In 2010 I ... went to Pancho Villa twice in one weekend

I know, right? Sick. But also kind of amazing. There's something so irresistible about cheap Mexican food, sangria, 2-for-1 margs and a birthday wheel it was impossible to stay away. Did I mention Pancho Villa is a mere 4 blocks from my condo?

Friday night's PV visit was in honor of Jennie's 32nd birthday and everyone was there. (The twins even made an appearance!) In sum:


Post-party a small group grabbed more beverages at Black Forest Inn - also just blocks from my home and somewhere I'd yet to ever try - and Azia, where the late-night happy hour cannot be beat. I adore Azia's bar and always find the service to be top-notch (I can't think of another spot that offers delicious cheap apps, $3 beers and 1/2 price bottles of wine while also offering coat check, even just for bar patrons).

Saturday night's return was to toast Diana's bf Libby, in town from Madison for a weekend hiatus. Not surprisingly, the sangria and margs were just as good on night #2. After a few nightcaps at the Bulldog my Pancho-filled weekend came to a close ... and I'm definitely taking a considerable break from cheese-filled tortillas of any kind.

In 2010 I ... said Farewell to a Friend (Round 2)

One night of celebration isn't enough for George. And frankly, in this instance I completely agreed. A move on the horizon and a birthday this past Sunday deserved a total weekend throwdown.

An evening at new bar Subo was the Saturday follow-up to Friday's dinner, and it was the perfect spot for George's posse to have the run of the bar. (Plus this place had great late-night drink and food specials. Love that.)


The only bad part about the whole weekend is that it brought us two days closer to seeing George cross state lines.

In 2010 I ... said Farewell to a Friend (Round 1)

A very unfortunate thing is happening. One-fifth of the dinner club, and a quite lovely friend, is moving. To Michigan. Needless to say, George will be sorely missed. But his leaving was also an ideal excuse for a weekend-long celebration. Great friends, food and wine launched the festivities on Friday night as Morgan & Erin hosted an amazing Spanish-style dinner party.

Stuffed peppers, tomato tuna cups, paella, braised pork with garlicky spinach (ooh, and pine nuts!) and chocolate cake with ice cream ... ole!

As usual, Morgan and Erin's culinary superiority put my professional microwaving to shame. It pays to have friends with food skillz.

Wine, wine, wine and countless laughs later, the night wrapped with too many rounds of Rock Band and Diana in the dog bed. A perfect segue to Farewell Round 2.

In 2010 I ... received a gorgeous gift

"Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness." R. Bach

If this holds true, then the Houghton clan made an awfully big wish, because I was taken by complete surprise when I stopped by their house this afternoon and was greeted by Eli, and this:



Lovely, isn't it? A little treasure that's been sitting in my Etsy favorites for some time now, just waiting to be purchased. But, according to Eli, his little treasures Violet & Silas beat me to it ... and then gifted it to me. What a treat.

At just 3 1/2 months, those twins are turning out to be quite the shoppers already! I can't wait until they're walking, so the three of us can start sneaking out for secret shopping rendezvouses of our own.

In 2010 I ... Introduced my mom to Uptown

It's a long-standing point of contention in my family that my mom never ventures past her Bloomington-Edina comfort zone. So, to give her a rundown on all things Uptown (okay, realistically just some things Uptown - it's just too wonderful to cover in one day) I strong-armed/forced her into a day of bumming around the 'hood.

First stop: brunch at French Meadow. Even after an attempt at strategically arriving just past the brunch rush, FM was totally packed. My mom managed to scout a hidden but perfectly placed two-top by the window = major score. After noshing on French toast and Eggs Benedict we jetted off to Patina where I was bitten by some sort of New Year spending binge and splurged on a fantastic purse I'd been stalking pre-Christmas.


After a quick stop at Trader Joe's to stock up on some of our favorites - like Mac & Cheese and Orange Chicken - we wandered down Hennepin for book shopping at Mager's & Quinn and spent much too long ogling everything at Paper Source.


How could I have forgotten about this gem? I could have purchased one of everything in PS, and was drooling over the paper selections (perfect for framing) along with all the awesome project ideas. But, I tried to reign it in after the purse splurge. Some crafting was definitely inspired and will likely be followed up on in a future post.

To round out our exciting afternoon exploration, we met up with my dad for dinner at Burger Jones, complete with delicious, delicious cheese curds.

Honestly, this place knows what they're doing when it comes to frying up cheese. My mom considers herself a bit of a curd connoisseur, and labeled these the best she'd ever had. After all the deep-fried consumption, we rounded out the evening with a rowdy game of dominoes at my place.

Next Mom Tour Stop: Northeast Mpls.

In 2010 I ... attended a Live Band Karaoke Birthday

In honor of Morgan's upcoming 27th birthday, a large collection of the usual suspects gathered at Gluek's on Friday for the birthday kid's favorite activity - live band karaoke.

Hopefully more images of the night will surface via Facebook, because after his hand-Sharpied drink tally, Morgan was definitely the star of the evening's photo shoots. Impressively, Erin, Morgan, and Patty rocked out some serious tunes ... although I had considered making an attempt at karaoke, the live band action is just a bit too intimidating. Since this is Morgan's second go-round at birthday karaoke, maybe I can figure out how to work up the nerve in 2011!

Diana, George and I closed the evening with a serious 30-minute dancefest at 508. Shortly thereafter, we were reminded why we don't do late-night dancefests and promptly exited. However, Diana and I were both ecstatic that some of our old school dance faves - namely Nelly's "Country Grammar" album - were still being spun like they were released in this decade (not 1999).

So, no karaoke in '10. For now, in-home Rock Band and my rendition of "Maps" will have to do.

In 2010 I ... Reflected on Some Great Music

Diana put together a great list of her favorite songs from the past year, and requested I do the same for comparison's sake. I can't remember a year I was more excited about music than 2009, so I'm happy to oblige. I love all of these tunes for such different reasons I couldn't possibly rank them, so I'm just tossing them out in alphabetical order by artist.

I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers
My Love - The Bird and the Bee
Furr - Blitzen Trapper
Blood Bank - Bon Iver
I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked - Ida Maria
Special Party Time for Everyone - Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles
Sick Muse - Metric
Stadium Love - Metric
Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
24 Hours - Noisettes
This Tornado Loves You - Neko Case
The Reeling - Passion Pit
The Fixer - Pearl Jam
1901 - Phoenix
Girlfriend - Phoenix
Folding Chair - Regina Spektor
Who You Gonna Run To - Solid Gold
Feeling the Pull - The Swell Season
Someday - Tegan & Sara
When We Swam - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Island, IS - Volcano Choir
You and I - Wilco
Islands - The xx
VCR - The xx
Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

So there they are - 25 of the songs I listened to most last year. I would have listed 7+ songs from Phoenix's "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" but I know everyone is already familiar with my obsession. And while all these songs were actually released in 2009, there were many more I discovered throughout the year (like Broken Social Scene's "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" which might be from 2002 ...) that I would have added if not for the year criteria.

Looking forward to what's coming in 2010, and already counting the moments til The xx show in April.

*UPDATE* I was foolish to think I could do this in just 25 songs. This bundle should have also made my original list:

Wild at Heart - Lookbook
Touches You - Mika
Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear
Come Monday Night - God Help the Girl
Heartbeat Radio - Sondre Lerche