Home and Reunion

I always love going  "home".  South D. will always be "home" for me, just as much as my own Chicago house is home.  Home in this instance is the South D. variety.   I especially enjoy road-tripping to get home.  There is something about driving across the prairie that I couldn't appreciate when I was younger that now grips me with excitement, fills me with peace, and brings a wide toothy smile to my heart.  It's 365 miles of prairie from Sioux Falls to Rapid City.  They are tortuously long, all to familiar, but very, very welcome.  We look forward to the major stops along the way, trying to remember which one is next.  Mitchell, Chamberlain, Presho, Murdo, Kadoka, Wall, then HOME!!! 

When we arrived, everyone was running out the door.. Ok, Mom and Liam were running out the door to Baseball practice.  Quick hugs were exchanged and mom said to come visit her if we got bored.  We brought our stuff inside and Megan, Patrick, Glenn and I hopped on our bikes after a quick hello to dad and biked down to where the kids were practicing about half a mile away.  I always feel like a kid at my parent's house.  Carefree with not a worry in the world.  On the way back up to the house, I was reminded I wasn't a kid anymore.  I couldn't even pedal my bike up the hill to our house.  Man, I remember when I was younger and biked around all day like it was nothing.  <sigh>

We were in Rapid City for a week this time, and since it's been a while, I can't remember all of the details of everything we did (which you, reader are most likely thankful for)  but I will mention a few highlights of our Hills Visit 2011

1. Mom (with some help from dad and the neighbor) remodeled the upstairs bathroom.  I wish I had before and after pictures, because it looks wonderful!  Nice job Mom!!

2. Meggie was home.  :)  big smiles all around.  We hardly get to see Meggie anymore with her being away at school and us living in Chicago.   3 cheers for Megan!

3. The Wakley family,  -Adam (sad face),  stayed with us, and we had a wonderful time visiting and hanging out.  What a fun group of people you are!  We were blessed to see you and spend time in your company again :)

4. Many nights on the back deck.  Glenn loves the back deck, and when I see him enjoying it, I add that to my list of future home 'requirements'.  The other thing we love about the back deck is that we can hang out to all hours of the night with whatever company shows up.  Usually Fr. Tyler, and occasionally Matt Sullivan.  Other visitors during our stay included Linda Hofer, and Sr. Nekopoia and another visiting sister.  Among our favorite deck activities, smoking the hookah or Cigars, whichever you prefer, sipping on Mom's diving Cherry-cello, and playing cards until everyone is on the verge of nodding off in the warm summer night air.  <long sigh>

5. Good Will. 'Nuf said.

6. The Firehouse with the Trask clan, workers, the Wakley's and Kelley.  Yay!  We finally got to see Kelley!  The Trasks are always such a fun group of people to hang around.  Personable, welcoming, warm and generous to anyone and everyone.  Thank you for everything!

7. The Kositzky Klan Family Reunion.  It was wonderful, and awkward.  HA.  Wonderful to see all the relatives again, and awkward because everyone has grown so much that I couldn't say who was who.  After the initial chaos and embarrassment of trying to figure out who belonged to whom and all that good stuff, we had a great time.   My personal highlights from the reunion are Aunt Kora's distinct cackle laugh, unmistakable and heartwarming, seeing Milton's boys all grown up, meeting all the new cooing, smiling additions to the family, and of course, Uncle Cliff drinking his apple juice out of the pee sample cup and making jokes and smiling about it the whole time.    We love you all, and it was great to see you again.  We hope to see you all again real soon!

8.  Hangin' out with this guy:

 and enjoying the All-you-can-eat Cowboy Pancakes for  $0.99.  That's right.  Cents!  Pennies!  And thanks to Patrick, we got the family discount... so it was LESS than that.  If there's anything we love more than good food, it's a good deal!

9. Dinner with grandma and grandpa (even though it was stifling hot) and 5th and Broadway.  Liam was a super-star, and our Priests did not disappoint either.  A wonderful time had by all.  Grandma and Grandpa, our doors are still open to you and we hope you come and visit soon!

We had a wonderful time in South D.  Thanks mom and dad for your unending generosity and hospitality.  For always making us feel welcome at at "home".  Liam, it was great to hang out with you kid.  We should do it more often.  Ditto Patrick, Kell, and Megs.  To all our friends and loved ones there, we miss you and hope to see you again soon!

The great Minnesota neighborhood exploratory misson with a side of much needed family time

As most of you know, Glenn and I are planning to move out of Chicago, eventually.  It was initially within our 5 year plan, and maybe it still is. All we need is for the economy to turn around a bit... ok, a lot:  <ahem> job market, housing market <ahem>.   In the meantime, I have taken to dreaming.  Dreaming about a house with a yard.  In Minnesota...or South Dakota. Either way, away from condo living and absurd taxes in Chicago.  I have done my research.  I have been looking at my "dream houses" in Minnesota, mapping them out and looking into neighborhood churches and Catholic schools.  This summer, as we made our way back to South D. for a family reunion, we decided to detour in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.  This works out well for us, because we have family there and it's a good midway point between Chicago and Rapid City (also part of the reason it's at the top of our list for possible re-location places).  This time, Paul and Taryn were gone for a wedding the entire day the Saturday we were going to stop through.  They graciously offered their house anyway, but said we would have to amuse ourselves... and that we did.  We went exploring!  We started our exploratory mission with my brother showing us around Mendota Heights the morning before he left.  Mendota heights is beautiful and very close to where they live... Bonus points there.   It is also semi-wooded... also a bonus.  From there we started to follow them to Little Falls, where we had seen a beautifully preserved Dutch Colonial advertised for a steal..  and when we got there, we understood why it was such a steal.  Don't get me wrong.  Little Falls is not without its charm.  It is also not without it's "Little".   We went into the downtown antique store and got all of the town gossip from the lady who ran the joint... including all the information on who was selling the house we had come to see, what changes had been made to the place, the occupation of the owner and his wife, etc. etc.  We also got to see pictures of the architectural work her son had done in Boston.  She was so proud.  As we left she wished us good luck and told us she hoped we'd soon be a part of the Little Falls community.  We had just confirmed we would NOT be.  We like our privacy a bit more than what poor Little Falls was likely to allow.  With that, we turned around and drove back toward the cities, not forgetting to stop at the Treasure Trove on the side of the road for any souvenir our heart could desire, from anywhere in the country mind you. 

From there, our next stop was Stillwater.  Paul had recommended we stop there because it's a stopping place of theirs when they boat on the river.  And stop we did.  Stillwater was quaint.  The downtown area was filled with restaurants and shops, rather touristy, but upscale.  There were loads of antique stores, which I am always a sucker for, and endless dinner options.  We settled on a bar offering BBQ and left quite satisfied.  From there, we took a walk up the long staircase that separated downtown from the residential area.
  At the top were two gorgeous old mansions standing guard on either side, overlooking the river.  What a gorgeous view.  About a block up the road we met a lady doing yard work and inquired about the neighborhood and life in Stillwater.  After a nice chat, she recommended we walk up about 4 blocks because there were several homes for sale... just until we got to Nelson's Ice Cream Parlour, and that would be far enough.  We took that walk and wound up at Nelson's.  There was a line out the door and around the front of the store.  Glenn and I decided that there must be something worth waiting for inside and took our place in line. And boy, was there ever.  Nelson's had about 35 different flavors of ice cream to choose from, and the "Child's" ice cream at $3 was the size of a large or extra large anywhere else.  It was easily a full pint. AND, it was Delicious!!!  A perfect end to our Saturday.

Ok, now I have to backtrack.

We arrived in West St. Paul on Friday night.  My brother, who was supposed to be at a family reunion, stayed behind to welcome us (thank you Taryn!).  When we got there, he had beers waiting, and we were informed Aaron TenEyck was joining us for dinner, which was going to be "Hangover Burgers"... if that was ok.  It was.  Paul had had them at a restaurant and decided we needed to have them too.  The "Hangover Burger" is made of a ground beef patty grilled to perfection, a fried egg with runny yolk, topped with bacon and hot sauce on whatever kind of bun you prefer.  Oh, my, goodness.  They were AMAZING :)   After that, we headed out for a couple rounds of Frisbee golf. Backwoods cigars were provided for our round of back woods Frisbee golf, bets were made on who would lose and have to buy the next pack, and fun was had by all.  After golf we headed to the gas station to stock up on more cigars and headed back home for darts, smoking and drinking in the garage.  Do you think we're in college?  We're not.   Good times indeed. Saturday morning arrived and Paul agreed to take us to some garage sales and show us around their area.  We stumbled upon an estate sale... YAY! where I got a cake stand and Glenn got a fancy Christmas decoration of some kind.  He was excited.  I was excited.  Paul was in a hurry to get home because Taryn was picking him up any second for the wedding they were attending, in Little Falls... and that brings us full circle back to Sunday.  Glenn and I got up early and walked to mass Sunday morning.  By the time we got back, Paul and Taryn were also back, and Paul had breakfast making by the time we got home.  Eggs, bacon, coffee and hash browns.  Paul is a master of breakfast and his hash browns are fantastic. We were lucky enough to be there for a personal performance of the newly formed "Oak Ribbons" band...but not before an excited Ben purchased a beautiful guitar he had stumbled upon at a garage sale on the way over.  We all wanted to tag along with him, and that he did.  The guitar was indeed a beauty, and Taryn even found a rosary at the sale.  When the seller saw she was with Ben, he threw in the rosary for free.  A great afternoon for all :) When we returned,  Taryn and Ben practiced their line-up for Monday night's show while we enjoyed our private show.  If you live in Minnesota and can ever get to one of their shows, I HIGHLY recommend them.   They are both very talented and you'll be in for a treat.  I was amazed that two people could make so much music together.  Incredible.

Max and Lucian were pretty enthralled too.  Max was intent on dancing with mommy, and Lucian had climbed up on a chair and was eating cheerios while quietly taking it all in.   We always have such fun when we visit.  That evening was Mexican food for dinner and home for some more chatting and then to bed early.  We left early Monday morning to continue our journey toward the hills.   Every time we visit Minnesota, I am always certain that we could be very happy living there.   Here's hoping!

Thanks for all of your hospitality Paul, Taryn, Max and Lucian.  We can't wait until we see you again!



Baking Escapades

First  of all, I want to acknowledge that consistent blogging is apparently a  struggle for me.  Also, thank you to those of you who still check back every now and then, just in case... and my apologies.

So, since I last wrote, waaaay back in April,  much has transpired.  First, I will share with you the yummies I have been baking :)

Glenn's birthday was May 29th.  Since gift giving is a challenge to both of us, we generally go out to dinner and/or bake a cake for each other.  (Well, Glenn doesn't bake, but rather makes the drive to Baker's Square every year for my favorite cherry pie!) This year was no different.  I got my cherry pie, and Glenn got a birthday cake. And not just any birthday cake... no, no.  He got a chocolate hazelnut layer cake with hazelnut mousse and homemade chocolate curls on top!  His new favorite.  (I stole the recipe from Erica's Sweet Tooth... thanks Erica, whoever you are!) 

At first, I was feeling really guilty for only  baking a cake.  What kind of a wife doesn't get her husband a present for his birthday?  I started planning on making a really nice card for him and surprising him with a nice dinner and birthday cake for dessert.  Ok, that sounds a little better.  So, I woke up the morning of the 29th, wished my dear husband a happy birthday and sent him off  to work for the day.   I set out to the grocery store to buy the missing ingredients to make the best birthday cake in the world for the best husband in the world.   When I got home ( now about 1 in the afternoon... I know, I had a slow start..)   I started organizing myself in the kitchen.  Apron on, check.  Mixer ready, check.  Ingredients collected from all corners and placed neatly on the counter, check.  2 cake pans prepped and ready, check. (At this point, I will pause to note that if you haven't heard of lining the bottom of your cake pan with parchment paper, it's a nifty trick that can save lots of aggravation when it comes to getting the cake out of the pan.  A step I skipped this time around...)  I began stirring, mixing, pouring, baking, whipping and started to feel like a pro.  Things were coming together nicely and in plenty of time for me to work on the card I was planning to make.  I pulled the cakes out of the oven, and they looked fantastic.  I made the hazelnut mousse while the cakes were cooling, still feeling quite proud of myself, I wondered "why do people think this is so difficult? This is easy and FUN!"  Yay for cake.
And then when I turned out the cake, this happened:

                                                                                 And This :

And all of the sudden, it was 4 o'clock, I didn't have a card, my husband was going to be home in an hour, and baking was not fun anymore.  I did the only thing one can do, when it's your husbands' birthday and you don't have a cake.  I started over.  Thankfully, I had enough ingredients and didn't have to go back to the store.. that could have been a complete disaster.  As it was, I thought "well, at least I have the mousse made, and I've done this already and I should be able to get this done before he comes home.  Wrong!!  One hour is not enough time to put a cake together, even if you have the mousse made.  And so, my darling husband came home on his birthday to find the kitchen an absolute pigsty.  Dishes were piled high in the sink, chocolate and egg whites dripping onto the counter and stove, cocoa, flour and cake crumbs fallen onto the floor, and a sweaty, flustered, dirty wife trying to force a welcoming smile.  I explained to him that I was trying to surprise him.  Surprise! there's no dinner!  Surprise! there's no present! Surprise! there's no cake...  yet!    He graciously smiled, gave me a kiss, nibbled on the collapsed heap of chocolate mess that still lay cooling on the counter.. "Oh my gosh, this is AWESOME.  I think this is the best cake EVER!  If you made all your cakes like this, I would be a happy man!"  he declared.  How kind.   He went to settle himself down after work, and I scrambled to try to assemble my second cake. 

And then, this happened:

Ok, ok .  It wasn't that bad, but it added to the drama of an already chaotic cake baking experience.

With my husbands enduring patients,  I was able to assemble a somewhat presentable, but far from perfect birthday cake (I still can't cut straight layers) by about 8:30 or 9 pm.  Don't ask me what took so long, or how baking a cake took 9 hours, but somehow, it did.  But, the silver lining is that it really was delicious, and who doesn't want cake for dinner?  He even made me save the scraps from the first cake which we froze and enjoyed a week later.

Happy Birthday my sweet! I love you.