It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

I must mention the sheer joy Mike and I have in regards to remaining in our current neighborhood. We are moving only one mile eastward so to remain in the heart of Longfellow.

At some point, Longfellow neighborhood has become THE HOTSPOT for Macalester alum AND nearly all other comparably creative, hilarious, and good-to-the-bone folk. (For those of you reading this who, to your misfortune, do not live in the Longfellow neighborhood- it's not that I don't think you are also wonderful. Rather, this here is a battle cry to convince you to move into our neighborhood TOO!). I regularly claim that Mike and I were the first to start the diaspora from uptown to our convenient, more residential spot (but still close enough to stores like 612 Xclusive, thank god). Yet, it's likely that our two close friends who first bought homes in the area were the real trendsetters.

Last night's events offer a perfect portrait of the Longfellow spirit. Allow me to set the scene:

After over 18 inches of snow accumulation in less than a 24 hour period...

After 2 shoveling sessions...

After digging out 2 vehicles from one side of the street and then digging out spots to move them to on the other side of the street (gotta love Minneapolis snow emergencies)...

After countless hours spent indoors packing up our upper duplex and cleaning the awful grime off of kitchen appliances that spent much too long collecting oil grease on top of the fridge...

After throwing away countless appliances whose grease was all too much for us (Yes! No more George Foreman! Remember this is MOLLY posting...not Mike. He might have some other words about this choice if actually blogged once and a while. Yup, you HEARD me, Mike!)...

The neighborhood gang exchanged text messages from our warm little caves and decided it was high time to join forces at our local pub, Merlin's Rest. As a central location, all parties trudged through the snow to warm up over scotch, beer, fish and chips, Harvest stew, and sausages. The walk was lovely; Lake Street was quiet except for the occasional stuck vehicle (which my good Samaritan could not pass without a shove or two).

Merlin's was cozy as could be and everyone was just delighted as one friendly face appeared after another. Really, it was the kind of night that we all long for as we grow up. We crave community and friendship, and unfortunately, for many, this is just not feasible due to career or other choices.

Fair warning, this post is about to get super sappy. Proceed with caution! One of the things I love about Mike is his stability in terms of his friendships and relationships with his family. Our decision to buy a house in Longfellow was pretty much all Mike. He had a premonition that we would buy this house even before we went inside and considered where a music studio could go. Mike wanted to stay right where we are.

This quality is something I value in my marriage and life because, admittedly, I get wanderlust sometimes. Every so often, I am ready to close shop, buy a green trailer, move to Australia, and spend my days surfing with Mike and Rachel, leaving everything behind. However, Mike's ability to find and manifest loveliness and joy within our HOME and within a stable COMMUNITY reminds me that maybe I just need to rearrange the furniture.

So! Longfellow it is! I am looking forward to all the future gatherings that reiterate the warmth of camaraderie, the need for stable companionship and, not to be discounted, the beauty of a glass of scotch or a stout on a cold, snowy night.

Recap of Parent Weekends - Sept. and Oct.

The last weekend in September was spent in Cleveland Ohio visiting the McCarthy parents! It was a union of friends, family, and musicians! Orange Mighty Trio began their short fall tour in Cleveland with a gig at John Carroll University, an evening gig at Barking Spider (a very spiffy bar and music space in a converted carriage house), an impromptu show for the residents at Grandpa Len's assisted living home, and a house concert at the McCarthy's! With all this on the calendar, I couldn't resist making a quick trip to join in the fun.

Additional highlights of the weekend include a trip to West End Farmer's Market, a John Carroll football game, visiting with Grandpa Len and checking out boxes of his old photographs and letters, and running through the Shaker Heights neighborhoods! Here's a couple short vids:





The following weekend, back in Minneapolis, the Vasich parents made the trek to the cities! Saturday was apple picking, buying fall pumpkins and other goodies, walks through the woods, and dinner at Punch Pizza.




Sunday morning was an early one- I had the Medtronic 10 mile race at 7 am!


In good spirits thanks in part to a hot cup of coffee, Carol, Milt, and Mike came out to cheer and support me!




It ended up being perhaps my best race of the 2010 season- 8:08 pace average with a 1:21:09 finish. I couldn't have been happier. The morning was absolutely gorgeous- fog rising off of the Mississippi River and the sunlight beaming down on the runners as we cruised up Summit Ave. It was quite a treat to have the Vasich family out on the course! Mike is really quite an elite marathon fan, and now Carol and Milt know the ropes for future races!

Autumn Planning!

School starts this Monday morning! The annual opening day certainly throws me and Mike, headfirst, into autumn. Personally, I love this time of year. I've read again and again that many people consider labor day the new "New Year's Eve." I can buy that.


As Mike and I prepare ourselves (and our newlywed-ness) for all the professional, work-related events and goals, we have created a list (over beers at Longfellow Grill, of course) of things we'd love to do together as the trees are changing color.

Here's a glimpse:
Labor day weekend @ a lake (yay! thank you Alma and Peter!)
Long bike ride to Redwing for picnic lunch
Late summer camping trip (with Rachel!? It would be her first camping trip...)
Chili and cornbread night (maybe the perfect evening for writing some of our wedding thank you's!)
Movie Club (like a book club...except no pre-work- just a movie and some critical friends)
Mad Men Halloween Party

Today, We are super excited because we are picking up our new canoe today from REI! The canoe is a special gift from my Grandpa Len. My mom once said that Grandpa Len can be summarized through three major parts of his life: a boyscout, a marine, a Catholic. I might add stellar dad and husband (and grandpa!) to that list. Among his many talents, he would write the most beautiful letters to my sister and I. He'd decorate the envelopes with calligraphy and drawings of flowers and animals. When he signed off, I could always count on his regular reminder: Work hard, play hard, pray hard. More than ever, it's a motto that I try to practice as much as I can.


Anyway, Grandpa Len, who can't talk very well anymore but who can still sing and whistle, bought Mike and I a canoe for our wedding. It's green, pretty light, and a real classic. Although my mom wants us to name it "Gitsch" for my grandma (Jean Gitschier), I think we might name it "Lenny."


Photos to come!