Minneapolis is quickly becoming one of my favorite places. Rob living there has a lot to do with it, sure, but the place is just cool. As I sat in the airport waiting for the last leg of my travels, I had a thought that I've never had before:

I'm so glad he took this job, because otherwise we would have missed out.

Remember that bright side I was talking about a couple of weeks ago? I've jumped on it with both feet.

I whipped out my camera on our walk to brunch at Edina Grill on Saturday to find that my battery had died and I hadn't packed the charger. After a Bloody Mary (mine) and a mimosa (his) paired with a delicious meal of English muffin-less Eggs Benedict (mine) and a ham and cheese egg scramble (his), we headed to the Mall of America, where I got a new charger, but I still didn't take enough photos after I got my camera fired up.

Here are the highlights:

+ Best dinner ever happened at Chino Latino. 

(Get a Cucumber Cooler and please don't leave without having the spare ribs.)

+ Had an okay latte (Rob got a mocha) at Peace Coffee, but the shop itself and neighborhood are quaint and cozy and I'd go back again.

+ Walked by Moon Palace Books after coffee but didn't go in because of a sign that said "Puppet Show in Progress." This is Minneapolis, and it's awesome and hilarious at every turn.
+Took lots of naps, watched lots of our shows, slept in on Sunday.

(Some shots from my phone: 1 2 3 4)

How was your weekend?

Sometimes, I'll open a book when I feel lost. I always think that maybe whatever page I come to will give me something deep and insightful which will be exactly what I need to read at that moment. That doesn't really happen, though, because life is not always like a movie, and because you can't just sit around and wait for things to fall into your lap, and also because that's what the the Table of Contents is for.

So, as I skimmed the titles included in one of my favorite anthologies, I came across a piece by William Hazlitt called On Going a Journey*,and the title stood out to me because, while I may not always know the way, I do recently feel like I'm on some sort of journey.

"The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do, just as one pleases. We go a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind... It is because I want a little breathing-space to muse on indifferent matters, where Contemplation

'May plume her feathers and let grow her wings,

That in the various bustle of resort

Were all too ruffled, and sometimes impair'd,'

that I absent myself from the town for a while, without feeling at a loss the moment I am left by myself."

I feel as though I've been flailing lately. I'm sometimes neither fully here nor there, I am often sad, and I'm having so much trouble seeing the whole picture without getting worked up about the larger details.

But to look at this time of uncertainty, this journey--where my beloved dog grows old, and Rob and I manage to grow closer even though we are further away from each other than ever--as liberty, perfect liberty, and to use it as an opportunity to make my life exactly what I want it to be? That's something I hadn't yet thought of, and it's powerful.

"Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, and a winding road before me, and a three hours' march to dinner--and then to thinking!"

*On Going a Journey and a whole lot of other awesome essays can be found in Phillip Lopate's The Art of the Personal Essay, which is a huge collection that I am glad to own.

I'm excited to show you this custom piece that Kaitlyn of Purple Duck Handmade drew for me. She sent me the print in the mail last week and I can't wait to find the perfect frame for it. (Confession: I was totally inspired by Betsy's beautiful blog design before explaining to Kaitlyn what it was that I wanted.) She did it! It's simple and well-done and just beautiful. 

Thank you so much, Kaitlyn!