i thank you God for most this amazing day

Recently, I have been feeling very blessed. We were up at our cabin over the week of July 4th with friends and family, and it was the most amazing feeling to have so many people we cared about in one place -- at our place, no less. But it was also a weird feeling, because this lifestyle is still so foreign to me. I didn't grow up going to cabins or even lakes very often. This "cabin life" that is so essential to the culture here in Minnesota doesn't exist in the South. The only people I knew with cabins lived in the mountains, and even lakehomes weren't very common. But I guess having 10,000 lakes is also a bit of an advantage for this state...

As a kid, I never went boating, never tried any water sports, never even went fishing, and I only swam in a lake a handful of times. Here, everyone has grown up with lakes and boats and water sports. It's part of the childhood experience in MN, and that's just in the summer (don't even get me started on winter activities here). I feel like I'm behind and constantly trying to catch up, but almost past the age of being able to, if that makes sense. For instance, I still haven't tried waterskiing and have only been tubing once (last summer). And here's an embarrassing confession: I get scared just sitting in the boat sometimes. When the boat takes a sharp turn, my heart starts beating really fast and I feel like I have to adjust my body to overcompensate for the turn, whereas everyone else just sits calmly. I'm practically in the middle of the boat, praying it won't tip over... After a few days, I got more used to it and have started employing the same technique I use while Mr. G is driving -- I just keep my head down and, if necessary, shut my eyes. If I don't see the boat tipping, it's not tipping. Very rational, I know, but if it keeps me from looking like a panicked fool or crying, I'll take it.

Anyway, when the boat isn't about to capsize, it actually feels wonderful, and I'm starting to get why people enjoy them so much... On a hot day, nothing beats taking the boat out to a random spot on the lake, jumping into the cold water, and then letting the wind dry you off on the ride back. I'm learning to love it.

On our first night with the boat, Mr. G took me out on it -- just the two of us -- while the sun was setting over the lake. We drove around the perimeter of the lake, seeing everything for the first time, and then stopped for a while so Mr. G could fish. In that peaceful moment while we were still, I felt overwhelmingly blessed, relaxing in a boat on a beautiful sunset lake with a cozy cabin (our cozy cabin) waiting for us. And that was when a line from a poem by e.e. cummings (one of my favorite poets) came to mind: i thank you God for most this amazing day. That was exactly how I felt then -- in awe of the moment and yet wanting to give thanks for it. Here's the full poem:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

From that day on, there were several times throughout the week of the 4th (mostly on the boat -- sometimes out of happiness, sometimes out of fear) that that line popped into my head. It became a short prayer of thankfulness, a small way to acknowledge little blessings and those "life is good" moments. I decided to keep it going in hopes that I'll become more present and aware of all the ways in which I am blessed. So now, whenever I have one of those moments where everything seems to be right with the world -- even if just for a few minutes -- I repeat that line in my head: i thank you God for most this amazing day. It makes those moments just that much sweeter.

As for adjusting to cabin life, I'm beginning to accept that this is my new normal, and I'm excited about this new phase of my life. I still get overwhelmed about all the work that goes into cabin ownership (ie: mowing the lawn, cleaning cobwebs, cutting down trees, killing lots of mice), but my learning curve was steep. I'm starting to get it, and I'm starting to consider myself part of the cabin culture. I'm even more excited that our loved ones can enjoy it with us, and that someday, our kids will grow up coming here in the summer. This will be their normal. That blows my mind. God is good, and life is sweet.

Here's to many more amazing days and little blessings.

<3 Mrs. G

Redefining Home: My First Thanksgiving in Minnesota

Hello everyone,

In the spirit of the season, I thought I would take a post to express some gratitude, talk a little about home, and share how I made my first ever Thanksgiving turkey.

Let me begin by saying how thankful I am for my husband. He is still my favorite person in the world, and he knows me better than anyone. Plus, we make an awesome team. He regularly does the dishes and laundry and sometimes even cleans exactly when I need it, but I don't have to tell him. He just knows, and he does it. He also gets up with me every morning at 6 am even though he doesn't need to wake up for another 2 1/2 hours. And he listens to me go on and on about work, sometimes for my entire 40-minute commute home. And yes, sometimes he drives me nuts and occasionally embarrasses me in public, but in our own way, we're perfect for each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The longer we're together, the deeper our love grows. Nothing is better than being able to spend every day with your best friend.

Another thing I am thankful for is my wonderful, ever-growing family. Just this past weekend, my brother-in-law got married to a sweet girl who will be a great addition to the family, and my sister-in-law started planning her wedding for next May. I am also super excited to be going home to visit my side of the family over Christmas. I got a little homesick for Nashville on Thanksgiving, and I wasn't able to be there for Christmas last year. It's time to come home.

This brings me to my last point of gratitude - my new home here in Minnesota. "Home" has taken on a new meaning for me since moving away from Nashville last September. I was born there and spent my entire existence in the same house (with the exception of college dorms/apartments) up until my wedding day. I remember how weird it felt that night before - knowing that as soon as I came back from my honeymoon, that room, that bed, and that house would no longer be mine. It would be my parents' home, and even though I would love coming to visit, I would never see it the same way again. Connecticut never felt like home. It was beautiful, and we made some wonderful memories there starting out our marriage, but it was also very lonely. I cried a lot in the beginning, not because I was homesick but because I felt homeless. When we came here to visit in January, I immediately felt what I had been waiting to feel for months in Connecticut - that sense of comfort and belonging. I knew this was where I wanted to live, that this is where my home would really be. Thankfully, God worked it out (in some amazing ways - see my very first post for details), and we were able to move here and finally start a home together. And you know what? I really do love it here (to the shock of my Southern friends and family). I love the snow, the evergreen trees, the outdoor hockey rinks, the corn fields, the Twin Cities, the sports teams (even though most of them suck) and the accents. And I love my little townhouse that I've been decorating with homemade crafts, thrift store finds and IKEA awesomeness. Now that we have our Christmas decorations up, I love it even more. I look forward to buying a nice house someday with Mr. G, but for now, this is perfect. I feel very blessed to call Minnesota my home.

And now for the food! Many thanks to my mother and Mr. G's mother for all the turkey tips. :) I struggled a little at first (my turkey was still frozen on the inside, so my fingers kept going numb trying to find the giblets), but once it was prepared, cooking it was super easy!

Here's my Thanksgiving turkey how-to:

1.  I started by washing and dry patting my turkey, including rinsing out the inside. 

2.  Take out the neck from the top (it's impossible to miss) and the bag of giblets from the bottom. Rinse again. Your turkey should be empty now, like the picture above shows.

3.  Cook for 4 hours at 325 for a 14-lb turkey. See the directions in the package for other sizes. I covered it with foil even though it said not to, because it keeps the turkey from drying out. Keep in mind that if you do this, it usually takes longer to cook than the directions say (mine said 3 - 3 1/2 hours). To make gravy, add a cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan (again, even though it says not to) and then boil it afterward with flour/corn starch and salt. It's seriously the best gravy I've ever tasted...

 

4.  To check if the turkey is done, stick a fork in the leg and see what comes out - if the juice is clear, the turkey's done; if the juice is pink, it's not done. Then carve and serve! Here's how mine came out - I would show you the whole turkey, but Mr. G decided to pull all the skin off of it first, so it turned out looking like something from a horror movie. It still tasted amazing, but if you want a more "picturesque" bird, leave the skin on for photos.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Feel free to share any family recipes as well as any Christmas crafts you've made. I have a few planned for the weekend... Inspired by Pinterest, of course. ;)

Also, I would love to hear your comments on what "home" means for you. Here's a blog entry that really resonated with me about celebrating the holidays and creating traditions, no matter where you are or who you're with. It makes me even more fuzzy inside that she has a child with special needs, something that has always been close to my heart.

Happy Holidays!

<3 Mrs. G

State Fair & First Anniversary :)

Hello all!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and as happy a Monday as is possible...

I had a very relaxing weekend. Mr. G and I went out to his family's house on Saturday and to a church picnic yesterday, and that about wraps it up. On Thursday, though, we did something Mr. G has been looking forward to for a LONG time - we went to the Minnesota State Fair! Our "Great Minnesota Get-Together" is the third largest fair in the nation and the first in terms of average daily attendance. And the food? Amazing. Here's what Mr. G and I ate (however embarrassing to admit):

Australian Battered Potatoes

Chocolate Covered Bacon

Mini Donuts

Cheese Curds - my favorite :)

Chocolate Malts

Unfortunately I have no new recipes to share with you this week, but I did cook more lemon salmon tonight, and it was delicious!

In other news, Mr. G and I will be traveling down to Nashville this weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. :) We'll be staying at the beautiful Opryland Hotel on our anniversary night and eating dinner at a steakhouse in the hotel. The rest of the time we'll be staying with my parents and hanging out with friends. I can't wait!

Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend!

<3 Mrs. G

State Shutdown & Wedding Season

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all surviving your post-4th week - if you're not still celebrating, that is. I've noticed traffic has been significantly lighter the last couple of days, which I've attributed to typical post-holiday vacation, but I suppose it could also be because thousands of government workers are without a job. If you haven't heard, the Minnesota government shut down early Friday morning of last week due to budget disagreements - a.k.a. Governor Dayton's obstinance, as some see it. As a result, all state parks and rest stops are closed (imagine how that went over on the 4th), over 20,000 people are laid off (the most in state history), and it is costing the government millions of dollars every day they stay closed as well as continuing to slow down the economy (which will only lead to more budget disagreements, I'm sure). Gotta love the irony of a government shutdown right before Independence Day... So much for patriotism, but I'm sure the anarchists partied extra hard over the weekend - and probably did so illegally in the state parks. C'est la vie.

One thing that hasn't been affected by state shutdowns (or anything for that matter) is an annual event that provokes both excitement and dread among people nationwide - wedding season. It runs from May to October but is heaviest in June and July. Anyone with a Facebook has undoubtedly already witnessed wedding season in full swing as friends/acquaintances/randos make their relationships "Facebook official" right after popping the question / getting hitched as well as post incessant status updates about invitations, dress shopping, family drama, an up-to-the-minute guest count, and of course, the solicitation of RSVPs.

I can't pretend to have been immune to bridezilla syndrome. The symptoms are high stress levels, uncharacteristically excessive social media usage, mild panic attacks, and occasional outbursts on innocent bystanders (often the groom). I attempted to suppress my crazy by intentionally limiting my tweets and Facebook posts, keeping a wedding blog for those who cared to know all the details (as well as for myself), and talking everything through with poor Mr. G. One thing that's cool about being a bride is the support group - you become reacquainted with old friends and classmates who are also getting married and provide one another with encouragement and advice; plus they are people who don't mind sharing in your excitement since they feel it, too.

My first anniversary is actually coming up in September (yay!), so Mr. G and I have decided to take a trip down to Nashville over Labor Day weekend - we booked our flights tonight since they were the cheapest we've seen in over a month. I'm so excited! I haven't been home since January. We plan to stay at a nice hotel on our anniversary night (September 4th), but the rest of the time we'll stay with my parents. The best news is that my cake topper is still in my parents' freezer (thanks to our nomadic lifestyle), so Mr. G and I will actually get to eat our wedding cake on our anniversary! I'm sure it will taste terrible, but it's the thought that counts...

For all those getting engaged/married this summer - Congrats! I hope you enjoy every moment, I wish you all the blessings in the world, and I look forward to creeping on your wedding photos when you post them on Facebook. ;)

Feel free to comment with any funny/crazy bridezilla moments you've seen (or experienced firsthand) as well as opinions about the MN government fail.

<3 Mrs. G

Wish You Were Here!

Hi everyone,

I have really come to appreciate my new home, so in honor of that, I've decided to share with you what I've discovered to be great about the North Star State.

25 Reasons Why Minnesota is Awesome:

1. The accents.
2. We border another country.
3. We have moose. Do you have moose?
4. This is the land of 10,000 lakes.
5. Boundary Waters.
6. Twin Cities = double the fun.
7. We have all 4 seasons.
8. We get LOTS of snow.
9. Some cities have subways. We have skyways! 
10. No rednecks.
11. No guidos, either.
12. We are home to 21 Fortune 500 companies.
13. You can see the Northern Lights here.
14. Rhubarb! (See my post on it here)
15. Hockey.
16. Funny city/street/building names (ie: Ytterboe Hall at St. Olaf College - Mr. G's alma mater!) 
17. We have 68 state parks.
18. We are the most active state in the country.
19. Home to my favorite band - Owl City!
20. The people are very friendly - "Minnesota nice."
21. Viking ancestry. Enough said.
22. We have the Mall of America (and some of us work there).
23. Walleye.
24. Not the sports teams...
25. We may not have royalty, but we've got something better: The Kinetic King.

So, in short, you should come visit. :)

In other news, Mr. G and I had our first two games on Tuesday as part of our beach volleyball league, and I am happy to report that Team Adequate is turning out to be much more than adequate - we won both games and 5/6 sets! Yours truly didn't do so bad, either. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come... And based on what I saw from most of the other teams, I think that's not impossible; apparently "intermediate" encompasses a broad spectrum of talent. I'm mainly concerned about facing the team Mr. G has dubbed "Team Fit 'n' Tan" - you can probably guess why. But hey, we're already overachieving based on our namesake, so the worse that could happen is that we actually turn out to be, well, adequate. And I can live with that.

Also, speaking of tans, I laid out today in the beautiful weather and ended up getting one of the worst sunburns of my life. Based on the intensity and splotchiness of said sunburn - combined with the quantity of my freckles - I'm only a hair color away from achieving ginger status.

Last bit of news for today: I got an internship! I am officially a summer event intern for the MN chapter of the American Diabetes Association. :) I can't wait to get started!

Hopefully you all are enjoying your summers as well (and wearing SPF)! Feel free to share any funny sunburn stories.

<3 Mrs. G

Hello, Minne-snow-ta!

Hey guys!

Back by "popular demand" (ie: family, friends, and mom's co-workers), I have decided on a new venture of internet ramblings inspired by my very recent move to the arctic tundra (ie: Minnesota). For those of you who followed my previous blog, New England Newlywed, please forgive me for the lack of posts... I realized a little too late that devoting a blog entirely to cooking was not only too one-dimensional for me, but also pretty boring. I can assure you, though, that I still love cooking as well as trying new recipes, and some of that will definitely make its way into this blog. But seeing as recipe writing is laborious and generally unexciting, I think I can safely say that this is not Julie & Julia.

So, to catch you all up on the lives of Mr. and Mrs. G, here is a brief recap of the past 6 months:

Connecticut is lame, so we moved.

Now that you're all caught up, let me tell you a little about why and how we came to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. For those of you who don't know, Minnesota is Mr. G's homeland. And if you know him, you know that he thinks Minnesota is God's gift to the world, and he has been ready to move back as soon as he left a year and a half ago. I am from Nashville originally, but I visited Mr. G often in MN when he lived here, and while I didn't quite think it was heaven on earth, I did really like the place. I knew we would probably come to live here eventually since he felt so strongly about it, but I never though it would happen only 6 months after I moved to CT. But while I was here in January, I realized I didn't want to go back home, and I felt a sudden and strong desire to live here. It was as if God knocked me over the head, and I knew I could make the decision to change our lives and make my husband the happiest man in the world. At that point, I realized what I had to do - admit to Mr. G that he was right. He predicted I wouldn't like CT, and I stubbornly tried to, but I just didn't. It never felt like home.

Mrs. G's mom suggested that we write down all the things that God did to make it possible for us to move, so that's exactly what I'm going to do, and then some. I've made 3 lists - everything that went right, everything that went wrong, and an intro to Minnesota culture. Let's start with the good stuff.

Everything that went right:

• The renters living in Mr. G's house (which he owned previously) decided to move out right as we started discussing the possibility of moving. They left about a month ago, and now we are living in our first house. :)
• Mr. G's company allowed him to keep his job and work from home in MN, so we didn't have to worry about both of us finding work out here.
• In addition, they gave him a major promotion AND a raise... Crazy, right?? Especially in this economy! We needed the extra money for the move as well as to cover expenses while I search for a job, so that was a completely unexpected but very helpful blessing.
• I got more interviews before even moving to MN than I ever got while living in CT. I've had 2 so far, and I have 2 more lined up.
• Our car insurance is less than half the cost out here, and our expenses as a whole are reduced significantly.
• We got a very large tax return that we used to help fund the move as well as buy our dream couch. :)

Everything that went wrong:

• When we started moving into the house, we realized that the renters didn't leave it in as good of shape as we had anticipated. In addition, I realized that there was more work to be done than I had planned for.
• We were supposed to pick up our couch the day we moved in; we planned it that way because we had the moving truck and thus wouldn't have to pay to have it delivered. However, when Mr. G called the store, they said someone broke ours and that we would have to wait a week for the replacement to come in. They never called to tell us, so of course we didn't bring our couch from CT. We have been sitting on the air mattress in the living room.
• Comcast installed a faulty cable box, so we returned it for a new one. That one didn't work either. So for a couple days we had no TV to watch from the air mattress.
• We also haven't had wireless internet since our router hasn't come in yet. This means that we are going over on our data plans this month because I've been using 3G on my phone to keep from going stir crazy, and Mr. G's brother used his phone to play games the entire drive out here.
• Our precious dog, Molly, was perfect the whole road trip, but as soon as she got here, she started acting CRAZY. She has always been a mild-mannered, well-behaved dog, but this move has messed with her head. She now humps anything and everything, and she even got a little aggressive with a friend's dog. I swear she has gender confusion.
• Our friend's dog (Kenzie) also has a ton of energy, which she harnessed to run full-speed at our screen door leading to the porch. We now have a lovely Kenzie-shaped hole there. In return, Molly decided she would scratch up their screen door, so I guess we're even now.
• We locked ourselves out our second night in the house. We had replaced the lock on the door, but I didn't realize you could open it while it was still locked... Oops. Thankfully, Mr. G is skilled at breaking and entering...
• We got an inch of snow already. :( Hopefully the weather will improve soon!

Minnesota Culture 101:

• There is nothing better than a Minnesota accent. It's a hilarious blend of Norwegian and Canadian with long o's and flat a's. Plus, there are the awesome colloquialisms: "ohhh man," "you betcha!" and my personal favorite: "uff da."
• Since pretty much everyone out here is of Scandinavian origin, they are pretty much all blonde and fair-skinned. This is the opposite of Connecticut, where Mr. G and I were lonely Anglo-Saxons in a sea of Italians.
• There are also quite a few large families out here, especially in the rural areas. Mr. G actually hails from a family of 9 including his parents. A neighboring family is somewhere in the teens.
• Homeschooling is more common here, or at least more than I've seen. Mr. G was homeschooled for most of his education, as were all his siblings. Most of his friends were homeschooled, too. I never knew a single person growing up who was homeschooled. But then again, maybe that's because I met everyone at school...
• Much like the South, people tend to marry young out here. I've also seen a lot of short engagements, which is interesting to me. Although mine wasn't exactly long, but that was mostly due to Mr. G's urging!
• Last but not least, all the women out here are pregnant. Seriously. There must be something in the water.
• These are all very large generalizations, of course, but are all based on my observations as an "outsider," though I guess I'm one of them now! I've been polishing my accent...

Well, I think that just about sums it up for now. You can anticipate forthcoming posts about decor, crafts, and job hunting, all of which consume my life right now. Plus maybe a few recipes from CT that I was particularly proud of. :)

Goodnight!

<3 Mrs. G