The Jewbilee!

Benjamin and I had a blast downtown eating Indian food and attending the Jewbilee at First Avenue's 7th Street Entry! There were Jewish comedians, musicians, and we ran into our local rabbi. Did I mention I shook hands with Captain Octagon of the former local band Dance Band? Fantastic Night!

Dreidals, Gelt & The Perfect Coaster

(These Were At All The Tables) 

Game In Action...

Winning!!!!
(Insert Maniacal Laughter Here)

Channukah's First Few Nights

Benjamin and I were fortunate to be together to light the candles and to enjoy time with the Segelbaums. We enjoyed Stan's latkes, some jelly donuts and then opened gifts to one another later in the night.

Mini Opening Her Gift!
(She Has A Great Talent For This)

Mini's New Red Dog
(This is Her 3rd One!)

Picking A Gift To Open
(Tough To Decide!)

Benjamin Opening His Back Scratcher
(Mini's A Good Helper)

Channukah Cookies With Mom!

Mom and I made toffee, the peanut/marshmallow/rice krispie cookies and of course Channukah sugar cookies! Lots of work, but so much fun! Thanks for your wisdom in the kitchen mom!

Completion!

(We Were Pretty Tired Here)

A Little Sample Of Our Genius

(Mom Did The Hebrew...Skills!)

Thanksgiving!

We had a relaxing Thanksgiving with mom up at Windows in Minneapolis. Later we even made our first turkey and it came out great! I am thankful for a loving husband, a mother who is always there for me and a job that I can rely on. I am also thankful for the often overlooked food on our table, security of bills paid, and the safety of a warm home.

View From Windows

(It Was A Gorgeous Day)

Mom & Benjamin
(Snapped Mid-Meal)

The Turkey Prep
(In Full Turkey Form)

Success!
(Can You Tell How Impressed We Are With Ourselves?)

The Table
(It Was A Lovely Dinner)

Our One Year Anniversary In Vegas!

We had a fantastic time celebrating our very first anniversary in Las Vegas. There was amazing food, a roller coaster ride, gambling, endless visual stimulation, lovely naps, and 5 shows in 4 days! We saw the show girls of Jubilee, 3 Cirque De Soleil shows that blew our minds, and of course Elton John on our anniversary! It was a wonderful get-a-way that we both greatly needed after a very busy year!

The Glass Ceiling Of Bellagio's Lobby

(This Was Breathtaking)

What A Lovely Surprise From Benjamin

(These Were The Best Chocolate Covered Strawberries I Have Ever Had)

 Seeing The Sights!

(One Our Way To Dinner & A Show)

The Venetian

(A Cleaner Replica Of The Real Thing ;-)

Le Reve's Water Stage

(THE Most Amazing Show I Have Ever Seen- I Was Amazed From Start To Finish)

BIG Flowers

A Little Gamblin' & A Little Winnin'

(I Tore It Up Ya'll)

Bellagio Fountains Dancing

(So Amazing & Beautiful)

ELTON JOHN!!!

(I Wore My Appropriately Colorful Dress)

ELTON

(Rocking Caesars!)

Madame Tussauds

(Me And Hef)

Madame Tussauds

(Benjamin & Jenna)

Madame Tussauds

(Up Close With Elton)

Madame Tussauds

(Prince Is A MUST As Residents Of Downtown Minneapolis)

Madame Tussauds

(Obama Does Not Mind That Ben Silenced Him Because He Wants To Talk To Me:-)

Thank You To My Husband For An Awesome Trip!
(He Rocks The Sideburns, Yes?)

Mom's Big Birthday Balloon Ride!

Our family took mom out for a hot air balloon ride at Aamodts Apple Farm for her very special birthday! It was a beautiful sunset, perfect weather, and we nearly fell asleep with the fresh air. Happy Birthday Mama!

The Basket & Balloon!

(On Its Way To Inflation)

Balloons Beginning To Inflate

(So Excited!)

Our Balloon

(Almost Ready!)

In The Basket

(Ready To Go!)

Looking Up!

(So Beautiful)

The Take Off!

(So Smooth)

Our Balloon Shadow
(Our Neighbor Balloon Can Be Seen)

In The Sky!
(Happy Birthday Mama)

Landed After A Beautiful Ride 
(Bagging Up The Balloon)

Champagne Toast!

"Pool Dancing" To Stay Warm

The Anderson Sleepover!

We were so lucky to have the lovely Anderson family crash cozily in our condo for a day and evening! We  swam in the pool, celebrated Josh's birthday, and just played with the kiddos. We love you Andersons!

The Pretty Ladies Of The Pool

(Jeryn Being The Most Pretty, Of Course)

Benjamin Taking Josh Down In A Sneak Attack

(Way To Go Husband)

The Adorable Anderson Couple

(Snuggle At The Pool)

My Adorable Niece Jeryn

(We Are Sneaking...shhhh)

Happy Birthday Hosh!

(Maroonish/Pink & Gold Cake- Go U of M!)

Grandma & Her Snuggle Buddy Mara

(Grandma Is The Most Comfy)

Hey Dad, Good Thing I Have This Ballon Since You're Sleeping!

(Nice Parenting ;-)

Mara & Her Uncle Betty

(Benjamin Teaching About Minneapolis Summer Fun)

Alpine Slide

On our way out of Duluth, Benjamin and I popped over to the city's Alpine Slide. Being conservative rule breakers, we brought our camera and took our own photos. What a delight to see how they turned out!