Cherry Blossom Festival

What better time to visit DC than during the National Cherry Blossom Festival? My parents came to visit at the perfect time, just a few days prior to the peak blooming period.

We started out the day at Eastern Market, which is a regular farmers/street market in a cute neighborhood in DC. Many locals come for the fresh produce and other food, while tourists can pick up art, jewelry, and other random things for sale. We stopped for some coffee.

Next we went to check out the cherry blossoms, which are all over the Mall area. Spring was definitely in the air as there tons of people out and there were literally hundreds and hundreds of kites flying all over. No kite fighting though.

By the Smithsonian Institution Building:

The main area by the Tidal Basin and Roosevelt Memorial:

By the White House:

A highlight of the day was when we met our distant relative Kirt for the first time, who lives in the area.  Kirt (pictured below on the right) has done extensive genealogy research and has traveled to Norway to visit the old farms and villages of our mutual ancestors. His research eventually led to our family and therefore, our meeting.

More to come soon about the next day of their visit!

-Laurie

2010 Baseball Preview

Alright, it’s time to chat a little about America’s national pastime. Opening Day is finally upon us, so let’s play ball! If you are a Twins fan, you have plenty reasons for optimism this season. The Twins open the season tonight as favorites in a rather mediocre American League central division. The question this year is not whether they can win the division, but it is whether they can finally make a run deep into the playoffs.

The Twins have had a rather busy offseason, ending the winter with a total payroll of nearly $100 million, compared to $65 million in 2009. Obviously the biggest news this offseason was Bill Smith’s ability to sign our hometown hero Joe Mauer for the next nine seasons. Don’t worry ladies, the sideburns aren’t going anywhere!

The Twins also solidified their infield with the addition of former all-star JJ Hardy (below) and gold glove winner Orlando Hudson (below). In addition, the Twins look to have the deepest bench in recent team history, with the addition of five-time all star Jim Thome. The loss of Joe Nathan will certainly be felt by the club, but if the Jon Rauch experiment fails, look for Bill Smith to add a proven closer like San Diego’s Heath Bell.

Not to mention the Twins will open the 2010 season in beautiful Target Field.

As for the rest of the Majors, it looks like there are a number of wide open divisional races. It will be a great year to cheer on your hometown ballclub, unless of course you live in DC, where the Nationals should be pretty terrible again. But hey, they have a great new ballpark! Go Nats!

Here are my predictions for the 2010 MLB season:

National League:
East – Philadelphia Phillies
Central – St. Louis Cardinals
West – Colorado Rockies
Wild Card – Atlanta Braves

American League:
East – Boston Red Sox
Central – Minnesota Twins
West – Texas Rangers
Wild Card – New York Yankees

World Series Prediction:
Phillies over the Twins

- Bobby

Several Nights in Bangkok

Warning - long, picture intense post coming:

Recently I returned from a work trip in Bangkok, Thailand, and because a few coworkers and I stayed a few extra days, I thought I'd share the sights we saw.

Our hotel, the Hilton Bangkok, was along the main river in the city, the Chao Phraya. The hotel had a shuttle from one side of the river to the other.

One of the first days, our group went on a long-tail boat tour. These boats go really fast and cruise around the canals on Bangkok, which run between the homes supported on stilts over the river. Some are nice and some are not-so-nice.

Our driver took us to 'the market,' which was simply two ladies selling their trinkets to tourists who are brought by. Many years ago the floating markets were used as the primary way to sell fruits, vegetables and other items, but today they are mostly tourist destinations.

Here are some of the long-tail boats in the foreground. The Temple of Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan (Wat Arun for short) is in the background, which is one of the most visited Buddhist temples in the city.

It is decorated very ornately with seashells and porcelain.

My coworker Kimya and I climbed as high as we could using the very tall & narrow stairs!

Our next stop was the Grand Palace, which is the residence of the King of Thailand since the 18th century. I was wearing capri pants which weren't proper enough to enter. Luckily they had a convenient clothing rental station and for 300 baht ($9.30USD) I rented this skirt. After taking off our shoes, we were ready to enter The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. According to legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in 43 BC in India.

The golden buildings are very impressive in person.

Back at the hotel, I had the best chicken pad thai ever! It is actually wrapped in egg. Delicious! This is probably the only meal I finished in Bangkok.

There is an area of Thailand called Patpong, which is known as a destination for both night markets for shopping, and a red light district for another kind of shopping.

Several ladies in our group were hunting down knock-off purses. When the store staff brings you through a secret back closet, up some stairs, through more closets and up more stairs to a secret purse salesroom, you know you've found the best designer imposter goods you can get.

From Patpong we took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel, which is a Bangkok must-do activity!

Thailand is a very inexpensive place to visit, but if you are feeling homesick and want to pay $15 for a drink, there are places for you! This is Sky Bar, the tallest building in the city, with a rooftop bar of course.

Thailand was definitely a unique and fun place to visit, but might not be for everyone. Next time, I want to check out the beaches, the jungle, and everything else the country has to offer.

- Laurie

Omaha: Jewel of the Midwest

Several weeks ago I was finally able to take my trip to Omaha after it was cancelled due to the Snowmaggedon. I visited my best friend Teri, who many of your know as the bridesmaid who enthusiastically caught the bouquet at our wedding.

Laugh all you want, this tradition totally works! Teri and Jay are planning a wedding for October 16, 2010 in Thief River Falls, MN. I am super pumped to be her Maid of Honor!!

Here are Teri & Jay after the proposal downtown Omaha:

When I worked at NWA I made impromptu Omaha trips fairly often, so wanted to make sure to keep the tradition going especially since there is much to discuss with wedding planning!

One thing we did was scout out locations for the Bachelorette Party/Shower weekend. We both share a love for wine and cheese, which we both discovered on our college trip to Australia and to the Barossa Valley. Part of the festivities may be at the modern new Corkscrew Wine & Cheese boutique.

Also we checked out the posh and swanky (for Omaha) Magnolia hotel, which is in the heart of the Old Market District where we'll likely be hanging out for the evening.

We also went to an open skating session to brush up on our skills since part of her wedding reception includes ice skating for the guests and wedding party.

Teri, it was fun to see you!! I'm excited to see you at your bachelorette and at your wedding!

-Laurie

In the News

Every spring in Minnesota, there is flooding. It just happens. I remember high school field trips to help sandbag nearby cities.

We were not really surprised to see our old riverfront apartment in St. Paul in the news lately because of the impending Mississippi River flooding.

The latest news seems to indicate all of the apartments and condos in the neighborhood will stay dry. This new development was built above the floodplain to withstand floods for this very reason!

Photo credits: http://stpaulphotos.com/

PS – we still have blog catch up to do… so stand by!!

-Laurie

Our Cat is Spoiled

After conducting some unofficial market research, I've come to the realization that people are most interested in reading about our cat on this blog.

Recently we've noticed Jimmy likes to find water from alternative sources than his water dish, like the faucet, the shower, and occasionally our drinking glasses if his head can fit. We found out it is especially important for cats to drink a lot of water as they age. We want to make sure our child beloved Jimmy is around as long as possible. What better excuse than to buy some overpriced, over-hyped, giant plastic gadget promising to solve all of life's problems???

We bring you the Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain:

After intense research of the online reviews (I can't believe 402 people actually bought this, let alone had something to say about it) the Drinkwell Platinum emerged victorious. I'll spare you the marketing video, but the features include patented 5-inch free falling water stream, a six segment charcoal filter, adjustable speed controls, and a 21-cup water reservoir.

We ordered it online and were just a little overwhelmed with the assembly:

We read the manual and had it figured out in no time. Our first thought: it sure is ugly.

Cat drinks water.....It works!

We've had the fountain for over a week now, and have noticed that Jimmy is drinking more water and does not jump in the shower anymore. Success! We hope our geriatric cat lives many more happy and healthy years.

- Laurie

Best. Surprise. Ever.

Pardon our blog tardiness, here we are back to reporting after a few weeks of laziness.

Let's flash back to a great weekend several weeks ago. Bobby told me he was planning something special for us to do that weekend, and that it was a secret. When the surprise Saturday arrived, he ran some errands in the morning, came back, hopped in the shower and told me we would leave after he was ready. The doorbell rang, which only happens when we order pizza, so I reluctantly went down and opened it.

On our doorstep were three of my best friends from Minnesota: Gemma, Steph, and Jen. Surprise!

Bobby had picked them up from the airport, and the four of them had been scheming about the surprise for months. I had never been so surprised in my life and we were all moved to tears!! I seriously have the best friends ever. The hardest part about being here is missing family and friends from home, and a visit from these ladies could not have come at a better time.

After I figured out what was going on, and realized we had two full days together, we started making the most of it! Did I mention the ladies had each brought a bottle of champagne to get the party started? Best friends ever!! We kicked it off by heading to the city for lunch, then checked out the Capitol and great view of the National Mall.

Bobby had kindly made reservations for us at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill, which is right next to the White House and is the oldest saloon in Washington. We proceeded to drink wine. Lots!

The next day we were out in full sightseeing force and made the rounds between the Lincoln Memorial..........

....... the Washington Monument and the frozen Reflecting Pool......

........the Jefferson Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial.......

.......the National Museum of American History........

........and the National Museum of Natural History.........

Whew!! These ladies do not mess around! We relaxed for dinner in Georgetown before bringing them back to the airport.

For me, the weekend ended as quickly as it started. I miss these girls terribly, but it was so fun to get a chance to show them around our new city.  Jen, Gemma & Steph - thank you so much for coming! I will never forget how amazing it felt to see you on our doorstep!

- Laurie