This Side of Lost

Samantha and I went to Minnesota last weekend. It can best be summed up by that sentence. Other highlights:

• A delicious BLT for lunch on Friday at the Fourth Street Bakery in La Salle/Peru, IL. It had cream cheese in it.
• Two wonderful hosts in Andrew Ellingsen and Eric Hopkins. You guys are awesome.
• Hanging out with Peter and Kari Pearson on Friday afternoon, talking about children's books and things of that sort.
• A great dinner at Fhima's in St. Paul. Mmmm ribs.
• Breakfast at the Original Pancake House with four of the funniest people I know.
• Visiting a fantastic bookstore in Minneapolis called The Wild Rumpus. I've been there before, but not with Samantha, and I didn't remember a chicken wandering around the first time, either.
• Seeing my younger sister Alison graduate from high school. I saw her walking to her seat in her cap, gown and sunglasses and flashed back to her going to kindergarten. How time seems to fly...
• The Twins stomping the Yankees 9-3 with us and five other friends in attendance. I knew I'd have fun going to a game with friends, but a victory was above and beyond the call of duty. Sweet.
• Samantha's first visit (and my third or fourth) to Chino Latino, an "equatorial" restaurant in Uptown. I love the food there, and she really enjoyed it, which made me really happy, too.
• The A party at the Pearson's house. An art party being thrown in honor of a 10-foot tall red letter A being parked outside. I got to see even more of my friends than I was anticipating, along with strange and wonderful Play-doh creations by the party-goers.
• Seeing my good friend Jen on the way back through Madison.

It was a fun trip, needless to say. Now I need to do the homework I've been ignoring. Whee!