At Summer's End

Just a quick post to reflect back on the summer that was. Talking with Angie the other night, we were pretty satisfied with everything we were lucky enough to do. From spending time in Wisconsin Dells, camping a couple of times at the cabin, our trip to Alexandria, a tour of the Summit Brewery and Beerfest, numerous long bike rides and lots of barbeques, it's been quite good. However, all good things must come to end. That end is punctuated by a flip of the calendar page and a trip to the State Fair again this year on Monday.
I for one am happy that summer is coming to a close. I love the milder fall weather (all 2 weeks of it) and the changing of the season. I've said many times that fall is my favorite season and brings with it all the things I love. Cooler days and nights, changing leaves, the Renaissance Festival, the start of the hockey season, a never-ending list of new video games, and of course, Halloween!
Besides being a little upset that my work hours changed to Noon - 8pm, there is lots to excited about. We're looking forward to meeting Jeremy and Kelly's new baby girl Samantha this weekend for the first time. We've also got a fairly large landscaping/cement project about to start that will result in new sidewalks, steps and a bigger patio landing. I've got a weekend long fishing trip at the cabin with Jeff planned in two weeks, and shortly after that is Bekki and Eric's wedding in Stillwater. It's nice to have so many fun things going on, but it's going to make Fall go by even faster than usual.
It won't be long before I'll be sitting here in the dead of winter wishing it was summer again, craving a cold beer in the sun or long bike ride along the river, and wondering what happened to days like today.

Grimm Is Good

Last night we had the pleasure of seeing this year's Circus Juventas production "Grimm." The tale revolved around the brothers Grimm and their journey to not only pen fairytales, but to ensure that each and every one has a "happily ever after."

If you've never heard of Circus Juventas before, you need to get with the program. Not only is it the largest youth performing arts center in the entire United States, but it puts on some of the most entertaining circus shows you'll ever see. What's more, it's located 5 minutes away from our house, across the street from Highland Park.

This years show did a great job of showcasing all the diverse skills and talents of the kids. Everything from juggling, trapeze, high-wire, to the russian swing and german wheel. Choreographed dance numbers are a bit of a snooze for me, but they are well done and beautifully scored.

Overall we loved the show this year, but felt like it was missing a bit of the humor that made last years production "Sawdust" extra special. We each bought a t-shirt with 100% of the proceeds going to help fund the program.

P.S.
The bleechers had pads on them this year, which means someone must have been listening to all the concerns (complaints) last year about being uncomfortable.

Is It Fall Yet?

It's been quite awhile since I posted, but not for lack of fun things to share. No, I blame the heat mostly. You see, it's been about 100 degrees in the office lately and I just can't write with sweat in my eyes.

Our summer trip to Wisconsin Dells has come and gone, but we sure had a blast. The weather was scorching hot for the water parks; we couldn't have planned better. This being our second year in-a-row staying and playing at the same locale, we've got things pretty well figured out now (read: savvy). Even Circus World was fun a second time, despite the mind-numbing heat.

We spent last weekend in Wisconsin at the Amey Family cabin, our second trip in as many months. The first trip didn't go so well for me, considering I locked my keys in my car and later lost my iPhone (FML!). I learned from my mistakes and had a great time regardless. This time we even got to do some fishing out on Loon Lake, even though the storms cut us short, we got a bunch of fish and had a blast.

In domestic news, we got a new security system installed last week. It seems like no matter who you talk to these days, someone has a break-in story to tell. We even upgraded to include fire monitoring, considering we get an additional break on the homeowners insurance as a result. I highly recommend our Nighthawk Security if you're in the market for a system. Besides being very helpful, I can text or call the owner directly whenever I have a question or concern, you can't say that about most security companies.

Lifetime Fitness and I continue to get along great, however, I'm run into a few class instructors that I don't care for. I think Angie and I actually stumbled into a Christian cycle class a few weeks ago, man was that bizarre. Sorry, but I'm here to work out, not reflect on my level of happiness. At one point the lady said "Be sure to drink plenty of water- and stay away from those colored drinks, they are very bad for you. Your body is your temple."

As far as entertainment goes, I've been playing Shadows of The Damned and watching season 6 of Boy Meets World. We downgraded our Netflix to streaming only, so I don't expect to be watching a ton of movies anymore. I'm currently reading yet another book on circus history, the memoir of Tiny Kline. In music, I'm fixated on The Black Keys for the time being, especially enjoying their earlier, bluesier records.

I'm looking forward to seeing Circus Juventas "Grimm" next weekend and hopefully doing some more fishing this weekend. Other than that, it's more hot weather... which means more infrequent blog posts!