Fall Fun at the Corn Maze!!

So I finally got to visit Sever's Corn Maze - this totally random fall attraction in the Cities. This farm near Canterbury makes a maze out of their cornfield - awesome! They also have a pumpkin catapult called "The Slinger", pig races, a petting zoo, and all kinds of fun. I convinced Jarad, Joy, and Scot to come with me - good times were had by all!! (Well, by me for sure - I think everyone else enjoyed it, too!)


Jarad and I get acquainted with our agricultural sides...

Joy and I bask in our cuteness...

and I wind up for the pumpkin catapult...way too much fun!

My Family is Awesome

This weekend, we held the 2nd annual Smoger/Dugas/Otten/Rubesch fall picnic in Lester Park (Duluth, MN). My brother Jeff, his wife Sarah, and their son Ben were in attendance - I finally got to meet this cutie nephew of mine! We had a beautiful day and really got to enjoy one another!

Sunday brought a chance to watch the Vikings season opener together, which is always a treat. Jarad & I stayed through the 3rd quarter - the Vikes had it in the bag by then! My mom sported her Adrian Peterson jersey, and Bob enjoyed an amazing Skyline Bloody Mary - check that bad boy out, people!!

Weekend Getaway

This weekend, I took a few days off from TCF so Jarad & I could head up north for a little getaway. Destination: Leech Lake. Along the way, Jarad made a special trip into St. Cloud so I could see the Munsinger Clemens Gardens. This beautiful garden features various sections of beautiful flowers, foliage, and fountains. I particularly liked the hibiscus:


And there are several working fountains that just begged me to take pictures:


After this delightful pit stop, we were on our way up to Leech Lake. Jarad's mom and stepdad have a sailboat, The Renaissance, which they keep in a Marina at the Shores of Leech Lake. We were able to get up there and out on the water for a lovely sail. We anchored in a shallow end of the the bay, and had a great lunch cooked on the grill. Jarad and I both took turns sailing - I even learned a bit of sailor language (not the dirty kind - I already knew that!). But I think I figured out which side is "port" and what it means to "tack". Very exciting!!

Sunday morning, Jarad & I woke up early enough to see the sun rise over Leech Lake. There was a beautiful fog on the water, and the clouds were just striated enough for a really cool effect. It was chilly - down in the lower 40's - but it was worth it to get this view!

After a nice breakfast and some coffee, we took a bike ride of about 7 miles, seeing some more of the lake shore and enjoying the great trails that run around the lake. All in all, a wonderful little weekend getaway - I felt refreshed and ready to face Monday when we got back to town!

The Real Deal

It's been 7 months - seven amazing, wonderful, exhilirating months - since Jarad & I first met. This is the real deal, people...bask with me...c'mon, you know you want to!

A Killer in My Midst

Jarad & I were hanging out at my place the other day, having just finished breakfast and coffee. As we were planning our next steps for the day, in from the great outdoors walks Pudder...with something in her mouth! And this wasn't a little thing, like a grasshopper. Nope, it was BIG and gray and had a tail!

Pudder sauntered right past us and sat down over by the kitchen, where she proceeded to drop said item and hunker down as if to (gulp) gnaw on it. I, being the untutored cat owner that I am, leaped to my feet to get her away from it. She had it clamped back in her mouth by now; I scooped her up by her belly and had to admonish her into dropping it again.

There it lay, gray unmoving mouse on my living room floor. Meanwhile, I'm cuddling Pudder to keep her away from it, and I'm trying not to cry. I think this is where I should have praised her and been impressed with her hunting skills, because she obviously caught it and brought it into the house for me. But I was too distraught to have this reaction...maybe next time.

Jarad, gallant hero of mine, got rid of the mouse (it was dead, thank God...half-alive would have been even more awful) and I was able to put Pudder back down. She prowled around the house for a while, as if trying to find her newly captured prey. Eventually, she gave up and went back to hanging out on the stoop. No big deal, apparently - she was able to resume her normal activities, no problem.

I, however, may never be the same. My gentle, sweet, loving Pudder...a killer. Why did she have to go and remind me she's actually a cat? Why, Pudder, why?

Good Times in Wisconsin

Yes, you read the title right - we had a good time. In Wisconsin!!



Jarad's band, North of Nowhere, played a grand opening this weekend at The Windsor Supper Club, owned by Rick's sister. (Rick is the singer in North of Nowhere.) The guys put on a great show, played 50 or so songs, and had a really good time!



I managed to snap some pictures (shocker) and consume some beer (double shocker) throughout the day. Yes, I know - I never do either one of those things! We did deviate a bit from the norm, though, when we decided to do a shot up at the bar...yikes. I'm too old for that crap, seriously. But it wasn't so bad, I just washed it down with more beer and went back to the party!

Jarad rocked out his new-but-used "band shirt" and looked awesome. The guys had some lights set up on the stage and looked especially cool after sunset - it was a fun day overall!

Keep on rockin' in the free world, honey. You sounded great!!

Our Trip to Colorado

So for the holiday weekend (July 1st - 5th), Jarad & I flew out to Colorado. He has family out there, and they were all gathering for his grandma's 85th birthday. We flew into Denver, and then drove out to a small town outside of Colorado Springs for our stay.

While on the trip, Jarad's immediate family and I went atop Pikes Peak, and then visited the rock formations at Garden of the Gods. Colorado is unlike anything I've seen in the Midwest. It's beautiful, rugged, and just plain amazing!

Garden of the Gods had gorgeous red rock formations and these great old trees that grew in between the rocks. They were this awesome shade of burnt orange, and some of the formations looked like specific things - ships, camels, etc. What a neat place to explore! We scrambled around on the rocks like kids at a playground - very cool.

From the top of Pikes Peak, the view was surreal. We were literally in the clouds, but could also see quite a way across the mountains and down into the valleys. Pikes Peak is over 14,000 feet high, so it was quite a bit chillier at the top than at the bottom. Even so, it was breathtaking to see the view from there, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

And of course, once were back down the mountain, there was ample opportunity for me to traipse around with my camera, shooting at will. One of my favorites is of the natural wildflowers found in the area:
And last, but certainly not least, Colorado has 7-Eleven!! I was so excited to see this as we drove into the town of Monument... Jarad's family likely thought I was nuts, but I miss 7-Eleven and their delicious Slurpees!! It was a family favorite when we were kids, and I still get one anyc hance I get. I managed to wrangle a ride from Jarad's sister Kimi with the express purpose of obtaining a Slurpee...mission accomplished! (See how sassy and happy I look?!)

Overall, it was an excellent trip. I met a lot of Jarad's extended family, who were really nice. We celebrated Grandma Betty's birthday as planned, and rang in the 4th of July, Colorado-style. I'll definitely go back to that area - I see why people are so enthused about it when they travel there. My experience was certainly a good one...no, scratch that. It was GREAT!!