I want you to get swept away. I want you to levitate. I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a dervish. Be deliriously happy. Or at least leave yourself open to be.Love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. I say fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who’ll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love — well, you haven’t lived a life at all.You have to try. Because if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.
-Meet Joe Black

My other bestest friend Aim and Her daughter Jolie and Me celebrating Jo’s birthday

Miss Freckles my rescue pup

Hazel and Mystra sitting pretty

The Husband and I enjoying Chuch Wicks

Bear and her bestest friend Meghan

Our Little Family Mr, Bear & Nans enjoying a day at the como zoo

Yummm. Eating ice cream in Lake City

MY lovely tulips:)

Riding the Train at Valley Fair

Eau Galle is a Tiny town nestled along the lake in Dunn County WI. It is a place forgotten by time and un touched by our modern world. This place is truely special don’t expect strip malls, fancy cafes, or quaint shops. It is what you see and if you blink you will miss it. Out side of town on country road D down in the valley sits an old log home amoungst the tall pines and blooming apple trees. This house built of logs is much like the town untouched by our modern world, you will not find running water, heat, or electricity. This is the place I spent my summers, playing in the woods, telling stories by the gas lamp and cooking on the fire. When my parents found the home it was long forgotten and run down. With a little love and know how they brought this old house back to life. They made it a place for their kids to play far away from the city lights, a place where the outside world stood on the edge, a place where time stands still.
Sitting at home I realized that since I’ve been out of college I hadn’t been out to the cabin but twice in three years. My visit was long over due. The husband was working on labor day and I had nothing to do. With the dogs in the car off we went. they enjoyed there long ride stopping along the way to do there business. It was funny seeing all of the barns painted with anti farve signs. With a chuckle only in wiscosin I said. Soon the familiar scenery was closing in, the crisp air along the creek and the red barns in the horizan. Driving through the long forgotten town ships and coming in to Elmwood which hasn’t changed in years. Oh wait, what happened to the gas pump that use to be on the roof of the gas station. Huh the UFO gas sign is gone too. Hmmm the must of given up the ghost either that no one believes in UFOs anymore.
As I drove on i passed the welcome to dunn county sign, i knew I was almost there and with butterflies in my stomach i turned on that fateful road, county rd D. Nothing has changed on this road, just a few new houses that blend in with the pines, soon I spied the pump and knew our drive way was there. As I turned in my dad greeted me with a wave, the dogs barked and there she was in all her glory, the place of my child hood. A home built of logs. I did my rounds and visited the graves of my best four legged friend Britteny and my kitty miss mitty who rest amoung the lillies.
Most of the apple trees that i helped plant as a child are gone, the berry patch long for gotten, and the grass over grown. An my dad just standing there telling me if it weren’t for the bugs right now this is heaven on earth. it is i said. it is heaven on earth. The dogs loved it, there were things to sniff, sticks to grab and turkeys to chase. Mystra enjoyed a cool drink from the spring, its natures water untouched and at its finest. We couldn’t stand the bugs any more and the girls lost the turkey. So i looked at the old house and said until we meet again my friend. I know that even though i turn and leave, she will always be there standing strong amoungst the pines waiting for my return.

Just a few miles down the road from Woodbury is the town of Stillwater. I have never been until recently and have fallen in love. The main street is lined with red brick and stone buildings straight out of the 1800s. Lined with quaint little shops with your typical antiques and cafes.
With the husband working the labor day sale and nothing to do on Sunday I called my parents and asked if they wanted to go to Stillwater with me. So off we went, this was my Mom’s first time to Stillwater. She instantly fell in love with this little town.
We walked down the main street popping in and out of the shops. One store had a plack that read:
“I take life with a grain of salt, a wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila” it had a little margarita hanging from it. I am so going back to get it. It was totally cute.
It seems that when every we travel my dad always gets hungry. There is a cute little malt shop on the main street called Leo’s. It looked busy, so we took that as a sign that the food must be good. it was we dined on tasty sandwiches and shakes. Our bellies were full and with doggy bag in hand we walked on.
I spied the chefs gallery when we first came into town. With my mom being a chef I knew she would love it. In deed she did. We were like kids in a candy store looking at all the gadgets, pots n pans. My oh my you could complete your kitchen here. Way in the back corner my dad spotted cookie cutters. They had all shapes and sizes, with the holidays on the horizon I went for the mitten, angle, snow flake and my mom proclaimed we needed a tree, because she broke our old one. Next to the cutters there was a shelf full of edible glitter, gems, and dust, sprinkles of every color, flavourings of every kind, and alone box of royal icing mix. I scooped up the royal icing and looked around some more. My dad had enough of the crowded store and went outside in search of a bench. I found a handy little gadget for my sink. its a stainer of sorts for your sink. With my new found kitchen treasures in hand we left and went down the street. Low and behold we found Pete outside the candy store. he slyly said, ” I knew you two were gonna come here with a laugh.” so we handed him our bags and trotted in. they have all sorts of candies and home made fudge. My mom went for the maple fudge. while I checked out the truffle case with glee I looked at my mom, yes they have white chocolate truffles. $7.00 for a half pound can’t beat that,so i went on my way picking them out. Oh so yummy, I made sure to get a cherry truffle for Pete who was patiently waiting. Soon it was time to go, stores close at 5pm on a Sunday in a small town. Back to the prius we went and enjoyed our drive along the river bend back to the burbs we go.

My parents haven’t been to the MN state fair since 1970 something. i figured it was about time that they return. So off we went. I choose to do the park n ride, this was my mom’s first time on a metro transit bus. it was funny my dad was amazed on how much the buses had changed since he lived in the cities back in the late 60’s early 70’s, he thought air conditioning was a great and welcomed improvement.
When we got to the fair they couldn’t believe how much it changed. machinery hill was no longer filled with tractors and plows, instead it was filled dodge, ford, Saturn and Toyota vehicles. That there was more food booths than the eye could see and everything on a stick one could imagine. My dad was the first to indulge in a tasty fair treat, Australian battered potato’s and a cold diet Pepsi. After our snack we walked on over to the DNR building and looked around. Then it was past the big slide round the K102 booth and over to the cheese curds. yum my mom and I split an order as my dad wondered into the food building.
We shared a basket of pop corn chicken. Oooo what is that he says, popcorn chicken dad, really can I try some of course dad. he ended up eating half.
While exiting the food building he spied the horticulture building so in we went looking at the plants and displays. I spied Ice cream made with wine, I didn’t have my id so I looked to my mom and she bought it for us. It was raspberry ice cream with Merlot wine. it was so good and creamy.
When we saw everything there was to see in the horticulture building we went outside and walked into the international bazaar, my mom and I got Christmas ornaments and found my dad sitting on a bench patiently waiting for us. We walked a bit more, mom got onion rings.
At the fair you just walk and eat, eat and walk. My mom spied the nut roll stand so she got hers with cashews and chocolate. Sadly i can’t have chocolate so my dad and I split a plain peanut roll.
With dad being hungry and not wanting something on a stick I mentioned that Famous Dave had a booth and off we went in search of the holy grail of chopped pork sandwiches. We found them and devoured our sandwiches. Wait um where did mom go? She comes back with a corn dog and a cone of cookies in her hand. Oh did I mention they got sucked in by the sham wow guy. yes they did. So with our bellies full, tired feet and sham wows in hand we boarded the bus back to woodbury. My parents had a great time and are all ready asking about next years fair.

The Husband and I went to the MN State Fair on Monday night. I love the state fair you can get everything and anything on a stick. Our first choice of food was the yummy Cheese curds. Then we walked around for a bit to locate his Green Mill Pizza on a stick. The husband thought it was just ok……After his Pizza was eaten and the stick discarded we walked around looking for my foot long corn dog stand. I found it all right and used a $2 off coupon to get it. Corn dog down, so we decided to walk around the fair to see what there was, I spied mini doughnuts from afar, I looked at the husband and said want to share. In deed he did want to share. So there we sat on a bench doughnuts in hand watching the people go buy. While sitting there I remembered that there is a booth that makes salt water taffy right at the fair and that we had a coupon for $4 off a jumbo bucket. The husband indulged my need for this tasty treat and off we went in search of the stand. I choose butter rum, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Yum Yum, with my bucket o taffy in hand I looked up at the hub and said, wanna go for another round of cheese curds. he said if that’s what you want with a sly eye. Off we went to indulge yet again in the greasy deep fried treat. It was about 9pm and I was getting tired so we parted ways with the fair and said good buy till next year. Well for the hubs any way