Bittersweet

Yesterday I turned in my badge and said goodbye to my pals at the Henry Whipple Federal Building. The long awaited day had finally arrived (actually, it seemed to sneak up on me really quickly!)

The day started with a visit from an old VA pal, Peter Newton.  Being the rock star that he is, he brought in a whole box of fresh, delicious donuts.  Peter and I go way back to the Survivor Benefits Team (SBC) team at the VA and he too has moved onto bigger and better things.   The appeals team huddled around one of my co-workers cubes to devour the donuts and reminisce about all of the fun times we have had in the past. 

My last day happened to be the day of the annual Pension Management Center picnic.  At 11:00 the Whipple building threw up masses of employees onto the lawn of the neighboring Snelling Club where a whole roasted pig awaited us… I managed to steer clear and find my vegetarian bratwurst with only small amounts of gagging.  The picnic gave me a great opportunity to walk around and say goodbye to people that I don’t usually see and that are in different departments.  I managed to stay cool with multiple trips to the snow cone stand J

After the picnic, I had to say goodbye to the group of ladies that became my little VA family over the years.  With a 40 hour work week, a lot of people see their co-workers more than their own family.  Our little posy consisted of me, Katie R, Libby, Katie P and Becky.  We ate lunch together every day and Katie R and I had morning and afternoon walks on most days.  I really got to know and love these ladies and will miss them very much. 

I thought I would get to leave early on my last day, but by the time I made my rounds and said goodbye to everyone, I was running a half hour behind.  It is weird how it takes leaving a place to realize how many great people you have met and how many fun times that you had.  It was sad to leave, but who am I kidding, I am moving to Costa Rica and Austin, TX!! This is going to ROCK!

Peace out VA, happy adjudicating J

BIG night!!

Last night I sold this:

And I did this:

Crazy night!  Happy to say I am car free and on my way back to being blond :)

The Farm

So, I did it! I started a blog!  I am finally ready to reveal it to all interested eyes on the world wide web ;0 As Chad and I are about to embark on a new adventure, I decided blogging would be a fun way to document our travels and discoveries.

I am down to seven more days at my job.  On July 21^st, I will turn in my badge and have all of my VA rights erased.  I hope they don’t have to actually escort me out of the building; that would be weird…

One of my top priorities before leaving is to visit the town of Cushing, MN, where the population density is 8.1 people per square mile.  This is where my grandparents reside and where they have been farming for the past 20 or so years.  I have so many wonderful memories on the farm. 

I got to spend whole weeks there in the summer when I was a little girl.  It was just me and my grandma and grandpa.   My grandma would make me oatmeal every morning with a half of a grapefruit (with each little wedge cut around for my eating ease!) I would wake up bright and early with them on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to go to market street to sell their beautiful and delicious flowers and veggies.  I am pretty sure they always had the best selection on the whole street.  Their green thumbs are due to both nature and nurture from their parents and grandparents back in the Czech Republic (or “the old country” as they like to call it).

I don’t make it up there nearly as often as I used to, which makes me a little sad, but is part of growing up.  I am going for a visit on Friday and can’t wait to see the fields in full bloom.  The last two times I visited everything was still in the green house.

My Beautiful Grandma Betty Jane

And Grandpa Ray, quite a strapping gent :)

The greenhouse mid-April

The greenhouse at the end of May

At the farm, things are still done the old fashion way :)

This will forever be one of my happy places.   Everything seems so much simpler at the farm.  I love it all… the scenery, the company, the food.  I think my grandma is one of the only seventy-something farmers I know who cooks her granddaughter mock-chicken hot dish!  I am truly a lucky girl J

Social Butterflies *

I LOVE my friends and don’t always get to see them enough.  Well, this weekend things took a little twist from the norm.  The fun began on Thursday afternoon and lasted all the way through Sunday evening.  

Laura and Rich invaded the Mini Apple around 3:00 on Thursday.  We started the evening at the Lyndale Tap House and caught up over delicious appetizers and cocktails. After that we all went back to our apartment where we cooked one of mine and Chad’s favorite meals, asparagus and pistachio risotto with mixed greens and warm bread.  We all crammed into out mini kitchen to prepare out feast.

The fun continued on Friday (after work) with another one of my long lost lady loves, Sarah Mraz, paying me a visit.   I have not yet mentioned that this weekend was the Pride Festival, which was packed with awesome events.  Sarah, Chad, Rich and I ventured out to the block party right down the street from our apartment.



Vodka infused gummy worms!



We met up with our friend Claire and were entertained for hours by bands full of drag queens, dancers, photo booths and the crowd of pride goers.   Eventually Laura, Jolien and Ty graced us with their presence as well.

Friends and Pride continued on Saturday with a gathering at our apartment.  We had planned a party in the park at Lake, but Mother Nature had other plans for us.  The afternoon rain kept everyone inside until the clouds finally parted and we ventured to our neighborhood park where we got a huge Frisbee circle going.  Soon after, we all hoped on our bikes and headed to Loring Park where the main Pride Festival festivities take place.

our silly men

yes, we are very classy :)

Chesther and Jolien looking captivated by someone's story

 

Taela even got to join in the fun!



As most of you know, biffies at festivals usually have no toilet paper....well, I really wanted some and stuck my head out the door to request assistance with this.  Chad brought me some leaves and grass, Laura brought me Kleenex.  I think this shot captures my excitement :)  Thanks Laura!



Prideful Pup



Beth and Laura, so pretty :)



Find Jamie and Jolien...



Here we are!

We ended with some late night appetizers at Chambers Kitchen

By Sunday morning we were all a little tired, but it was not yet time to rest.  The pride parade started at 11:00 and ran through downtown Minneapolis.  If you live in Minneapolis and have never been to this parade, put it on your to-do list for next summer.  If is tons of fun for everyone… young, old, gay, straight and everyone in between J

After the parade Laura and I rushed off to meet up with a few college roomies/pals at The French Meadow.  Again, if you have never been here, GO!  You will find a large menu packed with delicious, organic and local ingredients.  The four of us let the afternoon float away as we ate and visited.  Before we realized it, 3 hours had gone by and it was time to head to our next stops… Laura and Rich back to Madison and me and Chad to Buca to celebrate our step-sisters graduation from grad school (yay Kris!).

It was an epic and memorable weekend that made me once again realize how in love I am with Minneapolis and all of the people and places in itJ