Blumhoefer Boys Band

This last weekend Ryan and I traveled to Fridley, MN to celebrate Easter with the Blumhoefer clan. It was at Todd (Ryan's older brother, but not eldest(Yes Scott, you would be the eldest)) and Kate's (Ryan's sister-in-law) house. They live in a quaint place just near the high school. This is nice especially because they are super sports fans. When football season comes around you can frequently find them attending high school games. All in all it was a great day and the sun was shining. The day started off with a great meal! (Kate I need your recipe for those potatoes. They were delicious!) Kate and Todd cooked. I think Kate did most of it, but I will give Todd credit as well! :)
After the meal, we made our way down to the basement where the entertainment started. Basically the Blumhoefer Boys entertained us with their mad Rockband skills. Ryan, also known as Jimmy Page, wooed us with his guitar. On vocals was Steve Perry, Todd. Finishing off the band was Ringo Starr, Scott, on the drums. Together Page, Perry, and Starr aced their performances. They eventually made their way to intermediate level. They are definitely on their way to a huge Rockband record deal! (Sorry Dennis I had to crop you from this picture, but I thought our audience could get an idea of the band members.)

Women and Men

There are many differences between men and women. Women like to shop and men would rather be sitting at a Twins game. The norm when Ryan and I go shopping is Ryan will go to a bar and have a beer, while of course I go shopping and hit all the fabulous stores.

However, Ryan and I have never been hard spenders. Every once in awhile we splurge on the checkbook, but on rare occasions. There have been two instances (and maybe more, but two that I can remember) where I HAD to spend money.

Instance Numero Uno: There is this cute little shop called Sisters Ugly in Northfield. It is a small boutique owned by a mother and daughter duo. I absolutely love, love, love the store. They have the trendiest, most comfortable clothes you can imagine. The best part about this store is that it is in the same building where Ryan works. Essentially I have to bypass Sisters Ugly to get to Ryan's office. Pretty amazing, I know. One Saturday afternoon while we were out-and-about Ryan had to drop some things off at his office. I thought oh this would be great because I would finally get a peak at the store (previously whenever we would go into the building, I would be a hurry).
We entered and I immediately went straight into the store and told Ryan I would wait here. As I was looking around intending to purchase nothing, Ryan took his time in the office. 5 minutes passed by, 10 minutes, 15 minutes and finally I gave in. I started trying on new SKINNY jeans (I had always wanted a pair, but never had the guts to try them on). Sure enough I loved them. They felt like I was naked and the best part about them is that I didn't even need to wear a belt! (Most jeans never fit me, so a belt is highly required). As Ryan was locking up his office, he noticed I was at the register purchasing something. We leave and Ryan was curious. After we arrived home and he wasn't driving anymore, I advised him that I just spent $136 on jeans. He almost flipped! He asked me where I would wear them and told me I better wear them all the time to get my moneys worth. Needless to say, he shouldn't have took so long in his office!

Instance Numero Dos: This afternoon a friend and I went to a craft open house. A lady in town creates centerpieces and wreaths for Christmas time, fall, and spring. Her work is amazing! She does this as a hobby and sells them at her open houses. When I entered her beautiful home, her work was spread throughout her home. There were so many pieces I didn't know where to start. She had Christmas decor, spring, fall, and winter. It was a woman's paradise. All I could think about while walking through her home was I have so many places I could put this, or that since we have a new home to fill! I know we have lots of wall space we need to fill. I did end up taking home this...

Ryan was working out at the time so I thought I could sneak in the house without him noticing. Unfortunately that was not the case. I assure you it is going to look fabulous in our new dream home!

Clearly, men and women have different ideas in life. Shopping is just one of them!

Dream House

After a weekend with the girls, I decided I should get on my high horse and blog once again. Alot has happened since last March. A wedding, Ryan passing the state bar exam and finding a job, moving to Northfield, me changing jobs, and the most recent dent in the checkbook, a house. We are super-duper pumped to move in 19 days (not that I am counting).
Now that we are homeowners, we do the usual daily drive-bys. Closing day cannot come soon enough. Usually as we drive by Ryan analyzes the lawn and every other detail about the home, while I envision what the curtains will look like inside. Yes, I have been doing all the womanly thinking...clipping decoration ideas from magazines, visiting stores like Pier One and Pottery Barn, shopping online for window decor, and deciding where all the furniture will be. Ryan of course has little say in decor ideas, but he is the more practical one. He mentions items like a lawn mower, rake, big broom, etc. There is never a day where it is not mentioned in the Blumhoefer family. The H word is all we can talk about these days!
Here is a preview of the house. There will be more to come!