Stillwater stole my heart...

I can't believe Doug and I had our one year anniversary! The year flew by so fast. So many changes in the past year, and it has been an amazing ride. To celebrate our first year of marriage we decided to go to a bed and breakfast in a little town just outside of the Twin Cities called Stillwater. The town was so cute, I loved the feeling of a small town. We got there before we could check in to our room, so we decided to just walk around and explore the town. There is a main street with tons of shops and antique stores. The weather was great, so walking up and down main street was so relaxing and fun. I, of course, wouldn't buy anything, but it was fun to see the small town life. Not to mention the AMAZING houses all around the neighborhoods. Doug and I loved walking around the town that is so rich with history and drooling over all the homes. Here are some pictures of the town and some of our favorite homes.

Overlooking Main street in downtown Stillwater.

So beautiful! The St. Croix River. 

This bridge would raise up so boats could pass through. 

This was one of our favorite houses. They have that old feeling. 

 The local court house is so adorable! 

 We loved this wrap around porch!

The Catholic Church had a pretty cool clock tower. 

We decided we are going to buy this house. It has a super big yard and is in an awesome neighborhood. We mostly loved Stillwater because at 7 pm there were people out walking, running, kids playing and teenagers who were polite and smiled and waved at us. SUCH a different feeling from South Minneapolis. This is when I knew Stillwater stole my heart...and we HAD to move here. 

So once we explored we checked into our B&B at the Rivertown Inn. It was so cute! They had themed rooms after famous authors in history. We had the Lewis Carroll room, so our room was an Alice in Wonderland theme. It had lots of Lewis Carroll books, quotes of his on the wall, and lots of clocks everywhere. It was the smallest room in the mansion, but it was also the only room with a king size bed. The room had the toilet and bathtub two feet from the bed, so that was a little weird. They crammed everything in, but it all was done very well so you didn't feel too cramped. Still weird to be sitting on the toilet while looking at the bed and no wall. Anyway, once we settled in we had a cocktail hour where they served fresh fruit and fancy cheese and crackers. It was just delicious.

Then we took a walk through the awesome neighborhoods again, and got some ice cream at Nelson's. Their portion sizing was HUGE. I got the small and it was so much. That being said.... I still ate my entire portion AND Doug's leftovers. I am a total piggy. (Please excuse our ridiculous faces. It was hot and bright out and we both look weird.) 

We were so full from ice cream that we skipped dinner and just hung out at the Rivertown Inn. The property was really nice and had nice places to sit and chat. There were pretty fountains everywhere as well. The next morning we had a super nice breakfast made by a fancy chef. It was gourmet to the max. Some things I didn't like, but for the most part, the fancy pants breakfast was very good. We had breakfast with two other couples that were also staying there. We all sat down at the same table and no one really said anything to each other so that was awkward. Doug was great and started conversation though, so we didn't have to just sit there and stare at the ceiling. 

Overall it was a wonderful weekend. I had such a relaxing time with Doug. No TV, no internet, no distractions. Just a lot of walks, happy and safe neighborhoods, and a wonderful weekend with my husband. I couldn't have imagined spending our anniversary any other way. I can't wait for another year!

My long walk home...

So I feel slightly guilty I have neglected the blog. Not too much has happened lately, but I did have a long day this week, so in an attempt to keep this blog alive, I will explain in detail my long walk home. Here we go!

I take the train to work every day. The train is a great way to travel but it does have it's drawbacks. It is crowded, it is dirty, if you aren't taking the train early in the morning or at the end of a work day the people who take the train are... questionable. That being said, I haven't had too many problems with the public transit system. That is until this last Wednesday. I purchased a "Go Card" which is basically a credit card for the train with stored money. You touch it to a "Go Post" and it will take your train fair off electronically. I had used my last few cents on my train ride to work that morning, so after work on the way home I planned on purchasing a ticket with my credit card. I have done this several time, and was the only way I purchased train tickets until I converted to a Go Card. Well, the train station I get on at (which is just across the street from the Viking's Stadium) had 6 ticket machines, and none of them would take my credit card. It kept saying it could not read my card. I don't carry cash, so I decided to walk to the next train stop and try my luck at those machines.

Now, I must interject and mention that there is a very dangerous/"ghetto" part of Minneapolis that the train runs through. There are three stops that have a high concentration of those questionable folks that get on and off the train. That being said, I was walking into the more sketchy part of town. As I walked to the next train stop, it was about a mile away, and Doug was out golfing with his friends so he could not come to my rescue. I was so frustrated that the machines would not read my credit card that i felt tears pooling up in my eyes. I held them back though, and eagerly tried to use the next stations ticket machines. To my dismay, none of the machines would read my card. After trying the last machine at the second train stop, the tears I had tried so hard to hold back were now freely flowing. I knew I had to continue walking to the next station, and I was so mad at myself for feeling guilty about getting on a train without paying for it.

In order to walk to the next station, I had to take the bike trail which people on bikes use (obviously) but there were a few people walking on the trail as well. The problem I have with that is the trail is secluded from public traffic other than the occasional biker, so if someone is walking on the trail it would be easy to run up and attack a person. You would think an ex-mall cop like myself wouldn't be afraid, but I was on this trail with two other men walking, and I was so scared. As I walked deeper and deeper into the bad part of Minneapolis, my anxiety grew. I arrived at the next train stop, with my wallet out ready to purchase a ticket. Before I could even get to a machine a totally drunk man came walking up to me, slurring out "will you buy me a ticket for the train?" or so I thought he said. It was difficult to make out the words and I was scared. Well drunk man, if I can't purchase my own ticket, I certainly can't purchase you one. I started to walk away from the station and the drunk man proceeded to yell after me and follow me. At this point I was scared out of my mind, so I am speed walking for my life. I nearly bump into a huge guy with tattoos all over his face, and I feel like I am in some bad horror movie. I decide to book it straight to the next stop.

At this point I have walked over three miles and I am speed walking to avoid anyone who comes near me. I arrive at the next stop, only to find my card does not work, still. The bike trail finally feeds into the main rode on which I live, but I am still over two miles from home. I decide to slow my pace down, and realize how tired I really am once I take it down a notch. I am currently suffering from a nasty cold, so as I am walking home I can't breathe out of my nose so I have to breathe out of my mouth. After walking over three miles at a quick pace, my mouth became very dry so I wiped my mouth and lips to get a nasty film that had developed around the edges of my mouth. As I pulled my hand away, I found about three squished bugs left on my hand. I am pretty positive I ate more than three bugs on my walk home since my mouth was open almost the entire time. Eww.

Granted I had some protein from the bugs, but I was still starving so I made a detour to my trip home and stopped at a McDonald's. I went in, washed my hands, and then eagerly ordered a #2, with a large drink and a McFlurry. Ahhhhh! Thank you McDonald's for being there for me when Metro Transit was not. I ate every single piece of food which I don't think I have ever done at McDonald's. I finally made it home after nearly 2 1/2 hours of walking. I was practically dragging my feet by the end, but I made it. Living in Minneapolis is fun, but temperamental ticket machines are not fun. I learned to bring change with me to the train from now on, and I also learned that in some cases McDonald's can be very unhealthy, but after a long walk home, there is nothing better than those Golden Arches.

Happy Love Day!

Valentine's Day was much anticipated by me this year since I got the day off, and I could do all the crafts I wanted to do for Doug. Thanks to Pinterest, I was able to decorate the apartment cute, make a delicious breakfast of yummy heart pancakes and put together a memory book for Doug. What would I ever do without Pinterest?

The first pancake worked great, and then I burnt the rest. Doug is in charge of all breakfast meals in the house since I suck at everything breakfast.

 Doug went old school this year and got me some conversational hearts. He knows I am so tart and sassy!

 Hearts everywhere!

 Flowers and chocolate! Thanks husband!

 I got Doug Moneyball and I made him a memory book with pictures of us, memories we have had, and things we love. It turned out really cute, and it was a ton of fun to make. If I didn't have to work, I would just do crafts all day every day.

Doug and I made a delicious dinner and then we watched Moneyball. Well... Doug watched Moneyball, and I passed out at 8pm. It was a long day of cooking, crafts, and fun!

Minnesota Lingerie

This post was written by the husband

This is my wife.  Isn’t she gorgeous?  Since we have moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and the winter months have come rolling through I get to watch this beauty work her magic day in and day out.  We haven’t turned on the heater in our apartment mind you.  Pretty Penny is too concerned about the quarters she would have to fork out to raise the temperature from a mid-to-high 50 to a low 60.  So instead we are treated with this fine ensemble….

I know looking at the picture is like a train wreck and you are probably wondering what in the world is going on.  Let me break it down for you; bottoms up:

First we have the Thorlo socks.  Every year for Christmas my Uncle Don gets me the warmest socks in the world.  Since being married, they have all gone to Stone Cold Steve Austin here.  Never a night goes by where her frigid size eights aren’t wrapped up in these tweed colored saunas.  They’re perfect for cold toes.  We quickly move from the socks to the baggy blue sweatpants.  With all her trendy fashion expertise you would think she would notice that she tucked the pant into the previously mentioned socks…NOPE!  If you look closely at the right foot you can spot it.  In her Seabiscuit like haste to beat the apartment frost, our lady of the evening pulled the ultimate dork maneuver.  This really speaks for itself.  No more description necessary.

We are going to skip the robe (for now) and go to what is underneath, an orange sweatshirt.  So far we are doing pretty well at representing the rainbow.  The sweatshirt itself wouldn’t be bad except for how it pokes out on the arms under the robe.  Here, we notice that she looks like a colorful kid from Oliver Twist or something.  It’s quite adorable really.  Sadly she is holding a pan, not a pot, so there wont be any porridge.  The pan-in-the-hand takes this picture over the top.  We recently watch Tangled and although my wife is more beautiful than Rapunzel she will be using this pan for quesadillas tonight…not for knocking me out (now that I realize it however, I may have just given her the idea…).  Bri has really found some enjoyment from cooking so its no surprise she is found this way.  And considering I have gained about 100 pounds since marriage, its no surprise I found her in the kitchen either!

Lastly we have the robe!  I know you were all waiting in anticipation to find out how this ever managed to make it over the top of what Bri was already wearing….Here is a little background: when Bri was looking for work she used to walk me to the door on my way to school to kiss me goodbye in the morning; the best way to warm my heart before an early morning brisk walk to the train.  Bri would generally be lacking sufficient clothing for outside neighbors who might be passing by so she would stand behind the door and hold it open for me as she planted that perfect kiss.  As any loving husband would do, I would race to the door and open it before she got there, trying to catch her in the open, freaking her out in the process and getting one of those shrill “Douglas!” yells.  Of course, our apartment hallways are always dead quiet so the chance of a passerby at 9 am is about 1%.  One morning, Bri out smarted me and put this robe on.  In about the five minutes I was with her and she was wearing it I heard multiple times how comfortable it is…hence coming home that night it was no surprise it was over the top of clothes, as shown in the picture above.  Instead of using a robe the “proper” way, Bri converted it into her comfy cozy personal snuggie!  Meaning she wears it all the time and I am just lucky enough to behold its beauty. 

Lastly, she is not wearing makeup…however I have nothing to say about it or I might end up sleeping outside with nothing but a robe…So for my sake I’ll say, “you look gorgeous even without make-up on, honey.”

If ever its too cold and you don’t want to turn the heater on, throw on some uncle Don Thorlos, tuck your pants in your socks, get a colorful sweater and wrap that robe around yourself like it was a rubber band.  Call it Minnesota Lingerie.

Merry Christmas from sunny LA!

Doug and I hope you all had a wonderful and happy Christmas. We had a wonderful and much needed break. Doug finally finished school and we had our own small little Christmas in Minneapolis before we took of for California. I some how got through the plane ride and we arrived in sunny and warm LA. Ahhh, it was so good to be home. Doug and I were able to stay at my dad's house, and we managed to keep his dog out of our room the entire time, which is saying a lot considering that dog runs the show over there. The moment we got there the weather was amazing! We took walks every morning while there. Shorts and a t-shirt on Christmas eve is a wonderful thing!

 On our walk

 My dad and his dog, Sawyer 

On Christmas Eve we all had a private Salsa dancing lesson. We learned Salsa and the Bachata. Doug was a great dancer! We learned some good steps so if we ever find ourselves on a cruise ship or salsa club, we are well prepared. 

 Doug dancing with my Aunt Kristy

 All of us, including the dog, learning the Salsa moves

 Doug and I doing a spin! He had a smile on his face the entire time!

After dancing lessons we had a Mexican feast prepared by my dad's wife, Ivonne. We had pasole (not sure how to spell it) tamales and guacamole. It was sooo good! After we ate our traditional Mexican Christmas Eve dinner we all passed out. Dancing and eating can really take a lot out of you!

Before the night was over I made some gingerbread cookies for Santa. These lasted barely until morning. They really are delicious! 

 The next morning my dad got up bright and early to make Doug and I a juice drink. He took a whole bunch of veggies and fruits and juiced them all. I don't think Doug has consumed so many vegetables all at once. He loved it though, so when we got back we bought ourselves a juicer and we drink our veggies every morning! 

 Christmas morning we opened presents and spent time together. Ivonne got these silly hats, I couldn't resist! 

 The day after Christmas we went to the beach for some lunch. The wait was 2 hours, so we got some good beach time in. It was beautiful, and I was actually really hot! My dad was so generous to get us all Wicked tickets, so that night after the beach we went to see Wicked! It was really good! The understudy played Galinda, so it wasn't quite the same as I had seen in the past, but it was still really great, and I loved watching Doug watch it. 

Finally, on our last day, we got up early and went to Disneyland. We left at 9 am and didn't get into the park until 1 pm. Traffic and all the lines were crazy. The park was up to 92% capacity when we got there at 9am and the parks were just completely packed. We stayed at the park all day long and only got to ride two rides. The two rides we did ride on were lots of fun though. I will be honest, I felt like an old maid at Disneyland. I was so tired the entire time, and I just wanted to sit on a bench and wait for everyone to be done with the park. I am glad we went, and I really did have a good time, but I felt so old. It wasn't how I remembered Disneyland as a kid. The next time Doug and I go we will probably had kids old enough to appreciate and remember the experience, and it for sure will not be during Christmas. At least I got to spend time with my family and get a delicious Disneyland Ice cream cone! We woke up the next morning early and headed to the airport for Minneapolis. Our trip was perfect, just what I needed. I didn't want to come back! Thank you to my dad for all the fun! We can't wait to see you again!

Catch up....

It has been a while, and I have slacked on my blogging, but a few things have happened in the last month that I thought I would catch everyone up on. After Thanksgiving I found out that the Mall of America called me back offering me a job as none other than.... A real live Mall Cop! Though I don't think Kevin James or even Paul Blart for that matter will be present at training, it is exciting to know that I will protect the good people of Minnesota and help create a safe happy shopping environment. I have heard all the jokes, so let me go through a list of what might be going through your head: 

1. No, I do not get to ride a segway, though they do have them at the MOA. 
2. Yes, I did leave my job at Wells Fargo. 
3. Yes, I am getting paid considerably less at this job... but come on, who can say they were a mall cop at the largest mall in the US?
4. No, I won't carry a gun, but I will get to carry pepper spray. 
5. Yes, I have to pass training before I can officially wear the uniform. This means I have to be on my game and pass all training courses with flying colors. This includes getting pepper sprayed and I may or may not study the layout of the mall at night....

Hopefully that answered some of your questions. I am actually excited to start this new adventure. I never thought I would move to Minnesota, let along be a mall cop, but I have always wanted to be in law enforcement. Just ask the academic counselors over the Criminal Justice program at UVU, the Chief of Provo Police, and the director of Forensics at Weber State College. I have contacted all of these people at some point in my life to possibly start a program here, or maybe get a job there. I have dipped my toe in some branch of law/crime and have been too scared to just jump in and do it. Now that I am in a new environment, I figure it is the perfect opportunity to actually do what I have always been scared to do....and while being a mall cop was never on my list of things to do in life, it will certainly give me a good glance into the world of law enforcement and possibly be a stepping stone for my ultimate dream job... Homicide Detective! Until I get my detective badge though, I will settle for the Mall Cop badge :) 

In other news, Doug has finished his 1st semester in Graduate School!!! Yay! He gets a huge break and doesn't have to go back to school until January 17th. Once he gets back into school he will be taking Compensation benefits, labor relations and collective bargaining, Personnel Economics, Organizational Theory and Organizational Behavior. He is going to be one busy boy! From there we are hoping he gets a bomb internship for the summer. Time is passing quickly and we feel very blessed for all the opportunities we have here in Minnesota. 

Finally, Doug is ready for broom ball, a popular sport here in Minnesota where people basically run around on ice, pushing a ball with a push broom. Sounds like a singles ward FHE night activity, but there are actual community leagues and people are hard core out here. The first practice will be while we are in LA for Christmas break, but Doug will have games starting in January when we get back. Though the recruiting efforts of the team captain were commendable, only Doug will be representing the Robinson family. You can take the Sunny Southern California girl out of California, but you can't force her to like or participate in Winter sports. Sorry! 

Our first tree!

Doug and I had a great weekend. Saturday morning I got early, (sadly not by choice, I am accustomed to waking up early for work) so I decided to make Doug some bacon, eggs and pancakes before he woke up. I started the eggs and cracked them all, neglecting to save two eggs for the pancakes, so we ended up just having the eggs and bacon. It was still delicious. After breakfast, we headed to the gym, worked off all the eggs and bacon, and then headed to the dollar movie theater which is just down the street from our apartment. The theater is just one screen, and has about 1,000 seats. Literally. It is a huge theater, but only has one screen, so you are left with only one show time to choose from for whatever movie you are wanting to see. Also, since the theater is so big, there is a lot of audience noise which includes soda sipping, popcorn ruffling, and candy box shaking. Despite all that, the movie we saw was terrific. Midnight in Paris was a fantastic film and we really enjoyed watching it on a Saturday afternoon. On the way out, we saw a Christmas Tree lot and decided it was a great time to get a tree! We saw the cutest little tree, but decided to pass since we were not sure if our apartment would allow real trees in the building. So to play it safe, we decided to get a fake tree at Target! We got a 6 foot fake tree, stocked up on ornaments, and I even bought a pine tree candle to burn to give the feeling like the tree is real :)

 Here is our first Christmas tree, all bare

 This is what makes our tree "real". Smells JUST like a real tree!

 We got strands of beads and ornaments to decorate the tree

 Doug is actually really good at decorating the tree. I am sure he had a ton of practice growing up!

Here is the finished product! Just missing the star on top!

So Doug and I have our first tree! Not too bad! We got ornaments to decorate this tree, but we decided to start a tradition of getting a new ornament every year to add to our family Christmas tree. This year we will just have one, but after 30 years we will have enough to fill a whole tree! Getting married has been such a blessing, especially when we can create our own traditions and make lasting memories!