Minnesota | miss susie who

When did you go: Sunday, July 7^th, 2013

What were you up to: Shopping & dining

How far did you drive: 44 miles

For a gal who loves to shop, it’s a wonder why I have never made the jaunt to the shops of 50^th & France in Edina, MN. I mean this is a really big question here? Really, why? Um… I just do not know. Mystery aside, let us move on, and get to the good stuff.

Since it was Sunday and I got off to a later start I didn’t hit the entire area but I stumbled upon some fabulous finds!

My first stop was prAna, where George, the gentlest yellow lab greeted me at the door. What a nice surprise! Any way, I love the feeling of comfort while wearing prAna clothing. My purchase, their Bliss skort in black, which will be perfect for weekend hiking and bike rides.

At Paper Source, I ventured upon a gift givers mecca. There were so many fun gift ideas, creative cards and pretty wrapping to dress them up. My purchases included – a fun notebook, QWERTY type magnets, a “positive directions” necklace, and my fave “One Good Deed a Day” journal book (sad that we have to be reminded to do this, isn’t it?).

I took a break for a bite to eat and something to sip on down the street at Salut. It was a bit swelter-y with no breeze outside but I chose to sit on the patio of this quaint French- American bistro any way. On my plate- Ahi Tuna Nicoise salad, so yummy and it was beautifully plated. In my glass- Simi chardonnay, refreshing and crisp.

After my leisurely lunch I made my way to Anthropologie. This store has long been a fave of mine, the clothes, gifts and housewares are quite unique and I was full of excitement to see one located at 50^th & France! My finds- the perfect bowls to complete my dinnerware set and yet another inspirational writing book “642 Things to Write About”.

Of course I strolled through other stores, such as Lush, and Cooks of Crocus Hill (no finds this time but I’m definitely going to try one of their cooking classes).

All in all, a great first ‘Weekend Wandering’!

Enjoy. Smile. Cry. Laugh. Share. Most of all~ BT2U.

I knew this long holiday weekend was going to be a tough one. Why, you may ask? I mean who wouldn’t love having a four-day weekend with the weather in Minnesota forecasted to be absolutely perfect, right?

Well, me that’s who. At least, not this year.

Without any real plans to get away I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. My first instinct, Vegas- lie by the pool, read a book, shop, eat and enjoy the night life, endless possibilities but apparently even 2.5 star hotels on the weekend of the fourth in LV are overly priced and I could not fathom paying a thousand- plus dollars just to run away. Maybe I should have taken that invitation to fabulous Palm Beach, FL (or was it Palm Bay?) but is it safe to take a stranger up on their invite at 2 a.m. bar close? My best friends, my pa and ma would all give me a stern look and say “Yeah, probably not a banner idea”. Too bad, I’ve never been to Florida and he seemed like a nice guy…but I digress.

I went instead, into the past few days with no real expectations (ok maybe some expectations, a girl does need to dream a little).

What I decided to do was bum around with a few of my closest friends, have some drinks, meet a crazy bar tender (funny thing- he wasn’t crazy three months ago. Now? Cra-Z with a capital ‘Z’!); I chilled by the local pool with my best friend and her kids, see, I did get poolside it just cost a thrifty $6.50 instead of a not-so-cool grand, besides hangin’ with a best-y and her two cuties, can’t put a price on that; I went for a couple of bike rides, more sun, more outdoors; got lost in a 12- 14 hour marathon of The Walking Dead season 3 (love that show!) and I decided to start wandering around my fair state of Minn-e-so-wonderful-(in-the-summer)-ta on the weekends.

So begins my journal about my weekend travels. There are many places to explore in Minnesota- great shopping, biking, hiking, wining & dining. It may be that upon reading these entries you will find someplace you will want to explore yourself, or perhaps you will fall in love with this great state from afar or just gain some delight in reading about Miss Susie Who’s ‘Weekend Wanderings’.

Enjoy. Smile. Cry. Laugh. Most of all- Be true to YOU (BT2U)