With the first two months of 2018 already past, it's clear to see how fast this year is going to go. I approached January 1 with a refreshed sense of being, new goals and a heart open to making new memories. I transitioned from 2017 to 2018 at a small gathering at my cousin's house with lots of yummy food, laughs and good times.
The beginning of January took a little bit of a rocky turn when our pup Frankie broke a tooth while chewing on a bone. This led to his first time being put out (total nervous dog parents) while they removed that tooth (along with another one they discovered which had the potential for infection), as well as a full dental cleaning. This doesn't include the two small bumps/moles lasered off his back as precaution (nothing to be concerned about). Needless to say, the rest of the month for Frankie was spent getting lots of snuggles, warm blankets to sleep on and lots of love.
An old coworker and close friend organized a fabulous night out for a group of us at a new place in the North Loop of Minneapolis called Upstairs Circus. The concept is pretty cool - pick a craft project to do, get all the materials there, do the project (with the assistance of those working there), enjoy some fun drinks and jam out to lively music. I chose to make a set of bracelets and was very pleased with my materials and final product. I got to pick all the different beads to use and there was quite the variety of colors and materials to choose from.
My dad and I attended a listening session at the Germanic American Institute on the history of the Schmidt's Brewery. Having been born in St. Paul and growing up there, it's always fun to learn little pieces of history. Neither of us had been inside the GAI, and it was fun to see the architecture and interior design of the building. After that we went for a yummy meal at Sweeny's Saloon.
We celebrated two nephew's birthdays in January as Sebastian turned 3 and Markus turned 5! It's hard to believe how quickly they are growing up - so fun to see them change and develop even more of their own personality. We celebrated our niece Charlee's 4th birthday in February. She is growing even more into a spunky little lady. It's also fun to see our niece Gwen at these gatherings!
I had the joy of meeting a dear friend's little bundle of joy. It is always so special to see friends go through big life changes, and be able to share in their joy. Thanks for the baby snuggles little J :)
February is always a blast because it's birthday month for me! I take celebrating things pretty seriously and always enjoy any reason to be festive! Frankie also got pretty festive this month celebrating Valentine's Day by sending out some cards and getting some back too!
We did some dog stuff in February, including attending the Indoor Dog Walking at Rosedale Shopping Center on Sunday mornings. They have now extended this through May which Frankie is excited about! Before the mall opens, between 9 - 11am on Sunday mornings you can bring your dog on leash to the mall and get some laps in. We went a couple of times during the month and it was a great way to tire Frankie out, without having to be exposed to the frigid winter temperatures.
My birthday fell on a Friday, so I took the day off of work and celebrated the whole weekend! Shawn and I went out for coffee (at one of our favorite places - J&S Coffee Bean Factory) before heading to the Mall of America on my actual birthday. We hadn't been to the Mall of America in such a long time that it was nice to walk the various levels and snoop in the stores. I treated myself to some clearance clothes items as well as a new face mask from Aveda. Shawn got me a new book to start reading and I'm excited to dive in! Birthday weekend continued on Saturday as we went up to Shawn's sister's place for lunch. We also went with Markus to pick out his new beta fish (we gifted him the tank for his birthday). He chose the name Woodchuck for his fish, and it was so fun to see them get Woodchuck in his new home and start to care for him. Saturday night we went over to my parent's house for a yummy meal and DQ ice cream cake. I got some very fun gifts from them as well. Sunday of birthday weekend wrapped up with a great lunch at Urban Growler with Shawn's parents. The weekend after I met a friend for a very delicious brunch at Longfellow Grill - highly recommend the french toast!
