March 25

Well hello March 25th.

If you read this today and email me I'll take you out for lunch.

JOEL

Twin Cities 10 Mile

Video from KARE11 Twin Cities 10 Mile

Chicago Weekend

Chicago Weekend

I can't compete with Emily's swiftness and thoroughness.  If you want another perspective of Chicago 2013 v. Katy and Joel check E to the 4th Power.

Quite the weekend!  I was lucky enough to have a few days packaged together to scoot to Chicago with Katy for the weekend.

It was an awesome weekend at that!  I find that I really do like traveling but I dislike the planning and preparation and the pre-requisites of getting time off and the money to travel.

A 6am flight on Spirit got us to Chicago by 7:30am and we were off and running, right after a scavenger hunt organized by the one and only Ella.  We took off to Glazed and Infused.  I paired a pumpkin chocolate chip with a peanut butter and jelly donut with my grande dark roast coffee.

Before we knew it the adventures continued on Damen Avenue where Katy and I were dropped off at the new Gant Rugger store.  We wandered through Gant, got an awesome sweater, and stopped through a number of other stores in the Bucktown Neighborhood.  After getting through Bucktown we landed at Northern Grade a nice coincidence to stop in Chicago on a weekend where we saw tons of awesome American made goods.  We talked with Mac and Katy let me buy a tie!  It's a pretty standard thing to pick up one whenever we see Mac and Kat and their Pierrepont Hicks ties.

Saturday night was filled with tons of sushi, mochi and green tea creme brulee!

Sunday morning was a nice crisp cool morning but I think it was ideal to run in late October.  It seemed like it was warmer than Minneapolis for the Twin Cities Marathon and 10 Mile.  I was able to watch Em and Eric run by once while hanging with Ella and Edie and Katy.  Then at about 8:33 with 12 minutes till the 10k I ran about a half mile and was off and running in the 10k.  I did what I could, stayed consistent, running between 6:10 and 6:31 miles for all six while taking 8th I guess under some woman's name who gave up her bib to Emily for me.

Post race took us to a great brunch place enjoying coffee, company of E4 and relaxing.  The afternoon then extended into one of the best days of watching football ever.  I'm pretty sure Eric and I watched that greater portion of three NFL games.  Quite the day.  I tweeted "Ran a race. Ate. Watched football. Ate. Watched more football. What a day!" 

Monday morning Katy and I made a little breakfast and took a walk to the bus stop, caught the Green Line to downtown and walked through Michigan Avenue, Oak Street before making our way back to say good bye.

Quite a fun and quick weekend; thanks for hosting Emily, Eric, Ella and Edie!

A Connecticut Recap

Connecticut 2013 was a fun trip.  

It started fast with a flight out Saturday night and an early morning phone call asking if I could go to a Louis Vuitton meeting on Monday morning.  Sunday was also the day to get up and going early with Mom and Dad to get to see Megan's baptism.  That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. 

Sunday afternoon I went to NYC and wandered the city for a few hours before checking in at the hotel before the meeting Monday morning.  

Monday, I spent in the city at LV training and learned all about how we're going to use our new work phones to clientele and learn how to train the rest of the store.  After the meeting I went shopping for a couple hours on 5th Avenue and eventually met up with Mom, Dad, Rick & Beth and Alena.  

Tuesday, Mom and I met up with Megan, Mattingly and Myla at the outlets in Clinton.  I enjoyed a hot dog and shopping with Mattingly.  Mom and I also went to New Haven and went to Gant, J.Press and a couple other places before heading home.  Tuesday night we also went to the Rock Cats game.  I saw Miguel Sano play; maybe we'll see him up here with the Twins next year.  

Wednesday, M3 and I went to the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington for a couple hours with lunch after at Red Robin and a trip to Westfarms.  We also grilled out Wednesday night and mom made my favorite vegetable and cheese dish! 

I was off to NYC again Thursday.  I spent the whole day there, taking the train in at 7am and getting back to Union Station in New Haven at 12:15am.  I got into NYC early and walked down Broadway on my way to SoHo where I spent most of the day before eating dinner with Adam and Alana at Edo Sushi near the Flatiron Building.  After dinner I wandered back up Broadway and 5th before hitting a late train back to New Haven.  

Friday was a relaxing day that we just spent at home with a quick trip to New Haven to stop at J. Press again for an awesome shawl collar sweater.  

30.

Leaving the 20's gives you many feelings.

You're a full fledged adult no matter where you are in life.  No turning back.  

Turning 30 makes you think about what you didn't do; so make goals in your 20's and bring them to fruition.  Packing your 20's and 30's in to your 30's might be a long road.  

Turning 30 also makes you think what you did do.  I graduated high school and college.  I have had two main sources of employment and numerous smaller things.  

Don't forget to make friends.  Don't forget to call people for fun.  Well, in today's age maybe text people for fun.  

Fail.  And then try it again.  

Teach your kids not to be a perfectionist.  It's not worth it.  And if they are try to beat it out of them.  Well kindly beat it out of them.  

I've had a progressive 10 years of finding things of luxury in the food and style world.  It's a constant progression.  What's next, who's next while maintaining a firm grasp on what should last and the basic foundation of food, style and life.  

I got married.  :)
We travel to the coasts.
Can you believe it's been 5 years in July?  Huh?  

Spend time with people.  But also spend time alone.  

Find someone who prods your thoughts along.  Trust those thoughts and turn them into action.  

Care what others think but don't care too much.  

Take walks and jogs and runs.  Hit the gym and check out the sunsets.  

Take pictures.  Make memories.  

Turning 30 is just like being 29; but it is not.  

I mean,

no one is reading anymore...but just write like you just don't care.



And now time for some rarely seen, never before seen or forgotten photos.

  

 

Happy Birthday Mattingly!

Happy 5th Birthday man!

How has your day been?  What have you done?

Do you remember all of these pictures?

Hopefully Katy and I can come see you soon!

Love you Mattingly!

Birthday Ideas *Update

1. Flight to NYC for a couple day trip to wander and shop and tour 

2. Flight to Chicago for a couple day trip to wander and shop and tour 

3. LV Cabas V Tote. It's from the 2012 Mens Spring Fashion Show if I remember correctly.

What would happen if I could get my hands on this tote?  This would be the ultimate statement bag, something I'd use every day carrying to work.  The Gaston V logo would be awesome to have making me known but only to those who know LV.  If not, I can always hope for the F/W bags from the fashion show next time this year.  This look like this.  :)

This bag.  

All of these. 

This coat.

This bag.

More unique, less usable but this bag. 

This makes me want a cape.  This is supposedly part of the women's collection next fall.  And this makes me want a cape.  I'd wear this even though it's women's.  And it's something I'd buy all of you.

This was from F/W 2012. And I'd wear that in a heart beat.  

And since I'm cold all the time you know as well as I do that I'd wear it. 

Masai Rug

At training in NYC I was decorated with a Masai rug folded and styled on my like this one on the right. The pattern is different, the one that connects to the link above.

Well, what else could I possibly want.

Gift Card to Martin Patrick 3
Gift Card to Black Blue
Gift Card to Len Druskin
Gift Card to Nordstrom

I mean this pretty much covers it.  There's so many other things I would want or take but it's mostly a time identified by me at a fairly specific time and place.

Gant Rugger, Tommy Hilfiger, J.Crew, Billy Reid, Todd Snyder, Band of Outsiders, Shipley and Halmos, ...

A plane ticket to run a road race somewhere--Chicago, New York, Connecticut, Boston...
A trip to watch the NYC Marathon in the fall?

A MacBook Air

Tons of money for a new car for Katy in the fall.
I want this, Jeep Wrangler 4x4.  Katy probably doesn't.  :)

Who knew your son, brother, friend and stranger would be this high end luxury driven and interested.  

Tell me if you guessed it.  Or if you saw it somewhere in childhood or adult hood.