"All you really want to know is that you're okay."
I thought I would be much better at updating this thing upon discovering I had internet access here at home.  Nope... guess not.  So, here is another list of what I've been up to for the past two weeks:

1. Going to the Food & Wine Show paid off.  Not only did I try new wines and cheeses and get a buzz going (haha!), but I won two free tickets to see Peer Gynt at the Guthrie Theater.  Usually I'm so unlucky at drawings; I don't win a thing.  I took Rachel (paninogirl) with me on March 2, as she'd been having a rough week and I thought she might like a diversion.  Neither of us thought the play was fantastic, but at least we saw it for free.  $48 tickets... for free.  We ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory afterwards.

2. I went to the first of Roxanne's two bridal showers this past Saturday up in St. Cloud.  Roxy, Mary and I had a joyous and hug-filled reunion, as I hadn't seen them for at least a year-and-a-half.  I also visited with Roxy's parents, who were also there, and Mary's mom, and Jake (the fiance) of course.  After the shower, I had the opportunity to see Roxy and Jake's house.  It's an older house with brightly colored walls and high ceilings--very charming.  Their wedding is on April 26 in LF.

3. Mark took me on a surprise trip up to Duluth on Sunday.  He had wanted to take me to a specific church up there, and also show me the Duluth he remembered.  We had a fantastic day.  Upon our arrival, we had a little time to spare before church started, so we stopped at Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe and split a chai tea latte.  We then went to the 11:00 a.m. service at Hillside Community Church.  Everyone there was so friendly, and the pastor's sermon was engaging and relevant.  I met some of Mark's friends, but then I was shocked to see someone that I knew--Erin, a friend of mine from UMM that lived on my floor freshman year.  It was great to see her again; I hadn't seen her since graduation, and she was in Guatemala on a mission trip for a while.  Seeing her was one of those pleasant coincidences that make you feel like you're exactly where you're supposed to be.  Mark and I ate lunch at Beijing Restauarant, where you get a heaping plate of Chinese food for a reasonable price.  We bummed around Park Point, then drove up to Gooseberry Falls State Park and toured the falls.  The best park of Gooseberry was walking on the solid ice covering the river; at points, I could hear the river flowing beneath the ice sheet.  We stopped in Two Harbors on the way back to Duluth to check out their lighthouse, then ate at Fitger's Brewhouse Brewery before heading back to the Cities.  Plus, we stopped at Tobie's in Hinckley and picked up a half-dozen of their world-famous caramel rolls.  What a fantastic day!  Pictures will be posted soon on Facebook.

4. I am one of the first 600 to register for the TC 1 Mile in May, and so I have guaranteed entry into the TC 10 Mile race in October.  After two years of trying and failing to register for that race, the third time was finally the charm.  Yay!

5. Godfather, Part 2 night with Seth and Elizabeth, which was mentioned in the replies to my last entry posted, was a night we couldn't refuse.  Nothing beats hanging out with friends watching a good movie, eating great homemade food, and drinking copious amounts of wine. :)  I am looking forward to their St. Patty's Day party this Saturday evening.

6. This post's subject line is a paraphrase of a line from March's Books & Bars selection, Geek Love by Katharine Dunn.  It was such a bizarre book that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened.  Come on... you know a book is going to be great when by page 20, there's an albino midget stripping.