2024 Year in Review

Yet another year has come to an end, and what a GREAT year it was! 2024 was filled with fun adventures around the Twin Cities, quality time with friends and family, and a few trips here and there. It was a year of exploring new places throughout Minnesota as we celebrated one year of living here.

SIGHTS & SCENES OF THE CITIES: Since moving to the Twin Cities, I feel like all of our weekends (and sometimes weeknights) have been booked up with different concerts, sporting events, and social get-togethers. You can find us attending Trivia Mafia with our friends throughout the year at different Twin Cities breweries and bars; under the name "Here 4 Beer", we haven't gotten first place yet, but we're still trying.

We may have taken the whole "State of Hockey" thing a little too seriously this year by attending multiple Wild hockey games, a University of Minnesota Gophers game, a Minnesota Frost inaugural season game (Professional Women's Hockey League/ PWHL), and of course several high school hockey games at Braemar Arena. In addition to hockey, we also went to two Twins games, a Minnesota Wind Chill game (ultimate frisbee), and attended the final day of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, MN.

We are always on the hunt for good food! Some of our favorite meals of the year were served up at Loius Ristorante Cossettas (St. Paul) to celebrate Valentine's Day, A-Side Public House (St. Paul), Hope Breakfast Bar (St. Paul), The Block (St. Louis Park), Lick's Unlimited (Excelsior), and of course The Nook (St. Paul). Our list of Twin Cities pizza favorites has grown to include Young Joni, Tono Pizza & Cheesesteaks, and Sarpino's. I'm thinking of putting together a blog just about Pizza in the Twin Cities... So stay tuned!

Additional highlights of the sights & scenes of the cities this year include:

• The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz exhibit at the Minnesota History Center, where we learned more about the cartoon artist & his Minnesota ties.

• Enjoyed a spring afternoon exploring Downtown Excelsior to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

• The Minnesota State Fair, where I ate ALL the Sweet Martha's Cookies to my heart's desire, marveled at the crop art exhibit, and jammed out to a free Moon Taxi concert.

• Attended one of COIN's last concerts before the band broke up.

TIME SPENT WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY: We started the year out no better way than by ringing in the new year surrounded by our friends. We are so fortunate to have so many great friends in and around the Twin Cities, as well as friends and family within driving distance.

We got to truly experience the Minnesota lake life this summer by going to not only one but three different cabins with friends! 1) Memorial Day weekend with Bri, Nick, and baby Clayton~ we got to be there with Clayton for his first boat ride ever! 2) The 4th of July was spent at East Battle Lake with friends; nothing beats a fish fry, tubing, and watching fireworks over a lake. 3) 'Girls Gone Mild' bachelorette weekend to celebrate my girl, Millie! This was one of the most chill & fun bachelorette parties I've been to; the weekend included yoga, arts & crafts, an afternoon on the lake, a flea market, and so much more!

My family came up for a weekend in May to attend a Minnesota Orchestra performance of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This was a unique experience, as the orchestra played the movie soundtrack during a screening of the film. I highly recommend checking out one of the Movies and Music performances if you are ever in the Twin Cities; they perform to different movies throughout the year that are all family-friendly. In addition to the show, we also went to a St. Paul Saints game.

The Thanksgiving season was kicked off by hosting our first Friendsgiving at our apartment. The menu included: Apple Cinnamon Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce, Spinach Mac & Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, a Charcuterie Board for an appetizer, and cake for dessert. The evening was filled with games & good conversation. Thanksgiving weekend, we celebrated with Nate's parents, who came to visit us. We went down and had a Thanksgiving meal with Nate's grandparents and attended a Minnesota Gophers hockey game.

Additional Highlights of time spent with friends & family include:

• Sitting in row three behind the penalty box at a MN Wild game with my best friend, Bri, and her husband, Nick. The Wild may have lost the game, but it was fun being so close to the ice!

• Attending a Minnesota Twins vs. Oakland A's game for Father's Day with the in-laws.

• Celebrating multiple friends getting married!

TRIPS NEAR AND FAR: 2024 was full of roadtrips and airports. In March, we headed South to Arizona for a week to visit Nate's family and get some much-needed relaxation after a busy winter. You can read more about that trip here; Phoenix, AZ 2024.

One of my favorite roadtrips of the year was to Iowa, of all places, where we attended the Hinterland Music Festival with our friends Rik and Jenna. We jammed out to great music by artists like Noah Kahan, Hozier, Lilly McAlpine, Chappel Roan, and Mt. Joy, all while getting sunburnt and overheated (when I say we, I mostly mean me lol). I will say this trip did not go as originally planned, but I don't have enough space in this blog to get into the nitty gritty. Maybe one day I will write an entire blog about it, For now, I will say do not base your ability to go camping on the few times you did it as a child; it is not the same, especially when 90 degrees and not a cloud in sight.

In addition to our longer road trips, we also stayed close and explored a few places closer to the Twin Cities. We spent a fun overnight stay in Stillwater during their Harvest Festival, where we walked around the local shops, crossed the draw bridge, and of course checked out the giant pumpkin contest. To take advantage of the fall weather, we also went to Aamodt's Apple Farm, where we ate ALL the apple-themed foods and sipped on a flight of Thor's Apple Cider. Our favorite foods were the apple brats & the apple cider donuts (one of the best parts of fall in my opinion). The only downside of this entire trip was that Melt Pizza no longer makes the 'Drunken Love' pizza, although a bummer, their other pizza is still top tier in my opinion.

We also spent a day exploring Red Wing, MN. Nate had always told me the town had a cute downtown, so we decided to go check it out together. We learned about the history of Red Wing Shoes at their flagship store, grabbed a bite to eat at Andy's Sports Bar & Grill, and my favorite browsed the bookshelves at Fair Trade Books. I also won a few hundred bucks at Treasure Island Casino, so I would say the day trip was well spent.

Additional highlights of trips near & far:

• Exploring the Northern shore of Minnesota, where we visited Duluth, Grand Marais, Lutsen, and more! To read more about our trip to the North Shore, check out A Weekend Up North.

• Flew around the upper midwest attending different trade shows; twice to Chicago for the Inspired Home Show & Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) show, and once to Indianapolis to my favorite show of the year, Sweets & Snacks. This show is my favorite because of the number of samples that you get to try!

Other highlights: In 2024, I read seven books. I know that's not a ton, but for me, that is a huge accomplishment! I learned how to make pasta from scratch. Nate also wanted me to mention that he broke 90 in golf this year, shooting a career-best of 86 at Pine Beach East at Maddens.

I would say it was a pretty good year. Can't wait for the next!