winter).

~~Create our 2010 photo book.~~ Done!

Strip paper in the office.

Wall paper the office.

~~Get a library card.~~ Done!

Make grain sack (also from the farm) pillows.

~~Measure closets for organizers.~~ Done!

Decide on a plan for the closets.

Strip woodwork upstairs.

Paint woodwork upstairs.

Paint walls upstairs. Started.

Strip papers in closets.

Wallpaper downstairs coat closet.

~~Finish installing the doorbell.~~ Done!

~~Repair the light in our closet.~~ Done!

Organize all my fonts.

Redo kitchen caulk. Started.

~~List items on eBay.~~ Done!

Phew! That will keep us pretty busy for awhile. Look forward to some posts as we finish them.

Top 10 of 2010

2010-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last year you may remember we posted our favorite songs of the year here. We decided to do that again this year.

Big Boi/Shutterbug
Broken Bells/The High Road
Delta Spirit/Bushwick Blues
Janelle Monae f. Big Boi/Tightrope
LCD Soundsystem/Dance Yrself Clean
Lissie/In Sleep
Local Natives/Airplanes
Mumford & Sons/The Cave
The Black Keys/Tighten Up
Trampled by Turtles/Victory

iTunes has extended the preview time for songs from 30 seconds to a minute and a half so you can actually hear what the song sounds like. Check these out, and let us know what you think!

Moving Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

Moving Christmas 2010 from jvtubbs on Vimeo.

Busy.

2010-12-17T09:18:00.000-08:00

With my U-Guide deadlines quickly approaching and Josh studying for his GMAT test, we haven't had tons of time to post but here are a couple things we've been working on...

The new entry light

and some thrifted frames.

The light we hung ~~last Saturday~~ during the blizzard because we were too excited to leave it in the box another day. The frames I purchased a while ago from the ARC Thrift Store for $1-3 each. Some of them had some interesting things in them, but I was only looking at the frame. I sprayed them all glossy black, and will eventually hang them in the stairway/hall upstairs.

Looking like Christmas...

2010-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Just like Taco Truck

2010-12-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, after Josh and I had run out of food before Thanksgiving, we decided to find a good Mexican Restaurant in the Midtown Global Market. And we did. We had tacos and enchiladas from Taqueria Los Ocampo, and it was amazing. Can't wait to try some of the other places there soon.

Hmm, tacos.

Wish we had ice skates...

2010-11-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

for our car. Last night we met Andy and Tine for dinner in St. Paul., and when we left at 10:45 it had already started raining and the roads were slick. We finally made it home by 1am!

Early in the trip we took 94 where we hit top speeds of 10mph before coming up on an accident that stopped us. It was at the top of a crest in the road, and after stopping on the hill, it was nearly impossible to get up it. We idled, with tires spinning, gaining speed and were one of the last cars to make it to the top. We got off the freeway and then navigated home on city streets through St. Paul, taking a bathroom break at Davanni's near St. Thomas.

The roads in Minneapolis were significantly better, so we were able to get up to 15mph. Our last obstacle was a small hill on the newly paved 50th street, a few blocks east of our house, that was closed off. I'm sure others were having the same trouble getting up it, so we jogged over the 49th to get all the way home.

Our side door...

2010-11-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

...has never really been used much because the lock was very difficult to unlock from the outside and you needed a key to unlock it from the inside (I know, this kinda freaked me out).

We've had a replacement for it for a while, but in order to install it, Josh needed to re-drill the hole in the door. We got a keyless deadbolt, so it has a keypad and codes to unlock the door. Now I'm not so worried about getting locked out of the house.

And I thought I would just show this too. It's the edge of the door and you can see the poor paint job and the previous blue and yellow trim colors before the red.

Just inside the door is where we were finally able to hang the flashlight holder Bud made for us. We've had it for 3 years I think, but we wanted to wait until we had a permanent place for it before we put it up.

Mad Men style

2010-11-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year, we dressed as Greg and Joan Harris of my favorite show Mad Men.

While Josh is Away...

2010-10-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

I'm going out with my friends! I asked my good friend Jen to the Hot Chip/LCD Soundsystem concert last Saturday. This is a picture of the HUGE disco ball LCD used for a couple songs.

This video is my favorite song of LCD Soundsystem's called Dance Yrself Clean. They're an electronic band and even have a guy on stage that syncs the lights with the music. We had an awesome time, it was a great show!

2010 Canada Hunting Trip

2010-10-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

This morning (3:00am) I got back home from a week long duck and goose hunting trip with my Grandpa, Dad and Bailey the black lab near Margo, Saskatchewan.

We had a great time despite the lack of geese in the area due to excessive rain which wiped out most grains fields in the Margo area. We brought home 47 birds for the week (13 Canada Geese and 34 ducks including; Mallards, Gadwals, Pintails, Blue Bill, Golden Eye, Widgen and 2 Shovelers for Baily to train with).

The picture above is from the first goose hunt of the trip.

10/17/2010
We arrived in Margo at the house we had rented at around 12:30pm. We unpacked our stuff and went out scouting for a field to set up in for the next day. Along the way we stopped at Ducks Unlimited land and tried to jump some birds. We also stopped at "the corner" to sneak up on a flock of geese. We were unable to make our way through the brush in time to take any shots. We found birds in a field East and North of Margo were we would set up the next morning

10/18/2010
We set up at the field we had scouted the night before and barely made it back to our blinds before sun rise. The geese arrived in small bunches for the entire morning. We got 10 Canada Geese for day. The remainder of the day was filled with scouting for the next day.

The picture above is from this hunt.

Dad calling in a flock of Canada Geese.

10/19/2010
Against our cardinal rule "never set up where you haven't seen geese," we followed the advise of the fellow hunter and hunted an oat field were we had not scouted any geese. The cardinal rule proved to be true as we didn't see any geese the entire morning. We were able to get 2 Mallards because we set up with a pond behind us and a field in front.

After the unsuccessful goose hunt we started looking for a spot to set up the next day. We met some local farmers and made our way to a lake where they said geese we sitting... they were right! There were thousands of geese sitting on the lake. We hid in the car at the top of a hill and Dad and I got out and hid in weeds watching the geese. When they eventually got up we followed them to a field where we decided we would set up the next day

10/20/2010
We hunted geese in the morning and got a couple, but that was not the highlight of the day. We decided to cut our losses and stop hunting geese and switch to ducks. We drove south of Margo to a slew between two lakes (Usinneskaw and Whitesand). As we walked out into the slew we kicked up a bunch of ducks and because of the wind they came right back. It was absolutely crazy how many ducks were buzzing around. Grandpa and Dad didn't shot, they let me take them all. The ducks were coming almost too fast and often to pick one to aim at. After many missed shots I ended the session with 6 ducks including hitting 3 in a row. Dad and Grandpa both agreed that they had never seen anything like that before. We decided to set up there again the next day.

10/21/2010
We hunted the same slew in the morning and afternoon. It wasn't as crazy as the day before but we did very well. I got my second Pintail of the trip (I was excited any time I got a duck that wasn't prevalent in Southern Minnesota)

10/22/2010
Again, we stuck with a good thing and hunted the same slew. The morning hunt was highlighted by a great shot I had on a flock of three Golden Eye that were flying between the two lakes. I caught them out of the corner of my eye and grabbed my gun. Without thinking about it I aimed and fired one shot and down went the center bird. Dad ran out into the shallow water in front of us searching for the bird, it had dove and was trying to get away. He tracked it down 15 feet away from where it had splashed and reached into the water and grabbed the bird (he got his jacket wet in the process). I was extremely excited because I had been trying to get into a good position to get a shot at one for the last day and a half! I'm planning on getting the bird mounted so I can remember that shot every time I look at it.

Grandpa with the Green Wing Teal he shot in the afternoon.

The Golden Eye I shot at 9:30am

10/23/2010
We hunted the slew one more time. We were planning on hunting from 7am to 8:30am, but as time to pack up got closer I wanted to stay a bit longer and see if we could get one more bird. At 8:40am we got a Widgen. It was a great way to end our hunt.

We then went back to the house and packed the car and headed out on our 14 hour drive back to Minneapolis.

I had a great time on my first trip to Canada and can't wait to get back next year and get a Snow Goose!

Brickwork

2010-10-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago we hired a mason to repair the brick on the north side of the house. Most of it just needed tuckpointing (when they grind out the old mortar and replace it), but some of the brick were loose, so they relaid those. We were super happy that he had vintage brick that almost completely matches our original, and was willing to custom mix the mortar (pink, maroon, buff, brown combo) to match the existing mortar on the other three sides of the house. We'll eventually have to do the same on the other sides of the house and replace the buttresses on our stoop, but we were glad to get this side done before winter.

Then last week we hired another mason to completely rebuild our chimney from the roof line up. Our original chimney's bricks were showing their age and it just was best to replace rather than repair.

With the rebuild we got a fancy limestone drip plate, critter covers and brand new brown flashing. This mason was also able to mix up a color similar to the bottom mortar to match. We love the vintage look of the pink mortar. Who ever thought we'd be so excited about our chimney and pink mortar?!

The Wedding (Behind the Scenes)

2010-10-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

My New Job

2010-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

This week, I started working full time again. I was hired at Cetacea Sound Corp./Marion Zoological in Plymouth and so far I'm liking it. The one thing I hate about new jobs is the learning curve. Even setting up your computer to the preferences you like can make a difference, but I think I'm catching on. I can't wait to learn more about the companies and start making a difference.

I'm Golden.

2010-09-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for my birthday, I requested Josh plan a fun activity for us, so we went to the Walker Art Center. Neither of us had been (I've always been embarrassed to tell other designers this) so it was a new adventure for us. We didn't have time though for the Sculpture Garden, so that will have to be another time!

Macho.

2010-09-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Josh was looking very macho after he rented a power drill to get through the 14 inches of concrete and stucco of our foundation.

The last 2 weekends Josh and my dad have been installing our new furnace and central a/c! We're so excited to have brand new mechanicals in our house and can't wait to try out the air next summer.

This weekend they'll finish everything up and we'll be ready for the winter.

A Long Weekend

2010-09-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day weekend was long for us! We got tons done here at the house. First, Josh took his last Friday off for summer hours and we installed the ceiling fan in our room.

It wasn't as easy as just attaching it to the wall. We pulled all the wires out going from the switch to the fan, and replaced them. Then added a new switch that controls the light and motor separately. Then we put up the fan. I'm so glad to have light again in there, and the addition of the fan is great too.

Then, we took it outside. We ripped out all the overgrown plants on the east side of our garage. It feels good to have all that junk out of there and now we'll be ready to plant there in the spring.

And the big finale for the weekend is our backyard.

We trimmed the 2 maples and birch in the yard and our yard looks twice as big. No more ducking under branches while Josh is mowing or playing with the dog. And...now we have some sun also. Hopefully the grass can grow a little thicker now.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together

2010-09-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

After 2 summers of being in California, we were finally able to go the the State Fair again. The worst thing was that they don't even know what chesse curds are in California!

So I obviously had to get some. They were excellent. Josh and I also decided to try something new this year, so we went with...

The Deep-Fried Snickers. Healthy right?

Furniture Additions

2010-08-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last week, we added some more furniture to our house. Christine and Ryan gave us the outdoor love seat from my Wist as a thank you for designing their print material for their wedding. I finally got it put together after about an hour and a half! Secondly, I found a credenza on good ol' Craigslist for the TV in the living room. It was actually like getting 2 pieces though, because we can use our coffee table as a coffee table again! The credenza is in the mid-century danish style, so it looks really good with the lounge chair and Selig table we also picked up on Craigslist.

Breezy Point Weekend

2010-08-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Matt, Brie Janelle and I stayed at Mike and Ann's condo at the Breezy Point resort. We had a great time hanging out at the beech spending time together. Friday we ate dinner at Ernie's on Gull lake followed by miniature golf at Pirate's Cove. I was the big winner with three holes in one.

Saturday, Matt and I played golf at Deacon's Lodge, an Arnold Palmer design, in Pequot Lakes. We both played okay with our match coming down to the last couple holes (Matt 82, Josh 85).

Above is Matt's tee shot on the par 3 17th hole. Arnold Palmer included this hole on his "dream 18" holes that he has designed.

Above is my tee shot on the par 5 13th hole. It was one of my best shots all day.

Hello Sirin!

2010-08-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we all got to meet Sirin for the first time! Ryan and Christine brought her over, and Sirin and Lucy got to play in the yard together. Sirin is such a sweetheart!

This is the girls playing "Lady and the Tramp" with the stick! So cute!

Relay for Life

2010-08-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

Friday night and into Saturday morning Josh and I participated in our first Relay for Life at the Fairgrounds in Albert Lea. As a team of 14 or 15, we spent the night walking in shifts.

Since Friday's forecast included a chance for rain, all the luminaries were set up in one of the barns and the effect was very powerful. You can see them completely lighting up the barn, and it made it quite warm in there too. They were glowing all night long.

I hope we have a chance to participate again!

Eat-In

2010-08-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our Herman Miller Shell Chairs came! We ordered the chairs from DWR almost 2 months ago and they are finally here. Now we can cook in the kitchen and eat in it too.

Now We're Cookin'!

2010-08-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well I actually haven't cooked in the kitchen yet, but I could if I wanted! Friday we grouted the back splash and Sunday we were able to seal it and move our stove into the kitchen. We're so excited to have this big project almost finished. Last thing left is to paint the cabinet doors and put on the new knobs, but at least we can still function in there now.

Still in the Kitchen

2010-07-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the stove isn't even in the kitchen yet. It's still sitting in our dining room while we finish the tiling on the backsplash.

Sunday we installed the microwave by ourselves. You can see in the picture the new oak countertops that we got at IKEA. I also finished painting the drawers and Josh put the handles on, and the upper cabinets on this side I finished painting this weekend.

We still need to tile which we'll probably do on Friday when Josh is home from work. Our new light fixtures will be delivered on Thursday, and I need to paint the cabinet doors yet. I can't wait to start cooking for real (not with a micro and toaster oven like we've been doing since we pretty much moved in)!

On a completely separate note, this is what Lucy has been doing all day while I work.

3 Years.

2010-07-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Since moving into our house, life has been pretty crazy. For our anniversary on Tuesday, I celebrated by heading over to the DMV to get my Minnesota Driver's license and plates. Then when Josh was home from work we worked in the kitchen. I'm not complaining or anything, because Josh and I rarely exchange any gifts. We just try to do something fun with each other. Working in the kitchen together was our present!

Since everything has been so crazy, we're having a hard time keeping up with posting, so everything will be a little delayed. You can see above, the floors have been refinished, and I painted the cabinets. Friday, our new appliances were delivered, and Josh took down the tile back splash. Saturday, my Mom, Dad and Shelby came up to help out. Dad and Josh installed the dishwasher and put on the new oak counter top with our new sink and faucet. I don't have the pictures off my camera yet for the latest changes, but we'll post again with more updates soon!

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Even More Art Buddies

2010-06-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

You may remember in May when I posted about Art Buddies. After the spring session was over that I participated in, the leaders of the program asked me if I would be interested in joining the Advisory Board. Of course I said YES! I love Art Buddies and I look forward to it every session, hoping I will be available to participate. We had our first meeting last night. I'll be helping with fund-raising and I've also agreed to take on the task of editing and labeling all the photos from the professional photographer after each session.

We've got wood!

2010-06-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

That is, in our kitchen. We found it after spending 2 days ripping up linoleum and 1/4 inch plywood that was nailed down with 3 inch nails.

After seeing what we had to work with, we went to our local ACE to get some Krud Kutter. I had heard about it online and after using it, I seriously recommend it. It's an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner for almost anything. First, Josh sprayed it on and let it sit for a few moments. Then he used a putty knife to scrape with the grain. After that, he scrubbed it with the rough side of a sponge.

When Josh was finished, I came through and washed up the residue with a big sponge and water.

The floor looks amazing right now, that is, for being covered up for so long. We had a guy come look at it to get a quote for refinishing it and he said we have maple in the kitchen, and oak in the rest of the main level. They should start refinishing the kitchen sometime next week!

Rock the Garden

2010-06-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

In the whirlwind of moving in, Josh and I attended Rock the Garden on Saturday the 19th. The show was put on by The Walker Art Center and The Current, the radio station we listen to, in the sculpture garden next to The Walker.

We were able to ride our bikes up to the show, but we ended up not using our tickets. As you can see there were about 10,000 people attending. We found a great spot in the shade, on the grass, across the street where we could still see the stage.

The bands playing were Retribution Gospel Choir, Ok Go!, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and MGMT and we had a great time seeing them.

The First Week at 5053

2010-06-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we're FINALLY here. And we already have a makeover to show! This was the dining room before...

We had to prime the walls because of the dark color, but we may end up priming all the walls in the house for that matter.

And after! We changed out the light fixture for a George Nelson saucer. You may remember back to the Nelson cigar pendant that we bought a few weeks ago at the Room and Board outlet. This is part of the same line. And you're not seeing things, that is pink (well actually it's Coral Gables) and purple (Black Raspberry) on the walls. It looks fantastic with our robin's egg blue buffet.

The room isn't complete yet...I'd like to add some curtain panels and a FLOR rug, but I wanted to update everyone since we've been busy!

We're Closing!

2010-06-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we're closing on our first home! Janelle and I have been waiting for this day for a really long time. The picture above is from the first time I looked at the house at the end of January. We've been waiting for short sale approval since the first week of February and everything finally went through this week.

Stay tuned as a house warming party will be coming soon!

Target Field

2010-06-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended my first Twins game at the new Target Field. I went with my coworkers and got to sit in the General Mills suite. The Twins came back from a 7 run deficit to almost win the game. The highlight of the night was Joe Mauer's foul pop up catch where he had to reach around the backstop netting to make the catch. It was a lot of fun checking out the ballpark and watching a close game.

Au Gratin Open

2010-06-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first annual Au Gratin Open at Wedgewood Cove Golf Course in Albert Lea. The course has a special deal where you can play as many holes as you want for $75, so I decided it would be fun to get a bunch of guys together and play 54 holes in one day, the winner receiving a case of Betty Crocker Au Gratin potatoes that I got from work. The tournament format was "best ball" with yourself (after playing all 18 holes 3 times you take your best score on each hole to come up with a "best ball" 18 hole score). We had a great time playing golf all day and the scores where pretty close between us except for one player who ran away from the pack and brought home the case of boxed potatoes.

Matt Forsman -6
Josh Jones -1
Matt Tubbs -1
Drew Anderson -1
Josh Tubbs +1
Geoff Anda +4

I can't wait to for next year's Au Gratin Open!

Fun in the Sun

2010-05-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Lucy's really been having a fantastic time in the yard. It's her new favorite thing and I can't wait to move into the house so she doesn't have to wear a leash.

Tonight, since it's been so hot, we let Lucy go in the lake for a little swim. She hasn't been swimming since she was a puppy, so she was a little nervous, but she did it!

Art Buddies

2010-05-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our last day for this session of Art Buddies. Art Buddies is an after school program for 4th and 5th graders at Whittier International School in south Minneapolis. Each student is paired with a creative adult art buddy over the course of 6 weeks. Each session has a theme and this time it was to create an animal costume that represents your childs good qualities.

I've been volunteering since college and this was the 4th time I've done it. Aminata was my buddy this time and together we made a wolf costume. This is a picture of her working it in front of the professional photographer. I always have such a fun time and this was no exception. I can't wait for the next session to start in the fall.

Not Closing This Friday

2010-05-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we will miss our second scheduled closing date. We're very optimistic about hearing good news soon though. This Saturday the seller has scheduled a painter to repair the peeling paint on the exterior, so after the 2nd lien holder approves, we should be well on our way to closing. Still waiting...

Doggie Birthday!

2010-04-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Lucy's 4th Birthday and we celebrated by treating her to a Poodle Puff from Lulu & Luigi and I made her a special dinner of rice, ground beef and shredded carrot. She thoroughly enjoyed both!

The Waiting Game...Still Waiting

2010-04-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

We have good news. Our offer was accepted by the sellers bank!!! That is, on the first lien. There is a second lien of about $10,000, that we are now waiting for. It's being processed now, and Masami (our Realtor) said this one should go much more quickly. After both have been approved, the seller will make the repairs to the peeling paint on the exterior trim. As of right now, we are still on track to close on May 14th or before, but nothing is final yet. So we wait...

Nelson Lamp

2010-04-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today, Josh and I went to the Room and Board Outlet even though Brie and I went yesterday, and I'm glad we did. We found this George Nelson lamp for sale $100 off. I must have passed right over it yesterday! We were so excited to find it!

Easter Games

2010-04-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

After missing the Easter celebration last year, we were glad to be back. The weather was fantastic and the boys started off the day deciding they should shoot at pop cans in the woods. Then we ate a lot of really good food.

Instead of the traditional Easter Egg hunt we usually have, Steve and Deb organized games based on the NBC show Minute to Win It. We all had a super fun time playing a total of 16 games like Bucket Head, Separation Anxiety, Penny Hose, and Bobble Head.

Taking a Break.

2010-04-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

Since our Road Trip, Josh and (mostly) I have taken a little break from blogging. Not much to report I guess these days, but we are going to keep the blog going. Eventually, we'll have house related items to post, and we are going to try to keep doing fun adventures and exploring our home state. Stay tuned...

Road Trip 2010 - Back in Minnesota

2010-03-19T14:16:00.001-07:00

On our last part of the trip we stopped at some funky things like Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo and the Devil's Rope Museum (barbed wire).

We finally ended the road trip at my parents house after 2559 miles in total. We traveled through 10 states, saw license plates from 44 states, 6 Canadian Provences', and 1 from Mexico.

Road Trip 2010 - Grand Canyon

2010-03-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

Monday, we arrived at the Grand Canyon. Obviously our picture doesn't do it justice. Doesn't it look like were standing in front of a backdrop?

Yesterday we left Arizona early, and made one stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument near Flagstaff. Here, we saw the cliff dwellings of people who lived in the area 900 years ago.

Then we drove to Amarillo in the Texas panhandle. It was 680 miles yesterday and we completely bypassed the mountain time zone!

Road Trip 2010 - Las Vegas

2010-03-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Las Vegas! It's day 3 of our trip and before we leave tomorrow for the Grand Canyon, we're going to LOVE (a Cirque du Soleil show featuring The Beatles music) tonight and Fremont Street to check out old Vegas.

Goodbye California

2010-03-12T21:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we are spending our last night in California. We've had such a great experience. Here are the top 5 things we'll miss:

FIVE
Exciting new adventures.

FOUR
The ocean.

THREE
Year-round golfing.

TWO
San Francisco.

ONE
All of our friends and co-workers.

Angel Island

2010-03-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

We spent our last weekend adventure exploring Angel Island on Sunday. Visitors must take a ferry, so we took the Tiburon Ferry on the north side. Angel Island is considered the Ellis Island of the West, and many Chinese immigrants passed through the Immigration Station from 1910-1940s.

We hiked 5 miles, which took us up to Mt. Livermore at 788 feet, then down to Fort McDowell and the Immigration Station. We got to view the city and Alcatraz one last time before we head out on Friday.

I Love DwellStudio

2010-03-05T13:34:00.001-08:00

No, these aren't always on our sofa. They are just all my DwellStudio pillows from Target. I love them and every time I go to Target I swing by the isle in the bedding department to ogle at them. Dwell actually makes a line under their own name and makes another (less expensive) line for Target. Both of which I love, only one of which I can afford. Today I just bought 2 more (on clearance) and I can't wait to splurge on the new bedding line after we get back to MN.

Then and Now

2010-02-28T12:27:00.001-08:00

Corona Heights Playground looking out to Hayes Valley and Pacific Heights.

Corona Heights Playground looking out to Castro and Mission.

From the Presidio looking at the Golden Gate Bridge.

From Ocean Beach looking at Seal Rock and Cliff House.

I have been working on this project of scanning in family photos, so that I can have copies of all of them and so they are all digital. These on the left I found at Grandma Shirley's house. My grandpa's brother Tony spend time in the military in San Francisco in the 1950s before moving there permanently, and these were from him.

They were very familiar. We've spent time at the bridge and seal rock, but the top two images we didn't recognize until this weekend when we went up to Twin Peaks to see one last view of the city. From there we saw another small hill that we thought could be the place of the top two images and sure enough it was! I knew it right away.

After 55 years, some of the buildings haven't changed at all, and it's fun to compare the image to see what's changed in that time too.

A Day in San Jose

2010-02-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

Today Janelle and I drove down to San Jose to visit the Winchester Mystery House, a 160 room Victorian mansion built by the heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune. She believed that if she continuously built onto her home the ghosts of those killed by the Winchester rifle would not haunt her. Carpenters worked 24 hours a day 7 days a week for 38 years, creating a spectacular mansion with some odd features including; a stairway to the ceiling, doors that open to blank walls, windows in the floor and upside down posts.

Touring 110 of the rooms on our guided tour was surreal considering that I wrote a report on the mansion in middle school. I never thought I would actually see it in person!

After our tour we drove a few miles down the road to check out HP Pavilion, also known as "The Shark Tank," home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Living in Northern California for the last two NHL seasons have really got me hooked on the Sharks. Dare I say, the Sharks are my #1 team?

Harding Park

2010-02-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

Today I celebrated President's Day the best way I know how, I played golf. For the second year in a row Kyan and I took advantage of our day by hitting the links. This year we played Harding Park in San Francisco, home of the 2009 President's Cup. The course was amazing, lined with old cypress trees.

I played arguably the best round of golf since moving to California today. I shot 40 on the front nine and followed it up with a 37 on the back nine. At one point I had it to two under par before making two straight bogeys.

We chose...

2010-02-12T09:10:00.001-08:00

This house is a place we may never leave. The location is AMAZING. It's only 3 blocks from Lake Harriet and 1 block to Minnehaha Creek, right near 50th and Penn Avenue. You can check out some of the pictures Josh took at the showing in January on Flickr.

We're not out of the woods yet though. The property is going into short sale, meaning the seller owes more on the property than we offered and she doesn't have the money to make it to closing. Her bank has to approve our offer and agree to lose money on the deal. It's kind of the middle ground for the bank and seller between a normal sale and foreclosure. So, we technically don't have it in contract yet to move to closing, but we have sole rights to the property, so no one else can make offers.

Our Offer was Accepted!

2010-02-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

So we're going to play the House Hunters (like the show on HGTV) game. Did we choose...

Post your guess in the comments and we'll reveal tomorrow which one we picked!

All Aboard!

2010-02-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday, after going to the Alameda Flea Market for one last time, we stopped at the USS Hornet (an aircraft carrier that was used in WWII turned museum) which was close by. We boarded the ship and listened to the short introduction and then went straight up to the Island. That's the tall part that houses Primary Flight, the Captain's At Sea cabin, and the Navigation Bridge. Our tour guide worked on the sister ship to the Hornet, so he had a lot of knowledge about everything in the Island and many stories to go with it. It was an awesome tour.

It's Official!

2010-02-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

We're coming home! Josh's relocation was approved today and he is also being promoted to a Financial Analyist 2. We can't wait to get back to our family and friends. We'll be here in California until mid-March and then we'll make the long road trip home.

On another note, we will hopefully make an offer on a house tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Not Much to Report

2010-01-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

While Josh is back in Good Ol' Minneapolis for a conference, Lucy and I are holding down the fort. It's been raining like crazy here, so as soon as it let's up we get out for walks. On the bright side, while Josh is gone, Lucy snuggles with me way more!

Exploring Point Reyes

2010-01-17T17:52:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Janelle and I drove over to the coast looking to catch glimpses of whales and elephant seals. Our destination was Point Reyes National Seashore. The views from the historic lighthouse where amazing with huge waves crashing to shore from the incoming winter storm.

While talking with the park rangers at the lighthouse we heard there where 300 elephant seals relaxing on the beach near the historic lifeboat station. On our way down we encountered some Happy California Cows. This cow decided to cross the road right in front of us. After yielding to the local residents we made our way to the seal overlook area. The elephant seals where huge! There where moms nursing their pups while the others laid lifeless on the beach.

A Christmas Hiatus.

2010-01-06T21:09:00.001-08:00

We had an unusual Christmas this year.

When we got to SFO and checked in for our flight home, we were delayed to the point that we were going to miss our connection in Denver, so we ended up rescheduling for December 26 out of Sacramento. After a couple hours of sitting at home alone on Christmas Eve, we decided to make it special by heading up the South Lake Tahoe for the night. We had dinner, went to church and the casino that night, and on Christmas, we went tubing at Heavenly.

We finally made it to Minnesota on the 26th and had a great time. While it was amazingly cold, we still enjoyed seeing everyone and making up for the Christmas' we missed.

Big Trees

2009-12-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

We saw...

really HUGE...

trees! Today Josh and I went up to Calaveras Big Trees State Park about 60 miles east of Stockton. We were both in awe of the size of these things. The craziest thing was the 30 foot diameter stump we got to stand on! We also really enjoyed trompsing around in the snow in our boots.

A change in the...

2009-12-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

weather! We woke up to some chilly temperatures this morning! Sacramento broke records for the low overnight, coming in at 24º. Of course it was all over the news, "Frost on the ground!" and "You can see your breath!"

Top 10 of 2009

2009-12-07T20:33:00.001-08:00

Josh and I continue to be members of Minnesota Public Radio and stream 89.3 The Current on our iPhones even in California. Every year they do a Top 89 of the year's new songs. Listeners submit their top 10 and they compile the list for a New Year's countdown. Josh and I both submitted our lists, and then combined for a master list. They are:

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros/Home
The XX/Crystallized
Hockey/Too Fake
Basement Jaxx/Raindrops
The Heavy/How You Like It Now?
Kasabian/Fire
Solid Gold/Get Over It
Gossip/Love Long Distance
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson/Relator
Passion Pit/The Reeling

New Desk Chair

2009-12-06T19:27:00.001-08:00

Saturday Josh and I drove into the city to get a new desk chair. My old one had a rip in the seat and I've been eying this one for awhile after a long search for it. It's a reproduction of an Eames Aluminum Management Chair. I wish I could have gotten the real thing, but we thought $1500 was a little pricey.

Holiday Lights

2009-12-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we attended the annual Lodi Light Parade for the second year in a row. The parade had a 1950's theme. Above is a float decorated like a 50's style car.

On the way home we saw this house from the interstate. We had to get off at the next exit to get a closer look.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Friday Janelle and I returned to California after spending eight days with family and friends in Minnesota. We had a great time eating, talking and eating some more. Janelle even found time to digitally scan nearly 250 Jensen family pictures.

Above: Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge from our seats on a 757

Here are some highlights from our trip...

Thanksgiving dinner: My favorite 10 minutes of the year!

Matt's graduation: Congrats! Even though he didn't take my suggestion for naming his practice (Back in Business), I'm sure he will have much success.

Cards: I won both games of push rummy we played, extending my winning streak to 8 games.

Extreme Croquet: We took advantage of the 50º weather by playing my favorite yard game.

Thanks to everyone who fed, sheltered and engaged us in conversation. See you all in a few weeks for Christmas!

Day 500.

2009-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Today is Josh and my 500th day in California. Here's looking back to some other memorable days:

Day 33: Our first visitors Matt & Brie.
Day 67: Steve, Deb and Christine make their way out.
Day 113: We went to Bodega Bay.
Day 123: Our first trip back to the homeland.
Day 166: Back again for Christmas.
Day 183: I finally went back to work at Wolfe.
Day 223: Watched Lance's comeback.
Day 261: Wayne, Sue and Logan roadtrip to see us.
Day 283: Matt and I surprise Josh.
Day 321: Our third trip to Minnesota.
Day 341: We met Christine and company in LA.
Day 365: Our 2nd Anny.
Day 366: 1 year in California.
Day 411: A Soda Springs Weekend.
Day 438: Steve and Deb visit again.
Day 459: Matt arrives for some more golf.

We've spent...
40 days with visitors
37 days in Minnesota
21 days in San Francisco
9 days in Tahoe/Sierra
7 days in Monterey
3 days in LA.

Apple Hill

2009-11-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Today we went up to Apple Hill with Kyan and Lisa. We stopped at High Hill Ranch again (same place as last year) for some apples, fudge and cider. We also did some wine tasting at Madroña and Boeger (above) Wineries, and stopped at Jack Russell Farm Brewery for beer (Josh finally found a beer he enjoys) and pistachios.

Mount Tamalpais

2009-11-01T07:33:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Josh and I drove over to Mount Tamalpais (Tam-ul-pie-us) to hike. Mt. Tam (for short) is just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County and is 2500 feet tall. We started at about 1000 feet by the Throckmorton Fire Station. Hogback Road Trail was about half a mile but it took us up about 450 feet. Then we were at Old Railroad Grade Trail which was a much easier incline. We only took that for a little ways before we took a shortcut on Fern Creek Trail. It pretty much went straight up from 1600 feet to 2250 feet. From there we were only .2 miles from the parking lot near the top.

At the parking lot there were bathrooms and a visitors center. They had an old gravity car on display which would haul passengers down the Old Railroad Grade to Mill Valley and a Train would bring them back up. The last one went down the hill exactly 80 years ago, October 31, 1929.

From here it was another 200 feet to the very top. You can see the fire tower up there.

We liked the views from the top of Mt. Tam even better than Mt. Diablo (that we drove up last fall). We could see San Francisco, all of the San Pablo Bay, Bay Bridge, Richmond Bridge, Mt. Diablo, San Quentin Prison, west to the sparkling ocean and north to Vallejo and Novato.

Coming down we took the easier Old Railroad Grade. It was definitely worth the 1500 feet up.

Dessert.

2009-10-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

Saturday after church and dinner at Thai Basil, we really wanted dessert, so we walked over to Rick's Dessert Diner. They have cakes, cheesecakes, pies, tarts, tortes, cookies and brownies. We had the blueberry cheesecake which was really good, but not quite as good as Muddy Paws. We miss that place!

Saturday...in the Park

2009-10-18T16:38:00.001-07:00

We must be on a hamburger kick lately because here's another one. We went to Burger Joint and it was AWESOME! Burger Joint is a 50s style place but they don't use retro ingredients. The burgers were made of local naturally feed beef without hormones or antibiotics. And the fries were thick-cut and fresh. Yum!

We brought our bikes with so we could take a ride through Golden Gate Park. Golden Gate Park is sort of like Central Park to New York City. There are museums, gardens, sports fields and trails.
We rode all the way downhill to Ocean Beach. By then it was later in the afternoon and the overcast sky was casting a gorgeous light over the beach and all the colors were very soft. Another great day in San Francisco.

Large Straight

2009-10-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I do things that remind me that I'm my father's son. This happens to be a great example...getting excited about hitting a milestone on an odometer. Last night Janelle, Matt and I took a 12 mile joyride to hit our target. We celebrated afterwords by going to Jamba Juice for smoothies.

3rd Time's a Charm

2009-10-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last week Matt flew into Sacramento for his third visit. We played golf three of the five days he was here. Saturday we drove south of San Francisco to play the Links at Half Moon Bay. The course was amazing, perched on the bluffs overhanging the Pacific.

Above: Matt's tee shot on the 16th hole with the ocean all the way down the left side with the hotel in the background.

Matt and I standing on the 18th tee at Half Moon Bay. This hole was a long par five that wrapped around the bluff and ended in front of the hotel.

Saturday after golf we drove down highway one and stayed overnight at a hotel just outside of Monterey. Sunday we got up and made our way to the Links at Spanish Bay for our second round of the weekend. The scenery and golf course was just as amazing as the day before. After our round we drove the 17 mile drive stopping at Pebble Beach again for one more look before heading back to Sacramento.

Above: My tee shot on the par four 16th hole at Spanish Bay.

Monday I took the day off and we played some more golf at a municipal course in Sacramento.

Scores for the three days of golf where...
Matt (81,86,77)244
Josh (86,86,86)258

We had a great time playing golf and reminiscing about our California golf adventures. In total we played 8 times at 8 different courses.

Selig Table

2009-10-10T17:07:00.001-07:00

I frequent Craigslist regularly, and last night I came upon this gem. A Danish mid-century modern serving table made by Selig. I called this morning about it and picked it up in the afternoon while paying for it with some of my birthday money. The guy I bought it from just refinished it, but in doing so lost the casters that were on the bottom. It looks great next to the sofa which is also a mid-century style. Happy birthday to me.

Thanks Guy Fieri.

2009-10-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today Matt and I met Josh in Galt at Squeeze Inn. The restaurant was featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network and they are known for their Squeeze Burgers. As you can see they have about 5 slices of cheese on the burger melted to make a cheese skirt. I love cheese and I couldn't even eat all of it. While the first 3 bites were awesome, it definitely caught up to us and we all had to wash our faces when we were finished.

Janelle Tubbs Design

2009-10-08T07:37:00.001-07:00

I am so excited about the new look of my website. I've been learning more and more web techniques at work and I was finally able to put my new skills to good use. I don't quite have all the pages finished yet, but I just couldn't wait to share! You can find the link to my website on the right as always. Please check it out and check back soon after I've finished my portfolio page.

Old Sugar Mill

2009-10-05T19:05:00.001-07:00

We didn't have anything planned for this weekend, but we were able to make something out of nothing. Saturday, we drove over to Clarksburg to see the Old Sugar Mill. The building is very old, but they are renovating the inside, providing wine tasting rooms and a wedding reception space. The entire place is gorgeous and I can't wait to go back with some girlfriends to do some wine tasting.

Birthday Present

2009-09-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

My mom told me she wanted to get this key holder off my wist for me, but the shipping would have taken too long so yesterday, we went up to Anthropologie to pick one up. It was much larger than I thought it was, but I still love it. And it actually worked out well because Anthropologie actually sent me a birthday coupon, so I got 15% off and didn't have to worry about shipping. We hung it here in the little nook by the kitchen.

A Busy September

2009-09-24T12:05:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that September has already nearly passed. After seeing Andy and Tine we got unfortunate news that my grandpa had passed away and we flew home for 2 days to see family, and attend the visitation and funeral. While Josh and I were heading back to Minnesota, Steve and Deb were on there way out for a visit, so we hurried back to spend some much needed fun times with them.

Last Friday we drove down to Santa Cruz and Josh and Steve tried surfing. They were pretty good and had a great time.

Then Saturday we spend the day driving. First the 17-Mile Drive, then we continued down the coast and got as far as Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The scenery was gorgeous.

Sunday, we finished up our adventure with a trip to the aquarium. My favorite were the otters, but we also saw seahorses, jellies, birds, sharks, starfish and other various sea life.

Frisco Friends

2009-09-07T18:40:00.001-07:00

We'd been looking forward to Andy and Tine's visit since they told us earlier this summer they were coming out, so when Saturday rolled around, we couldn't wait to get down to SF. Since the Bay Bridge was closed (for construction) it took us a little longer than normal to get there, but we got to spend plenty of quality time walking, talking, eating and drinking together. They were also nice enough to let us stay with them in their room Saturday night, so we could stay out late.

This was the crazy sunrise we woke up to. We were on the 24th floor with a great view of downtown and Union Square. It was foggy but the sun was able to peek in before the fog totally took over.

Champions of Finance Award

2009-09-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last week Josh found out he was nominated for a Champions of Finance Award. He found out today he was nominated by his boss for his Risk & Opportunities model. The winners will be announced in October and if Josh gets one of the 6-8 awards (out of 70ish nominees) he would get $500 and a cool trophy for his desk. Of course, he would never post this himself, but I'm proud of him, so I thought I would.

Weekend Activities

2009-08-30T19:37:00.001-07:00

I had been hearing about the California State Garage Sale (the actual state government) so Friday I decided to check it out. They were selling mostly old wooden furniture from the 70s, repo cars and older computers. While I was snooping through some of the drawers of cabinets I found this little card catalog. There wasn't a sticker so I got it for only $3!

Then, Saturday we spend nearly all day at the United Way Golf Tournament that General Mills was sponsoring. Josh played and I volunteered.

Today we packed up or bikes and headed up to the American River. There are 22 miles of path going from Downtown Sac all the way out to Folsom. No, we didn't ride the whole path.

Cabin Fever

2009-08-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went with some friends up to a house we rented near Lake Tahoe. We were on Serene Lakes in Soda Springs. It was so much less crowded and more quiet than Tahoe, and our house was awesome. We had 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, game room, kayaks and a canoe to use at the lake.

Here's a picture of all of us. We stayed with Kyan & Lisa, and Colleen & Kirk.

At the lake we got to hang out at the beach, kayak, canoe, sunbathe, shade-bathe, and swim. It was so fun to get away from Sacramento for the weekend and smell the fresh mountain air.

Back to Minnesota

2009-08-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

I just booked our flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll be home Nov 19-27 and Dec 23-Jan 3. Mark your calendars!

Our Cutest Dog

2009-08-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

We just entered Lucy in the cutest dog contest. Please vote for her everyday this week here.

Thanks!

Meeting Up with Friends

2009-08-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Josh and I got to meet up with Victoria & John in San Fran for dinner and drinks. Victoria picked a great place called Slow Club in the Mission for dinner and we all enjoyed what we ordered. Then we headed back over near their hotel for drinks. We had such a great time catching up with them!

In the Bay Area Again.

2009-08-02T16:57:00.001-07:00

Today was flea market day and since we hadn't been there in 2 months, we decided to go. We picked up these 2 prints. The first is a catalog page of hockey skates (future man room material) and the second is a map of Minnesota.

Then we drove into the city. We had seen Dynamo Donuts featured on Food Network, and we have been wanting to try their Apple Maple Bacon Donuts.

They were good.

Mmm...Garlic

2009-07-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Lisa and I went down to Gilroy to the Garlic Festival. Gilroy is just south of San Jose and they produce 90% of the country's garlic. They had everything from garlic salt to garlic chocolate.

We also wanted to see Fabio and Jamie from the last season of Top Chef. Fabio was the MC and Jamie participated in a cooking challenge. They had to use garlic and a secret ingredient that was revealed right before the challenge started which was heirloom tomatoes. I wish we could have seen more of their cooking, but it was still fun to see them in person.

Animal Farm

2009-07-23T18:47:00.001-07:00

On our walks with Lucy the last few nights, we've seen something very different than normal. Goats! Either the city or county has hired these goats to eat the dried grass next to the path. The grass is a fire hazard and the goats love it. They get put into a pen that is about 30 feet across and 100 feet long, and they mow it down in less than a day. Then a farmer sets up a new pen right next to the one they finish and they get herded into the new pen by 2 dogs. Lucy LOVES the goats (and working dogs) which is a nice change from the feelings she has toward the cows in the same pasture.

Mare Island Golf

2009-07-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday I played golf at the oldest course west of the Mississippi, Mare Island Golf Club, in Vallejo, CA. The course was located on an island in the San Pablo Bay and was home to a World War II Naval base. I enjoyed great views of the bay and surrounding hills as well as the remains of a once active base. Sporadically I stumbled upon gigantic fallout shelters carved into the hills.

I didn't play that well but enjoyed the history lesson.

A Year in Review.

2009-07-08T07:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was our year anniversary of living in California. We can't believe that it's already been a year. We've had some really bad times (us freaking out), but we've also had some of the best experiences of our lives. Above is when Josh and I drove up to Tahoe the first time on Hwy 88. Here's looking back to some of our other favorite moments...

Having Matt and Brie out was really fun. This was at Sterling in Calistoga.

Here are Josh, Christine and I at Stinson Beach. Although my favorite moment when Steve, Deb and Christine were here was going over the hill on Divisadero Street and Christine screaming like we were on a roller coaster!

We waited until my parents got here to go out to Alcatraz and it was worth the wait. It was so gorgeous out there with everything blooming in the spring.

Then Matt and I planned to surprise Josh in April. We got him good. And I think they had a really great time in Monterey together golfing.

And most recently was our road trip down to see Christine, Anna and Ryan in LA. It was so fun to see familiar faces and a whole new city.

We can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us, and we're so excited to have more adventures in California and hopefully back in Minnesota!