Duluth Flooding

Well we have had a bit of excitement here in Duluth over the past several hours. Thunderstorms began the afternoon of June 19th, and have continued throughout the night and day. Apparently another storm with hail is coming our way now.

Several incidents have occurred-- many just being people trapped in their cars (who were thankfully rescued by City people), but there is also a child missing in a sinkhole near UMD, several zoo animals were drowned, a Polar Bear and Seal were MIA for awhile but both were brought back safely. Also my mother's apartment's front entrance was washed away and the sidewalk outside of our apartment also washed away. It has been nuts seeing all of this unfold-- there is still water rushing down the sides of 2nd street outside our place, and intersections/ the mall area/ proctor/ lake superior/ etc are still flooded, many places up to the car windows, and sinkholes are opening up everywhere!

Please keep travelers and workers in your thoughts and prayers today that they get everywhere safely and thank the rescue teams and city workers for all of their help with this crisis. In my seven years living here I have never experienced ANYTHING like this...it is SO crazy!! Here are some photos of the area right now....

Working and travelling and moving... oh my!

Whew! It has been a BUSY week thus far. APAC (Avalon Performing Arts Company) just began rehearsals this past Friday, and I am busy trying to have choreography ready in time for each rehearsal!

I also am just beginning my 25 days without a day off of work. My easiest day is 4 hours in the studio... my hardest day is 12 hours of work, teaching and studio time. Whew! Saturdays with working at the tourist-season toy shop followed by teaching a 75 minute dance class and then running rehearsal for four hours is quite exhausting!! BUT I only have 19days to go until I get a break, so we're into the teens!!! Can you tell I'm almost AGGRESSIVELY adopting the "glass-half-full" mindset?? lol

...On that note, it is also only 20 short days until we fly to NY!!!! Thank goodness I check my expedia itinerary every so often because we recently found out our first flight out of the cities went from 6:55am to 5:45 am!!! Whew! We have a layover both ways but nothing long enough to be annoying. I AM worried about being in a small plane though. Strangely enough-- I get motion sickness if I read int he car, but I also get motion sickness (only in small planes) when I DON'T read....huh....figure that one out.... ANYHOO, I am soooo excited! I've started charting out what we are doing each day, including the times everything is open and the addresses and then I will be mapping out our routes. We purchased NY passes over memorial day wknd (good deals!!) because we found out we could save over $150 by doing so. APIECE. So, naturally, we're doin it. Lol! We have tons of sightseeing (united nations, tall ship cruises, madame tussads, RadioCity Music hall, intrepid museum, lincoln center tour, etc, etc, etc.), plus tickets to ABT's Swan Lake, info on getting rush broadway tickets (plus a hotel on broadway and two blocks away from times square which DEFINITELY doesn't hurt), some family visiting plans, a trip to carlo's bakery and wafles and dinges planned, and a romantic dinner for me and my honey on our last night. I'm also excited for a beautiful carriage ride through central park with my two favorite peoples :)

Lastly, moving. Well. We now have been in touch with different gated communities, the better business bureau, and the police about different apartments and have narrowed down the list considerably. We also looked into moving costs, planned our last week in the state, talked with our landlord and are being let out of our lease early and I'll soon be informing my boss I will most likely be moving in about 2 weeks. Wow. The more I look out at Duluth, the more I have conflicted emotions about moving. BUT I know it's for the best and I know I will be miserable staying here another year. SO I am terribly excited to start this new chapter with my hubby <3

RECIPE OF THE DAY:
Homemade granola :)

Ingredients

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container. 

ENJOY!! :)

DIY wedding!

Now, before I begin... if you use different companies, planners, etc-- that is awesome. I am not trying to "dis" ANY of that. Just sharing my own experiences :)

So our wedding came about VERY quickly. We had it planned within a week of our engagement. The first thing we knew was that we wanted the ceremony to be barefoot and somewhere very earthy. We're both dancers and very laid back, outdoors loving folks so Jay Cooke State Park was our first choice. The best part? We could choose whatever location we wanted at the site (we chose the overlook-- SO gorgeous). And it cost $50 total.

The next thing was a reception venue. We hemmed and hawed a lot about this-- going back and forth between Radission, Edgewater hotel, the DECC, a theater in west Duluth... and eventually settled on Blackwoods event center in Proctor. It was closed to Carlton, it was a great venue, and a hotel AND restaurant were attached!

After looking up prices for flowers for wedding, we got really discouraged. We couldn't afford much but I definitely could not justify spending $100 on a bouquet!! I have been going to THE ROSE MAN for years for flowers for shows, holidays, etc. It's mine and my husband's favorite flower source and so we contacted them about getting flowers. I *believe* That it was about $200 for a HUGE bucket of red roses, another HUGE bucket of daisies, and SO many rose petals. The night before the wedding, we had the rehearsal at the park, dinner in the restaurant attached to the event center, and then moved to the hotel lobby. We had my aunts working on stuffing the favors (monogrammed candies and heart bubbles in a mesh bag) while a bunch of us wrapped bouquets for all the girls, made boutineers for the men, got the rose petals sorted for the flower girl, and we pulled daisy petals off of the flowers to give each guest a small cup of petals to throw instead of rice.

The day of the wedding, we spent about an hour and a half decorating. We had bought small bags of pebbles and shells, round vases, square sparkly overlays for the tables, and fake candles and disposable cameras. The event center provided square mirrors, and we made the centerpieces ourselves and also wrapped twinkle lights in sparkly tulle to line the room. Finally, we laid crazy amounts of rose petals over everything. It didn't take long, and it was pretty cheap and easy to do!

I also made my veil. I didn't want anything too extravagant, and also wanted something a bit different. So I bought a strip of ivory tulle to match the lace on my dress and cut them into smaller triangles. I then used jeweled pins I bought at Walmart to secure them into my hair, one on each side and one lower in the middle. Also a very cheap alternative, but looking back, I couldn't be happier with the result!

We printed our own programs, placecards and menus which saved a TON on cost and only took about 3 hours TOTAL to cut and 'ribbon' all of them. We also found a cheap site that let us design our own invites.

The wedding still cost more than I would have liked, but then again I hate people spending money on me, and hate spending a ton of money so... it really wasn't as bad as I think it was, haha! Hopefully this will help someone think up there own DIY crafts for their wedding and save them some stress and mulah as well <3

Life IS certainly filled with many adventures!

Well these last few weeks have been full and crazy-fast paced!! Not a ton has been going on since my last post-- mainly just little things: parties, get-togethers, doctor appointments, cleaning days, dinners, meetings, work, etc.

This week marks the first week of APAC's second show! I'm desperately trying to put together choreography for auditions (we already have all the material for the 1st rehearsal), and we need to do our first vlog post. We also just turned in our first fundraising application-- super important because we desperately need the money for costumes, props, sets, risers and chair/ curtain rentals! Ahhh, so much to do, so little time!

Next month is going to be so incredibly busy! I'm worried I will hardly see Jesse at all! Of course he will be at salsa nights and APAC rehearsals but with his crazy work schedule, and my crazy work schedule... we'll hardly get any time to ourselves. These next two weeks are about getting APAC started and making head way. Then the first meetings for UWS summer theater camp begin, and I temp for three days while my mom and her co-workers go to an expo. The week after that, summer camp classes begin-- 5 days a week. I'm hoping we get a good amount of students this year! The last day of camp (AKA the performance day) is also the day of our friends' Lydia and Nikoli's wedding. I wish I could do both! It'll depend on if the performance is good to go and I can leave if we make it to the wedding... The last week in June we leave on Monday for our hotel in the cities, and get up at 4am to catch our flight into NYC!! I am counting down the days-- so, so, SO excited for a vacation!!

So, as you can see, it may be interesting spending any time together, haha!

We also are starting to get excited about moving! Our very tentative plan is to move in with my mom for the month of August to save some money, find jobs sometime in the next 3 months down there, and then spend a few days in the cities before we make the drive south. The apartment search is looking pretty promising-- we are finding a lot of places in gated communities (which I love) that have very small deposits and you can even pay for a one bdrm with a den and turn it into a second bdrm... which would be ideal to have a guest bdrm/ future kid's room....

Well, that is about it for now... just relaxing and enjoying life and loving my hubby and planning and hoping.... life is good-- and definitely filled with adventure! :)

TTFN!

This, that and the other thing

Well, this post is just kinda random. I felt since it is May Day and all, I should share something...so here goes the most random blog ever:

I just finished reading "Fifty shades of Grey"-- for those of you that don't know the title offhand, it is the book that has been described as a younger woman/ older man fiasco, a hard core S and M book, etc. I personally picked it up because 1. it was 50% off and 2. The first review I ever read about it made it sound fabulous. Here is the scoop: I was anxious as hell about the....'kinky'... stuff I had been told was in there. Now maybe it is just me but I actually didn't find it too intimidating. And there is very little of it in there. Mostly, it is written really well (going along with the reviews, it is TOTALLY a grown-up Twilight), and actually a very good read! It has the stupidest ending though so try to have the second book on hand right away, haha!

Thanks to our substantial tax refunds, we got about $4500 worth of access money to pay some neglected bills. We actually paid off a few things, got current on a bunch of things, and treated ourselves a bit too-- not to mention it bought our NYC plane tickets! We still have a lot of bills hangin around but it's sooooo much easier to handle now. And hopefully in September we will both have better paying jobs and benefits and next year's tax refund will help knock out a few more bills!

It's that time of year again and HOMEGROWN in Duluth is upon us. I have volunteered the last two years but I believe I have only ever gone to see one concert since being 21. This year however we skipped the volunteering and are going to 3 whole shows, haha! Most exciting is Trampled by Turtles on Wednesday. That is, IF we get there in time. Tickets start selling at 3, so I am thinking we need to be there by 2 or 2:30. They don't go on until midnight, so this could get interesting.... Otherwise Too many Banjos is playing at Pizza Luce on Saturday and my friend's new romantic interest is playing on Sunday for brunch.

Well, it is official. Jesse will be applying to grad school in about 8 or 9 months, and I am dropping out of college for a year! Wow, college drop-out. Sounds so classy, huh? Haha. I'm hoping that in a year I can take a class or two online a semester. Maybe I will even start next Spring, who knows. I may never get a degree, but I might. We shall see.

The main thing I am concentrating on at the moment is our big summer dance show. We're doing the story of Hades and Persephone and I am currently choreographing audition combos, choreographing dance sections, emailing info, and doing scheduling. We shall also soon be starting a VLOG about the process on YouTube for Avalon! Keep your eyes peeled!

Jesse and I are so funny, we have moments where we giggle and wrestle and cuddle and people say we "give Koala Bears Diabetes" and then at home we are such old married people. Haha! Seriously though. We were both home all day yesterday. Jesse played games as I read. We didn't really hang out or chit chat or anything. I made us lunch, we sat and ate as we did our own seperate things... it's so funny! I think though that we are both happier just knowing the other person is there, you know? We occasionally reached out a hand to be held or leaned forward for a kiss, etc. It's nice to be able to do that, as when we are both gone all day we only have texting to keep in touch.

Finally, I just have to talk about this cuz I am so freakin excited!! NYC baby!!! We head to the cities June 25th, fly out the 26th. We have loose plans Tuesday-Thursday, are planning on purchasing NYC passes and do a day of crazy sightseeing on Friday, then Sat is relaxing in Central Park/ seeing Julie Kent in ABT's Swan Lake!!! And Monday night, our last night in the city, Jesse and I have date night reservations at Dylan Prime :) We fly back Tuesday night. I just can't wait. NYC is so alive! So big! So....not Duluth. Haha, I just can't wait to get out of here with my hubby <3

RECIPE OF THE DAY: BEEF WELLINGTON! (What we're having at Dylan Prime!)

 

 

 

Ingredients

For the Duxelles:

• 3 pints (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
• 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:

• 1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 thin slices prosciutto
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
• 1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• Minced chives, for garnish
• Green Peppercorn Sauce, recipe follows
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
• Warm Wilted Winter Greens, recipe follows

Directions

To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices. Garnish with minced chives, and serve with Green Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, and Warm Wilted Winter Greens.

Green Peppercorn Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1 cup brandy
• 1 box beef stock
• 2 cups cream
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained, brine reserved

Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match. After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic:

• 2 pints fingerling potatoes
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 to 3 sprigs fresh sage
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus for sheet pan
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.

Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.

Warm Wilted Winter Greens:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 pint walnuts, for garnish
• 3 bunches assorted winter greens (such as Swiss chard, radicchio, or escarole), washed, stemmed, and torn into pieces
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, for garnish
• Parmesan shavings, for garnish
• 1 shallot, chopped, for garnish

Cook honey and balsamic together over medium-high heat in a large saute pan, about 5 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small skillet; set aside to cool.

Pile greens on a platter. Stir mustard into balsamic-honey dressing, then whisk in about 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; pour over greens. Season greens with salt and pepper and garnish with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, shavings of Parmesan, and shallot.

ENJOY! :)

A whole mess of shows!

Well, as some of you know our life has been on OVERDRIVE lately... Just wanted to share some photos!

We recently were involved in Superior Community Theater's "Singin in the Rain". We began rehearsing in January and finally performed the last 2 weekends of March. The show went really well, we all got along great and it was a lot of fun! Jesse played Cosmo Brown and I was the choreographer/ dancer/ Olga Mara.

Cast photo

Then, more recently, we were in Attitudes Dance Association's "Turn up the Music" 2012 dance performance. Jesse was in three pieces and the finale, and I was in seven pieces plus the finale. It involved so much physical stress, as well as emotional and mental stress and SO many quick changes!!!! Luckily a few wonderful friends were willing to help out with the crazier ones :)

The cast of my piece :)

EXCITING NEWS!!! We just booked a hotel and airline tickets for our trip to NYC this June! We aren't really making plans, but we know that we want to go see the major sights (for Jesse's sake) and then try to get rush tickets for Lion King and Wicked on Broadway, and we're hoping to see ABT's Swan Lake with Julie Kent!!! How AMAZING would that be?!?!? The cool thing is... the week before that is our 3 year anniversary of being a couple, and our friends are getting married 4 days before we leave! It'll be a great month methinks :)

Also......I get a 60 minute massage tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! It could NOT come soon enough, my back is killing me from all those dancing days! Lol!

RECIPE OF THE DAY!

Pineapple Cream Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup white sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture firmly in bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Combine 2/3 cup white sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Blend milk and egg yolks; gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, vanilla, and pineapple. Pour into crust. Press plastic wrap over top of filling. Chill at least 2 hours.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract. Whip to stiff peaks and pipe or spoon onto pie. Serve immediately. 

 Enjoy!

I'm singin' in the rain, Just singin' in the rain! What a glorious feelin', I'm happy again!!!"

Yup, I've definitely got "Singin' in the Rain" on the brain. We just finished up a week of rehearsals, dress rehearsal, preview, and weekend of shows. They have gone really well-- the cast is gelling-- prolly due to the fact that we're stuck in a hallway or onstage with each other for 5 hours at a time (haha). And everyone is getting better and better which is fabulous! :)

One less than ideal aspect of the show is the hair. It takes all three of us gals sitting in the actors bathroom gelling our hair and doing each other's finger waves and pin curls. And then donning leotards and tights, putting on full stage make-up (including fake eyelashes), and putting on a few layers of clothing aka costumes.

Last week I became more of a vampire as ever seeing as the show keeps us out from about 3:30 to 11:30 at night. And also because my husband worked a few overnight shifts-- I don't do so well with those....

It's been a lot of fun having the experience of the show, getting another job on my resume, and also meeting all these loverly people!

A few friends and we as well have been talking recently about heading to New York this summer! Thankfully due to some awesome tax refunds and an unanticipated teaching gig, we will be able to go with little trouble! Cannot wait for Broadway rush tickets, street vendors, times square and more! We just need a place to stay now, and thinking we may just hit up a hostel near by. 

Speaking of taxes, we hit a bump on the road with the federal filing. BUT we think we fixed it now so fingers crossed it works this time! State and property taxes are being sent out.... and we cannot wait to pay off some stuff!! We figured we will we will be able to pay off a loan, an old bank bill, and two credit cards, plus plane tickets! Wooo making so little money, the IRS pays us back for 1/5 of it! LOL

Attitudes rehearsals are in full swing! Many dances only have 2 practices left before the show and let me tell you..... I'm so ready for it to be done!! Don't get me wrong, I've loved my last year of it, but I'm ready to only have work to worry about-- which hopefully I will be doing more of soon! Even thinking about picking up ans extra job for the summer to help with moving plans. Furnished, gated community apartment in Orlando here we come!! The weather here in MN isn't helping our longing for a warmer climate either, haha!

I'm so anxious to get new phones/ numbers, start a new FB page, get a new car, relocate, start a family.... I'm just so ready to embark on the next stage of our lives! We've been talking about the loving couples in our lives and are looking forward to being that happy and loving throughout our marriage.

Fingers crossed that it is warmer here tomorrow!! I've got a long day of cleaning ahead of me tomorrow....so much craziness in our apartment lol. Ugh, I STILL need to make doctors appointments. And fast! Insurance for me runs out in mid-May :- S yet another thing we need to get in place ASAP....

Alright, now that it is well into the wee hours of the mornin, I should prolly get to sleep like my hubby is right now haha!

G'night, all!