Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
Oh Happy Turkey Day!
November has been a busy one.
Last week, my Twitter-Pal (like a pen-pal but via Twitter) sent me a box of goodies straight from our old home: Seattle!
(I am presently constructing a bunch of Wisconsin goodies to send back to her.)
We had our first substantial snowfall of the season on Monday night. I went into work early so I could take some photos of our winter wonderland.
And ‘tis the season for knitting projects. I just finished a cable knit hat for my own head and I have about six more little hats for little girls to knit. I am so excited.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! We are spending it with our lovely Madisonian friends (minus Ruthie & Eric, plus Samwise). We are looking forward to a futbol game, some Cranium Wow!, a delicious feast and the final film in the epic saga, Lord of the Rings. (It’s Kim’s first time watching the film so we are doing it in style: projected onto the wall!)
And now, to send you out in style: Snoop Dogg makes mashed potatoes with Martha Stewart!
Half Marathon: Complete!
This past Saturday, Kim, Jeremiah and I ran a half marathon at the Tyranena Brewery in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. What a day. Jeremiah warned us November would get cold, but we didn’t expect snow flurries mixed with sprinkles and icy gusts of wind. Burr! Even still, we all had great races. It was Jeremiah’s and my first half and Kim’s second (?). Robb came along to cheer us along, enjoy in the festivities and be our pack mule for the afternoon. We couldn’t have done it without him.
After we finished, we were given “Finisher” medals (the above logo on pottery), snacks, emergency blankets, and a lasagna lunch with two complementary drinks (beers) straight from the source.
Some photographs for you to enjoy:
Bundled up at the start line.
Our sherpa, Robb.
Jessie just after crossing the finish line.
The Duncans’ finish.
A few more photos can be found here.
Happy (real) birthday, Ruthie
We celebrated Ruthie’s birthday on Monday because she was surprised by her family’s visit on her real birthday.
A few photos to enjoy:
If Starbucks Marketed Like A Church: A Parable
Makes you think about how church’s “marketing” schemes deter newcomers.
Secrets: Hard to Keep
But they are worth it.
On October 27 Eric sent us an email. He told us that he was planning to throw Ruthie a birthday dinner on November 6 (Ruthie’s actual birthday) which Ruthie knew about and was looking forward to. But really, Ruthie’s mom, sister and niece would really be flying in on the same afternoon from Tenessee – a total surprise to Ruthie.
To keep things as realistic as possible, we all volunteered to bring some tasty foods to the party. Robb and I would make Ruthie’s favourite, a red velvet cake. Kim and Jeremiah would bring a salad fit for 40 people (as Kim has a hard time making small salads). Anne volunteered to bring some drinks and appetizers. And Ruthie still had the party hats from Eric’s birthday party. The party was put together.
Now we had a small problem the day before the party. I had a midterm scheduled at 6:30 pm on Thursday, Ruthie’s birthday. How were we going to get the cake and ourselves to the party on time?Kim was able to distract away from the fact that there was no party or cake. We had dodged another hurdle.
On Thursday, Eric received an email from his mother-in-law which said that she had missed her flight! Thankfully she would be arriving later that same day. By this time all of us secret keepers were beginning to wonder if perhaps Ruthie really knew that we were planning something besides her party.
But yesterday, an hour before my midterm, and the same hour which Ruthie’s family was to arrive, I noteiced Ruthie’s status message and relised we had nothing to fear.
Last night Eric sent us an email telling us that Ruthie’s family had arrived and Ruthie was extremely overjoyed (and surprised).
In conclusion, as hard as it is for me to keep a secret – especially one this good – I am so glad I was able to keep my mouth shut for this surprise.
All this to say, a Happy Birthday to you, Ruthie! Looking forward to the real birthday dinner next week. And yes, you will be getting an Obamafied red velvet cake.