Weekend Recap

Every Tuesday I'll recap our weekend Minnesota adventures, experiences and joints visited. 

April 22-24

Friday.4.22.16 ~ quality time and yummy Lebanese dinner at friend's home in Cottage Grove.

Facts about Cottage Grove:

• founded in 1871
• on the north bank of the Mississippi River, south of St. Paul
• population of almost 35k people
• home to the Strawberry Fest yearly during the second week of June
• home to many historical homes
• the Canadian Pacific Railway passes through Cottage Grove and is usually a stop for the Christmas Train every December CPR Holiday Train
• home to our church: theAlley Church 
• {so I'll reference Cottage Grove (the CG) often as we are there every Sunday} theAlley Church

Saturday.4.23.16 ~ breakfast, (nap), dinner, dessert : wonderful friendships

• Breakfast at Ze's Diner in Woodbury with friends : GREAT friends, mediocre breakfast

• Dinner at D-Spot for a friend's birthday : GREAT friends; excellent wings. We recommend D-Spot in Oakdale. Check out their crazy menu. 

            Tips for the D-Spot:

• review the menu before arrival, maybe even write down your order
• have one person in line to order and then send someone in your group to grab a table, it's always busy, totally worth it
• order many kinds of wings to try and then share

• Dessert & Live Music ~ Cafe Latte in St. Paul
• Yummy desserts - we recommend the Dark Chocolate Tres Leches, Dark Chocolate Buttercream or Turtle Cake with a cup of coffee
• Really great live music!  Right now on Saturday nights is this cat name Reynaldo Moreno - check him out here
• Mr. Moreno plays from 7pm-10pm
• We go to Cafe Latte most Saturday nights: cake + coffee + St. Paul + live music = the good life in our city

  

Sunday.4.24.16 ~ church, (nap - yes, again, don't judge), The Orpheum 

• Church at theAlley Church - current series is called Unmasked. 

• the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis
• I went to the Bethel Worship concert and it was held at the beautiful Orpheum Theatre
• the show was great, really beautiful time of worship
• the venue is one of my favorites in the Twin Cities, every seat has a good view of the stage

  

#becauseMinnesota

I've been thinking about this blog for a few years - every time we go to one of our fave Minnesota bars, restaurants, theatres and when something occurs that, I think, is specific to the wonderful ways of The M-N (read: the M N) and the great residents of this fine state.

I think the Twin Cities is a well-kept secret and as our beloved Purple One said "the cold keeps the bad out". We have fine food, craft beer, the live music scene is on point, comedians love us (as in we are smart and get them) and we have The Great Outdoors = incomparable! And that is the short list. 

We have a few pro teams - this can be a tricky area, so I'll tread lightly : GO WILD!

...and the Great Minnesota Get-Together: The Minnesota State Fair! Seriously, this place is amazing. 

I think Minnesota has a sweet ego. When something good or bad in the world happens we always have to find the Minnesota connection (maybe this is true for other areas, too, I kind of don't care because we are in The M-N therefore I have a bit of that ego too). With the passing of Prince all (many/most) Minnesotans are all feeling this loss. Hometown boy, huge success and he still chose to live here. Prince got it. 

A moment of silence, please: 

I also have much to say about "Minnesota Nice". Are we actually nice? hmmm...more on that later.

OH! And that accent from the movie Fargo - we DO NOT DO THAT.  I definitely say "boat" in a way I used to wish I didn't...but I've learned to own it and be proud of that long "O". My Southern cousins LOVE this...or is that mocking, I'm sure it's love. 

So - what's the point of this blog? To show proper love and respect for this great state and all it has to offer. Is it perfect? um, no - have you been here during the winter? Is it wonderful = yes. Oh definitely, yes. 

But I suggest we really take time to LIVE in the state we reside. Explore your state, city, community. It has so much to offer, yes - all year round. 

I'll be posting some of our (my husband Nate and me = The Phillips) weekend adventures, funny things we hear or say, maybe an occasional hotdish recipe and recommendations for you to check out. 

You'll find frequent posts on the Iggy (Instagram) with the hashtag #becauseMinnesota

We want to see your Minnesota adventures, too!