Tuesdays with Nori

forced friends

Minnehaha Falls, you're so funny! Today we met up with our friends Jill & Nova, Chelsy, Olivia & Sophia and Katie & Anna for a picnic in the heat on the banks of the something river. It is crazy how much Anna looks like her dad, Jeff, and how much Sophia looks like Chelsy. I have known these friends since our glory days in Winona Middle School so it is amazing to think back through all that we have gone through together and now our little girls can be friends, too. BTB, if you have never lugged blankets, coolers, diaper bags and kids to a picnic in 90 degree heat, you are missing out. BTB PS, Please keep Jill in your prayers as she underwent minor surgery today to remove some skin cancers on her leg!

Later...

playing surgery

10 years of using Missy by pretending to be her friend have finally paid off as we got to swim in her pool on a HOT day. The usual crow was there, Liam & Ang and Kenna & Lo Lo (who also happen to be using Missy for her pool). Afterwards, we enjoyed yummy homemade lasagna in the A/C. Gracias!!

All this while while my pink bra hung out of my defective Old Navy purple tank top. If you are wondering whether it is worse in my house in the winter or summer, let me discuss. The winter is long and painful, mainly on the ground floor where one cooks, yet you can retreat upstairs to the tropical oasis that is our attic bedroom. The summer is intense but only has a few steaming days with stifling air, yet you can retreat to the frigid oasis that is our A/C- ready attic bedroom. In the winter you can put on layers, but in the summer you can go swimming. In the winter you can fly to Mexico, but in the summer you can not fly to Alaska because it is summer there, too. Nothing has ever melted in the summer while things have frozen solid in the winter. In conclusion, winter is worse.

Finally, I leave you with some Noriisms:

Me: "How did you sleep?"

Nori: "Really good!"

Me: "How was your day at Tammy's?"

Nori: "It was really good! I miss you. Where you went, college?"

On learning our neighbors were getting married, a very perceptive comment:
"Judy will be the bride and Keith will be the guy"

While throwing tennis balls around the kitchen:

"That's good sports!"

a fruitful weekend

Guess what?!! I just found out Jana has a case of the babies! How did I find out? Why, I read it on her mom's Faceboook page, of course! It's the circle of life. Congrats Jana & Tyler!! I feel another wave of baby friends coming on so if you're not on Facebook, feel free to leave a comment announcing it here on SoS. If I hear Darlene is pregnant, I will freak.

While the rest of the world was apparently at home doing it, here's what we have been up to:

Our Life Group

We checked another goal off our list and attended Music in Mears with our wonderful Bloom friends. The little girls, Lauren and Greta led by wild Nori, went crazy running and dancing while we chased them in between bites of choclo con queso.

Scar pushing Mufasa into a stampede while Simba hangs on branch, per Nori's request

Thanks to groceries at Rainbow, Whole Foods, and Target, I tested out a couple new recipes, Brown Rice Spring Vegetable Risotto and Asian Lettuce Wraps. We also cleaned, exercised, had acupuncture, and watched Whale Wars & Weeds, two different shows about baked people doing messed up things.

Don't stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up!

...tonight gonna fight til we see the sunlight!

Lo Lo & Nori gave us a glimpse into 2022 as they rode in her new Princess car, a sassy yet sensible Toyota. Missy also took a spin, just to teach the girls how to text and drive properly.

In Time Out (and loving it)

We also found time for church, a family trip to the beach, laundry, and bathing the dog. Much better than what you were up to (except you, Mom, I know you are retired).

self portrait, dreaming of Mexico 2011

lady friend

My Papa Michael is single and ready to mingle....he had a date last night! Her name is Darlene, her husband died 7 years ago, she was a Sweet Adeline (jazz hands) and according to Papa "she is a very nice girl". A 73-year-old girl but they say she looks younger, a GRILF perhaps? He asked her out to a band concert at the band shell and then they went to Culver's for ice cream and coffee. OMG, ice cream? That's how Jake & I got started and look at us now! Obviously, she owed him after that so they kissed!!!! Yes, I asked my grandfather for the juicy details because I just had to know so I can try to monitor and control this relationship, just like I do all things in my life. Plus, we have no boundaries. Anyway, he enjoys "talking" to her and likes having a new "friend". The term lady friend was invented for this exact scenario. He is taking her to the Winona Lighting company picnic so you know what that means....I might be getting a new granny!

Playdate!

snack time in the red kitchen

I made it to Bloomington without a hitch but got really lost coming home, touring Mendota Heights and Eagan en route to Saint Paul. Why is my brain like this? There are several parts of my brain that did not properly develop: the sports part, the card playing part, the direction part, and the math part. Can you think of others? Also, what is it *exactly* that my mom did wrong to make this happen? Maybe it was too much chocolate milk while I was in utereo? Or could it be her holding me too much when I was baby? No, I think the overholding just led to my general neediness and emotional instability. I won't even mention ---- ----'s but maybe it was the Hardee's biscuits & gravy EVERY Sunday or excessive viewing of Mister Roger's and Sesame Street?

Anyway, we had a playdate with the Miskell's today! Jada is my new BFF while Nori proclaimed Jenay "cutie, cutie, cutie"!

Jakob, Nori & Jada say, "Cheers" with their juice boxes

Jenay and her little feet

home again

Goodbye nature, hello NetFlix

What a wonderful trip! Nori had the time of her life splashing in the lake with her adoring fans cheering her on! She says her favorite part was spinning in circles in the water with Daddy.This was the first year where she really got it and enjoyed herself, just like the rest of us. When not in the water she kept busy performing surgeries on us with Ellen's headlamp from camp, using various knickknacks like golf tees as scalpels, and suturing with duct tape. Other games included playing with her new alien and acting out scenes from the Lion King, namely any scene with Scar in it. Ellen and Charlie are both such a great aunt and uncle, they spent lots of time playing games, taking her to the potty, and helping out (BTB, potty training is going awesome, only couple accidents all week)! Of course, Grandma 'Wiz and Grandpa Steve are her favorites, thanks to them for all the meals, pontoon rides, babysitting, and love. The rest of the time was spent reading, playing cribbage, napping, biking, cooking, and pranking Charlie who totally bought it for 3 days until he read my blog on his Blackberry.

fishing with ham

Jake & Charlie ran 3 miles to the campground then swam back to cabin

the eagle, post poop

kayaking in the wind

ahhh...

still Up North

As my second grade teacher, Sister Jean Ann, used to say: serene

only idiots on the lake

Ellen is The Frog Whisperer

9:00 p.m. at the lake

Play-Doh is the best toy ever

floating during Happy Hour on the S.S. Jalopy

our roof

S'mores and a campfire

This dog has been sick (what else is new?)

Seltztastic

beauty

Up North

Day 3 at the cabin on Rock Lake, it's cloudy and cool but I discovered this new coffee shop, The Shante, with Wi-Fi. Yes, I quit coffee but I did not quit decaf non-fat lattes on cool days. The rest of the crew is having another big breakfast of carbs and syrup but a dainty little thing like myself just prefers organic fruit and purified air.

So far, so fun! Nori is so brave, she hopped right in off the dock to Jake and swam in the "deepy deepy" and she hopped off the boat in the middle of lake. "I'm not scared", she said.


Yesterday was gorg, lots of sun and blue skies. On our first day Liz made free-range chicken on the grill with a green salad, last night Ellen made eggplant parmigiana and fettuccine alfredo, and tonight Jake is making ribs. We had a nice bike ride too and some swimming. Ahhh...





Charlie is arriving today and we have a big prank to play on him hence, I won't schedule this post to publish until after I know he will be here so he won't see it. The prank will pit some of Charlie's favorite things against each other: beer and babes versus a quiet lake. Uncle Doug's cabin, three doors down, burned down years ago but now is being renovated. We are going to tell Charlie that they are turning it into a topless sports bar called Rock Solid with huge LED televisions on the dock so you can drink and watch TV from your boat. You can even see the new party deck they put in! The neighbors are protesting and had a huge "float in" rally on the lake yesterday, voicing their opposition. Then, we are going to make some signs and hang them on the road that say "Keep our lake PG-13" and "No boobs, just inner tubes". Well, we don't really have our slogans down yet but that's the plan. Do you think he will buy it? Stay tuned...