Crazy people....

So, let's get rocking with a life post--a mini update on one of our recent adventures.

My wonderful fiancé and I obtained our advanced dive certification in September. It seemed like a great idea in August when we signed up for the class, but we sure failed to account for unseasonably cold weather. At the time of our first dive, it was a whopping 27 degrees outside--the MN lake water was 20 degrees warmer than the air temp. That sure made for an interesting romp in the bikini while putting on the wet suit. ;)

Speaking of cold, let's talk about that deep dive. On the deep dive, we were required to go to a depth of 65 feet, but we ended up going to about 74 feet. After passing the thermocline (if you're not sure what it is, check it out here --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocline), we got to simulate ice diving. Yes, you read that correctly--the temperature of the water was the same as if we would have cut a hole in two-feet of ice and jumped on in--a bone chilling 39 degrees. Want to see what it feels like? Fill your bathtub with ice, wait a few minutes for some of the ice to melt, and take a nice 18-minute long bath. ;)

But, we persevered, my friends. 5 dives later (a boat dive, a navigation dive, a night dive, a deep dive, and a photography dive), we had our Padi Advanced Open Water Certification. We learned a lot--how to be great underwater navigators, what "depth of field" is, the difference between a five mil wetsuit (what was on numb hands during the deep dive) and a seven mil wetsuit (what was on my shockingly warm body during the deep dive), and most importantly--that I would NOT make a pretty bald person--see for yourself in the photos below. ;)

And now—some photos from the photography dive. Enjoy!

"Excuse me! You did not TELL me it was going to be THIS cold in here!"

It's me. :)

Some of the beautiful scenery in the underwater forest we navigated.

Joey putting our new dive knives to use.

"Here, fishy fishy."

Sending Some Love for a Wounded City

As the whole world knows by now, the cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul suffered a great blow last week with the collapse of the I-35 bridge. Even as a write this, my heart breaks for a city that I love and consider "home." You see, I grew up in the upper midwest, and have extensive family and friends in the twin cities area, so am there often. I know those cities (and their suburbs) like I know my own home-town, and I can only describe the moment that I turned on the TV as "terrifying."

The first 30 minutes of that evening, my heart was pounding out of my chest. The phone calls to and from family and friends verifying their safety were filled with a rollercoaster of emotions--heart-stopping, then relief-filled. The fear and anxiety I felt in those first 30 minutes were awful, so my heart breaks for the families that are still waiting for their loved ones to be recovered.

In light of everything that has happened, I thought these wonderful cities could use a little love. The twin cities are a FABULOUS location for a weekend getaway. Minneapolis and St. Paul have been hailed as the new New York, as the theater and arts scene are second only to the big apple.

Of course, the largest mall in the US finds its home in the twin cities, as well as the Twins, the Timberwolves, the Wild, and my passion--The Vikings--oh and that little known artist Prince who owns a hot club in downtown Minneapolis.

There is so much to do in the area--I've been going there my whole life, and I have not even begun to TOUCH everything!

So, on to the gorgeous hotel--one of my favs in the area--The Sofitel Minneapolis.

The name is a bit misleading because the Sofitel is actually located in Bloomington--great news since that is where the Mall of America is located. How perfect this would be for a girls-only getaway for shopping and martinis!

Rates aren't entirely in the budget category--$150 on a good day and ranging up to $300-ish for the executive suite--but it is FABULOUS, fun, and reasonably affordable for the level of luxury!

http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/gb/sof/0539/fiche_hotel.shtml