.Run Sho Run.

I feel like it's been ages since I talked with you all about running, I guess that is what happens when you take most of the summer off from blogging and running! I believe that last time we talked about running here on the blog was almost a year ago, after we finished our first marathon! What happened after the marathon was we took a few weeks off, and then that turned into taking the winter off (it's cold here in MN in the winter!), and then the spring, etc.

Actually, I did do some running in the spring, it just wasn't very much! During last spring I became a coach for a Girls on the Run (GOTR) team near my home. Each week we discussed different topics and practiced for a 5k! At the end of our time together, 10 weeks or so, the girls, friends, and coaches ran the 5k! It was a cold morning and the rain was pouring down on us, but it was the most fun I have ever had running 3 miles!! I loved cheering on the girls towards their goal and helping their parents accomplish the 5k as well!  Not only did I run the 5k with my own GOTR team, I also ran the 5k for GOTR in Mankato, MN. I ran this race last year with my sister and we did it again, hopefully we continue the tradition! The best part of this race was girls had their names on the back of their shirts so you could personally cheer them on when you were running past them! Of course, I gave some people shout outs because it is a big deal that they are pushing themselves and becoming healthy!(kato time: 34min.)

In June Dave and I ran a half marathon with my friend Jenna (we ran our first half with her last year!). We ran the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth, MN which is partners with the popular Grandma's Marathon. As typcial Shoave fashion, we didn't train as much as we should have..but we did it!! The morning of the race was crazy foggy, you literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face! The race course is beautiful, for most of the run you are alongside Lake Superior...the only thing was you couldn't really see it with all the fog!! My favorite part though was watching runners in front of me just disappear into the fog like they got swallowed up, it literally looked like a movie! This half marathon has been my favorite so far, due to the wonderful atmosphere and energy. You have people alongside the course the whole time cheering you on, giving you beer (yes, my husband did a beer shot, a small beer bong, AND drank a smoothie during the race...and they were all from strangers!),and playing great music. I even made a friend on the race course who was running the race for the 22nd time! She watched the first ever Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon and decided she could do it, so she has every year since!! What a great inspiration! Our time wasn't that great: 2hr 48min due to elements out of our control, but we had fun and we finished, which I think is the most important!

After the half marathon I took a step back in my running and only did it from time to time. A month went by and I decided I needed to do another race AND I found one a few blocks away from my apartment AND it supported Girls on the Run!!!! Bonus: I knew a friend who was running it! The race was Esprit de She, which is a running series with Athleta and Lifetime Fitness. I can't begin to tell you how great it felt to be surrounded by 1,000 women who were there to support each other, run a race, have fun, and give a few bucks to an organization I hold dear to my heart! The fun thing is after you run your race, they give you free bubbly and the local stores give you good discounts!!!  (time: 32:01)

Last but not least, I just ran my latest 5k in September! This one, oh, this one I HIGHLY recommend if you live in Minneapolis!!! It was the O'Donovan's Mill City Suds Run in Northeast Minneapolis and it was a blast! I have never done a "fun run" before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a lot of people, mostly dressed in fun costumes who were ready to run and drink beer...which was served at mile 2 and afterwards! My favorite costume was a group of friends dressed up as mario cart characters who ran to the theme music trying to crash and pop the others "life" balloons! They were having so much fun you couldn't help but smile! After the 5k you could grab your bbq lunch and more beer (or root beer) and join the party on Boom Island! The course was beautiful, the atmosphere was electric, and I would do this race again without hesitation! (3.37 miles: 35 min 33 sec.)

.can't have a Suds run without Suds.

RUNNING RECAP: 

Since the middle of October I have ran FOUR (4) 5ks , ONE (1) half marathon and currently am training for another half marathon next month.  When I first started this post, I truly didn't think I ran very much this last year but when I reflect on it, I feel different. It may not be what I wanted to do or as much as others do, but you know what I RAN five races this year as well as putting miles in for training and for fun! That is something to be proud of and gosh darn it, I AM!!!!

* Wanna know something exciting!!! Soon, I'm going to take the time and tell you ALL about Girls on the Run and what it means to me!!!  I'm already so excited about it!!!!!

.apple picking.

Last week Dave and I had a wonderful day off together (wwwhoooooootttt!!!!). We slept in a little, went apple picking, hung out, and then joined friends for an amazing concert...hellooo great day!!!

I have only been apple picking once or twice as a kid at our neighbors few apple trees. We would have to climb up on ladders and use apple picking tools to get the apples from the top of the trees. This was what I was expecting when we went to Emma Krumbees and I was WAAAYYYY off, but it was still fun!!!

We went picking at Emma Krumbees in Belle Plaine, MN which is about 40 min. south of Minneapolis.  I have wanted to go apple picking here for Y.E.A.R.S., every time I have ridden or driven past it since the orchard opened up I was hoping to go one fall. Emma Krumbees not only has an orchard, it has an amazing restaurant...which is kind of famous in southern MN. They cook home cooked meals like pot roast, meat loaf, live and onions that taste delicious and affordable (they also cook other items too). We got to Emma Krumbees in time for breakfast, so we ate up and got strength for our apple picking.

                    

Apple picking was way easier then I expected. We filled our 10lb bag in about 10 min... and then used the rest of the hour or so taking silly pictures! We were lucky because we found a few trees that had lots and lots of apples for the taking and we didn't have to search and search.  It was fun trying to find the best apple on the tree and race Dave on who was the best apple picker. 

So how do we do plan on using the 11 lbs of apples we picked? Welll...this is what we have made with it: 

2 rounds of homemade applesausce

apple chips

doggie treats for Maggie

easy apple pie (ish)

It has been lots of fun looking up apple recipes and creating them in the kitchen! I'm not much of a cook so making delicious, easy recipes was right up my alley! I hope everyone gets to go apple picking or make some delicious apple recipes this fall! There is no better way celebrate the crispiness of fall!

.27hr staycation.

With Dave and I both working in customer service/retail/ low end of the totem pole jobs we rarely have any days off together. Dave is lucky to have set days off each week and I am always crossing my fingers that I get at least one of those days off as well. It seemed like the stars were align because last weekend we both had Friday night and Saturday off!! Since we didn't have much time and are lacking sums of money we planned a quick staycation, The Shoave Day-Stay-Cation.

On Friday night we scored cheap tickets to the Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills football game. We both were super pumped for the game! It was our first time seeing the Vikings play at home and the Bills are Dave's favorite team (he is a New Yorker). If you didn't know...I've become a pretty big football and Vikings fall within the last five years or so. I finally understand the game and it doesn't just look like lots of people falling down and flags being thrown around.

View of the field from our seats

Oh my! We had sooo much fun at the football game! For a pre-season game the stadium was full of excited Vikings fans. We cheered, shouted, sang and got prepared for the season. We finally learned the Viking cheer that is sang after each touchdown/field goal..and got it stuck in our heads. My future bff, Jared Allen (#69), is the defensive end and played for a while during the first half. Anytime I can see him play or even just see his face on the jumbo tron I am one happy lady! There were two favorite parts of the game: 1) During the whole 3rd quarter the fans did the wave around the stadium. Seriously...it lasted for like 18 min. AND if that wasn't enough people started to throw their playbooks and other paper in the air like confetti. It was messy but did look really cool to see when the wave was going on. 2) In the 4th quarter the Vikings (same player actually) got two interceptions returned for touchdowns!!! It was amazing! 

This is what it looked like during our section of the wave!

On Saturday morning we slept in and hung out with Maggie for a bit. Then we walked down to Lake Calhoun for some kayaking. I haven't really been kayaking before and was kind of nervous. It was stressful in the beginning because we were given no instructions, just handed the paddle, and told to have fun. During the time I am trying to figure out how to actually steer the kayak and move forward in a straight line, we are going through tunnels filled with people kayaking, canoeing, and on paddle boats. I was soooo stressed, I ran into one person, and almost took a paddle boat out! I kept yelling for Dave to help me...but really what could he do..he was in a different kayak behind me. After we got out of the tunnels and into the lake, everything was fine.  I was able to figure it out and go super duper fast ! Who knows, if I practice enough I may be able to complete in the Olympics!

We had fun goofing off in the water, splashing, racing, and working out our arms. And since I became such an expert on kayaking I had no issues with the tunnels when we returned the boats! After kayaking we walked to get some home made ice cream and then onto home.  We got close to home, when I discovered I did not have our keys, my phone, or my camera. Since we just got done walking 4.5 miles and kayaking for an hour  we DID not want to walk back to get our keys for another 4.5 mile roundtrip. So what did we do?  We broke into our apartment! Good thing we had the window open, that way all we had to do was break our screen a little, move it, and Dave hopped in.  Now we have a broken window screen frame...but we didn't have to walk! We grabbed Dave's car keys and headed to kayak place where they had everything of mine!!!

When we returned with EVERYTHING in hand, it was time for dinner. Dave woke up early in the morning and prepared a pot roast for the slow cooker.  He wanted to make a nice meal for us during our staycation and it was delicious. The meal was soooo good and filling that we ended up taking a quick snooze on the coach with Maggie. We couldn't snooze to long because we had to get ready to head to the Mall of America where we were going to a comedy club.  The comedy show was hilarious and something we haven't done before. I laughed soo hard, especially when the audience started singing the National American University song! (p.s. the university is IN the Mall of America!) I'm glad that I grabbed the groupon when it was on sale because it was a great time (and we saved big bucks). After the show we got milkshakes and fries from McDonald's to cap off our Shoave Day-cation!

So in 27 hours we:

* Went to a football game

* Walked 4.5 miles

*Kayaked for an hour

* Ate a great dinner

* Saw a Comedy Show

* Did some shopping

It was nice to just hang out with Dave and do new, fun things! During this time we stayed off the internet, limited our texting with friends, and didn't do one thing that needed to get done at home! It was a break for the world that we needed and can't wait to plan more exciting day-cations in our future!!

.around the city: Target Field.

My dad hasn't been to a Major League Baseball Game since he was a weeeeee little lad. I haven't been to the Minnesota Twins new Stadium, Target Field (not so new..opened in 2010), so I thought it would be a perfect Fathers Day gift for us to head to the baseball diamond.

Walking along the outside finding our gate

The weather was perfect baseball weather, the sun shining a little bit but a chill in the air to keep you cool. We drove to downtown Minneapolis with my dad holing the "oh shit" bar the whole way and found $5 parking 4 blocks away from Target Field.  We followed the people wearing blue and red and found the stadium with no problem at all. 

Target Field is located in downtown Minneapolis. Which is great because you have different options on travel; you can bike, walk, take the train,  or drive.  Also you get the great views of downtown Minneapolis from the upper deck. I always love being able to see the city when you are in an environment that makes you forget about the city all together. Does that make sense? 

I had only seen the Twins once before when the played in the Metrodome, a covered stadium shared with the NFL Minnesota Vikings. I must say I prefer outdoor stadiums to indoor stadiums, they truly make you feel like you are part of the game and enjoying baseball they way it's suppose to be. I have been to three other outdoor stadiums; National Stadium, Cambden Yards, and Citi Field; and the Target Field is up to par with all of them. It was a beautiful stadium with great vendors, hospitality, and atmosphere. 

My dad watching the game

The only complaint I have about Target Field is the entertainment being innings. I am someone who likes to be entertained; show me a video, make me sing a song, make me think I have an opportunity to win something. They had a lot of camera shots out in the audience with non fun songs playing, but even the people on the jumbo tron weren't feeling it. At one time a group started sining "Amazing Grace" and I couldn't find the relevance at all. The entertainment felt week and I wish they could jive it up a bit. The best stadium that I have been to have great entertainment is Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. They were giving away free pizza to different rows, playing tons of games, and played fun, relevant music.  I think the Twins could pick up a few pointers from them. 

All in all we had a great day at the baseball field. My dad had a blast and was thankful that we took him to see the Twins. The Twins played a pretty good game but lost in the 10th inning..but we did get to see a homerun. If you are a baseball fan you NEED to come to Minneapolis and check out Target Field. You won't be disappointed and it may just make you fall in love with Minneapolis a little bit more. 

.Around the City: Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Hello!!! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I hope it was great and you got to be in the sunshine a little bit. This weekend I got my sun on, drink on, and grub on...it was fantastic!

Remember ALLLL the way back in April when the Around The....series started? Probably not because I haven't been that great about writing within the series. The series shows you things around the neighborhood, apartment, and Minneapolis!

Today I want to show you probably one of the most popular places in Minneapolis, the Sculpture Garden.  If you see any advertising for Minneapolis or MN you probably have see our famous Spoonbridge and the Cherry Sculpture. It looks like this....

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the country with 11 acres. Along with the Spoonbridge and the Cherry the garden has 40 other permanent sculptures, a conservatory, and a pretty cool pedestrian bridge. After walking around the sculpture garden and feeling inspired you can walk right into the Walker Art Museum and get your art on! 

To get to the Sculpture Garden just head towards Hennipen Ave!

pedestrian bridge

Not a piece in the garden..but I was feeling inspired!

Hope this gave you a little peek into our famous Minneapolis Sculpture Garden!

Make sure you come visit and spend some time relaxing with friends around great art. 

Wanna see more pictures?

Check out more here!

.Around the Neighborhood: Rick Rack Boutique.

This is a new feature for the little blog here (one of a  few!). Since you all can't come and see my great neighborhood, I thought I would share it with you via the internet! I hope you like the new feature and the area that I am able to now call home!!

Our first stop is to the cute little boutique just down the block from our apartment:

For the first month or so I would walk by the boutique and think, "I NEED to go in there!" I would dream about all the lovely items that it would be filled with and what I may possibly be able to find for my own closet. I saved my pennies and then took a wintery walk to the store with a smile on my face and a cutie on my arm. 

When I walked into the store, I fell in love at first sight...no lie. The rooms are filled with great clothes, accessories, shoes (oh..the shoes!) , and heaps and heaps of great jewelry! The rooms are set up with lovely decor that highlights the merchandise perfectly without making you feel like you are in a showroom. 

The little red house has not one, but two floors with clothing and furniture. Yep..you get two floors to take your time and explore. You will want to plan for about an hour in the store to make sure you see all the items without feeling rushed. I was only in the store for about 15-30 min. and it was definitely not enough time!!

Isn't this such a cute little holder!!

During my first visit I purchased two cute pair of earrings. I'm even thinking of using one for a giveaway...what do ya think..ya wanna giveaway??  Not only was the merchandise great, but so was the service at the store. They were very helpful and kind, exactly one of the reasons why I love shopping at locally owned shops!

Soooo..make sure you stop by the little red house on 44th in Southwest Minneapolis!!!

Shop ::  Blog :: Location

.mn.

Today marks the third week that we have been back in the states and more importantly back to living in Minnesota. I can't believe that it's been this long already, just one more week and a whole MONTH will have passed by. So much has happened in the last three weeks and yet I feel like we still have so much to do! As you may know Dave and I moved to Minneapolis, MN. This is the first time ever I have really lived in a city and it is sooo exciting!!! 

A lot of people assume that I know where everything is in the cities because I grew up in Minnesota. What they all forget is that I grew up in southern Minnesota and we NEVER traveled up to the big cities, it was to big and to confusing! So now Dave and I get to explore this wonderful city together for the first time. I have my list of places to check out and I can't wait to share our little cities adventures with y'all!

Soon we are suppose to have a big snow storm...well at least it's suppose to snow. To me now 2in. is a BIG storm! I have made it my rule for the remaining winter that I will not go out in the snow, especially driving! It's been a LOOOOONNNNGGG time since I have driven in the snow and I think I will wait until next year when the rest of the Minnesotans try to remember how to drive in the snow as well.  It's funny how the start of every winter Minnesotans need at least two snowfalls before they remember how to drive in snow, even though they live in it for about 5 months! 

So here is to staying inside for the next few days to 

watch netflix,drink hot chocolate, finish unpacking, 

and snuggling on our new couch!