Catching Up

I just realized its been more than 2 weeks since I posted!

Time flies in general but especially this time of year - its almost Christmas, eek!
I suppose I should probably start Christmas shopping sometime soon - honestly I feel like everyone already has too much stuff so the idea of buying more stuff kind of makes me cringe.

Relationship Status: Friend Zone - and its not great, actually fairly miserable but more about that later.

So......let's see. What have I been up to? Its been a busy few weeks.

Visited the Italian Art exhibit at Minneapolis Institute of Arts.....twice.
Its a really beautiful exhibit and I would definitely recommend even if you aren't particularly into fashion. What struck me is how styles are recycled and recycled - you can really see that in the progression from the 1940's to current day. No pictures are allowed sadly but it is worth the value to go and there have also a LivingSocial deal for half off the price of admission.  

I've been to several shows since the last post: Wet with Bae Tigre, Har Mar Superstar with Pizza Underground, and Shakey Graves with Sean Rowe. All the shows were awesome. Har Mar Superstar was definitely a super fun dance party but I was really blown away at the Sean Rowe and Shakey Graves show - the other opener was Esme Patterson and she was fantastic too. Barr Brothers was definitely my favorite show of the year but this show was certainly in the Top 5.

Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for this year. Spent the holiday in Nebraska with the family and had a wonderful time. My niece and nephews are growing up so fast - its sort of incredible actually...and makes me feel a little old!

Visited the Minneapolis Holiday Market last weekend. There have definitely been many mixed reviews on the holiday market. Here is my take: Yes, it is a bit crowded and the set-up could have probably been done better to allow for better flow. Yes, it is challenging to access for anyone with any type of physical disability. Yes, you do have to pay $6 to get in when the Holidazzle Parade was free. All that being said, it was really enjoyable and helped me get into the holiday spirit. There are lots of good eats and drink and wares to be had. If you keep your expectations in check, I think its an enjoyable experience.

Circling back to relationship status.....so yeah, during the Thanksgiving trip, I saw special someone from Nebraska and we ended up deciding that we were best off just being in the friend zone. He can't see past the distance to what could be which is too bad. So.....friend zone but also going on some Tinder dates to get back into the groove here locally. Hopefully Prince Charming will show up sooner or later.

This week I'm in town all week! Looking forward to getting life maintenance stuff done and Third Thursday at MIA and then seeing Jeremy Messersmith on Friday.

Cheers to a great week!

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter under: Rachel_651

First Aid Kit

So much good music this week. 

By the time I got around to seeing First Aid Kit on Thursday night, I was almost a little burnt out of going to shows but this was the show that I was most looking for and it did not disappoint. 

The way I would describe the show is magical and ethereal. There were moments of humor and also one instance of an ugly cry from me when they sang "Ghost Town" completely unplugged. 

In the end, it was a really beautiful show. 

My favorite song that was performed was: Master Pretender 

Just have to add was that the Bleachers and Stars shows were really fun also - great songs, great energy, had an awesome time. 

Cheers to Sunday Funday! 

My Junk

What do you do at 1am when you can't sleep because of you old friend insomnia? I suppose in the absence of anything else to do, one blogs. 

I keep thinking about this one particular quote from Mad Men where Faye says to Don Draper "I hope she knows you only like the beginnings of things." 

For some reason that quote really resonated with me at the time I first heard it on the show and for some reason, it has come back around. 

This week has not been the easiest. 

I don't necessarily want to get into all the ugly details but suffice to say, my heart took a little bit of a beating this week. 

But I am learning things about myself, which is perhaps the purpose in all this. 

I need to work on my communication skills. 

I don't react well when things do not go the way that I want them to go. 

I can be in a relationship or involvement where there is distance involved but this is not workable for others. 

I need to make sure I am putting effort into someone that is worthy and stop putting effort into relationships (romantic or otherwise) where the effort is not reciprocal. 

Some day it will be my turn to be in the happy couple photos that I see all over social media - its not my turn right now and I need to be ok with that. 

I always wonder about those photos - especially when I see them used on Tinder. What happened between happy family photo and Tinder? You can't love everything about a person all the time, so maybe the percentage between what the person can stand and can't stand became off balance. 

So, that's some of my junk. We all have junk - some just hide it better than others. 

The End. 

Random Thoughts

Good Morning lovelies.

Writing this post from my bed, snuggled with my cat Zoey, drinking coffee and looking out the window at the already winter wonderland of Minneapolis and listening to the Barr Brothers. 

I went to see the Barr Brothers last night at the Cedar and honestly, it was one of the most soul feeding shows that I've been to in quite some time. The musicianship was incredible. The music was just beautiful, the lyrics, the sound filled up the space and I think everyone in the crowd was completely wow'ed. I won't hesitate to see them again anytime that I can. 
Favorite Song from the entire set was: How the Heroine Dies 

Oh! I do have to mention that I saw the New Pornographers earlier in the week which was also an inspired show but in a different way. Neko Case and the set was perfection. Super high energy show, fun crowd, great time. Favorite Song from the Set: Adventures in Solitude. 

Winter arrived in Minnesota in a hurry this past week. Its so easy to forget the magnificent Autumn that we had when the snow and cold temps come. There was so little transition time this year between the seasons. I can't deny that I was a bit crabby this week - I feel like it always takes me a week or two to embrace the cold. Hopefully I am nearing the tipping point between crabby and embracing - feels like it is close. 

Not much else new - lots of shows this week: Bleachers with Wild Cub, Stars, First Aid Kit. Looking most forward to First Aid Kit in the mainroom at First Avenue. Will try to remember to post a review. 

Relationship status: Disappointed. Winter weather meant no visit from Nebraska special someone this weekend. Hopeful for a visit next weekend but he hasn't committed to that yet and I'm not going to beg for a visit. Logistics of living 6 hours away are causing a strain I think. Not seeing each other for weeks is causing a strain. That being said, I have no interest in dating at the moment - just no energy for it. We will see what happens - the best course of action is to let the universe dictate what happens next. 

All that being said, after all the annoyances and gripes, Life is ultimately good and I am blessed and I need to make sure I focus on that fact on a daily basis. 

Cheers to a new week! Lets make it a fabulous one! 

First Avenue Heartbreak

I experienced my first show at First Avenue last night that I didn't love. 

The artist was Banks. I love her album and was super excited for the show especially because I love that venue. 

She was nervous - that was obvious from the start. Understandably I felt. About 10 minutes into the show though it became obvious that she was lip synching. How disappointing. I don't know that I've ever been to a show where the artist lip synched before. 

The crowd was also something to be desired. All sorority girls and bros from the U. All obnoxious and rude. I just really hate it when people get there when the show is starting and push their way up to the front. And don't get me started on the couple basically having sex right next to me. 

All in all - not the best show and definitely a let down. 

I'm Baaaaaaack!

I was talking to someone the other day that I know only from social media (never met in person) and they mentioned that they had read one of my blog posts and I thought to myself.......oh, that's right, I have a blog! 

I am officially a Minneapolis resident as of August 8th or thereabouts. The place that I had mentioned in my previous blog post did not work out but it led to finding an even better place that I absolutely adore in the Longfellow area. Getting unpacked has proven to be a challenge - as I have been traveling so much the past couple months for business and pleasure that I have barely been home long enough to unpack much. I am making progress though. 

Took my first trip to the Badlands and the Black Hills at the beginning of August. I didn't really know what to expect and was absolutely blown away by the beauty and energy. The Badlands definitely has an other worldly feel to it. Will definitely not be my last trip to South Dakota. 

Let's see.....been going to lots of really great shows lately. War on Drugs, CHVRCHES, Ty Segall, to name a few. Caroline Smith and Lizzo absolutely blew my mind. I have huge lady crushes on both of them - so talented and beautiful. 

Oh - it was my birthday since the last post! I am now officially 37 years of age - well as of today, 37 years and 2 months. Birthdays are great - its a nice time to recognize that I am blessed to have lived this long and experienced what I've been able to experience...too many people don't have that opportunity. I am also not ashamed to admit my age or lie about my age - why would I do that? Every year gets better and better anyway. 

Current love life status: Hiatus for the month of October with the exception of a special someone that lives in Nebraska. Currently occupying my mind is the logistics of really liking someone that lives 6 hours away. 

Looking forward to this week: Banks at First Ave, Dirty Dancing Musical, and the big event of the week....The Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday. 

Well....thats probably enough for this blog post.
Cheers! 

Moving to Minneapolis!

Well, I found a place.
Its pretty much perfect in every way except that it does not have an AC unit.
Old mansion. Lyndale and Franklin. Stained glass but modern updates to kitchen and bath.

I'm super excited. Its the first place I looked at - is that crazy that I haven't even looked at anywhere else?
I'm definitely ready to move to that side of the cities.

Sigh. Big life decisions take energy out of me.

Now to start the decluttering process at my current place!

Cheers to Tuesday!

Ms. Lauryn Hill

Three words - Ms. Lauryn Hill 

What a dynamic performance last night! Really incredible. The crowd was fantastic at First Avenue as per usual. She didn't start until almost 10:15pm but it didn't matter. I can't recall the setlist - mostly stuff from the 1998 album and some Bob Marley tunes. But it was truly spectacular. 

Headed to the Guthrie tonight for their production of My Fair Lady - pretty excited to see what they do with the show. 

For those keeping track I ended up making it to barre class 4 times last week - so I'm taking that as an accomplishment! I also did a 5k last weekend.....which was supposed to be a 10k but I had a little too much fun the night before and couldn't hack running 6 miles. 

Can't really believe its July 1st already - where has the summer gone? Time is flying and its almost time for my birthday month! Yes thats right folks - I celebrate my birthday for the entire month of August because, why not? 

Thats all for now - cheers to Team USA playing Belgium today in the World Cup! 

New Post Wednesday!

Trying to get in one post a week - trying to do better! 

Life is crazy as usual. 
I continue to commit to not running myself ragged but then somehow my calendar fills up! 

Northern Spark weekend was incredibly rainy (I'm talking monsoon-like weather!) but it was fantastic! 
We ran around all night - we visited MCAD, Weisman, Northrup Auditorium, Walker - and then finished up the night with a pancake breakfast at Uptown Diner. Even though the weather was horrendous, it was awesome to see so many people enjoying art in the middle of the night. 
Thankfully I had nothing to do all day on Sunday because it took me the whole day (and Monday) to recover from staying up all night - I'm definitely too old for that on a regular basis! 

My working on myself initiative continues - started barre class a week ago and am loving it! Barre combines pilates and ballet and even though I've only gone three times so far, I can already tell a different in my posture and core strength. 
I also tried Stand Up Paddleboarding for the first time! What fun! I actually stood up on the board - I would post a pic but.....no. I promise you I did stand up and also I did not fall off once! (Which is saying something because I'm a huge klutz) I'm definitely going to try to do more SUP this summer. 

Oh.....big news. I have a date on Sunday. My first date (as far as I can recall) since the break-up with the dude. I'm ending my hiatus. It is time to get back on the wagon and put myself out there again. We will see what happens. My only concern with this guy is he LOVES the suburbs and I have pretty much the opposite feeling about the suburbs. But, he seems nice and so, here we go! 

Oh.....other big news! I'm moving to Minneapolis! I've lived in the Twin Cities since 2000 and have never lived West of the River - so its time! Notice has been given to landlord that I am vacating as of 8/31 - let the apartment hunting commence! I have no clue where I want to live yet but I'm heavily leaning towards trying to find something in Northeast Minneapolis - I love the area and the vibe. 

This weekend coming up is crazy busy - Rare Book Show on Friday night, MPLS Blogger and Adam Turman garage sales, Lake Street Taco Tour on Saturday and Pride fest on Sunday! 
Watch for pics on my IG feed (rachel_651) from all my weekend adventures! 

Cheers to a wonderful Wednesday! 

Long Overdue Blog Post! 

Writing this post today from 32,000 feet - headed home from another week of work out of town in Phoenix. I have to admit, even though I love a change of scenery, being for weeks at a time is exhausting. 

I shouldn't complain - I realize this. 
Many people would be happy to travel for work. 
I am fortunate. But its still tiring. 

Anyhow, dating hiatus continues - working on myself continues. Still need to get in more runs. Starting barre class this week and also getting a SUP lesson which should be fun. 

Oh, grand news! My new niece, Hamilton Rose Laird, was born on 6/11. 
8lbs 3 oz of pure loveliness. 
She is all things wonderful and perfect and I love her and I haven't even met her yet. 

Upcoming weekend looks to be rainy and dreary but Northern Spark art festival beckons and hopefully the Stone Arch fest as well - or I might hibernate. 

That's all for now. I'm committing to one post a week at a minimum. 

Cheers! 

Oh happy Monday! 
What joy this never-ending rain brings. 
Today's post poses an interesting question....what type of communication is ok when a person is married? 
I connected with a guy on IG a week or so ago - a couple comments here and there, hearts on pictures, that sort of thing. Connecting moved to Twitter and again....a little bit of interaction back and forth. Today, this guy ended up DM'ing me on Twitter and we had a nice conversation for most of the morning. 
Through a little social media looking, I determined that said guy has a wife - which I then confirmed with the guy through a well thought out question...at which time, I discontinued the conversation. 
Is it appropriate for married people to privately message those of the opposite sex that they connect with on social media even if the messaging is completely of an innocent nature? Not sure I know the answer but if this guy was my husband, I'm not sure I would be comfortable with it. 

Anywho, enough about matters of the heart - my first weekend re-cap is here! 
Friday night - Sea Salt Eatery at Minnhehaha Park - first time actually eating here and 
I was pretty impressed - I ordered the shrimp basket and the shrimp were quite delicious. 
The best part of course was dining al fresco in such a lovely park. 

Another Saturday....another race! Get in Gear 10k on Saturday morning. 
Awesome course - felt kind of lazy during the race though - ended up with a time of 1:15. 
Beat my Great Race of Agoura Hills time - but not by much. 
Need to start some serious training to get my time back to faster levels. 
Had a great time racing with friends though and I will definitely do this race again next year. 

Saturday night was girls night out! My first big night out since the break-up with the dude a couple weeks ago.....

First stop was my first visit to Sociable Cider Werks taproom - loved the atmosphere, loved the cider - will definitely be back. 

Second stop was Icehouse - one of my favorite bars for live music and good eats. Enjoyed some stellar Mac N Cheese and Chicken Cordon Bleu - but the best part was a drink called "George is drinking tonight" - I oftentimes order drinks just because I like their name and this particular drink was delightful. 

Third stop of our evening was for dessert and a little bit of art at Glam Doll Donuts. Local artist Jessica Turtle had a show that night and I found her pieces very fun. 

I would definitely have considered buying a couple if they hadn't already been sold. 

I have to admit that I don't always love the donuts at Glam Doll - I typically enjoy light and fluffy donuts and the ones at Glam Doll are definitely not that - they are usually very dense however this particular donut tasted very fresh and I really enjoyed it...maybe it was because I was a little buzzed because "george is drinking tonight" 

Last stop of the evening was Freehouse in the North Loop for a nightcap - we are calling this place, the Loop for adults. Pretty small crowd, mostly younger guys. I had a pretty decent stout and chatted up a couple late twenty-year olds until we decided to call it a night. All in all - a successful and very fun girls night! 

Here are two of my besties (I know.....we cute): 

Sunday was a wash....literally.....rained ALL DAY LONG - so I chose to be very lazy and literally do nothing but watch movies. The Notebook, You've Got Mail, Princess Bride. 

I consider that to be a successful Sunday. 

Oh.....weather update - its 6pm on Monday and.....its still freaking raining. Sigh. 

Looking very forward to happy hour on Wednesday at Butcher and the Boar (watch for a review of their corndog) and Art in Bloom at MIA on Thursday. 

Cheers to a great week! 

I woke up today feeling super happy and positive about life - might have something to do with the fact that its Friday....

Attended the Young Professionals Group Networking Event last night at the beautiful new Track 29 City Apartments in Uptown (http://www.track29uptown.com/) - although I'm never super excited for networking events, this one was particularly fun and I ended up seeing a couple old friends and making a couple new friends! 

Ended up at Haute Dish (http://haute-dish.com/) last night for Dining Out for Life. I hadn't been there for dinner yet so I thought it would be good choice and ended up being very, very right. 

I decided to indulge in the TaterTot HauteDish and it did not disappoint - honestly, it was one of the best meals that I've had recently. 

Looking forwarding to fun weekend activities - Get in Gear 10k, my first visit to Socialable Cider Werks, and the Jessica Turtle show at Glam Doll Donuts (https://www.facebook.com/events/1426268764291082/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming) 

Happy Friday! 

2nd blog post. 
Still no clue what I'm doing. 
Cold, rainy, dreary day in Minnesota. 
All I want to do is sleep but I have significant amount of work to do because sadly, I'm not independently wealthy. 
So, I'm thinking happy sunshine cheery thoughts and hoping that someday the sun will shine again. 
Headed to a Big Brothers and Big Sisters networking event tonight and then Dining out for Life (For more info go to: http://www.diningoutforlife.com/) 

One of the lovelies from the Spring Flower Show at Como Park this past weekend. 

My first blog post. 
Excited. Nervous. Have no clue what I'm doing. 
Using this as a forum to celebrate all the craziness that is my life in the Twin Cities and beyond. 
So, that's it for now. 
Stay tuned.