Marvelous Monday: Week 49

Oh, my. I missed last week's Marvelous Monday! Let's get up to speed:

1) Josh and I wrangled a Christmas tree over the weekend and it's up! More on that later.

2) (Long) reading report: I finished 1Q84. I started reading it and told Josh about the first few sections, which had played out like a suspenseful thriller. "Why are you reading that?" he said and added that it sounded really good, and I realized how unlike my usual choices the book already was.

The book would go on to include even more new territory for me - science fiction, I dare say - and covering all three volumes in one fell swoop was a major project: two weeks' worth of pretty dedicated reading. I am so unfamiliar with most science fiction that, when I finished, I actually had the urge to re-read it to see the clues and connections to which I'm sure I was oblivious early on in the book.

I am really prone to considering other peoples' reviews in my own analysis of a book or movie, so I put the kibosh on reading reviews until after I'm done so I can fully form an opinion by myself. But then I really like to read reviews! This one from The Atlantic makes me laugh because, even though I finished the book and was drawn into it - and still think about it - I empathize:

It's hard to believe that some of the critics praising 1Q84 didn't really feel, at times, like throwing the book in the air and walking away. Trying to say anything definite about it is like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. 

And then I read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, which was a return to my usual literature choices. But it still contained a tiny element of sci-fi (real sci-fi fans are guffawing, I'm sure) because the protagonist, in the food she ate, had the ability to taste the history of each ingredient and the person who made it. Who knows what's next on my reading list now!?  (That's rhetorical.)

3) Josh and I have been visiting wedding venues and learned all kinds of new wedding-related vocabulary in the last week. So many new words! We've met with a bunch of people connected to the venues, and by and large, they have been so helpful and kind. I know it's in their best interest to be friendly, but I've been really impressed by people sincerely taking the time to talk with us, even when they know that we're in the planning stage that involves checking out multiple places.

4) Wish had a successful stay at my mom and dad's house over Thanksgiving, and I am very grateful to them for helping out and taking such good care of him. He loves my parents, and it's really sweet to see.

I did get this photo texted to me, though:

My patient, darling pup.

5) I got to try a Google hangout with Ellie last night. I am way behind the times on this video chat thing, but now I know that it's wonderful. My phone and her phone are both a little bit wonky during actual conversations, and the connection on Google was clear as a bell - plus, we could see each other!

Also, we just got back from a walk with Wish - we're trying to extend his morning walks a little bit - and it's mild and foggy out there. I think I'm going to wear shorts on today's run! That's pretty marvelous, too.

What's marvelous about how your week is starting out, Reader? Do you like any of those video chat services? What are you reading? Do you put reindeer antlers on your dog? Do share!

Turning five

I cannot believe that Josh's niece is five now. How did that happen?!

Over Thanksgiving weekend, her birthday party was one of my favorite parts of our trip to Colorado. For me, it was extra-fun because I spent Thanksgiving in Minnesota but still got to see most of his extended family at her birthday party on Saturday. For her? Well, it was her birthday party, so I need not say too much more. She was over the moon!

We set up in one of the community centers in town. Each year (well, for the last two years) I am in charge of distributing the crepe paper all over the room, and I do it enthusiastically. While I was decorating, Josh's sister-in-law and his nephew needed to run back home for a bit, so Lala and I hung out in the quiet community center. (P.S. In case you missed last year's recaps, we call her Lala at Miles and Laurel. I am not sure anyone calls her that much in real life anymore, but we're sticking to it.)

We goofed around and played hopscotch outside in the warm sun and chatted about flowergirl dresses. (Out of the blue earlier in the week, she had volunteered to be our flowergirl, and told me Saturday that I could come over and look at her dresses and pick out my favorite one for her to wear for her flowergirl duties.) It was really fun to spend a little bit of time with her one-on-one before everyone else arrived.

Lala had chosen Monster High as her party theme. Do you know about this phenomenon, Reader? Josh and I definitely did not know before the party. The characters at Monster High all seem to be the children of your favorite monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.) but embody none of the scariness. I don't totally understand, but it's not up to me - they are wildly popular right now and Lala was loving them. She wore a Monster High t-shirt that said "GHOULS RULE!" and loved explaining her shirt to anyone who asked.

I believe this is Draculaura on her cake, which Lala's aunt's friend made and was amazing:

And here is the birthday girl enjoying that cake!

Another party highlight was the awesome piñata, which Josh's dad picked up on his most recent trip to Mexico. Piñatas are traditionally made with a clay pot base, but that has been phased out in most piñatas in favor of cardboard. Not with this one, though! We knew it was heavy, but when one of the kids took a mighty swing and connected with a clank, it became clear that this was a serious piñata. (Josh's dad told me he picked this one out at a store that was packed full of piñatas. I want to go to that store.)

I think the original plan was to hold up the piñata inside the community center, but because of its size and weight, we went outside. (It was gorgeous, by the way - about 70 degrees and sunny - and Lala and I talked about how silly we'd been to both wear boots.) Josh and his cousin took on the challenge of securing the piñata to a nearby tree branch.

Later, his cousin did the actual maneuvering of the rope, adjusting the challenge level based on the bat-holder's age. Eight or nine kids all took a turn, and the piñata was holding strong (and luckily, so was the branch). Then the piñata came off the rope, and with a little help from Josh's aunt with the bat, candy went flying and the kids got to business. Then, with bags filled with candy, everyone headed home.

It was a fab fifth birthday party for a sweet little girl.

Mixed success

Reader, you know that I love to try new recipes. Sometimes they work out...sometimes they don't. That's part of the charm, right?

Exhibit A:

That's the saddest, softest batch of caramel you'll ever see, Reader. It was yesterday's practice run for a more serious attempt later in the month. I need to aim a couple of degrees higher on the ol' candy thermometer next time. It still tastes good, which is super news, but only for me and whatever other members of my household choose to partake. (Like my dad said yesterday: "You can just tell people it was meant to be poured in coffee!")

Luckily, today brought Exhibit B:

That's cookies and cream popcorn, with white chocolate, chopped Oreos, popcorn and copious amounts of sprinkles. Much better. It was another run-through for a possible later date, and I think this one passed.

Any recent smashing successes or phenomenal fails with new recipes, Reader? Please share!

Turkey Day Trail Trot

Earlier in the month, blogger Lora wrote about the Virtual Run for Hurricane Sandy Recovery she and a friend were organizing. Basically, you'd sign up, pledge a donation that goes straight to the Red Cross, and find a race in November (or just do a run on your own). I think it's the first time Lora and her friend have done a fundraising project of this nature, and they've raised nearly $1,500! Pretty wonderful.

I thought it was a fun idea and signed up, so I was on the prowl for a local turkey trot. My search, though, was pretty restricted: it had to be close enough to St. Paul, and early enough in the day, to allow me to get back home, pick up pup, and scoot over to my parents' house in time for brunch and the rest of the day's festivities. (My priorities lie with brunch!)

Then I found the Turkey Day Trail Trot: a 5K and 10K at nearby Battle Creek, a popular park in the winter with cross-country skiers. I emailed my brother and asked if he wanted to run it with me, and he was up for it! It would be a total fun run for both of us, as neither one had been racking up the miles this fall.

On race day/Thanksgiving, I woke up really early to take Josh to the airport and took Wish for a sunrise walk. That's always a good way to start the day - the sunrise walk, that is.

Then Brother and I went over to the race. The field was capped at 400, which is a pretty nice size that allows for nice race energy but not too many logistics headaches. There was a big parking lot right by the start line, and we checked in easily and did a warm-up shuffle (and I saw my friend Holly from running club!). The sun was rising over these fields of tall grass by the start line, and it was gorgeous. I was excited to try the Battle Creek trails.

Oh, yes. Shorts! The day ended with blowing snow and temperatures in the 30s, but temps that morning were in the 50s. I almost wore a tank top!

The race began. Reader, do you know those runners who take long breaks from running for whatever reason and then crank out amazing results at a race, like, "I took five weeks off and ran a three-minute PR!"? I am totes not one of those runners. I was happy to be out on the trails, but man, I felt sluggish. I wanted to try to run this one as my first harder workout post-marathon. That turned out to be no problem at all, because the trails were ski trails: that means hilly!

There are several trail networks inside the city limits of Minneapolis and St. Paul where it's hard to believe that you're technically in a city, and now I know that Battle Creek is one of them. There were a few spots on the course where you could see railroad tracks just outside the park, but most of the course felt like it was in the middle of nowhere - not five minutes away from the state capitol and downtown St. Paul.

I crossed the finish line totally spent, in 28 minutes and change, and 45th of about 200 runners. There was trail mix at the finish line, which I will always get a kick out of seeing at trail races. All in all, I give this race a thumbs up. (My brother is probably laughing at that endorsement, given how tuckered out I was at the finish line.) It was a good way to explore new trails without heading out there solo, and a fun start to Thanksgiving before the drive and all the food that would follow - and my caramel roll (or two) later in the morning did seem extra-tasty.

Yes!

So...

Has it seemed like Miles and Laurel was a little bit quiet lately? Yes?

Did you think that maybe I was omitting something from the Tennessee trip report? Yes?

Okay, you got me. I have been keeping a secret for what seems like 20 million years two weeks.

Josh and I are getting married!!!

He asked me to marry him, on what was already my favorite porch in the whole world, at my favorite time of day: sunrise.

(It was Day 5 in my six days of Tennessee sunrises, which is by far the weirdest photo in that post. We had watched the sun rise, and he proposed with a ring that I loved right away, and I was so overcome that I forgot to take a sunrise photo until about 20 minutes after the sun came up.  So much for that souvenir!)

The whole thing was perfect. (And yes, I said yes!)

Later in the day, we drove through the national park to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in Tennessee. We stopped at one little parking lot for a view of the hoarfrost at the top of the mountain - and for our first photo as an engaged couple, thanks to the timer on my camera!

Later that week, we took another one at my parents' house, with Wish looking totally deranged:

When Josh proposed, we had agreed to tell my immediate family and then try to keep the news as quiet as possible until he could tell his parents in person on Thanksgiving. This felt very reasonable at the time - and in all seriousness, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way - but by the time Thanksgiving rolled around 10 days later, I was ready to burst! I am so glad that it worked: to my knowledge, he got to surprise them with the news without advanced notice from anyone else (or Facebook). On Thanksgiving, with the news no longer under wraps, my grandma helped spread the word quickly by grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand toward every new family member that arrived, to show them my ring.

Now, because we want to get married in the Twin Cities in September or October, I've landed in the deep end of the wedding planning pool and am grabbing for a pair of floaties. No, I'm kidding - kind of. Reservations for the venues around town have been filling quickly, so we've been busy researching and visiting places. (Wish glares at my laptop, to scorn whatever I could possibly find more interesting than playing fetch with him.) Besides attending wonderful weddings in the past five years, I truly have not been mulling over wedding-related details for years or even months, so there is so much information to process and consider. My mom, who dove under her bed to unearth a stack of wedding magazines minutes after I told her the news, has been an unbelievable source of information (and enthusiasm!).

But while my mind has spun from time to time, my spirits are overwhelmingly full of joy. We are so grateful for the warmth we felt this week (and always) from our large families and from those who are like family. We can't wait to celebrate with those people! We are so excited for this new chapter and for the next year - and for all of the years beyond that.