1. Today marks the 12th anniversary of 9/11/2001 when our nation came under attack while we watched in horror as the Twin Towers in New York City crumbled to the ground. I think every American remembers vividly exactly where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the news – I was a high school student in Maryland when teachers rolled in the TV to show us what was happening a few states north of us. Even though it’s been 12 years already, I still can’t bear seeing images from that day without trying to hold back tears and getting that tight knot in my chest.

9.11.01. As we rebuild our lives and move on with our daily routines, we will never forget. Never.

(photo source)

(photo source )

Okay, now let’s talk about some light-hearted things….

2. Remember a few months back Lay’s had America vote for their favorite new potato chip flavor – Sriracha, cheesy garlic bread, and chicken and waffles? Well in case you didn’t hear, the cheesy garlic bread flavor won, and now Canada is asking their people to vote for a new favorite as well: creamy garlic Caesar, maple moose, grilled cheese, and perogy. I think it’d be a toss-up between the perogy and creamy garlic Caesar if I had to choose… which one do you think you’d like to try?

(photo source)

3. I’ve probably said this before, but FRIENDS is perhaps my favorite TV show ever, and I chuckled to myself when I saw this article. So many of them are so true!

• When I talk to my friends who I know also watches the series, we use phrases like “Oh. My. God!” and “Hey, how you doin’?”
• We’ve even done the Ross/Monica double fist-bump a few times.
• I can also recite certain parts of certain episodes word for word.
• Brian and I have called each other our “lobsters” before…
• …And we’ve definitely used “PIVOT!!!” a few times around the house moving furniture.
• And yes, I always clap four times right on cue during the opening theme song.

Does all that make me a nerd? Probably. But I’m sure you’ve figured that out already… if not, then I guess it’s too late to hide it now… #NerdForLife

4. My best friend on college got married this past weekend! Congratulations again Nicky and Matt – you guys are totally made for each other :)

5. It’s not even October yet, but stores are already pushing all the Halloween candies and decorations out on their shelves. On our latest shopping trip, I found these and just couldn’t resist….

They turned out to be pretty good – if you like candy corn. I can finally have a whole thing of Oreos to myself without having to fight Brian over it :)

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1. I found this in the bathroom the other day at work… not quite sure if someone “forgot” it there, or if someone was drinking it while on the toilet.

2. Brian and I made our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair last week. You can read about my experience here. As always, it was a lot of fun, and even though I didn’t get to eat everything on my list, I did discover a few new favorite.

3. Monday was Labor Day, and Labor Day is when summer unofficially “ends”. I always have mixed emotions around this time of year – I love summer, but I also love fall. Summer means longer days, hot sunny weather, slushies, smoothies, grilling, the smell of a campfire, going out for ice cream after dinner, rolling down the windows in the car, shorts, tank tops, flip flops…..

But with autumn comes jeans & hoodies, scarves, sweatpants, Crockpot meals, apple pies, fall scents, leaves turning colors, falling leaves, apple picking, cooler weather, the anticipation of Thanksgiving, and sleeping with the windows open. However, with the arrival of autumn also means that winter is just that much closer. As much as I love fall, I hate that it means snow and cold weather will be arriving in a few short months. I’m determined to go pumpkin picking and carve my very first pumpkin this year! I also have a list of things I want to make this fall too – apple butter and pumpkin desserts are just a few things on there.

4. School also started yesterday for a lot of kids – I had fun scrolling through my Facebook feed and seeing all the back-to-school pictures. Back from where I grew up, back-to-school pictures were unheard of. The first day back to school was never a big deal – maybe it’s because kids pretty much are studying and learning year round that the start of a school year seemed like “just another day”. Even though I’ve lived here for about 12 years now, it’s still fun to compare the different traditions and cultures between the two countries when it comes to education.

5. One of my best friends Nicky is getting married this weekend! Today we celebrated her bachelorette party by going to Stella’s Fish Cafe in the Uptown area. I had the Parmesan crusted halibut with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Lets just say the garlic mashed potatoes were my favorite part of the meal….

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