Graduations & Goodbyes...

I traveled  back to Wisconsin over the Memorial Day for my youngest daughter's high school graduation party / Bon Voyage party. I would suppose one would have to ask the guests, but, from my standpoint it was a rousing success. Many thanks to my wife who had to plan and pull this off alone. Well, not alone. I am very grateful for all the help she received from her sisters and our friends. After all, it takes a village to throw a good party. We feel very blessed with the turnout and will miss Franklin tremendously! The photo booth was a huge success! I will admit that  photo booth was my wife's idea & I cannot wait to get the CD with all the images. Perhaps, some will find their way here? I was great to see our Franklin friends one more time before we move out of Wisconsin. Many of my daughter's friends were there and it was great to see the young adults they have turned out to be. I wish them well in the future and can only hope they have the kind of friends we are leaving behind in Franklin. That being said, Summerfest and Irish fest will beckon every summer, and as my good friend Bob says "Why rest, let's fest!"

The Memorial Day Party Banner

The Graduate and family

As a consequence of too much imbibing and poor food choices over the course of the party, I would up with my first case of diverticulitis. As many patients whom I have diagnosed with this disorder can attest, this is one you should avoid at all costs. To add insult to injury, my new health insurance does not kick in until this coming Sunday, therefore, some quick labs, confirmation by one of my new partners and some antibiotics have me on the road to recovery. Colonoscopy looms large 8 weeks from now. It's about time I practiced what I preach and get the test I have been recommending for 20 years!

In order not to shortchange my son, he turned 21 over the weekend and left for his Rome Maymester yesterday. I am sure all parents fear the 21st birthday, but, he was very responsible on this most important of evenings. Besides looking a little rough around the edges, he was none the worse for wear the next day.

Legal in all 50 states!

Off to Europe for a month...Mom doesn't look happy...

The last two days were spent watching the basement repair company trench 110 feet around my home to brace one of the basement walls and waterproof the exterior basement walls. I hope whomever the new owners are, they appreciate what this process was like to live through.

20 year warranty...Lucky new owners!

This weekend my wife and oldest daughter are coming up to the Twin Cities for some house hunting. Good friends from Northern Wisconsin are also arriving to help us explore / house hunt. Given that they recently went through much the same process, their help and advice will be greatly appreciated. Maybe there will be something to report on the housing front soon! Lord knows I am sick of looking at houses. Is this the weekend we find the Eden Prairie gem we are looking for? Here's hoping...

Heck of a weekend...

My son Andrew paid me a visit this past week. He finished up his final exams and made the trek from Ripon to Eden Prairie. We explored Eden Prairie together and spent some time scouting out possible homes. There may be more to report on that front soon. On Friday night, we ventured into Minneapolis for some happy hour and dinner. Finding our way to Uptown, we stopped at Chino Latino ( Chino Latino Happy Hour Menu ) for a few appetizers...We had the Shanghai Wings & the Poblano Fundido. The food was great and the Uptown area was very vibrant needs more exploring on my part. It promises to be a favored weekend destination.

Saturday night I went into the city to see one of my favorite bands, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers ( Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers ), at a local music club, The Caboze ( The Cabooze ). It was a GREAT show & hopefully they will be back this way again soon! ( Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers - Mexico ).

I would like to thank Jeff Meyer & Jeff Meachum for coming out and helping me assimilate into the Minneapolis music clubs. No doubt I will be dragging you guys out to more bands in the future.

Saturday afternoon I received a surprise phone call form a friend who was in Minneapolis to visit her sister. We met for breakfast at Panera on Sunday morning. Thanks to Rose Loomis for checking in with me...It was great to see you and catch up a bit. Hoping you come back to visit again soon and bring Mark along with you!

Sunday it was "Take me out to the ballgame"...Twins vs.The Mariners. The weather was beautiful, but, the home team took one on the chin 5-2. Target field is a great place to watch a ballgame, as long as it is warm! I will miss Miller Park for those early or late season games. Here's hoping my Brewers can continue to play well and make the postseason this year. Again, thanks to Jeff Meachum for the hospitality!

It was a fantastic weekend and a great introduction to life in Minneapolis. All within, more or less, a 10 mile radius...

There and back again...

I went back to Milwaukee this past weekend for Mother's Day. I figured that if I did not get back, I might not be married the Monday after Mother's Day! Airfare was on sale a while back, so I took the opportunity to stock up on round trip flights from Minneapolis to Milwaukee and save 10 hours of driving each weekend.

When I got back on Friday night, Noreen and I went out for pizza and fried chicken. While I was anticipating a weekend full of lounging around, my wife had different plans. She had an entire weekend of work for me to do. In all fairness, there is a fair amount of work to do before we can put our house on the market. Luckily, a good friend loaned me an attachment for our power washer that made short work of the hardest chore, cleaning the back porch concrete! It was good to get back to Milwaukee and I was happy to be able to spend Mother's day with my amazing wife!

A funny thing happened when I got back to Minneapolis on Sunday night. I found myself thinking, while I miss my family, I was glad to get back to my little apartment in Eden Prairie.

Another barrier to normalcy fell on Monday afternoon after work. I located a Sam's Club that is 5 miles from my office & 9 miles from Eden Prairie. It really is hard to shop for one person at Sam's club.

My son Andrew is coming for a 4 day visit before he leaves on his Maymester in Rome. Together we will do some exploring and figure out a few more pieces to the Minneapolis puzzle...

Home at last - For the time being...

They say real estate is all about location, location, location. I beg to differ. It's all about timing. We have been lucky in the past, as the real estate timing always worked out. Were able to sell and close on the house we were living in and then purchase and close on the new house within 2-3 weeks. It made moving easy. Not so much this time round. I also am starting my new job before everybody else is ready to move. All of this makes for a new experience.

As a consequence, I, and possibly we, will be living in a furnished 2 bedroom apartment. I moved in over the weekend and am now an Official Minnesota Resident!

Home for now...

As far as apartments go, it really is very nice. Fully furnished and all utilities included. Living alone for the first time in 26 years might take some getting used to. After helping me move in and taking me to the grocery store for supplies, my wife drove back to Wisconsin today, leaving me start the process of getting acclimated to living in the Twin Cities.

I needed some other groceries today and after the Blackhawks took care of business, I ventured out to find a local grocery store. Right down the street was a Rainbow Foods. Turns out, Rainbow Foods is owned by Roundy's. Might have well have been a Pick n Save. Everything was the same, down to the self checkout machines. They even accepted our Fresh Perks number. Felt like I was back in Franklin, at least for a little while.

Tomorrow is my last free day before I begin my new job. Lots of mundane tasks to accomplish. Obtaining a new drivers license, obtaining a new safe deposit box and starting US postal service at my new address. All within a 10 mile radius...