Do you watch Glee on Tuesday nights? Two weeks ago they returned for the second half of the first season, and since they've been picked up for another season they're clearly getting the rights to a lot of songs that they couldn't get before their ratings went sky-high. If you've been watching then you probably know that last week they did a Madonna-themed episode, and that from the costuming to the video remake, it was basically brilliant.
On a much sadder, more frustrating note, one of my closest friends had her wallet and keys stolen out of the classroom where she teaches a couple of weeks ago. The security cameras caught the student walking in and out of the classroom after she stepped out briefly, and when she returned her things were missing. However, because staff didn't find her wallet or keys on him he's getting off scott-free while she has had to cancel her credit cards, have her driver's license replaced, change the locks on her house, and worry about her car being stolen now that someone has both keys and her home address. I can't imagine being in a more frustrating position than the one that she now finds herself in.
So last Wednesday I received the following email from my friend:
Date: Wed, April 21, 2010 at 7:41 AM
Subject: Sad Realization
I went to download the Madonna music from Glee last night……but I have no debit or credit card to do it. :( DAMN YOU, STUDENT AND YOUR GLEE-RUINING WAYS!
*This rant brought to you by the brilliance of the Madonna+Glee pairing and the effects it is having on my ability to get through this Wednesday.
There was obviously only one appropriate response..
Date: April 21, 2010 at 11:16 AM Subject: Re: Sad Realization
It was probably a conspiracy to suck the joy from your life. Or a Crime of Passion. One or the other for sure. This kid saw the preview for this week's episode of Glee, pegged you as a Madonna fan (it was probably the cone bra or the penciled-in mole that tipped him off), and realized that if your wallet was Gone you'd have no way to download music. How's a girl supposed to Get Into the Groove without her Madonna tunes? He obviously doesn't know what it Feels Like For a Girl to have to get through a day without Madonna. I guess you'll just have to find some other way to Express Yourself. I think you deserve a Holiday, [Friend].
Shortly after I moved to New York City in 2004, my college friend & sorority sister Amanda visited. We made plans to go to dinner and she asked if I minded if she invited a friend from high school as well. I said I didn't mind, and as luck would have it, the friend ended up being a cute boy with whom I connected immediately. I spent the evening working up the nerve to ask for his phone number (Being new to the city I was looking for new friends and had a strict "yes" policy when it came to opportunities to socialize.), and a week or so later I called him to see if he wanted to hang out. He said yes, and that cute boy I met at Applebee's in Times Square turned out to be My Ryan.
Teresa and I met through work. A couple of months after I moved to NYC she quit her job in our Boston office to move back to her New Jersey home and be closer to her family. She quickly secured a job in our NYC office and we became fast friends. We ate lunch together nearly every day and celebrated happy hour together every Friday (sometimes resulting in sleepovers at my place so she wouldn't have to try to catch the last train back to NJ). Teresa and Ryan quickly became my two closest friends in New York, and although it was incredibly hard to leave them both behind when I transferred to the St. Louis office, it was almost harder to hear about all the fun they continued to have together after I moved away.
Since I left New York behind and returned to the Midwest, Ryan and Teresa have done the same. Ryan is finishing up his second year teaching at a small college in Kansas, and Teresa relocated to Chicago last fall. Since we're all in the Midwest, we thought we should have a little reunion, and this past weekend we did. Dubuque, Iowa was home of the First Annual Former New Yorker Reunion Weekend.
You're probably wondering why we decided to go to Dubuque. (So were Teresa and I.) Ryan suggested the location, saying that it's known as the Sin City of the Midwest, due in large part to the casinos on the Mississippi River. It also happens to be a fairly central location for all three of us, so knowing that we would make our own fun wherever we met, Teresa and I quickly agreed. Of course, me being me, I immediately started finding random roadside attractions to visit along the way. This is what my weekend looked like:
Since Teresa was taking the train out of Chicago and Ryan and I weren't going to be able to pick her up until late Friday evening, we decided we should meet in the afternoon to see a couple of roadside attractions together. After a quick look at the map I determined that the obvious place for us to meet would be Ryan, Iowa. My Ryan quickly agreed and the plans were made!
I hit the road a little early on Friday because I wanted to make a stop of my own before meeting up with Ryan. My drive took me through some beautiful, rolling hills and gorgeous farmland (No, seriously. It was incredible.) in northeastern Iowa. My only complaint about that drive (aside from a couple of dropped calls) would be that there was absolutely no place to stop for gas or to onload/offload Diet Coke, but I powered through and when I found a Conoco/IGA/Subway around 2 p.m. it was like a mirage, and I quickly pulled in to use the facilities and pick up a turkey sandwich.
Just south of my oasis in the farmland I saw this sign:
Channeling my youth and my love for Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls, I quickly pulled over to take a photo, amazed at my good luck. Then I turned around and saw this sign:
I loved the little gnome, so I took a photo of it too. (It wasn't until I uploaded my photos that I could read that tiny sign declaring St. Olaf the Home of the World's Largest Tenderloin!) I got back on the road, excited to tell Ryan and Teresa about my little discovery, when about two miles up the road I remembered that Rose is from St. Olaf, Minnesota. And I was in Iowa. So, as if I wasn't disappointed enough already, I looked up St. Olaf, Minnesota and it turns out it doesn't even exist! You probably already knew that though, so we'll just put this one in the books as one of Trish's Classic Blonde Moments. (I'd recommend reading up on St. Olaf, MN, though. It was pretty entertaining!)
Half an hour south of St. Olaf I reached my first destination: Strawberry Point, Iowa. Home to? The World's Largest Strawberry, of course!
World's Largest Strawberry
Strawberry Point, IA
I was excited about how big and realistic-looking it was, so I snapped several photos, then got back on the road.
My Ryan was running late, but aside from being his namesake I had another reason to visit Ryan, Iowa, so I traveled the forty minutes south to check it out for myself. Since Ryan wasn't going to make it, I took photos of all things Ryan:
But the real reason I wanted to visit Ryan, Iowa was this:
Re-Purposed Happy Chef Ryan, IA
There is a chain of restaurants in the Upper Midwest called Happy Chef. They're sort of like Denny's or Perkins and they serve breakfast all day. Happy Chef restaurants used to have giant chef statues out front (a la Big Boy), but several years ago all but the one in Mankato, Minnesota (the first Happy Chef restaurant) went by the wayside. Apparently Ryan, Iowa purchased one of the chefs and turned him into an umpire for their baseball field.
Here is a photo of the original Happy Chef statue in Mankato, which Ryan and I visited (and where we ate fried dill pickles) while he was in Minnesota last month:
Last Remaining Happy Chef Statue
Mankato, MN
As a bonus, while I enjoyed a self-guided tour of Ryan, I saw this dog standing on top of his house, barking his head off at me:
Dog That Doesn't Understand How Houses Work
From Ryan I headed to Dyersville, Iowa, home of The Field of Dreams movie site. I got there nearly an hour before Ryan arrived, so after I wandered around a bit I sat in the bleachers and just enjoyed my surroundings. I've always been a big baseball fan, but this is a truly special place. It's quiet and beautiful and, quite frankly, out in the middle of nowhere. You don't see a bunch of billboards leading tourists to it, so the few people you encounter there have planned the trip in advance. It was so peaceful that I didn't mind spending a little quality time there.
Entrance to the Field of Dreams Movie Site
Field of Dreams Movie Site
Dyersville, IA
I waited until Ryan got there, then made him run the bases with me. They let people play pick-up games there and I wished we would have known that ahead of time, as I would have thrown my glove in the car. I'm sort of amazed at how few people I saw in the hour I was there, but at the same time that's part of what makes it so special.
From Dyersville Ryan and I headed to Dubuque to check into our hotel. After taking a few minutes to settle in we hopped in Ry's car and headed south to Davenport, where we met up with Teresa and Cath (Teresa's mom) for a great dinner at Granite City. I hadn't seen Cath in several years (She used to have me over for dinner, but she moved from New Jersey to Illinois just before I moved to St. Louis.), so it was great to catch up with her, and she was so sweet to pick up the tab for dinner. On the way back to Dubuque, Teresa laughed until she was "crying horizontally" (She claims that tears were literally shooting straight out of her eyes.), and that pretty much set the tone for our weekend.
I won't bore you with every last detail, but there are a few details that you should probably know, and several photos that you should probably see. For starters, Friday night Teresa played her first game of Blackjack, and on her first hand she hit 21. Cha-ching!
On Saturday we were up early to grab a quick breakfast before our 10:30 pick-up for our wine tour. We spent the day visiting local wineries, tasting local wines, oohing and aahing over the scenery, and trying not to vomit while the deathmobile wine bus raced through the windy, hilly, sometimes gravel roads of wine country.
Ryan Enjoying the View
Seriously, how gorgeous is this?! That beautiful tree near the center is a pear tree.
TJ & T
At the Massbach Winery
Elizabeth, IL
Saturday night we ordered in Chinese food and watched the ridiculous Mets/Cardinals game. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, it was a 20-inning game.) I was bummed that the Cards lost, but seeing as we were celebrating Former New Yorker Reunion Weekend, it was only appropriate that the Mets win. Anyways, when the game finally ended we headed to Cherry Lanes for a little bowling, where Ryan dominated, except for that one game where Teresa kicked his butt. I was just there for comic relief. There was much dancing, singing, and of course, there were pitchers of beer.
Beer.
I needed my photo taken with the big winner.
Oh, and at some point in the evening Ryan was texting with his friend Renee, who happened to be in town the night of my 24th birthday. Apparently she misunderstood and thought we were celebrating my birthday again that night, and she sent Ryan this text:
Renee, you're the sweetest! Unfortunately your memory is crap.
Sunday we slept in a bit, then checked out of our hotel and grabbed breakfast before exploring downtown Dubuque, which was actually pretty cute!
We liked that "Get In and Sit Down" is part of the instructions. We soon found out why.
About to Ride the Shortest, Steepest Railroad in the World
Teresa & Ryan are ready to go to the top! (They obviously follow instructions well.)
I took a little video of our trip to the top:
When we reached the top I discovered this tiny Elf Exit:
Elf Exit
And as our last stop before we headed home, we took a few photos at the Dubuque sign:
Masterpiece on the Mississippi indeed!
Iowa!
Oh, and as we headed for our cars to head home after a fabulous weekend of crying horizontally, we happened upon this tiny Statue of Liberty. What more appropriate way to end Former New Yorker Reunion Weekend?
A week and a half ago (I know, I'm behind again. I'm sure you're shocked.) found me in the middle of nowhere. That's right--I was in Wisconsin. (Kidding, Wisconsin friends!!) More specifically I was in Stone Lake, WI, just outside of Hayward. My friend Katie's (AKA my best friend in April) in-laws have a cabin there and she invited me to girls' weekend. The numbers dwindled from 8 to 4 as the date drew closer, but that just meant no sharing of beds!
Katie, Becky, and I rode up together Friday afternoon and Lara joined us Friday evening. On the way to the cabin Katie asked if I'd brought my laptop. "Katie. You've told me absolutely nothing about this "cabin" other than where it is. I literally don't even know if I'm going to have to pump my own water this weekend. I didn't assume there would be internet at this cabin." Apparently this was pretty funny to Katie and Becky, but in my family "going to the cabin" literally means there's a big orange water pump out front and you're going to have to put on your boots and coat to go "to the bathroom." So you can imagine my surprise when we arrived here:
Front of Cabin
Back of Cabin (taken from the dock)
The lake was like glass, and I've never experienced such complete and total silence in my life. Standing on the dock you literally couldn't even hear a bird. It was amazing.
Stone Lake
We spent the weekend gabbing, playing games, reading, and watching movies. (There were also various cocktails, mudslides, late-night conference calls to husbands, and a ridiculous amount of food.) At the local grocery store (in Hayward) I was incredibly entertained to find three separate cheese departments. The "blocks of cheese" department looked like this:
The Blocks of Cheese Department
And, thankfully, the girls humored me and pulled over in Hayward so I could take photos of The World's Largest Fish:
The World's Largest Fish
Hayward, WI
Hayward is also home to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, but I just can't get particularly excited about mounted fish (with the exception of the McDonald's Filet of Fish commercial that Teresa introduced me to this past weekend) so we skipped that. I'm sorry to report that we also skipped The Moccasin Bar, but plans for another girls' weekend are already in the works for October and we're planning to visit it then.
Alright, so as usual I'm behind on my blogging. But don't worry--I have much to write about. Let me preface this post by saying that I am a religious person. I don't thump my Bible and try to change other people's beliefs to match my own, and I don't always make it to church every Sunday (I don't believe that attendance necessarily a good Christian makes.), but I am strong in my beliefs and God is an important part of my life. That said, I also believe that God has a sense of humor. In other words, please don't be offended...
By now you all know my good friend Jaime. We met in St. Louis in 2006 when she started working in the office I had just been transferred to about two weeks prior. We became fast friends and in the last four years we've had many adventures.
After a monsoon waiting for a Toad the Wet Sprocket concert in St. Louis.
At my farewell party before I moved from St. Louis to Minneapolis.
At a winery in Missouri with Missy the last weekend before I moved to Minneapolis.
At our friends' Jamie and Chris' wedding in Florida, where we invented the game What Do I Have In My Purse That Cost More Than This Crappy Hotel Room?
Drinking margaritas. Baking pumpkin pies at Jan & Ron's new house last Thanksgiving.
I've lived in Minnesota for two and a half years already but between National Sales Meetings every January and August and my fairly frequent visits to Chicago (where she transferred after I transferred up to Minneapolis) we've managed to see each other pretty regularly. However, until a week and a half ago she had never been to Minnesota. (Okay, she was here once a million years ago to visit the Mall of America with her mom. But she hadn't been here since I'd moved here, so the shopping extravaganza doesn't count. It was so long ago that purchases probably included acid-wash jeans and t-shirt clips.) Sooo...when Chelsea Handler (of Chelsea Lately on E!) announced her book tour (translation: stand up comedy tour) I dropped everything to find out when she was coming to Minneapolis and immediately emailed Jaime to try to persuade her to make the trip. It wasn't until after she had decided to come and I had purchased the tickets that I received the email titled: "Chelsea vs. Jesus." Neither one of us had realized that we'd planned her visit for Easter weekend (Apparently neither Google nor Microsoft feels the need to mark such holidays on their electronic calendars.), so after many promises to her mom that I would take Jaime to church and spare her (Jaime's mom) the burden of Easter egg dying if she allowed Jaime to spend Easter weekend with me rather than in southern Illinois with her immediate family, I received an email with the subject, "In the battle of Chelsea vs. Jesus..." and the body of the email simply said, "Chelsea wins!" Our plans for the weekend were on!
Jaime drove up Friday and arrived in time for a little sushi happy hour in Eden Prairie. Yum.
Delicious.
After happy hour (around 8:30) we headed back to Chaska where we hit up the local bar, Heartbreakers. We ordered a couple of beers and were sitting at a high top table minding our own business when a couple of guys came in, pulled out their fancy dart cases (Yes--cases containing their very own sets of hot pink darts.) opened them up on our table, and started playing darts directly behind us. They were very competitive and it was clear that they spent a lot of time there. Jaime and I were already on our second beer so she looks at the darts, then at me, and says, "Oh yeah? You have your fancy dart cases, but look what I have!" and pull THIS out of her purse:
It was no small coincidence that this case is almost identical in size and shape to those which held the hot pink dart sets.
Have you ever played this game? After I finished shrieking, "What in the world is that?!?" and got the giggling somewhat under control, she proceeded to teach me how to play. Basically, you have these two little pigs:
I swear this if for real, y'all. I can't make this stuff up.
and you roll them like dice. You get a score based on how the pigs land. Now maybe this isn't quite as funny when you don't have a couple of beers under your belt, but I'm willing to bet that it is. We sat and played pigs in the bar for an hour and we were laughing so hard and making such a scene that people kept coming over to ask us what in the world we were doing. The next day we had to go out and buy me my very own pig game. Beware--the next time you see me I will probably try to make you play. And you will love it.
Anyways, Saturday we were up early to get ready for our big, Chelsea-filled day. She's touring to promote her new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which we had both already read, so we packed up our books, picked up my friend Katie, and we all headed down to the book store at the University of Minnesota, where we actually got to meet Chelsea and she signed our books for us.
Jaime, Katie, and yours truly waiting patiently in line to meet Chelsea!
It's true what she says--she looks SO much younger in person than she does on TV!
My book, signed by Chelsea!
With our books signed we headed to Starbucks for a frappuccino and to kill some time before we met up for dinner with Julia and headed to the show. Josh Wolf (a regular on her show) opened for her and I laughed from the time he walked on until the time Chelsea finished the show. I was worried that it might get a little vulgar but it really didn't, and we all had a great time. If you have a chance to see her live you should! (Chelsea, you can thank me by sending me large sums of money. Or by being my new best friend. Either one would suffice.)
Sunday was Easter, so Jaime and I headed to the early service at church to Hallelujah. I've been church shopping since I moved here and I've gone to this particular church fairly regularly, but last Easter I went to a different church and I just have to say--the Hallelujah Chorus should not be left up to the congregation (as it was at last year's church). The choir did a beautiful job and I thought it was really neat that they invited anyone who wanted to sing it to join the choir for the big finale.
After church and a minor (okay, maybe it was more than minor) baking debacle we headed to Julia and Jon's, where Julia had prepared a gorgeous Easter brunch. (Attire was "Jesus Casual.") The honey-baked ham, hashbrowns, sweet potatoes, quiche, green beans with almonds--it was all delicious! Oh--and did I mention that Jaime and I decided to Bumpit for Jesus? We did. I mean, the higher the hair the closer to God, right?
Bumpin' it for Jesus. (Ironically, in front of a synagogue. On Easter.)
Showin' off our bumpits Jessica Simpson-style.
After brunch we had an Easter egg hunt and dyed eggs:
Our egg-dying skills are rather eggceptional, don't you think?
and after that Jaime had to get on the road. I stayed behind for a short Wii tournament before heading home around 5:00. Oh! Did I mention that Jaime brought me this adorable Easter basket? She definitely did.
Contents included a wine glass with matching cocktail napkins that say "There's no problem a glass of wine and a flat iron can't fix," a golden anchor dish scrubbie (Her anchor radar is fantastic! She definitely should have been a DG!), and some chocolate praying hands.
It was really great to spend some quality time with Jaime in Minnesota and we had a lot of laughs. I miss you already, J! Thanks SO much for making the trip!!
