Imogen Heap and the Holidaze...AND a lil surprise for Reetsy!!

It's not everyday that I get to shamelessly self promote. HA! As if! xoxox - from me to me.

On Friday, Dec. 15, my blog was named Minnesota Blog of the Day by CityPages. Thanks CityPages! BOO YEAH!

Click here to view the announcement.

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So that was a perfect way to start Friday!! The best way to end it was checking into the Graves 601 with my boo for a complimentary visit thanks to a raffle I won at Iron Fork!






We checked in to the hotel, and couldn't have been more impressed with the accomodations and we loved our view. We stayed in a gorgeous king corner suite on the 12th floor. Quiet, private, sophisticated...this place had all the charm of Fred Rogers with the modernity of, well, a modern hotel. Thanks to a great staff who treated us like royalty. Thanks also to that front desk girl who commented on my crucial pink hat from Suzy. The getaway was divine! So was the breakfast in bed -mmmmmm Mango creme fraiche! Didn't bother to eat in the restaurant. I heard a rumor that chef Seth Bixby's last day at Cosmos (the restaurant at the Graves) was Dec. 14, so I didn't know who in the world would be cooking on the 15th.



We didn't stay long after we checked in because we had to head to the Imogen Heap show at First Ave.





So we literally had to walk across the street to get to the Imogen Heap show, which was amazing. She wore a black corset with a bouncy pink skirt, reminiscent of a square dancing skirt in terms of its flouncy-ness. Kid Beyond beat-boxed with her, and I was really impressed - he accompanied her, just as a drummer would. Her piano appeared to be made of plexiglass and stuffed with big flowers and sparkly lights. 3 laterns shaped like corsets hung from her keyboard rig. She wore feathers in her hair. The music was out of sight. I laughed, I sobbed like a 2-year-old, I danced, I stood absolutely still. It was an experience. Thank you, gerg, for the tickets. Great birthday gift!! Highlights: "Hide and Seek" played on the keytar, a french horn soloist, losing gerg and finding him again with big smiles.

For more images from the Graves and the Imogen Heap show, click here.

Listen and watch her perform my favorite song, "Hide and Seek" by clicking here. She makes the sound with a KEYTAR!

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Saturday night was very very at Mike and Sarah's for their annual holiday bash. First, we headed to the Town Talk with paula and john for some din din. I had the chopped salad with cured, smoked salmon. DELIGHTFUL! gerg ordered the risotto again. It's THAT good. It's prepared with a vegetable stock, squash, and pumpkin seed oil, and it tastes like heaven would taste this time of year. Thanks to paula and John for watching kota-dog while we kicked it downtown on Friday night!


After dinner, we headed to the party.








We brought banana bread that I whipped up. Secret ingredients: coconut, chopped peanuts, and chopped butterscotch chips. It was great to sip Tom and Jerry's and laugh a lot. Highlights: viewing Dre's episode of the Family Feud (she's the one in green), gerg learning how to roll his "Rs", and singing showtunes .

For more photos of the Holiday party at Mike and Sarah's place, click here.

Looking forward to David's bday party at Punk Rock bowling at Memory Lanes, wrapping holiday gifts - silver and gold!!, and a holiday party and Jana's house on Thursday. Also, we've got a new Greek restaurant on 27th Ave S in our neighborhood that we're excited to nibble on.