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)

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)