You say "Goodbye" and I say "Hello."

The day finally came that we packed up our essentials to begin our new lives in Pennsylvania. We made so many great memories in our home in Minneapolis. It is amazing how attached I became to it as we began the process of moving. This blog is a testament to our love of Minneapolis and how it will always be an important part of our lives and our relationship. We got engaged, bought our first house, got married and expanded our family with Cider all in Minnesota. We met a lot of wonderful people and I reconnected with some very good friends from college. We saw so many things that we would never had seen if we were still in Ohio. It has been a wonderful adventure.

Just a note: the weather was not bright and sunny as in the picture of our home. We took this family picture back in the summer. 

The weather was cold, cold and cold. Cider enjoyed her last walk on the parkway. I can't say I am going to miss walking her in the snow and ridiculously cold temperatures.

And so a new adventure begins . . . 

Bullseye!

One of our last stops on our Farewell MN Tour was to visit our local gun range to try my hand at shooting a gun. I had never shot a gun before and was a bit nervous. At first, I held the gun and put it down softly and stepped back. You have to respect the gun. 

Alex took his turn shooting a few rounds and then I tried again. This time I shot my first gun. Wow! It wasn't anything like I thought it would be. I actually had pretty good aim and got closest to the bullseye. Pretty good for a first time.

Merry Christmas!

With our days numbered in Minneapolis and a long trip ahead of us, we decided to spend our Christmas in Minneapolis. I am glad we did. It was low key and simple. 

We chose to make reservations at one of our favorite restaurants downtown, Manny's, for dinner. We hadn't officially celebrated Alex's new job and my resigning from Aveda, so we thought we would do so over a delicious steak dinner.

Although, we had little room left in our bellies, we took a deep breath and enjoyed a Bailey's Chocolate dessert anyway.

We finished the evening off by changing into our sweats and going out to the theater to watch Les Miserables. With our elastics we were able to make even more room for popcorn. We didn't need to eat for a few days after.

Baby, it's cold outside!

Another stop on our Farewell MN Tour, was a romantic carriage ride downtown Minneapolis. It could not have been colder out. It was a good excuse to cuddle up under the covers. 

It was very peaceful and the city line was beautiful lit up at night. It was a nice memory as our days became numbered in Minneapolis.

Thank you for the Memories Aveda!

The announcement of my leaving Aveda let alone moving to Pennsylvania shocked a lot of people, especially since my boss announced his leaving to another company a few days prior. My last couple of weeks at Aveda were crazy busy as I transitioned our work to the new team and tying up loose ends.

I had a lot of mixed feelings about leaving Aveda. Mostly because of the people. I will miss them the most. Despite a lot of personal differences, primarily in politics, they are all good people and we made a lot of great memories.

Alex and I went to a local Irish bar to celebrate my last day. Luckily they had my new favorite beverage to toast with, Magners (Bulmers) Irish Cider.

I look forward to new adventures in Pennsylvania as I begin to reflect on my experiences and dream about the future.

Do you believe in miracles?

As you can imagine, with the announcement of Alex's new position with The Hershey Company in PA, we organized our Farewell MN Tour. Visiting places we never got around to or doing things we should have done in the past 4 years of our MN residence. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute.

During the long weekend of Thanksgiving, Alex and I drove up to Eveleth, MN to visit the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Why would it be in Eveleth, MN? Well, according to the museum, Eveleth produced some of the top US Hockey players of all time.

Everything was very interesting to see. What caught my eye and what I thought was probably the neatest thing was the actual hockey puck that was in play when the US Hockey Team beat the Soviet Union in 1980 Olympics.

I believe this thing should have a case of its own so that it could be revered, much like the crown jewels. However, it was put in a case with a million other things which could easily be overlooked.

Another sight to see in Eveleth is the World's Largest Hockey Stick and Puck. You Betcha!

Sweet!

Alex and I are in for some sweet adventures ahead. Alex accepted a position with The Hershey Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We are excited to be moving closer to home and to explore another part of the country together.