Update

July 21, 2005
Recent Ventures Saturday, July 16th
MSU Alumni boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka
Stephen, Michelle, Jeremy
While it was a little balmy and we were the youngest alums on the trip, this was something we really otherwise wouldn’t get to do... I’ve lived in Minneapolis for six full years and have never been to Lake Minnetonka. Some of the homes are amazing, but it’s hard enough to keep a small south Mpls home clean... other than ohhhh-ing and ahhhh-ing, I always wonder how much $ it takes to heat and cool those places.

Monday, July 18th
Music and Movies in the Park
Stephen, Michelle, Abbey, Jeremy, and our dog Mia
Yeah for Music and Movies in the park. One of my favorite parts is just people watching. Seems that the dog is quite a hit. Lots of comments on her from people passing by. We are noticing how pets open this door to complete strangers talking to each other. Not too shabby.

Tuesday, July 19th
Took the dog to the vet. She checked out ok, got her rabies shot, has to gain four to five lbs. Yeah, heartworm meds and flea and tick meds are a little spendy. The check up was covered by the MVHS, but the rest wasn’t. $198.12 later, we went home.

That night I had grad class. Only three left this summer! We went to Don Pablo’s afterwards. Can’t beat a raspberry margarita on a hot summer night.

Wednesday, July 20th
Torchlight Parade, Downtown
Mpls Stephen and Michelle (and the dog)
Stephen got a freelance assignment to shoot photos of the candidates for Miss Aquatennial (Aquatennial Queen?) all week, so he’s been out and about chasing after overly done up prom queens... Last night he had to cover them on their parade float, so the three of us headed out. Not too bad, but after the parade, it was kind of creepy. The “sweepers” came out asap. It was like little ants with blow guns descending on the steps of the Basilica, where I happened to be sitting waiting for the hubby to return. Kinda sc-fi how quickly they were out... sirens going off, water trucks blowing, families scattering. Uff-da.

Stephen’s Aunt Pat Krile passed away this week, and her funeral was tonight in North Dakota. He wanted to get back, but couldn’t with his commitment to the Aquatennial. Best wishes for the days to come for the Krile family. Our thoughts are with you.

Tonight, July 21 After class, I’m heading to a 40th bday party for my friend Christie at Brit’s Pub. Should be a late night!

OK... now to the real stuff.

Michelle’s Semi-scientific Experiment
Question: Will Hypoallergenic Herbal Clear Naturally natural deodorant (clear aloe fresh my friends!) do the same job as ... the regular deodorant that I have already thrown away because it was gone (Arrid XX?)
Trial period: two days
Outcome: Hot damn. If I wanted to smell like my NATURAL self, I wouldn’t bother with deodorant at all.

List of things to return to stores (the list keeps getting bigger because we always forget to bring the stuff along when we go to the store)
1. Herbal Clear Naturally natural deodorant (Target) Complaint above.
2. Undergarments for Abbey (Target) 9 year olds grow like weeds. We have already bought the bigger size, but haven’t yet returned the too small purchase.
3. Bio-spot flea and tick medicine (Petco) Ok, so I freaked out after I put this on the dog. I went online to find out how long it would take to dry on her back (since there were ALL OF THESE WARNINGS about how bad it was for humans and I felt bad about telling Abbey to be careful not to touch her back over and over). I found things like THIS and THIS. So in a flurry, I had Mia in the bathtub (oh great black hair, yum) with a latex glove on my hand, washing her vigorously, taking care not to get her belly because she was spayed on the 13th... The vet said she wishes they’d take Bio-spot off the market...
4. Plug in covers (Target)
5. Starter bolt (Checker Auto Parts)
6. Misc. shelving end brackets (Menard’s)
7. 4” Crossbars (Home Depot)
The crappy part is that I have to go through some receipts to find the right ones for the covers and the brackets. This wouldn’t be a problem, but I can’t remember if Stephen or I bought them, and we have lots of receipts from those places. Maybe we’ll get this all returned by the end of the summer.

And I end today with some pictures of our yard... grow like weeds has a whole new meaning when you have a yard and a garden! But... we pulled our first tomato two days ago, cukes are coming along, and the #1 best investment for any garden is === romaine lettuce! It grown all summer, too, so once you cut it you just have to wait like a week for that stalk to be ready to eat again. Here’s to fresh lettuce in the summer........................