Saint Patrick's Day

In the summer of 2004, I spent a month in Ireland. Growing up, I was told I was half Norwegian, and the other half was German, English, Scottish, and Swedish. My dad has been telling me for the past few years, however, that there's also some Irish in there. I'm not generally one to disbelieve my dad, but I learned during my time in Ireland that Irish heritage is the most over-reported ancestry in the U.S. That month is Ireland was fantastic, so regardless of my ethnic heritage, I'm celebrating St. Patrick's Day today by wearing a green shirt and by going to Beer 101 at Johnny Delmonico's downtown. I know beer isn't Irish, but Guiness is, and that's beer. Plus, a lot of people drink green beer on St. Patrick's Day. I hope that's not part of Beer 101. . .

If you're wondering, Beer 101 is the beer version of a wine tasting. We'll go to the restaurant and get to taste and learn about several beers. We'll also get some small sample food pairings. That's about all I know. Tonight's Beer 101 is featuring beers from Capital Brewery in Middleton. It should be fun.

My friend Sarah and I did the Shamrock Shuffle again this year. We did the 5K, which was a much better choice than the 10K we attempted last year. It is a fun event! People dress up in costumes, and there are a lot of families either watching or participating. Einar came to cheer us on. He had such a good time, he's considering running or walking or volunteering next year. After the run, we went to State Street Brats where they were offering runners and their families a good deal: burger or brat and fries for $5! So, Sarah, Einar, and I had some lunch before returning home. It was a great morning for a jog - sunny and mild. If you don't have plans for March 14, 2010, please join us. All proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. And my co-worker Steve Donovan is one of the organizers.

Oh! I know I haven't mentioned this, but last week, Einar and I bought tickets to go visit our brothers and brother-in-law in Seattle/Vancouver. We'll leave on August 11 and return on August 21. Hooray! We couldn't be more excited!!

To Minnesota!

Einar and I left Madison around 3:30 Saturday afternoon to head to Minnesota for the baptism of my good friend Becky's baby on Sunday morning. We drove to Minneapolis, where we stayed with Einar's brother Obed and his wife Megan. Sunday morning we were up early and on the road at 7:15 to make it to Saint Cloud for the 9am worship service. It was a lovely service with a lot of music and two baptisms. After some time with Becky and Chuck and their baby as well as their extended families, we got back in the car and returned to Obed and Megan's before meeting Einar's aunt and uncle and cousins for an early supper. We enjoyed a leisurely supper filled with lots of talking and laughing! We met up with Obed and Megan and went to a very nice dessert bar in Uptown Minneapolis (Zeno). Yum, yum! Einar's friend Bob met us there, too, so it was a good chance to see him, even though it was really brief. We were up early again this morning and on the road at 7:15 to return to Madison. Wow! Short trip. Busy, but oh so fun and filled with family and friends.

Highlights:
hanging with Obed and Megan
seeing Becky, Chuck, Lexie, and Gracie
dinner with Steve, Cheryl, Kristin, Matt, Karl, Eva, and Andrew
eating creme brulee
driving across the new 35W bridge
experiencing the first snow in Minnesota AND Wisconsin, one day apart