Around Minnesota

During our last three days in Minnesota, Jeff and I mostly hung out with friends and family and saw movies. Here are the highlights:

On Dec. 27th we went to Annette's apartment for lunch and had some of the delicious chicken parmesan that she made. We exchanged gifts - Jeff and I got her some movies, tea, and a water kettle. She got Jeff a sweater and sweatpants, and she gave me two great Audrey Hepburn movies - 'How to Steal a Million' and 'Roman Holiday' - both recommended if you haven't seen them.

That afternoon we saw Avatar at the 3D Imax with my Mom and Dad and Brian and Emily. The graphics were amazing and I enjoyed the movie. Overall, though the graphics and creativity that went into creating the world are pretty amazing, I wasn't that impressed by the story. More on that later if I ever have time to post about it.

That night ended with some Lee-Ann Chins (I know the food's not that good, but I still love it!) and Doctor Who watching - it was Part I of the episode where David Tennant dies/regenerates and a new actor becomes the Doctor. I love Doctor Who, but David Tennant is my favorite doctor, so watching his last episodes is a little bitter-sweet.

I spent a lot of Monday, Dec. 28th lounging around the house and helping my sister sell her things on Craigslist. In the evening, the whole family went out to Tucci Benuch and then to see Sherlock Holmes. The Mall of America theater has D-Box seats, which move around in concert with the action in the movie - so when there's a chase seen or someone falls off a cliff, your chair rumbles or swivels, etc. It was an interesting experience, though I wouldn't want to have it for every movie I saw. Back at home after the movie, Paul Colling dropped by and hung out for a bit - watching TV and chatting.

Tuesday, Dec. 29th was our last full day in Minnesota, and we kept pretty busy. Jeff and I had lunch with Rachel, Carey, and Paul at Old Chicago. The four of us used to hang out all the time in high school, and it feels like that was just yesterday when we hang out. Except Rachel is now pregnant (due in February!) and Carey's a teacher, its hard to deny that we're growing up.

After lunch we went to see Paul's new apartment - he has his own place in Minneapolis, just a couple blocks from Calhoun Square in Uptown. He can walk to a lot of the fun nightlife and city stuff - very cool. But instead of seeing Uptown, we watched a couple episodes of Battlestar Galactica, which I'm trying to get Paul hooked on. I'm pretty sure I've got Carey Ma hooked at this point - it's definitely his kind of show.

In the evening Jeff and I met up with Naomi, Rachel, and Rachel's husband, Drew. We went to TGIFridays and sat at the same table as we sat last time we got together. It was a really fun dinner. The whole day (and whole trip, really) made me wish I could visit Minnesota more often and stay longer when I do - the time really flies by.

Back at home I watched the movie 'Once' with my Mom and Dad, though I was distracted and think I missed a lot of it. My cousin, MacKenzie, came to spend the night (she had seen a late movie in Roseville and didn't want to drive back to Wisconsin). She and my sister and I watched 'In Her Shoes.'

The next morning we pretty much packed and went to the airport, and that was it for the Minnesota trip!