Hawkeyes vs Gophers

There were all kinds of reasons to be excited about this game:

1) I LOVE college football and haven't been to a game for several years. Go Hawks!

2) Never been to TCF Bank Stadium.

3) Never been to a college game with Husband.

4) As Husband told me shortly after we sat down - he'd NEVER been to a college football game before.

5) The fun of marital rivalry.

6) We had AWESOME seats!

I love the feel of college game day. Crisp air, excitement, colors, rivalry, concessions, noise...we had such a blast. It was cold but not too much so, we had nice banter with our endzone-mates, and we even ran into my high school prom date at half time, thanks to the wonders of social media. The only unfortunate thing (for me) is that Iowa got absolutely trounced. I could have handled a good game, but 51-14? Ouch. The good news is that I think we'll do this again, and the Hawks are bound to do better. Right?

Soccer Life

Lucy just finished her very first season of soccer. It was a rec league through our city, which teamed up girls from the same school together. Consequently, no other kindergarten girls from Lucy's school signed up, so she got to meet some new friends from other schools instead!

The season was only 6 weeks long, with a total of 8 games. There were only 3 teams of kindergarten girls, so we played the same 2 teams all season. Lucy had a lot of fun and made friends easily. She started of the season pretty tentatively, but definitely learned a few things along the way and had a little more contact with the ball as the season went on. It's so fun watching girls at this age, most just learning the game, and a few standouts with older siblings who know what they're doing. :) Most often they all cluster around the ball, too polite to really get in there and starting kicking. Towards the end of the season they were catching on a bit more to defense, and realizing it was OK to stand outside the cluster and wait for the ball to come out. Lucy scored her first goal this way, in the last game! The ball popped out and she was on the outside, and took it in for a goal! She loves to do goal kicks and has a wicked little leg on her. The coach made a few comments about it throughout the season. She liked it and says she'd like to play again, so we'll sign her up for spring league.

As a new "soccer mom," I enjoyed myself immensely. I really loved seeing how the girls grew throughout the season, and liked spending time outside and seeing the same faces week to week. We were lucky to have a very mild fall weather-wise...only one week did I need to bring a blanket to keep me warm!

Turns out we picked up some soccer skills and a new friend...Lucy and the coach's daughter got along great and we've already lined up a play date. I'm loving feeling part of this community!

"The Cluster"

Like a boss.

We had out-of-state spectators!

Keepin' it casual.

Run, Forest, run!

"Go, Grasshoppers!"

"What, are we playing?"

Kickin' machine.

The team, minus one.

Soccer Sweetie!

Basketball Jones

I’m not sure why I titled the post this way…but my dad used to sing a song something like “basketball jones, wanna be a basketball jones…” Dad, is that for real or am I making it up?

Anyhoo, back to the real subject. Lucy just completed a 4-week “Basketball Skills” course for 4- to 6-year-olds. It was offered through our local community education system, and we thought it might be a nice intro to the sport for her, and another way to get in some exercise. It took place Saturday mornings from 9:00-9:45, and we have dance class at 11AM on the other side of town, so it made for some busy days. Lucy had a good time though. She held her own alright being on the younger side of the age range, and being only one of 2 girls in the course (where were all the future WNBA-ers?!)She *almost* made a basket in week 3, and I thought she’d have a chance the last week, but they didn’t really offer them many opportunities for shooting. She’s slightly better at dribbling, though still a long way to go… Bottom line is she had a lot of fun, and she’ll do it again.

As a side note, I am really starting to notice the differences between boys and girls at this age, in terms of physical and mental prowess. In swimming, the boys seem to more easily pick up the skills. In basketball, the boys seem more coordinated and confident. The girls, however, seem more socially adept and able to follow instructions. Of course these are generalizations and there are exceptions in each case. How about you – do you see this change too? And is it just due to the way the minds and bodies of girls and boys are built, or does it have more to do with how we and our “village” raise girls vs. boys, and now is the age we start to see the separations?

While you’re chewing on that, some action shots from the “season.” Until next time, happy dribbling!

Summer Weekend Warriors 8/3: Birthdays and Baseball

What a glorious weekend! Beautiful weather, and we had tons of fun with TWO birthdays to celebrate, and our first baseball game of the season.

Is it bad that I can't even remember what we did on Friday night? Oh that's right...a whole lotta nothing! I had a loooong week last week and was very tired. I came home early, took a nap, met with the roofer...then Husband went to pick up Lucy and took her to Costco so I could take another nap. I just wasn't feeling well and I'm sure it was just the long hours, stress, and lack of sleep; because Saturday morning both Lucy and I slept in, and we felt great!

It was a good thing, because we had a busy couple of days ahead. Husband got up early Saturday to head down to his softball tournament in Eden Prairie. Lucy and I made it there to see just the last bit of their 10AM game, then were able to spend a little time playing in the park and partaking of the "Corn Feed."

Straight from the tournament, we left Daddy to play some more games and headed down to Le Center, MN for my niece's birthday party. We got to see most of my family there, and Lucy had a great time playing with her cousins on an absolutely gorgeous day. Can't believe Em is 3!

Sunday we awoke to Daddy's birthday! We had a big day planned at the ballpark, and first headed to the pro shop to get some new gear (and our last-minute tickets). After that, it was an absolutely fantastic afternoon at Target Field. More on that later...it was so great, it warrants its own post!

I am just loving these summer weekends. There's nothing like having that tired-but-content feeling after a full day of fun and sunshine.

We crossed something off the SUMMER! list: Twins game

Nice Moves, Luc!

Lucy has a soccer class each Tuesday morning during the summer. It's a program through her school, so the kids just go to a nearby park and work with an instructor from "Step it Up." It's very convenient, but the downside is that we don't really ever get to see her play! So when Husband had the opportunity to go watch this week, I made sure to ask him to take some photos.

Rugby Under the Lights

Lastnight Brandon's rugby team played in the high school stadium, under the lights, for the first time ever. It was a gorgeous evening, and it was so exciting to see the boys take the field. They dominated their opponent (Burnsville), winning 17-3. Brandon had a crew there to watch him - Grandpa; Aunt M and Uncle H; his mom, sister and cousin; and me, Husband and Lucy. The little lady had a grand old time climbing all over the bleachers, and amazingly made it through the entire game (the cookies from Auntie helped, I think!) While I wasn't chasing her around, I was able to get a few photos.

Rugby Season is Upon Us


This happened during practice! First game tonight.

Play Ball!

Thursday night Husband took me to a Twins game at the new ballpark, Target Field. This was an anniversary/birthday gift, and we had a fabulous time. Before the game we had dinner at one of our old favorites, The Loon, and I have to say it was nice to see Downtown hustling and bustling, and it was nice to be in the midst of it again too! Since we moved out to the 'burbs we don't get down there as much, and we both commented that we have to remember some of the great restaurants when we're thinking of places to go.

The Twins lost, but the game was great. The stadium is fabulous. Any place that holds over 40,000 people is obviously big, but yet it feels intimate. I guess it may be the way it's nestled into Downtown, but it really feels like a community space. The concourses are open so you always feel like a part of the game even when you're not in your seat, and in fact for several innings we were wandering around and catching up with our brother-in-law Troy, who was also at the game. It's got a great Minnesota feel, from the limestone exterior to the food offerings. Many local favorite restaurants are represented, and there is also a state fair booth where the the food is served on a stick or a little paper canoe. I heard someone say "I'm going to get a pretzel, some cheese curds, and a Polish." How much more Minnesota could you get, really?

I rounded out that picture by developing a pretty comfortable buzz on locally-brewed Grainbelt Premium. I laughed, and I cheered, and I had a great time. The best part though, was having a night out with my husband. We don't get to do that often enough. Thanks, babe - Michael Cuddyer has nothing on you! :)

"Is My Hair Garbage or Organics?"

At our house, we recycle organics, so sometimes there is a question of what goes where. Brandon asked the title question today because of this:

That's right, a mohawk. The Hopkins rugby team played in the state championship today, and I guess the mohawk worked, because they WON! Although we did decide that the new hairdo makes Brandon more difficult to pick out on the field...we were getting used to seeing that full head of red hair!

28+ weeks and Farewell, Minnesota Wild (For Now)

Well folks, I am now officially in my third trimester, heading into my 29th week. The baby has been very active, and I get a kick out of sitting in the recliner in the evenings and watching my belly move. For the most part I'm still feeling pretty good, but the past couple of weeks I have been starting to feel the physical effects of pregnancy a lot more, including some sore muscles and joints, and the fatigue that is now coming back full force at times. Looking at this photo, you will understand...

Holy cow, I know. I saw the photo and I couldn't believe I am really that big! I guess the baby is gaining weight, and so am I. Granted, this was later in the day and I had just eaten a big steak dinner (generously prepared by dear Husband), but wow. That Minnesota Wild t-shirt certainly isn't doing me any favors either, but I kept it on for a reason.

Today Husband and I attended our last Minnesota Wild game of the season, and maybe for quite some time. We've been partial season ticket holders for about 4 years now, but this year we are going to have to give them up. With the baby coming we just aren't going to have the time, or the cash, to keep up with the games. I almost didn't go to the game today, because I was feeling so tired this afternoon, but I'm really glad I did. It was a fun game and Husband and I had a great time together. The Wild won 3-0 and it was a nice little send-off for us. The baby got to groove to some Jock Rock, I got to eat some popcorn, and all was right with the world.

Just one sign of the compromises to come, I'm sure. So worth it to meet this little one in about 12 weeks!

Welcome to My Saturday Afternoon

GO HAWKS!

March Madness

Basketball rarely gets me excited anymore, except if I'm watching the Hawkeyes (and we all know how well that went this year). I HATE NBA basketball (traveling, double-dribbling egomaniacs), but I've always had a soft spot for college, especially at this time of year. It's exciting! Close games, heartwrenching stories. This is sports, America.

For the past several years I have filled out an NCAA bracket and participated in a pool, typically run by my brother Josh. Husband does not pay in, but he fills out a bracket just to compete with me. This year there was a big pool that my new office is participating in, so Josh and I joined that one. 65 people in at $5 each; I could stand to make a little pocket change. Thought I have to say, the guy I gave my money to looked thoroughly confused and didn't say much. I figured out later that I was the only female in the office that is participating. Like that's never happened to me before.

Historically I have done pretty well in "bracketology." There is limited rhyme or reason to my selections. Occasionally I may read a little bit about teams before I pick, but generally I have these tendencies:
1) Lean toward Big Ten teams
2) Always pick Gonzaga to win at least the first round, because I just like to say "Gonzaga"
3) Don't pick Oral Roberts because c'mon - say that 5 times fast
4) Of course, always count on some upsets. At least one 5/12 seed game is usually a lock.

I don't feel like I'm giving you all any secrets, because really it's just a crapshoot. And may the best woman win!

Subzero Oasis

Things have been pretty quiet lately, hence no posts since last Monday. This weekend we hunkered down and battled the cold weather (current temp is -9, windchill -21). I cleaned, ran a few errands and did manage to go to the gym, but otherwise stayed inside under the blankets and watched a lot of TV. The highlight was a very informative documentary called Who Killed the Electric Car. It's about the rise and fall of the electric car in the early 1990s, and a look into why it happened and who/what is to blame. Some very interesting points that one can only hope will be taken seriously as global warming, alternative fuels and less reliance on foreign oil comes to the forefront of our domestic policy.

Tonight we watched the Superbowl, and were glad to see the Colts defeat the Bears. Husband was rooting for them I think because they haven't won a Superbowl in 9 attempts, and he also doesn't like the Bears' quarterback. I was happy to cheer them on also, for the simple fact that there are 2 Iowa alums on the team, Dallas Clark and Bob Sanders (a favorite a mine when he was a Hawkeye). Of course the commercials were good, but I missed the halftime show as Husband is not a fan of Prince. Instead we watched the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, which was very cute but did nothing for my dog envy. Have to wait until we buy a house to get that puppy!

So we're pretty boring lately, but I have a feeling February is going to be very interesting - stay tuned!

Go Wild!

For those of you unfamiliar with hockey, I'm not telling you to get crazy...I'm supporting my local NHL team, the Minnesota Wild. I took Brandon to a game on Saturday night as part of his Christmas gift. This is my second year going in on a season ticket package with some friends. I buy a pair of tickets for 5 games. Two of my games had already passed and I wasn't able to go (sold one pair and Brett took his dad the second time), and Brandon hadn't been since last January either. So needless to say both of us were pretty excited to get there.







(OK, so maybe I was a little more excited).


The first part of our "date night" was to go out to dinner before the game. I took him to a great restaurant in St. Paul called Tavern On Grand, which arguably serves up some of the best walleye in the Twin Cities. Brandon loves walleye...so what does he order? A plate of buffalo wings, of course! The kid also loves wings, what can I say.

Following dinner we headed over to Excel Energy Center and took in an exciting game that went into overtime and then a shootout with the Colorado Avalanche. We got through the regular shootout with no winner, so it went to a sudden death shootout...(can you stand the suspense??)... unfortunately, the Wild couldn't make it happen. It was a great game nonetheless, and we had a lot of fun. It's nice to spend 1-on-1 time with Brandon, and I hope we can continue this tradition in years to come!

Dear Iowa Hawkeyes,

Needless to say, it's been a rough season. The first half looked promising, the last half was a joke. Ohio State, I can understand. Michigan. But Indiana? Northwestern? And the final stab wound...your last game of the season.

I wore my Hawkeye shirt with pride, and my brother and sister-in-law drove up from Iowa for the game. We endured the cold to get just the perfect tickets. Hawkeye support was strong in "Kinnick North." This game was in the bag. You were going to end the season strong and head into your bowl game with a new attitude. You were going to prevent Minnesota from being bowl-eligible, give me some bragging rights over my Gopher-loving friends and family.

The first half wasn't bad. But there were too many gaps in the defense. Missed tackles. And that ill-fated interception at the very end of the half, when you were 1 yard away from taking the lead. Boy, what a different game it could have been.

Why must you torment us? Your fans, generations of good Iowa folks, some who don't even live there anymore, but still remain faithful. Why make use hear, repeatedly:

"And that's another Gollllllden Gopherrrrrr...FIRST DOWN!"

That got annoying.

Minnesota fans grew louder. "We hate Iowa" was chanted repeatedly. And we left the Dome shaking our heads.

Did you even want to play? How bad did you want it? You were tentative when you should have been tenacious. Minnesota wanted it more. They played better. They deserved to win.

The thing is - I still love you, Hawkeyes. You disappointed me, and I might be mad for awhile. I only lecture because I care. Please, get your act together before your Bowl game. I'll be watching.

Regards,
Minnesota Transplant, Hawk Fan for Life

TWINS WIN THE DIVISION!!

It was a happy day in the great north today, as the Minnesota Twins clinched their division and earned the right to start the playoffs at home in the Metrodome. I love this team - they are all so young and excited and playing SO GREAT right now. It's going to be fun to watch!

Iowa Bound

This weekend I headed down to Dubuque, IA to to visit my cousin Kristi. I arrived Friday night, and we headed up to a local tap to hang out with her boyfriend Chad and some of their friends. It was a delightful night of cheap beer, good conversation and a rockin' jukebox (by cheap I mean REALLY cheap at $1 a glass...you don't see that in the Cities!)

Saturday Kristi gave me a little driving tour of Dubuque. It's really a pretty interesting river city with a lot of history. They are doing a lot of renovating and updating of the downtown area, and it will be interesting to see how different things are the next time I visit. After the local tour, we drove across the border to Galena, IL to have lunch and do some shopping. Galena is a charming historic town with reknowned boutique shopping that covers everything from home decor to clothing to knitting and beyond. We found some really cool stuff, but it was more about looking and not buying. The best part of the day was just sitting in a coffee shop and catching up. We don't get the chance to do that very often!

We returned to Dubuque and that evening went to a local bar to watch the Iowa vs. Ohio State game. Unfortunately the Hawkeyes lost, but it was nice to be in my home state with so many Hawkeye fans in one place.

Today I was able to make it back to spend a little time with Brandon before Brett took him back to his mom's. We kept close tabs on the baseball scores and got the see the Twins celebrate their division win, which was exciting! Now it's typical Sunday evening activity...I'm upstairs watching TV and putzing on my laptop, and Brett is downstairs watching the football game!

I can't believe it's Labor Day! Holy cow. Where did the summer go?

This weekend we went camping at Sakatah Lake State Park with our friends Amy and Broc (and their dog Gus), who drove up from Iowa. This trip had been planned for awhile, and it was our first camping trip with them, so we were pretty excited. We drove down later Friday night (about 14 miles west of Faribault, MN) and set up the tent in the near-dark. Amy and Broc arrived shorty after us, and we enjoyed a beautiful, cool evening by the campfire. It was perfect camping weather! The campground is pretty nice too - shady camping spots, and the restrooms are modern and clean. The weatherman had threatened thunderstorms that evening, so as we headed for the tents, we braced ourselves for a potential storm. But it stayed cool and clear all night, and the next morning was beautiful as well. We cooked breakfast and made a quick trip into nearby Waterville (the self-proclaimed Bullhead Capital of the WORLD), population about 1,800. The guys and Gus explored the lake, which turned out to be a 6-foot deep, green algae mess. But they got a good little hike out of it. We cooked brats over the fire for lunch.

Amy cooking wieners













Gus wanted some too!


We looked forward to an afternoon of checking out the park, maybe finding a good fishing spot, grilling our big meal that evening, and making s'mores and sitting around the fire that night.

But that all ended around 2:00 in the afternoon.

It started thundering in the distance, and we started putting things away. The rain came and we headed to the tents, thinking there would be a nice shower that would be over by the time we took a little nap.

3:00PM - Still raining. Tried to go back to sleep.

4:00PM - Yep, still raining. Busted out the cards and played a couple of games of Solitaire, and some War.

4:30PM - I got so bored I got out the digital camera and starting taking photos.

5:00PM - We passed the time by watching the drops of water streak across the roof of the tent, which was a bit concerning because we did have a rain fly on, and somehow the water was getting below the fly to the actual roof. But it can't rain much longer, can it?
5:30PM - Water streaks like shooting stars across the tent roof, collecting into pools which burst and zig-zag like a roller coaster across the surface...ok, I have WAY too much time on my hands.
6:00PM - Seriously, this tent thing is getting old. The rain has not stopped. I go and talk to Amy. Broc has gone to the ranger station to get an idea of how much longer this is supposed to last. Forecast: 2 more hours of rain, a small break and then...more rain. We already have water in the tent.

We all headed to Faribault to get some dinner, since there was no way we were cooking outside in the rainy mess. After dinner we stopped to get some rain gear and extra towels, then reluctantly headed back to camp to survey the damage. Did I mention it rained the whole time?

For some reason, we decided we HAD to burn the firewood that was brought, and Broc and Brett did get one going. So there we were, all standing around the fire in our rain gear in the slow, steady rain. Amy even brought out a tarp and basically wrapped herself in it! We stood there until the fire went out, and tried to dry out the best we could before crawling into bed around 11:00 or so.

We did fall asleep (to the sound of raindrops, of course), but around 12:15AM we were jolted out of bed by a panic alarm on someone's vehicle. Turns out it was Broc's truck! It just kept going off - he had to unplug the whole system to get it to stop. Turns out he had the keychain with the panic button in the pocket of the tent, and it got wet and shorted out! After that, the night went something like this:

2:00AM - Surely this can't go all night. There's a little dampness growing at the top of the air mattress. I shift down a little bit.
3:00AM - I turn on the flashlight and survey the damage. The puddles in the tent are growing.
4:00AM - Dammit, still raining. I check the gear I had placed strategically near the bottom of the mattress, which was the driest place in the tent when we went to bed. It's getting damp. I pull it up on the end of the mattress and curl my feet up.
5:00AM - GOOD LORD. This is getting ridiculous. Every once in awhile I feel drops on my forehead. I scoot down more on the mattress. By this time I am in the fetal position and there's no room for much else. I see Brett has shifted down too. We are also losing air. He's got to be about on the ground by now.
6:00AM - I am envisioning muddy streams of water running outside our tent door. Surely we're going to float away sooner or later. I'm fighting off the urge to pee, but it's difficult with the constant pitter-patter of rain and the water surrounding the mattress...
7:00AM - WE CANNOT TAKE THIS ANYMORE. It's still raining, but we decide to cut our losses and pack it up. Brett's sleeping bag is soaked and he is basically lying on the floor of the tent, which is virtually a big puddle.

By around 8AM we had the wet, muddy mess of a tent and tarp in the back of the Jimmy and everything packed and ready to go. The weather made things tough, but what can you do? Mother Nature at her finest. At the end of the trip we were wet, but still smiling. We'll try it again sometime!


Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

Today we hosted the draft for Brett's fantasy football league. The entire Laabs family is represented, even Brandon and Betty (Brett's mom) have a team! We had about 15 people in the house - lots of guys and a few gals with magazines, clipboards and all kinds of other info to help them make the best pics. It's quite an event that they've been doing for years. Everyone brings their own food and drink and they bid on players. It took about 4 hours to get through! I didn't stick around - Candy, Hayley, Marcey and I went to the mall. Brett is in 2 leagues this year, so it's a lot of football at our house this season.