Suitcases and Beer

So where to begin?

2009-08-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

So much beer, so little time.

Who am I kidding? I'll make time. I do however, have limited time to update this blog. As you can tell. It's been over a year!

Rest assured, I have still been traveling and drinking. Like I said - so much beer!

David and I have been in Vermont now for a little over a year. It's been quite the year! We've been busy with work, and getting settled in our new house. We decided to buy a townhome in Waterbury last fall. This is a great town - known for being the hometown of Ben & Jerry's; and more importantly, The Alchemist Brewpub! (Yeah, we're not stupid. OF COURSE we're going to live within stumbling distance of one of Vermont's finest.)

I have much to get caught up on - I've seen moose and llamas, been to brewpubs in Maine, Quebec City, Montreal, New Hampshire, Sarasota, FL, taken up knitting, and I'll have my review of the Vermont Brewer's Fest!

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of some lovely beer from the Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing Company. They're a brewpub located in North Conway, NH that has some fantastic brews. They do an amazing Blueberry Ale - so good, we had to get a growler. North Conway is a neat little town, known for it's outlet malls. Here's a pic of their sampler, and a pint of the Blueberry!

Cheers!

Brewpub Review: 7 Barrel Brewery in Lebanon, NH

2008-05-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend I flew to VT to spend a few days with my husband (yay for my husband!) and get some of our stuff unpacked. Yeah, we won't go there, LOL.

Anyhow, on Sunday we drove to NH to do some shopping & hit Macy's and complete some of our wedding registry items. There is no sales tax in NH, so we figured we'd save some money and get our wine glasses. I'll be posting later on why Macy's can suck it.

And now, for the beer.

We stopped at the 7 Barrel Brewery on our way home. David had been there previously and said that I had to try their Maple Ale. I was not disappointed!

We each ordered a sampler - of which the lineup was:

Queechee Cream Ale

Ice Rock Canadian

New Dublin Brown

The Red 7

Champion Reserve IPA

RIP Stout

Plus the Maple Ale, and another seasonal IPA. David enjoyed the IPA's - he said they weren't too hoppy. We decided to bring a growler home.

For dinner I had the Pub Cheese Plate - smoked gruyere & cheddar, apple chutney, and quite possibly some of the best bread I've ever had - tasted like it just came out of the oven, and it was 9 pm!

No pictures, as we left the camera at home.

Flashback: The Corn Palace

2008-04-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

So, tonight begins a new feature on Suitcases and Beer. This whole blog focuses on our love of traveling and beer, and since we took many many trips before discovering the joys of blogging - from time to time I'll feature a Travel Blast From The Past.

Today I was watching the weather channel and they were showing snow in Mitchell, SD. For those of you who aren't from the Midwest, you may never have heard of the World Famous Corn Palace. I find this shocking, but there you have it.

Before I continue - I should tell you that David and I don't exchange birthday presents. Instead, we plan a surprise weekend trip. The birthday person has no clue what the destination is. It can involve flying, be local, or be a road trip. In the Summer of 2005 David took me on the first ever Birthday Trip. We left our house on a beautiful summer Saturday. In a rented convertible! We headed south and made a few stops:

The world's largest ball of twine -- Darwin, MN

Olivia, MN - the Corn Capital

The world's biggest peace pipe -- Pipestone, MN

At this point - I still had NO CLUE where we were headed. A few months earlier I had mentioned that I had always wanted to see the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. Later that evening - guess what we drove past? The Corn Palace - lit up in all it's glory!

Here's what it looks like in the daytime:

According to their website, it was created in 1892, with this particular building being completed in 1912. Every year, the exterior mural is stripped down and re-created using corn, wheat, and various grasses. A new design is created by a local artist.

And on our way home - we stopped off at the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN.

Ho Ho Ho - Green Giant! (That's me at the bottom!)

Honeybeer? Beermoon? You decide!

2008-03-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

OK, what honeymoon (at least for us) would be complete without checking out some local suds?

David and I decided to spend our honeymoon in Big Bear, CA - about a 4 hour drive from Las Vegas. We own a timeshare and were able to get a week there; we didn't have to buy another plane ticket, and THERE IS A BREWPUB THERE.

Our first night we stopped in at the Big Bear Mountain Brewery. And oh what a time we had! We bellied up to the cozy little bar and ordered a sampler. Impressive. They offer a German Pilser (Old Miners Gold), an Amber (Orange Blossom Amber ~ seriously, it tastes like oranges!), an English Pale Ale (Mountain Pale Ale), an excellent IPA (Lil Beaver - and what honeymoon is complete without a little beaver????) , a Red (Red Ant Hill), and a yummy Doppel Bock (the Grizzly Bear).

They've got a fantastic bartender - I don't remember her name, but she's the very friendly blonde behind the bar - and she recommended that we mix the Grizzly Bear and the Orange Blossom. Seriously - one of the BEST beers we've ever had. We ended up not only taking a growler of it back to the condo - but we brought a refill back on the plane.

Who wants a Dam Beer?

2008-03-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Yeah baby!

On our way to Big Bear, CA we decided to go through Boulder City, NV and see the Hoover Dam followed by a stop at the Boulder Dam Brewing Company.

The dam jokes NEVER get old. The Hoover Dam was impressive. Here's a picture of my dam Husband:

Good thing we didn't bring Brandy with us. Cuz you KNOW she'd be disobeying that sign and would be all over the dam place.

If you are in the area - definitely stop off at the Boulder Dam Brewing Company. They have a Blueberry bock that is to die for. The flavor is pretty true to blueberry and not overpowering.

Brewpub Review: Triple 7 Brewpub - Las Vegas

2008-03-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

This was actually our second visit to the Triple 7 Brewpub, located in the Main Street Station Casino in downtown Vegas.

And like our first visit, we weren't disappointed! We decided to go downtown with Pat, Eric and Jeffrey and have some lunch & a beer sampler. You have to love a brewpub with the philosphy of "Save Water, Drink Beer" (and yes, we bought the t-shirt!). It's all about the environment.

All of there beers are good - it just depends on your preference. And they incorporate a Vegas/gambling theme into the names - you can choose from the High Roller Gold, Royal Red Lager, Blackchip Porter, and others. The food is good, and plentiful, as evidenced by Jeffrey's ginormous Cobb Salad:
And when you've got a full tummy and are just a little tipsy - it's time to head out to the casino and gamble!

My first ever beer drinking contest....

2008-03-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

How best to top getting married on Leap Year Day?

Enter a beer drinking contest! Yeah, that's right. Unfortunately I had left my dirndl at home, but I was still permitted to enter the Hofbrau Haus's All-Girl Beer Drinking Contest. With my friend Alisa. After a meal of pretzels and unpronounceable German food (and I have to say, their spaetzle is NOWHERE near as good as my friend Jeffrey's) I was refreshed and ready to bend my elbow and try to win a $25 gift card.

Yeah ~ they had a ringer. Some chick who DID have not only a dirndl but blonde braids. The stereotypical German fraulein drained that sucker in about 10 seconds flat. I did, however, get about half a beer for free. And we all know free beer makes everything better! Prost!

Here's a picture of David with his pretzel:

Viva Margaritas!

2008-03-02T14:41:00.000-08:00

Our reception was SO MUCH fun! After an hour or so of taking photos, we were ready for some chips and salsa & MARGARITAS! Ole!

Our reception was at the Border Grill at Mandalay Bay. For those of you who remember the show "Too Hot Tamales" from the early days of the Food Network, this is their show. Think upscale, authentic, high-quality Mexican food. It was to die for.

David and I were flattered that so many of our friends and family were able to come to our wedding. This is one of my favorite photos:

Here's a great picture of my Mom and Dad. You can also see our reception flowers. Loved them!

This is David and I with my grandparents from Miami:

Here's David and I with his Mom, and his sister Jane and her husband Steve. David's Mom is in Madison, WI, and Jane and Steve live in Boston.

These are our friends Steve and Hamlin, who live in St. Paul MN. This picture is from the rehearsal dinner.

Here's my Aunt Sue & Uncle Paul - they live in Nashville, TN. This picture was taken the day after the wedding.

Here's David with his friend Marcia, who came from CO, and our Best Man, Pat, from Fort Lauderdale.

Here is John & Michelle from MN. (I have NO clue why this pic so tiny!)

Here I am with my friend Heidi who lives in Chicago, and my friend Scott from Minneapolis. I've known Heidi since high school! She's getting married in May so it's her turn next.

This is Eric and Jeffrey, from Minneapolis:

These are my cousins Joe & Trese who live in Phoenix, and John & Mary who live in Milwaukee.

These are our friends Alisa & Tyree from Nashville. Alisa's hair looks awesome; and I'm not just saying that because she's going to be reading this. It really did look good.

I'm a married lady!

2008-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

As of approximately 4 pm yesterday, David and I are now legally wed! Yay! We had an absolutely fantastic day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was about 70 degrees in Las Vegas.

After dropping David off at Exacalibur with his best man, Michelle and I headed over to the condo to get our hair done. We were running late (and I'll admit, I was kind of a spaz at this point) but luckily the stylist had allowed for plenty of time. Her name is Andrea, and she did an amazing job! She was so much fun, and so professional. She did a great job on staying on track and making sure we were done in plenty of time.

Michelle and I ended up getting to Mandalay Bay a little early. Turns out David did as well, so we had to make sure we didn't run into each other. Despite being early, the time just flew by.

Once Michelle was called out of the Bride's Room for the processional, I was told to wait to be called out to walk down the aisle. It seemed like I was waiting FOREVER. David also said everyone walked in, and they were standing there waiting. And waiting.....We discovered while watching our wedding video that the camera was panning the audience during this time. Seriously, I thought they forgot about me!!

The whole ceremony went by VERY quickly. Oh ~ and I burst out laughing during our vows! In my defense, my nose was itching and I couldn't scratch it. I had my bouquet in my left hand, and David's hand in my right and my nose was itching. My thought process was "nose is itching, can't scratch it, gotta pay attention, this is important, nose is itching" and so on. I think between that and being so overwhelmed by it all it was either laugh, or cry. So I busted out laughing. In the wedding video, you can see David's sister tearing up....and I'm giggling. I found out later that David's cousin Janet did the same thing at her wedding - so at least I'm in good company!

Reception details to follow!

Brew Pub Review: Nodding Head, Philadelphia

2007-09-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

You gotta love their slogan - Taking Over the World, Seven Barrels at a Time.

This was our second visit to Nodding Head in Philadelphia. We were in Philly on Sept 17th for the Philadelphia Distance Run -- what better way to reward yourself for covering 13.1 miles than with beer and a burger?

More on the race later - and hopefully some pics!

And where did those six months go?

2007-07-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's actually been seven months since I've posted. And it's not that I haven't had a lot to post about! Since my last post, we have:

-- Traveled to Albuquerque
-- Traveled to Philadelphia
-- Traveled to Chicago
-- I got laid off from my job and found a new one
-- We FINALLY sold David's townhouse in Minneapolis. (To a guy named Igor who is apparently very excited)
-- We saw an indigo snake shed it's skin at the Nashville Zoo
-- I finished the Country Music Half Marathon in 4:18
-- Traveled to Miami so David could meet my grandparents
-- Traveled to Chicago (again)
-- Traveled to Cleveland (it really does rock)
-- I finished the I Run For Music City 5K in 55:52
-- And oh yeah, we decided we are getting married in Vegas, most likely on February 29th, 2008!

Over the next six months we'll be:
-- Planning a wedding
-- Traveling to Las Vegas to look at wedding sites
-- Traveling to Tampa, FL
-- Going on David's super-secret surprise birthday weekend
-- Traveling to Philadelphia (again) -- this time for the Philly Distance Run half marathon. David is going to join me.

More details to follow - for anyone who might still be reading this blog!

Vodka, Vodka, and even MORE VODKA!!!

2006-12-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday night in Minnesota we went to the St. Petersburg Vodka Bar, in beautiful Robbinsdale, MN. This place is awesome.

We got to see Kristen & Jason, Eric and Jeffrey, Becky & Bernie, Missi & Rik, and Scott. A good time was had by all!

The bartenders are outstanding. They easily have 200+ vodkas available for sampling (plain and flavored) and will gladly make a recommendation if you can't decide. They have a selection of Baltic beers, which are quite tasty. For vodkas, we tried the Jewel of Russia, Ciroc (a French vodka made from grapes) and a Uri something or other that was the smoothest vodka I've ever had. I ended up getting David a bottle of the Ciroc as one of his Christmas presents.

Viva Las Vegas!

2006-12-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

Today we returned from my VERY FIRST trip to Las Vegas! (Followed by a detour in Minneapolis).

We stayed at Circus Circus - fortunately I managed to avoid seeing any scary-ass clowns. We didn't see any shows, as we were there for just a couple of days, but we did get free tickets to see Mac King - I wouldn't pay to see him, but he was kind of funny.

We had dinner one night at the Hofbrau Haus (Every Day's Oktoberfest - whoo hoo!) - according to David, it's a fairly accurate replica of the one in Munich. We had beer in ginormous steins, and listened to men sing drinking songs while wearing Lederhosen. Good times.

We also checked out the Fremont Street Experience, where I managed to win $135 playing blackjack and the Four Queens Casino, followed by $50 on a Men In Black themed penny slot machine. And then David fell down and injured his wrist. We suspect it might be broken.

I have discovered Heaven

2006-10-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

In a little bowl of white cheese dip at the Alley Cat Lounge.

Last night we went out for dinner and margaritas. Being in a cranky mood for much of the afternoon, I e-mailed David and said I wanted margaritas!

I assumed we were going to our usual place, La Hacienda (home of the 60 oz fishbowl margarita). Turns out David found the Best Margaritas of 2006 list on Citysearch, and Alley Cat was #3.

This place was awesome! Service was amazing - our server recommended a great top-shelf tequila for our first margarita, and she was right on target. The cheese dip was...like I said.. absolute heaven. We split an order of chicken fajitas that were also delish. Can't wait to go back!

MMMMM....beer!

2006-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do while traveling is to check out the local brewpubs. While on vacation, we are getting the chance to sample some locally made brews.

So far, we've visited three:

Breckenridge Brewery
I'd recommend the Avalanche Ale, the Summer Bright, or the Autumn Ale.

Backcountry Brewery
They claim to be the "Best Beer Brewed At 9000 Feet", and I have to say they come pretty close! I really enjoyed their Telemark IPA, although it was too hoppy for David. Their Switchback Amber was also pretty decent.

Dillon Dam Brewery
It's always fun to say "Let's go to the Dam Brewery", but I was less than impressed with their offerings. I did enjoy the Dam Straight Lager and the McLuhr's Irish Stout, but none of them really stood out.

All three offered wheat beers, but nothing as impressive as our favorite to date - the Lilikoi Wheat Ale at the Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii.

This Saturday we'll be off to another local "brewpub" - Coors!

Colorado - Here We Come!

2006-09-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today we went on our first real vacation since last year's fateful trip to Hawaii (where we learned we'd be leaving the tundras of MN for the hills of TN). We've taken a couple of weekend trips (Asheville, NC & New Orleans, LA) but this was our first full week away in a long time.

Can I say that early morning flights SUCK? In a big way. Unfortunately, when flying out of Nashville it seems like your more affordable choices are either at the crack of dawn or later in the day. In order to enjoy a full day in CO, we opted for the 6 a.m. flight on Frontier.

This was my first flight on Frontier. I'm hooked. Each seat has a personal TV with a variety of channels. I alternated between snoozing and watching some dog show on Animal Planet. (I totally want a 13" Beagle. ) They proudly brew Caribou Coffee.

You may also know from their commercials that their planes feature cute and cuddly animals on the tails of their planes. Each of these animals has a name, and when exiting the plane, the staff thanks you for flying with them on behalf of the airline and the animals! Our plane featured Snow & Klondike - the Polar Bear Cubs. My hope someday is to fly on the plane with Lucy, The Canadian Goose.

Denver had some beautiful weather today - warm and sunny and just perfect for jet-skiing. Would you believe that with all the lakes in MN I have never ever once been on a jet-ski until now? David's friend Steve hooked up his two Sea-Doo's and took us to Chatfield Lake.

A few hours later of skiin' and beerin' and it was off to Breckenridge.

More vacation stories to come!

I don't know what it is about those Predators scoring...

2006-09-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

But I like it.
I love it.
I want some more of it.

Last night David surprised me with tickets to the corporate box to see the Nashville Predators play a pre-season game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Preds spanked the Hurricanes, 7-3.

In between periods, they bring out the Zamboni. If you look closely, there's an extra seat right behind the driver. For a charitable donation, fans can ride with the Zamboni driver during a game. How cool is that?

After the game we went out for a drink. We ended up at the Market Street Pub, where Scott Dorman was playing. We've seen his show a few times, and always have a blast. He does mostly covers, but from time to time will pull out an original from his CD. I'm always willing to buy a CD from a local musician and his is one of my favorites.

Apparently, my city's the shit. Who knew?

2006-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

This morning, David tells me he has a present for me.

Now, I know most women would jump up and down with glee at the thought of a present from their man, but after 2 1/2 years I have learned to simply raise my eyebrow and reserve judgement until I see what it is.

Last night he went out for dinner with his new training class, and ended up going downtown to hit some bars. A gentleman was selling his CD's on the street, so David decided to buy me one.

He knows I'm a sucker for anyone selling their CD. There's tons of live music here in Nashville, and most musicians will also have copies of their CD for about $10. Not a bad deal - the CD is usually decent, and I figure a greater part of that $10 is going into a struggling musicians pocket than if I bought a CD at Best Buy. I get to listen to some new music while supporting the local music scene, so everybody wins.

Fast forward to this morning. I pop the CD in while driving to work. In hindsight, the "Parental Advisory" sticker should have given me a clue as to what I was in for. The first tracks had lyrics along the lines of:

I been to lots of places
I've seen lots of faces
I've smoked weed in my basement

and

Cashville is where I lay my head
I don't know about your city
But my city's the shit

I couldn't listen to anymore and switched to the radio. Fortunately JackFM was playing "Sweet Home Alabama" and I followed that up with some NPR until my ears stopped bleeding.

But thanks for the present, honey. You're the shit.

Dear pasty white "Sandwich Artist" at Subway:

2006-09-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Just because you can grow a mustache at the age of 17, doesn't mean you should.

And guys that are descended from Vikings -- such as yourself -- should know that no matter how thick you can grow it, white blonde hair on pale white skin just isn't a good look.

Your 'stache does NOT make you look older, just silly.

A day in the life of a stripper....

2006-09-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend's activities involved stripping.

No, I haven't invested in a pole and a copy of The S Factor. On Saturday, David decided it was high time we started stripping the hideous wallpaper in our master bathroom. Think dark green with a horrid pink & cream floral pattern. And while it just SCREAMS 1992, I can't believe wallpaper that ugly was EVER in style.

After about 10 hours of work and a bottle of wallpaper remover, it's about 75% gone. The walls are pretty yucky looking, but without the dark wallpaper, the room is MUCH brighter! It will be a few weeks before we can finish all the stripping and prep for paining, but the end results will be totally worth it.

Au revoir, Marshall Field's

2006-09-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

The classic department store that believed in giving "the lady what she wants" is no more. As of today, all Marshall Field's stores have been re-named Macy's.

As a former Twin Cities resident, I remember when Field's used to be Dayton's. Their former owner, Target Corporation, changed the name of all their department stores to Marshall Field's. That change did not sadden me the way this one does. All that really changed then was the name. The stores still looked the same, the bags were still green, and we all knew Field's was based on those same Midwestern values and style that Dayton's had been.

At Field's, we still had our Frangos, the Holiday Show, and with a quick flash of our Regards card, a free cup of coffee to drink while browsing the new Jimmy Choo's.

The Frangos and Holiday Show still remain, but you can't buy Jimmy Choo at Macy's. Or Prada. And your Regards card won't get you that complimentary beverage. They've eliminated their "Locate" service - if the merchandise you want is in another store, they'll make you pay shipping charges instead of sending it for free to your doorstep.

It's the end of an era. Farewell, Fields.

10 years ago tonight

2006-09-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was at my BFF Michelle's wedding. How time flies!

Ten years later, she and John are still happily wed, and have two adorable little girls.

Happy Anniversary.

Here Comes the Bride!!

2006-09-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went back to the Twin Cities for a wedding.

My friend Julie (aka Bunny!) married her fiance, Tony at a winery in Wisconsin. I met Julie my very first night in my MBA program. When I discovered she carried finger puppets in her purse I knew we had to be friends. Who knew that 7 years later I'd be living in TN and she'd be walking down the aisle towards one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet?

It was an awesome wedding. I think most women look beautiful in their wedding finery, but Bunny was absolutely one of the prettiest brides I've seen. Tony should make a habit of wearing a tux on a regular basis.

From what I gathered, they had originally planned for the ceremony to be held outside, but due to the threat of rain moved it under the tent. I have to say this was handled really well, because you never would have known that it wasn't the original plan.

One of my favorite things about a wedding is the flowers. I was not disappointed! They were beautiful. The table flowers were in those tall vases so they were elevated above the table, which makes conversation easier. The bridesmaid's all carried hydrangeas - one of my favorites.

During the cocktail hour we got to sample some of the winery's offerings - if you ever get a chance to try the St Croix Vineyards Cabernet - I'd highly recommend it.

So, congrats Bunny and Tony - and when are you coming to visit?

I want a Panda!

2006-08-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend I flew to San Diego for a conference. While I didn't come home with any electronics like the last one I went to, I did get to see something amazing at the San Diego Zoo.

Pandas.

They are adorable. On the flight out I was reading a recent issue of National Geographic that coincidentally had a cover story on pandas. I learned that they are all considered property of China, no matter where they reside, or are born. Any zoo that accepts a loan of pandas from China has to agree to share any research they conduct.

San Diego has 4 pandas - a male/female pair that have produced 2 offspring - a boy and a girl. The girl was in the same habitat as Mom - she was trying to climb a tree and rolling around playing with bamboo.

NIMBY

2006-08-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Not In My Backyard.

In our neighborhood you won't find women who have affairs with the gardners, couples who steal babies and then kill the birth mother when she knocks on their door, or women who run an S&M brothel out of the house while hubby is at work. Everything looks beautifully perfect - from their outfits to their gorgeous lawns.

Fortunately, we have discovered that you WILL find all of this excitement and intrigue on a street called Wisteria Lane.

That's right - David and I have discovered "Desparate Housewives - Season 1" on DVD.

I don't know what I'm more jealous of - Gabrielle's gorgeous off the shoulder tops, or her hydrangeas.

H E double hockey sticks...

2006-07-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

...is what it's hotter than here.

Dang. I've been in TN in the summer before, so I knew what I was in for, but will it ever end???

Saturday morning we went to Beaman State Park and did a two mile hike. Lovely park, and it was nice and shaded, but dear lord it was hot. They recommend wearing long pants because of the risk of tick bites, so we did.

You know it's bad when you have to choose between dying from heat exhaustion or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Where in the World?

2006-06-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

Did Lucie go for her surprise weekend birthday trip?

David and I don't exchange birthday gifts. Instead, we plan surprise weekend birthday trips for each other.

I wasn't sure what he was going to do to top last year's adventure to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. All I knew was it was within driving distance.

He totally had me faked out thinking we were going to Gatlinburg. We left Friday after work and drove to Knoxville and spent the night there. Since we got there late and were leaving early the next morning he picked a place that was cheap...and it turns, out a bit skanky (he said he didn't think it would be that bad). We stayed @ a Scottish Inn (and our running joke was "it's krrrap!" ala Mike Myers). Fortunately, there wasn't a dead hooker under the bed, because that cost extra.

Saturday morning we drove around Knoxville for a bit - neat place, we can't wait to go back. I'm dying to go to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame! I still had no clue on our final destination - I did figure we were going to NC when we crossed the border, LOL. We had lunch in Maggie Valley, NC and then drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The mountains are beautiful! I had never been to NC before; it's a GORGEOUS state.

He had planned to go to the Biltmore Estate but we got there too late in the day to make the admission fee worthwhile. We went to the gift shop and bought 6 bottles of Biltmore wine instead (+ 3 more the next day, holy cow).

Saturday night we stayed @ a B&B just outside of Asheville, called the Madison Inn. It had themed rooms - ours was the "Safari Room" with an African theme and leopard print bedding. It was VERY nice. Breakfast the next day was awesome. For dinner we went into Asheville and had dinner at the "Lobster Trap"...mmm lobster. I was born in Maine so a Maine lobster was an appropriate birthday dinner! Then we went out for drinks.

Sunday we drove around Asheville a bit more & then headed home. We are definitely going back there sometime; we had a GREAT time.

Minnesota Maple Syrup

2006-04-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last night we got a surprise in the mail.

Best Friend Michelle sent us some home-made maple syrup from her backyard!

Betcha thought you could only get it in Vermont. They've got a number of maple trees in their backyard, and know someone who makes syrup, so he tapped there trees, and voila! A million gallons (approximately) of sap later, and you have a bottle of syrup!

Quite tasty on buttermilk pancakes.

It's officially tornado season!

2006-04-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

We got a number of calls this weekend checking to see if we had survived the tornados that ripped through Nashville on Friday, so I thought I'd let everyone know we are all in one piece and our house is still standing. The hardest hit areas were Gallatin and Goodlettsville, which are just north and east of the city. Friday night we did have some pretty intense thunderstorms, but nothing that caused any damage. We had a real, live tornado drill here at the office - we all had to go down to the first floor to an inner room. They then decided to close the office a little early and sent us all home, so luckily I did not miss the hailstorm near my house. I will never again complain about the bad weather in Minnesota - 2 feet of snow has never scared me the way these tornaders do!

This is the second, severe (and deadly!) storm in the last 10 days, so needless to say, we have a weather radio on order.

What amazes me, in a state where they see regular tornadic activity every year, is that almost NO ONE (including us) has a basement. (And no one can tell me why this is, either).

Otherwise, we are settling in. Our yard is blooming with tulips and jonquils (oh yeah, and lots of grass because we haven't bought a lawn mower yet). A nice retired lady lives on one side of us, and we are still trying to figure out how many people are in the house on the other side. They have at least six cars parked out front at any given time (none up on blocks, thank goodness) and people are always going in and out. Oh, and the local sherriff keeps leaving us notices for the people we bought the house from - not sure what that's all about (worst case scenario is that we end up in some suburban meth lab feature in the Tennessean, but it's probably just parking tickets).

We have a trip planned next weekend for Tunica, MS - biggest casino gaming capital west of Memphis! Who knew? I'm hoping my luck continues from winning the TV!

Well, aren't I lucky!

2006-04-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

This past week I won a TV.

Not just a TV but a 32" flat panel TV.

I went to a conference for my new job, and they gave you a little card for you to go and visit all the vendor booths and get a stamp. Once your card was full of stamps you could enter it in a drawing.

One of my fellow attendees was all gung-ho to do this, and urged me to participate with her. At my last job, we could never accept any kind of vendor gift, so I really didn't pay to much attention to it.

Imagine my surprise at seeing my name on the sign at the Information Desk later that day!

That evening, at the hospitality suites, I mentioned this to another attendee. He pointed out that I'll be getting all kinds of e-mails and phone calls from vendors now.

Oh well, I'll be too busy watching my FREE TV to answer the phone!

Greetings from Nashville!

2006-03-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

As of March 1st, I am officially a Tennessee resident.

I know it's going to get hot and humid here later this summer, but right now the weather is very nice. It was in the 80's this last weekend (which is unseasonably warm) so we had drinks out on the deck Saturday night, just because we could. It's "cooled down" to the 40's and 50's this week -- I just chuckle whenever I hear people say how "cold" it is out. It's actually pretty nice! The trees are starting to bud, and the Bradley Pear trees are all covered in white blossoms. We have jonquils and daffodils coming up in the yard. I'm going to enjoy it for now, because I've heard things will be somewhat brown come August. The house is somewhat unpacked - but we've discovered we don't have very much storage space. We'll be having a garage sale pretty soon, I think.

I'm enjoying my new job. There wasn't room for me up in IT, so I'm on another floor with the Marketing Department. They are actually alot of fun. We've got an NCAA pool going, so keep your fingers crossed that North Carolina beats Duke in the finals. Everyone here is very nice, and I'm starting to keep everyone's names straight. I even have a "sliding door" on my cubicle - it looks like a shower door. I've never seen anything like it; it's totally bizarre. I was pretty impressed that on my first day of work I had my computer and logon id set up, with access to everything I needed. Of course, this meant I had to get to work right away....

It's such a different environment, working for a small company. There's no Starbucks downstairs, and if you want to go anywhere over lunch, you have to drive. I don't miss waiting for elevators - with only 3 floors I just take the stairs. There's a break room on each floor - and we get free coffee, tea, microwave popcorn, cocoa, AND cup'a'soup. The commute is also nice - it takes about 30 minutes from the time I walk out the door until I am sitting at my desk.

We haven't seen too much of the area yet; we've been busy getting the house organized and unpacked. This weekend we are thinking of doing a day trip; the George Dickel distillery is nearby, which could be interesting. There's apparently a casino/shopping mecca in Tunica, MS, which isn't far from here. We may check that out in a few weeks.

I'm not in Minnesota anymore!

2006-03-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

My friend Hamlin and I left around 8 am on Wednesday, March 1st, making one last stop for Caribou Coffee in Woodbury. The drive was long, but uneventful. We drove almost the entire length of Illinois, and are going to be sending a letter to their governor proposing a new slogan for their license plates: Illinois - It Just Never Ends.

Fortunately we had my satellite radio to keep us entertained, and my friend Jeffrey sent us off with a care package of homemade blueberry scones for a treat. :)

The movers showed up bright and early Thursday morning, and everything seems to have arrived in one piece. We went out for lunch yesterday to a local barbeque place and saw a lady with a big, pouffy, southern hairdo. I swear the thing was like 2' x 2'. At that moment I thought - what the heck have I gotten myself into? Yikes.

I know none of you want to hear this - but it was sunny and 71 degrees yesterday. It was absolutely gorgeous! It's supposed to be in the 50's for the next week. I will be burning my snow suit and moon boots later this weekend.