AZIIIIIIIZ!

I'm a bit behind with my List 2013 Progress Reporting - ok that's an understatement - I'm a LOT behind! This month, I'll do the best I can to catch up.  I'll start with a list item crossed off, oh, 4 months ago (back in April, back when it was still SNOWING here in Minneapolis -- thank goodness the snow finally stopped in MAY).

I wasn't expecting to be able to cross "see Aziz LIVE" off my list, but low and behold, Minneapolis was a one-night-only stop on his tour earlier this year, and B snagged us tix!   Sign of the times (and a credit to the media world both B and I have played in professionally), B scored the tix via a Facebook ad.  Ohhh, the digital era!

But enough with the digi media nerd talk.  The show was AWE-to-tha-SOME!  It was all new-to-me material - so no "Raaaaaandyyyy" - but still hilarious.

I must confess, however, that Brian and I were both a bit rude during the opening act.  You see, the Aziz show fell during March Madness Playoffs -- specifically the final four -- and importantly MICHIGAN in the final four.  But...as the kids say in their crazy hashtag talk -- #sorrynotsorry -- it was pretty awesome to catch that win before Aziz took the stage.

Go Blue!  And Go Aziz!

Wisco Ski Adventure (and the Never Ending Winter continued...)

Greetings from Snowy Minneapolis!  It's April 14th, and we've had 5 consecutive days of snow (though to be fair, the snow has recently turned to rain).  Will spring EVER come?  I figured as long as its still snowy, I should publish this long-overdue post about our March ski trip to Granite Peak, WI.

At the beginning of March, B checked a "first" off his personal life list, and went downhill skiing for the very first time.  He's been wanting to try it out for a long time, and he took it upon himself to organize a ski weekend in Granite Peak for the two of us, plus 6 other close friends from here in Minne and from our former Chitown hood.

B was a natural, and by the end of day two, he was showing some good control, snowplowing and stem christie-ing his way down the mountainside.  He accomplished more in a day in a half than many new skiers do during their first 10 times skiing.  

In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to more or less get back into the groove without getting too banged up.  I split my time with B on the blues and greens, and with some of the more advanced group on a handful of black diamonds without getting into too much trouble.  Hooray for muscle memory!

Here's a shot of our dapper ski group!  And, lest I forget to mention it later, I can check off "go down hill skiing" from my 2013 list! B and I are in the matching lime green helmets.  Awwww, how cute are we in our matchy-matchy helmets!

In fact, B enjoyed skiing so much, shortly after the trip he went out and bought himsel!f this pair of badass Technica ski boots.  And he literally JUST ordered a pair of skis while I update this post.  He's a few steps ahead of me now on gear -- my existing gear is a good ~15 years old (not to mention taking residence in my Mom's house in MI), so I'm likely due to invest in some new boots and skis some time soon, since it seems we'll be enjoying more of this sport in the future.  Next winter, we'll definitely have to plan a few more trips to make the investment worth while.  In fact, there's talk of heading to Jackson Hole for NYE, 2013/14 (we'll see...that's a pretty big leap from the dinky hills of WI!).

We rented a house for our Wisco ski weekend, and had a great time imbibing and playing board games, like our old fave Telestrations (previously enjoyed during our weekend at Spicer Castle Inn), so I believe this counts for another item off the list -- #87 "host a game night"

All in all, a weekend of great fun AND two more items checked off my list!  

Do as the Locals Do

Last month, on a particularly cold day, B and I ventured out to walk on the frozen, solid Lake Calhoun to try to make peace with our new, snowy climes here in "Uptown" Minnesota.

During our snowy walk, B found some very interesting tracks...I wonder what they could be?



BIG BEAR!!!! B narrowly escaped!



...but it turned out they weren't bear tracks at all.  Watch out, B, it's a DINOSAUR!!!!


Crazy day! Of course, the highlight of the day was that I was able to check off an item from my 2013 List - make a snow angel!


And...now that I've made my snow angel, I'm ready for Winter to be Oh-Vee-Eee-Arrrr...Winter here in the Great White North is intense!  Good news is, the sun is shining on this Easter Sunda, and the snow is melting...and with the big Wolverine wins this weekend (onto the FINAL FOUR), I think our luck is changing, and spring is on its way!  (Yes, that was a really weak/non-existent connection between the Michigan win and spring coming...but I wanted to work in that big WIN somehow!)