Father’s Day

Posted on by


The joys of being a Daddy! We celebrated Father’s Day by staying downtown in Saint Paul overnight. We had dinner and then Nishad took Daddy to see “Walking With the Dinosaurs” at the Excel Energy Center. Nishad came back to the hotel roaring like T-Rex. Ashish said that the BBC production was well done. Mommy made sure they had awesome seats too- they were 7 rows back. Nishad knew that the dinosaurs were puppets, a new favorite past-time of his! http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

The following day we walked across the bridge to Harriet Island. There are no coconuts there. We boarded a cruise down the Mississippi. I refrained from supplying the entertainment for the 90-minute boat ride in fear passengers would make me walk the plank after hearing my version of “Oh Man River.”

Fastback

Posted on by

Nishad shows off “his” car. Somehow he inherited it before his time. He digs the mustang and asks to ride it in. Car seats and fastbacks aren’t a successful combination.

I can see he and his brother in future years, cruising’ around. There’s something about an antique classic that gives you an instant appreciation and respect for the past.

I’ve had this car since I was 19 years old. My Dad restored it for me and I drove it every day. Windows wide open, hair flying around…nothing like a ride in a mustang on an open road! Amazingly enough, despite my lead foot, I never once got a ticket while driving this car. I met officers, yes…but never a ticket. One even waved at me as he suddenly ‘appeared’ from a corn field on my way back from visiting my friend Kelly who was then at school in Macomb, IL. I waved back and eased my foot off the gas.

This car has made it’s journey form Chicago to Minnesota…I’m not sure if we ever will sell it now.
http://www.mustang-fastback.com/

Fire Pit Craving

Posted on by

Last summer, while I was about 7- month pregnant, I had an idea that became obsessed with. “We need a fire pit- and we need it now!” Well, I didn’t quite phrase it like that to Ashish, but needless to say, we loaded up Nishad and ended up at our local chain home and garden store with a 10% off coupon in hand. I ‘supervised’ as Ashish made a circle of bricks in the isle that was exactly what this pregnant woman needed. No, I didn’t crave pickles or ice cream, but a fire pit.

After numerous trips from the car to the backyard (which Ashish earned his cardio workout for the day as we have a walkout basement- so it’s not an easy task), I began digging and clearing a section in our yard for our pit. Yes, we have rock star plans for our yard, but we’ve always agreed it will come in phases. This was just one of those phases- with odd timing. Being that I wouldn’t stop until it was done, I waddled in around 9PM that night. Though I couldn’t really admire my work from our deck, I knew it was out there- And that was enough to give this pregnant lady a sense of satisfaction that I could dream about.

This Spring we continued on with DYI phase two of our fire pit. We added a seating area and landscaping. We had our first bonfire last month. I came prepared with S’More fixin’s in hand. Ashish doesn’t like them and Nishad only likes the chocolate bar. At least we were all able to enjoy the fire pit together. *This picture is from May, 2008.

Norhwoods

Posted on by

This is our 4th annual summer trip up north to Bemidji. We have rented a cabin on Lake Bemidji from June 3rd until June 9th. Steps away from the beach and all the comforts of home. It takes us 4 hours to get here, but it’s worth the r & r.

There was actually a tornado warning and we had to go to the main lodge, where we spent about 20-minutes in the boiler room with other resort guests. We went in town and played miniature golf, visited Babe and Paul, ate at a great organic restaurant, and visited the Bemidji Historic Railway Depot/Museum (Don’t waste your money or time as there are only pictures of trains and a model train!).

Flint Hill Children’s Festival

Posted on by

My kinda town- Saint Paul! I think if Ashish and I knew what we know now, we definitely would have looked to purchase a house in Saint Paul. It’s a very artsy, educated, cultured, family friendly city. They have some of the best festivals I’ve ever attended too!

We attended the Flint Hill Children’s Festival. Amazing! There were so many FREE Things for us to do. The Art Moves parade at 1PM shouldn’t be missed. Many companies were on hand like Target, which gave kids free sun hats to decorate. The Children’s Theatre Company made masks with the kids, and yet another theatre made sock puppets with the kids. There were a ton of culturally enriching performances in dance and theatre. For a mere $5 a ticket, you could see even more productions from different parents of the world. Nishad and I went to see a puppet production from a company that is based in Peru.
Be sure to save the date for this annual festival.