Talking Volumes with Stephen King and Audrey Niffenegger.

Last night Justin and I went to a great event! We went to "Talking Volumes" put on by Minnesota Public Radio at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. MPR basically puts on a show with authors, talking about their new books. We were lucky enough to get to go to one of the biggest "Talking Volumes" ever. We got to see a rare dual "Talking Volumes" with Stephen King and Audrey Niffenegger. My brother is a HUGE Stephen King fan(you should see his book collection) and so he called me one day to see if I would go to this with the chance that there would be a book signing or something along those lines. I was excited for not only Stephen King, but Audrey Niffenegger who wrote, "The Time Travelers Wife." I also recently finished her new book, "Her Fearful Symmetry" and you just might hear what I thought about it in a later post. I made plans to get tickets to the event a few months ago, and it's a good thing since the show sold out in about 30 minutes. Stephen King was pretty much a superstar and everyone went nuts over him. He was so witty and personable and an all around treat to listen too. Audrey was a bit more dry humored and reserved but I can't imagine it is easy to "open" for King as she referred to it herself. They both read from their books, talked about their writing processes and characters and answered audience questions. It was fascinating to me, being such a lover of the written word, to hear two amazing author's talk about how they create and feel about their work.

Even though the "King" did not sign books( I am sure he would have been truly mobbed) Ms. Niffenegger did. I was excited to get my book personalized from her!

One of our favorite parts of the evening were the ooh's, ahh's and gasps from the audience when King would hint at future works or tell the future lives of past characters. It was pretty fun.

We had a great evening. It was fun to get out into the city and hear from some truly amazing people. I only wish that my brother could have been there. Stephen King is his idol and we both felt a little guilty having the opportunity to see him live instead of Jordan, but I did take some good notes for him!!!

Sorry the pictures aren't great. No flash in low light.

This is me and Audrey Niffenegger as she was singing my book.

And here is one for Jordan. I wanted to try and get a little video clip and I got one of him telling a great story about when his first novel, "Carrie" sold.

Happy Birthday Kaden!

Today is our nephew Kaden's FIRST Birthday!

This little man has brought so much joy into our lives the past year!

It is so hard to live so far away and miss all of his first milestones, but we were lucky enough to get to see him a lot this summer, and we will see him at Christmas.

He is the happiest baby I have ever met! He is always smiling at you and is so friendly. He is also cruiser! He has already been walking for almost 2 months!

Being the only Rasmussen grandchild(and the only Murnin one as well), this boy gets a LOT of love. But how could he not? He is the cutest little guy ever!

Here are some photo's of us all getting a little "Kaden love" over the past year.

We were sad that we could not be at his party, but we skyped with him so we could tell him Happy Birthday and see him running around and playing with his new toys.

And this I stole off my brothers blog because I think it is just too cute!

Happy Birthday Kaden.

We love you to pieces!

The Better Burger & Soup Du Jour

This post is actually two posts in one. They are both food related.

The Better Burger

Don't judge us. We like to occasionally hit up a fast food joint and indulge off the dollar menu. As of late we have enjoyed the Dollar McDouble. Its a double cheeseburger for a dollar people! The other night as we were driving to our local Mickey D's we were discussing the recent ad campaign of the new dollar double cheeseburger at Burger King. They have been marketing it as a bigger and better burger than the McDonald's version. It just so happens that our BK is right next door to our McD's so we decided to put their claim to the test.

Our first observation was that indeed the BK burger was a bigger burger. It was also on a sesame seed bun as opposed to the plain bun of McDonald's. I was surprised at how different the burgers tasted. They were very unique to their establishments. The Burger King burger has thicker patties that have that char-broiled taste. The McDonald's burger tasted like a McDonald's burger so.... pretty much awesome. In the end Justin liked the BK burger a little better and I liked the McDonald's burger better. They are both tasty but given the choice I would take the McDonald's any day. But we could not just leave it at that. There is another popular eating establishment who also has a double cheese burger on their dollar menu. They are known as Wendy's. Did we try this burger and compare it to the others? You bet we did. And after comparing the three, we are still set on our first choices. Sorry Wendy.

And please no comments about what we are putting into our bodies, because we already know!

Heaven.

Soup Du Jour

One time we were at a a restaurant in Logan called Hamilton's, and on a whim I ordered the french onion soup, even though I hate onions with a passion. It was heavenly and I have been craving it ever since. I will just say that I don't hate the flavor of onions, I enjoy it. It is totally a textural thing. I despise eating onions unless their texture has been fully compromised. In a good french onion soup they are cooked so long, and are so caramelized that they lose that "crunch" that I hate. Anyway, a few Sunday's ago I decided to bust out my culinary skills and make homemade french onion soup. It took some work, was fairly pricey, and from start to finish it took about 5 hours, but it was so good and so worth it. I was so proud of how it turned out for being my first time!

And of course we couldn't end our meal without a decadent desert to compliment our french onion soup. What better then creme brulee, which I had also never made. It was very easy and inexpensive and also turned out great!

It was a great French meal!

You know what they say, "When in France".

Or is it Rome?

Wednesday's Read

I know it has been forever since I have posted a "Wednesday's Read" and I apologize. I have read some great books as of late that I am excited to share with you. But first, let me begin with a story.

About five years ago I had just finished reading a book and I loved it. I knew that I needed to share it with my mom. I called her up and said, "Mom I just finished an amazing book and I need you to read it so we can talk about it." She said, " Funny, I just finished a great book in my book club and I was going to tell you to read it." I said, "What was it called"? She said, "Life of Pi". I then proceeded to say that that was the exact book that I was going to tell her to read. We had read it within days of each other. And that is how it works between my mother and I. We love a lot of the same books and have similar taste when it comes to what we read(and similar taste in almost everything else too). We are also both avid readers, and have a true love and appreciation for a good book.

And that brings me to today's bookS. Yes plural on the books! My mom and I are always trading reading suggestions so that we can chat about books, and that is how my mom came up with a great idea. My parents live in Washington DC and sometimes my mom substitutes for the schools in Virginia. She happened to be working in a middle school on the day that they were introducing this years "Virginia Readers" books to the kids. She heard a brief summery of all the books and thought they sounded really fun. We also both really enjoy YA books! So we decided that together we are going to read all the books on the list. So far she has read 4 and I am just starting the 4th. I have been loving it so far. It has also been fun to talk about the books as we are reading them. Every year the Virginia Readers Association puts out a list for primary, elementary, middle, and high school aged kids. Then the students are awarded depending on how many of the books they read. It reminds me of the Pizza Hut sponsored "Book It" program. Do you guys remember that? Anyway, every year the kids also choose a winner out of all the books. We think that when we are done with this years list, we might go back and read some of the past winners. They have them all the way back to 1982!

Okay, enough rambling, lets get on to the books!

The first book we read from the list is, "The Black Book of Secrets," by F.E. Higgins. I was hooked just from the title and cover of this book.

The black book of secrets is the story of a pawnbroker, told by his apprentice. But he is no ordinary pawnbroker you see, you go to him to pawn your secrets. They are all recorded in a mysterious black book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little dark(which I totally dig), mysterious, quirky, and even a little whimsical. It was received very well by both my mother and I.

The next book we read is, "First Light," by Rebecca Stead.

Unlike the first book, I was not super excited for this one based on the title, cover, or synopsis. It is the story of a boy named Peter, whose father is a scientist, who goes with his family on an expedition to greenland and discovers "something" in the icy frontier. It is also the story of Thea, who lives with her family in Greenland.

Let me tell you, mom and I were both pleasantly surprised and pleased with this book. It is very interesting and I was hooked and fascinated as I read it. I thought it was a great book!

The next book we read is, "Book of a Thousand Days," by Shannon Hale. Oh how we loved this book! I adored it!

Shannon Hale has done it again! This book is the story of a handmaid named Datshi who is locked in a tower for seven years with her lady Saren. It is written by Datshi and is a journal of sorts. Just like another favorite of mine, "Goose Girl", it is also loosely based on a Grimm's fairytale. So far I think this has been my favorite. I guess deep down I will always be a little girl who loves her fairy tales.

I would recommend any of the books so far to anyone out there. I think that Young Adult fiction is perfect for all ages. We have been having fun reading and discussing so far, and if you would like to join us, here is the list. From the link if you click where it says, "Middle School," you will find the list of books we are reading.

Stay tuned to hear how the others turn out!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year. On Friday we went to the Annual MHA Halloween party. We dressed up as a retired couple from Florida, out for our morning walk around the mall.

He is going to be so sexy as an old man!

I had these pictures of my "grandkids" in my fanny pack, and I would take them out and show everybody how lovely they are.

This is my real hair. No wigs for me!

What is Halloween without a party collage?

On Halloween(saturday) we had a nice afternoon at home, and then we passed out some candy to trick or treaters. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the door one time to find about 5 boys around the age of 10. All of them were dressed as army men except one, who was dressed in Middle Eastern attire. I think he was a terrorist captured. They got skittles for sure!

After the trick or treaters came and depleted the candy supply I was hoping to eat all this week, we went out to dinner with some friends. We went to Matt's Bar for some Juicy Lucy's. For those of you who are in the dark about this heavenly fare, let me enlighten you.

Juicy Lucy's are a burger stuffed with oozing, melting, bubbling cheesy goodness in the middle.

We love them!

We hope you all had a great Halloween!

Now where's my walker?

Beautiful Nauvoo

Justin and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Nauvoo, IL over the weekend. Nauvoo is a remarkable place. I felt the spirit the minute we pulled into the city. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life, and I can't imagine how the saints felt having to leave this place to head into the unknown, barren land. It was pretty chilly and rainy for 2 of the three days we were there, but the rain did nothing to dampen the spirit and vibrant fall colors that took your breath away. It was a pretty slow time of year and were were fortunate to have the city almost to ourselves. We would sometimes go an hour or so without seeing another person, and most of the time it was just us and the missionary couples that serve there. Words can't express the gratitude that I have for those faithful saints that left their home in beautiful Nauvoo, and suffered innumerable trials and hardships so they could practice their religion without persecution, and paved the way for people like me. It was a beautiful, humbling, informative, inspiring, peaceful, fun, and Testimony building trip and I am so grateful that we were able to go.

Here is a sampling of the pictures that we took.

(Click on the collage to make it bigger)

I still can't get over the beauty of Nauvoo. The fall colors at this time of year were unreal.

We did a session in the Temple on Friday morning. The Temple is so beautiful, and being able to do a session on our trip was wonderful.

The Joseph Smith home, graves, and other properties owned by the Community of Christ church.

Here are a few pictures of the homes of the saints and the shops and buildings that you can visit. I loved the individual stories of the people who lived and worked here, and ultimately left it behind to follow the Prophet. The spirit was so strong in every single home!

Carthage Jail.

The Monument to Women at the visitors center.

Dear Twins- I am raising my (HHH Metrodrome commemorative) glass to you! I love you and I have a big favor to ask. Please Please Please win the game tonight! We have tickets for Monday and we really want to use them! Thanks.

P.S. Please disregard my messy scrapbook table in the background.

Conference

This is what Conference looks like at our house today.

Fresh smoothies made by Justin

breakfast cake made by Jess

and Conference on our lovely Mac.

not to mention we are still in our p.j's

It's a good day.

MHA Fishing Trip 09

This was our second year at the annual MHA fishing trip. We had a blast as always! The weekend was full of beach volleyball, lawn games, cheese curds at the "Wagon Wheel", bonfires, smores, socializing, people being wasted, entertainment from said wasted ones, golfing, eating, card games, watching football, mosquito bites, major humidity, frizzy hair thanks to said humidity, water kickball, and lots of laughing! We can't wait to go back next year!

Our Cabin

Awesome game of water kickball

with an awesome kick by Rob

P.S

Today is my brother Jordan's 26th Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jord!

A road trip, a Fair, and First day.

So here is the promised post! I am going to try and catch up on some of the stuff we have been up to since moving back to Minnesota. I am going to try and do this in chronological order.

The Drive Back

On the dive back from Utah this summer we stopped again at Mt. Rushmore. I really love Mt. Rushmore and even though some people think it is smaller in person, I still find it so impressive!

One of my favorite parts of our road trip home was catching an amazing double palindrome on the odometer! I was so excited! I kinda have a thing for palindromes, it's a weird obsession of mine.

Another highlight was when we stopped at the Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. I am such a sucker for off the highway tourist traps, and Justin is such a sport and takes me to them! I mean when you are driving across South Dakota you HAVE to stop at the "World's ONLY Corn Palace" right?

And here is our packed little car. It was stuffed to the brim, with a bike on the roof. Justin is such a champ to drive across the midwest not being able to see a dang thing out the back window. We are again so thankful for free podcasts. "Stuff you should know", and "The Onion radio news" saved our sanity.

The Minnesota State Fair

The fair is a big deal here. Everyone goes....seriously. And when the fair is going on, everyone talks about it. So once again we HAD to go. I will let the pictures tell our "Fair"y tale.

Deep Fried Oreo's

First Day Of School

Justin started his second year of school out here, only one more to go after this. This year he is pretty much a full time MBA student. This is his second to last first day of school picture EVER, so of course I had to document. Thanks for posing for yet another picture honey. You are a great sport and I love you! I am so proud of what a good student you are!

That is it for tonight!

I still have a lot more to post so check back!