Going Home

I still say it.
I still say, "We should plan a trip to go home". 

While I've lived in Minneapolis for over 10 years, I still get really excited when we're getting close. 
"I-94" is not just an interstate....its the path between the place I call "home" today and the place where I called "home" for over 20 years.



The moment we drive in the driveway, I always get giddy.
Dan knows.
He laughs at me every time.  He knows how excited I get to walk in the door, as I know two people are SO excited to welcome us "home".
This trip was different. 

It was Maya's 1st trip to Fargo to see Grandpa Clayton and Grandma Louise.

We relaxed.
We ate delicious "home-cooked" food.....a homemade pumpkin pie was even waiting when we walked in the door.
We slept in and someone special gave morning kisses.

We celebrated four generations of family being together.

Great Grandma Basol made her famous scalloped potatoes with hamburger along with nothing but good old norwegian lefse. 
She still has it.

Before we left for our trip back, Maya met her new best friend.  This little lady, Kate, will teach her about fashion, boys and having fun together....just like Kate's mom taught me.  (Kate just may also need to teach Maya how to wear mascara so her eyes can look as big as Kate's!!)

We had a weekend full of love, life and joyful laughter.....what "home" is all about. 
I only wish the distance on 94 was just a little closer.
For now, we'll enjoy the journey and savor every time we get there!

The Everyday Moments

Sometimes in life, we have the "big moments". 
Those are the ones we mark on the calendar, counting down the days and later reminisce with friends by starting with the line, "Remember when we...."  
They are the weddings, the surprise birthdays and the dream trips.  They're big.  We remember them because they are significant, meaningful and probably a whole lot of crazy fun.

Easily forgotten are the days in-between. 
The "ordinary" days that may not call for the perfect dress, the limo ride or the plane ticket. 
They're the seemingly ordinary Tuesday that we went through the same routine, had the same breakfast, drove the same way to go to the same job and watched the same 10 o'clock news channel.  We probably won't remember the day and may just allow it to pass, moving on to the next one.

Those days are the 99%.
The 99% of our lives....the "meat and potatoes" of our lives.
We've had a week of "ordinary moments".  Normal, not too out-of-the-ordinary or crazy.
We're lovin' the 99%.

This week, we're enjoying...
the homemade soup I attempted
the excessive amounts of drool that are streaming from Maya (more amazed than enjoying!)
catching up on the last 2 weeks of "Parenthood"
seeing my nieces, who want to feed, love, play and carry Maya everywhere



seeing smiles that can't help but make you happy
walking at the Mall of America before the stores open
clementines...seriously, you can't get better than a taste of juicy citrus in January
getting a car wash because it feels like spring!

Thank goodness for the 99%.
We're off to finish some required reading tonight. 



Mom and Daughter Weekend

Our first one. 
A Mom and Daughter weekend. 

I've had many of these with my own Mom.  I love them.  About six months after I moved to Minneapolis, I was invited to a work Christmas party at the St. Paul Hotel in downtown St. Paul.  The invite clearly stated, "Formal attire".
I needed a dress.  A fancy-nancy type dress.

I called my Mom, 250 miles away, worried that I wouldn't be able to find a dress.  In hindsight, I lived in Minneapolis...the home of the largest mall in the United States, but I didn't seem to think about this small fact.

I didn't need a mall....I needed my Mom.

She didn't even blink an eye....she simply said, "Lets meet half-way".
We met "half-way" in St. Cloud...I think she drew the short straw.

We shopped, we hugged, we laughed, we ate pretzels at Pretzelmaker, we talked about work/life/friendships/living in the cities/everything.  We did find a dress......at this really unique store called, "Sears".  Seriously, Sears, at the St. Cloud Mall.  It was long, black, form-fitting and perfect.  But, it wasn't really the dress that I needed. 
A daughter needed time with her Mom. 

This weekend, it was just Maya and I.  Dan jetted off (well, just in the Pontiac G6, so not so jet-like) to the great city of Mankato to celebrate "Hockey Day in Minnesota" with a big group of other guys that left their wives, girlfriends and kids at home to make some memories.

Maya and I started our Saturday by making Chocolate Chip Cookies for Dan to take on his trip. This little lady will do anything in the Bjorn.  Happy as a lark. 
Pretty sure she'd be just fine with running a marathon in that snugly thing.  Pretty sure I'd try to run a marathon with her in that thing....I love hanging out with her in there.

By the time we took these scrumptious blobs of dough out, she was out too.

 

We were on the move today, this little lady and I.

These toes were made for being on the move. 

And, for one day, walking, running and exploring.  For seeing the world.

But for now, these toes are made for loving.  I've never been much for kissing toes.

Never really had the urge, desire or even the inclination to kiss another human beings toes.

I can't resist these, though. They're seriously delicious.

One of our stops today brought us to one of my favorite drool-worthy places....Great Harvest Bread Company. 

The smell of that place....and the big slice of fresh bread they give you to sample is worth the trip.  They connect this store to a Caribou Coffee, which makes you feel like you're getting a two-for-one.  I couldn't buy a loaf of the warm bread without leaving with a latte.  Cinnamon streusel apple bread and a caramel latte may not be packed with protein or fiber, but it sure was packed with happiness and joy today.  Its a perfect Mom-and-Daughter day stop.

Through all of our adventures, it didn't really matter where we went, but it mattered that we spent the time enjoying one other. 

I loved our weekend together.

I still look forward to these special days and weekends with "just my Mom and I".  I am so excited to have a daughter to also make these special "mom and daughter" memories with. 

I put this weekend in the memory bank as one of my favorites. 

After the weekend....we anxiously waited to welcome Dan back home tonight!

The fortune

The week before Maya was born, Dan and I went out to dinner for one of our last "just the two of us" nights out.  We were wrapping up almost licking our plates from a delicious meal when 2 fortune cookies arrived.  I love fortune cookies and 99.999% believe in their accuracy (for at least 5 minutes after reading them).  I actually do get a little anxious over choosing one when two cookies are put before us, as I want to make sure I choose the right one.  There have been a few times I've asked for another fortune cookie, not so much to eat the crunchy little cookie, but to have a redo on my future.

This night, though, no redo was needed. 
I had a few butterflies when I read it.

Wow, what a fortune.  I already feel truly fortunate for the life experiences, opportunities and memories that I've been fortunate to have in my life.  I would already consider that I've had the very best of the very best times in my life. 

The anticipation it could get better makes me almost giddy.



Perhaps this little Scorpio is part of that little plan....the plan for even more of the best times of our lives.

"The Special Baby Box"

As a young girl, I loved, loved, loved when my Mom would bring out the big brown cardboard box that was marked "the special baby box". 

This big cardboard box held the most memorable outfits my Mom kept from when my sister and I were babies.  As a young girl, I would get so excited for her to take out the box....sometimes for the fifth time that week.  She would take out each little outfit or pair of shoes, showing us each one and telling us whether my sister or I wore it (99% of the time, the answer was "both", which I didn't correlate until later that this was called a "hand-me-down").  She would tell us who gave it to us as a gift or which polyester work pantsuit she had sewed it from (she knew how to get creative, so she could be a stay-at-home Mom!). 




She made that box feel completely magical as she would share the special memories of each outfit. 

After Maya was born, my Mom took out the box again.

This time, though, it wasn't only to reminisce. It was to share these memories and pass these special items on to me.

I pulled out the box this week. 

I took out each one of the special little outfits, imagining that 33 years ago, my Mom was putting these little outfits on me and imagining who this little person was going to become.



As I dressed Maya in this little orange sleeper this morning, it fit like a glove.  Her feet filled out the sleeper's built-in-feet and her hands appeared through the arm holes perfectly.  It isn't the latest trend from the Gap or the Baby Polo Spring Collection at Macy's, but it made me smile and I loved it. 

33 years ago, my Mom was putting this sleeper on me and probably thought I was the trendiest, cutest baby on the block.

(Little patent leather shoes I wore when I was a newborn...Maya's feet fit perfectly)

I am so grateful my Mom recognized the special memory she would create for me one day when I re-opened "the special baby box". 

I officially started Maya's "special baby box" today.  The first item I added was the outfit we brought her home in. 
Perhaps one day, she will also be blessed with a daughter that she'll pull her "special baby box" and love the moment just as much as I did today.

A moment....a memory!

"I'm going to the mall!" has always been in my vocabulary.I love going to the mall.  In fact, going to the Mall of America was my Sunday routine.  Dan enjoyed watching football....I enjoyed going to the mall.  I'd always park in the "Hawaii" lot of the Mall of America, as it made me happy to drive into the lot, knowing I was headed to Hawaii.  I would always think back on our Hawaii trip when I drove in and saw the big yellow pineapple on the sign.

Maya is loving the mall too.  These days, we're parking in a different lot to avoid stairs or waiting for the elevators in the freezing cold, but Arizona isn't too shabby of a place either.
We try to get there a little early....around the time that the retirees are also getting there with their New Balance sneakers on. 

We stroll around, window shop, smell the Caribou coffee and once in awhile can't resist a stop for a Medium Northern Light Latte, stop on a bench for a bottle, get caught up in some fantastic people watching and we always make time to chat with some random people....our favorite part!

We walked past a new store yesterday and saw it...... 
A photo booth.....aka....A moment, waiting to become a memory.
You can never pass up a chance for a photo booth....to stop what you are doing, pull back the little black curtain, shimmy your way into the little seat, put in your coins, smile for the blinking light and then patiently stand outside and wait for the little strip to print your four pics. 

Its one for the memory books!
And....I'm sensing she feels like its a wrap for today!

We Didn't Know....

8 months ago, Dan and I were sitting on the upper deck of a big red double-decker bus in London.  Our tour guide was pointing out all the famous sites of Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, the Theater District and Big Ben.  The hop-on-hop-off bus was perfect--we could get off, walk around and a mere 8 minutes later, a new friendly bus driver would welcome us aboard.

One of the stops looked like New York City. 
Shops lined both sides of the streets where you could find very fancy-pants stores to nab the perfect purse, the most stylin' 6 inch heels and the newest perfume.  We knew I was pregnant before we left on our trip and were thrilled to be able to seek out some souvenirs for this world traveler's first adventure.

We came across the perfect store in the shopping district of London ...."Mamas and Papas".  We didn't know what we were looking for, but we were both so excited to find the perfect thing for this upcoming arrival. 

I knew it the minute I saw it.

It was perfect. 
I knew we'd bring her home in it.
I knew these were some of the first words I wanted to share with her the day she was born. 
Welcome to the World.
This crazy, fun, sometimes-challenging, beautiful, confusing, amazing world.

Well....we didn't take her home in it.
We didn't know.
We didn't know that the 18-plus buttons might be kind-of challenging to figure out.
We didn't know that she might not be patient enough for us to push her arms through the big and furry arm holes.
We didn't know that buying something that says, "0-3 months" didn't exactly mean she would fit into it the day she turned "0".

We've had some good laughs on this "perfect" little take-home outfit that would welcome her into the world!

After getting our fill of the London air, we moved on to the city of love....the Eiffel Tower, the quaint little cafes, the pastries, the museums, the wine, the pain-au-chocolates, the cute little boutiques with unique hair clips and coin purses, the bridges....the romantic feel in the air. 

Once again, we were excited to find something unique for this unknown world traveler. 

We entered a baby boutique with bright colors, fun designs and adorable little outfits.

We didn't know whether Maya would be a girl or boy, but I had a hunch. 

A real strong intuition.

They affectionately call it a "mothers intuition". 

I knew we should buy a blue outfit.

Clearly, I have some work to do.

Dan's beautifully-painted stripe of baby blue was quickly painted over by my Dad the day after Maya was born with a real nice "Bubble Gum Pink" from the local Home Depot. 

We bought a little outfit in that cute little Paris boutique....a "sleeper", as we've learned to call them.

We thought it would be perfect.

It hung in the closet, waiting for her to grow.

Today was the day.

Oh, this Parisian looked cute.

We tried to ask the little woman in the boutique what the writing on the sleeper meant.  After four attempts and four responses of, "Huh?", we kindly smiled, thanked her and paid for the cute elephant ensemble.

 

When we returned from our trip, we used the online translator.

"Begin an Adventurous Journey"

Beautiful.

We didn't know....but, we loved it.

We didn't know that "easy snap sleepers" were important.

Paris babies must be more patient than American babies.

They must be willing to be buried face down on their changing tables for extended periods of time, while their mama snaps them up......each and every time they change their diaper.

Begin an Adventurous Journey.

Perfectly said.

We have learned so much in just 10 weeks.  About snaps, buttons and sleepers, about what "Desitin" is, about how to wake up at 3am, that vacuum cleaners and hair dryers are loud to keep babies quiet and how to love coffee.  We've learned how to love more, share more and give more....of ourselves....from our hearts.  We've learned that something so small can rock your world and make the world a better place.

We didn't know a lot, but we're on this adventurous journey together...all 3 of us. 

We learn a little more each day, from each other, from friends, from family, from the random stranger in Target and from our intuition that continues to evolve and develop.

This is the best Adventurous Journey yet.

The Place

We all have a favorite "Place". 
The place that makes us feel comfortable, safe, happy, inspired and content. 
Maya's favorite place has completely become my favorite place.

I never knew how it would feel to have a baby curled up under your chin, nuzzling in as close as possible to my neck, sighing as she slowly falls asleep, her little fingers grabbing at my chest, her feet curled up into her body, her wispy hair tickling my chin.  I'm confident my blood pressure drops a good 30 points when she's in this place.

When she's 3, I'll still want her head nuzzling in this place. 
When she's 18, I'll look at her going off to be crazy at college and still remember when this was her favorite place....and my favorite place too.

Looking back, she knew this was her favorite place from day one. 

I didn't know, but she did. She knew I'd figure it out soon enough.

Today, on our adventure out in the world, we saw a quote that hit me in the gut, made me stop and love the simple moment.

"Whatever I'm doing at the moment is the biggest thing in life....whether it is conducting a symphony or peeling an orange."  ~Arturo Toscanini~

I want to remember this place and love every moment she wants to land there. 

Burgers and the Beach

Fifty-two.
52.
Qiunquenta y dos.
Also known as....a glorious January day in the 50's.

We decided to go to the beach yesterday.
The sun was radiant.  The lungs were blessed with fresh, crisp air.
The retirees were out, taking their daily walk. 
The stay-at-home moms were pushing their strollers with Starbucks in hand.

(Someone is itching for some white stuff!)

As we were in the final stretch of the walk, Maya got hungry, so instead of high-tailing it home as fast as the Volkswagen could drive, we calmly found a bench.  A bench that gave us a view of the lake, the sound of birds chirping (seriously, they must be confused birds that didn't get the memo that smart birds go to Florida), and a feeling of gratitude for the moment. 

Maya's eyes were huge.  Her smile came out to play.  She hasn't seen a whole lot of the outdoors since the day she was born.  This girl has been a bit sheltered, covered in blankets during our walks.  Today, though, she saw the blue sky without even a sight of a cloud and the bright sunshine.  Today, she got a glimpse of the beauty of this world.    
Pretty sure that glimpse made her realize she's ready to make her mark on this big world.

We knew you couldn't have a day like this in January without filling up the propane tank and grilling up some burgers. 

Having chili, even really good chili, couldn't happen when you don't need a coat in the middle of January.  We'll save the chili for a bitter cold, snowy, blustery, stay-indoors kind of day. 

Today was a day to savor a good burger on the grill.

(Night photography isn't my thing, but by the looks of those grill lines and the taste of these,

grilling in January certainly seems to be Dan's thing!)



We know we're saying farewell to the beaches and burgers until May....and look forward to snowy winter adventures we're ready to embark on!