Well, summer's officially arrived...the 90-degree weather and humid air are telltale signs here in MN. My friend Val came in from Chicago this weekend for a visit-- we had a blast catching up. Friday night we had dinner at the new Japanese steakhouse that recently popped up in my neighborhood--delicious! And since we ate at the hibachi grill we got to mingle with some people over dinner, which was entertaining.

Saturday Val was kind enough to tag along with me to Todd's house where he was hostin a small family reunion. I think his family had a really nice time, and there was certainly no shortage of food. Todd grilled burgers, chicken, brats, and hot dogs; everyone else brought side dishes to pass like beans and potato salad. Yum! The kids oooh'd and ahhh'd over the sand buckets I'd brought, which were full of pudding and mouse and topped with crushed Oreo cookies to look like dirt and sand.

This weekend we're heading up north to a cabin with some of Todd's family, including his mom, stepdad, brothers, and his brothers' girlfriends. Everyone's staying until Tuesday morning but unfortunately I have to leave Sunday night; work's suddenly become hectic and taking a day off isn't an option right now, especially since we just had Monday off for Labor Day.

I've started working out again-- thank goodness -- and i think this time it's going to stick. I'm hoping I get into the Twin Cities 10-mile run held the same day as the marathon this October (at least I think it's in October). But there's a random entry lottery for the 10-mile. The participant limit is 5,500 runners. Getting in would be great and would give me even more reason to stick to my workouts.

Time to sign off. I'm so thankful for air conditioning!!