Happy Holidazzle

When we got back to Minneapolis on Saturday we took the time to check out Holidazzle, a European style Christmas market right in the middle of Minneapolis. Holidazzle used to host a parade but two years ago they called quits on the parade and set up this weekend Christmas market instead. Kris Kringle was there to greet all the visitors.

Käthe Wohlfahrt was also there selling their recognizable Christmas decorations. It made me miss Germany!

What also made me miss Germany was the tent selling cinnamon roasted nuts. Nolan and I settled on pecans. YUM!

We had fun getting into the holiday spirit by perusing all of the food tents, listening to live Christmas music, and watching ice skaters on the rink.

We also enjoyed seeing the beautiful ice globes! It's a fun twist on Nolan's family tradition of cylindrical ice lanterns.

I love winter projects! The lanterns look beautiful on the ground and just as magical as hanging.

A Sunny Black Friday

On Black Friday Nolan and I drove to his Grandma Sunny's house for a visit. As Nolan likes it, we didn't come across one other car during the drive. Grandma Sunny still lives on the same farm Nolan's dad grew up on. This 40 acre farm is right next to a river for canoeing and still has the old barn where the horses used to be.

Grandma Sunny, who is an excellent artist, gave us this vase as a belated wedding gift. I feel proud that we got a piece of art with Grandma Sunny's specialty: Chickadees. I look forward to finding flowers for it and displaying it in our home.

We were also lucky to get a few ornaments for our Christmas tree. Now we just need to get the tree! This is my favorite. I absolutely love the colors.

We had a fun time talking to Grandma Sunny about family, old times, and new times. We're glad to have had the opportunity to visit her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving we drove to the Hauta family home in Cook, MN. Here we have the pleasure of enjoying a quiet holiday in the woods of Minnesota far away from any hustle and bustle or commercialism.

We also have the pleasure of below freezing temperatures. It didn't get above 32 degrees our whole stay there.

Nolan's mom, Pat, provided a feast complete with turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, wild rice, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, and three different kinds of pie!

It was such a delight to spend the day with Nolan's parents, Gary and Pat, his Grandma Sunny, his brother Evan, Evan's girlfriend, Hannah, and Hannah' daughter, Aubrey. We're lucky to have such a beautiful and peaceful place to go and celebrate the holiday!

Dinner with the Pattersons

Nolan and I had a wonderful dinner with our friends, the Pattersons. We were so entertained by their 1910 player piano which they had restored so it is completely functional. Here is Nolan playing Rhapsody in Blue. From amateur to virtuoso! Pumping the air is a pretty good workout but well worth it for all the sing-a-longs and dance tunes.

Nolan with Linden Hills

Though it was a tight schedule I was able to see Nolan play trombone in the Linden Hills Community Orchestra. They had a wonderful soloist for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 and they also played Symphony No. 5 by Sibelius. I was unfamiliar with the Sibelius but it was fantastic. It made me realize I need more Sibelius in my life.

Minnesota's Magic Flute

Nolan and I joined Minnesota Opera again on their social media preview night for Mozart's The Magic Flute.

The production boasts a very different type of staging which puts the opera in a world of animation. The singers interact with a very simple set on which projections are displayed.

Papageno's first aria featured many birds which flew and perched on Tamino in the bottom left,

The style paid homage to the silent film of the early 20th century and as such the dialogue portions were not spoken but rather projected on the screen as well. There were things that were over my head, such as the flying fairy magic flute and the little bells which also had dancer legs, but I suppose not all art is meant to be understood.

The Queen of the Night was portrayed as a giant spider lady which provided absolutely no confusion as to whether or not I liked her.

In contrast, Sarastro's first appearance was made as a giant head with noble attributes and industry.

The production was delightful and charming for this popular opera which has so much contrast: comic and serious, fairy tale and philosophy.

If it's not too late Minnesota Opera is selling discounted $25 tickets online with the promo code Social25.

Hopkins Antiques

 To finish Nolan's birthday weekend we took the opportunity to check out downtown Hopkins which is teaming with antique stores.

Among other shops we spent our time in Retro Wanderlust which is off the main street and carries pieces from the 40s-80s.

This trip was look only. We didn't buy anything but we certainly did a lot of looking. We found an interesting clock tower which was built in 1991 when Hopkins made efforts to update its infrastructure while maintaining and preserving its traditional appearance.

 Other interesting structures in Hopkins included the Masonic Center...

A center for the arts...

And a number of different restaurants such as Samba which serves Brazilian food. Nolan and I are eager to try the Japanese and Tibetan restaurants when we get the chance.

We finished our day with a Pineapple Upside Down Birthday Cake. Although Nolan loves chocolate he picked this kind of cake last year for his birthday. I thought we'd keep the tradition going!

Happy Hauta Birthday!

Yesterday was Nolan's birthday. Nolan is so good at planning surprises for me that I felt very compelled to give him a birthday full of surprises.

Luckily, Nolan slept in so I could decorate the house with hearts that say things I love about him. When he walked in the room he felt dazed and confused. That would be a pretty normal state of being for him for the rest of the day.

After his dentist appointment which he scheduled for himself on his birthday (who does that?) I took him to a surprise massage. I waited with the fish in the lobby.

Even though it was chilly I drove to the surprise Como Zoo and Conservatory. We didn't have time to see the Conservatory today but seeing that most of it is indoors it will make for a fun winter activity.

We saw a number of things at the zoo including Kudu, Zebra, Giraffes, Wolves, Artic Foxes, Gorillas, and Orangutans.

After the zoo I surprised him by taking him to Little Szechuan in St. Paul. This Chinese Hot Pot restaurant is kind of build your own stew. You choose from several different pots of stock, meat, seafood and vegetables. The stock is brought to the table and boiled. You place the ingredients in and cook them. Nolan and I indulged our adventurous side by ordering frog legs.

Our Spicy and Fresh stock pot in it's yin yang shape was a happy reminder of how our opposites compliment each other.

We finished our day at home opening cards and gifts from friends and relatives. Although he was in constant confusion, Nolan enjoyed his day. Happy Birthday, Nolan!

Sunday Music

Nolan and I have been making a habit of attending free Sunday afternoon concerts. On October 25 we went to hear the Civic Orchestra Minnneapolis and were treated to Bach, Brahms, and Coleridge-Taylor. The had a superb piccolo trumpet player for the Brandenburg Concerto no. 2.

Yesterday we attended a combined concert for the Minnesota Chorale, Voices of Experience (ages 55+), Minnesota Youth Chorus, and Prelude (grades 3-5). A friend of ours sings in the Minnesota Chorale and we were more than happy to support her. The concert was called Britten/Britain, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and music from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It showcased everything from Peter Grimes to Danny Boy. They even had a few sing-a-longs!

Happy Halloween!

Nolan and I bought pumpkins at the corn maze the week before and we were ready to carve before Halloween. I was surprised to discover that my pumpkin had started rotting already on the inside. We decided to forgo the baked pumpkin seeds for fear of the rot but the pumpkin was still salvageable.

We had to cut the bottom out of my poor pumpkin because it was too thin once I scraped out all the soft, decaying parts. 28 years of carving pumpkins and this is the first I can remember having one rot! There was still a great surface for carving. Although, I did choose a less challenging pattern out of nervousness.

Nolan chose the pattern that I passed up. As you can see, he was very focused and meticulous in his work.

The pumpkins turned out great! We were happy to display them through our windows on Halloween night.

During the day, Nolan and I attended the ward Trunk or Treat. I dressed up as Rosie the Riveter and Nolan was my military man. We were Trunk or Treating novices, seeing as the kids cleaned us out of our candy pretty quickly. Turns out the kids will take many rounds around the cars as long as there is candy left! That was okay, though. It gave us the chance to spend our evening inside with popcorn and Halloween movies.