What I didn’t know about triathlons: basically everything.  Well, no, that’s not entirely true.  I knew I needed caffeine to be functional that early in the morning.

Clingy was on board.

I also assumed that anyone who would voluntarily participate in such an event — PAY ACTUAL MONEY (versus be paid) — had to be a little bit crazy.  So far, I have observed no evidence to the contrary.  But I don’t know.  I figured triathlons were strictly for, like, super ridiculously fit athletes who put my handful of hours a week at the gym to shame.  And sure, there were plenty of those.  Olympians.  No joke.  But there were plenty of NOT those who participated, too.  Men and women old enough to be my grandparents.  A blind man.  Twelve-year-old kids.  A woman with one leg.  Truly all shapes and sizes, all levels of ability and experience.  It was kind of amazing to me.

Triathletes transition from the swim to bike portion.

I’m still not convinced I’m crazy enough to ever want to participate in a triathlon, but I can promise I will complain significantly less the next time I agree to cheer a friend on.  It was definitely an inspiring experience!

Until our next adventure,

Lindsey (Minneapolis)

Finished my headband holder! I might have the largest collection of headbands known to human kind. Or at least the most headbands belonging to an individual in Colorado. Either way it’s pretty impressive and my collection causes a bit of a storage dilemma. Using Clingy DIY week as inspiration, I solved my storage woes. You can do it too! All you need is paper towel rolls, shipping foam, hot glue, pins, duct tape and fabric. I’m loving the look and it’s amazing to see all of my head-wear every morning in rainbow order! A Clingy Girl gots to look good.

-Shayna, Clingy Girl Boulder

Clingy and I (and a bunch of friends) spent the better part of our Saturday this past weekend at Rock the Garden.  Rock the Garden is MY. FAVORITE. THING. EVER.  Seriously.  I love it so much that I find it difficult to write coherently about it.  But!  That’s what pictures are for!

Pre-show, Clingy and I decided to explore the Sculpture Gardens and we took THE quintessential Twin Cities photo of the Spoonbridge and Cherry with the Minneapolis skyline in the background:

When the gates finally opened, we hustled up the hill to our usual viewing spot (four years running, baby!) and got comfortable:

Unfortunately, the weather was a little spotty, so Clingy was stowed safely in my waterproof purse for the majority of the show.

And what was the show, you ask.  Five bands — Howler, tUnE-yArDs, Doomtree, Trampled by Turtles, and The Hold Steady — performing on the grounds of the Walker Art Center in a single afternoon/evening, making for one truly amazeballs event.  Lots of local ties this year and that’s how we like it!  Here’s a shot of the crowd that had assembled to watch Trampled by Turtles:

And speaking of Trampled by Turtles, if you’re looking for a live-action take on the experience, check out this YouTube video of this year’s RtG, set to their song, “Alone”: http://youtu.be/qZY7CVKyxZw

It’s difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the crowd when you’re in it, so I ran down to the bottom of the hill near the stage to take this picture:

Approximately 10,000 music fans in the land of 10,000 lakes!  I’m sad that it’s over, but I can’t wait for our five-year anniversary next summer!

Until our next adventure,

Lindsey (Minneapolis)

A little over a year ago, my good friend and former college housemate met me at Izzy’s Ice Cream (http://izzysicecream.com/index.html), an ice cream shop run entirely on solar power whose delightful creations even Bobby Flay, despite his best efforts, couldn’t top.  We frequently do ice cream dates, but that time was special.  Mid bite of, no lies, the most delicious frozen treat in the entire world — their best-selling salted caramel flavor, in case you were wondering — she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.  Bless her heart, she knew ice cream would be the the perfect bribe!  How could I say no?!

Well, she’s officially a Mrs. now (quick shout out to Steph and Ron — congrats, you guys!), and the day after the wedding, I had to run an errand that placed me a mere four blocks from our favorite ice cream parlor.  Of course, I had to stop.

And this is what I got:

That’s right. The deluxe Izzabella cone: a homemade malted waffle cone with dark chocolate and almonds around the edge, a full scoop of salted caramel ice cream and an Izzy scoop (a baby scoop) of banana ice cream, topped with an Oblaten cookie, and finished with a fortune!  Needless to say, Clingy approved. 

And then there was my fortune:

Appropriate on so many levels.

Until our next adventure,

Lindsey (Minneapolis)

What is it about receiving packages?  I’d compare it to Christmas morning, but unless your parents were particularly bad Santas*, you didn’t already know what was in the box.   I knew.  I’d placed the order.  I’d been stalking the UPS website for days, tracking its movements and anticipating its arrival.  I’d been cursing myself for not realizing a three-day weekend was upon us, resulting in having to wait a whole. extra. day. for The Precious to arrive.  (Let me tell you, friends, patience is a virtue I’ve never possessed.)  But finally the moment arrived.  The knock on the door when I was, inevitably, engaged in an activity that prevented me from rushing forth to receive the item I’d been so eagerly awaiting.  Luckily, that tin of chocolate chip cookies I offered my UPS guy last Christmas paid off and he left the box on the welcome mat just outside my door and once I was decent – I had been changing into my gym clothes, for those playing along at home – I hurried to the door to retrieve my “this is why I have a part-time job” gift to myself.

What could it be?!

My very own Clingy!

Isn’t it beautiful?!

It has room for All The Things!  More than All The Things, in fact.  Looks like I need to apply for a few more credit cards!

Don’t forget to smell your Clingy!  Mmm.  Leather.

And so, a Clingy Girl was born.  Stay tuned for more Clingy Girl Adventures in the Twin Cities!

Lindsey (Minneapolis)

*And if they were, welcome to the club: “I’m not only the president, I’m also a client!”  The year Santa left a note in handwriting that was painfully similar to Mom’s letting us kids know that he was too lazy to bring our new bikes all the way out to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and, instead, they were back home, unwrapped and unassembled in the garage was pretty much when the magic ended.  Not that we didn’t continue to play along for the next five years for the sake of an extra present on Christmas morning, I’m just saying.

While most of my friends and family spent their three day weekend traveling, I stayed home and used the time off to relax. On Monday, I took Clingy to one of the most amazing spots in Richmond, Virginia- Belle Isle. 

Belle Isle is a small island located in Richmond on the James River, accessible via a very large suspension bridge

.

It consists of many mountain bike and running trails, along with what the locals tend to call “the rocks”.

The rocks are the place to lay out in the hot summer sun and enjoy the sounds of the water. Though it is not highly recommended to swim due to the rapids, many people bring tubes, rafts, kayaks, and canoes to float down the river in. Clingy and I had a great time reading a book and listening to music all while getting a great tan! 

If you ever find yourself in Richmond, stop by!

Xo, Jordan

Address: Tredgar St
Richmond, VA 23218
Want to find out more? Call: (804) 911-0997

This week I took Clingy to Chinatown and then North Beach. In North Beach, we stopped at Biordi and admired all the beautiful dishes. Here are some of our favorite patterns. They also had some small dishes with funny phrases in Italian like: “wine is the poetry of the earth”, “friends and wine should be old” and “my wife is always right”.

Next we headed to this small ristorante and had a delicious italian meal! yum yummmmm

Check back in for more next week!

Francke