Summer (Ha!) Bucket List Item No. 6: PIZZA FARM!!

Well, it might be mid November, but friends and I finally made it to the Pizza Farm in Stockholm, Wis., this week! That's right kids. Driving to Wisconsin for a magical dining experience on the farm.

People drive from miles around to spend their Tuesday nights at the farm - the only night they're open. It's out in the middle of nowhere...literally. But when you find it, you're in for a real treat. All ingredients are grown on-site and you're responsible for your own seating, utensils, beverages, trash...you name it. They provide the pizza, you provide the rest.

Apparently if you go in the real summer, you can wait hours for your very own 'za, despite the fact that it only takes about three minutes to cook in the brick oven. Go in November, though, and you'll find no wait!

The staff is incredibly friendly. Laid-back and happy to chat on a chilly Tuesday evening. Step-by-step, they walked us newbies through the process of placing our order and how to get around on the farm in the pitch black at 6:30 p.m. (oh, winter, how we love thee).

The short and sweet menu keeps you focused and you have the option to go half and half.

Before you know it, your pizza is making its way to the oven. I just couldn't stop taking pictures...which, they don't mind provided you don't use a flash and don't expect them to pose for them :)

Pizza in-hand, you make your way back out on the farm.

Another perk of going in November, you easily snag yourself a table in the chicken coop.

In fact, it was just the three of us cozied up by a fire. There were a few others ordering pizza, but I think most people were getting take-out. In fact, I'm nearly certain we were the only ones that drove 1.5 hours that night.

Now, let's get to the really good part. We ordered half Italian sausage and half roasted squash. The sausage half (happy pigs, as the sign said) included kalamata olives, sweet peppers, sweet onion, roasted tomato, garlic and fresh mozzarella. And the squash half had chile paste, sauteed spinach, sweet onion and garlic. Both halves were served atop a thick and delicious handmade crust.

I loved, loved, loved the crust. And this comes from someone who typically favors the thin, crispy, crunchy variety. I was also delighted by the sausage half. I love pizza packed with cheese and tasty vegetables. The squash side was very interesting and enjoyable. It was a little spicy for this wimp, but I was glad we ventured to try something out of the ordinary.

Before we left, we already started making plans to come back next summer. I really do hope to make it back, especially so I can actually see what the farm really looks like. And, so I'll have even more photos to share here, too!

Summer Bucket List Items No. 4 and 5: Baseball and Yoga

It may have been a gray and dreary day, but it still ended up being a good day for baseball. That's right. My sisters and I brought our grandma to her first Twins game at Target Field. Even on a gloomy day, the views are nothing short of amazing.

Best of all, I think my grams had a wonderful time. We enjoyed each other's company, (she) watched some baseball and dined on some fine concessions stand food. My five-year-old nephew also got to come along for his first baseball game. Like me, he got his fill of baseball after the first couple of innings. Unlike me, he didn't seem all that content to just sit around and chat. I think I got him back on track though with a large hot fudge sundae in a mini-sized Twins baseball helmet. :)

Also, notably, I've marked another thing off the to-do list by renewing my CorePower yoga membership. After a nearly four-month respite, it's challenging trying to get back into the swing of things. But, it's definitely good to be back!

Summer Bucket List Item No. 3 (Kind of): Book 4 of 26

Weeeelllll, I spent the better part of August on the road, so I kind of had to replace reading on the beach with reading on an airplane. Either way, I got my fourth of 26 books read (I'm hoping for a laid-back winter, apparently).

My fourth book was Our House in the Last World by Oscar Hijuelos.

The Details
This is Hijuelos' first novel (his second novel, "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love," won a Pulitzer). This book, like many of his, focuses on a Cuban family in New York City. The Santinio's moved from Cuba to New York in the 1940s, and the story follows them through their life - first focusing on the mother and her pleasant childhood in Cuba, her romance with the father and their decision to move to America, and then the young lives of their two sons Horacio and Hector. It's a story about immigration, a story about family and a story about American culture in the 1950s. And, equally important, it's a story about longing for another life.

My Take
I think one of my favorite things about Hijuelos' writing is his ability to tell a story in a way that's both beautiful and terribly sad. A mother who longs for her life in the last world, constantly comparing what she no longer has to what she used to have. A younger son who's haunted by memories of a country and life he's never known. A hard-working father who struggles with juggling American life and familial responsibilities. An elder son who does everything he can to get away. The American dream put into perspective.

It's not a fast-moving book but a book that lingers with you. Words and scenes that stick with you and that you come back to a few days later. One of my favorite parts, toward the end:

"I did not turn out to be a bad man, and it was because Pop, deep down, really loved the family. If he had hated us I would have burned out. But we went beyond survival. He gave me something that was simple. I keep saying it, the ability to feel love. And having that makes it easy to give."

What I Liked
I like that Hijuelos so eloquently paints the picture of his characters. From chapter to chapter, character to character, you envision what everyone looks like. And you relate to them. Good people, not-so-good people.  There's something about each one that you can appreciate.

What I Thought Could Have Been Better
This probably isn't really a reflection on Hijuelos so much as a reflection on my patience....it's a book that you can fairly easily put down and come back to like an old friend. Each time, it was just there waiting for me where I left off, and it didn't matter if two days or two weeks had passed. I could read five pages and suddenly decide I wanted to do something else, and sure enough, it would be there waiting right where I left off when I came back to it. Again, that's not really a bad thing. I just never felt a sense of urgency.

My Takeaways
Life isn't always easy. Now, I'm sure that comes as the biggest understatement of all time. But, I think it's something we sometimes forget. Or we think things are harder than they really are. It's good to have a little perspective every once in a while.

And, in another complete genre switch, next up is The Last Single Woman in America.

Summer Bucket List Item No. 2: Whatta Deal

Okay, so I actually had to split this into two separate activities (one with one friend and then one with three others), but you'll remember this as the Groupon/Living Social item on my summer bucket list.

First up, $20 worth of burgers at French Meadow. Yes, I love French Meadow. It's one of those perfect places both at night and during the day.

I went with the free range turkey burger as my burger selection: hormone free ground turkey with Eichten's local Gouda and caramelized onions, as well as lettuce, tomato, pickle and chive aioli, served on an organic sprouted bun. The burger is served with organic tortilla chips and homemade salsa. Of course it was delicious :)

There was a handy half-off any bakery item or dessert FourSquare check-in special that I just couldn't refuse, so I also ended up with the triple chocolate mousse cake. Oh, so good. But, oh, so rich. I didn't eat all of it. A. because it was huge. B. because it was just too much sugar for me.

As for the next activity, $32 worth of lake-time fun via Wheel Fun Rentals.

Now, there are many Wheel Fun options - canoes and kayaks, bikes and surreys. With so many decisions, you'd think it would be a difficult choice. But, we went straight for the good, old-fashioned, four-person paddle boat.

An hour-and-a-half chock full of teamwork, bickering, exercising, relaxing, seaweed flinging and water splashing. Ah, bliss. Here are a few of the photos from our journey, mostly taken on Lake of the Isles.

10 Things To Do Yet This Summer

I can't quite believe it's August already. Before we know it, it's going to be winter in Minnesota. I feel like the best way for me to savor what's left of summer, is to write out exactly what I want to do before it's over.

Don't get me wrong, I've had a FABULOUS summer so far. Amazing concerts (Kanye West and Usher at ESSENCE Music Festival in New Orleans (for a client event), Ray LaMontagne and Amos Lee at the Basilica Block Party). Great dining (Pizzeria Lola, Fogo de Chao, The Green Room, Al Vento, It's Greek to Me, Buster's, etc.). Fun road trips (Duluth for a wedding, Glenwood for the infamous Waterama, Iowa border for a cheesy casino adventure...err...chance to meet up with a friend). And cool experiences (tubing down the St. Croix River, seeing the final Harry Potter movie, meeting Wes Johnson at the Timberwolves draft party). Not to mention just great times with family and friends all around.

But, I want to squeeze in a bit more. That's not so bad, is it? So, here are the 10 things I want to do before the official end of summer.

1. Take a trip to the Pizza Farm in Stockholm, Wis., on a Tuesday night.

2. Attend at least one showing of Walker Art Center's Summer Music and Movies 2011.

3. Enjoy an afternoon filled with delicious French Meadow Bakery and fun around the lakes (courtesy of a Groupon and Living Social deal).

4. Take in a happy hour on the new Crave rooftop patio in downtown Minneapolis.

5. Treat my grandma to a Twins game and her first trip to Target Field for her birthday (this might be in September, so it's not so hot).

6. Rent a bike and explore parts of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.

7. Attend my first Third Thursday at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Art Perchance.

8. Read an entire book at the beach (no, I haven't forgotten my ambitious goal of 26 this year, and yes, I am still on No. 4).

9. Hit up the Great Minnesota Get-Together. I can only handle the state fair once every couple of years. I think I'm up for the challenge again in 2011.

10. Mark my triumphant return to yoga by the end of summer. Yes, I went off yoga for the summer knowing it's a busy (and more expensive) time of year, but I'm going through serious CorePower withdrawals.

So, there you have it. The good news is that by doing all of these things, I'll also have fun new stuff to blog about :)

Let's Do This: 26 Books in 2011

It's true. I've become addicted to Netflix. My DVD queue has ballooned to 265 titles, and my instant queue isn't much better with 244. I add new movies and shows every day (even when I don't have time to watch any), so the list isn't going down anytime soon. I'm now the perfect poster child for the service: FB statuses about it, word of mouth advertising to family and friends, debates about whether Dexter or Weeds is better...

And so here I find myself at the start of 2011 realizing that while my love affair with Netflix still runs strong, I've let my true love and treasured pastime - reading - fall to the wayside. I used to be able to finish an entire Jane Green book in one sitting. I would never see a movie before reading the book. And I'm the kind of girl who would pass up a night out with friends for the last 100 pages of Harry Potter.

Earlier today I found a post from Arik Hanson about his (and others') challenge to read 26 books in a year. I've decided to join them, and these are the 26 books I plan to read this year:

1. I LOVE A MAN IN UNIFORM by Lily Burana (currently reading; was recommended by a colleague)

2. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (on loan from and recommended by a friend)

3. The Jihad Next Door: The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in an Age of Terror by Dina Temple-Raston (I saw Dina speak at an event last year and was inspired to purchase her book)

4. Our House in the Last World by Oscar Hijuelos (Mr. Ives' Christmas was on the reading list in one of my college English classes, and I've also read The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and Empress of the Splendid Season. Thought I'd give his first novel a try, too.)

5. The Last Single Woman in America by Cindy Guidry (impulse purchase at used bookstore)

6. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (because it's his first and you've gotta have a couple classics on the list)

7. Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich (this has been on my list ever since I read her first book, Nickel and Dimed)

8. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (fluff)

9. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (the movie was creepy, but I've heard the book is good and it's been sitting on the shelf for a few years now)

10. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (every year I tell myself I'm going to get through this one; now I'm accountable for it)

11. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (because it's important and about making the world a better place)

12. The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich (Minnesota author and a gift from a friend)

13. Chocolat by Joanne Harris (I recently watched the movie and then remembered I own and still need to read the book)

14. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore (I also saw him speak last year at a client event and was inspired to read his book)

15. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling (because I miss HP)

16. Staggerford by John Hassler (Minnesota author and set in Minnesota)

17. WAR by Sebastian Junger (just watched Restrepo)

18. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan (it should make me think twice about both health and nutrition)

19. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (at the top of all the 'best of' lists in 2010)

20. The Shack by William Young (because people still haven't stopped talking about it)

21. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (another one that has topped many lists)

22. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler (I've heard her books are hilarious, so I've decided to start with the first one)

23. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barrack Obama (while we're a long way away from the 2004 DNC, I still want to take time to read the president's second book)

24. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis (one that topped the non-fiction lists in 2010)

25. love the one you're with by Emily Giffin (another guilty pleasure, plus the movie based on her first book, Something Borrowed, comes out this year!)

26. Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays by David Sedaris (I've finally decided to give his books a try, too, and will start from the beginning)

So that's it. Twenty-six books in 2011. And good blogging fodder.

What will you be reading this year?