Wednesday, January 30, 2008

IKEA

We finally went to IKEA down near the Mall of America and were delighted to find a wide variety of items in our price range and of a style that suits us better than most of the county-themed free stuff left in our parking garage-- though we are still very appreciative of all of our free items and cherish our new-to-us table.

(I will try to describe the experience for the Michiganders and others who are IKEA virgins.)

IKEA sets up all of their products in a showroom on the third floor of the imposing building. Parking is arranged underneath and to the side of the building, and then take the escalator to the third floor and apparently into someone's home. It is wonderful to see the products being used as they should and really entices you to buy more. There are some expensive items, but we loaded up on 1$ pillows, plastic bag holder for inside the cabinet door, a towel holder that fits on the end of our microwave cart, 59 cent dishtowels, 3$ shelves for the bathroom and a variety of other items. We also finally got our new sleek, black bedframe. It is so nice and comfortable. All IKEA beds need slats that fit under the mattress and make it able to not get a box spring. We have ordered our mattress, but are waiting it to be ready for pickup so our old full-size mattress is being used on top of it until tuesday.



At IKEA after you pick out what you are going to purcahse you travel down one floor to a warehouse filled with plates and glasses and rugs and lamps piled everywhere. The furniture section looks like Sam's club and you proceed to an aisle and bin number where the pieces of your bed are located and carry them on a flatbed cart to the checkout and your car. Through folding of seats and creative arranging from my former appliance deliveryman husband we were able to put it all in the car.

I ended up sitting a little close to the airbag for my taste but we drove slowly and went up Cedar/77 through town toward home instead of taking the highway.


I am really impressed with how organized the store is. They even have a restaurant on one level that offers sweedish meatballs and other traditional Sweedish fare as well as typical kid's meals. They also have some food for sale on the bottom floor. We were also surprised while selecting our bedframe that tehy were offering an incentive program of a 20% return on any bed purchase in the form of a gift card. We were delighted because we were going to buy the frame anyways and now have over 44$ as a gift card. I know, a sale would have been better and we will likely spend more than 44$ when we go next time, but since it was such a surprise I feel blessed.
When you guys come out to visit (I'm assuming some of you will when it is not as cold as living on the moon) we are excited about taking you to the Mall of America, IKEA and some of the little eateries we have discovered as well as the big, typical sights of the Target Center, the skyways, and the Mississippi.
We miss you all- love to you all and we hope to see you soon!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Another Minnesota Night

Yesterday the temperature was in the 40s. This morning the temperature was 6. At 5, when I went to pick up Jim, it was 1, then shortly thereafter it went down to -3. Currewntly it is -13 with a windchill of -37. The cold that everyone was telling us about has finally struck.


With the wonderful weather yesterday, we decided to let some fresh air in and opened our double sliding doors. (The two layers of door provide insulation from sound as well as from cold.) Today I noticed that the outside door was still slightly open and that the inside was getting foggy and frosty. I tried to close the door, but it was frozen still. So when Jim got home I had him work on it. By that time the door was covered in ice crystals and snow! The outside door was completely frozen so he had to take the hair dryer to it to get it to move. It is so unbelievable that it can be 70 here in our apartment, but the difference to outside is so different that ice can exist on our window.


I wrote the previous message last night. We ended up closing the blinds, which has helped somewaht but since it is (at 10:30 am) -12 degrees, I don't think that there is anything that will really help.


We were foolishly thinking that we were doing so well with the cold. We thought-- this isn't any worse than Michigan, and then this week has proven how wrong we were. Thankfully we live in the city with the world's largest system of skyways-- over 80 blocks and 8 miles worth and we were able recently to walk from a block from Jim's work to the Target Center and on to have dinner at Applebees and see more of the town.

Brrrrrr!


Monday, January 28, 2008

For My Mom

My side of the bed. We finally went to IKEA (And are now addicted.) Our weird duvet cover cost 5.99. There were others that were more expensive, but we thought that the whole Spagetti-Os and olives theme would be okay for now. There is a $10 feather bed (originally $59) We found another cover when we went to get our new bedframe recently. We laugh because our whole color scheme in our bedroom has been decided by a $15 bookshelf we bought from Target, but we really love the bedframe that we chose.
Here is our living room. Minneapolis is really cold, but as you can see, the sun shines quite nicely. Our next IKEA purcahse will be a new couch, but that is a ways down the line.

Jim's side of the bed and the hall and a view into the bathroom. Note the Darth Vader mask on the bookshelf.



I will post more photos when we have totally reaorganized the bedroom. We put the new bedframe up and have the table you can see in the picture behind it as a place to put our clock, glasses etc. Our new bedframe used a table in this manner, but from IKEA it was $190. Ours is on clearance $27 from Sears. (We still make our way into Jim''s old stomping ground of Sears, but not as much as in Michigan.)


Friday, January 11, 2008

5 Reasons I Love The Twin Cities

1. The view from just one of our 5 Targets:





From this Target you can see over the river to the northeast side of the city. Jim's work is straight through town behind the central building.



2. Within a one mile radius of our home you can find several middle-eastern delis, many supermercados, Indian grocery stores, traditional suburban stores like Target, Old Navy etc. and skyscrapers.












3. The view from Jim's parking space:




We are actually on the second story roof of an old warehouse. It is so funny to approach what appears to be a random warehouse and press a remote control and enter past dumpsters and an old boat and drive up a twisty ramp to a beautiful view such as this.




This is the inside of the parking ramp.









4. The smell of Freshly-baked cereal in the morning:




We pass by the General Mills plant whenever we drive into town and if you time it right you can get a little snack simply by breathing deeply.





5. Our apartment:






Our apartment has been such a blessing. Since we found it online with no actual presence in the city, we could have done so much worse. It has also been wonderful for getting loads of free stuff. So far to our collection has been added an entertainment center, dvd shelf, kitchen table and 4 chairs (seen in the photo of Jim's birthday cake pre-lighting) a large barstool, step ladder, humidifier and a wrought iron bedframe. Now we are just waiting for a tv and a dresser. :) In our heated underground parking we have an area designated to share our abundance with others- a real need for a new couple starting out.







Another Target aquisition, used with the candles I won at my won shower. (Thanks Melissa!)













This last photo I have loaded for Sena. The twigs are in the vase that I got at your wedding. It sits to teh lest of the entertainment center right next to the doors to our balcony. It really adds something to the apartment and I wanted to say thanks again.

Happy Birthday Hubby







Happy 35th birthday to my wonderful husband! This is our first birthday since we have been married, though we got to have Christmas.
I gave him a new pillow (desperately needed as he keeps stealing my feather pillow), a movie and a new revolving picture frame for work from target that was so inexpensive that we may have to go back and get some for home and for emergency gifts.
(You can see our new free table in the top photo. We are intending on changing out the tiles, but the wood frame is so nice and we can set hot items directly on the table.)



Wednesday, January 9, 2008

I'm Beginning to Understand

When we first moved here, it was a novelty to cross the Mississippi. I am accustomed to crossing the river in Missouri where it has gained width and depth, and where it is surrounded by nothing but farmland. When we mapped out where we would be living and Jim working we found that I would be passing over the river at least 4 times a day-- though now I average 6 or 8 a day depending upon where I am shopping or touring and if I have to bring Jim lunch.

Moving to the town that suffered a great tragedy like the collapse of the 35W Bridge into the Mississippi River I was nervous at the thought that something might happen again and even on our first trip into downtown driving across the Central/3rd Avenue Bridge made me more nervous than all of the downtown driving. I wondered why people would drive on a bridge that was reportedly visibly rusting and showing many signs of wear. Why would people drive multiple times a day on a structure that was undergoing emergency repairs because it was so fragile.

Now, I pass over the river either by the bridge on our road or via the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, which sits on the site of the first permanent span across the Mississippi River. This bridge is beautiful, which this photo taken while driving to Jim's office does not do justice to, and has become one of my favorite parts of the short drive to and from the city.
I understand now just how much of daily life this is for Minneapolites, just how commonplace an activity this is. When paused at the stoplight at the end of the 3rd Avenue Bridge, it is normal to feel the bridge sway slightly with the passing of trucks and other large vehicles. Crossing this rushing water is normal that an inn, restaurant and a high school are located on Nicollet Island which the Hennepin Avenue Bridge crosses.


Tanker Spill

Lately, I have been driving into downtown every day to bring Jim a hot lunch. No-- my purpose is not quite so antiquated as a belief that ferrying hot food is my place in our marriage as a woman, but rather due to our laziness in the evenings in avoiding making him something he can simply take to work in the mornings.

Today however, this was interrupted by the shocking event of a gasoline truck overturning on the ramp between 394 and 94 (Yes for you Michiganders this is the same 94 as in Michigan: it meanders a lot and winds up here in MN) It is estimated to have spilled around 7000 gallons onto the road and into the storm sewers, which ultimately funnel into the Mississippi River. Booms have been placed to avoid the gas leaking any further. Foam has been sprayed and one of the tunnels has been closed down to avoid explosions. I was a little worried at first because one route that we can take to Jim's work takes us directly past the on-ramp in question, but it appears to be contained. I don't like him being that close to a site that is likely to explode.

We decided that I shouldn't bring him lunch today, and now I am only waiting to hear what the road conditions are like before heading down to pick him up after work, as teh highway closures are likely to continue past the evening rush hour and cause massive slowdowns, and this in a city already affected by te 35W Bridge collapse.
Saturday, January 5, 2008

Its Been So Long

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. We finally have reliable internet here at home, so I should be able to post and email much more frequently. It has been so long that I don't even know what to update you on-- so much has happened. I shall try to start chronologically.

Florida was lovely and warm and wonderful. It wasn't a complete honeymoon because Jim had to work during the day, but we were able to spend the evenings and nights relaxing and seeing the beautiful city of Orlando.

It was odd to be down there so close to Christmas, and you should be able to make out the Christmas lights on the palm trees outside of our hotel. I felt like I was walking through a Corona commercial every night.









The hotel was lovely and was suite style with a complete kitchen, and at the time looked much more well organized than our apartment. Thankfully now things look a ton better, but we are still adjusting to our new apartment.









One night we were able to take a bike taxi out on the town and ride past streets of restaurants and mini-golf with a volcano and ended up visiting Wonderworks, a building mmade to look as if it had fallen from the sky and landed on another.











It was a wonderful break from the fury of moving and getting married, and as we flew home we could feel the window get colder and colder. It was 75 at 7 in Florida and when we landed in MN it was 5. "The good news is, it's 5 above," joked our pilot.


It hasn't been that cold since that day except in the middle of the night and has really been quite mild so far. I thought that I would just add a few more photos from the trip to the bottom of this page. I could launch into a long explanation of our vacation and what Jim was doing with his time down there, however, I have so much to blog about that has happened in the interim so I will let the pictures speak for the thousand words I am not writing.











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